Top News/Talk Media Stories for Week of November 13 – 17
Israel’s battle against Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was the most-talked-about story in news/talk media this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was the campus protests over Israel’s invasion of Gaza and the rise in anti-Semitism around the world, followed by this week’s meeting between President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping at #3. The Talkers TenTM is a weekly chart of the top stories and people discussed in news/talk media during the week and is the result of ongoing research from TALKERS magazine. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart here.
financial struggles and looks more broadly at how radio as a legacy medium is facing “the same headwinds as other traditional media.” Carman adds, “Stations are losing their grip on younger audiences, and advertisers are tuning out. Fresh sources of revenue, like podcasts and streaming audio, are going to new contenders such as Spotify Technology SA or just failing to make up for the lost radio ad dollars.” The U.S. radio business has always touted its reach, but according to Lauren Russo, EVP at ad buyer Horizon Media, broadcast radio faces real problems. “The broadcast marketplace is extremely soft for ’23 and similarly for ’24. The overall audio ecosystem continues to grow from a streaming and podcasting perspective, but at the expense of broadcasts.” 
related to Urban One’s failure to timely deliver quarterly reports for the first and second quarters of 2023 and sets a due date of November 30, 2023 for those and a December 31, 2023 due date for the third quarter financial report. Urban One also reports that it has received an Additional Staff Delisting Determination from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC due to the delinquent Q3 2023 report. Urban One has a hearing set for November 30 and anticipates filing the delinquent Q1 and Q2 reports prior to the hearing. It also expects to file the Q3 report on or about December 31, 2023 and will present its plan to evidence full compliance with the Nasdaq listing criteria at the hearing.
MacKenzie’s complaint paints a picture of her being consistently paid less than male and younger staffers that goes back to when she first joined the station when it was owned by CBS Radio. It says that from the beginning she was paid “about $20,000-$30,000 per year less than” her co-workers in comparable positions. MacKenzie says that the SAG-AFRTRA investigation into KYW’s compensation practices in 2021 confirmed her belief the company was engaged in gender-based pay inequity. In 2022 MacKenzie did agree to a deal with the company that paid her $150,000 per year for 2022, $152,500 for this year and $155,000 per year for 2024. But she says she has suffered “significant harms and losses” over the years and is seeking back pay, liquidated damages, interest, costs, negative tax consequence damages, injunctive and declaratory relief, and attorneys’ fees. 
Earlier this week, Michael Harrison published his top 10 list of suggestions for being a successful talker. Item number three really caught my eye:
NBC” at #1, audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie” at #2, Wondery’s “Morbid” at #3 and Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” at #4. Radio-related podcasts of note in this ranker include Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” rising four places to #12, Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Mark Levin Show” up two places to #13, and Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Shawn Ryan Show” rising five places to #24. 
including many Cumulus radio stations, with station jingles, commercial jingles, and production music. TM also acquires the additional assets of the Drake Chenault catalog and all intellectual property associated with TM’s former product lines HitDisc and GoldDisc. Westwood One originally purchased TM Studios in 2009 and subsequently sold the company to former TM executives Greg Clancy, Dave Bethell, and Chris “UK” Stevens in November 2020. WWO president Suzanne Grimes states, “Westwood One is committed to partnering with companies that provide unique products and outstanding service, and TM fits that description perfectly. By extending our relationship with TM, we are assured that radio stations around the country will be able to access the best-in-class offerings TM has been creating for more than 50 years.”
the study found that eliminating 10 words of audio copy increases the Creative Standout score by 1%. Creative Standout is achieved when consumers say, “this ad stands out” and rate an ad with an 8, 9, or 10 on a one-to-ten-standout scale. Further it found that eliminating 10 words of audio copy increases web traffic by 0.25%. Creative Standout in audio advertising is strongly linked to ad response via website visits. For each 1% rise in Creative Standout achieved by an audio ad, website response rate increases by 0.25%. Also, the more messages that are included in the ad, the poorer the recall. An ad with four messages will have message recall of only 24%, compared to 43% for ads with just one message. The more messages an ad attempts to communicate, the lower the likelihood of a single message being communicated. 
Newsradio staff and join other distinct Hall of Famers, including NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell and longtime suburban bureau chief Jay Lloyd. Lynne Adkins spent 34 years as an anchor, reporter and mentor at KYW Newsradio. Brandon Brooks was the voice of news in Philadelphia for more than 30 years. He first came to KYW Newsradio as a part-time anchor and reporter in 1989. Audacy Philadelphia SVP and market manager David Yadgaroff states, “This honor is long overdue for these two inductees who have devoted over three decades of their lives to being reliable news sources for the Philadelphia region. Not only has their professionalism set a high standard for our content, but their extensive backgrounds have taught the next generation of KYW Newsradio broadcasters to aspire to a new level.”
figures in the state of New Jersey and WPG, Atlantic City morning drive personality Harry Hurley is ranked #55 on the list. The caption alongside Hurley’s photo in the feature states: “No other radio host show in New Jersey covers politics as hyperactively as Hurley, who has earned the trust of key players in both parties while amplifying the concerns and troubles of regular voters. An asset to the state.”
