Talent Agent Don Buchwald Dies at 88
As originally reported by TMZ, well-known talent agent Don Buchwald died this past Monday (7/22) of natural causes at his Massachusetts home, where he was “surrounded by loved ones.” Buchwald formed his bi-coastal agency Don Buchwald & Associates in 1977 with five associates. The firm employs 130 employees who work across many platforms of entertainment and media. His most notable client, of course, was/is Howard Stern, as well as Stern’s longtime co-host, Robin Quivers. According to TMZ – Buchwald represented Stern personally, “while also acting as his manager and publicist. Stern was Don’s single personally-handled client and Howard referred to ‘super-agent Don Buchwald’ over the years on the radio. Buchwald was instrumental in helping Stern land a megadeal at SiriusXM worth an estimated $90 million a year.” Creator of SiriusXM’s Howard Stern Channels, Sabean Media president Tim Sabean posted on X, “I lost my closest pal today. You left an iconic legacy. I miss you with all my heart and soul. RIP my dear friend.” In a similar post, former SiriusXM SVP of sports programming Steve Cohen notes, “RIP my dear Don from Bensonhurst. An incredible friend, mentor and philanthropist. When I was down, you lifted me up. You made me smarter, wiser and taught me to be a deep thinker. Deepest condolences to the Buchwald family.” When Buchwald and Stern first met, they sat down in Buchwald’s office and talked for an hour. In a 2018 interview, Stern told The New York Times, “He turned to me and said, ‘You know, your career could be as big as Johnny Carson’s.’ I thought this guy might be a little bit nuts. But he believed in me from the very beginning, more than I believed in myself.” Having had no interest in being in the spotlight, Buchwald was quoted in that aforementioned article, “I’m not a particularly boastful person.” Don Buchwald was 88 years old.
Former MLB relief pitcher/26-year Philadelphia Phillies radio analyst Larry Anderson; Beasley Media Group account representative Tina Costello; iHeartMedia, Philadelphia news/community affairs director Loraine Ballard Morrill; and long-time (now retired) all-news KYW, Philadelphia anchor/“Reporters Roundup” host Steve Nikazy are among those who will be entering the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia (BPOP) Hall of Fame. Along with six others, these four will be inducted into the Hall at the nonprofit’s gala in approximately four months (11/22). Hosting the BPOP Hall of Fame event will be 15-time Emmy winner/2015 inductee CBS News Philadelphia morning and noon anchor Jim Donovan and former WPVI-TV, Philadelphia sports anchor/2005 HOF honoree Scott Palmer. Founded in 1962, The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia honors the broadcast history of Philadelphia, supporting the next generation of broadcasters through scholarships and educational opportunities and recognizing those who have made lasting contributions to the industry. 
Former Chicago Council On Global Affairs president/chief content officer Sarah Gilbert is appointed president/chief executive officer of WAMC 
This past Saturday (7/20), Boston Red Sox radio play-by-play announcer Joe Castiglione, whose signature catchphrase is, “Can you believe it,?” was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. “Joe Castig” received the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence. During his acceptance speech, the 77-year-old Hamden, Connecticut native remarked, “Broadcasting baseball is my vocation. It’s the only thing I ever wanted to do, at least since I realized I wasn’t good enough to be a player. At my 50th college reunion, a classmate said to me, ‘You’re the one guy who did exactly what he said he wanted to do,’ and I’m still doing it. What a blessing.” Castiglione’s more than four decades doing Red Sox radio play-by-play marks the longest tenure of any Boston broadcaster on radio or television. In 2004, Castiglione published Broadcast Rites and Sites: I Saw It on the Radio with the Boston Red Sox. Prior to joining the Red Sox broadcasting team in 1983, Castiglione called Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) games (1979) and did some Milwaukee Brewers games two years later. 
