Implementing Tragedy Stories (On Music Stations)
Massive news stories are always a dilemma for music station shows since many people listen to them to escape the news. This week, some shows avoided the DC plane-chopper 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 or promos.
• They could run 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 U.S. 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
Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
