Industry News

Poll: FNC News Network to Which Voters Turn

According to data from a recent New York Times/Siena College poll of registered voters nationwide, FOX News Channel is named the single news network voters turn to most often, above CNN andim MSNBC, along with topping The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, PBS and NPR. The poll results show 13% of respondents cited FOX News as the single news source they turn to most often, tying broadcast networks like CBS, NBC and ABC, while besting CNN (10%) and MSNBC (3%). For comparison, public news organizations (like PBS and NPR) delivered 4%, national news organizations such as The New York Times and Wall Street Journal garnered 8%, while international news sources like the BBC, Al Jazeera and The Guardian earned 3%.

Industry News

WLS-AM, Chicago’s “Round Trip with Colleen Kelly” Celebrates 100th Episode

Cumulus Media’s news/talk WLS-AM, Chicago is celebrating the 100th episode of its resident weekend travel show, “Round Trip With Colleen Kelly,” this Sunday (11/12) with a special program that will air atim 1:00 pm (instead of its usual 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm air time). The program is hosted by travel expert Colleen Kelly, who is cost, creator, and executive producer of the popular Emmy-nominated PBS series, “Family Travel With Colleen Kelly,” and is a digital contributor to National Geographic. WLS program director Stephanie Tichenor says, “Chicago loves to travel. Colleen has been giving our WLS-AM audience travel tips and tricks for over 100 episodes. We are so excited to celebrate this milestone with her as she continues to share her experiences from all over the world.” The series is also co-hosted and produced by Megan Kudla, as well as technically produced and edited by Lane Thoelcke.

Industry News

Twitter Removes Government-Funded Label from NPR

NPR is reporting that last Thursday (4/20), Twitter removed the “government-funded” label that had been applied to NPR’s account (after switching from the previous “state-affiliated media” label). The story says that Twitter CEO Elon Musk told NPR reporter Bobby Allyn that Twitter dropped the labels after a suggestion from author Walter Isaacson, who is reported to be writing a biography of Musk. NPR said it was suspending use of the Twitter platform as a result of the labels. NPR spokeswoman Isabel Lara says the company has nothing new to say on the matter. Twitter also put the labels on the BBC, PBS and Canada’s CBC. Read the NPR story here.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

— NPR promotes Michel Martin to new a role as co-host of “Morning Edition.” Martin, who has been the host of the weekend edition of “All Things Considered” since 2015, takes over for Rachel Martin who is exiting to pursue other media opportunities. She begins working alongside Steve Inskeep, A Martínez and Leila Fadel on March 27.

The Los Angeles TimesJames Rainey writes a profile piece this week about Tavis Smiley, former PBS personality and current owner of KBLA, Los Angeles – a talk station targeting the Black community. The piece addresses Smiley’s legal battles with PBS after he was accused of sexually harassing multiple women, the court case he lost and one he’s still involved in. It also looks at his efforts to reach the Black community via KBLA and its talk hosts. Read the LA Times story here.

— Edison Research is presenting a four-part series through its Edison’s Weekly Insights exploring the “power of traditional AM/FM radio in the U.S. This week’s edition reports, based on Edison’s Share of Ear study, “Listeners age 13+ in the U.S. spend 59% of their daily, ad-supported audio time with AM/FM radio, more time than with all other ad-supported audio sources combined, including YouTube, podcasts, and ad-supported streaming services. AM/FM radio is the top ad-supported audio source for all ages in the U.S., including Gen Z (age 13-24) who spend 33% of their daily ad-supported audio time with AM/FM radio, more than for any other ad-supported platform.” Read the story here.

Industry News

iHeartMedia Unveils New Season of “How to Citizen with Baratunde”

A new season of “How to Citizen with Baratunde” is set to launch on the iHeartPodcasts Network. Baratunde Thurston is executive producer and host of PBS’s “America Outdoors with Baratunde.” This podcast series is described as the program “for people tired of tuning in to bad news and looking for new and better ways to ‘citizen’ – as a verb. Through meaningful conversations and insightful moments, Baratunde shows listeners how to wield their collective power to make the world a better place.” iHeartMedia says, “This season, Baratunde focuses on how to create a culture of democracy in communities, workplaces, homes and within the listener themselves. Guests will include adrienne maree brown, Priya Parker, NBA legend Steve Kerr and more.”

