CUMULUS MEDIA’s Westwood One, America’s largest audio network, today released the results of their latest Advertiser Perceptions study in advance of next week’s Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Podcast Upfront. This year marks their fifth annual report studying brand and agency sentiment on podcast advertising.
Every year since the first IAB Upfront in 2015, Westwood One has reprised the study to track buy-side podcast advertising consideration and intention. This study evaluates the past five years and looks at the industry today.
Key takeaways:
Since 2015, podcast advertising consideration among brands and agencies has grown 2.5X and spend intention has grown nearly 4X, according to Advertiser Perceptions.
Two-thirds of buy-side decision makers are discussing podcast advertising and one-third are actively spending.
Podcast advertising is pandemic proof: After a brief April dip, ad volumes and advertisers have surged back and now exceed pre-pandemic levels, according to Magellan AI.
Brand advertising shows strong growth in podcasts: Magellan AI finds major brand advertisers are tripling down on their ad commitments.
Podcasting’s audience share of ad-supported audio has nearly tripled since 2016, according to Edison’s “Share of Ear.”
Registration has opened for the Radio Show at RadioShowWeb.com. Produced by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), the 2020 Radio Show digital experience is a week-long online event, taking place October 5 - 9, 2020.
Acclaimed radio host, best-selling author and personal finance expert Dave Ramsey and renowned public speaker, author and business leader Rishad Tobaccowala are among the speakers confirmed.
Sessions also include an executive town hall featuring CUMULUS MEDIA’s Mary Berner, Entercom’s David Field and iHeartMedia's Bob Pittman, moderated by NBC News Senior Business Correspondent and MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle.
Two key tracks will run concurrently throughout the convention. The Channel A sessions will address issues like inclusivity, local sales tactics and ideas for resurrecting businesses in 2020 and beyond. The series of Channel B sessions will dive into the technical side of the radio business including a behind-the-scenes look at the nation’s first all-digital AM station, an update on radio and the connected car, and a look at the evolution of broadcast equipment, including advances in hardware and software in the cloud.
NPR and Member stations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are building a new model of regional news collaboration and have hired award-winning public radio journalist Priska Neely to lead their joint Gulf States Newsroom.
Priska Neely
Neely will build a team of regional beat reporters who cover health care, criminal justice, economic justice and more. Through the Gulf States Newsroom, the stations and NPR are sharing resources, planning together and delivering more reporting in areas with widening gaps in local news coverage.
Made possible with lead support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Heather and Paul Haaga, Jr., the collaboration aims to better serve the existing public media audience while also making a multi-platform push to reach new, diverse groups throughout the Gulf region.
"It is an honor to have the responsibility to build a team and shape coverage in a part of the country with so many important stories to tell," Neely said.
Neely will be based at WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, and will work closely with Gulf States Newsroom partner stations WWNO in New Orleans, WRKF in Baton Rouge and Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson, along with NPR.
Neely comes to the Gulf States Newsroom with a rich mix of local and national experience. Most recently, she reported and produced long-form narrative stories for Reveal. Before that, Neely was a senior reporter at Member station KPCC in Pasadena, California. Her reporting on Black infant and maternal health won several awards. She also spent time working on NPR's weekend All Things Considered and Talk of the Nation shows.
"Priska's journalism chops and collaborative style are well known and respected throughout the public media community," said Chuck Holmes, executive director at WBHM in Birmingham, the lead station for the regional newsroom. Paul Maassen, general manager at WWNO and WRKF, added that through Neely's "dynamic vision and keen news sense, our stations will greatly increase our ability to cover the important issues and tell the unique stories of our region."
Ronnie Agnew, executive director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting, praised Neely's ability to "search for truth, demand accountability, and develop engaging and compelling content across multiple platforms."
"NPR is delighted to be a partner in this groundbreaking initiative and excited that Priska has agreed to lead it," added Nancy Barnes, NPR's SVP of News and Editorial Director. "She is part of a super-talented cohort of emerging editorial leaders who are going to transform public media for a new generation of audiences."
This regional newsroom is one of four that NPR and Member stations have built together, in the Gulf States, Texas, California and the Midwest.
The licensee of North State Public Radio in Chico, Calif., approved a management agreement Thursday with CapRadio in Sacramento, effective October 1.
Chico State Enterprises’ Board of Directors approved the agreement after the conclusion of an 18-month study of a possible arrangement, Chico State University announced Friday. The two stations announced the study in July 2019.
