HELP! I've gotta come up with a radio show!

[Katie Reynolds]

Originally Posted by Brandon Martus

Download the free mp3s from indie/unsigned bands on http://www.purevolume.com/

Ooh good one. You can also go to www.garageband.com and do kind of the same thing ... only there, you sign up for a free account, review the music, then download it. There're all kinds of great, unsigned bands out there.

[Gary Dillard]

Give a call to recording studios in your area (look them up in the yellow pages) and ask them for some demo tapes from local bands. Once the word gets out they'll come looking for you. Then you can listen and sort according to quality - maybe one week it will be bands with potential and the next week the ones that are painful. Have sort of a "Columbia Idol" show, and I would guess people would tune in to see if they know anyone in any of the bands.

[Jessica Boucher]

You can also spend most of the time talking.

Check out http://radio.babson.edu/ - that's Babson's radio station.

Here's a couple of examples of "talk radio", college radio-style...the title's are first.
"Ming & Travis' Storytime Half Hour" - Basically two guys ranting. They've been known to read things that they found funny over the week.
"Don't Hate Me Because I'm Right" - Political discussion...he regulary has guests in the studio or has them call in and argue with him.
"Bad Boys" - Two guys ranting...mostly about the Red Sox. However, they are more of your classic morning show: they give prizes (like Ernest Goes to Camp posters), have a top ten list, and talk about current events.

Hope this helps!

[RudimentaryPeni]

if it starts going no where go take a break and put on in-a-gadda-da-vidda. Thats what they used to do when they took a cig break.

[Andy A.]

I highly recommend doing a talk show.

Some of my best shows were when the CD player broke, and I had an hour to fill with nothing but me and a friend having on the spot point-counterpoint discussions. You know, I wish we had recordings of some of those shows...

Another option is to have an open Mic night. Invite people to come into the studio and preform and whatnot. Good fun.

-Andy A.

[Alex Pelan]

Play a lot of jazz stuff...a lot of that hasn't been on any top 40 lists because it isn't that popular. Also, a lot of it is from before your deadline in the first place. Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong...its all good. Of course, you could probably do a "morning show" style, where you talk for a couple of minutes, play a couple of songs, talk some more. This sounds like it should be a lot of fun for you. You can just read jokes, make up your own, comment on the news, pretty much anything. I wouldn't recommend spending two hours alone on the air, however. You should find someone to do the show with. It probably would be a lot more fun/funnier then.

[Joe Matt]

Well, I've been thinking of when I go to college I want my own radio program, and one idea I came up with would be called 'Playlist'. Get people you know, like professors and such, to submit a 10 song playlist of oldies and then play it. Try to have four or five in each show. Just an idea.

[Katie Reynolds]

Originally Posted by Gary Dillard

Give a call to recording studios in your area (look them up in the yellow pages) and ask them for some demo tapes from local bands. Once the word gets out they'll come looking for you. Then you can listen and sort according to quality - maybe one week it will be bands with potential and the next week the ones that are painful. Have sort of a "Columbia Idol" show, and I would guess people would tune in to see if they know anyone in any of the bands.

If I were in Appleton and a timeslot at some station was devoted to playing local band's stuff, I know a *ton* of people (myself included!!) would listen it.