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6 Takeaways From The Producers Podcast

A producer does not just sit behind the glass and answer phone calls. A producer does not just run a board and a producer does not just play audio cuts. A producer may do all of those things, but they may also have different responsibilities entirely.

Brady Farkas

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Radio Sales

I first broke into sports talk radio in 2014. I was a part-time board-op at WTMM in Albany, NY, producing the mornings and making sure that Mike and Mike ran smoothly. I did some voiceovers and teases, too, but producing the mornings was my main focus. I made sure that spots played when they were supposed to, and relevant audio from that show was pulled for our local shows. 

It wasn’t overly difficult, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be doing, either.

I eventually graduated to producing a Saturday morning show, and got to be the fill-in producer on the afternoon drive show before also getting hosting responsibilities of my own.

I’ll be honest. While I was doing it, I looked down upon the producer position. I don’t think that’s uncommon, especially for young and in my case, stupid, people. I viewed the producer as “lesser than” or “not as important,” and I frankly was resentful that I had to do it to get where I wanted to go as a host.

Fast forward eight years, and I realize the error of my ways. I wish I could tell my younger self just how valuable the position is, how important the position is, and how some of the brightest people in the industry serve as producers. 

By the way, the joke is on me, because while I host my own daily show at WDEV Radio in Vermont, I don’t have a producer. I serve as my own! Guess I couldn’t kick the position, after all.

I bring this all up to remind you that we are now five episodes into the Producers Podcast, which comes out each Wednesday.

Through my conversations with some of the industry’s best, including Ben Charleston of WEEI, Steve Ceruti of the Ringer, Andrew Williams of Sirius XM, Declan Goff of SKOR North, and Shane Riordan of 670 The Score, I’ve accumulated six takeaways that I wanted to share.

Being a Producer Means Many Different Things

A producer does not just sit behind the glass and answer phone calls. A producer does not just run a board and a producer does not just play audio cuts. A producer may do all of those things, but they may also have different responsibilities entirely.

Ben Charleston of WEEI in Boston produces the daily show Mut at Night but is also the Executive Producer of the entire Red Sox Network, and he oversees more than 100 Sox affiliates, making sure game broadcasts go smoothly all across New England. That’s a huge responsibility and certainly is not “lesser than”.

Declan Goff of SKOR North is a digital producer. He has an immense amount of tasks that include making social media graphics, scheduling those graphics across all different platforms, and cutting up podcasts so they can still be aired on traditional radio. 

Andrew Williams is a producer on non-terrestrial radio while Ceruti is a producer for a very prominent podcast (The Ryen Russillo Show). Each of them works on a different style of broadcast and with that comes very different responsibilities. Being a producer is not just one thing, it means being able to do different things depending on the show you work on or the outlet you work for.

So if you think you have the producer position figured out, you likely don’t. I know I didn’t.

Learn How to Do Everything

In order to be a great producer and in order to thrive in today’s media world, you have to know how to do everything. Ceruti spoke about learning how to do high level podcast editing and teaching himself the basics on YouTube on software like Pro Tools. Goff spoke about learning the ins and outs of Adobe Audition for editing purposes. 

Learn how to make graphics on software like Photoshop or Canva, and learn how to cut up your show’s video highlights on software like Premiere or a site like Online-video-cutter.com so you can use them on social media. Be confident in your ability to talk on the show and contribute to the on-air discussion. Become aware of what types of content work best on each social media platform and tailor specific content to each one. Be willing to be resourceful and bold when it comes to building your Rolodex for guest-booking on shows.

“Be diverse in just about everything you can be,” Goff said in Episode 4. “Whether that’s writing, graphic design, audio editing, or video editing, be a Swiss-Army knife. You don’t have to be excellent at all of those things but have them in your golf bag. And find something that no one else on the staff has the time to do or can elevate your products.” 

Gain Your Hosts Trust

I fell victim to this. When I started in 2014, I wanted to prove I belonged. I wanted to show how much I knew. Nobody likes that guy. Don’t be that guy.

