Tag: "Ann Coulter"
Monday, October 3, 2016
Boyce: Why Talk Radio Is Not Dying, Part 2. Talk and news radio programming pro Phil Boyce writes a follow-up to the TALKERS magazine piece he penned two years ago titled, “Why Talk Radio Is Not Dying, Part 1.” Boyce says, “Usually when you find people predicting the demise or death of this format it comes from two sources: a) people who don’t truly understand this format and, b) people who do understand it, and loathe it.” Boyce outlines his case for the sustained health of the format and cautions his peers who wish to steer talk radio away from news and politics. “Do that if you will. It only makes my stations stronger because I know the number-one reason listeners come to talk radio: for breaking news, big stories, and what to think about it.” Read his piece here.
NYTimes Piece Highlights GOP’s Trump Split Set Against Talk Radio Backdrop. A Robert Draper-penned piece in The New York Times delving into the divisions in the GOP and conservative media over Donald Trump uses WSB-AM/FM, Atlanta personality Erick Erickson as its hub. Erickson – former RedState.com writer – along with several other prominent conservative media personalities, including Sean Hannity, George Will, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Charlie Sykes, Stephen K. Bannon, and Bill O’Reilly, are featured in Draper’s piece illustrating the splintering of the media wing of the GOP party. Erickson and Will are two conservative media personalities who have not given their support to Trump and in the piece, they related how that unwillingness to back Trump has affected their relationships with fellow conservatives and the mega-players in the conservative media. Read the piece here.
Memorial Tribute Planned Tomorrow Evening in NYC for Dr. Joy Browne. A group of industry figures have organized “A Celebration of Joy” memorial tribute to talk radio legend Dr. Joy Browne, who died unexpectedly on August 27. It will take place at an intimate theater in the Chelsea district of Manhattan and feature a roster of speakers who will eulogize and share stories about their memories of the famed radio psychologist. The program will be co-hosted by TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison and Salem Radio Network syndicated star Mike Gallagher. Speakers will include (in alphabetical order): Ted Anderson of Genesis Communications Network; David Bernstein of TalkersRadio; Pierre Bouvard of Cumulus Media/Westwood One; Tracy Cramer of the Alzheimer’s Association of America; Bernadette Duncan of Talkers Books; Joan Hamburg of WABC, New York; Stephen M. Silverman of Time, Inc.; and Doug Stephan of Stephan Multimedia. The program will be video recorded and posted on Talkers.com, DrJoy.com and GCNlive.com. Attendance for industry-members only (and personal friends of Dr. Joy Browne) is free of charge but there are only a handful of seats remaining. Call 413-565-5413 to inquire about registering. Michael Harrison served as temporary host of Dr. Joy Browne’s daily three-hour syndicated show on GCN through the month of September providing three days of memorial broadcasts and a three-week transition period to give the network and its affiliates a chance to reorganize their plans for her time slot. Upon finishing up the run, Harrison states, “I was very touched by the outpouring of emotion and love Joy’s listeners expressed on these shows. As exhausting as it was hosting three hours a day of intense live radio dealing with the human condition on top of my regular job, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career and I’ll never forget it. Rest in peace, dear Dr. Joy.”
Philly Sports Talker Jon Marks Wraps AM Show Gig at ‘97.5 The Fanatic.’ This morning was Jon Marks’ last show with Anthony Gargano at Greater Media’s sports talker WPEN-FM, Philadelphia. Marks bid adieu to his WPEN listeners and thanked management for allowing him to work through the end of this deal and say his goodbyes. Marks can be reached at: JonMarksRadio@gmail.com.
