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- We Still Believe in Radio
Vermont station WEQX is radio partner for a holiday match program run by the Stewart’s Shops chain that raises millions of dollars for local charities. The station’s Jason Keller is at the Ballston Spa, N.Y., location. It’s easy to find plenty of articles telling you that “radio is dead.” The people I’ve been talking to don’t agree. They are announcers and program directors in markets of all sizes, and their assessments were remarkably consistent. They’re well aware that radio is no longer the only game in town for new music: Stations are competing with Spotify and TikTok and SiriusXM. They know that many stations are owned by corporations that have voice-tracking, tight playlists and little community involvement. Yet they have seen firsthand that people will still engage with certain stations, including theirs. Why? They believe listeners still want a station with a unique personality, a station where they know the folks on the air, a station that has a live and local presence. In Duluth, for example, Midwest Communications station KQDS-FM “Classic Rock KQ” remains very popular, even with younger listeners, according to PD and morning show host Jason Manning. He notes that KQ frequently sits at or near the top of the ratings. (In the fall of 2025, according to Nielsen, KQDS enjoyed a 16.2 AQH share for persons 12+, Monday–Sunday 6 a.m. to midnight. Its nearest competitor had a 6.6.) “We’ve even won 18-to-34-year-old men,” Manning says. “And whenever we have an event, people of all ages show up.” Manning cites the Half-Eaten Donut 5.0 festivities, held at the Fortune Bay Resort Casino on the Friday of Labor Day weekend last year. More than 500 people came to see a live concert, meet announcers and have a chance to win prizes. “The venue is about 80 miles north of Duluth, which means a lot of people traveled a long way just to hang out with us that night.” KQDS-FM in Duluth, Minn., is the radio partner of the 31st Annual Kolar Toyota ALS Fishing Tournament. “Join Jason Manning from the KQ Morning Show, along with his son Colby, as they cast for a cure in the fight against ALS,” the station website says. What’s his station’s secret? “We do good, engaging radio. We do fun things, and we’re very involved in the community. The listeners know us. When they see us outside of the station, they like to… [TheTopNews] Read More.18 mins ago - Reach, share, content, insights, polling, trust, loyalty, influence … and abov...
Edison Research (a subsidiary of SSRS) has released its annual study of podcast listener behavior and trends, titled The Podcast Consumer 2026. Energetically presented online by Edison VP Megan Lazovick, the 51-page research deck documents several components of podcasting's profile in the media industry. It is essential. Click for a detailed review and link to the source deck. Continue Reading → [TheTopNews] Read More.25 mins ago - WATCH: Senate Democrat Twists Himself in Knots to Avoid Endorsing Graham Platner...
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) twisted himself in knots to avoid endorsing the scandal-plagued Senate candidate Graham Platner (ME) in a wild CNN hit on Thursday. In an interview on CNN News Central, anchor Boris Sanchez asked Markey about Platner — who has generated controversy on everything from his Nazi-linked tattoo, to problematic social media posts, to newly-reported, sexually explicit texts to women other than his wife. “I have to ask you about embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner,” Sanchez said. “He met with Democrats in D.C. Yesterday. Will you endorse his campaign?” Markey went to bat for various aspects of the candidate’s platform, but stopped short of endorsing him. “I know that he is out and he is campaigning on kitchen table issues. I know that he’s opposed to this slush fund which Donald Trump is putting together. He’s putting affordability front and center for the voters of Maine. To decide this race. And I think that he has the right issues to be focusing upon this year in Maine, as I am doing, and I think other people who are really concerned about the direction our country is going in right now.” Sanchez pressed. “It sounds like he has your support, Senator,” Sanchez said. But Markey again dodged. “Well, I am convinced that he is running on all of the right issues for our country right now,” the senator said. Sanchez tried one more time. “So why not say that you endorse him?” Sanchez said. Yet Markey just would not go there. “In my opinion, he has taken the issues and he’s galvanized a grassroots movement all across Maine,” Markey said. “People are responding at the town meetings, they are up, they’re energized, and in my opinion he is on a pathway to victory in the state of Maine.” Watch above, via CNN.The post WATCH: Senate Democrat Twists Himself in Knots to Avoid Endorsing Graham Platner in Awkward CNN Hit first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.27 mins ago - Jared Moskowitz Sounds Off on Controversial Dem House Candidate: ‘Not in Line ...
