The last several weeks have been exhausting, but exhilarating in the News Talk world. The election put a bow on 2020, which was admittedly a terrible year for America, with COVID-19, a summer of social unrest, and then an incredibly divisive Presidential election.
But it was also the kind of year that gives endless content to the news talk format.
The last few weeks leading up to election day obviously highlighted and followed the day-to-day happenings of Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden, while the U.S. Senate, House of Representative and other down ballot races were part of the conversation. And while the syndicated shows have, naturally, heavily focused on the fall out from the election and the legal processes that are taking place in swing states around the country, local news talk has an angle to play that is likely of more importance to the daily lives of their listeners.
Unless you are in a market in one of the aforementioned swing states, like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and others where President Trump’s legal team is holding out hope for a miracle, there is not much to do to localize the story on a daily basis. Plus, the story is, for the most part, at a standstill, until, or if, the bombshell comes.
But right as the election hysteria starts to wind down, 2020 gives the News Talk format one more punch to close out the year: more COVID-19 lockdowns.
This is happening all over the country, and each city is dealing with it in a different manner, depending on the restrictions for your local city, county or state. While the Presidency is undoubtedly important, shutting down local businesses in your community, some of which may even be advertisers on your radio station, has a direct impact on your listeners, along with likely their friends and family.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to get back into a daily groove of the “live and local” content that will continue to allow local news talk to separate itself and thrive. On top of that, it’s a chance to stand out in the community and become “the voice” of small and local businesses. This kind of grassroots publicity will allow hosts and stations to stand out, when too many in our local and national media landscape are favoring these wildly unfair and draconian shutdowns of, notably bars and restaurants, when there is little to no evidence to point to that these establishments are the super spreaders people want you to believe that they are.
In many communities, including Kansas City where I host my morning show, lawsuits are starting to be filed by small businesses. A bar in Kansas City, Missouri has sued the city for its newly announced forced shutdown time of 10:00 p.m. The bar has abided by all the prior rules and regulations; taking temperature checks prior to entry, enforcement of social distancing between groups and masks when not drinking or eating. But that wasn’t enough. Now, the bar which pulls in nearly 50% of its revenue after 10:00 p.m. has to shut down, when no COVID-19 cases have been tied to their establishment.
On KCMO Talk Radio, I had the first interview with the bar owner, who I did not know until two weeks ago, when I first reached out, built his trust, told him my story and my support for his business, and that resulted in my show getting him for the first interview after his lawsuit was filed. This resulted in earned media for the show in local outlets like The Kansas City Star, which quoted the owner from his appearance on the program.
From a News Talk perspective, am I better off continuing to focus on these issues and building these relationships for the betterment of the community and the show, or repeating talking points you can likely get on any syndicated show about an election from one month ago, when it doesn’t look like the outcome is going to change?
Sign me up for the former, 10 out of 10 times.
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.
