Talk Media Network nationally syndicated morning show host and WTON, Staunton, Virginia owner Joe Thomas helped raise $191,000 for the Salvation Army of Charlottesville as the co-host of the annual CBS19 Telethon on Tuesday night (9/22). He’s pictured above at left with longtime Salvation Army board member Bob Pflugfelder.
The new national news program, “America’s Morning News,” produced by AccuMinute and distributed by Talk Media Network, launches on September 21. AccuMinute says, “The weekday program delivers a fast-moving hour of news, business, sports, entertainment and useful information. For stations currently 
carrying “America in the Morning,” the timing is intentional. That program concludes September 18. ‘America’s Morning News’ begins the following Monday. A weekend edition is also planned. Current “America in the Morning” producer Jeff McKay is joining “America’s Morning News” in the same capacity. The program is anchored by Rich Johnson. Talk Media Network founder Josh Leng states, “Stations shouldn’t have to replace a decades-long show on a few weeks’ notice, said Talk Media Network founder Josh Leng. “We are providing a smooth transition, with a strong brand for both mornings and weekend airplay.
Pictured above is Talk Media Network nationally syndicated morning host Joe Thomas broadcasting his program from the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania this morning (9/10). Thomas will broadcast Friday’s show from the memorial as well.
Dr. Daliah Joins WFEA, Manchester. The Talk Media Network syndicated program “The Dr. Daliah Wachs Show” is joining the weekend schedule at Saga Communications’ news/talk WFEA, Manchester, New Hampshire.
KUT Names Philpott Morning Edition Host. Public radio outlet KUT, Austin names journalist Ben Philpott the new local host of NPR’s “Morning Edition.” KUT says, “Ben has been with KUT News since the newsroom launched in 2002 and was its first political reporter, covering eight Texas legislative sessions and presidential campaigns before becoming managing editor. He succeeds Jennifer Stayton, who steps away from ‘Morning Edition’ after 22 years to lead KUT News’ reporting initiative on aging in Central Texas.”
WUSF Welcomes Ira Glass. Public radio station WUSF, Tampa is bringing “This American Life” creator and host Ira Glass to town for an in-person solo show at the Tampa Theatre on December 5.
WNYC Adds Council Speaker Segment. WNYC, New York’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” is adding a “Speak with the Speaker,” interview and call-in segment with New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. Lehrer says, “We’re excited that Speaker Menin will be joining our show more regularly, offering New Yorkers insights into the work of the City Council. We’re dedicated to offering listeners an opportunity to both hear from their elected officials in their own words and ask their own questions about the issues that matter most.”
TALKERS continues to post videos of sessions recorded at the TALKERS 2026: Radio’s Next Chapter conference recently held at Hofstra University (6/5). More than 65 speakers participated in the day’s events. Today’s entry is a fascinatingly candid panel discussion titled, “Overcoming Challenges as a Talk Media Talent.” Moderated by Salem Radio Network syndicated host, Mike Gallagher, the panelists include (in alphabetical order): Kathy Barnette, host, WPHT, Philadelphia; Tara Granahan, host, WPRO, Providence; Andy Hooser, co-owner, Hooser Media Network / host, “Voice of Reason with Andy Hooser;” Kevin McCullough, host, “That KEVIN Show,” Salem Radio Network; McGraw Milhaven, program director, KTRS, St. Louis / host, “America at Night,” Westwood One; and Dr. Daliah Wachs, host, Talk Media Network. The fast-paced conversation focuses on a wide variety of issues faced by talk media personalities in the ever-evolving landscape of today’s turbulent industry. Stay tuned to TALKERS for daily postings of sessions from the 28th installment of the longest running and most important annual talk media industry gathering. To view this dynamic discussion in its entirety, please click here.
Talk Media Network morning show host Joe Thomas (left) – host of “First Thing Today with Joe Thomas” is pictured above with WGOW-AM program director Michael Yaffee (right). Thomas did his morning program from his soon-to-be affiliate en route to CPAC in Dallas. Thomas says, “What a great city! What a great bunch of people!”
Wichita-based talk radio host Andy Hooser announces that his radio program “The Voice of Reason with Andy Hooser” is going into
syndication via Talk Media Network. The program will be fed live weekdays from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm ET. Hooser says his program is a “one-hour conservative talk program that focuses on recapping the day’s events and brings a fresh perspective on the big stories of the day with fun conversation and great daily guests.” The program is based at Steckline Communications’ KQAM, Wichita where he serves as operations manager.
