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BFoA Launches Annual Year-End Giving Campaign For Donations to Help Colleagues in Need.  The Broadcasters Foundation of America has launched its annual Year-End Giving Campaign, which seeks to raise donations from tax-deductible personal contributions to the Guardian Fund and corporate contributions to the Angel Initiative. The Broadcasters Foundation, a 501c3 charity, is the only charity devoted exclusively to helping colleagues who are in dire need of monthly or emergency financial assistance due to life-altering illness or a disaster. “We are devoted exclusively to providing aid to colleagues in broadcasting who are suffering from extreme illness, or hardship from a devastating disaster,” stated Tim McCarthy, president of the Broadcasters Foundation. “We also take care of colleagues who have retired. Grants are supported solely by contributions from individuals and companies within our industry and offer a ‘hand-up’ to our colleagues during trying times. We’re asking everyone in broadcasting to please consider including the Broadcasters Foundation in your 2024 charitable giving.”  Over the past 20 years, the Broadcasters Foundation has distributed over $15 million in aid to colleagues nationwide, across all states and territories, who need it most. “Requests for aid continue to grow exponentially as more of our peers and their families are affected by severe illness or disasters, such as the recent flurry of destructive hurricanes,” explained Scott Herman, chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation. “Whether it’s a monthly grant or one-time aid in response to an emergency, the Broadcasters Foundation is often a refuge and beacon of hope for colleagues whose lives have been upended by unforeseen and tragic circumstances. Please consider a donation. Donations go directly to helping our colleagues who are in desperate need.”  For more information about the Broadcasters Foundation, including how to apply for aid or make a donation, visit www.broadcastersfoundation.org, or contact 212-373-8250 or info@thebfoa.org.

Benztown, a global leader specializing in radio imaging, voiceover, programming, podcasting and jingles, announces the release today (11/7) of two new episodes of its series “Chachi Loves Everybody,” an original podcast hosted by its president Dave “Chachi” Denes. These episodes feature Chachi’s special guests Al Roker, longtime weatherman on NBC’s The Today Show and co-anchor of the iconic morning show’s third hour, and Patsy Smullin, owner/president of California Oregon Broadcasting, and host of the successful television interview series, Up Close and Personal.  Roker and Smullin will be among those honored next week as Giants of Broadcasting by the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation at the 2024 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts luncheon and awards ceremony. The event will be held on Tuesday, November 12th at Gotham Hall in New York City.  To listen to these new “Chachi Loves Everybody” podcast episodes, please click here. For more information about the 2024 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts luncheon and awards ceremony, and for a full list of honorees, please click here.

In an example of just how contentious sports talk radio can be, long-time Boston sports talk radio host Fred Toucher did not hold back in slamming his old partner, Rich Shertenlieb, whose new show was cancelled this week. Toucher, who now co-hosts “Toucher & Hardy“ on 98.5 The Sports Hub, WBZ-FM, Boston took some time on this morning’s show (11/5) to address ”the elephant in the room.” Shertenlieb‘s new show on local classic rock outlet WZLX had been canceled after five months, and Toucher didn’t seem to have any sympathy for his former partner.  In a story by reporter Nick O’ Malley posted on the news site MassLive.com, “I hate him,” Toucher said. “So, I was happy yesterday when I heard about this. But I was a little disheartened that he still carries none of the responsibility and takes none of the blame and still just can’t be honest.”   Toucher and Shertenlieb co-hosted the “Toucher & Rich” show from 2009-2023, working together to produce one of Boston’s most popular morning shows. However, the show ran into issues in 2023. Toucher missed time due to personal and physical issues, including a stretch of time at an alcohol detox facility. In November, parent company Beasley Media said in a statement that Shertenlieb declined to accept a new contract.  On Monday, Shertenlieb announced that he was “disappointed” that his show was being canceled after just five months. The radio host complained that management forced him to “alter the format” of the show by adding music.  However, Toucher noted Tuesday that Shertenlieb’s show was a “ratings disaster.”  “He not only did not bring in a new audience to that show, he alienated – based on ratings – their entire existing audience,” Toucher said. “He had like a third of the ratings that they got jockless in the morning … Yeah, management might have been a little concerned.”  Toucher said that critics can paint the picture of his reaction however they like. But he did note that he and co-host Jon Wallach say they weren’t alone in celebrating the demise of Shertenlieb’s show.  To see the complete article in MassLive.com, please click here.

