Connect with us
Barrett News Media Summit 2024

BNM Writers

Craig Swagler Finds a Learning Opportunity In Everything He Does

Swagler admits he fell into many opportunities and didn’t say ‘no’ to anything when an opportunity presented itself; he made the most of it.

Avatar photo

Published

on

A photo of Craig Swagler
Creator: Rose Anderson

Craig Swagler seems like a low-temperature guy that doesn’t let things rile him up too quickly. A level head that guides him through the congested highways of today’s contorted media landscape.

Swagler grew up in Wellsboro, PA, a community today with a population of just over 3,000 people. In school, Swagler ran cross country and track while finding time to work a morning newscast in high school. “I executive produced and made sure the weather and lunch menu was on the broadcast,” Swagler said.

Swagler said he had a good childhood and enjoyed where he grew up. “I went to Mansfield University of Pennsylvania,” he said. “It was a small art school, and I enjoyed being there because of the small size. I didn’t want to be a number among thousands of other students. Early on, I had an interest in story-telling, journalism.”

He found a learning opportunity in everything he did. “When I was with the Golf Channel, I was always running around the course with the camera guy. I’d ask questions; they’d teach me things. Like anything else, you get out of it what you put in. The job itself wasn’t glorious. It was an opportunity to be side by side with unbelievable talent. You learn things by listening or by osmosis.”

Swagler knew a former student who became a production manager for Monday Night Football.

“They hired kids to be grips and runners,” he said. “Basically, a runner is a glorified grip. You got the opportunity to get your hands on everything. We learned how to problem-solve. We’d fly into the cities and address all sorts of problems we had to solve. 

While most students get into the business of being on-air personalities, Swagler leaned the other way. “I always felt that behind the scenes was the place for me. I never saw myself on air. I did some on-air work in college. I hope those tapes never surface,” he joked. “It was never a source of passion for me. I didn’t think I wasn’t very good at it. What I found out I loved was what it took to get something on the air. I wanted to build a career through those ideas.”

Swagler worked for ABC Sports as a production assistant. He traveled around the East Coast, helping to set up live remotes. 

“There were usually three or four young hires doing these duties. To me, it didn’t matter if it was menial or important,” Swagler said. “You’re given a task that you know nothing about, and you address the problem; I found that to be very fulfilling. I had to take the opportunity, and on a resume, it all looked good. When I interviewed for jobs, these were experiences I could speak to. Not just book knowledge. I was always willing to get my hands dirty.”

Swagler admits he fell into a lot of opportunities and didn’t say ‘no’ to anything. When an opportunity presented itself, he made the most of it. “Some of the things I did required me to spend money out of my own pocket. “It was about sacrifice, driving to New York for an assigned shift, showing up in order to get to the next assignment.”

Swagler knows a lot about radio. He said it’s essential to understand everything across the board, just as a restaurant manager must understand all the tasks. “A lot of leaders have a good sense of moving parts of their organization,” Swagler said. “These are diverse individuals who understand the scope. A good leader needs an effective understanding of how things work. That’s true in many professions, but radio in particular. I wouldn’t ask anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself.”

Swagler said there’d been a change in today’s job-seeker. “There’s definitely a generational gap in how things are approached. I’m aware of that. We used to say somebody had a ‘fire in their belly.”

He’s accountable for formulating and directing overall facets of processes such as sales, operations, and content management for CBS Podcasting, CBS Audio Streaming, CBS News Radio, and CBS News Radio on SiriusXM. 

To make coverage more efficient, Swagler said they took control rooms out on the road. “We brought back the concept of ‘being there.’ Everything old is new again. We had some amazing floor reporters that benefited the affiliates.”

All the time he spent with MNF and other events made Swagler skilled at producing wall-to-wall coverage from a scene, mixing the entire show right where it’s happening. “That helped me prepare as an editor working on such large events.”

Podcasts are a massive component of communications and will be a force. “We have a new leadership structure with podcasts,” Swagler said. “It’s massively successful in long-form content. That’s the unique part of it. We’re trying to create content that creates consumer engagement.” 

