Author: TALKERS
AM Radio Legislative Hearing Set
TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond Conference Set for Friday, June 7 at Hofstra University
The 27th annual presentation of the longest running and most important national talk media gathering scheduled for Friday, June 7 at Hofstra University on Long Island is being organized with 60+ industry notables set to speak. Highlights include a special guest keynote address by Premiere Networks superstar Glenn Beck in addition to exclusive morning and afternoon “Fireside Chats” with WBZ-FM, Boston (“98.5 FM The Sports Hub) morning co-host Fred Toucher and FOX News Radio/FOX News Channel host Brian Kilmeade, respectively. This power-packed, one-day event will again be presented by TALKERS in association with the prestigious university’s multi-award-winning station WRHU Radio and the school’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. To register for TALKERS 2024 or to obtain sponsorship information, call Barbara Kurland at 413-565-5413. For a look at the full list of speakers, stories about key panel discussions & presentations, as well as a list of nearby hotels, click here.
Round Three of March PPMs Released
Winding Up A Sterling Career
Lee Harris is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast
Radio journalist, personality, media manager and tech creator Lee Harris is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview.” It’s been nearly a year since Harris surprised the world of broadcast journalism when he announced that after nearly 30 years, he would be leaving one of the most important positions in all-news radio – morning anchor at the legendary 1010 WINS, New York. He left by his own choice to accept the position of director of integrated operations with NewsNation, the new and rapidly growing cable news network, where he would be responsible for the development and distribution of the multi-platform operation’s audio content. Based at NewsNation’s New York newsroom, this Edward R. Murrow Award-winner would also assist in news writing and the creation of NewsNation specials. He is also playing a large hand in the programming of the company’s major radio property – the historic WGN, Chicago. Harrison and Harris discuss a variety of subjects from 1010 WINS history back to its top 40 roots to NewsNation’s positioning as an unbiased news platform. (Harris will moderate “The Great Debate” between Mike Gallagher and Thom Hartmann scheduled for TALKERS 2024 on June 7.) Harrison and Harris’s fascinating conversation also covers AI and technology’s impact on programming. Listen to the podcast in its entirety here.
Berliner Resigns From NPR
KSL, Salt Lake City Adds “America Tonight”
Triton Digital Releases March Podcast Ranker
Baltimore Station Seeks GSM
A heritage radio station in Baltimore, MD is seeking a creative, hands-on manager with a passion for helping account executives develop their skills and meet and exceed company goals.
Candidates should have a record of success in media sales and management, experience selling a conservative talk format, and a strong background in digital sales. The ideal candidate should be an expert in coaching and developing all levels of sellers.
This is a full-time position with compensation to include salary, overrides, and incentives.
Please send your resume or contact information to radiosalesmanager@gmail.com.
WHO, Des Moines Seeks Talk Host
iHeartMedia is seeking a talented talk show host in a rare opportunity to join one of America’s great radio stations… the legendary WHO in Des Moines, Iowa. Des Moines is a wonderful place in which to live with terrific amenities. You will work with strong local management invested in your success. WHO is a ratings and revenue leader that is looking for opportunities to grow and win. You could be the next chapter in the second century of WHO serving Iowa! Find out more and apply here.
Cumulus Seeks OM/PD for Albuquerque
CUMULUS MEDIA | Albuquerque is looking for a dynamic operations manager/program director. Our staff takes pride in our community and value teamwork. If you can deliver lifestyle headlines, be focused, creative and multi-task and most of all… love radio, we should talk. Board work, remotes, production, and podcasts are all a part of what we do, so show us what you’ve got. The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of programming including scheduling content, coaching on-air staff, station and AM/FM cluster strategy, development of on-air/online promotions and generating associated revenue, oversight and content creation for digital extensions (including streams, websites and podcasts), and have a strong customer service approach towards listeners, staff, & sales. Additionally, the candidate will act as the program director for Legendary News Radio KKOB and KNML The Sports Animal. Find out more and apply here. Cumulus is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Stonecom Has Openings in Cookeville, Tennessee
