Community Communications Unveils New Content Leadership Team
The operator of public radio outlets WMFE, Orlando and WMFV, Cedar Creek, Florida announces its new
content leadership team that includes current news director LaToya Dennis and three staffers in newly created positions. The new director of community collaboration is Rebecca Fernandez; the director of audio content is Brad Waldo; and the digital director is Ryan Ellison. WMFE president and general manager Judith Smelser says, “These four leaders are experts in their distinct but overlapping fields, and I’m eager to see what they can accomplish for WMFE’s current and future audiences by working collaboratively as a team of co-equals. Our community expects and deserves high-quality, independent journalism that reflects and serves our diverse population, and WMFE is committed to providing that public service.”
Audacy announces that all-news and news/talk radio pro Craig Schwalb will take over as brand manager and news director for WBBM Newsradio on January 23, succeeding the retiring Ron Gleason. In this role, Schwalb will oversee content strategy, talent, operations and branding for the station. Audacy Chicago VP of programming and operations Greg Solk tells TALKERS, “When Ron Gleason announced his retirement last summer, we knew we had a major challenge in replacing him, since Ron has been the driving force behind WBBM for nearly two decades. We believe we have struck gold in tapping Craig Schwalb as WBBM’s new brand manager. Craig’s vast experience in news and spoken word formats, most recently running content and operations at WTOP in Washington, gives him the ideal skill set to lead this brand and drive innovation and growth for Chicago’s most trusted news voice.” Schwalb comments, “The chance to lead WBBM is an incredible opportunity that doesn’t come around often. It brings me back to my home state and to a city that I adore, while working with the team behind one of the nation’s elite news radio brands. Thank you to Jeff Sottolano, Rachel Williamson, Greg Solk and Bill Smee for their support in allowing me the honor of leading this great station.”
iHeartMedia welcomes Jay C. Lowe to the company as area president – Oklahoma, effective immediately. 
Salem Media Group announces that the program “Mike Crispi Unafraid” officially joins the Salem Podcast Network. The daily show is hosted by television reporter, talk show host, and political operative Mike Crispi. Salem says, “During the 2020 election, he provided live coverage of political rallies and grassroots conservative events on Right Side Broadcasting. In the last year, he has hosted one of the most popular live shows on Rumble. He has worked on multiple campaigns at both the state and federal levels, including his own congressional campaign in New Jersey. Crispi comments, “It is a great honor to join forces with Salem Media. I have long admired their hosts, programming, and vision for the future of conservative media. This podcast has been a success since we started it last year, and I couldn’t think of a more genuine and authentic partner to help take it to the next level.”
New York City television personality Ernie Anastos is joining Red Apple Media’s WABC-AM, New York to host the two-minute daily feature “Positively Ernie with Ernie Anastos” that will air in morning and afternoon drive, beginning today (1/9). The station says, “Focusing on a different topic every day, Anastos takes a look at the positive outcome of the stories that shape our world, including current events, social changes, new trends, life challenges, work, home, and lifestyle.” Red Apple Media CEO John Catsimatidis comments, “Everybody knows Ernie’s smiling face, friendly voice, and reputation as a top journalist in this great city. Now, Ernie is taking another look at our world and bringing us an opportunity to see the positive side of things.
I’m delighted to welcome Ernie to
Founding member of rock group The Black Crows, Steve Gorman, is joining Cumulus Media to take over the heavily talk-driven morning show hosting duties from retiring Twin Cities legend Tom Barnard on classic rock KQRS-FM, Minneapolis. Gorman started his radio career in 2011 as host of “Steve Gorman SPORTS!” on Cromwell Media Group’s WPRT-FM, Nashville “102.5 The Game” in 2011. That show was eventually syndicated by FOX Sports Radio. He currently hosts the Westwood One-syndicated rock evening show “Steve Gorman Rocks!” and will continue in that role. Gorman began his KQRS-FM duties this morning (1/9) and will relocate to the Twin Cities. Cumulus Minneapolis VP and market manager Shelly Malecha Wilkes tells TALKERS, “We are very excited that Steve has decided to join the ‘KQ Morning Show.’ Steve is intelligent, authentic, funny – everything we were looking for and more. I am very much looking forward to our next chapter.” KQRS program director and Cumulus VP of classic rock James Kurdziel adds, “When looking for someone to drive ‘The KQ Morning Show,’ we needed a big personality with quick wits, brilliant storytelling, strong work ethic, will to win and most importantly, someone who wants to be a part of our community. We found all those things in Steve Gorman. Adding him to our established team of [Brian] Zepp, Tony [Lee] and Candice [Wheeler] makes our show energetic, dynamic, topical, and all about Minnesota. We’re fortunate to have landed our big fish.”
