Talk radio host Jason Hammer announced via social media that 
he’s singed a multi-year contract extension to continue his role on the “Hammer and Nigel” afternoon drive show on Urban One’s news/talk WIBC-FM, Indianapolis. Hammer co-hosts the show with Nigel Laskowski. Hammer posts, “I’m really happy with the outcome here. Thanks to the management team at Urban One and the best agent in the game Heather Cohen for making this happen! LFG!”
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
For 100 years, radio programmers have tried to keep listeners listening longer. “Coming up next…”
Another few minutes? Yes! Ask! And do so as-seductively-as-possible, saying “you” and “your.” But there’s very little you can say to keep someone sitting in a parked car after they’ve turned the engine off.
A more realistic opportunity?
Life is fragmented. Audio is everywhere. Listeners move among broadcast radio, podcasts, streams, satellite, YouTube and whatever their phones serve up next. Oh, and off-air promotion – billboards, TV, direct mail – remember them – cost money.
Sales 101: Say it with me: “Your best prospect is…?” An existing customer! Sell ‘em again, in this case inducing an existing listener to listen again later – specifically later-today, and same-time-tomorrow. You can’t win by earning TSL when they’re not listening. So, seem useful-enough that they’ll want to come back again.
All-news stations have understood this for decades. The very first one – 1010WINS/New York, to-this-day #1 in morning drive – said, “Give us 22 minutes and we’ll give you the world.” The product was designed for repeat use.
This also changes how we use digital tools
Too many stations treat the app, stream, and social media as separate products. They should be pathways back to useful content. A push alert can invite immediate listening when something important happens. A social clip can preview what the morning show will develop tomorrow. A podcast can serve someone who missed the original conversation while promoting the next live one.
The objective is not to trap listeners. It is to accompany them. Try this…
And when they do return, do we deliver immediately? Or make them wait through clutter?
Duration still matters. Every unnecessary word still spends attention. So, program at-the-speed-of-life. But focusing only on longer listening per-occasion overlooks how people actually live. You can’t keep someone sitting in a parked car. You can earn more visits.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
WTAX-AM/FM, Springfield, Illinois content director and technical director John La Tessa died last week. The station – via owner 
Saga Communications’ CapitolCityNow news platform – reports LaTessa was found dead in his apartment in downtown Springfield. Chris Bullock is VP and general manager for Saga’s Capitol Media Group and he says, “Capitol Media Group was John’s family. We know what a huge Cardinals fan John was, and he LOVED working for us.” Saga says station personnel will take on LaTessa’s work in the interim, as plans have not yet been made for a replacement. Funeral services have also not yet been announced. Read the full story here.
By John Caracciolo
JVC Broadcasting
President and CEO
Most radio stations broadcast from office buildings, broadcast centers or studios tucked away from the public. JVC Broadcasting decided to do something different.
It put a live radio studio inside an airport. And not just any airport.
Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), home to JVC’s LI News Radio 103.9 FM broadcast studio, has just been named the No. 1 Best Small Airport in America in USA TODAY’s 2026 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
For JVC Broadcasting, the recognition is especially meaningful. The independent radio company has maintained a live broadcast presence inside the airport since launching LI News Radio in 2013, creating one of the industry’s more unusual and visible broadcasting environments.
Located directly in the airport’s baggage claim area, the glass-fronted LI News Radio studio brings live radio into the daily flow of airport activity. Travelers can see broadcasters at work while newsmakers, elected officials, business leaders and community personalities come through the studio for interviews and programming.
It’s local radio in the middle of the community it serves
Most broadcasters spend a fortune trying to get their stations in front of people. We decided years ago to put our radio station where the people already are. Every day, travelers walk right past our studio. They see live radio happening in front of them. That’s the kind of connection local radio should have with its community.
More Than a Studio – A Unique Media Partnership
JVC’s relationship with MacArthur Airport extends well beyond broadcasting.
Since 2019, JVC has also served as the airport’s advertising concession partner, developing and managing advertising opportunities throughout the terminal.
The combination of live radio, digital advertising, airport displays, social media and JVC’s Long Island radio properties creates a distinctive marketing platform connecting local businesses with travelers and the wider Long Island community.
When MacArthur Airport was nominated for the USA TODAY 10Best award, JVC put that platform to work.
The company supported the airport’s campaign across its radio stations, encouraging listeners to vote and using its media reach to build awareness of the competition.
