Tag: "Radio Awards"
Friday, December 10, 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, “Health, Wealth and Stealth,” looks back at this past week of 12/6 – 12/10. The program features guests (in order of appearance): Kevin Casey, executive editor, TALKERS; Mandy Connell, talk show host, KOA, Denver; Dr. Daliah Wachs, talk show host, Genesis Communications Network / physician; Paul Vandenburgh, talk show host / owner, Talk 1300, Albany, NY; Scott Hennen, talk show host / owner, WZFG, Fargo; and Steve Weisman, professor of law, Bentley University, Boston / founder, Scamicide.com. 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; KTLK-FM, St. Louis; WPG, Atlantic City, NJ; SuperTalk 99.7 WTN, Nashville; 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; KQEN, Roseburg, OR; 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.
WMAL-FM, Washington Raised $393,622 During Fisher House Radiothon. Washington, DC news/talk station WMAL-FM raised $393,622 to benefit the Fisher House Foundation during last week’s two-day WMAL Operation Fisher House Radiothon, topping last year’s amount by $25,000. Cumulus Media says WMAL’s
listeners have donated nearly $8 million dollars over the last 19 years to support the efforts of the Fisher House Foundation, which provides housing to families of injured military members who are undergoing treatment. Group homes at Bethesda, Walter Reed, the VA, Dover AFB, and more than 60 locations across the country provide a comfortable place for loved ones to live while remaining close to their injured family members. Fisher House Foundation chairman and CEO Ken Fisher says, “WMAL’s partnership over the last 19 years has been incredible. Their generous audience has given nearly $8 million, having a tremendous impact on military and veteran families. We are forever grateful.” WMAL program director and Cumulus VP/news/talk Bill Hess says, “The stories are compelling and inspiring, and the response from our WMAL listeners demonstrates the strong relationship between our talent and listeners. It’s the perfect start to the holiday season.”
Podtrac Ranks PodcastOne Among Top Podcast Publishers. According to a ranking by Podtrac, LiveOne’s PodcastOne is named to the list of Top Podcast Publishers. PodcastOne notes that Podtrac “provides the podcast industry’s only ranking of top publishers based on unique audience counts.” PodcastOne enters the listings ranked
#12 as one of only two independent podcasting publishers in the Top 15. PodcastOne says its ranking “comes on the heels of the successes and strengths of tentpole podcasts ‘Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe,’ ‘The Jordan Harbinger Show,’ ‘LADYGANG’ and ‘The Adam Carolla Show,’ as well as acquisitions of top performing programs such as ‘Baby Mamas No Drama,’ ‘True Crime All the Time Unsolved,’ and ‘This Is MONSTERS,’ which all saw significant audience growth since joining PodcastOne.” PodcastOne president Kit Gray says, “Being recognized by Podtrac with inclusion on the Top Publishers list is a testament to the hard work of the PodcastOne team both behind the mic and behind the scenes. We’re on track to post even bigger numbers in 2022 with a goal in mind to crack the Top 10 list.”
BBC’s Dylan Haskins Named to New York Festivals Radio Awards Advisory Board. The New York Festivals Radio Awards announces that BBC’s Dylan Haskins is appointed to the NYF Radio Awards Advisory Board. Haskins serves as commissioning executive for podcasts for BBC Sounds & BBC Radio 5 Live. He’s the 14th member of the prestigious New York Festivals Radio Awards Advisory Board, a brain trust of
executives comprised of some of the radio industry’s most respected content creators and broadcast leaders from around the globe. These thought-leaders generously provide NYF’s Radio Awards with ongoing knowledge of emerging trends, critical industry insights, and a global perspective. Haskins says, “It’s a great honor to be asked to join the Advisory Board of the New York Festivals Radio Awards and to have the opportunity to help shape and advise the awards during such an exciting period of 
evolution in audio creativity, innovation, investment and audience habits. As a commissioner for a public service broadcaster, it’s also a time of challenge and competition from new commercial players but, in my experience, this is leading us all to be more ambitious, to go bigger on what makes us distinctive and to experiment and collaborate more where there are shared aims. All of this means radio and podcasts have never been better and a competition like the New York Festivals helps recognize this.” 2022 will be the 12th year New York Festivals has partnered with the annual NAB Show. This strategic partnership provides all attendees to the April 26, 2022, Storyteller’s Gala access to the multi-day NAB event. NAB is the ultimate marketplace for people passionate about media, entertainment, and technology. All Entries in the 2022 competition will be judged online by NYF’s Radio Awards Grand Jury of 200-plus producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the Radio Awards winners gallery. You can see the 2021 winner’s gallery here. Meanwhile, the deadline to enter the 2022 Radio Awards competition is February 9, 2022. See information about the competition and enter here.
