The most discussed stories yesterday (1/27) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
1.Justice Department Firings
2. New Defense Department Policies
3. DeepSeek’s Effects on U.S. Tech
4. Immigration/Deportations
5. RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearings
Townsquare Media announces a strategic digital advertising partnership with Steel City Media, which operates in the Pittsburgh and Kansas City markets. Todd Lawley, president of digital advertising division Townsquare Ignite, says, “We could not be more excited to have the talented team at Steel City Media join our partnership program. They will now be able to leverage Townsquare Ignite’s cutting-edge digital
advertising and marketing solutions to their expansive customer base, which importantly exists in markets that do not compete with ours. Our expertise is coaching and training high-performing broadcast sales teams to leverage our proprietary programmatic advertising platform and data-driven insights to deliver exceptional results for their clients. By sharing our proven strategies and dynamic approach, we look forward to helping Steel City strengthen their digital capabilities, driving growth and measurable success for their clients.” Steel City Media vice president Michael Frischling comments, “We are excited to partner with Townsquare Ignite in both of our markets. Townsquare has the best digital solutions in the radio industry and a proven track record of delivering great results to clients.”
The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
1.Trump vs Colombia’s Gustavo Petro
2. Pete Hegseth Confirmed for Defense Secretary
3. China’s DeepSeek Sends Tech Stocks Down
4. The Israel-Hamas Ceasefire/Future of Gaza
5. NFL Championship Games
Premiere Networks nationally syndicated talk hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton are debuting a new podcast this Sunday (1/26) titled, “Team 47.” The weekly podcast hosted by the duo is produced by The Clay
Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network, distributed by iHeartPodcasts, and as the name implies will focus on the Trump administration. The focus of the new podcast will be on “the most important piece of news about President Donald Trump as covered on ‘The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show’” and the hosts will provide “comprehensive analysis and commentary, while breaking down the impact the news may have on Americans and their daily lives.”
Cumulus Media’s Westwood One is the official audio partner of the National Football League and will present live coverage of this Sunday’s conference championship games. Coverage of the first game between the
Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles begins at 2:00 pm ET and features Ian Eagle handling play-by-play, Kurt Warner as color commentator and Ross Tucker as sideline reporter. Coverage of game two between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs begins at 6:30 pm ET with Kevin Harlan providing play-by-play, Devin McCourty as color analyst and Derek Rackley as sideline reporter.
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (1/20-24) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories/Topics
1. Inauguration of Donald Trump
2. Elon Musk Controversial Gesture
3. Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearings / Marco Rubio Confirmation
4. Episcopal Bishop Prayer Breakfast Remarks
5. Trump Executive Order Signings
6. Trump Migrant Crackdown / Trump Climate and Foreign Affairs Policies
7. Trump DEI policies / Trump DOGE Activities – The Economy
8. Big Tech Government Influence
9. Russia Ukraine War / Israel-Hamas War
10.Sean Hannity Trump Interview
People
1. Donald Trump
2. Elon Musk
3. Pete Hegseth / Marco Rubio
4. Joe Biden
5. Mariann Edgar Budde
6. Vivek Ramaswamy
7. Jeff Bezos / Mark Zuckerberg
8. Benjamin Netanyahu / Vladimir Putin / Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Xi Jinping
9. JD Vance
10.Sean Hannity
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
Cumulus Media promotes KCMO-AM, Kansas City morning host and program director Pete Mundo to vice president of news/talk for the company, in which he’ll provide content counsel for Cumulus’ 43 news/talk-formatted radio brands. Mundo assumes this role from Bill Hess, who continues as operations manager and program director for the company’s WMAL-AM/FM, Washington, DC. Mundo will continue his roles in Kansas
City. Cumulus Media chief content officer Brian Philips states, “Pete has risen to stardom quickly with his on-air performance and innovative program architecture in Kansas City. Pete is among our most dynamic leaders, in ANY format. It also matters that Pete is Bill Hess’ hand-chosen successor, as Bill returns to oversight of our news/talk flagship WMAL, in the nation’s capital. Bill has served with distinction in this corporate role, and Cumulus news/talk is positioned for continued success under Pete’s leadership.” Mundo comments. “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to join the content leadership team at Cumulus and am grateful for the confidence that the company has shown in me. Learning from Bill Hess in recent years has been a terrific way to make the transition seamless. The news/talk format is changing rapidly but remains dominant in the audio industry. The format has exceptional upside during this transitional political period, as people continue to seek news and information about their cities, states, and country. I am eager to work with my fellow news/talk programmers across the nation to make our brands stronger.”
