As I sit down to type out this column after a rousing two days at the BNM Summit, the energy, excitement, and enthusiasm across the industry remain strong.
While there are headwinds facing every form of media in 2025, the last two days have been an important reminder that some of the brightest minds tasked with navigating these unpredictable waters were in midtown Manhattan. From high-level talent to quality producers and program directors, to sales executives and more, it was an impressive lineup of industry professionals to learn from.
While there was a wealth of great information and content to consume, the successful formula remained the value of local programming winning the day on talk radio. 77 WABC has seen a resurgence in New York City, while talk shows and all-news shows focused on the local community remain incredibly powerful avenues for ratings and revenue.
In an era when local television news broadcasts are largely consumed by the 65+ demographic, and local newspapers continue to dwindle, there remains an enormous opportunity for local news/talk radio to take advantage.
This is not to downplay the value and importance of network programming, which remains a vital and valuable component for hundreds of radio stations across the country, but it plays a different role. It provides you with top-tier national talent to analyze important national issues and topics, blending seamlessly into the fabric of a radio station during specific dayparts. This provides an opportunity for local stations to brand around these major personalities and leverage them in unique ways that add great value to a radio station’s over-the-air product, and, of growing importance, its social media product.
But when local is paired correctly with national, it can be a huge winner for any news/talk station. The value in attending an event like the BNM Summit is for local stations to put faces and personalities to those they work with at their networks and provide valuable station feedback. This allows them to learn about new opportunities and explore ways that the networks and their personalities can better assist local stations. Those relationships built may not drive immediate and obvious ratings and revenues, but they will over time.
So while I’m sure there will be more to come from many across this website in the post-BNM Summit analysis, my only piece of advice would be to try your best to attend in 2026. Twist your general manager’s arm (figuratively, of course) to find the resources to make this work. Those resources spent will pay for themselves as we navigate the choppy waters of media in 2025 and beyond.
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Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the Vice President of News/Talk for Cumulus Media, while also hosting “Mundo in the Morning” and programming KCMO Talk Radio in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on X @PeteMundo.
