Category: Industry Views

Industry Views

Sabo Sez: The “Constant Threat” Isn’t Exactly What It’s Cracked Up to Be

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo 
A.K.A. Walter Sterling, Radio Talk Show Host

imgAssessing the hourly threat to the very existence of the medium of radio is a popular hobby among conventioneers. The audience levels for radio are astonishingly constant since 1970, but according to “radio people,” they are living at the edge of a volcano. Spotify radio, SiriusXM radio, Pandora radio, TuneIn radio, Internet radio, there are all kinds of radio! General Motors wants to throw AM/FM radio out of the car as in “do you really need radio in the car?” Radio’s response to the in-car-removal threat is by promising non-stop typhoons and hurricanes.

The actual threats to established radio companies are non-established radio companies. With the death of meaningful on-air competition, a consolidated industry can easily anticipate the strategies of all major “brands” (formerly known as stations). What cannot be anticipated are actions that are a true threat: Outlier owners throwing creative grenades into the sleepy radio ecosystem.

All viable radio formats launched as unanticipated surprises. New formats are greeted with hostility and predictions of doom. All of them. Yes, even adult contemporary. Eventually – or tomorrow – a new format will be deployed by a desperate owner with a handful of stations, an owner with a retailer’s mentality will go for broke with a format – or a series of shows – that will not be anticipated, cannot be duplicated and is not cheap.

See the threat? A true threat will be a new format that successfully attacks the core of dozens – hundreds of established stations, stations owned by venture capital. It will not be anticipated, cannot be duplicated by hundreds of stations and does not “scale” i.e. isn’t cheap. But the new format would be so rapaciously embraced by the public that it would force all other stations to completely change their on-air content and their sales strategies. Imagine the impact of that threat.

Walter Sabo has been a C-Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General, and many others. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He recently began hosting “Another Side of Midnight” weekends on WABC, New York. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com or phoned at 646-678-1110.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Why Local Media Still Moves Communities

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgIn “When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows” (Scribner) cognitive scientist Steven Pinker unpacks a deceptively simple idea: Society runs on common knowledge. Not just what people know individually, but what they know OTHERS know-they-know.

Read that again, aloud. It describes the invisible wiring that drives humans to coordinate, trust, cooperate, and sometimes revolt.

If that sounds abstract, it shouldn’t. Radio and television are the most powerful common knowledge machines ever invented. And in an era when media fragmentation has turned audiences into isolated microtribes, broadcasters who understand Pinker’s point gain a strategic advantage.

Broadcasting creates the “Shared Reality” communities run on

When a radio or TV station says, “Schools are closed,” that’s not just information. It’s a signal that everyone else in town heard the same thing. That shared certainty is what lets a community move in sync. Pinker reckons that this is the essence of coordination: people don’t just act on facts – they act on what they believe others believe.

This is why broadcasters remain indispensable during storms, emergencies, elections, and civic moments. Digital platforms can inform individuals. Only broadcasting can inform everyone at once, and – crucially – make it known that everyone else heard it too.

Trust and legitimacy flow from common knowledge

Pinker notes that institutions derive their authority from shared understanding. Money works because everyone knows everyone else accepts it. Laws work because everyone knows everyone else knows the rules.

Local broadcasters occupy that same psychological space.

A trusted anchor or morning host doesn’t just deliver news – they confer legitimacy. When they say, “Here’s what’s happening,” they’re not merely reporting; they’re establishing the community’s shared frame of reference. In a fragmented media world, that’s gold.

Dueling Realities: FOX News vs MSNow

Inside each bubble, people know what everyone-like-them knows. When national narratives clash, local broadcasters become the last shared reality left.

Local radio and TV, by contrast, still operate in the realm Pinker describes: weather, schools (and EVERYTHING ELSE that triggers a parent’s concern), roads, emergencies, local elections, shared rituals and routines. These are not ideological. They’re lived. Local broadcasters still produce the kind of common knowledge that makes a town function. Cable networks and partisan talk radio produce the kind that makes a tribe feel coherent.

Local broadcasting is still where a community becomes a community.

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 Views

SABO SEZ: Common Sense is Always the Solution

By Editor | by Editor

By Walter Sabo
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
WPHT, Philadelphia
Sterling Every Damn Night
Sterling on Sunday Syndicated, TMN
Another Side of Midnight, WABC, New York

imgIn 1952, the success formula for today’s radio was discovered and put into practice by two hungry entrepreneurs:  Todd Storz and Gordon McLendon. Both men owned dying radio stations in medium and major markets. The industry was suffering from a lack of purpose or solutions due to the advent of television which drove the migration of hit network radio shows to television. Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, and Gertrude Berg were on radio first.

Storz and McLendon developed “Top 40” with their own brains and money. Top 40 was research and focus group based, as well as. Storz tried it first in Omaha, then Kansas City and Miami. McLendon in Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, and New Orleans. The formula was simple but not obvious. Their common-sense solution worked in all formats: music and talk.

Ruth Meyer was Storz’s PD in Kansas City and I worked with her at ABC. She was very clear when outlining the Storz history, “It was all Todd.”

Success ingredients

The formula: Target one demographic. Play their hits – often. Call out the names of as many people in the audience as possible – make the listener a star.  Present with enthusiasm. Promote at every local crowd event possible. Repeat.

All of the McLendon and Storz stations grew instantly, usually to number one.

That ingredient list works repeatedly for station after station for decades. But, and here’s the but, all of those ingredients have to be in the recipe. Leave out promotion, for example, or research, and it doesn’t work. But the full ingredient list does work for every single format.

I asked Mickey Luckoff, who ran talker KGO as the number one station in San Francisco for most of our lives, how he selected his on air talk hosts to which he replied, “They all come from top 40 because I can teach them talk but I can’t teach them radio.” His promotions were non-stop and smart, TV campaigns were non-stop and research, yes, research – non-stop!

When Adult Contemporary was evolving, my team was responsible for the NBC FM properties. Corporate finance people who went to Wharton urged me to go slow, layer in expenses when launching this odd new format. I knew layering was a recipe – for failure!!! All the ingredients had to be rolled out at once. In 1981, WYNY in New York had a $2 million dollar cash and a $2 million barter promotion budget. Result, a $3 million profit and a 5 share.  Thanks to PD Pete Salant and GM Al Brady Law. We used the Storz/McLendon recipe with AC music and Dr. Ruth, it obviously works.

WGMS-FM was a classical station in Washington, DC. When it was owned by RKO and run by visionary Jerry Lyman, it applied the Storz/McLendon recipe to classical music. Their promos announced that WGMS played “Real Oldies – Your favorites from the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s!” WGMS aired a tight playlist of hits. Special weekends were popular, such as a “Beethoven Weekend” with t-shirt giveaways. The station was a profit monster, top 10 in Washington DC.

