http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/ http://www.eblah.com en http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1214323233/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1214323233/#num1

                  
               Brian McColl
               PugetSoundRadio.com
               Tuesday June 24th, 2008



                                   Coffee With A PD.


Here’s a question I was asked this week: “How do I go about making a PD aware of who I am”?
What a brilliant question and one that we don’t tend to ask too often. Or, hear asked, too often.
How do you get a PD to know who you are?

Tell me if the following scenario sounds familiar to you.
You have made your demo tape.
It’s not perfect, but it never is, right? If we waited until we made the perfect demo, then we would be waiting all of our lives.
You send it off to all of the different stations and PD’s on your list. Then you wait a while.
Time passes. One day, two days, one week, two weeks…nothing. No reply.
You haven’t heard a word from any of the stations, so you decide to take some action.
Out comes the phone number list and you start dialling.

First barrier – the station receptionist:

“Hello, Radio Blah, how can I help you”?
“Hello, can I speak to Billy Blah, please”? (You used his name, nice touch)!
“Can I say who’s calling please”?
“Yes, it’s Tommy Banana”.
“One moment please”.
(You’re put on hold).
“Hello Mister Banana, I’m afraid he’s in a meeting at the moment, can I take a message”?
“Yes, I sent him in a demo tape and wondered if he received it”?
“Alright, can I take your number and get him to call you back”?

So, you leave your number and expect the phone to ring anytime.
Any time soon. Sometime. Eventually.Right? Wrong. The phone doesn’t ring.
They’re not getting back to you, are they?
Why not?
Well, lot’s of reasons.
None of them really matter.
The only thing that matters to you is that you can’t even get to speak to the PD, never mind get your demo heard.
It’s a brick wall.

So, what can you do about this?
Here are a few thoughts and a few different ways to get the PD to know you.

The first thing we have to do is put ourselves in the PD’s shoes.
These days, PD’s do more than just Programme.
They are involved in a huge amount of the day-to-day aspects of running the radio station. They are needed at Product meetings, Promotions meetings, Budget meetings and Music meetings. They have to meet Sales clients. They are expected to help in Admin. Basically, a huge amount of their day is taken up with everything except Programming.
A lot of PD’s resent this time taken away from their passion, and I can understand why.
Their strength is programming, plain and simple. That’s what they want to do. All of the other elements that go into running a radio station generally do not (and should not) concern them.
However, they do and they have to get on with it.
Along with all of these meetings, the PD has to also set aside time to air check presenters and actually look after the on air content.
That’s a lot of oranges to juggle for one person.
So, they tend to, genuinely be busy.
Yes, sometimes too busy to even take an unsolicited phone call from you.
But, that’s life and that’s the job.
Your concern is not their workload and how it affects them.
Your concern is getting to speak with them.

Let’s break down the barriers here!

What do we know about the PD?

We know he/she is a human being. That’s pretty much it, so far.
All right, what do human beings like?
They like to be treated like a human being. They like to be flattered, encouraged, praised, respected and valued. Just like anyone else. Their job doesn’t turn them into a machine.
They are still people.
There is still this whole mystique surrounding PDs that turns them into massive authority figures that can make or break you with one decision.
That they control the whole empire and are constantly listening to presenters to see when they trip up and scolding them for it.
A PD is a person who wants to do their job as best as they can and wants their presenters to be happy working with and for them. That’s a PD. Not some faceless, fearsome monster without any compassion.
Just a person.
Just like you.


How do you like to be treated by other people?
Do you enjoy being respected and liked and trusted? Sure you do. So does the PD.
That’s where I would start.
Showing them respect, showing that you like what they do and showing that you trust their opinions.

Now, let’s take a minute to formulate a strategy.

We want the PD to know who you are. The best way to do this is to not push too hard at first.
Send him/her an e-mail.
In this e-mail you will write something along the lines of, “I listen to your station a lot and really like what you have done with it. The music and presenters are the best in town and it’s no surprise you are doing so well”.
That type of thing. End with your name and send!
Nothing else. No sales pitch. Just that. Leave it alone.

Then, don’t expect a reply.
Ever.

You might get one and if you do, that’s a bonus. But don’t expect one.
Remember, there is no sales pitch here.
No MP3 of your links attached. The purpose of this first contact is to let the PD know you exist. Plain and simple
.
Second stage is another e-mail.
This time you are reminding the PD of your first contact and then saying that you will be in their area next week and wondered if it would be possible to meet up for ten minutes? You would like to pick their brain and ask about how they manage to do so well.
Most human beings love to be complimented and most also love being asked for their opinions. If you show the PD respect by acknowledging their strengths and show your appreciation of their talents, then chances are he/she might not have a problem sitting down with you to tell you how they do what they do.
Offer to buy a coffee or lunch.
Most successful people enjoy handing down knowledge and PDs are rarely asked about themselves. Most of the time they are dealing with other people’s problems and needs, so to be offered a chance to speak about themselves is a nice change.
Remember, the PD is a person just like you!!

OK, let’s imagine you get your ten minutes.
The last thing you do is pounce on him/her with your CV and demo. That would be an ambush.
You talk and you listen.
At the end of the coffee, you say how great it would be to work for a station like that and would the PD mind taking a listen sometime to your tape?
The ‘sometime’ is key. No pressure on the PD.
You then agree to send it in ’some time soon’.
End of coffee.

By the way, enjoy the coffee meeting. You will actually learn a lot from such a short time spent in their company.
When you do send in that demo (a few days later at the earliest), not only will the PD recognise your e-mail address and name, but also he/she is more likely to listen to it, because you have
connected with him/her
shown respect by not forcing yourself on him/her, and
established a relationship with him/her.

It might sound to you, at first, like a long-winded way to get a PD to listen to a tape, but as we all know – making the demo is the easy part. The hard part is getting it heard.
For the price of a cup of coffee, you could get your demo heard by the right person.
Just by treating them with respect.
It works two ways.
The PD will also appreciate your manner and respect your intentions.

You can’t get that from being placed on hold by the receptionist!


Happy hunting!

Brian.


