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iHeartMedia Layoffs Continue Into Second Day

BNM Staff
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iHeartMedia Layoffs Continue Into Second Day

iHeartMedia’s latest round of staff layoffs has continued into a second day, following several markets and talent being affected on Tuesday.

If you have been affected by the current reduction in force, you can reach out to our Barrett Media team at john@barrettmedia.com or garrett@barrett.com.

Here is the latest from Barrett Media:

In Denver, Marty Lenz departs as co-host of Colorado’s Morning News on KOA with co-host Jeana Gondek. Lenz came to KOA in January of 2018 from his previous stint with KCBS in San Francisco, where he spent seven years as a news anchor. A graduate of Colorado State, he is on the search for his next steps. You can contact Lenz at contactlenz@comcast.net.

In Houston, Sean Salisbury has departed SportsTalk 790. He spent the past eight years with the outlet, most recently serving as morning drive host from 6-10 AM in the market.

In Milwaukee, 97.3 The Game has begun trimming their roster as morning hosts Steve Czaban and Brian Butch have departed. Czaban joined 97.3 The Game in 2019, just six months after the iHeartMedia owned station flipped from contemporary hits music to sports talk. He hosted nationally syndicated programs for FOX Sports Radio, Yahoo Sports Radio, Sporting News Radio, and ESPN Radio among others. Butch joined Czaban in mornings early in 2024. The former professional basketball player from Wisconsin also serves as an analyst on the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports. He also serves as an analyst on the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball broadcasts.

This morning, listeners awoke to No BS with Bill Schmid and Armen Saryan, who originally hosted weekdays from 9am-12pm. Schmid and Saryan did not address directly what the plans were for their new timeslot nor Czaban and Butch’s absence, but did say that they are unaware of what the long-term plans are for the timeslot and station.

Along with Czaban and Butch, 97.3 Program Director Tim Scott has also departed the station after signing a new multi-year contract earlier this year. Scott was with the company since 1998, serving in several roles, as well as a key figure in bringing the broadcast rights for the Green Bay Packers to iHeartMedia beginning in 2022.

Also exiting 97.3 The Game is Matt Schneidman, who hosted an evening show alongside Doug Russell focused on the Green Bay Packers.

In Los Angeles, Clay Roe is out as imaging director at KFI AM 640. Roe has been with the radio station since 1999 while also imaging and copywriting for the iHeartMedia news/talk group of stations nationally. He provided his extensive services as well to Premiere Radio Network’s N/T Ammo Imaging service. He is on the search for his next steps and is willing to relocate. You can contact Roe at clayroe@gmail.com.

Also departing KFI AM 640 is Later with Mo’Kelly. The program aired from 7-10 PM, with Mo’Kelly hosting a “variety” show on the station. Both he and his producer, Tawala Sharp, have departed. Mo’Kelly joined the station in a full-time capacity in January 2023.

Additionally, Real 92.3 host Chuck Dizzle is exiting the hip-hop station. He helmed overnights, and shared a video on social media revealing his departure.

In St. Louis, Judi Diamond has departed her role on 103.3 KLOU as part of the Billy & Judi In The Morning Show after six years. Her previous stops include include as an executive producer and on-air personality at 92.3 WIL, as well as stints with LaSalle-Peru Broadcasting and Midwest Family Broadcasting in Rockford, Illinois. Judi can be reached via LinkedIn or rdhdnit@gmail.com.

In Philadelphia, the Rise & Grind Morning Show at Power 99 has exited. We previously reported that MutahaKnows, one of the members of the cast, had exited. Now, it has been revealed that Mikey Dredd, who spent 30 years at the station, has been let go. Co-host Roxy Romeo is staying with the station and will move to a different daypart. DJ Diamond Kuts has yet to share any information publicly.

In Seattle, longtime 102.5 KZOK morning host Sara Schiller has departed the rock station. She joined the station alongside Danny Bonaduce in 2011. She was later paired with BJ Shea before helming mornings by herself since October of last year. During her career, she’s also spent time working in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and nationally on SiriusXM, among others.

In Nashville, Amani “Mani Millss” Cuyler is departing 101.1 The Beat. She served as the Music Director and midday host of the hip-hop station after spending the past seven years at the station. Just last month, she had been added to 96.1 The Beat in Atlanta. She was also heard on iHeartMedia stations in Savannah and Milwaukee, among others.

In Atlanta, 94.9 The Bull and Power 105.3 host Otis has exited. He helmed afternoons from 2-6 PM on Power 105.3, while hosting evenings on 94.9 The Bull. He was also working as a national air talent for the company.

In Cincinnati, ESPN 1530’s Tony Pike has announced his exit from the sports station. He hosted Cincy 360 alongside Austin Elmore, who remains in the daypart, from 12-3 PM. “I’m still processing everything and sorting through the emotions that come with change. I don’t know exactly what’s next, but I’m excited to find out,” Pike said in a statement published to social media.

