Every show has its regular, quirky callers. For Karlson & McKenzie at WZLX, Boston, his name is Kenny, who calls almost daily. Considering it’s Christmas time, Kenny phoned because he wanted to talk to Mrs. Claus. The show happily obliged in this fun and unpredictable conversation.
With the biggest stories of the day, people want to be brought inside. They can get the facts anywhere on the internet, but inside stuff is intriguing and entertaining. Scotty Davis from The Scotty Show at Radio Now, Indianapolis is a golf freak. He knows lots of golfers who know lots about Tiger Woods. Here’s a member of the LPGA telling her story (voice disguised to protect her identity) about what she knows about how bad a boy Tiger actually is!
Here’s a terrific interview Karson & Kennedy at MIX 104.1, Boston did with Suze Orman. It’s great because the opening question (“what’s the one mistake people make when spending money at the holidays”) sets Suze up to be…Suze! She is a great story-teller, very authentic, and captures you with her honesty and perspective. One great twist was when Karson asked Suze about a letter he’d received in the mail from a past creditor asking for money. In this shift, Suze taught us something we didn’t know, the content stayed very relevant, and we learned about the talent, too.
CBS-TV is running a PSA this holiday season encouraging men to buy the gift Santa can’t get their wives this holiday season, a Pap smear. So, Kevin Karlson at WZLX, Boston decided to call his wife what he was getting her this year. This break is excellent for a few reasons: first, it’s very funny. Second, listen to what he gets done in the first 30 seconds – he builds anticipation to hook you, and then introduces other audio elements (the PSA, his wife) to bring some dimension into the break. Finally, overall, we get the essence of his relationship with his wife, which sounds completely dysfunctional, and is the plot of our show!
Oprah decides to retire her TV show and it’s time for some laughter. The one thing most make fun of is how over-the-top Oprah is when introducing a celebrity on her program. Enter Mojo in the Morning at Channel 95.5, Detroit, who asked his listeners to mock Oprah introducing a B-list celebrity of their choice on to her show.
The thesis of the J and Julian Show on B96, Chicago is our multiculturalism. This is the aspect we play up big time. On a show with a distinctive African American, Asian, and Anglo perspective, we really reflect the vibe of the city. So it makes sense for Julian to call his Asian mother to tell her he’s bringing his Afrian American friend (J) home for Thanksgiving. Julian is his mom’s son! Listen to the fun and strategic character development happening.
The holidays are here. Which means every husband will get his list of things that must be done around the house to prepare for visitors. At B101, Philadelphia, Michael Chew is the average husband (and we say that affectionally!). As the new cast member of the Tiffany and Michael morning show, our short term goal is to burnish Michael’s credentials as a married guy. That’s why they put his wife, Nancy, on to detail the list of those things around the house which need to be done. Listen as Michael shifts to “husband mode” as he reacts to her lengthy to-do list!
Great radio is real. It comes from the talent letting listeners into their lives. Listen to this perfectly executed break as McKenzie lets the rest of the team know that she’s expecting a baby on The Scotty Show on Radio Now, Indianapolis.
Anyone can do a Hollywood Report. But only Bill Tanner, on Cliff and Company on KSON, San Diego, can do one that rhymes. This strong, hourly benchmark draws in extra cume because it’s content is relevant and fun to listen to!
Tiffany & Michael at B101, Philadelphia had a chance to talk to Jerry Springer a while ago. What’s great about this interview are the topics they chose to talk with him about. It didn’t center around whatever he was selling, it was around very high equity topics: Oprah retiring, Dancing with the Stars, Thanksgiving, and wrapped up with a question-and-answer session where they got him to reveal things about his life that are intriguing. Tiffany & Michael were masters in this interview at choosing topics to talk with Jerry about that a wide swath of the audience were interested in.