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WTOP Announces New Affiliation with ABC News Radio

BNM Staff
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WTOP Announces New Affiliation with ABC News Radio

WTOP has announced a new affiliation agreement with ABC News Radio that will see the Washington all-news station join the network of more than 1,600 stations.

With the new partnership, WTOP will have access to ABC News Radio’s breaking news and special events coverage and will also grant the station access to the network’s reporters.

“We are thrilled to partner with ABC News Radio to enhance our coverage, particularly as we enter another political season,” said WTOP Senior Vice President and General Manager Joel Oxley. “Our top priority is providing our listeners with the best news on the radio, and adding access to another network partner with the talent and reporting of ABC News will help us continue to achieve that goal.”

“ABC News Radio is proud to help serve the listeners of Washington, D.C., by delivering the kind of top-caliber journalism and compelling storytelling that WTOP News is known for,” added ABC Audio Vice President Liz Alesse.

Tom Parkinson Retires From Kansas Public Radio

BNM Staff
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Tom Parkinson Retires From Kansas Public Radio

After more than 30 years in the radio business, Tom Parkinson has retired from Kansas Public Radio.

Parkinson had most recently served as the host of Morning Edition on Kansas Public Radio. He had been with KPR for more than 10 years before announcing his exit.

“It’s been such an honor to spend this last decade with the amazing team of professionals at KPR,” Parkinson said on the KPR website, per Inside Radio. “Thank you all very much. And, as always, sincerest gratitude to the wonderful public radio listeners in Northeast Kansas. You really do make it all possible.”

He called hosting the local morning show the greatest love of his journey in the medium.

Other stops in his radio career include roles in Ohio, Florida, and California.

SportsRadio 94WIP Finishes First in Philadelphia Fall Ratings Book

BSM Staff
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Sports in Philadelphia during the fall usually produces high interest. That was once again the case last quarter as both local sports radio stations experienced gains across several dayparts according to Nielsen Audio results. SportsRadio 94WIP finished on top in weekday prime (M-F, 6a-7p) with a 14.2 share among Men 25-54. That represents the second-largest accumulation for the brand over the last four ratings books.

The new 94WIP Morning Show with Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie completed its third full book since taking over for Angelo Cataldi. The WIP legend retired in mid-February of last year. DeCamara and Ritchie garnered an outstanding 19.4 share for the quarter, the duo’s largest in the daypart thus far. That included a 10.4 radio number and 9.0 streaming number. The combined number helped the program finish first in its timeslot ahead of longtime morning show Preston & Steve on rock station WMMR-FM. A massive 9.4-share increase by the morning show from the summer book yielded the largest improvement at the station. Additionally, it beat Cataldi’s 15.5-share he attained during his final fall book last year, which also ranked him first.

The midday program, which features Hugh Douglas and Joe Giglio, amassed a 9.8 share in the fall book. That placed the show in third-place for the quarter. Douglas and Giglio were up from a 6.3 share in the summer book. Their share was down however from a 12.3 last fall when DeCamara and Ritchie ranked first in the timeslot.

SportsRadio 94WIP’s afternoon program which was anchored by Ike Reese and Jon Marks, earned a 12.8 share in the fall ratings book. That placed the show first for the quarter. Marks and Reese’s shares were split with 12.1 of it coming from over the air, and 0.7 being attained over their stream. The show gained 2.6 share points from the summer book. Year-over-year was the only setback as the program was 4.1 shares higher in the fall of 2022.

The Philadelphia Phillies advancing to the National League Championship Series helped SportsRadio 94WIP record a 17.3 share at night. Listenership was strong on the team’s radio home with a 15.7 share over the air and 1.6 share on the stream.

For Beasley Media Group’s 97.5 The Fanatic there were some positive signs as well. The morning show hosted by John Kincade featuring Bob Cooney and Pat Egan finished with a 3.3 share. That represented seven-tenths of a share point improvement from the summer book. Kincade’s program was relatively flat year-over-year, down one-tenth of a point. Overall, the show ranked 10th in the market for the fall book.

After the sudden exit of Anthony Gargano, which led to a lawsuit from his employer pertaining to a breach of contract, the midday slot has been occupied by Andrew Salciunas, his former producer. The program recorded a 2.8 share, up from a 2.2 share in the summer book. Year-over-year though, the program slipped from a fifth-place tie (4.4) to a 12th-place tie.

The best rating of the quarter for The Fanatic belonged to The Best Show Ever. Tyrone Johnson, Ricky Botallico and Jenn Scordo produced a 4.0 share for the fall book to finish ninth. That was eight-tenths of a share point better than their summer book performance. They were also seven tenths of a point better year-over-year.

Evenings on 97.5 The Fanatic resulted in a 2.6 share for the quarter. The station ranked 15th in the market during evening hours.

For the full-week (M-SU, 6a-12p) 97.5 The Fanatic delivered a 2.9 share to finish tied for 13th. Year-over-year was slightly down from a 2.9, which placed the station ninth in the fall of 2022. SportsRadio 94WIP completed a first-place finish for the full week with a 14.1 share. The station was 1.5 shares lower however from its fall book in 2022.

“Ratings reports and analysis are written by BSM and sponsored by Crowd React Media, a division of Harker Bos Group. Learn more about the different ways sports media research can benefit your station and cut through the noise by clicking here.

Anatomy of a Broadcaster: Rece Davis

Andy Masur
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Anatomy of a Broadcaster: Rece Davis

Chances are good if you turned on a TV during College Bowl season, Rece Davis appeared on your screen. Davis has been a mainstay on ESPN for over 25 years working in various roles for the network. He has done everything from hosting FIFA World Cup shows, to horse racing. From Auto Racing to College Football and basketball.

Davis raised his profile in 2015, when he signed a big extension to stay at the World Wide Leader. His portfolio added College GameDay, taking over as the host of the crazy road show for Chris Fowler, with Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee and Lee Corso. He also took over hosting duties for premier events on both ESPN and ABC, like the College Football Playoff National Championship, the NFL Draft on ABC, the NBA Draft on ESPN and the NCAA Men’s Final Four. As if those assignments weren’t enough, he also does some play-by-play for college football and basketball.

“I don’t think of my job as being hard. I know I’m the luckiest guy around. When you never feel as if you go to work, it’s really easy and fun to do the homework.” Davis recently signed a new extension to remain in the spotlight.

Davis was born in Chicago, but grew up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and calls it home. He attended and graduated from the University of Alabama in 1988.

ROAD TO ESPN/GAMEDAY

Davis worked as a freelance television play-by-play announcer, studio host, and radio personality in select media outlets throughout the state, while a student at Alabama. In 1987, Davis began working as a general assignment reporter for WCFT-TV in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

After graduating from Alabama, Davis served until 1993 in various positions at WRBL in Columbus, Georgia. There he worked as a sports reporter, the lead weekend news anchor, and later as WRBL’s sports director.

Davis left Georgia for Flint, Michigan, to begin working as a sports anchor and reporter at WJRT-TV. In March he left Flint for Bristol and began working for ESPN2 and the program SportSmash, where he provided five-minute reports on sports news and scores.

Davis hosted ESPN2’s NBA 2Night in 1996 and 1997. From 1997 through 1999, he served as studio host of ESPN2’s weekend RPM 2Night and Sunday morning RPM 2Day programs. He went on to anchor the program SportsCenter and frequently gave the “Extra Point” report on The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio. He also sat in occasionally for Patrick as a guest host.

WHY IS HE GOOD

Davis is extremely smooth. I know a lot of studio hosts are, but many of them never leave the studio. He’s out on the road with GameDay every week, amongst huge throngs of somewhat sober college students and fans. The scene is wild and filled with clever signs and loud cheers and boos.

To a broadcaster, things never sound as good out of the studio as they do inside the four walls of the broadcast facility. To be able to be that composed, smooth and polished as Davis is, it’s not easy to accomplish. Things tend to go wrong during live ‘remote’ shows and it takes a real pro to be able to both cover these up and make it appear seamless to the viewer.

There is an ease about him on the air. Don’t misconstrue this as being soft or boring. Davis is a very comfortable watch, and by this, I mean, he’s not in your face, but he’s not making you drift off into space. It’s down the middle, with energy and that’s a great thing to have. There’s a likeability factor, his words, his information and his general comfort on the air lends itself to being a fan of Davis’.

No matter who he’s working with, it always seems like Davis and that individual have a great rapport. Like a manager in baseball, the host of the show needs to know what makes each of their analyst’s great. Trying to get the best out of each of them makes the studio show work well and reflects kindly on the host. There is a great sense of comradery on the set, that feeling really allows everyone to be themselves, knowing each has the other’s back. 

The people on the set become like family when a show is really working. Davis was visibly saddened when David Pollack became one of the network’s budget cut casualties. Pollack tweeted a video about his exit. Davis then ‘quote-tweeted’ with some of his own thoughts.

“Class personified,” Davis wrote. “I’ve joked for years that @davidpollack47 is the little brother I never wanted. Truth is, he’s as good a man & as good a friend as I could’ve ever hoped for. 

“He’s a brother to me for life. He’s a man of God. A selfless teammate, an exemplary family man,” with Davis also adding in a reply to the tweet that it was a “tough day.” Those sentiments were heartfelt and honest. No fluff here, showing exactly why people enjoy working with him at ESPN.

What is also not underrated, is Davis’ sense of humor is also not underrated. Keeping things light without intruding on the broadcast is a skill most don’t possess. Some hosts may be funnier, but not too many have that sense of timing. When to go for the laugh and when to let it go is an art form. The laughter on set is natural, because you never really know when Davis will spring the one liner on the audience and panel. 

For example, last weekend, the GameDay crew threw it to Ryan Seacrest in New York, to promote his Dick Clark’s Rockin New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest on New Year’s Eve. Seacrest, a Georgia alum, said he was, “stoked that my ‘Dawgs are facing the undefeated ‘Noles.”

When Seacrest threw it back to Davis in the studio, Davis used it as a “booking” opportunity to get Seacrest on College GameDay next season. Davis said, “Happy New Year, Ryan. If you really love the ‘Dawgs, you’ll accept an invitation to be the celebrity guest picker on College GameDay one week.” Well played. Davis wouldn’t give up. A few moments later, while chatting with Desmond Howard, Davis said, “Ryan Seacrest, noted Georgia fan. Desmond, it would be great to have him as a guest picker sometime, wouldn’t it?” To which Howard replied, “Absolutely. One hundred percent. We need to get him.”

Good stuff.

DID YOU KNOW?

Davis was named as an outstanding alumnus of the University of Alabama’s School of Communication and Information Sciences in 2001.

Davis told the ACC Network recently about the conversation he had with former ESPN VP of talent Al Jaffe in 1994 and where Davis was when he had that first chat. He relayed the story he was in Columbus, Ohio, interviewing for a job at the ABC affiliate there. He said he talked to Jaffe from a pay phone in the parking lot of a Wendy’s.

“Al said if you want this job, don’t take that one. Put them off,” Davis said. Rece added that he was able to delay the process in Columbus for a little bit after that conversation, long enough to eventually get offered the position with ESPN. “It was a really great moment,” he said. “It was remarkable.”

Mitch Rosen Wants Chicago Businesses To Score Big on the Super Bowl

Demetri Ravanos
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Mitch Rosen Wants Chicago Businesses To Score Big on the Super Bowl

“We’re fortunate enough at the Score in Chicago to be the home of the Super Bowl. And everyone knows the Super Bowl, so many people watch it, but it’s a huge listening and audio play also,” Mitch Rosen tells me.

That reliable audience gave him an idea. Why not use the power of the Super Bowl to create one of the most valuable prizes his station has ever given away?

Businesses in the Chicagoland area can enter the Score Big for Your Business contest. All the station is asking them to do is go to the website and submit a 1500 word explanation of what the free advertising package would help them do. 

The winner receives a thirty-second spot during the game, plus an ad schedule during the week of the game. Rosen is quick to note that Russ Mitera, Audacy’s production guru will be lending his brain and ears to the project as well, so the winner will most certainly be in good hands.

Rosen had the idea for the contest on his early morning commute to work. As the operations director and brand manager of 670 The Score, he knew that he was an important piece, but only a piece of the final decision. 

Fortunately, he quickly found an ally. Chad Feldman, the sports sales director, loved the idea. Westwood One, who allows the Score to broadcast and stream the game, loved it. That was the support the idea needed to get the ball rolling.

The station is accepting entries through January 19. After that, Rosen and his staff will have to pick a winner and get to work.

“Hopefully, it’s a business that looks to rebrand and gain exposure,” he says. “Whether it’s a local car dealer, a local bakery or any type of business, it really doesn’t matter. I just think the exposure will be tremendous.”

Broadcasters of all types are learning to account for the changing tastes of the audience. Live game rights still matter, but the way those games are presented has changed in just about every sport. 

The general public seems to have some idea of television ratings. Whether it is the leagues and networks themselves rushing out press releases or politicians and talking heads using them to justify their position, those are always easy to find. They are usually presented with plenty of spin, but they can be found.

What the general public may not know is that live games bring people to the radio too. Rosen says that is clear for The Score, no matter what live event the station is carrying. On Super Bowl Sunday though, the station’s broadcast has become essential for many Chicagoans.

“I think the Super Bowl is special with people throughout the country and the reach that Westwood One has proves that,” he says. “But in Chicago it’s an event. It’s almost like a national holiday where, ‘hey, let’s go to this friend’s house. And then at halftime we’re going to jump over to this house and we might stop at this bar and people listen.’ Traditionally, it rates very high. And I can speak for Chicago in all demographics on that.”

Score Big for Your Business is a big, creative idea. The national power of Westwood One and Audacy are being leveraged, but Rosen calls it “somewhat grass roots.” He wants Chicago businesses to know that it’s a local contest and the winner will be dealing with people that are in and understand Chicago.

With 2024 here, Rosen has the chance to look back. Last year was an eventful one for the station. There were some very high highs, including celebrating Laurence Holmes’ quarter century with the brand, a trip to London with the Cubs, watching that team’s radio play-by-play voice Pat Hughes be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and strong ratings in all day parts.

The Score and BetQL already enjoy success, but Rosen is even more optimistic for the future. Kevin Cassidy came to Audacy as the new market manager in Chicago last year. He’s a huge sports fan, which Rosen says is always good for his station.

For Rosen personally, 2023 was monumental. He moved to a VP role, paving the way for Ryan Porth to become the Score’s program manager and for Andrew Williams to become the program director of the BetQL Network. 

He has nothing but praise for both men. He cited Williams’s work with both people and numbers as reasons to believe that BetQL will continue its upward trajectory in the new year. He also points to Porth’s ability to hit the ground running since coming to the Windy City from Nashville. His right hand man has fit in well with a group of Chicago lifers convincing Rosen that the station is in good hands for the future. 

Rosen is still hands on with both properties. He spends time with Porth and Williams every day to make sure visions align and the Score and BetQL are getting all they need. But Mitch’s focus for both brands is now on the bigger picture. That might mean digital goals, sales goals, or building attention-grabbing promotions.

“I think as an industry we need to have more fun with audio and our brands. This is a little step into that,” he says of The Score’s Super Bowl contest. “We have this massive game, we have this traditionally massive audience, why not give a business a great opportunity to grow their band with that combination while having fun.”

Having more fun and being innovative is part of the reason Mitch Rosen makes it a point to be at the BSM Summit each year. He hasn’t missed one yet, and doesn’t plan to start any time soon. He will be in New York in March. 

“I still go because I learn,” he says. “I want to learn, ‘What’s next in our business? Local content, local audio, you know, that’s great. ‘Who’s next?’. What talent is out there? What’s next in terms of different social media platforms? That’s what I want to know.”

Learning is all about keeping an open mind and being willing to share as many ideas as you hear. Rosen says Chicago is a beast unto itself. That doesn’t mean he cannot use ideas or concepts that leaders in other markets present. They just have to be adapted to fit his audience’s tastes and goals.

This year, he will have a unique experience, learning from one of his own employees.

“I think Danny Parkins is coming to speak this year with some of his friends in the business, and I’m really interested to see him talk and share his perspective on the business from a host and talent perspective.”

Mitch Rosen loves what he does, but isn’t content to rest on his past success. BetQL is a growing player in the national network space. 670 The Score is one of the truly iconic stations in sports radio, regardless of the market. He knows both brands deserve his best.

That is why he is still eager to learn. It’s why he pushes himself to conceptualize promotions that will get Chicago’s attention and do big things that he and his team can be proud of. If Rosen gets his way, there will be a lot of that for him and for The Score in 2024.

Ryan Leaf: I Have to Be More Prepared Than Other Analysts

BSM Staff
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Ryan Leaf: I Have to Be More Prepared Than Other Analysts

It’s been quite the road for former quarterback Ryan Leaf, and his role as a broadcaster is part of his redemption story.

Leaf will be part of the broadcast crew calling this weekend’s FCS national championship game between South Dakota State and Montana. He told Montana Sports reporter Tom Wylie that he’s supremely grateful for the opportunity.

“I’m amazed at what this life has allowed me to do and what’s given me,” Leaf said.

Leaf was selected number two overall behind Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. His playing career never panned out and Leaf has widely been considered one of the most notable draft busts ever. Ryan Leaf also faced legal troubles and has served time in a Montana prison for burglary, theft and drug possession.

But Leaf has persevered. He said he knows he comes with baggage, and that can be a turn-off to employers. But the former #2 overall pick said he’s put in the work to be the best broadcaster he can be.

“If you don’t put the work in, you get found out,” he said. “The guys that put you in those chairs, they want the best possible product out there, and they’re not gonna take a chance on a seven-time convicted felon drug addict if he’s not good at it. I mean why would you do that? It just doesn’t make any sense unless you can actually bring something to the table.”

Ryan Leaf added that he knows in order to put further distance between his criminal past and what he’s doing presently, he’s got to be the hardest worker in the room tenfold.

“It’s imperative that I work my tail off for everything I’ve got now,” he said.

Pat McAfee: I Don’t Ever Want to Be Associated With Anything Negative

BSM Staff
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Pat McAfee couldn’t open his show on Wednesday without acknowledging the 40,000-pound elephant in the room placed there by Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers, and McAfee by association, made headlines on Tuesday after Rodgers – in his weekly Pat McAfee Show appearance – joked that ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel would be among the names found on a soon-to-be-released flight log of individuals that traveled to a private island owned by Jeffrey Epstein where sexual exploitation of children took place.

Kimmel on Tuesday evening took to X, formerly Twitter, and responded to Rodgers, threatening him with a lawsuit if he continued to insinuate that Kimmel was associated with Epstein.

McAfee felt like Rodgers got carried away in his talking trash to Kimmel, who has taken his own shots at Rodgers on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

“It’s tough. Whenever you’re free-wheeling and dealing in here, and you’re having conversations, they can certainly lead to some places that cause like international news and things like that,” McAfee said. “And whenever there’s accusations made about people, that can lead to lawsuits.”

He said he was speaking from experience, having dealt with a defamation lawsuit from Brett Favre after McAfee and others on his show made comments about Favre’s alleged involvement in a scheme that misused state welfare money in Mississippi.

McAfee added the unscripted and unorganized nature of his show presents a double-edged sword.

“There is just an opportunity to talk about damn near everything for three and a half hours,” he said. “And in doing so, the upside of that is some magic can come that you never knew was gonna come.”

“On the flip side, there can be some things that were certainly probably – we’re gonna have to hear from Aaron on that – meant to be shit talk/joke that can then become something that is obviously a very serious allegation that then leads to a massive overnight story,” McAfee continued.

Pat McAfee said he wasn’t put off by how Kimmel responded given the context.

“I can see exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way he felt, especially with his position,” McAfee said. “But I think Aaron was just trying to talk shit. Now did it go too far? Jimmy Kimmel certainly said that was the case.”

“We obviously don’t like the fact that we’re associated with anything negative ever,” he added. “We’d like our show to be an uplifting one, a happy one, a fun one. But it’s because we talk shit and make light of everything, some things obviously people get very pissed off about especially when they’re that serious of allegations. So we apologize for being a part of it.”

McAfee finished by expressing his desire for Rodgers and Kimmel to squash their beef amicably.

“Hopefully those two will just be able to settle this,” he said. “Not court wise but be able to chit-chat and move along.”

Dan Dakich: Media Members Can Dish Out Criticism, But Can’t Take It

BSM Staff
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Dan Dakich: Media Members Can Dish Out Criticism, But Can’t Take It

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers found himself in the news after his recent appearance with Pat McAfee, joking that he hoped ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel would be on the Jeffrey Epstein flight logs. But the joke didn’t sit well with Kimmel, who took to X and defended himself and threatened Rodgers with a lawsuit. Dan Dakich couldn’t help but see the irony in the interaction.

The OutKick host on his show Don’t @ Me on Wednesday said while he believes Kimmel when he denied any association with Epstein, he did find it rich that Kimmel would try to play some kind of victim given the back-and-forth he and Rodgers have had in the media over the years.

“He is the poster child for, ‘If you don’t do what I say, then I’m going to rip you. I’m using my bully pulpit, and I am going to rip you,'” Dakich said. “He’s gone at Aaron Rodgers for everything from anti-vax status to the little bun in his hair.”

He continued by saying this was further evidence of some personalities in media having thin skin.

“Oh the horror, Jimmy!” he said. “It is amazing how these media guys, boy can they dish it out. But man they can’t take it.”

Dan Dakich added that he wasn’t a fan of folks in the media having this entitlement to joke and bash whoever they want, however they want, and then crying foul when the joking and bashing gets served back to them.

“These dudes do not like anybody coming back at them at all,” he said. “They want cart blanche. They think of themselves as exempt. Sure, they can rip on people, but rip on them and the tears start a-flowing.”

When Radio Topics Don’t Matter to the Audience (And How to Make Them Matter)

Perry Michael Simon
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When Radio Topics Don’t Matter to the Audience (And How to Make Them Matter)

Who determines what stories and topics you cover? Is it a producer, an assignment editor, or you? Maybe you subscribe to the idea that the things about which you talk on the radio are determined by what the audience wants to hear, or you want to talk about what you believe the audience needs to hear.

I suppose it depends on what you do. Reporters will go with an editor’s call, opinion hosts with producers, and producers with “what the audience wants to hear.” There’s another element in play, though, and not enough of you consider it. It’s a simple question that should guide not whether you bring something up but how much play you give it.

Does this have any bearing on the lives of our audience?

And a follow-up: If it does have some bearing on the lives of our audience but it’s not immediately apparent, can we include that context in an easily understood manner so that people don’t tune out?

I’ll give you an example of a story getting huge play in the news media and on talk radio that’s detached from the daily lives of most people in the audience, while being part of a larger story that the coverage, and opinions, seem to be completely ignoring.

I’ll preface it by asking another question: Before, say, about three weeks ago, could you have named the President of Harvard? Or Penn? Or MIT? Sure, it’s a news story when a college president is accused of plagiarism, and it’s a news story when three college presidents botched what should have been a gimme question before Congress.

But, taken alone, how much of a story is it? Are they representative of all college administrators? How many of your listeners, readers, or viewers have kids in Harvard, Penn, or MIT, or are alumni? How many of them – how many of you – could even find those schools on a map? (How many can even use a map that isn’t Google Maps these days?)

And how many of you went to college and noted the existence of campus activists and how they’re usually a handful of Sociology majors with petitions on clipboards outside the cafeteria, ignored by most other students? I mean, I was a Political Science major at a Quaker college, and I can’t even remember what the protestors were protesting. They were probably right, but I couldn’t tell you about what. (We were between wars, so that wasn’t it.)

Yet I’ve seen interminable cable news segments with an array of pundits pontificating about campus activism and administrative inaction, radio talk shows railing against Claudine Gay (whose existence was unknown to them before now), and endless articles on every news site about it. Practically all of the coverage — both on radio and TV — is missing the larger context, and, as a result, it’s all meaningless to the audience. It’s news from another planet.

In truth, there is a story worth talking about here, but it’s not just the Harvard thing, it’s about a concerted effort by political interests (surely you’re aware of Christopher Rufo by now, and maybe you’ve heard about what happened at New College in Sarasota) to remove educators from college administration posts and replace them with ideologues in an attempt to push higher education hard to the right. The individual story at Harvard is of zero relevance to most people, but an ideological takeover of public education is a lot more compelling and relevant to a lot more people.

Meanwhile… really, do I have to explain what else is going on that means a lot more to the audience and is probably a lot more compelling and attention-worthy (and entertaining, if you’re an opinion type) than anything to do with Ivy League schools? Look, right this very minute, some stories and topics have a lot more to do with your audience’s lives, stuff they need and want to know about, and it’s astonishing how they get downplayed or both-sided or ignored even by the paper of record.

I’m not suggesting that you ignore what’s trending. I’m not suggesting that you ignore what’s happening on social media. However, I am suggesting that social media is not only not real life, but represents a tiny fraction of public sentiment, even a tiny fraction of the core audience for what you do.

It’s as if the dozen campus radicals and the dozen campus counter-protestors all got hold of megaphones and are screaming at the same time, drowning out everyone else and really annoying the dozen students who are trying to study in their library carrels. The margins get amplified, and important stuff gets lost.

We’re facing some massive challenges in 2024, as an industry, as a nation, as a world (and not necessarily in that order). Focus on what really matters now and in the long run. Everything else? You can report on it, but don’t dwell on it. And whatever the story, context is key. Dig deeper. Look behind the curtain. Use whatever metaphor works for you, but see what you can do to make those trending stories into something more relevant to radio listeners, viewers, and readers. Don’t get distracted.

