WRVA – Page 3 – TALKERS magazine

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

By Editor | March 9, 2022 by Editor

Ryan Kaufman Adds KVOR, Colorado Springs PD Duties. Radio programmer Ryan Kaufman is promoted to program director for Cumulus Media’s news/talk KVOR-AM, Colorado Springs. Kaufman has been serving the company as PD for sports talk KCSF-AM “Xtra Sports 1300” and will continue in that role. Kaufman takes over for Bobby Irwin who continues in his position as operations manager of the Cumulus Colorado Springs station group and PD for two music brands. Cumulus Colorado Springs market manager Scott Jones says, “This is a well-deserved opportunity for Ryan. He’s a rising star in our business and you won’t find anyone more dedicated to and passionate about his trade. Ryan’s instincts are spot on and when you combine that with his tremendous work ethic, you achieve great results. I’m excited for us, for Ryan, and especially, for our listeners.” Kaufman comments, “Taking over a heritage station like KVOR is an amazing opportunity. Whether it’s sports or news/talk, the most important thing is the ability to engage in a conversation with the listener, talking about the issues that matter to them and keeping them informed. KVOR has been leading that conversation in Southern Colorado for decades with thought-provoking hosts and unrivaled news coverage. I look forward to working alongside news director Jim Arthur to not just maintain that standard but exceed it.”

Michael Berry Hosts Sold-Out ‘Great Texas Barbeque, Beer & Bourbon Blowout.’ Last Friday (3/4), KTRH, Houston-based, syndicated talk radio host Michael Berry hosted the sold-out “Great Texas Barbeque, Beer & Bourbon Blowout” in Houston that featured Premiere Networks syndicated personalities Jesse Kelly and the team of Clay Travis & Buck Sexton. The event treated a packed crowd of more than 1,200 listeners and fans to live music from country music artist Tracy Byrd as well as a conversation between the hosts about their careers and current events, including the conflict in Ukraine and the impact on the U.S., the midterm elections, and more. Michael Berry says, “Jesse and I love our fellow Texans here in Houston. Our listeners were keen to meet Clay and Buck and welcome them – Texas style, to our home with good food, good drinks, good music, and a good time. Clay and Buck loved ‘em back, and it was a great event all around. Radio can be a one-way medium – we talk into a microphone and they listen. For them to meet us, and more importantly, for us to meet them, reminds us why we do what we do and for whom.” Pictured above are (from l-r): Kelly, Berry Travis, and Sexton.

iHeartMedia’s Seattle Sports Talk KJR Adds Full-Market FM Signal. Seattle sports talk outlet KJR-AM gets an FM simulcast as iHeartMedia Seattle moves the hip hop on KUBE-FM to KUBE-HD3 and rebrands the sports station as “Sports Radio 93.3 KJR FM, Seattle’s Sports Leader.” KJR-AM will continue to air the sports format. iHeartMedia Seattle market president Mark Glynn says, “By moving the legendary KJR brand to the FM band, we’re going to be able to grow the next generation of Seattle Sports fans. With the combination of ‘Sports Radio 93.3 KJR FM,’ ‘Sports Radio 950 KJR AM’ and the iHeartRadio app, we enhance our sports platform and become the #1 destination for sports and currently the only FM sports platform in Seattle.”

John DePetro Broadcasts Live from Eastern Poland. Pictured above is WNRI, Woonsocket, Rhode Island talk host John DePetro broadcasting his radio program live on the radio station and Facebook Live from Rzeszow, Poland. DePetro tells TALKERS, “Challenging broadcast to say the least but valuable first-hand account of situation in Eastern Europe.” DePetro notes that Rzeszow is the closest airport to the border of Ukraine and main hub for thousands of refugees. He says he’s secured a translator and security and plans to broadcast later in the week from the Ukraine border.

RAB Extends President and CEO Erica Farber. As part of the Radio Advertising Bureau’s spring board of directors meeting held March 2-3 in Orlando, the organization announces a few updates “intended to maintain its executive ranks and strategically position the organization for continued growth as it serves a diverse and evolving broadcast radio industry.” Among those are the contract extension for president and CEO Erica Farber keeping her in that position through April 2024. The RAB’s executive committee also has reinstated and activated several new committees, including committees focused on bylaws, nominating, finance, strategy, investment, events, network, multicultural, and the National Radio Talent System. The committees are overseen by the RAB board of directors with participation by RAB’s senior staff and are intended to help the organization manage its day-to-day business, while planning ahead for the future and benefit of the radio industry. Also, at the meeting, Carolyn Fisher, partner, Southeast & Midwest Region, StateNets, officially joins the board of directors replacing Dave Martin.

