Industry News

Audacy Announces New Season of “Back Issue”

Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios announces the debut of the third season of “Back Issue,” the award-winning, original series hosted by Pineapple Street Studios senior producer Josh Gwynn in which he “reminisces on formative moments in pop culture’s past that have shaped our present, rewinding on the things forgotten or things we can’t seem to ever forget with personal reflections, incredible guests, and plenty of deep belly laughs.” He adds, “I’m so excited that this season, we’re going to be able to get into all sorts of formative pop culture moments because we’re bringing on guests to expand the range of things we cover.”

Industry News

iHeartMedia Unveils New Season of “How to Citizen with Baratunde”

A new season of “How to Citizen with Baratunde” is set to launch on the iHeartPodcasts Network. Baratunde Thurston is executive producer and host of PBS’s “America Outdoors with Baratunde.” This podcast series is described as the program “for people tired of tuning in to bad news and looking for new and better ways to ‘citizen’ – as a verb. Through meaningful conversations and insightful moments, Baratunde shows listeners how to wield their collective power to make the world a better place.” iHeartMedia says, “This season, Baratunde focuses on how to create a culture of democracy in communities, workplaces, homes and within the listener themselves. Guests will include adrienne maree brown, Priya Parker, NBA legend Steve Kerr and more.”

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories for Week of February 13-17

The recent incidents of unmanned “objects” and potential “spycrafts” flying over North America and the U.S.’s shooting down of several was the most-talked-about story in news/talk media this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was the state of U.S.-China relations in the aftermath of the U.S.’s shooting down of a likely Chinese spy balloon, followed by former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s entrance into the 2024 presidential race, tied with the numerous legal issues facing former President Donald Trump at #3. The Talkers TenTM is a weekly chart of the top stories and people discussed on news/talk radio during the week and is the result of ongoing research from TALKERS magazine. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart here.

Industry News

Erick Erickson Inks Extension with CMG’s “95.5 WSB”

Talk radio host Erick Erickson and Cox Media Group announce that Erickson will continue hosting his popular show for three more years from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm on WSB-AM/WSBB-FM, Atlanta “95.5 WSB.” His program is also heard on CMG news/talk stations WDBO, Orlando; WGAU, Athens, Georgia; KRMG-FM, Tulsa; WOKV-FM, Jacksonville, and WHIO-AM/FM, Dayton. WSB director of branding and programming Ken Charles says, “For more than a decade, Erick has done a great job of entertaining and informing the WSB audience about the biggest news stories of the day. I’m proud we’ll continue our partnership for another three years, and I’m excited about what new things we can create moving forward. The best is yet to come!” Erickson says, “‘95.5 WSB’ is not just home, it’s the gold standard of talk radio, with incredible leadership from Ken Charles and Jaleigh Long. I fell into the role by accident 12 years ago. It’s not just the longest job I’ve had, it’s three hours of joy every day working with the best people in radio. I simply cannot imagine doing anything else anywhere else with any team other than the hard-working talent at ‘95.5 WSB.’”

