iHeartMedia Houston Appoints Paul Lambert as New Region President
iHeartMedia announced yesterday (12/5) that Paul Lambert has been named region president for iHeartMedia Houston, effective immediately. 
He will report to Eddie Martiny, division president, iHeartMedia. In this newly appointed position, Lambert will work closely with the sales, programming and digital teams in the market and will also have direct oversight of the respective sales teams. “I have had the pleasure of working with Paul for over 20 years; I have witnessed him excel in numerous management roles and his track record has been remarkable. I am confident that Paul’s knowledge and leadership skills will allow iHeart Houston to continue its winning ways,” Martiny tells TALKERS. Lambert, a Louisiana native, has been working for iHeartMedia for the past 24 years and most recently served as SVP of Sales in Houston. He started as an account executive and rose through the ranks, working as local sales manager, general sales manager and director of sales. “Under Eddie’s leadership, iHeartMedia Houston has had an almost unmatched winning record. I’m honored to carry the torch on behalf of our wonderful clients and the amazing team of iHeart individuals who make magic happen every day!” said Paul Lambert.
On-air host Brian Wilson (weekdays from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm), announced his retirement earlier this month, after a 50-year career in broadcasting that included stints at FOX News and WMAL-FM in Washington, D.C., before landing at SuperTalk 99.7 in 2018. Wilson will continue to contribute to SuperTalk 99.7 in a host-at-large role.
Matt Murphy steps in as on-air host, afternoon drive (weekdays from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm), after hosting weekdays on the station from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm for the last three years. Murphy joined SuperTalk 99.7 in 2021 after a 19-year stint with Talk 99.5 WZRR in Birmingham, AL, as both morning show host and program director.
Joining Cumulus Nashville and the new SuperTalk 99.7 lineup is Chad Benson, who will host a live and local show airing weekdays from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm. Benson will continue as host of his syndicated program, “The Chad Benson Show” with Radio America Network. Chad Benson said, “I’m so excited to be a part of this legendary radio station and to work with an incredible team in an amazing city. I look forward to contributing and building strong connections with both listeners and advertisers.”
The station further enhances its news coverage with the addition of veteran broadcast journalist Joan Jones as news anchor in morning drive with current host and 2024 Marconi winner Dan Mandis. Jones is known for her successful 10-year career as morning news anchor for news/talk station WTOP-FM in Washington, D.C. Current SuperTalk 99.7 news anchor Ken Weaver will continue to cover the news desk weekday afternoons from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Tomorrow (12/5) at 7:00 pm, Townsquare Media’s New Jersey 101.5 (WKXW-FM) is presenting a special Town Hall broadcast, “Targeted: Protecting New Jersey Children from Online Predators,” confronting the crisis of online child predators, and how New Jersey children and parents are affected. In what is an alarming statistic, the FBI estimates that 500,000 predators are online daily, with kids between the ages of 12 and 15 most at risk. These predators are lurking on social media sites, online gaming platforms, chatrooms, and anywhere else popular with kids. New Jersey 101.5’s Eric Scott leads the news and digital departments in bringing listeners the most up-to-date information about the ever-changing ways predatory behavior manifests itself on the internet and connected devices. “Our kids are spending considerable time on the internet every day,” Scott warns. “Parents need to understand how to identify where predators are lurking and how to safeguard their children.” The program’s on-air guest panel includes John Pizzuro, CEO of Raven and former commander of the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force; Alicia Kozak, internet safety expert and founder of The Alicia Project; Stephanie Lyon, licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor of clinical psychology at Rutgers University; and Gina Cavallo, a consultant and vice president for the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking. Online, the program will be streamed live and available for embedding at facebook.com/nj1015/live. The broadcast may also be accessed via nj1015.com, the New Jersey 101.5 YouTube channel, or the free New Jersey 101.5 app.
