FOX Sports Radio personality Rob Parker has been honored by his alma mater, Southern Connecticut State University. The school held a tribute that cements his legacy both on campus and in the world of sports journalism.
During halftime of SCSU’s homecoming football game on October 4, the university officially dedicated the press box at Jess Dow Field in Parker’s name. The event drew alumni and campus leaders, including former NFL coach and longtime SCSU head coach Kevin Gilbride, who attended the ceremony.
Parker, the co-host of The Odd Couple with Rob Parker & Kelvin Washington on FOX Sports Radio. He also serves as an analyst for MLB Network and is the founder and editor of MLBbro.com, a platform celebrating Black players in Major League Baseball.
“Rob Parker’s contributions to the field of sports journalism are a testament to the impact of our alumni,” SCSU Director of Athletics and Recreation Terrance Jones said in Southern News, the campus publication. “We’re proud to honor his remarkable career and show gratitude for his generosity by naming the press box at Jess Dow Field after him. This recognition not only reflects his achievements but also inspires our current students to pursue their passions and make their mark.”
For Parker, who graduated from SCSU in 1986, the moment was deeply personal.
“I’m so grateful to Southern for laying the groundwork for my career,” Parker told Southern News. “This is where it all began and where I learned to be a reporter. It’s an absolute honor to have my name on Southern’s press box. I hope this will inspire others to excel and do what most think can’t be done.”
The honor adds to a long list of accomplishments that link Parker to the university. He received Southern’s Outstanding Journalism Alumni Award in 2008. Parker was also featured in a 1988 television commercial titled Four Years That Last a Lifetime, celebrating notable graduates. Two years later, he created the Rob Parker Award to recognize exceptional sportswriters from Southern News.
Through the years, Parker has frequently returned to campus to speak with journalism students. Encouraging them to chase opportunities in a competitive media landscape.
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With every passing day, it becomes harder to be unique in sports media. Technological advancements have made entry easier, but breaking through is far more difficult. When Matt Jones launched Kentucky Sports Radio in 2005, the podcast space wasn’t cluttered, and social media didn’t drive engagement. Blogs were the new way fanbases connected with their teams through personalities, marking the start of a new era in content creation.
“I get kids all the time asking me, ‘How can I do what you do?’ Don’t follow my path,” said Jones, explaining how he approaches advising the next generation of content creators. “You will fail. My path was particular for its time. You could start websites in 2005, and the web wasn’t so crowded. You could find an audience if you were good. Now, I don’t know how you do that like I did.”
Twenty years later, what Jones began as a hobby has turned into one of sports media’s biggest success stories. What began as a blog and a podcast has become a radio program with over 50 affiliates and a brand synonymous with one of the SEC’s most recognizable universities, the University of Kentucky.
The 47-year-old Duke Law School graduate focused his passion on sports and attempted to find a niche audience for the content he wanted to present. When asked for advice from creators, he insists the lessons are not in the past but more in what’s to come.
“Go figure out what’s next, and be the first one to do it. The barrier of entry on the new is much lower than the barrier of entry on the old,” said Jones. “Think about what’s next and do that. So, when it becomes the thing, here I am. How do you get on the forefront of that so when the world catches up, they see you?”
Staying True to Your Crew
Kentucky Sports Radio recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. The show, which launched in 2011, quickly became popular across Kentucky and now broadcasts to more than 50 affiliate stations. It’s a hyper-local program focused on entertainment over analysis.
“I don’t think listeners care if you’re an expert. I really don’t,” explained Jones. “Listeners want experts, but they want them when they want them. When they listen to an entertainment show or a podcast, they want to be entertained. They’re not trying to go to school. People forget that sometimes. This is not brain surgery; this is entertainment.”
Jones runs his media empire with a by-the-fans, for-the-fans philosophy, reflecting the conversations an average Kentucky fan might have in a bar on game day. Surrounded by core team members Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson, he values consistency and trust in his staff.
“The three of us have been together for a long time. That’s huge,” said Jones. “We have always been big on treating people well. I was big on paying people well from the beginning when I was making nothing from it. We all like each other. For me, I don’t hire anyone I don’t like.”
