WTMD, Baltimore’s public AAA station, welcomesRichard Rudel as afternoon host. Rudel brings international radio expertise from Voice of America.
What We Know Rudel recently programmed and directed production for four Voice of America stations serving African markets. Meanwhile, he maintained part-time roles at WRNR-FM Annapolis, iHeartMedia Washington, and notably, at WTMD itself. This dual arrangement positioned him inside the Baltimore broadcast community while building VOA credentials. His résumé additionally includes stints at CBS Radio Washington and Baltimore, SiriusXM, and WorldSpace Satellite Radio, providing him multiplatform broadcast experience.
What’s at Stake The hire strengthens WTMD’s competitive positioning in Baltimore’s AAA format. Rudel’s international production background offers potential content enhancement for the station’s afternoon block. Furthermore, his existing Baltimore familiarity shortens the on-air transition period. The move simultaneously demonstrates organizational stability by promoting from within.
What Remains Unclear The specifics of Rudel’s on-air direction and programming philosophy remain undisclosed. Additionally, details surrounding his integration with WTMD’s existing afternoon production workflow aren’t yet available. Finally, clarity on whether further staffing adjustments follow these changes hasn’t emerged.
What It Means WTMD signals investment in both external talent and internal promotion through these moves. Rudel’s international experience potentially differentiates the station’s afternoon programming in a crowded Baltimore market. Rob Timm’s transition from afternoons to “WTMD Late Night” (9pm-midnight) after Labor Day reflects the station’s commitment to retaining experienced voices. Ultimately, these changes position WTMD to compete effectively heading into fall while maintaining continuity.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Jessica Williams has exited Townsquare Media. The Brand Manager and afternoon host departed KYBA Y105 in Stewartville/Rochester, Minnesota.
What We Know Williams held the position since 2017. She also served as a national afternoon tracker for most of Townsquare’s AC stations. Before KYBA, she worked at WHOM Portland, WOBM-FM Toms River, WJLT Evansville, KDAT Cedar Rapids, and WLZW Utica. Prior to radio, Williams held marketing, fitness, and real estate positions in Rochester and the Twin Cities.
What They Said Williams announced the news via Facebook. “Today, I was called into an unexpected meeting and told that I had just done my last show with Townsquare Media,” she explained. “There was no chance to say goodbye on the air. No final song.” She expressed deep gratitude to listeners. “Thank you for letting me hang out with you during your drive home, at work, while you were making dinner,” Williams wrote. Importantly, she also thanked nonprofits for allowing her to amplify their voices.
What Remains Unclear The exact circumstances surrounding her departure remain unknown. Furthermore, Williams hasn’t announced her next career move. She’s currently managing a significant life transition. “I’m moving one of my kids to college this week,” she noted. Subsequently, she acknowledged uncertainty about her path forward.
What It Means Townsquare continues experiencing turnover across its stations. Meanwhile, Williams’ exit removes an experienced voice from the AC format. Her departure also impacts the company’s national afternoon tracking initiative. Finally, industry observers will watch for her next chapter closely.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Thank you for checking outThe Industry According To. Every Tuesday we speak with a different expert or leader from somewhere in the vast music industry — from label executives to artists, jocks, programmers, you name it. To be considered as a future guest, email me at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com.
Today we’re joined by an Alternative Rock legend you know well from Everclear — Mr. Art Alexakis. While everyone knows the hits, the story behind them is very compelling. Art grew up poor in the projects, raised by a single mom, and built his career the hard way — grinding through clubs, vans, posters, one cheap meal a day, and battling every ounce of adversity the industry could throw at him.
He’s lived many lives, paid every due, and fought through serious health challenges. Still, he performs close to 300 live shows a year with Everclear. Art is a fighter, a master storyteller, a deep lover of rock and roll and the history behind it. Moreover, he’s one of the rare rockstars who remains present, humble, grateful, relevant, and deeply connected to the fans who kept him going.
His perspective is vast. Indeed, it draws on a lifetime of music, work ethic, reinvention, survival, and the evolving relationship between artists, radio, and younger listeners. So, let’s dive in.
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
The Moment It Became Real
Keith: Before the hits, the tours, the chaos — when did you actually realize music wasn’t just the dream, but the life? When did you know you weren’t going back?
Art: I grew up poor, in a housing project, raised by a single mom. I never assume anything’s going to happen — I don’t count my eggs before they hatch. However, after Afterglow, after selling platinum records and having money in the bank, I knew the truth. I bought a couple of houses. That’s when I knew I wasn’t going back to digging ditches or working in the printing industry. That was the moment.
The Portland Grind
Keith: Today’s bands aren’t dreaming of record deals the way your generation did. But going back to your early days — club shows, being “nowhere yet” — what do you remember most about grinding it out?
Art: I loved it, man. Every minute. Essentially, I was eating one Happy Meal a day, hanging posters, sneaking into clubs I wasn’t old enough to play. Same as radio — you start at the bottom, doing whatever you’re told, just happy to be part of it. Additionally, I knew early on I wasn’t taking no for an answer. I was going to do this.
Santa Monica, Slow Burn, Big Fight
Keith: Everyone knows Santa Monica. When it first hit, did it feel like liftoff or pressure?
Art: Both. It was a slow burn. Alternative radio didn’t buy Everclear at first — some thought we were a Nirvana ripoff. I never understood that. I was trying to create a distinct sound. But let’s be honest: Nirvana opened the door for every white-boy alternative band in the ’90s.
