Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

The Big Tigger Morning Show, V103, Atlanta with That’s That with Miss Pat

January 23, 2022

Alliteration is very powerful, especially when it comes to naming features. Research has proven that named features are retained. When you add alliteration, it heightens things. The Big Tigger Morning Show, V103, Atlanta has, in its cast, a comedian very popular with the audience whose name is Miss Pat. Wanting a daily feature to define Miss Pat and her sense of humor, they settled on That’s That with Miss Pat. This is a great, highly memorable name for a benchmark. In the feature, Miss Pat goes off on a topic of the day that has caught her eye. She gets to be her big bold self and apply her sense of humor against a story or topic everyone knows about. Here’s an example of That’s That with Miss Pat.

Kyle, Bryan, and Sarah, WRAL-FM, Raleigh with Conflict Creates Entertainment

January 16, 2022

In the construction of your breaks and in the dissection of the stories you tell on the show, where’s the conflict? Who or what helps push your story line forward and can be the center of emotional engagement that draws listeners in? Kyle, Bryan, and Sarah, WRAL-FM, Raleigh think of this in every break they plan on the show. Sarah was due to have a girls weekend with college friends in Key West. Yet, one of the friends invited another gal Sarah doesn’t like, and even considers an “energy vampire” so she’s thinking of bailing from the get together because of it. A good story to tell for character definition because it’s honest and has conflict. The show took things one step further – after Sarah tells her story and lays out the drama for the audience to comment on, they get on the friend in question so Sarah can ask why she did that. This is “lean in content”. And because it had conflict throughout, it garnered an emotional reaction from the audience both on the phones and in social media to make it more memorable to keep the show top-of-mind and “can’t miss”. In your content breaks, where’s the bold conflict you can center things around so listeners are engaged and entertained?

Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston Just Play More Music

January 9, 2022

One of the reasons FOX News is so powerful is because in every segment they air, there is a villain. Regardless of your politics, having a villain in some of the things you do will heighten a break’s stickiness. It doesn’t always have to be negative, but opposites create meaning. If I love The Bachelor and you hate The Bachelor, that could lead to an interesting and passionate on-air conversation that forces the audience to emotionally take a side as they identify with whichever position they hold. Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston have an annual project each December where they gather toys for needy kids. 5000 Toys for Girls and Boys has been a staple of the show for years. It took off this year when a villain appeared – an antagonist if you will – who was tired of everyone having their hand out for something. He called the show, voiced his unhappiness, told the show to just play more music, and even insulted a cast member at one point. What do you think happened? The feature took off and not only beat, but exceeded its goal. All thanks to the caller. That the show used the bashing to further create humor made it even more memorable.

Zach and Brittney, B100, South Bend The Tree Pee

January 2, 2022

At our core, we’re storytellers. That’s how human beings connect. By telling stories. So it was fitting to tell stories just before the holidays about Christmas tree issues gone sideways. Any show could make the case that this has been done before. This is an issue if the stories being told are bland, boring, unentertaining, and do not connect. Not so with Zach and Brittney, B100, South Bend, IN who told their stories, then asked the audience to tell theirs. Here are some wins of this short break: Vulnerability, coupled around real life, work. The audience wants in on your life. You also stand a greater chance to win if you do what these guys did – put the spotlight back on the listener and let them tell their story. Some shows feel like they should always be front and center. This break shows how to back up, let the listener shine, and support them where needed to advance the narrative so everyone can relate and the audience can have a fun time hearing the story.

Kyle, Bryan, and Sarah, WRAL-FM, Raleigh Only at the Fair

December 12, 2021

Here’s another great example of the power of audio. The North Carolina State Fair happened back in October. As Kyle, Bryan, and Sarah, WRAL-FM, Raleigh went with their families, there was color all around them. From the patrons to vendors to ride operators. All these people (and more) had fun perspectives on the event and many had stories to tell of what they saw and experienced. These guys are smart. Not just because they know to bring this content to the show to position them as local and involved in what happens in the community. But they also gathered audio (a simple feat with one’s cell phone) for story-telling from the colorful people around them. In this clip, the bus driver taking fair-goers from the parking lot to the fairgrounds, the show quizzed him on the odd stuff he not only saw, but heard from others who worked the event. Running this audio in the breaks, and commenting around it, is much more engaging than the one-dimensional act of them recounting everything for the audience.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

The Big Tigger Morning Show, V103, Atlanta with That’s That with Miss Pat

Kyle, Bryan, and Sarah, WRAL-FM, Raleigh with Conflict Creates Entertainment

Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston Just Play More Music

Zach and Brittney, B100, South Bend The Tree Pee

Kyle, Bryan, and Sarah, WRAL-FM, Raleigh Only at the Fair

Some of the Great Radio Stations I’ve Helped...