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Now is the Time for a FREE GAS Radio Promotion

Jeff Caves
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Part of the sports radio business fun is getting to do big promotions that pay off for the sales department. I have rarely seen a promotion NOT get executed by a sports radio station if it provides the opportunity for the station to make money.

The Promotions Department often asks sales to get a sponsor to attach their name to a fun run, fireworks show, parade, etc. The value of those events is the number of promos on the air and exposure provided at the event for the sponsor. Sometimes the event is natural. A golf tournament tied in with a charity and on-air person and sponsor who uses the on-air person as an endorser. BINGO.

So, why not drag out the FREE GAS promotion about now? A few factors point to it being a grand slam if done this summer.

Gas prices are high. Budget-altering high. Find a brand of gas in your area that would like to explain how much they appreciate their customers, and your listeners, with a station promotion aimed to reward, educate and promote loyalty. Grocery stores and supercenters that pump their gas are hurting for store traffic. It makes sense that lower-income consumers fill up at 7-11 and walk away without buying a pack of smokes and energy drinks.

Sports radio’s core demographic, and younger at that, are ALWAYS found at your local convenience store. The 2021 4th of July weekend had most of us paying $3.21 a gallon for gas; now, we are almost at $5. California is already at $6.34 a gallon, and who knows where we will come Friday, July 1st when we gas up for the three-day holiday. The experts say these prices are here to stay for the foreseeable future.   

So, why not have some fun and give away FREE GAS?

BLAZE FM, a HIT music station in Longview, Texas (market #141), did just that. They pumped free gas for an hour to just over 100 listeners at a local convenience store, Scotties 2.0. It was a hit. The retail value of the gas was about $8,000. Their on-air staff pumped the gas, the local tv stations ate it up, and they were stroked on social media as being the good guys.

I am sure you could alter the promo and let the first 100 cars line up for the gas sometime between 3-7 pm. That way, you turn away fewer disappointed drivers. This is an excellent opportunity for the retailer to sign up customers for their app to save ten cents a gallon.

You can add on remote fees, spot schedules, live interviews, and web and social media content and come up with a nice package for which the convenience store and their vendors can pay.

While some of us get FREE GAS with every Taco Tuesday, why not hit a home run with this FREE GAS promo and fill the tanks of your core listeners? Why not do a FREE GAS promo near your local minor league or pro baseball team? Then they can look like the good guys for giving away free gas just for coming to the nearest convenience store near the stadium. 

Broadcast of January 6th Hearings Could Learn a Thing from Radio Programmers

Pete Mundo
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As I begin writing this piece, it’s 7:38 p.m. CST on Thursday, June 9th. I’m 38 minutes into watching the overly-hyped January 6th hearings from Capitol Hill. Sure, I’d rather be getting waterboarded, but such is life, and it is part of the job.

Regardless, I went into my viewing with an open mind and was curious to see if we might learn anything new from that day 18 months ago. Like any rational person, I was disgusted by those who broke the law that day and believed they should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. That being said, it’s undeniable this is very much political posturing by Democrats to try and have the issue of January 6th at the top of voters’ minds before the midterms.

And on Thursday evening, the hyper-partisan committee had a small window to capture people’s attention and suck them into the event. For most Americans, the issues like gasoline prices, grocery prices, general inflation, record-setting numbers of drug overdoses, and rising crime are much more likely to be topics they discuss at the kitchen table over January 6th.

So if this committee wanted to get the American people to care en masse, they had to knock it out of the park right away.

But the committee failed.

And considering the made-for-TV event was being put together by former ABC News President James Goldston, a longtime television executive who started working with the committee several weeks ago to help produce the hearing, I’m shocked at how impressively he appears to have failed.

In fact, he could have been taught a thing or two from any talk radio programmer based on our PPM principles. We know that in radio, you have seconds come out of a break to hook in a listener. It’s that great opening line that sucks in your audience and makes them not want to leave.

That’s more true than ever today as media continues to get more fragmented and attention spans keep dwindling. With those standards in place, the January 6th committee’s opening presentation could not have gone worse.

The first 15 minutes were spent with Chairman Bennie Thomas telling us about his personal life story and why we should care about January 6th. But most importantly, no new information.

Then, it was Liz Cheney’s turn to pontificate on the importance of the hearings while also bloviating, saying, for example: “Please remember what is at stake. Remember the men and women who have fought and died so that we can live under the rule of law and not the rule of men.”

