Industry News

NAB’s LeGeyt Testifies on AI Impact on Broadcasters

NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law yesterday (1/10) at the hearing, Oversight of A.I.: The Future of Journalism. LeGeyt testified that while broadcasters embrace technologies thatim can advance their mission and enable them to better-serve communities with quicker alerts and more local news, he shared broadcasters’ concerns about AI without appropriate guardrails in place. He presented three primary concerns; 1) that the use of broadcasters’ news content in AI models, without authorization, diminishes their audience trust and their reinvestment in local news; 2) the use of AI to doctor, manipulate or misappropriate the likeness of trusted radio or television personalities risks spreading misinformation or even perpetrating fraud; and 3) the rising prevalence of deepfakes make it increasingly burdensome for both newsrooms and users to identify and distinguish legitimate, copyrighted broadcast content, from the unvetted and potentially inaccurate content being generated by AI.

Industry News

“The Greatest Game Ever Played”

imLongtime radio personality and voiceover performer Mark Wainwright writes today in a piece for TALKERS magazine about the 1958 NFL Championship between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants – historically billed as “the Greatest Game Ever Played.” Was it, really? Wainwright says, “On the field? Maybe. In its impact on pro football and sports broadcasting? Absolutely!” While the Colts won in “sudden death” overtime, as it used to be called, it’s important to remember that in 1958 the NFL was not the juggernaut that it is today. Major League Baseball and college football were way bigger in terms of fan interest. But this game is looked at by many as the one that began the NFL’s ascendance to its current place atop the American sports media hill. Read the full story here.

Features

“The Greatest Game Ever Played”

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Baltimore’s Alan Ameche plunges over the goal line for the winning touchdown!(courtesy YouTube/NFL Films)

On the field? Maybe. In its impact on pro football and sports broadcasting? Absolutely!

By Mark Wainwright

imIt was one of those indelible moments in sports history: The 1958 NFL Championship, played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 23-17 in sudden death overtime. 65 years later, the events of that Sunday afternoon still resonate throughout pro sports and sports media.

In 1958, the National Football League was far from the huge phenomenon we see today. Americans generally had much more interest in baseball, and during the Fall, college football captured the attention of sports fans on Saturday afternoons. The annual Army/Navy and Harvard/Yale clashes were national news stories, and fans followed the exploits of powerhouses like Notre Dame and Michigan. For most fans, pro football was an afterthought. Even in cities with pro franchises, the NFL clubs often played runner-up to the local baseball teams.

Baltimore and New York were two exceptions. The Colts were upstarts — Baltimore didn’t get an NFL team until 1953 — and the city quickly fell in love with the Colts; on game days, Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium was described as “the world’s largest outdoor insane asylum.” Meanwhile, the Giants had been part of the NFL since 1925, and they were considered the league’s most glamorous team, located in the world’s media capital. Two very different teams, both with passionate fan bases, playing a nationally-televised title game in New York City… indeed, America was destined to notice pro football that day.

Seventeen Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees were in the stadium that afternoon, along with a Heisman Trophy winner (Baltimore running back Alan Ameche). The Colts were led by quarterback Johnny Unitas and defensive end Gino Marchetti. The New York offense revolved around halfback Frank Gifford, while linebacker Sam Huff anchored the defense.

There were all-stars in the broadcast booths, as well. NBC’s national telecast was assigned to Chris Schenkel and Chuck Thompson; both of these gentlemen are now legends of their industry. Joe Bolan and Bill McColgan called the game for NBC’s national radio feed, while Les Keiter did the play-by-play for WCBS Radio in New York. And Bob Wolff did the radio call for Baltimore’s WBAL. Wolff was assisted by an eager teenager who worked as his spotter… a young man named Maury Povich (yes, that guy).

The first half, frankly, wasn’t anywhere near “greatest game” territory. While both defenses played fairly well, the offenses looked sloppy and disorganized, and the two teams combined for six turnovers in the first thirty minutes. The Giants managed only a Pat Summerall field goal, while the Colts — almost in spite of themselves — took a 14-3 lead into halftime. It could have easily been 17-3, but Sam Huff blocked a Baltimore field goal attempt.

