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What Makes a Great Radio Personality?

By Andy Beaubien, BPR

Great air personalities may have large egos. That’s fine, as long as they can be honest about themselves. Air personalities are beloved by their audience not just because they are funny or interesting but because they are not afraid to show their vulnerabilities. They are open books ready to show their strengths and weaknesses. Air personalities that project a realistic image of who they are, by definition, are not closed but open about themselves. Listeners love it! The reason is simple. Because presenters who are open and honest are perceived as being human, i.e., real people.

Listeners do not expect presenters to be super-heroes. That may work for Batman and Spiderman but radio listeners need someone to whom they can relate, someone who they feel that they could know as a friend.

It is especially important that listeners have the perception that the presenter understands them and their world. Presenters need to be on top of what is happening in the station’s broadcast area. Networking of programs has made this especially difficult to accomplish but nevertheless it can be done.

We often talk about the importance of localism because radio remains one of the few audio sources known for local news and information. It is something that we can do very well if we want to. I grew up in a small city of 40,000 people that could easily receive signals from the large radio market 30 miles away. The general quality level of the major market stations available to us was much higher than our two home town stations. However, these home town stations thrived for one single reason – they were local and they talked about things that mattered to people in our home town. This is why the role of the presenter is central to creating a sense of localism. A presenter is the vital link in a station’s quest to be relatable to the people in its audience.

When interacting with listeners on the air, a presenter must, above all, exhibit an interest in the caller. Listeners do not call in to a program to be overwhelmed by the presenter’s brilliance or importance. Listeners call in to heard. They call in because they want to play a part in the station’s community of listeners. It is the job of the presenter to be a part of that community and to welcome listeners into it.