iHM Names Four New Division Presidents

iHeartMedia announced today that four of its Region Presidents have been elevated to Division Presidents of the iHeartMedia Markets Group, effective immediately.

Linda Byrd, Scott Hopeck, Brian Olson and Jeff Tyler will expand their current Region President roles to include Division President responsibilities — joining current Division Presidents Kevin LeGrett and Tom McConnell.  Each will report to Greg Ashlock, President of the iHeartMedia Markets Group.

“With the substantial lead we have as the number one audio company in America, we have built a one-of-kind multiplatform company that offers our advertising partners benefits, driven by our unique first party and attribution data, that until now they have only found in digital,” said Ashlock. “As we continue to transition these capabilities from our national platforms to the market level, this new leadership structure will allow us to accelerate how we import and export innovation.”

“These solutions are in response to the needs articulated by our advertising partners,” he continued. “We now have solutions for the largest all the way to the smallest of our partners which will enable us to continue to both expand our platforms and build products that only a company of our scale can accomplish.”

iHeartMedia also announced that in addition to his Division President responsibilities, LeGrett has been named Executive Vice President of Operations for the Markets Group, reporting to Ashlock.

Finalists Announced For 2018 Marconi Awards

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced the finalists for the 2018 NAB Marconi Radio Awards, honoring radio stations and on-air personalities for excellence in broadcasting. The winners will be announced September 27 at the NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner & Show, sponsored by Xperi and held during the 2018 Radio Show in Orlando.

LEGENDARY STATION OF THE YEAR
KKBQ-FM, Houston, TX
KOA-AM, Denver, CO
WBAP-AM, Dallas, TX
WHIO-AM, Dayton, OH
WOKV FM, Jacksonville, FL

NETWORK/SYNDICATED PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Dan Patrick, Premiere Networks
Delilah, Premiere Networks
Raul Molina, Carla Medrano & Andres Maldonado, Univision Radio
Ryan Seacrest, Premiere Networks
Sean Hannity, Premiere Networks

MAJOR MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Angie Martinez, WWPR-FM, New York, NY
Bob Stroud, WDRV-FM, Chicago, IL
Ebro Darden, WQHT-FM, New York, NY
Felger & Massarotti, WBZ-FM, Boston, MA
Kimmie Tee, Tony Sculfield and Antoine Davis, KBLX-FM, San Francisco, CA

LARGE MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Brooke & Jubal , KQMV-FM, Seattle, WA
Dori Monson, KIRO-FM, Seattle, WA
Jack Harris, WFLA-AM, Tampa, FL
Joe Kelly, WDBO-FM, Orlando, FL
Rich Jones, WOKV FM, Jacksonville, FL

MEDIUM MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Bill Barrett, Tim Fox & Tracy Berry, KKNU-FM, Eugene, OR
Brent Johnson, WTCB-FM, Columbia, SC
Harlen The Sports Guy and Pigskin Bob, KYKX-FM, Tyler, TX
Pat Kerrigan, KSRO-AM, Santa Rosa, CA
Scoot, WWL-FM, New Orleans, LA

SMALL MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Brian Byers, WSOY-AM, Decatur, IL
Chris and Rosie, WUSQ-FM, Winchester, VA
Frito and Katy, KNDE - FM, College Station, TX
Scotty and Catryna, KCLR-FM, Columbia, MO
Todd Haugen, KBHP-FM, Bemidji, MN

MAJOR MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR
KNX-AM, Los Angeles, CA
KTCK-FM, Dallas, TX
WBEB-FM, Philadelphia, PA
WQHT-FM, New York, NY
WSB-AM, Atlanta, GA

LARGE MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR
KXL-FM, Portland, OR
WDBO-FM, Orlando, FL
WDUV-FM, St. Petersburg, FL
WKTI-FM, Milwaukee, WI
WSOC-FM, Charlotte, NC

MEDIUM MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR
KSRO-AM, Santa Rosa, CA
WEZN-FM, Milford, CT
WHKO-FM, Dayton, OH
WMGQ-FM, Somerset, NJ
WRVA-AM, Richmond, VA

