Monday Memo: Occasions, Not Duration
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
For 100 years, radio programmers have tried to keep listeners listening longer. “Coming up next…”
Another few minutes? Yes! Ask! And do so as-seductively-as-possible, saying “you” and “your.” But there’s very little you can say to keep someone sitting in a parked car after they’ve turned the engine off.
A more realistic opportunity?
Life is fragmented. Audio is everywhere. Listeners move among broadcast radio, podcasts, streams, satellite, YouTube and whatever their phones serve up next. Oh, and off-air promotion – billboards, TV, direct mail – remember them – cost money.
Sales 101: Say it with me: “Your best prospect is…?” An existing customer! Sell ‘em again, in this case inducing an existing listener to listen again later – specifically later-today, and same-time-tomorrow. You can’t win by earning TSL when they’re not listening. So, seem useful-enough that they’ll want to come back again.
- First thing in the morning…
- Before leaving home…
- During the commute…
- At lunch…
- Before the drive home…
- When weather threatens…
- When big news breaks…
- When the game will air…
All-news stations have understood this for decades. The very first one – 1010WINS/New York, to-this-day #1 in morning drive – said, “Give us 22 minutes and we’ll give you the world.” The product was designed for repeat use.
This also changes how we use digital tools
Too many stations treat the app, stream, and social media as separate products. They should be pathways back to useful content. A push alert can invite immediate listening when something important happens. A social clip can preview what the morning show will develop tomorrow. A podcast can serve someone who missed the original conversation while promoting the next live one.
The objective is not to trap listeners. It is to accompany them. Try this…
- Map your target listener’s day. Identify five moments when your station could be helpful, entertaining or reassuring. Then ask yourself…
- Do we offer something worth returning for at each moment?
- Do listeners know we offer it?
- Do we remind them when to return?
And when they do return, do we deliver immediately? Or make them wait through clutter?
Duration still matters. Every unnecessary word still spends attention. So, program at-the-speed-of-life. But focusing only on longer listening per-occasion overlooks how people actually live. You can’t keep someone sitting in a parked car. You can earn more visits.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
under an LMA. The deal is contingent upon FCC approval. The sale of Galaxy’s stations comes a little more than a month after Galaxy founder and CEO Ed Levine announced his plans to retire at year’s end. Levine says, “I have been fortunate to live out a lifelong dream of mine for the past 36 years. Time and life march on. While I will miss Galaxy and Syracuse/Utica, I could not be
happier to hand things off to Pamal Broadcasting.” Pamal is owned by founder James Morrell and he tells Syracuse.com, “With this addition, Pamal stations cover an enormous geography ranging from New York City, Long Island and Northern New Jersey, through the entire Hudson Valley to the Capital District, up to Lake George and now out through Utica and Syracuse. It truly is a great opportunity for us all.” 
November 1. RAAN says the move “follows the growing demand from stations looking to bring Cohen’s distinctive voice and insider perspective to their listeners.” Red Apple Media owner and CEO John Catsimatidis comments, “Michael worked for the president for over a decade and has a unique perspective on how Trump thinks when we do opinion pieces. ‘When You Know, You Know…’ is an opportunity for stations to add a distinctive personality and compelling content that hyper-engages listeners and attracts advertisers.”
and KCBS, San Francisco – will become available “later this year.” Audacy CEO and president Kelli Turner states, “Audacy’s sports brands are deeply connected to the cities, teams and fan communities they serve, and being able to extend our reach nationally through SiriusXM is a natural fit. We look forward to working together with 
SiriusXM to bring our outstanding talent and content to sports fans and news and talk listeners wherever they are, providing our audiences with more ways to stay connected to the conversations that matter most to them.” SiriusXM president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein adds, “We also recognize the unique role local personalities play in connecting fans with their teams every day. By adding Audacy’s extensive lineup of sports stations, we’re making those trusted hometown voices available to fans wherever they are across North America. Together, we’re delivering an even more complete audio experience – bringing live games, premier national sports talk, and hometown conversations together in one place.”
indicates that St. Louis-based Hoffman Media Group will pay Audacy $20 million for its six-station cluster that includes news/talk stations KMOX-AM/FM, KFTK-FM, and four music outlets. Hoffman Media Group is a subsidiary of Hoffman Family Companies and recently acquired the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“570 NewsRadio.” Yahoo! is reporting that Rogers says the closures will mean layoffs for 80 employees of the stations. Other simultaneous staff reductions at Rogers are costing another 150 people their positions. These cuts are revenue based as Rogers spokesperson Zac Carreiro states, “The media business continues to face headwinds driven by declining advertising revenue and changing audience habits. These changes are part of our plan to focus our investment in areas that will drive growth long-term. After a thorough review of our radio stations, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to close six radio stations in four markets due to declining audience and revenue trends.” Rogers will continue operate 44 radio stations in some 30 markets. 
AM/FM and sports talk KTIK-FM “953FM The Ticket,” plus three music brands. Fabian most recently served with Townsquare Media in Arizona. Fabian states, “I am honored to join the Boise team and look forward to becoming part of both the organization and this remarkable community. Throughout my career, I have always believed that great teams and strong relationships are the foundation of success. I am excited to work alongside this talented group, serve the Boise community, and help build on the strong tradition these stations have established.”
the lines were cut again on Sunday, May 31 aafter a similar incident on April 19. Wendell tells the paper, “This time they must have used a cutting tool of some kind because it was a clean cut on the wire… I think it’s the same group that doesn’t like what’s going on at the radio station.” He adds, “It’s a federal offense because the station is licensed federally by the FCC,” and notes that “a conviction carried a fine of up to $250,000, up to 10 years in prison, and five years of probation.” 
If you work in radio, you’ve heard every flavor of AI anxiety. Some fear it will wipe out jobs. Others treat it like a super shortcut – cranking-out spots, promos, and proposals faster and cheaper. Kate O’Neill’s 
music-driven and spoken-word programming. Maryland Media One CEO Steve Clendenin says, “The landscape of radio programming is changing. We’re here to partner with stations to develop and distribute top-tier music and spoken-word formats and content. Our goal is to help stations grow with compelling programming that is affordable, easy to implement, and designed for today’s radio and streaming environment.” Among the first offerings available through Seaboard Networks is the Outdoor Radio Network, a full-time programming format built around hunting, fishing, conservation, and outdoor lifestyle content.
eight stations in Minnesota. The second deal transfers 17 signals in a number of small markets in the state of Missouri to Carter Media Too, LLC., a Carrollton, Missouri‑based limited liability company led by the Carter Media family. Carter Media Too also operates three radio stations in Missouri plus the streaming platform, MidVid.com. Exclusive broker Kalil & Co says Miles and Michael Carter expressed their enthusiasm for expanding the organization’s footprint and restoring a strong local presence in news, weather, sports, and agriculture.
the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida market from Hall Communications. The deal includes news/talk WLKF-AM (but not its current FM translator W244BJ at 96.7 MHz) country WPVC, and adult hits WONN-AM and its translators W296CS at 107.1 FM and W240DB at 95.9 FM. MARC Radio says it expects the deal to close in May, pending FCC approval.
more than 270 stations nationwide as well as on FOX Sports Radio’s channel on iHeartRadio and on FOXSportsRadio.com. The full radio show will also be available as a podcast immediately following each broadcast. In December, TALKERS reported that longtime Dan LeBatard producer and co-host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner would join FSR in a deal that would also feature an upcoming slate of original sports talk programming, including Stugotz’s podcasts “Stugotz and Company” and “God Bless Football.”
News people I coach reckon that my epitaph will read: “Consequence, not Process.”
By now, a music station in your market – hopefully in your cluster – is all-Christmas-music-all-the-time, a great perennial franchise.
