Talk Media Had a Dynamic Night – FOX and Other Networks Propose Additional Debate in October
Across the nation, talk media hosts from radio, television, cable, podcasting, and YouTube channels were literally working overtime immediately before, during, and after the historic ABC News presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia. TALKERS received reports from across the talk industry that, unlike so many events of this nature that prove disappointing, this debate delivered an edge-of-the-seat, non-stop drama that evoked comparisons to an emotional sporting event like a 12 round heavyweight championship bout during the golden age of boxing. Legendary WPHT, Philadelphia midday host Dom Giordano was in attendance reporting for his station as well as hundreds of others across America that tapped into his swing state perspective on an ad hoc basis. 
Giordano tells TALKERS, “Being in the Spin Room was like being in the middle of multiple simultaneous rugby scrums while trying to discuss the most sensitive issues for our country.” During post-debate coverage, lead election anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum announced that FOX News Media sent letters to both the Harris and Trump campaigns around 7:30 pm before last night’s debate requesting the opportunity to host an additional debate in October. Here’s an excerpt from the letter:
We propose to host a debate in October while early in-person voting gets underway in multiple battleground states. We’d like to offer the following options:
- Wednesday, October 9 in Arizona
- Tuesday, October 15 in Georgia
- Wednesday, October 16 in North Carolina
Media critic Brian Stelter of CNN reports, “Multiple TV networks are eager to host a presidential debate in October. The Harris campaign, exuding confidence after Harris baited Trump on stage Tuesday night, immediately said she would agree to a second debate with the ex-president. But Trump is not committing, and his overnight comments suggest he is not serious about a sequel.” On Fox & Friends this morning Trump rejected Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, the aforementioned anchors that FOX suggested as potential debate moderators in October proposing Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters or Laura Ingraham instead.
The next big event in this World Series of politics will be the VP debate between Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance to be hosted by CBS on October 1.
continue to direct corporate marketing for Cumulus Media, Westwood One, and the Cumulus Podcast Network. Since 2016, Chauncey has overseen ad sales solutions, creative services, and audience development for Westwood One. Other moves include Jason Soderberg being elevated to vice president, podcast operations and production in which he’ll be responsible for managing all audio and video production for the podcast network as well as platform relations and Megan Devine being promoted to vice president, podcast sales planning and yield optimization. 
City; KOSY-FM, Cedar Rapids; KXIC-AM, Iowa City; and WFXN-AM, Quad Cities. The company says programming will highlight sports from University of Iowa, Iowa State University, various high schools and other local sports topics. The program lineup is: “The Morning Rush with Travis Justice and Ross Peterson” from 6:00 am to 8:00 am; FOX Sports Radio’s Dan Patrick from 8:00 am to 11:00 am; FSR’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon; “Miller and Condon” from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm; and “The Drive with Heather and Sean” from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
was $22.3 million, up 7% over Q2 of 2023. Audacy also breaks out revenue by radio format categories and while Sports radio revenue was $71.1 million (up 8.3% over last year), News/Talk revenue was $43 million (a decline of 2.3% from the same period a year ago). Audacy chairman, president and CEO David J. Field comments, “Audacy continued to deliver strong 2024 financial performance with Q2 Adjusted EBITDA more than doubling, up 116% vs. prior year. For the first six months of 2024, Adjusted EBITDA is up 128%. Our accelerating financial performance reflects our significant revenue share gains, low-teen growth in digital advertising, high single-digit growth in network radio, and prudent expense reductions, offsetting continued weakness in traditional ad markets. Notably, our transformational, strategic investments are emerging as a critical driver in our accelerating performance. Recent improvements in our streaming and podcasting platforms, along with further enhancements to our digital monetization and programmatic capabilities are increasing their impact on our top-line and bottom-line results. As previously announced, we received court approval of our consensual pre-packaged Plan of Reorganization in February and are awaiting FCC approval to complete the process. We continue to expect final approval and emergence to occur during the current quarter. The third quarter is currently pacing up low-single digits, and we expect another quarter of significant Adjusted EBITDA growth.”
