Tag: "Holland Cooke"
Monday, October 18, 2021
Pending Business: Beam Me Up, Scotty. Radio sales pro Steve Lapa says, “If you sell talk radio for a living, take a minute to thank William Shatner.” Why? “For years talk radio sellers used the anecdotal examples of iconic figures who crossed into the older demographic with faces and lifestyle that made the older demo more advertiser friendly. From Mick Jagger and Joe Namath, to Cher and Goldie Hawn, these were the easy-to-reference examples leading the path to older demo acceptance. And now a new normal has fallen into our collective talk radio lap, William Shatner who at age 90 touched the sky as the planet logged on.” Read more here.
Monday Memo: Speaking of Vaccine Mandates. “Until we can come up with something else to argue about,” the latest COVID controversy offers what consultant Holland Cooke calls “new evidence demonstrating the importance of choosing our words carefully.” In this week’s column HC bullet-points some fresh research. Read it here.
Matt Sheeder Promoted to VP of Sales for iHeartMedia Minneapolis. Radio sales pro Matt Sheeder is promoted to vice president of sales for iHeartMedia’s Minneapolis station group that includes KTLK-AM, sports talk KFXN “KFAN,” and news KQQL-
HD2/W227BF “BIN 93.3,” plus five music brands. Sheeder was most recently serving the cluster as local sales manager. Sheeder started in the media industry in 2015 at Comcast Spotlight. He joined the iHeartMedia Minneapolis team as an account executive in 2018. Sheeder says, “I feel fortunate to be able to help expand and lead this high-performing team. The past three years of my career at iHeartMedia have been incredibly enriching and have only helped me grow both professionally and personally. Thank you to the iHeartMedia Minneapolis team for this exciting new opportunity!”
WTOP, Washington’s Chris Roth to Acquire WNAV-AM, Annapolis from Pat Sajak. The Annapolis, Maryland radio station owned by “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak – oldies intensive, full-service outlet WNAV-AM – is being acquired by partners Chris Roth and Frank Brady for $1,000. Roth is currently a staffer in the WTOP-FM,
Washington production department. WTOP has the story and notes that Roth and Brady will have to trim some of the payroll but hope to keep as many of the two dozen staffers as they can. The station will have to move from land that Sajak owns but Sajak is committing up to $100,000 to help with the move and a new lease. Roth says he will keep his position with WTOP as he transitions to his new role as co-owner of the station. Meanwhile, Sajak comments, “I am indebted to our advertisers and, of course, our loyal listeners. As I move toward retirement over the next couple of years, I’ll always look back at my ownership of WNAV with great pride and satisfaction.”
AdLarge Releases 2021 Podcasting Buying Guide. The 2021 Podcast Buying Guide V4.0 has been released by AdLarge. The company says this guide features “essential information on the rapid evolution of the marketplace including the latest resources and tools for measurement, analysis, and attribution available today. While similar to the first three guides by remaining simple to follow and understand, the fourth edition goes
beyond the basics of buying and delves into the specifics behind content selection, measurement efficacy, and targeted delivery.” AdLarge SVP, head of revenue operations & digital sales Ilwira Marciszek adds, “As more buyers continue to experience the unmatched ROI of podcast advertising, we recognized the opportunity to provide guidance and context to the quickly evolving landscape of attribution, measurement, and delivery. The unprecedented growth we are witnessing today is a true testament to the power of podcasting.” AdLarge co-CEO Cathy Csukas states, “Working with a broad range of shows and clients has uniquely positioned AdLarge as an authentic resource to buyers. Our spectrum of knowledge has enabled us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the marketplace, which we’ve outlined in this playbook. Our goal is to provide everyone with the tools to make the most informed advertising decisions possible. The substantial increase year-over-year in advertiser spend has proven the audience is attentive, engaged, and ready to take action.”
TALKERS News Notes. Chicago media writer Robert Feder reports that former WGN-AM morning drive personality Steve Cochran has kicked off the fourth season of his
podcast “Live From My Office.” Guests on the twice-weekly podcast this season are expected to include: Tom Waddle, Mark Giangreco, Lou Piniella, Bill Leff, Spike O’Dell and comedians Kathleen Madigan and John Da Cosse…..Cromwell Media’s sports talk WPRT-FM, Nashville 
“ESPN 102.5 The Game” and the NHL’s Nashville Predators agree to a multi-year extension that continues WPRT’s role as the official flagship station and broadcast partner of the Nashville Predators Radio Network. Cromwell Media president Bud Walters says, “For over 10 years the Predators have been the ‘best’ to work with. They’ve brought such excitement to Nashville, and we look forward to continuing our partnership together. We are very proud to be the flagship home of the Nashville Predators Network.”…..Townsquare Media’s KHOM, Hannibal, Missouri “NewsTalk 1070” adds Premiere Networks’ “Glenn Beck Program” to its daily lineup, effective today (10/18). Beck’s show airs locally from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Supply Chain Woes/Inflation, Biden vs Progressive Democrats, COVID-19, January 6 Investigation/Bannon Subpoena, U.S. Missionaries Kidnapped, and Ahmaud Arbery Case Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. The effects of the global supply chain breakdown and soaring retail prices; President Joe Biden’s challenges bringing progressive Democrats aboard his agenda; the rate of COVID cases in the U.S., and mask & vaccine mandates; the January 6 investigation and former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s defying a subpoena to testify before a congressional committee; the kidnapping of 17 U.S. missionaries by a gang in Haiti; and the trial of three Georgia men in the slaying of Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
Monday Memo: Speaking of Vaccine Mandates
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
BLOCK ISLAND, RI — While the USA remains an embarrassing hot spot in the worldwide COVID pandemic – and until we can come up with something else to argue about – new evidence demonstrates the importance of choosing our words carefully.
