For three to four hours every day, news/talk radio hosts spend time opining on the news of the day in their communities, cities, the country, and across the world. And while there are certainly varying viewpoints on every issue, one thing we can all agree on is the news cycle has been gloomy in recent weeks (one may argue years, but let’s keep it more recent).
We’re talking about war, a tough economic climate, and a Presidential election is around the corner. We need levity, we need humor, and we can’t spend three or four hours every day telling our listeners why their city, country, or planet is in a bad place. They might catch a quarter hour or two, but will they hang around for a barrage of bad news? I’ve never thought so.
It’s why I’ve written a lot lately about how news/talk can approach or dive into certain topics, when appropriate, that breaks up the monotony of the news cycle. Example A: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
As I wrote earlier in the month, this is a great story to keep tabs on. It appeals to in-demo (25-54) males who are football fans and have kids, plus women who are Taylor Swift fans (and maybe football fans) with kids. It’s what they’re talking about around their dinner table, so why wouldn’t you want to dive into it too?
Those who can’t stand it? Probably your “Get-Off-My-Lawn” guy. That’s ok. We love them, too, but it doesn’t grow the audience to superserve them every quarter hour of a show.
So on that similar note, in a never-ending search for positivity and relatability, I took a chance in welcoming the KCMO Talk Radio audience into the most personal space I’ve ever welcomed them into.
This week, we did a gender reveal on air. I had my wife and two daughters come into the studio for a segment as the four of us found out live on air what our third child, and their second sibling, would be.
None of us knew the answer ahead of the on-air reveal. My oldest daughter was adamant about wanting a brother. I thought it was a girl (I play the odds), while my wife thought it was a boy.
As it turned out, I was right because even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
We ate a cupcake that was made with either pink or blue frosting in the middle to find out what gender the baby would be, and it was my oldest who broke the news on air when she bit into it and said “It’s pink”.
Here’s the reveal, if you’re interested.
It was a vulnerable moment for our family, but the overwhelming response via the phones, text lines, and social media (in our most-viewed Facebook post of 2023 thus far), made me realize it was the right decision.
Now, there were dissenters. There always are. Some called me “woke” for doing a gender reveal. As I explained to them, the “woke” thing to do would be to wait until Kindergarten to let the child pick their gender. Some asked why I would bring another kid into the world when the whole planet is going to hell in a handbasket. Huh? I’m sure they’re fun at cocktail parties.
I know this is going to shock you, but my gut tells me those dissenters are the same people who don’t like any conversations around Taylor Swift or Travis Kelce. Call me crazy, but I feel quite confident coming to that conclusion.
The overwhelming majority of listeners are never going to be upset when you share important life moments with them. It makes you more relatable as a personality beyond the topics and issues of the day. You make that connection that has always made radio the most intimate media platform.
And it will be the ones they remember too. So when appropriate, bring them into your life. You’re a human being, not a hot-take machine. Be vulnerable. And enjoy it and have fun along the way.
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.
