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Radio Industry Layoffs Aren’t Going Away So How Are You Making Yourself Indispensable?

Jason Barrett
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Radio Industry Layoffs Aren’t Going Away So How Are You Making Yourself Indispensable?

For some writers and reporters, there’s no bigger thrill than pressing send on a breaking news story. Not for me. I value relationships over clicks. When someone I know and hold in high regard is part of a story that involves radio industry layoffs or a personal decision to exit, I hate writing it. I know a lot of people will read the article and contact the individual featured in it. That can be exhausting when you’re trying to escape a stressful situation in your professional life. But we also have a responsibility as a media outlet to relay the news to the industry. That’s what I signed up for when I went down this road in 2015.

But that is how I felt Friday morning when I learned that Don Martin and Robin Bertolucci were exiting iHeartMedia Los Angeles. Information was coming in from every angle. With a story like that, which involves two people I know, like, and respect, the last thing I want to be is wrong. If Don or Robin called and said ‘we’re not leaving, we’re still here’ I’d have been sick. Usually though when 5-6 sources relay similar details, you know something’s happening, and it has to be covered.

Making it harder was the fact that I have a great relationship with Julie Talbott, Scott Shapiro, and Kurt Kretzschmar, and other members of Fox Sports Radio and Premiere Networks. They’ve been great supporters of ours. When something happens that involves a member of the group who we value working with, it sucks. Fortunately, Don is staying involved with Premiere and Fox, but on Friday morning, that information wasn’t clear. Having to report it was stressful.

No matter how much anyone tries to dress it up, the radio industry suffered two black eyes last week. iHeartMedia issued layoffs across the country affecting music radio, sports radio, and news/talk. Of course, this happens just as advertising agencies are deciding on their marketing plans for 2025. It’s hard enough for buyers to be excited about our business when they read stories about bankruptcy and decreasing revenues. Company layoffs don’t exactly inspire confidence.

On iHeartMedia’s earnings call this week, CEO Bob Pittman said that technology will be the key to increasing iHeart’s operating leverage. Pittman believes that technology alone will reduce annual expenses by $150 million in 2025. Staff reductions are helping reduce savings to roughly $200 million.

When asked to explain how technology would help iHeart save such a large sum of money, Pittman said “I think what we’re doing is not getting rid of air talent. What we’re able to do now, because we’ve got technology is take talent in any location and put them on the air in another location. So it allows us to substantially upgrade the quality of our talent in every single market we’re in.”

First, c’mon Bob. You’re not getting rid of talent? When did Alfred Williams, Rich Shertenlieb, Len Berman, and Joe Pags become producers? Secondly, are these men all now doing shows for the company from their homes that nobody else is aware of? They were high income hosts in top markets and were all laid off. That means you got rid of air talent. Suggesting otherwise is disingenuous.

Pittman’s points though about featuring talent from different locations suggests a bigger focus moving forward on national and regional syndication. For instance, maybe instead of iHeart branding cities individually like iHeart San Antonio, iHeart Austin, iHeart Dallas, and iHeart Houston, they become iHeart Texas with all outlets featuring one show in each location. That’d keep the content semi-local, and local advertisers connected to local voices, while reducing full local lineups in each city.

The other option is to rely more on Fox Sports Radio and Premiere Networks programming. The content is more national than local but iHeart does employ many of the best talent in the business. Among them, Bobby Bones, Ryan Seacrest, Charlamagne Tha God, Colin Cowherd, Dan Patrick, Sean Hannity, and Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. It makes sense to distribute them everywhere.

Their radio shows may not deliver big local ratings everywhere, but they do have large audiences. With dollars shifting to digital, you can see why iHeart would double down on national stars with greater reach. Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper said at the 2024 BSM Summit in New York that he believed local people delivering local content would matter less in the future. Pittman clearly agrees.

If you’re a radio lifer waiting for Pittman to return radio to the glory days of the 1990’s, wake up. Those days are gone. Bob isn’t beloved by many local talent and programmers but he’s a sharp executive who’s led America’s largest radio company since 2011. His decisions may not be popular and could turn out to be wrong, but he makes shrewd choices in favor of what he thinks will deliver growth for the company. Radio revenues continue to trend in the wrong direction, so it’s clear that he’s trying to transform the company, even if it ruffles feathers, and disrupts professional situations.

The questions I have are ‘why would listeners in one city care to hear talent and content from other places that have no local connection? How does losing skilled talent and accomplished executives make the company stronger? Why should iHeart employees feel good about where they work when layoffs have occurred regularly since 2020? Why should employees, partners, and shareholders trust that this is the right vision for the future when change has been a recurring theme? Furthermore, why should advertisers invest large revenues in local talent and stations, if the company can’t assure them that they’ll still be there?

iHeart has made cuts before but rarely do they include names like Rich Shertenlieb, Alfred Williams, John Kuhn, Joe Pags, Len Berman, Michael Riedel, and John Mamola. Cutting ties with successful people doesn’t make a company better. It makes competitors stronger. These professionals will be re-hired and play a role in challenging iHeart in local markets for future business.

The recent layoffs raise questions about the health of the industry, and the future for large operators. Robby Bridges suggested last week that it was time for groups like iHeart to sell. Dave Greene challenged professionals to develop a Plan B given the lack of security in the radio business. Pittman would likely unload radio stations if the return on investment made sense, but how many people are actively looking to spend big to acquire them? Jeff Smulyan owns an FM stick (98.7) in New York City and is open for business, but his price hasn’t been met. He’s not going to take a bath just to get rid of it. I don’t suspect Pittman would either.

Layoffs are a part of the media business. They are not going away. If media professionals expect them to subside, they’re not in tune with reality. I’ve shared this article before but unfortunately most professionals don’t take the time to read. Radio recorded 15 billion in revenue in 2023 according to Kagan Research. In 2024, the RAB projects the industry to deliver 13.6 billion. Looking ahead to 2025, it’s even lower at 12.9 billion.

IF that information is correct, it implies that the radio business will have lost two billion dollars in two years. If we go back in time to 2014, revenues were 14.9 billion. That means there’s been no financial growth for a decade, and even worse, a decline is upon us.

If you were running a business, and saw your revenue not grow for years, and then suddenly shrink by 10-15% in 2-3 years, would you carry the same payroll moving forward? Unlikely. Would you increase your investments in future growth? Probably not. We can all love and believe in the radio industry, but if the dollars aren’t there, tough decisions have to be made.

Believe me, I hate seeing this unfold, and having to communicate it to industry professionals. I’d love to tell you ‘business is booming, better days are ahead, and there’s no industry more exciting to be in right now than radio.’ But I won’t mislead people, especially when the evidence suggests otherwise.

Corporate radio is trying to push a boulder up a mountain at the moment while others stand in front of it and try to send it backwards. These are hard times for large radio groups. Smaller companies have better stories but those get often overlooked. When talented people like Rich Shertenlieb, Don Martin, Robin Bertolucci, Alfred Williams, Joe Pags, John Mamola, and Len Berman either exit or are laid off, it doesn’t provide a positive feeling. If it can happen to them, it can happen to you, regardless of how talented or tenured you are.

If you’re passionate about the business like me, and hope to be a part of it for years to come, there are two things you need to do.

First, make sure you’re adding value in multiple ways to the company. If all you have to offer are over the air ratings, don’t be shocked if it’s not enough to keep you employed. What are you adding beyond your shift? Are you creating digital impact or just playing in the space? Have you brought in revenue relationships to the radio station that would exit with you? Did you invest time in building a personal brand so that you’re attractive to other operators if your current employer chooses to move on? How many industry relationships have you established to make sure future conversations are available should your situation change?

Just as important, how much does your salary affect the bottom line? The higher your price tag, the more of a bullseye on your back. If you’re not adding value in a superior way to anyone else on staff, you become a target. Are you willing to work for less or move to a smaller market to help a smaller operator? Doing so could extend your career, but that isn’t always possible or attractive.

Secondly, start preparing yourself to live without it. You may intend to do this forever, but supporting yourself and your family should come first. Finding work in other fields is easier, and radio professionals have skills that transfer to many areas. I built Barrett Media in 2015 believing that I could provide something different that wasn’t available. Though personal reasons influenced my decision to go down this path, I also saw troubling signs ahead for the industry.

You don’t think about stability when you’re 22-30 years old, but when you enter your late 30’s and early 40’s, priorities change. Paying a mortgage, raising kids, and supporting a family all come into play. Radio may be your first love, but if you’re not open to other forms of employment or developing skills to contribute to other mediums, you’re putting yourself at risk. The radio industry is still fun. It has the potential to be lucrative again, but with debt suffocating most larger radio groups, the ride ahead will be bumpy.

If there’s one thing to remember from this week it’s a comment Bob Pittman made. He said, “there is not going to be a slot for everybody.” Knowing that’s the reality, the question now is, what are you doing to make sure there’s one left for you?

Upcoming Barrett Media Changes

  • We recently launched our Ratings page. Data for the top 200 radio markets are now available. Check out the latest reports up top on the site or by clicking here.
  • I announced last week our plans for the Barrett Media Top 20 series. A quick reminder, our News/Talk series runs January 6-10 and January 13. The Music Radio series debuts January 20-24 and 27-29. And Sports Radio gets released February 3-7 and 10.
  • We distributed two emails last week, one for our website/content survey. Another for speaker opportunities at the 2025 BSM Summit in Chicago. Each will be emailed again this week so keep an eye out. Interest in speaking is high, and I do appreciate it. I’m taking my time with this process to make sure every speaker and session at the conference matters.
  • Another change we’re making goes into effect on Monday December 2nd. We are reducing our newsletters from four (4) per day to (2). There will be a Barrett Media Morning Edition distributed daily at 8am ET. The Evening Edition will go out M-F at 5pm ET.

The 8@8, Rundown, Pulse and Press Pass have been fun to create, but two full-service newsletters is better for everyone. It saves industry professionals from being hit 4x per day by us via email. We’re able to send a mix of content to our full audience rather than to smaller custom built groups. Doing so allows us to offer better advertising value to our partners, prioritize better content, and reflect the brand you see online. Plus, we know that most readers aren’t consuming twenty three stories per day, which is what we currently send out each day.

More focus will be placed on original features, opinions, and in-depth stories in the morning. Industry news will earn top billing in the evening. Promotion of articles from other content sources is being discontinued. Our goal is to offer 7-9 stories each morning, and 7-8 in the evening.

Quick Hits:

  • Credit to NewsNation and Newsmax on being ahead on election night. The two networks were within a minute of each other calling the race for President. They also did an excellent job making calls on projected winners in various states throughout the evening. I thought Fox News did a strong job too with its coverage, featuring a more balanced desk. Fox finished atop the ratings with Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, and Bill Hemmer delivering excellent coverage. I tried watching MSNBC but the commentary was very one-sided. CNN offered better balance though the network lost 44% of its election night viewership compared to 2020.
  • Congratulations to Doug Gottlieb. His tenure as head coach of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s men’s basketball team may have begun with a loss at his alma mater Oklahoma State, but knowing Doug for twenty years, I know that was a special moment for him personally. Gottlieb is juggling dual roles as head coach and Fox Sports Radio’s afternoon host. Some questioned whether or not he could do both jobs simultaneously. I’m rooting for him to pull it off.
  • I loved seeing the announcement of Adam The Bull and Dustin Fox reuniting in podcast form for BetRivers. That’s a smart hire by Adam Delevitt and the BetRivers bunch. Bull and Fox created a lot of success together in Cleveland at 92.3 The Fan.
  • Attention Skip Bayless and Ryan Evans, it might be wise to update your password on X regularly. Last week was not a good look for either of you.
  • Stephanie Eads, Derek Futterman, and I will be in attendance this week for the ESPN Edge conference in New York City. Jimmy Pitaro, Mike McQuade, Tony Reali, and other ESPN executives are speaking at the show. I’m looking forward to being there.

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.

Advice for All Media on Covering the New Administration

Perry Michael Simon
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Advice for All Media on Covering the New Administration

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.

All right, it’s over now. No more debates, no more political ads. We can move on, right?

Of course not. We will never move on. It’ll just get more and more aggravating, and we’ll do the ads and debates and recriminations all over again in two years for the midterms. Lucky us.

With the change in administrations and what we can project will be happening in the new term, it’s important, whatever your political position is and whatever you do in the news business, to remember that even if you’re part of the partisan media, it’s incumbent upon you to ask tough questions, hold the powerful accountable, cut through the rhetoric and report on whether campaign promises are being kept or forgotten.

You are the representative of your audience with more access to political leaders than they have. They’ve been promised things; it’s on you to report on whether those things are coming true. That’s what I hope you were doing for the current administration, and the one before that, and the one before that, and all the way back to your first days on the job.

Wait, you say, what if I’m a talk radio host or cable TV pundit? Aren’t we supposed to be partisan? Isn’t that partisanship what our listeners, viewers, and readers expect from us? Won’t they react, um, poorly if we dare to question their political heroes? Yeah, they might, but if they voted expecting, say, grocery prices to come down, they want to know how that’s going to be accomplished, and if it doesn’t happen, why not.

If they’ve been promised tax cuts, they’ll want to know when they’ll see those cuts. Partisanship is partisanship, U.S. politics is much like sports fandom (Blue vs. Red, who ya got?), and those will likely not go away in our lifetimes, but whether espousing your opinion or reporting on the facts, people still want to know whether their own interests are being promoted and protected. Hero worship goes only so far. When the audience is looking for a payoff, it’s you, the news media, who can find out whether there’s progress or whether the little guy is getting screwed again. In your talking or reporting, nobody should be above scrutiny.

That, of course, is a pipe dream. Talk radio, with few exceptions, thinks their guy can do no wrong. We know from the first time Donald Trump was elected that reporters from legacy media are careful to underplay negative stories in order to preserve access (I believe this is scientifically categorized as the “Haberman Effect”) or to save for a book that will be published years after the fact (the “Woodward Rule”).

I’m assuming most of you aren’t planning a book or getting access to the President, but you still can get to party officials and Congress and local politicians, and part of making those people interesting is to challenge them and get real answers. You can do that, right? Because that, and not promoting a politician or party, is your job. (Okay, it’s not a pundit’s job, because… what IS a pundit’s job, anyway? Because if there’s anything everyone can agree upon, it’s that we don’t really want to see or hear Scott Jennings or David Axelrod ever again. Enough.)

That should get the news and talk media through the next four years, at least job-wise. The rest of us? Can we just, you know, not talk about that right now?

How Would Audio Measurement Change if Nielsen Faced Stiffer Competition?