The Presidential Race, LAPD Kill Black Man/Cops Shoot St. Louis Teen, 9/11 Widow to Sue Saudi Arabia, Wikileaks Threatens Clinton Info Dump, Deutsch Bank Troubles, Looming Hurricane Matthew, MLB Playoffs, and NFL Action Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. The activities of presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton; the fatal shooting of a black man by Los Angeles police and the wounding of a St. Louis teen by police there; a 9/11 widow is the first to file suit against Saudi Arabia under the recently changed policy; Wikileaks founder Julian Assange teases a Tuesday release of documents that could relate to Hillary Clinton; potential DOJ-levied $14 billion fine against Deutsch Bank and the “IT failure” that prevented Germans from accessing their accounts this weekend; the threat that Hurricane Matthew brings to Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba; the Major League Baseball playoff matchups are solidified; and the weekend’s NFL action were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
Odds & Sods. Seven new affiliate stations are beginning to carry Stacy Washington’s “Stacy on the Right” radio program. In seven urban markets served by the Urban Family Talk network, Washington’s “national and conservative voice” will be heard daily in Memphis, Cleveland, Madison, Tupelo, Toledo, Boise, and Atlanta…..Is this the end for Gregg “Opie” Hughes at SiriusXM? Last week, Hughes indicated that SiriusXM offered him at new deal that he rejected. He’s been off the satcaster since his previous contract expired and his former partner comic Jim Norton and producer Sam Roberts have been hosting the show…..CBS RADIO’s sports talk KILT-AM, Houston “Sports Radio 610 is bringing Derek Fogel aboard to serve as a sports news anchor and weekend/fill-in host. Fogel was most recently with Max Media’s sports WXLT-FM, Carbondale/Marion, Illinois “103.5 ESPN Southern Illinois.” He’ll also write for CBSHouston…..Cox Media Group news/talk WOKV-AM/FM, Jacksonville adds Radio America’s Chad Benson show to its weekend lineup…..“FOX News Headlines 24/7” – the radio station heard exclusively on SiriusXM – is celebrating its one-year anniversary on Wednesday. The station provides subscribers with around-the-clock, original reporting on national news and real-time headlines.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Update: The Glenn Beck Defamation Suit. TALKERS magazine legal editor Steven J.J. Weisman reports on the status of the defamation suit in which Premiere Networks talk host Glenn Beck is defending himself. Saudi Arabian national Abdulrahman Alharbi is suing Beck for defamation after Beck continued to talk about his belief that Alharbi had a role in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing after authorities had investigated him and cleared him of any involvement in the crime. Now, Weisman says the case has taken another legal step after Judge Patti B. Saris allowed Alharbi to amend his defamation lawsuit by adding a count for unjust enrichment. In allowing this count to be added to the complaint, Judge Saris has significantly upped the amount of a possible judgment. Weisman says the case is a long way from trial and that it’s in the discovery phase right now. Read more here.
WCCO Honored by NAB for Service to Community. On Tuesday (6/16), CBS RADIO heritage news/talk station WCCO-AM was honored by the NAB with the National Association of Broadcaster’s Education Foundation’s “Service to Community Award” for the station’s year-round outreach to help the hungry. For the campaign, WCCO engaged listeners, celebrities and charity groups to collect food and replenish food shelves across 59 counties. Pictured here are (from l-r): U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, CBS RADIO Minneapolis SVP and market manager Mick Anselmo, WCCO program director Bob Shomper, and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison. Photo: CBS.
WPHT, Philadelphia’s Chris Stigall Hosts Sold-Out Book Event with Ann Coulter. Philadelphia morning drive host Chris Stigall (right) brought author and conservative media icon Ann Coulter (left) to the Colonial Theatre near Philadelphia for a sold-out event on Monday, June 15 to talk about, among other things, her latest book, Adios America! (Regnery Publishing 2015). Stigall reports to TALKERS that the conversation touched on a wide variety of topics including Coulter’s friendship with Bill Maher, and her real concern about the state of free speech in comedy and commentary today.
