WLS-AM, Chicago’s Steve Cochran Lands Sosa Interview
WLS-AM, Chicago morning drive host Steve Cochran (left) interviewed former Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa (center) on March 15 as the controversial former ballplayer returned to the Windy City. Sosa left Chicago and the Cubs after the 2004 season and, in 2009, it was revealed that Sosa was among MLB players found to have tested positive for PEDs in 2003 in baseball’s steroids scandal. Last Friday, fans were treated to Sosa’s first interview with Chicago media in many years. WLS allowed local TV cameras into Cumulus Chicago studios to capture Sosa’s return to Chicago media. Also pictured here is Cochran’s co-host Andrea Darlas (right). See the interview here.
February 2024 PPM Data – Information for the February 2024 ratings period (February 1 – February 28) has been released for: Washington, Boston, Miami, Seattle, Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis, San Diego, Tampa, Denver, Baltimore, and St. Louis.
1. Financial solvency laws. Consolidation is not the problem; it actually saved the radio industry. The problem is the 1986 rule change that dropped financial solvency requirements for station ownership. Prior to 1986, stations could not be purchased with debt. A potential owner had to prove that they could meet the expenses of a station through the duration of its license. Once the financial efficacy rule was dropped and stations could be purchased with debt, the industry was financially decimated. Prediction: Financial solvency laws will be re-instated.
Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina “The Fan Upstate.” The program takes over for “Offsides with Marc Ryan,” as Ryan moves to the company’s WXYT-FM, Detroit “97.1 The Ticket.” Audacy Greenville-Spartanburg SVP and market manager Steve Sinicropi states, “‘WIRE 2 WIRE’ allows us to elevate Diesel, who has worked alongside Marc for years, and Cole, who has done a great job with every sports assignment we’ve given him. ‘WIRE 2 WIRE’ will be a live, local sports show with knowledgeable, well-known local talent, and I know sports fans will love it.”
February 2024 PPM Data – Information for the February 2024 ratings period (February 1 – February 28) has been released for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union (New Jersey).
“97.5 The Fanatic” as Andrew Salciunas moves from middays to partner with incumbent morning host John Kincade for the “Kincade and Salciunas” 
program, effective today (3/18). Kincade has been serving as the morning host since January 2021. Salciunas, has spent the past 10 years working his way up the ladder at the station, most recently hosting the 10:00 am to 2:00 pm show since Anthony Gargano left that role after a now-settled contract dispute with the company. In a statement, station PD Scott Masteller says, “I am truly excited to pair John and Andrew for a new sports show that will reflect the energy and passion of the Philadelphia sports fan.”
March is half over, and the Madness is just beginning.
For spring break this year, Sarah and I revisited Sandals Grand Bahamian all-inclusive resort – NOT inexpensive, and very worth it. We’ve already booked same-week-next-year, and we think we know who we’ll see there then.
news/talk/sports WXLM-AM, New London. The first match aired last Saturday (3/16) versus New Mexico United. An additional nine matches will air on the two stations. Cumulus regional vice president Holly Paras says, “I am delighted that our stations will enter into this new broadcasting partnership with Rhode Island FC and help to bring the Southern New England community the passion and drama of this new team and exciting sport.”
firm to complete its audits of the consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting included in the Form 10-K. Urban One expects its auditor will issue an unqualified opinion on the consolidated financial statements. The reason for the delay is that Urban One has identified material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting and as a result, expects some of its internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls will be ineffective as of December 31, 2023. The Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, will describe these material weaknesses, and the Company is implementing plans to remediate them. The company says it does not anticipate any changes to its previously audited financial statements, nor does it expect to report financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023 that are materially different from the financial guidance range previously provided by the company during its third quarter earnings call.
from 8:00 am to 10:00 am ET on 90 Audacy stations nationwide. Led by Nick Kostos and Ken Barkley, co-hosts of “You Better You Bet,” “BetQL Countdown to Tip-Off” will serve as breakdowns of the men’s college basketball tournament, featuring a mix of sports betting insight. The show will also welcome talent from across Audacy’s portfolio of sports stations.
and WEPN-AM), but Karmazin said the move had nothing to do with his company not renewing its lease on WEPN-FM (which ends later this summer) but that it’s a company decision. TALKERS noticed that news/talk WTMJ, Milwaukee did not appear in Nielsen’s January PPM survey and reached out to GKB for an explanation, but the company did not reply to our request. Karmazin told Best, “It’s outdated to use one form of media to measure a show, especially one that doesn’t reflect the entire listening audience and viewing audience across all the different ways we distribute our media now.” 
Sports,” on Monday (3/18). The program will cover the athletes, coaches, teams, and sports that have contributed to the explosive worldwide growth of women’s athletics in recent years. The rotating cast of female sports broadcasters includes Laura Okmin, Maggie Gray, Olivia Harlan Dekker, Amber Theoharis, and Amy Lawrence.
