Tag: TALKERS

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (July 6 – 10)

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (7/6-10) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. Trump at NATO
  2. Iran War Escalates
  3. Independence Day Aftermath / Great American State Fair / Reflecting Pool
  4. Graham Platner Scandal
  5. Ali Khamenei Funeral
  6. The Economy / Stock Market / Inflation
  7. Russia-Ukraine War
  8. Charlie Kirk Murder Trial /E. Jean Carroll Judgement Ruling
  9. AI / Data Centers Controversy / ICE Shoots Man in Houston
  10. Mitch McConnell Health Issue / Trump World Cup Red Card Controversy

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. JD Vance / Marco Rubio
  3. Ali & Mojtaba Khamenei
  4. Graham Platner
  5. Mike Johnson
  6. Vladmir Putin / Volodymyr Zelenskyy
  7. Charlie Kirk / Tyler Robinson
  8. E. Jean Carroll
  9. Mitch McConnell
  10. Folarin Balogun

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

Industry Views

Harrison and Elci Discuss 250th Anniversary and Talk Industry Issues

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

img

TALKERS founder Michael Harrison was interviewed by guest host Lee Elci on multi-media talk star Wayne Allyn Root‘s nationally syndicated program “The WAR Zone” this past Tuesday (7/7).  Elci, the daily morning host on WJJF, New London, CT, is an occasional guest host on the popular “WAR Zone” show.  Harrison and Elci engaged in a candid examination of the state of politics and media in America at this drama-filled juncture in the nation’s history.  Not to be missed.  To see the uninterrupted excerpted dialogue, please click here.

Industry News TALKERS 2026

TALKERS 2026 Video: “Doing Talk on a Music Station”

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

img

TALKERS continues to post information-laden videos recorded at the TALKERS 2026: Radio’s Next Chapter conference recently held at Hofstra University (6/5). More than 65 speakers participated in the power-packed day’s events. Today’s entry is a one-on-one conversation titled, “Doing Talk on a Music Station,” which explores the diverse world of talk shows programmed on predominantly music-formatted stations. Many of these shows, usually heard in the morning, are on mostly classic rock or adult contemporary outlets, and are a hybrid of general news/talk radio – leaning heavily on social issues – mixed with a component of celebrity gossip, sports, and the hosts’ personal, real-life stories. They are usually comprised of a host and a co-host or simply two equal co-hosts. The special guest in this video is Mike “Bax” Baxendale, the long running co-host of the wildly successful morning show on classic rock station WAQY-FM (Rock 102), Springfield, MA. Facilitating the dialogue is WPG, Atlantic City morning host Harry Hurley.  Baxendale – who is a household name in the Western Massachusetts-Northern Connecticut market – has co-hosted the dominant show for the past 31 years working for a couple of decades with the late John O’ Brien and more recently with Steve Nagle. Don’t miss this! Stay tuned to TALKERS for continuous daily postings of engaging sessions from the 28th installment of the longest running and most important annual talk media industry gathering. To view this presentation in its entirety, please click here.

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (June 22-26)

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (6/22-26) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. U.S.-Iran Negotiations / War Powers Resolution
  2. Primary Elections
  3. Housing Bill / SAVE America Act
  4. Reflecting Pool Controversy / America 250 Kickoff
  5. SCOTUS Rulings
  6. Gas Prices / Tech Stocks
  7. AI Concerns
  8. Texas Immigration Center Shooting Convictions
  9. Keir Starmer Resigns
  10. Alan Greenspan / Clive Davis / David Clayton Thomas Deaths

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. JD Vance / Marco Rubio
  3. Benjamin Netanyahu
  4. Bill Cassidy
  5. Mike Johnson
  6. Zohran Mamdani
  7. Darializa Avila Chevalier
  8. Keir Starmer
  9. Alan Greenspan
  10. Clive Davis / David Clayton Thomas

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

Industry News

Rare Interview with David Clayton-Thomas About BS&T Found in TALKERS Archives – Broadcasters Invited to Use at Will

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

The Grammy Award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter whose powerhouse voice propelled Blood, Sweat & Tears to the summit of popular music, died peacefully last evening at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He was 84.

