Monday Memo: Why Local Media Still Moves Communities
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
In “When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows” (Scribner) cognitive scientist Steven Pinker unpacks a deceptively simple idea: Society runs on common knowledge. Not just what people know individually, but what they know OTHERS know-they-know.
Read that again, aloud. It describes the invisible wiring that drives humans to coordinate, trust, cooperate, and sometimes revolt.
If that sounds abstract, it shouldn’t. Radio and television are the most powerful common knowledge machines ever invented. And in an era when media fragmentation has turned audiences into isolated microtribes, broadcasters who understand Pinker’s point gain a strategic advantage.
Broadcasting creates the “Shared Reality” communities run on
When a radio or TV station says, “Schools are closed,” that’s not just information. It’s a signal that everyone else in town heard the same thing. That shared certainty is what lets a community move in sync. Pinker reckons that this is the essence of coordination: people don’t just act on facts – they act on what they believe others believe.
This is why broadcasters remain indispensable during storms, emergencies, elections, and civic moments. Digital platforms can inform individuals. Only broadcasting can inform everyone at once, and – crucially – make it known that everyone else heard it too.
Trust and legitimacy flow from common knowledge
Pinker notes that institutions derive their authority from shared understanding. Money works because everyone knows everyone else accepts it. Laws work because everyone knows everyone else knows the rules.
Local broadcasters occupy that same psychological space.
A trusted anchor or morning host doesn’t just deliver news – they confer legitimacy. When they say, “Here’s what’s happening,” they’re not merely reporting; they’re establishing the community’s shared frame of reference. In a fragmented media world, that’s gold.
Dueling Realities: FOX News vs MSNow
Inside each bubble, people know what everyone-like-them knows. When national narratives clash, local broadcasters become the last shared reality left.
Local radio and TV, by contrast, still operate in the realm Pinker describes: weather, schools (and EVERYTHING ELSE that triggers a parent’s concern), roads, emergencies, local elections, shared rituals and routines. These are not ideological. They’re lived. Local broadcasters still produce the kind of common knowledge that makes a town function. Cable networks and partisan talk radio produce the kind that makes a tribe feel coherent.
Local broadcasting is still where a community becomes a community.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
Benjamin Yount is taking over the 6:00 am to 9:00 am show hosting duties. Yount has been with the station since 2018 as host and news director. He comments, “WISN has always been about serving Wisconsin with smart, honest conversation, and I’m honored to take on 
morning drive. Our listeners count on us to start their day informed and engaged, and I’m excited to continue that in a new time slot while keeping the same commitment to strong local coverage.” Jason Goch, who has been a fill-in host on WISN, moves into the morning news anchor and late morning talk host role. He’ll handle news duties during Yount’s program and host his own talk show from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Station program director Jerry Bott states, “This lineup builds on WISN’s momentum and reflects our focus on serving listeners with strong, credible voices throughout the day. Benjamin has earned the trust of our audience and brings proven ratings success to morning drive, while Jason is a terrific addition whose experience and versatility strengthen our local programming bench.”
standard in audio, and it’s an honor to join a brand creatively steeped in sports storytelling. Not unlike the Savannah Bananas, I’m prepared to push the limits of sports talk. I’ll deliver for Jimmy in Tucson, Arizona just as much as Joe in Marshall, Texas. And for every groundbreaking Los Angeles Lakers trade, there’s a Boston College linebacker who survived cancer. You’ll hear the same fire and heart for each. We’re going to create something special; I promise you that.” Cumulus SVP sports/content & audience Bruce Gilbert comments, “Drake represents exactly what we’re building – a modern, interactive sports experience that is driven by personalities and fueled by fans – programming that breaks away from the predictable and formulaic. Drake’s ability to entertain, connect, and innovate makes him the ideal voice for mornings on Westwood One.”
and two of its sister music-formatted outlets to a local operator – Zoellner Media Group, led by Dr. Robert Zoellner. Potter tells the Tulsa World that his exit came as a surprise. He says he was called into a meeting with Dr. Zoellner. “Our paths hadn’t crossed yet in his ownership. Shook his hand, sat down. He said, ‘We’re not renewing your contract.’ They handed me a check, and security showed me out of the building.” Prior to joining KRMG, Potter served in Dallas with WBAP-AM in several capacities, including news director.
the Cumulus Media news/talk station on November 7. Sutton began working full time at the station in 1997. He tells WHTM that he does not plan on retiring. “Tomorrow is the first time in 52 years that I don’t have to work, but I hope that doesn’t last long because I am not retiring. God is in control, and I know there are new opportunities ahead and a new chapter in my life.” Sutton says he and producer Mark McKenzie were dismissed due to budget cuts. 
Monticello Media’s WCHV-AM, Charlottesville, Virginia, is acquiring WTON-AM, Staunton, Virginia and two FM translators (W255DS, Harrisonburg at 98.9 and W266BQ, Crozet at 101.1) from Stu-Comm, Inc. for $275,000. Thomas is buying the station via his company Thomas Media LLC. After Monticello Media learned of the deal, it severed its relationship with Thomas. He tells TALKERS magazine, “We are looking forward to bringing local news and conversation back to the valley the same way we did for WCHV. We also hope to have my show back on the air in Charlottesville soon.”
events in the Garden State drawing 250 guests including government officials, media representatives and community-minded business leaders. The gala will be held on Friday, October 4, 2024 at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. Harrison says, “This is a huge honor and I’m looking forward to addressing this distinguished event with observations about the media’s position at the crossroads between politics, journalism and changing social norms.” Hurley tells TALKERS, “Our special event will be taking place four weeks before one of the most consequential national elections in American history… arguably, the most important election since the Civil War era. It deserves to have a keynote speaker as eloquent as Michael Harrison.”
in Music City! We’re looking for a content-driven morning host or duo that fits a rock/classic rock lifestyle. If you believe in the power of radio to connect to an audience, aren’t afraid to step outside the box a little bit, and can create a morning SHOW that’s engaging, interactive, and local, we want to hear from you! Please send audio and materials to 
