Ken Johnson

37 POSTS
Ken Johnson is an Urban/Hip-Hop columnist for Barrett Media. Born and raised in Washington DC, his career experiences include serving as VP of Urban formats for Cumulus Media, holding the Director of Urban Programming post at ABC Radio Networks, and programming stations in Birmingham, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. He has also managed affiliate relations for the Nick Cannon show, and worked as the Executive Producer of The Hughley Truth Podcast hosted by comedian DL Hughley. Ken currently runs Mean Ole Lion Media, a content creation company and podcast network. He can be reached by email at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com.

How AI Can Help Urban Radio Deliver Hyper Local Content

Imagine using voices from the cluster, even your own, mixed with AI voices to deliver hyperlocal content.

Why New Music Is the Lifeblood of Urban Radio

Music is subjective. But it’s supposed to be subjective for the listener, not necessarily the programmer.

Why Urban Radio’s Future Depends on a Bold Rebrand Strategy

Think about what’s trending now in music, video, entertainment, and social media. Are you where your listeners are?

What a Magazine Editor Knows That Urban Radio PDs Should Practice

Audience is audience, whether they are listeners, viewers or readers.

Principles To Guide Urban Radio In Today’s Political Climate

Lean into what your community needs. Be responsible. Be accountable. And always, always do the right thing.

Breaking

Evan Roberts Suggests Howie Rose’s Final Call Be Opening Day 2027 if Sunday Has Weather Delays

"You'll get plenty of more opening days. Let Howie and Keith Raad finish it the right way with 40,000 people, with optimism, hope, and then Howie can drop the mic and say I'm out."

Major Garrett’s CBS News Podcast ‘The Takeout’ Adds New Election Segments with VoteHub Partnership

CBS News is expanding The Takeout with Major Garrett...

SubmitHub Bans AI Music From Its Promotion Services

"We want to build a platform that actually helps people promote real music."

Xperi Data Shows Radio Listenership More Than Doubled On NFL’s Opening Sunday

"Overall Sunday audience share jumped 60% on average. Pre-game listening rose 111% heading into kickoff, and post-game audiences grew 152%."