It’s New Year’s Resolution time. Plenty of people commit to making dramatic changes to their lifestyles as the calendar flips to 2026.
But are there New Year’s Resolutions professionally? We sat down with news/talk radio program directors to discuss what they’re committing to focusing on or changing in 2026.
550 KFYI Program Director Aaron Trimmer said he wants a renewed focus on the listener in 2026.
“I think our focus is to always be reflective of what the listener really wants to talk about and wants to hear,” Trimmer said. “Sometimes we can fall in the trap of thinking it’s always politics. And that’s not always the case.
He continued by noting that while conservative politics is what the station does well, it doesn’t solely define the brand.
“We are a conservative-leaning, traditional right-wing talk station,” Trimmer said. “But sometimes that doesn’t mean politics. That means cultural issues and lifestyle impact. I think part of the reason we’ve been successful is because everything we do, we try to make that the focus. I think as the culture changes and social media has changed, so have people’s attention spans. We’re always in a — fight’s the wrong word — but we’re always striving to get to the point faster, to make our delivery more in line with how people are truly consuming media in 2026 and beyond.”
WLS-AM 890 Program Director Stephanie Tichenor had a quick response when asked what she’s focusing on in 2026.
“Ratings and revenue, obviously,” she said with a laugh. She then went into a deeper, more philosophical response.
“I want our team to feel good about what they do every day,” she said. “I think it is so hard. Seasonal depression for everyone. January sucks. We’re all broke, and it’s cold. So what are we doing to serve the listeners? How can we make this a better experience for our listeners?”
She continued by noting that she wants a renewed focus on allowing her employees to feel like “I’m coming into work and I’m not going to be stifled. I can go into a meeting, raise my hand, and no one’s going to laugh at me.'”
For herself, she said focusing on the positives instead of thinking negatively will be an emphasis in 2026.
“The ability to forgive is important,” she said. “When someone messes up, when someone is late to a break, when someone’s late to work, just assume the good intentions of people. I think if you just kind of reset your mind, instead of saying, ‘oh, this person, this host, is always late to a break’, or ‘this person is running late to work all the time.’ Instead of assuming it’s for horrible reasons, maybe they have something going on. Give people a little grace, be nicer, be kinder.”
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
