What worked in 2025? What didn’t work? What are the challenges for news/talk radio for 2026? This is the time of year to review the past and anticipate the future.
Whether you are a news talk host, sports talk host, or a music station morning show host — it is time to reassess and look at how we can be even more vital in 2026. I certainly understand the pressures you are under.
What is next? It may be time to toss out the baby with the bathwater. That may be a little too extreme. Perhaps it is time to adjust the way you are playing the game. If you are essentially doing the same style of show you did five years ago, you are likely going to be obsolete. With competitive pressure from radio competitors, TV, streaming, podcasts, and other forms of distraction, we must adapt.
Most hosts are still following the Rush Limbaugh model in one way or another, which is now almost 40 years old. Rush’s innovations were monumental and turned the news talk industry upside down. His long monologues, lack of guests, and speaking directly to listeners were a completely different approach. Rush was the expert on all he discussed, and callers were carefully screened to add value to the show. It obviously worked very well.
So what is next? I believe a brilliant host will create something new. I also know radio executives, program directors, and market managers must have the patience to let this happen. Sadly, we are somewhat chained to revenue headwinds that show little understanding of how to create the next chapter. I acknowledge that money is the fuel that keeps our companies running, but our future cannot be dictated by playing defense.
Playing defense is safe. It has worked before, and it allows us to protect ourselves in hopes of surviving a little longer. I think this is a losing strategy. Innovation can drive growth in both audience and revenue. Trying something new is a risk and often leads to failure. Without failure, there is no success. Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before creating the light bulb. Whale blubber was once an effective way to power lamps, but it had limits. We nearly wiped out the whales. Forced innovation is sometimes necessary, and radio is getting very close to that moment. The whale blubber in this case is the connected car. The radio station transmitter will likely become a thing of the past. So what is next?
It is called being essential. A listener-focused presentation that cannot be copied. With millions of competitors now in the marketplace, our mission must be laser-focused on a station’s target demographic.
There is no wiggle room. If your station or show is not delivering on its mission, there is no reason for listeners to stay. People are exceptionally selfish. Our listeners live very busy lives. If we are not providing what is expected, the listeners are gone. Radio still attracts a large swath of the community each week, but listeners are not staying as long. There are simply too many options.
You may have Spotify, Amazon Music, or a radio company app where you have built your own playlist. I have 800 songs, and most of them are not frequently played on radio stations. Some were never hits, others were hits from eras not popular in nostalgia formats, or new music that has not broken through. Music stations play well-researched songs that most people want to hear, and that is smart. The point is this: if you are not hitting your station’s mission, the audience will disappear.
For years, the mantra was that the AM band was losing cume and that if news/talk radio stations simply had great FM signals, the audience would return. The facts do not support the hype. Cume remains a major challenge for the format for many reasons. If news talk stations are not providing what they promise to listeners, it is a lost opportunity.
So what is new for 2026? It is up to you. You have the microphone. Experiment with your approach. Radio is still a winner, but competitive challenges mean it is time to adapt. Always focus on the biggest issues. Listeners expect topic A. If you are discussing the latest show you binged while your community is enraged over a real issue, you are losing.
I know the concern — audiences will tire of hearing about the drive-by shooting that injured five people last night. The data shows the average listening occasion lasts about 15 minutes. If you are not addressing the biggest issue during that time, you have failed the mission.
It is like a classic rock station playing a Billy Ray Cyrus song because listeners have heard Ozzy Osbourne too often. Consistent focus on the right priorities grows cume. News talk stations have the ability to discuss news in ways other media simply cannot.
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Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He currently serves as News/Talk Format Captain for Zimmer Communications. Prior to joining Zimmer, Peter held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Des Moines, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