This stability allows KSR to develop talent internally. Over the years, the brand has expanded into digital content and a network of podcasts, giving Jones and his team opportunities to grow their influence in content creation.
“Sometimes founders and creators wait way too long to keep it just about them. You have to build stars around you. You can’t be the person forever to have a sustainable brand,” said Jones. “I’ve always looked for opportunities for people to go out and do things.”
The Birth of NFL Cover Zero
The newest opportunity came for Jones with the launch of NFL Cover Zero, an iHeartMedia podcast in partnership with the NFL and their NFL Podcast Network, which launched on the media brand in 2021. Jones said he had been actively approaching iHeartMedia about doing something national within the company for some time without an idea sticking.
In June, Jones was approached by iHeart about doing a podcast to add to the NFL Podcast Network.
“iHeart’s idea was, ‘Let’s partner you with an NFL player, but let’s make it fan-centric.’ We batted that around, and then I said, ‘If you want to make it fan-focused, let’s make it fans and not have players,’” explained Jones. “Thankfully, when I pitched that vision to iHeart and the NFL, the NFL was behind it. We did a test show, and they really liked it.”
Jones hosts the podcast alongside his KSR co-host Franklin twice a week, discussing NFL headlines as fans typically would. Two buddies who love football, with inherent built-in chemistry from years of working together. For Jones, it only made sense to pair up with Franklin for NFL Cover Zero.
“I wish more employers and people who booked shows would not try to create chemistry. Just see where it is,” said Jones.
Over two decades, Jones has worked across sports radio, podcasts, and syndicated national programs. His experience informs his perspective on the differences between formats, particularly the laid-back entertainment style of podcasts versus traditional analytical radio.
“I think sports radio screws up. Nobody cares about the specifics; people want to be entertained and have fun,” said Jones. “Sports radio is all about live, in-the-moment reaction. You can’t get away from that. If I’m in sports radio, I lean into what works on podcasts—personality and fun—while embracing what it’s good at: reacting to live, in-the-moment stuff.”
Talking Politics and Sports His Way
Another sign of the times is sports media personalities diving into political conversations. Jones is no stranger to this himself, even co-writing a book entitled Mitch, Please!: How Mitch McConnell Sold Out Kentucky (and America, Too). However, after observing the differences in how sports radio hosts approach politics, he sees a major gap in his approach compared to others.
“If you’re going to talk about a subject, you need to be honest with the audience about how much you do or do not know,” explained Jones. “I talked about politics because I loved it. I don’t love it anymore. Modern politics is awful; it’s one of the least interesting things to talk about. But because Trump has made politics entertainment, politics is now pop culture and entertainment. People like Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum are entertainers. They think they need to be involved in that because it’s the entertainment space. I have no interest in that.”
There have been multiple times over Jones’ career that he considered running for office in Kentucky. While never going fully through with it, Jones says the core reason is that he isn’t interested in being part of the “circus” that politics has become.
“I’m fine with sports people [talking politics]. It would be hypocritical of me to say they can’t give their opinion. I just want them to be honest about the extent to which they know what they’re talking about,” noted Jones. “To what extent are you actually concerned with the nitty-gritty of this, or are you just talking about it to talk about it?”
Jones made a clear distinction in his approach to political conversation on KSR versus many of his contemporaries.
“When I talk politics on KSR, I’m talking about what’s happening in Kentucky because it affects my listeners’ lives,” said Jones. “I try to talk about policy in Kentucky, not the circus. I just think a lot of the talk these sports [media] folks are doing is circus. If you want to do it, that’s fine. But we have a lot of people proclaiming to be experts on things they are not. That’s just frustrating to me.”
While many may say that sports [media] talent branching out into political conversation could help with reach, Jones says that concept is far from the truth.
“If you’re doing it because you think you need to put your voice into it, that’s a mistake,” said Jones. “If these folks are just doing it and really aren’t in it, I don’t think it helps. As to whether or not they should, it’s up to them. I don’t think it hurts sports radio to have sportscasters talking about politics. However, if they just want to be a voice in the thing everyone’s talking about, I don’t think that’s helpful.”
What continues to drive Jones, over two decades later, is the amount of fun he’s having while expanding the Kentucky Sports Radio brand. While there have been highs and lows along the way, Jones enjoys a unique approach: catering to a growing following by simply being himself.
