Effective Tuesday (10/31), the “Good Day with Doug Stephan and Jai Kershner,” show along with Stephan
MultiMedia’s weekend programs, are migrating to new satellite distribution as the programming shifts from GCN Channels 1, 3, 4 & 6 to Wegener/Westwood One Satellite Channel A-1DBV165. GCN will continue to offer audio access via Echo Box.
The latest blog post from Cumulus Media | Westwood One’s Audio Active Group features data from Nielsen’s Total Audience Report for Q3 of 2023 that indicates “AM/FM radio’s persons 18-49 average audience is now +5% greater than television.” Other takeaways from the research include: 1) Since
2018, Nielsen’s Total Audience Report reveals the 18-49 weekly reach of live and time-shifted TV has dropped -26%. Over the same period, TV’s daily time spent is down -59%; 2) cord-cutting is a major driver of TV’s audience collapse: The MRI Simmons January 2023 “How Americans Watch TV” report reveals 51% have cut the cord; 3) While a huge number of Americans have abandoned traditional TV for streaming, AM/FM radio remains the dominant audio platform: According to Edison Research’s Q2 2023 “Share of Ear,” AM/FM radio has a massive 69% share of U.S. ad-supported audio. AM/FM radio audience shares are over 17 times larger than ad-supported Pandora and ad-supported Spotify. See the full blog post here.
Talk radio programs syndicated by Burnsville, Minnesota-based Genesis Communications Networks learned this week that XDS satellite delivery service to affiliate stations will not be provided after November 1, 2023. As a full-service radio syndicator, GCN provides affiliate sales, commercial sales,
and satellite delivery of programming. It contracts for that XDS satellite delivery from Westwood One. GCN CEO Ted Anderson tells TALKERS, “We’ve been working with Westwood One for almost 30 years and it appears that we are at an impasse with them contractually going forward. It has been a very positive and productive relationship, but it is time to move on. C-Band is a legacy technology that developed in the earlier days of talk radio but it is no longer a fundamental choice. We intend to provide our hosts and clients with modern, real-time audio with less delays than C-Band.”
The latest blog post from the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group examines the results of a brand effect study by Upwave of the six-month campaign of an e-commerce retailer that used AM/FM radio streaming and sponsorship of a Katy Perry-narrated podcast about Elizabeth Taylor titled, “Elizabeth the First.” Some of the findings include: 1) those exposed to the digital audio campaign
were 33% more likely to say the brand “partners with all my favorite stores,” 81% more likely to indicate the e-commerce retailer “is a brand I trust,” 140% more likely to associate the brand for offering “the best sales and coupons”; 2) among those exposed versus those not exposed, brand equity measures surged, showing 54% growth in familiarity, 31% lift in average brand images, 37% greater consideration, 102% increase in purchase intent, and 55% growth in customer forecast; and 3) concluded that best practices to power direct-to-consumer marketing effectiveness calls for allocating 74% of marketing budgets to creating future demand (brand building) and 26% to converting existing demand (sales activation), targeting broadly to expand the customer base, employing emotional advertising to build direct-to-consumer brands and drive sales and profit, being known before you are needed, and buying lots of ads in all days and dayparts. See the full blog here.
The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) announces the distinguished recipients of the 2023 Gracies Leadership Awards, celebrating the remarkable achievements and groundbreaking contributions of women in leadership. The awards luncheon will take place at Tribeca 360° in New York on Monday,
November 13. This year’s honorees include: Rebekah Dopp, EVP of distribution, acquisitions and affiliate relations, The CW; Rosalyn Durant, EVP, programming and acquisitions, ESPN; Suzanne Grimes, president Westwood One and EVP corporate marketing, Cumulus Media; Rashida Jones, president, MSNBC; Susan Larkin, COO, Audacy; and Lori Locke, EVP and chief accounting officer,Warner Bros. Discovery. Additionally, AWM will recognize Kay Olin, owner and president of Olin and Associates, and former president of Local Focus, with the Legacy Leadership Award.
Nationally syndicated Westwood One host Dan Bongino (left) paid a visit to his South Florida affiliate WFTL, Fort Lauderdale where he was greeted by the station’s local star and fellow TALKERS Heavy Hundred member Joyce Kaufman (right). Kaufman’s popular daily show follows Bongino’s 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm slot on the big-signaled Hubbard Broadcasting-owned news/talk outlet.
This week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog investigates the connection between AM/FM radio listening and podcast listening and concludes that “a majority of the podcast audience also listens to AM/FM radio and vice versa.” It reports that Edison Research’s Infinite Dial study reveals that of the weekly AM/FM radio audience 45% listen to podcasts weekly, 55% listen to podcasts
monthly, and 77% have ever listened to podcasts. “All of this podcast and AM/FM radio audience duplication means there are great cross-promotion opportunities.” Among the podcast audience, over half the ad-supported time spent goes to podcasts themselves at a 53% share. AM/FM radio follows with a 37% share. Distantly following are ad-supported SiriusXM (4%), ad-supported Spotify (3%), and ad-supported Pandora (3%). Additionally, MARU/Matchbox was commissioned to study Cumulus Media radio listeners who listened for at least an hour to stations in Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco and Atlanta and were exposed to promos for eight Cumulus Podcast Network podcast titles. Overall, 54% of the Cumulus radio audience were aware of the eight Cumulus Podcast Network podcasts. A much larger promotion of heavy AM/FM radio listeners (67%) were aware of the podcast titles, and a whopping 75% of the heavy AM/FM radio streaming audience were aware of the podcast titles. Read the blog here.
ABC Audio enters into a multiyear podcast advertising deal with Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast. ABC Audio vice president Liz Alesse says, “ABC Audio’s podcast business is flourishing, and we’re poised to make several exciting content announcements this fall. We’re thrilled to have AdvertiseCast in our corner as we expand our podcasting footprint even further and take this business to new heights.”
Westwood One is again providing exclusive play-by-play coverage of the National Football League’s entire primetime regular season as well as every postseason game, marking the 37th consecutive season that Westwood One is the exclusive network radio partner of the NFL. This will be the 51st time that the network will broadcast the Super Bowl to a national audience.
OutKick debuted “OutKick the Morning with Charly Arnolt” this morning (9/7) at 8:00 am ET. The daily, half-hour show will be live each morning and comes ahead of OutKick’s plan to roll out a two-hour morning show with Arnolt and a co-host later this year.
Audacy’s BetQL Network ushers in the football season with a fall lineup that includes 99 hours of original content each week. BetQL Network brand manager Andrew Williams says, “As anticipation for the upcoming football action reaches its zenith, we’re proud to present an array of engaging shows, expert analysis, and thrilling insights that are set to redefine sports betting entertainment. With this fall football lineup, BetQL Network continues to set the gold standard in sports entertainment, offering a comprehensive experience that spans the spectrum from analysis to excitement, predictions and pulse-pounding action.”
Research Director, Inc brings Chuck Sullivan aboard to lead business development. Sullivan most recently served with Milwaukee Radio Alliance and Audacy in Denver. Research Director CEO Marc Greenspan comments, “When I was first introduced to Chuck, I saw right away that he would be a great fit for our company and especially, our clients. I am so excited to welcome Chuck to the RDI family and look forward to working with him.”
The Compass Media Networks nationally syndicated Lars Larson show celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Larson hosts a daily afternoon show on Alpha Media’s news/talk KXL-FM, Portland from 12:00
noon to 4:00 pm in addition to the syndicated program heard 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm PT. Larson states, “20 years ago this month, Peter Kosann (then CEO of Westwood One) asked me to do a nationally syndicated radio talk show to replace a departing host. When Peter and I both left WWO and he formed Compass Media Networks, he asked if I would continue the partnership we had forged in the first six years. I quickly and happily agreed. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Cumulus Media and sports media personality Rich Eisen announce a new deal with the Cumulus Podcast Network to distribute, market, and monetize all existing and forthcoming podcasts with the newly formed Rich Eisen Podcast Network. This includes Eisen’s latest production, “What The Football with Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask,” which debuts on September 12. Most recently, Eisen launched
“Overreaction Monday” on September 4 that expands on the most popular segment of his flagship podcast, “The Rich Eisen Show,” into its own weekly podcast with Eisen and co-host Chris Brockman reflecting on the biggest fan- and hysterical media-driven overreactions from the previous weekend’s professional and college football games. To support his growing podcast network, Eisen has built an expanded studio and team in El Segundo, California with state-of-the-art recording equipment and set design. Eisen says, “Since joining the Cumulus family, they have shown unwavering support for my vision in growing my brand. As I have expanded my suite of services, they were the only ones I wanted to do business with, and I couldn’t think of a better place for my voice and productions to be heard over the coming years.” In addition to his podcast network, Eisen hosts the pregame and halftime shows for Westwood One’s syndicated “Monday Night Football” coverage and anchors “The Rich Eisen Show,” also syndicated by Westwood One for national radio.
ABC Audio’s Labor Day weekend special programs include, “What’s Next? Life & Tech,” hosted by ABC News technology reporter Mike Dobuski who explores the role of artificial intelligence and the future of technology and the internet. The program also includes ABC News Radio correspondent Jim Ryan reporting on space travel developments and speaking with astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi and Eric Ingram, the founder and CEO of SCOUT, a U.S.-based company developing orbital products and services.
American Forces Network is moving the talk content it currently airs on radio as AFN PowerTalk to its digital platform AFN Go.
Westwood One is broadcasting the 2023 Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic live from Canton, Ohio, on Sunday (9/3) featuring the Virginia Union University Panthers vs the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers. The team of Troy Clardy, Anthony Herron, and AJ Ross will handle the game broadcast and Scott Graham will host the pregame and halftime coverage live from Westwood One’s studios.
Consulting and research firm Paragon promotes Michelle Conrad to marketing director in which she’ll oversee its marketing and communication efforts. The company also adds Jasper Logan as community engagement consultant.
TALKERS founder Michael Harrison has kicked off a nationwide guesting tour of talk shows promoting discussion of the upside and downside of AI in conjunction with the release of the new song, “I Got a Line in New York City,” by the long-established classic rock group, Gunhill Road. Harrison performs lead vocals on the track performed with band members Steve Goldrich, Paul Reisch and Brian Koonin. The music video of the song (produced by Harrison’s son and TALKERS associate publisher Matthew B. Harrison) has been described as a computer’s “fever dream about the Big Apple.” Although the music is totally organic, all of the visual graphics on the video have been assisted in their creation by generative artificial intelligence. Harrison says, “There’s huge interest in the topic of AI including the existential issues of its potential impact on our species. In the art community, debate is raging over whether AI enhances originality and creativity or if it is ushering in the death of individual artists and the role they play in the humanities.” See that video here.
Harrison launched the tour late last week appearing on the Rich Valdes show on Westwood One and has subsequently appeared on network programs hosted by Doug Stephan, Dr. Daliah Wachs, and WABC’s Frank Morano, as well as Harry Hurley on WPG, Atlantic City, Todd Feinburg on WTIC-AM, Hartford and Michael Zwerling on KSCO, Santa Cruz. WOR, New York has posted the video and an accompanying story here.
To book Michael Harrison please call Barbara Kurland at 413-565-5413 or email info@talkers.com
Cumulus Media announces it is flipping KTUC-AM, Tucson to talk as the all-new “Freedom 1400,” Tucson’s Conservative Talk Station. It had been airing an adult standards format. It is now airing syndicated talk radio shows including FOX News Radio’s “Brian Kilmeade Show” and the “FOX Across America with Jimmy Failla,”
Westwood One’s “Dan Bongino Show” and the “Chris Plante Show,” plus Ben Shaprio and FNC’s Guy Benson. KTUC program director Herb Crowe states, “We’re thrilled to unveil ‘Freedom 1400,’ Tucson’s Conservative Talk Station. As we embark on this exciting journey, we’re committed to providing a platform for open dialogues, diverse viewpoints, and robust discussions that matter to our community. With our esteemed lineup of talk show hosts, we’re confident that ‘Freedom 1400’ will become an essential source of information and insight for our listeners.”
The latest blog post from the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group presents data from content testing research firm Screen Engine/ASI that indicates AM/FM radio is a powerful platform to launch theatrical releases. In the case of the coming film The Expendables 4, Screen Engine /ASI’s Audience Engine surveyed 2,389 people exposed to the trailer for the film and questioned them about their desire to see the movie. The result was that “heavy AM/FM radio listeners are +17% more likely to want to see The Expendables 4 in the theater than heavy TV viewers and +15% more likely that the general population.” See the blog post here.
According to this week’s blog from the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group, marketers and agencies tend to dramatically underestimate the amount of time consumers spend with certain media, including AM/FM radio. Based on data from Nielsen’s Total Audience Report, “Marketers/agencies dramatically
underestimate time spent with AM/FM radio. While they believe Americans spend 9% of their media time with AM/FM radio, the reality is 15%.” Why is this? The report cites two reasons. First, longtime ad agency executive Bob Hoffman says, “How can professional people who work in an industry that is largely constructed on media behavior be so astoundingly misinformed? The answer is pretty simple… marketers always overestimate the attraction of new things and underestimate the power of traditional consumer behavior.” Second, marketing professor Mark Ritson adds, “There is increasing global evidence that marketers are basing their media choices on their own behavior or that stoked by the digitally obsessed marketing media, rather than actual audience data.” Read the blog post here.
Former Spotify director of global podcast sales David Cohn joins Cumulus Media’s Westwood One as senior vice president of sales & digital partnerships. Cohn will oversee digital sales for Westwood One nationwide, focusing on growing brand partnerships across podcasting. In addition, he will have responsibility for the New York and Atlanta sales teams. Based in New York, Cohn will report to Westwood One president of sales Brandon Berman, who comments, “David is an accomplished sales leader with an exceptional command of the digital landscape. With his proven client-focused, multi-platform sales success, he is positioned to make an immediate impact on our business.” Cohn adds, “I’m super excited to join Westwood One. The opportunity to expand our digital footprint with the company’s amazing podcast and streaming assets was a natural draw for me. I’m excited to dig into the integrated advertising opportunities available in the red-hot audio space.” Prior to Spotify, Cohn held positions with Megaphone, Warner Media, Ziff Davis, and the WWE.
During the coming days, videos of all of TALKERS 2023’s numerous sessions conducted June 2 at Hofstra University will be posted, continuing today (6/21) with the panel discussion, “Navigating a Radio Talk Show
Hosting Career.” The session, sponsored by C. Crane, was introduced by managing partner, Goldman McCormick PR and syndicated host, Ryan McCormick (pictured at right) and moderated by WPHT, Philadelphia host, Dom Giordano (pictured above). Panelists (pictured below from left to right) include Heather Cohen, SVP, the Weiss Agency; Martha Zoller, host, WDUN-AM/FM, Gainesville, GA; Frank Morano, host WABC, New York; Rich Valdes, host, Westwood One; and Jeff Katz, host, WRVA, Richmond, VA. See video of the session here.
A recent blog post from Cumulus Media | Westwood One’s Audio Active Group addresses the most recent data released by Nielsen that reports the 141 local markets where AM radio is listened to by at least 20% of the radio audience. This latest data from Nielsen takes a deeper look into “the vitality of AM radio in local markets with new data at the state and local DMA level.”
These DMA analyses are based on all radio stations in the U.S., not just Nielsen subscribers. The top DMA is Glendive, Montana with 72.1% of the population using AM radio. While the most AM radio listening tends to be done in Midwestern DMAs, there is still substantial AM listening done in Eastern markets. For example, Chicago is the #8 DMA for AM listening with 51.2%, but Seattle-Tacoma is not far behind at #14 with 42.8%, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose is #20 with 41.3%, and the top two DMAs by population – New York and Los Angeles – show AM listenership is done by 31.8% of the population. See the whole report here.