WKXW-FM, Trenton “New Jersey 101.5” morning drive host Bill Spadea is taking a leave of absence from his radio program, effective next week, to run for governor of New Jersey. Spadea announced he intended to
run for governor last summer, spurring an argument from potential fellow candidates that continuing his radio program amounted to an in-kind donation from station owner Townsquare Media that violated New Jersey campaign laws. New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement board ruled Spadea could remain on air until he became a “legally qualified candidate.” NJ.com reports that Spadea will appear at a campaign breakfast next Thursday (1/30) to “celebrate his departure.” While Spadea is away, station political director Eric Scott will host the morning program. The New Jersey gubernatorial race has, so far, four Republicans and six Democrats vying for the office. Democrat Phil Murphy is leaving the office due to term limits.
Cumulus Media’s Westwood One announces that the nationally syndicated “America at Night with Rich Valdés” moves to a new live time slot, now airing from 9:00 pm to 12:00 midnight ET from its previous 10:00
pm to 1:00 am slot. Additionally, the company says the show adds 25 new affiliate stations, including WMAL-AM/FM, Washington; KSEV-AM, Houston; and KKAT-AM, Salt Lake City. Valdés comments, “Thank you, Jesus! I’m super excited to be on all of these new stations in great cities, and welcome all of our new listeners to join our live late-night national town hall conversation and encourage them to call in on Open Phone across America.”
Cumulus Media Inc. appoints of Steven M. Galbraith to its Board of Directors. Board chairman Andrew W. Hobson states, “We are thrilled to welcome Steve to our board. As a longtime shareholder in the Company, Steve has demonstrated a deep commitment to the Company’s success. His impressive investment
management background and expertise complement the diverse strengths and wide-ranging capabilities of our existing board, and we are excited to leverage his vision and insights to drive growth and capitalize on new opportunities.” Galbraith is currently a managing member of Kindred Capital Advisors LLC, and is among the largest shareholders of Cumulus through his personal holdings and those held through Kindred.
The most discussed stories yesterday (1/22) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
1.Trump Lays Off Government DEI Staff
2. Trump Anti-Immigrant Orders
3. DOGE
4. New LA Wildfires Force Evacuations/Southern Snow Storms
5. Pete Hegseth Nomination
FOX News Channel talk host Sean Hannity will conduct the first interview with Donald Trump as the 47th
president of the United States. The interview will take place tonight at 9:00 pm ET on FNC’s “Hannity.” The interview will focus on the executive orders Trump has signed thus far, his first 100 days in office, and news of the day.
This week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One AudioActive Group blog presents data from Cumulus Media’s 2025 Audioscape report that examines the latest podcast consumer trends from Edison Research’s Podcast
Metrics and “Share of Ear” Report, MRI-Simmons, Screen Engine/ASI, Podscribe, and Magellan AI. Four of the key findings from this are: 1) Podcast ad campaigns are too light: No brand is coming close to “saturating” podcast audiences; Brands should allocate 5% of digital budgets to podcasting; 2) After five years with a median age of 33 to 34, podcast audiences finally age to 36, reflecting broader appeal with older audiences; 3) Screen Engine/ASI: Podcast audiences offer CTV advertisers significant incremental reach; and 4) Podcasts tighten their grip on audio audiences: Among podcast listeners, 35% of all audio time spent now goes to podcasts. Read the full blog post here.
