Having been on six different Hall Communications radio stations in eastern Connecticut this past year, it may be a wonder that I've never yet confused one station with another on the air. I think that's because I always try to have a mental image of what a particular station's target listener may be like and what they expect out of that station and me. Some air performers just bring their own act into a studio without much thought as to whether or not it fits. I always try to fit in, even though that may not make me the next Howard Stern. I'll never be the ultimate sports authority, but I do fill in at WILI-AM 1400 for Wayne Norman, one of Connecticut's most established and knowledgeable sports broadcasters. You better believe I'm going to check that information several times over before it hits the air. When I fill in at 100.9 Roxy FM, I make no pretense of being in the younger target demographic. Instead I try my best to deliver show content relatable to that listener. As long as people tell me I don't "sound" my age, I seem to pull it off.
The challenge is also apparent on country giant 97.7 WCTY. I admit it. Country music is not exactly my area of expertise. One male contemporary country artist pretty much seemed like another at first. It was only recently that I learned that Blake Shelton was married to Miranda Lambert. Show prep is a unique godsend here, because a country fan is as engaged in this music as a sports fanatic is with his or her team. I know there are a few things in radio I wouldn't even attempt to pull off, like sports play-by-play or fired-up right wing political host, I think it comes down to a basic respect for the listener. That's the main reason I keep doing this. Otherwise if it's all about me it just gets stale.
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