Kirk Slaying Pushes First Amendment into Spotlight in Talk Media Industry
The aftermath of the killing of Charlie Kirk last week has made the First Amendment an issue being discussed not only by the public but also one hitting home for talk media practitioners. Wednesday’s suspension of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” program by ABC/Disney after television giants Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group complained about Kimmel’s comments on Kirk’s death and said they would stop carrying the show dominated the news cycle. While FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stated at the POLITICO AI & Tech Summit that the FCC should not be investigating social media posts celebrating Kirk’s slaying, saying, “I think you can draw a pretty clear line, and the Supreme Court has done this for decades, that our First Amendment, our free speech tradition, protects almost all speech,” his statement comes not long after Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested her office should be investigating hate speech, infuriating many conservatives who outright reject the concept of hate speech. ABC/Disney’s decision to air or not air the Kimmel program is not an infringement of Kimmel’s First Amendment rights but both Sinclair and Nexstar have mergers or acquisitions before federal bodies – including the FCC – and some critics of the Kimmel suspension note that the Trump administration will consider Kimmel’s ouster a “friendly” move. It is also worth noting that FCC Chairman Carr appeared on the Benny Johnson podcast and called Kimmel’s statements “some of the sickest conduct possible” and added, “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney… We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Finally, there are those who are pointing out that Charlie Kirk was an adamant supporter of the First Amendment who would disagree with the calls to suppress free speech – even callous speech mocking his own death.
that listening has grown across all demographics and time periods versus the Fall 2024 Nationwide report. Some key takeaways are: 1) Among persons 25-54, total U.S. AM/FM radio AQH has grown +6%, powered by a +19% increase in the Portable People Meter markets; 2) Weekends and nights have the greatest growth compared to Fall 2024; 3) Versus Fall 2024, Spring 2025 total U.S. audience growth is greater among men versus women and has increased in older demographics; and 4) Total U.S. Spring 2025 audience growth is up significantly among college graduates and upscale $75K+ income Americans. The blog post notes that the PPM audience growth is due to Nielsen’s three-minute qualifier modernization, which provides a significantly more comprehensive and realistic definition of AM/FM radio’s audience and their listening behavior. Nielsen found 23% of PPM listening occasions were three or four minutes. Under the old five-minute listening qualifier rule, none of this tuning would have received listening credit. Effective with the January 2025 PPM survey, Nielsen began crediting tuning occasions that are three minutes or greater. 
Radio programmers and sales managers know the drill: The GM drops an idea, a client makes a request, or a listener offers feedback – and the reflex is to jump straight into execution. But what if the real opportunity lies not in what’s asked for, but in what’s actually needed?
Bruce DuMont
The Museum of Broadcast Communications announces the selection of eight new Legends inductees into the Radio Hall of Fame for 2025, recognizing radio broadcasters who have passed away. This year’s inductees include longtime WLS-AM, Chicago morning drive cohost Don Wade and nationally syndicated host Dale Sommers “The Truckin’ Bozo.” Radio Hall of Fame co-chair Kraig Kitchin comments, “Each of these individuals contributed to the growth and vibrance of our radio industry and are worthy of induction. I’m thrilled to see recognition for their talents and efforts and heartened that their family, friends and colleagues can witness this well-deserved honor.” 
The Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group unveils an audio planning guide based on data from Edison Research and Nielsen data. Saying that there are incorrect assumptions among strategists and media planners about which audio media have the most listeners, chief insights officer Pierre Bouvard underscores that AM/FM radio is still the dominant ad-supported audio platform with a 66% share. Podcasting is second with a 20% share and this is true across all demographics. For those who are all-in on digital audio only, Bouvard says they are missing 70% of the potential audience as ad-supported Spotify, Pandora and podcasts reach only 30% of the U.S. in a typical day. Further, Bouvard says the data suggests an optimal allocation of audio ad spend: “The ideal allocation for a 25-54 audio plan is 62% AM/FM radio, 24% podcasts, 12% music streaming (Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music), and 2% SiriusXM satellite radio.” 
My kitchen faucet wouldn’t shut off. It died, of old age. Things start doing that when your “new” house turns 25.
After 40 years on the air in the Rochester market, legendary radio personality Brother Wease is exiting iHeartMedia’s talk WAIO-FM where he’s been hosting the late morning show for the past two years (he’d been hosting the morning drive show there since November of 2008). According to the Democrat & Chronicle, Brother Wease told his audience that the company is flipping the talk station to rock and he, along with air personality Deanna King, are being let go. Brother Wease launched his on-air career on rock WCMF in 1984 in overnights and moved to morning drive in 1985. The show took off and became a highly successful one in the market for years. He left WCMF in late 2007 after contract talks with then-Entercom broke down and resurfaced on WAIO. 
