Archive for category: Free Idea

Who’s Weekend

Many shows use their first break to do a laundry list of what’s coming on the program that day.  These end up being worthless breaks because most listeners won’t ever come back (they really won’t).  What they’re looking for is the same thing they want from any and every break; relatable content that’s entertaining.  So here’s an idea, specifically for Monday shows, that will cover those needs.  It’s called “Whose Weekend?”  You guys throw out an interesting thing that happened to a cast member (“this person broke their ankle after falling from a ladder while changing a light bulb in the kitchen”).  The audience then guesses who it is, that cast member tells the story, then you’ve used the break to strategically define a cast member and entertain.

The Kids Call While on Vacation

With vacations in full swing now, ask for a different family going on their break each week to call and have their kids leave you a voicemail each night of their vacation to tell you what they did that day.  Grab the voicemail when you get in and air it.

World Record Wednesday

A fun month-long bit you can do during the fall book would be “World Record Wednesday” where on each Wednesday in one month, a member of the show (or a listener) has to break a Guinness Record.

Hunks in Trunk

There is lots of focus on web hits in most companies.  With the summer upon us, that means more beach and pool time.  Ask listeners (as well as the rest of the station staff) to take pictures of good looking guys in bathing suits while out, post them on your website, and call it “Hunks in Trunks”.

Spell What You Smell

If you have a good prize to give out, bring two listeners in to have a Smelling Bee (alternate name:  Spell What You Smell).  They sniff a smell hidden in a box and have to spell it.  You get the visceral on-air reaction of the smell before they spell it.  Some items to consider:  sulfur, ammonia, gasoline, goat cheese, compost.

Trek or Trebek Game

Another fun game which plays off the popularity of the new Star Trek movie is called “Trek or Trebek”.  Get audio from any Star Trek movie or TV show and Alex Trebek from Jeopardy. Change how the audio sounds in the production studio.  Play it for your contestant, who has to identify if the audio comes from Star Trek or Alex Trebek.  The Daily Double sound effect sounds like phasers, by the way!  After they guess, play the unaffected audio to prove it.  Hear how John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego executed the game here.

Trek or Track

Two hot topics right now are the new Star Trek movie and the Indianapolis 500.  John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego merged both for a fun game called “Trek or Track”.  They gave the listener either the name of a character on Star Trek or the last name of an Indianapolis 500 race car driver (they’re almost always foreign).  Simple games which can be played along with everyone listening at work or in the car are effective.

Skip This Ad

On a conference call recently with The J Show at B96, Chicago we were all talking about how much we hate having to watch ads online before we get to watch the TV clip we really want to see.  J then noted how much he loved how YouTube handles this – they let us skip the ad after only five seconds of it.  He then wondered if a business could grab people’s attention in just five seconds and offered anyone that amount of time to promote their business on the morning show.  The feature is called “Skip This Ad”.  Business owners come on and have to grab them in five seconds or they get buzzed out.  It was local and fun to hear people try to rise to this challenge.  Hear how they did the break on the audio page here.

Race Horse or Rapper

With one-third of the Triple Crown done, my friend Alan Peterson passes along the game “Rapper or Race Horse”.  It’s pretty self-explanatory, but he notes that lots of race horse names sound like rappers.  So, you put together a list and start quizzing the audience!  The next stage of the Triple Crown is The Preakness and is on May 18.  You can get horse names here.  Here’s a starter list for both:  Rapper or Race Horse

How Much Was That Long Receipt

Have you ever bought anything at a Rite Aid or Best Buy?  Purchase one item and the receipt is three feet long.  Here’s a dumb, silly listener engagement break called “How Much Was That Long Receipt?”  Tell the audience where you shopped, how many items you purchased, and the length (in inches) of the receipt.  The listener who comes closest to the actual total amount wins a prize.

Some of the Great Radio Stations I’ve Helped...