The song came from a dark, anxious place. I was dealing with medication, pressure, and the weight of finally getting signed. Then Capitol Records tried to change the title. Notably, the president called me a cocksucker because I wouldn’t change it. But I had creative control. I wasn’t lying about my age, and I wasn’t changing the title of the song.
The Power of Hits
Keith: A lot of bands get tired of their hits. You’ve always understood the power of them. How do you build your setlist?
Art: We’re minstrels, man. We sing for our dinner. If people want to hear the hits, I play the hits. I play fan favorites. I play requests. Furthermore, why wouldn’t you want to make people happy? They’re paying money. A lot of bands don’t play their hits — it just befuddles me. On this tour, we’re letting fans vote songs into the set list — the top songs in each city make the set.
Kids and Discovery
Keith: You see generations of fans at your shows. What’s happening with younger listeners?
Art: About 30% of our hard-ticket sales are teens and early twenties — kids who weren’t alive when these songs were on the radio. They know every word. Indeed, kids today are so into music. They discover everything — punk, classic rock, ’90s alternative — all on their own.
Youth at Radio
Keith: Teens are consuming RockTernative music, just not RockTernative radio. What could radio do to be more attractive to younger listeners?
Art: You’re gonna have to put it on the phone. They’re not doing anything without their phone. They’re not growing up like we did. Clearly, if radio wants them, it has to live where they live.
AI
Keith: What are your thoughts on AI in general, and how it could live in the Everclear world?
Art: I don’t use it. My wife and my daughter do. My drummer does too. Yet, I will probably use it someday — I’m intrigued and horrified at the same time. What scares me about AI is this: I think we’ve got a tiger by the tail, and we think it’s just a house cat. It’s not. It’s a tiger of unknown proportions.
Touring Reality
Keith: Let’s pivot to touring — the cost of touring is crushing a lot of bands. What’s the reality in 2026?
Art: We’re touring more than ever, but it looks different. Some ’90s bands still tour like it’s 1997 — bringing 22 people on the road. That’s not sustainable. Punk-rock ethos saved us: who actually needs to be on the road? We’re self-contained. Ultimately, that’s how you survive.
If Art Owned a Station
Keith: Let’s say you bought a radio station — ART-FM. What does it sound like?
Art: It would sound like late ’60s and early ’70s freeform radio. DJs playing what they want. Specialty shows. Musicology. Indeed, I would be connecting eras — the Sonics to the Stooges to the Sex Pistols to Green Day. Kids would lose their minds.
If Art Ran a Label Today
Keith: You had your own label in the ’80s. If you restarted it today, what would matter?
Art: I’d develop bands. I’d build a confederacy of indie labels. Moreover, I’d have a video channel, a radio station, storytelling, and musicology — all working together. Not just hits. Not just algorithms. Real development.
Reinvention
Keith: You’ve reinvented yourself record after record. What drives that?
Art: I want every record to progress. Harder records, poppier records — whatever feels honest. I’ve never sold out trying to write hits. Equally, I tell young writers the same thing: find your own way.
New Everclear Music
Keith: Is there new Everclear music in the future?
Art: Yeah, I’m making a new record. I’ve got five songs I’ve just written that we’re going to record. They should be out either next year or the year after. But it’s angry — so get ready.
The Blank Slate
Keith: Say whatever you want to anyone in the industry — radio, labels, programmers, whomever — what do you want them to hear?
Art: Get back to developing musical acts — real artists — whether they’re rock bands, musical theater, or something we haven’t even thought of. Bring value and find a way to connect with younger people. We raised them, and we created the world they live in. Thus, we have to learn to offer them something that fits within what they want, and give them something of substance.
The Takeaway
My conversation with Art lasted nearly an hour. Like any great storyteller, he pulled me into places far beyond the typical “The Industry According to” lens — childhood, anxiety, reinvention, punk rock ethos. Notably, he even asked me a bunch of questions — he’s that kind of guy, always present and curious.
But that’s why his perspective matters. Art’s story is a reminder that the industry isn’t built on spreadsheets, algorithms, playlists, or here-today, gone-tomorrow flash trends — it’s built on people who have passion for the music and their jobs. Those who refuse to quit, the ones who reinvent themselves, remain true to themselves, and keep showing up for the audience — these are the backbone of our industry.
If you haven’t seen Everclear lately, fix that. They’re on the road all fall for the Lucky 7 Tour with American Hi-Fi. With approximately 300 dates this year, you have no excuse — Art is still out there doing the work, night after night, with the same fire that got him out of the housing projects in the first place.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Gerald McCoy played eleven seasons at the highest level in the National Football League. A third overall selection of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010, McCoy would go on to be a six-time Pro Bowl selection and a 2013 first-team All-Pro. He played the game with finesse and ferocity, but always with a smile and a fun personality.
During his career, McCoy was a media darling with both the local scribes and national networks. He made guest appearances during bye weeks and in the offseason, offering his expertise. It also was a chance for the country to get to know him away from the field. Now entering his fourth season working on NFL Network, McCoy says a second act in media was never a goal he chased like the quarterbacks he was used to sacking.
“I’ve been blessed with the gift of communication and natural non-fear of crowds and cameras,” said McCoy. “Because of the guest appearances I would do during my career, later in my career these places were reaching out seeing if I would be doing media when I was done playing. I kept telling my agent to hold off on those calls till I thought about leaving the game.”
McCoy is the son of two youth pastors, both of whom played in the church band. Because of this, his upbringing contained many instances of finding himself performing in front of crowds and singing solos in church. Those experiences helped McCoy become comfortable in a media setting and performing in front of viewers.
