Dave Ryan is ending his run at 101.3 KDWB on May 22. His departure closes 33 years at the station and 46 years in radio.
What We Know: Ryan announced his retirement from iHeartMedia’s KDWB in Minneapolis–St. Paul. His final broadcast is set for May 22, 2026. The station plans tribute programming and listener celebrations leading up to his last show. After that, Ryan transitions into an ambassador role and remains part of the KDWB family.
What They Said: “Dave Ryan is a Twin Cities institution and one of the best to ever do it,” said Rich Davis, iHeartMedia Minneapolis SVP of Programming. Ryan himself reflected warmly on the journey: “Being welcomed into your life has meant more to me than I can ever express.” Both quotes signal a graceful, mutual exit built on genuine respect.
What Remains Unclear: The future of the KDWB morning lineup is still undetermined. iHeartMedia has not named a replacement host or revealed a format shift. Details are expected soon, but no timeline has been given. That uncertainty leaves a significant competitive opening in a major market.
What It Means: One by one, the voices that defined a generation are going quiet. Ryan’s departure is the latest reminder that broadcast radio’s golden era of personality-driven morning shows is fading fast. The medium moves on, but something distinct disappears with every veteran who walks out the door. The chair gets filled — the legacy rarely does..
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ESPN released a smattering of news at the 2026 Disney Upfront on Tuesday. Some of the information included key details for College GameDay.
What We Know:College GameDay will be in Atlanta for the LSU vs Clemson game on Saturday, September 5th. The following week, the show will be in Austin as Ohio State visits the Texas Longhorns. Both of those games are scheduled for the 7:30 PM ET window on ABC.
Additionally, the network set the game times for several games on its schedule in August, September, and also in late November.
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026 12:00 PM ET — North Carolina vs. TCU (Dublin) (ESPN) 3:30 PM ET — NC State vs. Virginia (Rio de Janeiro) (ESPN) 7:30 PM ET — Alabama A&M vs. Howard (Atlanta) (ABC)
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026 8:00 PM ET — Colorado at Georgia Tech (ESPN)
Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 9:00 PM ET — Miami at Stanford (ESPN)
Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 12:00 PM ET — East Carolina at Alabama (ABC) 3:30 PM ET — Baylor vs. Auburn (Atlanta) (ABC) 7:30 PM ET — Clemson at LSU (ABC)
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 7:30 PM ET — Louisville vs. Ole Miss (Nashville) (ABC)
Monday, Sept. 7, 2026 7:30 PM ET — SMU at Florida State (ESPN)
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 7:30 PM ET — Ohio State at Texas (ABC)
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 7:30 PM ET — LSU at Ole Miss (ABC)
Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026 8:00 PM ET — TCU at Texas Tech (ESPN)
Friday, Nov. 27, 2026 12:00 PM ET — Mississippi State at Ole Miss (ABC) 3:30 PM ET — Florida at Florida State (ABC) 7:30 PM ET — Texas at Texas A&M (ABC)
What Remains Unclear: Further locations throughout the season. ESPN has not made any announcements on where the show will be on location after the September 12th date.
What It Means: ESPN is putting its promotional muscle behind two early-season primetime games it holds the rights to with these selections. Many had assumed that the show would be from those two locations to begin the year. So neither choice is a surprise.
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A Las Vegas-area dance station has a new name. ANCO Media Group has officially closed its $1.4 million acquisition of KHYZ and rebranded the outlet as “Revolution 99.7.”
What We Know: ANCO Media Group closed on its acquisition of KHYZ and immediately rebranded the station as “Revolution 99.7,” aligning it with co-owned “Revolution 93.5” in the Miami market. Additionally, the station now carries the positioning statement “The Dance Station.” ANCO Media Group paid $1.4 million for KHYZ and several other former Highway stations from Heftel Broadcasting Company.
What’s at Stake: Dance radio remains a niche format in the U.S. However, the Las Vegas market provides a unique, built-in audience. KHYZ reaches much of Las Vegas proper through a booster atop Arden Peak. Furthermore, the station promotes coverage along the full LA-to-Las Vegas drive corridor, echoing the legacy of the former Highway Stations that previously simulcast across KHYZ, KRXV, and KHWY.
What Remains Unclear: It’s still uncertain whether a full simulcast between the stations will return. The branding alignment hints strongly at that possibility. Meanwhile, the fate of sister stations KRXV and KHWY under the new brand umbrella is still developing. No programming details or talent announcements have surfaced yet.
What It Means: This move forces a real question — does true dance radio work on American FM? If it works anywhere, it works here. Miami’s club culture and Las Vegas’s 24-hour entertainment economy offer the ideal conditions. Furthermore, ANCO is essentially building a test case for whether dance music can sustain a viable radio brand in the U.S. The industry should pay close attention. The answer could reshape how programmers think about the format entirely.
