SABO SEZ: Managing the Meters is a Fatal Time Waster
By Walter Sabo
a.k.a. Walter Sterling, Host
WPHT, Philadelphia, “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night”
and TMN syndicated, “Sterling on Sunday”
At first, I thought it was a joke. When I realized there were serious people having serious meetings about the joke, it became both horrific and symptomatic
The sitcom is called: MANAGING THE METERS. Note: As a suited consultant I was a prime mover to get Arbitron off diaries and onto meters.
Worldly success is often the result of being highly focused on what one can control versus imagining what can be controlled. Nielsen can manage their meters. You can’t.
Imagining what can be controlled has led to wasting time playing MANAGING THE METERS. To participate one must learn where Nielsen meters are placed, which station has which meters, and who is carrying “your” meters. Yes, one can learn, for example, that a 19-year-old in Glendale listens to KIIS-FM for 17 hours a week. More than 17 hours in radio conference rooms will be spent playing whack-a-mole with that 19-year-old’s meter; where will it land next?
Playing MANAGING THE METERS is a major time waster and cume killer. Once upon a time many music stations embraced “request line call-in research.” Shudder. Stations would tally which songs were getting how-many requests and make on-air playlists based on those counts. Obviously call-in request playlists would appeal primarily to existing listeners and do nothing to reach new listeners. Sure, P1s are appeased but cume always dies.
And here we are: Super-serving meter holders who already listen to a station will appease P1s but cume will diminish every month. It is pure myth that “talk” is high TSL and low cume. In fact, most current talking stations do everything possible to lower cume. Casual cuming is virtually impossible. (Who is talking? What’s the number? Thanks for holding on! Who has time to hold on?). The MANAGING THE METERS fantasy gives “science” to cume-killing actions and reactions.
MANAGING THE METERS, rather than making better, bigger shows has resulted in fear, indecision, and the crime of overthinking. Nothing could be worse for a medium that thrives on emotional wallops than turning feelings into math.
What to do when tempted to play MANAGING THE METERS:
— Go for a pleasant walk and imagine a better show, new promotions, fresh promos and surprising, possibly weird topics.
— Eat your favorite ice cream and imagine a better show, new promotions, fresh promos and surprising, possibly weird topics.
— Call your father and thank him and imagine a better show, new promotions, fresh promos and surprising, possibly weird topics.
— Remember that innovative programmers who CREATE – rather than copy – great stations give all of their attention to P2s and then imagine a better show, new promotions, fresh promos and surprising, possibly weird topics.
Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers.. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.
content, providing an accurate assessment of the audience’s attentiveness and engagement.” Some of the key findings include: 1) Despite lacking “sight, sound, and motion,” AM/FM radio programming was +13% more engaging than Mediaprobe’s norm for television in the U.S. For advertisers, this means the AM/FM radio context for their ads has greater engagement than the TV context; 2) Overall, AM/FM radio advertising’s Emotional Impact Score (EIS) outperformed TV advertising by +12%. These new findings validate the recently released Dentsu/Lumen study, which revealed audio ads outperform video for attention and brand recall; 3) AM/FM radio news was the most impactful genre, consistently measuring as a high-quality contextual environment for advertising (+14% greater than Mediaprobe TV News norms and +8% than total AM/FM radio); 4) Mediaprobe audio benchmarks reveal the sound contrast between AM/FM radio programming and the ads drives higher attention and brand recall. For example, ads with music and jingles perform very well in spoken word programming due to the contrast; and 5) Creative best practices: Use female voiceovers, jingles, and include five brand mentions. 
one the most successful voices in audio branding as a 2023 honoree of the Benztown 50 list of the top 50 voiceover professionals in the U.S. and Canada.” The Ambush audio imaging library is written and produced by imaging director Scott Phillips. Benztown VP, sales & operations Masa Patterson says, “JJ is world class, serving as the imaging voice for some of the best NT stations in America. Combining him with a production talent like Scott Phillips and retooling the content plan has Ambush positioned as a top-of-class resource for audio producers in the spoken word space.” Surma adds, “Scotty Phillips is an amazing writer and producer, and Ambush is a legendary resource that I leaned into many times in my years as a creative services director. The opportunity to bring my energy to such a respected and trusted audio library and company has me all fired up!” 
