The Democratic National Convention, the presidential race, the economy, the U.S. migrant crisis, Ukraine’s incursion into Russia, and Gaza cease-fire talks were some of the most talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday (8/20) according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
The presidential race and the Democratic National Convention; the economy; the U.S. migrant crisis; Gaza cease-fire talks; Ukraine’s incursion into Russia; Iran accused of hacking Donald Trump and Kamala Harris campaigns; former U.S. Rep. George Santos pleads guilty to identity theft and wire fraud; and Phil Donahue dies at 88 were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications announces the selection of eight new Legends inductees into the Radio Hall of Fame for 2024, recognizing the talents and efforts of on-air personalities, programmers and
operators who contributed with greatness to the radio industry and have since passed away. The eight radio legends take their place in the Radio Hall of Fame immediately are: Chuck Blore – On-Air Personality; Alan Colmes – On-Air Personality; Charlie Douglas – On-Air Personality; Jim Ladd – On-Air Personality; Maria Martin – Journalist; Byron McGregor – On-Air Personality; Percy Sutton – Executive; and Rusty Walker – Programming Executive and On-Air Personality. The Radio Hall of Fame will recognize its 2024 class of inductees at the 2024 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on September 19, at the Omni Nashville in Nashville.
The presidential race and this week’s Democratic National Convention; the economy; Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region of Russia; the negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza; GOP report accuses Joe Biden of “impeachable conduct”; George Santos expected to plead guilty to federal charges; charges in the death of actor Matthew Perry; and the mpox outbreak in Africa were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
ABC Audio has won three Edward R. Murrow Awards. In the “Continuing Coverage” category, it wins for “Start Here: Israel-Hamas War,” while “Reclaimed: The Forgotten League” takes honors for “Excellence in Writing.” In addition, “Start Here: On the Brink” is an award winner in the “News Documentary” category.
GROWING TREND: The practice of utilizing audio and video clips from other broadcasts as a talk media programming element to serve as segment thought-starters or guide posts to move things forward has been growing over the years and according to TALKERS research is now being regularly employed by a majority of online talk video and on-air talk radio hosts as a standard “format.” Described by TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison as “clip jockeys,” these hosts have, according to Harrison, “turned the practice of using what used to be described as a form of ‘actuality’ into the foundation of their programs.” This practice of using ‘clips’ is quite prevalent on YouTube where it has become regular fare – although radio hosts have been doing audio versions of it for years. Harrison continues, “The most widely-used sources of this ‘borrowed’ clipped material are FOX News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, and Newsmax among others including ‘legacy’ media operations.” “However,” Harrison adds, “even legacy network programs – especially late night talk shows – have begun utilizing the practice,” But is it legal infringment? Are clip jockeys and their platforms in violation of intellectual property rights? According to TALKERS VP/associate publisher and media attorney Matthew B. Harrison, “Broadcasters can share their online finds with their audience – and there is a public interest to allow for that – whether in the form of commentary, news, art, and instruction. But these same broadcasters need to be cognizant that if they are going to be presenting something that isn’t their own work, it needs to be done in a way that does not interfere with the originating platform’s or news organization’s ability to reap the rewards for their creation. Giving the audience the bulk of another’s creation, leaning on the goodwill of their talents for your own audience, does not usually lead to increased time spent viewing for the creator and in such a scenario those actions would be interfering with their ability to make a living and that goes against the spirit of fair use and the justification to share in the first place.”
The presidential race was the most-talked-about story in news/talk media this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was the Economy and the announcement that prescription drug costs will be lowered, followed by the U.S. migrant crisis at #3 and the various primary races at #4. 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 of ongoing research from TALKERS. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart here.
