KBLA Talk 1580 Founder Tavis Smiley to Be Honored
Prolific author and veteran talk media purveyor of current events with a focus on African American perspectives, Tavis Smiley, has been selected by the TALKERS editorial board to be the 2023 recipient of the highly prestigious Gene Burns Memorial Award for Freedom of Speech. The award is presented each year to a talk media practitioner whose work sets an example for the exercise and preservation of the First Amendment. Smiley, who has hosted shows on a diverse array of platforms such as BET, CNN, ABC, PBS, KABC Radio,
and KGFJ Radio among others, joins such former recipient of the award as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’ Reilly, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Bob Grant, Thom Hartmann, Alan Colmes, Joe Madison, Karen Hunter, Al Franken, Brian Lamb, Norm Pattiz, Ian Freeman and others dating back to the origins of TALKERS in the late 1980s. Some 21 months ago, Smiley’s media company acquired an AM radio station in Los Angeles, the former hip hop legend KDAY, and transformed it into a new station and format – KBLA Talk 1580 – where he’s assembled an outstanding on-air staff, including himself, with the passionate mission of, as he puts it, “unapologetically serving people of color and who are politically progressive.” In making the announcement of this year’s recipient, TALKERS founder Michael Harrison states, “This is our longest-running and most-important award. Mr. Smiley has risen to the enormous talk radio challenge of providing underserved African Americans and progressives with a major commercial platform in the nation’s second largest market with a worldwide reach. In today’s political environment and struggling AM radio industry, it doesn’t get any more ‘First Amendment’ than that.” Tavis Smiley will be presented the award at the forthcoming TALKERS 2023 convention on Friday, June 2 at Hofstra University on Long Island where he will be one of 60 talk media luminaries scheduled to speak. For more information about TALKERS 2023, see the story below.
Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? YES.
It is an unpredictable thing, this news cycle that drives the headlines.
Hains had to step away from his hosting duties after being hospitalized by a life-threatening case of West Nile Virus. Ladd – the longtime voice of the Missouri State Lady Bears – has been hosting the show in his absence and is now joined by Weber. Zimmer operations manager Don Louzader says, “I can’t think of a better team to carry the torch for Art Hains than Tom and Logan. Tom has a tremendous amount of knowledge of the local, regional and national sports scene and has broadcast just about every sport in the Ozarks. Logan has shown a tremendous passion for sports here in southwest Missouri and will be a great complement to Tom on the show.” At the same time, the station announces that “The Sports Reporters” host Ned Reynolds is being joined by co-host Scott Puryear as the show moves to the new time 7:00 am to 9:00 am weekdays. Reynolds and Puryear worked together on the show from 2000-2011. Louzader says, “The boys are back in town and our listeners are in for a real treat when Ned and Scott get behind the microphone together.”
president for Diamond Oil. Chance says, “I am profoundly humbled that iHeart would allow me this opportunity. I look forward to reuniting with my past colleagues and meeting new colleagues in the immediate future. This gives me a sense of peace and I’m extremely flattered and grateful. I look forward to diving back into all of these brands and vetting all the new ones. To say that I am excited to return, would be an understatement.”
Bloomberg Radio is distributed and repped by Key Networks. The “Bloomberg Black Business Beat” is hosted by journalist Justin Milliner and topics addressed range from the latest trends in Black-owned businesses and profiles of Black entrepreneurs, to a continuing look at diversity in the workplace and an inside look at the business of entertainment. Bloomberg Radio Syndication head Michael Lysak says, “‘The Block’ is such an important part of the soundtrack of New York City. We are proud to be a part of it. Justin Milliner does a masterful job of sharing stories of vital importance to Black Americans, without The Block’s music missing a beat. Here’s to Audacy for recognizing that reports like this don’t interrupt the programming – they enhance it.”