success of our digital transformation strategy led to a 10.4% year-over-year increase in same-station second quarter digital revenue, partially offsetting ongoing challenges related to softness in the audio advertising spot market. Digital revenue accounted for nearly 22% of total second quarter revenue, in-line with our full-year 2024 goal of 20% to 25% of total revenue. On the new business front, our dedicated sales teams are leveraging the audience reach and engagement of our platform to attract new advertisers. We have and will continue to see the benefit of political revenue through the end of year, and at the same time, we are taking aggressive action to address near-term challenges through expense management initiatives, which drove approximately $2 million in expense savings compared to the prior year. We expect to achieve $10 million in annualized expense savings.”
acquisition of five radio stations and one translator in Lafayette, Indiana on May 31, 2024, and that the stations were operated by Saga for one month during the second quarter of 2024. Saga paid a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share on June 28, 2024. The aggregate amount of the quarterly dividend was approximately $1.6 million. To date, Saga has paid over $132 million in dividends to shareholders since the first special dividend was paid in 2012. Saga’s balance sheet reflects $24.1 million in cash and short-term investments as of June 30, 2024, and $26.2 million as of August 5, 2024.
-hourly money news reports Monday through Friday in middays and PM drive. Robison most recently served as evening news anchor at Townsquare Media’s WKXW-FM, Trenton New Jersey 101.5.” Compass Media Networks also names Joe Mackay director of audio sales. The 25-year radio sales pro, based in Chicago, will manage advertising sales relationships throughout the West Coast and Midwest. Also joining the company as manager of sales planning is Laura Schaeffer. The 10-year radio industry pro will help manage customer relationships and assist sales executives and management with sales proposals and inventory management. She is based in New York.
and our unique and differentiated digital platform… In the second quarter, the Company reported a net loss of $48.9 million, in large part due to non-cash impairment charges. Our Q2 performance was driven by stabilizing and/or improving trends across segments: Townsquare Interactive returned to sequential revenue growth in each month of the quarter, as a result of positive subscriber trends that have improved dramatically compared to previous quarters; Digital Advertising net revenue growth continued at +1% year-over-year; and Broadcast Advertising net revenue was approximately flat as compared to the prior year, an improvement from first quarter declines. In total, Digital represented 52% of Townsquare’s net revenue in the first six months of the year. Additionally, we continue to generate strong cash flow, granting us the ability to invest in our digital growth engine while preserving financial flexibility, as evidenced by our ongoing debt and share buybacks in the open market… Most importantly, due to our current cash position and our strong cash generation, we retain financial flexibility moving forward and we are confident in our ability to build shareholder value for our investors through long-term net revenue and cash flow growth, net leverage reduction, future dividend payments, and potential future share repurchases.”
7.8%. The company says net broadcast revenue was $47.1 million (-5.1%), while net digital media revenue was $11.9 million (+9.9%), and net publishing revenue was $1.56 million (-70.3%). It should be noted that Salem sold Regnery Publishing in December of 2023. The company reports net income of $2.3 million during the quarter, compared to that net loss of $7.1 million it reported in Q2 of 2023. 
president and CEO Mary G. Berner says, “In the context of a challenging advertising environment, second quarter total revenue finished in line with our pacing guidance, down 2.5% year-over-year. However, our unrelenting focus on areas of the business that are in our control helped us to mitigate the impact of soft demand while also driving tangible progress in key priority areas. During the quarter, we grew our digital marketing services business by 24%, reduced fixed costs by $4 million, and continued to strengthen our balance sheet through the successful completion of our exchange offer, ABL upsizing, and the buyback of a portion of our remaining 2026 maturity debt. Looking ahead, while the advertising outlook remains uncertain, our advertisers continue to be focused on when – not if – they’re going to return to more typical spending levels. Fortunately, thanks to our success at extending our debt maturities, we have time on our side and the flexibility to pursue multiple paths to create shareholder value.”