Industry News

Beasley Reports Q4 2022 Revenue Up 1.8%

Beasley Broadcasting Group issues operating results for the fourth quarter of 2022 and for the full year. Net revenue during the three months ended December 31, 2022 increased 1.8% to $72 million, primarily reflecting a year-over-year increase in digital revenue, political revenue and other revenue, partially offset by a slight decrease in audio revenue related to softness in the national agency business. For the full year of 2022, Beasley reports net revenue of $256.4 million, an increase of 6.2% over 2021. The company also reports a net loss of $25.8 million in Q4 of 2022, compared to a net income of $10.6 million in Q4 of 2021. Beasley says, “Operating loss, net loss and net loss per diluted share for the three months ended December 31, 2022 include $44.2 million of non-cash impairment losses related to FCC licenses, goodwill and franchise rights. Operating loss, net loss and net loss per diluted share for the 12 months ended December 31, 2022 include $54.7 million of non-cash impairment losses related to FCC licenses, goodwill and franchise rights.” Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley comments, “Beasley’s 2022 fourth quarter and full-year financial results reflect the ongoing success of our digital transformation and revenue diversification strategies, which drove year-over-year increases in revenue and SOI for both the three- and 12-month periods. Throughout the year, Beasley largely offset ongoing challenges related to the economy and softness in the national spot market, as we generated healthy growth across all of our digital, local audio, political and other revenue sources, as reflected by the 6.2% increase in full year net revenues to $256 million. This top-line growth was the primary factor contributing to a 2.8% year-over-year increase in full year SOI to $43.1 million. While economic uncertainty remains, Beasley initiated several actions throughout the year that we believe will strengthen the long-term position of our business. First, our digital strategy continues to deliver strong results with fourth quarter digital revenue growth of 13.2% year-over-year, representing nearly 17% of total fourth quarter revenue. Digital revenue has consistently outpaced national spot advertising revenue over the past several quarters due to a combination of organic growth and contributions from the second quarter acquisition of our white label digital agency business, Guarantee Digital. With accelerating demand from consumers and advertisers for our local content and multi-platform marketing solutions, we are solidly on the path for this revenue source to reach 20% of total revenue. Second, we remain focused on monetizing our premium audio and digital content through new local business development, revenue diversification and maximizing political revenue opportunities. As a result, in the fourth quarter, we delivered $5.1 million in net political revenue, with stronger than expected gains in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Detroit, as well as year-over-year total revenue increases across nearly all of our markets and in our esports business. Our radio brands remain dominant in Nielsen Audio ratings, where Beasley currently has the highest average cluster share when compared to the major radio broadcasters in PPM. Finally, we implemented a cost reduction program in the second half of 2022, with the majority of cost cuts occurring in October.”

Industry News

Gow Media to Launch “The Sports Kings”

Gow Media will launch the new show “The Sports Kings” on the SportsMap Radio Network on February 20 in the 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm ET daypart. The program is hosted by sports talk pro Gene Thompson, a.k.a. Mean Gene. Gow Media CEO David Gow states, “We are thrilled to add Gene Thompson to our impressive roster of talent. ‘The Sports Kings’ are committed to producing two of the most informative, fast moving, and energetic hours in all of sports radio. I know our audience and affiliates will be excited about the show!” Thompson comments, “The Sports Kings are ecstatic to join Gow Media and the SportsMap Radio Network. We look forward to providing our listeners with an informational, entertaining and engaging show.”

Industry News

Pembleton Named Regional VP for Cumulus in NEPA

Cumulus Media promotes Elizabeth Pembleton to Regional VP/market manager for its Allentown and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton clusters in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She has been serving as VP/market manager for the Allentown stations since 2014. Cumulus regional VP Ron Giovanniello says, “I have had the pleasure of working side-by-side with Liz since 2011. She is an outstanding leader and is hard-working and passionate about our business and serving our team, listeners, and customers. This is a great opportunity for us to recognize and promote one of our best, and I’m confident the Cumulus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team will benefit and grow from her leadership just as the Cumulus Allentown team has over the years.” Cumulus owns sports talk WEEX-AM, Allentown “FOX Sports Lehigh Valley 94.7” plus seven music brands in the two markets.

Industry News

“NPR News Now” Rises to #1 on Triton Podcast Ranker

The January 2023 U.S. Podcast Report from Triton Digital is published and NPR’s “NPR News Now” regains the #1 spot on the ranker, overtaking audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie,” which falls to #2. Commercial radio-related podcasts making the ranker of the top 100 podcasts include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” steady at #6, Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” up one spot to #8, Salem Podcast Network’s The Charlie Kirk Show up two spots to #15, and Audacy Podcast Network’s “We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle” up seven spots to #16. See the complete ranker here.

Industry News

iHeartPodcasts’ “Stuff You Should” Know Hits 3 Billion Downloads

The popular curiosity show “Stuff You Should Know,” hosted by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, surpasses the three billion download mark, according to iHeartPodcasts. The program was launched by Clark and Bryant in April 2008 to explore a variety of topics such as science, history, pop culture, conspiracy theories and more. Clark says, “Chuck and I started this series with a passion for curiosity and had no expectation of ever being a leading podcast. It’s incredible to reflect on the last 14 years and see how much we’ve grown as creators alongside our listeners. We’re immensely grateful to our fans and iHeartMedia in helping us reach this incredible milestone, and it’s energizing and motivating to think about the show’s future success.”

