News/talk radio stations love to fill their lineups with nationally syndicated stars. And why wouldn’t they? Name recognition — whether it’s in elections, news/talk radio, or who’s got the best pizza in town — matters. And when you’re able to align your brand with stars, it’s almost always a good thing.
Almost always.
Because when your lineup is full of nationally syndicated shows — meaning, you have no local talent — you’re in a heck of a pinch during local emergencies.
When a crisis hits, communities rely on real-time, local information. National programs can’t deliver it.
The recent flooding in Texas made this problem painfully clear. On Sunday, I pulled up a couple of news/talk radio stations in both Austin and San Antonio to hear how it was covering the flooding, especially the devastating tragedy at Camp Mystic, where 27 campers and counselors were killed.
In some instances, the coverage was fantastic. That station had local hosts and reporters, and was able to deliver important information and also contextualize what had happened and what was about to happen.
On the side of the coin, however, one station resorted to relying on DJs from their music stations because they didn’t have local news talent. God bless those radio talents for doing their best when being thrust into an absolute horrible situation, but when you’re putting the real-life equivalent of Dingo & The Baby on the air to cover a horrifying natural disaster, it might not be the best thing for your brand.
Syndication fills airwaves and reduces payroll. It offers recognizable voices with national reach. But local radio — especially news/talk radio — isn’t just entertainment. It’s a lifeline. We’ve seen real-world examples, like 570 WWNC in Asheville, North Carolina, last year, as being the shining example of what local radio and what local news/talk radio can accomplish when things go wrong in your community.
Texas residents woke up to water rising in their neighborhoods. They needed guidance: routes to dryness, updates on rescue efforts, and warnings about all sorts of other items. They tuned to the local talk station. But they found nationally syndicated hosts talking about politics in Washington, D.C. It’s difficult to connect with a broadcaster to ask for live updates or request help for a stranded friend when that host couldn’t spot your town on a map.
When disaster strikes, stations become connectors. Between both officials and residents, and between neighbors and helpers. You don’t build that trust with syndicated voices cut from the same mold and unaware of your county.
Local news/talk radio requires investment. You have to have reporters — or at minimum, knowledgeable folks — on the ground, relationships with first responders, and accessibility. And many stations don’t have that. They chose nationally syndicated voices over local knowledge, insight, and experience at the cost of saving money.
I’m not here to knock nationally syndicated shows, by the way. There’s a time and a place to institute them. They can absolutely be ratings and revenue juggernauts for stations. And some hosts will go above and beyond in situations like we saw in Kerrville, Texas, over the weekend.
But to truly fulfill a need that separates AM/FM radio from the likes of YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, — community service — stations and companies have to dedicate budget for hometown coverage.
The Texas floods were a test, so to speak. One station’s playbook, in my estimation, failed. And the message to listeners was, “When local news breaks and life-saving information is needed, look elsewhere because we don’t have your back.”
Communities deserve more. They deserve a station prepared for the worst, staffed by people who know the terrain.
The fix is simple, but not cost-effective: invest in local talent. Hire anchors who answer to the station manager and residents in town, not New York or Los Angeles. Embed reporters in the community. Commit to footing the bill, even when national shows bring higher ad revenues.
Because when issues arise, history has shown time and time again that your community will tune in. And they need a voice that knows their street name. Not a national voice.
Keep news/talk radio local. Because, sometimes, lives literally depend on it.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
