Damn those companies that bought-up and dumbed-down the local media. Those out-of-town bastards have sucked the life from radio and TV.
Why are they so horrible – when the answer is so obvious?
Be Live and Local!
Uhhh, no. That won’t help. The truth is, people don’t care where content comes from. We just want to be entertained and informed. We’re only loyal to great content, regardless of where it originates.
Local TV newscasts are a tired formula of homicides, dumpster fires, sports and weather. And nobody watches them except seniors, and their parents.
In reality, there’s nothing happening in your town that’s so earth-shaking. As a result, local media is speeding toward oblivion.
Before getting your knickers in a twist, ever heard a complaint that Netflix isn’t local? Or how CNN doesn’t cover local news? Millions love Howard Stern (from New York) and Rush Limbaugh (Florida).
Not local? Not a problem!
Here’s My Take: We’re drawn to what moves us and makes an emotional connection. So, the issue isn’t being local. It’s about making sense of universal concerns, topics on everyone’s minds.
Local media should focus on the local angle behind COVID, school closures, racial unrest and the stress of being quarantined. Then translate it in a way that’s authentic and relevant.
Sadly, radio stations will be hosted by out-of-town folks. Sorry, there’s no going back. Big companies can run things cheaply – and that’s job one.
Trust me, I know.
As an exec with America’s top radio network, I hired dozens of personalities who’d record segments for hundreds of stations. Their job was to fake sounding local.
And you’d barely notice the difference.
