Media Insultant
Keith Samuels and Jackson Weaver, two media executives opine on all things media - radio, TV, cable, print, and digital. Both have long careers in radio, TV, digital and print and are not short on opinions in this tumultuous time. All opinions are theirs but happy to hear yours too! Video version available on Vimeo. New episodes each Wednesday. jackson@intownmedia.com and www.intownmedia.com
Episodes
290 episodes
Media Insultant - 1.21.26 - Earthquake story, Cumulus winning in court, Sinclair doubles down and MediaCo is still MIA on HD channels in LA.
WHAT WOULD EPHRAM ZIMBALIST JUNIOR SAY ABOUT DAN BONGINO - OUT AT THE FBI BACK TO PODCASTINGMEDIACO TRYING TO SPREAD THE BUZZ… STILL QUIETSINCLAIR RAMPS UP THE PRESSURE ON SCRIPPS…AND CUMULUS WINS A ...
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Season 7
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Episode 286
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23:54
Media Insultant - 1.14.26 - We share an earworm! Audacy consolodates newscasts in two markets. Your next fortune is at YouTube? Not! The Oscars are the next tent pole that goes to streaming.
BROADCASTING SHARING RESOURCES - EVEN WITH THE EVIL COMPETION. THE OSCARS SAY BUY-BYE TO ABC TV. CAN ANYONE MAKE MONEY ON YOU TUBE?WE SHARE AN EARWORM. WARNING! <...
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Season 7
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Episode 285
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22:42
Media Insultant - 1.7.26 - Don't forget QR codes. How does Cumulus negotiate with Nielsen? SFO gets a new manager from Bean Town. And is MTV really gone?
SCRIPPS KINDA EMBARRASES SINCLAIR...HERE COMES THE JUDGE...AND HE SLAPS NIELSEN.MTV. RUMORS OF YOUR DEMISE ARE GREATLY EXAGERATED…IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE HOLIDAYS...BUT NO GRASS GROWING UNDER JE...
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Season 7
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Episode 284
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24:27
Media Insultant - Holiday Edition 12.17.25
This week we deviate from our normal format and resurrect our annual Ode to the Holidays with our poet lauret, Tony Bollen. If you're a regular, you've heard Tony's tributes to both radio and the holidays in the past. Well this year...
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Season 6
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Episode 283
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13:20
Media Insultant - 12.10.25 - More on getting radio out of the data ditch. Even we have a comment on the Netflix acauistion. And Mediaco seems confused. Or clueless.
MEDIACO IS TRIPPING UP AGAIN…OR JUST DON’T KNOW HOW THIS WORKS?VALIDATION OF MY UPPER FUNNEL SALE MODEL FOR RADIO - I PROMISE i WON’T SAY I TOLD YOU SO…CONNOISSEURS RECENT SUCKING UP ALPHA MEDIA GOT US THINKING AB...
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Season 6
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Episode 282
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24:58
Media Insultant - 12.3.25 - Is the TV M&A activity in jeoprardy? Trump makes useless threats. And iHeart is guaranteeing us a human experience.
TRUMP IS CONFUSED ABOUT LICENSES FOR TV NETWORKS…TWO BIG TELEVISION M&A DEALS ARE IN SOME JEOPARDY…IHEART ISSUES A WEIRD AI GUARANTEE.
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Season 6
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Episode 281
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19:22
Media Insultant - 11.26.25 The collapse of radio values? Bonneville starts a sports net that makes no sense. And Jackson rants about radio data!
THE WIZARD OF WESTPORT IS MAKING RADIO INTERESTING AGAIN!WE THINK RADIO IS FIGHTING THE WRONG BATTLE!BONNEVILLE STARTS A REGIONAL SPORTS RADIO NETWORK…AH…AND THE REASON FOR THAT????
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Season 6
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Episode 280
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24:10
Media Insultant - 11.19.25 - AI is helping how? Now everyone can sell everything in media! And how was FORECAST?
EVERYONE IS SELLING EVERYTHINGAI HELPS RADIO HOW?WE MISSED FORECAST - BUT STILL HAVE AN OPINION.
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Season 6
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Episode 279
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27:39
Media Insultant - 11.5.25 - iHeart SFO shuffled? Cumulus stumbles, again. And Is Amazon about to re-order local media sales?