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Organizing space in a workshop requires careful planning to make each area practical and safe. Without proper structure, machines, tools, and materials can create clutter in the metal layout that slows progress and increases risks. Clear layouts save time, reduce hazards, and allow smoother workflow between different activities. When every square foot has a purpose, tasks are completed more efficiently and storage remains under control. Early planning also avoids costly changes later. This article discusses essential tips for space management in a workshop designed for durability and efficiency.
Plan Extra Space For Growth
When setting up a metal workshop, extra room at the start makes future adjustments easier. Machinery needs can expand, storage demands can increase, and larger projects may require additional clearance. If extra room is not considered, rearrangements become complicated and may even affect safety.
Allowing spare floor space also keeps pathways open for movement and reduces the risk of obstruction. Workers benefit from layouts that feel practical rather than crowded. Careful allowance for expansion prevents unnecessary disruption later.
Clear Span Layout For Better Use
A clear span layout gives a workshop open space without internal columns, making it easier to organize equipment. This arrangement supports flexible machine placement and smooth handling of large materials. With no obstacles in the middle of the floor, tools and stations can be arranged to match workflow needs.
Open areas also support safe passage for carts, lifts, and other transport methods in the metal structure. Layouts without internal barriers provide the freedom to adapt as projects change. Over time, this type of design supports consistent productivity.
Measure Interior Space Accurately
External building dimensions do not reflect the actual working area inside. Wall thickness, insulation, and supports can reduce usable space, and ignoring these differences leads to poor planning. Accurate measurement of interior dimensions allows equipment to be placed without creating tight or unsafe spaces.
Clear walkways are maintained when calculations reflect the true usable room. This approach avoids wasted space and supports smoother movement of heavy materials. Careful planning based on interior space results in layouts that are practical and realistic.
Add a Mezzanine Or Loft For Storage
Vertical room above the floor provides valuable storage capacity. A mezzanine or metal loft allows supplies, tools, or light materials to be stored overhead while leaving ground-level space open for larger tasks. This keeps the main floor dedicated to machinery and active projects while reducing clutter.
Workers gain easier access to equipment without unnecessary obstacles. Overhead sections can also be adjusted later if more storage is required. Using vertical space in this way makes the most of the entire structure.
Plan Height For Machines And Safety
Large equipment and certain projects require adequate vertical clearance. Without proper height, machines may not operate safely, and material handling can become restricted. Planning for extra headroom also supports proper ventilation systems, which are vital in heavy work areas.
Taller ceilings allow future machine upgrades without changes to the structure. Adequate clearance reduces risks by giving workers room to move materials safely around the steel workshop. Planning both horizontal and vertical space creates a balanced layout that serves long-term needs.
The effectiveness of a metal workshop depends on how space is arranged from the start. Accurate measurement of interior areas, allowance for vertical clearance, and the use of overhead storage all contribute to efficiency. Clear layouts with open floor areas reduce hazards and improve workflow across projects. Extra space for future growth prevents costly changes while supporting safe and practical movement. By planning carefully, workshops remain functional and adaptable as demands expand.
If you use Google Ads for your business, but you do not combine it with the server-side tracking technology, you are missing the lion’s share of its potential. On the other hand, these two systems in combination almost always guarantee increased ROAS, improved conversion tracking, and better insights into how successful your business is in general. Let’s review what makes Google Ads server-side tracking so useful, how to set it up, and who can help with it.
Three modern curses of data tracking
Customer data tracking has become more challenging recently. Any online and e-commerce business must consider several factors if it wants not only to keep afloat but also to expand and grow.
Ad blockers. According to recent statistics, at least every fourth internet user has an ad blocker installed in their browser. This number may also vary drastically from one region to another. While people’s desire to see fewer irritating ads when surfing the network is totally understandable, such browser extensions often stop tracking scripts installed on web pages from firing. This results in gaps in the data tracked and twisted analytics.
Browser security protocols. Many companies that develop applications for surfing the internet add security protocols in the newest version of their software. They aim to protect the user’s private data from unauthorized access and leaks. However, they often block tracking scripts as well, which results in the same issues as with ad blockers.
Compliance with privacy policies. Not only do browsers prioritize private information security nowadays. Privacy policies are becoming stricter and stricter at least a couple of times a year. A general rule of thumb to stay compliant is not to share any private information with the analytical platforms. However, how could you control this if, with conventional client-side tracking, everything is sent to analytics directly from the browser?
Luckily, there is one solution that covers all these issues, and it has already been mentioned here.
How does server-side tracking help?