TALKERS News Notes. Chicago media writer Robert Feder reports that former longtime WGN, Chicago personality Nick Digilio is launching two new podcasts. In mid-
January, the twice-weekly show “The Nick D Podcast” will debut. It will be a roundup of entertainment and pop culture, including reviews of movies, music, TV and books. His first guest will be Rich “Svengoolie” Koz. Digilio will then launch, “That Show Hasn’t Been Funny In Years: An SNL Podcast,” obviously focusing on the history of “Saturday Night Live” over its 47-year run. Both podcasts are produced by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network…..Red Apple Media is rolling out a national syndication initiative for its 
personalities heard on WABC, New York. The company has produced a series of video promos for the hosts and you can see them here……Westwood One is presenting play-by-play of one of college football’s oldest and most-storied rivalries, the Army–Navy game, presented by USAA and taking place tomorrow (12/11) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at 2:00 pm ET. The game is being called by John Sadak and Ross Tucker with Tina Cervasio handling sideline reporting duties and Jason Horowitz hosting the pregame, halftime, and postgame shows…..Audacy announces the launch of “Tapped Out,” a new MMA and boxing-focused show on BetQL Network. The show is co-hosted by Brendan Tobin, morning show host on WAXY, Miami “790 AM The Ticket” and Sean Levine, host on KCSP, Kansas City “610 Sports Radio.” The show airs Saturdays from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm ET…..SiriusXM and Pandora are teaming up with Audible to create “Chapter and Verse,” a new programming series that will blend conversations with some of the world’s top authors and the music and artists that inspire them. Listeners will hear directly from authors Nicholas Sparks, Wendy Walker, and Jonathan Maberry as they talk about their latest literary project and the unique, essential role that music plays in their work. Pandora VP of original digital content programming Bill Crandall says, “This new series brings our listeners more of what they love the most – great music and the personal, one-of-a-kind stories from some of the best storytellers around. We’re looking forward to hearing from some of the most popular writers and sharing their journeys and voices with our audiences.”
COVID-19 Variants, Vaccines, Mandates & Politics Top News/Talk Story for Week of December 6-10. The COVID-19 Omicron variant, vaccine mandates and the politics surrounding the pandemic combined as the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was the supply chain backup, the labor shortage, inflation, and President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Bill, followed by the January 6 investigation and Donald Trump’s influence on GOP 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.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
WGN, Chicago Parts Company with Evening Personality Justin Kaufmann. As reported by Chicago media writer Robert Feder, evening talk host Justin Kaufmann leaves Nexstar Media Group’s WGN-AM after the company elected not to renew his contract. Kaufmann joined WGN in 2015 after spending 21 years as a
show producer at Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ-FM. Feder says his sources expect Ji Suk Yi to move from her position as host of the “Wintrust Business Lunch” noontime program to host of the evening 
show. Since Nexstar took over operation of the station from Tribune Media, on-air changes have included the exit of morning host Steve Cochran – replaced by Bob Sirott – and midday duo Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder – whose former daypart was filled with a combination of the move of John Williams’ show to late mornings and Anna Davlantes leaving the Roe Conn afternoon drive show to host her own early afternoon program.
WNIR-FM, Akron Host Jim Isabella Out with Coronavirus. According to a report at CantonRep.com, WNIR, Akron evening talk show host Jim Isabella is off the air
after contracting COVID-19. Isabella tells the news organization he had flu-like symptoms last week and was hospitalized for pneumonia. It was there he was tested for coronavirus and two days later learned the test was positive. He’s quoted saying, “Obey what the people are telling you. I don’t know where the hell I got it. You have to be smart… this is not a drill.” Isabella says he has a cough and a rattle in his chest that makes it hard to talk for very long.
The Coronavirus Pandemic, Financial Markets Activity/Recession Fears, Coronavirus Relief Package, and Democratic Primary/Presidential Race, Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (3/18). The status of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S and across the globe; the world’s financial markets endure another sell-off on Wednesday and economists express fear of a global recession as a result of the coronavirus; the coronavirus relief package and potential stimulus packages being considered by the Trump administration; and Joe Biden’s growing lead over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary race were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
Round Three of Nielsen’s February PPM’s Posted. The third of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s February 2020 PPM survey is released for 12 markets, including: Portland, Charlotte, San Antonio, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Columbus.