In Manchester, New Hampshire, Trudy Sutherland has departed after 14 years as a senior marketing specialist with the organization. She previously spent more than 16 years with the New Hampshire Business Review. She can be reached at TrudyASutherland@gmail.com.

*** This is a developing story. More information will be provided as it becomes available. ***

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Why Jon Marks Decided Now Was the Time To Return to 97.5 The Fanatic

John Mamola
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Why Jon Marks Decided Now Was the Time To Return to 97.5 The Fanatic

It was 661 days ago on a cold December afternoon when Jon Marks announced he would be leaving SportsRadio 94WIP’s afternoon drive timeslot alongside Ike Reese. After joining the station in 2017, he said he spent more than a year weighing his options to find balance between his professional and personal life.

After discussing his future with family and station management, he closed his chapter with the Audacy brand in an emotional final program. Saying goodbye to the listeners who elevated him to the top-ranked show in the daypart.

“If I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn’t have done a goodbye show,” said Marks, reflecting on his final show on 94WIP. “It wasn’t an easy decision and wasn’t easy to walk away from doing 18 shares in afternoon drive. Making pretty good money on bonuses because you’re the first-place show every year.”

After leaving 94WIP and working part-time for the digital ALLCITY brand PHLY for a year. Marks returned home to 97.5 The Fanatic last week as the new midday program host. His humble beginnings in radio started in the hallways of The Fanatic. Where he rose from intern to co-host alongside several former Fanatic personalities.

The Long Road To Return

Just under two years removed from his departure from 94WIP, Marks said that after his decision to leave, he stayed in contact with 97.5 The Fanatic management. Not necessarily to get back on the radio right away, but to keep a potential landing spot open for the future.

“I thought there would be interest with me leaving WIP. We talked, but at that point I left a really good situation on a really good show on a station that does absolutely killer numbers,” Marks recalled. “It would have had to be a situation where I think I can do a great show and I can win. When I left WIP and we talked to The Fanatic, I just didn’t feel like we were there.”

Marks decided to take his talents to the upstart ALLCITY brand PHLY, which was fronted by former 97.5 The Fanatic host Anthony Gargano. After his announcement, Marks went to work hosting his own program while gaining experience in content creation and editing. It was a part-time role that kept him involved in the Philadelphia sports scene while maintaining contact with The Fanatic.

A Change in Direction

When 97.5 The Fanatic elevated Bill Colarulo from The Mike Missanelli Show to afternoon drive in June, an opportunity presented itself.

“I was talking to the station to work with Mike [Missanelli],” explained Marks. “We didn’t have anything signed, but we were going to work together. Then the layoff happened, and the rest is history where it’s just me.”

Marks said he found out about Beasley Media Group laying off Missanelli the same way much of the sports media world did. Through social media. He was surprised by the news and reached out to Missanelli immediately.

“I was surprised, but I guess working in sports radio you’re never really surprised,” said Marks of Missanelli’s departure. “My first reaction was, what does this mean for me? Am I not in the picture anymore, right?”

Marks never second-guessed his desire to work for 97.5 The Fanatic following Missanelli’s departure. In fact, after consulting those at the station and many of his contemporaries around the country, he said the decision was one he couldn’t pass up.

“97.5 The Fanatic is a great station with great people. Despite Mike being laid off, with the opportunity still there, it’s still a no-brainer,” said Marks.

A Desire To Win

Last Monday, Middays with Marks officially launched on 97.5 The Fanatic with Marks hosting solo. He said two factors drove his decision to return to daily sports radio. First, he wanted to ensure he enjoys the role and can be happy executing it every day. Second, he needed to believe he could be successful and win.

It has been some time since 97.5 The Fanatic has been able to compete with 94WIP in the ratings battle. A big reason is that broadcasting rights for the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies belong to Audacy, giving 94WIP unique programming opportunities. However, Marks believes the biggest gains so far in his return have been the amount of support he has inside 97.5 The Fanatic.

“The resources that I have at my disposal are different than what I had at WIP as far as paid guests or paid contributors. However, I am more than pleasantly surprised at the support and the staff that I have,” said Marks.

With the new show, Marks now has a dedicated call screener and producer. He also has access to a social media manager, YouTube producer, programming coordinator, and executive producer—resources he did not have at his former employer.

“I have more resources now at The Fanatic for producing the show on a daily basis than I had back then,” explained Marks. “I’m actually very happy with the staff that we have and what we’re going to be able to do moving forward. I didn’t have that there.”

More Changes Coming

In the coming months, Marks will have several co-hosts join him for Middays with Marks. While the original plan was a duo show alongside Mike Missanelli, Marks said the plan now is to name a co-host at the beginning of next year after auditions throughout the coming months.

“The goal is to have some rotating co-hosts for the rest of the year and pick a permanent co-host at the beginning of the year,” said Marks. “I’m at my best when I’m driving as the A-host. I really believe a successful show needs multiple pieces with everybody pulling in the same direction. I’m never going to be successful with just me. I just don’t believe that.”

