Tag: publisher

Industry Views

The Daily Dance of Affirmation

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Michael Harrison
Publisher
TALKERS

Talkers Magazine - Talk radioThe embarrassing situation and accompanying financial vulnerability being faced by our colleagues at FOX News is a high-profile example of the consequences of audience “targeting” that has become the common positioning strategy in today’s competitive media marketplace.  The process is simple: You give the specifically targeted audience what it wants, not necessarily what it needs, even if what it wants is of dubious quality or unhealthy and – in the case of political talk media – untrue. It is a problematic, unsavory practice that has been brewing in our industry for years and, in the case of FOX, the proverbial toxicity has just hit the fan.

However, those in both the talk and print media, who are sanctimoniously gloating over FOX’s self-imposed misfortune, had better take a real hard look at themselves in the mirror. The strategy of serving up red meat to highly defined core audiences is practiced almost religiously by both the left and the right (not to mention purveyors of sports talk, specialty subjects and even music) – and the tolerance for talent deviation from this course by management has dwindled to almost zero. Today’s overworked and fear-driven managers have no stomach for audience complaints or ratings dips resulting from hosts saying things that do not resonate with the almighty “core.”

Smart programmers over the decades (and I’ve known some) understand that doggedly super-serving the low-hanging fruit of the core eventually yields diminishing returns. You wind up with a happier-but-shrinking audience of increasingly off-kilter zealots who eventually viciously turn on you when you stop feeding them the red meat they crave in what I call the daily dance of affirmation. It is that philosophical gray area between flat out lying or simply being wrong. What it comes down to is this inconvenient truth: programming for ratings, sponsorship support and audience approval isn’t simple.

Heaven help the progressive host who finds fault with Saint Biden or the conservative host who goes against the insidiously pervasive Trump factor. Or the sports talk show host who complains about the downside of betting. Or the music jock who actually engages in music criticism. This is the industry’s elephant in the room.

It’s time to acknowledge the beast.

Michael Harrison is the publisher of TALKERS.  He can be reached by email at michael@talkers.com.

Industry News

Axios: Talk Radio Landscape Two Years After Limbaugh’s Passing

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

A piece by Sara Fischer in Axios looks at the state of conservative talk radio two years after the genre’s putative founding father Rush Limbaugh passed away, leaving a literal and figurative void in the industry. Talk media practitioners are aware that the occasion of Limbaugh’s passing gave rise to a number of conservative talk personalities as they battled to fill the midday radio time slot occupied for so many years on more than 600Talk radio - Radio station stations. In the bigger picture, Fischer writes, “Today, no one radio host commands the same level of power and influence that Limbaugh did, but a number of new voices are emerging — blending the reach of traditional and digital platforms — and collectively proving to be more powerful in shaping conservative opinion for younger audiences.” TALKERS magazine publisher Michael Harrison is quoted in the piece saying, “The world is changing and there are questions as to how Limbaugh, had he lived and remained healthy — based upon his mindset and his approach to the business — would have remained as pertinent as he was. He was not as flexible when it came to social media and some of the other forms that it takes right now to be a media presence as opposed to just a radio presence.” Read the entire article here.

Industry Views

Radio’s Valuable Asset

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison says one of the most valuable assets possessed by the radio industry, at this juncture, is the actual word radio itself regardless of which platform carries its content. At this morning’s TALKERS editorial board meeting, Harrison stated, “The rush to abandon the word radio in favor of audio is short-sighted, foolish and a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. This trend is indicative of a major blind spot regarding the basics of media theory and the delicate three-way relationship between form, content and institutional branding.”  Harrison continued, “The rush to convert the ‘magical’ business and products of radio to the utilitarian term audio is akin to the motion picture industry theoretically abandoning the words film, movie or cinema in favor of video… or the journalism industry trading in the word news for information or data… or the automobile industry ditching the word car for vehicle.”  Harrison concludes, “Looking back, maybe the captains of the railroad industry should have stayed in the train business after all and focused on modernizing and improving it as opposed to getting hung up on transportation and winding up with nothing.”

