Friday, September 2, 2022
NOW POSTED: This Weekend’s Installment of “The Michael Harrison Wrap: An Overview of the National Conversation.” The latest installment of the one-hour weekend special, “The Michael Harrison Wrap,” that looks back each week at the hottest topics discussed in American talk media per the research of TALKERS, is now posted. This new episode titled, “Dirty Water & Laundry,” looks back at this past week of 8/29 to 9/2. The program features guests (in order of appearance): Kevin Casey, executive editor, TALKERS; Harry Hurley, host, WPG, Atlantic City; Michael Riedel, host, WOR, New York; Daliah Wachs, M.D., host, Genesis Communications Network; Steve Weisman, law professor, Bentley University, Boston/founder, Scamicide.com; and Beth Troutman, host, WBT, Charlotte. The show airs weekends (Friday evenings to Sunday nights) on almost 100 broadcast signals and networks across the U.S. and U.K as well as having developed a significant international following as a podcast. To listen to this week’s episode, please click here. To view the latest TALKERS topic research, please click here. “The Michael Harrison Wrap” is available in syndication via Talk Media Network to stations across America on a market exclusive basis. For affiliation information, please click here or call 616-884-8616.
Salem Announces Talk Hosts Fall Tour of Battleground States. The second half of October will see the Salem Media Group talk radio hosts tour the battleground states to “assist listeners and voters to understand how important it is that they get out to vote as well as vote with an understanding of the issues, and the candidates that will be leading our government.” Dubbed the Battleground Talkers Tour 2022, Salem hosts
Dennis Prager, Charlie Kirk, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Mike Gallagher, Eric Metaxas, Brandon Tatum, and Hugh Hewitt will hit tour stops in Tampa on October 16, Orlando on October 17, Atlanta on October 18, Philadelphia on October 19, Pittsburgh on October 20, Columbus on October 21, Cleveland on October 22, and Phoenix on October 23 where Salem news/talk stations will host the events. Hosts will broadcast their radio and TV shows from many of these cities. Salem Media Group SVP of spoken word Phil Boyce comments, “I do not think we have ever seen the kind of energy and excitement that we have witnessed now building up to the November 2022 election. Getting our hosts in front of our listeners and viewers and encouraging them to vote wisely is something each of our hosts is passionate about doing. There has never been a more important mid-term election than this one, and Salem is thrilled to be front and center, leading the charge.”
Ronnie Bloodworth Named Area President for iHeartMedia’s Mid-South Region. Radio management pro Ronnie Bloodworth is promoted to area president for iHeartMedia’s Mid-South region that encompasses Alabama, Mississippi, and Memphis, effective immediately. Bloodworth has been serving as market president for Mobile, Biloxi and Pensacola. In this new role, he’ll be responsible for oversight of stations in
Birmingham, Gadsden, Huntsville, Montgomery, and the Tuscaloosa markets, as well as stations in Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Laurel, Memphis, Mobile, Pensacola, and Tupelo. iHeartMedia division president Shosh Abromovich says, “This is a very exciting announcement to bring these markets together; the alignment of these outstanding leaders, talent, teammates and communities are set up to truly flourish. Ronnie’s culture-first attitude, drive for success and high bar he sets for himself and his team will take this newly combined area to all new levels of achievement and opportunity.” Bloodworth comments, “Helping people identify their strengths, find their motivation and then achieve their goals is something I have enjoyed from day one. Helping our teams in Mobile, Pensacola, Memphis and Mississippi find their stride and excel is something I take pride in. We strive to be the best in the business and enjoy what we do and where we do it. I look forward to having the high-quality and high-performing teams across the state of Alabama join us as I move into this new role.”
Alpha Media Names Clay Church OM for Dayton and Canton. Radio programming pro Clay Church joins Alpha Media as operations manager for the company’s Dayton and Canton, Ohio clusters that include news/talk WHBC-AM Canton and sports talk WING-AM, Dayton, plus five music brands. Church was most recently director of
content and operations at Townsquare Media’s Flint, Michigan operations. Alpha Media SVP/market manager Brett Beshore says, “After a lengthy, nationwide search, we found the best possible candidate to lead our successful teams in Dayton and Canton, and Clay brings all of Alpha’s core values to the market. He knows how to lead a team, build strong brands, and execute digital strategies to grow our ratings and revenue. We’re excited to welcome him aboard.” Church comments, “I’m very excited to take the next step in my career with Alpha Media and the incredible people in Dayton and Canton. The great stations in both markets are a direct reflection of the talent inside the buildings. I hope to add my skillset to the outstanding teams already in place.”
