Radio is mourning the loss of West Coast radio veteran Alexa Smith, who passed away Monday from a rare lung disease called PVOD. She was 53.
Smith is known for her on-air work at Alice 97.3 KLLC San Francisco and, most recently, KLOVE and Air1 Network.
Smith’s radio stops included 99.7 Now San Francisco, PD/MD at Mega KAJM, Phoenix, APD at 04.7 The Wave, Los Angeles, 102.5 KSFM Sacramento, JAM’N 107.5, Portland, and PD/OM Q97.1 Fresno.
Music radio and friends shared their love on Facebook.
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This week, digital video platform Rumble launched what it called its Live Stream Lineup, featuring hosts like Steven Crowder and Vince Coglianese. It is seeing strong performances out of the box.
From 9 AM-3 PM, the platform features live streams from Evita Duffy-Alfonso, Vince Coglianese, Steven Crowder, Tim Pool, Russell Brand, and The Quartering. On the second day of the featured offerings on Rumble, viewing reached almost 150,000 total viewers during Coglianese’s new show.
“This is more proof that the content creator community at Rumble is the best place to be, because this new daily lineup will help everyone and be great programming for viewers,” said Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski. “Creators in the lineup will build off each other’s audiences, and everyone on the platform will benefit by increased traffic across the board. Unlike the broadcast day on a television network, Rumble adheres to the principles of free speech and these are shows that people actually want to watch.”
During the first two days of the new show from Coglianese, he landed in the top five overall live streams between platforms like YouTube and Rumble. The two days were atypical, though as hundreds of thousands watched coverage of the NASA astronauts returning home after being stranded in space for nine months.
The new program from Vince Coglianese takes over the timeslot previously occupied by Dan Bongino. Bongino departed his podcast and nationally syndicated radio show through Westwood One earlier this month to become the Deputy Director of the FBI.
During Bongino’s final weeks as host, he routinely finished as the top live stream in both the news and overall categories with his Rumble show.
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A bill before the Missouri House of Representatives would make Hubbard Radio’s St. Louis Rocker KSHE 94.7 the state’s official rock station.
Representative Bill Lucas (R-MO), representing District 115 and Jefferson County, sponsors the bill. He told the Columbia Missourian, “If you like rock music, KSHE was the go-to,” Lucas said. “There were other rock stations in St. Louis. Many have come and gone. KSHE still remains.”
He added that his son came up with the idea. “It just seemed like a fun thing to do. You know, we do so much serious stuff out here.”
KSHE 94.7 Program Director Marty Linck told Barrett Media that he had spoken with Representative Lucas about the bill. “I spoke with State Rep. Bill Lucas. He asked us to join him in the effort to get KSHE to be designated as the official Rock Station of Missouri.”
He added, “If it gets out of committee, then it will hit the House Floor, and he would like a “witness” representing KSHE to help him make his case, which we agreed to do if/when that happens.”
Lucas will pitch it on the House floor if the bill gets out of committee.
“To me, it says we’re legislators, but we’re citizens (too),” Lucas says. “I like to have fun, and I like rock and roll music, and this just seemed like a great opportunity for me to show some love to KSHE.”
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Earlier this month, there were several reports that the University of North Carolina football team would be featured in the latest edition of the NFL Films documentary Hard Knocks. However, following the most recent edition of the series, which featured the New York Giants, it was uncertain whether another NFL franchise would agree to be a part of the HBO series.
Ultimately, the reports about the Tar Heels’ participation turned out to be false just days after they first surfaced. Current general manager of the University of North Carolina football team, Michael Lombardi, joined The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday to explain why the program decided not to take part in the documentary series.
“The problem was we control the story we need to tell here,” said Lombardi. “The story we want to tell doesn’t end after we play TCU. The story we want to tell is the story about how we’re rebuilding this program.”
Lombardi is entering his first year with the University as new head coach Bill Belichick takes the reins of a football program that has recorded only four winning seasons in the past eight years. He emphasized what he is looking forward to this coming season and explained what Hard Knocks would not have been able to capture for a viewing audience.
“How we’re going to honor the great players who have come before us,” noted Lombardi. “How we’re going to restore Tar Heel football and make this stadium come alive on Saturday afternoons like a lot of other schools in the ACC. That’s the story we want to tell. When it stops after the first game like Hard Knocks does, it doesn’t really do us any good to tell that story.”