An Unplanned Opportunity
During his final year with the Las Vegas Raiders, McCoy found himself enrolled in the NFL media broadcast boot camp without his permission. The team’s public relations staff enrolled McCoy, who had been battling injuries during his time with the franchise in 2021.
“I was like, whatever I’ll go. Truth be told, our class was comprised of who’s spearheading NFL media now,” said McCoy, whose class consisted of Jason and Devin McCourty, Richard Sherman, and Cam Heyward, among others. “From that point on, NFL Network, FOX, and ESPN were there. Then once I announced my retirement a month later, I got a call that the NFL Network wanted to hire me. Here we go.”
From the start, McCoy was placed on NFL Network’s signature Sunday program, NFL GameDay Morning. Slotted into the second hour at the desk alongside Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner, and Steve Mariucci, McCoy says he had to find his way into blending in with a crew that he enjoyed watching for years while playing.
“I was trying to figure out how to be me within what they were asking. That’s what I did during my entire career with coaching changes, coordinators, and new teammates. I had to be Gerald within these schemes. It was no different here,” said McCoy. “You become naive to certain things. But It wasn’t until this past year that it hit me. I’m part of a show that’s been around for as long as it’s been around.”
From the start, McCoy credits the advice and support he received from current and former NFL Network teammates for his early media success. That included everyone from Warren Sapp, who pushed McCoy to be the defensive mind and voice on the program, to Eisen, who’s helped educate McCoy on knowing what to say and how to say it.
“The studio allows me to be a football player. You get what you’re going to talk about, and then you plot how you’re going to talk about it. Then on game day, we just execute,” explains McCoy. “Everyone involved has helped me out tremendously. They saw something in me, because the year prior they had Emmanuel Sanders in there. They didn’t bring him back, and now I’ve been there four years.”
The appreciation for that support overflowed during an emotional moment during coverage of last year’s Super Bowl. As the final moments of NFL GameDay Morning counted down with an uncertain future ahead for the network itself, McCoy spoke from the heart.
The newcomer to the second hour of the program just three years prior led off a touching tribute of thankfulness to the team at the network that had entrusted him with the opportunity.
“It was emotional because they embraced me when they didn’t have to. They are real friends with a true history with each other in everything they’ve experienced,” said McCoy. “Everyone on the entire staff supported me to become a part of that family… That was just a thank you because I wasn’t sure if we were going to be back together. I wanted the world to hear me say thank you.”
The Worldwide Leader
Over the past six months, NFL Network is different today than it has ever been before. Now fully overseen by ESPN, there were questions about how the network would operate under new supervision.
For McCoy, he is now an ESPN employee. An honor he considers special, having grown up watching the network for decades. However, the opportunity brings another challenge as he navigates his role within the top of the food chain at the network. Recently, he got his first taste of working with ESPN as an analyst on Get Up and going toe-to-toe with Stephen A. Smith on First Take.
“It’s a dream come true… The last time I talked with Mike Greenberg, he was still on Mike & Mike. Then working with Stephen A. Smith. The guy in sports entertainment? He’s the guy. That’s no easy task,” said McCoy. “They welcomed me in and I got phenomenal feedback on my appearances. Having that experience, it was a great opportunity, and I look forward to doing more.”
McCoy has the rare distinction of being a combatant in the arena with both Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless. Last season, McCoy was a co-host on Gilbert Arenas’ Gridiron podcast, which featured Bayless as the lead analyst. The former All-Pro considers both Smith and Bayless masters of their craft, and his experience with Bayless prepared McCoy for his debut with Smith.
While there’s still some mystery surrounding how ESPN will shape its football coverage this season with the NFL Network addition, McCoy fully expects to return to the NFL GameDay Morning crew this season. As for more appearances on ESPN programming, he’s still waiting for plans but is very open to any idea.
“I don’t mind being completely honest. I don’t know,” said McCoy regarding future appearances on ESPN this football season. “ESPN was house shopping and drove past a mansion, a phenomenal mansion. They didn’t go inside, check the plumbing, or check out each room. They just wanted the house and bought it. Now, they’re trying to figure out what they’re going to do with the house. That’s where we’re at right now.”
Being versatile and flexible has always been a goal of McCoy’s. With his media career, it’s no different from when he dominated the playing field for eleven seasons. Now under the ESPN umbrella, there have already been some conversations about additional opportunities that might be a fit.
“My agent and I talked about it [doing college football]. Before I got hired by ESPN, I was in talks to do college [football] with ESPN. The schedule just didn’t work out,” said McCoy.
As far as a return to co-hosting a podcast with Skip Bayless this season, McCoy believes that project is not returning this year. However, he didn’t rule out a complete exit from the podcast space with a simple, “Stay tuned” when asked.
A Promising Future
The next chapter of Gerald McCoy’s career may still have more questions than answers. That uncertainty, however, is nothing new for a player who spent eleven seasons adapting to new coaches, teammates, and schemes while finding a way to remain himself.
Now, instead of reading the offense from the other side of the line of scrimmage, McCoy is reading the game from behind a microphone. The settings may change, the network may look different, and the opportunities may continue to evolve, but the approach remains the same.
Be himself. He never chased a second career in media. It found him.
“This is where I’m at right now. I’m locked in and fully committed to it where I am right now,” said McCoy as he prepares for another season of NFL coverage.
With ESPN now providing the backdrop for the next stage of his journey, McCoy appears more than ready to see where it takes him. After all, he spent his playing career chasing quarterbacks.
Now, he’s chasing whatever comes next.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Dan Bongino is heading back to terrestrial radio, and Westwood One just landed one of the bigger free-agent signings in the news/talk radio space.