So, what was the halftime entertainment? Over the years, Super Bowl halftimes have featured performers like Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. What 1950’s superstars would perform in the “super bowl” of 1958? Elvis Presley? Brenda Lee, maybe? Nope. It was the Baltimore Colts Marching Band, with their prancing majorettes looking quite fetching in their red leotards and reindeer antlers…

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The Baltimore Colts Marching Band majorettes, in “reindeer” mode!  (courtesy YouTube/NFL Films)

Baltimore’s offensive woes continued into the second half. Early on, the Colts drove the ball to New York’s 1-yard line, but Alan Ameche was stopped for no gain on third down, then Ameche was tackled for a loss when he attempted to run wide on fourth down. In an interview decades later, Baltimore’s Lenny Moore revealed that Ameche botched the play; it was supposed to be an option pass, but Ameche didn’t hear Johnny Unitas’ signals correctly, and he ran instead of throwing a short pass to a wide open Colts receiver.

That goal-line stand awakened New York’s offense, and they needed only four plays to score their first touchdown to make it 14-10. The Giants then took a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter on a Frank Gifford touchdown reception, and while the Colts responded with two effective drives, they came up empty on both possessions; one ended with a missed field goal, the other ended when Unitas was sacked twice, taking the Colts out of scoring range. The Giants’ offense only needed a first down or two to ice the game, but Frank Gifford was stopped on a critical third down run. For decades, Gifford insisted he made the first down; Baltimore’s Gino Marchetti suffered a badly broken ankle in the pileup, and Gifford often said that amidst the chaos and confusion of tending to Marchetti’s injury, the officials did not spot the ball properly. However, when ESPN restored the footage for a 50th anniversary broadcast in 2008, an accident reconstruction expert analyzed the images and determined that Gifford was, indeed, just short of the first down (more about that ESPN program in our Epilogue). The Giants chose to punt the ball, and the Colts took over on their own 14-yard line.

This was the moment when Johnny Unitas began his ascent to legendary status. With just two minutes left, he moved the Colts downfield quickly. While there were several misfires, he made four critical completions, including three straight passes to his star receiver Raymond Berry. Those last three plays moved the ball 62 yards to the Giants’ 13-yard line, and with just seconds remaining, the Colts rushed Steve Myhra out to attempt a tying field goal. Myhra had struggled with field goal attempts all season, and Baltimore fans held their collective breath until the ball went through the uprights. The fourth quarter ended tied 17-17.

So… what happens next? Many of the players and coaches weren’t sure. It was not unusual for football games to end in a tie, but this game was for the NFL title. Would the teams be declared co-champions? Fortunately, the NFL had recently instituted an overtime rule for championships, and it would be decided on the field. The teams would play pure “sudden death.” The first team to score in any manner would win, and they would play for as long as it took.

The Giants won the toss and chose to receive, but they were not able to mount any kind of drive, and they punted the ball back to the Colts. Unitas now had all the time in the world, and Johnny U methodically moved the Baltimore offense to the New York 8-yard line. It was first-and-goal, and then, suddenly… the NBC Television feed disappeared! Nothing but snow on the screen!

This caused immediate panic in NBC’s control room, not to mention in homes across the nation, as viewers — particularly in Baltimore — bolted from their living rooms and scrambled to find the nearest radio. It was one of the worst possible moments to lose the live feed of a TV broadcast. And then…

A fan ran onto the field! Play was halted for nearly a full minute before New York’s Finest chased him down and escorted him to the sideline. Over the years, there has been endless rumor and speculation about this incident. Photographs show the fan was well-dressed and appeared very cooperative when the cops took him away; he certainly didn’t look like a drunken lout. Who was this guy?

Whoever he was, he is now the stuff of sports broadcasting legend. More than six decades later, it is widely believed that he was an NBC employee who realized the broadcast was interrupted and ran onto the field — or perhaps was told to run onto the field — to delay the game long enough to give the TV crew enough time to find a loose cable and fix the connection. As far as I know, he was never identified and the story has never been confirmed. One hopes the fellow received a bonus and a promotion for his quick thinking!

