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Monday, August 19, 2013
Eight More Arbitron PPM Markets Gain Accreditation by MRC. The Media Rating Council gives accreditation to eight more Arbitron PPM markets – making the total number of accredited markets 26. In making the announcement, Arbitron notes that the MRC is not granting accreditation in the remaining 22 markets at this time. The eight newly accredited markets include: Cleveland, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver-Boulder, Detroit, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood, Pittsburgh, Portland OR, and Nassau/Suffolk (Long 
Island). They join the 18 markets the MRC is voting to continue accreditation: Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Milwaukee-Racine, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Riverside-San Bernardino, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater. Arbitron executive vice president, service innovation and chief research officer Gregg Linder states, “MRC accreditation for our PPM markets is a company-wide priority at Arbitron, and we are pleased the MRC continues to recognize our ongoing efforts to improve Sample Performance Indicators and other quality metrics in our Portable People Meter ratings services. Continuous improvement remains our watchword, for PPM and for all our ratings and software offerings and we are focused on earning accreditation for the balance of our PPM markets.”
Former CNN Producer/Reporter Joins Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze. Steve Krakauer – former CNN digital producer and media reporter – is named vice president of digital content for TheBlaze. In his work at CNN, Krakauer oversaw the social and digital output of the CNN domestic U.S. television programs. He also managed the team that ran @CNN — the network’s flagship Twitter account. Krakauer joined CNN in November 2010 as the digital producer of “Piers Morgan Tonight.” At TheBlaze, Krakauer will be responsible for growing the network’s presence across all digital media. TheBlaze president and chief content officer Joel Cheatwood states, “Steve was one of the first people to truly recognize the growing relationship between digital media and traditional television and has built a remarkable track record integrating the two media. We are excited to have Steve join TheBlaze as we continue to be at the forefront of creating a television network designed for the 21st century.”
Ed Schultz Returns to Weeknights on MSNBC. It hasn’t been quite five months since MSNBC moved “The Ed Show” from weeknights at 8:00 pm to a Saturday and Sunday 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm slot with Ed Schultz saying the move was for personal and professional reasons. Now, the Hollywood Reporter writes that MSNBC president Phil Griffin asked Schultz to return to weekdays in the 5:00 pm slot replacing the first run of “Hardball with Chris Matthews.” Matthews’ show will only air at 7:00 pm beginning August 26 when Schultz returns to weekdays. Griffin told the publication, “Ed has proven himself no matter where we’ve put him.”
CEO Gary Nell to Exit NPR to Head Up National Geographic. NPR CEO Gary Nell announces he’s leaving the public radio company after 21 months on the job. In a letter to staff, he says, in part, “As president and CEO, supporting NPR’s success – your success – has been my highest ambition. Working together, we have put NPR on more solid footing to continue to deliver the highest-quality journalism and programming. We have launched innovative new platforms and made meaningful strides in attracting new audiences and new funding. We have promoted a series of collaborations in news gathering, development, and a digital future. And we have an exceptionally strong leadership team in place that is charting an ambitious path for our future. We also face challenges, including the mandate to bring NPR to break-even cash operations. We are completing a plan to focus our limited resources which support our essential services to stations and audiences. We will present that plan to the Board soon, go over it carefully, and make it a reality.” Nell took over the reins of NPR in December of 2011 after the high-profile departure of former CEO Vivian Schiller. During her tenure, Juan Williams was fired after making comments on Fox News Channel admitting to feeling nervous when seeing people dressed in Muslim garb on airplanes. Also, NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller (no relation) was recorded denigrating conservatives at a lunch meeting.
