Industry News

McNicholl Named FNC Miami Correspondent

FOX News Channel brings Danamarie McNicholl aboard as a Miami based correspondent, effective November 6. McNicholl is an Emmy Award-winning reporter who served with KFMB-TV, San Diego forim the past two years. Prior to that she served as a reporter and anchor for KREM-TV, Spokane. McNicholl holds a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast and electronic journalism from Gonzaga University and is currently finishing her master’s degree in criminal justice and cybersecurity at Boston University. She is also a member of The Miss America Organization and was named Miss Washington in 2018.

Industry News

ENCO, Benztown and Compass Partner on SpecAI Service

ENCO joins forces with Benztown and Compass Media Networks to bring its SpecAI ad creation solution to the North American radio broadcast market. The companies say the SpecAI technology can help broadcasters create spec ads for sponsors on demand, alleviating the time, energy, and costs of traditional production methods while accelerating the sales process and time to market. Compass CFO Hiram Lazar says, “AI adoption has swiftly moved forward over the last few months, and as the largest player in spec commercials for over 10 years we recognized it was time to offer an AI solution for our clients. Using Benztown’s libraries, we can now give our clients the option to produce ads with an AI voice or a live voice to customize prerecorded spec commercials.”

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

PodcastOne releases preliminary financial data for the company’s Q2 fiscal 2024 period ended September 30, 2023 estimating revenue for the period will be more than $10.5 million, an increase of 24%.

Cumulus Media will host a conference call on Friday (10/27) at 8:30 am ET to discuss its third quarter 2023 operating results. The company will issue a press release containing a summary of these results before the call at approximately 8:00 am ET.

SiriusXM launches its coverage of the 2023-24 NBA season tonight with the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets hosting LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by the Phoenix Suns visiting the Golden State Warriors on the SiriusXM NBA Radio channel.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (10/23) Top News/Talk Media Stories

The Israel-Hamas war and the various protests against Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks; eight House members line up for House Speaker post; former President Donald Trump’s legal battles; the 2024 presidential race; Saudi Arabia’s global investment conference; and the UAW strike expands to a Dodge Ram facility in Michigan were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry Views

Pending Business: Your 2024 Ad Sales Forecast

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imYour crystal ball is still foggy, isn’t it?

Even worse, no matter how many times you try and shake it into a predictive submission, the answer is still the same, “Political-not sure, Weather Emergency-unforecastable.”

Nobody in business likes a lack of confidence, so “Not Sure” is a non-starter. For us radio fans, the variables in predicting a 2024 ad sales forecast are the most unforecastable, unpredictable, variables since the original gang of head-in-the-sand radio gurus pegged MTV as a 1981 fad.

And here we are, 42 years later where a pure-play music video channel challenging FM music radio, satellite music radio, music streaming and downloadable audio would include dating games and ridiculousness, once again saving America’s most-listened-to free music source: radio.

Remember 1981 when talk radio was mounting a competitive threat to all-news radio. Rush was 30, Hannity was 20, Bongino was seven and Ben Shapiro was not born yet. Anybody here have 42 years to wait out your 2024 predictions and get it right? How about 42 days late with your forecast?

Our new world of AI, super-speed computer analysis, blended into an ever-changing digital and social media landscape, under pressure from the economy, global events and the melting radio revenue ice cube has made predicting 2024 ad projections a Vegas skill game.

Thankfully, we have the experience, patience, and cooperation of radio’s leadership to adjust forecasting quarter by quarter, sort of. Back to the task at hand and how to navigate this cracked crystal ball as you mount your sales strategy into 2024.

— Keep your eye on the prize. Always remember, your current advertiser is your best advertiser. Take diligent care of your foundational base billing and that means super serving your customers, as competitors from every medium are monitoring, planning, and pricing a counter plan.

— Positive Paranoia. Thank you, Andy Grove. The third CEO of Intel and a driving force behind Silicon Valley’s original exponential growth knew how to channel innovation and competition into a positive zone. How about you?

— Never stop learning. What new strategies and sales techniques will you drive into next year.