Ford Frick was a driving force behind the creation of the Baseball Hall of Fame and helped foster the relationship between radio and baseball. The Hall of Fame has presented the award every year since 1978. To be considered for the award, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, network or a combination of the two.
executive-level employee of the FCC to craft and advance a political playbook to influence the presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.” The Democrats say he may have violated ethics laws for federal employees and the Hatch Act. Carr tells Forbes that he sought counsel from FCC ethics officials prior to working on Project 2025 and they “approved of me participating in my personal capacity, which I did.” He also says they approved him using his FCC title in his biography. Forbes reports, “Carr’s chapter on the FCC calls for the agency to ‘change course’ and focus on reining in big tech and promoting national security. The FCC commissioner proposes overhauling legal protections that shield tech companies from liability for content posted on its platforms and supports Congress passing legislation similar to laws in Texas and Florida that punish social media companies for suspending or banning users based on their ‘viewpoints’ – part of broader claims by conservatives that social media companies are biased against them. Project 2025’s FCC agenda also calls for banning TikTok as part of a crackdown on infrastructure from China and calls for tech companies to provide greater transparency.” 
few weeks. Dobbs was part of the debut of CNN in 1980, serving as vice president and host of the “Moneyline” program. He joined FOX Business in 2011 and served there until exiting in 2021 after being named in the Smartmatic defamation suit. During his career, Dobbs also hosted a talk radio show syndicated by United Stations Radio Networks from 2008 through 2012. He also hosted the “Lou Dobbs Financial Report” syndicated by Salem Radio Network. The program “Lou Dobbs Tonight” won an Emmy in 2004, and Dobbs won a George Foster Peabody Award for his coverage of the 1987 stock market crash.
since 2014 and a part of the Pittsburgh sports media landscape for nearly 25 years. He takes over for Bill Hillgrove, who retired after serving for 30 seasons. King is joined in the booth by color analyst Craig Wolfley. King says, “The Steelers hold a special place in this community and across the country. I am thankful to Art Rooney II, the Steelers and iHeartMedia for giving me this incredible opportunity to be a meaningful part of one of the greatest organizations in professional sports. I look forward to getting started, doing the job well and bringing the enthusiasm of the games to people around the world. I could not be more excited.”
radio stations in Omaha, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Ogallala, and Sioux City. Division president Shosh Abromovich says, “I am thrilled to announce Rhonda as our new area president. Her insightful knowledge of the industry, combined with her sharp skillsets, will undoubtedly drive our team’s growth and development throughout the Nebraska-Iowa Area and throughout iHeartMedia. Her fresh perspective and unwavering dedication to excellence will make her an invaluable asset to our community, our partners, and our listeners.” 
serving with the company in the same capacity in Shreveport, Louisiana. Boden takes over for Cheryl Salomone, who announced her retirement earlier this year. Cumulus SVP of operations Mark Sullivan states, “Tish Boden has been an impactful leader with a strong record of success. I’m happy for her to be closer to her family and happy for our team in Fayetteville, as they are welcoming a strong leader. I’m also grateful for the time that I had to work alongside Cheryl Salomone and thank her for her meaningful contributions to the company and to the Fayetteville community. We wish her the very best in her retirement.”
intended it be a deregulatory exercise. NAB says, “The Local Television and Radio Rules retain and even tighten decades-old restrictions on which – and how many – television and radio stations broadcasters may own in a particular geographic market. The rules are premised on the notion that broadcasters could exert disproportionate influence by shaping news and entertainment options. But that idea is a relic from a bygone era – before the emergence of the Internet, smartphones, social media, and streaming. In reality, broadcasters today struggle to keep pace with rapidly proliferating audio and video platforms that are steadily taking audience share and advertising dollars. Instead of making it harder for broadcasters to compete, the Commission should have modernized its outdated rules because they are no longer justified. Given the significance of the Commission’s rules, the size of the regulatory record, and the number of parties involved, Petitioners respectfully submit that oral argument would be beneficial.”
and WHQT in Miami; WCBS-AM, New York; WINS, New York; and WBLI, WALK, and WKJY on Long Island. She was a two-time Gracie Award winner and was a recipient of other honors and awards. Her greatest joy was her son Ethan, who she shared with her former husband Andrew Kalb. Garcia loved her animals and fostered many kittens through the years as well. 
