Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

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.

Karlson and McKenzie, WZLX, Boston Scared Straight Santa

December 5, 2021

This is one of my favorite breaks ever as done by Karlson and McKenzie, WZLX, Boston. We were looking to find an edgy way to connect with the audience. The show has attitude and swagger and we wanted to channel that sense of humor into a holiday idea that would be much different than the standard fare phone topics most shows do around this time of year. Enter Scared Straight Santa. Everyone knows of the “scared straight” concept where prisoners scare kids into towing the line so they don’t end up in jail. We used that to keep misbehaving children in line for their parents or else Santa won’t show up. The first break is the call from a parent who tells us how their kid is misbehaving. The next break (and the one below) is when Pete McKenzie calls back as Santa and challenges the kid to promise to be good. This hits all important images you should have: it’s fun, it’s real, it’s innovative, and it’s relatable.

John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego All I Need To Know About You: Kids Edition

November 28, 2021

We do a fun daily feature on John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego called That’s All I Need to Know About You. It’s a simple, call-in benchmark where listeners phone you each morning, make mention of something they saw someone do that irritated them, and then tag on the line, “That’s all I need to know about you,” as a hook to remember it. Benchmarks deserve to be updated in how they’re done on occasion, but must always stay true to what they are by defintion. An example of this is David Letterman’s Top Ten List. While it stayed honest to what it was for almost thirty years (one category, ten punchlines), how they presented it to the audience evolved over time. And, at times, there were special versions of it. Which is what this is. When the need strikes to do something a little different with this regular feature, but keep it consistent, John and Tammy will do special kids versions. Consider doing that with your features, too. Here are two examples.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

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

Karlson and McKenzie, WZLX, Boston Scared Straight Santa

John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego All I Need To Know About You: Kids Edition

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