10 ways to enthrall your listeners at Christmas

1. Get kids at the local school to record you a jingle, and play it on air. Christen the school Cool School. Mums and grans will be simpering and the whole school will listen.

2. Sit quietly down, and cast your mind back to something that your favourite station did when you were a kid. And do it.

3. Talk about local decorations- every town has got "the house that goes mad" at Christmas time. Get people to send in pictures.

4. Really celebrate it on air. Really get into it. Listeners love it. Remember the magic of Christmas, remember that wonderful feeling you had as a kid. Make it sound like the station IS Christmas. It makes you sound big as well.

5. Get a copy of "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" and play it.

6. For one day, or one segment, broadcast only POSITIVE news. Ignore rapes, murders, ASBO's. Ignore the negative. You and your listeners will feel wonderful. And it will FEEL like Christmas.

7. Don't wait until 2 days before to play Christmas songs. Play 'em 2 weeks before,and 3 days afterwards. Get away from this "Return to Normality 2 days afterwards. It's a SEASON!

8. Celebrate with the listeners on air, open the phone lines for any reason at all. Just chat to people, what are you doing at Xmas etc.

9. Pay the breakfast show DJ to do a late late breakfast show on Christmas day. Let him double head it with his daughter!

10.Take the wonderful feelings that these tips generate and practice them all year round.


Happy Christmas.