Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

Lexi and Banks, KUBL, Salt Lake City Facebook Owes Me $20,000,000

November 7, 2021

One of radio’s many super powers is to tap into whatever is going on in the world. Being about the moment heightens our relevance and helps connect our listeners to the world. Facebook decides to change its name to Meta. What would happen if you already owned a tech company named Meta? What David vs. Goliath battle would come from that? Lexi and Banks, KUBL, Salt Lake City got right in the middle of this story by talking with a guy who is in just such a situation. Here’s a gentleman who built a company and trademarked its name Meta and now Facebook wants it. What we learn is that he’s in talks with Facebook to sell the name to them for $20,000,000. Relevance is one of our key images. Setting yourself in the middle of a story, in a most unique way like hearing how this gentleman is impacted by that move, creates distinct, different radio.

Kyle, Bryan, and Sarah WRAL-FM, Raleigh World Series of Bad Halloween Candy

October 31, 2021

Sometimes a simple update to an old idea makes it new again. Everyone’s pitted awful Halloween candy against itself to get calls. That one has been around since Marconi invented radio. How do you update this so it’s different and fresh? Kyle, Bryan, and Sarah, WRAL-FM, Raleigh figured out a fix. First, they tied it into the World Series, making it double-topical. The World Series of Worst Halloween Candies. Great name. Then, they wrote parody scripts as though the candies were in a WWE contest to present the matchups to the audience so they voted on-air and on their social media channels. The over-the-top scripts, voiced by a Joe Buck parody, isn’t meant to fool the audience – it’s just there to elevate the idea. Their social media engagement was through the roof because of these elements. Here are two examples of what they used this week.

Dave and Veronica, WQYK, Tampa The Mayor Does Thriller

October 24, 2021

This is one of my all-time favorite breaks, done by the great Dave and Veronica, WQYK, Tampa several years ago. Dave was absolutely fearless and both had work ethics out the door. There was no idea we came up with that scared them, if they heard it in their head. With Halloween approaching, we wondered what it would be like to get local dignitaries to do their version of Vincent Price’s poem at the end of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Knowing that there was a town hall meeting coming up in his building with the mayor of St. Pete, Dave decided to show up and ask the mayor to do it in front of a room full of people. The room had a righteous what-the-hell-is-going-on-here reaction when Dave took the mic. The mayor was confused, too. But he played along in this impressive break that no one else thought to do. The St. Pete mayor does Thriller. Go be different around the big topics. Think about the talk this one break caused for the show. Enjoy!

Brittney and Zach, B100, South Bend Mother Mary Does Laundry

October 17, 2021

One of the character development traits we recently learned about Brittney and Zach, B100, South Bed, IN is that they both do their family’s laundry. How do you talk about this and develop a separate persona for each? By folding the laundry, bringing it into the studio, then finding a highly opinionated and very fun co-worker (Mother Mary) go through all your unmentionables to make whatever comments she wants as she dissects who’s good and who’s bad in the folding department. The extra is that it’s being done on Facebook live. But this very visual idea comes alive for those tuning in because Mother Mary’s commentary makes it so.

Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston Supply Chain Issues

October 3, 2021

What’s the audience looking for when they turn you on? Yes, humor and companionship. They’re also looking to connect with people just like them. That is one of the foundational images that jettisons you to success. “They are just like me,” is one of the most powerful things an audience can say about its favorite morning show. Like all their fans, Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston is having issues when they order stuff online. Everywhere they turn, they can’t get what they want due to “supply chain issues”. Sometimes the best breaks are the easiest. A quick conversation to communicate they know what the audience is experiencing. Followed by phone calls of passionate (sometimes upset) listeners who cannot get the simplest things ordered in their life. Great radio is “me, too”. That’s when the audience hears the content and is entertained by it because it speaks for them, as well.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

Lexi and Banks, KUBL, Salt Lake City Facebook Owes Me $20,000,000

Kyle, Bryan, and Sarah WRAL-FM, Raleigh World Series of Bad Halloween Candy

Dave and Veronica, WQYK, Tampa The Mayor Does Thriller

Brittney and Zach, B100, South Bend Mother Mary Does Laundry

Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston Supply Chain Issues

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