# Ron Allen on Nashville Radio, Jack FM, and What’s Next :: Ep 29 Circling the Drain Podcast

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/circling-the-drain-7467223/ron-allen-on-nashville-radio-jack-fm-and-what-s-next-ep-29-circling-the-drain-podcast
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/circling-the-drain-7467223/ron-allen-on-nashville-radio-jack-fm-and-what-s-next-ep-29-circling-the-drain-podcast.md
Podcast: [Circling The Drain](https://stenobird.com/podcast/circling-the-drain-7467223)
Published: 2026-03-11T10:15:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/22c6935f
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/22c6935f/bcdbc490.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/circling-the-drain-7467223/episodes/ron-allen-on-nashville-radio-jack-fm-and-what-s-next-ep-29-circling-the-drain-podcast
Duration seconds: 3711

## Resource

Longtime Nashville programmer Ron Allen (96.3 Jack FM, Y’all Country) joins Circling The Drain to talk about 20 years of Jack FM, the changing face of radio, and how local personalities still matter in a streaming and AI-driven world. Ron walks through his journey from Tulsa and Wichita to Nashville, the heyday of big-budget radio, and what has been lost as companies cut costs, shrink staffs, and push more national and digital initiatives. He explains why training grounds for new talent have disappeared, why making a living in radio is harder than ever, and why he still believes there is a long life left for terrestrial radio if it leans into its strengths. You will hear candid insights on Jack FM, Y’all, iHeart, HD Radio, Big D & Bubba, WSM, KDF, and the battle for country listeners in Nashville, plus stories about Phil Valentine, building the Moose brand, and keeping stations “local” even without a full live staff. Timed Highlights 1:44 Ron Allen introduced and his Jack FM background 2:31 Jack FM hits 20 years in Nashville and the power of simple billboards 3:24 Why some stations still get branding and billboards wrong 4:15 Suites, perks, and how radio culture has changed over the years 5:31 Company culture: radio vs non-radio employers 6:37 What radio felt like in the 80s and 90s compared to today 8:16 Cost cutting, AI, and multi-market programming on the horizon 8:54 Would young Ron choose radio today? 9:29 No more “farm teams”: the disappearance of training grounds 9:43 Why it is hard to give hopeful advice to broadcasting students 10:21 Content will always be needed, but the distribution is changing 11:14 Why existing radio talent are undervalued as content creators 13:49 The need for young talent and how broadcasters should mentor them 14:32 Pay reality: whe…

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## Transcript

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