Swagler cited a particular podcast called Mobituaries, which forged a new path in podcast branding. “It’s based on a book by Mo Rocca. We came up with the podcast to help promote his new book. It was genius. We had a half-million downloads after the book came out.”

They didn’t just put out a podcast; they tied it to a Sunday morning audience. They found a sponsor and pitched ideas. Essentially telling listeners, here’s the segment, buy the book. It was a cross-utilization of driving an audience. In that way, it’s powerful.

Swagler said podcasts present massive challenges. “There are millions and millions of episodes out there,” Swagler said. “It’s changing too. It used to be if you had a phone, you could have a podcast. What some podcasters don’t understand is there is a value in branding. Reintroducing information to a younger generation who consume content on the go.”

People take different approaches, Swagler explained. “Some throw spaghetti against a wall to see what sticks. A heritage brand says something. Means something. CBS means a lot.”

He said years ago; that there used to be a clear understanding between op-ed and what was news. Those lines have become blurred. “Voices of trust are fewer and fewer in the media landscape,” Swagler said. “The landscape also has its problems internally.” Many reporters don’t ask themselves if they’re unbiased, he explained. “There’s a belief there is a liberal elitism. That doesn’t help. People on the coasts are so far away from the mindsets of the Heartland. People that present news on the left and right are both trying to convince the American people of their truth.”

Swagler said years ago; they probably wouldn’t have given much attention to Brittney Spears’ conservatorship. 

 “I think the moment where entertainment crossed over into news was the story about the death of Anna Nicole Smith. That became a national moment. A lot of very legitimate news outlets covered that story.”

He says radio is still the first social media people turn to when something happens. “It’s about local stories that are national in impact. We can be more effective than social media,” Swagler said. “We’re talking about something as it’s happening in real time. We have a huge reach, and it’s more efficient.”

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Amy P.

    June 21, 2022 at 7:44 am

    Very insightful. Good interview.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

BNM Writers

News is the Only Thing Missing From Election Coverage

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected?

Published

on

A photo featuring I voted stickers

The first thought I had when I heard NBC had hired Ronna McDaniel as a commentator for $300,000 a year was to wonder how many actual journalists they could have hired for that money. Then, I recalled that NBC had laid off dozens of news staffers just a few months ago. Then, I remembered that I had just recently written a column decrying news organizations throwing pretty much anybody on the air as a “pundit” and this….

This was worse. It’s one thing to grab some rando who happened to be a minor functionary for the Executive Branch. It’s another to hire someone whose job was to promote election denialism and pretend that her opinion is something valuable for viewers. And, yes, it’s just as ridiculous when news organizations hire former presidential press secretaries (that’s you, Jen Psaki and Sean Spicer), their very jobs were to spin everything in their bosses’ favor and now you’re going to pay them big salaries for, um, what? Because they “have a name” or you’re afraid someone else will snap them up? Why them?

The McDaniel deal lasted five days, one completely unilluminating interview, and one unexpected Chuck Todd spine-growing outburst, so it’ll all blow over soon enough. The problem is, though, the part about having fired several news staffers, and what it means in an election year on both the national and local levels. If you have the money to hire an alleged pundit – any alleged pundit – you have the money to hire reporters, and I don’t mean anchors or opinion show hosts.

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected? Who’s probing Project 2025 and why isn’t it front-page, first-segment news? Who’s pressing the Biden administration on Gaza? Is anyone reporting on the candidates’ record on climate change?

Beyond prescription drug prices, is anyone digging into the broken healthcare system and demanding answers from the candidates about what they’ll do to fix it (and not letting Trump get away with “I’ll have a better plan, a beautiful plan” without a single specific detail, like they did in 2016)? Why didn’t anyone focus on, for example, the GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina and his incendiary past comments well before the primary?

Pundits are not going to do the legwork on the issues; they’ll just talk about swing states while John King and Steve Kornacki point at their touchscreen maps. We need reporting on the things that matter (and can affect that horse race, even if most people have made up their minds). It shouldn’t just be Pro Publica and scattered independent journalists doing the dirty work.

