Tag: talk hosts

Industry Views

SABO SEZ: The Fine Art of Talking with Talent

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
a.k.a. Walter Sterling, Host
WPHT, Philadelphia, “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night”
TMN syndicated, “Sterling on Sunday”

imgTalk show hosts are not motivated or driven like disk jockeys or salespeople. Most general managers have never managed talk show hosts. Few program directors have managed talk show hosts. My career has been blessed with daily exchanges with the best talk show hosts in history. Here are some suggestions I would like to share on how to have a superior relationship with talk stars.

• Listen to the show. Talk hosts are performers committing an unnatural act. They are on a stage with no audience. They hear no applause, little immediate feedback, and this leads to paranoia. Was that topic good? Was the joke funny? You’re the audience.

• Give one “note” at a time. Whatever method you use to motivate a salesperson, do the opposite with on-air talent. Talk talent cannot work harder. They are working as hard as they possibly can every moment. You don’t have to motivate them to go on more sales calls. The motivation comes from telling a host what you enjoyed – what you thought was fun or funny. Compliments won’t make them take it easy; it will make them want more compliments – applause. Applause is the motivation.

You may hear several elements on a show that could be improved. Keep the list to yourself. Select the most urgent item that could be improved and share that one and only that one.  Bring up another suggestion next week. Offering more than one “repair” can be devastating. Surround all suggestions with many compliments.  It works.

• Unless a talent posts under your station’s actual social media account, their social media posts are frankly none of your business. Facebook is just not as important – not as your station. Let it go.

• No other entertainer has as hard a job as a radio talk show host.  Talk show hosts have to create multiple hours from scratch. Actors on a sitcom need to learn 22 minutes of script – script they didn’t write; 11 writers did that for them. How much are you paying for writers for your talk shows? Oh! Entertainers in other media have production assistants, interns, writers, coaches, dressers, rehearsals. How much support staff do your hosts have? Oh! Talk show hosts perform a daily miracle for your company. Lunch barter isn’t enough.

Walter Sabo has been a C-Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General, and many other leading media outlets. His company, HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.

Industry News

TALKERS to Publish the 2024 Heavy Hundred Tomorrow (4/10)

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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TALKERS magazine will publish the 2024 edition of its long-running feature the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America, also known as the Heavy Hundred, tomorrow (4/10) at 12:00 noon ET. Talk hosts making this prestigious list are nominated and voted on by the TALKERS magazine editorial board based on hard and soft factors including (in alphabetical order): courage, effort, impact, longevity, potential, ratings, recognition, revenue, service, talent, and uniqueness. TALKERS editors acknowledge that compiling this annual list is as much art as science and that results are arguable. TALKERS magazine VP/executive editor Kevin Casey says, “Putting together this list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America never gets any easier. The number of hard-working talk radio hosts across the country make winnowing this down to merely 100 a painstaking task. That said, the editorial board believes this year’s Heavy Hundred truly reveals a snapshot of the makeup of the American talk radio industry in 2024. We’re excited to publish this year’s list on Wednesday.”

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Avoid Sounding Like a Medical Examiner

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

We’ve seen autopsies depicted on various cop shows. As the doctor dispassionately probes the deceased, he or she is dictating into an audio recorder: “I’m opening up the chest cavity…”

That’s how some talk hosts sound, narrating their own process, rather than projecting the listener’s stake in topic du jour.

— Instead of: “This gas stove ban is something I want to talk about.”

— Ask: “Should you be fined for installing – or replacing – your gas stove? Let’s talk about it! (phone number)”

— Instead of: “We’ll be talking about the fiscal impact of immigration.”

— Say: “How much money are illegal immigrants taking out of your pocket?  More than you think, according to our guest…”

Said another way: Less “I,” “me.” More “you,” and “your,” The Magic Words.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of the E-book and FREE on-air radio features “Inflation Hacks: Save Those Benjamins;” and “Spot-On: Commercial Copy Points That Earned The Benjamins,” a FREE download; and “Multiply Your Podcast Subscribers, Without Buying Clicks,” available from Talkers Books.  Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

Industry Views

Monday Memo: The Conscious Shopper

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Joe Pags - Talkers MagazineWhenever possible, USA consumers will pay cash, and they’re paying-down credit card balances, per recently released Ipsos polling data.

Already coping with inflation and wary of a 2023 recession, consumers are in “need” vs “want” mode. They’re choosing generics and store brands and favoring purchases “made of high-quality and longer-lasting materials.”

One conspicuous exception to this growing frugality jumps-off the page…

Americans have a yen for vacation, if little else

“Alongside declining consumer confidence levels in the U.S., Ipsos online community members believe most of their cost-saving behaviors from the summer will continue, aside from cutting back on travel. Specifically, compared to the summer of 2022, they feel they are less likely to hold back on taking trips outside the home or making travel plans. After living through years of lockdowns and restrictions, they say travel isn’t something they are willing to give up in 2023.”

Sales lead: Local travel agents

Local radio is still local businesses’ best friend defending against e-commerce competitors, and personal service is the silver bullet. Travel is an Internet DYI remorse category, after disappointing experiences squandered bargain shoppers’ precious vacation time and money.

Hear the copy? Travel agents who have taken tour wholesalers’ junkets can recommend in a seductive anecdotal fashion. They describe meals in mouth-watering detail. “After all we’ve been through the last couple years, you’ve earned it! And I will personally see to all the details.”

And brainstorm which other local businesses sell the “experiences” that consumers, increasingly, choose over “things?” It’s a clear trend that cuts-across all demographics.

DJs, talk hosts, remaining promotion people and local newscasters: Read the room.

This IPSOS report is a free PDF download that takes listeners’ temperature.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of the E-book and FREE on-air radio features “Inflation Hacks: Save Those Benjamins;” and “Spot-On: Commercial Copy Points That Earned The Benjamins,” a FREE download; and “Multiply Your Podcast Subscribers, Without Buying Clicks,” available from Talkers books.  Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke