We coach media personalities, business professionals, entrepreneurs, sports personalities and music
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https://randylane.com/blog/2023/08/07/repeat-or-not-repeat-content/
By Mike Donovan and Randy Lane Repeating or repurposing personality show content is a subject of debate among talent, programmers, and consultants. Replaying fun, funny, emotional, and innovative priceless moments in other hours and dayparts is a growth opportunity. There’s a misconception among s...
Great visit with Danni and Cory WXMX 98.1 Memphis.
This week's guest blog is from my friend and colleague, Mike Donovan. Mike is one of radio's brightest talent coaches and program consultants. He demonstrates how personalities who aren't funny or outrageous can charm their way to success.
~ Randy Lane
(By Mike Donovan) Some talents can be funny, witty, and clever, but still lack charm and a special warmth that could help grow them into a multi-dimensional personality brand. We all know people who are simply “charming.”
More than any other mass medium, radio has the opportunity to help alleviate the American loneliness epidemic AND grow its audience.
I'm sad and surprised to hear All Access is coming to an end. Joel and Sat and staff have provided a wonderful service to both the music and radio industries. It's been the go-to site for news and vital information for 28 years. Joel and Sat staged one of the finest conventions ever for our industry. Congratulations on a phenomenal run.
TBT - Waaay back!
Always great sessions with The Bert Show in Atlanta!
Radio talent coach Randy Lane gives 6 vocal punctuation tips for on-air talent to use to communicate naturally and tell stories.
Guest interviews don't have to be a PPM downer. Jeff McHugh demonstrates how to make them great.
Have you ever seen an amateur try to do the work of an expert? Imagine a surgeon inviting an average person to try their hand with a scalpel, or a World Cup soccer team bringing a fan down to the pitch to play goalie. Interviews on a radio show or podcast can be like that. […]
Dead air is good! Here’s why.
When many of us started in radio, dead air was a cardinal sin. I still have the dreaded dream of being on air, the music runs out, I can’t find a song or commercial, and for the life of me, I can’t find anything to fill the dead air. As it turns out, dead air […]
What characteristics does it take to become a radio or podcast star? These five qualities will ensure success!
What are the characteristics you need to become a successful radio/podcast personality? That’s a question I get from people starting podcasts and from young people beginning their radio careers. 1. CharismaHighly successful media personalities exude a mysterious factor that can’t quite be explai...
What are the three key components to advertising impact? Check out this week’s blog.
The most effective advertising is based on three primary components: Strategic Campaigns We continue to see highly creative one-off commercials quickly forgotten, and worse; many people remember the spot but not the brand. In his recent Ad Age article, Superbowl Marketing Has a Real Problem – Too ...
It’s time for radio to wake up and be bold! Jason Goodman and Randy Lane outline radio’s distinctive brand advantages.
Jason Goodman, VP of Programming DBC RADIO and Randy Lane Imagine Spotify came first. Then imagine radio recently entered the media arena as a competitor. Spotify would consider radio a huge threat because they couldn’t connect emotionally with listeners, provide companionship or be local. We...
A tribute to Ron Lane, my brother by Randy Lane.
I recently lost my beloved brother. Ron Lane was the consummate broadcaster. As an air personality, General Manager, and owner, his radio stations super-served small towns in Camden, TN, Bartow, FL, Russellville, AL, and Flora, IL. Ron was both my personal and professional mentor, coach, and inspira...
What’s the best way for terrestrial radio to survive? Jeff McHugh gives you the plan in the AM/FM Survival Test.
Could you survive in the wilderness? The How Stuff Works podcast recently featured a survival skills quiz, with questions like: “What’s the single most important thing you need to survive in the wild?” Correct answer: Water. Going only 24 hours without water causes serious problems. Three days...
What are the answers to three frequently asked questions from radio shows? Read on to this week’s blog.
In recent years, I worked with a top 10 market program director who met with an experienced morning show for 60-90 minutes every day! Most of the time he spent pontificating and telling stories. It drove the show crazy and wasted their prep time. Long daily meetings are usually counterproductive b...
Jeff McHugh reveals the best five ways to promote your morning show.
A surprising fact from ratings data: The percentage of your station’s afternoon/evening audience that has never listened to your morning programming is high. Why? One major reason is you haven’t created enough awareness for the show outside mornings. But wait, you say. We run five morning show p...
In this week’s blog, why feelings connect more with listeners than facts.
In a recent discussion, Service Broadcasting Head of Content and syndicated show DeDe in the Morning General Manager, George “Geo” Cook, coined the phrase, “Feelings over Facts.” It immediately struck a chord with me. The ultimate goal of all shows is to get an emotional reaction from listen...
How do you plan emotion in your radio show or podcast? Jeff McHugh shares insights from famed filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock.
Your show can have a stronger emotional impact using practices from motion pictures, theatre, stand-up comedy and improvisation. After all, radio when done well is part of the entertainment business. Director Alfred Hitchcock was known for planning. Famous for suspenseful movies like The Birds and P...