The most discussed stories yesterday (1/21) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
1.Trump Executive Orders
2. January 6 Commutations
3. Pete Hegseth Nomination
4. TikTok
5. Winter Storm Hits the South
Townsquare Media announces preliminary estimated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024. The company says its full-year net revenue will be between $450 million and $452 million, within its guidance range of $448 million to $452 million. It also expects fourth quarter net
revenue will be between $117 million and $119 million. Company CEO Bill Wilson adds, “As anticipated, our digital divisions had a very strong fourth quarter, as Townsquare Interactive returned to year-over-year revenue growth, and Digital Advertising net revenue accelerated to year-over-year growth rates in excess of +15%, helped by national digital advertising returning to revenue growth together with ongoing strength in our digital programmatic business. In total, we expect fourth quarter Digital revenue to increase approximately +11% year-over-year, and represent 52% of Townsquare’s net revenue in 2024, a true point of differentiation from others in local media, as we have evolved from a local broadcast radio company that was founded in 2010, to a Digital First Local Media Company with a world class team and a unique and differentiated strategy, assets, platforms and solutions.”
Cox Media Group promotes David Abel to vice president and market manager for CMG Atlanta Radio (including news/talk giant WSB-AM/WSBB-FM), effective February 17. Abel most recently served the company as VP and market manager for the San
Antonio radio operations. Cox Media Group EVP of radio Rob Babin comments, “It’s always rewarding to promote from within CMG. I’m confident that David’s experience and expertise will help us achieve new milestones and drive our vision forward while we work daily to serve our audiences, clients, and talented employees at CMG Atlanta.” Abel says, “My journey with Cox Media Group started nearly 25 years ago, and it has been a privilege working alongside the many talented and dedicated team members in San Antonio and throughout our company. I am looking forward to working with CMG’s flagship radio brands and serving our team, listeners, customers, and communities throughout Atlanta.”
The Broadcasters Foundation of America is recognizing Dan Mason with the 2025 Edward F. McLaughlin Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is given annually to an individual who has made invaluable contributions to the broadcast industry and will be presented to Mason during the BFoA’s Golden Mic Award
Gala and Fundraiser at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on Monday, March 10. Mason, who formerly served as vice chair and chair of the BFoA, led CBS RADIO as president from 1995-2002 and as CEO from 2007-2015, among other career achievements. Mason says, “I am honored to receive this distinction from the Broadcasters Foundation. Broadcasting gave me a career that I love on the air and in the boardroom. There are many broadcasters across our country who feel the same way, but tragedy struck their lives, leaving them in need of help. That’s why I served on the Board of the Broadcasters Foundation and continue to support its charitable mission.” Current BFoA chair Scott Herman comments, “Dan is a passionate broadcaster and media visionary whose accomplishments helped define today’s broadcasting business. I worked with Dan for many years, at Westinghouse and CBS, and his leadership elevated our efforts and led us to outstanding success.”
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
Here’s the script:
Imagine this: you’re downtown at (name the big hotel).
You step into the elevator at the lobby level. You press 7.
The elevator stops as 2. The doors open. In step four tall men. Black suits. Earpieces.
And behind them, the president of the United States.
He’s moving from a holding area on the 2nd floor, to his speech in the ballroom on the 10th floor. You’re getting out on the 7th floor.
The President smiles and reaches out to shake your hand.
What would you ask… or tell… newly inaugurated President Trump… if you had his undivided attention for the time it takes the elevator to get from Floor 2 to Floor 7
[phone number, nice-N-slow]
Prep: Gather these SFX…
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on X (Twitter) @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
iHeartMedia presented a special town hall event featuring California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday (1/19) that aired across the company’s California radio stations. Newsom answered questions from Californians impacted by the recent wildfires and discussed future recovery and prevention plans.
