The Podcast Academy handed out its highest individual honor Tuesday night to Pablo Torre, naming the Meadowlark Media host Vanguard Podcaster of the Year at the annual awards for excellence in audio, widely known across the industry as ‘The Ambies,’ while also recognizing his show as Best Sports Podcast for 2025.
Torre, an ESPN veteran who launched Pablo Torre Finds Out after leaving the network, earned the distinction in a year when sports podcasting continued to expand in both scale and sophistication.
The Vanguard designation recognizes a creator whose work not only resonates with audiences but also pushes the medium forward through innovation, originality and cultural relevance.
In addition to the individual accolade, Pablo Torre Finds Out secured the Ambie for Best Sports Podcast, prevailing over a competitive field that reflected the depth of the category.
Among the nominees were Chasing Basketball Heaven from 30 for 30 Podcasts and ESPN, Netflix Sports Club from Netflix and Pod People, New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce from Wondery, San Diego FC: Behind the Flow from iHeartPodcasts, Sports in America with David Greene from WHYY, and The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly from Bloomberg Podcasts.
The victories underscored Torre’s ability to blend reporting instincts with conversational storytelling in a format that often rewards personality-driven debate. Rather than lean solely on hot takes or athlete access, Torre’s show frequently explores the intersections of sports, media and culture, a strategy that has distinguished it within a crowded marketplace and attracted a loyal, engaged audience.
Comedian Wyatt Cenac hosted this year’s ceremony at the Arlo Williamsburg in Brooklyn as part of the On the Air festival, which celebrates audio storytelling in its many forms. During the event, Christy Mirabal, chair of The Podcast Academy, presented the Governors Award to Kara Swisher in recognition of her contributions to podcasting’s growth and cultural influence.
The Podcast Academy, a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 2020, presents The Ambies annually to spotlight excellence across the audio landscape. The awards aim to elevate podcasts as a powerful and personal medium for entertainment, information and creative expression, while also celebrating creators and organizations of varying sizes and backgrounds.
Last year, The Athletic secured a multi-year licensing agreement with Pablo Torre’s podcast,Pablo Torre Finds Out, marking a significant step in the outlet’s push to expand its presence in the audio space and deepen its cultural footprint within sports storytelling.
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BIA Advisory Services and AdApt Media Sales have announced a strategic partnership for market data sales technology for local media organizations.
With the new agreement, AdApt will include BIA’s market revenue forecasts in its AI sales platform. The local media sales workflows are designed for use by local broadcasters to help their sales planning efforts.
“Local media sales is at an inflection point,” said AdApt Media Sales Partner Dave Buonfiglio. “This partnership with BIA brings together trusted market intelligence and modern sales execution to help media organizations operate in a more data-driven advertising environment.”
“Local sellers are being asked to operate in an increasingly complex advertising environment,” said BIA Advisory Services Managing Director Rick Ducey. “This partnership brings BIA’s local market data into AdApt’s sales platform, making market information more accessible to sales teams as they evaluate market-level trends and dynamics.”
The two companies will host a joint podcast on how AI sales platforms, coupled with local market data, can help sellers in their prospecting process. That episode will be available during the week of March 16th.
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Gary Bettman made it clear this week that while the return of NHL players to the Olympic stage delivered a landmark moment for the sport, the league does not intend to treat the 2026 men’s tournament as a finished product. After Team USA secured its first gold medal since 1980 and generated massive domestic interest, league leadership believes structural limitations suppressed the event’s full commercial and promotional potential.
Speaking with Sports Business Journal at their National Sports Forum in St. Louis, Bettman praised the competition as a breakthrough showcase for the sport while simultaneously outlining areas where the NHL, the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation must collaborate more aggressively ahead of the 2030 Winter Games in France.
“There are things we can do based on this experience and our relationship with the IIHF and the IOC that can make it an even more impactful event for hockey,” Bettman said. “That’s something we’ll be talking about as we focus on the next one four years from now in France.”
At the top of the NHL’s list is access to game highlights, which remains tightly controlled by Olympic broadcast partners, including NBC in the United States. Under current IOC rules, the league and its clubs cannot freely distribute Olympic clips across team websites, league platforms or social media channels, a restriction that Bettman believes undermines the NHL’s ability to capitalize on momentum generated by its own players.
