The following column about the generational Top 40 gap is provided to Barrett Media by @ShittyRadioJock. It is the second guest column we’ve received from him. As usual, he pulls no punches. Enjoy!
Let’s cut through the industry’s collective delusion about the Top 40 format: It isn’t dying. There are just too many programmers stuck in 2005 while their audience lives in 2025. I’ve watched countless Top 40 stations become irrelevant in real time because their leadership refuses to acknowledge one brutal truth, what worked during the TRL era on MTV doesn’t cut it today. That PD who dominated ratings with *NSYNC and Britney? They might still have great ears, but if they’re programming like it’s still the CD era, they’re basically signing their station’s death warrant.
The real problem isn’t age, it’s arrogance. I’m so tired of veteran programmers dismissing modern music discovery as “just kids playing on their phones.” These are the same people who tell corporate they think running “text-to-win” contests or “national text contests” that started when Obama was in office is a great idea. They honestly believe this lame burned out cycle of contests and promotions count as a digital strategy.
Newsflash: When your listeners are scrolling through TikTok or Instagram discovering new music every 15 seconds, telling them to “visit our website” for concert tickets makes you look ancient. If a PD isn’t active on Instagram or TikTok, they have no business programming a Top 40 station in 2025. How TF can you direct talent as a leader on a social strategy when you yourself don’t have one? Having an account but not posting for years doesn’t qualify as having an active social media page. That’s like a blind person trying to teach somebody how to drive. It makes no sense.
The complete disconnected between what some Top 40 PDs think their audience wants versus the reality is astonishing. I’ve sat in music meetings where 50-something programmers veto viral TikTok hits because “that’s not real music,” then wonder why their 18-34 numbers are collapsing. Listeners aren’t stupid, they can smell inauthenticity instantly, and nothing makes them change the station faster.
Top 40 has bypassed some of the biggest Gen-Z and Millennial artists. Take Blackpink, for example. They’ve headlined Coachella, hold over 40 billion digital streams (more than Justin Bieber and BTS), and have five Guinness World Records to their name. Yet, mainstream radio missed them almost entirely (along with almost all other K-Pop phenomenon and most of the TikTok Trending artists!).
Meanwhile, artists like Harry Styles and Sabrina Carpenter still resonate on radio. The days when CHR dictated the trends are fading fast. Now, it’s labels, artist development, social culture, digital platforms, and even fashion trends leading the charge. Radio is scrambling to keep up. This isn’t just about missing artists. It’s about missing audiences. Tomorrow’s listener isn’t tuning in to discover new music.
If you’re playing a sweeper that says “New Music First” stop. You’re not playing new music first. The only thing you’re doing is hurting your credibility with listeners who have been playing that song on Spotify or another platform for the last month or two. Your station sounds dated and behind. Radio is now known to listeners for being behind the times when it comes to music. Part of that reason is because we keep putting out of touch programmers in charge of brands that are supposed to appeal to a demographic they can’t relate to. They are super slow on music, and then burn the shit out of the songs once they finally add them into rotation.
But let’s be fair, this isn’t about writing off experience. Look at Elvis Duran. The man’s been doing mornings since some of his listeners were in diapers. Yet he remains one of the most relevant voices in Top 40 because he’s smart enough to surround himself with young, intelligent talent who keep him plugged in. His secret? Actually listening to his team rather than pretending he knows it all.
Meanwhile, I’ve seen 25-year-old music directors with better programming instincts than their 50-something PD because they actually understand how music discovery works today. The real tragedy? Watching stations commit slow suicide by clinging to outdated playbooks.
These are the stations still running cringey “caller number nine” contests as their A promotion, while their competitors dominate social media. The ones where every break sounds like a corporate robot rather than an actual human being. “Be sure to tell Alexa to play (insert station name here).” There are programmers who think playing the same gold for the 4000th time without ever resting it, counts as “playing the hits”.
Newsflash: Your listeners have moved on. Why haven’t you?
Here’s the tough Top 40 pill to swallow: Programming this format in 2025 isn’t about personal taste. It’s about cultural relevance. That means if you’re not obsessively monitoring streaming data, and social trends, you’re station is on life support. Your ego just won’t accept it. The days of relying on callout that’s three weeks old from your know it all (usually out of demo) consultant is exactly what your brand doesn’t need. Today’s hits are born on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, then burn out faster than ever. If your music meeting isn’t discussing what’s trending on social media right now, you shouldn’t be programming a Top 40 station.
The solution isn’t complicated, but it does require swallowing some pride. Successful stations in 2025 nail the balance between experience and fresh perspective from jocks who live the lifestyle. They’ve got veteran leadership humble enough to listen to their younger team, the ones who actually understand that Instagram and TikTok drive more music discovery than radio these days. They’re not afraid to take calculated risks on new artists while still playing the proven hits. Most importantly, they get that radio is no longer just an FM signal. It’s a 24/7 digital brand that needs to engage listeners across multiple platforms.
Here’s what winning stations are doing now: Their jocks sound like real people having real conversations, not corporate robots reading liner cards. They’re breaking new artists faster because they’re monitoring streaming spikes in real time rather than waiting for Mediabase or a consultant to tell them what’s hot. And crucially, their PDs are active on social media, understanding the platforms that drive their audience’s music discovery.
The writing is on the wall: Adapt or get left behind. The stations thriving today are the ones who’ve embraced change rather than fighting it. They understand that today’s Top 40 listener has endless options, and if you’re not delivering authentic, culturally-relevant content (no matter what format you are programming), they’ll find someone who is. The Top 40 format isn’t dying but irrelevance is a choice.
PDs need to put down their “back in my day” stories, fire up TikTok or Instagram, and start paying attention. Your audience isn’t waiting around for you to catch up. The future of this format belongs to those willing to meet listeners where they are…… not where you wish they still were.
Follow Shitty Radio Jock on Instagram at @ShittyRadioJock
PDs need to put down their “back in my day” stories, fire up TikTok or Instagram, and start paying attention. Your audience isn’t waiting around for you to catch up. The future of this format belongs to those willing to meet listeners where they are, not where you wish they still were.
on the whole I agree, it’s less relevant but if you think a 12 year old can do the job, any job hire them and watch. the Jonas bros stink and you know it, black pink is ok but this is America, we have authenticated the styles they copy