#December 3 Radio History

In 1927...singer Andy Williams was born in smalltown Iowa.   After singing with three siblings in The Williams Brothers quartet on midwest radio as early as 1938, he became a featured soloist on NBC-TV’s Tonight Show, hosted in the early 50’s by Steve Allen.  Later he was host of his own TV series (1962-71) and a number of Christmas specials on NBC.  Most of his 44 albums were featured on MOR radio stations throughout his life.  He succumbed to bladder cancer Sept. 25 2012 at age 84.

➦In 1928…NBC radio gave birth to what would be the longest run of any semi-classical music broadcast.  It began as The Firestone Hour, evolving soon into the 30-minute Voice of Firestone, which aired o Monday evenings for 28-years.  It was also a simulcast on NBC TV beginning in 1949, it moved to ABC in 1954 and ended its almost 35-year run on ABC-TV in 1963.

➦In 1948...Bing Crosby's song "White Christmas" debuted on the U.S. music charts. That was 7 years after it was first sung on a radio show sponsored by the Kraft Company on Christmas Day, 1941.

Paul Harvy Aurandt

➦In 1950...ABC Radio began airing Paul Harvey news and comment nationwide.

Paul Harvey Aurandt broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays on the ABC Radio Network.  He also voiced his famous "The Rest of the Story" segments. From the 1950s through the 1990s, Harvey's programs reached as many as 24 million people a week. Paul Harvey News was carried on 1,200 radio stations, 400 Armed Forces Network stations and 300 newspapers.

Harvey made radio receivers as a young boy. He attended Tulsa Central High School where a teacher was "impressed by his voice." On her recommendation, he started working at KVOO in Tulsa in 1933, when he was 14. His first job was helping clean up. Eventually he was allowed to fill in on the air, reading commercials and the news.

While attending the University of Tulsa, he continued working at KVOO, first as an announcer, and later as a program director. Harvey, at age nineteen spent three years as a station manager for KFBI AM, now known as KFDI, a radio station that once had studios in Salina, Kansas. From there, he moved to a newscasting job at KOMA in Oklahoma City, and then to KXOK, in St. Louis in 1938, where he was Director of Special Events and a roving reporter.



Harvey then moved to Hawaii to cover the United States Navy as it concentrated its fleet in the Pacific. He was returning to the mainland from assignment when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He eventually enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces but served only from December 1943 to March 1944.

Harvey then moved to Chicago, where in June 1944, he began broadcasting from the ABC affiliate WENR. In 1945, he began hosting the postwar employment program Jobs for G.I. Joe on WENR.

Harvey added The Rest of the Story as a tagline to in-depth feature stories in 1946.

On April 1, 1951, the ABC Radio Network debuted Paul Harvey News and Comment "Commentary and analysis of Paul Harvey each weekday at 12 Noon". Paul Harvey was also heard originally on Sundays; the first Sunday program was Harvey's introduction. Later, the Sunday program would move to Saturdays.

Harvey died on February 28, 2009, at the age of 90 at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

➦In 1955...Elvis Presley's first single release for RCA Victor.  No, it wasn’t ‘Hound Dog’ or ‘Heartbreak Hotel.’ The first two sides were actually purchased from Sam Phillips of Sun Records: ‘Mystery Train’ and ‘I Forgot to Remember to Forget.’  RCAVictor called Elvis "The most talked about personality in recorded music in the last 10 years."

➦In 1961…The Beatles met Brian Epstein for the first time at his Liverpool record store, NEMS. That evening they discuss Epstein's management of the group.


➦In 1968...Elvis' comeback TV special aired on NBC. Taped the previous summer, it included Elvis’s first appearance before an audience in more than seven years. The special was a powerful performance after years of generally mediocre movies.

➦In 1979...Shadow Traffic made its debut in the NYC market.

The company originated in 1975 by Michael Lenet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The name was derived from Lenet’s handle, or nickname; he called himself the "Silver Shadow."  Lenet began the operation as an informal traffic reporting service that was provided over citizens' band radio. Soon after, Lenet began providing traffic information to various radio stations in Philadelphia.

(NY Times photo)

The company grew and expanded into other markets, beginning in 1978 with Chicago, Illinois. New York City followed in December, 1979.  This expansion continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s. During that time the company began offering news, weather, and sports services to its affiliates. The primary business philosophy was to provide broadcast services at little or no cost to their affiliates. The majority of the revenue was brought in through sponsorship deals; direct sponsoring of the traffic reports themselves did this.

