The goal of your radio show should be to deepen relationships with listeners over time.

1. It starts with the right show prep and topics.
2. It continues with amazing storytelling.

3. It ends with you not wasting their time.



HERE’S THE PROCESS

Continuously connect with new listeners. Have interesting conversations with casual listeners so that they become regular listeners. Deepen the relationship with regular listeners so that your radio show becomes a habit in their life.

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Focus on the person your radio listener cares about most… it’s not you; it’s them. Radio listeners don’t become raving fans because they understand you. They become raving fans because you understand them.
 That’s an adapted quote from the 1993 book, “Raving Fans” by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. Here’s a free archived copy.

In 2021, Todd Stach launched Beyond 615, a coaching and consulting service, where he strives to help others build confidence and discover their full potential. He has led over 1,700 coaching sessions with radio shows. At the time of this article, he serves 34 shows at 13 radio stations. Todd has also written 200+ free articles to encourage on-air personalities and program directors. He and his family live in the (615) area code, aka the heart of the CCM industry.

The post Who Radio Listeners Care About Most first appeared on CMB.

The post Who Radio Listeners Care About Most appeared first on CMB.

In 2021, I made a listener growth pyramid for radio stations and radio shows.

Connections lead to conversations. Conversations lead to habits. Habits lead to fans. Fans lead to support. 

In real-world terms, connections are just acquaintances. People in your phone contacts or who you’ve connected with on social media who would never pick up the phone and call you in a time of need.

In radio, connections equal CUME. So, engaging conversations on your radio show will increase tune-in occasions (forming habits) and time spent listening (building fans who are willing to support you).

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Marketing and product improvement (perceptual studies and ongoing music research) are factors in exposing your radio station or radio show to more people (building CUME). Those may be out of your control.

Here’s what you can control. Great content, relevant to today, is the vehicle that drives deeper relationships over time. Your authenticity, wit, heart, self-deprecation, and self-evaluation will turn casual listeners into fans over time.

Finding new connections is necessary. Converting them into fans is vital. 


In 2021, Todd Stach launched Beyond 615, a coaching and consulting service, where he strives to help others build confidence and discover their full potential. He has led over 1,700 coaching sessions with radio shows. At the time of this article, he serves 33 shows at 13 radio stations. Todd has also written 200+ free articles to encourage on-air personalities and program directors. He and his family live in the (615) area code, aka the heart of the CCM industry.

The post Content Is Not King first appeared on CMB.

The post Content Is Not King appeared first on CMB.

Your attempts at encouragement might bounce off this defensive wall and come right back at you.
You must help each listener remove one brick at a time. That happens when you’re self-evaluating and self-deprecating. Stories from your real life are where connections happen and listeners start to trust you.

That’s how relationships are deepened – that’s how fans are cultivated… one brick removal at a time through your own authenticity and real-life relatable (fun) stories.

 Over time, as a well-rounded radio show, a listener’s defensive wall can start to come down so that encouragement can penetrate to their heart and soul.

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Be intentional to plot your radio show with different emotions at different times and days. Make a grid. Be purposeful. Unless you have a reoccurring benchmark, the emotion of your show should feel different at the same time tomorrow.

The post How to Remove a Radio Listener’s Defensive Wall first appeared on CMB.

The post How to Remove a Radio Listener’s Defensive Wall appeared first on CMB.

Everyone talking at once in person with friends might be common. But on a radio show it can sound confusing, off putting, and even rude to a listener.

LEAVE SPACE FOR THE REACTOR TO REACT 

There’s typically a Generator and a Reactor personality on a radio team show or at least playing that role on a particular radio talk break. Could be a solo show host with a guest or a listener too. 



The Generator’s role is to drive the story forward so that the Reactor can react. That includes giving the Reactor space and time to react without talking on top of them.



INSERT SPORTS ANALOGY HERE

Whether it’s football, baseball, or any other sport, the announcers have defined roles. The play-by-play is the Generator and color commentator is the Reactor.

I coach several team shows where each cohost can be either. Because of that they must clearly define their roles for that radio break before the mics turn on.

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Defining and understanding roles during a radio talk break can prevent everyone from talking at the same time, which helps eliminate a tune out factor.

At the time of this article, I’ve held over 1,600 coaching sessions where I’ve discovered universal truths that can be tailored to individual shows. There are more helpful videos on my Instagram and YouTube pages, and you can find every article at beyond615.com.

