Americans work hard and we work a lot. We have one of the lowest standards for paid time off in the world. We take laptops along with us and answer emails while on vacation. We are wired to feel like we always have to be plugged in.
It’s summer. People are either vaccinated or “doing their own research.” This country is ready to travel again and that means you are likely thinking about taking a vacation too.
Do me a favor when you get back. Just accept that you were on vacation.
Part of my job with JB involves listening not just to clients, but to stations all over the country. Then there are radio shows and podcasts that I like myself that I will listen to. A common bad habit that I hear a lot is hosts that feel like they have to comment on any event that occurred while they were on vacation. Please guys! Knock it off!
The sports world didn’t stop while you were riding Space Mountain or visiting family or lying on a beach. Games were played. Other things happened. You know about it because even though you were taking a break, there were plenty of other voices available to cover them. Someone was filling in on your show. I bet they covered those stories too.
Rewinding the clock just so you can have your say about a loss or a story the rest of us have moved on from is so self-indulgent. Who did it serve? Probably no one but yourself. Aside from making you feel good and showing off just how smart you are, what purpose did it serve? Probably none.
Let’s call this bad habit what it is. It’s a waste of everyone’s time.
Are there exceptions? Sure. Think about major recent stories like the NFL’s Covid protocols or baseball’s new foreign substance rules. Those are stories that are still unfolding and will continue to have new wrinkles that may be worth talking about. If you were on vacation last week though and think that Monday is the time to share your thoughts on a 12 team college football playoff though, I’m sorry, but that ship has sailed for most of your listeners.
We talk about the ADD news cycle all the time. Is it 24 hours? Is it 24 minutes? You know, it could be 24 seconds. What makes you think something that happened a week ago is fresh enough in your listeners’ minds to care about your hot take on Monday?
This is an ego driven business. I understand all of the different ways the mind could work that get a host to a place where they feel like listeners will wait for their take. It just isn’t reality though. It is the kind of insular thinking that you have heard so many PDs, GMs, and consultants tell you to try and avoid.
Your listeners have work. They have kids. Maybe they are planning their own vacations or have other stressors. For them, the sports world is whatever is right in front of them right now. They turn on your show to be entertained and to hear about that.
You aren’t completely cut off from your audience when you are away. Social media gives you a platform to do whatever it is you want to connect with your audience. Film yourself ranting on whatever just happened and post it to Instagram or TikTok. Write a Twitter thread. Just because it wasn’t said over the airwaves of your particular frequency doesn’t mean you didn’t have a chance to weigh in.
Think about your content as part of a multi-platform brand. You always have the chance to provide timely thoughts and analysis. It just may not always be on the radio, and that is okay.
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.
