ON THE RECORD: Tim Zunckel in the opening paragraph of his story on audio’s outlook in 2026, writes “With the closure of MTV at the end of 2025 we can finally put ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ in a rest category and focus on what we should: high rotation and currents!”
It’s a point borne out by most of our contributors in this special Telkom Radio Awards issue of The Media. And it’s also underscored by that report all media professionals read at this time of the year, PwC’s Africa Entertainment and Media Outlook 2025-2029.
“Despite the surge in digital consumption, traditional media such as linear TV and radio will maintain their importance, especially for live programming like sports, national events and breaking news. The coexistence of digital and traditional platforms will foster hybrid models where consumers and distributors seamlessly switch between live linear broadcasts and on-demand experiences,” the PwC researchers say.
From what our contributors are saying, convergence and integration are key to radio’s sustainability, and it’s something they’re all managing…along with the ongoing reckoning with artificial intelligence, of course.
The winners in this year’s Telkom Radio Awards are innovating, experimenting, executing and ensuring radio will not go the way of MTV. And that next year’s awards will reveal the results of this exceptional output.
Congratulations to all the winners. And thank you to our contributors. You are all stars in our book.
The Media.
Got to love it.
Glenda
CLICK ON THE COVER TO READ THE MEDIA’S TELKOM RADIO AWARDS ISSUE
