This has been a Wacky Week for Weather(™), and radio has always been great at taking Meteorological Moments(™ pending) and providing valuable information and resources while, sometimes, having some fun.
There’s still a long way to go this winter, so if you’d like a slew of “stuff” that you can do, shoot me an email at [email protected] and I’ll blast it your way.
In the meantime, on with the Dumpage:
Opposites Attract
My favorite receptionist went and auditioned for season two of “The Real World”. Came back devastated; they were all actors. Duh. It was set up so that there would be friction and drama. Much like “Wife Swap”. Ever notice that polar opposites are put together? Because it’s boring to watch people who get along.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, if you do any kind of mixing or matching, have them fill out a questionnaire. You want to pair the Goth up with the Born Again. The vegetarian up with the avid hunter. Because conflict is interesting.
The World’s Easiest Super Bowl Promotion
An idle station vehicle is a horrible thing indeed. Which is why party crashing for Halloween, New Year’s, and the Super Bowl are the best, easiest and most sponsorable things you can do. And for the 4th of July, you crash barbecues. Even if you DON’T have a team in the game, this is a simple acknowledgement of it, it’s great marketing and it’s better than having the van sit in the parking lot all day.
The Best Morning Show Valentines Guests…Ever
Do a contest or topic based on finding listeners with the parents who have been married the longest. Then get three of these couples in on Valentine’s morning to talk about their secrets to long relationships. Can we get a collective “Aww…”. Old people are cute. This would be large.
Super-Size Your Man
We tend to forget what it’s like to be a listener. For instance, except perhaps on their wedding day, most of your audience will never have the opportunity to ride in a limo. Making it the grand prize for a series of concert ticket giveaways is so simple and usually tradable.
Instead of “bring lunch to your office”, do “we’ll bring your audience to lunch”.
One of the stations was trying to find a Humvee limo in their market (Give your husband a Hummer for Valentine’s) but none were to be had. So, they’re going to “super-size your guy’s Valentines” with a more traditional stretch.
Super-Size Your Man
We tend to forget what it’s like to be a listener. For instance, except perhaps on their wedding day, most of your audience will never have the opportunity to ride in a limo. Making it the grand prize for a series of concert ticket giveaways is so simple and usually tradable.
Instead of “bring lunch to your office”, do “we’ll bring your audience to lunch”.
One of the stations was trying to find a Humvee limo in their market (Give your husband a hummer for Valentines) but none were to be had. So, they’re going to “super-size your guy’s Valentines” with a more traditional stretch.
Better Fled Then Wed
At one point or another, we’ve all dated a psycho. (If you haven’t, it’s entirely possible that YOU were someone’s psycho.) Some of us even take it one step too far and, yes, get engaged to a living, breathing Looney Tune. I did.
The Production Director in Charlotte was in the same position. Got engaged. Realized she was freaking nuts and, with all of our encouragement, broke it off before it could get any worse. She handled it well. Cut the crotch out of his pants and nailed them to his apartment door. Just some little stuff. Oh, and then was locked up by her parents at a “home” for her to “learn how to manage her feelings”. Nothing big.
What if for Valentine’s Day you found someone like this, in the same situation, who has suddenly realized that “uh oh, this is a big, big mistake,” and you help them break it off. Safely and with as little crotch-cutting, window-smashing, pet-setting-on-firing as possible. A nice clean break. Or, at the very least, open up the phones and let your audience pool their thoughts on what this person can do to escape before they get in too deep to get out.
The Confrontation Station
Or you could do an actual Emergency Engagement Intervention. Because, again, we all know someone who is dating or about to marry, someone who is SO incredibly wrong for them. Like Michele from KSFM. The nicest person in the world (according to Hilary at Newcap). And was dating a guy, as God Is My Witness, whose name was Turtle Warchild. The tattoo across his neck? “My Hatred Is Pure”. Luckily, she saw the light before we all had to do something.
So, stage an intervention. Get all their friends down in the studio. Come up with a fake premise because they need to come in, lock the door and confront them. Tears are mandatory.
Super Big Bowl Game Spots
When Rob and Joss were at Froggy 92.9 in Santa Rosa, they decided to create their own Super Bowl commercial. The product would be her cat, and the audience helped add elements like beer and Country Summer.
Super Bowl Spots
Power in Miami traditionally had listeners create Superbowl spots but one year broke the staff into two teams to make commercials and compete against each other.
Flipping Bits
It’s always fun to occasionally take something that the show or station is known for and flip it for a Hallmark Holiday. Christmas Wish became Halloween Wish with The Beat in Vancouver, and they helped hook people up with the cool costumes that they never ever got to have when they were kids.
“The One That Got Away” is a pretty common morning show feature. For Valentine’s, because there is probably not a single listener who hasn’t dated a psycho, do “The One I Got Away From”. Great topic of near-death experiences in scary relationships.
“Things You Patrol” for $500 Alex
In every market, there is something that is very unique to it that you can build a “patrol” around. In Charlotte, it was apartment/condo/public pools. With one of the Cumulus stations in Michigan, it was campgrounds. Jacksonville? Basketball courts on Sunday mornings. Miami and Tampa? Beaches. Minneapolis? Lakes. Ottawa? Bars with decks.
And in Halifax? Ice rinks and hockey games.
Love Is in The Air
Stations in BC, Michigan, and Minnesota have promoted that they have an embedded tone in their signal that can’t be heard by humans but is aggravating to mosquitoes, so when you’re out during the summer, play us LOUDLY.
Boom-FM in Toronto introduced Thermal Audio. It actually heats your home and car during the winter.
And some station, somewhere, is looking at promoting that they’ve embedded subliminal tones that are scientifically created and tested to make listeners…amorous, for Valentine’s.
Try It Tuesday
Sometimes it seems that there are three morning show features currently in Radio. Roula and Ryan at KRBE in Houston try something new every Tuesday. One week? Old School MRE’s or Meals Ready to Eat.
