Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/31)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/31) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Strait of Hormuz Blockade
  2. Gas Prices / Financial Markets Activity
  3. Birthright Citizenship Case
  4. Trump’s National Voter List Order
  5. White House Ballroom Construction Paused
Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/30)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/30) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Strait of Hormuz Blockade
  2. Gas Prices / Financial Markets Activity
  3. U.S.-Cuba Policy
  4. Lindsey Graham Disney Criticism
  5. Birthright Citizenship Case
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (March 28-29)

The most discussed stories over the weekend (3/28-29) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Trump Mulls Seizing Kharg Island
  2. Oil Prices / Financial Markets Activity
  3. TSA Paychecks / ICE at Airports / Travel Woes
  4. CPAC / “No Kings” Protests
  5. SCOTUS to Hear Birthright Citizenship Case
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (March 23-27)

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (3/23-27) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Conflicting Reports of Talks
  2. TSA-ICE-Air Travel Woes / DHS Funding Stalemate
  3. LaGuardia Investigation
  4. Oil Prices / Financial Markets Activity
  5. Mullin Confirmed to DHS Post
  6. Social Media Addiction Verdict
  7. SAVE America Act / SCOTUS Hears Mail-In Balloting Case
  8. Dem Flips FLA State Seat
  9. CPAC 2026
  10. Robert Muller Dies

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. Pete Hegseth
  3. Jared Kushner / Steve Witkoff
  4. Benjamin Netanyahu
  5. Markwayne Mullin
  6. John Thune / Katie Britt
  7. Chuck Schumer
  8. Mark Zuckerberg / Sundar Pichai
  9. Emily Gregory
  10. Robert Muller

To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.

Industry News

CBS News Radio Fallout: Is Broadcast Journalism a Sacred Profession?

Is a career in broadcast journalism akin to the “priesthood?” Is radio just a “business” or something more? These philosophical questions were two of several addressed this morning (3/26) in an appearance by TALKERS imgfounder Michael Harrison on WPRO, Providence’s “The News with Gene Valicenti” discussing the shutdown of CBS News Radio.  The two seasoned broadcasters took an analytical look at the past 100 years of broadcast journalism – from Edward R. Murrow to modern times – comparing the role and impact of early day giants such as William S. Paley (CBS), David Sarnoff (NBC), and John W. Kluge (Metromedia) to today’s crop of moguls including the Ellison family’s Larry Ellison (Oracle) and his son David Ellison (Skydance Media) who now control Paramount, CBS, and a variety of other media and technological ventures. To listen to the entire segment, please click here.

Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/25)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/25) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Conflicting Reports of Talks
  2. TSA-ICE-Air Travel Woes / DHS Funding Stalemate
  3. Oil Prices / Financial Markets Activity
  4. Social Media Addiction Verdict
  5. CPAC 2026
Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/24)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/24) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Airborne Troops Deployed
  2. TSA-ICE-Air Travel Woes / LaGuardia Investigation
  3. Oil Prices-Financial Markets-Insider Trading Concerns
  4. DHS Funding
  5. Dem Flips FLA State Seat
Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/23)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/23) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Oil Prices
  2. TSA-ICE-Air Travel Woes / LaGuardia Investigation
  3. Mullin Confirmed to DHS Post
  4. SAVE America Act / SCOTUS Hears Mail-In Balloting Case
  5. Trump in Memphis
Industry News

NYC Radio Icon Richard Neer Publishes 16th Book

Legendary New York radio personality Richard Neer, who has served almost six consecutive decades entertaining audiences on album rock WNEW-FM and sports talk WFAN, has authored his 16th book. Titled, The Perfect Beast, the novel is the latest in Neer’s popular series of detective Riley King murder mysteries and deals with a number of issues of interest to radio and podcast imgmedia enthusiasts, including the invasion of AI into the talent job market. Neer first established himself as a heavyweight author in 2001 when he penned the landmark FM: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio. In The Perfect Beast, Neer poses the question to his fellow broadcasters, “Ever wonder if your job will someday be taken by an AI facsimile of your act?” imgThe story also deals with how a commentator’s words can be twisted and misused, resulting in something evil. TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison (who makes an appearance as himself in The Perfect Beast) describes Neer as a media “Renaissance man.” Neer can be contacted for interviews via email at  novelistcafe@windstream.net.