iHeartMedia Philadelphia is teaming up with Boost Mobile and Cradles to Crayons® to launch the “Boost Up for Winter” campaign, a large-scale community coat drive in support of the Cradles to Crayons® Gear Up for Winter initiative. From now (12/2) until Sunday, December 22 the drive will aim to collect and distribute 20,000 warm winter coats and other essential items to children and families in need across the Greater Philadelphia area. Cradles to Crayons® distributes donated items via a robust network of Service Partner organizations including hospitals, schools, and community centers. As winter approaches, many families face the harsh reality of inadequate protection against cold weather. Too often, the cost of winter wear and boots are out of reach for the more than 300,000 children living in low-income or homeless situations in Greater Philadelphia. Through this campaign, iHeartMedia Philadelphia and its partners are committed to ensuring that local children have the clothing and essentials necessary to stay warm at home, at school, and at play throughout the season. For more information on the campaign, including participating Boost Mobile store locations please click 
In an age of rapid information and rising concerns about misinformation, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters (KAB) announces the launch of its statewide KAB Trust Campaign: “Rooted in Community, Committed to Truth.” This initiative highlights the critical role Kansas broadcasters play as trusted sources of news and information. “Broadcasting is built on trust, accountability, and community connection,” KAB president Allison Mazzei tells TALKERS. “This campaign reminds Kansans of the unique value broadcasters provide – delivering accurate, timely, and trustworthy information in an era of misinformation.” To support this effort, KAB partnered with KMBC, Hearst, to produce customizable TV and radio spots, along with digital assets, available to Kansas stations at no cost. Stations are encouraged to customize and air the materials by December 1, 2024. The campaign directs audiences to learn more at 
Cumulus Media announces(11/21) that it has promoted Marv Nyren to regional vice president of Cumulus Media in Chicago, IL, and Minneapolis, MN. Nyren currently serves as VP/MM for Cumulus Chicago and adds oversight responsibilities for Cumulus Minneapolis to his purview. Nyren joined Cumulus Media in 2017 as VP/MM of Cumulus Chicago. Prior to that, he was vice president, corporate sponsorships for Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ-FM. Nyren also held roles as president/regional vice president for iHeartMedia’s 13 radio stations in Jacksonville, FL, and Brunswick, GA, and was regional VP/MM for Emmis Media for 12 years, managing the company’s stations in Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Indianapolis. Dave Milner, president, operations, Cumulus Media, tells TALKERS, “Marv brings a wealth of experience across multiple U.S. markets to this expanded role. Known for his highly effective and impactful leadership in Chicago, Marv will be a tremendous asset to our talented teams and strong brands in the Twin Cities.” Marv Nyren comments, “I’m deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead the Cumulus Chicago team, and now, expanding to the Minneapolis market is truly a dream come true. Being part of both teams is a privilege, and I’m excited to contribute and make a positive impact in both markets.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James today (11/22) announced that a court found SiriusXM Radio, Inc. violated the law by forcing customers to undergo a long and burdensome process to cancel their subscriptions. AG James sued SiriusXM in 2023 after an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that the company requires its subscribers to call or chat online with an agent to cancel a subscription and trains its agents not to take “no” for an answer. SiriusXM’s alleged illegal process deliberately draws out conversations with customers as part of a strategy to prevent them from canceling their subscriptions. “No one should have to endure a lengthy and frustrating process to cancel a subscription, and any company that forces customers to jump through unnecessary hoops to end their subscriptions is breaking the law,” said Attorney General James. 
“This decision found SiriusXM illegally created a complicated cancellation process for its New York customers, forcing them to spend significant amounts of time speaking with agents who refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. My office sued SiriusXM to protect consumers, and as a result of our actions, they will have to simplify their cancellation process to stop taking advantage of New Yorkers.” SiriusXM has approximately 35 million subscribers of which nearly 2 million are New Yorkers.
Today (11/21), Triton Digital released its Canada and U.S. Podcast Rankers for October 2024. The rankers are measured by Triton’s Podcast Metrics measurement service, and both include a reporting period of September 30, 2024 – November 3, 2024.
Chris Licht was executive producer of the Steven Colbert show. Then he took the job of CEO of CNN. There was unpleasantness. Thanks to our shared position on the Newhouse School Advisory Board at Syracuse University, I learned how he is advancing his career while seeking the right job.
Last night (11/17), President-elect Donald Trump announced his selection of Brendan Carr to be the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Trump praised Carr as a “warrior for free speech” and someone who has “fought against the regulatory lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms and held back our Economy.” Trump further stated, Carr will “end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s Job Creators and Innovators and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America.” Carr is currently the leading Republican in the FCC. He is one of five commissioners leading the agency, all of whom are appointed by the president pending Senate confirmation. In response to the nomination, Carr thanked Trump in a post on X, saying, “I am humbled and honored to serve as chairman of the FCC. Now we get to work.” In a follow up post, Carr stated, “We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans.” Carr was the central figure in the complaint against NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” for having VP Kamala Harris in a skit on the program without extending a similar opportunity to Donald Trump to remain in accordance with FCC rules to ensure equal time is granted on networks. At that time, Carr posted to X, “This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule,” he said on X. “The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election.” (EDITOR’S NOTE: Some of the recent information being disseminated about broadcasting “networks” being licensed by the FCC has been misstated or misinterpreted by politicians and the media alike. For the most part, TV networks are non-licensed content providers. The licenses are held by the individual stations, groups of stations and their owners with whom they affiliate.)
iHeartMedia announced today (11/18) that Mark Glynn has been appointed area president for Washington, effective immediately. The iHeartMedia Washington markets include sixteen iconic station brands across both broadcast and digital formats, offering a diverse lineup of music, talk and news programming. In his new role as area president, Glynn, who is currently market president in Seattle, will add oversight of the Spokane market operations to his responsibilities. He will report to Nick Gnau, division president for iHeartMedia. “Mark is a dynamic leader with a proven track record of success in the media industry. Since the day I met him, his passion for his team and his ability to foster a collaborative and creative work environment has been effective and impressive, making him the perfect person to lead Spokane to the success he’s achieved in Seattle,” Gnau tells TALKERS. “I’m honored to lead iHeartMedia Washington. In an era where audio thrives as a powerful medium, our brands in Seattle and Spokane stand at the forefront, poised to continue our legacy of success. I am grateful for the support of our dedicated sales teams and leaders in both markets,” says Glynn.
“The Joe Rogan Experience,” “Crime Junkie,” and “The Daily” remain in the top three spots, respectively. This chart is based on total audience reach for weekly podcast listeners 13+ in the U.S. Other news/talk podcasts of note on this quarter’s chart include: “The Dan Bongino Show” at #17; “The Tucker Carlson Show” at #20; “The Ben Shapiro Show” at #22; “The Ramsey Show” at #30; and “The Megyn Kelly Show” at #50.