The most discussed stories over the weekend (5/16-17) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Red Apple Audio Networks will launch its 24-hour national radio news service – Worldwide News Network – on Saturday, May 23. The company says the previously announced venture led by VP of news Lee Harris will deliver to stations “professionally produced top and bottom of the hour newscasts every hour, seven days a week, while simultaneously igniting one of the most aggressive newsroom staffing initiatives in radio 
syndication.” Red Apple says is has brought aboard former CBS Radio broadcast journalists Michael Wallace, Cooper Lawrence, Bill Rehkopf, and Matt Pieper as “the first major hires in what will be a rapid buildout of the network’s team of elite news anchors, correspondents, writers, and producers.” Harris says, “We are assembling top-tier journalists and building a modern radio news operation rooted in speed, authority, and facts – one that stations can rely on and listeners can trust.” Red Apple Media owner and CEO John Catsimatidis adds, “Our mission is to be the most trusted news gathering organization in media. We are creating a powerful, around-the-clock newsroom designed to compete at the highest level of broadcast audio news. Facts are what will drive the Worldwide News Network. We’re looking forward to our expansion in the European markets.”
Several reports indicate that Beasley Media Group has cut the local weekday evening show at WPEN-FM, Philadelphia “97.5 The Fanatic” in what is a budget-related move with Kevin Cooney exiting the station. 
Kevin Kinkead at Crossing Broad reports, The station will be ending local weekday programming at 6:00 pm, airing a two-hour “best of” show from 6 to 8, and then shifting to national programming afterward. That’s according to super-secret sources. It means the Fanatic will broadcast its normal daypart lineup – Kincade and Salciunas in the morning, Marks and Brace middays, and then ‘Unfiltered’ with Bill Colarulo and Ricky Bo in the afternoon, but there will no longer be Fanatic hosts doing local shows after 6 p.m. For instance, no Kevin Cooney or Brendan Gunn on the evening shift, which had been generically branded as “Philly Sports Tonight.” Read the Crossing Broad story here.
By Matthew B. Harrison
TALKERS, VP/Associate Publisher
Harrison Legal Group, Senior Partner
Goodphone Communications, Executive Producer
For years, Harrison Legal Group has informed media creators about the legal risks of using copyrighted clips, songs, images, and broadcasts without permission. The issue became central enough to inspire my book, Playing the Clip: The Definitive Digital Media Creator’s Guide to Fair Use (TALKERS Books, 2026). The premise was straightforward: modern media runs on borrowed material, but borrowing comes with legal exposure.
Now the fight is shifting toward something more personal.
The voice itself.
Not the recording. Not necessarily the script. The identity embedded in the sound.
That distinction is becoming increasingly important as AI voice systems improve to the point where listeners can recognize a performer even when the company insists it used a “different actor” or synthetic generation. The Scarlett Johansson dispute with OpenAI may become the defining example. Johansson alleged that OpenAI created a voice assistant that sounded “eerily similar” to her after she declined the company’s request to license her actual voice. OpenAI denied intentionally imitating her and stated the voice belonged to another actress but still paused what they branded the “Sky” voice after backlash intensified.
The case matters because it exposes a legal gray area many creators misunderstand.
A voice is generally not protected by copyright law in the same way a song recording is. But a recognizable voice may still trigger claims involving the right of publicity, false endorsement, unfair competition, or misappropriation of identity. In other words, the legal risk is often not “you copied audio.” The risk is “you exploited identity.”
That distinction matters for broadcasters, podcasters, advertisers, and AI companies experimenting with synthetic hosts, cloned announcers, or celebrity-style narration.
If listeners reasonably believe a celebrity endorsed, participated in, or authorized the content, the legal exposure changes dramatically.
Read more….
Another recent example involves Dua Lipa and Samsung. According to reports, Lipa alleges Samsung used her image on television packaging without authorization, creating the impression she endorsed the product. Samsung reportedly claims the image came from a third-party provider that assured the company all rights were cleared.
That defense may sound familiar to media professionals.
“We got it from somebody else.”
Legally, that is often not enough.
A broadcaster cannot avoid defamation liability merely because a guest made the statement. A publisher cannot automatically avoid infringement exposure because a freelancer supplied the material. And a company may not avoid publicity-rights claims simply because a vendor promised the paperwork existed.
The underlying legal theme is the same: delegation is not immunity.
The AI layer complicates things further because modern systems do not necessarily reproduce exact copies. Instead, they generate approximations that may still evoke a specific person strongly enough to create marketplace confusion.
Courts have dealt with similar issues before. Bette Midler and Tom Waits both successfully sued over soundalike performances used in advertising after declining to participate themselves. The principle is not new. AI simply makes imitation faster, cheaper, and easier to distribute.
That should concern media creators who assume these disputes only affect billion-dollar tech companies.
They do not.
