Industry News

Round One of June PPMs Released

imThe first of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s June 2024 PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union (New Jersey). The survey period covered May 23 through June 19. Today, TALKERS magazine editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In New York, Red Apple Media’s news/talk WABC is steady with a 3.3 share (weekly, 6+ AQH share) but slips to the #11 rank, while iHeartMedia’s news/talk WOR is also steady with a 1.5 share and falls back to the #20 rank. In Chicago, Nexstar Media’s news/talk WGN slides a half share to finish with a 2.5 share good for the #15 rank, while Cumulus Media’s news/talk WLS-AM rises two-tenths to a 1.1 share that lifts it to the #25 rank. In Dallas, Cumulus Media’s news/talk WBAP adds four-tenths for a 3.0 share and rises to the #12 rank, while Audacy’s all-news KRLD-AM is steady with a 1.5 share but slips to the #27 rank. See Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways here.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (7/9) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Joe Biden’s determination to stay in the presidential race and Donald Trump’s prospective vice presidential candidates; the Israel-Hamas war; Biden promises air defenses for Ukraine at NATO summit; Democratic senators seek in investigation of Clarence Thomas; Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Narendra Modi meet in Moscow; the trial of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez; the intense heatwave affecting the U.S. West; and the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.

Ratings Takeaways

June 2024 PPM Ratings – Part One

imJune 2024 PPM Data – Information for Nielsen Audio’s June 2024 ratings period (May 23 – June 19) has been released for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union (New Jersey).

No share or rank thresholds are required for spoken-word stations to be included here.

DNA – DNA = Did Not Appear – Does Not Appear

Comparisons are May 2024 – June 2024  (6+).

NEW YORK

News/Talk

WABC 3.3 – 3.3, #10 – #11

WOR 1.5 – 1.5, #19 – #20

WKXW 1.0 – .9, #23 – #22

WKXW Stream .2 – .3, #39 – #36

WLIR .1 – .1, #45 – #43

News

WINS-FM 4.3 – 4.2, #5 – #7

WCBS-AM 1.5 – 1.5, #19 – #20 (Mets)

Business News WBBR .4 – .4, #34 – #33

WINS-FM Stream .3 – .4, #37 – #33

WCBS-AM Stream .2 – .2, #39 – #37 (Mets)

WWRL & WWPR-HD3 Black Information Network DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

Sports Talk

WFAN FM & AM 2.4 – 2.3, #13 -#13 (Yankees)

WFAN FM & AM Stream .8 – .6, #26 -#27 (Yankees)

Public Radio News/Talk

WNYC-FM 3.3 – 3.7, #10 – #9

WNYC-AM .9 – .7, #24 – #26

LOS ANGELES

News/Talk

KFI 4.0 – 3.7, #7 – #7

KRLA .8 – .7, #33 – #33

KEIB .6 – .5, #34 – #34    

News

KNX-FM 3.3 – 3.1, #10 – #11

KNX-FM Stream .2 – .3, #38 – #37

KRRL-HD2 Black Information Network DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA 

Sports Talk

KLAC 1.5 – 1.5, #26 – #27 (Dodgers 

Public Radio News/Talk

KPCC 1.8 – 1.6, #22 – #26

Note: The Angels’ flagships are sports talk KLAA (DNA) and sports talk KSPN (DNA).

CHICAGO

News/Talk

WGN 3.0 – 2.5, #12 – #15

WLS-AM .9 – 1.1, #26 – #25

WVON .2 – .2, #36 – #37

WLS-AM Stream .1 – .1, #41 – #41

WLIP DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

News

WBBM-AM & WCFS 5.2 – 5.4, #4  – #4

WBBM-AM & WCFS Stream .1 – .1, #41 – #41

WVAZ-HD2 Black Information Network DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

Sports Talk

WSCR 3.2 – 2.7, #10 – #13 (Cubs)

WSCR Stream .2 – .3, #36 – #33 (Cubs)

WSHE-HD2 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA  

Public Radio News/Talk

WBEZ 1.6 – 1.7, #21 – #22  

Note: The White Sox flagship is sports talk WMVP (DNA).

