Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

Salt and Christine, 965 TIC-FM, Hartford Rocco from Italy

March 15, 2020

Here’s a break I bet you can’t do. When there is a topic as large as the coronavirus leaning on shows, it’s more important now than ever to remember two things: how listeners use us (the average P1 comes in twice per week for no longer than fifteen minutes) so they hear relatively little of your show. And that listeners are drawn to us, in large part, for relevance so you must do lots of it to affirm that image. We must avoid breaks right now with topics that are evergreen hold no space in the listeners’ lives. Christine from Christine and Salt, 965, TIC-FM, Hartford, speaks fluent Italian. So, they called Italy to check on how things are with the coronoavirus with the entire country on lock down. This ends up being a fun break around the biggest topic of the day that listeners would lean into, because it’s different and highlights an attribute of a cast member.

Two Men and a Mom, WRAL-FM, Raleigh The Cookie Tank

March 8, 2020

High level performers can creatively bring two Hot Topics together for presentation. Enter Two Men and a Mom, WRAL-FM, Raleigh who recognized something must be done with girl scout cookie sales, given they’re hanging out at the entrance to every grocery store. Often, we default to the standard ideas we’ve done before. If fun and focused on one scout and her story, that can actually work. These guys always push themselves for some new angle. So, they brought together that topic along with listeners knowledge of the TV show Shark Tank. They invited one girl scout to come on and pitch her cookies (that’s the standard idea) by placing her in The Cookie Tank to do the same (fresh angle). There’s nothing revolutionary about this break, but it’s an interesting frame because it leads to a production value that starts things that repositions it as fresh, fun, and real – the show plot – and sets us apart in the market from all the same old ideas being done by everyone else.

Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix The Mesa Liberry

February 23, 2020

It’s important to understand and own a brand of humor – and one that is reflective of the cast on the show. Where Gallagher smashes watermelons and Chris Rock focuses on black culture and Jerry Seinfeld is the great observationalist, what is your brand of humor and how do you reinforce it around your plot? Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix bill themselves on-air as “smart guys, stupid show”. That’s their plot. The humor is heady, but dumb, communicating that they truly do operate on a different level. There was a local story about the Mesa library and their late fees for overdue books. Add in that weekend’s Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and they mashed the two for a silly phone in bit that had those laughing feeling like they were the only ones getting the joke. Make sure your humor is on-brand to what your show is about.

The TJ Show, AMP 103.3, Boston The Pastor Loves the Bachelor

February 16, 2020

Back when I was on the air, our station consultant impressed upon me how important it was that I love the same TV shows as the audience. So he suggested that I gush about Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210 each week. We know that that’s bullshit, right? Why can’t I just be me, I would always ask. The audience knows if you’re faking it so your job each show is to just be yourself, hoping the audience falls in love with that person! TJ from The TJ Show, AMP 103.3, Boston doesn’t much care for The Bachelor. He certainly has a working knowledge of it, but we never, ever, ever ask him to fake a love for a show (or anything) that isn’t really there. A few Sundays ago at church, while in conversation, he found out that his pastor is off-the-charts in love with the program. Seeing the opportunity in this, TJ put his pastor on to get all of that energy, which allowed TJ to stake his spot in the conversation while grounded in authenticity. You cannot question one’s honest take on a topic – you can just explore it and look for the opposite (i.e. his pastor’s love of the show) that allows you to stay true to who you are.

Hawkeye in the Morning, KSCS, Dallas, What Madeline Knows About the Super Bowl

February 9, 2020

I can’t emphasize enough that if you have fun with a topic, especially one cut from today’s headlines, that it opens the break up to the person least interested in the topic you’re discussing. The Super Bowl was a quite universal topic two weeks ago. And there were lots of angles, as I am sure you approached it. Hawkeye from Hawkeye in the Morning, KSCS, Dallas has a most entertaining wife who is as comfortable being honest on the show as he and his partner, Connect K, are. Madeline knows little about football and knew not much more about the Super Bowl. So instead of the typical diet of sub-topics, one that they did was playing audio of Hawkeye talking with her about the game. Listeners are draw to honesty and inside honesty is the most natural sense of humor. Hear his effortless back and forth with her on this break and then see your relationship in their relationship. This hits many levels: character development, a reflection of a topic of the day, and it’s fun.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

Salt and Christine, 965 TIC-FM, Hartford Rocco from Italy

Two Men and a Mom, WRAL-FM, Raleigh The Cookie Tank

Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix The Mesa Liberry

The TJ Show, AMP 103.3, Boston The Pastor Loves the Bachelor

Hawkeye in the Morning, KSCS, Dallas, What Madeline Knows About the Super Bowl

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