When WLTW hit #1 adults in my first rating book in the fall of 1996, I quickly learned of the station’s tradition. General Manager Rona Landy took the entire staff out for a #1 celebration dinner. We were #1 a lot at WLTW, and the #1 celebration dinner was a big deal for everyone on the staff.
When we missed the mark, even salespeople would come by to ask if there was anything they could do to help the station hit #1 again. It was a total team effort. When the station became the #1 billing station in America years later, we all celebrated that. For me, as a programmer, to see those ratings turned into revenue in such a huge way was definitely cause for celebration.
As my time in New York passed, those staff get-togethers happened less frequently. There was the relaunch of WNEW as NEW 102-7, when the programming staff overindulged in dinner and drink. Then, just yearly morning show lunches at Carbone, where I had to personally supplement what I could expense as we celebrated their growth as a show.
Scott Shannon got it. He always celebrated his people. Just ask his morning show producer how many carrot cakes he bought at CBS-FM.
We could blame COVID for changing everything. People working from home for months destroyed the team bonding. As convenient as Zoom can be, there is nothing like that personal contact. Thoughts, feelings, and ideas seem to be better shared in social situations.
Now in 2026, staffs and budgets are even smaller. Discretionary spending on dinners and parties is gone in so many companies. Some even say with radio listening down and revenue dropping every year, there is nothing to celebrate. However, it’s more important now than ever to celebrate the team victories.
If you watched college football, you’ve probably noticed some teams have achievement stickers on their helmets. I was told by a University of Michigan player that when Jim Harbaugh was coach, he changed the meaning of those stickers. Each sticker was for a different achievement. Some are simply for a team win, with the number of that win. Others are for academic achievements. There are even stickers for not missing a practice.
They all indicate wins, regardless of size, for that specific team member. Whether they are big or small, they are all celebrated and are a part of that person’s story.
Perhaps this is something we get wrong, especially in these current times when things are a lot tougher than they were 30 years ago at WLTW. Some radio shows have a feature called “Little Victories,” where listeners are invited to share the small things in their lives that were wins — everything from getting a great parking spot to finding a $20 in an old coat. Why not start celebrating some little victories in your building?
You should not overlook the small wins at your station or on your show. Just like the football team that was expected to beat an opponent, or the player who didn’t miss a practice — just because you anticipate a win doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate it. Not everyone can be #1 in Nielsen, #1 in revenue, or #1 in streaming. We all need to acknowledge the little victories along the way, not just the final destination.
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Jim Ryan is a Music Radio columnist for Barrett Media. In addition, he runs Jim Ryan Media LLC, a consulting company which assists major market radio brands and top talent including national radio personality Delilah. Prior to relaunching his consultancy in 2025, Jim spent 15 years with Audacy/CBS Radio, serving as SVP of Programming. Among his responsibilities included programming WNEW-FM and WCBS-FM. His career includes additional programming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Jim was voted the #2 PD of 2024 in Barrett Media’s Top 20 series in the AC category. He can be reached by email at Jim@JimRyanMedia.com.
The carrot cakes were always great. Scott always made sure that he took us to Universal at Disney and always included us and everything.
Good column! I remember working with the boys and girls at WPEZ – how we would hang out in and out of the building! It was a very good team. The other station that had that team feel that I was a part of was WLAV in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Get togethers and parties and everyone was friends, both AM & FM. Not alot of that any more.