Some stories are tough to laugh at. Like the Charlie Kirk assassination. We deal with death, destruction, and other dire subjects.
Are you having fun? When was the last time you had a belly laugh on the air? Is your show relevant? Is your audience having fun?
Laughter is an emotion like anger. Every successful host must have a unique wrinkle to stand out.
In the Charlie Kirk murder and the Catholic school shooting, the romantic interests of the alleged shooters were furries. If you are not familiar with furry culture, do an online search, and you will find the bizarre subculture.
Why, or why, would people dressing up as stuffed animals be associated with such horror? Apparently, one of the furry groups espouses Satanism. Satanist people dressing up like a Care Bear—2025 is just fantastic. For all you know, I am a furry.
Apparently, these folks like to become their character. There is also the sexual subset of furry culture. There are furry people going to these conventions to mate with the furry character of their fancy.
Donald Trump was serenaded by the royal band playing “YMCA.” Come on, that is funny. Kamala Harris wanted to choose Pete Buttigieg as her running mate, but thought that America couldn’t handle a Black woman married to a Jewish man with a gay running mate. So, Kamala chose Tim Walz. Hilarious. We are now living in a time where bad male athletes are choosing the women’s division in a variety of categories. World Athletics says dozens of female competitors have tested male. That is a crazy story. Staying in the politics lane, Kash Patel’s sparring with Senator Adam Schiff was fun.
A producer and sidekick can often be a tool to use for fun on the show. Sean Hannity has Linda. Linda goes after Sean from time to time, and Hannity has fun with Linda’s New York accent, which is funny because Hannity’s New York accent is pretty thick as well. Hannity is able to poke fun at himself, which makes him human. So many hosts are too serious. You must be able to lighten things up.
Are you able to be self-deprecating? If you can make fun of yourself, it is highly important for your show. Study modern comics and how they set up a joke. Matt Rife, Shane Gillis, Dave Chappelle, and others are able to make fun of themselves as they deliver the punchline.
Ok, let’s say you are not funny. A lot of people are not hilarious. Is there a way to be funnier? There is likely an improv class in your community. I have taken these classes and learned a lot. You can also try your hand at comedy by doing a short set on open stage night at a local comedy club. Being funny can be very difficult. Creating something uncomfortable can be incredibly intimidating.
I had a 22-year-old board operator tell me a hurdle in her life was stress. This was a normal part of transitioning to being a full adult. I told her that life can be stressful. Everything new is something to worry about. I told her that I moved across the country with no more than a handshake agreement. I was driving that U-Haul truck with my car on a trailer alone as I made my way to my first program director job. I remember the trip—scared and hopeful. That is life.
People turn on your station or show to ultimately be entertained. News, traffic, weather, and talk are entertaining for listeners. But there needs to be more. ABC News had a wonderful radio news anchor in morning drive named Doug Limerick. Doug was a total wordsmith. He handled serious news stories perfectly, but if there was a way to add an inflection or unique phrase, Doug made it work. You don’t need to deliver a punchline to get a laugh. Sometimes it is with phrasing and a smartly timed pause.
Silence. Yes, a good use of silence. When I worked for KSTP during the talk years, TD Mischke once hosted a two-hour show without speaking. He didn’t say anything. Tommy just put callers on the air. Now, I am not encouraging you to do what Mischke did that night. I am saying be imaginative.
Try something different. Instead of interviewing a politician, speak with a person impacted by crime or a business owner trying to make payroll. Just think of the woman who owns a restaurant, and it is September 27th, and she doesn’t know how she will make payroll on the 30th. What is that like? How does that feel? What about the concern of losing it all?
There are too many shows that are more concerned about access to a prominent elected official than they are about being the voice their audience can rely on. Be the host who represents the people. Be that voice. I get it—there is a certain high from getting those big invites. But if the invite comes with strings attached, that fancy dinner is not worth attending.
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Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He currently serves as News/Talk Format Captain for Zimmer Communications. Prior to joining Zimmer, Peter held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Des Moines, 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.
