Avoid These 10 Show Killers

The key question to creating sticky A-level content is, “Will the premise lead to  stories, humor, conflict, drama, character reveals,  or  engaging listener interaction ?”

Avoid these premises if you want to create captivating content.


1.    Yes/no topics : “Have you ever fantasized about a coworker?” is a dead-end topic ending in yes or no responses from listeners.  “How did your crush on a coworker lead to trouble or love?” will generate entertaining stories.

2.     Broad topics , such as “What are your thoughts on blind dates?” will only lead to opinions (“I don’t like them,” “I would try one,” etc.). Specific premises, such as “What happened when you went on a blind date?” lead to stories. 

3.     Designated caller contests:  Approximately 2% of your audience will ever call your station to win a prize. 98% of your audience will be bored. Interactive games that listeners can play along with in their minds turn passive listeners into active listeners. They can potentially entertain 100% of your audience.

4.     Topics about objects without emotion : “What food do you hate?” will only generate a list of foods. “When,” How,” and “What happened” premises, like “What happened when you got food poisoning?” will generate stories. You can bet Tracy Morgan has a memorable story about throwing up at the Knicks game!

5.     Guest interviews:  I hear too many interviews focusing only on the guest’s event, movie, or concert tour. Take a tip from the late-night TV hosts and save that information for the end of the interview.

Guests are PPM rating killers unless they tell stories, and/or you make them part of your show, like chiming in on your ongoing topic or playing one of your games.

6.     Lists with no stories:  Reading online lists that anyone can read is not entertaining. Highlighting the most interesting ones with personal stories and example situations connects with the audience.

7.     Announcement stories:  Announcement stories in news, trending, sports, and lifestyle features are not sticky and don’t connect with listeners. Examples are “Public golf courses are opening today,” sports scores and schedules are app content available on your phone, and “Billie Eilish is going on tour.”

8.     Inside conversations:  Not only are they hard to follow, but they are also conversations between or among the hosts that exclude the audience. They are like walking into a workplace break room conversation and being ignored.

9.     Visual content:  Since most radio listening occurs in autos, describing a photo or video that listeners can’t see is not relatable. Keep those references brief.

10.     Politics, race, and religion on music stations : These topics are lose-lose content in today’s polarized world. 

Photo by  Samuel Regan-Asante  on  Unsplash