A local station, podcast producer, YouTube creator, or advertiser can now generate celebrity-adjacent voices in seconds. The barrier to entry collapsed. The liability did not.
The safest question is no longer merely “Do we own the audio?”
It is: “Whose identity does this remind people of?”
That answer may determine whether the next lawsuit is really about technology at all.
Or simply old-fashioned commercial exploitation wearing futuristic clothing.
Get your copy of “Play the Clip: The Definitive Digital Media Creator’s Guide to Fair Use” by filling out the request form at HarrisonMediaLaw.com.
Matthew B. Harrison is a media and intellectual property attorney who advises radio hosts, content creators, and creative entrepreneurs. He has written extensively on fair use, AI law, and the future of digital rights. Reach him at Matthew@HarrisonLegalGroup.com or read more at TALKERS.com.
Beasley Broadcast Group reports it operating results for the first quarter of 2026 and reveals net revenue for the period was $42.6 million, a decline of 12.9% from the same period a year ago. The company says that decline is due to “persistent weakness in the traditional agency advertising market that was partially offset by the continued expansion of our high-margin, owned-and-operated direct digital revenues.” Beasley 
adds that it recorded operating income of $7.7 million in the first quarter of 2026, compared to an operating loss of $0.3 million in Q1 of 2025. The increase in operating income was driven primarily by the sale of its Fort Myers stations. Beasley also reported net income of approximately $3.2 million compared to a net loss of $2.7 million, reported a year ago. Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley comments, “While first quarter results continued to reflect pressure in certain legacy advertising categories and an uneven pace of recovery across our markets, we made meaningful progress against the strategic priorities we outlined over the past year. Importantly, we continue to see strong momentum in digital, particularly in our owned and operated products, which grew year-over-year on a same station basis and now represent an increasingly important contributor to both revenue quality and long-term profitability. Markets with stronger digital adoption continue to demonstrate greater revenue stability, reinforcing our confidence in the long-term direction of the business.”
By Pamela Garber, LMHC
Grand Central Counseling Group
New York
These are scary times. People on all sides of the mic are on the front lines. Not just “them,” otherwise referred to as the audience. We try to fool ourselves into thinking that society and civilization are relatively “safe.” However, simply being alive and stepping outside in the morning, turning on the computer, or checking the annoyingly smart phone, puts us smack dab in the middle of a war. Literally and figuratively. But like so much else in this modern era, this war lacks foundation.
We have no base upon which to support conflict and, at every turn, from the most mundane moment of waiting in line at the store to fulfilling a day’s work; from meeting a friend for lunch to using a credit card or answering a phone – danger is just a breath away. Rest assured, YOU are not the only one who feels this way. As much as we try to maintain a professional “distance” from those we serve and with whom we engage from our “platforms” on high – they are us and we are them. I am my patients. You are your listeners. We are all brewing in the same stew. Are you worried about losing your job (or business) as a result of the cutbacks in the media? If you’re not, perhaps you should dig deeper. Or at least get in touch with your empathy – for self and others.
We frogs, who still remember living life in cooler water, are increasingly sad. Underneath one-issue pigeonholing, ideological frustration, or brief political triumph on a so-called good news day, the temperature is still rising. It feels like the world was robbed from us, and, on the inside, we are afraid. We have no baseline within the fundamentals of basic life – medical, legal, family, economy, clergy, education, fidelity, intimacy, and even the justice department.
Humans on both sides of the speaker miss the days when pain could exist in a single file. Today even the specific pain of loss gets steady competition within a backdrop of boiling chaos. Our relatability to each other is increasingly unseen. Our pain breeds ugliness. Ugliness of the verbal and behavioral variety breeds isolation, rage, destruction and an urgent need for help. Expert help. At a time when everyone is an expert, there seems to be no one to call… except maybe a therapist. Or maybe a talk show host.
Pamela Garber, LMHC is a practicing therapist based in NYC and South Florida and a longtime guest mental health commentator on radio and television news programs across the nation. She can be contacted by phone at 646-745-6709 or email at Pamelagarber@gmail.com. Her website is Grandcentralcounselinggroup.com.
By Walter Sabo
A.K.A Walter Sterling
Host, The Other Side of Midnight
WABC, New York / Red Apple Audio Networks
Jay Clark was the first program director of WABC as a talk station. He set the tone and path for modern talk radio. This week I had Jay on as a special guest on the Red Apple Audio Networks all night show, “The Other Side of Midnight.” We celebrated the anniversary, May 10, (1982) of WABC’s switch from music to talk on the giant signal at 770 AM.
