The 2024 Election: Podcasts Reign Supreme as Harris and Trump Ditch Legacy Media!
The Great Candidate Podcast Takeover: Harris and Trump Skip Traditional News Outlets!
The 2024 election is shaping up to be a seriously weird one! Kamala Harris and Donald Trump? They're practically snubbing those major news outlets, the big boys like NPR, The New York Times, PBS, and The Washington Post. They are skipping many high-profile interviews, a total departure from those past election practices, as those organizations repeatedly have attempted to gain time with both campaigns to engage in significant discourse surrounding political views and plans and all involved stakeholders; and has continued attempts to receive that desired time slot. Instead? They're hitting up podcasts– which is totally unexpected and somewhat amazing; as this was never seen before on this kind of scale!
Harris chose chats with Alex Cooper ("Call Her Daddy"), and the guys on "All the Smoke," and most recently Shannon Sharpe ("Club Shay Shay"). Trump famously turned down "60 Minutes"—a major hit that typically interviews key figures and presidential hopefuls! He's opted for friendlier environments: those informal discussions, many appearing on channels he generally approves of. Think "Bussin' With the Boys" and "Flagrant." It’s crazy.
This all shows one important point: traditional media outlets seem sidelined in 2024; Podcasts provide a serious advantage for campaigns because they can really reach targeted groups, useful in such incredibly tense races. The intense level of selection and precise outreach makes this model incredibly appealing to modern campaigns, showcasing the significant changes within campaigning that never previously existed, showcasing another step in modern electoral practices!
Why the Shift? Legacy Media's Diminishing Reach
There are certainly those exceptions; Harris spoke to NBC News, had a CNN town hall and appeared on other mainstream news channels, showcasing those points demonstrating both continued usage and the continued existence of these big-media outlets within modern society. This doesn't make these interviews the sole focus however! Those main media outlets have been hit hard; they have fewer viewers— and their audiences tend to be older. For years, things seemed incredibly stable! A "60 Minutes" interview around elections was completely standard practice, an expected stopping point; now things have seriously changed for better or for worse; depending on viewpoint.
Television’s problems are real; CNN's viewership dropped (1.24 million in 2016 to 924,000 this year). Newspapers are having an even harder time— those Sunday circulations plummeted, according to Pew Research Center (37.8 million in 2016 to 20.9 million in 2022). Those press conferences with newspapers were vital at getting an endorsement—now it’s just not nearly as effective for many politicians!
Podcast Power: Micro-Messaging and Targeted Audiences
It’s crazy how campaigning’s changed! The targeted advertisements now operate through more avenues that are far easier and readily available for all kinds of people; that targeted approach now permeates media; which is why podcasting excels in creating incredibly detailed engagement through precise targeting, leading to better engagement with audience members.
Harris aimed for Black men via Charlamagne Tha God's radio show (CNN/MSNBC even simulcast!). And shows like "The View" and Stephen Colbert's show are perfect to chat with viewers who generally might not focus on the news.
Podcasts excel at this precise audience selection! It’s micro-targeting at its best (Andy Bowers, co-founder of Spooler Media). Podcast listeners display incredibly high levels of loyalty and engagement towards their selected material and this unique method completely exploits this behavior, drawing upon established listening habits.
The Downsides: Risky Interviews and Those Awkward Moments
There is something crucial to highlight for all those political campaigns: Those big media interviews are actually incredibly risky– countless unplanned situations emerge from an unstructured conversation, creating unexpected headlines. Those informal situations were just unpredictable; especially for all involved in this precarious environment. What makes it worse? Even major news organizations no longer have that widespread audience.
Trump’s appearances on "Flagrant" (discussed children) and his YouTube reach (5.5 million!) shows this micro-targeting, particularly towards specific target groups (younger males) has proven immensely effective. Even when questions became far too personal (Harris’s date story on "All the Smoke"), these podcasts continue to dominate current outreach mechanisms.
The Future: Legacy Media's Ongoing Importance!
This does not completely remove mainstream media— there's still very large value here, but this new approach should also highlight some necessary concerns, highlighting the possible decline that Legacy Media companies should concern themselves with as digital media expands greatly and more people become familiar and accustomed to using podcast channels.
TikTok data from Zelf shows six legacy news sources among the top ten campaign news providers; including huge players like ABC News, CNN, NBC News, MSNBC, and Univision! Those big outlets are way more than candidate interviews. This does involve deeper, more nuanced work than simple interviews! Those simple, straightforward interviews might just appear far easier than more complex forms of delivering news.
Conclusion: Podcasts Rise While Mainstream Media Rethinks Their Strategies
Harris and Trump’s podcast focus demonstrates serious change, something completely unseen and unprecedented during previous election cycles! Those audiences crave that specific targeted communication style, making podcasting an increasingly potent tool; something incredibly difficult for legacy outlets to match effectively.
Mainstream media is far from dead—however, they must learn to adapt, understanding current communication methods to thrive during that increasingly challenging period surrounding the information era that everyone needs to adapt to.