Five years ago, WABC-AM was about 28th in NYC as a result of cutting costs, by god the cost cutting was epic and so was the failure. Today, John Catsimatidis, the owner, and Chad Lopez, the president, have grown the station to a 4 share and number eight in New York. An AM talk station, number eight and growing. What? How? They put in all the ingredients. The station is data driven. The talent is live. External paid ads run for WABC almost every single day. The air team goes to local events to meet the crowds. WABC airs live listener music requests and dedications on the weekend with Cousin Bruce Morrow and Joe Piscopo – live. Did I mention live?

Today not history

The team is happy. They are making radio. This isn’t nostalgia. Mr. Cats is a very current based businessman who expects results. Like Storz and McLendon he is an entrepreneur, a private owner deploying common sense. He’s doing what is proven, what works. Bravo.

Conclusion: There is nothing wrong with radio. Just stop. Include every ingredient in the proven recipe; expect stunning results.

Walter Sabo has been a C-Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General, and many others. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He recently began hosting “Another Side of Midnight” weekends on WABC, New York. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com or phoned at 646-678-1110.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: “Tell Me What Happened”

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgGood News/Bad News: Fender‑benders, slip‑and‑falls, and other “injuries caused by the negligent, careless, or reckless actions of others” will always happen. That’s the good news…for personal injury attorneys. Their bad news is that supply WAY-exceeds demand, and their advertising reflects it.

It all looks the same. The billboards are interchangeable: a headshot and a promise of six-figure settlements. When everyone is saying the same thing, differentiate with gimmicks. TV spots are either goofy shtick or tough-guy talk. Where I live, “The Heavy Hitter” has a phone number jingle Southern New Englanders can sing from memory. Competitors’ numbers are even easier, 444-4444 and 777-7777.

If you will be in Las Vegas for the NAB Show, turn on local TV there. You will howl. Some firms pitch “we charge less,” like a radio station dropping trou’ on rate to grab the whole buy. And there are the nationally syndicated spots, customized for local firms, in which cartoonishly terrified insurance executives beg to settle. Or the hard-boiled attorney threatens to “beat them in court.” Baloney! A jury trial is the last thing most personal injury firms want. Too time consuming, too risky.

Like radio’s, a lawyer’s inventory is perishable. We can’t monetize yesterday’s unsold avail. And lawyers can’t add the client who didn’t come in yesterday for that free, no obligation consultation. No “intake,” no sale. Which is exactly why they should be using radio.

“The lawyer is in, the meter is off” is the proposition when attorneys host brokered weekend talk shows and take listener calls. No look-alike billboard or tacky TV spot can humanize the attorney – and demonstrate comforting counsel – like eavesdropping on a conversation with a caller’s relatable situation. So instead of slogans or shouting about settlements, build the client’s message around four words that are turning callers into clients on weekend talk radio: “Tell me what happened.”

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 Views

Providing Support and Comfort to the Suffering Masses

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Pamela Garber, LMHC
Grand Central Counseling Group
New York

imgIn ongoing discussions about the dwindling relevance of radio in the modern world, the medium is grudgingly defended as a reliable “first responder” during times of public emergencies.

Nothing beats having an old-fashioned battery powered radio handy when confronted by hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, earthquakes, wildfires, floods, blackouts, and (dare I say it) weapons of war. Yes, radio is quite useful in the thick of natural “disasters” when the grid goes down, and the lights go out.

However, we are missing a huge opportunity by limiting radio to the roleimg of modern-day media Sterno.

I’ve been a practicing therapist in New York and South Florida for the past 25 years, and although not a host, I have served, and continue to participate, as a guest on broadcasts across the nation, discussing the emotional connections between hot news topics and people’s feelings. I am not alone in the perception that people of my profession have performed for decades as fully invested members of the talk radio family.

During this period, it has become obvious that the one-time talk radio mainstay of the in-house or “go to” mental health professional has become an endangered species. Some of the biggest names in radio were practicing therapists. They were a familiar part of the talk (even news/talk) format. Without turning this into a historical essay or a scold, it is sad to note that most of them are gone.

Ironically, now more than ever, the deeply troubling events in the world, the nation, and our local communities, constituting news and statistics, are bringing deep emotional pain and crippling anxiety to the masses… especially the kind of people likely to tune in to talk radio. Professionals. Businesspeople. Workers. Parents.

Looking for younger demos? Gen-Z is perhaps the most anxiety-plagued segment of the population. These “kids” need support, guidance, and understanding.

Hurricanes and heat waves are not the only disasters that call for the helpful and healing power of radio.

The hot topics of the day: crime, inflation, corruption, disease, ignorance, racial strife, and identity politics – not to mention the ever-lingering threat of nuclear devastation – are not merely subjects (and excuses) to vent blame, anger and hate. They contribute to an environment of deep fear and institutionalized discomfort. There are millions of real-life, personal “disasters” going on out there, exacerbated by relationship betrayals and family breakdowns, that make a heavy snowstorm feel like an adventure by comparison.

Stoking people’s fear and anger with cherry-picked cherry bombs is only a small part of the equation when it comes to serving the desperate needs of both current and potential listeners.

It would be a good thing to bring back to the talk radio menu some psychology shows and professional purveyors of emotional clarity, available in the local communities, as guests to dole out much sought compassion, empathy, guidance, and old fashioned advice.

Pamela Garber, LMHC is a practicing therapist based in NYC and South Florida and a longtime guest mental health commentator on radio and television news programs across the nation. She can be contacted by phone at 646-745-6709 or email at Pamelagarber@gmail.com.  Her website is Grandcentralcounselinggroup.com.

Industry Views

Take Back the Airwaves: Why Radio’s Future Belongs to Main Street, Not Wall Street

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By John Caracciolo
President/CEO
JVC Broadcasting

imgThe recent shutdown of CBS News Radio isn’t just another media headline – it’s a wake-up call. A clear example of what happens when decisions about our information, our communities, and our voices are made in corporate boardrooms disconnected from real life.

This wasn’t a programming failure. It wasn’t a lack of audience. It was an accounting decision – made by people who don’t live in the communities radio serves, don’t rely on it, and don’t understand its true value. And that’s exactly why they got it wrong.

Radio has never been more important. In an era flooded with misinformation, algorithm-driven content, and faceless digital noise, radio remains immediate, local, and – most importantly – trusted. It’s the one medium that still shows up live, every day, in real time, for real people.