Marks believes that adding a strong co-host he can build chemistry with is the best-case scenario for long-term success. As to who that person will be, he said the final decision will be a collaboration between station management and himself.

“Scott [Masteller, 97.5 The Fanatic program director] has suggested some names, which I am open to, but ultimately it’s going to be somebody that I want to work with,” said Marks. “Could I be working with somebody that I didn’t originally think of? Sure. But Scott’s made it clear that it must be somebody that I’m comfortable with.”

Marks is focused on bringing his program to the top of the ratings battle with 94WIP. He knows the challenge won’t be easy. Rather than trying to replicate what WIP does, Marks believes the content of his show needs to match everything listeners want to hear.

“Honestly, at the end of me being with WIP, I was so exhausted about having to be the guy who had to be critical of Jalen Hurts more than I wanted to be,” said Marks. “I have to create entertaining radio that people feel good about listening to. That’s how I’ll get to where we need to be.”

Less than two years after leaving Philadelphia sports radio, Middays with Marks feels like a homecoming and a fresh start for Jon Marks. He said he doesn’t regret his past decisions and is only focused on a brighter, more impactful future.

“Two years later I’m finally back on the air and getting exactly what I want,” said Marks. “Being able to wake up with my kids. Taking them to school and picking them up every day. Eating dinner with them and being able to coach them in sports… It’s everything that I wanted and more. Working different hours in middays, I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to do it.”

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

If You’re Not Playing Taylor Swift Right Now, You’re Doing Radio Wrong

Phil Becker
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If You’re Not Playing Taylor Swift Right Now, You’re Doing Radio Wrong

There are pop projects, and then there are cultural earthquakes. The Life of a Showgirl isn’t just the 12th studio album from Taylor Swift, it’s a living, breathing headline.

She’s the breaking news, the trending topic, and the story itself.

So far, The Life of a Showgirl has racked up over 383 million streams, breaking first-day records across Spotify, Apple, and Amazon.

But here’s the orange twist: in a world where radio is at risk of fading into static, Taylor’s brought it roaring back to life.

From The Fate of Ophelia to Full Rotation

Let’s be honest, this doesn’t happen anymore; not for Beyoncé, not for Drake, not for Adele. But when it comes to the new Taylor, some smart radio programmers got rid of the dusty ‘Radio Rule Book’ (seriously, we need to dust the control room, it’s ridiculous).

In Fort Myers, WXKB has played 58 different Taylor Swift songs since Friday—going from 42 spins last week to a staggering 312 this week, on B103.9. WKSZ matched that energy, airing 58 unique Taylor tracks, and KOSP in Springfield carved out room for 68 different Swift songs.

And then there’s every iHeart Top 40 station in the country, each airing at least 40+ different Taylor songs. That’s not a playlist—that’s living in the maximum rotation era.

Across Top 40 and Hot AC combined, Taylor clocked 16,000+ spins in five days, reaching a radio audience north of 64 million.

For the first time in a long time, radio didn’t lag behind the Internet (that’s a song title waiting to happen).

Moving Swiftly

Taylor’s always known how to make fans and platforms feel seen, and this week she proved it, again. Instead of letting the album do the talking, she went on-air. Old-school. Human. Local.

She hit BBC Radio 1 with Greg James, charming him (and all of Britain) by bringing a loaf of homemade bread and dropping a wedding invite mid-interview.

She told Heart FM’s Emma Bunton she owned her Spice Girls doll as a kid, and you could hear Emma cry like a baby (spice).

She popped by Capital FM to talk Showgirl and Travis Kelce’s favorite track, stopped at Hits Radio UK and showed off her ring, and sat down with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to unpack the record in long-form detail.

Then came the U.S. blitz. Elvis Duran. Ryan Seacrest. The Bru Show. All three got time with her and each one got a different version of Taylor. Elvis got the emotion. Seacrest got the story. Bru got the “this is what makes Taylor tick” interview, complete with her blurting, “great, great questions, by the way!”

Taylor isn’t just streaming-friendly; she’s radio fluent. Always has been. The same artist who can break Spotify’s servers is the one who still remembers every PD’s name, shows up to shake hands, and sends stations unannounced boxes of merch the size of a small apartment.

I’m Team 13. Always have been. Always will be I even order donuts by the baker’s dozen.

No Such Thing as Too Much Taylor

At this point, if you’re not on board, the only thing not spinning is your station.

Between The Life of a Showgirl, her pop culture dominance, and a precision like rollout that includes multiple album variants and a film, there’s literally no such thing as too much Taylor right now.

And audiences? They’re not tired, they’re tuned in. When listeners say “play more Taylor,” they mean now, not on Monday when you do music rotations. When she releases something at midnight, they expect to hear it at midnight.

