Dozens of formats, including: Talk, Top 40, Country, Rhythm, Urban, Gospel, Oldies, AC, and Urban AC...plus daily feature and imaging and creative services!
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You can't just go into a PD's office and say "I want a talk show." Who the hell are you? If you're a lawyer, a doctor, a car repair guy, or whatever; you go to the PD of a station in one of your markets and say "I'm available" for anything you need. If you have the gift of gab, you make yourself available at all times and get the nod to be the station's expert on a particular topic or area.
Doing things for attention or ratings is a mistake. You may increase notoriety and/or ratings but you won't have the respect of your peers or your audience, or your family, or pride in yourself. Another mistake is to abuse the privilege of being on air with arrogance, insensitivity or cruelty.
I didn't treat it like I was the star. My vision was to create a show that would make the listeners happy, but not necessarily make the syndication company happy. For example, they (the syndication company) wanted a four-hour show, but I wanted to leave the audience wanting more with a two-hour show. I wanted the music to do the talking - to make it a fun, party show - without as much talking as the other syndicated shows who talk every break. We just did a lot of things that traditional syndicated companies don't do. The whole concept of the show was to make this a show that makes the listeners happy and don't have a show where the guy yacks up and down the ramp of every song!
I finally got to do a live Sunday morning in Philadelphia with Power 99. After all my years in radio my mom got to hear me live for the first time. I drove from D.C. to Philadelphia that weekend. There was a foot of snow and I had to walk up a huge hill to get to the station. But it was a magical moment.
The biggest surprise to me - and something that to this day I still don't understand - is that I will get calls back from PDs in major markets more quickly than I get calls back from PDs in teeny-tiny markets. Explain to me why John Ivey from KIIS in L.A. or Eric Powers from KUBE in Seattle call me back within 24 hours but Dick Dickenstein in Mayberry, Missouri has yet to return my calls in four years! Of course that last name was changed to protect the butthead…er, I mean innocent - but really, I never understood that. I still don't. But don't let the jerks stop you. I have made many great friends through selling my show to stations (except that Dick Dickenstein guy).
Do not compromise your integrity for profit! My biggest regret came when I was on a small station in Phoenix and I was contacted by a PD in the market (at a bigger station) that wanted Carmen's Calls. That station had double the AQH that the station I was already on had, plus it was with a huge radio company that would put me on other stations they owned in other markets. It was the first and only time I have dropped an affiliate. Later karma came knocking and that station had a PD change and my service was dropped. Damn it!
In our case we set out to be better than the best. We took the most successful library, analyzed the hell out of it and did the very best to make ours better. We did this by creating a platform/Web site that is state of the art and easier to use than our competitors. Think Mac versus PC. We are the only imaging library that is created in Europe. We are the only company to offer voice over talent for barter.
Listen to your competition and learn from them. When we started our show we listened to probably thirty hours of Rush in a row, with a pencil and paper in hard, breaking his show down; same with Michael Savage and Laura Ingram. We deconstructed them down to the skeleton, figured out their formulas, what they were doing well. I still everyday drive home and listen to Michael Savage whose politics are at the other end of the world from me. I'm still learning.
ON PITCHING YOUR SHOW TO SYNDICATION COMPANIES...
When I am analyzing a potential new program, it is best when the presentation is concise, creative, and contains all the relevant info especially those critical bullets right at the top. For example, when The Baka Boyz were trying to get a new syndication deal with me, they sent me a sample show, a list of their top programmers and stations, and the ratings. Based off of the testimony of great programmers like Clear Channel's Cadillac Jack, Sam Weaver, and CBS's Mark Adams, it became an obvious choice. The program was number one rated in its target demo of 18-34 on seventy-five percent of its stations and still is seven years later. Hence, I made the right decision and talked to the right people who understood both the program and the talent best. The Baka Boyz also came with a complete crew. Their producer J. Love is very reliable and talented and that helps guarantee consistency, reliability, and safety for a mix show and all that is key. So many programs do not have a great supporting cast and hence they are inconsistent which is a big no-no in syndication.
ON COMMON PRODUCER MISTAKES...
Producers often make the mistake of producing a show the way they know from local radio. Glenn Beck, Delilah, Rush Limbaugh, etc; all were local disc jockeys who had a dream of making it big and their passion and persistence translated into hugely successful syndicated programs that have truly altered the business as we know it. They have proven that listeners don't care where a person sits - they care about great radio and where that great radio comes from is immaterial at the end of the day.
ON YOUR SHOW'S PROFIT POTENTIAL...
It is really about getting to at least a .1 national rating and above. Depending on the demographic, the minimum audience level to get there is about 65,000 - 100,000 AQH. Your show must also be sales friendly for sponsorship opportunities and try to deliver as many sponsorable features as possible within a show.
NEW! HAVE A FREE LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK HERE!
