News

(By Bob McCurdy) This past week I engaged a local advertiser on the phone who’s been struggling. She said she had previously tried some print advertising but found it ineffective. After having her discuss her business and challenges, I touched on a few marketing tenets to assist her in guiding any future marketing decisions.

(By Jeff McHugh) A frequent question from radio and podcast hosts that we coach is, “Have you heard any entertaining games lately?” The answer is YES! Before boring the audience with another “be caller nine now” giveaway, consider doing one of these games that listeners can mentally play along with.

(By Ronald Robinson) Seems like a significant portion of radio operators are well aware of how their stations are failing at, and utterly anemic in, serving their local markets. Because of the tragic deregulation of ownership that took place a couple of decades ago, a model of forced incompetence has been staked out, and is now being vigorously defended.

Beasley’s K104.7 FM Phil & Mel in the Morning’s new podcast Relationship ICU is so named “because sometimes relationships need some intensive care.” It’s being touted as a fun, insightful, and slightly irreverent (PG-13) take on the way people attempt to get along on the rocky road of relationships.

Entercom has replaced Steve Swenson in Washington DC. Phil Zachary will now run that market for Entercom. Zachary (pictured here) will continue as Market Manager in Hartford as the company looks to hire a new market manager to run that cluster.

Jacobs Media and the organizers of the Podcast Movement conference have doubled the agenda for the radio-focused podcast track, "Broadcasters Meet Podcasters." For the upcoming 2018 convention in Philadelphia on July 23-26, Jacobs Media has developed nine sessions over two days targeted at members of the radio industry.

After nearly 30 years as president and CEO of the Arizona Broadcasters Association, Art Brooks announced Friday that he is stepping down at the end of the year. Brooks led the way helping Arizona broadcasters make the 2008 award-winning documentary Crystal Darkness, one of several initiatives he was involved in to battle drug abuse.

The assault on Pirate Radio operators continues at The FCC. Five more warnings were issued by The Enforcement Bureau this month, including 3 in Miami, one in Brooklyn and a Pastor in Baton Rouge. Here are the details.

Chris Forgy has been promoted to Senior VP of Operations for Saga. It's a newly created position for Forgy who had been managing Saga's cluster in Columbus. CEO Ed Christian said, "Chris is a world-class broadcaster whose contributions to Saga will be very important and strategic as he joins us in the corporate office."      

Mark Boudreaux has been named Market President, iHeartMedia New Orleans, effective June 11. Boudreaux joins the company from South Central AV, where he most recently served as the Business Development Manager.