Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

Lots of shows and stations give stuff out to help the ratings.  Contesting has an immediate impact on them.  We were presented with a unique challenge when management told The Josie Dye Show with Matt and Carlin, Indie 88, Toronto that we’d have $10,000 to give out every Friday.  The only thing we’d been asked to preserve was that qualifiers needed to text to win throughout the week for a forced listening part of the promotion.  The win in contesting is NOT what you have to give out.  The true benefit comes in how you give out the prize because that will impact perceptions of the show for all those who don’t play contests, which is 98% of the audience.  We have to engage them, make them laugh, and do it in a way that garners positive images.  Instead of giving one of the random qualifiers the $10,000 each Friday, we put in a twist.  The first name we called got $5,000 when they answered the phone.  We then pulled a second qualifier and called them.  If they answered, they got $5,000, too.  But, if they didn’t answer, or it went to voicemail, the first person got all $10,000.  Here’s one of the breaks.  It was an awesome way to give out the money that we feel was fun for non-contest players to listen in on.  The takeaway?  Work super hard on how you give stuff out – always think how will this impact those who don’t care to win it?

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.