NAB Show: Navigating the Podcast Advertising Landscape
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
Yesterday’s column outlined techniques that will make podcast interviews click. And here are my notes from another NAB Show session, about podcast advertising. Panelists included agency people who spend LOT$ advertising in podcasts.
Glenn Rubenstein, CEO, Adopter Media: “Don’t over-stuff your ad breaks.”
Sean King, SVP/GM Media & Entertainment, Veritone: Ads from radio DON’T work. “Podcast listeners really connect to their hosts. So, these ads are viewed more like recommendations from a friend.”
Saying “ads are content too,” Krystina Rubino, GM Right Side Up spoke of “an inherent, very close relationship between the host and the audience. Don’t over-script the ads. The vast majority of podcast ads that are working are host endorsements.”
In Q+A, I asked “What can podcasters learn from broadcasters?” Krystina noted a podcast faux pas: “reading an ad like they’ve never seen the copy before.”
MORE on podcasting at HollandCooke.com
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins,” and “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up,” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn.
councilmember Kevin DeLeon and councilmember Gil Cedillo along with former labor leader Ron Herrera – reveals them uttering racist remarks, derogatory comments toward council colleagues, and disruptive, racially charged rhetoric about how the City Council could “skew” redistricting. The station says, “Now that a full year has passed, KBLA Talk 1580 will host two important conversations unpacking what transpired in the community since these divisive, hurtful comments were made and what the future holds for the City of Los Angeles.” Tavis Smiley will host a show featuring community voices on October 9 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Then on October 12 (from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm), the Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles will host “Days of Dialog: The Anatomy of Anti-Black Racism and Bigotry.” 
responded to former Sacramento Kings player DeMarcus Cousins’ social media post asking him what he thought of Black Lives Matter and Napear responded, “ALL LIVES MATTER… EVERY SINGLE ONE.” Bonneville fired him citing a clause in his contract that holds him responsible for anything that “might discredit the goodwill, good name or reputation” of the company. In allowing the wrongful termination suit to go forward, Judge Drozd wrote that Napear “has stated a plausible cause for retaliation” under California Labor Code sections 1101 and 1102, stating further that “the court finds that plaintiff has sufficiently alleged a ‘rule, regulation, or policy’ under (section) 1101 by alleging … defendant used his termination ‘as an example to all other employees of the Company as an implicit warning that anyone that dared to speak out publicly and criticize the politics of the Black Lives Matter movement would be summarily terminated.’” 
dismissed Napear’s suit last month but gave him 21 days to file an amended suit. Napear was let go after former Kings center 
says of their decision in 2021 to go with Outkick, “The timing was perfect, but we also had a chance to grow what we were already doing. We didn’t have to leave Nashville. We own our intellectual property; you don’t have that with radio companies. We’re able to form our own show company, so to speak, and we’re part of the much larger grand scheme of Clay’s vision.” Gallagher’s piece looks at the digital frontier the trio began exploring with Outkick and chronicles their return to the Nashville airwaves. 
stations. In the bigger picture, Fischer writes, “Today, no one radio host commands the same level of power and influence that Limbaugh did, but a number of new voices are emerging — blending the reach of traditional and digital platforms — and collectively proving to be more powerful in shaping conservative opinion for younger audiences.” TALKERS magazine publisher Michael Harrison is quoted in the piece saying, “The world is changing and there are questions as to how Limbaugh, had he lived and remained healthy — based upon his mindset and his approach to the business — would have remained as pertinent as he was. He was not as flexible when it came to social media and some of the other forms that it takes right now to be a media presence as opposed to just a radio presence.” 
7:00 pm. KNX says, “In her first broadcast town hall as mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass takes the stage at KNX News to take questions from Angelenos on a broad range of public safety-related topics the day after her State of the City address. As the City searches for a new chief to shape the future of the LAPD, Mayor Bass will hear from constituents about what they want that future to look like.” The show is being aired on KNX News 97.1 FM, the Audacy app, and streamed live on YouTube.
CEO/president, Gray Television; Mary Menna, vice president & market manager, Beasley Media Group; and Carlson Mozdiez, vice president, digital business operations, Audacy; alongside moderator Sarah Foss, chief technology officer, Audacy, will engage in a candid conversation exploring the evolving landscape of sports business and the significant role women play in shaping its future. The panel will dive deep into the emergence of multiplatform sports coverage and how it has reshaped the business landscape of the sports industry, and how media professionals have leveraged multiplatform sports to enhance audience engagement and reach a diverse set of viewers. 
Hannity Show” and the “Sports Nightly” program. KLIN general manager Ami Graham tells the paper that Parsons was not terminated for cause, “We’ve just chosen to go in a different direction.” For his part, Parsons tells the Journal Star that “he tried cutting against the grain by hosting a talk radio show that stressed ‘lifting up instead of tearing down — and truth over tribalism. I thought we were taking radio in a different direction.’” 
writer Bob Cooney to middays. The question Tornoe asks is what about Mike Missanelli? “Rumors have been swirling in sports radio circles the past few days about the return of Missanelli, once the station’s biggest star, whose sudden exit from his afternoon show in 2022 after 15 years shocked listeners.” Tornoe says that Missanelli has been in contact with management but there’s nothing to report and Missanelli isn’t talking. PD Scott Masteller tells the paper, “Mike’s name has come up. He’s a great talent, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. A lot of people are interested in the radio station right now. So, I’ll leave it at that.” The current PM drive show is “The Best Show Ever?” hosted by Tyrone Johnson, Ricky Bottalico and Jenn Scordo. 
weakness in the national and network marketplace, and first-time hurdles in our Subscription Digital Marketing Solutions segment. In total, Digital now represents 51% of Townsquare’s 2023 net revenue and 55% of our 2023 Adjusted Operating Income, and maintained a 30% Adjusted Operating Income margin, consistent with 2022’s margin. The strong cash generation characteristics of our assets allowed us to produce $68 million of cash flow from operations in 2023, an increase of $18 million, or +35%, as compared to the prior year. We could not be more pleased to share that given our strong cash position, we were able to repurchase and retire approximately $27 million of our Unsecured Senior Notes at a discount during the year. In addition, we repurchased $17 million of our common stock, and paid a high-yielding dividend while also investing in our business. We also ended the year with a strong cash balance of $61 million and net leverage of 4.43x, retaining financial flexibility moving forward. Despite the lack of tailwinds at our back in 2023, I am very pleased with how the Townsquare team navigated the progressively challenging economic landscape. We outperformed competitors and gained market share due to our local focus and our digital platform. I believe that our performance over the past several years has demonstrated the efficacy of our Digital First Local Media strategy and validated our focus on local markets outside of the Top 50 U.S. cities, reinvigorating my confidence in our business model and our path moving forward.”