consecutive months as the top news brand with multiplatform views and two straight years as number one with multiplatform minutes. While FOX News Digital – as well as NYTimes.com – still lags behind CNN.com in multiplatform unique visitors (97.4 million to CNN.com’s 117.7 million), it has improved 23% in that category since February of 2022 while CNN.com is down 8% during that period.
considering retirement. Kay announced the deal on his program yesterday (3/16) saying, “When the story in The Post came out, I was pretty certain that was going to be it and I would leave the show after 21 years in September. It had been a great run, a long run. I just said, ‘That’s it. I’m probably too old to do it.’” Kay is supported on the show by co-host Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg. The show is simulcast on the YES TV network. Kay also serves as the television play-by-play announcer for New York Yankees baseball games. 
treatment. “He just took a turn for the worse.” The Caller Times obit says, “Lago worked in the oilfields as a young adult and returned to the job after Vietnam War service in the Marine Corps. Some of the oil company workers told him that he should try radio because he was entertaining and outspoken. In the mid-1970s he gave radio a try, first in Longview, near his hometown, before moving on to bigger cities.” Lago was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2016. 
morning drive co-host Dan Proft says a $3 million typo is to blame for the discrepancy in his political action committee’s report. Earlier this week, the paper reported that the Illinois Democratic Party filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections alleging that he didn’t disclose $1.2 million in contributions to the PAC.
Oh, excuse me, hold on. Here it is! The hourly report from quasi research companies or real research companies like Nielsen declaring that radio is just fine, thank you! Massive surveys (choose one) reveal that radio works! Radio appeals to younger demos! Radio moves product! Radio has more listeners in AM drive than the “Tonight Show” has viewers! A landslide of data proves that after 100 years of success, radio is a viable medium.
accomplished recipients. Jim’s 60-year career in radio as a DJ, news reporter and then as one of the all-time great talk show hosts was impeccable. He stood tall as a giant among us displaying journalistic integrity, on-the-job dependability, remarkable longevity, stunning talent, and unconditional goodwill to his fellow broadcasters as a mentor and a colleague.” Bohannon passed away on November 12, 2022 after a brave battle with esophageal cancer performing on air as best he could to almost the very end. The award will be presented at the forthcoming TALKERS 2023 on Friday, June 2 at Hofstra University along with The Gene Burns Memorial Award for Freedom of Speech, The Judy Jarvis Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievements by a Woman (Woman of the Year), and The Sharon L. Harrison Memorial Award for Outstanding Community Service (Humanitarian of the Year). The recipients of all four awards will be named within the next few weeks. 
Some of the radio-related podcasts in this ranker include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” which remains at #6, and “The Dan Bongino Show” which rises one spot to #7, Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” is steady at #15, and Audacy Podcast Network’s “We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle” falls five spots to #21. 
help retirees make sensible financial decisions in retirement. Armuth says, “Today’s investors deserve to know that investing is simple, affordable, and accessible to all! Collaborating with Senior Resource was a no-brainer for me because our missions are so similar. My podcast is dedicated to empowering and educating retirees on personal finance and investing, and Senior Resource helps me share this message with a broader audience. I’m thrilled to see my podcast has reached listeners from all across the country, and I remain steadfast in my commitment to giving real people the knowledge and tools they need to better understand investing and their finances in retirement.”
innovation, community service, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. Mason will be presented with the award at the Broadcasters Foundation Breakfast at the NAB Show on Wednesday, April 19 at the Wynn, Las Vegas. Mason comments, “I’m honored to be recognized by the Broadcasters Foundation, a charity that I believe in very much. I’ve been so fortunate in many ways, and the opportunity to support the Foundation’s mission as its chairman, was one way of giving back to this industry that has given me so much.” Current BFoA chairman Scott Herman says, “I worked with Dan for many years at CBS, and I am proud to call him a friend, colleague, and mentor. Dan is a great leader and a true champion for radio. It is our privilege to honor him.”
