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FIVE REASONS TALK SHOWS FAIL
By: Walter Sabo
Our clients often ask us: Why did (insert name of show) not do well? These are shows usually celebrated by the radio community, but they fail to get ratings. The shows that fail, locally or in syndication consistently fail because of five reasons. Here they are:
1. What is this about? Rather than give the listener easy access, the host makes it hard for a new listener to get-it. If it takes more than a minute for a new listener to hear something satisfying or expository---they leave. Now, all "talk shows" will attract an audience of people who want something "talking." Those people are usually over 65. But if you want the demos of an AC, you have to make it easy for active people to join in. That means constant identification of the topic, the guest, the reason to call, how to call and what's coming up next. Constant.
2. What's in it for me? Inside-radio chatter is what kills most new talk shows. The host talks about radio, management, and trivia. Their show-prep takes place in the halls of the radio station rather than in the shopping mall. Before a listener cares about a host's personal day, the host must demonstrate respect for the listener's day.
3. What station is this? Millions---yes millions of hours of listening go unrecorded because the host and station fail to identify themselves. Even during syndicated shows, it is shocking how many times a local break starts and ends without clear station ID. If you're counting on the host's name getting logged as the Arbitron diary entry--forget it. That rarely happens and, again, few hosts say their names enough to make it count. Don't waste one dime on marketing until every single opportunity to ID the station is deployed.
4. No, I can't hold on through the break. Formatically, most talk shows throw out everything we know about modern radio and do free form from the '40s. They think the show starts when their shift starts rather than when a listener gets in their car. With constant references to past show events, past callers, and expecting callers to hold on for long periods of time, bad form drives away new listeners. Acting on the belief that everyone listens to a show from start to finish causes talent to fail. And that's a failure of management.
5. But, I liked that new guy. Talk shows take longer to gain an audience. Many very good shows aren't left on long enough to gain an audience. (Six books.) Many average hosts are stars today simply because they have been on long enough to gain a meaningful constituency. There are many ways to accelerate the growth process. They start by doing the reverse of the first four items.
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