Twenty-seven million Black adults listen radio and podcasts every week. That’s not legacy audience clinging to habit. That’s trust, culture, and commerce converging on a platform that still delivers. Yet again, Radio Ink explores that success – and its lessons for every corner of the industry – in our February issue.
From a gentle giant of radio celebrating a four-decade milestone to the future leaders who will write tomorrow’s story, here’s just some of what you’ll find inside:
Cover Story: Davis Broadcasting Founder and CEO Greg Davis
For four decades, Davis Broadcasting has been a pillar of community-centered radio in the Southeast – and at its helm is Greg Davis, a GAB Hall of Fame broadcaster whose career has blended business success with public service. In our February issue, Davis reflects on that journey.
Local leadership, strategic vision, family, and the long-game value of live radio: Davis’s story is about what it takes to build something that lasts. Whether you’re an owner, seller, programmer, or aspiring leader, his insights into community investment, station culture, and long-term relevance will inspire and inform you.
Radio’s Future African American Leaders 2026
Audio remains one of the most powerful platforms in Black communities. Nielsen shows 27.4 million Black adults tune into AM/FM and podcasts weekly in the US, reaching a match for Connected TV. The leaders behind that connection aren’t waiting for the future. They’re building it now.
Radio’s Future African American Leaders 2026 recognizes the professionals turning that trust into impact: the programmers, sellers, managers, creators, and strategists advancing radio through innovation and leadership. Their work sits at the intersection of culture, community, and commerce, where audio delivers results for listeners, advertisers, and local markets.
Urban, Hip-Hop, and R&B formats continue to post record numbers with Black adults 18-49, and as brands look to audio for efficiency, reach, and authenticity. Radio Ink talks to the individuals writing the next chapter. They’re shaping how the industry connects and grows within Black America and beyond.
Mainstream Rebellion
Take a look inside one of the most compelling programming experiments in local radio right now. At a Montgomery FM, listeners, not programmers, are shaping the playlist.
The article examines how Bluewater Broadcasting’s Streamz 100.5 replaced a traditional format with a model driven entirely by local streaming behavior, using millions of data points from Montgomery listeners to determine what goes on the air each week. Rather than chasing national charts or legacy research, the station is aligning its sound directly with what the market is already consuming online.
Through insights from the team behind the launch, Dana Schaeffer explores how data and human curation intersect, what this approach reveals about local music culture, and where the risks and opportunities lie for radio operators considering similar strategies. For programmers, managers, and sellers navigating radio’s evolving, sometimes-contentious relationship with streaming, this offers a real-world case study in making audience behavior the format.
Publisher’s Beat: From Niche to Nation
From neighborhood voices to national conversations, radio has long given communities a place to be heard. Radio Ink President and Publisher Deborah Parenti explores how the medium strengthens understanding, empathy, and a shared sense of “us.”
PLUS:
- The State of Minority Radio Ownership
- Why Radio’s $7.5B Debt Problem Is Now a Credit Story
- Wisdom and lessons from Roy Williams, Dara Kalvort, John Shomby, Gary Berkowitz, and more
- KLOS’ Nik Carter answers our questions
- Radio Reaches Out
- People on the Move
- Blast from the Past
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