According to an article published yesterday (11/3) in The New York Times written by reporter Andrew Higgins, when a state-funded Polish radio station canceled a weekly show featuring interviews with theater directors and writers, the host of the program went quietly, resigned to media industry realities of cost-cutting and shifting tastes away from highbrow culture. But his resignation turned to fury in late October after his former employer, Off Radio Krakow, aired what it billed as a “unique interview” with an icon of Polish culture, Wislawa Szymborska, the winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize for Literature. The terminated radio host, Lukasz Zaleski, said he would have invited Szymborska on his morning show himself, but never did for a simple reason: She died in 2012. The station used artificial intelligence to generate the recent interview – a dramatic and, to many, outrageous example of technology replacing humans, even dead ones. Zaleski conceded that the computer-generated version of the poet’s distinctive voice was convincing. “It was very, very good,” he said, but “I went to her funeral, so I know for sure that she is dead. ”The technology-enabled resurrection of the dead poet was part of a novel experiment by Off Radio Krakow, an arm of Poland’s public broadcasting system in the southern city of Krakow. The aim was to test whether A.I. could revive a moribund local station that had “close to zero” listeners, according to the head of public radio in Krakow. The station also planned from-the-grave interviews with other dead people, including Jozef Pilsudski, Poland’s leader when it regained its independence in 1918. Novelty value – and a storm of public outrage – worked to bolster Off Radio Krakow’s audience, which the head of Radio Krakow said grew to 8,000 overnight from just a handful of people after the introduction of three A.I.-generated Generation Z presenters – Emilia, 20, Jakub, 22, and Alex, 23, each of whom had a computer-generated photograph and biography on the station’s website. Less welcome than the audience surge, however, has been a barrage of abuse directed at the public broadcasting system and accusations that it was sacrificing humans on the altar of technology.  To read the entire article published yesterday in The New York Times, please click here.

TALKERS Heavy Hundred radio star Larry O’Connor just wrapped up nearly two weeks of shows from the WRFH studios on the campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. He hosted his “O’Connor & Company” morning program on Newstalk 105.9 WMAL in Washington, DC, as he served as Eugene C. Pulliam Distinguished Fellow in Journalism. Larry also produced his daily Townhall streaming show “LARRY” from the complex. While at Hillsdale, he taught a one-credit class for its journalism students, “Broadcasting and Podcasting,” and also delivered a public lecture entitled “The Media and the 2024 Election.” Video of that lecture can be found here.  Scot Bertram, general manager, WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM tells TALKERS, “I was happy to play a small role in making this incredible show happen every day for listeners in our nation’s capital and around the country. It was a real pleasure to watch this well-oiled machine operate, led by Larry, executive producer Heather Hunter, and technical producer Michael Shelton. Our journalism students learned a lot from observing these shows and having the opportunity to talk with Larry and receive in-person advice.”  Pictured above: Larry O’ Connor (l) and Scot Bertram (r) at Hillsdale. (Photo by Austin Thomason.)

Remote News Service Continues Growth – Pacific Northwest.  Remote News Service (RNS), a live and localized news network providing hyper targeted, and custom news/traffic remotely, announces the addition of three new stations to its client list. Lotus Communications Seattle joins Remote News Service adding Northwest News Radio KNWN 1000/97.7, HANK 101.5, and Talk Radio 570 KVI. Frank Lenzi, news director for KNWN said “We are excited about our new partnership with Remote News Service. Their traffic anchors provide our listeners with the top-notch, real-time traffic information for which they have come to rely on us for generations.”  Remote News Service owner Lesley Lotto said “We are thrilled to welcome Lotus Communications, which has such a great reputation in the industry, to the RNS family. This year has been one of tremendous growth and these stations magnify the quality of client stations and markets we’ve been able to attract. It’s all about the exceptional performance of our team.”  For more information, visit remotenewsservice.com.

Proving There’s More to Life in America this Week than Just Presidential Politics. Pictured above is Salem Radio Networks (SRN) East Coast affiliate relations manager Jim Bligh – a frequent “player” in NYC-based skits on “Saturday Night Live“ in addition to appearing in theatrical feature films – joined NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” on Tuesday 10/29). Fallon and Grammy-winning guest Olivia Rodrigo played “What’s Behind Me?”…a charade style game with Fallon describing action happening as her back was turned. Blight – far right – acted out a scene of Three Mobsters doing Yoga at a Barnes & Noble. See Bligh’s skit by clicking here.