In March, 1996 Shadow Broadcast Services was partially acquired by Westwood One, and then was fully owned by Westwood One in May, 1998. By that time Shadow Broadcast Services had affiliate relations with more than 350 radio and TV stations in 15 major markets.

In March, 1999 Shadow Broadcast Services formed what was referred to as a “strategic alliance” with SmartRoute Systems, which was a technology based company that provided traffic information and data for local DOT (Department of Transportation) and broadcast use. This partnership eventually dissolved when the acquisition of Metro Networks took place by Westwood One, which was announced in June, 1999, and then completed in September of that same year. Westwood One merged their two companies together to form Metro Networks/Shadow Broadcast Service, commonly abbreviated as Metro/Shadow. In June, 2000 Westwood One announced its acquisition of SmartRoute Systems. That company was eventually combined under the Westwood One umbrella of subsidiaries, which include Metro/Shadow.

In September, 2008 Westwood One announced that they were reducing their Metro/Shadow operations centers from 60 offices to 13 regional hubs. Metro/Shadow claimed to have more than 1,800 traffic reporters, with radio and TV affiliates in all of the major US markets.

On April 29, 2011, Westwood One sold Metro Networks to iHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications) for $119.25 million. Metro Networks' traffic service was eventually folded into Total Traffic Networks later that year, with Clear Channel keeping the Total Traffic name for the operation.

➦In 1991...Disc jockey Alan Feed posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

➦In 2003...Canadian broadcast pioneer Allan Waters died in his sleep at the age of 84. Waters founded 1050/CHUM, once one of Canada's most prominent Top 40 radio stations.

Allan Waters

Waters worked in a drug company and quit in 1954 and with partner Jerry Grafstein purchased a then money-losing station, 1050 CHUM. From this small humble station, Waters built his media empire.

Getting ideas from a visit to Florida, Waters returned to Toronto and introduced the CHUM Chart, CHUM Chicks and CHUM bugs to attract teenage listeners.

Waters expanded from radio into the television market by buying Barrie CBC affiliate CKVR in 1969, four television stations in the Maritimes in 1972 which formed the CTV-affiliated Atlantic Television System (ATV), and then Toronto's fledgling CITY in 1978. Today CHUM consists of 33 radio stations, 12 television stations and 21 specialty channels, including MuchMusic, Bravo and Space.

Waters stepped down from the Board of Directors on October 29, 2005.

➦In 2007...Don Imus aired for the first time on WABC, NYC, now owned by Cumulus Media. On January 22, 2018, Imus announced that the show would air its final episode on March 29, 2018. While his contract with Cumulus Media was set to end in December, the company requested that he retire sooner as a cost-savings measure due to the company's bankruptcy.

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY: 

• Singer Jaye P. Morgan (“The Gong Show”) is 89. 
• Actor Nicolas Coster (“The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo”) is 87. 

• 

  Anna Chumlsky is 40

  Actor Mary Alice is 79. 
• Singer Ozzy Osbourne is 72. 
• Singer Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship is 71. 
• Bassist Paul Gregg of Restless Heart is 66. 
• Actor Steven Culp (“Desperate Housewives”) is 65. 
• Actor Daryl Hannah is 60. 
• Actor Julianne Moore is 60. 
• Actor Brendan Fraser is 52. 
• Singer Montell Jordan is 52. 
• Actor-comedian Royale Watkins is 51. 
• Actor Bruno Campos (“Nip/Tuck,” ″Jesse”) is 47. 
• Actor Holly Marie Combs (“Charmed”) is 47. 
• Actor Lauren Roman (“Bold and the Beautiful”) is 45. 
• Musician Daniel Bedingfield is 41. 
• Actor Tiffany Haddish (“Girls Trip”) is 41. 
• Actor Anna Chlumsky is 40. 
• Actor Jenna Dewan (“The Resident,” ″Supergirl”) is 40. 
• Actor Brian Bonsall (“Family Ties”) is 39. 
• Actor Dascha Polanco (“Orange is the New Black”) is 38. 
• Singer-songwriter Andy Grammer is 37. 
• Drummer Michael Calabrese of Lake Street Dive is 36. 
• Actor Amanda Seyfried (“Mamma Mia”) is 35. 
• Actor Jake T. Austin (“The Fosters,” ″Wizards of Waverly Place”) is 26.

