A simple way to visualize the shift is to think about an orange. The fruit itself doesn’t change, but once squeezed, what was solid begins to flow. The value isn’t created by producing more oranges, but by understanding how and where the juice can be used.

That metaphor matters because it reframes the challenge. The work is no longer finished when something is published.

Today’s letter is about what’s actually changing, and why some media organizations are already operating fluidly while others still assume the work ends when an episode is published.

Why Media Has Become Liquid

Liquid content isn’t just about serving an existing audience. It’s about making ideas discoverable wherever attention happens to land.

Across media, content is breaking free from the boundaries of a single feed or platform. Podcast episodes are clipped, quoted, embedded, searched, recommended, and resurfaced in places far removed from where they were originally published. Increasingly, people encounter ideas in fragments long before they ever listen to or watch a full episode. What reaches them first is rarely the complete work, but a quick take, a point of view, or a recognizable voice.

In that environment, discovery no longer follows a linear path. The assumption that audiences will start at the beginning, move through content in order, and remain engaged throughout no longer reflects how people actually find and consume media.

Where We See Liquid Content Working Best

One of the clearest examples of liquid content flow is The New York Times.

The Times no longer treats an article as the end of the audience journey. Reporting now lives across text, audio, podcasts, video, newsletters, alerts, apps, and social formats. Importantly, these are not duplicates. Each version is shaped intentionally for the context in which it appears. For example, remarkable graphics that would not work well in the printed paper are used to augment an online story.  We see reporters talking about their work in clips and on the website.

Wherever someone enters—through a headline, a narrated article, a podcast segment, or a short video—the work holds together. The underlying reporting remains consistent even as the form changes.

This reflects a clear understanding that discovery now happens across many entry points, not one prescribed path.

Television has arrived at a similar place. Programs such as late‑night shows or Saturday Night Live often reach larger audiences on YouTube than on linear broadcasts. This isn’t simply a distribution shift. Segments are increasingly structured, so they function as complete, self‑contained experiences, regardless of where they are encountered, and are designed to feature advertising.  And importantly, the segments can be monetized. 

What “Liquid Content” Actually Means

At its core, liquid content is an editorial mindset.  How can we maximize this “piece” of content? 

A podcast episode might live as a written analysis on Substack. A reported story might appear as audio, video, a newsletter item, or a visual explainer.  These are deliberate packagings of the same idea, shaped to fit different environments.

What This Means for Podcasting

For podcasting, adapting to liquid content has become essential for growth and relevance.

People rarely discover podcasts in order anymore. The days of announcing a new show with a simple link on Twitter (or whatever it’s called now) are long gone.

Audiences may encounter a quote, a short video, a social post, or a newsletter mention before they ever realize they’re engaging with a podcast at all.

I work with a political commentator whose writing performs exceptionally well on Substack but has yet to find the same traction on YouTube. The issue isn’t the quality of the thinking or the strength of the voice. It’s interpretation. The same ideas need to be shaped differently to align with each platform. That is the work.

How Time-Starved Audiences Are Adapting

A recent piece by Bloomberg’s Ashley Carmen captures a growing tension in podcasting. Faced with an oversaturated landscape and limited time, many listeners are no longer consuming shows start to finish. Instead, they’re relying on transcripts, summaries, chapters, clips, and AI tools to surface key ideas. This raises understandable concerns about whether this kind of partial consumption could cannibalize full listening.

But Ashley’s reporting suggests something more nuanced is happening. These behaviors aren’t a rejection of long-form content so much as an adaptation to the sheer abundance of it. For many time-starved listeners, the choice is often between some engagement or none at all. In that light, making podcast ideas more adaptable doesn’t necessarily diminish the core experience rather it can add to relevance, preserve discovery, maintain connection, and keep audiences engaged when full attention isn’t always available.

In my Thought Letter, I talk often about limited “shelf-space.”  To add a podcast to my regular rotation means something else has to go.  I’m out of time. 

A Strategy Shift, Not a Marketing One

This is important.  Liquid content is not about producing more work or flooding platforms. It’s about making deliberate decisions with your strongest ideas and ensuring they travel well.

In practice, this often means doing less, not more. We regularly advise clients to resist over-clipping or over-publishing, because too much exposure can unintentionally signal that the best moments have already been given away. An axiom I use is “E2=0, when you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing.” When everything is highlighted, nothing feels essential.  My NYU students, whose radar is finely tuned, know 3 or 4 clips of a show means the producer has published its best moments and thus no need to go to the full episode. 

This doesn’t require being everywhere or doing everything. Not every creator has the time, budget, or appetite for that. It requires deciding how a key argument, insight, or moment should appear when it shows up as a clip, a quote, or a written post.

The Big Picture

The next phase of podcasting, and media more broadly, will reward clarity over volume, thoughtfulness over output, and adaptation.

People won’t discover your content the way you intend them to. They will find it in fragments, across platforms, and in moments.

Liquid content leans into that reality.

And that’s where things are headed.

Let’s talk about it.

Link to Original Source

The post Understanding Podcasting’s Liquid Content Era first appeared on CMB.

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This year’s conference carried a theme that should feel familiar to anyone who works in faith-based media: in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, human connection is more valuable than ever.

The AI Conversation Has Grown Up

Last year’s SXSW panels were still debating whether to adopt AI tools. This year, the question shifted: Are we building the right organizations to use them?

Industry analyst Ian Beacraft made a pointed argument that most companies are failing at AI. Not because the tools aren’t ready, but because the organizational structures around them are already obsolete. The winners, he argued, won’t be the fastest adopters. They’ll be the ones who rethink how work is organized entirely.

For Christian radio stations serving multiple markets on constrained resources, this framing is clarifying. The question isn’t whether to use AI for tasks like content scheduling, social copy, or audience targeting. The question is whether your team is structured to use it strategically, or just reactively.

