* DON’T lie, unless it’s a fun lie. Present a caricature of yourself and the audience will love you for it. If your waist is 40 inches, say 46, don’t say 28. Don’t think you’re handsome—radio doesn’t require that.
* DON’T pre-record shows. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, and your show may become stale the next day. You have to live the show, breathe it.
* DON’T get up on the wrong side of the bed. You have to be happy on air, so sleep well the night before. For live radio, you’ve got to have your wits about you. If you have a 7.00 am slot, you can’t doze off at the console.
* DON’T speak with a fake accent. Talk in other languages if you’re comfortable in them. But please don’t fake any kind of accent.
* DON’T be a Delhiite. Your listeners need you to feel for your city and they’ll love you for knowing Mumbai inside out. Radio’s a blind medium and you should be able to give a visual description to listeners.
* DON’T ever fib about cricket or Bollywood. There are a million people in Mumbai who know more about these topics than you do. But you can add lots of masala.
* DON’T ever ask someone you’re interviewing to tell you something about themselves. It’s a stupid question. Do your research, get to know the person beforehand and ask intelligent questions.
* DON’T come to the studio wearing make-up or dark glasses. No one can see you. A Bollywood actor actually brought along his make-up artist for a radio interview.
* DON’T talk down to your listeners. Poke fun at them but joke about yourself as well. And be careful to never jest about a serious issue or anyone else’s disability.
* DON’T ever say the following out loud in a studio—‘‘Am I on air?’’
Ravi Iyer conducts regular workshops for RJs . Contact Chitra: 98217 35294