Howie Carr: Presidential Kingmaker! It is no secret that every four years in the weeks and months leading up to the high-visibility New Hampshire presidential primary, radio talk show hosts in the state take on an importance and influence in national affairs that exponentially outweighs what their market size and audience reach would normally deliver. Taking that fact into consideration, regionally syndicated host Howie Carr, whose recently launched, independent Howie Carr Radio Network covers the six New England states like a blanket (and is starting to leak into neighboring New York), has become a potential presidential “king maker.” Carr’s immensely popular afternoon drive program is now affiliated in seven top New Hampshire markets with an eighth reportedly on the way — giving him an unprecedented level of “local” presence in the strategic primary battleground that makes him a must-visit by all candidates hoping to have a shot at winning the crucial election. Carr, who ranked 15th in this year’s TALKERS Heavy Hundred, is considered by many industry observers familiar with his impact in the Northeast as somewhat of a “sleeping giant of news/talk radio” just waiting to invade the nearby Empire State and beyond. To hear a promo currently running on Carr’s network referring to his role in the primary, please click
WSCR, Chicago’s Dan Bernstein Suspended for Tweet. The Chicago sports talk host sat out yesterday’s show (without pay) and will return to the “Boers & Bernstein” show today. This, reported by Chicago media writer Robert Feder, came after Dan Bernstein revisited rumors that WLS-TV meteorologist Cheryl Scott was romantically involved with one or more Chicago Blackhawks players when he Tweeted: “And the real award for this year’s close connection to the @NHLBlackhawks is @CherylScottWX!!” Scott had vehemently denied the rumors via social media and after Bernstein’s Tweet, Feder reports that WSCR was contacted by WLS-TV management and Scott’s agent protesting the Tweet. This is the second recent Tweet that’s got Bernstein into trouble. Earlier this year he apologized for sexist comments made about Comcast SportsNet Chicago anchor Aiyana Cristal.
‘The John and Leah Show’ Lands on WHAS, Louisville. It’s a return to WHAS, Louisville for talk host John Ziegler, whose new Envision Networks-syndicated weekend show with co-host Leah Bandon is being heard every Sunday night at 10:00. Ziegler was a daily personality on the station earlier in his career and iHeartMedia Louisville senior vice president of programming Kelly Carls says, “John Ziegler is already well known to many fans around Kentuckiana. We’re glad they’ll once again get to hear his well-thought-out, unique take on major events and the news.”
Odds & Sods. The nationally syndicated political weekend show “Beyond the Beltway with Bruce DuMont” celebrates its 35the anniversary next weekend (6/28) with a special program on Sunday preceded by a private gathering on June 24 with frequent program guests from over the years. The show began in 1980 as a 13-week experiment on WBEZ-FM, Chicago to cover the 1980 presidential campaign. In 1991 it went into syndication on public radio. In 1992 it switched to commercial WLS-AM, Chicago and its national profile grew.…..Financial talk host Robert “Bob” Hardcastle – host of the weekend “Money Talk” program on KTRS, St. Louis – has written a memoir of his days as a college baseball player at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1959 titled, College Baseball and Other Shenanigans. Hardcastle is an honored SIUC alumnus from the Class of 1962 and a member of the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.
2016 Presidential Prospects/Trump Enters Race, Rachel Dolezal Case, Pope Francis’ Global Warming Encyclical, U.S.-Russia Tensions, SCOTUS ObamaCare Subsidies Case, Woman to Be on $10 Bill, ISIS Military Progress, EU Uncertainty Over Greek Debt, and Golden State Warriors Win NBA Title Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (6/17). The candidates for president in 2016 and Donald Trump’s entrance into the GOP primary; the ongoing talk about former Spokane NAACP head Rachel Dolezal’s “identifying” as black; the leaked encyclical in which Pope Francis calls for global governmental action on climate change; the military tensions between Russia and the U.S.; the Supreme Court to hear arguments over federal ObamaCare subsidies; the Treasury Department’s announcement that a woman will replace Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill in 2020; the progress of ISIS in Iraq and the U.S. military’s policy there; the state of the European Union as Greece warns it can’t pay its debts; and the Golden State Warriors’ victory over Cleveland in the NBA Finals were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Westwood One Founder Norm Pattiz Describes Beginnings of Westwood One. During his special remarks at last week’s historic Los Angeles Regional Talkers Forum (10/20), Westwood One founder (and current CEO of Courtside Entertainment) Norm Pattiz shared the story of the early days of the ground breaking syndication firm that he started in one office in Westwood back in the late 1970s. Telling the packed house of talk media professionals that he launched the company with “$10,000 and a working wife,” Pattiz describes how his background as a well-connected former L.A. television sales manager served to bring sponsorships to packaged radio programs — thus shifting the network radio business model from a direct cash to barter system and opening the door to the tremendous growth that followed. He talks about Westwood One’s first show being an urban radio cross-over Motown special stating, “Being a television guy and not a radio guy, I didn’t know the rules of radio and if you don’t know the rules, you can’t be limited by them.” Pattiz’s speech can be seen exclusively on TALKERS TV. If you are using a mobile device, click here to view the video.
