Talk Show Boot Camp 9 Closes With Talk Of Engagement And A Chat With NPR's Jarl Mohn

Final Day

The second and final day of DON ANTHONY and GABE HOBBS' TALK SHOW BOOT CAMP 9 featured a pair of morning sessions, one on listener engagement and another a one-on-one with NPR Pres./CEO JARL MOHN.  Despite weather-related travel difficulties that prevented some participants from reaching the conference at the JOULE hotel in downtown DALLAS, the event brought several of the talk radio format's most prominent figures together for sessions that covered topics like technological changes and the state of the industry today.

Embracing Other Platforms

Syndicated hosts "JOE PAGS" PAGLIARULO, CHAD BENSON, and DOUG STEPHAN joined ENTERCOM News KNX-A/LOS ANGELES PD KEN CHARLES, iHEARTMEDIA SVP/Podcasting CHRIS PETERSON, and moderator and syndicated host BEN FERGUSON to talk about using social media and podcasting to grow an audience.  JOE PAGS immediately raised the issue of FACEBOOK's changed algorithm and how it has affected the accessibility of FACEBOOK LIVE videos; "FACEBOOK is a great resource," he said, "but they're screwing around with the content a lot."

FERGUSON admitted that he has been "late to the table" with podcasting, while PETERSON touted the effectiveness of the platform and its rapid growth, including the value of repurposing broadcast content as podcasts to reach those who don't listen to radio or missed something they want to hear. 

CHARLES was more direct about the changes in audio delivery, asserting that "We're f-cked if wer'e gonna sit in the world and think that the AM dial is our future" and suggesting that PDs must embrace any new delivery technology to reach listeners.  "We need to be there first," he added, rather than bemoaning new platforms' effect on existing media.

STEPHAN said that he uses podcasts to do things that he can't do on his broadcast, but also added that the difficulty is in knowing how to allot time and how to monetize the new material.  And BENSON and FERGUSON voiced bullishness on YouTube, with FERGUSON relating how acquaintances have developed lucrative businesses on YouTube and BENSON touting YouTube and Instagram's effectiveness in developing new audiences.

A Visit With NPR's Boss

MOHN sat for a face-to-face with WESTWOOD ONE syndicated weekend host WALTER STERLING, a/k/a consultant WALTER SABO, for a conversation that ranged from the experience of coming to public radio from a commercial background (MOHN noted that he had served 13 years on the board of NPR affiliate KPCC/LOS ANGELES, including a stint as Board Chair, before taking the network job), podcasting (8 of the top 20 podcasts on PODTRAC's rankings, MOHN noted, are NPR podcasts; the "secret sauce," MOHN said, is combining top-notch reporting with storytelling), and the growth of NPR ratings in several markets where public radio had not previously been a factor.

Asked how long listeners stick with individual podcast episodes, MOHN quoted a former NPR ONE employee who observed, "You must reengage your audience every 45 seconds"; SABO recalled the rule "beware the fifth minute," the moment a fill-in or beginning host runs out of material.

A frequent theme for SABO is the lack of a framework for research and development of new shows in commercial talk radio, and MOHN discussed how NPR develops new shows, taking segments from existing shows and developing them into podcasts, then airing some of the podcasts ("HIDDEN BRAIN" and "PLANET MONEY") as radio shows.  Another difference between commercial and public radio is staffing, and MOHN noted that about 40 people work on "MORNING EDITION" (not including staffers who contribute to that and other shows on a non-exclusive basis), as opposed to commercial radio being produced by one or two people.

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