CapRadio will be responsible for day-to-day management of NSPR, including personnel, programming, fundraising and broadcast engineering, according to Stephen Cummins, who oversaw the agreement as CSU’s director of public engagement. CSU will continue to hold NSPR’s broadcast license. It will provide administrative support and oversee programming and operations as the station’s licensee, Cummins said.
As CSU and CapRadio began discussions about working together, the university’s goals “were to better serve the news and information needs of our listeners and, secondly, we needed to ensure that the operating model and the service we provide was not only sustainable but could grow,” Cummins said.
The public service operating agreement gives NSPR “a larger pool of resources to draw from,” NSPR GM Phil Wilke told Current in an email. For instance, NSPR’s operations manager and engineer will have backups, and the newsroom can work with CapRadio on regional reporting projects, he said.
The agreement also allows NSPR to keep its “programming autonomy,” said Wilke, who will remain the station’s GM.
The stations received a $550,000 CPB grant to cover “several facets of the integration,” including hiring two reporters that will be based in Chico, Wilke said. The grant began in January and runs through the end of the year, according to CapRadio GM Jun Reina.
“It’s not every day that we’re afforded the opportunity to partner with another organization with which we already have a strong cultural alignment,” Reina said in an email to Current. Reina pointed to past collaborations between the stations on wildfire coverage.
➦In 1918...Paul Harvey Aurandt born (Died at age 90– February 28, 2009). Best known as Paul Harvey he was a radio broadcaster for ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. From 1952 through 2008, his programs reached as many as 24 million people a week. Paul Harvey News was carried on 1,200 radio stations, 400 American Forces Network stations, and 300 newspapers.
Paul Harvey
Harvey was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of a policeman who was killed by robbers in 1921. He made radio receivers as a young boy, and he attended Tulsa Central High School where teacher Isabelle Ronan was "impressed by his voice". On her recommendation, he started working at KVOO in Tulsa in 1933 helping to clean up when he was 14. He eventually was allowed to fill in on the air, reading commercials and the news.
He continued working at KVOO while attending the University of Tulsa, first as an announcer and later as a program director. He spent three years as a station manager for KFBI AM, now known as KFDI, a radio station that once had studios in Salina, Kansas. From there, he moved to a newscasting job at KOMA in Oklahoma City, and then to KXOK in St. Louis in 1938.
Harvey then moved to Hawaii to cover the United States Navy as it concentrated its fleet in the Pacific. He was returning to the mainland from assignment when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He eventually enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces but served only from December 1943 to March 1944.
Harvey then moved to Chicago, where in June 1944, he began broadcasting from the ABC affiliate WENR (now WLS-AM). In 1945, he began hosting the postwar employment program Jobs for G.I. Joe on WENR. Harvey added The Rest of the Story as a tagline to in-depth feature stories in 1946.
On April 1, 1951, the ABC Radio Network debuted Paul Harvey News and Comment each weekday at 12 Noon". Harvey was also heard originally on Sundays; the first Sunday program was Harvey's introduction. Later, the Sunday program moved to Saturdays. The program continued until his death.
In the latter half of his career, Harvey was also known for the radio series The Rest of the Story, described as a blend of mystery and history, which premiered on May 10, 1976. The series quickly grew to six broadcasts a week, and continued until Harvey's death in 2009.
In November 2000, Harvey signed a 10-year, $100 million contract with ABC Radio Networks. A few months later, after damaging his vocal cords, he went off the air, but returned in August 2001.
His success with sponsors stemmed from the seamlessness with which he segued from his monologue into reading commercial messages. He explained his relationship with them, saying "I am fiercely loyal to those willing to put their money where my mouth is."
➦In 1959...WCBS 880 AM stopped airing “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin. The reasons? Recent street violence in NYC.
➦In 1961...The short-lived "Carol Burnett-Richard Hayes Show" premiered on CBS Radio. The series was a 20 minute musical variety show. Burnett was also a regular on "The Garry Moore Show" on CBS and singer Hayes had been on Arthur Godfrey's daily radio show.
➦In 1962...The Beatles entered EMI's Abbey Road studios for their first formal recording session, rehearsing "Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me."
➦In 1970...George Harrison released the single "My Sweet Lord" single to U-S radio.
➦In 2009…Robert Garnett "Buddy" Blattner died from lung cancer at age 89 ( Born February 8, 1920). Known also as "Bud" Blattner, was a baseball player and radio and television sportscaster
.Blattner turned to broadcasting after his retirement as a player, teaming with Dizzy Dean on St. Louis Browns radio as well as nationally on the Liberty and Mutual networks, and on the televised baseball Game of the Week on ABC (1953–54) and CBS (1955–59).
