Motorcycle Radio Show? Soliciting Input From The Forum

[RVTPilot]

For those of you that don't know, I co-host a weekly sports talk radio show in Cleveland that is broadcast over the internet each Saturday morning (well, ones that I am not at the track). Our station, http://nostaticradio.com, has offered me a two-hour time slot on a weeknight to host a show dedicated to the our sport of motorcycling. The exact day and time slot is yet to be determined, but it would likely be Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday in either a 5-7 or 7-9 PM slot. My question for the masses here is if there was a show, would you guys listen or be willing to interact? If so, what are the topics you would appreciate being covered? While I am a track guy and sportbike guy primarily, I envision talk from all corners of the sport; cruisers, dirt, etc. As well, I would like to talk tech about things from everyday maintenance to more complex projects. I know there are several solid sources of knowledge from members and sponsors here at the forum, so I would look to provide a place for that knowledge to speak. It would also be an opportunity to promote Ohio Riders. Show sponsorship would also be something that perhaps current site sponsors might be interested in, there is good opportunity for promotion with our show and station. (Overhead in internet radio is pretty low.) 

 

But mostly, I want input from you guys and gals as to what you think might make good moto radio? I appreciate any and all input here, so please speak your minds!

[Moto-Brian]

I think it is a great idea.  The issue is the cost to be on the show.  I had a guy from that area up north that has a show and he wanted some serious support from when I was at KTM to promote the sport and what we were doing.

 

I offered to do a weekly report covering some racing and things or track days, etc and have KTM (at the time) be the sponsor of the segment.  But, he wanted too much stuff...

 

The issue will be marketing budgets, but I am willing to offer support in some way as long as I can justify the expense and what the return potentially could be...

[Al Z. Heimer]

http://www.570wkbn.com/pages/pp_two_wheel_power.html

Here is a link to a local show we have in Youngstown. I'm sure it takes a lot of work to put on a weekly show. These two guys(it used to be three and maybe still is) put out some pretty good info but it is really hard for me to listen sometimes because of their know it all type delivery. With that said they are just everyday guys and do the best they can. I would say you are in for quite a lot of foot work to fill a two hour slot.Being that you have experience already I'm sure you already know this. Would I listen? Probably. For two hours? It would have to be very interesting. Good luck. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

[redkow97]

http://www.570wkbn.com/pages/pp_two_wheel_power.html

Here is a link to a local show we have in Youngstown. I'm sure it takes a lot of work to put on a weekly show. These two guys(it used to be three and maybe still is) put out some pretty good info but it is really hard for me to listen sometimes because of their know it all type delivery. With that said they are just everyday guys and do the best they can. I would say you are in for quite a lot of foot work to fill a two hour slot.Being that you have experience already I'm sure you already know this. Would I listen? Probably. For two hours? It would have to be very interesting. Good luck. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

Is one of them Larry?  I have listened to a couple of the "two-wheeled power hour" broadcasts, because Larry is racing OMRL this year, and featured the 10 yr old who keeps kicking my ass in Formula 4...

 

Larry's pretty knowledgeable.  I would say he speaks with an "authoritative" tone.  I'd hesitate to agree with "know-it-all," but if you've never met him, I could see how he'd come off that way.  I've disagreed with Larry in face-to-face conversations, and in that setting, he's always at least given me a viable explanation for why his opinion differs from mine.  You don't get that from the one-way communication of the radio show.

 

Ultimately, he is a guy who knows quite a bit, but also admits there is a bunch he could stand to learn.  And you wont' find anyone more excited about promoting our sport, so I'm inclined to forgive most faults     For a guy his age and size, he gets around the track pretty well.  I wouldn't call him "fast," but anyone pointing and laughing during the riders' meeting would be eating some crow when they saw him actually ride.  He'd be in the top half of most intermediate groups.  Super nice guy too.

[redkow97]

to more directly answer the OP's question, I can't say that I would listen live, but I would listen to replays or podcasts of archived shows if the topic interested me.

 

The biggest issue I foresee is trying to find a large enough audience, without boring 3/4 of it when you're talking about one style versus the other.  I've really never ridden a motorcycle in the dirt (unless chasing my dogs around the back yard in 1st gear on the XR100 counts...).  It's not that dirt riding doesn't interest me, but it's not what I'm MOST interested in.  That's not to say i wouldn't still listen, but some people really stick to what they know, and think everything else sucks.

 

I think you'd have to plan to cover the following topics EVERY week:

 

- cruising events, charity rides, bike shows, bike nights

 

- Drag racing (results, and maybe some tech topic.  Tips, or introductions to how to get started.  What kind of times different cruiser riders and sportbike riders should expect to run.  How much gear is required at various venues.  Maybe weekly updates on which tracks cost how much per pass?)

