Industry News

Veritonic Integrates with Adjust

Audio research and analytics platform Veritonic announces an integration with leading measurement and analytics company Adjust. Through this integration, Veritonic’s premier audio attribution solution will receive automated data about in-app conversion actions on mobile devices including installs, purchases,im subscriptions, and more. Veritonic CEO Scott Simonelli comments, “We take pride in our collaborations with visionary leaders, amplifying the impact of our solutions and elevating the value delivered to our clients. This seamless integration empowers us to furnish our clients with even more comprehensive, insightful, and actionable data. It equips them to finely tune their audio campaigns, ensuring optimal results while instilling confidence in the allocation of their advertising budget across channels.”

Industry News

Mike Gallagher First in Line to Vote Today!

Salem Radio Network nationally syndicated talk host Mike Gallagher is pictured here after casting hisim votes in Florida’s primary elections today (3/19). Gallagher was first in line this morning and posted this picture on “X” (formerly Twitter) as he left the polling place, and it received more than 15,000 views in the first 30 minutes. Gallagher adds, “In Chicago, most voters will view it twice. Or more.”

Industry News

Beasley’s “97.5 The Fanatic” Unveils the “Kincade and Salciunas” Morning Show

Beasley Media Group announces its new morning drive show at sports talk WPEN-FM, Philadelphiaim “97.5 The Fanatic” as Andrew Salciunas moves from middays to partner with incumbent morning host John Kincade for the “Kincade and Salciunas” improgram, effective today (3/18). Kincade has been serving as the morning host since January 2021. Salciunas, has spent the past 10 years working his way up the ladder at the station, most recently hosting the 10:00 am to 2:00 pm show since Anthony Gargano left that role after a now-settled contract dispute with the company. In a statement, station PD Scott Masteller says, “I am truly excited to pair John and Andrew for a new sports show that will reflect the energy and passion of the Philadelphia sports fan.”

Industry News

Inquirer: Missanelli Return to “The Fanatic?”

In covering the above story for the Philadelphia Inquirer, writer Rob Tornoe reveals that as the result of Andrew Salciunas moving from middays to mornings, Beasley moves former Philadelphia Daily Newsim writer Bob Cooney to middays. The question Tornoe asks is what about Mike Missanelli? “Rumors have been swirling in sports radio circles the past few days about the return of Missanelli, once the station’s biggest star, whose sudden exit from his afternoon show in 2022 after 15 years shocked listeners.” Tornoe says that Missanelli has been in contact with management but there’s nothing to report and Missanelli isn’t talking. PD Scott Masteller tells the paper, “Mike’s name has come up. He’s a great talent, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. A lot of people are interested in the radio station right now. So, I’ll leave it at that.” The current PM drive show is “The Best Show Ever?” hosted by Tyrone Johnson, Ricky Bottalico and Jenn Scordo. Read the Inquirer story here.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Happy Campers

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imFor spring break this year, Sarah and I revisited Sandals Grand Bahamian all-inclusive resort – NOT inexpensive, and very worth it. We’ve already booked same-week-next-year, and we think we know who we’ll see there then.

Among those we chatted-up at beach bars: Owner of a HVAC service company in Iowa. He arrived ahead of 16 employees and +ones (“the other 16 are back there keepin’ the heat on”). And get this: He said that, for some, it’s their first airplane travel. And they land in Nassau! WHAT a boss, eh?

Another business owner we met topped that! He had 38 inbound next-day for a long weekend. To qualify for this “President’s Club” trip, those 19 reps each moved a million dollars of product in 2023.

“Selling what?” I had to ask. “All the things nobody wants to buy,” he quipped. His company is a rack jobber, meaning it has agreements with retailers to display and sell products in-store. Think cigarette lighters and the thousand other items you see at gas stations and convenience stores.

Going right into Larry King mode, I learned about those sunglasses that retail for $19.99. He buys ‘em by the palette, 19 cents each. And when I asked “What was HOT 2 years ago, and is NOT now?” he replied, without hesitation, “masks.”

