PODCAST · news
Weekly Earful
by Lesley Lotto
Rants and news bytes for Radio Station peeps all over the place! lesleylotto.substack.com
Episodes
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Another Win for AM 🚗
Another hoorah for AM radio. A new AARP study says AM radio is still rockin’ for those over 50 years old. The study showed over 85% of people 50 or older they asked said they had AM radio in their cars, but listening times and habits varied. 32% said they listened to AM radio while they were...
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Hope and the Hamptons 🌊
People are hoping for so many things in these trying times. While I’m writing about school budgets and state budgets, others, unbeknownst to many of us, cannot afford to buy food. They are putting food on their family table sure, but it’s with the help of credit cards, which is not helpful. I…
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What is Mindfulness? 🧘🏽
My gosh, how many times do we discuss dipping in and out of the news cycle to stay sane? Reporters and anchors on (mainstream) TV news and elsewhere say it’s a whirlwind of stories daily to keep track of, and some also say, that’s the point, so we don’t follow the smaller stories, that are…
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What is Sexual Harassment
Many of us have sadly had to deal with some form of sexual harassment at work. Some are traumatizing experiences, and others take the form of dealing with nasty people who don’t like that you are in a position of power. I have not considered myself someone who would complain about this, until I…
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What is a Euphemism?
It’s silly and trite, but I’m going for it. MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU. But what I mean to say is, May the FORCE be with you. Is this a Euphemism? Do you know what that is? I thought it meant something else frankly, but then I looked it up, I was shaken. Changing a famous movie line to make people...
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♥️ What is Love❓
I was having a hard time coming up with a topic for this blog this week. Then, after a very, bad, awful week, I climbed up out of it and got back to being awake. I was preparing to go out for a morning walk when I was hit up by a client who didn’t receive the content they should have. I…
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🤖 What's What❓‼️
We cover AI a lot on this blog, rant, or whatever you prefer calling it. A story caught my eye in the Columbia Journalism Review because it showed even careful journalists can be fooled by Artificial Intelligence shortcuts. So, the story goes… a Dutch freelancer, Menno van den Bos has been in…
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What's What❓‼️
Lies and the Lying Liars who tell them. Remember Al Franken’s book from 2003? It was a blistering look at Conservative Talk Radio. Al of course, went on to be one of the first Liberal Talk Radio hosts on the old Air America. And, of course, a US Senator from Minnesota who resigned after being...
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What's What❓‼️
When news no longer matters and everyone is reporting the same story ad infinitum, we have a problem. When there is one side and only one side, we are robots, or Stepford Spouses and don’t really know what’s going on, do we? Here’s my take on the loss of CBS News Radio. Now we have one network...
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What's What? 🤷🏻
We’ve been fighting a while to keep AM on the dial. Especially when you go buy a new car. Some of the newer vehicles don’t even have FM, so you have to pay, no matter what to get radio with human voices. These are generally electric vehicles and are the base level, so they’re going for an entry...
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What's What? 🧐
A long, long time ago, on a wing and a prayer I started a news network. It wasn’t designed to be a news network, it was a job for a person without a job, in a small town in Montana. After a year, I was anchoring 40 newscasts per day, so I had to hire someone, because I’m also a mom. In 19 years…
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What's What? 🧐
When I was a young person, in high school, I found journalism. I was a print reporter in high school and college. But I leaned into independent journalism in college. I found regular print reporting to be stodgy, unless it was investigative. After college when I was voice deep into broadcasting…
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Women Rule Audio 💃🏼
I love a good talk show, music program or channel and love an entertaining podcast. Sometimes when we get to overthinking, it’s great to unplug from our daily routine, and plug into audio. An Edison Research study shows women play an important role, tuning into audio as some of the most loyal,...
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Embracing What is 😑
There’s a new trend online, which isn’t that new, reminding us that it’s okay to lean into boredom. To say that you’re bored, may just be because you are not glued to your phone, computer, television, or even a book. How bad would it be to look out the window and just sit there gazing? Studies…
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Whatever Happened to Whimsy? 🤪
Obviously, you’ve got to have some fun in you or you wouldn’t want to be on the radio, yes? I was wandering through a retail store a year or so ago and a child was running about, yelling, laughing, skipping and generally showing off their joy. And I thought, why can’t we adults do that? Do you…
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Feedback 🧑🏻💻
I had a boss back in the day when I was a brand-new Program Director who gave me zero feedback. I would ask and he would say, “if you did something wrong, I’d tell you”. I am not sure now after so many years if I appreciated that. When we’re younger and cockier, we may think, wow, look at me.…
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Dig Deep
Is it time to bury our heads in the sand like an ostrich? It is believed that when an ostrich thinks it’s in danger, it will bury its head and may believe its entire body is also hidden. It may feel like a good time to bury ourselves and ignore the many news stories happening around us. Even as a...
