How News/Talk Radio Should Adapt to Attract and Retain a Younger Audience
By Bill Bartholomew
Talk Host/Podcaster/Journalist/Musician
Folks in the Gen Z and millennial demographics are heavily engaged in political issues, care about news in their communities and the world, and are constantly bombarded with content. So why are they less likely to tune into and interact with news/talk radio than older demographics?
Talk radio has historically skewed older, and from an ad portfolio standpoint, is often targeted at the coveted 35-54 and 55+ demographics. However, in a world where social media influencers and podcasters supply information to millions of young consumers, news/talk radio should be able to effectively compete for the ears of younger generations in a comparable, if not expanded way.
For all of the anecdotal and hard evidence that terrestrial radio may be trending in a downward direction, the format continues to have a vast reach. It is convenient to engage with it in automobiles, and occasionally in home or office settings. Yet, while younger generations listen to radio, news/talk is not the format that they turn to by and large.
Unlike many digital-first content producers, radio retains a unique quality: authority. By virtue of editorial standards, FCC regulation and brand – things that social media and podcasts often lack – radio has the unique ability to deliver credible, vetted, nuanced and universally trustworthy content that can instantaneously adapt to meet the needs of the moment. This is true in everything from natural disasters to rapidly evolving breaking news stories, providing a channel for immediate, reactionary insight and analysis.
There are several steps that news/talk radio should pursue in earnest to adapt to the current climate of content consumption, particularly by younger listeners, that can reach, and most importantly, retain broader, younger, more diverse and more engaged audiences.
- Introduce younger people into the conversation.
Too often, Gen Z and millennials are skewered by older hosts, mocked for their perceived naivety, unchecked optimism and me-first approach. While some of these qualities can be accurate, that approach reflects a disconnect between older generations and the experience of younger ones. Millennials and Gen Z have grown up in a post-9/11 world replete with “endless wars”, the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis, runaway student debt, a massive housing crisis, the mental health stressors of social media, Covid19’s impact on traditional youth experiences, climate change, a deeply bifurcated political environment and a constantly evolving quest for social justice. Through these experiences, younger generations offer an important perspective that should be assigned the same news value as experts from older generations.
Are you discussing shifts towards electric vehicles? Bring on someone from Gen Z to share their perspective on why steps towards carbon neutrality are important to them. Engaging a conversation on the president’s approval rating? Perhaps younger conservative and leftist voices should be included in the conversation. Discussing immigration? How about the perspective of a younger member of a Latino organization?
By giving younger generations and more diverse guests a platform, stations can simultaneously expand their content and reach. With consistency, the station’s brand will become more familiar to younger potential listeners who may be inclined to tune in to hear someone who shares their identity and perspective on – here’s that word again – a platform of authority. Let the guest do the work of establishing the credibility and importance of your station or talk show to younger audiences by posting about their appearance on social media, sharing audio clips and mentioning to their peers. It will build familiarity and trust among those generations, who in turn, will begin to tune in on a more regular basis.
Stations should also consider bringing more younger, competent voices into on-air roles, whether that be through reporting, segments, fill-in hosts, weekend shows or full-time hosts.
- Meet the audience where they are: their phones.
As mentioned above, the convenience of simply turning on AM/FM radio is highly appealing in automobiles, though as Apple Carplay continues to adapt and evolve, digital-first content is likely to become as simple and convenient in the near future.
Talk radio needs to make consuming their product on smartphones as simple and direct as turning on a traditional radio. This means no clunky websites, no lengthy pre-roll spots, a reliable stream connection and a “one touch” means of turning on and off the station. This should also mean expanding talk shows to high-quality video livestreams, following in the footsteps of the top YouTube and Twitch performers; developing unique content for TikTok and Instagram; building podcasts that are focused on specific issues, and; providing interaction via text and chat.
Radio has the ability to be the ultimate livestreamer, social media influencer and podcaster, but rarely harnesses these platforms in a meaningful way.
