The Future Is Now

Recently, I had the honor to be a faculty participant in the Radio Advertising Bureau’s National Radio Talent Institute, sponsored by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters at the University of Georgia in Athens. I’ve been part of these sessions for the past nine years (except for two pandemic years) at Bloomsburg, Western Kentucky, and now at UGA. Seeing the passion the students have for the industry is invigorating and inspiring. I am a total fan of what the RAB’s Erica Farber and Bob Lawrence are doing to help develop young talent for radio.

On the drive back from Athens to Nashville (longer than expected!), I thought about these students from the Institute and the benefits they received from the program, and about others who may miss that experience because it is only offered in select markets. The young folks I met in Athens were ready to go NOW as, I bet, are others in other parts of the country. With the fact that we lament that the old radio “farm system” is mostly a thing of the past, I wondered why a radio station cluster could not create its own “mini-institute” to seek out and develop broadcast talent in their particular market.

I know your first question: a good portion of the under 25 age group does not consider radio a part of their lives, so why would any of them even be interested? I can tell you I saw very interested and engaged students in Georgia who want radio as a career. These cannot be the “only” students interested in the business, obviously. I would bet that you could probably find a reasonably sized group in your market. But, you won’t know unless you try.

How about creating a system where you can grow local talent for any department with your staff as the “faculty,” so to speak? You can possibly break it down into three different areas – programming (on-air), marketing (promotion and digital) and sales (including digital). You advertise the “class” on your air, web and socials, and create a portal for applying. Then, develop a detailed interview process for each applicant.

Not every applicant is “accepted” into the program. You make candidates aware that there is a specific selection process that makes it a privilege to be a part of it. There may be a local group of colleges (and high schools) with whom to form a partnership and, to make your sales department happy, there may be some room for a title sponsorship. Community service at its best, by the way.

This is in no way to compete with the Radio Talent Institute or Sam Alex’s Camp Broadcast. As a matter of fact, it is an extension of them. Consider this a more concentrated (1-2 days) program with a limited number of students (5-6 maximum).

This is where you can create your own “farm team,” getting aspiring air talent ready for actual on-air work like weekends, fill-in, etc. Marketing/promotion specialists could wind up on the promo road crew or assisting with web and socials. Sales could get a recruit or two from the program to get started with accounts, etc. I would expect the cost to be minimal, and could be underwritten by a sponsor.

One huge example in our industry of developing young talent comes from record labels. They have organized internship programs and systems in place where they can seek out, train and hire new, young employees in all departments.

I can hear one BIGGER objection to all of this. “Where will we find the time to do this?” This is just as crucial as making time to work consistently with your current talent. We must look ahead to where will be in five years instead of in 90 days!

You may have some air talent on the verge of retirement, or a sales team in need of some new energy. The future at your cluster starts now. There is a group of aspiring broadcasters STILL out there. Maybe it’s time to let them know you’re interested.

“Taking Your Radio Presence To The Next Level. Be it an artist, radio programmer or on-air talent. Coaching and mentoring down to your foundational level”

Contact me:
John Shomby
Owner/CEO Country’s Radio Coach
jshomby@countrysradiocoach.com
757-323-1460
https://countrysradiocoach.com