There is a basic formula to tell a joke on the air. Most radio people are not that funny and there is a way to be hilarious!
A little background: When I entered radio, it was at the very end of the Boss Jock era. That movement was over, but there were many radio jocks still puking on the air. This entered the era of the impressionist. If you could do a great impression of a star, you got a radio gig. A good take on a celebrity of the day like Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, or Bill Clinton was considered very funny by radio executives.
When I started my radio career, I had neither discipline. My goofy nasal voice was not what people wanted to hear according to programmers. My lack of impressions was equally loathed. I was like Cortes burning the boats when his troops landed in Mexico though. For me, there was no going back. I was going to pursue a radio career and there was nothing that would stop me. So, I had a terrible voice and couldn’t contribute with a take on a famous celebrity. Perfect! Radio will be perfect.
So, I decided that radio was remarkably unfunny. I thought “What the heck? That may be my advantage”.
So, how do you learn the skill of telling a joke? How could I be funny? I started showing up at comedy clubs on Open Mic Night. The comedy scene in Minneapolis was red hot and aspiring comics were showing up from all over the country to cut their teeth. I decided that I would only tell original jokes. I would get on stage and learn how to get that laugh. It was awful.
I was on stage at least 20 times before I got my first laugh. My skull took a while to figure it out. By the way, a few experienced comics took me under their wings. These nice people taught me the craft. They didn’t need to do so.
So, here is how a modern joke is told. Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr are the masters currently. Here are the elements: A Punchline, A realistic scenario, self-deprecating wrinkle. Here is a perfect (NSFW) example…
Chappelle tells this story that was retold on radio stations an uncountable number of times. He gets the audience to lean in. The pauses are perfect. The cop scenario was spot on.
If you notice, some of Dave’s funniest moments in these 5 minutes were delivered deadpan. Chappelle was allowing the words to tell the story with minimal inflection. It is a terrific display of restraint. The pauses cannot be praised enough. Radio people have been programmed never to allow dead air. Silence is an awesome tool.
Dave’s joke about himself was perfect. He said that the alleged assailants do not sound like white people. The verbal volley would sound like something that Chappelle would say. Radio folk have issues sometimes telling self-deprecating things about themselves. If you want to build a relationship with your audience, do just that. Listeners will identify with your ‘weakness.’ Everyone has shortcomings. Admitting to yours makes you real.
Bill Burr has this bit on Bill Gates’s divorce. His opening is perfect. Conan throws out the opening and Burr lays out the perfect self-deprecating thought on COVID. We have all thought about it. Perfect bit. Conan plays the straight man perfectly.
If you use humor, these are perfect templates. These are common stories that the audience can relate.
During my on-air career, I try to always think of those audiences on open mic nights. I can hear the silence, I see the faces not smiling or laughing. I know the feeling. A lot of radio people have never got on the stage to an audience that was expecting big laughs. It is a naked feeling.
I also know that being real is an asset. Telling the big news story with a criticism of yourself, then the stinger. By the way, if you watch Chappelle and Burr, sometimes these guys start with the punchline or the self-deprecating story. It reels the audience into the joke. The crafting of these moments on the air has beautiful dividends.
Radio is the theater of the mind. Creating those special moments is key. It is that secret sauce for your audience’s good-will.
The obituary of using an impression as a punchline was written decades ago. It creates zero connectivity to your listener. When you create a listener-focused experience, you will benefit with loyalty and the halo effect. Have you ever met someone who only purchases one brand of car? Have you asked that individual why? They will tell you that the vehicle brand is the best because of whatever traits they find most important in their purchase. If you say, “What about another brand?”, they will tell you that they never considered it or that the brand they love is so much better.
It is like telling someone that their child is ugly. Even if that child’s appearance would make a sight-impaired granny cry, the parent will never see it. It is an important part of branding. Humor is a part of why your listeners love you. There is an old saying in sales: “Don’t leave money on the table. Get it all.”
Your audience likes and perhaps loves you already. Make your connection deeper. It is a win for you, your station, and radio.
Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He currently serves as News/Talk Format Captain for Zimmer Communications. Prior to joining Zimmer, Peter held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Des Moines, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
