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Brad Lane Is Constantly Mentoring Talkers and Guiding Producers

BNM sat down with Brad Lane, who says constant coaching of talent is part of the job as he’s always mentoring talkers and guiding producers.

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Brad Lane is back working in Minneapolis. He returns to the city known for the hat-tossing Mary Tyler Moore, the Vikings, and the land of 10,000 lakes– give or take a few. 

He’s not all that far from Lake Superior, but he was born nearly 1,000 miles away in Razorback country.

“I grew up all over but was born in southern Arkansas,” Lane said. “I guess I worked hard to lose the accent. In this business, you have to.”

It may read Arkansas on his birth certificate, but his heart is where the stars at night are big and bright.

“Dallas and Fort Worth were our home base,” Lane said. “My grandparents had a ranch there. The other side of the family was from Houston and Beaumont. I hate that side of Texas with all its humidity. Dallas has much more culture and interesting people. If I ever moved back, that’s where I’d go.”

Lane appears to love Texas. He said Austin is a great town. “It’s the capital; it has 6th Street, the topography and culture is beautiful.”

He said if you go, March is the best month to see the bluebonnets, SXSW; you get to enjoy great food. 

“You don’t have to deal with 1,000-degree temperatures. I always saw myself as a Texas kid, even though I was born in Arkansas. Austin is like a progressive bastillon, an island in the red meat state of Texas.”

His father was a pastor, and he wasn’t afraid to use his son’s experiences in his sermons. 

“That’s probably my first illustration of being completely transparent,” Lane said. “Everything is fodder for conversation. Everything is up for discussion. There’s no filter, and I mean that in a good way. I was used as an example frequently. I never thought anything was out of balance.”

Constant coaching of talent is something Lane says is part of the job. 

“If we talk about Roe v Wade, we have to do it with balance,” he said.  

“Hosts will come to me and ask how they should approach a specific topic. I tell them to think of the topic as why it’s important.”

“Everything you hear about preacher’s kids is probably true. My father was a Baptist minister in Texas. We went to church just about every night. Sunday mornings, of course. My father would visit homes. You just couldn’t do that today. We were at church constantly.

He said he revered his father. “At the same time, I was scared to death of him. He was an imposing figure with a bigger-than-life personality.

Lane went to Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and majored in mass communications in 1992.

“I chose that school and program because of a specific instructor, Jim Reppert,” Lane explained. “He was instrumental in my going there. It was a small program combined with the theater department. Many of the classes you had to take were crossovers.”

Lane also gravitated toward photography. He said that was back in the day when darkrooms were still utilized.

“I took my favorite during my senior year. It was an advanced black and white photography class. The instructor told us we had to create ten photos by the end of the semester, all using darkroom techniques to achieve the intended outcomes.”

Lane said one of those pictures included him playing poker against himself. It’s a little complicated, so bear with me.

He had to photograph himself as though he was playing against himself in three different chairs.

“All you needed was a good 35 mm camera with a flash,” Lane said. “Many of us had to beg, borrow and steal to get the right camera. So, we set up a card table with three chairs around the table. You had to have a partner to take the shot, and I was the subject playing poker.” 

Lane and his student partner made the room as dark as possible and opened the aperture on the camera, which is essentially exposing the film. They dropped the playing cards on the table; then, his partner began to take Lane’s picture. 

“I’d make a face like I was looking at my cards for the first shot,” Lane said. “For the second shot, I’d get up and move to the next chair. Keep in mind the aperture was still open. I’d make a different expression; maybe I was looking at the other cards. Then another flash.”

Lane said this was done a third time to complete the photo.

“Since we had to take the film to the darkroom to process, we didn’t know what we had. If we had accomplished the assignment.”

I’m assuming he did, but it didn’t come up. Lane said he wrote and produced his play in this rather hybrid degree. 

“Jim Reppert was strongly encouraging me to go into television. I was doing ENG reporting. Then I got my first job offer for $11,700. A whopping figure to be a one-man-band reporter.”

Lane’s return to Minneapolis at WCCO, as joyous as it was for his family, was preceded by trying experiences. 