The February PPM survey covered January 30 through February 26. You can see all the weekly, 6+ AQH share numbers from subscribing stations here. Meanwhile, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian posts his Ratings Takeaways from the second round. Positive movement from these markets include: Cumulus Media’s WMAL-FM, Washington adds four-tenths to finish the ratings period at a 7.3 share and the #3 rank in the market; Hubbard Radio’s WTOP, 
Washington also added four tenths to wrap the month at a 7.8 share and tied for the #1 rank; Entercom’s all-news WWJ, Detroit tacks a half share onto January’s four-tenths to finish the February survey at a 4.8 share and the #6 rank; iHeartMedia’s conservative talk KDFD, Denver “Freedom 93.7” adds another three-tenths, posting a 3.6 share and the #13 rank; and Hearst’s WBAL, Baltimore puts another half share on top of seven consecutive ratings gains for a 4.4 share and the #8 rank in the market. See all of Mike Kinosian’s Takeaways here.
New York Festivals Radio Awards Announces 2020 Finalists. The 2020 New York Festivals Radio Awards International Grand Jury has selected the finalists in this year’s competition. All finalists move on to the medal round of judging. New York Festivals Radio Awards will announce the 2020 award winners on Tuesday,
April 21. The Grand Jury selected the finalists based on the following criteria: production values, organization, presentation of information, creativity, and use of the medium. New York Festivals says prominent broadcasters that took the lead include: RTÉ Ireland, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBS News Radio, and Radio New Zealand. You can see the complete list of finalists here. Meanwhile, other U.S. broadcasters of note to make the medal round include: in the Podcast category – “30 for 30 Podcasts: Season 6,” ESPN Films, “Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith” Spotify; “Dolly Parton’s America,” OSM Audio/ WNYC Studios; and “Sleepwalkers,” iHeartMedia. In the Breaking News, Feature and Investigative categories: “75th Anniversary of D-Day,” Westwood One; “Protests Grip Hong Kong,” Bloomberg LP; “CBS World News Roundup” and “Notre Dame,” CBS News Radio.
TALKERS News Notes. The New Jersey Broadcasters Association announces it is canceling this year’s Annual Conference & Gala, originally scheduled for June 16
and 17 in Atlantic City. President and CEO Paul Rotella says, “That’s not something we wanted to do, because we enjoy that event and we were very much looking forward to it. Like you, we treasure the opportunity to shine a spotlight on our magnificent industry, especially this year when we were going to celebrate the century of service provided by broadcasters. But our number-one priority at this time is health and safety, and the CDC’s guidelines make clear that gatherings over 
50 people should be avoided for at least the next eight weeks, and of course that makes our planning futile. (It was going to be great too!) But, the show will go on my friends, if not this year, then next year.”…..John Fredericks’ Disruptor Media LLC buys WNTW-AM, Chester, Virginia and translator W224EB, Chester at 92.7 FM in the Richmond market from Nancy A. Epperson’s Delmarva Educational Association for $240,000. This pair will become part of the John Fredericks Radio Network based at his WJFN-FM, Goochland, Virginia…..Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois-based Big Radio is creating an online directory connecting consumers with the innovative ways that local businesses are continuing to serve them during the
COVID-19 emergency. The directory provides information on local restaurants, retailers, and other businesses that are offering services while still complying with the health emergency directives. Listings are updated on a regular basis and are being provided free of charge to businesses in the Big Radio family of stations coverage area. Big Radio co-owner Ben Thompson says, “Local businesses are the biggest supporters of our community and we wanted to find a way to help them publicize changes in their operations so that community residents could lend a hand by continuing to shop local.” Big Radio is the business brand of Scott and Ben Thompson who own 10 stations and other businesses throughout Wisconsin and Illinois.
KMZQ, Las Vegas Morning Host Heidi Harris Is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast. Although every corner of the nation and world have been hit hard by the coronavirus, Las Vegas has been particularly impacted due to the preponderance of hospitality and travel-oriented industries that make the market tick. KMZQ, Las Vegas morning host Heidi Harris is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview.” Harris, a 22
-year veteran of Las Vegas broadcasting, and Harrison take a conversational deep dive into the coronavirus-era machinations of the “gig economy” as well as state of the convention, travel, hospitality, and gambling industries in a fascinating, fast-paced program with lots of takeaways. To listen to the podcast in its entirety, please click here or click on the player box marked “The Michael Harrison Interview” located in the right-hand column of every page on Talkers.com.
