Presenting
The chat between songs
that isn’t a feature, the bread and butter of presenting.
Each link you ever do
needs to have a structure. If its 10 seconds long or 2 minutes long you still
need to know exactly what your message is, and know what you are going to do at
the beginning, in the middle and at the end. You should do all this even before
you open the mic.
You should know exactly
what information you want to relay within a link. Do not put several pieces of information
in one link i.e that was the kooks, they’re playing a tour soon, by the way i
went out the other night with my mates and something funny happened, tonight at
the student union this is happening. It is too much information for the
listener to absorb.
Put the most important
information at the beginning and the end of a link as this is what your
audience will remember the most.
It is important that
even very short links only stating your name and the station then saying what
song is next show personality. Try to think of ways to make a bog standard
radio link more interesting for your listener even if it only lasts 20 seconds.
Say your station name in
every link. If people are just skipping through the channels or even looking
for your station, they may have no idea what they’re listening to. Also the
more you say the station name the more branding it gives the station as a
whole. It will stick in peoples’ minds more and make them more likely to listen
on a regular basis. Also in professional radio RAJAR figures are created from
radio diaries which people fill out. If they hear a station name lots then they
will remember that more when filling these out.
You have to put your
personality into your links. Talk naturally, because a listener can spot a
phoney a mile off. Try not to put on a different accent or imitate a radio
presenter you admire. Talk from your diaphragm (not your nose).
And don’t use phrases
you wouldn’t use off air. Avoid radio clichés.
Talksport’s Charlie Wolf says that to be a great presenter: “You need to have an
interesting life and be yourself on-air”
Although you are being
yourself it is important to work out what aspects of yourself you are going to
portray to your audience. Work out what parts of you they will be letting you
know. It is best to draw up a list of what your ‘character’ is going to be even
though it is still you.
It is okay to exaggerate
your personality as well for radio. Many presenters use this themselves, acting
like louder more confident people on the radio than the presenter is, is
incredibly common.
There are many styles of
presenting; usually it depends on the station, the time, the music and the
presenter. Styles range from fast-paced, punchy, lively shows to mellow,
thoughtful, spacious shows.
One major difference
between these extremes is the creative use of music and jingles. For example,
fast paced shows will try to avoid waiting for the song to finish before
talking and use the introduction of songs and ‘talk up’ to the lyrics.
·
Plan your
links ahead - jot down ideas and structures for links during songs before you
open the microphone. It helps stop links consisting mainly of “umm, anyway, so,
what next”, and also helps you avoid boring “that was, this is” links.
·
Pre fade
intros + outros - you should know how each song you’re about to play starts and
ends - it could be solid start, fade in, instrumental intro, fade out,
suspended ending. This allows you to plan your links and to sound slicker. This
is how presenters finish links bang on time before the vocals and sound slick
when they stop and a track immediately kicks in.
·
Talking over
songs - When talking over a song, the easiest thing to get wrong is the levels.
The only way you can be sure to get this right is by listening on the
headphones. If you’re unsure it’s better if the music is too quiet than too
loud.
Avoid talking over the
vocals in songs; something listeners find very annoying. If you don’t want to
talk over silence, use songs with long intros/outros or even use an
instrumental loop to talk over, then drop in the full version after your link.
This is known as a bed. One technique is to use the same music as your bed for
every link to give a consistent sound to your show.
When talking over music,
although it is essential to be heard over the music by dipping the music, avoid
dipping the music while you’re speaking and then fading the music back up
during pauses - known as ducking. It
sounds bad, and has the derogatory name fader
wanking.
·
In jokes -
Listeners do not want to feel excluded from your show. Think hard about whether
what you are discussing is entertaining to everyone or just you and a couple of
friends.
·
Begging people
to phone/email the studio - sounding sorry for yourself or complaining about
the lack of audience interaction is just one more reason for people not to get
in touch. Would you want to talk to someone that desperate?
·
Discussing
listening figures - if you know or suspect that listening figures are low or
non-existent do not discuss the fact. Keep the listeners you have by continuing
in a professional manner.
·
Discussing
broken equipment - do not blame problems with your show on studio equipment.
