My name is Wally and I am the host of the Wally Show on WAY-FM. As the author of this article the irony of the title is not lost on me, but just because your name is on the show it is not all about you.
Yes, you need a certain amount of ego to do this job well, but keeping a healthy balance is vital. It is easy to feel that because you have a microphone and have a radio show, everything you have to say is interesting. Nothing could be further from the truth.
A story with no point or that ends with, “Just sayin” is an instant tune out. If you do this enough you lose the privilege to speak into people’s lives and they will leave you. The days of cracking the mic and regaling your audience with a mediocre story of some mundane occurrence from your weekend are over.
There is too much noise in the world that you are competing against…you have to create content that cuts through.
As a general rule people like to talk about themselves. You have to resist the urge to monopolize that conversation and allow space for the people who listen to you every day to be a part of what you are doing. Phone topics are only one way of bringing people into the conversation.
A topic that starts from a personal place is great, as long as it is compelling, funny, or revealing about you or someone on the show, but it can’t stay there. It has to go beyond that. It has to be something that invites people in and encourages them to share their own stories and experiences. This is where you as a talent earn your money, by knowing when to talk and when not to.
Think of your job as that of a talent agent. Your job is to make stars of the people around you. Whether it is the person who cared enough to take time out of their day to call your show, or the other members of your show. It’s not all about you! Elevating those around you will cause the whole tide to rise and as the person who champions others, your stock with the people who listen will increase as well.
You might not be part of a big multi-person morning show. More likely it is you and one or (if you are lucky) two other people. In a scenario like this it is even more important that everyone is thinking of ways to make the others look great. Here is a practical application to help make other people the star.
Each person on the show, should come up with a bit or segment that focuses on someone else. It should highlight the person’s strengths or be character defining for them. Some people have trouble seeing themselves like others see them, so going through the process of creating bits for other people will provide a chance for content they would not have thought to ever bring up themselves. Plus, it shifts the focus from self to team and that is always a win.
For example, we had a guy on our show named Zach. Zach liked facts, hated misinformation and loved being right. It was part of his character on the air. So, we created two games that highlighted his particular set of skills (none of which were anything like Liam Neeson’s). That’s a Fact Zach and Great Googly Moogly were created to be funny, but also let the audience get to know Zach better as well as understand what we had to deal with every day. 🙂
These games were not about the questions. Any marginal show can do generic trivia or the impossible question of the day. Those bits have been around almost as long as radio itself. The idea behind games is not to give away a prize or fill in a segment for the show. It is to reveal something about someone on the show with the goal being to help people who listen better connect with a person and ultimately the show.
If you do not have a team show you might think it has to be about you because you are solo. Anytime I had to do a show by myself I always found other ways to pull people in. Radio is a dysfunctional business that attracts some odd characters, and I say that in the best way. There are people all around you that have interesting stories and lives. You just have to be aware of them and find ways to work in content from them in small, controlled doses.
There is an art to developing other talent. You want to put them in situations that will highlight their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Also, initially you want to minimize their exposure so that every time they are on it is focused, so they can knock it out of the park. People who do not do radio for a living will foul the ball far more than they crush it. So, it is imperative as a talent that you maintain control of the interaction and keep it focused on their strengths.
A real-life example of this for me is Walter. Walter was that guy that called the radio station before I got there and sadly, most people saw him as a nuisance. I saw Walter as a star. When I met him, he was 50 years old, from Alabama, and because of his own physical and mental limitations had to live with his mom and dad.
I learned that Walter loved Christian music and would go to the Christian bookstore (R.I.P. Lifeway stores) every week to buy the latest Christian CD. There was the bit: Walter Picks the Hits. We created his own theme song (because every star needs one of those) and each week Walter would call in and pick a hit for us and we would play the song. People loved Walter…he was the star. I treated him like a friend, kidded around with him, but always made sure to make him look great.
One added level to the Walter story was Walter did not have a computer and I never saw a picture of him. So, we created a cool moment for Walter to meet Mathew West. Nothing special, stations do this all the time, but we are always thinking, “How can we take this to the next level?” We had Matthew West describe Walter to a sketch artist and then when we were finally able to get an old Polaroid picture of Walter we posted that and found that the sketch was not too far off.
The byproduct of this was a fun radio bit. The real value has been helping a person see value in himself and building a friendship.
