Every station that I have programmed, there was a breaking news plan. I generally wrote it fairly early in my tenure. Given the past two weekends, it is time to review your plans and execution.
Congratulations to MSNBC and Fox News for executing this past weekend’s Biden announcement. Obviously, the networks had their shows ready for potential breaking news. I listened to a couple of NewsTalk stations that just tossed up the Fox News feed and called that breaking news coverage. Sometimes, these events are totally out of the blue. The Trump assassination attempt was totally out of the blue. The Biden announcement was anticipated. Having a plan for breaking news is essential. Seemingly, we have observed unprecedented moments over the past several years. So, you need a plan.
The Biden announcement was anticipated. The belief is that Joe Biden would make a formal statement from The White House. That didn’t happen. Radio was caught flatfooted in many cases. Depending on the size of the station: News People, Program Directors, Board Operators and Talk Show Hosts were or should have been to the studio. Some hosts were using a Tie-Line, a Rodecaster, or a Comrex to get on the air. This was a unique opportunity to create new listeners. It was a CUME event. Breaking News and weather are events to grow an audience for a NewsTalk station. People do not sit at home on a Sunday. When this came down on Sunday, if your station is in the Eastern or Central Time zones, people were in the car. Your listeners and potential audience were going somewhere or perhaps heading home. People frequently are heading home from brunch or going to an activity of some sort in the afternoon. Many radio stations missed a prime opportunity to shine.
Does your station have a breaking news playbook? This should be no longer than one page. It should start with procedures from breaking cart numbers to disseminating the information as fast as possible. There is no reason to ever wait for more information on a tornado warning. Get it on the air ASAP. The EAS System is great, but it does not provide complete information. The EAS System does not take listeners’ calls. The EAS System is not a personal touch.
Does your station have an on-call list? Everyone deserves some time away from the office. Most people in the NewsTalk format are news junkies who can’t help being plugged into current events every waking moment of the day. It is important to have an appointed point person on the weekend.
If your station was flatfooted the past two weekends, you need to reevaluate. The assassination attempt on Donald Trump was a shocking event that happened at a terrible time for most radio stations. A lot of stations were on total automation with likely no operator in the building. There were people rushing to radio stations all over the country. Sadly, due to a lack of live programming on Saturdays, many stations were running the best-of shows or infomercials. Local news was perhaps recorded hours earlier and the national news 25 minutes later is not enough.
How do you prepare for an event like Biden’s announcement? I would start with a team meeting on the Thursday before the weekend. Find out who can be available if something breaks. Generally, unless there is a trip out of town, most news people and talk show hosts live for this. You will need to coordinate with the sales manager, the market manager and traffic. If there is an infomercial, you will need to let these people know in advance that breaking news will be imperative. Then, quickly getting something on the air is the most important thing. Join your station’s national news partner immediately. As your station’s host arrives, I would go live until the event’s news seems wrapped up.
With the Biden announcement, the coverage would have needed to be at least three hours. Every breaking news event is a living and breathing beast. Being live and local is essential. Fox News, MSNBC and the others were prepared and probably had their producers ready to come in at any moment. Those networks likely already had the guests booked. Considering that Biden chose X to make the announcement was the biggest shock. This event was completely shocking except for the fact that it looked like Joe Biden had to quit after his poor debate showing and his polling. Could your host have guests booked for such an occasion? I bet that answer is yes. Once those guests are pre-booked for the special broadcast, the only thing that is plug and play is the actual time of the broadcast. Obviously, MSNBC and Fox News employ many of their experts. Your station probably does not employ guests.
More is better in these situations. Staying on longer is much more important. This allows your station to sound on top of the breaking news. Remember, your audience and potential listeners are not there at the beginning of the story. The listener received a text from a friend. There was an alert on their phone. Someone brought the breaking news up at brunch or the activity. The listener is not on your schedule. This is essential for us to remember.
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.