SMALL MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR
KFGO-AM, Fargo, ND
KVOX-FM, Fargo, ND
KWYO-AM, Sheridan, WY
WFRE-FM, Fredrick, MD
WWUS-FM, Sugarloaf Key, FL

AC STATION OF THE YEAR
KRWM-FM, Seattle, WA
KSTP-FM, St. Paul, MN
WMEE-FM, Fort Wayne, IN
WRCH-FM, Farmington, CT
WSHE-FM, Chicago, IL

CHR STATION OF THE YEAR
KNDE-FM, College Station, TX
KTXY-FM, Columbia, MO
WKZL-FM, Greensboro, NC
WPST-FM, Princeton, NJ
WRTS-FM, Erie, PA

CLASSIC HITS STATION OF THE YEAR
KRTH-FM, Los Angeles, CA
WMMO-FM, Orlando, FL
WOGL-FM, Philadelphia, PA
WPBG-FM, Peoria, IL
WXGL-FM, St. Petersburg, FL

COUNTRY STATION OF THE YEAR
KCLR-FM, Columbia, MO
WBBS-FM, Syracuse, NY
WUBE-FM, Cincinnati, OH
WWKA-FM, Orlando, FL
WYCT-FM, Pensacola, FL

NEWS/TALK STATION OF THE YEAR
KRMG-FM, Tulsa, Oklahoma
KYW-AM, Philadelphia, PA
WGN-AM, Chicago, IL
WKXW-FM, Trenton, NJ
WTOP-FM, Washington, D.C.

NON-COMMERCIAL STATION OF THE YEAR
KHJK-FM, Rocklin, CA
WEEM-FM, Pendleton, IN
WPSC-FM, Wayne, NJ
WUFT-FM, Gainesville, FL
WWOZ-FM, New Orleans, LA

RELIGIOUS STATION OF THE YEAR
KKLA-FM, Los Angeles, CA
KLTY-FM, Dallas, TX
KNWI-FM, West Des Moines, IA
KPWJ-FM, College Station, TX
WFMV-FM, Columbia, SC

ROCK STATION OF THE YEAR
WBAB-FM, Long Island, NY
WMMR-FM, Philadelphia, PA
WPLR-FM, Connecticut, CT
WRIF-FM, Detroit, MI
WRLT-FM, Nashville, TN

SPANISH STATION OF THE YEAR
KLOL-FM, Houston, TX
KLVE-FM, Los Angeles, CA
KLZT-FM, Austin, TX
WKAQ-AM, Houston, TX
WYUU-FM, Tampa, FL

SPORTS STATION OF THE YEAR
WBZ-FM, Boston, MA
WEEI-FM, Boston, MA
WIP-FM, Philadelphia, PA
WMFS-FM, Memphis, TN
WXOS-FM, St. Louis, MO

URBAN STATION OF THE YEAR
WFXC-FM, Raleigh, NC
WKYS-FM, Washington, D.C.
WVKL-FM, Virginia Beach, VA
WWPR-FM, New York, NY
WZFX-FM, Fayetteville, NC

FCC's Pai Expresses 'Serious Concerns' Over Sinclair-Trib Deal

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced Monday he has "serious concerns" about Sinclair Broadcast Group's acquisition of Tribune Media, saying he would send the transaction through a lengthy administrative process often viewed as a deal-killer, reports Politico.

As originally proposed in May 2017, the $3.9 billion deal would see conservative-leaning Sinclair, already the largest U.S. TV station owner, gobble up 42 Tribune stations in key markets like New York and Chicago, adding to its existing footprint of more than 170 stations and giving the company access to nearly three-quarters of U.S. households.

But the regulatory review dragged on for more than a year, as Sinclair revised the deal several times, offering to sell off 21 stations in an effort to gain government approval. Critics took issue with some of the proposed sales, which were so-called sidecar arrangements that would allow Sinclair to keep a stake in the revenue and programming of the spun-off stations, as POLITICO reported on May 30. Another two of the sales would have been to a company with close ties to Sinclair.

Pai said the divestitures were a sticking point for the agency.

Ajit Pai

"Based on a thorough review of the record, I have serious concerns about the Sinclair/Tribune transaction," the chairman said in the statement. "The evidence we’ve received suggests that certain station divestitures that have been proposed to the FCC would allow Sinclair to control those stations in practice, even if not in name, in violation of the law."