Front Page News Industry News

Friday, October 14, 2022

NOW POSTED: This Weekend’s Installment of “The Michael Harrison Wrap: An Overview of the National Conversation.” The latest installment of the one-hour weekend special, “The Michael Harrison Wrap,” that looks back each week at the hottest topics discussed in American talk media per the research of TALKERS, is now posted. This new episode titled “Juries & Judgements” looks back at this past week of 10/10-10/14. The program features guests (in order of appearance): Kevin Casey, executive editor, TALKERS; Gary Nolan, talk show host, 93.9 The Eagle, Columbia, MO/USA Radio Network/Talk Media Network; Jack Heath, talk show host, the Pulse of NH; Brett Winterble, talk show host, WBT, Charlotte, NC; Ethan Bearman, attorney/commentator; and Jim Bohannon, talk show host, Westwood One. The show airs weekends (Friday evenings to Sunday nights) on 100-plus broadcast signals and networks across the U.S. and U.K as well as having developed a significant international following as a podcast. To listen to this week’s episode, please click here.   “The Michael Harrison Wrap” is available in syndication via Talk Media Network to stations across America on a market exclusive basis. For affiliation information, please click here or call 616-884-8616.

Report: Continued Growth In Spoken-Word Audio Consumption. According to the NPR and Edison Research “Spoken-Word Audio Report,” the number of spoken-word audio listeners has increased by 26 million in the last eight years. Scheduled in two weeks (Thursday, 10/27), a 2:00 pm webinar presentation of the findings from the fourth annual such report explores specific types of spoken-word content, various spoken word platforms, and devices used to consume spoken-word content. National Public Media vice president of sponsorship marketing Lamar Johnson and Edison Research vice president Megan Lazovick will take part in the live webinar. Among topics they will cover are: how spoken-word audio fits into this country’s overall landscape; how “Gen Z” listeners consume spoken-word audio; how daily spoken-word audio listeners consume audio; which devices and platforms are used to listen to spoken-word audio; and how podcasts continue to impact the growth of spoken-word audio. The report includes trending data from Edison Research’s “Share of Ear” study, which measures daily listening habits of Americans using a 24-hour diary.

Cumulus Media Transfers Divello To Montgomery As VP/MM. The four-year vice president and market manager of Cumulus Media Abilene (Texas), Paula Divello (pictured at right), shifts to the company’s Montgomery (Alabama) stations in the same capacity. Cumulus Media Montgomery’s five-station cluster includes news/talk WLWI “News Radio 1440” and sports talk WMSP “Sports Radio 740.”  Cumulus Media senior vice president of operations Mark Sullivan remarks, “I’m excited for Paula’s next leadership role in Montgomery, as she has been such a positive force in [our] company. I look forward to working alongside her as she continues her track record of delivering strong results.” Divello comments, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead Cumulus Montgomery [and look forward] to joining the team [there]. I look forward to working in collaboration with our great employees on our next chapter of growth and success, making a positive impact on our staff, listeners, and advertisers alike.” Divello joined Cumulus Media’s Shreveport (Louisiana) stations five years ago as director of sales. She previously had similar responsibilities for Townsquare Media Lufkin, Texas and was digital marketing manager and senior account executive for Raycom Media.

Connecticut Senator Slams Jones. “I mean, Alex Jones is a clown.” That declaration was made by Senator Chris Murphy (pictured at right) during an interview on Yahoo News’Skullduggery” podcast. “I can’t understand what goes on inside the brain of somebody like that. I can’t understand [how] any human being would delight in torturing the parents of dead children. I don’t know how you live with yourself if that’s what you do every day.” The Connecticut Democrat called on top Republican and conservative leaders to publicly denounce Jones in the wake of Wednesday’s (10/12) jury verdict that the “Infowars” talk show host must pay nearly $1 billion to the families of children killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. From 2007 – 2013, Murphy represented the Connecticut district where Sandy Hook is located; he has a long relationship with the families of the victims. “I want the focus to be much more broadly than on Alex Jones,” Murphy commented. “I’m not going to change Alex Jones’ business model, but man, why aren’t there more Republicans out there condemning this guy? Why is he still invited to all of these conservative conferences until the political right decides that these conspiracy theorists, these Sandy Hook harassers, are going to be purged from the right? Somebody will replace Alex Jones, because there’s a market there for it. So the culpability here is on Jones, but it is also much more broadly on the Republican Party that continues to celebrate Alex Jones.” In 2015, – three years after the Sandy Hook killings – then-presidential candidate Donald Trump appeared on “Infowars” and praised Jones’ “amazing” reputation.