There could not have been a better owner at launch: ABC Inc. Facts about ABC Inc (that’s it, it was just ABC Ink):
format in America. KGO was the killer biller in San Francisco. The execs who ran them were mighty proud: Ben Hoberman, Ed McLaughlin, Al Racco, Chuck Debere. Yes, they ran those stations, but they also invented the caller-driven talk format. There were other winning talk stations, but they were guest centric rather than listener centric (i.e. WOR, WGN). At the time, there were 43 stations listed as “talk” stations. 43. Not many models.When walking the halls of WABC during the first talk year, one could feel the excitement and the pride. Those feelings permeated the airwaves and propelled success. One can’t find feelings on a spreadsheet, one can’t find success on a spread sheet either.
The return of feelings
When John Catsimitidis bought WABC, pride and passion returned to the halls and to the air. John and bride Margo love the station, the staff, the format, and the potential. “Cats” and station president Chad Lopez have a simple goal: “We want it to be number one.” You would be shocked at how many managers I’ve met who will never be number one – of any format – because they don’t want to be. They actually say they don’t want to be number one… or can’t.
As of today, as it was at launch, WABC’s owner is proud and passionate and will be number one. PD Kevin Droesch is very much in the Jay Clark school of understanding talent and winning.
Sure, sure you could be a cynic and assume I’m writing this because I work for Red Apple Media. But I don’t assume that you’ve met me.
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 “The Other Side of Midnight” is heard on WABC, New York and the Red Apple Audio Network 1:00 am – 5:00 am. 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. He can be phoned at 646-678-1110.
Cumulus Media’s KTCK-AM/FM, “Sportsradio 96.7 and 1310 The Ticket” is expanding its soccer program, “The KickAround,” into a nightly destination for fans during the 2026 World Soccer action as coverage will run from June 11 to July 19. Longtime contributor and European soccer 
journalist Lars Sivertsen will join ‘The KickAround’ in studio for the duration of the World Soccer coverage alongside the show’s long-standing hosts, Andy Swift and Peter Welpton. KTCK program director Jeff Catlin states, “This is our fourth year to cover World Soccer with expanded programming on ‘The KickAround.’ Interest this year is at an all-time high with key tournament games being played in Dallas-Fort Worth. ‘The KickAround’ will be a destination for Ticket listeners and both soccer fans and casuals.”
Red Apple Media files applications with the FCC to acquire WCRN-AM, Worcester, Massachusetts from Carter Broadcasting for $1.45 million. This will be the first signal acquired by John Catsimatidis’ media 
company outside of the New York City market. The station is currently airing a news/talk format of local, syndicated and brokered programming. Local air personalities include the daily morning show hosts Hank Stolz and Ben White (“Talk of the Commonwealth”) and longtime New England talk host Frankie Boyer who is heard in middays. Red Apple will assume operations under a local marketing agreement until the deal closes. Red Apple and Catsimatidis have made no indication of the company’s intent for future programming.
TALKERS 2026, the 28th annual installment of the longest running and most important national talk media industry gathering, is less than a month away and on track to be an early sellout. Set for Friday, June 5 on the beautiful Long Island campus of Hofstra University, the historic conference will again present more than 60 outstanding speakers in a power packed day of non-stop conversation about the state and future of talk radio and the talk media industry.
The day will launch with a breakfast discussion of “The Art of Storytelling” presented by Lee Habeeb, CEO, host, and producer of the tremendously successful syndicated series, “Our American Stories” which offers an impressive roster of hundreds of news/talk stations across the nation with extremely well written and exquisitely produced overviews of uniquely American aspects of history and popular culture.
TALKERS founder Michael Harrison says, “Lee Habeeb is one of the most important and original broadcasters in the modern talk radio industry. ‘Our American Stories’ consistently delivers a very high level of contemporary spoken word programming that fits the format but broadens its boundaries in a positive manner that rises above hackneyed political ideology. It is no surprise that, since its launch, the show has consistently been one of the classiest and fastest growing syndicated properties in the business.” Harrison concludes, “Everyone talks about the fundamental importance of storytelling in the talk biz. It is only logical that TALKERS 2026 would present the industry’s leading storyteller as a featured speaker.”
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
Jason Reddick’s The Complete Guide to AI Side Hustles is aimed at beginners trying to build passive income. But read it through a broadcaster’s lens and it suggests a blueprint for how radio talent and podcasters can leverage AI to expand their influence, diversify revenue, and stay indispensable in a media economy that rewards relevance and speed.
His central thesis is simple: AI doesn’t create talent – it amplifies it. And that’s especially advantageous if you are already a communicator.
AI Enhanced Audio Services: Your Voice, Supercharged
Reddick writes about “leveraged skills,” and the most leveraged skill you have is your voice. Consider exploiting AI tools to offer:
Each of these is high-trust, high-value, and repeatable. Businesses want a real human voice, and if you’re on radio or have a popular podcast, local businesses already know and trust your voice. AI simply lets you scale it.
Repurposing: Your Secret Weapon
Reddick emphasizes turning one idea into multiple assets. You already generate hours of content. With AI, that becomes:
You’re already doing the hard part. AI helps multiply the output.