Russia-Ukraine War, Gas Prices/Inflation, January 6 Capitol Attack Conviction, COVID-19, House Omnibus Bill, Postal Service Reform Act, and Brittney Griner Case Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (3/8). Russia’s ongoing invasion of the Ukraine and the West’s reaction; the soaring price of gas at the pump and high consumer retail prices; the first person to stand trial for the January 6 attack on the Capitol is convicted; the falling rate of COVID-19 cases and the rolling back of mask mandates; the U.S. House prepares to vote on an omnibus bill that would include $14 billion in Ukraine aid; Congress passes bill to overhaul USPS finances; and WNBA star Brittney Griner is detained in Russia after hashish oil found in her luggage were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

FOX News Media Has News Reporter Opportunity. This is a Washington, DC-based, full-time position for an experienced reporter. You will cover a wide range of political, government, and Congressional stories for FOX News Audio (FOX News Headlines 24/7 and FOX News Terrestrial Radio). You possess strong journalism skills and thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Most importantly, you have great editorial judgement and the ability to break important news stories. See more about this position and apply here.

FOX News Seeks Freelance Producer/Editor. This freelance producer/editor position is based in New York and requires you to supervise the staff for FOX News Media’s network radio news operations (terrestrial and FOX News Headlines 24/7 – Channel 115 on SiriusXM Radio). As the freelance producer/news editor you are the editorial leader, working with news anchors to craft the content and structure of a 24/7 news operation. This is fast-moving news environment! Your ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven newsroom allows you to deliver top-quality segments/newscasts. You excel at multi-tasking and pay close attention to details. Your writing and editing skills are excellent and your editorial judgment is first-rate. See more about the job and apply here.

Features

A Rich Man’s True Jewels

By Editor | March 9, 2022 by Editor

By Mike Kinosian
TALKERS magazine
Managing Editor

RICHMOND, VA. — Whether fair or not, market size/overall reach has been elevated as being an individual broadcaster’s dominant barometer of success.

Countless news/talk shows are heard on terrestrial, satellite, and internet radio, as well as through podcasts and other new media streams, yet it would hardly be a stretch to venture that a wildly significant number of news/talk hosts are fervently vying to become the next Rush Limbaugh.

(more…)

Front Page News Industry News

Thursday, February 24, 2022

By Editor | February 24, 2022 by Editor

KOA’s Mid-Morning Host Ross Kaminsky is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast. One of talk radio’s leading thinkers in the realm of economics and foreign policy, Ross Kaminsky – heard 9:00 am to 12:00 noon on iHeartMedia’s news/talk giant KOA, Denver – is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series “The Michael Harrison Interview.” Kaminsky grew up as a Navy brat and has spent most of his adult life waving his hands and yelling on the market trading floors in Chicago after studying economics, foreign policy, and politics at Columbia University. In addition, he has been to over 60 countries which adds to his perspective on a wide range of talk topics. Harrison and Kaminsky discuss a variety of current topics including the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the pandemic, political correctness, education, the economy and the changing nature of communications media. To listen to the podcast in its entirety, please click here.

Cumulus Media Q4 2021 Revenue Rises 2.6%. Reporting its financial data for the fourth quarter of 2021 and for the whole of 2021, Cumulus Media Inc says Q4 net revenue was $252.3 million, an increase of 2.6% over the same period in 2020. Net income for the quarter was $17.6 million compared to the net loss of $249,000 posted in Q4 of 2020. For Cumulus, digital revenue was the savior in the fourth quarter. The company reports broadcast radio spot revenue of $121.8 million, down 4.8% from Q4 of 2020, and network revenue of $71.3 million, a year-over-year decrease of 1.8%. However, digital revenue was $35 million, an increase of 47.3% compared to Q4 of 2020. Looking at the whole of 2021, net revenue was $916.4 million, up 12.3% over the whole of 2020. Broadcast radio spot revenue was up 6.1% over 2020 and network revenue was up 8.5%. Digital revenue for 2021 was $126.8 million, an increase of 47.6% over 2020. Cumulus reports net income of $17.3 million for 2021 compared to the net loss of $59.7 million it posted for 2020. Cumulus Media president and CEO Mary G. Berner says, “2021 was a year of tremendous progress and accomplishment for Cumulus. We not only achieved meaningful revenue growth in core radio, delivered substantial growth in digital, and greatly improved our operating leverage through material fixed cost reductions, but we also further and significantly de-levered our balance sheet, and executed many initiatives which bolstered our position as a true audio-first media company. As we carry this momentum into 2022, we continue to see significant upside with multiple pathways to enhance shareholder value.”

Round Two of January 2022 PPMs Released. The second of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s January 2022 PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including: Washington, Boston, Miami, Seattle, Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis, San Diego, Tampa, Denver, Baltimore, and St. Louis. Nielsen’s January 2022 sweep covered January 6 – February 2. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways for this group of markets. In Washington, Hubbard Radio’s all-news WTOP jumps 1.6 shares to finish with an 8.0 share (weekly, 6+ AQH share) and rises to the #2 rank, while Cumulus Media’s crosstown news/talk WMAL-FM is flat with a 3.6 share and remains ranked #12. Bonneville’s KIRO-FM, Seattle adds three-tenths to finish with a 6.9 share and jumps to #1, while Lotus Communications’ crosstown all-news KNWN-AM/FM dips three-tenths and falls to the #5 rank with a 5.2 share. In Phoenix, iHeartMedia’s news/talk KFYI shoots up 2.3 shares for a 5.7 share finish and the #3 rank as Bonneville’s crosstown news/talk KTAR-FM is up a half share and climbs to the #13 rank. You can see Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways for this group of markets (and yesterday’s round one) here.