Ed: Note:
Brian McColl will be taking a hiatus over the next few weeks.
His weekly column will return to PSR in mid July

brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com


                                     http://www.presenterworkshop.com


.]]> Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:00:33 SAM http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1213725282/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1213725282/#num1

                  
               Brian McColl
               PugetSoundRadio.com
               Tuesday June 17th, 2008


What’s The Story?

I’d like to tell you a story.
This story involves a young man, not unlike most other young men. He grew up in a middle class part of town. His parents gave him just enough love and attention and fulfilled his needs as best they could. He appeared to the world a content and well balanced person. He helped out around the house, was attentive to his younger sister and was everyone’s idea of a ‘good little boy’.
Then one day something happened to this good little boy. Something that would change his and his family’s outlook forever. Something, so out of the blue and so against his character, that those who knew him could not believe him capable of such an act…
When this young man turned sixteen he….
I’ll tell you the rest later!

What??
You want to know what the boy did?
Why?
Why do you want to know?
You never met him. In fact you didn’t know of his existence until a moment ago. What’s the big attraction about this boy?
Why should you care about him at all?

That’s what this article is all about:
The power of a story.

Every day, people tell each other stories as a way of explaining themselves. Stories are used as a means of conveying a message or an idea.
Why?
     Here are three reasons why humans tell each other stories:
To share information about our lives and ourselves.
To compare our situations, thoughts and ideas.
To bond.

Some stories are large in scale, like when you come back from holidays and want to tell your friend all about the trip. How many times have you heard the expression, “I have a million stories to tell you”?
A million stories. Not a million facts, or a million figures.



The story telling is used to bond.
By me telling you about my trip, I am letting you into my life and sharing with you some of my thoughts and experiences so that you can get to know me better as an individual and therefore strengthen the bond between us.

Here’s a quick comparison. Which one of these is more interesting?
a.
“We flew on BA605 to Stockholm at 06:00. The weather upon arrival was cloudy and three degrees Celsius. I ate a sandwich for lunch in the city. Many cars and people passed by as I ate. Then I went to the hotel, stayed for one night and returned home”.
Or:
b.
“The flight was great. Arrived on time in Stockholm and it was freezing. I though I’d never warm up! At least it didn’t rain, though. I’ve always wanted to have a Swedish Rye bread sandwich in Sweden, so I went to a tiny little café right in the hustle and bustle of the city and ordered one. The ham and cheese was so tasty. My favourite sandwich ever! The hotel was lovely, not too small or big. Very clean too and the staff just smiled at us all the time. I felt very welcome. Definitely, I will go back to Stockholm again, in fact one night wasn’t enough”!

OK, which one?
I’m guessing you’re going for the second one.
I’m also guessing you know why you’re going for the second one!
Because it’s more interesting. It’s got life in it. It’s a story.
The first one is fact. Bam, bam bam. Fact, fact, fact.

Remember what it was like when you were in school? Think back to the teachers you had. The good ones told you stories and involved you. The not so good ones just gave you the facts to memorise.

Story telling is such an amazingly effective tool to use on the radio.
You can put it any where in your hour or in your link.
A great story can be a short story. Look at ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ – always voted one of the greatest movies ever made. Guess what?
It started life as a short story.

Let’s go into your on air studio.
You’re about to do a talk break. Nothing major. Just a piece of house keeping where you have to forward sell a song.
Now, as always with any link you do, you have a choice here. Your choice is to do the minimum amount required of you and fade away unnoticed. Or you can decide to make something of the time allowed and connect with your listener.

Link 1 can be, “On the way, the new song from The Kaiser Chiefs”.
Link 2 can be, “On the way the new song from a band who’s lead singer says his favourite TV programme is the Teletubbies”.
OK, as examples go, it may not be the greatest. However, you get my point.
Link 1 is a fact.
Link 2 is a story.
I can now ‘see’ the link.
We’re using the good old Hook and Tease in Link 2 there as well. Hooking the listener for the payoff through the story.

Near the start of this article, I mentioned that one of the reasons we tell stories is to bond. That’s so true. And one of the ways we bond is through shared experiences.

Imagine you had seen the new hit movie of the year. It’s a blockbuster. The one everybody is talking about. You meet your friend the next day and it turns out that your friend has just seen the same new movie.
What have we got? We’ve got a shared experience.
You both did the same thing.
The difference being that you both will have had a different outlook about the day you saw the movie and your opinions on the movie itself will not always be the same.
The important thing is that you both have a shared experience. Now, you can both discuss the film and tell stories of how you arrived in the cinema, what the cinema looked like, who were with etc.
The basic experience is the same, the component parts are not.

That’s another reason why we stay local on the radio.
By being local we are bonding. By bonding we are sharing our experiences with our listeners.
“Traffic is bad on Highway One  today…isn’t it always”?
Shared experience.
Your listeners might have a different outlook on the bad traffic, but the basic premise is the same – bad traffic on a road we all know.
The “isn’t it always” is the story, believe it or not. It’s the human side.
You can, of course go way further than this by saying things like,
“I was on Highway One yesterday and My God was it busy? I thought I’d never get off. There was one man who just got out of his car and walked away. He left the car there on the motorway”!!
There’s a story. Your listener can picture the road from past experience and now has the ability to imagine the man getting out of his car. You have shared and you have bonded through a simple story.

We tell stories everyday.
Someone asks you how did you get to work today and you tell them, “I drove. I don’t normally but I had get in early”. Story.
What did you have for dinner? “I went to McDonalds. I was with David and he’s addicted to the stuff”. Story.
How are you? “I’m fine now. I was in bed for two days with a stomach ache”. Story.

Stories help us bond with each other and as such they are one of the most used conversation tools we have.

When you are on the air, trying to look for the story in your link (no matter how big or small) will bring you closer to your listener. They will get to know you better and will feel more attached to you. It builds loyalty and trust. You share a little bit of your life and your experiences each time and by doing so; you create a healthier and stronger relationship with your audience.

Oh yeah, the boy in the start of the story?
He attacked his pet hamster in the kitchen with a knife. Nothing too drastic, but I figured you’d like to know.

Hey, did you just picture a kitchen, a hamster and a knife? I remember once when I was in my kitchen…!


Have a great week.

Brian.

brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com


                                     http://www.presenterworkshop.com

]]> Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:54:42 SAM http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1213122861/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1213122861/#num1

                  
               Brian McColl
               PugetSoundRadio.com
               Tuesday June 10th, 2008


                                             Less Can Be More.

