The most discussed stories yesterday (11/3) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
iHeartMedia promotes Grace Blazer to SVP of programming for its Miami market stations. iHeartMedia Miami EVP of programming Marc Chase says, “Grace is a powerhouse of programming excellence. Her ability to elevate brands, inspire teams and drive meaningful
results has made her an invaluable leader within iHeartMedia.” Blazer has been with iHeartMedia since 2013 and serves as national news, talk, and sports brand coordinator, news director for the Florida News Network, program director for Miami’s WIOD and WINZ, and program director for Tampa’s WFLA. Market president Shari Gonzalez adds, “At iHeartMedia Miami, we’re fortunate to have exceptional programming leadership, and Grace is a shining example of that excellence. With 12 years of unwavering passion, strategic vision and meaningful impact across our organization, Grace has consistently raised the bar. We’re thrilled to recognize her achievements and promote her to lead our dynamic cluster into the future.” Blazer comments, “I’m incredibly proud and excited to step into my new role at iHeartMedia Miami. iHeartMedia is a powerhouse of creativity and bold ideas, and I’m energized by the opportunity to help shape our Miami brands growth and collaborate with some of the most extraordinary programmers in the industry.”
iHeartMedia Denver confirms the news shared on social media by talk host Ross Kaminsky that TALKERS reported last week. On Monday, November 10, KOA will debut the “Ross Kaminsky on the News, with Jeana Gondek,” program from 6:00 am to 9:00 am. The show
follows the 5:00 am hour of “Colorado’s Morning News” anchored by Gondek. Michael Brown, former FEMA Administrator and nationally syndicated host of “The Situation with Michael Brown,” moves from sister KHOW to the 9:00 am to 12:00 noon daypart. The rest of the day’s local programming is Mandy Connell from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm; KOA Sports with Dave Logan and Ryan Edwards from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, followed by “Broncos Country Tonight with Benjamin Allbright and Nick Ferguson.”
La Dolce Vita! WPHT, Philadelphia’s Dom Giordano teams up with travel company Conservative Tours to host a group of 60 listeners on a fabulous trip to Italy. Pictured above is Giordano taking in the sights in beautiful Calabria.
The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
iHeartMedia San Francisco names Annalee Gould SVP of sales for the station group that includes sports talk KNEW-AM and KKSF-AM BIN Black Information Network, plus five music
brands. Gould comes to iHeartMedia from Metamorphosis.Digital where she was chief revenue officer and VP of sales. iHeartMedia division president Kris Foley says, “Annalee’s ability to build trust, navigate change, and deliver creative, cross-platform results makes her the ideal leader for our San Francisco sales team. Her experience and relationships in the Bay Area will be instrumental as we continue to grow our presence and impact.” She comments, “Audio is one of the most powerful and evolving channels in media today and nowhere embodies creativity and innovation quite like the Bay Area. I’m excited to join iHeartMedia and work with a team that understands how meaningful human-generated content continues to drive trusted marketing. In a time when that connection feels increasingly rare, radio and podcasts remain deeply human, built on authentic voices, real stories, and companionship.”
SiriusXM reports its operating results for the third quarter of 2025 and says net revenue was $2.16 billion, down 1% from the same period in 2024. The company also reveals it posted net income of $297 million, compared to a net loss of $2.96 billion in the third quarter of 2024 (that included a $3.36 billion noncash goodwill impairment related to the Liberty Media transaction). CEO Jennifer Witz states, “This was a quarter of meaningful progress for SiriusXM. We’re
enhancing the subscriber experience through new content, deeper personalization, and continued innovation across every stage of the customer journey, driving greater engagement and value for our listeners. At the same time, we’re scaling our digital advertising business and strengthening our leadership in podcasting. Across each of these areas, we’re leveraging our unique assets to deliver sustainable profitability and long-term value for our shareholders — a strategy that is already delivering as we raise our full year guidance.” During the quarter the satcaster expanded and developed its roster of high-profile voices. It extended its agreement with Andy Cohen and celebrated the 10th anniversary of his flagship channel, Radio Andy. Stephen A. Smith also debuted on the platform, launching new political and sports programs and renewed its agreement with Megyn Kelly, expanding the partnership to include the upcoming Megyn Kelly Channel.
