NAB Out of Step on Non-Competes
By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling on Sunday
It’s tough enough for radio talent to navigate stable careers in these days of consolidated station ownership, personnel cutbacks and drastic salary reductions – but the NAB’s newly stated stance on non-competes adds insult to injury and is out of step with the interests of beleaguered professionals still hanging on for dear life in the programming sector of this industry. I understand that the National Association of Broadcasters is at heart a lobbying group representing the interests of the medium’s ownership but, c’mon – non-competes really are of another era and egregiously unfair.
This week the NAB announced that they were not in favor of the FTC ruling to ban non-compete clauses that prevent radio talent from crossing the street. The FTC is proposing the ban on non-competes for a broad section of industries compelling dozens of industry lobbies to sign a letter to Congress in opposition to the ban.
The lobbyists’ letter says that the FTC’s rule would invalidate millions of contracts around the country that courts, scholars, and economists have found entirely reasonable and beneficial for both businesses and employees. “Accordingly, we ask you (Congress) to exercise your oversight and appropriations authority to closely examine the FTC’s proposed rule-making.”
Government interference with the practices of any industry, especially in the area of freedom of competition, is never a good idea. The NAB and other industries believe banning non-competes constitutes FTC overreach. And that is a solid argument. However, the NAB also suggests that broadcasters present a unique case for non-compete clauses due to the “substantial investments broadcasters make in promoting on-air talent.” That’s where they are grossly behind the times.
Maybe in TV. But it has been decades since any radio company has made any investment in promoting their on-air talent. Do you have a $500 “name” jingle? Where are the billboards? Whatever happened to TV and newspaper ads?
Non-competes are deployed in most industries to protect trade secrets. All of radio’s trade secrets are on the air!
Walter Sabo, consultant, can be contacted at Sabo Media: walter@sabomedia.com. Direct phone: 646-678-1110. Check out www.waltersterlingshow.com.
unsolved cases. He later served as press secretary for Baltimore County executive John Olszewski and ran for mayor of Baltimore in 2020. He takes over the midday show after Kimberly Klacik exited the position following seven months on the job. WBAL director of programming Jeff Wade says, “The WBAL audience has known and respected T.J. for years for his frank and honest dialogue on the issues that matter most to people living and working in Baltimore. Whether it’s policing, politics, or talking 
Orioles and Ravens, we can’t think of anyone better suited to sit behind the WBAL microphone weekdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.” Smith comments, “As a native Baltimorean who has gone to school, worked, run for office and even suffered loss in the city, I’m very familiar with the feel of the public from west Baltimore to the waterfront. I couldn’t be more excited to join the WBAL Radio family. I look forward to delivering straight talk and sharing my opinion based on my experience working in government and in law enforcement. I’m ready to ‘tell it like it is’ in a reasonable manner.”
pandemic. His expertise in national and global affairs was immediately recognized and appreciated by the WBT audience, but it was his fair analysis of the day’s news and his whole-hearted support of the Charlotte community in those difficult times that allowed him to become a welcomed part of the lives of the audience.” Winterble comments, “From the moment I walked into the legendary WBT Radio it felt like home. I am so 
thankful for the welcome and support I received from our clients, listeners, and incredible staff over these past three years. I am truly honored to continue this relationship with the best creators in the business. I am particularly grateful for the support of Urban One/Radio One, and Marsha Landess, Alfred Liggins, David Kantor, Mike Schaefer, and Kraig Kitchin in helping me to realize this professional dream. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of us.”
own. It remains competitive with podcasts and DSPs (Digital Streaming Providers, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and others) when consumers are in vehicles or public transit during the early morning and late afternoon commutes, and on weekends.” Respondents were asked to select a top preference from a list of audio entertainment choices and their top choices were (for morning commuters), broadcast FM/AM radio with 19% of the sample, followed closely by podcasts, with streaming coming in at third. The study indicates the competition is closer during the late afternoon commute, where podcasts and streaming barely eclipse radio as the top choice among commuters at 15% vs. 14% of the sample, respectively. And radio remains competitive as an audio entertainment favorite among listeners on the go during the weekend, sharing the top spot with DSP’s and eking ahead of podcasts. 
top-ranked program, including production, affiliate sales, marketing and staff management.” Premiere Networks EVP of affiliate sales Peter Tripi says, “Eric is a key member of ‘The Sean Hannity Show’ team, and his leadership and collaboration with our affiliate partners have been instrumental in the program’s continued growth and success. I couldn’t be happier to recognize his efforts with this well-deserved 
promotion.” Prior to joining Premiere when the company began syndicating “The Sean Hannity Show” in 2009, Stanger served as director of talk programming at ABC Radio Networks. He’s also previously served as APD at KABC, Los Angeles as well as at WABC, New York, and at Westwood One as executive producer of “The Tom Leykis Show.” Stanger first joined forces with Hannity during his time at WGST Atlanta, where he served as producer of “The Sean Hannity Show.” Stanger comments, “I want to thank Peter Tripi, Julie Talbott, Sean Hannity, and our amazing studio team. It’s an honor and inspiration to work with this group of radio professionals every day – they are the best of the best!”