Blattner was replaced on CBS by Pee Wee Reese following a dispute with Dean. He continued to broadcast baseball for the Cardinals (1960–61), Los Angeles/California Angels (1962–68), and Kansas City Royals (1969–75) as well as on NBC in 1969. He also called games for the St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball Association in the '50s.
➦In 2014…Longtime Chicago broadcaster LeRoy Stewart Leonard died at age 83. (Born - January 19, 1931). Best known as Roy Leonardm he hosted WGN's midday radio show from Chicago for 31 years and for his appearances on WGN-TV's news and Christmas specials. He also hosted Family Classics after Frazier Thomas died.
➦In 2014…Bruce Alexander Morton died (Born - October 28, 1930). He was TV news correspondent for both CBS News and CNN in a career which spanned over 40 years.
Bruce Morton
Morton was born in Norwalk, Connecticut but grew up in Chicago. Morton graduated from Harvard University in 1952 and spent the next three years in the U.S. Army. While still at Harvard, he was a newscaster for a Boston radio station. After leaving the service, Morton went into television news, first as a behind-the-scenes assistant at New York City's WRCA-TV, then on air for a local station in Pittsburgh.
He joined ABC News in 1962 as a London-based reporter. In 1964, he joined CBS News, where he would stay for the next 29 years. He was based in Washington, D.C., where he was a Congressional correspondent. During his tenure with CBS, he also co-anchored the CBS Morning News (with Hughes Rudd) from 1974 to 1977. Longtime CBS correspondent Roger Mudd, in his 2008 memoir The Place To Be, acknowledged Morton as the best writer in the CBS Washington Bureau during the years they worked together.
After leaving CBS in 1993, Morton went to work for CNN, where he stayed until his retirement in 2006. Continuing to be based in Washington, his title at CNN was national correspondent.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Beyonce is 39
Actor Mitzi Gaynor is 89.
Singer Sonny Charles of the Checkmates, Ltd. Is 80.
Actor Kenneth Kimmins (“Coach”) is 79.
Singer Merald “Bubba” Knight of Gladys Knight and the Pips is 78.
TV personality Dr. Jan Pol (“The Incredible Dr. Pol”) is 78.
Actor Jennifer Salt (“Soap”) is 76.
Bassist Ronald LaPread (The Commodores) is 70.
Actor Judith Ivey is 69.
Drummer Martin Chambers of The Pretenders is 69.
Actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (“Welcome Back, Kotter”) is 67.
Actor Khandi Alexander (“ER,” ″NewsRadio”) is 63.
Actor-comedian Damon Wayans is 60.
Guitarist Kim Thayil of Soundgarden is 60.
Actor Richard Speight Jr. (“The Agency”) is 51.
Actor Noah Taylor (2005′s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” ″Game of Thrones”) is 51.
CBS Audio has signed affiliation deals with 148 additional stations to the CBS News Radio lineup in the past six weeks, it was announced today by Craig Swagler, Vice President and General Manager of CBS News Radio. With these new agreements, CBS News Radio’s high-quality journalism can now be heard on more than 700 stations around the country and on SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S. channel 124.
The new station agreements will expand the reach of CBS Audio programming to news/talk stations owned by Cumulus Media and music stations owned by Neuhoff, 7 Mountains Media, Big Radio, Summit Media and others. Atlanta’s WSB-AM is among the stations being added, which marks a return for the station to the CBS News Radio lineup.
“Now, more than ever, listeners are demanding the kind of trustworthy, credible reporting provided around the clock by CBS News Radio journalists,” Swagler said. “We’re delighted to welcome these new affiliates to the CBS Audio family. Our award-winning content is unsurpassed with CBS garnering more Edward R. Murrow Awards than any other commercial radio network. We look forward to supplying high-quality journalism to our affiliates.”
CBS News Radio provides news, talk, information and special events coverage to more than 700 stations in the United States, with affiliates in 24 of the top 25 markets. CBS News Radio is also heard hourly on the SiriusXM Platform on P.O.T.U.S. (Channel 124.) CBS News Radio is home to the “CBS World News Roundup,” the nation’s longest-running news program, which began in 1938. In addition to providing breaking news and information, the division also provides simulcasts of the CBS EVENING NEWS, FACE THE NATION and 60 MINUTES to affiliates. CBS News Radio programming is available on digital platforms, the CBS News Radio app, Amazon’s Alexa service and online.