“In 2018, my wife Liv was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer,” Lane explained. “It’s a kind of breast cancer that does not have any of the receptors that are commonly found in breast cancer. The doctors threw the kitchen sink at her, and right now, she’s doing okay.”

Lane said this type of cancer does not stem from genetics. It essentially comes out of nowhere. To compound matters, Liv’s medical concerns were realized just as Lane was let go from a job in Minneapolis. So not only was his wife struggling with her illness, he was faced with sending out resumes.

“Fortunately, Good Karma Broadcasting had a position as program director for me in Milwaukee at WTMJ and ESPN,” Lane said. “I talked with Steve Wexler, vice president, and market manager, and we hit it off right away. I think the world of Steve. We have similar ideas about content and execution.”

Before he met with Wexler, Lane even contemplated getting out of the business to be with his wife. He moved to Milwaukee alone while his wife and two sons remained in Minneapolis. Sure it was a formidable distance, but it could have been much further.

“She allowed me to do it,” Lane said. “To take the job while she convalesced. I worked things out with Wex and Craig Karmazin, owner of Good Karma.”

Lane said the cancer treatments are exhausting and can do a number on a person’s body. The effects will remain with his wife for the rest of her life.

“I spent two years in Milwaukee. I loved it but wanted to get back to my family and come to WCCO,” Lane said. “I think we were able to pick up where we left off. My wife was ecstatic. She didn’t really have energy. I do all the laundry, dishes.”

He’s also proud of his boys and recognizes what they had to go through for two years.

“I may have underestimated the impact of my absence,” Lane said. I grew up with a father who was constantly gone. He was taking care of his flock at church. He was away speaking. I don’t remember my dad making it to any of my baseball games. I tried to be different. I have coached Ryder in baseball since he was five years old. I’m incredibly proud of Ryder and my younger son Truman.”

His neighbors in Minneapolis were incredibly giving when they saw their friends in need of some help. 

“They created a schedule to drive my son to high school. We’re in a good spot. Now I’m back in Minneapolis at a legendary station. With my energy and vision, I hope to keep this a relevant and vital platform. I’m surrounded by great talent.”

Lane constantly mentors talkers and guides producers.

Lane began at WCCO in April 2021. He’s had the chance to take inventory of his talent, and his overall experience allows him to reflect on others in the business.

“Many talkers know they can talk; not many know how to listen,” he said. “They’re thinking about what they’re going to say next. They miss what somebody just said. They try to think of something to say that makes them sound cool.”

“They’re underpaid, underappreciated,” said Lane. “Oftentimes, we don’t search for the best and brightest. Many producers are talk show wannabes and love the sound of their own voice. Others talk too little and are basically board ops and button pushers.”

Lane explained how you could take an amazingly gifted and talented host and pair them with a poor producer. You’ll end up with a less than satisfactory show. 

“You can also take a mediocre host with instances of brilliant work, pair them with a great producer, and have a more relevant and successful host. You can find a producer who will chime in or challenge a host.” 

He said while preparing for a show, a producer has to be nimble and fast at the draw.

“The producer must deduce if they need a guest at a certain point for content, or are they better off without them. Another aspect of a good producer is production and the use of sound design. We call it a show for a reason. Maybe a bell when you’re right or a buzzer when you’re wrong.”

Lane is aware of the impact of a well-timed actuality that can feed the dialogue.

“That all equals a better reaction. I think we’ve lost some of that along the way.

It’s not easy to stay on top of the on-air folks all the time. It’s the equivalent of being a coach of two teams simultaneously. I tend to gravitate to more local content. “

He continued–” A good producer knows when to react and respond. They know how to show rather than tell. Come in to the show with a plan. If things go awry, a producer must be as quick as the host. If they can’t find a guest, they have to determine which way to go. Know how to pivot.”

Lane explained how one of his employees stepped in to save the day.

“The guest didn’t show. The producer answered the call by mentioning Bruce Springsteen was coming to town. That quickly shifted the focus of the show and saved the moment. You have to be able to tap dance in a moment’s notice.”

The veteran program director always knew he wanted to be in some form of public forum. He would go to sleep with a transistor radio under his pillow and had a quaint idea of what radio was. What he did know about it was that radio was both engaging and relevant. 