Dr. Ed Cohen
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How Would Audio Measurement Change if Nielsen Faced Stiffer Competition?

Much of this column’s content covers Nielsen Audio, whether to help you to better understand how to comprehend the data, use it to your advantage, or discuss the company’s policies and my take on them. It’s always Nielsen, which has a de facto monopoly on audio measurement for radio. 

There are competitors. Eastlan has been around for a long time measuring small markets. Triton is the “go to” for streaming even though Nielsen reports some streaming data in PPM markets. Triton doesn’t offer demographic data, so what you’re seeing is how many streams are running at any given time and where the streams are going. Useful, but not a lot of depth.

What prompted this column was an article in Inside Radio last week. It cited a study reported in Ad Age suggesting that marketing and agency people at director level and above are fine with multiple measurement systems in video. Two out of three (sample size was 200 in the study from Advertiser Perceptions) said a multi-currency marketplace is the future. They felt the industry should limit itself to no more than five currencies. 

Think about that data point from people at a reasonably high level who spend $5 million or more per year in television. A majority are trying new measures and expect to use multiple metrics. In the past, the argument from agencies was for one currency. This was so planners and buyers wouldn’t have to switch between two or more currencies when working on campaigns. It was one reason for the demise of Birch back in the early ‘90s. That’s why I had to sell a house in South Florida when the service was shut down by VNU.

Yet radio has only one serious currency. I don’t anticipate Eastlan making plans to take on Nielsen directly. There have been attempts to build alternative services over the years but with no success. That could mean that the industry is satisfied with Nielsen despite the high price, relatively small sample sizes, and limited service.

When I started at Arbitron in 1999, it was standard procedure that an Arbitron rep would make at least one in-person visit a year to each market. If you needed assistance, there was 24/7 customer service for software. Yes, a real human would answer the phone at 3am for a freaked-out PD that couldn’t sleep and wanted to dig deeper into data. Good luck with getting that kind of service in 2024.

Can we ever expect competition in the audio audience measurement space? If I had to bet on it, I’d say no (FanDuel and DraftKings both refused to take my wager). While the industry still generates around $15 billion in revenue per year, broadcast radio is not growing. That makes it less attractive for new entrants in the field. Also, any competitor would have to navigate the “moat” of Nielsen patents that protect their service. If I learned anything after Nielsen acquired Arbitron, it’s that Nielsen has good lawyers. They are willing to spend money on litigation. 

Still, let’s speculate for a moment. Any new competitor would have to be a big data measure. That probably means some way of using cell phones perhaps combined with data coming from DTS AutoStage. The data could be matched up with other data sources, probably in a “clean room” situation where individual information is matched up to data from the phones. Add to that a projectable national panel that collects all audio usage (radio, satellite, streaming, podcasts) to smooth out demographic data. The national data would be adjusted for local markets.

For years, the question of using data from cell phones has arisen. One issue is that Apple prefers that any app have value to the owner of the phone beyond an activity like tracking your audio usage. We tried an experiment along those lines at Arbitron years ago and while our Android panel held up, the iPhone panel atrophied quickly. Perhaps the rules have changed, but this won’t be easy.

Maybe we give up the AQH measure which is getting antiquated anyway. Radio is being touted as a reach medium which is cume. Perhaps the industry pays less for national cume data that can be adjusted to fit local markets. A lot of modeling would be going on, but if you think that isn’t happening in video, I have a couple of bridges you may be interested in purchasing.   

Of course, anything on this scale requires the industry to come together, something radio is not very good at doing.  I’ve seen a number of good studies coming from CIMM, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement. It should really be called CIVM, the Coalition for Innovative Video Measurement. They have no interest in audio or heaven forbid, print companies in the digital space. The word “media” is a plural. While CIMM does some really interesting work, the group is focused on one medium – video.

This column is “spitballing” but with some background on what can be accomplished. What would audio look like if we had only reach and much of the data were modeled? How would programming change? Would sales change that much? Think about it.

Let’s meet again next week.

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.

Consultants Corner: Steve Reynolds, Reynolds Radio Group

Jeff Lynn
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Consultants Corner: Steve Reynolds, Reynolds Radio Group

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.

Steve Reynolds is the President of The Reynolds Radio Group. The Raleigh, NC based Reynolds is a top ten high-profile talent coach who works with talent and companies in all formats.

Reynolds grew up listening to WABC and got his first radio job at age 15. He was on air in Springfield, MA, Waterloo, IA, and Raleigh, NC. In the late 90s, encouraged by Jon Coleman, he made the move to full-time talent coach.

Reynolds describes his most rewarding thing as “when the personalities tell me they look at radio much differently today because of the conversations I forge each week and how I challenge them.”

He is this week’s featured consultant.

Jeff Lynn: How do you see the state of the Radio Industry right now?

Steve Reynolds: It’s in flux, like it’s been for the last fifteen years once consolidation started.  But it’s a golden time for talent, from my perspective. Stations large and small really understand the necessity for credible, relatable, and fun talent to brand their stations and stand out. Only talent can create that trust to build loyalty with listeners and prove to clients the value of our industry to sell products.  Talent help radio stations differentiate in a sea of choice – and they always will.

JL: How do you break through to talent that is stubborn, thinks they are already doing everything right, and doesn’t want coaching?

SR: It’s important to know where that comes from. As a product of many years of therapy, most of that comes from fear. The fear of them being perceived as not being the smartest or funniest or most strategic in the room. Analogies can be made to premiere athletes who have coaches who help elevate them. My brother’s former mother-in-law won a Tony on Broadway. When I asked her what was next for her career, she told me she was hiring another acting coach to help her win a second. I make these simple analogies all the time. If I help create a safe space, built on affirmation, honesty, and accountability with the talent, the fear dissipates and they become more open to the challenges.

JL: Along the same lines, a morning show has a benchmark in which they are emotionally invested. Everyone else can see that its time has passed, how do you convince them to let it go?

SR: I am always reticent to make changes in benchmarks unless we have research that proves it is no longer effective.  Talent get attached to things because it’s their comfort zone. If perceptual research shows it isn’t working or the benchmark doesn’t meet strategic goals, then we engage in that conversation. What I hear more often is the opposite. A disbelief in benchmarks. They are critical tentpoles for every show because they are image builders and cume activators.  You must be known for something and viable benchmarks are critical to branding every program. That said, just doing something at the same time doesn’t make the feature right for the objectives of a benchmark. I also see some shows that want to move benchmarks around. That is a big no for me as we are trying to groom an occasion at that time. Moving it works against that. I always share that David Letterman did his first Top Ten list on September 18, 1985 (words that rhyme with peas) and he did his last one May 20, 2015 (things I’ve always wanted to say to Dave).  While the feature changed dramatically in its presentation over that time, it stayed the same – a topic with ten punchlines. If he could do the same feature on every show for almost 30 years, we should, too.

JL: Without naming names, tell me about a difficult talent or team and how you dealt with them, earned their trust, and developed a partnership.

SR: My addition to a room of creatives is, at times, perceived as though the company doesn’t believe in the show.  I shared that it’s the exact opposite. In a day of dwindling resources, why would a company commit time and money to a show they don’t believe in? That made sense to the show I am referencing. To build a partnership, the team needs to trust. Trust is a product of vulnerability and time.  So, I invested lots of time getting to know the talent. What’s important to them professionally, what are they like personally, how’s their life at home, what are their values? I focused on that while revealing who I am as a person to them, too.  In that time, we found personal connection points to break down those walls of fear. Then we collaborated on a growth plan, with small, incremental evolution at first. Once we saw the positive impact, more trust appeared, and we kept moving forward. 

