Rebels are the innovators. These are individuals who look at a particular science or discipline and find new connectedness. With aging demos and seemingly the traditional politics-first talk shows have lost the tread on the tire, news/talk radio needs innovation right now.
I think that I may have some answers. What I do know are the problems and you are certainly qualified to help lead the next phase for our amazing format.
We are old as a format. Yes, that is a bad thing. News/talk radio needs to attract a larger number of people between the ages of 40–45. My guess is that the average person listening to your station is in their mid to late 50s. Older Millennials are turning 44 this year. What do we know about how people born in 1981 are consuming media? When they were 15 years old: the internet was a thing, gaming began to be a big deal.
The attention span of a Gen Z’er is 12 seconds. Compare that to Gen X, which has an attention span of 18 minutes. Think about it. 12 seconds. You have 12 seconds to impress listeners of this age group. Air personalities need to aircheck themselves.
Do you understand what you are discussing in 12 seconds of listening? Is every moment compelling? We can wish for this to change, but that is a foolish exercise. Don’t ignore the data. It allows us to build an action plan.
Speaking of old, tell me about your station’s general presentation. Is it actually compelling? Your liners can’t say “It’s Clay and Buck on News Radio 103.” It has to say something. Does your station imaging create excitement? Liners signify most of the time that there is a return to content. Do these eight-second messages inspire affection for the brand? Pretty much anything before 1990 is a bad idea. 35-year-old plus bumper music is like that old lady who smells like mothballs in line ahead of you at the liquor store. Promos, news intros, news, weather, and traffic themes, do they sound too old?
I still hear talk shows speaking of movies at the theater. No one is going to the movie theater anymore. We have home entertainment systems which are amazing. Why go? 45% of adults in their 50s are gamers. When is the last time that you discussed video games? In 2023, over $57 billion dollars were spent on video games. Americans spent $9 billion at movie theaters in 2023. So, six times the money was spent on video games over movies.
News/talk radio is ignoring this. Why? If a big video game is being released, why is this not in the news? I hear newscasts regularly mention a big movie opening. A listener-focused experience starts with reflecting real-life experiences of our audience. If you ignore important parts of your listeners’ lives, you are demonstrating that news/talk radio is out of touch.
The long monologue is dead. The long interview needs to be lanced in its soul as well. Quick conversations with these three ingredients: a strong opinion, a personal story that is a bridge between topic and host, and the reason for the topic. That reason should be a current event that connects with your station’s target demographic. That current event could be anything, not only politics.
As I have mentioned before, I like benchmarks. Definable appointments to create a listening occasion. Now, every person that you interview gains benefit from the time on your station. How much does a 60-second spot cost in your daypart? You have the guest who has a ‘popular’ political blog on your show every Tuesday at 8:40. They call in late because they forgot and are sitting at the airport. I heard this exact scenario recently. The host and/or producer should have known this ahead of time and canceled the interview for the week.
Let’s say that a 60-second spot costs $100, you are giving the guest a free $1,000 commercial as they provide some sort of benefit for your audience. If the weekly hit on your show is not a priority, cut them loose. Every second on your show is a precious commodity. Is the regular guest important or just a crutch?
The solution is quick, easily definable topics. The more complex the less likely that you will hold new or casual listeners to your show. If you can’t establish the conversation in less than three minutes, it is a failure. Don’t show more loyalty to a regular guest than that individual has for you.
If a guest keeps forgetting that they are to call into the show at a certain time, cut the cord. They look at their appearances as an inconvenience or just a favor to the host. I have heard hosts spend precious time apologizing for a guest that misses their interview time. Focus on entertaining the audience.
The data is the data. The numbers don’t lie. Use the data for your benefit. Don’t wish for a different outcome. The news/talk radio audience must attract new listeners. Making your station or show only for the ‘I can’t reach my radio to turn you off’ crowd is a losing proposition.
When is the last time that you referenced gaming? Are you a gamer? Are your kids? Who on the radio station staff is a gamer? It’s a huge part of the entertainment pie fiscally and by sheer amount of time committed to gaming. I can’t stress enough that we must be reflective of this generational shift. It is essential for our survival.
What are you missing on your station or show? Do you need to cut some of your regular guests to an occasional appearance or eliminate them from your show? If you have a guest that takes you away from topic A, you need to seriously evaluate them.
Be an innovator. Try things. If they don’t work, that’s ok. If you are focused on your station’s target listener, trying new things should be applauded. You are a creative force. You have the key for our future.
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.
Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He recently served as program director for WHO/KXNO in Des Moines, IA. Prior to that role he held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