“Those are two words we try to push in every conversation.

Expanding on that, I tell each of my hosts to touch an emotion in any way, shape, or form. Make listeners laugh, cry, even angry. You need to do that on a segment basis. Provide depth range, a balance between fun and funny.”

As a content shaper, Lane said he needs to find personalities who are interesting and engaging. But they must elicit emotions. Expand on touching the heart and the many emotions we feel on a daily basis. 

“When you make people think by asking provocative questions,” Lane explained.” We need to make them angry. Provide experiences that are hitting the brain. It’s unscripted. We must provide for entertainment and investigation.

When a host can come to the table with how they’re feeling, be quick. Trigger the audience with a lead-in. Don’t bury the lead; tell me what you’re thinking right out of the gate. Know why we’re talking about this.” 

To Lane, hosts are all about personality and topic selection. They also get to the crux of what’s happening.

“I would say WCCO is a little different from when I came on board. I’ve made some tweaks, and I’m always assessing what we’re putting out over our air. The relevance.” 

He thinks overall; in terms of talk radio, the host is personality driven. Maybe 30 percent of the hosts in the country have the right combinations innately. Those that don’t, he tries to coach and teach them. 

“Some are talking about the right things,” Lane said. “Some have a sense of what’s important. Things people are talking about at the kitchen table. They just know how to do it. Other times, I’ll explain what they could have done in a particular situation.”

He said they have only one chance to get it out right and fast.

“In every office, I’ve ever had, there’s been a radio on my desk to the right. I’ve never been sure why it has been on the right; it just always has. I always tell my hosts, if you can get me to turn toward the radio and I wonder where we are going with this, you’ve got my attention. Talk radio was never intended to be in the background. That’s the beauty of good radio.”

The way people consume content is so different from what it was back in the day. You have to have a digital footprint. Connect with your audience in a different way. 

“Maybe you’re not doing nearly as many in-person events as you may be used to,” said Lane. “You have to find other ways for your fans to ‘touch you.’ It can happen by Facebook or Instagram. Twitter doesn’t have nearly as many people as Instagram does. You can’t believe how important that stuff is.”

On-air phone calls are not as prevalent as they used to be. I’m trying to get that back on the air. We don’t live in a day and age where the phone is the only way to communicate with hosts. Old crusty veteran hosts might say, ‘I don’t do that social media stuff. They must realize its importance.”

“We need to make an effort to keep younger people interested. I have two children that never listen to terrestrial radio. Even though their father works in radio.. They listen to stuff off Itunes. One of my sons loves the Pat McAfee Show. He likes YouTube. We still need to get the attention of the younger set. It gives me a chance to get our platform in front of those who are not necessarily terrestrial listeners.”

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BNM Writers

News is the Only Thing Missing From Election Coverage

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected?

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The first thought I had when I heard NBC had hired Ronna McDaniel as a commentator for $300,000 a year was to wonder how many actual journalists they could have hired for that money. Then, I recalled that NBC had laid off dozens of news staffers just a few months ago. Then, I remembered that I had just recently written a column decrying news organizations throwing pretty much anybody on the air as a “pundit” and this….

This was worse. It’s one thing to grab some rando who happened to be a minor functionary for the Executive Branch. It’s another to hire someone whose job was to promote election denialism and pretend that her opinion is something valuable for viewers. And, yes, it’s just as ridiculous when news organizations hire former presidential press secretaries (that’s you, Jen Psaki and Sean Spicer), their very jobs were to spin everything in their bosses’ favor and now you’re going to pay them big salaries for, um, what? Because they “have a name” or you’re afraid someone else will snap them up? Why them?

The McDaniel deal lasted five days, one completely unilluminating interview, and one unexpected Chuck Todd spine-growing outburst, so it’ll all blow over soon enough. The problem is, though, the part about having fired several news staffers, and what it means in an election year on both the national and local levels. If you have the money to hire an alleged pundit – any alleged pundit – you have the money to hire reporters, and I don’t mean anchors or opinion show hosts.

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected? Who’s probing Project 2025 and why isn’t it front-page, first-segment news? Who’s pressing the Biden administration on Gaza? Is anyone reporting on the candidates’ record on climate change?

