Industry News

ST Radio Flips to Sports in Bloomington, Indiana

Sarkes Tarzian’s ST Radio flips WGCL, Bloomington, Indiana from news/talk to sports talk with the new call letters WWZN and the brand “98-7 The Zone.” The station is also airing onimg FM via translator W245DP. The station will blend local talk shows with national content from Westwood One Sports. Local shows include Kent Sterling in the 9:00 am to 11:00 am slot, Jim Coyle from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, and Mike Glasscot in the 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm daypart. The station will also serve as an affiliate for play-by-play for the Indianapolis Colts and the Indiana Pacers. Sterling, who will serve as the station’s program director, states, “Sports talk in Bloomington is long overdue, and I’m so pleased ST Radio is the company to make this happen. Bloomington is the Big Ten’s best sports town, and ’98-7 The Zone’ will be the Big Ten’s best sports station.”

Industry News

Brandon Tierney Transitions to Streaming Show

Former WFAN, New York sports talk host Brandon Tierney has launched his streamingimg sports talk show just a couple of weeks after being ousted from WFAN due to the return of Craig Carton to that station’s afternoon daypart. Tierney and co-host Sal Licata were let go on December 19. Tierney’s new show “BT Unleashed” is streamed on YouTube and other platforms. Tierney tells the Brooklyn Reporter, “I thought it was a pretty easy decision. I felt the iron was hot. I certainly felt a desire for more of my work and I wanted to get right back out there. People understand that it was an abrupt ending at the FAN and that this is a pretty dramatic transformation.” See the Brooklyn Reporter story here. 

Industry Views

CES2026: Potholes to Pizza Ovens

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgCutting edge technology is on display — and on wheels — this week here in Las Vegas.  

Your car could join The Pothole Patrol

General Motors is developing technology that collects data from navigation systems, cameras, accelerometers and all your car’s other sensors to spot roads that need repair.

And automakers are trying to keep cars themselves from roughing-up roads. Massive batteries can make an EV sedan weigh as much as a heavy-duty pickup truck. Cadillac’s electric Escalade weighs 3000 pounds more than its gas-tank version. Engineers are working on solid-state batteries that will be smaller, lighter, faster-charging and longer-range. 

And here’s a U-turn: Volkswagen is bringing-back…buttons! According to surveys, drivers don’t want to use touchscreens to turn-up the radio or turn-on the defroster. And studies show that scrolling can impair reaction time more than alcohol.

Artificial Intelligence stampede!

AI from AT&T will spare you from spam calls and save you from phone fraud. I’ve already set my iPhone to send calls from anyone not in my Contacts straight to voicemail, and that has spared me lots of interruptions. And we know not to say “yes” to callers who could be recording you, and use that as permission to make an unwanted purchase. This new system will interact with callers. Yes, your robot can talk-to — and reject — other robots…disconnecting spammers, or providing real-time transcriptions you can interrupt if you want to take the call. 

“Future-Ready” is a CES session about “Shaping the Workforce in the AI Era.” And we’re hearing bullish predictions about “future-proofing the next-gen workforce.” Chipmaker Intel is here forecasting breakthroughs for what it calls “efficient factories.” Radio is already, shall-we-say, dabbling, in these so-called efficiencies. And Hollywood is on-its-heels. Soon, your favorite actor could be an algorithm, as cinematic AI is approaching what some here are calling “its Citizen Kane moment.”

AI is being shoehorned into almost everything. Ooni’s Volt 2 is an all-electric indoor pizza oven. 850 degrees Fahrenheit, perfect pie in 90 seconds.

Help yourself to my 60-second CES reports

They’re updated daily, for air all this week. Simply download from HollandCooke.com. No charge, no paperwork, no spot.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

New Affiliates for Erick Erickson. Nationally syndicated talk host Erick Erickson adds new affiliate stations including WMAC, Macon, Georgia; Virginia Talk Radio Network’s WIQO-FM, WBLT-AM/FM and WMNA-FM; WUSX-FM, Seaford, Delaware; WETR-AM/FM, Knoxville; and WBRP-FM, Baton Rouge.