JL: What advice would you give a morning show doing well in a midsize market that aspires to grow and get to a bigger market and get the attention of the big owners?

SR: Build relationships everywhere. Talent is so needed. You get there by knowing people. I got one of my first big clients 25 years ago because I had a relationship with Jon Coleman from Coleman Insights. Jon was presenting to a major market management team that their show, under attack from a new competitor, was faltering. He knew what they’d ask next. Which was, “Who do you know that fixes problems like this?” Get to know everyone – especially at the highest levels of all companies. They are good, smart people. They know where their challenges are and, if you’re top-of-mind, talented, and have a great attitude and work ethic, you’ll be first on their list for consideration. In short, market yourself to the industry to stand out.

JL: Please answer the question posted on your website, “Who the hell is Steve Reynolds?”

SR: When I was in high school, I asked my dad if he knew anyone at a local radio station. I’d just been fired from Burger King (yes, it’s a story) and wanted to do something different to make money. I got the radio bug and believe that that guy is still at my core (minus the braces, acne, and insecurities). I say there really is no original Steve Reynolds. I am a Frankenstein. I have had the great opportunity to hang out over the years with some of the smartest people in our industry. All of them have asked me hard, reflective questions and I’ve taken a little from each as I have evolved.

JL: What are the best practices for moving a show or a talent into the world of video and podcasting?

SR: What’s missing from many shows when we start is a content strategy. What’s our show about? What’s its plot? What is effective character development? Why do listeners choose us? What images are we trying to secure? What is great content and how do we do it? What are our points-of-differentiation in the market? We must have a content strategy for on-air and then one for video, podcasting, and social media. We no longer have the luxury of figuring it out as we’re doing it. I talk with talent about the value and importance of being strategic. If you add that to talent who tend to be creatives, it’s a very effective combo.

JL: Aside from ratings, how do you measure progress with the talent you work with?

SR: Excellent question. Two answers here. How is the culture of the room? A strong culture amongst the team is essential for performance and growth. Phil Jackson won six championships with the Chicago Bulls and Coach K at Duke kept winning because they focused first on building a great culture. When shows aren’t performing in the ratings, I ask the same two questions (especially to nervous managers who want results now): do you believe in our people and do you believe in our strategy? I focus on three core areas of great talent: Aptitude (are they a talented bunch – fun, curious, interesting, relatable, opinionated, knowledgeable); Attitude (are they positive people who figure stuff out); and Work Ethic (will they grind it out to be successful and set the tone for work with the team)? If we have those three items and believe in what we’re doing, it’ll happen if the station is right.

JL: What was the best piece of career advice you were ever given?

SR: When I started the company, I sought advice from a bunch of people. Pierre Bouvard (then with Coleman, now with Cumulus) said, “Whatever you have, give it away.” That advice had nothing to do with radio, so I asked for clarity. Pierre told me I had a unique skillset to help shows, especially because I did one, so I could be empathetic. He reminded me that if I helped anyone who reached out or gave advice to any company asking, with absolutely zero interest in what was in it for me, I’d build value. And, more importantly from a human standpoint, helping people is the right thing to do. That advice is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago. So, I have a policy that if anyone reaches out, especially a talent, they hear from me, and I help them. With the only ask I make back is that they help someone else when they are in need, too. We’re all responsible for making the industry better.

Reach Steve Reynolds by email.

Reynold Radio Group

608 Sarahcreek Court

Raleigh, NC 27607

Business: 919.821.4700

Cell: 919.280.0106

3 Keys to Maximizing Radio Remote Broadcasts

Ron Harrell
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3 Keys to Maximizing Radio Remote Broadcasts

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.

Why do we need remote broadcasts in radio? It’s not the ‘90s. I was inspired on Election Day when I listened to the live broadcast of the Michael Smerconish Show on SiriusXM radio, and I want to share three suggestions we should embrace when considering live remote broadcasts.

Smerconish pushes his middle-of-the-political-spectrum agenda on the POTUS channel. I discovered the channel last year, and I thought it was a station programming U.S. presidential history. The acronym was a good tipoff.

“This is awesome,” I said to myself.  Well, me and 12 other people were excited about a station programming the history of the most influential job in America.

There’s a good reason I thought the format was focused on the office of the U.S. president. The day I found it, presidential historian Michael Beschloss was a guest on the midday show. The next day, I tuned in. It wasn’t presidential history, and I realized POTUS on SiriusXM means Politics of the United States. It was Smerconish talking about the politics of the day. “Wait, is this the guy from CNN Saturday mornings?” I asked. Yes, and that was all I knew about Smerconish.

His style and content connected with me immediately. It’s difficult to play the moderate card on talk radio. Extreme works better. Smerconish is prepared, pedigreed, and he’s comfortable in his role as a middle of the road host. I believed him and I was fascinated with the strategy of this show.

When I heard the show would be live from a bagel shop in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on Election Day, I made a calendar reminder to catch part of the broadcast. The idea fit radio perfectly. Think about the mental pictures you process when you hear “bagel shop” in small-town PA. Broadcasting from a large venue or hotel conference room wouldn’t have the same “color.”

The first thing to get my attention was the special audio imaging created for the event. No brainer, right? It’s surprising how often we do something out of the ordinary, but we keep the same imaging that we use the other days. 

Photo Capture From X

The technical result was the next item to get an entry in my notes. It was better. That’s not usually the case with remote broadcasts. However, this one sounded better than the daily show. My theory is that everyone was on the same system in the same room. No WiFi delays from another member of the team in another city.

Smerconish has daily guests and hourly segments with live callers during his studio show. How was that going to change on a live broadcast? It didn’t. Callers on the show and guests, both live and remote, were involved in the show, so it felt like the real show, but with a noticeable unique energy.

When Bob Costas joined by phone, it was a drop the mic moment for me. Costas is in my broadcasting Hall of Fame for sports anchoring and baseball play by play. Note, I don’t have a Hall of Fame, but if I build one, Costas will be one of the first inductees. 

He’s a masterful wordsmith and he can talk about any topic. He’s been politically outspoken, so this was a perfect fit. He picked up on every transition and topic without hesitation. From serious to funny, politics to baseball, and his recent retirement announcement, he didn’t miss a beat.

The remote was three hours long. I listened for 50 minutes and thought about the benefits of remote broadcasts.

BE DIFFERENT: 

Is there an opportunity to grab someone’s attention with your location or the reason you’re broadcasting? The morning show intern living on the billboard until the local sports franchise wins a game is a good attention-getting bit. However, it has a deeper impact because the listener is imagining what it’s like to live on a billboard in the winter with nothing but a sleeping bag and a portable toilet.

If the venue isn’t unique, like the Bagel Barrel in Doylestown, can you find something different at the Marriott Convention Center? “We’re checking the donation totals every 20 minutes in the special basement room with a security guard.” I’m not suggesting you make up something you’re not doing. You can’t do that in 2024. However, find an angle to create a picture for the person listening.

BE PREPARED:

I wouldn’t expect SiriusXM to have a subpar broadcast. However, it was encouraging to hear a technically sound broadcast. There may have been behind the scenes fire drills, but I didn’t hear it, therefore, it was one less distraction for my challenged attention span. 