IS LOCAL MEDIA JUST ONE AMAZON CLICK AWAY FROM OBLIVION? (3:40) iHEART SFO - KEITH STARTED PULLING THE STRING AND INTERESTING THINGS KEEP POPPING OUT….(15:17)CUMULUS CONTINUES THE SLIDE…AND YA GOTTA WONDER WH...
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Season 6
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Episode 278
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24:52
Media Insultant 10.29.25 - EMF might be the most successful radio group in the oountry! No one seems to give a damn about digital media waste! And the FDA could chop $7 billion out of TV revenue! Now that's a problem!
NO ONE SEEMS TO GIVE A SHIT ABOUT WASTE - THE MONEY JUST KEEPS FLOWING (8:10)FDA RATTLES WITH A POTENTIAL BAN ON TV AND RADIO ADS. (13:12)EMF UNFOLDS FINANCIALS - KICK BUTT (4:15)
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Season 6
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Episode 277
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20:14
Media Insultant 10.22.25 - Is the one day sale a gimmick at Connoiseur stations? Cumulus comes out fighting! Saga makes a good move IOHO!
WHO’S GOING TO BLINK FIRST? CUMULUS TAKES ON NIELSEN IN WHAT SOME CALL A GAME OF CHICKEN! (7:55)CONNOISEUR HAS A DEAL FOR YOU! (2:09)WE GIVE SAGA COMMUNICATIONS A SOLID FIST BUMP ON THEIR MOVES THIS WEEK… (1...
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Season 6
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Episode 276
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22:56
Media Insultant - 10.15.25 - Both Saga and The Wizard say go big or go home. More layoffs of good people. FCC Commissioner Carr floats a dumb idea...IOHO.
GO BIG OR GO HOME. THAT’S WHAT SAGA IS SAYING!(17:45)MORE LAYOFFS - AH…NO FURTHER COMMENT (7:10)A SURPRISING DEAL THE WIZARD OF WESTPORT STRIKES A BIG ONE (1:20)FCC COMMISSIONER CARR HAS A DEAL...
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Season 6
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Episode 275
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24:56
Media Insultant 10.8.25 - Net's VS Affiliates. Does it get better or worse? No deals in radio M&A. Is that going to last? Is Salem going to make it?
IT’S ALWAYS BEEN THERE BUT THE KIMMEL DEBACLE PUTS FURTHER STRAIN ON THE NETWORK STATION RELATIONSHIPS…(1:25)RADIO M&A IS …TO PUT IT MILDLY, VERY QUIET. IS THIS THE QUIET BEFORE THE STORM>?? (15:17)RADIO GR...
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Season 6
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Episode 274
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26:57
Media Insultant - 10.1.25 - STOP with new business! A remarkable NEW budgeting process for your station!
This is a SPECIAL EDITION of Media Insultant. WIth budgeting season here we asked Gerry Tabio and Sally Beamer of Creative Resources Group to give us some guidance on budgeting in these challenging times. And they seriously recommen...
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Season 6
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Episode 273
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30:28
Media Insultant - 9.24.25 - Not another Kimmel comment?! No ratings? Dan Patrick doesn't care. And the auto budgets are fading fast.
WE APPOLOGIZE…BUT ONE FINAL WORD ON THE JIMMY KIMMEL DEBACLE (2:30)DAN PATRICK HAS THE GUTS TO SAY WHAT NO ONE ELSE WILL…(12:20)NO WONDER YOUR CAR DEALERSHIP BUDGETS ARE SMALLER OR GONE (19:44)Welcome t...
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Season 6
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Episode 272
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24:34
Media Insultant - 9.17.25 - An unbelievable merger? The NFL is sitting solid with CBS. And HANK is rocking in at least ONE major market.
AUDACY/iHEART MERGER? WHEN PIGS FLY? MAYBE NOT…(3:01)WILL THE NFL RENEG ON IT’S DEAL WITH CBS?? (10:26)IN AT LEAST ONE MAJOR MARKET - THE HANK IS THE MAN! (15:50)Welcome to the only po...
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Season 6
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Episode 271
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22:14
Media Insultant - 9.3.25 - We argue Saga's digital strategy. Where is the annual top 10 billing radio station report? I't's overdue. And we aren't the smartest guys in the room anymore!!
JUST WHEN WE THINK WE’RE THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM…(14:45)BIA TOP 10 BILLING RADIO STATION REPORT IS MISSING IN ACTION! (18:32)WHAT OPTIONS EXIST FOR SAGA? (3:31)WELCOME TO our podcast focused on ra...