Anyone who knows me is aware of my love for ‘Word Economy’ (the ability to say as much as possible in as few words as possible).
It’s a well-known tool that really works for all the great radio presenters around the world. Listen to Elvis Duran on Z100 in New York or Merrick & Rosso & Kate Ritchie on Nova in Sydney. Their links may be long, but they never repeat themselves unnecessarily.

I always get a buzz from listening randomly to a radio station and hearing the presenter just get on with the job in hand, professionally and comfortably. Knowing exactly what to do and being confident in the ability to do it.
Sometimes this comes across on an entire radio station. Not only are the jocks focussed on getting their message across succinctly, but the whole format is too.

I spent a little time last week hitting the ‘search’ button on the radio, just scanning around, looking for nothing in particular. It was casual listening personified (exactly what Jane Public does).
One AC station was playing three songs in a row, followed by the presenter selling me things I didn’t want. They needed to make sure that I “didn’t forget” that the Morning show would have a prank call the next day and that I should “stick around” for a great song sometime in the next half hour.
A country station was urging me to text their number and if I was lucky enough I might win something.
A CHR station felt they had get me to “stay with” them because if I didn’t, then I ran the risk of missing their “big concert announcement” later that day.

At this stage, I was feeling a little bombarded by messages. I wasn’t being entertained. I was being sold.

Next on the dial was an Alternative Rock station.
Now, I have to let you know that Alt. Rock is not my favourite music format. Classic Rock, sure – I’m a sucker for that, but Alt. Rock? Not number one on my presets.
You know the funny thing though?
I stayed listening to this station for over forty-five minutes straight through.
The most I gave any of the other was ten…fifteen tops.

Why did this one station whose format I’m not naturally inclined to tune to, manage to keep me listening that long?
It was only after I had turned the radio off completely, that I realised what they were doing.
Rather, what they were not doing.
They weren’t interested in selling anything to me.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Like any other station, they have their station promos to run and their benchmark features to stick to. The difference was, they managed to execute these in a subtle way. There’s a huge difference between telling a person about something and selling them on the idea of something. These guys were just telling me.


Let me try and give you an example of what I’m talking about here.

I tuned in at first and heard a song I didn’t recognise. I though it was by Green Day, turns out it wasn’t. I know this because the presenter back announced it (what a quaint thought)! He then gave his name and intro’d the next song. End of link.
That might not sound like a fabulous link to you, but at that moment in time, it’s all I wanted to know.
He then played two songs back to back (without a station ID separating them) and came back on to tell us what they were. As this was the afternoon drive show, he then gave out a very brief traffic rundown and read out a request. Then, into the next song.

This style went on and on throughout the show.
He was just playing some tunes and doing some good old-fashioned ‘jocking’.
No bells and whistles. No crazy characters or crank calls. No staged banter with a co-host or newsperson. Nothing. Just the music and him.

You know something? It really stood out.
I realised the reason this station kept me for three times longer than any of the others was that they weren’t trying to be something. They already are something. They weren’t hiding their true identity with contests and features. The station was allowed to be just what it is – a music radio station.
An enthusiastic radio station that is comfortable with itself and enjoys being what it is.
This worked well for me as the listener because it meant that I didn’t have to listen to selling and it also gave me the impression that the station really wasn’t too bothered if I was even listening or not.
Now, that goes against everything that commercial radio presenters are told. We’re told that we have to make the listener feel this way or that. We have to grab them and keep them by whatever means we can. Hook them with features and bombard them with prizes. You know the drill.

I wonder sometimes, if we have taken this too far.
Are we over selling ourselves to the point where the listener is becoming weary?
Are listeners getting tired of the sales pitch?
Maybe we need to calm down.
Maybe we need to not be so needy.
That’s one feeling I got from listening to this station – they did not sound needy. They sounded like they were having a fine old time with their music and I was welcome to join in for as long as I liked.

Isn’t it part of human nature to feel comfortable around people who are comfortable with themselves?
Don’t you feel more relaxed talking to a person that seems quietly confident instead of the more hyper person that feels the need to talk non-stop about anything?
The quiet people are usually the ones that have little to prove about themselves. The ones that talk non-stop generally turn out to be the people who need to be seen a certain way and will grind you down until they feel they have achieved that.


I always feel it’s important to remember that radio is a relationship. It’s a relationship between the radio station and the listener. Just like in any other human dealings you have, there will be people you get along with and people you don’t get along with. Radio is no different.
We like to be around people that make us feel relaxed and comfortable and safe. That is when they can then challenge us or we can question them in a healthy way, because we have earned each other’s respect.
That Alt.Rock station earned my respect because they didn’t talk down to me, they didn’t preach to me, they didn’t sell me. They accepted me.
How difficult is that??

Maybe it’s time for us, as radio presenters, to turn down the ‘sell’ button a little. We might be surprised with what happens.
We may find that by not trying so very hard, the more we will receive.

Is it worth a go?
Well, only you can answer that one.
I’m just putting my thought and observations out there.
Only you know deep down inside if you are trying too hard to be something extra on the air. Something that may not be the ‘natural you’.
I’m a committed believer in radio presenters finding and using their True Radio Voice. It’s this true voice that allows you to connect honestly with your listener.
Once you have found this voice, you will never have to ‘try’ so hard again. Yes, you will need to ‘work’ hard, but never try hard again.
You will have found your role on air and your listeners will respond because it’s honest. It’s from the heart. It’s the real you. Whatever that may mean.

That radio station reminded me that it’s not always so difficult to connect.


Brian.

brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com


                                     http://www.presenterworkshop.com

.

]]> Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:34:21 SAM http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1212506091/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1212506091/#num1

                  
               Brian McColl
               PugetSoundRadio.com
               Tuesday June 3rd, 2008


                                      What Time Is It?

I love it when you arrange to meet a person at a certain time and they show up promptly, don’t you?
You know the feeling of saying to a friend, “I’ll meet you at 6:30 outside Starbucks”.
6:30 arrives, you are there and bang on time, your friend arrives.
It shows respect and appreciation.

The opposite is also true though.

