Brown Face, Black heart.

This week Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been engulfed in a massive controversy involving photos and video of him wearing "blackface" and 'brownface" from the late 90's and early 2,000's.

At the time of writing, this controversy is still evolving and could have massive implications for Trudeau in the up coming Canadian elections.

I was monitoring Vancouver radio during the week and on the morning after the story broke, there were very few FM stations discussing this topic with their listeners.

Leslie and Scooter on Z953, (a morning show I've been working with for several years now) managed it thoughtfully with a range of callers and opinions, but apart from them it was largely radio silence.

Why?

How did it come to this?

A significant national story with massive implications both political and cultural, yet so many FM radio stations have decided not to share this with its audience.

As a consumer I can read about this story on my favourite news site, I can find a bunch of competing opinions and commentary on Twitter, I can share an article I like about the story on Facebook, I can download a podcast for an in-depth analysis on the political fall-out for JT, but when it comes to my favourite breakfast show-donuts.

I want to be clear, this is not specifically a Canadian radio challenge. Canada has some of the most talented presenters and innovative shows that I've heard anywhere in the world.

This is an issue for radio, an industry that talks ad nauseam about how it's key defence against streaming and narrowcast content being the quality of it's presenters.

I really want to know....help me here...give me one good reason why this wouldn't be a topic on my favourite morning radio show? I need to understand the thinking, because it makes no sense to me.

Here's how I see it-if we take ourselves out of the conversations that matter, we become irrelevant.

This is not necessarily the fault of the talent. Performers are bombarded with theories and research on how they can stop their listeners from tuning out, and some of it is valid.

Unprepared waffle, long stop sets,(commercial breaks) and songs the audience doesn’t know or like are all very real reasons why a listener might change stations. 

In lots of ways, this constitutes a laundry list of things we cannot say or do that will help us retain our audience.

Essentially what we’re saying to our shows is, it’s better to be a small target. The less time you spend out on a limb, the less chance of the branch breaking.

I’m calling bullshit.

If you’re hosting a breakfast show and being compelled to filter the conversations you’re having with your family and friends about the stuff that matters most in your life, with the ones you’re having when the red light goes on, then let’s call this for what it is.

You are a utility.

A benign nobody who talks for the sake of talking.

Blah, blah, blah...It’s a quarter past 7

Blah, blah, blah....here's Shawn Mendes...

blah, blah, blah...traffic and weather is next.

The road to irrelevance is paved with good intentions, along with bogus focus group research that old programmers and consultants cling to whilst denying the reality of what’s really happening.

And what's really happening is simple. I now have a myriad of ways to get the information and entertainment that specifically suits me.

The Daily Me is my feed of stories, people, topics and content that I'm interested in.

Not you. Me.

My Daily Me looks nothing like your Daily Me. My Daily Me is filled with people who help dissect the world for me, and talk to me about the things I'm interested in.

Everyone has curated their own Daily Me and if radio wants to be a part this, then we really need to stop talking about the importance of our talent and actually commit to helping them find their voice in this new world.

Radio. Yes, I’m talking to you.

Here’s an idea.

Hire people who have opinions they’re prepared to share.

Hire people who are funny, thoughtful, smart, crazy, brave, believable and soulful.

What do these people sound like? Trust me, you'll know when you hear them.

Then step back and let them do their thing.

As an industry, let’s talk less about why we’re going to turn the audience off, and more about how we might be able to turn them on.

Mistakes will be made. Complaints will be written. Listeners might leave, replaced by new ones.

And eventually, over time, we'll find a way back into those really important conversations our listeners are having with their family and friends.