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FYI

Radio’s Big Challenge Finds An Answer

“Straight up, the biggest threat to radio is myopic leadership. We're in a period of remarkable growth and opportunity, yet so many leaders believe their job is to defend "’radio.’”

Radio’s Big Challenge Finds An Answer

By External Source

When you are out talking to radio people, what advice do you give them about how to build their businesses? What success tips do you offer?


They need to be able to see two things: First, a clear vision for the "new" industry that they would create. That vision involves being part of a bigger business than terrestrial radio. It involves morphing into a marketing powerhouse in which radio is only one part of the offering.

Second, they need to see the steps that should be taken today. Just what steps depends on where the station is at the moment.  If they're not selling marketing services--especially digital services--they should get started. If they're not thinking about buying a local newspaper or starting a direct mail initiative in their market, they should.  If they haven't set up a quasi-TV studio, they should.

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You get the picture. These are all steps toward the vision of being the go-to marketing company in their markets.  If they're successful at that, they'll capture business from every flat-footed newspaper, TV, Yellow Pages, direct mail, and radio rep in their markets. – Consultancy firm CEO Gordon Borrell (Borrell & Associates), Radio's Big Challenge: Finding Its Way Forward In This New Digital World, as quoted in a recent Forbes feature.

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Charlotte Day Wilson
Jessica Foley
Charlotte Day Wilson
Concerts

CNE 2026 Bell SOUNDSTAGE Lineup: Charlotte Day Wilson, JoJo, Finger Eleven and More

As part of its partnership with NXNE and a renewed focus on live music, CNE will also welcome a special soon-to-be revealed global headliner presented by Billboard Canada on Aug. 28.

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is embracing its musical roots with a high-profile lineup for 2026.

The beloved long-running fair, baptized The Ex by Torontonians, has unveiled the full list of artists who will be headlining the newly-named Bell SOUNDSTAGE at the Bandshell to celebrate the event's 147th edition. Canadian stars like Charlotte Day Wilson and Finger Eleven as well as international pop star JoJo have been added to this year's programming, which reflects a diverse mix of renowned names and rising stars across a multitude of genres including pop, hip-hop, Punjabi music and soca, among others. They join previously announced acts like Lights, Lupe Fiasco, Shaggy and more.

This year, the exhibition is partnering with Toronto music festival NXNE, to modernize its musical programming with chart-topping artists and newer acts, and revamping the Bandshell as the Bell SOUNDSTAGE. “Music is such a massive part of who we are,” Mark Holland, CEO of the CNE, told Billboard Canada in April during his Executive of the Week interview. "Connecting everybody to that is a democratic mission that we are really invested in."

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