Features | TALKERS magazine

New York Radio Team Finds a Home in Cape Town

By TALKERS | February 26, 2025 by TALKERS

By Dr. Andrew Gladding, EdD
Chief Engineer
WMCA / WNYM, New York

The power of broadcast radio stems from its genesis, which is the use of audio technology and storytelling to transmit messages to large audiences. As industry professionals, we are all acquainted with the power and reach that our trade provides. However, all stories must begin with the spark of an idea. In the case of the curious collaboration between a college radio station in New York and a community radio station in South Africa, this idea started with a simple conversation.

The relationship between 88.7FM WRHU Radio Hofstra University and 89.5FM Bush Radio in Cape Town South Africa began purely as a matter of proximity. In the winter of 2018, I happened upon Bush Radio while in South Africa while on a family vacation. Meeting the passionate broadcasters at Bush Radio has resulted in a fruitful broadcast collaboration spanning six years and many exchanges of audio, information and support between our two broadcast organizations. Students at WRHU in New York, WRCT in Pittsburg and members of Bush Radio co-produce a weekly show called “The 1World Community Radio Show,” which features interviews and music from around the world. WRHU’s Ricky Hubert, WRCT’s Cody Hmelar and Bush Radio host Lydia Marwanqana connect weekly to create a truly unique program that provides a world stage for young, aspiring talent. The show has become a centerpiece of programming for both stations and an example of how stations across the globe can work together to create engaging, community focused audio content. It has also allowed staff members from both stations to develop insight into each other’s cultures and communities.

Pictured above (from l-r) are: Sturgeon Records President David Chapman, Salem NY Chief Engineer Andy Gladding, Bush Radio engineer Renato Van Schalkwyk, WRHU general manager John Mullen, Bush Radio managing director Brenda Leonard, Bush Radio host Jasnine Roberts, WCWP general manager Dan Cox and WKZE “Night Shade” host Paul Higgins at the Bush Radio Studios in Salt River, Cape Town.

In the fall of 2024, members of Bush Radio came to New York City and Washington DC to cover the presidential elections. The purpose of the trip was to find new ways to combat journalistic misinformation. The visit exposed Bush Radio staff members to American journalistic values, broadcast operational practices provided the international broadcasters with an up-front look at the US democratic process in action.

In February of this year, In the spirit of maintaining and strengthening our broadcast partnership, five members of New York radio and audio media , including myself, traveled to Cape Town to see how the Bush Radio folks used their FM reach and power to serve their community. The goals of this part of the exchange were to deepen our understanding of South African media, operations, practices and workplace culture. We went into this journey with our minds and hearts wide open, ready to see how the craft that we know and love was practiced on the other side the world.

Pictured above is Andy Gladding working with Bush Radio engineer Renato Van Schalkwyk to install Comrex hardware in the Bush Radio Air Studio.

The results of this visit were eye opening. During our visit to Cape Town, we observed several similarities between our stations in New York and our South African counterparts. The Bush Radio staff was extremely dedicated to their station and took great pride in serving their community. They used their centrally located studies as both a broadcast center and training facility, with a thriving mentorship and intern program. We also noticed that they followed almost identical practices and standards as we do in the USA, ranging from technical specifications for broadcast engineering to maintaining programmatical integrity. Even the energy and excitement among the staff in the studios and reporting from the field was comparable to any well-run US broadcast entity. This is mainly due to the fact that the folks who run Bush Radio, specifically Managing Director Brenda Leonard and Program Director Adrian Louw, execute a comprehensive and extensive training and operational workflow at the station. Bush Radio holds the proud distinction of being the first licensed community radio station in South Africa, which was achieved with great effort and sacrifice during a time when the practice of community radio was non-existent in the country. Therefore, the management is very observant and powerful of the weight that they carry and this respect is passed along to the station members.

We also noticed some stark differences. Due to the relatively young nature of the South African democracy, there appeared to be a deeper connection between station and community. Bush Radio is involved in many different aspects of Cape Town governance, culture and outreach and this is reflected in their on-air product and station ethos. We also observed that many members of the general public were familiar with the station and proudly considered themselves to be regular listeners and supporters. The station was closely intertwined within the fabric of the community, which is both wide and diverse.

We also noticed that there was an intrinsic willingness between Bush and other community stations to work together. During our visit, we had the opportunity to visit a number of stations in communities around the Western Cape region, including Zibonele FM and The Voice of the Cape. We heard the term “partnership” and “sister station” during our visit many times, which demonstrated a visible willingness between teams at different organizations to work together and collaborate. I personally believe that this positive attitude for partnership and outreach has been a driving force in the successful collaboration WRHU has enjoyed with Bush Radio.

During our visit, the New York contingent felt this energy and openness, which in turn motivated us to jump into the spirit of the occasion. I personally worked with the Bush station engineering team on some facility maintenance and technical improvements, while other members of the crew lent their wisdom and knowledge to the venture. Laura Schaffer, the General Manager of Salem Media of New York had sent us down with a “broadcasters care package,” comprised of surplus equipment and spare parts from New York. The staff at Bush Radio was happy to receive the gear and began using it almost immediately.

The exchange of knowledge was not limited to technical engineering. WRHU’s John Mullen and Dan Cox ran a workshop on sales, marketing and workflow, while Sturgeon Records owner and engineer Dave Chapman taught the station members multi-track production. WKZE’s Paul Higgins, a world music producer, worked with the station’s air staff on interviewing techniques and even conducted an interview with famed producer Steve Lillywhite on 89.5FM, which was re-broadcast to the USA live. The experience of giving and sharing knowledge was both exciting and rewarding.

However, what we received in return was even more fulfilling. Even though we were strangers from another part of the world, we felt strangely at home at 89.5FM. The folks at Bush Radio were excited to show us their station, city and culture and made sure that we enjoyed a completely immersive experience. We saw all sides of the area, from the sparkling beaches and stunning views of the harbor from the top of Table Mountain to areas that were struggling and people that were fighting to survive. Throughout all of our travels, we noticed one constant: Radio was an integral part of all of the communities that we visited. Part of this can be attributed to a lack of broadband access across the region, but I personally believe a larger factor was based around the spirit of the South African people trusting in and embracing their local radio stations.

Considering this current period of uncertainty and transition in the US, it was refreshing to experience radio being used as a force for community connectivity, outreach and positivity in a far-away part of the world. Our team returned from the trip, refreshed with new ideas on how we could use our experience to grow and improve our own stations. One of these action items has gone into effect almost immediately. Since our return, the 1World Community Show has grown into an open-source network, which includes new domestic and international partners. Stations on the network now include WRCT-Pittsburgh, WCWP-LIU Post, WKZE-Red Hook, KCSS-UC Stanislaus, WVCR-Siena College and Kinvara Community Radio in Ireland, in addition to WRHU and Bush, all eager to share audio content and ideas. I personally hope to see the connection between all of our stations, along with this beautiful collaborative relationship, grow larger and endure way into the future. As one Bush Radio station member told me, “the color of our skin may be different, we may pray to other gods and we are from separate countries and cultures. However, our love for radio is above all that, which makes us all the same.” Considering the diversity of storytelling that we each do with the power of broadcasting, it’s nice to know that our passion for the craft and industry can unite us and break down barriers. I look forward to our next adventure with the Bush Radio staff. If anyone reading this would like to get involved in radio outreach and establish a similar program or help expand technical support for our new “sister stations,” please feel free to reach out. Your contributions will not be unappreciated. You can find out more about the 1World Community Radio Network at www.1worldcommunityradio.com

Dr. Andrew Gladding his chief engineer at Salem Media Group’s WMCA and WNYM in New York. He can be emailed at andrew.gladding@salemcommunications.com

Features

“Ladies and Gentlemen… THE BEATLES!”

By TALKERS | February 9, 2024February 9, 2024 by TALKERS

On a February night in 1964, a veteran TV host and four young musicians from England changed music, broadcasting, popular culture… they changed everything.

By Mark Wainwright

In early December 1963, America was a very gloomy place. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22 brought the country to a virtual standstill for four days, and the emotional and psychological hangover lingered for weeks. The nation needed a dose of uplifting energy and fun, and the Beatles were the ideal remedy.

The Beatles were hardly newcomers. They had already been a successful act in the UK and mainland Europe (especially in Germany) for several years; oddly, they never got much traction in the United States. They had released a handful of songs in the US on smaller, independent record labels as far back as 1962, but they received little attention.

“She Loves You,” one of their early signature songs, was a failure when it was first released here in 1963. Dick Clark tried to feature it on “American Bandstand,” but the young dancers on his show didn’t know what to make of it and rated it poorly. But as the year went on, their popularity in England dramatically turned into a phenomenon that featured wildly enthusiastic crowds of screaming teenage girls. No one seems to be able to pinpoint what the catalyst was, but their already established popularity quickly grew into what became known as “Beatlemania.”

The Beatles first appeared on American TV on network news broadcasts. NBC’s “Huntley-Brinkley Report” aired a segment about the Beatles and Beatlemania in England on November 18,1963. Edwin Newman was the correspondent, and he and his colleagues were rather dismissive of the group, their music, and their young fans. Meanwhile, over at CBS, Walter Cronkite’s take was more generous. Their reporter in London, Alexander Kendrick, was pretty condescending as well, but Cronkite liked the segment when he saw it on the “CBS Morning News” on November 22 and planned to run it on his evening newscast. Sadly, what happened in Dallas hours later preempted everything.

A few weeks later, Cronkite thought his viewers could use a lift from the gloom that had descended upon the country, and he thought that segment would be a nice diversion. He ran it on his newscast on December 10, and that story really got the nation’s attention.

Young America was soon clamoring for everything Beatles. Radio stations dug up the records that hadn’t been successful and started playing them constantly. Beatles paraphernalia was heavily marketed and sold well. Capitol Records released “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in the United States on December 26 — the boys finally had a deal with a major record company in the US — and by New Year’s Eve, it was already a hit. It was the first of six Beatles’ songs that reached #1 on the Billboard “Hot 100” chart in 1964.

Meanwhile, Ed Sullivan was the host/master of ceremonies of a long-running CBS variety show that dominated the Sunday night ratings for years. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he was happy to present many of the early stars of rock-and-roll; Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Jackie Wilson were among the pioneering artists of the new music genre who got their first major television exposure on Sullivan’s program.

Sullivan heard about the Beatles, saw them receive a tumultuous reception at Heathrow Airport in London, saw the CBS news segment, and was determined to present them on his show. Whatever he thought of their music, he respected talent and knew a hot act when he saw one.

A deal was quickly arranged between Sullivan and Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ long-time manager. Sullivan would bring them to the United States for three consecutive Sunday night shows. The February 16 performance would be broadcast live from the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, the third appearance on February 23 would be taped in advance. But the first of the three, a live performance on the Ed Sullivan Show February 9, was the one most anticipated. The two New York shows would be presented at the studio venue now known as the “Ed Sullivan Theater.”

When word got out, the demand for tickets was insane. CBS received more than 50,000 ticket requests (the tickets were free) for a studio theater that held 728. Getting one of the tickets was largely a matter of luck. Numerous notables and VIPs called upon favors owed and contacts at CBS to get tickets for their daughters (or granddaughters). Only a few succeeded.

When the Beatles arrived in New York on a Pan Am 707, they were greeted by a near-hysterical crowd of teenage girls (this had become a routine occurrence). They needed a police escort to get into Manhattan, and they needed a phalanx of New York cops to get them in and out of their hotel. All of this, of course, was breathlessly reported in the news media.

They arrived at the theater on Saturday, February 8, for a lighting and sound check and a brief rehearsal. George Harrison was recovering from a throat infection and was still tired and feverish, so he stayed at the hotel to rest, while a member of their entourage and a CBS production assistant took turns as stand-ins for George.

The following evening, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time, the “Ed Sullivan Show” went on the air, and shortly after the opening credits, Sullivan came on stage and offered a few brief remarks about the Beatles and their spectacular overnight success (“overnight” at least as far as Americans were concerned). Then… “Ladies and Gentlemen… THE BEATLES!” The theater erupted.

This moment led to one of the enduring music/broadcasting history trivia questions: What was the first song the Beatles performed live on their first “Ed Sullivan Show” appearance? No, it wasn’t “She Loves You” or “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (although they did those later in the show). Hint: while it was one of their most popular early songs, it was never officially released as a single. Okay, it was “All My Loving,” track #6 on side one of their iconic Meet the Beatles! album.

The ratings for the show were unprecedented. More than 73 million viewers – 39% of the country’s population – saw the performance. The broadcast drew a 60 share, which meant that 60% of American TV households were tuned in. Ed Sullivan always had pretty good ratings, but this was more than triple the size of his usual audience.

The Beatles were far from finishing their first American visit. Brian Epstein had managed to squeeze a couple of concert appearances into their tight schedule. One of those took place in Washington, DC two nights later, at the old Washington Coliseum. The old barn had seen some big events in its history, but nothing like this. The folks who owned and managed the building had barely heard of the group, but a concert promoter in the region convinced them to book a show. There was minimal promotion and advertising, but it wasn’t necessary. The tickets sold out in only a few hours.

It turned out to be one of the most intense and intimidating concert environments ever seen, and is still regarded as such. The Beatles performed one of their few (maybe their only?) concerts “in the round,” on a small stage at the center of the arena, placed where the boxing ring would normally be situated. The building was packed with 8,092 ticket holders, most of them (as usual) screaming teenagers, with the front rows only a few feet from the stage. Imagine the frenzy in Ed Sullivan’s studio theater, now multiplied by a factor of ten. Fortunately, nothing really serious occurred, and the band handled the situation flawlessly, even making adjustments on the fly to handle audio and microphone issues…although it’s hard to believe they could even hear themselves amidst the screaming. They returned to New York to perform at Carnegie Hall the following day, then flew to Florida to spend a few days before returning to England. They returned for a North American concert tour in late summer. That tour was much better organized and promoted, although Beatlemania had not subsided at all, and the receptions they received were just as frenzied as their earlier appearances.

Typically, in an article like this, you would see links to various sources on the web. It would be superfluous here. There are countless sources of audio, video, photographs, and text of all these events and many others relating to that weekend in 1964. They are easily accessed on YouTube and other online locations. You can use one of the popular search engines or simply type a few key words into the YouTube search bar. All sorts of material will pop up; you’ll never run out of stuff to enjoy. If you are looking for maximum available audio and video quality, there are many downloads and DVD’s available from Amazon and other merchants.

The Beatles’ first weekend in America – particularly that first appearance on the “Ed Sullivan Show” – is widely regarded as a sort of cultural watershed that ignited Beatlemania here and opened America to other performers of the “British Invasion” era… artists like the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, Dusty Springfield, and many others. Many sociologists and cultural historians have opined that the Beatles coming to the United States was (at least in a pop culture sense) the beginning of the era that we now commonly view as “The Sixties.” Indeed, a veteran television host and four young musicians from the UK changed everything that night.

EPILOGUE

If their first “Ed Sullivan Show” performance was the “penthouse suite” of their first visit to America, the foundations of that structure were the countless radio stations around the United States that highlighted the band and played their music incessantly. There are endless stories about the big AM Top-40 stations of that era, their star disc jockeys, and their various encounters with the Beatles, both on and off the air.

I was a youngster in Baltimore at that time, and I was already hooked on radio and everything about it. I was a big fan of AM Top-40 powerhouse WCAO. The “Big 60” was the radio station for young Baltimore in that era, and their on-air staff were all celebrities in the community. Noted radio entrepreneur Kerby Confer was a WCAO disc jockey then, using the name “Kerby Scott” on the air.

1964 WCAO Promotional Material: “Kerby Scott photo
(Photo courtesy Kerby Confer)

I recently spoke with Kerby Confer (almost two hours on the phone!) and reminisced about that era and WCAO’s role in it. When the Beatles took the train from New York to their gig in Washington, one of Kerby’s colleagues, veteran WCAO newsman Frank Luber, managed to board the train when it stopped at Pennsylvania Station in Baltimore and recorded an interview with the Beatles. The tape was brought back to the station and aired.

If WCAO was already immersed in Beatlemania, that episode had the station and its staff absolutely swimming in it. Kerby Confer told me that moment influenced his life and his career in ways he didn’t fully appreciate at the time. He said he was just another guy doing pretty well on the air in Baltimore, but that moment led to him becoming Baltimore’s “Fifth Beatle.” Wait, what? Baltimore’s “Fifth Beatle?”How did that come about?

September, 1964: The Beatles and Baltimore media. “Kerby Scott” Confer is at the far right, directly behind Ringo (Photo courtesy Kerby Confer)

As it turned out, Kerby Scott soon became the host of WCAO’s “Liverpool Hour,” an evening program in conjunction with his regular on-air work at the station. The program featured the music of the Beatles and the many other artists who came out of the UK at that time.

Kerby usually wore his hair short in a buzz cut, but Paul Rodgers – his lifelong friend, WCAO colleague, and business partner later – convinced him to grow his hair out enough to solidify the “Fifth Beatle” persona. Kerby eventually sported a very restrained Beatles-style haircut to complete the image (I don’t think he kept the haircut for very long). He was an obvious choice to emcee one of the Beatles’ shows when they performed at the Baltimore Civic Center in September of 1964, and he later hosted “The Kerby Scott Show” on WBAL-TV; it was a dance party program, Baltimore’s version of Dick Clark’s show “American Bandstand,” and I believe it was eventually syndicated elsewhere. Before long, Kerby Confer moved over to the business side of radio in management and ownership. He was very successful in that endeavor, and still owns and operates many radio stations today.

So, Kerby Scott Confer and Mark Wainwright were just two more young radio guys whose lives and careers were influenced by that first Beatles weekend in the United States. It bears repeating: a veteran television host and four young musicians from England changed everything on the night of February 9,1964.

Mark Wainwright is a long-time radio personality, talk show host, and voiceover performer who has worked on the air at numerous respected radio stations around the United States. He was most recentlythe morning host at WSYR in Syracuse, New York. A Baltimore native, Mark currently resides inSaratoga County, New York. He can be reached at: markwainwright@earthlink.net

Features

Remembering Charles Osgood

By TALKERS | January 24, 2024January 24, 2024 by TALKERS

By Mike Kinosian
TALKERS magazine
Managing Editor

Despite his seemingly nonchalant, bad boy on-air persona, David Letterman is exceptionally respectful of broadcasting and its history.

An easily discernable gleam could be seen in the late-night talk host’s eyes when – in 1993 – he formally announced he was jumping to CBS-TV.

One would be naïve not to think that the astonishingly lucrative payday played a significant part in his exhilaration, but Letterman was genuinely enthusiastic about joining the “Tiffany Network.” The entertainment division helped sculpt that vaulted reputation, but the Eye Network’s image was also greatly enhanced by its stellar news department.

Names of those who’ve graced CBS news broadcasts read like a veritable “Who’s Who” of the industry, with the incomparable Walter Cronkite at the very top.

Additionally, there’s Murrow. Sevareid. Collingwood. Rather. Reasoner. Wallace. Edwards. Kuralt. Safer. Mudd. Bradley. Schieffer. Stahl. Rooney. Burdett. Pauley. Hottelet. Chung. Threlkeld. O’Donnell. That just scratches the surface.

Perhaps no one on that – or any similar – list is more erudite, witty and thought provoking than Charles Osgood (Wood).

In a special April 18, 2005 NAB presentation in Las Vegas, the man who did as much for boosting bowtie sales (far pre-dating Tucker Carlson) received the Paul White Award from the RTNDA.

Established in 1956, the recognition carries on the name of CBS’ first news director.

Illustrious company

Past Paul White Award recipients have included Edward R. Murrow, Dan Rather, Bob Schieffer, Ed Bradley, Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel, Peter Jennings, and Jane Pauley, who succeeded Osgood on CBS-TV’s “Sunday Morning” in 2016. Osgood humbly noted, “I’ve known about the Paul White Award for a long time and have been there to see others get it. It’s obviously a very distinguished company I join. I was there when [former CBS News Division President] Richard Salant [received] it and certainly regard it with a lot of respect. If you hang around long enough, it finally gets to be your turn.”