Front Page News Industry News

Thursday, October 27, 2022

By Editor | by Editor

Mark Davis is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast. Today is the 40th anniversary of Dallas radio legend Mark Davis’ career as a professional broadcaster. What better way to celebrate it than being a guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview?” Davis is one of the most successful and respected local news/talk radio hosts in America. For the past decade, this self-described libertarian-conservative has hosted the 7:00 am – 10:00 am CT morning show on Salem’s AM 660, The Answer – KSKY-AM – in the vibrant Dallas/Fort Worth market. Prior to that, he did a long stint at WBAP – also in the Dallas Metroplex. Along the way, he’s served as a regular fill-in for the late Rush Limbaugh and other national hosts in addition to having written two well-received books about politics published by Regnery. Harrison and Davis engage in a lively chat about the radio veteran’s career including changes over the past four decades in journalism, broadcasting technology, radio localism, the military (Davis grew up in a U.S. Air Force family) and partisanship in the national conversation. Don’t miss this! To listen to the podcast in its entirety, please click here.

WIP-FM, Philadelphia Names Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie New Morning Hosts. The Audacy sports talk station reveals that it will move the current midday team of Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie to morning drive early next year when Angelo Cataldi retires from his historic run as SportsRadio 94WIP’s morning drive host. The new show will continue to feature longtime WIP morning anchor Rhea Hughes and producer James Seltzer. Audacy says it will name a new midday show in the coming months. WIP-FM brand manager Rod Lakin says, “We are very excited to announce Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie will be leading the WIP morning show. For the last three decades Angelo Cataldi set the standard for morning drive in Philadelphia and helped define the sports narrative of this great city. Joe and Jon, along with Rhea Hughes and the other talented members of the WIP morning show, will adhere to the standard that Angelo created and develop a connection with the Philadelphia sports audience for years to come.” DeCamara comments, “I am ecstatic for the opportunity to host mornings on WIP. There is a remarkable tradition of success long established by the legend, Angelo, and the entire current morning team, and my aim is to continue to uphold that level of excellence. I feel a tremendous sense of gratitude to WIP and Audacy management, to Angelo, and to WIP listeners and callers whose intense passion drives the heartbeat of Philly sports. We look forward to assembling the full team that will comprise our show as we move to mornings. And I look forward to multiple parades down Broad Street over the next four months!” Ritchie adds, “I’m grateful and honored that Joe and I have the opportunity to follow in Angelo Cataldi’s footsteps on WIP’s morning show. We’ll work hard to uphold the station’s tradition of emotional connection with the greatest sports fans in the world.”

Radio Observers Reminisce and Analyze as Rock Gives Way to All-News on 92.3 FM in New York. Today’s move by Audacy that begins the simulcast of all-news WINS-AM on WNYL-FM (soon to become WINS-FM) was preceded by coverage of the change in the New York media that included reminiscing about the old “K-Rock” – for 20 years the flagship station of Howard Stern’s program – as well as the rock music and talk shows that also occupied the frequency over the years. In Verne Gay’s story on the change in Newsday, Audacy New York president Chris Oliviero is quoted saying, “Why now? That question has been bandied about for many years, but one of the major issues is that we’re still governed by FCC cap rules. Any time we wanted to add something to FM, we had to take something away. We had to make a choice [and] news and sports is what we do really well.” This change also comes at the same time as Audacy finalizes the newsroom merger of WINS and WCBS-AM. Audacy New York VP of news Ben Mevorach is quoted in the Newsday piece saying that “both stations will retain their separate identities, but that the merger ‘removes the redundancy of coverage’ and frees reporters up at each station to cover different stories. Mevorach added that there will be no layoffs but ‘actually the opposite: This is an all-out assault on becoming the dominant [radio] news leader here.’” Meanwhile, TALKERS magazine publisher Michael Harrison was asked about the changes and replied, “As natives of the 20th century, you and I still think there’s a difference between AM and FM but to natives of the 21st century, these are irrelevant facts. The flip doesn’t mean anything other than Audacy is doing the best it can to keep up with the times.” Regarding the end of rock music on 92.3 FM, Harrison adds, “It’s sad to see it go on a certain level, but radio gave up ownership of music years ago. It’s been a slow fade and this is another one of the lights going out. It doesn’t indicate anything beyond that.”

Alpha Media Names Tim Spence Director of Sports Operations in San Antonio. Radio programming pro Tim Spence joins Alpha Media San Antonio as the new director of sports operations for KTFM-FM/KZDC-AM, San Antonio “Sports Star, 94.1 FM, 1250 AM.” Spence comes to Alpha from iHeartMedia Denver where he most recently served as program director for KHOW and KCOL and as APD for KOA. He was also affiliate relations manager for the 140-station radio network for the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies. Spence says, “I’d like to thank Lance Hawkins, Dax Davis and Greg Martin along with the entire Alpha Media family for this opportunity in San Antonio. This is a tremendous group of stations with a great staff, and I’m ready to get to work.”

