Home Blog Page 863

News/Talk Radio Needs to Embrace What Separates It From Other Formats in 2025

Peter Thiele
-
0
News/Talk Radio Needs to Embrace What Separates It From Other Formats in 2025

Part of the appeal of radio is immediacy. We are speaking of what is happening at that very moment in our neighborhood, community, state, nation, and world. Radio’s advantage over a playlist, podcast, or audiobook is we are now. While social media may have happenings as they develop, sometimes finding accurate information is problematic.

Are you living in the moment on your radio show?

Read me out here… When there is a huge news story — for instance, a blizzard — do you have the news guy standing outside to do a live report? Are you taking calls from listeners? Did you drop your guests who are not discussing snow? Whatever that breaking news story is, news/talk radio stations must go full-on with the coverage.

What is “Topic A?” Many hosts have benchmarked segments or guests, and I strongly recommend having these. But you must break the format for big happenings. I worked with an amazing host who insisted on keeping a regular guest on the show while several huge traffic issues caused total gridlock in the community. I generally never interrupt a show unless something is earth-shattering. I went into the studio during the break and told the host to focus on the actual audience. You see kids, if there is a huge traffic event or a weather warning affecting your community, people are stuck in their vehicles trying to figure out what is going on. This is our moment to shine! This is a free marketing campaign for your station.

The music stations in your market are likely voice-tracked and the 30-second, twice-an-hour traffic report will not reflect the frustration and worry of your listeners. If the traffic event is in the morning, people are trying to get into the office. If the traffic mess is in the afternoon, a parent may be rushing to pick up their child or dog at daycare.

Your listeners are exceptionally busy. An unanticipated delay is very worrying. Your radio station is there to reflect their concerns. Oh, this is a perfect definition of a Listener-Focused Experience! The people in your community can’t read a blog to find out about traffic while driving. The listeners should not be surfing the web looking for the reason behind the traffic problem. You are the lifeline for your community. Never forget this.

I get it. You are hosting a drivetime show and there are a lot of moving parts. Sometimes, these things are a judgment call. You don’t want to be the kid who cries wolf. We must be responsible with these service elements and situations. I am all in on making radio fun and poking fun at ourselves on the show. But there are three things that you should never ever minimize: news, traffic, and weather.

Spoken word radio in most markets has cume issues. The news, traffic, and weather are cume-building ingredients for your show and radio station. We must always be thinking about adding more listeners. This must be an intentional strategy.

I often will push back on shows that have an inside language all their own. The reason is that these language devices may make your show or station less accessible to people trying your broadcast. Have you ever been invited to a party where everyone attending has known each other since high school? You arrive and are greeted and then introduced to the people. The conversation sometimes reverts to something that happened in the group’s junior year in high school. The anecdotes and stories are loved by this group of friends. Since you don’t have any personal reference to these relationships, you are unintentionally frozen out of the conversation. This is death to a radio show or station.

Does your station have a playbook for breaking news? Music stations have it so much simpler. It is so easy to focus on playing the right songs at the proper time. The human responsible for scheduling the music is easy to address if things go off the rails. A talk show is like a morning show on a music station. Depending on the spoken word station, there may be one to five local shows. If you are a programmer, the goal is to allow these artists to be as free from interference as possible. Unfortunately, hosts lose focus from time to time.

Does your radio station have a target listener profile? Hey Program Director, when was the listener profile last updated? Does this listener profile reflect the actual data for your market? When was the last time that you dug into the census data? You should know the average age of a person in your community, how many people are in the average household, and how long the average commute is

Does your staff know these data points? Everything needs to be well-defined. This is all a part of providing a Listener-Focused experience.

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.

Matt Murphy Always Had His Eyes on Afternoon Drive at SuperTalk 99.7 WTN

Garrett Searight
-
0

In December 2021, Matt Murphy departed his longtime news/talk home in Birmingham to take over the 12-3 PM timeslot in the lineup at SuperTalk 99.7 WTN.

And as he made his way to Music City to helm the midday show, a thought continually prevailed in his mind: “If I do my job, I’ll be in afternoon drive within three years.”

Mission accomplished.

Last month, Murphy was announced as the successor to Brian Wilson, who retired from the 3-7 PM window at the Cumulus Media Nashville news/talk station.

It’s easy to see why Matt Murphy would covet the afternoon drive slot on SuperTalk 99.7 WTN. Before Wilson, a news/talk radio powerhouse in his own right, the window was hosted by Phil Valentine. A radio legend in Nashville, Valentine unfortunately succumbed to the COVID-19 virus in August of 2021, leading to the shuffle that brought Murphy to the Tennessee capital in the fir st place.