A fan at heart, he continues to build a community of listeners and buddies that will last a lifetime.
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The one element I always reminded my talent about when going outside the walls of our building was to understand who you represent. When you work for a company—any company—you represent that company as a public figure no matter where you go. Until you are no longer with that company, understand that every word you say about your company has both benefit and consequence. As amazing as Paul Finebaum is, unfortunately, he forgot that in an interview with OutKick.
When you work for any company, there are rules to how you represent the company you work for. We’ve seen it time and again. Employee reveals inner workings of company, and employee is disciplined. This is why we have “whistleblowers” in Congress, and “sources” with media companies. Often times when employees speak out, employers are in the right to act accordingly.
As amazing as Paul Finebaum is, unfortunately, he forgot that during an interview with OutKick.
When Clay Travis tweeted that Finebaum had been removed from appearing on ESPN since the OutKick interview, factually he was correct. Finebaum is a regular on First Take, Get Up, and SportsCenter—all programs that air on ESPN’s main network.
Would you trust a “source” after the subject of the reporting was just interviewed by the person reporting it? It’s pretty clear who the source more than likely was. Since the reporting was also confirmed by local sources with ties to Finebaum and national ones as well, it was more than likely based in fact.
However, the spin cycle that followed was utterly disgusting.
The Meat Is in the Details
While many were spinning this as a political matter in which Finebaum expressed his support for President Donald Trump while contemplating his thoughts on running for office, the real matter is in the details away from the headlines.
Finebaum revealed in the interview that ESPN “frowns upon” its talent discussing politics and tells them “not to discuss” who they voted for in elections. Was that what led to possible discipline for Finebaum? Not likely, especially since Stephen A. Smith has not been shy about doing either.
Finebaum then revealed that ESPN nixed an interview opportunity with President Donald Trump on his radio program in 2019. He said he was “devastated” and was told he was not allowed to mix politics with sports.
Following a reference to Andy Katz visiting the White House during Barack Obama’s term to witness the commander in chief fill out an NCAA basketball bracket or two, Finebaum called that moment a turning point for him.
“It was a turning point for me. It wasn’t about politics at all, it was just about the idea of going to the White House to interview the President of the United States,” Finebaum toldOutKick. “It wasn’t about politics, it was about a football game—the biggest game of the year in college football. I never knew exactly where the kill button came from. It didn’t happen.”
Do you see why ESPN may be a little upset with that answer? Travis wasn’t done pressing his friend.
Finebaum was then asked by Travis about the “culture of ESPN” and for his reaction. Travis referenced an incident where ESPN missed the national anthem following the rescheduled game between Notre Dame and Georgia after a terrible attack in New Orleans, Louisiana. The SEC Network, which is owned by ESPN, did not miss the anthem.
To his credit, Finebaum laughed at the question and asked Travis if he knew that Finebaum was still employed by “this company.”
“I don’t know what happened there. I respect Burke Magnus greatly, and he said it was a mistake,” said Finebaum. “I do believe Burke Magnus, but that doesn’t mean someone else didn’t make the decision underneath him.”
Finebaum wrapped up his thoughts with Travis by saying that at some point he would feel very comfortable expounding on his opinion. He then joked that he was trying to get to his show in the morning.
After watching that exchange, that’s where Finebaum forgot the golden rule.
When you work for a company as a public figure, you will always represent that company.
Also, when you are employed by a company and reveal “in-house” discussions in a public forum, that’s not a good thing for your company.
When you say that decision was a “turning point” for you and that you were “devastated” by the ruling, that’s not a good thing for your company.
When you joke about how uncomfortable you are answering questions about your company, then proceed to answer questions about your company—see what I just stated.
Public figures are always liable for the words they say.
That’s where Finebaum made his error, and ESPN had every right to remove him from certain programming. This isn’t about political opinions or a potential campaign. It’s about an employee revealing internal company matters that the employer didn’t want public.
It’s happened before Paul Finebaum, and it will happen after Paul Finebaum—at every network, and in every industry.