The FCC's decision is a significant blow for Sinclair, which has been been a frequent target for Democrats and liberal groups disturbed by reports that it favors President Donald Trump in its coverage via "must-run" segments pumped to its network of stations.

It’s also a surprising turn of events for Pai, who was nominated for the agency's top post by Trump. The chairman had earlier revived a regulatory loophole known as the UHF discount seen as critical to the Sinclair deal. It permits broadcasters to count only half the reach of some stations when calculating their national reach — and allowed Sinclair to avoid vastly exceeding federal limits on media ownership with the deal.

NYC Radio: WNEW-FM Rebrands...No Longer "Fresh"

 

Entercom Communications, hoping to gain of iHearthMedia's AC giant WLTW 106.7 FM, has rebranded WNEW as as The New 102.7 FM.  Media observers say WNEW has 'tweaked' the music mix and is promising 'An Upbeat Variety For Your Workday'.

On Friday afternoon, WNEW began running jockless and running liners between songs hyping something "NEW" to come the following Monday, the 16th. Among the sweepers heard were: “Lite is old, 102.7 is new, Monday.” and “Your sleepy Lite workday is gone, starting Monday at 102.7“. As such, at that time, 102.7 is expected to readjust to a full-blown AC format to, as the liners suggest, take direct aim at WLTW.

“This is an exciting move that underscores our commitment to offer listeners in New York a top rated content and music experience,” said Susan Larkin, Regional President, Market Manager, Entercom New York. “Feedback tells us that New Yorkers are looking for a Hot AC station that can take them through their workday, and we know NEW 102.7 will deliver.”

Additional announcements regarding the new programming lineup will be made shortly.

WNEW had ranked 16th in the New York market in the June Nielsen Audio ratings with a 2.4 share, while WLTW led the market with a 7.3 share.

WNEW 102.7 FM (6 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

WNEW launched an adult contemporary format known as Fresh 102.7 on January 2, 2007.  New call letters WWFS were approved by the FCC on January 9, 2007. The WNEW call letters were transferred to a CBS-owned station in West Palm Beach, Florida during the second week of January 2007, to keep any other New York station from claiming the historic calls. In December 2011, CBS again transferred the WNEW call letters to 99.1 FM in Washington, D.C. as it began an all-news format.

The new AC format, targeted to a younger (age 25–44) female audience, with claims of a playlist "without the kid stuff or tired, old and boring music like the lite station", an obvious shot at competitor WLTW (in response, the station briefly dropped its Lite FM moniker and was referred to on-air as simply "106.7" for a time).

The station would also compete against WPLJ.

WWFS's ratings improved after switching to the adult contemporary format, with increases in both the Winter 2007 and Spring 2007 ratings periods. After a peak 3.1 rating in the Spring 2007 period, WWFS settled down to a 2.5 rating in the Summer 2007 period. Some speculate that WWFS has drawn listeners from WLTW, causing that station's ratings to decline.

As a result of the station's success, CBS Radio cloned the format and branding in Chicago on WCFS-FM, Washington, D.C.'s WIAD, and KEZK in St. Louis, although the Washington station is Hot AC.

On October 12, 2011, the station dropped the Today's Fresh Music slogan and shifted to Hot AC.

Since the flip to hot AC, ratings were stronger, surpassing WPLJ by having a 3.9 share over WPLJ's 2.7 in December 2011.As of 2015, they started adding more adult-targeting alternative music to their playlist and have seen an increase in the ratings from 2.4 in June 2015 to 3.5 in July 2015.

On March 15, 2016, the station reverted to the WNEW-FM callsign.

NYC Radio: Boomer Esiason EXITS WW One's MNF

Boomer Esiason

Boomer Esiason has decided not to return as color analyst for Westwood One’s NFL broadcasts after 18 years in the Monday Night Football booth.

“It has been an honor to be a member of the Westwood One NFL broadcast team for the last 18 years,” said Esiason.

