Another Angle

In past columns, I've talked about how radio is missing a bet on talk radio, specifically that there is not one single winning formula and that stations taking a different approach can win. And some readers -- and, sometimes, I myself -- construe that to mean competing with political talk by programming non-political talk, or counter-programming conservative with liberal, that sort of thing.

But that's not the only way to do it. The battle over the health care bill got me thinking about talk radio's role in the debate, and how I'd approach it if I were still programming. And then I thought about how public radio is growing with yet another approach, and I came to another conclusion that I'll probably contradict later but makes sense to me today, so that's what you'll get in this column. To wit:

I can't argue that talk radio concentrating on the Washington theatrics isn't a good idea. It IS fascinating, it IS good radio to talk about the gamesmanship and the confusion and the us-versus-them of the day. It may attract more older listeners, it may contribute to the noise level of the debate, it may drive away people for whom the issue has turned into a major stress factor, it may be red meat for the P1s, but you can't ignore that a significant audience is out there who enjoy the rooting-interest aspects of what's going on, whether they're Trump fans or not. So, that's one version of talk radio.

In considering how talk radio is handling the topic, though, I, as always, thought about what's missing, namely how what's going on will really affect the listeners. This is something you'll find more on public radio, but even there it takes second place to the inside-the-beltway maneuverings. It's not on the level of cable news everyone-shout-at-the-same-time coverage, but it's important, and it stems from your unique access to legislators and other power-wielding officials. Here's what I mean: You take calls from listeners who have specific questions about how the proposals in Washington will affect them. You get your representatives and spokespeople on the air. You relay the concerns and questions, or you have your callers directly talk to the guests. It's not us-versus-them, it's not about the political doings. It's representing the listeners and using your access -- access the listeners don't have, especially after the Town Hall debacles of late -- to people who have the answers, and standing firm until you get those answers.

Yes, traditional talkers can do that, too, but they don't. Be honest. Most of you get a politician on the air and you softball him or her if they're on the same "team" as you, ideologically. You do that because you want continued access, you want to be their friend, maybe you ARE their friend. Or you're star-struck -- "KellyAnne Conway takes my calls!" -- or whatever. That's fine, but I'm not talking about yelling at a guest or calling them "LIAR!" or anything like that. It's more about a 48 year old blue collar worker who's concerned that coverage for a particular condition won't be available, or will cost a lot more. It's about a 25 year old asking why he has to pay for geriatric care, and whether he'll be able to pick what coverage he really needs. It's service journalism, in an informal way.

And it's kind of a different format. It's not based on differing ideology, it's just a different approach to the same topics. The results format. Not a consumer format, though, but more about taking the hot topics and relating them directly to the listeners' interests. Terrorism? How it'll affect their travel. "Fake News"? Who to trust and why. Immigration? The economic effect, pro and con, and how it relates to listeners' lives, not just the broad-stroke stuff. The environment? You get the idea.

Which is boring if you let it be boring. But it doesn't have to be boring. Remember school? Remember how bored you were? And then remember how some teachers brought boring topics to life and made you actually enjoy them, made you look forward to that class? You're an entertainer. You can do that with any topic.

Maybe it's not a format. Maybe it's something you can do as a podcast and serve it up through your station's digital platform. Maybe it's a show, or a once-a-week feature. But it's something that seems to be missing, the idea that talk radio can hold the powers in Washington and your State House and City Hall accountable, not on an ideological basis but for what they do and the effects they will have on listeners' daily lives. It's not better or worse or more or less important or entertaining than traditional ideologically-driven talk radio, it's just... different. And if there's anything political talk radio is going to need as the election bump recedes, it's different.

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Perry Michael Simon
Vice President/Editor, News-Talk-Sports and Podcast
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