Music Radio News and Career Moves. In the New York market Mediaco Holdings appoints Jonathan Bates vice president of brand partnerships for hip hop WQHT “Hot 97” and urban contemporary WBLS. Bates has been serving as executive vice president for The Shadow League, a
“website dedicated to presenting journalistically sound sports coverage through the lens of culture.” Mediaco SVP of revenue Victor Giacomelli says, “Jonathan is an exceptional digital sales and marketing leader whose 20 years of digital experience will enable us to accelerate opportunities for clients to benefit from the wide array of authentic ‘Hot 97’ digital content opportunities. Jonathan is expected to recruit a team of multicultural digital marketing specialists to partner with clients on a variety of ‘Hot 97’ digital and social opportunities.”…..iHeartMedia’s WXKS-FM, Boston “Kiss 108” is presenting a Billie Eilish experience this evening to offer fans who would have attended Eilish’s canceled concert in town tonight (3/19). At 7:30 pm, the station will play Eilish’s music, interview clips, and listeners sharing their Billie thoughts and stories. Station PD Dylan Sprague states, “Since her show at the Garden has been postponed, it’s the best way for fans to join together in our love for Billie Eilish. If we were at the show, we’d be all singing these songs together. Why not belt ‘em out at home?”
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Talk Host Michael Berry and KTRH, Houston Extend Their Relationship. KTRH, Houston-based talk radio personality Michael Berry and iHeartMedia sign a four-year contract extension. The new deal keeps Berry hosting his daily shows – from 8:00 am to 11:00 am and from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm – on news/talk KTRH AM
740. Berry’s program is syndicated to two dozen iHeartMedia stations across the country in markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Portland, Nashville, New Orleans, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Birmingham, and Baton Rouge. iHeartMedia region president Eddie Martiny comments, “I’m excited to extend our partnership with Michael because he is one of the hardest-working radio personalities in America and offers a unique brand of humor and information. I know his listeners will ‘pop a top’ knowing Michael Berry will continue taking them to and from work!” Berry adds, “I love what I do, I love who I do it with, and I love that I do it here with iHeartMedia. Talk radio is about engaging people with ideas, and some will agree, some won’t, but it’s entertaining and rewarding to engage. That’s what I get to do every single day and now I can do it for years more to come.” Michael Berry will be one of 67 industry speakers participating in a power-packed agenda at the sold out 22nd annual TALKERS convention – Talkers 2019: Telling the Story – next Friday, June 7 in New York City. For details, please click here.
New York Festivals Radio Awards Announces Finalists. The New York Festivals announces the finalists in its 2019 Radio Awards. The awards grand jury evaluated entries submitted from 35 countries around the globe and selected 346 finalists based on production values, organization, presentation of information, creativity and use of the medium. Entries achieving finalist status move on to an additional round of judging to
determine trophy-winners. VP/executive director of New York Festivals Radio Awards Rose Anderson says, “Once again, the NYF grand jury selected finalists whose work embodies the full spectrum of radio content today and as audiences’ appetites for radio and audio continue to fuel robust industry growth, the level of creativity continues to rise as well.” New categories this year include: Narrative/Documentary Podcast and Serialized Podcast and both saw a robust number of entries achieve finalist status. Compelling documentaries from such companies as Sirius XM Radio, NPR, Alabama Public Radio, WNYC Studios, and Radiolab, advanced to the final round. So did breaking news, feature and investigative reports from: Westwood One, Compass Media Networks, Bloomberg, and CBS News Radio. See all the finalists here.
TALKERS News Notes. A new sports wagering show is being offered to radio stations from Sports Garten Network and Envision Networks. The show is called, “Wanna Bet?!,” and is hosted by Tom Barton. Envision says it offers listeners entertaining sports talk with an inside look at the analysis and news they need to gain an edge on wagering intelligence. Barton says, “Sports talk is ripe for a transition from arguing hosts and home team bias to important decision-making information and guests whose opinions are not only entertaining but informative. This is a game changer.”…..In the public radio news/talk sphere, Boston University announces that it is agreeing
to share control of radio station WBUR-FM, Boston with the station board. That board has served in the past as advisory in nature only. Now, it will have decision-making power. Under the agreement, a new executive committee would have the authority to hire and fire the station’s general manager and oversee its finances. That committee would still report to the Boston University president as the school owns the station’s broadcast license. School president Robert Brown says, “WBUR deserves to have an oversight 
structure that’s really engaging with the community that it serves and that is really invested wholeheartedly in the mission of ‘BUR. That’s not to say BU is not. But it’s not something that our board of trustees can ever spend much time on in this big $2.6 billion research university.”…..Radio legend Joey Reynolds was recently honored by the state of New Jersey with an official
proclamation commending him on his lengthy career in radio. During his career, Reynolds worked at some 40 radio stations and hosted the overnight show on WOR, New York for 15 years…..This evening (5/30), talk radio host Walter Sterling – host of the Westwood One nationally syndicated “Sterling on Sunday” program – will sit in for Ryan Wrecker on his late night show on Entercom’s KMOX, St. Louis. KMOX is one of the almost 100 stations that carry his weekly program.
