The most discussed stories over the weekend on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
1. Trump’s Putin Criticism / Russia-Ukraine War
2. EU Tariff Pause
3. Big, Beautiful Bill
4. Memorial Day Holiday
5. Gaza Peace Plan
Bonneville International’s news/talk KSL NewsRadio in Salt Lake City unveils a new late morning show titled “Inside Sources” and hosted by Greg Skordas and Dr. Holly Richardson. This comes after the recent departure of Dave Noriega and the announced retirement of Debbie Dujanovic who
together hosted the “Dave & Dujanovic” show. Dr. Holly Richardson is a former state legislator who currently serves as editor of Utah Policy and a columnist for the Deseret News. Greg Skordas is a defense attorney, former prosecutor, and former candidate for Utah Attorney General. Bonneville president and COO Tanya Vea says, “This reflects our commitment to provide Utahns with smart, solution-oriented news and analysis. Greg and Holly bring a rare depth of expertise, perspective, and connection to our community, and we’re thrilled to welcome them to the KSL NewsRadio lineup.” KSL program director Kevin Larue adds, “Our evolving lineup reflects what KSL NewsRadio stands for—credible voices, engaging conversations, and a deep connection to the community. No matter the topic or the time of day, our listeners know we have them covered.”
New York Festivals announces the Radio Awards winners during its 2025 Storytellers Gala. NYFestivals says, “Exceptional storytelling and audio innovation were celebrated during the 2025 Storytellers Gala virtual event, highlighting the achievements of global creators in radio and
podcasting. Captivating audio entries from storytellers around the world engaged listeners and earned top honors from the 2025 Radio Awards Grand Jury. Winning entries from 26 countries span podcasts and audiobooks, entertainment and music specials, dramas, documentaries, and breaking news coverage all created by some of the world’s most respected audio content creators.” Winners of note include CBC/Radio-Canada taking home the Broadcaster of the Year honor with the following organizations being recognized: NPR, Gold Tower Award, Culture & The Arts; BBC, Gold Tower Award, Drama Special; Bloomberg Podcasts, Gold Tower Award, Business Podcast; CBC/NPR, Gold Tower Award, Sports Podcast, Audacy, Gold Tower Award, Narrative/Documentary; NZME/iHeartRadio, Gold Tower Award, Investigative Journalism Podcast; and more. See all the winners here.
When an EF-3 tornado swept through the St. Louis area last weekend, Audacy’s news/talk KMOX was able to stay on the air and provide critical community service. Recounting how events unfolded last weekend, the station says engineer Kyle Hammer was monitoring the approaching system when he noticed a transmitter site in the storm’s path lost commercial power, automatically switching to
generator backup. About 35 minutes later the tornado moved through the city. It took Hammer about 90 minutes to go three miles through downed tress and power lines to get to the FM transmitter site and get it back on the air. Audacy SVP and market manager Becky Domyan says, “I want to give a huge shout-out to the entire team at KMOX for outstanding, minute-by-minute coverage on the storms. I can’t reiterate how much this information was life-saving, and big kudos to news brand manager Beth Coghlan for leading her team through this calmly and accurately.” Domyan adds, “I actually was driving on Mason Road near Lindbergh when it hit, and I have driven through storms many times. For the first time in my life, in this situation, I was terrified. At that moment, I tuned into KMOX to get an idea of where the storm was, so I knew what I needed to do to be safe. In times like this, we are there to provide information that truly saves lives. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone on our team.”
The NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals and iHeartMedia Cincinnati are extending their broadcast deal to run through the 2028 season. iHM says the broadcasts will continue to be heard on “one of the most powerful ‘triple-casts’ in the NFL, with a flagship station lineup of 700 WLW, 102.7 WEBN and ESPN 1530.” WEBN serves as the broadcast flagship stations for all Bengals games and WLW will carry all games for which there is no conflict with Cincinnati Reds baseball broadcasts.
