TALKERS News Notes
Chicago Public Media – operator of WBEZ-FM, Chicago – is phasing out its Vocalo radio station and is laying off 14 staffers. Chicago Public Media chief executive Matt Moog says, “These are painful decisions that affect our valued colleagues. Because they did not reach the scale needed to generate revenue to cover expenses, Vocalo and the podcast content development unit will be scaled back and folded into the newsroom.”
Cumulus Media’s Westwood One, the exclusive national audio broadcast partner of the NCAA, is presenting comprehensive live audio coverage of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Final Four and national championship game live from Phoenix in both English and Spanish. The network will also broadcast the Women’s Final Four and national championship game live from Cleveland.
The Black Effect Podcast Network and comedian Lil Duval announce, “Conversations With Unc,” a limited series podcast that will feature casual and in-depth talks about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness from an Uncle’s perspective. Black Effect Podcast Network president of creative development and production Dollie S. Bishop says, “We all need moments of laughter, but we also crave spaces for growth and reflection. Our new podcast, ‘Conversations with Unc’ will blend humor with wisdom and offer unique stories and advice in ways that resonate beyond the punchline. We’re excited to collaborate with Lil Duval on this new series and even more excited to see how these conversations will uplift and encourage listeners.”
iHeartMedia and the National Basketball Association announce the addition of two shows to its multi-year podcast partnership, including the debut of “NBA DNA with Hannah Storm.” Additionally, Vince Carter brings “The VC Show with Vince Carter” to the NBA Podcast Network for its much-anticipated season two.
SiriusXM, the exclusive audio broadcaster of the Masters Tournament, announces its extensive broadcast plans for Masters week, April 6-14, with live coverage of all four days of tournament play, daily Masters-focused talk programming, specials and more. SiriusXM president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein says, “The Masters is always one of the most anticipated weeks on the sports calendar, and our team at SiriusXM prides themselves on bringing our listeners across the country closer to everything happening that week at Augusta National. We’ll cover the action on the course from the first tee shot on Thursday through the presentation of the Green Jacket on Sunday, and bring you news from Augusta National throughout the week, interviews with competitors and much more.”
The thing about outstanding performance is there is one key trait in the performer we can all agree on. It was on full display in front of millions during the past two weeks. It shows up every time an athlete takes the game to new levels, or an artist moves us out of our seats and collective comfort zone.
respondents are most likely to say they use it at least weekly. There’s a strong feeling the government will need to step in to provide legal guard rails for AI use. Three in four (75%) are looking for some form of regulation. In fact, more than a third (36%) believe AI will need to be highly regulated. That perception may be fueled by the upcoming elections this November. About half (51%) say they’re very concerned about how AI might affect this fall’s political races. Members of the Greatest Generation and Boomers are most fearful of how the technology might influence upcoming elections. When it comes to three applications for radio – AI hosts, AI-voiced commercials, and AI-voiced station IDs – the biggest pushback predictably is directed at the idea of radio using cloned voices to take the place of live talent. Three in four (75%) raise the red flag over this AI application. Concern lessens when it comes to AI voice technology being used to read commercials. Still, nearly four in ten (39%) say they have big issues with radio stations they listen to using AI in ads. Respondents are most open to the idea of AI voices being utilized on station identification. Overall, about one-third (34%) have no problem, but a similar sized group (30%) expresses major concerns with this use case for AI. Jacobs Media general manager Paul Jacobs remarks, “It is still early days for AI in radio, but broadcasters need to respect the many concerns voiced by core fans of the medium. Up to now, many decisions have been made in a vacuum. Now the audience has a voice. We’ll be tracking their perceptions in Techsurveys in the coming years as the technology matures. The format level data for AI should provide welcome feedback for radio managers trying to get a handle on AI.”
Awards that celebrate outstanding achievements in media dedicated to women, by women, and about women across diverse platforms in news and entertainment. This year’s winners will be celebrated at AWMF’s annual gala on May 21 at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. Local and student award recipients will be honored at the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 18 at Cipriani’s in New York City. 
they will end their program at the end of June. The two have hosted the afternoon show at Hubbard Broadcasting’s talk KTMY-FM “MyTalk 107.1” since 2002. Barghini and Cobbs – both in their early 60s – say they want more time for themselves. Barghini told listeners she started thinking about retiring after the death of her father last summer. 
Will video save the radio star? I hope so.
The headlines haven’t been kind to journalism lately. That recent
other platforms. Titled, Hendrie, and produced by Freestyle Digital Media and directed by Patrick Reynolds, the film features people like Hendrie’s one-time program director David Hall as well as comedians and Hollywood figures talking about the unique radio program Hendrie launched in 1990 in which he held kooky conversations with offbeat characters – all played by Hendrie himself – in real time. Hendrie tells KCAL-TV, “It was completely original… and it satirized something that I thought needed satirizing – talk radio.” 
1. Financial solvency laws. Consolidation is not the problem; it actually saved the radio industry. The problem is the 1986 rule change that dropped financial solvency requirements for station ownership. Prior to 1986, stations could not be purchased with debt. A potential owner had to prove that they could meet the expenses of a station through the duration of its license. Once the financial efficacy rule was dropped and stations could be purchased with debt, the industry was financially decimated. Prediction: Financial solvency laws will be re-instated.
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.”
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. 
March is half over, and the Madness is just beginning.
For 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.