Dave and Veronica, WQYK, Tampa do something fun when they have concert tickets to give out. Knowing country listeners distaste for rap music, they marry the two genres to give them out. They take the lyrics of a popular country song and Veronica does them rap style. The listener has to guess the song to win. I especially like the jingle they use to stage the game, which has “we’re about to be silly” written all over it.
Games are best when they can also be played by listeners in their cars. John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego, do their version of The Pyramid called “The Friday Face Off”. Here’s one they take an extra step by using a category that completely fits the weekend The Grammys are on TV. This is topical, fun, shows the chemistry of the team, with listeners playing along. They want to have a good time when they wake up – this is a great example of that.
Sometimes listing out for the little things can actually make an interview go from good to great. Waiting for their Garth Brooks interview to start, Dave and Veronica, WQYK, Tampa heard a zipper. Hmm, I wonder what that is! They capitalized on hearing it to start the interview, thus setting a silly course to a conversation with the superstar. In a day when everyone gets the big names, it’s what you do with the interview that sets you apart. Listen to this terrific, very fun interview they had with Garth.
The best content ideas tend to come up when shows and I are just bullshitting on our weekly calls. A few weeks back, Stacey K and Jonah, HOT 101.7, Santa Rosa, CA were gabbing about how long the drive thru takes when getting coffee in the morning. So, we decided to test things by going to one and timing waiting in your car to order and pick up your coffee verses going in. This is relatable content being done in a very memorable way. It also has an element to it where listeners are glued to the radio to see how it ends, as they’ve considered it before, too.
It’s important to be where the listeners are psychologically. With recent bad weather in the nation’s capital, The Pablo Show, WPGC, Washington, DC decided to talk with listeners who didn’t want to go into work because of it. They chose one of the listeners and got their boss on the other line to request the day off for them. Be on the most important topics of the day for your market (on this day, it was the weather for DC) and do something with them that not only is fun, but cannot be replicated by anyone across the street because you thought to do it.
Two critical steps for any show to be successful is having a finite content plots and interesting, defined characters. At The J Show, B96, Chicago, one of the ways w eco this is by the parent of a cast member coming on and offering two stories about their kid. One is right, the other is fake. The audience has to figure out which one is true to win. In the process, we hear a great story and the cast member is further defined.
Listeners love to be let in on the relationships cast members have with each other and their families. In fact, making them feel like they are a part of your family is critical in developing loyalty from them. That loyalty equals huge levels of cume and TSL. Rob and Joss, Froggy 92.9, Santa Rosa, CA understand this. Which is why, back when Christmas season was in full force, Joss’s dad hung her Christmas lights. Except she had to make a confession to him. So she called him on the air to handle things. This is making listeners a part of the family.
Great radio is story-based. Listeners love to hear stories. Most TV shows are grounded in telling an ongoing narrative. Hit records are stories. They are so important and valuable as content. Michelle, from Sean and Michelle, Lite Rock B103, Rockford, IL was recently at a sandwich shop. A rather regular occurrence for many of us. Here she tells the story of the guy in front of her, who kept ordering his food while also on the phone. Stories are great because they have details and twists and turns which make listeners lean in to hear how the story ends. Michelle accomplishes all of this in the telling of the story.
Benchmarks must be highly unique, very fun, accentuate a program’s brand of humor, and (if possible) reinforce a character role on the show. Enter “Breakfast with Bryan” on Ty Loves New York, 92.3, NOW, New York City. In this feature, phone screener Bryan talks with a listener about something they recently put in their mouth to eat. With innuendo and comedic pauses, it sounds naughty, but isn’t. No one else can do this because it’s unique to Bryan and the show.
There might be no better character development for radio talent then when they’re talking to relatives on the show. This is when they become regular people. The father of John from John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego, was celebrating a birthday. Listen to the birthday call to his dad below – how John becomes that disappointing son while retaining his self-deprecating sense of humor. In these breaks, listeners see themselves and walk away with the, “he’s just like me” image. That’s a very powerful element in developing a relationship with a listener so they return to the program.