SAN FRANCISCO

News/Talk

KSFO 1.4 – 1.0, #22 – #23

KSFO Stream .1 – DNA, #38 – DNA 

News

KCBS-AM & KFRC 5.7 – 5.4, #3 – #3

KNEW .2 – .2, #32 – #30 (Oakland A’s)  

KCBS-AM & KFRC Stream DNA – .1, DNA – #35

KKSF Black Information Network DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA 

Sports Talk

KNBR 4.2 – 4.5, #6 – #5 (Giants)

KGMZ 1.7 – 1.5, #20 – #21

KNBR Stream .4 – .3, #28 – #28 (Giants)

KGO .1 – .1, #38 – #35  

KTCT .1 – .1, #38 – #35  

KGO Stream .2 – DNA, #32 – DNA  

KGMZ Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA     

Public Radio News/Talk

KQED 5.9 – 7.1, #2 – #2

KALW .3 – .3, #31 – #28

Note: Public radio news/talk KQED’s +1.2 (5.9 – 7.1) represents San Francisco’s largest (6+) May 2024 – June 2024 increase.

DALLAS

News/Talk

WBAP 2.6 – 3.0, #15 – #12

KSKY .6 – .7, #34 – #33

KLIF-AM .4 – .4, #36 – #35

KFXR-AM .1 – .1, #43 – #38

KSKY Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA 

News

News – Talk KRLD-AM 1.5 – 1.5, #26 – #27

News – Talk KRLD-AM Stream DNA – .1, DNA – #38

KKGM & KHVN Black Information Network DNA – .1, DNA – #38

Sports Talk

KTCK 5.3 – 5.1, #1 – #2

KRLD-FM 2.5 – 2.3, #19 – #20 (Texas Rangers)

KRLD-FM Stream 1.2 – .9, #28 – #30 (Texas Rangers)

Public Radio News/Talk

KERA 2.9 – 2.5, #12 – #17

HOUSTON 

News/Talk

KTRH 3.3 – 3.3, #13 – #13  (Astros)

KPRC .3 – .3, #30 – #27  

News

KXYZ Black Information Network DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

Sports Talk

KILT-AM 1.1 – 1.3, #24 – #23

KBME 1.0 – .8, #26 – #26  (Astros)

KILT-AM Stream .6 – .3, #27 – #27

KFNC DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA  

Public Radio News/Talk

KUHF 3.4 – 4.1, #12 – #7

ATLANTA

News/Talk

WSB-AM & WSBB 7.1– 7.2, #2 – #3

WFOM .3 – .3, #30 – #29

WGKA .3 – .2, #30 – #31

WAOK DNA – .1, DNA – #33

WAOK Stream .1 – .1, #33 – #33

WSRV-HD3 Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

News

WBIN Black Information Network DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

Sports Talk

WCNN 4.1 – 4.2, #8 – #8 (Braves)

WZGC 3.7 – 2.8, #11 – #17

WZGC Stream .6 – .3, #25 – #29

Public Radio News/Talk

WABE 4.0 – 3.6, #9 – #11

WRAS  .5 – .4, #27 – #26

WABE-HD3 DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

PHILADELPHIA

News/Talk

WPHT 2.1 – 2.2, #18 – #16

WKXW 1.1 – .8, #24 – #25

WPHT Stream .7 – .7, #25 – #26

WURD .3 – .3, #28 – #28

WKXW Stream .1 – .1, #31 – #30

WDEL-AM .1 – DNA, #31 – DNA

WURD Stream .1 – DNA, #31 – DNA   

News

KYW & WPHI 5.1 – 5.0, #6 – #6

KYW & WPHI Stream .5 – .7, #27 – #26

WTEL & WDAS-HD2 Black Information Network DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

Sports Talk

WIP 7.4 – 7.5, #4 – #3 (Phillies)

WIP Stream 3.0 – 1.7, #10 – #19 (Phillies)

WPEN-FM 1.5 – 1.2, #21 – #22

Public Radio News/Talk

WHYY 2.9 – 3.1, #12 – #11

Note: The -1.3 (3.0 – 1.7) by sports talk WIP’s internet stream is tied for Philadelphia’s largest (6+) May 2024 – June 2024 decrease. 