POWERFUL STORY!  The New York Times: Her Job Was Talking on the Radio. Then Suddenly, Words Wouldn’t Come.  One day last winter, Alison Stewart, the host of “All of It” on public station WNYC, New York was alarmed to find herself speaking gibberish. Stewart’s health crisis began on February 22, a day jump-started by a 6:00 am workout with her personal trainer. She was pushing herself to get back in shape after having donated a kidney to her sister six months earlier. The workout was routine, though she barely spoke, which was unlike her.  As the morning progressed, she began to feel confusion; she couldn’t engage in a lucid conversation or write a coherent text message. She headed into SoHo, to WNYC Studios, where she hosts the daily interview show “All of It,” and settled into her office to practice reading an introduction to a segment, but her phrasing hit roadblocks instead of flowing smoothly. Baffled, she sought out Kate Hinds, the show’s director. Hinds was taken aback. “She looked very upset, her skin a little gray,” she recalled. “The disintegration was so stark and alarming. I was terrified.” She urged her to see a doctor. Stewart’s doctor listened to her garbled words over the phone and told her to go straight to the emergency room. There, she was able to execute commands like touching her nose and walking backward and forward, signaling that she probably had not suffered a stroke, but a CT scan revealed a mass on her brain. Stewart, 58, was soon talking gibberish, a dreadful and mystifying development for a woman who made her living by talking. Her decline was so rapid that her colleagues wondered whether she would ever be on the radio again.  “I knew she was trapped in there,” said Tracy Christian, one of several friends who had rushed to her side.  Don’t miss a powerful, detailed story by reporter Julie Besonen about Alison Stewart’s remarkable surgery (while awake) under the direction of leading-edge neurosurgeon, Dr. Randy D’Amico, at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan and her ongoing challenging recovery in yesterday’s edition of The New York Times. Click here.

Old Friends and Colleagues Gather for CRN International Reunion.  Some 50 long-ago colleagues gathered at a warm weekend reunion at a cozy restaurant in the Nutmeg State for what, in the 1970s, began as “Connecticut Radio Network.” It evolved into CRN International, a major advertising promotion agency, which ceased operations a decade ago. CRN SkiWatch reports aired across the USA, customized for each affiliate, and based on conditions reported by CRN’s army of spotters. Pictured above (l-r): consultant Holland Cooke; CRN International founder Barry Berman; and WABC, New York news personality, Joe Connolly. (NOTE: CRN International is not to be confused with long-active CRN Digital Talk Radio.)

AdLarge Adds Innovative “CIRCLE THIS” Podcast to Client Stable.  AdLarge, a pioneering podcast advertising agency, has announces the addition of “CIRCLE THIS with Andrea ‘Dre’ Bendewald” to the fwd. network, an innovative media brand championing female creators. “CIRCLE THIS” is described as a series of deep, playful, and intimate conversations shedding light on how to create magic and meaning in your everyday life. Bendewald invites her close circle of friends which include innovators, authors, entrepreneurs, healers, and artists, to share their stories and practices for building and nurturing authentic relationships. Adding “CIRCLE THIS” to the fwd. network, represents a “bold step forward” in what AdLarge describes as its “ongoing effort and dedication to amplifying female creators as crucial voices in the modern media landscape.”

Progressive, multi-platform talk show icon Stephanie Miller is bringing her long-running live touring review, “The Sexy Liberal Show” to the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles (11/2). The evolving stage presentation has been selling out live theaters and pay-per-views across the nation for years in support of progressive and Democratic Party politics.  In addition to Miller, this installment will feature “Sexy” regulars John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks, and the satirical duo Frangela. Miller tells TALKERS, “This will be the perfect pre-election party to get out the vote for Kamala Harris/Tim Walz and down-ballot Democrats, adding, “We’ve got an incredible lineup of special guests: Mark Hamill, Martin Sheen, Rep. Adam Schiff, and Glenn Kirschner! With their blend of political insight and humor, this night will have you laughing and fired up to hit the polls on Tuesday!”  The show goes live at 8 pm PT and will be available on-demand for a limited time. Live tickets on sale Here. PPV tickets on sale Here.  Also available: VIP Meet and Greet tickets.

