Having one of the only live shows in a late-night/overnight timeslot has its advantages for Westwood One host Rich Valdes.
“[Westwood One and Cumulus Media have] realized we’re getting a younger audience, a more engaged audience, and that we’re maintaining the older audience that we once had, so we provide that balance,” Valdes said of his late-night timeslot. “And it’s a nice thing to be able to experience this type of success.”
Valdes, Metropolitan Magazine’s 2023 Latin Host of the Year, has expanded his show to 55 additional markets. America at Night can now be heard in nearly 300 markets.
With the new market share comes a slightly adjusted timeslot. “I think [starting at 9 p.m. Eastern instead of 10 p.m.] has opened up a lot of opportunities to get as many live guests as we can. It gives us a little bit more of a chance to reach more people.”
Valdes is not done growing and looks forward to expanding his reach. One of the ways he does this is by meeting new people at industry events. “The immediate impact on your career is not always known to you, right?” he asked rhetorically. “The opportunities that come from those meetings, those relationships, the cocktail parties and whatnot. All of that comes full circle later on, because, like anything in life, it’s all about relationships, it’s all about who you know.”
It’s also a great way to get ideas on how to better advance your own show. For Valdes, that means including more video. “I think getting more active in video is going to help the show move forward,” he said. “But I feel like there are so many streaming opportunities that are being missed.”
Valdes went on to add that he is looking forward to putting more clips of his show across social media. “Different social media react differently to different types of clips. Instagram is a little bit more lifestyle-focused, whereas Facebook has a demographic that mirrors almost the talk radio segment of the population that tunes in at night.
“Other social media, like TikTok, really engage younger listeners. So I think there’s a lot of opportunity to continue to grow the show there, and of course, there are always opportunities to grow the show through live radio.” Fortunately for Valdes, attracting younger listeners is not an issue.
“I can tell you that I’ve got listeners that are in their 20s, who work overnight shifts in Amazon warehouses,” he said. “On their way to and from work, they listen to the show, and they find it entertaining, they find it informative, they like some of the jokes I crack, and I appreciate that they enjoy it. I love that there are young people engaged in talk radio.”
Valdes has taken a timeslot that some programmers might take for granted and turned it into his sweet spot. “I’m not competing for callers with many other radio hosts,” he said. “So when we open up the phone lines, we get dozens and dozens of callers from all over the country that are able to chime in.”
Like many conservative radio hosts, he was moved by the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Valdes called it an “absolute disaster and horrific occurrence in our history.” However, he won’t let fear or threats stop him from heading back to the mic.
“I’m not gonna be deterred in whatever I have to say,” he shared. “I’m still gonna say what I have to say. I think we have to live in truth. We have to live boldly. And we have to be brave.”
As the media continues to advance their respective narratives about the tragedy, Valdes is taking a different approach. He’s offering goodness and peace in what can sometimes feel like “the fringe on the left [attempting to] wage a civil war.”
Valdes believes, “How we respond to that action is what will define us, and the Bible tells us that we should repay evil with good, and not with more evil. And I think that’s some advice of my own that I’m gonna follow.”
What makes Valdes’ show great is not only his bravery in speaking his truth, but also the bravery and courage of his callers, no matter their political stance. He still says the most moving segment in his show’s history had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with human vulnerability.
“[In 2022,] I was looking for an interesting story to cover — a lifestyle topic, non-political, non-entertainment— and in People Magazine I saw a woman making a claim that sibling sexual assault was an epidemic in America,” he recalled. “I had never heard that term before, let alone someone saying that it was an epidemic in our country.”
So he booked her on his show.
“This woman had been raped by her brother,” he explained. “Now she dedicates herself to sounding the alarm on how this is happening to other people.”
After her segment, Valdes said, “The phone lines lit up.” He took call after call from listeners saying, “this happened to them,” and many of them, with tears rolling down their faces, could be audibly heard crying.
What he called a “non-standard segment” turned into an event Valdes was not prepared for. “I didn’t realize it was going to have the impact that it did. So many people are calling to confess and divulge their deepest, darkest family secrets.”
“I was never the same after that,” he said. “And I appreciate the opportunity to have been a part of it, honestly. That’s part of why I love my job, why I love radio, and being able to connect with listeners live.”
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Krystina Alarcon Carroll contributes features and columns for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