Atlanta Radio: WVEE-FM Expands Morning Show Team

Entercom announced an expanded morning show team for V-103 (WVEE-FM) in Atlanta, effective immediately. The station welcomes the additions of Tylerchronicles and Christina “Ms. Basketball” Granville as co-hosts for “The Morning Culture with Big Tigger.” The trio will be heard weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. ET.

“Adding Tylerchronicles and Christina “Ms. Basketball” Granville will not only round out our widely popular morning program, but further establish V-103 as the people’s station throughout Atlanta,” said Rick Caffey, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Atlanta. “Both possess a unique talent for captivating and entertaining their audiences, and I look forward to introducing them to our listeners as part of their morning routines.”

“I used to sit in traffic and listen to V-103 in the morning. Now people are sitting in traffic listening to me on V-103 in the morning,” said Tylerchronicles. “This is a fantastic opportunity and I can’t wait for this next chapter of my career.”

Best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, Tylerchronicles launched his career smashing Open Mics and hosting events throughout the Atlanta area. He eventually began traveling as a professional comedian in various shows and universities all across the country, which led to his work at internet radio stations BeeHive Radio, and Be100radio. He also has television experience, including as a personality for WeTV on hit show “Bossip.” Shortly after, Tyler was recruited as a cast member and writer on MTV’s “Wild N’ Out.” “Wild N’ Out” and the success of his hit podcast show MoreThanCultr led to writing on several projects including the BET Hip Hop Awards, BET Awards, Social Media Awards, Michelle Obama’s “Vote or Miss Out,” and Turner Network’s upcoming 2021 game show “The Cube.”

“I am beyond thrilled and so blessed to be able to share my energy every weekday on ‘The Morning Culture,’” said Granville.

Since moving to Atlanta in 2013, athlete, actress and model Christina “Ms. Basketball” Granville has been featured in productions such as “Ride Along 2,” Tyler Perry’s “The Have & Have Nots,” and “Dating in Atlanta: The Movie,” and has also graced the runway for over 50 fashion shows. Granville has also worked all over the country hosting major events such as The Essence Festival, NCAA Final Four, NCAA Football Championship, and Black Enterprise Entrepreneurship Summit, among others.

Digital Takes Lion's Share of Ads

For the first time, more than half of U.S. advertising spending is set to go to digital platforms such as Google and Facebook, the world’s largest ad buyer said, a reflection of marketers’ strategy shift as the coronavirus pandemic pummeled the industry this year, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The milestone is just the latest proof of digital advertising’s meteoric rise, a development that has concentrated ad spending with several tech giants at the expense of other platforms, including newspapers, local television and magazines.

Online ads can be cheaper than those placed on other media platforms and they allow marketers to better target and measure the performance of their ads. These advantages have become ever more important during the pandemic as businesses cut ad budgets and consumers spend more of their time and dollars online.

“Digital advertising has been a remarkable bright spot in an otherwise dark year for the advertising industry,” GroupM said in a report expected to be released Tuesday.

Wall Street Journal graphic 12/2/20

GroupM expects marketers to spend $110.1 billion on digital ads this year, or 51% of the total $214.6 billion total U.S. advertising-spending forecast, excluding political ad outlays. Next year, it expects U.S. ad spending to grow 12% to $240 billion, and digital advertising to account for $130 billion, or 54% of the total.

Three years ago, digital advertising accounted for just one-third of all U.S. ad spending, GroupM said—about the same size as newspapers, radio, magazines and local TV combined. As of 2020, these four categories’ combined share of the U.S. advertising market has shrunk to 21%.

When the pandemic hit the U.S. in March, many companies slashed their ad spending as businesses around the world were shut to restrict the virus’s spread. Homebound consumers started doing more of their shopping online, causing small and large companies to place more emphasis on digital ads, said Brian Wieser, GroupM’s president of global intelligence.

Digital advertising is dominated by three competitors—Facebook Inc., Amazon. com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google—which together account for nearly two-thirds of ad dollars spent on U.S. digital advertising this year, according to research company eMarketer.

As they compete with digital rivals, TV networks have been beefing up their ability to offer brands targeted ads, while retailers such as Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. are using consumer data they have amassed to ramp up their online ad offerings.