Patty Hixson, regional vice president, Cumulus Fresno/Stockton/Modesto, was honored during the Marjaree Mason Center’s 41^st Annual Top 10 Professional Women and Leading Business Awards (10/16). The hallmark awards ceremony, presented by CalViva Health in the New Exhibit Hall of the Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center. The awards paid tribute to 10 Central Valley women who have excelled professionally, served as role models, and given back to their communities, as well as one business honored for its support of women and women’s issues. Patty Hixson’s successful radio career spans 32 years serving the Central Valley. An active leader in the community, she has been a member of the Fig Garden Rotary Club for 30 years, serving as president in 2018, and was a longtime member of the California State University-Fresno’s Bulldog Foundation. Hixson also served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce. Patty Hixson said: “I’m honored and humbled to be recognized among this astute group of leaders. Giving back to the community is a central part of my DNA, and I thank the Marjaree Mason Center for this award and for its important efforts supporting all women in our community.”

Edison Research to present the Sports Audio Report: Demographics at Play.  Edison Research today announces that the Sports Audio Report: Demographics at Play with SiriusXM Media will be presented in a webinar on Tuesday, October 29 at 2:00 PM ET.  This third and final installment from the Sports Audio Report, from Edison Research, SiriusXM Media, and GroupM, will explore the diversity in sports fandom, examine sports fans’ interaction with sports audio, and discuss how to reach different groups of sports fans when it comes to advertising. The webinar will be presented by Salma Aly, manager of research at Edison Research and MaryKate Breslin, senior manager, sales research at SiriusXM Media.  Registration for the webinar is now open.  For more information: Daniella Peter Paul-Loor, dpeterpaulloor@edisonresearch.com

Jeff Lewis Signs New Multi-Year Agreement with SiriusXM, Expands Hit Talk Show “Jeff Lewis Live” to Two Hours Daily. SiriusXM announced today that Jeff Lewis has signed a multi-year agreement extension with SiriusXM. The agreement extension will feature Jeff Lewis expanding his popular show, “Jeff Lewis Live” to two hours a day giving listeners more of Jeff Lewis promoted as “just the way you want him…live and uncensored.”  Lewis tells TALKERS, “SiriusXM has given me the freedom to build a show that is unfiltered, unapologetic, and morally corrupt. I’m grateful for the opportunity to grow my show and my cult…I mean, listeners.” The show will now air Monday through Fridays from 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm ET on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy (ch. 102) and on the SiriusXM app. SiriusXM’s Radio Andy features 24/7 content produced and curated by Andy Cohen, and features the latest in pop culture, celebrities, lifestyle, news and more. SiriusXM’s Radio Andy lineup includes “Andy Cohen Live,” “Jeff Lewis Live,” “Smith Sisters Live (Lauren, Rachel, and Mariah Smith),” “Gayle King in the House,” “The Jess Cagle Show with Julia Cunningham,” “It’s Me, Tinx,” and more.

New York Festivals Radio and TV & Film Awards have launched the 2025 multi-platform call for entries campaign for the annual competitions which culminate in the Storytellers Gala every spring.  The two themes of the eight-video campaign are “What Defines Greatness” and “Sounds Over The Years.”  Together they celebrate a stand-out all-star list of innovative NYF winners through the years: My Octopus Teacher, Peaky Blinders, The Olympics, Done+Dusted, CBS Radio News, The Beatles Channel, Das Boot, A Capitol Fourth, The New York Philharmonic, CBC News, Molly Solomon, Marvin Kalb, and Donna de Varona.  “PushDesign’s Emmy-award winning creative work is a perfect match for NYF,” said Rose Anderson, EVP of New York Festivals and executive director of the TV & Film and Radio Awards Competitions. “These high energy sizzle reels let you see and hear what NYF winners are all about – enthusiasm, excitement, and excellence.”  “The New York Festivals has a global reach, is peer judged, and honors industry legends” said Rob Tobin, founder and creative director of PushDesign, “We wanted to let the programs and winners speak for themselves to inspire entrants.” The 2025 Grand Jury panel selection process is underway, and the TV & Film and Radio Grand Juries will be announced on October 23.  The New York Festivals TV & Film and Radio Awards competitions receive entries from over 50 countries.  Members of the Grand Jury panels vote to determine the Shortlists and final standings for Tower Trophies.  The 2025 Storytellers Gala will honor trophy winners of both competitions in the spring.  The official deadline to enter the 2025 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards is December 31, 2024. For more information on the 2025 TV & Film Awards visit: https://tvf.newyorkfestivals.com/. The official deadline to enter the 2025 Radio Awards is January 31, 2025. For more information on the 2025 Radio Awards winners visit: https://radiohome.newyorkfestivals.com/