“Since I came to Nashville, it was always a goal of mine,” Murphy said of his new opportunity in afternoons. “Brian Wilson has made such a name for himself, not only in Nashville but across the United States. The idea to follow him after he followed the great Phil Valentine is just a great honor and opportunity for me, and one that I very much look forward to.”

“The idea that I would sit in the same seat as Phil, that I would then sit in the same seat as Brian, in the same daypart, is just a great chance for me to showcase what we’ve already built in middays going forward,” Murphy later added.

And that chance to not only hone his craft in the 12-3 PM timeslot on the station, but to also acclimate himself to the Nashville and Tennessee political scenes after spending more than 20 years in Alabama allows him to hit the ground running in afternoons.

“I love covering the national scene, but I like to dig into the state scene, as well, being a local show,” Murphy said. “And learning that, in the state of Tennessee, there’s one statewide elected official — it’s the governor. In Alabama, you had the governor, lieutenant governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General, auditor, all of these statewide elected positions.So, naturally, there’s a lot of jockeying for positioning before an election season.

“Well here, all of those are appointed positions, except for the governor. So that dynamic alone, it seems like a little thing, but it’s a huge thing in terms of the nature of politics. So when you start learning, you have to catch up to speed with all of those types of things. So that was a lot of excitement. And I’m glad that we did it this way. There was some thought about where I would fit into the lineup three years ago. I’m glad that it happened the way that it did, that I kind of learned the lay to land before I got into that drive time slot.”

Murphy said it didn’t sink in that he would take over such a venerated timeslot until Cumulus Media Nashville Market President and General Manager Allison Warren — alongside Talk Programming Operations Manager Paul Mason — that he had, in fact, been tabbed to take over afternoon drive.

“There was always a feeling that I had that opportunity in front of me, so long as I didn’t screw it up, honestly,” he said with a chuckle. “But it wasn’t until she officially said ‘We would like for you to be our afternoon drive host,’ that it kind of hit me. And then I did think about the legacy of the radio station, the incredible power that that radio station has demonstrated.

“Things like the pushback against the income tax, where Phil Valentine orchestrated what was a statewide effort to stop a state income tax in the state of Tennessee. I mean, moments like that. You’re trying to carry on that tradition. So it’s the culmination of what I came here to do. The opportunities that are in front of us now are limitless … so I’m very excited.”

The three-year period at SuperTalk 99.7 WTN in middays also allowed Matt Murphy to get a deeper understanding of the audience that listens to the 100,000-watt flamethrower that can be heard as far away as Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky.

“I think you have to know who you’re talking to. You have to understand what (the audience’s) concerns are immediately,” he said. “And so that balance becomes when we’re going to talk about national subjects versus when we’re talking about things that are involving Davidson County, or Nashville, Tennessee, or Tennessee more broadly.

“And frankly, I think in the last eight years — as incredible as Donald Trump has been for America, in my opinion — but for the industry that I work in … I think there’s a danger in not serving the local community and not serving the state community and making sure that you’re hitting those subjects as well. So I try to do my best to balance the two, and there are plenty of ways to do that, but you have to know the area that you’re in in order to do that effectively.”

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.

The Interview: Total Information A.M. on KMOX

Garrett Searight
-
0
The Interview: Total Information A.M. on KMOX

The Midwest was slammed by a winter storm over the weekend, with snow and ice being dumped all over the region. Total Information A.M. on KMOX went into overdrive to cover the storm on Monday morning.

St. Louis was in the band that was most affected by the winter weather and with KMOX morning show being selected as the 10th best morning show in the mid-market rankings in the latest Barrett Media Top 20 released on Monday, I thought why not check out the program on the legendary station.

The show — which airs from 6-11 AM on the Audacy St. Louis station — is helmed by Tom Ackerman, Debbie Monterrey, and Megan Lynch.

For this edition of The Interview, we’re focusing on Lynch’s interview with AccuWeather meteorologist Heather Zehr after the winter weather hampered much of the region over the weekend.

First and foremost, the interview was short. The discussion between the Total Information A.M. host and the forecaster was just under five minutes long. Which, in an environment like morning drive, especially on a news/talk station like KMOX, is the perfect length. Short. Sweet. And to the point. Especially after the area received between 6-12 inches of precipitation.

In fact, the first question from Lynch was “What were our totals?”, after pointing out that the accumulation included both ice and snow in the city.

After a succinct answer from Zehr, Megan Lynch followed up with another short question: “What storm system came in that led to all of this?”

