Source: Flickr

I was lucky enough to catch the lovely Tom Campbell, the presenter and self-producer of Heart North East's weekday Drivetime slot. That conversation will be online soon enough but in the meantime have a look at the prep sheet he sent me from his days on breakfast. I want you to have a look at the way the content is broken down into four distinct sections. Also I've created a blank version of this here for you to have and make your own, or alternatively a simple blank timesheet here






Topical - General news and current affairs. The tone is light as Heart's demographic are looking for entertainment and accompaniment as their day begins. The heavier topics can be covered on the news.

Local - Heart North East know that to be relevant to their listeners they need to be aligned with what matters to them. Local topics show that the station is aware and invested in what's happening in the lives of their audience.

Showbiz - Light entertainment concerning celebrities popular with Heart North East's demographic

Gubbins - Tom described gubbins to me as a section where he would write down any funny quips that had come to him that day. They're throwaway comments to slide into a link to make it entertaining.

If you're serious about producing a polished show, it should be as organised as this far ahead of broadcast. Going into the studio five minutes before putting up the fader is lazy, bad practice and obvious to listeners. Every show is different and you'll have your own version of this of course, speak to your presenter about what format they're most comfortable about working from and start to build from there. Not every presenter works the same way but some sort of running order is essential to keeping the show on track and keep your team aware of what's coming up next.

ThePips.co.uk

Source: Twitter

If you haven't bookmarked thepips.co.uk, add it to the top of your to-do list today. It's stuffed with blog posts from people in the radio industry, job advertisements, useful links and quick fire checklists like this one. Presenters (who take self-improvement seriously) should keep the following guidelines at the forefront of their minds always. Presenters care about what your listeners care about. When shifting through content in pre-show preparation pose the first three questions to the content you're planning to double check if what you're planning is relevant and on-target.

The remaining seven points are entirely focused on presenter performance in front of the mic. When you're on air do not pose these questions to your presenter. You'll rattle their confidence, distract them and ultimately damage the quality of the show, not improve it. Your presenter is performing in that moment and your job is to support them. Coaching is to be done away from the studio, over a cup of coffee.




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