For years, we’ve heard the same concerns about radio. The endless criticism, predictions of doom, and explanations for what’s wrong are negatives which offer no value and seem to change nothing. We try to focus on a real solution.
Stripping away the personalities and the interaction that make radio compelling and special eliminate radio’s “special sauce.” There is nothing left to love anymore.
Ironically, we’re living in an era with new opportunities music radio has not seen in decades: “Today’s biggest hits” don’t belong to one generation. New music and throwbacks are colliding in a way we’ve never seen before. Songs from the ‘90s-‘10s are becoming brand-new discoveries for younger listeners through streaming and socials, while older listeners still have a desire to stay in touch with what’s going on. The overlap between Hot AC and Top 40 has never been stronger. The blurry line separating those formats has created an incredible opportunity to build a truly multi-generational station that appeals to parents and kids, longtime listeners and first-time listeners alike. It’s interesting to see AC stations in many markets dominate the 18-34 audience demo instead of the Top 40 station.
Over the past two weeks I spent time listening to every major nationally syndicated Top 40 and Hot AC show, dedicating hours to each one. I came away with one overwhelming observation: the fun is gone. Not because the hosts aren’t talented, but because the shows simply are canned, and not creating memorable moments. Most consist of repurposed morning show bits that can air in any daypart, voice-tracked breaks about celebrity gossip, another “new study says…” story, oddball news, or conversations among the hosts themselves. Then come the endless reminders to follow the socials, visit the website, download the app, or consume more content somewhere else.
I kept asking myself one question: what’s in it for me? Why am I listening to people talk to each other instead of talking with me? Too much of what radio now calls “content” is really some “Second Date Update” or “War of the Roses” segment which is great with visuals for TikTok or Reels. It may even generate millions of online views, but it doesn’t create urgency and build habit to tune in live. Radio’s greatest strength has always been immediacy, creating moments that people don’t want to miss.
There are still incredible personalities working in this business. The bigger problem is that decades of “more music” failed to draw charismatic, creative young people into radio and the talent pool shrank. Few people have ever been inspired or trained to do genuinely interactive radio because that style has nearly disappeared. It’s an art to build anticipation, involve listeners, move quickly, entertain, and make every break feel like anything could happen. One of the great remaining examples is Broadway Bill Lee from WCBS-FM. Whether introducing a song or telling a story, listening to him is simply fun. Everything had purpose and energy. It doesn’t mean talking like a cringy radio DJ from the 90’s, screaming over the intros and trying hit seven different posts. It means being in the music and understanding the pace, emotion and craft it involves. Add a few live callers every hour, and radio becomes an experience, not just another shift.
The part that offers hope: this style of radio has been done before and still works. For the past six years, Liveline has built an entire national show around that philosophy. Live. Interactive. Personality-driven. Listener-focused. Real requests. Real callers. Real conversations. A show where listeners become the content. Not over-edited 9 second clips. But 30-50 seconds where you get a chance to know these callers and get their vibe. It makes the listener feel they are part of a community. Human connection is vital. Every show says they do this, but they don’t. Having an opinion and talking into a mic isn’t enough. The key is fun. People are miserable, stressed and insecure. Give them a platform to be themselves and hear all the kind, weird, different, interesting (and boring) people all over the country who call in to this nightly event.
Streaming services will always be best at building playlists. Artificial intelligence will continue making incredible advancements behind the scenes, helping develop apps, automate repetitive work, improve workflows and create better tools for broadcasters. That’s where it belongs. But replacing exciting human personalities with AI isn’t innovation. It’s removing the very thing that elevates radio’s unique strength and appeal from every other audio platform.
If radio wants to compete using just music against streaming music, it can’t. They aren’t the same. Radio must master the advantages no algorithm can ever replicate: Immediacy. Live DJs who entertain and excite and who know and execute the lifestyle. Phoners, contests, prizes (even if you just give away a cheesy pen, they won and don’t care). Deliver emotion and connection for the listener to feel like they’ve discovered something big, where they might laugh, cry, agree or disagree. Most of all, we need to remember what made us fall in love with radio in the first place.
Amen.