By Mark Belling
Talk Show Host, WISN-AM, Milwaukee
I h
ave decided, with the full support of WISN-AM and its parent iHeartMedia, to transition my program to podcast only effective at the end of this year.
There are two main reasons for this.
I set an incredibly ambitious goal when I began my Milwaukee show on WISN-AM in March of 1989. I said I wanted it to be the best local radio talk show in America. I feel I have achieved that goal by every possible measurement. The most recent Nielsen ratings give my program the highest listenership share of any local talk show in the United States (top 48 markets, also known as “metered” markets). In addition, my show has the highest ratings of any radio program in Wisconsin and WISN-AM is the most listened-to radio station in the state. WISN-AM has the highest audience share in its market of any station in the top 48 markets in America and I am the highest rated show on the station.
Mission accomplished.
Secondly, the future of spoken word programming on our planet is podcasting. We live in an on-demand world. Driving people to listen to or watch content at specific times is a thing of the past. Podcasting allows total flexibility and gives hosts far more freedom. The staggering success of shows like Joe Rogan, Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson, all distributed exclusively on the web in a podcast-like format, makes clear what the present and especially the future are.
I am NOT retiring. I will be a podcast-only host and expect my already high listenership and profile to grow. This is my new challenge. I believe I have accomplished as much as any on-air radio personality in Wisconsin history and now want to make my mark in the revolutionary world of podcasting.
My current radio program is turned into a podcast platform and is usually ranked in the top 100 on the iHeart platform. A specifically dedicated podcast that can be accessed only on podcast platforms has the potential to be much bigger.
I will continue to do the podcast from Milwaukee and the WISN-AM studios. Like my radio show, the content will be a combination of local and national topics and my intent is for it to be even more freewheeling than my current anything-goes approach. I have signed a contract with iHeartMedia to stay with the company in this transitioned role.
The podcast will be released three times per week with the flexibility for special additional shows if events warrant. It will begin May 1 and be available on iHeart and other traditional podcast platforms.
The last “Mark Belling Late Afternoon Show” will air December 30. There will be no farewell shows nor any going-away programming or events. I’m not going anywhere. My show, in its new incarnation, will be bigger and better than ever.
Mark Belling is currently ranked #51 on the TALKERS Heavy Hundred list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America.