Craig Mish to Host Daily Show on FNTSY Radio. The Elvis Duran Group and SportsGrid announce that fantasy sports expert Craig Mish is launching a new, daily show on their FNTSY Radio platform. The 12:00
noon to 2:00 pm ET show is called “Fantasy Sports Today” and debuts on June 3. Mish was previously host of a fantasy baseball show on SiriusXM. EDG partner/CEO and FNTSY Radio partner David Katz comments, “Craig is the only person in sports who inherently presents any news and information through a fantasy sports perspective. He never forgets his audience and I for one have greatly benefitted from his insight with my own fantasy teams over the years. All of us are extremely proud to have him join FNTSY Radio.” “Fantasy Sports Today” is live and on-demand on FNTSY Radio, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.
PodcastOne Unveils New Spring Lineup. Four new shows are joining the PodcastOne platform this spring. They include: “The GG Podcast with Rick Fox, Jace Hall and Todd Roy” – a podcast all about the culture,
athletes, and inner-workings of the gaming industry; “Enough About Me with Shep Rose” – host of Bravo’s “Southern Charm” show; “Sports Like a Boss with Holly McPeak and Anne Marie Anderson” – a show that helps people use the sports they love and the sports their kids play to create the life they want; and “Say It Forward with Rebecca Rothstein and Lee Ann Daly” – in which the hosts go inside the real life stories of fascinating people at the vanguard of art, music, business, pop culture, TV, film, fashion, and more.
Dahm Appointed Chief Privacy Officer for iHeartMedia. This is an addition of responsibilities for iHeartMedia’s Andrew L. Dahm, whose new role as chief privacy officer comes in addition to his work as senior corporate counsel. His new duties will include shaping, regulating, and administering iHeartMedia’s
privacy policies and strategies to ensure they continue to meet global regulatory requirements and address the company’s specific needs. He will also work closely with Steve Mills, iHeartMedia’s global chief information officer, and David Neuman, iHeartMedia’s global chief information security officer, to oversee company-wide data security and protection plans. iHM president, COO, and CFO Rich Bressler says, “Protecting our company data and personal information has always been a priority for iHeartMedia. Andrew is uniquely suited for this important new role at our company and has been at the center of the legal aspects of all of our digital operations for several years, including the development of our privacy policies for consumers and employees and our third-party vendor relationships relating to privacy matters.”
Muller Report/Dems Impeachment Talk, 2020 Presidential Race, U.S.-China Trade War/Rare Earth Threat, USS John McCain Controversy, Severe Weather, and Anti-Abortion Laws Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (5/29). The re-ignition of controversy over the conclusions drawn in the Mueller Report and the Democrats’ continued debate over impeachment proceedings against President Trump; the Democrats vying to challenge Trump in 2020 and the rift between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders; the tariffs the U.S. and China are placing on each other’s exports and China’s threat to limit sales of rare earth to U.S. companies; the report that the White House wanted to move the USS John S. McCain out of sight during Trump’s visit to Yokosuka Naval Base; the tornadoes and flooding affecting the Midwest; and the anti-abortion laws being passed in several states 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 Elton John bio-pic Rocketman is about to be released from Paramount Pictures and the studio and iHeartMedia have partnered to promote it across iHM’s platforms. Today (5/30) at 5:00 pm ET, an hour-long radio special featuring Elton John will air across more than 120 iHeartRadio AC, hot AC, classic rock, and oldies stations nationwide and digitally. iHeartMedia stations nationwide will also build anticipation to the film’s Friday release with an official countdown across its stations…..iHeartMedia announces that its Roanoke CHR WJJS-FM moves to the 93.5 frequency and will continue to simulcast on 102.7 in Lynchburg. Sister adult hits station WSTV, Roanoke “STEVE-FM” moves to the 104.9 frequency.