The company announced this week that Bongino will launchThe Bongino Report PM, a three-hour afternoon program co-hosted with Shawn Farash, marking Bongino’s first regular radio gig since he left broadcasting to join the FBI in 2024. It’s a move that, on paper, works out well for everyone involved.
Farash will host the first hour of the show, with Bongino taking the final two hours. The program will air live from 3-6 PM ET.
Let’s start with Farash. He’s built a strong following through digital platforms, and he recently launched a show under Bongino’s Silverloch Media banner. But radio is a different animal entirely. A live, syndicated program doesn’t offer the same forgiveness as a podcast or YouTube show — there’s no editing bay to clean things up, and affiliates expect a certain rhythm and pace that digital audiences don’t demand in the same way.
Fortunately, Farash isn’t walking into this cold. He’s logged plenty of fill-in time on stations around the country, so he already understands the format and what it takes to hold an audience through a commercial break. This new gig gives him a shot at something he hasn’t had before: a shot at putting “nationally syndicated radio host” on his resume. That’s a credential that opens doors, and it’s one that plenty of digital-first talent never gets the chance to earn.
A Return Bongino Has Wanted
For Bongino, this looks like unfinished business finally getting finished. When he left radio to join the FBI, he told me directly that he’d always felt a pull toward the medium, but the timing wasn’t right to take on a nationally syndicated show while he prepared for a major life change. Now he’s fully readjusted to life as a media figure again, and it clearly feels like the right moment to add a two-hour radio show on top of his already-successful two-hour podcast.
That’s not a small workload. Still, Bongino gets to return to a medium he’s said he loves, and he does it in a different timeslot than the one he held before. He’s also doing it with the backing of one of the most respected syndication operations in the industry, which matters when it comes to affiliate relationships and long-term stability.
There’s another practical benefit here, too. Bringing in someone like Farash gives Bongino a built-in safety net. Hosts get sick, travel, or need a break occasionally, and having a co-host who already knows the show, the stations, and the audience makes those moments far less disruptive. It’s a smart structural decision, not just a programming one.
Why This Matters for Westwood One
Westwood One, meanwhile, gets exactly the kind of signing that can move the needle. Bongino’s name still carries real weight in the news/talk world, and his return is likely to draw strong affiliate interest in an important afternoon timeslot. Stations that lost access to his voice back in 2024 now have a reason to come calling again.
It’s worth remembering just how much Bongino’s exit stung the industry the first time around. When he departed for the FBI, Cumulus Media CEO Mary Berner specifically cited his absence as a factor in the company’s revenue decline over the following quarters. That’s not a minor data point — it’s a direct acknowledgment from a major radio company that Bongino’s presence had a measurable financial impact.
So bringing him back into the terrestrial fold isn’t just a nice programming story for Westwood One. It’s a legitimately strong business move. Advertisers, affiliates, and audiences all responded to him before, and there’s little reason to think that won’t happen again.
Put it all together, and The Bongino Report PM reads like one of those rare moves where everyone walks away better off. Farash gets a bigger stage and a credential he’s earned. Bongino gets back to a medium he’s missed, on his own terms, with support built in. And Westwood One gets a proven ratings and revenue driver back on its roster, right when the timeslot needed a jolt.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Bob Pittman and Mary Berner are in the corner offices for iHeart and Cumulus. They have received a lot of flak from radio veterans. I certainly have had my disagreements with them. I have never met either and don’t really have a sense for them as individuals. But it is time to evaluate the position that they are in and perhaps some of the mistakes made along the way.
When you are the boss, you get the credit or the blame. If you are a host or a brand manager, you are under ratings pressure. I have heard that news/talk radio stations don’t live by the ratings like music stations. That may be mostly true, but if there’s a terrible monthly or a book, good luck with that thinking. If you have started a job as a program director or a host in the last few years, you are likely still trying to reinvent the station.
Some stations need big changes, or the previous host retired and the new show is slow to gain traction. Well, Mary Berner and Bob Pittman were hired to clean up the mess that was created by people who escaped with their golden parachutes more than a decade ago.
Inheriting a Mess
Bob Pittman and Mary Berner walked into stifling debt and creditors who want their money back. Have you ever had financial problems? I certainly have. Getting calls from a creditor or creditors for a small debt is difficult. Imagine getting collection calls for billions of dollars that you can never repay. How does that discussion go? How would you respond? So, Bob and Mary are not just preoccupied with creating great experiences for listeners and advertisers — they are likely overwhelmed by pressure from all sides.
Now, I have never met Mary Berner or Bob Pittman. I don’t have a sense for them personally. But if you have had to administer a reduction in force, it sucks. Before these big corporate cutbacks, I was on calls with regional managers instructing the local cluster to cut a job or two. It was a terrible decision. One market manager I worked for evaluated office culture — there were a couple of staffers who were disruptors and not team players, so while tough, it made sense. The cuts we are seeing now are not for culture or efficiency. They are a desperate attempt to satisfy creditors.
Some of the people cut were worker bees doing several jobs while being an integral part of their communities. If you were cut, this didn’t have anything to do with your performance. These decisions were made by bean counters, likely in connection with the hedge fund geniuses just looking at expenses versus revenue.
Consolidation’s Lasting Damage
Now, are Mary Berner and Bob Pittman culpable for where we are as an industry? Did they make mistakes? I make mistakes every day. It’s not on purpose — we make 35,000 conscious decisions every day. Most of these decisions are made instantly. Some of these decisions are risks that are stupid; most, hopefully, are amazing.
