Date and Details Set for 10th Annual Music Industry Reunion in SoCal
Many readers and subscribers of TALKERS trace their radio industry roots back to the golden days when the radio programming and record promotion businesses were so symbiotic that the major trade publication serving this two-headed conglomeration was actually called Radio & Records: “The Industry’s Newspaper.”
On September 10, 2025, music and radio industry veterans from across the USA will come together at the 10th Annual Music Industry Reunion. The event will again take place at the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas, CA. Doors open at 6:30 pm. The Music Industry Reunion prides itself on bringing together the best of the music business from around the world for this special evening of memories, laughter, and hugs. Past reunions in New York and Los Angeles have reunited over 500 industry influencers, industry legends and icons as well as the brightest radio, music, management, publicity, and marketing professionals in the business. Attendees can enjoy hot hors d’oeuvres as well as chips and salsa, along with $5 tequila shots. Additionally, the Sagebrush Cantina’s full menu will be available to purchase.
According to TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, “For those of us who were lucky enough to be a part of that wild and crazy chapter of pop culture biz history – especially as it played out in Southern California – this is one of the greatest, most beloved industry events of the year… pure history, nostalgia, and fun!”
Advance tickets are $35 (+Eventbrite service processing fee) and available at this link: https://tinyurl.com/mir10th
The luxurious Anza Hotel has King Suites available at a special Music Industry Reunion rate of $118, which includes access to the hotel’s bar, pool, gym, and free parking. It’s just a few minutes’ walk to the event. Use Code: 250911LA10 at 818.222.5300 or follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/mir10hotel
Connect with The Music Industry Reunion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MusicBusinessReunion The 10th Annual Music Industry Reunion is coordinated by legendary music biz promoters Jon Scott and Kenny Ryback. Jon Scott 818.601.1283 jonpaulscott@gmail.com Kenny Ryback 747.666.5465 kenny.ryback@gmail.com
newsprint tabloid, TALKERS proclaimed that “talk radio” was, indeed, an “industry within an industry” and worthy of its own, unique full-service trade publication. Founded by pioneering radio broadcaster (KMET, WNEW-FM, WLIR-FM, WCBS-FM, WPIX, KPRI, CBS, Westwood One, RKO) Michael Harrison, who also brought his experience with publications including Radio & Records, Goodphone Weekly, and Billboard to the table, the independent journal went on to produce annual conferences, numerous radio shows, and contribute to the ongoing success and influence of a variety of spoken word formats and talk media offshoots.
Music on the weekend provides multiple positive strategic weapons for talk stations. From launch, “New Jersey 101.5” (1,000,000+ cumer); WTKS-FM “Real Radio,” Orlando; WABC, New York; WPHT, Philadelphia; and other major market winners air music all weekend or on dayparted shows.
made last year’s mingling of student and professional broadcasters such a resounding success. The dates are set for Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21. TALKERS founder Michael Harrison states, “There are exciting things happening at the radio stations and communication departments of high school, college, and university campuses across America. These institutions and creative outposts embody a spirit emanating from its practitioners as well as its audiences that bode well for the future of general radio, talk media and digital communications. This tremendous source of talent, ideas and energy has been burgeoning right under the noses of our professional industry for years. It’s time to harness that obvious synergy at this pivotal juncture.” More details including agenda, registration, hotel and sponsorship information will be posted in TALKERS in the coming weeks. Save the dates!
House lawn press conference sparked a wave of on-air and online conversations about the state of the media and appropriate use of the English language in the rapidly changing digital era. TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison appeared as a guest this morning (6/25) on the highly popular Gene Valicenti morning drive show on WPRO-AM, Providence sharing his take on the matter including legal and cultural aspects of whether to bleep or “let it fly.” 
In a ruling that should catch the attention of every talk host and media creator dabbling in AI, a Georgia court has dismissed “Armed American Radio” syndicated host Mark Walters’ defamation lawsuit against OpenAI. The case revolved around a disturbing but increasingly common glitch: a chatbot “hallucinating” canonically false but believable information.
TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison introduced the term in the 1990s, inviting us to think-beyond the real-time audio we were sending up those towers. What he described seemed conceptual, even futuristic, back then, when we were still logging-onto AOL via dial-up (screech).