Furthermore, Lombardi explained that the program wanted to be in control of how its story was framed, particularly regarding the program’s efforts in building, recruiting, and other aspects that extend well into the late fall.
“It can’t stop at Labor Day,” said Lombardi. “That was more the issue.”
He also pointed out that there was significant misinformation circulating, attributing it to “somebody who runs a website, who’s never gotten it right.”
Meanwhile, Hard Knocks has faced considerable criticism for its coverage of last season’s edition, which focused on the New York Giants’ offseason. The series notably highlighted the failed contract negotiations with running back Saquon Barkley, putting the situation on public display.
Additionally, the five-episode season documented the team’s inability to execute a draft-day trade that could have significantly altered the organization’s trajectory. The show also appeared to depict a franchise lacking a clear identity or direction, with multiple executives shown pursuing conflicting visions for the team.
As a result, many NFL franchises have begun reconsidering the potential impact of Hard Knocks on their organizations. This year marks the 25th season of the series, which remains a flagship documentary offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the inner workings of a football program on HBO.
"We control the story that we need to tell here and the story that we wanna tell doesn't end after we play TCU..
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What are you doing to win the loyalty of your audience? What are you doing to build and nurture that relationship when the battle for the ear is greater than ever?
Two things caught my eye last week. I noticed a consistent theme while writing a tribute piece about Bob Rivers. (BMM 3/12).
People talked about how kind and genuine Rivers was and that he had a remarkable relationship with his listeners. I mean, seriously, how many could inspire their listeners to show up naked for an event called “Nudestock?”
In putting together the piece, Consultant John Lund told me about once asking Rivers why his show was so successful. One of the four points he expressed to Lund was, “Meet every listener.” Have your morning show visit listeners three times a week.”
The second thing that caught my eye was when I was scrolling my Facebook feed and saw a post from Jarrett “Skywalker” Galleno, the APD and Afternoon host at K104 WSPK in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Skywalker posted, “A listener texted the studio and said she missed her kid’s birthday announcement this morning and could I email it to her. Another listener just emailed me and asked if I could call her sister and wish her a Happy Birthday, as she has had a rough year and would love the call. A couple extra tasks to do this afternoon, but these kinds of gestures are the ones that make listeners for life and things “Spotify” can’t do. Do the things that make radio shine. It’s not all about the music; it’s also about companionship and relationships.
Things that Spotify can’t do. Exactly. Your most important job is the care and feeding of your listeners. I make an analogy to politics. If you are just sitting in Washington and buying issue ads in your state or district, don’t you think politicians would just do that?
Instead, they hold rallies and visit every Waffle House (insert the regional breakfast joint here) in the district, “shaking hands and kissing babies.”
Skywalker told me that super-serving his listeners is standard operating procedure.
“I really feel like these touch points and these little gestures that we can make are the difference makers to form those relationships with the listeners. I mean, everything is so big and broad these days that when you can localize something, either content or interaction, that’s the stuff that sticks with people.”
Skywalker uses social media to make a one-on-one connection as well,
“People complain about technology, or they say all these bad things about technology. But technology can also foster extra opportunities to do those kinds of things. You can say what you want about social media, but it’s called social media.”
“They want you to be social and interact. Outputting generic content just gets lost. So, when you post, it’s not just about doing the post. It’s responding to the comments or at least liking the comments. People want to be heard.”
For Skywalker, making the most of appearances also reinforces the listener bond.
“When I do an appearance and a prize wheel, it’s just reinforcing what I do every day because I’m meeting and greeting these people and taking five minutes to hear from them and get their feedback. It’s just like the moment that you think maybe nobody’s listening when you don’t have these interactions. I can see that when you just stay in a studio all day, it’s not really as real to you. But when you’re at the supermarket, spinning the wheel as mundane as it sounds, that’s where the conversations happen.”
I vividly recall getting a PD job, and on day one, an on-air talent informed me that he had been doing radio for a long time. He expressed that he had “paid his dues” and don’t expect him to do anything outside the studio. I think my jaw drop left a dent on the floor.
