GELLER MEDIA INTERNATIONAL - NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2007







Greetings!
I hope you are well and that your summer is kicking off to a great start.
If you are going to be at the LEARNING CONCLAVE this week in Minneapolis,
please come say hello. I'll be presenting the Creating Powerful Radio Session
for News/Talk/Sports -- June 29th at 2:30 PM at the Minneapolis Marriott
Hotel. The topic: "To Get, Keep & Grow Your Audiences!"
For more, check out: _www.theconclave.com_ (http://www.theconclave.com/)
My news: The new "Creating Powerful Radio" book is out and available now
from Focal Press:
"Creating Powerful Radio: Getting, Keeping & Growing Audiences - for News,
Talk, Information & Personality." ( _www.creatingpowerfulradio.com_
(http://www.creatingpowerfulradio.com/) , or _www.focalpress.com_
(http://www.focalpress.com/) )
MARS vs. VENUS - MEN AND WOMEN LISTEN IN DIFFERENT WAYS


*The following appeared in the June 15th issue of Radio & Records Magazine.
It is excerpted with permission from "Creating Powerful Radio: Getting,
Keeping & Growing Audiences" by Valerie Geller, copyright March 2007, Focal
Press





Has this ever happened to you? If you are a man, have you ever had the
experience of driving with a woman in the car with the radio on, maybe your
wife, your mom, a friend. Perhaps you are listening to a game, talk radio, the
news? Then, suddenly - out of nowhere, she says: "I've put up with this for
over half an hour and I just can't stand anymore?" Then she reaches over,
hits the button for the AC station and that's what you hear for the rest of
your drive.

Why can't men and women listen happily to the same radio stations?
Because men and women listen differently.



Research shows traditional commercial radio news, talk and sports formats
tend to have higher male appeal, and Adult Contemporary music radio formats
tend to be female intensive. But now focus group findings show that men are
getting sick of the arguing, egos and pontificating associated with talk radio
in the USA and the numbers reflect this.
It's true in all formats, but it's important to understand this now, as
many programmers are struggling to try to attract more female listeners, as well
as keep their male listeners listening longer. And most if not all
programmers would like to grow their audiences.
If that’s your goal, it becomes important to understand the differences in
how men and women listen.

You may be already be familiar with these ideas from "Men are from Mars,
Women are From Venus," or Dr. Deborah Tannen’s earlier, "You Just Don't
Understand: Men and Women in Conversation." But it didn’t really click for me
until I was working in Australia a few years ago and met the head of the "Brain
Resource Company, Dr. Evian Gordon. _www.brainresource.com_
(http://www.brainresource.com/) .When I became familiar with the results of some of this
brain research, it became clear how we could apply it to radio and help
programmers succeed.
To understand the different ways men and women take in and process
information, it’s important to know:
WHAT WOMEN WANT:
Female listeners respond to, and need, powerful stories that touch the
heart. They are interested in moral issues and want to hear likeable
personalities. For them, it works best when listening to radio feels like hanging out with
a friend. Women have a deeper need to connect emotionally with a topic or
subject, otherwise they tend not to stick with it.

MEN - SHOW ME!
Men respond to the visual. While most men are competitive and like new
information, they are stimulated by visual details. The brain research emphasizes
the importance of the visual, so language that describes events with
accurate visual elements and details tends to make men pay closer attention to what
is being said. While women enjoy the visual, men actually need it.
WHERE THEY MEET:
Both men and women say they listen to talk radio for new information, both
want “talkable topics.� All listeners, male and female, respond to humor.
He Says, She Says:
Sports announcers are among the best in the business at visual description—
the “play by play�. They are mostly men, talking to men, in a way men
understand. At baseball and football games, perhaps you have noticed men listening
to radios while watching the game with their own eyes? The play-by-play
announcers enhance the visual experience for them.

Women, on the other hand, are emotive. If a woman can "feel" an emotional
connection to a story, she is more likely to listen closely and take in the
information. So, for a story to appeal to both men and women, it should deliver
information using both visual and emotional language.