WABC, New York Names Studios in Honor or Bernard McGuirk. Yesterday (10/26), Red Apple Media Group’s news/talk WABC, New York dedicated its main studio to the late Bernard McGuirk, who died earlier this month after a battle with prostate cancer. Yesterday would have been McGuirk’s 65th birthday. Pictured above are (from l-r): Sid Rosenberg, on-air morning show co-host of “Bernie & Sid in The Morning”; Margo and John Catsimatidis, owners of Red Apple Media and 77 WABC; Carol McGuirk, Bernie’s wife; and their two children, Brendan and Melanie.

KFBK, Sacramento Celebrates 100 Years on the Air. News/talk KFBK-AM/FM, Sacramento recently celebrated 100 years since its first on-air broadcast on September 17, 1922 with a Centennial Celebration. Hosted by sister iHeartMedia station Talk 650 KSTE morning show and former KFBK staff “Armstrong and Getty,” KFBK’s Centennial Celebration featured appearances by many former staff along with current personalities Cristina Mendonsa and Sam Shane of the “KFBK Morning News,” nationally syndicated and 12:00 noon-3:00 pm host Tom Sullivan, John McGinness and Kitty O’Neal of the “KFBK Afternoon News” and night host Pat Walsh. KFBK program director Bill White says, “The founding principle of KFBK News Radio remains the same today as it did in 1922, to provide relevant local news and information. Through the generations, KFBK’s team of talented news anchors, reporters, and talk hosts continues to proudly uphold that mission, to serve the listeners of Sacramento and Northern California.” Pictured above at the celebration are: Back row (l-r): Gregg Fishman (former anchor, now at City of Sacramento and SMUD Board), Rick Eytcheson (former GM), Dave Williams (former PD and anchor, now anchor at KLIF, Dallas), Beth Duncan (former anchor, now singer), Andy Friedman (former reporter, now CMO at Specifi), John Butler (former ND, now digital PD at Salem Media Group), David G. Hall (former reporter, now media specialist/consultant). Front row (l-r):  Roger Hamlyn (former editor, now retired), Steve Telliano (former reporter/anchor, now with UC Davis Health), Don Andrews (former reporter/anchor, now with CA State Assembly), Vicky Moore (now with KNX-FM, Los Angeles), Mike Sicilia (former reporter, now deputy press secretary, CA Dept of Corrections and Rehabilitation).

FOX News Audio to Launch Bret Baier’s ‘Common Ground’ Podcast. This new podcast from FOX News Audio titled, “Common Ground,” – hosted by Bret Baier, FOX News Channel chief political anchor and executive editor and anchor of “Special Report” – will feature Baier speaking with lawmakers, business leaders and public figures from different perspectives coming together to discuss issues of the day and how Americans can find common ground in a polarized world. FOX News Audio says the new podcast will drop two episodes weekly.

SRN’s Tom Tradup Honored by Christian Relief Agency. The Christian non-profit international relief agency Food for the Poor this week honored Salem Radio Network VP/news & talk programming Tom Tradup for “10 years of dedicated passion and partnership through radio fundraising” which the agency says has resulted in 67-million meals for families in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as SRN’s October campaign raising funds for survivors of Hurricane Ian in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Pictured above are (from l-r): KSKY, Dallas morning host Mark Davis, Tradup, Diana Corrales and Paul Jacobs of Food for the Poor.

Debates/Midterm Elections, Russia-Ukraine War, The Economy, Immigration-Border Security, January 6/Trump Legal Issues, Iran Protests, British Politics, Musk-Twitter Deal, and Ye Controversies Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (10/26). The numerous debates ahead of the November midterm elections and speculation about which party will control the House and Senate beginning in January; Vladimir Putin’s attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure as winter looms; the battle against inflation and the up-and-down financial markets; the migrant and illegal drug issues plaguing the U.S.-Mexico border; the subpoenas issued to former President Donald Trump’s attorneys relative to the January 6 investigation and Trump’s other legal battles; the ongoing protests in Iran; Britain’s newest Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assumes his role; the fate of Twitter and Elon Musk’s bid for the social media giant; and the crumbling business empire of Ye in the aftermath of his anti-Semitic rants were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Advice

Monday Memo: The Resourceful Podcaster, Parked

By Editor | by Editor

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

 

BLOCK ISLAND, RI — The pandemic shutdown changed the standard for remote broadcasting.