img

TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison was friends with Clayton-Thomas and the group back in the early 1970s while he was the morning host at pioneering album rocker WNEW-FM, New York.  However, by the mid-seventies, Harrison lost touch with Clayton-Thomas and the group.  Move the clock ahead to March of 2020 and David Clayton-Thomas was promoting a new solo album – the latest of many that enjoyed hit status in his native Canada – and Harrison had the opportunity to catch up with his old friend in an interview conducted during the height of the COVID pandemic. Clayton-Thomas was quarantining in Toronto, and Harrison was doing the same in Massachusetts. TALKERS has isolated a segment of the archival interview with the rock legend in which Clayton-Thomas recounts the history of how he joined the band.  Interested broadcasters wishing to use any or all of this clip are free to do so.  Please click here. (Photo credit: Marie Byers)

Industry News

Radio Talk Show Host Martha Zoller Passes Away

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

As TALKERS reported in a breaking news alert yesterday afternoon (6/22), North Georgia-based talk radio mainstay Martha Zoller passed away at the age of 67 on Monday.  Zoller recently announced in TALKERS that she imgwould be retiring from daily talk show hosting later this summer on Jacobs Media’s WDUN-AM/FM, Gainesville, where she presided over a hugely popular midday program since 2019. The decision was made due to heart-related health issues.  She planned to remain with the powerful station as an occasional political consultant and commentator. Zoller, the 2023 recipient of the TALKERS “Woman of the Year” award, was an influential figure in Georgia politics having run for Congress in the U.S. 9th District as a Republican in 2012. Before that she served her first stint as a radio talk show host in North Georgia for a number of years. She was also a member of the State Board of Education representing District 9 in Northeast, Georgia in addition to engaging in a number of other community-oriented activities.

TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison stated, “We knew that she was dealing with heart issues after a recent, unexpected cardiac episode and her withdrawal from a speaking role at the recent TALKERS conference, but this terrible news came as a shock because we all thought she was basically on the mend.  Martha was a woman of great strength, energy, and character – a truly beloved figure in the broadcasting industry. This is a horrible loss to her family and friends, as well as being a devastating blow to talk radio in America.”

Memorial Park Funeral Home Riverside Chapel in Gainesville will be handling funeral arrangements.

See a video excerpt of Zoller accepting the “Woman of the Year” award from TALKERS in 2023 here.

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (June 15-19)

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

Here are the most-talked-about stories of the past week (6/15-19) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. U.S.-Iran Agreement
  2. Gas Prices / Financial Markets Activity
  3. Primary Races / Georgia Shelves Redistricting
  4. DNI Hearing Cancelled / Voter ID Law
  5. JD Vance Book-Appearance on “The View”
  6. Newsoms Investigation
  7. AI Concerns / Data Centers Pushback
  8. SpaceX IPO / Musk First Trillionaire
  9. Ukraine Strikes Moscow
  10. Obama Library Opening

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. JD Vance
  3. Marco Rubio
  4. Benjamin Netanyahu
  5. Rick Jackson / Burt Jones / Mike Collins
  6. Mike Johnson
  7. Jay Clayton
  8. Gavin & Siebel Newsom
  9. Elon Musk
  10. Barack & Michelle Obama

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

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (June 8-12)

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (6/8-12) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

Stories

  1. Iran War / Agreement or No Agreement?
  2. Trump in NYC / NBA Finals
  3. The Economy / Inflation / Gas Prices
  4. Primary Elections / Trump Face the Nation Interview
  5. Trump UFC Controversy
  6. Trump Great American State Fair Performers Controversy
  7. Trump Ballroom Project Controversy / Trump DC Reflecting Pool Controversy
  8. AI / Data Center Controversy
  9. Strong El Niño Formed / World Cup
  10. Epstein Files

People

  1. Donald Trump
  2. Marco Rubio
  3. Benjamin Netanyahu
  4. Todd Blanche
  5. Scott Bessent
  6. Mike Johnson
  7. JD Vance/Pete Hegseth
  8. Zohran Mamdani
  9. Kristen Welker
  10. Jay Clayton

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