When I talk to program directors with heritage morning shows, one of the questions I ask is, are they still willing to go out and do appearances? Without exception, with the most successful shows, the answer is a resounding YES!
Tommy Mattern, PD of 105.7 The Point in St. Louis, has the very successful “The Rizzuto Show.” He told me that they are not only willing to go out and meet people, but Rizzuto often visits the businesses he endorses to talk one-on-one with the owners and ensure that things are going well.
John Flint and Tammy Lee, “John & Tammy San Diego’s Morning Show” at KSON San Diego, are another pair that gets it. Imagine setting out to get 100,000 hi-fives. Nick & Kristen at 99.5 The Wolf in Portland is shooting for 50,000 fist bumps, as is KFROG 95.1 in Riverside, CA.
There is no substitute for one-on-one personal contact. Look people in the eye, thank them, or ask them to listen. Don’t just assume that people are listening. Ask them.
One last example from the political world: Thomas “Tip” O’Neill was a United States Congressman from Massachusetts. He still holds the record for the longest-tenured Speaker of The House.
He told this story: After running another successful campaign, he was back in the district and in the neighborhood he grew up in. Seeing the lady from the house next door, he said, “Hi, Mrs. Jones. Thanks for voting for me.”
Imagine his shock when Mrs. Jones said, “I didn’t vote for you.” Expressing his shock, O’Neill replied, “Mrs. Jones, I grew up in the house next to you. You have known me my entire life and didn’t vote for me?”
She replied, “People liked to be asked, Tommy, and you didn’t ask me.”
Are you asking people to listen?
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Earlier in the week, Mike Francesa criticized staff working on his BetRivers podcast upon divulging incorrect information about the Big East Tournament championship. After explaining that St. John’s University had not yet won the tournament despite having the best regular-season record in the conference, he asked to restart recording and discovered that the show was being streamed live. Francesa apologized for his conduct and recognized that the clip would go viral, and the moment elicited further discussion from Toucher & Hardy on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Morning show host Fred Toucher understands that Francesa was part of an award-winning radio duo on WFAN featuring Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo. In evaluating both of their careers since the end of the program in 2008, he feels that Russo is thriving at the moment appearing on ESPN and continuing to host his radio show on SiriusXM. As it pertains to Francesa, Toucher expounded that his career has had a rejuvenation because people were wondering how this was on the radio. Upon playing the beginning of the clip where Francesa asked who was correcting him through his headset, he talked about the broadcast setup and the impediments it could present.
“So this is a man at home,” Toucher said. “This is what happens – it’s very aggravating because now, everyone’s at home, and you can tell and it’s just lazy. You have to be in the room with the people. COVID, when we were in separate rooms, was not good. You have to be in the same room, and poor Mike Francesa, he doesn’t know who’s talking to him.”
As Toucher played more of the clip, he talked about how Francesa was going on and on and was fortunate not to have said anything worse. Despite him being unaware that he was streaming live on the internet, his insistence was something that Toucher pointed out and voiced that everyone gets. On top of that, he acknowledged that St. John’s still would have likely been a two seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket if the team was unable to defeat Creighton for the conference championship. In this situation, part of the wrongdoing, he explained, was on the part of those operating the program itself and that they should have informed Francesa that they were live.
“They’re unpaid morons,” Toucher said. “That’s what’s going on. The people that are producing Mike Francesa’s podcast are not young whip guys that are going to end up being the heads of NBC or something or the heads of Paramount Pictures. Yeah, these are idiots that are all at their own houses and everyone’s producing this garbage that no one’s listening to, so I understand him being frustrated.”
Toucher spoke about how Francesa was on WFAN and had producers who were invested in the product and made a lot of money working in New York City. At this moment though, he assumed that Francesa has producers working out of their bedrooms and can understand why that would be frustrating. Show contributor Jon Wallach assumed that the producers were “petrified” of Francesa, a sentiment with which Toucher did not agree.
“I don’t think they’re super angry at him,” Toucher said. “I think that they’re petrified that they’re going to piss him off, and they might have never met him. There’s a chance the guy that’s producing that show has never met him, and Francesa knows the only time anyone’s going to hear this is if it gets picked up by BackAftaThis or one of the parody sites and that we’re going to talk about it. It’s actually kind of sad because he was working with real stars.”
