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Episode 12: What Makes You Original On The Over Saturated Stage?

You know what\u2019s fun about doing this Pod-Crashing thing? It\u2019s about being real. Having a generic attitude of community rather than burying yourself inside the four walls of a major conglomeration trying to dominate a ratings war.
I\u2019ve been there. Oh the stress. The endless amount of meetings that normally went nowhere except to agree to meeting again next week. It was never my career. It was their music, liner cards and listener giveaways. In reality I\u2019m shocked they didn\u2019t ask me to bring back every radio station t-shirt, jacket or cap.
Keep in mind it wasn\u2019t my radio career. The only thing I owned was the choice to stay.
I\u2019m gonna be upfront and honest. I didn\u2019t get into podcasting because there was this huge bolt of lightning shot through space. I was in that place where the broadcasting business didn\u2019t know what they hell to do with me. I quit market hopping which meant the scent of my performance was making me come across as that old guy that\u2019ll probably die with the ship.
Coming off the air to do imaging and commercial production was a stinger. You think you\u2019ve got the strength to maintain a healthy lifestyle cuz it\u2019s all connected but wow that\u2019s like telling Paul McCartney he\u2019s got a new job on the road. The roadie.
I fell into the podcasting hole by total accident. I happen to be walking down and hall and heard someone talking to the morning show, \u201cYou guys need to look at putting your best of shows up on the internet. New technology puts you on the listener\u2019s smart phone. Listening on demand.\u201d
My lost dreams suddenly shot to life. WTF? The morning show wanted nothing to do with it. My radio driven soul wanted to Rock n Roll. Then Bob Pitman of iHeart Media mentioned in a meeting that podcasting was a brave new beginning that required real radio people to bring its quality to the game.
Oh my God I was on my way! Yeah right. I had no clue what I was doing! More importantly what could I write, produce and perform all in the name of being attractive to global ears? I\u2019ve always been addicted to being original. So original that it earned me a radio freak label. He\u2019s too weird, too wild, un-coachable.
I just knew it was a performance. The question I faced in 2013 is no different today. What am I going to do that isn\u2019t already being done?
I\u2019m the exact opposite of Randy Bachman\u2019s quote, \u201cYou only see my hits not my misses.\u201d
In this stage of the podcast game there\u2019ve been so many swings at the plate that I\u2019ve taken on the image of a drone. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Thank God I\u2019ve got a big fat ego. It\u2019s the only thing keeping me grounded.
Let me ask the question again, \u201cWhat Makes You Original On The Over Saturated Stage?\u201d
I don\u2019t do sports. TMZ has tired the world out with gossip. Music updates are ok but not unique enough for this wild new digital frontier. I know! I\u2019ll do interviews! I\u2019ll talk with anyone that says yes. What I needed was practice. Podcast listeners make a huge choice to somehow someway find their way onto your platform. The goal is to get them to keep coming back.
For that to happen those content consuming junkies need a relationship with a payoff. It was time for me to become them. How could I build a bigger better show if I wasn\u2019t wearing the same shoes? It was time to drop tower radio listening and hook up the blue tooth!
I know what I like and I know what I\u2019ll never return to. Digital on Demand has turned me into a spoiled snot. Give me what I want! I need my fix. Honestly the cool thing about being a podcast listener is the variety of choice. It doesn\u2019t bother me to see there are 8 billion movie review channels. Toss in another 12 zillion medical and murder mystery adventures. There\u2019s so much out there that I feel like the space shuttle busting tail through all those stars.
What Makes You Original On The Over Saturated Stage?
Exactly that! Keep searching. Bust open a can of overworked with no pay and play the game like it\u2019s your last day on the planet. Warning. I know you like certain things in life and love to share the journey but don\u2019t back into a stereotyped image. Let me give you an example. I jocked on a few Adult Contemporary radio stations from 1985 to 2012. The Classic Rock and New Rock stations wouldn\u2019t give me an on-air shift because my name was connected to Michael Bolton, Rod Stewart and Phil Collins.
With podcasting what makes you an original will be your original way of bringing a ton of content to life. Study the path that Mike Rowe has taken. The dude has his hands in everything.
So what\u2019s the moral of the story? The only person that can invite originality to your podcast is you and it\u2019s probably not going to come in the shape of what we already do. Through wide open space practicing and commitment combined with loyalty you\u2019ll find your voice. It\u2019s not going to happen overnight.
Never stop testing the waters. Create several different podcast platforms and cross-pollinate. Through show prep and careful planning one single interview can be featured on several different shows. Every time I talk with YouTube sensation JoJo Siwa our conversations go to my Kids show, music as well as writing. If she\u2019s marketing something or talks about food those shows get the upload as well.
It\u2019s no different than Taylor Swift hitting every music format. Your podcast can do it too!