Edison Research publishes its Top 50 Podcasts in the U.S. (based on reach for Q2 2024 from interviews of
5,206 weekly podcast consumers age 13 and older in the U.S.) and the top three remain unchanged from the Q1 2024 data: 1) “The Joe Rogan Experience”; 2) audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie”; and The New York Times’ “The Daily.” Other moves of note include Ramsey Network’s “The Ramsey Show” up one spot to #15; The DailyWire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” sliding three places to #16; and “The Tucker Carlson Podcast” dropping from #24 to #33. See the complete chart here.
There’s no movement among the top four podcasts in Triton Digital’s July 2024 U.S. Podcast Ranker (based on weekly average downloads for participating shows). They are: 1) NPR’s “NPR News Now”; 2) NPR’s “Up
First”; 3) NBCUniversal News Group’s “Dateline NBC”; and 4) audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie.” Moving up to the #5 rank in July was Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show.” Other moves of note include SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show” rising three places to the #10 rank; Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” up four spots to #14; and iHeartAudience Network’s “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” also up four places to the #19 rank. See the full ranker here.
The presidential race; the economy; the U.S. migrant crisis; the Israel-Hamas war and the $20 billion U.S.-Israel weapons deal; the Russia-Ukraine war; Hunter Biden’s Burisma allegations; Columbia University president Minouche Shafik steps down; western wildfires & Tropical Storm Ernesto; and the mpox outbreak in Africa were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
In this week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog post, a number of studies measuring attentiveness (defined as the degree to which those exposed to the advertising are focused on it)
reveal that AM/FM ads far outperform most social media ads. For example, the firm Adelaide found that for revery $1,000 spent on AM/FM ads it would require spending $2,635 on Facebook ads for the same amount of attentiveness. However, it also found that just $698 of YouTube ads would yield the same degree of attentiveness as $1,000 of AM/FM advertising. The blog post also addresses the myth that video ads are necessarily more effective than audio ads. See the full blog post here.
The presidential race; Iran allegedly hacks Trump campaign emails; the economy; the primary race involving U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar; the U.S. migrant crisis; Israel and U.S. prepare for Iran attack; Ukraine’s incursion into Russia; and Tropical Storm Ernesto gains strength were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
The presidential race; financial markets activity and the U.S. economy; Iran allegedly hacks Trump campaign emails & break-in at Trump Virginia campaign office; Ukraine’s ongoing incursion into Russia; Israel and the U.S. prepare for Iran strike; summer wildfires in California, Colorado and Greece; and a 4.4 magnitude earthquake shakes Los Angeles were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
According to a report in the Times of San Diego, “The Mightier 1090 ESPN” format has been replaced by Spanish-language Catholic programming on the venerable XEPRS, Tijuana, Mexico. After previous sports format operator Broadcasting Corporation of the Americas lost its lease on the station owned by
Interamercana de Radio SA de CV, Flagstaff, Arizona-based ad agency owner Bill Hagen leased the signal and launched a new sports format as “The Mightier 1090 ESPN” built around San Diego sports talk personalities including Scott Kaplan. Hagen tells the Times he’s not disappointed and says considering the launch of the station during the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 was definitely a challenge. He says, “We accomplished something that had never been done before and during a very challenging time in the economy and broadcasting.” Read the Times story here.
The presidential race and this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago; Israel’s battle against Hamas and Hezbollah; Ukraine’s military incursion into Russian territory; activity on the world’s financial markets; U.S. reportedly offers amnesty to Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro to cede power; the flooding and damage caused by Tropical Storm Debby; and the Paris Olympics were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media over the weekend.