Bert Weiss, host of the nationally syndicated Bert Show and CEO/President of his podcasting agency Pionaire, has written a new book on podcasting. Randy interviewed Bert about his relevant and informative book, Listenable.
My friend Bert Weiss, host of the nationally syndicated Bert Show and CEO/President of his podcasting agency Pionaire, has written a new book on podcasting. I recently sat down with Bert to talk about the relevant and informative Listenable. R: Why write a book on podcasting? B: The upside to podcas...
It’s your ear more than your eye. Jeff McHugh describes the importance of audio on radio shows and podcasts.
“It’s your ear more than your eye,” said CBS 60 Minutes creator, the late Don Hewitt. Broadcasters sometimes overlook the importance of audio. In television, what audiences hear is more important than what they see. Radio and podcast presenters have only sound to work with, but many leave thei...
Mic order: Who talks first? Here are guidelines for team shows and ensemble casts.
Who talks first, second, third, etc.? There are no hard and fast rules for mic order on radio and podcast shows. There are highly successful shows with a fixed mic order and highly successful shows with a varied mic order. Fixed Mic Order Almost all shows with one personality’s name on them such a...
The value of contesting is polarized. In this week’s blog, we dive into both sides.
Last week’s blog on contesting drew a polarized response. We are not saying abandon contests; we advise radio stations to avoid designated caller and text contests that only engage the small percentage of listeners trying to win. Instead, focus on listener-interactive games and contests that are s...
Is radio contesting outdated? Yes and no…here’s why.
Radio programmers have long believed contests persuade people to listen and listen longer. We are the only major medium still running them to encourage listening and to create awareness. The annual Jacobs Media Techsurvey reveals that most people are motivated to listen to radio because “it’s ea...
Randy Lane and Jeff McHugh provide tips for talent on how to talk about TV shows and movies.
We all spend many evenings watching top-rated shows like The Last of Us, You, or Young Sheldon…or do we? The truth is most of us have not seen those shows. We assume that almost everyone has seen the top-rated shows we and our friends watch. Let’s look at the facts: The super bowl of television ...
How can you be even more creative? In this week’s guest blog, one of radio’s most creative talents, The Dave Ryan in the Morning Show shares his creative process.
The competitive edge is achieved by creating original content that distinguishes your show or podcast. Dave Ryan is one of radio’s most creative and innovative talents. This skill has kept his show on top of the ratings for years at KDWB Minneapolis. In today’s guest blog, Dave reveals multipl...
How does your mindset largely determine your success? Jeff McHugh explains in Strong Mindsets For Media Success.
Reaching your goals, feeling confident and finding success as a media professional depends more on mindset than most people realize. According to Merriam-Webster, mindset is “a mental attitude or inclination.” Everyone has natural, built-in inclinations. The best of the best chooses the...
The FTC is proposing to ban noncompete clauses in employee contracts. Here are the pros and cons from an array of radio execs and talent.
The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed new rule banning noncompete clauses in employee contracts could have a major impact across the media industry. Noncompete clauses in talent, sales, and management contracts are common in the radio industry. The FTC proposed this rule because noncompetes supp...
It's not a good idea to 'agree to disagree.' Here's why.
In meetings, how many times have you “agreed to disagree?” It’s a way out of endless arguments that can stall and prolong meetings. This phrase enables both parties to maintain their positions. But there’s a big downside to agreeing to disagree. When it’s decided to implement one person’...
The chemistry the audience senses between on-air players is a key factor to their success. Jeff McHugh details how to create chemistry in partnership.
How do you build chemistry on a radio show or podcast? What listeners sense between on-air players is a key determinant of the show’s success. What can you do to create a partnership that vibes? If you want the audience to feel something you have to feel it first. Consider Lady Gaga and Bradley Co...
Goals versus resolutions: In this week’s blog, we outline the important difference.
As we roll into the first full week of 2023, most of us have set some form of goals or resolutions. There are countless studies on how long people stick with resolutions. Unfortunately, only about 9 to 16% of people are able to follow through on their resolutions. Lifehack points out 16 reasons why....
Clean up 2022 and get set for the new year with these show priorities from The Randy Lane Company.
Tis’ the season to review the passing year and form a vision for the new one. This checklist will help you clean up unaddressed issues and come roaring out of the gate in 2023. MANAGEMENT AND HOST REVIEW Meet with your staff one-on-one. The priority for management and show hosts is to ask question...
Fun couple of days in Dallas with Dee Dee in the Morning show!
Do you want to generate breakthrough ideas? Here are 5 new rules to advance group brainstorming.
Group brainstorming has long been a staple for radio shows, podcasts, sales teams, and marketing teams to generate innovative ideas. Major corporations the world over use some form of group brainstorming to create new products and services, improve existing ones, and solve problems. Jeremy Utley and...
Failure is a key element of the creative process. Jeff McHugh explains why you should take a bow for failure!
If you are a reader of our newsletter, you may recall my adventure trying improvisational theater. Despite how terrible I was, I grew a lot from the experience. I signed up again and after two classes I am still terrible. I learned about a wonderful improv tradition that radio and podcast hosts migh...
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