There were also multiple occasions where Cheney used the phrase, “You will hear…”, as she was setting up what’s to come for the committee in future hearings. This is not a novel. This is a prime-time, politically-motivated hearing being promoted to specifically help the party in power maintain it. If you have the goods, the opening hour, frankly the opening 10-15 minutes, was the time to share it. That did not happen.

It felt like it was a show being put on for the media sycophants and Trump-hating Americans. Here’s the problem: That is NOT the audience that the Democrat party needs to care about with this hearing. They already have that audience. They needed left-of-center Democrats, Independents, and even some Republicans to be lured in by their opening act. And based on the information or lack thereof that was provided, it was a total dud.

Thomas and Cheney each spoke for nearly one hour combined, with no “bombshell” information that would have been useful to keep the attention of the American people. Maybe that’s because that information doesn’t exist. It probably doesn’t, because if it did, and James Goldston didn’t have the foresight to use it right out of the gates when the audience for the hearings was going to be the largest, then he failed at his job.

We’ll wait to see what gets presented moving forward, and none of it takes away from a disgraceful day and national embarrassment. But if this was supposed to be the moment that the American people shifted away from the Republican Party (which polls are showing is continuing to happen) and over to the Democratic Party, then the moment fell flat on its face.

And to think that a few simple radio PPM principles for James Goldston might have been of service. What a shame, huh?

The Washington Post Fires Felicia Sonmez

BNM Staff
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A reporter who filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Washington Post and then tried to expose her employer’s alleged toxic workplace environment has been fired.  

According to CNN, multiple people confirmed the termination of Felicia Sonmez who brazenly tweeted about her colleagues and the Post’s management style. The paper reportedly issued social media edicts which Sonmez subsequently ignored.  

In a thread pinned to the top of her page, Sonmez reveals the Washington Post’s recommendations for social media use at the National Desk. Saying, “two years later, nothing has changed.” 

A lawsuit filed by Sonmez last year and later dismissed claimed that she faced discrimination on the job after she went public with her account of being a sexual assault victim. In 2020, Sonmez was placed on administrative leave by the paper after she tweeted a link from the Daily Beast regarding rape allegations against the late basketball star Kobe Bryant. 

According to the New York Post, Sonmez’s former colleagues describe her tweeting habits about the Washington Post as, “pouring gasoline on the fire and inviting people to watch.”

Sonmez said fellow reporters “issued synchronized tweets” to attack her. Claiming that all the reporters were “white” and are “among the highest-paid employees in the newsroom, making double and even triple what some other National desk reporters are making, particularly journalists of color.”She added: “They are among the ‘stars’ who ‘get away with murder’ on social media.”

Sonmez accused the Washington Post of “punishing reporters for their trauma” and of “discouraging them from seeking help they need.”

“And to the many folks inside and outside the Post who have voiced support and joined in calling for institutional change, thank you,” she added. 

The Ticket in Dallas Announces Several Moves

BSM Staff
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The Ticket in Dallas Announces Several Moves

Stability is now something The Ticket in Dallas can hopefully look forward to with today’s news. During a segment on the station’s afternoon show, The Hardline, several personality moves were announced on Thursday that would affect each show in their daily lineup.

Beginning with the morning shift, Sean Bass will move into the producer chair for the Norm and D Invasion. DJ Ringgenberg will take over in The Ticker (updates) booth from 5:30 – 12:00pm. He will also be heard during The Musers and Norm and D Invasion. 

Ty Walker will now be tasked with delivering updates during both The Hang Zone and The Hardline. 

The station then announced three moves that were significant adjustments to The Hardline. 

It was revealed that Gen X Davey Lane will be returning to The Ticket. He will co-host The Hardline. He will do so with with Bob Sturm and Corby Davidson, a pair that have been together since early 2020. David Mino will move into the show’s producer seat. Matt Birmingham will take over for Mino and be running the board for The Hang Zone and The Hardline. 

Davey Lane tweeted his excitement on returning to The Ticket:

Davison retweeted the show adjustments and added a simple tag: “let’s ride”.

And Bob Sturm showed his enthusiasm by tweeting: “Beyond pumped. Three fantastic additions to the show.”

Also announced by The Ticket is the new role for Jay King. He will be taking over for Matt Birmingham as host of The Ticket Top 10.

