News/talk radio is filled with quick personal encounters with clients, listeners, and politicians. Sadly, these relationships are purely transactional — what can people get from you, and what can you get from them? This is an unsavory way to go through life. Most of your listeners only tune in for their own convenience. I was thinking through these things, and there is a better way. Is the idea of making lasting impacts in our human interactions passé?
You may be brought into a meeting with a potential client. You charm their knickers off with radio stories and compliments. The potential client is so excited to meet you. Endorsements are discussed. The earnest account executive makes a deal and tells the client that the contract will be emailed that day and the fun can start next week.
On the ride back to the station, you are excited, and the account executive is adding up in his head how the deal will impact his commission. Friday comes, and you haven’t heard from the account executive about copy for Monday. You text the AE, and he replies that the client has yet to make a payment — the potential client is backing out. You thought you’d made a great connection and a new friend. Several months later, you see this flaky, former potential client at the grocery store.
What do you do? Ignore him, greet him, or stop and chat him up? Has this happened to you? It has likely happened to you. Here is what I do: I usually stop and chat him up. I once had a potential client ignore me completely and walk on. I realized that the meeting and all the compliments tossed back and forth like a tennis ball at the U.S. Open were meaningless. That client determined that I was not the right person to endorse his business, that he had no money, or that he was lying through his teeth. It’s tough to assess the situation if one person isn’t talking.
Every Fan Is a Gift
Your P1 listeners feel a connection to you and your station. When you’re at dinner, your warmth and engagement are essential. In news/talk radio, we have had the chance to meet a hero and leave with a totally unsatisfactory experience. My personal disappointments so far have been John Denver, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Laura Ingraham. I interviewed one and was at private parties with the other two. I am thoroughly convinced that all three were doing calculus on whether I could benefit them in any way.
In these encounters, they looked at me as someone who couldn’t make them more famous or wealthy. Well, your listeners may actually idolize you, and the worst thing you can do is fail to meet their expectations. Five minutes chatting with a fan in the light bulb aisle at Home Depot may be the best marketing your station, brand, and reputation can get.
Speaking with that one person is essential to your success. Every fan is a gift, and in today’s segmented media landscape, those interactions matter more than ever.
Ask for a selfie. Post it on social media for your show’s and station’s pages. This demonstrates that you’re accessible and that you love everything about your community, your listeners, and your station. Your personal interactions are essential. I know hosts who have built brands by appearing everywhere and shaking everyone’s hand, like they were at a county fair seeking votes for county coroner.
Work that room. Sometimes your romantic partner wants your full attention in public, and that’s fair — but they chose to be involved with a public figure. This is part of the job.
It’s Election Season
It’s election season. There’s an election in November, and your state may still be waiting on primaries. Politicians are calling you, your producer, and the news department, wanting last-minute interviews. Accusations are flying. Desperate hopefuls, behind in the polls, are trying any strategy to get on the air. Yes, these relationships are purely transactional — politicians are only there to use you and your influence.
News/talk listeners vote. Too many of our shows focus on politics instead of what people are actually discussing — the “Topic A” idea I’ve mentioned often in these columns.
I can only speak for myself: I don’t look at people for their transactional value. Chris Pratt caught some flak because he doesn’t take selfies with random people looking for a trophy for their social media pages. When I’ve met famous people, I never ask for a selfie — if they offer one, I’m in. Treat others as you wish to be treated. It’s simple. If you treat clients, politicians, and listeners as human beings who have value, it’s a win.
Early in my radio career, I remember being at parties where people would point at me and whisper. I am a human being, not a thing. Transactional relationships create the idea that a person’s value is only what they can bring the recipient. Every person has value. I was at a community event where there was a group of people with disabilities. I pulled up a chair and sat with them — not out of pity, or to show how good a person I pretend to be, but because they offered nothing but human interaction, without any expectation of benefit in return.
When was the last time you interacted with someone who brought you no benefit? Think about that.
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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.