Report From The IR List

Let's start by explaining my previously unexplained absence last week: I had a little mishap. Several stitches and lots of bandages later, I found myself in a position I haven't experienced for a long while: unable to type anything. My hands, wrists, and fingers took the brunt of the damage (head, knees, and elbows, too, but I don't type with my knees and elbows and some of you would contend that I don't use my head, either). I found myself housebound, sitting on the couch with practically nothing to do but watch January 6th Committee hearings and Phillies and NBA Finals games and stare at my phone, doomscrolling through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I suppose I could have used the dictation tools on the phone, but under the painful circumstances, I decided to just clam up and stay on the sidelines while I recovered.

This turned out to be a good thing.

Maybe "good" is an overstatement. Instructive, perhaps. What I gained from being idle from social media is an appreciation of something we all know but don't put into practice enough: We don't need to post everything we think or see.

Oh, there were times that I would see something and want to post a reply, or I'd see something worth a retweet, or have a thought that I decided was demanding to be disseminated to the world. And then the impulse faded, and now I can't even remember anything about those pearls of wisdom I was compelled to share. I don't remember what I was responding to, or what I was trying to say. The moment passed. I moved on. Nobody lost out on a transformative message. Perhaps someone would have chuckled, or clicked a link, or hit the "Like" button, but they didn't have the opportunity, and somehow the world continued to do what the world does.

That's an interesting thing for someone who's spent a career in and around talk radio and podcasting, the essence of which is voicing opinions and, you know, saying stuff, often spontaneously and generally unsolicited beyond someone choosing to listen. It doesn't mean that my, or anyone else's, opinions or social media posts are irrelevant or pointless. It does mean that they're a part of a vast avalanche of opinions and social media posts, and as such, you have the option to post or take occasion to shut up from time to time. Not everything needs to be broadcast. You can pick your spots. You SHOULD pick your spots. In a way, it's freeing. Not being able to post meant that, ultimately, I felt less of a need to post anything. Days went by, I didn't post, and I haven't felt like I just can't wait to get these stitches out and my head cleared and go back to proclaiming my views on politics, sports, or anything else. Maybe it's the first step towards reducing my social media consumption, I don't know. (Narrator: Nope.)

Can we apply this to being on the air? Sort of. You can't just not talk. That happens to be your job. You can, however, think before you do a segment or bit: Is this worth saying? Is this something that people will want to hear, something they'll miss if they don't? What's the intrinsic value of this? If it's truly, deeply disposable, is there something else I can do or say that will be better as entertainment? And then you'll go ahead regardless, because that's a lot to do when you're just trying to get through a show. But it's never a bad idea to include a little "is this really as good as I can make it" in your prep process.

As for me, taking a week's unscheduled, unintended break from writing might be just what I needed, a battery recharge, a reminder that being active on social media isn't as central to life as we sometimes make it. Next time, however, I would prefer it if my hiatuses take a less bloody and painful form.

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Somehow, I've been able to return to doing All Access News-Talk-Sports' Talk Topics show prep page, and there's plenty of material for your shows waiting for you, so find it all by clicking here, and you can also follow the Talk Topics Twitter feed at @talktopics and find every story individually linked to the appropriate item.

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Being AWOL last week means that I didn't get the chance to thank everyone at the National Association of State Radio Networks for the warm hospitality at the conference in San Antonio, and to Audacy/Dallas programming chief Gavin Spittle for sharing the stage and providing insight. Thanks to Rick Green, Jeff Worthington, and the entire NASRN assemblage. My next appearance will be at Podcast Movement in Dallas in August, with more details to come. Things aren't quite back to normal on the convention end, but they're getting closer.

Perry Michael Simon
Senior Vice President/Editor-in-Chief and News-Talk-Sports-Podcasting Editor
AllAccess.com
psimon@allaccess.com
Twitter @pmsimon