Stonecom Cookeville has three positions open. They are seeking a broadcast journalist/news reporter who is a lover of news who wants to lead their team and do news the right way. It is radio but on-air does NOT have to be part of the job. Writing and reporting MUST be part of the job. Send writing samples, airchecks, and salary requirements to the address below. The company also seeks an on-air talent and programming assistant to be a part of the Lite Rock 95.9, Rock 93.7, 106.9 Kicks Country, News Talk 94.1, 93-3 The Dawg, Sports Radio 104.7, 101.9 / AM 920 WLIV, 96-9 Hwy 111 Country team. Send your resume. Send an aircheck. Send two sentences describing your goal in work and why this job interests you. You must do all three. And finally, Stonecom is seeking a graphic artist who designs clean, attention-getting logos, posters, mailers and web graphics. A great opportunity to supplement your income, add additional clients to your growing repertoire, or work from home. Send at least five examples of your work – along with your resume. Reply to: Stonecom, Attn: Human Resources, 1 Stonecom Way, Cookeville, TN 38501 Or email marcia@stonecomradio.com. Stonecom is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Saga Looking to Fill Weather Director/News Reporter Role
Saga Communications’ Spencer Radio Group is looking to hire a full-time weather director and news reporter for KICD-AM; BIG Country 107.7; MORE 104.9 and PURE Oldies 98.3/98.5 in Spencer, Iowa. They seek someone who understands small-market, local radio and is willing to be involved in the community. Knowledge of radio automation software, Adobe audition, WordPress, and general computer experience is preferred. SRG offers paid vacation and great benefits including – health, vision, dental and 401K. Send your resume and demo! No phone calls. No voicetrack inquiries. Saga Communications of Iowa, LLC is an EOE. Kevin Tlam, Operations Manager, Spencer Radio Group, P.O. Box 260, Spencer, Iowa 51301 ktlam@spencerradiogroup.com
TALKERS News Notes
OutKick, the national multimedia sports platform, continued its growth trajectory in Q1 of 2024 versus Q4 of 2023 with 81 million total multiplatform views, up 10%, and 78 million total multiplatform minutes, up 7%, according to Comscore. The platform also saw 6.1 million average monthly multiplatform unique visitors. Additionally, OutKick in March 2024 garnered 24 million total multiplatform views, up 2% versus February 2024, and 23 million total multiplatform minutes, up 4% from the previous month, according to Comscore. In commenting on the digital performance, SVP/managing editor Gary Schreier tells TALKERS, “I’m excited to see OutKick’s continued growth in Q1 of 2024. It’s a direct result of our talented and smart team who push the boundaries on any topic, which separates us from other sports sites. OutKick takes on the important issues and asks the vital questions in sports that our competitors seem afraid to touch.”
As a way to help medium- and small-market stations maximize political advertising in the upcoming midterm elections, Gen Media Partners and the Ten-Minute Trainer Network will conduct a free webinar next Wednesday (4/24) at 12:00 noon (ET). According to Gen Media Partners executive vice president Greg Tacher, “Preparation is vital to ensure stations take full advantage of the political cycle. This is a terrific opportunity for small and medium market stations to gain free valuable knowledge that can help them generate political advertising revenue.” Ten-Minute Trainer Network/P1 Learning president Bryan Marriott adds, “The Ten-Minute Trainer Network is excited to partner with Gen Media Partners to bring this important and timely webinar. In less than an hour, attendees will gain valuable insights from political advertising experts.” The webinar will be hosted by Gen Media Partners’ senior vice president of political/issue advocacy & strategic alliances Roger Rafson; vice president/political strategies manager Linley Grande; and political broadcast strategist Heather Karban. Gen Media Partners is an independently-owned media sales and content organization; The Ten-Minute Trainer Network is a collaboration between P1 Learning and The Swagger Institute. Click here for the link to register.
The debut episode of iHeartPodcasts’ weekly “I Choose Me with Jennie Garth” is set to be released April 30. Actress/entrepreneur/designer Garth played “Kelly Taylor” for ten seasons on “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Val Tyler” on “What I Like About You.” When “Kelly Taylor” found herself in a love triangle and was forced to choose one man, she said, “I choose me.” Those three words stayed true to Garth in real life, becoming her formula for fulfillment she wants to share with listeners. “I Choose Me” is the second venture with Garth and iHeartPodcasts, as she’ll continue to host “9021OMG” with her friend/former co-star Tori Spelling.
Yesterday’s (4/17) Top News/Talk Media Stories
Former President Donald Trump’s hush money/election tampering trial; U.S. response to Iran-Israel tensions; Ukraine-Israel aid debate; inflation/economy concerns; House Speaker Mike Johnson’s political struggles; the migrant crisis; and Boeing under pressure were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday (4/17) according to the research of TALKERS magazine.
March 2024 PPM Ratings Takeaways – Part Three
March 2024 PPM Data – Information for the March 2024 ratings period (February 29 – March 27) has been released for Portland, Charlotte, San Antonio, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Columbus.
The only requirement for a spoken-word station to be included here is that they be a Nielsen Audiosubscriber – there are no share or rank thresholds.
NBA and NHL team names of corresponding spoken-word flagship(s) are bolded.
DNA – DNA = Did Not Appear – Does Not Appear
Comparisons are February 2024 – March 2024 (6+).
