Wishes for Radio Programming 2026 & Beyond

My friend and colleague  Paul Kaye  is the incoming President for  Pattison Media , Canada’s largest Western-based media company. 

Since his recent post as VP Media, Product, and Talent Development at Roger Sports & Media, Paul Kaye has traveled the world observing radio. His travels include the US, UK, Germany, and Asia.

Paul believes radio has become good at protecting what it already does, but thinks it needs to become much braver about imagining what it could be to thrive. Enjoy his insightful blog. – Randy Lane

I still believe in radio. When radio is at its best, it can make people laugh, feel less alone, discover something new, understand their community, and feel part of a moment happening right now. Radio is, as it always has been, about human connection… and today we all crave connection more than ever before.

Despite my love for radio, I’m not someone who harps on about the “good old days”, not because I don’t miss elements of the industry’s past (of course I do) but because it serves no purpose. What I do spend my time worrying about, though, is that radio is focusing too much on preservation instead of focusing on what radio could and should be. Actually, what it needs to be!

I’ve been fortunate to travel a lot the last year or so, and have heard good (and not so good radio around the world. In fact, I’m writing this from the UK, where I think commercial radio is evolving well. As I have traveled, I’ve been scribbling down the wishes I have for radio stations and for those programming them…

1. Stop programming radio stations and start creating experiences. 
I hear lots of technically well-crafted hours on stations, but that attempt to be perfect often dilutes the experience. This is most notable in markets like North America where the execution feels almost mechanical.

Your music, personalities, imaging, promotions, and content should all work together to create a feeling. Listeners often don’t remember much of what they heard, but they do remember how the station made them feel. Worry less about being ‘technically’ brilliant and ask, what is the experience you are trying to create for your audience?

We need to focus our efforts on delivering more of what algorithms can’t… that genuine human connection.

Read the rest of the  Radio Playbook for 2026 & Beyond here.

Photo credit: BoliviaInteligente