Radio isn’t dying. It’s being stripped down by people who don’t know how to grow it. But here’s the truth: this moment isn’t just a loss – it’s an opening. A rare and powerful opportunity to rebuild something better. Because what’s missing right now isn’t demand. It’s leadership. This is the moment to create a new kind of radio network – one built not for Wall Street, but for Main Street. A network designed to empower local stations, not replace them. One that helps stations monetize their greatest strength: localism. Local voices. Local news. Local advertisers. Local trust.

Let’s be clear about something: consolidation itself isn’t the enemy. When done right, consolidation can be a powerful tool – one that strengthens local newsrooms, provides resources, and creates the scale needed to compete in a modern media landscape. But there’s a line. When consolidation is used purely for profit – when it strips stations of their local identity, cuts talent, and replaces service with spreadsheets – that’s when it fails. Profit must be our servant, not our master. The future of radio depends on getting that balance right. We need smart, strategic growth that invests in journalism, expands local reporting, and gives stations the tools to thrive – not survive. We need leadership that understands scale should support localism, not suffocate it. That’s where the opportunity is right now.

The future is a network that works differently – a network that partners with local stations to amplify their voices, not drown them out. One that provides national scale where it matters – news gathering, distribution, sales infrastructure – while keeping content authentic and rooted in the community. A network that helps local stations win. Because local radio doesn’t need to be replaced – it needs to be reinforced.

Imagine a network that:

  • Delivers credible, trusted national news while allowing stations to localize and own the story • Builds shared revenue models that actually benefit local operators.
  • Gives advertisers access to both national reach and local impact.
  • Invests in talent, not cuts it.
  • Uses modern tools – digital, streaming, social – to extend radio’s reach without losing its soul.

That’s not just possible – it’s necessary. This is how we make radio competitive again. Not by shrinking it, but by strengthening what made it great in the first place. And let’s be honest – no one is better positioned to build this than the people who actually believe in radio. We have the tools. We have the experience. We have the relationships. And most importantly, we understand the audience because we’re part of it.

This is the time to act. The vacuum left by corporate retreat is real, and it won’t stay empty for long. Either Main Street steps in to rebuild radio with purpose, or something else will fill that space – and it won’t have the same commitment to trust, community, or truth.

So, let’s not waste this moment. Let’s take back the airwaves from bureaucratic investors who see radio as a line item instead of a lifeline. Let’s build a network that works for stations, communities, and listeners. Let’s make radio great again – not by looking backward, but by building forward. This isn’t the end of radio. It’s the beginning of its next chapter. And this time, we’re writing it. Let the revolution begin my friends, who’s with me?

John Caracciolo is the president and CEO of JVC Broadcasting.  He can be emailed at johnc@jvcbroadcasting.com or phoned at 631-648-2525.  

Industry Views

Monday Memo: “What Matters Next” for Radio?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgIf you work in radio, you’ve heard every flavor of AI anxiety. Some fear it will wipe out jobs. Others treat it like a super shortcut – cranking-out spots, promos, and proposals faster and cheaper. Kate O’Neill’s What Matters Next lands squarely in the middle of this tension, and its message is one radio people need to hear: AI isn’t the disruptor. Human behavior is. AI just accelerates the consequences.

The book’s central argument is blunt: The organizations that thrive in an AI-driven world are the ones that stay relentlessly human. Not sentimental – human. Curious. Adaptive. Willing to rethink habits that calcified long before the first smart speaker ever said, “Now playing.” That’s a mirror radio hasn’t always wanted to look into.

For decades, the industry has survived by optimizing the familiar: tighter clocks, leaner staffs, syndicated shows, templated production, and “good enough” digital. AI tempts some operators to double down on that instinct – to automate more, localize less, and hope listeners won’t notice. This book argues the opposite: AI punishes sameness and rewards originality. When every business has access to the same tools, the differentiator becomes the people who use them with imagination, empathy, and purpose. That should sound familiar. It’s what radio used to brag about.

O’Neill also warns against the other extreme, the fear-driven paralysis that keeps talented people from experimenting. AI isn’t a job eater; it’s a task eater. It clears the underbrush so humans can do the work only humans can do: judgment, storytelling, connection, and community presence. In radio terms: the stuff listeners actually remember.

Imagine a morning show that uses AI not to replace prep, but to deepen it, surfacing hyperlocal stories, analyzing listener sentiment, or generating alternate angles on a topic the hosts want to explore. Or a sales team that uses AI to tailor proposals to each client’s issues instead of reshuffling the same deck. How about a newsroom (remember them?) that uses AI to sift data so stations can spend more time delivering what’s special to listeners (and sponsors): helpful local news they can’t get anywhere else. None of that eliminates jobs. It elevates them.

This book’s most important warning is this: AI widens the gap between organizations that learn and organizations that cling. Radio has lived through this before – streaming, podcasting, social media, smart speakers. The winners weren’t the ones who panicked or the ones who ignored the shift. They were the ones who adapted early, experimented often, and stayed close to their audience.

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 Views

Monday Memo: Anatomy of a Results-Producing Spot

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgLet’s start with what NOT to do, The 7 Deadly Sins Of Small Business Advertising:

  1. Talking about yourself too much. Customers care lots less about your story than their problem.
  2. Using clichés. “Quality service,” “relaxing atmosphere,” “friendly staff,” and “committed to excellence” are noise. WORST: the hollow “for all your ____ needs.”
  3. Listing everything you do. Think: message, not menu.
  4. Trying to sound big. Avoid that corporate sound I described in last week’s column here. It distances you from your prospect.
  5. Trying to be clever instead of clear. If they don’t get it instantly, they move on. And you risk seeming unserious.
  6. Too much copy, so the spot sounds rushed, a motor-mouth pitch. Instead, let it breathe.
  7. Ending with a weak call to action. “Visit us today” is not a call to action. It’s a shrug.

Your messaging will instantly improve if – in the words of George Constanza – you “do the opposite” of committing these sins.

A strong ad has four parts:

  1. A clear, strong opening line. “When you lie in bed at night, do you hear a scratching sound?” The opening line should speak directly to the customer’s life. Note Magic Words “you” and “your.” Start in their world – with their dilemma – and walk-them-into your world, how you fix it.
  2. A simple promise. Tell them what they get —  not what you do. “Call before noon and sleep on a new mattress tonight.” Problem solved. A promise is emotional, not technical.
  3. A reason to believe. Keep it short. “Sameday service, even on weekends,” or “We’ve solved this problem for 20 years.”
  4. A strong call to action. Tell them exactly what to do next. Be specific and immediate. “Click to find out – in just seconds – to find out what your house is worth.” Or “Instant cash for your car. Call for our offer.”

