Tag: authenticity

Industry Views

Monday Memo: The Power of Pause in Local Radio

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgIn an industry built on speed – breaking news, live liners, commercial deadlines – “pause” can feel like a luxury radio can’t afford. But Kevin Cashman’s The Pause Principle: Step Back to Lead Forward (Wiley) argues the opposite: pausing isn’t weakness, it’s a competitive advantage. For local radio leaders, the message couldn’t be timelier.

Cashman defines pause as the conscious act of stepping back to gain perspective before moving forward. Leaders who constantly react miss opportunities for growth and innovation. Those who pause, he argues, engage with more clarity, creativity, and authenticity.

Think about the daily grind in local radio. The PD is juggling ratings pressure, expense challenges, talent issues, and a half-dozen urgent emails from corporate. The sales manager is chasing month-end, writing copy on deadline, and fielding calls from advertisers. In that swirl, it’s tempting to equate motion with progress. Yet, as Cashman warns, constant motion without reflection leads to burnout, blind spots, and missed chances to connect.

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For broadcasters, pause can take many forms:

  • Programming: Instead of cranking out another promo, take time to ask if the message really resonates with the community. What do listeners need from us right now?
  • Sales: Before pitching another rate card, pause to explore the client’s true business challenge. That deeper understanding can unlock bigger, longer-term partnerships.
  • Leadership: In staff meetings, pause to let quieter voices contribute. The next big idea might come from someone who usually doesn’t speak up.

Cashman links pause to authenticity. When leaders slow down enough to be present, they foster trust. In local radio, where credibility is everything, that authenticity builds loyalty with both audiences and advertisers.

He also reminds us that pause is not about inaction. It’s about deliberate action. A well-timed pause before responding to a crisis on-air, before agreeing to a questionable promotion, or before rushing through a strategic decision can be the difference between a misstep and a breakthrough.

For local stations, the takeaway is clear: The pace isn’t going to slow down. The emails will keep coming, the ratings will keep posting, and the deadlines will keep looming. But leaders who carve out moments of pause will not only preserve their sanity – they’ll make better decisions, inspire their teams, and serve their communities more meaningfully.

Pause. Reflect. Then lead forward.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a media consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

Industry Views

Won’t Get Fooled Again (Hopefully)

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Charles Heller
Talk Host / Account Executive
KVOI, Tucson

imgGrief for the loss of Charlie Kirk is palpable around the world. Broadcasters who interviewed him or had anything to do with the Turning Point organization were deeply touched by his tragic death.

Sunday, I played a tribute song to Charlie Kirk that I thought was by English singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran. Later I played one supposedly by Adelle. It seemed rather strange that they could produce and publish songs in three days, but I could find no evidence on YouTube that they were artificially generated. I should have looked a little further in my research before I stated on air that the songs were authentic. How can I be in talk radio for 27 years, be 68, and that naïve?

The fact is that I wanted to believe it was true. I overcame cognitive dissonance by wanting to believe that these two great artists would do tributes to someone I hold in high esteem. On reflection, I should have thought about the likelihood that either of them would write such songs…

In putting these thoughts to paper (electrons, anyway…) I found dozens of tribute songs to Charlie Kirk from many famous voices, and now I notice that most of them are “generated content.” That really made me re-evaluate my method of bringing facts to the audience, a job I feel as a calling as much as a profession. It forces me to question the authenticity of everything I bring to the microphone. My desire to believe that those songs were real, overcame my natural skepticism. I lost, as they say in self-defense instruction, “situational awareness.” (I’ve been a state certified CCW instructor for 31 years.)

I came to radio through print journalism, having run my high school newspaper as managing editor (The Lane Warrior) with a circulation of 5,000. We printed it in house too, back when it was still done hot type. The Chicago Tribune sponsored my Junior Achievement Company, and my associations there got me a job. I spent time in the newsroom while still in high school, learning a lot about how a real paper is made. They cared a lot about accuracy, and it stuck with me. I used to smoke my pipe at the city desk with Clarence Paige. (Wow have things changed…)

Fast-forward 50 years, and now I sit behind the microphone of four talk radio programs on KVOI, engineering and hosting by myself, alone in the building with the exception of my broadcast dog, Charger. It’s an awesome responsibility, bringing infotainment to an audience, but the age of AI now causes me to ask, is everything I put out, correct? I’ve said on air for a long time, “I don’t need to be right, but need to be correct.” Am I alone in this concern for accuracy? Give me your thoughts, please.

Charles Heller is in his 27th year on air, hosting “Swap Shop,” “Liberty Watch,” “America Armed & Free,” and “America’s Fabric,” on Bustos Media’s KVOI-AM, Tucson. During the week he is a seller, producing his own spots. Charger is a seven-year-old rescue from the Humane Society who prefers AM Radio. He’d especially like to communicate with people who do other swap type shows. charles@libertywatchradio.com