TALKERS News Notes
“1300 The Zone” Adds Longhorns Show. iHeartMedia’s KVET-AM, Austin “1300 The Zone” announces a new partnership with the “3rd & Longhorn” football show to deliver expanded coverage of the Texas Longhorns’ 2025 college football season, including the launch of a brand-new postgame show. The “3rd & Longhorn Postgame Show” will air live on “1300 The Zone” immediately following every Texas Longhorns football game.
VSiN Unveils New Program Schedule.VSiN, The Sports Betting Network announces its new programming lineup to coincide with the 2025 NFL season that includes, among numerous changes, including an additional hour for “A Numbers Game” with Gill Alexander and producer Kelley Bydlon expanding to 10:00 am to 1:00 pm ET and the addition of a Sunday show for “Follow the Money” hosted by Mitch Moss and Pauly Howard.
technical operations. This one-of-a-kind, year-long mentorship pairs a rising professional with a seasoned industry leader to provide one-on-one coaching and deep exposure to the technical side of the broadcast industry.” The selected mentee will gain hands-on insight into critical areas including FCC compliance, RF systems, EAS, IP-based broadcast systems, automation, and network operations. The program also explores key aspects of IT, remote broadcasting, digital audio, streaming, and systems integration, equipping participants with both the knowledge and connections to lead confidently in the evolving audio landscape. In addition, the chosen mentee will attend the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas. MIW Board President Sheila Kirby says, “The LAUNCH program is a cornerstone of MIW’s mission to open doors for women in every corner of broadcasting. By focusing on engineering and technical operations, we’re not only providing critical skills and mentorship, but also ensuring that women have a strong voice in shaping the future of our industry. We are deeply grateful to Mr. Master, Premiere Networks, and of course the NAB Leadership Foundation for their support in helping us prepare the next generation of broadcast leaders.”
women’s basketball games this season and a total of 28 episodes of the “Bruin Insider Show” on Thursdays at 7:00 pm. KABC program director Luis Segura comments, “With KABC’s powerhouse signal and UCLA’s legacy teams, Southern Californians will get some of the best in sports programming starting Fall 2025! We are tremendously excited to partner with UCLA as the new official broadcast home of Bruins football and men’s basketball and look forward to turning up the volume on Bruins coverage for our passionate 790 KABC listeners and Southern California sports fans.”
Imagine a listener “talking” to an AI version of you – trained entirely on your old episodes. The bot knows your cadence, your phrases, even your voice. It sounds like you, but it isn’t you.
his remarkable contributions to the radio industry over the past four decades. Mike’s deep expertise, creative vision and unwavering commitment to excellence have shaped countless careers, inspired new generations of broadcasters and driven innovation in every corner of the audio industry. His ability to nurture talent and create programming that resonates with audiences makes him a most deserving recipient of this year’s National Radio Award.” McVay is president of McVay Media and recently served as EVP of content and programming for Cumulus Media and the Westwood One radio network. NAB says the celebrated media strategist, programmer, talent coach and industry leader will receive this prestigious accolade during the NAB Marconi Radio Awards at the 2025 NAB Show New York.
deal, KPOJ-AM “Rip City Radio 620 AM” continues as the flagship station. Travis Demers enters his seventh full season as the team’s radio play-by-play announcer with Michael Holton as color commentator and Rip City Radio’s Chad Doing hosting both pre- and post-game shows.
An annual physical is a wise idea. Doc asks, “How are you doing?”. Then he or she asks some detailed questions based on your medical history. Then “how have you been feeling? Any issues?” Doc always orders blood draws to see what might be lurking. Is the statin drug keeping your cholesterol in check? Are you getting plenty of exercise, plenty of sleep? How’s your diet? Over the years, I’ve visited about my health with at least a dozen different doctors. I’m convinced that the good ones always ask good questions and then listen carefully. Good questioner – good listener. That’s the doc I can respect and put my trust in.
Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” remains ranked #5 while Cumulus Podcast Network’s “Shawn Ryan Show” rises one place to #6. Other talk radio related shows of note include: Cumulus Podcast Network’s “VINCE” dipping three places to #13; iHeart Audience Network’s “Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” rising two places to # 14; and Cumulus Podcast Network’s “Mark Levin Show” falling six places to #35. 
