WNKS “Cassidy Not Invited to the Wedding”
What radio has over all other forms of media is that it’s personal. That level of intimacy helps create a bond with the audience that makes them loyal. Recently, Cassidy, on Drex and Maney, KISS 95.1, Charlotte, admitted to the audience that she was not being invited to the wedding of a close friend. The honesty and vulnerability of that story defines Cassidy and creates a level of empathy from listeners that is very valuable. Here are the two breaks they did – one the story, the other listener’s reaction.
The morning of the Vice Presidential debate in October, Rob and Joss, Froggy 92.9, Santa Rosa, CA did something very clever. They gave a political civics quiz to two people who were second-in-command where they worked. This works because it plays off the theme of the day, uses appropriate trivia, and is done in a way where listeners can play along in their cars on the way to work.
The goal of any interview with a celebrity is to humanize them from the start. Stars come on because they’re promoting something. Humanizing them makes listeners more receptive to the sales job at the end. Jimmy Rollins plays for the Philadelphia Phillies and is a huge local star. Coming on to promote his charity event, listen to the things Tiffany and Michael, B101, Philadelphia talk with him about to create fun and make him a real person.
The audio posted this week has been chosen for one specific reason – to show you how chemistry plays a role in creating fun and an environment listeners want to be around. Listeners can tell if the team likes each other. Here’s Dave and Veronica at WQYK, Tampa just playing around with each other when a listener called. You can’t fake chemistry. The audience knows if it’s real or not. Show your playfulness and listeners will want to wake up with you because they feel a part of your team.
The audience does want to hear about the lives of the people on the show. Especially when their experiences are very relatable. Rachel, from Kyle and Rachel, Radio NOW, Indianapolis, recently went to the dentist. To have the work done, Rachel had to get the laughing gas. They could have just talked about it. But the break got good because Kyle went along and recorded a conversation with Rachel while she was loopy. This is fun and very memorable.
The best ideas tend to come from real life – developing ideas from things that happen to you shift the perception from it being a “bit” to something more organic. Karson, from Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston, walked in on his mother-in-law while she was visiting with him, when she had no pants on. Oops! To give out some concert tickets, the show did “Beat That”, where the listener with the best story beating his won.
One of my all-time favorite holiday bits is “Scared Straight Santa” as done by Karlson and McKenzie at WZLX, Boston. In this feature, Pete McKenzie calls a kid who’s been naughty as Santa Claus to call them out. It’s after the holdiays, but the execution of this is flawless. From the fun audio segments they use up front to set the tone to the call with the kid (who was obviously having a good time with all of it), this bit has just enough attitude and fun to make people talk. Hang on to it for next year (or for July when Santa has a lot of time on his hands!).
Just up the road in Baltimore, a school bus driver lost their temper with a student. This lead to a great phone topic about the time you lost it at work. Great phones are always stories. Here’s a break from Pablo and Free, WPGC, Washington, who talk to a listener who defines again the meaning of “going postal”.
How did two Reynolds Group shows handle one of this week’s big topics, Powerball? Jim and Kim, Fresh 102.7, New York got several people from the same office on the line, bought them a ticket, then made them recite a pledge to their boss on the show to resign the next day when they won the money. Sean Henry, B103, Rockford, IL brought the sales guy in who put together the office pool together to figure out how the eleven people who pooled their money would split their winnings, which was eight dollars. Both approaches to the hot topic were novel, unique, and well executed.