SABO SEZ: City to Town – A Perspective on Trump Voters
By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media Implementers
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, “Sterling On Sunday”
Talk Media Network
Acknowledging that this publication is fiercely non-partisan and that I – in my role as a broadcaster – am basically the same, I offer the following, not as a political opinion piece, but rather a personal observation based on experience that might shed light on the deeper nature of a large segment of the American population prone to listen to talk radio.
A few years ago, I moved from Manhattan to Shaker Heights, Ohio. Geraldo Rivera made the same journey for the same reason; our wives went to Shaker High. In our brides’ minds, that’s enough reason to return.
During the period of the Donald Trump presidency, a new phenomenon was sweeping the East and West Coasts: People who did not vote for Trump demonized and marginalized those who did. Lifelong friendships were ended by anti-Trump individuals who merely suspected a friend was pro-Trump, often with little evidence. Celebrities threatened to leave the country if Trump became or remained president. They would flee to Canada, without any consideration of whether or not Canadians wanted them!
At first, I would ask anti-Trump people if they had actually voted for Hillary Clinton? That question was inevitably met with an icy glare, but no answer. They hadn’t. Anti-Trumpers were seething, ignited by their guilt that they assumed Clinton would win and therefore making their voting participation unnecessary. What else could explain the fevered emotion against a president – on his FIRST day in office? Trump hadn’t done anything to anger Scarlett Johansson into leading an angry insurrection mob. But she did. Day one.
Living in Ohio, I have spent time with hundreds of Trump voters and learned something valuable. Trump supporters do not match the level of passion in support of the president as those who hate him. Not even close. The disparity is stunning.
No Trump voter has threatened to leave the country if a Democrat wins. No Trump voter has said, “I hate all Biden voters, I wish they would die,” as Howard Stern has said about them. No Trump voter refuses to befriend a Joe Biden voter just because, hey, if we’re friends we are friends.
Yes, Trump voters go to the polls for him because of – his policies. And what are those? The Ohio parents and workers I know matter-of-factly want Trump first and foremost so they can afford gasoline and heating oil. When the price of gas went up, parents had to cut down on after school activities, school competitions and distant playdates, they just couldn’t afford the trip. They can’t hop on the bus to Chelsea Piers. They don’t care if it’s Trump specifically, they just want cheaper gas – sir can you do that?
Next, they vote for the candidate who will support safe neighborhoods, cheaper meat, cheaper milk, their kid in the Marines home for the holidays, Israel, better schools.
I learned this from parents waiting for dance class and band practice to end. Patient parents proud of their kids. They weren’t chanting for Trump or bashing Biden. They just want enough gas to get home.
I’ve learned that many people who hate Trump voters do so while getting into an Uber, a taxi, bus, or subway. They don’t own a car. They buy food for one, not for five times seven days a week. They don’t have to go to three different food stores to get the cheapest items… they just hit Food Emporium ($6.98 a gallon of milk). In Ohio, $2.29 a gallon, Walmart.
Of course, there are other issues swirling around Trump and Biden – but right now most deplorable Ohioans have to pick up the kid at school on time, let their child buy one toy at Dollar Tree, I said one, and hope there is enough spaghetti for dinner.
Walter Sabo was a founding architect of SiriusXM and began the recruitment of Howard Stern. He has consulted RKO General, PARADE magazine, Hearst Broadcasting, Press Broadcasting, and other premium brands. He launched the first company to engage online video influencers, Hitviews. As an executive, he was EVP of NBC FM RADIO giving Dr. Ruth Westheimer her first media job and fostering the creation of adult contemporary. As VP ABC Radio Networks, Sabo hired Ringo Starr to be a DJ for a 24-hour special.

the report as momentum grows in Congress for legislation to ensure AM radio is accessible to the public in all vehicles. NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt states, “When disaster strikes, AM radio has proven time and again its invaluable role as a source of factual, authoritative, up-to-the-minute information that saves lives. It is also a home to a diversity of programming that is often unavailable on other mediums and particularly important to otherwise underserved communities. It is critical that Congress address the need for AM radio capability in vehicles to ensure Americans can turn to local AM stations when they need them the most.”
the Annual Report alone, without also uploading it to its intended destination in a timely manner, here more than nine months late, may, in certain circumstances, constitute (and here does constitute) a violation of the requirements to analyze the Stations’ EEO program. The length of time during which Cumulus failed to upload its Annual Report is persuasive evidence that Cumulus did not ‘routinely analyze the adequacy of their various EEO program elements in achieving broad outreach to all segments of the community’ and address any problems found as a result of such analysis… Consequently, given the specific circumstances of this case, we reject Cumulus’s argument that any self-evaluation it did in fact undertake was adequate and satisfied the self-assessment rule.”
