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Yes, We’re Open
May 1, 2020
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Open 'em up.
This goes against all of my talk radio experience and instincts. It's one of the laziest and worst sins a radio host can commit. In my days as a program director, it would have led to a quiet but firm "never do that again." I don't like it when the biggest syndicated hosts do it, and I don't like it when a local host uses it to coast through an hour. Yet, here we are, here I am, suggesting that instead of doing topics, you just open your phone lines.
I do have a reason, though, and I'll first stress that this is not something you'll want to do all the time, and it certainly won't be a good idea once the pandemic's at least eased up. But we've been talking over and over about how research is showing that people are looking for emotional benefits from radio, engagement in a very direct and personal way, and that was even before the world slipped off its axis. There's another issue, and it's something that's intensifying by the day: A lot of people are alone, very alone. Sure, they can call family and friends, or do a Zoom conference, but it's not the same as going out and meeting new people and just talking. They are riding this out in apartments and homes across your market, they are hurting, and they want a new connection to someone, somehow. They want to hear different voices connecting with theirs. They want to hear others who are in the same boat, to know they're not alone. They probably don't want to talk about politics and they don't want to talk about the virus itself. They want to talk about themselves, their fears, their needs, what brings them joy and hope. And they want someone to just listen, someone very much like you.
So, open the lines every once in a while. If your station still has a program director -- I know, it's probably the PD of the Hot AC down the hall who got assigned the task of overseeing all seven stations in the building but who doesn't even know your name or what you do -- you might want to lock the studio door if you're going into the station, or just not answering when your cell phone rings during your show if you're remote. Just go on and be there for people who just need to talk. Ratings poison? Maybe not now, not during a pandemic when some of the usual rules don't fit, but since your sales department, what's left of it, isn't exactly tearing things up right now and it'll be months if not longer before things get back to normal, it might not really matter. What WILL matter is after this is all over or at least stabilized, when your listeners remember who was there for them when they needed them, when they were cooped up alone in their apartments needing a friendly ear to listen and found you, when they needed to hear that they weren't alone but just one of thousands upon thousands of people thinking the same things.
(One suggestion, or, really, a necessity: Make sure you have the phone numbers and contact information for professionals in mental health handy, including chat and suicide hotlines. They're always important to keep within quick reach, and when you're talking to people right now, you'll want to be able to refer them to the pros when necessary. We're all on edge.)
And that's why I'd break my own rule, just for now, just a little. It's a public service no less important than fundraising and food drives and putting out all the pertinent information listeners need. It's a personal touch they will not get from television, from podcasts that can't go live, from social media that's all about two-way text and one-way video (chat isn't the same). Be their friend. Everyone can use more friends right now.
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And when you go back to doing topics, you can use 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. Also, do not miss a very amusing "10 Questions With..." Key Networks' newest syndicated host, Jesse Kelly, who has the right attitude about the talk radio game. He has a unique back story, and how he got here and how he's approaching the job are definitely worth your time.
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Hey, guess what? "The Evening Bulletin with Perry Michael Simon," my podcast, is coming back! I'm going to do them sporadically for now with an eye to returning to daily editions in the coming months. But you can find the new and archive episodes 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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Happy May, I guess. We're still feeling our way through a time when scoring toilet paper or paper towels online is about as high an emotion as we can hope for. While we wait for things to get better, if you're looking for a guest to bloviate about the media for your show or podcast, that would be me, so book me at psimon@allaccess.com. You might as well; I'm not going anywhere for a while, so I'm very, very available.
Perry Michael Simon
Vice President/Editor, News-Talk-Sports and Podcast
AllAccess.com
psimon@allaccess.com
www.facebook.com/pmsimon
Twitter @pmsimon
Instagram @pmsimon -
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