“Small, Fast, Useful”
Reddick likes what he calls “microproducts” – simple digital items that solve a problem quickly. As a broadcaster or podcaster, you already know how to explain things clearly and in plain English.
Whether you are repackaging interviews you already do or advertisers you already have (or want), or exploring your own personal interests, or simply addressing the everyday issues you yourself confront as a consumer, what can AI help you produce?
Why These Work: They’re “evergreen” (relevant today and a year from now), high-utility (solves a problem quickly, low-lift (AI drafts, you refine), and trust-based (your voice + clarity = credibility).
If AI can scale your talent, the only limit now is your imagination. You can read the first two chapters of “The Complete Guide to AI Side Hustles,” free, here.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
The WPHT, Philadelphia-based “Kathy Barnette Show” has launched into national syndication via her non-profit Seed & Root Initiative. The weekly show has been airing live on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 11:00 am ET since January and is now being delivered nationally via the Salem Radio Network and by download. Barnette recently announced the national launch of her program at the recent Philadelphia Seed & Roots Summit at the Independence Center that drew fellow Black conservatives as well as Democrats to discuss important issues facing families today.
Barnette – a former U.S. Senate candidate in Pennsylvania – tells TALKERS, “America is at a crossroads, and I believe my voice comes at a critical time. I don’t talk about poverty or perseverance from a spreadsheet – I’ve lived it. From a pig farm in Alabama to the halls of corporate America, from serving in the military to building a national platform, I’ve seen firsthand what faith, discipline, and hard work can achieve. My show is about bringing authenticity, courage, and moral clarity back to the airwaves – and planting the kind of seeds that will offer shade for generations to come.”
Last week (5/2), Barnette devoted an episode of her radio show to the topic, “Breaking the Democrat Lock: Black Men Speak.” She tells TALKERS, “I brought Black men into the studio to discuss the ongoing shift in Black voter sentiment away from the Democrat Party after nearly 70 years of Democrats holding a dominant share of the Black vote. We explored a central question: What changed? What’s driving the erosion?”
Pictured (l-r): William Small II, congressional candidate 3rd CD; Amir Collins, 17-year-old Big Brother volunteer; Kathy Barnette; John Hemphill III, U.S. Air Force Gulf War veteran; and John Allante McAuley, PA GOP State Committee candidate. The child pictured in front is William Small III.
Barnette, a home school teaching mother of two, was the national grassroots director and senior advisor for Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign and is the author of Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: Being Black and Conservative in America (Center Street, 2020).
Lotus Communications’ sports talk KSAC, Sacramento “FOX Sports 104.7/890 AM” drops “The Grant Napear Show” after eight months an
d replaces it with FOX Sports Radio’s “The Odd Couple” with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington. Napear broke the news himself tweeting out, “BREAKING NEWS: I was just informed they are pulling the plug on my show. My thanks to you for your support and @RyaninSactown who did a great job.” Napear references on-air producer Ryan Bohamera. Napear was a host on KHTK, Sacramento and TV voice of the NBA’s Kings but was fired after a media exchange with DeMarcus Cousins over the Black Lives Matter movement.
Last Saturday (5/2), Premiere Networks nationally syndicated personality Glenn Beck in conjunction with non-profit organization Moms for Liberty and the American Journey Experience (a museum, research library and education center focused on American history that’s operated by Beck’s charitable organization Mercury One), hosted an America’s 250th Anniversary celebration on Ellis Island titled, “Sea to Shining Sea.” The exclusive event featured performances by award‑winning singer Mary Millben and contest winners Grace Allen, Derek Hinckley and Chrissy Owens, who were selected from entries submitted to “The Glenn Beck Program” and trained with renowned vocal coach Roger Love. The event also included special guest speakers and a live performance with a 51‑piece orchestra featuring two original songs written by Beck titled, “They Came for the Hope” and “O, Lady of Liberty.” Pictured above in the Ellis Island Great Hall are (from l-r): Derek Hinckley, Grace Allen, Chrissy Owens, Joy Horn, Glenn Beck, and Colleen Shelton.
Today’s blog post from Cumulus Media | Westwood One’s Audio Active Group reports on the results of a March 2026 Advertiser Perceptions study of 301 advertisers and agencies about programmatic buying. The results indicate that 82% that currently use programmatic audio advertising. Some of the findings of the study include: 1) 82% of agencies and 
advertisers are currently buying audio programmatically, up two times from 2022 (41%); 2) The most used programmatic audio demand-side platforms are Google Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk, and Amazon DSP; 3) Among publishers, the most utilized supply-side platforms for digital audio ads are Google Ad Manager, distantly followed by Amazon Publisher Services, Open X, and PubMatic; 4) Among those who purchase podcasts, Google DV360, The Trade Desk, and Amazon’s DSP are the most utilized demand-side platforms; and 5) Recent announcements from Amazon Ads indicate a major expansion of over-the-air AM/FM radio and audio advertising capabilities within the Amazon Demand Side Platform. Regarding that last point, the study notes that those moves “focus on bridging the gap between traditional broadcast AM/FM radio and digital, programmatic buying, allowing advertisers to use Amazon’s first-party signals for targeting and measurement.” See the blog post here.