When the game resumed, the Colts ran two plays to reach third-and-goal from just over a yard away. A field goal attempt might have been the obvious choice, but Baltimore coach Weeb Ewbank was leery of sending a struggling Steve Myhra in to kick. Meanwhile, the coach trusted Unitas completely, and he left Johnny U and the offense on the field. A routine handoff to Alan Ameche secured a 23-17 Baltimore victory.

The game was breaking news nationwide. It was a big topic of Sunday afternoon dinner conversations, and it was headline news on front pages and in sports sections the following day. NFL and television executives soon realized that professional football could become a very valuable property, and they started making plans for increasing television coverage and boosting marketing exposure for the teams, the star players, and the sport overall. And down in Dallas, Lamar Hunt — a son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt — started thinking about owning his own football team. Those dreams eventually led to his role in establishing the rival American Football League, which merged with the NFL just over a decade later. Historians and sportswriters have studied the 1958 title game, and they generally agree that event was the start of professional football growing into the colossus it has since become. It was the aftermath and the impact  — as much as the drama of the game itself — that led them to calling it “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

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EPILOGUE

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, television did not put a high priority on archiving sports events back then. There is no known videotape of the game; videotape was in its infancy, and while NBC presumably had one or two of the early machines available, it seems nobody bothered racking them up. There is no known kinescope film recording of the television broadcast, either. Fortunately, there was plenty of film footage of the game, both from overhead and from sideline views. This footage was shot by NFL Films, as well as various newsreel cameramen working for different organizations.

On the 50th anniversary of the game in 2008, ESPN produced a special documentary that used the old footage to re-create much of the action. The historic clips were colorized for broadcast, and the action was interspersed with comments and memories from players, fans, and broadcasters who were there. (Sadly, many of these gentlemen have passed away in the fifteen years since.) Most of Bob Wolff’s Baltimore radio broadcast was saved, and the NBC national radio call was saved almost in entirety. This historic audio was used in conjunction with the preserved video. Several versions of the ESPN special can be found on YouTube; here is a link to one of those.

Others have collaborated on an almost-complete reconstruction of the game, using the original newsreel and NFL footage, some of the colorized ESPN content, stock footage, and still photos. The audio portion uses the NBC national radio call by Joe Bolan and Bill McColgan (complete with vintage commercials!). There are several uploads of this project on YouTube, and there is also a version on the Internet Archive, available here. If you’ve never seen any of “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” punch it up on your laptop and enjoy!

Mark Wainwright is a long-time radio personality and voiceover performer. He was most recently the morning host at WSYR in Syracuse; he is also a Baltimore native and life-long Baltimore Colts fan (and he still hasn’t gotten over the Colts leaving town and moving to Indianapolis decades ago!). He can be reached at: markwainwright@earthlink.net

Industry News

FOX News Channel Basks in Latest Cable News Ratings

FOX News Channel says that it remains cable television’s most-watched network for the eighth consecutive year in 2023, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. The cable news outfit says the dominance of late afternoon show “The Five,” the launch of FNC’s new primetime lineup, coupledim with the success of its daytime programming, positions it as the number one network in cable news. FNC says it had the largest share of the audience in total day (46%) and primetime (48%), capturing nearly half of the cable news landscape. In primetime, FNC delivered nearly 2 million viewers and 214,000 in the 25-54 demo, topping CNN and MSNBC combined in total viewership. On a 24-hour total day basis, FNC averaged over 1.2 million viewers and 150,000 in 25-54, with a 153% advantage over CNN in viewers. FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott says, “During yet another unprecedented news cycle, cable viewers continued to choose FOX News Channel. From moderating debates to reporting in war zones and many stories in between, I am honored to work alongside this unrivaled team of journalists and opinion hosts as they continue to exceed expectations.”

Industry News

TALKERS Legal Editor Steve Weisman Testifies Before Senate on Scamming

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Steven J.J. Weisman, Esq., who has served as the legal editor of TALKERS magazine since the early 1990s, testified yesterday (11/16) before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging about the dangerous proliferation of scams being targeted to America’s senior population.  Weisman, a law professor at Bentley University in Boston and the founder of the popular website Scamicide is a nationally renowned expert on scams and cybercrime. In addition to his prepared statement, Weisman was questioned by US Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Mark Kelly(D-AZ). You can see Weisman’s testimony here. Steve Weisman is also this week’s guest on the Michael Harrison Interview podcast you can listen to here. TALKERS publisher, Harrison states, “We are fortunate to have a legal mind as prominent and respected as Steve Weisman’s on our team of communication experts.”