By Walter Sabo
a.k.a. Walter Sterling, Host
WPHT, Philadelphia, “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night”
TMN syndicated, “Sterling on Sunday”
Talk show hosts are not motivated or driven like disk jockeys or salespeople. Most general managers have never managed talk show hosts. Few program directors have managed talk show hosts. My career has been blessed with daily exchanges with the best talk show hosts in history. Here are some suggestions I would like to share on how to have a superior relationship with talk stars.
• Listen to the show. Talk hosts are performers committing an unnatural act. They are on a stage with no audience. They hear no applause, little immediate feedback, and this leads to paranoia. Was that topic good? Was the joke funny? You’re the audience.
• Give one “note” at a time. Whatever method you use to motivate a salesperson, do the opposite with on-air talent. Talk talent cannot work harder. They are working as hard as they possibly can every moment. You don’t have to motivate them to go on more sales calls. The motivation comes from telling a host what you enjoyed – what you thought was fun or funny. Compliments won’t make them take it easy; it will make them want more compliments – applause. Applause is the motivation.
You may hear several elements on a show that could be improved. Keep the list to yourself. Select the most urgent item that could be improved and share that one and only that one. Bring up another suggestion next week. Offering more than one “repair” can be devastating. Surround all suggestions with many compliments. It works.
• Unless a talent posts under your station’s actual social media account, their social media posts are frankly none of your business. Facebook is just not as important – not as your station. Let it go.
• No other entertainer has as hard a job as a radio talk show host. Talk show hosts have to create multiple hours from scratch. Actors on a sitcom need to learn 22 minutes of script – script they didn’t write; 11 writers did that for them. How much are you paying for writers for your talk shows? Oh! Entertainers in other media have production assistants, interns, writers, coaches, dressers, rehearsals. How much support staff do your hosts have? Oh! Talk show hosts perform a daily miracle for your company. Lunch barter isn’t enough.
Walter Sabo has been a C-Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General, and many other leading media outlets. His company, HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.
Nationally syndicated morning drive host Joe Thomas (center) is pictured here at last week’s CES2026 trade show in Las Vegas where he broadcast to his “First Thing Today” show to his 50-plus affiliates via Talk Media Network. Thomas says, “It’s an amazing event and if you dig past the robot lawn mowers and giant TV’s you’ll find amazing folks like Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ Dr. Alex Creely (left) and Siemens’ Dr. Thiago Ribeiro (right). Thanks to Holland Cooke who convinced me years ago that it doesn’t matter what your politics are, this impacts everybody! (and you all should read Lawrence Ford‘s new book, The World DOES Need You!)”
Pictured above is Talk Media Network nationally syndicated talk host Dr. Daliah Wachs giving blood yesterday (9/5) in recognition of 9th annual National Blood Donation Week/Day and the 10th year for Nevada Blood Donation Day. Wachs tells TALKERS that 43 states joined the program this year. She adds, “Today the blood donation center was packed and we are so grateful for all those who came out to donate blood.”
Talk Media Network nationally syndicated talk radio host and WTON, Staunton, Virginia owner Joe Thomas recently visited New Orleans affiliate station WGSO while in town broadcasting from the State Policy Network annual meeting. He’s pictured above (right) with WGSO operations director BJ Rust (left).
Talk radio host Joe Thomas says his Talk Media Network-syndicated program “First Thing Today” is launching a live Saturday morning edition beginning August 2. Thomas says, “The workplace paradigm has changed. Most Americans work just as much on Saturday as they do Monday-Friday, so they need to be up on the news and need a chance to talk about it just as much then.” He notes that his first affiliate for this Saturday edition is JVC Broadcasting’s WRCN, Riverhead, New York (Long Island). Thomas says, “WRCN is where my career really took off. I learned so much there, met my wife there, had our first child while I was there so it was a thrill to hear that John Caracciolo and JVC were bringing me back to 103.9 FM on Long Island for the first time since 1995!” Stations interested in the show can inquire via: willis@talkmedianetwork.com.
By Walter Sabo
a.k.a. Walter Sterling, Host
WPHT, Philadelphia, “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night”
and TMN syndicated, “Sterling on Sunday”
Conventional industry wisdom: “If our morning star leaves, we’re dead. How could we replace them?”
First, loosen up the criteria. There are actual conversations taking place right now at an AC station between executives afraid to hire a great country jock because she has never “done AC.” Let that nonsense go and pay attention to the qualities of a star.
Consulting work brought regular demands to find star talent. Disruptive. Audience builders. Talent can be found anywhere, everywhere when we put down the notion of an ideal resume.