Evita,” joins the Cumulus Podcast Network, dropping its first episode today (7/16). Cumulus says, “In this first podcast extension under the Bongino umbrella, Gen Z journalist and culture analyst Evita Duffy-Alfonso joins the Bongino Report with a daily show covering all the top stories. ‘Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita’ drops each weekday on most major podcast platforms and is live daily on Rumble.” Dan Bongino says, “You don’t want to miss Evita. She is a bright new face in conservative talk who is not afraid to deliver hard-hitting news, uncensored opinions, and the stories that need to be told. If you love the ‘Bongino Report,’ you’ll love the ‘Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita.’”
announcer last season, will continue as Bills Insider for the station, co-hosting “One Bills LIVE,” weekdays at 1:00 pm and simulcast on MSG Western New York. Audacy Buffalo SVP and market manager Tim Wenger says, “Chris is best suited to carry on the long tradition of informative, passionate and entertaining Bills play-by-play announcing. His decades-long knowledge of the organization will be invaluable as he assumes the play-by-play microphone.”
director at Cumulus Media Dallas-Fort Worth. He tells TALKERS, “We immediately texted and sent push notifications on WBAP and KLIF and then went to FOX News Radio for wall-to-wall coverage. I then called in our WBAP morning hosts Ernie Brown and Carla Marion to talk with medical experts, police officials, and Secret Service experts in between the FOX coverage. After Ernie and Carla, WBAP PM drive host James Parker took over and fielded local listener reactions in between the FOX coverage. Phones and social media were flooded. Local WBAP host Chris Krok then did a special national broadcast on Westwood One’s “Red Eye Radio” 
and took local calls throughout the night.” At Red Apple Media’s WABC Radio in New York, company CEO John Catsimatidis interrupted the live “Cousin Brucie’s Saturday Night Rock & Roll Party” and brought talk host Curtis Sliwa in to go on air and work with the news team throughout the evening. Throughout the evening, WABC Radio air personalities including Dominic Carter, Rita Cosby, Greg Kelly, and more called in. Catsimatidis says, “I am immensely proud of our team who at a moment’s notice dropped whatever they were doing to bring our listeners up-to-the-minute information. Emotions are high across America. By delivering the facts, we bring a sense of calm to our listening community.” 
“Corey Inganamort was hosting the final hour of our live local Saturday afternoon when he noticed some activity on the studio TV. He immediately began describing what he was seeing. After several minutes, we made the call to go to our network partner, FOX News Radio, for coverage. We stayed with the network through the evening.” 
Schaefer tells TALKERS, “Saturday evening, Brett Winterble and news director Mark Garrison were on the air within an hour of the incident, delivering the information as it unfolded. Shortly thereafter, additional members of the WBT team called in to contribute their thoughts and analysis, including Bo Thompson, Vince Coakley, Pete Kaliner, and Brett Jensen. Our coverage continued through 9:00 pm Saturday night. On Sunday we broke from regular programming and went live and local from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, with special continuing coverage 
from “Good Morning BT” hosts with Bo Thompson and Beth Troutman in the morning, Vince Coakley and Pete Kaliner in the midday, and Brett Winterble and news reporter Scott Hamilton in the afternoon.” At iHeartMedia’s KFI, Los Angeles, where it was just after 3:00 pm, Neil Saavedra was live on the air. Program director Robin Bertolucci says, “We immediately went wall-to-wall covering the story. KFI’s Neil Saavedra was on the air doing his regular Saturday show, ‘The Fork Report,’ when it occurred, and he immediately switched to in-depth news coverage of the assassination attempt. KFI news had the latest and we provided ongoing updates for all of our LA iHeart properties and put up the story on all social platforms. KFI’s Gary Hoffmann came in and took over at 5:00 and we covered it wall-to-wall till 8:00 pm.” Bill Brady owns KFNX-AM, Phoenix and