Despite the headlines, Finebaum still hosted his radio show all week and traveled to Gainesville for a packed live show before one of the biggest SEC games of the weekend. ESPN paid the freight, staffed the production, and aired the content. Missing guest spots on First Take or Get Up isn’t a suspension—it’s a slap on the wrist, if that.
Paul Finebaum’s removal from ESPN programming had nothing to do with politics. It was a reminder of something much simpler: words have consequences.
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Many news/talk radio hosts love having guests on their shows. A guest often brings expertise and a point of view that may not be heard on a show without that person. The guest has a role, and I don’t think that many talk show hosts are using expert guests properly.
The guest should never, ever be considered more important than the host. The host is the star. When I have hired talk show hosts, I am never impressed with a host who only submits guest interviews. I want to hear the host set up a topic, take calls, and tell a story. I once fired a host who told me that he was just a facilitator of guests, news, weather, and traffic. He said that those factors were more important than anything that he could say. I can assure you that you are being paid to be the star.
Guests are a tool. Guests are ultimately most important when used to set up a topic. I can’t believe how many good hosts keep guests for more than seven minutes. Whichever late-night show you are watching — or not watching — these shows usually get the best and most desirable guests. The biggest celebrity gets two segments, which usually ends up being eight minutes. Eight minutes. How many times have you given some dope from a think tank or a writer from The Federalist 20 minutes?
If you are using guests as an excuse not to show prep, you are failing your employer, your coworkers, and that person in the mirror. Guests should never be an excuse to avoid discussing the biggest issue of the day. The government shutdown or whatever Topic A is today — and because Friday at 7:07 you have your weekly visit with a pinhead from the Heritage Foundation — you can’t discuss the biggest story. That is a missed opportunity every time. Drop the guest.
Guests should always set up your opinions and observations. It is that simple. Benchmarked guests can be very problematic. I am a fan of benchmarks, but that guest should never step in the way of your show. If the guest is more important than breaking news or something more compelling, it is time to reconsider your guest strategy. Nothing is more important than the show. Your audience has the expectation that you will be discussing the biggest stories of the day.
What is your guest strategy? Why are they on your show? If you are interviewing a local newsmaker, what do you want to accomplish? I think that starting hot is essential. Come out with the most compelling content. Your audience will be waiting for answers immediately from your guest if there is something important going on.
It is sometimes tough for hosts to ask tough and pertinent questions of friends. Keep arm’s length from the people that you cover. If your congressman makes a bonehead move, can you ask the tough questions? I am not saying be a jerk, but what do your listeners need to know?
Don’t be cringe. “Mayor, it was great seeing you at the ribbon cutting for the new funeral home.” Don’t open like that. Your listeners don’t care. Your listeners don’t care if you did tequila shots with your friendly neighborhood state representative. Your show must be a listener-focused broadcast. Don’t be cringe. Don’t sound like you are an insider who is bragging about being part of the cool kids club. Your listeners don’t care.
Human nature leads us to protect those close to us. We are programmed to protect members of our tribe. Friends and family are important to pack animals like us. Being close to those we cover is problematic to the most important relationship for a radio show: the audience.
I have several motivations when I write a column. I want to share the lessons that I have learned. I want you to think through the ideas that are presented to allow you to reach peak performance. I understand your plight; you are likely receiving little feedback.
Evaluating whether to guest or not to guest—do you have an opinion on something that needs to be corroborated? Generally speaking, this is a reason not to have the guest. It is a psychological reason for not having a guest like this. Your listeners consider you the expert. Some “expert” who adds no wrinkles to the discussion is a waste of the precious time on your show.
Is a guest with a conflicting viewpoint helpful? You may be in favor of unlimited military aid to Ukraine, but having a guest on for a few minutes who disagrees with you creates an environment that generates lots of calls from your listeners.
Generally speaking, guests who do not provide drama are bad. Every guest should help you create a great show. Every guest should allow you to grow a topic. Remember, happy talk and pure information are not content. It’s opinion and storytelling. The information is important to build a topic from, but it is not why people react to you. There are emotional triggers like anger, laughter, concern, and other emotions.
Most guests are there for one reason: to promote their stuff. As a host, you are giving away time for the return promise that the content will help your show. Your guest uses you to sell their opinions, ideas, and sometimes products.
