Programmers and personalities have the same goals: to capture listener attention, command more TSL (time spent listening), and increase ratings. The problem is finding common ground in executing a plan to achieve those objectives. Programmers focus on being short but should be more concerned with being tight. Short and tight are not the same thing.
Programmers are correct that research shows listeners won’t put up with too much talk. And it’s true. The audience won’t tolerate personalities who talk too much. But what is too much? 5 minutes? How about 3? 2? Maybe 30 seconds is too much. What’s the right length? So programmers assign an arbitrary time and impose strict rules not to talk longer than xx. But there’s a better way to coach talent. Breaks that don’t connect are too much talk, regardless of length.