Wisconsin media firm Civic Media is looking for a news/talk network program director based in Madison. The company says the person in this position “oversees all on-air content and staff for
Civic Media’s news/talk network, managing schedules, talent, quality control, and compliance with broadcast regulations. Key responsibilities include selecting programs, coaching on-air personalities and shows, developing promotional strategies, and ensuring the station’s sound and content align with its brand and audience needs. They blend creativity and business acumen, using audience research and ratings data to shape programming and achieve business goals.” Get more information and apply here.
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (10/27-31) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
People
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
Cumulus Media’s Westwood One appoints Armen Williams executive director of Westwood One Sports 24/7 programming, effective November 3. In this role, Williams will lead the development and production of the network’s new round-the-clock sports content. The company
says he’ll “oversee all aspects of sports talk content across the network, including daily technical operations, social media strategy, and brand management. He will build a talented team of hosts and producers responsible for compelling on-air programming – featuring original content, interviews, benchmarks, and fan interaction.” Williams says, “There’s never been a more exciting time to be in audio – the industry is thriving, innovative, and constantly evolving. This is a unique opportunity to build on the incredible foundation created by our partners at Audacy and BetMGM and combine it with the reach, heritage, and credibility of Westwood One Sports. I’m honored to help shape the next chapter, delivering smart, entertaining, and authentic sports content for listeners everywhere.”
Cumulus Media reports its operating results for the third quarter of 2025 and reveals net revenue of $180.3 million, a decline of 11.5% from the same period in 2024. The company says it generated digital revenue of $39 million, a decrease of 2.6% year-over-year, or an increase of
8.4% excluding the $6.9 million impact from discontinuing the DailyWire and Dan Bongino relationships. The company posted a net loss of $20.4 million compared to net loss of $10.3 million in Q3 2024. Cumulus breaks down its revenue by segment and reports that its broadcast radio spot revenue declined 13.1% to $83.7 million, while network revenue fell 26.5% to $31.2 million. Total broadcast revenue was 
$114.9 million, a decrease of 17.2% from the same period in 2024. Cumulus president and CEO Mary G. Berner says, “In an advertising environment that remained challenging for legacy media, we continued to outperform. We once again gained market share in total broadcast spot as well as in digital, where our market share gains reflected the strong growth of our digital marketing services business, which was up 34% in the quarter. Additionally, we remained highly focused on re-engineering the business, reducing annualized fixed costs by $7 million and accelerating our efforts to implement a wide array of AI initiatives to drive efficiencies and enhance growth. These results underscore our disciplined focus on optimizing performance in areas that we can control. While we do not expect the current headwinds to abate in the near-term, we remain confident in our ability to position the company for long-term success through strong execution and by maximizing value from the company’s underlying assets.”
Audacy reports that former longtime KYW, Philadelphia anchor Harry Donahue died at age 77 after a battle with cancer. The company says, “Donahue joined KYW Newsradio as a freelance
reporter in 1974 and became an anchor in 1979, beginning a 35-year run as a morning drive and sports anchor. Countless Philadelphians came to know Donahue’s voice as he brought the news, traffic, weather, and much-longed-for snow days over the airwaves in his time at the station. He was also a fixture in the city’s sports radio scene, doing play-by-play for the Philadelphia Stars — the city’s USFL team in the 1980s — and was the TV and radio voice of Temple football and basketball for more than two decades.” Donahue retired from KYW in 2014 and was promptly inducted into the KYW Newsradio Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
The most discussed stories yesterday (10/29) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research include:
NBCUniversal announces that iHeartMedia is serving as its exclusive audio partner for the upcoming Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games taking place from February 6 to February 22. As part of the partnership, iHeartRadio will provide 24/7 play-by-play audio channels of
NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Games. It will also produce a new Winter Games season of “Two Guys, Five Rings” hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, produce Olympic-specific episodes of some of its podcasts, and promote tune-in for NBCU’s coverage. iHeartMedia president of business development and strategic partnerships Michael Biondo says, “We’re eager to build upon our relationship with NBCUniversal and once again deliver premium audio coverage of the Olympic Games, this time focusing on the awe-inspiring athletes and incredible stories set to come from the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. As the leading destination for sports audio, we’re excited to deepen the connection between audiences and the athletes they love.”
