Like any good talk show host, I enjoy learning from my colleagues. We hear ideas, put our spin on them, make them our own and share the content with our audiences. One of my favorite things to do is try to find a talk station I am not as familiar with, pull it up on my phone and just listen. And when it comes to writing, I apply a similar principle.
This week, two things stood out to me, both found on Barrett News Media. First was the article by McGraw Milhaven, titled, The Real Stars of Podcasting are Heard on Radio. Milhaven railed on the millions of dollars Spotify and others pay celebrities to pretend they know how to produce audio content. Most recently, Jason Bateman, Will Arnet and Sean Hayes inked a $20 million deal for a weekly podcast. He then added, “So how come the podcast companies, looking to throw money around, don’t come looking for hosts who are successful on the radio? I’m not talking about the syndication hacks. They just parrot the things they hear from other shows. I’m talking about the true talent, the local radio hosts who do most of the heavy lifting in radio.”
First off, he’s absolutely right. But to answer his question: these companies are paying celebrities for their platforms and reach on social media and other outlets to drive people to subscribe to Spotify. Local radio hosts don’t have that type of pull. It’s a short-term play because it’s unlikely the content will be good (have you spent two minutes listening to some of these celebrities pretend to play radio host?). But the hope is once they get people subscribed and hooked onto Spotify, they can keep them and make them a loyal customer. It’s a tactical gamble and we’ll see if it pays off.
So when I thought about what local radio should be doing to combat this push to overpay celebrities to provide mediocre content and fight back in the competitive space that is audio content, I saw this news item that WBAL would be adding Kimberly Klacik to its lineup in an unknown role.
Klacik gained national attention in 2020 when she raised more than $8 million for her campaign for Maryland’s 7th District, which includes half of Baltimore City. She ran as a Republican in a deep blue district, spoke at the Republican National Convention and became a social media sensation with this campaign video that has 13 million views (on Twitter alone). She lost the race, but got plenty of brand awareness out of it (try 449,000 Twitter followers).
This is exactly what radio should be doing. And it’s not because I am convinced Klacik is the next talk radio star. I have no clue. But in many ways, this is copying the Spotify model, but on a local level, and more importantly, targeted and smarter manner.
While it’s unclear what Klacik’s role will be, bringing her into the news talk format, letting her operate as some combination of live and local on the weekends, fill in, or in a co-host/sidekick role will give her the training ground she needs to understand the format, while also providing a splash for the local radio station and trying to bring in new cume to sample BAL.
Klacik is exactly the kind of person who we would typically hear about starting a podcast to rip on Joe Biden and talk about national issues or teaming up with someone to start a YouTube channel, but no, she’s joining a local radio station to talk about local issues in the Baltimore community.
There are tons of former candidates, politicians and local personalities who are well known in their individual markets and might be capable of becoming a trusted voice on your airwaves to share unique, local perspectives with your audience.
And yes, before your bosses ask, this will cost your station money. But here’s your pitch: I promise you the bang for your buck will be far greater than the $20 million Spotify spent on Jason Bateman, Will Arnet, and Sean Hayes for their one-hour weekly podcast. That should seal the deal, right?
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.
