Alejandro “El Potrillo” Castillo Andrade, Birmingham radio personality and La Chula 97.5 station founder, died yesterday in a two-vehicle traffic accident. He was 34.
Castillo worked at El Jefe Radio in Tuscaloosa before founding La Chula 97.5, which has been on the air since January of this year.
The station shared the news on Facebook, which translates as follows:
“Sadly, our founder of Your Station, La Chula 975, Mr. Alejandro Castillo Andrade, better known as “El Potrillo,” passed away in a car accident. At this time, we do not have complete information to share with you. We ask for your understanding and respect for the family. These are difficult times that we are processing with great sorrow. We will be sharing more details about his funeral in the coming days.
The local Police Chief said that Castillo was deceased when they arrived at the accident scene.
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The YES Network had a massive first weekend of New York Yankees baseball viewership, as the network presented the second and third games of the season following ESPN broadcasting their Opening Day contest against the Milwaukee Brewers. According to Nielsen data released Friday by the network, the YES Network’s first two games of the season averaged viewership that ranked as the most-viewed cable programming in the month of March within the New York DMA.
In fact, Yankees fans flocked to the YES Network, consuming more than 152 million minutes of Yankees game action over the network’s first two telecasts of the 2025 regular season. This includes viewing across both the YES linear network and on YES within The Gotham Sports App, which also impressively peaked at #4 nationally among Apple’s sports apps.
Meanwhile, all of this occurred while the network was in deep talks with Comcast/Xfinity before a March 31 deadline for reaching a carriage agreement.
Furthermore, according to a release on Friday, the YES Network’s two-game linear TV delivery of 386,000 average total viewers outperformed the average for NCAA Men’s Basketball game telecasts on CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV between March 20–30 in the New York DMA. Notably, Sunday’s YES telecast led the way with an average viewership of 432,000 total viewers, peaking at 496,000 total viewers from 3:45 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
As a result, the Sunday series finale was the most-viewed program on cable that day in the New York DMA, as well as the network’s most-viewed non-primetime game in a calendar year.
Similarly, Saturday’s game was also the most-viewed program on cable for the day in the New York DMA. It was the YES Network’s most-viewed Saturday afternoon game in nearly two years, with an average viewership of 309,000 viewers.
All in all, approximately 1.1 million unduplicated total viewers in the New York DMA watched the YES Network during Opening Day weekend for the New York Yankees.
Additionally, it was a successful two-day run for The Gotham Sports App. Average streaming time per user was up 15% from 2024, and the platform averaged 9% more unique visitors across the weekend than the average from the last two Yankees Opening Day weekends.
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Dickey Broadcasting Company has announced a 12-year extension of its longstanding partnership with the Atlanta Braves, ensuring that 680 The Fan will remain the team’s exclusive radio home through the next decade.
“We are incredibly proud to extend our relationship with the Atlanta Braves,” said David Dickey, president of Dickey Broadcasting Company. “Our shared passion for baseball and dedication to delivering top-notch content to our listeners has been the cornerstone of our success. We look forward to many more seasons of exciting Braves baseball on 680 The Fan.”
In fact, the renewed agreement builds on a successful collaboration that has spanned 16 years, bringing fans extensive coverage, expert analysis, and exclusive team content. Moreover, according to both organizations, the new deal reinforces their shared commitment to delivering top-tier Braves coverage to listeners across the Southeast.
Braves President and CEO Derek Schiller echoed that sentiment, noting the important role Dickey Broadcasting has played in the team’s fan engagement strategy.
“The partnership with Dickey Broadcasting has been instrumental in connecting our fans with the team,” Schiller said. “680 The Fan’s exceptional coverage and commitment to excellence align perfectly with our goals. We are excited to continue this journey together.”
As part of the extended agreement, fans can expect expanded programming, exclusive interviews with players and staff, and deeper game-day analysis. Furthermore, both Dickey Broadcasting and the Braves emphasized that the partnership will continue to evolve in ways that enhance the listening experience and strengthen ties between the team and its supporters.