Even if things are broken the listener really does not care. Just get on with
things. Apologise (rather than complain) only if technical difficulties mean
your show needs to be cancelled.
·
Radio Clichés
- talk like you would talk in real life, if you don’t say “ massive shout out
to...” in real life don’t say it on the radio. see a list of radio clichés
·
Talking about
mistakes - everyone makes mistakes, and if you do don’t open the mic and talk
about them. The chances of someone noticing it are small to none and you
talking about it will just make you look bad. Sshhhhhhh... move on and forget
about it.
The main reasons that
people turn off or retune their radio is because what they hear (chat, music,
news, information) isn’t relevant to them.
Usually though, it’s
just that they’ve finished with using the radio; it’s the end of their journey
or they’re going out, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
·
Involve the
listener - get listeners involved in your show. Features are the best way of
doing this - for example, competitions, or polls. Be wary that people will not
always get in touch, if a poll or feature doesn’t get suitable interaction
(usually a sign of a dull feature or low listener figures); never make up the
names and messages; move on or land yourself in huge trouble (applies
especially to features which are competitions). Keep asking for people to get
in touch using different methods instead.
·
Get in touch -
when asking for people to email in give them a reason to, ask a question or
their opinion on something. There’s no point just reading the phone number out,
no one will phone you just to say hi, give them a reason to call.
·
Trailing your
show - once your show is full of good features and other interesting things,
keep people listening by letting them know something good is coming up. Try
saying “coming up next, the Darkness speak to us after their MTV appearance,”
don’t play the interview till after a couple of songs and a jingle or two. It
gives the listener a reason to stay tuned.
Tease your listeners a
few items at a time, don’t reel off a big list of things coming up, except
possibly once at the start of your show.
Break down your show
into small chunks. Firstly by hour, and then by 20 minute slots.
With mainstream
programming you should aim to play about 14 songs every hour (assuming two ad
breaks and a news bulletin). If you’re playing too many songs then you are
probably not delivering enough “other material”.
One technique to control
the pace of your show is to plan out a “show clock”. It’s a chart that lists
where and when you do things. It helps you space out your features and help you
week in and week out to prepare the show. Some people even lay it out in a
circle per hour like a clock.
Basic Show Clock
Example: News Two Songs Link - Establish the show and yourself, what music and
special features to expect etc... Two Songs Feature 1 (about 20 past) Two Songs
Ads (about half past) Two Songs Feature 2 (about 40 past) Two Songs Link -
What’s coming up in the next hour, programme or the station Ads HOUR ENDS
There will also be some
very small links saying what music you’re playing and maybe a few jingles.
If you are presenting on
your own, unless it is an interview or a feature something you should make your
links last at the maximum a 30 seconds. Radio is a passive medium and people
will be doing something else whilst listening to you. They won’t take anymore
information in after 30 seconds. General banter is great in small doses, but
putting up with it for five minutes is something that most listeners aren’t
prepared to do and a skill that takes presenters like Chris Moyles years to
develop.
Features can be longer,
but two minutes is about as long as you want to go. Again people’s brains will
just switch off.
Remember to include these
things as well:
·
Station ident
and the frequency (every two songs minimum)
·
Your name
(every 15 minutes), show name.
·
Song names,
artists, tour dates and release dates.
·
Station strap
line
·
Station phone
number
·
Website plugs
Imagine you’re talking
to a single, sole, listener. Radio is a personal medium, and listeners should
feel that you’re talking directly to them. Never refer to your listeners as a
group.
Avoid TV News style
talking amongst yourself with links like “..and so we’re going to cross over to
John in
Don’t make jokes about
how few listeners you have. Even if it’s true, it sounds unprofessional and
ruins the illusion of radio.
Never assume the listener
has been listening for longer than 1 song.
Radio can make people
forget what they are doing, where they are, and forget they are listening to
radio. Avoid ruining it for them by talking about things they can’t see, people
they don’t know and technical terms that break the magic of radio or confuse
the listener.
·
Technical
problems/swearing When on air, never mention problems with studio equipment,
station problems, and internal issues. It sounds amateurish and is not
acceptable.
