When something ends — a job, relationship, school year or project — you inevitably spend time reflecting. As my time writing for Barrett Media comes to an end, I’ve found myself doing just that, reflecting on the articles I’ve written and, of course, the subject matter.
When I started this run, I told myself — and stated in the first article — I didn’t want this to be a “hate on radio and music today” column. I wanted it to be more about thoughts, ideas and reflection for those doing the work today. Maybe even a little reminiscing about Urban radio — what it’s become and what it could or should be. I don’t believe this is a generational thing where younger people are simply doing their own thing while a bunch of older radio folks complain about how things are versus how they used to be.
I actually have an appreciation for young ideas, just as I think some radio people before me did. Where the frustration sometimes comes in — both for those who came before and those still in it now — is when younger people don’t realize that what they’re doing has a foundation built on what came before. Outside of the use of AI, there is almost nothing truly new in all radio and music. Boy bands, R&B bad boys, record-setting women in R&B — none of it is new. Someone has always done it before. That’s not limited to our industry; that’s life.
Yet, it’s been difficult to find encouraging conversations about radio.
Most of my discussions center on Urban radio, but I’ve had enough conversations about general market radio to know there’s plenty of discontent to go around. It’s become a double-edged sword. People in radio — or radio-adjacent — know my relationship to the medium. They often launch straight into what they see as its negatives. Those who aren’t aware of my background, when talking about entertainment, tend to focus on social media, YouTube or streaming shows — not radio stations, shows or personalities.
I’ve had more conversations about whether small-dog-versus-big-dog videos on social media are AI-generated than I’ve had about anything happening on the radio. Radio just isn’t creating anything exciting. That wasn’t always the case. Howard Stern, Tom Joyner and others used to own the proverbial water cooler.
Recently, someone lamented to me about how bad a syndicated show sounded. They called out the topics, features and overall conversation. While I didn’t disagree with the assessment, I didn’t put all the blame on the on-air talent. There was a time when local program directors weighed in on syndicated content. The experienced programmers oversaw these shows at the network level. I was one of them during my time with ABC Radio Networks. That experience keeps me from placing sole responsibility on the people in the studio.
It’s hard not to be critical of radio sometimes, because it feels like accountability is missing. Outside of maintaining ratings strong enough to support ad revenue, that often seems to be the only bar. But that, too, isn’t new. Radio as we knew it has been sliding since 1996 — but that’s another podcast.
I don’t think I’ve held any radio programmer more accountable than I would hold myself if I were in their seat. Having worked as both a corporate and station programmer, I know it’s not easy to sail against the wind. In moments like that, I go back to something a friend and programmer once said to me — words I later learned came from a childhood hero: “Be like water.” Water takes the shape of the container it’s in.
My “be like water” moment is my podcast production company and network. I hope you’ll check us out via the Mean Ole Lion Media app. We feature credible hosts and meaningful conversations on a wide range of topics relevant to Black, Brown and beyond audiences.
My thanks to Jason and Barrett Media for giving me this outlet to expand my voice in a medium that was new to me. Thank you to everyone who read, commented and reached out along the way. I appreciate you and hope we stay in touch.
You can reach me at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com or on LinkedIn.
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Ken Johnson is an Urban/Hip-Hop columnist for Barrett Media. Born and raised in Washington DC, his career experiences include serving as VP of Urban formats for Cumulus Media, holding the Director of Urban Programming post at ABC Radio Networks, and programming stations in Birmingham, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. He has also managed affiliate relations for the Nick Cannon show, and worked as the Executive Producer of The Hughley Truth Podcast hosted by comedian DL Hughley. Ken currently runs Mean Ole Lion Media, a content creation company and podcast network. He can be reached by email at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com.
