Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

What you can do on your show is correlated to how deep the relationship is with your audience. Those shows that are well-defined and have been on-the-air longer can go places newer shows can’t and shouldn’t.  Mojo in the Morning, Channel 955, Detroit has been part of listeners’ lives for twenty years.  They have a huge number of fans who come each day for companionship and entertainment.  That they have spent so much time defining themselves and creating laughter, the audience will allow them to do the unthinkable for most programs – do Trump-oriented content.  Enter Mojo show alum Eric Harthen, who does an amazing Trump.  He calls the show each week to mock the cast.  There’s no desire to convince listeners this is real (this is part how you do something like this in 2020).  The character is there to create relevancy and humor by making fun of those on the show the audience already knows and adores.

The question is almost always:  what did you do with your content choice that defines the show, proves its sense of humor, and provides a payoff or destination no one else can.  Oftentimes, shows find lists or statistics they think will keep the audience engaged.  Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix found one such statistic about holiday heart attacks – and the prime time around Christmas that most happen.  As is, it’s a tad boring, even leaning to the morose to note this to listeners this time of year.  Sharing this with the audience, opening the phones, or even doing a serious interview around the topic doesn’t fit our goal of creating humor.  But, they did.  We pick our moments to do parodies on this show – they did one here by choosing an iconic Christmas carol, doing a re-lyric to have some fun, kept it short and efficient, and effectively used what was a small stat and walked the audience to laugh about the topic.