6:00 am to 9:00 am slot. DelGiorno comments, “I love every listener and city equally, but I’d place Poughkeepsie in the memorable class alongside Nashville (my first affiliate), Detroit (my 50th), and now Poughkeepsie (100th). I’ll always remember this moment! I’m thrilled to be on the Hudson River, serving this great audience, and I look forward to seeing where the river leads me in the months and years ahead.”
As TV touts its perennial New Fall Season, our DVR is already set to “record series” so we can pick-up where the “Matlock” sequel left-us-hanging; and for a third season of quirky “Elsbeth” (a closet reboot, the female “Columbo”). And where I live – where everyone seems to know everyone – we are salivating for “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.”
Murrow Awards for Television, Radio and Digital news operations at the network, large market and small market levels. Radio Network winners include ABC News, NPR and Canada’s CBC. Radio station winners include: KMOX, St. Louis; WSB, Atlanta; WTOP, Washington; and WWNC, Asheville. The presentation of the awards will take place on October 13 at Gotham Hall in New York City. 
The problem with technocrats is they believe computer programs and machines solve all problems. A technocrat in charge of a business will it kill it, for sure. For example, once a movie theatre is automated, not requiring a pesky projectionist or even a snack counter attendant, you and I would still not buy a ticket – unless the theater was showing an actual MOVIE!
The program is hosted by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Premiere Networks-syndicated radio personality and podcaster Ben Ferguson who break down the most important news stories of the week and what they mean for Americans. “Verdict with Ted Cruz was first launched as a podcast in January 2020. Premiere Networks expanded the podcast into a weekly one-hour radio program for talk radio stations, which debuted on 100 stations in April 2025.
Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964) are some 20% of the U.S. population, but control more than 50% of all household wealth. They hold $70+ trillion in assets and spend an estimated $548 billion annually. They are lifelong AM/FM listeners, and they’re redefining what life after 60 looks like. Are you into what they’re up to?
Stevens anchored weekday mornings on SportsGrid. VSiN EVP Steve Cohen says, “Ben is a terrific addition to the most trusted brand in sports betting information at a time when sports fans across the country look to us for information that helps them make informed college football wagering decisions. A seasoned on-air sports betting talent that can speak across all major sports, ‘Big 10 Ben’ has deep expertise in college football that our viewers and listeners will enjoy.”
place. This new data fusion will integrate the industry-leading Edison Podcast Metrics into Nielsen’s widely used media planning tool, Nielsen Media Impact 
(NMI).” Nielsen adds, “As podcast listenership continues to grow, it is critical for advertisers to have sophisticated tools and data to effectively plan, measure and optimize their audio investments. Nielsen Podcast Fusion in NMI will provide an even more holistic view of media planning and help users uncover valuable insights and demonstrate the effectiveness of their campaigns. NMI users will also be able to optimize media plans by specific podcast networks and genres, as well as top podcast programs.” NPR and Ocean Media are among the charter subscribers at launch.
leap-frogging Dateline NBC (#5). Otherwise, the top three remain (in order): “NPR News Now,” “The Daily” (New York Times), and “Up First from NPR.” “The Tucker Carlson Show” jumps six places to finish the month at #18. 
advertising opportunities for brand partners, packaging assets across each portfolio to create unique and exclusive multi-platform solutions. Westwood One will also distribute audio and video content on Rumble’s video platform. Westwood One president and Cumulus EVP corporate strategy and development Collin Jones says, “This partnership represents a powerful alignment between two media innovators. By combining our premium podcast inventory with Rumble’s dynamic creator ecosystem, we’re creating a new frontier for host-read advertising that delivers authenticity, scale, and brand safety.” Rumble CEO Chris Pavloski, adds, “We’re excited to partner with Cumulus Media and Westwood One to bring advertisers closer to the creators and audiences they care about. This collaboration allows us to create new monetization opportunities for our creators while offering brands a trusted and effective way to connect with engaged communities.”
You did everything right – or so you thought. You used a short clip, added commentary, or reshared something everyone else was already posting. Then one day, a notice shows up in your inbox. A takedown. A demand. A legal-sounding, nasty-toned email claiming copyright infringement, and asking for payment.