Rabble Rouser. Mischief Insigator. Spark Plug.Are you one of these? Radio is entertainment.It’s showbiz.It’s creative. Creativity feeds off originality and disruption. Radio is starved of both. Radio needs both. Are you going to provide it? Do you have the spark, the ambition and mischief? – Let’s hear that on air.– Let’s hear the passion.– Let’s hear the creativity. * Challenge […]
Ride the Intro.What does that mean?REALLY mean?? On the surface, it means hitting the vocals.Technically easy enough. But when WE say ‘Ride’ the Intro…we mean it in the Irish way.In Ireland, the term ‘Ride’ is sexual.It literally means making love. That’s what we’re talking about. Make love to the intro. Caress it.Stroke it.Flirt with it.Play with it.Embrace it.Become one with […]
A true entertainer and consummate pro.RIP Steve Wright.#worldradioday
If The Smiths were releasing songs now, they would have to rename one, “Strip The DJ”. That’s what has been happening slowly over time.The radio presenter has gradually been stripped of personality, originality and innovative creativity. Form Guides, short sighted formatic rules and fear have reduced the role to selling contests, selling music and selling morning shows. We have moved […]
Do you love what you do? I mean LOVE!! Do you think about your job, career, gig in the same way you think about the love of your life? * Do you go to sleep thinking about it?* Do you wake up excited by the thought of it?* Do you miss it when it’s not around?* Do you talk to […]
It’s the weekend.How do you announce that to your listener without saying… “Hey it’s the weekend”“We’ve made it”“Finally, you’re free”.etc. etc. What can YOU do to connect, to stand out, to disrupt? Can you make other radio people stop and say “Wow, I wish I thought of that”? We’ve all done the standard weekend link.Been there. Done that. They’re stale. […]
“Today is Saturday, February 17th 2024…”We know.We all know. Why start a link with that? Can you think of a better way to connect? – Challenge the status quo– Be bold with wild abandon.– Get uncomfortable.
When you arrive at a friend’s house, what’s the first thing you do?– You say “Hello.”You dont walk in, wait 15 minutes and THEN say Hi. On the radio, do you have to wait three songs before speaking?Why do we wait? A quick “Hi” is enough.Out of news, top hour ID…whatever. Radio’s power is it’s personal element.Be personal.Let them know […]
Over the past two months, our email subscribers and social media followers have been adding their votes for, who they consider, the best in the business. Here are the results:
Congratulations, Top 7. Benjamin, Simon, Ben, Grace, Sarah, Mary Anne & Alex Their 2nd Challenge has been sent & Received! Thanks to our judges and mentors who rolled their sleeves up and helped us out for Stage 1. More updates here – https://onaircoach.net/updates/
Life can get pretty rough sometimes; it happens to the best of us, and we never know when we’ll get that knock. Lately, I’m hearing of misfortunes everywhere – whether it’s not getting clients, not receiving a reply for a job application, missing out on that dream job, facing an unexpected illness, or just encountering something random that swiftly pulls […]
“How do I get into radio?”WRONG QUESTION!Here’s what you need to ask… ➡️”Why would I WANT to get into radio?” * What can radio offer you that other mediums can’t?* What can radio offer you career wise, in the long-term?* What makes radio a more lucrative proposition than other mediums? Only you know the answers to those questions. ⭐When we […]
While listening to BBC Radio 4 this evening, I couldn’t help but feel saddened as I heard the voices of local BBC Radio hosts bidding farewell for the last time. It was disheartening to learn that the radio station they had dedicated themselves to, some for as long as 40 years, was shutting down. The program they hosted was exceptional, […]
🔒✨ Time for a chat about social media rules and the need for change. I totally get the importance of security measures like 2-step verifications, but there’s a frustrating issue impacting radio hosts and entertainers. 🎙️ They’re getting locked out of their accounts because their ID verification doesn’t match their stage name. 😫 In the past, adopting a stage name […]
Came across Tara Jean Stevens, the Morning Host @wave983fm and straight away she hooked me right in! Seriously you have to watch this woman’s videos, mostly of her in the studio during her radio show. She is hilarious, so naturally funny and so, so talented. By Nails Mahoney
Radio GPT, I’m all for what you are doing but saying “Radio doesn’t have a vast talent pool”- I totally disagree! and “AI is a critical asset for industry growth” ? No! There is plenty of radio talent out there, absolutely thousands of people screaming out for a place to show what they’ve got! The Talent is MOST DEFINITELY out […]
#RADIOGPT …Ok, this is scary. I’m laughing here…because it’s actually very good! Seriously we’ve come a long way since the DJ 3000 in the Simpsons episode! The AI presenters don’t sound like robots, in fact their inflection is exceptional. They ‘ride the intro’ effortlessly and even have a sense of humour! The local knowledge is incredible. Quick, snappy, quirky local […]