“I am proud to have delivered the calls for some of the most iconic Monday Night and Super Bowl moments in the history of the NFL. With my continuing busy schedule during the NFL season, including my daily NYC-based morning drive radio show, ‘The NFL Today’ and ‘Inside the NFL’, I thought the timing was right for me to step away. I would like to thank my broadcast partners in the booth who have made the job enjoyable and fulfilling.  Also, I would like to thank Westwood One's senior management and sales force, who, over the years, were instrumental in providing on-air support for the Boomer Esiason Foundation.”

Since the 2001-02 NFL season, Esiason has been the lead color analyst in the Westwood One booth alongside play-by-play partners including Kevin Harlan, Marv Albert, and Howard David. Last year’s Super Bowl LII marked Esiason’s 18th Super Bowl in the booth for Westwood One and 19th overall (ABC color analyst for Super Bowl XXXIV).  With that feat, Esiason has broadcast more Super Bowls than any other announcer in NFL history.

The East Islip, NY-native also served in dual on-air roles during five Super Bowls (XXXVIII, XLI, XLIV, XLVII and L), working both for Westwood One and CBS Sports Television simultaneously, an unprecedented broadcast achievement.

Esiason also currently serves as a lead studio analyst for CBS television’s pregame, halftime and post-game program, “The NFL Today,” and co-host on WFAN 660 AM / 101.9 FM’s highly acclaimed weekday morning program, “Morning Show with Boomer and Gio”. He is also is a member of Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” team.

“Boomer has been the constant for a generation of Monday Night Football listeners, and we can’t thank him enough for his nearly two decades of service to Westwood One,” said Howard Deneroff, EVP/Executive Producer, Westwood One Sports. “He has been the ultimate professional, a terrific broadcaster, and a great teammate to all of us who have had the good fortune of working with him.”

Before gaining his stellar reputation as a broadcaster, the 14-year NFL veteran played for the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1988 and led the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII (1989). Sporting News and Football Digest also named Esiason NFL Player of the Year that same season.

Report: Comcast Said To Be Focused On Sky

Comcast is unlikely to make another bid for Twenty-First Century Fox's movie and television assets, focusing on a bid for Britain's Sky television, sources told CNBC's David Faber.

CNBC parent Comcast was engaged in a bidding war with Disney over the Fox assets. Recently Disney threw some cash into its own bid, raising its offer to $71 billion and edging out Comcast's bid of $65 billion in cash.

Comcast has also been bidding for Britain's Sky, which is 39 percent owned by Fox. Last week, Fox raised its bid for the remaining portion of Sky it doesn't own, with a new offer valuing the deal at $32.5 billion. And then last week Comcast raised its bid, valuing the company at $34 billion.

Sources told CNBC's Faber that Comcast is focused on its bidding for Sky.

The government's decision to appeal a recent court ruling allowing AT&T to go ahead with its purchase of Time Warner may be giving Comcast reason to pause in its pursuit of the Fox assets, Faber said on CNBC on Monday. The government had tried to block the AT&T deal on competitive grounds.

There is also a belief, Faber said, that Rupert Murdoch, Fox's executive co-chairman whose family has a nearly 39 percent stake in Twenty-First Century Fox class B shares, favors a deal with Disney.

Usually Supportive Fox Host Rips Trump

Ahead of a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump ripped former President Barack Obama and an investigation into the 2016 presidential election in a series of early-morning tweets that even a Fox & Friends host criticized.

President Obama thought that Crooked Hillary was going to win the election, so when he was informed by the FBI about Russian Meddling, he said it couldn’t happen, was no big deal, & did NOTHING about it. When I won it became a big deal and the Rigged Witch Hunt headed by Strzok!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2018

In a second tweet, Trump blamed years of “foolishness and stupidity” on the part of the United States for its poor relationship with Russia, ignoring Russian hacking ahead of the 2016 election and Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.

According to philly.com, among those who criticized Trump’s tweets was Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade, who is usually among the president’s most ardent supporters in the media. Kilmeade, discussing Trump’s tweets ahead of his meeting with Putin, called the president’s comments “ridiculous” and “insulting to past administrations.”

