Are you Afraid To Talk About Ukraine?

First there was Trump. Then the social justice movement. Pandemic fatigue. Anti-vaxxers. Protesting truckers. Now Ukraine. So many topics that many shows choose to avoid rather than talk about. And that makes sense if there are only two options: Plan A) Talk about the news – get complaints – get fired, or Plan B) Avoid like the plague – never even acknowledge – keep job.

Let’s brainstorm Plan C. How can we discuss, address or at least acknowledge a current event that people are talking about, that fits our show and our station? Let’s talk about Ukraine as an example. What small steps might you take so that you don’t sound like you’re living under a rock?

Entertainment Tonight spotlighted Maks Chmerkovskiy from Dancing with the Stars, Sean Penn in Ukraine filming a documentary and the new sensation – a news reporter who is covering the war in six languages.

People wrote about an American basketball player playing for the Ukrainian Basketball super-league, stranded in the country. And Chef Jose Andres feeding refugees at the border.

Buzzfeed News spotlighted stories of Ukrainian heroism.

What could you do as your Plan C? Here are some thought-starters. I’m typing up any and all ideas that pop into my head right now. This is the free-flowing phase of non-judgment. Get the ideas out and then decide what could work for you, and keep you out of trouble.

Have a credible news personality come in studio to break it down for you so you don’t have to be the expert.

Find any/all pop culture angles like the above examples, (or Dee Snider allowing Ukraine to use “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as their battle cry).

Listeners may be feeling powerless. Here’s just one link with suggestions on how to offer humanitarian assistance.

Is there a local angle? Google [your market] and Ukraine to find local stories. How many Ukrainians live in your market? Is there a Ukrainian business, organization, whatever that you could support?

Topic: Have you ever been in a city when an air raid siren went off?

You probably can’t talk about how to make a Molotov cocktail (could you?), but you could mention this Ukrainian local brewer who has shifted production to make them.

The Mojo in the Morning show changed their profile pic on Instagram to the Ukrainian colors.

My 14-year-old daughter says she’s a stone cold feminist until someone says, “women and children first.”

Edgier: Kiss, Marry, Kill with Putin/Zelenskyy/_____.

Who will play Zelenskyy in the movie?

Now, it’s possible none of these ideas make sense for you. There is a Plan D.

Plan D is to intentionally avoid the news with language like, “The world is crazy right now… we all need a distraction… time to play __________…”

Jimmy Kimmel started his monologue with “You know it’s hard to do a comedy show when there’s a war going on…” – narrating to the audience what his intention is.

Hope these ideas get your creative juices flowing. How are you handling this latest news cycle? Email me with your ideas at angela@angelaperelli.com