As we get set to put a bow on 2025 and look ahead to 2026, all of news/talk radio will look back on the year that was and ahead to the year that will be.
While it’s still early, there is evidence that the new Nielsen three-minute rule, along with a robust, rapidly advancing news cycle, made 2025 a positive year for the format.
Traditionally, there might be a hangover from an unprecedented election year in 2024, but many stories from stations around the country showcase an even stronger 2025 than 2024.
Many of these stations that turned in great 2025s did so not just with excellent news coverage of the top national stories, but also with engaging local content, effective promotions, events that created opportunities for audience engagement, and shows that were not stale, predictable, or hyper-national political.
Now, every station and market is going to have its own blueprint for success, but there are common themes that I’m noticing are starting to stand out for stations around the country. As the national political landscape gets saturated with content on YouTube, podcasts, and elsewhere, local stations won’t be able to win by trying to compete exclusively in that lane.
This doesn’t mean your local shows can’t, or shouldn’t, talk about a huge national political story of the day. In fact, the audience will likely want to hear your host’s take, with, when possible, some local spin and flair on these stories. But it can’t be wall-to-wall, and it can’t be everything.
As music stations continue to cut local talent, there are fewer options for broad-based conversations on local radio. If local News/Talk can continue to do what it does at its core, cover and discuss the big national and local news of the day, while blending in the wider range of topics that are no longer a part of most music stations in many markets, there can be a winning formula for local News/Talk.
A line stood out to me from WISN’s Jay Weber, who recently announced his retirement. He said, “No disrespect to the new generation of talkers, but I feel like my generation of talk radio is over.”
He’s right. It is over. And that’s no disrespect to anyone.
Sports trends change. Coaches develop new systems and schemes that succeed and get copied. Fashion trends shift as well. Any industry sees dramatic change when innovative minds analyze the landscape, identify opportunities, and take advantage of them.
Why would news/talk radio be doing the same thing it did in 1995, 2005, or 2015 when the local radio landscape is dramatically different and the national topics of the day are over-discussed, with far more competition on various digital platforms, where consumption is also more convenient for the audience?
As we turn the page to 2026, there remains massive upside and opportunity in the talk format on local radio. News and Sports can continue to grow in ways that music stations will have a hard time keeping up with. Local, strong, relatable personalities who can hold an audience can thrive.
But Jay Weber’s point is one that many programmers, hosts, and producers can take into the next year: His generation of talk radio is dead. What are you doing to make sure you’re not stuck planning the funeral of your own station in 2026?
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
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.
I came here looking for suggestions. All I got was a reiteration of the problem.