"Ridiculous": @foxandfriends host @kilmeade blasts @realDonaldTrump's tweets about Russia ahead of Putin meeting. https://t.co/h8OUoT3p3j pic.twitter.com/aqJ9qSgYpv

— Rob Tornoe (@RobTornoe) July 16, 2018

“That’s by far the most ridiculous tweet of late, and that is insulting to past administrations,” Kilmeade said on Fox and Friends Monday morning. “He can’t be saying that going into the Russian summit.”

SW-FL Radio: WRXK Imports Dave & Chuck Morning Show

Beasley Media Group announces the company’s Detroit-based WRIF-FM Dave & Chuck the Freak Morning Show will now be simulcast weekday morning from 6AM-10:30AM on WRXK 96.1 FM 96 k-rock in Ft. Myers and Naples, Florida beginning today.

The station previously aired Bubba the Love Sponge.

Dave Hunter and Charles Urquhart (along with show member Lisa Way) began working together in April of 2001 on Windsor, Canada’s 89X (CIMX 88.7 FM) until November of 2012. The show officially debuted on the WRIF-FM airwaves in May of 2013. Since then, they’ve added Cohost Andy Green, Producer James Campbell and Video Editor Jason Watson.

“We are pleased to have some of the finest personalities in the rock format within our company and Dave & Chuck are among the best of the best,” said Beasley Media Group Executive Vice President of Programming Justin Chase. “The type of content that they deliver has proven success in this market and I have no doubt this show will be a winner in Fort Myers.”

“96 k-rock has a history of having the best Rock Radio morning shows in America,” said Vice President and Market Manager Brad Beasley. “We continue the tradition by bringing Dave and Chuck the Freak show to Southwest Florida and are excited to share their unique brand of humor and entertainment on the station with our dedicated listeners.”

WRXK 96.1 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

“We are thrilled to be heading south to air on 96 k-rock,” said Dave Hunter. “It’s exciting to have the folks in Fort Myers & Naples be able to join in on the Dave and Chuck the Freak party we have every morning.”

Nielsen Completes Release of June 2018 PPM Markets

Nielsen on Friday 7/13 released the final batch of  June 2018 PPMs results.  The markets  included are:

  33  Austin

  38  Raleigh-Durham NC
 

  39  Indianapolis

  41  Milwaukee-Racine WI

  43  Nashville

  44  Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket

  45  Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News VA

  46  Jacksonville FL

  47  Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point NC

  48  West Palm Beach-Boca Raton 

  51  Memphis

  52  Hartford-New Britain-Middletown CT

Click Here to view Topline numbers for subscribing Nielsen stations

Papa John Schnatter Ousted From Company Headquarters

Papa John's continued to distance itself from founder John Schnatter over the weekend, prohibiting him from talking to the press, removing him from the pizza chain's advertising materials and revoking his office space at the company's headquarters, reports CNBC.

"The company has specifically requested that Mr. Schnatter cease all media appearances, and not make any further statements to the media regarding the company, its business or employees," the company said in a press release late Sunday.

The company created a special committee of independent directors to evaluate the Papa John's ties to its founder after he admitted last week to using a racially charged slur during a May conference call.

The committee terminated Schnatter's "Founder Agreement," which designated him as the face of the company's advertising and marketing, and terminated his sublease agreement for office space at Papa John's Louisville, Kentucky headquarters.

Schnatter resigned as CEO in December and stepped down as chairman last week following several media blunders that started last fall when he blamed the NFL for its "poor leadership" in handling player protests during the national anthem.

Schnatter, who owns a 24 percent stake in Papa John's, remains on the company's board.

Survey: Majority of Radio Stations Doing Nothing New Digitally

In the latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Survey, a majority of radio stations (51.8%) said they were doing nothing significantly new digitally. The percentage saying they started something important online fell 7 points to 48.2%.

Non-commercial stations were 50% more likely than commercial stations to report doing something new. Staff size made a significant difference, with the percentages reporting digital changes increasingly steadily as the number of full time news people rose. Recall, the median radio newsroom staff size is just one. The biggest markets were well out in front in digital innovation, and the very smallest markets well behind.

