The Today Show, Race Taylor and what radio is forgetting

I read an interesting story in the New York Post this week about the morning television wars. For the first time in 14 years, NBC’s “Today” finished the season ahead of “Good Morning America.”

There were several factors involved, but one line in the story really jumped out at me: “Anchors are the No. 1 reason people watch.”

Think about that for a minute. Not the stories. Not the graphics. Not the set. The people. The Post story also suggested that the “GMA” anchors are rarely all together, and that the lack of chemistry may be hurting the show.

That caught my attention because I have been a “Today” viewer for as long as I can remember. I grew up in New York and went to school in the City, so in many ways, “Today” has always felt like my show. It has that New York feel, and I have always been comfortable with the people on it.

About 10 years ago, I had the chance to take my family to New York and visit “Today.” We got to see everything, go behind the scenes, and meet the talent. What a fabulous experience that was.

Over the years, the faces on “Today” have changed, but one thing has remained consistent: the show has always understood the importance of putting people on the screen that viewers want to spend time with. And what has always amazed me about “Today” is that everyone on the show seems to genuinely enjoy being together. Savannah, Craig, Al, Jenna and Carson make it feel like they actually hang out together. They laugh together, react to each other, and seem to enjoy being in the same room. Is that always true once the cameras are turned off? I have no idea. And frankly, it does not matter. That is how it comes across on the air.

“Good Morning America” feels very different to me. Robin, George and Michael sometimes come across as if they have a stopwatch running, telling them exactly how much longer they have to sit next to each other before they can leave. Again, I have no idea what is really happening behind the scenes. But to me, it sure seems like they do not like each other, maybe even bordering on massive dislike.

But that is not the point. What matters is what the audience feels. And that brings us directly to radio. Listeners can feel chemistry. They can feel warmth. They can feel when people genuinely sound like they enjoy being there. They can also feel when they do not.

We spend enormous amounts of time talking about music, clocks, rotations, imaging, contests, promotions, streaming and apps. All of those things matter. But sometimes we forget one of the biggest reasons listeners develop a relationship with a station. The people. And I mean every format. News. Talk. Public radio. Country. AC. Classic Hits. Rock. CHR. The format may change. The music may change. The presentation may change. But the people are what make the difference. They are what make daily listening worth it. They are what turn a radio station from something that is simply on into something that becomes part of a listener’s life.

I sometimes feel like the subject of how important personalities are to radio has almost been exhausted. We have talked about it for years. But that is not a reason to stop talking about it. If anything, it may be a reason to keep the discussion going, with the hope that maybe a little bit of it will eventually get through to the people making the decisions.

What really got me thinking about all of this was hearing that Race Taylor was leaving CBS FM in New York. Race has been part of New York radio for more than a quarter century. For years, listeners heard that voice as part of their daily routine. He was familiar. He was local. He was part of New York. And then, suddenly, he was gone.

By the way, I do not know Race. We have never met. But anybody who has been on the air in the number one market in the country, has built such a pristine reputation, and has that kind of on-air presence does not deserve to be sitting on the sidelines. This is where I struggle with what is happening in radio today. We keep talking about personality, connection, companionship, and giving listeners a reason to choose radio over everything else competing for their attention. Then we eliminate the very people who create that connection.

Race said something in his farewell that really stayed with me. He talked about the little things listeners shared with him, and how those little things were really the whole point. Exactly. Great radio is made up of those little moments. A comment. A laugh. A story. A local reference. A familiar voice when you are driving to work. Those moments add up to a relationship. And that is why I have such a hard time understanding the massive layoffs of talent and programming people across our business.

I know I am hardly alone in feeling that way. There are a lot of us who believe radio’s greatest strength has always been its people. Yet somehow, we have not been able to get that message through to some owners, especially some of the larger companies that control so many important radio properties. I am about as positive and pro radio as you will find. I believe in this business. I believe in what radio can still mean to people. But lately, even I have to admit, some of what we are doing feels like a self-inflicted wound. And if we are not careful, it could do real, lasting damage.

You can cut costs. You can centralize. You can automate. You can make the operation more efficient. But if, in the process, you remove too many of the people who give listeners a reason to care, what exactly are you saving? At some point, you have to ask a very simple question: What are you giving the listener a reason to come back for tomorrow?

The “Today” show understands that. People tune in for the news, the interviews, the weather and the stories. But they come back because of Savannah, Craig, Al, Jenna, Carson and the rest of the people they feel they know. Radio is no different. The music matters. The format matters. The execution matters.

But in the end, the people make the difference.

PS: The picture on top was taken during my visit to "The Today Show" with a very gracious and friendly Savannah Guthrie.