How annoying is it, standing outside a coffee shop or a store for ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes waiting and waiting for someone to show up?
“What’s their problem? Couldn’t they phone to say they were running late”?
We’ve all been there and I’m sure it can drive you mad.

When your friend shows up late, or just not at the agreed time, it shows that they are not really paying attention to your needs, your requests or your time.
They reckon that a ‘rough’ time frame ought to do the job.

On the radio, we need to show up on time for our listeners too.
Now, I’m not talking about showing up on time for your gig! That’s a given. I think your PD might have a word or two if you arrived in the studio twenty minutes after your show starts!
What I am talking about is when we give our listeners Time References.
It’s a tool we use a lot on air.
“Coming up soon”
“That’s on the way”
“Later this hour”.
That sort of thing.

But let’s take a look at what those time references mean and how your listener processes them.
Imagine listener #1 is called Bob.
Bob is sitting in his car in traffic on the way into work. He’s listening to the radio and has stopped on your show. He is a semi-loyal listener to your station as he likes the music and sometimes he gets a laugh out of it. That’s what connects him to you.
Bob knows the traffic is pretty light today and he will get to the office in about fifteen minutes.
Meanwhile, you are back in the studio putting together the best show you can.
You’re heading into an ad break and decide to Forward Sell an item.

You say,
“Led Zeppelin is re-uniting. Their concert here in town is already sold out. But I’ll tell you how you could win the last two tickets to the show a little later this hour”.
OK. Well done. You did a nice Forward Sell. The PD will be happy with the link, you will be happy with the link, but Bob in his car might not be.
Bob knows he has fifteen minutes left in his journey.
He has no idea when you are going to tell him about the ticket giveaway.
Bob happens to be a huge Zeppelin fan and would love those tickets.
Fast forward fifteen minutes and Bob has arrived at work. You have done one more link in that time, but did not yet mention the ticket giveaway.
Now Bob is annoyed.
Why is he annoyed?
Because he didn’t get the information he wanted. He ran out of time. He had to get on with his life.

So how do we avoid annoying people like Bob when we Forward Sell like this?

By being Specific.

Give specific times.
“Led Zeppelin tickets to give away. I’ll tell you how within the next fifteen minutes”.
Now Bob has a solid time frame to work on.
That suits him perfectly. What luck! He is able to listen for that amount of time and knows he will hear the information he wants.
That’s as long as you keep your word and ‘show up on time’. As long as you do as you say.

Saying, “On the way”, “Later this hour” and “Coming up soon” tell us nothing.
All they mean is that you will get around to it eventually and in your own time. You haven’t decided when exactly that time will be yet but hey- I’ll get back to you!

Specific.
That can take different forms.
One is actually announcing a time; “The Mystery Voice is at 6:30 this evening”.

Another is saying the word ‘Next’ (into an ad break or feature), “Led Zeppelin are next”.
That means that when this feature is over, I will hear Led Zeppelin. No later. No extra waiting around. I can hang around for that (thinks Bob)!

The last one is giving a time frame. Later this hour won’t cut it for your listener, but “In the next ten/fifteen/twenty minutes”, will.

By the way, I wouldn’t go further forward than twenty minutes. Anything after that is asking a lot. Unless you are promoting a station feature (like a Morning Show item) and need to follow a liner on this.
Other wise, if it’s an element in your show that you want to promote, then twenty is the max.



Your listener will appreciate your decisiveness on this. He/she will appreciate the fact that you are giving them specifics. They don’t want to have to hang around endlessly waiting for you to figure out a time that suits you. They have a life to live and won’t have the time to hang on your every word. But if you say “Within the next fifteen minutes”, chances are they may decide that’s an OK amount of time to wait for the payoff.

Oh, one last thing.
It’s possible to be too specific sometimes!
“Coming up in eleven minutes” would be too specific!!
I don’t think the listener is sitting there timing you. They don’t have the stopwatch on them!
Why not go all the way and say “Coming up in eleven minutes and twenty nine seconds”!?
You get my point.
The important thing, of course, is to then do as you say.
If you say ‘twenty minutes’, it better be no later than that.
If you say ‘next’, it better be.
Otherwise you will annoy Bob and he may not trust you in the future.
You have to deliver on your promises.

Don’t make Bob wait for you. Be there when you said you would.

Oh, and enjoy your coffee!

Brian.

brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com


                                     http://www.presenterworkshop.com

.
]]> Tue, 3 Jun 2008 11:14:51 SAM http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1211904315/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1211904315/#num1

                  
               Brian McColl
               PugetSoundRadio.com
               Tuesday May 27th, 2008


Every Second Counts.

Here’s a dilemma you may come across during your on air life. Possibly you have to deal with it every day as part of your format, or maybe it’s just something that pops up now and then.

You have fifteen seconds to perform your link. No more.
You have to get your message, your personality, your elements and your sell across in that short space of time.
It could be that you work on a CHR format where this is the norm, or you could just have a fifteen second intro that needs to be used, or possibly fifteen seconds to fill before you kick in the next feature.

How do you use that short amount of time to deliver the perfect message?
Well, as you know from being in radio – fifteen seconds can actually be a pretty good chunk of time.
I’m sure you have looked at the time remaining on a song and thought, “Fifteen seconds? I’ve loads of time”!
Most presenters won’t be intimidated by a deadline like that.
Most prepared presenters, that is.
That’s what it all comes down to – Being prepared.
Now, I’m not talking about Prep, here (that’s a totally different article which ran on PSR last week)!
What I mean by being prepared is just that.
Being ready.
Knowing what you are about to do next. Knowing how to handle the next link and what it is you want to do with it.
Most ‘outsiders’ reckon that working on a CHR format must be a pretty easy life. You play five songs in a row and then speak for fifteen seconds, before playing another five songs. Piece of cake!
Well, if you work (or have worked) that format, then you will know that it can be one of the most difficult jobs on radio.
It is a real skill to be able to relate, communicate and create a response in a listener in that short amount of time.
Also, the ability to concentrate your mind over such a span of time can be draining. It’s a real temptation to go for a wander around the halls during your five-song sweep, or pick up the paper and have a read, or surf the net on your studio computer. Fifteen minutes (or more) of music to just sit there and wait?