Industry News

Mark Wainwright: The Greatest Home Run

im“A sports moment for the ages, a botched radio call, a live broadcast believed lost forever… then miraculously rediscovered. What a story!” October 13, 2023 is the 63rd anniversary of Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski’s unlikely World Series-winning home run that lifted the team over the heavily favored New York Yankees in the 1960 championship. Today, veteran radio performer and voiceover artist Mark Wainwright presents the story – and the stories behind the story – of “the greatest home run,” broadcasting legend Chuck Thompson’s uncharacteristic radio flubs, and how the video & audio of the series that was thought to be lost forever was found! Read Mark Wainwright’s story here.

Features

The Greatest Home Run

A sports moment for the ages, a botched radio call, a live broadcast believed lost forever… then miraculously rediscovered. What a story!

By Mark Wainwright

imThe History Channel calls it “The Most Dramatic Home Run in World Series History.” ESPN has often described it as the greatest home run of all time. To this day, it is the only World Series Game 7 walk-off home run.

Long-time baseball fans know the basic facts: On October 13, 1960, Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a line drive over the left field wall at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field to win the World Series for the Pirates.

This was an iconic moment in baseball history, and an iconic moment in baseball broadcasting history, as well … although the Hall of Fame broadcaster who described the moment for the national radio audience probably wished he could have done a second take!

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Above: Bill Mazeroski crosses the plate for the Game 7 victory! (photo courtesy YouTube)

It was a dramatic finish to an astonishing World Series, but as often happens, the backstory of that moment and how it was broadcast– and everything that led up to it – has been largely forgotten. As we follow this year’s MLB playoffs (while taking note of the anniversary), it’s worthwhile to look back at an earlier, very different era of post-season baseball…

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The 1960 World Series opponents could hardly have been more different. The New York Yankees of that era were a machine, and the 1960 team easily dominated the American League on their way to the pennant. In contrast, the Pittsburgh Pirates were a surprise. The Pirates had not been to the Series since 1927, they were coming off a mediocre 1959 season, and expectations were low… but they got off to a good start and managed to keep it going. With timely pitching, clutch hitting, lucky breaks, and a never-say-die attitude (21 of their 95 wins came in their final at-bat), the Pirates claimed the National League pennant. The Yankees were studs, while the Pirates were scrappers, and the first six games of the Series reflected the character and personality of the respective teams.

In their three wins, the Yankee sluggers clobbered Pittsburgh pitchers for 38 runs. Yet, the Pirates managed to hang on, squeezing out three close victories in response. It all came down to Game 7 at Forbes Field on the afternoon of Thursday, October 13. Not only were there multiple Hall-of-Famers on the field and in the dugouts, there were Hall-of-Famers in both the TV and radio broadcast booths:

NBC’s national TV broadcast (in “Living Color!”) was handled by Yankees announcer Mel Allen and the Pirates’ Bob Prince, while NBC’s national radio broadcast was called by the Chicago Cubs’ Jack Quinlan, and Chuck Thompson, the play-by-play voice of the Washington Senators… wait, what? The Washington Senators? Wasn’t Chuck Thompson the voice of the Baltimore Orioles forever? For most of his career, yes… but Thompson was caught in a business dispute between the Baltimore brewery that owned the Orioles and the Baltimore brewery that owned his broadcasting contract, so Chuck wound up in Washington for a while (alas, as so often happens in life, it was a battle between money and beer, and money won out).