Boston Herald Reports Kevin Graham Will Succeed Jason Wolfe at WEEI-FM, Boston. There is no confirmation from Entercom Boston market manager Jeff Brown about the Boston Herald’s recent report that KFNZ, Salt Lake City “1320 KFAN” program director and afternoon drive co-host Kevin Graham will take over the program director post at the station. According to his bio on the KFNZ website, Graham was one of the key architects of KFNZ back in 1996 and has worked as programmer at KTAR-AM, Phoenix; WXYT, Detroit and other sports talk outlets. In addition to programming KFNZ, Graham co-hosts the Gunther & Graham pm drive show with Kyle Gunther. Longtime program director Jason Wolfe exited the station last week and the Boston media is rife with speculation about the status of the station’s air talent – especially morning duo John Dennis and Gerry Callahan. CBS Radio’s crosstown WBZ-FM “The Sports Hub” has been topping WEEI-FM in recent ratings reports. Still, the Herald also reports that Dennis and Callahan have been assured that they are not on the chopping block at this point.
Brent Seltzer and Meg McDonald (“Brent & Meg”) Sign Up as Charter Members of TalkersRadio Lineup. The married couple team of “Brent & Meg” (Brent Seltzer and Meg McDonald, pictured below) join the initial lineup of the soon-to-be-launched experimental internet talk station, TalkersRadio. They will be hosting a Monday through Friday, two-hour Los Angeles-based program titled, “The Brent & Meg Show,” that will stream live between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm ET with possible re-streams at other times during the following 24 hours.
According to TalkersRadio GM David Bernstein, “There never has been a ‘Brent & Meg Show’ prior to TalkersRadio. They are coming together to do this specifically because the station is designed for these kinds of experiments. Although they’ve been married for 28 years and have been in the media business doing everything from amazing short-form features to ground-breaking public relations campaigns for years, the idea of them being on the air live as a team hosting a long-form talk show is the brainchild of Michael Harrison who has been after them to do this for over two years now since hearing them bounce off each other in the ongoing short-form feature ‘Brent Seltzer, Still at Large.’ ”I am excited about the potential of this show. We envision it to be in the tradition of the classic husband/wife chat shows of the golden era – except with its focus fully planted on a 21st century foundation.” The short-form feature “Brent Seltzer, Still at Large” — written, produced and performed by the couple — has accrued a dedicated multi-platform cult-following on Podjockey.com and XM Satellite Radio after having broken out in 2008 as a hot commodity at KSRO, Santa Rosa. According to the couple, “Outraged by the cable TV political bloviates, we invented ‘Brent Seltzer, Still at Large’ as a panacea to the anger and complacency that radio was becoming. We figured that since all the extreme right wingers and extreme left wingers were only preaching to their targeted choirs, we could have an extremely good time talking about anything to everyone. It is our intention to continue that tradition on the ‘Brent & Meg Show.’ Absolutely no politician, celebrity, corporate business practice, social custom, anything or anybody will be safe from our scathing, biting and hopefully humorous and entertaining observations. Hey, we just wanna have fun!”
Brent Seltzer is legendary in the annals of West Coast radio having worked as a personality “rock ‘n’ roll newsman” on two of the most storied signals in rock radio history – KMET, Los Angeles and KGB, San Diego — as well as LA’s KZLA-FM/AM, KNX-FM, and KMPC. He has also been a popular radio writer working for years at companies such as Watermark (“American Top 40”) and its founder Tom Rounds’ celebrated international company, Radio Express.
Born into a Hollywood show business family, Meg McDonald’s mother was the popular character actress Elisabeth Fraser and her father was the dancer Ray McDonald. Although a native of Santa Monica, her parents divorced when she was very young and her Mom moved to New York to co-star with Phil Silvers in his popular comedy, “You’ll Never Get Rich,” later known as “The Phil Silvers Show.” As her mother went to work in many classic films, TV shows and Broadway shows, Meg found herself surrounded by gifted writers including Neil Simon, Norman Lear and Gore Vidal. Returning to LA after a few years, Meg never thought of herself as a performer, so she majored in Journalism at LACC, but chose a career in public relations where she has forged an award-winning history as founder of her own shop, McDonald Media Services. Strikingly beautiful with a big gorgeous voice, she always wanted to be on-air but was too shy to take the shot, until she met Brent Seltzer. “The Brent & Meg” show debuts on TalkersRadio Tuesday, September 10. For more information about TalkersRadio call 413-565-5413 or email GM David Bernstein at david@talkers.com. TalkersRadio streaming is powered by Backbone Networks.