The commissioner noted that when NHL participation began in 1998, digital distribution channels did not exist in their current form, and therefore highlight limitations carried far less strategic consequence.
“When we go to the Olympics, there are limitations on what we can do. And as good as it is for hockey, it isn’t good if the NHL disappears for two and a half weeks, and we’ve got to strike a balance,” noted Bettman.
Scheduling also surfaced as a major concern. The gold medal game between the United States and Canada drew 20.7 million average viewers across NBC, Peacock and USA Network. The audience peaked at 26.0 million on NBC and Peacock at 10:52 a.m. ET when Jack Hughes buried the game-winner in overtime.
Still, Bettman believes an 8 a.m. ET puck drop significantly limited the ceiling. By comparison, the 2010 Vancouver final — which aired mid-afternoon Eastern time — attracted 27.6 million viewers.
“I’m hoping that as we and the Players’ Association work together and demonstrate that this is good for hockey for us to be promoting the Olympics, hopefully the chains with which we are tied will loosen,” Bettman said.
League executives contend that more favorable time slots in future Games could dramatically expand reach, particularly in North America, where NHL revenues remain concentrated.
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I remember being a kid and my parents telling me there were rules for talking at the Thanksgiving dinner table with family: no religion and no politics. From what I recall, I followed the rules and developed great relationships with my relatives. Today feels different. Political banter no longer stays confined to the dinner table. It bleeds into friendships, workplaces — and increasingly — sports content. What once served as an escape has become, at times, another arena for ideological combat.
There’s inherent risk when politics enters sports programming. The country is as divided as it has been in decades, with political identity often feeling tribal. Not long ago, a congratulatory phone call from the President of the United States to a championship team stood as one of the highest honors in sports. Today, even taking that call can ignite days of debate across radio shows and digital platforms.
For years, many sports stations and hosts avoided politics altogether. Now the question isn’t whether political conversation should appear, but whether shows and talent allow themselves to be defined by it.
Sports content has never been more accessible. Smartphones deliver instant access to social media, podcasts, network broadcasts, streaming platforms, and live radio. Major international events generate around-the-clock conversation. The recent Winter Olympics proved that point, fueling discussion at nearly a 24-hour pace.
However, international competition brings national pride. It ignites a passion for country that often seems absent throughout much of the calendar year. Sports fans identify not by name, but by flag. Kind of tribal if you think about it. For all the freedoms being an American provides, the highest honor for the average citizen is the opportunity to compete while representing the home country.
Freedom is a gift. Not every country represented during the Winter Games has it. Our freedom lies in the right to expression and the choice to decide what we say and whether we’re willing to listen.
That’s where the risk lies.
As free as we all are, what society considers acceptable free speech grows increasingly debatable. Not everyone will agree with everything, and that’s the beauty of having the freedom to disagree. Lately, especially during the Olympics, shows and talent have taken stances that may prove more costly than ever before.
For example, when WFAN’s Boomer Esiason remarked that United States Olympic athletes should “pipe down and just do their sports and play for our country,” a fuse was lit. The remark can be supported or strongly debated. The issue was it wasn’t. No debate, dissent, or conversation. Just statement.
Esiason continued that he felt if you’re representing the country, you should focus solely on your sport rather than using the moment as a political pulpit.
The response from outside WFAN was swift. Local hosts and national commentators pushed back forcefully, some angrily. Dan Le Betard Show producer Mike Ryan used the moment to express political frustration with the current administration while also insulting Esiason personally.
That’s the modern dynamic. Commentary becomes labeling. Labeling becomes siloing. Audiences sort personalities into ideological teams.
And that’s where long-term risk begins.
Less than a week later, while Esiason’s co-host Gregg Giannotti argued that fans shouldn’t drag the USA men’s hockey team into political debate for taking a phone call from President Donald Trump, Esiason interjected by describing those who disagree with the administration as “playing in the political sewer pit.”
Again, Esiason stated that those who express dissent or disagreement with the administration are wrong or “playing in the political sewer pit.”
Gio sounded off on the criticism towards Team USA after winning their gold medal: pic.twitter.com/q5hKnBMaEY
The issue isn’t that politics surfaces in sports media. It’s that too often, opposing views are framed as illegitimate.
That’s where insulation begins and shows or talent become defined by it.
