N/T PDs: This Month we tune-up the “I” and “T” factors.

I-FACTOR #1 The “24/24 Fresh Test”

A talk show with a high “I” (informative) factor will meet the “24/24 Fresh Test”. The content of the show will be packed with FRESH information that is of IMMEDIATE interest to the target audience.

vTalk Shows Gone Stale

It’s easy to identify a talk show that’s going stale. The host will be stuck in his/her comfort zone. Doesn’t matter that the president of the United States just inserted himself into a local police matter and called an officer’s actions “stupid” before knowing all the facts. Nope, the host will ignore the pros and cons of spinning that issue and just continue plodding along, head down, stuck in the old school rut of abortion, gun control, black helicopters,etc. Stale topics that could be booked and discussed next month, next year or the next century. Stuff that should only be part of the show when they become a top-of-mind issue in today’s news.

vThe Easy Fresh Fix

If the host is willing and supported by a strong producer, it’s easy to get the show back to the “fresh” mode. Filter the next show’s content through the “24/24 Fresh Test”. Is today’s show focusing on the most important issues, events and topics that are hitting the hot buttons of the show’s target audience? Those which have occurred in the past 24 hours or will be coming up in the next 24? If the answer is “no, that content is stale… toss it. It’s probably an issue that is dead… a real stinker.

I-FACTOR #2 The “I didn’t know that”

“TELL ME SOMETHING I DON’T ALREADY KNOW” - A well prepped host will discover new nuggets of information to pass along to the audience. If the host is doing an outstanding job of prep, when you are listening, you’ll find yourself saying, “Wow, I didn’t know that!”

vMake sure hosts and producers are using all available sources to prep.

For example, how many of the following links is your team using when on the net looking for those nuggets of information that will trigger the listener to say… “I didn’t know that”?

vShow prep – using Google News Alerts

Ø http://www.google.com/help/faq_newsalerts.html

vHow to use Google as a search engine

Øhttp://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=134479

vWeb Search Strategies

Øhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWHPf00Jkqg

vHow to search YouTube

Øhttp://www.ehow.com/how_2100111_search-youtube.html

vInternet Search Tools

Øhttp://websearch.about.com/od/internetresearch/a/whatissearch.htm

WHAT ABOUT the T-FACTOR? – Define your Target

vDo the host, producer and program director have the same clear vision of the target audience?

vIt’s very important that they are on the same page when defining the target audience.

Many times during a program consulting meeting, I’ve presented this challenge:

I ask these three key players to write down a description of the show’s target audience. You’d be amazed how many times the talk host, the producer and the PD all have different targets in mind.

Challenge: Try it and see what happens. It may be a real eye-opener!

Michael Packer – Packer Smart Talk Tips — August 2009

PS. Need to bring new members of your staff up to speed quickly on the basic formatics of talk radio? Want to give your pros a quick review? Go to http://packersmarttalk.com/