The show on March 18 will broadcast live from the BetMGM Sportsbook at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas as part of Audacy’s exclusive partnership with BetMGM. Audacy president of sports Mike Dee says, “The men’s college basketball tournament is the premier playoff tournament in American sports, and we’re excited to bring back this informative and entertaining program. Whether you’re trying to win your office pool or cash in on this year’s bracket, ‘Countdown to Tip-Off,’ with Nick and Ken will have you covered with their expert analysis of all the madness this March.”
as well as have the opportunity to win prizes and giveaways, play pop-a-shot, attend pickleball demos and lessons, hang out in the beer garden, enjoy a live DJ and entertainment, watch college basketball, and more. GKB vice president Sam Pines comments, “We are excited to introduce a new event to the ESPN Los Angeles community and team up with our partners to execute at the highest level. The Pickleball Madness Tournament is a perfect opportunity for ESPN LA fans to connect with our content team and engage in one of the most popular sports in the country. We are looking forward to the event coming to life on March 18.
“Gold Minds with Kevin Hart,” which debuts its new season featuring Hart in conversation with Ryan Coogler. In addition, Hartbeat will produce a slate of new, talent-led programs, including “Love Thang with Punkie Johnson” and “One Song with Diallo and LUXXURY,” hosted by Diallo Riddle and Blake “LUXXURY” Robin. SiriusXM president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein comments, “Over the last five years, Kevin has become a cornerstone of SiriusXM’s comedy programming, and we’re absolutely thrilled to deepen our relationship with Kevin and the whole Hartbeat team. As they’ve proven time and again, they have their finger on the pulse of the new, exciting, diverse voices in comedy, and our audience has clearly responded. We’re excited to remain Kevin’s audio home as he continues to expand his comedy brand and listenership.”
national spot revenue for 2022 was $798 million, down 0.2% from 2021. Digital revenue for 2022 was $259 million, an increase of 8.9% over 2021. Network revenue in 2022 was $89.9 million in 2022, an increase of 6.9% over 2021. The company also breaks down its radio revenue by format and notes that while revenue from music-formatted stations in 2022 was down 1.3%, revenue from news and talk stations was $199.7 million – up 2.3%, and revenue from sports talk stations was $264.3 million – up 5.2%. Audacy president and CEO David J. Field says, “Having started 2022 on a great note with revenues up 14% in the first quarter, we ended the year with revenues down 0.8% in the fourth quarter as challenging ad market conditions persisted. For the full year, revenues were up 3%. Fourth quarter 
expenses grew 9% due to accelerated recognition of podcast expenses, but we anticipate that expenses will be up low single digits in the first quarter and fall below 2022 levels beginning in the second quarter. We continue to vigorously execute our plan to navigate the storm and to position the company for recovery when business conditions improve. Our liquidity improved from $115 million at the end of September to $145 million at year end. With the sale earlier this month of $17 million of towers, we have now completed $73 million in non-strategic asset sales to bolster our liquidity and to support our continued compliance with our financial covenants. We are making solid progress on our key growth drivers including our reinvented streaming audio platform, our national enterprise business development, our podcasting and digital marketing solutions businesses, and our promising ad tech and ad product roadmap. Looking beyond the challenging current macro environment, Audacy has a strong and differentiated, scaled, competitive position in the dynamic and growing audio space and is deeply focused on continuing the work to capitalize on the opportunities and drive a healthy recovery.”
incredible talent and wide variety of leaders across the podcasting industry.” The event was exclusively video streamed on iHeartRadio’s YouTube channel and Facebook page and broadcast across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app. The winners included: “Las Culturistas” honored with the Podcast of the Year Award presented by Autonomy; FOX Sports Radio personality Colin Cowherd presented the Best Sports Podcast of the Year Award to “The Draymond Green Show”; Angela Yee presented the Audible Audio Pioneer Icon Award to technology journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher; The New York Times won Best News Podcast for “The Daily”; and “NPR Politics Podcast” was named the Best Politics Podcast.