Tag: "XtreMedia"
Thursday, May 12, 2016
GOING, GOING… TALKERS Convention Registrations Close Today. The 19th annual installment of the talk media industry’s longest-running and most important convention is on the verge of being an early sellout. Registrations will not be taken after 5:00 pm ET today. The event – TALKERS 2016: Bridging the Generations – will take place one week from tomorrow on Friday, May 20 on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. TALKERS EVP Kevin Casey states, “This installment of the historical and colorful conference will be extremely contemporary in its focus in terms of talk media’s need to open the tent to younger demos, expand its menu options, become indispensable to the public and strategically integrate both its old and new media platforms into an effective, symbiotic system.” Casey will personally moderate the panel, “The Millennials and the Media.” The conference will feature a power-packed day of non-stop panels, presentations, addresses, live broadcasts, technology exhibits and tremendous networking opportunities at the “Breakfast with Hannity,” “Salem Luncheon” and “Radio Hofstra University Closing Reception.” More than 65 industry leaders from programming, sales, technology, research, management and ownership will be participating in speaking roles. Registrations ($299 per person and open only to media industry professionals) can only be taken over the phone with credit card by calling 413-565-5413 before 5:00 pm ET today. For complete agenda, hotel, sponsorship and travel information, please click here.
Alpha Media Appoints Latzer Regional Interactive Sales Manager. Media sales pro Jon Latzer is named to the regional interactive sales director position with Alpha Media. The company’s VP of business development, Lindi Glasgow, says, “We are excited about this new position to better serve our Alpha markets and clients. Digital and mobile are key to our 360 approach to drive ROI for our customers. Jon’s radio, digital and start-up experience make him the perfect fit for the job and Alpha culture.” Latzer has served in sales and management capacities at media firms including CBS, iHeartMedia, Katz Radio Group, TuneIn and Rovi.
The Presidential Race, Iran Nukes Deal, MIT Islamophobia-Global Warming Lecture, Facebook Anti-Conservative Allegations, Brazil President Impeachment/Looming Summer Olympics, and NBA-NHL Playoffs Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (5/11). The activities of the candidates for president and Donald Trump’s scheduled meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan; the fallout over former Obama Administration staffer Ben Rhodes’ comments that it purposely mislead the media in order to secure a nuclear deal with Iran; controversy over Australian professor’s MIT lecture suggesting a connection between Islamophobia and global warming; the charge that Facebook’s trending topics are manipulated by people averse to conservative topics; the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and the related concerns over public safety at the this summer’s Olympic Games; and the NBA and NHL playoffs were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
Nielsen Audio Releases Third Round of April 2016 PPM Data. The third of four rounds of April 2016 PPM ratings data from Nielsen Audio has been released for 12 markets including: Portland, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, San Antonio, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Orlando, and Columbus. The April 2016 survey period covered March 24 to April 20. You can find the complete 6+ ratings numbers from subscribing stations here. Additionally, TALKERS/RadioInfo managing editor Mike Kinosian provides his “Twelve Takeaways” from this group on the main page of our sister publication here.
Profile: America’s Health Coach, Dr. Asa. TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian profiles talk show host and “America’s Health Coach” Dr. Asa in a piece published today (5/12). Ten years ago, Dr. Asa Andrews hosted a one-hour, late Sunday evening show in Nashville. Now, Dr. Asa is preparing to celebrate the decade mark and his show is heard nightly from 9:00 pm – 12:00 midnight. In addition, he hosts a daily 10:30 am – 11:00 am syndicated television program that is seen in 300 markets. Dr. Asa comments, “I have always been a big believer that, if you serve people, and give them hope and practical help, you can impact their lives. Ratings and revenue will come if you do that with great programming. It is through a very conscious effort that we do not ‘hawk’ products or become an info-mercial. We have been successful because the show’s focus is our desire to help people, stations, and communities thrive.” Read more here.
Dave Ramsey’s Smart Money Tour Stops in Salt Lake City. Nationally syndicated talk radio star Dave Ramsey brought his Smart Money event to Salt Lake City’s Abravanel Hall (home of the Utah Symphony!) on Wednesday (5/11). The program, focusing on how to win with money, get out of debt and invest for the future, was promoted with the help of local affiliate KNRS “Talk Radio 105.9.” KNRS general manager Joyce Wirthlin says, “Another Dave Ramsey Salt Lake event created a tremendous opportunity for us. In addition to generating sponsorship revenue, it provided an opportunity for our current and potential endorsement clients to see firsthand the powerful influence of the Ramsey brand. Listeners of the show are incredibly engaged and loyal and there is nothing more telling of that connection Dave has than looking around a room full of thousands of people that are a part of his tribe.” On Tuesday (5/10), Ramsey also hosted his EntreLeadership 1 Day event along with best-selling author Chris Hogan and Ramsey personality Christy Wright. Pictured here are (from l-r): iHeartMedia regional vice president Stu Stanek, KNRS program director and personality Rod Arquette, Rachel Cruz, Wirthlin, and Ramsey.