Thursday, January 10, 2018
iHeartMedia’s New WONK-FM in DC to Deliver ‘Inside-the-Beltway’ News and Talk. The new station will air on WWDC-HD2 (101.1) and W284CQ at 104.7 FM and is branded “WONK-FM, Smart People. News.” iHeartMedia says the launch of the new station comes after its recent on-air and online celebration of “National WONK Day” – a day created for listeners that have a keen interest in inside-the-Beltway news – and WONK-FM will be “a news and talk
station serving thought leaders, influencers, and stakeholders inside the Washington, DC beltway.” The press release states, “The new station will broadcast renowned anchors Stacy Lyn and Alexandra Lane weekdays from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm and will feature the latest breaking news and headlines from Washington, DC. In addition, WONK-
FM will air instant reactions from opinion leaders and on-air talk personalities originating from iHeartMedia’s 130-plus news and talk stations throughout the United States.” iHeartMedia region president Michael Preacher
comments, “WONKs are the behind-the-scenes people in DC who are innovators, experts, and are passionate about their work. DC’s WONKs are the unsung heroes who solve the world’s most difficult problems and they deserve to have a dedicated platform.” Programming the new station is current WRKO, Boston programmer Michael Czarnecki, who will work in Washington. He adds, “With the accelerated pace of today’s news cycle, we look forward to providing a contemporary approach to delivering a ‘wonk-centric’ and uniquely DC view of the news. I’m thrilled to be joining the iHeartMedia team in Washington DC as part of Washington’s WONK-FM.” You can see a video the company made to promote the station and their targeting of “wonks” here.
PPM Analysis: Sports Talk. TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents a look at the performances of radio stations based on data from Nielsen Audio’s December 2018 PPM survey, today focusing on sports talk. The drop off in cume from end of the 2018 baseball season affected some sports talk outlets negatively as 61% of those stations in PPM markets saw their weekly, 6+ AQH share diminish from the November to the December surveys. However, year-over
-year, 62% of sports talk stations realized improved 6+ numbers. In the market rank category, RadiOhio’s WBNS-FM, Columbus takes the blue ribbon, ranking #3 in the market with a 7.3 share. Entercom’s WIP-FM, Philadelphia ranked #4 in December with a 6.3 share; and three stations – Beasley’s WBZ-FM, Boston; Entercom’s WFAN-AM/FM (Long Island); and Entercom’s KDKA-FM, Pittsburgh – all ranked #5 in their respective markets. See Mike Kinosian’s entire report here.
Emmis Communications Releases Fiscal Q3 Numbers; Pro Forma Revenue Up 5%. The third fiscal quarter for Emmis Communications Corporation ended November 30, 2018. The company notes that, due to the recent sale of five stations (KPWR, Los Angeles in August
2017 and four radio stations in St. Louis on April 30, 2018), its reported results are not comparable year over year. Emmis’ radio net revenue for fiscal Q3 was $28.7 million, down from $34 million in the prior year. However, pro forma for all radio station sales, revenue “was up 5% in markets that were up 2%.” Emmis chairman and CEO Jeff Smulyan 
comments, “With this quarter’s strong performance, Emmis is now outperforming its markets through the first nine months of this fiscal year – quite an achievement. Political revenues certainly helped, but we also saw growth in our core advertising categories, all of which contributed to Emmis having its strongest quarter in four years. New York and Indianapolis both outperformed their markets and continue to produce strong ratings, which should help sustain Emmis’ revenue growth. That certainly appears to be the case in January and February, where both months are pacing up mid-to-high single digits.”
