Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (March 24-28, 2025)
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (3/24-28) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories/Topics
1. Signal Chat Controversy
2. The Economy-Jobs-Inflation
3. Trump Tariffs / Trump vs Judiciary
4. Musk-DOGE Activities / Federal Firings & Cutbacks / Tesla Under Attack
5. Israel-Hamas War / Russia-Ukraine War
6. Stefanik Withdrawn for U.N. Nomination
7. ICE Deportation Crackdown
8. First Amendment Issues / GOP Town Halls
9. Big Tech / Misinformation / Censorship / Healthcare-Vaccines
10.March Madness / MLB Season Opens
People
1. Donald Trump / Elon Musk
2. Benjamin Netanyahu
3. Vladimir Putin
4. Volodymyr Zelenskyy
5. Pete Hegseth / Tulsi Gabbard / Mike Waltz
6. Jeffrey Goldberg
7. Elise Stefanik
8. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
9. JD Vance / Marco Rubio
10.Karoline Leavitt
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
NAB says, “Local radio stations provide trusted news, sports and entertainment to their communities free of charge, but stations’ ability to do so would be greatly threatened if faced with a new performance tax, on top of the hundreds of millions of dollars local stations already pay each year in copyright and streaming fees.” The second resolution calls on legislators to support the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act that would ensure the continued availability of AM in all newly manufactured vehicles. NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt comments, “On the heels of an incredibly successful State Leadership Conference, where over 560 local TV and radio broadcasters traveled to Washington, DC to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, congressional support for local radio is strong. State broadcaster associations play a pivotal role in our advocacy efforts, and I am proud to see the collective unity behind these resolutions.”
“NewsTalkST” brand is filling the hole in middays due to the end of the “Dan Bongino Show” by moving “The Allman Report” with Jamie Allman to the 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm daypart and expanding the “The Vic Porcelli Show,” hosted by Porcelli and Ken Williams to 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. NewsTalkSTL president of programming Jeff Allen says, “This is the first major change to our prime time weekday lineup since we launched nearly four years ago, which speaks to how important this expansion is for our station and our listeners. Listener feedback over the past few weeks made it clear this was the lineup they wanted, and we’re excited to deliver it.”
engage listeners in meaningful and entertaining conversation make him a valuable addition to the WRVA team. We’re excited to welcome Rich and continue delivering the news that matters most to our community.” Herrera comments, “I am thrilled to join the WRVA team, a legendary station with a great lineup of hosts and shows. After meeting with Bennett Zier and Zach McHugh and getting the chance to host Richmond’s morning news, I fell in love with the station. My family is excited to make Richmond our home. I want to thank Chris Oliviero and Jeff Sottolano for their support and mentorship, as well as Drew Anderssen, our format vice president, who encouraged me a year ago to transition from sports talk to general news.”
with a planned March 31, 2025 listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NMAX, subject to NYSE approval. This IPO comes shortly after it completed a private Preferred Offering in February raising $225 million. Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy says, “Our success with our Preferred raise shows the enormous support our company has as we made thousands of Americans part owners in Newsmax. Now, the initial public offering opens the door for tens of thousands more to join our news revolution and be a part of the first ever company to complete a crowd financed offering on to the main board of the NYSE.”
Salem Reporter says engineer Ian Carlson was at the station we he saw the windows shattered one by one. He says the glass flew in with such force that it sent shards 30 feet down the station’s hallway. He tells the Salem Reporter, “It was absolutely terrifying, and I think it was intended to terrify.” The report says that police found no evidence that anyone tried to enter the building and it was unclear what caused the damage. Station general manager Jacqueline Smith says, “From our perspective, it wasn’t vandalism. It was a targeted attack.” Photo: Salem Reporter. 
the “Private Economic Council” – a Washington, DC-based organization composed of “influential business leaders, entrepreneurs and economists promoting free market tax policies, advocating for taxpayers, and helping to support and promote President Trump’s economic agenda.” It also includes former Trump senior economic advisor and former member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board Steve Moore, Papa John’s founder John Schnatter, and former U.S. congressman and current Liberty University School of Business Dean Dave Brat.