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (5/19-23) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
1. Big, Beautiful Bill / Medicaid-SNAP Cuts
2. The Economy / U.S. Bond Rating
3. Biden Health Coverup
4. Deadly Jewish Museum Attack
5. Golden Dome Defense System
6. Trump-Ramaphosa Meeting
7. Immigration / SCOTUS Venezuelan Gang Ruling
8. Tariffs / U.S.-China Trade War
9. Pentagon Accepts Qatar Jet
10.Andrew Cuomo Investigation / Jim Irsay Dies
People
1. Donald Trump
2. Mike Johnson
3. Scott Bessent
4. Joe Biden-Jake Tapper
5. Cyril Ramaphosa
6. Xi Jinping
7. Vladimir Putin
8. Elon Musk
9. Andrew Cuomo
10.Jim Irsay
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
Audacy says that the latest edition of its Connected Car study reveals that “AM/FM radio stands out for its trusted voices and reliable local coverage of news, traffic, weather, and sports.” Among the findings of this latest edition of the study is when it comes to breaking local news, weather news or
traffic news, drivers turn to local radio over social media or phone apps. The study asked drivers about their use of their infotainment system use and 69% said they use it for first for controlling audio content; 68% said navigation was their primary use, and 66% said they use it first for making phone calls. Audacy adds, “Today’s drivers – especially the tech-savvy ones – expect their Audio to follow them everywhere. Whether they’re finishing a podcast from the office to the car or switching from music on the road to the gym, they want their content to move with them. Nearly all AI intenders (93%) say seamless podcast listening is a must, and 73% say the same about radio.” See more about the study here.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr testified before the subcommittee on financial services and general government yesterday and updated the committee on a number of issues, including his efforts to deregulate, saying, “Right now, the FCC is doing a top to bottom review of every rule, regulation, and guidance document for the purpose of eliminating unnecessary
regulatory burdens. We received great feedback from a range of stakeholders already and plan on eliminating onerous, antiquated, and unlawful requirements across the board.” Carr added, “And we have been delivering these results with a focus on efficiency. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, the FCC employed 1,461 full-time employees. As of April 28, 2025, the FCC employed 1,383 full-time employees. The difference over the last six months can be attributed to many factors, including FCC employees who took advantage of the early retirement window opened by my predecessor, the deferred resignation program offered by President Trump, and natural turnover. The agency is well positioned to continue carrying out its statutory mission for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2025 and beyond.”
Back in March, former Bay Area sports personalities Tom Tolbert, Paul McCaffrey, and John Lund – along with programmer Jeremiah Crowe – launched the digital audio platform Bay Area Sports Collective. Now, the company adds three new podcasts to its offerings. Jeremy Affeldt’s “Built For
The Storm,” “Girl, How’d You Get That Gig?” hosted by Amy Gutierrez and Celeste Gehring, and Rod Brooks’ “Quality Hang with Rod Brooks & Friends” debut on Friday (5/23). Jeremiah Crowe says, “After launching Bay Area Sports Collective in early March, it became apparent there were other hosts who wanted to join our team. We are proud to expand our growing podcast network with additional hosts the local Bay Area sports fans know and trust. The future looks bright for the collective and our fans.”
WPRO-AM, Providence producer and talk host Bill Bartholomew says he’s considering running for lieutenant governor in Rhode Island next year. According to a story in the Boston Globe, Bartholomew
hasn’t committed to the run by opening a campaign account but confirms to the paper he’s seriously considering challenging incumbent Sabina Matos. The story notes that Matos’ 2023 run for congress was marred by a “signature-collecting scandal that led to a campaign worker being charged with a felony.” Bartholomew is the producer and sometimes fill-in host for WPRO’s “Dan Yorke Show.” See the Globe story here.
Triton Digital releases its U.S. Podcast Ranker for April based on weekly average downloads and
NPR’s “NPR News Now” and “Up First” remain in the #1 and #2 positions, respectively. Other radio-related podcasts of note include Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” steady at #6, Cumulus Podcast Network’s “VINCE” falling five places to #8 and iHeartRadio’s “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” dipping one place to #14. See the complete ranker here.
Premiere Networks syndicated personalities and podcasters Angela Yee and Amy Brown were honored at the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation’s 50th Annual Gracie Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles Tuesday night (5/20). Additional iHeartMedia honorees included Hannah Storm and Ester Dillard from BIN: Black Information Network. Pictured above are (from l-r): iHeartMedia executive vice president of programming Thea Mitchem, Yee, Premiere Networks president Julie Talbott, Brown, Brown’s daughter Stachira Brown, Premiere Networks vice president of international business development Tanya Juhasz, and Dillard.
