President Donald Trump is never shy when taking on his critics. That was evident when he shared a post on Truth Social telling Fox News executives they needed to remove Jessica Tarlov from the network.
“For Fox executives only, take Jessica Tarlov off the air,” wrote Trump. “She is, from her voice, to her lies, and everything else about her, one of the worst ‘personalities’ on television, a real loser! People cannot stand watching her. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
It does not appear as if Fox News officials addressed the statement from Trump.
Which got me wondering: how would news/talk radio program directors handle if Donald Trump called out one of their hosts in a similar fashion?
I spoke with three different news/talk radio program directors around the country to ask that very question. They were granted anonymity to speak more freely on the topic.
A program director in a Midwestern market initially answered sarcastically.
“I’ve had consultants tell me to fire people. I’ve had ratings books tell me to fire people. My own mother has even told me to fire people,” they said, with a laugh. “And now I’ve got the leader of the free world weighing in? Terrific.”
They continued by noting that it would likely do wonders for their station if the President did take such an interest in a specific host.
“It’d add a spike to our streaming numbers, I’m sure of it,” they said.
When prodded for a more realistic answer, they said they’d have a conversation with the host.
“I’d tell him, ‘Don’t let this get to you. Continue to be yourself. I’ve got your back.’ Sometimes, that’s all that needs to be said. Trust is an important condition of any relationship. If your host doesn’t feel like you trust them, they’re not going to produce their best work. That’s the goal, right? To do your best work? That’s all I’d say.”
Another program director in the Pacific Time Zone said they’d worry about blowback from listeners.
“If we’re on the radar of the President, it means we’re doing something right, usually,” the PD shared. “But I wouldn’t want to be on the bad side. When you’ve built a brand as a conservative talk station, having the person all conservatives look to, saying negative things about your hosts, isn’t good.”
Obviously, the hypothetical situation between President Donald Trump and a local news/talk radio host has plenty of variables. But the Pacific Time Zone PD said they would be unlikely to sever ties with a host if the President said he wanted them off the air.
“This isn’t really something a local PD would have to worry about,” they said. “It’s something a syndicator would have to think about. But really, unless one of our hosts did something unethical or said something that was just way out of line, I wouldn’t feel much pressure to fire them if they just said things that the President disagreed with.”
Finally, we spoke with a news/talk radio leader in the southeast who said they’d welcome the opportunity to have Donald Trump criticize one of their hosts to the point that he’d call for their firing.
“I would die to have audio of him calling out one of my hosts,” they said with a chuckle. “I’d be so disappointed if he did it in a Truth Social post. Could you imagine what you could do with (audio)?”
They added that creating such a reaction from Trump would be what they’ve instructed their hosts to do.
“We talk all the time about creating impact. Make listeners feel something. Whether they love you or hate you, the only bad emotion you can create is apathy. People will listen to a host they love. They’ll also listen to someone they hate. But they’ll turn away when they’re indifferent. So, if one of our guys elicited a response that was so strong that the President wants them fired? They’re doing exactly what we’re asking for them. And that’s what I’d tell my boss, too.”
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
I’d love it as well. Our local politicians attack me all the time. I fire back with satire. The audience loves it.