Hosting a show on KDHX: Scripting and Tips

Overview

The most critical elements to preparing your script and idea for a radio show on KDHX, are described in detail in the following section of this document.

Critical Elements for Radio Programs on KDHX

The elements below detail the basic structure of music show announcing.

Introduction

Set up the show, introducing the types of music you'll be playing, what you call the show, how you refer to yourself as host and how long you'll be on the air.

- ex. "I'm Steve and I’m here every Saturday from noon til 2 with this program, ‘the new show’ which features all the new music that’s fit to hear."

Remember, our station’s format varies from show to show, so it is important to catch the listener up and prepare them for what they will be hearing now.

ID, ID, ID

Whenever you turn on the mic, follow up with all the necessary IDs.

- "you're tuned in to 88 1 KDHX, St. Louis, St. Louis' own independent, listener-supported radio station. My name is DJ-Joe, and the show is called X. And now, we're going to hear from...."

Forecasting (Forward-announcing and teasing)

Follow the introduction with a bit of forecasting and then ID and set up the song you are playing first.

Forecasting is a brief mention of the artists that you will feature later on in the program, without giving away the specifics. This essentially 'hooks' the listener.

- ex. "In this week's program, we'll hear from Joe Schmoe, the Brothers Green and Joss Stone, who will be performing at the Live on the Levee series this Friday at 8 pm, but we're going to start things off with X ..."

Create Context

Give the listener a little something to think about while you play the next tune. A little bit of specific information goes a long way in pulling in the listener’s attention.

Consider these questions when deciding what to say:

- Why are you playing this particular song?

- Is the artist coming to town anytime soon?

- Does it connect with something else you played?

- Is there anything notable to mention about the recording process, the players, the meaning of the lyrics, etc?

- Is the artist coming to town anytime soon?

Some of that information might need to be thought through before you begin talking. Don’t try to give out information or formulate a thought that you don’t have fully constructed while on mic.

Any kind of context setup, preferably one that is very brief and very focused, makes listening to the unfamiliar a more rewarding experience for the listener. Otherwise, we'd just always play the hits and the familiar, which is something we're deliberately trying not to do on KDHX.

Try to vary breaks with context so they don’t all sound the same.

- ex. avoid using repetition - “That was artist/song/album/label/year, and before that was artist/song/album/label/year."

Back-announce

This is a really specific and critical approach to telling listeners what they've just heard – and it MUST be in reverse order.

Consider that typical listeners are in a passive mode, tuning in and out every 15 minutes or so. Give them the info in reverse order of the playlist to keep them up to speed with what you're talking about, what was last heard, and what was heard in between.

- ex. "We just heard from Joss Stone with the song "Song X," and before that we heard "Song Y" and we started the set with "Song Z."

If you forward-announced a song, you do not need to back-announce it. Do not back announce more than 2-3 artists tops, as listeners won’t remember more than that.

You can refer listeners to your online playlist for a complete listing of all songs played during your show.

Programming

A key element of song selection is what is referred to as center lane programming - playing something that will connect with the audience out of familiarity and weaving in and out of that center lane with things that you think they might not know. This is part of your role as "curator" of the genre.

If you have a blues set, followed by a rock set and then a set by a jam band, that would be like three different shows and make it difficult to retain the same listeners throughout the show.

Keep a center lane focus throughout the show. If you would want to do a special, a tribute, a theme, etc., then consider how it would alter your format or what your listeners are used to hearing.

Break Length/Brevity

We ask that our DJs go on mic at least every 15 minutes to give the station and show ID, including any other hosting elements and pre-recorded announcements that are scheduled to play.

Break length for a music show should generally stay at two minutes or less.

Show Name

A show name is very important, and something that can take some time to think about. It is good to work towards not just one, but rather two or three show names that you a) feel good about and b) think will resonate with listeners online and on air.

Here are some things to consider:

- Starting out: Think of some of your favorite artists, albums and songs. Are there any titles, or lyrics, that resonate with you or sum up why you love this genre(s) of music?

- Uniqueness: Is the show's name unique? If you do a search online of the show name, what types of information comes up? Is it a show name that will be easy for people to remember?

- Representation: The show's name should conjure up images or thoughts for the listener that best represent the bulk of the musical genre(s) that you will play.

- Length: Please keep the name of the show to about four or five words.

- Show description: Start thinking about how your show's description, used for on-air readings by the previously scheduled DJ and for the web, would interact with the show's name. Avoid listing too many artists and cliche phrases.