When radio consolidation occurred, the top competitors for advertising revenue were newspapers and the phone book. Radio’s dominance with listeners was huge, but the revenue was anemic. The theory went like this: consolidation would provide revenue growth by absorbing the companies not as focused on growing their business. Here’s what happened in many cases — a consolidated cluster didn’t allow for growth among the lesser brands; it was too busy protecting the biggest biller in the building. This actually damaged radio’s innovation. I know more than one program director whose station overachieved in the ratings, only to watch the cluster’s market manager grow defensive of the cash cow instead of getting excited about developing another cash winner.
Let’s get back to Mary and Bob. There was never a moment where they were truly focused on innovation for radio. If you disagree, give me examples of new formats from the past decade. Why has there been a lack of innovation in radio over the past decade? It’s because even a short-term drop in ratings and revenue is considered a moment to panic. What are Bob and Mary to do? They are prisoners of their companies’ covenants.
Holding the Tail of a Debt Tiger
I thought the creditors would get sick of the bad debt on their books and demand that these companies sell off assets. I believe that if you showed up to Cumulus and iHeart wanting to buy a cluster at a deep discount, they would sell it to you in a blink of an eye. Audacy and Cox have sold off significant clusters in the past year — local businesspeople now own great clusters in Tulsa and St. Louis. I can only speculate that the buyers simply aren’t there.
So, what were Bob and Mary to do? Cumulus eliminated several positions in my market. iHeart eliminated several positions at a couple of stations that I ran. I know the pain and stress for those people who were displaced — I have been on the phone with several of them. It is crushing. Radio has been playing defense instead of trying to conquer their markets and gain market share. The debt carried by radio’s biggest companies is our industry’s biggest enemy. Mary and Bob are holding the tail of a debt tiger, and it is a losing proposition.
Live 105 was supposed to be gone for good. For nearly a year, the San Francisco Bay Area’s most iconic alternative radio station vanished from the FM dial. A format replaced it that never connected. A brand never took hold. It was, by any measure, a wrong that needed righting. And in 2022, Audacy made the decision to do exactly that — to resurrect a 40-year legacy and prove that sometimes the best strategic move isn’t moving forward. It’s moving back to something worth saving.
The story of Live 105’s resurrection isn’t just about format programming or market strategy. Fundamentally, it’s about understanding where a brand went sideways, why it happened, and what it takes to recover a station that had become sacred ground in Bay Area radio culture.
The Mistakes That Led to Exile
Before Live 105 could come back, it had to go away. That process started innocuously enough. When Intercom (before the Audacy rebrand) took over the station, they made what seemed logical at the time. They changed the name from Live 105 to Alt 105.3. It was positioning, refinement, nothing catastrophic. But it was step one.
Then came the pandemic, and with it, what the industry dubbed “innovation.” Radio companies across the country made reactive format and programming shifts. They needed to respond to economic pressures and audience behavior changes. For Live 105, those changes went deeper than a name tweak. The music focus shifted away from the DNA that had defined alternative radio. It had defined alternative radio in San Francisco for four decades. It became a different format in all but name — safer, more algorithmic, less distinctive.
By November 2021, Audacy completed the erasure: they flipped the station to Dave FM, a hits format named after (you guessed it) a personality template. It works in markets everywhere and means nothing to anyone specifically.
For longtime listeners and industry veterans who remembered what Live 105 had been. The launch pad for alternative rock in the 1980s, the station that broke Pearl Jam and Nirvana, the brand with genuine cultural weight in one of America’s most important radio markets — it felt less like a refresh. It felt more like a capitulation.
Bringing Back the Brand
It took until 2022 for Audacy to reverse course. That’s when they made the call to bring Live 105 back. More importantly, they made the call to put the right person in charge of the resurrection.
John Allers came to the Bay Area in late 2021 without a guaranteed station. He had moved his family back to San Jose during the pandemic. He wanted his daughter to grow up around her cousins and extended family. His wife is from the area. He didn’t have a job lined up, but his track record spoke for itself. And he spent 13 years building and programming Radio 104.5 in Philadelphia from launch. He worked years at WEQX in Vermont, time in Providence, and stints in Atlanta and Cincinnati. And he had literally launched alternative radio stations from scratch and made them matter.
His path to radio was unconventional. After college, he pursued grad school at Emerson College specifically because he wanted to commit to radio the right way. “I went to grad school because even though I knew I wanted to get into radio, I wasn’t quite ready to commit to an actual job,” Allers explains. For his master’s project, he created a thesis called “The Evolution of AOR Radio from LSD to LCD.” He interviewed program directors across New England. He also got insight from people who’d been part of San Francisco’s legendary freeform radio scene. That project became his resume, and it opened doors.
Audacy subsequently hired him to oversee a portfolio of Bay Area brands. The timing, as Allers would discover, was perfect.
Building the Resurrection Strategy
“When they called and said, ‘Let’s bring the brand back. Michael Martin and I were already plotting behind the scenes ways that we could make it happen,” Allers recalls. “We had a good brain trust of collaborators. People who understand the brand, people who understand the market, people who understand radio. We got in a room, mapped it out, plotted it out.”
But here’s where the resurrection strategy got interesting. Allers made a deliberate choice not to simply resurrect the past. When some colleagues suggested bringing back all legacy DJs and pretending the station had never been gone, he pushed back hard.