PORTLAND
News/Talk
KXL 6.9 – 6.5, #2 – #2
KEX 1.5 – 1.8, #21 – #20
KUFO .8 – .8, #24 – #23
KPAM .1 – .2, #34 – #32
News
None
Sports Talk
KFXX 1.6 – 1.5, #20 – #21
KXTG 1.2 – 1.5, #22 – #21
KPOJ .6 – .5, #26 – #26 (Trailblazers)
KMTT .1 – .2, #34 – #32
KFXX Stream DNA – .1, DNA – #36
Public Radio News/Talk
KOPB 5.1 – 5.8, #4 – #3
KOPB Stream 1.0 – .7, #23 – #25
CHARLOTTE
News/Talk
WBT-AM/FM 4.6– 4.0, #8 – #8
News
WRFX-HD2 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Sports Talk
WFNZ-FM 3.4 – 3.9, #14 – #9 (Hornets)
WSOC-HD3 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Public Radio News/Talk
WFAE 4.9 – 4.4, #6 – #6
WNSC .8 – .8, #18 – #20
WFAE-HD3 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
SAN ANTONIO
News/Talk
WOAI 2.7– 2.6, #14 – #14 (Spurs)
KTSA 2.3 – 1.9, #16 – #17
News
None
Sports Talk
KTFM .9 – .8, #25 – #24
KTKR .5 – .5, #30 – #29
KZDC .3 – .4, #33 – #32
Public Radio News/Talk
KSTX 2.3 – 2.7, #16 – #13
SACRAMENTO
News/Talk
KFBK-AM 7.3 – 6.5 #3 – #4
KSTE-AM 2.9 – 2.5, #12 – #16
News
None
Sports Talk
KHTK 1.4 – 1.7, #18 – #18 (Kings)
KIFM .9 – .9, #23 – #21
KIFM Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Public Radio News/Talk
KXJZ 2.8 – 2.8, #13 – #13
KQEI .3 – .3, #27 – #22
KQED .1 – .1, #29 – #29
KUOP DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
PITTSBURGH
News/Talk
KDKA-AM 4.5 – 3.8, #9 – #10
KDKA-AM Stream .3 – .2, #23 – #25
News
None
Sports Talk
KDKA-FM 7.6 – 8.4, #3 – #2
KDKA-FM Stream .6 – .4, #19 – #21
WBGG DNA – .1, DNA – #26
Public Radio News/Talk
WESA 5.2 – 5.2, #8 – #8
Note: Sports/talk KDKA-FM’s +.8 (7.6 – 8.4) represents Pittsburgh’s largest (6+) February 2024 – March 2024 increase.
SALT LAKE CITY
News/Talk
KSL-AM/FM 6.4 – 6.7, #3 – #2
KNRS-AM/FM 3.1 – 2.6, #13 – #17
KKAT DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
News
None
Sports Talk
KALL .8 – .9, #23 – #23
KZNS-FM .7 – .5, #24 – #24 (Utah Jazz)
KZNS-AM .1 – .3, #28 – #26 (Utah Jazz)
KZNS-AM Stream .1 – DNA, #28 – DNA (Utah Jazz)
KZNS-FM Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Utah Jazz)
KOVO DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Public Radio News/Talk
KUER 2.8 – 3.4, #15 – #13
KBYU-HD2 Stream .3 – .1, #27 – #27
KUMT DNA – .1, DNA – #27
LAS VEGAS
News/Talk
KMXB-HD3 .9 – 1.1, #26 – #26
KXNT .6 – .5, #29 – #30
KMZQ DNA – .1, DNA – #37
KXNT Stream .1 – DNA, #36 – DNA
News
None
Sports Talk
KKGK .3 – .6, #32 – #28 (Golden Knights)
KWWN .6 – .4, #29 – #32
KRLV .2 – .2, #34 – #33
KENO DNA – .1, DNA – #37
Public Radio News/Talk
KNPR 1.6 – 1.7, #22 – #22
ORLANDO
News/Talk
WTKS 5.0 – 5.9, #7 – #5
WDBO 3.1 – 3.5, #13 – #12
WFLF .8 – .7, #19 – #19
WFYY-HD3 .3 – DNA, #24 – DNA
News
None
Sports Talk
WYGM .8 – .8, #19 – #18 (Magic)
WOCL-HD2 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Public Radio News/Talk
WMFE 2.4 – 1.7, #14 – #15
CINCINNATI
News/Talk
WLW 10.2 – 11.3, #2 – #1
WKRC 6.1 – 6.0, #5 – #5
News
None
Sports Talk
WCKY 1.1 – 1.0, #19 – #19
WSAI .6 – .6, #21 – #21
Public Radio News/Talk
WVXU 3.1 – 3.2, #10 – #10
Note: In addition to advancing to #1, news/talk WLW’s +1.1 (10.2 – 11.3) represents Cincinnati’s largest (6+) February 2024 – March 2024 increase.