NASSAU-SUFFOLK (LONG ISLAND)

News/Talk

WABC 1.7 – 1.8, #18 – #16

WOR 1.2 – 1.3, #19 – #20

WLIR .2 – .2, #27 – #27

News

WINS-FM 5.2 – 5.2, #3 – #2

WCBS-AM 1.8 – 1.7, #16 – #18 (Mets)

WINS-FM Stream .6 – .5, #23 – #24

WCBS-AM Stream .4 – .3, #24 – #25 (Mets)

Business News WBBR .4 – .3, #24 – #25

Sports Talk

WFAN-FM & AM 2.9 – 2.9, #10 – #10 (Yankees)

WFAN-FM & AM Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Yankees)

Public Radio News/Talk

WSUF .1 – .2, #31 – #27

RIVERSIDE

News/Talk

None

News

KFOO Black Information Network DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

Sports Talk

KPWK .4 – .2, #21 – #24

Public Radio News/Talk

KVCR .4 – .4 #21 – #19

KPCC DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA

SAN JOSE

News/Talk

KSFO 2.0 – 1.4, #17 – #21

KSFO Stream .3 – .2, #27 – #26  

News

KCBS-AM & KFRC 3.5 – 4.1, #8 – #5

KCBS-AM & KFRC Stream .2 – .2, #29 – #26

KNEW .2 – .2, #29 – #26 (Oakland A’s)  

Sports Talk

KNBR 3.5 – 3.2, #8 – #11 (Giants)

KGMZ 1.3 – 1.4, #22 – #21

KNBR Stream .3 – .2, #27 – #26 (Giants)

KGO .2 – .2, #29 – #26  

KGO Stream .8 – DNA, #26 – DNA  

KTCT DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA   

KGMZ Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA 

Public Radio News/Talk

None

MIDDLESEX-SOMERSET-UNION 

News/Talk

WKXW 7.0 – 6.3, #2 – #2

WOR 3.3 – 3.0, #9 – #9

WKXW Stream .8 – 1.0, #19 – #18         

News

WINS-FM 2.2 – 2.0, #12 – #14

WCBS-AM .8 – .8, #19 – #20 (Mets)

WINS-FM Stream .4 – .3, #24 – #23

WCBS-AM Stream .3 – .1, #25 – #25 (Mets)

Sports Talk

WFAN-FM & AM 2.9 – 2.3, #10 – #13 (Yankees)

WFAN FM & AM Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Yankees)    

Public Radio News/Talk

None 

Note: News/talk WKXW’s -.7 (7.0 – 6.3) represents a tie for Middlesex-Somerset-Union’s largest (6+)May 2024 – June 2024 decrease.

Up next: June 2024 overviews for: Washington, DC; Boston; Miami; Seattle; Detroit; Phoenix; Minneapolis; San Diego; Tampa; Denver; Baltimore; and St. Louis.

Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com

Industry News

Audacy Strikes Deal to Simulcast “Sports Daily” on Wichita TV Station

Audacy’s sports talk KFH-AM, Wichita enters into a deal with CBS television affiliate KWCH-TV, Wichita to simulcast video and audio of KFH’s morning show, “Sports Daily” starring co-hosts Jacob Albracht andim Tommy Castor, on KWCH’s streaming service, 12 News Connected, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. KFH operations and brand manager Tony Duesing comments, “We’re delighted to expand the reach of our wildly popular morning show, ‘Sports Daily,’ and introduce the program to a broader audience in video form. Co-hosts Jacob Albracht and Tommy Castor have a unique chemistry that resonates with Wichita’s biggest sports fans, and now viewers can enjoy their insights and banter on 12 News Connected every weekday morning.”

Industry News

WWO: YouTube’s Growth as Podcast Destination

This week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog reports that data from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights’ Podcast Download Spring 2024 report shows YouTube has pulled away from primary competitors Spotify and Apple Podcasts to become the most-used podcast platform in the U.S. For the study,im MARU/Matchbox was hired to conduct an in-depth study of 603 weekly podcast consumers from April 19-24 of this year. Takeaways include: 1) YouTube is used most among Podcast Newcomers, Podcast Pioneers, and heavy podcast consumers; 2) YouTube podcast audience profile: Male and younger than the Apple Podcasts audience; 3) As the world’s entertainment search engine, YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform where audiences are more likely to find podcasts; and 4) Those who discover a podcast on YouTube say they stick with the platform for video, comments, community, entertainment, recommendations, and platform features. This growth for YouTube comes at the expense of Apple Podcasts. In July of 2019, Apple Podcasts was the most-used platform for 29% of weekly podcast consumers with 15% for YouTube. Five years later the figures are nearly reversed with 31% of weekly podcast consumers preferring YouTube and just 12% reporting Apple Podcasts as their most-used platform. See the full blog here.

