Will AI-Powered Robots Take Jobs from Talk Show Hosts?
A big question bouncing around the industry: Will AI-generated voices take jobs away from radio talk show hosts? 
In the opinion of TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, we are entering an era in which it is possible – even likely – for robot voices generated by artificial intelligence to replace at least some human talk show hosts, especially in the wake of relentless corporate cost-cutting by radio’s largest companies. On the music radio side, the process of “voice tracking,” although initially controversial, has become a widely employed budget-tightening process. However, voice tracking still employs organic talent to generate the verbal content.
AI, on the other hand, bypasses the human element completely. In a guest appearance yesterday (8/22) on the Manny Munoz mid-morning show on WIOD, Miami, in which the subject of AI was being discussed, Harrison said, “AI is upping the bar. If talk show hosts don’t stay on their game and avoid relying too heavily on the talking points – if they are not creative thinkers and leaders – they can easily be replaced by computer operators.” Harrison continued, “It won’t be too long from now – actually, it is already possible – that two robots could be having a plausible conversation if both have been fed all the talking points.” Harrison explained, “Each robot will have instant access to all the existent talking points at the speed of light. Robots are already beating human experts at Jeopardy or chess. The only thing a robot can’t do – at least for now – is to be creative outside the realm of what already exists in cyberspace. That’s the challenge facing anyone who wants to be a live traditional radio talk show host in this coming brave new world.” Harrison’s appearance on WIOD was part of his ongoing talk radio “Obsolete Slobs” tour in which he’s been promoting the Gunhill Road music video “Artificial Intelligence (No Robots Were Injured in the Production of this Song” (www.ObsoleteSlobs.com). To listen to the conversation between Munoz and Harrison, please click here.
Audacy has announced a series of weekday programming updates for BetQL Network, the company’s network of sports betting content heard across its broadcast portfolio and digital platforms. Joining the network are Brad Evans, Sam Panayotovich and Femi Abebefe. 
The non-profit arm of the Bold Gold Media Group, the Bold Gold Broadcast & Media Foundation, which supports educational programs that help students prepare for careers in broadcast journalism, has announced this year’s signature event will feature author and historian, Jack Warren, as keynote speaker. Warren’s recent book, “Freedom: The Enduring Importance of the American Revolution” will serve as this year’s theme. Attendees will receive a complimentary signed copy of the book. The Ninth Annual Event and Dinner will be held on Friday, September 20th at 6:00 pm in the Keystone Grand Ballroom at Mohegan Pennsylvania in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Bold Gold president (and former TALKERS Humanitarian of the Year award recipient) Vince Benedetto tells TALKERS, “This year’s event will be an uplifting and inspirational examination of the extraordinary beginnings of the United States. The American Founding continues to be one of the most shining moments in human history, and its continued understanding is critical to the preservation of our civilization. We’ll also be highlighting and celebrating the enduring importance of our cornerstone rights of free speech and a free press.” The Bold Gold Foundation will also be honoring Northeast Pennsylvania business leader and philanthropist, Christopher Hackett, with The Atlas Award for Citizenship. Those interested in attending or sponsoring the event can make reservations online at: 
IBS National Conference Set for 2025. The Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) has announced its annual conference will be coming back to New York City next year. Set for March 7-8, 2025, the nation’s longest running, largest and most important gathering of college radio broadcasters will be held again at the Sheraton Times Square in the heart of Manhattan. Organizers have plans in the works for activities like additional sessions and tours during the day on Thursday, March 6 as well. Early registrants can save big bucks. $109 per person for up to 10 attendees, then the rest of your staff goes for free! This offer ends October 15, (and then prices and group deals go up). TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, who was a featured speaker at last year’s conference says, “One of the most dynamic scenes in radio today connecting the present with the future is playing out on college campuses across the nation. Professional broadcasters interested in the future of this medium and industry should attend this event. I always come away from it invigorated and inspired.” For more info on IBSNYC 2025, please 
Sterling Shines in Philly. In the first two months since the debut of “Sterling Every Damn Night” on WPHT, Philadelphia, the quirky 9:00 pm – 12:00 midnight talk show hosted by Walter M Sterling (a.k.a. legendary media consultant Walter Sabo) has been gathering jaw dropping metrics. The show has delivered five times the total share of audience 12+ since the same time last year and has proven to be formidably competitive in every key news/talk radio demo. What makes it so interesting on an industry level is its departure from the standard left-right partisan politics that dominates the news/talk format. It covers what is described as “nightly life” – such as the trouble with customer service, in-laws, schools, and romance. What one talks about with their best friends is what the show discusses. Features on the show include listener calls, plus “People of Walmart,” “True Detective Stories,” and new perspectives on current events: Sterling had the first interview with a citizen of Ukraine while bombs were going off, and a Tel Aviv bus driver sharing thoughts on America’s alleged lack of support for Israel. The show is designed for guards up all night in the building lobby, people getting done with second shift, going on third shift, cramming for finals or trying to get the baby to sleep. This is a show that deserves radio industry attention.
