Tag: "Todd Starnes"
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Hugh Hewitt to Host Weekend Show on MSNBC. TVNewser is first with the report that Salem Radio
Network talk show host Hugh Hewitt will begin hosting a Saturday morning show on MSNBC on Saturday (6/24). The program will air live at 8:00 am ET. Obviously, some will be surprised by the 
addition of conservative Hewitt joining the left-leaning cable news/talk channel, but as The Hollywood Reporter points out in its coverage of the story, MSNBC recently added former Fox News Channel personality Greta Van Susteren and former George W. Bush Administration communications staffer Nicole Wallace. In illustrating the gains MSNBC has made over the last 12 months, THR also notes that Standard Media Index just released a report showing MSNBC’s ad rates are up 43% over last year’s.
PPM Analysis: Sports Talk. Managing editor Mike Kinosian presents the second in a series of analyses based on data from the May 2017 PPM survey from Nielsen Audio, this time focusing on sports talk. The return of Major League Baseball is usually good for sports talkers during summer ratings periods, and in this report, Kinosian concludes that, for the 6+ demo, “just over half the stations (53%) on the panel are up April 2017 – May 2017; one in four (25%) are down; and the remaining 22% of the sample is flat.” However, “approximately two of every three eligible sports talk stations are down year-to-year (64%) while 26% improve; the remaining 10% are steady.” Just five sports talkers ranked in the top five in their respective markets in the May 2017 survey, led by CBS RADIO’s WXYT-FM, Detroit at #2 (behind the company’s all-newser WWJ-AM). See the entire report here.
Joey Hudson Rises to GM of Mike Gallagher Show. Longtime Mike Gallagher show team member Joey
Hudson is named general manager for the Salem Radio Network syndicated talk show. Hudson serves as executive director of the Gallagher’s Army: Fallen Officer Fund charity, a position in which he’ll continue to serve. He’s also been GM of Salem-owned Caron Broadcasting’s WGTK-FM and WRTH-FM in Greenville, South Carolina. He’ll leave that position. Mike Gallagher says, “2017 has been the strongest year we’ve had in terms of affiliates, ratings and revenue for our national radio show. Joey is the perfect person to oversee the growing daily operations of our show throughout the rest of 2017 and into the exciting future.”
Warren Franklin Named Morning Host at KYKN. In Salem, Oregon, iSalem Media news/talker KYKN
announces that market pro Warren Franklin is named morning drive host. In addition to handling the morning news and commentary duties, Franklin will do 15 live remote broadcasts each month. KYKN program director (and afternoon air personality) Gator Gaynor says, “We are delighted to have someone of Warren’s ability and robust personality on our team.”
Edison Research and NPR Study Smart Speaker Owner Habits. There’s a lot of optimism on the part of radio station operators that the smart speaker – Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, Apple’s Homepod – can bring radio listening back into the home. NPR and Edison Research have partnered to research the habits of current 
smart speaker owners to see if that optimism is well grounded. The results of the “The Smart Audio Report from NPR and Edison Research” will be revealed in part at a June 28 webinar. Edison VP of strategy Tom Webster says, “Although Smart Speakers have not been around for very long, nearly one in five owners say that these devices are the way that they most often listen to audio. The frictionless way in which these devices enable audio consumption is already changing listening behaviors, and potentially increasing audio consumption overall.” The study consisted of a national online survey of 1620 Americans ages 18+. Eight hundred respondents owned at least one smart speaker (160 Google Home, 709 Amazon Alexa-enabled, and 69 who owned both.) Eight hundred and twenty respondents did not own a smart speaker device and were surveyed for comparative purposes.
Starnes Keynotes Writer’s Conference. Pictured above is Fox News Radio host Todd Starnes serving as keynote speaker at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference. During the event he also led workshops for more than 500 writers. As TALKERS magazine reported yesterday, Starnes is launching a new, three-hour radio talk show on FNR on July 5. See more about him at toddstarnes.com.