FAVORITE STORY: I was on the 23rd Street bus a few years ago. It was packed. There was a woman on her cell phone giving advice to a caller about living with a man prior to marriage. She had a big personality, easy to hear. New Yorker after New Yorker listened to this intriguing conversation and then… passenger after passenger started to express their opinions to this passenger, on a New York City bus, at rush hour. By the time she had to get off, half the bus was participating with her in her private conversation.
I wrote her a note on my card and asked her to please get in touch with me.
She did. We had coffee for one hour. It seemed like five minutes. Her life story was intriguing, overwhelming, timeless.
Anna Smith. “Anna on the Bus.” I had her in the production room at Audacy in New York and tough big city radio people gathered around the studio and whispered to me, “She should have her own show.”
Anna tells compelling stories: Her father was an 18-wheeler. He would arrive first with his deliveries. Dispatchers usually sent him to the back of the line because he was Black. After waiting for hours to dock, he was fined for late deliveries.
Anna lost several of her seven children to disease and shootings. No anger. Just “the way of the world.” Stories like that. She’s been on my show many times. She’s a radio star.
“Anna on the Bus.”
Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers.. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.
Pictured above at the weekend’s “Freedomfest” in Palm Springs, California is Joe Thomas (right) host of “First Thing Today” – syndicated nationally by Talk Media Network – and owner of WTON, Staunton, Virginia speaking with “Freedomfest” founder Mark Skousen (left). Thomas tells TALKERS, “During a weekend where libertarians faced the debate over Israel’s missile strikes against Iran and whether US borders should be open or not, we brought all of it to our listeners from Portland to Daytona each day!”
Talk Media Network nationally syndicated host Joe Thomas is broadcasting his “First Thing Today” program
all this week from Palm Springs, California at “Freedomfest.” Thomas tells TALKERS that at the event – billed as “The Largest Gathering of Free Minds”—he will cover everything from farming to energy and, of course, free markets. Thomas also operates Thomas Media LLC which owns news/talk WTON, Staunton/Waynesboro/Harrisonburg.
Nationally syndicated talk radio host Tom Sullivan announces that he is going to semi-retire from the business and his daily talk radio program distributed by Talk Media Network will end on May 30. Sullivan
says, “I am going to hang up the microphone… not completely… this show will come to a screeching halt on May 30. After that going to dabble in world of podcasting… I feel fine, feel healthy, and want to go out on top. I’ve been doing radio for 45 years… how grateful I am for each and every one of you. It’s time to move down the road and take the microphone from radio to podcast.” Sullivan – a successful financial services advisor – began his radio career in 1980 on KFBK, Sacramento doing daily business news reports. He expanded to hosting a general topic talk show first as a fill-host before getting his own program. He would often fill in for Rush Limbaugh on his syndication show and Sullivan later became one of the original hosts on FOX Business Network.
Pictured above is Talk Media Network nationally syndicated talk host Dr. Daliah Wachs introducing the “Radio’s Place in a Diverse, Digital World” panel.
Pictured above is WGDJ, Albany owner and talk host Paul Vandenburgh making a point while speaking on the “Launching and Managing a Career in a Changing Media Industry” panel.
Pictured above is WICC, Bridgeport talk host Lisa Wexler discussing the talk host’s responsibility to their listeners to be truthful with their audience.
All photos by Olivia Mannarino.
The Talk Media Network nationally syndicated program “The Dr. Daliah Wachs Show” is added to the program lineup at KEUN-AM, Eunice, Louisiana; WGNY-AM, Newburgh, New York; and WNRI, Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
Las Vegas-based talk media personality Wayne Allyn Root announces that his Talk Media Network nationally syndicated radio show will be simulcast as a two-hour podcast on UntamedNation.com and
streamed live on Rumble, and soon on both YouTube and X. Root tells TALKERS, “I’m thrilled to announce I’m now part of ‘Untamed Nation’ two hours a day. This gives my fans a daily choice – they can listen to my talk show on the radio, or they can watch both hours streamed as a podcast. Untamed is quite a unique platform. Untamed cuts through the noise and brings the truth to light. We are bold, empowering, and disruptive. No filters, no fear. Just raw untamed truth. It’s the perfect platform for ‘the loudest MAGA mouth in the world.’”
SiriusXM announces that Megyn Kelly will host a series of one-hour specials that will air on SiriusXM’s Triumph Channel 111. “Get Closer with Megyn Kelly” will run on Fridays throughout August with video available on the SiriusXM app with topics including marriage, aging, parenting, and sex.
