Secret sauce for successful PDs: Personalities

By VALERIE GELLER, Broadcast/Podcast Trainer / Author “Beyond Powerful Radio”

Every book needs an editor, every movie needs a director and every radio station needs a program director. A PD’s duties may include marketing, promoting, managing the digital presence, working with sales, interacting with the community and artists, and public service. Program directors keep the train on the tracks.

But the most important job of the program director is to ensure excellent content comes out of the speakers 24/7. And as every good PD knows: Talent pulls the train.

Winning stations are built on talent. Most successful PDs understand the importance of finding, then developing them. While there are a variety of methods for doing this, the best way to grow your on-air personalities is through airchecking.

No Time to Aircheck

Here’s the problem: many PDs are also on air. They tend to be over-extended or over-committed to their management duties. There’s often almost no time to properly maintain and/or develop their stable of talent, or aircheck them. But it’s no excuse.

Though for people like me, who coach and train talent– it’s been BUSY. PDs with demanding schedules, who recognize the importance of working with talent, but need some help, outsource this task. Airchecking effectively and fast is an area where training makes a big difference. It’s a skill that can be taught.

In cases where the PD has absolutely NO time (or resources to hire a pro) for airchecking, talent can learn to self-check. It really works best, though, to have a second set of ears.

All of my work is based on these three things:

Tell the truth
Make it matter
NEVER be boring

Here is Geller Media International’s

AIRCHECK CRITERIA

Are you:

► Speaking conversationally, directly to each listener? Not READING?

► Making smooth transitions? Are there “brick walls” between the elements or does the presentation feel seamless?

► Speaking visually?

► Telling powerful stories?

► Creating compelling content?

► Using humor? Having fun?

► Taking the audience on a journey?

► Including authentic self-revelation?

► Boring? Did anything go too long?

► Taking risks? Are there any surprises?

If you can coach talent to create programming that entertains, informs, inspires, persuades, and connects with your listeners, and offers “talkable topics,” that listeners can use later in their day; your SHOWS will be more interesting and interesting content grows audiences.

Valerie will be in Australian next month to present 5 training sessions.

There are two main sessions, open to everyone.