SiriusXM announced today that Doug Jones, former Democratic senator from Alabama, will host a special program exclusively for SiriusXM’s Progress channel tomorrow evening (10/17). “The CloakRoom with Former Senator Doug Jones” will air live tomorrow from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm ET on channel 127.  According to company sources, with just a few weeks remaining before the November 5 elections, Senator Jones will engage with Progress listeners, taking calls to discuss the pressing news stories of the day. He’ll also leverage his personal political experience to analyze the key senatorial races, as well as the presidential election. In addition, the former senator will be joined by Julie Chavez Rodriguez, VP Kamala Harris’s campaign manager, as well as a surprise guest. “The stakes in this election could not be any higher,” Jones tells TALKERS. “I can’t think of a better way to talk directly with voters nationwide and have real conversations about the issues at the top of their minds as we head into Election Day. As a regular guest on SiriusXM’s Progress channel, I know they have a passionate audience with a lot of important, fresh subjects to discuss, so this should be a lot of fun.” The show will have its first run live during the usual time slot of “The Dean Obeidallah Show.” The special will also replay multiple times throughout the week and will be available anytime on demand on the SiriusXM app. Progress is SiriusXM’s channel dedicated to amplifying progressive viewpoints. The channel features a wide range of voices including Zerlina Maxwell, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Michelangelo Signorile, Dean Obeidallah, John Fugelsang, and more. Photo by Joy Asico-Smith / AP for SiriusXM.

Premiere Networks and TALKERS top 10 Heavy Hundred-star Michael Berry interviewed Mark Starling, morning host and news director of iHeart’s WWNC, Asheville, NC yesterday (10/9) about his broadcast team’s experience serving the public while surviving themselves during the wrath of Hurricane Helene.  Berry tells TALKERS, “The WWNC staffers were stranded inside their studios in Asheville during the worst of the storm.  They rose to the occasion, reminding everyone why radio matters more than ever.  Not just the medium, the people who create the magic. He explains why this storm proves we need AM radio in our cars.  It saved lives.” Berry adds, “I want every congressman and senator to hear this.  Starling tells about his family being stranded in rising water, trying to get to them and safety, and he and his entire station were flooded in the building, unable to get out.  They had no power, internet, nothing. Radio at its best.  Humanity at its best. Grace.”  To listen to a podcast of the conversation between Berry and Starling, please click here.

To read a comprehensive story in the Asheville Citizen-Times about WWNC’s role in the storm, please click here.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) named its winners of the 2024 Marconi Radio Awards during a presentation during its NAB Show at the Javits Center in New York City last evening (10/9).  The winners from talk and spoken word radio include: LEGENDARY RADIO MANAGER OF THE YEAR, Bennett Zier, Audacy;  LARGE MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR, Dan Mandis, WWTN; Nashville; NEWS/TALK STATION OF THE YEAR, KDKA-AM; Pittsburgh; and SPORTS STATION OF THE YEAR, KKFN; Denver.  For a complete list of the winners, please click here.

Newsmax Now on YouTube TV.  Newsmax joins YouTube TV’s pay TV lineup of major cable channels as of noon ET yesterday (10/9).  YouTube TV is the linear pay TV service of the ubiquitous video streamer and one of the fastest-growing virtual cable services in the nation.  Now Newsmax, the 4th highest-rated cable news channel, will be available to subscribers of YouTube TV’s Base Plan.  YouTube TV lists its channels alphabetically, so viewers will find Newsmax under the “N” listings. Subscribers can also personalize their lineup using personal channel preferences. Wednesday’s addition of YouTube TV places Newsmax in nearly 60 million pay TV homes, putting it in the top tier of cable network reach. Newsmax is already carried by all major cable operators, including Directv, Xfinity, Dish, Spectrum, Cox, Optimum and more.

Radio’s John Clay Wolfe and Podcaster Adam Carolla Purchase Paul Newman’s 1976 Racing Ferrari.  Former radio and now podcasting icon Adam Carolla and nationally syndicated radio host John Clay Wolfe are both car aficionados and friends.  Adam actually races and owns a collection of Paul Newman’s race cars while John Clay Wolfe is president/founder of “Give Me the VIN,” a $2 billion annual revenue wholesale car company.  Recently they partnered on the purchase of Paul Newman’s 1976 Racing Ferrari, thus completing Adam’s collection.  This is the first car the duo has purchased together. They did a video about it, complete with radio interviews… “Celebrity Car VAULT: Paul Newman’s Ferrari 308.” Check it out here.