TALKERS News Notes
WPEN-FM “97.5 The Fanatic” afternoon co-host Hunter Brody and assistant program director Eric Camille have exited the Beasley Media Group Philadelphia sports talk outlet. Former Phillies relief pitcher Ricky Bottalico; Tyrone Johnson; and Jen Scordo remain in WPEN-FM’s afternoon slot. Commenting to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Beasley Media Group notes, “The post-COVID months have been a particularly challenging time in our industry. Like other media companies, our markets have been directly impacted due to these uncertain economic conditions. As a result, we have proactively adjusted our operations accordingly to reflect the current financial climate.” Via a social media post, Brody indicates he will continue streaming on YouTube.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and SiriusXM expand their relationship that will enhance connectivity of FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) National Public Warning System. SiriusXM will give FEMA access to secure bandwidth on SiriusXM’s proprietary satellite radio system to provide additional connectivity between FEMA and the National Public Warning System (NPWS) network. SiriusXM senior vice president/general manager, signal distribution engineering Bridget Neville states, “By supplying this satellite-based backup for FEMA’s backbone communications system, SiriusXM helps to strengthen FEMA’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to weather-related crises and other emergencies. SiriusXM has worked extensively with FEMA over the years and we are proud of our efforts that aid in delivering critical emergency messages to the public. We look forward to deepening and expanding upon our relationship with FEMA through this program and additional opportunities to leverage our satellite network in the future.” Director of FEMA IPAWS Antwane Johnson adds, “A secure, trusted, capable and reliable technology ecosystem is the foundation of the IPAWS NPWS capability. IPAWS embraces innovative technologies and platforms, and SiriusXM’s satellite network helps reinforce our capabilities.”
In a pair of newspaper-related items, The New York Times announces plans to close its sports desk, while The Los Angeles Times sells the San Diego Union-Tribune to Alden Global Capital-owned MediaNews Group. The New York Times will rely on coverage from the Athletic, the subscription sports website it purchased last year for $550 million. In a letter to staff yesterday (Monday, 7/10), New York Times Co. chair A.G. Sulzberger and chief executive officer Meredith Kopit Levien write, “Though we know this decision will be disappointing to some, we believe it is the right one for readers and will allow us to maximize respective strengths of the Times’ and the Athletic’s newsrooms.” The paper’s sports writers and editors will be moved to different roles in the newsroom and – reportedly – no layoffs are planned. The Athletic lost $7.8 million in the first quarter of 2023, although subscribers have grown from one million in January 2022 to three million as of March 2023. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong and his family spent $500 million in June 2018 to buy that paper and the Union-Tribune from Chicago-based Tribune Publishing. While Soon-Shiong’s primary interest was in the Times, he pledged support for both newsrooms. A memo to the Union-Tribune staff announcing the deal said the Union-Tribune will need to “make some difficult staffing decisions. Reductions will be necessary to offset the slowdown in revenues as economic headwinds continue to impact the media industry.”
Coinciding with the Independent Broadcasters Foundation’s fourth anniversary are new enhancements (including a redesigned website which unveils today) and policies. To more effectively focus on members’ needs, the IBA implements a cap of 300 company members, with no limit on number of stations under a company. According to IBA president/executive director Ron Stone, “These improvements allow the IBA to grow into the best possible organization representing independent radio stations. Future members will have market exclusivity to IBA membership. All current members that share a market will be grandfathered in and are not affected by this change. A group is considered one company. Once we reach the 300-mark, membership will be closed. New members will only be received if the number of member companies drops below 300.” National cash contests will now include text-to-win capability and Stone states, “Participating member stations have experienced as much as 30X ROI from [those contests].” Only IBA member stations can participate in the September National Cash Contest; the deadline for stations and groups to register is in less than three weeks (7/31). An IBA member may be a single station or a group of stations, as long as the company is not traded on a public market.
officer Jessica Cordova Kramer opines that, “When you think of making life suck less, you think [of] chef José Andrés. He and the JAM team work tirelessly to make the world a better place; we are so grateful to get to be a small part of their work by serving as partners to JAM for these two shows.” José Andrés Group president Sam Bakhshandehpour proclaims that, “Working with Lemonada Media is an exciting new chapter in the evolution of José Andrés Media. Joining their dynamic network will allow ‘Longer Tables’ and ‘Pressure Cooker’ to reach new audiences, sharing powerful stories that explore the many ways that food connects us all.” Introduced last year, Andrés’ “Longer Tables” engages with eminent figures across various fields. Previous guests have included Anderson Cooper; Secretary of State Antony Blinken; actress Eva Longoria; primatologist Jane Goodall; and French chef Eric Ripert. Meanwhile, “Pressure Cooker” is hosted by food journalists Jane Black and Elizabeth Dunn. It explains challenges of feeding families in our age of anxiety. Lemonada Media’s roster includes “Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus”; “Choice Words with Samantha Bee”; “Funny Cuz It’s True with Elyse Myers”; and Gracie award-winner “Last Day.”
