CES2026: Is Your Elevator Speech Too Long?
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
We sell advertisers the attention we earn, and earning it has never been tougher. When we design client stations’ billboards, we’re not “writing a 60” or “a 30,” or even “a 10.” It’s a one-second spot. At a glance, someone driving needs to understand what the station delivers, and why to listen.
Showcase events here are well-catered and open bar (Media Relations 101). So, as we roam exhibits, both hands are already full, a challenge for exhibitors hoping we’ll stop, take a tchotchke, and take-in what they’re rolling-out. So I’m struck by how well the large-font messages on their booth signage distills whassup.
Examples:
Komutr: “Finally, Earbuds Your Won’t Lose!”
Stelo by Dexcom: “Glucose tracking made easy”
“Too busy to cook? Let a robot do it,” 500 dishes Nosh can whip-up.
“So your days don’t end up on your face,” Baronbio offers “The 4-Day Slow-Aging Challenge.”
Eloquens: “Automated Email responses that feel human”
“Mist + Wind = Instant Cool” with Aecooly, “the world’s first high-speed cooling fan,” hand-held.
Narwal’s V50 Cube Cordless Vacuum is “light to hold” and will “deep-clean every surface.”
Yarbo’s Modular Yard Robot: not just a lawnmower. “All Seasons Solution” doubles as a snowblower.
Kamingo’s E-Bike Converter switches from bicycle to E-bike “in seconds.”
We have learned – and taught advertisers – to boil-it-down to the proverbial “elevator speech,” a pitch you could spit-out between floors. How quickly does yours convey value?
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
places remain unchanged with NPR’s “NPR News Now” at #1, followed by The New York Times’ “The Daily” at #2 and NPR’s “Up First” at #3. Changes among news/talk shows include The Daily Wire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show’ up two places to #12, the Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Shawn Ryan Show” falls 11 spots to #15, and “The Tucker Carlson Show” dips two spots to #19. 
drive host to launch a daily, one-hour podcast that will also air on WPHT from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Zeoli says in a Facebook announcement that, while radio isn’t going anywhere, he realizes that people want to consume content where and when they’d like and this move allows people to download the podcast and listen at their leisure or listen to the broadcast version at 6:00 pm. The podcast will launch on Monday (1/12). Audacy has not announced programming for the 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm daypart yet.
everything while we worked on cleaning up. Working in the administration was the experience of a lifetime. I’ll have some announcements coming up but I’m taking a couple of days to spend with the family. A couple of things: Thank you for your interest in the show and its return date. We will have something for you soon. The Trump team is not kidding around. It’s an otherworldly experience from the other side. He’s determined and focused. And having been around quite a few Presidents, this one broke the mold.
Advice columns blanketing sites like LinkedIn, the Skimm, and Forbes 2.0 – aimed at recent graduates – encourage their readers to seek and bond with an at-work mentor. After years of skimming “5 bullet” articles, I have reached the tipping point and I’m not going to take it anymore: Seeking a mentor as a career strategy is horrible advice. Just horrible.
FM via translator W245DP. The station will blend local talk shows with national content from Westwood One Sports. Local shows include Kent Sterling in the 9:00 am to 11:00 am slot, Jim Coyle from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, and Mike Glasscot in the 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm daypart. The station will also serve as an affiliate for play-by-play for the Indianapolis Colts and the Indiana Pacers. Sterling, who will serve as the station’s program director, states, “Sports talk in Bloomington is long overdue, and I’m so pleased ST Radio is the company to make this happen. Bloomington is the Big Ten’s best sports town, and ’98-7 The Zone’ will be the Big Ten’s best sports station.”
sports talk show just a couple of weeks after being ousted from WFAN due to the return of Craig Carton to that station’s afternoon daypart. Tierney and co-host Sal Licata were let go on December 19. Tierney’s new show “BT Unleashed” is streamed on YouTube and other platforms. Tierney tells the Brooklyn Reporter, “I thought it was a pretty easy decision. I felt the iron was hot. I certainly felt a desire for more of my work and I wanted to get right back out there. People understand that it was an abrupt ending at the FAN and that this is a pretty dramatic transformation.” 
