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Jason Martin Exits 104.5 The Zone

BSM Staff
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Jason Martin Exits 104.5 The Zone

According to reports, Jason Martin is no longer part of Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone morning show.

The station website now lists Ramon Foster as the sole host from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM, while Twitter users claim the station’s Buck Reising revealed Martin is no longer with the station.

The morning show’s former Twitter handle @JMartAndRamon also no longer exists. It has been replaced by @RamonAndWill, appearing to pair Ramon Foster with producer Will Boling.

Martin joined The Zone’s morning show in August of 2020, and agreed to a multi-year contract in September of that year.

This is a developing story. More information will be added when available.

Portland Trail Blazers TV, Radio Broadcasts To Call Away Games Remotely

BSM Staff
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Portland Trail Blazers TV, Radio Broadcasts To Call Away Games Remotely

Portland Trail Blazers broadcasters will have a different vantage point for away games during the 2022-2023 season.

Rip City Radio 620‘s Dwight Jaynes confirmed a rumor co-host Chad Doing mentioned on the air that he had been told the Blazers broadcasters would announce away games remotely for the upcoming season.

“They will not be sending radio or television on the road with their team,” Jaynes said. “Also, what I’ve heard and I’ve tried to check this out, I have not found any other team in the league that’s doing this.”

On Twitter, a user asked Jaynes if potentially the broadcast crew asked to not travel, which Jaynes said did not happen while noting the broadcasters will “enjoy more time at home”.

Kevin Calabro and Lamar Hurd make up the Trail Blazers television crew on ROOT Sports, while Travis Demers serves as the radio play-by-play announcer. Rip City Radio 620 is the flagship of the Trail Blazers Radio Network.

Update: According to Bill Oram of The Oregonian, the team says the decision is “not final”.

Utah Jazz ‘Opened Negotiations’ For TV Broadcast Partners

BSM Staff
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Utah Jazz ‘Opened Negotiations’ For TV Broadcast Partners

The Utah Jazz have “opened negotiations” for a new television broadcast partner, the team has announced.

In a series of tweets, the team said “creating great fan experiences — in person and online — is our #1 priority” while noting they are “committed to providing enhance viewing options”.

Jazz games are seen on AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mountain currently. Like several other regional sports networks around the country, distribution of the channel is limited to FuboTV and DirectTV Stream are the only streaming platforms offering the channel, while DirecTV and Comcast Xfinity are the only cable providers airing the network.

Jazz President Jim Olson told The Salt Lake Tribune “We’re excited about the productive discussions we have initiated with a variety of providers, and are looking forward to solidifying the best, future partnership for our organization and fans.”

The Tribune also reports the Jazz have been partnered with AT&T SportsNet, previously Fox Sports Net, since 2009 when the two signed a 12-year, $240 million deal. The deal has continued after AT&T SportsNet has extended the contract with an exclusive negotiating window clause.

Active Social Media Presence is Part of the Radio Host Job

Pete Mundo
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Active Social Media Presence is Part of the Radio Host Job

You just put a bow on a GREAT on-air segment. It was informative, entertaining, funny, and opinionated, all wrapped into one.

It felt fantastic. Your producer and board op also felt the same way. Callers, texters, and social media are complimenting the show. 

You wish that your entire market had heard that segment. The reality is unless it was teased perfectly and promoted for a specific reason, the audience that is usually there was there, along with hopefully a few extra sets of ears. 

And yes, you can recycle and re-do the segment or bit in a couple of hours, if you want, but it won’t be the same. It rarely goes just as well the second time around. 

The good news is that you can make sure that the segment lives forever and gets more attention via digital media.

But this is where radio doesn’t do itself any favors. 

Despite the fact that radio has some of the most talented content creators producing outstanding work for hours each and every day, there is a massive portion of the potential audience who doesn’t even know your content exists.

We can bemoan the fact that there are “too many options” in today’s media world or embrace it. And it’s still amazing to me how many, notably on News Talk radio, choose the former. 

I’m still shocked when I see that there are hosts in major markets who have almost zero social media presence. If they do, it’s a Facebook or Twitter account a former producer made for them years ago that has no content or information on it. 

Like it or not, being engaged on these platforms is part of the job and is a huge part of the way we can promote our own content to listeners who may have missed it live. Plus, it hopefully reminds them why they should be tuned into us every day, or it allows us to connect to a potential new audience that doesn’t currently make radio part of their day. However, if they find us via a podcast or social media clip, they may become podcast subscribers and start making radio part of their day-to-day.

Also, what about that business professional who hasn’t driven to the office in over two years because he/she now works from home? They are out of their routine of radio listening based on their new schedule, but they find your show/content on social media and make listening on their Alexa or Google Home now part of their daily routine. 

