If you were around in the Golden age of Cliché radio (the early 1980’s), then you will remember some of the great clichés used by radio presenters back then.
I’m not talking solely about certain phrases they used or ‘cool’ words, although there were plenty of them, (yes indeedy)!
Rather, I mean the whole persona that certain presenters on certain stations tried to put across to their listener.
For some reason it seemed totally acceptable for radio DJ’s in those days to portray themselves as completely separate from their audience.
The bigger the presenters’ profile, the more they tried to distance themselves from the listeners’ lives.
Listen to some old airchecks from that era and you will hear on-air talent yapping on about how they are friends of the stars. How they drive to work in their latest model BMW and how they have so much money that they don’t know what to do with it all.
They really enjoyed this image of being wealthy, international socialites, who knew all of the important people,went to all of the important places and owned all of the trendy labels.
The classic cliché is of the Radio 1 DJ finishing his show, getting into a helicopter and flying back to the 100 acre farm in Shropshire for dinner with Nik Kershaw
(not’arf)!
They really loved to portray this image and actively encouraged it both on and off air.
Meanwhile, their listeners were going to work on the bus in the rain, sitting in an office for eight hours, going home on the bus, having some dinner and watching TV until bedtime.
These days, if you were to even attempt that, you’d be laughed off the dial. There is no way a current day listener would put up with that attitude on the air.
Why was it acceptable then and not acceptable now?
Obviously a huge reason is the de-mystifying of the media.
Back then radio and TV presenters were real celebrities. They could actually influence public opinion by what they said or didn’t say. Their words held weight. They really did have a public platform.
Then along came commercial radio and satellite TV and suddenly the public had a choice between listening to a presenter who raved about his amazing life while spewing opinions and presenters who asked the listener’s about THEIR lives.
Presenters sounded like them.
The more choice the listener was given, the more selective they became in their listening habits.
The poor old Cliché jock was on the way out.
This is why I feel it is now essential to learn how to sound like your listener.
By that I mean, know your listener.
Know where they live, what they do for fun, how they spend their spare time, how they get to work, how many kids they have, how much money they have to spend, where they buy their sandwiches, what kind of car they drive, what makes them laugh, what annoys them, who their favourite movie star is. Whether they like concerts, if they rent videos, where they eat out, what they drink,if they like travelling abroad, if they have Sky TV or NTL, if they like football (if so which team), what makes them angry, are they political, do they care about the environment, do they pay for amenities, are they in any clubs, is there a train service near their home, do they go to the chipper, have they got an umbrella for the rain, do they buy books……..and on and on and on !
Why ask all of these questions?
Because when you know these things, then you can talk about these things on air.
When you talk about these things on air, you are talking about their lives.
When you are talking about their lives you are being one of them.
When you are one of them, you are accepted more.
You are the same.
You and your listener. You are now the same.
Part of human nature is being attracted to people who look and sound the same as us.
You can now have a two way relationship with your listener.
Radio is just like any other relationship. Both parties have to be actively and equally involved.
You can use this powerful tool to speak to your listener on a one-to-one basis and not from high up on a pedestal (mate).
Do you think the cliché DJ’s, with their money in the bank, their helicopter on the landing pad and their massive estate in the countryside would now sound the same as their listener?
Definitely not.
Nowadays, they would be run off the air.
Sounding the same as your listener is a compliment to them. You are telling them that you know them, you recognise them and you are just like them. That you like them
I’m your pal. You can trust me. Let’s have some fun on air today because we like hanging out together.
Same old Same old.
To find out more about sounding the ‘same’ as your listener, contact :
brian@bmacmedia.com
Have a great show……I hope the helicopter arrives on time for you !!!
Brian.
Radio thoughts and bits from Brian McColl. www.bmacmedia.com
