Turkeys Cannot Fly

If you work in the radio industry and you’re over age 50 (or you’re young and work with people over 50), you probably know about the classic sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. And if you know the show, you probably know about one of their most classic episodes, “Turkeys Away.” In the episode, station manager Arthur Carlson attempts to pull off the greatest Thanksgiving promotion in radio history … dropping live turkeys from a helicopter.

Last week, a station I work for, 106.7 WLLZ here in Detroit, paid homage to this classic show and stunt. We didn’t drop living turkeys. We didn’t drop frozen turkeys. Yet, in the two weeks leading up to our Turkey Drop, the on-air promos didn’t quite get specific on the details. Why ruin fun and mystery with facts? Surely in 2023, nobody really thought WLLZ was going to drop living (or frozen) turkeys from a helicopter.

200+ listeners showed up at a local Kroger, MYFLIGHT Tours provided the helicopter, Holeshot provided the early morning tunes (think Metallica and Pantera …not Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole …and think about all the unsuspecting little old ladies that ventured out to Kroger for some last minute ingredients and were greeted with loud, heavy metal), and we had a little fun, gave away some gift cards, and highlighted Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative.

Local Fox 2 showed up? Wonder if they really thought we’d be dropping living turkeys? And was Fox 2 reporter, Josh Landon, just a little disappointed the turkeys were actually stuffed animals and the whole thing was actually a feel-good-story?

Our Program Director, Casey, asked the crowd, “hey, everybody …who thought we were dropping live turkeys?” I’m not kidding you, half the crowd raised their hand.

No turkeys were hurt as a part of the WLLZ Turkey Drop. Thanks to Kroger, we secured forty $100 Kroger Gift Cards to each of the stuffed doll toy turkeys and we did drop them from a helicopter, which flew in a secure, roped off area. And was safely back on the ground with the blades done spinning before we drew any names and sent anybody running out to retrieve the turkeys.

Yes. In 1985, radio stunts might not have taken so many precautions, which probably gave radio stunts a bad name. This was fun and funny and a great way to add some excitement to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when the weather in Michigan was already bringing flurries, temps in the teens, and clouds that will block out the sunshine until, oh, April. Plus, one thing about most radio promotions like this, many of the listeners really needed a $100 Kroger gift card and were as excited and appreciative of that as some might expect from a pair of Taylor Swift tickets.

It reminded me, again, of a few things. The radio industry is fun. It’s creative. Radio connects. 200+ people turned out. And radio does good things for people and the community.

I’m thankful to be celebrating year 27 in this crazy, turkey-dropping industry.