BPR’s Wayne Clouten weighs in on whether Live Radio is Lazy Radio

The conversation started last week with James Cridland’s provocatively titled Live Radio is Lazy Radio.

It continued to rage through our reader comments and last nght Peter Saxon posted his opinion headed: Live to Air is Still Best but…

Now Wayne Clouten, Principal of internationally respected content consultancy BPR, has this to say;
 

For what it is worth I looked at James piece another way.
 
Doing live radio is absolutely not lazy but I would agree I hear quite a few lazy presenters doing live radio and that’s how I viewed the sentiment behind James’s article.  
 
Being live (and local) is essentially radio’s key advantage.  Always has been, always will and it is becoming disproportionately more important as time goes by.  Unfortunately there is too much ill-prepared, self-absorbed live content masquerading as “personality radio” nowadays.  Live radio doesn’t make great radio just because it’s live or involves someone waffling on about their personal life experiences. Great live radio requires preparation, focus, discipline and a precise idea of the execution. Great live radio requires presenters who are succinct and good listeners.  Great live radio means understanding what is important and of interest to your listeners, Great live radio involves a gift for seizing the moment and knowing when to shut up.  Great live radio demands a dedication to making every show better than the show before. Great live radio is and should be bloody hard work and if it isn’t, don’t get upset if someone calls you lazy.
 
As I said, for what it’s worth.

 

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