So, how do the great CHR jocks do it?
Focus and Self-Editing, that’s how.
All the great CHR jocks are masters of the Self-Edit.

By Self-Edit, I don’t mean that they write out a script and literally edit the words they don’t need before delivering their link (more of that later). What I do mean is that they know instinctively what to say and, more importantly, what not to say.
It might sound a little silly, but what you don’t say is actually more important in a short link than what you do say.
If you’re not used to the concept of Self-Editing, then I suggest you become familiar with it.
At first you will need to write out your links. The twist here is that you write them out after your show!
Let me explain my thinking on this one.
Self-Editing encompasses three of the great Basic radio principles: Word Economy, One Element per Link and Out Cue.
With these links, you simply don’t have the time to hang around. You need to get straight to the point and finish on a high.
One slip and your link has lost its impact.
One Pause and you will start to wander off and lose your way.
Both of these will destroy your link.

Let’s take a look at a fictional link. We’ll say that you want to talk up the vocals to a Justin Timberlake song. It’s got a fifteen second intro (handily enough)!
Your plan is to do a link about the fact that Justin Timberlake is coming to town next month and that your radio station is giving away VIP tickets to the show all day tomorrow.
The details are:
‘Starting at 6:20 with Bill and Ben in the Morning, you need to listen out for the Cue to Call. When you hear it, you then need to be lucky caller nine on the studio line 123-4567. You will then go into the daily draw for tickets. That draw takes place at 5:20 pm on the Drive Time Show. If you win, you then have ninety-five minutes to call the station back to claim your VIP Tickets. Call back in the allotted time and you win the tickets’. Simple!

Now, if you were to give all of that info out in that order, you would end up walking over poor old Justin’s vocals. He’d be singing away and you’d still be giving out the phone number!!
Which is where the Self-Edit comes into place.
You may think this is all very basic. That’s great. It means you know all about the art of Self-Edit…but are you using it every day with every link? Sometimes we need to be reminded of the basics in order to affect them properly.
If this is a new concept to you, then I have some good news: once you begin Self-Editing, you will never look back.

Here’s where your five-song sweep comes in really handy for you. It gives you fifteen minutes to make sure that you have prepared yourself properly for the next link. You won’t have time to wander around making coffee or read the paper. You’ll be working away on your link.

Without Self-Edit your link will go something like this:
“XYZ-FM, I’m Billy Bland. Really looking forward to seeing Justin Timberlake in concert next month at the Such-and-Such Arena. We have a chance for you to win VIP tickets to the concert starting tomorrow morning with Bill and Ben. They will give you the cue to call, sometime after 6:20. If you’re lucky caller nine on this number – 123…” Ooops. Looks like Justin has started singing already!!


You know the book ‘The Secret’? Well, in radio we have many many format secrets! One of these is the secret of Self-Editing.
Here’s the Golden Rule when it comes to Self-Editing (the secret)!
Only say what is relevant at that particular moment.

What does the listener need to know at that particular moment?

Here are the basic elements:
* Justin Timberlake is coming to town.
* XYZ-FM will give you VIP tickets to the show.
* Listen in tomorrow morning for all of the details.
That’s it!

Nothing about the phone number, or luck caller nine, or going into a draw, or listening again at 5:20, or having ninety five minutes to call back.
They are all important elements for sure. But not right now.
You have fifteen seconds! Work it!

“XYZ-FM, I’m Billy Bland. This guy is coming to town next month and you can win VIP tickets to go see him live! Bill and Ben will tell you more after 6:20 tomorrow morning. It’s Justin Timberlake on XYZ-FM”.

This link comes in at under fifteen seconds, which is fine. That extra little bit of time allows you to put emphasis on key words as you see fit. It also means you don’t have to rush your words out. This way, each word counts.
You have just delivered the basics and done it by using Word Economy, One Element and a relevant Out Cue.

So when do I write all of this down?
Well, here’s what I suggest:
When you have finished a gig, pull up the audio on your monitor and take a listen to your links. Don’t just listen though…take it all in. Be aware of where you rushed your words or forced your thoughts or panicked.
This is where you write out your links. Literally write them out.
Then take a look back at the words you have written. These are the words you decided to use on air. There’s no escaping them once they are written out in front of you. They’re staring right back at you.
Decide which words were not necessary. Which ones could your link have done without. Which words dragged you back or made you lose your train of thought.
After a (short) while, you will get pretty tired of doing this. That’s a good sign. It means you are beginning to develop the skill of Self-Editing and are on the road to mastering it.

Soon you will be kicking those fifteen-second links to touch as a matter of course and wondering what the big deal is!

Have a great gig,

Brian.

brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com


                                     http://www.presenterworkshop.com
]]> Tue, 27 May 2008 12:05:15 SAM http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1211265058/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1211265058/#num1

                  
               Brian McColl
               PugetSoundRadio.com
               Tuesday May 19th, 2008


Product not Process.

The issue of ‘Prep’ came up again over the past week with some of the people I was dealing with.
You know…Prep.

That thing you are supposed to do before your shift.
That aspect of your daily pre-show routine, that is crucial to your performance.
That grey area that nobody tells you anything about, other than ‘do it’.

The concept of ‘Prep’ makes perfect sense.

Every professional preps in some way or another before embarking on a task.

Pilots look at weather conditions before boarding their aircraft and run through a checklist ahead of a flight.
Legal Eagles prepare files on certain cases before walking into a courtroom and Real Estate agents will have to see a house before trying to sell it.

You get the idea.

The only difference between these professionals and you is the fact that they have very definite avenues to pursue.
The pilot knows where he is flying.
The Lawyer knows what case she is working on and the estate agent sells one particular house to one particular person.

In radio, our ‘sell’ is not so defined.

We have music to prep, artist info, pop culture, news, comedy, promotions, weather, travel, competitions and on and on.

So where to start?  

Well, this is where the whole grey area of ‘Prep’ comes into it’s own.
You ask any presenter how they prep and they probably couldn’t give you a definite answer.
Sure, they could show you the websites they look at each day and the newspapers and magazines they read and possibly the prep service they subscribe to.

