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Behind every great radio star is an often unheralded straight man. Today, guest-blogger Mike Stern looks at the career of ESPN’s John Saunders, the calm force behind “The Sports Reporters.” Mike examines why the straight man (or woman) may be the difference-maker in crafting a successful show.

A colorful new infographic from Nielsen provides a fascinating look at radio’s place in the media solar system. But rather than resting on its laurels, radio’s challenge is to continue to build on its strengths. Here’s our take on the first day of the rest of 2016.

A recent interview with G.E.’s CEO, Jeffrey Immeldt, reveals a novel way to ensure every new hire understands what it takes keep the 125 year-old company competitive. As we celebrate Labor Day this weekend, we honor the work that every employee in the station produces by developing a deeper appreciation and a greater sense of empathy for those tasks. Our blog post today is a celebration of those efforts.

The Chicago White Sox recently cut a new naming rights deal for their south side stadium. It’s a case where an exuberant sales staff got the upper hand, creating possible brand erosion, not to mention all-out ridicule. To discover the new name for U.S. Cellular Field, and to pick up some thoughts about branding debacles, here’s today’s blog post.

Last week’s report from Nielsen suggests that when it comes to connected cars, consumers are more concerned about safety than connectivity. Our blog post this morning challenges this report, as well as Mark Ramsey’s assertion that connected car don’t matter. Fasten your seat belts.

Last week, NPR made the decision to stop including comments attached to stories on NPR.org. The reasoned that social media is a better forum for opinionated readers, but they also concluded many of the loud, angry commenters don’t represent their larger audience. Here’s a deeper dive behind what drove this decision and what it means to all radio broadcasters.

The very first law in Ries & Trout’s “22 Immutable Laws” stating it better to be first than best in a category is being challenged by the rapidity of change in the Internet Age. Once dominant and first-in brands like Yahoo! and BlackBerry have fallen to newer companies that simply developed better products. Today’s blog looks at the two-horse smartphone race, and what it means to radio.

That new research study from Forrester – “The Rise Of The Empowered Customer – speaks volumes about the changing culture shift of the audience. Today, we break down three key consumer trends, and what they mean to radio programmers and personalities in the Digital Age.

The hot debate in radio surrounds the efficacy of the PPM system, but does the bigger question revolve around not how radio is being measured, but how it’s being sold?

This year’s Morning Show Boot Camp was packed with enthusiastic young DJs, excited and pumped about the radio business despite the many challenges it’s facing. Here are some thoughts and insights about why these Millennials are so enthusiastic about being a part of the radio community and why we should be doing everything we can to guide and support them.

The local piece is one of the assets that radio broadcasters has over pure-plays and satellite radio. But these days, stations have isolated themselves in office buildings, far away from where locals gather. Is there an opportunity for radio to achieve major presence by embracing an old school tactic: the live broadcast? It’s Friday – time to take a visit to the hometown mall.

The most successful companies in the S&P 500 are tech companies OR they’re traditional business that have embraced technology. It’s not that different in the radio business where the eventual winners will be the companies that make tech an imperative.