August 31, 2011
Imagine your show like a family on a road trip. The lead host is the driver, the “dad” in the traditional family model, steering the car and making the moment to moment decisions to guide the family. The co-host, “Mom,” rides in the passenger seat, making conversation yet not distracting or derailing. The co-host doesn’t reach over and grab the wheel, but takes over for a while (this may be your news break or entertainment report, for example).
 
The back seat can be full of a variety of characters – the snarky teenager, the five-year-old blurter, the bookish tween.

What else? It’s a simple question that can generate many creative ideas. I’ve read the motivational books, done the seminars, been inspired by “The Wheel” of this, “The Ladder” of that, 7 ways to generate creative ideas, 10 ways to successful brainstorming, etc.

In my experience, time and time again, the simple phrase “what else” has endured as a catalyst igniting creativity.

August 17, 2011

How can Tosh.0 beat Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert with mocking humor that’s often racist, homophobic and misogynistic?  Daniel Tosh's explanation of his non-politically correct humor is “I’m not a misogynistic, homophobic or racist person... But I do find those jokes funny, so I say them.”

August 10, 2011

PPM has changed our awareness of listening patterns.  Where the diary has/had a natural bias to the top of the hour, PPM doesn't. PPM data clearly shows that listeners tune in and out every second of every hour of the day. To communicate better with listeners that may be tuning in during the middle of a story, learn to talk on the radio with fewer pronouns using proper nouns instead.

In a time of tight or nonexistent budgets, creativity wins.  How many stations stick great prizes in the V.I.P Club.  REALLY?  Are we so desensitized to great prizes that we tend to dumb them down or take them for granted?  The bigger we make it, the bigger the listeners believe it is.  Creating “must listen" moments is the key to winning in the PPM and diary worlds... frankly, it’s a lot of fun!