A Carefully Planned Moment of Spontaneous Magic
By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling on Sunday
Michael Harrison, founder and publisher of TALKERS, and the man who invented the term AOR – let’s not forget – strongly requested that I share this story about a remarkable event we experienced. Michael describes it as the “greatest promotion” he ever witnessed at a non-commercial function involving broadcasters… so I really have no choice but to accommodate him.
Deep background: My wife Katie and I amazed each other that for all the zillions of hours of TV we watched, we agreed that this scene from X-Files (see the still below) was the best ever: https://youtu.be/wUL7y8AMeU8. This single realization rushed us to a marrying minister. Really, who falls in love over a common passion for a scene like that?
Married six years, I wanted to create a memorable event that would “promote” our marriage. I know! My mania dropped this idea in my brain-on-fire: Recreate that scene with the actual actors – LIVE! I had time. Six months to our anniversary.
William B. Davis, who plays “cancer man” on the series, owned an acting school in Oregon – it says so in his
biography. I wrote him a letter inviting him to fly to New York to perform the scene live at our anniversary lunch at the National Arts Club. Two appealing prospects: Manhattan and the famous Club on Gramercy Park. Shockingly, he actually called and said if I would also fly his girlfriend in, he would do it! HE WOULD DO IT. Crap, now I had to do everything else. Invite all 200 wedding guests, stage a show, and not tell anyone that it was going to happen. Katie did not know.
But contacting the alien, Roy Thinnes, was harder. I didn’t want to call his listed agent because his listed agent would quote me a real performance price. But Roy was in a soap opera. From my days at ABC, I became friends with several stars of “General Hospital,” including the kindest person who ever Lived, Jackie Zeman. I called her and asked if she knows how to contact the alien. Miraculously, she said, “Oh I know Roy. I’ll tell him you’re going to call.”
One month out, I called Roy who thankfully lives in Westchester, New York. Roy answered the phone in a 20-ball voice… terrifying. Skittishly, I told him my plan. LONG, PAINFUL PAUSE. Painful. Mr. Thinnes answered, “It would be good to see Bill [Davis] again.” He wanted nothing, neither a limo nor car fare.
Every guest from our wedding showed up including TV reporter Sandy Kenyon, Bob Weinstein of Miramax (the good brother), Kurt and Terry Johnson of
Townsquare fame, Bob McAllan – partner in Press Broadcasting, Michael Ewing and Jay Clark who saved my butt on several occasions, the most powerful people in the room, the owner and staff of The Bagel restaurant in Greenwich Village, TV whiz Edward Hersh and his wife Hillary and, of course, Michael Harrison. That’s a lot of pressure.
Working with a video savant, we found the “X-Files” scene, put it on a DVD and pretended to be ready to show it to the audience as a tribute to our happy marriage. Moments after it started, we made it look like it was skipping. Appearing disappointed and frazzled, I apologized to the crowd and stammered that, we would just have to perform it LIVE. The two stars came from behind a curtain to gasps from the crowd and performed the scene. Wife was thrilled, guests were amazed. I was grateful. It all worked.
Magic. Unexpected. Those are the ingredients of great radio. Unexpected comes from show prep content that stands out, doesn’t fit in. The difference between a person on the radio and a star on the radio is unexpected, surprising content. The stars showed up to the lunch because I asked them. I did not know them nor them me. I asked for what I wanted. And Magic. That’s your talent.
Walter Sabo was the youngest Executive Vice President in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.com. Meet Walter Sabo at TALKERS 2023 on Friday, June 2.
hands are tied as anything he could say has to be approved by management. The Boston Globe reports that Shertenlieb said, “The last time he was out for an extended period, I gave an update and was gently asked for a lot of different reasons that any statement regarding him has to be approved by management. There have been statements that have been submitted, some have been approved, some haven’t been. It just turns into asking, ‘What can I say? What can I say?’ Listen, no one wants to be in this position. Fred doesn’t want to be in this position, the station doesn’t want to be in this position, I certainly don’t want to be in this position, but as of now, all I’ve been approved to tell you, because you’re such great listeners and we love you, is that he’s not here today, I’m not sure exactly when he’ll be back, but I’ve been a friend of Fred’s for years and I hope the best for him.” 
an estimated 24 million Gen Z US monthly podcast listeners. Gen Z listeners are also more diverse than the general population of podcast listeners; 2) 66% of Gen Z podcast listeners say they listen to or watch podcasts to stay up to date with the latest topics, and 61% listen/watch to keep up to date with social issues; 3) While many listen to podcasts while multitasking, 82% say that they listen to podcasts while doing nothing else, and this is especially true for Teens (86%). Podcasts are an important way for this generation to unwind and take a break from other media; 4) Over 80% of Gen Z listeners listen to/watch podcasts to relax, about 2 in 3 listen to escape, and over 50% listen to help them understand how they’re feeling about something. Additionally, almost 1 in 3 think that being on social media has had a negative impact on their emotional well-being; and 5) Over 4 in 10 Gen Z listeners (43%) have purchased a product after hearing a podcast ad for it (*among ages 16+), and 1 in 3 have asked someone to buy a product for them. 