This is #3 in my 3-part series about optimizing commercial copy, the fundamentals we’re covering in Sales meetings as I visit client stations this spring. If you missed the first two installments, here are “If It Doesn’t Matter to the Customer, It Doesn’t Matter” and “Your Local Advantage.” And help yourself to my free E-book, “Spot-On: Commercial Copy Points That Earned The Benjamins,” 12 more pages of what-worked, collected in my travels.

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 Views

Monday Memo: Your Local Advantage

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgSmall businesses often underestimate their greatest competitive edge. It’s not price. It’s not selection.

It’s localness. Big companies spend millions trying to sound personal and relatable. Small businesses already are those things – yet they often fail to exploit their advantage.

Common small business marketing mistake: Trying to sound big, speaking in an unnatural tone, a kind of “corporate costume.” It sounds like: “We are committed to excellence” or “Our mission is to provide unparalleled service” or “We pride ourselves on quality and customer satisfaction.” That’s verbal Styrofoam. Nobody talks like this and nobody remembers this.

Local isn’t just location

It’s a feeling. When customers say they prefer to “shop local,” they don’t necessarily mean geographically close, independently owned/noncorporate. Those things do matter, but they’re not the heart of it.

What customers really mean is:

  • “I feel like these people understand me.”
  • “They get what matters here.”
  • “They’re part of this place.”
  • “They care about the same things I do.”

Local is emotional

It’s relational, human. Show that you understand the place your customers live by referencing familiar landmarks, acknowledging local quirks, using neighborhood names, mentioning local events, speaking the way locals speak. Explaining that the advertiser is “just off the rotary at the bridge” tells would-be customers: “We’re here. We get it.” Big brands can’t fake that.

Tout personal service: 

“You can buy the same shed from Lowe’s or Home Depot, cash-N-carry. Buy yours at Lorraine Lumber and Paul Jr. will set it up in your back yard.”

This is the second installment in a 3-part series about optimizing commercial copy, the fundamentals we’re covering in Sales meetings as I visit client stations this spring. If you missed last week’s column, here’s “If It Doesn’t Matter to the Customer, It Doesn’t Matter.”  Next week here: “Anatomy of a Results-Producing 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 Views

Spring-Forward Show Prep

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgUnless you live in Hawaii and Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) or American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, your clocks will change when we “Spring Forward” on Sunday 3/8.

Every year, that one missing hour becomes a big topic of conversation. So, it’s an opportunity to flex your local radio advantage. Plan now to empathize with the emotional and practical adjustments listeners are confronting, including…  

Darker Mornings
Positive:

  • Later sunrise can feel cozy, especially for people who enjoy easing into the day.
  • Early-morning workers may appreciate the quieter, calmer pre-dawn hours.

Negative:

  • For many, waking up in darkness can be jarring.
  • Kids heading to school and commuters on the road face reduced visibility.

Longer Evenings
Positive:

  • More daylight after work boosts mood, encourages outdoor activity, and feels like the unofficial start of spring.
  • Families get more time outside; businesses tied to recreation, dining, and retail see a lift.

Negative:

  • Evening routines shift, especially for parents managing homework, sports, and bedtime.
  • People who work late may feel the day stretching uncomfortably long.

Sleep Disruption
Positive:

  • Some listeners welcome the psychological “reset” of a seasonal shift.
  • A later sunset can help night owls feel more aligned with the clock.

Negative:

  • Losing an hour can hit hard.
  • Many experience grogginess, irritability, and a few days of circadian chaos.

Health and Mood
Positive:

  • More evening light is a proven mood-booster.
  • For those prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder, the extended daylight is a relief.

Negative:

  • The abrupt change can trigger fatigue, headaches, and short-term stress.
  • Sleep-deprived mornings can amplify anxiety.

Productivity and Daily Rhythm
Positive:

  • Longer evenings can inspire productivity, exercise, and social plans.
  • People feel like they “get their life back” after winter.

Negative:

  • Morning productivity tanks for a few days as bodies adjust.
  • Parents, shift workers, and early risers feel the strain most acutely.

Safety Considerations
Positive:

  • More daylight during high-traffic evening hours improves visibility and reduces accident risk.

Negative:

  • Darker mornings increase hazards for pedestrians, cyclists, and schoolchildren.
  • Sleep deprivation contributes to slower reaction times.

Energy Consumption
Positive:

  • Longer daylight in the evening can reduce lighting needs.
  • Outdoor activity replaces indoor energy use.

Negative:

  • Darker mornings mean more lights, heat, and coffee makers running earlier.
  • Any savings are inconsistent and vary by region.

Impact on Schedules
Positive:

  • The seasonal shift feels like a milestone — spring is coming.
  • People use the change as a cue to refresh routines.

Negative:

  • Parents, pet owners, and anyone with a rigid schedule face a tough adjustment.
  • “Losing an hour” becomes a shared gripe.

So, What’s a Radio Station To Do?
This is where local radio can shine – being human, helpful, and hyper-local.

  • Songs about time: Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time,” etc.
  • Explain the history of Daylight Saving Time(NOTE: it’s “Saving,” not “Savings”).
  • Ask callers how they feel about DST. You’ll get strong opinions on both sides…and stories.
  • “What will you do with your longer evenings?”
  • Giveaways that fit the moment: Coffee cards, breakfast treats, outdoor gear, spring-cleaning kits.
  • Partner with advertisers: “Spring Ahead Specials,” etc.
  • Interview a local health pro about sleep.

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 Views

SABO SEZ: What Happened to Sex?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
WPHT, Philadelphia
Sterling Every Damn Night
Sterling on Sunday Syndicated, TMN

imgTalk radio has a long incredibly successful run of shows about sex.

SEX SELLS. What happened to shows on radio that talk about sex? In the olden days, numerous shows focused on sex and relationships. Traditionally, time liberates cultural tolerance of conversations about sexual intimacy. Television, films and print have progressed to broaden the variety of subjects welcomed by the audiences.

Our history was lusty:

Dr. Ruth Westheimer launched on WYNY-FM, New York in 1980 on Sunday nights for 15 minutes. She read letters on the air. Quickly the show progressed to one, then two hours taking live phone calls. GM Dan Griffin never blinked. The station was owned by NBC/RCA, which housed the original standards and practices department, a department, not a deeply disliked single corporate attorney. Every week NBC Standards visited my office (I was the EVP in charge of the division not some hack from finance) and Dan Griffin’s office. We invited Standards to share their concerns with Dr. Ruth directly. She was 4’11”, had two bullet wounds in her legs from fighting for the Israeli Army, and two PhDs. That suggestion sent the censors back to their martinis.

After one year, Dr. Ruth, a radio star, was on the cover of PEOPLE and represented by William Morris Talent.

