Good Morning! The Aug 18 Pulse Updates The Latest

Radio Broadcasting

CMG Lobbies FCC: Cox Media Group is urging the FCC to eliminate or significantly reform its local radio ownership limits, arguing the rules no longer match today’s competitive media landscape.

Nielsen-WW1 Talk Deal: Talks between Cumulus Media and Nielsen continue over a new contract granting Westwood One access to national radio ratings, even as the companies remain locked in a federal appeals court fight over a preliminary injunction.

Delmont Double Duty: iHeartMedia has named veteran country radio personality Bob Delmont as the new evening host at WMZQ-FM (98.7) in Washington, D.C., and midday host at WPOC-FM (93.1) in Baltimore.

Media Industry

Trump Disparages CNN Reporter: Trump repeatedly told CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes to “be quiet” and labeled her a “fake reporter” during an Oval Office event on Monday, after she pressed him on his communications with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and related policy moves.

Longtime ABC Correspondent Admits Bias: Terry Moran said Friday that the network and much of mainstream media suffer from a deep-seated progressive bias—a “bubble” of limited viewpoint diversity—that hampered coverage of Donald Trump’s second term.

CNN Primetime: CNN has locked in its primetime lineup by signing Abby Phillip to a new multiyear deal, ensuring anchors Anderson Cooper, Kaitlan Collins and Phillip remain in place ahead of Paramount Skydance’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. 

U-S News

Trump Polling: President Donald Trump’s polling woes continue as he fell to a new record low since his return to the White House, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos survey, with only one in three Americans approving of his job performance. The poll found that only 33% of Americans approved of Trump’s performance, down 2 percentage points.

Clancy Mom Testifies: Lindsay Clancy's mother testified that her daughter was anxious, fearful of being alone, and expressed thoughts of harming her children before the January 2023 murders, supporting the defense's claim of postpartum depression and psychosis.

TWH Threats: The White House for weeks promised that Iran was close to signing a nuclear deal and that Oman could be helpful in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The tiny Gulf nation suddenly found itself at the center of the effort to end the war. This deal, however, has proved elusive. And President Trump’s frustration with this standoff prompted him to threaten to bomb Oman on Monday.

Cox Media Urges FCC Reform Radio Ownership Rules

Cox Media Group is urging the FCC to eliminate or significantly reform its local radio ownership limits, arguing the rules no longer match today’s competitive media landscape.

CMG Radio President Rob Babin, Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel Alysia Long, and Corporate Counsel Taylor Lamb made the case in separate meetings August 11 with staff for FCC Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez. 

The discussions form part of the Commission’s pending 2022 Quadrennial Review of its local radio ownership rules. 

The executives met with Trusty Senior Legal Advisor Marcus Maher and Gomez Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor Deena Shetler.

CMG told the FCC the existing restrictions are leftovers from a very different media marketplace. Local radio broadcasters now compete against streaming audio, podcasts, satellite radio, social media, and major digital advertising platforms that face no comparable structural ownership limits. The company said this regulatory imbalance hampers radio companies’ ability to grow audiences and attract advertising. Those pressures, CMG argued, can also undermine broadcasters’ capacity to sustain local programming, emergency coverage, and other community investments, especially as ad dollars shift toward digital platforms with potentially unlimited reach.

The broadcaster therefore called on the FCC to either eliminate or substantially overhaul the local radio ownership restrictions so stations can compete on more even terms with digital and other audio services.

Trump Disparages Reporter From CNN

Trump, Holmes (on right)

President Donald Trump repeatedly told CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes to “be quiet” and labeled her a “fake reporter” during an Oval Office event on Monday, after she pressed him on his communications with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and related policy moves. CNN responded that the White House’s subsequent personal attacks on the journalist are “beneath the office.” 

The confrontation occurred while Trump hosted 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams, who rescued 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai from heavy surf in Santa Cruz, California, along with the boy himself. Trump had discussed his relationship with Kim Jong Un and defended scaling back joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises. When Holmes sought to follow up on whether Kim had requested the reduction, Trump interrupted her. “Quiet. You’re very disrespectful in front of this young man, okay?” Trump said, turning toward the young guests and asking if they found her disrespectful. 

