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Promo Meeting: Baseball is Coming So ‘Show Us Your Balls’

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If you are not a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles or The Kansas City Chiefs, there is a likelihood you have uttered the expression, “Oh well, pitchers and catchers report in X number of days.”

If you have a major or minor league team in your market, Opening Day can be a time to get in front of baseball fans.

This is not for the weak-hearted or the Soft AC station. When I was Promotion Director early in my career at KGGO, Des Moines, we had a great relationship with the Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate the Iowa Cubs.

Leading up to the home opener, we encouraged listeners, even if they weren’t going to the game, to join us at our pregame tailgate party and “Show Us Your Balls.”

The most creative display of BASEBALLS won a pair of season tickets. It was a lot of fun.

Prom

Prom season creates a great deal of stress for many. It’s an expensive proposition that not all families can spare the money for.

Giving away the complete package can gain a lot of attention and goodwill: the prom dress, tuxedo, dinner, and limo. The winning couple will have everyone’s attention and your station by proxy.

If local laws allow, have one of your staff serve as chauffeur and another serve as waiter or waitress. Set up your station’s step and repeat at the dance, where everyone can take a photo. The real fun part is to send your social media person along for the evening, acting like a paparazzi capturing everything.

Pizza

I worked at cluster once, where a local advertising agency constantly hounded us to giveaway pizzas, sub sandwiches, and various “Be Our Guest” coupons to mainly chain restaurants.

My attitude toward this was meh, and I tried to package them with something else so that we would not be known as the station that gave away value meals.

That all changed one day when I was called by the receptionist (remember when we had those) to the lobby. I was told a listener was there to talk to me. My experience with that kind of call had never been good. That is until that day.

Bracing for the worst, I was introduced to the man. With tears in his eyes, he told me that he had recently been laid off from his job, that his wife was ill, and that his family was going through a tough time.

This man came all the way to the radio station to tell me how his family had enjoyed the free pizza that they had won. It was a treat they couldn’t afford then, and the entire family had gathered for dinner for the first time in months, and he came to express his gratitude. He also asked that I send it along to the sponsor.

While those “little” giveaways seem like clutter to us, to some, it is the same as getting dinner at Peter Lugers to others. Package them with something else, but don’t doubt their value to some. It might just make their day.

Free Charge Friday

This will likely go over better in some areas than others, but we can all agree that we are seeing more and more automobile charging stations pop up.

Make Free Charge Fridays the day you give out charging credits to be used at the listener’s convenience.

Let Barrett Media showcase you best. Email me here, jeff@barrettmedia.com

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

The Watch: CBS Evening News with John Dickerson, Maurice DuBois, and Margaret Brennan

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The times? They are a’changing. And that’s especially true at the CBS Evening News, as Norah O’Donnell is out and John Dickerson, Maurice DuBois, and Margaret Brennan are in.

After more than five years in the anchor chair, O’Donnell exited the longest-running nightly news program to instead focus on high-profile interviews as a correspondent for the network. In the shift, the network moved the show’s operations to New York, and launched a new format as Dickerson, DuBois, and Brennan began their tenures leading the brand.

The show began with Dickerson and DuBois on the set, with the top story focused on the Chinese AI firm Deepseek rocketing to the top of app stores, coinciding with the loss of more than $600 billion in market value for tech firm NVIDIA. 60 seconds into the broadcast, Brennan — based in Washington D.C. — joined the program to share her insights.

The new format is immediate in the first episode under new anchors. Gone is the focus on cramming as many news stories and much information into the half-hour block as possible. Instead, it’s clear the focus is on more enterprise storytelling and a more conversational tone, coupled with a slower pace.

And the change makes sense. The CBS Evening News is lagging behind competitors ABC World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News in the ratings. Roughly 2 to 3 million more people watch those evening news broadcasts than CBS. So, ultimately, what does the show have to lose by trying something different?

Additionally, I think the move is a wise one, too. News consumers can, and do, get news headlines from anywhere — and I mean anywhere — today. So, regurgitating things they’ve already seen on social media, the internet, or on other programs shows a complete lack of understanding of today’s media cycle.

So CBS Evening News taking a differing approach, slowing things down and taking an approach similar to that of 60 Minutes for its evening news program, sounds like a winning strategy. 60 Minutes, by the way, hit ratings as high as 11 million people during its 57th season.

The second story in the show was a nearly five minute package centered on an American soldier of Chinese heritage selling military photographs to an undercover Chinese spy, reported by Jim Axelrod. After the conclusion of the package, Axelrod appeared on set to contextualize the story and answer questions from Dickerson and DuBois for an additional details on the story.

