Pending Business: The Biggest of the Big
By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President
Super Bowl LVIII could have been the best ever.
The pre-game hype was over the top, blending unique Vegas themes with the traditional NFL superhype we all know and enjoy. Digital Frank Sinatra singing “My Way” with the Super Bowl Symphony, Wayne Newton sharing his life story – pure Vegas, baby – and the 2024 pre-game was a scene set like no other. Usher fans enjoyed a halftime show that was pure energy. The storylines for this game featured more themes away from the game than any other in history. Could there have been any more written about Taylor Swift and her connection to this game, impact on NFL viewership and could she make it from Tokyo on time? It seemed like Sunday morning’s New York Times digital edition devoted more front-page space to Taylor Swift than the game itself.
Ironically, Super Bowl LVIII was a stunner. The Niners missed a point after kick that could have made them Super Bowl Champions. The miss led the game into overtime and another amazing Patrick Mahomes–Andy Reid last minute Super Bowl win. But the real treat was all the new think in creative commercials.
No longer were TV ads limited to one or even two celebrities per commercial. It was almost a competition for how many stars you could fit into 30 seconds. After all, when a 30-second commercial cost $7 million, maybe you cast Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, J Lo, Tom Brady, David Beckham, half the cast of “Suits,” to name a few, in one ad.
Madison Avenue was under more pressure than Brock Purdy, so the creative juices were flowing. Love it or hate it, the creative pressure to make a $7 million investment in 30 seconds payoff was intense. The new think worked. Go big or go home! Stand-by for the countless industry articles measuring everything from recall to audience size. The trend is your friend, and the trend says, this could be a peek into the future of open-your-wallet marketing. But where does this put audio pricing and creative on the impact spectrum?
Odds are the creatives that just opened the door to a new chapter of multiple celebrity integrations will stimulate the next generation of “theatre of the mind” producers. They are out there, for sure. We just need to work harder to attract their talent. As for pricing, that part is up to you.
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.
“ESPN 1460 Columbus,” and the Ohio News Network. Rogala comes to Columbus from the company’s Memphis television stations. TEGNA says, “During his career, Rogala has been on the leading edge of media convergence, leading stations to record ratings and revenue, building three media facilities, launching innovative, new local programming, and creating a groupwide sales training program.” 
roles in management in both music and news at such stations as New York’s WHN (in news) and WPLJ (as music director). Among the highlights in her remarkable career, she served as the ABC group’s first female program director at KAUM-FM, Houston and as PD at the Boston Globe’s WSAI-FM, Cincinnati. At one point she was vice president of programming for the ABC Radio Networks. Other senior managerial stops include Watermark production studio (American Top 40 and American Country Countdown), United Stations, and as senior vice president of programming for Sony-Warner’s radio division, SW Networks. Baldassano was a co-founder and an initial board member of the Mentoring and Inspiring Women, Inc group, which sprang from the first list of women honored by Radio Ink in 1998 (on which she was included). She tells TALKERS, “In my years at Take On The Day, LLC, I built wonderful relationships with advertisers, affiliates, SiriusXM, multiple charities and Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s loyal listeners. I am truly grateful for the years spent with Dr. Laura and Geoff Rich, as the company grew and diversified into live theatrical shows nationwide, podcasts, online stores that benefited Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, and much more. We had a great time, and I have nothing but warm wishes for their continued success as we all move on to new chapters.” She adds, “As one of the co-founders and a former board member, I will continue to work closely with Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc, where I serve as a key mentor to amazing women rising to be the next generation of leaders in radio. It’s one of the most important things I’ve ever done, and I get inspired by these women each and every day.” Baldassano can be emailed at 
Radio personality, talk host, and voiceover performer Mark Wainwright writes today (2/9) in a piece for TALKERS magazine about the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on February 9, 1964. He writes, “In early December 1963, America was a very gloomy place. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22 brought the country to a virtual standstill for four days, and the emotional and psychological hangover lingered for weeks. The nation needed a dose of uplifting energy and fun, and the Beatles were the ideal remedy.” As he notes, the arrival of The Beatles in America and their appearance on the popular Sunday night TV show “changed everything.” 
and President, Hearst Television; and Emily Barr, retired president and CEO, Graham Media Group, will pay tribute to 2024 Golden Mic honoree Jordan Wertlieb, EVP and COO of Hearst. There will be a special tribute to Phil Lombardo, former longtime chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation, who passed away last month. Entertainment at the gala will be provided by Pete Caldera, well-known to New Yorkers for singing swingin’ standards made famous by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and more. As previously announced, EMMY winning broadcast journalist and nationally syndicated talk show host Soledad O’Brien will return as host of the event.
largest share of listening, accounting for more than one-third of daily time with audio among those age 13+. The vast majority of that listening (31%) is to AM/FM over-the-air signals.” (The other 5% comes from radio streams.) Behind AM/FM in listening is streaming music (20%), YouTube (14%), podcasts (11%), SiriusXM (8%), owned music (4%), TV music channels (3%), audiobooks (3%) and other (1%). 
