After the election, when the pundits and consultants debated why things went the way they did, one of the more frequent arguments is that “the left needs its own Joe Rogan.” If only the Democrats had podcasting talent to appeal to the young male audience, the reasoning goes, they could have pulled some of that support and maybe won the election.
This argument misreads the room in several ways: first, there are already plenty of left-leaning podcasts out there, and if none have the same-sized audience and impact (at least until Kylie Kelce showed up), the cumulative effect is still substantial. Second, it assumes that guys who have absorbed 4Chan and incel culture would even listen, let alone politically convert. Third, and most importantly, it discounts talent, ignoring why Rogan (and Theo Von, and several others) reaches that audience: it’s Rogan himself and his interactions with guests. Guys listen to Rogan for Rogan; they like his “just asking questions” persona, the meatheaded “I don’t know anything, but that seems reasonable” approach. They’re not listening specifically for the politics, they’re listening because they like Rogan and they’re entertained. You can’t just invent a personality, add in partisan politics, and instantly be successful. It has to be organic.
There are podcast hosts across the political spectrum who have strong followings. They didn’t get there by deciding that what the country needs now is another Rogan. They got there because of the appeal of the talent as well as the content of the shows. Call Her Daddy figured in the election runup, too, as did All the Smoke and Club Shay Shay and Drink Champs and The Breakfast Club (and Charlamagne da God individually), along with several others. The election wasn’t won or lost through podcast appearances, and inventing a “Joe Rogan Experience” for the left wouldn’t have changed things.
This is nothing new. Talk radio has had this illusion forever. Howard Stern’s a hit? Hire guys who tell risque jokes and bring strippers into the studio, stat. Rush Limbaugh is dominating? Find us more angry conservative white guys to fill out the schedule. The attitude of the decision-makers has always been that the hosts are interchangeable and the content can be boiled down to simple formulas.
They can’t. The best radio and podcasts, the breakouts, are the ones where the talent – hosts and producers – are unique and entertaining, tuned into what the audience seeks while being themselves. This is a very, very hard thing to find, and while you can develop a host into a star, you need the raw material with which to work. That means recognizing a unique perspective and ability when you hear it, no matter where or how, whether it’s a small market radio host or the barista where you grab your morning sustenance or someone with whom you struck up a conversation at the supermarket.
And it means placing the proper value on that talent. Too many pundits and programmers and executives don’t want to admit that good hosts and producers deserve the credit for their success. Personalities don’t grow on trees. You can’t just invent an influential and successful show by deciding to invent an influential and successful show. If it were that easy… but it isn’t. Start by focusing on the talent and being more patient. It’s not going to happen because you “need” it to happen.
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Perry Michael Simon is a weekly news media columnist for Barrett Media. He previously served as VP and Editor/News-Talk-Sports/Podcast for AllAccess.com. Prior to joining the industry trade publication, Perry spent years in radio working as a Program Director and Operations Manager for KLSX and KLYY in Los Angeles and New Jersey 101.5 in Trenton. He can be found on X (formerly Twitter) @PMSimon.