There’s a parallel with this recognition and Osgood’s 1990 induction to the NAB Hall of Fame. “[Neither] one is the kind of thing you campaign for,” he remarked. “The first I heard about it is when they called and told me it happened. There’s no tension about it and no disappointment that you didn’t get it.”

Mistaken identity

Rich, God-given voice with which Osgood was blessed became evident at an early age. “My dad was a textile salesman and executive. His name was Charles Osgood Wood – I’m actually Charles Osgood Wood, the third. I’d answer the phone and the person on the other end would [automatically assume they were talking to my father]. He and I talked almost exactly alike.”

Somewhat of a built-in schizophrenia existed in the famed broadcaster. A friend with whom he’d frequently play tennis noticed that when the multiple Peabody and Emmy Award winner screwed up he’d say, “Come on Osgood.” As a result, “I’d be harder on ‘Osgood’ than I would be on ‘Wood.’ You don’t talk to yourself when you do something right – you just sort of smile.”

Distinctive difference

Understandably, the natural tendency was to automatically link the instantly likable Osgood to CBS for his impeccable long-running role as voice/writer of CBS Radio’s “The Osgood File” and for hosting duties of CBS-TV’s “Sunday Morning.” In addition, he spent six years (1981-1987) as anchor of “The CBS Sunday Night News.”

Many, however, forget that predating those résumé credits, he toiled for ABC.

When he began there, ABC – as luck would have it – already had an announcer named Charles Woods. “In those days, some staff announcers did newscasts,” Osgood explained. “They hired me, but said they didn’t want to have a Charles Woods and a Charles Wood. When they told me to pick a name, I used my middle name as my last name. It’s worked out well and is a little more distinctive and professional.”

Safe haven

Selection of another type made a great impact on his life, as the broadcaster with the industry’s most stylish writing style was an Economics major at New York’s Fordham University. “I never really had an idea that this is what I was cut out to do,” Osgood candidly stated. “As a result, I never took any writing or editing courses. When I started [in broadcasting], I really hung on by my fingernails and just did it the best way I could think of. It took more than a couple of years to get a sense of what I could do. If I’d started the kinds of things in journalism school that I do now, they would have said, ‘No – that’s not how you do it.’ I would have had it drummed out of me early on.”

Thankfully though, someone realized a broadcaster existed within Osgood and the New York native became actively involved at Fordham’s campus radio station. “That was my locker – the place I’d go between classes,” he pointed out. “At least in those days, regardless of your [declared major], you really majored in Philosophy. You learned things like ethics, logic and cosmology. That really turned out to be pretty useful for what I’m doing.”

Never was there a moment’s regret for the father of five that he didn’t pursue a career in economics. “I’m not even sure I understood what economics was when I decided to make it my major,” Osgood sheepishly admitted. “I knew it had something to do with money and I thought it would be good to know something about that.”

Sailing with Uncle Walter

As things eventuated, it was immaterial that Osgood never took any college journalism courses. “I went to the best school of broadcast journalism that you could go to, [because] I got to work with Walter Cronkite and a pretty potent lineup of [other] people,” Osgood asserted. “I was often in the same room and could see how Walter’s mind worked and his idea of telling a story. He’s the most centered guy you’re ever going to meet and is very tough.”

Fabled anchorman Cronkite was also managing editor of “The CBS Evening News,” a responsibility he took very seriously. “He was a newsman and kept asking questions of everybody; I have all the respect in the world for him,” Osgood reverently recalled of Cronkite, who was 92 when he died in 2009. “Within a year after I went to work in the CBS newsroom, I found myself sailing in a boat with Walter Cronkite. I felt like I died and went to heaven.”

Mid-1950s on-air job at Washington, DC classical outlet WGMS enabled Osgood to display his familiarity with – and dexterity to handle – names like Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakoff. “I really did like that kind of music,” the long time ASCAP member emphasized. “They [eventually] gave me a job that was like the assistant to the GM. It paid all of about $25 a week, but I learned a little bit about station management. WGMS was sold to RKO General and I ended up being program director and, for a time, co-manager.”

Ahead of its time

Also dotting Osgood’s notable vitae is a 1963 stint as general manager of Hartford’s WHCT, the country’s first pay television station. “It was an over-the-air station that CBS owned at one time. It had a mechanism that would encode both picture and sound.”

Subscribers paid $125 for a decoder that needed to be attached to their television set; however, Osgood readily conceded it wasn’t exactly the ideal system. “Color was starting to come on strong, but this only worked in black and white, [so] we had a few strikes against us going in. We were, however, able to play ‘subsequent first-run’ movies – [films] that hadn’t yet been seen in local theaters.”

A tape inside the decoder recorded what a subscriber watched and customers were sent a bill once a month. “The system as an experiment failed, but it was not a bad idea,” Osgood maintained. “Now, of course, we have pay-per-view television, which is essentially the same thing.”

Shared versus singular responsibilities

Each Osgood-fronted “Sunday Morning” broadcast concluded with the affable host reminding viewers that he would, “See you on the radio,” which was his way of reinforcing that radio is a visual medium. “You create pictures in your own mind and those are much richer than the ones that can be shown on television,” Osgood contended. “On television, what you see is what you get and [that medium] is very pre-occupied with the picture. There’s often wonderful writing there, but television people don’t tend to think about that or the sound at all.”

Images are their main focus and having had vast experience in each medium, Osgood opined that radio is a much more individual effort. “You decide what you’re going to do; you write it; and you do it. You can take all the credit or blame for whatever you do on radio. Television is a collaborative process. There are producers, writers and photographers. One person really can’t take any bows.”

Demanding schedule

One hour separated each of his four daily “Osgood File” features. The general rule was that Osgood didn’t start writing the next one until he finished delivering the last. “If it takes more than an hour, I’m in a lot of trouble,” he deadpanned. “I have to write it in somewhat less than an hour.”

Preparation for that Monday through Friday workday ritual began at the petrifying time of 2:30 am. “It somehow always feels like a horrible mistake when the alarm goes off then,” Osgood declared in his perfectly inflected trademark delivery. “I’m usually in the office at 4:30 am. I have to get my ducks in a row before [doing the first piece] so I know what I’m going to do the rest of the morning. You spend part of that time reading to see what’s there in the way of tape and to see what news stories are of interest that morning.”

Newspapers, wire sources and the internet provided plenty of possibilities, so Osgood didn’t start worrying about what he was going to put on paper until he arrived at the office. “The news is a constantly refreshing source of material,” he commented. “If you’re doing something that has to last for a long time, you have a different problem. It’s just a question of what you can get your teeth into.”

Road to Sunday Morning

Four-year tour of duty (1967 – 1971) as morning anchor/reporter at New York City’s all-news WCBS-AM got Osgood accustomed to getting up early; he had the luxury of sleeping in until 4:30 am each Sunday. “You have no idea how much later 4:30 am is than 2:30 am,” he convincingly put forth. “I don’t have to get up early on Saturdays. There are [‘Osgood File’] shows, but they’re repeats of things that were done during the week. It’s a great delight to wake up on a Saturday and then realize I can go back to sleep, but it’s still never that late. I get up by 7:00 am.”

Energetic Osgood actually preferred a slow news day when it came to doing his 90-minute Sunday television broadcast. “I’m certain I’m the only network TV anchor who hopes there’s no news. We’ve worked on the show all week and want to do the broadcast that was planned. Some of our shows have themes or, at least, have connections between the pieces. If there’s a big story, you might have to throw something out and that may – or may not – hold up the following week.”

Succeeding Charles Kuralt as host of “Sunday Morning” nearly 30 years ago (4/10/1994) was a tough act for Osgood to follow, especially since he viewed “On The Road” legend Kuralt as a great personal hero. “He was one of the best who ever came along,” Osgood succinctly stressed. “Charles was a country boy with that wonderful North Carolina accent and had a way of using the language. I thought he was simply terrific. He taught me a lot, [including] not to imitate or copy what you hear. He was in control of every sentence he put down and had an idea of how he wanted to come across to the audience; he was really brilliant.”

Admiration for his predecessor

No advance notice was given to Osgood that his colleague – who would die of complications from lupus in 1997 at just 62 – was planning to leave the Sunday morning show. “I remember getting up one day at the usual hour and putting on my socks in a dark room,” Osgood recollected. “I had the radio on and heard Charlie had announced his retirement. That was terrible news and it never even occurred to me that CBS might ask me to replace him. For one thing, I was older than Charles [by approximately 20 months]. You don’t replace a person who retires with someone older, but that’s what happened. The real reason I got the job was they needed someone whose first name is Charles.”

Sunday’s audience was conditioned to expect a high-level broadcast, and Osgood acknowledged that made the transition much easier. “As long as I didn’t try to be Charles and try to do an imitation of him, I thought I’d be okay [provided] the audience would put up with me long enough to get used to me.”

Certain things about the CBS-TV show were the same every week. “When we change something, the audience usually doesn’t like it at first,” Osgood contended. “It was especially daunting for me at the beginning because [Kuralt] was so terrific.”

All tied up

Play a visual word association game about Osgood and “bowtie” will invariably be the first response, but he viewed that fashion statement as a relatively new choice. “I’ve only been doing it for 20 years,” he quipped tongue-in-cheek.

It all began when he wore a clip-on bowtie to work one day. CBS-TV “Evening News” writer John Mosedale admonished Osgood to never wear a clip-on. “He actually walked me into the men’s room and taught me how to tie a bowtie. When you teach an old dog a new trick, he wants to keep doing it. I wear a bowtie when I do speaking dates or television. The excuse I use for my attire is that I get dressed in the dark.”

Write stuff

This author of six books (the last one, 2004’s “Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack”) also formerly wrote a “USA Weekend” column and a King Features’ syndicated column. Moreover, he had a full plate with four daily CBS Radio shows (via Westwood One) and a weekly morning television show. “I always have a book that I’m either thinking about or actually in the process of writing,” CBS’ “Poet In Residence’ disclosed. “I’ve been talking with publishers about several book ideas, but they’re not far enough along to really [discuss] at this point. The [leisure time] thing I do more than anything else is fooling around at the piano; I like doing that.”

Unexpected situations like receiving the Paul White Award; being inducted into the NAB Hall Of Fame; and replacing Charles Kuralt as host of CBS Sunday Morning seemed to be the norm for the 1999 International Radio & Television Society Foundation award winner for Significant Achievement.

Long-range plans

With that as a backdrop, it was noteworthy that Osgood never considered himself to be a permanent replacement for Dan Rather on the “CBS Evening News” – a job that would eventually go to Katie Couric in 2006. “I’m not a candidate for anything,” Osgood vehemently insisted to me in our conversation, “[although] I do think it’s important that the ‘CBS Evening News’ be our flagship show. When they asked Bob Schieffer what he thought about doing ‘The Evening News,’ he said it was something to keep him busy until he was old enough to be on ‘60 Minutes.’”

More than satisfied to have carried on with his radio and television assignments, Osgood – who had a summer residence in France – didn’t look forward to retirement. “I like vacations, but I like them because they are vacations. It’s nice to get away from work, but that’s only if you’re working. I hope they realize I intend to continue to do this for a long time. If it stops being fun, that’s when it’s time to hang it up.”

Mike Kinosian can be emailed at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com

Features

“The Greatest Game Ever Played”

By TALKERS | January 5, 2024 by TALKERS

Baltimore’s Alan Ameche plunges over the goal line for the winning touchdown!(courtesy YouTube/NFL Films)

On the field? Maybe. In its impact on pro football and sports broadcasting? Absolutely!

By Mark Wainwright

It was one of those indelible moments in sports history: The 1958 NFL Championship, played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 23-17 in sudden death overtime. 65 years later, the events of that Sunday afternoon still resonate throughout pro sports and sports media.

In 1958, the National Football League was far from the huge phenomenon we see today. Americans generally had much more interest in baseball, and during the Fall, college football captured the attention of sports fans on Saturday afternoons. The annual Army/Navy and Harvard/Yale clashes were national news stories, and fans followed the exploits of powerhouses like Notre Dame and Michigan. For most fans, pro football was an afterthought. Even in cities with pro franchises, the NFL clubs often played runner-up to the local baseball teams.

Baltimore and New York were two exceptions. The Colts were upstarts — Baltimore didn’t get an NFL team until 1953 — and the city quickly fell in love with the Colts; on game days, Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium was described as “the world’s largest outdoor insane asylum.” Meanwhile, the Giants had been part of the NFL since 1925, and they were considered the league’s most glamorous team, located in the world’s media capital. Two very different teams, both with passionate fan bases, playing a nationally-televised title game in New York City… indeed, America was destined to notice pro football that day.

Seventeen Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees were in the stadium that afternoon, along with a Heisman Trophy winner (Baltimore running back Alan Ameche). The Colts were led by quarterback Johnny Unitas and defensive end Gino Marchetti. The New York offense revolved around halfback Frank Gifford, while linebacker Sam Huff anchored the defense.

There were all-stars in the broadcast booths, as well. NBC’s national telecast was assigned to Chris Schenkel and Chuck Thompson; both of these gentlemen are now legends of their industry. Joe Bolan and Bill McColgan called the game for NBC’s national radio feed, while Les Keiter did the play-by-play for WCBS Radio in New York. And Bob Wolff did the radio call for Baltimore’s WBAL. Wolff was assisted by an eager teenager who worked as his spotter… a young man named Maury Povich (yes, that guy).

The first half, frankly, wasn’t anywhere near “greatest game” territory. While both defenses played fairly well, the offenses looked sloppy and disorganized, and the two teams combined for six turnovers in the first thirty minutes. The Giants managed only a Pat Summerall field goal, while the Colts — almost in spite of themselves — took a 14-3 lead into halftime. It could have easily been 17-3, but Sam Huff blocked a Baltimore field goal attempt.

So, what was the halftime entertainment? Over the years, Super Bowl halftimes have featured performers like Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. What 1950’s superstars would perform in the “super bowl” of 1958? Elvis Presley? Brenda Lee, maybe? Nope. It was the Baltimore Colts Marching Band, with their prancing majorettes looking quite fetching in their red leotards and reindeer antlers…

The Baltimore Colts Marching Band majorettes, in “reindeer” mode! (courtesy YouTube/NFL Films)

Baltimore’s offensive woes continued into the second half. Early on, the Colts drove the ball to New York’s 1-yard line, but Alan Ameche was stopped for no gain on third down, then Ameche was tackled for a loss when he attempted to run wide on fourth down. In an interview decades later, Baltimore’s Lenny Moore revealed that Ameche botched the play; it was supposed to be an option pass, but Ameche didn’t hear Johnny Unitas’ signals correctly, and he ran instead of throwing a short pass to a wide open Colts receiver.

That goal-line stand awakened New York’s offense, and they needed only four plays to score their first touchdown to make it 14-10. The Giants then took a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter on a Frank Gifford touchdown reception, and while the Colts responded with two effective drives, they came up empty on both possessions; one ended with a missed field goal, the other ended when Unitas was sacked twice, taking the Colts out of scoring range. The Giants’ offense only needed a first down or two to ice the game, but Frank Gifford was stopped on a critical third down run. For decades, Gifford insisted he made the first down; Baltimore’s Gino Marchetti suffered a badly broken ankle in the pileup, and Gifford often said that amidst the chaos and confusion of tending to Marchetti’s injury, the officials did not spot the ball properly. However, when ESPN restored the footage for a 50th anniversary broadcast in 2008, an accident reconstruction expert analyzed the images and determined that Gifford was, indeed, just short of the first down (more about that ESPN program in our Epilogue). The Giants chose to punt the ball, and the Colts took over on their own 14-yard line.

This was the moment when Johnny Unitas began his ascent to legendary status. With just two minutes left, he moved the Colts downfield quickly. While there were several misfires, he made four critical completions, including three straight passes to his star receiver Raymond Berry. Those last three plays moved the ball 62 yards to the Giants’ 13-yard line, and with just seconds remaining, the Colts rushed Steve Myhra out to attempt a tying field goal. Myhra had struggled with field goal attempts all season, and Baltimore fans held their collective breath until the ball went through the uprights. The fourth quarter ended tied 17-17.

So… what happens next? Many of the players and coaches weren’t sure. It was not unusual for football games to end in a tie, but this game was for the NFL title. Would the teams be declared co-champions? Fortunately, the NFL had recently instituted an overtime rule for championships, and it would be decided on the field. The teams would play pure “sudden death.” The first team to score in any manner would win, and they would play for as long as it took.

The Giants won the toss and chose to receive, but they were not able to mount any kind of drive, and they punted the ball back to the Colts. Unitas now had all the time in the world, and Johnny U methodically moved the Baltimore offense to the New York 8-yard line. It was first-and-goal, and then, suddenly… the NBC Television feed disappeared! Nothing but snow on the screen!

This caused immediate panic in NBC’s control room, not to mention in homes across the nation, as viewers — particularly in Baltimore — bolted from their living rooms and scrambled to find the nearest radio. It was one of the worst possible moments to lose the live feed of a TV broadcast. And then…

A fan ran onto the field! Play was halted for nearly a full minute before New York’s Finest chased him down and escorted him to the sideline. Over the years, there has been endless rumor and speculation about this incident. Photographs show the fan was well-dressed and appeared very cooperative when the cops took him away; he certainly didn’t look like a drunken lout. Who was this guy?

Whoever he was, he is now the stuff of sports broadcasting legend. More than six decades later, it is widely believed that he was an NBC employee who realized the broadcast was interrupted and ran onto the field — or perhaps was told to run onto the field — to delay the game long enough to give the TV crew enough time to find a loose cable and fix the connection. As far as I know, he was never identified and the story has never been confirmed. One hopes the fellow received a bonus and a promotion for his quick thinking!

When the game resumed, the Colts ran two plays to reach third-and-goal from just over a yard away. A field goal attempt might have been the obvious choice, but Baltimore coach Weeb Ewbank was leery of sending a struggling Steve Myhra in to kick. Meanwhile, the coach trusted Unitas completely, and he left Johnny U and the offense on the field. A routine handoff to Alan Ameche secured a 23-17 Baltimore victory.

The game was breaking news nationwide. It was a big topic of Sunday afternoon dinner conversations, and it was headline news on front pages and in sports sections the following day. NFL and television executives soon realized that professional football could become a very valuable property, and they started making plans for increasing television coverage and boosting marketing exposure for the teams, the star players, and the sport overall. And down in Dallas, Lamar Hunt — a son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt — started thinking about owning his own football team. Those dreams eventually led to his role in establishing the rival American Football League, which merged with the NFL just over a decade later. Historians and sportswriters have studied the 1958 title game, and they generally agree that event was the start of professional football growing into the colossus it has since become. It was the aftermath and the impact — as much as the drama of the game itself — that led them to calling it “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

*************************************************************************************************************

EPILOGUE

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, television did not put a high priority on archiving sports events back then. There is no known videotape of the game; videotape was in its infancy, and while NBC presumably had one or two of the early machines available, it seems nobody bothered racking them up. There is no known kinescope film recording of the television broadcast, either. Fortunately, there was plenty of film footage of the game, both from overhead and from sideline views. This footage was shot by NFL Films, as well as various newsreel cameramen working for different organizations.

On the 50th anniversary of the game in 2008, ESPN produced a special documentary that used the old footage to re-create much of the action. The historic clips were colorized for broadcast, and the action was interspersed with comments and memories from players, fans, and broadcasters who were there. (Sadly, many of these gentlemen have passed away in the fifteen years since.) Most of Bob Wolff’s Baltimore radio broadcast was saved, and the NBC national radio call was saved almost in entirety. This historic audio was used in conjunction with the preserved video. Several versions of the ESPN special can be found on YouTube; here is a link to one of those.

Others have collaborated on an almost-complete reconstruction of the game, using the original newsreel and NFL footage, some of the colorized ESPN content, stock footage, and still photos. The audio portion uses the NBC national radio call by Joe Bolan and Bill McColgan (complete with vintage commercials!). There are several uploads of this project on YouTube, and there is also a version on the Internet Archive, available here. If you’ve never seen any of “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” punch it up on your laptop and enjoy!