As broadcasters, we can find all the excuses we want. “I already do a four-hour show.” “I don’t have time.” “We all have other responsibilities around the station.” “We don’t have any marketing.” 

Sure, those convenient excuses can be used, but they’re just that… excuses. And lame.

It’s our job to go where our potential customers are. And in 2022, yes, they’re on the radio, obviously, but they’re also on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and several other platforms and places we should be exploring as well.

And if you need that extra push: Don’t you want more people to be listening to your great content? Don’t you want them to find out about you, your show, and your station? Wouldn’t it be great to have more listeners who can potentially make purchases from your plethora of great clients, who then end up making more money? Isn’t that the end game here? 

It all seems so obvious, but it’s amazing that of all formats, despite News Talk producing engaging, thoughtful, compelling, and informative content every day in local markets around the country, that content rarely makes it beyond the airwaves it was originally heard on.

It’s a disservice to those in the market, the station, the advertisers, and ultimately, yourself. 

Chris Stigall: Democrats Don’t Watch CNN for Their News

BNM Staff
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Conservative news/talk host Chris Stigall said most Democrats aren’t tuning into CNN to get their news. Stigall criticized the network as a highly partisan outlet that operates mainly in the direction of opinion-based commentators.

Stigall commented minutes after learning that CNN had canceled “Reliable Sources” hosted by Brian Stelter. “They’re like a poor man’s MSNBC,” said Stigall sitting in for Vince Coglianese on WMAL Radio.

“I give MSNBC credit for at least being committed to being left, being honest that they’re on the left, and looking good while they do it,” Stigall said. “CNN tries to pretend that they are not on the left while mimicking some of the talking points from competitor MSNBC.”

“Well, Brian Stelter and his show have been shown the door. They’re (CNN) no longer pretending to be the media ombudsman anymore over there.”

National Review writer Nate Hochman joined Stigall and said Stelter rivaled Jim Acosta for the “least self-aware man in America.”

“He spent the last nine years trying to lecture Americans about how awful it was that nobody would listen to journalists like him anymore while serving as an activist for Democratic party causes,” he added. 

Stigall said there’s a “subversiveness” about Stelter that’s hard to explain.  

Dan Bongino: You’re In Trouble If the Teleprompter Goes Down

BNM Staff
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When it comes to politics, Dan Bongino and Alex Wagner are on opposite ends of the spectrum. But during a segment on his nationally syndicated radio show Thursday, Bongino expressed empathy for the newly minted MSNBC host. 

“Your worst nightmare on TV is the teleprompter going down,” Bongino said. “It’s why on my show “Unfiltered” I try to, as often as I can, not use the prompter. But if the prompter does go down in mid-sentence folks, you’re in a lot of trouble.” 

Wagner’s show debuted on Tuesday, the technical glitch that caught Bongino’s attention occurred just seconds into the show. 

“Tonight, the FBI warrant to search Mar-a-Lago is unsealed. The three potential crimes laid out in that document. We’ll dive into what it means and what could happen,” she said before pausing awkwardly while the cameras rolled. 

“I’m serious, I can’t stand their content over there, I Maddow was a hack, she (Wagner) is probably not going to be any better, but I genuinely feel bad,” he said. 

Bongino admitted that the most challenging job in live television is navigating a teleprompter. 

Wagner eventually acknowledged the technical snafu adding, “we hope the rest of the night will be smooth sailing, America, but this is live TV, and it has its charms.”

Clay Travis: Chris Licht Wants Normalcy at CNN

BNM Staff
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Clay Travis and Buck Sexton said the cancellation of former CNN host Brian Stelter’s “Reliable Sources” show epitomizes a network with no real direction.  

The “Clay & Buck” hosts assessed where CNN is headed following the news of Stelter’s dismissal Thursday. 

“Brian Stelter was a perfect approximation of the pathetic collapse of CNN,” Travis said via the show’s website. “I gotta be honest with you — there did not seem to be a particular direction of CNN’s coverage.” 

Sexton referred to Stelter as a “Mini-me” to former CNN president Jeff Zucker, adding that Stelter’s sole purpose was to do what Zucker told him to do. 

“Well, in a broader sense, Clay, this is not a surprise because CNN turned itself into an anti-Trump organ. There was no other purpose.”

“It seems like Chris Licht, I believe, is his name, right, the new leader of CNN — is attempting to return CNN to some semblance of normalcy,” said Travis. 

“I’ve never even really met him (Stelter), I don’t know him so it’s not personal or anything like that,” Sexton added. “He’ll be fine because the left is always fine. You get fired — look what happened. Chris Cuomo’s got a new job, they’re paying him millions of dollars.” 