since the first special dividend was paid in 2012. The board also adopts a new variable dividend policy for the allocation of cash flows aligned with the company’s goals of maintaining a strong balance sheet, increasing cash returns to shareholders, and continuing to grow the company through strategic acquisitions. Under the new policy, in addition to any quarterly and special dividends paid, the company will declare an additional dividend in the second quarter of each year of 70% of the preceding year’s annual Free 
Cash Flow, as reported in the company’s fourth quarter earnings release, net of acquisitions, special and quarterly dividends, debt paydowns and debt issuance costs, and stock buybacks. Saga president and CEO Christopher Forgy states, “We are very pleased that our strong capital position and operating performance allowed us to declare another regular quarterly cash dividend and a special cash dividend. We are excited to continue our commitment to provide a meaningful cash return to our shareholders through the declarations of these dividends. In addition, we have made tremendous progress during what has been a period of transition for our board of directors and executive management team. Our sustained financial strength has put us in a position to meet operational goals and to support efforts to return value to our shareholders. The cash dividends announced today, along with the new variable dividend policy, express the confidence of our board of directors and executive management team in Saga’s future.”
advertisers as to how their campaigns are performing over a cross section of Audacy’s portfolio of radio brands. With these insights, advertisers will be better able to evaluate campaign performance on Audacy stations in comparison to other mediums. Research has shown that advertisers who receive attribution reporting spend more year-over-year and cancel their ad campaigns less often on average than those who don’t measure performance.” Audacy chief revenue officer Brian Benedik states, “As we aim to best serve our clients, Veritone Attribute will further enable us to optimize advertisers’ campaigns and maximize their ad dollars. There has never been a better time to leverage the power of audio to tap consumers, and this technology will complement our existing capabilities.”
The embarrassing situation and accompanying financial vulnerability being faced by our colleagues at FOX News is a high-profile example of the consequences of audience “targeting” that has become the common positioning strategy in today’s competitive media marketplace. The process is simple: You give the specifically targeted audience what it wants, not necessarily what it needs, even if what it wants is of dubious quality or unhealthy and – in the case of political talk media – untrue. It is a problematic, unsavory practice that has been brewing in our industry for years and, in the case of FOX, the proverbial toxicity has just hit the fan.
One thousand or so of the sellers that I mentioned sit in the multi-platform group, and they certainly sell all the assets we have. We have this mantra at the company that ‘Any seller can sell anything any day of the week wherever they live and work,’ and that has rung pretty true. That’s driven most of our growth in podcasting over the last two, three, four years at the company.” He also credits iHeartMedia’s history as a radio company with educating him about how radio personalities have developed the art of conversation. “But I have learned firsthand and talked a lot about the extent to which broadcast radio talent has honed this craft of conversation over the last hundred years and certainly the last few decades, and the extent to which that has driven our medium, just sheer talent hitting the medium, but also with an awareness of the medium.” 
America’s pre-eminent constitutional experts and conservative voices.” Also featuring archived content, the official podcast YouTube channel offers Mark Levin Audio Rewind (complete audio of Levin’s Monday through Saturday podcast episodes), Mark’s Take on History – a collection of Levin’s monologues about key moments in American history, Newsmaker Interviews – Levin’s one-on-one sessions with notable figures, America’s Election Coverage – highlights from Levin’s election coverage over the years, and Shorts – Levin’s 59-second take on hot issues. Levin comments, “I am very excited about being on YouTube with my audio content. Having ‘The Mark Levin Show’ on another platform gives me a chance to connect with new listeners and bring fresh content to my longtime followers. I know there are a lot of different ways people find content, and this enables me to share my audio library in a creative way with a whole new audience.”
Go? Lessons from a Common-Sense Billionaire (Matt Holt, 2023), in which he reveals how his instincts and common sense propelled him to massive business success. In the book, Catsimatidis shares his dynamic story, from his beginnings in the grocery business to entering the political arena, including a New York City mayoral campaign. He says, “The American dream doesn’t come with an instruction manual – or even a sign to let you know when you’ve arrived at the finish line. I’m far from finished. Buying WABC and launching Red Apple Media and the Red Apple Audio Networks has been a dream come true. I wrote How Far Do You Want to Go? to help others with an entrepreneurial spirit achieve success.”
agency says that it is specializing in talent coaching, content strategy and development, and brand partnerships, with the aim of helping high-performing talent and brands reach their potential audience. Bendixen, who served for years as program director for CFRB, Toronto “Newstalk 1010,” says, “We believe that there’s a real need in the market for a specialized agency that can help talent and brands build audiences and reach their full potential.” 
