A dose of public health and community pride: American local radio at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic

The March 2020 onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States created an immediate need for news, information and interaction. Public health communication scholars recommended media strategies that emphasized accurate information about the virus and mitigation measures, providing access to experts, and using opinion leaders to relay recommendations to the public. Local radio is a critical medium during a crisis because it can inform the public while comforting listeners with reminders of community pride. This study analysed programming on four local talk radio stations in New Jersey, Minnesota and Rhode Island, documenting how the stations and their announcers served the public during those chaotic early days. Despite notable exceptions, these stations properly kept listeners informed about what their leaders were doing about the pandemic, while also calling upon local symbols and aspects of culture, comforting and reassuring listeners, and giving them a space to share their stories.