{"id":6842,"date":"2025-11-14T13:54:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T02:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bprworld.com\/?p=6842"},"modified":"2025-12-04T16:16:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T05:16:18","slug":"how-to-get-the-best-out-of-on-air-talent-without-driving-them-mad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/news\/how-to-get-the-best-out-of-on-air-talent-without-driving-them-mad\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get the Best Out of On-Air Talent (Without Driving Them Mad)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By David Kidd, BPR<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest \u2014 managing on-air talent is equal parts art, science and diplomacy. Great announcers can make a station sound brilliant\u2026 or chaotic. The difference usually comes down to the program director; the quiet conductor behind the mic who knows how to bring out the best performance without killing the spark.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Paint the Big Picture<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Don\u2019t bury your talent in memos about clocks and benchmarks. Tell them the\u00a0story<\/em>\u00a0of the station. What\u2019s the vibe? Who are we talking to? What should the listener\u00a0feel<\/em>\u00a0when they tune in? When people understand the \u201cwhy,\u201d they\u2019ll nail the \u201chow\u201d instinctively. Too many times when I have started consulting to a new client I discover that the talent have no idea of who the target audience is\u2026.who they are talking to.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Make Coaching Feel Like Collaboration<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Airchecks shouldn\u2019t feel like dental work. The best PDs turn them into creative chats \u2026.\u201cthat break really worked because you sounded like you were talking to one person,\u201d or \u201cwhat if we tried it this way next time?\u201d Keep it positive, specific, and quick. No one remembers a 45-minute lecture, but they\u2019ll remember how you made them feel walking out of the room.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Understand What Motivates Them<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Some presenters crave freedom. Others need structure. Some want constant feedback, others prefer to be left alone unless something\u2019s burning. A good PD adjusts their style to suit each personality. Managing talent is 50% programming, 50% psychology.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Protect Their Creative Space<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Every day someone wants a mention, a promo, a cross, a sponsor tag. The PD\u2019s job is to filter that noise and protect the show\u2019s creative heartbeat. When talent feel safe to take small risks, that\u2019s when the truly memorable moments happen.<\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Celebrate the Wins <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            When someone nails a break, pulls off a great interview or saves a segment that was going sideways \u2026.say it! And say it in front of others. Confidence is currency in radio. Public praise fuels it; private coaching refines it.<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Keep the Fun Alive<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Listeners can\u00a0hear<\/em>\u00a0when the team is having fun. It\u2019s infectious. Great PDs set the tone: a bit of laughter, a touch of mischief and the sense that this job, as demanding as it is, is still one of the most enjoyable in the world.<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

              The bottom line?<\/p>\n

              Program directors don\u2019t\u00a0control<\/em>\u00a0talent\u2026.. they\u00a0cultivate<\/em>\u00a0them. The best ones build trust, encourage curiosity and remind everyone that radio, at its heart, is still about the joy of connection.<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              By David Kidd, BPR Let\u2019s be honest \u2014 managing on-air talent is equal parts art, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","category-featured"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bprworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/pexels-pixabay-270288-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6842"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6917,"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6842\/revisions\/6917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bprworld.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}