Monday Memo: Leapfrog Legacybox. “As oxide literally falls off cassettes and reel tape,” consultant Holland Cooke warns, “those precious airchecks will be gone forever” unless you digitize them. “Ditto VHS tapes and photos of loved ones now long gone.” But, in this week’s column, HC’s experience with a major national advertiser points to a local sales lead. Read it here.
Pending Business: The Ego Drive Connection. Radio sales pro Steve Lapa writes in today’s column that most talk radio sellers don’t stop to think about the personality trait that connects them to their station’s talk hosts. But both have a healthy ego drive. The successful talk radio host is driven to convince their listeners that their take on an issue is the correct one. And their skill set includes the power of persuasion – just a like a good seller. Read more here.
Lars Larson Celebrates 25 Years at KXL-FM, Portland. Talk radio host Lars Larson – whose KXL-FM, Portland-based program is heard on more than 20 stations the Pacific Northwest on Alpha Media’s Radio Northwest Network and whose Compass Media
Networks nationally syndicated program serves some 100 affiliate stations – celebrated his 25th anniversary at KXL on Friday (5/20). In a video on the KXL website, Larson talks about his 25 years at KXL, how he got into radio as a teenager, and the difference between his past work as a television news managing editor and his current work as a talk host. “I love the idea of gathering interesting information and then presenting it to my audience, so they get a chance to hear what’s going on.” See the video here.
Audacy Recognizes 100 Years of KFH, Wichita. Wichita radio station KFH is celebrating its 100th year of service to the area. The Audacy news/talk outlet – now an AM/FM combo – is Kansas’ oldest commercially licensed radio station. Audacy Wichita SVP and market manager Jackie Wise says, “As the oldest radio station in Kansas, KFH Radio is very much a key piece of a fabric of this region and the city of Wichita. We’re
honored to have been able to carry that baton for 100 years now, serving our community in key moments throughout history. We’re proud of the role we play in Wichita and look forward to celebrating our centennial anniversary alongside our loyal listeners.” KFH Radio will kick off its 100th anniversary celebration by welcoming special guests as part of its on-air programming. It will also begin airing short-form audio clips that spotlight some of the most memorable moments in station and Wichita history, including coverage of World War II, Wichita State University athletics, national attention from the 1938 Orson Welles “War of the Worlds” program that aired on the station, and more. KFH Radio, first known as WEAH, was launched on May 26, 1922 for the purpose of broadcasting crop and market reports.
MIW Announces MIW Mildred Carter Mentoring Program Class of 2022. This year’s Mildred Carter Mentoring Program’s class is announced by Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc. For the MIW Mildred Carter Mentoring Program that matches up-and-coming women in radio with female professionals recognized as leaders in all
aspects of the industry, four candidates from the radio industry within sales, marketing, programming and digital disciplines are selected each year. This year’s mentees are: Susan Aksu-Magarian, director of marketing, Benztown; Lindsay High, general sales manager, Audacy San Francisco; Bri O’Neill, digital sales manager, Leighton Broadcasting, Grand Forks, ND; and Lauren “Lo” Sessions, APD/MD “Energy 94.1” and Content Director “WE 94.5,” Alpha Media, San Antonio. Lindsay Adams, chair of the 2022 MIW Mentoring committee, and a 2006 graduate of the program says, “We couldn’t be happier seeing a year over year increase in the amount of program applicants. The easy part is recognizing a talent and applauding the determination to further develop their career. The hard part is making final decisions from such an incredible pool of candidates. We thank Beasley Media Group and Entravision Communications for their generous support, and we can’t wait to start working with the Class of 2022.”
TALKERS News Notes. The 24th annual “Cares for Kids Radiothon” raised $314,000 for the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med. iHeartMedia Albany’s
news/talk WGY-AM/FM “News Radio 810 & 103.1” and “99.5 the River” took part in a 25-hour radiothon on May 5-6. WGY personalities who interviewed medical professionals and patients during the broadcast included: Doug Goudie, Diane Donato, Joe Gallagher, Mike Patrick, and Jaime Roberts…..SiriusXM announces the acquisition of Team Coco, including the critically acclaimed hit podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” and the Conan O’Brien-led podcast network and digital media business. The transaction brings to SiriusXM Team Coco’s staff, who will continue to produce the network’s slate of popular podcasts, as well as collaborate on content for SiriusXM. As part of the deal, O’Brien enters into a five-year talent agreement with SiriusXM, under which he will remain host of his namesake podcast…..Pictured below is one of the pioneers of digital era independent talk broadcasting, James Lowe, a.k.a. Jiggy Jaguar (c) interviewing actor/musician Billy Bob Thornton (l) and musician J.D. Andrew (r) this past Saturday night (5/21) at the McPherson Opera House in McPherson, Kansas where their acclaimed roots rock band called Box Masters were performing.
Title 42 Ruling, the Economy, Russia-Ukraine War, Monkeypox/COVID-19, Midterms/Trump & the GOP, Great Replacement Theory, Kellyanne Conway Book, U.S.-China Relations, and Australian Elections Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. A Louisiana District judge rules the Trump-era Title 42 that keeps migrants seeking asylum from entering the U.S. must stay in place while the matter plays out it court; the baby formula shortage, the high price of gas & food, and the selloff on Wall Street; the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and its economic impact; the spread of monkeypox and the fast-rising number of COVID-19 cases in parts of the U.S.; the primary elections for this November’s midterm elections and Donald Trump’s influence over the GOP; the controversial Great Replacement Theory; former Trump counsellor Kellyanne Conway publishes her memoir Here’s the Deal; the tense U.S.-China relations over Taiwan; and Australian’s oust conservative Scott Morrison in favor of center-left PM Anthony Albanese were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
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noon to 4:00 pm in addition to the syndicated program heard 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm PT. Larson states, “20 years ago this month, Peter Kosann (then CEO of Westwood One) asked me to do a nationally syndicated radio talk show to replace a departing host. When Peter and I both left WWO and he formed Compass Media Networks, he asked if I would continue the partnership we had forged in the first six years. I quickly and happily agreed. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”