This is a picture of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. Two of the biggest names in TV comedy during the 70s…reaching over 20 million viewers. Think ‘Ant & Dec‘ multiplied by ten and you get the idea.Why have I decided to show you a picture of two comics from 40 years ago? Take a look at their faces. Look how serious they are. […]
It’s heartbreaking hearing about the devastation sweeping across New Zealand with recent floods , a cyclone and earthquake. It’s one of the worst weather events in the country’s history. Lives have been lost, families being forced to evacuate their homes, farms & livestock washed away and hundreds of thousands of people are without power. But one hero through it all […]
How does it feel to be rejected? Not nice! That just about sums it up! In this business of ours, rejection is part of the process. Whether that’s job rejection, idea rejection, or rejection by being ignored. We face rejection every day. Only yesterday, two people unsubscribed from our weekly mail-out. That’s a form of rejection. Did we like that? No, […]
● Radio listeners usually listen alone. It’s personal. ● Being honest touches people. ● Find new and original angles. ● People lie in research. Never trust it. Instinct is King. ● Make lots of small decisions. ● BE HONEST. BE TRUE. NEVER FAKE IT. BE REAL. ● Be humble. By Nails Mahoney
We spoke to a group of Programmers recently about how radio needs to make presenters a priority in 2023. The presenter being the connection between station and listener. It opened up a nice chat. It also brought out the ‘complicators’!The ‘complicators’ take a very simple premise and add in anything that might be unnecessary. * “There’s more to radio than just […]
FINGERS CROSSED!!Taxi driver – Took driving lessons. Passed the test. Bought a top quality vehicle. Puts petrol in the vehicle. Insures and maintains the vehicle. Carpenter – Goes to school and trains to become a tradesperson. Hones the skill. Consistently improves and develops own style and invests in their craft. Lawyer – Goes to university for four years. Takes on […]
Following on from our recent post about preparing for the future.Massive feedback to that, so we wanted to add a few points from our own personal experience. I started coaching in 2007 with a very definite plan – I wanted to work with presenters. Plain and simple.Like everything else, it has developed into more than that and now, after Tracey […]
ONE BIG CAREER MISTAKE PEOPLE IN MEDIA MAKE…* Believe they have unlimited time to succeed *Imagine I said “You have 10 years to create and establish your career”.Ten years to get everything done.Once the ten years are up, you need to stop and whatever you have done and whatever you have created ends.Done.Over.Ten years. – What would you do?– Would […]
Message from a Presenter: “I’m thinking about applying for that position with (Radio Station)”. That won’t get you the job. Ever. Look at it this way – a job you are interested in has become available. * You have a choice – either apply or don’t apply.* They are the only two actions you have to decide upon.* “Thinking about” […]
You download a podcast on purpose and take the time to listen to it. The subject is interesting to you; informative,educational,entertaining…you have a reason to listen! OnAirCoach recently ran a survey. We asked different age groups – ‘What do you do for entertainment and do you listen to radio?’ These are just some of the replies. * 74 yrs – “No, I don’t really listen to […]
Over 1400 unique votes, our winners were announce on December 27th. By Nails Mahoney & Tracey
Really. It’s true. Even if it doesn’t feel like it. Even if the industry seems to ignore you…they know you are there. Two Examples:1. We send out an email update to subscribers once a month. It links to articles and news and events. 90% of the people who open that on a regular basis never contact us. That’s a LOT […]
“No one notices me”. We’ve heard this over and over and over again. Radio presenters coming to us with the one genuine concern – they just needed someone to listen to them and give them a chance. That Christmas bottle of whiskey was eventually cracked open in July of 2018. We sat on our balcony in Malta chatting and saying “How can we solve this […]
Three things we spoke about in our talk recently with the students at Coláiste Dhúlaigh College of Further Education in Dublin.1. Have an idea? Do something about it today. Anything!!2. Know what makes you different to everybody else and embrace it.3. You need to listen to your gut. Then use your head. When we talk to an audience like this, mostly […]
You go to your emails to reply to an important message that needs attention ASAP. There’s a fresh one about the animation website you signed up for yesterday to possibly create characters for promos or ads in the future. One hour later you’re deep in creation mode, designing an outfit for a puppy that would look cute next to your […]
We live in a competitive society. In order for you to succeed, someone has to fail. If you apply for a job and twenty other people also apply for the same job, then it makes sense that twenty will be unsuccessful. What happens when you are one of the twenty? What happens when you are constantly being ‘beaten’ by others? […]
