Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

I post this every year around Halloween because it’s truly one of the most innovative breaks a show I’ve worked with has done.  When I worked with Dave and Veronica, WQYK, Tampa, we hatched an idea one October to get the mayor of St. Pete to do his version of Vincent Price’s poem at the end of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.  Dave was fearless.  He went to a town hall meeting the mayor was having with constituents and told the moderators he wanted to go last with his question.  Once engaged with the mayor, he asked in front of everyone if he would read the poem.  The mayor had no idea what was going on, but played along (it was not a set-up).  It’s dangerous and fun.  And at the time unique and topical.  Here’s the terrific audio of Dave doing it.  Dave passed away years ago.  I miss that guy.

Shows I work with keep weekend journals.  It’s a common (and very smart) exercise to identify real life content that helps you tell stories about yourself that positions you as being just like the audience.  Everything is fair game in these journals.  We never know what you’ll experience that could become great on-air content.  Enter Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix.  When they were on, these guys did some of the best journals because they are quite observant.  Mark was out with his wife one weekend and saw a nun.  He commented in his journal that you rarely see this any longer.  So we created a new feature for the show called Nun Sightings.  We asked the audience to call the show when they saw a nun.  They had to note the time and place and, our running joke was that it really didn’t happen unless you send  a picture.  Which we used, of course, on social media to get more Nun Sightings!  You’ll enjoy the production value, which makes it even more entertaining.