Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

The recipe of a quirky take on a Hot Topic, along with a novel listener-based approach, will tend to yield a content break that’s sticky and memorable because it made people laugh or have a good time around something interesting to them.  Jay Leno had a field day with “Jay Walking” where he asked people weird questions just to see how they’d answer.  A few weeks ago, Rebekah Black from The Jody Dean Show, KLUV, Dallas, asked people on the street about their taxes.  How they answer her odd questions is where the lean in moments happen, producing a fun experience listeners might want to come back again for the next day.

Two tenants of great talent are their ability to tell a story and a comfort enough with themselves to show their flaws.  Listeners root for radio talent who aren’t perfect.  Those who can put their mess out in the world and seemingly say, “I am just like you – things don’t work out for me sometimes.”  That self-deprecation helps talent bond with listeners.  If you look at David Letterman and Howard Stern, they built franchises around the “I’m just not good enough” vibe.  Cindy from Cindy and Jimmy, Star 94, Atlanta shows this in our audio clip this week.  She tells a story about how her youngest daughter accidentally gets her cell phone and butt dials an ex. The fun, imperfect part comes in how Cindy gets out of the call.  They then launch phones for similar stories from listeners, which doubles the fun.