The Sports Radio Challenge:
Our research shows that about one out of five women enjoys sports radio.
Out of that 20%, about a third turned out either to have played sports when
they were young, or play on teams now. They know the feeling of hitting or
kicking that ball, and enjoy sports radio. Roughly another third of the
"interested in sports" females had men in their lives who were really, really into
sports. To please these men, and have things in common to talk about with
them, the women, while not personally passionate about sports, paid attention to
or followed the scores and games. The final third were "oldest daughters."
Because their fathers didn't have sons to take to games, they took their
daughters. These women now equate sports with a fun time spent with their dads
and often remain lifetime sport fans.

But what about the remaining 80% of the women? If the game is on in the
car, how do you get women to tolerate and enjoy sports radio on days other than
Superbowl Sunday? Sports announcers, this one’s for you: In addition to the
visuals, dig deeper to find and tell better stories. Women respond to
stories, emotion and relationships.
THERE ARE NO BORING STORIES, ONLY BORING STORYTELLERS
Here’s an example: When I was working in Australia in 2004 during the
Athens Summer Olympics, part of my job was to listen to some of the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation's Olympics coverage. I had little interest in an item
that began, "Up next, it's the women's archery competition.� But then:
Reporter: "This next young woman is among the finest our country has to
offer. Her mom is right here beside me. Now here's what she's got to do: Hit a
black target the size of a grapefruit, across three football fields."

Two minutes earlier, I could not have cared less about the women's archery
competition. Now I was paying attention. If you can get your listeners to "see
it" and "feel it," then they will care, and listen closely.

Another example, from England: A reporter, working from a bystander’s
camera phone video, paints the scene of a pit bull attack on a small child using
both visual and emotional language:

"The boy and the pit bull were about the same size. The dog had its jaws
imbedded in the little boy's neck. The child was screaming in terror and
pain.
Within moments you couldn't tell the difference between the red-and white
pattern in the child's shirt from the blood. And can you imagine
how his mother felt, standing by helplessly as the vicious beast attacked
her child?"

SEE IT ON YOUR RADIO
Talented broadcasters (and writers) naturally include observed details and
think and speak visually. An example: If you were able to attend an R&R
seminar at the Marina del Rey Marriott a few years ago, you may remember Paul
Harvey's appearance. When the nation's most listened to broadcaster accepted his
award, he took a moment to thank the folks at R&R, “for the ocean view
room and last night's Tahitian moonlight through a Venetian blind…"
In that moment, you could see two things: that room, and why Paul Harvey is
one of America’s premier storytellers. He’s got the visual details, and
the emotional content to connect with both men and women.

LEARNING TO TALK IN “PICTURES�
One trick: Imagine talking to a blind person. How would you describe things
visually? If you can learn to “talk in pictures,� you will create
compelling and powerful radio.
Listeners are hungry for the connection talk radio offers them. By
understanding the differences in the ways men and women listen to the information and
stories you’re telling, you’ll grow your audience. And next time you’re
driving, you might even get to hear the whole game.
*Portions of this appeared in the June 15th issue of Radio & Records
magazine and were excerpted with permission from "Creating Powerful Radio: Getting,
Keeping & Growing Audiences" by Valerie Geller, copyright March 2007, Focal
Press.
For more on "Creating Powerful Radio: Getting, Keeping & Growing Audiences
for News, Talk, Information & Personality" _www.creatingpowerfulradio.com_
(http://www.creatingpowerfulradio.com/) or _www.gellermedia.com_
(http://www.gellermedia.com/)