Seattle talk radio personality Todd Herman joins Lotus Communications’ conservative news/talk KVI, Seattle as host of the Sunday 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm program. He’ll also provide a commentary feature that will air three-times daily – at 7:15 am, 12:30 pm and 5:15 pm. KVI program director Rick Van Cise tells TALKERS, “Todd is a Northwest favorite and brings a unique take on current events and daily life. We are pleased to have him part of our team.” Previously, Herman hosted his eponymous show on Bonneville’s news/talk KTTH-AM for six years and was part of the “Candy, Mike & Todd” show that aired on Bonneville’s KIRO-FM. Radio America is the syndicator for Todd Herman’s daily show and short form feature.
Greenlite Ventures, Inc. announces that sports talk radio personality Jeff “Defo” DeForrest joins the company as director of podcast operations. In this role, DeForrest will work exclusively for the company as it is set to launch GRNL’s Sports and Gaming Network (SGN) in the coming weeks. The company says, “SGN’s first weekly podcast will feature Defo and Las Vegas sports betting legend Brandon Lang, who was the subject of the hit movie Two for the Money starring Matthew McConaughey as the real-life Brandon Lang and Al Pacino playing his mentor. As legal sports wagering continues to surge across America, SGN will soon be airing daily podcasts featuring some of the most knowledgeable, entertaining and successful handicappers in all areas of sports betting. Defo is currently developing and negotiating a wide range of podcast and licensing deals with a number of well-known names in broadcasting, horse racing, and sports wagering.”
The sharply satirical song “Idiots” from the forthcoming fifth album by heritage rock band Gunhill Road continues to gather an international following on the internet. Released in August 2022, the music video of the catchy song passed the 70,000 unique views mark this weekend on YouTube – making it the most-listened-to song in the 53 year old band’s colorful history since its 1973 hit single “Back When My Hair Was Short” (also a provocative social commentary). TALKERS founder Michael Harrison, who along with Steve Goldrich, Paul Reich and Brian Koonin, is a member of Gunhill Road and co-writer/lead vocalist for “Idiots,” says, “We are so grateful to talk radio for embracing this song and giving it an amazing amount of airplay – either in snippets or the entire piece – that has driven interest in the song, downloads on the internet and views of the video. Fortunately, the words and theme of ‘Idiots’ ties into talk radio’s topic menu, psyche and environment in a non-partisan, ‘equal opportunity offender’ way. I mean, who can stand the negative impact that widespread idiocy is having on our society, culture and democracy?” 
Dick Chapin died at age 99 on January 5 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Nebraska Broadcasters Association says Chapin got his start in broadcasting in March 1953 when he joined KFOR, Lincoln as an account executive. He soon rose to general manager for KFOR-AM and KFOR-TV. In 1958 he was named VP of the stations’ owner, Stuart Investment Company. In 1989, he formed his own media brokerage firm, Chapin Enterprises. He also went into station ownership purchasing radio station KSYZ, Grand Island which he helped manage and later sold in 1999. Chapin served as chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters, a position that capped 11 years of NAB service. In 1974, he received the NAB Distinguished Service Award. He also was elected chairman of the Radio Advertising Bureau in 1983.
Monticello Media’s WCHV-AM/FM, Charlottesville is partnering with former Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster aboard to host a one-hour, regional program that will air Saturday mornings at 11:00. Foster is currently special assistant to athletic director Whit Babcock at Virginia Tech. He served on the football staff for 33 years. Former Virginia radio play-by-play man Mac McDonald will serve as Foster’s co-host and show producer.
