Cumulus Media’s news/talk WBAP-AM/FM, Dallas and talk host Casey Bartholomew agree to a new
contract. Bartholomew tells TALKERS, “After two successful years where my show increased the numbers of the previous, political show by as much as 350%, I have re-signed with News Talk 820 and 93.3 WBAP in Dallas, TX. So, I’ll be holding down the 9a-11a slot for at least another 2 years.”
The Los Angeles Daily News reports that talk radio personality Tom Leykis has ended production of his internet talk show and is retiring from the business. Los Angeles-based Leykis served for years with then
-CBS Radio’s talk KLXS-FM before the company dropped the talk format, which led to Leykis forming his The New Normal Network in 2012 and distributing his show online to subscribers. The Daily News story indicates that Leykis – who turns 68 in August – decided it was time to call it quits, saying, “A long time ago, I realized I did not want to be like some of the hosts I heard in the past — begging for callers, stretching for topics. I wanted to go out on my terms when I wanted. So, I did.” Leykis produced the final edition of his show in mid-May. See the Daily News story here.
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
Talk host: Hot-key this SFX: stopwatch – TV’s iconic “60 Minutes” sound – 60 seconds of tick-tick-tick, then some sort of time’s-up sound. Play it underneath callers who vehemently disagree with you, or each other.
By giving them uninterrupted time, you will seem more welcoming than rude controlling caricature hosts. (The most compelling shows are those that sound nearly-out-of-control.)
If the caller’s beef is with you, you’ll likely “win,” because even the most PO’d caller can’t fill the allotted :60.
Another SFX: tap dancing. Play this underneath callers or sound bites of newsmakers who sound like they’re on-the-spot… or under interviews that sound humorously all spin.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
Former longtime WCHV, Charlottesville program director and morning host Joe Thomas recently announced his acquisition of the Staunton, Virginia signal WTON-AM and his plan to re-launch it as a
news/talk outlet. Now, he says, “After going off the air as part of an asset sale in October of last year, WTON radio is re-born this Memorial Day weekend! We want to hear your voice. We’ll bring you coverage of the local stories from this wide area we’ll be 
covering as we develop the best local shows alongside an all-star lineup of shows all day!” Thomas will host the morning drive show and teases that the daily lineup will also include “The Dan Bongino Show” “The Dana Show” (Dana Loesh), “The Lars Larson Show” from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, plus Bill O’Reilly and Lee Habeeb’s “American Stories.” Thomas adds, “We’re building a newsroom that will tell you what is going to be happening, not just what did happen. Local businesses will be able to connect with the local listeners around the clock so they can stand out and stay prosperous!” Programming will also be simulcast on two FM translators at 101.1 FM and 98.9 FM.
Talk host Jeff Crouere rises to the president and general manager position at non-profit Northshore Radio LLC’s WGSO-AM, New Orleans. Crouere has hosted his “Ringside Politics” program on the
station for the past 17 years. He says, “This is truly a dream come true for me. We have recruited a new board of directors who are committed to work with us to make the station even stronger. WGSO Radio will continue to be independent, committed to free speech and opposed to censorship in any form. While our focus will always be the New Orleans area, we are proud to welcome listeners from around the country… Our station is an important part of our community and will continue to serve our region for many years to come. I look forward to serving in these new roles to ensure a bright future for WGSO Radio.” Crouere’s “Ringside Politics” will continue to air on the station from 7:00 am to 9:00 am and from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
iHeartMedia is seeking a talented talk show host in a rare opportunity to join one of America’s great radio
stations… the legendary WHO in Des Moines, Iowa. Des Moines is a wonderful place in which to live with terrific amenities. You will work with strong local management invested in your success. WHO is a ratings and revenue leader that is looking for opportunities to grow and win. You could be the next chapter in the second century of WHO serving Iowa! Find out more and apply here.
Longtime WIP, Philadelphia sports talk host Glen Macnow announces that he’ll retire from the Audacy
sports talk outlet where he’s been an on-air personality for the past 31 years. Currently, Macnow hosts the Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm shows and the Eagles pre-game show. Macnow says his last weekend program (which he co-hosts with Mike Sielski) will be July 13. Get more on this story and Macnow’s career at WIP from Crossing Broad here.