Honestly, I don’t want to hear the complaints about the quality of the candidates or how this is a rerun or any of that. (We’ll leave that to The New York Times.) We are a horribly underinformed electorate and we got the horse race we deserve. It might just be idealists like me who think that, just maybe, the news media can play a role in educating the public and bursting the bubbles and echo chambers. This country has survived and prospered for a few centuries with the press shining a light on injustice and corruption.

Now, when we need that most, they’re more concerned with what they think will bring them ratings and money (although someone will have to explain to me who thought having Ronna McDaniel as a paid commentator would draw a single viewer to NBC).

Here’s a thought: Don’t lay off reporters, especially in an election year.  Assign them to dig deep on issues that matter to the voters.

Let the pundits talk about that.

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

BNM Writers

8 Ways to Take Your Commercials From Drab to Fab

Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials.

Avatar photo

Published

on

A photo of a sign with the letters AD on it

Another reason to read this column, I often add an Easter egg. We are in the advertising business. Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials. Frequently, clients write these ads. You can excuse it if the spots suck. But when the commercials are written by Account Executives or the production department at the station, it is kind of unforgivable.

I am going to share the most meaningless phrases in commercials.

Locally Owned and Operated

Customers do not care. If customers cared about a business being locally owned and operated, Walmart would not exist. People want service, selection, and value. They do not want to get soaked. When you purchase something, are you willing to pay 20% for a local company? If you say yes, you are wrong. People want a deal.

The Phone Number

Doing 70 down the 405, John slammed on the brakes to write down the phone number for an amazing HVAC Company. That is not how it works people. HVAC companies rarely have or should have regular customers.

Normally, your AC is out. You call the HVAC Company that you are familiar with. Radio advertising allows people to have “TOMA”: Top of Mind Awareness. There are stats that show when a company is advertising on your radio station, their website shows an increase in traffic. When you needed a service for your home, you hit Google and choose the company that you’ve heard of. It’s that simple. I actually heard a commercial asking listeners to add a businesses phone number to their contact list. That is a moronic use of advertising real estate.

Street Addresses

“Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is located at 106 East Governors Drive in Peoria.” 

The people listening cannot process that detail. You could say “Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is on Governors Drive just off 10th in Peoria.” That is almost digestible. That creates a picture of where it is.

Trust me, people interested in prime rib will Google you and load the address in their navigation system. Spend that precious spot time selling the experience of the restaurant.

Always Using the Company Owner/Founder in Commercials

Sometimes, it is amazing when business owners are their spokesperson. They have passion and are natural salespeople. Some business owners are terrible at speaking about their product.

When you have a business owner who is a natural promoter, they can drag listeners into their business. I once worked with a family who owned a couple of hardware stores. They spoke about the benefits of visiting their stores. It was heartfelt and real. They promised that their employees can help solve any problem in your home. If you went to that store and had a simple or complex problem, the employees helped you out.

I once worked with a man who owned a really nice flooring company.  For whatever reason, he thought that he was funny. He had spots written by him, his wife, or a kid. The ads were dreadful. They were not funny at all. Account Executives need to talk these clients out of doing commercials like this. Nothing says wacky hijinks like flooring.

Overuse of Numbers

“We have grapes at 99 cents a pound, Chuck steak at $1.99, two-for-one zucchini.”

Trust me, no one driving in city traffic can keep track of that. “The 2025 Chevy Chevette is back with 45-mpg efficiency and amazing 18-inch tires. Prices start at $19,999…  The New Chevy Silverado starts at $32,999.”

It gets really confusing fast.

WWW.

Yes, I hear commercials saying check us on the internet at “W-W-W dot business name here dot com.”

WWW is assumed and not needed anymore unless you are running a Commadore-64 with the latest floppy disc technology.

Yellow Pages Ad

“Check out our new ad in the Yellow Pages!”