The most discussed stories yesterday (5/21) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
1. Big, Beautiful Bill / Treasury Bonds Status
2. Trump-Ramaphosa Meeting
3. Deadly Jewish Museum Attack
4. Pentagon Accepts Qatar Jet
5. Golden Dome Defense System
Longtime sports talk outlet KFNS, St. Louis is in the process of changing hands as Big Toe Media announced its intent to acquire the station from Zobrist Media back on April 10. Now, Big Toe Media is revealing that its plans for the station include call letter changes – to KLIS – and a re-brand to “The
Lou Information Station.” The station’s new lineup includes: “IN YOUR CITY Show” with Kelley Lamm and Gordon Montgomery; “Hot Take Central” with Jim Hayes& Cam Janssen; “Sounds of STL” with Tony Patrico; the nationally syndicated program “The Ramsey Show” and more. Big Toe Media says the station will be “a dynamic new content platform designed to deliver fresh, relevant, and engaging daily programming focused on the news, sports, culture, and conversations that matter to most of the St. Louis community. The press release adds that “The Lou Information Station” is a “modern media platform built for how St. Louis consumes content in 2025 with live and on-demand shows via YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.”
Yesterday (5/20), “The Bob & Tom Show” and flagship station WFBQ-FM, Indianapolis produced live spots for a dozen local clients. During spot breaks, the advertisers were featured in a live commercial accompanied by musicians and singers from The Bob & Tom Show band. Each business received a custom musical jingle, written and produced by “Bob & Tom” host Tom Griswold and his network of musicians and comedy writers. Griswold says, “This allows local businesses to both have fun with radio advertising and then see the real results that follow when creative thinking is applied to focus on their product or service.” Radio Advertising Bureau CEO Mike Hulvey attended the broadcast and “praised the innovative format as a ‘model for how radio can remain fresh, fun, and deeply connected to the communities it serves.’” The advertisers also received a professionally produced video and audio recording of their performance to use in future marketing.
Salem Media Group announces that company executive Terry Fahy retires from the company he’s served for the past 43 years. Fahy began his career with Salem in 1982 as general manager of KDAR-FM and quickly rose through the ranks to hold key leadership roles, including as general sales
manager at KKLA-FM, market manager for Los Angeles, and regional vice president overseeing major markets such as Seattle, Sacramento, San Francisco, Oxnard, San Diego, and most recently, Honolulu. Salem Media Group CEO David Santrella comments, “Terry’s vision, integrity, and deep commitment to Salem’s mission have left a lasting mark on everyone who has had the privilege to work with him. His contributions extend beyond radio programming into building meaningful community experiences and nurturing strong leadership in our teams.” Fahy reflects, “I am grateful for the opportunities and support Salem’s leadership has afforded me to make a spiritual impact in Southern California and other West Coast markets. I also treasure the talented and hard-working broadcast and media professionals I have had the privilege to work alongside. I am proud of what we accomplished, not only on air but also with our community events. Many people hope to look back on their careers with a sense of purpose and accomplishment. By God’s grace that has been my experience and privilege at Salem.”
Edison Research releases its Q1 2025 Top U.K. Podcasts chart and “The Joe Rogan Experience”
keeps its place at the top of the chart, above a host of U.K.-produced podcasts. Edison notes that on this edition of its chart, the U.S.-based true crime podcast “Rotten Mango” breaks into the Top 25 for the first time, mirroring the show’s ascent in the U.S. chart. Host Stephanie Soo currently is providing daily updates from inside the courtroom at the high-profile Sean “Diddy” Combs trial in New York.
The most discussed stories yesterday (5/20) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
1. Big, Beautiful Bill / Medicaid-SNAP Cuts
2. Golden Dome Defense System
3. Immigration / SCOTUS Venezuelan Gang Ruling
4. Biden Health Coverup
5. Andrew Cuomo Investigation
Cox Media Group is agreeing to sell its Tulsa radio stations to Zoellner Media Group, a local firm led by entrepreneur and optometrist Dr. Robert H. Zoellner for an undisclosed sum. When the deal closes, Zoellner Media Group will own news/talk duo KRMG-AM/FM and three music-formatted stations. A press release from CMG notes that Zoellner is “a pillar of the Tulsa business community for nearly four decades. Widely recognized as a visionary entrepreneur and optometrist, Dr. Zoellner
launched his first optometry clinic in 1991. Since then, he’s built his businesses on the power of radio advertising and has long championed the value of local broadcast radio.” Dr. Zoellner states, “We’re thrilled to welcome these incredible radio stations into the Zoellner Media Group family. Radio has played a crucial role in my business success, and I have always been passionate about its ability to connect communities and drive meaningful engagement. This acquisition allows us to build upon a legacy of excellence while fostering innovation across broadcast and digital platforms. I couldn’t be more excited to get started.” Tapped to manage the station group as president and general manager is Steve Hunter, who served for 22 years as director of operations at Cox Media Group Tulsa and seven years with Griffin Media. The transaction is subject to FCC approval and is expected to close early in the second half of 2025.