Central PA Host and GM Differ Offer Different Takes on Programming Policy. By now you’ve heard about classic rock WTPA, Palmyra, Pennsylvania weekend personality Bruce Bond’s exit from the station after, as he claims, feeling forced to resign for being ordered not to talk critically about President Trump. WTPA general manager Tim Michaels is now speaking out, telling Fox News that Bond was hired to do an entertainment program. His orders were to not talk politics – nothing specific about being for or against Trump. Obviously, that’s not how Bond expressed it when he first spoke to media about his exit.
New York Festivals 2017 International Radio Program Award Winners Announced. The big winner in this year’s New York Festivals International Radio Program Awards – the annual awards program honoring the World’s Best Radio Programs – was RTÉ Ireland which was presented with the prestigious title of Broadcaster of Year. TBI Media UK was honored with Production Company of the Year. RTÉ Radio Ireland earned an impressive 10 Gold trophies, 8 Silver, 10 Bronze, and 12 Finalist Certificates. Among the United States winners were, SiriusXM, CBS RADIO Boston, Westwood One, ESPN, ABC Radio, and iHeartMedia. See the entire list of winners here.
Edwards Returns to Lead Pubcaster WBEZ, Chicago. Windy City media maven Robert Feder tips us that
Steve Edwards is returning to public media outlet WBEZ, Chicago after five years away. In 2012 Edwards – who hosted a popular two-hour afternoon show – left WBEZ to become executive director of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics. Now, he is set to lead WBEZ programming as vice president and chief content officer. Read Feder’s story here.
Trump-Russia Investigation, Election Hacking Hearings, GOP Health Care Plan, Republican Handel Wins Georgia House Seat, Flint Airport Attack, Tropical Storm Cindy/Western Heatwave, ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Controversy, and MLB Action Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (6/21). The special counsel investigation into possible ties between Trump campaign operatives and Russian agents; yesterday’s testimony from former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and others about Russian election hacking; the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act with a plan critics say is being devised behind closed doors; Republican Karen Handel wins the race for Georgia’s sixth congressional district seat; the attack on a police officer at the Flint, Michigan airport by a suspected radical Islamist; Tropical Storm Cindy approaches Louisiana and the Western U.S. heatwave; the controversy over ABC-TV’s ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ program; 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. The new morning show at iHeartMedia’s WWYZ, Hartford “Country 92-5” is “Damon & Cory” – Connecticut radio pro Damon Scott and incumbent WWYZ morning personality Corey Myers. iHeartMedia Hartford Region president
Steve Honeycomb states, “We are excited that a well-known local personality like Damon Scott is joining longtime morning host, Cory Myers. Damon Scott is a familiar name that has been on the radio in Connecticut for years. He understands how to connect with listeners and the local community as well as what it takes to be successful in radio.” Scott spent the past 27 years as PM drive 
host at CBS RADIO’s crosstown CHR WTIC-FM…..The new morning show is launched on Cumulus Media’s country WKHX, Atlanta “Kicks 101.5” and it’s called “Caddy, CJ and Ali,” featuring Cadillac Jack, CJ and Ali Mac. This comes after the recent move of former morning show co-host Dallas McCade to music director and midday personality. Concurrent with the lineup changes, “Kicks 101.5” takes on the new slogan, “Georgia’s Country For Life.”…..The Tom Kent Radio Network signs a contract with SAG-AFTRA top become the first major independent American music syndication network to ratify such an agreement. TKRN CEO and president Tom Kent states, “Our team is more than excited to become a SAG-AFTRA shop! We embrace all of its principles and look forward to a long and prosperous future together. Working with the head of SAG-AFTRA local Brian Lysell has been a total pleasure. Our current and future affiliates know how committed we have been to showcasing excellent talent and this deal is a major indication that our commitment will continue.”
