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CONSULTANT TIPS
Randy Lane
(The Randy Lane Company)
WHAT’S THE SECRET TO GETTING THE MOST OUT
OF TOPICS?
Conflict and contrast are key to making any topic work.
Conflict is built on four building blocks:
1.
Pro
2 .
Con
3.
Neutral
4.
Information
Each player on a show can assume one of the positions depending on the
topic and their character. If one
player is pro and another one is con on every topic, listeners will grow bored
and it will become too predictable. The
same is true if any of the players on a show contrast one another on every
topic.
Listeners
will likely assume at least two, if not all, of the positions. Guests normally
add new or more in-depth information to a topic in the form of expert or inside
opinions. For example, Sportstalk
KHTK Sacramento’s morning show, The Rise Guys, illustrated this concept well
during the basketball season when Sacramento Kings star Chris Weber trashed
Sacramento during a national interview.
The
three morning show players took the following positions and a newspaper writer
represented the information element:
Pro: Phantom– “What’s the big deal
– who cares if he thinks Sacramento is boring.
He’s doing his job on the court and Sacramento IS boring.”
Con: Justin
– “Part of his job is to
respect the fans and people who help pay his big salary.
Neutral:
Whitey– Sees both sides and
mulls it over
Information:
The Sacramento Bee newspaper guy
outlines Chris and the Kings’ options on his contract and how this is probably
part of Weber’s contract strategy.
Listeners:
They took all three positions but mainly the pro and con.
The
value of a hot topic is that it gives listeners a reason to listen longer than
two or three minutes – the average length of a feature or benchmark that is
resolved in one segment. The key is
to provide dimension and drama and carry that drama through creative previewing
over several quarter hours.
It’s
not enough to have a great topic. Taking
it over the top and connecting with people emotionally requires going the extra
mile with the show players hitting it with all the emotion they feel.
This then provokes listeners to respond more fervently, and the addition
of guests fuels the flames and adds perspective.
Here’s a sample
seven-step topic building presentation:
1. Tease
2. Set up among
players on the show
3. Guest involvement
4. Guest with listener
involvement
5. Listener
participating after guest
6. Bring it to a
climax or summation
7. Past tease
Also,
remember the value of production to topics.
Excerpts from previous segments of the show itself can augment a topic.
A creative and humorous parody can add even more to it by making it more
entertaining and memorable.
The
diversity of these four different perspectives can add the important
3-D’s…dynamics, depth and dimension.
The
more extreme the pro and con positions are, the more listeners will respond on
the phones and the more they will talk about it to others.
The
Randy Lane Company
2660 Townsgate Rd. #800
Westlake Village, CA 91361
(805) 497-7177
(805) 497-9858 fax
www.randylane.net
If
you're a consultant or radio personality wanting to submit articles
to "Tips from the Pro's," contact:
The Morning Skoop
Phone: 800 -
614 - 4892
E-mail:
info@themorningskoop.com
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