Industry News

Chief engineer warns against continued staffing shortages in 2026 and beyond

The post Future in Focus: Michael Kernen of Crawford Broadcasting appeared first on Radio World.

A Gray Media CBS affiliate serving Eastern Kentucky is welcoming a News Director. In fact, he'll be just the seventh person to hold the role at WYMT-TV, starting January 19, 2026.

It's been known by locals as "Powerhouse 760" and uses a Class D daytime-only AM radio signal along with its all-important FM translator serving Morganton, N.C. Soon, the facilities will come under new ownership.

Brian and Kevin Lilly have moved ahead with the acquisition of a group of stations within a short drive of their family-run company's headquarters in Erie, Pa. With the FCC's OK, they'll be gaining ownership of stations serving a Western New York city and properties targeting a city in far Northeastern Ohio.

A 1kw daytime-only AM radio station with an FM translator serving a small town in North Carolina is seeking the FCC's approval to give 100% ownership of the facilities to Glasgow Hicks III.

It's the last week of 2025 for brands to build consumer awareness and sales through TV spots, and at cable TV networks tracked by Media Monitors, the play count crown goes to an auto insurance specialist that was barely a household name 15 years ago.

So, are you so over that pre-roll ad one sees when accessing streaming audio on one major platform? Perhaps fresh data from a "Viewer Experience Lab" initiative is of importance to both the agency who create the spot, and the media company in control of what's shown.

The Association of Public Radio Engineers, for the 26th year, will hold its annual Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC) in Las Vegas ahead of the NAB Show. Registration has opened, and the PREC is pricing the event at the same level as it did in 2024 and 2025.

For nearly a decade, a tastemaker NPR Member station known for decades as a hub for unique Adult Alternative-influenced music has served San Luis Obispo, Calif., with its "Eclectic 24" service. Soon, that will come to an end — but it depends on the FCC's OK of a local ownership rule waiver.

Do you have a New Year resolution? If not, think about your listeners. Many do, and even if they don't hold to their promises, radio is still empowered to profit from them. How? Here's some food for thought from the RBR+TVBR archives that could still help a few years later ... unless, of course, dieting and exercise are your New Year resolution.