It has never been lost on me how quickly conservative news/talk radio hosts will scream and shout about how anyone on the other side of the political aisle is “alienating half the country” when they share their political beliefs. And yet, those same hosts don’t realize they do exactly the same thing with their radio shows every day.
News/talk radio has seen an uptick in listenership in recent weeks. Unfortunately, it’s due to wild happenings in the news cycle with the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the appointment of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) to serve as his running mate, and the announcement that President Joe Biden would no long seek re-election.
And it isn’t just a gut feeling that listenership is up. Audacy reported that news stations saw a 32% increase in streaming listeners the day former President Trump was shot.
Americans are turning to news/talk radio as news breaks and they’re on the go. But is your station equipped to keep them when things settle down?
I know the summer months are generally a time to experiment, whether that be with formats, interviews, subject matter, topics, guests, co-hosts, or anything else in the industry.
But right now, it’s imperative the industry put its best foot forward.
What does that look like? Well, first of all, and this may be difficult for some hosts, but you’re going to have to come to your show with a better topic than “Does Kamala Harris suck or does she suck? Am I right?!”
It’s easy. And it’s lazy. Anyone — and this isn’t an exaggeration — anyone can sit down in front of a microphone and say a politician sucks. And anyone — and this isn’t an exaggeration — anyone can sit down in front of a microphone and say mean, degrading, innuendo-laden verbiage about their opposition.
You’re a trained professional. I don’t necessarily care if you think Kamala Harris sucks. Millions do, you’re not alone in that. But can you present it in a compelling way? Can you present it in an entertaining way?
Conservative talk radio listeners aren’t completely atypical from every other radio user. What do they want? Entertainment. And I think we lose sight of that fact sometimes. The seriousness of the topics often spoken about on talk radio absolutely — at times — warrant a serious presentation.
And sometimes the news is funny. Borderline hilarious. Greg Gutfeld has built on a strong following on Fox News by being funny.
Maybe that’s not your lane. Hilarity isn’t the only form of entertainment. Can you tell a great story? A personal anecdote? Something to keep newfound listeners on your station? Because, I’m here to tell you, if an average listener — who, let’s face it, doesn’t eat, sleep, and breathe politics the way you do — tunes into your station and just hears “Kamala Harris sucks. Nancy Pelosi sucks. Joe Biden sucks. Jill Biden isn’t a doctor. John Fetterman sucks. Alejandro Mayorkas? Sucks. Our Democratic Mayor/Governor/Representative/Senator sucks,” how long do you think they’ll stick around?
Opportunity should be an exciting time. You have the chance to reach new listeners. Those who might not be as familiar with you as your P1s. It’s a great chance to build new listeners. But you have to be at the top of your game. This is an exciting time to be a news/talk radio host in this country. You’ve been handed content — from a variety of areas — on a silver platter. Accompanying that content is a slew of new listeners.
To tell you the truth, I’m 34 years old, and the news/talk format missed my generation. I don’t know a single person my age (who doesn’t work in the radio industry) who listens to AM radio on a regular basis or could likely identify the “stars” of the industry today. The medium did nothing to reach people my age, other than hope that millennials will get more conservative as we age, and somehow stumble into a format that has never done a thing to reach us.
But, when breaking news happens, especially news of the magnitude of a former president being shot or a current president saying they’re not going to continue their campaign, the industry has stumbled into a fresh group of listeners.
Don’t take their time for granted. They have hundreds of options to interact with. If they chose you, you should put together an on-air product that isn’t simply “Anyone I disagree with is wrong.” If you met someone for the first time at a bar, restaurant, wedding, or any other social gathering, and they had absolutely no interest in hearing about anything other than what they wanted to talk about, how long would you want to spend with them? How long would you talk with them before you got up and left?
It’s the exact same situation in someone’s car, at their desk at work, while walking their dog, or however they’re consuming content. Listen, I know there’s a good chance you don’t like Kamala Harris, or any other potential Democratic nominee for President for that matter. But the fact is that tens of millions of people are going to cast their ballots for her in November. Are you going to exclude those people from your audience? Do you have so many listeners that you can’t afford any more? Do the advertisers on your show not need more customers? Have you ever thought “Naw, my ratings are high enough”? No? Well then, why are you willing to punt on anyone listening to your show?
I’m not saying you need to even pretend to stomach the opposition party. But respecting the people who will vote for them will go a long way in keeping and growing listeners who might be coming to your station for the first time for news, analysis, insight, and entertainment. Interact with those who might think differently than you. Welcome them to your show and station. Make them feel welcome and not as if they’re beneath you simply because your political beliefs differ. If you’ve spent the past week and a half talking about how the “temperature and rhetoric need to be lowered by the left” in the wake of the assassination attempt, practice what you preach. Set the example.
You can do better. Be better. The future of the format depends on it.
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.