— Something will drop out of your sales picture. What is it? Eventually a sale resource will drop out. Identify how you will compensate for the loss and how you will grow your business as a result.

— Do you have minimum and maximum goals? There are only so many accounts you can sell and service in a month. What is that number and how much do each of those accounts need to generate monthly?

— Attrition. The arch-enemy of sales. Some business never returns. Now what?

Many 2024 projections are falling in the ultra-conservative, no risk, under promise/overdeliver category. Yet there is a fine line between being too conservative and a vote of no confidence. What’s in your forecast?

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: ChatGPT – Threat and Tool

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imAfter post-consolidation cutbacks have whacked local on-air content, there’s now angst that Artificial Intelligence can – literally – dehumanize radio (and other media – HUGE issue in the SAG-AFTRA strike). Voice cloning is child’s play; and several vendors are already peddling AI gimmicks to radio stations.

Glass-half-full: When I asked, “How talk radio hosts and DJs can use ChatGPT to prepare shows,” the robot replied instantly…

“Talk radio hosts and DJs can leverage ChatGPT to enhance their show preparation, generate engaging content, and connect with their audience more effectively. Here’s a guide on how they can use ChatGPT effectively:

— Show Topic Generation: Use ChatGPT to brainstorm and generate unique and interesting show topics. Input keywords related to your show’s theme or current events to get topic suggestions.

— Content Research: Ask ChatGPT to provide background information on a particular topic or guest. It can summarize recent news, provide historical context, or even suggest relevant questions.

— Interview Preparation: Use ChatGPT to generate interview questions and talking points. Input information about your guest or their expertise, and ChatGPT can help you create a list of thoughtful and engaging questions.

im

— Script Writing: When scripting segments or promotional materials, you can collaborate with ChatGPT to draft scripts. It can provide creative ideas for introductions, transitions, and promotional announcements.

— Audience Engagement: Ask ChatGPT to generate polls, questions, or discussion points to engage with your audience during live shows. It can also help create intriguing teasers to promote upcoming segments.

— Fact-Checking: Use ChatGPT to fact-check information before presenting it on air. This ensures the accuracy of your content and maintains your credibility.

— Content Expansion: If you need to expand on a topic or provide additional information during a show, ChatGPT can help by generating elaborative content or explanations.

— Generating Show Summaries: After the show, ChatGPT can assist in creating summaries or show notes for your listeners, making it easier for them to catch up on missed episodes.

— Storytelling and Narration: DJs can use ChatGPT to help craft engaging stories or narratives to share with their audience, making their radio shows more entertaining and relatable.

— Creative Segment Ideas: Ask ChatGPT for creative ideas for segments, games, or challenges to keep your show fresh and exciting.

— Language Assistance: For DJs hosting shows in multiple languages, ChatGPT can help with translation, pronunciation, and language learning, ensuring smooth communication.

— Show Promotion: Collaborate with ChatGPT to create compelling social media posts, newsletters, or blog content to promote your shows and engage with your audience online.

— Handling Caller Questions: If you take live caller questions, ChatGPT can assist in formulating responses or clarifying complex issues for your callers.

— Real-Time Updates: For breaking news or sudden changes, ChatGPT can provide real-time updates and help you adapt your show’s content on the fly.”

Remember how those Terminator movies warned-against SkyNet A.I. becoming self-aware? While there’s no question that ChatGPT is the cure for writer’s block, its response ended with some impressive self-awareness, a reminder that YOU are the author of your show: “Remember to review and edit the content generated by ChatGPT to ensure it aligns with your show’s tone, style, and audience preferences. ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for radio hosts and DJs, streamlining the preparation process and enhancing the overall quality of their shows.”