For a decade and a half back in the 70s and 80s, now-defunct Metromedia album rocker KMET was a dominant musical and cultural force in Southern California. Memories of the historic station still reverberate today among its former staff and thousands of listeners. One of the stand-out personalities in the station’s amazing stable of talent was the dynamic and quirky newsman/morning co-host, Patrick “Paraquat” Kelley. Tragically, 22 years ago, Kelley, a once-dynamic figure, was diagnosed with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis leaving him today a total quadriplegic in residence at the Motion Picture Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. Kelley sent the following text and accompanying photo to TALKERS:
On December 29, 2022, the company revealed that Courtside Group, Inc. (dba PodcastOne) has filed an S-1 with the SEC for its planned spin-out and special dividend to LiveOne’s stockholders of record on January 16, 2023. The company says that PodcastOne is expected to record revenue of $25 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2023 ending December 31, 2022.
CMS is the platform where podcast episodes are uploaded, RSS feeds are created and distributed to listening platforms, and the listening data is analyzed and displayed in a dashboard for the creators/producers to see. This fully owned and operated enterprise CMS rivals other paid platforms such as Megaphone (Spotify-owned), Art19 (Amazon-owned) and SimpleCast (SiriusXM/Pandora-owned). The CMS’ day-to-day operation and maintenance is managed by a vendor we contract with and is constantly being updated to be a best-in-class system. LiveOne remains committed to spinning-out PodcastOne as a separate public company to be listed on a national exchange. In connection with such spin-out, LiveOne has moved the record date to Jan. 16, 2023 for PodcastOne’s special dividend to LiveOne’s stockholders of record. In addition, LiveOne intends to explore spinning-out SlackerOne as a separate public company during its 2024 fiscal year.”
The iHeartMedia station says that Lemmon hosted “The Garden Line” program on the station for more than 25 years. “In what he called the ‘most-listened-to garden show in the country,’ he was faithfully followed by serious landscapers as well as the weekend gardener as he shared his enthusiasm and advice about lawns, gardens and outdoor living. He was a go-to expert when climate issues became serious or dangerous to the public such as during hurricanes and deep freezes.” Prior to hosting his radio show, Lemmon served as a television and radio producer for the Texas Farm Bureau. He then spent nearly a decade at his alma mater – Texas A&M University – producing news and commentary for an agricultural network he created with the College of Agriculture. iHeartMedia Houston director of AM programming Bryan Erickson tells TALKERS, “Randy had an unbridled passion for being on the radio and for helping people with their gardening issues. We should all be so fortunate to do something in life that brings us such joy. He will be missed.”
50-year veteran radio broadcaster Brad Hildebrand, owner/operator of KSLQ-FM 104.5 – a St Louis area signal – tells TALKERS he has flipped the hot AC station to an all-podcast format (1/1) operating under the brand name “Podcastrr.” The format consists of an aggregation of already-existing podcasts with the special feature of giving listeners and clients the opportunity to produce, host, launch and promote their own paid podcasts on the platform. Licensed to Washington, MO, KSLQ’s 104.5 signal covers St. Charles County, Franklin County, Warren County, western St. Louis County and northwestern Jefferson County. It streams worldwide at 
iHeartMedia Washington, DC announces the launch of sports talk and sports betting station “1190 iHeartSports DC – The DMV’s Best Bet on Sports” broadcasting on WTSD-AM, W284CQ, and WWDC-HD2. The company says programming will consist of FOX Sports Radio weekdays from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm and VSiN, The Sports Betting Network content weekdays from 5:00 pm to 6:00 am and on weekends.
She will work closely with Josh Cohan, director of podcast programming, to develop ABC Audio’s content strategy and then implement that strategy with the production team, overseeing the process from greenlight to publish.” Mayer was most recently COO of the production company Three Uncanny Four Productions – a joint venture with Sony Music. She’s also served as executive producer of new show development at Stitcher.
