Radio Ink Magazine

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Radio Ink Magazine

Forecast: Blurry and Bright • One of the highlights of each Forecast conference is Deborah Parenti’s opening remarks, which set the tone for the day (and by extension, the year). This year’s were particularly powerful, and deserve a wider audience. I asked her to share them again here, and she graciously agreed. If the refusal to be diminished and the commitment to rise to the moment that filled the room that day continue to fuel our industry, then the future is indeed bright.

Brand Builders Are Storytellers

The New Hiring Playbook: From Rate Cards to Real Connection

The AI-Enhanced Seller • In 2026, the question won’t be, “Are you using AI?” It’ll be, “Are you still doing everything the hard way?” Will you be the seller who quietly weaves AI into their daily habits, or the one who argues they’re “old school” as their numbers slide?

Comeback Season • If Forecast 2026 proved anything, it’s that the future of broadcast doesn’t belong to those predicting its end. It belongs to those still in the room, who keep building it.

Broadcast media isn't dying; it's defiant. • Power players gathered at the Harvard Club of NYC on November 12 to flip the narrative. While Big Tech chases scale without roots, broadcasters double down on local trust, community ties, and authentic voices.

CELEBRATING THE “TOP 40”

Giants, Gracies, and Good Times

How Radio Can Save Its Young

Unfiltered: Anonymous Radio Pros Under 30 Speak the Hard Truth

Optimist Prime • HOW BENZTOWN PRESIDENT DAVE “CHACHI” DENES TRANSFORMED HIS CAREER — AND THE INDUSTRY — BY REFUSING TO GIVE UP ON RADIO’S POTENTIAL

SIDELINES

Dear Santa… • We checked our list twice, and radio’s been nice, so we asked industry executives what they’re hoping Santa puts under radio’s tree this year. Spoiler alert: it’s not just coal for streaming services.

Are Branded Podcasts Radio’s Next Big Local Opportunity?

RADIO’S 30 & UNDER SUPERSTARS • We live in a world of entertainment, democratized. Anyone with a phone can create, publish, and influence. The barrier to entry has never been lower.

People on the Move • People on the Move celebrates the accomplishments of radio industry professionals. If you or someone in your organization has news to share, email the details to ccoats@streamlinepublishing.com for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue!

Radio Ink’s Season of Giving Tally 2025

One Hard-Hitting Santa • Long before viral Instagram street interviews, there was Vox Pop, radio’s original man-on-the-street show, launched in 1932. Vox Pop eventually landed on CBS with hosts Parks Johnson and Warren Hull; here’s the show broadcasting live from the Hotel New Yorker’s Christmas party for children of servicemen overseas fighting WWII, joined by heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey on Santa duty.