To this day, no one has achieved a higher share of 18–34-year-olds than Dr. Ruth on WYNY. Dr. Ruth was brought to WYNY by Betty Elam and Mitch Lebe. We told Dr. Ruth to say “blow jobs” and “vagina” as often as possible.

Sally Jesse Raphael hosted a show on NBC Talknet for 14 years. Sally’s was a national show about personal relationships and sex. Previously, she had won audience shares on local stations, WMCA, New York and WIOD, Miami. Then she launched 19 years of success on TV talking about relationships and sex!

Dr. Judy Kurianski, Dr. Toni Grant, and Dr. Laura Schlesinger were major, highly paid stars from discussing sex and relationships in highly entertaining shows.

Many top talk stations added relationship shows to their schedule hosted by skilled broadcasters such as on WRKO, Boston’s “Two Chicks Dishing,” Mary Walter on New Jersey 101.5, and Erin Sommers on WTKS, Orlando… “A lot of my friends who don’t like anal sex really enjoy rimming.” Number 1 men 18-34 first book. And, of course, the legendary morning stars such as Bubba the Love Sponge, Steve Dahl, Stevens and Pruitt, and the king, Howard Stern.

Oh, and please no nonsense about advertiser sensitivity to sex talk. Brands are spending billions on “influencers” whose videos run next to images of extreme sex acts and TV shows celebrating drugs, nudity and other good stuff.

Sex talk equals women ratings, younger ratings, engaged listens.  This one’s easy.

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. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.  He can be phoned at 646-678-1110.

Industry Views

Reckless Disregard in the Age of AI: What Verification Now Requires

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Matthew B. Harrison
TALKERS, VP/Associate Publisher
Harrison Legal Group, Senior Partner
Goodphone Communications, Executive Producer

imgAI is now embedded in the modern newsroom. Not as a headline, not as a novelty, but as infrastructure. It drafts outlines, summarizes complex reporting, surfaces background details, and accelerates prep for live conversations. For media creators operating under relentless deadlines, that efficiency is not theoretical. It is practical and daily.

That reality raises a quiet but consequential legal question. When AI contributes to your research, what does verification now require?

Professional hosts are not reading raw chatbot answers on air and calling it journalism. That caricature misses the real issue. What is actually happening is subtler and far more common.

AI now sits inside research workflows. Producers use it for background. Hosts use it to summarize reporting. Teams use it to outline controversies or draft rundowns. Most of the time, it works. Sometimes, however, it invents.

When that invention involves a real person and a serious allegation, the legal analysis looks familiar.

For public figures, defamation requires proof of actual malice – knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for truth. For private figures, negligence is usually enough. In both cases, the focus is not on the tool. It is on the content creator’s conduct.

AI does not change the elements. It changes the context in which reasonableness is judged.

Courts have long held that repeating a defamatory statement can create liability, even if someone else said it first. If you rely on a blog, and that blog relied on AI, and the allegation is false, the question becomes whether your reliance was reasonable.

Was the source reputable? Was the claim inherently improbable? Were there obvious red flags?  Was contradictory information readily available?

AI’s reputation for “hallucinating” facts now forms part of that backdrop. Widespread awareness that these systems can fabricate citations, merge identities, or invent accusations becomes relevant when a court evaluates your verification choices.

This does not mean using AI indicates reckless disregard. It means using AI does not excuse skipping verification when the stakes are high.

The more specific and damaging the claim, the greater the duty to confirm it through independent, reliable sources. Not another prompt. Not a circular reference to the same unverified blog. Rather, a primary record, official statement, or established reporting.

Documentation matters. If challenged, being able to show that you checked multiple sources before broadcast can be decisive.

None of this is new doctrine. What is new is how seamlessly AI blends into ordinary research habits. That integration makes it easier to forget that the legal question is still about human judgment.

The law will not ask whether your workflow was efficient. It will ask whether your conduct was reasonable under the circumstances.

In the age of AI, verification is not a courtesy. It is risk management.

Matthew B. Harrison is a media and intellectual property attorney who advises radio hosts, content creators, and creative entrepreneurs. He has written extensively on fair use, AI law, and the future of digital rights. Reach him at Matthew@HarrisonLegalGroup.com or read more at TALKERS.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: If it Doesn’t Matter to the Customer, it Doesn’t Matter

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgYour prospect – or, worse, an existing advertiser with cold feet – says “We tried radio. It didn’t work.” Often, the copy is the culprit, because it’s inside-out.

Customers don’t care about the client’s process, or equipment, how many years in business, or its “state-of-the-art” facility. They do care about their time, their money, their children and grandchildren, and their safety and comfort and convenience.

 So, flip-the-script. Rather than reciting the client’s repertoire, solve the listener’s problem:

 Instead of: “At Smith & Sons Plumbing, we are committed to providing quality service with over 25 years of experience. Our trained technicians are available for all your plumbing needs including leaks, clogs, installations, repairs, and more.”

Say: “Got a leak? Call now and we’re on our way.”

Instead of: “At BrightSmile Dental, we offer cleanings, whitening, implants, crowns, veneers, and family dentistry. Our friendly staff is committed to your oral health. Call today for all your dental needs.”

Ask: “Do you cover your mouth in pictures? Or when you laugh? Let us help you smile with confidence.”

Instead of: “At ClearView Auto Glass, we repair chips, replace windshields, fix power windows, and handle insurance claims. Our technicians are certified and experienced. Call today for all your auto glass needs.”

Try: “Cracked windshield? We’ll fix it before it spreads. C’mon in!”

 Instead of: “At Happy Paws Veterinary Clinic, we offer wellness exams, vaccinations, dental care, diagnostics, surgery, and emergency services. Our caring staff is here for all your pet’s needs.”

Say: “Is your dog just not-himself lately? Bring your buddy to us. We’ll have a look, and he gets a treat”

This is the first installment in a three-part series about optimizing commercial copy – the fundamentals we’re covering in sales meetings as I visit client stations this spring. Next week here: The Local Advantage.

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 Views

Progressive Talk Media Star Thom Hartmann Interviewed

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

UFCO Hartmann copy

WYD Media nationally syndicated progressive talk show host, Thom Hartmann is Michael Harrison‘s guest this week on Up Close Far Out – a YouTube video presentation of broadcast industry trade publication TALKERS magazine.  Hartmann is one of – if not THE – most influential and longest running progressive radio and talk media commentators on the scene today.  His daily program is heard on several hundred radio stations as well as the SiriusXM Progress 127 channel, Free Speech TV, Substack, YouTube, and Facebook. He is a prolific best-selling author and publishes a widely read daily newsletter, the Hartmann Report. Hartmann is currently ranked number 8 on the prestigious TALKERS Heavy Hundred list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America.  Harrison and Hartmann discuss the state of news/talk media, the challenge of covering the Trump presidency, and both commentators’ concern about the administration’s escalating infringement on First Amendment rights. To experience the video in its entirety please click HERE.