If you book a guest from Coinbase, which is a cryptocurrency exchange, they are going to push their employer. Dan Patrick does something very smart. When Dan has a guest who is promoting something, Dan’s producers hook him up with the script, and Dan reads it at the beginning and end of the segment. This frees the guest up to tell stories and have fun with Dan without having to worry about getting that mention in.
If you are booking guests just to fill time, you must move on. Remember, it is always about the listeners. It’s not about you, the guest, or anything else.
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I’m often asked by liberal media members how I can stomach listening to, interviewing, and talking about conservative news/talk radio all day. At the same time, conservative news/talk radio hosts ask me how I’m able to pay attention to liberal television hosts all day. The truth is, the politics don’t matter. The content and the broadcasting business do. So, while there are definitely thoughts about what Bari Weiss joining CBS News means for the outlet and its political leanings, I don’t care about that. I care about the business first and foremost.
And from a business perspective, Bari Weiss is an intriguing hire for CBS News. She’s not the kind of traditional journalist CBS usually brings into the fold, nor does she fit neatly into the network’s long-established culture. What she does bring, however, is a proven understanding of where journalism and media consumption are headed.
Weiss knows digital — not in the “post more clips on TikTok” sense, but in the “build a sustainable digital-first news brand” sense. That’s something CBS News desperately needs.
At The New York Times, Bari Weiss was part of a team that helped push one of America’s most legacy print institutions into the modern digital era. The Times reinvented itself as a digital news titan during her tenure. Whether you agreed with her work there or not, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Times’ digital success — both in content and subscriptions — came during a period when Weiss was among its most high-profile and forward-thinking voices.
After her departure, she didn’t fade away. She built her own media venture, The Free Press, from scratch. In just a few years, that project grew into a self-sustaining, profitable business. Say what you will about her political leanings, but her digital effort was just purchased for $150 million. That doesn’t happen by accident. You can’t sell something for nine figures unless you’ve created real value — both in audience and influence.
Sure, some critics will argue that Weiss hasn’t made the kind of cultural impact that other former mainstream-media personalities like Tucker Carlson or Megyn Kelly have. They’re right. But that’s not really a fair comparison. Weiss isn’t playing in the same arena as Carlson or Kelly, who are essentially running personality-driven media companies.
And that’s also why her move to CBS is so smart from a strategic standpoint. CBS News has had a digital problem for years. Its streaming service — CBS News 24/7 — has struggled to differentiate itself in a crowded space. Its YouTube presence, while improving, is nowhere near where it should be for a national news organization with CBS’s resources and history.
Look at these viewership figures on YouTube from major television news networks during 2025’s third quarter:
Fox News – 1.1 billion
MSNBC – 848 million
CNN – 627 million
NBC News – 424 million
ABC News – 359 million
Fox Business Network – 166 million
CBS News – 163 million
CBS News was beaten by Fox Business Network on YouTube? That isn’t a strategy failure. That’s a complete lack of strategy.
So, that’s a massive opportunity for someone like Bari Weiss. She understands how audiences actually consume news content in 2025 — not how television executives wish they consumed it. CBS News is still too focused on being a TV network with a digital add-on, rather than a modern digital news organization that also happens to have a television arm. Weiss, if given the freedom and support, could help change that.
Now, there’s no question her hiring will ruffle feathers inside the CBS newsroom. There are already reports of internal discomfort about the move. That’s not surprising. Weiss has a reputation as a provocateur. In a newsroom that still prides itself on the old-school prestige of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, that can feel like a culture clash.
But here’s the thing: culture clashes can be healthy. Conflict — constructive conflict, more specifically — is a good thing.
Legacy news organizations don’t evolve without discomfort. CBS News doesn’t need another anchor or a reshuffled lineup. It needs a reset in thinking. It needs someone willing to say, “Hey, maybe we’re not the center of the media universe anymore — and that’s okay, as long as we adapt.”
If you look at the biggest successes in modern journalism — whether it’s The New York Times or even YouTube-native news channels — they’re all built on understanding audience behavior. They don’t assume that because someone watched 60 Minutes last week, they’ll stick around for the next big story. They meet the audience where it already is. Weiss has built her career on that exact premise.