A lot of movement was to be expected. During the past few weeks, The Ticket has seen a couple of prominent members of the station leave to explore other opportunities outside of radio.

Warner Bros. Discovery Names Luis Silberwasser as CEO of Sports Business

BSM Staff
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It appears Warner Bros. Discovery has found one of CEO David Zaslav’s two priority hires. The company has named Luis Silberwasser as chairman and and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. Silberwasser was most recently the president of U.S. networks for TelevisaUnivision.

The hire is a very important one in the landscape of sports television rights. Currently, WBD’s sports rights include the NBA, NHL and MLB, as well as March Madness college basketball.

Lenny Daniels, the president of Turner Sports, and Patrick Crumb, who leads WBD’s regional sports networks, will report to Silberwasser.

WBD CEO David Zaslav, the longtime chief executive officer of Discovery, became the head of the combined company in April. It was then he noted that he was prioritizing the hiring of two new roles for his leadership team: a head of sports, and a chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. Silberwasser’s hiring checks the first box.

Luis Silberwasser
Luis Silberwasser SHY MCGRATH/WIREIMAGE

There is a strong relationship between Silberwasser and Zaslav. For years, Silberwasser worked for Zaslav at Discovery serving as a top executive for Discovery Networks International. In 2014, he left the company to serve as president of Telemundo’s networks business, before joining Univision (and later TelevisaUnivision), last year.

“I have known Luis for many years and have tremendous respect for how hard he works, how collaborative he approaches the job, and his ability to build very successful global businesses and brands,” said Zaslav. “I am thrilled to be working with him again, and believe Luis’ strong international business relationships, leadership track record and passion for delivering the best content and consumer experience make him the ideal leader to oversee the continued growth and expansion of our world-class sports business.”

Chris Williams Leaving The Sports Fanatics and KXnO

BSM Staff
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The longtime co-host of The Sports Fanatics on KXnO, is leaving the Des Moines, Iowa radio station after Thursday’s show. Chris Williams made the announcement on his Twitter page.

“When I was attending journalism school at Iowa State in the mid 2000s, my dream was to one day host a sports talk show on the iconic 1460 KXnO,” Williams wrote. “For the last seven-plus years, I have had the privilege to live this dream. A lot has changed since then. I now have two beautiful daughters Cami (7) and Elyse (2), who I love more than I knew was even possible. Ross Peterson was my friend. He is now a brother who will be family forever.”

Williams continued, “I recently made the decision to leave KXnO as a daily host to focus on my young family. The 3-6 time slot is an honor to fill, but also takes a major toll on family when you have young kids (especially when you have aspirations to be the best little league softball coach in the metro). I leave KXnO excited to be a better husband, son, friend and human being.” 

Williams had been co-hosting The Sports Fanatics with Ross Peterson for nearly eight years in Des Moines on 1460 AM and 106.3 FM weekdays from 3-6pm.

Williams impact on the local sports scene has been felt since 2009. He has been the publisher of CycloneFanatic.com since 2009. Williams has also hosted the Iowa State football postgame show and assisting with women’s basketball coverage.    

Jason Garrett Added to Football Night In America

BSM Staff
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With Drew Brees out, NBC has officially turned to Jason Garrett. The USFL analyst will be seen Sunday nights on the network as part of Football Night in America Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports.

NBC executives have been talking up Garrett’s abilities as an analyst since before the USFL season began. That lead many to believe the network had plans for him beyond the spring football league.

Last season, Brees was part of the main team of analysts alongside Tony Dungy and host Mike Tirico. It has already been reported that Maria Taylor will move into the host’s role. Does that mean she would be partnered with the two coaches or could there be a top-to-bottom reshuffling of the roles on Football Night in America coming?

Whether this is the only area where Jason Garrett replaces Drew Brees is unknown.

There is an opening in NBC’s Notre Dame football booth after Brees’s exit and Mike Tirico’s elevation to Sunday Night Football. Garrett has been mentioned alongside his USFL play-by-play partner Jac Collinsworth as candidates for that job.

At this time, the plans for Notre Dame football are unknown according to Marchand.

Peyton Manning & Omaha Productions Cash-In Content Deal With Caesars

BSM Staff
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Welcome Peyton Manning to the podcast space. The former NFL quarterback is developing an Omaha Audio division as part of a partnership with Caesars Entertainment in an effort to to create digital content for Caesars Entertainment.