After learning she worked for CNN, he continued: “Fake news. You’re a loud, boisterous person. You’re fake news. Be quiet… You’re a fake reporter and you report fake news.” Earlier in the session, Holmes had asked about comments from Sen. Jon Ossoff regarding Trump’s White House aide Natalie Harp and a planned ballroom project. The White House’s Rapid Response account later escalated with personal posts targeting Holmes, including one suggesting her children would be “sickened and embarrassed” by her questions. In a statement, a CNN spokesperson said:

Trump also dismissed separate reporting on conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during the event, calling related CNN coverage “fake news.” The exchange fits a pattern of sharp exchanges between the president and journalists, particularly female reporters, during his second term.

CNN Locks-In Three Primetime Hosts

Cooper Collins, Phillip

CNN has locked in its primetime lineup by signing Abby Phillip to a new multiyear deal, ensuring anchors Anderson Cooper, Kaitlan Collins and Phillip remain in place ahead of Paramount Skydance’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. 

The agreement, reported by Variety’s Brian Steinberg on Monday, keeps Phillip as host of the 10 p.m. ET roundtable program NewsNight. Cooper anchors the 8 p.m. hour and renewed his contract last year, while Collins hosts The Source at 9 p.m. under a deal with several years remaining. 

Phillip was the final member of the trio to re-up, according to three people familiar with the matter. A CNN spokesperson declined to comment on talent contracts. 

The renewals appear to have occurred as individual deals came up rather than as a coordinated effort to constrain a potential new owner. Still, the contracts give the anchors financial guarantees if programming changes occur, requiring Paramount to negotiate further if it seeks major shifts in CNN’s evening schedule. 

Paramount Skydance has agreed to a multi-billion-dollar purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN. The deals leave the network’s core primetime faces intact for the foreseeable future, including as the midterm elections approach—a period that typically boosts news viewership. Beyond their main shows, the anchors hold additional roles. 

Cooper hosts the Sunday newsmagazine The Whole Story and a podcast on grief. Collins also serves as CNN’s chief White House correspondent. Phillip hosts the Saturday-morning roundtable Table for Five and the digital series Confessions and Obsessions. She joined CNN in 2017. The contracts provide continuity at a moment of corporate transition, though networks retain flexibility to reassign talent when desired.

PSKY Seeks $1.88B Bond From State AGs

Paramount Skydance asked a U.S. judge Monday to require a dozen states challenging its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery to post a $1.88 billion bond covering the costs of any delay in completing the deal.

The company faces a $7 million daily fee if the merger does not close by September 30. 

With the states’ trial scheduled for March and final briefs due in April, Paramount said it would by then have paid Warner Bros. shareholders an unrecoverable $1.3 billion in “ticking fees.”

California and 11 other states sued on July 13, arguing the combination would create a media giant with the power to raise prices for film and television. The Writers Guild of America has also filed a challenge. Paramount said regulators in at least 68 countries have already approved the deal or declined to oppose it, leaving the state lawsuits as the sole remaining obstacle.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta rejected the bond request, saying Paramount and Warner Bros. “are two sophisticated companies who willfully decided to include a costly ticking fee as a provision in their merger contract.” He added that Paramount earlier agreed to the very timing it now protests: “Now, they’re trying to get a do-over. Paramount went into this process with eyes wide open. They are lying in a bed of their own making, and once again, trying to blackmail us to get us to back down.”

A Reuters review of recent cases found that similar merger challenges have taken an average of eight months for a judge to rule. The Oakland federal court lawsuit threatens to derail Paramount CEO David Ellison’s effort to turn the company into a major rival of Netflix and Disney.

Despite Legal Dispute, Nielsen, Westwood Talking New Deal

Talks between Cumulus Media and Nielsen continue over a new contract granting Westwood One access to national radio ratings, even as the companies remain locked in a federal appeals court fight over a preliminary injunction.

Nielsen revealed in its latest court filing that Cumulus rejected the ratings company’s proposed price and contract term for standalone Nationwide ratings and submitted a counteroffer with different terms. The counter came on Friday, two weeks after Nielsen’s initial offer and one day after Cumulus asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York to clarify that a stay of the injunction had already expired.