Pictured above are FOX News Channel and FOX News Radio talk personality Brian Kilmeade (left) with WRVA, Richmond afternoon drive talk host Jeff Katz (right) at the historic McLean’s Restaurant in downtown Richmond. Kilmeade – whose show recently joined the lineup at WRVA – was in town broadcasting live and Katz joined Kilmeade to offer insight on the issues of the day.
Salem Radio Network nationally syndicated talk host Mike Gallagher is pictured here after casting his
votes in Florida’s primary elections today (3/19). Gallagher was first in line this morning and posted this picture on “X” (formerly Twitter) as he left the polling place, and it received more than 15,000 views in the first 30 minutes. Gallagher adds, “In Chicago, most voters will view it twice. Or more.”
Talk host Lars Larson inks a four-year contract renewal with Alpha Media to continue his role as host of his 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm show on news/talk KXL-FM, Portland.
Zionist Organization of America is honoring Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, with its Zionist Hero Award on Sunday (3/17) in Davie, Florida, at its “Heroes for Israel” gala. Also, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., will be honored with the ZOA’s Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Defender of Israel Award.
Compass Media Networks, in partnership with the Big Ten Conference, is broadcasting exclusive, national audio coverage of all rounds of the TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament live from the Target Center in Minneapolis. This marks Compass Media Networks’ 15th year of coverage. In addition to continuous coverage on SiriusXM’s College Sports Radio Channel, the Big Ten Radio Channel, and the Varsity app, broadcasts will be heard nationwide on over 125 terrestrial stations.
Auddia Inc announces a partnership with Sounds Profitable, a podcasting research and advocacy firm. Auddia CEO Michael Lawless states, “We’re delighted to kick off this partnership. While we were developing our latest AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies aimed at podcasting audio, it became clear that the opportunities to integrate this tech into other platforms outweighed the benefits of simply launching the feature in a beta trial within the faidr app. We are prioritizing this new integration initiative, and partners like Sounds Profitable are going to be key to its success.”
Salem Radio Network talk host Mike Gallagher is broadcasting his nationally syndicated program from Israel this week with the help of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). After the
Hamas terror attack in Israel in October, Gallagher and his audience led a fundraising effort for the IFCJ that raised $342,000 in a few weeks. IFCJ is sponsoring Gallagher’s upcoming visit in order to spotlight the humanitarian effort that is underway during the war with Hamas. In addition to broadcasting his daily show from Jerusalem, Gallagher will tour parts of Israel – including the Gaza envelope in the Southern District of Israel – interviewing survivors of the October attack, Israeli military officials, and officials from the IFCJ.
Radio personality, talk host, and voiceover performer Mark Wainwright writes today (2/9) in a piece for TALKERS magazine about the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on February 9, 1964. He writes, “In early December 1963, America was a very gloomy place. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22 brought the country to a virtual standstill for four days, and the emotional and psychological hangover lingered for weeks. The nation needed a dose of uplifting energy and fun, and the Beatles were the ideal remedy.” As he notes, the arrival of The Beatles in America and their appearance on the popular Sunday night TV show “changed everything.” Read the full story here.
Pictured above is KKOB-AM/FM midday talk host Brandon Vogt at a January 30 community blood drive remote broadcast. Cumulus Media partnered with Vitalant Blood Donation and collected 114 pints of blood for the Albuquerque blood bank. All listeners that stopped by to “Give a Pint, Get a Pint,” received a pint of ice cream for donating a pint of blood, courtesy of Blue Bell Ice Cream.
Red Apple Audio Networks nationally syndicated overnight talk host Frank Morano’s program is added to the nightly lineup at Audacy’s heritage news/talk KMOX, St. Louis. “The Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano” airs on the station from 1:00 am to 5:00 am. KMOX brand manager Steve Moore
states, “We are excited to air ‘The Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano.’ We were looking for a live, informative, interactive and entertaining show that will rekindle the joy of overnight radio.” Morano comments, “I’m excited to join the KMOX lineup and bring live programming to overnights in St. Louis. St. Louis is a terrific market and KMOX is a legendary talk station, with an incredible audience and history that goes back nearly a century. I’m looking forward to being a big part of their history when the chapter on their next century is written. We’re going to have a blast.”
