Connoisseur Media has filed with the Federal Communications 
Commission to take news/talk WNTX-AM, Fredericksburg, Virginia off the air due to financial challenges. The station went off air on November 1 as Connoisseur has filed for Special Temporary Authority to keep the station dark while the company considers the future of the signal. WNTX is a Class D AM non-directional with a daytime power of 1000 watts and nighttime power of 37 watts.
Cox Media Group names Cherish Geter digital media director for the company’s Atlanta stations, including news/talk 95.5 WSB 
(WSB-AM/WSBB-FM). Geter most recently served with Sinclair Broadcast Group as station manager for WCTI-TV and ECTI-TV in Greenville, North Carolina. CMG Atlanta director of sales Kris Hackett Lucas says, “Cherish brings the digital expertise and collaborative approach we were looking for as we continue building on our top Atlanta sales organization. We’re excited to welcome her to the team and look forward to the impact her leadership will have for our clients and our people. She brings a passion for digital marketing that we are all excited about.”
Sports talk pro Dominic Cotroneo announces his exit from Good Karma Brands news/talk WTMJ-AM, Milwaukee where he was 
host of the pre- and post-game shows for Brewers baseball as well as for the “Brewers Weekly” show. He posted to social media: “I wish nothing but the best; they gave me an opportunity in the 2022 season to be the new postgame radio host, and that’s not an honor I take lightly. It was 100% my decision. I did the best that I could, and I think WTMJ appreciated my efforts. Sometimes it’s OK to say goodbye. It gets to a point where you need to take a leap of faith. It doesn’t mean I’m going to leave Milwaukee or leave this market.”
iHeartMedia New York ups Danielle Dellilo to director of marketing and promotions. New York EVP of programming Thea Mitchem says, “We’re incredibly excited to have Danielle step into 
this role. Her leadership, infectious enthusiasm and ability to make things happen have made her a go-to for our teams, talent and sales partners. I’m incredibly proud of the leader she has become over the past 10 years. Danielle has earned this opportunity, and we’re thrilled to have her leading marketing and promotions for our legendary New York brands and talent.” The cluster includes news/talk WOR and The Black Information Network WWRL in addition to five music brands.
After a radio career that spanned more than 30 years – including 15 years as a nationally syndicated talk radio host – Rusty Humphries is unveiling his latest project. It’s called Coach Jeff and 
it’s an AI assistant for U.S. veterans and first responders, their families and “anyone looking for a great friend.” Humphries says that the reality of occupations like soldier or first responder is that “isolation hurts people more than the job does.” The press kit for Coach Jeff paints a picture these Americans are all too aware of: “You come home from the job and you can’t put it down. You can’t say it to your wife without scaring her, to your boss without being judged, or to a stranger without being handled. So, you say nothing.” As a talk host, Humphries spent years listening to people 
in exactly that spot, and he puts it simply: isolation is the accelerant, and connection is the antidote. The AI is based on a real Army military police soldier and combat veteran named Jeff Pelton, who helped build the product. Humphries says users know that Coach Jeff is AI “but he is always there, he remembers you and he calls it like it is.” See more about Coach Jeff here.
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/10) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Reporting on its financial results for the third quarter of 2026, iHeartMedia reveals net income of $1.03 billion – an increase of 3.3% over the same period a year ago (although revenue was up just 0.9% excluding political). Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman says, “We generated Adjusted EBITDA of $170 million. Our Digital 
Audio Group, led by podcasting, and our Audio and Media Services Group both continued to deliver strong results and profitability. Given the accelerating adoption of audio programmatic, we believe that the continuing rollout of our AudioGraph platform has the potential to meaningfully improve the performance of our broadcast radio business, enabling us to meet the advertising community the way they want to buy advertising.” The company reports a net loss of $8.2 million for the quarter, down significantly from the $65.8 million it reported a year ago. President and COO Rich Bressler adds, “In Q3 the Digital Audio Group’s revenue was $389 million, up 13.8% vs. prior year, and our Q3 Adjusted EBITDA margins were 32.8%. While this quarter was negatively impacted by a number of factors, we believe many of our revenue challenges are addressable – and beginning in 2027, we expect to establish podcasting as a separate reporting segment, which will provide greater insight into its financial performance and make it easier to fully value all four of our segments and our entire company.”