So while some CBS News employees are already holding their noses about the hire, it’s always good practice to give someone a chance before jumping to conclusions. Bari Weiss has shown she can build things that work in today’s media environment. If CBS lets her do that here, the network might finally find its footing in a digital world that’s been passing it by for a decade.
And if she can’t? Well, then CBS is right back where it started — still searching for a digital identity. But given Weiss’s track record, betting against her might not be the smartest business move.
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Time after time, we see the somewhat improbable become possible with celebrities, corporations, and culture. Yet time and again, individuals, companies, and even cultural icons have watched their reputations crumble—not because of a single bad decision, but because the brand drifted from the “thing” that made them matter in listeners’ or audiences’ lives in the first place.
This piece is a Tuesday morning reality check—or warning—for your adult brand about those who have lost sight of their core expectation. Be hyper-aware of radio backlash, fading relevance, or outright collapse, and what our brands can learn from historical mistakes.
We fully understand that our radio identity is what “prints” in the audience’s mind. Also, be fully aware that as a talent, your persona is what your audience expects when you are on-air and off-air.
For perspective—and until we get to the core point of today’s column—a quick review of branding fumbles through the decades.
Examples of Missing the Mark
With celebrity, the culture map is littered with unaware and oblivious roadkill that dismantled their brands while derailing audience expectations.
In 2018, Roseanne Barr had resurrected her once over-the-top career, driving her ABC sitcom Roseanne back to weekly ratings dominance. One racist tweet dismantled that comeback, and Roseanne retreated to Hawaii to lick her wounds. Her show continued under the banner of The Conners for another half decade.
Also see boneheaded comments (and actions) that played against audience expectations from Mel Gibson, Paula Deen, Lance Armstrong, Charlie Sheen, and Ellen DeGeneres, among dozens of others.
Within corporations, industry branding failure is sometimes headline-making, while others slip under the radar.
At one time, retailer JCPenney was a robust outlet that offered sporting goods, lawn equipment, and even a record department. JCPenney was wise to shed those loss-leading units to focus on soft lines. However, even the sharpest can trip.
In 2012, new JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson launched the “No Sales Strategy” for “Everyday Low Prices.” The JCPenney shopper had grown accustomed to sales and coupons. Revenue plummeted, and their CEO was dismissed after 17 months. The lesson: understand who your shoppers are before redefining your brand.
Famous dim actions you’ve certainly noted include the 1980s New Coke debacle, Bud Light’s recent Dylan Mulvaney controversy, and the failure-to-evolve non-actions by BlackBerry, Blockbuster, and Kodak.
What about cautionary tales from radio?
That list includes lengthy casualties such as Don Imus getting fired for racist slurs against a women’s basketball team, Opie & Anthony’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral stunt, and Don Geronimo’s characterizations of a female sports icon—each resulting in termination.
And then there’s The Greaseman.
Doug Tracht—widely known as The Greaseman—was the funniest of the Shock Jock era. His off-air videos are legendary.
This one about radio sellers and radio production for the 1995 Mercury Awards not only resonates today but is cry-out-loud funny.
The characters The Greaseman built in our imaginations still resonate today, and he’s a large part of why I chose this profession.
Even The Greaseman blundered a successful career.
Winter 1986. “The Grease,” as he was affectionately known, was anchoring mornings at WWDC (DC101) when he launched into a dark and offensive racist comment about the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
What followed was a swift dismissal, worldwide negative press, and much-needed sensitivity training. “The Grease” would put wind in his sails to revive his career, only to make a similar racist verbal disaster in the late 1990s at WARW (94.7 The Arrow).
Another example of expectations bursting when you arrive at your morning laugh spot on the dial and the host is spouting hate.
What To Learn From Jimmy Kimmel
Which brings us to the core point of today’s commentary.
Jimmy Kimmel.
Now that the dust has settled on the late-night rhetoric, what are the true facts about the Jimmy Kimmel Live! situation?
He’s one of us.
Jimmy Kimmel didn’t get his start in stand-up, acting, or even theater.
