Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

Be strategic about your content messaging and be different from anything else out there and you stand your best chance things will cut through.  We were looking for a fresh way to do character development with David, Sue, and Kendra, Magic 106.7, Boston.  When doing a standard character development exercise recently, we happened upon some traits the entire team had that were odd (in a good way).  When doing character development, it’s always most efficient when listeners connect with a core attribute they have in common with you (i.e. being a spouse, having kids, liking sports, owning a pet).  But sometimes, it’s the quirkier things which are the stickiest.  Here’s “Getting to Know You”.  Kendra hoards receipts.  She never throws them out.  The audience is told this fact then callers are challenged to guess how many receipts she has in her pocketbook that morning before she reveals the awful total.  I love this take because, while letting the listeners into the lives of the cast (we do this with all three cast members), it’s not your standard tell a story, then ask for phone calls, that makes it work for me.

One of the many things David Letterman taught us was the value of adding characters to the show by using the odd and funny people around you.  In these days of ensemble teams and our industry’s inability to budget for more cast members, this is the easiest and least expensive route to growing your show.  Characters add dimension and color to your program and can instantly add more humor and edge, too.  Look at what Letterman did in the early years to set himself apart from the other nightly talk show hosts and be memorable.  He made stars out of the the guy who owned the souvenir store next door to him, the stage manager who had an innocence and natural sense of humor about him, even his mother.  You can do that, too, to grow your show at zero expense to the company,  Find the genuinely real and funny people in your life (your family, your social circle, neighbors) and create reasons to have them on the program.  Some for a specific reason each time (they own a character trait) or to comment on and add to the conversation about whatever topic you’re doing in that break.  John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego excel at this.  Here are two real life characters that come and go in the show:  Neighbor Gary and No Nothing About Country Ken.  Find those in your world just like this and overnight, become an even better show.