Thank you for checking out The Industry According To. Every Wednesday we speak with a different expert or leader from somewhere in the vast music industry — label executives, artist managers, programmers, talent, artists, consultants, and beyond. To be considered as a future guest, email me at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com.
Today we sit down with one of Urban radio’s most influential programming executives, Colby “Colb” Tyner. As SVP of Programming for Radio One and Reach Media, he oversees programming that reaches over 90% of Black America.
Colb began his career as a teenage intern at Philadelphia’s Power 99 before becoming an on-air personality, producer, music director, program director, and corporate programming executive. Along the way, he worked closely with Wendy Williams, helped launch Power 105.1 in New York, led stations in Philly and Cleveland, and helped build nationally syndicated shows including The Morning Hustle and Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell.
Few executives understand the entire path from the studio and streets to the corporate office as thoroughly as Colb.
So, let’s dive in.
Colby the Intern
Keith: I love stories like yours. You started in radio as a teenage intern in Philadelphia. Briefly walk us through how someone goes from intern and banner hanger to SVP of Programming for Radio One and Reach Media?
Colby: I was a child of divorce. My mom lived in Philly and my dad lived in New York City, so I would go to school in Philadelphia and spend my weekends and summers in New York. I was a bit of a loner, and radio became my best friend. I listened every day and would constantly call into the stations. One of the jocks I connected with was the legendary Fred Buggs, who was doing nights on WUSL. One day, he disappeared from the station. Several months later, I was in New York and heard him doing nights on WRKS, Kiss FM. I called him, and he was surprised to hear from me. He invited me down to the station. When I walked into Kiss, which at the time was the top urban station in America, I knew immediately that this was what I wanted to do.
I attended Temple University in Philadelphia and started my internship at WUSL on the eve of my freshman year. Out of 32 interns in that class, I was determined to be the best. I volunteered in every department I could. By the time my internship was over, they didn’t want me to leave. So I started working overnights as a board operator. I also developed a relationship with the station’s top jock, JoJo Davis, who is the younger brother of jazz great Miles Davis. My uncle was jazz legend McCoy Tyner, so we had that connection and hit it off. He eventually made me his producer.
Several years later, I saw an opening for Hip Hop on the station and proposed a show called Radioactive. This was during the renaissance of Hip Hop in the ’90s, when artists were becoming mainstream stars. The show became one of the biggest shows on the station, and eventually I was promoted to nights. Over the next 18 months, I helped the station achieve its highest ratings in history in the night time period. That was when I became more interested in programming. My boss and mentor, Helen Little, noticed that I was constantly complaining about the music. So instead of telling me to stop complaining, she invited me into the music meetings. Eventually, she named me Music Director.
Building Success Through Partnership
They had also recently hired Wendy Williams for mornings, and the station decided to pair us together on a show called The Dream Team. We were incredibly successful and gave Howard Stern, who was dominant at the time, a real run for his money in morning drive in Philadelphia. Helen eventually left, and I was named Assistant Program Director. At that point, I had been at the station for 16 years.
An opportunity came up within the company, Clear Channel at the time, to help launch a new station in New York City, Power 105. I joined the team, serving as Music Director while also doing afternoons. Unfortunately, I had some terrible luck. There was tremendous pressure surrounding the launch, and after four months I found myself as the odd man out. That experience made me realize that I wanted to become a Program Director. One month later, I was offered the PD job at WPHI in Philadelphia.
At the time, WPHI was in a difficult position. I knew that, as a first-time PD in my hometown, I could have a tremendous impact, and I did. Philadelphia was also the testing ground for PPM, so I learned some valuable programming lessons very early in my career before the rest of the industry. We had a very successful run and challenged my old station, WUSL. Even with a limited signal, we were able to chop our competitor off at the knees. Then, in 2008, the economy crashed and I found myself out of work. I decided to take a break from radio and use my degree, so I became a public school teacher in Philadelphia. That experience was incredibly taxing, but it also taught me a lot.
In late 2009, Radio One offered me an opportunity to become an Operations Manager in Cleveland. Nielsen was just introducing PPM to the market, and they needed a new leader with experience. I came into that situation and helped weather the storm of ratings changes that came with PPM. I built a strong team, and for a midsize market, we were making a lot of noise within the company, particularly on the digital side. And I also used the relationships I was building locally to create an incredible free marketing campaign for two of our stations. That helped propel the stations to even higher ratings.
