Tag: "Gregg “Opie” Hughes"
Monday, August 4, 2014
Talk Host Ethan Bearman Brings Microphone to Israel – Reporting Observations on Interested Talk Shows. Forty-eight hours ago rising talk show juggernaut Ethan Bearman – heard locally at KSFO, San Francisco and nationally via GCN — returned from a whirlwind trip to Israel where he gathered first-hand experience regarding the situation on the ground. During his self-sponsored trip, Bearman did a number of live reports from the scene on KSFO as well as his GCN affiliates plus a number of other interested stations around the US. Bearman first visited the front-line cities of Ashkelon and Sderot, observing the conflict in Gaza. He met with citizens and officials on the ground, observed ambulances bringing the wounded to Barzilai Medical Center, and examined an Iron Dome installation. He then travelled to the West Bank. Delving deep into the region he stopped at settlements, a university, and an industrial zone. His final day involved Old City Jerusalem during a Palestinian “Day of Rage” and a trip to Tel Aviv to see the cosmopolitan city and get a read on how the latest escalation of conflict has impacted day-to-day life there. Bearman tells TALKERS, “While on the hill overlooking the fighting in Gaza, I called in to the KSFO morning show. Sheri Yee answered the phone and put me on live with Brian Sussman and Katie Green. While sharing my experiences, a volley of artillery fired. It was so intense, my call was interrupted. After the call, I turned to look toward Gaza.” Bearman continues, “It was here that I felt the stress, this deep emotion, the subconscious recognition of danger, as I observed smoke in the distance, military vehicles nearby, explosions of a terror tunnel being blown up, the earth shaking from howitzers.” Bearman’s interviews originated in the Voice of Israel studios involving top government officials, former ambassadors, soldiers, a pastor, a Meronite IDF soldier, and others. Bearman also interviewed well-known Israeli actress Sendi Bar (pictured above), from the TV series “The Unit” and Israel’s “Prisoners of War,” known to American audiences as “Homeland.” Bearman says the trip showed the truth on the ground to be radically different than what is regularly portrayed in social media and major international media outlets. He expresses gratitude to the US-based organization America’s Voices in Israel and Israel-based group The Face of Israel for facilitating much of his dramatic access to the action and important guests. Ethan Bearman is available to do interviews about the trip and his observations on talk shows and networks this entire week, telling TALKERS, “I did this trip at my own expense for the sole purpose of bringing an American talk radio voice and set of eyes to the action. I am gratified by the number of stations participating in my commentaries.” Interested broadcasters can reach Bearman by phone at 831-531-7131 or via email at ethan@ethanbearman.com.
Florida Talk Host Shannon Burke Debuts on Tampa and Orlando Stations Tonight. After his most recent position as part of the Bubba the Love Sponge syndicated program, Florida talk show host Shannon Burke lands a gig hosting his own program on a pair of signals (actually a trio if you count the translator) in the Sunshine State. Burke’s program begins airing this evening – 7:00 pm to 10: 00 pm on Cox Media Group’s WHPT, Tampa “102.5 The Bone” (Bubba’s home base) and on Star Over Orlando’s sports talk WRSO, Orlando “810 CBS Sports Radio” and its translator W226BT. Burke hosted his own show on Clear Channel’s WTKS, Orlando “Real Radio 104.1” for years. Burke writes on his Facebook page, “After about 90 days of talks and meetings and phone calls I’m happy to finally be able to tell you that starting on Monday at 7pm The Shannon Burke Show will be heard on 102.5 The Bone in Tampa and CBS Sports Radio WRSO Orlando 810am & 93.1FM. Finally I can get some sleep.”
