Tag: "Patti Vasquez"
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
WGN-AM, Chicago and Patti Vasquez Go Separate Ways. Chicago media writer Robert Feder has the story of WGN’s decision to part ways with late-night talk show host Patti Vasquez after a five-year run. Feder notes that Vasquez had been suspended several times during her stint with the station for various infractions of the rules but apparently the accidental airing of the f-word earlier this month proved to be the last straw. In a memo
to the staff, WGN station manager and vice president of content Todd Manley wrote, “Patti Vasquez is no longer working with WGN Radio. Her departure is a private matter and will remain that way. We are grateful to her for her service to WGN Radio, and wish her the best.” The station will rotate various WGN personalities in the 10:00 pm to 1:00 am daypart for now. In a separate matter, Vasquez has announced she will seek the Illinois 10th District State Senate seat.
Michael Savage’s Trump Criticisms Focal Point of NYTimes Piece. Nationally syndicated talk radio host Michael Savage is the subject of a piece in The New York Times that looks into Savage’s criticism of President Trump – such as his failure to secure a border wall deal and the ballooning federal budget deficit – and how Savage’s audience is reacting to that criticism. As the story indicates, Savage still supports Trump and will vote for him in 2020, but Savage has never been one to avoid criticism of any politician if he believes it’s deserved. What’s new is that Trump’s base appears to want none of that. The Westwood One personality tells Times writer Jeremy W. Peters, “I don’t think they care very much about issues. They’ll vote for him no matter what because he’s not ‘them.’ I think it’s come down to ‘them’ or ‘us.’” Read the story here.
Contrite Craig Carton Heads Off to Prison. Sports talk radio personality Craig Carton began his three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for fraud yesterday (6/17). Regular TALKERS readers are aware that Carton was convicted of defrauding investors of millions in a phony concert tickets re-sale business. Carton, who had insisted that he was innocent of the charges, now admits his guilt. He tweeted, “I made mistakes. Mistakes in judgments, decisions and how I was living my life. I was wrong. I have, will, and should continue to pay a dear price for those mistakes. I also though, believe in redemption and earning second chances…I will work tirelessly to repay those whom I have hurt and to regain the trust that you all had in me.” Carton was co-host of the morning show on WFAN, New York at the time of his arrest in September of 2017.
Gallagher Chats with Florida Trump Fans. Pictured above outside Amway Stadium in Orlando is Salem Radio Network talk radio host Mike Gallagher (center) with Donald Trump supporters “Kevin from Pompano Beach” and “Barry from Key West” — the first two people in line for tonight’s Trump 2020 kickoff rally. Gallagher and fellow SRN host Dr. Sebastian Gorka are broadcasting their Tuesday programs from the nearby Hairy Buffalo sports bar.
New York Festivals Radio Awards Announces Ceremony Presenters. The New York Festivals Radio Awards announces the prominent radio industry professionals slated to present awards at the 2019 Radio Awards ceremony at Manhattan Penthouse in New York on June 24. The 2019 ceremony segment presenters include: Richard Baker, senior investigative journalist, The Age, Melbourne, Australia; Jennie Cataldo, vice president of programming, BMP Audio, USA; Donal O’Herlihy, producer, “Documentary on One,” RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland; Tanya Springer, senior producer, CBC Podcasts, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada; and Mark Travis, associate director, media production, New York Philharmonic, USA. For more information on the 2019 NYF Radio Awards gala or to purchase tickets, please click here. See a complete list of all the 2019 New York Festivals Radio Award Finalists here.