During the coming days, videos of all of TALKERS 2023’s numerous sessions conducted June 2
at Hofstra University will be posted, beginning today with the panel discussion “Programming News/Talk Radio in the Digital Era – Part 1.” The session, sponsored by Premiere Networks, is introduced by Larry O’ Connor, morning host at WMAL, Washington, DC and moderated by Mike McVay (pictured at right), CEO of McVay Media Consulting. Panelists (pictured below from left to right) include Joe Thomas, program director/host, WCHV, Charlottesville, VA; Eric Stanger, SVP operations, Sean Hannity Show/Premiere Networks; Brett Winterble, host, WBT, Charlotte; Kevin DeLany, VP news & talk programming, Westwood One; and Tom Cuddy, program director, WOR, New York. (Note: Matt Meany, program director, WABC, New York who was originally scheduled to appear on this panel switched to the “Programming News/Talk Radio in the Digital Era – Part 2” session which will be posted tomorrow.) See the video of this session here.
Cumulus Media, in partnership with Signal Hill Insights, release their “Podcast Download – Spring 2023 Report,” that studies the podcast audience. Cumulus says this 10th edition of the study that examines weekly podcast consumers is part of its commitment to share insights and research findings with the podcast community. The study concludes that podcast consumers
have embraced YouTube as the number one podcast platform, especially with podcast discovery. Cumulus Media EVP, marketing and president, Westwood One Suzanne Grimes states, “Throughout our long-running ‘Podcast Download Report’ series, we have seen the steady growth of YouTube as a podcast destination and now as a gateway to podcast discovery. While the dominance of YouTube as a platform is exciting and important as we continue to launch our Cumulus Podcast Network shows on YouTube, at the end of the day, content trumps the platform, and our strategy is to focus on podcasts that retain the audience regardless of platform.”
Cumulus Media’s Detroit news/talk 760 WJR announces a series of lineup changes that will take effect on June 20 in which all of the daytime hosts will be live and local. One of the biggest changes is longtime station morning host Paul W. Smith moving to the newly created 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm daypart as host of “Focus.” Smith replaces the Westwood One-syndicated “Dan Bongino Show.” WJR says that Smith’s hosting the “Focus” show “will expand the
community’s access to Michigan’s most influential political, civic, and business newsmakers.” Moving to mornings is current early afternoon host Guy Gordon, who becomes host of “JR Morning” from 6:00 am to 9:00 am. “All Talk” with Tom Jordan and Kevin Dietz airs from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Following “Focus” will be the 
newly created “JR Afternoon” show with host Chris Renwick from 2:00pm-4:00pm, followed by “The Mitch Albom Show” from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Additionally, WJR is bringing back “SportsWrap” with host Sean Baligian airing from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Cumulus Detroit VP and market manager Steve Finateri says, “Launching the ‘Focus’ show will give Paul W. Smith the opportunity to expand, on and off the air, his unmatched relationships with Michigan’s most influential newsmakers, for the benefit of our audience and our advertising partners. WJR is ‘The Great Voice of the Great Lakes’ and going 100% local is a big win for all Michiganders who count on WJR to inform and educate us about everything happening here in our state!” WJR program director Mike Wheeler adds, “What a lineup! Each of our talent is a brand unto themselves and have a unique vision and take on the events that shape the news. We are absolutely living up to our claim that WJR is where Michigan comes to talk.”
This week’s blog post from Cumulus Media | Westwood One’s Audio Active Group reveals data from studies indicating that audio personalities – both AM/FM and podcast hosts – are highly effective in connecting listeners to advertisers. According to Jacobs Media Techsurvey 2023, DJs/hosts/shows are the main reason
for listening for 60% of consumers. According to a study by MARU/Matchbox, there are a number of reasons listeners gravitate to AM/FM. First is comedic relief: 90% strongly or somewhat agree that their favorite DJs make them laugh. Second is local feel: 73% say personalities understand what makes my city/town unique. And third is thought-provoking: 64% agree that they make them think. Additionally, Magna and Vox Media surveyed 2,028 weekly podcast listeners and asked, “Whose influence matters most?” A stunning 75% cited podcast hosts while only 15% named social media influencers or TV/movie celebrities (10%). See the complete blog post here.
