Pamal to Acquire Galaxy’s New York Radio Stations
Two New York-based broadcasters have swung a deal. Pamal Broadcasting is acquiring the 10 radio stations owned by Galaxy Media in the Syracuse and Utica markets. The stations – including sports talkers WTLA “ESPN Syracuse” and WRNY/W243DY “ESPN Utica/Rome” – will begin being operated by Pamal tomorrow (10/1) 
under an LMA. The deal is contingent upon FCC approval. The sale of Galaxy’s stations comes a little more than a month after Galaxy founder and CEO Ed Levine announced his plans to retire at year’s end. Levine says, “I have been fortunate to live out a lifelong dream of mine for the past 36 years. Time and life march on. While I will miss Galaxy and Syracuse/Utica, I could not be
happier to hand things off to Pamal Broadcasting.” Pamal is owned by founder James Morrell and he tells Syracuse.com, “With this addition, Pamal stations cover an enormous geography ranging from New York City, Long Island and Northern New Jersey, through the entire Hudson Valley to the Capital District, up to Lake George and now out through Utica and Syracuse. It truly is a great opportunity for us all.” See the Syracuse.com story here.
Jeff Connell comments, “Jeff’s experience, editorial judgment and deep understanding of the Seattle market make him the right person to lead Northwest Newsradio’s news and programming.” At the same time, Lotus announces programming changes at KNWN and sister news/talk KVI. At KNWN beginning Monday (10/5), the midday schedule will include Bloomberg Radio’s “Balance of Power” from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, “Bloomberg Businessweek Daily” from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon, and “The Ramsey Show” from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm. Local programming will see Scott Carty join Aaron Wright on “Northwest Afternoon News.” Eric Heintz becomes morning editor and sports, and Kevin Dodrill adds KNWN APD duties to his role as program director for KVI. At KVI, “The Ari Hoffman Show” moves from afternoon drive to the 6:00 am to 9:00 am daypart. Westwood One’s Dan Bongino will air in early afternoons with Compass Media Networks’ Lars Larson holding down afternoon drive.
Hubbard says, “Gamut’s revenue has grown 47% over the past two years, and the network now spans more than 250 national and local shows, including flagship franchises ‘American Nightmares’ and ‘Professor of Rock,’ plus local sports networks SKOR North in Minneapolis-St. Paul and 312 Sports in Chicago. Hubbard CEO Ginny Hubbard adds. “John has been leading Gamut since the day he walked in the door, and we’ve watched him turn it into something everyone at Hubbard is proud of. He understands this business from the creator’s side and the sales side, and he genuinely cares about the people making these shows. Naming him president is our way of recognizing that, and of letting the industry know how much we believe in where Gamut is headed under John’s leadership.”
local news, weather and information across radio, television and digital platforms.” KXL program director Grant McHill says, “Partnering with KOIN 6 News allows us to expand our commitment to delivering fast, accurate and essential news to the Pacific Northwest. By combining KXL’s deep roots in local news radio with KOIN-6’s trusted reporting, we are building a stronger, more dynamic news ecosystem for Portland and beyond.”
Station owner Tavis Smiley tells TALKERS that the station received commitment from 19 candidates for state and local offices – including for the governor’s office and the LA mayor’s office – to appear at the forum. The station says attendees will hear remarks from all candidates with follow-up questions from the forum’s sponsors and live audience. After the candidates’ appearances, attendees will receive a non-partisan briefing on statewide, county, and City of Los Angeles ballot measures.
November 1. RAAN says the move “follows the growing demand from stations looking to bring Cohen’s distinctive voice and insider perspective to their listeners.” Red Apple Media owner and CEO John Catsimatidis comments, “Michael worked for the president for over a decade and has a unique perspective on how Trump thinks when we do opinion pieces. ‘When You Know, You Know…’ is an opportunity for stations to add a distinctive personality and compelling content that hyper-engages listeners and attracts advertisers.”