The presidential race was the most-talked-about story in news/talk media this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was the global financial markets activity, followed by the U.S. migrant crisis and the U.K. anti-immigrant riots 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 of ongoing research from TALKERS. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart here.
iHeartMedia reports operating results for the second quarter of 2024 and reveals consolidated revenue of $929 million, an increase of 1% over the same period on 2023. iHeartMedia reports its business in three segments. The Multiplatform Group – which includes its AM/FM radio stations – achieved revenue of $575.9 million – a decline of 3.4% over the same period in 2023. The Digital Audio Group’s revenue was $285.6 million – an increase of 9.5% over Q2 of 2023. The Audio & Media Services Group revenue was $70 million – an increase of 6.5% over the second quarter of 2023. iHeartMedia chairman and CEO Bob Pittman
comments, “Our second quarter results mark the first quarter that our consolidated revenues increased year-over-year since Q4 2022. We continue to see strong momentum in our podcast business, our Digital ex. Podcast business, and have seen sequential improvement of our Multiplatform Group’s year-over-year revenue performance. This performance is built on iHeartMedia’s strong and unparalleled audience and demonstrates the progress we are making in maximizing the monetization of it.” Company COO and CFO Rich Bressler adds, “We continue to see signs of improvement throughout our business and the broader advertising marketplace, and our second quarter 2024 results were in line with, and in the cases of revenue, slightly above guidance. Our high-growth Digital Audio Group revenues were up 10% year over year, and represented 31% of our company’s revenues, and our Multiplatform Group revenues exceeded our previously provided guidance. Our full year 2024 political revenues are currently pacing approximately 20% higher than the last presidential election cycle, which gives us confidence that this will be a record political year for us, and we expect to see a significant year-over-year improvement in our full year Adjusted EBITDA performance.”
The presidential race; the U.S. migrant crisis; financial markets activity and predictions for a recession; Israel faces threats from Iran and Hezbollah; the U.K. anti-immigrant riots; the Paris Olympics; Ukraine enters Russian territory; ISIS threats cancel Vienna Taylor Swift shows; and the flooding from Tropical Storm Debby were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
There’s no movement among the top five podcasts from June to July on Podtrac’s Top U.S. Podcasts ranker.
The New York Times’ “The Daily” remains #1, followed by NPR’s “NPR News Now” at #2 and “Up First” at #3, with NBC News’ “Dateline NBC” at #4. Dan Bongino’s “The Dan Bongino Show” leaps four spots to the #5 rank and the DailyWire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” jumps two spots to the #6 rank, while FOX Audio Network’s “FOX News Hourly Update” falls two places to #8. See the full ranker here.
The presidential race and Kamala Harris’ choice of Tim Walz as vice presidential candidate; U.S. Rep. Cori Bush loses Missouri Democratic primary; the world’s financial markets activity and questions about a U.S. recession; Israel’s war against Hamas and the terrorist organization’s naming Yahya Sinwar its new political leader; Pakistani Asif Merchant is charged with plotting to assassinate American politicians; X files anti-trust suit against Global Alliance for Responsible Media; the Paris Olympics; Tropical Storm Debby drenches the East Coast; and the California wildfires were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
Hubbard Radio appoints John Goforth vice president/general manager of podcasts. Goforth most recently served as chief revenue officer for Magellan AI, where he led sales strategy and business development. His industry experience includes leadership roles at HowStuffWorks, iHeartPodcasts, Midroll Media, and CBS
Radio. The company says that in his new role, Goforth will collaborate closely with local Hubbard Radio markets to enhance sales strategies for existing podcasts. And as part of the Hubbard Radio corporate team, he will create new podcast initiatives and strategic partnerships, to build an even more robust podcast network. Hubbard EVP and chief financial officer Dave Bestler says, “We fully understand and embrace the evolution in our business from radio to audio. We are creating must-hear content in all eight of our Hubbard Radio markets, and listeners are increasingly accessing our content on-demand. John will help expand our podcast offerings, while growing revenue with the podcasts we already have.” Goforth comments, “I couldn’t be more excited to join the amazing team at Hubbard and help grow their already impressive portfolio. It’s thrilling to be at the intersection of local and national in the podcast space. As we’ve seen in other channels, cracking the code on local is the key to explosive growth.”