Notably, Dickey Broadcasting Company is credited with introducing the Atlanta market to the sports-talk radio format in 1993. Since then, it has grown to become the proud radio home of the Atlanta Braves, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the Official Sports Talk Station of the Georgia Bulldogs.
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77 WABC has announced it is adding The Lionel Show to its weekend lineup, marking another expansion for the New York news/talk radio brand.
The program will be heard on Saturdays from 2-6 AM. It is set to debut this weekend.
Michael William Lebron — known professionally as Lionel — previously hosted a nationally syndicated show on Air America, replacing Sam Seder in the network’s lineup at the time.
More recently, he has worked as a legal and political analyst on Russian state-controlled television network RT, as well as a pundit for the Alex Jones-led InfoWars.
He additionally hosts a show on his Lionel Nation YouTube channel. It currently features nearly 300,000 subscribers.
The addition of The Lionel Show comes as 77 WABC has bulked up its weekend programming. Earlier this year, the station added The Anthony Cumia Show — hosted by the former Opie & Anthony show host — to its Sunday offerings. That program was added to the list of programs syndicated nationally by Red Apple Audio Networks after one show.
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Longtime 700 WLW morning host Mike McConnell signed off for the final time at the iHeartMedia Cincinnati news/talk station Friday morning.
McConnell announced last week that he would depart the station after April marked 50 years of him working in the radio industry. He told Barrett Media in advance of his final show that he felt the round number, in addition to him turning 70 in May, made it the right time to step away.
In his final program after more than a decade with 700 WLW in morning drive, McConnell thanked listeners for making him a part of their mornings for so long.
“I don’t have any pearls of wisdom to leave anybody with,” McConnell said. “I’m just gonna punch the clock. I’ll be around town and I hope to see you. If you see me, make it a point to say hello. Thanks so much for listening.”
700 WLW has tabbed Thom Brennanman, son of Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman and an accomplished television sports announcer in his own right, to serve as the new morning host after the retirement of Mike McConnell.
Brennaman will begin his duties on Monday, April 7th. His show will be heard from 5-9 AM each morning on the heritage brand.
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KNBR and the San Francisco Giants have announced a four-year extension to keep the Major League Baseball franchise radio broadcasts on the legendary San Francisco radio brand. The station made the announcement with a post on their station X account.
Earlier today, Giants president Larry Baer joinedMurph & Markus on KNBR to announce the terms of the new agreement as the station broadcast live from 58 Social ahead of the Giants home opener.
“We’ve been married for a while? KNBR and the Giants,” said Baer on KNBR. “When you have a really good, long, successful marriage what do you want to do? You want to keep it going. So we were just talking about politics and the term four more years? What do you think of four more years of KNBR and the Giants!”
Notably, San Francisco Giants games have been broadcast on KNBR since 1979, with the play-by-play team of Jon Miller, Duane Kuiper, and Dave Flemming. Miller is entering his 28th season on the call for the Giants, and his 50th anniversary of his debut broadcast in Major League Baseball when he debuted with the Oakland Athletics in 1974.
In addition, this season will also feature the debut of former Giants favorite J.T. Snow as a regular fill-in host on KNBR, making weekly appearances on the station. Program Director Mike Hohler told the San Francisco Gate last month that the station is excited to welcome Snow’s perspective to the station lineup.
“Giants fans of a certain generation — and I’m in that generation — J.T. was one of their favorites,” Hohler said to the publication. “He’s just one of those guys that, if you’re a fan of the Giants, you just love everything about J.T. Snow and the way he played the game. I feel like Giants fans respect his opinions and thoughts.”
Furthermore, Baer noted that the contract was coming to an end with the radio station following this current season, but it made all the sense in the world to continue.