Industry News

Dan Mann Named Digital Sales Manager for Beasley NJ

Beasley Media Group announces that Dan Mann is promoted to digital sales manager at Beasley Mediaim Group’s New Jersey operations that includes sports talk WCTC-AM, New Brunswick “FOX Sports New Jersey” and six music brands. Mann most recently served as client services manager at the company’s Boston station group. Beasley SVP and regional market manager Dan Finn states, “We’re all very excited that Dan Mann will be returning to New Jersey full time and in a larger capacity as digital sales manager. Dan is a consummate professional and is the perfect person to take us to the next level.”

Industry News

BFoA: Supporting Our Own

im

One of the many video highlights from TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond – “The Broadcasters Foundation of America: Supporting Our Own” – is now posted on the brand-new TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel. The presentation took place at the 27th annual installment of the talk media industry’s longest running national gathering held at Hofstra University on Long Island this past June 7. The event, which unfolded at Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, was presented by TALKERS in association with the university’s multi-award winning WRHU-FM/WRHU.org. This session focused on the Broadcasters Foundation of America and the vital role it has played for decades as a financial safety net for professional radio and TV broadcasters who fall upon hard times due to illness, accidents, natural disasters, and other catastrophic setbacks. It features a stirring speech by BFoA chairman Scott Herman and a charitable presentation by WPG, Atlantic City morning legend Harry Hurley. This is extremely important viewing for every professional radio and TV broadcasterTo watch the video, please click here. 

Industry News

Craig Carton Among NYSBA’s Hall of Fame Class of 2024

The New York State Broadcasters Association announces the addition of six inductees into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame. This year’s class includes Craig Carton, who currently hosts the morningim show on FOX Sports 1 and the weekend program “Hello, My Name is Craig,” on WFAN, New York. Carton began his radio career on WGR-AM, Buffalo and rose to fame nationally as co-host of the WFAN, New York morning show alongside Boomer Esiason. Also being inducted this year is John Murphy, radio host, TV sports director and longtime radio voice of Buffalo Bills play-by-play. The induction ceremony will take place at the NYSBA’s gala luncheon in the Rainbow Room, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

Industry News

FOX Nation Launches Weekly Series with Kellyanne Conway

FOX Nation announces the debut of the new weekly series, “Here’s the Deal with Kellyanne Conway,” on Thursday (7/11). New episodes will drop weekly through the November 5 presidential election. FOX Nation president Lauren Petterson says, “During an unprecedented election year, we are proud that Kellyanne’sim insights into the inner workings of political campaigns based on her unique experience will be available to FOX Nation subscribers.” Conway adds, “The American people are smart; they are also worried about the state of our nation and paying close attention to the issues, individuals and ideas that will govern our future. We will go beyond the news headlines and polling toplines to have a deeper conversation and equip the viewers with the compelling illustrative anecdotes and thoughtful analysis that they crave.”

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

FOX News Media is presenting live programming surrounding the 2024 Republican National Convention beginning Sunday, July 14 through Thursday, July 18. Originating from Milwaukee, the network’s convention coverage will be presented across all of FOX News Media’s platforms, including FOX News Channel, FOX Business Network, FOX News Audio, FOX News Digital and FOX Nation.

Virtual News Center adds Lake Cumberland Broadcasters, LLC’s WJRS, Jamestown, Kentucky to its roster of radio affiliates. Virtual News Center will provide daily local newscasts anchored by Jayme Monacelli.

TuneIn and the Big 12 Conference announce a partnership that includes the launch of a 24/7 Conference-branded audio station on TuneIn ahead of the Big 12’s college football season kickoff on August 29. Additionally, TuneIn Premium will offer fans in-game coverage.

Industry News

Yesterday’s (7/8) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Joe Biden’s determination to stay in the presidential race and Donald Trump’s prospective vice presidential candidates; Trump distances himself from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025; the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling; the intense heatwave affecting the U.S. West; and Hurricane Beryl hits Houston area leaving millions without power were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.

Industry News

The Case for AM Radio

One of the many video highlights from TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond – “The Case for AM Radio” – is now posted on the brand-new TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel. The presentation took place at the 27th annual installment of the talk media industry’s longest running national gathering held at Hofstra University on Long Island this past June 7. The event, which took place at Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, was presented by TALKERS in association with the university’s multi-award winning WRHU-FM/WRHU.org. The special address was delivered by Bill Brady, owner of news/talker KFNX-AM, Phoenix. Brady, a seasoned broadcaster, gave a thorough presentation in support of the “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” that is currently working its way through Congress in addition to citing all the benefits of keeping AM radios in new automobile dashboards in spite of the intention of a number of car manufacturers to phase them out. The segment was introduced by Alex Fife, VP of Southwest operations, iHeartMedia Total Traffic & Weather Network.  To watch the video, please click here.