FOX News Audio has expanded its national radio affiliate network to include 56 former Westwood One News affiliate stations, the network announced today. New partnered affiliates include leading stations WABC-AM in New York, WMAL-AM in Washington, D.C. and WBAP-AM in Dallas, Texas, among others.
The addition of the affiliate stations follows the closure of Cumulus Media’s Westwood One News service on August 30. Besides offering one and five-minute hourly newscasts, FOX News Audio will also offer partnered affiliates breaking news coverage and special programming for holidays and political events, including the upcoming presidential election.
FOX News operates FOX News Audio, which encompasses FOX News Radio, FOX News Podcasts and FOX News Headlines 24/7. A 24/7 news service, it reaches more than 36 million listeners a week on over 1,000 affiliated radio stations. The network features a comprehensive hourly five-minute newscast along with one-minute newscasts, business updates, breaking-news coverage and on demand original podcasts. FOX News Talk provides three weekday programs including: The Brian Kilmeade Show, FOX Across America with Jimmy Failla and The Guy Benson Show. More Info: https://radio.foxnews.com/.
➤CONCERNS RAISED AFTER CDC TELLS STATES TO READY FOR CORONAVIRUS VACCINE BY NOVEMBER 1ST: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a letter to state governors last week telling them to be ready to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by November 1st, raising concerns among public health experts about a vaccine being approved because of political considerations ahead of the election two days later.
The letter from CDC Director Robert Redfield urges states to expedite applications for distribution facilities, including waiving requirements that would prevent them from being ready by November 1st. The CDC also sent planning documents to some health departments that urge taking steps to prepare, such as figuring out which groups would get vaccines first and who would administer the shots.
The documents also included possible timelines, one of which said limited doses could be available by early November. The final and most important stage of vaccine testing in human trials is still only about halfway through at best for the two vaccine candidates that began Phase 3, and AP cited several experts as saying it doesn't seem possible there'd be enough data from this final stage by November 1st about whether they're safe and effective. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn told the Financial Times earlier this week that he's open to issuing emergency use authorization for a vaccine before human trials end if, quote, "the benefit outweighs the risk."
Studies Confirm Steroids Help Severely Ill Patients Survive: An analysis out yesterday of the results of seven studies confirmed that several types of steroids improve survival in severely ill COVID-19 patients. It found that steroids reduced the risk of death in the first month by about one-third compared to placebos or usual care alone in these patients. A study in June had found that a steroid called dexamethasone cut deaths by up to 35 percent in severely ill patients, and the new analysis found that all types of steroids are effective as well. Indications are, however, that steroids don't seem to be effective in less sick patients.
There have been more than 185,700 deaths in the U.S. as of early this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University's count, and more 6,113,000 confirmed cases.
➤BIDEN GOING TO KENOSHA TODAY: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is going to Kenosha, Wisconsin, today, two days after President Trump traveled there in the wake of protests and violence in the city following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was left paralyzed after being shot in the back seven times. The former vice president plans to meet with Blake's family and to have a community discussion that he said would include business figures, civic leaders and law enforcement officials. He told reporters, "This is about making sure that we move forward." Trump met with and praised law enforcement officials and toured buildings damaged when some protests turned violent when he went to Kenosha, but did not meet with Blake's family.
➤TRUMP APPEARS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO VOTE TWICE: President Trump appeared during a visit to North Carolina yesterday to encourage people in the state to vote twice, once by mail and then in person, in November. It is illegal to vote twice. It seemed Trump was saying North Carolinians should try to vote twice to test the system and check that their absentee vote was counted. When asked by a reporter if he was confident in the state's absentee voting system, Trump said, "Well, they'll go out and they'll go vote, and they're going to have to go and check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way, because if it tabulates, then they won't be able to do that. So, let them send it in, and let them go vote, and if the system is as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote." Trump later again appeared to encourage it, saying, "The absentees are fine. . . . And you send them in, but you go to vote. And if they haven't counted it, you can vote." But North Carolina officials are urging voters not to do that. Patrick Gannon of the North Carolina State Board of Elections told CNN, "[P]eople do not need to go to the polls on Election Day if their ballot had been counted. In fact, we'd strongly advise against that, to allow other people who haven't yet cast a ballot to vote."
