As I listen to radio, I’m hearing a lot of USA pride on country and conservative talk radio. But that’s pretty much where it ends. A programmer told me he was staying away from that because it was “political.” Huh? If you’re worried about offending the radical 1% of flag burners in your audience, you should stop reading this immediately.
I would call myself a casual social media user. I use it mostly to see what the radio shows and stations I work with are posting, and to buy dumb stuff that doesn’t work. Over the past couple of weeks, however, I have seen countless stories of foreigners posting how great America is. Most are stunned. They have watched the news in their countries and only see the bad stories about America. As a result, they came here expecting us to be rude and the USA to really be an awful place.
The Little Things We Take for Granted
Let’s start with the joy of air conditioning on a hot day. AC is a minority feature in Europe. Paris, for example, is just enduring an unbelievable heat wave with temperatures well above 100 degrees, yet just 20% of the buildings in that city are air conditioned. Meanwhile, our foreign visitors post about Walmart, Target, free refills on soft drinks, and that amazing American-invented Ranch dressing. One of my favorites was from a British couple driving across Florida and seeing alligators wild on the side of the road.
It’s the People, Not Just the Perks
But the most important posts are about how friendly and helpful Americans have been. Say what you want about New York — I worked in that city for decades — locals will go out of their way to give you directions and advice. It seems like our country is enjoying the visitors, from the Scots drinking all the beer in Boston to the Norwegians rowing in stadiums and subways. More importantly, they are enjoying and loving us and our country.
A Perfectly Timed Celebration
The timing of FIFA visitors coming to the USA as we celebrate our 250th birthday is perfect. Our country is unquestionably and seriously politically divided. But that division exists because our citizens believe there are different paths to pursue for our future. Perhaps we needed people from other countries to tell us we’re pretty freaking awesome right now, because we are, despite the flaws.
Sometimes it takes a guest in your home to tell you how great it is, because you dwell on the imperfections. So don’t be afraid of celebrating America with some 4th of July imaging on your station this weekend, no matter the format.
Jim Ryan is a Music Radio columnist for Barrett Media. In addition, he runs Jim Ryan Media LLC, a consulting company which assists major market radio brands and top talent including national radio personality Delilah. Prior to relaunching his consultancy in 2025, Jim spent 15 years with Audacy/CBS Radio, serving as SVP of Programming. Among his responsibilities included programming WNEW-FM and WCBS-FM. His career includes additional programming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Jim was voted the #2 PD of 2024 in Barrett Media’s Top 20 series in the AC category. He can be reached by email at Jim@JimRyanMedia.com.