Swift’s world moves in real time, and radio still has the ability to move with it. For a week, forget scheduling theory and format clocks, this is the moment to program in the minute. If you don’t, you’re just driving her fans back to the DSPs and rocketing that Spotify stock to almost $700 a share, while radio’s flirting with the wrong Red.

Radio can’t win by pretending to be a streamer. It wins by being alive. By being reactive, and slightly unhinged when culture calls for it. Taylor’s fans aren’t counting spins, they’re counting on YOU to prove you understand them.

Radio’s Reputation

Moments like this don’t happen often. When they do, radio can either react or regret.

The Life of a Showgirl is more than a release; it’s an invitation for stations to break format, flood the feed, and remind the world that sometimes the oldest medium can still move the fastest. If we don’t, the poets won’t be the only ones tortured.

The audience isn’t asking for quarter hour balance or artist separation. They’re asking for immersion. So turn her up. Play her again. And again. Because right now, she’s the show girl.. so show up!

The One Sentence News/Talk Radio Hosts Shouldn’t Ever Be Afraid to Say

Garrett Searight
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The One Sentence News/Talk Radio Hosts Shouldn’t Ever Be Afraid to Say

I get asked a lot by people in media about news/talk radio and its strange ecosystem: how can hosts navigate a world where breaking stories, rumors, and hot takes collide with audience expectations every single day?

The answer is simple, and it’s one sentence plenty of hosts seem terrified to utter: “I was wrong.”

It’s only three words, but in news/talk radio, those three words carry enormous weight. They signal humility, honesty, and credibility in an environment where egos are enormous and social media amplifies every mistake. Yet some hosts and media personalities act like admitting an error will destroy their brand.

Recent events illustrate exactly why that mindset is dangerous—not just for the hosts, but for the audience and the culture at large.

Take the case of Kyren Lacy, a college football player under scrutiny earlier this year for an incident that, to some, appeared criminal. A Barstool Sports personality publicly suggested Lacy was likely guilty of negligent homicide because of a celebratory gesture he’d made during his career.

The problem? Video evidence released this week confirmed that Lacy was completely innocent of the charges. The definition of “completely exonerated.” Tragically, he took his own life before that truth came out. The mistake didn’t just misinform — it contributed to a narrative that may have harmed someone irreparably. A simple, timely “I was wrong” could have mitigated the damage. That Barstool personality, by the way, did admit that he was wrong for jumping to conclusions and apologized.

On the other side of the spectrum, there’s Dan Dakich and the Mark Sanchez incident in Indianapolis.

Reports came in Friday night that Sanchez had been stabbed. Dakich immediately jumped to conclusions, tweeting that the incident “should not be a surprise” because of what he described as “a ton of fatherless and armed African American kids descending on downtown Indy every weekend.”

Except the facts told a very different story: Sanchez was the aggressor, and the stabbing was in self-defense.

Instead of admitting the error, Dakich doubled, tripled, even quadrupled down. The result? He looked foolish, faced backlash from peers, and ignited accusations of racial bias.

Both examples demonstrate a core truth: refusing to say “I was wrong” doesn’t make a host look strong or informed — it makes them look humanly fallible, but in the worst way.

News/talk radio thrives on authority and trust. When you constantly insist you’re right, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, listeners stop trusting you. They stop caring what you have to say. Relatability, ironically, is built on the courage to admit mistakes.

Admitting you’re wrong is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of intellectual honesty. It shows you value truth over ego. Think about the people in your own life who never admit when they’re wrong. Do you like them? Probably not. Now think about a host who refuses to admit mistakes. Why would the audience like them either?

It doesn’t matter whether the error is mundane — a minor fact about some economic stat — or monumental, like the Lacy and Sanchez situations. The principle is the same. Being willing to acknowledge when you were wrong keeps a host credible, relatable, and trustworthy. It’s a professional responsibility in a world where misinformation spreads faster than corrections.

In news/talk radio, mistakes are inevitable. No matter how much prep, no matter how much you study or remember, you’re always going to get something wrong eventually. Sources lie, reports are incomplete, and human judgment fails. What separates good hosts from the bad is not an ability to predict every fact correctly, it’s the courage to stand up and say, “I was wrong,” when the facts demand it.

That sentence may feel terrifying to some, but it should be liberating. Listeners respect honesty. They forgive human error. And in some cases, admitting a mistake can even prevent unnecessary harm.

So here’s the takeaway for every host, personality, or pundit: you’re allowed to be wrong. You’re allowed to admit it. You’re allowed to show your audience that you are human. Those three words — “I was wrong” — are not a threat to your brand. They are the foundation of it. Use them freely, and you’ll be surprised at how much respect you earn, even from those who disagree with you.

In news/talk radio, that sentence may be the most important one you ever say.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Why Seattle Red 770 AM Was More Than A Decade in the Making

Garrett Searight
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Why Seattle Red 770 AM Was More Than A Decade in the Making

It’s not a secret that digital media is an ever-growing sector of the media industry. Some have been slow to adapt to digital distribution platforms. But Seattle Red 770 AM is adopting a new identity, with a broader reach in mind.