The main concept of server-side tracking is to give marketers more control over the information they send to analytics. To achieve this, a server is placed between the customer’s browser and third-party platforms. Thus, all the tracking pixels that run on the website send the information they gather not to the analytics but to the server.
There, marketers can gather whole arrays of data and fill the gaps caused by ad blockers and browser security protocols. Moreover, it gives them some space to remove and anonymize user data before sending, protecting themselves from a legal point of view.
Thanks to this, data of better quality is sent to the analytical platforms. Businesses get a better view of their activity, the effectiveness of their ads, and the success of their marketing strategies. Of course, switching to server-side tracking is not a panacea for any problems. If the product does not hit your customer’s pain point, or if it is presented poorly, a switch to server-side won’t affect anything. However, it is definitely a cure for issues with client data tracking.
Stape as your go-to server-side tracking services provider
If you want to master server-side tracking yourself and manage your setup without any intermediaries, our team sincerely wishes you all the best and is sure that you will succeed in this. However, heavy is the head that wears many hats, and such multitasking may not be possible for everyone.
Stape is the company that has proven itself to be one of the leaders in the sphere of server-side tracking. It constantly improves its services, adds new ones, and does everything possible to fit the modern tracking trends and novelties.
It offers several key services for Google Ads server-side tracking, which, in combination with numerous Stape’s benefits and power-ups, make data tracking as detailed and safe as possible.
Server Google Tag Manager container hosting. This is the key tool needed to implement server-side tracking technology for your business. Create a server GTM container and host it on a cloud server provided by Stape. You will configure the Google Ads tag in this container. This is a more expensive, but at the same time more flexible approach, especially suitable for medium-sized and large businesses.
Hosting of Stape Gateway. Stape Gateway is another “bridge” option between the server and Google Ads. It does not offer such rich customization, but it is easier to configure and cheaper.
Various additional features. Stape’s Anonymizer power-up is a great tool to stay compliant with privacy policies. Ad Blocker Info provides marketers with detailed insights into whether a client uses ad blockers and allows them to focus on enriching what is needed without guessing. There are many more tools to explore and try.
Thus, it is not an exaggeration to say that Stape offers an extensive toolkit for server-side tracking and professional support to its clients.
Conclusion
Switching to server-side tracking is not simply a cool step to perform. It is a life necessity for businesses that want to grow and scale up in modern reality. Although it may seem complicated and complex to implement at first, Stape is a company that covers this for its clients completely. It offers everything a business might need to get better insights into its clients and improve Google Ads attribution. This will allow your company to reach a completely different level.
Taking your radio company private is all the rage these days. Salem Media announced Tuesday it’s entering that same phase, with WaterStone — formally The Christian Community Foundation, Inc. — set to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock at $1.00 per share. The move takes the broadcaster off the public markets entirely.
It’s a bold step. It’s also the right one.
Audacy did it. You’d struggle to find anyone who’d argue the company is in worse shape because of it. Cumulus is attempting to do it, albeit as part of a second bankruptcy.
Now Salem Media joins that club — and the circumstances surrounding its move make a compelling case that going private isn’t just a trend, but a genuine strategic tool for broadcasters with a clear sense of mission.
It’s worth noting that Salem didn’t arrive at this moment haphazardly. The company spent 2024 dramatically restructuring its balance sheet — repurchasing $159.4 million in senior secured debt at a $37.1 million discount, selling seven Contemporary Christian Music stations to Educational Media Foundation for $80 million, and bringing WaterStone in as a major investor through a $40 million convertible preferred stock deal. Tuesday’s announcement is a natural next chapter, not a sudden pivot.
Freedom From the Stock Price
Here’s the thing about being a publicly traded company: the stock price becomes the scorecard. Every programming decision, every content investment, every strategic bet gets filtered through a lens of how it’ll play on Wall Street. For a company like Salem — one that operates with a very specific set of values, a very specific audience, and a very specific mission — that’s a structural mismatch.
Salem’s identity isn’t complicated. It wants to serve conservative news/talk radio audiences. It wants to remain a fixture in Christian media. Those aren’t incidental features of the company. They’re the whole point. And it’s easy to see why operating in service of a stock price can create friction with that kind of mission-driven focus.
Going private removes that friction. Instead of making decisions about what’ll benefit the quarterly earnings, Salem’s leadership gets to make decisions about what’s best for the content, the company, and the people it serves.
That’s a meaningful shift. It’s one that WaterStone, as a Christian Community Foundation, is clearly aligned with. CEO David Santrella said it plainly: “WaterStone understands who we are and why Salem has mattered for over 50 years.”