In total, more than six-and-a-half minutes were dedicated to the story. This might not sound like much, but once commercials are removed, the CBS Evening News only consists of just over 20 minutes of actual content. A quarter of the show dedicated to one story — that doesn’t rise to the level of potentially the biggest story of the week, month, or year — would be an eternity compared to other nightly news shows.

But the deeper reporting and more involved presentation granted the topic more heft, for lack of a better term. It helped produced a bigger punch than if it was a maybe 90-second story in a previous iteration of the show.

Frankly, in my opinion, there are plenty of places to get less-than-90-second news stories. But what CBS News does best is longer, more in-depth, enterprise reporting that allows for a deeper understanding of important and complex issues. The news world — and news consumers — could use more of that in 2025.

There’s still a place for the rapid-fire news segment that nightly news viewers are accustomed to. Following Axelrod’s story, a news roundup showcased four news stories in 40 seconds.

It proved to be a mix of both fast-paced news nuggets mixed with well-thought-out and well-researched news stories not available anywhere else. The updated graphics utilized movement to continue to draw a viewer’s attention and keep younger attentions spans — notoriously short — from being bored by the presentation. It feels like a more sustainable broadcast model, if that makes sense. As a news viewer, I’ll be much more interested in reporting and well-placed sources than a rehash of headlines and analysis I can get anywhere else.

Ultimately, I like the change made by the CBS Evening News for a variety of reasons. It shows a deep understanding of how the network views itself, a firm grasp of who it is, what it is, and what viewers expect from it. The wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented here. But if you’re trying to do the same things as your competition and failing, you need to do something differently. That might be what I like most about the revamped strategy. You’re getting beat by ABC News and NBC News. CBS News had to do something differently and did.

The top comment on the full episode published to YouTube compared the new newscast to PBS NewsHour. And I couldn’t have put it better. CBS Evening News has undergone a shift. And I think, and truthfully hope, it’s a good one.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Digging Through Data: Daryl Battaglia, Triton Digital

With the calendar turning over to 2025, Barrett Media is sitting down with some of the best and brightest media researchers in the industry for a weeklong series, “Digging Through Data.” In the fourth installment of the series, we spoke with Daryl Battaglia of Triton Digital.

The conversation with Daryl Battaglia — the Senior Vice President of Measurement Products & Strategy at Triton Digital — came just after the company announced its findings in the 2024 U.S. Podcast Report. And in that report, there were encouraging signs for the news genre, with listening growing from 22% of the overall podcast total to 25% in 2024.

Battaglia explained the advantages the news genre has compared to others in the space.

“It’s a great medium to be able to talk in-depth about issues,” he shared. “Podcasting has proven to be a great fit for news, for politics, for world affairs, all things like that. When we used our Sounder capability, which is focused on brand suitability and contextual information in podcasting, we see that all the top five named entities within the podcast space — the top podcasts that we track — all of them were either related to politics or world affairs. So there’s clearly a lot of interest from listeners to consume their content in podcast form. 2024 proved that.”

Overall, podcast listening grew 10% in 2024, according to the data collected by Triton Digital. Battaglia added that the increases came from every sector — from RSS feeds and Apple Podcasts to YouTube — and the figure is even greater in older demographics.

“We’re really seeing across-the-board growth as far as all demographics. Podcasting is known for having an appealing demographic for advertisers. Younger, more educated, higher income, diverse audiences,” Battaglia shared. “While 44% of Americans listen to podcasts on a monthly basis, it’s over 50% for Americans under the age of 55. But we saw the 55-plus audience — it’s grown in years past — it grew 26% this year. So there’s really something for everyone in podcasting.”

Included in the 2024 U.S. Podcast Report from Triton Digital was data that showed 52% of all podcast downloads on smart speakers came from the news genre. However, smart speaker usage only accounted for 2.9% of all podcast downloads, while 92% happened on mobile devices. And that mobile domination wasn’t surprising to Daryl Battaglia.

“It is a personal medium. It is an audio-first medium that you can consume while you’re doing other activities, while you’re on the go. So the fact that mobile is dominant makes sense,” he said.

That small figure for smart speakers shows there’s room for growth in that realm, he continued.

“I do think there’s more opportunity that exists with smart speakers, but we’re still seeing a lot of like news briefings, short duration podcasts … but 2 to 3% is low. So I still believe there’s opportunity. When you look at streaming radio listening on smart speakers, it’s about a quarter of all digital listening to radio, but it’s only less than 3% for podcasting, so it will remain a mobile-first medium, but there’s still, I think, opportunity for smart speakers.”