Moving Into Leadership
Our NTR events were performing at levels comparable to events in some of our larger markets. The company liked what I was doing so much that Jay Stevens asked me to begin working with other programmers to help them develop their digital strategies. After four years, the company created a new VP position to work alongside Jay in Washington, D.C. I was promoted into that role. Eventually, Jay left the company, and I was promoted again to SVP overseeing programming for Radio One and Reach Media. When I look back at the journey, I just wanted to be on the radio. I never could have imagined that one phone call to a DJ would eventually lead to a career spanning talent, programming, digital and executive leadership.
Looking Back
Keith: When you started in radio, the industry looked very different than it does today. What is radio missing from that era that it should reclaim and put back into action immediately?
Colby: We had individual owners, and I remember at WUSL that if we wanted to do a promotion, we could literally call the owner, get approval, and make it happen. There wasn’t a lot of red tape. Creativity was rewarded, and we flourished because of it. I think that’s something radio needs to reclaim immediately: the ability to move quickly, take chances, and empower people closest to the audience to make decisions. Today, we can get stuck in process. Some of that is understandable as we have much more robust legal and corporate oversight designed to protect the business. Yet that protection can sometimes become paralyzing when it comes to introducing and executing new ideas.
What made radio unique was our ability to react, create, and set the tone in our markets. We didn’t have to wait for everything to be perfect. We saw an opportunity, moved on it, and made things happen. That’s how so many powerhouse brands were built across the country, and many of those brands still have tremendous impact and connection with their audiences today. I also think we need to reclaim the investment in people that made those brands possible. We once had significant staffing in programming, marketing, promotions, and content. That’s much less common today. You can only do so much without a team that is moving with you and constantly looking for ways to make the brand bigger, more relevant, and more exciting.
Economic Realities and Empowerment
I understand the economic realities that have put the industry in the position it’s in today. But if radio wants to reclaim some of that magic, we need to get back to empowering people, moving faster, taking smart creative risks, and putting enough resources behind the brands to actually execute the ideas.
The State of Black Radio
Keith: You oversee programming for Radio One and Reach Media, giving you an important seat at the table and a remarkably broad view of radio created for Black audiences. What is the state of Black radio in 2026 — where is it thriving, and where is it most vulnerable?
Colby: Black radio has always been an extended family member in the communities we serve. Black audiences are incredibly loyal, and they want a particular type of connection, familiarity, and vibe from their stations and the talent working there. Over the years, we worked hard to build these brands and staff them with great talent who are truly ingrained in their markets. I think one of our strengths today is the combination of local connection and national scale. On the syndication side, we’ve built shows that have multiple layers of entertainment. Yet we still allow ourselves to maintain that direct local connection. Our ability to take a syndicated show and customize it for the local market is a real strength.
You look at talents like Rickey Smiley and D.L. Hughley, two huge comedic personalities who continue to lead the way nationally. Similarly, Erica Campbell, one of the most recognizable artists and personalities in our culture, has also dominated the morning space for more than a decade. That combination of great talent, entertainment, culture, and local relevance is something Black radio does extremely well. Where we are most vulnerable is also a vulnerability for the entire industry: finding ways to get younger audiences engaged with what we do. In many cases, people are consuming our content digitally without necessarily consuming it terrestrially. That doesn’t mean the connection is gone; it means the way people are accessing us is changing.
Cultivating the Next Generation
One of our biggest challenges as content creators is figuring out how to cultivate the next generation of listeners while continuing to serve the audience that built these brands. Black radio still has tremendous cultural influence and some of the most loyal audiences in media. The opportunity now is making sure we evolve how we deliver that connection so the next generation feels that same sense of ownership and community.
The State of Hip-Hop
Keith: There’s been considerable discussion about new Hip Hop music being in a slump. Some brands are even pulling back from current music. Is there really a slump? What is the real state of new Hip-Hop today?
Colby: There have always been downturns in music, and Hip-Hop is no different from any other genre. I would argue that the entire music industry is in a slump right now. The bigger issue is that there is less incentive to bake the cake. A&R, talent development, artist development, and actually building a star used to be a major part of the business.
