New England Public Media Brings Monte Belmonte Aboard for New Radio Show and Podcast
New England Public Media tells TALKERS that it is hiring Western Massachusetts morning personality Monte Belmonte as host and executive producer of a new radio show and podcast “celebrating life in Western Massachusetts.” Belmonte has been hosting “Mornings with Monte” at Saga Communications’ triple A WRSI, Turners Falls, MA “93.9 The River.” Also joining Belmonte at NEPM is Kaliis Smith, who served as evening personality at WRSI and served as a regular guest on Belmonte’s show. With NEPM, Smith will be the show’s digital producer and will join Belmonte on air.
NEPM president Matt Abramovitz says, “When you listen to Monte Belmonte, you hear not only a great host with a devotion to his craft, but also a person who is committed to building and bolstering his community. Sharing the unique voices and stories of our region and using the airwaves for the common good is what public media is all about. We are excited to have Monte bring his enthusiasm and love of western Massachusetts to NEPM each day.” The programming will launch later this winter. Belmonte comments, “I’ve been a huge fan of New England Public Media since I moved west of Worcester 20 years ago. The station’s trusted reputation and broad reach was a big draw for me, as was the opportunity to work alongside people I’ve known and admired for years. I’m excited to get to work building a new show that’s all about celebrating what’s good about living here, meeting interesting neighbors and being a better community because of it.”
TALKERS magazine, the leading trade publication serving America’s professional broadcast talk radio and associated digital communities since 1990, is pleased to participate as the presenting sponsor of the forthcoming Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) conference for the second consecutive year.
last 9 years. Being your voice, using my platform to speak up for you, to take on the powerful, the connected, the politicians, has been the greatest honor of my professional life. You have responded with incredible ratings and support of our advertisers that stood behind me. In the process we have formed an unbreakable bond. In the end, the show was always about us. In a battle together. I also want to thank those of you who have written letters in support of me the last 3 weeks. I was so moved by the outcry demanding this beautiful thing we’ve forged together keep going at the place we made it happen. If you want the answers why it will not occur, that’s a question for Urban One. We have some amazing things coming soon! Our bond is so much bigger than any singular platform or frequency. You have proven that in recent weeks. I can’t wait to tell you all about our new opportunities together in the near future. In the meantime, thank you for all YOU have given to me the last 9 years. Your loyalty and dedication allowed me to live out my boyhood dream. I will never be able to thank you enough.” Kendall hasn’t publicized his plans for the future but appears to be leaning toward a digital platform as he’s continuing to post Indiana and Indianapolis news via social media.
LLC. Separately it is filing to sell KOOO-FM to Nebraska Public Media. This is NRG Media’s second deal with Usher Media. In November of last year, it agreed to sell its Tri-Cities, Nebraska station group to Usher for $3.75 million. Company officer Alan Usher comments, “This acquisition is a statement of belief in Omaha and in Nebraska. Local radio matters. Local leadership matters. We are committed to building a broadcast presence that reflects the strength of this community and delivers real value to the businesses and people who call it home.” Kalil & Co. was the exclusive broker for this deal.
talking a little bit more on WABC radio in the near future.” That has become reality as Red Apple Media announces the launch of “The Pulse of the People,” starring Cuomo. The one-hour show premiered yesterday (2/1) at 5:00 pm. Catsimatidis states, “Today on WABC Radio we are introducing a new program, ‘The Pulse of the People,’ hosted by former Governor Andrew Cuomo. The show will focus on listener calls and open discussion about the issues, concerns, and views of New Yorkers. WABC Radio believes in bipartisan conversation and thoughtful discussion of solutions, and we invite listeners to tune in and be part of the discussion.” Cuomo comments, “This is a moment when our country has rarely felt more divided, politics more polarizing, and public discourse more toxic. ‘The Pulse of the People’ is about cutting through the noise and the rancor to have real, substantive, fact-based conversations about the issues that actually affect people’s lives. I’ve spent my career focused on making government work and getting results, and that’s the same straightforward, problem-solving approach I’ll bring to this program.”
