It’s the time of year when radio stations nationwide will host Radiothons to raise money for great charities and organizations in their community. As we were preparing for our cluster-wide fundraiser at Cumulus Kansas City, a staffer bemoaned the event to me privately, and my reaction was shock.
Now granted, not all stations end up having the success in fundraising that those in the Talk format, either News or Sports, end up having. The numbers are clear that based on a per-listener basis, our talk station will far out-raise our higher-cuming colleagues on the music side.
Part of that is the mindset of the Talk listener, the income bracket of the Talk listener compared to music, and the often, but not always, deeper connection with a Talk host vs. a music jock. Just to name a few.
But it’s always a show that, while the Time Spent Listening from the P1’s is probably down, and it will be a tune out for a portion of the audience, possesses no downside for a radio station other than a single day of softer ratings, ideally in the Holiday Book anyway.
Rather than getting three or four quarter-hours of listening, your show might only get one in that day. However, that one quarter-hour will draw a deeper connection between the host and the audience, even if most don’t donate, which is typically what happens.
Like in most organizations, the old Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) likely holds true. 20% of the donors are giving 80% of the money. And of the entire audience, it probably isn’t a huge percentage of the audience that is donating anything at all. But even those who don’t, or can’t donate, won’t punish you in any meaningful way beyond possibly listening less on that one day.
However, the connection that is built over the long term with the audience is invaluable and incalculable. Those who can’t or won’t ever donate will acknowledge the good things you are doing to raise money for those in need in your community. What’s there to punish you for?
It’s like when a football team goes for a 4th and 3 from their opponent’s 40-yard line in the 2nd quarter in a tie game. It’s not the end of the world if they don’t convert. Some fans will scream about going for the field goal to take the lead. But what are the odds of the kicker hitting the 57-yard field goal? And also, the coaching staff gets to see how the defense lined up against them in a 4th-and-short situation. This can pay big dividends as the game goes on, and if it remains close, it could help with a similar offensive play call in the 4th quarter.
It’s not always about what might get you the points in that moment. It’s sometimes about the bigger picture that can win you the game, not necessarily what puts you in the lead in the second quarter.
These radiothons are also great reminders to our programming team and sales team that we have large and passionate fan bases and that despite the industry-wide challenges that exist, we aren’t dead and are far from it.
That’s a great benefit and morale boost for your entire building during a time of layoffs, cutbacks, and seemingly more questions than answers, at times, heading into the New Year.
Every corner of your building can use these tools, fundraising totals, donor totals and general excitement in a way to effectively move the business forward.
And last but certainly not least, the whole purpose is doing damn good work and raising money for people who desperately need it during the Holiday season.
Too often, our human nature wants to look at the downside and take the negative attitude of where things were, compared to where they are today. But in the end, there are people who these Radiothons help who are dealing with literal life and death.
We aren’t. And we’re still blessed to do what we do every single day. And we have a tremendous platform to make a huge impact on individuals and families in desperate need. It’s something to feel great about as we head into 2025.
Embrace it, love it, and run with it. There’s no downside. I promise.
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Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the Vice President of News/Talk for Cumulus Media, while also hosting “Mundo in the Morning” and programming KCMO Talk Radio in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on X @PeteMundo.