Music radio’s competitors were vinyl, then tape, then CDs – before smartphone streaming and satellite radio offered more portability and variety. And before consolidation, broadcasters were under less of the revenue pressure that now commercializes many stations beyond listeners’ tolerance. 
(pictured here) that aired on the program yesterday (3/13). TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison was among those interviewed for the eight-minute segment called Radio Diaries. Pyne began his career as a disc jockey but after injecting political commentary into his show was encouraged to do more talking and that eventually evolved into the Joe Pyne radio show that the NBC Radio Network put into syndication in 1966. Pyne enjoyed bringing controversial guests – including “hippies, women’s libbers, Scientologists, swingers, a snake charmer, members of the Ku Klux Klan and the John Birch Society.” He then segued to television in Los Angeles. Harrison is quoted in the segment saying, “There were a lot of people that didn’t like Pyne, but they watched him anyway because they thought it was — amusing? Entertaining? Sensational? Different? You know, not boring.” Photo: Everett Collection 
International Day of the United Nations, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD). Each year WRD focuses on a specific theme involving radio that is timely, and important. This year the theme is “Radio and Climate Change.” UNESCO points out: Radio contributes to the achievement of its international objectives by supporting populations through climate disasters such as tropical storms and floods. It helps with the dissemination of fact-based information, listeners’ voices, and dedicated radio shows. 
pm on Saturday, March 8 in the heart of the iconic IBS gathering. It will feature an array of six sessions with 16+ luminary industry speakers (to be named shortly) including a keynote address, fireside chat, and four panel discussions that will tackle such topics as “Launching and Managing a Career in a Changing Media Industry,” “Old School, New School, Next School: Learning from Each Other,” “Radio’s Place in a Digital World,” “Finding and Delivering Truth in an Age of Misinformation,” and much more. TALKERS will also serve as the Presenting Sponsor of the entire IBSNYC 2025 event.
Harrison as “one of the most dynamic and effective radio managers in America” – has served as president of WABC Radio, Red Apple Media Group, and the Red Apple Audio Network since the iconic AM station was acquired and expanded five years ago by New York-based billionaire businessman / talk show host / philanthropist John Catsimatidis. Since then, the station and its associated media group have shown explosive growth that has grabbed the attention and respect of the national broadcasting industry. Prior to joining Red Apple, Lopez had already achieved notable recognition for his leadership as VP/MM of Cumulus New York and before that as GSM of CBS Radio New York. The Fireside Chat will be one of the highlights of the innovative four-hour TALKERS event on Saturday, March 8 that will be co-located with the national Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) conference March 7-8 at the Sheraton New York Times Square hotel. More speakers will be announced next week. For more information about the event including discount conference registration and room registrations, please see the story immediately below.
acquisition of AMFM, took on an EVP role at Premiere Networks. He was the president of the fledgling liberal talk radio company Air America and joined Westwood One after Air America shut down in 2006. TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison states, “This is a devastating loss to the radio industry. I had the privilege of working with Gary all the way back to my music radio days when he was a young executive at the old MJI Broadcasting with major industry players like Julie Talbott and Josh Feigenbaum in the early days of our careers. He has subsequently worn a number of key management and entrepreneurial hats in the business – all reflecting his dedication to professionalism and quality. He was very well liked and respected by broadcasters on both sides of the Atlantic. He will be missed.” A service will be held on January 26, 2025 at Riverside Memorial Chapel at 180 West 76th Street, New York, NY 10023. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Gary Krantz’s memory.
philanthropist Harry Hurley, has raised more than $1.4 million for worthy causes across New Jersey and beyond. It has become one of the most important annual civic events in the Garden State drawing 270+ guests including government officials, media representatives and community-minded business leaders. The gala will be at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. Harrison says, “This is a huge honor and I’m looking forward to addressing this distinguished event with observations about the media’s position at the crossroads between politics, journalism and changing social norms.” Hurley tells TALKERS, “Our special event will be taking place four weeks before one of the most consequential national elections in American history… arguably, the most important election since the Civil War era. It deserves to have a keynote speaker as even-handed and eloquent as Michael Harrison.”