When one viewpoint is not only presented but treated as the baseline — the assumed “correct” position — the conversation stops being a discussion and becomes reinforcement. The audience that agrees nods along. The audience that disagrees quietly leaves. The most dangerous outcome isn’t outrage. It’s erosion.
Sports talk has always thrived on disagreement. Yankees vs. Red Sox. SEC vs. Big Ten. Analytics vs. the eye test. Debate is oxygen. Political debate inside sports programming operates differently because it carries identity.
If a host repeatedly signals that one side of the political aisle is enlightened while the other is ignorant, immoral, or beneath engagement, the show slowly morphs from a sports discussion platform into an ideological clubhouse.
And clubhouses don’t grow. They protect their own.
When dissenting callers stop dialing in because they expect mockery rather than discussion, the show loses friction. Without friction, ideas don’t sharpen. Without sharpening, stagnation sets in. The content becomes predictable. Predictability is death in an on-demand world where consumers have unlimited options.
The USA hockey players may not realize the political mess they're involving themselves in pic.twitter.com/A8rrv3yBih
Historically, the most successful sports personalities built wide tents. They may have held personal convictions, but they understood that sports were the connective tissue. The moment listeners feel they must align politically to belong, the tent shrinks.
There’s also a business reality. When programming becomes politically siloed, growth potential shrinks. It may energize a core audience, but it caps the ceiling. In an era where sports media competes with independent podcasts, athlete-driven platforms, and algorithm-fed content, limiting your reachable audience is a risky strategy.
This doesn’t mean politics must be banned from sports conversation. It means when politics enters the arena, opposing views must be treated as legitimate participants — not caricatures, not straw men, not villains, and not punchlines.
If one side is routinely dismissed as morally inferior or intellectually bankrupt, you’re not hosting debate. You’re hosting affirmation.
Sports once offered common ground. A place where fans who vote differently could celebrate the same walk-off home run. When programming tilts so predictably that the audience can anticipate the political response before it’s delivered, the magic fades. Often, so does the audience.
Growth in media comes from curiosity, not certainty. From conversation and engagement, not echo chambers.
If sports programs and talent forget that, they risk winning arguments while losing audiences — and that’s a trade no long-term brand can afford to make.
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The dream job. We all have one. Some of us identify it as kids, growing up in awe of our idols. Others discover it by navigating different options during their teenage years and early adulthood. For Cole Wright, the dream job found him. A child of Chicago, he grew up attending Chicago Cubs games with his family. His father sold cars, yet he instilled in him a passion for baseball that Wright chased through his youth and into college.
The goal for Wright was simple. If life on the field didn’t work out, he would find a way to remain close to the game of baseball.
“My idea was to go into media, and see how we could make it work,” said Cole about turning down an opportunity to work his way into the game as an umpire and instead pivoting his education toward sports media.
Without intending the pun, Wright’s journey into media began with a right-time, right-place moment. An avid local news viewer, he connected with Chicago news anchor Art Norman when they met at a local gym. The veteran newsman took Wright under his wing, showed him the ropes, and helped lead him to his first opportunity in media as a sports anchor in Texas at small stations in San Angelo and Tyler.
“I owe a lot of my career to Art [Norman]. He’s a legend to me,” said Wright. “Art was helping me get my tape re-shot. He took a kid who he had no clue who he was. It’s crazy when I think back that these guys tried to help me the way they did. That’s why I try to do things now to pay it back.”
A Dream Job
After a short time in Texas, Wright worked his way up the sports media ladder. ESPN hired him in 2011. Three years later, he joined FOX Sports and the NFL Network as one of their marquee anchors.
Then in late 2019, a call came that would change Wright’s career outlook forever. Marquee Sports Network wanted to welcome a Chicago kid home.
“Everyone always says they have a dream job. I have one of those,” said Wright. “The fact that our Marquee Sports Network studios are a long par four from the media entrance at Wrigley Field. It’s unbelievable that I get to walk across the street after pre-game and go watch the team I grew up watching as a kid.”
"Everybody's excited about this version of the Cubs … This seems like a quieter, locked in group of players."
Now entering his seventh season as the pregame and postgame face of Chicago Cubs broadcasts on Marquee Sports Network, Wright admits he is still living on cloud nine. He brings an authentic passion for the franchise to Cubs fans around the country.
Wright understands that this dream opportunity required years of preparation at previous stops. Each role provided another tool to add to his growing skill set before Marquee Sports Network presented the opportunity to return home and be part of the Cubs every step of the way.