If you have:* Taken a Radio Course.* Sent out Demos and CVs.* Made contact with a few PDs. And you still don’t have a job in radio.> It’s not because you are no good.> It’s because you stopped there. You need to keep going…and then keep going…and then keep going…until you get the job.When you stop trying…everything stops.It’s not easy […]
It’s OK to take a break for a while.If you are looking for radio work and feel burned out by the search…it’s OK to stop. The right opportunity will turn up but you can only take it if you are in the right emotional state.Being exhausted or burned out will do you no good.Sometimes, the best ideas arrive when stop […]
“It shouldn’t be about the money”. That’s a phrase we heard a lot in the past. Maybe it’s been said to you. In fact, it was so entrenched in radio’s psyche that we, as presenters, were afraid to ask “How much does the job pay?” in case asking the question was used against us. As if radio was some sort of vocation […]
Reading an article titled “What’s The Best Age Gap in a Relationship?” got us thinking about…radio (of course!!). The general consensus is that a three to seven year age gap is considered best. Taking all of the reasons out of the equation for the moment (reproduction, socio-economic) and looking at the bare fact…we wondered if this spills onto presenters. Is […]
When I was a kid, radio in the US was pretty much the holy grail when it came to broadcasting. Z100, KISS FM, Y100, WNEW, TIC-FM…they all sounded amazing. We drooled over the Rick Dees American Top 40 and thought there was no one quite like Casey Kasem. If you happened to be lucky enough to travel to the States (or if a friend […]
Over the past week, we have helped radio stations in Ireland, the UK and Canada find people to fill vacant jobs. They came to us because they can’t find the right people! Can you BELIEVE that??? Radio stations can’t find decent presenters and decent presenters say they can’t find radio stations!There’s a problem in communications there somewhere!! It’s massively important […]
One show: Kyle & Jackie O.Why? What do they do?* They prep. * They have chemistry with eachother and their listener. * They market themselves on and off air. * They ‘look’ the part. * They are focussed. Each link, each show, each week is laser-like. They open the mic and know exactly what they want and how to get there. * They don’t depend […]
Monday morning arrived and I opened up the laptop for the first time since Friday evening. There were emails and messages and links to deal with. No problem! Two days of unwinding meant I am in a great position to take on the new week. There was a time (up until mid-2020) when we worked seven days a week and […]
Listening to breakfast shows in London and Melbourne yesterday. Want to know one thing that really worked? When the presenters spoke about food!! Food? You bet. One show ran a piece on how to eat chicken wings properly The other show debated doughnuts. Easy, right? Welllll…yes and no. It’s a simple topic but the simple ones are the hardest to screw […]
Based in Malta, we have a great chance to listen to FM radio from here…and Italy. The FM signals from Sicily blast across the water and into our kitchen radio…and it’s really interesting to scan the dial. This week we were tuned in for the most part to networked Radio 105 (Radio Cento Cinque) and it’s an amazing listen. Format is quite […]
JUDGEMENT- People will always judge. We judge ourselves.. we are our worst critics. We automatically and unknowingly form impressions and conclusions of ever single person we meet, every day of our lives , based on minimal information, some people we haven’t even met, which can often lead to biased or stereotyped perceptions. HOW WE JUDGE- We size up people based […]
One thing I’ve been taught from an early age is to stay on your own path. It’s the best piece of advice I can give. Once you let go, it’s total freedom to be who you want to be. It’s ok to glance over and admire or be inspired by others paths, learn from others, but stay on your own […]
I love simple actions that mean a lot. Jack 96.9 in Calgary bringing hourly updates to its listeners is a great example. My mentor, Bill Cunningham, always said: “If the bit outweighs the format…then go for it”. I think, these days, the ‘bit’ most definitely outweighs the format!! By Nails Mahoney
13th March 2020 “YOU ARE TRUSTED” One strength you have, as a presenter on a radio station, is trust.More than TV and more than anything found on the internet. A survey commissioned by iHeart Media in the US showed that radio is 81% more trustworthy than cable TV and 27% more trustworthy than network TV. “Research continues to show that 9 […]
If you work from home or are being asked to due to Corona Virus…here are a few things to think about. 1. Don’t stay in bed. It’s tempting to lie-in but bad for your head-space. Get up at your usual time, eat breakfast, get washed and dressed as usual. The only bonus is – no commute! Otherwise, it’s work as […]
It’s not how you fall, it’s how you get up. You’ve probably heard that said before…and this week is showing us how true that is. Over the past 12 months, we have seen many great radio people ‘let go’ from their jobs. Full-time jobs that helped create a home, a career and friendships. Some of those careers lasted over a […]