Mark Wainwright is a long-time radio personality and voiceover performer. He was most recently the morning host at WSYR in Syracuse; he is also a Baltimore native and life-long Baltimore Colts fan (and he still hasn’t gotten over the Colts leaving town and moving to Indianapolis decades ago!). He can be reached at: markwainwright@earthlink.net

Features

Ladd Have Mercy

By TALKERS | December 20, 2023 by TALKERS

LOS ANGELES – As students, enthusiasts and caretakers of this wonderful medium, we’re keenly aware that radio’s “Golden Age” boasted an incredible array of entertainers and broadcasters.

With lifestyles, technology and society being what they are today, it’s almost inconceivable to imagine that families would actually gather around the radio and attentively listen – and indeed hang onto – each and every word that emanated from that mysterious entertainment-laden box sitting in the living room.

Fundamentally important back then, of course, was a concept known as “Theater Of The Mind.”

No one embodied and personified it better than one of the bigger-than-life talents of that era: Orson Welles.

Most are familiar with his epic “War Of The Worlds.”

Pictures Set In Songs

The list of other outstanding “Mercury Theater” presentations Welles was responsible for is much too lengthy to cite here, but his legendary “Theater Of The Mind” mystique lived on nightly in Los Angeles, where Jim Ladd was a welcome guest for Southern California listeners dating back to 1969 and hosted a regular show on SiriusXM’s Deep Tracks channel the past 11 years.

Theater Of The Mind so perfectly describes what Ladd tried to do, although it’s not radio drama in the pure sense. “What I [attempt] at night is to show you pictures and do that by playing sets of songs,” the (then) highly popular KLOS-FM, Los Angeles 10:00 pm – 2:00 am personality remarked to me. “If you follow the lyric content of each song, as well as the song’s emotional feel, it should tell you a story with a beginning, middle and end. Thus, it’s theater.”

Throwback To Creativity

In addition to providing his special spin to Theater Of The Mind, Ladd was also responsible for keeping another bit of radio history on life-support.

Most air personalities are required to adhere to strictly enforced music lists, but Ladd’s nightly, four-hour, Los Angeles air-shift was a throwback to the days of “free-form” radio.

The result was similar to what existed in April 1967, when a new phenomenon started taking shape. “That was the beginning of FM and this multi-billion dollar industry,” Ladd recalled. “[Free-form] started on a station [KMPX, San Francisco] where the phone was literally disconnected, because they couldn’t pay the bill. [Tom Donahue] had an idea; he went there and it took off. For a while before deregulation, that’s what all FM radio did in any market. Free-form worked great, until they killed the golden goose.”

Right Place, Right Time

Southern California native Ladd was extremely fortunate to have been able to launch his radio career in the country’s second-largest market. “Part of it was timing,” he admitted. “I was at a little station in Long Beach [KNAC-FM] that decided it was going to try this new, hippie, underground thing. They didn’t know what it was, but [the feeling was to] hire some hippies and see if they could make some money with it. I happened to be right there at that time.”

A frustrated musician, who wanted to be a songwriter, Ladd recounted a life-altering conversation he and a buddy had in a car. “My friend said that I should be in radio. I was 19 or 20 at the time and your friends at that age seldom notice anything but themselves. For some reason, that stuck with me. Thank God, FM was in its infancy and they’d take complete novices like me off the street and give us shows. Owners didn’t know anything about the Grateful Dead or The Who, but we did.”

Check Mate

Instead of walking into a studio and following a computer-generated music log, Ladd was given freedom to use his imagination. His only preparation was what was happening in life.

Resulting sharp, clever music sets he composed weren’t written out in advance. “The way I work is to turn the music up loud and get the song working on me,” he commented. “Once [that happens], it keys in my mind what will fit next.”

Such an intricate process included a mental checklist. “I’ve figured out the lyrics will work, but I need to know how the song I’m playing ends and how the next song begins,” he explained. “If I’m playing a balls-out rocker, I can’t go into some acoustic piece. In that way, it’s really like a chess game. I have to plan these things to start every single segue as I’m doing it. That’s the way that works best for me.”

There were nights, however, that Ladd knew that he “[didn’t] have it,” but as he maintained, “I’ve been doing it long enough to put on a good professional show. Sometimes, I don’t have what I’m striving for, which is to make a connection with the audience. Without having to prompt them or explain anything, my audience lights up the phones. They call because they get what I’m doing. Once that connection is made, then look out, because the rocket is taking off.”

Gracefully Handling The Tragedy

Recalling the horrific September 11, 2001 “Attack On America,” Ladd noted that although it was one of the country’s greatest tragedies, “It was easy to immerse myself into something like that. It so moved me that I had no problem thinking of songs to play or what I wanted to say.”

Judy Collins’ version of “Amazing Grace” was the first song he played when he went on the air that night. “Believe it or not, it set the tone for what I did for … the next two weeks.”

As it usually did, the audience – even or perhaps especially in this painful period – stepped up to the plate. “This is the thing about free-form radio that’s so precious to me,” Ladd emphasized. “Nobody called me on 9/11 with an idiot request. When I played sets of 9/11 songs, everybody was calling in with [appropriate] suggestions. Second only to dealing with the tragedy, the hardest part was to know when I could play groups like AC/DC again. I found that very difficult; you can only feel your way through it.”

Loyal Listeners

In his third tour of duty at (then ABC-owned) classic rocker KLOS, Ladd was a legitimate cult figure in the Southland for his work at legendary cross-town rocker KMET.

Southern California listeners were stunned on Valentine’s Day 1987 when the “The Mighty Met” (now Audacy smooth AC KTWV) – became smooth jazz “The Wave.”

Also on Ladd’s impressive resume were stints at Los Angeles outlets KLSX and KEDG.

The notion of an air personality “connecting” with the audience is both elementary and elusive. Ladd was a rare case of a non-drive time music personality who amassed a loyal, vocal following.

Grateful for such audience allegiance, Ladd didn’t take it for granted. “My audience has been that loyal from KMET to KLOS and all the [other] stations in between. My part of the bargain is that I won’t lie to them or let them down by doing a format. I was off the air twice in my career for two years each. That was very difficult, but because I did that, I’ve earned the right to do this and I think the audience responds to that.”

Offered jobs by stations that wanted the “Jim Ladd” name, he opined, “They didn’t understand what that meant. They thought they could just plug in my name, not let me do what I did and it would be the same thing.”

Your Attention Please

Evenings and nights were Ladd’s domain throughout his career. “I wouldn’t want to do middays or afternoon drive,” pointed out the personality known for his “Lord have mercy” exclamations. “Listening habits are such that you can’t sit and listen like you can at night. People are working, picking up the kids and doing life.”

Much like Welles’ Mercury Theater, Ladd’s show required attention. Otherwise, it was just like playing one song after another, without making that all-important connection. “The audience’s side of the bargain is that they have to bring their attention to the show,” he insisted. “I’ve done [6:00 pm – 10:00 pm] in my career and that worked out very well. The show is a bit different, in that, it’s not quite as eclectic. I don’t know if I’d be playing Judy Collins and Johnny Cash in [that time]; maybe – but maybe not.”

Convinced his free-form style could be utilized elsewhere, Ladd, nevertheless, pondered that to his knowledge, “I’m the Alamo – the last guy standing. That’s certainly the case in a major market. The big tragedy is that there are so many talented [personalities] who, although they wouldn’t do the same show that I do, could do free-form radio. We’re losing all that talent. I’m not the only guy in the world who can do it. I’m the one who was stubborn enough to say that I won’t follow a list – I just won’t do it.”

Powerful Trinity

Among those who influenced Ladd’s on-air style were former MTV personality and ex-KEDG program director J.J. Jackson; veteran Los Angeles air talent Raechel Donahue, who went on to do 7:00 pm -12:00 midnight in Denver at KQMT “The Mountain”; longtime KMET personality the late B. Mitchel Reed; KMET’s Pat Kelley; Cynthia Fox; Jack Snyder; and the late, underrated Mary Turner. “The wonderful, beautiful part of free-form radio – and most importantly – at KMET was that it wasn’t about being a star,” Ladd asserted. “What we were doing was our part of the ‘social revolution’ at the time. It was like a triad: The people on the street, the music, and us. We took the message of Dr. [Martin Luther] King and combined it with the music of Bob Dylan.”

One highly significant aspect in noting those former KMET staffers was that they’d each listen to everyone else’s show and it elevated their own game. “I’d hear Cynthia do a great segue, or Mary would do a great segment and that would inspire me,” Ladd enthused. “What I miss most is that kind of camaraderie – it’s just me now. I can’t tune in to hear someone else’s great segue. When I heard one of my colleagues do something that touched me, the first thing I wanted to do was to call them and tell them it was great. The second thing was that – from their subject matter – I got 15 different ideas to use when I got to work that night. That was the beauty of it.”

Role Model

National audiences became aware of the iconic Los Angeles talent through shows such as “Innerview,” “Headsets,” and “Jim Ladd’s Living Room.”

Considerably more than someone who voiced a script for a syndicated show, Ladd spent a great deal of time scrutinizing the fine art of interviewing. “I ripped off just about everything I know about interviewing people from Elliot Mintz,” he confided to me. “Elliott was my role model. He’d interview the Shah of Iran one week and John Lennon & Yoko Ono the following week. He’d talk with everyone in a warm, low-key and intelligent manner. It was completely unlike anything [else] I’d heard at the time and that really impressed me.”

The “Innerview” show had an 11-year run and was carried by 160 stations. “It was the first of its kind,” boasted Ladd, whose other syndication work involved voiceovers for an overseas television show. “I’m very proud of the work we did [on ‘Innerview’]. I did 99% of the interviews in the front room of my house in an artistic community in Laurel Canyon. People would immediately be put in a very comfortable place. It’s not a studio – it’s my home.”

The Work Is The Key

Another reason why people felt at ease was that, instead of focusing on a person’s life, Ladd addressed their work. “They loved that. Rather than talking about how many girls they had, what kind of drugs they did and life backstage, I studied every word of every lyric of the new album they wanted to talk about and grilled them about their songs on the environment. It would require six to eight hours of preparation. Then there was another 20 – 25 hours to write the one-hour show; it was a lot of work.”

Writing became such a worthwhile experience that, in 1991, he penned “Radio Waves: Life And Revolution On The FM Dial.”

As a result of these syndicated projects, this immensely respected rock personality diversified himself; the book became a big hit. “I guess I’m a radio guy who learned how to become a writer,” Ladd mused. “In order to get up enough courage to write my book, I read authors I like. I was required to do a great deal of writing for ‘Innerview’ and would write out what I’d say – which is something I never do [on my live show]. You’d also end up with two hours of tape and pick out what the person was going to say, how I was going to introduce it and what song would follow it.”

A Distant Second

Whenever anyone asked Ladd to name his favorite band, he qualified his answer by separating the Beatles.

The quartet, he stressed, had to be placed in a completely different category.

After that’s been done, he named the Doors as his favorite.

The same applied to his most memorable radio experiences, with KMET being the Beatles’ equivalent. “We were at the right place at the right time with the right people. We loved each other and there’s never been anything else like it.”

Nonetheless, he quickly stated that his favorite time is the next time he was able to sit behind a microphone. “The reason for that is [KLOS’-then program director] Rita Wilde,” he proclaimed. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to have a boss who was [such a great on-air personality] and so supportive. If it weren’t for Rita Wilde, I wouldn’t be on the air – that’s just a fact. I want to keep free-form radio alive for the audience, but I also owe her to make this happen. She’s under a lot of pressure [when it comes to my show]. When I go in at 10:00 pm, the format literally stops. I can’t think of another boss in the world who would understand that.”

Numbers Game

His multi-decade Los Angeles track record and loyal following notwithstanding, Ladd still realized that ratings played a role in dictating his employment; however, as he declared, “Rita is one of the first people I’ve ever worked for in this business I trust when she says the numbers are up or down. Sometimes in my career I’ve found out from people who didn’t work at the station that my show was doing great. When there’s a down book, [management is usually] right there.”

Ultimate People Skills

Certain managers and programmers, he claimed, kept good books a secret from him; however, “Rita calls immediately when I have an up book. If I have a down book, I don’t hear from her; I have to call her. That says volumes to me. We’ll deal with a problem, but she doesn’t want to get me upset. She might tell me that I’m playing too much of this or not enough of that, but she never says anything [threatening]. It’s always from a helpful and suggestive [stance]. When the numbers are good, she leaves me totally alone. From my perspective, you can’t ask for more than that. Her people skills are unbelievable.”

In addition to have wanted to keep free-form radio alive as long as possible, Ladd disclosed that he wanted “to walk away before I can no longer do my job. I don’t know when it will happen, but the next stage in my life will probably be to write fulltime – I’m working on it.”

Contact TALKERS Managing Editor Mike Kinosian at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com

Features

Merchandize Your Content!

By TALKERS | November 10, 2023November 10, 2023 by TALKERS

By Mark Kaye
Talk Show Host
Cox Media Group

We have a saying around “The Mark Kaye Show” studio:

“If the audience likes it on the air, they’re gonna LOVE it on a t-shirt!”

Just last month, after moving to vacate Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Representative Matt Gaetz turned around to a House Chamber full of angry, howling Congresspeople and bellowed back…

“Oh BOOOO all you want!”

As we played that clip over and over on my show, all I could think was, “This would make a fantastic Halloween t-shirt!”

Within 24 hours our online store was printing and shipping shirts and hoodies with an AI-generated Matt Gaetz cartoon character standing before a chorus of screaming ghosts with his newly coined catchphrase lingering above: “Oh Boo All You Want!”

It was the hottest-selling item so far this year.

When the feds raided Donald Trump’s mansion in South Florida, I had a friend create an “Remember the Alamo” themed logo that prompted listeners to “Remember Mar-A-Lago.”

We still get orders for those weekly.

And it isn’t just clothing…

My current book The Untold Story of Christmas was born of an annual holiday tradition that began on my show. Many of my listeners pleaded for a copy they could share with their families and loved ones. Not wanting to disappoint them, I published a beautifully illustrated book this year and offered it to my fans. It’s already in its second printing and is quickly climbing up the Amazon charts! (I expect it to be #1 by Black Friday!) And the best part is, they are thanking me for making it available to them.

People want to show their support for you in any way they can and they will give you money if you let them.

The richest guys at the Trump rally are Donald Trump and whoever is selling MAGA hats outside.

The merch line at the Taylor Swift concert is longer than the Great Wall of China.

And if you attend a major sporting event without your team’s logo emblazoned on some article of clothing, well, you just look weird.

But merchandise isn’t just an additional stream of revenue, it’s a bond that can connect you and your audience eternally. They love you. They love your show. They love it for the three hours a day you offer it to them. Unless you offer them something tangible that doesn’t drift off into the ether after you turn off the microphone, they can’t show their fandom the other 21 hours of the day.

Your listeners want to wear your merch and read your books while sipping your signature energy drink and watching your bobblehead nodding along with them as they listen to your show.

If you love and value your audience, and want to keep them listening as long as possible, then simply give them what they want. Create tangible representations of your content. Let them be fanatical about your show even when you’re off the air.

Mark Kaye is the morning drive host at Cox Media Group’s WOKV-FM, Jacksonville. His program is syndicated to other CMG news/talk stations in markets around the country. He can be emailed at: markkayeshow@gmail.com.

Features

How News/Talk Radio Should Adapt to Attract and Retain a Younger Audience

By TALKERS | November 8, 2023 by TALKERS

By Bill Bartholomew
Talk Host/Podcaster/Journalist/Musician

Folks in the Gen Z and millennial demographics are heavily engaged in political issues, care about news in their communities and the world, and are constantly bombarded with content. So why are they less likely to tune into and interact with news/talk radio than older demographics?

Talk radio has historically skewed older, and from an ad portfolio standpoint, is often targeted at the coveted 35-54 and 55+ demographics. However, in a world where social media influencers and podcasters supply information to millions of young consumers, news/talk radio should be able to effectively compete for the ears of younger generations in a comparable, if not expanded way.

For all of the anecdotal and hard evidence that terrestrial radio may be trending in a downward direction, the format continues to have a vast reach. It is convenient to engage with it in automobiles, and occasionally in home or office settings. Yet, while younger generations listen to radio, news/talk is not the format that they turn to by and large.

Unlike many digital-first content producers, radio retains a unique quality: authority. By virtue of editorial standards, FCC regulation and brand – things that social media and podcasts often lack – radio has the unique ability to deliver credible, vetted, nuanced and universally trustworthy content that can instantaneously adapt to meet the needs of the moment. This is true in everything from natural disasters to rapidly evolving breaking news stories, providing a channel for immediate, reactionary insight and analysis.

There are several steps that news/talk radio should pursue in earnest to adapt to the current climate of content consumption, particularly by younger listeners, that can reach, and most importantly, retain broader, younger, more diverse and more engaged audiences.

Introduce younger people into the conversation.

Too often, Gen Z and millennials are skewered by older hosts, mocked for their perceived naivety, unchecked optimism and me-first approach. While some of these qualities can be accurate, that approach reflects a disconnect between older generations and the experience of younger ones. Millennials and Gen Z have grown up in a post-9/11 world replete with “endless wars”, the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis, runaway student debt, a massive housing crisis, the mental health stressors of social media, Covid19’s impact on traditional youth experiences, climate change, a deeply bifurcated political environment and a constantly evolving quest for social justice. Through these experiences, younger generations offer an important perspective that should be assigned the same news value as experts from older generations.

Are you discussing shifts towards electric vehicles? Bring on someone from Gen Z to share their perspective on why steps towards carbon neutrality are important to them. Engaging a conversation on the president’s approval rating? Perhaps younger conservative and leftist voices should be included in the conversation. Discussing immigration? How about the perspective of a younger member of a Latino organization?

By giving younger generations and more diverse guests a platform, stations can simultaneously expand their content and reach. With consistency, the station’s brand will become more familiar to younger potential listeners who may be inclined to tune in to hear someone who shares their identity and perspective on – here’s that word again – a platform of authority. Let the guest do the work of establishing the credibility and importance of your station or talk show to younger audiences by posting about their appearance on social media, sharing audio clips and mentioning to their peers. It will build familiarity and trust among those generations, who in turn, will begin to tune in on a more regular basis.

Stations should also consider bringing more younger, competent voices into on-air roles, whether that be through reporting, segments, fill-in hosts, weekend shows or full-time hosts.

Meet the audience where they are: their phones.

As mentioned above, the convenience of simply turning on AM/FM radio is highly appealing in automobiles, though as Apple Carplay continues to adapt and evolve, digital-first content is likely to become as simple and convenient in the near future.

Talk radio needs to make consuming their product on smartphones as simple and direct as turning on a traditional radio. This means no clunky websites, no lengthy pre-roll spots, a reliable stream connection and a “one touch” means of turning on and off the station. This should also mean expanding talk shows to high-quality video livestreams, following in the footsteps of the top YouTube and Twitch performers; developing unique content for TikTok and Instagram; building podcasts that are focused on specific issues, and; providing interaction via text and chat.

Radio has the ability to be the ultimate livestreamer, social media influencer and podcaster, but rarely harnesses these platforms in a meaningful way.

It is not enough to simply strive to “expand a digital presence”; stations and shows must engage in the hard work of building platform-specific content with their brands.

Music, cultural references and themes for the modern age.

A few weeks ago on a seemingly benign episode of the TV show FOX NFL Sunday, panelists Jimmy Johnson and Terry Bradshaw offered an example of the type of cultural adaptation that sophisticated writers and producers provide their brands. While describing a fight between two football players, Mr. Johnson said something to the effect of “when it comes to these two, what’s that Taylor Swift song?”, and then in synch with Mr. Bradshaw, “bad blood!”. It is highly unlikely that these two 70+ men listen to Taylor Swift’s music with any regularity or would simultaneously pull the “Bad Blood” reference. Yet, with excellent preparation that played into the greater cultural moment as well as the specific, current Taylor Swift/NFL overlap, in a six-second span, FOX NFL Sunday was able to give the illusion that their panelists are contemporary, hip and plugged into “what is going on”. Is your station or show plugged into what’s going on? Do you use contemporary music for bumps? Are your images – including headshots and social content – modern, interesting and engaging or are they more akin to a miscellaneous real estate agent? You are a performer in an entertainment business that, while certainly paying homage to the past and lineage of the industry, must be contemporary in aural and visual presentation. This goes for everything from wardrobe on video and in photo to fonts on graphic design.