Urban One reports its operating results for the third quarter of 2026 and states net revenue was approximately $88 million, a decrease of 5.0% from the same period in 2025. The company reported an operating loss of approximately $126.6 million for the quarter compared to operating income of approximately $2.5 million for the 
same period a year ago. Urban One CEO and president Alfred C. Liggins, III says, “Market conditions in radio continued to adversely impact revenue in the third quarter. We were helped by net political revenue of over $0.8 million in the quarter and the acquisition of stations in our Dallas market, effective July 17th, which contributed an additional $1.9 million of net revenue in the quarter. Net political revenue for the full year is expected to be $8.8 million across all divisions. Weak demand in the Cable TV scatter market, shifted more inventory to the direct response category at lower rates in the third quarter. We saw an increase in local digital revenue in our radio markets, but large client attrition and suppressed rates in national direct digital revenue meant significant revenue declines in the overall digital segment… Management is hyper-focused on cost reductions heading into next year and has identified at least $20 million of annualized savings.”
Yesterday (11/9), TALKERS reported that Newsmax has filed with the FCC to acquire two Miami radio stations – WAQI-AM and WQBA-AM – from Latino Media Network for $1.8 million. Today, Newsmax says it intends to keep the Spanish-language programming on the stations. Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy says, 
“‘Radio Mambí’ [WAQI-AM] is an institution. For decades, it has been the voice of a community that understands the value of freedom because it has fought to preserve it. We are honored to continue that tradition and ensure ‘Radio Mambí’ remains a trusted source of news, information, and conversation for generations to come.” Newsmax Radio and Audio CEO Ralph Renzi adds, “We are excited to serve the communities of South Florida through these legendary radio stations and to expand the Newsmax brand in this important and dynamic market. WAQI and WQBA have deep roots in South Florida, and we look forward to building on their legacy while creating new opportunities to inform, engage, and connect with their audiences.” Newsmax says expects to begin its operations and programming for the stations in the coming months. The transaction is subject to customary FCC and other regulatory approvals and conditions.
By Harmony Tenney, MBA
Make sure that you and your client are engaging monthly to ensure Proof of Performance, so that your campaign yield will be ready for harvest (renewal). Agree that the measure of success will be both monthly customer counts, and new customer revenue.
Set the expectations for the campaign’s proof of success at signing
It’s not as easy as this year’s total revenue compared with last year’s. Recognize “total revenue” includes things neither of you control: the weather, staffing, a competitor, a big account walking away. Measure what the campaign controls: new customers, new customer revenue, and each one’s estimated lifetime contribution to the bottom line.
Track these four numbers every month and tally them.
4. What are their three favorite stations – yours will be on their list, after 13 weeks.
Keep the tallying simple enough that a busy employee will actually do it. Give them easy tools: a tally sheet.
Have their employees ask these four questions at checkout and on the phone:
“Is this your first time coming in?”
“How did you hear about us?”
Then ask them what their favorite three radio stations are, and if used, an offer from your station’s airwaves (usually the on-air talent’s name).
Then ask for two reports. A year-over-year sales report shows each month next to the same month last year. A sales-by-customer report, sorted by the first purchase date, shows exactly who is new and what they spent. With those two reports, my client’s $100,000 would have been visible every month. Those three numbers become the agenda. And when something big happens, like a lost account, a new competitor, or staff turnover, write it down that month, not a year later.
Managers: build measurement into every campaign
Put measurement terms in every annual agreement.
Schedule a proof review every 30 days before renewal, not nine months after signing. Coach your reps to hear “our bottom line didn’t move” as a cue to show the numbers, not to apologize.
Renewals and referrals come from proof. Proof is framed at signing. It ensures your renewal.
Dig deeper. Work the math. Get credit for what you grow.
SiriusXM announces that Anjali Sud will assume the CEO position effective January 1, 2027. This comes after current CEO Jennifer Witz decided to step down after almost 25 years with the company and almost six years as CEO. Witz will remain in an advisory role at the Company until the end of 2027. Sud has served as an 
independent director on the SiriusXM Board of Directors since March 2025 and will remain a member of the Board of Directors following her appointment. She currently serves as CEO of Tubi. SiriusXM Chairman of the Board Greg Maffei says, “Anjali has built some of the most successful consumer entertainment platforms. In her previous roles, she scaled audiences, expanded platforms, and led businesses supported by both advertising and subscription models. As a member of our Board, she has intimate knowledge of our business and strategy. With her digital media experience, CEO-level success, and Board perspective, we are confident Anjali will hit the ground running and build on our momentum as we continue to execute against our objectives. We believe she will be an outstanding CEO for SiriusXM.”
Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio Inc announces that applications are now open for the 3rd Annual Erica Farber Mentorship in Management Program. This program is designed for 
women pursuing greater leadership responsibilities across the radio industry. The year-long program provides personalized mentorship, executive-level guidance and professional development opportunities to help participants advance their careers. The program welcomes applicants from a wide range of disciplines, including sales, marketing, programming, digital, operations and other areas of radio management. Get more info and apply here.
The most discussed stories yesterday (11/9) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
Nielsen publishes its quarterly report card on how “U.S. consumers spend their listening day” (using data from Nielsen and Edison Research) and concludes that “83% of all daily ad-supported audio time goes to radio and podcasts, while only 15% goes to streaming music services.” The Q3 2026 report also 
addresses listening by radio format and again this quarter news/talk remains the number one format, with a 10.2% share of total radio listening among P18+. “It is even stronger with older listeners, at 11.5% among P35+. Sports captured 4.5% of total radio listening among P18+ and 4.6% among P25-54, as football season kicked off and baseball headed into its pennant races. All-news held a 2.7% share among P18+ and 3.0% among P35+.” Spoken word radio stations dominated streaming listening. “News/talk, sports and all-news together account for about 36% of station streaming among P18+, roughly double their 17% share of all radio listening. News/talk takes 22.1% of AM/FM station streaming among P18+, more than twice its share of total radio. That rises to 24.2% among P35+. Sports is the No. 1 streamed format among P25-54, at 13.0%, and takes 10.3% of station streaming among P18+.” See more about the report here.
Reporting its podcast data for the month of October, Podtrac says most publishers realized increases in audience (as well as downloads and plays) from September to October 2026 for both 
the U.S. and Global Multi-Channel rankings. For the U.S., this includes iHeart Audience Network seeing a 12% increase in audience; iHeart Podcasts – 10% increase in audience; Fox Audio Network – 9% increase in audience; and NPR Sales Network – 9% increase in audience. In the Global Multi-Channel Publisher & Network Ranking, FOX Audio Network saw an 18% increase in downloads, views and plays; PRX – 18% increase in downloads, views and plays; and iHeart Audience Network – 3% increase in downloads, views and plays.
In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission on November 6, Newsmax Radio is agreeing to acquire WAQI-AM, 
Miami and WQBA-AM, Miami (both 50,000 watts Class B signals) from Latino Media Network for $1.8 million. The stations were acquired by Latino Media Network as part of a 2022 $60 million deal with TelevisaUnivision. These will be Newsmax’s first radio properties. There has been no official statement from Newsmax about its plans for the stations.
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
This is not about politics. This is about change, and listening to listeners.
The dust is still settling. But, as you might have, I spent election night surfing news channels. I probably landed most often on FOX News, where Karoline Leavitt’s punditry debut was more resigned than her undaunted press secretary persona. Donald Trump had won twice as a change candidate. As the big story was unfolding, MS Now’s Chris Hayes called change FROM Trump “an expression of exhaustion.”
Georgia elected the USA’s first Black woman governor, New Mexico elected the first Native American woman governor, and a Latina will govern Texas; where her fellow Democrat won the most-watched/most-expensive-ever Senate race there. Reliably-red Kansas turned-out an incumbent Republican to send the Senate its first-ever megachurch pastor and Michigan is sending a Muslim. The Senate also gets its first Native American woman and first openly gay member, and Alabama – Alabama! – sends an openly trans woman to Congress. There are dozens of other stories, and two senate races not yet won in which Democrats lead.
In the month before election day, FOX News posted the biggest year-over-year ratings drop any of the three major cable news networks has suffered during a comparable pre-election month in the past decade. Although FOX News still led both, CNN’s primetime adults 25-54 audience was up 40% percent, and MS Now’s grew 30%.
Premiere Networks host Jesse Kelly told The Guardian: “Honestly, it was easy radio, easy podcasting, easy TV to just sit down and just powder Trump’s butt all day long. That’s what the audience wanted to hear. But like any other politician, same for all of them, you don’t stay hot forever. It’s not possible. No matter what, we’re nearing the end of the Trump era because his last term’s almost over and people are going to start looking around for the next guy.”