According to a piece in the Boston Globe, two of Massachusetts’ biggest public media firms are merging. Boston’s GBH and Western Massachusetts-based New England Public Media (NEPM) say the moves is to “expand 
local journalism across the state.” GBH president Susan Goldberg tells the paper the proposed merger of GBH, NEPM, and Cape and Islands radio station CAI will form “one of the largest and most trusted statewide public media newsroom networks in the Commonwealth.” Goldberg adds, “In a media landscape that is constantly changing, and particularly in the 
wake of federal defunding of public media, we are finding new ways to be as impactful as possible for the communities we serve. Simply put, we are stronger together.” Goldberg tells the Globe they have no plans to reduce staff and are planning to invest in new roles. The story adds, “According to the proposal. NEPM will continue to operate as the primary public media provider in Western Massachusetts, maintaining its studios in Springfield and at the University of Massachusetts. Its brand and programming – including local news, music, and educational shows – will remain in place.”
Lotus Communications has an opportunity for an account executive at its Seattle station group that includes all-news KNWN-AM/FM, talk KVI, and country KPLZ. The successful candidate for this position will: Generate revenue for the station 
and meet monthly goals through effective outside sales techniques; Develop new business through selling commercial advertising time and other station products by reaching out to local businesses and other advertisers; Create and present advertising strategies and ideas for local businesses incorporating radio, online and digital mediums; Provide input on sales promotion ideas to sales management; and more. See more and apply here.
Red Apple Media is unveiling its new global audio news platform “created to deliver fair, balanced, and real-time reporting to listeners across the United States and around the world.” The new service is called The Worldwide News 
Network, and Red Apple has recruited New York radio news legend Lee Harris to serve as vice president of news for WABC Radio and The Worldwide News Network. The company says, “The move positions WABC Radio and Red Apple Audio Networks for a dramatic next chapter, transforming the iconic New York news/talk station’s reach into a 24/7 global audio news presence fueled by streaming technology, smart speakers, mobile platforms, syndication, and digital distribution.” Red Apple owner John 
Catsimatidis says, “Today’s digital technology gives us the power to deliver the truth instantly, not just across America, but across Europe and around the globe. WABC Radio is already heard in all 50 states and in 178 countries through our multi-platform distribution. The Worldwide News Network is the natural next step in building a global destination for fair, balanced, no-nonsense news people can trust.” Lee Harris was the morning news anchor at 1010 WINS in New York for 30 years. Additionally, he has advised broadcasters throughout Europe and Asia, helped launch Moscow’s Kommersant FM as a U.S.-style all-news station, lectured at television and radio outlets across China through the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and served as director of integrated operations and New York bureau chief for cable startup NewsNation. Harris comments, “John Catsimatidis has never thought small, and this venture is no exception. The Worldwide News Network is an ambitious, forward-looking news platform designed for how people consume information today. I am thrilled to join Red Apple Media and WABC Radio at such a transformational moment and help build a news organization with both national strength and international reach.”
The National Association of Broadcasters announcea that the 2026 Marconi Radio Award nomination window is open through May 31. The winners of the 2026 Marconi Radio 
Awards will be announced during a dinner program on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at the Edison Ballroom the night before NAB Show New York being held on October 21 – 22. The Marconi Radio Award finalists are selected by an independent body of broadcasters and will be announced in summer 2026. All nominations must be submitted through the NAB member portal. The complete list of entry rules and qualifications can be found here
.
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month this May, Beasley Media Group says it is leveraging the power of its Beasley Best Community of Caring initiative to support 
listeners and spark meaningful conversations around mental well-being. Throughout the month, Beasley stations nationwide will deliver on-air PSAs, share informative and relatable online stories, and extend supportive messaging through Quu dashboard displays. Beasley chief communications officer Heidi Raphael says, “Mental health touches everyone in some way. If we can use our platforms – on-air, online, and in the car – to encourage even one person to check in, reach out, or take a moment for themselves, then we’re making a difference – and that’s what Community of Caring is all about.”
Cumulus Media says that it is “accelerating its commitment to data-driven sales by partnering with The Media Audit and TOMA.Solutions to bring sophisticated market and consumer intelligence to Cumulus stations across a growing number of U.S. markets, providing a level of local clarity that goes far beyond traditional audience metrics.” The company says that The Media Audit provides granular local market data 
on consumer lifestyles, purchasing behavior and cross-platform media usage while TOMA.Solutions adds a powerful layer of competitive insight by measuring “Top-of-Mind Awareness,” revealing which local brands own the first-to-mind position in their categories. Cumulus president of operations Dave Milner says, “Today’s advertisers want more than audience delivery. They want insight, clarity, and a stronger connection between marketing decisions and business results. By integrating specialized resources like The Media Audit and TOMA.Solutions into our broader research suite, our teams in these markets provide an even deeper level of local intelligence, helping our clients build more precise and effective campaigns.”