The company says that the initiative will achieve these objectives with a robust schedule of climate-themed broadcasts and special programming during the next 12 months, four free community events (one per quarter), two town halls broadcast nationally from Los Angeles, and a savvy social media and marketing campaign. KBLA says its public and private partners in this initiative include: LADWP, Metro, the Port of Los Angeles, CalEndow, California Community Foundation, the Sierra Club, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and others who will join the campaign in Q2, Q3 and Q4. Chief visionary officer and nationally
syndicated talk host Tavis Smiley says, “The harsher impacts of climate change weigh heavily on communities of color. In these underserved communities, families are less likely to have air conditioning, shade trees, bus shelters, water and energy effective appliances and other infrastructure that’s critical to mitigate a changing climate. As the most ‘trusted, credible and reliable’ media source in Southern California for African Americans and beyond, our talk station is committed to do more than just talk in these troubled times. There is a clear connection between Dr. King’s moral consistence on the notion of reverence for human life or the interconnected nature of life and the future of our world house. On this MLK holiday weekend, KBLA assigns itself the task of elevating the climate conversation by amplifying the voices of those who are most impacted by the climate catastrophes we are all witnessing in real time. In a real sense, climate is king.”
Sears used to sell everything. Tractors, tires, insurance, investments, chickens. In 2004, Sears was the dominant retailer in America. By the end of the decade, it was feverishly closing stores and dying.
stating the Walters was accused of embezzling funds from the Second Amendment Foundation defamed him. No such accusation ever actually took place. In its Motion to Dismiss, Open AI argued several points, including that Georgia is not the proper jurisdiction, but it summarized its argument that Walters’ claims didn’t meet the burden of defamation when it said, “Even more fundamentally, Riehl’s use of ChatGPT did not cause a ‘publication’ of the outputs. OpenAI’s Terms of Use make clear that ChatGPT is a tool that assists the user in the writing or creation of draft content and that the user owns the content they generate with ChatGPT. Riehl agreed to abide by these Terms of Use, including the requirement that users ‘verify’ and ‘take ultimate responsibility for the content being published.’ As a matter of law, this creation of draft content for the user’s internal benefit is not ‘publication.’”
Hudson hosted “The Morning Answer” on former Salem property WGTK, Greenville, South Carolina for close to a decade. In addition to providing live updates during “The Mike Gallagher Show,” Hudson will also report throughout the day on SRN News and TOWNHALL News. SRN VP of news & talk programming Tom Tradup says, “Joey Hudson’s unique background in Republican party politics as well as his impressive media credentials makes him the ideal person to provide eye-level coverage of today’s important caucuses.”
The United Nations and its specialized agency, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have given the radio industry all around the globe an invaluable gift. It’s called “World Radio Day 2024.” Now in its 13th installment, WRD takes place annually on February 13 with the purpose of spotlighting the accomplishments, importance, and ongoing relevance of the radio medium as it evolves deeper into the 21st century. This year’s theme is “Radio: A Century Informing, Educating and Entertaining.” By officially designating the platform as worthy of its own officially sanctioned UN International Day, the august world body has recognized, spotlighted, and endorsed radio’s continuing relevance and potential for being a vital force for the betterment of humanity.
44 years. Ken Squier passed away in November and his daughter Ashley tells WCAX-TV, Burlington that the station that’s provided local sports, news, commentary, and more will be in good hands. “I feel that this is a very good day and a very good development. Dad loved community radio.” The station says that former Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Ethan Allen Institute leader Myers Mermel will serve as owner-operator. Mermel tells WCAX-TV he wants the station to remain local. “We want to look at different ideas and new ideas in order to increase our ability to discover and identify and bring in content.”
at Wingate University’s Batte Fine Arts Center. The event will be moderated by personalities Bo Thompson and Beth Troutman and will feature questions for the candidates presented by the station’s late morning host Vince Coakley, afternoon host Brett Winterble, evening host Brett Jensen, and news director Mark Garrison. It will also include a 30-minute lead-in show hosted by Thompson and Troutman. All six registered candidates for the seat have accepted invitations to take part in the commercial-free broadcast.
Research shows that readers to trade publications like articles with five bullet points. Here are my five bullet points for 2024. If these were to be deployed, you could be thriving by the end of the year. These actions would increase sales and audience share.
hiring Ernst & Young LLP. Yesterday (1/4), Urban One filed the following with the SEC: “On January 4, 2024, Urban One, Inc. announced that it had received notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC confirming that it has regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c) (the “Periodic Filing Rule”) which requires listed companies to timely file all required periodic financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission… with the company in compliance with the Periodic Filing Rule, Nasdaq has ceased any action to delist the company’s securities… Nasdaq has informed the company that it will be subject to a Mandatory Panel Monitor for a period of one year, or until December 29, 2024. If, within the one-year monitoring period, the company again fails to comply with the Periodic Filing Rule, the company will not be permitted to provide the Nasdaq Staff with a plan of compliance with respect to that deficiency, nor will the company be afforded a cure period. Instead, upon the Nasdaq Staff issuing a delist determination letter, the company would then have an opportunity to request a new hearing with the initial Hearing Panel or a newly convened Hearing Panel if the initial Hearing Panel is unavailable.”
