Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

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.

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.