The effort reflected the power of locally owned broadcasting: bringing a community together behind something that matters to the region.
From No. 2 to No. 1
MacArthur Airport finished second nationally in 2025 before capturing the top position in 2026. The recognition represents a major achievement for the Town of Islip, airport leadership, employees, airline partners and the Long Island community.
For JVC, the victory reinforces the value of partnerships between independent media companies and the communities they serve.
We’re proud to have played a role in helping get the word out. This is a great airport, and we wanted the rest of the country to know it. We’re not some national media company looking at Long Island on a spreadsheet. We live here, we work here, and when something great happens for Long Island, we’re going to get behind it.
A Different Approach to Local Broadcasting
At a time when much of the radio industry is focused on consolidation, automation and reducing its physical footprint, JVC continues to invest in local visibility and community connections.
The airport studio demonstrates a simple philosophy: radio works best when it is part of people’s everyday lives.
From live news and talk programming to interviews with community leaders and visiting personalities, the studio serves as a highly visible reminder that local broadcasting remains relevant, accessible and connected.
And with MacArthur Airport now holding the nation’s top small-airport honor, JVC has another reason to celebrate the partnership.
People sometimes ask me about the future of local radio. My answer is pretty simple. Get out of the building. Get involved in your community. Do things differently. We’ve had a radio studio inside an airport for more than a decade, and now that airport is number one in America. That’s a pretty good story.
What’s Next for JVC at MacArthur Airport?
For JVC Broadcasting, the airport’s national recognition is not the finish line. It’s another opportunity to build on a partnership that has already demonstrated how broadcasting, advertising and community engagement can work together in unexpected places.
We’ve always believed that local radio needs to do things differently. Putting a live radio studio inside an airport was a pretty unconventional idea when we did it, and it’s turned into something special. But we’re not done. We’ve got some exciting ideas for the next chapter of our relationship with MacArthur Airport, and I think people are going to be pretty surprised by what comes next.
For now, we’re just proud to celebrate this incredible achievement with our friends and partners at ISP. But stay tuned. We’ve got a lot more planned.
John Caracciolo is president and CEO of JVC Broadcasting, an independently owned radio and media company operating radio stations and multimedia advertising platforms in New York and Florida. He can be emailed at johnc@jvcbroadcasting.com.
Comrex officially releases its new FieldLink Cloud subscription service. This expands the service of the FieldLink sideline reporter codec released in 2025 that replaces expensive wireless mic/IFB solutions and efficiently move audio to and from sideline reporters and the press box using smartphones. With a directional, private, 
wireless access point, sideline reporters use their smartphones to send and receive high-quality, low-delay audio using the free Comrex FieldTap app. This new option provides more connectivity options such as 4G/5G, and public Wi-Fi services. FieldLink Cloud is a Comrex-managed server that gets around complex router and firewall issues to make connections fast and simple. It uses both iOS and Android devices and the device’s default web browser to give the user a simple, yet comprehensive interface for connection, control and statistical feedback when connected to the FieldLink codec. Comre4x says that for a limited time, customers purchasing a FieldLink sideline reporter codec will receive a free, one-year subscription for FieldLink Cloud. Subscription signup is all managed through the FieldLink codec’s front panel OLED screen and is fast and simple. FieldLink and Comrex’s suite of broadcast reliable products will be on display at the NAB New York Show October 21 and 22 at the Javits Convention Center. Visit Comrex at Booth 445.
Retired radio executive Rod Calarco (John Anthony Calarco) died 
on October 12 at 79. Calarco served with CBS Radio for 28 years, beginning as a salesperson at WCBS-AM before rising to vice president and general manager of WCBS-FM. His career also included positions at ABC Television, CBS-owned WCAU-AM, Philadelphia and The CBS National Sales Rep Firm in Chicago. He began his career in sales at WFAS-AM in White Plains, New York, returning years later as general manager, a position he held until his retirement.
Lotus Seattle’s all-news KNWN-AM/FM “Northwest Newsradio 97.7 FM and AM 1000” is seeking a dynamic and experienced part-time news anchor, reporter, and news editor. Lotus says, “The ideal 
candidate will help prepare and deliver engaging news content, report on breaking news events, serve as a board operator for special programming, and produce special projects and programming as assigned. The part-time position fulfills a combination of needs for our station on weekends.” Candidates must submit an audio demonstration of their on-air ability with their resume and be prepared to take a writing test if requested. Please submit resumes and required audio demonstrations to hr@lotusseattle.com.