“I grew up watching this team. This is where I’m from, and I imagined what it could be like to go to games every single day and have this be your main focus. It was the only job that I would leave my time at the NFL Network for,” explained Wright.
Joining Marquee Sports Network
Five seasons at the NFL Network showcased what makes Cole Wright effective. He is a talented anchor who weaves in and out of highlights, drives conversation, and sets up every analyst he shares a set with for maximum impact. He considers his role the facilitator, presenting the facts while creating space for the athlete’s perspective.
Now in his role with Marquee Sports Network, Wright reinforces that approach while expanding his responsibilities with educational opportunities that bring fans closer to the game.
“This spring, we’re able to do a lot of demos. We’re fortunate enough to get time with Ian Happ and showcase how he plays outfield at Wrigley Field. Also, Pete Crow-Armstrong showed me how to lead off in a baserunning drill,” noted Wright. “It’s a collaborative effort between producers, myself and the organization.”
Marquee Sports Network is owned by the organization in partnership with Sinclair Broadcasting. That structure provides added access to players for demos and special features. The business side of a team owning its own network also carries benefits. With nearly half of Major League Baseball teams now joining MLB for “wall-to-wall” production and distribution of their local media rights, many fans are scrambling to find ways to watch their hometown team with just over a month until the season begins.
Wright has never worked for a regional sports network outside of Marquee, but he understands the difficulties some in his profession are experiencing.
“I just know what I hear and see from the outside. It’s unfortunate because there’s a lot of great people who are in a nomadic stage roaming around and seeing what’s next. There have been so many jobs that have been curtailed. That’s extremely unfortunate,” said Wright. “All I can do is come in, take those hats, and play to the best of my ability. That’s how I try to approach everything.”
Owning The Responsibility
Wright’s presentation is rooted in what makes sports special: fun. While most pregame and postgame programming leans heavily on data and information, Wright aims to entertain. He prioritizes storytelling through highlights and embraces interaction between host and analyst.
“Every Cubs game starts and ends with me. It’s my job to get this plane off the runway,” says Wright. “I’m doing the 10th inning on WGN that I watched as a kid, and that’s important to me. It’s important that I know what’s going on and keeping the people informed yet entertained. I like to be on the same level as the fans, because that’s truly what I am. A fan.”
Like a five-tool player, Wright stays ready for anything. While pregame and postgame duties anchor his work with Cubs baseball, he waits in the bullpen if play-by-play or analyst work is needed in a pinch. He believes his evolution as a sports broadcaster is rooted in a simple idea. If you can work with everybody, you can work with anybody.
Now entering his seventh season with the hope of covering a Cubs World Series this fall, Wright is already laying the foundation for the year ahead. As Opening Day nears, he pours effort into sharing his passion for Cubs baseball, hoping it resonates with his daughter.
With aspirations in sports of her own, Wright views his journey as a roadmap of lessons to pass along.
“I want her to know that for the things that you want, you have to work for them. It’s not once you get there, you’re good. You have to continue to work at it, every day” said Wright. “If you don’t work, someone else will… My dad did that for me. That’s the same type of example I try to set for my daughter as well.”
For Cole Wright, the dream didn’t just come true — it came home.
From walking into Wrigley Field as a wide-eyed kid with his family to now crossing the street as the face who sends Cubs fans into and out of every game, the journey feels almost cinematic. Nothing about it is accidental. It was built on mentorship, long nights in small markets, national stages at ESPN and the NFL Network, and a willingness to keep adding tools to the toolbox.
Wright may open and close every Cubs broadcast, but the real through line in his story is bigger than television. It is about honoring the people who helped you, staying ready for the next opportunity, and never losing the joy that made you fall in love with the game in the first place.
He’s still that fan. Only now, he assists generations of Cubs fans — including his own daughter — believe that dream jobs aren’t just dreams in the stands.
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Talk radio has always believed it owned the spoken word audio lane. For decades, if you wanted news, opinion, or sports debate, AM/FM radio was the default destination.
That assumption officially cracked in the fourth quarter of 2025. According to new Edison Research data, more people listened to podcasts than to AM/FM radio’s spoken word formats combined, including all-news, news/talk, and sports talk.
