Urban One Enters into Deal to Acquire Emmis Communications’ Indy Radio Stations. The price for the four radio stations, two translators and the regional programming network has not been revealed yet, but Urban One, Inc’s definitive asset purchase agreement with Emmis Communications to purchase its Indianapolis radio
cluster means Emmis will be effectively out of the radio business. It still owns the licenses to WEPN-FM and WLIB-AM in New York but leases them. Under the terms of this new deal, Urban One will acquire adult contemporary WYXB-FM, country WLHK-FM, news/talk WIBC-FM, sports talk “The Fan” (translators W228CX at 93.5 and W298BB at 107.5), and Network Indiana. Urban One president and CEO 
Alfred Liggins comments, “These are terrific general market formats and will be a great addition to Urban One in a transaction that is accretive and deleveraging.” Urban One adds that in anticipation of the transaction, it will sell its hip hop WHHH-FM, Indianapolis along with the intellectual property related to WNOW to a third party. Emmis will continue to operate its stations and Urban One will
continue to operate WHHH until the transaction closes. Meanwhile, Emmis founder and chairman Jeff Smulyan states, “When Emmis launched our first station, WENS now ‘HANK FM,’ in 1981, I never could have envisioned the journey we would go on. Indianapolis is my hometown, and I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish – we’ve become an invaluable contributor to the Indianapolis community, a leader of radio industry initiative and innovation, and a trusted resource for Central Indiana listeners and businesses.” Emmis notes in its press release that in recent years it “has sold many of its media assets and redeployed capital into new ventures which emphasize its sales and marketing experience including: Lencore Acoustics, a leader in high-quality sound masking solutions for commercial applications; Sound That BRANDS, the Los Angeles-based podcasting studio specializing in branded audio content for national advertisers; and Digonex, a leading provider of dynamic pricing solutions for attractions and live entertainment industries.”
Round One of May PPMs Released. The first of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s May 2022 PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union (New Jersey). Nielsen’s May 2022 sweep covered April 28 – May 25. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In New York City, Red Apple Media’s news/talk WABC slips by three-tenths to a 3.3 share (weekly, 6+ AHQ share) finish good for the #10 rank. Across town, Audacy’s all-news WINS sheds 1.1 shares to finish with a 3.1 share and the #11 rank. iHeartMedia’s news/talk KFI, Los Angeles loses one-tenth, but remains ranked #3 on the strength of a 5.0 share. Audacy’s all-news KCBS-AM/KFRC-FM, San Francisco is up one-tenth, finishing with a 6.2 share that bumps it into the #2 rank. In Dallas, Cumulus Media’s news/talk WBAP posts a seven-tenths increase that pushes it to the #10 rank with a 3.6 share, while Audacy’s crosstown all-news KRLD-AM is steady at a 2.1 share but falls to the #20 rank. You can see Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets here.
TALKERS 2022 Coverage Coming Soon. The 25th annual installment (and second pandemic-era edition) of the talk media industry’s longest-running, largest, and most important national convention – TALKERS 2022 – took place this past Friday, June 10 and by all accounts significantly exceeded expectations. It was widely hailed by many of its longtime participants as “the best ‘TALKERS’ ever!” It was presented by TALKERS in association with Hofstra University’s award-winning radio station WRHU-
FM/WRHU.org. Some 275 passionate media professionals from all over the country traveled to the beautiful campus of Hofstra on Long Island to see, hear and meet more than 60 luminary speakers – from talk media programming, management, station ownership, syndication, sales, marketing and technology – tackle the most compelling issues, opportunities and challenges currently at play in the industry. It was a power-packed day of non-stop panels, solo addresses, fireside charts, award presentations, exhibits and networking opportunities. The TALKERS editorial staff is now sifting through hundreds of photos and hours of video preparing extensive coverage of the conference and its enormous treasure trove of content that will be appearing in TALKERS magazine for days and weeks ahead. Pictured at the top of this story is TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison (left) interviewing Key Networks-syndicated star Bill O’Reilly (right) during one of three keynote addresses. Pictured in the inset is Premiere Networks nationally syndicated talk radio personality Buck Sexton addressing the attendees during the opening session.