Nielsen is urging the appeals court to deny Cumulus’ emergency motion, arguing that active negotiations prove there is no true emergency requiring judicial intervention. The company contends the dispute “boils down to a disagreement over price and contract terms,” with no barrier preventing the parties from reaching a deal before Westwood One’s current Nationwide access expires.

Court papers contain no public figures for the dollar amounts under discussion. Nielsen simply states that Cumulus turned down both its offered price and contract length before responding with its own proposal.

The negotiations are proceeding against the backdrop of ongoing litigation over whether U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas can enforce the preliminary injunction she previously issued against Nielsen. Any resolution of that enforcement question could influence the ultimate terms of a new ratings agreement.

Nielsen Unveils NFL Fandom Index

As the NFL prepares to kick off another season following record-breaking viewership in 2025, Nielsen has officially launched the inaugural “Nielsen Scarborough NFL Fandom Index.” This comprehensive study moves beyond simple headcount to identify where the sport’s pulse beats strongest, revealing that America’s most avid fans are often found in the heart of its mid-sized legacy markets.

The data identifies Buffalo, Kansas City, and Green Bay as the top three most passionate markets, followed closely by Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

Unlike traditional rankings that rely solely on ratings, Nielsen’s methodology utilizes eight distinct metrics to capture the full spectrum of modern fandom: apparel purchases, general interest levels, live event attendance, betting intent, social media engagement, radio listenership, streaming habits, and linear TV viewership.

A striking trend emerges: the “small market, concentrated loyalty” pattern. Legacy markets like those in the AFC North—Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland—form a high-intensity cluster; all four finish in the top 10 overall, and their strength is driven primarily by conventional, localized factors like local radio, TV, and live-event attendance rather than betting or streaming.

The pattern extends well beyond the AFC North. Radio listenership is especially concentrated: aside from the “big three” of Buffalo, Green Bay, and Kansas City, Cleveland/Akron, Cincinnati, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Pittsburgh index the highest for listening to games on the radio. Broadcast and cable viewership tells a similar story, with Cincinnati, Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh joining Green Bay, Buffalo, and Kansas City at the top. That same cluster, plus Baltimore, also dominates live-event attendance. These are one-team markets with strong local identity and fewer competing entertainment options — a combination that inflates per-capita engagement well beyond what market size alone would predict.

Philadelphia and Cincinnati earned their spots not by dominating any single behavior, but by showing up everywhere. Neither market leads a single metric outright, yet both land in the top five on five of the eight questions the index tracks. That breadth, rather than any one standout behavior, is what pushes the two cities to #5 and #4 overall — well ahead of markets that post a single eye-catching number but little consistency elsewhere.

Merchandise tells its own regional story. Detroit (#5 in apparel) and Green Bay (#4) both rank in apparel purchases far ahead of what their market size would suggest — Detroit riding the momentum of the Lions’ recent on-field success, and Green Bay drawing on generations of Packers fan culture that has made the Green and Gold a wardrobe staple well beyond Wisconsin.

Conversely, large multi-option media hubs such as New York, Los Angeles, and Miami underperformed. In these saturated markets, a wealth of entertainment options and split team loyalties often dilute per-capita intensity, leaving New York at the very bottom of the index.

The study also highlighted specialized digital behaviors. While Indianapolis emerged as a social-media-forward market, Denver and Jacksonville showed a significant skew toward streaming, suggesting younger or more digitally-native fan bases.

Whether through generational loyalty in Green Bay, digital engagement in Denver, or the broad-based intensity of Philadelphia and Cincinnati, the Nielsen Scarborough NFL Fandom Index proves that while the NFL is a global powerhouse, its true strength lies in its local cultural footprint.

Balt, DC Radio: Bob Delmont Is Back On WPOC, WMZQ

iHeartMedia has named veteran country radio personality Bob Delmont as the new evening host at WMZQ-FM (98.7) in Washington, D.C., and midday host at WPOC-FM (93.1) in Baltimore.

Delmont will be on air weekdays from 7 p.m. to midnight on WMZQ and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on WPOC. Both programs will feature current country hits, artist stories, and Delmont’s humor and personality. He reports to iHeartMedia Region Senior Vice President of Programming Jeff Kapugi.

Bob Delmont

The appointment marks a return to the Washington-Baltimore market for Delmont, who has spent 27 years on the air in the region and most recently hosted middays at WPOC. His new WMZQ role also brings him back to evenings, the daypart where he started his career.

“Bob’s back!” Kapugi said. “He’s one of the best we have, and we are lucky to have him on our DC/Baltimore team!”

A Pittsburgh native, Delmont began in radio working overnights at WMTZ (The Mountain) in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He later hosted evenings at WDSY (Y108) in Pittsburgh from 1994 to 1999 before joining WPOC in 1999, where he became a longtime fixture in Baltimore country radio.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be working at the mighty 98.7 WMZQ on the shift where it all began for me,” Delmont said. “I get to come back working with the people that I know, and some I get to know better, all while still being part of WPOC on the same shift I’ve spent almost all of my career.” He thanked Kapugi for arranging the return and added, “I’m ready for y’all, D.C.!”

Former ABC Correspondent Admits Network Biased Against Trump

Longtime ABC News correspondent Terry Moran said Friday that the network and much of mainstream media suffer from a deep-seated progressive bias—a “bubble” of limited viewpoint diversity—that hampered coverage of Donald Trump’s second term.

Speaking on the Fifth Column podcast, the 66-year-old independent journalist answered “yes” when asked if ABC News is a liberal institution. He said the same applies to “a lot of mainstream media,” blaming a “lack of viewpoint diversity” in newsrooms for “problems in covering Trump.”

Moran’s remarks carry weight because he was no MAGA supporter. ABC fired him in June 2025 over a social media post that called President Trump and Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller “full of hatred.” 

He had previously served as the network’s chief White House correspondent.

“Nobody had voted for him,” Moran recalled of internal resistance to straight coverage. “And because I sent out these ‘Hey, we should be fair to Trump’ in internal emails, I heard from people—engineers, maybe the occasional producer—who said ‘Thank you. Atta boy.’”

Hosts Michael C. Moynihan and Matt Welch noted that the politics of behind-the-scenes staff often conflict with on-air talent. “A bubble,” Moran interjected with a smile. “The bubble is very real,” Moynihan agreed.

Moran also described the backlash from Trump supporters who felt “betrayed” by a reporter who had “covered it straight.” He argued that covering “Trump Two” honestly requires discussing “the threat that it represents, to the way we’ve governed ourselves all these years.”

Where Things Stand: Radio, TV Issues Facing The FCC

Media ownership deregulation (especially the national TV cap), heightened public interest enforcement and free speech debates, spectrum transitions impacting distribution, Next Gen TV (ATSC 3.0) progress, Emergency Alert System cybersecurity upgrades, and ongoing technical/marketplace pressures are among the top radio and TV issues facing the Federal Communications Commission in 2026.

Under Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC’s “Build America Agenda” and FY 2026–2030 Strategic Plan emphasize empowering and preserving local broadcasting, promoting free speech and competition, and modernizing rules amid declining traditional ad revenues and streaming competition.

Media Ownership Rules

The most prominent issue is broadcast ownership limits. In August 2026, the FCC voted (largely along partisan lines) to repeal the longstanding National Television Multiple Ownership Rule, which capped a single entity’s stations at 39% of U.S. TV households. It shifted to case-by-case public interest reviews of larger combinations, arguing this helps stations compete with national networks and digital platforms, attract capital, and invest in local programming.

Critics (including Commissioner Anna Gomez and others) contend only Congress can alter the statutory 39% cap (set in 2004 after earlier FCC attempts), that the change is unlawful, and that it risks greater consolidation, higher retransmission fees, reduced local journalism, and less viewpoint diversity. Related activity includes approvals or reviews of large deals (e.g., involving Nexstar-TEGNA and other station groups), local TV and radio ownership caps, dual network rules, and the ongoing 2022 Quadrennial Review. The National Association of Broadcasters has pushed aggressively for relief from “asymmetric” restrictions, citing AM/FM station declines and competitive pressures.

Social Media Expected To Get Bulk Of Holiday Budgets

Consumers no longer confine holiday shopping to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, instead researching and buying gifts over months-long periods, prompting 62% of marketers to launch campaigns earlier to secure revenue and return on ad spend.