Show that you are there to help the host, not be the host, and not overshadow the host. This isn’t a game of “who knows more?” This is “how do we build the best show possible?” It’s a collaborative effort. One of the quickest ways to turn off your host is to try to outshine them or prove that you know more than they do.

“I think with being a producer you have to ditch the ego a little bit and use your ability to prop up others more than yourself,” Riordan said in Episode 5.

A host has to trust you. They have to trust that you have the best interests of the show at heart, and then they have to trust that they can count on you to provide content, stats, figures, information, social media integration, and guests that can help the show grow. 

And as you gain that trust, you will gain more opportunities within the show and at the station. You will get the opportunity to bring segment ideas to the air, or to contribute on-air yourself, but that stuff can’t happen if your host has resentment towards your attitude and demeanor.

Don’t Immediately Look For On-Air Opportunities

Guilty, again. Another cardinal sin. Similar to the above, you are there to prop your hosts up and help the overall flow of the show – not steal the show. While some hosts operate with an open-mic policy, that doesn’t mean you should just steal the mic at every turn.

Understand that there is a progression in this business. You have to gain the trust of your host, and with that trust, comes an openness on the show that will give you opportunities to shine on the air. But if you go in angling for those opportunities, you likely will be detached from the original purpose of the job, and your host will never develop that trust in you.

“Gain the trust of your host in the pre-show meetings,” Ceruti said in Episode 2. “Make sure that they enjoy the perspectives that you’re bringing, let them bring you on first, and then as you get more comfortable and learn the tendencies and cadences of your host, you can pick and choose your spots where there’s a lull or that some funny thing can be dropped in.”

Communicate With Your Host

Every host needs something from their producer. Some may need more, and some may need less, but they all need something. Make sure you are communicating with your host or hosts about what you are seeing, who you are booking, and if anything is changing about the show.

While the host ultimately makes the final call on what goes on the air and when over the course of your shows length, you do have an obligation to bring all the different balls that are up in the air to your host so they have as much information at hand in order to make the show a success.

And depending on where you work, you may be producing a show where the host is remote and not in the same room with you. That is the case for Williams at SiriusXM.

“Over communicate. They don’t have to respond to your message…. If something changes at all, you let them know immediately. You don’t wait on certain things, you just over communicate all the time,” Williams said in Episode 3. “It’s the communication aspect of it. You have to hammer that home.”

Other Tidbits

  • Know where to find audio that could be relevant for a show. Some of your local teams have YouTube channels where they post audio from press conferences. Some of your team’s Twitter accounts, or beat writers, also post audio from players and coaches, or their own opinions. Check out national Twitter accounts like The Herd with Colin Cowherd or the account for The Pat McAfee Show and see if anything from there is relevant to your market. 
  1. Recognize that guest booking is not just a one-way street. When you book a guest, make sure you are giving something as opposed to just taking (as Riordan said in Episode 5). If you are in a big market, that may mean giving a gift card to a prominent guest. If you are in a smaller market, make sure you offer to plug a guest’s charity or outside work they are doing.

What’s Coming Next

As we move forward through the Producers Podcast, you’ll hear from more of the biggest national and local producers around. Already scheduled to appear? Jackson Safon, the producer of the Draymond Green Show, so be on the lookout for that to drop soon.

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How to Help Your Clients with Low Website Conversions

Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

Jeff Caves

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Graphic for how to increase website conversions
Credit: WPDesigner.Biz

Are your clients dealing with low website conversions? Whenever a marketing campaign is run, and the goal is to convert website visitors into leads, the temptation is to blame low traffic, amongst other issues, for low form fills or appointments being generated.  Just spend more money, you may think! Sometimes, you must look at at least four other potential issues to tackle poor conversion rates. Here are some actionable steps using the IT services industry to increase website conversions.

