I feel like a broken record, but I’ll keep saying it until I’m blue in the face: YouTube needs to be a priority for news/talk radio hosts going forward.
That only was reinforced by data released by Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights on Tuesday that showed that of weekly podcast listeners 34% of them view YouTube as their primary platform.
Read that again.
A video platform is now the primary source for an audio medium. That’s the power YouTube has and it’s only getting bigger.
In 2023, 28% of those surveyed responded similarly. Which means YouTube, which is one of the most popular sites on the internet and most popular mobile device apps, is growing.
And yet many in the industry have still eschewed the platform. Some — like Dave Ramsey, Megyn Kelly, and local stations like 1210 WPHT and SuperTalk 99.7 WTN — have fully embraced video. They’re positioned for the future.
But if you, your show, or your station aren’t embracing YouTube, you’re already a step behind. It is the second-largest search engine in the world. If you do not exist on YouTube, to a large portion of the world, you do not exist period.
You aren’t likely to utter the words “Google doesn’t matter”, right? Then why in the world would you argue — as someone who’s in the content business — that the world’s largest content platform doesn’t matter? It does! It absolutely does! And yet, so many stations don’t have even the slightest idea that they should take the dozen or so hours of fresh, original, can’t-get-anywhere-else content they produce and put it on YouTube.
Furthermore, look around the industry recently. I don’t know how many times — unfortunately — I’ve reported on someone losing their job in recent months, whether it be from iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Audacy, Alpha, or any other number of radio companies. It continues to happen in droves.
By having a presence on YouTube, you’ve already begun the process of expanding your reach outside of the news/talk radio space. Which will likely come in handy when — not if — you find yourself on the beach wondering what’s next. I don’t know how many professionals I’ve seen embrace digital video — to varying levels of success — only after being let go from a job they thought they’d retire from.
Digital video is everything radio loves. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s an easy revenue source. It’s literally never been easier or cheaper to start a video simulcast.
The cost to start streaming your shows is unbelievably low for what the potential revenue can make up in return. If you don’t have a sales team that would be eager to go out and try to sell a shiny new product, then you’ve got bigger problems than digital video. But I’d bet you dollars to donuts that if you walked into the sales meeting and said “Hey, we’ve got a cool new product to offer. We’re streaming the shows on YouTube now, and we’ve got the ability to showcase (X) amount of sponsors in graphics, in product placement, in video commercials. Who wants in?”, you’d be hard-pressed to not find that elusive 13th month of ad dollars.
Maybe YouTube isn’t the platform for you. Maybe Rumble is more your style. I understand it, but if you like relevance, exposure, and an extra revenue stream — and who doesn’t? — you need to put effort into YouTube.
Embracing YouTube doesn’t make you a bad radio host. It doesn’t make you a bad conservative. It makes you a smart content creator and a smart media professional. Prioritizing anything else feels like media malpractice in 2024. So, as we head into 2025, when you sit down and re-evaluate where you are, where your show is, and what tweaks you need to make, I implore you — for the future of the format — embrace YouTube. I doubt you’ll regret it.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
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.
