Each week, Jayar Reeves & Scott Herrold share idea starters inside the Creative Cardio community. It’s part brainstorm. It’s part showprep. It’s part discussion that fleshes out different angles on common seasonal themes. This is a great place to bounce ideas for your show and focus your raw showprep into connective angles for your listeners.

Join us by clicking here! It’s only $35 per month for a solo jock or $50 for a team show (3 logins) – There are no contracts, so try it and see how it helps jumpstart your show as you shift gears into this new season!

We all know that phone calls can slow down in the summer. We had a brainstorm with different CCM personalities sharing ideas on how to better connect with phone discussions and tell better stories. Personalities like Lisa Williams, Corey Mann, Ellis Feaster, Beth Bacall, Jaci Velasquez, Garrett Michaels and many others shared ideas! There’s about 45 min  of content ideas. Grab a pen and share this with your team!

I spent the last week with a bunch of great radio personalities at a conference. I can’t tell you how many times I heard the phrase, “I wear so many hats. It’s hard to find the time for my show.” Famous last words.

I think we have lost our sense of priority. We let management duties, music logs, website updates and schedules steal our original love for radio. We all got into radio in order to do a show! I know we’re all stretched in hundreds of directions each week, but the show has to come first. It’s the ONLY thing our listener pays attention to. Sending that staff memo during your show doesn’t really help your listener’s morning. Replying to the angry email while you are on the air doesn’t help the other 99,999 people who are listening. Updating your website can wait a few hours. Protect your show and it will flourish!

Click HERE for the rest of the article!

Take a look at your Facebook Insights page. It will tell you a lot about what is resonating with your listeners! If you’re set up as a “fan page,” it tells you exactly what content your listeners are reading, sharing & interacting with.  Sure, Facebook is a different content use than radio, but this page can tell you a LOT about your listeners. It says lots about why they plug into your radio station community. Use that information to tailor content for your radio show! Don’t just plug & play. Tailor it to communicate through the radio!

I intentionally post different styles & angles to give my page a multi dimentional feel. IE: questions, pictures, call in topics I’m using on the air, secular quotes, Bible verses, add a caption challenges, radio station happenings, Christian thoughts/quotes etc. (Click below to see what had the most clicks & shares!)

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”

 -C. S. Lewis

Just share the story in your own words & you will be original & creative!

We did a group brainstorm this week with air talent from different stations across the country. Lots of GREAT ideas were shared for topics & bits for this spring! Click the link and you can listen to the full call if you’re a member.

Think graduation, Prom, Memorial Day weekend, end of school year, family vacation, summer camp, sports, Mother’s Day, family quality time, Cinco De Mayo, Vacation Bible School, weddings, childcare after school is out. Spring cleaning. Lakes/beaches/boating.

May and June can be some of the most expensive months of the year. Graduation parties, vacations, weddings. School fundraisers, cubscouts, soccer, baseball teams and dance recitals. Christian radio stations asking for donations. People using their tax returns as a down payment for a car  or vacation. Our routines totally change when school lets out. Childcare can be a serious stress each summer.  Pools, parks and splash pads. Picnics at the park. Family quality time over quantity of time.

If you’re a Creative Cardio paid member, you can listen to the full 45 min brainstorm call right here in the Brainstorm Archives!

Spring cleaning! Aircheck yourself this week and answer these questions:
1. Who is your show actually trying to reach? Is that original target person the one that you are actually reaching? What results are you getting that seem to be a little different than what you are targeting?

2. How does your target listener use your show when you are on the air? (Is that person driving to work? Sitting in a cube at the office? Is she listening primarily in the car? Primarily at home?  Or primarily in the office? Is your target listener using your as background music? As a reconnect with God after a long day? As worship? As an information source? As entertainment?

3. When your listener pushes the button on her stereo for your radio station, what does she expect to feel? (Is your show delivering that intangible the way that your other team members deliver it?)

4. What role does hope and encouragement play in your show today?

5. What is your show known for? Does your show have a competitive advantage? What do your listeners feel when they plug in with your show for multiple days in a row?

6. What strengths does your show bring to your radio station?

7. How long does your average listener actually listen per day to your show? (Think about how your content connects or misses the mark in that setting)

8. What’s the best story you’ve told on your show this week?

9. What are three opportunities in your local market that your show can step up and serve in? How does your show demonstrate service?

10. Is there anything that your show can be #1 at? Is there anything in your market that you can do better than any other personality?

Neilsen Audio released a study that shows that Millennials actually consumer MORE radio than Gen X & Baby Boomers. It’s interesting because radio has always faced competition with all the options that American have right on their smartphone, tablet & PC. Nielsen Audio says  “Of the 243 million AMERICANS (aged 12 or older) using radio each week, 66.6 million of them are millennials. That far outpaces the size of the weekly Generation X and Baby Boomer audiences, with 57.9 million weekly listeners each.” In addition, Millennials  spend over 11 hours each week with their favorite radio stations. That’s 73% of their radio listening outside the home. Afternoon drive is the most popular time of the day for radio listening from Millennials.

Click here for the full report from Nielsen Audio.

Here’s the audio from an air talent brainstorm we had about a year ago on how to build more dynamic call in discussions! We talked about topics, engagement, momentum & framing calls.  Feel free to download this audio and share it with your entire staff!

We invite you to join our community here at Creative Cardio. It’s $35 per month, but the idea starters in our forum will save you so much time in show prep.

We’re all about mentoring and challenging your creativity! Click HERE for a 1 month FREE trial to experience all the topic ideas & raw caller audio in this community! There’s no pressure if you decide not to continue after the free month. Try it out & you might have the best month of content in your entire career. #Honestly

Here’s a taste of what we do with dry calls for our members each week. Use these calls as a discussion starter or use in your voice trax next week to make your show sound live! (There’s a couple calls inside this file)

(You can right click here to download the audio)

**If you find these DRY CALLS helpful, join CreativeCardio.com! We have TONS of DRY CALLS you can use as discussion starters if you join as a paid member right here!