Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's The Best Air Talent Of All?

Since it may have been a long time since you've seen Snow White, allow me to jog your memory. The evil queen has a magical mirror that answers all her questions. She regularly asks the mirror who is the fairest - meaning prettiest for those not from the 1950s -- of them all. The mirror always says it's Queenie herself who is the prettiest. That is, until the mirror becomes aware of the beautiful Snow White ... then all sorts of fairy-tale heck breaks loose.

It's a shame that the queen has this amazing magical mirror and all she chooses to do with it is cater to her own ego. Sounds like a lot of on-air talent I've known over the years. They are happy to play the best break or bit from their show for anyone who will listen. Who's the fairest of them all? Why you are, of course, Mr. or Ms. Air Talent.

Just like the queen, few on-air hosts ever use the mirror to better themselves or their show.

The mirror, of course, is your aircheck. Very few people ever go back and listen to tape of their own show to see how they can get better. Generally this suggestion is always met with the traditional answer, "I'm already my own worst critic. Nobody is harder on me than I am." That's nice, but it doesn't help you grow. Instead of listening emotionally, try listening critically.

I realize that's a tall order, so here are five easy things to listen for that will free you from emotion and help you take a good long look at your show:

Look for crutches that are starting to develop, such as using the same word over and over or saying your name at the exact same spot in every break. Don't become predictable or the audience will get bored.

Listen for places you could have been more economical with your words. It's a PPM world now and every second counts. If you are being needlessly wordy, your ratings are going to suffer.

Take note of how often you are teasing and pre-promoting upcoming show content to keep the audience tuned-in. Make sure you are regularly giving listeners a reason to stay through the commercials or to come back the next day.

Look for ways to tighten up your phone work. If the calls aren't adding to your show, PPM will penalize you.

Pay attention to the topics you are discussing. First, be sure they are appropriate for the station's target demographic. Then consider whether you are saying anything interesting and unique about the subject, or just parroting when other people have already said.

There's no doubt it's hard to effectively evaluate yourself. But the fact is it's your career and your responsibility. Radio is a competitive field and if you don't take advantage of every opportunity to improve your show, it's only a matter of time before the mirror tells you that Snow White just took over your timeslot.