Storytelling Is Your Competitive Advantage

Serena Williams took the stage at Axios House and told entrepreneurs that the most underestimated skill in business is the ability to tell a compelling story. Actor and producer Jamie Lee Curtis echoed the sentiment later in the week, making the case that people need to tell stories and others need to hear them. No technology changes that fundamental truth.

Nobody at SXSW asked why human creativity is irreplaceable. They just kept affirming that it is. But for those of us in Christian media, the answer isn’t a mystery. It’s foundational. Humans are uniquely creative because we are made in the image of a creative God. The imago Dei isn’t just a theological concept; it’s the reason a song can move someone to tears, why a story told with honesty and vulnerability can change a person’s day, and why no algorithm, however sophisticated, can replicate what happens when one human being speaks directly into the life of another. SXSW was circling the truth without naming it. We get to name it.

This is ground Christian radio has always occupied. Our stations don’t just play music. We share listener impact stories, walk through grief and celebration on-air, and create moments of genuine human connection across the dial. At a conference full of conversations about AI-generated content, that irreplaceable human voice, rooted in faith, community, and shared experience, is not a weakness. It’s a differentiator.

Audio Is Resilient, But the Landscape Is Shifting

The audio industry had a significant presence at SXSW this year, with Podcast Movement Evolutions co-locating at the festival for the first time, hosting three days of sessions on the future of audio. Some of the discussions are directly relevant to Christian radio.

One of the most debated questions: is video killing the podcast? The data says no. Research from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights found that 92% of podcast consumers listen to at least some of their content in audio-only form, with just 8% exclusively watching video. The argument that emerged from sessions is that video is a distribution multiplier, not a replacement for audio.

For Christian radio, this is an important reframe. Adding video components to interviews, artist sessions, and listener stories is the kind of content already being developed for YouTube and social platforms. It isn’t abandoning radio. It’s extending its reach.

Also worth tracking: the growing conversation around podcast content ownership. Apple Podcasts’ HLS update, discussed at length at Evolutions, allows creators to host video podcast content through their own hosting provider rather than ceding that control to platforms like Spotify or YouTube. For stations building digital audiences, maintaining ownership of your content and audience data will matter increasingly as the platform landscape continues to shift.

The Hunger for Human Connection Is Real, and It’s Our Mission

Perhaps the clearest through-line at SXSW 2026 was something that should feel deeply familiar: people are hungry for genuine connection. One analyst described it as “the single red thread running through the entire program.” In a world of automated content, algorithmic feeds, and AI-generated voices, the hunger for something real has never been more acute.

Christian radio exists precisely for this moment. We don’t manufacture connection; we facilitate it. Between a listener navigating a hard season and a song that meets them there. Between a morning host and a commuter who feels less alone because of a two-minute conversation about faith. Between a community of donors and a station that reflects their values back to them.

Consumer behavior research presented at SXSW also noted a broader cultural shift toward what analysts called “intentional consumption.” Audiences are pulling back from excess, seeking content that is simpler, more transparent, and more emotionally resonant. That’s not a trend we need to manufacture. It’s what we’ve always offered.

What to Watch and What to Do

A few practical takeaways for Christian radio teams coming out of SXSW 2026:

Audit your AI readiness, not just your AI use. The tools are available. The more important question is whether your team has clarity on where AI can accelerate your mission and where human judgment is irreplaceable.

Lead with transparency. Audiences, especially faith-based audiences, respond to honesty about how content is made. If AI helps you produce more content, say so. Your listeners will respect it far more than discovering it on their own.

Treat storytelling as strategy. Impact stories, listener testimonials, and on-air moments of genuine human connection aren’t just feel-good content. They’re your most powerful tools for building the kind of listener loyalty that leads to advocacy and support.

Don’t abandon audio for video; expand from it. Video content is valuable for discovery and social reach. But your core audience still chooses audio, and that’s where the deepest connection happens.

Position your distinctiveness. In an era when every brand is trying to manufacture authenticity, Christian radio has the real thing. Lead from it.

SXSW doesn’t always speak directly to faith-based media. But this year, it kept circling back to the same truth we’ve built our stations on: technology can do a lot of things, but it cannot replace what happens when a person feels genuinely known, heard, and not alone.

That’s still our job. And if the conversations in Austin are any indication, there’s never been a more important time to do it well.

The post The Conference That Predicts the Future Confirms What We Already Know first appeared on CMB.

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As marketers flock to pixels and data streams, trusted analyses from groups like Nielsen and Westwood One highlight radio as the powerhouse for tangible results. Here’s the scoop to equip your team and turn doubters into believers. Starting with audience size: according to Nielsen’s Spring 2025 findings, AM/FM radio listenership jumped 6% overall, with a 9% spike on weekends for the crucial 25-54 age group. That translates to a massive 92% weekly reach among adults—matching or beating social platforms, minus the burnout from endless scrolling. Plus, a recent Advertiser Perceptions survey, supported by Nielsen and Edison, reveals agencies are undervaluing radio’s scale by half. Picture explaining to a sponsor that their online campaign is overlooking a huge chunk of potential customers.

Shifting to returns: Nielsen’s compilation of sales impact research shows radio generating an average $10 back for every dollar invested, soaring to $10.59 in top performers. Campaigns have seen 11% revenue boosts, 6% expansions in customer numbers, and 21% gains in market share. Katz Media Group’s 2025 reports reinforce this, noting radio’s edge in seasonal surges—like holiday shopping—where rebounding drives and younger listeners (almost 50% of Gen Z report stronger bonds via radio, from Jacobs Media’s Techsurvey) outpace digital alternatives.