happened to be on the air hosting his Saturday show when news broke. He tells TALKERS, “I was on the air ‘live’ Saturday afternoon. I began the show by saying, ‘This is a very different show than I normally do. Today’s show deals with a very sensitive story. Our president was grazed by a bullet today in Butler County, Pennsylvania. A half an inch difference in the bullet’s path and this could have been an assassination. Others have been killed and wounded. There is much still to learn. Let’s try to make sense of 
this. It is not a day for politics.'” Salem Radio Network says, “Talk host Mike Gallagher raced to Salem studios in Tampa for a rare, two-hour live special broadcast covering this major breaking news story. Joining Gallagher were SRN’s Dr. Sebastian Gorka and Dennis Prager as well as Salem New York morning host Joe Piscopo and Salem Dallas morning host Mark Davis. Former SRN host (and one-time GOP Presidential contender) Larry Elder also joined the broadcast, which fielded calls from listeners in New York, Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Illinois and
many other states.” Obviously, the coverage of a news story of this magnitude spilled over into Sunday. WBEN, Buffalo brand manager Lisa Polizzi says, “We went almost all local on Sunday with David Bellavia in the morning, our ‘Hardline’ political show that included a former FBI agent, a former Buffalo police captain, and the Erie County GOP chair, as well as ‘Reese on the Radio’ taking local calls in the afternoon.”
Dr. Ruth Westheimer holds the audience share record for 18-34s in New York.
Newsradio was the top-rated station in the Seattle market and one of the ten most highly rated stations nationwide. In 2008, the station transitioned from 710 AM to 97.3 FM, continuing its legacy of innovation.” KIRO-FM is presenting a special edition of “Seattle’s Morning News” today with Bill Yeend – the first morning news anchor back in 1974 – returning for the event. Dave Ross, a fixture at KIRO since 1978, and Ursula Reutin, who has been with the station since 1988, will host the special broadcast. “Ross and Reutin will share the mic with their returning colleagues, offering listeners a nostalgic journey through KIRO’s storied past. The alumni news anchors will each be invited to deliver an up-to-date newscast featuring KIRO Newsradio’s current generation of reporters.” 
reporter James Flippin will capture the excitement from the convention floor with up-to-the-minute reports and on-the-spot interviews. WABC Radio host Jeanine Pirro will be attending the Convention and will stop by the WABC Radio Booth to share her views.” Company CEO John Catsimatidis adds, “This is an important time in America, and Americans want to know who will be the next president. As a trusted news and political source, it is our responsibility to provide WABC Radio listeners and our affiliated stations’ listeners vital information and insightful commentary live from the Republican National Convention.
the Biden campaign. Civic Media said in a statement that through the moves, that station “fell short of journalistic standards.” Civic Media said, On Monday, July 8th, it was reported to Civic Media management that immediately after the phone interview was recorded, the Biden campaign called and asked for two edits to the recording before it aired. Civic Media management immediately undertook an investigation and determined that the production team at the time viewed the edits as non-substantive and broadcast and published the interview with two short segments removed.” The network airs programming in Madison, Milwaukee and numerous other markets throughout the state. 
week’s Republican National Convention. “The Megyn Kelly Show” will broadcast live from the pavilion at the Fiserv Forum on both Wednesday and Thursday. Julie Mason will host her POTUS show each day from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and will then kick off the channel’s special nighttime coverage starting on Monday at 8:00 pm ET. And David Webb will also host his Patriot channel program, “The David Webb Show,” in late mornings in addition to joining Patriot’s primetime programming starting Monday at 9:00 pm ET.
station – WRLL, Chicago “1450-La Vozde la Comunidad Latina – will also be on hand, fielding Spanish-language interviews. Midway CEO Melody Spann-Cooper comments, “This initiative underscores our commitment to delivering authentic voices and viewpoints from our multicultural audience. We are excited to bring the RNC closer to our listeners and provide them with direct access to the conversations shaping our nation’s future.”