A union representing 160,000 journalists, radio personalities, and other media types, has successfully negotiated a contract with Philadelphia-based NPR affiliate WHYY-FM, the station announced on its Twitter account. 

Representatives from The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) said the deal raises salaries and provides other benefits associated with the union.

“After a long negotiation process, SAG-AFTRA members finally have a solid first agreement with WHYY that implements vital benefits and pay increases,” said SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “I congratulate our negotiating team as well as our amazing WHYY members on their new contract.” 

Union members at WHYY negotiated for two years before reaching a deal. Members held a rally in July when negotiations began to drag on. The unit won its union election 70 to 1 on October 30, 2019. 

An accomplished sports radio programmer is making the move into News/Talk. Dennis Glasgow made the announcement on social media Wednesday, confirming that he had accepted an opportunity to program Washington D.C. news/talk station 104.7 WONK FM. 

Glasgow had spent the past few years programming 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh, North Carolina. His position was eliminated last year though during the pandemic. Prior to his tune in Raleigh, Glasgow programmed 1080 The Fan in Portland, and ESPN 980 in the nation’s capital.

“I know that it has been a very difficult year for many families, including ours,” Glasgow wrote. “But the good news is that I have a new gig (as of now) and will be working and living in Washington DC as Program Director for iHeartMedia at WONK FM.”

104.7 WONK FM first launched two years ago. At the time the iHeartmedia station billed itself as a “news and talk station serving thought leaders, influencers and stakeholders inside the Washington D.C. beltway.”

The challenge awaiting Glasgow is a big one. DC is a market that has been dominated by Hubbard’s all-news station WTOP which registered a 9.2 share in the last Nielsen ratings book. Cumulus news talker 105.9 WMAL has also been a healthy format competitor in the market.

All of Cumulus Media’s 413 radio stations and podcast portfolio will now be distributed through the Audacy digital platform.

The two media entities sent out a press release on Wednesday morning announcing their latest partnership.

Cumulus Media’s Senior Vice President of Digital Operations and Business Development, Larry Liniesky commented:

“We’re delighted with this opportunity to expand listeners’ ability to discover and connect with our stations and podcasts through the Audacy app. This partnership is in sync with our strategy of distributing our content through multiple platforms to make it available anywhere and anytime people want to enjoy it.”

Audacy’s Vice President of Business Development, Corey Podolsky added:

“The addition of Cumulus’s expansive portfolio of leading radio stations enhances and bolsters Audacy’s position as the fastest growing digital platform for radio listeners. Audacy looks forward to building on this initial partnership with Cumulus and will continue to develop new and innovative ways to super serve our listeners.”

As more details and information about this partnership become available we’ll update it on the site.