The filing with the FCC for Connoisseur Media to acquire the radio stations and other assets of Alpha Media is now public and Jeffrey Warshaw’s Connoiusseur is not paying cash for Alpha Media; it is instead assuming the company’s debt. The complicated deal announced back on May 5 will result in
current Alpha Media shareholders retaining their interest in the company but ceding control to Connoisseur. Under the terms of the deal, Alpha shareholders will reorganize into a new company which will become part of Connoisseur in exchange for a 3.75% equity stake in Connoisseur, plus two warrants to allow them to acquire more equity – one for 5% at $30 million valuation and the other for up to 5% at $70 million valuation. Connoisseur is acquiring new credit facilities to finance the retirement of Alpha debt plus a new, revolving credit line. Connoisseur is operating the Alpha under an LMA and when the deal closes, the new Connoisseur will own and operate 218 stations in 47 markets.
This week’s blog from Cumulus Media | Westwood One’s Audio Active Group analyzes data from Edison Research’s ongoing Share of Ear study to determine what advertisers should consider for an
ad-supported media campaign. Among the findings is that in order to ensure that digital audio buys are effective, marketers should commit news/talk and sports stations because they represent 28% of all 25-54 AM/FM radio streaming audiences. Among 25-54s, spoken-word formats have a massive 28% streaming share, 2.4 times larger than the overall spoken word share of 12%. The news/talk format has a 6.7% share of total AM/FM radio listening. The streaming share for news/talk is 15.4% — more than double its total share. The sports format has a 12.5 share of the streaming audience, 2.5 times bigger than its overall 5 share. Further, the data indicates that for the 18-34 demographic, sports and news/talk streaming is a combined 19.6% share. See the full blog post here.
Premiere Networks announces that journalist and social media influencer Brad Polumbo’s podcast
“Brad vs. Everyone” is joining iHeartPodcasts. Polumbo’s podcast featured him covering “the most interesting and entertaining stories in politics and on the internet from a center-right, independent perspective.” He comments, “I’m thrilled to launch this partnership with Premiere Networks and iHeartPodcasts, and to work with their fantastic team to bring ‘Brad vs. Everyone’ to new audiences. It’s an honor to join a network with incredible talent and massive reach, and I look forward to the podcast reaching new heights!”
WPG, Atlantic City, NJ iconic morning host Harry Hurley has been racking up awards in South Jersey since he was a kid. The 1975 Atlantic City High School undefeated Track & Field Team was inducted yesterday (5/19) into the Atlantic City High School Athletic Hall of Fame… exactly 50 years after they won the South Jersey championship. They are the only undefeated track and field team in Atlantic City High School history. Pictured above is Harry Hurley winning the one-mile race nearly 50 years ago!
Nashville-based broadcast engineer Ted Randall has died at the age of 73. Randall was a Michigan native show worked at numerous stations there. He moved to Tennessee in 1979 and worked at
signals including WQKR, WAMG, WCOR, WRMX, WSM-AM, WSM-FM, WZPC – Power Country 102.9, WFCM / Moody Radio, WJKM, and more. He also served with Cumulus and as chief engineer for 5 Star Radio in Clarksville. During his time with WSM-AM, he also served as an announcer for the Grand Ole Opry. Randall managed and operated WJKM for five years and served as chief engineer for Cromwell Radio (now Cromwell Media) for over 20 years, overseeing engineering for ten stations in the greater Nashville area. Randall’s son, Matt Aaron, serves as a broadcast engineer for Ramsey Solutions. See his obituary here.
The Broadcasters Foundation of America announces that due to popular demand, it is presenting its next Media Mixer at the New York City studios of iHeartMedia on June 18 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. BFoA says the popular event brings together up-and-coming broadcast professionals with their peers
and executives and increases awareness of the Broadcasters Foundation charitable mission. This event will be co-hosted by Angela Yee, BFOA Ambassador and nationally syndicated host of “Way Up with Angela Yee.” Also hosting will be Pedro Rivera, reporter and anchor for ABC7’s Eyewitness News. Closing out the night will be Long Island singer-songwriter Camryn Quinlan. BFoA president Tim McCarthy says, “We are thrilled that there has been such an overwhelmingly positive response to our Media Mixers. During today’s dramatic changes in the media landscape, more broadcast professionals – entry, junior, and senior levels – want to get together to exchange experiences and brainstorm for the future.”
The most discussed stories yesterday (5/19) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS research:
1. Trump & Putin’s Russia-Ukraine Call
2. Big, Beautiful Bill
3. Moody’s U.S. Rating / Financial Markets
4. SCOTUS Venezuelans Deportation Ruling
5. Biden Cancer Diagnosis