The Talk Media Network syndicated Dr. Daliah Wachs show is now airing on KBJA, Salt Lake City in the 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm slot.
FOX News star Brian Kilmeade’s late morning talk radio program is added to the program lineup at Audacy’s news/talk WTIC-AM, Hartford in the 9:00 am to 11:00 am slot. Kilmeade tells TALKERS, “I’m thrilled to be joining the WTIC all-star lineup especially at this critical time in our election cycle. I can’t wait to meet and greet the listeners in person this summer!”
Talk Media Network nationally syndicated personality Wayne Allyn Root was the opening speaker at two Donald Trump events in Las Vegas over the weekend. On Saturday, he spoke at a Trump fundraiser at Ahern Hotel in Las Vegas. Then on Sunday, Root opened for Trump at a public outdoor rally.
By Walter Sabo
CEO, Sabo Media Partners
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
Host
WPHT, Philadelphia – daily
Talk Media Network – Sundays
When recently starting nightly on WPHT, Philadelphia, I asked program director Greg Stocker if there was anything else management needed from me. Greg said, “Do your show.”
Since that luncheon meeting his words have sifted through my fevered brain and I realized that at this moment in time, his words were profound: Do your show.
What he did not say:
Meet with sales.
Meet with HR.
Be sure to hit the live reads on time.
Don’t annoy (fill in the blank).
Get all the spots in.
Make sure the studio is clean when you’re done.
David Field listens so be careful.
Meet with sales.
I do my show and nothing else and I’m very happy. The endless whine coming from our colleagues can be traced to ignoring the prime directive: Do your show.
Talk radio is magic, it’s free-form radio. Your music station brethren envy your freedom. They have to call for permission to change the order of pre-programmed songs! You don’t have to do anything which means you can do what you want… which means you can do something great.
Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers. HITVIEWS clients included Pepsi, FOX TV, Timberland, Microsoft, and CBS Television. He can be reached at sabowalter@gmail.com. His nightly show “Walter Sterling at Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, now in its 10th year of success.
The Transportation Channel signs a multi-year deal with Talk Media Network for the latter to syndicate “The Transportation Channel Minute” beginning July 1. The Transportation Channel founder Matthew Perry says, “The transportation channel is innovating the way the world will consume its transportation news. Despite the headlines, major media outlets in the U.S. do not allocate sufficient time or resources needed to cover key advancements and concerns in the transportation sector adequately.” Perry notes that data shows U.S. households spend an estimated $1.2 trillion on transportation costs, the second largest household expense behind housing. He adds, “But until now, no media outlet has been exclusively dedicated to servicing consumers in this critically important category. I am thrilled with our partnership with Talk Media. Look out, world, here we come.”
Las Vegas-based TV and radio host Wayne Allyn Root tells TALKERS that his latest project is a song co-written by country music artist Natasha Owens and her songwriting partner Ian Eskelin. Root says, “I am honored to have inspired and co-written this song and video about President Donald J. Trump
titled, ‘The Chosen One.’ This song was inspired by the media firestorm across the globe in July 2019 when I said on my Newsmax TV show Trump was ‘like the King of the Jews and the Chosen One.’” Root debuted the song on his Real America’s Voice TV show, “The Root Reaction” and on his Talk Media Network nationally syndicated radio show. Root adds, “In light of this unprecedented persecution, indictments and now unjust conviction of President Trump, this is the perfect song and video, at the perfect time, and the perfect place, to lift the spirits of President Trump and the MAGA world, and to show the world President Trump is on a mission from God to make America great again.” Listen to the song here.
Talk Media Network announces its partnership with LinkUp Communications for satellite and internet distribution of programming to its more than 1,200 radio station affiliates. Talk Media Network CEO Josh
Leng says, “LinkUp Communications is the new gold standard for service and reliability in the broadcast industry. Their reputation for professionalism and the highest level of service made this the 
perfect complement to Talk Media Network’s quality programming. We carefully reviewed our options and listened to our affiliates in choosing to remain on the XDS platform, while choosing the best distribution partner in LinkUp Communications. LinkUp’s client roster, track record, and commitment to the highest quality and customer service standards, made it the leading choice to work with Talk Media Network’s shows and affiliates.” LinkUp CEO Karen Johnson states, “LinkUp Communications is thrilled to assist Josh and his networks by allowing them to remain with the industry leading XDS suite of technologies. We’re happy to utilize our decades of experience to elevate Talk Media Network’s programs. LinkUp has provided technology solutions to enable broadcasters for over 20 years.”