Audacy’s legendary station 830 WCCO, Minneapolis is planning a series of special endeavors to celebrate its 100th anniversary, including a double album with commemorative content, a gubernatorial proclamation and a grand centennial event. As part of its century-long “good neighbor” heritage, WCCO will also donate the proceeds from the double album release and centennial event to four of its non-profit partners: 
media platform to tout home improvement e-commerce as heavy AM/FM radio and podcast listeners are more likely to shop online; 2) AM/FM radio generates significant incremental reach for home improvement TV campaigns: Recent TV campaigns for The Home Depot saw significant lift in reach with the addition of AM/FM radio, especially among younger demos; 3) AM/FM radio generates three times the sales lift of TV in a historic Nielsen TV and AM/FM radio sales effect study for a home improvement retailer; and 4) Home improvement media plans are overweight on linear TV and underweight on audio: The optimized plan should consist of 45% AM/FM radio, 30% linear TV, and 24% podcasts. 
X – which most people I hear still call “Twitter” – is a great way to attract new ears.
5,206 weekly podcast consumers age 13 and older in the U.S.) and the top three remain unchanged from the Q1 2024 data: 1) “The Joe Rogan Experience”; 2) audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie”; and The New York Times’ “The Daily.” Other moves of note include Ramsey Network’s “The Ramsey Show” up one spot to #15; The DailyWire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” sliding three places to #16; and “The Tucker Carlson Podcast” dropping from #24 to #33. 
the Omni Nashville on Thursday, September 19. The Radio Hall of Fame will recognize its 2024 class of inductees at the gala event to be held in Music City for the first time ever. A portion of ticket purchases for the event is a tax-deductible charitable donation to the Museum of Broadcast Communications. 
reveal that AM/FM ads far outperform most social media ads. For example, the firm Adelaide found that for revery $1,000 spent on AM/FM ads it would require spending $2,635 on Facebook ads for the same amount of attentiveness. However, it also found that just $698 of YouTube ads would yield the same degree of attentiveness as $1,000 of AM/FM advertising. The blog post also addresses the myth that video ads are necessarily more effective than audio ads. 
65 after a battle with cancer. Burns hosted a show on WGDJ from 2012 through 2014. After leaving her radio show, she became director of operations at Veterans Miracle Center, where veterans and military personnel could get new items they need at no cost. 
“If you missed Biff & Bev in-the-Morning, you missed…” It’s a donut: produced open and close, with an aircheck clip in the middle.
investors are defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Rule 501(a) as individuals with a net worth greater than $1 million – excluding their primary residence – or incomes in excess of $200,000 in the last two years with the expectation of the same in the current year – or $300,000 with a spouse.) Last month, Newsmax announced that it would seek to become a public company later in 2024 or in early 2025 with a listing on the NYSE or Nasdaq. In preparation for this contemplated public offering, Newsmax has launched a private placement offering seeking to raise up to $225 million. Ruddy states, “We are excited to connect with the tens of thousands of investors nationwide who have already shown interest in investing in Newsmax. There is much to be enthusiastic about Newsmax, including significant growth in our audience, a surge in interest in conservative media and our expanding portfolio of platforms and distribution. Now more than ever — especially in this election year of 2024 — America needs Newsmax. We look forward to sharing more details with everyone who tunes in to the webinar.” 
NAB Show New York on October 9. News/talk stations WLS-AM, Chicago and WLW-AM, Cincinnati are finalists for Legendary Station of the Year. WWTN-FM, Nashville talk host Dan Mandis is a finalist for Large Market Personality of the Year. KIDO-AM, Boise host Kevin Miller is a finalist for Medium Market Personality of the Year. The finalists for News/Talk Station of the Year are: WSB-AM, Atlanta; KRMG-FM, Tulsa; WLW-AM, Cincinnati; KDKA-AM, Pittsburgh; and WIBC-FM, Indianapolis. 
including radio over-the-air and radio streams. The next highest portion, 18%, was spent with owned music such as CDs and downloaded audio files, and 11% of their daily audio time went to streaming. Today, we see the increase in listening from linear sources to more on-demand audio sources such as YouTube for music or music videos (not the YouTube Music streaming service), and podcasts. Americans age 13+ now spend an average of 18% of their audio day listening to streaming music from sources such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, and Spotify, 14% listening to YouTube for music, and 10% listening to podcasts. AM/FM radio still takes the largest portion of the audio day on a 13+ basis with 36%, driven heavily by in-car listening.” Edison director of research Laura Ivey adds, “A decade ago Share of Ear was created to answer the question, ‘What do Americans listen to?’ Today we can understand the listening patterns of Americans and see how audio sources have emerged to vie for our daily listening time. There are surely audio developments that we can’t even imagine that will impact our daily audio time over the next 10 years.” 