required that construction was to have begun in 2025, but village officials agreed to push the deadline back to September of 2017. The Daily Herald story reports, “Nexstar Media Group’s original plans called for selling off the southern 35 acres of the 102-acre property for a three-building data center campus, ancillary electrical substation, and six public pickleball courts to be leased to the Elk Grove Park District. The primary 750-foot radio tower and its 250-foot backup were to be demolished, replaced and relocated slightly to the north, while the small building that houses the station’s transmitters and backup studio would have remained intact.” Nexstar says the transmitter move would not affect listeners’ ability to hear the station. 
For years, “protect your name and likeness” sounded like lawyer advice in search of a problem. Abstract. Defensive. Easy to ignore. That worked when misuse required effort, intent, and a human decision-maker willing to cross a line.
with the Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor designated contributions to local news. Bertrand has been a trusted voice on WGN Radio for four decades, anchoring news since 1992 and earning the confidence of generations of Chicago listeners. Over his career, he covered many of the most significant local and national events of the past 40 years while mentoring colleagues and helping define the standard for excellence in local radio journalism. His retirement in 2025 marks the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to informing the public and strengthening the role of local news.” 
Providence market outlet for Audacy’s sports talk WEEI-FM, Boston for more than two decades. Audacy closed the WVEI offices in 2023. Ocean State Media president and CEO Pam Johnston says they are spending $4.9 million on the new FM. “From an operational and financial standpoint, we are going to be financing the cost of this frequency, which will allow us to eventually sell all the frequencies that we currently have. And so over time we believe that this transaction actually is going to pay for itself.” She says making it easier for listeners is important, “One signal reaching much farther than our current series of five different signals, a greater experience where you don’t have to change the channel as you move your way through Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.”
serve in the public interest, the FCC yesterday issued a Guidance on Political Equal Opportunities Requirement for Broadcast Television Stations. While the memorandum is written to television stations, it obvious applies to radio stations as well. The memo ultimately addresses the 1959 order that exempts broadcasters from providing equal time to qualified candidates on any: (1) bona fide newscast; (2) bona fide news interview; (3) bona fidenews documentary (if the appearance of the candidate is incidental to the presentation of the subject or subjects covered by the news documentary); or (4) on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news events (including but not limited to political conventions and activities incidental thereto). Programs such as “The Tonight Show” and “The View” are cited as entertainment shows in which an interview segment can qualify as a bona fide news interview. Regarding this, the memo concludes with two important paragraphs:
(1/20) on make his debut on FOX News Channel’s “Hannity.” Priebus is a former Republican National Committee chairman and served as White House chief of staff to Donald Trump in 2017. He currently is president of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, chairman of Michael Best Strategies and is a senior adviser to Centerview Partners. He also holds roles on President Trump’s Intelligence Advisory and Oversight boards.
the way the commission is operating. She took issue with FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s interpretation of how the Commission should ensure that licensees operate in the public interest. She stated, “For months, this FCC has asserted an apparent roving mandate to police speech that this Administration does not like, invoking an undefined and unchecked concept known as the ‘public interest’ standard.
