Tracy Johnson “How To Right-Size The Talk/Music Balance”

How To Right-Size The Talk/Music Balance

An endless battle between personalities and programmers continues. Every personality believes they need more time to talk in order to connect with the audience. Programmers are petrified to be away from music too long and impose strict restrictions. Finding the right balance of music and talk is a non-scientific task. Break length and music count are issues nearly every station wrestles with. 

This is one of the most important decisions for programmers to face. Get it wrong by allowing talk breaks to go too long, and the show may drive listeners away, but tight restrictions can prevent character traits from coming through. 

I wish there was a single answer to the break-length question, but most rules tend to be random, with little to justify the “Gotta keep it under 2:00” instructions. Why would you think that two minutes of weak (or even average) talk content is acceptable, but 2:30 isn’t? The audience is gone within 30 seconds of a talk break that doesn’t resonate. And who decided that a compelling story that stretches to 3:30 is too long and should be trimmed? Why? 

Defining the proper length for a talk segment is like imposing rules on the number of pages in a book, the runtime of a movie, or the length of a song. 

I’ve heard personalities rush through five minutes worth of content to get it done in two minutes because “that’s all the time I have.” It’s also common to hear one minute of content extended into four minutes because there’s little thought to preparation and execution. Neither connect with listeners and both contribute to a “too much talk” reputation. The correct answer is that a talk break should be as long as it needs to be, but no longer. And it should be as short as it can be, but no shorter. 

It’s a matter not wasting the audience’s time through efficiency and discipline. But that’s harder to coach, and many (most) PDs choose the easier path of imposing rules when they can.

The right to talk (more) on the radio is a privilege granted by the audience. The goal is to find the proper balance for each show and personality, and requires both programmers and talents to always strive for tight, efficient content without putting the art in a box. 

How Much Talk? Best Practices

Your goal should be to develop, coach, and build high-profile personalities, and you can’t do that with a paint-by-numbers approach. Here are a couple of tips:

Encourage personality growth and efficient performance. Never talk about “how long that was.” Instead, focus on how long it “needed to be.” Focus conversations on being tight, not short. There’s a big difference. Seth Godin says, “You hear ’too long’ all the time. Few people tell you it ran short: Shorter, though, doesn’t mean less responsibility, insight, or power. It means less fluff.” Get rid of fluff, but don’t take out the good stuff.

Regardless of song count, maintain a high personality presence by taking advantage of each opportunity. A frequent presence gives listeners more opportunities to get to know you. As you become more familiar, they not only tolerate more talk, they welcome it. And that’s what builds strong brands. Personalities earn the right to talk, and that doesn’t come from the PD or management. It’s bestowed upon them by the audience. Don’t overthink it. 

Tight execution should be the goal. Make that a priority and break length often takes care of itself.

Recognized as one of the world’s best talent coaches and consultants, Tracy has been a creative inspiration to thousands of talented radio personalities and programmers to attract, retain, and lead a passionate fan base. He’s also been instrumental in developing Radio Content Pro Spirit, which leverages the power of AI to inspire creativity on-air, online, and on social media for Christian Radio. Reach Tracy at tracy@tjohnsonmediagroup.com