Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

Evolving story lines keep listeners hooked to stay to a conclusion.  Much like a TV show, we keep coming back because we want the ending.  This was the case with Zog and Ivy Unleashed, Power 96, Miami.  Zog shared on a Zoom that he’d gone to the mall to buy some T-shirts.  They only had a few in his size so he took those and the store shipped the rest.  When the package arrived at his home, he got all the ordered T-shirts as well as doubles for the ones he already had.  To many shows, this would be a one-off break.  But, we played with it.  When I asked the room what Zog should do, and if he were to keep them all if he were stealing, we were off to the races on a story line to hook the audience.  Break #1 is the dilemma and moral question, break #2 are calls with listeners chiming in, and, because he’s a good guy and doesn’t want the worker to get in trouble (keeping in character), break #3 is Zog calling the mall store to ask what he should do.  So instead of one break, we get three to extend listening with a story that has an unexpected conclusion.

Each of us in radio have call letters that will always be meaningful.  Today’s audio comes from one for me because this is where I started my morning show career, when on-the-air.  I jokingly say that it took this station firing me, then re-hiring me, then my leaving for things to click professionally.  Chris and Dina, WMAS-FM, Springfield, MA own every single demo in the market.  They have large leads because they are excellent broadcasters, understating why listeners tune in each day – what they’re looking for.  And central to that is connection.  They are deeply connected to the audience because they share their lives with their fans.  Dina went missing for a few weeks because her mom unexpectedly passed away.  It’s powerful to talk about something like this with the audience as it’s pure character development and very emotional.  Here’s Dina sharing with the audience what happened.  Her mom was a big part of the show so, Chris tilted the sadness at the end by re-airing a time she was on that was fun to hear again.