Donnolo Drops “Positively Sex” Podcast. Intimacy specialist Lila Donnolo’s weekly 46-episode iHeartPodcast Original “Positively Sex! with Lila” premiered yesterday (10/13). The series explores intimacy of all kinds through a sex-positive talk show on timely, tender and taboo topics. According to Donnolo, “As a society, we’ve become aware – more than ever before – of just how much we need intimacy in order to thrive. Most of us were indoctrinated with sexual shame, and this shame is detrimental to all aspects of our lives. The world desperately needs sex-positivity now. That’s why I’m so incredibly delighted to have iHeartRadio in my corner. iHeartRadio has given me a global megaphone: To paraphrase my psychiatrist friend, I’m so excited for the world to get to hear these perspectives.” Donnolo will host a multitude of episode formats including editorialized segments; “on-the-street” style interviews; intimate one-on-one conversations; and “kiss-and-tell” storytelling. Her five-year “Horizontal with Lila” podcast of conversations about sex, love, and relationships, which concluded earlier this year, was entirely recorded while she was lying down.

TALKERS News Notes. In a memo to his fellow WCBS-AM staff members, reporter Peter Haskell reveals that a rare voice disorder – spasmodic dysphonia – is causing him to exit the Audacy New York all-news outlet. Describing his 30-year career at “News Radio 880” as “the journey of a lifetime,” Haskell notes he has “come to the realization” that what he’s been doing “is unsustainable” and as much as he has tried, he “just can’t overcome the problems” with his voice. … Nine industry figures – including iHeartMedia chair/chief executive officer Bob Pittman and Cromwell Media president Bayard “Bud” Walters  – will be honored next month (11/15) for lifetime achievement by The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation. Hosted by ABC News “Nightline” co-anchor Juju Chang, LABF’s annual “Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts” luncheon ceremony at New York’s Gotham Hall will be produced by the International Radio and Television Society Foundation. In addition to Pittman and Walters, this year’s “Giants of Broadcasting & Electronics Arts” honorees are: TV chef Julia Child (honored posthumously); Standard Media Group chief executive officer Deb McDermott; CBS Sports chair Sean McManus; multi-award winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson; E.W. Scripps president/chief executive officer Adam Symson; ; recently-retired NBC News justice correspondent Pete Williams; and CNN anchor/Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria. The LABF event honors creators, innovators, performers and journalists who have left an indelible mark on the field of electronic arts. Proceeds from the luncheon support the work of LABF, which includes the Library of American Broadcasting, housed at the University of Maryland.

Ross Rises to CPB Chair. By unanimous vote, former chief of staff to a New York State attorney general/retired attorney Laura G. Ross has been elected chair of the Corporation For Public Broadcasting. Meanwhile, onetime Wyoming PBS general manager and Wyoming PBS Foundation president Rubydee Calvert is elected vice chair. Ross comments, “It’s an honor and a privilege to work with my fellow board members; CPB’s leadership and staff; and our public media colleagues in support of our mission to serve the American people in communities across the country. As a result of our combined efforts, Americans of all backgrounds support the content and services of public media.” Ross has been CPB’s vice chair since 2020 and has been on the board since 2018. Four-year board member Calvert adds, “I second Laura’s statement of commitment to the outstanding work of CPB and its support of the mission of public media. I want to thank my fellow board members and the superb CPB staff for their dedicated service to public media.”

 

KWAM Seeks News Staffers. KWAM, Memphis “The Mighty 990” is expanding its local news coverage. KWAM has promoted Ben Deeter – executive producer of “Wake Up Memphis” – to full-time news anchor and anchor of the radio station’s political coverage. KWAM owner Todd Starnes says there are plans to add more reporters and anchors. Email resumes to: info@kwamradio.com.

FOX News Media Seeks Freelance Radio Anchor. This onsite position in either Los Angeles, Chicago or New York is a freelance radio anchor for the FOX News Audio family as on-air talent for FOX News Radio Network/FOX News Headlines 24/7 Sirius XM Channel 115. In this position, you will work under tight deadlines and deliver top-notch newscasts. You have a passion for breaking news and the flexibility to work on a day’s notice. Learn more about this position here.