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💵 Cash Pours into Radio 💵
Not everyone can afford satellite radio and free, local radio has always been there for us. A new study behind the economics of that shows free, local radio powers the economy, bringing in $437 billion in annual GDP with nearly 910,000 jobs across the country. A new study by Woods & Poole…
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Let's Get Physical 🏋
Another winning story for radio as the fitness industry may be a way of growth for advertisers. The Media Audit ad investment company MCCG Invest reported growth of 8% for audio platforms – with a focus on radio. The research shows advertisers could invest in radio to reap a massive share of...
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The End is Extremely Nigh
First, they came for Voice of America (VOA), then they took away the funds for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB). However, you may feel about the government putting up money for public assistance, or in this case entertainment and information, as media folks, we should stick our necks...
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I'm Baaaaack! 🤪
It’s been a doozie of an Old Year. Isn’t that what we call the year before the New Year? An old year? Well, if not, it sure felt old, and dreary and, whew, what a whopper! After 2 years of not anchoring news, by choice, not design, I started to get back into the trenches. As a local news anchor,...
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📺 TOTAL OVERWHELM 📰
Just when you think you have everything under control at work, some massive news story breaks and you become frazzled. It’s how you handle breaking news, or some catastrophic event that sets you apart from the rest. I remember in my 1st yoga training my teacher, who was a New York City resident...
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We're Not Nearly Done! 📰
Local news still matters! I’ve been screaming this from the rooftops for years now. A new study says audiences “still crave local news”. Sure, print newspapers are struggling, but journalists still want to create stories in their communities and radio stations have been trying to capitalize on...
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Radio is Breath 📻
As certain new models of cars are totally doing away with FM radio after already dumping AM, broadcasting advocates warn profits are being placed above public safety. All it takes is to remember the Southern California fires earlier this year when cell service was out and radio ruled. In a Blog...
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To Be Known 🥹
I have worked in tiny town America and for a couple of major news networks. I have noticed the people in tiny towns seem to want to be seen more than the people at the major news networks. I mean, I don’t go around announcing my background, and I’m not sure they do either, but I’ve noticed them.…
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💃🏼 ON WORKING ALONE, TALKING TO MYSELF AND HUMMING 🎵
I’ve worked by myself at home since 1995. At some points I have absolutely felt lonely and that I needed human interaction or some social capital. But most days I am absolutely fine working alone. I have my little doggie by my side, I have a team I interact with on Slack, I might visit a local…
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☢️ Being in Community ☢️
College radio stations have always been a place for free speech, and freestyle radio programming. Way back when, we had community stations like that. Folks would come in and volunteer their time, play some great music, read some poetry or short stories, and even read news that they gathered...
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Deep Fake 🤖
Hold up there Cowboy! You may want to save money by using A.I., but listeners don’t like fake. Radio Ink reports a study by Sounds Profitable showed listeners tuned out when they suspected AI-generated content. Nearly half of those surveyed said they’d probably stop listening if the content was...
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THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR 💰
Have you ever heard the phrase “you have to spend money to make money”? When you bring fear into the equation, and sock away what you have, it cheapens what you do. Especially if you are starting a new endeavor. Of course you have to spend money. Nobody ever started a business without spending...
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DON'T Get Over Yourself 🥹
Sometimes are egos get out of whack, but not the way you might imagine. We may allow others to strong-arm or step on us (like a doormat), because our egos are not strong enough. Ego, according to some explanations, depicts arrogance, someone thinking of themselves first and not being considerate…
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Toiling Away 🕵🏼♀️
I can’t tell you how many friends and acquaintances have told me they’ve been looking for a new job for the last year or more. Some have college degrees, some don’t. I’m not even sure that’s the problem anymore as there’s just a very competitive job market right now. If you’ve got the amount of...
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Always a Shame...
It's always a shame. It has always amazed me when there are communication breakdowns in the communication business. I remember working in Montana at a group of stations and it seemed like there were daily occurrences of folks not talking to each other. I guess it can be easier not to speak, then...
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🏖️ The REAL, real on Labor Day 👷🏽♀️
It’s more than the unofficial end of summer, Labor Day honors the hard work and achievements of American workers, following in Canada's footsteps. Here in the states it started in the late 19th century, then turned into a federal holiday. Many Americans see it as the end of summer and celebrate…
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Remember Way Back When...
...when news was news and not a bunch of political stories that jumbled our brains? I've spoken about it before, and I'll say it again, there's a need to dip in and out of the news which has become even more prevalent this year. Back in the days when I started writing news, it was different,...
