Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

WDRV, Chicago Tingle’s Parents on the Concert

July 2, 2017

One easy way to spice up your show is to find fun “characters” to play a role in it. Not fake characters, but people in real life. This week’s audio comes from Sherman and Tingle, WDRV, Chicago. It proves two points when putting your program together: bold ancillary characters, who come and go as needed, add color to a show. Also, when telling a story, invite the people in the story to participate in telling it. They have a perspective and will add detail and emotion that you can’t because they were in the middle of it. Tingle and his sister have parents who are huge Doobie Brothers fans. That’s why they bought tickets to the Doobie Brothers/Chicago concert in Las Vegas for them. Tingle could have told the story of their concert experience. Or he could have invited his mom and dad on to tell their story, coming at it in the first person, which is what he did. Now, all Tingle needed to do was help them navigate through the story and react. Listen to this short character building break and note how much better the story is because his colorful parents participated in it.

MIX 96.9, Cincinnati The Comey Bleeps

June 25, 2017

The world and country are so political. Everywhere you go, it’s Trump, Trump, Trump. Unlike the nightly TV shows that bathe in the topic and take political stands with their comedy, the relationship between your audience and you is different. The audience doesn’t feel like they have a personal relationship with Stephen Colbert, but they do feel that with you. Much like in person, there are topics you should be very cautious about. Politics is one of them, out of fear the audience will mentally shut down at the mere mention of a political topic. That said, there are a few ways to do this without doing this. The Sandy Show, MIX 96.9, Cincinnati found one last week when they speculated about all the profanity used by James Coney when he testified in front of the Senate. This is a technique done before of inserting bleeps where there could have been profanity and profane words appear in the brain of the listener. The audience knows this didn’t actually happen, which is why it’s fun. This approach tackles the Hot Topic of politics without ever taking a stand because its sole purpose was to create fun by being farcical.

KSLX, Phoenix The Batman Villain Quiz

June 18, 2017

No one break will rocket any show to number one. Growth is an incremental game of earning and affirming images that get you there. Be fun, be different, be topical, be real and you’ll gain images that get you to stronger and stronger Nielsen numbers. Here’s a break that does that. Mark and Neanderpaul, KSLX, Phoenix know that Adam West passing away is a relevant topic for their adult male audience. Here’s how they seize the moment with this perishable topic (the topic will not be relevant the next week). They gathered a list of iconic villains from the show and then made up a few. They asked a listener to guess which ones were real and which were fake at a station event, which is great spice. They then asked the same questions to a caller in the break, and pit the caller against the listener from the night before. Humor comes in the made up villains names and the listeners’ reactions to them. It’s completely vicarious, very much in the moment, had an intent to make those tuning in laugh, and earned those images noted above for growth.

WIL, St. Louis Another Episode of the White Trash Division of My Family

June 11, 2017

There is no better way to connect with the audience then by telling a story. Stories define us, entertain us, have elements which make them memorable, prove one’s authenticity, and are how we navigate relationships. What is a great song, but a story? What is an excellent TV show, but a story? Bud and Broadway, New Country 92.3, St. Louis do self-deprecating quite well. Jerry Broadway is always mocking the odd members of his family, including a subset he comically refers to as the “White Trash Division”. He shares all their exploits, with their funny details, as the innocent bystander, shocked (but not shocked!) at what he’s witnessing. This humorous vulnerability bonds him very efficiently to the audience because the story proves how real he is. The audience is so disarmed, they so see themselves in this story, and they’re so entertained that Jerry stands out as a personality.

B105, Cincinnati, Who’s Brad?

May 28, 2017

Here’s a clever way for a show to give out Brad Paisley tickets. The Big Dave Show, B105, Cincinnati is very strategic. Wanting to tap into the market’s biggest country concert that weekend, they gave them out by playing a fun game called “Who’s Brad?” Here are all the wins in this break posted below: they re-lyriced Michael Jackson’s “Who’s Bad” for a production value (this signals to the audience the fun that is about to happen). Then, they note to the audience not only the Brad Paisley concert, but that Chelsie on the show has a husband named Brad, too. The listener has to determine if the short statement applies to Brad Paisley or Chelsie’s husband, so we get character development out of this, as well. The production value is silly, the clues are short, and the game is efficient so people can play along in the car. Here’s both the set-up solicitation and the actual execution. An all-around A+ idea.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

WDRV, Chicago Tingle’s Parents on the Concert

MIX 96.9, Cincinnati The Comey Bleeps

KSLX, Phoenix The Batman Villain Quiz

WIL, St. Louis Another Episode of the White Trash Division of My Family

B105, Cincinnati, Who’s Brad?

Some of the Great Radio Stations I’ve Helped...