How often do you or your producer read Pitchfork to learn about new music that is breaking this week? How often do you or your producer read Variety to understand major trends that are happening in the broader entertainment industry? What live events are you broadcasting from, covering and building partnerships with? You should strive to be cutting edge.

We need a friend now more than ever.

This is something that goes for all audiences, but particularly for younger ones. It’s OK, in fact, great to be yourself, present yourself from your generation and retain the authoritative stance that has built your brand. Take a look at the success that sports talker Mike Francesa enjoyed by leaning into his persona – and in turn – developing legions of younger listeners that fell in love with his dad-like delivery and frequent meltdowns.

Few things are as uncomfortable to see as a 40+ person dressing or acting like a teenager. Younger listeners want that senior, experienced, trusted friend to entertain them, inform them, and at times, tell them that everything is going to be OK. You can help make sense of the world for younger audiences, something that is absolutely essential in the modern era.

Through attracting younger listeners by including them in the conversation, effectively delivering content on smartphones, presenting a cutting-edge entertainment product and continuing to serve as a trusted friend, news/talk radio can greatly expand its reach, relevance and revenue.

To that point, some younger listeners who discover a radio station or show via any of the above entry points will likely work backwards to the traditional AM/FM dial. Like the resurgence of vinyl records, AM radio in particular has the opportunity to become a hip delivery format for discerning younger listeners.

The big question is: are radio companies, stations and hosts prepared to do the hard work of reimaging their product?

Bill Bartholomew is a talk radio and podcast host/producer, journalist and musician based in Providence, Rhode Island. Email him at: william.f.bartholomew@gmail.com.

Features

THE BIG 88 to become New York and New Jersey’s Largest College Radio Station on November 8

By TALKERS | November 3, 2023November 3, 2023 by TALKERS

By Andy Gladding
Chief Engineer
WRHU-FM (Hofstra University), Hempstead, NY

College radio is a special place on the FM dial. Listeners know it as the channel at the low end of the band where student and volunteer DJs have free reign to play music not usually heard from commercial operators. College students recognize it as a place where they can hone their broadcasting skills and put their passion and talents to work to prepare for a career in the industry. Hiring managers recognize it as a proving ground that provides quality pre-professional development and a destination to seek out qualified candidates to fill entry level media industry roles.

Despite the widespread recognition of the benefits and value of college radio stations, the format and institution has come under attack. Financial issues affecting the commercial sector of terrestrial broadcasting have led to a reduced perception of the effectiveness and reach of terrestrial FM, causing many universities across the country to part ways with their beloved heritage stations. Religious and community operators, recognizing the vulnerability of college operators, have actively approached educational institutions with cash offers to acquire the licenses and effectively end the independent radio voice of the college into the community. Many universities, facing their own financial issues due to declining enrollment and national attacks on the value and benefits of a four-year liberal arts education, are welcoming the opportunity for a quick infusion of cash for the acquisition their broadcast assets. This troubling trend paints a grim outlook for the future and sustainability of this widely popular medium.

However, in some markets, college radio is thriving and enjoying a renaissance. The New York radio market enjoys a wide variety of college programming across its heavily populated FM band and college stations in this market are considered a clearinghouse for students looking enter the country’s largest media sector. The tri-state area has over 20 university-owned stations operating on the FM band, with their parent organizations often touting them as some of the brightest jewels in the crown of their college media and communications program.

I have spent 20 years working as a student volunteer and administrator at WRHU, Radio Hofstra University and have seen first-hand how college radio contributes to the growth and success of students looking to pursue a career in radio, television and digital media. Students and community volunteers who participate at college radio stations find themselves engaged in a diverse community of voices, opinions and music. While their approach and interests may be different, their practice at the college radio station unites them with one unified goal: to serve the listening audience by creating imaginative and alternative audio programming using the university’s FM transmission facility as their channel to the world. For anyone who has been part of this experience as either a contributor or listener, the results can be absolutely magical. In the New York / New Jersey market, these stations and students have found a unique way to make their voices even louder, using some of the finest tools available in their radio and audio toolbox.

The Big 88

Wednesday, November 8, eight university and high school owned and operated stations broadcasting in the 88.1-88.9 segment of the FM band in the number one media market in the country will be joining together to celebrate their love of college radio. Starting at 12:00 noon, “The Big 88” will become New York and New Jersey’s largest college radio station, covering an FM broadcast footprint of over 120 miles. Participating stations will include WRSU, Rutgers University; WPSC, William Patterson University, WRHU, Hofstra University; WCWP, LIU Post; WARY, Westchester Community College; WFNP, SUNY-New Paltz; WPOB, Plainview-Old Bethpage High School; and WKWZ ,Syosset High School.

Programming will feature voices and shows from all participating stations, a consolidated newscast from members of each station’s news department and appearances by station alumni working in radio. WRHU will also be hosting a meet and greet at their studios in Hempstead, NY, where participants are invited to gather to exchange station swag, music from local bands and stories. High school participants have also been invited to the WRHU studios to meet with the participating station members where they will get a first-hand look at what their college radio experience can look like. All of the participating stations hope that the broadcast will focus attention on the issues affecting college radio and encourage listeners and universities to continue to support the mission of student and community broadcasting.

For more information on the program schedule and participation, you can contact me at Andrew.j.gladding@hofstra.edu. All of the stations involved hope that listeners will tune in to enjoy this unique celebration of NCE radio.

Andy Gladding is the chief engineer and air personality at WRHU-FM, Hofstra University as well as chief engineer at Salem Media’s WNYM/WMCA, New York. He also is a communications lecturer at Hofstra.

Features

The Greatest Home Run

By TALKERS | October 16, 2023October 16, 2023 by TALKERS

A sports moment for the ages, a botched radio call, a live broadcast believed lost forever… then miraculously rediscovered. What a story!

By Mark Wainwright

The History Channel calls it “The Most Dramatic Home Run in World Series History.” ESPN has often described it as the greatest home run of all time. To this day, it is the only World Series Game 7 walk-off home run.

Long-time baseball fans know the basic facts: On October 13, 1960, Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a line drive over the left field wall at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field to win the World Series for the Pirates.

This was an iconic moment in baseball history, and an iconic moment in baseball broadcasting history, as well … although the Hall of Fame broadcaster who described the moment for the national radio audience probably wished he could have done a second take!

Above: Bill Mazeroski crosses the plate for the Game 7 victory! (photo courtesy YouTube)

It was a dramatic finish to an astonishing World Series, but as often happens, the backstory of that moment and how it was broadcast– and everything that led up to it – has been largely forgotten. As we follow this year’s MLB playoffs (while taking note of the anniversary), it’s worthwhile to look back at an earlier, very different era of post-season baseball…

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The 1960 World Series opponents could hardly have been more different. The New York Yankees of that era were a machine, and the 1960 team easily dominated the American League on their way to the pennant. In contrast, the Pittsburgh Pirates were a surprise. The Pirates had not been to the Series since 1927, they were coming off a mediocre 1959 season, and expectations were low… but they got off to a good start and managed to keep it going. With timely pitching, clutch hitting, lucky breaks, and a never-say-die attitude (21 of their 95 wins came in their final at-bat), the Pirates claimed the National League pennant. The Yankees were studs, while the Pirates were scrappers, and the first six games of the Series reflected the character and personality of the respective teams.

In their three wins, the Yankee sluggers clobbered Pittsburgh pitchers for 38 runs. Yet, the Pirates managed to hang on, squeezing out three close victories in response. It all came down to Game 7 at Forbes Field on the afternoon of Thursday, October 13. Not only were there multiple Hall-of-Famers on the field and in the dugouts, there were Hall-of-Famers in both the TV and radio broadcast booths:

NBC’s national TV broadcast (in “Living Color!”) was handled by Yankees announcer Mel Allen and the Pirates’ Bob Prince, while NBC’s national radio broadcast was called by the Chicago Cubs’ Jack Quinlan, and Chuck Thompson, the play-by-play voice of the Washington Senators… wait, what? The Washington Senators? Wasn’t Chuck Thompson the voice of the Baltimore Orioles forever? For most of his career, yes… but Thompson was caught in a business dispute between the Baltimore brewery that owned the Orioles and the Baltimore brewery that owned his broadcasting contract, so Chuck wound up in Washington for a while (alas, as so often happens in life, it was a battle between money and beer, and money won out).

Game 7 combined and concentrated all the craziness of the previous six. Both pitching staffs were tired, and the hitters took advantage; it is the only game in World Series history where no pitcher from either team recorded even a single strikeout. The Pirates jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the New York offense awakened and the Yankees took a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. That’s when things really started to get strange…

In the Pittsburgh half of the 8th, it appeared a routine ground ball would start a double-play and stall a potential Pittsburgh rally… but the ball took a bad hop and hit Yankee shortstop (and later, Hall of Fame broadcaster) Tony Kubek in the throat. He got up bleeding and gasping for air, and was taken to the hospital with bruised vocal cords and a swollen trachea.The injury didn’t damage Kubek’s future career, but it kept the Pirates alive, and they followed with five runs to take a 9-7 lead into the 9th inning. Just three outs away, and yet…

The Yankees scored two runs to tie it at 9-9. The tying run was another odd play; a hard shot toward first base looked like a game-ending (and Series-ending) double play, but Pittsburgh first baseman Rocky Nelson took the easy out at first… which turned the play into a fielders’ choice. Mickey Mantle (the runner already on first) dove back to base and avoided the tag, which gave the Yankee runner on third the opportunity to tie it up. The Yankee inning ended with a routine ground out, so it all came down to the bottom of the 9th.

New York manager Casey Stengel left Ralph Terry in to pitch the 9th, with 15-game-winner Art Ditmar warming in the bullpen, if needed. Second baseman Bill Mazeroski would lead off the inning for the Pirates. Mazeroski was much better known for his outstanding glove work than his hitting, but he had one of the Pirates’ hottest bats late in the season, and it paid off.

Ball one, high. Catcher Johnny Blanchard went to the mound to briefly confer with Terry. Up in the radio booth, Chuck Thompson was obviously caught up in the excitement of the moment and everything leading up to it:

“Well, a little while ago, when we mentioned that this one, in typical fashion, was going right to the wire, little did we know…”

Then, at 3:36 pm, the 1-0 pitch, and…

“Art Ditmar throws…”

(Chuck, no! Ditmar’s still in the bullpen! Terry’s pitching!)

Thompson called the following moments superbly when Mazeroski connected and the ball sailed over the wall at the 406’ mark. Pandemonium ensued as Mazeroski quickly rounded the bases. Fans poured onto the field; it looked like half of Pittsburgh was poised to welcome him at home plate.

Unfortunately, Thompson committed another gaffe in the midst of the uproar:

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mazeroski has hit a one-nothing pitch over the left field fence at Forbes Field to win the 1960 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of ten to nothing!”

(Chuck, no! Look at the scoreboard! Look at your scorecard!)

…to his credit, he corrected himself moments later.

As both a long-time broadcaster and a Baltimore native – someone who heard Chuck Thompson broadcast countless games for the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Colts of the NFL – it’s bizarre to hear Thompson commit these gaffes. Chuck Thompson did NOT make mistakes like this; he just didn’t. In his 1996 autobiography, he called it “easily the most embarrassing moment of my career behind the microphone.” His flawed moment did not derail a stellar career. In 1993, he received the Ford C. Frick broadcasting award from the Baseball Hall of Fame, and his name is honored in Cooperstown alongside the greats of the sport.

There’s a YouTube link, of course. Whoever produced it did a nice job of capturing this iconic event in sports history. You’ll hear Chuck Thompson’s “flawed but endearing” (as Wikipedia describes it) radio call of the homer, combined with the actual broadcast video. Although the audio portion switches over to Mel Allen’s TV call toward the conclusion, this minor deviation from the archived radio recording does nothing to spoil the drama and excitement. And by the way… the story behind how and why the Game 7 telecast was preserved is amazing enough on its own. So stay tuned for our post-game wrap-up!

The Greatest Home Run!

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EPILOGUE

Although NBC videotaped all seven games (in “Living Color!”), those recordings soon disappeared. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, videotape was very expensive back then, the reels were cumbersome, and storage was an issue. Thus, networks often re-used the tapes for various purposes, wiping everything that was recorded previously. Countless hours of television history have been lost due to this practice. So why did the entire TV broadcast of Game 7 survive intact (at least in black-and-white)?

You can thank Hollywood singing star Bing Crosby. Bing held an ownership interest in the Pirates then and was a huge fan, but he was oddly superstitious about things. He believed that watching the game on television would jinx the team, and showing up at Forbes Field would have been even worse. So he and his wife took off for a brief vacation in France, where he listened to the broadcast on shortwave radio. However…

Crosby had a close relationship with Ampex (including a financial interest), and he asked the folks at Ampex to record the game so he could watch it upon his return (but only if the Pirates won!). It’s not clear whether they taped it and transferred it to kinescope film or if they filmed a kinescope directly from the live broadcast. In any event, a black-and-white kinescope was saved and presented to Crosby. Presumably, Bing enjoyed viewing it and subsequently stashed it in his basement – where it remained untouched for forty-nine years!

In 2009, long after Crosby’s death, Robert Bader – an executive from Bing Crosby Enterprises – was going through materials at Crosby’s former home in Hillsborough, California. He was looking for any useful recorded video that could be transferred to DVD and marketed, and he stumbled onto the five-reel set in Bing’s wine cellar! It is the only known copy of the historic game. The reels were preserved and digitized, and later broadcast as part of several retrospectives covering the 1960 World Series and Game 7 specifically.

So… what’s mellowing in your wine cellar?

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Mark Wainwright is a veteran radio performer and voiceover artist who has spent decades working as a disc jockey, talk show host, and morning personality at well-known radio stations throughout the United States. He was most recently the morning host at WSYR in Syracuse, New York. Mark can be reached through his LinkedIn page or at: markwainwright@earthlink.net

Features

“Hey, Let’s Hang Out Under the Boardwalk!”

By TALKERS | August 22, 2023 by TALKERS

Surprisingly, that iconic summertime feel-good song almost never made it to vinyl…

By Mark Wainwright

Consider the following song titles:

“There Goes My Baby”

“Save the Last Dance For Me”

“On Broadway”

“Up On the Roof”

“Dance With Me”

“This Magic Moment”

You don’t have to be a battle-scarred radio veteran like me, or an older music fan who remembers hearing those songs as a youngster to immediately recognize these as hits recorded by The Drifters. These songs, and all their other successful releases, were constantly played on the air back in the glory days of AM Top-40 radio, and they are still widely heard and enjoyed today, sometimes in surprising settings; “This Magic Moment” recently turned up in a TV commercial for Heinz ketchup. It is scarcely possible to imagine the history of American popular music without these songs.

Now try this little experiment:

Pull YouTube up on your browser, type the words “Under the Boardwalk” in the search box, and see what pops up. You could spend days (seriously) going through all the uploads from folks who posted that favorite Drifters tune, not to mention all the subsequent recordings made over the years. Some of the names will surprise you. Did the Rolling Stones, of all people, actually record “Under the Boardwalk”? Indeed they did, along with folks like Bruce Springsteen (yo, he’s a Jersey Shore guy, why not?). The song has became a standard, a staple of oldies bands and doo-wop vocal groups who continue to perform the song today. And yet, this most iconic of summertime feel-good songs was within hours of never being recorded. The backstory of that episode, along with the odd twists and turns of the group’s history, deserves some attention.

The Drifters (pictured below in an early photo courtesy of YouTube) were a 1950s brainchild of agent and producer George Treadwell, who got his hands on an early version of the group and envisioned them as sort of all-purpose background singers for hire who could be farmed out to provide background vocals for recording sessions, and for featured performers doing live gigs. Treadwell never thought of them as having a set lineup, he figured that vocalists would drift in and out of the group as needed (hence the name). The group became successful in their own right after their 1953 release “Money Honey” (Clyde McPhatter was the lead singer back then), and they never looked back. For more than a decade, hardly a week went by where you wouldn’t see a Drifters tune somewhere on the music charts.

Treadwell’s management of the group could be capricious, to say the least. He once purportedly fired the band and replaced them with another new group of singers who then performed a show scheduled for the following night (he might have done something like this more than once). Somehow, it all managed to work out. Dozens of vocalists were part of the group at various times, although when The Drifters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, there were seven performers who were cited as critical to the group’s success. I believe Charlie Thomas was the last of these fine singers, and he died in January this year.

“Under the Boardwalk” was written in 1964 by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and they offered it to The Drifters, who immediately saw the potential. A recording session was set for May 21, 1964 (already pushing the calendar for summer release), but the night before the session, lead singer Rudy Lewis died of a suspected heroin overdose. George Treadwell and the folks at Atlantic Records really wanted to get the tune out there, so they finally decided to record the song as scheduled. Johnny Moore was called upon to sing the lead vocal; he was the group’s designated backup lead vocalist who would fill in when needed.

One can hardly imagine what these guys were thinking and feeling under the circumstances, but they got through it, Johnny Moore did a superb job, and the final result was amazing. The group actually cut alternate takes of the song. Some radio stations were hesitant to play a record containing the lyric “making love under the boardwalk” (remember, this was 1964), so other takes were done with the replacement line “falling in love under the boardwalk.” It was released in June and was constantly heard on the great AM Top-40 stations of the day, and played incessantly on jukeboxes nationwide. The song spent three weeks at #1 on the Cashbox magazine R&B chart, and got as high as #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song would have almost certainly been a Billboard #1, except for a quartet of young Brits who called themselves “The Beatles.” You might recall they also had some pretty good tunes out there at the time.

And the date of that highest Billboard chart position? August 22, 1964. Fifty-nine years ago today.

So now comes the inevitable YouTube link. I think this one is the original track containing the “naughty” lyrics. Turn up the volume and enjoy! (And remember, you should use lotion that has a minimum rating of SPF 30!)

Under the Boardwalk – The Drifters

Mark Wainwright is a veteran radio performer who spent more than 30 years working as a disc jockey, talk show host, and morning personality at well-known radio stations throughout the United States. He was most recently the morning host at WSYR in Syracuse, New York. (He was even a pretty good AM Top-40 jock back in the day, just ask him!) He can be reached through his LinkedIn page or at markwainwright@earthlink.net

Features

Reflections on Jerry Springer

By TALKERS | April 28, 2023 by TALKERS

By Bernadette Duncan
Author/Professor/Former Radio Producer

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from Bernadette Duncan’s classic talk radio book about her 26-year career as a major market and national radio producer, Yappy Days: Behind the Scenes with Newsers, Schmoozers, Boozers and Losers (Talkers Books, 2016). It appears in the chapter titled, “Guests Who Are Not What They Seem.”)

When television spiraled into a circus of chair-throwing, hair-pulling, fist-fighting, profanity-yelling, cross-dressing, sex-addicted guests, Jerry Springer was the ultimate ringleader. “The Jerry Springer Show” was so over-the-top when it debuted in September 1991 that security guards stood by on set and the opening featured a parental warning that stated the content may be inappropriate for children. With segments like “Sex Between Family Members” or “Nudists Talk About Why They Expose All,” it gained a reputation for being the most sexually-explicit tabloid program.

So why not invite Springer on to dish about the show’s 10-year success? If anyone had stories, Springer was loaded. Though maybe his material would be salty and I had to be prepared. In other words, I needed to keep my finger near the “dump button” in case some raunchy words flew out of his mouth.

What I discovered was amazing. This guy, whose high-octane show could be jaw-droppingly raunchy and theatrical, was himself a charming and humble philosopher. Get a load of this personal history… British-born, Springer broke into politics in 1971 as a city councilman and was forced to resign from office three years later after admitting to soliciting a prostitute. The following year, after owning up to his actions, he won back his seat by a landslide. In 1977, he was elected Mayor of Cincinnati and he served one term.

