Joe “The Hammer” DeCamara, whom I’m hearing is now referred to as such around the halls of 97.5, penned a little dissertation for Barrett Sports Media – the sports talk radio website run by Jason Barrett which has, on more than one occasion, curiously managed to include the exact same minor ratings mistake that the maestro intentionally included in his RADIO WARS coverage… – on hosting a successful sports talk radio show. There’s a lot of interesting stuff in here on how stations game the ratings by hooking people in for the next 15-minute sample quarter-hour (ratings success if oftentimes more science than content), but there’s also the sage advice once relayed to him… by Dick Vermeil:

Preparation is another critical element to success. Dick Vermeil once said to me “there is no substitute for preparation.” He is 100% right. Preparation is what enables me each day to confidently and effectively navigate my show. It’s not just about being knowledgeable about sports. Preparation is thinking each day before my show about the following concepts I need to consider:

How am I going to win with today’s show?
What am I going to say to differentiate myself from all others discussing the same subject matter?
What am I going to do to engage my listeners and draw out callers?
Who are the top 3 guests I can target to get on today’s show and enhance the experience for the listeners?
What complimentary elements aiding the discussion will I prepare before the show to utilize during the show in order to sustain myself — to keep me locked-in to the key subject matter of the day — in the event that the phone call volume drops for a brief period of time?
What audio from a guest on my station earlier today or from other sources around the nation can I utilize to enhance the presentation and further develop the conversation?

Everything I do on-air has purpose, and preparation before the show is crucial to it all. Much like how before a game a pitcher in baseball may visualize going through a batting order, I too visualize my show before it begins to prepare to win that day.

Of course, another question that should be asked is, “What can I do the keep the audience handed over to me by ratings king Mike Missanelli?” I’d start from there and work backward.

Anyway, self-indulgence aside, I’m of the opinion that oftentimes the science behind radio success, which The Hammer nails here, is what actually turns some people off from the medium. Sure, it gives a given host or station a larger slice of the ratings pie – the Sabermetrics of sports talk radio if you will, Hammer – but it also leads to nonstop teases, abrupt commercial breaks, and repetitive topics to keep people hashtag engaged. This is essentially the antithesis of the podcast ethos. But, it gets the ratings.

Anyway, go deep with The Hammer.