“Baseball is different, it’s every day,” noted Baer. “I can’t tell you the number of people that write in and say how it’s the background music of summer for them, and spring, and hopefully fall. It’s important, and we need it to be accessible. We need it to be out there to our fans in ways with your signal, with lots of platforms and lots of ways to get the broadcasts now. You guys are out doing it now.”
KNBR has ALWAYS been your home for Giants baseball, and it will continue to be through an incredible 50th season! On this Opening Day morning, we're excited to announce a four year contract extension with the @SFGiants to continue bringing you Giants baseball for years to come. pic.twitter.com/Q0YMkRCQYC
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Throughout my career, one thing that gave me the most joy was discovering new songs that I thought the audience would like. That was the case even when I wasn’t in charge of making the decisions on what to add to the radio station’s rotation.
I consider myself a music fan! So, with this weekly scribe, I intend to bring a few songs each week that I believe programmers, APDs, and Music Directors (if there are any still left) need to know about and possibly consider. Not every one of these will end up being a monster hit, but let’s see how many singles, doubles, and triples I can manage. Maybe a few will even leave the park (yes, I’m a big baseball fan. #LGM!)
Let me start this week with the Pop world. There are a couple of big, anticipated releases today, Ed Sheeran’s “Azizam” and Miley Cyrus’ “Something Beautiful.” Both of these songs will likely grab a ton of early airplay. We’ll see pretty quickly how sticky they are.
Sure to have a couple of strong early weeks is Ariana Grande‘s “Twilight Zone”, but here are a few other potential hits you should be open to. Alex Warren‘s “Ordinary” has quite a bit of Top 40 airplay but still has a lot of growth potential. There were 16 million national streams this past week for Alex, and at Hot AC, there only about 124 spins total.
Another potential three-format winner is Dasha‘s “Not At This Party”. The song is currently outside the top 30 at Pop, Hot, and Country. Streams grew 19% this week to just shy of 5 million.
For Country, it’s hard not to make a case for Morgan Wallen‘s “Just in Case.” With over 21 million streams in the first week or so out, this looks to be a no-brainer. But let’s throw this out as a consideration: Dan + Shay‘s “Always Gonna Be” is catchy with a solid hook.
Russell Dickerson‘s “Happen To Me” is another song with a great hook that is getting solid airplay. Streams are also growing nicely.
In the rock world of active, AAA, and Alternative, here are a few picks this week: Evanescence‘s “Afterlife” which showcases Amy Lee’s amazing vocals, and If Not For Me‘s “Say It To My Face”. Both are worth a listen!
From the Rhythm, Urban, and R&B world, I like Muni Long‘s “Superpowers.” It’s catchy and well-written, and Long’s vocals stand out. Ari Lennox‘s “Soft Girl Era” has a good hook, and I love her vocals too.
So, there you have it. That wraps up my first “Hits on Horizon” feature. I’ll be keeping score, as I’m sure you will be too.
Music is at the heart of what we do as programmers, and my goal each week is to present a few songs across a spectrum of formats worthy of your consideration. Some may be obvious, and some require taking a chance, but the thing to remember is at one point, somebody took a chance on a group called The Beatles and put them on the radio. That worked out ok!
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Country B-105 Cincinnati has parted ways with afternoon co-host Jason “Stattman” Statt and weekender Scott Evans Littleton.
Stattman co-hosted afternoons alongside “Big Dave” Chandler on “The Big Dave Show,” which Chandler will continue to host. Statt hosted B-105 mornings from 1999 until moving to PM drive in October 2024.
Also departing is Scott Evans Littleton, who spent 13 years with the station. He wrote on Facebook:
“So my time at B-105 and Hubbard officially came to an end today. I want to thank Grover for giving me a chance to once again play radio 13 years ago on one of the stations I grew up listening to. I am still on the radio in Albany, GA, and Cookeville, TN, on weekdays and weekends with my syndicated show, The Interactive Party. Plus, I will continue posting my nonsense here. Lol.”
