Preparing For Better

Maybe you don't want to read the news right now.

There's no way to make the unemployment figures into a ray of sunshine, and you're undoubtedly acutely aware of what's happening. But since it's on everybody's mind, let's remind ourselves of a few things.

First, radio isn't going away. It's no more or less dead than other media, and there's going to be a need and demand for it in some form going forward. The problem isn't that people won't want audio entertainment and information, or that they'll no longer be able to access radio programming, whether through a broadcast radio receiver or streaming through phones or smart speakers. It's that the business model has to change. We knew that before the pandemic hit, but now, it's accelerated. The traditional ad sales model isn't built for a pandemic -- what is, anyway? -- but it's not like there won't be a demand for quality audio content. Subscriptions? Merchandising? Live events, when and if everyone's comfortable gathering with lots of other people? More live spots, more direct response, more partnerships with businesses? More video? Something more unusual and innovative? We don't know, but before we do, counting radio out is premature.

But some things radio took for granted are going to be different. That dominance in the car? What do you do with that when a huge percentage of the population still works from home after the pandemic, and so many people just aren't going to be working, and you're taking all of those people out of their cars? What is radio going to do to convince people to listen at home when they have so many other options there? Radio relied on convenience forever -- you get in the car, you start it up, the radio comes on, no apps or Bluetooth connection or cables necessary, it's just there. But "there" isn't where a large chunk of the previous audience is going to be. They'll be at home. What will radio do to get them engaging with its content? More specifically, what can radio do that streaming services and apps and on-demand content can't?

That's the challenge, and it goes back to that live human connection people want. You can get music from anybody. You can get entertainment from everywhere. What radio used to be was a companion, and it can be that again. More importantly, as people deal with job losses and personal anguish, radio can serve as a connection to humanity for people working from home, a conduit for information that might help them like, oh, I don't know, employment news, letting people know what new jobs are available and who's hiring. Sure, other media can and will do that, but there's a huge value on a live human voice when so many people will be at home seeing no other adults all day, other than on Zoom conferences. Take it from someone who's been working from home for over 20 years: The sound of a live radio show helps get you through the day.

As for the employment you care about -- employment in the radio business -- I hope that as things rebuild, we see some of those jobs come back, but we also have to be prepared for a lot of jobs to go away for good. That was happening before the pandemic anyway, or did you not grasp the concept of "Centers of Excellence"? I think some companies will go all-in on minimizing the human element in their operations -- audio untouched by human hands! -- but I also think that there will be stations and groups that see a value in having boots on the ground locally and that some will also be more aggressive in podcasting and new media, likely not enough to save everyone's job but enough to offer some reason for radio people to remain radio people. Again, it's not like the demand for broadcast radio will go to zero all at once. There's an audience; the trick is to determine what their changed demands of the medium will be and how to reach them and monetize it, not an easy trick but far from impossible, either.

So it could be worse. You could own a buffet restaurant. (RIP Souplantation.) Radio's business model isn't being destroyed by the pandemic, but it is going to be altered, perhaps forever. I'd like to think that someone will see the opportunity and be creative and help keep people employed, serving the public demand. I don't know if anyone will, but with the news the way it is, I just want to try and be as positive as I can, okay?

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And since radio hosts need stuff to talk about no matter what's going on, there's Talk Topics, the show prep column at All Access News-Talk-Sports, which you can find by clicking here and/or following the Talk Topics Twitter feed at @talktopics with every story individually linked to the appropriate item.

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"The Evening Bulletin with Perry Michael Simon," my podcast, has returned on a sporadic basis (three went up this week alone), so listen and subscribe by clicking here or finding it on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and all the other usual podcast places, and on Amazon Alexa-enabled devices by saying "Alexa, play the Evening Bulletin podcast."

You can follow my personal Twitter account at @pmsimon, and my Instagram account (same handle, @pmsimon) as well. And you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pmsimon, and at pmsimon.com.

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Let's hope the news is better next week. In the meantime, I'm still available to fill time with media talk on your show or podcast, which you can book at psimon@allaccess.com. I promise not to be too negative, unless negative is what you want.

Perry Michael Simon
Vice President/Editor, News-Talk-Sports and Podcast
AllAccess.com
psimon@allaccess.com
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