Industry News

Yesterday’s (2/15) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Former South Carolina Governor and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley formally announces her bid for the GOP nomination for president in 2024, joining former President Donald Trump who has also announced his campaign; today’s expected release of a portion of the Georgia grand jury report on Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn that state’s 2020 election results; the brouhaha over the U.S.’s shooting down of several objects over North America, including the Chinese spy balloon; U.S. Rep Matt Gaetz’s attorney announces he won’t be charged with sex crimes; Vladimir Putin’s ramping up of attacks on Ukraine and allegations Russia is deporting thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia; East Palestine, Ohio residents fear for their health and safety after the toxic train derailment two weeks ago; and Raquel Welch dies at 82 were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

KDKA-AM, Pittsburgh Presented with World Radio Day Award

On Tuesday (2/14) the Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences of America officially bestowed the 2023 World Radio Day Award upon Audacy’s news/talk KDKA-AM, Pittsburgh. The honor is given annually to a station “that exemplifies the best attributes of the radio industry. Recipients may be large or small, commercial or non-commercial, located in any market, and broadcasting in any language. The jury looks for stations that demonstrate ideals of localism, audience reach, community service, effective use of new digital platforms, diversity in program content and staffing, as well as financial and ratings success.” World Radio Day was celebrated on February 13 in commemoration of the birth of United Nations Radio in 1946. This official international day was proclaimed in 2011 by the 36th UNESCO General Conference and adopted by the 67th United Nations General Assembly in 2012. Previous winners include Audacy’s all-news WINS, New York; Hofstra University’s WRHU-FM, Hempstead, New York; and the inaugural winner Hubbard Broadcasting’s all-news WTOP-FM, Washington, DC. Pictured below are (from left to right): Josh Miely, NAB director member experience; Dave LaBrozzi, KDKA-AM brand manager; Michael Spacciapolli, SVP and market manager Audacy Pittsburgh; and McVay Media president Mike McVay, who presented the award on behalf of the jury. Jurors included representatives of Fletcher Heald & Hildreth, Radio Ink, The Weiss Agency, TALKERS magazine, McVay Media Consulting, Audacy, and Radio World.

Industry News

Axios: Talk Radio Landscape Two Years After Limbaugh’s Passing

A piece by Sara Fischer in Axios looks at the state of conservative talk radio two years after the genre’s putative founding father Rush Limbaugh passed away, leaving a literal and figurative void in the industry. Talk media practitioners are aware that the occasion of Limbaugh’s passing gave rise to a number of conservative talk personalities as they battled to fill the midday radio time slot occupied for so many years on more than 600 stations. In the bigger picture, Fischer writes, “Today, no one radio host commands the same level of power and influence that Limbaugh did, but a number of new voices are emerging — blending the reach of traditional and digital platforms — and collectively proving to be more powerful in shaping conservative opinion for younger audiences.” TALKERS magazine publisher Michael Harrison is quoted in the piece saying, “The world is changing and there are questions as to how Limbaugh, had he lived and remained healthy — based upon his mindset and his approach to the business — would have remained as pertinent as he was. He was not as flexible when it came to social media and some of the other forms that it takes right now to be a media presence as opposed to just a radio presence.” Read the entire article here.

Industry News

The Joe Rogan Experience Tops Edison’s 2022 Q4 Podcast Metrics

Edison Research releases the 2022 fourth quarter results of its Edison Podcast Metrics that ranks the most listened-to podcasts in the U.S. Keeping the hold on the #1 spot is “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Podcasts with a commercial radio connection that made the top 50 include The Daily Wire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” at #6, Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” at #19, and The Ramsey Network’s “The Ramsey Show” at #22. This latest ranker shows the Top 50 Podcasts based on weekly audience reach and reflects two significant updates to the service. Edison says the sample has been expanded to include weekly podcast listeners age 13-17. This measurement allows podcast producers and networks to understand the teen segment of the Gen Z podcast listeners. The Q4 ranker includes increased sample size implemented last year, which allows for more recency in reporting and robust cuts of data. The latest ranker includes measurement from the previous two quarters with a total sample size of 10,597 weekly podcast listeners age 13+.

