In news/politics, the reason behind a win for anyone is much more open to interpretation. Any content creator can take a government shutdown storyline or an election and come to their own conclusion. And yes, everyone can use the same set of facts, but the way the format allows one to interpret those facts can make the format more unpredictable if the talent is willing to explore that aspect.
In the shutdown, did the Democrats win? Did the Republicans win? Did the American people win? Did Congress, as a whole, lose? Did Trump win or lose? Make the content easy to comprehend and explain it in a clear, straightforward manner.
Anecdotally, I had a new listener recently explain that he is more of a sports radio listener, while his wife is more of a news/talk listener. They’ve been sharing a vehicle lately, and he shared that they’ve spent more time listening to KCMO. He appreciated how straightforward and simple we explained, analyzed, and discussed the shutdown.
As a format, one of the things we need to continue to work on is making the content more digestible for a wider audience, while still sticking to who and what we are. This will drive cume growth and expand our audience at the younger end of the demographic.
And then, if you can make it funny, point out the bizarre, explain the personal and community impacts, and occasionally goof on your “own side”, you’ve got a potential winning formula on your hands.
In many ways, this was a news gift for the format, even if it had its lulls. But so does the Major League Baseball season. It starts off with excitement and enthusiasm before the dog days settle in, and then it closes with thrilling pennant races and playoff matchups. The shutdown was like a baseball season. And the great ones know how to massage, discuss, and make the dog days entertaining, while building up the excitement around the beginning and end.
And if you feel like you left something on the table during this shutdown, we may do this again at the end of January. So, your next opportunity might not be far off, I’m afraid. So go make the most of it.
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Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the Vice President of News/Talk for Cumulus Media, while also hosting “Mundo in the Morning” and programming KCMO Talk Radio in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on X @PeteMundo.