Additionally, the guests and callers were a part of the show. That didn’t happen without extra preparation. It takes more planning to make these events happen because you have to build in backup plans.

BE EVERYWHERE:

If being local is a unique characteristic of radio broadcasting, the remote event allows us to be among the people. Social Media has given us the gift of sharing our personality on multiple platforms. Smerconish was posting selfies with his fans. Don’t take for granted how cool it is to talk to one of your fans.

Video reels of a jock doing something fun with the coffee machine at the 7-11 remote can add some life to a boring appearance. Plus, the review for the client is more visible and entertaining with pictures and videos.

Finally, I know what you’re saying. “We don’t have the staff or the technical capabilities to go on the road every month and meet our listeners.” I get it.

Then make it unique to your capabilities. If you can do only one Meet The Listeners remote, plan for it like it’s a Christmas parade. Take a year to promote it (that’s more mentions for your sponsors), create unique swag for the event, invite A-list guests to be a part of the event. 

Don’t think of it as “We can only do one.” Adopt the attitude, “We do one, and it’s the best one.” 

Happy remoting! It’s a great way to sound unique and be in front of people.

ESPN Radio is Back on the Road With Expansive CFB Tailgate Tour

Derek Futterman
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ESPN Radio is Back on the Road With Expansive CFB Tailgate Tour

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 aroma of gameday is discernible to those within the college football tailgate scene, a vivid scent that lights an enduring flame replete with tradition, dedication and passion. Although the sport can take its fans on a rollercoaster fluctuating between peaks and valleys, the legion of ardent fans pack stadiums and bring a collective zeal on a weekly basis. ESPN Radio strives to transport listeners to the environment and immerse them within the collection of customs, grandeur and competition.

With an exhilarating college football season on the precipice featuring an expanded 12-team playoff, the conversations within ESPN Radio began early this year to resume broadcasting from campuses across the country. Amid changes such as the transfer portal, conference realignment and the ability for athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, the national radio network has strived to remain at the forefront of coverage and continue serving its fans. Jonathan Zaslow has played a critical role throughout the process as the host of College Football Tailgate, a Saturday morning show to prepare listeners for kickoff and familiarize them with the environment.

“We have people around us because we have speakers that blast the show,” Zaslow explained, “and [I] say, ‘Bring me food; bring me gifts. Who wants to feed me?,’ and that’s been one of the fun things that people will [do is] bring us food to try, specific items that are specific to the town that we’re in.”

Over the last several years, ESPN Radio has broadcast a program to prepare listeners for the Saturday slate of games across multiple conferences, but the outlet looked to enhance the offering through on-site broadcasts. The network had previously traveled on a College GameDay tour for seven years preceding the onset of the global pandemic, which delayed a pursuit of new ideas about the undertaking.

“We haven’t been on the road in this kind of mobile tour fashion since I’ve been with ESPN Radio,” said Megan Judge, senior director of marketing and events for ESPN Radio, “and so to build something from scratch with a team of people who are just as excited about doing it as I was and then seeing it come to life and knowing that the sponsors are loving it and the fans are having a good time with it and the talent is already thinking about, ‘We could do this next year. We could do that next year,’ it’s just been, all and all, it’s really been a wonderful experience.”

Since that time, ESPN Radio has expanded its audio partnership with Good Karma Brands through local marketing agreements, station operations and responsibility for sales of the radio and podcast networks. Additionally, the network reached a deal with Roadwerx to lease an Airstream trailer that functions as a mobile studio and is complete with ESPN Radio branding to use for events.

Despite not having a tangible proof of concept relating to this specific idea, Judge believes that previous event successes, ability of talent and a cogent presentation outlining the vision helped procure sponsors. At the same time, she acknowledges that these brands, including Monster Energy, Servpro, GNC, Verizon and SiriusXM, decided to take leaps of faith and that ESPN Radio has sought to satisfy their ambitions.

“I think the nerves we had and the butterflies we had before the first market quickly turned into the excitement of, ‘This is working,’” Judge said, “and each week has gotten better – week after week of the season as we’ve tweaked things and added things and started a list of all the great things that we want to add for next year.

Program director Mike Urrunaga, who oversees evening and weekend shows on ESPN Radio, crafted the schedule with an intent that spanned beyond traveling to marquee matchups, factoring intangibles spanning beyond the gridiron. While there have been some changes throughout the year, he ensured to create a schedule enabling the network to maximize the tailgating environment on its shows. For example, the show was initially supposed to visit the reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Mich. once this season, but after a stellar experience and better alignment of start times, it ended up returning to the university last Saturday.

“Really the games themselves weren’t necessarily the No. 1 factor of going,” Urrunaga said. “It was much more about going to the tailgating location and going to the place where we could really showcase that.”

Urrunaga works alongside weekend program director Stosh Cienki to oversee the execution of the two road broadcasts each week, beginning with a special edition of Amber & Ian on Friday nights. Whereas the weekday show discusses the national sports landscape, albeit with extra emphasis on college football at week’s end, the Saturday morning lead-in program hones in exclusively on establishing the schedule.

“What I consider successful with this thing is us being in the heart of a tailgate area where we’re surrounded by fans, people having fun [and] bringing some energy to add to what we’re already doing,” Cienki said. “I think that’s important to this whole thing – just being able to be in locations where we’re surrounded by crazy fans and just taking advantage of the campus atmosphere each week.”

Zaslow was ecstatic to be offered the chance to be part of the project, and he has observed an augmented passion for college football as a whole. On Friday mornings during the season, he flies to the given destination and completes his preparation. The original intention was to have Zaslow co-host with Amber Wilson, reuniting a midday duo that worked together on 790 The Ticket in Miami, Fla., and adding former running back Rashad Jennings. Wilson has not been on the show since its first week after taking maternity leave, leading to the venture primarily becoming a two-person program.

“One of the fun parts that I’ve liked about it is because he’s a former player, he never experienced tailgating,” Zaslow said of Jennings. “It’s likely a foreign concept to most players, so I like being able to lean into him experiencing this atmosphere that I’m also experiencing to an extent.”

“I think Amber and Jonathan are both people who are really good at what they do, and when Amber went out and had a baby, it was just such a natural transition, an easy adjustment to make,” Cienki added. “All you’re missing really is the extra voice.”

Wilson has been asking Urrunaga every week when she can return, and the network is looking forward to having her back on the road hosting programming. The road edition of Amber & Ian has broadcast from several unique locations, such as inside Michigan Stadium, a sportsbook and various sports bars.

For the College Football Tailgate show on the next day, the Airstream studio provides a distinct brand identity that has become a popular destination for photographs and gathering spot for an assemblage of listeners. This unit allows ESPN Radio to quickly and efficiently move between locations and broadcast national radio programming. The arrangement has generated intrigue and rendered a nimble spirit, leading the company to plan on equipping the unit again for other signature events, including the College Football Playoff, the NFL Draft and potentially Super Bowl LIX.

“We’re thinking about things that we can do with some of our other shows and properties, like UnSportsmanLike and even some of our podcasts,” Judge said. “The way we built it out means that it’ll work for radio, it’ll work for podcasting, and it’s a fun experience when you’re driving down the road and you see the big football – it’s either coming at you or in front of you – so we want to take as much advantage of it as we can for as many shows as we can.”