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He caught my ear when he used the term “liberal” to describe regions. In talk radio, that’s a political term. But the way he used it reflects Michael Jordan’s famous quote, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” Like politics, commerce is regionalized. And he spoke in practical terms: Phone charger cords sold in the northeast are predominantly iPhone-compatible. “Get much-south-of New York,” and Android cords are also popular.

Contributing to inflation: Pre-pandemic, the usual business model was that the store paid for what his company delivered. Some clients were big-enough to change that, to paying-upon-SALE, which bar codes enable. So, the rack jobber is on-the-hook for “inventory shrinkage” (shoplifting and pilferage). But the arm-wrestling continues… and at least 19 reps are winning.

Heading for our final-night-there dinner, we passed the President’s Club reception in a VIP area; and next morning at breakfast, we spotted President’s Club T-shirts. We expect to see more next year, because, as the boss winked, “those wives want to come back!” and they tend to be supportive of long workdays in the meantime. 😉

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of  The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up,” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn.

Industry News

Todd Starnes Speaks at Reagan Ranch

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Pictured above is nationally syndicated talk radio host Todd Starnes delivering the keynote address at the Young America’s Foundation’s National High School Conference at the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, California. All students received a copy of Starnes’ newest book, Twilight’s Last Gleaming: Can America Be Saved? (Post Hill Press 2023), based on a speech delivered by President Ronald Reagan.

Industry News

Cumulus Media Partners with Rhode Island Football Club

Cumulus Media announces a new partnership with Rhode Island Football Club to broadcast select matches for the club’s inaugural 2024 season on WPRV-AM, Providence “790 The Score” andim news/talk/sports WXLM-AM, New London. The first match aired last Saturday (3/16) versus New Mexico United. An additional nine matches will air on the two stations. Cumulus regional vice president Holly Paras says, “I am delighted that our stations will enter into this new broadcasting partnership with Rhode Island FC and help to bring the Southern New England community the passion and drama of this new team and exciting sport.”

Industry Views

Michael Harrison: The Future of Radio Depends Upon What Those of Us in the Business Make It

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TALKERS founder Michael Harrison appeared as a guest Wednesday on Frank Morano’s “The Other Side of Midnight” show (3/13) as part of his current “Scammers” interview tour promoting the new Gunhill Road “Damn Scammers (Get Off My Phone)” music video (www.scammersvideo.com). The conversation illuminated Harrison’s concerns about the rapid spread of scamming and fraud in the digital space but quickly expanded to a discussion about the pros and cons of AI and an existential look at the future of the radio platform itself.

Regarding the insidious growth of scams on the internet, Harrison said, “It is a major problem up there with terrorism, inflation, street crime, pandemics, uncontrolled immigration, and war… it’s corroding the quality of our lives, lowering the bar on integrity, and raising the level of disingenuousness that is becoming a ‘normal’ part of our culture.” Harrison attributes a major part of the problem to legislators being behind the curve on this, stating, “Historically, it takes time for legislation to catch up to changes in technology… now that technology is changing so rapidly it’s increasingly difficult for legislators to keep up with it. In many cases they don’t even have a clue as to how the internet operates.”

Regarding the issue of AI stealing jobs from broadcasters – particularly talent – going forward, Harrison was blunt: “Just like all technology, AI is a double-edged sword and can be dangerous.  But in the case of art, people have always accused new technologies in art as somehow being fake and ‘cheating’ but history has consistently shown that today’s technology is tomorrow’s art. Regarding the loss of jobs for radio talent, it all depends on what you bring to the table. If you are a basic announcer, meaning you read most of your content from a script or apply a very limited range of verbiage such as time, temperature, news and the simple intros and outros of songs – watch out, you will likely lose your job. But if you’re a talk show host, analyst, interviewer, or commentator – all you have to do is work a little harder… you have to be even more original. AI can only draw upon and synthesize what’s already out there. You’ll have to stay ahead of the AI learning curve. All AI can actually do is realistically recreate monologues and dialogue that are in the category of worn-out talking points. If that’s what you are currently doing on the air, you’ll be replaced by AI and no one will notice.”