VALERIE GELLER - SUMMER/FALL SCHEDULE
* As always, there are windows available within this schedule should you or
your station wish to schedule a Creating Powerful Radio session or time with
Valerie Geller or one of the Geller Media International associates. Call +1
212 580-3385 or email _ )
"The Conclave" Conference -Valerie Geller Seminar:
Creating Powerful Radio Workshop - News, Talk Sports
(2:30 PM Friday, June 29) June 28- July 1 - MINNEAPOLIS
Marriott City Center Hotel
_www.theconclave.com_ (http://www.theconclave.com/)
USA
July 4 -July 19
New York, Washington DC
July 20-August 11
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento
THE PHILIPPINES
August 13- 19
Manila - Creating Powerful Radio Sessions and workshops
AUSTRALIA
August 19 - September 12 ABC/
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Sydney, Melbourne
USA -September 13-18
EUROPE -September 20-21
Oslo, Norway
Norway Radio Days
Creating Powerful Radio Workshops
_www.radiodager.no_ (http://www.radiodager.no/)
September 22-23
Copenhagen, Denmark
Creating Powerful Radio Workshops
Radio Days Denmark
_www.radiodays.dk_ (http://www.radiodays.dk/)
USA- September 26-28
NAB/ Charlotte, NC
_www.nab.org_ (http://www.nab.org/)
September 29-30
Ashville, NC
October 1-5
New York City
AUSTRALIA -October 12
"Creating Powerful Radio"
Australian Commercial Radio Conference
Melbourne, Australia
_www.commercialradio.com.au_ (http://www.commercialradio.com.au/)
October 13-21- Melbourne, Australia
USA- October 23- Topeka Kansas -

Kansas Association of Broadcasters- Creating
Powerful Radio Sessions. _www.kab.net_ (http://www.kab.net/)
October 25-27 -Chicago - Creating Powerful Radio Session
IBS- Columbia College, Chicago
_http://www.ibsradio.org/_ (http://www.ibsradio.org/)
EUROPE
October 31- November 3
EUROPE - November 4-6
Barcelona, Spain
European NAB conference
_http://www.nabeurope.org/_ (http://www.nabeurope.org/)
November 7-12
Lisbon, Portugal
USA -November 14-16
Radio & Records Christian Summit
Creating Powerful Radio Seminar
Nashville, TN
_www.radioandrecords.com_ (http://www.radioandrecords.com/)
November 19-24
New York City
ENGLAND-December 1-15 - London, Manchester
GELLER MEDIA INTERNATIONAL is a full service broadcast consulting company.
Over the past 17 years, she's worked with more than 500 stations in 27
countries to create powerful radio. A noted seminar leader and conference speaker,
Valerie Geller is also the author of three books about radio: Creating
Powerful Radio: Getting Keeping & Growing Audiences for News, Talk, Information &
Personality (from Focal Press,) Creating Powerful Radio: A Communicator's
Handbook and The Powerful Radio Workbook, The Prep, Performance & Post
Production Planning. Geller Media International can be reached at Phone 1212 580-3385
or email Valerie Geller at _
)

** Order NOW! To get YOUR copy of the new edition of CREATING POWERFUL
RADIO- Getting, Keeping & Growing Audiences from FOCAL PRESS!
_www.creatingpowerfulradio.com_ (http://www.creatingpowerfulradio.com/) or
_www.focalpress.com_ (http://www.focalpress.com/)


(http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Power...e=UTF8&s=books)







The following review of "Creating Powerful Radio" appeared in Radio Business
Report:
Valerie Geller's new book "Creating Powerful Radio: Getting, Keeping &
Growing Audiences" (Focal Press $39.95) _www.creatingpowerfulradio.com_
(http://www.creatingpowerfulradio.com/) or discounted through the NAB bookstore
_http://www.nab.org_ (http://www.nab.org/) goes way beyond radio...the veteran
broadcaster and consultant has written a book for anyone interested in
presenting information in a compelling way, through powerful storytelling that
connects with audiences so that it's NEVER BORING! Creating Powerful Radio covers
all aspects and areas of radio (and even addresses the integration of radio
and TV and use of the web) but mostly this book offers practical help to allow
each member of the staff to improve. Written for programmers, managers and
talent, Geller's third book contains chapters on programming, sales,
marketing, promotion, managing "difficult" high ego talent, burnout as well as news,
producers, DJs, morning shows, presenting talk, airchecking, integrating news
and talk and more. Stations working with these methods have had ratings
increases. Geller's new insight into Generator's and Reactors is worth the price
of the book alone. One top rated morning drive broadcaster writes: "This
should be required reading for all managers.[Geller's books] helped me hone
skills I’ve acquired over 20 years in broadcasting. Creating Powerful Radio is
the best book you’ll read about effective communication no matter what business
you are in."

For mo
_www.creatingpowerfulradio.com_ (http://www.creatingpowerfulradio.com/) or
_www.gellermedia.com_ (http://www.gellermedia.com/)







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