Jimmy got his start in college radio—like a bunch of us—leading to a tour of stops mostly in the West: Phoenix, Palm Springs, and Washington. Eventually, Jimmy docked his radio ship at the world-famous KROQ in Los Angeles as “Jimmy the Sports Guy” on The Kevin and Bean Show.
Kimmel built his brand on radio slapstick, fireable stunts, and sophomoric, inappropriate (but fun and funny) bits that eventually led him to television.
He caught the attention of television casting experts hosting Win Ben Stein’s Money on Comedy Central, which won Kimmel an Emmy. He then transitioned to his non sequitur humor on The Man Show in 1999, also on Comedy Central (also fun and funny).
When Jimmy Kimmel was recruited to host his own late-night program, he jumped at it. Recurring viral bits like “Mean Tweets” and “Unnecessary Censorship” became fun and funny internet staples. His inside jokes, along with stellar ratings, made his show competitive and now make Jimmy Kimmel Live! the longest-running late-night program of its type.
The clear audience expectation of Jimmy Kimmel Live! was appointment viewing—an excellent avenue to unwind with a beverage and laughs before bed.
That expectation began to shift a decade and a half ago when his monologue and content pivoted from gregarious comedy to politics.
Ratings success also began to shift.
As Jimmy Kimmel Live! became awash with political rhetoric, its ratings slid downhill, now garnering less than 0.5% of all Americans. The program struggles to gain 125,000 of the prime 18–49 demographic nightly—the same demo in which Jimmy Kimmel built his brand.
Let’s be crystal clear about the September 2025 suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following his comments on the death of political figure Charlie Kirk:
The program was easily pulled by Disney and affiliates, as there would be little audience loss compared to the nationwide uproar about his statements.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! will not regain previous ratings highs, as its current path to content building doesn’t align with core listener expectations.
Jimmy Kimmel and his parent company, Disney—then and now—are free to say anything on their affiliates within the guidelines of free speech.
Whether or not Jimmy Kimmel Live! is funny is up to the end user. The shift in content creation has certainly sucked the expectation of fun out of late night.
We’re pulling for Jimmy Kimmel to succeed. His radio-to-television transition is something that inspires even the grizzled radio veteran.
The hope here is that someone—anyone—in the Jimmy Kimmel camp will get through to him (Kimmel, through his company Kimmelot, is also the producer) that audience and advertisers will vaporize on his current path.
A Reminder….
This advisory for your brand is to stay true to what brought you success—especially among adult radio formats, where the listener comes to you for a feel-good moment in their day and makes you a favorite because you’re a bright spot in their lives.
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For programmers and music directors, the fourth quarter is unlike any other stretch of the calendar. Between holiday music dominance, shifting listener behavior, and reduced label priorities, it’s one of the hardest times to identify and launch Hot-AC hits. But if managed strategically, Q4 can also be a launchpad for the songs that will define your station’s sound in Q1 and beyond.
This year, the format is getting a huge gift — the incredible dominance of Taylor Swift!
As I write this, 11 songs from Life of a Showgirl are in the Top 50 on the Mediabase Hot-AC building chart. Some of those will raise their hands faster than others, but for Pop radio, this is a super early Christmas present!
Let’s, though, analyze the best way to navigate a normal year if Taylor weren’t there to make it easier.
Do the Research
First, recognize that the flow of new, promotable singles tends to slow down as labels pivot toward the gift-buying season. Artists may release big albums in November or December, but they’re often packaged for sales, not radio impact. That means programmers can’t count on the usual flood of obvious add choices.
Instead, you’ll need to lean more heavily on your own instincts, local research, and trend monitoring.
Look at which late Q3 and early Q4 releases have the potential to build momentum slowly. Those are often the titles that hold value once the holiday dust clears.
Holiday Headwinds
Then there’s the question of holiday music. If your station flips to all-Christmas, you know your current hits essentially go into hibernation until December 26. If you don’t flip, you’re competing with stations that do — which means your non-holiday playlist has to be sharper and more carefully chosen than ever.
The trick here is not to overload with unproven records. Pick two or three currents with real promise, rotate them strategically, and let them build familiarity without the risk of overexposure. Think of Q4 as a “hold steady” period where your best bet is keeping your core sound strong.
