Finding and Developing Great Talent

Did you hear about the radio station that hired the goofy YouTube star to be their newest on-air talent? You know that is not a set-up for a joke because it has happened a few times. But is it advisable?

Let’s think about it. What makes a great radio talent? Is it a wonderful, buttery voice? Is it what they do with that wonderful, buttery voice? Is it the personality and connection with the audience?

A woman I used to work with had a beautiful sounding voice and a very smooth delivery. However, what she delivered on-air became very stale. The energy, the content, the connection was missing. The tendency when looking for new talent is to think about what we at the radio station need. What if we thought first about what the listener needs and wants?

Good communication skills, of course, are important. But does your listener want someone who acts like a superstar or someone who can be a friend almost immediately? Whether you hire the seasoned pro or someone who barely knows how to use a mic, training and development will be important.

How trainable is the person you are considering, might be another good question to ask. This person will need to understand who your audience is and what connects with her. And besides the technical training, it would be good to teach this person your station culture.

These things take time to teach, but it’s worth it. If you are interested in learning more check out our lesson on Developing Christian Talent in the course Programming 360.

– Larry Castro, KSBJ Mentoring