February 20, 2024. The aggregate amount of the payment to be made in connection with the quarterly dividend will be approximately $1.6 million. The quarterly dividend will be funded by cash on the company’s balance sheet. Including this dividend, the company will have paid approximately $127 million in dividends to shareholders since the first special dividend was paid in 2012.
candidate Nikki Haley come in behind “None of the Above Candidates.” (“None of the Above Candidates” is choice that has been on Nevada ballots since 1975.) Root tells TALKERS that he came up with the strategy of convincing his audience to vote “None of the Above” to support Donald Trump and claims, “This is Exhibit A for the power of talk radio. Look at the vote totals. The number of ‘None of the Above’ voters almost exactly matches the number of listeners to my Vegas and statewide Nevada radio show. We did this. My Nevada audience almost single-handedly ended Nikki’s presidential ambitions.”
away from this radio role as he prepares to enter the race for district attorney of the newly created 23rd judicial district. Brauchler led the 18th judicial district and left that position as term limits required him to. The Salem Media Group station has replaced Brauchler with “The Jeff and Bill Show” starring Jeff Hunt and Bill Thorpe. 
Shelley says, “It is our sacred duty to promote, protect and defend the First Amendment, which makes journalism the only vocation specifically protected in our Constitution. The individuals represented in this group of recipients embody the spirit of such journalism. And their work reminds us why it is so important to defend the First Amendment each and every day.” The honorees include: Gio Benitez, ABC News; Lauren Chooljian, New Hampshire Public Radio; Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews, CBS News; Evan Gershkovich, Wall Street Journal; Dylan Lyons, Spectrum News 13 “Citation of Courage”; Joan
Vegas. This will be the 51st time Westwood One will broadcast America’s biggest sporting event. Kevin Harlan will handle play-by-play duties for the 14th straight year, with Super Bowl XXXIV MVP and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner returning for the sixth consecutive year as lead analyst. Dean Blandino joins the radio broadcast booth as rules analyst. For the fifth time, Laura Okmin will patrol the sidelines, along with former defensive lineman Mike Golic, who returns for his third Super Bowl with Westwood One’s broadcast crew. Scott Graham and three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty will host Westwood One’s pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage, with Devin’s twin brother and fellow Super Bowl champion Jason McCourty and former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker also contributing to the pregame coverage.
For several years I’ve had the surprising privilege of serving as a member of the nominating committee of the Radio Hall of Fame. How does the process work? Let me clear up some of the mystery. FAQ:
and I would have never imagined that all of my dreams would be multiplied by two. I was blessed with an amazing journey; from Emporium to New York City and every city in between including Nashville, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Baltimore and Pittsburgh…. The best part of my job was working with some of the best talent in the country. I tried to never get in their way, and I listened in awe to what they created daily. They were the reason for my success, and I am thankful for the privilege of tagging along… The time has come for me to walk away, and I do so with the deepest appreciation. If I worked with you, I hope you can say that I gave you my best and that I helped you succeed. I know my life was richer because of you and I will cherish the memories we created together. Thank you! Now, about that last break…”
his CBS Sports Radio-syndicated program will cease its video simulcast with CBS Sports and that simulcast will move to X (formerly Twitter) soon. Rome had nothing but praise for CBS Sports and added that the video simulcast will disappear for a period before resurfacing on X at a date yet to be determined. There are no reported changes coming to the radio program itself. 
and politics (78%) shows. In addition, 89% of news-focused podcasts (across topics) brought on at least one guest in 2022; 2) Most podcasts aren’t bringing the same guests on over and over. More than 99% of all guests only appeared once on any top podcast in 2022. In addition, about half (49%) of top podcasts brought on at least one guest more than once, and 23% hosted more than five different people more than once. The most common guests represent a range of professional backgrounds, including entertainment figures, scientists, journalists and political commentators. Pew senior computational social scientist Galen Stocking comments, “Our research has shed light on the variety of topics and approaches within the podcasting landscape. Here, we found that most top-ranked podcasts are bringing on guests, and often from a wide range of professional backgrounds. This can add to the perspectives heard on each podcast.”
NPR holds the #2 and #3 spots with “NPR News Now” and “Up First,” respectively. Commercial radio-related podcasts finishing in the top 20 include DailyWire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” unchanged at #9, “The Dan Bongino Show” down one spot to #12, and FOX Audio Network’s “FOX News Hourly Update” up one spot to #14. This chart reflects programs that opt in to Podtrac measurement.