Typically, during the first week of the New Year many News Talk hosts are coming out of the Holidays after some time off. The last two weeks for the format are littered with fill-in hosts, “Best Of” content, Holiday specials and more.
And as the New Year gets underway, hosts are battling with the fact that if they are in an NFL market, their competitors have a leg up as teams get excited and prepared for the playoffs. But to start 2023, News Talkers got a gift. And it’s the gift that keeps on giving during the first week of the New Year.
By now, you know that the gift I’m referring to is Kevin McCarthy’s continued failure (as of this writing) to be elected as the Speaker of the House.
Granted, it’s a wonky story. Most people don’t wake up and care who the Speaker of the House is. But if presented properly, with some humor, a smile, and an admission that, while yes, this story is “hard politics”, it’s compelling, and here’s why, it can and should be a launching pad for the New Year’s news cycle.
It can also be localized incredibly easily. What are your local representatives doing? Are they part of the pro-McCarthy group? Are they one of the 20 or so in the anti-McCarthy group? Do you have a new congress member(s)-elect who are caught between a rock and a hard place? This hypothetical member could be a staunch conservative, however, he/she isn’t necessarily a huge Kevin McCarthy fan, but the potential future Speaker backed the member elected financially during the campaign cycle and now doesn’t know what to do?
Ride this wave and this drama.
And maybe most importantly, reset with the audience what this is all about. There’s nothing worse than listening to the radio as a casual listener and having the host assume that you’re already locked in, in the weeds, with them on a topic like this one. To win over the listener who could be listening to Sports Talk or music, a quick reset on understanding getting the 218 votes in the House of Representatives, what it means, and why it matters is important in order to make this a winner for your show.
Additionally, unlike most News Talk topics, this is not a red vs. blue, right vs. left, Republican vs. Democrat issue. It’s Republicans fighting with themselves. This can bring a broader range of opinions from callers versus the echo chamber that can sometimes ensue if you’re not careful with structuring callers properly.
And for those on the other side of the aisle, they might be tuning in to listen to the train wreck. Let’s be honest, they’re there. They’re listening. And just like you watching your ex get dumped by her latest fling, deep down, they like it.
Is the chaos good for the Republican Party and the country? That’s up for debate.
But I’m not in that business. I know the chaos is good for any News Talk shows looking to launch the New Year on a high note. And that’s what matters to me. So let’s get after it.
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.