  • Cable news talking heads – previously on-set or in a professional studio elsewhere – began appearing at home. And TV’s aesthetic is forever changed. Webcam video is the good-enough new-normal, and “Zoom” has become a verb. On Twitter, witty @RoomRater does just that, critiquing screen shots from various shows. On my TV show, TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison predicted that the new generation of TV news/talk sets will resemble “Frasier’s living room,” the at-home look IN-studio, rather than the Lucite desk and garish casino-looking graphics that have been the norm. And shows are saving a bundle NOT-paying as much as a thousand dollars for remote studio time + to Uber guests who may only appear for several minutes. A local station interviewed my state rep sitting in his truck talking into his phone cam.’ It was “authentic.”

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Front Page News Industry News

Friday, April 15, 2022

By Editor | by Editor

 

NOW POSTED: This Weekend’s Installment of “The Michael Harrison Wrap: An Overview of the National Conversation.” The latest installment of the one-hour weekend special, “The Michael Harrison Wrap,” that looks back each week at the hottest topics discussed in American talk media per the research of TALKERS, is now posted. This new episode titled “Hostile Takeovers” looks back at this past week of 4/11 to 4/15. The program features guests (in order of appearance): Kevin Casey, executive editor, TALKERS; Curtis Sliwa, talk show host, WABC, New York; Jim Bohannon, talk show host, Westwood One; Victoria Jones, executive director, DC Radio Company; Bill O’ Reilly, talk show host/commentator, No Spin News; and Matthew B. Harrison, associate publisher, TALKERS/law professor. The show airs weekends on WONK-FM, Washington, DC; WTIC, Hartford; KSCO, Santa Cruz, CA; KDFD, Denver; KFNX, Phoenix; KTLK-FM, St. Louis; WPG, Atlantic City, NJ; SuperTalk 99.7 WTN, Nashville; KMZQ, Las Vegas;  WTPL, Manchester, NH; WEMJ, Laconia, NH; WTSN, Dover-Portsmouth, NH; WVLY, Wheeling, WV; WTRW-FM, Scranton/Wilkes Barre, PA; WVOX, Westchester, NY; KBDT, Dallas; KQSP, Minneapolis; WGDJ, Albany, NY; WJFN-FM, Richmond, VA; WZFG, Fargo; KTGO, Tioga, ND; KWAM, Memphis; K-NEWS, San Luis Obispo; WGMD, Rehoboth Beach, DE; WCHM, Clarkesville, GA; WPHM, Port Huron, MI; KSYL, Alexandria, LA; KTOE, Mankato, MN; WCED, DuBois, PA; K-NEWS 101.3, Owensboro, KY; WWTK, Sebring, FL; WSAR-AM/FM, Fall River, MA; WIZM-AM/FM, La Crosse, WI; WMVA, Martinsville, VA; KQEN, Roseburg, OR; the Virginia Talk Radio Network; CRN Digital Talk Radio Network; Podcast Radio UK and many more. To listen to this week’s episode, please click here. To view the latest TALKERS topic research, please click here. “The Michael Harrison Wrap” is now available in syndication via Talk Media Network to stations across America on a market exclusive basis. For affiliation information, please click here or call 616-884-8616.

 

Report: Connoisseur’s Jeffrey Warshaw Offers to Buy Cumulus Media. According to a report from Reuters, Connoisseur Media CEO Jeffrey Warshaw is leading a consortium that is offering to acquire Cumulus Media “for close to $1.2 billion, including debt, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.” Warshaw’s offer is to take the company private for $15 to $17 per share. Before the news broke yesterday, Cumulus was trading at around $11 per share. After the news broke, Cumulus stock closed Thursday’s trading at $14.21 per share. Warshaw says the consortium would be willing to pay more, subject to due diligence. Reuters says that “a Cumulus spokesperson confirmed that the company had received ‘an unsolicited, non-binding, highly conditional indication of interest’ and that its board of directors was reviewing it alongside its financial and legal advisers.” Cumulus operates 406 radio stations, syndicator Westwood One, as well as its digital platform. The Reuters piece notes that in February, Noble Capital Markets analysts put a $27 price target on the stock, saying that “Cumulus is seeing strong advertising demand driven by sports betting, government, restaurants and cryptocurrency platforms.”