February 20.” Audacy awaits FCC approval to complete its restructuring and plans to file its 2023 10-K later this month. The company says it experienced revenue growth of 1% in January, led by a 1% increase in radio revenue and a 7% increase in digital revenue. Audacy chairman, president and CEO David Field comments, “Audacy is off to a strong start in 2024, driving accelerated financial and operating performance, including solid early growth in revenues, key digital metrics, and audience and revenue shares. We look forward to a bright future, capitalizing on our best-in-class balance sheet and our scaled leadership position in the dynamic audio market, distinguished by our exclusive premium content and top positions across the country’s largest markets.”
local political and other key local vertical ad spend, and significant ad growth for connected TV/over-the-top (CTV/OTT), TV OTA, and TV Digital. BIA VP of forecasting & analysis Nicole Ovadia states, “As expected, local political advertising will be substantial this year, and it’s fueling spend across the media landscape. Our slight adjustment down for this year is mainly due to mixed economic signals, a slowdown in certain consumer purchases, and lower than expected spending in Digital and Direct Mail advertising at the end of 2023 that may flow into this year. However, we still anticipate 2024 to be better for local advertising than 2023 and certain media like TV OTA, TV Digital, and CTV/OTT are growing substantially.”
community at-large. The 2024 Leadership Awards honorees are: Don Bouloukos, CBS and ABC Radio executive; Frank Comerford, chief revenue office, president, commercial operations, NBCU Local; Traug Keller, president, ABC Radio Network/SVP, ESPN Radio; Kathleen Kirby, partner, Wiley; Mike McVay, president, McVay Media Consulting; and John Rouse, EVP, ABC Affiliate Relations, Disney Platform Distribution. The Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award is bestowed annually on an individual in broadcasting whose work exemplifies innovation, community service, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. The 2024 Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award recipient is Erica Farber, president & CEO, RAB. The Broadcasters Foundation Breakfast is complimentary to all in broadcasting. 
at age 69 after suffering a heart attack. St. Pierre served with WABC, New York during his career but worked much of his career in Rhode Island radio and TV. He programmed talk outlets including WPRO-AM, WHJJ-AM, and sports talk WPRV-AM in Providence and anchored sports on WPRI-TV, Providence. He is a member of both the Rhode Island Radio and Television and the City of Pawtucket Halls of Fame. He is survived by his wife Patti. 
dramatically understate AM/FM radio’s shares; 2) AM/FM radio represents the dominant ad-supported audio platform with a 68% overall share and a massive 86% in-car share; 3) In a typical day in America, 95% of Americans never listen to ad-supported Spotify. 94% never listen to ad-supported Pandora; 4) Podcasts’ audience soars. At a 20% share of ad-supported audio, podcasts now represent one out of every five minutes of U.S. ad-supported audio; 5) Among registered voters, AM/FM radio leads in ad-supported audience share (68%) followed by podcasts (21%); 6) After a pandemic lull, the proportion of AM/FM radio listening occurring in-car roars back; and 7) Powered by podcasts, spoken word is on a tear: 40% of all time with ad-supported audio goes to spoken word, up from 27% pre-pandemic. 
last night (3/11). The event was also exclusively video streamed on iHeartRadio’s YouTube channel and broadcast across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app. Winners were named in 32 categories, including Podcast of the Year, which went to “New Heights.” Entertainer Lilly Singh presented the award to co-hosts Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce, who accepted the honor via video. 
WHO morning show. Today, Simon Conway – the station’s PM drive host – was part of the on-air team. Amy Sweet posted the following message to Facebook, “Our sincere appreciation goes out to every listener who has tuned in to WHO over the years, making it possible for us to build upon the rich tradition of excellent programming that sets us apart from other stations. We have truly enjoyed connecting with each one of you through various initiatives designed to foster deeper connections within our beloved community. As we move forward into unknown territories, we are filled with anticipation and hope for what lies ahead!”
audio experienced a 17% decline. The study identified radio app and voice users as super users who shared common traits and expectations. Audacy notes, “These highly engaged individuals demand seamless transitions for Audio across their home, phone, and car systems… Moreover, they exhibit readiness to spend, particularly in high-budget categories like home improvement and financial services, responding actively to targeted radio ads. For advertisers, crafting personalized ads targeted at these audiences presents an exceptional opportunity to guide listeners through all stages of the purchase funnel.” Other key findings of the study include: 1) Nearly half of radio app users sought information about advertised products online after hearing an ad in the car, compared to 22% of all listeners; 2) 31% of radio app users and 27% of voice users visited the store they heard about, doubling the rate of all listeners; and 3) 27% of radio app users purchased advertised products, more than doubling the rate of all listeners. 
Think about the concept for just a minute. Manhattan Island for $24? Peter Minuit knew value.
Sell a local advertiser a promotion – a contest which awards a major prize from the advertiser’s inventory – to the winner who creates the best commercial for the advertiser.