Industry News

FOX News Digital Continues Dominance in Total Views and Minutes

FOX News Digital reports that according to data from Comscore, it finishes January 2023 as the “top-performing news organization in the competitive set in both multiplatform minutes and views.” FOX News Digital closed out January reaching over 3 billion total multiplatform minutes – compared to CNN.com’s 2.4 billion – and 1.8 billion total multiplatform views – compared to CNN.com’s 1.5 billion. FOX adds that the FOX News Mobile App reached 6.5 million unique visitors in January, surpassing the CNN Mobile App for the first time since October 2021, which saw 5.6 million unique visitors. When it comes to multiplatform unique visitors, FOX News Digital came in second with 109 million, compared to CNN.com’s 140 million.

Industry News

Audacy Debuts “Agents of Inclusion” Special Olympics Podcast

Audacy is partnering with Special Olympics and JRSportBrief Productions to launch the new program, “Agents of Inclusion: A Special Olympics Podcast.” The show, hosted by CBS Sports Radio host JR Jackson, highlights Special Olympics athletes’ stories and accomplishments to encourage listeners towards inclusion and action. Aimed to raise awareness and share stories of inspiration, the partnership will also extend to grassroots action as Audacy will connect with Special Olympics programs across the country to support, volunteer, and get involved with programmed events. Jackson says, “I’ve taken my CBS Sports Radio show on the road the past two years with Special Olympics to promote diversity and inclusion. With the Media for the Movement Tour, we’ve popped up at more than 50 college campuses and professional sports teams to support this message. I’m thrilled to bring together Audacy and Special Olympics for programming that will encourage and inspire on a broadened level.”

Industry News

Yesterday’s (2/14) Top News/Talk Stories

Former South Carolina Governor and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley formally announces her bid for the GOP nomination for president in 2024; the U.S.’s shooting down of four objects – including a Chinese spy balloon – and the state of U.S.-China relations; the expected release of a portion of the Georgia grand jury report on former President Donald Trump’s alleged attempt to change the 2020 election results; the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Michigan State University that claimed the lives of three students and critically injured five; and allegations that Russia is operating camps where it is detaining Ukrainian children and possibly training some for battle were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

David Pakman is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast

Progressive talk media host David Pakman is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview.” Pakman is one of the relatively rare breed of progressive talk show hosts currently heard with a modest footprint on commercial radio. But beyond that, he has a significant and growing presence on his own YouTube channel where he has over a million-and-a-half subscribers, a commercially sold-out schedule, and is part of an emerging genre of progressive hosts seen regularly by loyal political talk media consumers. Only 39, Pakman has been a practitioner of progressive talk media since his early 20s. “The David Pakman Show” started in August 2005 as a community radio program called “Midweek Politics” in the basement of WXOJ’s studio in Northampton, Massachusetts. Today, it is a daily internationally syndicated politics and news talk show airing on radio, television, and the internet, as well as on Free Speech TV via DirecTV and DISH Network. Pakman is a naturalized citizen of the United States having moved here with his family at the age of five from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Harrison and Pakman discuss the rewards and challenges – financially and otherwise – of multi-platform digital broadcasting. Listen to the podcast in its entirety here.

Industry News

WWO: Your Audio Campaign Can Be Measured

This week’s blog post from the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group reveals data that was presented during a panel at the recent Association of National Advertisers Audio Summit. The analysis of a campaign for IT services company CDW by attribution measurement firm LeadsRx, it was determined that “while AM/FM radio represented only 16% of the media budgets, AM/FM radio generated 25% of site and search traffic.” Further, it discovered that “AM/FM radio delivered +58% greater site traffic than its share of spend. In contrast, TV delivered -11% less conversion lift than its share of the budget.” A Nielsen sales effect study of a campaign for a major retailer matched Portable People Meter panel data with credit card data to reveal how TV and AM/FM radio impacted sales. The AM/FM radio-only segment, those consumers only reached by the AM/FM radio campaign, had 3 times the sales lift of the consumers reached by the TV ads. Consumers only exposed to the TV ads generated a +4.6% sales increase. Those who saw both the TV ads and the AM/FM radio ads had a +4.8% sales lift. The segment only exposed to the AM/FM radio ads had an outsized +13.4% increase in sales. You can see the whole blog post here.

