She gave respect to her colleague and friend’s recently cancelled show. It was expected and a nice gesture from a co-worker to a host who just lost her job at MSNBC. It’s what she said next that made me rewind the video.
“I think it is a bad mistake to let her walk out the door,” said Rachel Maddow on live television during the “Rachel Maddow Show.” She was talking about Joy Reid’s show, The ReidOut, being cancelled by MSNBC.
Cancelling or downsizing TV and radio programs isn’t new. Unfortunately for radio, the annual reduction in force, or RIF, has become an expected occurrence for the larger broadcast operators. We hear about it through industry newsletters or digital publications.
These days, the victim will post about their job loss and say something nice about the company. Not too many years ago, the person shown the door would simply acknowledge the fact in social media or say nothing due to contract terms. We knew this employee fell into the We wish them well in their future endeavors category.
But what if every announcer/DJ/presenter could do what Rachel Maddow did last week on MSNBC? She took her air time to disagree with management’s decision publicly. I remember saying out loud, “She has a sweet no-cut deal.”
It was bold, courageous, and a smart connection between talent and audience. Again, I’m certain Maddow has a great contract. She has a PhD, too, so I’m convinced she put some quality thought into her actions before talking to her national audience.
How often does a radio talent’s services end, and the audience is left wondering, “Where are they?” No on-air promo tells us why the “Rockin’ Ron Show” was cancelled. He’s just gone. Before the social media days, you might find out through the Entertainment writer’s column buried on the 8th page of the local newspaper.
The HR department has sound reasons for making the axed employees’ exit quick and quiet. Broadcasters have other concerns, too. Someone saying the wrong thing on the air could violate your brand’s mission or saying one of the seven words you can’t say on the radio could get your station an FCC fine.
Those reasons aren’t as concerning as they used to be. The recent Salem Media transition of their seven music stations to a new owner is an example of how it can be done to benefit the audience. Those seven stations gave their listeners a month to know what would happen. I wrote about the exit deal last month in this column.
Imagine what it would sound like if the remaining talent were allowed to have editorial time about the recent changes to the station. What if the afternoon talent were let go for economic reasons, and your morning show could go on the air and let their audience know what happened?
“Hey, we get it. Advertising rates and demand on radio are in a challenging situation right now. Cuts have to be made,” your morning show would say about the exiting talent. “But Jammin’ Jenny was the soul of this radio station.
“She started as an intern, then got a chance to join our street team. When the program director saw how good she was in front of people and her passion for music, he gave her a shot on the air Sunday mornings from Midnight to 6 am. She gradually paid her dues doing whatever was asked of her to make Hot 102 a better radio station. She’s been here through all the ownership and management changes. The listeners and clients love her. We love her and we think this is a sad day and a bad decision.”
Okay, this is where I say, “This will never happen on the radio.” But isn’t this what every on-air talent has wanted to say at some point in their change-ridden career?
If transparency is a popular virtue, then there’s an opportunity to connect on a deeper level with our audience when they know how we, the talent, feel about changes to the product. Plus, it’s not just honest. It can create great radio when someone bears their emotions about changes to the station.
There’s research to support this theory, too. During Nuvoodo’s presentation last month at Country Radio Seminar, a slide indicated two in five respondents complained about hosts and DJs losing jobs on their favorite radio stations.
Here are three areas to improve our connection with the audience through transparency:
- Behind The Curtain: Social media video provides multiple platforms to show the audience what we do when the music is playing. How can we bring this to the air beyond promoting our social media channels? Through creating more pictures and scenes with our words.
- Own It: Mistakes happen. Be human and humble. By the way, don’t expect a successful career in politics if you take this approach.
- Listener Content: If we use social media, emails, and newsletters to get listener feedback, do we share the results with the listeners? There’s an opportunity to let the audience know what they like and dislike.
Gone are the days of, “We asked you what you wanted and you told us you wanted a station like_____!” Let’s find more ways to tell people why we’re making changes. They’ll respect us for sharing the information even if they disagree.
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Ron Harrell is a columnist for Barrett Media. He founded Harrell Media Group, specializing in radio and audio brand consultation, fractional management, and talent coaching. He has worked in every role on the Programming and Branding side during his career, becoming management and executive-focused in the post-Telecom Act era. Ron has held leadership roles for media groups such as ABC/Citadel, CBS Radio, Chancellor Media, Cumulus Media, Hope Media Group, Hubbard Broadcasting, and WAY Media.
Interested parties are invited to learn more about his company Harrell Media Group and reach out by email at Ron@HarrellMediaGroup.com.