Evita,” joins the Cumulus Podcast Network, dropping its first episode today (7/16). Cumulus says, “In this first podcast extension under the Bongino umbrella, Gen Z journalist and culture analyst Evita Duffy-Alfonso joins the Bongino Report with a daily show covering all the top stories. ‘Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita’ drops each weekday on most major podcast platforms and is live daily on Rumble.” Dan Bongino says, “You don’t want to miss Evita. She is a bright new face in conservative talk who is not afraid to deliver hard-hitting news, uncensored opinions, and the stories that need to be told. If you love the ‘Bongino Report,’ you’ll love the ‘Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita.’”
the Biden campaign. Civic Media said in a statement that through the moves, that station “fell short of journalistic standards.” Civic Media said, On Monday, July 8th, it was reported to Civic Media management that immediately after the phone interview was recorded, the Biden campaign called and asked for two edits to the recording before it aired. Civic Media management immediately undertook an investigation and determined that the production team at the time viewed the edits as non-substantive and broadcast and published the interview with two short segments removed.” The network airs programming in Madison, Milwaukee and numerous other markets throughout the state. 
addition of The John Fredericks Radio Network into the Memphis market combined with its airing on WENO, Nashville creates the Tennessee Radio Network, “part of the company’s ongoing growth.” The addition of KQPN-AM “Down And Dirty 730” makes the number signals operated by Disruptor Radio now 19. John Fredericks states, “Adding Memphis to our burgeoning Tennessee network is a critical component to our growth plan, as it complements our very successful WENO-AM 760 The Flame station in Nashville. Memphis is a growth market in Tennessee and we are excited to offer our new listeners a real choice in conservative-populist talk: The Down And Dirty 730.”
to Bones’ Nashville Podcast Network. In each show, Dr. Josie sits down with co-host Shannon Ella to answer questions she’s constantly hearing at the office, including: What should I feed my dog? How do I potty train my puppy? Do I really need to brush my pet’s teeth? She helps listeners navigate pet ownership through sharing cases she’s seen in her 15+ year career as a veterinarian, answering listener calls, and giving her weekly “Paw & Order” list of things she would never do with her own pets. 
Leng says, “LinkUp Communications is the new gold standard for service and reliability in the broadcast industry. Their reputation for professionalism and the highest level of service made this the 
perfect complement to Talk Media Network’s quality programming. We carefully reviewed our options and listened to our affiliates in choosing to remain on the XDS platform, while choosing the best distribution partner in LinkUp Communications. LinkUp’s client roster, track record, and commitment to the highest quality and customer service standards, made it the leading choice to work with Talk Media Network’s shows and affiliates.” LinkUp CEO Karen Johnson states, “LinkUp Communications is thrilled to assist Josh and his networks by allowing them to remain with the industry leading XDS suite of technologies. We’re happy to utilize our decades of experience to elevate Talk Media Network’s programs. LinkUp has provided technology solutions to enable broadcasters for over 20 years.”
Duran And The Morning Show,” with a live performance from local singer/songwriter sensation Jackie Romeo, currently a contestant on “The Voice.” BFoA says the mixers serve a dual purpose: to bring together up-and-coming broadcast professionals with their peers and executives; and to increase awareness of the BFoA’s charitable mission. BFoA president Tim McCarthy states, “Our first two Media Mixers were a huge success for young professionals who mingled with executives, and we’re looking forward to another great event. We have an obligation to show young people in radio and television that broadcasting offers successful and fulfilling career opportunities. We also need to help them understand what the Broadcasters Foundation does, why it’s important, and how they can help.” The two-hour event is free, but space is limited, and advance registration is required. 
