New data is out about the value and importance of being local. Jacobs Media Research shows that listeners (and especially young listeners) are more interested than ever in news content, and especially stories that affect their local communities. Fred Jacobs said it best in his recent article, “I Read the Local News Today – Oh Boy”:

“Local content is increasingly rare, yet incredibly valuable.”

And he’s not just making a philosophical argument. The newest research confirms that audiences still crave content that feels specific to their lives, their neighborhoods, their towns.

But here’s the part that hits home for anyone working in radio today: wanting to be local and actually pulling it off are two very different things.

The Myth of “Local Enough”

It used to be enough to name-check a few highways, mention where the county fair was happening, or toss in a weather reference. But that was then. Saying you’re local, running promos about being “live and local” don’t cut it.

Now, being “local” means more. It means relevance, not geography. It’s about being in tune with what your audience is going through — today, right now, in their town. That requires awareness, sensitivity, context, and immediacy.

In other words, it’s a moving target.

Meanwhile, the news cycle moves at the speed of TikTok. Neighborhood Facebook groups break news before your newsroom (right, who has a newsroom anymore?) can verify it. One social post can change the tone of a story in seconds. The expectation to be relevant and real-time has never been higher, and the rewards for truly connecting with listeners in your town, today have never been greater.

But How? Maxed Out Teams, Minimal Bandwidth

It’s a huge opportunity in every market, large and small, and you understand that. But there are barriers you wrestle with daily. You know this because you live it:

• Your talent is voice tracking for two other markets.
• Your best midday personality is doing sales in the afternoon.
• Your station is syndicated in a few time slots, and you don’t have a full-time news person.

Support teams have been eliminated or stretched to serve every station in your cluster.

• And yet, you’re expected to deliver local stories with fresh angles on-air, on your website, and social media — every day.

It’s exhausting. And let’s be honest: It’s unsustainable.

While you may be trying to juggle five hats, your audience — especially younger listeners — are craving something real, authentic, and uniquely local. They want to feel like you see them. Not just in a general sense, but in a “that’s my kid’s school” or “I drive past that every day” kind of way.

The connection opportunity is massive. But only if you can deliver it consistently. How can you find the time?

You Don’t Need More People. You Need Better Tools.

This is where leadership matters. Managers who understand the power of local content also need to recognize the logistical nightmare of trying to produce it with limited resources.

If we want to be better — more consistent, more connected, more creative — we can’t just ask our teams to work harder. We have to equip them to work smarter, and apply technology to help them be more local.

There’s a solution for that. Local Pulse is a new service to radio, and it’s available in every market. It’s not a gimmick or another simple content aggregator. Local Pulse is an infrastructure solution that meets the modern challenge head-on.

Powered by AI, Local Pulse constantly hunts and gathers local stories happening in your community from trusted, verified sources. Within minutes of a new story coming out, it’s curated into thirteen different pieces of customized content designed for radio, ready for use on-air, online, and on social media.

Here’s how:

1. Instant, Air-Ready Local Stories

Every story is automatically rewritten as news copy designed for the spoken word. This isn’t just readable copy — it’s performable, ready-to air copy. Each story is written. That’s like having a full news team preparing copy 24/7…instantly available.

Benefit: You’re working under tight deadlines and have no staff to cover stories or even gather local stories from other sources. Now they’re all on one dashboard and written for you. You sound local and in-the-know.

 

2. Long-Form Articles for Your Website

You also get a clean, fresh version of the story written to be read. It’s ideal for your website as a blog post or article covering local news. Add a built-in thought-starter question (provided), and it becomes a conversation-starter in comments or on social media, not just filler content.

Benefit: Your site stays fresh, relevant, and community-focused, without needing a dedicated digital team. It’s done for you.

 

3. Short Video Scripts with Perspective

Want to take it to TikTok  or Instagram? You’re covered. Local Pulse provides a video script full of personality and context. Just turn on the camera, perform it, and post.

Benefit: You look smart and plugged into the community on current “happening-right-now” topics without spending hours figuring out what to say.

Local Is Critical. It’s Also Possible.

Being local isn’t about dumping generic content into a format. It’s about sounding like you live where your audience lives. It’s about sharing what matters to them. And right now, there’s a growing disconnect between that expectation and most stations’ resources.

Fred’s article is a wake-up call — but it’s also an invitation. He writes:

“The stations that can crack the code of local content will have a clear advantage. But it takes commitment — and it takes tools.”

Local Pulse has cracked the code. Not because it replaces people, but because it makes the people you do have more powerful, more creative, and more consistent.

If you’re ready to make “local” more than a buzzword — and bring it to life in a way your audience actually feels — now’s the time.

Because somebody is going to figure out how to do local better.

It might as well be you.

Pic by MargJohnsonVA for Envato Elements.

Tracy Johnson is a talent coach and programming consultant. He’s the President/CEO of Tracy Johnson Media Group. His book Morning Radio has been described as The Bible of Personality Radio and has been used by personalities worldwide. Tracy is also the creator of  Radio Content Pro an AI-powered show prep service that addresses all three of these triple threat filters by putting stories in radio speak and giving you teases, on-air copy, responses, phone topics, social copy by platform, blog copy and more.