Salem Media Group announces that Larry Elder is rejoining the Salem Radio Network, Salem News Channel and Salem Podcast Network. Elder will return to hosting the 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET program that he anchored before exiting the company in April of 2022. He bumps Brandon Tatum from his position as the
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm host. Tatum filled in for Elder during his run for governor of California in 2021 and subsequently assumed the role full time. Elder joined the 2024 Republican presidential primary race but dropped out last fall and threw his support behind Donald Trump. Since then, he’s been hosting his podcast, “Larry Elder – We’ve Got a Country to Save.” He’ll continue the podcast with Salem handling sales and marketing for the it. Salem SVP of spoken word Phil Boyce says, “Larry is one of a rare breed who actually grew in popularity and influence AFTER he departed the radio. Now we get to hear his sage words of wisdom daily on radio stations across the country, on Salem News Channel, and the Salem Podcast Network.”
The first of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s July 2024 PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union (New Jersey). The survey period covered June 20 through July 17. Today, TALKERS managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In New York, Red Apple Media Group’s news/talk WABC rises a half share to finish with a 3.8 share (weekly, 6+ AQH share) and climbs to the #10 rank, while iHeartMedia’s news/talk WOR tacks on two-tenths for a 1.7 share finish good for the #19 rank. In Los Angeles, iHeartMedia’s news/talk KFI adds three-tenths to finish with a 4.0 share keeping it locked in the #7 rank, while Audacy’s all-news KNX-FM rises two-tenths to a 3.3 share, lifting it to the #10 rank. In Chicago, Nexstar Media Group’s news/talk WGN is flat with a 2.5 share but rises two places to the #13 rank, while Cumulus Media Group’s news/talk WLS-AM ticks up one-tenth to a 1.2 share, staying in the #25 spot, and Audacy’s all-news WBBM-AM/WCFS-FM dips two-tenths to a 5.2 share good for the #5 rank in the market. See Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets here.
The presidential race; the global stock sell-off and predictions of a recession; a judge rules Google is a monopoly; former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis flips in Arizona election subversion case; the Israel-Hamas war and Iran’s threat to strike Israel; the Paris Olympics; Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accused of not disclosing more Harlan Crow-funded travels; Tropical Storm Debby hits Florida; and the California and Colorado wildfires were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
Bonneville’s Salt Lake City news/talk KNRS-AM/FM “Talk Radio 105.9 KNRS” transitions the afternoon drive program to “The Rod and Greg Show,” starring incumbent talk host Rod Arquette and Greg Hughes, effective today (8/5). The station says, “On August 5th, a new era of talk radio begins in Utah as Arquette’s Wingman Wednesday co-host, ‘Citizen’ Greg Hughes, joins him for the inaugural flight of the ‘Rod and Greg Show.’” Hughes is a former Utah state lawmaker, Speaker of the Utah House and one time candidate for
governor who’s been a frequent contributor, guest host, and weekly co-host on the Rod Arquette show since 2018. Arquette says, “Greg has been a passionate contributor of political commentary in Utah on TV and radio dating back to 2012. His extensive experience and background in public service and public policy allows him to pull back the curtain on what’s really happening in Utah and national politics. Our goal is to bring common sense and fair mindedness to the issues that are impacting Utah families in an entertaining and informative way.” Hughes states, “I am beyond grateful and excited to join 105.9 KNRS and the iHeartRadio family. I am especially excited, to partner with Rod every day to inform and entertain the greatest listening audience in Utah. We are living in uncertain, but historic times. There is a real need for thought leaders today who can reach out and dialogue with public servants, business, and community leaders but most importantly, with everyday Utahns. ‘The Rod and Greg Show’ will be the place where that happens… and then some. I’m ready to go!”