 In 2021, Todd Stach launched Beyond 615, a coaching and consulting service, where he strives to help others build confidence and discover their full potential. He has led over 1,600 coaching sessions with radio shows. At the time of this article, he serves 30 shows at 11 radio stations. Todd has also written 190+ free articles to encourage on-air personalities and program directors. He and his family live in the (615) area code, aka the heart of the CCM industry.

The post Help for Radio Shows To Not Talk at the Same Time first appeared on CMB.

The post Help for Radio Shows To Not Talk at the Same Time appeared first on CMB.

Here’s a conversation between someone I coach and A.I. after I pointed out that A.I. seems to give “moral of the story endings” to every on-air break idea.

RADIO DJ INSTRUCTING A.I.

“So, I have a coach that helps me sound better on the radio, and he feels like the wrap-up sentences that you generally put at the end of every story are not necessary. Maybe we can work on just the ending be the emotion or the reveal of the story as opposed to a summary of what was just shared. Thoughts?”

A.I. RESPONSE

“That’s great feedback—and your coach is right on target for live radio. Those wrap-up lines can sometimes feel a bit “buttoned up” or scripted, especially when the story already speaks for itself emotionally. If the content has already delivered the heart, humor, or surprise, there’s no need to restate it—we just let the moment land and trust the listener to feel it. So instead of wrapping with a summary or takeaway, we can aim to end on…”

• A visual or moment that sticks.
• A quote or phrase from the person in the story.
• A beat of emotion—even just silence or a breath after something powerful.
• Or sometimes, just stop talking—let the story do its job and roll into the next song or element.

So going forward, all stories will follow this refined structure:

1. Engaging opening line (ideally from the listener’s perspective).
2. Quick setup or conflict.
3. Heartwarming twist, fun fact, or emotional payoff.
4. Let the last moment breathe—no summary or “moral of the story” needed.


HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY


It takes time and effort for A.I. to get to know you and what you’re trying to accomplish. Continue to coach A.I. to adjust to your specific show, personality, and how it can help you become the best storyteller.


At the time of this article I’ve held over 1,500 coaching sessions where I’ve discovered universal truths that can be tailored to individual shows. There are more helpful videos on my Instagram and YouTube pages, and you can find every article at beyond615.com.

#radioshow #radiopersonality #radiohost #radio #radiodj #radiocoaching 

In 2021, Todd Stach launched Beyond 615, a coaching and consulting service, where he strives to help others build confidence and discover their full potential. He has led over 1,500 coaching sessions with radio shows. At the time of this article, he serves 28 shows at 11 radio stations. Todd has also written 190+ free articles to encourage on-air personalities and program directors. He and his family live in the (615) area code, aka the heart of the CCM industry.

The post Adjust Your AI Relationship For Your Radio Show first appeared on CMB.

The post Adjust Your AI Relationship For Your Radio Show appeared first on CMB.

YOUR STORIES > OTHER PEOPLE’S STORIES

Recently, my wife and I said goodbye to our 16-year-old minivan. I can’t believe the emotional reaction I had! I wasn’t sad about losing the leather interior, the transmission, or the years of reliability. The nostalgia came when I began processing all the memories and life moments shared. The wonderful family road trips. The little kids’ soccer practices and games. All three of our children learned to drive in that van. I could go on and on. I felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend.

That was a good example of how you make connection points with listeners by revealing emotion from your own life story. Relationships deepen when people get to know each other. That helps build trust over time and turns casual listeners into fans (and hopefully donors).

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Be on the lookout for life around you. Every week try to lower the percentage of show prep service stories and increase your own relevance to today, real life stories.

Here’s an example of something that I encourage the radio shows I coach to keep on their cells to help them capture and reflect on moments that made them have an emotional reaction.

In 2021, Todd Stach launched Beyond 615, a coaching and consulting service, where he strives to help others build confidence and discover their full potential. He has led over 1,500 coaching sessions with radio shows. At the time of this article, he serves 25 shows at 10 radio stations. Todd has also written 190+ free articles to encourage on-air personalities and program directors. He and his family live in the (615) area code, aka the heart of the CCM industry.


The post Your Stories > Other People’s Stories first appeared on CMB.

The post Your Stories > Other People’s Stories appeared first on CMB.

The problem with a predictable daily routine is that you start to see the world from a muted point of view. Unfortunately, that’s not going to help you gather colorful stories from real life around you for your radio show.

5 R.I.S.K.S. FOR YOUR RADIO SHOW

ROUTINE – change your routine once a week. Force yourself to drive a different way to work. Do something you’d do after work in the morning or vice versa.

