Guest Post by Nicole O’Dell
In posts one and two on the topic, I shared my research and my experience on the questions of if you should host a radio program and then how to decide which type of program you might want to consider. Today, to finish up the Radio Show series, I’m interviewing John Martin, owner of Toginet Radio, the company that hosts and produces my radio program. (@ToginetRadio)
Nicole: John, in your experience, what qualities make up the perfect host?
John: The perfect host has a mixture of communication skills, interviewing skills, a good voice, and a sense of humor. Top that off with great content and you have the perfect radio show host.
Nicole: When you first speak with someone, do you know right away if she/he will be a great host?
John: Almost always. I have been fooled a few times in the past, but not often. I can hear it in their voice. Not just the sound, but the passion and excitement. It is almost like looking into someone’s eyes.
Nicole: Since people can pay the fee and get started, do you feel like it’s at all risky to let just anyone become a host?
John: Absolutely it is risky to let just anyone have a show. We also have the station’s image to protect. Now I am not necessarily talking about content here, I am talking about someone who just does not have the ability. As you have seen on shows like American Idol, there are many who just have no talent whatsoever, but they think they do. We run into that often. Unfortunately we have to turn them away. For the most part though, unlike the free sites where anyone can have a show (and it is very evident that anyone means anyone) we do charge a rather healthy fee for our full-service program. This fee normally weeds out the non professionals right up front. And the public does the rest of the vetting process. If listeners don’t tune in, the host and the station will quickly see that the show isn’t succeeding for some reason. We can help the host work through some (not all) of those issues.
Nicole: What does it take to become a host with Toginet?
John: To be a host on Toginet Radio, the candidate must have an expertise in a particular subject, or the expertise to talk about anything intelligently. They need access to the internet, a nice computer, a headset, a microphone. They need to be able to be free once a week for an hour for the next 12 months and they need to be able to pay for the services that we provide which includes air time on one of the largest radio stations on the net, a website with graphic design, all professionally voiced-over promos and show production, and a live producer to handle the shows in such a way that all that is needed is professional content. We do the rest.
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions, John!
John: It’s been my pleasure. And, as a thank you for taking the time to read through to the bottom, I’m pleased to offer a special to your readers. With the coupon code: ChooseNOW, you will receive 15% off the cost of one year of hosting at Toginet.com!
Wow. That’s awesome. Thanks so much, John!
I hope you all have had some of your questions answered with this series. If you have other questions, feel free to post them here.
Nicole O’Dell, founder of Choose NOW Ministries and host of Choose NOW Radio: Parent Talk and Teen Talk, is a youth culture expert who writes and speaks to preteens, teenagers, and parents on preparing for life’s tough choices. The mother of six, including toddler triplets, she’s author of YA fiction, including the popular Scenarios for Girls interactive fiction series and the Diamond Estates Series, and non-fiction for teens including Girl Talk, 2/1/12, based on the popular advice column she writes with her two daughters. Hot Buttons, O’Dell’s non-fiction series for parents pre-empts peer pressure by tackling tough issues. Visit www.nicoleodell.com.
