Industry Views

Monday Memo: You Will Save the Aircheck

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgMay the Fourth be with you today, as DJs and talk hosts are bumping with Star Wars music. And with Mother’s Day looming, here’s a tune that can be a wake-up call for forgetful listeners this Friday and Saturday – and a topic for Sunday’s show if you’re live-N-local then.

Got a mom in your family? Make a fuss. She earns it, every day. And if your mom has passed, I suspect that you have found – as my brothers and sisters and I have – that she never really leaves you. And THAT is a call-in/text-in topic that always clicks: “The best advice she ever gave you?”

You will hear stories. Some are so laugh-out-loud familiar that you may finish the caller’s sentence. Other callers’ tearful reminiscences will hit a nerve.

Emotion drives engagement. The most shared moments aren’t the clever bits that jingle-out. They’re the ones that connect. When listeners hear someone choke up talking about Mom’s advice, they lean in. That’s the magic of radio: real people, real time. Whether it’s “Star Wars Day” or “Mother’s Day,” what keeps radio relevant is what keeps it human: shared moments that make listeners feel seen.

And set a reminder now: Same bit for (and approaching) Father’s Day, June 21 this year.

Holland Cooke is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn