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Friday, July 16, 2021

| July 16, 2021

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 magazine, is now posted. This new episode titled, “Hot Stuff,” looks back at this past week of July 12-16. The program features guests (in order of appearance): Kevin Casey, executive editor, TALKERS magazine; Dom Giordano, talk show host, WPHT, Philadelphia; Michael Zwerling, talk show host/station owner, KSCO, Santa Cruz, CA; Dr. Daliah Wachs, talk show host, Genesis Communications Network/physician; and Victoria Jones, executive director, DC Radio Company.  The show airs each week on its flagship, WONK-FM, Washington, DC, Friday evenings at 6:00 pm ET. It also airs throughout the weekend on WTIC, Hartford; KSCO, Santa Cruz, CA; KDFD, Denver; KFNX, Phoenix; WPG, Atlantic City, NJ; WVLY, Wheeling, WV; WTRW-FM, Scranton/Wilkes Barre, PA; WVOX, Westchester, NY; KBDT, Dallas; KQSP, Minneapolis; KBKW, Aberdeen, WA; 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; the Virginia Talk Radio Network; CRN Digital Talk Radio Network; the iHeart Podcast Network; Pioneer Valley Radio, Springfield, MA; Podcast Radio, UK and many more.  To listen to this week’s episode, please click here. To view the latest TALKERS magazine 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.

Alpha Media Emerges from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection. The company announces that it has successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11 with a significantly improved capital structure. In addition to substantially reducing its debt, Alpha Media says it “raised incremental capital to pursue growth opportunities and further enhance its position as a leading mid-market broadcaster across 44 local markets in the United States.” Alpha Media chairman and CEO Bob Proffitt adds, “This is an important achievement for Alpha Media as we strengthen our company’s ability to grow. Today Alpha Media begins its next chapter, with an improved financial foundation, new capital and enhanced competitive positioning. We have greater financial resources and flexibility, and we will continue to invest in new digital capabilities to better serve our advertisers and communities across our local markets. I am so proud of all that our teams at each of our radio stations have accomplished during this period. Our unique culture continues to be key to Alpha Media’s success, and I thank the entire Alpha Media family for their dedication and hard work. We are thrilled to continue our mission to deliver dynamic, diverse and exciting content to our communities.” The company adds that it has received all necessary court and regulatory, including FCC, approvals, and all customary conditions have been satisfied.

Round Three of June PPMs Released. The third or four rounds of ratings information from Nielsen Audio has been released for 12 markets including: Portland, Charlotte, San Antonio, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Columbus. Nielsen’s June 2021 sweep covered May 27 – June 23. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. Alpha Media’s news/talk KXL-FM, Portland remains ranked #5 after dropping three-tenths for a 4.8 share (6+ weekly AQH share). Radio One’s news/talk WBT-AM/FM, Charlotte slips four-tenths to finish with a 3.5 share and falls to the #12 rank. iHeartMedia’s news/talk WOAI, San Antonio sheds nine-tenths and posts a 3.7 share as the station falls from the #10 rank to #13. In Sacramento, iHeartMedia’s news/talk KFBK-AM/FM dips just one-tenth and posts an 8.5 share but the station still falls back to the #3 rank in the market. iHeartMedia’s WLW, Cincinnati shoots up 1.4 shares for a 12.5 share finish and the #1 rank in the market. You can see Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets (as well as the first two groups) here.

WBT-AM/FM, Charlotte Launches Podcast with Matt Doherty. Charlotte news/talk WBT-AM/FM announces the debut of “The Rebound Podcast with Coach Matt Doherty.”  Doherty, the renowned former University of North Carolina basketball player and coach follows his best-selling book, Rebound: From Pain To Passion, Leadership Lessons Learned with “The Rebound Podcast,” a 10-episode series in which he speaks with highly successful individuals in the fields of business, entertainment, politics, sports and more that have had to rebound from failure. The station says, “After being forced to resign from his dream coaching job at UNC in a very public manner in 2003, Matt embarked on a personal leadership journey and was able to rebound by turning his pain to passion. Now in a straight-forward and authentic manner, Matt invites you to a front row seat inside the journey of special guests that faced adversity and worked to rebound from failure. Through engaging and riveting stories of these failures Matt drills down on personal and eye-opening experiences from his guests that everyone will find fascinating and inspiring.” Radio One Charlotte regional VP and market manager Marsha Landess adds, “Matt’s journey is truly inspiring. His insights, and those of his guests, are relatable no matter what field you’re in. We are thrilled to partner with him to bring his leadership skills to the Charlotte market and beyond, first through his appearances on WBT with ‘The Brett Winterble Show,’ and now through ‘The Rebound Podcast!’”

Nielsen Reveals Findings from Consumer Study. This data found in the Westwood One blog, was revealed by Nielsen at a client webinar this week comes from the company’s sixth COVID consumer-tracking study since the pandemic. 1,000 Americans 18+ were surveyed last month and Nielsen says its findings are validated by just-released June data from Apple Maps, GeoPath, Google Trends, and Moody’s Analytics. The blog outlines the very encouraging findings from the study and lists the five things advertisers need to know: 1) It is time to advertise: The three-month period from March 2021 to June 2021 saw an extraordinary jump in consumer confidence pointing to things getting back to normal. The “ready-to-go” segment only grew six points from June 2020 to March 2021. From March 2021 to June 2021, the optimistic “ready-to-go” consumer segment grew an astounding 29 points; 2) Brands need to capitalize on this positive consumer outlook: On the economy, more consumers feel things will improve versus get worse (48% improve versus 23% get worse). The story is the same for consumers and their household finances: 35% improve versus 13% get worse; 3) Americans are back in their cars and listening to AM/FM radio: The majority of workers are commuting. Families are driving their kids to school. Time spent listening to AM/FM radio is up; 4) Commuters are still leery about public transportation, a positive for AM/FM radio: 32% of consumers say they will spend less time on public transport versus 17% who will spend more time; and 5) Retailers need to continue to invest in ecommerce and ensure their AM/FM radio ads drive to web as shopping will be omni-channel: While stores are open, the convenience of hybrid shopping approaches remain: buy online and in-store or curbside pickup.

iHeartMedia Names Tony Yip SVP of Sales for Miami-Fort Lauderdale. Radio sales pro Tony Yip is promoted to senior vice president of sales for iHeartMedia’s Miami/Fort Lauderdale cluster, effective immediately. He’s been serving the cluster as VP of sales. In this new role, Yip will be responsible for overseeing advertising sales revenue for the market. He will report to market president Shari Gonzalez. She says, “I am thrilled to be able to promote Tony to this position. Tony has played an important role in leading our team and our two brands WMIA and WHYI over the past eight years and now takes on the entire cluster for Miami Ft. Lauderdale. I am very confident that Tony will lead our team with continued and even higher levels of success for years to come.” Yip launched his radio career at the age of 16 as an intern at WIOD-AM.

Radio News Pro Bob Costantini Relaunches Ear on the White House Service. Former Westwood One News correspondent Bob Costantini is relaunching his Ear on The White House news service. Using the slogan, “Context You Need, Right From the Scene,” Costantini says he can “give your news/talk station an upfront seat in the going’s on at The White House, with three decades of experience covering six presidents. If you want to dig deeper into the news of the day, Ear on The White House is your chance, including daily debriefs that can be sponsored locally.” Find out more by visiting EaronTheWhiteHouse.com.

TALKERS News Notes. On Monday (7/19), the USA Radio Networks-syndicated sports talk program “The Dan Sileo Show” will be added to the program schedule at JVC Broadcasting’s “Florida Man Radio” format heard on WDYZ-AM/W288CJ, Orlando and WZLB-FM, Fort Walton Beach. “The Dan Sileo Show” will air from 9:00 pm to 12:00 midnight…..The cast of the Westwood One nationally syndicated “BOB & TOM Show” kicked off the summer with a night of live comedy at the historic Irving Theater in Indianapolis, raising $10,000 in one night to send Indianapolis area children to summer camp. The benefit event featured performances by three stand-up comedians from the cast of “The BOB & TOM Show” and was co-hosted by the Hall of Fame morning show’s Tom Griswold and Chick McGee…..Superadio Networks and Reatro Ventures announce that the former is agreeing to use Reatro’s ARC Software as the primary affiliate research and automation tool for the network. ARC was developed by SBG founder and former CEO Jason Bailey. Reatro says the software is the media industry’s only SaaS that allows producers, affiliate sales, and network operations to connect digitally, streamlining the affiliation and reporting process…..Quu Inc. and Bonneville International announce a new deal in which all of Bonneville’s markets will use Quu’s patented software to publish synced programming and advertiser messages on vehicle dashboards. Dubbed “Visual Quus,” they are designed to boost station and advertiser branding, recall, and retention. Paired with on-air content, Visual Quus offer a better user experience and generate immediate incremental revenue by adding text, logos, and images to on-air advertisements. Bonneville president Darrell Brown comments, “We are pleased to be able to enhance the listening experience of our loyal audiences and to provide better branding for both Bonneville’s brands and those of its advertisers. This partnership with Quu across Bonneville’s markets positions us well to take advantage of new opportunities in the automobile and beyond.”

The COVID-19 Delta Variant, Vaccines, and Long COVID Top News/Talk Story for Week of July 12-16. The rise in the number of COVID-19 Delta variant cases in the U.S. in several states, the stalling rate of vaccinations, and the cases of long COVID combined as the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was the publication of books about the Trump administration, including I Alone Can Fix It by Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker. Following at #3 was the House committee to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack, tied with last weekend’s CPAC and the controversy over Critical Race Theory. 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.

Friday, May 14, 2021

| May 14, 2021

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 magazine, is now posted. This new episode titled, “Vulnerability,” looks back at this past week of May 10-14, 2021. The program features guests (in order of appearance): Kevin Casey, executive editor, TALKERS magazine; Michael Riedel, talk show host, WOR, New York; Steve Weisman, law professor, Bentley University, Boston / founder, Scamicide.com; Joey Hudson, talk show host, 94.5 The Answer, WGTK-FM, Greenville, SC; Dr. Daliah Wachs, talk show host, Genesis Communications Network / physician; Wayne Avrashow, attorney / commentator, RealClear Politics; Victoria Jones, executive director, DC Radio Company. The show airs each week on its flagship, WONK-FM, Washington, DC, Friday evenings at 6:00 pm ET. It also airs throughout the weekend on WTIC, Hartford; KSCO, Santa Cruz, CA; KDFD, Denver; KFNX, Phoenix; WVLY, Wheeling, WV; WTRW-FM, Scranton/Wilkes Barre, PA; WVOX, Westchester, NY; KBDT, Dallas; KQSP, Minneapolis; KBKW, Aberdeen, WA; 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; the Virginia Talk Radio Network; CRN Digital Talk Radio Network; the iHeart Podcast Network; Pioneer Valley Radio, Springfield, MA; Podcast Radio, UK and many more.  To listen to this week’s episode, please click here. To view the latest TALKERS magazine 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.

Radio One’s WBT-AM/FM, Charlotte and Morning Host Bo Thompson Renew. WBT-AM/FM, Charlotte morning drive host Bo Thompson and Radio One reach a multi-year agreement for Thompson to continue hosting the morning show on the heritage news/talk station. The Charlotte native began his career at WBT in 1990 at age 16. He worked at the station while still attending Myers Park High School and continued through his years at Davidson College. Thompson’s entire three-decade broadcast career has been in Charlotte, mostly dedicated to WBT. Radio One regional vice president Marsha Landess says, “Bo has done an amazing job of keeping Charlotte listeners engaged and informed during mornings on WBT. He has proven to be a compelling broadcaster keeping Charlotte informed on local, regional and national issues and we are thrilled he will be taking WBT into the future.” Thompson adds, “I’m very proud to continue working for the station that has been my broadcast life. It’s an honor for me that I’ll be here both for WBT’s 100th anniversary and to celebrate a decade hosting mornings next year.”

Bill O’Reilly’s Killing the Mob Hits #1 on NYT Best Sellers List. The latest book by conservative media personality, author, and broadcast journalist Bill O’Reilly has reached #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Sales of KILLING THE MOB: The Fight Against Organized Crime in America (St. Martin’s Publishing Group) have soared since its release on May 4 to push it into the top spot and it’s the 16th time one of O’Reilly’s books has accomplished this feat. O’Reilly is also host of the Key Networks-syndicated programs “The O’Reilly Update” and “The O’Reilly Update – Morning Edition,” heard on more than 240 stations across the country. In his new book, O’Reilly traces the brutal history of 20th century organized crime in the United States and plumbs the history of this nation’s most notorious serial robbers, conmen, and especially, mob family bosses.

Markley, van Camp & Robbins Show Adds 10 New Affiliate Stations; Surpasses 100 Station Mark. The Compass Media Networks-syndicated “Markley, van Camp & Robbins Show” has recently added 10 new stations to its roster of affiliates and now enjoys distribution across a growing platform of 105 metro markets. Compass Media Networks says the show – airing live from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm ET daily – “represents perspectives from every generation. David van Camp is a millennial, Jamie Markley represents Gen X, and Scott Robbins is the Baby Boomer. The witty and downright funny conversations between the hosts about the news topics of the day make this show truly unique.” Jamie Markley comments, “I’m humbled. We feel like we have such a real connection with all the great people that listen to the show. Something I seem to hear a lot is something to the extent of ‘when I listen to you guys, I feel like I’m hanging out with friends, talking about what’s going on in the world and having some laughs.’ That’s one of the greatest compliments you can get in my opinion.  Thanks to Compass Media Networks for taking a shot on us and connecting us to so many good people across America!”

Cherri Gregg Exiting KYW, Philadelphia to Join Public Radio WHYY. The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that Cherri Gregg will leave her community affairs reporter position with Audacy’s all-news KYW, Philadelphia to join crosstown public radio outlet WHYY-FM, effective June 14. In her new role with WHYY, she’ll be afternoon host in which she’ll anchor local top-of-the-hour news and other breaks in the national programming plus take on interview and news assignments. In a statement, Gregg says, “I truly respect the grassroots, in-depth approach to storytelling at WHYY. I am excited about the opportunity to help engage the community in the many important conversations of our time.” Gregg has been with KYW since December of 2010. Her role with KYW has included serving as host and executive producer of the weekly public affairs show “Flashpoint.”

BIA Advisory: Radio Revenue Fell 23.6% in 2020; Digital Continues to Be Strong. The first quarter edition of BIA Advisory Services’ 2021 Investing In Radio Market Report is out and BIA says, “As anticipated, the radio industry took a very big hit in 2020 due to the pandemic and subsequent cutbacks in overall spending activity. According to the report, over-the-air advertising revenues dropped to $9.7 billion, a 23.6 % decline from $12.8 billion in 2019. Digital ad revenues at stations demonstrated their continued strength, though, posting only a slight decline to $939 million in revenues in 2020 versus $1 billion in 2019.” BIA SVP and chief economist Mark Fratrik says, “Local radio stations have been feeling the impact of new competition for the past few years; unfortunately, the pandemic just exacerbated the problem and it will take some time to recover. The shining star continues to be radio’s online digital advertising revenues, which will outpace over-the-air growth this year and moving forward. Those broadcasting groups that have invested in and oriented their companies toward digital will benefit faster from that foresight.” Fratrik forecasts 2021 total local radio revenues to reach $11.7 billion, with $1 billion coming directly from online revenues; a 9.7 % increase over 2020. Find out more about the study here.

TALKERS News Notes. A new multi-year agreement between Beasley Media Group’s sports talk WBZ-FM, Boston “98.5 The Sports Hub” and the NHL’s Boston Bruins is signed, extending the partnership for the station to serve as flagship for the Boston Bruins Radio Network. In addition to broadcasting all Bruins games, “98.5 The Sports Hub” will continue to air 30-minute pre- and post-game shows along with the two-hour weekly program, “The Hockey Show” which airs Saturdays from 9:00 am to 11:00 am during season. Beasley Boston VP and market manager Mary Menna comments, “We are thrilled to continue our longstanding partnership with the Boston Bruins and to be able to share our passion for the Bruins with our loyal New England fans. We are so excited to be back in the TD Garden cheering the Bruins on to the playoffs.”…..At the 2021 IAB Podcast Upfront, Audacy’s Cadence13 announces some new podcasts it is launching. First, Grammy-nominated bassist Este Haim and Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor Darren Criss are co-hosting their first-ever podcast, “That Thing I Do.” Launching this summer, the close friends will share their mutual love of music, pop culture, and more with special guests on the weekly show that focuses on the “things that people do” that wider audiences may not be as familiar with. Second, Cadence13 is partnering with award-winning actress Ellen Pompeo — the star of ABC’s long-running hit series “Grey’s Anatomy” — for her first-ever podcast, “Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo,” set to launch this fall. On the program Pompeo will sit down for in-depth, candid conversations with a wide range of guests— celebrity and otherwise — who inspire her, extraordinary people who do extraordinary things, to find out what makes them great. Pompeo will use the weekly show to shine a light on people and highlight issues important to her and the world at large…..iHeartMedia is launching a new, standalone podcast venture – My Cultura, dedicated to elevating Latinx voices and creators, and sharing the Latinx experience with millions of listeners. In partnership with Enrique Santos, the company’s top-rated on-air personality and president and chief ceative officer of iHeartLatino, My Cultura will offer creators a platform to share stories and perspectives relevant to Latinx listeners and all audiences. The network will roll out six new shows at launch in Summer 2021, and 30 shows throughout its first year, across a variety of genres including pop culture, music, comedy, mental health, finance, news and more.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Variants and Stats Top News/Talk Story for Week of May 10-14. The number of Americans who are hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine, concerns about variants, and the number of cases in the U.S. and abroad combined as the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney’s ouster from her leadership role and the influence of former President Donald Trump on the Republican party. Following at #3 was the Colonial Pipeline hack and the resulting gas shortage in the Southeast. 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.

Barry Farber Memorial Tribute Now Posted on YouTube. The Industry Memorial Tribute to talk radio legend Barry Farber presented by the Farber Family and TALKERS has been posted to YouTube. Several dozen family members, colleagues, and friends of late talk radio icon Barry Farber gathered via Zoom on Wednesday, May 5 to pay tribute to the uniquely talented broadcaster who passed away a year earlier, one day after his 90th birthday. The informal presentation was moderated by Michael Harrison and featured, among its many speakers, members of Barry Farber’s immediate family including his daughters Bibi Farber and Celia Farber, industry colleagues Sean Hannity of Premiere Networks and FOX News Channel, Mike Horn of CRN Digital Talk Radio Network, and Frank Morano of WABC, New York. To view the event on YouTube, click here or visit the memorial website Barry Farber Radio here.