iHeartMedia Throws VIP Party at Cannes. Hip hop star The Weeknd was the featured performer at the intimate VIP dinner hosted by iHeartMedia and MediaLink at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. iHeartMedia chairman and CEO Bob Pittman, along with MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan and president/COO Wenda Harris Millard, hosted the party that – for the sixth consecutive year – brought together the “senior most-influential decision makers and thought leaders in the media ecosystem.” Pictured above are (from l-r): Tom Poleman, chief programming officer for iHeartMedia; John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises for iHeartMedia; The Weeknd; Michele Anthony, EVP of Universal Music Group; and Scott Borchetta, founder, president & CEO of Big Machine Label Group. Photo by Tony Barson/Getty Images for iHeartMedia.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Entercom Q1 Net Revenue Up 1.4%. Net revenue was $97.5 million – an increase of 1.4% over the same period in 2016 – for Entercom Communications for the first quarter of 2017. The company reports that station expenses increased 5% to $75.4 million, and station operating income decreased 10% to $22.0 million. Entercom 
president and CEO David Field says in a press release, “I am very pleased with our progress
on all fronts as we continue to plan and prepare for our transformational merger with CBS Radio. This will truly be a game-changing event for Entercom as we will achieve a number of scale-related benefits, including the ability to compete far more effectively against other media for a larger share of advertising spending. First quarter revenues increased 1.4%, down about 1% on a same-station basis ex-political. We experienced a highly unusual degree of large one-time only expenses during the quarter (including the return of a station license in Sacramento, CBS transaction costs and our CFO transition), that drove expenses significantly higher. Looking ahead to the completion of the merger with CBS, we expect synergies that will drive margin expansion.”
Salem Media Group First Quarter Revenue Flat; Broadcast Revenue Dips 1.9%. Both the broadcast revenue ($47.8 million, down 1.9%) and digital revenue ($10.7 million, down 2.9%) were in negative territory for Salem Media Group during the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2016. It was the
publishing division – up 34.6% on revenue of $6.5 million – that prevented a companywide dip in total revenue for the quarter. As it stands, total revenue for Salem’s 2017 Q1 was $65 million, an increase of 0.6%. The company reports that total operating expenses increased 2.9% to $60.2 million from $58.5 million and net income increased to $1.1 million, or $0.04 net income per diluted share from $0.4 million, or $0.01 net income per diluted share.
Sinclair Broadcast Group to Buy Tribune Media for $3.9 Billion. This deal is mostly about television
stations, but it will include Tribune Media’s lone radio property as Sinclair Broadcast Group will acquire WGN-AM, Chicago in the deal. Several years ago, Tribune split its newspaper and television divisions, with the former taking on the Tronc moniker and the broadcast division remaining under the Tribune Media banner. Sinclair owns only four other radio stations. They are all-news KOMO-AM/FM, talk KVI-AM, and hot AC KPLZ “Star 101.5.”
WKNR, Cleveland’s Premium Subscription Effort Creates Controversy. As illustrated in the Crain’s
Business Cleveland piece written by Kevin Kleps, sports fans in Cleveland seem to be split over station owner Good Karma’s decision to offer commercial-free podcasts of its regular programming to those willing to pay $8.50 per month (or $85 for a year) for the content. WKNR “ESPN Cleveland” VP and general manager Keith Williams says, “We know the way fans are consuming media in an on-demand world. They don’t have the time or resources they once had. We’re providing them what they asked for.” Quoted throughout the piece is TALKERS magazine publisher Michael Harrison. Read the story here.