The most discussed stories over the weekend (10/17-18) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Cumulus Media Inc announces today (10/16) that is has successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from the Chapter 11 reorganization process, following receipt of all required approvals, including from the Federal Communications 
Commission. Cumulus canceled 100% of its existing funded indebtedness – approximately $600 million – in exchange for 100% of the Company’s reorganized equity and $50 million of new convertible notes issued to former lenders. Cumulus is now a privately owned company with a new board of directors but retains its existing
management team. Cumulus president and CEO Mary Berner states, “I am grateful to our lenders and noteholders for their collaboration throughout this process, and to our employees, vendors, affiliates, customers, and partners for their continued trust and support. Emerging with a significantly stronger balance sheet, we are more committed than ever to providing engaging content across our national footprint, serving as a lifeline and voice for the local communities we serve, driving meaningful growth for our advertising partners, and delivering value for our new shareholders.”
For the second consecutive year, WPHT, Philadelphia talk show host, community activist, and former U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Barnette is presenting what is billed as the F3 Forum. The one-day event focuses on faith, family, and the future of education in America. Barnette tells TALKERS, “The gathering of educators, pasters, and community leaders will explore improving the condition of education in Philadelphia and America – what works, and how we can create the conditions for success. The F3 Forum takes place next Saturday, October 24 between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm at Brand Mills in Philadelphia. It promises to be an uplifting and important event. For complete information including registration and agenda details, please click here. www.kathybarnette.com.
WHYY is presenting a live event at The Town Hall in New York City on November 23 titled, “A Conversation for the Ages: Terry Gross in Conversation with Paul McCartney.” WHYY says, “The event offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience an intimate, live conversation between one of the world’s most influential musicians 
and one of America’s most accomplished interviewers. It’s the culminating celebration of Gross’s 50 years with ‘Fresh Air,’ honoring five decades of curiosity, thoughtful listening, music and revealing conversations.” Gross says, “I was 13, screaming in the movie theater, when A Hard Day’s Night came out. It is an honor to now have the opportunity to talk with Sir Paul, on stage, about different chapters of his life and music. Is there a better way to celebrate my 50th anniversary hosting Fresh Air? Absolutely not! Thank you, Sir Paul.” The event will directly benefit public media and WHYY president and CEO Bill Mazzarro says, “We’re deeply grateful for his generosity and for everyone joining us to help sustain public media and Fresh Air’s work for generations to come.”
Cox Media Group names Chris Jones general sales manager for Cox Media Group’s Atlanta stations including news/talk WSB-
AM/WSBB-FM “95.5 WSB.” Jones comes to CMG from his most recent post as SVP of sales with iHeartMedia. CMG Altanta director of sales Kris Hackett Lucas says, “We’re excited to welcome Chris to an already exceptional sales team at CMG Atlanta. He brings fresh energy and proven leadership that will help us build on our momentum and raise the bar even higher. I’m confident Chris will make an immediate impact—creating new opportunities for our clients, inspiring our team, and helping drive our sales organization forward.”
For the third consecutive year, TALKERS will serve as the Presenting Sponsor of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Conference. The event – IBSNYC – the longest running and most important national gathering of campus radio and mediacommunicators, will take place February 25-27, 2027, at the Sheraton Times Square hotel in the heart of Manhattan. It will bring together almost 1,000 outstanding broadcasters from university, college and high school radio-TV stations and departments of communication. Its power packed agenda of speeches, panels, workshops, exhibits, award ceremonies, and networking opportunities will cover the ever-expanding spectrum of platforms and issues unfolding before young practitioners entering the field of modern communications. This outstanding event is a must-attend for bright industry newcomers who are serious about developing careers in a landscape marked by unprecedentedly rapid change as well as established players determined to keep up with what’s coming and discover new colleagues.
TALKERS VP / associate publisher Matthew B. Harrison will again join the roster of outstanding IBSNYC speakers. Harrison, senior partner in the firm of Harrison Media Law, is a media and intellectual property attorney and author who advises radio hosts, digital content creators, and creative entrepreneurs. He has written extensively on fair use, AI law, and the future of digital rights.
Michael Harrison to Deliver Keynote Address
TALKERS founder, publisher, and radio industry icon, Michael Harrison will deliver one of the conference’s two keynote addresses. The speech, titled, “Five Things Every Communicator Must Know to Survive and Even Thrive During the Next Five Years,” promises to be a riveting, eye-opening highlight of the conference.