Industry News

WURD-AM, Philadelphia Parts with Host Over Biden Interview

WURD Radio LLC-owned urban talk station WURD-AM, Philadelphia cut ties with talk host Andrea Lawful-Sanders after she admitted to using questions provided by President Joe Biden’s team during her interview with the president. Though the move is being termed mutual, it’s clear that Lawful-Sanders was asked toim leave the station. WURD issued the following statement: “On July 3, the first post-debate interview with President Joe Biden was arranged and negotiated independently by WURD Radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders without knowledge, consultation, or collaboration with WURD management. The interview featured pre-determined questions provided by the White House, which violates our practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners. As a result, Ms. Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately.” You can see the station’s complete statement on the matter here.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: WHO ARE You Talking To?

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imWe – inside-the-box – live and breathe radio. Listeners have their hands full just living and breathing. Their day is time crunched and financially challenging, and we want to be its soundtrack.

But listening is free, unlike umpteen other purchase decisions they agonize. So, what’s high stakes to us is low stakes to them. We only matter if we matter, and we’ve never had so much audio competition. Accordingly, this exercise, which has been helpful at stations I work with:

im

Describe the listener your station targets. Then ask other staffers.

— Is everyone profiling the same person?

— Does your programming content address their needs and wants?

— Is station imaging about the station? Or their needs and wants?

— Do commercials offer solutions? Are you missing categories?

Well worth the investment in conference room pizza.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry News

Edison: Podcasting Gaining on AM/FM’s Hold on Spoken Word Listening

The most recent edition of Edison Research’s Weekly Insights presents data that indicates podcasting is continuing to close in on AM/FM’s dominance of spoken word listening in the U.S. In 2017, 66% of spoken word audio was consumed via AM/FM radio and 13% via podcasting. Seven years later, AM/FM accounts forim 43% of spoken word listening, and podcasts 36%. Keep in mind that for Edison’s purposes spoken word content includes news, sports talk and play-by-play, audiobooks, talk shows, and “personalities.” Edison states, “Podcasting’s share of spoken word will almost surely surpass that of AM/FM within a few more years. There is one more thing to note – the advantage for AM/FM is coming entirely from those age 65 and older. Among those ages 13-64, podcasting has already passed AM/FM listening by, 41% to 39%. Meanwhile, among the oldest Americans age 65+, AM/FM radio continues to dominate, with a 66%-13% advantage. Curiously, that 66%-13% difference among the oldest Americans is the exact same difference we recorded for all Americans 13+ in 2017.”

Industry News

Salem Prepares for RNC Milwaukee Broadcasts

Salem Media Group is preparing for next week’s programming from Milwaukee – site of the 2024 Republican National Convention. This includes live broadcasts of Salem Radio Network’s “Mike Gallagher Show” from media row at Panther Arena, adjacent to the RNC venue at Fiserv Forum. Salem’s SRN News andim TOWNHALL News will provide top- and bottom-of-the-hour newscasts live from broadcast seats inside Fiserv Forum, as well as live feeds of acceptance speeches from Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump (7/18) and his as-yet unannounced vice-presidential running mate (7/17). SRN VP news & talk programming Tom Tradup says, “As the 2024 presidential campaign kicks into high gear, SRN and SNC will provide live coverage of the RNC that will be second to none. Along with Mike Gallagher, SRN News White House correspondent Greg Clugston and SRN News U.S. Senate correspondent Bob Agnew, we’ll have on-site perspective from our “America First” host, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, who served as a national security strategist in the first Trump administration.”