Springer was riveting, confirming the possibility that the best guests are often talk show hosts themselves. He could talk about anything and with heart. And without ever uttering a nasty word. He spoke most touchingly about coming to America on The Queen Mary with his parents when he was five-years-old. “In one generation,” he said, “we went from the Holocaust to this wonderful privileged life I have today.”

Who knew you could pluck a guest from the circus of tabloid television and discover the soul of a poet? Jerry Springer was multi-faceted and showed character. The qualities that anchored him were, perhaps, the very characteristics that allowed him to oversee his wacky show.

Bernadette Duncan can be contacted via email at heybharrison@gmail.com. Meet Bernadette Duncan at TALKERS 2023 on June 2 at Hofstra University.

Features

Remembering Jerry Springer: Coming To America

By TALKERS | April 28, 2023 by TALKERS

By Mike Kinosian
TALKERS magazine
Managing Editor

Notwithstanding the enormity of accomplishments that enveloped this exceptionally bright and learned broadcaster, Jerry Springer remained as humble and refreshingly an “ah shucks” individual as you’ll ever hope to meet.

Perhaps that speaks to the somber circumstances that brought him to this country at the tender and innocent age of five.

It’s a borderline crime that many people think the Tulane University (B.A. in Political Science, 1965) and Northwestern University (1968 Law degree) graduate’s resume consisted solely of watching people verbally and physically beat each other to a pulp on a daily, hour-long television show that carried his name for 27 years, starting in September 1991.

It was only natural that this passionate political voice for domestic and international issues – who was a leader in lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 with the 1971 passage of the 26th Amendment – be offered a meaningful podium to air his views.

Many observers, though, were stunned when – in January 2005 – Springer actually agreed to weave a daily radio talk show into his already hectic media schedule.

Field of dreams leveled

Barely two weeks into Springer’s local run on Clear Channel Cincinnati flagship WCKY “The Revolution Of Talk Radio” and Clear Channel Detroit’s WDTW “Detroit’s Progressive Talk,” Air America Radio picked up his 9:00 am – 12:00 noon “Springer On The Radio” talkfest.

The experience had the resplendent one positively beaming. “Frankly, I’m just as excited as I can be,” he remarked to me. “Politics and public issues have always been my main interest. [It’s exciting] to have an opportunity to be part of the American conversation at a time when there is clearly a need for other points of view. Talk radio is overwhelmingly dominated by conservative ideas. There’s a place for that, of course, but we also need to hear other ideas and other points of view. Perhaps this is an area in which I can make a contribution.”

Off-and-on discussions had been held between Springer and Air America even before the network’s March 31, 2004 sign-on. The former Cincinnati Mayor, however, confided he wasn’t thoroughly convinced he was ready to commit to doing a daily radio show. “With this last presidential election, I realized that, until we level the playing field, there’s not going to be any hope of having a more progressive government,” Springer proclaimed. “That’s when it suddenly became a priority for me. I’ve only been on Air America [since January 2005], but the early ratings returns are great; apparently, we’re doing well.”

Life progresses

Every Top 10 market except No. 2 Los Angeles carried “Springer On The Radio” and the overall affiliate count quickly grew to 50 outlets. “Our biggest non-Air America Radio station is [Clear Channel Cleveland news/talk] WTAM,” he pointed out. “It’s a powerhouse station and the interesting thing there is that I lead into [Premiere Radio’s] Rush Limbaugh. In some markets, I lead into [Air America’s] Al Franken and in others, I lead into Rush – talk about whiplash.”

The majority of the American populace, of course, knew Springer as the 14-year host of a show that wasn’t much of a threat to win many Peabody awards.

Approximately 10 years prior to his national exposure, though, Springer was an anchor/political reporter/commentator on Cincinnati television, proudly notching seven Emmy Awards for his nightly commentaries. “I loved doing it and don’t have any bad memories, but I’m in a different point in my life now,” Cincinnati Magazine’s five-time “Best TV Anchor” recipient commented. “Life moves on and I’m onto something else and I’m not sure I’d go back to that anymore.”

Stone cold memories

Some would ascribe Chicago (the base of his TV show); New York; or Cincinnati as Springer’s birthplace. All would be incorrect, as he was born in London (1944) when his family successfully escaped the holocaust.

They arrived in New York City on January 24, 1949 and it is without any hesitation the usually glib Springer blurted out that particular date in reverence and sincere reflection. “I didn’t specifically go through Ellis Island,” he recounted in a markedly softer tone. “My parents and I had a five-day journey on the Queen Mary and I remember being called up on the top deck as we passed the Statue of Liberty. It didn’t mean that much to me, since I was just five years old and freezing cold. I do, however, remember being scared because I saw all those people huddled together. The other memory I have is that it was stone silent – nobody said a word.”

Radio’s role in the Americanization process

In later years, his mother (Margot) told her son that he’d asked her why everyone was looking at the Statue of Liberty and what it meant. “She said in the German that she spoke at the time that one day it will mean everything,” Springer recalled still touched with emotion. “She was right. My family went from holocaust to this ridiculously privileged life I live today in one generation, so I know the ‘American Dream’ can work.”

The first year he and his family were immigrants, Springer lived in Manhattan’s now defunct Whitehall Hotel near Amsterdam Avenue.

One year later, they moved to a rent-controlled apartment where his parents would live for the next 32 years. “Everyone was trying to learn English,” emphasized Springer, who established a scholarship fund at Chicago’s Kellman School that serves inner city youth. “I was five years old, but my parents wanted me to become Americanized so we listened to the radio all day. One of my earliest memories as a little boy was listening in the morning to [Roger] Gallagher & [Joe] O’Brien [on New York City’s WMCA]. Some of my Americanization – including the news, sports, idioms, music and sense of humor – came through the radio.”

Compelling dialogue

Utterly and genuinely masterful at what he’s accomplished on television, a low-key Springer modestly admitted he tried to learn a little something from certain radio personalities, without consciously copying anybody. “I just turn on the microphone and talk,” he stated with simplicity. “Obviously, Rush and [ABC Radio’s/Fox News Channel’s] Sean [Hannity] are at the top of the heap, simply because they’ve been doing it for so long. I think [Air America’s] Randi Rhodes is just wonderful on the radio and Al Franken has a great sense of timing.”

Many on the right claim liberal-leaning talkers have heretofore failed in our medium because they lack the entertainment factor. If anyone knew how to present an entertaining product, it was the extremely adept Springer who flatly asserted, “The conversation has to be interesting – period. That can be in the way it’s presented; the way we accept different callers; or with little skits we do. People must feel they have to listen, but it doesn’t have to be entertaining in the ‘ha-ha’ sense all the time. To be honest, not every conservative show is entertaining – some aren’t interesting at all.”

The question of whether a program holds one’s interest or has a significant entertainment quotient has virtually nothing to do with a particular political philosophy, but rather, as Springer explained whether the host is capable of putting on a good show. “The reality is conservatives took to radio 20 years ago when liberals weren’t looking at that as an economic marketplace. Someone figured out that conservatives could really find an audience in radio because you were dealing, at that time, with angry white men going to work. You get them when they’re driving to [their jobs]. Clearly, Rush filled a void and is a tremendous talent. When people saw that, the industry moved in that direction.”

The face of liberal America

Firmly contended that conservatives did well on radio in large part because the liberals won, Springer opined in my 2005 interview, “America is far more liberal today than it ever was. I know we elect conservatives from time to time, but clearly in terms of the critical issues of the day, no one could look at America and say we are not liberal. The protest came from the right.”

Conservatives though were in charge when he was growing up and dissent came from the left.

Protests were for such noble movements and causes as civil rights, anti-war, women’s rights and the environment. “Finally, the liberals won and their agenda is how most Americans live,” Springer contended. “Even if you call yourself a conservative, chances are your kids are listening to the same music, going to the same movies and wearing the same clothing. The culture is clearly more liberal than it ever was. We don’t even blink if we see interracial dating or interracial marriage; it’s not an issue. We’ve clearly moved to the left. Since America is now so liberal in terms of its everyday living, the protest is coming from the right.”

TV show proves to be a non-issue

That’s certainly more than a plausible reason to explain the widespread success enjoyed by conservative talk radio. “With the emergence of the Christian right or whatever in the last couple of years, liberals have been getting nervous again,” Springer speculated. “You’ll start to see the emergence of liberal radio. Radio will always be the response to what’s going on in society. People aren’t going to call up [talk shows] if they’re happy with everything; they’ll get on with their lives. People who call are the ones who are upset. That’s why you’ve seen this trend in radio from liberal to conservative back to liberal.”

Listener feedback to the engaging Springer was gratifying and, on at least one level, elicited a curious result. “We don’t get any calls – and I mean none – that comment on the [television show],” he stressed. “I sometimes wonder if they even know that it’s me or if they think I’m a guy with a similar name. From whatever side of the spectrum they’re from, no one seems to make reference to the television show. It’s a non-entity in terms of radio.”

Not a perfect fit

Those unaware of Springer’s legitimate political acumen could be caught off-guard by hearing him as the front person of an issue-charged talk program, but the host adamantly maintained, “Within 18 seconds of hearing the show, you’re going to realize it’s different. You may not agree with what I’m saying, but it’s impossible to listen [and not have an opinion].”

Commanding center stage approximately eighteen years ago were such topics as the war in Iraq; terrorist bombings in London; potential Supreme Court nominees; Social Security; and other pertinent headlines of the day. “Even if you were inclined to call and razz me about the [TV] show, it’s pretty hard to do,” Springer contended. “You’d be embarrassed because everyone else is talking about a woman crying because her son is fighting in Iraq and the next caller [weakly] says, ‘Hey, Jerry, I love those transvestites.’ It wouldn’t fit and we’ve found, for some reason, it also doesn’t exist.”

Mindless to mind-provoking

Juggling both the radio and high-profile syndicated television show proved to be admittedly rough for Springer – who was generally up at 5:30 am. “I spend two hours at the studio going over my notes from the night before and checking if there’ve been any changes from [overnight]. I do the [radio] show and then we immediately have a 30-minute meeting. We tentatively pick a couple of subjects to talk about [on the next broadcast] and people start doing research.”

If it happened to be a television-taping day, he rushed to that studio to do shows at 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm and was usually back home by 9:00 at night.

Over dinner, he checked to see if there were any changes or breaking news.

“Springer On The Radio” was produced in Cincinnati, but the television show required the host to be in Chicago. “I also have a place in Sarasota; I’ve been in New York; and just recently did the show from London,” he pointed out. “It’s a lot of work and it’s a real job. I devote a couple of hours a week to the television show and the thing I do is mindless, but the radio show is real work.”

Tongue tied

On-air radio elements consisted of Springer and caller interaction, with no emphasis placed on guests. “I’m not rushing to do it, but won’t say I’ll never do it,” he put forth. “I’m more comfortable with [the way it’s been going] and don’t want this to be a show from the top down. The idea is to have this be a middle-America show, a [program] where regular folks can [share] what they’re thinking.”

That philosophy didn’t preclude certain luminaries from voluntarily calling in, as Springer discovered when he was discussing the energy issue.

A caller identified himself to the screener as “Robert Kennedy” and it, indeed was the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “My two idols were my father [Richard, a street vendor who sold stuffed animals] and, in terms of my political conscious, [RFK Jr.’s] father,” Springer noted. “It was a great thrill to talk with [RFK Jr.] – I was like a groupie.”

Link to a legend

In addition to momentous, that particular conversation had to be more than a bit surreal for Springer and not simply because it was with a famous activist/fellow Air America Radio talk host. (Kennedy co-hosted Air America’s two-hour weekend “Ring Of Fire” with Mike Papantonio).

When he graduated from college, Springer worked as a presidential campaign aide to Bobby Kennedy. After the New York Senator was assassinated inside Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel in June 1968, Springer joined a Cincinnati law firm and, in 1971, was elected to Cincinnati’s Council-at-Large.

With the largest plurality in the city’s history, the then 33-year-old Springer was elected Mayor of Cincinnati in 1977.

Potent platform

Air America Radio colleague Al Franken made no secret of his fervent desire to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate (which, of course, he did), while Springer’s name was frequently mentioned in a similar capacity in Ohio or in that State’s Governor’s office. “It’s possible that the day may come where I pursue either of those [offices],” acknowledged Springer, who made a Democratic gubernatorial bid in 1982. “I must say [though] I’m concentrating on this radio job right now. I didn’t realize it would take off this way when I started. This may turn out to be a bigger [stage] than any political office. I’m sure a year from now I’ll look at how my life is going, but I’m very excited about making this radio thing work.”

In addition to being the opening act for “Achy Breaky” Billy Ray Cyrus, Springer released his own country CD (“Dr. Talk”) and once dressed to play in the nets for the IHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.

With less and less free time, there wasn’t much for Springer to do other than be enticed by an occasional movie role (he played himself in at least a half-dozen films, including “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”) or television appearance. “I try to enjoy my weekends,” the steadfast New York Yankees fan confided. “It’s been depressing this year because they’ve played so abysmally [entering the 2005 All-Star break in third place, 2.5 games behind the defending 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox]. You reach a point in life where you make time for those things that have to do with the quality of life. I admit, however, it’s difficult because I’m carrying so many jobs at once.”

Rolling along

Being Mayor of Cincinnati – especially at such a young age – was easily one of Springer’s greatest political accomplishments, but the longtime local co-host on Jerry Lewis’ annual “Stars Across America” Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon and VP of the national MDA knew he arrived as a celebrity when he appeared on the May 14, 1998 cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. “That’s when it suddenly hit me that this is really big,” he laughed. “I’ve always kind of taken things with a grain of salt and have said that it’s only television, not life-changing.”

Email Mike Kinosian at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com

Features

TALKERS 2023 Agenda Update

By TALKERS | April 19, 2023April 20, 2023 by TALKERS

TALKERS 2023

June 2, 2023 – Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

Presented by TALKERS in association with WRHU Radio

Sponsored by (in alphabetical order):

The Doctor Asa Show – Backbone Networks – Benztown – The Michael Berry Show – Broadcasters General Store – C. Crane – Collette – Comrex – The Epoch Times –- Goldman McCormick PR – Guestbooker.com – The Sean Hannity Show – Newsmax – Our American Stories – Premiere Networks – Radio America – The Ramsey Show – Dr. Murray Sabrin – Stephan Multimedia – The Todd Starnes Show – Talk Media Network – Visit Atlantic City

AGENDA

Registration Desk Open – 7:30 am to 6:00 pm – Lobby of John Cranford Adams Playhouse

Registration Director: Barbara Kurland, Business Manager, TALKERS

Assistant Registration Director: Olivia Mannarino, Associate, TALKERS

________________________________________

Breakfast – 8:00 am to 8:55 am – Reception Tent next to John Cranford Adams Playhouse

Breakfast Emcee: David Bernstein, GM/Broadcast Operations, TALKERS

“Woman of the Year Award”

Recipient: Martha Zoller, Host WDUN-FM-AM, Gainesville, GA

“Lifetime Achievement Award”

Recipient: Kraig Kitchin, CEO, Sound Mind, LLC

Sponsored by Sean Hannity / Premiere Networks

________________________________________

Exhibits Open – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm – Lobby of John Cranford Adams Playhouse

Backbone Networks – Representative: Richard Cerny, President/CEO

Broadcasters General Store – Representative: Buck Waters, Marketing Executive

Collette – Representatives: Jim Edwards, VP, US Affinity Development; Paul Holly, Partnership Marketing Manager

Comrex – Representative: Chris Crump, CBNE, Senior Director of Sales & Marketing

____________________________________________

Morning Greetings – 9:00 am to 9:45 am – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

TALKERS 2023 Emcee: Kevin Casey, VP, Executive Editor, TALKERS

“National Anthem”

Performed by: TBA

“Morning Wakeup”

Speaker: Jimmy Failla, Host, FOX News Radio

“Setting the Stage: Triple Perspective”

Official Greeter: Todd Starnes, Host/President, The Todd Starnes Show Syndication/Owner, KWAM, Memphis

“Welcome to TALKERS 2023”

Introduction: Victoria Jones, Executive Director, DC Radio Company

Speaker: Michael Harrison, Publisher, TALKERS

Special Guest (by remote): Bob Pittman, CEO, iHeart Media

Sponsored by The Doctor Asa Show

____________________________________________

Panel Discussion – 9:50 am to 10:25 am – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

“Programming News/Talk Radio in the Digital Era – Part 1”

Introduction: TBA

Moderator: Mike McVay, President, McVay Media Consulting

Panelists:

Michael Czarnecki, VP, Programming, Binnie Media

Tom Cuddy, Program Director, WOR, New York

Kevin DeLany, VP, News & Talk Programming, Westwood One

Eric Stanger, SVP, Operations, Sean Hannity Show, Premiere Networks

Joe Thomas, Host/Program Director, WCHV – Charlottesville, VA/PD, WRAD, River Valley, VA

Brett Winterble, Host, WBT, Charlotte

Sponsored by Premiere Networks
_____________________________________________

Fireside Chat Part 1 – 10:30 am to 10:50 am – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

Guest: Christopher Ruddy, Founder/CEO, Newsmax Media

Host: Michael Harrison, Publisher, TALKERS

Sponsored by Collette

Fireside Chat Part 2 – 10:55 am to 11:15 am – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

Guest: Jeff Warshaw, Founder/CEO Connoisseur Media

Host: Michael Harrison, Publisher, TALKERS

Sponsored by Benztown

____________________________________________

“Freedom of Speech Award” – 11:20 am to 11:40 am – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

Recipient: Tavis Smiley, Host/Owner, KBLA, Los Angeles

Presenter: Michael Harrison, Publisher, TALKERS

Sponsored by The Todd Starnes Show

_______________________________________________

Four-Way Discussion – 11:45 am to 12:10 pm – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

“The State of Sports Talk Radio”

Introduction: TBA

Facilitator: John T. Mullen, General Manager, WRHU-FM/WRHU.org, Hofstra University

Panelists:

Grace Blazer, VP, National NTS Brand Coordinator, Director of News and AM Programming Florida Region, iHeart Radio

Mark Chernoff, Sports Reporter, 107.1 The Boss, Long Branch, NJ/Sports Radio Talent Coach

Spike Eskin, VP, Programming, WFAN, New York and CBS Sports Radio

Sponsored by Backbone Networks

____________________________________________________

Lunch – 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm – Reception Tent next to John Cranford Adams Playhouse

Lunch Emcee: David Bernstein, GM, Broadcast Operations, TALKERS

“Welcome to Hofstra University”

Speaker: Mark Lukasiewicz, Dean, Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, Hofstra University

“Special Lunch Greetings”

Speaker: Carl Higbie, Host, Newsmax TV

“Humanitarian of the Year Award”

Presenter: Harry Hurley, Host, WPG, Atlantic City

Recipient: Jim Thompson, Former President, Broadcasters Foundation of America (posthumously)

Accepter: Renee Cassis, Broadcasters Foundation of America

Sponsored by Newsmax

____________________________________________

Panel Discussion – 1:20 pm to 1:55 pm

“Talk Radio and Podcasting”

Introduction: Guy Benson, Host, FOX News Radio

Moderator: Lisa Wexler, Host, WICC, Bridgeport, CT

Panelists:

Heather Cohen, SVP, The Weiss Agency

Steve Goldstein, CEO, Amplifi Media

Ron Hartenbaum, Managing Member, WYD Media

Chris Oliviero, Market President, Audacy New York

David Pakman, Host, The David Pakman Show

Larry Young, Host, The Larry Young Podcast

Sponsored by Visit Atlantic City

____________________________________________

Panel Discussion – 2:00 pm to 2:35 pm – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

“Generating Talk Radio Revenue in a Digital World”

Introduction: Doug Stephan, Host, Good Day Show/Founder Stephan Multimedia

Moderator: Steve Lapa, President, Lapcom Communications Corp

Panelists:

Vince Benedetto, CEO, Bold Gold Media Group

Paul Gleiser, Host/Owner, KTBB-FM-AM, Tyler, TX

Todd Starnes, Host/President, The Todd Starnes Show Syndication/Owner, KWAM, Memphis