Harrison states, “TALKERS is dedicated to the future of this industry and its pioneering visionaries. This amazing conference is the epicenter of that dynamic scene.”
IBSNYC 2027 has been designed for affordability and the convenience of its attendees. The time to register for the conference and hotel, in order to take advantage of these stunning discounts, is now! For full information, please click here.
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (10/12-16) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
People
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
A new Insights piece from Nielsen looks at radio and podcasting’s value to advertisers. Titled, Everyone. Everywhere., it begins, “In the era of constant digital scrolling and fragmented attention, it’s easy for marketers to be lured by the ‘new and next.’ We often prioritize platforms based on how easily we can track a click, sometimes 
forgetting that ease of measurement doesn’t always equal effectiveness. Yet there is a legacy powerhouse that continues to outperform nearly every other medium in the one metric that matters most: actual human reach. That’s radio.” The piece underscores radio’s reach, zeroing in on the fact that radio doesn’t just reach older demos, every month it reaches the 87% of adults 18-34 – the demo often described as “digital only.” Additionally, the report says, “Americans spend nearly four hours a day with audio. Of the ad-supported time advertisers can actually buy, radio and podcasts account for 82%, while streaming music services account for only 16%. An audio plan built without both radio and podcasts misses most of the audience.”
But what about digital’s ease of attribution? The report says a survey of marketers ranked radio last out of 10 channels in perceived effectiveness, “yet it delivered a weighted ROI of $2.00, second only to social media at $2.22 and ahead of TV, display, search and CTV. Podcasts performed well too, at $1.49, comparable to TV and display. The lesson is to scale into digital without substituting away from high-reach, high-return platforms like radio.” See the rest of the story here.
By Matthew B. Harrison
TALKERS, VP/Associate Publisher
Harrison Media Law, Senior Partner
Goodphone Communications, Executive Producer
A Tokyo ruling has revisited a question that Bette Midler raised decades ago.
For anyone earning a living behind a microphone, your voice carries more than sound. It carries your reputation and your audience’s trust. An AI imitation can borrow both. Paying for the technology doesn’t necessarily buy permission to use the identity.
A September 30, Tokyo District Court decision recognized that a voice’s commercial appeal can receive publicity-rights protection. Actor Kenjiro Tsuda sought removal of 188 videos allegedly imitating his voice through AI. The court dismissed those claims because the material was already gone, leaving actual infringement undecided. Still, the underlying question should sound familiar to Bette Midler.
After Midler declined a Ford commercial, the advertising agency hired a former backup singer to imitate her. The agency had licensed “Do You Want to Dance.” It hadn’t secured Midler’s participation. In 1988, the Ninth Circuit held that deliberately imitating a professional singer’s distinctive, widely known voice to sell a product could violate California law. Permission to use the song didn’t settle permission to borrow the identity.
The Tokyo court described the voice as 「個人の人格の象徴」- “a symbol of individual personality.” Also, the perfect spring break tattoo: a generic phrase announcing how unique you are.
The Japanese decision doesn’t establish American law, and Midler doesn’t make every imitation unlawful. But together they frame a practical question for broadcasters using synthetic voices: whose identity is helping sell this, and what permission covers that use?
AI has changed the machinery. The person behind the voice still matters.
Matthew B. Harrison is a media and intellectual property attorney advising broadcasters, content creators, and creative entrepreneurs. Reach him at Matthew@HarrisonLegalGroup.com
The new podcast from Myron Mullins is being produced and coached by McVay Media. The new program stems from Mullins’ new mission “focused on helping men – particularly former executives and high-achieving professionals – rediscover purpose, 
confront personal struggles, and build lives defined by faith, family, freedom, and intentionality.” During his more than 30-year career, Mullins built and led 16 business enterprises, “leading diverse teams, and serving on corporate and organizational boards. His career provided him with firsthand experience navigating the pressures, responsibilities, expectations, and sacrifices that often accompany professional success. But behind the accomplishments was a deeply personal journey: In 2006, Mullins surrendered his life to faith, beginning a transformation that would eventually lead him to turn his experiences – both the victories and the failures – into a platform for mentoring, coaching, speaking, and storytelling.” McVay Media president Mike McVay says, “Ryan Kershner and I are honored to work with Myron and join this journey.”