In 2025, Battaglia said the company hopes to learn more about where podcast listeners enter the medium, and what entices them to remain consumers.

“I want to study more about where these new listeners are coming from, how they come to podcasting, what content brings them in, what listening platforms bring them in, and what their path is moving forward,” he said. “Do they stick with it? Do they migrate to different platforms or do they begin to consume additional types of content?

“We’ve seen the more exposed they are, the more they listen, but really understanding that journey better, because I think the appeal of this medium still exceeds the amount of listening and adoption that exists. I still think that there’s more untapped opportunity. And I think the more we can understand about people and why they come to podcasts, why they haven’t yet come to podcasts, and once they have, how you continue to grow is an area of focus. I mentioned, you know, more seamlessly connecting research and data to the advertising platforms, including the ones that the train operates. Those are all areas that I want to see continue to grow.”

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The Radio Industry Reacts to David Field Stepping Down as CEO of Audacy

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David Field stepped down as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Audacy on Wednesday morning, ending his 27-year tenure in the leadership position. The company has named Kelli Turner as the interim president and CEO of the company, while Field will serve in a newly created role as a special advisor to the CEO and Board.

Field’s exit from the leadership position comes after Audacy emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy following the restructuring of its balance sheet. Under his leadership, Audacy has grown its audio business to a multiplatform offering that has approximately $1.2 billion in revenue, more than 230 stations across 47 markets and several podcast networks.

Various members of the sports, news, and music radio sectors who both work for or were previously employed by Audacy spoke with Barrett Media regarding Field’s departure and the future direction of the company. Those interviewed were offered anonymity to speak more freely on the subject.

Noticeable in the response from many inside the company was the hesitancy to say anything about Field’s exit. Dozens of current employees declined to comment when asked a variety of questions about the tenure of David Field, what the future may hold for the company, and whether they are optimistic or pessimistic about the future of Audacy under new leadership.

Some current and former employees, however, were willing to discuss their reactions to the move. One former Audacy employee said the writing for Field’s exit has been on the wall for some time.

“When I saw the thing that the Texas court had finally approved the bankruptcy, the first thing I said was ‘I wonder how long it’s going to be before David Field leaves his job,’ and the answer was three-and-a-half hours.”

“Not a surprising move based on how poorly the company is performing,” added another music radio employee. “It appears as if the purchase of the CBS clusters did him in.”

“Long overdue! The results speak for themselves. We wish him the best in his future endeavors,” added a music radio employee.

When asked what Field’s exit means for the company’s leadership, a few employees were unsure what to think of the choice of Kelli Turner to succeed him on an interim basis. One industry executive told Barrett Media, “they need someone in that company who understands the content, brands and platforms, and can excite the advertising community. Maybe elevating a board member works, but I think this a critical hire for the company. If they were wise they’d look at someone internally like Chris Oliviero.”

Another programming executive who previously led one of Audacy’s top market brands shared, “I think it’s very telling that a current Audacy employee at the highest levels of the company was not made interim CEO, but a member of the board whose background looks way more like a banker than a broadcaster. I think that’s very telling for the future. We’ll know more when they name a CEO. Will it be somebody with extensive broadcast experience? Or will it be somebody from an outside industry on the periphery of broadcast who is much more of a financial banker type than a broadcaster type? It’s too early to tell what the future is.”

“A lot of people were waiting for this,” an Audacy news/talk station employee said. “In fact, if it didn’t happen, people would be even further disillusioned.”

Another programmer speaking on the condition of anonymity told Barrett Media, “Audacy made the necessary move to change leadership at the top, and hopefully, it can emerge from bankruptcy revitalized. With some of the most legendary calls in radio, they have the opportunity.” 

When asked what David Field’s legacy as the leader of Audacy will be, one former employee said it succinctly.

“I never had any problems with him, but I think his legacy is going to be that he will be the guy who screwed up the great radio stations that CBS gave him in November 2017. The original sin is when Entercom took over CBS, thinking they were smarter than many of the CBS people who they ousted very quickly upon that merger.”

“You cannot run New York, Los Angeles, Chicago like you would some of the medium to smaller size markets in America. Cumulus made that mistake and we all know what happened to them. You would’ve thought that the folks at Entercom would’ve seen that playbook and done the opposite. They didn’t. I think that original sin led us to where David Field unfortunately is today,” they concluded.

