It was thirty years ago that Radio Ink first asked a deceptively simple and bold question: what does it mean to truly hold power in our industry? Three decades later, the question remains the same in a world that is anything but.
Power is the throughline of our always-anticipated July issue as we crown the 40 Most Powerful People in Radio for 2026, celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial, and have a must-read conversation with one of broadcasting’s most respected newsmen about what leadership really requires, not just when all eyes are on you, but in the moments nobody else will see.
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The 40 Most Powerful People in Radio
Every July, the industry stops scrolling and starts reading. For three decades now, Radio Ink‘s 40 Most Powerful People in Radio has been the standard for marking who is steering the entire industry forward. The ripple effects of every move these honorees carry far beyond corner offices.
Across the list, a question threads through every profile: how do you define power? The answers reveal as much about where the industry is headed as the rankings themselves.
As usual, this goes well beyond the top 40, with crucial industry info like:
- Top 40 Radio Owners by Revenue — the hard numbers behind the power, station counts included, from BIA Advisory Services
- Top 40 Radio Advertisers — who’s actually buying the airtime that keeps this business running, from Media Monitors
- Bumped from the List — who fell off this year’s list, and why
- Who’s Made the List the Most — a 30-year tenure breakdown tracking the executives who’ve appeared again and again, color-coded for who’s still running a company today versus who’s exited the industry entirely
- The All-Time List — every name that’s ever made the cut, in one place
Special Feature: 2026 Lifetime Leadership Award Honoree Harvey Nagler
Before CBS News Radio, before five decades shaping how America heard its news, Harvey Nagler was a teenager reading announcements into a high school PA system. Radio Ink Editor-in-Chief Cameron Coats sits down with this year’s Lifetime Leadership Award recipient for a career-spanning conversation: people-first leading, standing beside a wounded war correspondent at her hospital bedside, and why he still believes objectivity is a business model worth defending in 2026.
Join Radio Ink at Forecast 2026, where Harvey will be formally presented with his award.
The $250 Question
Inflation has quietly reset radio’s contesting economics: new research shows $250 now generates the excitement $1,000 did a year ago. So why do so many stations still struggle to make the phones light up? Paige Nienaber and nuVoodoo’s Leigh Jacobs break down what your station needs to make the most of this new opportunity.
America 250: From Sea to Shining Sea
As the nation celebrates its Semiquincentennial, Radio Ink mapped how stations coast to coast are marking the occasion.
Publisher’s Beat: Lead Like Steve
Deborah Parenti reflects on the leadership philosophy of the late Steve Dodge, chairman of American Radio Systems, and why “put people first” remains the clearest measure of a leader worth following.
PLUS:
- Roy H. Williams on the difference between a boundary and a wall in client relationships
- Dara Kalvort’s perfect AI prompt for staying top-of-mind with clients mid-campaign
- Loyd Ford lays out how sellers use the second half of summer to build pipeline
- John Shomby remembers Bill Cody of WSM-AM and the Grand Ole Opry
- Grace Agostino on why your talent can’t afford to sit out social media
- People on the Move
- Blast from the Past featuring Salem Media’s Allen Power
- Signoff with Dan Mason
The new issue debuts Monday. You won’t get this content on our website or anywhere else. Ensure that you never miss another issue: click here to subscribe! Already a subscriber? Renew your subscription or consider a gift subscription for a colleague or team member!