French Presidential Election, GOP Health Care Plan, North Korea Threats, Russia-U.S. Election Investigation/Yates Testimony, Sanctuary Cities Issue, New Orleans Confederate Monuments Removal, MLB, NBA and NHL Action Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. The presidential election in France that saw Emmanuel Macron defeat Marine Le Pen; the GOP plan to replace Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act with its own health care system; North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and its threats against the U.S.; the investigation into allegations Russia attempted to influence the U.S. presidential election and former Attorney General Sally Yates’ testimony on the matter; debate over the Trump Administration’s actions against sanctuary cities and the larger issue of immigration policy; the controversy over New Orleans’ removal of Confederate monuments; and MLB, NBA and NHL action were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
TALKERS News Notes. Milwaukee news/talk WTMJ (and sister country outlet WKTI) were honored with 2017 Wisconsin Broadcasters Association awards over the weekend. WTMJ was named Large Market Radio News & Talk Station of the Year and recognized as Best News Operation of the Year in the Large Market Radio News & Talk category. Between the two stations, they took home 17 awards, including: Best News/Talk Morning Show: Wisconsin’s Morning News with Gene Mueller; Best Spot News Reporting: Milwaukee Riots; and Best Newscast. Scripps Milwaukee Radio Operations vice president and general manager Tom Langmyer states, “We’re humbled to be honored by our peers in the industry.”…..According to a report in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, CBS RADIO has cut four staffers from news/talk KRLD-AM, Dallas. Those ousted include: “Texas Overnight” host Charley Jones, air personality J.D. Ryan, sports anchor-reporter Roger Emrich, and reporter and assistant news director Matt Thomas…..At the Times-Shamrock Communications operations in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Tom Ferguson exits the brand manager role there where he was responsible for sports talk WEJL and alternative WFUZ “ALT 92.1.”…..San Diego State University and FOX Sports College Properties announce a multi-year agreement with iHeartMedia San Diego to broadcast SDSU football and men’s basketball games beginning with the 2017 football season. Games will be broadcasts locally on classic rock KGB-FM, KLSD “XTRA 1360 AM” in San Diego and on KTDD, Riverside “Fox Sports 1350.”
Radio Talent Institute at University of Georgia Begins Today. Today begins the fourth annual Georgia Association of Broadcasters Radio Talent Institute at the University of Georgia. Cumulus Media VP of
programming John Dimick begins the 10-day institute with the opening session and, over the course of the Institute, some 40 broadcasters from companies including Cox Media Group, iHeartMedia, CBS RADIO, Beasley Broadcast Group, Radio One, Entercom, Alpha Media, and others will conduct sessions. Georgia Association of Broadcasters president Bob Houghton says, “I knew we needed this, but even then didn’t realize how special it is until going through the experience of the Institute. Broadcasters from all over the state come and give their time and expertise. These students will be the leaders in our business 10, 20, 30 years from now. We have a great deal of pride in what we are accomplishing.”
WMAL, DC Afternoon Drive Host Larry O’ Connor Guests on Harrison Podcast. On the afternoon of Thursday, April 24 at 5:00 pm, President Trump addressed a select group of invited conservative media journalists, commentators and reps to a special “background only” briefing in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. The attendees were mostly comprised of representatives from newspapers and online news sites – however there were several talk radio personalities in attendance: Laura Ingraham of Courtside Entertainment, Mike
Gallagher and Cal Thomas of Salem Radio Network, John Fredericks (independently syndicated across Virginia) and Larry O’ Connor of WMAL, Washington, DC. During the course of the meeting, Trump decided to remove the “background only” restriction and allow all statements at the event to be for the record. The next morning (4/25) Larry O’ Connor granted TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison an exclusive interview discussing his experience at the meeting and some of the things said by the president. The result was a fascinating conversation about the relationship between talk radio and politics that provides the basis for this week’s installment of the award-winning PodcastOne series, “Up Close and Far Out with Michael Harrison.” Harrison stated, “Larry O’ Connor is one of the most significant rising stars in talk radio today. He is intelligent, articulate, independent, funny and fair. I am delighted to have him as this week’s guest on the podcast.” O’ Connor will be delivering the welcoming remarks at the forthcoming TALKERS 2017: A New Era on Friday, June 2 in New York City. To listen to the podcast in its entirety, please click here or click on the “Up Close and Far Out” player box located in the right-hand column on every page of Talkers.com.
Todd Starnes at Liberty University Convocation. Pictured above is Fox News Radio personality Todd Starnes addressing more than 14,000 students at convocation at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Starnes – who produces a daily, short-form feature distributed by Fox News Radio – discussed current events during his speech. He also led a seminar for students majoring in journalism.