Anthony Cumia’s Internet Show Debuts This Afternoon. A month after being fired by SiriusXM for Tweeting a series of racially charged messages after an altercation with an African American woman in Times Square, Anthony Cumia begins producing his eponymous subscriber-only online video show and podcast today at 4:00 pm. Formerly one half of the Opie & Anthony show with partner Gregg “Opie” Hughes, Cumia tells TheBlaze that he’s completely free of any contractual ties to SiriusXM. “They don’t have a leg to stand on as far as what I want to talk about. I can talk about any of the staff, the management over there — and believe me, I will.” Cumia says in TheBlaze interview that he’s pleased with the number of O&A fans who’ve cancelled their SiriusXM subscriptions as a result of his firing and says the subscriptions to his show have surpassed his initial target. Read the story at TheBlaze here.
George Noory Uses ‘Coast to Coast AM’ to Lead EMP Awareness Campaign. Fearing that enough attention is not being paid to the threat of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack or event, “Coast to Coast AM” host George Noory is announcing a campaign to protect and insulate the U.S. power grid against such an event that experts say could endanger the lives of millions of Americans. The campaign comes right after the news of a recent report by scientists that Earth narrowly avoided a catastrophic X-class solar flare on July 23, 2012, which Noory reported on “Coast to Coast AM” two years ago. Premiere Networks reports that Noory is working with WND (WorldNetDaily) to support and promote the campaign. Noory will
regularly welcome scientific experts and government leaders to his program in an effort to inform the public about the vulnerability of America’s infrastructure and the need to retro fit the U.S. power grid, as well as the steps necessary to reduce the magnitude of an EMP event or attack. Noory states, “I implore all individual states, the president and members of Congress to immediately develop a plan to protect our power grid. The preservation of our great nation and the lives of its people are critical. It is not a matter of if, but when we will experience an EMP event or attack. We need to be ready now. I want to thank WND and Joseph Farah for joining this effort, which is imperative to our future.” Noory began this campaign by welcoming F. Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and author of A Nation Forsaken: EMP: The Escalating Threat of an American Catastrophe, to his show for a two-hour conversation. Maloof, whose book is published by WND, discussed the potential dangers of an EMP event; why only a few members of Congress, the military and scientific community are issuing the warnings; and what we should be doing to protect the U.S. from the devastation of an EMP event or attack. Noory also recently welcomed William R. Forstchen, professor of history and faculty fellow at Montreat College in North Carolina and author of One Second After, to discuss updates on the dangers of an EMP event, as well as steps to prepare.
Tribune Completes Spin-Off of Publishing Division; Tribune Media Company Is Born. The spin-off of the publishing businesses of Tribune Company is complete today and two new entities are born: Tribune Publishing and Tribune Media Company. The latter includes the non-publishing properties including news/talk WGN, Chicago and sports talk WGWG-LP, its online audio platform WGN.fm as well as Tribune Broadcasting, WGN America, Tribune Studios, Tribune Digital Ventures, and Tribune Real Estate. Tribune Media Company president and CEO Peter Liguori says, “In the last year, we have executed a strategy designed to embrace a rapidly changing media environment. We doubled the size of our broadcast group, re-launched our national cable network, WGN America, with high-quality original programming, and expanded our digital businesses that power some of the world’s leading media brands. The result is a rich and diverse portfolio of media properties and the birth today of Tribune Media Company.”
Talkers New York 2014 Videos Are All Posted. After two weeks of daily posting of video recordings of the main sessions, speeches and presentations made during last June’s 17th annual installment of the talk media industry’s longest-running and most important national convention – Talkers New York 2014 — all of the content is now up and available for worldwide viewing on this media station. This amounts to a total of 14 files placed in the actual order that they occurred – starting with Sean Hannity’s opening keynote and concluding with Howard B. Price’s sobering advice for radio to be prepared to function in the public good during times of emergencies. The presentation of these informative and historic recordings is sponsored by WYD Media Sales, LLC., the rep firm recently launched by Ron Hartenbaum and headed by John Murphy, that specializes in the advertising sales of spoken-word media on all popular platforms. To view any or all of this tremendously valuable content at no charge, please click here. The Talkers New York 2014 conference videos were recorded by Art Vuolo. They will remain posted through the remainder of 2014.