National TV advertising is forecast to drop 7.9% to $39.5 billion this year, GroupM said, but the company expects a bounceback in 2021, with a 6.6% increase to $42.1 billion.

GroupM expects the pandemic to accelerate the downward trends for print. It predicts that next year ad spending in newspapers and magazines will decline 12% and 8%, respectively.

Philly Radio: Morning Host Marc Farzetta Out At WPEN-FM

Marc Farzetta will no longer be hosting Beasley Media's WPEN 97.5 The Fanatic’s morning show.

Marc Farzetta

Farzetta announced on social media Monday night he had been informed by station management a few hours earlier that Monday would be his last day hosting the morning show he launched in October 2018.

“I’m so proud of the work we did taking that time slot to heights it hadn’t seen in the station’s 15 year history in the sports format,” Farzetta said in a statement.

It’s unclear why the station suddenly cut ties with Farzetta, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Farzetta’s former cohost, ex-Eagles offensive lineman William “Tra” Thomas, was laid off back in March as part of cutbacks due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has severely hurt media companies dependent on advertising revenue.

It’s not clear if any other hosts or employees at The Fanatic were also let go Tuesday. Farzetta had been hosting the show alongside former Daily News reporter Bob Cooney and producer Jamie Lynch.

Farzetta and his cohosts were able to grow the show’s ratings over predecessor Anthony Gargano, but never really presented a serious challenge to Angelo Cataldi and 94.1 WIP’s popular morning show. In fact, Cataldi cited Farzetta’s departure from WIP after 13 years as a reason he re-signed with the station in 2019.

Farzetta joined the station in August 2018 from rival Sportsradio 94 WIP, where he was viewed as a potential successor for morning show ratings kingpin Angelo Cataldi. Instead, he chose to take on his mentor at The Fanatic. The morning program, which runs from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., was originally known as “Farzetta and Tra In the Morning.” Farzetta’s co-host was former Eagles All-Pro offensive tackle Tra Thomas.

Thomas was let go earlier this year as part of Covid-19-related cutbacks from parent company Beasley Media Group (NASDAQ: BBGI). Farzetta soldiered on with colleagues Jamie Lynch and Bob Cooney. While there was some improvement from predecessor Anthony Gargano, he failed to put a dent in Cataldi’s ratings armor.

Joe Bell, market manager for The Fanatic’s parent company, Beasley Media Group (NASDAQ: BBGI), could not be immediately reached by The Philly Business Journal for comment.

While WIP was fourth in the overall Philadelphia market ratings for the November book, The Fanatic did not crack the top 20. Chuck Damico was brought in this summer to serve as the station's program director, replacing Eric Johnson.

One rumored replacement for Farzetta is Jon Kincade, who is another Cataldi mentee. Kincade worked at WIP from 1992 to 1994 before relocating to Atlanta where his career took off. He hosted shows for ESPN Radio and CBS Sports Radio but spent the past 20 years at WCNN 680 The Fan, much of which he co-hosted the Buck & Kincade show along with former University of Georgia quarterback Buck Belue. But he was laid off in September by parent company Dickey Broadcasting as part of Covid-19 cuts.

NJ-ME Radio: 5 Departures At Townsquare Media

Four Jersey Shore radio personalities from three different stations in central and southern New Jersey have been fired, a company official for Townsquare Media, which owns the stations, confirmed to NJ Advance Media.

Jersey Terminations Monday:

• Liz Jeressi, of WJLK-FM 94.3 The Point
• Justin Louis, of WOBM-FM 92.7
• Andy Chase and Chris Varacchi, both of WCHR-FM 105.7 The Hawk

“We made a decision that we need to make a few changes to make 94.3 The Point, 105.7 The Hawk and WOBM the best stations they could be, providing the best possible local entertainment and information to our New Jersey audience, on air and online,” Erik Hellum, Townsquare’s COO for local media, wrote in an email.

“That said, we appreciate the work they have done and wish them nothing but the best,” he continued. “But despite the fact that the pandemic has presented significant economic challenges, we are not eliminating positions, as we plan to hire, as I note below.”

Hellum said the company will be hiring locally, including a new co-host to work with Lou Russo on 94.3 The Point, a promotion director for Jersey Shore stations who will also do afternoons on 105.7 The Hawk, and an assistant director of content that will work with each local station.

Chris Rollins, a local personality on WPST, was recently signed to a new three-year contract, Hellum said.