Monster Energy has sent regional and local activation teams to the Airstream trailer to promote its products, achieving its ambition of being situated in high-traffic locations. The company sought for consumers to sample its product at the epicenter of college campuses while also connecting with retailers. Conversations about residual benefits to facilitate marketing concepts and subsequent strategies to extend product reach have actualized into palpable results, ostensibly providing a business lift that will be evaluated in its totality once the journey concludes later this month.

As part of the tour, local stations have partnered with ESPN Radio to air the Saturday morning show, including affiliates within the cluster, and personalities have joined for segments as guests. Fans can also consume the programming using digital and web-based platforms, along with evincing visuals of the action through social media. The network has brought its social media team to every event and could aim to expand that facet of its coverage in the future.

“We like to go around to different spots in the cities we visit and shoot social content, which I think puts a spotlight on some great college towns,” Cienki said. “Continuing to come up with creative ways to include social in our overall presentation will be important. In terms of catering to different audiences, our goal is to set the table for the day in college football, so while it’s important to include our live audience in some of the fun, we also have to have the big picture in mind.”

During a recent outing in Nashville, Tenn., a young couple attended the roadshow as part of their bachelor and bachelorette parties. The soon-to-be newlyweds took pictures with Zaslow and Jennings, and the network decided to give them helmets off the side of the truck so they could have them for their celebration. In return, the couple stated that they would bring those helmets to their wedding and put them on the table, demonstrating the impact of the gesture.

“They knew ESPN Radio, they talked to us about the individual shows that they listen to, and for me, if somebody’s enjoying us on radio, that’s awesome,” Judge said. “If somebody’s enjoying us in the form of a podcast, that’s great. What we want to do is serve the fan in whatever way they want to engage with our content. Whatever platform they’re listening to, we want to be there, and from that young people through the older, more established alumni who are there at the game, we’re never going in somewhere where people don’t know ESPN and ESPN Radio and they don’t have a sense of kind of where we fit in that celebration of sports.”

At the conclusion of every show, Zaslow makes his pick for the local game amid the crowd of fans, and he is indifferent towards the overall reaction. In a similar concept of the longstanding tradition of analyst Lee Corso on College GameDay donning the mascot headgear of the team he thinks will win, Zaslow wears a foam finger of his projected victor. In correspondence with this practice, he throws the foam finger of the other team into the crowd, a memento for a lucky fan.

“I know it comes out of my mouth, and it sounds stupid, but these people in every college town that we’re at, every campus, every stadium we’re at, they love college football more than I love anything in my life,” Zaslow said. “They love it so much, it really is their lives. It’s the most important event for them every single week.”

ESPN Radio would like to continue the roadshow enterprise in the future, and Judge hopes that the programming team feels good about the ability of talent to provide strong programming. A common thread across the board is in solving the occasional gaps between showtime and gametime. Urrunaga also wants to explore adding a video streaming element to the shows.

“I want to investigate as many as we can to see which ones really are the best, and there’s a ton of places,” Urrunaga said. “I have on my board in my office a list of places that I want to try and hit for 2025, and it doesn’t even put a dent in the [complete] list of places that I really want to go overall.”

In addition to these innovations, Judge wants to continue working with the sponsors next year to take their ventures even further while also revisiting companies who passed and exploring new prospects. The ESPN Radio team intends to evaluate both quantitative and qualitative data in reviewing the project when it is completed this year, serving as a barometer for how to raise the bar going forward. Through it all, the audio division is striving to keep serving the sports fan and create a peerless value proposition to garner patronization through time spent listening and retention.

“The opportunity for us to go out to where the fans are is an incredible experience,” Judge said. “We’re very known for our national brands and for the main national shows that we have. When people see that brought to them – and not just brought to their market, but a celebration of their market – it’s phenomenal for us from just a fan relationship and fan loyalty perspective. It doesn’t hurt to have a mobile billboard driving a couple thousand miles and kind of always being in the midst of the excitement of the game.”

Eavesdropping: The Steve Czaban Show, 97.3 The Game

Dave Greene
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Eavesdropping: The Steve Czaban Show, 97.3 The Game

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.

In the mid to late 90’s I was co-hosting a morning sports talk show on KFNS in St. Louis. When I would drive to the studio oh so early in the morning, there were usually two things that would help wake me up and get me going. One was the gigantic Diet Coke I would have next to me and the other was listening to Steve Czaban on the One-On-One Sports Radio Network.

It’s always a good sign someone is enjoying your programming when they won’t get out of the car when they arrive at their destination because they wanted to hear you finish a point or a segment. I can’t tell you how many times I was in my car in the KFNS parking lot for a few extra minutes to listen to something finish on Czaban’s show. Then, I could get inside before the show came back from break. We even stole one of his bits for our show. Long live ‘The Homer Roll.’

So, I already knew that I liked Czaban’s delivery, liked his style and liked his energy when I thought this week I wanted to check in on Steve and see what he was up to. I found him at 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee and eavesdropped in on The Steve Czaban Show this past Friday.

In addition to One on One, Czaban has done national work for ESPN Radio, FOX Sports Radio and The Sporting News Radio/Yahoo Sports Radio/SB Nation outlet. Locally he worked in Santa Barbara, Chicago, Milwaukee, Charlotte and spent many years in Washington, D.C. at WTEM. In 2019, he took over the morning slot at 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee and hosts weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Steve Czaban is really good at what he does, and he has done it for a long time. Looking back at the BSM Top 20 rankings since they began in 2015, you will find his name listed throughout no matter where he was broadcasting, no matter the time slot, local and national.

Czaban is joined on the show by one of the tallest co-hosts around, 6-11 Brian Butch, the former Wisconsin Badger and current radio analyst for the program. As the Friday episode started there was intrigue right away as Butch and some of the producers had tried to guess how Czaban would start the show with all of the various stories of the day. Czaban chose to start with the questionable officiating to end the Thursday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.

“That also means that I know you way too well,” Butch said when Czaban started out as that is what he predicted. “I’m driving home, catch the end of the game and I’m thinking, ‘oh boy here goes Czabes’…they are putting it on a silver platter for him.”

Czaban doesn’t hold back on his thoughts on the missed calls and even goes in on Al Michaels and goes as far as calling him, “terrible.” Czaban has the same criticism on Michaels as some did on Bob Costas during the baseball playoffs, which is that his energy no longer matches the action. Czaban would later add about Michaels, “You suck, retire.”

The show moves. With Czaban, Butch and Andrew Luddy contributing, others popping by, listener engagement and a guest when called for, there are plenty of voices that contribute. Czaban is the clear ringleader, and you never quite know when he may stray off topic for a moment, create a new, quick, fun topic, before getting back to the topic he started with.

It’s like when an artist all of a sudden stops one of their hit songs at a concert, covers someone else’s hit song in the middle of it, then gets back to their own hit. Just full of surprises, but you want more of it.

They have fun, they are funny and there is absolutely no lack of opinion on anything. Plus, Czaban isn’t afraid to break into song, in this case he covered a Christmas song and changed the lyrics to be about the bad officiating in the NFL.

Throughout the three hours, they covered all the pertinent topics to the market and covered them well. They ran through the highlights of the day and hit on the win for Wisconsin the night before in basketball and a rare win for the struggling Milwaukee Bucks.

Football is king in Milwaukee like it is everywhere else, however, it happens to be a bye week for the Packers and the Badgers, so this particular show has more open space to fill. The team does a nice job going back to the NFL from time to time for the new listeners.