IT Solutions specializes in providing products, services, or solutions related to technology, particularly in areas such as software development, hardware sales, IT consulting, cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, and digital transformations. They faced challenges with their website conversions. Despite driving substantial traffic through Google Ads and other SEO tactics, they struggled to convert website visitors into form fills for appointment requests. A 2% to 5% conversion rate could be considered reasonable. Of course, conversion rates can vary based on various factors, such as the competitiveness of the local market, the quality of the website (and radio stations help most to fix that) and its user experience, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and the reputation and offerings of the IT solutions business. Focusing on improving the quality of leads and providing exceptional customer service can be just as crucial as achieving high conversion rates. Don’t blame EVERYTHING on the marketing tactics! 

The Diagnosis

Upon thorough analysis, several critical issues were identified with IT Solutions’ website:

1. High Bounce Rate: Nobody was checking out the business. If 70% or more of website visitors only visit the landing page, that is an issue.  It could be slow loading times, irrelevant content, poor user experience, or unclear calls-to-action that prevent them from wanting to know more about IT Solutions. You can check the bounce rate on the Google Analytics page for the website in the left-hand sidebar, click on “Behavior” to expand the menu, then click on “Site Content,” and finally, click on “Landing Pages.” You’ll see a list of landing pages and their respective bounce rates.

2. Complex Navigation: It was hard to move around the website to find relevant information about IT services, and it was unclear who they were initiating contact with and for what purpose.

3. Unclear Calls-to-Action (CTAs): The website lacked clear and compelling CTAs guiding visitors toward requesting an appointment. Simply stating “click here for an appointment” is like asking for a meeting whenever or without establishing value. Here are 28 CTAs for free.

4. Lengthy Forms: The appointment forms were long, without qualifying information, and requested excessive information upfront, deterring potential leads from completing them.

Action Plan

1. Optimize Landing Pages:

   – Redo high-traffic landing pages with clear messaging and compelling CTAs.

   – Showcase IT Solutions’ services as benefits, making it easier for users to request appointments, thereby increasing user engagement and conversions.

2. Simplify Navigation:

   – Reorganize the menu and add more action-oriented links.

   – Provide additional options for users to access relevant information, such as “Get a free IT Solutions 15-point checkup NOW” and “Take this 5-question survey to diagnose your IT issues,” motivating them to book appointments.

3. Enhance CTAs:

   – Utilize concise and persuasive messaging throughout the website.

   – Encourage visitors to take action, whether requesting a free download about “5 things you can do to solve your IT issues on your own” or “get a free pizza for booking an appointment.”

4. Improve the Form Fill:

   – Add a further line about the number of employees who qualify for incoming leads.

   – Highlight the value of leads based on company size, prioritizing forms with higher potential impact.

Review landing pages, navigation, CTAs, and form experience to address website conversion issues. Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

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‘NHL on TNT’ Gives Hockey Fans the ‘NBA on TNT’ Treatment

Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

John Molori

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NHL on TNT studio

Let’s play a little word association, sports media style. If I say TNT, what is your response? Chances are it will be a three-letter abbreviation of your own, namely, NBA. Over the years, TNT has built a reputation as arguably the premiere network to telecast the National Basketball Association.

The NBA on TNT pregame and halftime shows have become the gold standard with stars like Ernie Johnson, Jr., Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal. Still, it’s not just this quartet of roundball royalty that has fortified TNT’s hoops coverage.

The rep was also built on tremendous play-by-play announcers like Bob Neal and Kevin Harlan, color analysts like Doug Collins and Reggie Miller, and courtside reporters like the late Craig Sager and current sideline star Allie LaForce.

Indeed, TNT and the NBA have become synonymous, but I have some news for you. This network is not just about professional basketball. This past week I went off the grid with TNT looking at their in-game and studio coverage of the NHL.

On March 24, the NHL on TNT provided coverage of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche matchup. Kenny Albert did play-by-play with Eddie Olczyk on color. Albert is not as noted as his legendary broadcasting father Marv Albert, but he has certainly staked his claim as one of the best in the business – able to cross over to multiple sports with equal aplomb.

