Five Take-Aways from Talk Show Boot Camp

Randall Bloomquist — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:33:34 +0000

Don Anthony‘s first Talk Show Boot Camp was an excellent event — 36 hours of laser-focused discussion on what it takes to create great talk radio. It was both educational and motivational. If there’s a 2010 edition (and there probably will be) you need to be there. In the meantime, here are five themes that ran through TSBC.

1. The recovery is coming, and you need to be ready for it. Consultant Mike McVay opened the event with this bit of wisdom. Yes, things are currently tough. But radio and the talk format are still powerful media channels. They will rise again. When? Two years? Longer? Opinions vary. Regardless, you need to be investing in yourself so you are well-positioned to take advantage of the improved situation. Hone your radio skills, develop new tools, build your personal brand. As McVay noted, those who are constantly learning and growing will always do best because “it’s hard to hit a moving target.”

2. Be yourself. Authenticity is key. Every successful talk personality is different from every other successful talk personality. Get to know yourself, and create a show based on your one-of-a-kind awesomeness.

3. It’s more than just talking. Yes, compelling content is crucial to success, but so is your presentation. Formatics matter! Radio is a craft. That’s why music personalities have an advantage over non-radio folks in the battle for talk host jobs. The jocks understand the critical basics of radio.

4. Talk radio is more than just politics. True, conserva-talk dominates the format at present. But that trend will run its course. As radio recovers, and talk continues to spread on the FM dial, we will see more and more non-political talk stations. The recent surge in sport-talk outlets is an early sign of that trend.

5. Podcasting and Internet radio are indeed legitimate ways to break into broadcast radio.

6. The rise of the Personal People Meter ratings system puts even more pressure on talk hosts to be compelling at all times. Now more than ever, you must be great on a good day and good on a bad day.

Quick question: Did you follow our Boot Camp coverage on Twitter? If not, start following us today @talkfrontier.

Don Anthony Steps Into the Talk Seminar Void

Randall Bloomquist — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:52:02 +0000

Don Anthony, the man behind the highly-regarded Morning Show Boot Camp, has announced a similar event aimed at talk radio pros – and music personalities looking to segue into spoken-word radio. This is great news for the format. Anthony’s willingness to jump in provides a much needed demonstration of confidence in talk radio’s future. What’s more, Talk Show Boot Camp could prove a source of real professional development — something that’s been missing in recent years as budget tightening has gutted convention budgets, and left many PDs too busy to devote the necessary time to up-and-coming talent.

Here’s Don’s official announcement. Hope to see you there…

Don Anthony, host of Morning Show Boot Camp, announced this month the launch of its first-ever Talk Show Boot Camp (TSBC). Anthony explained, “We’ve been asked often to add more spoken-word related sessions to our MSBC agenda, however, given the makeup and content of our attendee’s shows, I felt it would be more productive and fairer to both groups to create a separate event. There’s also a number of music-based talent interested in making a transition to spoken-word. TSBC would better serve this need as well.” Talk Show Boot Camp is set for November 13 & 14 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia in Atlanta. To Register or more details go to http://www.talkshowbootcamp.com

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Five Take-Aways from Talk Show Boot Camp

Don Anthony Steps Into the Talk Seminar Void