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio;” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

Industry News

Tony Bruno Launching Sports Talk Network

Philadelphia sports site Crossing Broad shares a press release from sports talk media personality Tony Bruno that announces the debut of his new sports talk venture, the Tony Bruno Sports Network. The network will feature “The Tony Bruno Show” in afternoon drive (3:00 pm to 6:00 pm ET), along with “The Pete Sheppard Show” (7:00 am to 10:00 am ET), “Defo & Lubie” (10:00 am to 12:00 noon ET), andimMartinez & Company” (6:00 pm to 8:00 pm ET), with the early afternoon daypart to be announced. The press release states, TBSN will debut October 30th  with LIVE programming every weekday with sports talk radio from 7am to 8pm to start. Additional time slots and weekend programming will be added over the following months. TBSN is available to listeners nationwide online via LIVE365.com and on the ‘Tony Bruno Sports Network’ app for Android and iPhone.” Bruno adds, “I want to thank all of my fans who have followed and supported me through the years. I am grateful to everyone who has encouraged me to return and who still want to hear my daily fun approach to sports and current affairs, which has been my forté for over five decades in broadcasting; this time, I’m bringing friends! I hear over and over again that fans are tired of X’s & O’s sports radio. I plan to bring back exciting, sports talk radio again, with a Florida flair. What better place to launch a new nationwide sports network than in Florida, a true melting pot of fans from all over the nation.”

Industry News

BIA Advisory: Political to Drive 2024 Ad Spend

BIA Advisory Services releases its 2024 U.S. Local Advertising Forecast in which it predicts that revenue across all media in the U.S. will be $175.6 billion next year, primarily due to the political season. “The 8.6% increase over 2023 is slightly shadowed by concerns of an economic downturn and overall lower ad spending. With the forecasted political revenues removed, BIA’s projection in 2024 is $164.6im billion in total local advertising, only a 2.2% increase in local advertising year-over-year.” BIA VP of forecasting & analysis Nicole Ovadia adds, “As expected, 2024 will be driven by political spending, and, even in markets that are not highly contested there will be a large amount of political advertising. Local political advertising will be fueled by the presidential and senate campaigns as well as issue-based advertising. When we look at the forecast without political, we expect only a slight increase in ad spending due to both global and local economic trends that may create more cautious spending.” See more about the forecast here.

Industry News

Remote News Service and McVay Media Collaborate

Remote News Service and McVay Media announce a deal for the latter to consult the news providingim organization. Remote News Service provides radio anchors and reporters for news and traffic content. McVay Media president Mike McVay says, “I was very familiar with RNS and the company imthat president Lesley Lotto has built. I like what they do and what they offer. Given the economic situation that media finds itself in today, the question has become how can we be cost effective without diminishing the quality of the content? Remote News Service is the answer to that question.”

Industry News

Outkick Reports Q3 Audience Up 34%

Sports media platform OutKick says that its third quarter audience data from Comscore indicates it had the “highest year-over-year growth amongst its competitive set averaging more than 5 million totalim multiplatform unique visitors, which is up 34% versus 3Q of 2022.” The platform also delivered 67 million total multiplatform minutes and 64 million total multiplatform views. Outkick founder Clay Travis says, “Once again OutKick finishes the quarter with strong numbers that highlight our consistent growth across the platform. Our in-depth and common-sense reporting continue to be the driving force and differentiate us from your standard sport sites.”

Industry News

WBZ-FM, Boston and Celtics Renew Broadcast Deal

The NBA’s Boston Celtics and Beasley Media Group sports talk WBZ-FM, Boston “98.5 The Sports Hub” announces a multiyear extension of their broadcast agreement. The station has been the officialim flagship Station of the Boston Celtics Radio Network since 2013. Under the terms of the pact, Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell will continue to be the voices of the team radio broadcast. In addition to the games, “98.5 The Sports Hub” will also air Celtics related programming throughout the season, including a weekly call-in from Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla on “The Zolak & Bertrand Show” each Wednesday during the season.

