The Desires & Pitfalls of Coaching Radio Talent

In case you missed it, I presented THE DESIRES AND PITFALLS OF COACHING RADIO TALENT at CMB Momentum’s Programming & On-Air Summit. Let’s dive into this week’s Beyond The 615 Column, article # 174.

According to Jacob’s Media the average radio personality wears three hats while only 27% are air checked at least monthly. That means that radio personalities are busy and not receiving much feedback.

THE DESIRES & PITFALLS OF COACHING RADIO TALENT

Over the past 3 1/2 years I’ve held around 1,300 coaching sessions. Here are the top desires and pitfalls of coaching radio talent from my perspective.

TOP 3 DESIRES

1. Consistent meetings that feel like a priority. Don’t make it a meeting that can get canceled regularly.
2. As PD or coach, do your part to prepare before the air check. Don’t wing it.
3. Find out if the DJ can handle constructive criticism that day. Why make a bad day worse?


   
   BONUS: Don’t overwhelm them with too many things to work on. Keep it simple. 

TOP 3 PITFALLS

1. Remember that trust is earned. Build trust over time.
2. One coach for everyone on the team may not be ideal. Find a coach that vibes with them.
3. Like an on-air break, make your meeting as long as it needs to be, and not a minute longer.
   
   BONUS: It’s not about you; it’s about them.

SURVEY SAYS

I also surveyed 50+ radio personalities and asked them, 1. what was most important to them and 2. what they disliked most about air check coaching sessions. In a nutshell, here’s what they revealed:

On-air personalities want their air check session to be purposeful and meaningful while given direction to improve.

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Most radio personalities are already hard on themselves. And having their radio show evaluated can feel very personal. Below is the word cloud from those 50+ radio personalities to help you navigate how you could approach your next air check session.