Could you imagine if you couldn’t speak, not being able to
communicate in anyway? Being a young
broadcaster, a tweeter, a touter, a midnight facebook stalker you would probably
explode in about a minute. As broadcasters it’s our jobs to communicate, but
where is the line of how much we do share?
When I first got to WSLP I gotta admit, I didn’t share much
of my own life…I had a thick black line that separated my life from, private
and public. Even going as far as to make a separate Listener only facebook
page, a fan page to ensure that thick black line was never crossed…I made a
list of things that I would expose that I would talk about often. I stuck to
those topics pretty closely when I would talk about myself. As a Young Broadcaster I had this idea of
personal and public life being different, but in reality I should have been
embracing that personal life. It makes for great public life stories, because
people have lived those same events. Blog post done right? Wrong! No
matter how many people tell me I am
wrong, and no matter how I want to be wrong I still feel there needs to be a
boundary all be it to be a boundary a porous one. How did I come to this
conclusion, I put some of my thoughts together that may be able to help you
along.
Post it, Speak it:
Social media is your best friend as a broadcaster…It allows you to be connected almost 24/7 with your peers, friends, and fans…It’s an amazing way to extend your audience. Many talents see it as separate from their on-air personality…In reality it’s not. The moment you step behind a microphone and open your mouth you start building a brand. I urge you to see yourself as a brand and conduct yourself online and on-air, as close to the same as possible…This will allow you to move back and forth effectively and being able to connect, take subjects from On-Air to Online and visa versa. Don’t post something, you’re not able to back up On-Air. So if you bitch on Social Media, about your station, your love life, etc be prepared to talk about it…What’s that you say your bosses wouldn’t like that? You’ve already broadcasted it…
Hurdle Races are rarely run alone:
I had a hard time adjusting when I first came to WSLP I would never talk about anything bad. If something bad happened in my life, I would be tight lipped, and act my way out of it…Lately it feels right after my 25th Birthday real life issues have snuck themselves into my life and have weighed heavily on me. Figuring out how to get rid of massive debt from school, family and friends dying…And this past weekend my dog needing surgery after getting into it with one of my sisters dogs. Now everything I’ve listed still happened before my 25th birthday, but what’s the difference? The way I talked about it, I actually shared it with my listeners, before it’d be behind the deep black line, where it was protected by my own childish need for privacy. Instead this time I shared…Hey this happened, it’s on my mind…Has this ever happened to you? It made for one of my best shows as it went down roads about how to break up a dog fight, and get the conversation going, it also let me share with my listeners something about me. The response? Well let’s just say it’s hard not to keep your voice from cracking and eyes watering when a caller says they are deep concerned about your dog, and have been praying for her every night…along with others stopping me, calling me asking how she is. It helps, connect you with those listeners. If your hurdle is that you were dumped and you want to share your secrets and talk directly to that person that hurt you because they won’t answer your texts, calls or whatever…Yeah keep that to yourself, Feel free to talk about your break up, it’s not a bad show idea, people face rejection but keep, names, specifics and FCC regulated words out of it.
Finally
Respecting Privacy:
This one is a big one for me…As an Air-Talent people will trust you, for some odd reason they will just open up their lives and tell you things you never wanted to know until you did. It’s an amazing power, and I am resisting a cliché here but you see where I am going… Having this trust from others means you have do your best to keep their situation out of your show directly but maybe use it for inspiration on topics, be aware some of your listeners are struggling with X, run a PSA, or talk about it generally. Not only might this reach the person in need who shared with you, but also people who would never say a thing. I urge you to look in your own communities and find resources that you can direct people too. Most importantly Suicide prevention, Drug/addiction counseling/help …Domestic Violence prevention and help…Plus the non-emergency Police, Fire and EMS numbers, it could save a life or just continue to cement you as a community resource. All will help you as you continue to create and mold yourself and your brand.
Making my boundary from a thick black line to a porous meniscus has been a work in progress…I’m still doing my best. I still don’t talk about some things On-Air, and I’ve chatted with some talents who would disagree with having a boundary at all and let everything fly. It’s up to you to know your audience and know your own comfort level. As a young broadcaster you will always be learning, always be growing and honestly this is one you have to find out for yourself…but do yourself a favor and work towards getting personal, person-al.
