We recently have watched many of our friends in the radio industry get laid off. It is a painful reminder of the state of our industry. Most of the job losses were in the music end of the business, which is struggling with unlimited audience pressures. It is imperative to face the facts: it is all about the money.
For half a century, it was a frequent selling point on music stations that there was less talk. Well, the great personality music DJs have been rooted out a long time ago. If the DJ doesn’t mean anything, why are they being paid huge salaries? When company honchos look at return on investment, music people are an easy target.
What is your return on investment? The bean counters are focused on this. Music people, we know about your competitive pressures. Amazon Music, Spotify, SiriusXM, YouTube, and social media. In fact, radio people are promoting their rivals for advertising and audience. Every social media post is an advertisement and a source of revenue for a company that is not paying your salary.
Talk show sosts also have big competitive headwinds. Podcasts, YouTube, social media, SiriusXM, websites, and other alternatives are eating into our advertising and audience. We must adapt. The wonderful headline for the local talk radio show host is this simple fact: There is nothing more impactful than an endorsement. You have an audience and you are trusted by your listeners. It is an advantage that our brothers and sisters in music radio do not have.
Your words sell people ideas and products. You have juice. But your influence doesn’t count if your endorsements are not sold-out. I understand you are not in the sales department. That is an excuse.
When was the last time that you addressed a sales meeting? Do you have a laundry list of what you won’t endorse? I had a host on my team that would not endorse anything having to do with alcohol, even restaurants. This host also declared that he would not endorse gambling, jiggle joints, and companies that differ from his world view. Ok, I get not endorsing vices and strip clubs. But starting the list of what you won’t endorse is a non-starter.
I personally would never endorse a jiggle joint. I would endorse anything else. Gambling is a legal activity. I have a sports gambling account with one of the well-known platforms. I even deposited $100. I have yet to use them. Why? Sports gambling is not my thing. If I was hosting a show, I would certainly endorse sports gaming. It’s good for the company. Turning down business is a non-starter. We are in this business to make money. It is not a charity case. If you are not creating income and value for your employer, you need to reassess. Why do you need to reassess? Because they are.
When is the last time that you asked a local business that you personally use to be an advertiser? When Premiere Radio’s Sean Hannity and Salem’s Mike Gallagher were local hosts, they were always hunting for endorsement opportunities. I know this from personal knowledge. I would wager that both Gallagher and Hannity are still doing this. So, what are you doing? If you are a talk radio show host, DJ, morning host or co-host on a music station, are you doing this?
When is the last time that you went on a sales call? Don’t blame the salespeople. Blame yourself. Be the squeaky wheel. I can’t tell you how many air personalities have complained about their lack of endorsement deals. My follow up is: Do you make yourself available for the sales team? When is the last time that you spoke to a sales meeting? Market Presidents and Sales Managers are all the same. They want to make money. I have this feeling you like making money, too.
So, where is the disconnect? Your account executives are 200 steps away. When did you harass them last? Do you make yourself available? Do you speak with account executives about deals about to close? Did you stop by the business and introduce yourself to the business owner? You are a star. You are important. Make that happen.
This is especially true for morning hosts. Do you look like a meth head? Did you shower and actually comb your hair this morning? If you think that I am a hater, I hosted morning shows for 14 years. I didn’t come into the office looking like a male model at New York Fashion Week. But I was showered, put on deodorant, aftershave, and combed my diminishing amount of hair.
Your future is truly in your hands. You can either complain about the current realities or face them. The Philadelphia Eagles were underdogs to win the Super Bowl in 2025. The Kansas City Chiefs were thought to be a lock. But the Eagles just dominated the Chiefs.
So, it is with our business. Radio may be the underdog at the moment. Radio is the only media outlet of the big three that actually has a large market share of usage. Network Television? Viewers are disappearing. Newspapers are dead. The radio industry is still here with a large market share. The advertising works.
You are a big deal. The data proves that fact. You are a winner. You deserve amazing success. Go get it!
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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.