A Steward That Gets It
The deal values Salem Media shares at $1.00 each — roughly a 250% premium over recent trading prices. But the dollar figure isn’t really the story here. The story is who WaterStone is and what they represent for Salem’s future.
WaterStone describes itself as an organization dedicated to “honoring God through the transformational power of giving.” They’re not a private equity firm looking for a quick return. They’re not a hedge fund with an eye on asset liquidation. The values of that company aligned with Salem’s. And they clearly liked what they saw enough to go all the way. That kind of alignment matters enormously for a media company where content and conviction are inseparable.
Some observers will look at Salem’s 2025 numbers — a $35 million loss, a revenue decline, the sale of its Texas headquarters — and wonder whether this is a rescue more than a reinvention.
Fair points. But private companies don’t have to perform for the market. They have to perform for their mission. Salem Media’s the type of company where those two things don’t always point in the same direction, and now it won’t have to pretend otherwise.
The transaction, unanimously approved by Salem’s Board of Directors, is expected to close in August 2026, pending shareholder and regulatory approvals. When it does, Salem won’t be a public company anymore. It’ll just be Salem — which, honestly, is all it ever really wanted to be.
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A funny thing happened on the way to the Michael movie. The Top 40 audience forgot to agree with your radio station.
The film has already passed $581 million worldwide. Even more important, 58% of ticket buyers were under 35.
Is that not a CHR demo?
So when a programmer says, “Michael Jackson doesn’t fit a contemporary hit station,” my question is: compared to what?
As Michael sings in “Human Nature,” “if this town is just an apple, then let me take a bite.” Well, he did. MJ currently has seven songs in Apple Music’s Top 25, accounting for nearly 30% of the entire chart.
On the U.S. Spotify daily chart, Michael Jackson has six songs — more than any other artist — in the Top 50. You’ve heard of that playlist, right? If you haven’t, you’re asleep, possibly in a hyperbaric chamber.
“But Phil, you’re a Michael Jackson superfan, and his songs don’t compare to what else we’re considering this week.”
Again.
Compared to what?
Or to audience consumption?
Compared to the TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music, and box office data?
Or to the movie currently driving relevance?
I call Wade Robson on those objections.
Let’s Call Some Witnesses
Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” was released in 1985, then Stranger Things made it feel like a new emergency, and it found a path onto pop radio.
Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” re-exploded after Wayne’s World, then returned for a second time after the 2018 film.
Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” became a 2020 event because a guy on a skateboard drank cranberry juice. Suddenly, a 1977 record was making its way onto gold lists at stations that definitely would have said “it doesn’t fit” one week earlier.
Need more evidence?
I call Lady Gaga to the stand.
Gaga’s 2011 album cut “Bloody Mary” became a pop-radio Top 10 because of Wednesday.
My next witness? Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Her 2001 song “Murder on the Dancefloor” hit the Mediabase chart because of Saltburn.
How about some testimony from Natasha Bedingfield? “Unwritten” got a movie-driven bump from Anyone But You. I’d like the court to note the irony of that movie title.
Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” became an obvious old-new hit, landing on Billboard’s year-end Global 200 nearly three decades after its release, then taking off again during a TikTok-driven ’90s trend.
Johnny Rzeznik and Michael Jackson have both lived through the public having opinions about their appearance. Stations, however, should only be interested in what listeners are doing with the songs.
Programmers, this is your “Man in the Mirror” moment.
It’s Not Off the Wall Thinking
This is not a call to turn CHR into Classic Hits. I’m not saying your 5 p.m. hour needs to suddenly become “Motownphoria” (working title for my new HBO show starring Jaafar Jackson and Sydney Sweeney — I’ve learned from Keith Cunningham to write “Sydney Sweeney” into my articles whenever possible).
I hate to burst your Bubbles — the monkey, not a station name in South Carolina — but Top 40 radio has always made exceptions when the audience makes an old song current again.
Michael is in the building blocks of many artists already playing on most contemporary stations. He is present in the way artists build eras, wardrobes, symbols, dances, rituals, and signature sounds.
The Weeknd has said Michael is “everything.” Bruno Mars has said every artist should aspire to Jackson’s attention to detail.
Even the latest album-marketing obsession has MJ DNA. Long before vinyl variants became a chart hack, Jackson’s Invincible was issued in multiple colored covers in 2001.
Remember the Time “Hit” Meant Relevant?
I challenge CHR programmers to stop defining “today’s hit music” as “newly serviced music.”
If a 43-year-old “Billie Jean” is back on the Hot 100, doubling streams, selling movie tickets, crossing generations, and living in the same ecosystem as the rest of your playlist, why would you say that song can Neverland on your station?
You don’t need to test “Billie Jean.” Build a weekend feature. Play it in your Throwback Three at Three. Do a King of Pop promotion with Pepsi.