Good Karma’s ESPN Madison Inks Badger Keeanu Benton to NIL Partnership. Madison sports talk outlet WTLX-FM ESPN Madison announces it has agreed to a NIL
(name-image-likeness) partnership with Wisconsin Badgers’ nose tackle Keeanu Benton for him to make weekly appearances on the “Rutledge and Hamilton” show each Wednesday at 2:30 pm. Good Karma Brands Madison market manager Tom Olson says, “Our ‘ESPN Madison’ team is thrilled to have Keeanu Benton join us this football season. This is our very first NIL agreement, and we’re excited for the opportunity to work with someone as accomplished and as charismatic as Keeanu. This will be an exclusive opportunity for our fans to hear weekly insights from Keenau and get to know him better as a person.”
Holland Cooke’s Inflation Hacks Now an Online Course at CECNA. The e-book Inflation Hacks: Save Those Benjamins by media consultant Holland Cooke has
become an online course from the Washington-area-based nonprofit Consumer Education Council of North America. CECNA founder and chairman Jim Hood says, “Inflation is like climate change: It’s a big problem that everybody talks about although no one seems to have the solution. But broadcast personality Holland Cooke has researched it and come up with a list of everyday steps that consumers can use to trim hundreds of dollars from their monthly budgets. He’s assembled his thoughts in a CECNA Learning Center course called ‘Inflation Hacks: Save Those Benjamins.’ The title refers, of course, to Benjamin Franklin, whose image adorns the $100 bill and who once cautioned, ‘Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.’” The CECNA offers the course here.
TALKERS News Notes. Sales and advertising pro Scott McRoberts is named Midwest sales director for home improvement media brand Today’s Homeowner Media. In this role, McRoberts will be responsible for growing the brand’s presence in the Midwest
while creating innovative solutions for the company’s partners. Company president Danny Lipford says, “I am thrilled to have Scott join the team. We provide our partners with custom advertising solutions to meet their goals and connect them with our highly qualified audience of homeowners. Our partners will benefit from Scott’s experience providing innovative solutions and his 
collaborative style.”…..Progressive talk host Stephanie Miller announces that her “Sexy Liberal Save Democracy Tour” has three events scheduled for this fall. The comedy tour that includes John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks and Frangela will stop in Washington, DC on September 10 at Sidney Harman Hall with special guest Glenn Kirschner; in Chicago on September 24 at Harris Theater with special guests Jill Wine Banks and Rep. Jan Schakowsky; and in Los Angeles on October 22 at Saban Theater with special guests Rep. Adam Schiff and Rob Reiner…..iHeartMedia announces the debut of a new iHeartRadio original podcast titled, “Unbreakable with Jay Glazer: A Mental Health Podcast.” This project is an extension of his widely acclaimed, best-selling book Unbreakable in which the FOX NFL Insider shares his personal mental health journey with the audience, including the tools and techniques he’s developed to “live in the gray” – his term for living and thriving with anxiety, depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder…..iHeartMedia Chicago’s radio stations, including WMFN-AM “BIN: Black Information Netwotrk” announces the 10 winners of the “Brilliantly Black Business Awards” in partnership with the Chicago Urban League. The “Brilliantly Black Business Awards” ceremony will be held on Thursday, September 8 at 2:30 pm at the iHeartMedia Chicago Studios. The project was launched in 2020 to support local Black-owned businesses, restaurants and non-profits. Since its inception, iHeartMedia Chicago has showcased nearly 1,300 Black-owned businesses through digital, on-air features and the “Brilliantly Black” podcast. The 10 winners have been selected to receive $100,000 of in-kind media on iHeartMedia Chicago radio stations and a small business development cohort from the Chicago Urban League. iHeartMedia Chicago president Matt Scarano states, “iHeartMedia Chicago created the first-of-its-kind ‘Brilliantly Black’ community resource initiative. We are proud to expand the initiative and award 10 local Black-owned businesses a combined total of $1 million in marketing and advertising to further promote their products and services, while elevating economic growth for their businesses. The Chicago Urban League shares our mission and stepped up to provide small business master-level education training for the award winners as well.”
