I remember when listeners were surprised at how different I was from their mental image when they met me in person. Yes, my voice belied my physical stature, but more than that, they had high expectations of me because of my on-air persona…
A few years back, I remember spending hours with an ad agency writing and producing a commercial for one of their clients; one that would get attention and be very effective. It was voice only with a few SFX…
On commercial radio it is rare to hear anything dramatic being done as far as a ‘bit’ or story being conveyed to the audience. This is particularly true of ‘music’ radio when there is not a lot of latitude for truly engaging the listener with spoken word. Everything is ‘announced’ and the tone and manner of the announcer is rarely interesting; not to mention the content.
I mentioned before, that as a radio listener, I will assume you are talking to me unless you burst the bubble of ‘illusion’.
It is a difficult concept to grasp, but a simple concept that stands in the way of an average on-air host becoming a great one. It’s one of those little, seemingly insignificant, things that, when added up, make a very big difference… and, yes, it is one of my pet peeves.
