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Which is more important: great voice, or great personality for a radio show?
- Thread starter Basketballfan
- Start date
IMNSHO, the first thing you need as a radio host is the ability to get people to want to listen. Personality is key. You have to be able to project a persona that encourages questions and comments, but you also have to be able to keep people on track and make sure they stay on point. Don't let the discussion get away from you.
Voice is secondary, but not unimportant. That's part of the personality, and you don't want someone with a screechy voice on the air. A mellifluous voice is an enabler for many callers - it's welcoming as opposed to off-putting.
Those are my opinions - I'm sure there are plenty of consultants out there who believe exactly the opposite.
Voice is secondary, but not unimportant. That's part of the personality, and you don't want someone with a screechy voice on the air. A mellifluous voice is an enabler for many callers - it's welcoming as opposed to off-putting.
Those are my opinions - I'm sure there are plenty of consultants out there who believe exactly the opposite.
One Program Director told me what he was looking for was a voice that could command the attention of the listener and the personability of a close friend rolled into one. In other words you must have the sound of authority in your voice (that's partly pace) and at the same time you need to sound accessible enough to the listener and say things in a way that makes them want to befriend you. I've been told to imagine your audience as a friend sitting across from you at the kitchen table as you converse on the radio.
any PD who would rule out a candidate based on voice alone is exactly whats wrong with modern radio. Maybe its dif with music formats but when it comes to talk...Its all about personality
Best of luck to you. Never let anyone stop you because they say "your voice sucks". You can either entertain or you cant.
Best of luck to you. Never let anyone stop you because they say "your voice sucks". You can either entertain or you cant.
The Number One Complaint about my Radio work over the years has been my voice....
"You sound too much like a DJ." "You need to sound more natural!"....
I chased that silliness around the Radio Universe for years, until finally one day, I said, "Screw it!" and started concentrating on what I was saying, not how I was saying it. I haven't looked back since.
Here's a UURMS...(Undeniable Unspoken Radio Management Secret):
No matter what you bring to your Broadcasting, you will never be good enough. If your voice, humor, look, work-ethic, material, content, comportment, is ever up to par....You will be worth far more than they're paying you. "Sure....You're 5 shares ahead of your competition, but....you still....SOUND LIKE AN ANNOUNCER!! Yeah, that's IT!!...Therefore, you're lucky to have a job!"
Now this is all well and good....ONLY IF YOU REALLY DO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING*.
*(If you're not 100% Sure you know what you're doing....You don't.)
Your Boss may be absolutely correct when he says that you must improve. Your Talent, regardless of how raw, and untrained it may be, is an asset. Your publicly demonstrated, unrestrained, Unjustified EGO, however, will always be a detriment. It's impossible to fill an overflowing cup.
Here's an OAPSS (On-Air Professional Survival Secret):
Be a Professional....Get a Voice Coach. Learn Microphone Technique. Ask Kidd Kraddick, Mark Davis, Jerry Clifton, Jody Dean, Mike Rhyner, Russ Martin**, Frank Reed, Robert John, Bonnie Curry, Ron Chapman, Andrea, Bruce Bennett, Jay Stevens, Tony Lopez, George Johns, John Hudson, Andy Vierra, Ron Taylor, Vicki Stiefer, Sean Young, Mike Prendergast, James McCarthy, Scott Jones, Alan Young, Ron DeRoxtra, Brian White, Terese Arena, any Radio On-Air Performance question you can think of....
**(Only when you're ready. If you're not 100% Sure you're ready to ask Russ Martin a question...You're not.)
Then....get a rated On-Air position anywhere....Work hard, be still, listen, learn....And when you celebrate an entire year of #1 Ratings....and your Boss tells you that you still suck, are lucky to have a job, and that either you don't deserve a raise, or the station can't afford to give you one....
Without drama, angst, snippiness, or even saying a word...to anyone...
Get ANOTHER rated On-Air position anywhere....Work hard, be still, listen, learn....And when you celebrate an entire year of #1 Ratings....and your Boss tells you that you still suck, are lucky to have a job, and that either you don't deserve a raise, or the station can't afford to give you one....
Without drama, angst, snippiness, or even saying a word...to anyone...
Get YET ANOTHER rated On-Air position anywhere....Work hard, be still, listen, learn....And when you celebrate an entire year of #1 Ratings....and your Boss tells you that you still suck, are lucky to have a job, and that either you don't deserve a raise, or the station can't afford to give you one....
Without drama, angst, snippiness, or even saying a word...to anyone...
Get STILL YET ANOTHER rated On-Air position anywhere....
...Getting the picture?
Jon-David Wells
The Wells Report
Dallas/Ft. Worth
"You sound too much like a DJ." "You need to sound more natural!"....