Do you just say “today’s hit music” 16 times an hour, or do you mean it?
That positioning statement is supposed to mean what people are listening to, rediscovering, quoting, watching, dancing to, and reacting to today. Give your audience what you promise them before they decide The Way You Make Me Feel is ignored.
Billie Jean Is Not My Newly Serviced Single
There is an important difference between what is actively promoted and what is actively relevant.
Sony and Epic are the labels behind most of his songs, but are they calling to work you on the catalog?
They have every reason to develop and expose their current priorities. That is the job of a label — true whether the artist is Zara Larsson, Madison Beer, Ella Langley, Meghan Trainor, Harry Styles, or Tyla.
But Michael Jackson is part of Epic and Sony’s history. He is one of the most important artists ever associated with either label, and he is suddenly generating massive demand.
Radio’s job is not the same as the label’s job. A label has to read the release calendar. A station has to read the audience.
Sometimes those two things align.
But sometimes Michael Jackson moonwalks back into the room.
And if you ignore the audience long enough, eventually they’ll tell you to Beat It.
—Thomas Mesereau
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Katie Neal is one of those naturally talented people when handed a microphone. From red carpet interviews to packed arenas, she has never once looked like she was in the wrong place. In fact, Carson Daly even called her “alarmingly talented.”
Beyond natural talent, Neal has put in the work and built solid relationships in country music. She is known as a trusted interviewer by Country’s biggest stars. Audacy has even built a dedicated studio space in Nashville for her nationally syndicated show.
Katie & Company, reaches more than four million listeners every week across 32 stations nationwide. Those aren’t just impressive numbers. They tell the story of a host who has built something rare: genuine, lasting trust with artists and her audience. Ask Neal about the name, and she’ll tell you it was never just about her.
“The company has always been the listeners who are part of the conversation every day, as well as the artist who’s on the show,” she explains. “Growing up, my house was the hangout house. We always had company over. I want people who are listening to feel like they are just hanging out in the living room — shooting the breeze.”
Finding Her Voice
That living room ethos isn’t just a tagline. It’s a philosophy Neal has refined over years of work, shaped by coaches, collaborators, and a relentless drive to connect. Her biggest creative breakthrough, she says, came from learning how to share her own life on air.
“I struggled for the longest time when I was solo,” she admits. “On a morning show, someone else can bring up the thing that happened to you. I just didn’t know how to talk about the everyday stuff.” With coaching from industry vet Mike Peterson, that changed entirely.
Now Neal mines the mundane for gold — a clogged dishwasher, a forgotten garbage day — the small moments that make listeners feel less alone. “People love those little moments of connection more so than ‘and here’s a song,'” she says. “That’s what makes radio so special.”
The Penthouse on Broadway
Katie & Company broadcasts from the Audacy Nashville Sound Space, nestled on the third floor of the Hard Rock on Broadway — what Neal lovingly calls “the penthouse.” Built at the end of 2024, it was the brainchild of Audacy’s Country Format VP Tim Roberts, who had long pushed for a Nashville content hub to match the company’s massive platform.
Neal, alongside Audacy’s Chad Fitzsimmons and Andrea Burtscher, brought the vision to life. The result is a cozy, intentional space that artists keep describing the same way. “The number one thing artists say when they come in is, ‘Oh my God, it’s so cozy,'” Neal says. “Setting up the vibe in an interview is so important. There’s yet to be one person who came in and wasn’t like, ‘Oh my God.'”
Walk into the Sound Space and one thing becomes immediately clear: this is not your average radio studio. Neal has built a growing collection of artist-gifted taxidermy, and each piece comes with a story as wild as the mount itself. Lee Brice started the tradition, bringing in a deer dressed in a men’s white tank top, Rambo-style bullets across its chest, and a single eye patch.
The backstory? Brice and his brother Lewis were hunting together. Lewis shot a deer, thought he’d missed, and couldn’t find it. The next day, Lee killed one — and they realized Lewis had actually hit it first, blinding it in one eye. It took both Brice brothers to bring that deer down.
Then there’s Luke Bryan’s contribution: a blind coyote with white eyes so unsettling it looks, as Neal puts it, “like something straight out of Game of Thrones.”
Brantley Gilbert may have topped them all. He hauled a stuffed ram up from Georgia, complete with a squirrel sitting on a tiny saddle on its back and a miniature cowboy hat to match. “Brantley made it special,” Neal laughs. “He personally carried that thing in here.” More pieces are promised. Neal is currently awaiting a stuffed albino otter from Brian Kelley. Whether or not it clears legal scrutiny remains to be seen.