competition local radio stations today face for audiences and vital advertising revenues from online and satellite content providers and digital ad platforms not subject to any comparable restrictions on their scale and scope; the dire negative effects that consumer and advertiser substitution of competing digital audio content and advertising for traditional radio has had on the listenership and advertising revenues garnered by local radio stations, including in mid-sized and small markets; and how the retention of asymmetric ownership restrictions has prevented radio broadcasters from gaining local scale to take advantage of important economic efficiencies, obtain investment capital, and better compete for audiences and advertising revenues, and thus enhance – or even maintain – their provision of news, emergency information, and valued entertainment and sports programming in local communities across the country at no cost to the public.” Responding to testimony from musicFirst Coalition and the Future of Music Coalition – referred to as the Coalitions – NAB writes, “First, the fact that the Coalitions continue to hold themselves out as protectors of small, local independent broadcasters not just borders on the absurd but crosses over into full-blown absurdity. The Coalitions represent the interests of the music industry, which is dominated by three consolidated international record labels. Compared to even the largest radio station groups, the giant record labels are the 800-pound gorillas of the music world. Those three labels earn billions more in revenue than the approximately 11,000 full-power commercial AM/FM stations combined. As NAB earlier reported, the three major music companies jointly generated about $2.9 million per hour in 2023. In remarkable contrast, in 2023 and 2024 the vast majority of radio stations garnered less – and often much less – than $2.9 million per year in advertising revenues. Needless to say, the Coalitions have never explained how local radio stations earning such low levels of revenue (and even lower, if any, profits) are supposed to keep talented employees and provide high quality programming, including popular music, sports, and informational programming, such as weather updates and emergency information, OTA and free to the public without achieving increased local scale, greater economic efficiencies, and more robust ad revenues. 
Common Stock and Class D Common Stock at a ratio of 10 for 1. The company states, “The reverse stock split is being conducted to regain compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market with respect shares of the Company’s Class D Common Stock.” No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Holders of stock who would otherwise receive a fractional share will receive cash in lieu of the fractional share equal to the closing sales price of the stock on the effective date – in this case January 22.
About Money, the newest release from bestselling author and “The Ramsey Show” co-host Jade Warshaw. Ramsey Press says, “Warshaw draws from her own journey of paying off more than $460,000 of debt to offer readers a clear, practical way forward. She pairs honest storytelling with simple, hands-on tools readers can use to break cycles and build confidence that lasts. Unlike traditional money books that focus only on tactics. Warshaw adds, “People don’t need just another plan — they need a way to understand what keeps pulling them off track. When you deal with the emotional weight behind your money choices, that’s when real progress starts.”
accountability in government spending and policy. He has also served as executive director of the Medina County Republican Party and as national director of state legislation for Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Action. Un Durwood says, “We’re creating a space where Northeast Ohioans can engage with the issues that matter most to them. Whether you agree or disagree, this show is about elevating the conversation and encouraging active participation in our community’s future. Educating and enlightening our fellow Ohioans in a style that encourages active audience engagement is what drives and motivates me. I look forward to mixing it up with those in our audience with whom I agree — and with those with whom I disagree.”
appreciate this real estate, and your feedback.
1972. The company was headed by Dr. Jerrel Jones, who passed recently. His daughter, current owner and president Mary Ellen Jones, says, “My parents built The Milwaukee Courier and WNOV to give Milwaukee’s Black community a voice when few existed. Passing that responsibility forward was not taken lightly. Civic Media is committed to honoring that legacy while investing in the future of trusted media.” The company says that Dr. Robert “Biko” Baker will join as operations manager for both the radio station and newspaper. Civic Media CEO Sage Weil comments, “Acquiring The Milwaukee Courier and WNOV is both an opportunity and a responsibility. These are trusted institutions with deep roots in Milwaukee, and our role is to steward that legacy while investing in their future – modernizing operations, expanding digital reach, and ensuring they continue to serve the community with integrity. We’re proud to have Dr. Robert ‘Biko’ Baker lead this work.”
rate increases. Cumulus argued, “Nielsen, a monopolist engaging in anticompetitive behavior, holds all of the power during contract negotiations, resulting in an unequal bargaining dynamic that is ripe for retaliation. For example, Nielsen can and has raised its rates significantly during negotiations. 
If identifying information is revealed to Nielsen’s businesspeople, Nielsen can retaliate with additional rate increases, resulting in manifest injustice to these third parties actively involved or who will be involved in negotiations with Nielsen.” After denying Cumulus’ request on December 4, Cumulus filed a supplemental brief and on December 15 Judge Jeannette Vargas agreed with Cumulus, writing, “Cumulus has established that sufficient countervailing factors – in particular, the privacy interests of these non-party declarants, the lack of bearing these narrowly tailored redactions have on the merits of this action, and the non-party declarants’ susceptibility to economic retaliation – outweigh the strong presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.” 