WOWO-AM/FM, Fort Wayne Morning Show to Begin TV Simulcast. Federated Media’s WOWO-AM/FM, Fort Wayne will begin a simulcast of one hour of “Fort Wayne’s Morning News with Charly Butcher“ on local NBC affiliate WISE-TV “NBC33″ on September 23. The television outlet will air the 6:00 am hour of Butcher’s program using several high definition cameras placed in the studio and newsroom at WOWO. Program director Ryan Wrecker says, “What we’re doing is taking a historic show in the market and advancing it to a new medium. Finding new platforms for our product is an important part of our station strategy, and we think this is going to make a big impact not only in the market but it’s what should be expected for news/talk stations looking for ways to gain a younger audience share.” Butcher states, “We’re excited to bring a show we work very hard on every morning to NBC33. It’s another way for listeners to get a behind-the-scenes look at what we do and get all the information they need every morning. I’m not excited that I might need to start wearing make-up.” Pictured above is the WOWO-AM/FM morning show in action (Butcher at right.)
SiriusXM and MLB Reach Six-Year Extension. Satcaster SiriusXM and Major League Baseball have reached an agreement to extend their relationship for another six years. As a result, every regular season and post-season game will be available on both Sirius and XM platforms through 2016. The deal also includes select exhibition games and Spanish-language broadcasts. SiriusXM president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein states, “Baseball has been an essential part of our programming lineup and we’re very happy to extend our relationship with MLB to deliver the games to our subscribers for many years to come. We’re especially pleased to now offer the games to SiriusXM subscribers whether they listen through Sirius radios, XM radios, the SiriusXM App or online.”
NPR Producer Teshima Walker Dies at 44. After a two-year battle with colon cancer, NPR executive producer Teshima Walker passed away on Friday morning. Walker had been executive producer of the Michel Martin-hosted “Tell Me More” program since 2011. She’d been with the show in various capacities for four years prior to that. During her career she had worked at WBEZ, Chicago and served as a producer on the Tavis Smiley program.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
TRN’s Jerry Doyle to Debut Content Aggregator EpicTimes.com. Nationally syndicated talk show host Jerry Doyle is announcing the February 26 launch of his new media venture EpicTimes.com – an online aggregator of content he describes as “a solution-based website that is about you, your family, your finances, your health,
your community and your country. It will aggregate news, resources and tools that are chosen and designed to have an immediate impact.” In laying out his vision for EpicTimes.com (which he says has been a year and a half in the making) Doyle says, “We are very excited to deliver directly to you some of the most influential voices spanning a variety of expertise, all designed to help you ‘opt-in’ to the things that most directly impact your life and ‘opt-out’ of the insanity of the so-called solutions brought to you by the permanent political class, the crony capitalists, the media cheerleaders, the purveyors of perpetual outrage and the seemingly endless collection of focus group phonies. EpicTimes.com will deliver to you the most relevant content in these and other impactful areas: The Economy and Personal Finance, Technology and Social Media, Small Business Resources, Politics and Policy Impact, Government Accountability, Health and Nutrition, Entertainment and the Arts, and Science and Space Exploration.” The content for Doyle’s new platform will closely mirror his own libertarian leanings. He doesn’t say whether the site will be advertising supported or funded by subscriptions.