Screenshot via YouTube Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) warned the Democratic Party against embracing candidates who “clearly are not in line with our values” when asked about Adam Hamawy’s Democratic primary win in New Jersey on Tuesday night. Moskowitz spoke to The Free Press about Hamawy’s past and his likely November victory in a heavily blue district. “The idea that we’ve expanded the tent to the point that we’re putting people in that clearly are not in line with our values, I think, is a real long-term mistake,” Moskowitz told The Free Press’s Audrey Fahlberg. Fahlberg reported that Moskowitz also said the issue of what committees Hamawy should join is something to be addressed after the election. Hamawy has sparked controversy and drawn intense scrutiny over his past associations with the so-called Blind Sheikh, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy in 1995 as part of the investigations into the first World Trade Center bombing. Hamawy served as a defense witness during the trial. Hamawy, a plastic surgeon and former U.S. Army veteran, has also come under fire for having volunteered in a Gaza hospital, which was later learned to be a Hamas operations center in the recent conflict there. On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) called for Hamawy to be investigated by Congress, “How in the hell has a defense witness in the 1993 WTC bombing, with ties to Al-Qaeda been nominated by the Democrats to serve in Congress?” “If elected in November, Congress should fully investigate his ties to terrorist organizations and determine whether he is fit to serve,” concluded Lawler.The post Jared Moskowitz Sounds Off on Controversial Dem House Candidate: ‘Not in Line With Our Values’ first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.31 mins ago - John Fetterman Demolishes Graham Platner, Predicts More Scandals From ‘P-Hustl...Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) trashed fellow Democrat Graham Platner on Friday, predicting that there may be more scandals on deck as Platner seeks a Senate seat in Maine. Platner has been blasted by Republicans and Democrats alike since he announced his run for Senator Susan Collins’s (R-ME) seat in the Pine Tree State, most notoriously over the revelation that he has a tattoo on his chest of a Nazi SS “Totenkopf” symbol. When asked by a Fox News reporter if there were more scandals around Platner waiting to drop, Fetterman replied, “Well, he lied to everybody. He said that there wasn’t any after his Nazi tattoo situation. And now there’s more and more of the things. So he’s already lied about that.” Fetterman added, “So I assume, you know, it’s like they say, for every ranch you see in Texas, there’s 50 that you haven’t seen. So I’m sure there’s plenty, a lot of more ranches in P-Hustle’s life.” Fetterman is just the latest politician to attack Platner, whose rise in Maine has been marred by the tattoo, infidelity, and problematic Reddit posts. Last month, CNN’s Michael Smerconish said the body art was a “blindspot” for the Democratic Party. Platner has since covered the tattoo and denied knowing that it was a Nazi symbol. He has claimed he got the tattoo with fellow Marines during a Croatia trip back in 2007 and did not understand its meaning, though CNN reporting has cast doubt on his plea of ignorance. Despite the scandals, Platner holds a slight lead over Collins in the Maine Senate race, according to a new UMASS Lowell poll. Watch above via Fox News.The post John Fetterman Demolishes Graham Platner, Predicts More Scandals From ‘P-Hustle’s Life’ first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.44 mins ago
- ‘You’re in Charge!’ House Democrat Presses Defiant Scott Bessent on DOGEâ€...Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) clashed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a Thursday House hearing where she pressed Bessent on DOGE’s “unprecedented” access to Americans’ private data. At the hearing, DelBene blasted the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) effort as a “massive failure” and accused Bessent of not putting proper “safeguards” in place to protect sensitive data that he authorized DOGE employees to review. She said: DOGE staffers also abused their position to gain access to taxpayer-sensitive private data. Mr. Secretary, on January 31, 2025, you personally granted DOGE access to one of the Treasury Department’s payment systems at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. This database houses Americans’ most sensitive data, including Social Security numbers and bank account information. Shortly after, my colleagues and I requested the GAO review DOGE’s unprecedented access to this critical payment system. GAO completed that report last month. DelBene said that review found that a DOGE employee was “inadvertently granted temporary access to create, modify, and delete data from the payment system.” “Mr. Secretary, you failed to impose basic safeguards that left millions of Americans personal data vulnerable to unauthorized access and abuse. And so my question for you is, do you take responsibility for that? And if so what specific measures, if any, have you taken afterwards to protect the affected individual’s data and rebuild confidence in your department’s handling of sensitive information?” the congresswoman asked Bessent. “Again, would you care to look up, what does inadvertent mean?” Bessent asked. “You’re in charge! You are responsible for this,” DelBene said after some crosstalk about the definition of the word “inadvertent.” DelBene pressed Bessent on whether he takes “responsibility” for the incident. “I will take responsibility—” Bessent began as DelBene jumped back in. “Okay, and then, what has been done to make sure that can never happen again?” she asked. “Congresswoman, it was read only. They had no ability to edit,” Bessent said. “What has happened to make sure that never happens again?” DelBene asked. “Just as we have at the IRS, we have tightened up all protocols on systems,” Bessent said. “I guess that’s not very specific,” DelBene commented. The lawmaker and Bessent also clashed when she brought up a DOGE staffer and USAID. DelBene said: We also found that a DOJ staffer sent an unencrypted file containing USAID payment information and individuals’ names to external DOJ personnel at the General… [TheTopNews] Read More.53 mins ago
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