Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego John Doesn’t Get Taylor Tickets, Too

November 20, 2022

This week was a debacle for Taylor Swift fans who were tormented by Ticketmaster. Tons tried, but few got tickets to see her in concert. An imperative image for any show to own is “they’re just like you”. Rooted in authenticity, one of radio’s super powers is to convince the audience that you are just like them. That intimacy (that you are real) helps the bonding process to build a strong relationship. John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego are exactly that. Which is why John tried to get Taylor tickets from Ticketmaster this week, like everyone else. The only difference? John is on the radio so he recorded his mood as he endured the long wait, eventually failing, too. To be like the audience, you must have similar experiences. Living that on-the-air helps your fans know you are just like them!

The Josie Dye Show with Carlin and Brent, Indie 88, Toronto Dani Still Has It

November 13, 2022

One of the challenges of a three-person show is that you have two talent of the same gender and need to focus on separating them perceptually. Such is the exercise with The Josie Dye Show with Carlin and Brent, Indie 88, Toronto. Brent’s single and Carlin is getting married is one trait that separates these two male voices to the audience. This breaks does that. We do lots of content talking about Carlin’s fiance and the stories they generate. That’s all on purpose to reach the goal of separating Carlin and Brent’s on-air personas. Carlin went to bed early one night and his fiance, Dani, went out with friends. When she got home, she woke him to boast that she’d been hit on multiple times at the bar. Carlin said that Dani still has “it”. Two things to listen for in this break – a great story that moves Carlin away from Brent’s singleness and the language used in the telling of the story to stand out. Plus, to make the break even better, Dani is included at just the right moment for an additional level of storytelling to keep the audience hooked and the energy level high.

Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix How Much Do You Make?

November 6, 2022

Here’s a feature I thought would be a total dud that completely surprised me. We decided to take for a test ride How Much Do You Make on Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix. A listener calls and tells you their profession. The cast then asks all the obvious follow-up questions to gather information about the person and his or her job. They then get to guess at that person’s salary. The caller then reveals it. Parade Magazine has an annual issue where they share what people in certain professions make. This is our version and we were surprised at the number of listeners who felt comfortable participating. It works because you’re getting to know a listener, delving into their life, and asking questions that make it vicarious where other listeners driving into their workplaces are trying to figure out the salary, too.

John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego My Ex Made Me a Billionaire

October 30, 2022

Powerball pushes a billion dollar payout this week and we all know that it owns media turf when the number is that high. That’s your first threshold to determine if a topic is good for your show. Is the topic near-everywhere? Then the big question: how do we align ourselves with the topic in a way that expresses our take and sense of humor? That treatment of the topic makes it distinctively yours. That’s a must if you’re going to stand out in the cluttered marketplace of radio shows and choices for entertainment. Our Monday Morning Free Idea this week is My Ex Made Me a Billionaire. A divorced couple comes on and each chooses half the numbers and then you buy that ticket and give it to them. It gives you a chance to explore what happened in the relationship, which is the big win. Here’s John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego doing it when the lottery was at a similar height.

Karen, Johnny, and Intern Anthony, WNEW-FM, New York Mother or Smother Anthony

October 23, 2022

Here’s another terrific example of getting right to your substantive content on the show. Intern Anthony’s eye has hurt for a couple days. Karen, Johnny, and Intern Anthony, WNEW-FM, New York have at it big time. This is the kind of simple, very relatable content that will help you connect with the audience – how men “suffer” differently when they’re sick. Karen, who mothers the two boys on the show, had had enough. So they opened the phones to let other female listeners have at Anthony, too. They asked the audience to mother or smother him. The thing to listen for is how quickly the show gets to the substantive storytelling in this break. Within ten seconds, the topic is set and they are already talking to a caller. The energy level and playful tension remain high throughout. In many instances, we’d feel the need to ramp up the topic with a big backstory with all the details after we ID the station, give the weather, and tell everyone about the big promotion coming up. That just delays serving the true needs of the audience for content. Don’t waste listeners time! Here’s a great example of a break on a show that doesn’t.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego John Doesn’t Get Taylor Tickets, Too

The Josie Dye Show with Carlin and Brent, Indie 88, Toronto Dani Still Has It

Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix How Much Do You Make?

John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego My Ex Made Me a Billionaire

Karen, Johnny, and Intern Anthony, WNEW-FM, New York Mother or Smother Anthony

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