In a recent CNBC interview, pollster Frank Luntz shared recommendations based on fresh research:
Monday, October 11, 2021
Monday Memo: “America Is Running Out of Everything.” Dealers want to buy your car. Paper towels and toilet paper are getting scarce again. Need to replace the dishwasher you KO’d during the shutdown? “Lotsa luck,” says consultant Holland Cooke, as conveyor belts that shut-down during the shutdown are slow-to-start. “Like the pandemic that precipitated it, the supply chain interruption is a years-long event that will interrupt and change listeners lives.” In this week’s column, HC outlines the opportunity for radio and its advertisers. Read it here.
Pending Business: Who Cares? Sales pro Steve Lapa writes today about avoiding that very response from your prospect. Imagine you’ve prepared a proposal with your best pitch points and “every #1 position you can muster is so baked into your pitch you can recite the numbers in your sleep. If your station is not in the business of ratings, you find another #1 strategy. Your talent bios show a spectrum of photos that range from influential guests to family photos that warm the coldest hearts… but has your proposal passed the ‘Who Cares?’ test when it comes to all these perceived salient points? Have you considered what is truly relevant to this advertiser?” Read more here.
Sterling: Actions That Get You Booked. If your goal is to get booked on a talk radio program, consider the wise counsel in this piece from nationally syndicated talk host Walter Sterling. It will help you avoid mistakes that turn hosts off to you. Sterling says, “A compelling, appealing guest is very valuable to every radio show. It doesn’t matter if you are famous or have lived in the White House. To get booked on major radio shows requires a few fairly simple actions. Once a host ‘likes’ you it won’t take long for you to quickly become a go-to guest.” Read more here.
Audacy Adds Mark Willard to Midday Show. The new “Willard and Dibs” midday show – starring Mark Willard and incumbent midday host Dan Dibley – debuts on
Audacy’s KGMZ-FM, San Francisco “95.7 The Game” today (10/11). Willard comes to Audacy from his most recent position with Cumulus Media’s crosstown sports talker KNRB. “95.7 The Game” brand manager Matt 
Nahigian says, “I am absolutely thrilled that Mark is joining us. He is a great talent that understands this fan base as well as anyone in the market. He solidifies a new lineup that I think the Bay Area is going to love.” Willard comments, “I’m beyond excited to join ‘95.7 The Game’ and continue to talk about our home town teams with the fans I love. I look forward to getting started at such an exciting time in Bay Area sports.” Willard also currently serves as a studio host for Pac-12 Network and hosts the “Inside Giant Moments Podcast.”
‘Because of Anita’ Podcast Debuts from Audacy. This new podcast from The Meteor and Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios is the premiere of an exclusive first
conversation between professor Anita Hill and Dr. Christine Blasey Fordon the third episode of the “Because of Anita” series. Hosted by The New York Times’ Dr. Salamishah Tillet and Cindi Leive, co-founder of The Meteor, the four-part series examines the impact of Hill’s testimony, from 1991 to 2021 and “looking at how far we’ve come, or haven’t, in making the world and the workplace safer for all. It digs into the aftermath of the hearings and their enduring impact 30 years later on everything from our political systems to our journalism to our ideas about violence, safety, race, and gender.”
Biden’s Infrastructure & Reconciliation Bills, COVID-19, Border Crisis, January 6 Investigation, Trump Rally, Columbus Day Controversy, Virginia Governor Race and Southwest Woes Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. The status of President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion Infrastructure bill and his $3.5 trillion Reconciliation bill; the declining rate of COVID cases in the U.S., mask & vaccine mandates, and Merck’s anti-viral pill; the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border; the investigation into the January 6 Capitol attack; former President Donald Trump’s weekend rally in Iowa and his intentions in 2024; the controversy over Columbus Day versus Indigenous People’s Day; the high-profile Virginia Gubernatorial race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin; and Southwest Airlines cancels 2,000 flights were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
Monday Memo: “America is Running Out of Everything”
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
BLOCK ISLAND, RI — Dealers want to buy your car. Paper towels and toilet paper are getting scarce again. Need to replace the dishwasher you KO’d during the shutdown? Lotsa luck. In The Atlantic, Derek Thompson asks: “Is it just me, or does it feel like America is running out of everything?”
