TALKERS News Notes
“The Financial Exchange” Joins SiriusXM. “The Financial Exchange with Michael Armstrong and Chuck Zodda” – heard on 14 stations across New England including flagship WRKO, Boston – will begin airing on SiriusXM’s Business Radio channel on June 2 from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon ET. Money Matters Radio COO Jason Wolfe comments, “In a world where listeners have numerous ways to consume the content they love the most, adding an incredible brand like SiriusXM will help us expand our reach to a new audience that we’re excited to be a part of. We can’t wait to get started.”
WTOP Adds “Bloomberg Business of Entertainment.” Bloomberg Audio’s “Bloomberg Business of Entertainment” is being added to the program schedule at Hubbard Radio’s all-news WTOP-FM, Washington, DC. Bloomberg says the 60-second radio report “takes listeners behind the scenes of the entertainment industry’s biggest stories. The micro-feature provides captivating snippets of the entertainment industry’s most compelling stories of the day and is tailor-made for stations of virtually all formats and market sizes.”
Froney Joins FOX Weather. FOX News Media’s FOX Weather brings Bayne Froney aboard as an on-air
meteorologist. Froney most recently served with WLEX-TV, Lexington, Kentucky. She comments, “I’m looking forward to working with the talented group of meteorologists at FOX Weather. I can’t wait to continue exploring my fascination with meteorology and work with some of the best in the industry.”
NCAA Division I Women’s College World Series Presented by Westwood One. Cumulus Media’s Westwood One is distributing the NCAA Division I Women’s College World Series to stations across the country live from USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. Coverage starts today (5/29). The broadcast crews for the double elimination games will feature Ryan Radtke and Chris Plank as play-by-play announcers, along with former University of Oklahoma outfielder and two-time WCWS champion Erin Miller, and Hall of Famer and University of Arizona three-time WCWS champion Leah (O’Brien) Amico as analysts.
Free Press for the very first stop of our First Amendment Tour outside of Washington. Together, we must continue to stand up for free expression and push back against the Administration’s growing campaign of censorship and control.” Gomez’s office says that as part of her tour, Gomez is partnering with consumer and civil society organizations across the ideological spectrum to participate in speaking engagements and listening sessions focused on protecting the rights and freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment. Most recently, she held an event in partnership with the Center for Democracy and Technology, spoke at the Media Institute, and participated in a workshop held by the Competitive Enterprise Institute and TechFreedom.
minds in the business. Through personalized conversations, strategic connections, and unique opportunities, the program aims to empower and elevate the mentee’s career within the radio industry.” This mentorship is open to one female brand manager, content/program director, assistant program director, or music director from any U.S.-based format. “The ‘MIW Elevating Women in Programming Mentorship’ program is a cornerstone of our mission to empower women in radio,” says MIW board president Sheila Kirby. “This initiative not only fosters personal and professional growth but also builds a stronger and more inclusive future for the industry. We’re excited to welcome another talented mentee into this life-changing program.” 
podcasting. Captivating audio entries from storytellers around the world engaged listeners and earned top honors from the 2025 Radio Awards Grand Jury. Winning entries from 26 countries span podcasts and audiobooks, entertainment and music specials, dramas, documentaries, and breaking news coverage all created by some of the world’s most respected audio content creators.” Winners of note include CBC/Radio-Canada taking home the Broadcaster of the Year honor with the following organizations being recognized: NPR, Gold Tower Award, Culture & The Arts; BBC, Gold Tower Award, Drama Special; Bloomberg Podcasts, Gold Tower Award, Business Podcast; CBC/NPR, Gold Tower Award, Sports Podcast, Audacy, Gold Tower Award, Narrative/Documentary; NZME/iHeartRadio, Gold Tower Award, Investigative Journalism Podcast; and more. 