Showing you an exact method though, would be nearly impossible.
Maybe there is no exact method!
Maybe that’s why the area is so grey.
I find it hard to believe that any one presenter could prep the same way each day. It’s almost impossible because no two days on the radio are ever the same. The music will be different, the callers will be different, the content will be different and your mood will be different.
If they weren’t different then we might as well record Monday’s show and play it for the rest of the week!

Some Programmers will tell you that in order to prep properly for your show you need to:

Come in two hours before your gig.
Prep one hour for each hour you are on the air.
Print all your prep out so that it is always at hand.
You’ve heard them all, I suppose.

Here’s my take on the ‘Prep Process’:

It’s the Product not the Process that matters.

Have a think about this for a moment.
Are you putting yourself under pressure to get your three hours prep done for your gig and not really knowing how to go about it?
Do you sit at the computer in work, with the newspapers open in front of you, looking for inspiration?
Do you trawl through radio-online or Inter-Prep looking for the best American bits that you can translate into your market?

If so, then ask yourself ‘why’?

Why do you do that?
What are you getting out of that?
Are you doing it for you or for your boss?
Is it to ‘look good’?
Is it to appear as though you are working hard and are therefore a good employee?

I would imagine it’s some or all of the above (plus more, possibly).

What I have discovered over the years is that it doesn’t matter how long you spend in front of your computer reading websites and magazines if it doesn’t help your performance on air.
What’s the most important aspect of a radio station?
The noise coming out of the speakers…. that’s it!
Does the listener care how that noise was achieved?
Nope.

The listener is interested only in the product. You are the main part of that product. You are the human connection between the two.
Your listener wants only to be entertained, whatever that means to you.
If I was in charge of the radio station you work at, my main concern would be that your on air performance is the best it can be.
How you achieve that result wouldn’t interest me.
You could walk into work one minute before your gig wearing a Hawaiian skirt with a parrot on your head for all I’d care – so long as your performance was all it could be!

The Product not the Process.

We tend to get hung up on what we feel we should be doing.
Let me ask you a question:
Does your current method of prepping feel ‘right’ to you?
Does it fit?
Does it feel natural?
Or are you doing it because you feel you ‘should’?
If it’s not right for you, then change it.

How do I change it?
Anyway you want.
I’ve worked alongside some legendary presenters and each one of them has a different method of prepping.
One guy I remember, who had been in the business since the 50’s, was meticulous in his prep detail. Nothing was left to chance. He was scripted and had every angle covered. That’s been his method throughout his career.
Another was a morning man at a ratings leading station, whose show started at 6am. He walked into the building at five minutes to six every morning without fail and performed brilliantly.
The point is, both of these people knew what worked for them.
The first presenter needed everything in place – that’s how his brain worked.
The second guy loved to ‘wing it’ and ad lib. That was his strength. Do you know what he spoke about? His life. That’s it!
He never once researched artists or checked websites because that wasn’t his style.
His product brought him to the Number One morning slot in his market.
He got there because once he walked into the studio. He was in charge. He was in control. He unconsciously knew what to do and how to do it.

If he worked for a PD that insisted on prepping at your desk two hours before every show, then he would not have succeeded in the way he did.
Through trial and error he found his strength.


What’s your strength?
What’s your style?
Find what is right for you and use that method for prep.
The listener doesn’t care how you conceived your link. All they care about is how it sounds – the Product.
The Process…? Well, that’s up to you, isn’t it?

Brian.
brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com


                                     http://www.presenterworkshop.com


]]> Tue, 20 May 2008 02:30:58 SAM http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1210609170/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1210609170/#num1

Ed Note: British Broadcast Veteran Brian McColl will be in Vancouver from June 26th through July 15th, 2008 with plans to hold meetings. PSR will keep you posted with more details as we near the date.


                                                   Everybody Out!


    
by Brian McColl
PugetSoundRadio.com
Monday May 12th, 2008

It’s a strange phenomenon in radio stations that the On Air studio is often seen by other members of staff as a nice place to ‘hang out’.

I have no doubt that you have experienced the production guy or sales person, walk into your space  (usually when they are bored), just to have a chat and kill some time.
Usually they will come in on the premise that they have something to tell you.
This is followed up with a, “so how are you”? , type of question.

How are you??
You’re busy.
That’s how you are!
You’re working. You’re concentrating. You’re thinking. You’re writing. You’re editing. You’re planning. You’re generating an atmosphere. You’re performing. You’re focusing.
That’s how you are.

What you are not is:
You are not in a position to chat. You are not in a position to humour another person’s mood. You are not there to fill their need for conversation. You are not there to discuss anything other than what is relevant to that particular show on that particular day.

If you think you are, you are fooling yourself.
If you find you have five or ten minutes to chat while in the studio, then you are not working hard enough at your gig.
Let’s face it. The only people in your building who know what it’s like to be on air are your fellow presenters and other members of programming staff.
The rest of the people at your station, (sales, admin, promotions etc), all think you have an easy job that requires little preparation, planning or concentration.
All you are doing is playing music and talking every now and then.

How difficult can that be??

Well, way more difficult when you are constantly and needlessly interrupted!
They look in the window and see you standing there, apparently idle.
What they don’t understand is that, while you may be physically standing still, you are working.
You are thinking. Planning ahead.

How does the next item fit in with the last one?
How can I word the next link?
What’s my ‘out’?
Do I have time to edit this call before my song ends?
You are working.

Don’t expect them to understand this. Chances are they never will.

But you can set ground rules that make it obvious you won’t accept unnecessary intrusions.
The only people who should be allowed into your room at any time are the other members of your show team and your PD.

That’s it.

No sales person should ever walk across the threshold. No promotions. No admin.
Ever!
“No sales person ever? But what if they need to tell me about a promotion for that day”?
Well, first of all they need to get to you before your show.
However, I concede, this is not always possible.
The route to take is this:
They need to tell your PD. Your PD will then decide if what Sales need to say is important enough to disturb you. It is then the PD’s job to go and relay the information to you.
Of course, the PD will also have to wait until you are ready to speak.
If you are up to your eyes for the next ten minutes then both the PD and the sales member will have to wait.
If you have a ninety second call to edit down to twenty seconds and then get it on air before the ad break finishes in two minutes and nineteen seconds, then you really don’t have then time to chat. Do you?
Let’s understand this. A radio station is only as good as the sound coming out of the listener’s speakers.
You are that sound.
Disturbing you disturbs the radio station.
A good PD will know this.
A great PD will respect your stance on this.