Regarding the future of radio and its ongoing viability in the digital era, Harrison said that it depends on whether those of us in the industry actively create radio’s relevant future or abandon it out of fear or simple lack of ideas. Harrison warned, “The use of ‘audio’ as a description of this medium is short-sighted. Radio is an esthetic… complex and organic. All radio is audio but not all audio is radio. Putting up a sign on radio calling it audio would be like owning a restaurant and calling it ‘food’ or a specific brand car dealership and calling it ‘transportation.’” Listen to the interview here

Industry News

“Material Weaknesses” Prevent Urban One from Timely Filing

Urban One notifies the Securities and Exchange Commission that it is unable to file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, before today’s due date (3/15). The company says additional time is needed for it to compile and analyze supporting documentation in order to complete the Form 10-K and in order to permit the company’s independent registered public accountingim firm to complete its audits of the consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting included in the Form 10-K. Urban One expects its auditor will issue an unqualified opinion on the consolidated financial statements. The reason for the delay is that Urban One has identified material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting and as a result, expects some of its internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls will be ineffective as of December 31, 2023. The Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, will describe these material weaknesses, and the Company is implementing plans to remediate them. The company says it does not anticipate any changes to its previously audited financial statements, nor does it expect to report financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023 that are materially different from the financial guidance range previously provided by the company during its third quarter earnings call.

Industry News

Audacy Announces College Hoops Betting Series

Audacy announces the return of “You Better You Bet Countdown to Tip-Off,” a four-episode series of special men’s college basketball tournament programming set to air on March 17, 23, 30 and April 6im from 8:00 am to 10:00 am ET on 90 Audacy stations nationwide. Led by Nick Kostos and Ken Barkley, co-hosts of “You Better You Bet,” “BetQL Countdown to Tip-Off” will serve as breakdowns of the men’s college basketball tournament, featuring a mix of sports betting insight. The show will also welcome talent from across Audacy’s portfolio of sports stations.

Industry News

The Presidential Race is Top News/Talk Media Story for Week of March 11 – 15

The presidential race was the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was former President Donald Trump’s legal battles, followed by the House-passed bill to force ByteDance to sell TikTok or the app becomes illegal in the U.S. at #3. 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 on ongoing research from TALKERS magazine. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart here.

Industry News

Good Karma Brands Ends Use of Nielsen Ratings

Good Karma Brands began 2024 without subscribing to Nielsen Audio’s PPM ratings, according to GKB CEO Craig Karmazin, who told Newsday’s Neil Best, the company is not relying on a system that rates just one delivery stream for content. Best’s piece focuses on GKB’s “ESPN New York” (WEPN-FMim and WEPN-AM), but Karmazin said the move had nothing to do with his company not renewing its lease on WEPN-FM (which ends later this summer) but that it’s a company decision. TALKERS noticed that news/talk WTMJ, Milwaukee did not appear in Nielsen’s January PPM survey and reached out to GKB for an explanation, but the company did not reply to our request. Karmazin told Best, “It’s outdated to use one form of media to measure a show, especially one that doesn’t reflect the entire listening audience and viewing audience across all the different ways we distribute our media now.” See the Newsday piece here.

Industry News

Triton Digital Publishes February Podcast Ranker

Triton Digital releases its Top U.S. Podcasts ranker for February (Jan. 29 – Feb. 25) based on weekly average downloads for shows that opt in. NPR’s “NPR News Now” retains its #1 position, whileim NBCUniversal News Group’s “Dateline NBC” jumps two spots to #2, bumping audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie” to #4. NPR’s “Up First” remains in the #3 position. Other radio-related podcasts of note include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” rising one spot to #6, Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” slipping two places to #17, and Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Mark Levin Show” falling three spots to #27. See the complete ranker here.