Many Americans have been, in the two years since the Supreme Court punted the issue down to the states. For suburban women voters in swing states, it is – by far – the number one issue, per a Wall Street Journal poll. It tipped 2022 midterms and 2023 elections and swung other elections in battleground states.
Founded 11 years ago by Dave Ruden, The Ruden Report website (www.therudenreport.com) is dedicated to Fairfield County (Connecticut) sports news and information. Ruden will remain with the online publication as director of operations. Connoisseur Media owner/chief executive officer Jeff Warshaw comments, “We’re happy to have The Ruden Report join our family. We look forward to offering our audience local content with his exceptional reporting.” Connoisseur Media senior vice president/general manager Kristin Okesson states, “This addition to our programming lineup is a perfect fit for each station and their audiences. As someone who values high school sports coverage, I’m excited to bring The Ruden Report to our six radio stations. I know our Southern Connecticut listeners will enjoy the local updates and in-depth coverage of their favorite teams, athletes, and games.” Ruden adds, “My ongoing goal has been to cover more which is why I have decided to partner with Connoisseur Media. It is a company that has both a longstanding tradition of excellence and the infrastructure to help take The Ruden Report to the next level.” Connoisseur’s six Connecticut stations include Bridgeport heritage news/talk WICC.
executive-level employee of the FCC to craft and advance a political playbook to influence the presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.” The Democrats say he may have violated ethics laws for federal employees and the Hatch Act. Carr tells Forbes that he sought counsel from FCC ethics officials prior to working on Project 2025 and they “approved of me participating in my personal capacity, which I did.” He also says they approved him using his FCC title in his biography. Forbes reports, “Carr’s chapter on the FCC calls for the agency to ‘change course’ and focus on reining in big tech and promoting national security. The FCC commissioner proposes overhauling legal protections that shield tech companies from liability for content posted on its platforms and supports Congress passing legislation similar to laws in Texas and Florida that punish social media companies for suspending or banning users based on their ‘viewpoints’ – part of broader claims by conservatives that social media companies are biased against them. Project 2025’s FCC agenda also calls for banning TikTok as part of a crackdown on infrastructure from China and calls for tech companies to provide greater transparency.” 
and WHQT in Miami; WCBS-AM, New York; WINS, New York; and WBLI, WALK, and WKJY on Long Island. She was a two-time Gracie Award winner and was a recipient of other honors and awards. Her greatest joy was her son Ethan, who she shared with her former husband Andrew Kalb. Garcia loved her animals and fostered many kittens through the years as well. 
ideal medium platforms for retailers and e-commerce brands: Heavy audio listeners are more likely to shop online. Heavy AM/FM radio and podcast listeners also spend more online than TV viewers. AM/FM radio listeners and heavy podcast listeners over-index on Amazon Prime membership and purchase intent; 2) AM/FM radio makes your TV better – “20 gets you 50”: Nielsen Media Impact optimizations reveal shifting more media weight to AM/FM radio generates significantly more reach, especially among younger demographics 18-49. AM/FM radio does an extraordinary job increasing campaign reach among light TV viewers, who are far less likely to see retailer TV ads. The rule of thumb is “20 gets you 50”: a 20% shift of a TV media budget to AM/FM Radio generates a 50% increase in reach; and 3) Audio holiday AM/FM radio campaigns work: Consumers exposed to an Amazon holiday AM/FM radio campaign have higher brand equity (awareness, ad recall, prior purchase and purchase intent). Nielsen sales effect studies reveal AM/FM radio campaigns for retailers generate significant return on advertising spend: $15 dollars of incremental sales for every dollar of AM/FM radio advertising. 
Next month, as the school year begins in so many places, the listeners that local retailers want as customers transition back to their “normal” routines. Their tempo changes and builds to a holiday season climax. And we – and our advertisers – want to be their soundtrack.
MARU/Matchbox was hired to conduct an in-depth study of 603 weekly podcast consumers from April 19-24 of this year. Takeaways include: 1) YouTube is used most among Podcast Newcomers, Podcast Pioneers, and heavy podcast consumers; 2) YouTube podcast audience profile: Male and younger than the Apple Podcasts audience; 3) As the world’s entertainment search engine, YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform where audiences are more likely to find podcasts; and 4) Those who discover a podcast on YouTube say they stick with the platform for video, comments, community, entertainment, recommendations, and platform features. This growth for YouTube comes at the expense of Apple Podcasts. In July of 2019, Apple Podcasts was the most-used platform for 29% of weekly podcast consumers with 15% for YouTube. Five years later the figures are nearly reversed with 31% of weekly podcast consumers preferring YouTube and just 12% reporting Apple Podcasts as their most-used platform.