Fear is doing more to shrink ad budgets than any competitor ever could. So who’s pushing back? In October, Radio Ink features the people who keep showing up: the 2026 Radio Wayne finalists, a new leader for New York, and a one-man shop informing rural Nevada.
They all share the belief that an algorithm can sell impressions, but it takes a person to build a partnership. Here’s what you’ll find inside.
Cover Story: Empire Builders – Heidi Raphael and David Donovan on NYSBA’s New Era
For 15 years, David Donovan was the New York State Broadcasters Association’s steady hand in Albany and Washington. Now it’s Heidi Raphael’s turn. She’s the longtime Beasley Media Group Chief Communications Officer and a Western New York native whose radio career began with airborne traffic reports from the WGR helicopter in Buffalo.
Raphael inherits a fight already in progress. AI bills are multiplying in statehouses faster than Washington can respond. Her members range from Manhattan flagships to rural stations where one person wears every hat.
Together, Raphael and Donovan break down the handoff and the first-in-the-nation wins that made NYSBA a force in Albany. They also explain why state broadcast associations matter more today than ever. If you operate in any state where lawmakers are writing AI rules without waiting on D.C., this conversation is a playbook for making radio’s case where the laws are actually being written.
Streetfighters: Meet the 2026 Radio Wayne Award Finalists
In a year when nervous clients are shrinking budgets faster than any competitor could, these sellers, managers, and support staff kept showing up. They record a spot an hour before a client leaves town. They save a promotion at the last minute. They stay in a small business owner’s corner when a self-serve dashboard won’t.
Ahead of the Radio Wayne Awards, where winners will be revealed October 21 at NAB Show New York, the finalists share:
- The habits that keep their pipelines full
- How they position radio against digital-native agencies and self-serve platforms
- What it really takes to win in 2026
KELY’s Keeper: Ely’s Lone Ranger of Radio
Ely, NV, is four hours from Salt Lake City, three from Las Vegas, and four from Reno. For years, Wyatt Cox has been the entire staff of KELY-AM: the news, the weather, the ag reports, and the sales calls.
Cox has done a lot from that chair. He’s gone wall-to-wall on a wildfire nine miles south of town. He’s covered the flash floods the nearest National Weather Service radar can’t see. And he once saved a beloved local duck from a cost-cutting county commissioner.
After 50 years in the business, Cox is ready to pass the badge. He reflects on why a small-town AM remains more vital than any algorithm, and why you can never over-serve your community.
Publisher’s Beat: Taking It to the Street
Programmatic buying has its place. But Radio Ink President and Publisher Deborah Parenti makes the case that the local sales rep remains the true heartbeat of the station. She salutes the “streetfighters” who keep Main Street’s wheels turning, one handshake at a time.
Your Best Q4 Starts Here
- Dara Kalvort explains why renewal meetings fall flat when sellers bring a report instead of a recommendation. She shares a ready-to-use AI prompt that turns campaign results into an honest performance story and a confident renewal ask.
- Loyd Ford shows how to chase this month’s number without sacrificing tomorrow’s pipeline.
- Gary Berkowitz makes the case that sales and programming can’t afford to operate as two businesses under one roof.
PLUS:
- Roy H. Williams on why clichés kill delight, and the secret power of meter
- Radio Hall of Fame inductee and Key Networks COO Dennis Green answers our questions
- People on the Move
- Sixty years come full circle in our Blast from the Past
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