 

iHeartMedia Division President Linda Byrd Announces Retirement. Forty-year iHeartMedia staffer Linda Byrd announces she is retiring from her role as division president for iHeartMedia Florida and moves into an advisory role, effective July 15. The company says that “as a company leader for four decades at iHeartMedia, Byrd has contributed to the success of nearly 50 different markets and countless employees.” iHeartMedia says one of the duties in her advisory capacity will be the continued involvement in iHeartMedia’s Hispanic footprint, where she has made significant contributions. Byrd says, “It’s hard even to say the word retire. I have had the most fantastic career working in an industry that I absolutely love. I’ve never even thought about doing anything else. And I am so fortunate to have been on this iHeart train, and previous companies, for the last 40 years. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am thankful and excited to have the opportunity to transition into an advisory role for the next stage of my life. And I’m truly appreciative of the support and partnership I have had for so many years with Bob [Pittman], Rich [Bressler], Greg [Ashlock] and Hartley [Adkins]. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to learn from and work with.”

 

John Rowe to Lead Cumulus Northeast Wisconsin. Radio executive John Rowe is promoted to vice president and market manager for Cumulus Media’s combined business unit of Cumulus Green Bay and Cumulus Appleton/Oshkosh. Rowe has been serving as vice president/market manager for Cumulus Appleton/Oshkosh for nearly eight years and adds leadership responsibilities for the Green Bay market, effective immediately. In the two markets, Cumulus operates sports talk WDUZ-AM/FM, Green Bay and news/talk WOSH-AM/FM, plus seven music brands. Rowe comments, “I am excited to lead both Wisconsin clusters on behalf of Cumulus Media. The combination of talent and quality programming in each market makes this an ideal role and provides a host of opportunities going forward. My primary focus will be to enhance these great brands while meeting the needs of both our listeners and advertisers. I want to thank Mary Berner, Bob Walker, and Mark Sullivan for this opportunity.”

 

TALKERS News Notes. Sports talk KKFN-FM, Denver “104.3 The Fan” afternoon drive personality Darren “DMac” McKee is named Denver’s best talk show host in alt-weekly Westword’s Best of Denver 2022 edition. The Bonneville station notes that the recognition was not specific to the format of sports, or even the field of radio. McKee co-hosts “The Drive with Tyler Polumbus and DMac.” It was a week for kudos for the duo as Polumbus was honored by the Colorado Broadcasters Association with their 2021 Award of Excellence in the category of Best Regularly Scheduled Entertainment Program for his “Mount Polumbus” segment…..SiriusXM announces the launch of Amanda Seales’ “Smart Funny & Black Radio,” a new morning show on Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Radio channel. The weekly program kicks off on Monday (4/18) at 10:00 am ET. Seales is joined by co-hosts Taj Rani and JeremiahLikeTheBible. Kevin Hart says, “I’m beyond excited to have the amazing Amanda Seales join Laugh Out Loud Radio’s expanding family, as we continue to deliver a dynamic slate of voices to the channel. Passionate, unapologetic, brilliant, talented, and most of all funny, her show is going to be a can’t-miss experience for our SiriusXM listeners nationwide.”…..Larj Media and iHeartMedia debut the new serial podcast “Nobody Should Believe Me,” hosted and executive produced by novelist Andrea Dunlop. The podcast investigates Munchausen by proxy, a form of medical child abuse in which a caregiver feigns, exaggerates, or induces illness in their child for the purpose of receiving attention and sympathy from medical staff, their family, the community, and even strangers online. Dunlop first became interested in the subject when her older sister was investigated for Munchausen by proxy. This catastrophic series of events that followed tore her family apart and set her on a journey to understand this most taboo form of abuse. In this groundbreaking podcast, Dunlop talks to some of the top experts in the world to explore the criminology and psychopathology behind Munchausen by proxy and to reveal the wide swath of destruction these perpetrators leave in their wake…..Audacy announces that its premium podcast studios, including Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios, have garnered 22 nominations for the 2022 Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the internet, representing the most across the industry. Audacy’s nominations span original series, partner series, partner networks, and branded content across 20 categories, including Arts & Culture, Crime & Justice, Documentary, Diversity & Inclusion, and Sports.

 

Russia-Ukraine War Top News/Talk Story for Week of April 11-15. The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the greater topic of U.S. foreign policy was the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was the U.S.  economy, including high gas prices, inflation and employment figures, followed by the Brooklyn subway shooting, crime, and guns at #3. The Talkers TenTM is a weekly chart of the top stories and people discussed on news/talk radio during the week and is the result of ongoing research from TALKERS magazine. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart here.