WDBO, Orlando Expands Joe Kelley Show
Cox Media Group’s news/talk WDBO-AM/W297BB, Orlando announces the expansion of “The Joe Kelley Show” to the 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm hours, effective May 1. Station director of branding and programming Keith Memoly says, “As we embrace Joe Kelley and celebrate the expansion of his local radio show, we also
embrace the positive impact it will have on our community. With more time to share his insightful perspective and engaging personality, Joe will continue to uplift, connect, and strengthen the bonds that make our community thrive.” Kelley comments, “I’m really excited about the opportunity given to me by WDBO to help lead on-air discussions about such vital issues during such unstable times. Instead of talking points, I’ll just bring my natural curiosity about issues and life. Instead of screaming and yelling, I’ll engage our great listeners in compelling discussion about the day’s events. Instead of calling people names, I’ll welcome all opinions and ideas equally. Most importantly, I want ‘The Joe Kelley Show’ to be fun, interesting and easy-to-listen-to.”
13.5 years at The Fan. @giglio_OG and I did some really great stuff in just over 3 years of the show. Thanks for making us part of your routines.” The story quotes Capitol Broadcasting general manager Brian Grube saying a replacement show will have a single host format. The station added, “We’ve decided to move in a new direction in afternoons on ‘99.9 The Fan’ that focuses on the best way to deliver fast-moving, informative, engaging local sports content that leverages the full scope of CBC’s powerful radio, TV and digital platforms…. We’re truly grateful for Joe Ovies’ and Joe Giglio’s many contributions and wish them both the best moving forward.” 
For the last several years, KSHSAA has opted into agreements with third parties that prevented local broadcasters from video-streaming games when the exclusive partner opted to do so. Kansas Association of Broadcasters president Allison Mazzei states, “I’m pleased that now, in post‐season, friends and families of student athletes will have access to free, quality coverage from the same broadcasters who cover their teams all season long. Local high school sports should be covered by local broadcasters. Our broadcasters depend on the revenue generated from high school sports coverage to stay on air and provide local news, weather, entertainment, and emergency alerts that communities depend on.” The KAB also notes students interested in pursuing careers in radio broadcast will also benefit from the legislation. Previously, if a local station was prohibited from video streaming a post‐season game, so were their student workers. Now, students will be able to cover all of their school’s activities regardless if it takes place in post season.
Greater Bridgeport Bar Association. Wexler will receive the award at the GBBA’s annual Law Day event on May 1. The Liberty Bell Award is given to an individual who “is really good at providing services to our community, for betterment of our community, and has demonstrated over time a desire to serve our community vis a vis rule of law.” Wexler comments, “I’m very grateful to receive this distinguished award. I try every day to promote respect for the rule of law and encourage civic engagement. It’s the cornerstone of my mission as a talk radio host and a primary value I bring to my role as probate judge.”
When television spiraled into a circus of chair-throwing, hair-pulling, fist-fighting, profanity-yelling, cross-dressing, sex-addicted guests, Jerry Springer was the ultimate ringleader. “The Jerry Springer Show” was so over-the-top when it debuted in September 1991 that security guards stood by on set and the opening featured a parental warning that stated the content may be inappropriate for children. With segments like “Sex Between Family Members” or “Nudists Talk About Why They Expose All,” it gained a reputation for being the most sexually-explicit tabloid program.
challenging times, in the first quarter, we grew our digital marketing services revenue by more than 23%, completed the sale of WFAS-FM, continued to repurchase shares and retire debt at a discount, and have now executed $10 million of additional annualized cost reductions. That said, the impact of the considerable macro-driven weakness in the national advertising market, as well as the unfavorable prior year political and WynnBET comparisons, ultimately resulted in total revenue and Adjusted EBITDA declines. Though the difficult national market trends persist, we have confidence in our ability to successfully navigate adverse environments such as this one. Specifically, since 2019 through the COVID-impacted years, we have had best-in-class performance in terms of fixed cost reduction, Adjusted EBITDA margin recovery, Adjusted EBITDA to free cash flow conversion and net debt reduction. With our current liquidity profile and solid balance sheet, we believe that we are not only well-positioned to weather the 
that national sports talk radio networks are “in a losing race against time.” Reimer says that long ago, sports fans were starved for sports talk and would tune in to national programming like ESPN’s. But now, he says, “The whole idea of national sports radio is anathema to the concept of destination programming. The content is supposed to be boilerplate, because hosts are expected to placate listeners across the country.” Fans who want to hear national sports hosts like Dan LeBatard or Bill Simmons can simply download their popular podcasts. 
