PHILOSOPHY.

The number one priority of any show in any day part on any medium is simple and it can be whittled down to one word. 

ENTERTAIN.

This is especially true for Morning Radio Shows.  Be entertaining.  Regardless of format, know who your listener is, and entertain them.  Then, of course, you must engage them and inform them.   But your listener, who is giving you the great honor of their time, needs to be entertained by you before they will let themselves become engaged, or before they stick around long enough to be informed by you.

When asked to describe shows I have been affiliated with, I have said, “That the show is like a big inside joke that every listener is in on.” 

Be local, support your community, meet your listeners, and be charitable.  But you can be at every blood drive and cancer walk in town, if you don’t entertain them while they are stuck in morning traffic or in their offices at their desk, then it is all for not. 

Engage your listeners on social media, give them a reason to think about you and feel endeared toward you while the show isn’t on the air.  Create original content that isn’t necessarily going to be on the show.  Make Videos, have a podcast, maintain a blog.  But be sure whatever you are doing will entertain, otherwise you become clutter and clutter gets ignored.  Learn everything about your listener and make the time they spend with you feel like time they are spending with their best friend. 

Always serve your advertisers, stay on schedule and remember that second place is the first loser.  Preparation, focus and execution are all paramount to your success. 

A Radio Morning Show needs to be a force in their community, be involved in local issues and let your listeners express their feelings about what’s going on.  When something happens, your listeners should salivate waiting to hear what you are going to say about it in the morning.   No other platform has the power to give a voice to a community like a Morning Radio Show.   

The competition for your listener’s attention is greater than ever.  So much of the content that they are exposed to is junk.  Hold your show to a higher threshold and make real connections with your listeners and create raving fans for years to come.