Paul Vandenburgh, Host/Owner, WGDJ, Albany, NY

Michael Zwerling, Host/Owner, KSCO-FM-AM/KOME, Santa Cruz

Sponsored by The Ramsey Show

____________________________________________

Panel Discussion – 2:40 pm to 3:15 pm – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

“The Big Picture”

Introduction: Matthew B. Harrison, Esq., Associate Publisher, TALKERS/President, the Harrison Legal Group

Moderator: Michael Harrison, Publisher, TALKERS

Panelists:

Arthur Aidala, Esq. Founding Partner, `Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins, PC/Host, AM 970 The Answer, New York

Dr. Asa Andrew, CEO/Host, The Doctor Asa Network

Vince Benedetto, CEO, Bold Gold Media

Lee Habeeb, Host/Producer, Our American Stories

Lee Harris, Morning Co-Anchor, WINS, New York

Kraig Kitchin, CEO, Sound Mind, LLC

Sponsored by Newsmax

____________________________________________

Panel Discussion – 3:20 pm to 3:55 pm – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

“Programming Talk Radio – Part 2”

Introduction: Alex Fife, VP Operations, Southeast, iHeartMedia – Total Traffic & Weather Network

Moderator: Walter Sabo, CEO, Sabo Media/Host/Producer, Sterling on Sunday

Speakers:

Phil Boyce, SVP, spoken word format, Salem Media Group; Ops VP, New York region/WMCA/AM 970 The Answer

Ross Kaminsky, Host, KOA, Denver

Josh Leng, CEO, Talk Media Network

Dan Mandis, Host/Program Director, WTN, Nashville

Matt Meany, Program Director, WABC, New York/Red Apple Audio

Greg Stocker, Brand Manager, WPHT, Philadelphia

Sponsored by Our American Stories

____________________________________________

Panel Discussion – 4:00 pm to 4:35 pm – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

“Navigating a Radio Talk Show Hosting Career”

Introduction: Ryan McCormick, Managing Partner, Goldman McCormick, PR

Moderator: Dom Giordano, Host, WPHT, Philadelphia

Speakers:

Mandy Connell, talk show host, KOA, Denver

Jeff Katz, talk show host, WRVA, Richmond

Frank Morano, talk show host, WABC, New York

Martha Zoller, talk show host, WDUN, Gainesville, GA

More TBA

Sponsored by C. Crane

____________________________________________

Three-Way Chat – 4:40 pm to 5:00 pm – John Cranford Adams Playhouse

“Making the Connections Between Local and National, Radio and Television”

Facilitator: Harry Hurley, Host, WPG, Atlantic City, NJ

Speakers:

John Caracciolo, President/CEO, JVC Broadcasting

Brian Kilmeade, Host, FOX News Radio/FOX News Channel

Sponsored by The Michael Berry Show

________________________________________________

Closing Reception – 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Reception Tent next to John Cranford Adams Playhouse

Sponsor TBA

Program subject to changes

Features

TALKERS 2023 Speakers, Registration, and Hotel Info

By TALKERS | March 27, 2023March 27, 2023 by TALKERS

TALKERS 2023, the 26^th annual edition of the talk media industry’s longest running and largest convention is shaping up to be one of the storied event’s most important installments. The power-packed, one-day event will be presented by TALKERS on Friday, June 2, 2023 on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York in association with the prestigious university’s multi-award-winning station WRHU Radio. TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison says, “We are delighted to be able to join forces again with our colleagues at Hofstra – the site of our very successful 2022, 2021 and 2016 events – and enjoy the remarkable resources that its Lawrence Herbert School of Communication brings to the table.” As was the case last year, this event will be held in a COVID-19 compliant environment based upon the circumstances at the time of the convention. TALKERS 2023 will boldly address key issues – some existential – facing the talk radio and talk media industries at this dramatically critical juncture of rapidly accelerating technological and societal change as well as identifying the remarkable opportunities inherent in these developments. It will also provide participants with unique and powerful networking opportunities.

In-person speakers at TALKERS 2023 include (in alphabetical order): Arthur L. Aidala, Esq. founding partner, Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins PC/talk show host AM 970 The Answer, New York; Asa Andrew, M.D., talk show host, the Doctor Asa Show; Vince Benedetto, CEO, Bold Gold Media; Guy Benson, talk show host, FOX News Radio; David Bernstein, director of broadcast operations, TALKERS; Grace Blazer, VP, national NTS brand coordinator, director of news and AM programming Florida Region, iHeartMedia; Phil Boyce, SVP/Spoken Word Format, Salem Media Group; Ops VP, New York Region/ WMCA/AM970 The Answer; John Caracciolo, president/CEO, JVC Broadcasting; Kevin Casey, VP/executive editor, TALKERS; Mark Chernoff, sports reporter, 1071 – The Boss, Livingston, NJ/sports talk talent coach; Heather Cohen, SVP, The Weiss Agency; Mandy Connell, talk show host, KOA, Denver; Tom Cuddy, program director, WOR, New York; Michael Czarnecki, VP/programming, Binnie Media; Kevin DeLany, VP, News & Talk Programming, Westwood One; Spike Eskin, VP of Programming at WFAN, New York and CBS Sports Radio; Jimmy Failla, talk show host, FOX News Radio; Alex Fife, VP, operations, Southeast, iHeartMedia/Total Traffic & Weather Network; Dom Giordano, talk show host, WPHT, Philadelphia; Paul L. Gleiser, talk show host/owner, KTBB-AM/FM, Tyler, TX; Lee Habeeb, talk show host/producer, Our American Stories; Michael Harrison, publisher, TALKERS; Matthew B. Harrison, VP/associate publisher, TALKERS/media attorney; Harry Hurley, talk show host, WPG, Atlantic City, NJ; Victoria Jones, executive director, DC Radio Company; Ross Kaminsky, talk show host, KOA, Denver; Jeff Katz, talk show host, WRVA, Richmond; Brian Kilmeade, talk show host, FOX News Radio/FOX News Channel; Kraig Kitchin, president, Sound Mind, LLC; Steve Lapa, president, Lapcom Communications Corp; Josh Leng, CEO, Talk Media Network; Matt Meany, program director, WABC, New York; Mike McVay, president, McVay Media Consulting; Frank Morano, talk show host, WABC, New York; John T. Mullen, general manager, WRHU-FM/WRHU.org, Hempstead, NY; Chris Oliviero, market president, Audacy, New York; David Pakman, talk show host/commentator, the David Pakman Show; Christopher Ruddy, CEO, Newsmax Media; Walter Sabo, president, Sabo Media/talk show host, Sterling On Sunday; Tavis Smiley, talk show host/owner, KBLA 1580, Los Angeles; Todd Starnes, talk show host, the Todd Starnes Show/owner KWAM, Memphis; Doug Stephan, talk show host, the Good Day Show/CEO Stephan Multimedia; Greg Stocker, brand manager, WPHT, Philadelphia; Joe Thomas, talk show host/program director, WCHV – Charlottesville, VA/PD, WRAD, New River Valley, VA; Paul Vandenburgh, talk show host/owner, WGDJ, Albany, NY; Jeff Warshaw, CEO/founder, Connoisseur Media; Lisa Wexler, talk show host, WICC, Bridgeport, CT; Brett Winterble, talk show host WBT, Charlotte; Larry Young, talk show host, The Larry Young Podcast; Michael Zwerling, talk show host/owner, KSCO, Santa Cruz; Martha Zoller, talk show host, WDUN, Gainesville, GA. More will be named in the days ahead.

Attendance at the conference is limited to members of the working media and directly associated industries as well as students enrolled in accredited learning institutions. All attendees will be required to register in advance on the phone payable by credit card. Attendance will be limited, and the conference is again expected to be an early sellout.

The all-inclusive registration fee covering convention events, exhibits, food, and services for the day is $379. Take advantage of the early bird fee of $329 available until 5:00 pm ET on Friday, March 31. Because space will be limited and a sellout is anticipated, all registrations are non-refundable. The recommended nearby hotel is the Long Island Marriott at 101 James Doolittle Blvd., Uniondale, NY. For room reservations click here. To register for TALKERS 2023 or to obtain sponsorship information, call Barbara Kurland at 413-565-5413.

Features

January 2023 PPM Ratings Takeaways – Part Four

By TALKERS | February 27, 2023 by TALKERS

January 2023 PPM Data – Information for the January 2023 survey period has been released for Austin, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Providence, Norfolk, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Greensboro, Memphis, and Hartford.

Nielsen Audio’s January 2023 sweep covered January 5 – February 1.

TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian provides “Takeaways” for spoken-word stations finishing in their respective markets’ top twenty.

Cited as well are each particular city’s #1 station (6+) and loftiest (6+) upticks and drop-offs.

All comparisons noted are “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 (6+).

AUSTIN

News/Talk: Waterloo Media Group’s KLBJ-AM “News Radio” 4.4 – 5.1, +.7, repeats in fifth-place

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Genuine Austin Radio-owned KTXX “The Horn” flat at 2.1, #17 to #19

Public Radio News/Talk: University of Texas’ KUT 5.2 – 5.3, +.1, continues at #4

Number One 6+: Waterloo Media Group adult hits KBPA, first month, 8.8 – 9.9, +1.1

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: adult hits KBPA (+1.1)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KKMJ (-4.6)

RALEIGH

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s WTKK “106.1 FM Talk” 10.4 – 8.3, -1.1, repeats in the runner-up slot

News: Curtis Media Group-owned WPTF “News Radio 680” 1.8, #16 (did not appear in the “Holiday” 2022 report)

Sports Talk: Capitol Broadcasting’s WCMC-FM “99.9 FM The Fan” (Carolina Hurricanes) 3.9 – 3.1, -.8, #8 to #13

Public Radio News/Talk: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-owned WUNC 9.2 – 8.3, -.9, fourth to second

Number One 6+: Urban One urban AC WFXC, first month, 9.6 – 8.5, -1.1

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: country WNCB and contemporary Christian WCCE (+.4)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WRAL (-6.3)

INDIANAPOLIS

News/Talk: Urban One’s WIBC “93.1 FM Indy’s Mobile News” 5.7 – 7.2, +1.5, locked in third-place

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Urban One-owned WIBC-HD2 “The Fan” (Colts) 3.3 – 3.0, -.3, repeats at #12

iHeartMedia’s WNDE “Fox Sports 1260” .4 – .7, +.3, #19 to #18

Public Radio News/Talk: Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting-owned WFYI 4.0 – 4.3, +.3, ninth to tenth

Number One 6+: Cumulus Media classic hits-oldies WJJK, first month, 7.9 – 10.4, +2.5

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic hits-oldies WJJK (+2.5)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WYXB (-7.8)

MILWAUKEE

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s WISN “News Talk 1130” 8.8 – 9.6, +.8 third to first

Good Karma Brands-owned WTMJ “Wisconsin’s Radio Station” (Bucks) 6.2 – 7.5, +1.3, anchored in fifth-place

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: iHeartMedia’s WRNW “97.3 The Game” (Green Bay Packers) 1.6 – 1.7, +.1, repeats at #15

Good Karma Brands-owned WKTI “ESPN Milwaukee” 1.0 – 1.1, +.1, #17 to #16

Public Radio News/Talk: University of Wisconsin-owned WUWM 3.3 – 4.5, +1.2, #11 to #7

Wisconsin Educational Communications Board’s WHAD .6 – 1.1, +.5, #21 to #16

Number One 6+: news/talk WISN, first month, 8.8 – 9.6, +.8

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: country WMIL (+2.1)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WLDB (-3.4)

NASHVILLE

News/Talk: Cumulus Media’s WWTN “Super Talk 99.7” 4.9 – 6.2, +1.3, seventh to sixth

iHeartMedia-owned WLAC “Talk Radio 1510” 1.2 – 1.0, -.2, #17 to #19

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Cumulus Media’s WGFX “104.5 The Zone” (Tennessee Titans) 6.6 – 5.5, -1.1, fourth to seventh

Cromwell Radio Group-owned WPRT “102.5 The Game” (Predators) 1.1 – 1.2, +.1, repeats at #18

Public Radio News/Talk: Nashville Public Radio’s WPLN-FM 2.6 – 3.8, +1.2, #13 to #10

Number One 6+: Midwest Communications adult hits WCJK, first month, 8.1 – 9.3, +1.2

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: urban contemporary WUBT (+1.5)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WJXA (-6.9)

PROVIDENCE

News/Talk: Cumulus Media’s WPRO-AM & WEAN “News Talk 630 AM & 99.7 FM” 4.5 – 5.0, +.5, repeats in seventh-place

iHeartMedia-owned WHJJ “News Radio 920” .5 – .4, -.1, #18 to #17

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Beasley Media Group-owned WBZ-FM “98.5 The Sports Hub” (Bruins, Celtics, New England Patriots) 4.0 – 4.2, +2, locked in eighth-place

Audacy’s WVEI “Sports Radio 103.7” 2.2 – 2.5, +.3, #11 to #12

Public Radio News/Talk: WGBH Educational Foundation-owned WGBH 3.3 – 3.2, -.1, continues in ninth-place

Rhode Island Public Radio’s WNPN flat at 2.6, #10 to #11

Number One 6+: Cumulus Media adult contemporary WWLI, fourth month in succession, 16.9 – 10.5, -6.4

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic hits-oldies WWBB (+1.5)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WWLI (-6.4)

NORFOLK

News/Talk: Sinclair’s WNIS “News Talk AM 790” flat at 2.8, #11 to #13

News: iHeartMedia-owned WNOH “BIN 105.3 Because Truth Matters” .8 – 1.3, +.5, repeats at #20

Sports Talk: Max Broadcast Group’s WVSP “94.1 ESPN” 1.6 – 1.8, +.2, #17 to #16

Public Radio News/Talk: None in the top twenty

Number One 6+: Audacy urban AC WVKL, first month, 9.0 – 10.1, +1.1

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic rock WAFX (+2.5)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WWDE (-6.6)

JACKSONVILLE

News/Talk: Cox Media Group’s WOKV-FM “104.5 Jacksonville’s News & Talk” 6.1 – 7.8 +1.7, fifth to third

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: None in the top twenty

Public Radio News/Talk: WJCT, Inc.’s WJCT 2.8 – 3.0, +.2, #11 to #13

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia country WQIK, first month, 7.1 – 10.0, +2.9

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: country WQIK (+2.9)*

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WEJZ (-10.0)**

*Represents the largest “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 increase (6+) of any station from these 12 PPM-markets

**Represents the largest “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 decrease (6+) of any station from these 12 PPM-markets

WEST PALM BEACH

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s WJNO “News Radio 1290” 1.1 – 1.7, +.6, #13 to #11 and cluster-mate WZZR “92.1 Real Radio” flat at 1.7, #10 to #11

Hubbard Broadcasting-owned WFTL “News Talk 850” 1.0 -.9, -.1, #15 to #14

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Hubbard Broadcasting’s WMEN “Fox Sports 640 AM South Florida” (Florida Panthers) 1.1 – .9, -.2, #13 to #14

iHeartMedia-owned WBZT “Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler” unchanged at .2, #19 to #18

Public Radio News/Talk: Dade County School Board’s WLRN 3.2 – 3.1, -.1, repeats in seventh-place and the stream of co-owned WLRN-HD2 .2, #18 (unlisted in “Holiday” 2022)

Number One 6+: Hubbard Broadcasting hot AC WRMF, first month, 7.6 – 8.2, +.6

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: contemporary Christian WAYF (+1.1)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WOLL (-1.2)

GREENSBORO

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s WPTI “News Talk 94.5” 3.2 – 3.9, +.7, locked in eighth-place

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: None in the top twenty

Public Radio News/Talk: Wake Forest University’s WFDD 2.6 – 2.8, +.2, ninth to tenth

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-owned WUNC 1.3 – 1.9, +.6, #13 to #14

Number One 6+: Audacy adult hits WSMW, first month, 9.8 – 12.2, +2.4

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: adult hits WSMW (+2.4)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WMAG (-9.5)

MEMPHIS

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s WREC “News Talk 600 AM” 2.6 – 3.9, +1.3, #13 to #8

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Audacy’s WMFS “Sports Radio 92.9” (Grizzlies) 3.6 – 3.9, +.3, ninth to eighth and WFMS’ internet stream flat at .4, #21 to #19

Public Radio News/Talk: Mid-South Public Communications-owned WKNO 1.1 – 1.4, +.3, #17 to #15

Number One 6+: Cumulus Media urban-rhythmic oldies WRBO, 14^thsuccessive month, 13.2 – 11.8, -1.4

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: gospel WHAL (+1.3)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WRVR (-3.5)

HARTFORD

News/Talk: Audacy’s WTIC-AM “News Talk 1080” flat at 5.1, sixth to eighth

Red Wolf Broadcasting-owned WDRC-AM “The Talk of Connecticut” steady at 1.0, #17 to #16

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: iHeartMedia’s WUCS “97.9 ESPN” unchanged at 2.0, #13 to #14

Public Radio News/Talk: Connecticut Educational Communications-owned WNPR flat at 5.7, fifth to seventh

New England Public Media’s WFCR steady at .4, #18 to #19 and WFCR’s internet stream .2 – .4, +.2, #20 to #19

Number One 6+: Audacy adult contemporary WRCH, 36^th month in a row, 15.8 – 10.9, -4.9

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: CHR WKSS (+2.4)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WRCH (-4.9)

Email Mike Kinosian at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com.

Features

January 2023 PPM Ratings Takeaways – Part Three

By TALKERS | February 24, 2023February 24, 2023 by TALKERS

January 2023 PPM Data – Information for the January 2023 ratings period has been released for Portland; Charlotte; San Antonio; Sacramento; Pittsburgh; Salt Lake City; Las Vegas; Orlando; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Kansas City; and Columbus.

Nielsen Audio’s January 2023 sweep covered January 5 – February 1.

TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian provides “Takeaways” for spoken-word stations finishing in their respective markets’ top twenty.

Cited as well are each particular city’s #1 station (6+) and loftiest (6+) upticks and drop-offs.

All comparisons noted are “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 (6+).

