TALKERS 2026 to Present 60-Plus Speakers in a Power Packed Day
The dynamic agenda is set for the 28th installment of the annual TALKERS conference that will take place on Friday, June 5 at Hofstra University on Long Island. The longest running and most important national talk media conference – TALKERS 2026: Radio’s Next Chapter – will feature more than 60 outstanding speakers in a power-packed day full of existential industry takeaways and platform/career building networking opportunities. The conference is heading toward being an early sellout. Don’t miss this! For up to the minute agenda, registration, and hotel information, please click here.
syndication.” Red Apple says is has brought aboard former CBS Radio broadcast journalists Michael Wallace, Cooper Lawrence, Bill Rehkopf, and Matt Pieper as “the first major hires in what will be a rapid buildout of the network’s team of elite news anchors, correspondents, writers, and producers.” Harris says, “We are assembling top-tier journalists and building a modern radio news operation rooted in speed, authority, and facts – one that stations can rely on and listeners can trust.” Red Apple Media owner and CEO John Catsimatidis adds, “Our mission is to be the most trusted news gathering organization in media. We are creating a powerful, around-the-clock newsroom designed to compete at the highest level of broadcast audio news. Facts are what will drive the Worldwide News Network. We’re looking forward to our expansion in the European markets.”
a year ago. Additionally, Urban One reports a net loss of approximately $3.1 million for the period, compared to the net loss of $11.7 million it reported in Q1 of 2025. Urban One CEO and president Alfred C. Liggins, III states, “First quarter revenue was soft across all divisions, with TV down 18.5%, Digital down 33.5%, Radio down 6.4% and Reach Media dropped by 17.0%. We had budgeted for a down-quarter in our Radio and TV divisions, but not at Reach Media and Digital… In Radio, our Miller Kaplan local Radio revenues were down 5.5% year-over-year vs the market down 7.1% and national was down 8.2%, vs the market down 6.7%. Including local digital, first quarter Radio revenue was down 2.8%. We did approximately $1.0 million in gross political advertising in the first quarter and have another $1.0 million on the books for the second quarter. Radio second quarter is pacing down 2.6%. We are in a turnaround situation at Reach Media, where we continue to be impacted by a weak marketplace, key client attrition and sales team re-building. Digital also had a soft first quarter, driven by weak advertiser demand but second quarter is forecasted to be up, and there is optimism for the back half of the year based on the current sales pipeline.”
Kevin Kinkead at Crossing Broad reports, The station will be ending local weekday programming at 6:00 pm, airing a two-hour “best of” show from 6 to 8, and then shifting to national programming afterward. That’s according to super-secret sources. It means the Fanatic will broadcast its normal daypart lineup – Kincade and Salciunas in the morning, Marks and Brace middays, and then ‘Unfiltered’ with Bill Colarulo and Ricky Bo in the afternoon, but there will no longer be Fanatic hosts doing local shows after 6 p.m. For instance, no Kevin Cooney or Brendan Gunn on the evening shift, which had been generically branded as “Philly Sports Tonight.” 
include news/talk stations KSDR-AM and KWAT-AM in Watertown along with four music-formatted signals. Connoisseur CEO Jeff Warshaw says, “Riverfront Broadcasting being a South Dakota-based company, understands the local market and can carry on providing local content and will excel in serving the community.” Riverfront president Carolyn Becker comments, “We are very happy to bring local ownership and local focus back to these great stations in the community.”
(FNN), and 2060 Digital have achieved consistent growth in revenue, profitability, and audience reach. The organization is on track to exceed last year’s performance and outperform its 2026 budget, reflecting strong results across digital, audio, video, and social platforms.” Oxley adds, “Our success is the result of extraordinary people doing exceptional work every day. I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented journalists, finance people, marketers, sales professionals, tech people and leaders in the industry.” Hubbard Broadcasting president and CEO Ginny Hubbard states, “Joel’s leadership, integrity, and deep commitment to excellence have shaped this organization for decades. His impact on our people and our brands is lasting, and we are grateful for his remarkable service. We are also incredibly grateful that he is willing to continue offering his experience and expertise to the company once he steps away from leading WTOP-WFED’s daily operations and strategy.”
Buffalo to Cumulus Media’s WGRF-FM “97 Rock” as the flagship radio station for the Buffalo Bills Radio Network. The marks a return to “97 Rock” after 14 years with WGR. In the Bills broadcast booth will be Chris Brown, who returns for his fourth season as play-by-play announcer, joined by color analyst and former Bills Pro Bowl center Eric Wood for his seventh season. Bills legend Steve Tasker will join the game day coverage team as the sideline reporter.
day leads up to the New York Yankees pre-game show at 6:35 pm and the play-by-play broadcast with Dave Sims and Suzyn Waldman. WFAN brand manager Ryan Hurley comments, “In a city that lives for baseball, WFAN is proud to serve as the flagship home for the Yankees, and a year-round destination for fans of both New York clubs to stay up-to-date and informed about their favorite team. We are excited to celebrate this legendary rivalry alongside MLB at their New York flagship store and bring the passion New York sports fans have.” 
