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Erick Erickson’s Gathering Draws Almost 1,000 to Atlanta

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WSB-AM/WSBB-FM, Atlanta-based, nationally syndicated talk radio host Erick Erickson presented “The Erick Erickson Show Gathering” in Atlanta last Thursday through Saturday (8/17-19) that drew almost 1,000 of Erickson’s listeners from his markets across the country. During the event, Erickson conducted 16 hours of interviews with GOP presidential candidates including Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott, and Senators Tom Cotton (AR) and Joni Ernst (IA) plus Congressman Rich McCormick (GA); and Governors Brian Kemp (GA) and Glenn Youngkin (VA). Press from six countries covered the event and more than 90 local television and radio markets ran stories about the event. Erickson says, “Bringing my audience from across America together to be up close with presidential contenders and conservative leaders is something no one else does. This was my tenth time since starting my show on WSB. Since going into syndication with Compass Media earlier this year, it just made sense to expand the footprint of the Gathering to all my listeners and online readers nationwide. We kept the ticket price very low and relied on sponsors because we didn’t want to burden the audience. The conference isn’t intended to be a profit center. It’s to build lasting relationships with affiliates, listeners, and readers.” Pictured above is Erickson (left) interviewing Governor Youngkin (center) and Governor Kemp (right).

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KXEL-AM and Mudd Produce “Iowa Talking Points” Program

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NRG Media news/talk outlet KXEL, Waterloo, Iowa and Mudd Advertising are partnering to produce a series of cross-platform events in advance of Iowa’s caucuses. The series, titled, “Iowa Talking Points,” will be produced for live video stream, video and audio on-demand playback, and radio rebroadcast. The events will be hosted by KXEL program director and host Jeff Stein and will be conducted in front of a live studio audience at Mudd’s state-of-the-art “Studio5@Mudd” facility in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The first program will be tomorrow (5/26) with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Stein – who has covered every Iowa Caucus since 1980 – says, “This will be the only place for multiplatform conversations about issues important to Iowa caucus-goers. The unique synergy of these partners allows us to provide access across multiple outlets to persons across Iowa and across the U.S.” Pictured above is Stein in the KXEL studios with Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

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Simon Conway Talks with Ron DeSantis During Iowa Visit

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Pictured above is Iowa talk radio host Simon Conway (right) – heard in afternoon drive on iHeartMedia‘s WHO, Des Moines; WMT, Cedar Rapids; and WOC, Quad Cities – with Florida Governor (and potential GOP presidential candidate) Ron DeSantis(left) at the WHO studios last Friday (3/10). Conway also interviewed former President Donald Trump yesterday ahead of his rally in Davenport. Conway says of his interviews with the candidates, “We really do play an important role in the process.” Since last summer, Conway has also interviewed former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott.

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GOP Hopefuls Visit WHO, Des Moines

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The presidential quadrennial historically provides talk media hosts with a bonanza of content – especially for those in early caucus and primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire who get to actually have the stars of politics stop by in person or call in as guests. Pictured here is WHO, Des Moines afternoon drive talk host Simon Conway (right) with former South Carolina Governor and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (left) during her recent visit to Iowa as her bid for the ’24 GOP presidential nomination begins. Conway tells TALKERS, “You can always tell when presidential season is truly up and running by exactly which candidates and potential candidates are showing up on WHO Radio’s ‘Simon Conway Show!’” Conway says that in addition to Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) appeared in studio and he expects former President Donald Trump to appear this week.

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The Weekend’s Top News/Talk Media Stories

President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe and his surprise visit to Ukraine; China’s top diplomat visits Russia; the rumors that CNN’s Don Lemon is in hot water with network brass in the wake of his calling GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley “past her prime”; the 2024 presidential contest; former President Jimmy Carter enters hospice; the aftermath of the toxic train wreck affecting residents of East Palestine, Ohio; the ongoing search and recovery after the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria; the deadly shootings at a Mardis Gras parade in New Orleans and in rural Mississippi; and actor-comedian Richard Belzer dies at 78 were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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Top News/Talk Media Stories for Week of February 13-17

The recent incidents of unmanned “objects” and potential “spycrafts” flying over North America and the U.S.’s shooting down of several was the most-talked-about story in news/talk media this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was the state of U.S.-China relations in the aftermath of the U.S.’s shooting down of a likely Chinese spy balloon, followed by former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s entrance into the 2024 presidential race, tied with the numerous legal issues facing former President Donald Trump at #3. The Talkers TenTM is a weekly chart of the top stories and people discussed on news/talk radio during the week and is the result of ongoing research from TALKERS magazine. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart here.

