Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

WDRV, Chicago Sherman’s $14,000 Vacation

July 29, 2018

Hooking the audience with a question almost always works to build intrigue to hear a story. Brian Sherman, from Sherman and Tingle, WDRV, Chicago, had a lovely summer vacation, until he got home. That’s when he discovered his air conditioning unit and furnace were completely, totally dead. And that the cost to replace all of it would be $14,000. Brian could have just told the story, which would have been good. But he hooked them by asking the audience what happened that cost him $14,000 at the end of his vacation (there’s your hook and intrigue). After a series of wrong guesses, someone got it right, which is when Brian then told the story. This is brilliantly structured and executed to grab the audience to want to hear the story while including listeners.

MIX 104.1, Boston It’s Time for Lobster News

July 22, 2018

Karson & Kennedy There are very few markets where lobster news would be a part of a show’s information segment. But considering it’s a local food in their market, Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston, highlight all news that is lobster-oriented. Lobster ice cream might not make it as a FOX News Alert, but for these guys, it’s something that should be showcased and included in Kate Merrill’s hourly news segment! The most important thing you can do as a show is cultivate an image of fun. In this stressful world, being the respite from the seriousness of the world today, laughter is your best bet. Just reporting the lobster news isn’t enough. In this short part of the newscast, you’ll not only hear the lobster news, but also a silly Letterman-esque jingle that highlights it and makes it even more fun. Go create laughter for the listener and you’ll be doing the one thing listeners want most – escape from the world we know today.

WARH, St. Louis The Interview Q&A

July 15, 2018

There’s this belief in PPM that interviews don’t work. In reality, crappy interviews don’t work. That’s why Howard Stern’s famous one-hour interviews with near anyone are riveting – because Howard works overtime figuring out what he’ll do in the interview; what he’ll talk about with the subject; and how he’ll create a compelling, fun, interesting, probing conversation. Any idea who David Koechner is? He’s the guy who played Champ opposite Ron Burgundy in one of the funniest movies ever, Anchorman. Koechner was playing the local comedy club when he stopped in for an interview with Spencer’s Neighborhood, 106.5 The Arch, St. Louis. Knowing the audience would not recognize him by name and that a standard Q&A wouldn’t be enough, they threw Anchorman lines at him to see if he remembered what the character said in the exchange Quirky, different, and fun. If you get interviews, work hard on what you’ll do to draw in people who’ve never heard of your subject – probe, tell stories, and have fun and you’ll be in a good spot.

WIL, St. Louis Launching a Phone Topic

July 8, 2018

Phone topics are regular content choices on every morning show. They work because their intent, generally, is to tell stories around a relatable subject. But how do you launch the topic in a way where it doesn’t feel rote or come off as though it came from a prep service? Stacey and Jonah, WIL, St. Louis pay extra attention to how they position even what could be perceived as the most generic of topics. This one is about best concert experiences. Could be ho-hum, but listen to how they debut this to the audience. Here are the attributes of this week’s audio: coming out of a song, they start with content. There is no filler or nonsense – they immediately tell a story – and that story is audio of a kid who got a guitar from Dierks Bentley at a concert. The exchange is short and fun. I am immediately hooked and have context. Next is the solicit, followed by banter between the two to reference their best experience – inside getting their chemistry and playfulness (again more fun), followed by the phone number. All done in under 75 seconds. They connect with us, made us laugh, gave us a frame point, and then made the solicit. What could have been positioned as a standard phone topic was wonderfully executed.

Indie 88, Toronto Josie’s Mom Facebook Friends the Cast

July 1, 2018

There’s always been this unwritten rule that you shouldn’t friend your boss on Facebook. But how would you react if a cast member’s mother friended you? That’s the question on The Josie Dye Show, Indie 88, Toronto when Josie’s mom friended her cast mates, Matt and Carlin. They have no desire to let Josie’s mom see that side of their lives. That tension is necessary in this character development idea – will or won’t they accept her friend request? Josie did the most obvious thing, she got her mom on the phone with the entire show to discuss it, with the payoff being a decision on what will happen. Great character ideas are rooted in a story. That narrative must have a twist or turn which sets up the dilemma for a payoff so the audience stays through it until the end to hear how it will be resolved. This works on all those levels and is sticky as a result.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

WDRV, Chicago Sherman’s $14,000 Vacation

MIX 104.1, Boston It’s Time for Lobster News

WARH, St. Louis The Interview Q&A

WIL, St. Louis Launching a Phone Topic

Indie 88, Toronto Josie’s Mom Facebook Friends the Cast

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