Odds & Sods. Chicago radio legend Garry Meier is launching a daily podcast that will feature interviews with “a wide range of guests from authors to Academy Award winners and everyone in between.” Meier states, “All of the growth in broadcasting appears to be in the digital arena. As that migration happens more and more every day, week, month and year, I’m happy to be riding that wave.” Meier says that Howard Stern, Richard Lewis and Chicago Blackhawks president and CEO John McDonough will be among his first guests…..Radio personality and XtreMedia founder Kevin McCullough reports that his weekend talk show “Radio Night ‘Live’” – a talk radio/television simulcast – has acquired its 300th affiliate station with the addition of KOTK, Omaha “AM 1420 The Answer.” “Radio Night ‘Live’” is a show that was launched with an adjusted format after McCullough’s eight-year run with former radio partner Stephen Baldwin. McCullough says the show’s current success is the result of work with “amazing partners like Salem Media Group,
GCN, and BizTV/Radio.”…..WPRO-AM, Providence talk show host John DePetro (pictured here with mic) joined Rhode Island State Representative Patricia Morgan in a recent rally at the Rhode Island State House against Governor Gina Raimondo. Critics of the governor say her efforts to market Rhode Island by going outside the state to a New York design shop indicates she is “out of touch” with Rhode Islanders. Interestingly, the rally drew supporters of
both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders who are critical of Raimondo. See a video news report about the rally here…..Checking in with TALKERS magazine from Shanghai is “Into Tomorrow” host Dave Graveline, pictured here with the city’s iconic skyline behind him. Graveline has been reporting from the giant CES Asia
show but says he’ll be back in the states in time to join fellow broadcasters at the TALKERS 2016 Bridging the Generations conference at Hofstra University on Friday, May 20…..Local, independent station owner Anne Eller announces the addition of an FM translator signal to her station, WCRS, Greenwood, South Carolina. She says she was blown away by the response to the addition of the 98.5 FM signal. “It is fantastic. Of course the signal goes further and doesn’t drop off in the evening. Businesses are calling me!”
Friday, September 5, 2014
Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck Return to KSFO, San Francisco. This move announced by Cumulus Media comes just a few days after local personality Spencer Hughes exited the 9:00 am to 12:00 noon slot at KSFO. Now, the company says
Rush Limbaugh will occupy that show time while Sean Hannity will air from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm followed by Glenn Beck from 9:00 pm to 12:00 midnight. Michael Savage and Mark Levin will continue to air in the afternoons. Now the big question is what are Clear Channel’s plans for KNEW “960 The Patriot” after the three Premiere Networks shows jump across the street? A likely option would be to plug in Fox Sports Radio Network programming. We can expect Clear Channel to make its intentions known relatively soon. The start date for the changes is September 29.
Cumulus Media Realigns Executive Structure; Jon Pinch to Retire. Calling this move a part of the goal to “enhance the company’s strategic and operational focus and leverage its business platform,” Cumulus Media president and CEO Lew Dickey announces the company is eliminating the co-COO posts that John Dickey and Jon Pinch have shared for years, the assignment of
John Dickey to the new EVP of content and programming position, and the retirement of Jon Pinch after a 45-year career in the business. Lew Dickey says, “Our vision has been to build the radio company of the future and
that is exactly what we are achieving. Towards that end, we have strategically broadened the company’s scope and now have in place differentiated distribution channels and multiple content development platforms. To accelerate our plans, we are putting in place a new organizational structure to reflect the company’s strategic evolution, bringing clarity, focus and accountability to key leadership roles in both our station and network groups.” A number of changes will take place in addition to Pinch’s retirement. Cumulus has retained the services of the search firm Spencer Stuart to seek an executive vice president of radio. That person will be “focused on providing day-to-day operational and strategic leadership of Cumulus’ radio station group consisting of its 460 stations in 90 U.S.
markets.” Steve Shaw has been promoted from his SVP Cumulus national sales post to president of Westwood One. As for John Dickey, his new position will entail focusing on developing and maximizing content and programming. The company says, “Establishing this focused position recognizes the critical importance of Cumulus’ development and promotion of content and programming across the company’s station group, Westwood One network and other media platforms including Nash and Rdio.”
Sandy Buttweiler Leaves KFGO, Fargo and Radio for Job Outside the Industry. As reported in Prairie Business Magazine, longtime Fargo radio personality Sandy Buttweiler has resigned from her talk show position to take a job outside the radio biz. Buttweiler co-hosted the Jack & Sandy show with longtime partner Jack Sunday at Midwest Communications-owned KFGO, Fargo. As the paper notes, Buttweiler joined KFGO in 1982 and has worked there during three different stints as well as at other stations in the market, including crosstown WDAY. She told listeners there were no problems at the station and that she “was presented with an opportunity about six weeks ago. After careful and thoughtful consideration, it just seemed like the right time to take on this new opportunity.”