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend

The Israel-Hamas war and the various protests against Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks; Jim Jordan’s failure to gain the House Speaker position and the numerous House members now vying for the post; former President Donald Trump’s legal battles and the Georgia election case defendants agreeing to plea deals; the Russia-Ukraine war; the investigation into the shooting death of a Maryland judge; and the murder of a Detroit synagogue president were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

XDS Service for GCN-Syndicated Shows to End November 1

Talk radio programs syndicated by Burnsville, Minnesota-based Genesis Communications Networks learned this week that XDS satellite delivery service to affiliate stations will not be provided after November 1, 2023. As a full-service radio syndicator, GCN provides affiliate sales, commercial sales,im and satellite delivery of programming. It contracts for that XDS satellite delivery from Westwood One. GCN CEO Ted Anderson tells TALKERS, “We’ve been working with Westwood One for almost 30 years and it appears that we are at an impasse with them contractually going forward. It has been a very positive and productive relationship, but it is time to move on. C-Band is a legacy technology that developed in the earlier days of talk radio but it is no longer a fundamental choice. We intend to provide our hosts and clients with modern, real-time audio with less delays than C-Band.”

Industry News

WTMJ, Milwaukee Talk Host Jeff Wagner Announces Retirement

Longtime Milwaukee talk radio personality Jeff Wagner announces that he will retire from Good Karma Brands’ news/talk WTMJ-AM where he hosts the 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm show after his December 15 show. His 25-year career with WTMJ began in 1998 as a part-time host. He quickly moved into a full-time position in November of that year. Wagner says of his decision to retire, “No show runs forever, andim it has been an honor and a pleasure to host a daily radio talk show in my hometown for a quarter century. I am extremely grateful to Good Karma Brands, my teammates (past and present), our partners, and most importantly, our fans for all their support over the years. While I’m excited to see what comes next, I will truly miss the daily interaction with listeners about the issues of the day.” Wagner has been a long-standing member of the TALKERS magazine Heavy Hundred – the annual list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America. Good Karma Milwaukee market manager Greg Scalzo comments, “Jeff is a broadcasting legend whose daily wisdom and dedication to the station was felt by our audience throughout his entire career. His retirement marks the end of an era, and we celebrate the legacy he leaves behind.” Before joining WTMJ, Wagner was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and later an attorney in private practice.

Industry News

WVHU-AM, Huntington Parts Ways with Host Tom Roten

Longtime morning drive talk host Tom Roten exits iHeartMedia’s news/talk WVHU-AM, Huntington,im West Virginia. Roten posted the following to social media: “For 22 years, my morning talk radio show was the #1 show in the Huntington, WV market. The most recent ratings period showed the station overall at #5 in the market, #1 for AM stations (highest ever ranking). Unfortunately, iHeart is going in a different direction and I was dismissed. While my future is uncertain, you can still access my podcasts from Spotify and other streaming services.”

Uncategorized

Disney Breaks Out ESPN Revenue

For the first time, Disney is releasing financial data for its ESPN operations in a corporate filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Alexandra Canal at Yahoo!Finance writes that ESPN “generated more than $16 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in operating profit in Disney’s fiscal yearim 2022, which ended on Oct. 1, 2022. The bulk of that revenue and profit came from its domestic business at $14.6 billion and $2.81 billion, respectively.” The filing also shows how important cable television is to ESPN’s bottom line. Canal writes, “The bulk of the sports segment revenue came from affiliate fees at $10.8 billion followed by advertising at $4.4 billion and subscription fees for ESPN+ at $1.1 billion. ESPN typically has the highest carriage fees, or fees pay-TV providers pay to network owners to carry their channels, of all basic cable networks. According to an estimate from SNL Kagan, ESPN charges pay-TV operators $8 to $9 per subscriber.” Read the Yahoo!Finance piece here.

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories for Week of October 16 – 20

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and its international repercussions was the most-talked-about story in news/talk media this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was Congressman Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) so far unsuccessful efforts to become the next House Speaker, followed by former President Donald Trump’s legal battles and the related guilty plea by attorney Sidney Powell in the Georgia 2020 election case were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media this week. 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.