Labels today have been stripped down to metrics and data points. We are trying to microwave the cake instead of baking it. There are fewer stars being created in music, and that’s one of the reasons so many established artists with deep catalogs are doing so well today. In Hip-Hop, we used to have a steady pipeline of new stars coming onto the scene every year. Now we have a lot of TikTok-driven artists and one-hit wonders who can have a number-one record, yet you could walk past them on the street and have no idea who they are.
That also affects the quality and longevity of the music. If you aren’t taking the time to develop an artist, it becomes more like fast food than fine dining. We’re in our Taco Bell stage right now (LOL), but I’m optimistic. With all the recent changes happening on the business side of music, there are a lot of experienced music people who are now working independently. These professionals are putting their knowledge into developing the next generation. As the business continues to shift and become more independent, I think there is real hope that we will see more artists developed into long-term stars.
Hope and Opportunity in Development
I see that firsthand through the Urban One Summit, an annual upfront conference I do that is now about 75% independent artists. We’re excited about some of the artists we’re seeing and the development happening around them. There is still incredible talent out there. We just have to give that talent the time, resources, and development to become the next generation of stars.
Hip-Hop All Grown Up
Keith: Hip-Hop now faces something other formats have experienced. The first generation raised on it is entering its 50s and 60s. Is radio adjusting quickly enough to recognize Hip-Hop as a multi-generational format? Or does it still program the music as if its audience is perpetually 24 years old?
Colby: Yes, you always have to program to your demos and the audience you are trying to reach. Whoever else comes along outside of that is a bonus. But I do think we have to recognize that Hip-Hop is no longer a young person’s game. At one point in our history, there was one station in each city that was essentially serving the entire community. Today, we have much more fragmentation, with different formats and different stations serving different parts of the audience. Within those formats, you can find Hip-Hop records that speak directly to those listeners at different stages of their lives.
We’ve also seen several legacy artists return after a long hiatus and deliver quality projects that can work across multiple formats. What’s interesting is that younger audiences often embrace that energy as well. They may discover an artist or a song that their parents grew up with, and suddenly it becomes relevant to a whole new generation. That’s a win for everyone. I don’t think we need to force Hip-Hop to be perpetually 24 years old. We need to understand who we are programming for. Yet we should also recognize that the culture has matured. The opportunity is to embrace that multi-generational audience while continuing to give younger listeners a reason to engage with the format and the culture.
The “Authentic Era”
Keith: You’ve called this the “authentic era,” while noting that terrestrial radio remains one of the last places forced to say, “We can’t do that” because of regulation. Does that put radio at a meaningful disadvantage? Would the medium be stronger if lyrics and on-air language weren’t censored?
Colby: I do think terrestrial radio is at a disadvantage in some ways because of regulation. We are living in an era where audiences can access almost anything they want without restrictions, whenever they want, through streaming, podcasts, social media, and other platforms. Radio, however, still has to operate within certain standards that can limit what can be said or played on the air. At the same time, I don’t think removing all censorship would automatically make radio stronger. Part of radio’s value is that it is accessible to a broad audience. It’s free, including for families and younger listeners.
The challenge is finding a balance between maintaining those standards and allowing radio personalities and artists to be authentic. I do think radio would benefit from having more flexibility in how it communicates. Listeners today can tell when something feels overly filtered or disconnected from reality. If we want to remain relevant, it needs to continue evolving while preserving the trust and accessibility that make terrestrial radio unique.
Data vs. Data
Keith: Let’s put gut aside for this one. Programmers now have more data than they know what to do with when making music decisions. What data do you trust most, and when data points disagree, which one breaks the tie?
Colby: Without getting into specifics, I think it’s a tremendous competitive advantage that we can tap into so many different data points when programming a station today compared to the past. We still use our gut, but there is so much more information available to help guide music decisions and understand what is happening with your audience and your competitors. I actually love this part of the business right now more than at any other time in my career. I can break down a competitor’s playlist in minutes today, whereas in previous years you literally had to sit there and listen to the station for hours to understand what they were doing.
For me, the data doesn’t replace experience or instinct; it makes them more powerful. When data points disagree, that’s where the experience of the programmer really matters. You have to understand what the numbers are telling you. Yet you should also understand your market, your audience, the culture, and what may be coming next. The best programmers have always been able to connect the dots. Today, we simply have more dots to connect than we ever had before.
