The most successful name in news television over the past 20 years has been Fox News. They have been so dominant that they sometimes have been the number one cable channel, period.
Sometimes, Fox News even has beaten network TV. Many of your stations may carry Sean Hannity who has been a ninja for ratings success on TV and radio. With so much winning, why not mirror Fox News? I will explain why:
A good hour in primetime on Fox News has 3 million to 4 million viewers. Certainly, that is a lot of people. But, depending on the hour, Fox News has about 1% of the U.S. population watching, if you consider that all 330 million plus Americans are watching TV at a particular moment.
If you can live on 1% of your community listening to your station, keep it up. Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN are not broadcasting to a wide audience. This is not to say that they are not successful. Fox News, before the Tucker Carlson exit, was the number one attraction on cable, often beating network TV in big dayparts.
With 450 channels, streaming platforms, YouTube, gaming, websites, and more, success is certainly at a lower bar than 4 TV networks and a small number of radio stations. Radio has quite an advantage.
As of this moment, most people in the car are likely listening to radio. Local news, traffic, and weather are key advantages to that captive audience stuck in their car. Those that are heading to work, taking the kids to school or activities, or running daily errands have a friend in you.
The competition is between the different stations. Obviously, focusing on your target demo creates a window for success. Satellite radio takes away audience, but they do not have the local advantage. By the way, I am a SiriusXM subscriber. I know what they offer. Locally focused radio wins in many ways.
The average cable news viewer is death for radio. The average age of a Fox News viewer is 60. Advertising sales has always been based on reaching a large percentage of adults 25-54. For TV, it is adults 18-49. I love 60-year-olds. I am closer to 60 than I am to 40. But, let us talk about why we are here. It is to make money. While the older demographic has money, it is not the focus of the advertising industry.
I have heard hosts and managers complain about the lack of interest in older demos by the business community. I get it and agree with you. Sadly, the reality is 25-54. Cable’s success is not based solely on advertising revenue. In Cable, 1% of the U.S. population is money in the bank. A 1 share at your radio station is a recipe for failure.
Fox News Radio’s presence is for one reason only: brand extension. I am not pointing at just Fox News. If you have a sports station in your building that carries ESPN Radio, the same thing occurs. It is brand extension for the network. Listen to the top-of-the-hour Fox News Update or The Brian Kilmeade Show, it is a commercial for Fox News. It is brilliant promotion that radio has allowed. Don’t blame the playas, they are winning the game.
Fox News is a terrific news product for a News/Talk station. I use it on my station. There is not a suitable alternative. But don’t be fooled. You are being used as a promotional tool for them. Fox News top-of-the-hour news fits the bent of most conservative news talk stations. It is a perfect fit considering the alternatives that are available. But, realize, it is a commercial for the network.
Cable’s income is somewhat baked into the cake. Technically, when you pay your cable company or streaming service, the network gets a negotiated monthly fee per month. Depending on the network, it could be as high as $10 dollars per month. So, even if you never watch a moment of a network on your TV service, they are making money off of you.
Frequently, it has been brought up having the ability to negotiate which cable companies that we pay for. I love this idea. The sushi restaurant of TV other than you pay for everything plan. There are a couple of reasons that you can’t get TV ala carte. Due to the consolidation of TV networks, the big owners can negotiate with your streaming or TV service to carry all or nothing. They have the power.
Obviously, Congress could step in on this, but they have not. The average consumer watches 17 channels. Name how many you are watching. Think it through. I got to 12. You may get to 30. There is only so much you can watch, read or listen to with the abundance of choices available.
So, if I can leave you with one thing to ruminate over, let it be that radio is still uniquely positioned to reach a mass audience. Focusing on a thing with a small audience is death to your job. Fox News is an amazing brand. They do a bunch of things right. The success paradigm for Fox News or other cable news stations is different than for your radio station. Keep that in mind as you choose topics and discussions for your station.
Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He currently serves as News/Talk Format Captain for Zimmer Communications. Prior to joining Zimmer, Peter held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Des Moines, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