Greta Van Susteren Launches on Newsmax TV Tonight. This evening (6/14), news/talk television pro Greta Van Susteren begins her program on Newsmax TV’s evening lineup. “The Record with Greta Van Susteren” airs at 6:00 pm ET. Van Susteren says, “With all that is going on in the world, I am getting back to my roots — a daily live
news show with real reporting from the places where things are happening.” At the same time, Newsmax announces the new daily program schedule on the network: “The Chris Salcedo Show,” 4:00 pm; “Spicer & Co.” with Sean Spicer, Lyndsay Keith, 5:00 pm; “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” 6:00 pm; “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” 7:00 pm; “Eric Bolling The Balance,” 8:00 pm; “Prime News” with Jenn Pellegrino, 9:00 pm; and “Greg Kelly Reports,” 10:00 pm. Newsmax EVP programming Elliot Jacobson comments, “This new schedule will strengthen Newsmax’s ability to deliver hard-hitting news and analysis when Americans need it the most.”
ATTENTION: TALKERS Heavy Hundred Members. TALKERS has been made aware that a trophy and plaque manufacturing company has been contacting talk show hosts who are listed as being members of the Heavy Hundred (The 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America) and is soliciting them to purchase a costly plaque or trophy commemorating the honor. Please be advised that this plaque (or a variety of variations of awards and trophies available in their catalogue) is unofficial and the company – SHOWMARK MEDIA, LLC – enjoys no official connection or licensing agreement with TALKERS. According to TALKERS VP/associate publisher Matthew B. Harrison, “TALKERS has never engaged in charging its award recipients for items or products indicating their receiving an honor bestowed by our organization.”
Radio Hall of Fame 2022 Nominees Announced. The nominees for the Radio Hall of Fame class of 2022 have been announced by the Museum of Broadcast Communications. The 24 nominees were chosen by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, with input from the radio industry and listeners. Voting for inductees begins Tuesday, June 22 and runs through July 8. The top six vote recipients will gain induction as part of the 2022 Radio Hall of Fame Induction class. The two
additional inductees that will make up the eight-person induction class will be selected by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. More than 600 industry members will receive a confidential ballot on Tuesday, June 22, to cast votes for up to six nominated individuals. The confidential ballot will be conducted by Votem.com, and overseen by Miller Kaplan’s Andrew Rosen. The nominees in spoken-word radio include: Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, SiriusXM; Dave Ross, KIRO-FM, Seattle; Diane Rehm, WAMU-FM,Washington DC; John & Ken, KFI, Los Angeles; Larry Elder; and Suzyn Waldman, New York Yankees Radio Network. You can see the complete list of nominees here. Radio Hall of Fame co-chairman Kraig T. Kitchin says, “We’ve made changes in 2022, to allow voting participants to vote for up to six nominees for induction, and limit the voting process to knowledgeable industry members. Listeners and industry members alike contributed more than 2,500 suggestions for the Nominating Committee to consider in addition to their own considerations.”
iHeartMedia Names AJ Punjabi Market President for San Francisco. Radio sales and management pro AJ Punjabi moves from iHeartMedia’s Charleston market, where he most recently served as the market president and enterprise leader of the
Blockchain/Crypto/NFT category, to San Francisco to serve as market president. iHeartMedia’s San Francisco station group includes business talk KNEW-AM “Bloomberg Radio” and KKSF-AM “BIN: Black Information Network. iHeartMedia division president Scott Hopeck says, “AJ is a talent-focused leader with exceptional digital experience, which will serve him well in the Bay Area, where he will lead a talented team of creators and sales professionals. I’m excited for AJ to begin working with his team and our partners!”
Rob Parker Makes Debut at LA’s The Comedy Store. Last week, FOX Sports Radio personality Rob Parker, co-host of “The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker,” made his stand-up comedy debut at the legendary Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Parker participated in the “Crack’Em Up Comedy” show in the Belly Room, a weekly showcase and workout room featuring rising comedy stars and established comedians. Pictured above are (l-r): Elijah Sebunnya, FOX Sports Radio digital content director; Scott Shapiro, FOX Sports Radio VP of programming; Parker; Jade Kozup, Premiere Networks director of marketing; and Mike Lingard, FOX Sports Radio executive news producer & operations manager.
