Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

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.

WTMX, Chicago The Fake Cake

June 17, 2018

Proving that listeners glum on to the frivolous, Jen from Koz and Jen, WTMX, Chicago presented a cake in her weekend journal she baked for her youngest daughter’s birthday. The cake was too perfect looking for us – so we started to rib her that she actually purchased it instead of baking it. The room became so much fun over this, we saw a narrative arc to do through the show. They posted a picture of the cake on their Facebook page at the start of the program and asked listeners to go see it and comment if they think she really baked it (digital engagement). This, of course, became on-air content and calls (laughter for those just tuning in). And culminated at the end of the show with Koz calling Raina, Jen’s daughter, to “authenticate” that the cake was for real (character development). Silly is better than weighty – this proves listeners will follow along and play in the sandbox if we give them something substantive that is also easy to consume (pun intended!). Here’s a compilation of some of the breaks they did through the show so you can hear how it evolved.

WUBE, Cincinnati The Fake Keith Urban

June 10, 2018

Silly fun. That’s why listeners tune in. They’re looking for a team that likes each other (they can tell if you don’t) who want to provide a respite from the stresses of life with a laugh or smile each morning. They’re drawn to these two elements – the chemistry of the cast and amount of humor you offer around the topics of the day. The Big Dave Show, B105, Cincinnati is a terrific example of a show that has these attributes. Chelsie is obsessed with Keith Urban. To showcase the team’s chemistry, Dave and Statt arranged for “Keith Urban” to call on her birthday. It’s obvious this Keith Urban is a fake from the start, but the goal is to just have some fun – and in the process the audience feels a part of the joke, we highlight how much the cast likes each other, and the audience leaves having had a good time.

Q102, Cincinnati All The Moms, All Weekend Long

June 3, 2018

What does a typical radio station do for Mother’s Day weekend? They give out flowers or spa certificates to caller ten every hour. The atypical radio station has every daypart co-hosted by the mother of the DJ on the schedule. That’s what the brilliantly programmed Q102, Cincinnati (Patti Marshall, PD!) did last month when faced with doing something special that weekend. One of the many great things about the Q102 brand, built over many years, is its laser focus on the right music, its longtime, highly entertaining Jeff and Jenn morning show, and doing unique things like this to connect with and entertain the audience. Where most stations do standard fare, Q102 has always stood out to do something unique, fun, different, and interesting, which is why it always wins big. Here’s one of the promos they ran that weekend so you can get a sense of what they did and how it sounded.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

WIL, St. Louis Launching a Phone Topic

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

WTMX, Chicago The Fake Cake

WUBE, Cincinnati The Fake Keith Urban

Q102, Cincinnati All The Moms, All Weekend Long

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