When the Going Gets Tough…Blocked from reporting from the Detroit Lions training camp by – as Greater Media puts it – “the other sports talk station in town,” WMGC, Detroit “Detroit Sports 105.1” had to get creative. The station approached Tech Shop Detroit, whose facility borders the Lions practice field, and obtained permission to broadcast from the Tech Shop parking lot. The station then rented a 50-foot scissors lift from NES Rentals. Today, the station’s Ryan and Rico began broadcasting live for the first time from the scissor lift that you can see in the photo here. Photo: Jimmy Kemp.
Odds & Sods. With the demise of Premiere Networks’ carrying of the 24/7 Comedy format, a former affiliate of the format flips back to sports talk. Clear Channel’s WTGM, Salisbury, Maryland returns to sports programming – a format it last aired in 2012…..SiriusXM kicked off its third annual “SiriusXM College Sports Nation Camp Tour” yesterday (8/3) and will broadcast on location from college football training camps over the next 20 days. SiriusXM College Sports Nation hosts on the tour include Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George; former Alabama QB and National Championship winner Greg McElroy; former head coaches Gene Chizik, Houston Nutt and Dan Hawkins; former college coach and NFL GM Phil Savage; plus college football insiders Jack Arute, Mark Packer, Chris Childers and Taylor Zarzour.
Westwood One Kicks Off NFL Broadcast Season at Hall of Fame Weekend. The NFL’s regular season doesn’t begin until September 4 but the pre-season began this past weekend with the Hall of Fame Game between the New York Giants and the Buffalos Bills and the induction of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2014. Pictured here is Westwood One analyst James Lofton (far right) with members of the early-1990s Buffalo Bills. Bills great Andre Reed (third from left) was inducted over the weekend in the class of 2014. The other Bills greats who are already in the Hall of Fame are pictured here (from left to right): Thurman Thomas, Jim Kelly, Reed, head coach Marv Levy, Bruce Smith and Lofton.
World Renowned Psychic Star of Talkers New York 2014 Now Available for Radio Interviews. She was one of the most popular figures at the recent Talkers New York 2014 performing so many consecutive healings and readings at a small table in the exhibit area that she didn’t have a moment to even break away for lunch from the long line of attendees seeking a session with her. Kathleen Ann Milner was nothing short of a sensation at the conference on June 20th and since then TALKERS has been flooded with inquiries requesting information of her whereabouts and if and how she can be contacted for both personal readings and on air interviews. We are pleased now to report that Kathleen Ann Milner is available (at least for the remainder of the summer) to appear via telephone on talk shows. Michael Harrison describes her as “a natural side dish for this medium – one of the best and most credible psychics in the nation for those into that kind of thing.” To contact this unusual woman referred to as a “nice kind of oddity” call 571-926-8158 or visit her website at www.KathleenMilner.com.