‘New Jersey 101.5’ to Present Town Hall on ‘Growing Weed in the Garden State.’ This Thursday (6/16) at 7:00 pm,Townsquare Media’s WKXW-FM, Trenton “New Jersey 101.5” presents the latest in a series of Town Hall broadcasts. “Growing Weed in the Garden State” explores how the legal adult use marijuana industry is impacting New Jersey. The station’s Eric Scott leads a panel that includes law enforcement, legal
experts, regulators, growers and dispensary operators. “The sale of legal cannabis products for recreational use generated over $24 million in the first month,” Scott says. “While there is clearly demand for product, unintended consequences are continuing to surface.” The program will explore not only those unintended consequences, but also how legal marijuana sales are positively impacting New Jersey. The program’s on-air panel will feature: Bill Caruso, co-founder of New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform; Rob Nixon with the New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association; New Jersey State Senate president Nicholas Scutari; Chrissy Buteas, chief government affairs officer at New Jersey Business & Industry Association; as well as marijuana cultivators and dispensary operators.
The Economy, January 6 Hearings, Midterms/Trump & the GOP, Russia-Ukraine War, COVID-19, White Nationalist Movement, and Western Heat-Drought Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (6/13). Financial markets hit bear territory, the soaring price of gasoline & food, and concerns about a recession; Monday’s session of the January 6 hearings; the primary elections for November’s midterms and Donald Trump’s influence over the GOP; Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine and the effects of the blockade on Ukraine’s major ports; the rate of infections of COVID-19; the arrest of 30 members of the white nationalist organization Patriot Front in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and the Western heatwave and ongoing drought were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
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Joe Rogan Tops Podcast Ranking in the U.K. Podcaster and media personality Joe Rogan’s popularity is strong on both sides of the Atlantic. This is according to Edison Research in releasing the Top 25 Podcasts in the UK based on reach for Q2 2024 among weekly podcast listeners age 15+. Remaining in the same rank order in the top three are “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett,” and “Sh**ged Married Annoyed.” To see the entire list, please click here.
Rob Parker’s “Sports Rap Radio” in Detroit Discontinues Broadcasting. According to reports in Barrett Media and Awful Announcing, less than 90 days after launching the country’s first all-Black sports radio station, Rob Parker’s “Sports Rap Radio” is no longer on the air. The groundbreaking format debuted on June 4 on WXYT AM 1270 which FOX Sports Radio host Parker and a group of backers leased from Audacy. On August 27 at 5:00 pm ET, Sports Rap Radio programming was removed from WXYT, with Parker explaining the station’s second round of funding didn’t come through. “Sports Rap Radio, the idea and concept, is viable and serves the underrepresented Black community in sports-talk radio,” Parker said. “I’m proud that we were able to launch the first all-Black sports talk station in this country. I’m proud of the product the staff delivered. But I’m devastated that I couldn’t deliver this for our culture. I failed my people.” Parker had been working on the concept since 2020 taking note of there being no Black full-time sports radio hosts in Detroit. According to the reports, it’s not just Detroit – minority hosts have long been underrepresented by sports radio stations around the country. Only 10-14 percent of the on-air talent on nearly 800 sports radio stations around the country were Black or Hispanic as recently as 2020. Audacy has flipped WXYT back to its BetQL Network.
media personality Rob Parker to air the “Sports Rap Radio” format. Vice president of programming for the BetQL Network Mitch Rosen says, “With our strategic partnership with BetMGM, we’re committed to maintaining a robust presence in the Detroit market and beyond. Now, listeners nationwide can join in on the excitement through the Audacy app, making ‘The Bet Detroit’ accessible anytime, anywhere.”
building “Sports Rap Radio” to air on Audacy’s WXYT-AM, Detroit with a target launch of mid-May. In what will likely be a first in sports talk radio, the lineup of air talent will be all-Black. WXYT-AM currently airs Audacy’s BetQL Network programming. Parker is quoted by the Detroit News saying, “It will be young people getting opportunities and former athletes, from Detroit or with ties to Detroit.” The lineup will be local from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm and will segue into FOX Sports Radio’s “The Odd Couple” featuring Parker and Chris Broussard at 7:00 pm. Parker plans to fill the overnight hours with podcasts featuring Black hosts. 
37-year career in journalism, during which he broke barriers and uplifted young sports writers. Parker says, “There’s nothing better than being honored by your own people, your peers, so this is very special to me. I want to thank my family, my friends, all the people who have supported me throughout the years, all my mentees – they fuel me, they inspire me every day. How I got here is that plenty of people helped me along the way, and that’s what it’s all about.” Premiere Networks president Julie Talbott says, “We couldn’t be more proud of Rob. He truly deserves this recognition for his trailblazing career in sports journalism, and for his continuing efforts to elevate and mentor the next generation.”