Several years ago, one of our clients’ part-time engineers passed away unexpectedly. Amid funeral arrangements, legal matters, and the emotional toll of losing someone important, the station owner discovered another problem he never anticipated: no one could access the station’s website domain accounts. Years earlier, that highly trusted engineer registered the domains using his personal email address and credit card. After his passing, the owner spent the next two months proving to the domain registrar that he was the rightful owner of the stations and websites. He had to provide a death certificate and business documentation just to avoid losing the domains and the local news brand he had spent years building around them.
More recently, a similar thing happened to another client who purchased a group of radio stations from the family of an owner who had also passed away unexpectedly. That previous owner personally managed the station domain and email hosting accounts. While the new owners were focused on the radio stations, the previous owner’s credit card tied to the online accounts expired. Suddenly, the domains stopped resolving, and the station email addresses went offline. Without months to wait, the new owner had little choice but to abandon the domain names and start over with entirely new ones. That meant rebuilding websites, changing email addresses, updating business cards, revising social media accounts, and re-recording on-air promos that mentioned the old web addresses.
I can recall another situation involving a morning personality who handled a station’s website and domain registrations himself. When the station later replaced him with a syndicated show and let him go, he stopped responding to requests to transfer the website and domain access back to the station. Because the accounts were technically under his personal email and ownership, the station had no options. They were forced to start over with a new website and domain simply because the digital assets had never truly been under the station’s control.
These are all nightmare scenarios, and what made them especially frustrating was that the stations technically “owned” these digital assets. At least everyone assumed they did – it was their logo and information perfectly visible to anyone who would ask. But ownership in the digital world often looks very different from ownership on paper. If the wrong person controls the login credentials, recovery email addresses, domain registrations, or developer accounts, access to critical parts of your business can disappear almost overnight.
Stories like this are becoming increasingly common, not just in radio but across every industry. Radio stations, however, face a unique challenge because so much of modern broadcasting now depends on digital infrastructure. A station’s website, streaming platform, mobile app, social media presence, podcast feeds, analytics accounts, and advertising systems are no longer side projects attached to the broadcast operation. In many ways, they have become extensions of the station itself.
Yet despite their importance, digital assets are often managed casually. Over time, accounts get created quickly out of convenience. Employees use personal email addresses to set things up. Vendors might maintain exclusive access to certain services. Passwords get stored in notebooks, spreadsheets, or forgotten emails. Everyone assumes somebody else knows how it all works until one day that person leaves the company, retires, becomes unavailable, or simply cannot be reached.
The problem is rarely malicious intent. Most of the time, these situations happen because nobody stopped to think long-term while trying to solve immediate problems. A station launches a Facebook page quickly because the promotions team needs it by tomorrow morning. A domain gets registered in whoever’s account happens to be open at the time. A mobile app developer account gets tied to a consultant because it was easier during setup. Years later, those temporary decisions quietly become permanent vulnerabilities.
One of the healthiest things a station can do is begin treating digital assets with the same seriousness as physical assets. Broadcasters have always understood the importance of protecting towers, studios, transmitters, vehicles, and music libraries. There are procedures, records, backups, and contingency plans for those things because everyone understands they are essential to operations. Digital assets deserve the same level of attention.
That process starts with visibility. Many stations would struggle to produce a complete list of every digital service they currently depend on. Domain registrars, website hosting providers, streaming services, podcast platforms, mobile app developer accounts, cloud automation services, email marketing systems, social media accounts, analytics platforms, contest software, cloud storage, and DNS services all play a role in daily operations. Knowing what exists, who controls it, and how it is accessed is one of the simplest but most valuable exercises a station can undertake.
It is equally important to separate business ownership from individual convenience. Whenever possible, critical accounts should be connected to station-controlled email addresses rather than personal employee accounts. Shared access systems and password managers can provide accountability while ensuring that no single individual becomes the sole gatekeeper of important services. This is not about distrust. In fact, it protects employees as much as it protects ownership by preventing future confusion or conflict during staffing transitions.
Third-party vendors deserve thoughtful consideration as well. Many stations understandably rely on outside companies for websites, streaming, mobile apps, social media management, or technical support. Strong partnerships can be incredibly valuable, and many vendors genuinely care about helping stations succeed. Still, every station should clearly understand where its assets reside and how ownership works behind the scenes.
For example, does the station own its domain registration directly, or is it controlled by a vendor? Who has access to website backups? If a relationship with a provider ended tomorrow, could the station retrieve its content, audio archives, images, and databases without major disruption? Would ownership retain direct access to mobile app developer accounts, analytics systems, and advertising platforms? These are not uncomfortable questions; they are responsible business questions.
The same principle applies internally. Too often, stations unintentionally allow large portions of their digital identity to become attached to one employee’s personal account or workflow. That arrangement may work perfectly for years until circumstances suddenly change. A retirement, resignation, illness, or unexpected emergency can expose just how the organization had become dependent on one individual’s memory and personal access.
Preparation does not require paranoia. It simply requires organization.
The good news is that most of these situations are preventable. Every station should take the time to create a complete inventory of its digital assets, including domain registrars, website hosting accounts, streaming providers, social media accounts, cloud services, email platforms, podcast services, mobile app developer accounts, and any other systems tied to the station’s online presence. More importantly, ownership and access should never live with just one person. Critical accounts should be tied to station-controlled email addresses whenever possible, with trusted management or ownership maintaining secure access to passwords, recovery methods, and billing information. Protecting digital assets is not really about technology at all. It is about making sure the station itself remains in control of the brand, audience, and infrastructure it has spent years building.
Pic generated by ChatGPT.
Jim Sherwood is a radio veteran turned digital strategist dedicated to helping radio stations thrive online through engaging websites and mobile apps. As the founder of Skyrocket Radio and host of the Better Radio Websites podcast, he shares best practices to help stations grow audiences and revenue in the digital space. With decades of experience in radio and a passion for connecting content with listeners, Jim ensures that every station—no matter its size—can make a lasting impact online.