Reverse Engineer the next year!

 

Imagine it's this date, 2023.
Imagine all the things that made the past 12 months amazing. Get as much detail as you can. Create as many pictures in your head and attach strong emotions to them.
Get the pictures as clear and HD as possible.

Next - work backwards.

So many times we're asked "What do you want to do in one year from now" and that's a bloody tough question to answer.

So, jump ahead now. 

Get the pictures. 

Fantasise. 

Then, start today with your plan on how to get there.

Back-Door Strategy.

We discovered 48 WAYS for one person to get hired at a radio station!!

During one of our coaching calls today, we chatted with a presenter who has been having no luck 'getting the gig'.

So...it was time for the 'Back Door Strategy'.
The who-in-the-what-now?

"What else are you good or great at?" we asked.

It turned out that this person is highly skilled in HR, Office Management, Employee Relations and 45 other very marketable skills.
That means, he has just 'upped' his chance of getting an interview in a radio station 48 times over!!!

If you would like to figure out what transferable skills you have, give us a shout. It's what we do.

But Wait!!!!
"I want to be on air".
Yep. So does this guy.

But if he gets into a radio station on a daily basis as a paid worker, then he stands a better chance of landing an on-air gig too....because they're already paying him...and they know him :)

Give it some thought.

RADIOSTAR22 - OPEN FOR ENTRIES.

Hard to believe but the 5th Annual RadioStar competition is about to start!

RadioStar’22 is open for entries NOW!!

RadioStar is the ONLY International Radio Talent Search.

Contestants have gone on to forge careers in radio with the stations and networks from London to Dublin and from Melbourne to Vancouver. 

Here’s what we ask of you:

RadioStar is fuelled by word-of-mouth. That is it’s oxygen.

We would love it if you could place the attached poster on your Social Media page for others to see. Just once…that’s all we need.

One of your friends or contacts could be the Winner of RadioStar’22!!

Even if they’re not…they will still get direct access to and feedback from over 250 programmers worldwide. That can otherwise take years of networking and graft.

When you post the graphic, you could also say:

“RadioStar is back and open for entries NOW. Send an MP3 of your voice/show (60-90 seconds) to  onaircoach@gmail.com - Previous Winners are now all working in commercial radio in the UK, Canada and Australia. It Could Be You!”

We really appreciate your help with this.

Tracey Lee

OnAirCoach

Why New York Radio Underwhlemed us.

When I was a kid, radio in the US was pretty much the holy grail when it came to broadcasting. Z100, KISS FM, Y100, WNEW, TIC-FM...they all sounded amazing.

We drooled over the Rick Dees American Top 40 and thought there was no one quite like Casey Kasem.

If you happened to be lucky enough to travel to the States (or if a friend went over) a cassette of FM radio was an essential bring-back! One of the reasons I ended up working on radio in North America was from this early admiration for the US model. They invented radio showbiz! My first PD was from Nebraska and further instilled that love for fast-talking, fast-moving FM presentation.

Now...?

Well, now our old friend is sounding a little...jaded.

After one day listening to Z100, NEW 102.7 and CBS-FM, we can only say that it was all a bit...meh.

Yeah Scott Shannon is a legend and of course Broadway Bill is a one-off...no contest. Elvis Duran is doing what Elvis Duran has always done. It's all tight and focussed and slick.

But...compare it to, let's say Kyle & Jackie O in Sydney and you are on different planets. 

New York...what does that conjure up? Excitement, danger, thrills, fun, unpredictability...yet on the radio...none of that exists. 

One thing I don't associate with New York is the word 'sanitary'. Yet that's how the radio felt. 

Minimal interraction from presenters, snazzy imaging and clean commercial breaks. Nothing to set the heart aflutter.

The Hits in New Zealand, Capital in London, Spin 1038 Dublin, Virgin Montreal, Fox Melbourne and more are doing it better and creating fun, interactive radio. Why is that?

>>> Do you know of a radio station anywhere in the US that is killing it? Ler us know. We really want to listen and have our faith restored <<<

Radio Age Gap.

Reading an article titled “What’s The Best Age Gap in a Relationship?” got us thinking about…radio (of course!!).

The general consensus is that a three to seven year age gap is considered best. 

Taking all of the reasons out of the equation for the moment (reproduction, socio-economic) and looking at the bare fact…we wondered if this spills onto presenters.

Is it possible that radio listeners are attracted to on-air voices who seem ‘older’ than them? 

Would an eighteen year old listen to another eighteen year old or would they prefer someone in their mid-twenties?

How about a fifty five year old listening to talk radio? Do they want a younger or older voice?

You can’t control your age (or your listener’s) but it’s worth noting that the gap between you may in fact be a good thing.

If your attitude to that age gap can improve your performance by even an extra 0.5%...isn’t it worth investigating?

How Much Does The Job Pay?

"It shouldn't be about the money".

That's a phrase we heard a lot in the past. Maybe it's been said to you.

In fact, it was so entrenched in radio's psyche that we, as presenters, were afraid to ask "How much does the job pay?" in case asking the question was used against us. 

As if radio was some sort of vocation and we had some nerve even requesting money for our services!

Here's a shocker for you: If you pay a person well, they will work harder and better for you. Yes, we need to look after mental well-being and all that goes with it...but, on a purely financial angle: pay badly and you will get the appropriate response. 

"What kind of salary are you looking for?" is another beauty. In other words "We will try and hire you for the lowest amount possible". Presenters know this question and, as a starting point in a working relationship, it's not a good look. Basically it is saying "We will try and pay you as little as we can". 

Imagine how a person would react to the opposite: "The salary is $___". No head games. Just professional respect.

If you hire a presenter for peanuts, eventually they will give you the minimum effort. Despite their best intentions.That's human nature. You have designated their 'worth' to the company as marginal so after the initial enthusiasm wears down they will respond accordingly. It happens eventually. The presenter is then fired for under-achieving and a replacement brought in for the same or LESS money (gotta save that cash!) Or perhaps, you can outsource a VT for even less! (Those VT people will work for next to nothing...right??)

Pay your presenters well. Stop trying to short change them. They know when they are being under valued. Invest in your presenters. THEY are your future. They will respond. They are the difference between you and Spotify/YouTube/Sky News!! 

No amount of advertsing or spin will cover the cracks. When a listener finally decides to check out your station and hears a presenter going through the motions or lands upon a generic VT...they won't be encouraged to come back again.

How much is that costing you?

Can You Take a Break?

It’s OK to take a break for a while.

If you are looking for radio work and feel burned out by the search…it’s OK to stop. 

* Take a break.

* Breathe.

* Look after yourself.

Do something that will make you feel good.

> The right opportunity will turn up but you can only take it if you are in the right emotional state.

> Being exhausted or burned out will do you no good.

> Sometimes, the best ideas arrive when stop looking for them.

So, look after yourself. That’s Job Number One!

Take a week, a day…an hour. Whatever you need right now to recharge.

* We all have times when we feel overpowered or under-appreciated. 

* We all know what it’s like to struggle and strive for what we want most.

* We all know what it feels like to watch others get the jobs you want.

It’s tough.

But those people getting the jobs today?

They were the ones rejected yesterday.

Don’t worry if you are rejected today.

Tomorrow could be the day when they say “Yes”.

Then, after you take a break? 

Keep going.