Two of the Fargo-Moorhead market’s longest-serving news pros are retiring. KFGO, Fargo’s
Don Haney and Minnesota Public Radio’s Dan Gunderson will leave their respective employers over the next 10 days. Both news pro spoke with Forum Communications’ The Forum about their careers. Haney covered news in Fargo for nearly 50 years. He joined WDAY in 1982, then 
moved to KFGO in 1995. Seventy-two year old Haney has been working part time with KFGO since last spring. Gunderson, who joined MPR in 1987, say he got into journalism because he enjoyed writing so much. About his radio work he says, “I liked the idea of taking voices and sounds and putting them together in something interesting. It’s like a craft, where you take this raw material, interviews, and facts, and you try to make it into something meaningful.” See the Forum’s story here.
After 33 years of service, WUSF-FM, Tampa general manager JoAnn Urofsky will soon retire
from the public media organization based at The University of South Florida, capping a career of 45 years in radio and public media. She says, “My time at WUSF has been incredibly rewarding. I am proud that our commitment to public service – building community through trusted journalism, classical music, jazz, and culture – has remained steadfast. As I step away, I’m confident this mission is in excellent hands with a new generation of talented leaders and innovators dedicated to serving the community through public media.”
The most discussed stories yesterday (10/28) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research include:
Audacy SVP, research & insights Ray Borelli writes that “with nearly two-thirds of U.S. households now either cord-cutters or cord-nevers, accessing credible and trusted local news is harder today than ever before.” He adds, “Furthermore, distrust in social media is likely fueling a
16% year-over-year decline in the percentage of Americans who say they get their news ‘often’ from apps like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X.2. In this rapidly changing landscape, consumers are increasingly turning to All News Radio for local news, trusted voices, and fact-based reporting.” Borelli cites as evidence for this Nielsen data indicating that Audacy all-news stations are up 11% versus last year and adds that’s coming off a presidential election year. Ben Mevorach is vice president of news at WINS, New York and he says, “As the number of places to get news continues to grow, the number of places to find news that is credible, trustworthy, and without bias is rapidly shrinking. People constantly tell us that 1010 WINS is their sole source for news they can trust.” Read Borelli’s complete story here.
Talk media superstar Sean Hannity is on the road Thursday (10/30) as his FOX News Channel show that evening will be a town hall with New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack
Ciattarelli at the Crystal Point Yacht Club in Point Pleasant. The one-hour town hall will focus on the top issues impacting New Jersey and the proposed policies that Ciattarelli would implement across the state. Additionally, FNC’s Harris Faulkner will join Hannity and Ciattarelli to discuss the issues that matter most to New Jersey ahead of the upcoming gubernatorial election. FNC national correspondent Bryan Llenas will also be on site providing live updates on the event.
This week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog addresses creative best practices related to branding. Blog author Pierre Bouvard writes that when a campaign fails to get the desired brand lift or poor website traffic, usually creative is the issue and your campaign is failing to “brand early and often.” He recommends the following analysis procedure: 1)
Conduct a “brand early and often” creative audit: Watch/listen to all your ads. Check off if your brand is mentioned in first two seconds and if there are at least five or more audio track brand mentions in 30-second ads; 2) You can look away but you cannot shut your ears: In video ads, audio branding does all the brand recall heavy lifting; 3) Audio case studies reveal implementing the “brand early and often” creative best practice generates stronger purchase intention and increased brand lift and website attribution; 4) Do you want your brand association and recall to explode? Use a jingle with melody that says the name of your company; and 5) Don’t blame the media plan or media vendors for weak attribution and brand lift: Usually creative is the issue and the ad copy fails to “brand early and often.” See the full blog post here.