Iran Nukes, 2020 Presidential Race, SCOTUS Virginia Gerrymandering Ruling, Illegal Immigration/Trump Announces Deportation Plan, U.S. Hacks Russia’s Power Grid, Stewart vs McConnell on 9/11 Victims Fund, and Raptors Victory Celebration Violence Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (6/17). Iran’s statement of intent to violate the terms of the previous nuclear deal and the U.S.’s talk of military options; the Democrats running for president and Donald Trump’s kick-off of the 2020 campaign; the Supreme Court rules against Republicans in the Virginia gerrymandering case; the immigration issues at the Southern border and President Trump’s statement that ICE will begin deporting millions; allegations the U.S. has hacked Russia’s power grid; Jon Stewart’s challenge to Mitch McConnell to fully fund the 9/11 victims fund; and the shootings at the Toronto Raptors victory celebration were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
Collecting Pennies for a Good Cause. KIDO, Boise morning drive personality Kevin Miller (right) helped collect more than 1.6 million pennies – for a total of $16,743 – to benefit the Boise Rescue Mission. Pictured with Miller is Todd Christensen of Cap Ed Credit Union (left) and Reverend Bill Roscoe of the Boise Rescue Mission (center). To collect the pennies, Miller lived in a local Walmart for a week collecting coins, dollars, and other items.
Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Honor NBC TV 4, Los Angeles, Meteorologist Fritz Coleman. NBC4 meteorologist Fritz Coleman was honored with the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Art Gilmore Career Achievement Award for his many distinguished years as a “TV Icon Weatherman and Comic Entertainer” during a ceremony at the Airtel Hotel in Van Nuys last week (6/14). Pictured above at the event: TalkersRadio personality Meg McDonald (center) KFI, Los Angeles host Tim Conway, Jr. (left) and Pacific Pioneer Broadcaster board member and KTWV, Los Angeles host Mike Sakellarides (right). Photo: Roxanne Schorbach
Music Radio News and Career Moves. Providence country outlet WCTK-FM “Cat Country 98.1” moves midday personality Madelyn Grimaldi to mornings as co-host with Brian Mulhern. Taking over the open midday slot is Courtney Kelley, who’s been with the station as a part-time and fill-in jock. Hall Communications vice president of programming Bob Walker says, “Our philosophy is to hire great people and allow them to grow in our company and the industry. Being able to see these two talented personalities take on new challenges is what it’s all about.”…..Premiere Networks promotes Mary DelGrande from executive director of affiliate sales to vice president of affiliate sales. New York-based DelGrande continues to oversee affiliate sales for Premiere’s roster of national entertainment programs, including: Delilah, “On Air with Ryan Seacrest,” “CMT After MidNite with Cody Alan,” “ON with Mario Lopez,” and more.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Ron Hartenbaum, Sue Freund and Scott Calka Launch New Ad Sales Company with Offices in New York and Los Angeles. Three high-profile industry veterans have formed a new company, Crossover Media Group Sales, specifically developed to provide advertising-sales representation across multiple platforms for an array of established and emerging program personalities and formats. Managing members are Scott Calka, a veteran of advertising sales for organizations including Comcast Spotlight, DirecTV, Fox Sports and Madison Square Garden; sales pro Sue Freund, who most recently served for a decade as VP of sales for the Western Region for SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and who is opening the Los Angeles office of Crossover Media Group Sales; and well-known impresario Ron Hartenbaum, a veteran of advertising agencies including Needham and Grey, later serving as VP of sales for
Westwood One before becoming a founding partner of MediaAmerica and CEO of Jones Radio Networks. The new company is an extension of New York-based Crossover Media Group, which was launched by Hartenbaum and Calka in 2017 as a content-creation and advertising-sales consulting firm. “Until relatively recently, media personalities and content providers have not had a strategy to monetize their efforts fully beyond a single platform,” Hartenbaum tells TALKERS. “Crossover Media Group Sales is equipped to help content creators maximize their ad revenue regardless of delivery platform.” Calka states, “We believe we have developed the first truly cross-platform ad-sales structure to best serve the needs of content partners whose origins are in the audio and digital-video sectors. The future of ‘TV’ revolves around non-linear video consumption. To monetize the millennial audience, personalities, content providers and brands need to have a strategy for this platform.” Freund states, “There is a strong and surprisingly untapped market for advertising to support personalities and brands seeking to maximize revenue potential across all the platforms available to them. If you have an audio presence, we can be your video partner. If you have a video brand but have had difficulty breaking through the clutter, we can help. We understand cross-platform branding, promotion and monetization, and how to serve the needs of content providers, media buyers and brands alike.” Crossover Media Group Sales’ initial clients include a variety of radio and podcast products by Stephanie Miller, audio personalities Thom Hartmann, Dean Obeidallah, and the team of Michael Steele and Rick Ungar, all of whom have programs on SiriusXM. The company’s video-streaming program-network partners include Political Voices Network, co-launched this year by former CNN and MSNBC executive David Bohrman, and Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN), which also is carried on SiriusXM and which was launched by veteran sportscaster Brent Musburger and his nephew Brian Musburger. VSiN has been cited in press reports among the significant potential beneficiaries of the Supreme Court’s recent decision permitting states to have legal sports betting.