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Yesterday’s (2/15) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Former South Carolina Governor and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley formally announces her bid for the GOP nomination for president in 2024, joining former President Donald Trump who has also announced his campaign; today’s expected release of a portion of the Georgia grand jury report on Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn that state’s 2020 election results; the brouhaha over the U.S.’s shooting down of several objects over North America, including the Chinese spy balloon; U.S. Rep Matt Gaetz’s attorney announces he won’t be charged with sex crimes; Vladimir Putin’s ramping up of attacks on Ukraine and allegations Russia is deporting thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia; East Palestine, Ohio residents fear for their health and safety after the toxic train derailment two weeks ago; and Raquel Welch dies at 82 were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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Yesterday’s (2/14) Top News/Talk Stories

Former South Carolina Governor and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley formally announces her bid for the GOP nomination for president in 2024; the U.S.’s shooting down of four objects – including a Chinese spy balloon – and the state of U.S.-China relations; the expected release of a portion of the Georgia grand jury report on former President Donald Trump’s alleged attempt to change the 2020 election results; the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Michigan State University that claimed the lives of three students and critically injured five; and allegations that Russia is operating camps where it is detaining Ukrainian children and possibly training some for battle were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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Yesterday’s (2/13) Top News/Talk Media Stories

The U.S.’s shooting down of the fourth “object” flying over North America, criticism leveled against President Joe Biden for not opening up to the American people about what the administration knows, and China’s response to being called out; the deadly shooting on the campus of Michigan State University that’s taken the lives of at least three; a Georgia judge will release portions of the Donald Trump grand jury report this week; the escalating invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces; former Vice President Mike Pence fights a subpoena to testify in the special counsel’s investigation into the 2020 election; a number of U.S. cell phone carriers experience outages on Monday for reasons that remain unexplained; former South Carolina Governor and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley officially announces her bid for the White House in 2024; and the aftermath of Super Bowl LVII were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend

The U.S. military shoots down a fourth “unmanned object,” this time over Lake Huron and the pressure is on President Joe Biden to give details to the American people; former Vice President Mike Pence is subpoenaed by special counsel investigating Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results; the 2024 presidential race and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s plans to challenge former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination; the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria surpasses 36,000; the battle in Congress over the debt ceiling; the Russia-Ukraine war and the latter’s plea for more weapons to hold off Vladimir Putin’s troops; and the Chiefs top the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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Yesterday’s (2/7) Top News/Talk Media Stories

President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address; the debt ceiling battle in Congress; the U.S. Navy releases photos of the recovery of the Chinese spy balloon; former President Donald Trump’s and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s campaigns for president in 2024; the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria surpasses 11,000; Ukraine’s search for support from the U.S. and European nations to counter Russia’s invasion; the move to ban TikTok in the U.S. combined with the expansion of AI technology; and LeBron James claims the NBA’s career scoring leader title were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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The Weekend’s Top News/Talk Stories

The U.S. shoots down a Chinese spy balloon, icing the two countries’ diplomatic relations; President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech to be given on Tuesday; the battle in Congress over the United States’ debt ceiling; the 2024 presidential campaign launched by former President Donald Trump and the expected run to be announced by former South Carolina Governor and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley; embattled freshman Congressman George Santos is accused of sexual misconduct by a prospective staffer; Sunday night’s Grammy Awards; and a 7.8 magnitude earthquake kills close to 2,000 people in Turkey and Syria were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

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Yesterday’s (2/1) Top News/Talk Media Stories

The state of the United States’ economy and the Fed’s decision to raise interest rates; the political battle in Congress to address the U.S.’s debt ceiling; the classified government documents in the possession of Joe Biden, Mike Pence and Donald Trump; Hunter Biden seeks criminal investigation into stolen data from his laptop; former President Trump’s 2024 campaign and former South Carolina Governor and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s expected bid for the White House in ’24; Trump’s potential legal issues in Georgia and New York; Ukraine’s plea for fighter jets is rejected by the U.S. and Germany as it tries to fend off Russia; the aftermath of the police beating death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis; artificial intelligence and the effects of the release of chatbot ChatGPT; and the brutal winter weather affecting parts of the country were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.