CLEVELAND
News/Talk
WTAM 5.8 – 5.4, #9 – #9 (Cavaliers)
News
WMMS-HD2 DNA – .1, DNA – #23
Sports Talk
WKRK 3.7 – 4.3, #11 – #10
WKRK Stream .4 – .4, #21 – #21
WARF .2 – .2, #22 – #22
Public Radio News/Talk
WKSU 6.4 – 7.2, #6 – #5
WKSU-HD4 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
KANSAS CITY
News/Talk
KMBZ-FM 4.4 – 5.3, #6 – #4
KCMO-AM 2.3 – 2.0, #14 – #16
KMBZ-AM 1.8 – 1.4, #17 – #18
KMBZ-FM Stream .8 – 1.0, #22 – #22
KCMO-AM Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
KMBZ-FM HD2 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
News
None
Sports Talk
KCSP 3.0 – 1.8, #12 – #17
KCSP Stream .3 – .1, #25 – #29
KWOD .1 – .1, #28 – #29
Public Radio News/Talk
KCUR 2.9 – 2.9, #13 – #12
KANU-HD2 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Notes: News/talk KMBZ-FM’s +.9 (4.4 – 5.3) represents Kansas City’s biggest (6+) February 2024 – March 2024 increase.
Conversely, sports/talk KCSP’s -1.2 (3.0 – 1.8) is the market’s largest (6+) February 2024 – March 2024 decrease.
COLUMBUS
News/Talk
WTVN 5.3 – 5.2, #7 – #8
News
WYTS DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Sports Talk
WBNS-FM 7.2 – 8.6, #2 – #2 (Blue Jackets)
WBNS-AM .3 – .4, #21 #20 (Blue Jackets)
WMNI .1 – .3, #22 – #22
WBNS-FM HD2 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Public Radio News/Talk
WOSU 5.6 – 5.9, #6 – #6
Note: Sports/talk WBNS-FM’s +1.4 (7.2 – 8.6) represents Columbus’ largest (6+) February 2024 – March 2024 increase.
Up next: March 2024 overviews for Austin; Raleigh; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; Nashville; Providence; Norfolk; Jacksonville; West Palm Beach; Greensboro; Memphis; and Hartford.
Sabo Sez: Tap into The Book of Secrets
By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media Partners
A.K.A. Walter M. Sterling
Radio Host, “Sterling On Sunday”
Talk Media Network
Growing a brand is a memory game. Which message will a target consumer value, remember it and take it to the cash register? The answer is not complicated but it is complex.
A great amount of energy and brain power goes into brand names, logo design, show topics but very little study is made of how often a company should deliver information to their target. The answer to the question of “how often” is critical to landing marks in the Nielsen diary, seeking for your station online or in-car. Effective frequency is essential to everyone’s success!
“When you’re sick of the song, that’s when the listener is just hearing it…” is about all the science any of us have been tutored in on the subject of effective frequency.
Frequency of message has, in fact, been studied for over 100 years and the answers are astonishing! The most important, useful frequency of message studies are in the book, Effective Frequency: The Relationship Between Frequency and Advertising Effectiveness.
I bought the book in 1981 to find answers to how much external advertising does a station need to win (remember?)… how often to rotate a song promo or topic? The answers are not found in myth and legends but in hard studies conducted by companies such as Lever Brothers and Procter & Gamble.
The book was assembled by the Association of National Advertisers. It is a collection of landmark major studies on how memory is Impacted by the frequency of message exposure. Expertise on the workings of memory is obviously the most important knowledge in a Nielsen diary market and vital to growth in metered markets if a station has been starved of a promotion budget. This book was edited by the head of research for Lever Brothers, Michael J. Naples.
The next three Sabo Sez columns will highlight more actionable data from the book. For example, the studies in the book offer hard data about on how many spots your listener can tolerate, how often to state and restate the topic, phone number, your name and more. This book has, by far, offered my work the most powerful guidance of any source.
Here are a few facts you might be able to put to use right now:
1. The first and last spot in a cluster enjoys the greatest recall. Promos work equally well in either position. Spots placed first and last should be charged more.
2. Moving money out of a TV campaign and putting it into a radio campaign will neither diminish nor improve response. BUT holding the money in a TV campaign and adding money for a radio campaign will improve response.
3. Stunning: For many product categories, daypart significantly impacts the likelihood of conversion to sales. Food product commercials, according to an Ogilvy & Mather study, convert to sales significantly better in late night, fringe time than in daytime. In fact, food product ads in prime time have a negative impact on sales.
4. Properly conducted research for consumer goods products can be successfully applied to media content development.
Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers. HITVIEWS clients included Pepsi, FOX TV, Timberland, Microsoft, and CBS Television. He can be reached at walter@sabomedia.com and www.waltersterlingshow.com. “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network airs 10:00 pm-1:00 ET, now in its 10th year of success.