#250 Working on Ways to Overcome Obstacles in Maximizing Direct Response Spot Success. It is no secret that a significant percentage of talk radio advertising consists of direct response advertising and the results are tallied by the sponsors – making it even more imperative that the spots get measurable action. Considering the fact that much of the listening is done while driving, it makes it even more of a challenge to get people to make the leap from hearing an 800 phone number and actually placing the call while the thought is top of mind. The firm #250 – America’s Mobile Speed Dial has been making progress in
simplifying this process for talk shows, stations and networks across the nation by creating simple word prompted codes and phrases designed to simplify the act of calling while behind the wheel. Now they have taken it one step further addressing another problem. #250 chief marketing officer Dave Robinett tells TALKERS, “Accomplishing the task of making your advertiser’s phone ring is tough enough. But there are many points of ‘breakage’ after that. Phone reps can be poorly trained or rude. Client phone systems or call centers might have technical issues. Long hold times might encourage abandonment. The #250 platform recently solved a major-yet-unrealized problem for a Premiere Networks advertiser. A timeshare exit company’s ad was working well – so well that when the spot ran and calls came pouring in, they exceeded the 15 available call center agents. The ‘overflow’ callers then got a busy signal. Since these callers came in via dialing #250, for the first time ever, this advertiser has visibility to how many calls they were blocking. It was also revealed that only one in 15 of these blocked callers bothered to attempt to call the advertiser later that day or next day. This was clearly significant lost revenue – that the advertiser never knew they were missing – since they never before had visibility to calls they never received!” Robinett continues, “But #250 was able to implement a call saver feature to detect the busy signal, take back the call, and prompt the caller to leave their name and number for a callback. This voice message was set up to be emailed immediately to a designated sales manager back at the advertiser. The advertiser was extremely pleased with the proactive discovery of a way to increase revenue by the Premiere sales executive, John Buckley. Loyalty established. Media spend secured.” Dave Robinett will be one of 55 industry leaders speaking at the forthcoming convention Talkers 2019: Telling the Story in NYC on Friday, June 7. He can be reached at 816-559-0620.
2019 New York Festivals Radio Awards Issues Call for Entries. The 37th New York Festivals Radio Awards is open for entries. Established in 1982, New York Festivals Radio Awards is an international audio awards competition in which entries are judged on
production values, organization, presentation of information, creativity, and use of the medium. New York Festivals enlists jurists from around the world to become members of their world-class Radio Awards Grand Jury. Jurors include some of the world’s most recognizable voices and captivating content producers in the radio industry. Building on last year’s category reorganization, the competition once again added new categories with respect to today’s robust radio industry. New categories for 2019 include: Best Audio Book – Children’s, Best Digital Esports, and Human Rights Documentary. NYF expanded its Podcast categories to include Serialized Podcast, Companion Podcast, and Narrative/ Documentary Podcast. NYF Radio Awards VP and executive director Rose Anderson states, “Listeners everywhere are embracing the expanded audio universe and they are clamoring for authentic storytelling experiences from direct-to-digital podcasts and documentaries, to audiobooks and esports coverage. Our advisory board and industry leaders have been a great help as we continue to recognize innovation and excellence.” The deadline to enter the 2019 Radio Awards competition is March 15, 2019 and you can do that here. Winners will be honored at the annual gala in New York taking place on June 24.
TALKERS News Notes. On Tuesday (1/8), iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman appeared on
Bloomberg TV’s “Bloomberg Markets” program with Vonnie Quinn and addressed a number of radio business topics, including: iHeart’s exit from Chapter 11, the company being open to partnerships with other media companies, iHeart being ‘under-monetized’ compared to its reach, TSL and return on investment, and more. Watch the segment here…..CRN Digital Talk Radio adds “The Dr. Mitch Show” to its network roster. Dr. Mitchell Ghen hosts an interactive health talk show relying on his 38 years of experience in anti-aging, holistic, and integrative medicine to answer listeners’ health-related questions…..“Amazing Race” winner, “Big Brother” contestant, and reality star Jessica Graf launches a new podcast called, “Now What?” via PodcastOne. Graf says, “Having a podcast for me is like having a very public diary! And I’m really excited about that! Up until now, I’ve really focused on staying active on Instagram, but there’s so much that goes on in life that I feel like Instagram doesn’t always provide the opportunity to share. So now I have this brand-new podcast platform to be brutally honest on!”…..Reality TV stars Brandi Redmond and Stephanie Hollman of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Dallas” are jumping into the podcast world via YEA Networks. The program, “Weekly Dose of B.S.,” is an “anything-goes, unedited, uncensored weekly podcast.”