It is not enough to simply strive to “expand a digital presence”; stations and shows must engage in the hard work of building platform-specific content with their brands.
- Music, cultural references and themes for the modern age.
A few weeks ago on a seemingly benign episode of the TV show FOX NFL Sunday, panelists Jimmy Johnson and Terry Bradshaw offered an example of the type of cultural adaptation that sophisticated writers and producers provide their brands. While describing a fight between two football players, Mr. Johnson said something to the effect of “when it comes to these two, what’s that Taylor Swift song?”, and then in synch with Mr. Bradshaw, “bad blood!”. It is highly unlikely that these two 70+ men listen to Taylor Swift’s music with any regularity or would simultaneously pull the “Bad Blood” reference. Yet, with excellent preparation that played into the greater cultural moment as well as the specific, current Taylor Swift/NFL overlap, in a six-second span, FOX NFL Sunday was able to give the illusion that their panelists are contemporary, hip and plugged into “what is going on”. Is your station or show plugged into what’s going on? Do you use contemporary music for bumps? Are your images – including headshots and social content – modern, interesting and engaging or are they more akin to a miscellaneous real estate agent? You are a performer in an entertainment business that, while certainly paying homage to the past and lineage of the industry, must be contemporary in aural and visual presentation. This goes for everything from wardrobe on video and in photo to fonts on graphic design.
How often do you or your producer read Pitchfork to learn about new music that is breaking this week? How often do you or your producer read Variety to understand major trends that are happening in the broader entertainment industry? What live events are you broadcasting from, covering and building partnerships with? You should strive to be cutting edge.
- We need a friend now more than ever.
This is something that goes for all audiences, but particularly for younger ones. It’s OK, in fact, great to be yourself, present yourself from your generation and retain the authoritative stance that has built your brand. Take a look at the success that sports talker Mike Francesa enjoyed by leaning into his persona – and in turn – developing legions of younger listeners that fell in love with his dad-like delivery and frequent meltdowns.
Few things are as uncomfortable to see as a 40+ person dressing or acting like a teenager. Younger listeners want that senior, experienced, trusted friend to entertain them, inform them, and at times, tell them that everything is going to be OK. You can help make sense of the world for younger audiences, something that is absolutely essential in the modern era.
Through attracting younger listeners by including them in the conversation, effectively delivering content on smartphones, presenting a cutting-edge entertainment product and continuing to serve as a trusted friend, news/talk radio can greatly expand its reach, relevance and revenue.
To that point, some younger listeners who discover a radio station or show via any of the above entry points will likely work backwards to the traditional AM/FM dial. Like the resurgence of vinyl records, AM radio in particular has the opportunity to become a hip delivery format for discerning younger listeners.
The big question is: are radio companies, stations and hosts prepared to do the hard work of reimaging their product?
Midwest Communications’ news/talk KFGO, Fargo The Mighty 790 on November 2. He tells The Forum that he left the station due to a difference in programming philosophy with management. “We differed on the operation of the ‘Morning Crew,’ and so I decided to step away.” Michaels serves as the public address announcer for North Dakota State football and basketball games, a position he will continue to hold. 
company says, “The numbers don’t lie. America’s military heroes are struggling with money. A recent survey conducted by Wounded Warrior Project finds six in 10 veterans did not have enough money to make ends meet at some point in the past year. The survey also finds the rising cost of goods is the top-rated source of financial strain.” Dave Ramsey comments, “Veterans who’ve selflessly served to protect our freedom deserve to feel freedom for themselves and their families. It’s not just about financial education; it’s about transformation. Winning with money takes sacrifice, perseverance and determination — qualities veterans know all about. We’ll give them the tools, and they’ll get it done.” 