Beyond prescription drug prices, is anyone digging into the broken healthcare system and demanding answers from the candidates about what they’ll do to fix it (and not letting Trump get away with “I’ll have a better plan, a beautiful plan” without a single specific detail, like they did in 2016)? Why didn’t anyone focus on, for example, the GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina and his incendiary past comments well before the primary?

Pundits are not going to do the legwork on the issues; they’ll just talk about swing states while John King and Steve Kornacki point at their touchscreen maps. We need reporting on the things that matter (and can affect that horse race, even if most people have made up their minds). It shouldn’t just be Pro Publica and scattered independent journalists doing the dirty work.

Honestly, I don’t want to hear the complaints about the quality of the candidates or how this is a rerun or any of that. (We’ll leave that to The New York Times.) We are a horribly underinformed electorate and we got the horse race we deserve. It might just be idealists like me who think that, just maybe, the news media can play a role in educating the public and bursting the bubbles and echo chambers. This country has survived and prospered for a few centuries with the press shining a light on injustice and corruption.

Now, when we need that most, they’re more concerned with what they think will bring them ratings and money (although someone will have to explain to me who thought having Ronna McDaniel as a paid commentator would draw a single viewer to NBC).

Here’s a thought: Don’t lay off reporters, especially in an election year.  Assign them to dig deep on issues that matter to the voters.

Let the pundits talk about that.

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8 Ways to Take Your Commercials From Drab to Fab

Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials.

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Another reason to read this column, I often add an Easter egg. We are in the advertising business. Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials. Frequently, clients write these ads. You can excuse it if the spots suck. But when the commercials are written by Account Executives or the production department at the station, it is kind of unforgivable.

I am going to share the most meaningless phrases in commercials.

Locally Owned and Operated

Customers do not care. If customers cared about a business being locally owned and operated, Walmart would not exist. People want service, selection, and value. They do not want to get soaked. When you purchase something, are you willing to pay 20% for a local company? If you say yes, you are wrong. People want a deal.

The Phone Number

Doing 70 down the 405, John slammed on the brakes to write down the phone number for an amazing HVAC Company. That is not how it works people. HVAC companies rarely have or should have regular customers.

Normally, your AC is out. You call the HVAC Company that you are familiar with. Radio advertising allows people to have “TOMA”: Top of Mind Awareness. There are stats that show when a company is advertising on your radio station, their website shows an increase in traffic. When you needed a service for your home, you hit Google and choose the company that you’ve heard of. It’s that simple. I actually heard a commercial asking listeners to add a businesses phone number to their contact list. That is a moronic use of advertising real estate.

Street Addresses

“Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is located at 106 East Governors Drive in Peoria.” 

The people listening cannot process that detail. You could say “Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is on Governors Drive just off 10th in Peoria.” That is almost digestible. That creates a picture of where it is.

Trust me, people interested in prime rib will Google you and load the address in their navigation system. Spend that precious spot time selling the experience of the restaurant.

Always Using the Company Owner/Founder in Commercials

Sometimes, it is amazing when business owners are their spokesperson. They have passion and are natural salespeople. Some business owners are terrible at speaking about their product.

When you have a business owner who is a natural promoter, they can drag listeners into their business. I once worked with a family who owned a couple of hardware stores. They spoke about the benefits of visiting their stores. It was heartfelt and real. They promised that their employees can help solve any problem in your home. If you went to that store and had a simple or complex problem, the employees helped you out.

I once worked with a man who owned a really nice flooring company.  For whatever reason, he thought that he was funny. He had spots written by him, his wife, or a kid. The ads were dreadful. They were not funny at all. Account Executives need to talk these clients out of doing commercials like this. Nothing says wacky hijinks like flooring.

Overuse of Numbers

“We have grapes at 99 cents a pound, Chuck steak at $1.99, two-for-one zucchini.”

Trust me, no one driving in city traffic can keep track of that. “The 2025 Chevy Chevette is back with 45-mpg efficiency and amazing 18-inch tires. Prices start at $19,999…  The New Chevy Silverado starts at $32,999.”

It gets really confusing fast.

WWW.