Black man dies after police cover his head with hood and press his face into the ground while he is naked and handcuffed https://t.co/zhLco2wuCg
➤VIDEO SHOWS ROCHESTER, N.Y., POLICE PUT HOOD ON BLACK MAN WHO SUFFOCATED: Police bodycam video released Wednesday by the family of a 41-year-old Black man who died of suffocation shows that Rochester, New York, police put a hood over his head while he was handcuffed and pressed his face to the pavement for two minutes. Daniel Prude died on March 30th, seven days after the incident, when he was taken off life support. A medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint." The city stopped its investigation when the New York attorney general began its own probe in April, which is still ongoing. Activists want the officers charged with murder. Prude's brother said during a news conference yesterday, "I placed a phone call for my brother to get help. Not for my brother to get lynched. How did you see him and not directly say, 'The man is defenseless, buck naked on the ground.'"
Prude, who was in Rochester visiting his brother, had been taken into custody by police about eight hours earlier for a mental health evaluation for suicidal thoughts. But he was only there for a few hours, and his brother, Joe Prude, call 911 early in the morning to report Daniel had left the house. Prude was found running naked in the street, and the videos show him complying when police ask him to get on the ground and put his hands behind his back. But he is agitated and shouting and police put a "spit hood" over his head -- with one officer having since said he was spitting and they were concerned about the coronavirus. Then they slam his head down and one officer holds his head down against the street with both hands as he says to calm down and stop spitting. Another officer puts his knee on Prude's back. Prude is heard shouting, "Trying to kill me!" and begs, "OK, stop. I need it. I need it." He then begins whimpering and grunting, and the officers appear to get concerned after he stops moving and talking and they see water coming out of his mouth. They then take off the hood and handcuffs and medics perform CPR.
➤PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE MODERATORS ANNOUNCED: The Commission on Presidential Debates yesterday revealed the moderators for the three upcoming debates between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, and they come from Fox News Channel, C-SPAN and NBC.
Fox News' Chris Wallace will moderate the first debate on September 29th
C-SPAN's Steve Scully will moderate the town meeting-style debate on October 15th
and NBC's Kristen Welker will moderate the final debate on October 22nd.
The non-partisan commission also announced that USA Today's Susan Page will moderate the vice presidential debate on October 7th between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris.
The commission chooses the moderators without input from the candidates, Trump's campaign complained about the selections, with campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh declaring, "Some can be identified as clear opponents of President Trump, meaning Joe Biden will actually have a teammate on stage most of the time . . .
Newsday 9/3/20
➤HALL OF FAME PITCHER TOM SEAVER DEAD AT 75: Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, who led the 1969 "Miracle Mets" to a World Series championship, died Monday from complications of Lewy body dementia and the coronavirus, the Hall announced last night (September 2nd). He was 75.
Seaver's family announced in March 2019 that he'd been diagnosed with dementia and had retired from public life. Among Seaver's achievements, he was a three-time National League Cy Young Award winner, the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year, and a five-time 20-game winner. He had a 2.86 ERA and 3,640 strikeouts over his career from 1967 to 1986, spending 1967 to 1977 with the Mets before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He also played for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. Seaver was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992 with a then-record 98.84 percent of the ballots.
Mets owner Fred Wilpon and team operating officer Jeff Wilpon said yesterday, "He was simply the greatest Mets player of all-time and among the best to ever play the game."
➤NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from playoff games yesterday:
First Round: Houston Rockets 104, Oklahoma City Thunder 102 -- Houston wins series 4 games to 3
Conference Semifinals: Miami Heat 116, Milwaukee Bucks 114 -- Miami leads series 2 game to 0
➤NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round playoff games yesterday (September 2nd):
Colorado Avalanche 4, Dallas Stars 1 -- Series tied at 3-3
➤TOP-SEED PLISKOVA OUT IN SECOND ROUND AT U.S. OPEN: Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova lost in the second round at the U.S. Open on Wednesday (September 2nd), falling to 50th-ranked Caroline Garcia 6-1, 7-6 (2). Eleventh-seeded Elena Rybakina, 12th-seeded Marketa Vondrousova and 13th-seeded Alison Riske were all also upset yesterday, while two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka won her match. The top seed among the men, Novak Djokovic, advanced, as did Number 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas and Number 5 Alexander Zverev.