The Thursday night game came back up later on, and the hosts gave some thoughts on how Joe Burrow has handled some of the Bengals’ challenges including the bad officiating. Czaban played a clip of what Al Michaels said about the officiating and said about Michaels, “He just pulled his pants down and took a giant dump on the NFL’s product. He said what announcers are not supposed to say.”

A Ravens uniform conversation would lead to a quick ‘Name 3’ getting thrown in, which in this case was Czaban asking each member of the team to name the three colors they would choose if they could only have three colors for the rest of their lives. This is where some of the brilliance of Czaban comes in. Some shows like to derail and end up spending 20-30 minutes on something, whereas some of Czaban’s bits are quick hitters, and they are back on the main topic within a few minutes.

Later the audience would learn ‘Czabes’ three favorite all time cartoon characters which was a very solid list of Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam and Daffy Duck. Soon after that, it was on to what Bronny James had done in a G League game the night before along with some banter about the breakup of singer-songwriter Zach Bryan and his girlfriend Brianna ‘Chickenfry’.

Czaban is a hard-core sports fan, he knows his stuff and even when he is doing local radio, you can tell his background in national radio as he is up to speed on seemingly all the major topics, teams and players in sports. He comes off as a guy who you would run into at the local Bar n Grill, wearing a team jersey, tracking several scores, eating a plate of wings with a cold draft beer. A sports guy. When Czaban talks point spreads and game totals, it comes out even more.

Later in the show there was quite a bit of time spent on going around the NFL and hitting on all of the games, the lines, the announcers, the key matchups and the hosts picks. One of their sister iHeartMedia stations in the market airs VSiN programming, so the guys had fun new liners made with Brent Musburger they had introduced. Throughout the show, they do a good job using drops and clips like they did with the new liners.

I enjoy the wagering talk, so I appreciated the thorough analysis and that it wasn’t something where someone just named a team. There were reasons given behind the picks and if anything related to the Packers it was brought up to localize it. The listeners, and I, learned about the term ‘rental tux game’ which was one I had never heard. Czaban used this to describe the Chiefs-Broncos game and the 7.5 points the Chiefs were giving up. He said like a rental tux, the game felt “very uncomfortable, the shoes hurt your feet, its itchy, it doesn’t quite fit right.”

They would later go very in depth on the Bucks and the horrible start to the season they have had under Doc Rivers. Trey Crosby, host of the Bucks podcast, Cream City Crossover, joined the show and dropped a ton of knowledge on things happening with the team. Another sign of a true professional sports radio host came across in this segment – Czaban let his guest talk. Crosby is clearly on top of the team and had several topics he was able to provide insight on, so they let him talk and didn’t try and spend the interview proving how much they knew.

Coming down the stretch, you could tell the week was coming to an end. The guys had a fun segment called ‘Let’s Go’s and Oh No’s’ where they asked each other and listeners to talk about what they were doing that weekend but also something they are upset about. Many of the fans chose the local teams not having football games as their ‘Oh No’s’ but it was a fun way to incorporate life into the conversation as people, including Butch, talked about their kids and different activities they would be doing over the weekend. It was a good bit that engaged the audience.

As Czaban himself said on the show, “this is what guys talk about, we talk sports – mostly – and whatever else we get into…everything seems to stem off of sports.”

Czaban started to list all of the various things they had talked about just on this episode alone. In response, Butch pointed out, “We don’t need two bye weeks, we can’t handle two bye weeks.”

OutKick’s Riley Gaines Hopes the Trump Administration Helps Expedite Her Mission Protecting Women’s Sports

Krystina Alarcon Carroll
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OutKick’s Riley Gaines Hopes the Trump Administration Helps Expedite Her Mission Protecting Women’s Sports

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 American public has spoken, and Donald Trump is the 47th president of the United States. The move came as no surprise to OutKick host Riley Gaines, who’s been a staunch supporter of President Trump. Part of why she believes he won, is his support to protect women’s sports. Gaines says the subject has become her mission.   

The host of the Gaines For Girls podcast is now a year and a half into her show where she continues to passionately advocate for the rights of women and girls across the country. “We have had on policy experts, we have had on commentators, some of the nation’s best leaders. So, to be on the other side of interviews, being able to probe into people’s minds, ask questions that I believe the American people want to be asked. Super cool.”

Gaines never thought her career would head in this direction, but she’s hoping the hard work she and her OutKick team are doing will help spread awareness to protect sports. “The conversations we’re having on the Gaines For Girls podcasts, it’s spreading awareness, of course, and it’s changing the hearts and minds of a lot of people,” she said. “That’s the feedback that I’ve gotten.”

Calling the network “foundational” to her success, Gaines is connecting with more than just conservatives, but self-declared liberals as well. “I have a lot of people who have followed my platform, whether it’s my social media or the podcast, who would call themselves lifelong liberals who begin to almost become red pilled after seeing the anti-woman anti reality pursuit from the Biden-Harris administration,” she said. “And now, since following the podcast and listening to the episodes, they say it has been an effective way to open their eyes to the issues at hand and what’s at stake.”

The collegiate swimmer noted it’s never been about working for personal advancement, but it has been a mission and a calling to protect women’s and girls’ sports. What mission accomplished looks like to her is simple, “Transparency, accountability and responsibility,” she said. “I mean that on every front. From our federal government, from other media outlets like ESPN, which is a sports network, yet they are not willing to even touch the issue of men in women’s sports. [Their neglect is] one of the greatest injustices that sports and our society as a whole has ever seen.”

Even with President Trump’s win, Gaines feels there is still a lot of work to do in the world of women’s sports. “The NCAA, they have a history of not following federal law. Clearly, as we saw in 2022.”

Gaines along with 18 other athletes have taken to the courts and are suing the NCAA to ensure fairness in sports. “25 states have passed some sort of fairness and women’s sports bill. I mean, I don’t think I’ll be satisfied until all 50 states do. Nine states have codified and define the word woman in law.”

She added, “I would love to see this go through the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, and on to President Trump’s desk. I believe Diane Harshbarger and Debbie Lesko in the House had initially undertaken what they have called the ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ but would love to see this expedited under a Trump administration.”

Gaines also has her sights on advocating for more than just women’s rights. There are several other issues Gaines feels a calling to defend including Free Speech, sexualization of children, and restoring biblical values. “Free speech and upholding our First Amendment rights, that is something that I feel very passionately about,” she said. “Seeing the way that people like me are censored, seeing how our viewpoints are shouted down in virtually every realm, that has become a big push of mine.”

Additionally, Gaines is continuing the fight for better immigration policies. “I’m married to an immigrant,” she said. “We’ve been married two and a half years at this point, and he still doesn’t have his green card, which is so frustrating to see what’s happening at the southern border where people can just walk across, and they’re given credit cards with money on them.”

Gaines went on and noted how undocumented people are, “given passports and all kinds of amenities [but] people like my husband, who is hardworking, who is honest, who loves America, he’s being totally ignored by ICE and by the people who could grant him a green card. So that has become something that is important to me and something that affects me.”


For those looking to dive in and follow in her lane Gaines suggests, “Be bold. Be courageous. Be willing to stand firm in what you know, to be true. Trust your gut instinct. If your eyes and ears are telling you that someone is a man, it’s probably because they are a man and do not shy away from saying that, for fear of retaliation or for intimidation factors or anything like that. What I have seen with the stand that I have taken is courage begets courage. By you being willing to stand firm, you might inspire someone else and that’s how we take back our culture.”