If something like a CD
starts skipping get another one cued up and cross fade, don’t mention it, it
only draws attention to it.
Don’t refer to technical
terms or studio equipment. Don’t say “I’m just going to put a CD in” or “It’s
not cued properly” - it spoils the illusion of radio. People don’t imagine
you’re sitting in a tiny wee studio, and don’t know what “cue” means.
If you or a guest swears
on air, don’t apologise, don’t mention it no one will have noticed, people are
more likely to complain if you apologise and draw attention to it.
·
Dead Air 5
seconds of dead air on radio can seem like an eternity (try it - sit in silence
for five seconds), 10 seconds and people will have retuned or switched off.
Avoid dead air at all
times. It is good practice to have a back up song on CD, MD, vinyl or something
ready to go on the computer just in case something fails.
Presenters should follow
the rules in the Ofcom Broadcast Code, and refer to the soon to be obsolete
Radio Authority Programme Code
As these are large
documents, here are some abbreviated important guidelines
The station is
responsible for what presenters say on air. Don’t make false claims/accusations
about people or companies, particularly if they are big and are likely to sue.
As the individual making the claim/accusation you are legally responsible for
proving the truth behind any such statements. In other words your statement
may, in fact, be true but if it cannot be backed up with evidence then this is
irrelevant. this is a good overview of how to avoid libel/defamation.
NB: Libel and defamation
have different definitions under English and Scots Law. Ensure you are familiar
with the relevant legislation.
Humour that offends
against good taste or decency should be avoided. There is a danger of offence
in the use of humour based on particular characteristics like race, gender or
disability.
Programming should not
contain references to drink, smoking and drug taking; unless in an educational
context.
The gratuitous use of
offensive language, including blasphemy must be avoided. Bad language and blasphemy
must not be used in programmes aimed at young listeners. There is no watershed
in radio so just because it’s the middle of the night doesn’t mean it’s
acceptable to swear throughout the show.
Use of bad language must
be defensible in terms of context and authenticity. It is one thing, for
example, when such language occurs in documentary output, and quite another
when introduced for its own sake in, for example, a music based, entertainment
programme. Many people who would not be unduly shocked by swearing are offended
when it is used to excess and without justification.
Stations usually have
their own policy on swearing. If you swear, DON’T apologise it only draws
attention to it. Any complaints should be given the Station Manager’s contact
details.
People listen to radio
when they want to. Even Radio 4 only has a 40% appointment-to-listen audience.
Most people don’t tune in for specific shows.
Your show isn’t
standalone; it is part of a larger sound - the station. The station has to have
a consistent sound so that every time a listener turns on they get the same
“Station Sound”.
This means:
·
Using the
station’s imaging (jingles, idents, trails).
·
Saying the
phone number, email, frequency, text number… the same way as everyone else (“one
ohh six point seven” not “one hundred and six point seven”). It gets it in
peoples’ heads if everyone says it one way.
·
Trailing the
station - upcoming events, other good shows, trail flagship shows like the
chart.
·
Always thank
the previous show.
·
Always trail
the next show (when is it on, what they’ll be playing…).
No presenter is bigger
than the station so you always say the stations first and your name second. “You’re
listening to Student FM and I’m Joe Bloggs”
A consistent show format
helps you plan your show and also makes it recognisable and appealing to
regular listeners. Every week have:
·
Regular
features
·
Running
topics/items
·
The same main
presenters
·
The same
imaging (intro, jingles, stabs, beds)
·
Consistent
musical style
How to promote your
show:
·
Flyers,
business cards, posters
·
Word of mouth
·
Email your
mates every week
·
The power of
MSN Messenger / Skype especially on the studio accounts.
·
Post on
internet forums (especially relevant specialist music forums)
·
Invite guests
in who’ll tell their mates or big names who’ll draw a listenership
·
Put a sticker
for your show on the Station’s broadcast poster/flyer and stick them up
·
Write a good
show profile for the station’s site, or build your own website
·
Graffiti
(legal sites only unless you want to get yourself and the station into trouble.
Try chalking pavements, writing on blackboards before lectures, writing on
dirty vans... experiment)