TALKERS News Notes
AURN Exec Honored with NAN Award. The CEO of American Urban Radio Networks parent company A Wonder Media Company, Chesley Maddox-Dorsey, received the President’s Award for her role in amplifying Black voices in media at the National Action Network’s 2025 Triumph Awards on October 6. at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.
iHM Recognizes Five Years of The Black Effect Podcast Network. iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God are celebrating five years of The Black Effect Podcast Network – a podcast publisher dedicated to Black listeners. Charlamagne Tha God says, “Our mission has always been to build a dedicated platform where Black voices can thrive. We have accomplished that mission and more. The past five years have been extraordinary, and the future of the Black Effect excites us. We will keep inspiring, empowering and creating culture and opportunities for all.”
Saga to Present at Noble Capital Markets Conference. Saga Communications executives Christopher S. Forgy, president and CEO, and Samuel D. Bush, EVP, chief financial officer and treasurer, will presenting at today’s Noble Capital Markets’ Emerging Growth Virtual Equity Conference at 4:00 pm ET. The presentation will feature a fireside style Q&A session with Michael Kupinski, director of research and senior media & entertainment analyst at Noble Capital Markets.
aftermath of his slaying in Utah on September 10. The top three podcasts remain in order from the August ranker with NPR’s “NPR News Now” at #1, followed by The New York Times’ “The Daily” at #2 and NPR’s “Up First” at #3. Other talk radio related shows include FOX Audio Network’s “FOX News Hourly Update” rising one place to #4 and DailyWire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” falling four places to #12. 
These aren’t just bulletin boards. They’re extensions of your station, where listeners expect to be acknowledged and advertisers expect to see results.
but sources tell Reuters that it would likely be sometime after November. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz criticized Carr for comments he made on the Benny Johnson podcast about late night talk host Jimmy Kimmel’s joke that appeared to threaten ABC/Disney and promise FCC action against the company if it didn’t take action on its own. On his Premiere Networks distributed podcast, “The Verdict with Ted Cruz,” Cruz said of Carr’s comments, “I got to say that’s right out of ‘Goodfellas.’ That’s right out of a Mafioso coming into a bar going, ‘Nice bar you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.’” Carr recently said that’s not what he meant and stated, “We don’t want to see weaponization of government by any administration against any perspective – and that’s certainly not what we’re doing here.”
market manager Steve Sinicropi says, “We are proud to launch UPSTATE RED and bring a new conservative voice to the Upstate region. ‘UPSTATE RED’ will be a premier destination for principled conversation, insightful news, and engaging talk with some of the biggest names in national talk radio, providing the most important news and information to the Upstate.” The programming lineup includes Premiere Networks’ Glenn Beck, Clay Travis & Buck Sexton, Sean Hannity, and Jesse Kelly, as well as Michael DelGiorno in mornings, Westwood One’s Rich Valdes in late nights and FOX News Radio’s Will Cain.
As a media consultant, my team has had the privilege of being engaged extensively by members of the C-Suite. Becoming a member of the C-Suite is a common goal. To get into any group, acceptance often depends on acting and appearing like established members. Here are some of the actions observed of business masters whom we consulted:
Sure, radio’s superpower is that we’re live. But 75% of all advertising dollars are now spent on digital. And Netflix, YouTube, and podcast platforms have conditioned consumers to expect that their content will wait for them (“on-demand”), not the other way around (“linear,” meaning real-time on-air). If your best content disappears the moment it airs, you’re leaking value. Think: time-shifted, searchable, and shareable.
for the Amplified Voices Podcast Network and Amplified Voices TV. American Urban Radio Networks CEO Chesley Maddox-Dorsey says, “This launch represents a powerful evolution in our mission to serve Black audiences. By creating two distinct digital destinations under AmplifiedVoices.com — AVTV and AV Podcasts — we are sharpening our focus to better meet the needs of our listeners, viewers and content partners.” Content will include “On the Record” with AURN News correspondent Ebony McMorris, “Café Mocha Radio,” and “reACT with Rev. Al.”
Have you noticed a profile pattern for the mass shooters and political assassins? 20-30 years old. Living at home or close.
insights. Aragon joined Skyview in 2014, and Skyview says he has “built a reputation among his colleagues and our clients as a highly analytical contributor, whose insights support the sales team, our advertisers, and our networks.” At the same time, Heather Baumanis is promoted to executive director, business development and communications. In this role, she’ll support Skyview’s business portfolio of sports partnerships and maintain and contribute to new and existing client relationships while leading the company’s internal, external, and corporate branding initiatives. 
Democrats in Congress have lashed out at FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for his statements about ABC/Disney and Jimmy Kimmel’s Charlie Kirk bit that got Kimmel suspended from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Last week, Carr appeared on the Benny Johnson podcast and called Kimmel’s statements “some of the sickest conduct possible” and added, “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney… We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” ABC/Disney has television affiliates owned by both Nexstar and Sinclair, which objected to Kimmel’s comments and threatened to pull Kimmel’s show from the air. Nexstar has a $6.2 billion 
merger with Tegna in the works and needs FCC approval and critics of Carr’s comments are calling him out for appearing to threaten ABC. Republican Senator Ted Cruz, on his Premiere Networks podcast ‘The Verdict,’ disagreed with Carr saying, “Let me tell you if the government gets in the business of saying, ‘We don’t like what you the media says. We’re going to ban you from the airwaves if you don’t say what we like.’ That will end up bad for conservatives.” President Trump – who’s publicly mused about investigating his media critics – weighed in after being asked about Cruz’s response by saying, “I think Brendan Carr’s a courageous person. I think Brendan Carr doesn’t like to see the airwaves be used illegal and incorrectly and purposefully horribly.”
our airwaves free from government influence. The First Amendment affords our stations – and all Americans – this fundamental right, and the mere perception that broadcasters acted because of undue pressure is a problem for our credibility and the trust we have built with our audiences.
