Benztown President Dave “Chachi” Denes has released two new episodes of Chachi Loves Everybody, featuring conversations with two of radio’s most accomplished executives: WSM Radio’s Eric Marcum and Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott.
In the first episode, Marcum traces his childhood passion for radio through nearly 16 years at WSM, where he has held roles spanning board operations, marketing, programming, and production before rising to GM and Content Director. He reflects on WSM’s century-long legacy and its role in bringing Country music to mainstream audiences, pays tribute to station pioneers Jack DeWitt and E.W. Bud Wendell, and offers his perspective on how industry leaders can embrace digital transformation without abandoning radio’s heritage.
The second episode features Talbott, a Radio Hall of Famer recognized on Radio Ink‘s Top 40 Most Powerful and Most Influential Women lists. She traces her Kentucky roots and her unexpected path into broadcasting. She echoes similar sentiments regarding the evolution of radio in an increasingly digital landscape, shares her view that AI should complement rather than replace the human element of the medium, and describes the formative experience of building MJI Broadcasting from the ground up before its “bittersweet” acquisition by Premiere Networks in 1999.
The new episodes arrive as Chachi prepares to be honored as a Rockwell recipient at The Last Conclave in September, a recognition of his contribution to the broadcasting industry.