That’s not a vibes-based argument. It’s not anecdotal. The data is clear, and it’s also uncomfortable for anyone who has spent a career inside traditional radio. Podcast listening didn’t just grow again. It passed broadcast spoken word audio for the first time. This is the moment where leaders in the format have two choices. You can plug your ears and shout “la, la, la, la, la,” or you can do something about it.
Denial has always been radio’s worst reflex. We’ve seen it before with streaming music. We watched it with satellite radio. We’re watching it again now with on-demand audio. The belief that AM/FM radio is going to suddenly charge back and surpass podcast listening feels like wishful thinking at best. Audience behavior rarely moves backward once habits are formed. People like choice, control, convenience, and personalization, and podcasting delivers all four.
That doesn’t mean talk radio is dead. Far from it. Live audio still has value, and immediacy remains a powerful differentiator. When news breaks, when a game ends, or when a major event unfolds, live radio still matters. That strength should be emphasized loudly and often. However, immediacy and localization alone can’t be the entire strategy anymore.
The future looks like — to me — a hybrid model. Live news and talk shows will continue to exist, but they must coexist with purpose-built on-demand audio. This is where the industry has lagged. Too many stations still believe a podcast strategy means chopping the commercials out of a radio show and uploading the file. That’s not a podcast. That’s a rerun with different ads. Heck, I hear some stations that don’t even cut out the traffic reports from their on-demand audio. Do you think that shouts competency to a podcast listener?
Podcast audiences expect something different. They expect tighter storytelling, clearer intent, and content designed for when and how they listen. On-demand audio is intimate and intentional. People actively choose it. They schedule it. That requires a different level of care and creativity than simply filling three or four live hours a day.
There’s a massive opportunity here for experienced professionals. Talk radio hosts, producers, and programmers already know how to tell stories, book guests, and frame conversations. Those skills translate beautifully to on-demand audio when they’re applied correctly. Owning both lanes isn’t just possible. It should be the goal.
What can’t happen is a repeat of the newspaper industry’s response to digital. Newspapers treated the internet as a side project until it was too late. Many gave away their content, devalued their work, and waited for audiences to come back. They didn’t. Talk radio can’t afford that same mistake.
Podcasting isn’t the enemy. It’s the proof of concept that millions of Americans adore audio content. They just want it on their terms. The Edison Research data should be seen as a warning, but also as an invitation. The audience hasn’t left audio. It’s simply moved to where it feels better served.
The customer has told you what they want, how they want it, when they want it, and where they want it. It’s now our job to give it to them. The future of spoken word audio belongs to those willing to respect both live radio’s strengths and podcasting’s expectations.
Ignoring either lane isn’t a strategy. It’s a slow fade into irrelevance.
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Now that the “get Opalite to No. 1” fire drills from Taylor Swift’s team are over and we’ve all lived out our ’80s nostalgia watching Rock and Cactus fall in love, it’s time to look forward.
But radio loves to wait (both weight and wait apply here). We wait for chart ranks, we wait for callout, we wait for another station to add, we wait for a music meeting, we wait to see if our streaming report will even load.
To cut down on the waiting period, much like the ZoomCare app, Phil’s Future Five is me doing the work for you and finding records currently outside the Top 30 in their respective formats that are positioned to break.
Since radio ratings in PPM are comprised of the average of four weeklies, getting a head start on records now can help you win the month and maybe even win the day, ™ Chip Kelly, Oregon Ducks.
To the hundreds of programmers I’ve managed, I always say:
Test three. Add two. Own one.
—
CHR: Taylor Swift – “Father Figure”
Current Mediabase Position: #177
Taylor is telling you what her next single is going to be. She “happens” to have a George Michael poster in the Opalite video.
If you’re programming Top 40 and missed the Easter egg, don’t worry, she’s telling you the single. The George Michael poster in the video wasn’t random. Neither were the promo water that showed up at your station that matched the sweat suits in the Opalite dance routine.
Why Move Now: Because Republic already convinced you to give the Ophelia spins to Opalite. Risk Level: Very low Prediction: #1
CHR: Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
Current Mediabase Position: #31
This record has been out since October and is getting underplayed because several CHR PDs were choosin’ stiffs from Doja Cat and AJR instead of Ella Langley. She quietly set a Country airplay record with this one. Now even Hot AC is beating Top 40 to the party.
Choose Ella in your next music meeting so Matt Stevens can stop putting it in his Instagram Story (as a subtle but really not so subtle way of trying to convince you).
