Many questions keep radio leaders — especially those in the news/talk format — up at night. Plenty of things are important in the day-to-day operations of major brands, like hitting ratings and revenue goals.
But one question that persists when opportunity arises to think about the future: Where will news/talk radio find the next crop of stars?
Many view podcasting as a natural proving ground for potential talk radio stardom. However, 95.5 WSB Director of Content Ken Charles doesn’t believe that pathway is a slam dunk.
“Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, well, we’ve got to find our next generation in podcasting.’ Podcasting is really different than broadcasting. Podcasting is like cable, this is like network TV. We have a much bigger, much broader audience versus podcasting,” said Charles. “Most of them — not all of them, but most of them — are very niche and very specific in what they do.
“Erick Erickson is going to talk about a thousand different things, and if something breaks in the middle of his show, he needs to be ready to pivot on a dime and talk about it in an informed, intelligent way. That’s a unique talent. And that’s a skill that’s very different from most podcasts, which are prepared, which are one topic, and are very focused on one specific niche. Are podcasts an opportunity? Just because you can do an excellent podcast, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be an excellent talk show host. It’s a place to look, but it’s not the panacea that I’ve heard people say that that’s where our next generation is going to come from.”
Veteran programmer Dave LaBrozzi — who recently retired from the venerable KDKA in Pittsburgh — shared many of the same sentiments as Charles, stating that it isn’t as easy of a shift from the digital realm to live talk as one might expect.
“I’ve watched as some haven’t been able to make as smooth of a transition as they thought they would from podcasting to talk show host on the radio,” said LaBrozzi. “With podcasting, you can do whatever you want. With radio, there’s formatics involved, and there’s some disciplines involved in radio with appointment setting and teasing and all that kind of stuff that you don’t necessarily have to do in podcasting. So, I think it’s a good first step, but it doesn’t always translate.”
LaBrozzi added that he believes that viewing a potential host by their talent, rather than their previous distribution method, is the best way to identify a potential fit.
700 WLW midday host Bill Cunningham has been entertaining audiences in Cincinnati for decades. He, like many, believes podcasting can be an entryway into the format, but thinks there are some hurdles in the way.
“iHeartMedia believes that podcasts are the future to find talent. And I can’t disagree with them. But the problem is, it’s one thing to do a podcast once a week or four per month. How about doing six days a week? I’m on Monday through Friday, plus I’m on Sunday night. Now that’s different,” said Cunningham. “‘He had a really great podcast.; Well, do it again tomorrow for three hours. Now do another one on Wednesday for three hours. And then do it on Thursday. So, that’s the challenge.”
Terry Foxx — who serves as the Director of Spoken Word Programming for iHeartMedia in Austin and San Antonio, including 1200 WOAI — believes the onus isn’t on the talent to prepare themselves for talk radio stardom as much as it is for programmers and executives to make the time to identify the future stars before anyone else.
“We have to stop like we used to and take the time to listen to someone who might not be a household name. All of us started not being a household name,” he said. “So, as programmers, we still have to stop what we’re doing, and if I’m going to a radio convention or conference, I’m going to take time and talk to the kid from someplace I’ve never heard of and see, maybe this is the person that’s going to be the next big thing, the next Ryan Seacrest, the next Bobby Bones.
“There are people out there, but you have to take the time. And that’s on us. And I’m not even using the term managers here, but as programmers, we have to be able to take time to find out who’s next. And I’ve always learned that when I’m around people,I don’t just hire someone for the job I’m hiring them for. I look for what they’re going to be in the future. And I think that’s what’s very important.”
When asked, specifically, on if any industries prepared potential hosts for a role in talk radio, responses varied from stand-up comedians, to lawyers, and teachers.
Each walk of life — like the nationally syndicated Stephanie Miller (stand-up comedy), KFI-AM 640’s Bill Handel or 700 WLW’s Bill Cunningham (lawyers), or 1210 WPHT’s Dom Giordano (teacher) — are represented as some of the biggest hosts in the industry. Proving, maybe once and for all, that the potential stars of tomorrow could continue to come from a variety of industries and backgrounds, and not simply the podcasting space.
The key driver, most programmers and hosts agreed, to a future in news/talk radio, was the ability to entertain, which remains a tentpole of the industry.
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.
