August is right around the corner, which means a highly specific cross-section of our business is about to lock themselves in a room. The agenda committee is gathering to map out the blueprint for CRS 2027. This isn’t just a handful of radio programmers arguing about music rotations. It’s a full cross-industry huddle featuring label executives, digital streaming platforms, artist managers, on-air talent, and more. Together, they are trying to solve real, macro-level operational problems.And right now, that room needs builders, not a balcony full of critics.
Look around the trade landscape, and you’ll see people actively trying to provide real resources to help the industry. Just last week, Jason Barrett and the Barrett Media team uploaded the full 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit sessions live on YouTube. It is over 20 hours of free, tactical execution strategy — handed to us on a silver platter by professionals putting real skin in the game.
Yet, just a few days later, a follow-up column laid bare our absolute worst habit: The radio industry has a massive internal PR problem. We are chronically guilty of trash-talking our own house, running continuous gripe sessions, and leaking our own anxieties to the advertising world. Furthermore, we have plenty of people willing to point out the cracks in the foundation, but far too few willing to pick up a hammer — unless it’s used to make more cracks.
The Consensus Reality
Let’s get one thing entirely straight about the summits, agendas, and playbooks circulating through the business right now: Not everything is going to resonate with you, your specific daypart, or your unique market situation. And that is exactly the point.
Panels and educational sessions are built from broad consensus across the entire ecosystem. They also require a delicate balance between different corporate agendas and platform priorities. Just because a specific digital strategy or programming session doesn’t perfectly fit your morning show or your current cluster size doesn’t mean it lacks value. It means it was built to serve the broader audio landscape.
Is every single industry initiative a guaranteed, out-of-the-park home run? Hell no. Some panels will inevitably land with a thud for you but may carry high value for someone else. There is, nonetheless, an unbridgeable chasm between stepping up to the plate to swing the bat and standing on the sidelines cheering for a strikeout.
The real question we need to ask ourselves is simple: Are you actually trying to move the needle, or are you just complaining?
Pass the Ammunition
Because here is the tough love: If you are only complaining, you are officially part of our internal PR problem that Jason mentioned. Venting in the hallway or dropping cynical comments in a private group chat is cheap energy. It gives you the illusion of participation without requiring a single ounce of the personal risk it takes to actually propose a fix. If you’re only complaining, you aren’t helping.
The play here is to stop overthinking the flaws, dig through the assets being handed to us, and aggressively implement the resources that actually resonate with you. Then, take the next step: share what is working in your building.
If you have actual, tactical solutions that are winning right now, stop hoarding them.
- If you have cracked the code on an industry challenge, share it.
- Don’t just grumble that upcoming agendas don’t reflect your market reality — draft a formal proposal and send it to a committee member.
- Reach out to the trade platforms, the organizers, and the industry leaders who possess the megaphones to help you amplify great ideas.
Build Each Other Up
Find the people who can help you get the word out to the masses. Our industry doesn’t have a shortage of brilliance; it just has an excess of noise from people who would rather document our decline than design our future. Grab the tools that fit your brand, back the people trying to move forward, and build each other up. …Or be the parent that yells garbage from the stands. NO ONE LIKES THAT GUY!
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As the Executive Director of Programming & Operations for Pamal Broadcasting, Kevin Callahan oversees 25 stations across five markets, including the company’s four Country brands. An award-winning brand specialist, Kevin is a passionate advocate for talent development, dedicated to mentoring personalities and restoring our medium to its most vibrant, high-impact form. His career is highlighted by 12 years as Audacy’s West Coast Regional VP of Programming for the Country format, where he managed premier brands across major markets including San Diego, Seattle, Phoenix, Riverside and more. Today, Kevin balances his corporate leadership with his role as President of Sonic Maple Media, serving as a fractional executive advisor to broadcast leadership and fractional programmer and talent coach to broadcasters nationwide. He can be reached at kevin@pamal.com