Stunting (broadcasting) (fictional)

Stunting is a practice in radio broadcasting, which occurs when a station begins, abruptly and without advance announcement, to air content that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play. The tactic is most commonly used when a station is about to undergo a major change, such as a change in format, branding, frequency, ownership or management, or occasionally as a simple prank on listeners and rival broadcasters. Either way, stunting is intended as a publicity stunt to generate a greater amount of media publicity and audience attention, by virtue of its shock value, than a straightforward format change could provide. Depending on the station's situation and its management's preference, stunt formats can last anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks before the permanent change is launched.

To a lesser extent, stunting has also been seen on television, most commonly in conjunction with April Fool's Day.

Continuous loop
A station may stunt by repeating the same song or songs over and over on a continuous loop:
 * In March 2020, conservative talk station KDRC-FM/ began stunting with a loop of R.E.M.'s song "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", interspersed with comedic segments such as "Washing Your Hands for Dummies" and "How to Survive a Pandemic" to poke fun at the coronavirus pandemic.

Temporary formats
Occasionally a station dropping an old format will stunt with a transitional format, either containing clues and previews relating to the new format (such as songs referencing its new branding, and artists who may be included in the eventual format), or having little to do with it. This can include songs based on specific themes (such as a single musician), or novelties that would not be viable as a permanent format.
 * In 2014, WWPA-FM/, WRKO-FM/, and KIMR/ were purchased by RKO Radio, which returned WRKO-FM to RKO's ownership after nearly a decade. WWPA-FM and WRKO-FM transitioned from Regional Mexican and CHR respectively to hot talk as 91.5 The Cave and Chupacabra 102.3 respectively, while KIMR transitioned from to active rock as Shreddin' 101.5. As a transitional format, all three stations aired a format branded as RKO Radio Now, which featured adult hits music interspersed with news, traffic, and weather updates from the staff of RKO Radio's primary base station, KHTX-FM/.

Sound effects
In a prelude to a format flip, a series of audio clips and sound effects centered around a certain theme may be played. Known as a sound collage, the theme under which these bits of audio fall may or may not have something to do with the previous or new format.
 * A common stunting collage consists of construction site noises (sawing, hammering, etc.), signaling the building of a new station; examples include WJES-FM/ (which transitioned from to active rock as 106.1 The Bomb in August 2018)

On television
In March 2020, ESPN El Kadsre began airing a non-stop marathon of sports movies and the animated TV series Hurricanes due to the cancellation of all live sporting events caused by the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, ESPN2 El Kadsre began a non-stop run of the "ESPN8 - The Ocho" format, a homage to the sports comedy DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, to entertain sports fans disappointed by the cancellations, with ESPN2 (as "ESPN8") airing events that were "almost a sport" including, but not limited to: chess boxing, roller derby, Gaelic games, table tennis, pickleball, sack races, sambo, competitive cheerleading, demolition derbies, the Tough Guy Competition, dodgeball, lawn mower racing, khuresh, runnings of the bulls, Little League baseball, beauty pageants, and karaoke contests.