Industry News

Triton Digital Releases Podcast Ranker for September

The September podcast ranker (Sept. 4 – Oct. 1) from Triton Digital is a bit wonky as NPR’s shows are not included due to “a planned data collection migration,” and for the third month in a row there is a problem with Cumulus experiencing a data collection issue for DailyWire programs such as “The Benim Shapiro Show,” which ranked #3 in the June 2023 ranker. This means that NBCUniversal News Group’s “Dateline NBC” rises to #1 with audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie” remaining in the #2 spot. Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” moves up three spots to the #4 rank. Other noteworthy moves from radio-related companies includes Audacy Podcast Network’s “We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle” climbing 11 spots to the #14 rank and Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” up six places to the #16 rank. There is more dramatic movement among shows in the 20 – 100 portion of the ranker, including NBCUniversal News Group’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” falling 26 spots to the #76 rank. See the complete ranker here.

Industry News

FOX News Digital Leads News Brands in Multiplatform Minutes

FOX News Digital reports that according to data from Comscore, it finished the third quarter of 2023 marking 10 consecutive quarters leading news brands with multiplatform minutes, while seeing double-imdigit, year-over-year growth across all key performance indicators. FOX News Digital topped competitors CNN.com and NYTimes.com in total multiplatform minutes with 9.5 billion. It also led news brands in multiplatform views with 5.2 million. CNN.com continues to lead both FOX News Digital and NYTimes.com in multiplatform unique visitors with 120.5 million to FND’s 88.4 million and NYTimes.com’s 72.1 million.

Industry Views

Harry Hurley is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast

WPG, Atlantic City, New Jersey legendary host Harry Hurley is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series “The Michael Harrison Interview.” Hurley has been at the helm of the heritage station’s wildly successful morning show for more than 30 years. He is also known to talk radio audiences nationwide as a special guest host making numerous appearances on FOX News Radio. Before he made an indelible mark in radio, Hurley was an accomplished executive in Atlantic City’s hotel and banking industries. Michael Harrison describes Hurley as being “a remarkable combination of business savvy and emotional intelligence – not to mention, extremely talented.” One of the notable accomplishments this outstanding broadcaster has achieved in his career has been on the philanthropical front. During the past 16 years, Hurley’s 501c3 charitable foundation, which annually presents both a gala civic dinner and a charity golf tournament, has raised and distributed more than $1.4 million to worthy causes across the State of New Jersey and beyond. His most recent dinner took place on September 29. It alone raised over $100,000. Hurley is a public service dynamo and in Harrison’s words, “a role model for local hosts and stations to emulate in establishing a positive brand within their market.” Hurley is the recipient of numerous radio industry and local New Jersey honors. Listen to the podcast in its entirety here.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

SiriusXM announces that Hall of Fame basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will host the premiere episode of the 19th season of his exclusive weekly SiriusXM show, “Basketball and Beyond with Coach K,” today (10/19) at 6:00 pm ET with Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, whose team faces the Phillies in game three of the NLCS this evening. Also on the program will be NBC broadcaster Maria Taylor.

Audacy announces the launch of the third season of “Gone South,” the Edward R. Murrow Award-winning original investigative franchise. In “Gone South, Season 3: The Sign Cutter,” Audacy and Emmy- and Peabody Award-nominated producer and journalist Jed Lipinski team up to unravel the story behind the 2018 killings of four sex workers in the border town of Laredo, Texas. Those murders triggered a manhunt for a serial killer that would lead to a shocking standoff with a man once tasked with protecting the town.

AdLarge announces that Headspace Studios joins its podcast portfolio, expanding content focused on mental health, wellness and mindfulness. Headspace’s podcast collection includes “Dear Headspace,” “Radio Headspace,” and “Sunday Scaries.”

Industry News

Yesterday’s (10/18) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) fails in his second bid to become Speaker of the House; the Israel-Hamas war and President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel; former President Donald Trump’s legal battles; the 2024 presidential race; the Russia-Ukraine war and Vladimir Putin’s meeting with China’s Xi Jinping; and Joran van der Sloot admits to killing Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005 were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Nasdaq Grants Urban One Stay Extension

Urban One Inc is getting the extension of the automatic 15-day stay of suspension from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC pending a hearing scheduled for November 30 and a final determination regarding the company’s listing status on the exchange. Nasdaq originally notified Urban One of its decision to begin proceedings to potentially delist the company’s securities because it had failed to comply withim listing requirements by not filing quarterly reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the first and second quarters of 2023. Urban One has been late with quarterly reports since it discovered problems with its former independent accounting firm’s valuation of its investment interest in MGM National Harbor, which the company sold for cash proceeds of approximately $136.8 million on April 21, 2023. Urban One has since dismissed that accounting firm and hired Ernst & Young LLP as its independent accounting firm. Nasdaq’s granting the stay means that the company’s shares will not be delisted before the outcome of the hearing scheduled for November 30.  Urban One says it anticipates filing the delinquent reports prior to that date.