Previously known as 770 KTTH, the station underwent a rebrand to Seattle Red 770 AM, prioritizing the “Seattle Red” moniker on its digital platforms.

Seattle Red Program Director Jason Antebi said that this has been a long time coming.

“It’s an idea that I have discussed internally — I want to say — 13 years ago, or at least 10 to 13 years ago,” said Antebi. “We had talked about this as a potential idea for a website, not necessarily for a rebrand. And we got that URL registered back then, and we just never really did anything with it. It wasn’t ready. Then we decided, ‘You know what? Now is a good time. Let’s do it.'”

What makes now the right time, though?

“You’ve got to do it when you’ve got the right resources in place,” he shared. “The time commitment that is required, when you can bring in the right staff to work on it, and we’ve got it now. Staff writers on the site, in addition to the op-ed voices. It was just perfect timing.

“Clearly, the direction of radio is you’ve got to be everywhere. We’ve got a YouTube channel, we’ve got a Rumble channel. And top local talent, as well as the national names that deliver us the kind of branding lift that’s necessary for a conservative brand,” Antebi continued. “Everything fell into place. I’m really happy with the direction.”

The strategy is similar to that employed by the brand’s sister stations in the sports genre at Bonneville International. Many of the company’s sports brands utilize the city name followed by “sports” — for instance, Seattle Sports 710 — as branding elements, with the company’s website and digital platforms focusing on the “Seattle Sports”, with the dial position only being used with the radio station’s portion of the brand.

Being able to see that branding process play out inside his own cluster helped Seattle Red get off the ground.

“Having gone through that kind of rebranding with a sister property obviously made it a little bit easier to understand what all needed to be done,” Antebi admitted. “We had the playbook. Everything, including changing signage and changing email signatures. It’s not just like the big stuff, it’s a lot of the little stuff, because they were so successful on the Seattle Sports side in how they executed their game plan, it made it a lot easier for us to be prepared for this.”

He joked that, in spite of seeing the sister station make the widespread changes when it moved from 710 ESPN to Seattle Sports 710, Antebi said that “you’re never truly prepared for the amount of work that goes into these kinds of things,” but that it ultimately did help make the change to Seattle Red easier.

With the new brand, a commitment to increase the content produced by the brand has been enacted. A staff of writers is penning stories about the hot-button topics in the market, as well as the Pacific Northwest as a whole.

“We’re doing original content, original reporting,” the Seattle Red brand leader shared. “We’ve got op-eds from talent in the building, but also external talent who are contributing as well. This was a lot more than just changing a logo on a website and just doing everything we were doing. We’re now doing a lot more, and we’re already seeing it pay off.”

The audience has been more than receptive to the brand change and increase in content. The brand is “being consumed in numbers that we haven’t seen before,” Antebi said.

As for what’s on the horizon, plenty of opportunities abound for Seattle Red both digitally and on 770 AM.

“I always want to put out more content,” said Antebi. “A lot more video, exclusive, digital only. It’s in the works. We’re working on something now that will unleash at the beginning of the new year. It just takes a little bit more time to get the practice. We want to make sure that we’re doing it right. Doing it right.

“But I always look at this and I say, ‘What more can we do? What more content can we put out there? And what else are people interested in? Can we get even more expansive into Idaho and Oregon with the kinds of stories that we’re covering and the voices that we feature?’ So I’m always looking for that.”

Seattle Red 770 AM is going to continue to be an audio-forward brand after the change from 770 KTTH. And that lies at one of the hot-button issues for Antebi.

“What drives me nuts is when you do a really great segment and then it goes off into the ether,” he said. “It’s great in the moment, and people listening in the car or listening on the app, they love it, and then it just doesn’t go anywhere.

“So I want to make sure that we’re constantly repurposing the kind of material that we’re really proud of doing on the radio to make sure that it doesn’t just go away after the segment is turned off.”

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

How Should the AI Music Showdown Be Fought by Radio and the Consumer

Mike Gunz
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How Should the AI Music Showdown Be Fought by Radio and the Consumer

The music industry has found itself in the middle of an existential crisis: Is AI music threatening to the creative process, or can it be utilized in an innovative fashion to further enhance the very essence of music?

The conversation is an important one to have, as recent events have fast-tracked the debate and even brought backlash against some AI-supported artists and broadcast platforms such as Spotify from fans.

“Creativity will be more disrespected as AI grows because you never know who is really doing it or who is using the computer,” Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rapper Ice Cube recently told me during an interview on The Gunz Show.

“When other people are pretending to be Frank Sinatra and Biggie Smalls, f**k that sh*t. We don’t even know if these guys would have even liked the song or agreed with the lyrics,” the former N.W.A. rapper continued.