So, right off the bat, Lynch got answers for her listeners. Contextualizing the event, finding out the reason for just how the region underwent such a drastic winter weather event.

When the meteorologist explained how so much snow and ice hit the area, Lynch fell into two of the seven deadly interview sins at once: she didn’t ask a question, and she prolonged it by remarking on the topic instead of finding a query for the subject

“Talk to us about what we can expect for the week,” Lynch said. “I know when we talked with the Missouri Department of Transportation, they told us it’s gonna take us a few days to clear all of this away.”

In the past, I’ve given a bit of a pass to interviewers who don’t ask a question but instead remark as a way for their interview subject to open up a bit. However, in this case, I think it’s important to point out that the subject isn’t a closed-off politician or public figure attempting to conceal information or hide their true feelings about a topic. The subject is a weather forecaster. So the “talk to us about” is one of those things that can grind my gears just a bit during an interview because it’s as simple as it gets. There’s no question. No real thought about to how to get information from the subject other than just beating them over the head with it.

On the next opportunity to ask a question, Lynch did the same thing. “Talk about the winds that we’re expected to have. I know that was another warning we got overnight that even if the crews got the snow cleared off … what could we be seeing in the way of snow blowing back across the roads? Because it doesn’t seem like a very wet snow,” she said.

Believe me when I tell you — that whether it be radio hosts, TV anchors, sports sideline reporters, or anyone in between — the Total Information A.M. host isn’t the only interviewer who falls into what I like to call the “Talk About Trap.”

“Talk about” isn’t a question. It’s a command. And while you’d like to have command over the conversation, you don’t want to be commanding over your interview subject.

That trap continued when the conversation shifted to an explanation about the difference between temperature, “Real Feel” temperature, and wind chill. Lynch started the question with “Talk to us about,” instead of asking a short, one-sentence question like she did to begin the interview.

I understand how it’s easy to fall into the “Talk About Trap”, especially in this situation where the intent is to get important — in some cases life-saving — information to the public. And when you’re focused on getting that information to the audience, you can lose sight of what’s the best way to get your interview subject to give that information. It’s the simplest way to get the subject to share what you want them to share.

I liken it to being a sports television play-by-play announcer. One of your jobs is to set up the color commentator to be the star. And that’s how I viewed a conversation such as this one. The host is attempting to set up the guest to be the expert, the voice of reason, and a credible source of important information for a wide listening audience. So it’s easy to lose sight of what makes a good to great interview when that’s the intent.

However, that’s really the only thing I could critique about the discussion as a whole. Total Information A.M. didn’t keep the AccuWeather meteorologist on to attempt to eat up more time, showcase her personality, or any other reason to keep a guest on longer than they need to be.

They got her in, got her out, and got their audience valuable information about what happened, what’s to come, what to expect going forward, and context on how and why it happened. Which, in the fast-paced world we expect out of our morning drive news/talk radio shows, it was a job well done by Total Information A.M.

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.

Two Morning Show Changes At Cox Media San Antonio

BMM Staff
-
0
Two Morning Show Changes At Cox Media San Antonio

More morning show changes are happening in San Antonio, this time at Cox Media Group.

At Country “Y100” KCYY, hosts Tucker ‘Frito’ Young and Katy Dempsey have officially left the station after three years. The duo joined Y100 on January 6, 2022, transitioning from Bryan Broadcasting’s Top 40 “Candy 95” in College Station, TX, where they led the morning show.

During their time at Y100, Young also served as cluster Operations Manager while Dempsey was Program Director.

At sister Hot AC “Hits 105.3,” the “Ted, Drex & Kara” from Atlanta-based WSB-FM B98.5 has officially launched. This marks the third market where the show is now being broadcast.

Hosted by Tad Lemire, P.J. ‘Drex’ Rener, and Kara Leigh, the program has maintained its current format since May 2017, when Drex joined the team and Leigh was elevated from a producer role to the show’s female voice.

Lemire has been anchoring the morning segment at WSB-FM since January 2016, following his previous stints in morning radio at KRAV in Tulsa and WEZN in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

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.

Michael Kay: New Midday Show is the Old Show ‘on Ozempic Without Any of the Nasty Side Effects’

BSM Staff
-
0
Michael Kay: New Midday Show is the Old Show ‘on Ozempic Without Any of the Nasty Side Effects’

For the first time in over two decades with ESPN New York, Michael Kay is hosting a solo show on the station. Kay had been part of a trio in afternoon drive with Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg on The Michael Kay Show, the longest-running afternoon drive program in New York City within the sports talk radio format. La Greca and Rosenberg are now hosting with Alan Hahn in afternoon drive as Kay moves to a two-hour solo venture in middays. In an interview with Barrett Sports Media last month, Kay explained that he had thought about an exit strategy from the previous iteration of the show because of having to balance the show with his play-by-play job on YES Network for New York Yankees baseball.

