Write it down
Being a good on-air host has nothing to do with being able to adlib. The ability can come in handy if something unexpected comes up, like a technical glitch, but in most cases that’s rare.
There are few talents that can just go ‘off the cuff’ or adlib their way through a break or bit and do it well. The Greaseman, in his hey day, was a master. So was Bob McCord. He was one of the few that really did create ‘theater of the mind’ using sound effects, drop-ins and character voices to really entertain. Radio’s current, tight formats don’t allow for this kind of freedom with the exception of a few morning shows.
For the most part, being a good on-air host has to do with preparation. It starts with knowing what the ingredients are that will make up the show then deciding what your ‘angle’ will be in the presentation of those ingredients.
Use a late night talk show as an example - minus the staff of writers.
David Letterman has a script… and notes… and cue cards. He has a plan for every segment and event. This allows him to go off on a tangent or roll with something totally unexpected that happens. He can be spontaneous because he has created a cushion; something to fall back on. By planning you create more opportunity for creativity and spontaneity because you are not concerned with, and don’t have the pressure of, thinking on your feet. It creates space around your thoughts which allows you to be more in tune with what is happening around you. Too many people think they have to be good at ‘adlibbing’. On a music station you don’t. It’s not like doing play-by-play or having ‘live’ guests who might throw you a curve. You have a lot more control over what’s going to happen.
This is what ‘producing’ a show is all about.
Some really talented song writers can make up a song on the spot, but it wouldn’t measure up to something that has been given some forethought like a well crafted song. The technical execution is nothing without good lyrics and a melody. Even with that, you still must emotionally connect with the listener. You have to sell it.
Preparation allows you to concentrate on performance. As you well know, there is so much vying for people’s attention these days. When you get it, you can’t let go until you have conveyed your message. You must be compelling in your tone and manner. Most radio hosts are more concerned with what they are going to say than how they are going to say it and performance suffers.
Again, using a song as an example, how do you paint the picture of a life story in three and a half minutes? Think of the pictures that one single line of a song can paint… the images and thoughts it can trigger that are unique to your experience and interpretation. How long did the writer spend trying to come up with the right words? Some songs can write themselves, but more often than not the writer wrestles with every syllable. Every song has a theme which is reflected in the chorus, which is repeated… this metaphor has endless connections to what you want to achieve depending on how far you want to take it.
Song intros, weather, traffic conditions, set-ups for a contest or event should be scripted even if only scratched on the back of a napkin. That is just a part of producing a ‘bit’ or, again, producing a show.
You have to have a plan if you are going to deviate from one. You have to know the rules if you want to be sure your breaking them.
It has been expressed many times that too often radio time slots have been reduced to ‘shifts’ as opposed to ‘shows’ with a host that has a style or personality that makes it distinct and unique even though it follows the same basic format as all other timeslots on a given station. Try a little more preparation.
Simply put, write it down.
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