generator backup. About 35 minutes later the tornado moved through the city. It took Hammer about 90 minutes to go three miles through downed tress and power lines to get to the FM transmitter site and get it back on the air. Audacy SVP and market manager Becky Domyan says, “I want to give a huge shout-out to the entire team at KMOX for outstanding, minute-by-minute coverage on the storms. I can’t reiterate how much this information was life-saving, and big kudos to news brand manager Beth Coghlan for leading her team through this calmly and accurately.” Domyan adds, “I actually was driving on Mason Road near Lindbergh when it hit, and I have driven through storms many times. For the first time in my life, in this situation, I was terrified. At that moment, I tuned into KMOX to get an idea of where the storm was, so I knew what I needed to do to be safe. In times like this, we are there to provide information that truly saves lives. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone on our team.”
traffic news, drivers turn to local radio over social media or phone apps. The study asked drivers about their use of their infotainment system use and 69% said they use it for first for controlling audio content; 68% said navigation was their primary use, and 66% said they use it first for making phone calls. Audacy adds, “Today’s drivers – especially the tech-savvy ones – expect their Audio to follow them everywhere. Whether they’re finishing a podcast from the office to the car or switching from music on the road to the gym, they want their content to move with them. Nearly all AI intenders (93%) say seamless podcast listening is a must, and 73% say the same about radio.” 
launched his first optometry clinic in 1991. Since then, he’s built his businesses on the power of radio advertising and has long championed the value of local broadcast radio.” Dr. Zoellner states, “We’re thrilled to welcome these incredible radio stations into the Zoellner Media Group family. Radio has played a crucial role in my business success, and I have always been passionate about its ability to connect communities and drive meaningful engagement. This acquisition allows us to build upon a legacy of excellence while fostering innovation across broadcast and digital platforms. I couldn’t be more excited to get started.” Tapped to manage the station group as president and general manager is Steve Hunter, who served for 22 years as director of operations at Cox Media Group Tulsa and seven years with Griffin Media. The transaction is subject to FCC approval and is expected to close early in the second half of 2025.
ad-supported media campaign. Among the findings is that in order to ensure that digital audio buys are effective, marketers should commit news/talk and sports stations because they represent 28% of all 25-54 AM/FM radio streaming audiences. Among 25-54s, spoken-word formats have a massive 28% streaming share, 2.4 times larger than the overall spoken word share of 12%. The news/talk format has a 6.7% share of total AM/FM radio listening. The streaming share for news/talk is 15.4% — more than double its total share. The sports format has a 12.5 share of the streaming audience, 2.5 times bigger than its overall 5 share. Further, the data indicates that for the 18-34 demographic, sports and news/talk streaming is a combined 19.6% share. 
signals including WQKR, WAMG, WCOR, WRMX, WSM-AM, WSM-FM, WZPC – Power Country 102.9, WFCM / Moody Radio, WJKM, and more. He also served with Cumulus and as chief engineer for 5 Star Radio in Clarksville. During his time with WSM-AM, he also served as an announcer for the Grand Ole Opry. Randall managed and operated WJKM for five years and served as chief engineer for Cromwell Radio (now Cromwell Media) for over 20 years, overseeing engineering for ten stations in the greater Nashville area. Randall’s son, Matt Aaron, serves as a broadcast engineer for Ramsey Solutions. 
TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison introduced the term in the 1990s, inviting us to think-beyond the real-time audio we were sending up those towers. What he described seemed conceptual, even futuristic, back then, when we were still logging-onto AOL via dial-up (screech).
1940s, when broadcast dominated mass communications in the U.S. Since then, the media marketplace has changed drastically – from widespread deployment of cable and satellite television networks to the rise of social media, podcasts, and streaming. Local broadcasters compete directly with Big Tech, streaming services, and social media platforms in the marketplace of consumer content. Yet, unlike their competitors such as YouTube and Facebook, broadcasters are limited by the ownership rules in how many households and consumers they can reach. This is an inherent disadvantage.” The letter adds, “By eliminating the national television cap, local TV duopoly restrictions, and local radio ownership caps, broadcasters can better achieve the scale and efficiencies necessary to compete – and to attract vital investment – in a fragmented and rapidly evolving information market.” 
floated debilitating rate regulation schemes that target national network broadcasters for their newsrooms’ editorial decisions, harassed private companies for their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, and threatened tech companies that respond to consumer demands for content moderation and fact-checking. Separately, they have attempted to shutter Voice of America and sought retribution against lawful residents that protest Administration policies.” She cited two occasions where presidents – FDR in 1939, and John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s – asked their FCC Chairs to shut down media outlets critical of their policies and those FCC Chairmen boldly refused. 
