There I was at 35,000 feet over Nebraska when I spotted a Mashable article on Twitter with this title: “Old, boring radio remains strong—but this app wants to change that,” complete with a sepia-tone photo from the 1940s featuring a family listening to old time radio. So today’s #TBT blog post is a message to all those media, tech, and entertainment reporters who just love to take that cheap shot at radio.

Radio has enjoyed long periods throughout its storied past where habitual listening became deeply rooted in the American psyche. But in recent years, big historical moments like COVID have spurred behavioral and perceptual shifts that are significant. In today’s post, I’ve picked out three areas where the data suggest consumers are modifying their lives—and perhaps their radio listening. See if you agree with my logic and let me know how these shifts impact your ongoing success.

In an overloaded competitive media environment, it is especially challenging for any local radio station to stand out and get noticed. And that brings me to perhaps my most rewarding consulting experience and the dumbest radio contest you’ve ever heard of. I promise.

There are many analogies to last week’s selection of a new pope and a media organization having to suddenly replacing its CEO. Having done it for centuries, the Vatican has it down. And there are lots of things broadcast radio entities can learn from conclave and how it carries out its charge. The selection of an American to become the next pope was a bold one, and today’s blog post lists seven lessons radio companies can learn from this amazing tradition.

When we launched The AI EDGE Newsletter in February 2024, our goal was simple: to provide insight and perspective on the rapidly evolving world of technology…