Industry News

Podtrac Releases Podcast Ranker for June

The latest U.S. podcast ranker from Podtrac (based on unique U.S. monthly audience for participating shows) is released for the month of June and the top five shows remain in the spots they occupied in May –im The New York Times’ “The Daily” at #1, NPR’s “NPR News Now” and “First Up” at #2 and #3, respectively, NBC News’ “Dateline NBC” at #4 and Wondery’s “Morbid” at #5. FOX Audio Network’s “FOX News Hourly Update” rose one spot to the #6 rank, and Cumulus Podcast Network’s “Shawn Ryan Show” moved up seven places to finish at the #13 spot. See the complete ranker here.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Rumble content creators will host live programs on media row at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week. Rumble Chairman and CEO Chris Pavlovski says, “It’s the biggest stage in politics, and Rumble will be there to host the free exchange of information in the marketplace of ideas. More and more, people are turning to Rumble for their news and analysis, live, on the spot, from people involved in making the news. All voices are welcome, and no one has to fear being canceled for their point of view.”

The Society of Broadcast Engineers – the association for broadcast and multimedia technology professionals – completed a member recruitment drive that ran from March 1 to May 31 and the organization recruited 79 individual members and one sustaining member.

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend

The aftermath of Joe Biden’s debate performance and calls for him to drop out; SCOTUS rulings; Donald Trump’s legal battles; Trump attempts to distance himself from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 plan; the Israel-Hamas war and protests in Tel Aviv calling for a cease-fire; the leftist New Popular Front prevents a National Rally takeover in France’s elections; Boeing pleads guilty to defrauding regulators; and the intense heatwave in the Western U.S. & Hurricane Beryl heads for Texas were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.

Industry News

Peter Thiele Exits iHeartMedia Des Moines

Programming pro Peter Thiele exits his position as director of spoken word programming at iHeartMedia’sim Des Moines cluster that includes news/talk WHO and sports talk KXNO. Thiele joined the Des Moines operations in January of this year. He can be reached at 646-926-6581.

Industry News

FOX News Channel Marks Another Quarter at #1

FOX News Channel announces that it finished the second quarter of 2024 as cable’s most-watched network in total day and primetime for 90 consecutive quarters according to Nielsen Media Research. FNC says it is the only network to show growth across the board versus 2023 while CNN and MSNBC both shed doubleim-digits in the key 25-54 demo. For the second quarter in a row, CNN hit a 33-year low in total day, 18-49 and 25-54 demos, delivering its smallest younger audience since 1991. In total day, FNC delivered 1,304,000 viewers, 154,000 with 25-54 demo and 96,000 with 18-49 demo, securing a 176% advantage over CNN viewers and 61% over MSNBC. In primetime from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm, FNC saw 2,037,000 viewers, 214,000 in the 25-54 demo, and 135,000 with 18-49 demo, a 230% lead over CNN and 77% over MSNBC. FNC continued to dominate the share of the cable news audience, capturing 50% of viewers across total day and 54% of prime viewers, the highest level of share for the network since 1Q’2023.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Edison Research announces that the Sports Audio Report: Female Fans with SiriusXM Media and Group M will be presented in a webinar on July 16 at 2:00 pm ET. Edison says the webinar will explore the unique audio listening habits of U.S. female sports fans and show how they interact with sports beyond the field. The webinar will be presented by Salma Aly, manager of Research at Edison Research and Sophie Anderson, associate director, podcast sales marketing at SiriusXM Media.

Salem Media Group closes on the sale of its Christian music stations in Nashville and Honolulu to Educational Media Foundation for $7 million. This transaction was previously announced on March 21, 2024.

PodcastOne announces the debut of its latest podcast, “Wholeheartedly with Kendall and Galey.” Hosted by fitness instructor and wellness influencer Kendall Toole and DIY home renovation expert and HBO MAX host Galey Alix, the podcast debuts on July 17 with weekly episodes dropping on Wednesdays. PodcastOne co-founder and president Kit Gray says, “Kendall and Galey have infectious energy and enthusiasm. Their passion for bettering the world around them is inspiring and PodcastOne is thrilled to give them a podcast platform to communicate with and grow their audiences. Their relatability strikes a chord with listeners and advertisers alike, and we’re excited to launch ‘Wholeheartedly.’”

Industry News

Yesterday’s (7/2) Top News/Talk Media Stories

SCOTUS presidential immunity ruling; Donald Trump NYC sentencing delayed; Joe Biden debate performance and calls for him to leave the race; the U.S. migrant crisis; the economy; France’s National Rally party win and Thursday’s UK elections; the new $2.3 billion Ukrainian military aid package; and Hurricane Beryl wreaks havoc in the Caribbean were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.