“I thought that would be a mistake,” Allers explains. “I think we have to relaunch the brand. There were a couple of significant mistakes made along the way. Not only shifting the name from Live 105 to Alt 105.3, but the music focus shifted away from what Live 105 specifically knew. I view the relaunch as having the best of both worlds: we’re a legacy brand with a lot of passion around it, and we’ve really tried to lean into that. But we’re also a new brand starting with no sacred cows. We’ve had the opportunity to bring back the components of the brand that elicited a lot of passion and the audience loved. But we were also able to refocus some things that, in my opinion, maybe were challenges in the way the brand was executed previously.”
When Audacy first called about the possibility, Allers was already thinking strategically about the market. “I frankly was sort of hoping that something like that would happen, as sort of part of my master plan,” he says. “I didn’t know how or when, but it felt like we’d be a good fit for each other at some point down the road. When they called, it was at a point where they’d done a lot of innovation during the pandemic that wasn’t working out well. They needed to regroup and right some wrongs. I came at a good time.”
A Legacy Reclaimed
This is the critical distinction in Live 105’s return. It wasn’t nostalgia masquerading as strategy. In fact, it was genuinely new with genuine history. The station recovered the components of the brand that worked — the DNA, the audience connection, the market positioning — while deliberately refocusing elements that “maybe were challenges in the way the brand was executed previously.”
The result has resonated. Notably, Live 105 found its footing quickly, and the market responded. But what’s particularly instructive for the industry is how Allers and Audacy approached the resurrection itself. They understood that a brand can’t return as if nothing happened. You can’t ignore the mistakes or pretend the audience didn’t notice. Instead, you acknowledge what went wrong. Then you explain why you’re different now.
That acknowledgment became official and ceremonial when Live 105 was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame earlier this year. This marked the station’s 40th anniversary — except for the year or two they were gone. It was more than a trophy moment. Allers organized a gathering that brought together the people who built the brand: Richard Sands, Steve Masters, Roland West, Ed Pramp (the original general manager who helped launch the format), and Alex Bennett (the original morning host). These weren’t archive footage moments — they were in a room together in Alameda, telling stories about the evolution of the brand and everything Live 105 had accomplished on and off the air.
“It’s been really the honor and highlight of my career to have reached this point where I’m entrusted with overseeing this special brand,” Allers reflects. “We had a really special event at the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame — a ceremony with Live 105 alumni and industry people who have been associated with Live 105 gathered in this room telling stories about the evolution and the history of this brand. Just watching that group of people and thinking about all the special things this radio station has done on the air and off the air, it was really the highlight of my career.”
Why the Resurrection Matters
For the broader industry, Live 105’s return is instructive on several fronts. First, it proves that legacy brands still matter — but only if you treat them as both history and future simultaneously. Second, it demonstrates that radio can still differentiate itself in the streaming age by doing things that Spotify and Apple Music cannot. Creating genuine local events, artist experiences, and audience connections matters to specific markets.
Allers and Live 105’s approach to events reflects this philosophy. Clearly, they do intimate acoustic sessions with artists (Third Eye Blind, Papa Roach, The Beaches, Sun 41, Bleachers, Yellow Card). Additionally, they’ve also created bizarre and memorable moments: listeners playing ping pong with Yellow Card, backstage barbecues at Shoreline with Muse, pickleball with Weezer. These aren’t generic meet-and-greets. Rather, they’re the kind of memories that make people care about radio instead of just streaming music.
“I really value trying to connect our audience with their artists in ways that radio can still do it,” Allers says. “The acoustic sessions are still very desired and I think those are very special. But we’re looking for those opportunities to give listeners really special experiences with the bands that they love.”
The post-pandemic landscape presented challenges, though. Indeed, artists were hesitant to engage in the immediate aftermath. “Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a slight shift in terms of artists’ participation,” Allers acknowledges. “It was really a struggle coming out of the pandemic because I think everyone was gun shy about getting sick. But now that we’re removed from that, we are seeing a lot of meaningful artists really willing to do meaningful things with us and our listeners again.”
The Lesson
Live 105’s resurrection is ultimately about one thing: understanding that sometimes the most innovative move in radio isn’t abandoning the past — it’s recovering the parts of it that mattered, fixing what didn’t work, and building something that honors history while refusing to be trapped by it.
For Audacy, for John Allers, and for the Bay Area, that redemption arc has already paid dividends. Ultimately, whether it sustains long-term depends on whether Live 105 can keep delivering on what made it special while staying relevant to listeners who stream everything else. So far, the resurrection is holding.
And that’s worth noting in an industry that sometimes forgets that the best brands aren’t the newest ones — they’re the ones worth bringing back.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
The WNBA is gaining attention for all the wrong reasons, especially as of late. However, despite those issues, the league continues to bring in more viewership, revenue, attendance and intrigue. This past weekend, Ric Bucher added another layer to the WNBA’s attention-grabbing news cycle. The former ESPN NBA analyst raised a question that many people have asked privately within their own circles of friends: Why are all the color analysts and studio hosts on national WNBA broadcasts women?
Unfortunately for Bucher, his question is nothing new. It’s the same question people have been asking about women in the NFL, MLB and nearly every other major sport for generations. But Bucher’s context for asking the question is where the real debate and questions lie.
As much as people love a good headline, this isn’t a debate about men versus women on WNBA broadcasts. It’s a conversation more about how networks approach controversial topics surrounding the games and leagues themselves.
If you look at the totality of Bucher’s words, his argument wasn’t centered around that the WNBA doesn’t include men. His argument was that the women in the roles they currently hold are too protective of the league itself.
“Is the WNBA not worthy of being discussed and dissected by a variety of voices and perspectives in the same way the NBA is? There are some smart basketball-savvy women, both in the studio and the broadcast booth, but I don’t hear a whole lot of differing opinion or debate. It all comes off as safe and monotone and cookie cutter, especially when it comes to controversial topics,” said Bucher.