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Bill Schoening has been calling San Antonio Spurs basketball games since 2001, but following this current season, the veteran play-by-play announcer has announced he will be retiring. After calling 2,280 games without missing a tip-off, the April 13 match-up against the Toronto Raptors will be his last.
Schoening shared the news via his personal Facebook page, saying he’s enjoyed his time behind the mic calling Spurs games for the last 24 seasons on 1200 WOAI.
“Well, it’s official. I’m retiring from full time broadcasting effective at the end of the Spurs regular season,” posted Schoening. “This ride has taken me literally all over the world, and I’ve been very blessed. There are so many folks to thank I can’t even begin to mention names because I don’t want to omit anyone. Even though travel, hiking, writing songs, and mentoring young sportscasters will all be part of the future, I’m not hanging up the microphone just yet. I hope to do some fill in work on college football and baseball in the coming seasons.”
Schoening, a Philadelphia native, began his broadcasting career over four decades ago. Initially, he spent 12 years as the play-by-play announcer for the University of Texas and, during that time, had the opportunity to call games at memorable venues such as Lambeau Field, Yankee Stadium, and the Rose Bowl. Moreover, Schoening also voiced play-by-play for the NFL, MLB, and arena football.
According to a press release from the Spurs, senior director of broadcasting for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Mike Kickirillo, was appreciative of Schoening for his many years of memorable calls.
“Bill’s voice has been the soundtrack to so many incredible Spurs milestones,” said Kickirillo. “His passion, professionalism and storytelling ability have made him a beloved figure in the Spurs community over his 2,280 consecutive games, never missing a moment. While we’ll miss his presence on the air, his legacy will always be a part of our franchise’s history.”
Schoening is a four-time recipient of the Associated Press “Top Texas Play-by-Play Award” and was named Texas Sportscaster of the Year in 2014. Furthermore, his contributions to the industry were further recognized in 2022 when he was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.
“It’s difficult to walk away from a job that has provided so many fond memories and spawned many meaningful relationships, but it’s time for me to step away from full time broadcasting and pursue some other interests like mentorship, volunteer work and time with family,” said Schoening via a team release. “I’m thankful for my 24 seasons spent with the Spurs, calling four championships and being on hand for every game the Big Three played together. It has been an honor to describe the Spurs brand of selfless basketball, and I’ll never forget their consistent pursuit of excellence.”
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There has been some debate in the space about what now constitutes a podcast. Some argue it is an audio-only medium, while others have widely adopted video platforms like YouTube and Rumble as podcast platforms. New data from Coleman Insights and Amplifi Media shows just how ubiquitous both means of consumption are.
While presenting a keynote session at Podcast Movement Evolutions, Coleman Insights Vice President and Consultant Jay Nachlis and Amplifi Media CEO/founder Steve Goldstein revealed that 77% of podcast consumers between the ages of 15 and 64 alternate between audio and video for their podcast consumption.
Only 23% of those surveyed said they exclusively use either audio or video for their podcast listening or viewing.
Additionally, the study shows that there is minimal difference between the habits of younger and older users.
“When we look at Gen Z podcast consumers between the ages of 15 and 29, 83% use audio and video interchangeably, only slightly higher than the general population,” said Nachlis. “Video podcasts is not a young-leaning phenomenon.”
There is also a rapid shift in how video podcast users consume the content. In a joint study 18 months ago, Coleman Insights and Amplifi Media data showed that most video podcast consumption happened on smartphones, with lesser levels for computers and smart TVs. Today, smart TV usage has risen significantly and is now tied with computers as the second most likely avenue for video podcast consumption.
“It’s not enough to say lots of people use YouTube for podcasts,” said Goldstein. “The way they are using YouTube is also changing.”
The two companies are planning a webinar to discuss the findings of its latest study. The State of Video Podcasting 2025 webinar will be held on Thursday, April 17th at 2 PM ET. Those wishing to attend the webinar can register by clicking here.
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