Manning’s production company has agreed to a multiyear deal that will see the company produce video and audio content designed for the various Caesars entities. It will also launch a new podcast venture inside a new division call the Omaha Audio Network.

Caesars Entertainment is the parent company of the casino and resort brands, as well as the Caesars Sportsbook digital betting firm.

The Omaha team will kick off it’s efforts with a new series called Mayne on the Street which will be hosted by former ESPN host Kenny Mayne, who joined Caesars last year.

As part of the deal, Manning and Omaha will also be a part of live events at Caesars locations across the U.S.

Peyton Manning and Caesars
Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and JB Smoove in a Caesars Entertainment ad. COURTESY OF CAESARS/OMAHA PRODUCTIONS

Peyton Manning tells The Hollywood Reporter that the Caesars commercials he filmed with his family last year were key to the new deal.

“The shoots were filled with a lot of laughs and the Caesars folks were great teammates,” Manning says. “Earlier this year, we had conversations to see if we could do more together. That’s what led to the partnership with Omaha. We’re creating some fun original series together, and we think what you’re going to see across all of them is entertaining content around the sports we love.”

According to both parties, the content partnership is meant to be collaborative with the intent of leveraging Caesars’ lineup of talent, including Mayne, comedian JB Smoove, host and influencer Rachel DeMita, Cooper Manning and others. DeMita will host a series called Celeb Shots, while Cooper Manning will host a series called One More Round.

“Together we are looking to really concept ideas together,” Caesars Sportsbook Chief Marketing Officer Sharon Otterman says “We truly believe that storytelling is an important part of sports betting, and it is certainly an important part of our brand. We want to be there to educate consumers. It’s a new industry with a lot of jargon, and one that is really known for having conversations around sports. So we wanted to create really good content.”

The Omaha Audio Network is set to launch later this year. Caesars Sportsbook will be the presenting sponsor on all the podcasts.

Shutdown Fullcast Among 4 Additions To Meadowlark Media

BSM Staff
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Shutdown Fullcast Among 4 Additions To Meadowlark Media

Meadowlark Media is expanding its roster with four new podcasts. The headliner is the college football-themed Shutdown Fullcast.

Hosts Spencer Hall, Holly Anderson, Jason Kirk and Ryan Nanni have already been working with Meadowlark. The group created Fullcast After Dark during the 2021 college football season. The show went live at the end of each Saturday and then was distributed as a podcast the next day.

Meadowlark is also adding Too Many Men, a hockey podcast hosted by Alison Lukan, Shayna Goldman and Sara Civian, The Cooligans, a soccer podcast hosted by comedians Alexis Guerreros and Christian Polanco, and DNF, a show focused on Formula 1. That show will be hosted by Dan Le Batard Show producer Jessica Smetana and Shutdown Fullcast host Spencer Hall.

“With DraftKings, we continue to develop a dynamic talent network with the most diverse voices across sports and beyond, – voices that reflect the changing demographics,” said Meadowlark COO Bimal Kapadia said in a press release. “When you combine that with new formats – It’s very exciting.”

VSiN, iHeartMedia to Launch 1230 The Gambler In West Palm Beach

BSM Staff
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VSiN, iHeartMedia to Launch 1230 The Gambler In West Palm Beach

VSiN has a new affiliate! The network will make up the bulk of the content on the new 1230 The Gambler in West Palm Beach.

1230 The Gambler will air 22 hours of live VSiN programming daily. The iHeartMedia station will also carry a local afternoon show called The Greek Zone, which will air from 3p-5p. In addition, the West Palm Beach affiliate will carry both the Miami Marlins and the Florida Gators.

“As VSiN continues to broaden its distribution footprint, we’re thrilled to be working with the innovative content providers at iHeartRadio’s New Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler to bring sports betting programming to West Palm Beach and its passionate sports fans,” Brian Musburger, founder and CEO of VSiN, said in a press release. “As regulated sports betting continues its expansion across the U.S., we’re proud to be The Gambler’s choice to help educate and entertain the incredibly passionate sports fans in this top 50 media market.”

With the addition of West Palm Beach, VSiN content now airs on more than 140 terrestrial radio stations in 31 states nationwide.

“We’re thrilled to bring this informative and entertaining brand of sports talk to local sports fans,” said Brian Mudd, Program Director for New Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler. “Sports betting as a 24/7 format, and specifically the expert analysis from VSiN and our very own Greek, is a perfect choice for The Gambler.”

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