So, it’s not all about you. It’s not all about me. This has to be bigger than all of us. I have always said my show isn’t for everyone, but it is for someone every day. I see God use the silly things we do as much or more than the serious stuff to change lives. Ultimately that should be our goal and the less we get it twisted the more impact we will be able to have.
Wally
Wally Show, WAY-FM
Wally spent the first half of his 27-year career doing various different formats in mainstream radio. Wally’s antics created both local and national press with media outlets like MTV and NBC covering his stunts. Eventually Wally was hired by the Walt Disney Company to bring his talents and slant to the launch of their new product, Radio Disney, something that would ultimately prepare him for his later move to Christian radio.
After a few more years at 99X in Atlanta the aggressive and questionable content from the alternative rock show no longer matched his heart and was in direct conflict with what his faith. That led him to seek out a position in Christian radio and he was hired by WAYFM, where he currently does the morning show. The Wally show gained popularity, for its humor and real approach to life and faith, making it one of the top performing shows in Christian radio. Every month 1.4 million minutes of Wally Show content is viewed on YouTube, as well as over 200k monthly podcast downloads.
Next to his World’s Greatest Dad Mug, Wally has a couple other awards on his mantel. He was named Billboard’s Modern Rock Jock of the year, is an Echo Award winner for Large Market Air Personality of the Year, and was nominated for the Rob Gregory service award, but did not win because Wally is not really that great. (Wally’s words)
98.5 KTIS strives to point people in the Twin Cities to Jesus on the air, online, and on the street. Through remarkable service projects, 98.5 KTIS listeners are the hands and feet of Jesus to multiply the KTIS impact in our community. The first Friday of each month was 98.5 KTIS Drive-thru Difference Day, as listeners shared God’s love by paying for the order of the person behind them in the drive-thru. Moms overcame health, financial, and family difficulties through 98.5 KTIS’ Heart of a Mom initiative; meeting needs for a kitchen update, fulfilling a missed honeymoon with a cruise to Alaska, securing a reliable vehicle, and more. 98.5 KTIS’ Christmas Blessing resulted in remarkable stories of goodwill in the community, meeting needs by blessing people battling cancer, overcoming miscarriage, and recovering from financial devastation. Collecting thousands of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes filled with toys for kids around the world, the 98.5 KTIS Shoebox Showdown shared the hope of Jesus from the Twin Cities to children around the world. Listeners continued that generosity by working together to collect over 11,000 pencils for boys and girls in the Dominican Republic. 98.5 KTIS listeners ‘Shared the Warmth’ as a local business paid listener heating bills during the cold winter months, and listeners used those funds to bless their favorite Twin Cities nonprofits. 98.5 KTIS’ Ministry of the Month connected listener passions and talents to local ministries, highlighting the good being done in our community by these organizations on-air and online.
Through intentional, community focused service initiatives, Spirit 92.9 partners with listeners and businesses to help make their community better, together. The station’s first “Community Spirit” project in 2022 focused on showing God’s love to children entering foster care in the area after the ministry learned that there were more children than ever before in the system. During a weeklong collection drive, Spirit 92.9 listeners and business partners generously helped provide a new pair of pajamas and a stuffed animal for over 1,100 kids. Hoping to lead by example through serving, the Spirit 92.9 team helped prepare over 800 free meals for individuals and families in need for Easter, prepared and served a meal at the local homeless shelter, and helped clean up trash at an abandoned property near their studios. Hundreds of women in the community were served and uplifted in January at the station’s first Ladies’ Night Out-an opportunity to worship, laugh, receive support and prayer. In the fall, listeners and business partners joined together to help three local organizations provide free homemade, holiday meals to those in need. This ‘More Than A Meal’ on-air and online fundraiser helped feed over 3,000 in Central Minnesota. At the end of the year, Spirit 92.9’s “Share The Joy” promotion offered listeners the opportunity to nominate someone to receive a financial blessing. Single mothers, elderly homeowners, and the family of a father badly injured and hospitalized out of state were among the 12 people granted a $500-$1000 gift.