Group’s general manager for Christian talk WAVA-FM, Washington, DC Chuck Olmstead. Olmstead tells TALKERS, “It was an amazing day to be at that at that gathering. I met some amazing people. One Jewish woman I interviewed has a home in Bethesda, MD as well as a home in Israel. She was at her home in Israel on 10/7 and continued to stay in Israel but came back for the rally. She was articulate and had a great story to tell. It is interviews like that, that are hard to distill down to sound bites.”
turkeys and meals will be distributed by St. Francis over the holiday season, including from the 77WABC “Turkey” Trolley today (11/15) St. John’s Church in Manhattan. Red Apple Media owner John Catsimatidis says, “No one should be without a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving. This is an American holiday and Americans should not go hungry, ever! We are delighted that AARP New York City has joined us in this charitable endeavor.” 
retire from the station on December 6. After his departure, John Kobylt (left) will continue in the daypart as a solo host. He quipped, “I am saying goodbye. After very little thought, this is what I’m gonna do.” The duo rose to prominence during their time at WKXW-FM, Trenton “New Jersey 101.5” beginning in 1988. They moved to KFI in 1992 and briefly went into national syndication in the late 1990s. That move drove a wedge between them and then-KFI owner Cox Communications and they left to do mornings at crosstown Disney-owned KABC, Los Angeles. That didn’t last long, and they returned to KFI where they’ve flourished since 2001. 
compensation expense, debt modification costs, gains and losses on the sale or disposition of assets, impairments, depreciation expense and amortization expense increased 0.2% to $61.0 million. The company reports a net loss of $31.3 million for the quarter, an increase of 163% over the same period in 2022. Salem presents operating results by segment and reveals that its Broadcast segment’s revenue was $49 million, down 4.2% year-over-year; its Digital Media segment’s revenue was $10 million, down 2.2%; and the Publishing segment’s revenue was $4.6 million, a decline of 17.5%. 
the afternoon drive show based at WHO-AM, Des Moines and syndicated to WMT-AM Cedar Rapids and WOC-AM, Quad Cities – takes over the new morning show role from Bud Hedinger, who retired from the station after 20 years. Conway says, “It is such an honor to have been given the keys to this amazing morning drive show in the heart of Central Florida. We have a great crew and we are aiming to be hard-hitting, fun and entertaining all at the same time.”
Phoenix as host of the 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm talk show “All Right Now!” on CRC Broadcasting Company’s KFNN-AM. CRC founder Ron Cohen says, “JD coming home to KFNN is a watershed moment for our station and all Arizona radio listeners. With so much interest in the 2024 election and Arizona’s growing notoriety as a key battleground state, the timing could not be better to bring JD back to host a daily show. No Valley radio host possesses JD’s credentials in both broadcasting and politics.”
her Eugene, Oregon management role and becomes regional vice president. Cumulus operates news/talk outlet KKOH-AM, Reno; news/talk KUGN-AM & sports talk KUJZ-FM in Eugene, plus six music brands. Cumulus president, operations Bob Walker says, “We are thrilled to expand Tricia’s responsibilities and welcome her back to Reno. Her experience and relationships in the market are unmatched.” 
Audacy SVP and market manager David Yadgaroff says, “It’s a great night in support of our local veterans. Audacy Philadelphia has a strong partnership with TMF, and we’re excited for our 94WIP hosts to assist in this fundraising effort.” 94WIP guest bartenders include Joe DeCamara, Rhea Hughes, James Seltzer, Hugh Douglas, Joe Giglio, Ike Reese, Jon Marks, Jack Fritz, Howard Eskin, Devan Kaney and Eliot Shorr Parks. Also, in attendance will be Ryan Manion and Col. Manion of Travis Manion Foundation.
will lead a discussion aimed at helping residents understand the best way to protect themselves and their loved ones. He says, “The war between Israel and Hamas has created heightened tensions in New Jersey. But even before the war began, New Jersey was dealing with multiple threats from foreign actors and extremist groups operating in the Garden State.” The program’s on-air panel will feature Daniel Engelhardt, deputy director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness; Nelson Delgado, assistant special agent-in-charge of counterterrorism for the Newark FBI office; Stafford Township Police Chief Thomas Dellane; and security representatives from various New Jersey state agencies and authorities.
Survey says nearly half of all Americans over 13, nearly 135 million, listen to spoken word formats. The growth curve boasts an eye opening 52% jump in time spent listening at home.
Here’s actual news copy, from Joe Connolly’s business report one morning on WCBS, NY: “One third of all domestic flights are now late, by an average of one hour.”
funded to analyze the potential effects of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act on the auto industry reveals the cost to the industry would be minimal, but that AAI “misrepresents, distorts and spins the results of the report it paid for to advance its position” in opposition to the legislation.