Directly pitting radio against digital? Audio wins big. WARC’s 2025 overview points out audio commands 24.5% of ad-supported media time but only 8.4% of spending—a clear sign it’s undervalued and ripe for bigger payoffs. A 2025 Westwood One analysis of WPP Media’s sales effect study, covering $2.2 billion in ad outlays, ranks broadcast radio fourth in long-term ROI among 11 channels (outperforming the average by 22%), beating out digital staples like social, search, and online video. In short-term returns, radio lands second, 23% above the norm. Similarly, Radiocentre’s High Gain Audio research shows broadcast radio yielding £5 in full-term profit per pound spent—21% better than the multi-media average that includes digital channels—while adding audio to mixes amps overall campaign ROI by 8%. Out-of-home media slightly leads in some metrics, but radio’s cost-efficiency and community focus make it ideal for sectors like retail and services.

Don’t overlook contemporary Christian music (CCM) radio either—it’s surging. Luminate’s mid-2025 data reports Christian streaming up 60%+ since 2018, fueling broadcast gains. The format now draws over 50 million weekly U.S. listeners per ZipDo, with stations proliferating monthly, far ahead of pop or talk. Nielsen’s March 2025 data places it 10th in popularity but with 26% growth in 25-54 listeners since 2022. Outfits like EMF are expanding aggressively, reaping rewards.

On the sponsorship front? Finney Media’s July 2025 Net Promoter Score gives Christian radio an 84—topping Amazon (62) or Starbucks (77)—signaling ultra-loyal fans who engage deeply, supercharging ROI for family-oriented or values-based advertisers.

The takeaway? Sponsors aren’t abandoning radio due to weakness—they’re just misinformed about its strengths over digital. Your mission: Spread the word with highlights from Nielsen’s 2025 Marketing Report on radio’s reliability amid media clutter. Tout that 10:1 payback as the smart choice. Radio isn’t waning; it’s the reliable driver of genuine growth. Get out there and pitch it—your revenue will soar.

Sources:

– Westwood One’s 2025 blog post on Nielsen Spring 2025: https://www.westwoodone.com/blog/2025/09/16/nielsen-spring-2025-total-u-s-am-fm-radio-audiences-up-6-weekends-grow-9/

– WARC’s The Big Picture: Audio 2025: https://www.warc.com/content/article/the-big-picture-audio-2025/en-gb/159947

– Finney Media’s July 2025 Net Promoter Score: https://finneymedia.com/fff-july-2025/

– Westwood One’s WPP Media Sales Effect Study: https://www.westwoodone.com/blog/2025/11/10/wpp-media-major-new-sales-effect-study-reveals-digital-audio-and-am-fm-radio-excel-in-return-on-advertising-spend/

– Campaign Live’s Tuning In 2025 on High Gain Audio: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/real-roi-audio-revealed-tuning-2025/1936280

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Wish #1: Embrace brand-building. 

There has always been tension between brand-building and tactical strategy, and we talk about this at Coleman Insights a lot. Our president Warren Kurtzman addressed it in “Stop Chasing Meters, Build a Brand”. I wrote about it almost exactly seven years ago in “Direct Marketing is Easy. Brand Marketing is Hard.” 

In the latter, I quote marketing guru Seth Godin’s line that I’ve repeated nearly as many times as I’ve watched Back To The Future (read: a ridiculous number of times): 

“If you want to do brand marketing, you have to refuse to measure”.

It may seem counterintuitive in 2026, and the inclination to lean on tactical marketing like contesting is understandable. That’s not to say that tactical marketing is unimportant – quite the contrary, it can work and serves an important purpose. The problem is, when budgets are stressed, tactical often replaces brand marketing (or both get cut) and that’s a serious problem. If your brand is not top-of-mind, if listeners (or potential listeners) don’t see the brand outside of when they hear the station, they will listen less or not at all. 

When you see examples of stations or personalities that were brought back with great success after format changes and departures, it is because those stations and personalities built emotional brand connections with the audience. It is not because you gave away concert tickets at 3:15 to caller 9.

Wish #2: Lean into what makes you different.

I’m stealing from myself. As I wrote in “Three Big Branding Lessons From A Small-Town Mayor,” a tagline like “Live and Local” means nothing if you don’t put in the work. Today’s consumers are overwhelmed with choice and new options of “dehumanization”. We can view this as a threat to radio or an opportunity.  

Community is likely not be the reason a listener chooses your station, but it can absolutely be a differentiator and halo for your brand. Social media provides a remarkable (and free!) opportunity for stations to connect with local businesses, non-profits, schools, and other layers of community “connective tissue”. 

When music went digital, vinyl zigged into tactical, ritualistic listening experiences. Local record stores are thriving. Did you know vinyl sales have grown for 18 consecutive years? I thought vinyl was “dead”.

If everyone is playing video games, why has the board game industry exploded?  Face-to-face social interaction became more valuable as screens dominated. Both can grow and do.

Loneliness is at an all-time high and one of radio’s greatest strengths is community.

Curation vs. infinite choice.

Local DJs vs. algorithms.

Live events vs. on-demand.

Shared experiences vs. personalized.

When the world goes algorithmic and robotic, radio should do exactly the opposite. 

Wish #3: Fight back with attribution.

I’ve sat in all the sales meetings, slinging promotional ideas left and right for clients focused on short-term tactics that they judge success by via a two-hour remote broadcast (maybe read Wish #1).

Radio sales in 2026 isn’t just a battle for dollars, it’s a battle for perception. There’s always been clients that left because you couldn’t prove that their campaign worked.  Now you must deal with buyers that will never buy your station because “radio is dead”. There is a solution to confront both.

Coleman Insights’ Validate Audio Attribution offers sales teams a real-time dashboard that allows them to demonstrate listener-driven client website interactions for up to 90 days after the campaign airs. Validate is transforming the way companies like Cox Media Group and Connoisseur Media are selling. 

There are implications beyond traditional ads, like the ability of non-commercial stations to track the effectiveness of sponsorships or the direct impact of promos on fundraising efforts.

Wish #4: Join the creator economy. 

