Baby Baby

Any radio presenter I come into contact with, I usually (at some point) end up talking about ‘sharing a little bit of their own lives with the listener’. The need for it can vary a little depending on the daypart, but overall “real life” often provides brilliant content. There’s something reassuring about knowing that your favourite radio presenter takes out the bins like you, or goes shopping just like you, or has children... just like you.

Sure, there’s a fine line between doing ‘personal reveals’ and becoming a little ego-centric, but some presenters can get away with more than others. BBC Radio 2 drivetime host, Chris Evans, is a good example of someone who can get away with, perhaps, a lot more than most others... perhaps because he’s very talented?

Chris has shared every moment of his wife’s pregnancy on his blog (that he updates himself daily, other presenters please take note!!) and the culmination of it all this week was the birth of his son Noah. You can read all about it for yourself here and see more photos of the little mite that Chris posted. Now that’s really sharing.

Elisabeth Mahoney, who writes about radio and TV for The Guardian, thought that the level of Chris’s ‘personal reveal’ and the fact he was on the radio the day of the birth to tell all his listeners about it, really worked and she went on to say on her blog...

“It was testimony to the strong connection Evans has with his audience, and further evidence that the show at its best engenders a one-big-happy-family atmosphere. It was also an example of how Evans has matured on radio, with him knowing the pitfalls ("I promise I won't go on about it") and subsequently keeping the conventional shape and features of last night's programme. Finally, it was a tremendously sweet, feelgood couple of radio hours, which unless you are actually allergic to Evans, you couldn't begrudge him as you listened.”

Some presenters are more natural at doing this kind of stuff and more comfortable with allowing listeners into their lives, but I think (especially for ‘personality’ presenters) it’s kinda part of the deal really. ‘Develop a relationship with the audience so they get to know you, and like you... and listen to you more.’ Imagine not sharing anything about your life with your friends? It would be weird wouldn’t it.

Thought: 'Treating your listeners as your friends, (like Chris Evans does), is a pretty shrewd move. '

(Well done Chris and Tash!)

The Real Thing

I sent an email to someone I haven’t spoken to since before Christmas and said ‘Happy New Year’ on it... and then realised that we’re half way through January already! Christmas is now a distant memory and 2009 is well underway... so it's about time I got blogging again!

So far this year, I’ve travelled a total of 7986 Miles (around 12,500km) and we’re only a couple of weeks in! I’ve been visiting my stations (Radio 1 and Radio 2) in Dubai this week. Now, if you haven’t been, Dubai is an amazing city with lots of fascinating things going on. Here was the view from my hotel window looking across the main highway that runs through Dubai... the Sheikh Zayed Road.

The rather tall building in the distance on the left only happens to be the world’s tallest building! I drove up to the bottom of it a little later that day and it was, as billed... bloody enormous!

Dubai is brilliant... but it is full of things that are a bit surreal. From a hotel that chills the sand on the beach in case it’s too hot for your feet, to the shopping mall with the built in Ski Slope!

I thought I’d take a picture of it to share with you...

It’s a bit odd to say the least. There you are, in a massive shopping mall, smack bang in the middle of the desert, and there’s a ski slope that’s chilled to Minus 2 degrees all year round! If you turn around 180 degrees from where I took that photo, this is what you see...


There’s something about that fact that the ski slope is not ‘genuine’ which for me, makes it a little less appealing. Sure, it’s a novelty to see, but more like peering at something strange at the zoo, as opposed to seeing it in the wild. In fact, there are lots of things in that city which are not genuine. However you can look for reality if you try.

On my last night there, I went with some friends to a lovely little Lebanese restaurant, right off the beaten track. There were no tourists; no Westerners (apart from us) and no fake palm trees or ski lifts or anything. What you got was no frills, genuine Arabic food that just tasted fantastic. Actually, the fact I knew it was authentic made it taste even better for me. I knew that in an oasis that excels in the artificial, something that was real, was a treat indeed.

As I was flying back to London, I mused over the notion of ‘genuine’ verses ‘contrived’ and thought how the analogy for radio was a obvious one. When we listen to any radio station, we can all tell when presenters are being genuine... being real... being true to who they are, or if they’re just a bit fake. I’d go for the real deal every time... and I’m sure I’m not alone.

I’ve talked before about the need for stations to ensure that their presenters are genuine people who able to convey that sense of reality and reliability to the audience. Some can do it easily. Some need a little coaxing to relax and ‘be who they are’, but the results are always worthwhile.

I switched on the radio when I got back in the office and flipped around some stations for a few minutes. Sure enough, there were some fantastic ‘real’ presenters who I’m sure are actively encouraged to be as authentic as possible on air. But I also found some DJ’s who were just false. They talked like only insincere DJ’s can talk... “All this week we want to give you... yes you, the chance to win a brilliant prize. That’s right... a brrrriiillliant prize...” Sweet Jesus.

Let’s make 2009 the year we encourage originality, creativity and authenticity in all our on-air staff and banish the proverbial ‘ski-slope in the shopping mall’!!.

RadioCentre Training Days

One of the recent developments that has been really good for the UK commercial radio industry has been the creation of an umbrella trade body called ‘RadioCentre’. RadioCentre formed in July 2006 from the merger of the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) and the Commercial Radio Companies Association (CRCA). Its members consist of the overwhelming majority of UK Commercial Radio stations who also fund the organisation.

RadioCentre do a whole host of things for commercial radio, one of which is provide training for presenters and programmers alike. For many years, people working in commercial radio really only got training just “doing the job”, but there’s now, fortunately, an understanding that if we want a healthy and vibrant industry, we need to ensure we’re sharing as much knowledge as possible and developing our presenters and programmers.

I’ve been asked by the excellent guys at ‘United Radio’ (who provide some of the training days) to host a couple of sessions as part of RadioCentre’s 2008 training programme.

If you’re interested, here are the details:

Advanced Presenter Coaching – 25th February 2008 (London)
This is a one-day seminar aimed at Programme Controllers / Programme Directors, Producers, and any one who is directly involved in coaching on-air talent. Investing time in developing talent is one of the most important areas within programming, but is often overlooked. How do you get the best out of your presenters? How do you manage big egos as well as focusing on developing promising new talent? What are the most effective ways of providing feedback to your presenters? This seminar covers specific tips and techniques for coaching presenters and provides programmers with a useful and practical advice that will help them develop their talent.

How to be a better presenter… - 20th March 2008 (Bristol)
This is a one-day seminar aimed at presenters broadcasting in small to medium size markets, on all dayparts. In a crowded radio market, how do you make your shows stand out from the rest? When you have fewer resources than the big guys, what are some of the ideas you can use to make your show sound bigger and better. This practical seminar covers specific tips, tricks and techniques for making listeners listen longer - and keeping coming back for more.

Each seminar costs £110 (...a bloody bargin if you ask me!!) and if you’d like to attend, you should email the lovely Lucy Forster at RadioCentre (lucy@radiocentre.org). In the great tradition of things like this… book early as places are limited!!