So much content, so few people. Ok, I will show my age. You may call me a geezer. Four TV stations. That is all I had growing up. Four, and we thought that we were on top of the world. Total ecstasy. Four choices. And I’ll come back to how this matters to radio.
Then cable arrived and we had 36 viewing choices. The History Channel was wall-to-wall WWII. CNN, the only 24-hour news choice, and MTV. Let’s talk about Martha Quinn. Relatable and cute. I had the Lorimar Sports Network. LSN had the SEC, Tim Brando, and Lou Holtz. Sweet! WOR-TV, the PTL Network, Turner Broadcast Network and so much more. It was a buffet for the eyes that left your brain totally numb.
Cable expanded to over 400 channels and some of these choices included: REELZ, Boomerang, Court TV, America’s Collectables Network, SPIKE TV, and so many more.
Then something curious happened. The internet became a legitimate economic machine. Netflix started using the internet to stream TV products. It was a true game-changer. Cable TV was selling its demise. Great internet.
But let us go back a moment. There was a moment when people were clamoring to purchase the cable channels that they loved. The cable industry fought like hell. Cable said that no one should be able to choose the channels that they love because it was a package deal. Essentially, they were selling TV like electrified happy meals. Happy Meals, except you were mandated to get fries that you were never going to even see. It was horrific bait and switch. You were forced to pay for Lifetime, History en Espanol, Audience, The Esquire Network, and more! So, cable TV innovated selling the internet. Yes, they sold their demise.
Once Netflix became a giant, YouTube emerged, Disney+, ESPN+, DAZN, Rumble, Paramount+, Peacock, Hulu, Sling, FUBO and so many more.
On-demand became the only way that people were watching TV. People want to binge and not wait for a weekly episode. Network TV has made programs the same way for 60 years. Shoot once a week for 26 weeks and release episodes one by one. Now, the streaming channels drop an entire season in one day. You can cozy up with your honey and watch an entire season over a couple of days. Total convenience. Humans are not all about delayed pleasure anymore. We want it now! Immediate gratification.
The audio space is now filled with podcasts. Many are just impressive, and some are not that good. Lots of content, but here is radio’s advantage: Your community has just a few stations. It is a federally regulated industry. You just cannot just open up a new radio station like a Dollar General, which are seemingly on every block. So, there are limited choices. Yes, people now have infinite choices of content.
But there are really few radio stations. Americans certainly can stream their favorite music or listen to a podcast. Radio has an immediacy that cannot be defeated. Radio has an intimacy that is a rare ability to connect with audiences. Depending on your community, 85% – 93% consume radio weekly. Local TV? Nielsen released a damning report that under 45% of Americans are viewing local TV. If you get a look at your local TV ratings, the big networks frequently get hammered by shows like NBA on TNT, The Curse of Oak Island, and even Hannity.
Your radio station is a big deal. If a listener is stuck in traffic, the radio is the salvation. A storm is wreaking havoc on your state, radio likely has that coverage on your drive home.
Big things are happening in your community. Radio is at the center of it.
The only people reading the newspaper are individuals over 75. It is extinct. Radio is at the center of it all.
Local websites or Facebook groups may have some of the information on your community. But the likelihood of people seeing these things can be fleeting. Radio presents this information.
Radio is a big deal. I am honored to be leading a 100-year-old station that has never lost its connection to the community.
I want to be perfectly clear. Radio has challenges in an ever-expanding pantheon of entertainment choices. We still have people listening. We are an essential medium for Americans. Never forget that.
You are important. Your work connects people with your community, the world, and life. TV often struggles with that. Radio is real life. It is a human in front of a microphone in a dark room.
Early in my radio career, I thought that it was odd that radio performers turned off the lights. I realized something. The turned-off lights often created the focus to identify with the audience. We are often the only person in the room speaking with individuals who are alone in the car or at home.
Radio’s intimacy is what creates special moments. If you have done this for any length of time, you have heard from listeners on a special moment. I have done this for over 30 years. Over half of it on the air, I have received notes from listeners expressing gratitude for things that I said off the cuff in 1994. Radio matters and you matter.
Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He recently served as program director for WHO/KXNO in Des Moines, IA. Prior to that role he held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, 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.