As he opened his first show in the new timeslot on Monday afternoon, Kay expressed that it was a pleasure to be on the air and would address how the show was going to be different. With La Greca and Rosenberg in the afternoons, Kay stated that the show has lost about 400 pounds and evinced the similarities between the programs.

“I say that this show, the new Michael Kay Show, is the old Michael Kay Show on Ozempic, but without any of those nasty side effects, so that’s the way we’ll be rolling from now on,” Kay said. “We’ll have a good time, we’re going to have great guests, we’re going to have great features – all of that, and we are so excited to get the new show rolling.”

The debut of Kay’s show in middays is part of a new, local lineup on the station from ESPN and Good Karma Brands with familiar personalities and new voices. The morning show with Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg remains in tact, followed by the return of Chris Carlin to the ESPN New York airwaves with Bart Scott. Kay hosts the ensuing two hours followed by Don, Hahn & Rosenberg in afternoon drive until 7 p.m. EST.

Under his new agreement with ESPN, Kay will continue hosting on the New York radio station while also fulfilling his obligations on Yankees television broadcasts. Good Karma Brands entered into a local marketing agreement with Audacy towards the end of last August that allows it to place ESPN New York programming on the 880 AM frequency.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on,” Kay said of his new show. “Again, it’s the old show on Ozempic without any of the nasty side effects.”

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.

Audacy Ups Ryan Cooley To SVP/Market Manager In Portland

BMM Staff
-
0
Audacy Ups Ryan Cooley To SVP/Market Manager In Portland

Audacy has announced the appointment of Ryan Cooley as Senior Vice President and Market Manager for its Portland market.

In this position, Cooley will be responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of brands, which includes 1080 The Fan, Classic Rock 92.3 KGON, ESPN 910 (KMTT-AM), 94/7 Alternative Portland (KNRK-FM), Bella 105 (KRSK-FM), Country 99.5 The Wolf (KWJJ-FM), Classic Hits 97.1 Charlie (KYCH-FM), CHANNEL Q (KRSK-HD2), and 94/7 Too (KNRK-HD2).

“Ryan’s leadership, extensive broadcast experience, and love for the Portland community make him a valuable asset to the market,” said Doug Abernethy, Audacy Regional President. “We look forward to seeing him take on this new role and guide the Portland team to achieve even greater success.” 


“I’m honored to be named Audacy Portland’s next Senior Vice President and Market Manager. I started with this incredible group of stations 20 years ago, and being entrusted with the opportunity to help this team reach its full potential is something I don’t take lightly,” said Cooley. “This team is truly special; these radio stations are iconic, and the people here are the heart of everything we do. Together, we’re excited to build on this legacy and continue shaping the future of radio in Portland.”

Cooley launched his career at Audacy in 2005 as a Sales Associate, steadily advancing to hold leadership positions in Portland, Boston, and San Francisco.

He was pivotal in launching 95.7 The Game (KGMZ-FM) in San Francisco and oversaw new business development and account growth for WEEI (WEEI-FM) in Boston.

Throughout his tenure, he has served in various capacities, including Account Executive, Local Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, and most recently, Director of Sales.

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.

Quu Tabs Alan Jurison to Lead Innovation and Special Projects

BNM Staff
-
0
Quu Tabs Alan Jurison to Lead Innovation and Special Projects

Quu has announced the addition of Alan Jurison to lead the company’s special projects and innovation.

Jurison comes to the company from iHeartMedia where he served as the Senior Operations Engineer. In 2024, he earned the Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award for his work in optimizing RDS displays and his work with HD Radio for the company.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about elevating radio technology and helping the industry understand the critical role of metadata, especially in the digital dashboard,” said Alan Jurison. “Joining Quu is an incredible opportunity to build on that mission. I’m eager to contribute to this talented team’s efforts to strengthen radio stations’ relationships with their listeners and advertising clients.”

In his new role, Jurison will report to Quu Senior Director of Technical Services Joe Marshall.

“Alan’s innovative mindset and technical expertise make him an exceptional addition to Quu,” said Steve Newberry, CEO of Quu. “His vision aligns perfectly with our goals to help radio boost ratings and generate new revenue through visual solutions that engage and retain audiences.”