Game 7 combined and concentrated all the craziness of the previous six. Both pitching staffs were tired, and the hitters took advantage; it is the only game in World Series history where no pitcher from either team recorded even a single strikeout. The Pirates jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the New York offense awakened and the Yankees took a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. That’s when things really started to get strange…

In the Pittsburgh half of the 8th, it appeared a routine ground ball would start a double-play and stall a potential Pittsburgh rally… but the ball took a bad hop and hit Yankee shortstop (and later, Hall of Fame broadcaster) Tony Kubek in the throat. He got up bleeding and gasping for air, and was taken to the hospital with bruised vocal cords and a swollen trachea.The injury didn’t damage Kubek’s future career, but it kept the Pirates alive, and they followed with five runs to take a 9-7 lead into the 9th inning. Just three outs away, and yet…

The Yankees scored two runs to tie it at 9-9. The tying run was another odd play; a hard shot toward first base looked like a game-ending (and Series-ending) double play, but Pittsburgh first baseman Rocky Nelson took the easy out at first… which turned the play into a fielders’ choice. Mickey Mantle (the runner already on first) dove back to base and avoided the tag, which gave the Yankee runner on third the opportunity to tie it up. The Yankee inning ended with a routine ground out, so it all came down to the bottom of the 9th.

New York manager Casey Stengel left Ralph Terry in to pitch the 9th, with 15-game-winner Art Ditmar warming in the bullpen, if needed. Second baseman Bill Mazeroski would lead off the inning for the Pirates. Mazeroski was much better known for his outstanding glove work than his hitting, but he had one of the Pirates’ hottest bats late in the season, and it paid off.

Ball one, high. Catcher Johnny Blanchard went to the mound to briefly confer with Terry. Up in the radio booth, Chuck Thompson was obviously caught up in the excitement of the moment and everything leading up to it:

“Well, a little while ago, when we mentioned that this one, in typical fashion, was going right to the wire, little did we know…”

Then, at 3:36 pm, the 1-0 pitch, and…

“Art Ditmar throws…”

(Chuck, no! Ditmar’s still in the bullpen! Terry’s pitching!)

Thompson called the following moments superbly when Mazeroski connected and the ball sailed over the wall at the 406’ mark. Pandemonium ensued as Mazeroski quickly rounded the bases. Fans poured onto the field; it looked like half of Pittsburgh was poised to welcome him at home plate.

Unfortunately, Thompson committed another gaffe in the midst of the uproar:

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mazeroski has hit a one-nothing pitch over the left field fence at Forbes Field to win the 1960 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of ten to nothing!”

(Chuck, no! Look at the scoreboard! Look at your scorecard!)

…to his credit, he corrected himself moments later.

As both a long-time broadcaster and a Baltimore native – someone who heard Chuck Thompson broadcast countless games for the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Colts of the NFL – it’s bizarre to hear Thompson commit these gaffes. Chuck Thompson did NOT make mistakes like this; he just didn’t. In his 1996 autobiography, he called it “easily the most embarrassing moment of my career behind the microphone.” His flawed moment did not derail a stellar career. In 1993, he received the Ford C. Frick broadcasting award from the Baseball Hall of Fame, and his name is honored in Cooperstown alongside the greats of the sport.

There’s a YouTube link, of course. Whoever produced it did a nice job of capturing this iconic event in sports history. You’ll hear Chuck Thompson’s “flawed but endearing” (as Wikipedia describes it) radio call of the homer, combined with the actual broadcast video. Although the audio portion switches over to Mel Allen’s TV call toward the conclusion, this minor deviation from the archived radio recording does nothing to spoil the drama and excitement. And by the way… the story behind how and why the Game 7 telecast was preserved is amazing enough on its own. So stay tuned for our post-game wrap-up!

The Greatest Home Run!

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EPILOGUE

Although NBC videotaped all seven games (in “Living Color!”), those recordings soon disappeared. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, videotape was very expensive back then, the reels were cumbersome, and storage was an issue. Thus, networks often re-used the tapes for various purposes, wiping everything that was recorded previously. Countless hours of television history have been lost due to this practice. So why did the entire TV broadcast of Game 7 survive intact (at least in black-and-white)?

You can thank Hollywood singing star Bing Crosby. Bing held an ownership interest in the Pirates then and was a huge fan, but he was oddly superstitious about things. He believed that watching the game on television would jinx the team, and showing up at Forbes Field would have been even worse. So he and his wife took off for a brief vacation in France, where he listened to the broadcast on shortwave radio. However…

Crosby had a close relationship with Ampex (including a financial interest), and he asked the folks at Ampex to record the game so he could watch it upon his return (but only if the Pirates won!). It’s not clear whether they taped it and transferred it to kinescope film or if they filmed a kinescope directly from the live broadcast. In any event, a black-and-white kinescope was saved and presented to Crosby. Presumably, Bing enjoyed viewing it and subsequently stashed it in his basement – where it remained untouched for forty-nine years!