David Field had a stretch of success with Audacy, but the company struggled through the pandemic and had to enter into bankruptcy. Although the radio group was able to emerge and eliminate 80% of its company debt with approximately 2.7 times net leverage, ownership stakes of the company were yielded to creditors. Turner now steps into the role on an interim basis after serving on the company board for parts of the last five months.

“It’s not shocking that he resigned,” said a sports radio programmer. “The more interesting thing, at least for me, is that Audacy hasn’t already thought about this: who will be the successor following the bankruptcy? Because you’re going to have to reorganize just a little bit.”

The ambiguity surrounding the future of the Audacy C-suite is something that could elicit concern, especially as the company tries to remain sustainable in the marketplace.

“I can imagine there’s probably some nervous energy in all the talk brand buildings because what Audacy has done better, I feel, than really any of the major broadcast companies is really take in a lot of assets and built the spoken word format, whereas others kind of leaned into music,” said the programmer. “So what do I think it will do? It really kind of depends on who they bring in. But I can understand how some people in the business in those formats can be a little concerned right at the moment.”

Nonetheless, there seems to be ambiguity surrounding the direction of the company as it moves forward in the new year. Various sports radio stations under the Audacy Sports umbrella, which was established last April, serve as flagship radio stations for collegiate and professional teams. Audacy has engaged in layoffs of its sports staff in the past, including eliminating local programming from stations in Milwaukee and Las Vegas in August 2022.

“It’s impossible to tell at this point,” another media business executive said. “We’re all rooting for the company and our many friends within the company, but it will be a while before we see how this plays out.”

As the company looks to move forward under new leadership, reactions are mixed on whether or not this will bode for a rosy future for the radio giant.

“Now, the question is, will there be investment? Will there be an appetite for growth? The company still has a lot of people who want to get after it and win, but really want more support at the corporate level,” one current employee said. “A lot of questions remain, but a lot of people within Audacy blame him for the bankruptcy in the first place.”

“I think many companies that we all deal with are going through something right now, whatever that may be,” added the media industry executive. “I won’t say this is a particular warning sign. We’ve been going through this for a very long time – many companies have gone through this; many companies hope not to go through it again – but we just have to monitor it. It’s too soon to tell how this will play out, not just for this company, but in a more global fashion.”

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Angelica Vale Inks New Three Year Deal With Cali 93.9 Los Angeles

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Meruelo Media has signed Angelica Vale to a three-year contract extension with Cali 93.9 KLLI, Los Angeles.

Under the terms of the agreement, she will continue to lead the “La Vale Show” on Cali 93.9 mornings while collaborating with Meruelo Media President & CEO Otto Padron and Head of Audio Brands Pio Ferro on new projects.

“Radio has been a key part of my career all my life,” said Vale. “It’s where I learned how to truly connect with people, and I love the unique way it allows me to connect with our listeners. Huge thanks to Alex Meruelo, Luis Armona, and the entire Meruelo Media family for their continued belief in me. And a special shout-out to my incredible on-air crew — the best team in radio — for making the “La Vale Show” such a blast on and off the mic, and, most importantly, for our amazing listeners.”

Luis Armona, Principal and Co-Founder of Meruelo Group, added: “It’s an honor to extend our relationship with Angie, one of the most iconic figures in Latin entertainment. Her impact on CALI 93.9 over the last five years has been key to our growth, and we’re thrilled to continue this partnership as we expand our reach even further.”

Pio Ferro, Head of Audio Brands, shared: “In times like these, we could all use a good laugh in the morning. And La Vale is the best at it. Angie’s creativity, humor, and talent are in a league of their own, and we’re thrilled to have her for years to come!”

Her career includes theater, television, radio, and film. In recognition of her extraordinary career, Vale was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — a testament to her lasting impact on the entertainment industry.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

‘The Grammy Channel’ Returns To SiriusXM For The Fifth Year

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Partnering with The Recording Academy, SiriusXM has announced the return of “The Grammy Channel” for the fifth year.

The Grammy Awards are on Sunday in Los Angeles. As a lead up The Grammy Channel will feature the superstar’s new artists and songs nominated for this year’s awards.

Artists to be featured include Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Chris Stapleton, Kendrick Lamar, Shaboozey, Pearl Jam, Taylor Swift, and more.

The Grammy Channel is available on SiriusXM channel 17 and on the SiriusXM app.

This year’s award show will be broadcast live on CBS from the Crypto.com Arena and on-demand at Paramount+.