I chased that silliness around the Radio Universe for years, until finally one day, I said, "Screw it!" and started concentrating on what I was saying, not how I was saying it. I haven't looked back since.
Here's a UURMS...(Undeniable Unspoken Radio Management Secret):
No matter what you bring to your Broadcasting, you will never be good enough. If your voice, humor, look, work-ethic, material, content, comportment, is ever up to par....You will be worth far more than they're paying you. "Sure....You're 5 shares ahead of your competition, but....you still....SOUND LIKE AN ANNOUNCER!! Yeah, that's IT!!...Therefore, you're lucky to have a job!"
Now this is all well and good....ONLY IF YOU REALLY DO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING*.
*(If you're not 100% Sure you know what you're doing....You don't.)
Your Boss may be absolutely correct when he says that you must improve. Your Talent, regardless of how raw, and untrained it may be, is an asset. Your publicly demonstrated, unrestrained, Unjustified EGO, however, will always be a detriment. It's impossible to fill an overflowing cup.
Here's an OAPSS (On-Air Professional Survival Secret):
Be a Professional....Get a Voice Coach. Learn Microphone Technique. Ask Kidd Kraddick, Mark Davis, Jerry Clifton, Jody Dean, Mike Rhyner, Russ Martin**, Frank Reed, Robert John, Bonnie Curry, Ron Chapman, Andrea, Bruce Bennett, Jay Stevens, Tony Lopez, George Johns, John Hudson, Andy Vierra, Ron Taylor, Vicki Stiefer, Sean Young, Mike Prendergast, James McCarthy, Scott Jones, Alan Young, Ron DeRoxtra, Brian White, Terese Arena, any Radio On-Air Performance question you can think of....
**(Only when you're ready. If you're not 100% Sure you're ready to ask Russ Martin a question...You're not.)
Then....get a rated On-Air position anywhere....Work hard, be still, listen, learn....And when you celebrate an entire year of #1 Ratings....and your Boss tells you that you still suck, are lucky to have a job, and that either you don't deserve a raise, or the station can't afford to give you one....
Without drama, angst, snippiness, or even saying a word...to anyone...
Get ANOTHER rated On-Air position anywhere....Work hard, be still, listen, learn....And when you celebrate an entire year of #1 Ratings....and your Boss tells you that you still suck, are lucky to have a job, and that either you don't deserve a raise, or the station can't afford to give you one....
Without drama, angst, snippiness, or even saying a word...to anyone...
Get YET ANOTHER rated On-Air position anywhere....Work hard, be still, listen, learn....And when you celebrate an entire year of #1 Ratings....and your Boss tells you that you still suck, are lucky to have a job, and that either you don't deserve a raise, or the station can't afford to give you one....
Without drama, angst, snippiness, or even saying a word...to anyone...
Get STILL YET ANOTHER rated On-Air position anywhere....
...Getting the picture?
Jon-David Wells
The Wells Report
Dallas/Ft. Worth
i have family in your area, and ive been in radio for over 45 yrs. retired 2 yrs. ago, but in our area wilkes barre..scranton we have a talk news station owned by entercom which sucks. they have on air people both male and female who scream and shout over each other, voices that i cant take, and no personality.. so they strike out on all the above. maybe im from the old school, but on air people should first, have some brains, and then, a voice that you can tolerate while your listning. both voice, and personality plus a brain should come first..taking the cheap way out as most of the corprates do, interns and people who will work for minimum wage usually arent qualified to be on the air.
Great post Jon David!
I am one of those people who have loved radio since my brain could form a memory and must rely on my Dad to fill in the earlier parts. It seems it all began at about age 3 or 4 when I was given an old radio housed in a shoe box because the plastic case had been broken. I loved that radio. In 1st grade I would announce records to a pencil trying to sound like WLEE in Richmond, VA and WKBW in Buffalo that came in at night on that old radio. My Dad has an old reel to reel tape of me at about age 4 trying to say "Paul Harvey, Good Day" anf giving the time (it was always Midnight for some reason).
That old reel to reel was in my room with record player and a stack of records (my allowance dedicated to buying the latest hits) by the time 4th grade rolled around as I continued to be inspired by WHB in Kansas City and personalities like Richard Ward Fatherly (unsure of spelling) and the night jock on WHB, Phil Jay and later KUDL and eventually KCJC, Kansas City's first Progressive Rocker. I have to admit I loved KBIL 1140 when it was AC back before there was such a format and would eventually get to know folks at KXTR that allowed me to take the teletype paper from the trash can to use as news on my recordings.