In 2009, long after Crosby’s death, Robert Bader – an executive from Bing Crosby Enterprises – was going through materials at Crosby’s former home in Hillsborough, California. He was looking for any useful recorded video that could be transferred to DVD and marketed, and he stumbled onto the five-reel set in Bing’s wine cellar! It is the only known copy of the historic game. The reels were preserved and digitized, and later broadcast as part of several retrospectives covering the 1960 World Series and Game 7 specifically.

So… what’s mellowing in your wine cellar?

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Mark Wainwright is a veteran radio performer and voiceover artist who has spent decades working as a disc jockey, talk show host, and morning personality at well-known radio stations throughout the United States. He was most recently the morning host at WSYR in Syracuse, New York. Mark can be reached through his LinkedIn page or at: markwainwright@earthlink.net

 

Industry News

WABC’s Curtis Sliwa Arrested Again Over Migrant Camps Protest

Guardian Angels founder and WABC, New York host Curtis Sliwa was arrested yesterday (8/20) for blockingim the street along with other protestors in front of the Midland Beach Migrant Shelter on Staten Island. According to a report by Greg Wehner at FOX News, Sliwa was protesting the at the former Midland Beach Senior Citizen Home. It was the second time in a week that Sliwa was arrested. On Wednesday of last week (8/16) he and others protested in front of the Creedmoor Hospital Grounds where a tent shelter for migrants has been built. Read the FOX News piece here.

Industry Views

Pending Business: The Fastest Billboards

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imUntil NASA approves company logos on rockets, the fastest billboards an advertiser can buy move at over 200 miles per hour, weigh less than seven ounces and are three-hundredths of an inch thick.

Who wants fast-moving billboards? The longer you can read the message the better, right? Not a problem when a marketer identifies a hard-to-reach target combined with an engaging new opportunity. No, these are not the colorful logos you see on NASCAR vehicles or the old school logos on Formula 1 cars. These are the new-age digital billboards on Formula 1 race cars.

These new billboards are the first of their kind, strategically placed on Formula 1 cars. These magnificent machines, featured at races around the world, can reach speeds of nearly 250 miles per hour. When a race car is moving that fast every ounce of weight counts, hence the paper-thin design. You see (excuse the pun) it is all about a camera angle and what the viewer sees when TV coverage cuts to that strategically placed camera and over 2 million viewers are looking on. Angles count.

Formula 1 racing not a threat to local radio ad sales, you say? Not yet, but when over 13 million people watch the top 12 Grand Prix races worldwide, it’s just a matter of time. The Formula 1 billboard lessons for local sellers and managers are not simple “how many calls, how many closes?” The Formula 1 billboard story is about:

— Sales and marketing innovation in a sport that is nearly 130 years old. The idea of creating a paper-thin, super lightweight digital billboard is an amazing accomplishment.

— Try again. How many times have you pitched a package to an advertiser who told you what was wrong with your package, only to lead to frustration at not winning the business? Can your manager quickly adapt to the advertisers’ needs? Managers, please read that last sentence carefully. The designers of the digital billboard were sent back to the drawing board until the weight and thickness worked for these incredible race machines.

— While you are thinking about getting your pitch together, somebody is already moving forward. In plain English: you snooze, you lose.

— Collaboration is the way to win. It took sellers working with engineers, working with marketers to make the concept work. How about you? Are you comfortable selling in collaboration with teammates?

The sales and marketing innovation clock never stops. How about you? Is your learning clock still ticking?

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com. Steve Lapa will be moderating the “Generating Revenue” panel at TALKERS 2023 on Friday, June 2 at Hofstra University.