The studio also doubles as a performance space, and Neal’s Totally Private shows have become what she calls the single greatest contest in radio.
Rascal Flatts played one earlier this year for a small room of contest winners flown in specifically to see it. “I was watching them sing one of their million hits in front of this tiny room, and I was like, it’s crazy that they’re here doing this,” she recalls. “What the listeners walk away with is unmatched. Yet to have a disappointed person. It’s truly a money-can’t-buy experience.”
The Art of the Interview
Her signature interviews are the kind that artists actually look forward to. Blake Shelton, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll and Kelsea Ballerini have all sat across from her in that Broadway studio. The exchanges feel real — because Katie Neal makes them that way. She thinks carefully about the kind of interviewer she wants to be, and she’s firm about it.
“You have to make a very active decision about what type of interviewer you want to be,” she says. “I’ve gotten pressure to do certain bits or social media stunts, and I still mostly say no. When you’re pressuring artists to do something all the time, it feels like a circus. It’s not authentic.” What she wants instead is trust — the kind that builds slowly and pays off in ways no stunt can manufacture.
Neal’s now-famous Riley Green eyelash bit went viral precisely because it wasn’t engineered. A fake eyelash fell off during a CMA Awards appearance. A joke was made. A bet was placed. When Green showed up to the studio for his next interview, he paid up on his bet, put on fake lashes, and the clip exploded. “I couldn’t have come up with that if I tried,” Neal laughs. “That’s only possible when someone trusts you.”
She is also deep in what she describes as the next evolution of the show. New team member Danielle Martin, a veteran of Australian radio, has pushed Neal to think about story arcs and active listening in a format often treated as background noise. “Typically people think of midday as a very passive listening experience,” Neal says. “I don’t want to treat it that way. People are actively listening, and I want to give them the entertainment they want.”
The results were immediate, including a multi-week sports segment that ended with Neal earning a punishment trip to the Masters. “Everybody was all in on that,” she says, still delighted by it.
Leading the Way
A 2024 ACM Award winner and 2026 nominee for National Daily On-Air Personality of the Year, Neal has also earned CMA Broadcast Award nominations, Marconi Award nominations, and a Gracie Award. Country Aircheck named her its Best Daily National Personality.
Beyond the mic, Neal is a serious industry leader. She has helped raise over $3.2 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and joined the Leadership Music Class of 2026.
On the subject of women in the industry, she is both clear-eyed and hopeful. Artists like Ella Langley and Megan Maroney have been breaking records on the charts, and Neal believes it signals real, lasting change. “I think this is going to open up so much more for the next class of artists coming in. It has not moved fast enough — but it is moving.”
One at a Time
She is building something with patience and purpose — station by station, listener by listener, market visit by market visit. Houston, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale. The road doesn’t stop.
“You win people over one by one,” she says simply. “That’s the whole thing.”
Country music has always rewarded authenticity. Katie Neal has always delivered it. The next chapter is already being written — one show, one conversation, one listener at a time.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Award-winning TV correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi is all but out at CBS News’ highly-rated 60 Minutes and is said to be lawyering up. The network’s London bureau chief, Claire Day, has been fired for pushing for more balance in coverage of Israel.
That’s just the start of what has been a disastrous year for what was once hailed as the Tiffany Network — the onetime home of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite.
Ratings for newly minted CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil have sunk below basement level. He’s slipped under four million viewers — a 23 percent decline compared to the same period in 2025. His January debut faced significant criticism for what was viewed as a softer approach to the Trump administration.
A flood of leaks has followed, with staffers denigrating the ability of Dokoupil — who was tapped after more prominent journalists turned it down — to lead the newsroom.
A Ratings Slide and a Newsroom Divided
It seems Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who has been on the job for seven months, continues to break a lot of eggs to dig CBS out of third place. But is it for the better?
Weiss has the backing of new owner David Ellison, who runs Paramount Global. His father, billionaire and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, is a prominent Donald Trump donor. Trump has repeatedly praised Weiss, calling her a “great leader” for the network. Critics have debated her political bent, with some calling her conservative and “MAGA light.”
The one-time New York Times opinion editor, who founded The Free Press and sold it for $150 million, is a lightning rod. She views herself as somewhat liberal but says she’s softened her past opposition to Trump, having cried at her desk when he was elected in 2016.
That history makes the expected firing of Alfonsi and the dismissal of Day all the more unsettling.
The Alfonsi Fallout
Trouble started brewing with Alfonsi in December, when Weiss pulled her investigative piece — at the last minute — on the administration’s deportation of Venezuelan immigrants to a mega prison in El Salvador. Weiss said the story was incomplete because she didn’t have an on-camera response from the administration.
