Creating Powerful Radio: Getting, Keeping and Growing Audiences News, Talk, Information & Personality Broadcast, HD, Satellite & Internet

370 Pages·2007·1.71 MB·English

by  Valerie Geller

What People Are Saying about
Valerie Geller’s Creating Powerful Radio
“If you want to understand what makes radio work, read this, then read it again.”
— Jon Faine, Air Personality
ABC Radio 774, Melbourne, Australia
“It should be a textbook.”
— Chris Berry, General Manager
WMAL, Washington, DC
“If you want to achieve compelling radio and increase audiences, read
this book immediately! LBC 97.3 in London has experienced massive
growth using its methods.”
— Scott Solder, Programme Controller
LBC Radio, London
“Making it in broadcasting takes more than just luck. Think of Creating
Powerful Radio as your ‘Road Guide’ to success in radio.”
— Andy Vierra, Program Director
KNUU, Las Vegas
“This book will help your show get better.”
— Al Rantel, Talk Show Host
KABC, Los Angeles
“Wonderful.”
— Paul Fisher, Vice President
Rogers Radio
Vancouver, BC, Canada
“Valerie Geller’s fi rst book was a triumph. It has proved to be an excellent
primer for my staff. Valerie is an inspiration. If you can’t get her for your
station, buy this book.”
— John Ryan, Managing Director
BBC Radio Manchester, Manchester, UK
“Creating Powerful Radio is a fi ne guide for people inside the radio biz and
an explanation of that biz to people outside, including the people who
would like to get in. It’s the kind of book where the reader thinks, ‘Oh
that’s why they do that.’”
— David Hinkley
New York Daily News
“Creating Powerful Radio might eventually make an executive’s job at a
satellite formatted affi liate much tougher.”
— Professor Peter Hunn
Communications Studies Department
State University of New York, Oswego
“It’s great. Read it!”
— Kim Komando,
Syndicated Air Personality
“I recommend it to everyone and I use it in my classes. I love this book.”
— Jo Maeder (The Rock ‘N Roll Madame)
Air Personality and Instructor
New York University
“Packed with insights, well written, and fun to read. It’s obvious why so
many radio people consider this book ‘a must’!”
— John Sawatsky, Professor of Journalism
Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
“Brilliant.”
— Phil Taylor
BBC, Scotland
“Creating Powerful Radio contains valuable tips and information for
presenters, managers, and programmers.”
— Julia Sullivan
Music & Media
“Useful and practical.”
— Jan Ørskov, Journalist
Danmarks Radio, Denmark
“It’s my bible!”
— Åsa Paborn, Program Director
SBS Radio, Stockholm, Sweden
“We gave copies to the entire staff.”
— Viktor Worms, Antenne Bayern
Munich, Germany
“Anyone even considering a career in radio should read this!”
— Adele Scheele, Ph.D, Career Strategist
Author of Skills for Success
Creating Powerful Radio
Getting, Keeping & Growing Audiences
News, Talk, Information & Personality
Broadcast, HD, Satellite & Internet
VALERIE GELLER
Edited by Turi Ryder
AMSTERDAM • BOSTON (cid:127) HEIDELBERG (cid:127) LONDON
NEW YORK (cid:127) OXFORD (cid:127) PARIS (cid:127) SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO (cid:127) SINGAPORE (cid:127) SYDNEY (cid:127) TOKYO
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
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Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA
Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK
Copyright © 2007, Valerie Geller. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Application submitted.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 13: 978-0-240-51928-9
ISBN 10: 0-240-51928-0
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visit our website at www.books.elsevier.com
07 08 09 10 11 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
For Lyla and Fred
Other Books by Valerie Geller
Creating Powerful Radio: A Communicator’s Handbook
for News, Talk, Information & Personality
The Powerful Radio Workbook: The Prep, Performance &
Post Production Planning
C o n t e n t s
Permissions ix
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction xv
1 Creating Powerful Radio 1
2 Finding and Developing Talent 7
3 Generators and Reactors 25
4 Performance and Formatics 29
5 Morning Shows 45
6 From Rock to Talk 55
7 Talk Shows 71
8 Integrating News and Talk 79
9 Interviews 87
10 Show Prep 95
11 Producers 113
12 Call Screening 123
13 High-Ego Talent 133
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viii Contents
14 News 137
15 Traffi c and Weather Together 153
16 Newswriting 159
17 News Anchoring 169
18 Multi-version News 177
19 Integrating Radio and TV News 191
20 Public Service Announcements 197
21 Avoiding Burnout 201
22 Airchecking 209
23 Promotion 245
24 Sales and Commercials 275
25 LifeStage Demographics 299
26 Research 311
27 Final Notes 321
Resources 323
Index 327
P e r m i s s i o n s
Grateful acknowledgment is given to the following people and organizations
for permission to reprint previously published materials.
Bonus Books: Excerpts from Writing Broadcast News. © Copyright 1987 by
Mervin Block. Reprinted with permission of Bonus Books.
Leo Cullum cartoon: “That’s not my political opinion. That’s just stuff I hear
on the radio.” © The New Yorker Collection, 2003. Leo Cullum from cartoon-
bank.com. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Leo Cullum cartoon: “It’s always ‘Get me a Godzilla type,’ never, ‘Get me
Godzilla!’ ” © The New Yorker Collection, 2004. Leo Cullum from cartoon-
bank.com. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Leo Cullum cartoon: “That’s not what you told my screener you wanted to talk
about.” © The New Yorker Collection, 2001. Leo Cullum from cartoonbank.
com. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Leo Cullum cartoon: “It’s come to my attention that you have a life outside the
offi ce.” © Copyright 1992. Reprinted with permission of Leo Cullum, Sandhill
Arts.
Leo Cullum cartoon: “They say the early forties is the new late thirties.” © The
New Yorker Collection, 2005. Leo Cullum from cartoonbank.com. All rights
reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Pantheon Press: Excerpt from Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing
and Life. © Copyright 1994 by Anne Lamott. Reprinted with permission of
Pantheon Books.
Perseus Press: Excerpt from On Listening. © Copyright 1976 by Carl
A. Faber, Ph.D. Reprinted with permission of Carl A. Faber.
The Radio Store: Excerpts from Write Good Copy Fast: The Broadcast
Professional’s Guide to Writing Effective Copy for Direct Advertisers. ©
Copyright 2003 by Maureen Bulley.
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