Veterans Day (November 11) is the day of the world premiere of the Just Do GOOD Entertainment-produced film, Air Angels: Flight Helene, that honors the “everyday heroes who sprang into action during Hurricane Helene” in September of 2024. The film – which tells the inspiring stories of individuals who selflessly used their own aircraft, vehicles, time, and resources to rescue and support strangers stranded during the aftermath of catastrophic Hurricane Helene – premieres at Cameo Art House Theatre in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Cumulus Media’s news/talk WFNC-AM/HD2, Fayetteville is sponsoring the showing and station morning host Gilbert Baez – and Emmy Award-winning journalist and Army Rangers veteran – will host the screenings. Gilbert will offer his personal perspective of what it was like to film Air Angels this past summer and share his experiences with catastrophic storms. Baez says, “It’s going to be a pleasure to host the premiere of Air Angels in downtown Fayetteville. I’m also very proud that Cumulus agreed to be a media partner since I host a morning show on one of its stations. It’s exciting and an honor to work with Valerie Smaldone. For years, she’s been a well-known radio voice in New York. Now, Valerie is a tv and film producer who develops outstanding special programming.” Pictured above are (from l-r): Hannah Brown-Kitchens (strategic data analyst, Cumulus Media), Smaldone (co-founder Just Do GOOD Entertainment), Baez, and Tish Boden (VP/market manager, Cumulus Media).
NPR and WBUR, Boston announce three new appointments at that nationally syndicated midday news program, “Here & Now,” heard on 500 NPR member stations across the country.
Award-winning journalist Indira Lakshmanan is the new co-host of “Here & Now,” debuting in Late November alongside Scott Tong and Robin Young. Additionally, Peter O’Dowd, the senior editor who has stepped in regularly as a host for several years on “Here & Now,” takes on a new role as correspondent and regular fill-in host. And international news industry pro Allan Price joins to lead the team as the new executive producer. NPR says that according to Nielsen ratings data, “Here & Now” is the third most-listened-to NPR news program after “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”
Quu Inc – provider of technology to deploy of visual content for radio – promotes Joe Marshall
to vice president of technical success. In this expanded role, Marshall will lead Quu’s technical support and implementation efforts, helping stations seamlessly integrate the company’s patented Visual Radio technology that enable broadcasters to display real-time music, content, and advertiser text and images wherever audiences listen.
The most discussed stories yesterday (10/27) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research include: 1) Government Shutdown / Battle Over Health Care Benefits; 2) Trump’s Asia Trip; 3) Trump Entertains Third Term Talk; 4) NYC Mayoral Race; and 5) the Biden Autopen Issue.
Bibi Farber (right), daughter of the late talk radio legend Barry Farber, has recorded a guest vocal appearance on a brand new Gunhill Road song titled, “You Don’t Seem Old to Me,” which will appear on the group’s forthcoming fifth album. The track is a sentimental love song
examining the lifelong love affair of a fictional couple from childhood to old age – an emotional roller coaster ride reflecting the romantic ups and downs of a complex relationship. The tear-jerker is a departure from the heavy-hitting social commentaries that have made Gunhill Road a favorite among talk radio hosts and audiences for the past half decade. The intriguing group, formed in the late 1960s, is still going strong with core members Steve Goldrich, Paul Reisch, Brian Koonin, and Michael Harrison. Matthew B. Harrison produces the ensemble’s videos that employ leading-edge techniques and technology. Ms. Farber, who shares lead vocals on the song with Brian Koonin, is a talented singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist with a number of singles, albums and television commercial soundtracks among her credits. She is presently an advocate for the well-being of nursing home residents and organizer of initiatives to bring live music into their lives. To watch the music video for “You Don’t Seem Old to Me,” please click here. To learn more about Bibi Farber please click here.