GABBY Award from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters. The honor was presented Saturday (9/26) during the annual GABBY Awards in Duluth, Georgia. WAOK brand manager Joyce Littel states, “This award is a reflection of the continued efforts and hard work of our entire team. They work hard throughout the year, and they deserve recognition for all that they do for our station and, most importantly, for the community we serve. We are extremely proud to receive this honor.”
manager Brian McGhee states, “Jud brings the right mix of programming judgment, operational discipline, and people-first leadership to this role. He knows how to strengthen local brands, support great talent, and build the kind of team that will help our stations connect with audiences, positively impact our communities, and deliver for advertisers.” Heussler takes over for Jules Riley who recently moved to the company’s Atlanta station group as director of operations and programming. 
The Wall Street Journal recently described what it calls, “The Trillion Dollar Race to Automate Our Entire Lives.” Artificial Intelligence is rapidly evolving from something that answers questions into something that does things – researching, writing, analyzing, organizing and creating. WSJ describes a coming world of personal AI concierges capable of everything from executive presentations to filling out March Madness brackets. For podcasters, there’s opportunity here. And a warning.
at Capital Broadcasting Inc’s WGDJ “Talk1300” airing at 10:00 pm. Pags tells TALKERS, “For the 10 years I’ve been in syndication I’ve always hoped to return to the Capital Region of New York where I was proud to be a news anchor on the CBS affiliate, WRGB-TV. Even though I left TV there more than 20 years ago, I still regularly hear from former viewers there and will always consider the area a hometown. I can’t thank [owner] Paul Vandenburgh enough for putting me on the air there on his great station WGDJ!” 
“Morning Update” program – hosted by Jeff Chidester – brought in AARP New Hampshire state director Christina Fitzpatrick and AARP advocates and volunteers Mary Roberge and Stephanie Schuyler to explore AARP’s “non-partisan voter education efforts, its work with candidates, changes to New Hampshire voting laws, Social Security, prescription drug costs, caregiving, fraud prevention, and the issues voters are raising as Election Day approaches.” Chidester told the audience, “I don’t think New Hampshire is ever out of an election cycle. Governing and elections are our sport. We get it at a very young age, and we are actively involved in it through our entire life.” WFEA program director Michael Czarnecki says, “New Hampshire voters take their responsibility seriously, and our responsibility at WFEA is to give them access to meaningful conversations and useful information. The goal of the ‘Morning Update’ is not to tell listeners what to think or how to vote. It’s to bring the people involved in these issues directly to our audience, ask good questions and give listeners the information they need to make their own decisions. This roundtable is a great example of that.”
named the interim host of FOX News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” – beginning this Sunday (9/27) through the weekend after the November midterm elections (11/8). A new host will be named at a late date. Kudlow succeeds Maria Bartiromo, who exited FBN and FNC earlier this month. Kudlow served as the director of the National Economic Council and assistant to the president for economic policy under President Donald Trump from 2018 to 2021.
Stugotz & The Bear” via iHeartPodcasts. The new show – starring Jon “Stugotz” Weiner and Chris “The Bear” Fallica – drops twice weekly in which they “take listeners on a fun, fast-paced ride through the biggest stories and best moments in college football.”
AM/FM radio receiver. Edison says, “A few weeks ago, we highlighted the fact that among 13–34-year-olds, the majority of their ad-supported audio time in the car is spent with AM/FM radio. This week we widen the picture to look at all listening time among this age group in the car, and instead of noting what they are listening to, we are looking at what they are listening on. Over the history of Share of Ear we have documented the relentless rise of the smartphone as the primary audio-consumption device. Among younger audio consumers, this holds true even in the car.”
Among the honorees are Premiere Networks president Julie Talbott. Also being honored are: Marilu Galvez, general manager of WABC-TV, New York; Tina Perry, president of OWN TV Network & OTT Streaming; and Erin Underhill, president of Universal Television. Zenia Mucha, chief brand and communications officer at TikTok, will receive the inaugural Gracies Vanguard Award. Kristen Welch, chief financial and operations officer at Illustrative Mathematics, will receive the AWM Legacy Leadership Award, recognizing her longtime commitment to AWM and its mission of advancing women in media.