iHM Promotes Tony Molaee to iHeartRadio Post. New York-based iHeartMedia staffer Tony Molaee is promoted to VP of digital programming and operations for iHeartRadio.  The company says that in this new role, he will support the national digital programming team as well as continue to support iHeartRadio’s local New York market as digital lead.  “Molaee’s local experience and digital expertise will serve the overall organization by identifying what content will help continue to drive more traffic to iHeartRadio’s individual local radio station websites, as well as nationally.”

Salem’s ‘Made in America’ Day at the White House. Pictured above are Salem Radio Network vice president/news & talk programming Tom Tradup (left) and SRN talk show host Hugh Hewitt (right) getting ready to kick off yesterday’s “Made in America” day broadcasts from the White House.  Guests on yesterday’s shows included new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

TALKERS News Notes. Nationally syndicated late-night talk show host Jim Bohannon is scheduled to deliver the summer commencement address at University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, Georgia on Saturday, July 29.  The Westwood One personality says that he will “forgo the big picture so popular in commencement addresses, and will tell graduates about the ‘little picture.’”…..WHO, Des Moines-based talk show host Simon Conwaymakes a change to his work on WMT, Cedar Rapids.  Conway had been hosting a separate 9:00 am to 11:00 am program on WMT for some time while doing his afternoon show on WHO.  Now, iHeartMedia is simulcasting his 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm show on both stations and Conway is giving up the late morning show on WMT as he ramps up efforts to spread his program across Iowa…..Seven new podcasts have joined the Earwolf comedy network on the Midroll Media podcast platform owned by Scripps.  The shows include: “Off Book,” the “first-ever improvised musical podcast,” Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino; “Homophilia,” featuring MTV host Dave Holmes, comedian Matt McConkey and a celebrity guest for a candid conversation on what they’re loving in pop culture and who they are loving in their romantic lives; episodes of the popular 1960s comedy radio show “Chickenman”; “Cracked Movie Club”; “Cracked Gets Personal”; “Throwing Shade”; and “James Bonding.”…..Grammy Award-winning musician Darius Rucker begins a new golf show airing monthly on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio titled, “On Par with Darius Rucker” on July 26…..Pantsuit Nation and DGital Media launch a new weekly podcast titled, “This Pod is Your Pod,” featuring co-hosts Libby Chamberlain and Cortney Tunis.

Hangin’ Out with Mama. Nationally syndicated talk show host Dr. Daliah Wachs (right) poses for a pic with iconic comic actress Vicki Lawrence (left) in Las Vegas.  Lawrence – well-known for her work on the “Carol Burnett Show” and creating the character “Mama” – was in Vegas doing “Vicki Lawrence and Mama:  A Two Woman Show.”  Lawrence is also a spokeswoman for CIUandYou that raises awareness for Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria – a condition that produces chronic hives with no known cause.  Lawrence appeared on Wachs’ GCN-syndicated program during her stop in Las Vegas.

CMG’s Gamut Names Four Executives. The Cox Media Group subsidiary Gamut – a “solutions-based” advertising organization – names four to new positions.  Soo Jin Oh is Gamut’s new vice president of client strategy & solutions; Meghan Bentley is now director of business development; Jason Whidby is regional director of sales, West; and Blake McClean is regional director of sales, Southeast.

GOP Renews Plans to Vote on Health Care, Trump-Russia Investigation, Russia Sanctions Vote, NYTimes-Fox News Tiff, China Beefing Up N. Korea Border, Smuggled Illegals Deaths/Sanctuary Cities Controversy, Sister Livestreams Sister’s Death, Jeff Sessions’ Job Security, and MLB Action Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (7/24). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s effort to force a vote in the Senate to repeal ObamaCare; the controversy over meetings between Trump campaign operatives and Russian agents; the House bill that would increase sanctions on Russia, as well as Iran and North Korea; the skirmish between The New York Times and Fox News over the latter’s reporting that the NYT published information that hindered the U.S.’s search for ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; speculation about what China’s increased activity near its North Korean border means; the deaths of 10 illegals in a tractor trailer in San Antonio and the related criticism of sanctuary cities; a Fresno teem is arrested on DUI charges after livestreaming the car crash that killed her younger sister; rumors that President Trump wants to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions; and Major League Baseball action were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

PPM Analysis: Urban Contemporary. The third of our four-part series examining the performances of stations based on data from Nielsen Audio’s June 2017 PPM survey turns to the urban contemporary format.  Managing editor Mike Kinosian writes that when looks at 6+ share, “nearly half (48%) of this urban contemporary panel regresses year-to-year; 45% improve (the same percentage as month-to-month); and 6% are unchanged from June 2016.” Urban One’s WERQ, Baltimore “92 Q Jams” is the only urban contemporary station in a PPM market to rank #1 in June.  However, eight other stations ranked in the top five in their respective markets.  Check out the whole report here.

Tags: Anthony Scaramucci, Baltimore, Cedar Rapids, Cox Media Group, Des Moines, Dr. Daliah Wachs, Gamut, Hugh Hewitt, iHeartMedia, iHeartRadio, Jim Bohannon, Made in America, Mike Kinosian, news/talk radio, Nielsen Audio, PPM, Rick Perry, Salem Radio Network, Simon Conway, Talkers Magazine, Tom Tradup, Tony Molaee, University of North Georgia, Urban Contemporary, Urban One, Vicki Lawrence, WERQ, Westwood One, WHO, WMT

Category: Front Page News, Industry News