With 2025 in the rearview, I’ve got four fresh – and very doable – wishes for this business as we start sketching out 2026. None of these are fantasy. There are steps we can take if we choose to, and every one of them puts radio back in the larger media conversation where it belongs.
Wish #1 — Use A.I. to Your Advantage
First things first: stop treating A.I. like a boogeyman. It’s here. It’s permanent. And pretending otherwise doesn’t make us safer — it just puts us behind.
Instead of panicking about what it might take away, focus on what it can give us: speed, efficiency, creative lift, consistency, and freedom to spend more time doing real radio-human work. The companies that lean into A.I. intelligently will pass the ones who hide from it. Every single day we delay, the train rolls faster.
Wish #2 — Build FANS, Not Just Followers
Somewhere in the last five years, we’ve gotten obsessed with raw numbers: streams, views, likes, follower counts. But here’s the truth — followers aren’t loyal, bottom line! They’re passive. They scroll.
Fans? Fans are passionate. Fans talk about you. Fans defend you. Fans bring two friends with them. A follower is observational. A fan is emotional. A follower watches. A fan participates.
Radio needs fewer numbers on a dashboard and more people in the market talking about the brand as if it’s theirs. That’s the obvious win.
Wish #3 — Make Time to Actually Invest in Your People (and the People You Haven’t Hired Yet)
This is half a reminder from last year and half a new plea. You say you value your team? Prove it.
- Build real training programs — not slogans on posters.
- Map out succession plans so people know where they can grow.
- Encourage outside learning: conferences, seminars, college classes.
- And yes, prepare both the men and the women in your building for leadership roles.
Then look beyond your hallways. Where is your next generation coming from?
Every thriving business — and every sports franchise — builds a farm team.
Radio should be no different. Recruit high school and college talent. Go to the podcast world and see what’s there. Give them a path. Give them purpose. Make them feel wanted. This is an investment that pays off in loyalty, culture, and creativity.
Wish #4 — Listen to Your People. Then Trust Them.
The most consistent complaint I hear from air talent, promotion teams, and sales staff is painfully simple: “No one really hears us.”
Not in passing. Not in meetings. Not when decisions get made.
Now more than ever, the people closest to your listeners — the folks in the trenches — deserve both attention and trust. They see the real-time shifts long before the analytics report does.
Make time to hear them. Make time to see them. Do that consistently and you’ll get something back you can’t buy: loyalty, honesty, effort – and results.
And remember: the younger generation doesn’t thrive under fear or management double-talk. They want transparency. They want authenticity. They want to know you’re in it with them.
We’re still standing at a very real crossroads. If we want radio to be attractive to the next wave of broadcasters — and worth staying in for the people already here — then we’ve still got plenty of work to do. None of these wishes are magical. They’re simply choices.
Here’s hoping 2026 is the year we finally make them.