Reporter Position Open at FOX News Media in Washington, DC. For this onsite reporter position FOX News Media is looking for an experienced, full-time reporter to join the Washington DC team. You will cover a wide range of political, government, and Congressional stories for FOX News Audio (FOX News Headlines 24/7 and FOX News Terrestrial Radio). You possess strong journalism skills and thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Most importantly, you have great editorial judgment and the ability to break important news stories. Learn more and apply here.

Freelance Producer/Editor Opportunity at FOX News Media. This exciting opportunity is based in New York for a freelance producer/news editor to supervise the staff for our network radio news operations (terrestrial and FOX News Headlines 24/7 – Channel 115 on SiriusXM Radio). In this role you are our editorial leader, working with news anchors to craft the content and structure of a 24/7 news operation. This is fast-moving news environment! Your ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven newsroom allows you to deliver top-quality segments/newscasts. You excel at multi-tasking and pay close attention to details. Your writing and editing skills are excellent and your editorial judgment is first-rate. Find out more here.

Front Page News Industry News

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

It’s Official: KEGL-FM, Dallas Flips to Hot Talk as ‘97.1 The Freak.’ After a cryptic message from longtime Dallas sports talk personality Mike Rhyner two weeks ago fueled speculation that iHeartMedia would flip rock outlet KEGL-FM “97.1 The Eagle” to sports talk, the company finally reveals that the change will actually be to hot talk. KEGL-FM is now “97.1 The Freak.” The company says that “The Freak” will be “a broad-based personality radio station that connects in a personal way with the DFW audience.” It will feature “The Speakeasy” from 7:00 am to 11:00 am starring Jeff Cavanaugh, Kevin “KT’ Turner, Julie Dobbs and Matt Cather, followed by “The Ben & Skin Show” with Ben Rogers, Jeff  “Skin” Wade, Krystina “K-Ray” Ray and Michael “Grubes” Gruber; and “The Downbeat” in afternoon drive hosted by former longtime KTCK personality Mike Rhyner, with Mike Sirois and Michael “Grubes” Gruber. iHeartMedia Dallas regional VP of programming Patrick Davis says, “We’re beyond excited to introduce “97.1 The Freak.” The level of talent is insurmountable, and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to further connect with Dallas-Fort Worth!”

Radio Hall of Fame Announces 2022 Legends of Radio Inductees. The Museum of Broadcast Communications announces the selection of 10 new Legends inductees into the Radio Hall of Fame for 2022, “recognizing the talents and efforts of air personalities, programmers and operators who contributed with greatness to the radio industry and have since passed away.” They are: Doug Banks, nationally syndicated on-air personality; James Brown, legendary singer, to be inducted as a radio station owner of WJBE, Knoxville; Bob Coburn, host of the syndicated “Rockline” show; Chick Hearn, play-by-play announcer/voice of the Los Angeles Lakers; Bernice Judis, owner and general manager, WNEW-AM from the 1930s through the 1950s; Sid Mark, host of syndicated program, “Sounds of Sinatra”; Bobby O’Jay, on-air personality, WDIA-AM, Memphis; Pervis Spann, on-air personality, WVON-AM, Chicago; James Thompson, Group W Broadcasting president and president of the Broadcasters Foundation of America; and Rosalie Trombley, music director of CKLW-AM, Detroit in the 1960s–1970s. Radio Hall of Fame co-chair Kraig T. Kitchin says, “The Radio Hall of Fame is dedicated to recognizing the individuals who have made the greatest impact on our 100-plus-year-old industry. I’m thrilled to see the nominating committee confirm the induction of these 10 individuals who each made such an impact on our industry in their time.” The Radio Hall of Fame recognizes its 2022 class of inductees at the in-person 2022 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Tuesday, November 1, at Chicago’s Radisson Blu Acqua Hotel.

Derek Wolfe Joins Darren McKee for Afternoons at ‘104.3 The Fan’ in Denver. Television station KUSA-FV “9News” is reporting that recently retired Denver Broncos defensive lineman Derek Wolfe joins Bonneville’s sports talk KKFN-FM, Denver “104.3 The Fan” as co-host of the weekday afternoon sports show “The Drive” with Darren “Dmac” McKee. Wolfe takes over the co-host role on the afternoon drive show after the company did not renew the contract of fellow former Bronco and Colorado Buffalo Tyler Polumbus.

