Columns

Bringing him back into the terrestrial fold isn't just a nice programming story for Westwood One. It's a legitimately strong business move.

Why has there been a lack of innovation in radio over the past decade? It's because even a short-term drop in ratings and revenue is considered a moment to panic. What are Bob and Mary to do? They are prisoners of their companies' covenants.

"What does need to change is the amount of room networks give their talent to challenge their league partners when the conversation gets uncomfortable. That's a much more important discussion than whether a man should replace a woman in the analyst chair."

"None of those platforms consistently delivers a trusted local personality who understands the community."

"Now, the NFL is saying it’s the team’s fault if it provides information it shouldn’t? Because Aikman and Brady have ties to other teams, and the league knows that. What are we doing here?"

Press secretary is a demanding job: early mornings, late nights, and a level of scrutiny that makes cable news look gentle by comparison. It also doesn't pay like cable news or national radio syndication does.

"If your station went dark tonight, flipped formats, ceased to exist - what would the market actually lose?"

I was on a Zoom call last week with one of my former bosses, and we agreed that we're glad we're not doing surveys for a living anymore. It's a very tough business, and all these factors can cause some strange results.

"Your station becomes a topic of conversation — something I'm sure it is not on the average day."

Lee Harris is out at Worldwide News Network, and the fledgling network now faces its first real test of leadership stability. Barrett Media broke...