Radio Show Content | Audio Breaks

WUSN ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

January 10, 2016

wusn_lisaray_500x350 Despite our being just past the holidays, here’s a break from Lisa and Ray, US99.5, Chicago, that really excelled. Like many popular morning shows, the team was offered an interview with country legend Trace Adkins. Not content to just do a Q&A centered around his agenda, the team made the off-air ask and then wrote a Chicago version of the classic “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”. Trace consented and with his large, booming voice, read the poem in one of the breaks. We were uber local and affirmed our fun images. We always ask: what are we doing with this topic no one else thought to do? In doing so, we create an innovative moment which helps us bring the audience back again.

WQYK Hello

January 3, 2016

wqyk_daveveronica_500x350 The parodies of Adele’s hit “Hello” seemed to be endless. Turn left, right, move forward or backward, and people were having fun with this song. Even Adele did, too. When silliness abounds, Dave and Veronica, WQYK, Tampa are in as well. Here’s a break done using other songs with the word “hello” on their show. A break like this can be perceived as very cheesy if not presented properly. That’s not the case here as everyone in the room is in on the joke. Sometimes shows will miss having more fun with the shorter list of Hot Topics each day and grab a topic with less equity. Listeners gravitate to what’s familiar when they wake up. This is why it’s so critical to know the topics of the day (those with a very high level of familiarity) and come up with more things to do around them than wade into less-than topics which require the audience to use their brain to comprehend.

KYGO Peyton Will Be Back

December 13, 2015

Ryno & Tracy There is, somewhere in your market, a radio station that is an expert at giving their listeners the news. While most listeners wake up and want to know what’s going on in the world, the purpose of the newscast is less to inform people than it is to define who you are. The listeners want your take on the day’s topics (that honesty is character definition). You want them waking up wondering what you think about whatever is big that morning. This is why perspective is so critical when talking about a story. What’s yours? What work do you do to figure that out before the news story is done on your show? What also helps a newscast is, when applicable, a sense of humor is shown. If the audience cares about a story, they already know most, if not all, of what you’re about to tell them. Ryno and Tracy, KYGO, Denver newscaster Chuck Clark is here telling the audience what they already know the morning after – that the Broncos beat the Patriots. But listen to this very short clip how he created humor to make it sticky.

AMP 103.3 Jeffrey Hates Adele

December 6, 2015

amp1033_tjshow_500x350 No matter where you go, there’s Adele. She seems to be on every single TV channel, on every website you click to, and screaming out of every speaker on every radio station. Everyone loves Adele. Or do they? Conflict creates entertainment. The TJ Show, AMP 103.3, Boston, ran into show friend, Jeffrey, who hates Adele. Jeffrey thinks everyone is being duped into buying Adele’s schtick of sadness and melancholy, all to the make the singer more rich and famous. Here’s a perspective on Adele yet to be expressed…and it’s very funny to hear as TJ and his team challenge Jeffrey’s cynicism. This is a Hot Topic mixed with a contrasting perspective to develop humor and completely works to create a few minutes of radio the audience leans into and will leave talking about. They didn’t solicit for this – Jeffrey expressed the view to a cast member and TJ saw the opportunity and invited him on the show.

WBMX Charlie Sheen is HIV Positive

November 29, 2015

Karson & Kennedy Story-telling is the most powerful thing a show can do with its content. Charlie Sheen announces that he is HIV positive. What resulted is Karson and Kennedy, MIX 104.1, Boston hearing from a listener who is also HIV positive from her former boyfriend. Personalizing your content, telling immensely powerful, first-person stories, is great radio. We talk all the time with shows about not handling stories like this on the surface (sharing facts as you know them – which anyone can do), but digging very deep, sharing with listeners how this affects you and being honest enough with your fans on your take on the story is a terrific way to define your character. The listener in this audio clip emailed the show to share her story (resulting in her coming on the program) because she feels like she knows the cast and trusts them. When big stories happen, you want the audience to wonder your take, to tune in because you go miles deep to explore things, and because you’ll be vulnerable enough with them to connect in very personal ways.

Kick-Ass Audio Breaks

WUSN ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

WQYK Hello

KYGO Peyton Will Be Back

AMP 103.3 Jeffrey Hates Adele

WBMX Charlie Sheen is HIV Positive

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