WTN is one of America’s best live and local talk stations in one of our nation’s best cities. You need to be relevant and able to talk about local and national issues, weave through interviews and audio seamlessly and handle segments and hours with or without phone calls. This isn’t a job for a beginner, but a seasoned professional who knows how to entertain and inform! 
manager. ‘97.1 The Fan’ is the flagship station for all Ohio State Athletics as well as NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and the MLS Columbus Crew. ‘The Fan’ is also the Columbus home for Cleveland Browns football. Our legacy properties boast one of the top-rated ESPN affiliates in the United States as well as a statewide network of over 80 stations and a digital platform of full-service digital solutions. This position reports to the president and general manager of WBNS-TV.” 
compared to the net loss of $3.7 million in Q1 of 2022. Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley states, “Beasley’s strong first quarter financial operating results highlight our continued local audio leadership and the ongoing success of our digital transformation and revenue diversification initiatives which are driving top-line and SOI (station operating income) growth. Despite ongoing challenges related to the economy and softness in the national spot market, Beasley generated healthy growth across its digital, local audio, and network revenue sources, as reflected by the 3.7% increase in first quarter net revenues to $57.8 million. Top-
line growth was the primary factor contributing to an impressive 21% year-over-year increase in SOI to $7.1 million. Our digital strategy delivered first quarter digital revenue growth of 27.8% year-over-year and accounted for 17.3% of total first quarter revenue. Similar to recent quarters, strong digital revenue performance was driven by Beasley’s organic content creation initiatives and the roll-out of our tailored web services. Beasley continues to see accelerating demand from consumers for our innovative digital content, with our unique digital users more than doubling over the prior year quarter, resulting in a more than 90% year-over-year increase in sellable digital impressions. We believe we remain on path for this revenue source to reach 20% of total revenue by 2023 year-end.” Total outstanding debt as of March 31, 2023 was $290 million, and first quarter interest expense slightly declined to $6.6 million. Beasley had $35.9 million of cash and cash equivalents on hand at quarter end. We intend to keep our cash on the balance sheet in order to maintain our strong liquidity position, while we monitor the economic environment.”
executive to his most recent post, EVP sales and sports partnerships.” Westwood One president Suzanne Grimes says, “Brandon is a natural leader with a smart, strategic approach to the business that will enable us to manage through these economic headwinds and beyond with confidence, commitment, resilience, and results. With his unparalleled command of our powerhouse sports business, proven success with integrated, and multi-platform client-focused selling, Brandon is uniquely well-suited to lead the team.”
syndicated radio health-based talk show continues to gain affiliates, was recently appointed the role of “ringside physician” for Impact Wrestling which doubles as a serious medical position as well as an entertainment position. Doctor Asa tells TALKERS, “The NFL, just like combat sports, includes years of high-impact play, raising concerns for long-term wellness. Concussions, joint injuries, cardiovascular health, obesity, and neurological complications are the norm as the average career for 
an NFL player is very short.” Doctor Asa will be speaking and educating as the leading health and wellness voice for NFL Franchises and Alumni with strategies for optimal health, performance, and longevity. He continues, “The NFL is a worldwide sports giant with some of the greatest athletes. The players are the ones we need to make sure are in the best position to enter the sport well and exit with their greatest win, their health. NFL Alumni Health has a passion to educate the players for better current play health and longevity choices which creates a better post-play outcome. Many former NFL Alumni Players are losing quality of life and facing serious health challenges. NFL Alumni Health is on a mission to create a better way. I’m here to be the voice, the storyteller, and catalyst to inspire the NFL and its Alumni, and influence others to reach their potential and becoming the best version of themselves.” Dr. Asa Andrew will be speaking on “The Big Picture” panel at TALKERS 2023, June 2 at Hofstra University.
in Music City! We’re looking for a content-driven morning host or duo that fits a rock/classic rock lifestyle. If you believe in the power of radio to connect to an audience, aren’t afraid to step outside the box a little bit, and can create a morning SHOW that’s engaging, interactive, and local, we want to hear from you! Please send audio and materials to 
The decision to change WABC from music to talk back in 1982 was not made by corporate, it was made by its then-program director, Jay Clark. Corporate was hoping he would approve the change, “they” lobbied for it, but the call was the ultimate responsibility of the program director. The business plan for WABC as a talk station predicted it to be profitable in year 10. (That’s because KABC, Los Angeles took 10 years to turn a profit.) As it turned out, WABC turned a profit in year 11.
conservatives were likely to cheer the news of Lemon’s dismissal, the Carlson departure was far more nuanced as it came a week after FOX agreed to a $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems and after discovery in the case revealed 
texts that offered a behind-the-scenes look at FOX News personalities’ frank opinions about the 2020 election, January 6, and their co-workers and bosses. The breaking news even prompted the vacationing Mike Gallagher to find a studio in London from which to do a special edition of his Salem Radio Network program today (4/25). Salem VP/news & talk programming Tom Tradup says, “Mike Gallagher’s programming instincts are second to none. Despite being on vacation overseas, he recognized the importance of the Tucker Carlson departure and insisted on parachuting back into his talk show to give listeners the chance to sound off of what likely will be one of the biggest political stories on 2023.” 
Many years ago, I received a late-night call from a legendary radio talk show host who had just been let go by management at the iconic major market station where he had been presiding over the airwaves for several decades. His ratings had begun to downtrend a bit, but he still was a big draw for audience and advertisers. He was one of the biggest names in talk radio history and his still-sizable audience loved him. Thus, the unexpected news of his severance blindsided him with a wallop and surprised the heck out of the biz. Everyone was buzzing about it.