Houston Public Media today announced that popular local media figure Tessa Barrera is joining its weekday daytime talk show, “Hello Houston,” as co-host alongside longtime personality, Ernie Manouse. Barrera makes her on-air debut on August 17. Barrera brings 13 years of regional television and radio experience to the program. The plan is for Barrera and Manouse to conduct conversations with newsmakers, community leaders, artists and neighbors, giving audiences a fresh, engaging look at the issues, events and people making an impact in Greater Houston. “Tessa’s warmth, curiosity and ability to connect with people make her an outstanding addition to ‘Hello Houston,’” said Josh Adams, associate vice president and general manager of Houston Public Media. “Alongside Ernie, she’ll continue the thoughtful, community-focused conversations that reach audiences across radio, television, digital, HPM+ streaming and social platforms.” To learn more about Houston Public Media, visit 
edition of the show will emanate from Jay Leno’s Garage, with special guest, Jay Leno. Wolfe says, “For 20 years we’ve never tried to fit into a radio format. We’ve simply tried to make people laugh. The cars brought people to the show, but the stories, characters, the guests and the friendships are what kept them coming back every Saturday. We’re grateful to everyone who’s been part of the journey and excited to welcome a whole new audience.” iHeartMedia division president Eddie Martiny states, “John Clay Wolfe has built one of the most entertaining and engaging programs in radio, and we’re excited to expand his reach across our platform. Growing ‘The John Clay Wolfe Show’ to nearly 120 iHeart stations is a testament to the strength of the show and our shared commitment to delivering compelling, relevant programming to our listeners. We’re proud to partner with John and look forward to continuing this incredible growth together.”
would be retiring from daily talk show hosting later this summer on Jacobs Media’s WDUN-AM/FM, Gainesville, where she presided over a hugely popular midday program since 2019. The decision was made due to heart-related health issues. She planned to remain with the powerful station as an occasional political consultant and commentator. Zoller, the 2023 recipient of the TALKERS “Woman of the Year” award, was an influential figure in Georgia politics having run for Congress in the U.S. 9th District as a Republican in 2012. Before that she served her first stint as a radio talk show host in North Georgia for a number of years. She was also a member of the State Board of Education representing District 9 in Northeast, Georgia in addition to engaging in a number of other community-oriented activities.
and media personality Jason Jackson Jr. as its first client. Salem Media CEO David Santrella states, “For years, we’ve worked alongside some of the most influential voices in media. Many of them are looking for more than platform monetization. They want a partner who not only understands their audience and shares their values but also has the experience to help them continue building their brands. Launching SCA is a natural next step for us.” SCA managing director Andrew Samalot adds, “As we’ve worked alongside creators over the last several years, we’ve seen firsthand that the most successful talent aren’t just building social media audiences – they’re building brands, businesses, and platforms that extend far beyond any single channel. Our role is to help them identify those opportunities, navigate them strategically, and surround them with representation they can trust as they continue growing their influence and impact.”
Congressional District. Flint is host of the morning drive show “Montana Talks” heard across Townsquare Media news/talk stations in Montana, including KBUL, Billings and KMMS, Bozeman. Flint took leave of his radio show to run for office. According to the Associated Press, Flint will face the winner of the four-way race in the Democratic primary. Flint’s campaign says he is emphasizing “making the Montana dream affordable again,” by reducing regulatory burdens on building homes, encouraging trades education and boosting the U.S. timber industry. 
production, station imaging, promotional audio, and other broadcast content across multiple stations and digital platforms. The Assistant Production Manager works closely with Programming, Sales, Traffic, Promotions, and On-Air staff to ensure all production elements are completed accurately, creatively, and on schedule while maintaining Lotus Seattle Corp. quality standards and FCC compliance requirements. This position requires strong audio production skills, creativity, technical proficiency, and the ability to effectively manage multiple deadlines in a dynamic broadcasting environment. 