Industry News

iHeartMedia Promotes Zanetis to EVP of Sales, Markets Automotive

iHeartMedia promotes Joey Zanetis from his previous role as SVP of automotive business development and partnerships to EVP, sales, markets automotive, effective immediately. In his new role, Zanetis will be responsible for representing iHeartMedia in the industry; developing, leading and owning the iHeartMedia revenue performance for the markets automotive category; and unifying iHeart’s approach to markets automotive across the space. He will oversee an automotive advertising business that consults with thousands of tier 2 and tier 3 automotive clients across the iHeartMedia enterprise. iHeartMedia EVP sales and operations John Karpinski says, “There is no success without a successor, so I’m really excited for Joey to take the reins of the iHeart automotive markets division. Throughout the years, Joey has not only shown himself to be an amazing leader by driving measurable success for clients and iHeart but has also proven to be great at ‘coaching up’ his team. I’m excited for Joey to build on the success he’s had on the West Coast with our entire automotive organization.”

Industry News

Friday Is Angelo Cataldi’s Farewell Broadcast on WIP-FM

Longtime WIP-FM, Philadelphia morning sports talk personality Angelo Cataldi announced last fall that, after 31 years on the Audacy sports talker, he would retire after the Philadelphia Eagles’ season ended. Now, after the Birds’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, Audacy tells the Philadelphia Inquirer that this Friday (2/17) will be Cataldi’s final show. On Monday, the midday team of Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie take over as the morning drive show.  The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that WIP brand manager Rod Lakin says Cataldi’s final show will feature a career retrospective and appearances from “old friends.”

Industry News

Superadio Networks Promotes Three

Superadio Networks LLC announces promotions in three of its offices. In New York, Raphael George is upped to director, affiliate sales and content. In this expanded role George assumes oversight of affiliate relations as well as new programming and content strategy. Chicago-based affiliate sales pro Kimberly Sawyer is promoted to media relations and affiliate sales manager. In her new role, Sawyer adds expanded Radio Media Tour outreach to her station relations duties. And in the Superadio Boston office, Dianne Cook is named operations and distribution manager overseeing both the affiliation process and distribution. Superadio president Eric Faison states, “These appointments are well deserved. Dianne, Raphael and Kim are invaluable contributors to the success of the company and have been integral in maintaining the high standards in customer service and quality programming that are synonymous with Superadio.”

Industry News

PodcastOne Partners with VersusGame for Gamification

LiveOne subsidiary PodcastOne is partnering with VersusGame to offer its listeners “a fun and innovative way to engage with PodcastOne’s network of award-winning and top-ranked podcast hosts through gamification. Powered by VersusGame, PodcastOne has launched MiniGames on their platform, enabling their listeners to watch and answer prediction and opinion-based questions to win rewards.” The company says, “This endeavor marks an exciting introduction into gamification and monetization for PodcastOne, its host talent, and advertisers allowing them to create or sponsor relevant and topical content for fans that will reside on PodcastOne.com. MiniGames created by PodcastOne show hosts will also be distributed across the vast VersusGame MiniGames Network which includes over 900 verified hosts.” PodcastOne president Kit Gray says, “Our partnership with VersusGame is another way for us to capitalize on fan engagement. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us and for our hosts to engage with fans in an interactive way.  Offering users the chance to win financially, while also generating internal revenue is a win for everyone. Bringing gamification into the PodcastOne world brings our listeners into our shows in a whole new way. Now they get to engage directly with show hosts and participate in the conversation. It elevates the listener’s experience like never before.”

Industry News

Yesterday’s (2/13) Top News/Talk Media Stories

The U.S.’s shooting down of the fourth “object” flying over North America, criticism leveled against President Joe Biden for not opening up to the American people about what the administration knows, and China’s response to being called out; the deadly shooting on the campus of Michigan State University that’s taken the lives of at least three; a Georgia judge will release portions of the Donald Trump grand jury report this week; the escalating invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces; former Vice President Mike Pence fights a subpoena to testify in the special counsel’s investigation into the 2020 election; a number of U.S. cell phone carriers experience outages on Monday for reasons that remain unexplained; former South Carolina Governor and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley officially announces her bid for the White House in 2024; and the aftermath of Super Bowl LVII were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry Views

Pending Business: Your Trial Balloon

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

Talk radio - Talkers MagazineIf you float a trial balloon, expect it to be shot down.

