Part 15: Personality "Beyond The Basics"

This month the MPRs of Programming continues with a more in-depth look at the final “P’” on the list….Personalities. We’ll be gaining insight “beyond the basics” from two Program Directors, one of whom still works mornings, as well as a legendary on-air personality and an outstanding developing air talent.

A radio station’s on-air personalities are a major factor in developing a unique sound that helps sell the station’s music, promotions, and other elements that create the much sought after “stationality”. But what are some of the secrets of being a great on-air personality?

The programmers I interviewed here both voiced the art of brevity as a key secret to being a great on-air personality, while the on-air talents stressed a passion for knowing your audience.

THE SECRETS OF BEING A GREAT “ON-AIR” PERSONALITY

John Michael took over the programming reins at Alternative rocker KFMA in Tucson last Spring after former PD Chuck Roast left to work at KROQ in Los Angeles. John is also the host of a highly successful morning show. Now that he’s in the PD chair, working with the other on-air personalities has given him a unique perspective to the secrets of being a great on-air personality.

“I think that a great on-air talent can balance personality, empathy, and intelligence, while exercising brevity,” notes Michael. “A good personality keeps the station moving forward and keeps their ‘head in the ballgame’ when it comes to executing formatics."

JJ Jeffries, the Program Director of KUPD in Phoenix, was the mid-day personality on KUPD up until he took himself off the air last May. Jeffries explains his take on the art of efficient on-air communication by stressing “communicative personalities have always had a way of breaking down mundane information and making it entertaining, yet easily understood.”

One of Michael’s prized on-air personalities at KFMA has been working afternoons on the station for a little less than two years. Libby Carstenson (who goes by the solo on-air name Libby) started working overnights at KFMW in Waterloo, Iowa while still attending college at the University of Northern Iowa. After two years working nearly three different air shifts on KFMW, Libby’s talent landed her the afternoon drive slot at KFMA.

Her unique personality has also garnered several #1 rankings in the 18-34 demo since she’s taken over the afternoon drive shift. Her secret to success is based on the foundation of less is more. “You can usually get your point across with a few key words instead of a full-blown college thesis with a load of filler,” states Libby.

“Know your listener’s lifestyle and know your info,” continues Libby. “The station’s passionate listeners will know if you’re full of crap. This lack of knowledge can permanently affect your credibility with your audience. Once it’s lost, it’s terribly hard to rebuild that relationship.”

This ability to be informed, coupled with being in touch with the street has served legendary WRIF, Detroit afternoon drive personality Arthur Penhallow very well for over 30 years! Penhallow’s secrets to being a great on-air personality are simply to be as good as you can be in as many areas as possible.

“Be informed, intelligent, have a sense of humor, and have a great desire to be the best because you have an inate knowledge that you ARE the best,” claims Penhallow. “Read, watch, listen, and keep your feet on the street. If you can’t feel the pulse of your audience, then you might as well be dead air.”

BASICS AND FUNDAMENTALS

Many of the secrets of being a great on-air personality start with the basics. Most Program Directors and air talents have basic rules and fundamentals that they use as a check list for assessing or doing on-air work. Years ago I developed a basic personality check list that I’ve used as a programmer and consultant to work with on-air personalities in helping them critique their on-air work in a tangible fashion. The list includes:

a) Basics…. like voice quality, pacing and projection, and following the basic formatics of the station like backselling and preselling the music.

b) Selling….. There are three key areas that jocks need to sell effectively….the radio station, the music, and themselves.

c) Relatability….Doing effective radio basics and selling the station and music are areas that any jock can be taught, but the pure relatability aspects of an on-air personality are sometimes inherent qualities that are hard to teach.

d) Having Fun….The fourth and final fundamental basic of a great on-air personality is simply having fun.

I’ve used this check list as the foundation for doing creative air check sessions as well. Are there any basic rules or fundamentals that you use as a check list for on-air work?

“I make sure that each personality on KFMA keeps the station momentum moving forward, “ states Michael. “Giving the listener NO reason to flip to another station is more important than convincing them to stay. They already like you, so don’t violate their expectations with mindless chatter and poor execution.”

Jeffries has a basic rule against reading the liner notes in the studio. “I’ve always been very strict in this area, since it’s the easiest way to be conversational” says Jeffries. “Any jock caught reading or sounding like they are reading copy are flogged! I also want my jocks to be real because there’s nothing worse than a personality attempting to sound like someone they’re not.”

Show prep is a key fundamental basic for Libby before she hits the air each afternoon. “I make sure I know what I should be selling promotionally on the air, and ask questions if I need to so there’s no confusion. I also go through the music log and check out new music I’ll be playing and try to find cool artist info and album release dates.”

“I like to have all the basics down so I can be free to create a show,” adds Libby. “I try and do show prep BEFORE my show instead of during it….an unfamiliar concept for many personalities.”

“It’s all about relating to your audience,” says Penhallow. “If you can’t relate and have a sincerely good time doing it, you’ll fool nobody but yourself…kind of like shooting one’s self in the proverbial foot.”

POSITIVE  AIR CHECK SESSIONS

All the best secrets and fundamentals of being a great on-air personality are often times worked out and developed during air check sessions. But how often are regular and effective air check sessions even done any more? How important are these one on one sessions between a Program Director and air talent in developing and maintaining the personalities of a radio station.

“Air check sessions are a necessity,” states Michael. “I meet with the part-timers weekly and the full time staff every couple of weeks. It’s my chance to find out what is going on in their world. They are my link to the audience.

I do morning drive, which is a different monster from the rest of the day, so I usually suck more info out of the talents than I offer them. I just make sure that the station maintains momentum and that the nuts and bolts are executed.”

Jeffries feels air check sessions should be done  bi-weekly unless he feels there is a need for adjustments of some type. “Full-time airchecks are not so much about the air check as they are about communication with the personalities that are representing KUPD on the air,” says Jeffries. “I can recall working as an announcer earlier in my career, and having a PD act as if it was an extreme drag to spend any time with me. Other PD’s I had never air checked at all.”

“I never want air check sessions to be that,” states Jeffries. “The only way to develop any talent is to first get to know the person; this is done through my air check sessions. I feel that air checks for a personality driven radio station are imperative.”

Penhallow hasn’t actually done a regular air check session with any PD since 1973. “I air check myself because I’m my own worst critic. However, for others it may be a good way to grow. I think after several years of air check sessions, I just grew out of them.”

“We all have an idea of what we should sound like on the air,” continues Penhallow. “If the air check session dwelled more on the positives instead of the negatives, then I would look forward to them.”

Positive air check sessions have been a key to Libby’s growth and development as an on-air personality. “When PD Chuck Roast hired me back in 1998 to do afternoon drive on KFMA, I was forced to listen to my puking air checks until I realized what was wrong. I’ve worked very hard at sounding natural with my delivery.”

“I think most of my success is due to NOT putting on a radio voice,” says Libby.  “I try to sound the same on and off the air.  It took some work to get there. Working with my PD on being confident on the air helped. I’ve since taken drama and improv courses to work on my projection and delivery.”

Libby’s working relationship with Michael, KFMA’s current PD, has helped her improve even more. “John offers me much needed encouragement and adds positive points and then follows up with areas I can improve on,” notes Libby.

Libby crystalizes the need for positive reinforcement with the air check process. “I think PD’s should always try to find something positive to stress because young talent need to know they’re doing something right. Give a talent a strong foundation and they’ll build you a fortress.”

Next month, the “MPR’s” of Programming continues with a look at the first “R” on the list…Research. We’ll explore the basics of developing the right research plan for your radio station…from Music to Perceptual research.