KQED’s Shafer to Retire. KQED, San Francisco air personality and senior politics correspondent Scott Shafer announces he’s retiring from the public radio station. Shafer joined KQED in 1998 as host of the now statewide syndicated show, “The California Report.” Currently, Shafer hosts, “Political Breakdown.” He comments, “Working for KQED has given me a front row seat to historic events and people, and a chance to cover controversial and important issues. I am profoundly grateful to KQED for giving me the support, encouragement, resources and independence to follow those stories wherever they led.”
Ford Foundation Supports HCBU Radio Preservation. The Ford Foundation is committing $750,000 to the HBCU Radio Preservation Project that provided unrestricted budget infusions to 14 HBCU radio stations through a non-competitive formula-based grant process. HBCU RPP Director Jocelyn Robinson says, “We are grateful to the Ford Foundation for recognizing the critical needs and importance of supporting HBCU radio stations. While the funds have been used to meet present day needs, they are also helping secure longevity and support the continued relevance of these stations to their communities.”
The most discussed stories yesterday (10/14) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Wisconsin-based media company Civic Media, Inc has entered into an agreement with three separate companies to acquire their radio 
station assets. Those companies – Pritchard Broadcasting Corp., Titan Broadcasting, LLC, and Galesburg Broadcasting Company – are turning over 16 radio signals in Iowa and Illinois to Civic Media for a price yet to be announced. The stations include sports talk KBKB-AM, Fort Madison, Iowa; news/talk KBUR-AM, Burlington, Iowa; and news/talk/sports WGIL-AM, Galesburg, Illinois. Civic Media currently operates radio stations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.
Pictured above are 25 former CBS News Radio staff onstage at New York City’s Gotham Hall during Monday’s Radio Television Digital News Association Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala. Five months after CBS closed the radio news department it was honored with national awards for Overall Excellence and Best Newscast in the Network Radio category (CBS World News Roundup: Plane Crash at DCA). Several of the honorees held up signs reading, “Fired for Overall Excellence.” The group received a standing ovation from the journalists in the room.
Tanner to Exit NYPR. New York Public Radio president and CEO Christy Tanner is stepping down after just eight months in the position, according to Gothamist. Tanner joined shortly after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provided funding for public media across the country, shut down due to funding cuts imposed by Congress and President Donald Trump. New York Public Radio did not provide a reason for Tanner’s exit.
MIW Announces Digital Sales Mentorship. Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc announces the return of its Digital Sales Mentorship Program. The year-long program is designed to strengthen the digital expertise and leadership skills of women working in radio and digital media sales, providing one selected mentee with personalized, hands-on mentorship from an accomplished industry leader. Get more info and apply here.
The most discussed stories yesterday (10/13) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Audacy’s VP, government and political partnerships Haley Teare-Lombardo and SVP of research and insights Ray Borelli were recently interviewed by Shane Greer of Campaigns & Elections what Greer calls the challenge of using advertising to reach additionally voters instead of reaching the same voters all the time. 
Borelli and Teare-Lombardo say that with the economy being top of mind, commuters may be a particularly important audience and that radio can help campaigns reach voters beyond traditional TV and digital buys. For example: 1) 59% of likely voters who commute say the economy and cost of living are the most important issues shaping their vote, rising to 73% among commuting homeowners with children; 2) Commuters are a significant audience: 78% of employed Americans commute at least two days a week, and nearly 90% travel by car; 3) Radio reaches voters during the commute: AM/FM radio captures 82% of ad-supported audio listening during weekday commuting hours; and 4) Radio can extend TV/CTV reach: In the 2022 midterms, radio added 676,000 incremental voters (+10%) to John Fetterman’s TV/CTV reach in Pennsylvania and 659,000 (+18%) to Raphael Warnock’s in Georgia. See a video of the interview here.
Flag Family Media adds Premiere Networks’ “The Clay & Buck Show” to the program schedule on WZFG-AM “Fargo’s AM 1100 The Flag/92.3 FM.” Flag Family Media co-owner Scott Hennen 
comments, “Clay Travis and Buck Sexton are proven winners, and we are thrilled to welcome their show to our Flag Family team. Broadcasting from Fargo, N.D., in one of the nation’s most competitive talk radio markets, this 50 kW conservative blowtorch reaches highly engaged listeners across North Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota. The combination of our proven local talk programming and Clay and Buck will be unbeatable. Our P1s crave insight and informed opinion on every angle of this consequential election, and nobody delivers that better than Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.”
