Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

Sue and Kendra, Magic 106.7, Boston with Story Calls

April 20, 2025

Phones drive lots of morning shows. They should. Inviting listeners to tell their stories is a time-tested treatment to many content choices that helps you form a connection with fans. But not all questions work for phone topics. Ask a question with only a yes/no answer (or an A/B choice) works against you. Role play this – if you propose the question to someone in prep and they have an either/or choice and your only response is “why”, you have a dead end topic. We are storytellers and that’s what you want in phones. Case in point is Sue and Kendra, Magic 106.7, Boston who used the passing of actor Richard Chamberlain to launch a topic about unmissable TV shows when we were kids. You might think this will be nothing more than listeners naming TV programs. But as you’ll hear, the hosts and callers tell stories, which is where the win appears. Nostalgia works and stories around that make this score a solid A for the topic and treatment of the content.

Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston with One Star Uber Reviews

April 13, 2025

Character development is when you define yourself to the audience. When you do that, a connection forms and the audience gets to know you, which is central to radio’s greatest strength – the intimate bond between the listener and the talent. Often, it’s you telling a story about your life the audience sees themselves in or when you’re talking about a topic and being honest in your opinion. I will always reward new ways to define you to fans. Here is a unique idea I’d never consider. Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston figured out how to see how many one-star reviews they’ve received in their Uber app. They each looked in theirs and had the audience guess who had the most. Fun and clever. And now, all yours!

Matt, Gabe, and Captain Ron, 100.7 The Wolf, Seattle with The Great Hooters Debate

April 6, 2025

Story lines that last a few days on the show and compel additional occasions of listening to get to a conclusion are a smart move to get your fans to tune in from one day to the next. Find one and think about like a book. The first chapter expresses the characters and drama and the final chapter concludes the story line with resolution. In between are chapters that move the narrative forward. Matt, Gabe, and Captain Ron, 100.7 The Wolf, Seattle launched one last week that was highly entertaining. Chapter One: Gabe is in a long distance relationship, just found out her boyfriend goes to Hooters a lot with his friends, and doesn’t like it. Make this come alive in the middle and ending chapters so listeners follow along and wonder what will happen. Here are the final two chapters. Matt getting on his wife, Vanessa, to get her thoughts (additional drama), and finally Gabe talking with her boyfriend to hear his decision on no longer doing it.

Thunder and PT, 102.9 The Wolf, Minneapolis with the Alan Jackson Scam

March 30, 2025

A hypothetical: a co-worker tells you a story that they were at a restaurant over the weekend when Ben Affleck and a companion came in and sat at the table next to them. He talked with your co-worker the entire meal and then paid for it. What would you do with that? Sadly, many shows would take the path of least resistance. They’d get on and tell their co-worker’s story to the audience. When the smarter move would be to have the co-worker on to tell their story. When an interesting story appears, always find someone who actually was in the story to come on the show to tell it themselves. It’ll be much more impactful. Simple, right? This is an easy way to make that break better. Have people tell their own stories – and all you need to do is facilitate it. Thunder and PT, 102.9 The Wolf, Minneapolis get this. A listener’s mom is being scammed by a fake Alan Jackson online. They got the kid on to tell the story and it feels much different.

Mojo in the Morning, Channel 95.5, Detroit with The Kids Make Him Cry

March 23, 2025

There should be so much going on in life (yours and your show) that you can replace the more bland and boring topics with personal stuff. Character development comes when you’re honest with the audience and when you reveal who you are. A strategic goal should be to move the audience to care about you so that connection happens. Some of the very best examples happen on Mojo in the Morning, Channel 95.5, Detroit. Wanna know why this show is so successful? The audience feels like they know them. And we like to spend time with people we know. Last Father’s Day, the show decided to prove how easy it is for Mojo’s kids to make him cry. They had each kid send him a note, which he read/played on-the-air. The reactions are great. The content and treatment are so good, you can see why a break like this will beat something like Hollywood News every time.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

Sue and Kendra, Magic 106.7, Boston with Story Calls

Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston with One Star Uber Reviews

Matt, Gabe, and Captain Ron, 100.7 The Wolf, Seattle with The Great Hooters Debate

Thunder and PT, 102.9 The Wolf, Minneapolis with the Alan Jackson Scam

Mojo in the Morning, Channel 95.5, Detroit with The Kids Make Him Cry

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