TALKERS News Notes
WYPR, Baltimore to Launch New Local Show. Baltimore Public Media’s WYPR-FM will debut a new program in October hosted by New York Times bestselling author and journalist D. Watkins titled, “The Engagement.” WYPR says the show is a “new locally produced, news-driven public affairs program, in which Watkins brings “his experience across journalism, literature, television, film and education to conversations about the news, politics, community, arts and culture shaping Baltimore, Maryland and the broader region.”
FOX Sports Radio Preps for NFL Season. FOX Sports Radio, a division of Premiere Sports Network, announces its weekend lineup for the 2026 football season. Among the new voices is Anita Marks, who will partner with Greg Cosell, NFL analyst and senior producer at NFL Films, who joined the network last season. They’ll host Sunday mornings from 8:00 am to 10:00 am providing previews of the biggest matchups in the NFL.
News Channel are covering the event. Salem Radio Network vice president of news & talk programming Tom Tradup says, “Our city is rolling out the red carpet for the convention delegates and journalists who will be covering them.” Tradup says coverage will include a keynote address by President Donald Trump, speeches by Vice President JD Vance and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson among others.
aggression in Ukraine and helping bring the country back after COVID.” Biden tells Catsimatidis he believes the current political climate has made it difficult for people to judge his father’s presidency clearly, but said historians will eventually take a different view. “I think the historians will look at my dad’s presidency as an incredible success,” Biden said. The interview also touches on Hunter Biden’s recovery, the attacks he faced during his father’s presidency, the future of the Democratic Party, immigration, veterans, addiction and whether he would ever consider running for public office.
frustrating for supporters. National Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt comments: “America’s broadcasters applaud House Majority Leader Steve Scalise for his announcement to bring the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the House floor for a standalone vote the week of September 14. This is an important step forward for legislation that has earned overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress and across the country.
conservative hosts across America as he offers encouraging commentary to growing national concerns among Republicans about the Democrats flipping an all-important Senate seat in the traditionally red Lone Star State. Yesterday’s installment of the highly rated “Clay Travis & Buck Sexton” Show featured an in-depth interview with Berry (a.k.a. The Czar of Talk) about the Texas Senate race between AG Ken Paxton and James Talarico, who President Donald Trump has taken to calling “Talacreepo.” 
Premiere adds, “For his achievements, Hannity has been honored with two Marconi Awards for ‘Nationally Syndicated Personality of the Year’ and was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2017. For the past five consecutive years, radio industry publication TALKERS has ranked Hannity No. 1 on its ‘Heavy Hundred’ list of the most important radio talk show hosts in America.” Sean Hannity comments, “Reaching 25 years in national syndication is both humbling and a tremendous honor. What began as a passion for engaging in meaningful conversations about the issues shaping our country has become a daily connection with millions of listeners across America. I am deeply grateful to our audience, our affiliate partners, Premiere Networks, our advertisers, and the talented team that makes this show possible every day. Their loyalty, trust and support have made this milestone possible, and I look forward to continuing the conversation for many years to come.”
by Congressman John McGuire of Virginia’s Fifth District. McGuire saluted Jeff for his prior police service, for serving as a law enforcement peer support counselor for more than three decades and for creating the Lieutenant Jan McTernan Blue Friday Award 10 years ago. The award is bestowed publicly on a Central Virginia law enforcement officer during an on-air segment on the last Friday of each month
mic today and tomorrow (8/31-9/1) to fill in for Michael Smerconish on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Morano – who was a talk host at WABC, New York for many years before running for public office – tells TALKERS, “I’ve got a fun couple of shows lined up, including Kelsey Grammer, along with some other interesting guests and plenty of calls and conversation.” 
FCC Media Bureau’s decision that those entities could benefit from the LUC. The plaintiffs argued that the Media Bureau’s public notice “unlawfully dilutes [their] and other candidates’ statutory right to buy advertising time at lowest unit charge by insisting that broadcasters make that same right available to political parties and joint fundraising committees in circumstances where their spending cannot, under campaign finance law, be considered spending by or on behalf of a candidate.” The Court ruled that “the LUC requirement and campaign finance statutes are clear that neither political parties nor joint fundraising committees with non-candidate members can be entitled to the LUC.”
“Rap” was senior vice president of rock promotion at Columbia Records where he served for 33-years during album rock’s golden era, playing a pivotal role in the careers of some of the biggest stars in the business. These included everyone from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd to the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello to Billy Joel, Judas Priest to Alice In Chains, Journey and many, many more.
Bear Walter Payton, Payton brings extensive broadcasting experience alongside a background in business, public speaking, and philanthropy through the Jarrett Payton Foundation.” Payton says, “I’m truly excited and deeply honored to join the team at ‘The Score.’ I’m looking forward to working alongside everyone there and connecting with the loyal listeners who make this station what it is. This place has always felt like family to me. My dad graced these airwaves back in the ’90s, and the thought of being part of that same legacy means everything. Grateful beyond words for this opportunity. Let’s get to work.” The change comes after Audacy dismissed longtime morning host Mike Mulligan and midday co-host Marshall Harris. The midday show continues with incumbent personalities Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote hosting the “Rahimi & Grote Show.”
that a final Trafalgar Group poll – released early this morning – shows South Carolina’s Republican Senate runoff in a virtual dead heat with Senator Graham with 47.9% support and U.S. Rep. Norman at 47.8%, with 4.4% undecided. Gallagher’s guests will include Norman and Trafalgar Group founder Robert Cahaly. SRN says Graham was invited “multiple times to appear on ‘The Mike Gallagher Show’ in recent days but neither she nor her staff responded to those invitations.”
since 2008, originally with Brian Hanley and most recently with David Haugh. Harris became a full-time co-host of the midday show with Leila Rahimi in 2024. The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that former WGN-TV sports anchor Jarrett Payton – the son of Bears legend Walter Payton – will be announced as the new morning drive co-host sometime today. It appears Rahimi and Mark Grote will continue as hosts of the midday show. Audacy has not publicly commented on the changes but it’s reasonable to assume that there was a fiscal component to the moves. 
race. Elci said he intended to not talk about his candidacy or issues relevant to the race but Marx says her request for equal time is in line with FCC regulations and that Elci has to either leave the air until after election day or she gets four hours of airtime to comply with the law. Elci tells CT Insider he’s not involved in the negotiations, “If it were up to me, it would be done a different way. Unfortunately, I don’t know what the final deal is and I guess it’s still a work in progress. Look, I don’t want to come off the air. That’s the last thing I want, and, you know, it’s killing me that I haven’t worked this week. I feel like I’ve let my listeners down. I feel like I let a lot of people down when it comes to this, and I’m getting pulled in a lot of directions for this.” WJJF-FM Saturday morning host Rocky is filling in for Elci. 
income testified against Trump in congress and in court. But Cohen says he’s spoken with Trump several times over the past year and the president agreed to do the interview. WABC says, “The coming-together of these two political heavyweights comes at a particularly intriguing time. Cohen and Trump have been publicly at odds for years, making this unexpected sit-down impossible to ignore. Whatever the answer, Cohen interviewing Trump is sure to generate attention and plenty of questions about what happened to one of the most complicated relationships in modern politics.”
Ballroom in New York City. NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt states, “NAB is honored to recognize Joel Oxley for his extraordinary leadership and lasting contributions to the radio industry. For more than three decades at WTOP and Federal News Network, and over 15 years at Hubbard Radio, Joel has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to local journalism, innovation and public service. Under his leadership, WTOP has become one of the nation’s premier news operations, setting the standard for excellence in local broadcasting while serving the Washington, DC community with trusted journalism. His integrity, vision and dedication have left an enduring mark on our industry, making him a most deserving recipient of this year’s National Radio Award.”
Media’s longstanding commitment to operating its broadcast radio stations in a manner that serves the public interest, advances localism, supports public safety and responds to the needs and interests of the communities it is privileged to serve.” Additionally, Berner addressed the company’s newsrooms and wrote: “Preserving our coverage of newsworthy events, and their impact on our local communities, is exceedingly important to Cumulus Media. The stronger financial foundation that our financial reorganization will afford us is intended to preserve and strengthen, not diminish, our ability to serve local audiences. Consistent with that objective, we commit to maintaining our existing newsroom staffing levels for a minimum of two years following approval of the requested applications.”
ABC warned that the FCC’s scrutiny of “The View” could reach talk radio. Now the eight ABC-owned television station licensees have taken the agency to court. But the immediate lawsuit is not asking a judge to decide whether “The View” qualifies as news.