The show is also being used as a fundraiser to support Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Jameis Winston to Serve as Digital Correspondent for FOX Sports Coverage of Super Bowl LIX

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NFL quarterback and league veteran Jameis Winston will be joining FOX Sports as a digital correspondent surrounding its coverage of Super Bowl LIX from New Orleans, La. Winston formerly played four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, and he will be on site throughout the week to attend NFL events, showcase food and entertainment around the city and enjoy the championship matchup. This media venture will occur as he approaches free agency following playing the most recent NFL season with the Cleveland Browns.

FOX Sports will present a variety of digital programs and podcasts at the Super Bowl, some of which include Bear Bets, the NFL on FOX Podcast and All Facts No Brakes. The network will be broadcasting these shows from Bourbon Street throughout the week, along with FS1 programming emanating from a set at the iconic landmark as well. In addition to documenting different landmarks around the city and previewing the Super Bowl, Winston will be watching the game with famous friends. Moreover, he will be creating content for the digital platforms and NFL on FOX social media accounts throughout the week as well.

FOX Sports will be broadcasting Super Bowl LIX as it completes another NFL season under its 10-year media rights deal with the league, reportedly worth $2.25 billion per season. The lead broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt, analyst Tom Brady and reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will be on the call for the matchup, which is also streaming live in 4K on Tubi. The network is coming off a presentation of the NFC Championship Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers that averaged 44.2 million viewers across FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports streaming platforms.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act Reintroduced to Congress

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As the 119th Congress begins, Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) are reintroducing the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.

The bill, originally introduced in 2023, would grant the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the authority to mandate the AM radio band be placed in new automobiles as a safety feature.

Despite having widespread, bipartisan support, the bill was never scheduled for a vote before Congress adjourned in 2024. Currently, more than 40 senators have pledged their support and signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.

“As we witness more tragic climate change-induced disasters like the wildfires in Los Angeles, broadcast AM radio continues to be a critical tool for communication,” said Markey. “Tens of millions of listeners across the country have made clear that they want AM radio to remain in their vehicles. Our AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act heeds their words and ensures that this essential tool doesn’t get lost on the dial.”

“During weather disasters or power outages, AM radio is consistently the most reliable form of communication and is critical to keep millions of Texans safe,” said Cruz. “AM radio has long been a haven for people to express differing viewpoints, allowing free speech and our robust democratic process to flourish for decades.

“I am honored to once again partner with Sen. Markey on this bipartisan legislation on behalf of our constituents who depend on AM radio and public airwaves for access to news, music, talk, and emergency alerts,” he concluded.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Jim Acosta Launches New Show on Substack After CNN Departure

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After announcing his departure from CNN on Tuesday, Jim Acosta has started a new show on a freshly launched Substack account.

Acosta announced the addition of a Substack hours after sharing his farewell message on CNN. He had been with the network since 2007.

“Welcome to my new venture. I’m going independent, at least for now,” Acosta said in a Substack Live video. “This is just the beginning but I wanted to invite you to join me on this platform as we talk about the day’s news, talk about politics and so on.”

In a written message on Substack, Acosta continued by saying “To President Trump and his allies, you may think you have silenced me. But guess again. The Jim Acosta Show is coming soon.”

Of his mission with the new program, Acosta said, “I am leaving CNN to start a new chapter, and I won’t pull any punches this time around, either. I owe that to myself and to you.”

Acosta exited the network after a reshuffling of the daily lineup left him without a timeslot. The Situation Room, helmed by Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown, was moved to the 10 AM ET window previously occupied by Jim Acosta. He was reportedly offered a new program from Midnight to 2 AM ET by CEO Mark Thompson, but declined and decided to depart the network instead.

Further details about how long the new show would be, what time he would produce the program, and format were not made available in the announcement of the launch.

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‘Dingo’ Brent Crank Back In Mornings At Q103.1 Louisville

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“Dingo” Brent Crank is back on Louisville morning radio at SummitMedia’s Q103.1 WQNU. This is his second tour of duty with the station having previously hosted mornings from 2016 to 2019.

Crank also hosts the PM drive on the company’s WZZK, Birmingham, and 100.3 The Wolf, Knoxville, TN. (BMM 8/28/24)

He posted on Facebook, “LIVE MORNING RADIO is Back 5-10am! Join me on Q103.1 in Louisville or download your favorite app and wake up with me! Let’s make Morning Radio Great Again! Love Y’all! – Dingo.”

The timeslot was previously hosted by the syndicated “TJ & Riggins Show.”

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.