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) estimates that ad spend on creators in the United States will top out at $37 billion in 2025, a year-over-year increase of 26%. There are influencer marketing conferences and a burgeoning, maturing industry dedicated to matching brands with creators that understand how to sell them. It’s not just 22-year-olds making YouTube videos in their basement anymore.

If this sounds an awful lot like radio talent doing live reads/endorsements (which you already know work), it should, because it basically is in a more sophisticated way.

You should be deploying your key radio talent as local influencers because they do, in fact, influence brand affinity and consumption. 

Wish #5: Strategically join the podcast party.

My friend and occasional collaborator Steve Goldstein of Amplifi Media has been rightfully chirping about the local podcast opportunity for years.

Radio stations have the facilities, talent, and connections to categorically build locally sponsored podcasts around key podcast categories. What local businesses would sponsor an Arts & Entertainment podcast? Or Government, Education, Food, Fashion, Health & Fitness, News, or Sports?

The Bottom Line

Radio’s future isn’t about competing with Spotify’s algorithm or replicating what national podcasts do. It’s about doubling down on what only radio can offer: local connection, trusted voices, and community impact.

These five wishes aren’t revolutionary—they’re clarifying. They ask us to remember why we fell in love with this medium in the first place, while acknowledging that the tools and tactics must evolve.

Brand-building takes patience. Community connection takes intention. Attribution takes investment. Creator strategies take commitment. Podcasting takes planning.

But here’s what I know after decades in this business: radio stations that lean into their local advantage, that refuse to become “just another audio option,” that build genuine emotional connections with their communities—those stations don’t just survive, they thrive.

The question isn’t whether radio has a future. It’s whether or not we build it.

What’s on your 2026 wishlist? I’d love to hear it.

The post My 2026 Radio Wishlist first appeared on CMB.

The post My 2026 Radio Wishlist appeared first on CMB.

Radio was the centerpiece of the community — a true one-stop source for connection and information.

This idea goes back to my early days in Boston, a city that truly understood and appreciated great radio. Those formative years shaped my relationship with listeners.

Radio in Boston wasn’t just passive; it was active and interactive — on the air and in the streets. It wasn’t my first experience behind the mic, but during that time, the bond between radio personalities and their audiences felt especially real.

I still remember how listeners would flock to a station’s table at community events, eager for bumper stickers, T-shirts, or keychains. Back then, the pressure to be a “personality” wasn’t as intense as it is today. And frankly, I like to think it’s not as easy for modern influencers to truly be the people they portray on their social timelines.

Looking back, it was tough to watch the disappearance of street teams, the shrinking of promo budgets, and the loss of appearance fees. Remotes dwindled to just a table, a branded tablecloth, and a promo assistant. It became harder for radio to maintain its original spirit of “being social” long before social media was even a concept.

Still, radio must remain the credible, go-to place for everything listeners need and want. If you don’t have the answer, guide your audience to it. Music has always been a core attraction, but radio also delivered so much more: breaking news, concert updates, movie releases, TV show buzz, traffic reports, and weather emergencies.

I remember staying overnight at the WMJX/WMEX studios during Hurricane Gloria, helping to make sure we kept listeners informed, safe, and connected as the storm tracked across the region.

I also think back to the ABC Radio Networks interviews — the five-minute chats with TV and movie stars that brought fresh, national content straight to our local airwaves.

Locally, we spotlighted schools, honored teachers, celebrated community leaders, and supported small businesses. For listeners, their favorite radio station wasn’t just background noise — it was the most credible, trusted resource in town. Local politicians knew they had to stop by the station if they wanted the support of our audience.

That relationship can still exist today. It just takes commitment, a smart plan, and solid execution. Think about the appointment listening you could build, the branding opportunities you could create, and the web and social content you could extend from it.

For General Managers and Sales Managers, these aren’t just programming ideas—they’re sponsorship opportunities. I was never a fan of slapping a sponsor on “this hour’s music” for added value. Instead, I would bring a menu of sponsorable ideas to every sales meeting until the team understood the value of truly integrated content.

This is what still makes radio exciting. It should make you eager to walk into the station every single day.

Link to Original Source

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So, let’s dispense with the FOMO and get right to the opportunity:

Dashboard metadata is a lost opportunity for at least 90% of radio stations with the capability of using it as highly visible, personal billboards that offer real-time messages for both drivers and passengers in radio’s top listening location.

There it is. Read it again and let it sink in. While most PDs are sweating the 3-minute policy, music scheduling rules, and other quarter-hour maintenance habits, it’s a big opportunity to speak to core listeners in a target-rich environment, while you have their attention before it slips away. That’s because dashboard text and thumbnail graphics are typically static for minutes at a time.

Without question, this is a tech platform programmers and ops managers ignore at their own peril. Sadly, attrition among the radio programmer ranks is already taking its toll on this golden opportunity to create more listening occasions—without spending a dime on outside marketing, promotions, or contesting. Most PDs are too busy to pay attention to what their stations are displaying on those increasingly larger screens strategically placed front and center in most car and truck dashboards.

Before I get into just why dashboard metadata is more powerful than roadside billboards and probably right up there with push notifications on mobile devices, let’s take a quick look at where we’ve been and where we’re headed in this micro-marketing area.

The first sign that something is going on in the way Quu has revolutionized this space in just a few short years. Let me first congratulate my friend, Steve Newberry, for letting us know how to reach him through 2028. In case you missed it, Steve—the CEO of Quu Interactive—just re-upped his deal with the company, and will be running point for Quu for the foreseeable future.

Steve’s not just a fine CEO, he’s a thought leader, evident from his run at NAB and now with Quu. He’s also been a station owner since he bought his first radio property at the ripe young age of 21.  The way Steve sees it, Quu isn’t just an opportunity for radio stations to make more money (not that there’s anything wrong with that), it’s a direct avenue for broadcasters to maintain their rightful pole position on car dashboards—still the #1 listening destination.

