This time of year is always a little tricky. Some of us have had time to catch our breath, answer a couple emails, return some calls and pick up where we left off before the holidays. Others are still in holiday hangover mode. But, this year feels a little different. Maybe that’s because 2024 was particularly rough on our industry or because guys like me keep warning that we’re likely to be in for another challenging year. Mostly, I think it’s because deep down we all know that there’s at least a chance our industry is on the verge of collapsing. If that’s the case, and every day I still see signs of hope that lead me to believe it may not be, I for one plan on going down swinging. My commitment to myself and this industry I love, is that I will do anything and everything within my power and my means to help the radio industry continue to stay relevant and profitable in 2025 and for many years to come. I’ll do that by being frank and honest about what I’m seeing happening across our industry, by championing and endorsing others who will do the same and by being as flexible as I can to work with and consult people who love radio as much as I do.
This time of year, I think every radio owner and manager should ask themselves that same question, what will you commit to in 2025? Then, after coming up with their answer, ask the same thing of everyone on their staff. Here are a few commitment suggestions.
- Spend 15 minutes per day learning how to use a new AI tool that will make me more productive and efficient at my job
- Eliminate one bad habit that’s eating up my time daily
- Organize my workspace for maximum efficiency
- Evaluate everything I do to see if there are faster, more effective ways to do each of them
- Take more creative risks
- Aircheck talent more often
- Start an audio/video podcast, or another podcast
- Learn how to monetize a podcast immediately by promoting it on the radio, the station website and social feeds giving it immediate value
- Learn to video edit
- Make my studio more video friendly
- Be prepared to capture content throughout my day
- Build a home studio or improve my existing home studio
- Level up my social media game by taking a class
- Talk to a high school or college class about radio, agree to mentor someone who takes an interest
- Start a paid intern program to get more young people into radio
- Ask people outside the industry for their honest, unbiased feedback after listening to my station(s) or purchasing advertising from any station
- Learn and try a new sales approach
- Engage more with our audience on the phones, on-site, online and on social media
- Pick a charity to act as the station’s liaison for
- Make community involvement a higher priority
- Support legislation that impacts radio
- Step up our remote setup to bring the magic back to radio remotes and appearances
Comment below expanding on these with your own suggestions and what you plan on committing to in 2025.
Pic designed by Atlas Composer for Envato Elements.