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The New York Times has a lengthy piece on how successful sports talk radio has become for local advertisers, despite the fact that the format might not be the top rated station in a market. The article begins with a success story from the Goldberg law firm which uses Portland station KFXX-AM to reach men. The station was ranked 21st in June.

The Radio Ink Radio Wayne Awards will be handed out on September 27 at the RAB/NAB Radio Show in Orlando. And in our continuing series of podcasts with finalists, Beasley Media Group Tampa/St. Pete General Sales Manager Jay Mulligan reveals his secrets to success. Take a listen...

WBEB-FM will soon be under the ownership umbrella of CEO David Field's company after a three-way deal was announced Thursday involving Entercom, Beasley Media, and Jerry Lee Radio. The price-tag for the perennial number-one station in Philadelphia was $57.5 million.

As we reported Tuesday, Hubbard Seattle Market Manager Marc Kaye is retiring from radio after 45 years. It's no simple task to be successful in this business for nearly 5 decades. Former Susquehanna CEO David Kennedy, a good friend and former colleague of Kaye, tells Radio Ink Marc had exactly what it took to be a winner.

The Washington Post’s Research, Experimentation and Development team has developed a technology called Rhapsocord, which inserts ads automatically into podcasts. According to the website Ad Exchanger, Rhapsocord automatically identifies pre-roll, midroll and post-roll spots, inserts ads and updates the files.

Emmis Communications has entered into a new employment agreement with the only CEO the company has ever had, Jeff Smulyan. Smulyan’s base salary will continue to be $1,025,000 through February 28, 2019, and increase $25,000 each year. The new agreement runs through February 28, 2022, and will automatically renew for additional one-year terms. The company also paid Smulyan a $1 million signing bonus.

We hear it a lot. The biggest challenge for managers is hiring. We also hear how difficult it is to hire strong talent from the upcoming generation. Radio needs young blood oozing up and down the halls of its radio stations to keep things exciting, fresh and innovative. We turned to the 2018 MIW Group mentees for answers.

If you have not created a way for your audience to listen to your radio station on a Smart Speaker you are living in the Dark Ages. According to the latest Jacobs Media Techsurvey, Smart Speaker ownership jumped from 11% to 21% in just one year. And if you're not telling your audience your radio station is available on Smart Speakers, you may be missing an opportunity to increase your listening base, or at the least maintain the listeners you have.

Townsquare Media announced late in the day Thursday it has sold North American Midway Entertainment to North American Fairs for $23.5 million plus a 15% residual interest in any future proceeds of a sale of NAME in the next 10 years. Townsquare purchased NAME in 2015 for $75.5 million.

This is the kind of advertiser we all want to hear from. Walt Blasberg is the owner of the North Hero House in North Hero, VT. North Hero House is an Inn and restaurant on Lake Champlain. It's not the typical advertiser you're going to hear on the radio every day. Yet, as soon as Blasberg decided to incorporate radio into his marketing campaign, his business took off. (Our weekly Advertiser Success Stories are sponsored by Sun & Fun Media).