Here we are facing the most interesting election cycle of our lives, yet many of us are hesitant to be out rubbing elbows with listeners and doing things that make local radio great: connecting on a personal level.
There are days when I admit I get down about it. Something I’ve had a blast doing in Kansas City is our bimonthly “Politics and a Pint” events. We would book a restaurant or bar for a couple hours, welcome out a politician running for office or re-election and have a longform conversation over food and drinks. It was casual and fun. It was a chance for me to get to meet some of our loyal, P1 listeners. It was a chance to connect with either an office holder or soon-to-be officer holder in an intimate setting that built our relationship beyond the 10-minute phone calls on the air that were typically more policy and less personal.
It was a win for the station, me, the politician and the listener.
Then COVID-19 happened and all that came to a screeching halt. And it came to a screeching halt right as the election season was getting really hot.
But how do you work around it? What can be done?
My initial plan was to wait it out. Hope COVID passed sooner than later and we could get back to doing things in person. I was against the idea of Zoom, as it didn’t have the same level of intimacy for the listener as the in-person events did.
But obviously it became clear in late-spring the virus wasn’t going anywhere and we would have to figure out how to live with it.
I then opened up to the Zoom idea. Not that it was perfect, but it was better than doing nothing. We began hosting “virtual” Politics and a Pint. While it wasn’t the same as being in-person with listeners for an evening, there were some benefits that the in-person events didn’t have.
We started hosting these on Facebook Live and Periscope, so instead of having 75-125 folks in person, we were reaching thousands via our social media platforms for these events.
We were losing intimacy, but gaining in reach, that might reach a new potential P1 that may not have had any idea of the event we were hosting.
So like anything else, we took the pros with the cons. Another positive is that we can do more events, since the process of needing to book bars or restaurants is out of the equation. The fall was always a busy time, and some establishments were hesitant to do anything related to politicians given the divisive climate we find ourselves in.
Meantime, on a personal level, I’ve continued to do a handful of events that I get invited to emcee or host. This past weekend the McCloskey’s from St. Louis, who are now infamous for their photo standing on the front lawn armed as rioters stormed their neighborhood, came to Kansas City to keynote a “support the Blue” rally.
I was asked to emcee the event and willingly participated. The event was outdoors and I came armed with hand sanitizer and made sure I wasn’t shaking hands like I would be in a pre-COVID world. But I felt it was still important to “see and be seen” at events that would be valuable and important to our P1’s.
I’m not suggesting any host put themselves in a position they’re uncomfortable in or do something unsafe. But consider your comfort level with risks and when you think there is something that can be of value to your personal brand and the station brand, it still might be worth your time.
It’s an election cycle that will be one we will never forget. Thanks to digital media we can still capitalize on this in a big way and connect with listeners in a way that even 10 years ago didn’t seem possible. And figuring out how to balance these things will go a long way to keeping the show and station moving forward with momentum into 2021 and beyond.
Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the morning show host and program director for KCMO in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. Pete was also the sports and news director for Omni Media Group at K-1O1/Z-92 in Woodward, Oklahoma. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on Twitter @PeteMundo.