In 6th grade, after Christmas, I put a 100 mw. CB transmitter base station on layaway and went 'on the air' with 2 record players, news from the daily paper at :25 and :55 with weather at :15 and :45. As you might suspect, this was in Kansas City (Independence and Sugar Creek to be exact). I even wrote my own forecast thanks to some books I had and after meeting Len Dawson (the Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback and TV Weatherman at the time).
By 8th grade I was in Dallas being inspired by KLIF, KXOL, KFJZ, KVIL, KFAD in Arlington and others. I loved KVIL especially because of their presentation and ability to seem to coonect with the audience and somehow allow them to live above their means. I switched to a 100 mw. AM. My friend and I even built a homemade board and equipped a studio as primitive as it might have been, eventually buying an old tube board from KMAD in Madill, Oklahoma on one visit to that station.
In high school I made it a point to visit stations like the legenday KZEW and cherished knowing Randy Coffey after his stint at KDTX, while working for a new upstart, KFWD when they were in a trailer at Southwest Field (airport). The little station continued to operate. My favorite station was KSEO 750 in Durant, Oklahoma. Bill Coxsey was the PD and I loved the AC full service format. They had good personalities and a great sound.
One night when visiting KCHU FM in Dallas, a guy asked me if I wanted to go on the air. I said sure. I was left alone as he went to the airport, I guess, to fetch members of the group Manhattan Transfer. Before he got back, all these people showed up sitting across from me watching me jock. I was scared to death. My teeth were chattering, I was sweating, etc. I had played a reggae cover by Robert Palmer (this was 1975) and the woman across from me asked how it was doing in Dallas. I freaked out and asked who everyone was, turning on every microphone. It so happens the woman was a member of Manhattan Transfer who had had lunch with Robert Palmer a few days prior...the others included the press and a couple of faces I had seen before, one a TV news anchor. Later I would do a an hour at KSEO in Durant, Oklahoma before nabbing a fulltime gig at KINL in Eagle Pass, Texas in July 1978 (Surrender by Cheap Trick was the first song I played as I talked the intro).
So, why breeze down memory lane? The point is radio takes passion. You've gotta love it to be in this business. You'll be treated poorly by many, treated better than you should by others (generally not the boss or owner), struggle to pay the bills and miss some things you'd rather not miss to fuel your addiction to radio. The good part is you'll love it anyway. You will most likely discover the right place for you. With passion for radio, everything falls in place...voice, personality, etc.
I got lucky. I had a boss that thought I'd do well in sales after years of on air and programming. I was able to learn sales and earn a living. After a few more years I found a station where the tables were turned and I was considered an essential part of the station because of my knowledge and passion for the business. I've been at that station since 1993.
Some tips:
1) Voice can be taught.
2) Personality is top priority and beats voice almost every time. If people can relate to you and think you're friendly or fun, you win.
3) Ego is poison. As Randy Coffey said: Your job is a job. You're no more important than the guy flipping burgers at McDonalds. He was right!
4) You have to have passion for radio. If you don't you'll quit the business.
5) You must be creative in finding ways to earn extra cash when you need it, especially when married, as business cares nothing about your economic health no matter what business it is.
6) You must learn to bug the hell out of people. You learn through shared knowledge. Most stations are very understaffed so you must ask and ask but someone will take the time to share since that's how they learned. Ask big names, no names, etc. You can learn from the person with decades in the business as well as the person that got into radio last week. Always show respect to everyone as you might make a friend or two that will help when you need it and trust me the more people you know and befriend in radio the better.
7) Make radio your drug. Alcohol and drugs have destroyed lots of talent. Eventually alcohol and drugs cross paths with your job.
8 Always have an aircheck and resume ready. You may never know what tomorrow might bring.
9) When you're told you're not that good or money is too tight, you haven't found the right station. It never hurts to expand your contacts as most radio jobs really don't get advertised much except through contacts. Simply put, if they must advertise a position, think red flag. Like the 'one' of the opposite sex, your soulmate station is out there, so keep looking.
10) My best piece of advice is NEVER QUIT LEARNING. The day you quit learning, it is time to get out of the business.
Last, I rather like what my boss told me when I got into sales: You're not out to sell commercials but to make friends and work for their success, knowing your success will follow.
I am one of those people who have loved radio since my brain could form a memory and must rely on my Dad to fill in the earlier parts. It seems it all began at about age 3 or 4 when I was given an old radio housed in a shoe box because the plastic case had been broken. I loved that radio. In 1st grade I would announce records to a pencil trying to sound like WLEE in Richmond, VA and WKBW in Buffalo that came in at night on that old radio. My Dad has an old reel to reel tape of me at about age 4 trying to say "Paul Harvey, Good Day" anf giving the time (it was always Midnight for some reason).
