2025 was a pivotal year for the news/talk radio industry. There was no contentious or wildly unpredictable election cycle to buoy the medium. Yet, the industry saw many highs, while also experiencing some of the lowest of lows following the murder of Charlie Kirk.
Here are Barrett Media’s top 5 news radio stories of 2024.
#5 – KMOX, WBT Get Full FM Signals
2025 was a year that was largely quiet on the local radio front. There weren’t many earth-shattering stories that we’ve seen in years past about high-profile departures, retirements of local titans, or the like.
But one of the largest stories was the addition of full-market FM signals for heritage brands like KMOX in St. Louis and WBT in Charlotte.
In St. Louis, KMOX added an FM simulcast on 104.1 FM. Previously, the station was heard on an FM translator at 98.7 FM in the market. However, beginning on Monday, March 24th, the station began airing on 104.1 FM. Additionally, KMOX also continues to air on 1120 AM.
The station’s move from its 250-watt FM translator to a full-fledged 50,000-watt FM signal coincided with the start of the Major League Baseball season. KMOX has long served as the radio flagship of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Meanwhile, in Charlotte, WBT moved from the 99.3 FM signal to 107.9 FM for full-market coverage.
The 99.3 FM dial position is equipped with 7,700 watts of power and is licensed to Chester, South Carolina, which is roughly 50 miles southwest of Charlotte. Its signal covers the southern and western suburbs of the city, but struggles to penetrate Charlotte proper.
The 107.9 FM signal — which previously hosted the Mix 107.9 brand — features 100,000 watts of power, and is licensed to Charlotte. It is the most powerful signal at the Radio One Charlotte cluster.
With the move to the 107.9 FM signal, WBT programming is slated to leave the 1110 AM signal it has been featured on for more than 100 years.
#4 – Curtis Sliwa Leaves 77 WABC, Vows Never to Return After “Betrayal” From Hosts, Owner
Curtis Sliwa is a New York news/talk radio staple, spending decades working in the format. That came to an end in 2025, as he departed 77 WABC to run as the Republican candidate for Mayor.
But in the lead-up to the election, Sliwa vowed to never return to the brand after hosts like Greg Kelly, Dominic Carter, and Sid Rosenberg — in addition to station owner John Catsimatidis — called for him to drop out of the race in an effort to increase the chances of Andrew Cuomo defeating Zohran Mamdani.
“Let me just say, Sid, I am directing my comments to everybody at WABC,” Sliwa said. “They have said I’m selfish. Selfish? Are you out of your mind? … But that’s why you will never see me at the studios of WABC again, never, no matter how this election turns out.”
Sliwa added that he feels attacked by his colleagues.
“I feel personally offended by what my friends and colleagues, many of whom I trained at WABC, many of whom wouldn’t have a job at WABC without me, have done,” Sliwa said.
In the aftermath of his election loss, Sliwa has reiterated that he will never be heard on 77 WABC ever again, unless they’re reporting on a news item involving him. Most recently, he has served as a guest host on 710 WOR, filling in for The Mark Simone Show while its usual host is vacationing.
#3 – Dan Bongino Leaves Westwood One, Vince Coglianese Steps In
Plenty of news media figures announced they would join the second Trump Administration in the days following his election victory in late 2024. Few positions remained as the calendar flipped to 2025, but Dan Bongino secured a spot as Deputy Director of the FBI, leading to his exit from Westwood One.
In mid-March, Bongino bid farewell to his podcast and nationally syndicated radio show in a tearful goodbye.
“I want this on the record: Westwood One didn’t have to do this, folks. They didn’t,” said Bongino. “I’m not going to bore you with the details and be inappropriate, but I’m telling you right now, they couldn’t have been easier to work with. They were like, ‘You’re doing this for the country? We’re in.’ That was it. So anybody who tells you corporate America is a bunch of unkind, unfeeling (expletives)? You’re just wrong. You don’t live through what I live through.