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (March 21-22)

The most discussed stories over the weekend (3/21-22) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERSresearch:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Infrastructure Threats
  2. Oil Prices / Financial Markets Activity
  3. Robert Muller Dies
  4. Fatal LaGuardia Plane-Truck Crash / TSA Staffing-ICE Agents to Airports
  5. CBS Shuttering News Radio Service
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (March 16-20)

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (3/16-20) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War
  2. Strait of Hormuz Blockade / Energy Prices Soar
  3. Allies Decline to Join the War
  4. Kent Investigation / Mullin Confirmation Hearing / Intelligence Directors Testimony
  5. Fed Stands Firm on Rates / Low Level of U.S. Job Creation
  6. SAVE America Act
  7. Bondi’s Epstein Files Testimony
  8. DHS Funding-TSA Staffing
  9. U.S.-Cuba Relations / Cesar Chavez Bombshell
  10. Trump Postpones China Trip

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. Benjamin Netanyahu
  3. Mojtaba Khameini
  4. Pete Hegseth
  5. Joe Kent
  6. Markwayne Mullin
  7. Tulsi Gabbard / Kash Patel / John Ratcliffe
  8. Jerome Powell
  9. Pam Bondi
  10. Dolores Huerta / Cesar Chavez

To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.

Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/18)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/18) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Strike on South Pars Gas Field
  2. Strait of Hormuz Blockade / Energy Prices Soar
  3. Kent Investigation / Mullin Confirmation Hearing / Intelligence Directors Testimony
  4. Fed Stands Firm on Rates / Low Level of U.S. Job Creation
  5. Bondi’s Epstein Files Testimony
Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/17)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/17) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Strait of Hormuz Blockade
  2. Oil Prices / Financial Markets Activity
  3. SAVE America Act
  4. Epstein Files / Bondi Subpoena
  5. DHS Funding-TSA Staffing
Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/16)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/16) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War / Allies Decline to Enter War
  2. Strait of Hormuz Blockade / Oil Prices / Financial Markets Activity
  3. Trump China Visit Delayed
  4. U.S.-Cuba Relations
  5. Epstein Files
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (March 14-15)

The most discussed stories over the weekend (3/14-15) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. U.S.-Israel-Iran War
  2. Strait of Hormuz Blockade / Oil Prices / Financial Markets React
  3. Trump’s Scheduled China Trip
  4. FCC’s Carr Threatens Broadcast Licensees
  5. The Oscars
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (March 9-13)

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (3/9-13) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. U.S.-Iran War Expands
  2. Strait of Hormuz Blockade / Oil Prices
  3. Financial Markets React
  4. MAGA Fractures
  5. Michigan Synagogue Attack
  6. Virginia Old Dominion Shooting
  7. Drone West Coast Threat
  8. Epstein Files
  9. Save America Act
  10. Senate Housing Affordability Package

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. Pete Hegseth
  3. Benjamin Netanyahu
  4. Mojtaba Khameini
  5. Vladimir Putin
  6. JD Vance
  7. Xi Jinping
  8. Pam Bondi
  9. Jeffrey Epstein
  10. Mike Johnson / Gavin Newsom

To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.

Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/11)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/11) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. World Addresses Oil Supply Issues / Financial Markets Tensions
  2. Operation Epic Fury / Iran Bombs Oil Facilities & Middle East Ports
  3. Trump’s Kentucky & Ohio Affordability Tour
  4. Epstein Files
  5. Unfair Trade Practices Probe / Tariffs Ruling
Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/10)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/10) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. Operation Epic Fury / Iran Strikes Cargo Vessels
  2. Oil Prices Soar / Financial Markets Jitters
  3. Georgia Special Election / GOP Midterms Concerns
  4. Epstein Files / DOJ Investigation Request / New Mexico Ranch Probe
  5. Save America Act
Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/9)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/9) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. Operation Epic Fury
  2. Oil Prices / Strait of Hormuz Blockade / Financial Markets Respond
  3. Midterm Predictions
  4. Georgia Special Election
  5. Anthropic Sues Pentagon
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (March 7-8)

The most discussed stories over the weekend (3/7-8) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERSresearch:

  1. Operation Epic Fury / Mojtaba Khameini Named Supreme Leader
  2. Oil Prices / Financial Markets Tumble
  3. Noem Ouster Aftermath
  4. Mamdani IED Attack
  5. AI / Memory Chip Shortage
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (March 2-6)

