A Broadcast Takeaway from The Kimmel Suspension

It's not often that the suspension of a former radio host makes global headlines. Yet even as Jimmy Kimmel now settles back into his late-night spot on ABC's full depth of affiliates, it is arguably a situation that’s not yet reached its conclusion.

Stories like this, as ubiquitous as they can be, are difficult to talk or write about without politics being a part of the conversation, which can be a minefield of passionate exchanges. I have wrestled with even mentioning Jimmy Kimmel’s name in this column or sharing what we all know because of how hot this story has become.

In short, I do not want my true message here to get lost. My point isn’t about Kimmel, the FCC, freedom of speech, or politicians - it's about broadcasting.

Even though it was originally announced as “indefinite,” ABC's suspension of Kimmel was for only four shows, September 17, 18, 19, and 22. The noise it created was louder than what I think anyone expected.

His return attracted 6.26 million television viewers in total - the biggest audience for the show in over a decade and the largest for a regular episode in the program's 22-year history. The strong viewership was notable, especially because the show did not air in about 23% of US TV households due to blackouts at ABC affiliate stations owned by Sinclair and Nexstar.

Elsewhere? YouTube pulled in 15.9 million views in the first 24 hours. That number has now grown to 22 million.

The takeaway: When the audience wants to hear or see something, they will find it and listen to or watch it.

Legacy media has the ability to attract large audiences. The statement that media as we know it is dead is inaccurate and unfair. Given radio’s massive listenership nationwide at 88% weekly, at most, you could say radio’s not what it once was. No legacy media platform has the level of audience it once had, but that’s because of the many choices available to the audience.

My contention is that all other entertainment and information outlets wish they had radio’s distribution. I hear it regularly from my friends who are at the DSP’s. Same for the majority of podcasters.

My concern is about the product and that we’re not consistently creating great content that is attractive to the audience at large. Emphasis on the words great and consistently. That’s what we should be striving for daily. When there’s something the audience is interested in, cares about, wants to see, or feels passionate about, they will watch or listen.

It seems obvious, but that must not be the case. If it were, wouldn’t we see consistently larger audiences? And it doesn’t have to be a flashpoint like Kimmel’s suspension. 

In the words of the character played by James Earl Jones in the film Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.”