If you want proof that radio can still do more than play songs, run promos and give away roses, Global and Netflix just dropped an undeniable example. WSQK: The Squawk, a pop-up radio station that feels less like marketing and more like a 1985 Hawkins wormhole.
This isn’t a promo stunt. It’s a radio opportunity masterclass, inspired by the radio station utilized as a plot device in the Stranger Things Broadway show. Netflix signing on as a creative partner says a lot.
When a video giant crosses into audio storytelling at this level, it isn’t just licensing… it’s Eddie Munson level foreshadowing. Netflix isn’t dabbling in audio. They’re warming up and about to go from Demogoron to Vecna.
When a premiere drops, most brands write a sweeper. Global built a whole station.
In the middle of premiere week when broadcasters are scrambling for their Joe Keery meet-and-greet photos (guilty), Global and Netflix dropped a fully programmed, fully textured, fully alive radio station that runs through January 1st. Tune in and turn it up to 11, obviously.
As a self-described brandovator, a word I made up and fully expect someone to steal, I preach that the details are the differentiator, and The Squawk paid attention. The logo and font choices feel straight out of a Hawkins yearbook, the video effects on social have real ’80s grit, the van wrap looks like it rolled straight off the set, the audio signature nails the era, and even the “sponsors” are actual businesses from the show. Visuals? Eleven out of ten, naturally.
It’s world-building with accuracy, the kind that tells you the creatives took this seriously. Seriously enough that someone said, “the mascot’s hair isn’t canon.” An out-of-touch US PD said that, wanting to know why Nick Cannon wasn’t involved.
This is the kind of move that underscores how James Rhea, Ashley Tabor-King, and the entire Global team operates on a distinctly different level. We’re talking Suzie Bingham level.
Literal Time-Shifted Audio
They’re using authentic 1980s gear, including vintage Inovonics processors, to give the whole thing that warm, crunchy, low-end Hawkins-on-an-FM feel. An air chain that sounds like a relic someone purchased from Bob’s Radio Shack.
The air-checking part of my brain wants to do what it always does, analyze the playlist, question the amount of imaging, suggest more jingles, critique the believability of the DJs, but in this case? The idea is bigger than the aircheck. The fun is bigger than the formatics but my PD brain isn’t going to let me skip the aircheck, so here we are.
The Aircheck: What They Got Right (and What My PD Brain Noticed)
After three hours of listening across three days, here’s the honest breakdown. Equal parts admiration and professional reflex.
• The era is spot-on. Stranger Things is set between 1983 and 1987, and every song I heard lived inside that window. That’s a rare level of discipline in a pop-up. And in three sessions, I never once heard Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” That restraint alone deserves an award.
• Hawkins Updates are aces. The writing, pacing, and story selection were perfect: kids on bikes, town tension, parade prep, local weirdness. Whoever wrote these understood the assignment.
• Limahl “Never Ending Story.” A smart pull, the kind of show-aware nod casual fans miss and diehards appreciate.
• The jocks posted every intro flawlessly. They hit the ramps perfectly, and the levels were clean. Those fundamentals were tight, and that goes a long way in selling the illusion of a real 1980s ‘crush & roll’ station. Somebody was wearing their “Thinking Hat” trucker cap.
• There was a music promo where the songs were beat-mixed, legitimately serious production for the era they’re recreating. The only miss: the promo featured “Karma Chameleon,” and then the actual song played one song later, a small crack, we’re not at Chrissy Cunningham levels.
• Some forgotten gems were great choices. Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance” was a perfect pull but I was hoping the jock would back-sell or front-sell it with a little Beverly Hills Cop nod.
• At one point, the imaging into Guns N’ Roses had a more rock-forward read that fit the moment extremely well. But then Guns N’ Roses rolled straight into The Clash, two rock titles back-to-back with no texture change. Details matter, just ask Dr. Brenner.
• Music flow sometimes breaks the reality. When Gary Paxton’s “Spookie Movie” (1962) was followed immediately by James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” (1970), the illusion cracked. A station that believes its broadcasting in 1985 would never stack two songs from the ’60s and ’70s back-to-back. And “Spookie Movie” whiffed on more than era — it isn’t Halloween, it isn’t a hit, and the word “movie” alone knocks it off-universe faster than a demogorgon knocks Russian soldiers.
• Sweeper fatigue is real. The same general-use sweeper hit five times in an hour, sometimes only two songs apart, even Stranger Things merch would be like “it’s a bit much.”
• Jingles missed opportunities. Most weren’t key-matched, some felt rushed, and the spacing didn’t support the hour’s rhythm. Casual listeners won’t notice, Bill Drake would.
• Jocks talking out of jingles is a U.S. Top 40 sin. That’s a small detail, but a DJ would definitely get hotlined, just not from Joyce.
