BJ-Murphy-Style Show Prep Practices
1. Walk in with the show already done.
If you’re preparing at the station, you’re already behind. The show should be created before you walk through the lobby. You had from the time you got off the air to the next day to prepare for your show. It's just laziness that stops us from growing. People who get to the station 10 minutes before the show starts and jump on the computer to see what the prep services came up with are not serious players.
2. Start prepping the minute you get off the air.
Everything that happens from that moment you end your show until tomorrow’s show is content. Treat your entire life like show prep material. What can you bring to the air the next day of your lived experience. What happened that you can share? Tom Joyner said, that he and Doug Banks would be talking on the phone at night and Doug would hear their conversation on the air the next day. Everything is show prep.
3. Collect your lived experiences daily.
Your observations, your interactions, your frustrations, your joy — that’s the secret sauce. No one else has your life.
I use to talk about my wife on the air all the time, and people would ask me, how is Vanessa. So people do care, when you make them care. The struggle to be Human in sharing our lives helps them embrace us.
4. Over-prepare
You need several breaks that are undeniably better than any other show in your city that day. Be determined to be more interesting to listen to than anyone in your market. Be the go to show when major things happen in your city. Know what you are going to do at all times.
5. Know the story before you give the story.
Don’t learn it live. Read, research, verify. Form your own talking points instead of repeating what CNN said.
6. Have your own angles for every major topic.
Your version is what we want to hear… a deeper version… and the emotional version. A version your audience can't get anywhere else but from you.
7. Ask yourself: “Do I really Care?”
If it means nothing to you, it won’t mean anything to the audience. it's best not to bring it on air, until it means something to you. If it is a major breaking news story, you have to do it. Reporting it and having an opinion about it are two different things. Oh, and by the way, you don't have to have an opinion about everything. So can you elaborate on a breaking news story. Can you speak with authority about what you know about this breaking news story. Can you be better than the rest of the market reporting facts? Now that's next level. I remember how we handled 911 in Charlotte in 2001. It happened right before we got off air. I was so proud of my show, we were on it. We stayed on the air till afternoon drive as we turned into journalist.
8. Rehearse mentally.
Practice over in your mind how you want to frame it. Make it yours. Own your statements. Write it out in your own words.
9. Build a “prep folder” for the week.
Save videos, quotes, stories, thoughts, audio moments — everything goes in there. There's gold in them files.
10. Prep your transitions.
Sloppy transitions are just not well thought out transitions. Clean transitions make you sound like you live inside the radio. Your listeners can tell the difference between mediocrity and excellence.
11. Have a backup if your guest don't show up. Be ready to pivot.
Because radio is live. Things fall apart. Guests cancel. Technology fails. You should never be caught off guard.
12. Prep your authenticity.
Not fake vulnerability — real honesty. You can’t fake real. Don't do it if it is not real to you.
13. Practice saying things shorter.
Clean, sharp, tight storytelling is what separates pros from people who ramble. Be as brief as possible. It does not take that long to make a point. Practice using less words to make your points. When you do that, all your sentences strung together have power. Practice making impact statements.
14. Always prep your interviews from the heart.
Skip the generic questions. Prepare the questions YOU actually care about.
15. Prep in layers: Content → Angle → Emotion → Delivery.
That formula makes you unstoppable. You've got to put more thoughtfulness into your show. What is it that I really want to say about this story. Stop being a lazy surface dwelling personality. Don't be afraid to share your unique perspective. This is what makes you stand out. People are afraid to be themselves, don't you be!
16. Have one thing in the show that scares you a little.
Growth comes from the edge. Going to the edge does not mean being vulgar or sexually explicit on the air. That's not what I mean. The edge is honesty. Prep so you’re brave enough to bring your real self to the mic.
17. End your show with tomorrow in mind.
You and your producer should be planting curiosity, teasing unfinished conversations, and giving the audience a reason to come back tomorrow.
18. Write, Write and Rewrite
I use to go to the library and write for my show after I got off the air. I was always fascinated how tv shows put their shows together, especially the late night shows. They have a room full of writers and comedians coming up with their monologues. All of it was prepared, but is seemed like it was off the cuff. The more you prepare, the more spontaneous you can be. Your mind is full of ideas and thoughts that naturally show up when you prime your mind. This is where the magic happens in a break. What you had prepped for suddenly shows up and you are like wow, there it is. This is the power of show prep. If you learn how to do that, you will be on the road to becoming a world class communicator.
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