Programming tools matter even more during this season. Streaming data, Shazam activity, and TikTok momentum can all help fill the gap left by slowed label promotion. A song showing organic, steady growth — even without a major push — can be a smart hedge against the seasonal quiet.
The job for you, the programmer, is to separate passing digital fads from tracks with Hot-AC staying power. If you can spot that distinction in November, you’ll be ahead of the curve when January hits and the format resets.
Ride the Currents
Another practical step: stress-test your currents. Callout and other audience research can show you which songs truly have legs. If a title holds up through the distraction of holiday listening, that’s usually a green light that it will thrive in the first quarter.
In fact, many of the format’s biggest long-term hits became undeniable because they proved durable during Q4 and exploded once the holiday clutter was gone.
Finally, think beyond the music itself. Your Q4 presentation, imaging, scheduling, and on-air promotion can help carry borderline titles across the finish line. Use your personalities to lightly endorse emerging songs, create quick-hit listener polls to spotlight what’s resonating, and take advantage of your station’s digital presence to extend exposure. These touches won’t guarantee a hit, but they can help keep a promising record visible at a time when attention is all over the place.
In the end, finding Adult Pop hits in Q4 is about balance: holding steady with proven currents, selectively testing a few newcomers, and — at least for this year — sending Taylor a big “thank you” Christmas card!
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There’s a new Brand Manager at K95 in Richmond, as Carletta Blake has been tabbed as the new leader of the SummitMedia country station.
Blake — who was married last week to Moses Bigler and has taken on the last name of her new husband — joins SummitMedia after previously working as a program director and on-air talent at WGAR in Cleveland.
Previous stops include working in the format in Raleigh, Dallas, and Greenville, North Carolina.
In addition to serving as the Brand Manager of K95, she’ll serve as an on-air talent and member of the National Country Programming Team for the company.
“I’m honored to be a part of WKHK’s legendary history and am excited to be a part of the innovative radio at SummitMedia,” Blake said.
“We are excited to have Carletta’s passion and experience join our team,” added SummitMedia Executive Vice President Randy Chase. “Her knowledge and industry relationships will help us grow our legendary brand in Richmond.”
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On Sunday, WSM Radio in Nashville celebrated its 100th anniversary with a wide variety of programming and social media promotions.
It was the exact 100th anniversary date for the station, after it signed on the air on October 5th, 1925.
The station hosted a special Sunday evening edition of the Grand Ole Opry at 7 PM CT. The theme for the special edition of the Opry featured WSM staples, with artists like Pam Tillis, Charlie Worsham, Chuck Mead, Elizabeth Cook, Dailey & Vincent, and Old Crow Medicine Show gracing the stage.
Additionally, the station hosted several celebration shows, with one helmed by longtime morning host and Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Famer Bill Cody.
The station also featured a two-hour show hosted by General Manager and Content Director Eric Marcum, who talked about the past, present, and future of the heritage brand.
While WSM Radio is heard on 650 AM, on its app, and online, some have questioned what the future of the brand looks like.
The station is making no bones about what lies ahead. It shared a promotion campaign that shared that Sunday marked the beginning of “the next century” of WSM Radio.
WSM-AM broadcasts with a Class A signal of 50,000 watts, with nighttime coverage blanketing the eastern portion of the United States and Canada.
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The rise of AI chatbots like ChatGPT has been studied heavily. But rarely have they been viewed as a news platform. Pew Research Center data shows why that’s the case.
According to new data compiled by Pew, only 2% of Americans “often” get news from ChatGPT-like chatbots.
When combined with those who “sometimes” get news from AI chatbots — only 7% — it still fails to reach 10% overall.
16% of respondents said they “rarely” get news from AI sources, while 75% of respondents said they “never” use AI-platforms like ChatGPT as a news source.
Of those respondents who said they do use AI chatbots as a news source, 33% claimed it was difficult to determine what was true and what was not, while an additional 42% said they were unsure how difficult it was to assess whether what they were provided was accurate or not.
Additionally, roughly half — 49% — said that news they collected on AI platforms was at least sometimes inaccurate.
Of those Americans utilizing platforms like ChatGPT as a news source, a whopping 59% are between the ages of 18-29. There were no major differences in political party affiliation or educational level in the Pew Research Center data.
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