Industry News

Comscore: Outkick Fastest Growing Sports Site

Clay Travis’s sports media platform OutKick finished as the “fastest-growing year-over-year in the top 50 sports sites in unique viewers” in February 2023, according Comscore. OutKick says it continues to post substantial increases in unique viewers with a 326% year-over-year growth versus February 2022. Travis says, “We’re continuing our growth trajectory every month and that’s directly correlated with the incredible OutKick talent that drives engaging content every day with personalities who are able to speak their minds.” OutKick also says it saw over 1 million social interactions on Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram, up 258% in February 2023 versus February 2022. Additionally, YouTube Video Views for OutKick attracted 7.1 million views – up 487% from the prior year, according to Shareable.

Industry Views

The Power of Magical Contesting

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling on Sunday

WABC - Bruce MorrowRadio is good at contests. TV and print suck at contests. However, when listeners are asked why they tune to radio, contests are at the bottom of the list.

Contests are at the bottom because the question is not worded correctly. Dozens of focus groups reveal that nobody admits to entering radio contests. Wrong question. We changed the question: “Most people enter radio station contests, which ones have you entered?

Nine out of 10 hands shot up – all groups all demos. Every time.  That’s not the news. The news is that all participants STILL HAD THE PRIZE.  Yes, they kept it as a valued treasure.

The contesters remembered the station, the time they won and the DJ, even if they won 20 years ago. Why? Because it was their brush with show business magic. Radio makes magic. The more magic radio makes, the greater its engagement with listeners.

There is no magic awarding “$1,000 in our national contest.” Imagine following the $1,000 station promo with a news story about $2 billion Powerball drawings. Radio cannot compete for prize money, but radio can compete with magic. Yes, the research will show that most people want to win cash, but radio can’t give away enough cash to be memorable or emotional. Radio can make magic with creativity for very little money.

At the end of this column I’ll share with you the most magical contest ever produced by a radio station. To make magic first dive into the list of needs in a person’s mind. In 1974! I launched the first PAY YOUR RENT OR MORTGAGE contest. It was on WOR-FM in New York City.  Every winner came to the station to pick up their check and made the same statement, “I bet no one else had a bigger rent.” The rent or mortgage payment looms so large in our collective brain that it is overwhelming. What else looms large in your listener’s brain -solve the need, award the prize. Turn the $1,000 cash from corporate into something cool and top of mind.

For true engagement, award a specific element from your station or show. For example, Robert Clotworthy is the VO announcer on History Channel’s Ancient Aliens and The Curse of Oak Island. You know the voice. Clotworthy is a frequent guest on my show, “Sterling on Sunday.”  As a prize, we offer Robert to voice your voice mail greeting: “IS PETER A REMNANT FROM OUR DISTANT PAST? ANCIENT ALIEN THEORISTS SAY…LEAVE A MESSAGE.”

Every winner will be asked by their friends “How did you get that???”

Three keys to a successful contest: The prize, the prize, the prize. Very important: The magic of the right prize benefits the overall appeal of the station to every listener, not just contest players. That urgent suggestion is rooted in this astonishing fact first revealed by early PPM data: Contest players are primarily contest players. The PPM measures actual people and actual behaviors. Most contest players float to ANY station offering contest prizes. When the contest is over, the players migrate to the next station offering a contest prize.

This is the most magical contest ever produced, please listen to the whole, humbling aircheck. https://youtu.be/yt3io2nFlt4

 Walter Sabo, consultant, can be contacted at Sabo Media: walter@sabomedia.com. Direct phone: 646-678-1110.  Check out www.waltersterlingshow.com.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (1/18) Hottest News/Talk Media Stories

The U.S. debt ceiling is reached today and the political battle over raising it; the special counsel investigation into President Joe Biden’s possession of government documents; the Supreme Court allows New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act to stand; the Biden administration’s softening on providing Ukraine with weapons needed to attack Russian positions in Crimea; the World Economic Forum taking place in Davos, Switzerland; Microsoft announces plans to lay off 10,000 workers; and the weeks of deadly storms that have battered and flooded California were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (1/17) Hottest News/Talk Media Stories

The cache of government documents in the possession of President Joe Biden and special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into the matter; the federal debt limit will be reached on tomorrow and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen cautions “extraordinary measures” will be needed to pay the nation’s bills if congress doesn’t act; the House GOP prepares to begin impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for failing to secure the U.S.-Mexico border; the military assistance the U.S. is providing to Ukraine as Russia continues its attacks on the country; the World Economic Forum taking place in Davos, Switzerland; Elon Musk’s fraud trial for 2018 tweets about taking Tesla private; China’s population decline and its slowed economic growth; and the aftermath of the storms that have been battering California for the past month were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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Yesterday’s (1/16) Hottest News/Talk Media Stories