Industry News

“New Jersey 101.5” Honored by NJ Society of Professional Journalists

Townsquare Media news/talk WKXW-FM, Trenton “New Jersey 101.5” is recognized by the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists for its service to the community with three first-place awards in its 2023 Excellence in Journalism Contest. In the category of Best Public Affairs Show (TV and Radio), the station’s town hall special, “Class Disrupted – Pandemic Learning Loss,” which broughtim together a panel of educators, behavioral specialists and policymakers to examine how best to deal with pandemic learning loss won first place and will be received by the leading team members behind the town halls: anchor Eric Scott, director of content Anne Gress, news director Annette Petriccione, managing editor Sergio Bichao, and operations specialist Dan Alexander. The station also won in the Broadcast – Best Breaking News Coverage category for its coverage of the mayhem that erupted in Long Branch at the start of the summer season at the Jersey Shore. Managing editor Sergio Bichao, reporter Dan Alexander and then-producer and weekend host Jordan Jansson worked late into the night to chronicle a developing story that had far-reaching impacts on public opinion and policy relating to law and order. Finally, the station won in the Best Use of Sound for Radio News Story for reporter Dino Flammia’s series of on-air and online reports marking the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy.

Industry News

LABF Honors David Gleason

Broadcaster David Gleason is being honored with the inaugural Library of American Broadcasting Foundation’s Excellence in Broadcast Preservation Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication and commitment to preserving broadcast history. LABF says, “Working on his own time and with hisim money for the past 20 years, Gleason has built a massive online archive of broadcasting and cable trade publications, books, music magazines, technical manuals, directories, yearbooks, company and station publications, programming guides and more. The archive — www.worldradiohistory.com — now tops nine million pages. Because it is online, the pages are readily available to the public – and searchable.” LABF co-chairs Heidi Raphael and Jack Goodman say, “There is no stopping him. What David has accomplished – virtually single-handedly — is extraordinary. He’s made an unparalleled contribution not only to the history of broadcasting, but to the story of the modern world as reflected and shaped by the media.”

Industry News

Mildred Carter Mentoring Program Application Now Open

Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc (MIW) announces that the application window for its 2023-2024 Mildred Carter Mentoring Program is now open through November 3. Established in 2002, MIW’s heritage annual mentoring initiative connects mentees with accomplished women recognized asim leaders, mentors, and game changers within all aspects of radio broadcasting. Four candidates from the radio broadcasting industry – within all of the disciplines of radio including sales, marketing, programming, and digital – will be selected for the 2023- 2024 program. MIW board president Ruth Presslaff comments, “We are so pleased to launch the Mildred Carter mentorship program with the very generous and consistent support of Beasley Media Group and Entravision. Based on our application pool, it’s clear there’s a great need for mentoring and we are here for it.” Find out more about the program here.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (10/17) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) fails in his bid to become Speaker of the House; hundreds sheltering in a hospital in Gaza die as Israel and Hamas blame each other; former President Donald Trump’s legal battles; the 2024 presidential race; the Russia-Ukraine war and Vladimir Putin’s meeting with China’s Xi Jinping; and Alec Baldwin to face new charges in Rust shooting were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Beasley Receives Non-Compliance Notice from Nasdaq