MIW Management Webinar Set for January 15. Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc are presenting a webinar titled, “Management 101: Becoming an Impactful Leader,” next Wednesday, January 15 at 2:00 pm ET. Media executives including Townsquare Media Group COO Erik Hellum, StreamGuys’ Dara M. Kalvort, Audacy San Francisco’s Kieran Geffert, and WGN Radio’s Mary Boyle will appear as panelists. You can register here.

Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (1/5)

The most discussed stories yesterday (1/5) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. Maduro Arraignment
  2. Venezuela Oil
  3. Denmark Warns Trump Over Greenland
  4. Minnesota Fraud Investigation / Walz Won’t Seek Re-election
  5. CDC Childhood Vaccination Recommendation
Industry News

Beasley to Celebrate 65 Years of Broadcasting

Beasley Media Group announces that it is marking its 65th anniversary this year and will commemorate the milestone throughout the year of 2026. The company was founded on December 3, 1961, when its late founder George Beasley was awarded an FCC license toimg build WPYB-AM in Benson, North Carolina. The company says that at a time when many smaller communities lacked access to local broadcasting, he recognized radio’s unique ability to inform, connect, and serve and that vision became the cornerstone of the company. Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley comments, “Reaching 65 years is a testament to the resilience, creativity, and dedication of the people who make Beasley Media Group what it is today. While we are incredibly proud of our legacy, this milestone is equally about where we are headed — continuing to evolve, embrace innovation, and strengthen the local connections that have always set us apart.” The company currently operates 55 radio stations in large and mid-sized markets. Beasley says the anniversary theme — “65 Strong: Forward Together” — reflects both the strength of the company’s foundation and its focus on the future.

Industry News

Hubbard Unveils “JC & Ken” on WMEN-AM, Royal Palm Beach

Hubbard Radio is pairing up Josh Cohen and Ken LaVicka for a new one-hour show called “JC & Ken” that will air at 5:00 pm on “FOX Sports South Florida” (WMEN-AM/WIRK-HD2)img and will be distributed as a podcast immediately afterwards. Cohen and LaVicka previously co-hosted together. Cohen currently hosts his national show, “Questionable Call with Josh Cohen”on YouTube. LaVicka is currently the voice of Florida Atlantic University football & basketball, as well as the “Sports & Golf Boardroom” show on “FOX Sports South Florida.” Station brand and content director David Adams says, ”Josh & Ken are two of the best known and most respected voices in our community. I couldn’t be more excited to add them to the ‘FOX Sports South Florida’ lineup!”

Industry News

Audacy’s ESPN Memphis Announces Lineup Changes

Audacity sports talk WMFS-AM/FM, Memphis “92.9 FM ESPN” is making a series of programming changes as 16-year host and local columnist Geoff Calkins exits to focus on his role at the Daily Memphian. Effective January 12, “J&J” with John Martin and Jasonimg Smith will air from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon and “Jeffrey Wright and Company” is expands to a three-hour show airing from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm. Station brand manager and operations manager Brad Carson comments, “Since helping launch the station in 2010, Geoff Calkins defined the brand through his unique ability to blend smart, prepared sports storytelling with deeply resonant coverage of the broader Memphis community. We’re excited for the new generation of talent he personally mentored to build upon the powerful legacy he leaves behind and the foundation he built. Our listeners can remain confident that the station will uphold its commitment to unrivaled sports coverage and the authentic, community-driven storytelling that Memphis relies on.”

Industry News

Cumulus Wins Injunction in Nielsen Case

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Jeannette A. Vargas granted Cumulus Media a preliminary injunction against Nielsen that limits the price Nielsen can charge for national radio ratings while the case is in the court system. Cumulus Media is suing Nielsen allegingimg that the company is illegally leveraging its dominance over national and local radio audience data to stifle rivals and charge inflated prices. At the heart of the complaint is the charge that Nielsen is providing access to the national broadcast radio ratings only if the client spends a lot of extra money on the separate local ratings. Cumulus argues that Nielsen’s policy forces them to buy ratings in U.S. markets where it doesn’t operate stations in order to have the complete national ratings data. Vargas’ injunction orders Nielsen to cease conditioning national ratings access on local subscriptions during ongoing contract negotiations. It also bars Nielsen from charging a commercially unreasonable rate for its nationwide ratings when sold as a standalone product while the case proceeds.