Fredericks says, “As our stations in Philadelphia have thrived and shown stunning growth, we thought it was critical to bookend the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with Pittsburgh, giving us robust reach in both dense population centers. We offer listeners in Pittsburgh’s Westmoreland County and now Nashville, Tennessee an exciting news/talk alternative that breaths oxygen into a stale and boring ring of warmed-over RINO syndicated hosts on the conservative news/talk syndication circuit. Our Nashville acquisition gives us a base of operations in the Mid-South as we expand along the spine of the Atlantic Coast. Nashville is a high-growth city and an important cultural center of our movement. We will be competing there with the biggest talk station conglomerates in the nation, including Cumulus and iHeart. We will offer Nashville listeners a dynamic alternative choice.
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The fourth of four rounds of ratings information from Nielsen Audio’s October 2023 PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including Austin, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Providence, Norfolk, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Greensboro, Memphis, and Hartford. The survey period covers September 14 through October 11. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In Austin, Waterloo Media’s news/talk KLBJ-AM adds 1.3 shares (weekly, 6+ AQH share) to finish with a 4.7 share that lifts it from the #10 rank to #5. In Milwaukee, iHeartMedia’s news/talk WISN adds one-tenth for a 9.7 share finish that’s good enough to lift it to the #1 rank, as Good Karma Brands’ news/talk WTMJ sheds two-tenths for a 9.6 share and the #2 rank. In West Palm Beach, Hubbard Broadcasting’s news/talk WFTL rises half a share to a 2.3 share and jumps to the #9 rank, as iHeartMedia’s talk WZZR loses one-tenth to finish with a 1.8 share good for the #13 rank and sister news/talk WJNO is up one-tenth to a 1.2 share and is ranked #14 for the fourth consecutive month. 
Detroit’s News/Talk Radio Station.” The station features local host Justin Barclay in morning drive with Premiere Networks syndicated shows including “The Glenn Beck Program,” “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” “The Sean Hannity Show,” “The Jesse Kelly Show,” Key Networks’ “The Bill O’Reilly Show” and Red Apple Media’s “The Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano.” The station is promoting itself with a heavy media schedule on iHeartMedia’s adult contemporary WNIC-FM, Detroit voiced by Sean Hannity. Adell Media CEO Kevin Adell says, “910 AM Superstation is living up to its name. The audience growth we’ve seen since launching our conservative news/talk lineup in September has been exponential, and we’re looking forward to reaching even more listeners on 104.3 HD2.” 
College radio is a special place on the FM dial. Listeners know it as the channel at the low end of the band where student and volunteer DJs have free reign to play music not usually heard from commercial operators. College students recognize it as a place where they can hone their broadcasting skills and put their passion and talents to work to prepare for a career in the industry. Hiring managers recognize it as a proving ground that provides quality pre-professional development and a destination to seek out qualified candidates to fill entry level media industry roles.
ECHO box technology. He says, “GCN’s Adam Miller explains that their ECHO Files can easily be synced with most radio automation systems for easy delay broadcast with no new hardware needed and about fifteen minutes setup time! There is no need to have staff do daily chores like pulling files manually from an FTP or website. Those days are done! For live affiliates GCN has their ECHO Box that comes pre-programmed for the shows the affiliate carries. The ECHO Box can also do delay broadcast. They are sending these out with priority to stations that take the largest number of live hours, but eventually all live affiliates will receive them as dozens more of the very small ECHO Boxes will be coming in early November.” Affiliates with questions can call Adam Miller at 612-695-5982. 
