Here’s a new Letterman-esque idea you can put in the grab bag and do on occasion. Get a quirky What Did You Have For Breakfast jingle (AI can do that for you) and open the phones, asking listeners what they had for breakfast. Sure you’ll get the standard answers of cereal and eggs and bacon. But what you’re looking for are the people who have the off-menu items like bags of potato chips and beer.
Shows that ask listeners on Friday what they’re doing that weekend are really smart. It’s a question all co-workers ask in the office that day. With some phone screening, you air the most interesting. Then, for one that grabs you, ask if you can talk with them on Monday to see how it went.
Trump and Harris are having their only debate this week. The question is how do you tap into this highly familiar topic without it being about politics? Easy, peasy. Do Drunk at the Debate. Get audio from both and doctor it so they sound drunk. Make sure to do both and then ponder why they’d have cocktails before the event.
With schools back in session, time to determine who the smartest person is on the show. Get a teacher to come in and administer a test to your team they give their students every Monday. Aggregate the results over one month (four Mensa Mondays) to see who the smartest is. If you don’t have many people on your show, include the afternoon show or and/or the entire airstaff to create more fun.
We are on the cusp of a new year of NFL and college football games. You know what might be fun? Get male listeners to call their wives or girlfriends on the air to ask their permission to watch the games this year.
We start a new season of school with everyone teeming with excitement. Talk to a teacher, and they’ll tell you stories of difficult parents. Go gather audio from teachers, asking each to give you one or two “rules” from them for parents. Then, as school commences, share that audio with your audience. (Gathering it now instead of it being a phone topic will allow you to curate the best ones into produced features.)
Here’s a fun summertime promotion compliments of Marci Braun, Brand Manager, WUSN, Chicago. They had a gas grill to win in a promotion. The caller had to curse them out to get qualified to win it. They obviously bleeped all the curse words before airing the call, which made it funnier. It was called Profane for Propane.
With the Olympics in full swing, every time you play a game this week and the listener wins, play the national anthem of the country of their ancestors. You can find all of these online (even cheesy versions, which would be funnier). Find out the country of their heritage before you play the game or contest and have it ready.
With the Paris Olympics the big topic for the next two weeks, have one cast member of the show (or a fellow employee if you are not part of a team) do a daily medal count update at 8am each morning. The only hitch is they have to do it in French!
Everyone’s headed out on vacation in the next month. Do a weekly phone topic asking listeners where they’re headed for vacation. Then ask them to send you a selfie from vacation. Print all the pictures you get and put them on a wall in the studio you will name The Wall of Vacation Selfies.