GOOD MORNING 2010 (Morning Shows in 2010) Chuck Geiger

Great morning shows will continue to outperform their prospective stations and lead the way in starting the day in Country radio. Big morning show talent and the new stars on the scene are the impact players who lead the charge. The best ones will be wrapped on topicality, localims and listener interactions. They will reveal the real person on the air. Music and artists focused breaks, talking over the listeners heads and morning show babble won't cut it. Mornings shows are the last bastion and line of defense in the diminishing radio talent pool.

Morning shows and programmers need to move the needle together, now more than ever. Working as a team to catapult the station in PPM metrics and cume and time spent listening demands. The promotional aspects of the 2010 Country morning show need to be bathed in community and public service angles. Outside of the station doesn't mean paid remotes, it means developing a community service platform for the morning show and station that gets you into every door possible. Joining service organizations, the chamber of commerce and becoming a board member of charitable organizations.

Former Morning show hosts are getting in on the community bandwagon, by continuing to host public service promotions without jobs. Don Hall former Morning host of KZSN Wichita, hosted his annual Turkey Drive for The Lord's Diner last week in Wichita and raised 650 Turkey's for the event and didn't crack a mic. Brian Egan former Morning star of WMZQ Washington sent me this:

Former WMZQ Radio Show Host Pledges Continued Support of Local Non Profit Despite Job Loss

"Hey, Brian Egan, you just lost your radio job, what are you gonna do next?” is what many of his fans asked the morning they heard the news that his was let go from WMZQ.

Egan’s tongue in cheek response: “I'm Going to Disney World...with Team in Training!" 

Team In Training (TNT) is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) charity sports training program, the largest of its kind with nearly 390 million participants trained and $1 billion raised for lifesaving cancer research.

As a board member for the National Capital Area Chapter of LLS, Egan is no stranger to the organization.  Nor is he a stranger to TNT.  Egan has participated in 5 TNT events, including the SunTrust National Marathon and The Nation’s Triathlon.

Now, as a personal challenge and as a way to make use of his free time, Egan has decided to join TNT for the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Half Marathon on January 10, 2010.

“Stuff happens in life we can’t control, but we can choose how we respond to adversity,” says Egan.  “And I know my young daughters will learn life-long lessons from this, so I need to show the resiliency I see in so many blood cancer patients, especially my wife, Jen.”  Egan began his involvement with TNT & LLS because of his wife, Jennifer, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005.

“My training isn’t going to be easy, and the fundraising dollars aren’t going to come rolling in as fast as they did when I had a microphone and antenna to use, but that just means I have to be more creative,” says Egan.  “My girls are counting on me (to get to Disney), and LLS is counting on me to raise $5,000!”

Egan will be joined by an additional 53 fundraising teammates who will also be running in the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon Weekend. 

“What Brian is doing is so inspiring,” said Donna McKelvey, Executive Director of the National Capital Area Chapter of LLS.  “He is taking an obstacle in his time and turning into something positive.  The money he and the rest of his Disney team raise will directly impact the lives of our patients and their families.

With FACEBOOK and TWITTER you can't miss connecting with your former audience and when you land a new gig, you can take them with you. There is no excuse why current superstar and up and coming Morning show's can't embrace the community service angle. If out of work Morning stars are doing it, what's your excuse?