In Portland ME:

• Kwame Dankwa departs as Brand Manager and afternoon host at CHR “Q97.9” WJBQ
• Tommy Carbone exits as Production Director and midday host at Classic Rock 102.9 WBLM after three decades.

VA Radio: WINC-FM Plans Frequency Change

WINC 92.5 listeners in Winchester, VA will soon have to adjust their FM dial to continue hearing it in the future, reports The Winchester Star.

Centennial Broadcasting is selling its 92.5 FM frequency in Winchester to Educational Media Foundation (EMF) for $1.75 million.  EMF intends to broadcast its nationwide K-LOVE contemporary Christian music format on the frequency, Centennial President and CEO Allen Shaw said to his understanding in a phone interview Monday afternoon.

For now programming on WINC-FM, which has a hot adult contemporary music format, continues 92.5 FM, but its also is now airing on two other FM stations in the Northern Shenandoah Valley that Centennial owns: WZFC 104.9 FM licensed to Strasburg and Country WXBN 105.5 FM, licensed to Berryville.

Shaw said he expects the sale of 92.5 FM to become final by the end of December.

The FCC must approve the sale. A Modification of a License for FM Application submitted by EMF to the FCC is pending, an online document shows.

As soon as the sale is finalized, K-LOVE will begin airing on 92.5 FM, Shaw said to his understanding. WINC-FM’s programming will continue airing on 104.9 FM and 105.5 FM, with 105.5 FM taking on the WINC-FM call letters.

No changes in WINC-FM’s programming or personnel — either on-air or behind-the-scenes — are planned, he added.

Centennial is selling the 92.5 FM frequency for economic reasons. “Our revenues have been hurting badly” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Shaw said. Like other businesses, the radio industry is suffering, he noted.

EMF approached Centennial about buying 92.5 FM, Shaw said, “They made us an offer we couldn’t refuse,” he said. The sale “will help us get through this COVID situation ... and ensure we’re still around” for many years to come.

At its current frequency, WINC-FM is one of area’s most powerful radio stations. Broadcasting a 22,000-watt signal from a transmitter near Front Royal, it can be heard as far north as Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, as far south as Charlottesville, eastward beyond Washington and westward into West Virginia.With much less power, WINC-FM can cover roughly as much territory as those stations because its transmitter tower is on a mountaintop.

K-LOVE currently airs on WTCF 103.3 FM licensed to Wardensville, West Virginia. K-LOVE’s programming originates from studios in Rocklin, California, which is near Sacramento. EMF is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, its website shows.

SiriusXM Radio: 88rising Launches Pioneering Asian Music Channel

SiriusXM and 88rising, the pioneering Asian-focused music and media company, announced today the launch of 88rising Radio, the first all-Asian, multi-genre music radio channel available across the U.S. The channel will debut tomorrow, December 3 at 12 p.m. ET on SiriusXM's channel 305.

SiriusXM collaborated on the creation of the channel with 88rising, the Los Angeles-based artist collective and media platform, which represents the most cutting-edge artists from Asia, and bridges Eastern and Western youth culture. 88rising, founded by Sean Miyashiro, will develop, curate and present the 24/7 channel. Pandora will launch a complementary 88rising Radio station in January which will include select tracks and exclusive artist audio messages from the SiriusXM channel.

88rising Radio will broadcast an array of music rarely heard on American radio, from the biggest pop songs topping the charts across Asia, to current emerging discoveries, and feature artists from South Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and more. Artists such as BTS, Joji, BLACKPINK, TWICE, Rich Brian, Peggy Gou, Jackson Wang, beabadoobee, Iñigo Pascual, NIKI and many more will be included. When social distancing is no longer required, the channel will also provide a unique platform for touring artists to visit, conduct interviews and interact with listeners, and perform live-on-air at the SiriusXM studios in Los Angeles and New York.

The groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind commercial-free music channel will debut with an all-star 24-hour takeover by acclaimed and closely followed Asian and Asian-American artists. Beginning at 3 p.m. ET, on December 3, 88rising artists and Asian talent from around the world will take over the channel, guest DJing the songs that define them, alongside some of the hottest Asian music acts and their own live performances.  Participating artists will include Yuna, Dumbfoundead, beabadoobee, Phum Viphurit, Japanese Breakfast, Keshi and more.