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Local News IS Where It's At 📰
We are still golden! A new survey from the RTNDA with the Newhouse School at Syracuse University reports more radio stations are producing local news. The study showed just over 70% of the stations surveyed were running local news, a 6% increase over last year. This is the second year in a row…
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Hey you, Yeah you... the Naysayers 🎙️
People are still listening... The latest research shows good old fashioned terrestrial radio still has a major share of daily audio time. According to Edison Research’s latest “Share of Ear” study, traditional AM/FM radio, which includes online streaming, captured over 30% of all audio listening...
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The End of an Era? 🎙️
For the nearly six decades the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has been around, they have educated, entertained and informed. The CPB covers PBS, NPR and stations nationwide, some of which may be the only radio stations in many far reaches of the country. But Congress voted to take the...
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Going Viral
The viral story that just won’t die. In this era of nonstop news, it feels like there’s a major news story everyday, but what of the stories that continue on and on and on and on? They are beyond so-called “evergreen”, or the kind “that have legs”. They are the stories that we wake up and go to…
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📺 Stop the Madness 🚨
Remote News Service introduces “Smart News”... because if you keep reading and listening or watching the same news over and over again, it can adversely affect your mental health. Studies show the practice can trigger more anxiety and stress, and lord knows we don’t need that. Each week we've…
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The Real on the 4th 🎇
Amongst the burgers, hot dogs and partying like it's 1776, lest us not forget the meaning behind 4th of July. 🌭🍔 The legal separation of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain happened during the American Revolution a couple days before the 4th. That's when the Second Continental Congress…
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Bringing the Fire
Maybe you’ve seen it by now? A viral video of Tucker Carlson going after US Senator Ted Cruz from Texas regarding the Iran/Israel conflict. You may or may not know who Carlson is, he started out as a writer, then commentator. He has appeared on various major media outlets, none of which are…
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You Cannot Steal My Peace ✌🏽
It’s been several years that I’ve been self-employed, but over the last couple, it’s become more evident that I am mostly a manager of humans, and not a full-time journalist. It’s really fine. I’m incredibly grateful - because it’s taught me how to be flexible, non-judgmental of other’s pain or...
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Print is Alive and Kicking
I was so excited to read about a group of teens way out east on Long Island ("The End") who started their own newspaper. The Ditch Weekly is aimed at the crowd in Montauk, a funky, yet weirdly upscale community, where I would live in a New York minute. 📰 Without the help of their parents, and...
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Futuring
What's this you say? What does my future bring, what is the future of media, of radio, of television and of print? 📻 📺 🗞️ If you're to visit the many forums (is that even a thing anymore?), or groups or pages on social media, it's all doom and gloom, "radio is dead" or "consolidation killed…
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Service
It’s not really the first day of summer, but for many it IS. Memorial Day is the last Monday of May every year and the green light for so many to light up the barbecue or get on the road for their first trip of the season. But another time-honored tradition (and the main reason for the holiday)…
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Team Playin'
All Hands-on Deck. That was the email I sent to some of our team last week when we had nearly a third of our anchors out. Some were pre-planned days off, and some had to be spontaneous because they were sick or having technical issues. Sometimes it’s really, really quiet and I hear nary a word....
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What the Canadians Are Getting Right
I was invited to a panel on the dearth of local news operations in Canada and America. And, after talking to my fellow panelists ahead of the event, I found they were way ahead of the curve than the U.S., even though they said it was the other way around. I'm not even talking about radio and...
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It's Not What You Think
It all started with one lawyer, a member of an Indigenous tribe who was elected president of Mexico. Since the economy was battered because of infighting, the new president had to default on debt payments to Europeans which did not go over well. France, Britain and Spain sent forces to Veracruz,...
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A Novel Idea
A radio station in the Pacific Northwest did what many do, flipped their format. But when Inland Northwest Broadcasting moved from Hot AC to Classic Hits on 102.5 KRPL for Pullman, WA and the Moscow, Idaho markets, they did something unheard of, they promoted local businesses around the clock…
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I've Got You
One of my favorite things to do each day at work is to read the trades. I see a lot of people retiring after so many years in the business. And on LinkedIn, I see folks touting longevity in their positions too. But what happens in 5 -10 years? Will we still be seeing this exceptionalism, or will…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Weekly Earful have?
Weekly Earful currently has 122 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Weekly Earful about?
Rants and news bytes for Radio Station peeps all over the place! lesleylotto.substack.com
How often does Weekly Earful release new episodes?
Weekly Earful publishes regularly with 122 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Weekly Earful?
You can listen to Weekly Earful on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Weekly Earful?
Weekly Earful is created and hosted by Lesley Lotto.
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