Relevant Can Still Be Boring

Dan Young, MD, KSOS/Las Vegas

As a radio pro, you've probably been taught somewhere along the line that you must be relevant, or you must die. And since death is a fate almost as bad as getting stuck in overnights forever, you decide to try really hard to be relevant. In fact, in the grab-bag of radio lingo, 'relevant' gets thrown around more than most.

Makes you sound smart, like all good lingo should.

So, you study the demo (more lingo!) and you try to talk about things that are familiar to them. And if that's the one and only focus of your show prep, you're probably boring us to tears.

Because relevant isn't a great goal for great radio. It's a vital element, but not the finished product. Engaging is a great goal. I like to think of 'engaging' as a mix of 'relevant' and 'interesting' content that's delivered in an 'accessible' way.

So MUCH lingo so far, you guys. Smartness. My last article was about humility. Not this one.

OK - Imagine you have two meters in front of you. One meter reads 'Relevant' and other one reads 'Interesting.' Keep that image in your head, and we'll see how a few topic examples register on the meters.

You could do a show topic about the price of milk. You can have callers checking in from all points of your listening area - interaction! You could interview the director of the local dairy about what's influencing the prices. You could get 'man on the street' audio of the grocery store bagger talking about how many gallons he sees in a typical day.

And it would be so, so boring. I'm bored typing it out. You're bored reading it! But hey, the vast majority of your listeners buy milk on a regular basis. Most of them do want to save money.

So, the 'milk prices' topic would max out the 'Relevant' meter, but register hardly anything on 'Interesting.'

Now, let's take a topic that really shouldn't be very relevant for your listeners. In Perth, Australia (probably not where your listeners live) they found a bottle that washed up on the beach (have your listeners even been to the beach?) that contains a message inside that's 150 years old! Sure, the message inside isn't very exciting, it's just some ship coordinates written in German, but, HEY - it's interesting!

Sadly, it's not at all relevant. But that's why YOU get paid the big bucks. To make your listeners the center of the conversation.

A radio pro can take interesting things and make them relevant. It's easier, actually, than taking relevant things and making them interesting.

In Christian radio, this could turn into a discussion on God's Word being a 'message in a bottle' to you. What Bible verse has been most meaningful in your life? Maybe that 'message in a bottle' was actually a song on your station!

Maybe it's a phoner: "What's the oldest thing you own?" You may get some emotional discussions about family heirlooms and the stories around them. Or, "What's something you lost for a really long time, and recently found?"

Maybe you take it in the direction of communication. 'What's the most memorable letter - good or bad - that you've ever opened?'

You could go for strange stories. "What's the weirdest thing you've ever found in public?"

I'm not suggesting you turn these all into phoners. Honestly, sometimes your listeners are boring, too. You're the radio pro. You bring the fascinating dialogue. Don't just be the person who asks a question for your listener to answer. Capture their attention with something worth listening to, and they won't be able to resist joining in the discussion. Start with interesting, and make it relevant.

And use LOTS of lingo when you write articles for AllAccess.com.

Smartness.