Simulcasting on 98.7 HD-2, iHeartMedia Washington, DC launches “Freedom 104.7 – DC’s Real News. Real Talk.” Senior vice president of programming Jeff Kapugi states, “We are excited to welcome a number of best-in-class personalities to ‘Freedom 104.7.’ We are confident [the station] will quickly become a favorite destination for DMV talk radio listeners.” Premiere Networks executive vice president of affiliate sales Peter Tripi adds, “We’re thrilled to have our industry-leading talk lineup join ‘Freedom 104.7 & 98.7 HD-2.’ These stellar talents will provide entertaining, unique and insightful views on the latest news, politics and events that Washington, DC listeners are looking for.” The station’s weekday lineup includes: “America’s First News” (6:00 am – 9:00 am); Glenn Beck (9:00 am – 12:00 noon); Clay Travis & Buck Sexton (12:00 noon – 3:00 pm); Sean Hannity (3:00 pm – 6:00 pm); Jesse Kelly (6:00 pm – 9:00 pm); “Our American Stories” (9:00 pm – 12:00 midnight); “Coast to Coast Early Edition” (12:00 midnight – 1:00 am); and “Coast to Coast AM with George Noory” (1:00 am – 6:00 am). Approximately six months ago (1/5), WWDC-HD2 and 104.7 translator station W284CQ became “iHeart Sports DC”; it was not listed in Nielsen Audio’s May 2023 sweep. Among persons 6+ in that ratings period, American University public radio news/talk WAMU ranks first (11.4); Hubbard all-news WTOP & WTLP “Washington’s Top News” is second (8.0); Cumulus Media news/talk WMAL “105.9 FM – Where Washington Comes To Talk” finishes seventh (4.7); and Audacy business news WDCH “Bloomberg 99.1 FM” ranks #22 (.5).
After a 22-year run with CBS News Radio, vice president/general manager Craig Swagler will leave the company this Friday (7/14). In an internal memo sent to employees this past Friday (7/7), Swagler stated that he intends to relocate to the Baltimore area to be closer to family. “As such, I have made the hard decision to step away from my role at CBS News Radio. I am incredibly thankful for my time here and all the amazing people I have had the honor to work with at CBS News. There are far too many individuals to name, but I know you all have made the last 22 years one of the most fulfilling parts of my professional journey.” Prior to being elevated to CBS News Radio’s VP/GM, Swagler was a desk assistant; production coordinator; and special events producer. He previously worked at “Saturday Night Live,” ABC Sports, and The MSG Channel.
Accusing social media giant Meta of pilfering former Twitter employees to create a “copycat” application, Twitter is threatening legal action against Meta over “Threads,” Meta’s text-based “Twitter killer” platform. In a letter addressed to Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter lawyer Alex Spiro argues that Meta used Twitter’s trade secrets and intellectual property to build Threads. Flatly dismissing Spiro’s letter, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone states on Threads, “No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee – that’s just not a thing.” Heretofore silent on the launch of Threads, Twitter executive chair/chief technical officer Elon Musk late last week backed Spiro’s claims stating, “Competition is fine – cheating is not.” In addition, Twitter chief executive officer Linda Yaccarino tweeted that Twitter is “often imitated – but the Twitter community can never be duplicated.” According to Zuckerberg, Threads drew more than 30 million sign-ups within 48 hours of last Wednesday night’s (7/5) launch; that number has reportedly now more than tripled, exceeding the 100-million mark.
Q3 of 2022. For the fourth quarter of 2022, net revenue was approximately $132.6 million, an increase of 1.6% from the same period in 2021. The company reports operating income of approximately $14.3 million for the period, compared to approximately $20.3 million for Q4 of 2021. Broadcast and digital operating income was approximately $47.6 million, an increase of 7.9% from the same period in 2021. Net income was $856,000 compared to approximately $5.3 million in net income for the same period in 2021. The company has yet to file its operating results for Q1 of this year, but its preliminary results from the quarter show same station radio segment revenue up 2.0% on a same station basis.