…..Cadence13 partners with “Comments by Celebs” founders Emma Diamond and Julie Kramer to produce a podcast of the same name. The friends and recent Syracuse University grads took advantage of Instagram’s 2017 algorithm changes that make it easier to see comments by verified accounts across the platform to create the @CommentsbyCelebs account that captures the “cheeky and witty comments” celebrities post on one another’s posts. Since its inception, @CommentsbyCelebs has amassed a following of almost one million people and worldwide recognition, with media and celebrity followers including: Gwyneth Paltrow, Katie Couric, John Mayer, Kelly Ripa, and Chrissy Teigen.…..WBUR, Boston announces the public media stations selected to participate in BizLab’s initiative to design and conduct revenue experiments for public radio in the digital age. The project is funded with $750,000 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $250,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Each participating station will work with WBUR’s BizLab for six months, “using lean, user-centered design methodologies to identify and test new sources of revenue for that station. By engaging audiences and quickly testing concepts in-market, each station will generate quantitative results to inform their near-term strategic investments. Collaborating stations will share results and best practices with each other and the broader public radio system.” The selected stations are: WAMU, Washington D.C.; Louisville Public Media (WFPL, WFPK, WUOL); Capital Public Radio, Sacramento; WLRN-FM, Miami; Vermont Public Radio; and WDET-FM, Detroit…..Yesterday (1/9), Genesis Communications Network-syndicated talk show host Dr. Daliah Wachs celebrated her 10th anniversary as a talk radio show host…..Appearing on Lou Simon’s “The Diner” program on SiriusXM’s “Volume” channel (talk programming dedicated to music and the music business) recently were legendary radio personalities John Records Landecker, Shotgun Tom Kelly, and Joey Reynolds, as well as “Radio’s Best Friend” Art Vuolo. The three jocks were together for the Radio Dream Lunch in Los Angeles and, according to Vuolo, the show was so much fun that Simon is adding guests to his program. He’s already interviewed Paul Peterson of “Donna Reed Show” fame and singer/songwriter Jackie DeShannon. You can see video of the show here. Pictured below are Landecker (left) and Kelly (right) in the studio.
Trump’s Border Wall Address, Government Shutdown, Trump-Russia Investigation, 2020 Presidential Race, Ed Buck Case, Bezos Divorce, Showtime’s Roger Ailes Series, and NFL Playoffs Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (1/9). Tuesday night’s presidential address on the U.S.-Mexico border wall issue and President Trump’s battle against Democrats on the matter; the ongoing government shutdown; the investigation into possible connections between Trump campaign operatives and Russian agents; possible 2020 presidential candidates including Elizabeth Warren, Michelle Obama, and Kamala Harris; the case of Democratic donor Ed Buck and the recent deaths of men at his California home; Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and wife divorce amidst speculation about infidelity; the legal battles surrounding the Showtime series about late FOX News Channel chief Roger Ailes; and the NFL playoffs 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 nominees for the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards presented by iHeartMedia and Fox Broadcasting Company on Thursday, March 14 live from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles have been announced. This is the sixth year of the iHeartRadio Music Awards and the 2019 telecast will feature live performances from today’s star performers, artist
collaborations, celebrity guest appearances, and live award presentations in multiple categories. iHeartMedia Entertainment Enterprises president John Sykes says, “It’s no secret why this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards nominees are a Who’s Who of music. These are the artists and the songs iHeartRadio listeners couldn’t get enough of this past year. It’s going to be an 
unforgettable show.” See the whole list here…..San Diego radio personality Chris Cantore is officially named morning drive host on Tegna Inc’s adult hits KFMB-FM “100.7 San Diego.” Cantore – who’s served with KPRI, KBZT, and XTRA-FM in the market – has been filling in hosting the morning show for several months. KFMB-FM program director Mike V. Vasquez says, “Cantore has that cool, laid-back vibe that is so easy to connect with. He’s not only entertaining, but he’s an authentic guy who cares about our community. He epitomizes all things San Diego and is an ideal ambassador for our station. I’m thrilled to have him joining our ‘100.7 San Diego’ family!”…..iHeartMedia Sacramento announces that Paul Robins is the new afternoon drive host on KBEB “92.5 The Breeze, Sacramento’s #1 For Relaxing Favorites at Work,” effective Friday, February 1. Robins also heads up William Jessup University’s Digital Communication and Design Bachelor of Arts degree program. He’ll host his show from the university’s studio while giving his students the opportunity to earn hands-on training with broadcast and digital content for the station. During his career, Robins has worked in Detroit, Dallas and Sacramento, including for 20 years as half of “The Paul and Phil Show” on KGBY “Y92.”…..Cumulus Media’s urban contemporary WLXC, Columbia, South Carolina “KISS 10-3.1” adds the Westwood One-syndicated “Rick and Sasha” program for morning drive. WWO
just the launched the program starring Rick Party and Sasha the Diva into national syndication…..TALKERS magazine sends condolences to the family and friends of programmer pro Harve Alan, who passed away on January 6. During his career he’s served with CBS RADIO, iHeartMedia, ABC Radio Networks, NextMedia, and Metro Networks. He also operated his own consulting firm.