➤RAYS' BROSSEAU HITS TWO HOME RUNS AGAINST YANKEES DAY AFTER BALL THROWN OVER HEAD: The Tampa Bay Rays' Mike Brosseau hit two home runs in Tampa's 5-2 win over the New York Yankees last night (September 2nd), getting some payback the day after Aroldis Chapman threw a fastball over his head. Chapman was suspended three games by MLB yesterday for the throw, and is appealing. There was no retaliation by the Rays even though manager Kevin Cash seemed to threaten the Yankees after the game the night before, saying, "And the last thing I’ll say on this is I got a whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 miles per hour.
➤BRAVES' DUVALL HITS THREE HOMERS NIGHT AFTER TEAMMATE OZUMA DID IT: Atlanta's Adam Duvall hit three home runs last night (September 2nd) in the Braves' 7-5 win over the Boston Red Sox, the night after teammate Marcell Ozuna also hit three homers. It was the first time that's been done by teammates in consecutive games in MLB history.
➤RUNNING BACK FOURNETTE JOINING BUCCANEERS: Running back Leonard Fournette is joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a one-year deal worth up to $3.5 million, according to NFL Networks. Fournette confirmed the news on Twitter yesterday (September 2nd), two days after he was waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fournette, who was chosen as the Number 4 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft by the Jaguars, went unclaimed on waivers Tuesday, with no team choosing to pick him up on the one-year, $4.167 million deal he had remaining.
➤IOWA STATE CANCEL PLANS FOR 25,000 FANS AT HOME OPENER: Iowa State has canceled plans to have 25,000 fans in the stands for its home football opener on September 12th, reversing itself yesterday (September 2nd) two days after announcing the news despite the coronavirus pandemic. The school said Wednesday that it now won't allow any fans, citing feedback it had gotten from the community. The New York Times recently identified Iowa as a hotspot state for the virus and the city of Ames, where the school's stadium is located, as a hotspot city.
Ad spending in the United States will decline 8% this year, according to a survey of ad buyers released Wednesday by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Digital ad spend will grow 6% despite the dip, while traditional media is set to plummet 30% YoY as digital grows its market share at traditional media’s expense,MediaPost reports.
Linear TV ad spend, for example, will shrink 24%, while CTV grows 19%. Print investment will decline 33%, while social media and paid search will rise 25% and 26% respectively. And display will increase 15%, while direct mail decreases 17%. Out-of-home, meanwhile, will get hammered on both the traditional side (46% decline) and the digital side (43% decline).
And terrestrial radio ad spend will drop 31%, while digital audio declines 5% and podcasts drop 8%
SiriusXM has announced that Pat McAfee, who since his retirement in 2017 from an All-Pro NFL career has become one of sports media’s most popular and compelling personalities, is making SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio channel the exclusive radio home of his daily The Pat McAfee Show. McAfee announced the news on his show today.
McAfee will make his SiriusXM debut on Wednesday, September 9, and will host the show live from his studios in Indianapolis, IN every weekday from noon to 3:00 pm ET.
“I’m very thankful and honored for the chance to be on Mad Dog Sports Radio,” said McAfee. “SiriusXM is such an incredibly massive platform and the freedom it allows is perfect for our style of show. To say we’re grateful to Scott Greenstein, Steve Cohen, Andrew Moss and all of the other awesome folks at SiriusXM for this opportunity would be an understatement. Let’s do the damn thing. We hope you’ll join us daily.”
“Pat is absolutely a one-of-a-kind talent,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer. “His experience as an athlete, his perspective on sports and the larger world around it, his skill as an interviewer, and his ability to relate to and entertain an audience, are just some of the things that set him apart from so many others in media. We’re very excited to have his energy and personality on SiriusXM. There are no limits to what he’ll be able to do on the Mad Dog Sports Radio channel.”
After an eight-year NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts that saw him voted to two Pro Bowls and be named a First Team All-Pro in 2014, McAfee retired in 2017 to embark on his media career. McAfee joined Barstool Sports, where he developed the “Heartland” division of the company in Indianapolis, and hosted The Pat McAfee Show on the Barstool Power 85 channel on SiriusXM. In 2018, McAfee joined Fox in a broadcasting role for their college football and NFL broadcasts. In 2019 McAfee signed with ESPN, where he serves as the color analyst for their Thursday Night College Football broadcasts and makes regular appearances on other ESPN programs.
In 2018, McAfee began appearing on WWE programming as a pre-show analyst for the companies’ NXT Takeover events, and signed a multi-year contract with WWE the following year. He performed in his first NXT TakeOver bout on August 22. McAfee is also a stand-up comedian, small business owner, and hosts his own daily podcast.