Salem Re-Brands KNTH, Houston; Sam Malone in for AM Drive. The Salem Communications news/talker in Houston becomes the sixth station to adopt the new brand “The Answer.” It also provides a morning drive home for Houston radio personality Sam Malone, who most recently worked at Dan Patrick’s KSEV. KNTH adopts the “AM 1070 The Answer” moniker on Monday, February 18, joining New York, Los 
Angeles-Riverside, Dallas, Columbus and Chicago. Vice president, director of spoken word format Phil Boyce states, “We have created a new way to image and brand a news/talk station that seems to resonate with the audience. ‘The Answer’ means so many things to our listeners, like what happened overnight while you slept, why am I stuck in traffic, and what should I make of the gun control debate in the country? If you listen long enough, you will hear the answer.” Malone’s new program will air from 7:00 am to 10:00 am. He says, “It’s an honor joining the Salem Communications family. They are truly committed to providing excellent programming in cities across America.” His new program in partnership with Phonoscope New Media will be simulcast on local cable TV in the Houston area.”
Kevin Winter Leaves Role on WEEI, Boston’s AM Drive Show. Sports radio personality Kevin Winter joined WEEI, Boston’s Dennis & Callahan program in December in the sports news update role but now
announces he is leaving the program. Citing his other duties with ESPN Radio, Winter states, “I appreciated the opportunity to join WEEI, but my time commitments at ESPN Radio were just too consuming for me to continue in both roles. I wish John and Gerry and the entire team the best going forward.” Winter replaced longtime sports news anchor Jon Meterparel in the update role. Meterparel left to pursue his play-by-play aspirations. The Boston Globe is reporting that Winter is exiting the show after failing to connect with hosts John Dennis and Gerry Callahan. WEEI vice president of programming and operations Jason Wolfe says, “I respect Kevin’s decision and wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Progressive Talk Program “The Union Edge” Expands on WKFB, Pittsburgh. Former KDKA, Pittsburgh program director Marshall Adams, through his Marshall Adams Media broadcast consultancy, is programming the Charles Showalter-hosted talk radio program. The program announces it is expanding to the 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm slot on WKFB, Jeannette in the Pittsburgh market. Showalter describes his program as “communicating with not-yet labor,” and states it “helps to counter years of anti-union propaganda from other radio programs.” The Pittsburgh-based program is also heard on affiliates: WPWC, Washington; WPRR-AM/FM, Grand Rapids; KGHI, Westport, Washington; KGHE, Elma, Washington; and WXPI, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Odds & Sods. CBS Radio’s KDKA, Pittsburgh helps raise more than $318,000 for needy families in the area via its “2013 NewsRadio 1020 KDKA Warmathon” to benefit Dollar Energy Fund. The two-day event is helping provide utility assistance to more than 900 Pittsburgh-area families. The ‘Warmathon,’ live radio fundraiser took place on February 7 and 8…..Talk radio pro Jeff Katz sits in for WRNO, New Orleans morning drive host Denny Schaffer tomorrow from 5:00 am to 9:00 am.
KTKT, Tucson Adds Alex “El Genio” Lucas for Mornings. Lotus Communications O&O KTKT, Tucson “990 ESPN Deportes” debuts the Alex “El Genio” Lucas morning show, airing daily from 4:00 am to 10:00 am and Saturday from 6 am to 10 am. Lotus describes the program as “a mix of music and talk that focuses on personal reflections, family values and family educational information – key topics in the Hispanic culture. Additionally, the show features sports coverage of Mexican league and international ‘futbol’ with Mexican television and radio sports commentators David Faitelson and Antonio Rosique.”
