Total Community Coverage Series

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Talk Isn’t Cheap: Spreading the Word

"If you build it, they will come," is an approach that almost always backfires in online media. Yet too often, that's exactly what news organizations do when trying to connect with communities of difference.

Talk radio is a powerful medium for reaching many communities of difference.

A Princess, via Flickr (CC license)

In most places, the mainstream local news media often has a strong brand and presence in its core constituent communities -- but not, obviously, in communities with which it has not connected well so far. Therefore, when reaching out to communities of difference it's important to spread the word about your efforts through the media that already matter to them. Go where they are and give them a significant reason to engage with you.

One opportunity for this kind of outreach seems the most logical place to start: local talk radio.

Talk radio often gets a bad rap for devolving into shouting matches and inanity. And often, it deserves that criticism. Nevertheless, talk radio is one of the most popular and influential media for all sorts of communities of difference. According to the State of the News Media 2008 report from the Project on Excellence in Journalism, "1,370 radio stations carry talk radio programming. And over 47 million Americans listen to it each week."

While it's true that nationally syndicated political talk shows like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity attract huge national audiences, talk radio is actually the bread and butter of many local radio stations. Also, talk radio shows that focus on communities of difference (especially immigrants) often are extremely popular and influential in those communities.

Which local talk radio shows are currently popular with communities of difference near you? What is your news organization doing to participate in that conversation? It might be time to start talking.

First, figure out who you should have this public conversation with. In some areas, your choices for relevant local talk shows serving your target communities might be limited. In others, there might be several shows. Decide which are most influential, and start listening to them regularly. Pay attention to which topics and angles they focus on, and what seems to resonate best with their callers. Decide which of those shows you think might be the best fit to help springboard your outreach project.

The best time to start engaging with local talk radio is once you've formed an initial plan for your online or mobile community outreach project, but before you've implemented it. Give the community a meaningful opportunity to help shape what you will do.

Before you go on the air, create a basic online presence for your project where you present your goals and plans. Give it a simple, memorable URL that can be said easily on-air -- either a top-level directory (such as localpaper.com/eastside) or a subdomain (such as eastside.localpaper.com). Also offer mobile access to your site -- either a mobile-friendly version of the site, or a phone number or short code people can enter to subscribe to updates or send text messages.

Offer multiple ways for people to volunteer or submit ideas and feedback either publicly or privately -- by web, e-mail, text, postal mail, and by phone. Don't forget to set up in advance a dedicated phone number with voice mail and text message reception, as well as a project-specific e-mail address and postal drop, so that people can interact through the medium of their choice.

Then, when on the air, present what your news organization is trying to do simply, and ask for community feedback and participation. Give the project URL, phone, and e-mail on-air a few times -- and leave that information with the host and whoever answers phones at the station.

But mostly, sit back and listen to the callers and the host. You're there to demonstrate that you can listen and respond.

Expect discomfort. If your news organization has had a poor or nonexistent relationship with this community in the past, expect to take some heat. It's not personal, and it's useful information. If people are complaining, find out why and figure out how your project might help address those trouble spots.

Once you build a successful relationship with one or more local talk shows, encourage your newsroom colleagues to also sit in as guests on those shows when the stories they report or edit directly involve or affect those communities.

Internet-only radio projects like SignOnRadio (from the San Diego Union Tribune and SignOn San Diego) can be useful for outreach if the communities you wish to connect with tend to include many broadband net users. It's worth listening to this station even if you're not in San Diego, to hear some good examples of the value journalists and news organizations can bring to talk radio. A simpler approach to internet radio is to use a service like Blogtalk Radio for live call-in shows that get archived as podcasts.

Also, investigate possible partnerships with local radio stations to rebroadcast or simulcast your internet radio content over the airwaves.

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