Industry News

Westwood One Debuts New Daily Feature

Cumulus Media’s Westwood One is launching a new two-minute feature titled, “Today in Women’sim Sports,” on Monday (3/18). The program will cover the athletes, coaches, teams, and sports that have contributed to the explosive worldwide growth of women’s athletics in recent years. The rotating cast of female sports broadcasters includes Laura Okmin, Maggie Gray, Olivia Harlan Dekker, Amber Theoharis, and Amy Lawrence.

Industry News

Audacy Issues Performance Update as it Awaits FCC Approval

Audacy releases a performance update as it waits to emerge from Chapter 11 reorganization saying it “is pleased to report a strong start to 2024, driving significant sequential acceleration across key financial metrics and performance indicators. The Company is providing this update to deliver additional visibility on its progress since receiving court approval of its consensual pre-packaged Plan of Reorganization onim February 20.” Audacy awaits FCC approval to complete its restructuring and plans to file its 2023 10-K later this month. The company says it experienced revenue growth of 1% in January, led by a 1% increase in radio revenue and a 7% increase in digital revenue. Audacy chairman, president and CEO David Field comments, “Audacy is off to a strong start in 2024, driving accelerated financial and operating performance, including solid early growth in revenues, key digital metrics, and audience and revenue shares. We look forward to a bright future, capitalizing on our best-in-class balance sheet and our scaled leadership position in the dynamic audio market, distinguished by our exclusive premium content and top positions across the country’s largest markets.”

Industry News

Todd Starnes Honored by U.S. Reps

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Pictured above is conservative media figure Todd Starnes (right) with U.S. Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) and U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) at a book launch event hosted by the Conservative Partnership Institute to honor Starnes and recognize the publishing of his eighth book, Twilight’s Last Gleaming (Simon & Schuster/Post Hill Press, 2024). The event was emceed by former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows. Starnes’ talk radio show is syndicated nationally, and he is the owner of news/talk KWAM, Memphis. Starnes is also on the board of directors of the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters.

Industry News

BFoA Announces Leadership and Lowry Mays Awards Recipients

The Broadcasters Foundation of America announces the recipients of the 2024 Leadership Awards and the Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award. The Awards will be presented at the BFOA Annual Breakfast on April 17 at the Encore Resort during the NAB Show in Las Vegas. Leadership Awards are given annually in recognition of career contributions to the broadcast industry and theim community at-large. The 2024 Leadership Awards honorees are: Don Bouloukos, CBS and ABC Radio executive; Frank Comerford, chief revenue office, president, commercial operations, NBCU Local; Traug Keller, president, ABC Radio Network/SVP, ESPN Radio; Kathleen Kirby, partner, Wiley; Mike McVay, president, McVay Media Consulting; and John Rouse, EVP, ABC Affiliate Relations, Disney Platform Distribution.  The Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award is bestowed annually on an individual in broadcasting whose work exemplifies innovation, community service, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. The 2024 Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award recipient is Erica Farber, president & CEO, RAB. The Broadcasters Foundation Breakfast is complimentary to all in broadcasting. You can register here.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Talk host Lars Larson inks a four-year contract renewal with Alpha Media to continue his role as host of his 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm show on news/talk KXL-FM, Portland.

Zionist Organization of America is honoring Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, with its Zionist Hero Award on Sunday (3/17) in Davie, Florida, at its “Heroes for Israel” gala. Also, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., will be honored with the ZOA’s Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Defender of Israel Award.

Compass Media Networks, in partnership with the Big Ten Conference, is broadcasting exclusive, national audio coverage of all rounds of the TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament live from the Target Center in Minneapolis. This marks Compass Media Networks’ 15th year of coverage. In addition to continuous coverage on SiriusXM’s College Sports Radio Channel, the Big Ten Radio Channel, and the Varsity app, broadcasts will be heard nationwide on over 125 terrestrial stations.

