Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

There’s this exercise I do when brainstorming with shows around a pop culture or local topic that helps them develop treatments which puts their authenticity front and center.  It’s called Know Wonder.  What do you know about the topic and also, what do you wonder?  Researching every topic stimulates one’s creativity.  That curiosity fuels interesting breaks because, if you’re fascinated by it in the presentation, your audience will be, too.  Liam Payne from One Direction dies unexpectedly.  Many shows would report what they know to the audience.  Add in some curiosity and it comes alive.  Kira and Logan, WOKQ, Portsmouth, NH wondered why people cry when a celebrity they’ve never met dies.  It led to fascinating calls from their fans.  Here’s what they did the day after Liam died.  This is compelling, relevant, topical radio.

What radio does better than any other medium is connection.  Making people feel like they aren’t alone.  The pictures and videos coming out of western North Carolina are horrific.  Loss of life.  Entire towns wiped away by Hurricane Helene.  While it shouldn’t take a natural disaster to connect listeners, we shouldn’t underestimate our power to do that, too.  It’s why many fans choose us each day.  Amongst the devastation, we make listeners feel like they’re not going through it by themselves.  My friend Steve Richards, MIX 96.5, Asheville, NC is one of the very best I know at this.  As that station powered back up, here’s a call from a listener on her experience.  It’s riveting story-telling with multiple connection points.  We need to know what’s below the service emotionally with our listeners, whether it’s a bad situation or not.  Connect there and we’ll always be important to them