They Missed the Cut (Pun Intended)

I love sports, but hate golf. Many of my friends play and I’ve never understood the appeal of a venture that so frustrates and angers people. That said, I adore The Masters and am glued to its final round every April. I cry tears of joy when someone wins their green jacket.  It was no different when Rory McIlroy won.

A friend and very successful talent penned what’s below. He makes a terrific point I’ve noted in previous Planet Reynolds. Radio’s relevance has eroded over the years. Sometimes because of increased competition and at other times because of content choices. That’s the case in this one.

The writer wanted to remain anonymous so you could focus on his message. So, we’ll call him Gary the Golf Guy. Here’s Gary’s story about Rory McIlroy and relevance.  It applies not just to spoken word radio, but for those in music radio, too.

Masters Monday: A Listener’s Journey

On my usual drive into the station, I flip on the local News/Talk to catch up on headlines, weather, and traffic. But not today. It was the Monday after The Masters. And if you’re like me, you know that that tournament hits differently. The tradition, the history, the Sunday drama—it was everything. Rory. DeChambeau. Rose. Jack, Arnie, and Tiger—oh my!

So naturally, I went all-in on Sports Talk radio. I was craving takes, analysis, emotion—anything to keep the Masters high alive. First stop: a national show diving deep into the front office moves of a third-tier NBA team. Click. Next: another national show, but this time…NFL talk. In April?

I get to the office, turn on the TV, and boom—local and national news both leading with Rory highlights every 15 minutes. Validation! I wasn’t crazy. This was the sports story of the day.

Surely the ride for about 20 minutes during lunch would bring redemption, right? First local show: five minutes on whether people even care about The Masters (uh, what?)…then back to the NFL Draft. Again, in April?

So…do people care? I saw the ratings—20 million at the peak. That’s 2006 American Idol territory. Yeah, people cared.

Next local show: they’re breaking down a former NFL player’s new (much younger) girlfriend. Entertaining? Sure. But that’s not what I came for. Finally, I land on a fifth (local) show on my way home in the afternoon and there it was: all Rory, all the time. Rory is a choke-artist takes. Golfers are soft debates. Callers chiming in. Laughter, passion, back-and-forths about moving the pin on the 16th hole. LIV vs PGA. They delivered The Master’s meal I was hungry for and it was delicious.

Days like today should be enjoyed by on-air talent because you don’t have to do any heavy lifting! The content/drama was served to you by someone in a beautiful Green Jacket!

Two quick notes:

1. No, I didn’t listen to every minute of every show. Maybe the others hit on The Masters eventually. But in my 25-minute commute(s), only one show of the five nailed it.  If you’re not on the big topic when listeners tune in for their few minutes, you get zero credit for being on it. Don’t make that mistake.

2. That fifth show? It’s been #1 in its time slot for over 15 years—and it shows. They crushed it by focusing on what their listeners were thinking about. And spoiler alert: it wasn’t the NFL. In April.

When a big story appears, they become shiny objects. We go towards them until the next shiny object appears. Rory was a shiny object. If we don’t feed that need in radio, we’ll just be another bland, boring, irrelevant choice for listeners that day on their journey for connection.