Even if WFAN wasn’t fantastic at social media videos, the interaction between current WFAN afternoon host Tiki Barber and former host Joe Benigno was likely to go viral.
The conversation — which I think could be fairly labeled as “accidentally contentious” — featured the passion of Benigno and the even-keeled analysis of Barber. It made for good radio, but it made for even better television.
Unfortunately for Barber — and fortunately for viewers — the interaction was captured on video, where it’s clear Barber thought Benigno’s comments were “bullshit”. The video became white hot on social media, and for good reason.
I know we were all told to never be the story. That ship has sailed.
Whether we like it or not, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Barber doesn’t like it, what goes on off-the-air is no longer strictly behind-the-scenes content.
Call it the Barstool-ization of traditional media if you’d like, but your P1s absolutely want to see the drama that goes on between hosts, producers, or whoever. Barstool Sports has created a media empire by showcasing the reality TV show behind the scenes at the company. People pay attention to the brand because of the storylines created by feuds, companionship, and gambling wins and losses by the digital media behemoth. They’ve made it ok to be self-centered, and sports radio shouldn’t be afraid to capitalize on it.
It is no longer taboo to be the story. If anything, we should embrace the opportunity to create more content from everything that goes on in your station. And it makes sense. The reason you have listeners dedicated to your brand is that they’re interested in what your hosts have to say. So are they going to be interested if one host is pissed off at a station legend? 100%.
One of the worst pieces of advice I was ever given about radio was “no one listening cares about your personal life”. Why the hell else would they be listening? Why would they be a dedicated social media follower? That doesn’t make any sense.
And I’ve pounded the table with this argument time and time again in this space, but I’ll do it again: listeners value authenticity. If an average person was accused of lying — which is essentially what Benigno charged Barber with — how well would that person respond? Probably much worse than Tiki did! Some have called Tiki “a big baby” for his reaction, but I thought it was fair and warranted. He had every right to be pissed off. And he showed it. Ultimately, he, the show, and the station are better for it.
Tiki Barber’s reaction to Joe Benigno should be viewed as a positive for WFAN. If nearly 200,000 views on a short video clip — which drew extensive reaction from listeners and commentators alike — doesn’t prove that the brand still has a strong hold over the nation’s largest market, I don’t know what will.
It’s ok to be the story. It’s ok to be the center of attention. After all, isn’t that the whole point of your shows? To generate as much attention, publicity, notoriety, recognition, and listenership as possible?
If that’s your goal — and it should be — it was mission accomplished by Tiki Barber, Joe Benigno, Evan Roberts, and the WFAN social media team. Kudos to all, even if they don’t want them.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
