We’re in what is supposed to be a fun business. It’s why so many of us were enamored with Radio to begin with and what encouraged us to make broadcasting a career. It’s why so many have overstayed their welcome and also why some have left Radio. They had their hearts broken.
It is why so many are willing to earn less money in media than they could elsewhere. It is for the love of the craft. It’s for our own ego gratification. It’s for the love of the content we create. It’s for the unique experiences. Regardless of your role and time in Radio, at some point, you will likely have had a surreal moment.
Your most fun or surreal moment may have been when you met a music star you admired, a high-achieving athlete, a newsmaker, or maybe it was an actor that you idolized.
It could be a career accomplishment that you never expected to achieve. One of my friends was a PD of one of the highest-rated radio stations in America by the time he turned 18. That’s having a surrealistic moment early in life. Another became a well-known actress when all she was trying to become was a Beauty Queen. One of my most surreal moments was riding on a Mardis Gras float with The Beach Boys and John Stamos. Almost everyone I know in or around media has had one of those moments. Repeating; it’s why we want to be in Radio.
Unfortunately, it’s harder than ever to be met with moments that are surreal or fun. It seems as if these days there are more times than not when fun is missing from the business. One young broadcaster shared that it feels as if my generation used up all the fun before they arrived in Radio. There aren’t enough moments when creatives are enabled and encouraged to be creative. Fewer opportunities exist to be a part of an entertainment inner circle. The Country, Urban, and CCM formats are the likely outliers in that artists on those formats still embrace Radio and the on-air talent. They are fun.
There are exceptions to my assertion that there’s less fun in Radio today. I am very aware of several broadcast groups and many station clusters that “get it.” They’re not afraid to have fun, they spread the wealth across the staff so that individuals have an opportunity to enjoy unique experiences, and they actually encourage the reinforcement of team spirit. You see what they’re doing in the trades and on social media. The talent are encouraged to be in front of the camera. All this in those cases is being done without tapping down the individuality of creatives. Actually asking talent to have fun and enjoy the ride is an important part of “Show Biz.” It’s something that appears to be missing from internal discussions at the highest level.
There is a curative to Funlessness. The most senior executives are expected to be most focused on spreadsheets that deal with revenue and expense. You don’t need an MBA to know that success equals increasing revenue and decreasing expense. That’s their job. The trickle-down effect puts pressure on those responsible for leading programming and content creation. That’s where “shields up” has to take place. If you’re the supervisor over content creation… then it’s on you to master the art of Fun. It starts with acknowledging that it’s on you to do so.
The Five for Fun:
Respect the talent. The very best talent see and hear things differently from others. The party in their head is one that few are invited to, but it’s what makes them special. I’ve never met a great talent that wasn’t smart, always thinking about their show, has a relationship with their audience, and is driven – sometimes to a point where it’s annoying. Respect that in them.
When coaching, don’t define the parameters with negatives. To do so discourages trying anything. That approach signals to the talent that it’s better to do nothing than try something and get into trouble. Humor is subjective. Opinions shared on-air are a part of communication. The best talent have established attributes that they’re known for and are brands. Be encouraging when coaching… even if that means encouraging them to do something differently. Explain the “why” to suggestions you make. Sidenote: it’s okay for talent to debate if it’s in discussion form and not an argument.
Create a team-like relationship among your staff. That may be with a regularly scheduled quarterly dinner, going to a sporting event or a concert as a team, or seeing a popular movie as a team. Togetherness, in small doses, can be very positive.
Celebrate victories. One station that I consulted for close to a decade was regularly #1 in their target demo. The first time we hit #1, the Market Manager explained to me that they didn’t want to have a celebratory party because it was expected to be #1, and they also said they didn’t want to spotlight the rating results when they fail to be #1. Some years later, after they fell from their lofty rating perch, the manager acknowledged that being number one should have been celebrated. It isn’t your birthright to be #1. Not celebrating your victories sends the message that winning isn’t important. There’s no benefit to winning.
Smile! Perhaps the most important part of bringing Fun back to your station is to smile. Be positive. Encourage positivity. Be reflective of the past. Be aware of how your actions are viewed by others. If your door is closed most of the time, there are hushed or hurried meetings, the hallways are silent, then what message are you sending to your team? Smile.
Admittedly, the downsizing and regionalization of many airstaffs have lowered considerably the number of people in the hallways of a fair number of radio stations. I can imagine that it’s more difficult to have noise and laughter in a building that’s sparsely populated. That doesn’t mean that you can’t create a fun, positive, creative atmosphere. Fun isn’t missing if it isn’t forgotten.
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