When I entered the radio business 30 years ago, creating content and distributing it to the masses was difficult. It required expensive equipment—like a radio tower, printing press, or television studio—and teams of skilled professionals to operate it.
After high school, I chose to attend Brown University in Providence. Not because of its academics (though they were great), but because it had something I couldn’t pass up: 95.5 WBRU, a radio station where I could create and broadcast content. Where else could I get that kind of opportunity as an 18-year-old?
Today, every teenager with a smartphone has that opportunity. Creating a distributing content to the masses has become cheap and easy, and as a result, we are drowning in content. Movies, TV shows, songs, podcasts, articles, audiobooks, videos, video games—there’s more media at my fingertips than I could ever consume in a lifetime. And WBRU sold its transmitter, because there was not enough student interest to sustain the station.
When it comes to creating media, the barrier to entry has been obliterated. As a result, there is too much content competing for a finite amount of attention.
Back when content was hard to produce and distribute, it was also scarce. Radio, like all traditional media, built its revenue model on that scarcity. But we don’t live in that world anymore, and companies built on the assumption of limited content are struggling.
That’s why we’ve seen massive layoffs, not just in radio but across the media industry.
And what’s been the go-to solution for this problem? Make more content.
When I began my career, my station focused on one stream of content: what aired over the radio. Today, stations are producing email newsletters, Facebook posts, Instagram photos, TikTok videos, livestreams, podcasts, blogs, and more. They’re doing all this with smaller staffs, asking employees to take on more roles than ever.
This strategy isn’t working.
Here’s why: while radio stations are producing more content than ever, so is everyone else. You’re no longer competing for attention with just other broadcasters or media outlets. You’re competing with anyone who’s ever posted anything online.
Radio producers can’t win by churning out more content. They’re outmanned and outgunned.
“But what if we produce better content? Isn’t content king?”
No. When options are limited, quality stands out. But when there’s endless choice, even the best content gets lost in the noise. This is part of the Paradox of Choice.
Should you aim to create high-quality content? Of course. Will that alone save you? No.
Don’t take my word for it. Ask Hoda Kotb and Chris Wallace, two of the best in the media business.
Here’s the reality: as long as you’re playing the content game, you’re going to lose. There’s too much content competing for too little attention.
To win, you need to play a different game. It’s time to think beyond content.
What’s lies beyond content? I’ll answer that question in a free webinar, “Transform Your Audience Into a Thriving Community,” tomorrow.
Register here: https://www.communitymarketingrevolution.com/radio-morning-show-webinar
This column was created for Barrett Media by Seth Resler, Founder of Community Marketing Revolution. To learn more, click here.
