Radio Needs Its Savannah Bananas Moment

Saturday night, I sat in a sold-out Nissan Stadium in Nashville — not for a Titans game, not for Beyoncé or Swift — but for a baseball team that doesn’t even play in the majors: the Savannah Bananas.

I’ve never seen anything like it.

Thousands of kids were decked out in yellow hats and jerseys for players most of us had never heard of. The place was buzzing. The game aired on ESPN. The crowd wasn’t there to watch traditional baseball — they were there for something better.

The Bananas have rewritten the game — literally:

• Games are time-limited.

• If a fan catches a foul ball? That’s an out.

• Players dance before pitches.

• Music blares between every play.

• The ball was delivered by skydivers.

• And the between-inning entertainment? Baby races. Banana mascots. And a little something called Peanut Butter Belly Time.

Let me explain.

They pulled four unsuspecting dads from the crowd. Shirts off. The challenge? Sprint to second base, slather your chest in peanut butter, then tag your teammate — who smears jelly across his chest. The two then sprint back to home plate and finish it off with a celebratory PB&J chest bump. The winners? They get to scrape some bread across their teammate’s chest and eat the sandwich.

Was it disgusting? Absolutely.

Was it one of the funniest, most memorable moments of the night? Without question.

The point isn’t the mess. The point is: this is entertainment. It’s creative, ridiculous, and unforgettable — and the crowd went wild.

It made me think about radio.

Let’s Get Honest: Music Won’t Save Radio

Radio is in a hard spot. Young audiences aren’t interested. And here’s the truth we need to say out loud: If people want music only, they can get it on demand and it’s either free or very close to free. When it comes to delivering songs, we’ve been outmatched. And we’ve known that for a while.

So why do we keep thinking that “music” is the thing that’s going to bring people back?

It won’t.

People don’t choose the Bananas because they’re better at throwing a fastball. They choose them because they changed the experience.

That’s what radio has to do.

Radio Was the Original Influencer Platform

We like to talk about “influencers” like they’re something new. But make no mistake — radio did it first.

There was a time when the jocks in your city were celebrities. They were on billboards. They were stopped in the street. They signed autographs at local fairs. They were the culture.

Every city had its own Seacrest. And guess what? They still do. They’re just not on the radio anymore.

They’re on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram — creating content, building community, growing local audiences. They figured out how to do what radio used to do — but without the tower.

These are the people we need to find.We need to bring them into radio. Use their audience to bring people back to us. And yes — we need radio people who understand that being "just on the radio" is a losing strategy.

The signal is just one piece of the puzzle now.

So… How Do We Actually Fix This?

Let’s stop with vague inspiration and get practical. Here’s how radio can build its own Banana Ball moment:

1. Use Technology to Handle the Routine

We now have tools that handle programming better than we ever could. Music logs. Segues. Clocks. Automation. It’s all here — and it works. Companies like Super Hi-Fi (yes, I work there) are already helping stations do this with precision.

Free up your teams from scheduling. That’s not where the value is anymore. Use AI and automation to handle the basics. Put people back where they matter: creating content.

2. Redefine Every Role Inside the Station

We need to rewrite the job descriptions.

• Program Directors should be creative directors. They should coach talent, build show formats, and create experiences that demand attention. They should be focused on everything local. Everything about building community and driving revenue.

• On-Air Talent must be content creators. That means audio, video, social, community events — all of it. You’re not a DJ anymore. You’re a local celebrity, or you’re invisible.

• Promotions & Marketing must evolve beyond prize wheels. What’s your Peanut Butter Belly Time? Your next moment that gets your station shared nationwide?

• Content Creators & Producers need to be hired. We don’t need fewer people. We need more of the right ones — writers, editors, shooters, designers.

3. Figure Out Who’s Built for the Next Era

This one’s tough. But necessary.

Not everyone will make the jump.

• Are they generating ideas, or executing orders?

• Are they culture-forward? Or stuck in radio circa 2005?

• Do they make content outside their shift? Or clock out and disappear?

This isn’t about layoffs. This is about reassignments and reskilling. When Jesse Cole bought the Savannah Bananas, they were a failing minor league team. Today, they sell out NFL stadiums. Do you think he did that with fewer people?

Of course not. He added creatives, producers, social media leads, content strategists — the exact kind of people radio needs right now.

4. Change the Whole Operational Model

This isn’t a tweak.

This is a full reset.

• Automate what can be automated.

• Focus humans on creativity and connection.

• Make content that works on-air, online, and in the wild.

• Challenge every person in the building: Does this drive ratings or revenue?

Stop trying to beat Spotify at its own game. Start creating a game of your own.

What’s Old Can Be New Again

And here’s why I really believe this could work:

Look at vinyl.

A format written off decades ago has become the most beloved way to listen to music for an entire generation that wasn’t even alive during its heyday. Gen Z isn’t just buying records — they’re collecting them. Displaying them. Obsessing over the pressings, the covers, the feel.

Cassette tapes are even making a comeback. Artists are selling limited-edition runs and fans are buying old Walkmans just to play them.

Thrift stores have become destination shopping. Not Goodwill — curated vintage shops. People are paying more for older clothes, cameras, boom boxes, and stereos than they ever would’ve paid when those items were brand new.

So don’t tell me that radio is too old to come back. Old is the new cool. Authenticity is currency. Nostalgia is a brand strategy. There’s a whole generation falling in love with the past — as long as you give them a fresh way in.

The question isn’t whether radio can be relevant again.

The question is: Can we make it cool again?

Absolutely. But not by sounding like we did in 2002.

By reinventing ourselves like the Bananas did with baseball — and by tapping into the thing that made us matter in the first place: personality, connection, and unforgettable moments.

This Isn’t an Attack — It’s a Rally Cry

Now, if you’ve made it this far and you’ve been doing radio the same way for a long time, you might be thinking:

“Is this guy saying what I’ve done my whole career doesn’t matter?”

Absolutely not.

I’m saying the opposite.

I want you to win. I want you to survive. I want you to thrive.

Because I know what this industry used to be.

I bet you do too.

Radio used to be fun. It used to be wild. It used to be full of people who did outrageous things to make listeners laugh, cry, or call the station in disbelief. It used to matter.

I remember learning from legends — people like Marc Chase, Dom Theodore, Randy Michaels. These were the Jesse Coles of radio. They didn’t follow the rules — they rewrote them. They built empires on bold ideas and insane levels of energy.

So here’s the question we have to ask:

Who’s doing that now?

Who’s pushing the envelope? Who’s creating moments that demand attention? Who’s bringing the fun back?

Because the answer can’t be nobody.

And maybe… just maybe… it can be us.

We’re not too far gone. But we’re not going to get there by playing it safe or clinging to the past. We get there by reclaiming the magic — and evolving it for today’s audience.

This isn’t about killing radio.

This is about saving it.

Together.

The Bottom Line

The Savannah Bananas didn’t save baseball. They reimagined it.

That’s what we need to do with radio.

This might get me some heat, but I’ll say it anyway: We don’t need more “radio people.” 

We need creative people who love attention, love culture, and love community. Whether they come from broadcasting, YouTube, the comedy scene, or your city’s biggest Instagram account — those are your people now. Look.. some radio people have evolved. Many have not, or well.

We have the tools. We have the talent.

Now we need the guts.

Radio doesn’t need to play better songs.

It needs to put on a better show.

Let’s go.