One of the struggles in radio is getting the 20 year-olds and under group’s attention, right? We want the Gen Zers, or whatever they’re called nowadays, to engage! We want their attention. We’d love to hear from them on their way home from school. We YEARN for them to call in and answer a morning trivia question. When I was in grade school I remember the bus driver turning on the radio so we could hear music and listen to the morning show. How do we go back to the 1990s radio days?
What do you think your own kids would want to hear on their way to or from school? I’m not talking about the music because if my kids ask for the “6 7 song” one more time…. What do you think they’d want to hear during a morning show? Games? Pop Culture? Someone they know? What do you believe would grab their attention?
Here’s a simple yet effective idea that wouldn’t change too much of your already impeccable show…have their football/baseball/soccer coach on the air every Friday for a sports recap! This simply be for your sports station OR your CHR station. Give your local high school coaches the opportunity to call in, or stop in, to discuss the sports events of the weekend. While you have them, have a conversation about national sports as well. Make sure this segment is airing at 7am so students can check in.
We’re constantly having it engrained into our heads to “keep it local.” This includes mentioning local landmarks during weather “Downtown next to the Lincoln statue it looks very windy, make sure you grab your coat when you’re headed out the door!” What’s more local than having local coaches on air to talk local sports?!
Remember to make it EVEN air time between all coaches. Lord knows the rivalry in high school sports can be intense, so we don’t want to show favoritism. Email each high school to find out who would be interested in doing this. Make a list and create a schedule. It’s up to you how long you want their segment to be, but try to keep the talking time as close to the same as you can.
This seems like a simple, no brainer type of change, but it can make a huge difference in listenership.