The FBI Raid of Mar-a-Lago, DOJ Documents Probe and Trump Legal Troubles Combine as Top News/Talk Story This Week. The aftermath of the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago, the Department of Justice’s investigation into top secret documents, and Trump’s legal troubles combined as the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio for the week of August 29 – September 2 and landing atop the Talkers TenTM. At #2 this week was a tie between partisan politics, the midterm elections, and Sarah Palin’s special election loss, followed by the state of the U.S. economy at #3. The Talkers TenTM is a weekly chart of the top stories and people discussed on news/talk radio during the week and is the result of ongoing research from TALKERS magazine. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. See this week’s complete chart here.
its original “Good Day” moniker, Doug Stephan will segue his program to the USA Radio Network. Officially re-launching next Monday (6/13), “Good Day” with Stephan and co-host Jai Kershner will merge with USA’s “Daybreak.” The show Stephan launched in 1988 will continue to air in the morning and remains designed to time-shift to other dayparts. Affiliation will be handled by USA Radio Network, with that web’s president Chip Miller stating, “I’m excited to welcome Doug and ‘Good Day’ to the USA Radio Network family. Doug is an iconic fixture in morning radio throughout the country and we look forward to working with [him] and the ‘Good Day’ team. The lifestyle, non-political content ‘Good Day’ offers is something we feel more stations will welcome during a time when there’s so much going on in the world and in our society. Doug and ‘Good Day’ will serve as the cornerstone for an exciting growth plan for the network. This is our first programming change and show addition since acquiring the network in December 2021.” Stephan comments, “We’ve been hearing from some of our more than 300 affiliates of their frustration with how negative many news/talk programs have become. This move enables us to continue to present the news you need to know, along with our opinions, in addition to the positives that we see every day.” There will be no change in the format clock; technical; traffic; or sales partners. Stephan is the longest running syndicated host of a daily talk show and appears at #29 on TALKERS’ 2022 “Heavy Hundred.”
Guthrie Named iHM Florida Division President. Former six-year Cox Media Group president/chief executive officer Kim Guthrie is set to become iHeartMedia’s Florida division president. In that position, she will succeed Linda Byrd, who retires next month (7/15). Guthrie will report directly to iHeartMedia Markets Group president Hartley Adkins, who states, “At iHeart, we pride ourselves on being a ‘talent first’ company; this decision reflects that commitment. It’s rewarding to find someone who both understands what our listeners need and how to operate in a multi-platform environment. Kim checks every box and more. We’re thrilled she chose to bring her talents to iHeart. Her CEO experience at Cox Media Group makes her uniquely-qualified for this position.” Guthrie adds, “I am very excited to announce my ‘un-retirement.’ iHeart has become a true employment destination and I’m thrilled to be part of America’s #1 audio company. iHeart’s leadership has built a culture of respect, transparency and innovation. The entire team has made me feel like I can make a difference here.” Guthrie joined Cox Media Group in 1998 as vice president/general manager for its Long Island radio station group and later became executive vice president of CMG’s national ad platforms. As Cox Media Group’s CEO, she had complete oversight of the company, including nearly 100 broadcast radio and television stations; dozens of digital assets; and newspapers. She started her career as a television news reporter and anchor for several ABC affiliates. Guthrie was named “Woman of Distinction” by the March of Dimes and “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In addition, she won the “Trailblazer Award” from Mentoring And Inspiring Women In Radio and the “Women Who Lead” honor from the Alliance For Women In Media.
Radio Mercury Awards Winners Announced. The 31st annual such event was held last night (Thursday, 6/9) in-person at New York’s Sony Hall, as well as virtually. This year’s “Best of Show” award was presented to FCB Chicago for its “Go RVing” radio commercial. Other winners included: Mockingbird, iHeartRadio App, The Studio at iHeartMedia (“Creative Radio Promotional Spot or Campaign by a Radio Station or Group”); Great American Settlers, Spreaker.com, The Studio at iHeartMedia tied with Kiddie Pool, The Kartrite Resort and Indoor Water Park, The Studio at iHeartMedia (“Creative Radio Commercial by a Radio Station or Group”); Tick Suck, Steve’s Pest Control, Zimmer Radio & Marketing Group; Dog Years, Motel 6, Barkley (Creative Radio Commercial by an Agency, Production Company, Or Advertiser); and Moolah, Georgia Lottery, BBDO Atlanta. Radio Mercury Awards chief judge/Campbell Ewald executive creative director Ale Ortiz comments, “It’s been an honor to be at this year’s Radio Mercury Awards and to award the incredible lineup of winners. The final round jury and I were very impressed by the winners’ ability to not only entertain listeners, but tell stories through radio and audio.” According to Radio Advertising Bureau president and chief executive officer/Radio Creative Fund chair Erica Farber, “This year’s awards once again proved the power of sound and demonstrated the strength of radio and audio in conveying a brand’s message. This was an incredible night for radio. It was so great to celebrate with everyone both in person and online.” Presenters from this year’s final round jury and advisory council included: freelance creative consultant Larissa Kirschner-Chaney; Josh Grossberg (McCann Health); Nicky Lorenzo (Taylor Global); Ciro Sarmiento (Weber Shandwick); and Joyce King Thomas (King Thomas). Event sponsors of this year’s event were Audacy and iHeartMedia. Dedicated sponsors included CBS News Radio, Hubbard Broadcasting and World Wide Wadio. General sponsors were Beasley Media Group; Cumulus Media/Westwood One; Katz Media Group; Salem Media Group; Skyview Networks; Sound and Fury; and WideOrbit, along with Friends of the Mercuries sponsors Forcht Broadcasting; Neuhoff Media; Nielsen; Triton Digital; and vCreative. For the complete list of winners and to listen to their work, go to 