‘The News That Makes You Think’ Hits 100 Affiliate Mark. The newest feature from XtreMedia and hosted by Kevin McCullough passes the 100 affiliate mark after just 90 days in production. McCullough’s program – “The News That Makes You Think” – is airing in markets including: New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Phoenix, Tampa, Portland, Nashville, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and Las Vegas. McCullough tells TALKERS magazine that, when launched in June, his company believed there would be a market for this type of feature and he describes it, saying, “The content is designed to offer a substantive look at national, political, and human interest stories. But every newscast provides information important to families and people of faith. And at the end of the day it’s about telling great stories!” McCullough says that across the Monday-Friday XtreMedia platform, 413 unique stations are airing the company’s programming.
WGN, Chicago Re-Ups Steve Cochran. As reported by Chicago media writer Robert Feder, WGN, Chicago morning drive personality Steve Cochran signs a four-year contract extension to continue with the Tribune Broadcasting outlet. As Feder points out, over the past year Cochran has performed well for WGN. In the most recent Nielsen Audio PPM survey, Cochran was #2 in the market (Persons 6+) with a 5.4 share. Cochran tells Feder, “Thanks to my amazing staff of Andrea Darlas, Dave Eanet, Orion Samuelson, Mary Vandevelde, Kevin Powell and my son, Ross, 5:00 am is actually fun. Working for Jimmy de Castro, Todd Manley and Larry Wert is as good as it gets — and I feel like we are just getting started.” Read Feder’s column here.
Round Three of August PPM Data Released. The third of four rounds of August 2014 PPM data from Nielsen Audio has been released for 12 markets including: Portland, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, San Antonio, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Orlando, and Columbus. The survey period was July 17 through August 13. TALKERS magazine’s sister publication RadioInfo has all of the numbers from subscribing stations here. In addition, managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his “Ten Takeaways” from this batch of ratings on the main page at RadioInfo.com here.
Ethnic WCGO, Chicago Begins Shift Toward Issues Talk Format. The Evanston, Illinois signal has been an ethnic time-brokered station since 1978 but consultant Tim Disa says that with a newly approved power increase to 10,000 watts (daytime), the station is revamping the programming, starting with the
12:00 noon to 6:00 pm daypart. Franklin Raff – a 39-year-old former producer for the G. Gordon Liddy show – is now hosting the 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm show, followed by Radio America’s Dana Loesch from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, and former crosstown WIND personality Geoff Pinkus hosting the 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm program. Additionally, the station is carrying Premiere Networks’ “Coast to Coast AM” with George Noory in the overnight daypart. Disa says the goal of the station is to create “new, more inclusive content – a bit more libertarian and we will be reaching out to a younger generation using humor and common sense.”
Odds & Sods. At the Salem Radio Network operations in Washington, DC, Jeff Matzka is named chief engineer. The operation includes the Washington, DC bureau of the SRN News and the studios of the Bill Bennett “Morning in America” show…..The new flagship station for the NBA’s Washington Wizards is CBS RADIO’s all-news WNEW-FM, Washington (licensed to Bowie, Maryland). The station reports that D.C. area play-by-play broadcaster Dave Johnson will return for his 17th season calling Wizards games, and is joined for the 7th year by analyst Glenn Consor…..Clear Channel’s news/talk WHJJ, Providence and classic hits WWBB “B101” will be the new flagship stations for University of Rhode Island football and men’s basketball this season. WHJJ will also air the 16 Dan Hurley shows featuring the Rams’ head basketball coach.
Celebrating Success. Nationally syndicated talk show host Michael Savage is pictured here aboard his family yacht in the New York harbor addressing representatives from syndicator Westwood One, Cumulus-owned WABC Radio, and several high-profile clients and partners. Using the occasion of the success of his latest book, Stop the Coming Civil War (Center Street 2014), Savage used the tale of his grandfather’s immigration from Russia almost 100 years ago to express why America needs to reward hard work and not take from those who are productive. This event on NYC’s Chelsea Pier also caught the eye of the New York Post’s Page Six.
Mike Gallagher Plays the Cowardly Lion. Regular TALKERS readers know one of Salem Radio Network host Mike Gallagher’s interests is the theatre – Gallagher won a 2013 Tony Award as an investor in the Broadway revival of “Pippin.” In addition to the numerous roles he’s played on the stage over the years, Gallagher (pictured here in full make-up for dress rehearsal) is currently playing the Cowardly Lion in the South Carolina Children’s Theatre production of The Wizard of Oz.
US ISIS Strategy and Journalist Beheadings Top Stories on News/Talk Radio for Week of September 1-5. The controversy over the United States’ military policy regarding the ISIS campaign in Iraq and the recent beheadings of two American journalists tied atop the Talkers TenTM for the week of September 1-5. At #2 this week was the Al Qaeda jihad threat tied with the missing Libyan airliners. Coming in at #3 was the mid-term elections and the prospects for the 2016 presidential race followed by the Justice Department’s probe of the Ferguson, Missouri police department at #4. 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. View this week’s entire chart here.