Ask callers: “What would you do if you were President for one day?”
Presidential transitions haven’t always gone this smoothly.
QUICK: Who were the 11th, 12th, and 13th Presidents of the USA?
Many Americans — even history buffs — would answer wrong!
At least Constitutionally…
- #11 was James K. Polk
- #12 was David Rice Atchison
- #13 was Zachary Taylor
David Rice WHO?
You might not remember him from History class.
Official records show Zachary Taylor as President #12, not 13.
TRUE STORY: David Rice Atchison — from Frogtown, Kentucky — was appointed to the United States Senate to replace a Senator who had died. He stayed for 12 years, 1843-1855.
Then it happened:
- President James K. Polk was scheduled to step down from office at noon on Sunday, March 4, 1849.
- But President-elect Zachary Taylor was a religious man and refused to be sworn in on the Sabbath. He insisted on waiting until the following day.
- So WHO would serve as President for 24 hours? Normally, the vice-president would. But VP George M. Dallas’ term would have expired along with Polk’s…if he hadn’t already resigned as President of the Senate on Friday, March 2nd.
- The House of Representatives was dismissed so there was no Speaker. Next in line? Recently re-elected President Pro Tem of the Senate, David Rice Atchison, who technically became President for 24 hours, though he was never sworn in.
- When asked what he did that day, he said “I WENT TO BED. THERE HAD BEEN TWO OR THREE BUSY NIGHTS FINISHING UP THE WORK OF THE SENATE, AND I SLEPT MOST OF THAT SUNDAY.”
So ask callers: “What would you do if you were President for one day?”
REAL dangerous thinking in 2009…
For years, we’ve heard and read various Talk Radio industry figures theorize:
“Listeners tune-in to hear compelling hosts.”
How incredibly self-centered of us.
We’re THAT interesting?
People are out there hanging-on-our-every-word?
And how convenient!
We-talk-you-listen radio makes money.
NOT.
Not anymore.
As Cher’s character said in “Moonstruck:” SNAP OUT OF IT!
As George Costanza put it: “Do the opposite!”
As we heard loud and clear November 4, people want-in-on the conversation, and they’ve had-it-up-to-here with business-as-usual.
Voters didn’t just reject Republicans and favor Democrats.
Voters rejected THE CONVERSATION ABOUT Democrats vs. Republicans.
Pull back and take the wide angle shot.
Consumer Reports and movie critics are out, blogs are in.
Rather than being-talked-at, people want to talk-with each other.
Do U txt?
Do you notice that — while people are spending more time using smartphones — they’re spending less time using radio? Turn what-they-do-on-smartphones INTO radio.
Make callers the show.
As talent, your value is topic and technique.
Conceive, conduct, and barely-control the conversation.
Don’t dominate it.
Set the table, provocatively; then keep welcoming people in.
Read more, in my column in the next issue of Talkers magazine.
Meantime, this is a lively conversation online.
One host even asked his listeners!
Click here to get caught-up.
Then come back here to join-in, by clicking below to comment.
If you’re a Rush Limbaugh affiliate – or competitor – you WILL want to read this.
It’s The PPM DNA of Rush Limbaugh, from Coleman Research, and this is NOT just about Rush Limbaugh.
Jon Coleman presented this data in my session at R&R’s Talk Radio Seminar. His firm logged the content of 30 hours of The Rush Limbaugh Show, and compared it to moment-by-moment-by-moment PPM data from those hours.
3 provocative conclusions are instructive to anyone who hosts radio. And when you see the Coleman data, you may roll-your-eyes JUST-a-tad-less when your consultant preaches, as-relentlessly-as-I-do, that talent should “cut to the chase, spit it out, and get to callers ASAP.”
“Excellent Presentation”
AllAccess.com’s Perry Michael Simon, with gracious unsolicited praise for my session “12 Seconds of Greatness: How The Very First Thing You Say Can Multiply Your Ratings,” at Talkers magazine’s New Media Seminar in New York.
Want a copy? Click here to order the session on CD, an audio/video Flash file.
It’s a-meeting-in-a-box you can play on your computer, and share with associates.
| On-air hosts: Are you doing THIS to listeners? Are you SURE? “Family Guy” bit NAILS the caricature of talking-AT — rather than WITH — listeners. |
So you want to syndicate? I can help you!
But first, can I talk you out of it?
| If Al Gore can turn his PowerPoint into an Academy Award winning movie, I can put mine on YouTube. Use the-very-same-Internet of-which Gore really-WAS-a-prime-mover to see-and-hear 5 Ways To Make Arbitron Ratings Go UP. And The Boss will like this: 4 of ‘em are FREE. |
| Two words Talk hosts should avoid? Clue: They’re two words too many hosts use too often. |
