You just put a bow on a GREAT on-air segment. It was informative, entertaining, funny, and opinionated, all wrapped into one.
It felt fantastic. Your producer and board op also felt the same way. Callers, texters, and social media are complimenting the show.
You wish that your entire market had heard that segment. The reality is unless it was teased perfectly and promoted for a specific reason, the audience that is usually there was there, along with hopefully a few extra sets of ears.
And yes, you can recycle and re-do the segment or bit in a couple of hours, if you want, but it won’t be the same. It rarely goes just as well the second time around.
The good news is that you can make sure that the segment lives forever and gets more attention via digital media.
But this is where radio doesn’t do itself any favors.
Despite the fact that radio has some of the most talented content creators producing outstanding work for hours each and every day, there is a massive portion of the potential audience who doesn’t even know your content exists.
We can bemoan the fact that there are “too many options” in today’s media world or embrace it. And it’s still amazing to me how many, notably on News Talk radio, choose the former.
I’m still shocked when I see that there are hosts in major markets who have almost zero social media presence. If they do, it’s a Facebook or Twitter account a former producer made for them years ago that has no content or information on it.
Like it or not, being engaged on these platforms is part of the job and is a huge part of the way we can promote our own content to listeners who may have missed it live. Plus, it hopefully reminds them why they should be tuned into us every day, or it allows us to connect to a potential new audience that doesn’t currently make radio part of their day. However, if they find us via a podcast or social media clip, they may become podcast subscribers and start making radio part of their day-to-day.
Also, what about that business professional who hasn’t driven to the office in over two years because he/she now works from home? They are out of their routine of radio listening based on their new schedule, but they find your show/content on social media and make listening on their Alexa or Google Home now part of their daily routine.
As broadcasters, we can find all the excuses we want. “I already do a four-hour show.” “I don’t have time.” “We all have other responsibilities around the station.” “We don’t have any marketing.”
Sure, those convenient excuses can be used, but they’re just that… excuses. And lame.
It’s our job to go where our potential customers are. And in 2022, yes, they’re on the radio, obviously, but they’re also on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and several other platforms and places we should be exploring as well.
And if you need that extra push: Don’t you want more people to be listening to your great content? Don’t you want them to find out about you, your show, and your station? Wouldn’t it be great to have more listeners who can potentially make purchases from your plethora of great clients, who then end up making more money? Isn’t that the end game here?
It all seems so obvious, but it’s amazing that of all formats, despite News Talk producing engaging, thoughtful, compelling, and informative content every day in local markets around the country, that content rarely makes it beyond the airwaves it was originally heard on.
It’s a disservice to those in the market, the station, the advertisers, and ultimately, yourself.
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.
