RAudio - 4th Edition
Presenters in the Spotlight
The Irish State Broadcaster, RTE has found itself in the spotlight, not just in Ireland, but internationally in a scandal over concealed payments, that has now spiraled into a full blown crisis, which has seen resignations, retirements and the full force of Government investigations brought to bear.
Kevin Bakhurst, who left a senior job at Ofcom to return to Ireland and take up the role of Director General has had a baptism of fire, but he’s doing all the right things so far, sleeves rolled up, calm presence and restructuring his senior team.
Last week saw the presenter at the centre of the firestorm, Ryan Tubridy appear before an Oireachtas Committee alongside his agent, Noel Kelly. The intention was to have his say and clear the air, but it didn’t fully work.
When you see a presenter in a state hearing, say things like “Yes, the salary is enormous, but that doesn’t affect my soul”, it’s hard to watch. He also spoke about the letters and cards that he’d had from listeners offering support, about how the decision to quit Ireland’s biggest TV show, The Late Late, was his decision and his alone, oh and his relationship with the children of Ireland.
One of the members of the Committee, Cormac Devlin TD mentioned that kids were wondering why “The Toyman” was in the news so much… that stems from Ryan’s hosting of the annual Late Late Toyshow, which was also the subject of a failed Musical, that cost his employers 2.2 million euro.
Meanwhile, another presenter in the news last week, was for the most part cloaked in mystery.
That was Huw Edwards, the latest UK presenter to embrace the “Unwise but not Illegal” mantra, or so it seems.
This case appears to be an old fashioned homophobic outing, of the kind that I thought the UK’s tabloid press might have grown out of. Sadly, not.
While the BBC continue to investigate internally, the various Police forces involved have found no evidence of criminality in the presenter’s behaviour.
The manner of his unveiling, eventually done by his wife in a public statement changed the whole tone of the piece. The fact that he’s in hospital, that the whole public whodunnit had caused a considerable toll and that there’s nothing to the original framing of the story, seemed to have had a sobering effect on a media that was frankly out of control.
One of the things that struck me as particularly jarring was other presenters, loudly clamouring for the mystery presenter to reveal themselves, but not for any greater motive than to take the pressure off themselves.
So, I wanted to speak a bit about presenters and what happens to them when they’re put under that kind of pressure.
I’ve managed dozens, maybe hundreds of different presenters at different stages of their career and on different platforms from local stations to national stations, to podcasts and live events.
I take the process of talent management very seriously and I would hope that by and large, the presenters I’ve worked with have found me to be helpful and supportive. I do one to one coaching, I do airchecks where we review audio and I’ll do monitors and send detailed notes.
The process needs to be positive, calm, and reflective of where the presenter’s own mindset is at, you don’t want confrontation and you learn more by asking them what they thought of a piece, then simply blasting your opinion at them. The key thing is to identify some small and straightforward things that both of you agree will make the next show or performance better.
And, as a programme director, coach, or talent manager you have responsibility for their wellbeing, you should be asking yourself “Am I putting this person into a situation that will cause them stress or anxiety?”, “Do I believe that this is the right path for their ability and personality at this time?”.
Just pushing someone to perform because you need a breakfast show, or a TV show and throwing money at them to ease your conscience is not the right answer.
The most important thing about presenters, is not to lose sight of their individuality, their own personal drive and their own concerns and worries. We blithely push people into the spotlight, on TV, on radio, or run billboard campaigns or TV ads with them and don’t always stop to consider what exactly that kind of attention does to people.
Being recognisable and instantly famous is a weird experience, I’ve seen it second-hand, with people like Gerry Ryan, but there’s a collective sense of ownership of presenters and talent, that can be quite jarring if you’re popping out for a coffee.
Take that complicated relationship with the public into the arena of people’s personal lives and it all gets much more difficult.
There’s a reason why people get paid those giant salaries, the ability to connect with an audience and engage them is highly prized. And it’s also a rare thing, there are very few presenters who have the combination of skills, charm and intelligence to be able to reach the highest level.
So, when you see a presenter put in the glare of a Government inquiry, or being hounded by tabloid media, remember, they’re still just normal people who wanted to be famous and those of who us who made them famous have a duty of care.
I’d love to hear what you think, please do comment and share
This has been the 4th official edition of the RAudio Newsletter
Just to recap, each week I’ll be taking a look at big stories in radio, podcasting and audio.
Any feedback, questions or potential topics are welcome – you can get me on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/liamthompsonconsulting/ or on Twitter @Maxliam