John Lund
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What’s the secret of baking a great on-air talent? It is as simple as pie. Pie is spelled P-I-E… In Pie, the P stands for Professional. If you do not sound professional, then no one will listen for the next letter; they will go to another station that does sound professional.
Podcasting has become a major force today. The percentage of 12+ Americans who have consumed a podcast has reached an all-time high, according to The Infinite Dial 2025, released by Edison Research last month. 73% of Americans have consumed a podcast in either audio or video format, representing an estimated 210 million people.
Because in radio, if you’re not visible, you’re invisible. And invisible stations don’t win ratings.
If there were a magic button to grow audience without spending money, every station would already be wearing the paint off it. The good news? That button actually exists—and it’s called Promoting Ahead.
Contests work… when you actually work them. Here’s a practical checklist to make sure your contests deliver more than just legal headaches and a lukewarm winner reaction:
Sports Talk radio is very different from music radio, yet it shares many skills, structures, and strategies. If you program one or both of these formats, consider these similarities: Strategic Content Rotation. Both rely on the hottest hits. Sports talk replays hot topics, much like music radio plays hit songs.
When the contest's content engages listeners, they stay tuned for the resolution. And that’s the real prize. Contests built around strong listener engagement don’t just entertain, they drive higher ratings and increased TSL. Now that’s a winner.
At Lund Media, we talk a lot about the “perfect break.” Not because it’s mythical (like Bigfoot or a PD who loves meetings), but because it’s achievable when you focus on the right ingredients. A perfect break is the proper mix of branding, engagement, and commitment, measured not by what we like but by what the listener actually hears, remembers, and sticks around for.
AM/FM radio accounts for 56% of all in-car audio time according to Edison Research’s Share of the Ear study for the second quarter of 2025. This is more than four times the share of SiriusXM and six times that of Spotify’s ad-free subscription service.
What makes a radio station truly successful? A winning station consistently delivers on these key fronts.
