Approaching The Summit is a series of special interviews created in partnership with Point to Point Marketing featuring speakers at the upcoming 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit in New York City. Follow along with this series as prominent names surrounding the event June 30-July 2 share their insights and expectations for what’s to come in the big apple. The Summit takes place at the SVA Theatre on West 23rd Street. For tickets and hotel room reservations, click here or visit the Summit section at the top of the website.
As radio professionals prepare to gather for another industry conference, few topics are more relevant than the value of continuous learning, collaboration, and adapting to a rapidly changing media landscape. Justin Johnson, Program Director of Baltimore’s legendary 98 Rock (WIYY), believes radio’s future belongs to brands willing to evolve beyond simply playing music and instead focus on personality, content, community, and culture. In this Q&A with Barrett Media, Johnson shares his thoughts on the importance of industry events, the challenges facing rock radio, the value of learning from peers, and why taking risks may be more important than ever.
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
David Hill: Why is it important to attend events and learn?
Justin Johnson: It’s important because none of us has the whole answer. You can get tunnel vision very quickly. You’re focused on your station, your ratings, your market, your talent, your fires — and suddenly you realize you’ve been solving the same problems with the same tools. There may be other ways to solve your problems. The best programmers — workers in general — I know are still students. The second you think you’ve got radio figured out, everything changes, and you know nothing.
David Hill: What is the value of connecting with peers and competitors?
Justin Johnson: The value is huge, because we’re all fighting similar battles even when we’re competing against each other. The truth is, a good conversation with another programmer can save you six months of mistakes. I think the best value of the bigger companies is the wealth of knowledge and accessibility to smart people. That’s why it’s a shame to see the big companies devalue the humans on the ground. That’s your wealth, and they are throwing it away.
David Hill: Biggest challenge facing rock radio?
Justin Johnson: For rock, the biggest challenge is making sure the format feels alive, not preserved in amber. The music matters, obviously. But in 2026, listeners can get every song ever recorded from a device in their pocket. So our job can’t just be “play the right songs.” That’s table stakes. The real job is giving the audience something they cannot get from an algorithm — attitude, context, companionship, local connection, humor, chaos, community, and a reason to care. In short, programmers are the biggest challenge to the format. The old trope of the PD that’s afraid of his own shadow is as true as it’s ever been. Being afraid to be fired in 2026 is going to kill your station quickly. Danger is the friend of the format. Get in trouble and risk it when necessary — if you get fired, at least it’s for a vision you believed in.
David Hill: Favorite moment from past shows?
Justin Johnson: I love the moments where radio people drop the armor a little bit. We all act like we’ve got it completely figured out, but then you get into a real conversation and realize everybody is trying to solve the same puzzle with fewer pieces than they used to have. Those are the moments where you walk away better.
David Hill: Speaker you want to hear most?
Justin Johnson: Lee Abrams is one I’d really want to hear. That’s someone who helped shape the language of rock radio, but I’m less interested in nostalgia than I am in hearing how a mind like that looks at the next version of this business.
David Hill: View of the industry, present and future.
Justin Johnson: I think radio’s future is strong, but only for brands willing to evolve. We can’t just be music delivery systems anymore — the audience already has those. We have to be personality companies, content companies, community companies, and culture companies — with a transmitter as one of our biggest weapons. The stations that understand that are going to be fine. The stations that don’t are going to sound like a museum with commercials.
Purchase your tickets to the 2026 BSM Summit here, and for more information BarrettMedia.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.