 

- dirt racing (Supercross and arenacross for sure.  I don't follow dirt enough to really know which series is/are the largest)

- road racing.  I like to hear AMA results, because I can actually get to those events, meet those riders, etc.  Focusing on the smaller teams also appeals to me, because those guys are more like me.  Kaleb DeKeyrel made his AMA debut last round.  I rode with him at a trackday a few years ago.  That's cool to me.  WSBK and Moto-GP would be mildly less interesting, unless there was a major upset or crazy story like Lorenzo racing a day after breaking his collar bone.

 

- touring tips?

 

- a bike review of some type?  (doesn't have to be a new bike.  Best used bike values are great pieces of information IMHO)

[jbot]

Have pics of hot tattooed bikeresque chicks on your channel website. They will come and come and come

[tyler524]

Keep your gayness out of the show and it will work out great. I would definitely check out the podcast of it but like others have said, would probably not listen live. 

Edited July 6, 2013 by tyler524

[scottb]

The 5- 7 time slot, I am either still at work or driving home and stuck in 271 traffic. I do not have an "unlimited data" plan on my cell phone , so I not sure I could listen to Internet based stuff through my cell phone while stuck in traffic.

Not sure what I would want to hear about on a radio show.

 

If it would be local stuff, charity events or group rides, then what defines local when you are on the Internet?

 

Very cool idea to get motorcycles out to the public, but just not sure what make it a "good show" for me, format wise.

 

I have a 30 year old motorcycle, so maybe if a sponsor had a salvage yard and spoke of the "classic" models or parts interchangability from other models, would be interesting to hear.

 

Maybe a segment if your show can take live calls, or email, facebook, twitter questions, Like the car show on National Public Radio " CLick and Clack" were you can answer questions on bike symtoms/ repair questions? Throw out topics like your first bike, or what bike would you buy if money was not an issue?

 

Or get a racer to talk about track days and what to expect or share an experience at a track and costs involved?

 

Maybe a review of places to ride too, like the Dragon, or what to expect on a ride out west?

 

Again, it is a great concept, just not sure what it would take to keep me listening to a podcast.

[okeefe01]

It sounds like a fun project.  I agree with some of the the others on racing updates, various styles of riding and some new bike info/rumors.  Another thing that might spark calls and debate would be legal issues facing motorcycling.  You could touch on things like sound limits, EPA restrictions, horsepower restrictions, motorcycle only checkpoints and the punishments handed down (or not handed down) for killing motorcyclists.

Good Luck!!

[RVTPilot]

Really, really good commentary here guys! I appreciate the candid opinions, and it gives some food for thought. Some of the thoughts shared I had already considered, so to have some of you elaborate on them reinforces that they are something needs to be properly thought out and executed. Others have brought some show ideas and talking points into the fold that I alone would have missed. So I have some homework to do. 

 

A lot of you have mentioned podcasts or archived shows versus listening live. Doing both is part of the plan. In my mind's eye, I would like the show to sufficiently offer value to a listener in both avenues. The live show allows for interaction between the listener and the hosts, along with guests at times. The archives or podcasts I see as something that could perhaps fill the void that windshield time on road trips to tracks and events, or for the touring crowd that listens to something on the road. 

 

Desmo, I might like to pick your brain on the racing update segment. I think that would have a large following here, as well as folks from outside the area that would potentially follow the show.

 

Scott and some others talked about "local stuff" relative to the internet, and it brings up a good point since it touches multiple aspects of the show. The initial idea here is a show for us - ORDN types - that would give another forum to discuss the sport, as well as grow and develop the motorcycle community.Given that our potential show sponsors would be primarily local businesses, we would want to talk about subjects/events/topics that would pertain primarily to the folks that would be able to patronize these establishments or businesses. So things like local charity events, be it a ride for a fallen rider that is in some way related to the ORDN family, or a big annual charity event like the Ride For Kids, would consistent parts of the show. As well, tech tips that could be discussed with a local mechanic that knows the topic well would be repeated segments.

 

Probably the most common or consistent comment is listener interest. This is something that every show deals with regardless of their format. You want to have a show that appeals to many different demographics, but you can't be everything to everyone. We get that with our Saturday morning show. Some days, we talk Browns more than Indians, and sometimes those days are during baseball season. So our Tribe fans are a little less interested. I get that our cruiser crowd will likely not be overly interested in our shows that are racing heavy. Likewise our racer guys may not be interested in hearing about dirt stuff, or an interview with someone that races dirt or at the drag strip. The way I think you combat that is presentation. You can have a show about something that a majority of listeners would have topical interest in, but if it is provided in a boring or uninteresting manner, then you lose folks. Likewise, you may gain a listener by providing a unique or entertaining means of talking about subjects that may be niche or single subject oriented. I can't sit here and promise that every week we would talk about all the different genres of motorcycling. But we would attempt to provide an entertaining forum that would have you checking back each week to see what is being talked about. And that is all I would be able to ask for.

 

Again, thanks guys for all your input. I have a lot of homework to do, and at the end of that we'll see where this goes.