Keith Cunningham’s Black Box Group is arming radio teams with a new weapon. The west-coast strategy shop has launched Summer School, a 10-course live online curriculum built for PDs, talent, digital, and promotions professionals.
What We Know: Summer School runs through August and offers 10 private, 30-to-60-minute sessions. Topics range from Nielsen Explained to The 2026 Content Reset to The Psychology of Talent & Why Airchecks Fail. Stations, clusters, and companies choose only the courses they need. The program targets teams looking to strengthen before Q4 ratings and revenue battles hit.
What They Said: Cunningham didn’t sugarcoat the challenge facing today’s radio teams. “Brand teams are smaller, multi-tasking, and are often lacking tools, budget, and critical experience,” he said. Furthermore, he described the curriculum as practical and battle-tested: “These courses bring scars and receipts — like injecting decades of major market warfare experience into the veins of attendees.”
What Remains Unclear: Full pricing details and enrollment numbers have yet to be announced publicly. Beyond that, whether BBG plans to expand the curriculum into future seasons is still unconfirmed. Either way, early interest suggests strong momentum is already building.
What It Means: Radio programming teams finally have a sharp, flexible training resource built specifically for today’s challenges. Furthermore, the curriculum’s targeted approach means stations invest only in what they actually need. Cunningham’s real-world experience makes this more than just a training program — it’s a competitive advantage. The timing couldn’t be better heading into the industry’s most critical stretch. For more information, pricing, or to sign up your station, cluster, or company, contact Keith Cunningham at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com
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David Hill serves as a Music Radio Editor, Columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. A radio lifer with more than 30 years behind the mic, in the control room, and in the program director’s chair, David’s career spans influential stops at brands such as WIYY 98 Rock, WBAL-AM, and 99X. He has worked across multiple formats and ownership groups, including iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media, developing talent, breaking music, and navigating every major industry shift from diary to PPM and terrestrial dominance to streaming disruption. When he’s not writing or analyzing the industry, Dave runs The Tune Farm, a marketing firm built to help artists and brands grow audience the same way great radio always has—by creating connection, not just impressions. He can be reached at David@BarrettMedia.com.
