Show Prep and Story Telling

I have written about prep before. I am a major fan of prepping for your show. But what I am NOT a fan of is the classic show prep service. The pre-written, pre-packaged punchlines, the old content, the stale headlines from the same sources as everyone else. Plus none of it is local or even regional.

Where the rubber hits the road, is if your show (mornings, middays, afternoons can deliver local or regional content along with the national/international stuff. If it is all fluff from the morning prep services or from TMZ, The Boot, Ultimate Classic Rock, etc., then you are not prepping. You are regurgitating someone else's work.

The great shows like Johnjay and Rich, Brooke and Jubal, Big D and Bubba, Alex Lucas, Rick and Bubba, John Boy and Billy, Bob and Tom, et al have the gift of crafting a story and telling it so you are engaged in it. You are feeling the story. You feel the highs and the lows. They all paint a picture.

I worked with Johnjay and Rich at KRQ in Tucson and Johnjay VanEs has this amazing way of telling a story that makes you want to listen longer. I am still a fan of the show because they "bring it to the show". (A term that has been borrowed by many from Jeff and Jer)

I am by no means calling for more syndication, but these shows that are syndicated, in many ways have been successful because they know how to craft a story and make it so the audience can relate. They understand the experience.

You should try it, or encourage your staff to do so. But the caveat is that story telling doesn't mean to just talk for a long time. It means tell the story and know when to get out. Exiting is an art for unto itself.