The $5 Souvenir

Each week through the summer, talk to one family leaving for vacation that weekend. Give them a budget of $5 and ask that they bring you back a souvenir from the gift shop from wherever they’re going.

George, Mo, and Erik (The Morning Bullpen), KILT, Houston Mom of the Year

Every great phone topic on your show should never, ever, ever start from something in a prep service.  Anytime you get the audience to tell you their story should only be after you tell your story.  The best phone calls come when you reveal who you are by sharing something that’s happening in your life now, then flipping the script and asking the audience to talk about themselves.  Use prep service phone topics and the show will sound bland and evergreen.  Generate your own and you’ll be heard as genuine and authentic.  George, Mo, and Erik (The Morning Bullpen), KILT, Houston understand this.  Mo told a story about not being able to get her kid out of a car seat because she’d just had a manicure and didn’t want to ruin her nails.  This becomes “mom of the year” stories where listeners can rat themselves out.  You can’t beat a story like this from a listener.  It can only happen if your story starts it, not a prep service.

The Ed Lover Morning Show, Jams 104.3, Chicago What’s Up With Charcuterie Boards?

The reason Jerry Seinfeld is a megastar is because he sees things we all see and he makes fun from his silly observations.  Enter the Ed Lover Morning Show, JAMS 104.3, Chicago.  Ed has the same sense of humor.  Here’s a simple break whose genesis is Ed wondering where the hell the word “charcuterie” comes from.  We’ve all enjoyed charcuterie boards.  Ed riffs on the word and, Jerry Seinfeld-like, we all nod in agreement and laugh at his observations.  What is your sense of humor?  Are you the observationalist?  The edgy person who mocks current events?  Are you the dad joke guy who laughs at rimshot punchlines?  Or maybe you’re like Jeff Foxworthy and make heady jokes out of everyday things people do.  Or your sense of humor is self-deprecating.  If you’re going to reinforce the authentic images of the show and continue to build humor images, it’s important to know your sense of humor so the show can reflect it.  If you ever met Ed Lover, this is who he is.  Which is why he’s so real.

The Uber Eats Challenge

Everyone on the show should order Uber Eats from the same restaurant at the same time in the morning. Let’s have a race to see who gets their food first. When the drivers get to the station, make sure to bring them in the studio (if you can) to talk with them about what it’s like to deliver Uber Eats (you wanna hear stories of odd deliveries) when you crown your victor.

Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix Weekend Preview With Jokes

When the plot of your show is “smart guys, stupid show”, you have all the context you need for this week’s audio.  If you listen to Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix, you’ll find a show deeply authentic to the two guys on it.  Mark and Paul are exceptionally bright guys, but easily do the dumb stuff with a wink and a nod to the audience, saying to them that they know they’re being stupid.  Show plots must be central to who is on the program.  My job as a talent coach is to get to know the personalities so well that I can help them channel more of their take on the world and sense of humor on the air.  Such is the case with these good guys and this feature proves that.  In Weekend Preview with Jokes, they make overt attempts to be local and, because we know humor drives the show, the jokes they tell fit the plot of the program perfectly.

The King’s Jubilee

The Queen of England had her jubilee.  With Father’s Day this Sunday, it’s time for dad to have his.  Get listeners to agree to treat their fathers as wonderfully as they do their mothers in May in something you can call The King’s Jubilee.

Coming Clean To Dear Old Dad

With Father’s Day a few weeks away, find out the one story your listeners have that happened when they were kids that was so edgy or embarrassing they never told their fathers.  Then get dear old dad on the other line so the kid can tell him the story and come clean after all these years.

Zach and Brittney, WBYT, South Bend, IN Zach’s Father-in-Law Loves Him

Being in radio, you and I have a certain super power.  We tend to know when listening to another show and a break starts, where they are going with that content choice.  That’s why curve balls and Easter eggs (unpredictable twists) thrill and delight the audience.  The first break for Zach and Brittney, WBYT, South Bend, IN was a call from Zach’s wife, saying her dad was upset he charged $90 to his father-in-law’s Apple account to stream a movie for the kids when they borrowed their weekend house.  That necessitated a call on the next break to Zach’s father-in-law to advance the narrative.  It was a great tease to a relatable story line.  Except, that’s not what they did.  They provided a different unexpected moment that created an even bolder laugh.