Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

The TJ Show, AMP 103.3, Boston Carter the Crazy Kid

September 23, 2018

One of the applications against relevant content in your arsenal is to find funny people in your orbit and figure out a reason to get them on the show. David Letterman was a master at this and taught all of us that funny people who float in and out of a program can significantly add to the humor you can develop. Enter The TJ Show, AMP 103.3, Boston who found a young, very precocious, opinionated kid by the name of Carter, who comes off not like the youngster he is, but as an adult. Both in his tone and how he views the world around him. Add in TJ with his weird questions and inquisitive way, and you get a terrific example of using a real life character to add a perspective and sense of humor to the show that helps it stand out. These “characters” must be real, must own a perspective, and radiate wattage (as Carter does) to add to the program.

Koz and Jen, WTMX, Chicago Show Biz Pop Quiz

September 16, 2018

The primary reason a listener chooses a specific show is because it affects their mood positively. We sometimes convince ourselves that the brands we frequent are for intellectual reasons only (“they play 12 songs in a row!”) when, in reality, listeners choose a show because of how it makes them feel. Each afternoon when listeners are headed home after a long day at work, Koz and Jen, 101.9 The Mix (WTMX), Chicago play Jen’s Show Biz Pop Quiz. No doubt you’ve heard some version of this game on radio shows. Why does it work everywhere? Because after a hard workday, this is mind candy for the audience. It’s not weighty being centered around Hollywood trivia, it’s vicarious (one of its critical features), it’s character defining for Jen, and it’s fun to hear. Outside thinkers know that we choose a brand to match or affect our moods. On listener’s long ride home in Chicago, this feature puts them in a happy place because of the content done and how it’s designed

B105, Cincinnati Darren’s First Day at School

September 9, 2018

When telling a story, nothing beats getting at least one of the people in the story to come on the show to tell their part. We all know the value of telling stories on the air, right? Many shows feel as though they must tell every person’s perspective in the story. The Big Dave Show, B105, Cincinnati experienced the first day of school like everyone else. Instead of just talking about it, Dave called his house to chat with his kids about their first day. They sounded exactly like you’d expect as the team quizzed them. If Dave and the team had done the entire break without them, the break could have been very linear and not fun. Getting the kids on gave them something to play with, which is why it worked.

John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego My Ex Made Me a Millionaire

September 2, 2018

Odd ideas around the topics of the day cut through. One time when Mega Millions and Powerball were over a half-billion dollars and everyone was talking about it, John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego, decided to buy a ticket. Instead of the typical ideas of listeners choosing the numbers or one of the other ideas that’s been done before, we did My Ex Made Me a Millionaire by finding two people who are divorced and then they choose the numbers, with the promise that if they hit, they’d split the money. What’s fun about this is that they were on Topic of the Day content (a must for any show – the more tied into the Hot Topics you are, the more relevant and contemporary you are for your audience) and they inserted it into a relationship in dysfunction, which is always relatable to everyone.

Power 106, Los Angeles Cruz’s Mom Reads Krystal’s DMs

August 26, 2018

Take one part naughty DMs, add one part mom who is easily shocked and embarrassed, and you have the makings of a new feature where the most prudish mother of a cast member reads the raciest direct messages of another cast member. Enter The Cruz Show, Power 106, Los Angeles who developed the idea because cast member Krystal keeps getting highly suggestive messages from male listeners who follow her on social media. It’s one thing to just read them and out the guys. It’s an entirely different idea to have Cruz’s mom read them (without having seen them before) and allowing her to be shocked and react naturally. The goal is to connect and entertain. In one short break, this does that magnificently.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

The TJ Show, AMP 103.3, Boston Carter the Crazy Kid

Koz and Jen, WTMX, Chicago Show Biz Pop Quiz

B105, Cincinnati Darren’s First Day at School

John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego My Ex Made Me a Millionaire

Power 106, Los Angeles Cruz’s Mom Reads Krystal’s DMs

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