The 6th anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic is upon us. It was an unprecedented time for the world — including radio. The time to hunker down arrived as case counts climbed and uncertainty spread. Schools and offices closed, travel slowed, and masks became routine. Phrases like “two weeks to flatten the curve” and “six feet apart” became part of our vernacular.
March Madness was canceled for the first time in its history. Wimbledon didn’t happen for the first time since World War II. The NBA and NHL put their seasons on pause. Spring training was cancelled, and baseball didn’t open their season till late July.
The PGA pulled golfers off the course during the first round at The Players Championship — which was played this past weekend. The PGA Tour canceled five other tournaments, including the 2020 (British) Open, while postponing more than a dozen additional events.
The COVID-19 pandemic also significantly shifted radio consumption. According to Edison Research, pre-pandemic listening occurred in the home nearly 50% of the time. As for out-of-home listening, most of the remaining usage took place in cars or while listeners were away from home.
During the peak of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, at-home listening jumped sharply. Reports showed as much as 70% of audio listening occurred at home during the remainder of that year.
Post-pandemic, that share settled back to just over the normal mid-50% range of radio listening at home. Still slightly higher than the pre-COVID average. This suggested lingering work and lifestyle changes tied to remote and hybrid routines.
When it came to local radio, true owner-broadcasters became a community lifeline for hundreds of smaller markets. News directors across America became trusted voices explaining confusing daily mandates and regulations. Local broadcasters also became a force of reason. Constantly battling misinformation spreading across social media and streaming platforms.
These professionals delivered timely, credible, region-specific information from live newsrooms with immediacy.
On the entertainment side of radio programming, the vast majority of live show hosts changed their broadcast homes. Suddenly broadcasts from spare bedrooms, closets, or makeshift home studios set up around kitchen tables were necessary.
As far as radio workflow goes, the pandemic dramatically accelerated the pace of work. Hosts, producers, and content creators now often operate from home setups — or anywhere with an internet connection — rather than exclusively from in-station studios. Although clear data is limited, estimates suggest nearly 50% of radio audio is now created away from a traditional studio.
Before 2020, remote contribution certainly existed, especially in newsrooms. However, work-from-home production was far less common. The pandemic forced many stations to adopt remote production out of necessity.
In many cases, that approach remains the norm today.
There also are no tangible numbers showing the percentage of radio audio delivered live versus pre-recorded. Still, there is something special about a live radio program. The kinetic energy of being in the moment. Hearing music as it plays, and interacting with listeners through calls or digital platforms. The environment creates a unique experience.
On the flip side, live radio brings risks. Fumbling a break, missing timing, or creating a technical snafu. If a show could be better pre-recorded, why not do it?
The first time a major-market show in a prime daypart was fully pre-recorded happened long before the digital revolution — well before the COVID-19 pandemic. You have to go back nearly 30 years for this surprising but very real story.
Chicago’s B96 was a Top 40 juggernaut throughout the 1980s and well into the 1990s. Even today, the station still stands tall. B96 was a cume monster and consistently topped the Arbitron 12+ rankings.
In 1988, B96 teamed Eddie Volkman and Joe Bohannon for morning drive, creating the duo known as Eddie & JoBo. The pair quickly made their mark and often flirted with controversy.
Five years into their tenure, JoBo aired a rumor suggesting that a local TV anchorwoman was pregnant by a Chicago Bulls player. That false rumor later involved NBC 5 anchor Joan Esposito, even though she initially remained anonymous.
The insinuation led Esposito to file a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit against B96, CBS, and JoBo. She alleged the rumor damaged her reputation as a journalist and affected her negotiating position during contract discussions.
In May 1994, B96 fired Eddie & JoBo in the aftermath of the Esposito suit after they leaked details of the settlement to the Chicago Sun-Times. This violated a gag order associated with the agreement. The defamation case ultimately resulted in a public apology and a significant settlement — reportedly $1 million — by CBS.
Eddie & JoBo later found a morning show in Philadelphia before eventually returning to B96. This is where the story becomes relevant to the discussion about the value of pre-recording a show.
After B96 rehired the duo in 1997, management — including Program Director Todd Cavanah and General Manager Don Marion — took the unusual step of monitoring every second of the show. They recorded everything and delayed segments while sitting in the control room to approve content before it aired.
Every. Single. Break.
“Either Don Marion or Todd Cavanah sat in the studio every second of the morning show. Jobo refers to us as ‘being pre-recorded’ back then.” Eddie Volkman was quoted about that period.
It is also reported that even when they were eventually given the green light to curate live content, Eddie & JoBo — along with Cavanah — believed the show sounded better when recorded. They reportedly had little interest in returning to a fully live format.
Pre-recording breaks can sharpen content through tight editing, clean production, and stronger pacing within the music. Talent can remove mistakes, refine break construction, and build lean-forward storytelling.
Live broadcasting, however, still delivers spontaneity, authenticity, and real-time audience connection that pre-recording cannot fully replicate.
The COVID-19 pandemic ultimately served as a stress test for radio. Many positive developments emerged as broadcasters adapted and improvised. Remote recording from virtually anywhere with a reliable internet connection is now routine. Recording content and time-shifting segments has become a practical reality.
So the question remains. Would you encourage your talent to pre-record an entire show if the practice consistently produces a better product?
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Kevin Robinson is a passionate award-winning programmer, consultant and coach – with multi-formats success all over the country. He has advised numerous companies including Audacy (formerly Entercom Communications), Beasley Broadcast Group, Westwood One, Midwest Communications, Townsquare Media, Midwest Family Broadcasting Group, EG Media Group, Federated Media, Kensington Media, mediaBrew Communications, Starved Rock Media, and more. He specializes in strategic radio cluster alignment, building lean-forward tactics and talent coaching – legacy and entry-level – personalities.
Known largely as a trusted talent coach, Kevin is the only personality mentor who’s coached three different morning shows on three different brands in the same major market to the #1 position. His efforts have been recognized by The World Wide Radio Summit, Radio & Records, NAB’s Marconi, and he has coached CMA, ACM and Marconi Award-winning talent. He is also in The Zionsville High School Hall of Fame as part of the 2008 inaugural class. Kevin is an Indiana native – living near Zionsville with his wife of 39 years, Monica and can be reached at kevin@robinsonmedia.fm.