success story and a perfect fit for this role. We look forward to watching him make America laugh on Saturday nights.” Failla comments, “‘FOX News Saturday Night’ is a show for everyone who realizes that our country doesn’t need more Republicans or more Democrats, it needs more comedy.” In addition, FOX Nation just released a one-hour special showcasing Failla’s recent standup comedy performance to a sold-out crowd on Long Island, titled, “Jimmy Failla: They’re Just Jokes.” Failla is also the latest author to be published by FOX News Books with Cancel Culture Dictionary being released on January 30.
the blessing of the lenders, the company will be owned by those same lenders. Audacy’s debt is approximately $2 billion. It began talks with lenders in October after the company sought and received amendments to its credit facilities because it is unable to make interest payments due largely to the industry-wide downturn in advertising revenue. The 2017 acquisition of the CBS Radio assets is cited among industry watchers as the move that pushed Audacy into its currently precarious situation.
MSNBC, along with topping The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, PBS and NPR. The poll results show 13% of respondents cited FOX News as the single news source they turn to most often, tying broadcast networks like CBS, NBC and ABC, while besting CNN (10%) and MSNBC (3%). For comparison, public news organizations (like PBS and NPR) delivered 4%, national news organizations such as The New York Times and Wall Street Journal garnered 8%, while international news sources like the BBC, Al Jazeera and The Guardian earned 3%.
We live in an increasingly noisy world. The accelerating advancement of media technology, with its accompanying “everybody is a star” syndrome, combine to make it increasingly difficult to get attention. By that, I mean real attention – the kind of attention that those in the professional media (and related) industries describe as “traction.”
16, 2024 to file its Form 10-Q quarterly report for the period ending September 30, 2023. As result of that filing being late, Nasdaq has begun the process of delisting Urban One stock. However, the extension gives Urban One extra time to file the report. The company says it expects to be able to file the Q3 2023 Form 10-Q on or before December 31. As TALKERS has previously reported, the late filings were the result of Urban One dismissing its previous independent registered public accounting firm BDO USA, LLP and hiring Ernst & Young LLP.
Republican New York 3rd Congressional District representative George Santos appeared on Frank Morano’s “The Other Side of Midnight” program on Red Apple Media’s WABC, New York. Santos tells Morano that he’s writing a book that will detail everything that’s happened to him during his time in Congress. Morano tells TALKERS Santos “went off on his colleagues, says he’s making a ton of money on Cameo and will one day return to Congress.”
“Most registered voters avoid the news at least some of the time. Of those who disengage, over half avoid national politics coverage,” according to the “
over Cumulus’ mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy. Bongino says, “It’s been a fascinating couple years of ups and downs both personally and in the political space. I love what I do, and I’m ecstatic that we’ve agreed to move forward with the show after changes were made. I want to thank all the shows’ supporters, the stations, and program directors for their continued support. I promise to keep my foot on the gas pedal.” Westwood One president Suzanne Grimes states, “‘The Dan Bongino Show’ is one of the greatest growth stories in network syndication, with Dan delivering programming unlike anyone else. As we head into what will surely be an unpredictable election cycle, we know Dan will be always insightful, sometimes provocative, and never disappointing, which is why our listeners are wildly engaged, and our advertisers have flocked to the show.”
November 2023 PPM Data – Information for the November 2023 survey period (October 12 – November 8) has been released for Austin, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Providence, Norfolk, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Greensboro, Memphis, and Hartford.
Books, 2022) by Dr. Murray Sabrin. The book has been an Amazon bestseller and a popular vehicle sparking conversations on political news/talk shows across America. Its author, Murray Sabrin, Ph.D. is emeritus professor of finance, Ramapo College of NJ. Dr. Sabrin – a prolific author – is considered a “public intellectual” for writing essays about the economy in scholarly and popular publications as well as being a prolific guest and “go-to” resource on hundreds of radio and TV talk shows and podcasts. According to publisher Michael Harrison, who wrote the book’s provocative foreword, “From Immigrant to Public Intellectual is a truly American story about an immigrant child’s rise from humble beginnings to forge a stellar career as an educator, author, candidate, and media influencer. Murray Sabrin explains libertarianism in plain language using his own life story set against a half-century of changing times. Talk show hosts have been tapping into this articulate scholar’s knowledge and views for more than three decades since his impressive third-party showing as the Libertarian candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1997.” To learn more about Dr. Murray Sabrin please visit murraysabrin.com and murraysabrin.substack.com.