Five days a week, two different markets, one really great show. The Ryan Gorman Show hit Barrett Media’s Top 20 Major Market News/Talk Radio Morning Shows list at number 15. And for the host, what he believes makes his show a success is ensuring the entertainment of the audience.
“My goal going into every show is to entertain first and then inform. So, we’re always looking at different lighter angles that we can take with different topics,” Ryan Gorman told Barrett Media.
Somedays the notion of light isn’t always in the news cycle, but he made clear, “I’m not trying to beat you over the head with a hard opinion every morning or try to persuade you. I just kind of tell you what I think about different stories, give you the information, and have some fun with it along the way.”
Airing on both 610 WIOD in Miami and WFLA Newsradio in Tampa, Gorman and his team hit the day’s biggest local, state, and national topics, which is sometimes hard to do with an audience on both the east and west coasts of Florida.
“A lot of what we do is very similar, even though they’re not similar markets in and of themselves. Miami is very different from the Tampa Bay area. But a lot of the things that impact people that are in the news are relatable regardless. So whether it’s property insurance and cost of living here in Florida, that’s something that relates to both audiences,” Gorman said.
Another issue that unites both markets is e-bikes. “Florida’s trying to rein in the craziness around e-bikes and e-scooters,” Gorman noted. “That’s something that they’re dealing with in South Florida, and it’s something that they’re dealing with in the Tampa Bay area — all of those kinds of things.”
Gorman made it clear that he and co-host Dana McKay are giving the news for everyone. “I think the show has a chance of reaching an audience that maybe gets forgotten from both sides of the aisle. There are a lot of Americans who are kind of a little bit more in the middle and aren’t that active in politics. So we want to reach some of them — younger people.”
He added, “I think on the social side, what we’re trying to do on social media is different from what a lot of shows do, in that we’re putting out a huge variety of content takes. We have fun with all kinds of different things.”
Speaking of socials, McKay handles most of it, and Gorman said of her work, “I’ve got a great co-host, Dana McKay — she’s really the one on social media. She’s the one doing all the magic there. She’s putting out all those videos and all the social media content that we do every day.”
Being in Florida, there is no shortage of content to choose from. While other markets may have “Florida Man” segments once or twice a week, for Gorman and the team it’s just part of their news of the day. “We do our top stories at the top of every hour, and then we just have our normal segments, and they just include Florida Man stories because there are so many of them,” Gorman enthused.
“We get a kick out of it, and a lot of times it’s funny because I’ll be talking about Florida Man stories that are originating from where I grew up — like in Hernando County. So we’ve got a unique angle on it because we’re here in Florida.” He later added, “We get a kick out of them. The listeners get a kick out of them. And we certainly don’t shy away from them.”
In fact, pop culture does well for the morning talk radio host. “I know news talk radio doesn’t always do pop culture. There’s a big focus on politics, and I think people get kind of burnt on politics nonstop.”
He noted, “So when we’ve got one of those stories like Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, we’re all over it, and we’re not afraid to do it a lot during the show. It’s those kinds of stories that I think — along with our unique take on the news, not being so far one way or the other — really differentiate us from most of what you’re going to hear on news talk radio.”
For Gorman, a native Floridian, his joy of entertaining is palpable. “It’s what I’ve been doing since I was 16,” he told Barrett Media. “My inspiration comes from Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld and those kinds of people. So I like that lighter take on the news — or the ridiculous take on the news. Like a Daily Show kind of setup for a segment, if I can pull it off and if the content’s there. I think in the morning especially — and these days, with how much news there is, how heavy it is, how divided we are — I think people like that.”
Which is why he follows a simple idea to make a great show. “For those who are listening to start their day — to laugh, to be entertained, whether it’s on their way to work or dropping their kids off at school or whatever they’re doing.”
Gorman added, “And to give them credible information, as objective as possible on the biggest stories of the day, and then also give them some takes that they’re not going to get anywhere else — especially in the news talk format.”
Having made the Barrett Top 20 several years in a row, Gorman said of the accomplishment, “It’s a great way to see how people are doing in the industry, and it means a lot because it’s people in the industry respecting the work that you do. We work hard to put together as good of a show as humanly possible every single morning — to build that consistency and entertain the audience — and for the industry to recognize that definitely means a lot.”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
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.