With the addition of The Pat McAfee Show to the Mad Dog Sports Radio lineup, Morning Men with Evan Cohen and Mike Babchik will air from 6:00-9:00 am ET daily, and Schein on Sports with Adam Schein will air from 9:00 am-noon ET daily. Christopher Russo hosts the channel’s anchor program, Mad Dog Unleashed, every weekday from 3:00 – 6:00 pm ET.
Mad Dog Sports Radio’s Steve Torre and Danny Kanell, hosts of the 1:00 – 3:00 pm ET show Dog Day Sports, will continue to contribute to the Mad Dog Sports Radio channel. Kanell will also continue to host The First Team every morning on the ESPNU Radio channel on SiriusXM.
Bonneville International has chosen Val Maki to lead their San Francisco stations (KOIT-FM, KMVQ-FM, KBLX-FM & KUFX-FM), as Senior Vice President and Market Manager.
“Val is a dynamic and innovative leader who knows how to grow business and strengthen brands,” said Darrell Brown, President of Bonneville International. “I believe her experience and track record will position our stations for long-term success in the Bay Area.”
Previously, Maki served with Emmis Communications as Senior Vice President/Market Manager for their Los Angeles market and as Radio Division Vice President.
She served most recently as Vice President/Strategic Partnerships with Sound That BRANDS, a brand podcast company specializing in custom high-quality brand content development and marketing. She has also served with Emmis Communications in various executive roles in New York, Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Austin.
“It is a privilege to join the Bonneville San Francisco team and a company that I have respected for so long,” said Maki. “This is a terrific opportunity for me to work with all the great people at Bonneville in serving our community, our advertisers and partners, and our employees. Together we can continue to build on the solid foundation that the San Francisco team has established and be local media that matters in the Bay Area.”
Maki is replacing Bonneville’s former San Francisco market manager Carl Gardner who recently retired after 43 years in the broadcast industry.
Beasley Media Group announces John Larson has been named as the new Program Director of WRXK 96.1 FM & WJPT 106.3 FM and Morning Drive Host from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on WJPT in Ft. Myers. He officially began his new programming position on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 and will kick-off his new on-air role on the 8th.
Larson most recently spent the past 15 years serving as the Director of Branding and Programming at WWRM-FM, WXGL-FM and WDUV-FM as well as working as the former Format Leader for Classic Rock/Hits for Cox Media Group. Previously, he spent 15 years programming KDGE-FM and KZPS-FM in Dallas.
“John is a BRILLIANT Programmer,” said Operations Manager Adam Star. “To have him on our team is a game-changer. I am confident that his knowledge and experience will take these two incredible brands to the next level and beyond!”
“I’d like to thank Bruce Beasley, Justin Chase, Brad Beasley and Adam Star for the opportunity to lead these two great stations and their outstanding teams in Ft. Myers,” said Larson. “Covid 19 has caused all of us to re-arrange our lives and see things differently. I look forward to all the challenges and fun in the years to come!”
United Stations an independent leader in original network radio programming, Wednesday announced the addition of Adrian Kulp to the staff of its new daily, weekday program “Backstage Country” as the show’s Senior Talent/Content Producer.
Adrian Kulp
He joins the program’s staff effective immediately, and in his new role, Kulp will oversee the research and writing of the program as well as directing the talent during their hosting sessions. This move brings a seasoned creative executive to the United Stations team. The announcement of this appointment comes from the company’s EVP/Programming, Andy Denemark based in New York.
Adrian Kulp arrives at “Backstage Country” following his recent role as Senior Executive Producer of the internationally syndicated Ty Bentli Show, a country music morning show that was produced and distributed by Cumulus Media/Westwood One.
Earlier in his career and for almost a decade, Adrian Kulp worked as a television executive for Adam Sandler at Happy Madison Productions. He also booked the comedians on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson providing dozens of comics with their first national TV exposure. Soon after, he became the VP of Development for Chelsea Handler’s Borderline Amazing Productions, and he also served as a Senior Story Producer for the highly acclaimed reality series “Modern Dads” for A&E Networks. When Adrian’s daughter was ten weeks old, he became an unexpected, full-time stay-at-home dad, and he began writing about his journey on his popular blog, Dad or Alive. His first book, a comedic memoir based on his blog, sold to Penguin Publishing. He has since published a best-selling parenting trilogy as well as the newly released World’s Greatest Dad Jokes. Kulp currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife, a reality TV producer, and four young children. He can be reached at adriankulp@gmail.com.