By Pamela Garber, LMHC
Grand Central Counseling Group
New York
To quote a radio friend, “Some talk show hosts think the news of the day only exists to serve up interesting fodder for their shows.” Many media practitioners, whose jobs encompass letting their audiences know about the pain and suffering of “others,” feel personally exempt from experiencing a connection to the talking points of poverty, ignorance, violence, and injustice that they eagerly collect (and even welcome) as fresh “content” for their platforms. It’s all just “material” to them.
That was a largely overlooked aspect of last Saturday night’s Washington Hilton debacle in which some 2,600 members of the press, media, and political punditry came face-to-face with the sheer terror of not knowing if they were about to be caught in a spray of deadly bullets from an insane perp’s automatic weapon. During those fleeting seconds of horror we witnessed, in excruciatingly real time, a political cross-section of America’s media insiders understandably cowering in the face of such a deadly possibility. A critical mass of the nation’s observers, influencers and content creators, might never again be numb to what had seemingly become a normal occurrence in schools, malls, churches, theaters, and other public places. Empathy comes from experience… and experience has a way of transforming the abstract into the concrete.
The WHCD (alleged) shooter “incident” forced several thousand formally attired, champagne-sipping, Saturday evening socialites into becoming terrified participants – actors in a very real-life news story that they had told countless times – looking for a table under which to take cover or a rolling tray behind which to hide.
First-hand life experience reshapes us (or our core beings) more profoundly than any other learning format curriculum. This concept is especially applicable to talk radio – one of humanity’s most personally influential forms of mass communication.
Pamela Garber, LMHC is a practicing therapist based in NYC and South Florida and a longtime guest mental health commentator on radio and television news programs across the nation. She can be contacted by phone at 646-745-6709 or email at Pamelagarber@gmail.com. Her website is Grandcentralcounselinggroup.com.
Audacy congratulates Philadelphia Eagles play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese on being named a 2026 recipient of the Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service for his outstanding contributions to mass 
communications and his lasting impact on sports broadcasting. Audacy’s WIP-FM, Philadelphia serves as flagship station for Eagles broadcasts. Reese was honored on April 24 at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware. Fellow 2026 honorees include astronaut Michael Massimino and actress Jane Seymour. Audacy SVP of sales David Yadgaroff comments, “Merrill Reese is a Philadelphia institution and one of the greatest play-by-play broadcasters in NFL history. His passion, professionalism and unmistakable voice have defined generations of Eagles football on the radio. We’re incredibly proud to have him on our team and see him receive this well-deserved and remarkable achievement.” Each recipient receives a $75,000 prize, funded through a trust established by Ralph Hayes.
Cumulus Media promotes Art Webb to program director for news/talk stations KABC, Los Angeles and KSFO, San Francisco. He has been serving as assistant program director and executive producer for both stations since 2017. He takes over for Luis Segura, who recently 
assumed the operations manager role at the company’s WMAL-FM, Washington. Cumulus regional vice president Larry Blumhagen states, “Art has proven to be exceptionally dedicated and creative in his years as APD for KABC. We are eager to watch him bring those qualities to the role of program director for KABC and KSFO.” Webb comments, “I’m excited to step into this role and build on the strong foundation already in place at both stations. Our focus remains on creating engaging, relevant content that truly connects with California listeners while continuing to elevate the incredible work of our talented teams. With such outstanding rosters in Los Angeles and San Francisco, I’m looking forward to sharing in much success together.”
Triton Digital Collaborates with Nielsen Audio. Nielsen and Triton Digital are collaborating to integrate Triton Digital’s Podcast Metrics Demos+ into Nielsen’s cross-media planning tool, Nielsen Media Impact (NMI). Managing director of Nielsen Audio Rich Tunkel says, “Our collaboration with Triton Digital makes it easier for advertisers to evaluate and plan podcasts alongside, and with the same level of precision, comparability and confidence as other media channels, delivering a critical need.”
Seaboard Networks to Distribute Wrestling Show. Seaboard Networks is now distributing “Wrestling with Heart by Stanley Karr” – a one-hour program hosted by wrestling fanatic Stanley Karr. Seaboard’s marketing solutions consultant Bob Stei states, “Wrestling has a fan base of millions of people. This is a good place for them to enjoy banter on their favorite topic.”