Hockey is a strong suit for Albert. His rat-tat-tat, drama-building style draws viewers in and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Similarly, Olczyk is one of the top four or five NHL game analysts in the business. His style is understated, providing calm and clear analysis of key plays. They work really well together.

Albert eschews any kind of hackneyed and trite catch phrases for his goal calls. An emphatic, “He shoots and scores!” is plenty enough.

Hockey is a different beast when it comes to play-by-play. Unlike basketball, baseball, football, or even soccer and tennis, there is a minimum of breaks in the action. With hockey, a play-by-play announcer has to know the names of the players like he or she knows her kids’ names.

To me, it is the hardest sport for play-by-play and equally difficult for a color analyst. In basketball, after a team scores, the play-by-play announcer will keep silent and give the color analyst time to talk until the play crosses center court. In baseball and football, there is ample room for commentary.

Hockey does not offer such space, but Olczyk gets the most out of the minimal amount of time. Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

Coming back from a break in the game, Albert and Olczyk provided on air commentary and then tossed to ice level reporter Brian Boucher who has grown into a tremendous asset to the TNT broadcasts. Boucher provided real talk about Colorado’s objectives of staying on top of their division and vying for the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Penguins, squarely in a rebuilding year having dumped talent at the NHL trade deadline, surprisingly jumped out to a 2–0 lead in this game, and the TNT between periods studio crew was all over it. The excellent Liam McHugh hosted alongside Colby Armstrong, Anson Carter, and Keith Yandle.

Armstrong was especially entertaining. With Pittsburgh outshooting the Avs 16-4, Armstrong noted that it’s the best he’s seen Pittsburgh play in a long time. His reasoning was that teams get geared up for playing Colorado even if it’s out of fear. Great stuff.

Both teams tallied two goals in the second period giving Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame. When Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon set up Jonathan Drouin for a goal to make it 4-3, Albert and Olczyk showed their strengths.

Albert called the pass from MacKinnon and one-timer goal from Drouin, and immediately noted that MacKinnon now had a point in all 34 of Colorado’s home games this season. On the goal replay, Olczyk showed how the play developed pointing out how McKinnon allowed Pittsburgh’s Evgenii Malkin to come in close before making the past to Drouin.

The TNT production team then showed a graphic displaying that McKinnon is now second all-time in longest home points streaks trailing only Wayne Gretzky. This was a sublime sequence of symmetry between talent and technicians like a songwriter, musician, and singer creating beautiful music.

What was supposed to be a blowout win for Colorado had now become a hockey barn burner, and the TNT crew was up to the task. Every goal and key play was followed up with replays from multiple angles showing the genesis of the action.

TNT has certainly taken to the velocity of the hockey broadcast with movement that challenges directors, graphics professionals, and videographers.

When there were breaks in this non-stop action, Olczyk was at his best. No hockey analyst draws on his experience as a player and explains that experience better to viewers. The TNT broadcast also lets Boucher freewheel and join in the flow of discussion without having to be introduced.

TNT does not merely rely on the traditional wide shot of the entire rink. We see close-up shots of each goaltender after a great save and the sweat of players on the bench or in the penalty box.

When McKinnon tied the game at 4-4 with 4:38 left in the third period, we got a series of tremendous crowd shots showing the Colorado fans going absolutely berserk. The sage Albert and Olczyk wisely remained quiet for several seconds, letting the cheers do the talking.

When Drouin scored the game winner at 4:06 of overtime, Albert exercised controlled enthusiasm, raising his voice on the call of the goal, but not becoming the show and overshadowing the play itself. He is definitely in the mold of Dan Kelly, Gary Thorne, and Sean McDonough, announcers who enhance but do not supersede the game.

Putting a cherry on top of this hockey Sunday, TNT showed a graphic that the Avalanche now led the NHL in comeback wins this season with 25 and that they were riding a 9-game winning streak. In analyzing the goal, Olczyk opined that the altitude of playing in Colorado was prevalent as the Penguins seemed to tire as the game progressed – really interesting insight.