Only 15% of shoppers wait until those peak weekends to begin purchasing, according to the 2026 Holiday & Seasonal Shopping Trends Report from tvScientific by Pinterest. One-third start researching before October, and many finalize decisions weeks ahead of the biggest promotions. This multi-session journey has ended the era of a single shopping weekend, as buyers grow more calculated and hunt deals across extended timelines.

According to Mediapost, the shift is driving advertisers to track preferences more closely and start holiday efforts sooner. “The assumption behind shorter campaigns is that the purchase decision happens right before checkout,” said Jason Fairchild, tvScientific CEO and co-founder (who also recently added general manager of programmatic and affiliate at Pinterest to his titles). 

“Holiday shopping doesn’t work that way anymore. It’s a longer, multi-session journey.”

Social media will claim the largest share of holiday budgets at 68%, followed by performance TV and connected TV at 54%, online video at 44%, influencer and creative marketing at 32%, search at 23%, audio and podcasts at 16%, email and CRM at 14%, display at 14%, and print plus out-of-home at 3%.

The report, based on surveys of 487 U.S. marketers and 600 consumers, pairs marketers’ plans with actual shopping behavior to show how people discover, evaluate, and buy across screens throughout the year’s retail moments.

Miami Radio: WPOW-FM Observes 40th Anniversary

Power 96 (WPOW-FM) celebrated its 40th anniversary with an alumni night at the Audacy Miami Performance Space on August 13. Legacy talent, partners and key media attended the event to honor the station that defined the sound of South Florida. The room was packed with decades of shared history, laughter, and iconic radio stories from the voices who lived them.

The reunion brought together legendary talent from every era of Power 96, featuring fan favorites such as former hosts Mindy Frumkes, DJ Laz and Felix Sama. Current morning show hosts DJ Zog and Ivy Unleashed also took the stage, sharing their own milestone moments and reflecting on carrying the torch for Miami’s modern airwaves. The night ended with an electric, live performance from legendary freestyle artist Coro, paying homage to Miami’s freestyle roots.

“Being able to bring together Power 96’s most influential alumni in one room was a deeply meaningful experience for us,” said Miguel “Mijo” Irizarry, Brand Manager, Power 96. “It was a beautiful night filled with nostalgia, laughter, love and celebration of Miami’s culture, our lasting legacy, and an exciting future-forward look into what’s next for the station”

📻Listeners can tune in to Power 96 in Miami on air and nationwide on the Audacy app and website. Fans can also connect with the station on social media via X, Facebook and Instagram.

Radio History: Aug 18

➦In 1900...Walter O'Keefe born  (Died – June 26, 1983).  He was a songwriter, actor, syndicated columnist, Broadway composer, radio legend, screenwriter, musical arranger and TV host.

Walter O'Keefe

O'Keefe was born in Hartford, CT, he began as a vaudeville performer in the Midwest for several years. In 1925, he went to New York City and became a Broadway performer. By 1937, he wrote a syndicated humor column and filled-in for such radio personalities as Walter Winchell, Edgar Bergen, Don McNeill and Garry Moore. He became the long-time master of ceremonies of the NBC show Double or Nothing and was a regular on that network's Monitor series.

O'Keefe also worked in television, presiding over talk shows and quiz shows for the CBS network. Producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman hired him for their game show Two for the Money. When the show's usual host Herb Shriner had other commitments during the summer of 1954, O'Keefe took over for three months. He was the host for the first Emmy Awards ceremony, held on January 25, 1949 at the Hollywood Athletic Club.

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of radio. He died in Torrance, California of congestive heart failure at the age of 82.

➦In 1927...Theodore H. Epp (January 27, 1907 - October 13, 1985) started his 'Back to Bible Broadcasts on radio. The broadcasts were heard worldwide on 800 stations in eight languages, until 1985.

➦In 1937...FCC issued first FM construction permit. W1XOJ/W43B/WGTR, Paxton, Mass. (Yankee Network) W1XOJ went on the air May 27, 1939, with 2000 watts on 43.0 MHz. On July 24, 1939, W1XOJ began operating on a schedule of 16 hours a day on the air (8 a.m. to midnight). Broadcasting magazine on Aug. 1, 1939, listed this as one of the four FM stations "in actual operation."