2025. Looking at Salem’s business segments, the company reports Broadcast Programming Revenue (from local and national block programming) of $17.2 million in Q1 of 2026, while Broadcast Advertising Revenue (national & local spot, network advertising) was $9.27 million during the quarter. Meanwhile, Salem’s total digital revenue for the period was $18.1 million. Salem Media announced this week that it is in the process of being acquired by WaterStone in a stock purchase deal that will take the company private. 
For years, Harrison Legal Group has informed media creators about the legal risks of using copyrighted clips, songs, images, and broadcasts without permission. The issue became central enough to inspire my book, Playing the Clip: The Definitive Digital Media Creator’s Guide to Fair Use (TALKERS Books, 2026). The premise was straightforward: modern media runs on borrowed material, but borrowing comes with legal exposure.
SVP, Sport Studio & Entertainment since 2023. ESPN president of content Burke Magnus states, “In his nine years with ESPN, Mike has continually demonstrated his collaborative leadership style and excellent organizational and management skills, as well as his boundless vision, innovation and creativity. I am confident that he will continue to do so in his new role and help make us better every day.” The company says Foss will continue collaborating closely with “The Pat McAfee Show” and he will oversight of ESPN’s Creative Content Unit and Studio Enhancement Team.
available to radio hosts and producers free of charge. Kaye says, “I built this for me. I needed a faster way to break down what the media was actually saying versus what they were leaving out. Then I showed it to a few people. Then a few more. And it hit me. Every American deserves this tool. Not just hosts. Not just journalists. Everyone.” Kaye says RightPen.ai’s signature feature is the trademark Red Pen Correction Tool, which marks up news articles and headlines the way an English teacher marks up a bad essay. Bias gets circled. Spin gets crossed out. Missing context gets added in. The corrections appear directly on the article itself. Hosts or producers interested can reach out to Mark Kaye at 
policy, and geopolitical risk into clear, Main Street common sense. In each episode, Yates draws on his decades of experience across government, policy, and advisory roles to break down how decisions are made at the highest levels, and what they mean for the United States and the world.” Yates comments, “The world comes at you fast, not just at the White House, but at your house. My pledge to you in each episode is to deliver concise, experience-driven insight into how decisions are made at the highest levels, what they mean for the United States, and what they mean for your world.”
says, “This summer’s World Cup will be the biggest yet, with more teams than ever competing as the U.S. Men’s National Team takes the global stage on home soil, and we’re thrilled to partner with FOX Sports to bring this monumental tournament to our combined audiences. This partnership allows us to deliver complete, live coverage at an unprecedented scale, reaching fans wherever they are – at home, in the car or on the go – and connecting them to the passion and unforgettable moments of the World Cup.”
this deal will “strengthen Salem’s longterm mission across radio, digital media, streaming, podcasting, television, and publishing.” Company co-founder and board member Edward Atsinger III says, “For the last 10 years the Atsinger and Epperson families have been looking for a successor that would continue to carry the torch of delivering quality Christian and conservative media into the next generation and beyond. When we met with WaterStone some 24 months ago we believed it was a divine appointment. WaterStone is deeply aligned with the vision we had when our families founded this company.” Richard von Gnechten is chairman of Salem Media’s board of directors and president of WaterStone. He comments, “This is about building on what makes Salem unique. Salem has spent decades earning the trust of listeners, ministries, advertisers, and audiences by staying true to its mission. WaterStone believes deeply in that mission and in the people behind it. This partnership gives Salem additional strength and longterm stability while creating new opportunities to expand its reach for the future – which is why we are making this investment.” This deal is expected to close in August, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
adds that it recorded operating income of $7.7 million in the first quarter of 2026, compared to an operating loss of $0.3 million in Q1 of 2025. The increase in operating income was driven primarily by the sale of its Fort Myers stations. Beasley also reported net income of approximately $3.2 million compared to a net loss of $2.7 million, reported a year ago. Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley comments, “While first quarter results continued to reflect pressure in certain legacy advertising categories and an uneven pace of recovery across our markets, we made meaningful progress against the strategic priorities we outlined over the past year. Importantly, we continue to see strong momentum in digital, particularly in our owned and operated products, which grew year-over-year on a same station basis and now represent an increasingly important contributor to both revenue quality and long-term profitability. Markets with stronger digital adoption continue to demonstrate greater revenue stability, reinforcing our confidence in the long-term direction of the business.”
These are scary times. People on all sides of the mic are on the front lines. Not just “them,” otherwise referred to as the audience. We try to fool ourselves into thinking that society and civilization are relatively “safe.” However, simply being alive and stepping outside in the morning, turning on the computer, or checking the annoyingly smart phone, puts us smack dab in the middle of a war. Literally and figuratively. But like so much else in this modern era, this war lacks foundation.
Club at an awards ceremony held last Friday (5/8). Snowden’s award-winning investigation centered on a high-profile TikTok personality and party promoter who organized a massive West Side gathering despite explicit police warnings regarding potential violence. The event, which drew nearly 1,000 attendees, was followed by three separate shootings that left two people dead. Sylvia’s report revealed the promoter was a Chicago Public Schools employee; her continued coverage tracked his initial suspension with pay and his eventual return to the classroom following a district investigation.