In that same report, TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison: “Anybody who is in radio and who plans to be in radio for a very long time has got to – or eventually learns – that the carpet is going to be pulled out from you eventually, with switching circumstances and public opinion.”
On Election Day afternoon, we got fresh 6+ numbers from big markets. Often public radio is beating noisier commercial news/talk stations.
Now what? Relevance to listeners’ day-to-day lives is imperative. Talk dollars-and-sense. Own your market’s weather image. Say “you” and “your” more than “I” and “me” – less monologue, more dialogue. Make the audience the show. Stations I work with are inviting voice texts, which don’t ask busy callers to wait on hold.
All-Christmas-music stations will do well.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
There were lotsa laffs and some Happy Birthday tears over the weekend, as family, farmers, and radio pals toasted “Talk Radio Countdown Show” and “American Family Farmer” host Doug Stephan on his Big Eight-Oh. Presenting Doug (center) a memento: TALKERS columnist and consultant Holland Cooke (left) and longtime WCBS business reporter Joe Connolly (right), who began his radio career as a teenager, working with Doug at WKOX, Framingham, Mass.
The most discussed stories over the weekend (11/7-8) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s midterm elections, FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez issued a statement on the future of the Commission’s work: “Families across the nation are grappling with rising prices, a country at war, and a cost of living that nearly half of Americans say they struggle to afford. Moving 
forward, that reality should shape the work of the FCC. We ought to be focused on lowering costs, protecting consumers, and ensuring every family can get online. I stand ready to work with members of Congress from both parties to restore a fully staffed, bipartisan Commission as Congress intended. We must rebuild public trust in the FCC by returning the public interest standard to its original meaning as an obligation to communities rather than a tool for political pressure. That means defending the First Amendment and a free press from government interference, advancing competitive innovation that smartly protects our communications networks, and delivering real results for consumers.”
By Mark Santos
Mark Studios
Founder
Talk hosts keep hearing that podcasting has turned into a video business: put cameras in the studio or get left behind. The newest audience numbers say something more useful. The people who consume podcasts every week now do both, and the shows they follow have to work with the screen on and with the screen off.
Video and audio run level. In the first quarter of 2026, 78% of U.S. weekly podcast consumers watched podcasts with video and 80% listened to audio-only podcasts, according to Edison Research’s The Podcast Consumer 2026. Those are mostly the same people, not two camps. In Edison’s Q3 2025 reading, video had come out ahead for the first time, 82% to 78%. By Q1 2026, audio was back in front by two points.
Almost nobody only watches. In Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights’ Podcast Download, Spring 2026, only 8% of weekly podcast consumers said they only watch podcasts, while 92% said they listen. The screen does matter more than it used to: 49% now prefer to actively watch when video is available, up from 30% in April 2022. But 30% prefer to have the video playing in the background while they listen. For a lot of the audience, the picture is company, and the audio still carries the show.
YouTube is where they go. YouTube is the platform weekly podcast consumers use most. Edison’s Q1 2026 data puts it at 37%, and the Cumulus and Signal Hill survey at 44%, against 21% and 14% for Spotify. YouTube says more than 1 billion people a month watch podcasts there. More of that viewing is happening on the living room set: viewers watched more than 700 million hours of podcasts on YouTube’s living-room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million a year earlier, according to YouTube. Those are the company’s own figures.
The biggest shows publish one episode twice. We took Apple’s top 100 U.S. podcasts, from the chart of October 30, 2026, and checked each show’s latest episodes against YouTube. Seventy-four of the 100 post full episodes there. The video goes up a median of 1.1 hours from the audio release, and 67 of those 74 shows post both within a day. Only one show in the top 100 posted clips without full episodes.
Two details stood out. For 14 of the 74 shows, most episodes carried a different title on YouTube than in the podcast feed: a numbered feed title such as “1074. Andy & DJ CTI” turned into a question or a hook. And 30 of the 100 feeds had no YouTube link anywhere in the show or episode notes, so a listener in a podcast app gets no pointer to the video version.
What that means for a talk show
Make it work blind. With 92% saying they listen, assume much of your audience hears the episode without watching it. If a segment depends on something on screen, describe it out loud, the way radio always has.