INTENTIONAL – be intentional as you view the world around you. When you observe situations, ask yourself how you would react or how you would feel. There’s a story inside of you waiting to be found.

SPEND TIME WITH JESUS – the best radio teams I know have a common spiritual depth woven throughout each team member. When you spend consistent time with Jesus (Bible & prayer) you begin to confidently and naturally share your faith on your radio show too.

KINDLE RELATIONSHIPS – listen more and ask more questions in conversations. Pull a story out of the barista or cashier. People have unique and interesting lives, and you have a radio show to share them.

STOP BURNOUT – take action if you’re headed toward burnout or already there. That may mean a crucial conversation with your boss and/or some time in therapy. A sign will be that you live your life exhausted and frustrated.

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Many radio personalities are functioning introverts who need alone time to recharge. I’m not asking you to become an extrovert, but I am asking you to shake things up a bit. It’s risky to engage strangers and to set boundaries for your well-being.

But just imagine becoming the healthiest and most confident version of yourself yet.

The post Risks for Your Radio Show first appeared on CMB.

The post Risks for Your Radio Show appeared first on CMB.

3 WAYS TO REMAIN AUTHENTICALLY HUMAN

1. Talk like a human and not like how an Internet story is written – replace newsy, formal words with words that you would use with a friend at a coffee shop.
 
2. Limit facts and add emotion – facts activate the left side of someone’s brain. Engage the right side of a listener’s brain with vivid stories about your own or others’ experiences.
 
3. Learn to be a good listener – if you’re on a team show or interact with your audience, be mindful of how you can help them move their story forward without stealing the spotlight from them.

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY


Be authentically human by talking like you, showing emotion, and pausing to listen before reacting.

At the time of this article I’ve held over 1,400 coaching sessions where I’ve discovered universal truths that can be tailored to individual shows. There are more helpful videos on my Instagram and YouTube pages, and you can find every article at beyond615.com.

The post 3 Ways to Remain Authentically Human first appeared on CMB.

The post 3 Ways to Remain Authentically Human appeared first on CMB.

3 HABITS FOR RADIO SHOWS TO START

1. Consider the lowest common denominator listener in every break – new listeners and those don’t know Jesus.
2. Endear yourself by being self-examining, self-evaluating and self-deprecating – this is vital to building deeper relationships over time.
3. Increase the percentage of your real-life prep versus show prep services – relationships are built through common life experiences and shared opinions.

BONUS: A good example is worth twice as much as good advice – show the listener, don’t tell them.

3 HABITS FOR RADIO SHOWS TO STOP

1. Stop Asking questions… that listeners can answer no to and then disengage.
2. Stop using we/us/our – radio is a one-on-one, very personal medium. Your on-air breaks should feel like you and a listener in a coffee shop sipping on your favorite lattes.
3. Stop assuming anyone is anything – married, kids at home, a longtime Christian, or even attends church.

BONUS: Stop admonishing listeners – when you feel like admonishing, do it to yourself or a third person… not the listener. Listeners will decide if it applies to them without you “accusing” them of being less than. It lands much better. 

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Having a great radio show is all about learning and unlearning. I suggest taking these eight ideas and implementing one at a time over time.

The post 3 Habits for Christian Radio Shows to Start & Stop first appeared on CMB.

The post 3 Habits for Christian Radio Shows to Start & Stop appeared first on CMB.

But you can’t rush, not breathe, or even slam two sentences together that should be apart. I recommend pausing for three specific reasons in a radio break.


1. Pause after you ask the listener to think about, picture this, or imagine something. Give them the time to do what you asked them to do…use their right-brain imagination.


   
2. Pause after delivering the bring-in/hook line. Give the listener a chance to connect with what you just said.


   
3. Pause after the exit line before you tease or introduce the next song. This gives the emotion of the story a chance to land.

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Simply put. After the bring-in line, PAUSE. When the story ends, PAUSE. This helps the listener digest the bring-in line and then feel the emotion of the story culminating.

In 2021, Todd Stach launched Beyond 615, a coaching and consulting service, where he strives to help others build confidence and discover their full potential. He has led over 1,300 coaching sessions with radio shows. At the time of this article, he serves 27 shows at 11 radio stations. Todd has also written 175+ free articles to encourage on-air personalities and program directors. He and his family live in the (615) area code, aka the heart of the CCM industry.

The post Radio Shows Need More Pauses first appeared on CMB.

The post Radio Shows Need More Pauses appeared first on CMB.