Cool Job Opportunity. Clear Channel has a rare opportunity at its New York City station group for a full-time producer for News/Talk 710 WOR-AM. This position is based in Tribeca, New York. Responsibilities include: securing guests to appear on the radio program on an everyday basis, regularly scheduling multiple guests with prior approval of the host; you’ll be assigned the tasks of preliminary and final research information needed for the program, prior to the scheduled appearance of the guests; you’ll need to be confident, knowledgeable about the radio industry itself. Must have good writing skills and have the ability to develop great relationships and contacts; excellent judgment in prioritizing multiple stories and meeting deadlines; knowledge of current events and key local news figures; demonstrate organizational skills and must be flexible to multi-task, shift focus, and re-prioritize as the situation dictates; ability to work independently with minimal supervision and have demonstrated ability to use sound judgment and to make independent decisions; must be experienced in utilizing social media effectively; must have digital editing skills. If you’re overflowing with passion for radio and have a true desire to win and a great sense of team, we want to talk to you. Requirements: Must have 2-4 years hands-on radio producing experience in a medium and/or major market. Bachelor’s degree preferred. For more information and to apply, click here. EOE.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
SiriusXM Appears to Be Moving Ahead with Gregg “Opie” Hughes and Jim Norton. A Tweet by one half of the former Opie & Anthony team – Gregg “Opie” Hughes – seems to indicate that SiriusXM will continue to employ Hughes to host a daily show. Comic Jim Norton – a big part of the show – is likely to stay with the show and pick up some of the slack. His Tweet was brief: “Had a long talk with @SiriusXM me and @JimNorton will be back on the radio next Monday to start to figure this out.” Anthony Cumia was fired on July 3 after a series of Tweets deemed racist and vulgar by SiriusXM management. Speaking Cumia, he confirms in a piece published at The Wire that he is preparing to forge ahead with his “Live from the Compound Show” — an online program that will require a subscription fee (though he admits that amount has not been determined). In the piece, Cumia also says he understands that Hughes and Norton are under contract through October so calls from fans for the two to quit in a movement of solidarity with him are unreasonable.
It’s Not Just Anthony Cumia; Georgia Public Broadcasting Fires Clay Bolton After Political/Curse Word Incident. Further illustrating how what you do outside of the office can impact your employment status is the case of (now former) Georgia Public Broadcasting producer Clay Bolton. Bolton was photographed by alternative weekly Creative Loafing wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “F*ck Cobb County” – a protest of the impending move of the Atlanta Braves to the suburbs. Bolton’s t-shirt company produces the shirts. He was told by GPB that “the recent actions discussed with you today have impacted the professional integrity and credibility that this organization expects of all its employees in the field of radio and television journalism to comply with. In addition, this organization does not tolerate conduct from any employee that may impact, threaten or coerce another employee, a customer, or a member of the public at any time including off-duty hours.” Would Bolton have been spared if the shirt had not used the word “f*ck?” Maybe, but the point is that you can’t be too careful these days and, if there is doubt, check with your employer ahead of time when possible.
Talk Host Dana Loesch Threatened Via Twitter. KFTK-FM, St. Louis-based and Radio America nationally syndicated talk host Dana Loesch went public on her Monday program about a threat she received via Twitter from someone who took issue with her stance on gun legislation (Loesch is poised to publish a new book titled, Hands Off My Gun) and, ironically, threatened her. The Tweet came from someone only identified as Gaganna and the Tweets have since been deleted and the account closed by Twitter. The Examiner reports Loesch has had incidents in the past where gun control supporters have threatened her, ostensibly because of her support of the Second Amendment. Most talk show hosts have received negative correspondence at one time or another but threatening messages can be unnerving since one never knows if the threat is empty or not.
Take Your Audience to the Movies. Media consultant Holland Cooke writes about the new Dinesh D’Souza film, “America: Imagine the World without Her,” and, in addition to giving his take on the film, slips back into consultant mode and recommends talk hosts/talk stations book a private screening and invite listeners to attend. But do much more than that. Cooke offers suggestions for having a post-film Q&A, and even recording the exchange to use as talking points on subsequent talk shows on your station. Read Holland Cooke’s piece here.
Talkers New York 2014 to Be Available on Video Next Week. Video recordings of all the key sessions and presentations at the recent Talkers New York 2014 held on Friday, June 20 will be posted to the TALKERS magazine website (www.talkers.com) next week via a generous sponsorship-grant presented by WYD Media Ad Sales, LLC. On making the announcement, TALKERS VP/executive editor Kevin Casey states, “This conference has been widely acclaimed as one of the best in the 17 annual installments of this event. The hours of timely, informational content contained on these videos recorded by “radio’s best friend” Art Vuolo and the TALKERS tech team are absolutely priceless. Although the place was SRO with hundreds of industry professionals in attendance, there are obviously thousands more who couldn’t attend but will now be able to share in the experience of seeing an extraordinary variety of today’s radio leaders speaking about the most important issues facing talk media today and tomorrow.” TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison adds, “We indeed owe a debt of gratitude to Ron Hartenbaum and WYD Media Ad Sales, LLC for donating the funds necessary for us to be able to make this stunning package of video information available to the working people of the radio industry absolutely free of charge.” The video presentations from Talkers New York 2014 are scheduled to be posted on Tuesday, July 15.