Music Radio News and Career Moves. In the Oklahoma City market, iHeartMedia and evening radio personality Brad Boyington part ways. Boyington had been the night DJ at CHR KJYO “KJ 103” for the past three years…..KYSR, Los Angeles “ALT 98.7” announces the lineup for its annual Summer Camp concert event. The show – taking place at The Queen Mary Events Park in Long Beach on August 19, will feature: Foster The People, The Head and The Heart, HAIM, Bleachers, Sir Sly, Vance Joy, Magic Giant, Youngr and Beth Ditto.
iHeartCountry Festival Rocks Austin’s Frank Erwin Center. On Saturday (5/6), the fourth annual iHeartCountry Festival took place at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas –hosted by syndicated personality Bobby Bones – and featuring performances from: Jason Aldean, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Rascal Flatts, Old Dominion, Jake Owen, Darius Rucker, Lady Antebellum, Kelsea Ballerini, and Kip Moore. Pictured above are (from l-r): “Bobby Bones Show” personality Lunchbox, singer Karen Fairchild, “Bobby Bones Show” personality Amy; and Kimberly Schlapman and Phillip Sweet of Little Big Town. Photo: Getty Images for iHeartMedia.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Glenn Ordway to Exit WEEI, Boston. Addressing the story of his departure that leaked to Boston.com’s Chad Finn, longtime personality — and one of the original architects of the sports talk station – Glenn Ordway announced on Wednesday he is leaving the station because management wants to make changes. The original story from Finn
reports Boston native and current KIRO, Seattle sports talk personality Mike Salk will join Michael Holley on the PM drive show. That has not been confirmed, although WEEI vice president of programming and operations Jason Wolfe says in a subsequent press release that the station will announce Holley’s new co-host soon. In discussing his departure on the air – a very cool thing for WEEI management to allow him to do, in the opinion of TALKERS editors — Ordway said, in part, “I have great admiration for that brand on the wall. I was part of the beginning of it…I’ve been meeting [programmer] Jason Wolfe…It’s obvious we are not getting the ratings on this show that are necessary…I didn’t do a good enough job recently and the company decided to make a change…The ratings are the issue. In the Spring they were through the roof but they haven’t been good enough recently… I’m not gonna lie [and say I’m happy about it]…They have a
right to make that decision. You wanna say I got fired? Say I got fired…I am so lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest people in the 
business – some of them went to other places and are the reason I’m having this conversation right now (laughed). I’ve been here 27 years going back to their deal with the Celtics.” Wolfe says Ordway will finish out the week on the program. He says of his time with Ordway, “Glenn and I have been together since day one. He is an icon in this business and he helped build WEEI into arguably the most successful sports station in history. I am so thankful to have been able to work alongside Glenn for the past 20-plus years and I hope that all Boston sports fans realize how important his contributions have been to this station, to the market and to this industry. He’s a true professional and that was clearer than ever in his comments today (2/13).”
Talk Radio Network and Fox News Channel Star Andrea Tantaros Gets “Love” from the New York Observer. The paper calls Andrea Tantaros “Fox’s new ‘It’ girl” in a piece that highlights her rise as one of the ensemble members of the very popular “The Five” program on FNC as well as her new gig as host of her own radio talk show syndicated by Talk Radio Network. Writer Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke writes of Tantaros, “And although she is solidly conservative, she represents a departure from the old Fox News mold of firebrand yellers and bubbly blondes. Ms. Tantaros lives in Manhattan, talks with equal enthusiasm about reality shows and budget hearings, and is laughingly sarcastic rather than loudly belligerent when decrying a liberal viewpoint. And she will occasionally depart from the party line. She is, in short, the perfect standard-bearer for Fox’s recent subtle shift to a less-divisive model of conservative news.” Tantaros’ talk radio program on TRN filled the gap left by the departure of Laura Ingraham from the network and CEO Mark Masters says the accolades being given to Tantaros don’t surprise him and are indicative of why he is so high on her show. “This is why the Andrea Tantaros show is the most successful nationally syndicated launch in our history.”