Spotify Gets Slammed

Earlier this year, “indie rock band” The Velvet Sundown garnered headlines after receiving millions of Spotify streams for their music. The only problem was that the band wasn’t a band at all, but rather an AI creation pushed by an algorithm. From the band’s photos to lyrics and vocals, there were no human elements involved, despite the group being able to attract nearly one million active monthly listeners who were initially duped into believing Sundown was a real band.

The overwhelmingly angry reaction from both fans and other musicians led to Spotify recently releasing its first public statement on AI music in late September. The company explained that although “music has always been shaped by technology… from multitrack tape and synthesizers to Auto-Tune,” its use by “bad actors and content farms” was admittedly having a detrimental effect.

“At its worst, AI can be used by bad actors and content farms to confuse or deceive listeners, push ‘slop’ into the ecosystem, and interfere with authentic artists working to build their careers. That kind of harmful AI content degrades the user experience for listeners and often attempts to divert royalties to bad actors,” the company explained in its September 25 “Fighting Impersonation, Scam and Deception” press release.

AI Music Crowding the System

The battle hasn’t been an easy one, as Spotify acknowledged that it has already taken down more than 75 million “AI spam” tracks from the platform in the past year alone.

“The future of the music industry is being written, and we believe that aggressively protecting against the worst parts of Gen AI is essential to enabling its potential for artists and producers,” the company’s statement continued, before announcing a series of changes including stricter enforcement against impersonation violations, a new spam filtering system, and mandated AI disclosures.

That may sound all good and fine, but others—including one of the bands that The Velvet Sundown directly cited as an “influence”—want decisive measures.

“So, an AI ‘band’ who cites us as an influence (i.e., it’s modeled off our music) have just overtaken us on Spotify, in only TWO months. It’s shocking, it’s disheartening, it’s insulting—it’s a wake-up call. Oppose AI music, or bands like us stop existing,” rock band Holding Absence’s Aaron Woodland tweeted last week.

Can We CoExist?

As both quotes from Ice Cube and Woodland demonstrate, there is a clear backlash from many musicians across all genres against AI music.

When Billboard reported last week that Hallwood Records signed the studio producer behind virtual AI R&B artist “Xania Monet” to a $3 million record deal, other stars from the genre such as SZA and Kehlani came out against the move.

“AI can also make the entire f**king song. It can sing the entire song. It can make the entire beat. You can have a song that’s one type of song and say, ‘AI, make this into a country song,’ and it will literally rewrite [and] re-sing in a country voice and redo the entire thing. And they don’t ever have to credit anyone. This is so beyond out of our control, and nothing and no one on earth will be able to justify AI to me,” Kehlani recently posted in a TikTok video.

Will Fan Backlash Spark Change?

Of course, there is the larger issue beyond just the making of music and the battle between artists and AI: Will fans turn away from platforms that promote AI music?

When The Velvet Sundown drama happened with Spotify, I know multiple friends who canceled their Spotify subscriptions.

Will there be similar backlash against radio stations that play AI artists—moves that could be viewed as “selling out” artists and, by extension, their fans?

Ultimately, as longtime music manager and National Independent Talent Organization’s Randy Nichols explained, it may come down to some sort of coexistence between all elements.

“Ultimately, people will learn to use AI as a tool vs. AI being the only participant. I look at it like singers don’t have to be as good anymore because of Auto-Tune, but the great singers still have a place because a computer can’t replicate that,” Nichols explained.

“Regardless, models need to compensate those whose work they use in the creation of music. Ultimately, much of the music out there will be a hybrid of AI and human and will be played everywhere.”

As we’ve seen in other parts of our AI-infused lives, artificial intelligence does not seem to be going away.

But that doesn’t mean that we, as music fans and members of the industry, have to like it—especially when it concerns something we all cherish.

A pivotal first step must include guidelines and restrictions so that actual musicians are compensated and there is a clear distinction between humans and the artificial.

What do you think of AI music? Hit me up at @TheGunzShow

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

How Bill Belichick Missed a Golden Opportunity for Sports’ Greatest Reality Docuseries

John Mamola
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How Bill Belichick Missed a Golden Opportunity for Sports’ Greatest Reality Docuseries

Let’s be honest: Bill Belichick is more than likely regretting signing to be the head football coach at the University of North Carolina. If we can all agree on that, there’s a list of reasons why. The rough 2-3 start to the season. The ongoing drama of Belichick’s off-the-field lifestyle with his twenty-something-year-old girlfriend. The ongoing drama stemming from a long history between Belichick and the New England Patriots organization. This would all make for one hell of a reality show.

Yesterday it was reported that the University of North Carolina is backing out of the original plan to create a docuseries on Belichick’s first season in Carolina blue. While there has been no announcement from the university itself, the headline says it all.

While Belichick on the field has not been a hit for Tar Heels nation, the cancellation of the docuseries is the largest misstep Belichick has taken yet.

Less than two months ago, I stated that if this docuseries was going to be successful, it had to revolve around Belichick, not Carolina football.

