Can Black Talk Radio Survive?

Commentary by Andre Michael Eggelletion

The answer to that question is unequivocally yes. However, urban talk radio faces tough challenges within two basic areas: the product and the public.

First, let’s deal with the product: Currently, urban talk, (that is talk radio without a music component), has become an important venue for conversations in civil rights and social justice. There are excellent programs in national syndication in this area, including Joe Madison on XM, and Warren Ballentine on Syndication One News-Talk Network. The most widely distributed show in this genre today is “Keeping it Real” with Rev. Al Sharpton on the Syndication One News-Talk Network. Rev. Sharpton has never made bones about the fact that he is an activist for civil rights and social justice. Sharpton’s show is well produced, and he does a great job on the air. By far, Sharpton brings more credibility to these issues because he doesn’t consider himself “just a talker” or “radio revolutionary” as he calls it; he’s an active leader in the struggles he talks about on the air. He doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk. His activism has been indispensible in the post-civil rights era struggle for social justice. His 2004 bid for the Presidency helped solidify Rev. Sharpton as a major player in American politics. His show is a favorite in more than 20 markets.

However, no matter how wonderful Sharpton’s show is, urban talk radio, as a whole, must offer more diversity. Everybody can’t be Al Sharpton. You can’t have the same programs on every station with everybody saying the same thing all day every day. It becomes too predictable, monotonous, and less entertaining. Not only that, when you only cater to a single segment of radio listeners – people who are really into politics – your market potential is limited. This is why more shows offering more diversity of content are needed. But as long as networks do not provide 24 hour urban talk programing, and stations cannot afford to carry live local shows, urban talk radio will flounder.

Then there are economic challenges facing the urban talk format. Businesses have had to cut back substantially on their advertising budgets because of the recession. Consequently, radio stations are losing revenue. However, while waiting on the economic environment to improve enough to add more shows to the line-up, stations must begin to improve the quality of their programing. The shows that they have must be better produced and talent must be air-checked and better coached. If these goals are met, theoretically, ratings success and more ad dollars will follow.

I should also point out how the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act lifted restrictions on radio station ownership and allowed a hand full of companies to buy up a lot of black owned and urban formatted stations. Before 1996, no single company owned more than 80 stations nationally. By 1997, one privately-held investment firm controlled 320 stations, and the top 10 radio groups owned 821 stations. Clear Channel currently owns over 1,000 radio stations. In summary: radio needs to focus more being in the creative mode and less on being in the survival mode. Radio has always enjoyed its greatest success when it excelled creatively.

The second area of challenges is centered in the need for greater public support. The public needs to realize how important urban talk is to their quality of life. Urban talk radio has always been a powerful force for the community, and it can be again. I’m encouraged and saddened at the same time when considering the importance of urban talk. I’m saddened because I believe that America is on the decline, and urban centers around the country are suffering disproportionally. I’m encouraged because I know that the black community will once again have to rely on this medium as it struggles to survive in the global economy. This is why the public must support stations airing urban talk, and encourage other stations to carry urban talk programs. No one knows the needs of the black community better than the black community itself. If this is to happen, then the listening community must support advertisers that sponsor urban talk. Advertisers are looking for the biggest bang for their buck. But because there are so few urban talk stations around the country, advertisers consider its reach too limited. However, at the local level, if urban talk radio can get results for the businesses that support it, more opportunity to expand the format can be realized.

In the final analysis, radio stations must do a better job in producing quality urban talk programing. Then they must begin to expand the format across the country. Also, black people have to fight for their lost drum if they want it back. Urban audiences must understand that having access to news and critical public service information will become increasingly important in the years of increasing economic turmoil ahead.