Jeff McHugh

It was very early morning in May 1964. A man was sound asleep in his Clearwater, Florida hotel room when a loud guitar riff suddenly jolted him out of bed. The sound did not come from a noisy neighbor. The guitar riff was a dream in the man’s head. The man was a musician. He … Read more

In my role of playing matchmaker between radio companies and on-air presenters I get a perspective on what makes that match so elusive. For talent, the available jobs are few. The open jobs are sometimes are in undesirable markets and often overloaded with responsibility for low pay. Some have difficulty with the compromises required in … Read more

Viewers, listeners, and social media followers can make powerful contributions to your show. Audience members can bring unique, compelling stories and a strong point of view that reflect the opinions and emotions of your community. Audience interaction transforms a one-host monologue into a conversation, and fan voices are a great pattern disruption for multiple-host shows. … Read more

Imagine you meet a new neighbor on the day you move in. Both you and the neighbor will likely be polite, and your first conversation will be generic — what nice weather we are having, what do you do for work, and so forth. It is not until you know each other a bit that … Read more

Recently I was coaching a group of graduate students at MIT in Boston on public speaking. We discussed body language and voice dynamics, revealing your personality and tips on holding an audience’s interest. One participant asked, “what is the fastest way to improve?” I held my iPhone up and said,” video yourself.” The room grimaced … Read more

The 1933 movie King Kong involves a 50-foot-tall gorilla kidnapped from a remote island and brought to New York City. Spoiler alert: King Kong’s visit to Manhattan ends badly. But the real catastrophe was behind the scenes at RKO Pictures, the studio that made the film. Broadcasters ran RKO. RCA, the parent company of NBC, … Read more

Do you find leading Zoom meetings exhausting? Most people do. Social scientists say there are powerful physiological reasons why platforms like Zoom and Webex can leave people much more worn out than in-person presentations. When you are the presenter, your energy is mirrored by the audience. If you want them to feel uplifted and enthused, … Read more

Once in a while, broadcasters and podcasters tell me they are anxious about cancel culture. Some worry they might get fired for stumbling into a politically incorrect landmine. Others complain, “people are just looking to be offended,” or “you can’t say anything anymore.” My advice? Stop worrying. Eliminate cancel culture from your vocabulary and replace … Read more

Presenters can be thrown by a harsh critique about something that actually worked, or they can become overconfident even though a segment died on the air but generated text response.

Here are a few success indicators to consider watching. Some are scientific; some are like testing the wind with your finger. All will at least give you a clue about your performance.

There is an old rule on Broadway: In shows like Wicked or Hamilton it is always around the third song in the show when the main character must sing about what they want. What does theater have to do with you in radio? You are going to have to learn to sing! I’m kidding. Actually, … Read more