Every manager wants better performance in the New Year. Great, but “want” won’t move the needle. Here’s a no-fluff plan to get you from good to unignorable in 2026. Read it. React. Do it now (yes, right now).
Past Performance — Don’t Let 2026 Sneak Up On You
What happened in your 2025 ratings? Fall figures should be released within 45 days. Act like that deadline is a ticking bomb.
- Do a multi-book trend review. TSL, cume, AQH, dayparts, demos — put them all on the table and don’t let any metric hide under the sofa.
- Ask the hard questions: Were goals met? Missed? Crushed? If you missed, why? If you crushed it, tell your team (and maybe buy donuts).
- Turn trends into targets. Numbers don’t lie — but they will beg for mercy if you ignore them.
Present — Clean House, Tune the Engine
Stop treating “maintenance” like a suggestion. Right now, do a deep evaluation and trim or tune what’s dragging you down.
- Review music software, syndicated shows, format choices, air talent, news — and make smart, strategic edits.
- If a segment feels like reheated leftovers, replace it. If a talent is a star, give them a bigger spotlight (and maybe hazard pay).
- Make changes that move metrics — not just fill time. Every tweak should have a measurable purpose.
Future Planning — Plan Like the Station Depends on It (Because It Does)
This is the part where you stop hoping inspiration will strike and put a plan in place.
- Set strategic goals for 2026. Use the Lund Strategic Planner to build action steps and measurable objectives. Write them down where you can trip over them every day.
- Create promotions, contests, and external advertising that align with those goals and your budget. No generic giveaway that gathers dust in the control room.
- Programmers: use our “Countdown to Spring” daily PD calendar and Day-Timer to schedule every task, tick every box, and avoid last-minute panic.
- Update the website and social media frequently. If your site looks like a 2018 meme, your listeners will move on. Be current. Be chatty. Be relentless.
- Build a promotion & marketing calendar mapped to real-world moments: New Year’s, Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, Grammy/Emmy/Oscars nights, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4, back-to-school, Labor Day weekend, Halloween, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Plan promotions, sponsors, and monetizable moments for each — don’t just hope for holiday luck.
Final Charge — Move Fast, Measure Faster
Urgency without direction is chaos. Direction without urgency is complacency. Combine both.
- Assign owners and deadlines for every goal. If it doesn’t have an owner, it dies on the vine.
- Track progress weekly. If a plan stalls, pivot immediately — not next quarter.
- Celebrate wins, analyze losses, and repeat. The stations that win in 2026 will be the ones that acted decisively and laughed at their own typos along the way.
Pic designed by alonesbe for Envato Elements.
John Lund is President of the Lund Media Group, a radio programming consulting firm with specialists in all mainstream radio formats. Did you find this article useful? You can leave a comment below or email John at John@Lundradio.com.