Nancy Guthrie, and Why Radio Shouldn’t Avoid Stories of the Heart

The loudest, most resonating story of the year may very well end up being the heart-wrenching kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie. What started as a subtle approach to reporting a news story has now captured the attention of most of North America.

Nancy is the mother of the much-loved and respected Today Show co-host Savannah Guthrie. Savannah is someone who comes into our homes with news and entertainment daily. Her demeanor and spotless personal record reflect on her family upbringing, greatly in part to her mother. Many of us feel as if we know celebrities because of their presence on multiple platforms, which makes this story feel personal to the many who are engaged with it.

News bulletins interrupting programming have become almost commonplace on both multiple national and cable channels over the last two weeks. We’re all watching a real-life, real-time crime story unfold.

When I speak to content creators and journalists about news content, I start by explaining the need to build a strong foundation using topics the audience is most interested in hearing about. The content containers are titled Heart, Health, Purse, Safety, Relaxation, Local, and National. The topics are not ordered by priority. Story priority should be stacked with those stories that ignite the greatest level of interest being first.

The content itself matters. Health stories are about wellness. Purse stories include anything that impacts our lifestyle and earning potential. Safety stories are those that magnify the need for people to be cautious and aware, as we all want to protect ourselves and our families. The category Relaxation contains stories about managing stress, where to go with one’s free time, vacations, and anything that presents an opportunity to live a more enjoyable life. Local and National stories have to answer the question “What does it mean to me?” Otherwise, the story was wasted time.

Lastly, Heart stories are those that pull on the heartstrings.

The child who was stolen from her mother’s arms in a maternity ward. The young boy who fell into a well, and it took days to retrieve him. The many stories that came from the Pacific Palisades and Altadena fires in California. The fear of violence is never greater than immediately after a school shooting takes place, a carjacking, or a high-profile robbery in a heavily trafficked location.

The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is a Heart Story.

A recent conversation about the kidnapping prompted a Program Director of a music station to retort to my belief that the story should be high profile on-air by saying, “We’re not a news station.” That’s not the approach we should have when it comes to seismic shifts in content. If the story is universally big, then it’s bigger than any one format.

What bothered me the most was that, knowing this programmer as I do, that’s not how he truly feels, what he believes, or how he operates. The response was reflexive. His team did, in fact, put their personal emotions about the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping “out there,” and they were openly vulnerable. A side of the talent not normally seen or heard.

The two co-hosts of this station talked about the Guthrie kidnapping and how the story was affecting them both emotionally. It made them think of their grandparents and parents, and they shared the imagined horror of what Nancy must be going through, as well as what all of her children and grandchildren are feeling. They were touched by the Instagram posts from Savannah Guthrie. Many in their audience are likely having the same reactions.

The show also embraced the emotion of another strong Heart story of the last few days, in sharing their raw, yet relatable feelings on the passing of James Van Der Beek at age 48. The male co-host shared that he grew up as a fan of Dawson’s Creek. The similarity in their ages. The posts seen online from fans. The strength that Van Der Beek showed in videos speaking about his health battle. The death of someone near the talent’s age was a reckoning about mortality.

While many programmers and some talent may believe that what a music station presents should always be less connected to possibly upsetting stories, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t value to being empathetic and sympathetic to the audience and their feelings.

Almost everyone who is on-air is afraid that AI will replace them. It’s a topic that comes up frequently when two or more talent are together. Sharing emotion is something that, to this point, artificial intelligence lacks. That alone leads me to believe that unexpected turns on the journey of life are something human air talent should embrace.

The purpose of presenting Heart stories is not to be opportunistic. It is not to prey on another’s tragedies. There are positive Heart stories, too. The purpose is to satisfy the curiosity and interest of an audience. Such moments sometimes become life benchmarks, making them more memorable than those stories that have no emotional connection to a listener’s life. That alone should be reason enough to air them.

They touch our hearts.