Industry News

NOW POSTED: The State of Sports Talk Radio – A Fireside Chat with Fred Toucher

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One of the many video highlights from TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond – “The State of Sports Talk Radio: A Fireside Chat with Fred Toucher” – is now posted on the brand-new TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel. The presentation took place at the 27th annual installment of the talk media industry’s longest running national gathering held at Hofstra University on Long Island this past June 7. The event, which took place at Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, was presented by TALKERS in association with the university’s multi-award winning WRHU-FM/WRHU.org. It features TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison interviewing long-running Boston sports talk radio mainstay Fred Toucher, the highly-rated morning co-host of “Toucher and Hardy” (with Rob “Hardy” Poole) on WBZ-FM “98.5 the Sports Hub.”  Harrison and Toucher discuss parallels between sports talk radio and news/talk radio regarding the tendency to focus on telling listeners opinions they want hear. It also explored the pros and cons of working within a duo or team format, handling the rise of women’s basketball and the impact of sports betting as a programming element. The segment was introduced by John Fredericks, owner (and talk show host) of the rapidly growing John Fredericks Radio Network. To watch the video, please click here.

Industry Views

SABO SEZ: Leonard H. Goldenson’s Real Open Door

By Walter Sabo
CEO, Sabo Media Action Partners
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
Host, WPHT, Philadelphia – daily
Talk Media Network – Sundays

imLeonard H. Goldenson was the founder/chairman of ABC, Inc. Before Disney, before Capital Cities, ABC was… ABC and it was run by Mr. Goldenson. He launched the ABC Radio Networks, ABC Television Network, and the original ABC radio and television stations.

His background was as a movie theatre owner. He respected the crowd, applause, creativity, art, the show. Many top talent and executives owe their start or standards to Mr. Goldenson. I worked at ABC Radio for five years when Leonard was chairman, here’s what I absorbed.

— Risk for the show. Allen Shaw and his team largely invented the album rock format and launched it on the ABC FM stations. There was no proof it would work. But it made sense. That required seven stations to dump automation and hire seven AFTRA jocks and seven IATSE engineers at each station. Note the IATSE pay scale was higher than the AFTRA scale. It didn’t go as planned. In San Francisco, the presumed success was slow to profit. WRIF, Detroit, under the leadership of Willard Lochridge, slam dunk. Leonard didn’t blink. Imagine.

— ABC was caught up in the payola scandals in the early 1960s. Alan Freed was a jock on WABC. After the Congressional hearings, Goldenson said never again and vowed to sell the radio stations. WXYZ GM, Hal Neal went to the chairman and said, “Let me run them and I will clean them up.”  He did. Without mercy. Leonard kept them and the ABC AM/FM stations became legend. Imagine.

— Leonard had the heart of an artist. He painted. Every year, at the holidays, a beautiful book of his art was distributed to all employees with an essay written by Leonard sharing his thoughts and feelings about each work. We had a glimpse of his soul. Imagine.

The door was always open for talent. On-air talent could visit Mr. Goldenson without an appointment at any time. WPLJ morning star, Jim Kerr would regularly ride to the 40th floor and sit in Leonard’s office to chat. Imagine.

— At an executive conference, he got up early and started to leave. Being a smartass, I looked at him and asked why was he sneaking out? He explained that ABC was opening a movie that afternoon and he wanted to stand outside a theater and ask audience members how they liked his movie. That was his research. Imagine.

— When WABC-AM switched from music to talk, the plan called for profit in year 10. It took 11. Imagine

— Leonard Goldenson flew commercial, coach. Imagine.

Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers.. His nightly show “Walter Sterling at Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, now in its 10th year of success.

He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.

Industry News

Mark Levin Extends Relationship with Cumulus Media

Cumulus Media and talk radio host Mark Levin extend their deal for Levin to continue hosting both his syndicated radio program on Westwood One and his podcast, “Mark Levin Audio Rewind,” on the Cumulusim Podcast Network for multiple years. Additionally, Levin will also develop and host an all-new show for the network, his first ever original content podcast series. Levin’s radio show airs live from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm nightly on close to 400 affiliate stations. He says, “This has been my radio home for 23 years, and I am more excited than ever – especially during these tumultuous and historic times – to continue my relationship with my first-rate broadcast partners for many years to come. I understand my obligation is to serve the millions of patriotic Americans in the audience. I am blessed to do what I do, and I am committed every day to providing detailed analyses of current events along with historic context, commentary, and my in-depth perspectives to deliver the very best broadcasting I am able to share with our many listeners.”