revenue for its stations by general format and the company’s sports revenue was $56.6 million – an increase of 6.5% – while its news/talk revenue fell 5.5% to $40 million. Audacy chairman, president and CEO David J. Field comments, “Audacy delivered a solid start to 2024 with Q1 EBITDA increasing 173% vs the prior year. Second-quarter revenues are currently pacing up low-single 
digits, and we expect another quarter of substantial EBITDA growth, enhanced by our continuing work on expense reductions. Our improving results are predominantly attributable to a significant acceleration in digital revenue growth, continuing meaningful revenue share gains, and declining expenses as our transformational investments bear fruit. As previously announced, we received court approval of our consensual pre-packaged Plan of Reorganization, which will reduce our debt by 80%, and are now awaiting FCC approval to complete the process. I want to salute our team for their excellent work in driving financial and operating progress while simultaneously executing our reorganization plan, all without disruption to customers, listeners, partners, vendors or our staff.
of $3.5 million for the same period in 2023, “primarily due to the $6 million gain on the sale of an investment in BMI holdings and lower interest expense.” Company CEO Caroline Beasley states, “Beasley continues to advance our core initiatives, which are focused on driving revenue and cash flow, including our digital transformation, revenue diversification and expense management initiatives. We expect digital to account for between 20% and 25% of total revenue in 2024, driven by the ongoing growth and success of our premium content creation and digital services. On the new business front, our dedicated sales teams are leveraging the tremendous audience reach and engagement of our platform to attract new advertisers. In summary, Beasley’s underlying fundamentals – mainly, our local audio and digital platforms and audience engagement – remain strong. We are proud of our teams’ steadfast commitment to delivering exceptional content and services to our listeners, advertisers, online users and sports fans, and remain confident that the actions we are taking to transform our company and strengthen our balance sheet, are laying the foundation for future growth and success.”
continues to weigh on advertisers. With the advertising environment still unsettled, these new terms (spelled out in the preceding story) provide us additional time and flexibility to execute against our key business priorities – accelerating digital growth, reducing fixed costs, and continuing to de-lever our balance sheet – each of which is foundational to our ability to build long-term shareholder value.” The company took a net loss of $14.2 million in Q1, but it was far less than the net loss of $21.5 million it reported in Q1 of 2023. Cumulus breaks out its revenue in segments and the total broadcast revenue for Q1 of 2024 was $139.7 million, down 5.6% from Q1 of 2023. Spot revenue was $90.5 million (down 7.3%) and network revenue was $49.2 million (down 2.3%). The company’s digital segment reports revenue of $34.5 million, up 7.3% over the first quarter of 2023.
available across iHeartMedia’s broadcast, digital and podcast platforms and everywhere podcasts are heard. Talent to be heard on the platform include sports media personality Sarah Spain and WNBA legend & three-time Olympic gold medalist, Sheryl Swoopes, with more talent to be announced in the coming weeks. Deep Blue is led by agency veteran Laura Correnti as founder and CEO and WNBA legend Sue Bird as chief strategy officer. iHeartMedia chief marketing officer Gayle Troberman states, “Women’s sports are on fire and so is audio. The timing is perfect to deliver on the massive fan excitement today and most importantly use the power of iHeart’s massive audience reach to ensure women’s sports gets the attention it deserves.
heard on more than 200 affiliate stations. Premiere Networks president Julie Talbott says, “We’re delighted to extend our partnership with Jesse Kelly. Since joining our industry-leading talk lineup three years ago, we’ve watched him build a loyal following of passionate fans who value his authentic, bold and relatable brand of entertainment. We look forward to many years of continued success together.” Kelly comments, “As blessed as I am to be part of Premiere, I know they’re twice as blessed to have me. I can’t wait for three more years of being the Da Vinci of the airwaves.”
