Booking the right guest

Listening to some podcasts, you can tell the guest has only been invited on because they're the presenter's mate.

Of course, great chemistry can make a great listen but only if they have an interesting take on the topic.

In radio and podcasting, the listener comes first in everything you do.

Understand your audience. Who would they most like to hear from? Who has the most engaging story to tell? Who has the most to say?

Don't just assume it's the person you'd most like to have a chat with. If it is, that's ideal!

The power of stunting

Greg James "failed to show up" to present the Radio 1 Breakfast Show this morning following last night's BRIT Awards and it's certainly got people talking.

His colleague, Adele Roberts, told listeners Greg was a "dirty little no-show" while his wife tweeted that he didn't come home after the ceremony.

"I know nothing"@scott_mills and @Chris_Stark discover what actually happened to @gregjames 👀

But there's still one question to answer... #WhosGotGreg? pic.twitter.com/ZsOdVfSPlq

— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) February 19, 2020

Perfectly executed publicity stunt. #WhosGotGreg pic.twitter.com/Hibf5RYyf1

— Harrison RB (@HarrisonRBRadio) February 19, 2020

I'm surprised there isn't more stunting in radio these days. Who's Got Greg has generated a huge amount of press which is great for brand awareness.

Calm during the storm

A year ago, I wrote about the power of local radio when done well in the right area.

Firstly, I'm not bitter about consolidation in commercial radio as explained here. It was destined to happen.

We often talk about how the need for localness is diminishing as a result of today's instant access to news online. While this is true, it was never all about information.

Trusted journalism matters, especially in a crisis/major event, but it's just one aspect of great local radio. If this was all stations did, audiences would be miniscule.

People choose to listen because of the overall feel. Something interesting, entertaining, understanding, flying the flag for the area - and, fundamentally on a day like today, reassuring.

Extreme weather is just one example of a local station putting an arm around listeners; both one-to-one and as a team facing and taking on the same challenges.

While networks can use splits and bespoke news/presenter links for the worst affected areas, which is great (and I'm not of the view they will all do the bare minimum), local voices that share the above qualities provide a unique sense of community.

Is local a core element of your brand?

Why do we listen to our radio station(s) of choice? Because we know what they stand for and like what they primarily do.

The Capital brand is all about hit music and showbiz content and the average listener will tune in for exactly that, regardless of where the morning show comes from.

In fact, a better-resourced national breakfast show reaching millions of people is better for the brand as it attracts bigger guests. How does it make sense to get Dua Lipa into Leicester Square only for her to be heard in London and not by the 73% listening in other parts of the UK at that time?

For the likes of UKRD and Lincs FM Group, being authentically local is the core of their business in such a way that it's a reason to listen in itself. For others, it's more about sponsorship and promotions and to comply with Ofcom regulations.

Interesting Times ahead

After several months of speculation, News UK has finally confirmed plans to launch Times Radio later this year.

Times Radio will provide a daily schedule of news, analysis and commentary with a line up of high profile presenters, as well as contributions from the rich pool of expert commentators from The Times and The Sunday Times.

Contrary to initial reports, the new station will not replace talkRADIO which is set to continue broadcasting. You'd guess TR will see closer alignment with The Sun, perhaps rebranding at some point, giving the company a radio outlet for each of its newspaper brands. We're already seeing this to an extent (Dan Wootton landing the drivetime show for example).

Editor of The Times, John Witherow, said:

Times Radio will provide provocative, well-informed, entertaining and useful discussion covering the key stories of the day, and informing the national conversation.

Times Radio, infused with our world-class journalism, will be the perfect complement to our print and online offer.

What's particularly exciting is Times Radio's ad break-free approach while allowing for sponsorship across its schedule. News Corp is a unique case with a practically limitless budget so it can afford the risk but if the model is a commercial success that could set a precedent for other stations.

Sign of The Times?

The Telegraph reports that News UK may publish plans for Times Radio next week - "a DAB channel funded from the marketing budget of The Times titles".

It comes amid speculation surrounding the future of talkRADIO - described in this article as "a heavy loss-maker which has been at risk of closure" - but City A.M. understands the new station will sit "alongside Murdoch’s existing radio offerings".

Just this week, talkRADIO introduced new imaging replacing its personality-driven funny liners with a very corporate sounding male VO and a dramatic top of the hour ident. My immediate thoughts considered the initial reports of Times Radio before Christmas and whether it could be in transition.

It was confirmed on Friday that The Sun's executive editor, Dan Wootton, will replace Eamonn Holmes on talkRADIO drive from next month. Joining the dots, it seems logical for News UK to have two radio stations each aligned to one of the newspaper titles. Could we be about to see the return of SunTalk?

We await a formal announcement which may or may not come next week.

iHeart's "new direction"

In the US, iHeartMedia has announced it will undergo a "technology transformation" and utilise a "new organisational structure" this year.

It means local radio presenters face losing their shows and the first wave of layoffs at the company has already begun.

I feel for everyone affected. We've seen it in the UK too. It's important to remember this says nothing about you or your performance. Keep being awesome and see it not as the end but as a new beginning.

Danny "DJ SAB" Scott, who said he was with Kiss 107.1 for 15 years, said there have been rumours of layoffs within iHeartMedia for years. 

Scott said iHeartMedia's new direction intends to cut more local DJs and go for more syndicated, automated programming as a way to compete with music streaming services like Spotify and Pandora.

I'd question whether replacing live and interactive programming with automation is a good way to compete against the likes of Spotify. It depends what that automation is and how the tech is utilised.

If it’s just a jukebox with 10-minute ad breaks, the "new direction" is laughable and they will sleepwalk into oblivion.

Danny Scott continues:

There's just not as many listeners as there used to be. So it's what they have to do to survive and compete and I understand that as a business owner myself.

If there's not as many listeners now, the output clearly isn't good enough and the obvious solution would be to make it better. Cutbacks won't solve the problem on their own. You need to invest in world-class content with the money saved or, frankly, just get out of radio if you can't use the medium to your advantage.