Industry Views

Michael Harrison Reveals Roots as an Immigrant

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

img

TALKERS magazine publisher Michael Harrison reveals and openly discusses his perspective as an immigrant in this country disclosing his irrevocable inability to ever return to his land of origin. In a brief 2 1/2-minute video commentary described by TALKERS editors as “experimental,” Harrison is presented as a thoughtful figure who candidly talks about the natives in this “peculiar” new world. He admits to making adjustments to blend in and get along. As an old, seasoned man humbly seated on a bench just across chilly New York Harbor from Ellis Island, Harrison captures a profoundly original view of 21st century America seen though his eyes as an outsider attempting to assimilate into a new culture. He ultimately examines the evolving state of his humanity.  Check it out here.

Industry Views

If the Bot Lies, Who Pays?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Matthew B. Harrison
TALKERS, VP/Associate Publisher
Harrison Legal Group, Senior Partner
Goodphone Communications, Executive Producer 

img

A reporter recently asked a clean question with sharp edges: “Who is responsible when an AI defames someone?”
It sounds futuristic. It isn’t. It’s a standard defamation analysis dressed in new technology.
The most publicized early test involved radio host Mark Walters, who sued OpenAI after ChatGPT falsely stated he had been accused of embezzlement. The case was dismissed in federal court in Georgia in 2024. The court concluded the complaint did not plausibly allege the required level of fault. No federal appellate court has yet imposed defamation liability on an AI developer for a hallucinated statement alone.
That matters.
Defamation still requires a false statement of fact, publication to a third party, fault, and damages. An AI system cannot form intent. It cannot know falsity. It is not a legal person. But an AI output can absolutely contain a false statement about a real individual.
Courts will not ask whether “the AI defamed.” They will ask who published the statement.
Publication is broader than many assume. It does not require a broadcast tower. It requires communication to at least one third party. If a chatbot produces a false statement visible only to the person who prompted it and that person is the subject of the statement, there is typically no publication. The moment that output is emailed, posted, quoted, aired, or incorporated into a script, publication is satisfied.
The AI session itself is not the problem. Distribution is.
That is where fault enters the picture.
For public figures, plaintiffs must prove actual malice: knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for truth. “The computer said it” is not a defense. If a host repeats a serious allegation generated by a system widely known to hallucinate and fails to verify it, a plaintiff will argue reckless disregard. For private figures, negligence is usually enough. Failing to check an AI-generated accusation against readily available sources may meet that standard.
The technology does not lower the bar. Nor does it create a new type of immunity. It simply changes the source of the words.
The unsettled frontier is developer exposure under Section 230 and product liability theories. Courts have not yet produced a controlling appellate decision holding a model developer liable in defamation solely because a model generated a false statement. That question remains open, but it is not yet answered in plaintiffs’ favor.
Here is the practical reality for media professionals.
An AI can generate the sentence.
You are the one who makes it public.
That’s where liability is found.
Matthew B. Harrison is a media and intellectual property attorney who advises radio hosts, content creators, and creative entrepreneurs. He has written extensively on fair use, AI law, and the future of digital rights. Reach him at Matthew@HarrisonLegalGroup.com or read more at TALKERS.com.
Industry Views

Monday Memo: “What Matters Next” for Radio?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgIf you work in radio, you’ve heard every flavor of AI anxiety. Some fear it will wipe out jobs. Others treat it like a super shortcut – cranking-out spots, promos, and proposals faster and cheaper. Kate O’Neill’s “What Matters Next” lands squarely in the middle of this tension, and its message is one radio people need to hear: AI isn’t the disruptor. Human behavior is. AI just accelerates the consequences.

The book’s central argument is blunt: The organizations that thrive in an AI-driven world are the ones that stay relentlessly human. Not sentimental – human. Curious. Adaptive. Willing to rethink habits that calcified long before the first smart speaker ever said, “Now playing.” That’s a mirror radio hasn’t always wanted to look into.

For decades, the industry has survived by optimizing the familiar: tighter clocks, leaner staffs, syndicated shows, templated production, and “good enough” digital. AI tempts some operators to double down on that instinct – to automate more, localize less, and hope listeners won’t notice. This book argues the opposite: AI punishes sameness and rewards originality. When every business has access to the same tools, the differentiator becomes the people who use them with imagination, empathy, and purpose. That should sound familiar. It’s what radio used to brag about.

O’Neill also warns against the other extreme, the fear-driven paralysis that keeps talented people from experimenting. AI isn’t a job eater; it’s a task eater. It clears the underbrush so humans can do the work only humans can do: judgment, storytelling, connection, and community presence. In radio terms: the stuff listeners actually remember.

Imagine a morning show that uses AI not to replace prep, but to deepen it, surfacing hyperlocal stories, analyzing listener sentiment, or generating alternate angles on a topic the hosts want to explore. Or a sales team that uses AI to tailor proposals to each client’s issues instead of reshuffling the same deck. How about a newsroom (remember those?) that uses AI to sift data so stations can spend more time delivering what’s special to listeners (and sponsors): helpful local news they can’t get anywhere else. None of that eliminates jobs. It elevates them.

This book’s most important warning is this: AI widens the gap between organizations that learn and organizations that cling. Radio has lived through this before – streaming, podcasting, social media, smart speakers. The winners weren’t the ones who panicked or the ones who ignored the shift. They were the ones who adapted early, experimented often, and stayed close to their audience.

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 Views

TALKERS Magazine Enthusiastically Supports the 2026 IBS Conference in New York as its Presenting Sponsor

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Matthew B. Harrison
TALKERS, VP/Associate Publisher
Harrison Legal Group, Senior Partner
Goodphone Communications, Executive Producer 

imgTALKERS magazine, the leading trade publication serving America’s professional broadcast talk radio and associated digital communities since 1990, is pleased to participate as the presenting sponsor of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) conference for the second consecutive year. The conference is currently underway in New York.

IBS NYC 2026 – America’s preeminent annual college radio and media gathering began last night (2/19) and continues today and tomorrow (2/20-21) at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The non-profit, volunteer-driven, IBS has been diligently serving student broadcasters since 1940, and its services are needed today more than ever.

Campus broadcasting continues to take on growing importance as theimg radio industry (and its related fields) seeks to connect with and develop a next generation of professional practitioners as well as engaged audiences. TALKERS is honored to again provide financial support, encouragement, experience, and advice to the dedicated organizers of this very special event.