Salem Media Group and Salem Radio Network nationally syndicated talk host Dennis Prager agree to terms on a contract extension. As part of the new deal, and at Prager’s request, the midday show – currently airing from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm ET – will air live from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm, effective February 5. Salem says Prager requested the shortened show time “in order to complete his
monumental five-volume Bible commentary, The Rational Bible, as well as three other books.” Salem adds that each hour of Prager’s show will contain six more minutes of talk than at present and that third-hour affiliates are being offered the opportunity to take an hour of the Charlie Kirk show, which airs at the same time as Prager’s program. Additionally, Prager will do a monthly virtual “hangout” with subscribers to his Pragertopia +. Salem SVP of spoken word Phil Boyce comments, “Dennis Prager is a true talk radio icon and has been for the last 42 years since he first began on the radio at KABC in Los Angeles hosting the original ‘Religion on the Line.’ Millions of listeners spend the day with Dennis, enjoying his wit, wisdom, and knowledge. He is one of the most viral talk hosts on the air today, and we wanted him to remain on the Salem Radio Network for years to come.”
Salem Radio Network nationally syndicated talk radio host Mike Gallagher and his listeners have helped raise funds for the Prison Fellowship this holiday season. Gallagher tells TALKERS magazine, “Years ago, I came home from work one day very grumpy and my wife Denise said, ‘Why don’t you start doing good for people on your show? You could take the passion that your audience has all bottled up
and help people instead of just jawboning and complaining about everything.’ And she was right. So ‘Gallagher’s Heroes – The Fallen Officers Fund’ was created (which assists the families of law enforcement killed in the line of duty and publishes The First Responders Bible) as well as several other charities we help on an annual basis. Each holiday season we partner with Prison Fellowship and get Christmas presents, Bibles and a personalized message from an incarcerated parent delivered to thousands of children. So far this year, my audience has donated over $160,000 which will benefit 6,400 children of prisoners. Over the last few years, my listeners have contributed over $2.5 million to Prison Fellowship. I’m so humbled and blessed to have such a loving, generous audience. It makes it a joy to come to work. And I get to carry my late wife’s wish in my heart. I’m a lucky guy.” Gallagher is not the only SRN host helping the Prison Fellowship cause. Sebastian Gorka is also working hard to promote the organization’s efforts.
Providence-based talk host, podcaster, journalist and musician Bill Bartholomew says, “In a world where social media influencers and podcasters supply information to millions of young consumers, news/talk radio should be able to effectively compete for the ears of younger generations in a comparable, if not expanded way.” In a piece written for TALKERS magazine. Bartholomew says, “Unlike many digital-first content producers, radio retains a unique quality: authority. By virtue of editorial standards, FCC regulation and brand – things that social media and podcasts often lack – radio has the unique ability to deliver credible, vetted, nuanced and universally trustworthy content that can instantaneously adapt to meet the needs of the moment. This is true in everything from natural disasters to rapidly evolving breaking news stories, providing a channel for immediate, reactionary insight and analysis.” To that end, he suggests four steps news/talk stations should pursue. Read his story here.
Salem Radio Network nationally syndicated talk host Mike Gallagher (left) is pictured above with entertainer Lee Greenwood (right) at Saturday’s Job Creators Network black-tie gala in Palm Beach that honored JCN founder Bernie Marcus. Gallagher served as emcee for the event that was attended by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, actor Gary Sinese, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, publisher Steve Forbes and FOX News Channel personality Laura Ingraham. Greenwood performed his trademark song, “God Bless the USA.”
Longtime morning drive talk host Tom Roten exits iHeartMedia’s news/talk WVHU-AM, Huntington,
West Virginia. Roten posted the following to social media: “For 22 years, my morning talk radio show was the #1 show in the Huntington, WV market. The most recent ratings period showed the station overall at #5 in the market, #1 for AM stations (highest ever ranking). Unfortunately, iHeart is going in a different direction and I was dismissed. While my future is uncertain, you can still access my podcasts from Spotify and other streaming services.”
As reported by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, former Worcester, Massachusetts mayor and WTAG-
AM, Worcester talk radio host Jordan Levy died yesterday (10/5) after a years-long illness at age 79. Current WTAG morning personality Jim Polito is quoted in the story saying, “There are so many people he did things for. He loved the city of Worcester.” Levy was first elected mayor in 1987. After leaving office in 1993, he hosted the afternoon drive show on WTAG. Read the full story here.