marrow transplant. On May 25, WCCO hosted a live auction with items and experiences provided by the station and sourced by on-air talent, sponsors, and partners. WCCO brand manager Brad Lane comments, “We are so humbled and grateful for our fans’ incredible generosity, the amazing financial support from our corporate partners, and the remarkable donation of ideas and time by our personalities. What a fun day auctioning off priceless, unique experiences for a cause so close and personal to us…in honor of our friend, teammate, and bone-marrow transplant recipient Jordana Green!”
for listening for 60% of consumers. According to a study by MARU/Matchbox, there are a number of reasons listeners gravitate to AM/FM. First is comedic relief: 90% strongly or somewhat agree that their favorite DJs make them laugh. Second is local feel: 73% say personalities understand what makes my city/town unique. And third is thought-provoking: 64% agree that they make them think. Additionally, Magna and Vox Media surveyed 2,028 weekly podcast listeners and asked, “Whose influence matters most?” A stunning 75% cited podcast hosts while only 15% named social media influencers or TV/movie celebrities (10%). 
Member Stations at #2 (75,116 AAS), and Audacy at #3 (66,485 AAS). Cumulus Streaming Network is ranked #4 (40,662 AAS). Beasley Broadcasting Corporate is #6 (19,040 AAS), followed by Hubbard Broadcasting at #8 (14,953 AAS), Urban One at #10 (9,743 AAS), and Salem Communications at #12 (8,297 AAS). 
Until NASA approves company logos on rockets, the fastest billboards an advertiser can buy move at over 200 miles per hour, weigh less than seven ounces and are three-hundredths of an inch thick.
Common Stock, at a ratio with a range between one-for-two and one-for-30, subject to and as determined by a committee appointed by the board of directors.” This action comes after Audacy received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that it is commencing proceedings to delist the company’s Class A Common Stock from the exchange due to Audacy’s stock reaching “an abnormally low selling price.” Trading of Audacy’s Class A Common Stock was halted on May 16 after the share price fell about 12% to $0.09 per share. Now, the NYSE will apply to the Securities and Exchange Commission to delist the company’s common stock pending completion of applicable procedures. Trading of Audacy’s common stock on the NYSE is suspended but the common stock will continue to be able to be traded over the counter. With the value of Audacy’s Class A Common Stock at less than $0.10 per share, the reverse stock split would have to be at least more than a 1-for-10 split in order for the share price to be over $1.00 per share.
says that in 2020, “Carolla made history when he partnered with 
James. The focus on illegal immigration will feature local and national law enforcement officials, along with local community leaders and migrants in answering questions about recent developments, technology advancements, cross-border traffic control systems, border and citizen security, quality of life in the border region, and economic opportunities. James comments, “On this trip, we’re ripping up the talking points and bringing you actual observations and conversations with those directly affected by the crisis at our southern border. I look forward to delivering these real-time moments to the WORD audience.”
received its first notice of non-compliance on April 3. In accordance with the second NASDAQ notice, Urban One has until June 2 to submit a plan to file both delinquent reports or to submit a plan to regain compliance. If NASDAQ accepts the company’s plan, Urban One may get up to 180 days (September 27) to file the reports. If it doesn’t, the company can appeal the decision. Urban One says it intends to submit its plan to regain compliance on or before June 2.
Ramsey, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson, Food Network celebrity chef and restaurateur Maneet Chauhan and more. Dave Ramsey comments, “World-class leadership is becoming more important because that’s who people want to follow. Something happens when you get thousands of powerhouse leaders in one room. After leaving Summit, you’ll be ready to hire and retain top talent, lead with confidence, and strengthen your company culture.” 
Beasley Media Group the advantage of offering their local advertising partners instant and affordable video creative that overcomes traditional barriers to video advertising… The pact with Beasley Media Group is Waymark’s first major step into radio, following recent national video deals with both Spectrum Reach and Gray Television stations. With 
the rise of connected TV and free ad-supported streaming TV channels, this opens a host of new marketing opportunities for local advertisers. Beasley’s local sales teams are already using Waymark to win small business clients by providing customized sample creative for CTV and digital opportunities.” Beasley Media Group VP of operations Kevin Rich comments, “Local advertisers are looking for more effective and cost-efficient ways to stand out and attract customers across multiple media platforms. Our partnership with Waymark allows us to help local advertisers accomplish this goal and maximize the audience that will see and hear their message.”
help serve our clients, listeners and communities to be the best in the industry. I’m excited for the future.” Fulton comments, “The plan and vision the leadership team at iHeartMedia shared with me, along with the wildly talented teams in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Tuscaloosa, has me beyond excited about the days ahead. I can’t wait to collaborate, both internally and externally, to develop market leading content and drive results for the thriving business communities in these three amazing markets.”
Townsquare Media where he was market president and general manager for its Rockford, Illinois station group. Urban One regional VP & general manager Jeffery Wilson Sr. says, “Brian has a track record of taking leadership, customer service, and community service to the highest levels, while working with his teams to reinvent themselves. That’s how we do things at Radio One-DC. We’re thrilled to welcome Brian as we craft historic success on the horizon.”
“I’m thrilled with the momentum we have and love our team. We get the best guests and the in-depth reporting and commentary sets the show apart. But, more than anything, it’s three hours of fun. I love that the show serves as an escape for listeners.” Station content director Keith Abrams states, “‘750 The Game’ is very fortunate to have John Canzano and ‘The Bald Faced Truth’ as part of the team! He IS the voice of truth regarding the Ducks, Beavers, Trail Blazers, the Pac-12 and all things ‘sports!’”