Let Them Eat Cake. With all the Beatlemania half-century anniversary stuff going on this year, this blast from the past – courtesy of Westwood One talk star Jim Bohannon – will certainly take you back. It was January 1, 1965, and KICK, Springfield, Missouri disc jockeys Michael Wolfgang (l) and Jim Bohannon (the nerd on the right), both 20, decided to send the Beatles an 8’ by 3’ cake with their pictures in the icing, to commemorate release of the “Beatles 65” album. Bohannon tells TALKERS, “We traded out the box, the cake, and Campbell’s Express shipping company for publicity, which made the national wires. We even carried the darned thing through the streets of Springfield with police escort to a local retailer’s show window, where it was displayed for a week. Standing between us is Springfield singer Della Rae, promoted at the time as the next Brenda Lee. The Sporty 1340 wasn’t a bad little station then, including Les Garland and newsman Charles McCord. That’s a fair staff for $1.87 an hour.”
Illegal Immigration Crisis, Latest Snowden NSA Data Release, Boehner on Obama Suit, Hillary Clinton Speaking Fees Controversy, Israeli-Palestinian Tensions, Obama-Hillary Relationship, Antarctic Sea Ice Data/Climate Change Debate, and July Fourth Holiday Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (7/7). The protests in the Southwest over the transfer of illegal aliens and increased debate over the U.S.’s immigration enforcement; a new round of NSA data mining documents released by Edward Snowden; John Boehner’s argument for suing President Obama; ongoing questions about Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees and her financial status; the violence between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip; speculation about the relationship between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton; new data about the increasing size of the Antarctic sea ice shelf and debate over climate change; and the Declaration of Independence and Fourth of July Holiday were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
Monday, July 7, 2014
WYD Media Ad Sales Debuts. The New York-based sales venture being launched by WYD Media Management is called WYD Media Ad Sales, LLC and former Westwood One EVP of talk sales John Murphy takes the helm as president. WYD CEO Ron Hartenbaum announces the company will focus on personality-created spoken word content that’s distributed across multiple platforms such as audio, digital, video and more. He adds, “Based on his 30-year track record of success in national radio ad sales, specifically in the spoken word format, John is the ideal sales and marketing executive to build WYD Media Ad Sales.” Murphy, who spent more than a decade with Westwood One, comments, “This is the best time to start a new venture that focuses on monetizing spoken word content as the format expands across numerous distribution platforms. I look forward to working with WYD’s existing clients as well as creating new partnerships and content opportunities.” During his career Murphy has repped such talent as: Charles Osgood, Laura Ingraham, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, Clark Howard, Herman Cain, Mark Levin, Dennis Miller, John Gibson, John Tesh, Brian Kilmeade, Thom Hartmann, Lars Larson, Neal Boortz and more.