“The global supply chain is slowing down at the very moment when Americans are demanding that it go into overdrive.” The pandemic triggered a buying spree, fueled by government relief checks. Too few workers were – and are — working to replenish inventories. COVID has thinned the employee herd — 2021 year-to-date deaths exceed whole-year 2020 numbers in 19 states – and many of those who can work are picky, or wary.
Monday, October 4, 2021
Monday Memo: Copy Worth Copying, Part 3. Consultant Holland Cooke quips, “I’m a consultant. If you steal from me, you’ve stolen twice!’ And in this week’s column, he invites you to “emulate success” by passing along effective commercial copy points he’s squirreled-away. “Describe your advertisers – and your station, in promos – THIS well,” and HC says, “you’ll DO well.” Read it here.
Pending Business: Fake it ‘Till You Make it. Radio sales pro Steve Lapa writes in today’s column about “what happens when sellers go through their daily routine and focus on activities with no results? The daily no-results activity grind hides honest evaluation of performance and suddenly imaginary appointments fill the call report schedule.” He says that “as we move through the final quarter of 2021 and start the 2022 selling process, [sellers must] be honest with themselves about their 2021 performance and income.” He offers some simple questions to ask yourself in order to find that positive attitude that radio sales requires. Read it here.
WOSH-AM, Oshkosh Adds FM Translator. Oshkosh, Wisconsin news/talk outlet WOSK-AM adds an FM translator to its 1490 AM signal. Cumulus Media announces
that W230DB at 93.9 FM went live this morning at 7:00 am local time during the “WOSH Morning News with Phil Cianciola” program. Cumulus Appleton-Oshkosh vice president and market manager John W. Rowe states, “This is an exciting day for local radio and for the Oshkosh, Wisconsin market. We are thrilled to continue the tradition of great local programming now on the FM dial.” WOSH program director Steve Edwards adds, “The proud history of 1490 WOSH continues with the addition of 93.9 on FM. This will expand the reach of WOSH into the homes and businesses of conservative news/talk consumers.”
Hurley in the Morning Charity Gala Raises $75,000. Pictured above at the 12th Annual Hurley in the Morning Charity Gala and Silent Auction at the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City in Friday (10/1) are (from l-r): president of sports and entertainment for Mohegan Gaming Entertainment Tom Cantone, singer Tony Orlando, WPG, Atlantic City morning host Harry Hurley, and actor and singer Gianni Russo. The event raised $75,000 with more money still coming in. Hurley says, “It was like a dream come true. We had 215 amazing people gather and celebrate Tom Cantone’s remarkable life and career. It was a magical evening.”
TALKERS News Notes. Progressive talk media personality Stephanie Miller announces that her “Sexy Liberal Survivors’ Tour” will do a one-show-only performance
at the Barrymore Theater in Madison, Wisconsin. The show will feature Miller and her fellow comics Hal Sparks, Frangela, and John Fugelsang on Saturday, October 23 at 8:00 pm. Miller is making it possible for fans outside of Madison to see the show live via pay-per-view through MeetHook…..Conservative podcast platform Ricochet announces that Alex Rosenwald joins the company as vice president of marketing and community. Rosenwald was most recently senior director of strategic communications and branding for MediaDC, in which he led public relations efforts for the Washington Examiner, and formerly, the Weekly Standard and Red Alert Politics. Ricochet co-founder Rob Long says, “We’re excited to have Alex join the Ricochet team and turn his talents to our growing membership and audio-on-demand business. We’re a small operation with a large reach — over 4 million downloads per month across the network — and we’re thrilled to have Alex’s energy and know-how on board.”
FEMA and WBZ-AM, Boston to Unveil New Emergency Broadcast Studio. On Friday, October 15, FEMA and iHeartMedia Boston will host the unveiling of an all-hazards upgrade to the “Primary Entry Point” facility at WBZ NewsRadio 1030. The modernization to the emergency studio increases iHeartMedia’s WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Boston’s resiliency to continue broadcasting under all conditions, including natural
disasters and acts of terrorism. This facility is one of 77 across the country that serve as a National Public Warning System Primary Entry Point (PEP) station, participating with FEMA to provide emergency alert and warning information to the public before, during and after incidents and disasters. WBZ is the 13th station in the country to work with FEMA to complete the all-hazards upgrade, which includes increased sheltering capabilities, expanded broadcast capacity, and sustainable power generation for all types of hazardous events. The event will include a tour of the facility and a live demonstration at the WBZ PEP station emergency studio in Hull, Massachusetts.
Biden Spending Bills/Rift Among Democrats, COVID-19, Supreme Court Agenda, Facebook ‘Whistleblower,’ California Oil Spill, and Pandora Papers Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. Debate in congress over President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan and his $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill and the fracture of Democratic solidarity on the bills; the rate of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., debate over boosters, mask & vaccine mandates; the Supreme Court’s session begins with abortion, guns, and religious liberty on the docket; Facebook “whistleblower” Frances Haugen appears on “60 Minutes” and says the company emphasizes profit over public safety; a pipeline breach off the coast of Southern California puts more than 120,000 gallons of crude into the sea; and the “Pandora Papers” data leak that shows where global elite hide their money were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