But as we know, listening options in the car have grown exponentially in recent years, including streaming audio, podcasts, satellite radio, talking books, and anything we can access on their phones. So, when they’re actually listening to an AM or FM station while on four wheels, we’d better message them effectively. Enter: metadata, “radio’s new best friend” (with apologies to Mr. Vuolo). Where else are you going to get a call to action while listeners are driving all over the local market?

To ensure Quu doesn’t simply become a commodity like so many other tech products, the company has regularly invested in research and development. This includes the 2025 edition of the “Quu Visuals Report” that tracks how the most popular vehicles are equipped across a wide spectrum of technology. You can access it here. 

Also this year, Quu commissioned a study to test the impact of metadata visuals on sales.“Quu VN” makes a strong case for why Quu’s content partnerships with advertisers is a unique and effective way for them to market their products and services. The bottom line is that this technology can make serious money for radio at a moment in time when every station should be developing strong digital marketing strategies. You can access it here.

But there’s more to dashboard metadata than just generating more revenue. As a programmer, I have long felt that Quu’s “killer app” is in driving tune-in and more engagement from drivers and passengers. And I’ve got my own data to back it up.

One of the biggest findings from this year’s Techsurvey 2025 was the realization how closely so many core radio listeners are paying attention to what their favorite stations are messaging with their dashboard metadata. This data point isn’t just persuasive—it’s recognition that in-car attention is being paid to what is displayed on dashboards. And as screens have only gotten bigger, brighter, and more vibrant, the opportunity to send direct messages to in-car occupants has never been better.

Finally, there’s the wizened voice of the “outside expert”—in this case, connected car maven Roger Lanctot who thinks and obsesses about this technology more than anyone I’ve met during these past couple decades of Jacobs Media’s immersion in this fast-changing space so critically important to radio. In a new Linked-In article, “Chevy Equinox EV: I Want My HD Radio!”

Roger questions the logic of General Motors for leaving HD Radio out of their new vehicles this model year. We have, too. They are swimming upstream at a time when car manufacturers—OEMs—ought be doing everything they can to make it easier to sell or lease new cars and trucks.

(Of course, had Roger read Quu’s “2025 Visuals Report,” he would have known about Chevy’s wrong-headed omission before driving that Equinox out of the showroom.)

But another part of Roger’s story goes right to the heart of what drivers reap from their dashboard “message centers” when their vehicles are HD Radio equipped. The ability to deliver topical, relevant messaging covering a gamut of information is available to radio programmers—IF they take the opportunity to make use of it.

We’ve been asking about desired dashboard metadata info to help PDs better understand what is most salient to their listeners. Here’s the pecking order:

Similar to push notifications on mobile devices, the content menu for dashboard metadata can be expansive. Of course, much depends on the radio brand itself—the quality of its programming, its shows, its personalities, and its coverage of the community. The more brand depth, the more options PDs have to get their messages across in the dash.

In an unusual twist, this is one of those few areas where sales is ahead of programming for a change, thanks in no small part to Quu’s efforts to help broadcasters generate revenue. Their emphasis over the past couple of years has been to forge partnerships between stations and advertisers. And the collaboration has worked.

But as we finish out another challenging year for radio, I’m hoping programming execs take the opportunity over the holiday season to learn the metadata ropes and to start implementing metadata marketing that support their own-air efforts. Whether it’s weather emergency information (like the graphic up top from KGOU, Oklahoma City’s NPR News Station), the name of the guest being interviewed on the morning show, a contest tease, or myriad other info, this is an untapped resource for many stations that could be reaping the benefits of this technology.

And unlike so many content platforms, the live, real-time quality of broadcast radio is especially conducive to an active dashboard message. As Roger notes in his LinkedIn article, preset buttons and knobs have been phased out in favor of screens:

“Finding your broadcast radio source is no longer a tactile experience. It’s visual.”

The opportunity for programmers to engage their in-car audience has never been better. But in order for radio to reassert its dominance in the car, stations are going to have to do more than program high-testing songs and running benchmark bits.

As media philosopher Marshall McLuhan correctly asserted way back in the 1960s, “the medium is the message.”

So, let’s embrace this new medium and its messaging capabilities.

Link to Original Source

The post The Marketing Tool That Nearly Every Radio Program Director Ignores first appeared on CMB.

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I’m probably like most wives in that I’m the one bugging my husband about going to the doctor – and for selfish reasons – I love him so much, I want as much time as possible with him on this earth, and that means regular health checkups! So I happily lead the charge in finding doctors and making appointments.

After our most recent move, this process of deciding on a new doctor perfectly displayed the importance of UX (User Experience) when it comes to our radio stations.

When a recent non-urgent ailment popped up during non-business hours for the doctor, I followed a natural behavior that many people do:

Google the clinic name – find the website – and fill out the online form for an appointment. 

This is not an unusual or uncommon behavior. Online forms for contact are standard and provide a convenient way for people to reach out, especially outside of business hours.

I never heard back from the doctor’s office.

Days later, I still needed to make an appointment, so I went back to the same website and called the number posted. My only option was to leave a voicemail for a call back. So I did at around Noon. I got a call back the next morning.

That seems reasonable. But the timing of the returned call wasn’t the problem, it was the tone.

When I answered, the receptionist confirmed I wanted to make an appointment and I said, “I don’t know.”

Me: I’m a little concerned that I sent an appointment request and never heard back, so I’m considering looking for a new doctor.

Her: What patient portal did you use?

Me: Ummm…I just went to your website.

Her: Well, we use [such and such] patient portal and I see that you’re signed up.

(Side note – I’m sure I AM signed up for their portal, but as someone who is generally healthy, I don’t have all their idiosyncrasies memorized.)