Ginny Morris Transitions to CEO of Hubbard Radio; Bruce Reese to Special Advisor Role. Since 1996, Bruce Reese had been serving Bonneville as president and CEO prior to the acquisition of the Bonneville stations by Hubbard in 2011. He kept his president and CEO role and joined Hubbard. Ginny
Morris has been chair of the Hubbard board since 2011. Now, Reese will step back into a special advisor role and Morris will become chief executive officer. The company states that Reese has been “instrumental in the transition when the 17 Bonneville radio stations across four markets (Washington, D.C., Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati) were purchased by Hubbard Radio. The acquisition also meant the addition of 547 Bonneville employees.” Morris says, “Working with Bruce over these last three-and-a-half years on the integration, first on the Bonneville assets and subsequently those we bought from Sandusky and merged into a new Hubbard Radio, has been a great experience. Bruce is smart and strategic and he shares 
many of the values that our family holds dear — a commitment to localism, honesty and integrity. He has helped to establish a great foundation for the company and we are grateful to still have the benefit of his wise counsel.” Reese comments, “Over the last two decades, I’ve had the opportunity to run two great radio companies. After Bonneville was brought into Hubbard Radio, we all worked to preserve the values and spirit of both organizations while creating one corporate identity and culture. The success of the transition has exceeded my hopes, and I am grateful for the trust shown to me by Ginny and the entire Hubbard Radio family. Our company is performing well, and the time is right for Ginny to step into this role. I look forward to continuing to work with the Hubbard team in an advisory capacity while eagerly looking forward to the next chapter in my life.”
O&A Fans in ‘Watch and Wait’ Mode After Anthony Cumia’s July 3 Firing. Fans of the Opie & Anthony show on SiriusXM are waiting to see if co-host Gregg “Opie” Hughes continues the show without longtime partner Anthony Cumia after Cumia was fired from the satcaster on Friday, July 4. By now you’ve probably heard about Cumia’s vulgar rant about his confrontation with an African American woman in Times Square who was reportedly upset she was in his camera’s field of view as he took photos on the street. An altercation took place during which Cumia says the woman began punching him. Police were not called to the scene. Cumia took to Twitter to talk about the incident and used foul language while making the woman’s race part of the issue. After being fired, he Tweeted that SiriusXM “decided to cave” and fired him for something that didn’t happen on air and wasn’t illegal. TALKERS is not aware of the content of Cumia’s contract with SiriusXM but it appears the satcaster was within its rights to terminate him. He’s neither the first nor will he be the last radio personality to lose his gig after a Twitter rant. The advice seems obvious: Your employer will ultimately see what you do in the digital world; consider how the company would view your actions before posting.
Ethan Bearman Produces and Performs One-Hour Independence Day Special on WPHT, Philadelphia. Rising talk star Ethan Bearman, who is regularly heard weekends on Cumulus O&O KSFO, San Francisco and nationally on Genesis Communications Network (GCN), has expanded his broadcasting footprint to include CBS O&O WPHT, Philadelphia. Bearman was smartly recruited by WPHT, PD Jared Hart to do a live hour of Independence Day content last Friday between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm ET on Philly’s 50k flamethrower and reports from the TALKERS monitoring corps indicate that it was a provocative, informative and powerful hour of spoken word radio. According to TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, “Bearman analyzed the historical, cultural and political fabric of the American institution of the 4th of July in a meticulous and precise manner that had a number of ‘aha!’ moments. He took intelligent calls and made a number of really relevant points that left the audience thinking. I especially like the way he compared the leaders of that period – those folks we call the ‘Founding Fathers’ – to today’s crop of politicians asking the question, “Are there any political leaders today who would sign a document supporting an issue and campaign in which they believed at the significant risk of their lives?” Bearman was part of a larger WPHT July 4th salute in which station morning and midday hosts Chris Stigall and Dom Giordano broadcasted their shows from the Independence Hall Visitors Center.
Jason Lewis to End GCN Syndication Run. As tipped by “Free Talk Live” host Ian Freeman, nationally syndicated talk show host Jason Lewis will cease his syndication efforts with Genesis Communications Network effective August 1. Lewis first ventured into syndication from his Twin Cities home base several years ago with Premiere Networks. After his relationship with Premiere Networks ended, he joined GCN for national syndication three years ago. There’s no indication whether Lewis will leave flagship station KTLK, Minneapolis at that time.