She had reached out, but the administration denied her requests. The move caused an uproar, and when the Trump team still refused to cooperate, the piece ran weeks later with virtually no changes.
Alfonsi lashed out at the decision in a memo to colleagues, calling it “political censorship.” While accepting a journalism prize last month, she denounced a “contagion” of corporate meddling and “editorial fear” at the network. She said she didn’t know if she’d still have a job. Weiss has consistently rejected claims of political interference.
Whatever the motive for holding the segment, Alfonsi can’t expect to speak out so forcefully against her boss and still keep her job. The three-time Emmy Award winner wanted out despite her protests — and to position herself as a First Amendment champion.
The Israel Question and a Network in Crisis
The one subject on which Weiss doesn’t claim neutrality is Israel. She is a self-described “Zionist fanatic of unhinged proportions” who said the London bureau’s reporting was biased against Israel. Bureau chief Day fired back, saying it was “fair and balanced” reporting. A freelance photographer who allegedly had a “direct line” to Weiss accused Day of running the bureau like a “Hamas cell.”
An internal report cleared Day of reporting bias, but Weiss allegedly barely spoke to her. Critics say she was fired because she didn’t pass an “undefined purity test.” Staffers saw her exit as another “scalp” in Weiss’ effort to overhaul the network.
Media critics and analysts say the network’s political direction is contributing to Dokoupil’s Evening News “ratings disaster.” Some have labeled him “MAGA coded,” pointing to lenient interviews with the administration and praise of official events like the State of the Union. He’s considered strong at breaking news, but once called Marco Rubio “the ultimate Florida man.” Tom Bettag, a former CBS News producer, said staffers find Dokoupil “smart,” “hard-working,” and a “pleasure to work with.”
Because Dokoupil is seen as the face of the Weiss era, though, the sinking Nielsen numbers are widely viewed as a reflection of her leadership.
CBS News’ massive transformation is facing high-profile departures, internal controversies over editorial independence, and abysmal ratings. CBS Mornings also saw its lowest-rated April on record. And CBS News Radio has been shuttered for good.
What Comes Next
Whether Weiss can save CBS News remains highly uncertain. Her first months have been plagued with drama — which comes with steering a large ship in a different direction.
Some say the “crisis of confidence” could prove fatal as CBS and CNN are expected to share ownership following a mega deal in which the Ellisons’ Paramount Skydance took over Warner Bros. Discovery. The Ellisons feted Trump — who says CNN needs a new direction — at a private dinner that included his top aides, shortly before the deal was completed.
The question is whether, as Weiss’ detractors insist, her tenure is a “right-leaning ideological project” — or an opportunity to regain trust that many say mainstream media have lost.
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When the calendar turns to May, sports fans have any number of unique annual events to tune into. Everything from the NFL releasing its upcoming schedule to the Indianapolis 500 and everything in between. However, for many, this time of year centers on the thrill and excitement of the fastest two minutes in sports. This year’s Kentucky Derby grabbed the attention of a country, setting viewership records not seen since the 1980s. For ESPN’s Joe Fortenbaugh, it was his first weekend not just at Churchill Downs, but covering a sport he had never tried before.
“I’m not a horse handicapper. I don’t do that by trade,” explained Fortenbaugh. “I’ve enjoyed betting horses since I was younger, but I’m not an expert horse player. The beauty of this assignment was for the first time in my life I spent one to two months preparing for this.”
Fortenbaugh has served as ESPN’s top sports betting analyst since he joined the network in 2020. Throughout the calendar year, he has been the face of sports betting news and information while also providing educated wagers to the viewing public.
Nearly six years into his time with ESPN, the assignment at Churchill Downs presented a unique challenge. Fortenbaugh had to provide analysis and coverage of a sport in which he had little to no prior knowledge before receiving the assignment.
“I put a ton of work into this. To me, that’s the fun of this job. I’m not just offered the opportunity to talk about one sport. I get to talk and cover a bunch of different sports,” says Fortenbaugh. “The knowledge and excitement of following horse racing for a couple of months was a lot of fun.”
When Fortenbaugh entered the halls in Bristol, he didn’t want to be a one-tool player. He says his dream job was becoming a multi-platform analyst at ESPN with versatility in sports betting, analysis, and hosting. Over the past five years, he has expanded his reach as a network host and correspondent, covering everything from horse racing to WWE.
He has always maintained a keen ear for feedback from fellow talent and staff to improve.
“I want to find as many no bulls**t people as I can to tell me flat out where I can improve. That’s the only way to get better. People at ESPN are very gracious and kind with their time,” said Fortenbaugh. “If your ego is going to get banged up because someone gave you constructive feedback, you’re probably not long for this industry.”
