HOT 101.7, Santa Rosa Liberating the Crunch Bar
Bring me there. When you tell your story, make me feel like I am in the room with you. We’ve all been in the predicament where we buy something from a vending machine and it gets stuck and does not release. There was an suspended crunch bar in the kitchen vending machine and Stacey K and Jonah, HOT 101.7, Santa Rosa, CA were determined to set it free. Only thing is, they had to wait for the vending machine guy to show up to do it. Every effort to rock the machine to do so failed. Recording the audio of the crunch bar’s liberation and then delivering it to the person who originally purchased it made me feel like I was there with them as the story was told on the air. It also made the narrative funnier and more connective.
Do you know the lyrics of the Christmas songs you’ve played a thousand times on the air? Kelly from Arnold on Bud and Broadway, WIL, St. Louis obviously doesn’t. Singing “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” to herself in the studio, the team noted her lack of knowledge of the words. So…this became a break. It highlights the team’s relevance and sense of humor. They challenged Kelly and the room to know the next lines after the song starts. This is great use of audio and a very organic break with tons of laughter and self-deprecating humor from everyone. This break opened other possibilities – like the team having to do Christmas carols on the spot for the audience, showing again how don’t know the lyrics of the world’s biggest holiday songs.
Which list are you on? Naughty or nice? Every parents dream for the next couple of weeks is for their kids to behave to get through the holidays. And the threat of Santa Claus is most powerful. In this classic bit from Karlson and McKenzie, WZLX, Boston, they check on kids and call them out on their naughtiness. The team takes calls from parents whose kids are misbehaving. Then Pete McKenzie calls the kid as Santa Claus and gets them to promise to behave through the holiday season or they’ll get nothing for Christmas. Pete is very careful to not cross the line and become cruel – listen as he adds just the right amount of attitude and humor as he interacts with young Schuyler.