Former Des Moines sports talk host Marty Tirrell was arrested a week ago on federal wire fraud charges. This comes after Tirrell was sentenced to almost three-and-a-half years in prison on mail fraud charges in 2021. That sentence was in connection with a luxury ticket-flipping scheme
in which Tirrell used the proceeds for personal expenses and gambling. Now, prosecutors say Tirrell has done pretty much the same thing again, getting investors to give him money to buy luxury tickets for events like the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Taylor Swift concerts, Indiana Fever games and football and baseball playoff games. Tirrell was to sell the tickets and pay investors their original investment plus a share of the profits. Prosecutors say Tirrell did pay some investors back but did so with money from new investors. In fact, they say Tirrell never made the ticket purchases and instead used the money for personal expenses and gambling. Tirrell worked as a sports talk host at KXLQ-AM, Des Moines and later at KXNO, Des Moines. See the Des Moines Register story here.
The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Based on research from Nielsen and Edison Research, Nielsen’s The Record: Q3 U.S. Audio Listening Trends report concludes that “daily audio consumption in the U.S. in Q3 2025 averaged 3 hours and 53 minutes of daily listening across both ad-supported and ad-free
platforms like radio, podcasts, streaming music services and satellite radio, with ad-supported audio representing 64% of total listening.” Breaking that down further, the study reveals that within the ad-supported audio universe, 
consumers spent 62% of their daily time with radio, 20% with podcasts, 15% with streaming audio services and 3% with satellite radio. Among 18-34 year-olds radio accounted for 43% of daily ad-supported audio time, where podcasts accounted for 31%. And adults 35+ spent 69% of daily ad-supported audio time listening to radio and only 16% listening to podcasts. Looking at listening based on radio formats (Nielsen PPM Cross-Market AQH Share. Q3 2025. Mon-Sun 6a-Mid), news/talk garnered a 10.6 share for Persons 18+ and a 12.0 share for Persons 35+, and a 6.1 share in the 25-54 demo. See the complete report here.
Triton Digital releases its U.S. Podcast Ranker for September (Sept. 1-28) based on weekly average downloads for participating networks and Salem Media Group’s “The Charlie Kirk
Show” rose three places to the #3 spot, behind NPR’s “NPR News Now” (#1) and “Up First” (#2). Kirk was slain in September 10 and new episodes of the program continue to be produced. Other talk radio related shows of note include: Cumulus Podcast Network’s “VINCE” drops two places to #13; iHeartRadio’s “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” drops two places to #16; and iHeartRadio’s “The Jesse Kelly Show” climbs three places to #49. See the complete ranker here.
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (10/20-24) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
People
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
According to the New York Post, WABC talk radio host Curtis Sliwa – currently a Republican candidate for mayor of New York City – fumed on the station’s morning show with Sid Rosenberg that he will never be seen in the studios of WABC again after station owner John
Catsimatidis and others urged him to exit the mayoral race to give former Governor Andrew Cuomo a better chance of beating Democrat Zohran Mamdani. During his on-air conversation with Rosenberg, Sliwa “accused colleagues of betraying him” and he told Rosenberg WABC is “giving preferable treatment” to Cuomo. Catsimatidis later told the Post, “Regardless of all the news going around, I’ve always said great things about Curtis Sliwa, about how well he knows the city. But in a places like New York City where 70% of New York City are Democrats, the real Democrat is Andrew Cuomo, not Zohran Mamdani and Democrats should vote for Cuomo. Catsimatidis added, “I’ve never asked that he leave the race but recommended that a lot of other people have said he should.” Sliwa said on the air that he’s had to hire private security due to threats against him and his wife. “If anything happens to me or anything happens to my wife, because of this frenzy that I hear constantly coming from some of your colleagues there at WABC, it’s on you guys and you gals. My life is on the line here.” Sliwa’s radio show is currently off the air due to his active political campaign. Read the Post story here.
iHeartMedia, Inc will issue financial results for the third quarter of 2025 on Monday, November 10 and will conduct a conference call at 4:30 pm ET following the release of its earnings announcement, to discuss its financial results and business outlook.