Freedman said, “I have done a lot of performing.” Getting on the radio and talking was not difficult for him. Listeners (and most clients) do not want anything technical. Supporting why this was ok, he asked, “How can we make a specific recommendations in a 60-second sound bite?” For him the challenge was around getting people to call in for the live show at 4 pm.
Eventually he went to a taped show and found the program vastly improved, as it eliminated the constant requests for listeners to call into the program.
McNamara cautioned the attendees that might want to get on the air, saying, “There are only so many radio shows. It is a time commitment. Nothing is going to happen for five years.”
He shared more advice saying that you cannot talk numbers on the radio, as the listeners will not understand them. He uses six co-hosts to help shape the content.
Feehily: What are some of your other lessons from doing radio?
McNamara said when he is out and about, sometimes people recognize his voice. He also was honest saying the radio program can lead to doing pro bono work.
When it comes to taking a radio slot, Boyd said, “Beggars can’t be choosers.” He explained that his experience is that a later listener is a different type, but he makes the most of the slot he has.
Freedman stated, “If you want a radio show, you write a check. I did have to do a mock show for them (as a try out.)” He shared numbers stating it can be $100,000 a year - $2,000 a week. It also can be $200,000 a year on a bigger station.
He advised doing research to find out what listeners the radio show has and was honest that in the first year his revenue from the program was less than half of his expense.
Although it has been some time since Napolitano has been on the radio, he joked, “I still meet people in the supermarket that still say they listen to me all the time.” (This also brought laughs.)