Crappy Radio

Rick Stanton, Creative Director / Managing Partner, Stanton & Everybody

Of all the different media we utilize, radio is far and away my favorite creative outlet.
Some of you have heard me say it’s the only place a writer can’t hide behind an art director. Either you’re good story teller or you’re not.
But these days, I wonder if that matters. It doesn’t seem to matter to the stations, but it should. Contrary to a point made in the video in the first link below, bad radio ads do in fact make people change stations.
What constitutes bad radio you ask?
1. Two people in a dialogue and all one them does is say “uh-huh”.
There are plenty of cases when dialogue between two or more people can work but all the voices need to have a role to play in the story. Otherwise you’re wasting the client’s money on talent that has no point, and basically it’s annoying.
2. Funny spots that aren’t. Writing humor requires a sense of humor to go along with the concept of story telling. I grew up in the days of great ensemble sitcoms and TV like I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show and Dick VanDyke. Great writers and great comedy actors who were allowed to really develop their characters. Sid Caesar’s Show of Shows had Carl Reiner, Woody Allen and Mel Brooks for writers. The there were the cartoons. Looney Tunes, Popeye, Rocky & Bullwinkle and Disney. I was lucky that I inherited my Mom’s sense of humor and timing, but understanding what smart funny really sounds like came from listening to people who did it well.
3. Hi, this is (insert on-air person’s name) for my good friends at (advertiser’s name goes here) …
I counted one morning and in a half hour, Dory Monson has 6 personal endorsement spots. After a while you can’t tell one from another.
So the advertiser not only has a crappy spot attached to their brand, it does the exact opposite of what great advertising provide; differentiation.
4. No sense of white space. Radio ads needs gaps in the audio to establish the moment be it funny or poignant. Think Jack Benny.
5. Going into the studio without a clear idea of what you are there for. If you have to have talent read the script more than 6 times, you don’t know what you’re doing or you’re a masochist. And then there’s this hurdle.
Big mega-media owners who have squeezed all but the last drop of fun out of the business.
Back when Seattle had 45 stations and darn near as many local owners (or guys like Gene Autry with Golden West) who understood radio is about content. It’s entertainment and that included smart, imaginative creative. Stations had the freedom to try things, to take risks and it wasn’t about chasing every thin dime at the expense of content and more ads per hour. It engaged people at every level.
As a writer, radio is still my favorite. But if my ad is the third one in the pod, there’s a really good chance you won’t hear it. Because you will have changed channels the second you hear “I want to tell you about my good friends at ...

Worth Reading: http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=136781

Listen to a Washington Fryer Commission spot from a few years back: