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Saga Communications CEO Chris Forgy Knows Local News is Key to the Company’s Future

Garrett Searight
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Saga Communications CEO Chris Forgy Knows Local News is Key to the Company’s Future

Earlier this year, Saga Communications announced plans to unveil 18 local news websites in its small and medium-sized markets, under the direction of CEO Chris Forgy.

The development comes on the heels and the success of the company’s digital brand ClarksvilleNow.com which started at its Northern Tennessee cluster in 2010.

Excitement for the digital brands was immediate from Saga advertisers. When the company announced plans to launch more local news sites, it added that it had already secured $1 million in advertising dollars for the 18 additional brands.

The genesis for the digital news brands came from Clarksville as the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army — which has its home base in the market at Fort Campbell — was deployed. The soldiers leaving the area had no real discernable way to stay up-to-date on local information. Additionally, flooding in the area left a dearth of information for the area. Saga Communications stepped in to fill that news void.

“At the same time, the newspaper in the area was circling the drain. We had these — what is now nine — brands in Clarksville/Hopkinsville (Kentucky) that we could promote this online news service on and cross-promote back and forth. Fast forward about 10 years later and the thing was doing a million dollars in revenue a year,” Forgy said.

He noted that when he became the CEO after the passing of Saga Communications founder Ed Christian, he decided it was time to take the initiative to a wider scale.

“It’s one of the things that I always thought we should have done and never did … 21 of our 27 markets are in markets smaller than 100. So it’s perfectly set up for us to deploy them in those markets … When we started, we said by the end of 2024 we will have 18 markets deployed — not including our recent acquisition of Lafayette, Indiana — and we had 18 done by the end of June. Now we’re working on Lafayette which we just closed on.”

It would be easy to think that focusing your time and effort on digital news brands in small markets could take away advertising from the company’s already established radio brands.

But that hasn’t been the case.

“We’re seeing advertisers who want to be a part of something in the community is important,” Forgy revealed. “We’re getting to do business with them visa vie the new site. And then at that point, if they hadn’t been a radio advertiser, we introduce them to the way we do business.

“We do get business both ways. But, initially, it’s from advertisers that maybe have not been involved with us on the radio and see this online news site come into play and want to be a part of it. There are also the big companies that we do business with and say, ‘Oh, man, this is really great. I’ve got to be a part of it,’ as well. So it does go both ways.”

As Chris Forgy mentioned, Saga Communications operates in a manner that’s drastically different from many other radio operators like iHeartMedia, Audacy, and Cumulus. Since its founding in 1986, the company has focused mainly on small markets, with the exceptions of locales like Charleston, Columbus, Milwaukee, and Norfolk, among a select few others.

But that local connection matters to the broadcaster. And Forgy believes it’s been a recipe for success for decades.

“I think that is definitely one of the reasons we’ve been so successful for so long,” he stated. “Some of the other companies that wanted to be in these big sexy markets, it’s very expensive to operate there. And if you’re not successful, they will cost you an arm and a leg and could put you under. The number one sought-after thing that consumers or listeners are looking for is connectivity. So we go into markets where we can actually impact the market and make a difference. Where we can be belly-to-belly with people that influence happenings in the community.

“We encourage our leadership in those markets to get involved and literally or figuratively become the mayor of the market,” Forgy continued. “You can’t do that in Boston, LA, San Francisco, or Detroit.”

Chris Forgy is as connected as any radio leader in the industry. After being elected to the NAB Radio Board of Directors for the District that encompasses North and South Carolina, he was also recently placed on the board of the Broadcasters Foundation of America.

That connectivity allows him to see the industry with a 1,000-foot view more often than not. And while he notes that the radio business has done a fine job of slashing jobs instead of selling its way out of any potential issues, Saga Communications won’t be utilizing Artificial Intelligence in replacement of live and local on-air talents anytime soon.

“Somebody asked me the other day, ‘How are you going to approach AI?’. I said ‘I’ll tell you this: It will stand true for as long as I’m in this company. And that is that we will never replace our live personalities with AI. Ever. Period. The end.’ That’s starting to happen and that’s a that’s a very slippery slope,” he shared.

He noted that while the local news sites will utilize AI at times, the company is more focused on utilizing the technology to improve efficiency rather than create content.

And that strategy is part and parcel of how Saga Communications views its standing in the communities it serves with the local news sites.

“Other companies have tried to do this, but we have one thing that they don’t and that’s a megaphone to promote the product and then to cross-promote with our news/talk stations,” Chris Forgy stated. “Our news/talk stations give credibility (to the local news sites). It’s just two-way credibility from radio to the online news site and vice versa.”

Chris Kinard Enjoying the Best of Both Worlds as New Format VP of Audacy Sports

Peter Schwartz
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Chris Kinard Enjoying the Best of Both Worlds as New Format VP of Audacy Sports

Life is good for Chris Kinard.

Already the Vice President of Programming and Cluster Operations for Audacy in Washington DC, Kinard added a new title to his resume on June 21st when he was named Audacy’s Sports Format Vice President. 

He will continue his day-to-day duties with the DC cluster of Audacy radio stations, but now he’ll lead brand and format strategy for Audacy’s sports portfolio.

“I’m so excited,” said Kinard.  “There’s no better learning opportunity than to learn from our other company’s brand managers.  The sports format within Audacy is home to the most talented brand managers, the most talented hosts, content creators and producers so the opportunity to learn from them across the entire country and to work with them on a daily basis is a dream come true.”

While Kinard will be spending a lot of time talking shop with brand managers from all of Audacy’s brand managers around the country, he’ll continue to be based in Washington DC operating stations like 106.7 The Fan.  But, staying in our nation’s capital means more to Kinard that just his job.

His family is there so continuing to plant roots in DC was very important to him.

“My parents still live in Washington,” said Kinard.  “I’ve got two brothers that both live in the Washington DC area.  I have a son that I would not want to move to another market at this point in his life.  For me, staying in Washington, at least for the next several years is something that I want to do and is very important to me.” 

Kinard has spent his entire career working for one radio group and that’s not about to change anytime soon.  For the last 26 ½ years, he’s been employed by the same company which is now Audacy so it’s been home…and home is where the heart is.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky in my career to be with one station group,” said Kinard. “It’s pretty crazy.  I love what I get to do on a day-to-day basis.”

Kinard certainly knows what works and what does not work in DC but now he’ll be communicating with the brand managers from all of Audacy’s sports radio stations about the company’s general philosophy.  There are a lot of common denominators that can make a sports radio station successful in any market but there are also things that can differentiate one market from another.

Kinard believes in consistency across the brand but there is also the challenge to be unique in each market. 

“Sports radio needs to be entertaining, fun and interesting,” said Kinard.  “Hosts need to be opinionated and informative.  Then you get into how do we do that?  That’s where the different flavors come.  There is no one size fits all.  Every market is different.”

To the point of every market being different, every fan base is different as well.  Even within a market, one set of fans can be different than others.  Adapting to those variations of fan bases and markets is key to the continued success of the Audacy sports format.

“That’s where the challenges come in,” said Kinard.  “That’s where you need to really think about the different challenges and the unique circumstances in each market and each competitive situation.”

At the end of the day, Kinard, along with everyone else in the company, are all interested in the same thing.  They want their shows to be fun to listen to, interesting, entertaining and informative.

Kinard is able to hit the ground running in his new role because he is already surrounded by extremely talented teammates.

“We have the best hosts in the business and the best minds in sports media so I think we have a great track record of delivering that for our audiences,” said Kinard.

Kinard already had a lot on his plate operating the DC cluster of stations, but now his to-do list has expanded with the addition of his new role in charge of Audacy’s sports format.  A couple of weeks in, Kinard is focused on the task at hand and has been in contact with many of the brand managers with plans to talk to the rest in the very near future.

“Everyone knows what a great team we have, that we all already kind of lean on each other and that’s a great culture,” said Kinard.

It’s a winning culture that Chris Kinard has been a part of for over a quarter of a century.  With additional responsibilities and the ability to stay at home in DC, that’s not about to change anytime soon.

Cumulus Podcast Network SVP John Wordock Departs

BNM Staff
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Cumulus Podcast Network SVP John Wordock Departs

Cumulus Podcast Network Senior Vice President and Executive Editor John Wordock has announced he has departed the group.

“After a fun and productive five-year run at Cumulus Podcast Network, I have some news. I have officially left Westwood One,” Wordock said in a post to social media. “I’m now actively looking for a new home for my podcast talents in this exciting industry. As an award-winning editorial leader, I have 18 years of experience across content creation, platform partnerships, audience development, business planning, show promotion, and content acquisitions.”

Before joining Cumulus and Westwood One, Wordock served as the Executive Podcast Producer for The Wall Street Journal. He also served in a similar role at Dow Jones and the MarketWatch Radio Networks.

Under his tutelage, the Cumulus Podcast Network has grown to become the seventh-largest sales network by weekly average downloads, according to Triton Digital.

The network has five podcasts in the top 100 by average weekly downloads, featuring shows hosted by Dan Bongino, Mark Levin, Shawn Ryan, Ed Mylett, and Lala Kent, according to the latest rankings from Triton.

Sarah Spain: Around The Horn Welcomed Women’s Sports Topics, ESPN Radio Plays the Hits

BSM Staff
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Sarah Spain: Around The Horn Welcomed Women’s Sports Topics, ESPN Radio Plays the Hits

In April, iHeartMedia and Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment announced they were partnering to launch the Women’s Sports Audio Network (WSAN). The brand was described as the first-ever audio platform dedicated exclusively to women’s sports podcasts, daily sports reports, spotlights and audio vignettes, social content, promotion and industry event presence. The content will be available across iHeartMedia’s broadcast, digital and podcast platforms and everywhere podcasts are heard. One of the first shows to be announced was Good Game with Sarah Spain, a weekday show covering stories around women’s sports.

On the show, Spain will cover breaking news and conduct interviews, and she will also be regularly joined by a roster of guests to discuss the forthcoming games and to engage in debate. Spain was a guest of the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast this week to talk about the launch and more.

Deitsch talked about the access Spain should have to all of the big names in women’s sports. “You should really almost have anybody you potentially could want, correct?”

“From your lips Richard,” Spain said. “I agree. I hope so. I plan to. Also, it’s a pretty nice thing when Sue Bird is the Chief Strategy Officer for Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment, because I told her day 1 when she called me first about this opportunity. I said, ‘I better get your rolodex. I’m going to go through it and I’m going to get everybody you know and have met and you’re going to tell them this is the first ever daily women’s sports podcast, that we need to launch it and make it great, and they are going to help out.'”

Spain talked about her current schedule, where she is solely focused on espnW, which is allowing her to get out in the space and meet more people herself.

“In my many, many years at ESPN, and I’m still working for espnW, I was kind of straddling both women’s and men’s sports content and I made a lot of connections,” Spain said. “And it’s been fascinating in the last year and a half without having the daily radio, TV, podcast, writing, all the jobs that I had at ESPN and now I’m just focused on W, how much more time I’ve spent in spaces. Because having s daily show for 13 straight years makes it a little hard to go to conferences and moderate panels and travel.

“So, the last year and a half I’ve really said yes to all of those…It’s such a delight to be in spaces full of women athletes and fans of women’s sports, men and women. It is such a different vibe. I feel like I spent so many years swimming upstream and in some spaces it was easier.

“At Around the Horn it was great having Tony Reali and Josh Bard, one of our producers, constantly wanting to hear more suggestions of ways to get more women’s sports on the show. And then to be honest, on radio, it was tough sometimes, to get them out of the ‘playing the hits’ mentality and I did seven straight years of national, my own show, fighting to do more women’s sports stuff and really pushing back against some producers at times.”

Spain says now she feels like rather than swimming against everyone she is now swimming with everyone. “It’s nice, man,” Spain told Deitsch. “I’m built to swim upstream, and I’ll do it and I’ll keep doing it in the space when it’s necessary. But it’s been really nice to connect with all these women who are like ‘I want to come on,’ ‘I can’t wait to come on,’ ‘I can’t wait for this show.’ It’s really cool.”

WFAN Celebrates 37-Year Anniversary of Station Launch

BSM Staff
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WFAN Celebrates 37-Year Anniversary of Station Launch

WFAN is celebrating its 37th year on the air Monday, recognizing its launch as the first all-sports radio station in the United States that started on July 1, 1987. Suzyn Waldman signed the station on the air at 3 p.m. EST that afternoon where she welcomed the audience and emphasized that they were witnessing a moment in radio history. Broadcasting on the 1050 AM frequency, the station had an original lineup of hosts that included Greg Gumbel, Howie Rose and Steve Somers. Since that time, the station has flourished and continues to serve as a trusted, established voice in the New York metropolitan area. Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata took the time to recollect on the early days of the station of which they both became regular listeners at a young age.

Licata remembers listening to Russ Salzberg and Steve Somers host the midday program in the early 1990s, which is when he estimates having first discovered the station. Although he has never met Salzberg, Tierney conveyed that he is a good person that Licata would get along with. In fact, Licata nearly went to a restaurant on Friday night where Salzberg was dining; however, their plans changed at the last minute, and he ended up going the next day. For Monday’s edition of The Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata Show, Licata wore a distinctive outfit into the studio commemorating the anniversary of the station.

“Sal’s got what looks to be a late ‘80s/early ‘90s mesh,” Tierney said. “….[A] WFAN windbreaker that they would use on the layup line. Everybody knows about the softball team – FAN used to have a basketball team back in the day too.”

Tierney reminisced on his days playing on the team as an intern alongside Steve Somers, Bob Wischusen and Bill Daughtry, something Licata recalled learning about from his co-host. They both questioned why the station no longer does something like that as well.

“Bob Heussler gave this to me years ago, and I kept it and I try to wear it at least once a summer, and I was like, ‘You know what? I should just start wearing it on the anniversary of FAN,’ so I did that today,” Licata said. “Blue and orange, because of course the Mets were the home team for the station, but Bob said it was a warmup he had when [it was] him and Eddie Coleman.”

Tierney recalls listening to the New York Knicks on WFAN and falling asleep to the games over the airwaves. When he was studying at Marist College, he would be able to hear the station faintly on the 660 AM signal and would be captivated by the programming. Licata found the station and started working at the Home Depot outdoors in the garden department where he was able to listen to the shows.

“You got to remember too my father was not a sports fan, so generally if he were a sports fan, I’m sure he would have heard of it and whatever,” Licata said. “But once I discovered it, I was hooked forever, dude. I would come home from school and just put on the radio and just listen for hours and call in.”

“I used to listen to those guys on the job when I was doing construction during college,” Tierney added. “….Instead of eating on the site, which I very easily could have, I would go out into my car where it was stiflingly hot, and I would have a sandwich, whatever, and I’d listen to those guys. I’d just go right to my car to listen to WFAN for an hour.”

WFAN introduced a new lineup of shows last summer that included the launch of Tierney and Licata’s new show in the middays. Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber were slated as the new afternoon drive duo following the departure of Craig Carton from his full-time hosting work at the station to join FS1. Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti are in the midst of continuing their six-year run in morning drive on the Boomer & Gio show, which also simulcasts on the CBS Sports Network.

The station is the flagship home of New York Giants football, Yankees baseball, Brooklyn Nets basketball and New Jersey Devils hockey, presenting live game broadcasts for these teams throughout the year. WFAN recently hired Ryan Hurley as the new program director of the station following Spike Eskin’s move back to SportsRadio 94WIP to serve as an afternoon drive host. Chris Oliviero oversees the brand in his role as the market president for Audacy New York, which also contains stations such as WCBS Newsradio 880, 1010 WINS and ALT 92.3.

Fox News: Lawsuit From Hunter Biden ‘Devoid of Merit’

BNM Staff
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Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has filed a lawsuit against Fox News claiming the network attempted to “harass, annoy, alarm, and humiliate” him and tried to “tarnish his reputation.”

In 2022, Fox News created a “mock trial” series that argued what a possible trial against the President’s son could look like if charges were ever brought against him.

The lawsuit alleges that the network broke certain New York statutes, including a “revenge porn” law, by showing nude photos of Biden in the series.

In April, the series was removed from the FOX Nation streaming platform after attorneys for Biden threatened legal action.

Fox News has denied any wrongdoing in the situation.

“This entirely politically motivated lawsuit is devoid of merit. The core complaint stems from a 2022 streaming program that Mr. Biden did not complain about until sending a letter in late April 2024,” a Fox News spokesperson told Barrett News Media.

“The program was removed within days of the letter, in an abundance of caution, but Hunter Biden is a public figure who has been the subject of multiple investigations and is now a convicted felon. Consistent with the First Amendment, FOX News has accurately covered the newsworthy events of Mr. Biden’s own making, and we look forward to vindicating our rights in court.”

TNT Sports to Broadcast Mountain West Conference Games on truTV, Max

BSM Staff
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TNT Sports and the Mountain West Conference have come to terms on a multiyear agreement that will bring a full schedule of live college football games to air exclusively on truTV and Max beginning this year. The platforms will present 14 Mountain West college football games during its inaugural season, starting with a kickoff game between San José State and Sacramento State on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. PST. The first Saturday game on truTV and Max will commence on Saturday, Aug. 31 when San Diego State hosts Texas A&M Commerce at 5 p.m. PST. Both truTV and Max will serve as the home for four Saturday doubleheaders within the conference, including the first three Saturdays in September and on Saturday, Oct. 12 as well.

The new agreement marks the first time TNT Sports will televise a regular schedule of college football games since TBS carried both the Big 12 and Pac 12 Conferences in the 2000s. FOX Sports signed a six-year media rights agreement with the Mountain West that runs through the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, which includes exclusive rights to Boise State home football games and the conference’s championship game.

CBS Sports also broadcasts Mountain West games as part of a multiyear deal that expires at the same time and broadcasts select football and men’s basketball games within the deal, along with the conference’s men’s basketball championship game. Games airing on TNT Sports platforms will be in addition to the 49-game national television package with CBS Television Network, CBS Sports Network, FOX and FOX Networks.

“TNT Sports provides the Mountain West with a third national television partner to showcase the outstanding student-athletes across the league,” Gloria Nevarez, commissioner of the Mountain West Conference, said in a statement. “TNT Sports has always been a leader in sports broadcasting, and adding one of the top conferences in the FBS to its lineup will certainly be a benefit to MW and college football fans across the country.”

Various reports have stated that the NBA is in the process of formalizing new media rights contracts with The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC), NBCUniversal and Amazon’s Prime Video said to be worth a collective $76 billion over the duration of the deal. Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, could reportedly explore trying to enact its matching rights clause, although there exists ambiguity as to the breadth of that provision. Over the last two months, TNT Sports has signed media rights deals with the French Open and Big East basketball, along with sublicensing select College Football Playoff games from ESPN.

“We are excited to partner with the Mountain West and bring these compelling college football games to truTV and Max,” Raphael Poplock, senior vice president of acquisitions, business developments and partnerships at TNT Sports, said in a statement. “With this agreement, we will further expand our live sports programming on truTV while creating additional exposure for the Mountain West and its student-athletes across our TNT Sports platforms.”

Paul Finebaum Gets Updated Version of ‘Call Paul’ Theme Song From Taylor Hicks on SEC Network

BSM Staff
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Paul Finebaum Gets Updated Version of ‘Call Paul’ Theme Song From Taylor Hicks on SEC Network

The Paul Finebaum Show will sound a little bit different starting today. The content of the show is not changing, fans will still get plenty of SEC and college football talk, however the theme song for the show is getting a fresh coat of paint. The SEC Network show will debut a new version of Taylor Hicks’ ‘Call Paul’ song for the show as the conference officially welcomes the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns to the conference.

Hicks, the 2006 American Idol winner, is set to join The Paul Finebaum show this evening, virtually, as Finebaum will be appearing live from the University of Oklahoma. Hicks grew up in Alabama and attended Auburn and in a release, he was described as “an avid SEC fan and longtime friend of Finebaum.”

The original version of the song was put out by Hicks in 2017.

Since winning American Idol, Hicks has gone on to achieve RIAA-certified platinum status and make history as both the first male Idol champion featured on a GRAMMY-winning record, and the first to land a Las Vegas residency. 

How News/Talk Radio Covered the Supreme Court Presidential Immunity Ruling

BNM Staff
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How News/Talk Radio Covered the Supreme Court Presidential Immunity Ruling

On Monday morning, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that presidential immunity remained intact for official duties of the office, limiting the prosecution that former President Donald Trump could face. The ruling was widely covered by news/talk radio stations.

Many news/talk radio stations were quick to share updates on the decision that gives Presidents limited immunity.

Meanwhile, many news/talk radio hosts opined that the move was a positive and logical response by the nine Supreme Court justices. They also pushed back against partisan talking points from the other side of the political aisle.

ESPN Launching ‘Futbol W,’ New Weekly Women’s Soccer Studio Program

BSM Staff
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ESPN Launching ‘Futbol W,’ New Weekly Women’s Soccer Studio Program

ESPN has announced that it will be launching Futbol W, a new weekly studio program that will provide comprehensive and insightful coverage of women’s soccer. The program will focus on a variety of soccer leagues and entities, including the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the U.S. Women’s National Team and Liga MX Femenil, along with CONCACAF stars who are playing in Europe. Outside of the game itself, the program will also look at the interests of the players in culture, fashion, food and community surrounding soccer.

Ali Krieger and Sebastian Salazar will serve as the co-hosts of the program and bring their knowledge, opinions and perspectives to the airwaves each week. Krieger played soccer for 18 years at the professional level and is a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion with the U.S. Women’s National Team. Additionally, she won the NWSL championship as a member of NJ/NY Gotham FC last season and joined ESPN this past March.

Salazar has been a member of ESPN since 2016 working as a host, reporter and play-by-play announcer. He started working with Herculez Gomez on the biweekly Fútbol Americas show three years ago, through which they have streamed daily live remote shows from the last two FIFA World Cup competitions from Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. Salazar also appears on ESPN FC and other network soccer coverage across ESPN platforms as well.

The new Futbol W show will make its debut on ESPN2 on Tuesday, July 23 starting at 9:30 p.m. EST and will be simulcast on ESPN+. Weekly episodes of Futbol W will be available to stream on ESPN+ on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and will then be available on demand afterwards. The program is a reflection of the network’s continued investment in Women’s Sports and will provide fans a new way to acclimatize and engage with the sport.

“We are pleased to launch Futbol W amid the popularity and excitement around women’s sports, which is at an all-time high in the United States,” Manny de la Fe, vice president of production at ESPN, said in a statement. “Futbol W will inform, entertain, and showcase the incredible athletes to sports fans. It will be our signature news and analysis studio program – a weekly one-stop destination for fans to get their need-to-know insight about women’s soccer.”

Several different elements of the show have been planned in advance of the launch of the new weekly program, including appearances from ESPN reporters, commentators and analysts. The show will also contain in-depth interviews and features on both current and former players created by co-host Ali Krieger. NWSL game highlights and analysis, along with power rankings and game previews, will also encompass the show, along with discussion regarding topical issues in women’s soccer and live show interviews with active players.

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