Post the full episode, not only clips. Among the top 100, full episodes were the norm, and clips alone were the rare exception.
Ship both versions the same day. Most of the top shows put audio and video up within a day of each other, a median of 1.1 hours apart. A video that lands a week later is a rerun to the people who already heard it.
Title for each place. The feed title serves people who already know the show. The YouTube title has to make a stranger click.
Point listeners to the video. Put the channel link in the show notes of every episode. Almost a third of the top 100 feeds have no YouTube link at all.
What these numbers don’t show
The surveys measure different people. Edison Podcast Metrics interviews about 20,000 U.S. weekly podcast consumers age 13 and older a year; the Cumulus and Signal Hill April 2026 wave asked 600. That is why YouTube’s share comes out at 37% in one and 44% in the other, so quote each figure with its source. YouTube’s audience numbers are its own and aren’t independently audited. Our check covers the 100 biggest shows, not the long tail: the Podcast Index listed 4,725,818 podcast feeds on September 16, 2026, and only about 10% had published an episode in the previous 90 days. Even the money is counted the old way. IAB and PwC put U.S. podcast ad revenue at $2.86 billion in 2025, up 17.6%, under an audio-based definition that may miss ad money from video podcasts on video platforms. And none of this measures a station’s own audience. Your P1s may not behave like the weekly podcast audience at large, and your own downloads and YouTube analytics are the test that counts.
Disclosure: I run a video studio that edits podcast video, among other work.
Mark Santos is the founder of Mark Studios, a video studio in Palm Beach County, Florida, that edits video podcasts and YouTube video for shows and businesses across the U.S. He has edited video since he was 10, and Mark Studios has completed more than 8,000 orders for 4,500+ clients. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
Premiere Networks nationally syndicated talk radio star Glenn Beck celebrates the 15th anniversary of his non-profit Mercury One and at a gala event in Irving, Texas he donated $5 million to the organization’s Maximum Impact Fund that provides flexible funding for urgent humanitarian needs and helps sustain the organization’s commitment to directing 100% of designated donations to those in need. Citing the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, Beck stated, “There’s nobody being killed at the clip that Christians are. We need eyes to be opened. We need countries to be opened. We need the United States to take a bold stand on this, as well.” Mercury One says the donation will help support the organization’s relief and rescue initiatives, which have included disaster response efforts in the U.S. and international humanitarian missions through partners such as The Nazarene Fund.
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (11/2-6) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
People
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
The New York Festivals Radio Awards is announcing its 2027 Radio Awards Grand Jury comprised of more than 100 leading audio professionals from over 20 countries. NYFestivals says the jury includes award-winning producers, directors, journalists, writers, and sound artists working across documentary, entertainment, news, sports, and corporate audio. NYFestivals 
EVP Rose Anderson says, “Every year, we work with our Advisory Board – all industry thought leaders – to make sure that our categories recognize the innovative audio storytelling being created today and reflect our commitment to the power of the individual voice. Their collective wealth of hands-on knowledge, their commitment to excellence and the proven mastery of their craft in the world of sound shows how robust the world of radio is today – and we gain a 360-degree perspective into our ever-changing and interconnected world. The insights into the paths to the future from this international brain trust ensures that NYF’s Radio Awards will continue to honor world-wide excellence across all platforms.” Americans serving on the Grand Jury include: Rory Belfi, vice president, Talk Programming, SiriusXM; Marcella Boehler, associate producer, The Outlaw Ocean Project; Jennie Cataldo, owner & producer, Accompany Studios; Joni Deutsch, SVP of Marketing & Audience Development, The Podglomerate; Valerie Geller, president, Geller Media International; Or Matza, co-founder & creative director, Audio Drama Studios; and Mark Travis, director, Media Production, New York Philharmonic. See more about the Grand Jury here.
Pictured above are some of the students at Hillsdale College producing election coverage on the school’s WRFH-FM, Hillsdale, Michigan “Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.” The students broadcast from the school’s Searle Center and invited students, faculty, and staff to join to watch election results roll in and listen to analysis. Station general manager Scot Bertram comments, “Students work incredibly hard to prepare for this quite unpredictable night. It’s a great team-building exercise and exposes our staff to all aspects of running a great live event. I’ve heard from many students who took part in our previous Election Night broadcasts that it was one of their favorite experiences on campus and drew them deeper into the journalism program here at Hillsdale.”