Later in the segment, Toucher revisited the partnership between Francesa and Russo and the success the duo enjoyed on the New York City airwaves. Within his discourse, he articulated that the pairing took place rather than having him solo in afternoons because he was boring alone. In fact, he stated that the reason CBS put him on the air initially was because of his esoteric information surrounding everything about college basketball.
“Whoever put them on the air together is a genius because they knew Francesa was an arrogant windbag with no charisma, so they put Mad Dog, who, by the way, is better without Francesa,” Toucher said. “You have to admit he’s better without Francesa. Now I understand that people who listen to that show, you listened to it when you were younger, and you’re rhapsodizing about something long ago, but Mad Dog’s better without Francesa dragging him down.”
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After being downsized last summer, “DJ Danny P” Palacios is returning to Alpha Media’s Groove 99.3 in Bakersfield. He will host middays.
Palacios previously spent 11 years in the building, where he was PD of Groove 99.3 and Top 40 Energy 95.3 plus OM and Director of Programming at the time of his exit.
Palacios told listeners the news on Facebook where he said, “I’m Back on KKBB Groove 99.3 – Middays 11 am-3 pm. That’s right! I’m officially back on KKBB Groove 99.3, bringing you the best vibes, music, and energy to keep your day moving! The hottest tracks, a high-energy vibe, and a 1-hour mix you won’t want to miss! Middays just got a whole lot better – I’m ready to keep you entertained!”
Palacios will continue as the morning host for Top 40 Hitz 104.9 Visalia, CA.
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Major League Baseball just wrapped up its two-game series in Tokyo, Japan, as the Los Angeles Dodgers took both games over the Chicago Cubs to officially open the 2025 MLB regular season. While the games aired in the United States at 5 a.m. Chicago time and 3 a.m. Los Angeles time, there have been many critics of MLB opening its season this early in the calendar and, additionally, doing so overseas.
One notable aspect of the broadcast of the games on FOX and FS1 over the past two mornings was the fact that the broadcasters calling the action were located remotely in the United States. As a result, this led Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, during his Wednesday morning appearance on ESPN’s First Take, to criticize FOX Sports for not having the broadcasters on-site at the ballgames.
“If you’re the partner of the sport and they (MLB) open up the season in Tokyo with (Shohei) Ohtani, you got to be there with them,” said Russo. “The partner in this case, FOX Sports, was not. They kept the broadcasters here, and everyone else was in Tokyo. That’s not the way to do it.”
The telecast on Tuesday, which aired on FOX TV, featured Jason Benetti on play-by-play, while Wednesday’s broadcast on FS1 was called by Adam Amin. Meanwhile, FOX Sports analyst A.J. Pierzynski joined both broadcasts over the two days.
While remote broadcasts were the norm for nearly every Major League Baseball game during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the current use of this setup is widely seen as a cost-saving mechanism. Furthermore, Tuesday’s broadcast had several flaws, including delayed reactions, misaligned pitch speeds, and broadcast calls that were slightly behind the action.
“Remote play-by-play, that’s a joke,” explained Russo.
First Take co-host Stephen A. Smith quickly agreed with Russo’s take, emphasizing that FOX Sports should have made the investment to send its announcers to Tokyo.
“If you’re going to invest in the sport, invest in the sport,” said Smith. “The biggest star in the sport is there and on his home turf. You’ve got to be there, no question about it.”
The two-game MLB Tokyo Series at the Tokyo Dome featured broadcast operations and production efforts led by MLB Network, which was on-site and responsible for sending feeds to FOX Sports in Los Angeles and Marquee Sports Network in Chicago.
As for television ratings in the United States, they have yet to be released for the Tokyo Series. However, FOX Sports reported that game one of the series averaged more than 25 million viewers across all platforms in Japan. Notably, this marks the most-watched Major League Baseball game ever in the nation.