The discovery of government documents in the possession of President Joe Biden and special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into the matter; the federal debt limit will be reached on Thursday and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen cautions “extraordinary measures” will be needed to pay the nation’s bills; the celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday; Russia’s most recent attacks on the Ukraine city of Dnipro that’s claimed the lives of at least 40 civilians; and the ninth atmospheric river in three weeks brings more winter storms to the already deluged state of California were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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The Weekend’s Hottest News/Talk Media Stories

Still more government documents are found in the possession of President Joe Biden as special counsel Robert Hur investigates the matter; the federal debt limit will be reached on Thursday and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen cautions “extraordinary measures” will be needed to pay the nation’s bills; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is the subject of protests in Israel; the intensifying Russian missile offensive in Ukraine; the investigation into Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger; Brazil’s Supreme Court announces it will investigate former President Jair Bolsonaro for a possible connection to the recent riots; Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday; the intense rain storms soaking California; and the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend games were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the January 14-15 weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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Yesterday’s (1/11) Hottest News/Talk Media Stories

The discovery of a second batch of classified documents found by President Joe Biden’s aides in a second location associated with the president; the debt ceiling and the threat of financial chaos and recession; the call by some Republicans in Congress for George Santos to resign his seat over falsehoods on his curriculum vitae while Speaker Kevin McCarthy supports him; the deadly floods in California; the FAA’s computer failure that upset air travel across the U.S.; the latest battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the city of Soledar; the latest report on global ocean temperatures and the threat of global warming; and the death of guitar great Jeff Beck after he contracted bacterial meningitis were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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Yesterday’s (1/10) Hottest News/Talk Media Stories

The matter of President Joe Biden having classified government documents in a think tank office from his vice presidential days; the deadly California floods; The U.S. House approves the creation of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government to investigate attacks on conservatives; the flap over reports that gas stoves are harmful to users’ health and the threat of a government ban; Russia’s claim that it has taken control of the Ukrainian city of Soledar; the death of pro-Trump duo “Diamond & Silk” member Lynette Hardaway; Tuesday evening’s return of the Golden Globes award show after a year off; and reaction to the publication of Prince Harry’s book, Spare, and his appearance on “60 Minutes” were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday (1/10), according to research from TALKERS magazine.

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Yesterday’s (1/9) Hottest News/Talk Media Topics

The revelation that classified documents were found in a private office used by President Joe Biden during his time as vice president; the U.S. House begins operating under new rules and passes a bill to reduce the budget of the IRS; Joe Biden’s trip to Mexico City for the summit of North American leaders and the related issue of border security and immigration policy; the intensifying California floods causing evacuations amidst threats of mudslides; the aftermath of the Brazil riots and the storming of the National Congress; the controversy over reports of gas stoves causing health problems; the latest assaults in the Russia-Ukraine war; and the British royals drama following the release of Prince Harry’s book and his appearance on “60 Minutes” were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday (1/9).

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The Weekend’s Hottest News/Talk Media Stories

U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy is named House Speaker after 15 rounds of voting; the issue of border security at the U.S.-Mexico border and President Joe Biden’s weekend visit to El Paso; the weekend attacks by Russia’s and Ukraine’s militaries; supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro storm the country’s National Congress and other government buildings; Prince Harry’s 60 Minutes interview; and the California floods were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media over the weekend.

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This Week’s Hottest News/Talk Media Topics

According to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine, the most-talked-about story in news/talk media for the week of January 2 – 6, 2023 was the turmoil surrounding U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become House Speaker. At #2 this week was former President Donald Trump’s influence over the GOP tied with his ongoing legal issues, followed by the case of incoming U.S. Rep George Santos (R-NY) on the heels of his fabricated curriculum vitae at #3. The Talkers TenTM is a weekly chart of the top stories and people discussed in news/talk media during the week and is the result of ongoing research from TALKERS magazine. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart of the top 10 stories here.