Me: [opening their website on my computer while we’re on the phone to check the method] On your website, it says “request an appointment”. I clicked that link, filled out the form, and never heard back.

Her: Oh, so would you like to make an appointment?

Me: Ummm…no, I don’t think so. If I change my mind, I’ll call you back.

Call ended.

Now before you think, “Really??? One small miss and you’re never going back?”, know that I had already had a couple of visits that were not great at all. So this really just confirmed for me that I need to make a change.

And I would argue this was not a small miss. This was a big miss. I followed a simple user journey on their website and they failed to deliver any results. When I shared my concern, it was met by a lack of interest in the fact that their user path doesn’t work. 

You’ll notice in the graphic above, that the link I used is in what is considered “prime real estate” on a website, the upper right corner.

Take 60 minutes this week and check your radio station’s published contact methods.

• Do they work?
• Does someone respond or answer?
• How long does it take someone to hear back from those different contact sources?

(Pro tip: during business hours, people expect a response from a voicemail or email within 24 hours; texting and social media responses are expected within hours)

Not as easy to test, but the most important thing to insure in communication with listeners is that any feedback they share is met with consideration, rather than dismissal. Being intentional with people for a Christian radio station is “cost of entry”. To exist in the space, your organization must embody a “welcoming” tone. That’s a non-negotiable.

The post The Critical Role of Communication Paths in Listener Trust first appeared on CMB.

The post The Critical Role of Communication Paths in Listener Trust appeared first on CMB.

I was working in the secular AI world, providing AI training for industries that had nothing to do with ministry. Then, out of nowhere, someone introduced me to Christian radio. Who knew? God was opening a massive door.

Likewise, in the last few years, many radio executives began hearing whispers about Artificial Intelligence. Then those whispers became conversations. Now AI is everywhere you turn.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: God has His own way of orchestrating events. He connects people, ideas, and opportunities for His purposes.

Let’s be certain about this, I’m not the only “AI expert” now in Christian media—there are more voices popping up every month. But I am the only one training AI Digital Evangelists. Through my AIDE certification program, your team learns how to use AI not just for efficiency, but to become more effective witnesses for Christ. Because in Christian radio, every single person—whether on-air, in sales, or in engineering—is first and foremost an evangelist. I realize this sounds like a shameful plug for my business, but it’s not. Every single person who works at a Christian Radio station, is an evangelist. 

Let me explain: When that 28-year-old single mother, at the end of her rope is driving down the road, and she happens to tune into your station and hears that perfect song lyric or teaching that speaks to her heart, well, every person at the station played a role in some small way to get the song or message on the airwaves. That is evangelism. So, whether you get AI training from me or someone else, your reason for doing so should be to become more effective at evangelizing. Afterall, that is what Christian Radio really is all about.

I’m not here to tell you whether AI is good or bad. AI is a tool. Like a microphone or a transmitter, its moral value depends entirely on how it’s used.

But here’s what I do want to tell you: just like the sons of Issachar, we must “understand the times” (1 Chronicles 12:32, NASB) so we’ll know what to do. AI is changing the landscape of media faster than anything we’ve ever seen. By understanding its emerging trends, we can steward these tools to amplify the Gospel, build deeper listener relationships, and advance the Great Commission.

Here are seven AI trends every Christian radio leader needs to understand:

1. Agentic AI: The Proactive Digital Teammate
   AI that doesn’t just respond—it acts. Imagine assigning an AI the task: “Coordinate an interview with author Jane Smith.” It finds her contact, drafts the email, schedules the slot, and confirms the recording—all without you touching the keyboard. In ministry, this could streamline donor follow-ups, guest bookings, or prayer event coordination.
2. Inference Time Computing: The Speed of Ministry
   Low “inference time” means AI delivers answers instantly. That speed can enable real-time translation of a live sermon, instantaneous Q&A during a broadcast, or up-to-the-minute listener sentiment tracking—perfect for live pledge drives or event coverage.
3. Very Large Models (VLMs): The Power of Scale
   These massive AI systems can generate devotional content, brainstorm show topics or create first-draft promotional copy. But remember—human theological oversight is essential to keep content biblically sound.
4. Very Small Models: Powerful Ministry in Your Pocket
   Ultra-efficient AI that runs offline on a phone or car dashboard. Your station’s app could offer personalized devotionals, interactive prayer guides, or curated music playlists that work anywhere—no internet required.
5. Near-Infinite Memory: Building a Relationship
   New AI can remember past listener interactions indefinitely. A prayer request from last month? The AI recalls it, follows up, and offers new encouragement. This transforms casual encounters into long-term discipleship connections.
6. Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) Augmentation: Partnership, Not Replacement
   In Christian radio, wisdom and discernment must remain central. HITL ensures AI drafts, organizes, and suggests—but humans make the final calls, keeping content aligned with Scripture and your mission.
7. More Advanced Uses: The Integrated Future
   Now imagine all these trends working together. An Agentic AI creates a devotional series with a VLM, personalizes it for each listener through a Very Small Model, remembers their progress with Near-Infinite Memory, and flags pastoral follow-ups through HITL—instantly powered by fast inference computing. That’s scalable, personal ministry at a depth we’ve never seen before.

Why This Matters Spiritually
At Christian Media AI, we work under a clear biblical and ethical framework. AI is never a substitute for the Holy Spirit, pastoral guidance, or the Word of God. Instead, it’s a servant—one that, if used wisely, can help us fulfill Matthew 28:18–20 by reaching more people, more personally, more effectively.

Technology doesn’t change the Gospel. But it can change how far and how fast the Gospel travels. As leaders in Christian radio, our mandate is to discern the times, understand the tools, and use every one of them to “proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom” (Colossians 1:28, NASB).

AI isn’t coming. It’s here. The question is—will Christian radio lead with wisdom, or follow in fear?