If you are uncomfortable about asserting yourself in the On Air studio when situations like this arise, here are some phrases you can use to politely get your point across:

“Just a moment, I’m editing”
“Can you give me five minutes”?
“I have to take some calls”
“I have to get this on the air in ninety seconds”
and
“Can you come back when I’m done with this next link”?

Most people will accept these as reasonable.
If, however, you are still having problems with people killing time in your room, then have a word with your PD.
He/She will be happy you have approached them because it shows that you care about your work and want to concentrate on making your radio station sound as great as possible.

That’s what we all want isn’t it? To be a major part in making our radio station great.


Have a great gig,

Brian.
brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com

http://www.presenterworkshop.com


]]> Mon, 12 May 2008 12:19:30 SAM http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1209742823/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1209742823/#num1 Greetings Valued Members and Visitors!

It's not only a delight, but our pleasure in welcoming British Broadcast Veteran Brian McColl to grace the pages of Puget Sound Radio dot com

"The Coaching Coach" with Brian McColl will be appearing on a regular basis here on PSR.

WE welcome your comments in helping us build our solid and growing communication centre within the Industry.

Happy Posting!
and warmest regards,
Mike Easton
PSR




                



                                                           "Winner Calls"




British Broadcast Veteran
      
   Brian McColl
   Friday May the 2nd, 2008


I have spent my usual unhealthy amount of time over the past week, listening to different radio stations on the ‘net.
Do you ever do this?
It’s a great way to hear how other people around the world are presenting. The similarity between presentation styles is quite remarkable.
Some stand out from the crowd (usually the ones that have conquered the Fear and Doubt part of their personalities). Others just blend into the background.
This week though, I was keeping my ears open for how different presenters execute competition winners on air.
For me, there is one golden rule when it comes to getting the most out of a winner. That is: know when to shut up!
Really.
Know when not to say anything.
It’s as important as the information you give.
Knowing when to say nothing and timing that ‘nothing’ is vital when you are creating an exciting atmosphere for a winner.
How do you time’ nothing’?
Very carefully…that’s how!
Let me explain.

I heard two completely different methods in particular.


Method #1:

This station was giving away a holiday in Mexico.
A nice prize and, I got the impression, one they had been building up to for a while.
The DJ made the call and put the winner on air.
“You’ve won the holiday”, shouts the DJ.
Cue the usual prize pig reaction of,
“Oh my God, Oh my God, I don’t believe it, thank you so much guys, I love you”, etc etc.
So far so good.
But wait.
The DJ here just couldn’t resist taking the glory for this great prize. So what does he do? He starts to talk all over the winner reaction.

“Oh my God…”continues the winner.
“That’s right you’re going off to Cancun Mexico for five nights, flying first class”.
“Oh my God…”
“You’ll stay at the blahdy blah hotel on the beach front”.
“Oh my God…”
“You have two grand spending money thanks to our friends at XYZ Bank and will be taken on an underwater dive with Underwater Tours of Cancun….” And so on.
“Oh my God”.


Method #2:

This radio station was giving away a car. Again, nice prize.
DJ calls winner and says:
“You’ve won the car”!
The conversation continued along these lines:
“Oh my God, thank you. I don’t believe it. That’s unreal. I won I won. I can’t believe it”.
“A brand new BMW”!
“(Screaming) That’s amazing. That’s my favourite car. My old car broke down last week and I had no way of getting into work. This is so amazing. You guys are the greatest. I love you (Scream)”.
“You’ll be driving into work in luxury now”.
“I didn’t think I’d win. Thank you so much. This is so great”.
“You’re the winner”!
“You guys are the greatest. Thank you so much”!

Notice any difference between the two calls?
Who was the star in each one?
Who stole the show?
Who did the link belong to in each one?

I guess you have it figured out.

In link number one, the DJ thought he should be the star of the show. He thought it was his job to talk all over the winner’s reaction and get in the right mentions for all of the sponsors. The winner only got to say “Oh my God” a few times!

In the second call, the winner was the star.
Here, the presenter knew that his job was to back off and let the winner’s natural human reaction take over.
Let’s face it; if you were given a new BMW for free, you’d probably be pretty excited. So was this winner.
Here, the DJ allowed the listener to share in the winner’s happiness. He allowed the winner to be the star of this link.
Allow the person winning to be the star of the link and you allow the listener to share in the excitement.
He knew when to shut up.
Occasionally he would throw in the odd comment like, “A brand new BMW”.
The reason he did this was a) to re-emphasise the prize and b) to confirm to the winner that she had just won it and therefore provoke another reaction from her (in this case, the good ole Scream)!

What is the point of holding a big promotion if, at the end, you start talking all over the winner?
Here are a few of reasons why the winner call is important.

You are showing your listeners that they can win great prizes with your station. Fair enough.
You have a chance to put to air your perfect listener. The one that sums up your demo and will react in an excited manner. That’s why you will sometimes have five ‘unlucky’ Caller Number 8’s!! You’re looking for an exact fit (Oh come on – you’re telling me you’ve never trawled the phones for the perfect winner)??
It’s the payoff for the week’s worth of pre-tease and execution. A competition is basically a massive Hook and Tease. Like any Hook and Tease, there needs to be a payoff at the end.
It’s a chance to show your listener as the star of the show. You’re telling the listeners that you value them. You cherish them. Let them freak out and we can all share in this good feeling created by your radio station.
The sponsors get their mention – but not during the call. This happens later when the promo is aired. You don’t need to worry about it here. Anyway, it sounds too cumbersome saying, “With thanks to such and such” when a winner is screaming down the phone line at you!