Backstage Country will give listeners and affiliates an insider’s look at Country music as it will be hosted by the stars of Country Music. Each Country artist who serves as host for the program will do so for an entire Monday through Friday week, and each will have an opportunity to share their unique perspective on music, touring, events, the media and any other topic that inspires or matters to them as influencers and creators. The show, which kicks off the week of September 14th, has lined up Tim McGraw, Kelsea Ballerini, Darius Rucker, Justin Moore and Jason Aldean as guest-hosts for its first five weeks of programming.
All seven (7) Beasley-owned Country stations are on board as flagship affiliates for the launch.
KDKA-TV is distancing itself from Pittsburgh radio personality Wendy Bell in light of controversial comments she made on recent videos, such as calling on park rangers to shoot people who deface monuments honoring historical figures, reports triblive.com.
“KDKA-TV would like to remind our viewers and readers that Wendy Bell does not work for KDKA-TV, a ViacomCBS owned station,” the television station said in a statement on its social media platforms. “Bell works for KDKA Radio, which is owned by Entercom Communications radio group. Please direct all comments and inquiries to KDKA Radio, 412-353-1300.”
Bell, once one of the most recognized faces on Pittsburgh television, worked at WTAE-TV for 18 years before being fired in March 2016 for controversial comments she made on her Facebook page.
Some people have been confused about whom she works for, thinking she works for KDKA-TV rather than KDKA Radio. She hosts a provocative, opinion-driven, afternoon radio talk show.
KDKA-TV would like to remind our viewers and readers that Wendy Bell does not work for KDKA-TV, a ViacomCBS owned station. https://t.co/BpCWOhWjBn
The timing of KDKA-TV’s clarification coincides with videos of Bell that have surfaced on social media. In one of these videos she addresses the debate over defacing and tearing down monuments of controversial figures such as Christopher Columbus, who is memorialized with a statue in Schenley Park in Pittsburgh.
In the video, taken during her live radio show, Bell looks into the camera and says: “My easy solution for the park rangers and hopefully snipers who are going to be watching for this is to shoot on sight.” Bell then mimics the sound of a gunshot. “Shoot! Done! No more messing with monuments. You want to mess with a monument? Done! Get out!”
There has been plenty of negative reaction to Bell’s comments on social media.
The negative comments heaped on KDKA-TV have left General Manager Chris Cotugno feeling exasperated.
“We have been inundated with phone calls and emails with comments and questions relating to Wendy Bell, and we had to tell folks that she does not work for KDKA-TV. We are not her employer. Please stop calling us because our people need to do their jobs,” said Cotugno, who expressed concern that the mistaken notion Bell works for his television station is bringing negative attention to KDKA-TV.
In a rare instance of mutual outrage, President Trump and Rep. Ilhan Omar are both slamming MSNBC host Joy Reid for her controversial claims during Tuesday night’s episode of her show about “the way Muslims act,” reports The NYPost.
Reid, who took over the 7 p.m. hour of the network’s primetime lineup in July, is facing backlash over remarks she made while examining violence committed by Trump supporters, and his alleged unwillingness to denounce them.
The MSNBC host noted that the president liked a tweet praising accused Kenosha killer Kyle Rittenhouse and would not condemn his supporters for shooting paintball guns and Mace at racial justice agitators in Portland, before attempting to argue that Trump was radicalizing his base.
“When leaders — let’s say in the Muslim world talk a lot of violent talk and encourage their supporters to be willing to commit violence including on their own bodies in order to win against whoever they decide is the enemy, we in the US media describe that as they are radicalizing these people, particularly when they’re radicalizing young people. That’s how we talk about the way Muslims act,” Reid said.
“When you see what Donald Trump is doing, is that any different from what we describe as radicalizing people?” she then asked.
Like Fredo at Fake News @CNN, the very untalented Joy Reid should be fired for this horrible use of the words “Muslim Terrorists”. Such xenophobia and racism on MSDNC. Anyone else would be gone, and fast!!! https://t.co/a5HSIEXlQL
After her remarks, viewers and lawmakers alike were quick to express their outrage.
Omar (D-Minn.), a member of “The Squad” of progressive lawmakers and one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, took to Twitter soon after seeing Reid’s comments.
“Honestly, this kinda of casual Islamophobia is hurtful and dangerous,” she wrote. “We deserve better and an apology for the painful moment for so many Muslims around our country should be forthcoming.”
Trump, who has been in multiple feuds with “The Squad,” echoed Omar’s sentiments in his own tweet posted early Wednesday.