FOX News Media is presenting the third installment of “The Senate Project” series on June 12 at 11:00 am ET from the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston and will feature Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in a forum moderated by FOX News Channel chief political anchor Bret Baier. The hour-long event will focus on a variety of topics, including foreign policy and homeland security.
Cumulus Media’s Westwood One announces it is broadcasting every game of the Women’s College World Series beginning with the preliminary games on June 1 through the finals on June 9. The broadcast crews for the Women’s College World Series will feature Ryan Radtke and Chris Plank as play-by-play announcers; former Oklahoma and Team USA outfielder Destinee Martinez and Hall of Famer Leah (O’Brien) Amico.
Westwood One nationally syndicated talk radio host Dan Bongino, who publicly challenged Cumulus Media’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement and said he would leave the company after his contract ends because of it, confided to his listeners now that the company has ended the mandate he would like to continue his host role with the network (5/10). He said at first, he was reluctant about doing a talk show in the same time period as
the late Rush Limbaugh (“no one wants to replace Mickey Mantle”) but agreed to do it anyway. “This thing happened along the way where I really fell in love with the job… I didn’t really want to leave, and I don’t want to go. I didn’t really expect this and it puts me in a really weird spot… somewhere along the way this little marriage between you [the listener] and me… started out rough and rocky and it’s just become nothing but bliss for me and I just really hate to leave it.” Bongino’s addressing the matter came as CHRO and SVP human resources Todd McCarty notified managers about the ending of the mandate via an internal memo. He wrote, “After continued consideration, we’ve made the decision to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Additionally, we are eliminating all prior COVID-19 protocols for employees and visitors/guests to our facilities, with the exception of protocols for those who test positive. These changes are effective immediately and we ask that you communicate these changes to your teams. HR will be adjusting current job descriptions and will eliminate the requirement moving forward.” The complete Bongino on-air statement can be heard here.
At the time of this publication’s posting of the story, reactions from a number of her radio colleagues on Facebook indicate that just a half-year after the death of her husband, Westwood One and PodcastOne founder Norm Pattiz, legendary radio personality and dedicated substance abuse counselor Mary Turner has died. Turner was one of the top personalities at the iconic album rock powerhouse KMET, Los Angeles, where she served on-air between 1972 and 1982. She later achieved national radio prominence hosting the
Westwood One syndicated series “Off The Record With Mary Turner” in which she presented interviews with and personality profiles of some of the biggest musical stars of the day. Turner and Pattiz were married in the early 80s and the two shared what friends described as a happy relationship until his death this past December at 79 due to throat cancer. Turner had her own health issue battling substance abuse in the early 90s, which she bravely overcame. She became a UCLA-certified drug and alcohol counselor and received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She went on to be appointed chairwoman of the Betty Ford Center at Eisenhower Hospital in Rancho Mirage. TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, who worked with Turner at both KMET and Westwood One says, “Mary Turner was one of the main pillars upon which the great KMET was built. Nicknamed ‘The Burner,’ she was a pioneer in album rock radio and an iconic role model for women in the industry. She was solid on the air – providing music fans a panoramic window into the culture. She related to artists with an authenticity that engendered trust and they really opened up to her.” As of press time, further details on this story are not available.
Newsmax announces that Newsmax TV is launching a new prime-time show hosted by talk media personality Chris Plante, beginning Monday (5/8) at 9:00 pm ET. The program is titled, “Chris Plante The Right Squad,”
and “will be an exciting panel show led by Plante and will include Newsmax veteran Jenn Pellegrino along with three other regular panelists.” Newsmax says, “A seasoned television journalist and syndicated radio host, each weekday night Plante will join with ‘The Right Squad’ as his team features strong analysis with dynamic conversation and debates. ‘The Right Squad’ will talk about the major events that are impacting America — and no topic will be off-limits.” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy adds, “Chris Plante is an award-winning journalist who delivers fact-based news and opinion while keeping the conversation fun and interesting.” Plante hosts a Westwood One-syndicated radio talk show based at Cumulus Media’s news/talk WMAL-FM, Washington, DC.