Bill Cunningham is Ingrained in the Fabric of 700 WLW

Garrett Searight
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Bill Cunningham is Ingrained in the Fabric of 700 WLW

We’ve all been in “just get through today” mode at one time or another. For Bill Cunningham, he had a wider vision: get to his 40th anniversary at 700 WLW, then consider retirement. He hit that milestone in August of last year and has no plans to hang up the headphones anytime soon.

“iHeartMedia has told me I can stay as long as I want and just give them three months’ notice if I’m going to leave. And, obviously, that day is coming,” admitted Cunningham. “I’m closer to the finish line than the start.

A two-time Marconi Award winner for Large Market Personality of the Year, Bill Cunningham currently hosts from 12-3 PM on the venerable Cincinnati news/talk station. Additionally, he hosts a syndicated program on Sunday evenings, which is distributed to more than 300 stations across the nation.

“You know, Father Time is undefeated, untied, and unscored upon. I just turned 76 years old, but I feel like 36 most of the time,” continued Cunningham.

He added that he has a pact with 700 WLW Program Director Scott Reinhart that if he begins to lose his fastball, he needs to be the second one to know.

“I said ‘Look, if I’m slipping, if I’m not connecting, if people aren’t listening and advertisers — and I’ll know that first — don’t want to have me voice their spots, and I’m not relevant anymore, would you tell me?’ He said absolutely.”

Despite being 76 years old and in the same market and station for more than four decades, Cunningham — who was recently named the top mid-market midday show in Barrett News Media’s Top 20 — shared he hasn’t lost his passion for talk radio.

“Everyone does it a little bit for the money but I’m doing it because I enjoy it. I love it. I like being part of events,” he said. “I’ll play it by ear and if somehow I become a babbling idiot, or a derelict, I would assume I’ll find out and I can still say ‘Ladies and gentlemen, see ya, wouldn’t want to be ya,’ And I’ll go off into the sunset. But at this point, I enjoy what I’m doing.”

One of the prominent talking points in news/talk circles is questioning where the next crop of future stars will come from. It’s a feeling shared by Bill Cunningham.

“At some point, you have to find the next Bill Cunningham. Or the next Mike McConnell, or the next Eddie Fingers… I’m thinking ‘Where are they coming from?’, because I often say to our station management ‘You’ve gotta find the next Willie’, and I’m being told ‘There’s not a next Willie.’ And I say yes there is. I’m important but I’m not indispensable. There are other people out there, you just gotta go find them.”

Like Cunningham, Scott Reinhart also took home a top spot in BNM’s Top 20, earning first place in the Mid-Market Program Director rankings. The longtime Cincinnati host praised the leadership ability of his boss, and shared dealing with news/talk hosts brings out an entirely different style from the manager.

“He’s wonderful because he says ‘How can I help you?’,” Bill Cunningham said. “And normally a PD considers himself to be the boss. Like, ‘I’m telling you what to do.’ But when you have Mike McConnell, Eddie Fingers, Rocky (Boiman), Scott Sloan, and me, I’ve never been told one time what to cover (or) what not to cover.

“I’ve never been told what to say or what not to say. I’ve been criticized, all the time, but nonetheless, it was constructive type criticism…Scott Reinhart understands that with some of the FM’s he controls is much more direct and what’s going wrong, but when it comes to AM and to us, he is assisting us to do better instead of telling us what to do.”

It’s no secret that AM radio has experienced challenges in recent years. However, 700 WLW remains one of the band’s strongest brands, reaching ratings success the station hadn’t seen since the late 1970s earlier this year. Cunningham believes the success can be attributed to familiarity not just in the lineup and the station’s content, but inside the community as well.

“There’s a little bit of a difficulty because of a lack of cogent personalities and connection to the community. It’s very unusual to have an AM station for the 40 years that I’ve been there to stay on top the entire time with different personalities. But I’ve been the only constant for 40 years,” admitted Cunningham. “And the reason it happens is that we try — and I think we’ve been successful — in connecting closely with community members and community organizations for years and decades.”

Bill Cunningham pointed to organizations that are closely associated with Cincinnati — like Procter & Gamble, Western & Southern, and Fifth Third — as mainstays in the community, and 700 WLW is right alongside those major brands.

“I get emails all the time from people who say to me, ‘I’m 35 years old. I now have three kids, but I’ve spent my entire life listening to you.’ And somebody else will say to me ‘You know what? I’m telling my teenage boys and girls to listen to you. Because you make sense. And you touch the community.'”

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