EAS LESSON: Protect Your Station from Hackers. By now, you have obviously heard that there was an EAS hack at a TV station the other day. It is the buzz of the industry. An alert went out about a zombie attack. Now, before anyone goes off about EAS, it should be noted that the CAP feed was not affected. This appears to be strictly a case of computer network security. And before we go deeper, it should be stated that when something like this happens, it is only natural that it becomes a news story. And news stories require actualities. If something goes awry with EAS, please keep in mind that it is okay to play the actual audio message that went out (although not advisable) – but it CANNOT contain the EAS data bursts or the two-tone alert signal. It is illegal to transmit those outside of an actual EAS activation or test, per FCC regulation 47 CFR 11.45. Back to the hack. It appears that someone hacked into the computer network of the TV station where the zombie alert originated. More disturbing, the hacker logged into the EAS encoder/decoder, planted an audio file, and sent the test. Consider the implications of this if the hacker had originated a National Emergency code. Any station monitoring the TV station would have had their air seized because of the nature of the alert – and, besides disconnecting the equipment, could not do anything about it. You do not have the option to abort a National Emergency. Noted radio engineer Tom Ray, president of Tom Ray Consulting, – who joins TALKERS today (2/14) as technical editor – offers his educated take on the “Zombie Hack” and offers counsel on how to protect your station from similar breaches in computer security. Read Tom Ray’s article here.
KLBJ-AM, Austin’s Barbara McCarley Dies in Auto Crash. The KLBJ-AM news staffer was driving in a station vehicle when her car was involved in a three-car crash in which her vehicle was hit head on. Forty-eight year old Barbara McCarley had been with KLBJ-AM for the past 14 years. She was a wife and mother of two. Upon learning of her death, Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan stated, “It saddens me to tell you that we’ve lost a dear member of the Emmis family today. We just received word from Scott Gilmore that long-time Emmis Austin news associate and reporter Barbara McCarley passed away this morning after being involved in a tragic car accident yesterday. Barbara has been a valuable member of our Austin radio team for over 14 years. As Scott said to his team this morning, ‘Barbara was well loved by her co-workers and we will all miss her bright personality terribly.’ Please keep Barbara’s husband, Robert, and her two children, John and Katherine, in your thoughts and prayers. This will be a very difficult time for them, her friends, and her Emmis family in Austin.”
Do You Sound “CompuServe” to Smartphone Users? Radio consultant and TALKERS columnist Holland Cooke says that in his travels he hears radio stations all across the country talk about their websites and digital activities in archaic 1990s terms. He advises that promos for your station’s website should end, not begin, by plugging the site. He points out that many stations still discuss their website as if simply having a website is a big deal. Most importantly, he explains that people are way too busy with increasingly shortened attention spans to go to a website to peruse it for its own sake. You MUST give them a specific reason to go there every time you mention it. Find out more about placing your station’s website in a 2013 context by reading Holland Cooke’s article here.
TALKERS TV Spotlights Localism. Today (2/14) TALKERS TV debuts a brief interview conducted by Michael Harrison with KSCO, Santa Cruz, California PD and morning host Rosemary Chalmers who discusses the benefits of local talk radio broadcasting from her dual perspective as a programmer and a talent. Chalmers has been with the station for a long time – 15 years on the air, 22 as a programmer – and has strong ties to the community. She says the local factor is at the heart of what makes KSCO very special. See the video in the TALKERS TV box in the upper right column of this page.
Fox News Radio’s Todd Starnes Added to WWIQ, Philadelphia. The daily feature will air at 7:55 am on the “Philly’s Morning News” program hosted by Al Gardner and Lionel. Todd Starnes’ Fox News Radio-syndicated commentary is already heard on some 250-plus stations around the country. He says of his addition to Merlin Media’s WWIQ, “I am so excited to be a part of such a fantastic radio station. ‘IQ 106.9 FM’ is a perfect home for my commentaries and I look forward to sharing real American stories with our new friends in Philadelphia.”
