WIL, St. Louis You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
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.
Audio helps you tell a story. When planning your breaks, part of the prep process should be to see if audio exists to help place your commentary and observations in context (i.e. when talking about something you saw on TV, that audio helps bring in those who didn’t see the show – which is a majority of those listening). Likewise, ask what audio might exist that will heighten the entertainment factor of the break. Rob and Joss, Froggy, 92.9, Santa Rosa, CA got into a discussion of Joss’s love of holiday decorating and the topic of her mother came up. The team is also a couple, which the audience knows, which gives Rob license to have fun with Joss’s mother in the conversation. Here, but briefly, Rob uses the wicked witch of the west music from The Wizard of Oz solely to put more energy and laughter in the break, thus helping the story-telling and creating more fun.
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.
You must be in the moment for content. You must be in the moment for content. You must be in the moment for content. There – I said it three times so I must mean it. We live in this pop culture world. So much so that shows that win big own the topics of the day in a way their competitor cannot. Ken Bone was the guy in the red sweater at the second presidential debate in St. Louis who asked the question about climate change. Ken (or more importantly his red sweater) made for an internet sensation. So…Spencer’s Neighborhood, 106.5 The Arch, St. Louis, tracked Ken down (he’s local) for an in-studio interview. Inviting him into The Bone Zone, they talked with him about his debate appearance, but then had him read some tweets about himself, thus creating a fun moment, around a top of the day, that our competitors did not have. What are you doing around those Hot Topics that’s unique to you? This interview is an A+ all the way around.
You want to connect with your demo? Understand what their life is like day-to-day. These are conversations you should also be having in your prep sessions – even asking people in the building who are the demo about the things going on in their lives to broaden the conversation. Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston, heard about a local woman who was going on strike in her home because her kids and husband did nothing around the house. The easy part is getting her on for an interview. Elevate the creative by committing to checking on her regularly throughout the strike for support and then bringing the narrative arc to a conclusion for her and the audience by brokering a peace accord. One of the check-ins is below. Every female listening to this show is nodding in agreement and laughing along with the storyline, forging yet another connection point for the talent with the demo.