Cumulus Budget Ax Chops Through Chicago. Time Out Chicago’s Robert Feder reports Cumulus corporate dictates have taken a toll on the producer staff at news/talk WLS, Chicago and the programming and airstaff at sister oldies WLS-FM. Afternoon drive “Roe & Roeper” executive producer Jock
Hedblade and “Don Wade & Roma” morning drive show producer Zack Christenson both have been let go along with WLS-FM program director Michael LaCrosse and Chris Papendick, producer of the Greg Brown PM drive show on WLS-FM. The other change includes operations director Drew Hayes remaining solely responsible for WLS and no longer overseeing WMAL, Washington as he has for the past several years. Bill Hess was recently promoted to PD at WMAL. Hayes’ oversight began when WMAL was without a programmer.
Q3 Reports: Arbitron Up; Journal’s Radio Bright Spot in Down Quarter. Arbitron reports third quarter revenue up 6.1% over the same period one year ago and states it expects revenue for the entire year to be up somewhere between 6% and 8%. During a conference call, Arbitron CEO Bill Kerr noted that the company’s completion of the rollout of the Portable People Meter in the 48 top radio markets helped the company achieve its goals. He also gave an update on the status of its Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement-sponsored project to develop a “single-source panel” for measuring TV, internet and mobile usage. Kerr says they expect to present
their work to CIMM during the fourth quarter. At Journal Communications, while TV and publishing are languishing, radio has been pretty good to the Milwaukee-based company. Radio was up 2.7% year-over-year while the company posted a 4.4% loss overall for the quarter. Flagship news/talk WTMJ, Milwaukee posted record ratings under the PPM as the station benefitted from the success of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, MLB’s Brewers and the recall elections across the state that brought in political dollars in a non-election year.
Michigan Sports Talker Sean Baligian Exits Clear Channel. The “Sean and Terp Show” aired in PM drive on Clear Channel’s WDFN, Detroit and was simulcast to Grand Rapids on WMAX-FM. With Baligian’s departure from the company, Ryan Terpstra continues to host the afternoon show on WMAX-FM, Grand Rapids and WDFN will feature a series of guest hosts as the station seeks its next permanent host for the daypart. Via Facebook, Baligian says farewell to fans and hopes to announce a new gig soon. The program was originally “Sean, Terp and Killer” and recently lost co-host Tom “Killer” Kowalski who died unexpectedly in August of heart failure at age 51.
Journal Names J. Pat Miller Promotion and Marketing Manager in Milwaukee. Journal Broadcast Group’s Milwaukee operations announces classic hits WLWK-FM midday host and program director J. Pat Miller moves to a new position as promotion and marketing manager for the company’s WLWK-FM and news/talk WTMJ. Journal states Miller “will work with the radio sales departments and programming teams to coordinate promotions, events and interactive platforms and will assume day-to-day oversight of the stations’ promotions department, as well.” Programmer John Roberts joins Journal to handle programming at WLWK-FM.
Town Hall Takes on Los Angeles. KRLA, Los Angeles’ sold out NTR event on Saturday evening (10/22) pulled a crowd of 1,400 into the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California. The Salem Communications station produced the annual “Town Hall” event that featured Salem Radio Network talk show hosts plus special guests. Pictured here (from l-r) are: SRN’s Mike Gallagher, columnist, author and pundit Ann Coulter, SRN’s Dennis Prager, KDWN, Las Vegas AM drive host Heidi Harris (who served as moderator for the program), and SRN personality Michael Medved. The panelists batted around the current hot news stories including the 2012 presidential race. They also fielded questions from the audience.
‘Occupy Wall Street,’ 2012 Presidential Race, Libya/Middle East Stability and Euro Zone Economic Tension Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (10/25). The ongoing ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement, the GOP candidates for president, political strife in Libya and the Middle East and the shaky state of the Euro Zone’s economy were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.