AMP 103.3, Boston TJ Sends His Mother Something Inappropriate from Amazon
There is great character development when a cast member puts their parent on the show. Immediately, you become their kid (not a DJ or “radio personality”) because of the conversation. Always wanting to show his mischievous side, TJ from The TJ Show, AMP 103.3, Boston decided to send something inappropriate to his mother through Amazon. Ever the craftsman, TJ understands what elements need to be in place to create compelling audio and a conversation with conflict that can be aired so the listener not only feels a part of the scenario, but is entertained in the process, wanting to hear how it will end. Listen to not only what TJ concocts, but how he presents this. The thesis of the conflict appears in the first 20 seconds of the break to hook you (the audience knows everything in the set up so they only need to focus on his mother’s reactions), the approach is novel and unique, you can relate to it, you want to know how it will be resolved, and how TJ uses FaceTime audio to advance the narrative.
Music-based features resonate with listeners. Which is why Rob and Joss, Froggy 92.9, Santa Rosa, CA do a weekly feature called “Write a Song Wednesday”. They choose a topic (in this case Star Wars) and tap into it comedically by asking listeners to suggest lines for the song. A local musician then puts together a short tune using listener’s funny suggestions. The nice addition to the feature, considering it was Christmas-time, was that the team decided to parody “Santa Baby” and make a song called “Vader Baby”. These songs are always short (60-75 seconds), have a listener component to them, and work to a goal of creating some fun.
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.
Self-deprecating humor is a huge attribute to get the audience to root for you. David Letterman and Howard Stern, in part, built their empires on the persona that they weren’t good enough, smart enough, or funny enough to be popular. That made them even more authentic and positioned them as the kind of personalities you root for because they are confident and comfortable enough to make fun of themselves. Here’s an idea you can bank for next Halloween. The Cruz Show, Power 106, Los Angeles, showed kids pictures of the cast and asked them which person on the program was so ugly, they didn’t need a Halloween mask. Kids have no filter and, as you know, are brutally honest. What comes (towards the end of this short break below) are funny reactions that endear the audience to each cast member as they’re chosen.
Fun benchmarks serve two main purposes for a show: they help develop significant “fun” images. Shows cannot win if they’re not perceived as fun by their audience. This is one of the chief reasons listeners turn you on – there is no show that can win without this image. The other benefit of a terrific benchmark is that it creates an appointment into the show for listeners. Considering PPM is a game of occasions, unique and fun benchmarks do this for you. Trivia and games are an easy vehicle to develop into a benchmark because they are vicarious. But…(important), it’s how you do it that gives you both benefits. Any TV game show is basically built around trivia. Its execution is what cannot be duplicated. At Amanda and Jesse, B105, Cincinnati, we took the typical “name a certain number of items in a category” game and created Beat the Bear, where the caller has to name the category items or…they’ll be mauled by a bear. Few have survived, which is the hook for the win. Here is an example of an effective, strategic benchmark.
The goal each morning is to be silly and fun in a way that reflects your brand and your program’s collective sense-of-humor. The Big Dave Show, B105, Cincinnati has a highly opinionated, terrifically goofy listener who always calls that they’ve turned into a recurring character for Halloween in a feature called What Would Scarecrow Do? Listeners call with their Halloween costume dilemma and Scarecrow has at it. With the tension of the presidential race and the world, your audience is looking for a respite from the stresses of life. Humor cures anxiety and there is lots of it. This show (Big Dave, Chelsie, and Statt) are picking up a CMA Award this week in Nashville for the Best Large Market Show (exceptionally proud, it’s very deserved). This goofy audio is a four-minute break from the world, which is exactly what the doctor ordered. You’ll love the jingle.