Larry Wert to Oversee WGN, Chicago as President of Local Broadcasting. Tribune Company announces the NBC TV executive with tons of Chicago media experience will assume the role of president of local 
broadcasting, putting him in charge of Tribune’s 23 local TV properties as well as its lone radio station – WGN, Chicago. He’ll report to Tribune CEO Peter Liguori. Wert served as president and GM for WLUP-FM and AM 1000 beginning in 1989 when they were Evergreen properties. He was president of the merged Evergreen and Chancellor companies and moved on to the president/GM role at WMAQ-TV “NBC5” in 1998. Since September of 2011 he has been EVP of station initiatives for NBC. Liguori says of Wert, “Larry’s talent, creativity, and broad television, digital and radio experience make him the ideal person to lead our local broadcasting and radio businesses. Larry is also a skilled manager of people, an innovative programmer, and understands the important role our local TV news operations play in the communities we serve.”
Longtime Boston Talk Personality Paul Benzaquin Dies at 90. The native of Quincy, Massachusetts, one-time Boston Globe and Boston Herald reporter and Boston radio personality passed away on February 13 at age 90. The Patriot-Ledger notes that Paul Benzaquin made his radio debut on WEEI in 1960 and in 1963 began doing talk radio. In addition to working at WEEI, Benzaquin hosted radio programs on WBZ, WHDH and WITS in Boston. He also penned a best-selling book about the 1942 Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in the city that took the lives of 492 people.
COOL JOB OPPORTUNITY. Newsmax Media is looking for a Content Manager, Traffic Coordinator Online TV. Newsmax Media, a national news organization, is seeking a dynamic, self-motivated, and highly organized individual with experience in broadcast, cable or online TV with the gathering, managing, scheduling, and archiving of content for the new position of Content Manager and Traffic Coordinator. Responsibilities include: Gather, develop, and manage content for organization’s web TV channel presence (requires working with content management software); Coordinate programming projects across departments; Track incoming programming/advertisements and ensure complete production functionality; Working with a cross-departmental team, including maintaining and developing the master content calendar for all TV channel properties; Review potential content to determine if it meets company standards; Work cooperatively with key team members, clients, and vendors. Minimum Qualifications: Candidate must have a minimum of 3 years working as a content manager/traffic coordinator at the network or major online/broadcast outlet level; Exceptional communication and organizational skills with a strong attention to detail; Advanced knowledge of HTML and experience utilizing the latest content management/traffic systems; Ability to efficiently manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment; Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Digital Media or related field a Plus, Not Required. Salary Range: TBA, Location NY or FL. Please submit resume to Ted Goldenberg at tedg@newsmax.com
ANOTHER COOL JOB OPPORTUNITY: “Help wanted, news/talk, Texas, owner-not insane!” TALKERS columnist and radio consultant Holland Cooke shares this with our readers. “My client is a proud indie, hell-bent-on doing big-city radio in a comfortably small market.” Immediate opening – PD with PD and news experience and demonstrated production and people skills. Sales savvy would make you extra-attractive. You will have an on-air presence to-be-determined.
Yes, we will build-this-job-description-around the right person. No beginners, no calls. Send resume, references, aircheck, and links to web content you’ve created to helpwanted@hollandcooke.com. Send audio files to that address via free YouSendIt.com, or send a DropBox link. Tick-tock. My client is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Obama State of the Union Aftermath, Christopher Dorner Case, Marco Rubio Water Flap, Jack Lew Hearings and European Horsemeat Scandal Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (2/13). The discussion and dissection of President Obama’s state of the union speech; the controversy surrounding the Christopher Dorner pursuit; the Marco Rubio water-drinking flap; the Jack Lew treasury secretary confirmation hearings; and the European horsemeat scandal were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
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