The largest portion, 38.4%, report focusing on digital content: More, better, special topics, different approaches. In their own words:

• Adding streaming newscasts and features
• Consistent web and social posts
• Extended and more in-depth web only newscasts
• Improved quality of news content
• In addition to the investigative stories, we have also added three separate Facebook Live shows
• Increased posting of local stories and on-demand audio/podcasts
• Keeping news updated
• More podcasts and video
• Posting audio of daily news summary (also podcast)
• Started high school athletics coverage on air, online and new social media

15.2% indicate doing more streaming – in general or, most often, via Facebook Live. In their own words.

Web sites with local news

80.9% of stations said no when asked if they had, within the last year, “added or eliminated anything meaningful” from the station website.

So what did the other 19% do that was new and different?

A third of those said they were either adding local news or more and/or better local news. After that came sales, advertising, contests and swap shops. Then streaming and new or better links. A couple added blogs or podcasts, and a couple cut back on content.

Report: Billboard Publisher OUT Over Wrongdoing

John Amato

The CEO of Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter reportedly was pushed out last week after a private internal investigation raised concerns about evidence of sexual harassment and other wrongdoing, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the outcome of the internal investigation.

The Daily Beast reports the probe stemmed from allegations of sexual harassment, and expanded over the past few weeks after an audit was launched looking into other allegations of impropriety by John Amato. Sources said the probe is also examining whether the company adequately addressed complaints by staff of inappropriate behavior by top company officials.

Both Valence Media, the magazines' parent company, and Amato declined to comment.

Along with the investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations, the company recently undertook an audit of parts of the 2016 acquisition of SpinMedia for examinations of financial wrongdoing. The outcome of the audit is not known.

Over the past several weeks, concerns have grown among higher-ups at the company about Amato’s past behavior. The Daily Beast reported in May that the exec worked to derail a series of stories at Billboard and Spin about close friend and Republic Records ex-president Charlie Walk’s alleged inappropriate and unwanted advances on younger women.

After the article was published, company brass began to hear stories about Amato’s own past behavior.

Meanwehile, The NYTimes reports Amato’s departure is the latest tumultuous development at Billboard, whose position as the music industry’s most influential trade publication has been challenged. There has been frequent turnover of top editors, and a recent effort to update the magazine’s  chart rules drew vigorous lobbying by both the major record labels and the streaming services.

He was a driving force behind efforts like the chart revisions, which went into effect last week, and a new Hot 100 Music Festival — named after the magazine’s standard singles chart — at Jones Beach Theater on Long Island.

Amato, who helped found a taxi advertising company and was chief executive of Backstage, a publication aimed at actors, had been a top executive at Billboard since 2013 and at The Hollywood Reporter since 2014.

Bee Gees Plan To Stay Alive In Era of Digital Music

In their 1970s glory days, the Bee Gees were an unstoppable musical and commercial force. Today, their catalog appears to be in danger of being forgotten by consumers, reports CNBC.

The group bolstered the 1977 soundtrack of “Saturday Night Fever” a disco cultural touchstone that’s sold 16 million copies in the U.S. alone. The group has also released several other chart-topping albums, but in the current era, compact disc and vinyl versions of many of their classic albums are out of print.

On streaming services, the situation isn’t much better. According to figures from Spotify, the group boasts approximately 6.5 million monthly listeners, putting them at only the number 375 spot on the service’s most-listened-to list. By comparison, such long-defunct legacy artists as the Beatles and Pink Floyd were among the platform’s top 25 most streamed artists last year.

It may not be realistic to expect the Bee Gees to be as popular now as they were four decades ago. But can anything be done to shake things up?

Back in November 2016, a campaign to do exactly that was announced when Capitol Records signed the group to a long-term contract, pledging to “re-invigorate” their catalog. The label has since released the compilation Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits, and a deluxe reissue of the "Saturday Night Fever " soundtrack to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the seminal film and album.

Bruce Resnikoff, president and CEO of Universal Music Enterprises, a division of Universal Music Group that handles Capitol's catalog, said that his organization is aware of what they’ve got on their hands — and plans to handle it with care. Both companies are a division of UMG.

“The Bee Gees are a major part of pop music history, known from the early days for their iconic songwriting and harmonies to their evolution to a chart-topping powerhouse group,” said Resnikoff, who’s an avowed believer in the power of classic catalogs.