WGN, Chicago Makes Changes to Morning and Evening Shows. From the Windy City, Tribune’s news/talk WGN, Chicago is tweaking the on-air lineup in. Evening personality Justin Kaufmann – host of “The Download” from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm – is becoming a permanent contributor
to the Steve Cochran morning drive program. Now, the morning program will consist of Kaufmann, Dave Eanet, Mary Sandberg Boyle, Steve Grzanich, Mary Van De Velde, Joe Romano, and Pete Zimmerman. At the same time, morning show personality Andrea Darlas moves to evenings where she’ll co-host and handle news duties on the Patti Vasquez show that moves into the 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm slot. Cochran comments, “I have mixed emotions. I’ll miss Andrea but I’m excited for her and Patti. And it will be great to have Justin on the show. He’s smart, funny, and inexplicably willing to get up at a ridiculous hour.”
Hudson Valley Talk Host Tom Sipos Honored by Council of Industry. WKIP, Poughkeepsie, New York morning host Tom Sipos has been honored by the Council of Industry with its 2018 Manufacturing Champions Public Sector Award for “relentlessly calling attention to the important role manufacturing plays in our regional and national economy.” Sipos was co-owner of Sipos Insurance for nearly 40 years and now hosts “Hudson Valley Focus LIVE” on the iHeartMedia news/talk station. He served on the boards and was past chairman of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation and Workforce Investment Board, and chairman of the SUNY New Paltz School of Business Advisory Council. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Dutchess B.O.C.E.S Career and Technology Institute and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County. He was the founder of The Dutchess Alliance for Human Needs. Sipos says, “What a great thing it is to be honored by the Council of Industry, The Manufacturers Association of the Hudson Valley. I truly appreciate this award and will continue to promote manufacturing and technical education as key components of a healthy, dynamic economy.”
Entercom Stations Grab 17 New York State AP Association Awards. Three of Entercom’s New York all-news and news/talk stations garnered a total of 17 2017 New York State Associated Press Association awards. The organization’s annual newspaper and broadcast contest honors important journalism. Forty-six radio and television stations submitted more than 524 entries in the annual awards. All-news WCBS-AM, New York and sister WINS, New York picked up 11 first and second place awards. News/Talk WBEN-AM, Buffalo took home six first and second place awards.
TALKERS News Notes. Charlotte sports talk personality Chris Kroeger is leaving his position with Beasley Media Group’s WFNZ “The Fan” to become the radio play-by-play voice of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. As reported in the Charlotte Business Journal, Kroeger will take over for Steve Martin, who retired following the regular season. Kroeger is a Charlotte native who beat out 10 finalists (from a pool of “hundreds”) to get the gig. He says Martin voiced some of his own personal best sports moments. Kroeger continues, “Steve Martin narrated so many of those memories on radio and television. It truly is the opportunity of a lifetime to be his successor and to broadcast a new era of Hornets basketball for the next generation of fans.”…..ABC News Radio says its coverage of the U.S.-North Korea Summit from Singapore will begin on Sunday (6/10). It will be anchored by Karen Travers with reporting by Tara Palmeri. The ABC News Radio team says it will provide live coverage as needed, one-hour specials, special reports and one-minute status reports…..NBC Sports Radio and Westwood One are presenting national radio coverage of the 150th Belmont Stakes – the final leg of this year’s Triple Crown on Saturday (6/9). The broadcast is in conjunction with the Horse Racing Radio Network. Mike Penna will anchor and be joined by Kurt Becker. Longtime horse race owner and radio executive Dan Mason and horse racing reporter Tom Leach and Steve Goldstein will contribute to the coverage, while former jockey Jeff Bloom will serve as trackside reporter. NBC Sports’ Larry Collmus will call play-by-play of the race…..Former Alpha Media programmer Jeff Beck – who served with the Fredericksburg cluster that included news/talk WNTX – died on Monday (6/4) after a lengthy illness.