Auddia Inc announces a partnership with Sounds Profitable, a podcasting research and advocacy firm. Auddia CEO Michael Lawless states, “We’re delighted to kick off this partnership. While we were developing our latest AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies aimed at podcasting audio, it became clear that the opportunities to integrate this tech into other platforms outweighed the benefits of simply launching the feature in a beta trial within the faidr app. We are prioritizing this new integration initiative, and partners like Sounds Profitable are going to be key to its success.”

Industry News

Radio Pro Ron St. Pierre Dies Unexpectedly

Rhode Island native and longtime programmer and air personality Ron St. Pierre died on Monday (3/11)im at age 69 after suffering a heart attack. St. Pierre served with WABC, New York during his career but worked much of his career in Rhode Island radio and TV. He programmed talk outlets including WPRO-AM, WHJJ-AM, and sports talk WPRV-AM in Providence and anchored sports on WPRI-TV, Providence. He is a member of both the Rhode Island Radio and Television and the City of Pawtucket Halls of Fame. He is survived by his wife Patti. Read the RINewsToday.com obit here.

Industry News

WWO Blog: Edison’s Ad Supported Audio Data

This week’s blog post from Cumulus Media’s Westwood One Audio Active Group looks at data from the Edison Research Q4 2023 Share of Ear study focusing on data regarding ad-supported audio, as the post says, “what advertisers care about.” Seven key takeaways analyzed include: 1) Advertisers need to “take the me out of media” as they wildly overestimate Spotify and Pandora audiences andim dramatically understate AM/FM radio’s shares; 2) AM/FM radio represents the dominant ad-supported audio platform with a 68% overall share and a massive 86% in-car share; 3) In a typical day in America, 95% of Americans never listen to ad-supported Spotify. 94% never listen to ad-supported Pandora; 4) Podcasts’ audience soars. At a 20% share of ad-supported audio, podcasts now represent one out of every five minutes of U.S. ad-supported audio; 5) Among registered voters, AM/FM radio leads in ad-supported audience share (68%) followed by podcasts (21%); 6) After a pandemic lull, the proportion of AM/FM radio listening occurring in-car roars back; and 7) Powered by podcasts, spoken word is on a tear: 40% of all time with ad-supported audio goes to spoken word, up from 27% pre-pandemic. See the blog post here.

Industry News

Audacy Names Judy Lakin GSM in Houston

Audacy appoints Judy Lakin general sales manager for its Houston station group that includes sports talk KILT-AM, sports betting KIKK-AM and four music brands. Lakin was most recently president of Vista14 Advertising Agency, where she was on the company’s board, and previously served asim director of sales with Cox Media Group. Audacy Houston VP of sales Alana Lujan comments, “Judy’s extensive experience in talent development, coupled with her recent involvement in business development, multi-media buying and digital innovation, makes her a powerhouse addition to Audacy’s sales leadership team. With her expertise, Judy is poised to make an immediate and substantial impact. Here’s to an exciting journey with someone who will bring so much to the table!” Lakin states, “I am thrilled to join the exceptional leadership team at Audacy. The Houston market’s wide variety of broadcast and digital products makes me eager for what will come. The local sales team’s incredible skills and high energy is a tremendous plus to this opportunity.”

Industry News

Hubbard’s Dave Kolesar to Receive NAB Engineering Achievement Award

The National Association of Broadcasters will honor Hubbard Broadcasting engineer David Kolesar with the 2024 NAB Engineering Achievement Award. Established in 1959, the Radio and Television Engineering Achievement Awards are given to individuals who are nominated by their peers for significant contributions to advancing broadcast engineering. WTOP, Washington general manager Joel Oxley comments, “Time and again Dave proves that he is on the cutting edge for innovation in the radio industry. In the nearly two decades I’ve worked with him he consistently comes up with new and creative ideas on how we can be better. I can think of no one else more deserving of this award. Kudos to Dave!” Kolesar says, “It’s quite an unexpected honor to receive this award.  I’m lucky to be in a place that allows me to explore my passions and curiosity, and contribute to the state of the art of the industry. I’d like to thank the management of WTOP Radio and Hubbard Broadcasting for their support, and for creating an environment that allows innovation to happen.”

