Rob Wagman “Nothing Taboo with Content..”

Nothing Taboo with Content that Reveals the Real You!

All too often, content is random, but it doesn’t have to be – what if every ounce of content we executed came with a purpose that met the listener where they were already living?  Did you know that this is possible?

It happens when we utilize things happening in our lives, the world around us, in pop culture, in the church, etc…

But simply talking about these things doesn’t get us to an endearing place with the audience, instead it has the potential of us coming off as thinking we have authority, or being preachy, or getting into a teaching mode in a class at the School Of Me, that the listener didn’t know they enrolled in, so now, the illuminated exit signs are more attractive to them than staying and listening.

Instead, we have to take a ½ step out from the original topic or event, look back and think to ourselves, “how do I fit inside of this potential scenario or piece of content?”  In the answer to that lies the potential for some of the stickiest content you may ever share.

Narcissist Detector

There is a line between personalized content and narcissism, and believe it or not, that line is not thin, it’s thick like a felt tip marker in the church’s art supply bin.  So, you can relax that when you share personally, that you are not being all about yourself, but when executed strategically from a place that relates, the listener will not see YOU in your story but will see themselves.  The greatest news is that they don’t even need to see themselves, if they can see somebody in their life, once removed, like a husband, parent, child or best friend.  We do not have to bullseye their life every time if what we convey reminds them of someone they know closely.

Think about shocking things that have happened over the last year or so, and rewind to that time.  Did you do a break about the content?  Was the break directly about the thing that happened or were you able to use that thing to get deeper into content that is rooted in a life being lived, versus a fact or opinion being told.

Remember the couple at the Coldplay concert that got exposed on the big screen for having an affair?  Did you talk about that?  Or did you think it was taboo, because nothing positive could come from it?  If you did, did you do it in a way that just conveyed the potential facts at that time? They got caught! It’s often easy to talk about the wrong that was conveyed on the big screen and condemn it from the black and white text of the Bible and miss a teaching Jesus shared in that same book, over and over – grace, mercy, forgiveness and the ability to use scripture to edify; to lift someone up.

The key when these events happen, shocking or otherwise, is to find yourself inside of it from all perspectives.  If you’re a husband and you’re on the air, and you choose this time to talk about the great marriage you have, you have trespassed into the land of narcissism, but if you are the husband who sees this story and instead can ask an honest question to yourself, “What is keeping my wife from being THAT woman right now?”  It’s in this honest question where the content lies. 

Husbands, Love Your Wives

If a husband is on the air, and he allows this story to be the basis for the content, but only the basis and not the content itself, and if he does a break where he says, “It’s easy to see a CEO and an HR director wrapped up together in a place where they never thought they’d be seen,” and judge them both, but when we take a breath, and we back up and we ask ourself, what is stopping my wife from being that woman?  What am I not doing in the home, in our life, our relationship that could make my wife consider starting something new? 

There are plenty of times my wife wants me to speak up when someone comes at us, her, or the family and I often hide behind the path of least resistance and stay quiet until the problem goes away.  I need to speak up.  Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it will help her feel safe in her community, in her home and in our time together.

All of us can think of something we do where our spouse has given us a pass even though they probably shouldn’t and how that pass has allowed us to slither away from conflict so we can save face, or not make ourselves look bad. 

Their grace, their mercy – can be put on a pedestal in a break inspired by this shocking event, and your transparency to this level, exposed on-air, albeit risky, will lead you from that one station you’re at into a show that is national with many affiliates. 

DJ Bugged My Home

Listeners don’t bond with us because we’re funny, or because of dulcet golden tones, but they are drawn in, stuck as if we’ve weaved a web when they listen and say to themselves,
“Dear Lord, who is this guy, (or who is this woman) who knows me as if they have the password to the Vivint Security system within and around my home?”

If you’ve ever seen my Monday Morning Motivator, now called Watchu Talkin’ Bout?; it’s a simple five topic cheat sheet to inspire things that you could be talking about this week, but not just because they’re things to potentially talk about, but because these are things that your listener is already thinking about and planning for; so a stroll down story-lane utilizing these types of topics isn’t surprising your audience with content out of the blue, but instead is being in step to a thing or things that they already actively have on their minds. 

We don’t just tell a story about dad because we think it’s a great story to share, instead we tee it up on the back of the fact that Father’s Day is around the corner, “and man, my dad and I didn’t start well in life.  He didn’t think much of me when I was young, and I was scared of him and really had no earthly idea who he was.  But when he died, of all of his 10 children, there was not a sibling as close to my dad as I was.”

Who would like to know how that true story unfolds?

Why am I sharing this content?  It’s a personal story, with a reason to be told, because Father’s Day is coming up.  When it comes to topics to consider, familiarity is your friend and theirs – and when your content meets them where they’re living, they won’t have to be reminded to tune into you tomorrow – you can trust that they will be there, and with consistency, and with purposeful content timed to the things happening in life — and not just random content, attempting to relate when there is nothing driving that content underneath. 

Wife Plays It Cold

If I want to talk about my wife and I disagreeing on whether silverware goes up or down in the dishwasher, just saying this because I believe people relate is not as strong, as saying, “If we have blinders on, we just see a rich CEO and an entitled HR Director, it makes me wonder how many warnings did this woman give her husband before making a risky decision to venture off?  I have to be more sensitive to what my wife and I are fighting about these days, and although I’m right that the silverware goes up in the dishwasher, if she’s around when I’m loading it, from now on – forks and spoons down is what we will do, because if Coldplay’s in town and she wants to see them, she will be seeing them with ME holding her close.”

There is an easy way to hold yourself accountable when it comes to executing content.  Whatever content you desire to share, simply ask the question Why?  Why am I sharing this content?  Because Father’s Day is coming up.  Great!  If it’s simply “because,” I’d recommend putting the thought or idea on a shelf for the time when it will make sense as to why!

I’m a Chicago Cubs fan so telling you that I waited 45 years to see them win the World Series is a weird break to do, unless it rides the back of the Knicks attempting to win the NBA Championship for the first time in 53 years, and while that gives me license to now talk about my Cubs, it might be better if I share that something I waited 50 years for was finding a wife. (true) and then there’s that story, inspired from the NY Knicks.  Because talking basketball can feel like it’s on the wrong station unless it inspires content that fits like a glove.  Don’t dismiss it just because it’s sports.  Instead, embrace it and discover the deeper content it leads you to.

See you in the winner’s circle.

Since 1991, Rob Wagman has been known first by his faith, and then by his skills in the secular side of this Industry, and now is known by his versatility, having succeeded in both radio and records in multiple formats from Christian Contemporary, Rock, Alternative, Top 40, Rhythm, Urban and Hot AC, in various roles from On Air to Programming to Marketing and Promotions. Wagman has worked in all of the Top 3 markets, LA, NYC and Chicago, and returned to LA in 2012 as his entry way into CCM, in PM Drive at KFSH, 95.9 The Fish before becoming the Network PD for WAY-FM.

In 2013, Wagman launched Straight Path Media + Entertainment, a consulting firm which hyper focuses on talent and each station’s greatest need for growth, supplying a la cart programming services for branding, from music strategies, promotional and marketing think tank brain storming, promo and imaging creative, talent coaching and airchecking. Wagman presently coaches 27 air talents, consults 13 stations plus 4 clusters. Contact Rob Wagman at StraightPathMandE@gmail.com