Trump-Russia Investigation/Manafort Allegations, U.S.-North Korea Summit, Trump Uninvites Eagles, Clinton-Lewinsky Flap, Facebook’s Data Sharing with China, Tuesday Primary Elections, the NBA Finals, and MLB Action Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (6/5). The investigation into possible connections between Trump campaign operatives and Russia agents and allegations Paul Manafort has tampered with witnesses; the scheduled summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore; the controversy over President Trump uninviting the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles to the White House; former President Clinton’s response to his Monica Lewinsky affair viewed through the #MeToo movement light; Facebook accused of sharing data with four Chinese firms; Tuesday’s primary elections; the Warriors-Cavaliers NBA Finals; and Major League Baseball action were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
Music Radio News and Career Moves. Programmer and air personality Trevor Morini is moving from Tulsa – where he’s been PD and afternoon host at iHeartMedia’s “92.1 The Beat” – to Austin to program the company’s CHR KHFI “96.7 KISS FM” and alternative
KASE-HD2 “ALT 97.5.” Morini says, “I am beyond excited for the opportunity to work with the great team in Austin and can’t wait to get started! I can’t thank Don Cristi and Jon Phillips enough for everything they’ve done for me in Tulsa. I would not be ready for this next chapter without their guidance and support. I’d also like to thank Tony Coles, Brian Gann, and Matt Martin for allowing me the honor of programming such a legendary station as KHFI!”…..On Monday and Tuesday (6/4-5), Premiere Networks engaged more than 120 iHeartCountry music radio stations and Premiere-syndicated affiliates at the exclusive 2018 CMT Music Awards radio remote broadcast in Nashville. Pictured below at the event are CMT and Premiere staffers with country outfit Old Dominion. From left to right: CMT Radio executive producer Ashlee McDonald, Premiere Networks president Julie Talbott, Old Dominion’s Trevor Rosen and Matthew Ramsey, CMT After MidNite/CMT Radio Live host Cody Alan, Old Dominion’s Geoff Sprung and Whit Sellers, CMT After MidNite/CMT Radio Live correspondent Marley Sherwood and Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi.
The State of Women on Talk Radio – Part 4
Why aren’t there more?
By Jeff McKay
TALKERS
Special Features Correspondent
Continuing today (11/5), TALKERS presents a multi-part feature story about the status of female talk show hosts in the radio business that will run throughout this week.
Part 4: Where is it going?
NEW YORK – It was established in the first three installments of this article about the state of women on talk radio – particularly “news/talk” radio – that although there are many successful female practitioners of the art heard around the country, male hosts continue to outnumber females by a startling ratio of approximately seven-to-one. The question is why?
Another question: Where is it all going?
Would an increase in the number of women on news/talk radio change the “nature” of the medium?
And, of course, that leads to the bigger question, should talk radio be looking to expand its nature and target audiences by hiring more women?
Can the spoken word medium successfully expand into more of a variety of directions and attract new female-skewing audiences via an increase in females on the air? Is that a risky move?
What do women want to hear enough to make talk radio of any genre part of their daily habit and routine?
Monday, October 28, 2015
FCC Issues AM Revitalization Plan. Adopted last Wednesday but not released until late Friday is the Federal Communications Commission’s First Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making and Notice of Inquiry regarding revitalization of AM radio service. Under the First Report and Order, the Commission makes six changes to current rules regarding: the use of FM translators, nighttime and daytime coverage modifications, and elimination of the AM “ratchet” rule, among others. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler had already nixed the open window for FM translator applications for AM owners but the Commission addresses the FM translator issue in a two-part move that will likely be well-received by AM owners: First, the Media Bureau will administer a 2016 process allowing AM licensees or permittees to acquire and relocate one and only one authorized, non-reserved band FM translator station up to 250 miles, and specify any rule-compliant non-reserved band FM channel, as a minor modification application. Second, there will be a new FM translator application auction window beginning in 2017 for AM stations that do not file a modification application in 2016. Read the entire FCC order here.