We highly recommend that radio and media professionals attend this dynamic gathering because the grass roots future of the field oozes out of its content-rich meeting rooms, exhibition areas, and hallways. It provides fertile ground at which to network with almost a thousand wide-eyed up and coming stars in both talent and management – the next generation of professional industry movers and shakers. From the high school, college, and university perspective, the fact that it continues to be a must-attend conference for dedicated students of communication and professional media hopefuls remains a self-evident truth. Here, in the early stages of the second quarter of the 21st century, everybody’s in show biz and everybody’s a star. To quote Ray Davies, “There are stars in every city, in every house and on every street.”

The skills of modern communication are a vocational necessity well beyond entering a career in radio, TV or podcasting. The abilities to produce a podcast, YouTube video, social media campaign, cogent press release, or “talk show” constitute a minimal level of modern age literacy needed in almost all fields of endeavor going forward.

Since its launch nearly four decades ago, TALKERS magazine has been a potent presence at the intersection of media creation, education, and accountability. That’s why our support of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) conference isn’t just symbolic – it’s practical.

The next generation of broadcasters, podcasters, digital hosts, producers, and media entrepreneurs is already building the future of this industry. IBS has been helping them do that – consistently, seriously, and without shortcuts – for decades.

Campus stations are often where experimentation happens first:

  • New formats
  • New voices
  • New distribution models
  • New cultural conversations
  • New technology
  • New legal frontiers

IBS recognizes that reality and treats student media creators with the same seriousness the industry demands at the professional level. This aligns directly with our TALKERS mission: supporting informed, responsible, creative media across emerging platforms.

We’re not simply sponsoring a conference.  We’re investing in the people who will define the next era of media.

For more information on the 2026 IBS conference, please click HERE.

Matthew B. Harrison is a media and intellectual property attorney who advises radio hosts, content creators, and creative entrepreneurs. He has written extensively on fair use, AI law, and the future of digital rights. Reach him at Matthew@HarrisonLegalGroup.com or read more at TALKERS.com.

Industry Views

SABO SEZ: Anarchy Wins in Radio

By Editor | by Editor

By Walter Sabo
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
WPHT, Philadelphia
Sterling Every Damn Night
Sterling on Sunday Syndicated, TMN

imgI am pleased to be speaking this weekend at the IBS New York 2026 conference in New York City. Thank you, TALKERS magazine, for being the presenting sponsor of this important, timely annual event along with the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS).

Attention college students. I will help you get a job in radio because radio wants you and needs you. Call me any time at the number below but read this first:

You got a job and are now going to work at a radio station. You have an idea for a promotion or a promo or a new… anything.

You arrive at the station, and your idea goes on the air. Then get yourself coffee. All before 10:00 am.

No, that would not happen in any other medium. Local TV is the medium that could be spontaneous, filled with local audiences and hosts and entertainment programs but… it’s not! Local TV does local news. The cameras on set don’t move, the format for the newscast is determined by corporate. After the news, the prime-time schedule is determined by corporate. There will be no surprises, no ideas from you at all. “Hey, could you get me a coffee,” says the anchorman to you.

All before 10:00 am.

Movies? Great. You have an idea. You start writing a script.  Great idea. Send it to studio after studio. Rejection, rejection.

You get depressed. You start drinking. Rejection. Finally, you get a meeting with a studio. You’ve been in LA six years, finally a meeting. It goes ok. You drink more. Then you find an AA meeting in the Valley. Any Valley, it’s LA. After seven years, you get on-set to see every word you wrote changed by idiots who don’t get you. All before 10:00 am.

Radio gives you the most control of your creativity and your hard work. Idea? Yes, please. Get a job at a radio station and cause trouble. Challenge everything. Demand change. Many, many of the elements you hear on the radio are ideas I brought to life with co-workers. I rarely point that out, but it’s true. Your turn. Here’s the torch.

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. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.  He can be phoned at 646-678-1110.

Industry Views

Dr. Asa Andrew Guests on TALKERS MEDIA YouTube Channel Podcast

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

img

Asa Andrew, M.D. Is this week’s guest on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube Channel podcast “Up Close Far Out.” Program host Michael Harrison engages “Doctor Asa” in a conversation spanning hot topics from health care and personal motivation to multi-platform branding and the idiosyncratic world of professional wrestling. Asa Andrew is often referred to as “America’s Health Coach.”  He’s a syndicated radio and television talk show personality specializing in leading edge health and medical information.  Beyond that, he is a dynamic communicator, motivational philosopher, author, columnist, podcaster, documentary producer, and colorful figure in the world of professional wrestling where he serves as medical director and ringside physician for the TNA. TALKERS magazine currently ranks Doctor Asa number 31 on its prestigious annual Heavy Hundred list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America. Don’t miss this! See the complete interview here.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Radio’s Advantage is Human

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgEvery radio conference agenda and much of what’s-up in the trade press and chat groups is about exploiting Artificial Intelligence. Often these conversations land in one of two places: fear (“Will this replace us?”) or fascination (“Look what it can do!”). Both miss the point.

In “Between You and AI” (Wiley) author Andrea Iorio cautions that when everyone has access to the same machine intelligence, advantage shifts to what remains scarce. That’s not just-more information. It’s better judgment, trust, empathy, and local savvy… the very things radio has always done best.

Haven’t got time to read all 254 pages? Here’s a short version, as it applies to our work:

  • AI is brilliant at summarizing, predicting, transcribing, drafting, and optimizing. Radio should absolutely use it to handle the mechanical work that clogs calendars and burns out staff. Show prep summaries. Promo copy drafts. Sales proposal outlines. Post-show highlights. Let the machine chew through that.
  • But here’s where radio wins: what to ask, what to emphasize, what to leave out, and how to make people feel. AI can’t do those things without human direction, interpretation, and accountability.
  • For a morning show: AI can surface trending topics in seconds. But it can’t know which story resonates here,today, with this audience – nor when silence, humor, or restraint is the smarter move. That’s human sensemaking. The book calls it “data sensemaking”; radio people have always called it “knowing our market.”
  • News/talk: AI can summarize a city council meeting neatly. It cannot decide which exchange actually matters to listeners’ lives, nor ask the follow-up question that reframes the issue.
  • Sales teams, too, are at a crossroads. AI can generate a competent proposal in seconds. So can your competitor. What it can’t do is replace the trust built when a seller truly understands a retailer’s risk tolerance, cash flow anxiety, and seasonal pressure points. As AI makes “good enough” ubiquitous, relationship quality becomes the differentiator.
  • In an AI-saturated media environment, audiences won’t reward whoever publishes the most. They’ll reward whoever feels the most real. Trust will matter more than tone. Judgment more than speed. Presence more than precision.