Don’t let Halloween sneak-up on you. The only holiday Americans spend more for is Christmas. So – to seem more in-touch than your robotic and/or non-local audio competitors – plan something spook-tacular.
Federal Communications Commissioner Anna M. Gomez issued a statement criticizing the Commission’s threats against ABC that, in part, led to the suspension of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” program. Her statement is as follows: “We cannot allow an inexcusable act of political violence to be twisted into ajustification for government censorship and control. First, an ABC reporter was told that his coverage amounted to hate speech and that he should be prosecuted simply for doing his job. Then, the FCC threatened to go after this same network, seizing on a late-night comedian’s inopportune joke as a pretext to punish speech it disliked. That led to a shameful show of cowardly corporate capitulation by ABC that has put the foundation of the First Amendment in danger.
her SiriusXM podcast, former FOX News Channel star Megyn Kelly criticized FOX for, as she calls it, talking like he was theirs. “It’s really bothering me how FOX News is talking about Charlie, like he was theirs — he wasn’t. It’s a lie. Just stop.” Kelly accuses FOX of making Kirk persona non grata after the company fired Tucker Carlson because Kirk was supportive of Carlson. The story from Newsmax adds that “Kirk appeared to be completely absent from FOX News in 2023 after Carlson’s firing and early 2024 – though Kelly claimed the network would give him brief appearances to cover for their effective ban.” The Newsmax piece goes on to quote Kirk on the matter. “Since Tucker’s departure, I haven’t been on. And so we had to do an event without FOX. And that was a great thing, man, because sometimes desperation is the mother of innovation, right?” 
and “Up First” stayed in the #1 and #2 spots, respectively. News/talk radio related shows of note include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “VINCE” rising two places to #11 and iHeart Audience Network’s “Armstrong & Getty On Demand” climbs two places to #22. The ranker is based on weekly average downloads for participating publishers. 
Salem Radio Network announces that Megyn Kelly is hosting “The Charlie Kirk Show” today (9/17). This week, guest hosts have included Vice President JD Vance and Glenn Beck. It appears SRN will continue to present more high-profile talk media personalities as guest host of the show. Additionally, Salem Radio Network will provide live coverage of the Charlie Kirk Memorial Service from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona this Sunday, anchored by SRN’s White House correspondent Greg Clugston.
guest host because he specifically asked for the honor, so he can share his thoughts and remembrances on the passing of his personal friend. SRN adds, “We have received permission from Premiere Networks to allow Glenn to do this, even though he may be on a competing station in some radio markets. This is one of those rare times where competitors unite for the common good. We wanted our stations to know this special broadcast has been approved. It promises to be memorable radio.” SRN says other major stars will fill in during the coming days. Vice President JD Vance guest-hosted live from The White House on Monday and Tuesday’s show was hosted by Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles and Ben Shapiro.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, one would expect every company that owns a talk radio station, every network that syndicates conservative voices, and every corporation that employs talk radio hosts to issue a unified statement of defiance. This was not just an attack on Charlie; it was an attack on the entire industry of talk radio, on the free exchange of ideas, and on the First Amendment itself. Yet, shockingly, most of these companies have remained silent. That silence is unacceptable. At a moment like this, the industry should stand shoulder to shoulder and declare to the world: we will not be intimidated, we will not be silenced, and we will never abandon the microphone.
Amazon learned that there are high volume sales for specific categories of products. High demand equals high value to the seller. Items such as diapers, printer ink, staplers, batteries, etc. Being brilliant, Amazon created “Amazon Basics.” Same products, white labeled. Amazon doesn’t manufacture batteries; they just slap their logos on what America needs most. That’s why Mr. Bezos has a bigger boat than you.
Salem Media Group announces that to honor Salem Radio Network talk host Charlie Kirk, Vice President JD Vance is guest hosting “The Charlie Kirk Show” today (9/15) at 12:00 noon ET. This special broadcast live from The White House will air on the Salem Radio Network and will be simulcast on Salem News Channel. Vice President Vance tweeted on Sunday, “I will have the honor of hosting the Charlie Kirk Show. Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend.” Salem Radio Network VP/news & talk programming Tom Tradup says, “The Vice President and Second Lady Usha Vance flew to Phoenix to be with the Kirk family immediately following last Wednesday’s assassination, and they also flew Charlie’s coffin home from Utah on Air Force Two.”
Radio programmers and sales managers know the drill: The GM drops an idea, a client makes a request, or a listener offers feedback – and the reflex is to jump straight into execution. But what if the real opportunity lies not in what’s asked for, but in what’s actually needed?
Cox Media Group’s Atlanta news/talk 95.5 WSB (WSB-AM/WSBB-FM) is adding Premiere Networks’ “Coast to Coast AM” hosted by George Noory to its program schedule. WSB director of branding and programming Ken Charles says, “We’re thrilled Coast to Coast AM with George Noory is joining the 95.5 WSB-AM lineup. George’s unique voice and compelling content are a perfect overnight fit for our listeners. This is a powerful addition to our lineup of live and local talent.”