The path for Fortenbaugh to ESPN was truly unique. Despite earning degrees in law and political science, he pursued his passion for sports and betting from a very young age. His decision to move to Las Vegas in 2001 without a penny to his name was just the start.
Fortenbaugh said his goal was to network with the top handicappers and bookmakers in “Sin City” to gain a foothold in the sports betting industry. Over time, he developed relationships and an education that he still considers invaluable.
Evolving From Radio to TV
However, his passion for sports radio became his first step toward building a career in a blossoming sports media industry.
“I love radio. It’s my heart and soul,” notes Fortenbaugh. “The skillset that I gained from radio to transition to television was invaluable. Anyone who’s thinking about working in television should start a podcast and try crafting content for 45 straight minutes as reps.”
Before arriving at ESPN, Fortenbaugh was a fixture on Audacy’s 95.7 The Game in San Francisco for six years. That experience included three NBA championships for the Golden State Warriors. Which brought a spotlight to Fortenbaugh as the morning voice of the Warriors’ flagship radio station.
He believes his radio background made the transition to television easier. The reason why is it taught him how to condense content for time. However, Fortenbaugh says he wasn’t ready for how his growing network role would include hosting major studio shows like Get Up and First Take.
“The big transition was when they started to ask me to host shows. I had no experience with that on the TV side,” said Fortenbaugh. “At first there was all this terminology. I had no idea what I was doing or what to do to navigate hosting these shows. I felt like I was constantly keeping my head above water. Trying not to screw it up. Rather than being in a calm spot to let your personality shine and have fun.”
Fortenbaugh credits the consistent coaching he continues to receive from ESPN production staff and the hosts he fills in for on these programs.
“The key is to pay attention. I’ve learned more working here and watching these people apply their craft than anything I learned at Penn State or law school,” said Fortenbaugh. “The greatest gift I’ve had working for ESPN is that they’ve used me in so many different departments and shows. I’ve gotten to work with so many amazing people. All I can do is pay attention, and then figure out how to get better as a result.”
A Return to Radio?
During his tenure at ESPN, Fortenbaugh couldn’t leave his love of radio forever. Over a four-year period, he shared a timeslot on ESPN Radio with the likes of Amber Wilson, Chris Carlin, and Q Myers. However, when ESPN Radio announced the addition of The Rich Eisen Show to the weekday lineup, Fortenbaugh departed to focus more on his trajectory in television.
When asked if he could return to his love for radio, Fortenbaugh didn’t dismiss the idea.
“If there is an opportunity, absolutely. However the schedule fits. There are so many moving parts with ESPN. However I can best serve the company is where I want to be,” says Fortenbaugh. “If I really want to do radio but the company says they’d rather have me somewhere else, I’m going to get upset about that… I enjoy exploring the conversation.”
While ESPN and other networks navigate the balance of inserting sports betting content into programming, Fortenbaugh believes ESPN currently maintains a healthy approach. He says network producers and executives have made significant strides in understanding the space, but the goal for presentation isn’t to overwhelm audiences with metrics.
For Fortenbaugh, his method relies on a unique combination when preparing selections for air.
“A combination of metrics and psychology is what I use. Then ultimately, where are you finding a good price? Is there a price that you can exploit?” said Fortenbaugh. “We were trying to strike a balance early on, and I think we’ve done a good job of this. Don’t overcomplicate it for the audience. There’s a sharp, sophisticated audience that looks at what we do and feels it might be a little rudimentary. We’re not going after that audience. We’re trying to relate to new and casual bettors to put them in a position where they might find some plus bets.”
As part of that content strategy, authenticity also plays a major role. Every wager that Fortenbaugh suggests is one he backs with his own money. Additionally, he leans on production staff to help determine which games matter most to the audience, allowing him to tailor selections accordingly.
“We’ll find the balance where the best bets are getting out there. But if we’re focusing on a big game that means a lot to the audience, we’ll do that,” explained Fortenbaugh. “We’ll find a way to get some of my best bets in, but this is a television product we’re putting out. It’s about serving the customer as best we can.”
As Fortenbaugh’s profile continues to expand with added hosting opportunities and new experiences such as his weekend at Churchill Downs, he remains excited about what lies ahead. What began as a strategic move to build connections within the sports betting space has evolved into a defining role at ESPN, meeting the demands of a growing audience for wagering content.
In many ways, Fortenbaugh’s journey mirrors the very bets he encourages viewers to make. They are informed, calculated, and rooted in a willingness to embrace uncertainty.
From arriving in Las Vegas with nothing but ambition to stepping onto the grounds of Churchill Downs with a fresh perspective, Fortenbaugh’s career has been built on preparation meeting opportunity.
And in this business, that might be the smartest bet of all.
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