This Could Have Been a Success

Belichick remains a national figure who warrants the attention of the sports media-verse. He’s a Hall of Fame head coach with a pedigree to get the best out of afterthoughts. This was his first venture into the sport of college football, where very few former NFL head coaches have found success.

HBO Films offered to go college for Hard Knocks this year. That’s the level of demand sports fans have for everything Belichick. He’s the most successful “heel” of all time in the NFL. No one loves Bill Belichick because he refuses to allow people into his world.

That’s what Hulu and EverWonder Studios were aiming to do: reveal the man behind the curtain, the great Oz, if you will.

Carolina football this season is not attracting eyeballs. At most home games, the sellout crowd is hitting the road by halftime. It’s a forgotten tale in a season of Big Ten and SEC dominance once again.

Belichick didn’t arrive with the luster of a Deion Sanders. He didn’t have homegrown talent nor did he hype up the program during the offseason. Belichick’s success so far at UNC has little to do with football; it has everything to do with the TMZ-style attention.

Who else could take a segment on CBS Sunday Morning and turn it into a national narrative? Are the Miami Hurricanes trending on Google like Belichick or Jordon?

A Swing-And-A-Miss

Belichick is a made man, making eight digits and dating someone more than 75% of his age. In media, the adage holds true: sex sells. A high-profile head coach dating a 24-year-old ex-beauty queen draws attention far beyond the average Tar Heel football fan. HBO originally wasn’t interested in Gio Lopez’s transfer from South Alabama or Kobe Paysour’s senior year at wideout. They wanted eyeballs. HBO wanted drama. That’s what Hard Knocks was, is, and will always be—but it didn’t get it.

This is the same thing Hulu, EverWonder Studios, and college football fans wanted. Now, here we are.

Could you imagine the amount of attention an upset Belichick away from the postgame podium would garner? Which loss would have been more entertaining for viewers? Would Jordon Hudson console Belichick in his time of loss? That’s drama.

What about the moments of glory for the upstart Tar Heels as they claw their way back into the spotlight with wins over Charlotte and Richmond, two teams with a combined record of 4-7 early in the season? How does Belichick celebrate his first victory with his team, his family, his girlfriend? That’s action.

Would we get an inside look at Belichick’s decision to ban scouts from the New England Patriots at North Carolina practices? The pettiness, the emotions, the path to making that call with the university. Did the players confront Belichick on that decision? Were phone calls made to other teams to allow added access, showing favoritism? That’s mystery.

The North Carolina Tar Heels docuseries had all the makings of one of the great sports documentaries of all time. It had established characters with distinct egos. Drama, mystery, and action all emanating from a small town in northeastern North Carolina.

Back To Boring Belichick

For all the drama that Hard Knocks produces in telling short stories about end-of-roster decisions in the NFL, this Hulu series had so much more—and then some. No matter how many games Belichick wins or loses at Carolina, he still will get paid. If this docuseries had aired as scheduled, with the access it allowed and the intrigue that followed, records would have been forgotten.

The canceled docuseries was more than just a missed marketing opportunity—it was a chance to witness the collision of legend and ambition in real time. Belichick’s Carolina experiment could have shown the human side of an untouchable icon, but now we’re left with speculation and headlines. In the absence of access, the intrigue persists—but the story itself remains untold.

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Beasley Media Group Expands ‘The Maney & LauRen Morning Show’ to Memphis

BMM Staff
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Beasley Media Group Expands ‘The Maney & LauRen Morning Show’ to Memphis

Beasley Media Group announced that The Maney & LauRen Morning Show will debut on Q107.5 in Memphis on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, under a new syndication agreement with Flinn Broadcasting.

Originating from flagship station KISS 95.1 in Charlotte, North Carolina, the show has built a reputation across the Southeast for its energetic mix of humor, pop culture commentary, listener interaction, and local engagement. The addition of Memphis marks the program’s fourth market, joining existing affiliates WHHD-FM in Augusta, Georgia, and WAZZ in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

“We’re thrilled to expand the footprint of The Maney & LauRen Morning Show with this new partnership in Memphis,” said Justin Chase, Chief Content Officer of Beasley Media Group. “The show has become a proven ratings driver and brand-builder in multiple markets, and we’re confident it will quickly become a favorite among WHBQ listeners as well.”

Chris Taylor, Operations Manager of Flinn Broadcasting Memphis, echoed the enthusiasm. “When it came time to choose a morning show for Q1075, my target was The Maney & LauRen Morning Show in Charlotte,” he said. “Maney was very successful here before his move a couple of years ago. I like their show because they have great chemistry and are fun to listen to. I’m proud of how well he’s done. It’s a perfect fit for us. I’m excited to have Maney and LauRen on in the Midsouth. Thanks to the folks at Beasley for helping put this together and sharing the show with Memphis.”

