Master Hot Button News Stories

Posted September 30, 2025

“One man lost his life, and one man lost his job over free speech.” — Bert Weiss, The Bert Show

Music station shows live by a simple rule: talk about what everyone else is talking about. But when gigantic stories like Charlie Kirk and Jimmy Kimmel collide, it gets tricky.

Some shows avoided the stories. Others barely touched it. But here’s the risk: if you ignore what everyone’s buzzing about, your show can feel inauthentic, or worse, out of touch.

Listeners come for entertainment first, but they also want real, human emotion. Authenticity is the bedrock of today’s successful shows.

Universal News Story Guidelines for Music Stations

For Fun/Feel-Good Shows:

If you have a trending or news segment, deliver the headline in 1–3 sentences. Skip the commentary.
If you have an N/T or TV partner, let them handle it in headline form.
Play audio headline clips that tell the story.
No trending or news segment? Drop a quick mention at the end of a break with a note like, “It’s unfortunate, but we know you’re here to be entertained.”
Repeat every hour (or even every half-hour in mornings with uber-short TSL).

(There are exceptions when avoiding a story makes sense for your brand, but use them sparingly.)

For Trusted Voices:

If you or your show has earned audience trust through longevity with consistently top ratings over the years, you can share how you feel about any story. Additionally, you can acknowledge both sides of divisive stories while steering clear of political hot takes.

In the End:

The worst move is spreading rumors, misinformation, or disinformation. At the minimum, acknowledge universal stories everyone is talking about.