Brad and Britt Debut Podcast Today from Branded Studio. Following up on last week’s report about the new podcast project being produced by talk radio personalities Brad Krantz and Britt Whitmire, the two inform TALKERS that when they begin their podcast show – available for download by 3:00 pm ET today – they will be doing so from their sponsored studio: The Brad and Britt Tarheeldentist.com Studio. In a piece about the duo’s exit from WBT-AM/FM, Charlotte in the Greensboro News & Record, Krantz says they believe that money is starting to flow in the direction of audio on demand and are excited about the new venture.
Alpha Media Promotes Portland Cluster Marketing Pro Randi P’Pool to Corporate Position. This promotion for Portland market director of marketing Randi P’Pool comes shortly after the completed merger of Alpha Broadcasting, L&L Broadcasting and Main Line Broadcasting. P’Pool’s new title is corporate VP of marketing and promotions. Alpha Media president/CEO Bob Proffitt states, “I’m very happy Randi has accepted this position, as she has proven to be an invaluable asset to our Portland cluster and now will be true resource to the Alpha Media markets. She is creative, intelligent, and relentless – perfect qualifications for a corporate VP of marketing and promotions.” P’Pool comments, “I owe much gratitude to Bob Proffitt, Scott Mahalick and Larry Wilson for giving me the opportunity to be part of this exciting journey not only in radio but within our company. I look forward to continuing to grow and promote the live and local brand across all of our markets.” Prior to joining Alpha Broadcasting three years ago, P’Pool served with Citadel Broadcasting in the Salt Lake City market.
AdLarge Ups Tom Fleming. Adding more duties at AdLarge Media is Tom Fleming who is promoted to vice president, Midwest sales and sports sales. In this expanded role, Fleming will be responsible for the AdLarge repertoire of live, play-by-play NFL and NCAA football offerings, Yahoo Sports Radio, and all Midwest sales, including the Detroit office. Fleming had been serving as vice president, Midwest sales since joining AdLarge in October, 2013.
Pascagoula, Mississippi Radio Personality Walter Thornton Dead at 53. The Pascagoula-Moss Point community is mourning the death of local morning radio host and sportscaster Walter Thornton, who died over the holiday weekend of an apparent heart attack. The SunHerald reports the 53-year-old broadcaster was a standout high school athlete who remained involved in the local sports scene and became a sports talk host covering the prep scene in the area. Most recently he hosted the morning show and sports talk programs at Tri City Radio-owned WPMO, Pascagoula-Moss Point and sister station WVGG, Lucedale.
Will It Be “Governor Freeman?” Probably not, as “Free Talk Live” host Ian Freeman admits he’d have trouble “governing” anyone even if he beat the odds and is elected. But the co-host of the New Hampshire-based, GCN nationally syndicated show says his goal with the campaign is two-fold: “First, to needle the current governor, Maggie Hassan, on her refusal to decriminalize or legalize cannabis in NH, while admitting she smoked it in college; second, to promote the idea of NH declaring independence from the United States.” Freeman says he’s available for interviews from interested broadcasters about these issues. Contact him at ian@freetalklive.com. Freeman is pictured here at far right while broadcasting from the recent Porcfest 2014 – the yearly camping gathering of libertarians that drew over 1,500 attendees, many of them FTL listeners. Also pictured are (from left to right) Free Talk Live’s Mark Edge, Nick Gillespie of Reason.com, and Jeffrey Tucker of Liberty.me.
Reaching Out to His Peeps. KIDO, Boise morning drive personality Kevin Miller rouses the crowd at the 48th annual Treasure Valley God and Country Festival. Miller tells TALKERS he was honored to fire up the crowd of some 9,000 that attended the festival to honors “faith and the military in Idaho.”
Cool Job Opportunity. Station Group in Little Rock Arkansas is looking to hire a General Manger to oversee all station operations for news/talk and sports talk. Sales acumen and experience in news and sports talk field a plus. Contact Steve Renfro at 479-287-4211 or by email at srenfro@capitalcb.com.
