-Tips for radio hosts when asked to be on TV!
-Steve Bryant
-Industry News (Adam Carolla, Rob Milford, Chris Krok to KLIF)
-Aircheck spotlight on the amazing Chris Krok!

Download version of show #003

Downloadable version of show # 2

Industry news, a recap of the Talkers Magazine New Media Seminar in NYC, “The Jesus Christ Show”, and around the dial to KFI in LA during morning drive with Bill Handel.

Play show above or download episode #001 here

Download this test audio

Telephone audio using a cheap Radio Shack phone interface.

Download test telephone audio

http://radio.webstream.net/radio_player_large.cfm?stationCallSign=WGMD

For mobile devices here is the link:

http://radio.securenetsystems.net/radio_player_mobile_instructions.cfm?stationCallSign=WGMD

I’m loving this as a way to further connect and interact with the audience.  I can use it as a tool to set up topics,  give “insider information” , off air comments, whatever, during the show and while I’m off the air I can update keeping myself  “top of the mind” with some of my strong supporters.    I can even say things on Twitter I might not want to say on air to make those following my posts feel they are in an inner circle if you will.  It’s been great fun, I recommend all talk hosts and producers try it!  The simplicity of using my cell phone to send a text message and then have that message  automatically go to all the listeners who follow me, plus appear automatically on my twitter page, and my radio web site page automatically using an rss feed is a beautiful thing.  Twitter has made my online communication a lot less complicated.

I have also used Twitter to follow other radio hosts who “get it”, and have been able to steal some great show topic ideas and show prep.  (Thanks Andy and Grandy!)

My explanation of Twitter is not as good as this short video.

Follow me on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/dangaffney

Too many very talented radio folks got the shaft this year, making me personally even more thankful to be spending my Holiday employed by one of America’s few stable, successful,  money making and yes,  fun,  radio stations.

When talking about firings, layoffs, and other employment tragedies with a friend recently,  he remarked that I should share my own unusual radio employment history on the blog.  I’m reluctant because I don’t want the talkradioreport.com to be too much about me and my life but since I am truley thankful for my life in this business,  I’ll give a brief outline:

I have worked full time six days a week bona-fide full time real radio station work for the past 26 years, and I have NEVER been unemployed!  Radio;  26 years;  never unemployed.  Wow, I’m blessed. 

Only once while working as a talk show host at WAKR in Akron, Ohio the station flipped formats and I was let go, but I was give two months severance pay, and 3 days after being fired I was working as a fill in host at WKBN in Youngstown, and over the next few weeks I filled in at WHIO in Dayton, Ohio too!   So for the duration of my “firing” I actually made double my usual pay!  Then I landed my next full time gig, and so on and so on.

I don’t quite understand why my life on the radio turned out so stable while others in the industry are caught in a whirlwind of instability and short term employment.  Again, I’m blessed…and prepared.   I hope you are prepared for the worse too,  I want you to survive and thrive should the worst happen at your radio station.

So that’s it.  I’m weird.

Peace joy and Merry Christmas.

FM 107.1  St. Paul/Minneapolis

Why this station wins my prestigious “Station Of The Week”:

Bold and innovative format.  (talk radio isn’t just for old white guys)

Excellent programming.

Great local talent.

Very impressive website that seems like a perfect extension of the on air product.

Check out the on demand section of the website to review some of the topics discussed… gifts under 5 dollars, male sexuality, why do so many people send nude texts of themselves?,  husband found out about her Christmas surprise?, green stamps and hot pants; growing up in the 50′s and 60′s, is the bible literally true?, etc

Wow!  Not a Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, or auto bailout to be heard.  (not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we can’t all be interested in the same thing brother!)

Congrats and success wishes to FM 107.1

Special hello to Ian Punnett who hosts the morning show with his wife.  Ian is one of the nice people in this business.

I conducted high dollar radio research on the air this morning, (cough cough) by asking my listeners “do you listen to talk radio mostly to hear the callers or to hear the host?”

Here is the 17 1/2 minute audio clip:

http://www.wgmd.com/images/stories/audio/holland121008.mp3

It’s more of goof than anything.

Just like oil, talk radio talent is a rare commodity, which means, just like America, radio needs to drill in new areas to develop alternatives to our current dependence on small markets and broadcast schools. Learn how experts from outside of radio are building pipelines to new sources of fresh talent.

Folks, I’m here to say the “problem” of a lack of talent is simply not true.  I wonder how this radio urban legend ever got started?  Probably a lazy program director in a major market who had to justify to the board of directors why he hired his buddy and not someone who was actually experienced or good.  Just a theory.  The lack of talent lie sounds good,  so it gets repeated year after year.

First of all, at the station where I work  and at the stations I’ve helped with employment searches,  I’ve never had a problem getting a pile of applicants, many who are damn good and experienced.  So..uh I don’t get it.  If I was paying a high salary I would get an even higher response. 

Let me pretend for a moment that I’m programming WABC in New York, or KFI Los Angeles or even WMAL in Washington.  Do you really think that if I needed to find a compelling experienced stable talk show host I would have any trouble?  Of course I wouldn’t, and I wouldn’t have to resort to hiring a politician or weak cable tv show host to get it done. 

Need talk talent?  Here are some ideas for you:

It sounds obvious, but you need to advertise for it.

Hire or cultivate weekend talent from other stations in town, or within driving distance of your station.  It’s not that hard.

Try and hire a recent small market Marconi award winner.

Drop Coast to Coast AM and put a potential up and coming talent on overnight as a back up for one of your big guns.

Our business is loaded with DJ’s who can’t stand playing music.  Find them on morning drive music station across America.

Sponsor a best unknown talk show host contest for cash.  Advertise it in the trades.

Ask a consultant to help you. Like me.

Find the best podcasters, or youtube stars and teach them radio.

etc.

Do not:

Give up and just put on the latest syndicated flavor of the week.

Do not:

Hire a newspaper guy, a tv guy, a comedian, or the ex mayor.

The only reason this industry can’t find new radio talk talent is they simply don’t know how to look, or don’t want to look.  Too much work I guess.

I’m so tired of hearing the lie!  Radio talent still exists, don’t let anyone tell you any different.