Like anyone that watched the AFC Championship Game this weekend, I was bombarded with ads for a reality show called Celebrity Big Brother. It’s just like the regular version of Big Brother, only now CBS has stocked the house with people you might have maybe heard of.
There’s one ad in particular that stood out to me. It lists all of the residents of the Big Brother and ends with some line like “and don’t forget the most famous house guest of all” as the camera zooms in on the back of a blonde man’s head. The man turns around and it’s Kato Kaelin and he says something like “remember me?” or “I’m back” or…you know what, it really doesn’t matter what he said.
Using a guy that was made famous for a day by a trial that happened almost 25 years ago as a selling point is hilariously out of touch. The more frustrating thing though is that it reminded me of something radio does far too often.
Now, let me be clear. I haven’t seen an episode of this season of Big Brother. I’ve never seen an episode of any season of Big Brother, but using the trailer alone, I can pick out three lessons that radio needs to learn from this show.
1. QUIT RECYCLING HOSTS
Recently I wrote about how the make up of your market is always changing. Old names aren’t always going to resonate with a town, but for some reason, whenever there is an opening on air, a lot of programmers’ first thought is someone that used to be on the competition’s airwaves.
I’ve seen Kato Kaelin tell his story. Anthony Scaramucci is in the Big Brother house this season too. I’ve heard him tell his story. There is nothing so intriguing about either of those guys that make me feel like I need to hear it again.
Before recycling local radio talent, a programmer needs to ask himself two big questions. The first is “why is this person available?”. Was he/she not a ratings winner? Is he/she a notorious pain in the ass to work with? If the person you are considering hiring was let go by a competitor, you need to find out why. You need to find out if their story is worth hearing again.
Sure, sometimes talented people are let go for budget reasons. Sometimes notorious pains in asses can be successful and available for the right price. Make sure the reason is something that makes your target worth the risk. Market familiarity shouldn’t trump all else when making a hire.
Next, ask yourself if the talent in question can do a relevant show in 2019. Sometimes stations want to skew younger. As a result older, well-established hosts can get blown out. That creates an opportunity for the competition to pick up someone with a following.
On paper, that’s great. Look at it this way though. A relevant host never gets too old. If an older talent is the victim of a PD that wants to “skew younger,” it means that the talent isn’t engaging his audience in a meaningful way these days.
2. MAYBE A FORMER COACH OR PLAYER ISN’T THAT BIG OF A DEAL
It’s not uncommon for sports radio stations to make deals with former players and coaches of the home team to come on each week and give their thoughts on the most recent news or game. WFNZ in Charlotte has a weekly segment with Steve Smith Sr. to talk about the Carolina Panthers. WDAE in Tampa does the same with Anthony Becht. Those guys are well respected, and well informed. They are worth a listener’s time.
My wife is 39 years old. She was in her early teens when Blossom was on TV. As I was researching the celebrities in the Big Brother house I discovered that Joey Lawrence, who was a teen heartthrob in his Blossom days was going to be a resident.
I told her that. She told me that she was in love with Joey Lawrence as a kid. I asked if that meant we were going to have to watch Big Brother and she responded “Why? I can look at the internet to see if he is still hot if I am ever wondering.”
Sometimes, admit it, we grab a name for the sake of having a name. It makes listeners say “Oh yeah, him!”. Maybe it makes them tune in. Maybe it doesn’t. Getting them to tune in is only half the job though. The ex-jock/coach also has to have enough personality to get the listeners to stay.
Joey Lawrence’s name made my wife go “oh yeah, him.” It wasn’t enough to move her to do anything else.
As a programmer, you have to listen for two things when it comes to big name guests. Are they entertaining and, does your audience see this expert’s knowledge and experience as unimpeachable?
No matter how big the name, it is only worth having an ex-jock or coach on with regularity if they are delivering on those two things. They have to do more than give listeners a history lesson on the sport and the team. A good guest is only good because he has strong opinions and makes the audience feel like listening to what he has to say is a good use of their time.
3. IS WHAT YOU ARE DOING RELEVANT?
The final thought I was left with after my deep dive into the world of Celebrity Big Brother was that I am not sure how relevant the show is anymore. The Bachelor does the week to week elimination stuff better. The Masked Singer is doing the “celebrities embarrassing themselves” thing better. Why do we need this show?
I have tremendous respect for Hubbard Broadcasting and the approach they took in rebranding ESPN 1500 in Minneapolis. That station was in need of a facelift, and the powers that be were smart enough to know that an AM station without any of the 4 major league play-by-play contracts was facing an uphill climb.
When the station rebranded as Skor North, the goal wasn’t to try and match what a competitor on FM that had the Vikings, Timberwolves, and Wild was doing. Hubbard decided that they would take the focus off of solely being an on air product. Skor North puts as much emphasis on podcasts, video, and writing as it does on any of its shows. That way it isn’t just one thing. Skor North has a very clear point of differentiation from its competition, and makes itself necessary for Minnesota sports fans by giving them original content everywhere.
The other part of being relevant is in the perception of your brand. The perception of CBS among most people my age is that nothing the network does (outside of sports and maybe the Grammys) is meant for us. Watch the NFL, SEC Football or the NCAA Tournament on the network, and what do you see during commercials?
There’s an ad for NCIS. There’s another one for Mom. The network has remakes of Hawaii Five-O and Magnum, PI, and shows named after every branch of law enforcement you’ve ever heard of.
In short, your dad loves CBS. CBS loves your dad. They don’t really need you.
Does your brand have broad appeal? Are your hosts considered honest when it comes to their criticism of the local teams? Does what they do inspire passion even in people that disagree with them?
Or is your brand seen as nothing but homers? Do your hosts refer to the local teams with the words “we” and “our” and steer clear of ever doing anything that might ruffle feathers? You may be quick to tell me that the latter approach has won you fans in the front offices of every local team, but I promise you no one in the market considers those kinds of shows “must listen” radio.
Big Brother became irrelevant, and it seemingly happened without CBS or the producers even realizing it. The “washed-up celebrities embarrassing themselves” model of reality TV has been done to death, and CBS isn’t offering much of a reason for you to want to see it done again.
I can’t promise that I am giving you a blueprint to stave off irrelevance here. All I can tell you is that when I look at Celebrity Big Brother, it isn’t a mystery how the game passed it by.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