Alternative and Hot AC are lapping Top 40 here. Ironically, stations playing this versus stations that aren’t are creating a great ratings divide.
After turning the music video into a commercial during the Grammys, he’s proven he’s more than just the soundtrack for markets where Subarus are popular.
Why Move Now: Sold-out tour Risk Level: Medium Prediction: Top 10
—
Rhythmic: Brent Faiyaz – “Have To”
Current Mediabase Position: #63
Brent has channeled his inner Ralph Tresvant. He sounds ready to be the seventh member of New Edition.
Rhythmic stations that win long-term know they have to have textural music balance. Plus, you see how slickly I worked in the song title? This is serious journalism here, people.
Why Move Now: Because 65 Rhythmic stations are playing Harry Styles. Risk Level: Medium Prediction: Hip-hop fans are turning off the radio each time you play Harry Styles.
—
Alternative: Ivri – “Tower of Memories”
Current Mediabase Position: #36
If Pop PDs get tired of handing Noah Kahan exclusivity to the Alt station in their market, you’re going to need something that isn’t The Format’s “Holy Roller.” And naming your band The Format does, in fact, limit your available formats.
Why Move Now: 41M streams to date. More seven-day streams than nearly half the Alt chart. Risk Level: High Prediction: Top 25
—
Outside the Lines Pick of the Week
Harry Styles – “Aperture” AAA & Alternative. For God’s sake, Rhythmic radio is playing it more than you are.
Sonically, it fits. He’s older than Yungblud. He’s always promotionally viable. And Harry Styles is always in style — just ask the 65 Rhythmic stations that are playing him more than T.I. this week. Kill me.
Play it now. Then enjoy the luxury when the album drops of choosing what you want to play instead of what’s available, because once this song dies out, we’ll only think of aperture as a camera setting.
Pick records for what they are. What they sound like. How they matter to your audience at the moment.
Test three. Add two. Own one.
I’ll see you in two weeks with five more of Phil’s Future Five.
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Your newsletters and emails aren’t hitting your subscribers the way you want them to. Don’t take my word for it — a new Pew Research study claims, “about six-in-ten newsletter readers (62%) say they don’t end up reading most of the newsletters they receive.”
This habit isn’t demographic-, race-, or education-related. The outlet noted, “Similar shares of Americans across age groups get news from email newsletters.”
This is notably different from other sources of news. But how do you get anyone to open your email that either had a team of five (or AI) work on it, because there seems to be no in between?
I myself am subscribed to 10+ daily newsletters, and I read about one or two a week. Yup, you read that right — one or two a week. Here are a few ideas for newsletters to capture the attention of the 62% (like me).
1) The Subject Line is Your New Headline
When I wake up to see The New York Times email me “The Morning,” it almost always ends up in the trash unread. It’s been happening for so long that the newsletter is now being filtered to spam by the AI gremlin attached to my Gmail. Phrases like “you can bet on it,” “the next conflict,” and “a royal arrest” aren’t enticing enough to click. None of this makes the 62% care about what you have to say. Have an interesting subject line. Don’t be basic.
The Gray Lady’s cooking newsletter team is more likely to get a click with dynamic headlines like “I’m sick of winter, so I’m cooking this dish” or “A new dumpling dinner for you.”
They are automatically engaging the reader to read. It is for you. Oh? Something special for me? Now I need to click to know what it is. Why I care about this newsletter (from the same outlet, no less) is significantly clearer than the former.
2) Make Sure Your “Breaking News” is Actually Worth It
The Washington Post should be behind bars for the murder of the phrase “Breaking News.” On average, readers get three to five “breaking news” emails from the outlet a day, and almost none of them are worth the phrase breaking, let alone engaging.
“As Prince Andrew fell, Queen Elizabeth II held out hope, and Charles and William fumed” is not breaking news.
For the sake of this column, I read the piece, and there was nothing new. Hardly worth the breaking news email push, and definitely trying to exploit an already hypersensitive topic for clicks.
3) Clear and Concise Information (aka Smart Brevity)
WaPo has one newsletter I would religiously read when I was a showrunner, “The 7.” I’ve literally based a three-hour show off this newsletter. Why? Because it tells you what you need to know first thing in the morning. The subject line is always super long.
