Making Your Listener the Star Makes YOU the Star

What kind of person CALLS a radio show in 2022? It’s a fair question. It was actually a legit question before texting and myriads of digital distractions too. When I was a young gun on the radio scene, the pro’s claimed maybe two or three percent of our audience actually called in. There’s no hard data to support how true that was (or is). This elite group of listeners should be celebrated and championed on-air.

Getting non-DJ voices on your station can help accomplish four important things.

1. Listeners hearing other listeners can create a sense of community in a way that reading social media comments or texts just can't touch. There's power in multiple voices. I have proof! Stay tuned. Won’t even make you sit through a stopset.

2. You give listeners the sense their voice matters. Even if they never call, listeners simply hearing other listeners lets them know you are all about THEM.

3. Listeners will think of things in ways you and I can't. They can add new dimensions, angles, and depth to our content.

4. Many live shows on our mainstream counterparts have been decimated. They “can’t buy a call” (organically), so they’ve turned to paying for fake callers. Actual phoners can be your flag in the ground to let your city know you are here for them.

Do callers alone = a great show? NO. YOU'RE the entertainer. A great listener call can enhance what you do, but can't replace it. When your phone lines are quiet and slow, it is NOT a reflection on you. Poppin lines don't equal an amazing show any more than slow lines equal a lousy show. Things ebb and flow for all kinds of reasons we'll never know. TLDR version: there’s a balance between being more caller-driven than what your listener cares for, and having zero listeners on your show.

Before we wrap up, here’s the proof I teased. One of our stations (BOOST RADIO) recently wrapped up a P1 study conducted by Edison Research. We didn’t set out to ask our listeners how they felt about hearing calls on the air, but they had feedback anyhow! Unaided, they told us they loved hearing other listeners share how God works in their lives/through BOOST. Many also remarked on how they felt included in our shows when they heard our DJ’s interacting with other callers. The conversations “reinforce the station’s message of unity,” according to Edison’s final report. About BOOST’s interaction with the audience, 29-year-old Chantel said “These are real people and I feel like they genuinely care about their listeners.” We’ve invested a lot in having callers on frequently and purposefully. That our listeners noticed and felt strongly enough to remark without any prompting speaks to the deep connection power calls can bring to your show and brand.

I’m not advocating putting on calls for the sake of putting on calls. In fact, until you have some foundational basics in place, you might be better off without them. When I’m hiring for on-air positions though, the aircheck demo that shows appreciation and understanding for integrating listener audio gets more attention than the airchecks that don’t. So, in a future piece, we’ll get into those basics. Whether you air callers or don’t, try letting each and every caller you connect with know how much you appreciate hearing from them. If it’s genuine, they’ll never forget you.