Dave Ramsey Takes ‘Smart Conference’ to Denver. Talk radio superstar Dave Ramsey brought his Ramsey Solutions Smart Conference to Denver’s Bellco Theatre on Saturday (10/24). The day-long conference featured Ramsey, along with Chris Hogan, Rachel Cruze, Christy Wright, Chris Brown, Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. Les Parrott, Dr. Meg Meeker and Michael Jr. and provided attendees with essential information on how to win with money, strengthen their marriages, build parenting skills and excel in their careers. Ramsey worked with iHeartMedia’s KKZN “Real Talk 760” and Optima Communication’s KRDO-FM, Colorado Springs “NewsRadio 105.5” to promote the appearance. Pictured here is Ramsey (center) with KKZN program director Josh Everett (left) and KRDO PD Mike Lewis (right).
Larry and Shawn King Podcast Features Guest Donald Trump. In this week’s edition of the “Back & Forth with Shawn & Larry King podcast from PodcastOne, the couple interview real estate magnate and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. According to a press release, Trump “takes listener questions and gets candid about his longtime friendship with the co-hosts.” Other topics include border control, free tuition, his previous comments about 9/11, and “personal experiences that reveal the ‘softie’ Donald Trump that Shawn and Larry know.”
Kane Joins WBBL, Grand Rapids AM Show. Reunited on Cumulus Media’s WBBL-FM, Grand Rapids are Michael Grey and Brett Kane. The latter joins the Michael Grey Show on the sports talk station alongside Grey and producer O.J. Grey and Kane worked together at KXSP, Omaha. Grey returned to WBBL in July after a stint in Omaha followed by a two-year run at KIRO-AM, Seattle.
Odds & Sods. WGN, Chicago, late night host Patti Vasquez is, along with television writer Emilia Serrano and ABC Studios, developing a TV show titled, “The Better Half.” According to a story at Deadline.com, Vasquez has a deal to potentially star in the show but that’s not certain yet. The show revolves around a Mexican-American working mother who “tackles the small and large injustices around her for the greater good, even though many times no one asks her to. Her well-meaning actions create consequences that affect
her career, community and home life in the crowded Chicago brownstone she shares with her parents, husband and children.”…..Retired NFL punter Steve Weatherford – who won a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants – was called back into the league while co-hosting his weekend radio show on WEPN, New York “ESPN NEW YORK 98.7FM” on Saturday (10/24). Weatherford was working on the air with Dave Rothenberg when he got a call from the New York Jets to join the team to replace injured punter Ryan Quigley…..Sports XTRA, San Diego “The Mighty 1090” morning personality Dan Sileo is honored by the Little Italy Association of San Diego. The banner with Sileo’s image that you see in the photo at left is one of many located in the Little Italy neighborhood of the city giving recognition to noteworthy Italians in the San Diego community…..SiriusXM expands its relationship with Breitbart News
Network with the addition of a new morning program for the satcaster’s conservative talk Patriot channel. “Breitbart News Daily” will be an “exclusive, conservative news and talk show” hosted by Breitbart News executive chairman Stephen K. Bannon and co-hosted by Breitbart news editor-in-chief Alex Marlow. It will feature interviews with major newsmakers, listener phone calls and interaction, and Breitbart reporters throughout the country and around the world breaking stories on events of the day.
Cool Job Opportunity. SiriusXM Satellite Radio is seeking a producer for the Patriot Channel in its Talk Programming division. The person in this producer position will be responsible for all aspects involved in producing a successful daily talk show on Sirius XM Patriot including studio/technical operations, promotion, production, guest booking, and research. Requirements include a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. Previous production experience within radio and/or live studio environment preferred. For more about this position and to apply, click here.