Are you “keeping it fresh?”
by June 16th, 2008 Patrick GreerOne of my biggest pet peeves in both new and old media is seeing the same thing or formula day after day. Soap Operas have often been a target of many a joke with people saying they could watch one episode a year and not really miss anything. Several radio talk show hosts are guilty of this as well. I’ve all but stopped listening to certain radio shows not because of their political or philosophical stance but rather I feel it’s a waste of time hearing the same thing over and over again. I’m probably going to get into deep water and offend some people by saying this but one radio show that is guilty of this is the Dave Ramsey Show. Before I say anything critical I love and deeply appreciate Dave’s stance and principle of being debt free. I also appreciate how is confronts callers who try to make excuses for their debt behavior however as a listen I have noticed the show does get into a formula of sorts and while kind of “cute and funny” in the beginning playing the “FREEDOM!!!” sound clip from the movie, Braveheart gets extremely old to the point I want to shout, “Enough Already! I get it!”
In the 90’s The Ken Hamblin show was on the local talk radio station in my city. Ken’s referred to himself as the “Black Avenger” and in my opinion he tried to bring home the point he was black (or African American if you prefer that term but he said “black) and conservative. I “got it” the first few times listening but hearing anything over and over and over again can be a big turn off. Maybe the mindset in radio is repetition because they are expecting turnover ever so often but in the past few years I have had the opportunity to listen to many more hosts and read writers either in the new media through blogs and podcasts or in the old media of print journalism or broadcast media and I have enjoyed and stayed a long time reader. listener or viewer as a result of the hosts or writers “keeping it fresh.” Here are some of the things I have noticed that have kept things fresh for content producers;
- A catch phrase at the beginning or end of the show is fine but don’t let such stuff “hog up” the whole presentation
- Respond and comment on current events - people are often in “shock” during times of change. Help them cope with your unique product or service
- Avoid stereotypes, cliches and out of style terms
- Dare to be eclectic - a local auto repair shop has a radio show hosted by the owner who also loves classical music which he uses for bumper music. Definitely not a stereotype and the unique mix doesn’t get old. BTW, The show is know as the Driving Line and is now available as a podcast. I highly recommend it.
- Be known for consistently surprising your audience in a good way.
How do you keep it fresh and what experiences have you had with encountering things that “got old” way too quick?
June 17th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I agree with you about the Dave Ramsey Show being repetitive, but I think you are missing the purpose of the show. I think that because you wouldnt have used the show as an example in your article. The point of the show is not to entertain or to have the freshest content but to give hope to people who are at their financial end. Sometimes I wonder how in the world does he do it every day. Talk to the same type people and say the same things over and over. But I realized he is not doing it for the money or for the fame, but he genuinely wants to help people not make the same mistakes he did. So he answers every phone call as if the caller has never heard of him or heard anything he teaches. I’m not a radio or media expert but something he is doing in his show is working. He is becoming an influence more and more in today’s financial world. If you are bored of the radio show, maybe you should check out the tv show on Fox Business Network. You might like it :)
June 17th, 2008 at 10:03 am
It’s not that I was bored per se but often hearing the same elements constantly repeated can be painful. Dave’s radio show was just one example but for some odd reason it sticks out in my head often. I don’t have cable but I have caught the show elsewhere and you are right it is a bit different. I’m very passionate about Dave’s message. It’s not a personal attack on Dave. It’s just the constant playing of the “freedom” clip drives me crazy. The fact I say that means I have listened more than a couple of times!
Thanks for your comment.