WBEZ, Chicago Staffer Starts GoFundMe for Fired Co-Workers
In the aftermath of the cuts at Chicago Public Media announced this week, WBEZ criminal justice reporter Patrick Smith has started a GoFundMe to help his former fellow workers affected by layoffs. He says, “On March 3, CPM leadership announced the shuttering of the podcast unit, the end of the Vocalo radio signal and the layoff of 14 people. All of those people were valuable and deserve support, however I am operating this fundraiser as a member of the CPM SAG-AFTRA unit so all of the funds raised will go to the nine unit members who lost their jobs. The total amount raised will be split evenly between the nine unit members who were laid off.”
April 15, when he joins Brey full time. WTMJ assistant program director Michael Spaulding says, “Brian is a trusted radio veteran with almost two decades of experience under his belt. His unique ability to blend news and entertainment brings both fun and a sense of reverence to the station. During his time at WTMJ, 
Brian has taken every challenge thrown at him and excelled. He steps in when needed, adds value to every show he fills in on, and lives the WTMJ and GKB brands. His addition to ‘Spanning the State’ alongside Kristin Brey just made sense.” Brey comments, “When we decided to launch ‘Spanning the State’ without a permanent co-host, I remember thinking that I would rather do the work of two people and hold out for the right person. A week after we premiered, Brian filled in as my co-host, and the chemistry was undeniable from the moment we turned our mics on. His experience, warmth, humor, and curiosity will take this show to the next level as we create something unique that appeals to people across Wisconsin.” Noonan says, “Without sounding too sappy, I could not be more excited to join Kristin Brey as we build ‘Spanning the State’ to tell stories that are uniquely Wisconsin. I’m proud to play a small part in helping WTMJ evolve and continue to be ‘Wisconsin’s Radio Station.’”
don’t need to manage multiple participants such as a solo contributor or reporter in the field. Comrex says that Gagl is simple enough for anyone to use and doesn’t require any specialized hardware or software on the remote end for implementation. With a computer or smartphone plus a headset, high-quality audio can be transmitted bidirectionally with minimal latency providing a simple way to get anyone on the air. Hotline dramatically improves the quality of a standard cell phone call for on-air use. Gagl + Hotline provides a ten-digit telephone number with each Gagl + Hotline subscription. A guest or reporter can call the number using an AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon cell phone. The caller’s audio will be presented within the Gagl interface in HD Voice quality for clean, clear full fidelity for use on-air. Acquiring high-quality audio from remote locations is essential for creating compelling radio. Providing flexibility for guests who can’t come into the studio was a driving force behind Gagl’s creation. Gagl Solo, Gagl + Hotline, and Comrex’s suite of broadcast reliable products will be on display at the NAB Show in Vegas April 14-17. Be sure to visit Comrex at Booth C2234 in Central Hall.
in population take place in the U.S. – with growth often seen in southern markets – the ratings giant adjusts its rankings. Among the notable changes are the Dallas-Fort Worth market leapfrogging San Francisco to the #4 market and San Francisco now at #5. Other markets moving up include Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood to #11 and San Diego to #18. 
quarters, according to Nielsen Media Research. FNC adds that its primetime lineup sweept cable news every hour. “The Ingraham Angle” (7:00 pm ET) finished the quarter averaging 2.2 million viewers and 222,000 in the 25-54 demo. “Jesse Watters Primetime” (8:00 pm ET) delivered 2.8 million viewers and 284,000 in the 25-54 demo. “Hannity” (9:00 pm ET) remained dominant, nabbing 2.4 million viewers and 266,000 in the 25-54 demo, easily winning the timeslot and topping CNN and MSNBC in both categories. And “FOX News @ Night” (10:00 pm ET) delivered 1.2 million viewers and 187,000 in 25-54 demo.
consumer behavior and technology adoption across smart platforms. Marketers and media buyers turn to these insights for important media trends in key channels such as radio, streaming audio, podcasts, social media, and more. Audacy will host a webinar on April 3 with head of research & insights Idil Cakim and Edison Research president Larry Rosin, who will share key trends from The Infinite Dial 2024, including: Media consumption and device adoption, in-car listening habits, podcast trends among key demographic groups, and observations and advertiser insights. 
