The radio industry has had a large fallacy that I’ve heard countless times during my time in the business, and I’m fearful if the people who espouse it truly believe it, that we might be in serious trouble.
I hear the phrase “Radio listeners feel a connection with the hosts” somewhat frequently. And that’s not true. It might have been at one time, but it’s not true anymore. Audio listeners feel a connection with the hosts. Listeners have no allegiance to the delivery platform on which they consume content. They don’t have an affinity toward AM/FM radio as much as they feel strongly about the content.
And the reason I bring this up is the reports that SiriusXM is planning to launch a free, ad-supported version of its satellite radio package to select makes and models in the future. Make no mistake about it, if the launch is a successful one — and it likely will be — it will be a gamechanger for the radio industry.
Because, as you well likely know, there are hundreds of news/talk radio stations that rely on nationally syndicated content to fill out either the bulk of — or in many cases the entirety — of station lineups in the format. And while I’m not going to officially decry that strategy (you’ve gotta make due with the budget you’ve got), I will point out that if there’s a new challenger on the block, SiriusXM, it might be time to re-examine that strategy.
SiriusXM has money to spend. Howard Stern makes millions. You think Megyn Kelly is a cheap acquisition for the company? Hosts like Nancy Grace, Dan Abrams, Michael Smerconish, and Laura Coates don’t work for free. In fact, they’ll have more money to spend someday when Howard Stern hangs it up.
Additionally, many of the same nationally syndicated shows airing on news/talk brands around the nation also air on SiriusXM. Shows hosted by Glenn Beck, Dave Ramsey, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, are all heard on satellite radio.
And that leads maybe to the most important point in the argument for why listeners might choose SiriusXM: they have an advantage your terrestrial radio station no longer does in this scenario. Ask yourself this simple question: if my options were to listen to a show on AM/FM radio, and risk losing the signal, or listen to the same show at the same time on SiriusXM, where I know I’ll keep the signal, which option would you choose? More importantly, which options would the listeners in your TSA choose?
That longtime advantage radio has had — it’s free, it’s mobile, it’s accessible — hasn’t been fully complemented in the news/talk format by the other advantage it has had: it’s local.
I understand budgets are tighter than they’ve ever been, “economic headwinds” is a word written in damn-near every press release about company earnings, and the top executives earn more money themselves when the company spends less, but I think the news/talk radio industry needs to take a long look in the mirror and question if it is doing everything it can to be pertinent to local listeners. Because SiriusXM isn’t going to be the only challenger. Every day, someone launches a podcast, a YouTube series, or new audiobook drops that compete with AM/FM radio.
And if the news/talk format isn’t prepared to do everything it can to appeal to local listeners, it will further find itself lagging behind.
I’m not just talking about beefing up local newscasts. Can you find a budget for a local show? Maybe an extra local show, if you already have an established morning or afternoon show. Even if it is just a one-hour program, it is better than an hour of some piped-in conservative talking head telling you why the country is going to hell in a handbasket.
When the distribution field is level when it comes to ad-supported audio content, it isn’t wild to believe that many news/talk listeners will opt for stronger signal, and better audio quality with SiriusXM rather than deal with many issues AM Radio provides. So stations need to do everything they can to put their thumbs on the scale. SiriusXM isn’t going to do local newscasts. And if they do, they’ll be AI-generated and likely content your listeners will consume on other platforms. SiriusXM isn’t going to host a radiothon for your local children’s hospital. SiriusXM isn’t going to have a mayor or congressional debate for your specific region. And SiriusXM isn’t going to talk about the issues and items that your listeners specifically care about.
At a time when radio needs to play every card in its hand to stay on top, the localism card is the strongest one available. Don’t keep it in the deck. Slap it on the table for you, your listeners, your competition, and the regions you serve to see. I doubt you’ll regret it.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