Gaines has made it easier for those to follow in her wake, but the waters are still littered with sharks (critics) trying to scare you away from truth. She believes there’s a need to “Understand what you’re fighting for is far bigger than yourself. It’s far bigger than what we could even imagine right now. We really are fighting for the next generation. That’s what my motivation is. People like my younger sister. I can only hope to have a daughter of my own one day. That’s who we’re fighting for. So, understand, it’s bigger than just you. And hopefully that’s some perspective that encourages you to stand firm and stand tall.”

Updated List Of iHeartMedia Music Radio Layoffs

BMM Staff
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Updated List Of iHeartMedia Music Radio Layoffs

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.

iHeartMedia’s Nationwide layoffs continue, with a growing list of downsized employees. News/Talk took the biggest hit on Friday, but music radio wasn’t spared. This is the updated list as we have it.

Barrett Media will update this story as needed. If you have been impacted or know someone who has, please email jeff@barrettmedia.com

In Washington D.C., Paul Jaxon is out Class Rock “Big 100” WBIG and midday host at “Alt 104.5.” Jaxon had been with the station since 2023. Also, at “Big 100,” Lisa Berigan is out as midday host.

In Raleigh, Nick Jordan is out as APD/PM Driver at Country B93.9 WNCB. Reach him here.

Raleigh Market President Michael Burger is out. He joined the cluster in August 2021.

In Philadelphia, Mike Kaplan departs as Program Director for “Alt 104.5 WRFF ” and Top 40 Q102.

In Salt Lake City, Eric “E. White” is out as the morning host at Top 40 97.1 KZHT. Reach him here.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, Kathryn Harris has been let go. Harris told Barrett Media, “I was fired today from the iHeartMedia group of stations in Fairbanks, AK. I started working there in 1996. It wasn’t iHeart then, obviously, but nearly 30 years, and my radio career is done. Reach her here.

In Des Moines, Senior VP/Programming for Des Moines, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and North Dakota, Greg Chance is out.

In Houston, Karah Leigh has officially departed Rock/Alternative “94.5 The Buzz” KTBZ-FM after nineteen years as a nighttime host. In addition to her work at 94.5 The Buzz, Leigh also voice-tracked middays at Rocker 102.7 WEBN in Cincinnati and weekends at WEND in Charlotte, KIOZ in San Diego, and WXTB in Tampa, as well as iHeart’s national Rock and Alternative feeds. Reach her here.  

In Orlando, Glory Langston has left as senior promotion manager. She had been with the cluster for 19 years.

In Chicago, Angi Taylor is out as the morning host at Rock 95.5 WCHI.

In Honolulu, Becky Mits departs mornings at Rhythmic Top 40 93.9, The Beat KUBT, and 12-6 at K-Pop Pop 101.9.

In Boston, Alan Chartrand is out as Boston Region President.

Jeniffer Mariel Ruiz exits from her role as Promotions Director

In Dallas, Patrick Davis departs as SVP Programming and PD for Top 40 106.1 KISS-FM KHKS.

In San Francisco, Don Parker exits. Parker was Regional SVP Programming for Northern California, PD of Hip Hop 106.1 KMEL, and GM for LGBTQ+ Pride Radio.

Jerry Houston is out as PD/PM Drive for LGBTQ+ Pride Radio.

In Cleveland, Bill Squire exits the “Alan Cox Show” on mornings at Rock 100.7 WMMS. The stand-up comedian has been with the show since 2013.

Texas/Arkansas President Clyde Bass has exited. Bass had held that position since last February.

David “DJ” Taylor, PM Driver at Classic Country KMJX Little Rock, is out. He was also the Online Content Director and host of “Home Grown Country Show on KSSN. Taylor had spent 24 years with the cluster.

Jack Waldo is leaving KZOK, where he was the producer for Danny Bonaduce and BJ Shea and the cluster Promotion Director. You can reach him here. 

Michael Burger exits as Raleigh Market President.

Jason Dahlstedt Morning Producer KMEL and Star 101.3 San Francisco.

Patrick Davis, SVP of Programming Dallas and KISS-FM PD, is out after 21 years. Reach him here.

Dominic “Zakk” Zaccagnini, PD of 97.1 The Eagle and Classic Rock Lone Star 92.5.

Chicago Market President Matt Scarano.

On the heels of Bill Squire’s departure from the “Alan Cox Show” at WMMS Cleveland, Mary Santora also departed. On Instagram, she posted, “Yes, I too was let go from iHeart this morning due to ‘restructuring.’ They say it came down from a corporate level and had nothing to do with our ratings, performance, etc., and that hundreds of others lost jobs across the country today as well. I have no answers. Idk what is happening with ACS; all I know is that, as of today, I am no longer a part of it. While this is all very shocking and upsetting, it only confirms my decision to put all of myself into stand up, I’m just going to be doing it 6 weeks earlier than anticipated. love you all so much and hope you will stick around for all the big things to come, bc they are already in the works.”

After eleven years with the cluster, Kelly Manders departs as Senior Director of Entertainment Marketing in Phoenix.

Cruz exits afternoons, Mix 102.9 Dallas

Sam ‘Nugget’ Dababneh exits as evening host at Top 40 Q102 Philadelphia. He joined the station in July 2021

Kia Becht, KEEY Minneapolis MD and morning co-host, has departed after 15 years. Reach her here.

Leah Dickinson departs as Marketing and Promotions Director in Baltimore after five years with the cluster. Reach her here.  

Rob Conrad exits mornings at AC “Magic 96.5” Birmingham after 31 years. 

In Chillicothe, OH, Christina Wolford exits as cluster Program Director and afternoon host on “94 Country.”

In Houston, Karah Leigh exits Rock/Alternative “94.5 The Buzz” after 19 years of hosting nights.

After 24 years with the cluster David ‘DJ’ Taylor Classic Country “105.1 The Wolf” Little Rock.

In Orlando, Glory Langston is out as Senior Promotions Manager after 19 years with the cluster.

In Seattle, Lee Callahan, after nine years, exits as morning host at Variety Hits “96.5 Jack-FM.”

Educational Media Foundation Picks Up Stations in Columbus, OH And Pittsburgh

BMM Staff
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Educational Media Foundation Picks Up Stations in Columbus, OH And Pittsburgh

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Educational Media Foundation (EMF) has acquired two new stations, one in Columbus, Ohio, and one in Pittsburgh.

In Columbus, EMF has acquired 102.5 WKVR Baltimore, OH, from the Southeastern Ohio Broadcasting System for a reported $2,060,000. Following the conclusion of its Local Marketing Agreement (LMA) with Radio-One, EMF began operating the station, previously known as WWLG, on November 1. This transition brings the “K-Love” Christian Adult Contemporary network to the local market.

EMF also acquired a second full-market signal in the Pittsburgh area, purchasing 103.5 WOGH in Burgettstown, PA, from Forever Media for $800,000. This station will enhance coverage throughout the western half of the Pittsburgh market and extend into the Wheeling/Steubenville, WV, market.

EMF owns “K-Love” 98.3 WPKV Duquesne and “Air 1” 88.7 W204CT Pittsburgh as well as Gateway Creative Broadcasting’s Christian Hip Hop “Boost Radio,” 97.9 Pittsburgh.

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