John Sherpard

W1XOJ was the result of a partnership between Yankee Network owner John Shepard and FM inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong to explore the potential of inter-city FM networking. Programs were fed from the Yankee studios in Boston to Asnebumskit, and were picked up from there at stations on Mount Washington, N.H. and in Meriden, Connecticut. Other programs were picked up at Meriden from Armstrong's W2XMN in Alpine, N.J. and carried through Asnebumskit to Mount Washington.

In 1941, W1XOJ became commercial outlet W43B, with 300 kW ERP (50 Kw TPO) on 44.3, as a sister to Boston's WNAC and WAAB. Two years later, Yankee moved WAAB to Worcester to escape the FCC's new anti-duopoly rule. While WAAB and W43B were nominally sister stations, they were never operated jointly (W43B was treated as a "Boston" station and operated from Yankee's Boston studios), and Yankee soon sold WAAB to new owners.

Edwin H Armstrong

W43B eventually took new calls WGTR, moving to the new FM band on 103.1 and then on 99.1. In October 1948, the Yankee Network moved its FM operations to Boston, on the new WNAC-FM 98.5. WGTR's license was transferred to Eastern Radio, which apparently operated the station with “Transit Radio”, providing programming heard in city buses. The 1951 Broadcasting Yearbook shows WGTR once again under the ownership of the Yankee Network, but operating from the same 34 Mechanic Street address as WAAB, by then under Olin Company ownership.

WGTR faded from the scene completely within a year or two, as WAAB flirted with television. By 1961, WAAB was in the hands of Waterman Broadcasting, and when its new FM signal signed on that fall, it was as a simulcast of the full-service AM station. The simulcast lasted until 1967, when WAAB-FM split off from the AM with a stereo beautiful music format. In 1969, WAAB-FM became WAAF, adopting a freeform rock format at 107.3 FM that later evolved into album rock.

A power increase in 1970, to 16.5 kW at 780 feet above average terrain, gave WAAF a commanding signal that could be heard across most of Massachusetts, as well as large portions of eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire and southern Vermont.

➦In 1961...Dan Daniel started at Top40 WMCA 570 AM.

Bobby Bones to Host Radio Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

The Museum of Broadcast Communications announced today that Bobby Bones, 2017 RADIO HALL OF FAME inductee and host of America’s #1 Country morning show The Bobby Bones Show on iHeartMedia and Bobby Bones Presents: The Bobbycast on Netflix, will be the Master of Ceremonies for the 2026 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

 
The Radio Hall of Fame will recognize its 2026 class of inductees at the 2026 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, 200 North Columbus Drive, Chicago, IL.

 
Tickets are on sale now at: www.radiohalloffame.com. A portion of ticket purchases is a tax-deductible charitable donation to the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

Bobby Bones

A native of Mountain Pine, Arkansas, Bobby Bones grew up in a town where the local mill employed much of the community. A career in radio was hardly the obvious path, but Bones found his way to a microphone while still in college, cutting his teeth at pop, hip-hop and sports stations before eventually finding his home in country music.

In 2002, The Bobby Bones Night Show launched in Little Rock, Arkansas before moving to Austin, Texas in 2003, where it quickly became the city’s top-rated morning show. Originally syndicated on CHR radio, the show made the leap to country in 2013, where Bones was uniquely equipped for the move. 

Dennis Green, Co-Chair of the Radio Hall of Fame, said: "Bobby Bones is one of radio’s most dynamic personalities, and we’re thrilled to have both his love of radio and passion for our industry on full display as this year’s Master of Ceremonies for the Radio Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.”

Kraig T. Kitchin, Co-Chair of the Radio Hall of Fame, said: “Bobby Bones brings a level of excitement and enthusiasm for radio wherever he goes and whenever he speaks. I’m thrilled he’s agreed to bring his energy to this years’ Induction Ceremony and Celebration. Talk about making a great event even better!”

Tribute Book ads for the 2026 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony are also available for purchase now. Contact Linde Thurman at: Linde@radiohalloffame.com for more information and to buy a Tribute Book ad for the October 8th event.

The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications took over operations of the Hall in 1991.