Today is election day. More midterm money has been spent on media than in the most recent years. Estimates say more than $6 billion. While radio hasn’t seen the same spikes as TV and digital, political revenue numbers are up year-over-year.
The positive of the avalanche of ads is increased earnings. The negative is the frequency of polarizing messages, battling talk on progressive and conservative stations, and a fanning of the flames of disagreement between family, friends, and acquaintances.
So, what’s next after the election. The fear is that post-election media fatigue will kick in, and that will cause audience erosion for a period of time. There is a widespread mental exhaustion, stress, and desire to disengage from news and political content, that has shown in the past to create a down period of listening for media.
A national AP-NORC poll found that 65% of US adults regularly limit their exposure to news following contested elections. It’s believed to be due to information overload and listening fatigue. This decline has been shown to be particularly true with news and news/talk radio stations. The decline mirrors what’s seen among Cable TV news channels.
Beyond immediate post-election dips, traditional public and news radio stations face broader ongoing structural audience erosion. Public radio news stations, for example, have experienced multi-year cume drops driven by changing commuting patterns, digital/podcast migration, and an aging demographic.
Edison Research and Audacy showed in one of their recent studies that 70% to 81% of AM/FM listeners tune in specifically for political news and civic motivation. Once the votes are tallied, that high-intensity news driver disappears until the next cycle.
Again, when the election is done… what’s next?
News/Talk stations will be faced with the necessity of continuing coverage around politics, recounts, administration changes, concessions, inaugurations, and the likelihood of scandals. Those that give the listener a voice will have opinions to air and use. Providing a variety of opinions is a way to create interest. Different perspectives provide a variety of angles that hosts can use as launching points for conversation. Avoiding the vitriol that may have been popular leading into an election should be toned down coming out the other side.
For all formats, but especially for News/Talk … I’ve always believed that this is the time of year you engage with your community for charitable events. Giving to families in need, helping charities that provide relief to children with health issues, fighting the battle against cancer, and making it a total station voice. It’s a way to show that you’re community-conscious, and it presents your talent in a kinder and gentler way. The holidays are a perfect time to fight your way out of the post-election funk the audience feels.
Music stations that are personality-heavy have likely advised their talent against voicing political opinions long before the midterms were on the horizon. Music and Sports stations are always an alternative destination during times of high noise levels around politics. That’s why personalities on such stations are discouraged from voicing political opinions.
In the words of Dolly Parton, “I have as many Republican fans as I do Democrats. I don’t want to offend anybody; I have a right to myself.”
This is also when those stations that have a softer music approach, or air special programs around setting a mood, can tout being Stress-free. Stations with entertaining talent, fun personalities, and formats that bring back good memories have an opportunity to offer relief from the midterm hangover. Increasing the frequency of audio that spotlights fun content, engaging and/or emotional content, and using imaging, music, and listener voices to highlight the “good times” are all elements that encourage an audience to use a station as an oasis away from the noise of an election.
The election is done; take advantage of the nomadic audience that’s looking for an escape and/or whatever is different from what they’ve been listening to of late. Provide an escape, and you have a chance of converting a casual listener into a regular user of your station. Likewise, provide an in-depth view that’s unique, and you may keep an audience member that would have otherwise departed your station. Be the outlet for the audience that’s fatigued. Be that, attracting a new listener or keeping the one you have.
What’s next? Change.