And to make the story driving the news headlines a better metaphor for our sales world, it should be noted that gathering information is always part of our mission. Sellers and managers should be floating trial sales balloons all the time.

Consider how many times we talk to our best advertisers to float an idea, a package, picking up a known talent or play-by-play rights to a popular team. But here is where the news story and our sales world take different forks in the road. Although the woods are full of downed sales balloons, it’s a good thing. Because in our sales world downed trial balloons mean we’re trying new things, communicating with our advertisers and not rocking along in the comfort zone. It also means some of these trial balloons make it to reality and become innovative ideas and viable sales opportunities.

I have certainly floated my share. There is a strategy behind floating a trial sales balloon to help you get the result you need. How do you improve the odds of a trial balloon becoming a sales reality? Here are some field tested tips:

— Determine your goals before you start. It’s so important to know what you’re looking for. Pricing input? Viability? Excitement? Sometimes sellers are so excited they misread the advertiser’s enthusiasm level. The reverse is also true. Sellers can be lukewarm as they focus on the transaction ahead instead of the first stage advertiser input.

— Ask permission. This is very important yet most sellers and managers never think about the advertiser reaction. What if they just don’t want to be surveyed? Always ask first.

— Confirm the confidence. Be sure everyone in your loop understands the trust you show in seeking their input.

— Keep your “ask” simple. You are asking for input. The simpler the ask, the cleaner the input.

— No commitments. Be clear the conversation you are having is early-stage preliminary to test the waters only. You are not even close to asking for a commitment, just sharing ideas and looking for input.

— Who wants to know? Be ready with the right answer.

Sellers and managers have been in the trial balloon business since the first ad was sold. Be sure to review your pre-flight check list before launching that next trial balloon.

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Even a Robot Knows!

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

I asked ChatGPT, “What IS ChatGPT?”

Instant reply: “ChatGPT is a pre-trained language model developed by OpenAI. It uses advanced natural language processing techniques to generate human-like text responses to questions and prompts, based on patterns it learned from a massive amount of text data. It is designed to assist with a wide range of tasks, including answering questions, generating creative writing, and translating text between languages. ChatGPT is built using the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture, which has been state-of-the-art in many NLP tasks.”

If ever there was an elevator speech that sounded robotic, that’s it. But pick almost any other topic, and – quicker than you’re expecting, ChatGPT scours the Internet – and most of what it spits-back can seem eerily conversational. Including my question about conversation itself: “What DJ or talk show host habits do listeners find most annoying?” Mere moments later…

“Here are some habits that listeners may find annoying in DJs or talk show hosts:

— Interrupting guests or co-hosts: Listening to a conversation that is constantly being cut off can be frustrating for listeners.

— Talking over music: A DJ who talks over the music can detract from the listening experience for music lovers.

— Shouting or excessive enthusiasm: An over-the-top delivery style can come across as insincere or artificial to listeners.

— Unnecessary repetition: Repeating the same jokes, phrases, or segments repeatedly can quickly become tiresome for listeners.

— Lack of preparation: A lack of research or preparation can lead to awkward silences, missed opportunities, or inaccurate information.

— Poor phone manners: Rude or abrupt treatment of callers can be off-putting to listeners and impact the overall tone of the show.

— Ignoring listener feedback: Failing to respond to listener feedback or questions can make listeners feel unvalued and disengaged.

— Being too political: Focusing exclusively on political topics or taking a one-sided approach can alienate listeners with differing opinions.

— Playing too many commercials: Excessive commercial breaks can make the listening experience feel repetitive or disjointed.”

With most AM/FM broadcast hours now automated, syndicated, and voice-tracked, even a robot knows what it takes to keep our fellow humans from wandering-off to less-cluttered music streams and greater topical variety that podcasts offer.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “Multiply Your Podcast Subscribers, Without Buying Clicks,” available from Talkers books; and “Spot-On: Commercial Copy Points That Earned The Benjamins,” a FREE download; and the E-book and FREE on-air radio features Inflation Hacks: Save Those Benjamins.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

Industry News

WQAM, Miami Broadcasts from NHL All-Star Game

The NHL All-Star game was held at FLA Live Arena – home of the Florida Panthers – and the WQAM, Miami afternoon drive program “Hochman and Crowder” broadcast live from the arena on Friday (2/10), the day of the skills competition. Pictured above (from left – right) are: show executive producer Alejandro Solana, co-host Channing Crowder, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and co-host Marc Hochman.