Industry News

Newsmax Files Petition to Deny in Nexstar-Tegna Merger

Newsmax Media, Inc filed a Petition to Deny on December 31 asking the Federal Communications Commission to block the proposed $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and TEGNA Inc., saying that the deal would violate federal law, harmimg competition, raise prices for consumers, and damage local news across the country. If the deal is approved, Nexstar would become the largest TV station owner in the nation owning 244 television stations across 44 states. Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy says, “This merger would create an unprecedented and dangerous consolidation within the broadcast TV industry, giving them immense control over local news and political news coverage.” Newsmax says that the national television ownership cap was set by Congress at 39% of U.S. television households in 2004 and explicitly stripped the FCC of authority to modify it and argues that any change in the cap by the FCC, including waivers, is a direct violation of law. See the Newsmax story here. 

Industry Views

Monday Memo: CES2026, Radio Can Relate

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgHello from Las Vegas, where I am both eager and anxious for CES2026. 

I am eager to witness what’s new, and to report each day this week here in TALKERS, and on radio stations across the USA and around the world. Help yourself to 60-second reports, updated daily, for air all this week. Simply download from HollandCooke.com. No charge, no paperwork, no spot.

And I am eager to witness the continuing evolution of this event, and its parent the Consumer Technology Association — formerly the Consumer Electronics Association — which does NOT want us calling this “the Consumer Electronics Show.” At the first one, in 1967, audio cassettes were disrupting 8-track tapes. And decade-after-decade, gadget-after-gadget, this organization and this show has represented an industry that makes products that come in boxes. Audio, video, computers, smartphones…stuff.

Back to the future: Artificial Intelligence doesn’t come in a box. And much – possibly most – of what’s unveiled this week here is AI-driven. For years before AI popped, this show, and this nimble association, has been pivoting, away from things to experiences. Sure, there are still monster TVs and flying cars at CES, and there have been for 10 years. But last year’s keynote by Delta Airlines’ CEO was a star-studded event at The Sphere, a dazzling display of how they’re reimagining your travel experience. Experiences, not things.

Like flight, radio is also 100+ years old. So I am also anxious, as our industry struggles to evolve. Radio was the first consumer electronic gadget. And, for most of a century we cornered the market on making audio. Now everyone does. Much of what I write each week here in TALKERS is about optimizing the listener’s and advertiser’s experience. Radio’s roots run deep. At CES I’m looking for clues as to how we can grow new branches. More here tomorrow.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry News

Connoisseur Media Names Tina Murley SVP

Connoisseur Media names Tina Murley senior vice president, Western Region and marketimg manager for San Francisco and San Jose. Murley was most recently chief revenue officer for Beasley Media Group. Connoisseur Media CEO Jeff Warshaw says, “Tina is exactly the kind of leader we look for at Connoisseur. She brings exceptional operational instincts and a people-first leadership style that aligns perfectly with our culture. We could not be more excited to welcome her to the Connoisseur family as we continue to grow our presence on the West Coast.”

Industry News

Salem Radio Network Covers Maduro Arraignment

Salem Radio Network announces that today’s Chris Stigall Show and the Mike Gallagherimg Show will both present live coverage of the expected arraignment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on narco-trafficking charges in New York City. Salem Radio Network VP/news and talk programming Tom Tradup interviewed Venezuelan citizens in the Dallas area, saying, “Like their counterparts in Washington, D.C., Chicago and elsewhere, Venezuelans in Dallas appear to be overjoyed that President Trump removed the dictator who had ruled over their home country.”

Industry News

WABC, New York Adds Concha to Weeknights

Red Apple Media’s news/talk WABC, New York adds Joe Concha to its weeknight lineup,img airing from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Concha has been hosting a Sunday show from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon and will continue in that role. Red Apple CEO John Catsimatidis says, “Joe is exactly the kind of smart, credible, non-nonsense voice we promised our listeners. Listeners trust Joe and his ratings success backs that up. We are delighted to add him to our weeknight programming.” Concha is a columnist, author, and FOX News contributor. 

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (1/3-4)

The most discussed stories over the weekend (1/3-4) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S. Captures Nicolás Maduro 
  2. U.S.-Iran Tensions
  3. Trump Muses About Cuba and Greenland
  4. MTG to Exit Congress 
  5. Minnesota Fraud Scandal