One out of three American AM/FM radio listeners are reached monthly by AM radio. From the Edison study: 1) AM/FM radio dominates listening in the car with an 88% share of ad-supported audio; 2) AM/FM radio’s near-90 share of in-car ad-supported audio has been steady as a rock for the last six years; 3) AM/FM radio’s ad-supported shares in the car are dominant across all demographics, even among 18-34s; and 4) ‘Perception’ vs. ‘reality’: Agencies and advertisers underestimate AM/FM radio shares and overestimate Pandora and Spotify audiences (‘Perception’ from Advertiser Perceptions data). MRI Simmons shows Ford owners represent 20% of all U.S. AM radio listeners and are more likely to listen to AM radio. Cumulus chief insights officer Pierre Bouvard comments, “AM stations serve very unique, targeted constituencies and represent many languages and voices. As automobile manufacturers consider eliminating AM radio, it’s important to underscore that the AM dial is one of the most diverse media platforms in the world. Why would we eliminate this variety from the car?” 
I’m one of the lucky ones. In my marketing work I get to speak with radio/audio sellers and managers around the country at companies privately and publicly owned, as well as that increasingly rare breed – the radio station owner/operator. They all share one common fault. Yes, I said fault. Can you guess what it is? Probably not, because you too may share the same fault.
Every time I visit a station, I meet with sales, and I leave ’em a thumb drive of “spots that have produced results elsewhere, for businesses just like yours,” magic words on local direct retail sales calls. Help yourself to these, all of which produced results.
Football, Masters, plus sports talk networks CBS Sports Radio and BetQL. Maguire reports to Stuart Greenblatt, SVP of affiliate sales for Westwood One. Maguire, who has served in management roles at stations including WMVP, Chicago; WQAM, Miami; KDKA, Pittsburgh; and KIRO-AM, Seattle, says, “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Westwood One Sports. They have long established themselves as best-in-class content curators and syndicators. I’m excited to team with our affiliate stations and partners to help them achieve success utilizing our many assets.”
Rounds three and four of Nielsen Audio’s March 2023 PPM survey have been released for 24 markets including: Portland, Charlotte, San Antonio, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, Columbus, Austin, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Providence, Norfolk, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Greensboro, Memphis, and Hartford. Nielsen’s March 2023 sweep covered March 2 – March 29. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from these markets. In Portland, Alpha Media news/talk KXL-FM falls 1.3 shares to a 5.7 share (weekly, 6+ AQH share) but stays in the #4 rank, while iHeartMedia’s crosstown news/talk KEX-AM dips a full share for a 2.4 share finish that leaves it ranked #16. Bonneville’s Salt Lake City news/talk KSL-AM/FM adds one-tenth for a 5.1 finish that lifts it to the #4 rank, while iHeartMedia’s crosstown news/talk KNRS-AM/FM dips three-tenths to finish the survey with a 4.8 share good for the #6 rank. And in Milwaukee, iHeartMedia news/talk WISN falls one-tenth to a 9.7 share that leaves it ranked #2, while Good Karma Brands’ news/talk WTMJ rises four-tenths for a 7.4 share repeating in the #4 rank. 
Twitter CEO Elon Musk told NPR reporter Bobby Allyn that Twitter dropped the labels after a suggestion from author Walter Isaacson, who is reported to be writing a biography of Musk. NPR said it was suspending use of the Twitter platform as a result of the labels. NPR spokeswoman Isabel Lara says the company has nothing new to say on the matter. Twitter also put the labels on the BBC, PBS and Canada’s CBC. 
Kaye announced his contest to give away five Twitter Blue subscriptions to listeners who can explain why they are most deserving of the prize. Kaye says, “We are always looking for fun and unique ways to help our audience. Many of our listeners lost their blue check marks in the purge. Several others never had one to begin with. Either way, the twitter blue check mark has once again become a hot commodity and a major status symbol in the war to protect free speech. What better prize could we offer our listeners?” Kaye is giving away one subscription each day this week.
own. She cites a February 2, 2021 appearance by Mike Lindell on Newsmax TV during which anchor Bob Sellers vehemently challenges Lindell’s allegations of voter manipulation, to the point of walking off the set in frustration. The story also notes Newsmax’s defense as laid out in court filings. The company says, “It reported fairly and accurately on the public statements made by President Trump, his attorneys, and 
surrogates; It had a right to report on statements made by public figures, including the president; Newsmax reported on both television and online claims by multiple officials and experts that the election was not ‘stolen’ or ‘rigged.’; Newsmax reached out to Dominion, and Dominion did not accept offers to appear on the network; Newsmax published online at least a dozen articles sharing Dominion’s response to Trump campaign claims. Those headlines appeared on Newsmax TV; On Dec. 19, 2020, Newsmax published to its website a statement, ‘Facts About Dominion, Smartmatic You Should Know,’ which read, in part, ‘No evidence has been offered that Dominion or Smartmatic used software or reprogrammed software that manipulated votes in the 2020 election.’; Newsmax shared its statement over the course of months during segments related and unrelated to the 2020 election.” Finally, Newsmax adds, “It should be noted that FOX News has never made a statement, even after its settlement, as strong and specific as Newsmax’s statement of Dec. 19, 2021.”