On Friday (10/13), Beasley Broadcast Group received a delisting warning from Nasdaq because its Class A common stock had traded at less than $1 for the past 30 business days.  There’s no immediate effect on the BBGI stock as it has a “cure period” that gives it until April 10, 2024 to trade for at least a dollar per share for 10 consecutive business days. Even if that doesn’t happen, Beasley could getim another 180-calendar day compliance period if it moves its stock to the Nasdaq Capital Market and satisfies other certain requirements. Beasley is the fourth audio company to face delisting this year. Audacy received notice from the New York Stock Exchange and in June engineered a 1-for-30 reverse stock split. Its stock closed at 35 cents per share on Monday (10/16). Salem Media Group received a delisting notice from Nasdaq in June giving it 180 days to rise above the $1 threshold. It closed at 68 cents per share on Monday (10/16). Urban One also received a delisting notice from Nasdaq but not for its share price. That company is late with quarterly reports due to independent accounting issues.

Industry News

LA Daily News: Is All-Digital the Best Future for AM?

A piece by Richard Wagoner in the Los Angeles Daily News looks at the question of whether all-digital AM is ultimately the best solution for AM radio’s fidelity and interference issues. He writes, “Over the years, technical improvements have helped make AM sound better, but the erosion of listeners from the band has continued. One potential solution was digital HD radio, but the hybrid HD system introduced itsim own problems by increasing overall interference on the band, leading many stations to abandon it.” But all-digital AM is a much better signal and as more and more infotainment systems in new cars are HD compatible, more listeners are likely. Outfitting AM stations with digital transmitters is not inexpensive, even though they use far less electricity than an analog AM transmitter. And in the United Kingdom where digital audio broadcasting (DAB) launched more than 10 years ago, most commercial radio stations still broadcast an analog signal as well. Even though about 60% of listening in the UK is to DAB signals, Ofcom recently agreed to renew analog licenses through 2032 because many Britons still listen to analog on their old radios. Read the LA Daily News piece here.

Industry News

WGN, Chicago Recognizes Longtime Employees

im

WGN Radio celebrates staffers Marlene Wells (left) and Jim Holland (right, with WGN Radio vice president and general manager Mary Sandberg Boyle at center), who have a combined 106 years of service to the station. This year marks the 56th anniversary for promotions, sales, and merchandising coordinator Marlene Wells and the 50th anniversary for engineer in charge Jim Holland. Wells, a Chicago native who recalls fondly the first day she walked in to start the job, has been an integral part of the promotions of the station, from guiding on-site broadcasts to organizing events over the years like PumpkinFest, the Kathy and Judy Conventions and countless others. Holland, a graduate of Northwestern University, was instrumental in the station moves over the years from Bradley Place to the Tribune Tower and to its current location at 303 E. Wacker. Holland did work on “Bozo’s Circus” and designed and constructed a studio switcher system that served WGN for over 20 years. Both appeared in the 45-minute documentary “100 Years of WGN Radio: A Retrospective” that aired in 2022 as part of the station’s anniversary. You can see the documentary here.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Cumulus Media Inc is hosting a conference call on Friday, October 27 at 8:30 am ET to discuss its third quarter 2023 operating results. A press release containing a summary of these results will be issued before the call at approximately 8:00 am ET.

Public media organization GBH announces a “major expansion” of its local arts and culture programming as it launches “The Culture Show,” a one-hour daily local radio program on WGBH-FM, Boston offering listeners a wide-ranging look at society through art, culture and entertainment. The program begins airing from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Fridays on November 3 and transitions to a daily show on December 4. GBH GM of news Pam Johnston comments, “‘The Culture Show’ builds on GBH’s deep legacy in the arts and culture space. We are proud of our seven-decade commitment to bringing local audiences vibrant and inspirational culture programming. Culture is the lens through which our audiences experience the world. We’re proud to be expanding our arts and culture team, offering people daily engaging conversations about what we see, watch, taste, hear, feel and talk about.”

Industry News

Yesterday’s (10/16) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Congressman Jim Jordan’s push to become the next House Speaker; the Israel-Hamas war and President Joe Biden’s planned Wednesday trip to Israel; the gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump and his legal battles; the 2024 presidential race; U.S. migrant crisis; and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett calls for a SCOTUS ethics code were some of  the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.