So, is Bucher’s argument that if you put a man in that role, the outcome would be different?
“All of it feels like a girls’ club. The media protecting the league from real scrutiny or critique. I’ll ask again: What are they afraid of,” noted Bucher.
That’s where I think the conversation goes off track.
You Have One Job
Networks and leagues are more intertwined than ever before. Some networks even have ownership stakes held by the leagues whose games they broadcast. Having the rights to air games is of monumental importance for any national network looking to draw an audience.
The programming surrounding those game broadcasts is just as important.
Most pregame and postgame shows are not designed to address every controversial topic within a sport. There are outliers, like Inside the NBA, that tend to cut loose on anything surrounding the league. But a greater amount of programming serves a specific purpose.
Pregame coverage builds interest and hype. Halftime and postgame shows are designed to address headlines and provide short bite-sized amounts of commentary. That doesn’t mean those programs shouldn’t have difficult conversations. It means the expectations placed on the talent are different from those placed on a columnist, reporter, sports radio talent or independent creator.
Bucher has the absolute right to be critical of the tone and level of critique shared following DiJonai Carrington’s hard foul on Sophie Cunningham. But is the issue that women said what they said.
Was the foul brought up at halftime and postgame? Yes. Was it addressed? Absolutely. That’s the job. You can like it or dislike it. That’s not a man-versus-woman issue. That’s where Bucher missed poorly.
But Bucher’s criticism also raises a larger question about sports television. He described ESPN’s coverage as safe, cookie cutter and monotone. Would he say the same about any NFL pregame and postgame? How about any network that covers MLB games? Couldn’t you also say the same about networks that broadcast NHL contests?
Couldn’t the same criticism apply to almost every major professional sport? The WNBA doesn’t need to manufacture diversity in the analyst chair. It needs to develop the deepest possible talent pool and give the best broadcasters opportunities. If that pool becomes more diverse naturally, that’s a good thing.
The analyst’s job is to help the audience understand the game. Former players can provide insight into what happens between the lines in a way that a traditional reporter or columnist may not. That’s why networks value former athletes in these roles.
A Worthy Conversation
The question isn’t whether a man would have handled the Carrington-Cunningham situation differently than a woman. Maybe he would have. Maybe he wouldn’t. The better question is whether the person sitting in that chair has the freedom to be critical, regardless of gender, without worrying about how the league or network will react.
That’s the conversation we should be having across the board for every sport.
WNBA coverage doesn’t need to become more diverse simply for the sake of having more diverse voices. It needs to become more diverse in the depth of the conversations it is willing to have. There should be room for praise, criticism, disagreement and uncomfortable questions without automatically turning those discussions into an attack on the league. No matter if it’s a woman or a man.
The best analyst isn’t the person who protects the product, nor is it the person who criticizes everything surrounding it. It’s the person who understands the game well enough to explain it, challenge it and, when necessary, call it out. But freedom in the role is required to balance the approach.
That has nothing to do with whether the analyst is a man or a woman.
It has everything to do with whether the network is willing to let the conversation go beyond the boundaries of what its league partner may want to hear.
And that’s the question Ric Bucher should be asking.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries.Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Radio doesn’t need people with answers. It needs people willing to ask uncomfortable questions.
We’re living through the largest disruptive period in media history. Artificial intelligence has changed how content is created. Furthermore, streaming has conditioned listeners to expect personalization. In addition, podcasts expanded the definition of spoken-word audio. Meanwhile, social media creators are building audiences larger than local radio stations.
The Changing Media Landscape
Even the dashboard — the place radio once owned — is now crowded with nearly unlimited choices. Consider this: renting a car on vacation revealed this shift. It took us nearly three minutes to find the radio in our 2026 Volkswagen Atlas. Therefore, the question becomes: has our thinking changed with our industry?
For years, radio has celebrated its ability to survive technological threats. Television didn’t kill us. Subsequently, satellite radio, MP3 players, and streaming didn’t either. Neither did podcasts. However, radio has an impressive track record.
Survival isn’t the same as growth. We spend time defending the way we’ve done things when we should be questioning what makes sense. Notably, conventional thinking produces conventional results. Innovation begins with curiosity.
Three Critical Questions for Radio Professionals
Here are three hard questions you should be asking:
Will I have a radio job in five years?
This depends on what you want to do. If you’re in a market where you’re the leader, stay there. It’s hard now to introduce a new personality brand to a community. Twenty years ago, a morning show was considered mature after at least two years of consistent marketing. Today, that bridge is tougher than ever to cross.
Am I indispensable now?
To the majority of readers of this column, the answer is no. You are dispensable. The latest round of layoffs echoed this reality. Plenty of talented personalities left the industry. However, the ones who carry audience and revenue remain. When ESPN stripped away dozens of employees this year while inflating salaries for Stephen A. Jackson and Pat McAfee, the industry protested. Yet talented professionals joined the unemployment line. Notably, Jackson and McAfee are the only two people at that network who are indispensable. If Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham left the WNBA as rumored, the league would collapse. That’s what indispensable means. Make yourself indispensable.
What does selling look like in the AI age?
Unless you have solid relationships with your clients, AI will be filling your orders by next year. Do you know your clients well? Furthermore, do you know their birthdays, anniversaries, children’s birthdays, their industry, and favorite ice cream? Get to know your clients like family. They would rather talk to someone they trust than a computer screen.
