Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

KSON Isis Threatens Airplane

February 8, 2015

kson_johntammy_500x350 When faced with telling a news story, all shows have options. The first (and easiest) is to just recount the story as you’ve read it, sprinkle in some commentary, and then move along. This is one-dimensional, somewhat boring to listen to, and (if I might be so bold) lazy. Another option is to tell the story and then open the phones for some reason. The third, and probably most powerful thing to do, is find someone in the story and get them to tell it, with you being inquisitive, asking all the right questions, and reacting naturally to what you hear from their first-person account. Isis has been threatening airplanes. John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego found someone on one of them and the gal’s recounting of her experience is absolutely emotional and riveting. Grab your audience and don’t let go and they’ll come back. Here are the interview segments proving that.

WNOW The Super Bowl Sex Party

February 1, 2015

Kyle & Rachel One of the easier breaks to do on a Friday show is to simply ask listeners that they’re doing that weekend. It’s completely lifestyle and will be a potpourri of things you can explore, even going back to a few on Monday if something truly interesting comes up. Which brings us to Kyle and Rachel, Radio NOW, Indianapolis, from this past Friday. When listeners were sharing what they were up to, the team was completely taken aback when one caller said she was going to a Super Bowl Sex Party and that it was thrown by someone everyone knew, who was on TV in town. Intrigue is critical to making a break work. Kyle convinced the caller to give him the name of the person off-air, introducing this x-factor into the break. Only he and co-host B-Lorde know who this person is (Rachel left the studio not wanting to hear the name). Now listeners wonder, too. Resulting in a question they’ll be asked for months: who is it? Here is the initial break they did with subsequent calls from listeners.

WGFB Sean is An Idiot

January 25, 2015

b103_seanmichelle_500x350 Let me into your life, let me learn about your relationship. One of the great attributes of the TV show “Everybody Loves Raymond” was how Ray could never do anything right. This is a thread through Sean and Michelle, B103, Rockford, IL (not because we’re copying the TV show, but because it’s true in Sean’s relationship with Amy, his wife). Sean has no issue being real and vulnerable. That’s one thing to learn from this audio. The other is how smart the show is in getting his wife on to participate in the story-telling, allowing Sean to be himself and for Michelle to have the most natural of reactions. Without Amy involved in telling this story, it sits flat. Having her on with the team makes it come alive.

WQYK Dave Helps an Accident Victim

January 18, 2015

wqyk_daveveronica_500x350 Tell stories. That’s central to great radio. Not lists or surveys or generic content listeners can’t emotionally engage with. What listeners of all ages respond to is hearing compelling stories with drama, conflict, and twists and turns. Dave McKay from Dave and Veronica, WQYK, Tampa has experiences in life and effortlessly shares them with the audience that define him, communicate his humanity, and engage people so they care about him. The audience cares about the show as a result of this team’s ability to tell stories. Here’s one, as an example, of terrific story-telling to accomplish all those goals.

KHTH The Jewelry Store Robbery

January 11, 2015

One very critical element to crafting a successful break is to engage elements in story-telling where the listener feels like they were there when it’s told. Stacey K & Jonah, Hot 101.7, Santa Rosa, CA recently heard that a salesperson at the radio station was on the phone with a worker at a local jewelry store as it was being robbed. They had two options: tell the sales person’s story based on what they heard. Or get the sales person to come on and gather the details by asking the right questions. Having the person on repositions the story in the first person and is much more emotional where all the talent had to do is ask the right questions to probe the story and react naturally.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

KSON Isis Threatens Airplane

WNOW The Super Bowl Sex Party

WGFB Sean is An Idiot

WQYK Dave Helps an Accident Victim

KHTH The Jewelry Store Robbery

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