I grew up in New England and remain a lifelong Boston sports fan, I’m not a huge NBA guy but I’m Celtics by default. Yet, even I couldn’t help be wowed by the historic playoff run and championship the New York Knicks had this season and of course no where near the elation of long time fans.
We talk a lot about being “local” in radio and how important it is as key differentiator in the value of a terrestrial brand, well, any station in at least a 100 mile radius or New York big and small had a tremendous opportunity to show their colors in this moment. Sure, local weather, mentioning common events, shouting out towns and businesses, all good in the pursuit of local but here is an easy play to show local pride and a no to low cost: get imaging on saluting the team, get socials up (extra kudos for a hyper local reaction not just a reshare of other footage or post), hand out signs with station logo for fans to bring to the ticker tape parade, interview someone who was at the Garden the last championship in 1973…the possibilities are many and the payoff is your station is alive, vital and vibrant and? Memorable or “sticky” in the mind of the listener and that’s, well, the ball game.
I’m citing New York as it’s a great example but opportunities to shine in our local markets happen like this all the time and while some are obvious like a historic sports championship, look and you’ll find plenty week to week. Sirius XM isn’t built to do that at the local level; streaming services and podcasts can’t and don’t. This is where radio matters most and generates listener and client passion. A great reminder for us all as we head into the back half of 2026.
Local matters, blow it up.
Let’s go!
Robby Bridges: A respected voice in the radio industry, Robby Bridges has spent years entertaining listeners and mentoring talent across the country. His love for great storytelling and deep appreciation for the people behind the microphones continue to shine through in every piece he writes.
On The Dial covers breaking radio industry news, including layoffs, programming changes, talent moves, and broadcast trends across the United States.