“They couldn’t have handled this any nicer. Mary Berner, who’s the CEO of the parent company, got a lovely email from her as well,” Bongino continued. “We haven’t always agreed on everything, but I really appreciate you guys understanding,” Bongino said, as he fought back tears, “I really appreciate you all understanding why, why I had to do this.”
Bongino tabbed 105.9 WMAL host Vince Coglianese to succeed him on the show. He called the situation “the most unusual exchange in media that you will ever see.”
“This is a jealous industry. This is an industry where — there’s some people who help each other out — for the most part, when a guy gets a job, usually somebody else has to lose it. That’s usually how that works.”
Following Bongino’s exit, questions arose if Vince Coglianese would be able to sustain the audience built in the decade-long run of the show. Metrics from places like Podtrac and Triton Digital continue to show the VINCE show as one of the most popular podcasts — regardless of genre — in the nation.
#2 – Rumors Surround Howard Stern’s Future with SiriusXM Ahead of Contract Extension
In August, a report surfaced stating that Howard Stern and SiriusXM were unlikely to reach a contract extension as the end of his current deal neared.
That, somehow, morphed into discussions that SiriusXM had cancelled Stern’s show because he had “gone woke.”
Well, neither of those things was ultimately true, as Stern signed a three-year extension earlier this month to remain with the satellite radio company.
SiriusXM leveraged the talk about Stern to its advantage, running promos stating that Howard Stern would address his future the morning following Labor Day. That day came and went, with Stern not appearing on his show as previously scheduled. That only intensified the rumors that his demise with the company was nearing its end.
Stern ultimately spoke on the situation on Monday, September 8th. But not before having a little fun first. To begin The Howard Stern Show on that date, colleague Andy Cohen hosted the first segment of the show, stating that Stern had left the company after more than 20 years.
““I know you’re expecting a big announcement from Howard, and this is not how things were meant to go,” Cohen said. “This was supposed to be a cleaner handoff. I’m kind of winging it,” adding that it was a “surreal morning.”
“I can’t overstate what Howard has meant to this company and what he did for SiriusXM. He walked so that we could run. I can’t possibly fill his void,” Cohen continued.
However, Stern appeared on the show to insinuate he had struck a new deal — which didn’t come completely to fruition until December — to remain on the show after noting that the comments surrounding him and the discussion of his diminishing stature in American life, whether or not he still “had it”, and if he had “gone woke” fueled him to return to his show.
With the contract extension, Howard Stern will remain with SiriusXM until 2028.
#1 – The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
The assassination of Charlie Kirk might be the biggest story in all of 2025 in the United States, not just in news/talk radio. But it had a profound impact on the medium.
On September 10th, Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Turning Point USA event on the campus of Utah Valley University.
The killing set off a widespread chain of events, leading to all sorts of discussions about gun violence, political discourse, decorum, the place conspiracy theories hold in our collective culture, and other topics.
Charlie Kirk hosted The Charlie Kirk Show from 12-2 PM ET on Salem Radio Network, as well as another digital-only hour available on Real America’s Voice and YouTube, among other avenues. He had recently taken over affiliates from The Dennis Prager Show, which were moved to him after the network revealed that Prager would be unable to reassume his daily radio show.
In the wake of Kirk’s death, a slew of guest hosts — like Vice President JD Vance, Megyn Kelly, Glenn Beck, and Tucker Carlson — helmed the Salem Radio Network program. Furthermore, Kirk’s program saw a massive jump in the podcast rankings in the September and October figures from firms like Podtrac and Triton Digital.
Producers Andrew Kolvet and Blake Neff handled the majority of hosting duties in the weeks and months following Kirk’s murder. Ultimately, his show will be replaced in the Salem Radio Network lineup by the addition of Alex Marlow from 12-1 PM ET, and an expansion for The Scott Jennings Show — which joined the network’s offerings in 2025 — from 1-3 PM ET.
Hopefully, Barrett Media will never have to report on the assassination of another news/talk radio host. Charlie Kirk was only 31 years old. He is survived by his wife, Erika 00 who assumed his duties as CEO of Turning Point USA — and their two children.
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