That old reel to reel was in my room with record player and a stack of records (my allowance dedicated to buying the latest hits) by the time 4th grade rolled around as I continued to be inspired by WHB in Kansas City and personalities like Richard Ward Fatherly (unsure of spelling) and the night jock on WHB, Phil Jay and later KUDL and eventually KCJC, Kansas City's first Progressive Rocker. I have to admit I loved KBIL 1140 when it was AC back before there was such a format and would eventually get to know folks at KXTR that allowed me to take the teletype paper from the trash can to use as news on my recordings.
In 6th grade, after Christmas, I put a 100 mw. CB transmitter base station on layaway and went 'on the air' with 2 record players, news from the daily paper at :25 and :55 with weather at :15 and :45. As you might suspect, this was in Kansas City (Independence and Sugar Creek to be exact). I even wrote my own forecast thanks to some books I had and after meeting Len Dawson (the Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback and TV Weatherman at the time).
By 8th grade I was in Dallas being inspired by KLIF, KXOL, KFJZ, KVIL, KFAD in Arlington and others. I loved KVIL especially because of their presentation and ability to seem to coonect with the audience and somehow allow them to live above their means. I switched to a 100 mw. AM. My friend and I even built a homemade board and equipped a studio as primitive as it might have been, eventually buying an old tube board from KMAD in Madill, Oklahoma on one visit to that station.
In high school I made it a point to visit stations like the legenday KZEW and cherished knowing Randy Coffey after his stint at KDTX, while working for a new upstart, KFWD when they were in a trailer at Southwest Field (airport). The little station continued to operate. My favorite station was KSEO 750 in Durant, Oklahoma. Bill Coxsey was the PD and I loved the AC full service format. They had good personalities and a great sound.
One night when visiting KCHU FM in Dallas, a guy asked me if I wanted to go on the air. I said sure. I was left alone as he went to the airport, I guess, to fetch members of the group Manhattan Transfer. Before he got back, all these people showed up sitting across from me watching me jock. I was scared to death. My teeth were chattering, I was sweating, etc. I had played a reggae cover by Robert Palmer (this was 1975) and the woman across from me asked how it was doing in Dallas. I freaked out and asked who everyone was, turning on every microphone. It so happens the woman was a member of Manhattan Transfer who had had lunch with Robert Palmer a few days prior...the others included the press and a couple of faces I had seen before, one a TV news anchor. Later I would do a an hour at KSEO in Durant, Oklahoma before nabbing a fulltime gig at KINL in Eagle Pass, Texas in July 1978 (Surrender by Cheap Trick was the first song I played as I talked the intro).
So, why breeze down memory lane? The point is radio takes passion. You've gotta love it to be in this business. You'll be treated poorly by many, treated better than you should by others (generally not the boss or owner), struggle to pay the bills and miss some things you'd rather not miss to fuel your addiction to radio. The good part is you'll love it anyway. You will most likely discover the right place for you. With passion for radio, everything falls in place...voice, personality, etc.
I got lucky. I had a boss that thought I'd do well in sales after years of on air and programming. I was able to learn sales and earn a living. After a few more years I found a station where the tables were turned and I was considered an essential part of the station because of my knowledge and passion for the business. I've been at that station since 1993.
Some tips:
1) Voice can be taught.
2) Personality is top priority and beats voice almost every time. If people can relate to you and think you're friendly or fun, you win.
3) Ego is poison. As Randy Coffey said: Your job is a job. You're no more important than the guy flipping burgers at McDonalds. He was right!
4) You have to have passion for radio. If you don't you'll quit the business.
5) You must be creative in finding ways to earn extra cash when you need it, especially when married, as business cares nothing about your economic health no matter what business it is.
6) You must learn to bug the hell out of people. You learn through shared knowledge. Most stations are very understaffed so you must ask and ask but someone will take the time to share since that's how they learned. Ask big names, no names, etc. You can learn from the person with decades in the business as well as the person that got into radio last week. Always show respect to everyone as you might make a friend or two that will help when you need it and trust me the more people you know and befriend in radio the better.
7) Make radio your drug. Alcohol and drugs have destroyed lots of talent. Eventually alcohol and drugs cross paths with your job.
8 Always have an aircheck and resume ready. You may never know what tomorrow might bring.
9) When you're told you're not that good or money is too tight, you haven't found the right station. It never hurts to expand your contacts as most radio jobs really don't get advertised much except through contacts. Simply put, if they must advertise a position, think red flag. Like the 'one' of the opposite sex, your soulmate station is out there, so keep looking.
10) My best piece of advice is NEVER QUIT LEARNING. The day you quit learning, it is time to get out of the business.
Last, I rather like what my boss told me when I got into sales: You're not out to sell commercials but to make friends and work for their success, knowing your success will follow.
The "voice" is not that important, what you do with your "voice" is everything.
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