Cutting edge technology is on display — and on wheels — this week here in Las Vegas. 
build WPYB-AM in Benson, North Carolina. The company says that at a time when many smaller communities lacked access to local broadcasting, he recognized radio’s unique ability to inform, connect, and serve and that vision became the cornerstone of the company. Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley comments, “Reaching 65 years is a testament to the resilience, creativity, and dedication of the people who make Beasley Media Group what it is today. While we are incredibly proud of our legacy, this milestone is equally about where we are headed — continuing to evolve, embrace innovation, and strengthen the local connections that have always set us apart.” The company currently operates 55 radio stations in large and mid-sized markets. Beasley says the anniversary theme — “65 Strong: Forward Together” — reflects both the strength of the company’s foundation and its focus on the future.
competition, raise prices for consumers, and damage local news across the country. If the deal is approved, Nexstar would become the largest TV station owner in the nation owning 244 television stations across 44 states. Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy says, “This merger would create an unprecedented and dangerous consolidation within the broadcast TV industry, giving them immense control over local news and political news coverage.” Newsmax says that the national television ownership cap was set by Congress at 39% of U.S. television households in 2004 and explicitly stripped the FCC of authority to modify it and argues that any change in the cap by the FCC, including waivers, is a direct violation of law. 
airing from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Concha has been hosting a Sunday show from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon and will continue in that role. Red Apple CEO John Catsimatidis says, “Joe is exactly the kind of smart, credible, non-nonsense voice we promised our listeners. Listeners trust Joe and his ratings success backs that up. We are delighted to add him to our weeknight programming.” Concha is a columnist, author, and FOX News contributor.
With the conclusion of 2025 at hand, we are entering the second half of the third decade of the 21st century. It will be a remarkably transitional period for the talk radio industry and its closely associated fields in talk media, as well as media-in-general.
addition to their existing audio distribution. When this video feature launches, creators will be able to upload their podcast episodes, including full-length video versions, through their standard RSS feeds for seamless distribution in iHeartRadio.” The company goes on to say that this feature will 1) allow podcasters to control how their content is presented; 2) allow creators control over their monetization, with no revenue share required to iHeart; and 3) give them the freedom to have their videos hosted and served from wherever they want and not be tied to an iHeart-owned hosting provider. iHeartMedia chairman and CEO Bob Pittman explains, “While audio remains the backbone of the podcast medium, as well as its primary source of audience connection and the reason for the industry’s explosive growth, video podcasting is now emerging as a completely separate and incremental form to audio, in the same way that podcasting evolved as a new layer on top of broadcast radio. At iHeartMedia creators come first. Providing this new video distribution capability for free to our creators is an additional testament to our continuing focus on creators’ success and is consistent with how and why the podcast industry was built to begin with.”
iHeartMedia’s studios in South Florida and airing in the 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm slot being vacated by Doug Gottlieb. iHeartMedia says, “Designed as a live radio extension of his popular podcast ‘Stugotz and Company,’ the show will bring together his regular crew along with a rotating cast of guest co-hosts, blending old friends and new voices.” Additionally, the Stugotz Podcast Network will launch with iHeartPodcasts, featuring “Stugotz and Company” and “God Bless Football,” plus more content to be launched later. Weiner says, “There was a ton of interest and a lot of great conversations, but it became obvious to me rather quickly that iHeart and FOX Sports Radio were going to be the landing spot. I miss doing live radio, and I was looking for a partner to grow my two existing podcasts and help us build out a network. To be able to partner with the biggest and best digital company on the planet – and host a daily, two-hour live radio show with two Hall of Famers, Dan Patrick and Colin Cowherd, as lead-ins – is a place, quite frankly, I never imagined arriving at, and an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up.”
want guiding our Alaska operations. His passion for the Anchorage market, experience in broadcast and digital platforms, combined with his ability to build strong teams and elevate performance, makes him an outstanding fit. We are excited for the energy, vision, and expertise he will bring to our Alaska properties.” Day comments, “I’m truly thrilled to be joining the Connoisseur Media team and working alongside leaders who have such a clear vision for our business. It’s also incredibly exciting to return to a market I love, one that I believe has endless potential. I can’t wait to get to know each member of the Anchorage team and work together to achieve not only their personal goals, but the goals we have for the entire team.”
