By Holland Cooke
Consultant

With so many of us taking vacation time soon, guest hosts are often local somebodies who are not career broadcasters and don’t share our second-nature performance routines. For their benefit, these tips, based on my experience on both sides of the mic:

Get right into it. When I used to fill-in for Jim Bohannon, I figured that – to his listeners – who-the-heck was I? Lacking the back-story of “a name,” I simply, succinctly, told the truth, “I’m Jim’s pal, Holland Cooke.” Skip the biographical blah-blah-blah that devalues a show by emphasizing that the familiar host is absent. Just tee-up what the show is about this hour… why it matters to those listening… how they will benefit from not wandering-off… and how to join-in.

Make the phone ring. When “FOX Across America” host Jimmy Failla is off, my client Paul Gleiser – owner of affiliate KTBB/Tyler-Longview TX – often fills-in. Paul asked Jimmy for advice. Ever in-character, Failla quipped, “Drive it like you stole it!” So Gleiser is all about call count, teeing-up TWO tempting propositions, one topical, the other a softer “Bonus Question.” As new employment numbers were announced, “The WORST job you ever had?” got callers telling great stories.

“Know what the show was about yesterday,” Paul urges, because political topics tend to change little day-to-day. Avoid this trap: The guest host’s outspoken narrative is a point that’s already been talked-to-death BUT this is HIS shot on a big show, so this is HIS turn to me-too the unison. Better approach: Come up with a new wrinkle.

Invite participation multiple ways. Many listeners would rather text than call. Welcome them and you’ll sound accessible and at-the-speed-of-life. Note how effectively SiriusXM’s Michael Smerconish polls listeners via social media.

Establish a relationship with the producer “BEFORE the show” Gleiser advises: “Don’t just show up.” Ascertain who-does-what. In some cases, the producer will have booked guests and may suggest or assign call-in topics. Or if – in Jimmy Failla speak – you’re driving, the producer is simply call-screening and running-the-board… which you should NOT attempt if you’re not an experienced broadcaster or if you are unfamiliar with the station’s setup.

Keep re-setting – succinctly, “matter-of-factly,” introducing yourself and your guest-or-topic — going-into and coming-out-of breaks, and at the beginning of each hour. Listeners are constantly tuning-in.

Always and only announce the call-in number immediately after you tell them WHY to call. Most common mistake I hear, even from experienced hosts: They give-out the phone number at the very beginning of the show or hour or segment, then (eventually) they tell you why to call, possibly minutes later (an eternity in live radio). So, they’re haunted by those dreaded “regulars” who already have the number memorized. Make announcing the number your punch line, whether you’re asking opinions on topic du jour or offering access to a guest they’ll want to interact with. Seems like a little thing, but this can make a big difference in how popular you make the station sound.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke