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By Ty Stockton

There’s not much to putting together a radio show. Just start talking.

I’m not here to talk about selling the show to sponsors or radio stations, although that’s by far the most important part. If you’re looking for advice on that, check back issues of Outdoors Unlimited for anything written by the late Tony Dean. His advice is far better than any I could give.

The man was a marvel when it came to marketing himself, and if I’d absorbed even a tenth of the advice he tried to give me, I’d be set for life. Unfortunately, I’m still going back to Tony’s writings and notes from sessions he hosted at OWAA conferences in an effort to pick up a little more I can use. I find something new every time.

But even with Tony’s advice, selling your show is the hard part. This article deals with something that is much easier.

Interviews can be great for radio shows and they’re essential for longer-format programs. But if you’re asked to put together a two- or three-minute show, they’re not as crucial. In fact, if you don’t have a great interviewee, they can actually drag your show down.

What do you do if your interview flops and you don’t have time to do it over? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: just start talking.

Whether I have interviews, I generally script my shows. I don’t trust myself to stay on topic otherwise. During a shorter show, I don’t have that luxury. So, if I’ve recorded an interview, I listen to it, find the best pieces, and work them into my script. If I don’t have an interview that day, I just write what I want to say.

The trouble with reading from a script is that you have a tendency to sound like you’re reading. One way to get around that is to read the script aloud several times to get a good feel for it, then try to recite it without having to refer back to it very often. Imagine you’re just talking to a friend instead of speaking into a microphone.

Another thing to keep in mind when writing the script is to write like you talk, instead of like you write. Changing my writing style was the hardest thing for me to do when I started doing radio. It has actually improved my written work. In many situations, when you write like you speak, you connect more with readers.

If you have a good interview to work into the program, it makes it easier. You’ll spend a bit more time editing the interview down into usable sound bites, but you’ll have another voice in the show to make it more interesting to the listener. Doing an interview seems to make it a little easier to sound more natural, too. You actually have someone to talk to, even if that person’s not in your studio when you’re producing the show.

No matter how you go about it, it’s really just a matter of talking. Pick a specific topic you can talk about for two minutes, not a subject so broad you’ll have trouble saying what you want to say in the allotted time. Script it out in a way that sounds natural when you read it out loud and then record it as though you’re having a conversation with a buddy.

That’s all there is to it. If you’re blessed with the gift of gab, you owe it to yourself to move into radio.

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By Dan Armitage

My career as a full-time freelance outdoor writer and radio show host came via “the dark side.” After graduating from college in the late 70s, I was a sales representative for a rock ’n’ roll radio station in Key West, Fla. My show, “Buckeye Sportsman,” is in its 14th year with 24 affiliates. I credit much of my show’s success to what I learned trying to sell radio advertising.

You are only on the air as long as someone can make a profit by partnering with your program to sell products or services. With radio sales experience, it is easier to relate to the needs of other sales people.

The following has helped sales, too. I always ask for a straight salary for producing my weekly, one-hour program. By drawing a set amount of pay, the sales force selling air time within my show knows they are not in competition with me to sell the program. I have known of several similar shows over the years that allowed the host to sell air time. The result was often plum accounts going to the host, leaving little for the sales crew.

When working to obtain a new affiliate, I arrange a face-to-face meeting with the program director and the sales manager of the prospective station. After explaining my show, I tell the sales manager I sometimes use qualified experts from sponsoring businesses as guests on the show. I offer to meet with the sales team, explain the show’s content and market, offering a season-by-season round-up of topics I rotate annually. I also pass along any leads I run across in the course of lining up guests for the program. I give each sales person my office phone number and e-mail address so I am readily available to give advice about how to approach a particular prospective sponsor or how to manage co-op programs. Because I was once a sales representative, the sales teams of my affiliates and I relate to each other. That helps sell the advertising that keeps “Buckeye Sportsman” on the air.

The other angle that has made “Buckeye Sportsman” a success, which I have impressed from day one, is to keep the show’s content consistent. I promise my listeners that my show’s content will always relate to Ohio and never stray from traditional hook-and-bullet subjects.

Back to how I got the career I have today: One of my accounts when selling air time in Key West was Boog Powell’s Angler’s Marine, now Miller Marine, on Stock Island. When Powell’s contract to sponsor the local news was about to expire, I visited Angler’s Marine to renew the contract. Powell said he wanted to instead sponsor a fishing report. Powell added that the Miller Brewing Company, which was featuring him in the first of the famous “Less Filling-More Taste” ad campaigns for Miller Lite beer, would help co-op the effort. I said it could be done, gave him a price and took the order. Before leaving for the station to get the new show in the works, I asked Powell who he wanted to host the show. Knowing I was an avid angler, he answered, “You!”

I told him I wasn’t an on-air personality and didn’t have the experience to host a show. “Nevermind,” he said, ending the discussion. However, when I returned to the station, the owner greeted me at my desk and told me I was the new host of the weekly “Key West Fishing Report” sponsored by Angler’s Marine. Apparently, Powell and the boss knew each other. The following week, I started my career as an outdoor broadcaster. That morphed into outdoor writing when I showed a knack for fishing script writing at about the time the Key West Citizen newspaper needed a fishing columnist. Soon, I found myself with both feet in the outdoors beat.

I’ve kept them there through a move back to my home state to raise a family, write freelance outdoor articles and host my own outdoor radio show. So far, so good. ◊

Dan Armitage is a full-time freelance outdoor communicator, active OWAA member since 1987, host of “Buckeye Sportsman,” and a regular contributor to several regional and national outdoor magazines. He can be reached at armitage@wowway.com.

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By John Pollmann

It never fails. Just about the time you think you have things figured out, reality steps in to remind you that you really aren’t as smart as you think.

I started my radio show this past winter and have loved sharing stories of the South Dakota outdoors. My first interviews were anything but flawless. Fortunately, where I lacked efficient questioning, my guests excelled with quality information. After a few shows, I began to develop a sense of confidence, started taking a few chances and felt I had turned a corner in terms of the quality of the show.

Unfortunately, this confidence was accompanied by the crazy idea that each guest was on a journey with me, and carefully developed questions would lead my guests to a destination of my choice. I would make great stories.

This silly, egocentric notion was quickly unraveled by a magical shot from a hunting rifle.

My guest was a young hunter – Danny Wright – who had recently killed a new state-record mule deer buck in western South Dakota. The numbers of the hunt were quite impressive: a single shot from Wright’s .25-06 rifle dropped the buck at 560 yards, and the massive antlers would produce a green-score of over 200 points. What made things even more impressive was that he made the shot through a steady 15-mph breeze and from an angle of nearly 30-degrees above the animal.

Furthermore – and here is where I thought I could really make a story – the record-setter had used the latest in bullet drop compensating reticle technology, which allowed him to accurately place the bullet at such a tremendous distance.

My quest for journalistic greatness began as planned. Wright shared that he had hunted mule deer with friends on the same ranch in western South Dakota for years, but on this hunt, a snowstorm made reaching their usual spot impossible. So, Wright and a friend opted to hunt a block of public land in the area; neither had hunted it before, but it was close-by and accessible.

The pair split up to cover more ground. Wright chose to follow a ridgeline that provided him a clear view of the broad valley below. Trudging through the deep snow was difficult, and Wright was about ready to turn around when he spotted a sizable herd of deer. The animals were too far away to accurately judge any of the bucks, but there was one animal in particular that Wright knew was considerably larger than the others.

The young hunter continued to work his way through the snow, occasionally crawling his way to the edge to keep an eye on the large deer, but eventually ran out of ridgeline. From his final vantage point, Wright could see the large deer had moved away from the herd to bed on the hillside far below him, leaving only the portion of its body from the shoulders up open for a shot.

At this point in the interview, I had to pause for a break in the show. Off the air, Wright and I chatted a little about personal lives and began to share our backgrounds in the outdoors.

For some strange reason, when we resumed our interview I abandoned the list of questions that I had planned to use to create a great story about the balance between hunting ethics and technology, and instead, we continued our off-air conversation. The story that was revealed far surpassed anything that I could have hoped to “create” from my list of questions on a pad of yellow legal paper.

Like many of us, Wright grew up hunting with his father and spent many days by his side each fall. Under his father’s watchful eye, Wright developed a unique set of skills with a rifle; a proficiency that he would hone during his training for the armed service and his time in the Iraq War.

Unfortunately, after leaving the battlefields of Iraq, Wright returned to the Midwest only to watch his father succumb to a battle with cancer. His record-setting hunt was one of the first without his father by his side.

Wright’s story progressed to the ridgeline in western South Dakota. How he propped himself up on his hunting bag, took the readings from his binoculars and scope, consulted the typed notes on bullet-drop that he had developed through hours of practice and kept taped to his rifle’s stock, made the necessary adjustments, and squeezed the trigger. Through the wind-blown snow, Wright heard the delayed “thump” of the bullet striking the deer and saw the head slump over.

As Wright finished recalling that snowy afternoon, it became quite clear to me how close I had been to not hearing the real story. Bullet drop compensating reticle and ethics questions be damned – this was a story of a single bullet guided by knowledge, practice and perhaps by the helping hand a loving father watching from above.

Wright’s story provided an important lesson for me, and one that I hope will resonate with the members of the OWAA: a successful show needs a good story and a great listener. ◊

John Pollmann is the host of Dakota Outdoor Radio. John and his wife Amber live in Dell Rapids, S.D. with their yellow Labrador, Murphy. On the Web: www.prairieperspective.com.
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By Joel M. Vance

What you probably don’t need is advice on doing radio from someone who doesn’t do it anymore, but I learned a good bit about the game during few years of doing Field & Stream Radio spots.

Others on the shows did the how-to, where-to things, and I quickly realized there are two sides to the fence – the side with the know-alls and the side that listens to them. Having made a living for about 60 years in communication, I’ve realized that my strength, if you can call it that, is in being Everyman, the guy who doesn’t get a turkey or a deer or the guy whose bird dog eats his lunch just before he pees on the boss’s leg.

So I wasn’t likely to be as convincing as the expert. But, depending on species, hunters and anglers fail on average at least half the time and usually more than half. Someone has to represent the ones with the slack stringer and empty game bag.

We all too often forget that the outdoors is an entertainment exercise. We get wrapped up in the minutiae of mechanics and while it’s important, it also can be incredibly boring.

I figured there must be a place in radio for the lighter side and so I sought out those who had something funny to say. One story I remember was inspired by … a radio interview. I heard Michael Feldman on National Public Radio’s “Whad’ya Know” interview a fellow who loads the ashes of the dear departed Joe Sportsman into shotgun shells so his buddies can launch him piece by piece over his favorite hunting ground.

I tracked the guy down, called him and arranged to interview him the next time I was in Des Moines, where he lived. Not only made a print story, but also a radio spot, a double dip.

Some stories were easy. My son and I waded around our pond one evening with him catching bullfrogs, me commenting as we went. There were good sound effects (always important in outdoor stories) and good quotes from him.

Whatever the story, I’d do the interview first, prepared with a long list of questions (you never, ever interview cold), then write an introduction and what explanatory transitions were needed, then a close. I’d record my parts in the quiet of the house, assuming I could get it quiet long enough, then send the tape to the producer to assemble into airworthy shape.

I used a Marantz tape recorder, one of the standards at the time for radio guys, but if I were doing it now it would be a digital recorder. The late and much lamented Tony Dean recommended a Zoom recorder in a craft improvement piece a few months back and I purchased one that has proved very satisfactory.

My ideal radio job would be doing the light, bright spots that would illuminate someone else’s radio show. I have no desire to produce an outdoor show, not to mention lacking the technical know-how. But a five-minute outing on someone else’s time would be serendipity, not to mention a few extra bucks.

Think Andy Rooney on “60 Minutes,” Bill Geist on “CBS Sunday Morning,” the late, wonderful Charles Kuralt in “On the Road” or any of a multitude of such mood brighteners on NPR’s “All Things Considered” or similar shows.

You’re not likely to make the kind of money they did and do, but radio is an expansion of the communication field for us writer types and, before I forget, I have microphone and will travel.

Joel Vance is a past president of OWAA and the author of “Grandma and the Buck Deer” (softcover, $15); “Bobs, Brush and Brittanies” (hardcover, $25); “Down Home Missouri” (hardcover, $25); and “Autumn Shadows” (limited edition, signed $45). Available from Cedar Glade Press, Box 1664, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Add $2 per book for shipping and handling.

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By Peter St. James

Anybody who thinks radio is made up of talk-show hosts, “too-cool-for-school” disc jockeys and an endless supply of music really doesn’t know a lot about broadcasting. Radio is about one thing: money. If station management can make money playing automated reggae music, then that’s what it will do. When the national and local advertising money starts to immigrate to another format or station, then they’ll switch formats quicker than you can say, “Whatever happened to Sarah Palin?”

So even though the program director or station manager supports fishing and hunting, if there’s no money in it, they’ll continue their support of it on the weekends or relegate the program to a non-prime-time slot like 11 o’clock on a Saturday night. No matter how much you argue the benefits to the marketplace (gas, groceries, lodging, restaurants, etc.) unless there’s a dollar sign attached, you might as well save your breath.

The solution isn’t rocket science, nor do I lay claim to being a sales genius. Simply put: Sell your idea.

Now I know that’s easier than it sounds, especially in this economy, but that’s the bottom line. And, it’s not as hard as you may think. Put yourself in the shoes of advertisers. They want the biggest bang for their limited advertising dollars. Do they get that by running a 60-second commercial 20 times a week at varying times between 6 a.m. and midnight on a radio station or as a sponsor of a regular, fixed-time program of interest to them and their potential customers? Think about it. If you sold chain saws, would you rather be part of an outdoor show, or have your spot air during the stock report or during a nationally syndicated political talk show that runs for three hours a day? Advertisers are looking for programming that will allow them to speak to their audience. Problem is, most stations don’t have the imagination or personnel to create an ongoing, locally produced outdoor show.

So instead, try building a series of events throughout the year. One of the most popular broadcast my radio show does is a live broadcast of the annual drawing for moose hunting permits that takes place in June at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. As the winner of each permit is announced, our listeners are glued to the radio (or the Internet, where we always max out our streaming capabilities) for their name or that of a friend or family member. To support the broadcast, we sell various sales packages that include commercials and a live interview during the week of the drawing and links on our Web site. Some clients even provide products so we have listener contests during that week. It’s fun and interactive, the clients get positive response and the station adds billing.

So try packaging a few outdoor events and build on that base of good will and broadcast revenue that you’ve helped to create. Trust me, do it right and the radio stations will be seeking you out for more outdoor ideas! ◊

Peter St. James is a native Maine-er who’s lived in New Hampshire for the past 25 years. His creative efforts have been recognized by the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters, Ad Club of New Hampshire, Associated Press, Association for Conservation Information and OWAA (President’s Award). When not hosting the New Hampshire Wake-Up Show on WTPL-FM (107.7/107.1/94.3/1400AM), St. James is either hunting and fishing somewhere … or thinking about fishing and hunting somewhere. E-mail him at psjoutdoors@hotmail.com.

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By Mike Walker

What do prospective sponsors look for in radio advertising? This question is asked of just about every radio seminar speaker at the various outdoor writer conferences.

The answer eludes so many who are either in radio or want to be because they won’t invest in even the most basic sales training and they won’t take the time to market themselves or their programs.

The reasons why so many fail at getting more sponsors or advertisers are many. More often than not, it’s because these talented individuals have not or will not invest in learning how to sell or take a sales training class. The same individual who would spend $900 on a new rifle won’t invest the same amount in a sales training class that will ultimately put more money in his or her pocket than the new rifle. It’s a question of priorities.

In 1936, Dale Carnegie published “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Since then, his book has sold more than 15 million copies and is widely credited as being the first book in the modern self-help genre.

The core of Carnegie’s simple philosophy is that one of the greatest human needs is to feel important. If you want to win people over to your way of thinking, or have them become an advertiser, they need to like you. And the way to get them to do that is to take an interest in them.

When learning how to sell better, we often hear the advice to ask questions and listen to the customer. This advice, though, is frequently given in the context of using questions to gather information helpful to the sales process, and to listen for clues that will help you convince the customer to buy.

What Carnegie suggested was that the true path to being a successful salesperson, leader or well-liked individual was not to focus on your desired outcome, but to put your attention on the other person.

Here are Carnegie’s six ways to get what you want by making people like you:

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.

2. Smile.

3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.

6. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely. Notice the emphasis on being genuine and on sincerity. Despite the fact that Carnegie was talking about how to persuade people to adopt your point of view, this really isn’t some sort of manipulative sales technique. It’s a recipe for making friends.

This idea wasn’t just a personal theory of Carnegie’s. To write his book, he interviewed the most successful people of his day, from Clark Gable to Franklin D. Roosevelt. He studied the writings of philosophers from Confucius to Benjamin Franklin, and the lives of famous leaders from Abraham Lincoln to Henry Ford.

Carnegie spoke with many professional salespeople, and also with many of their customers. Here’s what he discovered: “Thousands of salespeople are pounding the pavements today, tired, discouraged and underpaid. Why? Because they are always thinking only of what they want. The world is full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking. So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage. He has little competition.”

Here’s what I’ve found prospective sponsors look for in radio advertising:
• An increase in sales.
• Relevant content.
• Value – a good return on the money they will invest in sponsorship.
• Chemistry, a pride of relationship and associating with your program.
• A solution to their problems.

I also polled a number of retailers who buy outdoor radio in their marketing efforts. Their comments varied, but the following points were common among them:
• The program has to tie in with what the retailer sells.
• The host has to have a passion for the sport.
• When the program airs is important.
• Retailers won’t buy from a stranger; they want a relationship.
• Retailers are more likely to buy only outdoor radio due to a target audience – anglers and hunters.

Just as important as what sponsors want in a radio program is what they don’t want in their relationship with you:
• They don’t want to be “sold.”
• No one wants to buy a pig in a poke; have testimonials from listeners or other advertisers available in writing.
• Leave your ego at home. This is about them, not you. They want to hear how you can improve their sales.

To boost your proposal, visit the Radio Advertising Bureau Web site at www.RAB.com for helpful information. In-depth information is available if you are a member, but membership is not inexpensive. However, there is free information on the site that’s available by download.

As you have read, craft improvement in radio goes beyond voice delivery or having the latest gear, because nothing will happen until you sell something. ◊

Mike Walker of Scottsdale, Ariz., is OWAA’s third vice president. He operates Walker Communications Inc. and produces and edits “Ducks Unlimited Radio” and “Toyota Outdoors Radio.”

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