Take Friday’s, for example: “What a fake ICE tip line reveals about America; nor’easter forecast; how to stop ‘brain rot’; and more.” It’s a lot to digest, but it concisely tells you what is going on. It gives you a few bullet points highlighting what WaPo’s staff deems to be the most important points in the story, with the option to read more.
No gimmicks. No crazy dancing effects. Just smart, direct, to-the-point information. Honestly, it does “Smart Brevity” way better than Axios’ competing newsletter (which I unsubscribed to).
4) Create a Community
Independent outlet Roca News was founded by three guys who have no background in media. They started with some Instagram posts, a newsletter, and a dream of non-partisan news in 2020, and have high engagement from their readers. Why? Because they want to hear from them.
They ask questions like “What was the highlight of your weekend?” or “We want to hear from you: Have energy prices risen in your area? Are you concerned about the increased energy demand from data centers? Let us know what you think by replying here.”
Sadly, with the switch to Substack, they don’t always have questions (or informal polls) like this in the newsletter anymore, but they are still keeping readers engaged by asking what they think.
One of their best newsletters came out in January after the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Their subject line: “What Venezuelans Think About Maduro’s Capture.” There were so many diverse thoughts. It really opened up a conversation among people who otherwise wouldn’t be connected.
The community William Carney, Max Frost, and Max Towey built around some Instagram posts and a newsletter is incredible, and I guarantee if they released the data, their percentile read rate would be higher than many of the mainstream media outlets. Today, the outlet is going beyond Instagram posts and newsletters — they are doing investigative documentary reporting from across this great nation.
Every outlet has different priorities and different demographics they are reaching. I get it. But I truly believe you should be treating your newsletter like a radio host treats their show. You are writing a newsletter for an audience of one. That is not something AI can do, on the radio or in print or digital.
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“The aliens are coming!” That’s the headline-making reaction after former President Barack Obama said on a recent podcast that he believes aliens exist, even though he has never seen them personally.
The eye-catching comments sparked a frenzy, with President Donald Trump responding sharply. He claimed that Obama had actually revealed classified information. What started as podcast chatter turned into a full-blown political UFO storm. Welcome to America’s never-ending fascination with far-away galaxies.
As the intergalactic debate took center stage, Trump posted this on Truth Social:
“Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).”
The networks and major news outlets — not just fringe ones like Weekly World News, The Globe, and The National Enquirer, which used to own the alien beat with photos of strange-looking, big-headed creatures — joined the fray. Is this really driving the news cycle? But Trump is right on this point: it appears there is still great interest in alien life. It’s the perfect media frenzy, since it will never be proven or disproven in our lifetimes.
Fox’s senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy went straight for it aboard Air Force One. “So aliens are real?”
Trump responded: “Well, I don’t know if they’re real or not. I never talk about it. A lot of people do. A lot of people believe it. Do you believe it, Peter?”
Special Report anchor Bret Baier later went live to the White House with an update, saying that Trump’s comments to Doocy “raised a lot of eyebrows.” White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie added, “It has, and at least one Hill Republican tonight is telling me he is reading this as the president all but confirming what Obama said.”
But here’s the reality check: Trump did not confirm aliens exist or claim he has evidence. He seems — cue the Twilight Zone music here — more triggered by Obama. So how in the world is that classified?
Still, the intrigue grew when his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, floated the idea that the president may soon give a speech about extraterrestrial life.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded with a laugh. “A speech on aliens would be news to me.”
NBC’s Nightly News opened its show with this: “Former President Obama lit up the internet by speculating about alien life…” At the end of the broadcast, one reporter questioned, “Does the government have hard data on aliens?” and, “What about all of those UFOs that Navy pilots have reported?”
NBC also noted that Obama clarified his comments after they went viral. He explained he was talking about the statistical likelihood of life somewhere in the universe but too far away to reach our galaxy, not alien visitors landing here on Earth.
The Washington Post’s Michael Shermer has been covering the phenomenon for years, pointing out that there have been congressional hearings on the topic and that the Pentagon established a secret Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program to investigate reports of UFOs.
He has a more cosmic take. “I have come to the conclusion that aliens are sky gods for skeptics, deities for atheists, and a secular alternative to replace the rapidly declining religiosity in the West — particularly in the US and United Kingdom, where most UAP sightings are made.”