Another big reason to keep quiet and just prompt the winner is the fact that your production guy will love you for it.
When your call is done and has been aired, you know what happens to that audio then?
It’s taken away from you. You no longer own it.
It goes into that dark room at the end of the hall, where the Production Guy sits all day.
You know the production Guy (or girl). Usually pasty faced, wearing the same clothes for three days at a time (because he had fifty seven promos to produce last night and decided to just sleep on the studio floor). He’s the one that reads magazines on
Pro-Tools and finds it hard to hold a regular conversation with anyone because he’s waiting for the sound effects to kick in.
Well, Production Guy is going to love you for staying quiet during the winner call, because now he has some beautiful clean audio to dissect and place into the doughnut part of his ‘ready to go’ promo. He doesn’t have to mess around and spend ages editing your voice out as you talk all over the winner’s reaction.
You have done him and the station a favour because now there will be a great promo on air really quickly and your PD will notice this too and heap praise on everyone.
We’re all happy!


Oh, and by the way – if being on the promo is important to you, then don’t worry. You will be. And if getting some glory for how you handled the call is also important to you – believe me, you will.
You will get the glory just because you were a professional broadcaster who knew when to speak and what to say (and not say) in order to get the best out of a competition winner.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!!

Have a great gig.

Brian.

Email:brian@bmacmedia.com
Website: http://www.bmacmedia.com
                                                      ]]> Fri, 2 May 2008 11:40:23 SAM http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1209094084/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/forum/m-1209094084/#num1




‘Six Steps’
          BY
British Broadcast Veteran
              Brian McColl
              


As a radio presenter, you are constantly told that being on the radio is part of a continuous relationship between you and the listener.

The different ways you can effect or influence their day, their mood, and their outlook at that moment.

A lot of time is spent analysing how we do this. How we go about developing that relationship each and every time we go on air.

Whether we’re on a five-day shift during the week, weekends only or even overnights.

Each of us has that relationship with our listener.

Like any two-way relationship in ‘regular life’, it needs to be worked on and it needs us to pay proper attention to it.

I just finished reading a book called “Made To Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath (great names – could be on the radio)!

In this book, the authors list the ways in which people remember an idea or a concept.

When I put the book down, I realised we can use all that they were saying in the on-air studio.

That happens a lot. Anything to do with social learning can be brought right back into the field of radio.

We are people relating to people, right?

Doesn’t it make sense to find out as much as we can about how people behave and think and learn and bond?

My theory on radio is simple (a bit like myself): speak to the listener as you would a friend or family member.

That’s why I always recommend dropping the clichés in a link. You don’t use them in normal conversation, so why do so suddenly on the radio? It doesn’t make sense and it makes you sound unnatural.

Nowadays, the emphasis is being put on presenters sounding more ‘real’. Doesn’t matter what your format is, you can sound real and actually connect with the words you use. Yes, even on a CHR with fifteen-second links.


If you don’t have time to read this book, let me outline the main ideas for you.

These guys reckon that there are six factors in forming an idea. Most of these, I feel, we already use on air without even realising it.

They are…(drum roll please):


#1: Simplicity.

Ah, simplicity. How simple!

What is it we call this?

Yup, ‘One Element Per Link’.

We’re already using simplicity in our links when we self-edit. When we stick with the golden formula of finding one main element in the link and staying with it. When we do this, we sound focussed and help the listener to hear our words and understand our message, instead of rambling on and becoming distracted.

Simplicity. It’s a beautiful thing.


#2: Credibility.

I like this one because when you are credible, you are trusted.

Trust is crucial to any relationship, right?

When your listener trusts you, it also means they will forgive you. So, if you screw up a link or say something that they might not like, they will forgive you because they trust you. To them, you are fundamentally credible. You are believable. This also means that you sound ‘real’. You don’t come across as a jock crankin’ out the tunes!

You are a person they like and enjoy being with.

That’s credibility.


#3:Unexpectedness.

When you are credible and trusted, then you can get away with being unexpected. There’s that old expression, “predictably unpredictable”. That’s what we’re talking about here. You are being allowed shock occasionally and step away from your usual persona.

Not only does the listener allow it, they even enjoy it. It keeps them guessing. It adds spice to the relationship. If you are normally a wacky/funny presenter who is known for making listeners laugh, you can get away with one day coming across as the complete opposite. Imagine ‘Mister Crazy’ becoming ‘Mister Morose’ for an entire shift. That would be unexpected and your credibility would allow it to happen.


#4:Concreteness.

You might feel that this is similar to ‘credible’, but it is slightly different. To my mind, ‘concreteness’ on air means, knowing what you are talking about and not fooling your listener. If you are speaking about an event or a song or if you are giving a fact about anything, you should have your facts right.

Fair enough, you can’t know everything. In that case, just being honest is always best. But if you are putting it out there that what you are saying is fact, then it has to be. That’s being concrete. That’s what adds to your credibility. If you’re caught out on a lie while on air, you have just done your relationship damage.


#5:Emotion.

We could write a book on this one…oh hang on, there’ve been a few, haven’t there?

Everything we do and say comes down to emotion.

“How does that make me feel”?

That’s the crux of our life. How does something make us feel?

Human beings are forever thinking about how events make us feel.

Do I feel happy, sad, annoyed…how do I feel?

You have the ability to tap into people’s emotions with the words you use on air. You can say “I hate all red haired people” and you will have completely outraged red haired people and the general listener as well with your comment. Why do something like that? Well, it depends on your act. The point being, you have the ability to alter a person’s emotion. That’s a pretty amazing statement to take in, when you think about it. Use that one wisely!!


#6: Narrative Potential.

In other words: ‘Story Telling’.

Nothing communicates better than a story.

It’s the best way to get your point across.

Comedians know this. Not too many comedians come onstage and tell gag after gag after gag. They lead up to the punch line with a story. The story is what brings the emotion, the credibility, the unexpectedness, and the concreteness to the joke. The punch line brings the simplicity.



There you go. All six parts coming together at the end…just like a great story!


Maybe try using one of the six factors listed when you are on the air.

See how it feels. What way can you use one or all of them in a show?

Play around with them and get used to them. They are naturally programmed into your brain, so it really shouldn’t be too difficult. All six of those factors are part of basic socialisation and are already hard wired into our thinking.

That means, if you are aware of them automatically, then so is your listener (unless you broadcast to a dog kennel).


‘Humans relating to other humans’.

That’s what radio presentation is all about.

It’s fairly simple when you strip it all back.


In my opinion.

Brian.

brian@bmacmedia.com

BMAC MEDIA dot com
http://www.bmacmedia.com/


                                 http://www.presenterworkshop.com/


]]> Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:28:04 SAM