I tend to be a person who believes that competition is best for any business, society, and for innovation. Veteran radio people have long complained that the 1996 ownership rule change was devastating to our industry. In some ways, they are totally correct if you are looking at things from a 1996 and earlier perspective.
In today’s atmosphere, where a person can start a video podcast on a shoestring budget and build a small business based on almost any subject, the competition for radio and traditional television is rapidly changing.
I try to live in the reality zone. Most of us live some sort of a fantasy life. You may have a romantic relationship that is failing or is over. You may be married to that person and hoping that things will improve. Or you may be at a job that is no longer satisfying, and you are unable or unwilling to make a change in your life.
We all know people who are stretching it out. I was speaking with a friend who works outside of media. This guy is miserable. He is a couple of years from retirement, hates the people he reports to, and is just trying to stretch things out until he can pull the plug and sail off into the sunset. That is no way to live, but if you speak with people who have reached that part of life, it is a common conversation. It could be the group of people in your friend circle — you may have people who are very negative about everything, and it’s not good to associate with them.
Well, the 1996 Telecom Act changed the game for better or worse. It is reality. We can’t go back.
So, what now? There has been conversation about loosening the ownership rules further — what does that create for the marketplace?
Radio’s Content Challenge in an On-Demand World
There is some really good news for radio: we are being used by the vast majority of Americans on a weekly basis. For news/talk, we are still connecting with people. Content delivery is still a concern due to the connected car, podcasts, and smartphones.
How do we adjust to an on-demand world? Many in our industry say that converting the daily news/talk show into a podcast is key to meeting that challenge.
One of the issues with that is the news cycle is moving so fast that an on-demand show from three hours ago may be obsolete. I think that is a challenge we have not fully adjusted to. Video is an important part of getting clicks and views. The challenge is that video seriously hampers the theater-of-the-mind advantage to our art.
Also, getting the video feed right is tough. At last year’s Barrett Media News Summit, I took a subway to the Salem facility and was blown away by Mike Gallagher’s setup. The space was not much bigger than most radio studios and was very efficient. Gallagher is a radio artist — a man who has a strong understanding of the imagination part of our industry. I have not spoken with Mike about this, but I’m sure it has changed his show.
The Democratization of Information and the Trust Problem
In the last 25 years, information has been democratized. Anyone can be an expert. Information is shared so often by millions of sources. Yes, there is false and misleading information on almost anything. The gatekeepers of information have been neutered.
Spend time with veteran newspaper writers or people who work for public radio. They are outraged by the changes. These people are no longer the voices of legitimacy. Very likely, your community has social media influencers who are covering local news stories, and many of them do very good work.
One of the issues is that most breaking news stories from influencers lack any sort of basic journalism — these often start rumors and create confusion instead of accuracy. This has been a huge adjustment for any news organization.
Bridging the Gap Between Media and Government
If a news organization is not receiving information from official government sources quickly, it looks like it’s either not interested or hiding the truth from the public. This creates distrust in traditional media and in government. I have actually met with elected officials to share why prompt communication is so important. If there is a shooting at the mall, the speed of communication to media is essential. Everyone with a phone — and that’s everybody — can post on a moment’s notice.
If the cops are keeping their mouths shut until they know everything, it will create mistrust. I have explained to government leaders that all they have to do is post a quick statement: there was gunfire at the mall, police are investigating, and accurate details will be reported as they are confirmed. This also allows radio, TV, and other news providers to have something to say immediately.
Traditional media loses credibility when it’s slow to communicate details. I highly encourage news directors and brand managers to meet with government bodies to encourage them to be proactive. Especially with law enforcement — the public information officer often does not have a background in news or media, and frequently these people don’t understand the timeline we are under.
Our challenges are immense. The news cycle has never been quicker, and the demand for immediate information has never been higher.
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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.
