Industry News

WOR, New York News Director Joe Bartlett to Retire

Longtime WOR, New York news pro Joe Bartlett announces he will retire as a full-time member of the iHeartMedia news/talk station’s staff on May 31 after a 37-year career with the station. Bartlett – who’s been serving most recently as morning news anchor and news director for 710 WOR – says he planned to retire three years ago, but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit he decided to postpone it. In addition to his newsim anchoring and reporting work, Bartlett has also hosted talk shows on the station, including the long-running “WOR Saturday Morning Show.” He comments, “I loved my job and have been fortunate to have been part of this great station for all these years. I could have gone on much longer, but the time had come, where I just needed more free time. Sadly, this is not a job you can do only six months a year. I have been blessed to have had a caring radio ownership, extremely talented co-workers and a very loyal audience.” Bartlett and his wife have relocated to South Carolina where he looks forward to having more time for golf, seeing his grandchildren, and supporting the New York Giants. WOR program director Tom Cuddy says, “It’s rare in this business to encounter as versatile a radio personality as Joe: anchor, news director, and talk show host…not to mention an all-around nice guy. He will be missed not just by our listeners but by our staff.”

Industry News

NewsNation Announces Lee Harris’ New Role

Yesterday (5/1), TALKERS magazine reported that WINS, New York morning drive co-anchor Lee Harris is leaving his position with the Audacy all-news station at the end of this week to join Nexstar Media Group’s cable news and digital operation NewsNation. Today, Nexstar officially announces the news and expands on Harris’ new, New York-based role. NewsNation says he joins the network as director of integrated operations inim which he’ll be responsible for the development and distribution of NewsNation’s audio content. He’ll also assist in news writing and NewsNation specials. Nexstar president of networks Sean Compton states, “As we recently celebrated the milestone becoming 24-hour news network weekdays, we are continually looking for ways to grow the NewsNation brand across our linear and digital platforms. I am thrilled that Lee Harris is going to be leading these efforts as we further expand the network’s reach with viewers and listeners across the country.” Harris comments, “It took an incredible opportunity to convince me to leave 1010 WINS after nearly 30 years. But Sean Compton and [president of news programming] Michael Corn showed me that at NewsNation I will be helping to fundamentally change the way news is covered and presented in this country and this is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.” Meet Lee Harris at TALKERS 2023 on Friday, June 2 at Hofstra University on Long Island. 

Industry News

Ramsey Solutions to Present “America’s Labor Crisis” for Business Leaders

Ramsey Solutions says, “Inflation, fears of a recession, ongoing supply chain issues and a whole host of other economic obstacles have been plaguing small businesses for the past three years. One of the biggest pain points has been labor issues. Over 4 million people have left their jobs every month for six months in a row according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, raising the question: Is the ‘great resignation’ a short-termim trend or the new normal?” Ramsey Solutions’ EntreLeadership team is hosting a free livestream for small-business leaders and entrepreneurs on Thursday, May 4, at 8 pm ET titled, “America’s Labor Crisis Live: The Real Reason People Are Giving Up on Work.” It will feature Dave Ramsey, the CEO of Ramsey Solutions; Mike Rowe, the TV host of “Dirty Jobs” and founder of mikeroweWORKS.org; and five other thought leaders who will discuss the labor problems and map out solutions. Dave Ramsey says, “We have a labor crisis in America today, and it’s impacting small business like never before. There is such a shortage of motivated, quality team members that small businesses are struggling to get their work done. We need to have an open and honest discussion about all of this.” Attendees and livestream viewers will learn about: Current trends affecting the workplace; How to find and hire the right people; How to become a leader people want to work for; and How embracing discomfort leads to success in life and business. Register for the livestream here.

Industry News

Carolyn Cassidy Named GM for Salem in Tampa-Sarasota

Salem Media Group announces the appointment of Carolyn Cassidy as general manager of its five-station radio group and of Salem Surround in Tampa and Sarasota, Florida. Cassidy has been serving as general manager of the company’s Columbus, Ohio operations and will continue in the role in addition to her newim Tampa and Sarasota responsibilities. Salem Media Group regional VP Val Carolin comments, “As we worked to fill the big shoes that Barb Yoder has worn so effectively these past 12 years as general manager, we were thrilled to learn that Carolyn had a strong desire to return to her Florida roots and serve the communities in her home state. Carolyn has proven herself to be a tireless leader with a deep commitment to service. She’s a hard and smart worker who gets involved and gets things done. I’m confident that the dedication and the skills she possesses will prove to be a great fit for our strong Tampa/Sarasota operation.”

Industry News

Daily Soap Operas Being Set for Radio Syndication

A startup radio syndication firm SoapKast launched by Andrew Pemberton-Fowler has developed a soon-to-be-released daily, one-hour program titled, “The SoapKast Hour.”  Each installment of the show consists of two original radio soap operas, “Kingsport” and “Affairs of the Heart,” targeted for what is being described asim “modern audiences.” According to Pemberton-Fowler, “‘The SoapKast Hour’ targets women 24-59 who are looking for daily original, high-quality drama. ‘The SoapKast Hour’ will keep audiences coming back day after day to hear the unfolding drama of ‘Kingsport,’ a story about unhappy people searching for happiness, and ‘Affairs of the Heart,’ an uneasy tale about class, wealth, and money set in a small college town.” The show will be available to stations via barter with 10 local and eight national spots per episode. Interested stations can learn more by calling 323-316-0342 or email sales@soapkast.com.  Listen to a demo here.

Industry News

Audacy Releases Fourth State of Audio Guide

Audacy releases its latest “State of Audio” guide. This fourth installment of the company’s bi-annual e-book explores audio’s impact throughout the brand funnel, from awareness and intention to action. Highlighting case studies from today’s biggest brands, the guide gives advertisers a look into how they can use radio, podcastsim and streaming for everything from brand awareness to consumer purchase. Audacy chief marketing officer Paul Suchman says, “Audio holds the title as the undisputed leader of brand-building channels – working its magic with the one-two punch of massive reach and beloved and trusted personalities. But if you’re thinking of Audio as just a top-of-funnel play – good for sparking a conversation but not driving conversion – think again. The truth is the game has expanded in recent years and audio is now a truly multi-purpose platform. Thanks to precision targeting, authentic influencers whose listeners follow them across channels, and advanced measurement, marketers are uncovering the best-kept secret in media – audio’s ability to drive impact at every funnel stage.” See the “State of Audio” guide here.

Industry News

iHeartMedia Publishes the State of Podcasting 2023

This report from iHeartMedia looks into determining where the audiences for podcasts are coming from. The company says of the State of Podcasting study: “Aside from reach, time spent listening to podcasts is up 2x in the past five years with the number of Black and Hispanic listeners jumping 30% in the past two years. Weim wanted to see where the listenership was coming from and based on the research it looks like Americans are making more time for podcasts mostly by reducing time spent with streaming video, streaming music and social media. Video podcasts have been a big discussion lately in the industry – whether its needed and cost effective, which is interesting because this new data sample showed that podcasts are pulling listener share primarily from YouTube’s audience – a reasonable motivation for their heightened focus on video podcasting to drive retention.” Interestingly, the study also concluded that the majority of radio listening happens out-of-home (68%), while the majority of podcast listening happens in the home (69%).