Get ready for Valentine’s Day by having promotions put together “Booty Call Go Kits”. Take callers that day (it’s on a Tuesday this year) who’ll commit to meeting at home around lunch for a nooner. In the kit can be oils and lotions, roses and cholocates, condoms, and a CD of Barry White music (or something equally as sexy). The next day, these couples come back on the show to talk about it.
A different way to do a large, pop culture story that has an odd twist is for the occasional “Morning Show Mystery Question”. You tell listeners you have a mystery question and won’t ask it until you put them on the air. The first correct answer wins, then you talk about the story. Today’s question might be: “Chaz Bono just called off his engagement to his girlfriend and announced he’s saving his money to buy something he really wants. What is it?” Take your callers and spring this question on them (do not ask it ahead of time). The first person to say “he wants to buy a penis” wins and then you can have fun with the story! Because it’s true – see here.
With New Year’s resolutions at the top of most people’s lists, how about sending someone out from the show to an area gym. It’ll be packed with people whose goal is to lose weight. They set up a stand outside the gym offering free donuts to folks coming and going, recording them for your show to capture their reaction.
This one’s a really easy relationships-based game. Karson & Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston does “Christmas Match Game”. They solicit for a couple to call. They put one on hold (so they cannot hear the station) and ask the other five things they want for Christmas. They then bring the listener’s partner back and if they know three of them, they win. Simple and easy!
Anything with “Idol” on the end of it always works. How about sending the kid of a show member out to sit on the laps of mall Santas in your town. While on his lap to tell the Big Guy what they want for Christmas, the kid should ask Santa to sing a quick line of his favorite Christmas carol. Air all of them in a holiday bit called “Santa Idol”.
This is the time of year everyone around us asks for holiday gratuities. From your hairdresser to your mail carrier to the person who delivers your morning newspaper. Gather up a few and stage a one week American Idol-type competition between them. The winner gains the affection of the show and your team’s public support to their customers for a bigger holiday gratuity this year!
What would be very easy and very simple is to find out how listeners’ holidays weekends went sideways. Eddie and JoBob, KHITS, Chicago suggested a great frame for this phone topic, considering the Thanksgiving holiday: “Turkey-Trasrophes”.
A PD friend recently told me his son put together a Power Point presentation on what he wanted for Christmas. His folks were sat down in the living room and the kid ran through the pros and cons of his list for parental consideration. So…how about getting some kids to put together pitches for Santa? Get a Santa character and kids come on to do the audio version of their pitch on why they deserve what’s on this year’s list!
Here’s a terrific character development bit called “Three Questions”. During one break, the anchor of the show asks the cast three very personal questions (i.e. who in this room has had sexual fantasies of someone else in the room, has anyone in this room ever stolen anything, who here secretly distrusts a family member). Instead of answering, the cast members who would answer in the affirmative just raise their hands. The entire break is being video recorded and placed on the website so P1s can see who answers “yes” to the questions. The next day at the the same time, the anchor rolls down the questions again, but this time, those who answered “yes” are revealed and they give more details on their answer!
Despite the ratings not being too stellar on FOX’s “The X Factor”, there’s still no reason you can’t have fun with it. In the final couple of weeks of this show, do “The Sales Factor” where you have a singing competition amongst the sales staff at the radio station over the course of one week. Listeners will have fun with the sales people trying to sing. Pit two head-to-head in each competition with listeners voting one off. The winner gets a free live commercial on your show for a client of their choice.