In the postgame show, Anson Carter made a great point that the chemistry between Drouin and MacKinnon stems from the fact that they have been playing together going back to junior hockey. McKinnon joined in from the arena for a postgame interview. The analysts asked solid questions and even did a funny MVP chant together as the interview ended.

The NHL on TNT takes no back seat to its elder NBA sister. The broadcast provides viewers with flash, dash, and serious hockey talk from every angle – in studio, from the broadcast booth, and on the ice.

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Kim Mulkey Now Has Everyone Anticipating Washington Post Story

I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it.

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photo of LSU women's college basketball coach Kim Mulkey
Credit: Dailymail.co.uk

The Washington Post, you might’ve heard, has a story coming out about controversial LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey. The reason you might’ve heard is because Kim Mulkey told you. The Tigers coach read a fiery prepared statement just before her team started the Women’s NCAA Tournament. In the statement, Mulkey threatened to sue The Post for defamation before the first word was even published.

Now, I’ve never run a public relations firm but that did not seem like a good idea. The Washington Post story on Mulkey is one of the bigger stories in sports right now and nobody even knows what’s in it. The reason the story, apparently unflattering to Mulkey, is even on anyone’s radar screen is Mulkey herself.

It all started with an innocuous social media post by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde right in the middle of the most anticipated two days in sports, the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. On his X account, Forde posted: “Hearing some buzz about a big Washington Post story in the works on LSU women’s hoops coach Kim Mulkey, potentially next week. Wagons being circled, etc.”

You know what generally will go unnoticed at 4:00 on the first Friday of the NCAA Tournament? A post on X about a women’s basketball coach. But don’t tell Mulkey, she saw Forde’s post and decided to fight fire with nuclear weaponry. The result: the average person like me now is really interested in what has Mulkey so incensed. By “average person like me” I mean that I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it. Maybe:

“LSU Women’s Coach Discovers Ark of the Covenant”

Or:

“Mulkey Reveals True JFK Assassin(s)”

Perhaps:

“Famed Women’s Basketball Coach Reveals the Mystery Behind Slow Drivers in the Left Lane”

Literally any of those catch my attention more than whatever will likely be the Washington Post headline about Mulkey. But now Mulkey is “Mad as Hell and is not going to take this anymore” so I now have an interest I would never before have had in this story. It has been fascinating to watch the online speculation about the subject of the article and all we really know, as of now, is that it will be written by Kent Babb. This is a dream come true for Babb; he writes an article that is, presumably, not flattering about Kim Mulkey and, before it is even published, she gives the article the greatest commercial anyone could give it. Babb couldn’t have entered into a business agreement with Mulkey and had this turn out better for him.

For those who don’t follow Babb, he is a former NFL reporter who now is an award-winning writer for the Washington Post. In his 14 years with The Post, he has written sports features and authored a couple of books. One of those sports features stories was a deep dive into what he viewed as a large inequity in the level of pay for LSU head football coach Brian Kelly and his LSU players. It is this piece Mulkey described as a “hit piece” and, based on that piece, referred to Babb as a “sleazy reporter.” Babb, and many others, resented the fact his story was labeled as a hit piece. In fact, Babb essentially confirmed he was the author Mulkey was referencing when he shared the original article on X with the comment: “Hit piece?”

Whether a printed piece or a recorded interview, I can’t imagine a better promotion for it than the subject of the interview threatening a libel/slander lawsuit, especially before it is even released. That simply screams “This piece is salacious!!” Also, libel and slander suits get settled all the time, right? Of course they don’t, they seem to never even get filed. That little thing called discovery is a scary thing for most public figures.

The NCAA Tournament has been very entertaining, and I think the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be terrific. For only the fifth time ever, the top two seeds have advanced to the third round which sets up for a remarkable weekend. For me, I guess it will now include a Washington Post article, not a sentence I’d normally say.

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