Pending Business: Competitors Aren’t Dumb. You can learn a lot about your own business by analyzing your competitors, says sales and marketing consultant Steve Lapa, president of Lapcom Communications. He says it pays to “look beyond commercial radio. Audio, video, even old school direct mail is gaining ground with advertisers. How does your competitor present their platform?” Read more here.

Monday Memo: Make Your Work Count Twice. Or three or four times. In this week’s column, consultant Holland Cooke explains why – and how – broadcasters need to reiterate on digital platforms, and podcasters’ metadata is key. Read it here.

WTAM, Cleveland News Anchor Fired for Referring to Kalama Harris as ‘Colored.’ A report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer indicates that iHeartMedia fired news anchor Kyle Cornell after referring to Kamala Harris as “colored” in a news promo. It was broadcast the company’s news/talk WTAM, Cleveland during last Wednesday evening’s Cleveland Indians game. Cornell wrote the news teaser that said, in part, that Harris is the country’s “first colored vice-presidential candidate.” After intense social media backlash, the station let Cornell go and issued the following statement attributed to program director Ray Davis: “We are aware of the reference made on WTAM by Kyle Cornell. We take this matter very seriously and addressed it immediately. The term used is extremely offensive and does not align with our station’s core values and commitment to the communities we serve. He is no longer with WTAM.”

Entercom Reorganizes Regional Structure. An internal memo from Entercom chief operating officer Susan Larkin outlines the company’s new regional president structure. Larkin continues to provide regional oversight for the New York markets. The following is the new management structure based on geographical markets: Doug Abernethy – Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Greensboro, Greenville-Spartanburg, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Norfolk, Phoenix, Portland, Richmond, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, Wichita; Jeff Federman – Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego; Mark Hannon – Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Hartford, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rochester, Springfield, Washington D.C., Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; Claudia Menegus – Gainesville, Memphis, Miami, Orlando; Brian Purdy – Austin, Chattanooga, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans; and Rachel Williamson – Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis. Claudia Menegus is promoted from her position as market manager for Orlando. Mark Hannon will continue to oversee the Boston market while the company searches for a market manager for the Boston operations.  Larkin says of the changes, “The streamlined model of, in most cases, geographically connected markets will allow our local markets to benefit from their shared leadership, increased collaboration, combined resources, and amplified opportunities for advertisers. We will unlock tremendous potential to leverage our scale, become increasingly competitive and nimble, and super serve our communities in ways that were not before possible.”

SRN News Providing Coverage of RNC. This week’s 2020 Republican National Convention is being covered by Salem Radio Network News and TOWNHALL News, beginning today (8/24) and culminating with President Trump’s acceptance speech Thursday night live from The White House. Salem says U.S. Senate correspondent Bob Agnew will report live from Charlotte during top and bottom of the hour newscasts; SRN News will provide a live, unanchored “floor feed” from 9:00 pm ET until 11:00 pm (or close) each evening. This evening (8/24), White House correspondent Greg Clugston will anchor live, 1-minute special reports at 8:20, 9:20, 10:20 and 11:20 pm ET SNN left while the live “floor feed” continues uninterrupted on SNN right. Thursday night (8/27), on both SNN Right and Westwood XDS SRN will provide a live feed. At exactly 10:00 pm, Greg Clugston will kick off coverage of President Trump’s acceptance speech. He’ll will be joined by Bob Agnew live from Charlotte and — for analysis and commentary — former Arizona congressman J.D. Hayworth. After the president’s remarks conclude, Clugston and his panel will provide a wrap-up and and obvious signoff.

Presidential Election/Republican National Convention, Kellyanne Conway to Leave White House, Trump Sister Recordings, Portland/Milwaukee Protests, COVID-19 Stats & Projections, School Opening Debate/College Flareups, Kim Jong Un Status, and California Wildfires/Looming Tropical Storms Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. The November presidential election and this week’s Republican National Convention; former Trump campaign manager and White House adviser Kellyanne Conway will leave her White House post to focus on family as 15-year-old daughter Claudia seeks emancipation; the recordings of Donald Trump’s sister Maryanne Trump Barry criticizing her brother; the violent racial protests in Portland and Milwaukee; the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and projections for future cases; the debate over fall school openings and the flareups of COVID-19 cases at several college campuses; questions about the health status of Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as some reports say he’s in a coma; and the California wildfires and two tropical storms heading for the U.S. were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Cool Talk Host Opportunity in Huntsville. News/talk WVNN, Huntsville program director Dale Jackson announces that the Cumulus Media station is seeking a dynamic air personality to host the 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm program. “WVNN is seeking someone who creates and produces a local talk radio show focusing on local, national, and political issues with a strong ability to interview newsmakers. Ability to become part of the community and the listener’s life is a must. Knowledge of entertainment, politics, news, weather, sports and other topics of interest are important to your success. Endorsement and sale opportunities will supplement your income and instant income growth is possible.” See more about the position and apply here.

Tags: advertisers, Audio, Bob Agnew, Brian Purdy, Claudia Menegus, colored, digital platforms, Doug Abernethy, Entercom, fired, Greg Clugston, Holland Cooke, iHeartMedia, J.D. Hayworth, Jeff Federman, Kamala Harris, Kyle Cornell, Lapcom Communications, Mark Hannon, metadata, Monday Memo, news/talk radio, Pending Business, podcasters, Rachel Williamson, Ray Davis, Salem Radio Network News, Steve Lapa, Susan Larkin, Talkers Magazine, TOWNHALL News, video

Category: Front Page News, Industry News