“Strong Hosts Need Strong Co-Hosts: Not Cheerleaders”

 In putting together your new podcast or radio show, find people who love to debate. Find people who are independent thinkers. Do not hire yes-men or yes-women. When everybody agrees with the host all the time, that is boring.

Have a spirit of cooperation on the show, yes — but still encourage people to think for themselves. Everyone must have their own opinions. You need people who can say, “I think this, and here’s why.” Encourage your team not to be afraid to challenge a thought they disagree with.

If you open your mouth on the show, you better be ready to articulate what you believe. That alone makes your show interesting to listen to.

You need co-hosts who are not afraid to disagree — and who don’t take it personally when their point gets debunked by a more thoughtful explanation. It’s perfectly okay to say, “I didn’t think about it that way. That makes sense.”

If the whole team agrees on an issue, cool.
If you don’t agree, that’s cool too.

The host must be strong, surrounded by strong people. The host is the quarterback. He executes the plays. A great quarterback knows how to distribute the ball to the playmakers. That’s what makes a show work. And sometimes the QB will keep the ball and run it himself.

It all comes down to teammates trusting each other.

Encourage each other to amplify the good things — especially when that magical chemistry starts bubbling over the air. When everyone on the show justifies their existence, your listeners will tell you"I just love listening to you guys". 

When everyone in the studio is rooting for each other to be themselves, that’s when the ratings show up in Nielsen and the podcast numbers explode.

And please: don’t copy other shows. You can admire them from a distance, but originality is the key. Why do a prank phone call like everybody else? Why don’t you believe the real you is good enough?

(And for the record: I hate prank phone calls.)