Audio Group continued its strong momentum, with revenues up 18% year over year, slightly ahead of our guidance, while our Podcasting revenues grew 26.9% compared to prior year, above our guidance. We are announcing a new savings initiative that will generate an additional $50 million of annualized savings, in addition to our previously announced $100 million of in-year 2026 savings, as well as now paying minimal cash taxes in 2026, which we expect will have a $150 to $200 million impact over the next 3 years. And today we are reaffirming our Full Year Adjusted EBITDA guide of $800 million and our Free Cash Flow guide of $200 million.” The company is also expecting the increase in programmatic revenue to be some $200 million (+50%) during 2026. 
could not have anticipated today’s streaming options. This resolution reflects growing concern that sports programming is increasingly fragmented across exclusive digital platforms, forcing fans to purchase multiple subscriptions, maintain reliable broadband access and navigate a maze of services just to follow their favorite teams. It calls on congress to assess whether these evolving distribution practices are covered under the law, serve the public interest and preserve broad fan access to sports programming.” NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt says, “We commend the state broadcasters associations for their leadership and engagement on this important issue. Local television remains the only universally available video platform in America, delivering live sports, trusted local news, emergency information and essential public service to every community. Policymakers should put fans first and ensure that the future of sports distribution preserves broad access through free, local broadcast television.”
broadcasting is at its best when it informs, connects and serves the community. Our goal is to provide timely, relevant information that keeps the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene metropolitan area well informed, whether it’s breaking news, traffic slowdowns, severe weather or the stories shaping our region each day.” Nelson adds, “After more than 25 years in Spokane broadcasting, I’ve seen how important live and local news is when people need it most. News Radio KBNW is built to be present at the start and end of every weekday, delivering reliable information people can depend on, along with engaging and entertaining talk programs the rest of the broadcast day.” The two say the news staff will consist of Steve Wilke, Joe Paisley, Erich Ebel and Scott Carlon. Talk programs will include: Dave Ramsey, Mike Gallagaher, Lars Larson, and Armstrong & Getty. 
Jay Clark was the first program director of WABC as a talk station. He set the tone and path for modern talk radio. This week I had Jay on as a special guest on the Red Apple Audio Networks all night show, “The Other Side of Midnight.” We celebrated the anniversary, May 10, (1982) of WABC’s switch from music to talk on the giant signal at 770 AM.
format in America. KGO was the killer biller in San Francisco. The execs who ran them were mighty proud: Ben Hoberman, Ed McLaughlin, Al Racco, Chuck Debere. Yes, they ran those stations, but they also invented the caller-driven talk format. There were other winning talk stations, but they were guest centric rather than listener centric (i.e. WOR, WGN). At the time, there were 43 stations listed as “talk” stations. 43. Not many models.
District race today (5/12) from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The forum featuring candidates State Rep. Chris Rabb, Dr. Ala Stanford and State Sen. Sharif Street is being moderated by WURD Radio hosts Dr. James Peterson, Joann Bell and Solomon Jones. on Tuesday, May 12, from 5–6 p.m. during a special edition of Evening WURDs. The station will also host a live remote Election Night Special on Tuesday, May 19, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm from Honeysuckle on Broad St. 
journalist Lars Sivertsen will join ‘The KickAround’ in studio for the duration of the World Soccer coverage alongside the show’s long-standing hosts, Andy Swift and Peter Welpton. KTCK program director Jeff Catlin states, “This is our fourth year to cover World Soccer with expanded programming on ‘The KickAround.’ Interest this year is at an all-time high with key tournament games being played in Dallas-Fort Worth. ‘The KickAround’ will be a destination for Ticket listeners and both soccer fans and casuals.”
dcast and an extension of The Breakfast Club’s popular “Front Page News” radio segment. Black Effect says host Mimi Brown expands her on-air coverage of the most-talked-about news stories each weekday into easily digestible 10-to-12-minute episodes that will give listeners more of the headline-making details they crave.
a decline of 7.9% from last year and broadcast advertising revenue was $38.6 million, down 6.6% from the same period a year ago. Townsquare Media CEO Bill Wilson comments, “With our digital growth engine driving our performance, each year our business mix continues to shift to a greater percentage of both digital revenue and profit. In the first quarter, 59% of our total revenue and 63% of our total Segment Profit was generated from our differentiated digital solutions – each our highest percentages ever. Our Digital Advertising revenue returned to high-single digit revenue growth in Q1, which we believe will continue throughout the year due to the consistent performance of our digital programmatic offering and the success of our Media Partnership division; the strong revenue growth of the direct sales of our local owned and operated digital properties; and the stabilization of our online audience and remnant revenue. I would also like to highlight Townsquare Interactive’s strong profit performance, with Segment Profit margin of 34% in Q1, representing year-over-year margin expansion.” The company also announced that its board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share payable on August 3, 2026 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 27, 2026.