The Industry

     Ah yes… back to a normal post. Today, not so productive… but I mean it’s Sunday. Isn’t it written in the bible or something that on the seventh day we are supposed to rest? So what if I rested on the sixth and seventh day, I was merely pre-resting so that when I was supposed to rest I would be ready… that’s how it works right? Haha, well that’s the ol’ update, more exciting things will come on the weekdays. However like I promised yesterday, (Day Four) back to more tips for us aspiring broadcasters! Today…*insert drum-roll here* (go ahead tap on the table, I won’t judge) I’m talking about my favorite prep sites! 

This post is obviously more for the “on-air” crew but still worthwhile to everyone, seeing as how I’m always being told how it never hurts to be a well-rounded broadcaster. Here are some of my tips around show prep… and remember this is just how I collect stuff… season pros probably do it completely different.

Of course the key to having a great show is having great show prep. Instead of flying by the seat of your pants, you have outlines of what you want to cover. Now naturally at a station you will have liners (contests, station promo’s etc) that you need to incorporate, but I am all about the PERSONALITY of radio. Liners are necessary, but a station always sounds better, in my opinion, when there is more then just a robot reading lines. So what do you talk about?! Well, I was always taught to share stories, articles, studies you name it, as long as there is a benefit to the listener. If the story can make your audience laugh, or if an article in the newspaper is going to affect the community, then basically it is our duty to share it with every one. However, the true trick is to share your story/article/study or whatever in a way that no one else can. Make it unique! So… where can you find your bit material? Well, besides every day life observations (which you can keep track of in a bit-book or an iPhone like I do) there are a couple places I check regularly for stuff.

1. News outlets. Canadian Press, AP, News channels, newspapers, twitter feeds whatever your favorite medium is. Look for the local stories that will affect the demographic. New taxes, bus fare increases, local politician sex scandal…. What? We are seeing a lot of that… HAHA.  Whatever the message may be, a news story is always a great way to get audience interaction (phones, emails etc.). Any news story can be spun into an opinion piece… and the right article can get EVERY listener fired up… SCORE! Just be careful of course.

2. Fark.com. Seriously. Favorite site. Show prep gold! Stories from around the world compiled into an easy to navigate website that is beyond organized. From “weird” to “dumbass” all the way to “amusing” and “hero”. If you can’t find something to talk about on here… maybe this biz isn’t for you. Now the trouble with a site like this, is that because it is updated every day, it would be very easy to just use stuff from Fark… but remember radio is LOCAL! No one wants to hear only stories from Africa or weird inventions from Europe. Use sparingly or as a connector to a personal story. 

3. Allaccess.com. This one is mostly for the American broadcaster. All Access is a radio heaven of sorts. It has industry news, American job postings but most importantly for this post, it has pre-made bits. All you have to do is make it your own! When I was interning at Rogers Vancouver, one of the on air announcers showed it to me. It’s free and there are quite a few entertaining columns to check out. The problem… you risk sounding exactly like another announcer which is never good. So make it personal.

Again, whether you’re using prep sites like these or other sources always keep in mind what has been drilled so deeply into the broadcasting side of my brain: don’t share it if there is no value to the listener, and of course, ALWAYS keep it local! Mention the local sport team, community events etc.

Now that I have gone over how you can collect stuff for your prep, tomorrow I will talk about how I format my prep. It’s all good to have stuff to talk about but if you can’t get it out or get lost while trying to talk about it, you’re going to sink!

Also remember, if you have a favorite method of collecting material, let us know about it in the comments!