Game 1 of the 2025 Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim averaged more than 25 million viewers across all platforms making it the most-watched @MLB game ever in Japan. pic.twitter.com/dKyFP8T3qH
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Earlier in the month, TNT Sports analyst and Hall of Fame forward Charles Barkley talked about how Kendrick Perkins and presumably ESPN were covering the Los Angeles Lakers as the team was experiencing immense success with the new star duo of LeBron James and Luka Dončić. A few weeks later, Barkley’s colleague and Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal referenced the wrong head coach of the Detroit Pistons and revealed that he does not watch the team. Dan Le Batard mentioned these instances during a discussion about basketball coverage, during which he remarked how the media seems to hang onto things that have been discussed for decades, such as the rivalry between LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Le Batard spoke about how Michelle Beadle recently divulged that they were fools at ESPN for talking about James all of the time rather than celebrating the new generation of players in the league. As it pertained to Barkley’s remarks, Perkins responded on the same night via social media in which he called Barkley a “senior citizen” and told him to keep the same energy when he sees people in person. Barkley is expected to star on Inside the NBA next season as ESPN airs the studio program produced by TNT Sports as part of a sublicensing deal between the two companies.
“I understand what is happening in the entirety of the content space, not just sports, but documentaries and people’s lack of use for independent freedom, not former player,” Le Batard said. “The idea that Charles Barkley is critical of you and your coverage and that the response is, ‘Make sure that when you’re in front of each other, you might be ready to fight,’ that’s a new thing. That’s not how we’ve done that before when the media is talking about the games and the criticism is going back and forth between two entities.”
Mike Ryan, a producer of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, averred that Barkley and Perkins will not likely have to interface with one another because of the arrangement in which Inside the NBA is airing on ESPN platforms. On top of that, he articulated that the ESPN NBA team will likely change again, referring to the network as being “transient” and that it would be wise to have an anchor in TNT coverage if possible.
“I also wouldn’t assume genuine anger on either side,” Greg Cote added. “I think when these guys see each other, they’re going to shake hands, they’re going to have a little giggle. ‘Hey, this was all a bit. You’re a good guy,’ clap each other on the back and move on.”
Le Batard emphasized how his show was distinctive in that it was embracing bits rather than serious discussions, and he questioned if everyone was suddenly good with doing bits. Upon giving Ryan a five-minute penalty for ruining comedy after revealing that he was actively doing the bit, Le Batard spoke about how he enjoyed ESPN giving journalists strength.
At the same time, he also wants the athletes assimilating into the content space to make it a democracy, but he conveyed that when this takes place, documentaries air that do not necessarily tell the genuine truth. When Le Batard posited if the media is doing sport the right service by focusing discussions on the same person for two decades, Cote explained how it is necessary to do both.
“We have to acknowledge the new wave, and the NBA has a great young wave of stars right now, but people still want to talk about LeBron James,” Cote said. “He’s a unicorn, he’s a one-of-a-kind [player], and we’ve done that across time with extraordinary athletes.”
Tony Calatayud, a producer for the show, explained that First Take created an issue when it had Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless talk about James and foster a putative debate culture. More than a decade later, he continues to observe the paradigm of discussing James continuing within the media landscape.
“Jayson Tatum is listening and watching the coverage of him, a champion,” Le Batard said. “He’s done whatever it is he was supposed to do with his talents – he has achieved now – we cannot diminish him in much of any way. He’s saying, ‘I don’t get my proper respect.’ Part of that is because we’re always talking about the other people.”
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Stacey Trexler has been named Vice President General Manager for Radio One’s Richmond cluster. She was elevated from her recent position as Director of Sales.
Trexler previously worked with iHeartMedia crosstown for 18 years, where she rose to General Sales Manager.
Eddie Harrell Jr., Co-President Audio Division, stated, “We are pleased to promote Stacey to Vice President and General Manager of our Richmond market. Stacey’s track record of success made her the right person at the right time to lead our operations in Richmond. She will continue to build on the accomplishments of Marsha Landess, who has moved to Charlotte to run our radio cluster in that market.”
Trexler added, “I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to take on this new role and continue working alongside the talented individuals at Radio One Richmond. I look forward to collaborating with our teams to drive innovation, strengthen our local presence, and deliver outstanding content and experiences to our listeners and advertisers. I believe that there is power in audio and look forward to finding new ways to connect our advertisers with the community that we serve.”
Radio One’s Richmond footprint includes Urban AC Kiss 99.3/105.7, Urban iPower 92.1/104.1, Classic Hip Hop 99.5/102.7, The Box, and Urban Gospel Praise 104.7.
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