AI is not radio’s replacement. It’s radio’s stress test. Stations that pass will be the ones that let machines handle the work so humans can handle the meaning.

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 Views

SABO SEZ: Bad AM Shows Don’t “Get Good” on FM

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
WPHT, Philadelphia
Sterling Every Damn Night
Sterling on Sunday Syndicated, TMN

img“Darn, if we were on FM everything would get better.” Not true. This writer launched many of the successful talk formats on FM stations in the early 1990s. The ones that worked, such as KLSX, Los Angeles; WTKS, Orlando; and New Jersey 101.5 in Trenton, were produced for the unique demands of FM. Then and today, the FM band cume utilized the radio in a completely different manner than AM audiences. The competition on FM isn’t another talk show. It’s Chapelle Roan and Taylor Swift. Ya know, billion-dollar Taylor Swift. The production values of FM music stations set the expectations of “the sound.” “Let’s pay some bills…” Followed by bumper music! Followed by eight minutes of commercials for Med Alert is just not what FMers are used to hearing on Elvis Duran. (Elvis is doing a talk show.)

FM music stations are laser focused on precise demographics and marketing goals 

Every moment of a music station is heavily considered for its ability to capture and hold a listener. Nothing is left to chance. Compare that reality with the odd feature of, “Let’s open the phones for whatever is on your mind!” The ancient demographics delivered by most talk shows are not an accident; it’s the net result of a product that appeals to people who need companionship, a voice talking, a voice to soothe them to sleep. Put that weary product on FM and get the same result.

FM Requirements, the short list

Every city is unique and an FM talk station that will succeed has some key ingredients:

  • Well-defined target listener. Everyone at the station has to buy in to this target. Including the sales department.
  • A production format. Each show should “sound” the same. That helps the cume flow show to show rather than starting and stopping show to show.  Rules for call length, stop sets, and other elements should be the same at 10:00 am and 10:00 pm.
  • Topic playlist.  Each host should have a clear understanding of which topics make the meters bounce, and which don’t. That’s right, there are some you just shouldn’t do.
  • Audio processing. If your chief thinks “those settings” will result in listener fatigueuse them.
  • Music on the weekends. No infomercials. The music should be super-tight appealing to your target listener. Music blows off chronic talk radio listeners and brings in young cume for Monday morning.

Happy to share more success strategies for FM at 646-678-1110.

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. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Social Media That Clicks

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgIf you’re on-air, it’s an important part of your job. Here’s what I see and hear working:

  • Daily Presence. Not just for-the-sake-of-posting, but to engage. Ask questions that spark conversation, reply to comments, repost listeners’ content (very flattering – they’ll repost you).
  • Share behind-the-scenes moments from the studio – inviting, insightful – not silly or self-amused. Watch how the cast of “This Morning with Gordon Deal” executes “When the Mic is Off.”
  • Tell stories. And at today’s blurry, attention-starved tempo, “word economy” is more imperative than ever. Make your point, without long setups, rambling, needless repetition or inside jokes… then get out. Like on-air breaks, every post has a purpose: entertain, inform, or connect. And a beginning, middle and end.
  • Stay in Your Lane. If the station doesn’t do politics, don’t do politics in social media. If the station is upbeat, you stay upbeat.
  • Done right, short video is powerful. Think: appetizer. 10- to 20-second clips can tease show content, or react to trending topics.
  • Consistency beats perfection. To differentiate you from soulless robotic new-tech audio competitors, raw beats polished, authentic beats staged, frequent beats flawless.
  • Close the loop on-air. Reward engagement with shout-outs. Superfans drive ratings.

As with on-air work:

  • Ask yourself: Why does this matter to listeners? How can I make this relatable? How can I make this interactive?
  • Avoid taking “lazy radio” habits online: reading long articles, bits with no payoff, inside jokes.

 Execute with intention and heart, and you’ll stand out in a world full of noise.

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 Views

Monday Memo: TV Wants In – Welcome Them

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgLinear broadcast media have never been more challenged. Internet video now commands far more viewing time than over-the-air TV. And their own networks are hijacking viewers! Your local NBC station tells you to watch Peacock. ABC points you to Disney+. CBS pushes Paramount+. Affiliates are effectively forced to promote their own competition.

Music radio is – at best – holding the line against streaming. News/talk radio’s information staples are more-available on smartphones and smart speakers, and its monologue‑heavy style feels less inviting than social media dialogue. 

Radio has what TV envies. We’re in-car, and still #1 there.  

TV has what radio needs. With more local news HR, they’re in more places. 

Both need more promotion than they can afford.

  • Radio still delivers the most cost-efficient reach and frequency in the local market. When I programmed WTOP, Washington, we and what’s now WUSA9 (the former WTOP-TV) had a handshake deal to grab whatever we wanted from each other, with on-air credit. True story: The news director from NBC4 offered that “you can use OUR stuff and not even SAY it’s ours. Just STOP saying that so-and-so ‘told Channel 9…’”
  • And radio-using-local-TV-meteorologists is a win-win. Weather is the #1 reason people watch local news, so TV stations promote it heavily. Radio using their weather people underlines – and stands on the broad shoulders of – the TV station’s weather image and delivers radio habit-forming content with a pedigree.

Local TV and radio are the last two mass-reach media in town, with neither medium losing to the other. Resourceful collaboration makes all the sense in the world. Brainstorm.

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 Views

WPHT, Philly Star Dom Giordano Guests on TALKERS Media Channel’s “Up Close Far Out”

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Don’t miss this deep-dive analysis of the “dumbing down of America” as WPHT, Philadelphia midday host (12:00 noon – 3:00 pm) Dom Giordano joins Michael Harrison as this week’s guest on the YouTube TALKERS Media Channel’s “Up Close Far Out.” Recognized as one of the most important radio talk show hosts in America for almost four decades,img Giordano is a political commentator, social generalist and seasoned expert on education. He is a former Pennsylvania-based schoolteacher whose keen insights, innovative ideas, and communication skills were discovered by talk radio in Philadelphia in 1987 when, after serving as a dependable “go-to” source on education, he became a fulltime host on WWDB-FM. In 2000, he moved over to powerhouse WPHT 1210 am in Philly where he has been broadcasting ever since. In addition to his enduring radio presence, Giordano hosts several podcasts including the groundbreaking “Old School, New School, Next School” which takes a critical-but-constructive view of America’s education crisis and is must-listening for parents who care about their kids and the future of America. Get ready for a no-holds-barred view of such hot topics as school choice, the tyranny of social media, the distraction of smart phones, short term attention spans, bullying, the threat of guns and violence, responsible parenting, media complacency, and a whole lot more. View the conversation in its entirety here.