PORTLAND

News/Talk: Alpha Media’s KXL “FM 101 News” 6.0 – 6.6, +.6, fifth to fourth

iHeartMedia-owned KEX “News Radio 1190” 2.2 – 3.0, +.8, #16 to #10

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: None in the top twenty

Public Radio News/Talk: Oregon Public Broadcasting’s KOPB 6.7 – 7.9, +1.2, repeats in third-place and KOPB’s internet stream 1.4 – 1.7, +.3, continues at #20

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia adult contemporary KKCW, third month in a row, 16.7 – 9.2, -7.5

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: triple A KINK (+1.9)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KKCW (-7.5)

CHARLOTTE

News/Talk: Urban One-owned WBT AM & WBT-FM “Charlotte’s News Talk” (Carolina Panthers) 3.7 – 4.3, +.6, tenth to eighth

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Urban One’s WFNZ-FM “Sports Radio 92.7” (Hornets) 2.8 – 3.1, +.3, #13 to #14

Public Radio News/Talk: University Radio Foundation’s WFAE 3.5 – 3.3, -.2, flat at #12

South Carolina Educational Television Commission-owned WNSC .3 – .6, +.3 steady at #19

Number One 6+: Beasley Media Group urban AC WBAV, first month, 7.4 – 8.3, +.9

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: urban AC WBAV and urban-rhythmic oldies WOSF (+.9)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WKQC (-4.4)

SAN ANTONIO

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s WOAI “News Radio 1200” (Spurs) 2.6 – 3.5, +.9, #13 to #9

Alpha Media-owned KTSA “Stay Connected” 2.5 – 3.2, +.7, #14 to #13

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: None in the top twenty

Public Radio News/Talk: Texas Public Radio’s KSTX 1.7 – 2.2, +.5, #19 to #16

Number One 6+: Cox Media Group classic hits-oldies KONO-FM, first month, 8.1 – 7.2, -.9

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: CHR KXXM (+1.8)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KQXT (-8.5)

SACRAMENTO

News/Talk: iHeartMedia-owned KFBK-AM & KFBK-FM “News 1530 AM & 93.1 FM” 8.8 – 10.9, +2.1, second to first and cluster-mate KSTE-AM “Talk 650” 3.2 – 3.8, +.6, repeats in eighth-place

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Bonneville-owned KHTK “Sacramento Sports 1140” (Kings) 1.5 – 1.6, +.1, #19 to #17

Public Radio News/Talk: Capital Public Radio-owned KXJZ 2.9 – 3.9, +1.0, #12 to #7

Number One 6+: news/talk KFBK-AM & KFBK-FM, first month, 8.8 – 10.9, +2.1

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: news/talk KFBK-AM & KFBK-FM (+2.1)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KYMX (-7.7)

PITTSBURGH

News/Talk: Audacy’s KDKA-AM “News Radio 1020 AM” 2.8 – 3.5, +.7, #13 to #12 and KDKA-AM’s internet stream .7 – 1.1, +.4, repeats at #19

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Audacy-owned KDKA-FM “93.7 The Fan All Sports All The Time” 5.4 – 6.2, +.8, fifth to fourth and KDKA-FM’s internet stream .5 – .6, +.1, #21 to #20

Public Radio News/Talk: Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting’s WESA 3.1 – 4.5, +1.4, #11 to #8

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia classic hits-oldies WWSW, second month in a row, 13.3 – 9.9, -3.4

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: adult hits WRRK (+2.2)*

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WSHH (-4.5)

*Represents the largest “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 increase (6+) of any station from these 12 PPM-markets

SALT LAKE CITY

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s KNRS-AM & KNRS-FM “Talk Radio” 4.4 – 5.9, +1.5, sixth to third

Bonneville-owned KSL “News Radio 102.7 FM & 1160 AM” 4.6 – 5.5, +.9, repeats in fifth-place

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: None in the top twenty

Public Radio News/Talk: University of Utah’s KUER 2.1 – 3.1, +1.0, #17 to #14

Number One 6+: Bonneville adult contemporary KSFI, third straight month, 20.0 – 9.9, -10.1

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: alternative KXRK (+1.8)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KSFI (-10.1)**

**Represents the largest “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 decrease (6+) of any station from these 12 PPM-markets

LAS VEGAS

News/Talk: Audacy-owned KDWN “The Talk Of Las Vegas” 2.3 – 3.0, +.7, #16 to #13

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: None in the top twenty

Public Radio News/Talk: Nevada Public Radio’s KNPR 1.4 – 1.7, +.3, #22 to #20

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia adult contemporary KSNE, fourth successive month, 14.1 – 7.8, -6.3

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: regional Mexican KYLI (+1.3)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KSNE (-6.3)

ORLANDO

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s WTKS “Real Radio 104.1” 5.1 – 6.1, +1.0, seventh to fifth

Cox Media Group-owned WDBO “Orlando’s News Talk” 4.6 – 4.7, +.1, repeats in eighth-place

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: iHeartMedia’s WYGM “96.9 The Game” (Magic) .9 – 1.2, +.3, #20 to #18

Public Radio News/Talk: Community Connections-owned WMFE 1.6 – 2.4, +.8, #17 to #16

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia adult contemporary WMGF, fourth consecutive month, 13.1 – 8.2, -4.9

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: alternative WQMP (+1.8)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WMGF (-4.9)

CINCINNATI

News/Talk: iHeartMedia-owned WLW “700 Cincinnati’s News Radio” (Bengals) 10.7 – 12.3, +1.6, #1 and cluster-mate WKRC “55 KRC The Talk Station” 2.8 – 3.8, +1.0, #13 to #9

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: iHeartMedia’s WCKY “ESPN 1530” (Bengals) 2.6 – 3.1, +.5, #14 to #11

Public Radio News/Talk: Cincinnati Public Radio’s WVXU 5.0 – 4.8, -.2, sixth to fifth

Number One 6+: news/talk WLW, 12^th consecutive month, 10.7 – 12.3, +1.6

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: news/talk WLW (+1.6)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WRRM (-4.6)

CLEVELAND

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s WTAM “News Radio 1100” (Cavaliers) 4.6 – 5.0, +.4, eighth to tenth

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Audacy’s WKRK “Sports Radio 92.3 The Fan” (Browns) 6.0 – 5.5, -.5, sixth to eighth and WKRK’s internet stream 1.2 – 1.6, +.4, #16 to #15

Public Radio News/Talk: Kent State University-owned WKSU flat at 4.2, repeats at #11

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia classic hits-oldies WMJI, third month in a row, 14.1 – 11.1, -3.0

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: urban contemporary WENZ (+2.1)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WDOK (-3.7)

KANSAS CITY

News/Talk: Audacy-owned KMBZ-FM “98.1 FM News, Traffic, Weather” 3.2 – 3.6, +.4, remains at #11 and cluster-mate KMBZ-AM “Talk 980 AM” flat at 1.4, locked at #20

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Audacy’s KCSP “Sports Radio 610 Our Teams, Our Town” 2.5 – 3.2, +.7, #15 to #13

Public Radio News/Talk: University of Missouri-owned KCUR 4.4 – 4.1, -.3, sixth to seventh

Number One 6+: Cumulus Media classic hits-oldies KCMO-FM, first month, flat at 7.9

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: urban contemporary KPRS (+1.2)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KCKC (-4.4)

COLUMBUS

News/Talk: iHeartMedia-owned WTVN “News Radio 610” 5.3 – 7.0, +1.7, eighth to fourth

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Tegna-owned WBNS-FM “97.1 FM The Fan” (Blue Jackets) 8.0 – 8.7, +.7, anchored in the runner-up slot

Public Radio News/Talk: Ohio State University’s WOSU 5.9 – 7.2, +1.3, seventh to third

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia country WCOL, third straight month, 9.2 – 9.5, +.3

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: news/talk WTVN (+1.7)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult hits WODC (-3.0)

Up next: January 2023 overviews for Austin; Raleigh; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; Nashville; Providence; Norfolk; Jacksonville; West Palm Beach; Greensboro; Memphis; and Hartford.

Email Mike Kinosian at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com.

Features

January 2023 PPM Ratings Takeaways – Part Two

By TALKERS | February 23, 2023 by TALKERS

January 2023 PPM Data – Information for the January 2023 sweep has been released for Washington, DC; Boston; Miami; Seattle; Detroit; Phoenix; Minneapolis; San Diego; Tampa; Denver; Baltimore; and St. Louis.

Nielsen Audio’s January 2023 sweep covered January 5 – February 1.

TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian provides “Takeaways” for spoken-word stations finishing in their respective markets’ top twenty.

Cited as well are each particular city’s #1 station (6+) and loftiest (6+) upticks and drop-offs.

All comparisons noted are “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 (6+).

WASHINGTON, DC

News/Talk: Cumulus Media’s WMAL “105.9 FM – Where Washington Comes To Talk” 3.4 – 3.8, +.4, repeats in seventh-place

News: Hubbard Broadcasting-owned WTOP & WTLP “Washington’s Top News” 7.8 – 8.6, +.8, third to the runner-up slot

Sports Talk: Audacy’s WJFK-FM “106.7 The Fan” (Capitals) 2.7 – 3.1, +.4, #14 to #10 and WJFK-FM’s internet stream 1.0 – .9, -.1, flat at #19

Public Radio News/Talk: American University-owned WAMU 11.3 – 12.9, +1.6, #1

Number One 6+: public radio news/talk WAMU, 14^th month in succession, 11.3 – 12.9, +1.6

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: contemporary Christian WGTS (+1.7)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WASH (-4.5)

BOSTON

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s WRKO “AM 680 The Voice Of Boston” 2.8 – 3.7, +.9, #13 to #11

News – Talk: iHeartMedia-owned WBZ-AM “News Radio 1030” 4.8 – 5.3, +.5, sixth to fifth

Sports Talk: Beasley Media Group’s WBZ-FM “98.5 The Sports Hub” (Celtics, Bruins, and New England Patriots) 8.0 – 8.8, +.8, second to first

Audacy-owned WEEI-FM “93.7 Boston’s Sports Station” 4.6 – 3.9, -.7, seventh to tenth

Public Radio News/Talk: Boston University’s WBUR 4.6 – 4.5, -.1, seventh to sixth

WGBH Educational Foundation-owned WGBH 3.4 – 3.5, +.1, #9 to #12

Number One 6+: sports talk WBZ-FM, first month, 8.0 – 8.8, +.8

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: rhythmic hot AC WBQT (+1.2)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WMJX (-8.3)

MIAMI

News/Talk: None in the top twenty

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: None in the top twenty

Public Radio News/Talk: Dade County School Board-owned WLRN 3.1 – 2.1, -1.0, #13 to #8

Number One 6+: Cox Media Group adult contemporary WFEZ, first month, 7.9 – 8.9, +1.0

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: adult contemporary WFEZ (+1.0)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: public radio news/talk WLRN (-1.0)

SEATTLE

News/Talk: Bonneville-owned KIRO-FM “97.3 FM” (Seahawks) 5.5 – 6.1, +.6, third to second

News: Lotus Communications’ KNWN-AM & KNWN-FM “Northwest News Radio” flat at 5.5, repeats in third-place

Sports Talk: Bonneville-owned KIRO-AM “710 AM ESPN Seattle” (Seahawks) 3.5 – 3.0, -.5, #10 to #15

iHeartMedia’s KJR-FM “93.3 FM Seattle’s Sports Leader” 1.9 – 2.6, +.7, #21 to #18

Public Radio News/Talk: Northwest Public Radio’s KUOW flat at 4.9, locked in sixth-place

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia classic hits-oldies KJEB, first month, 4.7 – 6.3, +1.6

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic hits-oldies KJEB (+1.6)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KRWM (-6.8)

DETROIT

News/Talk: Cumulus Media’s WJR “News Talk 760 AM” 2.3 – 2.5, +.2, #15 to #16

News: Audacy-owned WWJ News Radio 950” (Pistons) 4.5 – 4.6, +.1, seventh to eighth

Sports Talk: Audacy’s WXYT-FM “97.1 The Ticket” (Red Wings and Lions) 7.6 – 6.8, -.8, second to third and WXYT-FM’s internet stream 2.2 – 1.9, -.3, #16 to #18

Public Radio News/Talk: University of Michigan-owned WUOM 2.2 – 2.7, +.5, #16 to #15

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia adult contemporary WNIC, third month in a row, 15.7 – 7.7, -8.0

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic rock WCSX and country WYCD (+1.7)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WNIC (-8.0)

PHOENIX

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s KFYI “News Talk 550” 3.3 – 3.2, -.1, eighth to tenth

Bonneville-owned KTAR-FM “News 92.3 FM” (Sun and Arizona Cardinals) 1.7 – 2.4, +.7, #22 to #17

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Bonneville’s KMVP-FM “98.7 Arizona’s Sports Station” (Sun) 1.6 – 2.4, +.8, #23 to #17

Public Radio News/Talk: Maricopa County Community College-owned KJZZ 8.1 – 8.0, -.1, second to first

Number One 6+: public radio news/talk KJZZ, first month, 8.1 – 8.0, -.1

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: rhythmic CHR KALV (+2.2)*

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KESZ (-9.5)**

*Represents a tie for the largest “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 increase (6+) of any station from these 12 PPM-markets

**Represents the largest “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 decrease (6+) of any station from these 12 PPM-markets

MINNEAPOLIS

News/Talk: Hubbard Broadcasting-owned KTMY “My Talk 107.1” flat at 3.1, anchored at #14

Audacy’s WCCO “News Talk 830” (Minnesota Timberwolves) 3.7 – 3.0, -.7, #12 to #15

iHeartMedia’s KTLK-AM “Twin Cities News Talk AM 1130” 2.0 – 1.7, -.3, flat at #17

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: iHeartMedia-owned KFXN “FM 100.3 K-Fan” (Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Vikings) 7.5 – 7.1, -.4, locked in second-place

Public Radio News/Talk: Minnesota Public Radio’s KNOW 6.3 – 6.5, +.2, fourth to fifth

Number One 6+: Hubbard Broadcasting hot AC KSTP-FM, first month, 5.5 – 7.2, +1.7

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: CHR KDWB (+1.9)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: classic hits-oldies KQQL (-8.3)

SAN DIEGO

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s KOGO “News Radio 600” 5.4 – 6.1, +.7, fifth to fourth

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Audacy-owned KWFN “97.3 The Fan” .8 – 1.9, +1.1, #21 to #18

Public Radio News/Talk: San Diego State University’s KPBS 5.5 – 6.9, +1.4, fourth to first

Number One 6+: public radio news/talk KPBS, first month, 5.5 – 6.9, +1.4

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: public radio news/talk KPBS and classic rock KGB-FM (+1.4)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KYXY (-7.9)

TAMPA

News/Talk: Cox Media Group’s WHPT “102.5 The Bone – Real, Raw, Radio” (Lightning) 3.7 – 4.5, +.8, #12 to #9

iHeartMedia-owned WFLA “News Radio 970” 2.2 – 2.4, +.2, repeats at #17

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: iHeartMedia-owned WDAE “Tampa Bay’s Sports Radio” 1.5 – 1.8, +.3, locked at #19

Public Radio News/Talk: University of South Florida’s WUSF 2.6 – 2.8, +.2, unchanged at #15

Number One 6+: Cox Media Group adult contemporary WDUV, 18^th month in a row, 11.4 – 7.8, -3.6

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: contemporary Christian WCIE; classic hits-oldies WRBQ; and news/talk WHPT (+.8)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WDUV (-3.6)

DENVER

News/Talk: In the iHeartMedia cluster, KOA “News Radio 850” (Broncos) 2.4 – 3.0, +.6, #16 to #15; KHOW “Talk Radio 630” 1.5 – 1.9, +.4, #20 to #18; and KDFD “Freedom 93.7” 1.4 – 1.6, +.2, #21 to #20

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Bonneville’s KKFN “104.3 The Fan” (Nuggets) 4.0 – 4.7, +.7, seventh to sixth

Public Radio News/Talk: Colorado Public Radio-owned KCFR 3.6 – 4.7, +1.1, #11 to #6

Number One 6+: Bonneville adult contemporary KOSI, fourth consecutive month, 14.4 – 6.2, -8.2

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: hot AC KALC (+2.1)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KOSI (-8.2)

BALTIMORE

News/Talk: Hearst Television’s WBAL “News Radio 1090 AM & 101.5 FM” (Ravens) 3.6 – 3.9, +.3, tenth to eighth

WCBM Maryland-owned WCBM “Talk Radio AM 680” 1.6 – 1.7, +.1, #17 to #18

Cumulus Media-owned WMAL “105.9 FM – Where Washington Comes To Talk” .6 – 1.2, +.6, #20 to #19

News: Audacy-owned business news WDCH “Bloomberg 99.1 FM”.6 – .7, +.1, steady at #20

Sports Talk: Audacy’s WJZ-FM “Baltimore Sports Radio 105.7 The Fan” 4.3 – 5.4, +1.1, remains in sixth-place

Public Radio News/Talk: Your Public Radio Corporation-owned WYPR 2.9 – 3.4, +.5, #12 to #10

Number One 6+: Audacy adult contemporary WLIF, sixth consecutive month, 14.5 – 8.4, -6.1

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: CHR WWMX (+2.2)*

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WLIF (-6.1)

*Represents a tie for the largest “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 increase (6+) of any station from these 12 PPM-markets

ST. LOUIS

News/Talk: Audacy’s KMOX “The Voice Of St. Louis” 4.4 – 5.2, +.8, repeats in ninth-place and cluster-mate KFTK “Talk 97.1 FM” 1.4 – 1.8, +.4, steady at #17

iHeartMedia-owned KTLK-FM “104.9 The Patriot” .5 – .7, +.2, #24 to #19

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Hubbard Broadcasting’s WXOS “101 ESPN” (Blues) 3.7 – 3.5, -.2, #11 to #12

Public Radio News/Talk: University of Missouri-owned KWMU 3.6 – 4.4, +.8, #13 to #11

Number One 6+: Hubbard Broadcasting adult hits WARH, first month, 8.9 – 10.2, +1.3

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic hits-oldies KLOU (+1.6)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KEZK (-7.7)

Up next: January 2023 overviews for Portland; Charlotte; San Antonio; Sacramento; Pittsburgh; Salt Lake City; Las Vegas; Orlando; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Kansas City; and Columbus.

Email Mike Kinosian at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com

Features

January 2023 PPM Ratings Takeaways – Part One

By TALKERS | February 22, 2023 by TALKERS

January 2023 PPM Data – Information for the January 2023 ratings period has been released for New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; San Francisco; Dallas; Houston; Atlanta; Philadelphia; Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island); Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario; San Jose; and Middlesex-Somerset-Union.

Nielsen Audio’s January 2023 sweep covered January 5 – February 1.

TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian provides “Takeaways” for spoken-word stations finishing in their respective markets’ top twenty.

Cited as well are each particular city’s #1 station (6+) and loftiest (6+) upticks and drop-offs.

All comparisons noted are “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 (6+).