Now, is submitting IPO offering materials with the SEC and is seeking a public offering with a planned listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NMAX” later this year. Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy states, “This achievement reflects the strong results Newsmax has demonstrated and testifies to the trust and support the company maintains with investors, viewers and friends. We’d also like to thank Digital Offering LLC, for their expertise, hard work and their positive commitment to supporting us throughout this process. We are excited to be one step closer to our upcoming IPO which will provide us a tremendous opportunity for growth. A public offering will allow tens of thousands of Americans to directly partner with us and join our news revolution. We look forward to delivering long-term value to all of our shareholders.”
a 52% increase with viewers and 58% increase in the 25-54 demo compared to Hannity’s 2025 average and saw a 129% increase with viewers compared to the same day last year. The FOX News exclusive secured nearly 70% of the cable news audience at 9:00 pm ET and was the highest-rated episode of “Hannity” in 2025 aside from Inauguration Day. According to YouTube analytics and Emplifi, FOX News drove 20.5 million video views across YouTube, TikTok, X, Instagram and Facebook.
“weaponizing language through their stylebook to push a partisan worldview in contrast with the traditional and deeply held beliefs of many Americans and many people around the world.” RTDNA president and CEO Dan Shelley states, “The current White House moves targeting one of the world’s oldest and most respected news outlets are outrageous and unacceptable. It is the Trump administration, and not the Associated Press, that is trying to contort facts so that they align with its often divisive, and sometimes completely erroneous, version of the truth. We protest the administration’s actions in this instance and object to its effort to shape shift legitimate fact-based journalism to better resemble its alternative versions of the truth.”
The syndicated “Armed American Radio” live stream hosted by successful broadcaster-Second Amendment defender Mark Walters is now available Monday through Friday 4:00-5:00 pm ET and Sundays 8:00-11:00 pm ET on You Tube at Armed American Radio, on Rumble at Armed American Radio, on Facebook Live at 
from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In 2022, the Lutzes moved to the 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm slot to better accommodate their schedules. Bob Lutz is the founder and executive director of the League 42 baseball league that serves inner city and low-income youths, and Jeff Lutz is a full-time digital producer at KWCH-TV, Wichita. In late 2024, KFH notified the duo that it wanted to move the syndicated Jim Rome show into their time slot and move them to the 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm slot. The two tried to produce the show earlier in the day to air at 5:00 but Bob Lutz tells the Eagle that not speaking live with callers took the fun out of the show. 
from 27% in 2021; 2) the top podcast genres of 2024 were News (25% of downloads), True Crime (19%), and Comedy (13%). Of True Crime podcast listeners, 67% were female, of Comedy podcast listeners, 61% were male, and of News podcast listeners, 56% were male; 3) NPR News Now (NPR) remained the top podcast in 2024; and 4) “Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita” had the #1 debut in 2024. Triton SVP measurement products & strategy Daryl Battaglia says, “2024 marked another year of remarkable growth for the podcast industry, with listenership broadening across demographics and becoming more mainstream than ever. As new audiences dive into podcasts and spend more time listening, fueling deeper engagement, genres like True Crime, Kids & Family, and History drive the highest back catalog consumption, creating untapped opportunities for programmatic advertising. At Triton Digital, we remain dedicated to providing deep insights into listener behavior and platform preferences as this dynamic medium continues to evolve.” 
posted triple digit increases versus the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2021 and grew in viewership versus 2017.” Specifically, coverage across FOX News Channel and FOX Business Network peaked at 12 million viewers and 2.6 million in A25-54 in the 12:00 noon ET hour. From 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET, FNC’s Inauguration of Donald Trump, co-anchored by chief political anchor “Special Report” anchor Bret Baier and anchor and executive editor of “The Story” Martha MacCallum, garnered 11.4 million in viewers and 2.4 million in A25-54, outpacing broadcast networks ABC, NBC, CBS in viewers and all cable networks across the board.
City. Cumulus Media chief content officer Brian Philips states, “Pete has risen to stardom quickly with his on-air performance and innovative program architecture in Kansas City. Pete is among our most dynamic leaders, in ANY format. It also matters that Pete is Bill Hess’ hand-chosen successor, as Bill returns to oversight of our news/talk flagship WMAL, in the nation’s capital. Bill has served with distinction in this corporate role, and Cumulus news/talk is positioned for continued success under Pete’s leadership.” Mundo comments. “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to join the content leadership team at Cumulus and am grateful for the confidence that the company has shown in me. Learning from Bill Hess in recent years has been a terrific way to make the transition seamless. The news/talk format is changing rapidly but remains dominant in the audio industry. The format has exceptional upside during this transitional political period, as people continue to seek news and information about their cities, states, and country. I am eager to work with my fellow news/talk programmers across the nation to make our brands stronger.”