The Never-Ending Story
By Michael Harrison
Publisher
TALKERS
In the nearly four decades that I have been publishing TALKERS, I’m consistently asked by reporters who cover media and politics, “Now that the election is over, what is talk radio going to have to talk about?” This inquiry is based on the false – but widely held assumption – that “talk radio” is a one-trick pony. Drives me nuts.
This question hasn’t been limited to elections (although they lead the pack). It also comes after the resolution of wars (the two Persian Gulf wars were biggies), and major murder trials with racial overtones (O.J. Simpson comes to mind and let’s not forget the tragic saga of George Floyd). We need a good “reckoning” every now and then in this country.
There is also a variation of the question that I’ve fielded consistently at the end of each year: “What will next year’s big talk show topic be?” This one is easy. I always say, “The unknown.” Two mighty examples of that were 9/11 and Covid-19.
I’m often asked, “What would it take to bring people together during these polarized times?” My answer: “A hefty asteroid impact.”
I clearly remember an incident on April 19, 1995, while being interviewed by a reporter for The New York Times about the mechanics and philosophy of talk radio programming. He asked, “So what will be next week’s big topic on talk shows?” (As if I’m a fortune teller.)
As he was delivering the question, I noticed out of the corner of my eye on the Sony TV screen mounted near the ceiling of the TALKERS newsroom, the gigantic explosion of a building that was identified on the chyron as the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. I instantly responded, “Turn on CNN… I think it’s happening right now.”
So back to the election. Every ending launches a new beginning. Talk radio is a competitive game based upon the strategy of positioning. It’s sort of like a log rolling contest.
It requires a deft balance between leaning left or right and understanding the perplexing laws of gravity, momentum, and inertia.
It also requires an understanding of the true nature of marketplace conditions and the ever-changing state of public opinion.
Most important, it requires an understanding of the target core and the awareness that sometimes you have to piss off segments of it in order to maintain forward momentum.
There really is no such thing as “mass appeal” in talk radio. Back when Michael Savage was the highest rated talker in San Francisco, I was often asked, “How is it possible for such a conservative figure to be the top guy in one of the most liberal markets in America?”
My answer, “Because talk radio (and radio in general) is not an election. It is a competition for fractions of a point within niches. Michael Savage couldn’t get elected dog catcher in San Francisco… but he has the right appeal to a disenfranchised minority that is large enough to put him on top in his niche. The game is played the way the game is scored.”
I’ve always believed that there is a place for the left and a place for the right in talk radio. And as any sailor knows, the winds can change direction on a dime. The lefties have their work cut out for them and hopefully will take advantage of this new opportunity.
But all is not lost for the righties. Hardly! They are now finally free to move forward and cultivate the fascinating and engaging rebuilding of the very legitimate American Conservative movement without having to kiss the ass of a man who has hijacked both radio and frittered away the legitimacy of its content for far too long.
Michael Harrison can be reached at michael@talkers.com.
guests. Recent interviews have included Stephen A. Smith, Kathie Lee Gifford, Vanilla Ice, Franklin Graham, Rahm Emanuel, Cornel West, and Adam Carolla.
Cooper was honored at TALKERS 2026 this past June as the conference’s “Special International Guest” – see photo with Cooper (r) being introduced by Michael Harrison (l).
For the third consecutive year, TALKERS will serve as the Presenting Sponsor of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Conference. The event – IBSNYC – the longest running and most important national gathering of campus radio and mediacommunicators, will take place February 25-27, 2027, at the Sheraton Times Square hotel in the heart of Manhattan. It will bring together almost 1,000 outstanding broadcasters from university, college and high school radio-TV stations and departments of communication. Its power packed agenda of speeches, panels, workshops, exhibits, award ceremonies, and networking opportunities will cover the ever-expanding spectrum of platforms and issues unfolding before young practitioners entering the field of modern communications. This outstanding event is a must-attend for bright industry newcomers who are serious about developing careers in a landscape marked by unprecedentedly rapid change as well as established players determined to keep up with what’s coming and discover new colleagues.
TALKERS VP / associate publisher Matthew B. Harrison will again join the roster of outstanding IBSNYC speakers. Harrison, senior partner in the firm of Harrison Media Law, is a media and intellectual property attorney and author who advises radio hosts, digital content creators, and creative entrepreneurs. He has written extensively on fair use, AI law, and the future of digital rights.
TALKERS founder, publisher, and radio industry icon, Michael Harrison will deliver one of the conference’s two keynote addresses. The speech, titled, “Five Things Every Communicator Must Know to Survive and Even Thrive During the Next Five Years,” promises to be a riveting, eye-opening highlight of the conference.