Ratings in 2026
Keith: I’ve argued that the rating point is no longer the center of the radio universe. When evaluating a station or show over a quarter or year, how important are Nielsen ratings now? What must accompany them to give you the complete picture?
Colby: This goes back to my comments about data. There are so many tools available today that can help you understand your audience and evaluate the health of a brand. Ratings are still king from a general business standpoint. They are a critical measurement of how a station is performing, and they matter tremendously when you are evaluating a quarter or a year. But ratings are no longer the entire story. When we present our brands to potential advertisers, there are so many digital levers we can use to demonstrate the full power of the brand — social engagement, digital listening, video views, website traffic, podcast consumption, audience engagement and other data points.
The complete picture is really the combination of your ratings and everything happening around the brand. You can have a station that is making a much bigger impact culturally and digitally than the ratings alone may show. The key is understanding all of those touchpoints and being able to demonstrate how they work together.
Programming Authority
Keith: Between national format strategies, streaming data, research, sales needs and corporate priorities, local programmers at many companies have less authority than ever. How much influence do Radio One’s local programmers retain over the decisions that shape their stations?
Colby: I completely disagree that our local programmers have less authority. Our programmers are charged with building their local brands. We provide them with the tools and resources to do that. Syndication means nothing to a listener by itself. It’s how you use that syndicated content to connect with your local audience that makes the difference. That’s something we constantly stress with our programmers. We introduced tools that make syndication sound more local and connected — giving that power back to local PDs but with national content. The local execution is what makes a national show feel like it belongs in that market.
Local sales are also more important now than ever. Programmers have to work side by side with their sales teams to generate revenue. That requires them to make a lot of decisions on the fly and understand how programming, audience engagement, and revenue all work together. We also have weekly group meetings with our programming and digital teams where we share ideas, talk about what’s working, and look at concepts that can be replicated or adapted in other markets. So I don’t look at our local programmers as people who are simply executing decisions made somewhere else. They are responsible for building their brands and making decisions every day about how to connect with their audiences. We give them the framework, the resources, and the support, but they have to make it work locally.
Syndication, Local, the Future
Keith: You’ve worked with and helped build major syndicated personalities, including Rickey Smiley and D.L. Hughley. Radio also insists that “live and local” is its secret sauce. If you can choose between a great local show and a great syndicated show, which one are you taking? What ultimately determines the answer?
Colby: I would choose a great show, period. I think we get too caught up in the descriptions of “local” versus “syndicated.” But at the end of the day, the consumer doesn’t really care how the show is structured. They care whether it’s entertaining, relevant, authentic, and worth coming back to. That also means staffing our stations with talent who understand the changing landscape and are able to pivot with their content, especially when it comes to connecting locally. When something is happening in a market, there is always value in having a local personality on the ground who can interact with the community and bring that experience to the audience. But we can also create that connection through syndication when the talent and the infrastructure are right. It’s really about how you execute it.
And we have to remember that radio is no longer just the hours a talent is sitting behind the microphone. Digital is an extension of the brand, and in many ways, it creates a separate show that is on 24/7. Audiences are connecting with our talent through social media, video, podcasts, and other digital platforms outside of their traditional radio show. So ultimately, I’m not choosing local or syndicated. I’m choosing great talent and a great show that can connect with the audience wherever they are.
Can Talent Be Talent Anymore
Keith: You worked closely with Wendy Williams early in your career. Would today’s radio industry have the patience — or the stomach — to develop someone like her? Or has the medium become too risk-averse to create the next Howard Stern, Pat McAfee or Stephen A. Smith?
Colby: I’ve worked with several high-profile talents throughout my career as a programmer, and I think we have no choice but to take risks. Not taking those chances would be a disservice to your brands and the potential revenue opportunities that can come from developing a major talent. But taking a chance on a high-profile personality is only part of the equation. Who you have working directly with that talent is incredibly important. The days of “pig vomit,” where you have a tense or adversarial relationship between the talent and the programmer, are not ideal for creating long-term success. You have to build a partnership.
There needs to be a constant education on both sides about expectations, why certain things are important, what the brand needs, and why things are done a certain way. High-end talent needs room to be themselves. Yet they also need to understand the business and the expectations that come with being the face of a major brand.