digital revenue growth of 9.1% year-over-year, with digital revenue representing 18.6% of total third quarter revenue. Our continued strong digital revenue growth has moved us to within a few basis points of reaching the bottom end of our goal of digital revenue accounting for 20% to 30% of total revenue, and we remain laser focused on this initiative as a means to diversify our revenue in a cash flow positive manner. Our dedicated sales teams continue to leverage the tremendous audience reach and engagement of our local multi-platform content to attract new advertisers, resulting in a 22% increase in new local business revenue growth for the third quarter. Additionally, the actions we have taken to reduce our cost structure resulted in third quarter operating and corporate expenses decreases of 2.7% and 12.5%, respectively. In summary, we believe our third quarter financial performance demonstrates that our digital transformation and revenue diversification strategies continue to gain momentum and our initiatives focused on lowering operating expenses and reducing debt are positioning Beasley to generate increased and more diversified cash flows in future periods. Looking ahead, as has always been the case for non-election years, we expect fourth quarter revenues to be somewhat impacted by the absence of cyclical political advertising. While we plan to offset some of this expected softness through continued growth in digital and new business, we are hopeful that the overall advertising environment will improve in the fourth quarter and continue to closely monitor the economy.”
Spoken Word Audio Report 2023. According to data from the study, 48% of those in the U.S. age 13+ listen to some type of spoken-word audio daily, and audio consumers in the U.S. age 13+ spend 31% of their daily audio time with spoken word. They say this edition of the study focuses on listening locations and explores spoken-word audio consumption at home, at work, in-car, and other locations. 
advertising. In 2016 and 2017, direct response represented the vast majority of podcast advertising. From 2018 to 2021, the proportion of podcast ad spend was equally split between brand and direct response.” The post says there are four major implications of the shift to podcast brand advertising: 1) Targeting will become much broader: Wide campaign reach will become the priority with a goal of “being known before you’re needed”; 2) Creative will shift to become more entertaining and emotion based: The objective will be to stir passions and create positive feelings and associations with ads that people find interesting and enjoyable; 3) Brand safety and suitability measurement will become more crucial: Firms like Barometer will become powerful resources to help marketers find the right context for their campaigns with nuanced data; and 4) Measurement will focus on how well campaigns build memories to ensure brands are “easy to mind and easy to find”: Key performance indicators are brand awareness, brand consideration, and brand preference. 
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by Liberty News Radio Network from its flagship station WMQM-AM/W227DQ, Memphis. The show says, “Danila has immigrated to America from Brazil to live the American Dream! And we couldn’t be happier! She has been featured in Moevir, Latinos Today and Pump magazines.” Rodrigues is the second female member on the show, joining special correspondent Heather Powers McBride.
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a net loss of $19.8 million. Cumulus reports in segments, and for the Q3 period total broadcast radio revenue was $146 million, down 17.4% from a year ago. Spot revenue was down 15.2% while network revenue declined 22.8% from Q3 of 2022. Cumulus’ digital segment reports revenue of $37.2 million, an increase of 6.6%, year-over-year. Cumulus CEO Mary G. Berner states, “Third quarter revenue and Adjusted EBITDA finished in line with expectations with results reflecting the continued dichotomy between local 
and national business lines. Despite the challenging environment, we maximized performance by 
York. The spoken-word winners included: Legendary Radio Station of the Year – all-news KCBS-AM, San Francisco; Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year – Rich Eisen, Westwood One; Best Podcast of the Year – “The Letter,” KSL-FM, Salt Lake City; News/Talk Station of the Year – WTOP-FM, Washington, DC; and Sports Station of the Year – WBZ-FM, Boston.
shooting”; Best Hard News Story – “The latest from Highland Park following the Fourth of July parade shooting” for news director Ryan Burrow (pictured holding two of the awards) and talk host John Williams; Best Radio Personality – John Williams; Best Radio Series or Documentary – “Ukraine-Russia War: Russia launches an attack on Lviv” (11/15/2022) for Bob Sirott, Joseph Lindsley, Joe Romano, Hayley Boyd; and Best Sportscaster – Dave Eanet. WGN Radio VP and general manager Mary Sandberg Boyle says, “These awards from the IBA serve as a compelling testament to our station’s ability to provide vital information to our local community during critical times. The collaboration between Channel 9, NewsNation, and our own newsroom proves the strength of our combined resources, ensuring that we remain a trusted source of news for Chicagoland.”