Jurison is on the job and meeting with industry professionals at CES in Las Vegas this week.

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.

Ben Ealy Departs Mornings At Country 104.7 WAYZ Hagerstown MD

BMM Staff
-
0
Ben Ealy Departs Mornings At Country 104.7 WAYZ Hagerstown MD

Country 104.7 WAYZ Hagerstown, MD, has announced changes in its morning lineup. Morning host Ben Ealy has departed the station. Afternoon co-host Katy Dickinson will take over the morning slot with a new program, “Mornings with Katy.”

Ealy wrote on Instagram, “I’ve been debating when the best time to share this would be, and I guess today works better than anything else.”

“Shortly before the holidays, 104.7 WAZY and I parted ways. I am beyond thankful for the past few years. I’ve had so much fun waking up the tristate.”

Dan Michaels will continue to host afternoons.

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.

Jessica Smetana: ‘I Feel Super, Super Lucky’ to Not Have Been on Bourbon Street During Truck Attack

BSM Staff
-
0
Jessica Smetana: ‘I Feel Super, Super Lucky’ to Not Have Been on Bourbon Street During Truck Attack

Last week, a truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans killed at least 14 people and injured 35 more in what is being called an act of terrorism by the FBI. Due to the attack and pending investigation, the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome was postponed for 20 hours and impacted the mood surrounding the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup. Jessica Smetana, an alumna of the University of Notre Dame, was in town to attend the game but not out in the French Quarter district when the devastating attack transpired.

Explaining the situation on Monday’s edition of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Smetana divulged that she had been in South Bend, Ind. to watch the team defeat Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Smetana traveled to New Orleans for the quarterfinal matchup, but she ended up leaving the next day following the attacks due to difficulty associated with travel logistics and other obligations at home, she explained on social media. Smetana also shared that she “would have felt really uneasy about attending” and elaborated on the situation on the air.

“I feel super, super lucky that we weren’t on Bourbon Street when the attack happened, but we were there all day on New Year’s Eve, and waking up Wednesday to a hundred texts from loved ones asking if we were okay is just a really jarring feeling,” Smetana said. “So I feel really, really lucky obviously, and I’m glad we’re okay, but it’s a horrible situation.”

Smetana articulated that she shared links on her Instagram story where people can donate to help some of the victims and added that she would repost it Monday as well. The show addressed what took place while discussing other football news, including the impact of Pat McAfee on College GameDay and FOX Sports listing that lead analyst Tom Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl champion in his lower-third graphic.

Le Batard acknowledged that the transition from Smetana’s experience to discussing staying at the Golic household was awkward and later spoke about a purported “aging cynicism” from longtime sports media professionals covering college football. Smetana’s remarks followed Le Batard and co-host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner conveying how Notre Dame is one of, if not the best college football team in the country.

“It’s just an awful, awful, awful situation, and I just feel terrible for all the victims and all the families and everyone who was impacted by the attack on New Year’s Day morning,” Smetana concluded. “It was just truly just a horrific thing.”

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.

Audacy Announces Partnership With Claritas for New Enhanced Advertising Measurement

BNM Staff
-
0
Audacy Announces Partnership With Claritas for New Enhanced Advertising Measurement

Audacy has announced a new partnership with Claritas for enhanced measurement capabilities for its broadcast and digital audio advertising campaigns.

The partnership will allow advertisers to bolster their return on investment by showcasing the value audio advertising offers to marketers.

According to a statement from the companies, the Audacy and Claritas solution will integrate broadcast radio spot logs into multiplatform campaigns that Claritas is measuring for Audacy clients, tracking reach and impression frequency for ads running on Audacy broadcast stations. Claritas will combine this data with census-level website activity, including site visits, purchases, and form fills, and analyze it through a proprietary data science model.

“Multi-platform audio campaigns that couple traditional radio and digital to deliver better outcomes for our advertiser partners’ audio investments and to their overall media plans,” said Audacy Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman. “By integrating Claritas’ advanced measurement methodology into Audacy’s analytics stack, we’ll equip our clients with even more actionable data on how their campaigns are performing and Audio’s impact on overall  campaign results.”

The partnership was announced at the Consumer Electronic Show 2025.

“Audacy and Claritas have delivered an important breakthrough in advertising measurement, integrating broadcast and digital. The insights on who is converting based on Claritas ID Graph, combined with GenAI analysis, are immediately actionable,” said Claritas Chief AI Officer Rex Briggs. “We are enabling advertisers to bolster their return on investment while proving the strategic value audio advertising delivers to businesses.”

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.

1...862863864...2,593Page 863 of 2,593