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (3/2-6) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. Operation Epic Fury / War Powers Resolution
  2. Strait of Hormuz Blockade / Oil Prices
  3. Financial Markets React
  4. MAGA Fractures
  5. Bondi Subpoenaed in Epstein Files Case / Clintons’ Testimony
  6. Pentagon-Anthropic-OpenAI Deals
  7. Primary Elections
  8. Tariffs Refunds Issue
  9. Kristi Noem Replaced at DHS
  10. Minnesota Fraud Probe / Austin Mass Shooting

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. Pete Hegseth
  3. Benjamin Netanyahu
  4. Mojtaba Khameini
  5. Pam Bondi
  6. Bill & Hillary Clinton
  7. Dario Amodei / Sam Altman
  8. John Cornyn / Ken Paxton / James Talarico
  9. Kristi Noem / Markwayne Mullin
  10. Tim Walz / Keith Ellison

To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.

Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/4)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/4) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. Operation Epic Fury / War Powers Resolution
  2. Bondi Subpoenaed in Epstein Files Case
  3. Rising Oil Prices / Financial Markets React
  4. Primary Elections
  5. Kristi Noem Testimony
Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/3)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/3) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. Operation Epic Fury / MAGA Fractures / Oil Prices
  2. Primary Elections
  3. Lutnick to Give Epstein Testimony
  4. Minnesota Fraud Probe
  5. Noem Testimony
Industry Views

Reckless Disregard in the Age of AI: What Verification Now Requires

By Matthew B. Harrison
TALKERS, VP/Associate Publisher
Harrison Media Law, Senior Partner
Goodphone Communications, Executive Producer

imgAI is now embedded in the modern newsroom. Not as a headline, not as a novelty, but as infrastructure. It drafts outlines, summarizes complex reporting, surfaces background details, and accelerates prep for live conversations. For media creators operating under relentless deadlines, that efficiency is not theoretical. It is practical and daily.

That reality raises a quiet but consequential legal question. When AI contributes to your research, what does verification now require?

Professional hosts are not reading raw chatbot answers on air and calling it journalism. That caricature misses the real issue. What is actually happening is subtler and far more common.

AI now sits inside research workflows. Producers use it for background. Hosts use it to summarize reporting. Teams use it to outline controversies or draft rundowns. Most of the time, it works. Sometimes, however, it invents.

When that invention involves a real person and a serious allegation, the legal analysis looks familiar.

For public figures, defamation requires proof of actual malice – knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for truth. For private figures, negligence is usually enough. In both cases, the focus is not on the tool. It is on the content creator’s conduct.

AI does not change the elements. It changes the context in which reasonableness is judged.

Courts have long held that repeating a defamatory statement can create liability, even if someone else said it first. If you rely on a blog, and that blog relied on AI, and the allegation is false, the question becomes whether your reliance was reasonable.

Was the source reputable? Was the claim inherently improbable? Were there obvious red flags?  Was contradictory information readily available?

AI’s reputation for “hallucinating” facts now forms part of that backdrop. Widespread awareness that these systems can fabricate citations, merge identities, or invent accusations becomes relevant when a court evaluates your verification choices.

This does not mean using AI indicates reckless disregard. It means using AI does not excuse skipping verification when the stakes are high.

The more specific and damaging the claim, the greater the duty to confirm it through independent, reliable sources. Not another prompt. Not a circular reference to the same unverified blog. Rather, a primary record, official statement, or established reporting.

Documentation matters. If challenged, being able to show that you checked multiple sources before broadcast can be decisive.

None of this is new doctrine. What is new is how seamlessly AI blends into ordinary research habits. That integration makes it easier to forget that the legal question is still about human judgment.

The law will not ask whether your workflow was efficient. It will ask whether your conduct was reasonable under the circumstances.

In the age of AI, verification is not a courtesy. It is risk management.

Matthew B. Harrison is a media and intellectual property attorney who advises radio hosts, content creators, and creative entrepreneurs. He has written extensively on fair use, AI law, and the future of digital rights. Reach him at Matthew@HarrisonMediaLaw.com or read more at TALKERS.com.

Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (3/2)

The most discussed stories yesterday (3/2) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. Operation Epic Fury / MAGA Fractures / Oil Prices
  2. Clintons’ Epstein Testimony
  3. Texas Senate Primary
  4. Austin Mass Shooting
  5. Tariffs Refunds Issue
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (2/28-3/1)

The most discussed stories over the weekend (2/28-3/1) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERSresearch:

  1. U.S. and Israel Attack Iran / Khamenei Killed
  2. Oil Prices Spike / Financial Markets React
  3. Pentagon-Anthropic-OpenAI Deals
  4. Texas Senate Primary
  5. Candace Owens’ Erika Kirk “Investigation”
Industry News

Hillsdale Students Win Awards at IBS NYC 2026

img

Two Hillsdale College students took home first-place awards at last weekend’s Intercollegiate Broadcasting System College Media Awards given out at the 86th International IBS Conference in New York City. TALKERS was a presenting sponsor of the conference. Erika Kyba ’26 won first place in the Best Specialty Show (Non-Music) category for her WRFH show, “The Poetry Fix,” a five-minute weekly podcast feature that makes the beauty of classic poetry accessible to a modern audience. Lauren Smyth ’25 was named Best News Director, Radio. Smyth’s role was to ensure that news coverage on WRFH was accurate, timely, educational, and fun. WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM general manager Scot Bertram says, “Our students are dedicated and creative. They consistently produce outstanding content, and it is exciting to see their work recognized among some of the finest programs in the country.”

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (February 23-27, 2026)

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (2/23-27) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. Trump’s SOTU Address
  2. Epstein Files Fallout / Clinton Testimonies
  3. U.S.-Iran Talks
  4. Cuba Speedboat Incident
  5. Economy / Tariffs / Mortgage Rates
  6. Trump-Vance Withhold Medicaid Funds from Minnesota
  7. Russia-Ukraine Talks
  8. Gaza Instability / North Korea Nuclear Threats
  9. Winter Weather / Mamdani-NYC Police Relations
  10. Nancy Guthrie Case

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. Jeffrey Epstein / Ghislaine Maxwell
  3. Bill & Hillary Clinton
  4. Mike Johnson
  5. Abbas Araghchi / Badr al-Busaidi
  6. JD Vance
  7. Vladimir Putin / Volodymyr Zelenskyy
  8. Benjamin Netanyahu
  9. Zohran Mamdani / Kim Jong Un
  10. Nancy Guthrie / Savannah Guthrie

To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.

Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (2/25)

The most discussed stories yesterday (2/25) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. Trump State of the Union Aftermath
  2. Cuban Boat Shooting
  3. Casey Means Nomination Hearings
  4. Epstein Files Blowback
  5. U.S.-Iran Tensions
Industry News

Yesterday’s Top News/Talk Media Stories (2/23)

The most discussed stories yesterday (2/23) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:

  1. Trump’s State of the Union
  2. SCOTUS Tariff Ruling
  3. Mexican Cartel Leader Killed
  4. Epstein Files Fallout
  5. U.S.-Iran Tensions
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend (2/21-22)

The most discussed stories over the weekend (2/21-22) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERSresearch:

  1. SCOTUS Rules Against Trump Tariff Policy
  2. Security Kills Man at Mar-a-Lago
  3. U.S.-Iran Tensions
  4. Mexican Cartel Strike
  5. U.S. Men Win Hockey Gold
Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (February 16-20, 2026)

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (2/16-20) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. The Epstein Files Fallout / Executives Resign / Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested
  2. U.S.-Iran Tensions
  3. Trump’s “Affordability” Tour
  4. SCOTUS Strikes Trump Tariffs / SAVE America Act / Mid-Term Elections
  5. Partial Government Shutdown / DHS Funding
  6. Colbert-CBS Talarico Interview Case
  7. Rubio in Europe
  8. Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks
  9. Nancy Guthrie Case
  10. Jesse Jackson and Robert Duvall Die

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. Jeffrey Epstein / Ghislaine Maxwell
  3. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
  4. Thomas Pritzker / Kathryn Ruemmler
  5. Jared Kushner / Steve Witkoff / Abbas Araghchi
  6. Marjorie Taylor Greene
  7. Mike Johnson
  8. Stephen Colbert / James Talarico
  9. Nancy Guthrie / Savannah Guthrie
  10. Jesse Jackson / Robert Duvall

To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.