Obama State of the Union Address, Christopher Dorner Search, Pope Benedict Resigns, ObamaCare Costs and North Korea and Iran Nuclear Threats Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (2/11). Anticipation of President Obama’s State of the Union speech tonight; the search for suspected killer and former cop Christopher Dorner; Pope Benedict resigns; the costs of the Affordable Care Act; and North Korean and Iranian nuclear threats were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Library of American Broadcasting Presents 10th Annual Giants of Broadcasting Awards. George Beasley and Erica Farber Among Radio People Honored. The President of the United States, the former Governor of Massachusetts, and a slew of luminous personalities from the world of politics attending the Al Smith Dinner last night at the Waldorf-Astoria were not the only “giants” to grace the premises of the East Side Manhattan landmark yesterday. The national Library of American Broadcasting presented its 10th Annual Giants of Broadcasting honors, at a ceremony and luncheon yesterday (10/18) at the iconic hotel. The event, attended by prominent members of the broadcasting, media and corporate communities, was positioned as “celebrating extraordinary leadership or performance in television and radio.” The honorees join 140 “Giants of Broadcasting” who have been honored by the Library since 2003. Bill Baker, president emeritus of WNET, New York and himself a Giant of Broadcasting, served as master of ceremonies. Among the 10 honorees, radio was represented by George Beasley, chairman, CEO and founder of Beasley Broadcast Group and Erica Farber, president and CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau. Both presented upbeat but extremely humble acceptance speeches praising the other honorees and articulating optimistic pictures of radio’s vitality and future. Other inductees included Ted Turner, Norman Lear, Andy Rooney, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer, Dinah Shore, Sir Howard Stringer and Don Cornelius. The Library of American Broadcasting (LAB) — located at the University of Maryland — is entering its 41st year serving as a major national information resource for the radio and television industries and the academic communities that rely upon it for depth and expertise. Their collection of historic documents, professional papers, oral and video histories, books and photographs are among the nation’s most extensive. LAB is evolving from a conventional library into a “homepage” for the world at large, reaching thousands simultaneously through the Internet. Industry outreach includes lectures, symposia, print and the broadcast media themselves. LAB’s chair is Virginia Hubbard Morris, president of Hubbard Radio. The president/CEO is Donald West, veteran broadcast journalist and former assistant to the president of CBS Inc. The dean of libraries at the University of Maryland is Patricia Steele, and the curator is Chuck Howell.
New England Talk Pro Steve Kass to PM Drive on WSAR, Fall River, Massachusetts. Veteran talk radio host Steve Kass begins new duties as host of the PM drive show on SNE Broadcasting’s WSAR, Fall River, Massachusetts on October 29. The move reunited Kass with programmer Paul Giammarco who serves as general manager at WSAR. Kass and Giammarco worked together at Cumulus Media’s WPRO, Providence. Kass also worked at Clear Channel’s WHJJ, Providence. He states, “Coming back to WSAR is like returning home after being away for 32 years. WSAR provided me with my first opportunity to be a radio talk show host. What a year to start a new adventure in talk radio: Prop 2 ½, the takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran, Governor Reagan, John Anderson, and State Rep. Andy Card, are but a few of the events and guests that occurred in 1979. I have no doubt 2012 and beyond will be even more stimulating as we face so many challenges going forward. Best of all being reunited with Barry Richard and Paul Giammarco, two certified broadcasting pro’s provide the icing on the cake. Let the games begin.”
Jon Meterparel Leaves WEEI, Boston AM Show to Focus on Play-by-Play Career. Longtime morning sports news anchor Jon Meterparel exits the John Dennis and Gerry Callahan morning show on Entercom’s WEEI-FM, Boston and the WEEI regional network. Meterparel has been the voice of Boston College football and basketball broadcasts for several seasons and said during his farewell to listeners that doing play-by-play has always been his primary career goal so he leaves WEEI to pursue that interest.
Talk Radio and the Presidential Debate: From a Radio Consultant’s Perspective. Leading radio consultant Holland Cooke analyzes the most recent presidential debate from a media perspective and explains why the debates, coverage of the them by news/talk stations, and the aftermath of these contests are good for talk media. Read Holland Cooke’s quick 10-point analysis here.
Talk Radio Network’s Rusty Humphries Features “A-List” Guests in New Time Slot. The nationally syndicated Rusty Humphries program began the week in its new time slot – 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm ET – and syndicator TRN is pumping up the program’s content with high-profile guests. Featured this week were: former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; rocker Ted Nugent; Senator Rand Paul (R-KY); Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL); Ann Coulter; Jon Sununu; actor Kevin Sorbo about his book, “True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal”; Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal; U.S. Representative Allen West; Chuck Yeager; actor David Spade; Dick Morris; political pollster Frank Luntz; and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza.