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Edison Research just released its charts of the Top 25 Podcasts in the UK for the fourth quarter of 2023 and it’s interesting to note that the only U.S.-produced podcast to make the top 25 was “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which was #1 in the UK as it was in the U.S.

Cumulus Media announces that its subsidiary, Cumulus Media New Holdings Inc (the “Issuer”), is extending the Early Tender Time in its previously-announced Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation (the “Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation”), in which the Issuer offered to exchange any and all of the Issuer’s outstanding 6.750% Senior Secured First-Lien Notes due 2026 (the “Old Notes”) for new 8.750% Senior Secured First-Lien Notes due 2029 (“New Notes”), to be issued by the Issuer, upon the terms of and subject to the conditions set forth in the confidential offering memorandum and consent solicitation statement dated February 27, 2024 (the “Offering Memorandum”). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this press release have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in the Offering Memorandum. The Issuer is extending the previously announced Early Tender Time to 5:00 pm ET on March 18, 2024.

Industry News

Morning Drive Changes at WHO, Des Moines

The morning drive team of Maxwell Schaeffer and Amy Sweet are out at iHeartMedia’s news/talk WHO-AM, Des Moines after a little more than three years in the role. The duo took over for Van Harden, who retired at the end of 2020. iHeartMedia has made no announcement regarding its plans for theim WHO morning show. Today, Simon Conway – the station’s PM drive host – was part of the on-air team. Amy Sweet posted the following message to Facebook, “Our sincere appreciation goes out to every listener who has tuned in to WHO over the years, making it possible for us to build upon the rich tradition of excellent programming that sets us apart from other stations. We have truly enjoyed connecting with each one of you through various initiatives designed to foster deeper connections within our beloved community. As we move forward into unknown territories, we are filled with anticipation and hope for what lies ahead!”

Industry News

Audacy Reveals Connected Car Study Results

Audacy releases the results of four surveys conducted between 2021 and 2023 designed to explore the connected car experience with the goal of deciphering what truly captivates drivers. Audacy says audio “emerges as the driving force behind an unforgettable journey.” Two-thirds of drivers listen to AM/FM radio, 20% more than music library streaming. Moreover, 45% of respondents want their next connected car to have voice activation. Driver behaviors have witnessed a significant shift in the last two years, with a 10% increase in accessing audio through the dashboard from 2021 to 2023, while phone usage forim audio experienced a 17% decline. The study identified radio app and voice users as super users who shared common traits and expectations. Audacy notes, “These highly engaged individuals demand seamless transitions for Audio across their home, phone, and car systems… Moreover, they exhibit readiness to spend, particularly in high-budget categories like home improvement and financial services, responding actively to targeted radio ads. For advertisers, crafting personalized ads targeted at these audiences presents an exceptional opportunity to guide listeners through all stages of the purchase funnel.” Other key findings of the study include: 1) Nearly half of radio app users sought information about advertised products online after hearing an ad in the car, compared to 22% of all listeners; 2) 31% of radio app users and 27% of voice users visited the store they heard about, doubling the rate of all listeners; and 3) 27% of radio app users purchased advertised products, more than doubling the rate of all listeners. See the study here.

Industry News

Larry Young Returns to Air on WOLB, Baltimore

Baltimore talk radio host Larry Young returns to Urban One’s WOLB-AM, Baltimore as host of the 4:00im pm to 6:00 pm show. Young served for years as the station’s morning drive host and retired from that position at the end of 2022. Young has been producing a weekly podcast that drops Wednesday mornings, a project he will continue.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: MAKE MONEY on YouTube

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imSell a local advertiser a promotion – a contest which awards a major prize from the advertiser’s inventory – to the winner who creates the best commercial for the advertiser.

Simplify the entry process by simply making “Send us your YouTube link” the means-of-entry. Then, you can embed finalists’ YouTube players on a-page-of-entries, (sponsored by the advertiser). And you can use the YouTube hit count to determine the winner. Sure, contestants will hype-the-clicks. The bigger the numbers, the better.

im

The Free Prize Inside: You don’t just expose advertiser and contest to YOUR cume. You’re showing it to YouTube’s cume! So, pack those keywords.

