This week’s article isn’t a political one. Well, maybe political-ish. But it is important for Urban Radio stations.
I don’t recall when I officially became a political nerd. A lot of people might say it happened for them when Obama was elected. For me, that moment was too emotional to be political. I’m sure African Americans enjoyed baseball, basketball and football long before those sports were integrated. In the same way, I remember having political feelings as far back as when Tip O’Neill was speaker of the House and Reagan was president.
Recently, while watching the news and hearing about immigration efforts and how those efforts were coming into a particular city, I started thinking about what I would do if I were in the PD seat of a station in a city facing the same thing — or next on the list. While I’m confident I can program almost any format, I am unapologetically pro-Black radio, and the community. The audience is always the number one focus. I’ve mentioned before that the perception of being the community station used to be a key factor in deciding whether to launch a new urban brand in a market.
With all of that on my mind, I decided to listen to a market that had been targeted by immigration enforcement and preparations for incoming operations were in progress. Listening during a non-syndicated daypart, I heard no references to the pending ICE or Border Patrol activity. I was happy to hear songs like SOS Band’s “The Finest” and Loose Ends’ “Hangin’ on a String” into Wizkid. That was encouraging. However, I heard plenty about Christmas contests and ticket giveaways, but nothing on this issue. Not even a mention of the passing of the last surviving witness of the Tulsa massacre.
In two hours of listening, there were no mentions of resources, organizations or community efforts related to the issues listeners face every day. There were highlights of Black Friday shopping and the holidays. I wouldn’t necessarily expect a station to mention efforts encouraging people to avoid certain stores on Black Friday. I would though expect at least a nod to Small Business Saturday.
This writing isn’t meant to be a Debbie Downer or to call out any one station or programmer. My hope is to encourage a PD or personality to step into the role of informing and uplifting the community.
Politics or not, what’s happening in this country is the single most important set of issues for every community. Food prices, health care, and immigration are things people are thinking about. I’m not advocating for turning your music station into a talk station. However, you can’t keep your head in the sand and ignore the elephant in the community. The goal is to have a programming philosophy that entertains, informs, uplifts and engages listeners.
I’d love your thoughts. Email me at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com or reach out on LinkedIn.
Ken Johnson is an Urban/Hip-Hop columnist for Barrett Media. Born and raised in Washington DC, his career experiences include serving as VP of Urban formats for Cumulus Media, holding the Director of Urban Programming post at ABC Radio Networks, and programming stations in Birmingham, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. He has also managed affiliate relations for the Nick Cannon show, and worked as the Executive Producer of The Hughley Truth Podcast hosted by comedian DL Hughley. Ken currently runs Mean Ole Lion Media, a content creation company and podcast network. He can be reached by email at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com.
