Radio Talent: Sleepwalking Through History

How is this for irony? Recently, this column mentioned that according to Pew Research (among the world's elite and most quoted fact-finders), "Radio talent scores around 67% in its importance to all listeners." And, 64% say "they would follow their favorite personality to another station!" Why?

• Compared to pre-consolidation, few radio talents are mentored if they are coached at all. The universal excuse: "no time, few resources."
• Contrast this with the hard fact that Diary or PPM, 65% or more of your AQH comes from your P-1 core. It's the Pareto Rule applied to radio and it's unchanging.
• It's irrefutable that a station's talent weighs heavily in that station's brand-depth. We also know that with unaided top-of-mind recall, memory of a format or a brand starts with the remembrance of a talent. Using a corny homily, think of talent as your brand's "front porch," especially your morning franchise.
• Recently the former brain trust of the legendary Fairbanks Group,which included KVIL/Dallas, WIBC/Indianapolis. WRMF/West Palm, WVBF/Boston and others were exchanging e-mail greetings. The repartee was about "talent" then and now, with morning shows among the topics. The iconic headmaster for Fairbanks, Jim Hilliard rejoined that today, "He might not be all that impressed when a morning show surpasses a rival." This seemed not an indictment of people but of radio's cultural evolution from then to now.
• If you're a personality-regardless of market size-search your memory; when was the last someone from your cluster or your regional office offered you specific coaching comments and tips for your show? Or, an even tougher proposition, does your company uphold a coaching standard whereby full-time talent is coached on a rotating basis ... say, at least once a quarter?
• Content is only relevant IF it connects to your first-preference listeners, regardless of format: Why did you choose a topic? Where are you taking it? (beginning, middle, end) and ... Does it pass the "who cares test?" Funny, serious, poignant, human interest ... .does it matter to anyone right here, right now?

There's a big difference between people who scan a dial and occasionally sample your brand and those who afford it 65 to 70% of their TSL. The best tip from us to you? It's much more important to be "different" than it is to be "better," since no focus group can accurately define the latter. But, ask them "what's different about this show?" They'll surprise you with spirited articulation!

If we believe the current research once again stressing talent's value, why are we everlastingly ignoring the difficult-but-invaluable process of talent development? And for those among the talent ranks, this simple question: would YOU listen to you?