Radio stations from around Wisconsin united with a social media effort to raise the spirits of Wisconsinites during the COVID-19 pandemic by airing Jump Around on Saturdays at 3 p.m.
Jump Around by House of Pain is traditionally played for the crowds at Camp Randall between the third and fourth quarter at Wisconsin Badger football games.
WIXX-FM in Green Bay, iHeartMedia stations across the state, and numerous other stations started the new tradition on April 4.
iHeartMedia estimates more than 43,000 people have joined in “Jumping Around” with their neighbors during the airing of the song, while maintaining social distancing requirements. The stations asked Matt Lepay, the radio voice of your Wisconsin Badgers, to record a special message for Badgers fans across the country.
WIXX Brand Manager Corey Carter immediately started promoting the effort on air and online as soon as the idea was pitched to them.
“We saw a significant buzz on our social media almost immediately, so we knew it would be big. It was a lot of fun to see so many socially isolated families ‘come together’ for a few minutes.”
WIXX received hundreds of videos of listeners and their families “jumping around” immediately after the song played on social media.