From entertaining the airwaves on KFRC-FM in San Francisco, to dancing away the late 90s on WKTU-FM in New York City, to encouraging and uplifting Atlanta on WFSH-The Fish every afternoon, Beth Bacall’s three decades on the air have had a lot to say. In 2003, she embraced CMB and the CCM sphere when she started working at Star 99.1 FM in NY/NJ. Since 2005, she has served on the Momentum Leadership Team while also offering mentorship to CMB’s Women in Radio community. Beth is a champion for others, taking a sincere stance of integrity and leading by example with her on air work, community engagement, and show prep. As a top talent coach, she equips multidisciplinary broadcasters and artists to embrace their authentic self, grow awareness, share stories effectively, and create meaningful Christ-centered content with all audiences. Beth specializes in moments that matter and is a driving force behind The Fish Christmas Wish Program and Fish Acts of Love. Working on all aspects of creating promotional, reward-based content, including research and execution, Beth is a dot connector that the Lord uses to bring joy and experiences into the lives of others. Even after these promotional seasons, she’s always looking for the next opportunity to be a blessing.
For over four decades, Rick Dunham has been at the forefront of marketing and fundraising for Christian nonprofits. In 2002, he founded Dunham+Company, which has become a global leader in providing multi-channel strategies across some of the world’s most influential sectors. Through radio and television, local churches and overseas missions, medical relief and philanthropic initiatives, Dunham+Company is multiplying the reach of the Gospel. The company currently serves nearly 100 clients in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand – whose collective effort is reaching nearly every corner of the globe. Rick is the author of Secure: Discovering True Financial Freedom and If God Will Provide, Why Do We Have to Ask for Money? He serves as a member of the board of The Giving Institute and is a former chair of the Giving USA Foundation, which publishes the most widely respected annual report on giving in the U.S. He has been published and quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post and more. From devotionals to blogs, webinars to books, Rick’s personal faith in Jesus and his Biblical training are the driving conviction of his communication.
Over the decades, Jacobs Media has become known for advising broadcasters on strategic planning and digital transformation, championing forward thinking of the in-car audio experience, developing its innovative Techsurveys, and driving research initiatives with some of the most influential companies in media. In partnership with Radio Ink, the Jacobs duo created the DASH Conferences in 2013-15, bringing together leadership from both automotive and radio broadcasting industries. Working with CMB, Jacobs Media launched the first of its annual tech surveys for Christian music radio in 2014. Working in collaboration with the NAB’s Connected Car Committee, they developed the original “Best Practices” report in 2017. Fred Jacobs, a 2018 Radio Hall of Fame inductee, is credited with the creation of the Classic Rock radio format in the mid-80’s. Paul Jacobs specializes in revenue generation for Jacobs Media’s clients including heading up jācapps – the industry’s first, and now largest, mobile application development company with more than 1,300 apps worldwide. In 2022, Fred and Paul were recipients of the National Radio Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Broadcasters. They were the first duo to receive the award as well as the first consultants.
Jim Leightenheimer has passionately pursued the mission of teaching, mentoring, and preparing college students to serve Christ in radio since 1982. A 30-year radio veteran, Jim implemented and developed a student radio station that started as an AM carrier current, transitioned to a low power FM, and is currently streaming as Resound Radio. Under his leadership, student radio has served to jump-start the careers of many current leaders in Christian radio stations and networks across the United States. His students, both past and present, credit Jim for being the catalyst in building their love for radio. Throughout his career, Jim has enlisted graduates and other professionals to serve as mentors to his student radio staff. He has introduced scores of students to CMB by bringing them to Momentum and, more recently, CMB University. Jim currently serves on the board of directors at WCVO (104.9 The River) in Columbus and continues to be a resource not only for his current students, but for those who are living out his legacy in radio.
Joe Paulo has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hope Media Group since 2018. With an extensive background in media and leadership, he began at KSBJ (now Hope Media Group) as Vice-President of Operations in 2017 after serving at Educational Media Foundation (K-LOVE/Air1) as the Director of Donor Stewardship and Communications. Prior to that, he led a division of Columbia International University as Director of Broadcasting until 2014, overseeing the growth of successful radio stations in Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC. Joe has also provided volunteer leadership at the board of directors and advisory levels for other nonprofits such as Youth Commission International, CMB, and Crime Stoppers of Houston. In addition to speaking on leadership, fundraising and media, Joe and Kelly, his wife, have spoken at marriage and parenting events to share their passion for marriage, parenting and adoption.