News Bites for April 30…<\/p>\n
In the aftermath of severe storms and flooding along the Fox River, local radio once again demonstrated its value as a real-time community connector. Connoisseur Media AC \u201cStar 105.5\u201d WZSR Woodstock, IL partnered with township officials to help coordinate a rapid volunteer response as rising waters threatened homes. Hosts Joe Cicero and Tina Bree of the \u201cJoe & Tina\u201d morning show used their live broadcast to call on listeners to fill sandbags, prompting an immediate turnout from volunteers across the area. Local officials credited the station\u2019s on-air outreach as a key factor in protecting neighborhoods. Station leadership says the effort underscores radio\u2019s ability to inform and mobilize audiences in critical moments, reinforcing its role as a trusted, local resource when communities need it most.
\n RAB, in partnership with BIA Advisory Services, will host an upcoming live presentation focused on the trajectory of radio advertising revenue in 2026 and emerging opportunities across local markets. Drawing on BIA\u2019s latest U.S. Local Advertising Forecast, the webinar will outline updated revenue projections, including expectations for political spending tied to the midterm election cycle and key advertiser categories driving growth. BIA projects total U.S. radio ad revenue will reach approximately $12.5 billion in 2026, underscoring radio\u2019s ongoing role in the local media mix. The session will also examine shifting budget allocations across channels and strategies for radio sellers to capture increased share. Presenters include Celine Matthiessen, Senan Mele and Steve Passwaiter. Registration is free for RAB members. Click HERE<\/a> for more information.Longtime Philadelphia Eagles play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese has been named a 2026 recipient of the Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service, recognizing his impact on mass communications and sports broadcasting. Reese was honored April 24 at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, DE, alongside fellow honorees including Michael Massimino and Jane Seymour. Entering his 50th season as the voice of the Philadelphia Eagles on Audacy\u2019s \u201cSportsRadio 94\u201d WIP-FM Philadelphia, Reese is widely regarded as one of the NFL\u2019s top play-by-play announcers. The awards, established in 1979, recognize achievement across fields including the arts, science and public service, and carry a $75,000 prize. Past honorees have included Desmond Tutu, Joe Biden and Meryl Streep.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"News Bites for April 30… In the aftermath of severe storms and flooding along the Fox River, local…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":637267,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,134,17846,136,44],"class_list":["post-641793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-free","tag-music","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=641793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/637267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=641793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=641793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=641793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}