Carr. Facing regulatory scrutiny, the San Francisco Bay Area station demoted well-regarded journalists and sharply curtailed its political coverage for months. As pressure has eased, KCBS has gradually resumed more ambitious reporting, reflecting tensions between regulatory oversight and editorial independence.” Carr accused the station of failing to operate in the public interest and threatened an investigation. This was enough for Audacy management to back off its reporting. Tau writes, “KCBS demoted a well-liked anchor and dialed back on political programming, people said. For months, reporters were dissuaded from pursuing political or controversial topics and instead encouraged to focus on human interest stories, according to the current and former staffers.” The piece notes that anchor Bret Burkhart, the one to first present the ICE actions on the radio, was demoted. He eventually left the station for another position. 
The Problem Is No Longer Spotting a Joke. The Problem Is Spotting Reality
Mel Robbins Podcast,” “SmartLess” and “Up First,” from NPR. Representing a mix of news, advice and celebrity interviews, they were drawn from a shortlist of 25 programs the Globes had previously deemed eligible. The nominations avoided politics or controversy by passing on popular podcasts from the shortlist, such as conservative-leaning programs ‘The Megyn Kelly Show,’ ‘The Tucker Carlson Show,’ ‘The Ben Shapiro Show,’ Candace Owen’s ‘Candace’ and, most notably, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ which topped Spotify, Apple and YouTube’s list of weekly podcast charts this year. The left-leaning ‘Pod Save America’ also was snubbed, as were popular true crime podcasts like ‘Morbid’ and ‘Rotten Mango.’” Kennedy notes in his report that Ben Shapiro lobbied hard for his show. “Shapiro had launched an all-out Golden Globes publicity campaign for his decade-old podcast, on which he’s spoken with the likes of U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the past year. In addition to making the rounds with industry publications, Shapiro also secured massive billboard space in New York City’s Times Square.” 
Whitmer to the KNSS morning show alongside Ted Woodward. ‘Woodward and Whit’ will build on the foundation of smart, local conversation that our listeners expect by delivering the essential news, candid analysis and enjoyable banter that starts the day right. This is a powerful pairing that promises to keep the Wichita community informed and engaged.” Whitmer has been hosting an eponymous two-hour weekend show for KNSS since 2018. He’s a veteran of Kansas politics having served in roles for local, state, and national Republican campaigns. Whitmer currently serves as the Chairman of the Sedgwick County Republicans. He says, “I’m honored to join Ted Woodward on ‘Woodward & Whit,’ stepping into the big shoes left by Steve McIntosh, who dedicated over 50 years to Wichita mornings. I look forward to bringing news coverage, straight talk, common-sense discussion and a little fun to help our community start the day on the right note.”
publication RockTownNow.com. Saga COO Wayne Leland states, “Tom understands what makes local media matter. His role at Harrisonburg Media Group positions us to grow our brands and expand the value we deliver to our listeners, readers, and advertisers. We’re excited to have him leading the team.” Nankival comments, “I am thrilled to rejoin Saga as VP and general manager of the Harrisonburg Media Group, which is a shining star in our company. My job is to keep it performing at a high level and serving the Shen Valley community with unwavering commitment and dedication.”
show alongside Ted Woodward, has worked his entire 55-year career in the Wichita market. He got his start in 1970 at KWBB as a news anchor and moved to KEYN-FM in the mid-1970s as news director. He joined KNSS in 1998 as news director and eventually became program director at the station. During his career he’s won numerous awards, including a Marconi Award for Outstanding Talent. Audacy Wichita SVP and market manager Tommy Castor says, “Steve’s name is synonymous with Wichita radio. His leadership, integrity, and unmatched storytelling have shaped this station and enriched the lives of our listeners for more than half a century.” McIntosh comments, “It has been the honor of my life to share Kansas news and Kansas stories with Kansas people. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this incredible journey.” The station will present a public farewell broadcast on December 12.