For host Maney, the expansion carries personal significance. “Memphis has a lot of history for me. My wife and I met here, and we got married at the Peabody Hotel with the world-famous ducks as our witness,” he said. “I’m thrilled to bring our show to a city that I called home for so long.” Co-host LauRen added, “Thanks to Beasley for allowing our show to continue to grow its audience! I’m excited to reach more ears and eyes and bring lots of laughs to Q1075 in Memphis.”

Since its debut in Charlotte, The Maney & LauRen Morning Show has been recognized for building loyal audiences and delivering consistent ratings performance. With its Memphis launch, Beasley and Flinn Broadcasting hope to replicate that success in a city known for its vibrant radio market and rich musical history.

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FOX Sports Secures Domestic Broadcast Rights to 2026 World Baseball Classic

BSM Staff
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FOX Sports Secures Domestic Broadcast Rights to 2026 World Baseball Classic

FOX Sports is once again set to deliver one of baseball’s premier global events. The network will televise and stream the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in the United States, it was announced by World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI), which is jointly operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association.

FOX will air seven total games, highlighted by three Pool B matchups featuring Team USA, two Quarterfinal contests, and the Championship Game from Miami’s loanDepot Park on Tuesday, March 17. Additional games will appear on FS1, FS2, FOX One, the FOX Sports app, and the free streaming platform Tubi. A full broadcast schedule and platform assignments will be announced at a later date.

“The World Baseball Classic gives the best players around the world an opportunity to represent their countries on a global stage and embodies everything we love about the game – passion, pride, and elite talent – like nothing else,” said Bill Wanger, FOX Sports Executive Vice President, Head of Programming and Scheduling. “Following the tournament’s widespread excitement and unforgettable finish from 2023, we’re honored to once again deliver this premier event to fans across the country.”

Spanish-language coverage will once again be extensive, with FOX Deportes carrying 28 games, including all four Quarterfinals, both Semifinals, and the title game.

FOX first carried the World Baseball Classic in 2023, where the Championship Game between the United States and Japan drew an average of 5.2 million viewers nationally and peaked at 6.5 million during the dramatic ninth-inning showdown between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. The moment has since been regarded as one of the most memorable at-bats in modern baseball history.

The partnership comes as FOX prepares for its 30th season of MLB coverage in 2026. The announcement was made live during FOX’s American League Division Series pregame show, with former WBC participants Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Alex Rodriguez on hand to share the news.

“FOX Sports has been a great partner to MLB for decades showcasing the skill of the players, storylines on and off the field, and intensity of the competition,” said MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business and Media Noah Garden. “While it’s known as America’s favorite pastime, baseball also is a global game. FOX Sports will help increase the event’s profile and capture the incredible result of when baseball competition meets national pride.”

MLB Players, Inc. President Evan Kaplan added that the partnership highlights the players’ commitment to international growth. “Since the World Baseball Classic’s inception in 2006, players have experienced a special sense of pride in representing their countries,” Kaplan said. “We are proud to partner with FOX Sports to amplify their incredible talent and passion.”

The 2026 tournament will mark the sixth edition of the World Baseball Classic and will feature 20 teams across four host cities: Tokyo, San Juan, Houston, and Miami. The opening game will take place March 4, with Team Japan seeking to defend its 2023 championship.

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Country Music Association Reveals 2025 CMA Broadcast Award Winners

BMM Staff
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Country Music Association Reveals 2025 CMA Broadcast Award Winners

The Country Music Association has announced the winners of the 2025 CMA Broadcast Awards as part of the organization’s 59th annual awards ceremony.

Those who won awards in 2024 were not eligible to be selected for the same honors in 2025.

CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Tucker Wetmore surprised radio stations and personalities with one-on-one calls earlier this morning to share the news that they had been awarded the prestigious honors.

WEEKLY NATIONAL
“Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton” (Lon Helton) – LH Productions

DAILY NATIONAL
“The Rob and Holly Show” (Rob Stone and Holly Hutton) – Audacy

MAJOR MARKET
“Chris Carr & Company” (Chris Carr, Sam Sansevere, and “Dubs” Michael Wilczynski) – KEEY, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

LARGE MARKET
“The Q Morning Crew w/ Mike & Amanda” (Mike Wheless and Amanda Daughtry) – WQDR, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

MEDIUM MARKET
“Mo & StyckMan” (Melissa “Mo” Wagner and Greg “StyckMan” Owens) – WUSY, Chattanooga, Tennessee

SMALL MARKET
“Ben & Arnie” (Ben Butler and Arnie Andrews) – WCOW, La Crosse, Wisconsin

CMA RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR:

MAJOR MARKET
KKBQ – Houston, Texas

LARGE MARKET
WUBE – Cincinnati, Ohio

MEDIUM MARKET
WIVK – Knoxville, Tennessee

SMALL MARKET
WXBQ – Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia

The 59th annual CMA Awards is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19th. The show will be hosted by country star Lainey Wilson and will be broadcast on ABC at 8 PM ET.

Broadcast winners will be recognized during the pre-televised portion of the event ahead of the primetime program.

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