I would argue that having the right programmer working with high-end talent is actually more important than the risk itself. The right programmer can help protect the brand while giving the talent the freedom to be great. If we want to create the next Wendy, Howard or Stephen A. Smith, we have to be willing to invest in people before we know exactly how big they are going to become — which requires outreach and relationship building. That takes patience, trust, and a willingness to take some risks. Radio has done it before, and there’s no reason we can’t do it again.
The Next Wave
Keith: Radio is no longer the bright lights and magnetic destination for young talent that it was when you entered the business. Where will its next generation of great personalities come from, and what does the industry need to do to attract them?
Colby: This isn’t anything new. Our industry has been here before. In the early days of radio, and then again when television emerged, people were asking the same questions about where the next generation of talent would come from. I believe that talent is already out there. It’s in the digital and podcasting spaces, which are vast.
The beauty of these platforms is that, unlike a traditional aircheck, you can see and hear someone’s body of work over time. You get a much better sense of their personality, creativity, consistency, and ability to develop content. That gives us an opportunity to identify talent and develop a strategy around cultivating them into media stars. Several of our hires over the past few years have come directly from these spaces. The key is that you have to be present in those spaces and, more importantly, be respected by the talent. A lot of young creators are looking for guidance, coaching, and someone who can help them become better. Again, leadership and strategy are major themes here. I know a lot of young people who are creating incredible content outside of radio, and I make an effort to stay connected with them.
When the right opportunity comes along, I can help bring them into radio. We have an enormous reach both locally and nationally, and I don’t think younger creators will shy away from an opportunity that allows them to grow. Our nationally syndicated show, The Morning Hustle, recently held a creator summit in Indianapolis while they were in town for a live broadcast. Several hundred content creators attended. We were able to share our platform and footprint with them while also building relationships and alliances that could eventually lead to future talent acquisitions. The next generation is already creating. The industry just has to be willing to go where they are, build relationships with them, and give them a reason to see radio as a place where they can grow.
Integration
Keith: Beyond programming, you’ve developed integrated campaigns with major brands including Disney and McDonald’s. As some national advertisers move money away from radio, what is the medium failing to provide? What must it do to reclaim its place as an essential partner?
Colby: I think this is where creativity will always win. We have to constantly come up with unique ideas and experiences that are attractive to advertisers and give them a reason to choose radio. It’s not enough to just sell spots anymore. We need to get our programming teams in front of advertisers and bring them ideas they haven’t thought of. Things that connect our talent, our audience, our community, and the brand in a way that feels authentic. When you can walk into a room with an idea or an experience that an advertiser can’t get anywhere else, you become more than a media vendor — you become a partner. That’s how radio earns its place at the table and gives advertisers something they can’t walk away from.
The Class of 2036
Keith: Look into your crystal ball. When the intern class of 2036 walks into a radio company, what will the industry look and sound like, and what jobs will they be preparing to do that barely or may not even exist today?
Colby: By 2036, I would expect an intern walking into a radio company to encounter something much more like an intelligent, multiplatform audio company than the traditional radio station we know today. Radio will probably not be a title we use anymore. It would probably sound less like a fixed station and more like a customized experience, while still maintaining a strong local connection. Our brands would also be available across numerous spaces and platforms, including new forms of in-car and wearable technology that may not even exist today. AI will likely be fused into nearly every aspect of society, including radio, which could create entirely new roles, such as AI program directors whose primary responsibility is managing and optimizing the tools and technologies being used.
Content showrunners who manage human and AI talent to deliver content. It sounds a little scary when you think about how much could change, but I actually find it quite exciting. The industry may look very different. Yet there will still be opportunities to connect with audiences and create meaningful experiences through audio.
The Blank Slate
Keith: Last question — blank slate. Say anything you want to any sector of the industry. What do you want them to hear?
Colby: Be open to new ideas and embrace change. Change is a part of life, and the radio industry has always evolved with new technology, platforms, and ways of reaching audiences. The future may look very different from what we know today, but that does not mean the heart of radio has to disappear. Most importantly, make room for diverse ideas, perspectives, and voices.
The industry is stronger when people from different backgrounds and experiences have the opportunity to contribute. New voices can bring new audiences, new creativity, and new ways of thinking and new revenue. That keeps the paychecks coming. The future of radio should not be about trying to preserve exactly what we have today. It should be about taking what works, being willing to experiment, and giving people the freedom to imagine what comes next. Embrace the change, listen to different perspectives, and don’t be afraid to try something new.
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