Benjamin Yount is taking over the 6:00 am to 9:00 am show hosting duties. Yount has been with the station since 2018 as host and news director. He comments, “WISN has always been about serving Wisconsin with smart, honest conversation, and I’m honored to take on 
morning drive. Our listeners count on us to start their day informed and engaged, and I’m excited to continue that in a new time slot while keeping the same commitment to strong local coverage.” Jason Goch, who has been a fill-in host on WISN, moves into the morning news anchor and late morning talk host role. He’ll handle news duties during Yount’s program and host his own talk show from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Station program director Jerry Bott states, “This lineup builds on WISN’s momentum and reflects our focus on serving listeners with strong, credible voices throughout the day. Benjamin has earned the trust of our audience and brings proven ratings success to morning drive, while Jason is a terrific addition whose experience and versatility strengthen our local programming bench.”
news/talk WGBF-AM, Evansville, Indiana at the end of the broadcast day on December 31. The company clearly isn’t getting the returns it wants on the operation of the station. The story indicates that the signal is up for sale but it’s unclear if there is any interest in the station that was launched in 1923 by the Finke Furniture company. The calls stand for G.B. Finke. 
operations Mark Sullivan comments, “Andrea and I have worked alongside each other for decades and shared in many successes together. She has a long track record of driving results for our Lexington stations, rooted in her passion for the business and service to the community, our advertisers, listeners, and employees. This is a well-deserved opportunity for her, and I’m looking forward to her success in this new role as VP/market manager.” Ayers says, “I’m truly honored to accept the role of VP/market manager for Cumulus Lexington. I’m excited to bring my experience and passion to the table and work alongside such a talented group to drive growth, strengthen relationships, and deliver exceptional results.”
WNYM in 2014. Salem Media New York general manager Laura Sheaffer says, “Joe Piscopo remains one of the most dynamic talents in New York radio. His authenticity and connection with our listeners are extraordinary and extending his presence on ‘AM 970 The Answer’ was an easy decision. Joe continues to raise the bar every single morning.” Piscopo comments, “Our audience relies on us for honesty, respect, and straight talk about the issues that matter, and that trust means the world to me. And let’s be honest – only in New York do you wake up at 3:00 am and call it show business! I’m honored, grateful, and excited to keep sharing these mornings with such an amazing audience.”
call the final two games of the regular season and the playoffs. Papa has been off the air this fall as he battles leukemia. While Papa still must go through chemotherapy and receive a bone marrow transplant, his doctors have cleared him to return to the booth to broadcast games.
announcement via a post on X, saying: “I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America, and all those who defend Her.” President Trump commented on Bongino’s departure saying, “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show.” Now, the speculation begins as most industry watchers expect Bongino to return to the conservative talk media ecosystem, where will he resume his media career?
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.”
and #2 in most past surveys – are gone from the ranker entirely. With that change, iHeartRadio’s “Stuff You Should Know” is the new #1, with Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” at #2. Other changes for talk radio-related podcasts include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Shawn Ryan Show” rising five places to #4, Cumulus Podcast Network’s “VINCE” climbing two places to #10, and iHeartRadio’s “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” moving up seven places to #11. 
controller. Coury has been overseeing the company’s treasury operations, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and traffic functions. Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley says, “John’s leadership, strategic insight, and strong financial acumen have been instrumental in strengthening our company’s financial foundation. His dedication and expertise will continue to play an important role in advancing Beasley’s fiscal efficiency and long-term growth.”