If you are a news/talk radio host or program director, it is very important to keep the audience’s tastes and interests at the forefront.
We all have interests, especially in pop culture, that may not be in the “mainstream.” For many hosts, this may not register. Let us talk about this and how to best address that disparity.
We have a certain advantage after consolidation. It is easier to obtain data from real-world examples. If you are a news/talk radio host, your biggest competitors are in the following formats: news/talk, sports talk, classic rock, active rock and rap, and classic hits to a lesser extent. It certainly is not that all of your listeners enjoy these formats, but most do. What about country, CHR, alternative, jazz, etc.? Sure, your station will have some listeners in your target demo who love those genres, and you may love them too. That is fine, but if you want to dominate the market, being the on-air super-country fan will not aid your success.
By the way, we all need to make sure that we are tossing in pop culture references. What if you are unfamiliar with pop culture? This is an important part of the human experience. This is where a good support staff is important. A board operator or producer who is in tune with the pop culture tastes of the demo can be very helpful. They can set you up. What if you don’t have that? What do you do to keep in touch? Take a brief look at TMZ, the New York Post, and other pop-culture websites.
Let’s say that you’re unfamiliar with music from the ’90s and early 2000s. Realize that rock is the most likely music for your station’s target listener. Look at the top 10 rock tracks for those 15 years (1990–2005). Listen and familiarize yourself with the top 10 songs and artists from those years. Remember, it is not about you being a fan of it — which would be helpful — it is about just knowing the cultural references.
What about movies? If you are not a big movie buff, figure it out. I have known several very capable news/talk hosts who are really myopic. If it has nothing to do with news and politics, they are like a visitor to a foreign country walking down the street alone without any ability to communicate with the locals. If there is a big cultural happening and you are totally unfamiliar with the person, that is a problem.
We recently lost Ozzy Osbourne. A host may not have been familiar with him or not a big fan of his music. That is fine, but this is not about the host. This is about the audience. Ozzy Osbourne was a huge cultural phenomenon and a relevant force in music and entertainment for over 50 years. A host must have some appreciation of that fact.
I never worked in music radio, which was a common path for people in their teens or 20s who joined the radio industry. I have been asked if I worked in music because I am a huge music fan. The reason I never worked in music radio was because I love music. I couldn’t pull off the charade of pretending I actually liked the Eagles. I have a friend who is a top-flight country morning host and program director. This guy is really good. He hates country music. He chose the format like someone would pick accounting or plumbing as a profession. It was a business decision, and it worked out for him.
On his top-rated morning show, his on-air persona is the biggest country music fan in the world. He knows about the artists, lifestyle, and music. He shows preps for this. It’s about his audience first. Knowing your audience is key for ratings dominance. Talk-show hosts seem genetically predisposed to be opinion machines and sometimes can be oblivious to other realities. It is a talk-show host’s superpower to toss out opinions on everything. It is essential.
I have had hosts over the years who just love music that is not the favorite music of the listener. I have shown Nielsen data to several hosts demonstrating that listeners to their show don’t listen to the music the host does. I am not saying you should not enjoy the music or movies you personally love. I am saying be in tune with your target listener. Be listener-focused.
The cool thing about the artificial intelligence revolution is that you can look up data on your community and audience instantly. I actually test my personal confirmation biases on several things and have learned a lot. Dig in and look for the truth.
By human nature, we all like to think that everyone is like us. It is an instinctual impulse. Question yourself. Really look in the mirror. This will lead you to a better show and a deeper understanding of your listeners’ lives. It’s like dropping a guest if there is a bigger news story for the day or moment. It’s all about the listener.
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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.