OMG, no one reads those damn things anymore. Most people born after 1960 just toss those suckers in the trash. There was a time when the Yellow Pages were the largest revenue generator in advertising. Yes, a book of ads. Like Facebook, without your buddy’s political, vacation, or food posts. It was just ads. Zero content.

I had stuffed salmon tonight that I engineered myself. I would make Sydney Sweeney quite the trophy husband. Set us up. Hey, I am single. It was not that long ago that you would hear a radio ad that promoted a coupon in the Sunday paper.

Well, that copy should be deader than a doornail.

Amateur Theater

A husband and wife discussing their lawn and how she heard about Telly’s Lawn Service from her friend Stacy. 

Those commercials are obviously contrived and not interesting at all. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Open every commercial must have an attention-grabbing opener. “Totally Jammed…  The floor covered with the guest towels. Fearing the horrific consequences of another flush…  I did the right thing. I called ABC Plumbing. Quick service, a great price, and peace of mind.”

The next time that the plunger is failing to get the desired results, the listener of that commercial will identify with the very realist scenario.

We are in the advertising business. Use radio as it was meant.

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

BNM Writers

The Lost Art of Using Sound as a Springboard

Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

Published

on

A photo of Jon Stewart hosting The Daily Show
(Photo: Comedy Central)

Jon Stewart was the first guy to do it — take a politician’s words from the news of the day or week. Search his or her entire past and find a sound byte saying the exact opposite.

It became an art form – and a great way to keep people accountable.

Most radio operations don’t have the resources necessary to consistently do something like that, but truth be told, that kind of journalism isn’t really the point of this week’s column.

It’s an example of the simple power of sound. We need to use it more within our shows. Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable, and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

Speaking from experience, not doing it is lazy.

Doing it takes minimal effort and helps conversations tremendously – especially when it’s in real-time. I know. I’ve been there – missing opportunity after opportunity because I didn’t think of it, ask for help or just do it myself.

Put simply, good sound is a better springboard to a question than just a question.

Just the other day, I realized how well it works and how little I’ve been doing it.

Here’s what happened.

We have one particularly heated congressional race in our state. The Republican candidate is running for a second time after narrowly losing in 2022 in an election where Connecticut’s gubernatorial candidate from the same party got smoked, and the Republican presidential candidate lost the state as well.

This time around, there’s a struggling Democratic President with real doubts about the economy and the country’s standing in the world.

Put simply, the Democratic congressional incumbent has a massive task ahead to get re-elected.

On my show, I try to be consistently independent and be a place for both parties to appear with the expectation that the conversations will be fair and honest.

The Republican candidate came on the show earlier this month, and we went through a number of issues. Connecticut is a relatively strong Democratic stronghold, where the party controls the legislature, the Governor’s Mansion, and the entire congressional delegation.

Having said that, the largest voting block is unaffiliated, so appealing to independents is crucial for either side to win. I asked the Republican candidate twice about whether he will support Donald Trump, and both times, he equivocated. I asked the follow-up, we were on the record, so I moved on.

The following week, his opponent, the Democratic incumbent, was scheduled to appear on the show. Before her arrival, I realized the Trump Q&A should probably be replayed for her. Duh.

My producer found it, clipped it, and had it at the ready. I felt that I should have realized it sooner and not put some added strain on my partner’s morning routine. He was fine, but it definitely added unnecessary work within the show.

Lesson learned.

The sound byte worked well. I played it. She responded. We moved the story forward, and it was compelling – as you might imagine, the topic of Trump vs. Biden is pretty compelling these days.

By no means did it create a “wow” moment. That would be a little much. But it did make the show better, using the opponent’s own voice as opposed to my paraphrasing something. That lends credibility, not only to the topic but also to the show. He gave this important answer on our show, and she gave her response … on our show.

My final thought on this is that we (I) need to look for more places to utilize sound as a springboard to conversations, as opposed to simply raising the topic and discussing it. Maybe you’re already good at it and do it all the time, but this past week, I realized I need to push myself to do it more.

Subscribe To The BNM Rundown

The Top 8 News Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox every afternoon!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Upcoming Events

BNM Writers

Copyright © 2024 Barrett Media.