At the end of the day, Christian radio is not in the technology business—you are in the life-change business. AI is not about turning your team into tech wizards or chasing the latest digital fad. It’s about equipping every person in your organization to do what God has called them to do—share the Gospel with greater reach, clarity, and compassion. When AI becomes the silent partner that handles the heavy lifting, your people are freed to focus on relationships, discipleship, and proclaiming the hope of Jesus Christ. The goal is not to master the machine, but to master the mission—using every tool at our disposal so that more people, in more places, hear the Good News and are transformed for eternity.

The post 7 AI Trends Shaping the Future of Christian Radio first appeared on CMB.

The post 7 AI Trends Shaping the Future of Christian Radio appeared first on CMB.

And for good reason. This technology sells cars. If you could be the proverbial fly on the wall at dealerships all over the country, potential buyers are buzzing about dashboard features. And to provide JacoBLOG readers with a backstage look at what’s next for car interiors, I’ve got capsule summaries of what’s new, what’s next, and what might be around the corner.

So, buckle up and let’s take this baby out for a test drive.

A virtual meeting in your car – Of course, many of us are improvising Zoom, Teams, or other online meeting platforms in our cars on a mobile phone. It’s dangerous, of course, if you’re looking at the screen, but to participate with audio is a way to make optimal use of that long drive “up north” or wherever you happen to be driving. Those of you who follow our CES adventures—or tour with us—know this next “use case” for car dashboards has been in the offing for some time now.

Now Mercedes Benz is making it official. A CBT News story reports how M-B is now collaborating with Microsoft and their Teams platform to bring your staff into your car—virtually, of course.  The enhanced version of virtual meetings is the first to enable use of a camera while the vehicle is moving—without the dangers of driver distraction.

This new platform lets participants see the driver (road rage face and all) while the drivers cannot see other participants or shared screens while the car is in motion. An expanded chat function can read or write messages via voice control.

Mercedes-Benz is also raising the bar with Microsoft Intune² integration which they call an “enterprise-compliant ecosystem for the future of mobile work.” (Let that one sink in.) In an extension of their auto-collab, M-B and Microsoft are working on an in-dash integration of Microsoft 365 Copilot4, thus turning the car into that “third workspace,” beyond the home and the office.

Hopefully, there will be the ability for a radio to play in the background. Actually, hopefully there will be a radio in these vehicles.

Expect more upscale OEMs to follow suit.

Not so fast, Apple – For years now, Apple and Google have been ensconced in a dashboard drag race for dominance. Apple won the important Round 1 as Apple CarPlay has proved to be immensely more popular (at least in the U.S.) than Google’s Android Auto.

Now both tech mega-giants are at it with the next level Android Automotive and CarPlay Ultra (hard to believe neither included a “+” in these brands). I talked about Apple’s system earlier this year, at the time, only available in “ultra” expensive Aston Martins.

A story by Jalopnik’s Nicholas Werner reports the OEM embrace for Ultra has been tepid, at best. While Apple announced a number of automakers jumping on board at the company’s 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference, there have been some changes of heart.

Apparently, Jaguar Land Rover is thinking about it, while Ford, Nissan and Infiniti are taking the “no comment” route. Werner suspects these “cold feet” responses may be due to these OEMs trying to differentiate their user experiences, rather than having to take the “me, too” road.

And of course, there’s the matter of dashboard revenue derived from the data these systems produce, not to mention money earned from optional features—or FaaS.

Jalopnik reports some of the interplay between protective OEMs and Cupertino has gotten terse at times. They write that a Renault exec even went so far as to warn Apple, “Don’t try to invade our own systems.”

Ouch. It’s getting a little warm in here.

“Hey, Siri, turn up the AC, please.”

When in doubt, go retro – As every other automaker is racing to the future, Pioneer is going the nostalgia route. After all, they’re a retro brand to begin with.

Now, this ’80s-inspired radio is trying to make a dent in the after-market dashboard race. A story in Autopian by Thomas Hundal reports on an old school-looking unit with modern features, including Bluetooth and a USB port. A fake cassette door hides these features, preserving the unit’s retro facade.

You might think Pioneer would be all alone in the nostalgia dashboard end zone. But you’d be wrong.

It turns out a very well-respected audio brand, Blaupunkt, is traveling at high speeds down the same road. Their new entry has similar features and a very “back to the future look.” Not surprisingly, it’s pricey—$500 for the privilege of your dashboard looking ’80s-chic.

“I predicted this!” – That’s what they all say. But it turns out that 25 years ago, Radio & Records’ Jeff Axelrod was writing about the “Internet car” and other external threats to in-vehicle radio listening.

This screen grab from R&R’s August 20, 1999 issue provides a credible and insightful analysis of radio’s future in the car with the addition of Internet and satellite delivered audio.

Jeff’s last paragraph is a stunner:

“So for now the ‘Internet car’ is at least a year away, but it’s a development we’ll be watching. How many ears will it grab? How many dollars? And how can radio prepare? Now is the time to start thinking about it.”

Indeed.

Here’s his sharp analysis:

And the most important dashboard feature is. . . –  For a question of this type, you’d likely turn to tech authorities. So I turned to Wired.  

Earlier this month, reporter Carlton Reid settled the dispute when he filed this story:

“What Makes a Car Loveable? It’s Not the Tech, It’s the Cup Holders”

According to 100,000 buyers of 2025 model vehicles in a recent J.D. Power study, the top source of new car angst and aggravation doesn’t have to do with Bluetooth or the lack of hard button and switches.

It is “cup holder frustration”—and it’s a growing problem.

And it’s nothing new. J.D. Power has warned OEMs in the past that drivers gripe and grouse about cup holders that are too small, poorly located, or horribly engineered especially in this age of mega Stanley and Yeti containers.