Cumulus Unveils New Morning Show at ‘104.5 The Zone’ in Nashville. Beginning tomorrow (10/5), Cumulus Media’s sports talk WGFX-FM, Nashville “104.5 The Zone” features two new co-hosts alongside Ramon Foster. Kayla Anderson – who’s been sports anchor, reporter and more for WKRN-TV, Nashville “News 2 TV” – joins the program as does current WGFX-FM high school play-by-play voice, Titans post-game show host and fill-in host Will Boling. Station operations manager Paul Mason says, “Ramon Foster has a tremendous natural ability to connect with sports fans in morning radio, and our listeners love him. Bringing Ramon together with experienced television sports anchor and reporter Kayla Anderson and hometown broadcaster Will Boling creates a truly special dynamic that will make for some great morning sports radio!”

BFoA Delivers Aid to Broadcasters Puerto Rico, Florida, and Carolinas. The Broadcasters Foundation of America says it is providing emergency aid to qualifying colleagues in the radio and TV industry who have been personally hit hard by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian. BFoA says that so far, requests have come in from individuals who work at Spanish Broadcasting System, America CV Station Group, Telemundo, and Univision, with the first of those checks going out to qualifying individuals this week. BFoA president Tim McCarthy states, “Our Emergency Grant Program is set up with a streamlined vetting process that allows us to move quickly and get checks to those in desperate need quickly. Broken pipes, power outages, displacement, and more have brought devastation to many of our colleagues.” Broadcasters can apply for emergency aid and see if they qualify by clicking here.

AWM Names Gracies Leadership Awards Honorees. The Alliance for Women in Media announces the seven honorees for the Gracies Leadership Awards that will be presented on Monday, November 14 at Tribeca 360 in New York. Google News Initiative is a presenting sponsor of the awards. AWM says the annual event provides an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the significant impact women have made in the media industry, while also spurring to action and emboldening female leaders in attendance. The list of this year’s honorees include the following: Nancy Daniels, chief of content, TNets, Discovery, Animal Planet, & Science Channel; Marie Donoghue, vice president, Global Sports Video, Amazon; Kim Godwin, president, ABC News; Wendy Goldberg, chief communications officer, iHeartMedia, Inc.; Chesley Maddox-Dorsey, CEO, American Urban Radio Networks; Debra O’Connell, president, Networks, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution; and Dawn Porter, founder, Trilogy Films. AWM president Becky Brooksstates, “It is an exceptional honor to recognize and celebrate this strong lineup and powerhouse of women leaders in our industry. Soledad O’Brien as our keynote speaker will undoubtedly create an unforgettable event for everyone in attendance.”

TALKERS News Notes. A new deal between SiriusXM and Dan AbramsLaw&Crime TV network adds the network to the satcaster’s streaming channel lineup. Abrams says, “I’ve loved being part of the SiriusXM family and am thrilled to be expanding our collaboration. We have been talking with SiriusXM for years about a Law&Crime channel that would bring compelling trial coverage and crime content to the platform, so it’s really exciting to see this come to fruition.” In addition to his Law&Crime network, Abrams is also the host of “The Dan Abrams Show” heard from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm ET on SiriusXM P.O.T.U.S. channel as well as the host of “Dan Abrams Live” on NewsNation, the chief legal analyst for ABC News and host of “On Patrol: Live on Reelz.”…..NHPR will be celebrated on Thursday, October 20, 2022, as the recipient of The Nackey S. Loeb School’s Quill & Ink Award. This award is not given annually, but instead is reserved to honor significant contributions to the First Amendment. NHPR is being honored for continuing to produce high-quality accountability journalism in the face of legal threats and vandalism directed at some staff members and their families. NHPR president and CEO Jim Schachter says, “This is a fitting tribute to our newsroom’s outstanding work and our journalists’ courage. I’m glad that it recognizes the entire organization, because it takes everyone at NHPR to make our journalism possible.”

Russia-Ukraine War, Hurricane Ian Aftermath, Inflation/Recession Fears, Trump Legal Issues, November Midterms/2024 Presidential Race, Oath Keepers Trial, and Brazilian/European Politics Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (10/3). Russian president Vladimir Putin’s move to call up more troops and to attempt to annex parts of Ukraine; the destruction in southwest Florida left by Hurricane Ian; the record-setting inflation and fears of a recession; the legal issues facing former President Donald Trump and his defamation suit against CNN; the November midterm elections and speculation about the presidential nominees in 2024; the Washington, DC trial of several Oath Keepers on seditious conspiracy charges relative to the January 6 Capitol riot; and the political situation in Brazil and in Europe were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.