Afternoon News” program as co-host alongside John Mercure. WTMJ interim market manager Emily Dillinger states, “I am looking forward to fun and lively conversation about the news of the day, what it means and why it matters on ‘WTMJ NOW.’ Both Sandy and Steve are genuinely curious people who also have an infectious energy and the ability to relate to a variety of people, and I’m sure that will resonate with fans across Wisconsin.” Another tweak to the lineup it that “Wisconsin’s Morning News with Vince Vitrano and Erik Bilstad” will now air from 6:00 am to 9:00 am with a local news report at 5:00 am.
of staff often meant instability and near-daily internal leaks to the press. Now, the new iHeartPodcast ‘The Whistleblowers: Inside The Trump Administration,’ co-produced with Best Case and Ark Media, will dive headfirst into the chaos to bring listeners the inside story of the people behind some of the most explosive government revelations in American history.” Taylor is a bestselling author and the former chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He first wrote anonymously, but later revealed himself as the author after publishing the #1 bestseller A Warning in 2019. Each episode focuses on a different “whistleblower” including Reality Winner, Andrew McCabe, Alexander Vindman, Olivia Troye, Dawn Wooten, Grant Turner, and Stephanie Grisham. 
gained unauthorized access to a significant amount of data belonging to Townsquare Media. According to their statement, the threat actors allegedly possess a staggering 251GB of the company’s data. This includes files sourced from the company’s servers and workstations, explicitly targeting those created within the past year.” The story does not indicate how much money the hackers are asking for, but they are reportedly giving Townsquare a week to respond before making the data public. 
the company to serve as managing editor for Arizona News Radio and California Headline News, as well as afternoon anchor for California Headline News. Gilliland served in the position for almost 13 years before leaving to work for the Arizona Lottery. Gilliland takes over for the late Steve Clawson, who passed earlier this year.
Whitey Gleason back to Sactown Sports. The credibility that Whitey has with the sports audience in Northern California coupled with Chris’ passion and knowledge of the Sacramento Kings will certainly make this show a perfect fit for our ever-expanding ‘Sactown Sports’ brand.” Gleason most recently served with Audacy’s KGMZ-FM, San Francisco “95.7 The Game,” and prior to that he was part of the “Rise Guys” show on KHTK. Watkins has been with “Sactown Sports” for nine years, most recently as the host of “Chris & Co” and co-host of the “Return of the Roar” podcast. 
Westchester Radio, Inc to religious broadcaster Hope Media Group for $8.15 million. WVIP-FM has been airing programming brokered to Caribbean broadcasters. The O’Shaughnessy family still owns the company’s other station – news/talk WVOX-AM. O’Shaughnessy died in May of 2022 at the age of 84.
opportunity to mix and mingle not only with their peers, but with talent, managers, and executives; and to increase their awareness of the Broadcasters Foundation charitable mission.” BFoA president Tim McCarthy adds, “We’re very excited about this new initiative. It’s imperative that we reach the next generation of broadcast industry leaders with our message of help and hope, while giving them an opportunity to network with higher level professionals who they may not otherwise have an opportunity to meet.” The two-hour event is free, but space is limited, and advance registration is required. 
dedicated to talk (Monday through Thursday as Friday nights belong to 
into the future. Her expertise will be instrumental in leading our continued success and delivering high-quality content across our platforms.” Most recently, Todd has been serving as chief reputation officer and SVP of global public affairs at a beauty and wellness company. During her career, she’s spent 25 years as a television news anchor and reporter working in Washington, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City, including 10 years at KSL-TV where she was a top-rated late news anchor. Todd comments, “Bonneville is a company known for being a trusted source through its commitment to excellence and delivering content that matters. I look forward to returning home and working alongside the talented team to create meaningful experiences and engage audiences across multiple platforms. Together, we will continue to build on the strong foundation and innovate in the ever-evolving media landscape.”
show, as well as NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy, ESPN television personality Suzy Kolber, and others. These layoffs come as little surprise as Disney had announced earlier this year that it would be eliminating some 7,000 positions across the entire company.
Charles Steinhauer says, “We’re excited to welcome USRN into the Gemini XIII ecosystem. We will be able to build on current successes and existing sales infrastructure to immediately grow and make Gemini a destination for producers, advertisers and sponsors looking to deliver to unique audiences. The integration of Gemini XIII’s digital expertise and podcasting prowess will result in a robust content ecosystem that provides an immersive and diverse range of audio experiences for listeners across platforms.” USRN chairman and CEO Nick Verbitsky comments, “Spencer Brown, CEO of Gemini XIII, and Charles Steinhauer have a track record of success in network radio having built Dial Global from the ground up. I am pleased that they will have the opportunity to continue to build United Stations, a company I started along with Dick Clark over thirty years ago and has been a leader in network radio.”