Pictured above at last Friday’s 10th annual KMJ’s Feeding Families Fund Drive is station news anchor Liz Kern (left) and station talk host Ray Appleton – with his dog Elvis (right). The Cumulus Media news/talk station helped raise $620,000 for the Central California Food Bank. In the last decade, KMJ’s Feeding Families Fund Drive has raised a total of over $4.4 million to help feed area families in need. The fundraiser is conducted every year in partnership with the Musson family at agribusiness firm GAR Bennett, which very generously matches 50% of the total funds raised through the drive.
Artificial Intelligence firm OpenAI has filed a Motion to Dismiss the defamation suit filed against it by talk show host Mark Walters, who hosts radio programs produced by his CCW Broadcast Media company. TALKERS reported the suit by Walters back on June 9 in which Walters claims the use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT by journalist Fred Riehl that created content stating the Walters was accused of embezzling funds from the Second
Amendment Foundation defamed him. No such accusation ever actually took place. In its Motion to Dismiss, Open AI argues several points, including that Georgia is not the proper jurisdiction, but it summarizes its argument that Walters’ claims don’t meet the burden of defamation when it says, “Even more fundamentally, Riehl’s use of ChatGPT did not cause a ‘publication’ of the outputs. OpenAI’s Terms of Use make clear that ChatGPT is a tool that assists the user in the writing or creation of draft content and that the user owns the content they generate with ChatGPT. Riehl agreed to abide by these Terms of Use, including the requirement that users ‘verify’ and ‘take ultimate responsibility for the content being published.’ As a matter of law, this creation of draft content for the user’s internal benefit is not ‘publication.’”
Connoisseur Media Connecticut has an opening for a part-time, fill-in swing talk show host to substitute weekdays on WICC-AM/FM, Bridgeport. This position will work unique weekday hours filling in for our talk show
hosts. The ideal candidate will be able to execute either two- or four-hour air-shifts on WICC, along with booking guests, creating compelling local content, fielding listener phone calls, and pivoting subject matter as the news cycle dictates. This position will have different hours based on need. Find out more about the position here. Please send your resume and 3-minute demo to allan.lamberti@connoisseurct.com with “SWING TALK SHOW HOST” in the subject line.
Pictured above Salem Radio Network nationally syndicated talk host Dennis Prager addressing the annual summit of “Moms For Liberty,” a conservative group advocating parental rights, education reform, and other political/social issues. Also attending the event were 2024 presidential candidates former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Talk radio superstar of iHeartMedia’s KTRH, Houston and independent national syndication, Michael Berry is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview.” Berry – heard daily locally 8:00 am to 11:00 am CT on KTRH and afternoons 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm CT on his independently syndicated show – is ranked a lofty #7 on the new TALKERS Heavy Hundred list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America. Michael Harrison describes Berry as “one of the most original and compelling conservative voices on the air and industrious players in the business. He’s an incredibly interesting person.” He began his talk radio career in 2005 while still Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Houston. Berry has earned two law degrees. He has a background in real estate and politics in addition to law. He’s married to the former Secretary of State of Texas, who is from India (and also a lawyer). They are parents of two adopted teenage sons from Ethiopia. His dad was a maintenance worker for a chemical plant, which he says gives him an insight into a broad demographic of listeners. Berry’s programs tackle much more than politics, covering a lot of lifestyle issues including health and wellness both physical and mental, adoption, parenting, and small business advice. On this podcast, Harrison and Berry discuss a variety of topics ranging from Donald Trump and the state of GOP politics to the role of integrity in media, and multi-platform broadcasting. Don’t miss this. Listen to the podcast here.
Richmond talk radio personality Jeff Katz signs a new contract with Audacy to continue his role as afternoon drive host on news/talk WRVA. Katz, who has been hosting a program on WRVA for the past 10 years, says,
“During the past decade, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the people of Central Virginia. This community has been so welcoming to my family and I cherish having the chance to help out a bit by serving as an advocate for special needs kids, saluting our law enforcement officers, and sharing vital news and information.” Audacy Virginia SVP and market manager Bennett Zier comments, “Jeff is a great citizen of Virginia and continues to be an important part of the WRVA family.”