ESPN Radio Preps for Exclusive MLB World Series Coverage. The Major League Baseball fall classic will be heard exclusively on ESPN Radio and the sports giant is pulling out all the stops on production of the broadcasts. ESPN says, in addition to the play-by-play provided by Dan Schulman and Orel Hershiser, the “Baseball Tonight” crew will also be broadcasting prior to and after each World Series Game. In the photo at left, the “Baseball Tonight” set is on the scene at Opening Day at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles this past April. Pictured are (from l-r): Karl Ravech, John Kruk and Barry Larkin.
Odds & Sods. CBS Radio’s KNX, Los Angeles will host a live edition of the “KNX Business Hour” on at 8:00 am on November 16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center titled, “Secrets to Investing in Today’s World: Where to Put Your Money Now.” KNX is staging this event to provide individuals with an overview of the economic outlook with regard to stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities, precious metals, savings and retirement accounts. KNX’s Frank Mottek will emcee and moderate and guests will include: Beacon Economics founding partner Christopher Thornberg; PIMCO executive vice president Tony Crescenzi; California Association of Realtors chief economist Leslie Appleton-Young; founder and president of Wedbush Securities Ed Wedbush; and TrendMax owner and portfolio manager Zachary Oxman…..TuneIn and London-based talkSPORT enter into an agreement for the former to carry all 380 Barclays Premiere League soccer matches in English, Spanish and Mandarin on its global internet service. TuneIn will also air key FA Cup matches…..ESPN Audio and the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association announce the two have signed a deal to have ESPN serve as the exclusive radio home of the AT&T Cotton Bowl for the next two years. The Cotton Bowl matches the Big 12 against the Southeastern Conference and will be played on January 4, 2013 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.
Steve Forbes Visits Idaho. KIDO, Boise morning drive host Kevin Miller (left) poses for a shot with Forbes Media chairman and editor-in-chief Steve Forbes. The business media leader was in Boise for an appearance at the Idaho center speaking about the U.S. and global economies.
TALKERS Weekly Affiliate Roundup. “The Daily Wrap from the Wall Street Journal with Michael Castner” is added to the lineup at WERC-AM/FM Birmingham; KIDO, Boise; WZAN, Portland; KPSF, Desert Hot Springs, California; WWNR-AM/FM, Beckley, West Virginia; and WXDE, Lewes, Delaware…..CRN Digital Talk Radio’s Barry Farber show is added to the program schedule at WYPV, Petoskey, Michigan.
Presidential Debate Top Talk Topic for Week of October 15-19. The second presidential debate was the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. Coming in at #2 was the election poll numbers. At #3 was the Benghazi attack investigation and following at #4 was Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The Talkers TenTM is a weekly chart of the top stories and people discussed on news/talk radio around the country and is the result of ongoing research from TALKERS. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See the entire chart here.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
More Than 23 Million Tuned in to Radio Broadcast of Super Bowl According to Edison Research. On the heels of the Dial Global-commissioned survey to determine the radio listenership to the NFC and AFC Championship games two weeks ago, DG follows up to ask Edison Research to study how many people listened to at least a portion of its Westwood One-produced broadcast of the Big Game. Edison reports that via a live telephone interview survey conducted Monday after the game, “listeners accessed the live broadcast in multiple listening environments, including the home, while driving, at work and other locations, on over 680 stations nationwide.” Given the money Dial Global spends for the rights to sports broadcasts throughout the year – and especially the NFL playoffs product – Co-president and CEO David Landau is delighted with the results. “We are again excited, but not surprised, to see that our research findings highlight the strength of the Dial Global brand and the ongoing demand for radio broadcast coverage of live sporting events. Dial Global is committed to showcasing the value of our content and exemplifying our commitment to being the most innovative, service focused company in the industry while supporting our affiliates and advertisers.”