And/or: Invite listeners to do a commercial for the station!

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

Industry News

Wayne Allyn Root Visits Mar-a-Lago

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Las Vegas-based, nationally syndicated talk host Wayne Allyn Root (left) recently visited Mar-a-Lago where he met with former President Donald Trump (right).  While there, Root also served as emcee for a U.S. Senate fundraiser. Root, who’s radio show is syndicated by USA Network and hosts programs on Newsmax and Real America’s Voice TV, says he’s interviewed Trump 14 times and asked the former president if that’s a record. Trump replied, “Fourteen interviews, that means I like you. I think you’re very close to #1 Wayne.”

Industry News

MIW Releases Gender Analysis Study

Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc releases its latest annual MIW Gender Analysis Study (based on raw data collected by PrecisionTrak in 2023) that compiles and analyzes the number of women in radio broadcasting who are rising to the ranks of management – general manager, sales manager, and program director/brand manager. For the general manager position, 22.17% (2,356im stations) had women holding the position in 2023 (+2% over 2022). In 2004, females represented 14.9% of GMs. In the top 100 markets, 23.96% (828 stations) were managed by women (+1% over 2022). Overall, the best management opportunities for women in radio continues to be in sales management as 34.37% (3,476 stations) had a woman sales manager in 2023 (basically flat from 2022). MIW calls program directors/brand managers “the greatest challenge for women in radio management” as women currently program 11.50% (1,173 stations) – basically flat from 2022. In the top 100 markets, female programmers now represent just 10.14% of the total number of PDs, which is another drop of over 3% from 2022. MIW Board president Ruth Presslaff says, “Navigating today’s landscape poses unique challenges for both the industry at large and women in particular. Our commitment to fostering change remains unwavering. Through MIW’s array of mentoring initiatives, we not only recognize but also amplify the voices of women. We are beyond grateful to the companies and individuals who champion our mission. As we press forward, we eagerly anticipate seizing new opportunities to empower even more women in the year ahead.”

Industry News

Saga Ahead of Schedule on Digital News Sites

Saga Communications CEO, president & director Chris Forgy says the company is moving at a pace to beat its goal of launching online news sites in 16 markets by the end of the year. Forgy made theim comment as part of his Q4 2023 earnings call yesterday (3/7). The company is already operating ClarksvilleNow.com in the Clarksville, Tennessee market and had forecast to have more markets up and running by the end of this year. He says, “As of today, I’m pleased to announce that we have already generated over $1 million in prebooked revenue for 2024, and the year-end timeline has been accelerated to have not 16 but 18 markets online by the end of – not the end of the year – but by the end of quarter two.”

Industry News

Independent Radio Reporter Joe Lindsley in Ukraine is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast

Joe Lindsley, editor of UkrainianFreedomNews.com, is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview.” For the past two years-plus, he has been broadcasting from the city of Kyiv and other locations in Ukraine where he is covering the war for WGN, Chicago and an array of social media platforms. A broadcaster with a colorful media history, Lindsley is an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, who began his career at the Weekly Standard magazine, and then had a tumultuous career at FOX News Channel as Roger Ailes’ protege. He was prominently featured as a character portrayed by actor Emory Cohen in the Showtime mini-series titled, “Loudest Voice.”  In early 2020, he landed in Ukraine for a speaking gig at a media conference at Ukrainian Catholic University just as the world began shutting down because of Covid. Anticipating a calm and free environment in Ukraine for weathering a pandemic, he chose to stay during the worldwide lockdowns. When Russia invaded, he committed to “staying and reporting every day until victory.” His 10-minute daily reports are heard live every weekday morning on WGN’s Bob Sirott show where they are very well-received for informational thoroughness and insight into the lives of the brave Ukrainian people. Listen to the podcast in its entirety here.