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Monticello Media’s WCHV-AM, Charlottesville, Virginia, is acquiring WTON-AM, Staunton, Virginia and two FM translators (W255DS, Harrisonburg at 98.9 and W266BQ, Crozet at 101.1) from Stu-Comm, Inc. for $275,000. Thomas is buying the station via his company Thomas Media LLC. After Monticello Media learned of the deal, it severed its relationship with Thomas. He tells TALKERS magazine, “We are looking forward to bringing local news and conversation back to the valley the same way we did for WCHV. We also hope to have my show back on the air in Charlottesville soon.”
respondents are most likely to say they use it at least weekly. There’s a strong feeling the government will need to step in to provide legal guard rails for AI use. Three in four (75%) are looking for some form of regulation. In fact, more than a third (36%) believe AI will need to be highly regulated. That perception may be fueled by the upcoming elections this November. About half (51%) say they’re very concerned about how AI might affect this fall’s political races. Members of the Greatest Generation and Boomers are most fearful of how the technology might influence upcoming elections. When it comes to three applications for radio – AI hosts, AI-voiced commercials, and AI-voiced station IDs – the biggest pushback predictably is directed at the idea of radio using cloned voices to take the place of live talent. Three in four (75%) raise the red flag over this AI application. Concern lessens when it comes to AI voice technology being used to read commercials. Still, nearly four in ten (39%) say they have big issues with radio stations they listen to using AI in ads. Respondents are most open to the idea of AI voices being utilized on station identification. Overall, about one-third (34%) have no problem, but a similar sized group (30%) expresses major concerns with this use case for AI. Jacobs Media general manager Paul Jacobs remarks, “It is still early days for AI in radio, but broadcasters need to respect the many concerns voiced by core fans of the medium. Up to now, many decisions have been made in a vacuum. Now the audience has a voice. We’ll be tracking their perceptions in Techsurveys in the coming years as the technology matures. The format level data for AI should provide welcome feedback for radio managers trying to get a handle on AI.”
Solicitation to exchange any and all of its outstanding 6.750% Senior Secured First-Lien Notes due 2026 for new 8.750% Senior Secured First-Lien Notes due 2029 to April 2, 2024. This offer will expire then unless extended or terminated. As of March 26, approximately $15 million aggregate principal amount of the Old Notes had been validly tendered pursuant to the Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation and not withdrawn.
Awards that celebrate outstanding achievements in media dedicated to women, by women, and about women across diverse platforms in news and entertainment. This year’s winners will be celebrated at AWMF’s annual gala on May 21 at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. Local and student award recipients will be honored at the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 18 at Cipriani’s in New York City. 
director Mark Garrison after he asked if President Joe Biden suffers from dementia. Garrison did ask Jean-Pierre that question and she responded, “Mark, I can’t even believe you’re asking me this question. That is an incredibly offensive question to ask.” Then, after presenting the president’s accomplishments, Jean-Pierre thanked Garrison and ended the call. The White House says WBT was given seven minutes as part of Jean-Pierre’s media schedule and that she ended the interview at that time. The White House also suggested that the station employed a bit of theater by adding a dial-tone sound effect to the end of the interview that its phones don’t make after a call ends. 
content, providing an accurate assessment of the audience’s attentiveness and engagement.” Some of the key findings include: 1) Despite lacking “sight, sound, and motion,” AM/FM radio programming was +13% more engaging than Mediaprobe’s norm for television in the U.S. For advertisers, this means the AM/FM radio context for their ads has greater engagement than the TV context; 2) Overall, AM/FM radio advertising’s Emotional Impact Score (EIS) outperformed TV advertising by +12%. These new findings validate the recently released Dentsu/Lumen study, which revealed audio ads outperform video for attention and brand recall; 3) AM/FM radio news was the most impactful genre, consistently measuring as a high-quality contextual environment for advertising (+14% greater than Mediaprobe TV News norms and +8% than total AM/FM radio); 4) Mediaprobe audio benchmarks reveal the sound contrast between AM/FM radio programming and the ads drives higher attention and brand recall. For example, ads with music and jingles perform very well in spoken word programming due to the contrast; and 5) Creative best practices: Use female voiceovers, jingles, and include five brand mentions. 
Before the bound copy arrived – at which point all work stopped – Arbitron would send “Advances.” Even those topline numbers ground things to a halt, and had some PDs doing cartwheels, others out on the ledge. ‘Seems quaint now.
producers.” All Entries in the 2024 competition were screened online by NYF’s Radio Awards international Grand Jury of 200-plus producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe and judged on the following set of criteria: production values, creativity, content presentation, direction, writing, achievement of purpose and audience suitability. Award-winning entries will be announced during the New York Festivals 2024 Storytellers Gala virtual event on April 16 at 6:00 pm ET. The virtual event will include featured global audio and video highlights, award winners’ acceptance speeches from around the world, and up-close and personal spotlights featuring some of radio and television’s most respected storytellers. All winners will be showcased on the Radio Awards winners gallery. 
Nashville-based Today’s Christian Music network (TCM) is not affected by these transactions. Salem Media Group CEO David Santrella comments, “Salem remains steadfast in our commitment to paying down debt and reducing our overall leverage. The sale of these radio stations helps achieve those goals. At the same time, we are focused on the stations staying in mission format. We are happy to be working with our good friends at EMF to continue impacting lives through music. We are grateful for our staff at these stations that have worked tirelessly over the years. With this change, Mike Blakemore, Salem’s VP of CCM programming, will provide focus and leadership to programming TCM, which remains an important part of Salem’s content offerings.”