Richard Engel’s Son Dies After Battling Rett Syndrome

BNM Staff
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NBC News foreign correspondent Richard Engel shared on social media that his 6-year-old son passed away. Henry was diagnosed with a rare genetic neurological disorder called Rett Syndrome nearly seven years ago, 

Engel said his son was “always surrounded him with love, and he returned it, and so much more.”

 “Researchers are making amazing progress using Henry’s cells to help cure RETT Syndrome, so others don’t have to endure this terrible disease,” Engel added on Thursday, sharing a link where donors could support research at the Texas Children’s Hospital.

According to Fox News, Engel, 6, began to miss critical developmental milestones. Their doctor later informed them after a genetic scan that he had the disorder due to a mutation in his MECEP2 gene. Unfortunately, his condition took a turn for the worse two months ago.

“Henry was special in so many ways,” Dr. Huda Zoghbi wrote on a donor site. “His loving and endearing smile, and the way he connected with his eyes, stole my heart from the time I met him.

How to Sell Sports Radio During Layoffs

Jeff Caves
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How do you handle layoffs at your station with your clients, or worse, the rumor of layoffs? If you were the sales staff at 1250 The Fan in Milwaukee, I doubt you had much of a heads up before the cuts were made. I have worked through local programming cuts and two bankruptcies with a station group. Looking back on it, I should have been more plugged into the bigger picture of my company.

I could have considered moving to a company that was adding resources for local sales, not eliminating them. We all have the option, and I am sure there are salespeople now considering their futures. And that is a good thing. 

Local layoffs, though, are not a good thing. I have handled them myself. Usually poorly. The employees laid off pay the ultimate price, but the salespeople who are charged with representing these companies and their moves have a tough job. So, how do you push your station forward with clients when the company cuts it back? I bet the sales people at Audacy could tell us, having faced this situation two times in the last 28 months.

Former Audacy sales manager Dave Greene gave some advice to salespeople about working in big corporate radio when he departed about a year ago.

When dealing with layoffs, here is my advice. It has been my experience that my best clients were more interested in if I was staying, not in whoever was being let go on air. Keep that in mind. A proactive approach with clients who want to be in the know, agencies who hear all the gossip, or specific clients who like the laid off on air person should be taken. 

#1 Don’t tell who doesn’t care. Why be the bearer of bad news to clients who don’t listen or care? You know who they are. Be prepared for a response if they ask, but I don’t think running around to every client with a story will produce much more than a bunch of other rumors about you, your station, and your company.

#2 Bring out the Big Gun. Ask your GM or Regional manager to make calls with you with any high-maintenance client regarding a touchy layoff. Let them face the music and take full responsibility for their actions. The client will feel valued and impressed they had direct access to the decision maker for the explanation. 

#3 Use soft hands. If you have a client who is very sympathetic to the laid-off employees, tell them how the person was treated. Some clients care about how others are treated if they have listened to them on the air and feel like they know them well. Severance deals, other company employment offers, or maybe even re-employment at the same station could all be communicated.

#4 Give them the corporate scoop. Tell them why the layoffs happened. Was it to expand into podcasting more aggressively? Were they trying to manage costs JUST LIKE YOUR CLIENT? If we blame it on the economy, we miss a chance to relate to our clients differently. This approach works well with small business owners specifically. We want them to tell what just happened on a personal level. Ask them if they have had to do that in their career. The idea is to make them care MORE, not less. 

#5 Don’t be slow and generic. You owe yourself and your family to be intelligent, strategic, and swift. You owe it to the people who were cut to be specific, open, and sympathetic. 

If you find yourself in this situation, please be proactive and take control of the narrative with your clients. If you don’t, your competitors will. 

Ken Charles Named Director of Branding and Programming at 95.5 WSB

BNM Staff
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Ken Charles Named Director of Branding and Programming at 95.5 WSB

Longtime news/talk programmer Ken Charles has been tabbed as the new Director of Branding and Programming for 95.5 WSB in Atlanta.

Charles comes to WSB after programming KNX in Los Angeles. He was also is the Audacy News Format Vice President. He replaces Drew Anderssen, who joined Audcay’s KRLD in Dallas in April.

“I’m excited to join the amazingly talented team at 95.5 WSB. Thanks to Jaleigh Long, Rob Babin and Chris Eagan for giving me the chance to be a part of one of America’s top brands,” Charles said. “I can’t wait to get back to Atlanta and build on WSB’s 100-year commitment to local news and community service.

Charles had overseen several stations in Tampa, Houston, and Miami in addition to his role with KNX in Los Angeles.

“Ken is a brilliantly strategic programmer with decades of leadership experience,” said Cox Media Group Vice President of Audience & Operations Chris Eagan. “I’m excited to watch KEN grow and evolve this legendary brand.”

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