Jim Bohannon Emcees Polar Plunge. Pictured above is Westwood One late night talk host Jim Bohannon serving as master of ceremonies for the annual Polar Plunge fundraiser for the Special Olympics in Westminster, South Carolina on Saturday, February 19. Bohannon said, “Air temperature? 44 degrees. Water temperature? We were afraid to check.”

TALKERS News Notes. As the conflict in the Ukraine escalates, ABC News Radio correspondent and anchor Aaron Katersky (pictured here in Lviv, Ukraine) continues to report from inside Ukraine where he’s been for the past week. Katersky also leads ABC News Radio’s live anchored coverage and is sharing his insights directly with affiliates through more than two dozen daily two-ways. Katersky’s experience as a war correspondent in network radio goes back to 2003 when he embedded with the Marines in Iraq…..At CBS News Radio, foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata co-anchored from the Ukraine “The World News Roundup” with Steve Kathan in New York. CBS says that today’s broadcast was eerily reminiscent of the origin of “The World News Roundup” which debuted 84 years ago when Nazi Germany annexed Austria in March of 1938. The broadcast, which was hosted by Robert Trout, first gave the world the voices of Edward R. Murrow and William Shirer, pioneering a top-of-the-hour news format that linked foreign correspondents around the globe with an anchor in New York City, giving listeners first-hand reporting from CBS journalists who were, and continue to be, eyewitnesses to the most important events in world history…..The Talk Shows USA-syndicated radio program “The Money Pit Home Improvement Show” adds new affiliate stations as WSGW, Saginaw, Michigan; WORK, Canandaigua, New York; WTSN, Dover, New Hampshire; and WKYX, Paducah, Kentucky pick up the program for their lineups. Show host Tom Kraeutler says, “Across the country, home improvement projects have increased as more people work from home and stay at home. The continued growth of our affiliates shows that now more than ever, ‘The Money Pit’ is a great tool for advertisers to reach active, engaged homeowners.”

WRVA, Richmond Host Jeff Katz Helps Raise Funds for Virginia Charity. Talk radio host Jeff Katz – pictured here his with daughter Julia – just finished a 36-hour fundraising blitz for The Friendship Circle of Virginia that pairs typically developing teens with disabled children. Katz says, “It’s always believed that the special needs kiddos will get the most out of the friendship that develops but the typically developing teens are the ones who always rave about the experience. These friendships last for lifetimes!” Katz says the charity does one fundraiser per year and his team – “Julia’s Jewels” was the big “winner” this year, setting a fundraising record of $21,351 in 36 hours.

GBH President Jonathan Abbott to Step Down at Year’s End. Longtime GBH president and CEO Jonathan Abbott announces he’ll step down from that post he’s held with the public media organization for 15 years at the end of 2022. GBH says that during his tenure, Abbott “reimagined the ways that GBH, the largest producer for PBS, creates and distributes content locally and nationally across new platforms, offering greater access to its award-winning journalism, educational and cultural programs for millions of Americans. He invested in public media’s essential role as a community resource, expanding coverage of local issues with the re-launch of GBH 89.7 as an audience-focused NPR news service.” Under Abbott’s leadership GBH has grown to encompass 10 digital and broadcast media channels and he’s grown the organization’s endowment from $63 million to $523 million. He comments, “The mission to share knowledge, inspire learning and strengthen community is why I’ve devoted my career to expanding the reach and impact of public media. There is no more exciting place to do this work than GBH. It has been my great privilege to work with an extraordinary group of talented and dedicated colleagues, supporting the creation of compelling, world class content and trusted journalism that helps us understand the critical issues of our times. I am grateful to our community for its enduring support of GBH and public media.”

Russia Invades Ukraine, Financial Markets/Inflation, COVID-19, Midterm Elections/Trump & the GOP, Trump Org Investigation, and Winter Weather Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (2/23). The Russian military begins its move into separatist regions of the Ukraine as Vladimir Putin warns the U.S. not to interfere and former President Donald Trump praises Putin as a “genius”; the world’s financial markets reel on the news of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and soaring retail prices for consumer goods and gasoline; the falling rate of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and the truckers’ “People’s Convoy” headed for Washington, DC; the battle for control of Congress in November’s midterm elections and Donald Trump’s influence over the GOP; the grand jury investigation into the Trump Organization stalls as two NYC prosecutors quit; and the frigid and snowy weather affecting much of the U.S. were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.