Radio-TV Talk Show Host and Former Congressman J.D. Hayworth Is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast.  Former Congressman J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series “The Michael Harrison Interview.”  Hayworth has had a fascinating career in both broadcasting and politics.  In his early career, even prior to attending and graduating from North Carolina State University he held jobs while still a teenager as a music radio disc jockey and sports reporter which he continued through his school years.  After graduation he moved to Arizona as a TV sports anchor and then transitioned from broadcasting to politics.  Between 1995 and 2007, he served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona’s 5^th and 6^th Congressional districts.  After that he became a full-time conservative radio talk show host on KFYI in Phoenix.  He left KFYI in 2010 to unsuccessfully mount a primary campaign against John McCain (who had recently been defeated by Barack Obama in the presidential election of 2008) for the Republican nomination for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat held at that time by the popular war hero.  After that, he became a news anchor and host during the developmental days of Newsmax TV – a position he held for four years.  Today he’s heard by news/talk radio listeners on major stations around the country as one of the format’s most popular fill-in hosts.  Harrison and Hayworth take a deep dive into the workings of Congress, look back at changes in radio and its regulations over the years, and discuss the most talked about news topics, stories and issues of 2019.  To listen to the podcast in its entirety, please click here or click the player box marked “The Michael Harrison Interview” located in the right-hand column on every page of Talkers.com.

Round One of December PPMs Released. The first of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s December 2019 PPM survey has been released for 12 markets, including: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Long Island (Nassau-Suffolk), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union (New Jersey).  Nielsen Audio’s December 2019 survey period covered November 7 through December 4.  Some positive 6+ ratings movements of note for spoken-word stations include: Cumulus Media news/talk KSFO adds to its recent positive trends with a +0.3 for a 2.3 share; four straight positive or neutral moves by iHeartMedia’s news/talk KTRH (4.1 share) have “News Radio 740” ranked at #8 in the market; and Cox Media Group’s news/talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM, Atlanta remains #1 in the market for the fifth straight month, despite dropping two tenths (9.3 – 9.1).  You can see all the 6+ numbers from subscribing stations here.  Meanwhile, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his “Ratings Takeaways” on all the markets here.

Ziegler Named Director of News and Programming at WTOP, Washington. News media pro Julia Ziegler is promoted by Hubbard Radio Washington to director of news and programming for all-news WTOP-FM.  She has served with the station for 17 years, most recently as digital news director.  Ziegler assumes the position vacated by Mike McMearty who’d been with WTOP for 27 years.  During her time with WTOP, Ziegler has served as a member of Hubbard’s Inaugural NextGen program, an internal program designed to foster and grow leaders within the organization.  WTOP SVP and general manager Joel Oxley says, “During her time here Julia has truly excelled in every position she has held.  As the pioneer of many incredible projects, she has led our team with commitment, excellence and passion.  I look forward to seeing what the future holds and am incredibly excited to have her in this position.”  Ziegler comments, “I am excited and honored to lead the incredible journalists who work tirelessly in the WTOP newsroom 24/7/365.  This team is made up of some of the most hardworking and dedicated people I have ever met, and they drive me to be my best every day.  WTOP is a special place with special people.  I knew that from the second I stepped foot in the door as an intern in 2002.  I look forward to all of the great things this team will continue to accomplish in the years ahead.”

Impeachment, 2020 Presidential Race, Boeing CEO Ousted, Christianity Today Op-Ed, North Korea’s Christmas Threat, Roaring Financial Markets, and Five Sentenced in Khashoggi Killing Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (12/23). The articles of impeachment against President Trump and the process of moving to the Senate; the Democrats vying to run against President Trump in 2020; Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg is removed from his role with the company as it struggles with the 737 Max problems; the controversial anti-Trump op-ed published by Christianity Today magazine; speculation about what missile technology North Korea may reveal as its “Christmas gift” to the U.S.; the record-setting activity in the financial markets; and the death sentences handed down to five by Saudi Arabia in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Tags: all news, Atlanta, Cox Media Group, Cumulus Media, DC, December 2019, director of news and programming, Houston, Hubbard Radio, iHeartMedia, J.D. Hayworth, Joel Oxley, Julia Ziegler, KFYI, KSFO, KTRH, Michael Harrison, Mike Kinosian, Mike McMearty, news/talk radio, Newsmax TV, Nielsen Audio, Phoenix, podcast, PodcastOne, PPM, Ratings Takeaways, San Francisco, Talkers Magazine, The Michael Harrison Interview, Washington, WSB-AM, WSBB-FM, WTOP

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