Let’s face it, 2020 is a tough year to feel gratitude. From the economic challenges due to COVID-19 to the loss of pop culture giants like Eddie Van Halen and Sean Connery, things have been rough. On top of that, many radio listeners will not be surrounded by their families this Thanksgiving due to the pandemic.

Fortunately, your radio station can bring some much-needed companionship into the lives of your listeners this week with a Thanksgiving roundtable. The concept is simple: Gather your on-air talent together (virtually, of course) and ask each of them to talk about something they’re thankful for in 2020. Stream the conversation live for your audience to enjoy.

I love this idea because it offers the audience a rare opportunity to see DJs who don’t normally interact publicly — such as your morning show and your night jock — banter with each other. It’s like a crossover television episode in which Detective Munch babysits for Baby Yoda!

In the past, I’ve encouraged stations to record this conversation as an audio release, but this year it makes more sense to livestream it as a video conference call. A few months ago, I published this tutorial for hosting a virtual happy hour. Follow the same recipe with these modifications:

1. Ask every DJ to bring a story about something they’re thankful for.
2. Encourage listeners watching the broadcast on social media to leave comments explaining what they are thankful for. Read these comments on the air as part of the broadcast.
3. If you want, you can also substitute Thanksgiving dinner dishes for the cocktails, or ask your DJs to share their favorite Thanksgiving recipes and publish them in a blogpost on your station’s website.

This is an easy, inexpensive way to to provide your audience with some company. If your listeners can’t be with their real families this year, at least they can enjoy Thanksgiving with their radio family.

Stay safe this weekend, and thank you for reading this blog.

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Seth Resler

Digital Dot Connector at Jacobs Media

Seth Resler is a 30+ year broadcasting and podcasting veteran who worked at Jacobs Media for eight years.He specialized in podcast and digital content consulting.

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