Facebook Seems To Have An Infowars Problem

Since the social networking giant held an event last week to tout how it's fighting false news and misinformation, Facebook has faced some blowback for how it handles Infowars, the far-right site led by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Since misinformation on the internet during the 2016 presidential campaign sharpened political divisions, Facebook has publicly mounted an offensive against the spread of false news on its network.

USAToday reports many journalists have challenged Facebook saying if the site is truly fighting the spread of misinformation, how can it justify continuing to allow an official page for Infowars, which has propagated stories about hoaxes such as Pizzagate, and most recently, the Democrats' plan on July 4th to attempt to foment a civil war.

Alex Jones

When CNN reporter Oliver Darcy asked Facebook executives at Wednesday's event about Infowars and its Facebook page with more than 900,000 followers, he was told by John Hegeman, the head of Facebook's News Feed, that the network does not "take down false news."

Infowars just being false "doesn't violate the community standards," Hegeman said, according to CNN, explaining that the site has "not violated something that would result in them being taken down."

Instead, Facebook's strategies against false information will push such stories down in the News Feed so fewer users see it, Facebook spokeswoman Lauren Svensson told CNN later in an email exchange.

"If content from a Page or domain is repeatedly given a 'false' rating from our third-party fact-checkers ... we remove their monetization and advertising privileges to cut off financial incentives, and dramatically reduce the distribution of all of their Page-level or domain-level content on Facebook," she said, according to CNN reported.

The Austin, Texas-based Jones launched the Infowars website in 1999. Jones, the site says, "is a unique voice that sifts through the information and exposes the underlying intentions."

Fox Viewers More Likely To Think Immigrants "Cheating Their Way In'

When it comes to immigration policy, American opinions often break down along party lines, with most Republicans supporting President Trump, and Democrats vigorously opposed.

But according to a new NPR-Ipsos poll, there's an even better predictor of how you feel about immigration: where you get your TV news.

The poll of more than 1,000 people asked about Trump's immigration policies and proposals and about which immigrants should get priority in the U.S. system. The poll was conducted in English and Spanish from June 19-20. Most respondents said they got their news mainly from TV.

On some questions, people who get their TV news primarily from Fox News or CNN are even further apart than Republicans and Democrats, with viewers of the other big TV networks somewhere in between.

Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson says he's surprised to find a connection in the data that's even stronger than partisanship.

"People who get their news from Fox News actually take the strongest anti-immigrant position of any group we looked at in this survey," Jackson said.

"I can't really say if those views are coming because of Fox. Or if they're watching Fox because they hold those views. But it's a really strong connection. I think it was very surprising," he said.

Jackson says some of the biggest disagreements are over what's really motivating asylum-seekers to come here.

"CNN viewers, 68 percent of them think these people are fleeing real danger, real persecution. Whereas only 20 percent of Fox News viewers believe that," said Jackson.

"On the other hand, 72 percent — so almost three quarters of Fox News viewers — think that refugee and asylum seekers are just taking advantage of the system," Jackson said. "They're trying to cheat their way in."

July 16 Radio History

➦In 1934...the NBC Red radio network premiered the musical drama, Dreams Come True. The show concerned the lives of baritone singer Barry McKinley and his novelist sweetheart.

➦In 1981...singer-songwriter Harry Chapin was killed at age 38, after suffering cardiac arrest while driving on a New York expressway. His car was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer, causing the gas tank to explode. Chapin was best known for “Taxi,” a top-20 hit in 1972, and “Cat’s in the Cradle,” which hit number-one in ’74.




➦In 1990..DJ Rick Dees debuted his TV show "Into The Night" on ABC-TV.





➦In 1991…Radio announcer (Inner Sanctum Mysteries)/radio actor (Mr. District Attorney, The Shadow, March of Time) Dwight Weist, known as the "Man of 1,000 Voices," died following a heart attack at the age of 81. He also narrated countless film documentaries from the 1930s through the 1950s.




➦In 2003…Disc jockey/TV host Winston "Buddy'' Deane died following a stroke at age 78. From 1957 to 1964, his Baltimore teen dance television show, similar to "American Bandstand," aired for 2½ hours a day, six days a week, and was for a time the most popular local show in the U.S.