According to a report in Barron’s, Premiere Networks talk host Buck Sexton filing a federal lawsuit against RAD Diversified REIT, alleging they defrauded him of more than $100,000. In the complaint, Sexton alleges that RAD founders Dutch Mendenhall and Amy Vaughn solicited cash from him for investment coaching for property deals, neither of which ever happened. The story notes that this suit comes just weeks after Florida’s attorney general announced a probe into RAD saying the firm “appears to be a Ponzi scheme.” Sexton’s attorney writes in the complaint, “Despite being an experienced real estate investor, Mr. Sexton was taken in by the documents and investment returns touted by Mendenhall and his representatives. The defendants’ grand promises of sweeping returns never materialized.” 
Nashville “102.5 The Game” after being unable to strike a deal to renew his show. The new program will air live weekdays at 2:00 pm and goes online as a podcast by 3:30 pm that day. He tells the paper, “I was fortunate enough to have what I feel is an incredibly loyal core audience and I plan to provide for them a daily show every day that isn’t behind a paywall and 440 Sports gives me that opportunity. With very limited commercial interruption, the podcast should be able to get most people in Nashville through their afternoon commute.” 
He previously hosted his show on crosstown WJBE-AM. In making room for Basilio on WKGN, Bob Baskerville moved to afternoon drive to team up with Russell Smith in afternoons. Basilio says, “Bob has been really accommodating and gracious. They’ve got talented people on that station. I’m proud to be a part of it.” Read 
Why I love going on sales calls with station reps: Meeting retailers, who have SUCH a feel for their customers’ (our listeners’) mindset. Following-up
role is vital to bringing our brand to life through on-air, digital, and community engagement initiatives. The ideal candidate will thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy working with people, and bring creative energy to our promotions and marketing efforts. 
event will benefit The WABC Radio Foundation, The Tunnel To Towers Foundation, The Police Athletic League (PAL), and Shriners Children’s. The evening will feature performances of patriotic songs including WABC Saturday evening personality and singer Tony Orlando performing “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree”; Lee Greenwood performing “God Bless the USA” and America’s tenor Christopher Maccio will sing the National Anthem. Additionally, WABC personality Joe Piscopo will perform Frank Sinatra classics and station host Vinnie Medugno will sing oldies. The gala event will be hosted by 77WABC legendary air personality Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow. Distinguished guests will include United States and New York area politicians, business leaders, and community heroes. 
Score” in March as the result of a social media rant against a critic was his fault. He says, “I own my mistakes. This was the culmination of a slow, rolling mental health crisis.” Bernstein recently began working with Hubbard’s 312 Sports platform on the daily podcast “Dan Bernstein: Unfiltered” with co-host Matt Abbatacola. He says, “I learned a lot in therapy, and I’m continuing to learn a lot about the dopamine outrage cycle and how real that is and how my brain chemistry works.” He adds, “I think I’ll be better served by the pace and tone of podcasting.” 
“justice for the injured… Bradshaw & Bryant.” Key takeaways from the blog include: 1) Through its longterm use of AM/FM radio advertising, Bradshaw & Bryant dominates unaided brand awareness; Across all stages of the consumer journey, Bradshaw & Bryant leads the market; 2) Bradshaw & Bryant offers Madison Avenue a master class on creating future demand and how building a brand is the main driver of longterm growth and profit; 3) Every advertiser has two jobs: Creating future demand and converting existing demand; Bradshaw & Bryant excels at creating future demand; and 4) AM/FM radio advertising works: Among AM/FM radio listeners, Bradshaw & Bryant’s awareness is +19% greater than in the overall market. 
U.S. Other takeaways include: Listeners aged 18-34 spend 32% of their daily ad-supported audio time with podcasts; and podcasts consistently drive top funnel advertising impact. Nielsen says its Podcast Brand Impact Database draws on nearly 2,000 case studies and shows that podcast ads continue to drive strong brand awareness, motivate listeners to learn more, and purchase products. 
would go their separate ways when his current contract ends later this year. The Yahoo story says, “A source affirmed that everything is a done deal in this regard, and all previous reports of him exiting the company were pure fallacy, per RadarOnline. The man of the hour himself also dropped a big hint on his social media, teasing an answer to all the questions hovering around his career very soon.” Stern’s own Instagram account posted the following: “Now we can reveal that all the questions will be answered. All the truths will be told by the one man truly on the inside: Howard Stern will speak. Tuesday, September 2.” 
As TV touts its perennial New Fall Season, our DVR is already set to “record series” so we can pick-up where the “Matlock” sequel left-us-hanging; and for a third season of quirky “Elsbeth” (a closet reboot, the female “Columbo”). And where I live – where everyone seems to know everyone – we are salivating for “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.”