Nielsen Names DeTraglia to Executive Post. Nielsen is appointing Julie DeTraglia head of content and strategic insights. In this role, she’ll lead strategy for Nielsen’s editorial marketing content, which includes social media, insights articles, client communications, events, sales enablement tools and podcasts. Nielsen head of global marketing Sacha Weinberg states, “Julie has a rare talent for transforming data into clear, actionable strategy. She doesn’t just look at where the market has been – she identifies the signals that tell us where it’s going next. Her ability to synthesize deep historical insights with current market dynamics will be a gamechanger for how we deliver value to our clients in a constantly evolving landscape.” DeTraglia most recently served as vice president of ads measurement at Netflix.
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
Stations I work with are confronting a generational revenue issue: Local direct retail business owners who are Baby Boomers are retiring. And their heirs are moving the radio dollars that built their parents’ businesses to search engine optimization and elsewhere-digital. The narrative we present them: “Radio is ‘a reach engine’” for the digital content people their age personally favor. In this mode, the station feels less like “your father’s Oldsmobile;” and more present tense. Many of these next-generation businesspeople are avid podcast listeners, and that presents an opportunity.
If you still have a stack of TALKERS issues going back 36 years to when it was a newsprint trade delivered by snail mail – you will find my reports from the very first podcasting conventions. I wrote then that the energy in those rooms felt like radio conventions felt before consolidation thinned our herd. As AM/FM programming was settling into predictable grooves – music “safe lists” and talk radio’s political caricature – enthused podcasters were gleefully coloring outside the lines. Many podcast topics were too narrowcast for broadcast radio, whose superpower will always be relevant, helpful local content. Yet podcasters were already building listener communities, and finding related advertisers, on what we then called “the World Wide Web.”
Back to the future: Among takeaways from last week’s NAB Show: Podcasters are no longer the Rodney Dangerfields of audio. 2026 Edison Research pegged the turning point: Time Spent Listening to podcasts has surpassed TSL to spoken word radio. Podcasting is now mainstream media, available on smartphones and smart speakers, which outnumber many households’ radio receivers.
Meanwhile, radio’s own podcast efforts have been – putting it charitably – underoptimized.
Here’s the opportunity: Radio has what podcasters want, and podcasters have what radio needs.
Put these two together and you get a synergy that moves the needle for broadcasters and podcasters… and advertisers.
For all these reasons – and because consolidation, automation, and syndication have clobbered radio’s farm team – stations and podcasters should seek each other out. 1 + 1 can = 3… or more, with coordinated, scalable workflow. Here’s the schematic.
There’s more on podcasting in my daily TALKERS updates from last week’s NAB Show. If you missed any, they’re archived at HollandCooke.com
Holland Cooke is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
Marketing pros Gayle Troberman, former CMO for iHeartMedia and David Alberts, former chief creative officer for Grey London are launching Bubbler Media Group, a “conversation company designed to break the marketing cycle of safe thinking and predictable playbooks.” The company’s press release says Bubbler “is a marketing company designed for marketers by marketers built to spark and scale human conversations as a catalyst for ideas and growth. Through 
provocative podcasts, unexpected live experiences, and new research, tools and planning solutions, Bubbler is designed to get brands into the conversation in fresh ways.” As part of its launch, Bubbler announces a partnership with iHeartMedia to develop and distribute a slate of original business and marketing podcasts, with more than 10 original podcasts slated for this year. President of iHeartPodcasts Will Pearson says, “The iHeartPodcast Network has always been focused on the new genres and audiences we can reach through this incredible medium – and the ‘business-to-business’ space is a perfect example of that. Creating a slate in podcasting for marketing executives to have meaningful, deep conversations with each other about the world of business and advertising will have immense value for our listeners and brand partners alike.”
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
My notes from a real useful session with Amazon’s Andy Slater, Audacy’s Michael Biemolt, and YouTube’s Neha Taleja, moderated by WTOP’S John Wardock.
Video trends:
Podcasts:
AI trends:
During Q+A, I asked: “You’ve given us some real useful ‘Do’s.’ What are the ‘Don’t’s?”
If you missed any of this week’s NAB Show updates, click here.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
Cumulus Media | Westwood One’s Audio Active Group reveals that according to Edison Research Share of Ear data, Honda automobile drives listen predominantly to AM/FM radio when listening to ad-supported audio (83%). Ad-supported podcasts come in second at 8%. The report goes on to say, “U.S.
government studies report most commutes are a solo affair. In the car, Honda drivers cannot be reached by social media, online video, or any digital platform while commuting to work. What are the audio habits of Honda drivers in all locations (home, work, vehicle, and some other place)? Edison examined audience shares among Honda drivers to ad-supported audio platforms at home, in the car, at work, and some other place. In all locations, Honda drivers devote 62% of all their ad-supported audio time spent to AM/FM radio.” See more about the study here.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications unveils Radio Hall of Fame 2026 nominees. The 24 nominees were chosen by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, with input from the
radio industry and listeners. Voting for inductees begins Friday (4/24) and runs through May 8. The top six vote recipients will gain induction as part of the 2026 Radio Hall of Fame Induction class. The additional inductees that will make up the induction class will be selected by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. Spoken-word nominees include: Boomer Esiason, Joey Reynolds, John & Ken, and Larry Elder. See all the nominees here.
Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc announces that McVay Media president Mike McVay is the recipient of the 3rd Annual MIW Erica Farber Impact Award that recognizes individuals “who drive meaningful change by actively engaging with impactful organizations and generously 
contributing their time, expertise, and resources. Honorees are true champions of service, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to fostering growth and progress within the industry.” McVay was presented with the award by Erica Farber on April 20, at the MIW Lipstick & Lobster Dinner at Maggiano’s. MIW board president Sheila Kirby states, “Mike McVay has been a consistent and powerful advocate for both the radio industry and the advancement of women within it. His willingness to share his time, expertise, and influence has made a lasting impact on MIW and the broader community we serve. Mike doesn’t just support the mission, he actively helps move it forward, and that kind of leadership is exactly what the Erica Farber Impact Award represents.”
“The Bob & Tom Show” co-founder Bob Kevoian died on Friday at the age of 75 after a three-year battle with cancer. With partner Tom 
Griswold, the two launched The Bob & Tom Show in 1983 and the WFBQ, Indianapolis-based program took off, going into syndicated in 1995. The program, still led by Griswold, is heard on some 100 affiliate stations. Kevoian retired from the show in 2015. Kevoian went public with his cancer diagnosis in 2023 and launched “The Bob & Cancer Show” podcast with his wife Becky and Whit Grayson.
The Key Networks nationally syndicated “Tony Katz Today” program adds new affiliates as WFDF, Detroit “910 Superstation” and WHBO-AM/W233CV, Tampa add the program to their lineups. The program airs daily from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm ET from flagship WIBC-FM, Indianapolis.
By Pamela Garber, LMHC
Grand Central Counseling Group
New York
In a piece I recently wrote for TALKERS I encouraged talk show hosts and producers to book more guests from the mental health profession to provide much-needed relief from the alarming level of anxiety afflicting American society. Since then, the non-stop news cycle, replete with the media pushing people’s buttons to keep them sucked in, has me further convinced this need would benefit the medium as well as the public. Win-win.
People today are negatively impacted by fear, pressure, disgust and confusion. Pressure to keep up with runaway technology. Fear of crushing financial responsibilities and institutional betrayal. Anger over ever-lurking danger from scams, identity theft, and violent assault on the street. Confusion over rapidly changing values, diminishment of ethics, and contentious relationships.
The result: talk radio listeners (as well as potential ones) are drowning in anxiety.
Where does the tumult of an increasingly noisy and uncertain world reach a daily crescendo? On news/talk radio, of course. That unto itself is not a bad thing. The airing of news and views in the public marketplace of ideas is both therapeutic and a healthy exercise of our First Amendment rights. It is also grimly entertaining.
However, as both a therapist in practice for over two decades and a guest on many talk show interviews, I strongly believe that people need an occasional “spoonful” of relief to “help the medicine go down.” It’s not that I’m advocating sugar coating the content. But even just acknowledging the problems real people are facing from a human perspective can alleviate pain.
Mile markers to the rescue
My experience as a running enthusiast evokes a talk radio reference to the “mile markers” that dot the paths of long-distance races.
It was at mile 18 in the New York Marathon when I first yearned for a mile marker. Mile markers are those coveted little stations along the running races where everyone who extends their arm to offer runners a cup of water or Gatorade is Florence Nightingale to each participant who grabs the “reward.”
A little mile marker has such a big impact on going the distance in races (and in life). Life is hilly, sometimes suddenly downhill, with sprints and injuries, struggling to keep pace, and pretending to be slow. Mile markers in real life give us a boost. That occasional mental health expert popping up every now and then as a news/talk radio element can put things in context, offer solutions, and stop the spread of those deadly words: “I can’t listen to this anymore; It make me too anxious.”
Check out this talk radio hit, “Close My Ears,” by Gunhill Road by clicking here.
Pamela Garber, LMHC is a practicing therapist based in NYC and South Florida and a longtime guest mental health commentator on radio and television news programs across the nation. She can be contacted by phone at 646-745-6709 or email at Pamelagarber@gmail.com. Her website is Grandcentralcounselinggroup.com.
The next step for Cumulus Media in its Chapter 11 reorganization is the Federal Communications Commission after the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas yesterday (4/15) approved its
previously disclosed Plan of Reorganization. Cumulus Media president and CEO Mary G. Berner says, “When we initiated this prepackaged restructuring in March, we did so with a clear objective: to right-size our balance sheet to support long-term success. The court’s prompt approval of our plan keeps us firmly on track to eliminate approximately $600 million in debt and positions us to emerge with a significantly stronger financial foundation. We look forward to completing the restructuring and emerging as a well-capitalized company, better equipped to compete in the evolving audio landscape.”