Last year, CBS News Radio Vice President and General Manager Craig Swagler raised eyebrows by leaving his post after 22 years with the outlet. At the time of his departure, he mentioned he was moving to Baltimore to be closer to family. That job in Baltimore was as President and General Manager of Baltimore Public Media – A Your Public Radio Company.
Many in the industry wondered what would lead Swagler to depart CBS News Radio. But like many others, the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the longtime executive the opportunity to reassess his professional priorities and passions.
“Many people went through that kind of journey during the pandemic, kind of just taking stock of things, and I, like many others did the same,” said Swagler. “CBS went through a lot of change and I was looking at things that would align with my passions, and my drive towards why radio was so important to me. And it’s the impact piece; it’s the making a difference. It’s why I got into journalism. It’s why I am radio.”
During that reassessment, Swagler realized some hard truths about that point of his career.
“It felt that I was not as effective at the organization I was at, being able to achieve that. So I began to look at different areas, and was always a big fan of public media and public radio for what it was achieving in the sense that it was having much more substantive conversations about things than what was happening in the commercial radio world,” Swagler added.
“I’m very proud of many that were created at CBS that do that, and are still there to this day, but it wasn’t the day in day out component of the content. We have very short content. It’s about the mission of what it’s there for, and commercial radio is ultimately there at the end of the day — like any commercial business — to make a profit. That is central to its survival.”
The creativity public media — both news/talk and music stations — allowed was enticing to Swagler.
“Being in an organization where the first discussion is about creativity, community impact and effectiveness and not about profitability was a very exciting concept to me, because I believed like the old saying, content is king,” admitted Swagler. “If you’re so hyper-focused on the dollar piece of it, you missed the whole value proposition of why this business exists, and the unique, creative ability that radio can only deliver and I think in many areas, and many businesses across this country where radio stations are being affected by that.”
Many radio stations around the country feature executives and leaders at the local level who only have experience in the sales arena. Craig Swagler has an extensive background in programming and content and believes leaders must have a deep knowledge and understanding of that area of the business.
“It’s absolutely essential. I cannot be an effective leader, advocator, and the biggest cheerleader of the organization — my job is to go out and find money from a donor perspective from advertisers in the underwriting world and also from grants, in a very senior leadership position.
“How can I be successful in doing that if I don’t have a good concept around what we’re actually executing on air, what we’re trying to accomplish, and the people we’re trying to reach?,” he said. “Now, it’s not efficient or healthy for me to understand every element of how the sausage is made and be a micromanager, but I do need to understand fundamentally what we’re trying to do, and to set the scene of making sure that our vision and our mission that I’m talking about allows aligns with our execution.
“We’d have a very big problem, if I’m out, or any leader, is out in a community advocating for something we’re doing and it is not exactly what we’re doing, or aligning with what we’re trying to accomplish.
“So I think it’s very important to have an understanding of the programming because you’re a better salesperson. You’re a better advocate if you understand what you’re trying to advocate for. And you have an intimate knowledge of the importance that it plays in the community’s lives. I get down in the weeds to understand those things. I think that’s absolutely important.”
Like many forms of media, NPR and Public Radio as a whole have been faced with charges of political bias since the rise of former President Donald Trump. Many on the conservative side of the political aisle often argue that the medium should see its funding removed, and claim taxpayer dollars are being used in disinformation and propaganda campaigns.
However, Craig Swagler defended NPR and public radio from such claims, arguing that critics, rather than the outlet, are the biased ones.
“I think the biggest problem is that the American people have a problem with seeking affirmation, not information. There is a desperate need to be affirmed of the world you live in, and is comfortable than to be questioning anything, and to be challenged upon your view of the world,” Swagler stated. “NPR does that and they do it very directly. Now, if that’s viewed as liberalism, I’ll stand there all day.”
He added that NPR’s news product doesn’t dabble in commentary and editorializing like other media outlets, and that’s a large distinction.
“I would disagree very strongly that NPR has a slant or a bias to their reporting, any more than any other legitimate news organization that is in that space,” he said. “I would say that there are many news organizations out there that do have biases built into them that lean both to the proverbial right and left. Many of them live in the cable world. And many of them, ultimately, they put on the persona by calling them a news organization, but at the end of the day, they are not news they’re giving commentary.”
While many critics argue that federal funding shouldn’t be used to prop up public radio, Craig Swagler shared that the perception that the network and outlets are fully funded by taxpayer dollars is nothing close to reality.
“Something that people aren’t aware of — that I wasn’t aware of until I came here — is that the amount of money we get from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is the smallest amount compared to our own P&L. It is not a lot of money,” he admitted. “The majority of our money has to be raised by our community.
“So it’s really, when we say we’re a community broadcaster, the guy giving us $10, which is no different than someone deciding whether they’re gonna subscribe to Netflix or some other kind of service, but the value proposition you’re investing in an organization that’s going to be beholden and responsible to the community, we have to have public meetings, we have to be involved in a community outreach group. It’s a very different value and responsibility level than what the commercial broadcasters live in.”
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.
