Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

Rick Astley is having a birthday and, because Rick Rolling is a thing, Chris and Dina, WMAS-FM, Springfield, MA created content from it.  You’d never know how many artists actually sound like Rick Astley.  They grabbed the hooks of several songs.  Some of them Rick and some not.  The listener had to correctly guess if they were being Rick Rolled when they heard the hook.  I love several things about this idea:  it’s music and hit-oriented and there’s never a downside to do something musically.  The audience is playing along because this is vicarious.  And who’s not singing as the hooks are playing because all the songs are familiar.  Familiarity is really critical when people wake up so you can help acclimate them into the day.  All around a simple and effective idea.

Sometimes listeners bring stories filled with drama.  What makes the best stories memorable are details of tension that advance them to conclusion.  Watch any great TV show or movie and this is the technique script writers use to hook us quickly and keep us on the edge of our seats so we stay until the end.  Chris and Dina, WMAS-FM, Springfield, MA had one such experience in their Feel Good feature when a caller told them that he solved the case of a stolen car in the neighborhood by accessing the cameras outside his house.  When he found out a neighbor’s car was taken outside his home, he looked at the footage to help the cops nab the culprit.  What we’re given is a compelling story of high drama and humanity of one person helping another.  This is memorable content.