And apparently, cup holder complaints can be compounding. The Wired story quotes Nissan’s senior manger of vehicle performance development, Chris Fischer:

“That cup holders work well is important to customer satisfaction. It’s a key decider when buying a car. . .. If they’re mad about a touchpoint every day, it’ll sour their desire to want this vehicle again.”

That’s why more and more automakers are going out of their way to include more and better cup and bottle holders. In Subaru’s Ascent SUV there are 19—count ’em, 19—beverage holders, some of which are nicely hidden.

Wired’s Reid explains the utilitarian minivan started this cupholder obsession way back in the ’80s. But the actual invention of this “technology” dates back to 1953 and Texas inventor Burnard W. Byford’s “automobile seat article holder” who snagged the first patent.

The Wired story provides all the background you’d ever need on the design and evolution of this in-car convenience.

So, put all those tech trappings in the proper perspective. Of course, they matter. But so does the basic conveniences that make life comfortable for drivers and passengers.

As dashboard technology advances and evolves, let’s hope radio continues to provide the soundtrack.

Link to Original Source

The post I’m In Love With My Car Dashboard first appeared on CMB.

The post I’m In Love With My Car Dashboard appeared first on CMB.

When Paul said that, he wasn’t talking about technology. But he was talking about something every ministry leader needs to hear—especially those of us in Christian radio: know your audience before you try to reach them.

And in today’s world of artificial intelligence, that’s more important than ever.

I still remember the first time I tried to test AI in a Christian setting. I asked it to write a devotion, and it started quoting Buddha and Oprah before it ever got to Scripture. That was my wake-up call. If we’re not training the tool, the world is.

Recently, someone asked me if GPT stood for “God’s Powerful Technology.” I chuckled, then realized… that’s not a bad guess. Because most people—even inside Christian leadership—don’t know that GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. And they’re even less familiar with what that means.

We’re hearing so much “high-level” talk about AI that we’ve forgotten the foundation: Do our people actually understand what it is?

Parable of the Radio Tower

Imagine building a powerful new radio tower—one with state-of-the-art reach and tools. But no one on your team is trained to use it. They start pushing buttons, flipping switches, hoping for ministry fruit. Instead, what comes out is static, confusion, and sometimes, a signal that doesn’t sound like Jesus at all.

That’s AI right now.

It’s a powerful tool. But if your staff doesn’t understand it—and if your audience can’t connect with it—it’s not ministry. It’s noise.

What AI Really Is (and Isn’t)

Artificial Intelligence isn’t magic. It’s not spiritual. It’s not evil or good. It’s a machine—a massive pattern predictor.

Parable of the Digital Librarian

Imagine a tireless librarian who has read every book, blog post, and comment online. You ask a question, and she gives you an answer—but she doesn’t know truth from error, wisdom from foolishness, or Scripture from secularism. She just grabs what sounds right and offers it up.

That’s what GPT-powered AI does. It pulls from a Large Language Model (LLM)—essentially a huge database of human text—to generate human-sounding responses.

And that raises a critical question for every Christian broadcaster:

Who trained your AI? And who’s training your people to use it?

Quote to Consider: “Discipleship Determines Direction”

AI is only as reliable as the data it’s trained on. If you’re relying on ChatGPT without any biblical filter, you might be discipling your listeners with content shaped by the world—not the Word.

As Dallas Willard once said:

“Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if He were you.”

Well, AI becomes who we train it to be. And if we don’t disciple our AI—or the people using it—someone else will.

Filtered, Not Feared

AI can serve the Church. But it must be filtered, theologically grounded, and accountable.

That’s why I’ve been involved with creating tools like Ask Kingdom AI, my own custom GPT. It is a Large Language Model (LLM) that uses doctrinal boundaries and Scripture-driven safeguards to guide every response. AI isn’t your preacher, pastor, or prophet—it’s a research assistant. A fast one. A tireless one. But not a wise one.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” — Proverbs 9:10
AI doesn’t fear the Lord. That’s our job.

Tuning AI to the Gospel Frequency

Christian radio has always been about tuning into the right frequency—not just technically, but spiritually. AI adds a new layer to that calling. Just as you wouldn’t broadcast static or off-brand content over your station, you shouldn’t let AI broadcast unfiltered, unsanctified messages either.

To “tune AI to the Gospel frequency” means submitting it to the Lordship of Christ. Every response, every insight, every interaction should echo the tone, truth, and compassion of Jesus. AI must be aligned not only with your programming goals—but with God’s Word. Because at the end of the day, our ultimate broadcast isn’t content—it’s Christ.

Let’s Not Assume Our Teams Know

If you were to ask your on-air hosts, producers, or prayer line volunteers, “What is GPT?”—how many would know?

And even more important: do they know how to spot the errors in what it generates? AI does make mistakes. The Bible is inerrant.

Paul didn’t show up in Athens quoting Hebrew scrolls. He quoted their poets. He didn’t dumb it down—he brought the truth in a language they understood. That’s my model for AI.

Let’s disciple our teams—not just in theology, but in discernment with technology.

Quote to Carry with You: “We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.”

— Marshall McLuhan

If you adopt AI without understanding it—and without training your people—you’re not shaping the tool. The tool is shaping you.

And that’s not ministry. That’s mission drift.

Final Word: Clarity Before Capability

Paul’s example in 1 Corinthians 9 teaches us to meet people where they are—not to impress them, but to reach them.

AI is powerful. But power without purpose is dangerous. Before we use AI to serve our listeners, let’s teach our teams what it is. Let’s build filters that reflect God’s Word. And let’s always—always—make sure the message is more important than the medium.

“Don’t conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” — Romans 12:2

Because at the end of the day, AI won’t transform minds. But Scripture will.

Lorne Ray is CEO of Christian Media AI and Author of “AI Careful Thinking: What AI is and is Not”

The post Why Christian Radio Must Understand AI Before Using It first appeared on CMB.

The post Why Christian Radio Must Understand AI Before Using It appeared first on CMB.