B96 The Awkward Compliment
I always ask shows to tell me what they do that no one else has done. The J Show, B96, Chicago, just added a new feature called “The Awkward Compliment” where J Niice walks up to people and compliments them on some small, quirky thing (I like your belt buckle, you’re very sexy when you use your computer mouse) just to see how they react. Of course he’s secretly recording all of this for the show. Odd, fun, silly completely works on a show because it captures listeners’ imagination, makes them laugh, and leaves them with something to talk with their friends about.
Usually for Mother’s Day, shows will default (as they should) to the syrupy and sweet. What stands out, though (if it fits the brand) is something with edge and attitude. That’s why, for the holiday, Kyle and Rachel, Radio NOW, Indianapolis, did something this past week called “Happy Mother Fu%#er’s Day”. They invited listeners to call and wish a Happy MF Day to the person who most recently did them wrong. Yes, the did bleep the necessary word! Below are the set up break and the subsequent break with listener calls. This one cut through!
What do you get when you cross very urban and openly gay Greg and Fernando on 99.7 NOW, San Francisco with southern redneck Texas? A weekly feature where Greg calls his mom to talk about what she’s been up to for the last several days. The audience eats this up because there is such a disparity in the lifestyles and both sides are very comfortable with who they are.
The very best radio talent communicate a very central message: I’m just like you. Sean Henry from Lite Rock B101, Rockford, IL does this effortlessly in the break below. Sean is a dad, who has normal struggles with his kids, just like the moms who listen to the radio station. He argued with his young son to do something every parent has endured. He came up with this quick, listener engagement break called “It Took Ten Minutes” where the audience guessed what took ten minutes to do, then he ran the audio talking to his kid about the “challenge” and had major, very relatable fun in the process.
This week, Boston radio was amazing. I spent much of my time listening to how they handled the Marathon bombings. And walked away very impressed. Specific kudos to the two shows I work with in Boston, Karson and Kennedy on MIX 104.1 and Karlson and McKenzie on WZLX. Both shows were spectacular the entire week. While I could have chosen literally dozens of breaks to post, I’ve decided on one done by the morning team of Toucher and Rich, 98.5 The Sports Hub, Boston. The second bomb went off outside the apartment building in which Rich lives. A place he passes through ten times a day. And a place he’d been only moments before with his young son as they went to watch the end of the Marathon. In this break, Rich tells his story. It is exceptionally moving and brilliant radio. That Rich’s wife suffers from cancer has added to a very challenging few months for his family. It all comes out in this break. We talk all the time about telling stories, about how could we ever expect the audience to get close to us if we can’t give up ourselves to them. To be vulnerable and honest. This is it, at its most masterful. In the first part of the break, listen as Rich gives first-hand details, and paints the most colorful pictures of what happened and what he saw. You literally feel as though you are there with him. In the second half of the break, his emotions come through as he expresses his grief, his fear, his anger, his frustration, and his compassion for himself, his family, his city, and all who are listening. That he spoke for them, and did so in the most real, honest, and vulnerable way, makes this an exceptionally memorable and powerful break. It lasts 13-minutes and deserved every second of it.
Great breaks require great conflict. And conflict is what happens when you remain friends with your ex-wife on Facebook! Karson, from Karson & Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston has a good relationship with his ex. This didn’t sit too well with wife number two, so she (Lana) de-friended him on Facebook. In the first break below, the show calls Lana to get the details (this is where the initial conflict is found…in how each of them view the story differently). In the second break below, Karson calls his ex-wife to let her know he’s dumped her…again. Her reaction is classic.
Lots of shows reenact a big scene from a popular movie to give out a prize. Rob and Joss, Froggy 92.9, Santa Rosa, CA go one better. They do “Upper Management Theater” where they get the cluster’s market manager and his assistant to reenact the scene. Adding this element of bad acting gives them something to react to and adds another audio component to the break to make it sparkle for those who tune in just looking to be entertained.
One of the more popular features on Karlson and McKenzie on WZLX, Boston is when Kevin talks to his mother-in-law, Patsy. These conversations are very fun, you get a true sense of who Kevin is as a person (and son-in-law), and they are highly relatable. In this break, Patsy gets her driver’s license renewed so Kevin calls to talk with her about it.
One of the criteria about bringing personal experience content to the show is if the audience will find the story intriguing and if the story has some drama or observations that will hook listeners to hear it. John, from John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego, recently took a plane ride with New York Giants QB Eli Manning. Great content is story-based. John shares his in a most enaging and authentic way. Then does the simple, yet very effective thing of getting listeners to tell their stories about seeing celebrities on planes. Both breaks are below.
Several weeks ago when the Super Bowl was the Hot Topic, Pablo and Free, WPGC, Washington, DC went looking for a unique thing around the game to engage and entertain listeners that might make them return for another show. We came up with the “Star Mangled Banner”. They found the audio of four artists singling the National Anthem at a previous game (it’s all on line). Each listener sang one of the last four words of the song (home, of, the, brave). We aired it and took calls from listeners guessing the artists. If no one figured it out, we had listeners return the next day to try again. It was unique, innovative, topical, and done in a way which resulted in additional occasions of listening.