The most discussed stories yesterday (1/20) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
1.Trump Inauguration
2. Trump/Biden Pardons and Commutations
3. Economy – DOGE/Migrant Crisis/Crime
4. Tik Tok
5. LA Wildfires – Political Response and Accountability – Social Media Misinformation
The Supreme Court ruled against TikTok today (1/17), rejecting the social media company’s First Amendment challenge to the law that effectively bans it in the United States starting on Sunday. The unanimous decision came a week after the justices heard a First Amendment challenge to a law aimed at the wildly popular short-form video platform used by 170 million Americans that the government suspects could be influenced by China. The decision may deal a death blow to the U.S. operations of the exceedingly popular app, which delivers short-form videos that are a major source of information and entertainment to millions of Americans, especially (but not exclusively) in the younger demos. “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement and source of community,” the decision said. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.” This ruling obviously comes with a boatload of First Amendment implications and will add even more fuel to the fiery debates unfolding in the talk media sphere about the application of “free speech” and First Amendment Constitutional principles in the heightened environment of misinformation stirred up by the digital era.
Triton Digital®, the global technology and services provider to the digital audio, podcast, and broadcast radio industries, announced (1/16) the release of its December 2024 reporting period (December 2, 2024 – December 29, 2024), U.S. Podcast Ranker, as measured by Triton’s Podcast Metrics measurement service.
iHeart Audience Network earned the #1 spot again on the Top Sales Networks Report for the month of December, with 62.7M Average Weekly Downloads and 17.8M Average Weekly Users. NPR came in again at #2 with 24.5M Average Weekly Downloads and 5.8M Average Weekly Users, followed by Audacy Podcast Network at #3 with 11.9M Average Weekly Downloads and 4.4M Average Weekly Users.
For this reporting period, the top three podcasts based on downloads included “NPR News Now”(NPR) again at #1, “Up First” (NPR) again at #2, and “The Dan Bongino Show” (Cumulus Podcast Network) again at #3.
For listeners, the top three podcasts included “NPR News Now” (NPR) again at #1, “Up First” (NPR) again at #2, and “The Dan Bongino Show” (Cumulus Podcast Network) again at #3.
There were several debuts for the month of December including “24/7 News: The Latest” (iHeart Audience Network), “The Adam Friedland Show Podcast” (Audioboom), and “Ear Biscuits with Rhett & Link” (Audacy Podcast Network) and more for both downloads and listeners.
“This Is Important” (iHeart Audience Network), “Headline News from The Associated Press” (Audioboom), “TigerBelly” (All Things Comedy), “The Tony Kornheiser Show” (Audacy Podcast Network), “Red Eye Radio” (Cumulus Podcast Network) and more debuted for downloads.
“Mobituaries with Mo Rocca” (iHeart Audience Network), “Soder” (Audioboom), “Sleep With Me“ (Soundrise/PRX), “Otherworld” (Audacy Podcast Network) and more debuted for listeners.
The Top Sales Network Reports are ranked by Average Weekly Downloads and Average Weekly Users in accordance with v2.1 of the IAB Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines. Participating Sales Networks include content owners/creators and sales representation organizations. Certified by the IAB Tech Lab, Triton’s Podcast Metrics eliminates inconsistent measurement practices and self-reported data, providing content creators, marketers, media buyers, and the audio industry at large with validated and transparent podcast audience data.
Any sales network or publisher with an audience in the United States is eligible to participate in the U.S. Podcast Report. To learn more, contact: solutions@tritondigital.com.
Red Apple Music Networks, the music radio unit of Red Apple Audio Networks, has expanded its national syndication with one of America’s most popular, trusted, and beloved music radio personalities Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow. “Cousin Brucie‘s Rock & Roll Party” airs live on Saturdays from 6:00-10:00 pm ET and is the second music radio program from the network, whose flagship is the iconic talker 77WABC, New York.
Cousin Brucie has a long and storied career with 77WABC, where he was on the air during the early days of rock ‘n’ roll and introduced fans to The Beatles, Motown, 60s Soul, surf music, and more. He even interviewed The Beatles when they first came to the U.S. in 1964!
