The ‘trusted home for news’ is where CBS Radio Executive Editor Jennifer Brown has made her home for nearly 20 years. “I was very young when I came here. So, I feel like I grew up. I grew up in this building,” the news veteran told Barrett Media.
She always wanted to be in radio, so when she got into college she embarked on her journey to the mic. “When I got started in radio my parents were very skeptical. So, I was determined to get an internship with somebody, and my mom listened to Steve Dahl.”
Chicago’s famous radio DJ, responsible for the Disco demolition, took Brown in as an intern at the same time the Monica Lewinsky/Bill Clinton scandal took place. “It was a very odd time, but it was very fun, and it was nice to work for a legend in the Chicago radio business.”
Brown then went over on to WBBM in Chicago, “I interned there and eventually was hired as a desk associate. From there, I went on to my small-town job in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.” She later moved to WTMJ as a reporter and anchor before moving to her radio home at CBS.
It’s here where she’s made her mark. Covering some of the biggest breaking news stories of this century including Hurricane Katrina, the deaths of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, and the 2016 election. “When Former President Trump won, I remember we were doing the math, and we knew very early he was the winner. I was in a state of shock that we knew so early in the evening. I think that there’s some memorable moments where you’re like, ‘we are making history right now.’”
However, her biggest impact and contribution to CBS radio is bringing CBS Connect to life. “Craig Swagler came up with the idea that we should be offering more to music stations, especially since we have so much content we’re producing already. So, we thought ‘what if we took some of those stories that are really conversational, and we did them in a fun way.’”
The online content system provides almost all the news one could need for a music radio broadcast, except one. “We do a one-minute broadcast, and we really try hard to avoid politics, which is not easy given this time. But we felt that there’s so many other stories to tell in America.” So many great stories there is a different lead every broadcast, “That way it keeps it fresh and original.”
Connect also provides a prep service for their users. “It sends out entertainment cuts, and then we do something we like to call ‘Rip and Read Service,’ which is a really old school saying that you should be able to rip the copy and be able to read it on the air,” Brown said. “And we have a lot of interesting stories we put there. We really try to think about what may go viral or what may be conversational.”
Viral, conversational, or interesting stories, Brown is confident in her team that they will get them. “What I know to be true about the CBS news team is that they have a really good editorial eye for conversational storytelling,” she said. “Being in the business for so long, you can see where the curiosity lies for the public. There’s a lot that happens on social media that we understand or don’t understand, and it’s really consuming part of people’s day. So, because we’re in radio, we should really take the opportunity to be part of that conversation. We don’t want to miss out on it.”
Being a part of the conversation includes social media. “It’s really interesting because I think that people do find a lot of their answers on their phone, whether it be their Googling or on social media. But right now, I would say that radio is ahead of social media in terms of unpacking everything that’s been happening with campaign 2024. I think that social media is additive, but I do think I see more Americans turning to all sorts of different sources for their news.”
Brown believes to be relevant it has to connect with the audience, meaning you have to know who they are and what they want. “Sometimes, people lose sight of who the audience is, and they start doing the work for themselves or the writing and storytelling for themselves,” Brown said. “But the audience is far broader than we give it credit for and smarter than we give them credit for. So, I definitely think that in order for media to really thrive, we have to make sure that we understand who our audience is that we’re speaking to.”
While Brown hasn’t anchored in the last year, she still finds joy in aiding her team in building newscasts. “I do miss being on the air, I do miss storytelling. But also, I do love this work. Working with the talent and the team and hearing great storytelling on the air. That’s equally wonderful.”
For those thinking about taking the plunge into radio, Brown said, “The advice I would give them is that this is mission driven work. It’s a calling. And it is not easy, but it can be very fulfilling. It’s the type of job where you learn something new every single day. And, you have to have a sense of what’s happening in the world, in society. And I find that with radio we really can have the pulse on what America is talking about. So, I think that if young people wanted to get into journalism, they just have to understand, it’s a huge labor of love and it is a calling.”
And if you feel the calling Brown said, “Go get a job in a small market. That’s what I would say. Somebody said it to me. It was the best advice I received. Some people are able to make it work in larger markets. You know, you can get lucky. But I think that in order to make your own magic, it’s great to start in a small market where you could do a lot of different things and experience more of a local level.”
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a news media columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
