Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Audacy Extends Broadcast Partnership with Penn State Football and Basketball.  Audacy and Penn State University have extended their longtime broadcast partnership. As part of the multi-platform partnership, Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, Philadelphia will continue to serve as the flagship home for all Penn State football and men’s basketball play-by-play broadcasts.  “Penn State has been a longtime valued partner of Audacy Philadelphia and Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, and we are delighted to continue this long-standing relationship,” David Yadgaroff, SVP/market manager, Audacy Philadelphia, tells TALKERS. “Philadelphia is home to many Penn State sports fans, and we are proud that Talk Radio 1210 WPHT will provide tremendous reach for fans and alums over the air, on their smart speakers, or the free Audacy app.”

 

FOX News Media to Simulcast CBS’ Vice Presidential Debate.  In addition to simulcasting the event, FOX News Media will present live programming surrounding the CBS vice presidential debate between candidates Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday, October 1st in New York City. Special programming will be available across all of FOX News Media’s key platforms, including FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Digital, FOX News Audio and FOX Nation.

 

iHeartMedia Joins Forces with Radio Ambulante Studios.   Radio Ambulante StudiosThe podcast publishing arm of iHeartMedia and Radio Ambulante Studios (RAS), a pioneering Spanish-language podcast production company that tells the stories of Latin America and Latino communities around the world, announced a deal that will bring RAS and its full slate of shows to iHeart’s My Cultura Podcast Network.  As part of the deal, Radio Ambulante Studios’ flagship, award-winning podcast “Radio Ambulante” along with its groundbreaking weekly news show “El Hilo” and its anthology docuseries “Central” will now be distributed by iHeartPodcasts as part of My Cultura, iHeartMedia’s podcast network dedicated to elevating Latinx voices and stories. Under the new partnership, the two companies will also develop and co-produce a minimum of two new shows over the next two years.

 

Industry News

Audacy: Human Voices Engender Trust

Audacy reports that according to June 2024 data from its Innovation Tracker, 75% of U.S. adults believe AI can deceive them with false information, raising concerns about authenticity and reliability and that the human voice stands out as a beacon of trust. Audacy says the data reveals that “people are more than twice as likely to trust a human voice (55%) over AI-generated content (23%). This preference also extends toim advertising, where consumers express greater comfort with audio ads crafted by humans compared to those produced by AI. This trust in human voices isn’t just a preference; it’s a critical factor in advertising and content consumption.” Further, the data shows that radio hosts are valued 2.5 times more than social media influencers for delivering news (56% vs. 22%) and twice as much for sports commentary (40% vs. 21%). Similarly, podcast hosts are preferred over social media figures when discussing social issues (43% vs. 34%). Audacy concludes, “These statistics underscore the profound impact of human voices in fostering meaningful connections and reliable information dissemination.”