Newsmax Inc. announces it is hosting an online Special Investor Webinar conversation with CEO Christopher Ruddy tomorrow at 12:00 noon ET. The company is currently holding a private placement offering ahead of its planned Public Offering and expected Listing and “this online event will provide accredited investors with insight into the Company’s vision, strategy and growth prospects.” (Accredited
investors are defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Rule 501(a) as individuals with a net worth greater than $1 million – excluding their primary residence – or incomes in excess of $200,000 in the last two years with the expectation of the same in the current year – or $300,000 with a spouse.) Last month, Newsmax announced that it would seek to become a public company later in 2024 or in early 2025 with a listing on the NYSE or Nasdaq. In preparation for this contemplated public offering, Newsmax has launched a private placement offering seeking to raise up to $225 million. Ruddy states, “We are excited to connect with the tens of thousands of investors nationwide who have already shown interest in investing in Newsmax. There is much to be enthusiastic about Newsmax, including significant growth in our audience, a surge in interest in conservative media and our expanding portfolio of platforms and distribution. Now more than ever — especially in this election year of 2024 — America needs Newsmax. We look forward to sharing more details with everyone who tunes in to the webinar.” Find information about the webinar here.
The presidential race; Japan’s stock crash and global investors’ reactions to the U.S. economy; the U.S. migrant crisis; the Olympics and gender controversies; Israel’s war on Hamas and Iran’s vow to avenge the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin undoes 9/11 plea deal; anti-immigrant violence in England; the California & Colorado wildfires; and Hurricane Debbie approaches Florida were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
The 2024 presidential race was the most-talked-about story in news/talk media this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was the economy and inflation, followed by the U.S. migrant crisis 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 of ongoing research from TALKERS. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart here.
Bob Cooney exits Beasley Media Group’s sports talk WPEN-FM, Philadelphia “97.5 The Fanatic” where he’d been hosting the midday show. Crossing Broad’s Kevin Kinkead reports that market sports talk pro
Mike Missanelli is a possible replacement. He writes, “Jonny Marks reported last week that the Mike/Fanatic reunion looks to be in place ahead of football season. My understanding is that 97.5 is also high on Bill Colarulo and Amy Fadool as new pieces. Colarulo hosts weekends and has filled in on P.M. drive while Fadool had been co-hosting alongside Cooney.” For his part, Cooney posted the following to Facebook: “Wanted to say thanks to all who listened over the years during my time at The Fanatic. Loved the conversations and getting to know a lot of you. They told me today they are moving in a different direction.”
The presidential race; Iran vows to strike Israel after the killing of Hamas political leader Ismael Haniyeh; U.S. agrees to plea deal with 9/11 mastermind and two others; the ecomony; the U.S. migrant crisis; the validity of Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in Venezuela; the California and Colorado wildfires were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
The presidential race; potential Kamala Harris running mates; Hamas political chief Ismael Haniyeh is killed in Iran; the economy; the U.S. migrant crisis; Olympics “Last Supper” blowback; congressional hearing over Secret Service failure in Donald Trump assassination attempt; Simone Biles and USA gymnasts win gold in Paris; the UK stabbing attack; and the Park Fire in California were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation releases the dates for the highly anticipated 50th Annual Gracie Awards, to celebrate half a century of honoring excellence of women in media. The Gracies Gala will take place on May 20, 2025, at the Beverly Wilshire and the Gracies Luncheon will happen on June 18,
2025, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. In commemoration of this golden milestone, AWMF unveils a newly refreshed logo, shown here. AWMF president Becky Brooks says, “As we approach the 50th Annual Gracie Awards, we reflect on five decades of tremendous progress made in advancing women in media. The Gracies have been a beacon of recognition for the incredible talents and contributions of women in our industry. Next year’s celebration is not only a tribute to our past but also a spotlight on the bright future ahead. We are eager to honor the trailblazers who have paved the way and the rising stars who continue to shape the media landscape.”
The presidential race; the Democratic VP possibilities; Joe Biden’s Supreme Court reform proposal; the Donald Trump assassination attempt investigation and Secret Service scrutiny; the Olympics “Last Supper” controversy, the Venezuelan protests over Nicolas Madura’s victory; Israel’s wars against Hamas and Hezbollah; the NRA-Wayne LaPierre corruption case; and the California wildfires were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.