This decision has been most difficult for us to make in lieu of poor economic and industry conditions. We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause you and appreciate your affiliation with GCN.” GCN was launched in 1998 by Anderson and has featured a diverse line up of daily and weekend programming covering politics, finance, health, self-help, how-to and topics of general interest. At last count the network was carrying 37 hosts and programs including 
and “Wake N’ Jake” are joining The Dan Patrick Podcast Network, effective immediately. “Jimmy’s Three Things” is hosted by Jimmy “Jomboy” O’Brien (left) and “Wake N’ Jake” is hosted by Jake Storiale (right). Dan Patrick says, “Moments with Jimmy ‘Jomboy’ O’Brien and Jake Storiale are rarely predictable. I love entertainment that surprises and informs, which makes ‘Jimmy’s Three Things’ and ‘Wake N’ Jake’ great additions to my podcast network.”
the radio industry and across the agency community, having run sales for the second largest radio network in the country. This is a significant addition to our executive leadership team and brings deep experience, tenure, and valuable industry and agency relationships to our bench at Key Networks. We thank outgoing president of sales Jason Wilberding for his contributions and wish him well in the real estate endeavors he is leaving to pursue.”
sports. He’ll continue to serve as vice president of affiliate sales for news/talk and sports. Brewer, a 14-year veteran of the company, is named executive producer – sports programming. Kleiber, a 10-year veteran of the company, is been named senior producer – sports programming. Compass Media Networks CEO/founder Peter Kosann comments, “For over 16 years, Compass Media Networks has set a standard of excellence for national play-by-play sports with Chris, Rob, and Tyler playing a vital part in our success. It is our pleasure to give these three talented executives their day in the sun, knowing that they will continue to work incredibly hard to carry on this tradition of excellence.”
from West Virginia to Georgia. The programming includes “The John Fredericks Show,” “The War Room with Steve Bannon,” Newsmax’s “Rob Carson Show,” and more. Fredericks states, “This West Virginia opportunity is key to our growth plan, as it dovetails nicely with our Pittsburgh footprint and reaches a very pro-populist, pro-America First and pro-Trump area of America. We are excited about offering listeners in West Virginia a choice from the stale, woke, and warmed over pablum served up every day by the corporatists and conservative Inc. bunch that regurgitate the FOX and RNC talking points of the day. Our lame and boring news/talk competition falls into one of four categories: weather on the fives and traffic on the eights, stock prices trading below fifty cents, stock de-listed off the big board, or George Soros buying up bankruptcy debt with a controlling stake to eventually take over the company and its programming.”
says, “Back in Spring of 2009, during the chaos and sleepless nights involved in launching this national media company, the media gods sent me an angel in the form of Michelle Salvatore. Michelle faced down every challenge, worked tirelessly and with good cheer, and set a gold standard of excellence for not only Compass Media Networks, but our industry. We love and will miss Michelle dearly. Our goal is to build upon the greatness she created as we move ahead into the next chapter of our evolution.” Salvatore comments, “Working at Compass Media Networks literally changed my life for the better. I was able to travel the globe, producing games throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe, and had the chance to work with incredibly talented, passionate, and kind people. I am forever grateful to my dear friends at Compass Media Networks.”
audio service provides radio stations access to NewsNation content. The NewsNation Audio Network will offer an ongoing, daily service of audio clips featuring coverage from its reporters and breaking news stories from across the nation and around the globe. Radio newsrooms can sign up for access at NewsNationAudio.com. Audio can be downloaded at NewsNationAudio.com or can be delivered directly to newsroom systems including NewsBoss.”
news, content, and operations for the Black Information Network. As SVP of public engagement, Ingram will lead BIN’s efforts to build more meaningful public and private sector partnerships and lead the network’s engagement efforts for 
both the national BIN platform as well as in all local BIN markets. BIN president Tony Coles says, “Chris and Angela have been integral to the growth and success of the Black Information Network, and these new and expanded roles reflect their leadership. Chris has worked with closely with our newsroom since day one and unifying our news and programming operations under his direction will enable us to grow and strengthen our network, podcast, and digital content at a faster pace. I am equally excited about Angela’s new role, which will enable the Black Information Network to work even closer with leaders in government, business, and non-profits to improve our content, coverage, and impact.”