Journal Communications Ups CFO Andre Fernandez to President. The former NBC Universal SVP – with Journal Communications as chief financial officer since October of 2008 – keeps his CFO role but adds the president title. Former president Steven Smith stays in his chairman and CEO position. Smith says the new title recognizes the role Fernandez plays in the corporation. “He has been instrumental in the continuing evolution of our business, the steady focus on building our local media brands and the sustained investment in our digital business. Andre has also helped us maintain our strong financial disciplines which have led to Journal’s consistently improving balance sheet. We look forward to Andre’s increased operational responsibilities across the company.”
WRKO, Boston Expands Midday Financial Show with Barry Armstrong. The talk program hosted by the founder of the Armstrong Advisory Group is being renamed “The Financial Exchange with Barry Armstrong” and airs from 9:00 am to 11:00 am daily. Vice president of AM programming for Entercom New England Jason Wolfe says, “Barry has done an excellent job with this program since its inception, and given the state of the economy in our country, I’m really looking forward to him being able to continue sharing his expertise in the business and financial arena, an arena that is still very top of mind for our audience.” The station notes that Armstrong’s program regularly features heavyweight guests such as CNBC’s Larry Kudlow and Rick Santelli, Pimm Foxx from Bloomberg News, Fox Business’s Stuart Varney, and Eric Rosengren, CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The move means TRN’s Laura Ingraham airs in the 11:00 am to 1:00 pm slot and Jen Brien follows from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Disney’s ABC News and Univision in Talks to Create New Cable News Channel. The Wall Street Journal reports the two companies are in serious talks about creating a new cable news channel that would “broadcast in English, in an effort to keep pace with changing demographics among U.S. Hispanics and reach a new audience of English speakers.” Neither company is commenting and the piece notes that the deal is far from done. If it does happen, the operations center for the new channel would be based in Univision’s corporate home of Miami. The initiative would be a departure for Univision by entering in to an English-language broadcast entity but an interesting aspect of the story as the WSJ notes the recognition that “U.S.-born Hispanics, who often speak English more than Spanish, are now fueling Hispanic population growth more than Spanish-speaking immigrants.”
American Jewish University in Los Angeles Presenting Talk Radio Discussion. The fifth annual talk radio discussion presented by AJU is set to take place this Sunday, February 12. Moderated by veteran broadcaster Bill Moran, the panel’s scheduled speakers include KFI, Los Angeles, personalities Bill Handel and Bill Carroll; Patt Morrison of KPCC-FM, Los Angeles and Southern California Public Radio; and Michael Harrison, founder of TALKERS. Open to the public, the discussion will cover a variety of topics including Middle East tensions, health care, the economy, immigration reform, social media, the environment and a behind-the-scenes discussion about the talk media industry. The event takes place between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm at the AJU’s Familian Campus, 15600 Mulholland Drive in Bel-Air. Admission: $25. For more information or reservations call 310-440-1246.
WEEI, Boston Super Bowl Party Benefits Boomer Esiason Foundation. Entercom’s sports talk WEEI, Boston held a Super Bowl party on Saturday, February 4 at Buca di Beppo in downtown Indianapolis. The event raised $10,000 for the Boomer Esiason Foundation to fight cystic fibrosis. Esiason – morning drive co-host at CBS Radio’s WFAN and Dial Global play-by-play analyst for Monday Night Football broadcasts – is a regular contributor to WEEI appearing weekly with John Dennis and Gerry Callahan during the NFL season. Pictured here are (from l-r): Rich Saultz, VP of operations for Buca di Beppo, Boomer Esiason, Entercom VP/market manager Jeff Brown and WEEI VP of programming Jason Wolfe.
Colorado/Missouri/Minnesota Races, Obama Health Care Law Birth Control Controversy, Syria Violence, and California’s Prop 8 Overturned Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (2/7). The GOP primary and caucus races in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota, President Obama’s health care legislation and the mandatory birth control provisions that are creating controversy, ongoing violence in Syria and its role in the global stage, plus the overturning of California’s Prop 8 were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
