It’s the media news that shocked the world this week. No, not Don Lemon finally being shown the door at CNN, but rather Tucker Carlson, the highest-rated primetime cable news host in the business, parting ways with cable news giant Fox News.
Immediately, speculation began as to what would be Carlson’s next move. Would he go to another traditional, linear TV news outlet? How about a digital property? Might he just venture out on his own?
While it’s easy and fun to speculate, when we all take a step back and realize the plethora of opportunities that exist, and the limited barriers to entry in 2023 vs. 1993 or even 2003, it makes you realize how quickly media is changing all around us, and the lessons that are here for radio.
Carlson’s Next Move
For Carlson, he will have his pick of the litter. For the record, I don’t see him jumping back to do a similar-style show on a Fox competitor. He’s worked at all three major cable news outlets in his career and to go to a lesser competitor and try to build up a primetime lineup feels like a predictable move from a creative, outside-the-box, unpredictable person.
Other predictions have included joining up with a powerhouse digital outlet like The Blaze or The Daily Wire. But those seem like long shots as well.
Carlson’s history does include co-founding one of the most successful conservative news outlets on the internet in The Daily Caller. He sold his stake in that outlet in 2020. So he does have the experience, along with the means and following, to start another operation he can call his own, and build a media empire of sorts, which could be even bigger than what The Daily Caller has become.
This would not have to be an outlet with a traditional nightly show, but it could be more in line with what Carlson was helping Fox build with Fox Nation. Long-form interviews, along with documentaries similar to the Tucker Carlson Originals that he was creating, could be in play. They’re expensive, and even more expensive to do right, but could be worth exploring.
But while we all watch to see what Carlson does next, to bring this back to radio programming, the uncertainty and options Carlson has, should be a stark reminder to all of us that we are not simply in the “radio” industry, but rather the content-creation business that is a non-stop 24/7 cycle of content that we can produce via, yes, mostly, the radio, but also podcasts and on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
There is competition all around us, every single day. As hosts are navigating their daily shows, listeners could bail at any time to not just listen to another radio station, but consume any other form of content on their phone with a couple of swipes and clicks. And it never ends, while the options grow daily.
The fragmented media landscape is only going to continue in the years ahead. So what will your competitive advantage be? Local news talk that the listener can’t get from their favorite national host? Can you be as active on your social platform as some of your listeners’ favorite national hosts? How do you keep top of mind for tune-in every day?
None of this is easy, but it should make all of us better broadcasters and personalities. As conservatives, most of us (should) believe competition is inherently a good thing. It keeps us on our toes, makes us sharper, and allows the marketplace the option to pick the winners and losers.
Yes, there are struggles that broadcast radio has compared to some digital content, however, there is good news not getting enough attention as well, like this: According to Nielsen’s Q3 2022 Total Audience report, radio’s 18 to 49-year-old average audience is now 3% greater than television. Go back less than five years, and in 2018, AM/FM radio’s 18-49 average audience was 63% the size of live and time-shifted TV.
Radio is holding its own with audience attrition in a much better fashion than TV. It’s another sign that radio can still, very much, be a winner, despite what some of the misguided narratives may suggest. And it’s up to all of us to continue to compete every single day, against not only our in-market radio rivals but, yes, even Tucker Carlson’s next move. The competition no longer knows geographical boundaries. Game on.
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.