• EOM tones were a bit too tight, causing promos and stopsets to occasionally step on the jock’s outcue. It’s minor, but it dulls the magic or maybe.. it’s done by design to show DJs miss fire the pot sometimes? Or maybe…it’s not the DJs causing the disturbance? *cue Stranger Things theme*
• Stopset stacking issues. Scoops Ahoy showed up twice in the same break. The writing was great but mix in Country Line Café, Roane Lumberyard, or any other Hawkins business so it feels like a real town, not two back-to-back ads from the same client.
• The jock breaks drift in and out of the 1980s. Sometimes the talent is fully in-universe, broadcasting as if it’s 1985 in real time. Other times, they flip into modern “looking back” language. Once you commit to being 80’s Hawkins Radio, every line has to stay there, makes it more radical.
• Jock breaks often felt generic, designed to float into any song instead of responding to the specific track they were hitting. More song- and artist-specific chatter would’ve made the station feel even more alive than Hopper’s reveal in season 4.
Another small crack in the world-building comes from the positioning statements. Sometimes it’s WSQK, “Turning Hawkins Upside Down,” other times it’s WSQK, “Hawkins’ Hit Maker.” Both are solid lines on their own (assuming the whole city is aware the Upside Down even exists), but they don’t rotate with any real strategy or consistency. They just appear at random, like someone grabbed whatever was in the folder and fired.
What I Wanted to Hear That I Never Did
- Kids from the show calling in to request songs.
- A John Mellencamp moment (Indiana’s prodigal son of the ’80s).
- Artist drops attempting their best mascot chicken cluck.
- A fake PSA show featuring DOE staff like Dr. Brenner or Dr. Owens.
- High school shoutouts from Hawkins High.
- Promotions of any kind:
- WSQK bumper sticker giveaways.
- “50,000-watt hit maker giving away $50,000.”
- The Fantastic Plastic Payoff.
- Anything.
- Community notes such as:
- Hellfire Club looking for a new Dungeon Master.
- Hawkins Lab taking “summer internship” applications (write MKUltra on your resume).
- Benny’s Burgers: “kids eat free.”
- Melvald’s General Store: “When your phone fries in a storm, Melvald’s has you covered.”
Hawkins Hitwear
Global has the best merch store in radio, I’m literally writing this in my Capital FM orange hoodie. But there’s no WSQK merch available on their sites or socials. Meanwhile, Target and Etsy are stocked with WSQK shirts and bumper stickers. Maybe Netflix kept the merch rights tight for this one. But if Etsy is beating you to market, it might be time to drop a tee.
These aren’t criticisms, they’re possibilities. Ideas that can make an already great concept feel even more alive. And to be fair, the station airs through January 1st, so elements like these may still show up.
Hopefully the references, imaging, and presentation on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day sound in real time, because that’s where a station like this can really shine.
Made For Fans, Not For Finance
“Squawk of the Town,” “Talk to Tammy,” “Dial-a-Dedication,” these aren’t just feature and benchmark names. They are narrative threads pulled directly from the Stranger Things universe.
It respects the show.
It respects the fans.
And honestly? It respects the medium.
Built to Follow You Between Worlds
Live on DAB in London.
Streaming on Global Player.
Summoned by voice command “Play The Squawk.”
Integrated with on-the-ground fan events across the UK. Easy for fans to Hopper right in.
In a week where Netflix could have simply bought every billboard on the planet, they chose to partner with Global to build an immersive audio activation that feels like part of the show itself.
It reminds me of how the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto were built, not as throwaway audio, but as fully realized worlds with characters, commercials, playlists, and inside jokes. When you build with that level of commitment, the medium stops being background noise and becomes part of the storytelling.
Also worth noting: I plan to watch each episode frame-by-frame to see if WSQK slips into the show itself. And while I’m at it, I’ll be scanning every parked car for a Squawk bumper sticker. My money says they snuck in at least one. You don’t build something this detailed and not close the loop.
The Finale
With Season 5 dropping Wednesday, this pop-up station is one of the smartest premiere-week moves in the entire campaign. It’s clever, it’s committed, and it manages to be nostalgic and innovative at the same time.
So while your family is huddled around the TV and the turkey this week, use Global’s WSQK as a reminder: you can still do something remarkable with your station. Maybe YOU can help revitalize radio in the U.S. Stranger things have happened.
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Phil Becker is a weekly music columnist for Barrett Media who has built his career at the intersection of creativity, strategy, and operations leading brands, marketing, and content teams across more than 200 radio stations worldwide.
Known for being ahead of the curve, he was the first to integrate social influencers into broadcast brands, launch station apps years before his peers, and pioneer AI air personalities before anyone else in the world.
With leadership roles at Clear Channel, Citadel, Cox Media Group, Alpha Media, and international ventures—as well as owning and operating stations—Phil blends entrepreneurial vision with operational discipline in the messaging and marketing space. He also hosts the Phil-Osophy podcast.