Fast forward to 2020… John Catsimatidis purchases 77WABC and brings Cousin Brucie, who had been on SiriusXM, back to radio and his legions of fans. Last year, when Now and Then, a new Beatles song that used AI to fill in John Lennon’s voice, Paul McCartney recorded a personalized message for Cousin Brucie to play on his “Rock & Roll Party.”
“We are giving radio stations across America the opportunity to experience the success we have had with Cousin Brucie in New York,” said Catsimatidis. “Brucie is passionate about his show, the music, and his listeners and that is a large part of why his fans are so loyal.”
“Cousins, being on radio again, playing the best music, and connecting with listeners is as exciting for me now as it was in 1964,” said Morrow. “The magic of radio, the beauty of theater of the mind is unduplicated. I’m looking forward to the fun we’re going to have on radio stations across America!”
Morrow has 80,000 followers on Facebook where he interacts directly with his listeners throughout the week. Every Saturday, he posts a video to share with fans who his special guest will be that evening. Recent guests included rock ‘n’ roll superstars Ringo Star, Frankie Valli, Darlene Love, Dion DiMucci, Mike Love, and Ronnie Spector.
“The goal with our networks is to deliver top-quality programming and nationally recognizable talent like Cousin Brucie to radio stations across the country,” stated Chad Lopez, president of Red Apple Media and WABC Radio. “Brucie has unparalleled access to the artists who performed the biggest hits of the 50s and 60s, bringing listeners closer to the music they love.”
Morrow is a past recipient of the TALKERS Lifetime Achievement Award and is considered by the publication’s editorial board to be a “talker” as much as a “disc jockey” where he is positioned, as described by Michael Harrison, in a “pop cultural stew at the very nexus of cross-generational history with interviews, storytelling and conversations.” Red Apple Music Networks also syndicates “Sundays with Sinatra with Joe Piscopo.”
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (1/13-17) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories/Topics
1. Los Angeles County Wildfires
2. Presidential Transition – Trump Appointments and Nominations
3. Trump Legal Issues / Biden Farewell Address / Biden’s Pardons
4. Trump Positions on Foreign Policy
5. Israel-Hamas War – Cease Fire on Hold
6. Economy-DOGE / Health Care / Climate Change
7. Migrant Crisis / Crime / Homelessness
8. Big Tech Influence / Facebook Censorship Changes / TikTok
9. Russia-Ukraine War
10. Rudy Giuliani Legal Issues
People
1. Donald Trump
2. Joe Biden
3. Karen Bass / Gavin Newsom
4. Elon Musk
5. Pete Hegseth
6. Benjamin Netanyahu
7. Antony Blinken
8. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. / Vivek Ramaswamy
9. Jack Smith/Rudy Giuliani
10. Vladimir Putin / Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Xi Jinping
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
Audacy Announces the promotion of Matt Cahill to brand manager of The Team 980 (WTEM-AM) in Washington D.C.
In this role, Cahill will oversee the station’s content strategy, talent, operations and branding. He will continue to serve as assistant brand manager of 106.7 The Fan (WJFK-FM) and executive morning show producer. “Matt’s creativity, love for sports and commitment to evolving the brand makes me confident that he will be a great brand manager for The Team,” said Ivy Savoy-Smith, SVP / MM, Audacy Washington D.C. 
“Those that have worked with Matt know his dedication to creating a positive working environment and we’re excited to see how he leads the internal team while increasing external traffic for the station.” “I’m absolutely thrilled to lead Team 980 into the future with our outstanding group. The Team has a storied history and to be given this opportunity is humbling,” said Cahill. “I’m very thankful for the guidance and trust that Chris Kinard and Ivy Savoy-Smith have given me. We have great on-air talent talking about issues that matter to D.C. sports fans, and the potential for The Team 980 brand is unlimited.” Cahill was named assistant brand manager of 106.7 The Fan (WJFK-FM) in 2019 and took on the same responsibilities for The Team 980 in 2021. He has also served as EP of 106.7 The Fan’s “The Sports Junkies” morning show since 2012. Cahill began his radio career at CBS Radio Phoenix in 2006 before joining WJFK-FM as a Producer in 2007.