So what should we make of all this out-of-this-world media coverage? Maybe liberal comedian and late-night NBC host Seth Meyers, who predicted seven months ago that Trump would start talking about aliens, is overstating the case a bit. But his larger point — that this could serve as a distraction from Trump’s alleged involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s pedophilia conviction — sounds more plausible.
“I honestly think we’re just one Epstein story away from Trump announcing that UFOs are real.”
Having lived and worked in Washington as a journalist for more than 35 years, I can attest that the nation’s capital is a strange place. In this town, even extraterrestrials can become part of the daily briefing. But this one feels a little — well — out there.
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Late last year, Netflix announced a new partnership with iHeartMedia that would give the world’s largest on-demand video streaming platform exclusive rights to a number of high-profile podcasts. The move showed just how serious major media players are about audio. It also presents a unique opportunity for radio.
The newly launched content entity reads like a who’s who across multiple entertainment categories. From Barstool’s Pardon My Take to the true crime series My Favorite Murder and a number of music-related shows, including The Breakfast Club and Bobby Bones’ Bobbycast.
“These shows feature dynamic hosts, compelling conversations, and passionate fan communities, available in both audio and now as a natural video extension,” said Bob Pittman, CEO of iHeartMedia.
For program directors and marketing managers, this raises a strategic question. If Netflix views audio as a way to not only build but extend its audience’s fandom, should music radio be thinking the same way?
Radio Rotations Won’t Beat Spotify
We live in an era of on-demand streaming and hyper-personalization. Thanks to platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, radio has more opportunity now than ever to become a listener’s escape.
However, it won’t succeed if it plays eight or nine songs in a row that the audience can’t skip or cut off early. Something listeners have become accustomed to while streaming music on their own.
The fact of the matter is that music won’t beat Spotify in the on-demand music game. Instead, music radio should lean into a combination of storytelling, music curation, and discovery. Hosts should not only inform the audience about what is going on, but also explain why they should care.
Embrace the personalization between the station and the listener. The audience will appreciate it, and as iHeartRadio’s internal research recently proved, listeners crave it.
Strategic Storytelling with Music Curation
Music radio doesn’t have to become more podcast-like. With 55% of the U.S. population, that equates to about 158 million people. All currently listening to podcasts every month. It would be foolish for music radio not to embrace at least some elements of the dominant and familiar medium.
It’s no longer just about music rotation. Stations need to embrace connection. Their survival depends on it.
By incorporating personality with music storytelling, radio can give audiences something that’s different. An element that differentiates it from Spotify while still remaining the familiar media entity that is all about the music.
Give Listeners a Reason
Listeners are driven more by relatability than anything else, especially music fans.
They want a DJ who makes them feel like they are standing next to them in line at the next concert. Someone who knows the backstory of songs, as well as learn something from listening. Like any podcast, they want to be the first to share the experience with their friends.
“Rather than being replaced, spoken word radio is adapting. Ensuring that it remains a vital part of the audio ecosystem. In fact, we already know radio is repurposed as podcasts all the time. If done correctly, podcasts can be repurposed as radio programming,” Mike Ragz wrote after the Audio 1 Vice President attended the 2024 Barrett News Media Conference.
Ragz’ conclusions about how talk radio can work alongside the expansion of the podcast industry also ring true for the music format. Strategically integrating storytelling into a station’s structure proves to listeners that your channel knows the scene. That you’re willing to put in the time and effort to utilize your hired talent to prove it to the audience.
Walk the Line
Of course, music radio does have certain constraints compared to other formats.
Music fans tune in because they want to hear music. Too much talk, especially after morning drive, brings the risk of confusing the audience and possibly prompting them to change the channel. Some formats also simply don’t have enough consistent content.
Balance is key.
Stations should embrace more than just two or three minutes of talk at the top of the hour while still delivering an enjoyable and impactful listen. Similar to what podcasts do, just in a shortened version.
If a program director sees positive feedback from incorporating additional talk elements, that can open even more revenue opportunities. Vertical integrations across a channel’s digital spaces can earn dollars for your brand. It also allows for longer, specialized programming opportunities, especially on weekends.
Remember, storytelling will reign supreme
“Podcasting is radio’s birthright… Like radio, it’s companionship,” Pittman previously told RadioInk.
That one-on-one connection with radio personalities is what the audience wants. Whether its Bobby Bones, Charlamagne tha God, or me on The Gunz Show. It just needs to be balanced.
Just ask Netflix.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
