Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

KSLZ, Phoenix Who Was Fonzie’s Girlfriend?

March 31, 2019

There are ways of doing political content without doing politics. You just have to figure out how to insert pop culture into it. Vice President Mike Pence was coming to town to do a few speeches and fundraise. Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX, Phoenix decided to test listeners’ knowledge by answering the phones (these were recorded) and asking if the caller knew the VP’s name. No one did. Then, to take things a step further, they asked callers a different set of questions – like “who was Fonzie’s girlfriend on Happy Days” (all things from our childhood we’ve held on to forever). As you would guess, the listeners knocked every one of those questions out of the park. They openly say on the show they do not do politics. But here’s one way they did – by diverting the audience’s attention into pop culture to help create the humor. Here are the two breaks where they did both.

KSON, San Diego Marry the Opposite

March 17, 2019

A simple technique to create some fun is to marry the opposite of a topic to create some humorous tension. It seems like everyone is into Game of Thrones (its final season premieres on HBO in April). It’s quite easy to convince yourself that everyone watches and loves the show, which is untrue. When you look at the actual numbers, close to 98% of America doesn’t watch it. The threshold for content choice is if the audience is aware of it, and this topic passes that test. Now marry the opposite of that conventional wisdom and you have a relatable break done in a fun way. John and Tammy, KSON, San Diego approached people who know about the show, but do watch it, and asked them to describe the program, using their limited knowledge of its plot and characters. They then aired the most fun replies and talked around it with cast members on their show who know all and are deeply passionate about the program.

B105, Cincinnati Spray Painting the Potholes

March 10, 2019

No doubt an emphasis at every radio show is social media engagement. This requires us to not only share certain audio segments of the show on our social channels, but to develop unique content there, too. The Big Dave Show, B105, Cincinnati do fun videos, generally centered around something local, that engage the audience. They recently saw a news report about a local guy who spray painted orange circles around potholes so approaching motorists could steer clear of them. They went out with the guy and helped him. Local, fun, and highly relatable after the Cincinnati winter. They wrap the video up with info where people can report potholes to have them fixed. While they did use some of this audio on their show to push people to Facebook, the content mostly lived on social media and has been viewed over 14,000 times so listeners who engage them there leave the video understanding that they live in town and their sense of humor. View the Pothole Tagging video here.

KSLX, Phoenix First Hand on Scooters

March 3, 2019

One of the more resonate qualities of the great show Mark and NeanderPaul, KSLX Phoenix is the guys reflect the values of the target audience (adult men). We regularly joke that we’re all “men of a certain age and part of the ‘get off my lawn’ demo.” They decided to take on the topic of rentable scooters now being seen in many major cities, and what a nuisance they’ve become. Specifically, a story about the first DUI on one. You can just chat about a story, or you can find someone with a truer connection to it. In this simple, relatable break that connects the show to the audience by their shared view to the topic, the team talks with an emergency room doctor who has first-hand knowledge of and stories to tell about scooter accidents. What makes this short break work is the doctor’s take and perspective on the topic, with the team asking the next natural question, which displays their curiosity and allows for all to showcase their most natural sense of humor. It’s having the doctor on that draws listeners in and keeps their attention.

Indie 88, Toronto Your Parents and Sex

February 24, 2019

Creating discomfort when doing content is one way to make the break memorable. Adding in sex or nudity also gets the attention of the audience (if that tactic fits your brand). As a weekly Valentine’s Day feature a few weeks ago, The Josie Dye Show, Indie 88, Toronto gave prizes to listeners who’d allow them to conference in their parents to ask where they first had sex when they met. The thesis generates intrigue. But the show knew it couldn’t ask listeners to go there (calling their parents publicly to ask that question) unless they were willing to do it, too. So, Josie called her mom to ask the big question, generating not only a very human reaction, but wonderful character development for her. From that starting point, the listeners were in on the task, and the show was off to the races to create a memorable Valentine’s Day idea that made listeners lean forward when they did it. Here are two breaks of Josie calling her mom and a listener following suit.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

KSLZ, Phoenix Who Was Fonzie’s Girlfriend?

KSON, San Diego Marry the Opposite

B105, Cincinnati Spray Painting the Potholes

KSLX, Phoenix First Hand on Scooters

Indie 88, Toronto Your Parents and Sex

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