NEW YORK

News/Talk: Red Apple Media’s WABC-AM & WLIR-FM “77 Talk Radio” 3.1 – 3.9, +.8, tenth to ninth

iHeartMedia-owned WOR “710 – The Voice of New York” 1.1 – 1.7, +.6, #23 to #19

News: Audacy’s WINS-FM “1010 WINS All News 92.3 FM” flat at 4.6, fifth to seventh and co-owned WCBS-AM “News Radio 880” steady at 2.0, remains at #17

Sports Talk: Audacy-owned WFAN-FM & WFAN-AM “Sports Radio 101.9 FM & 66 AM” (Brooklyn Nets and NY Giants) 3.1 – 3.3, +.2, #10 to #12 and WFAN’s internet stream 1.4 – 2.0, +.6, #21 to #17

Public Radio News/Talk: WNYC Broadcasting Foundation’s WNYC-FM 2.8 – 3.8, +1.0, #12 to #10

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia adult contemporary WLTW, third month in a row, 10.4 – 6.5, -3.9

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic hits-oldies WCBS-FM (+1.5)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WLTW (-3.9)

LOS ANGELES

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s KFI “AM 640” 4.4 – 4.1, -.3, third to sixth

News: Audacy-owned KNX-FM “News 97.1” 2.5 – 2.8, +.3, #12 to #9

Sports Talk: None in the top twenty

Public Radio News/Talk: Pasadena Area Community College’s KPCC 2.0 – 2.3, +.3, #19 to #16

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia adult contemporary KOST, seventh month in succession, 13.1 – 6.8, -6.3

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: smooth AC KTWV (+1.3)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KOST (-6.3)

CHICAGO

News/Talk: Nexstar Media Group’s WGN “Radio 720” (Blackhawks) 2.8 – 3.4, +.6, #12 to #9

News: Audacy-owned WBBM-AM & WCFS “News Radio 780 AM & 105.9 FM” (Bears) 4.8 – 4.5, -.3, continues in fourth-place

Sports Talk: Audacy’s WSCR “670 The Score” (Bulls) 1.7 – 1.9, +.2, #20 to #17

Public Radio News/Talk: Chicago Public Media-owned WBEZ 3.4 – 3.9, +.5, sixth to eighth

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia adult contemporary WLIT, fourth straight month, 14.8 – 7.3, -7.5

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: triple A WXRT (+3.0)*

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WLIT (-7.5)

*Represents the largest “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 increase (6+) of any station from these 12 PPM-markets

SAN FRANCISCO

News/Talk: Cumulus Media-owned KSFO “Talk Radio 560” flat at 1.7, #18 to #20

News: Audacy’s KCBS-AM & KFRC “All News 740 AM & 106.9 FM” 6.7 – 6.9, +.2, anchored in the runner-up slot

Sports Talk: Cumulus Media-owned KNBR “The Sports Leader” (49ers) 3.3 – 3.9, +.6, eighth to seventh

Audacy’s KGMZ “95.7 The Game” (Golden State Warriors) 1.9 – 2.7, +.8, #16 to #11

Public Radio News/Talk: KQED, Inc.-owned KQED 5.9 – 6.1, +.2, third to fourth

Number One 6+: Bonneville adult contemporary KOIT-FM, third successive month, 15.5 – 8.1, -7.4

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: adult contemporary KISQ (+2.1)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KOIT-FM (-7.4)

DALLAS

News/Talk: Cumulus Media-owned WBAP “News Talk 820 AM & 99.5 HD2 FM” 3.7 – 3.4, -.3, eighth to tenth

News – Talk: Audacy’s KRLD-AM “News Radio 1080” (Cowboys) 2.2 – 2.5, +.3, #20 to #17

Sports Talk: Cumulus Media-owned KTCK “Sports Radio The Ticket” (Stars) 3.8 – 6.2, +2.4, sixth to first

Audacy’s KRLD-FM “105.3 The Fan” (Cowboys) 3.7 – 3.5, -.2, eighth to ninth

Public Radio News/Talk: North Texas Public Broadcasting-owned KERA 2.5 – 3.1, +.6, #16 to #14

Number One 6+: Cumulus Media sports talk KTCK, first month, 3.8 – 6.2, +2.4

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: sports talk KTCK (+2.4)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KDGE (-5.2)

HOUSTON

News/Talk: iHeartMedia’s KTRH “AM 740 News Radio” 3.3 – 3.8, +.5, #12 to #11

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Audacy KILT-AM “Sports Radio 610” 1.7 – 1.9, +.2, #21 to #19

Public Radio News/Talk: University of Houston’s KUHF 2.4 – 3.1, +.7, #18 to #13

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia adult contemporary KODA, 23^rd consecutive month, 14.7 – 9.6, -5.1

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic rock KGLK (+1.0)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KODA (-5.1)

ATLANTA

News/Talk: Cox Media Group-owned WSB-AM & WSBB “Atlanta’s News & Talk” 4.4 – 6.3, +1.9, seventh to fourth

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: Audacy’s WZGC “92.9 The Game” (Hawks and Falcons) 2.2 – 2.4, +.2, #16 to #14

Dickey Broadcasting-owned WCNN “The Fan” 1.4 – 1.7, +.3, #20 to #18

Public Radio News/Talk: Atlanta Public Schools-owned WABE 3.0 – 3.8, +.8, tenth to ninth

Number One 6+: Cox Media Group classic hits-oldies WSRV, first month, 8.0 – 8.3, +.3

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: news/talk WSB-AM & WSBB (+1.9)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: contemporary Christian WFSH (-2.8)

PHILADELPHIA

News/Talk: None in the top twenty

News: Audacy-owned KYW & WPHI “News Radio 1060 AM & 103.9 FM” 6.2 – 5.8, -.4, third to fifth

Sports Talk: Audacy’s WIP “Sports Radio 94” (Eagles) 5.9 – 6.9, +1.0, fifth to second and WIP’s internet stream 1.2 – 1.6, +.4 #20 to #19

Beasley Media Group-owned WPEN-FM “97.5 The Fanatic” (76ers and Flyers) 1.3 – 1.6, +.3, flat at #19

Public Radio News/Talk: WHYY-owned WHYY 3.6 – 5.0, +1.4, continues in seventh-place

Number One 6+: Beasley Media Group classic rock WMGK, first month, 6.0 – 7.3, +1.3

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic hits-oldies WOGL (+1.9)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WBEB (-11.0)

LONG ISLAND

News/Talk: iHeartMedia-owned WOR “710 – The Voice of New York” 1.1 – 2.2, +1.1, #21 to #16

News: Audacy’s WCBS-AM “News Radio 880” 3.8 – 4.4, +.6, repeats in seventh-place and cluster-mate WINS-FM “1010 WINS All News 92.3 FM” 3.0 – 3.6, +.6, tenth to eighth

Sports Talk: Audacy-owned WFAN-FM & WFAN-AM “Sports Radio 101.9 FM & 66 AM” (Brooklyn Nets and NY Giants) 4.8 – 5.1, +.3, sixth to fourth and WFAN’s internet stream flat at 1.6, #16 to #17

Good Karma’s WEPN-FM “98.7 ESPN New York” (Knicks, Jets, Rangers, Islanders) 1.4 – 1.6, +.2, #19 to #17

Public Radio News/Talk: None in the top twenty

Number One 6+: iHeartMedia CHR WHTZ, first month, 5.8 – 6.6, +.8

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: rhythmic CHR WKTU (+1.2)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: hot AC WALK-FM (-5.9)

RIVERSIDE

News/Talk: None in the top twenty

News: None in the top twenty

Sports Talk: None in the top twenty

Public Radio News/Talk: San Bernardino Community College District’s KVCR, flat at .4, #18 to #19

Number One 6+: Anaheim Broadcasting classic hits-oldies KOLA, 14^th consecutive month, 7.6 – 6.8, -.8

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: regional Mexican KRQB (+1.4)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: rhythmic CHR KGGI (-.9)

SAN JOSE

News/Talk: Cumulus Media-owned KSFO “Talk Radio 560” 1.1 – 1.3, +.2, #22 to #19

News: Audacy’s KCBS-AM & KFRC “All News 740 AM & 106.9 FM” 7.0 – 7.4, +.4, anchored in the runner-up slot

Sports Talk: Cumulus Media-owned KNBR “The Sports Leader” (49ers ) 2.9 – 4.3, +1.4, eighth to seventh

Audacy’s KGMZ “95.7 The Game” steady at 1.3, #20 to #19

Public Radio News/Talk: None in the top twenty

Number One 6+: Bonneville adult contemporary KOIT-FM, eighth consecutive month 22.7 – 8.5, -14.2

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: adult contemporary KISQ (+2.8)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary KOIT-FM (-14.2)**

**Represents the largest “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 decrease (6+) of any station from these 12 PPM-markets

MIDDLESEX-SOMERSET-UNION

News/Talk: Townsquare Media-owned WKXW “New Jersey 101.5” 6.2 – 7.1, +.9 fourth to second

News: Audacy’s WINS-FM “1010 WINS All News 92.3 FM” 1.7 – 1.9, +.2, repeats at #14 and co-owned WCBS-AM “News Radio 880” 1.2 – 1.1, -.1, #18 to #20

Sports Talk: Audacy-owned WFAN-FM & WFAN-AM “Sports Radio 101.9 FM & 66 AM” (Brooklyn Nets and NY Giants) 3.0 – 3.9, +.9, ninth to seventh

Good Karma’s WEPN-FM “98.7 ESPN New York” (Knicks, Jets, Rangers, Islanders) 1.1 – 1.6, +.5, #20 to #18

WFAN’s internet stream .7 – 1.1, +.4, #22 to #20

Public Radio News/Talk: None in the top twenty

Number One 6+: Beasley Media Group adult contemporary WMGQ, first month, 10.9 – 7.4, -3.5

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Increase: classic hits-oldies WCBS-FM (+1.2)

Largest 6+ “Holiday” 2022 – January 2023 Decrease: adult contemporary WLTW (-5.1)

Up next: January 2023 overviews for: Washington, DC; Boston; Miami; Seattle; Detroit; Phoenix; Minneapolis; San Diego; Tampa; Denver; Baltimore; and St. Louis.

Email Mike Kinosian at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com.

Features

Ruddy Speaks Out as Talk Hosts Support Newsmax Versus DirecTV

By TALKERS | February 10, 2023February 10, 2023 by TALKERS

TALKERS founder Michael Harrison and Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy engaged in a phone conversation this week (2/8) to discuss the bruhaha buzzing through conservative news/talk radio triggered by AT&T’s recent decision to remove the popular conservative channel from its subsidiary, DirecTV. Ruddy, grateful for the support Newsmax is receiving from radio hosts, wanted to speak out directly to the medium further explaining his position. (NOTE: Newsmax also has a footprint in the news/talk radio space as syndicator of the daily Rob Carson midday program.)

Late in January, DirecTV, owned by AT&T, “deplatformed” Newsmax from more than 13 million of its subscriber homes calling it a “business decision.”

News of this stunned Washington, fueling GOP lawmakers with more evidence that big tech media was closing down conservative voices for political reasons.

This was the second time in just the past year AT&T moved to cancel a conservative channel, taking OAN off their platforms last April.

However, Newsmax is not OAN. Newsmax has, in breathtaking time, became the fourth-highest-rated cable news channel reaching 25 million Americans, according to Nielsen.

Major Members of Congress, Senators and newsmakers dot its programming lineup every day. Even First Lady Jill Biden made a prime-time appearance to discuss her cancer initiative last October and former President Donald Trump is a regular participant.

According to Ruddy, “The fact that AT&T was willing to take down Newsmax as Republicans take control of the House was yet another sign for America’s right that ‘wokeness’ remains in high gear.”

In the conversation, Ruddy described AT&T’s decision a “blatant act of political censorship” and “effort to restrict conservative voices before the ’24 election.”

Here are some takeaways from Chris Ruddy:

Government Collusion

“We know from ‘The Twitter Files,’ that Twitter worked in collusion with federal agencies, including the FBI, to censor and restrict the speech of news media and public figures,” said Ruddy.

“Why,” he asked,” would we not think that was happening” in Newsmax’s case, too?

(During testimony on February 8 before the House Oversight Committee, former Twitter executives admitted they handled the Hunter Biden matter poorly, but also said they were not in contact with government officials over the matter.)

Ruddy points to a 2021 letter penned by Democratic Members of Congress Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney, addressed to AT&T’s CEO and other cable operators, clearly aimed at removing OAN, Newsmax and FOX News Channel for spreading “misinformation.”

Harrison asked, “With two channels down, is FOX News a target next?”

Ruddy said it clearly is a target, but that cable operators will have a more difficult time “deplatforming” it.

Cutting Costs

Harrison asked, “When AT&T dropped OAN and Newsmax, didn’t the company say both moves were the result of cost-cutting?”

Ruddy responded that this claim makes no sense when Newsmax is concerned, “because they keep over 100 channels that have far less ratings and are more costly than Newsmax.”

A business approach, he said, would be for DirecTV to remove low-rated channels that are costly, not highly rated channels like Newsmax that are inexpensive.

He said AT&T’s unusual decision to cut Newsmax demonstrates a “political motive.”

Newsmax has produced a chart that shows 22 liberal-leaning news and information channels. Almost all have lower ratings than Newsmax – and all get fees higher than Newsmax was seeking.

Ruddy says Newsmax sought a very modest license fee of $1 per year per subscriber. CNN gets $14 a year from DirecTV. And almost every channel in the top 100 gets a multiple of the $1.

Harrison asked, “So, what’s the problem for DirecTV, which I understand raked in $2.7 billion last year in profits?”

Ruddy’s response: “DirecTV says that Newsmax is simply ineligible for any license fee, not one penny let alone $1.”

And here he seems to make a strong case AT&T is targeting Newsmax – by denying it any fees when almost everyone else gets paid a fee, especially liberal channels.

“AT&T DirecTV is being super clever,” Ruddy explains. “They tell Newsmax they’ll carry us for free, but we can’t get a license fee.” But, Ruddy adds, “Since all cable agreements, according to industry standards, get the lowest rate, that means all go to zero fees with no license fee for Newsmax.

“Since cable news channels need license fees to operate, DirecTV is effectively putting Newsmax out of business,” he said.

Political Bias

“This claim that Newsmax alone can never get a fee simply doesn’t seem to work for a lot of people in the public as well as Congress,” Ruddy said.

“Many conservative leaders in America – and some fair-minded independents and liberals – have already concluded that AT&T’s motives with Newsmax were largely driven by politics, and not by dollars and cents.”

New House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he called AT&T and informed the company that “Newsmax should not be treated any differently based upon them being a conservative news outlet.” McCarthy has vowed there will be hearings on the removal of Newsmax.

Even Alan Dershowitz, one of America’s famed liberal lawyers, agrees with McCarthy that Newsmax’s removal doesn’t pass the smell test.

“Clearly, they used economic reasons as a cover for political reasons,” Dershowitz told Newsmax’s Greta Van Susteren last week.

Dershowitz said he believes AT&T’s decision “had elements of partisan and ideological and political bias directed at stations that don’t adhere to the views of the company.”

“Anybody who believes that this was purely an economic decision should buy a bridge in Brooklyn,” he said, adding that A&T DirecTV “ought to reconsider and put Newsmax back on.”

Fighting Back

When AT&T DirecTV deplatformed OAN, a relatively hard-right channel with a relatively small viewership, it received little attention. But the executives at AT&T may have awoken a sleeping giant by taking on Newsmax.

Newsmax’s reach is extensive, reaching 40 million Americans through online, apps, emails, and a huge social media network – not to mention that its content is highly utilized by many radio talk show hosts and producers.

Ruddy told Harrison, “For a long time Newsmax’s audience has been aligned and interconnected with the talk radio audience. We are seeing tremendous synergies across all media platforms, including talk radio.” Ruddy has been speaking out on this subject on a number of radio talk shows across America.

On the same day of the Ruddy-Harrison conversation, the Newsmax CEO appeared on Mark Simone’s top-rated show on powerhouse WOR in New York to discuss the censorship of his channel. Demand is so great for interviews, Newsmax analysts Dick Morris and Hogan Gidley are also doing interviews about the AT&T matter.

The End Game

Ruddy said he’d like Newsmax to be back on DirecTV. Initially, DirecTV said they had no intention to bring Newsmax back on air. But last week, the company reversed course and said they are open to do so.

However, according to Ruddy, so far DirecTV has not changed their position that Newsmax is not entitled to any license fees.

“We are willing to negotiate but DirecTV has to do so in good faith,” Ruddy said, adding “We’re waiting.”

He said even if Newsmax stays off DirecTV, his media empire will continue to grow.

“This episode has made us stronger and AT&T is a good company for us to build against in the months and years ahead,” he said. “Everyone knows AT&T and they’re not well-liked for engaging in politics, targeting conservatives – and they even owned CNN during its worst years,” Ruddy said.

“We’ve been in business for 25 years and no matter what the controversy, Newsmax has always come out ahead. It will this time too,” he concluded.

After speaking with Ruddy, Harrison stated, “We all know that the First Amendment only applies to government censorship and privately-owned platforms have the right to present or not present whatever opinions conform to their positions. However, when government officials use the influence and prestige of their office to pressure high-level media executives to deplatform legitimate players for obvious political ends – as seems to be the case in this Newsmax scenario – that becomes a major concern for all Americans who value free speech. And even if the government wasn’t involved, massive power requires equal responsibility and even-handedness. Although in many cases the picture remains murky – for the most part, it is clear to me that conservatives claiming an ongoing imbalance of bias against them, by the informationally-vital venues of big tech, have an abundance of growing evidence to support their complaints. And that should be a major worry of all fair-minded Americans trying to negotiate the turbulent waters of this new digital era without losing at least the spirit of the First Amendment let alone the letter of the law.”

Features

Remembering Overnight Sensation Jim Bohannon

By Editor | November 14, 2022 by Editor

By Mike Kinosian
TALKERS magazine
Managing Editor

LOS ANGELES — Talk radio’s tightknit community is reeling as it mourns the passing of one of the format’s genuine iconic stalwarts, Jim Bohannon, who has died at the age of 78.

“Class act” epitomized peerless communicator Bohannon, who – while enjoying the luxury of a national Westwood One platform – possessed a palpably authentic on-air style that enamored him to a huge, loyal following.

(more…)

Features

Barry’s Bibi Stands Tall

By TALKERS | October 17, 2022January 25, 2023 by TALKERS

By Mike Kinosian
TALKERS magazine
Managing Editor

NEW YORK — With apologies to Abraham Lincoln for taking modification liberties with a highly exemplary quote attributable to our esteemed 16^th president, but a person never stands so tall as when they stoop to help someone in need.

Over the past several decades, one particular eclectic woman has provided comfort by physically reaching down to offer uplifting comfort, while at other times, providing entertainment while delicately perched… on stilts.

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Features

‘Serial’ Wisdom

By Editor | September 23, 2022February 28, 2023 by Editor

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published in TALKERS magazine on December 23, 2014. The release of Adnan Sayed from prison last week put the investigative podcast “Serial” back in the spotlight.

By Bill McMahon
The Authentic Personality
CEO

EAGLE, Idaho — I first learned about “Serial” the podcast from my Twitter feed. It was a day I was thinking a lot about the future of radio and audio entertainment. I was feeling pretty pessimistic. The current crop of news and talk programming on radio wasn’t giving me much hope. The headline style news delivered by most radio stations has become a commodity available on demand on multiple platforms. The superficial reports of common crime, ordinary human misfortune, politics and political process that dominate the radio news menu aren’t distinctive, interesting or relevant to the lives of most listeners. Talk programming is limited to conversations about sports and politics from a conservative political perspective. Digital audio initiatives from radio broadcasters are primarily repurposed radio programs offered as podcasts. The lack of imagination, innovation, and variety in audio content created by radio broadcasters left me feeling depressed about the future of the business to which I’ve dedicated most of my professional life.

(more…)

Features

Telstar and Me: July 23, 1962

By Editor | July 22, 2022 by Editor

By Mark Wainwright
Talk Host/Voice Artist

Radio and television broadcasting were changed forever on a summer afternoon in 1962. Everybody realized it then; hardly anyone cares or remembers today

(This article was originally published in TALKERS and cross-posted to LinkedIn on July 23, 2020. A revised version also ran in TALKERS and was cross-posted to social media in July of 2021. It has been edited and amended prior to posting and publication on the 60^thanniversary this week.)

SYRACUSE — Instant, worldwide audio/video communication has become a routine aspect of our lives that we now take for granted. We can hold the technology in our hands and access it anytime. Yet it wasn’t so long ago that this was the stuff of science fiction.

By the early 1960s, live worldwide radio had been around for decades. With a combination of shortwave transmission and some intricate international phone links, you could get a radio broadcast from just about anywhere to just about anyplace. There were limitations, and the audio quality wasn’t great, but it could usually be done. The bandwidth demands of “broadcast-quality” television, however, were a much higher hurdle.

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Features

A Radio News Junkie’s Regret

By Editor | July 19, 2022 by Editor

By Bruce Putterman
The CT Mirror
Publisher

HARTFORD — I remember the moment I first fell in love.

I’m in college. It’s September 6, 1980… I find my way to WVBR, a commercial FM radio station, in Ithaca, NY, staffed largely by Cornell University students.

I am immediately infatuated with everything about radio: the records spinning on the studio turntable, the red “On Air” sign, the disc jockey introducing songs with casual wit, shelves lined with thousands of albums. But what really stirs my imagination is the UPI teletype machine… rat-tat-tatting news from around the world.

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Features

Salem Rises to Prominence in Conservative Media

By Editor | July 18, 2022 by Editor

By Kevin Casey
TALKERS magazine
VP/Executive Editor

IRVING, Tex. — The last few years have brought enormous change to the media landscape and one of the bright lights in the sea of change is what’s been happening at Salem Media Group. Officials at the company say its rise to prominence in the conservative media arena has been building for more than 10 years. In fact, in April 2019, The Hollywood Reporter published an article titled, “How Salem has Quietly Become a Giant in Conservative Media.” In the three-plus years since, the Irving, Texas-based company has continued that trajectory and in many eyes verifies the claims in that piece. When it comes to conservative media, it’s impossible not to see Salem’s giant footprint.

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Features

It’s My Party

By Editor | July 15, 2022 by Editor

By Mike Kinosian
TALKERS magazine
Managing Editor

MINNEAPOLIS — Back in 2000, Hubbard Broadcasting bought a pair of New Richmond, Wisconsin-licensed country-formatted stations (WIXK-AM & WIXK-FM) for $27 million. The company subsequently tested several formats for the FM, then upgraded it to a move-in signal at 107.1 for Minneapolis-St. Paul, roughly 47 miles to the west.

Country was jettisoned in early-June 2002 so it could give way to what has blossomed into a distinctively different approach to the talk radio genre.

(more…)

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On the field? Maybe. In its impact on pro football and sports broadcasting? Absolutely!

By Mark Wainwright

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