A Trend I Want To Encourage

Sara Evans recorded an open-ended interview that came with her RCA "Real Fine Place To Start" LP and American Idol winner/Arista act Carrie Underwood also just did one. To me, this makes so much more sense and is much more customizable, usable material than wasting time putting out a one hour album preview special that will either not get run at all, or get buried late at night.

A quick :30-:45 second interview bit along with a song can add lustre to almost any time period. Anything longer, talking about songwriters, the video shoot and which record producer and musicians they used is simply boooooooring.

Tip for talent: look constantly for quick B and A artist snippets on every syndicated show your station runs and repurpose them with strong production values to make them "yours." And, be watchful for those open-ended interviews. They can be golden, if you're selective about what you run and edit them with your listeners asking the questions or other creative ways.

Ditto with those live via satellite interviews. Never do them live. Always record and edit them before airing so every artist on your show always has great content, never rambles or comes off as anything but compelling.