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Season 6
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Episode 270
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22:59
Media Insultant - 8.27.25 - Beasley sale could trigger whole new radio M&A scene. Will radio stop paying streaming copyright fees? And why did TEGNA leave money on the table? Or did they?
CAROLYN BEASLEY KEEPS BAILING…BUT THE WATER IS RISING (3:05)EVERYONE IS ASKING…WELL WE ARE - WHY IS TEGNA LEAVING $1.8B ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR…? (12:40)SOUND EXCHANGE CAN ASK…BUT CAN NO LONGER SUE FOR UNPAID ST...
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Season 6
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Episode 270
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25:08
Media Insultant - Special Edition - AI will cheat you out of budget consideration and what you can do about it.
Our ad agency guru, Ed Steenman of Steenman & Associates joins us for a SPECIAL EDITION of Media Insultant. Ed compares his media buying strategy with an AI buy with Chat GPT. The results may surprise you. He also talks ab...
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Season 6
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Episode 269
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20:41
Media Insultant - 8.13.25 - TV M&A surges. ESPN deal in jeopardy politically? And Apple makes a grab for F1 coverage when ESPN drops out.
APPLE MAY PICK UP F1 - BUT WHY DID ESPN BOW OUT? (4:30)ESPN STUNS WITH NEW NFL DEAL - BUT WILL TRUMP TAKE HIS POUND OF FLESH…? (9:08)TV GROUPS ARE ON A BUYING BINGE - WHAT DO THE TV GROUPS KNOW THAT WE DON’T? (13:...
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Season 6
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Episode 268
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25:15
Media Insultant - 8.6.25 - Is 13 seconds of porn worth $222,000? Will AI exclude radio & TV from marketing budgets? And iHeart has new leadership.
IS AI A DOOM MACHINE FOR RADIO & TV BUDGETS?PERSONNEL UPDATE WITH KEITHTEGNA PAYS FOR DIRTY VIDEO - BUT IT HARDLY SEEMS FAIR. WELCOME TO our podcast focused on radio TV and OCCASIONALLY digital...
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Season 6
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Episode 267
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24:43
Media Insultant 7.16.25 - Salvation for local TV news? Blurring the lines between video and radio. And some TV stations are saying, we don't need a network!
THE LOCAL PROMISES A FUTURE FOR LOCAL TV NEWS. (0:20)VIDEO MAY NOT HAVE KILLED THE RADIO STAR...BUT INSTEAD, JOINED HANDS WITH RADIO. (10:35)WHY ARE MAJOR BIG MARKET TV STATIONS LOSING THEIR NEWORK AFFILIATIONS? (...
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Season 6
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Episode 266
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20:42
Media Insultant - 7.9.25 - Radio geeks - REEL RADIO is back! Fox likes multiple market managers. Paul Harvey's estate sues Paramount Pictures and regardless of what the NAB says, AM stations are shutting down.
TOWNSQUARE WALKS AWAY…AGAIN…(10:44)FOX TELEVISION DUPLICATES WHAT RADIO HAS BEEN DOING…(4:50)PAUL HARVEY - FROM HIS GRAVE - THE REST OF THE STORY.(10:33)REEL RADIO FOR GEEKS IS BACK! (17:34)
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Season 6
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Episode 265
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22:08
Media Insultant - 6.25.25 A tribute to Dennis Holt. TEGNA moves local news to OTT and Apple Plus may soon take advertising. Just what we need!
IS ADVERTISING GOING TO FOLLOW THE BOUNCING APPLE PLUS…(18:20)WE TAKE OUT HATS OFF IN DEEP RESPECT FOR WESTERN MEDIA iNTERNATIONALS DENNIS HOLT . (9:35)TEGNA MAKES A BOLD MOVE WHICH IS BOUND TO P...
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Season 6
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Episode 264
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23:32
Media Insultant - 6.18.25 The radio story about Fun, Fun, Fun. Public broadcast at crossroads. The pending death of Blue Links. iHeart in the south of France? And BFofA fund raiser!
NPR AND PBS - IS THEIR HAIR REALLY ON FIRE…. ARE THEY ON THE ROPES OR IS THIS ALL SMOKE AND MIRRORS…? (10:50)SOME THINK THAT SEARCH IS HAVING AN EXISTENTIAL MOMENT….AND MAYBE SO! BLUE LINKS (16:24)IHEART SHO...
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Season 6
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Episode 263
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26:23