LLC, owner of news/talk KIVA, Albuquerque and hosts the afternoon drive “Rock of Talk” show. The seat is currently held by Democrat Gabe Vasquez. The Albuquerque Journal reports that Aragon ran for congress in the state’s 1st Congressional District in 2021 and previously ran for mayor of Albuquerque. He tells the paper, “I can win this race… We need more privatization of education. I think the approach that’s being taken at the national level is important. We don’t want to do without the money, but we definitely want to do without the bureaucracy.” 
radio.” Nielsen says delineating between total listening (or viewing) and the ad supported universe is vital in today’s burgeoning media landscape where consumer choice grows by the day and marketers are looking at every available opportunity to cut through. In the first quarter of 2025, ad supported audio represented 64% of total listening. This is similar to TV, where 72% of total viewing was spent on ad supported platforms, in Q1 according to Nielsen’s recently launched Ad Supported Gauge report. Looking at ad-supported audio, consumers spent 66% of their daily listening time with radio, 19% with podcasts, 12% with streaming audio services and 3% with satellite radio. Radio accounts for anywhere from 47% of daily ad supported audio time among people 18-34 to 73% among 35+. Meanwhile, podcasts are the inverse, representing 15% of daily audio time for people 35 and older compared with 32% among those 18-34. 
same period in 2024. The company reports that net broadcast revenue was $39.8 million, down 13.6% from Q1 in 2024, and digital media revenue also fell to $10.2 million, a decline of about 4.5%. Salem’s net loss for the quarter was $7.1 million compared to the net loss of $5.1 million it reported in Q1 of 2024.
Right now, dozens of well-suited, over-priced, unpleasant lawyers are fighting in Hollywood over the title credit their client should receive on a movie, TV show, or book cover. Placement within the credit roll at the end of a show is a battleground of egos and legalities. Part of the process of securing proper credit is governed by multiple union rules negotiated by multiple unions and corporate dictates of corporate masters. (You don’t get to be CEO of Paramount by being a nice guy.)
expectations: core radio advertising finished at -12.4% excluding digital, and Cable TV advertising was -6.3%. Our cable TV ratings stabilized significantly in the first quarter of 2025 and are performing in line with our 2025 budget. Second quarter core radio advertising pacings have weakened over the past several weeks and are now -8.7%. Our first quarter 2025 digital revenues were down 16.1% driven by expected weakness in streaming and podcasting revenues. Based on our year-to-date performance, we reaffirm our full year guidance of $75 million in Adjusted EBITDA. Our cumulative debt repurchases so far in 2025 are $88.6 million at an average price of 53.9%, resulting in reduced gross debt of $495.9 million, and we currently have approximately $79.8 million of cash on hand. In a challenging marketplace, our focus remains on controlling costs, managing leverage and retaining a strong liquidity position.”
and Fayetteville. Dunn says, “After much thought and reflection, I’ve made the decision to retire and begin the next chapter of my life. Beasley Media Group has been more than just a workplace – it’s been my extended family. I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent over 30 years doing what I love, with people I deeply respect and admire. It’s been an absolute privilege to work with late company founder George Beasley, Caroline, Brian and Bruce over the years.” CEO Caroline Beasley comments, “Kent’s contributions to Beasley Media Group – and to the radio industry at large – have been nothing short of exceptional. His strategic insight, collaborative spirit, and passion for radio have guided teams and inspired generations of broadcasters. We are deeply grateful for his decades of service and wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”