Monday, October 31, 2022
Monday Memo: Earwitness News. There are new WCBS/WINS synergies and USA top-biller WTOP offers voluntary separation buyouts. With so many radio voices now in permanent remote mode, and the post-pandemic gig economy flourishing, consultant
Holland Cooke describes an opportunity “like Uber for newscasters.” Read his column
here.
Pending Business: Gear Up for the Holiday Season. The midterm elections are almost history and radio sellers are getting ready for this year’s holiday season. There’s no way of knowing for certain how much consumers will spend and on what, but radio sales pro
Steve Lapa writes in today’s column that a look at where Americans are spending now can provide a roadmap to a successful holiday sales season. Read more
here.
Al Jazeera English Produces Documentary About American Talk Radio. The London-based, English-language arm of Al Jazeera (Al Jazeera English) produced and published a one-hour video documentary, titled “The Right Frequency: Is talk radio dividing the US? | The Listening Post.” They describe the program as follows: All day, every day, conservative talk radio hosts keep millions of Americans company as they commute, work and go about their daily lives. The mix of opinionated, entertaining and unapologetically right-wing talk has proven a winning broadcast formula – a billion-dollar industry – one that has given a voice to an audience that long felt unheard. But with partisan issues dominating today’s political discussion, is the controversial conservative commentary driving much of the division? Ahead of the midterm elections, reporter Flo Phillips and producer Johanna Hoes travel parts of the country to understand the power of talk radio – the sway it holds over Americans, and the role it is playing in the division of the United States. The major contributors to the piece include: WRVA, Richmond afternoon drive host, Jeff Katz (pictured above); TALKERS founder Michael Harrison; University of Delaware professor/author, Dannagal Young; University of Pennsylvania scholar in residence/author, Brian Rosenwald; along with truck driver, Alex Brookhouse; restaurant owner Wendy Yohman; and advertising consultant/part-time Lyft driver, Shelly Perkins. Upon viewing the final cut, Michael Harrison stated, “I am always hesitant when invited to be interviewed for a newspaper story or video report about ‘talk radio’ and its political influence because of my concerns that it is going to be a hit piece against conservative talk radio. However, I often take my chances based upon my belief in my own knowledge of the facts and my faith in the good nature of most reporters not to take me out of context to support their pre-determined narrative. Ninety percent of the time this proves to be a good path and, in many cases, I actually play a significant role in softening the stories’ bias-based attacks. In many cases, I am influential in actually changing the story to reach a more balanced conclusion. Sometimes, reporters or their editors actually cancel the stories based upon my interviews which convince them that they are largely off-base or simply biased to the point of lying. In the case of this project, I was especially hesitant to get involved because of my own concerns about the credibility and agenda of Al Jazeera. But, on the other hand, I am deeply concerned about the image of American talk radio around the world, so I agreed to be interviewed on camera upon receiving assurance from the program’s reporter and producer that I would not be taken out of context and that they are not setting out to do an intentional hit piece on conservative talk radio. As it turned out, they told me the truth… although it bugs the hell out of me when people believe the terms ‘talk radio’ and ‘conservative’ talk radio are one and the same.” To view the documentary in its entirety, please click here.
Scott Shannon Announces Retirement. Legendary radio personality Scott Shannon didn’t work in talk radio, but it seems almost criminal not to recognize his announced retirement from the industry. On Friday (10/28), he told his WCBS-FM, New York
listeners that is retiring from morning radio on December 16. Among his many achievements in the radio business are his stints at three New York City stations, first at WHTZ-FM “Z100” – which is chronicled in the documentary film,
Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York – and then at WPLJ-FM. He is credited with the creation of the “morning zoo” concept that was imitated throughout the 1980s. Shannon will continue his other roles with
Audacy as host of the nationally syndicated “America’s Greatest Hits” program and the “True Oldies” format on WCBS-HD3.
Hubbard and VSiN Bring Sports Betting Content to Seattle. KNUC-HD2 is the new home of sports gambling radio as Hubbard Radio and VSiN partner in the effort. The press release says, “The station will deliver news and analysis from the industry’s most
knowledgeable sports betting experts and legendary book makers to inform and entertain the growing number of people betting on sports. Sister station KIXI-AM 880, will also air “Action Updates” twice each weekday as well as “VSiN PrimeTime” with
Tim Murray and former NFL quarterback
Shaun King. Hubbard Seattle market manager
Trip Reeb comments, “With the incredible growth sports betting has seen in recent years, we saw this as a great opportunity to capitalize on that rapid expansion and the specialized content VSiN delivers.” VSiN content currently airs on more than 140 terrestrial radio stations in 33 states.
iHeartMedia Announces New ‘Glee’ Podcast. The newest podcast for fans of the television hit “Glee!” titled, “And That’s What You REALLY Missed,” is available from
iHeartRadio, hosted by
Jenna Ushkowitz and
Kevin McHale. iHeartRadio says, “Calling all Gleeks! We’re baaaaack…again. Kevin McHale (aka Artie Abrams) and Jenna Ushkowitz (aka Tina Cohen-Chang) are heading back to William McKinley High School to re-watch all six seasons of ‘Glee!’ We’re taking you all the way from McKinley High to New York City, from the choir room to Nationals, and from the Super Bowl to a world tour! We’ll look back on your favorite moments and never before heard stories with a slew of guests including cast, crew, celebrities and you, the fans! So warm up those vocal cords and tune those ears, because it’s all coming out.”
Midterms, Pelosi Attack, January 6/Trump Legal Issues, Russia-Ukraine War, Affirmative Action, The Economy, Brazil Election, and Elon Musk & Twitter Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. The debates ahead of the midterm elections and speculation about which party will control the House and the Senate; the aftermath of the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband; the legal battle over former President Donald Trump’s January 6 emails and his other legal issues; Russia’s continuing assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure; the U.S. Supreme Court takes on affirmative action in higher education; inflation and fears of a recession; Lula defeats Bolsonaro in Brazil’s presidential election; and Elon Musk takes control of Twitter were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
KWAM, Memphis Seeks News/Talk Morning Host. Memphis news/talk outlet KWAM-
AM “The Mighty 990” is looking for the next great talk show host in America. We have an immediate opening for a morning show host. Our host must have at least three years experience and must be well-versed on national, Tennessee and Memphis news. Send resumes and audio clips to todd@starnesmediagroup.com.
Tags: AlJazeera, American Talk Radio, Audacy, Brian Rosenwald, Dannagal Young, documentary, Flo Phillips, Glee!, hit piece, holiday sales season, Holland Cooke, Hubbard Radio, iHeartMedia, Jeff Katz, Jenna Ushkowitz, Johanna Hoes, Kevin McHale, Michael Harrison, midterm elections, Monday Memo, New York, news/talk radio, newscasters, Pending Business, Radio, radio sellers, Richmond, Scott Shannon, Shaun King, Steve Lapa, Talkers Magazine, Tim Murray, true oldies, VSiN, WCBS, WCBS-FM, WHTZ-FM, WINS, WPLJ-FM, WRVA, WTOP
Category: Front Page News, Industry News