Industry News

Benztown Brings Director of Fire of Love to Valentine’s Day Radio

Benztown and National Geographic Documentary Films is making Sara Dosa, director of the Oscar-nominated film Fire of Love, available to radio stations tomorrow for a Valentine’s Day radio tour. The film tells the love story of intrepid French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died just as explosively as they lived – capturing the most spectacular imagery ever recorded of their greatest passion: volcanoes. The radio tour will fill up fast, so book your interview with director Sara Dosa now by reaching out to Crissy Whalin here.

Industry News

Ice-T Launches Daily Game on iHeartPodcast

Actor and hip hop legend Ice-T is debuting a new podcast series with the help of Audity and iHeartPodcasts. “Ice-T’s Daily Game” will feature Ice-T sharing words of wisdom “gleaned from life experience and his journey from the gang-filled streets of Los Angeles to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.” The series will consist of profound three- to five-minute long messages each weekday. Ice-T says, “I’ve always enjoyed sharing motivational quotes and words of wisdom to help people better their lives. I started sharing quotes on social media and my fans loved it so much, they wanted me to share it daily. Through this new podcast with iHeartPodcasts, I hope these quotes will reach the right people and bring them up to speed on the daily game of life.”

Industry News

MRN Begins Coverage of 75th NASCAR Season and Daytona 500

This week begins the build-up to NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season and the 65th running of the Daytona 500 next Sunday (2/19). Motor Racing Network announces talent and coverage plans for the week in Daytona. Joining play-by-play veterans Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle in the booth will be NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace providing insight and analysis from his 25 years of competing at NASCAR’s highest level. They will be joined by expert pit reporters Steve Post, Kim Coon, and Dillon Welch. The familiar voices of Dave Moody, Mike Bagley and Kyle Rickey will call the action from high atop the Speedway’s 31-degree banked turns.

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend

The U.S. military shoots down a fourth “unmanned object,” this time over Lake Huron and the pressure is on President Joe Biden to give details to the American people; former Vice President Mike Pence is subpoenaed by special counsel investigating Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results; the 2024 presidential race and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s plans to challenge former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination; the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria surpasses 36,000; the battle in Congress over the debt ceiling; the Russia-Ukraine war and the latter’s plea for more weapons to hold off Vladimir Putin’s troops; and the Chiefs top the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Ruddy Speaks Out as Talk Hosts Support Newsmax Versus DirecTV

TALKERS founder Michael Harrison and Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy engaged in a phone conversation this week (2/8) to discuss the bruhaha buzzing through conservative news/talk radio triggered by AT&T’s recent decision to remove the popular conservative channel from its subsidiary, DirecTV. Ruddy, grateful for the support Newsmax is receiving from radio hosts, wanted to speak out directly to the medium further explaining his position. (NOTE: Newsmax also has a footprint in the news/talk radio space as syndicator of the daily Rob Carson midday program.)

Late in January, DirecTV, owned by AT&T, “deplatformed” Newsmax from more than 13 million of its subscriber homes calling it a “business decision.”

News of this stunned Washington, fueling GOP lawmakers with more evidence that big tech media was closing down conservative voices for political reasons.

This was the second time in just the past year AT&T moved to cancel a conservative channel, taking OAN off their platforms last April.

However, Newsmax is not OAN. Newsmax has, in breathtaking time, became the fourth-highest-rated cable news channel reaching 25 million Americans, according to Nielsen.

Major Members of Congress, Senators and newsmakers dot its programming lineup every day. Even First Lady Jill Biden made a prime-time appearance to discuss her cancer initiative last October and former President Donald Trump is a regular participant.

According to Ruddy, “The fact that AT&T was willing to take down Newsmax as Republicans take control of the House was yet another sign for America’s right that ‘wokeness’ remains in high gear.”

This story is continued here.