Challenging Conventional Wisdom
Every meaningful improvement in radio started because someone challenged an accepted truth. Someone asked, “Why not?” when everyone else was comfortable saying, “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.” So the next time someone — especially someone who has spent decades in the business like myself — starts a sentence with “We’ve always,” don’t automatically nod. Ask a question. And then ask another one.
Consider these questions:
Why do we still assume listeners only discover music through radio when millions find songs every day on TikTok, YouTube, Spotify playlists, gaming platforms, and creator videos? Shouldn’t our music discovery process be just as diverse?
Why do we continue treating our websites and apps like digital brochures instead of actual destinations people want to visit?
Why do we spend hours debating music rotations but only minutes discussing the stories, conversations, and personalities that no algorithm can duplicate?
Why do we keep saying, “We don’t have the budget,” before we’ve exhausted the creative opportunities within our own building?
Perhaps the biggest question of all is this: Why are we trying so hard to sound like every other radio station when our greatest competitive advantage has always been sounding different?
Radio’s Irreplaceable Superpower
Artificial intelligence can write a weather forecast. Spotify can recommend another song. YouTube can serve up endless entertainment. However, none of those platforms consistently delivers a trusted local personality who understands the community. Additionally, they lack the ability to react to what’s happening today. Most importantly, they cannot make listeners feel like they’re spending time with a friend. That’s radio’s superpower.
The best programmers I’ve ever known weren’t the ones who believed they had all the answers. Rather, they were the ones who never stopped asking questions. They questioned clocks. They questioned benchmarks. They questioned promotions. Furthermore, they questioned research. Most importantly, they questioned themselves.
Questions challenge assumptions. Questions expose opportunities. Consequently, questions inspire creativity. Questions lead to innovation. Therefore, innovation — not nostalgia — will determine which radio stations thrive over the next decade. Respect tradition and learn from it. But never let it prevent you from asking, “Why?” Because the future belongs to those who never stop chasing the next great question.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
CBS News Radio picked up two national Edward R. Murrow Awards this year, a recognition that lands with particular weight given the network no longer exists. The honors arrive months after CBS News Radio’s parent company shut the operation down, closing the book on a name that had defined network radio journalism for generations.
The Radio Television Digital News Association awarded CBS News Radio Best Newscast for its coverage of the January 2025 midair collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., a crash that killed 67 people. The network also won Overall Excellence in the network radio division, one of the industry’s most competitive and prestigious categories.
For former staffers, the wins triggered a wave of pride, nostalgia, and a fair amount of vindication. Many spent years — some spent decades — building the network’s reputation for fast, accurate breaking news coverage. Seeing that work honored after the fact hit differently than a typical awards-season win would have.
A Newscast That Delivered When It Mattered
One former CBS News Radio executive framed the Best Newscast win as proof the operation never lost its edge, even as its future grew uncertain. “It shows that the network was still producing at a high level, despite what the perception might have been elsewhere,” the executive said. “Winning a category like the newscast is what we were ultimately graded on: who could produce the best newscast, day-in, day-out. And CBS News Radio did that.”
That distinction matters because breaking news coverage tests an organization’s core competency more than any other assignment. Reporters and producers had to gather facts, verify details, and deliver a coherent broadcast while a tragedy was still unfolding in real time. Consequently, the newscast award carries a credibility that few other categories can match.
The same executive described the Overall Excellence honor differently, calling it something closer to a “lifetime achievement award” rather than a reflection of any single body of work. Still, they made clear the distinction didn’t diminish their pride in the accomplishment.
“It doesn’t matter if this award was given because CBS News Radio can never win it again,” they said. “I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone — if they were telling the truth — that would say that we didn’t deserve that Murrow Award.”
Craig Swagler spent 23 years working at the network. He rose to the role of Vice President and General Manager of the network before departing. He used the term “pride” in discussing the results.
“It speaks to the quality of the journalism,” said Swagler. “Through the years, the robustness of what the network was known for — even the robustness when I oversaw it — declined. That was a lack of resources and support. But these awards speak to, regardless of how fewer people were working there, no less dedication went into the quality of the journalism, or the reporting, or the use of sound, or the storytelling. It really shows how amazing the staff members every single day were bringing their best. That is that award of overall excellence.”
Pride Mixed With Loss
Another former high-level leader at the network offered a more emotional take, describing the awards as “bittersweet” rather than purely celebratory. Their reaction reflects a tension that’s followed CBS News Radio’s alumni since the shutdown: gratitude for the recognition, paired with grief over an institution that’s gone.
“It was an incredibly proud moment, but also a very bittersweet one,” they said. “To see CBS News Radio recognized with the overall excellence award meant a great deal to everyone who spent years building that network. We poured so much into maintaining the highest standards of broadcast journalism. Seeing that work recognized after the network had gone away brought mixed emotions. There was tremendous pride in knowing the work continued to resonate and earned such a prestigious honor. At the same time, it was difficult knowing the organization that produced that work is no longer there. It was a fitting recognition of an extraordinary group of people.”
They added that the timing may have amplified the emotional impact. Over the past several months, former colleagues have reconnected and swapped stories about their years at the network, and that shared reflection made the Murrow win resonate more deeply than it might have otherwise.
CBS News Radio’s closure left a void in network radio news, and its former staffers have scattered across the industry since. But the RTDNA’s recognition serves as a final, formal acknowledgment of what the operation built. Its coverage of one of 2025’s most devastating tragedies, and the broader body of work behind it, earned validation from the industry’s most respected journalism honor.
“They were performing at a level better than all their peers, judged by their peers,” concluded Swagler. “And it just speaks to that the quality was still there. It really asks the question: Why isn’t on the air anymore?”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
