What questions about our industry are on your mind as we head into a new year? I’m curious to know.
Here are some of mine.
I wonder what kind of technology decisions and innovations radio organizations around the world might explore in 2026 to protect and grow their businesses.
Will the U.S. radio industry provide continued employment for people who currently still work in this field?
Will the growing use of tools that rely on artificial intelligence erode human employment in radio?
Will iHeartMedia set a new precedent for radio with its “Guaranteed Human” initiative, which promises that it will not use AI-generated personalities or synthetic vocalists?
How will the long-term trend toward using software instead of hardware-based tools in the air chain change the way radio engineers plan their facilities and infrastructure?
Will more companies reduce their studio footprints and make increasing use of regional centers and NOCs? Will they outsource more of their operational systems to third parties, extending a trend we’ve seen in network monitoring and ad traffic management?
What additional impact will the move to software have on our industry’s manufacturing and vendor ecosystem?
Will the FCC eliminate restrictions on local radio ownership? Will President Trump’s recent signals to the FCC that he opposes further deregulation of TV ownership make a difference to what the FCC does with radio?
How will public radio stations navigate their challenging new financial landscape after seeing their longstanding federal funding yanked out from under them?
Will one or more of the largest U.S. commercial broadcasters file for financial reorganization, as debt continues to gnaw at them?
Will Educational Media Foundation continue to expand its presence and acquisition of FM signals, programming them with a national Christian syndication model?
Will OTA broadcast reception become harder and harder to find in the menus of car dashboards? Will the auto industry at large actually remove FM reception as well as AM from more dashboard designs? Will Congress approve an AM mandate; and would it ever consider an FM version?
Will plans by the NAB Show for a concentration of broadcast vendors plus on-floor conference presentations boost the convention experience for radio and TV attendees?
Will the Trump administration come to regret defunding U.S. international broadcast entities like VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia?
These are some of the issues we’ll be following in the coming year. What questions are you keeping in mind? Drop me a line at [email protected]. Meanwhile, happy holidays, and here’s to the best of new years for you and your colleagues and loved ones.
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