
Massive news stories are always a dilemma for music station shows since many people listen to them to escape the news. This past week, some shows avoided the DC plane crash story, while others were unsure how much and how often to discuss it.
One show host told me, “We talked about it at 6:25 this morning.” That means at least 90% of the audience thinks the show ignored the biggest story on the planet!
We live in a time of fast-breaking news that can impact your listeners directly or emotionally. There will undoubtedly be more significant crashes and climate-related stories about fires, floods, tornados, earthquakes, and other disasters. When universal stories happen, here are guidelines for treating tragedy stories on music station shows:
If you are the “feel good” show:
- Briefly report the up-to-date facts in one to three sentences in your trending or news segment, or quickly hit the story in a content segment and move on.
- Play headline audio clips that tell the essence of the story.
- Have your sister News Talk station or TV partner deliver the headlines.
- Hit the story every half hour to accommodate short TSL in morning and afternoon drive.
Where to place tragedy stories:
Even brief updates on stories like the DC crash can create awkward transitions into entertainment segments. It’s most effective to place them at the end of content segments before commercials, traffic reports, or promos. They could also be run after brief traffic reports, promos, or at the beginning of a content segment as a tease or into a feature with a produced open that serves as a transition.
Shows that express a wide range of emotions:
Shows that reveal personal stories and vulnerability can use the above points and/or devote whole segments to tragedies, expressing their feelings about the story without political commentary.
- Focus on stories about people, families, or groups (e.g., the US Figure Skating Team, students, parents, and coaches) as details emerge about individuals who lost their lives, homes, or businesses.
- Contact people you know or other media outlets where the story originated for eyewitness accounts.
- Tap your panel of expert contributors who can add relevant information. In this case, an aviation expert.
The worst thing you can do with tragedy stories:
Ignore the story. In this “post-truth era,” broadcasting rumors, misinformation, or disinformation is the second worst thing. Listeners will appreciate your authenticity.
Be real. Be relevant. Be accurate.
an awful radio pitfall that radio keeps stepping into, is succumbing to the delusion that they must constantly talk about current events. Nobody comes to an FM music station to hear about tragedy — something we are bombarded with 24/7. Talk to real listeners and you’ll find out this is true. Or hang out with in the box 1D radio lifers and keep making the same mistakes sinking an industry deeper into debt.