Broadcasting LUV LLC will acquire KLQL-FM and KQAD-AM in Luverne, and Christensen Broadcast Group, Inc. will acquire KJAM-FM and KJAM-AM in Madison. None of the four stations are talk formatted outlets but the move represents Connoisseur Media’s ongoing commitment to “refining its portfolio and strengthening its presence in priority markets. It aligns with the company’s strategic roadmap established after the September acquisition of Alpha Media.”
former Milwaukee County attorney, and former Republican legislative staffer Todd Allbaugh are no longer airing. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Allbaugh announced his exit via social media and said the reason was budgetary – for “the long-term financial viability of the company.” Allbaugh noted that he was told of the change before his did his final show, adding, “They did not have to give me a last show. It was immensely appreciated.” 
Connoisseur Media promotes Ed Oliveira to operations manager for Connoisseur Media’s Connecticut stations. Oliveira has been with Connoisseur Media for more than a decade, most recently as director of traffic & creative services. Oliveira says, “I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to take on this expanded role. This feels like a natural step for me, and I appreciate [SVP of Connecticut operations] Kristin Okesson for believing in me and my abilities. One person that has been a near-constant in my career is Keith Dakin. Having the opportunity to receive the baton from him and building on his work is a task I take on with pride. I am beyond excited to expand my role with the amazing people on this team. They are so good that operations could probably run on its own BUT I am ecstatic they chose me to oversee it.”
Civic Media and the Michigan Independent Media Group. Included in the deal are WJMS-AM and WIMI-FM in Ironwood; WUPY-FM, Ontonagon; and WKMJ-FM and WMPL-AM in Hancock-Houghton. Civic Media vice president of operations Kory Hartmann says, “These heritage radio stations have served their local communities for years and are strong partners with local businesses and organizations. We intend to continue that legacy of service and add a wider array of products to keep people in touch with their community.”
At first, I thought it was a joke. When I realized there were serious people having serious meetings about the joke, it became both horrific and symptomatic
The addition of these stations fits perfectly into our late founder, my father, Thomas H. Draper’s motto that it is our moral obligation to serve our audience and advertising partners.” In a press release, Draper says it currently operates WBOC-TV, FOX21, WRDE-TV, Telemundo Delmarva, Antenna TV, My Cozi TV, The DSN Sports Network, and multiple FM radio stations across the Delmarva Peninsula. Speaking for seller Forever Media, president Lynn Deppen comments, “We are proud of the legacy these stations have built in their communities and grateful to our dedicated teams who have served listeners with passion and professionalism. We are confident that Draper Media shares our commitment to local broadcasting and will continue to provide outstanding service to audiences and advertisers alike as these stations enter an exciting new chapter.” The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to approval by the FCC.
launched his first optometry clinic in 1991. Since then, he’s built his businesses on the power of radio advertising and has long championed the value of local broadcast radio.” Dr. Zoellner states, “We’re thrilled to welcome these incredible radio stations into the Zoellner Media Group family. Radio has played a crucial role in my business success, and I have always been passionate about its ability to connect communities and drive meaningful engagement. This acquisition allows us to build upon a legacy of excellence while fostering innovation across broadcast and digital platforms. I couldn’t be more excited to get started.” Tapped to manage the station group as president and general manager is Steve Hunter, who served for 22 years as director of operations at Cox Media Group Tulsa and seven years with Griffin Media. The transaction is subject to FCC approval and is expected to close early in the second half of 2025.
We – inside-the-box – live and breathe radio. Listeners have their hands full just living and breathing. Their day is time crunched and financially challenging, and we want to be its soundtrack.
and a translator in Decatur, Illinois; and an FM station in Monticello, Illinois to Champaign Multimedia Group, LLC, an Illinois-based company headed by Larry Perrotto. The transaction also included two websites – vermilioncountyfirst.com and nowdecatur.com.