Radio Washington, DC’s all-news WTOP will raise awareness for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Announcements will highlight various MS events in the community in an effort to increase registrations – and ultimately – donations. WTOP general manager Joel Oxley states, “We wanted to do everything we could to help amplify the critical mission of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Our hope is that, through this partnership, we can help those in their journey with MS and work towards a world free of this devastating disease.” National MS Society Greater DC-Maryland Chapter president Chartese Berry remarks, “We are sincerely grateful [to] WTOP and their amazing partnership in joining our quest towards a world free of MS. Their strong reach in the region will help immensely in raising much needed awareness and funds to support the nearly one million people in the United States living with MS.” WTOP senior sports director Dave Johnson and WTOP anchor/reporter Mike Murillo were diagnosed with MS in 2019 and 2016, respectively. The two will contribute to the campaign by sharing their stories about how MS has effected them and their families. Johnson declares, “MS: Look out we are coming after you. We have the community and we have the support. My mom lost her battle to MS in 1979, and now with my WTOP family and the MS Society we are going to finish the fight.” Murillo adds, “I am so thankful to have benefited from new treatments for MS, but there is so much still to do including finding ways to repair the damage the disease can cause. With your help, I truly believe there will soon come a day when we can say there’s a cure for MS.” WTOP will highlight volunteer opportunities throughout the year.
Multicultural Broadcasting-owned KBLA “Talk 1580,” Los Angeles’ “A More Perfect Union.” The HUD secretary and KBLA’s chief national political analyst, Dr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey, discussed the city’s homelessness problem; the need for affordable housing; and creative ways for first-time buyers to purchase a home and down payment assistance. Fudge commented that HUD is committed to equity by eliminating redlining of “certain kinds of neighborhoods.” … Effective next 
Monday (6/13), Randy Cable commences as director of sales for Beasley Media Group’s Fort Myers/Naples cluster, which includes sports talk WBCN “ESPN Southwest Florida.” Vice president/market manager AJ Lurie comments, “The more people I asked about Randy, the more excited I got about having him on our team. I think he will be a perfect complement to our brands, products, and family here in Southwest Florida.” Spring Valley, New York native Cable notes, “I am thrilled to join the Beasley family and look forward to working with the incredible team in Fort Myers. I am passionate about helping our team help local businesses thrive and prosper with great ideas and our ability to develop/execute powerful fully-integrated radio and digital campaigns.” Cable formerly was integrated sales manager for Cox Media Group’s Miami and Jacksonville stations, and spent eleven years as director of sales for Audacy Greenville (South Carolina) … The Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters
Association (CAPBA) recognizes Your Public Radio-owned public radio news/talk WYPR, Baltimore with five (5) first-place awards and seven (7) second-place awards for work done in 2021. Its first-place citations are in “Outstanding News Series”; “Outstanding Public Affairs”; “Outstanding Specialty Reporting”; “Outstanding Documentary/In-Depth Reporting”; and “Outstanding Serious Feature.” The CAPBA awards ceremony was held last Saturday (6/4) in Ocean City, Maryland. … In addition to hosting afternoon drive on iHeartMedia Des Moines news/talk WHO “News Radio 1040,” Simon Conway has been doing morning drive on similarly-formatted Orlando sibling WFLA “News Radio” and today adds a national assignment, filling in for Joe Pagliarulo. Conway’s PM drive program is simulcast on iHM’s WMT-AM “News Radio AM 600,” Cedar Rapids and WOC “News Talk 1420,” Davenport (Iowa). … Among the Delta Radio Greenville, Mississippi properties McConnell “Man@Large Adams will oversee as the newly-appointed operations director is WNIX “News Talk.” Adams most recently was director of content for Townsquare Media Lansing (Michigan).
publication’s biggest day on the calendar. We’re right back at it again though next week, as TALKERS vice president/executive editor Kevin Casey leads team coverage of TALKERS 2022 highlights; in addition, we will post regular Monday morning memos from Holland Cooke and Steve Lapa. Later in the week, editor/publisher Michael Harrison reveals his latest guest on “The Michael Harrison Podcast,” while managing editor Mike Kinosian begins his four-part series on “Takeaways” from Nielsen Audio’s May 2022 survey period.