before an ad runs, enabling advertisers to plan and execute campaigns with confidence. iHeartMedia chief data officer Brian Kaminsky says, “Audio had been without a truly operative brand safety tool that gave advertisers the ability to run without risk at a national scale. The process was labor intensive, fragmented, and often failed to deliver the level of protection brands truly needed. We looked at every potential solution in the industry, and Sounder’s technology is far ahead when it comes to brand safety and suitability. This new tool changes the future and opens up endless possibilities. Brands are now able to opt out of content they deem unsafe and inappropriate. Our partnership with Sounder has set a new benchmark for transparency in audio advertising that has been long overdue.”
Marie Osborne, Tom Jordan, Chris Renwick, Lloyd Jackson, Mitch Albom, Ken Brown, Steve Courtney, Guy Gordon, and Bed & Bread Club founder and Radio Hall of Famer Dick Purtan, broadcasting from The Salvation Army Great Lakes Divisional Headquarters in Southfield. The Bed & Bread Club Radiothon has raised a total of more than $43.1 Million over the life of the radiothon.
#2 (77,602 AAS), and Audacy at #3 (58,527 AAS). Other commercial broadcasters making the top 30 include Cumulus Streaming Network at #4 (40,999 AAS), Beasley Broadcasting Corporate at #6 (18,862 AAS), Hubbard Broadcasting at #8 (14,792 AAS), Urban One at #11 (9,601 AAS), and Salem Communications at #12 (8,244 AAS). 
Growing up in a small town, “word of mouth” was the most powerful form of advertising. It could make – or break – a business. Malcolm Gladwell’s important Tipping Point book explained that movements, pandemics, and other things that “catch on” do so because of the influence of “connectors” – people who are asked for their opinion. Today, the media world likes to call them “influencers.”
Local news sponsorship is an opportunity to “fish for whales,” institutional advertisers who can associate with something special. And, well-done, local news sure is special, because:
The fourth of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s January 2023 PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including Austin, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Providence, Norfolk, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Greensboro, Memphis, and Hartford. Nielsen’s January 2023 sweep covered January 5 – February 1. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. Urban One’s news/talk WIBC-FM, Indianapolis comes back from the Holiday survey with a 1.5 share increase to post a 7.2 share (weekly, 6+ AQH share) but remains ranked #3. In Milwaukee, iHeartMedia’s news/talk WISN-AM adds eight-tenths to finish the survey with a 9.6 share that lifts it to the #1 rank, while Good Karma Brands’ crosstown news/talk WTMJ-AM adds 1.3 shares to wrap the survey with a 7.5 share but remains anchored in the #5 spot. In Nashville, Cumulus Media’s news/talk WWTN-FM tacks on 1.3 shares to finish with a 6.2 share, good for the #6 rank, while iHeartMedia’s crosstown news/talk WLAC-AM is off two-tenths, finishing with a 1.0 share and the #19 rank. 
How might we better serve you in the future? How would you rate our service?
was given a second chance when his old friend WWE Hall of Fame legend “Diamond” Dallas Page challenged him to compete again in the field he worked so hard to enter for years… by getting back in the “squared circle” at age 50. Doctor Asa re-trained this past year with Dusty Rhodes’ son, Cody Rhodes, who is set to go against Roman Reigns for the undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania in Hollywood, California on April 1 and 2. In signing with Impact Wrestling, one of the top three wrestling promotions in America, Doctor Asa has taken on the role as head of medical and sports performance for the company. His new title? “Doctor Asa, Ringside Physician.” TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, an avid fan of wrestling, boxing and MMA, says, “Don’t be surprised if the doctor in scrubs sitting at ringside doesn’t wind up in the midst of the action should things get out of hand.”
on stories from the Globe’s newsroom, offering a deeper dive of major news, politics, business, and entertainment stories and how they impact New Englanders.” Boston Globe Media CEO Linda Henry adds, “We are continuously improving the ways that we deliver vital news and information to our community and are excited to build a television show that will bring the Globe’s award-winning journalism to a broader 
audience. ‘Boston Globe Today’ reflects our commitment to serve our community, invest in local journalism, and for Boston Globe Media to be an innovative news leader.” The program will be hosted by national media personality Segun Oduolowu and will air from a new, state-of-the-art broadcast studio in The Boston Globe’s downtown newsroom. It will focus on news Monday through Thursday and devote Friday to sports. On Friday, Globe sports columnist Christopher Gasper will anchor. Oduolowu comments, “I’m thrilled to join the ‘Boston Globe Today’ team, working on this exciting collaboration between the Globe and NESN. I look forward to diving into the stories affecting this historic city and New England at large, drawing on the considerable talents of the Globe newsroom.”