Craig Bruce
There’s nothing more unnerving than when you hear that breakfast show on another station you’re competing against and in the pit of your stomach you can hear very clearly the amount of effort they’re making with their content.
In this week’s episode of Game Changers, Tony Martin talks about “going to too much trouble”.
When he’s competing against you, he’s that pain in the arse host who will work all day and all night until he’s got exactly the right outcome for his show.
That’s not fighting fair is it?
Can’t we all just agree to leave work at 11 so we can squeeze in a spin class and some lunch with friends?
Sorry, that’s not how people like Tony operate. He’s obsessed with making really good work that he can be proud of.
“We didn’t want to waste people’s time. I think we just set a very high benchmark. We were quite full of ourselves back in the days of Martin Molloy and we had this, almost pompous philosophy of being a show, not a shift. We wanted it to feel like a TV show where people would listen to every moment, not just 20 minutes here and there. That being the case we needed every bit to be exciting, not just some of it.”
In fact, the reason he’s not on the radio full time right now is because Tony knows himself too well. He’s not ready to commit to the type of effort and energy that he requires of himself and his team to create something as good as Martin Molloy or Get This.
When Tony does radio, it’s all-consuming.
It’s on his mind from the moment he wakes up till the minute he’s completed the final edit on that sketch that’s taken hours of time and effort.
According to Tony, “My favourite thing in radio, aside from doing the show, is just standing behind the sound engineer whilst they build a sketch.”
So what’s my point?
Radio doesn’t have to be all-consuming for you. Life’s all about finding that work/life balance, right?
Yeah…right.
I’m not telling you how you should prepare and plan for your show. You might be lucky enough to have a very comfortable career and a happy life doing what you’re doing right now.
Or you might be unlucky enough to compete against Tony Martin. Or someone like Tony who shares his obsession for making radio that’s exceptional, because that show will kick your arse and steal your lunch money if you’re not ready and willing to match their intensity for finding and creating content.
Radio’s game changers all share this trait. Going to too much trouble is a small price to pay for creating something you can be proud of and something that’s truly unmissable.
About the Author
Craig is the former Head of Content at Southern Cross Austereo. Responsible for getting some of Australia’s best talent on radio, his true passion has always been the development and mentoring of young talent. He now works as a talent coach and radio consultant.