Yes, I hear commercials saying check us on the internet at “W-W-W dot business name here dot com.”

WWW is assumed and not needed anymore unless you are running a Commadore-64 with the latest floppy disc technology.

Yellow Pages Ad

“Check out our new ad in the Yellow Pages!”

OMG, no one reads those damn things anymore. Most people born after 1960 just toss those suckers in the trash. There was a time when the Yellow Pages were the largest revenue generator in advertising. Yes, a book of ads. Like Facebook, without your buddy’s political, vacation, or food posts. It was just ads. Zero content.

I had stuffed salmon tonight that I engineered myself. I would make Sydney Sweeney quite the trophy husband. Set us up. Hey, I am single. It was not that long ago that you would hear a radio ad that promoted a coupon in the Sunday paper.

Well, that copy should be deader than a doornail.

Amateur Theater

A husband and wife discussing their lawn and how she heard about Telly’s Lawn Service from her friend Stacy. 

Those commercials are obviously contrived and not interesting at all. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Open every commercial must have an attention-grabbing opener. “Totally Jammed…  The floor covered with the guest towels. Fearing the horrific consequences of another flush…  I did the right thing. I called ABC Plumbing. Quick service, a great price, and peace of mind.”

The next time that the plunger is failing to get the desired results, the listener of that commercial will identify with the very realist scenario.

We are in the advertising business. Use radio as it was meant.

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The Lost Art of Using Sound as a Springboard

Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

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Jon Stewart was the first guy to do it — take a politician’s words from the news of the day or week. Search his or her entire past and find a sound byte saying the exact opposite.

It became an art form – and a great way to keep people accountable.

Most radio operations don’t have the resources necessary to consistently do something like that, but truth be told, that kind of journalism isn’t really the point of this week’s column.

It’s an example of the simple power of sound. We need to use it more within our shows. Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable, and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

Speaking from experience, not doing it is lazy.

Doing it takes minimal effort and helps conversations tremendously – especially when it’s in real-time. I know. I’ve been there – missing opportunity after opportunity because I didn’t think of it, ask for help or just do it myself.

Put simply, good sound is a better springboard to a question than just a question.

Just the other day, I realized how well it works and how little I’ve been doing it.

Here’s what happened.

We have one particularly heated congressional race in our state. The Republican candidate is running for a second time after narrowly losing in 2022 in an election where Connecticut’s gubernatorial candidate from the same party got smoked, and the Republican presidential candidate lost the state as well.

This time around, there’s a struggling Democratic President with real doubts about the economy and the country’s standing in the world.

Put simply, the Democratic congressional incumbent has a massive task ahead to get re-elected.

On my show, I try to be consistently independent and be a place for both parties to appear with the expectation that the conversations will be fair and honest.

The Republican candidate came on the show earlier this month, and we went through a number of issues. Connecticut is a relatively strong Democratic stronghold, where the party controls the legislature, the Governor’s Mansion, and the entire congressional delegation.

Having said that, the largest voting block is unaffiliated, so appealing to independents is crucial for either side to win. I asked the Republican candidate twice about whether he will support Donald Trump, and both times, he equivocated. I asked the follow-up, we were on the record, so I moved on.

The following week, his opponent, the Democratic incumbent, was scheduled to appear on the show. Before her arrival, I realized the Trump Q&A should probably be replayed for her. Duh.

My producer found it, clipped it, and had it at the ready. I felt that I should have realized it sooner and not put some added strain on my partner’s morning routine. He was fine, but it definitely added unnecessary work within the show.

Lesson learned.

The sound byte worked well. I played it. She responded. We moved the story forward, and it was compelling – as you might imagine, the topic of Trump vs. Biden is pretty compelling these days.

By no means did it create a “wow” moment. That would be a little much. But it did make the show better, using the opponent’s own voice as opposed to my paraphrasing something. That lends credibility, not only to the topic but also to the show. He gave this important answer on our show, and she gave her response … on our show.

My final thought on this is that we (I) need to look for more places to utilize sound as a springboard to conversations, as opposed to simply raising the topic and discussing it. Maybe you’re already good at it and do it all the time, but this past week, I realized I need to push myself to do it more.

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