“Throughout its 36-year history of service to the talk radio and associated talk media industries, TALKERS has maintained a strict policy of non-partisanship in its coverage of the field and its players. However, the single ideological orthodoxy practiced by TALKERS through this period has been uncompromising support of the First Amendment – the prime principle and foundation upon which all American freedoms and values are built. Over the years, we have bestowed our prestigious Freedom of Speech Award upon a wide variety of broadcasters from all ends of the political spectrum, and we have gone to bat in support of hosts, stations and networks – popular and otherwise, Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative – when under fire from presidents and other governmental forces determined to quell that fundamental right. For the sake of our industry and our country, we stand in protest of the current White House press ban imposed against our colleagues and strongly encourage all practitioners of American talk media, regardless of political persuasion, to unify in opposition to this egregious aggression against our fundamental right to fulfill our core duty and promise to the people of our nation.”
while playing venues such as the Bitter End and TV shows like “Midnight Special,” the band has gained a multi-generational fan base over the past six years due in large part to exposure on talk radio. Talk show hosts have been attracted to Gunhill Road’s engaging themes, sharp lyrics, and provocative YouTube videos that tackle the hottest issues of the day. These include the rise of idiocy, scourge of scammers, threat of censorship, dangers of AI, noise of politics, cruelty to animals, aging, and more. Since 2020, more than 1,500 talk shows, stations, and networks have aired Gunhill Road songs in whole or part, extracted segments for bumpers, and interviewed a member about its provocative messaging.
When in doubt, I recall smart quotes from people in our business who are successful, well paid, kind, and future oriented. I have always focused on what’s next rather than what’s been. These observations drive good results:
TALKERS conversations held with programmers and talk show hosts across the nation this week, historic events and milestones get heightened attention on anniversaries divisible by five-year intervals with 10-year, quarter- and half-century markers receiving the most. “This is going to be a big one,” exclaimed KSCO, Santa Cruz station owner Michael “MZ” Zwerling stating, “The combination of 9/11 reaching its quarter-century anniversary coupled with the nation being at war with a Middle East adversary makes remembrances of the tragedy even more appropriate than ever.”
“Rap” was senior vice president of rock promotion at Columbia Records where he served for 33-years during album rock’s golden era, playing a pivotal role in the careers of some of the biggest stars in the business. These included everyone from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd to the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello to Billy Joel, Judas Priest to Alice In Chains, Journey and many, many more.
devoted to chronicling the development and growth of what he envisioned as “the coming talk radio phenomenon of the nineties.” The publication went on to publish as a newspaper on newsprint evolving into a glossy magazine and eventually an online publication fully devoted to serving the needs of talk radio and eventually a variety of spoken word platforms that have collectively become known as talk media. TALKERS also contributed to the growth of the field by producing 28 national conventions / conferences in New York and two in Los Angeles, more than 50 groundbreaking radio rows, dozens of talk show host tours of international hot spots, and thousands of hours of spoken word syndicated and online programming. Throughout its colorful history, TALKERS always maintained a neutral position regarding politics except for, as Harrison puts it, “unwavering support of the First Amendment.”
TALKERS founder Michael Harrison is this week’s guest on the National Press Club’s official podcast, Update-1, in which he tackles the topic “Predicting the Future of Media Following the Shutdown of CBS News Radio.” Interviewed by noted American University media professor Gemma Puglisi, Harrison addresses such issues as changes in the tenets of journalism and the general shrinkage of radio news. Along the way, he offers his insights into a variety of media and societal topics including the impact of clickbait and what he describes as “the daily dance of affirmation” resulting 
from the trend toward news platforms “targeting” audiences for purely marketing purposes. Harrison defends AI from critics who claim the technology lacks “heart” and that audiences will swing back to the “authenticity” being destroyed by AI slop. Harrison makes the case that what counts is the humanity behind the operation of AI which is “only a tool.” He says, “Blaming AI for shallow content is like attributing shoddy novels to the invention of the word processor.” Harrison boldly predicts that AI and modern technology will hasten the “death of Hollywood” as we know it among other insights into the future of news, entertainment, and communications. Don’t miss this! 
would be retiring from daily talk show hosting later this summer on Jacobs Media’s WDUN-AM/FM, Gainesville, where she presided over a hugely popular midday program since 2019. The decision was made due to heart-related health issues. She planned to remain with the powerful station as an occasional political consultant and commentator. Zoller, the 2023 recipient of the TALKERS “Woman of the Year” award, was an influential figure in Georgia politics having run for Congress in the U.S. 9th District as a Republican in 2012. Before that she served her first stint as a radio talk show host in North Georgia for a number of years. She was also a member of the State Board of Education representing District 9 in Northeast, Georgia in addition to engaging in a number of other community-oriented activities.