SiriusXM subscribers can listen to 88rising Radio beginning tomorrow on channel 305 in vehicles and via SiriusXM online or on the SiriusXM app on a wide variety of connected devices, including smart TVs, devices with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more. 

The AM Rundown: A-G Says No Widespread Election Fraud Evidence

Barr-Trump (Chicago Tribune 12/2/20)

Attorney General William Barr, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, said yesterday that the Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Barr made the statement in an interview with The Associated Press. He said that U.S. attorneys and FBI investigators have followed up specific claims of fraud across the nation.

BREAKING: Attorney General William Barr tells AP that the Justice Department hasn't uncovered widespread voting fraud that could have changed 2020 election outcome. https://t.co/Net66tz7rB

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 1, 2020

The president's legal team, led by Rudy Giuliani, issued a statement saying that "with all due respect to the attorney general, there hasn't been any semblance" of an investigation.

A high-ranking Georgia state election official publicly asked the president to denounce threats of violence and harassment directed at him and others working on elections issues in the state. Gabriel Sterling, who is a Republican, said: "Mr. President, you have not condemned this language or these actions. This has to stop. We need you to step up, and if you're going to take a position of leadership, show some." Sterling, who is in charge of Georgia's voting system, insists that the Georgia election results, which indicate Joe Biden winning by about 12,700 votes, are accurate.

Hours later, President Trump posted another tweet alleging "massive voter fraud" in Georgia.

Trump has allegedly discussed the possibility of pardoning his three eldest children and Jared Kushner https://t.co/CDdr7PSn7L pic.twitter.com/mA197ZQU2S

— The Hill (@thehill) December 2, 2020

U.S. Justice Dept. is investigating potential “bribery-for-pardon” scheme involving presidential pardons, according to newly unsealed federal court documents. https://t.co/Id9FDy9OYT

— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 2, 2020

➤FLORIDA PASSES ONE MILLION COVID-19 MARK: Florida has become the third state to surpass one million confirmed COVID-19 cases, CBS News reports. The news came a day after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference during which he denounced mask mandates and declared that schools must remain open for in-person instruction. The governor has also extended an order that prevents local governments from fining people who refuse to wear masks and restricts their powers to limit capacity in bars and restaurants. Texas and California are the other states that have surpassed one million cases.

➤CYBER MONDAY BREAKS RECORDS: Cyber Monday is officially the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. Web sellers rang up $10.8 billion of sales online, according to Adobe Analytics. There's very good news here for small businesses, according to NBC News. They saw a 501 percent increase on Monday, a tad more than the 486 percent increase for big retailers.

Sales deals are continuing through December but shoppers are warned to avoid waiting until the last minute. The crush of shopping online may cause sellouts on popular gift items and delays in shipping them.

➤HEALTHCARE WORKERS FIRST: To no one's surprise, a committee of experts tasked with prioritizing the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine has recommended that frontline healthcare workers get access first. The advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will post its recommendations online for states to use as they plan vaccine distribution.

U.K. approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for public use, a first among Western nations https://t.co/nbcnI1LyjV

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 2, 2020

➤STUDY: PANDEMIC COULD BE GOLDEN TIME FOR NARCISSISTS: The pandemic could be giving narcissists an ego boost. Ohio State University researchers found that narcissists who are essential workers love their “hero” status. Essential workers who scored higher on measures of narcissism shared more about their work on social media, in-person, and elsewhere, and this sharing increased their narcissistic feelings in the moment. Also, people with high scores on two specific types of narcissism—communal and agentic—were more likely to share about their job. Communal narcissists think they are better than others are being helpful, while agentic narcissists are those typically envisioned by people when they think of narcissism, and like showing off, for example. The former like to show that they’re the best for being helpful and caring for others, while the latter are likely enjoying the attention and status boost they get from being called a hero.

➤CAPTAIN CHARGED IN FATAL BOAT FIRE: The captain of a dive boat that caught fire, killing 34 people, has been indicted on charges of manslaughter in California. Jerry Boylan is accused of neglecting basic safety precautions, contributing to the deadly disaster. The Conception was a commercial scuba diving vessel on a Labor Day excursion to the Channel Islands south of Santa Barbara last year when the fire broke out during the night.

➤STUDY HIGHLIGHTS VAPING HAZARDS: Vaping was once seen as a safer alternative to cigarettes. But a new study from Boston University indicates that users of e-cigarettes have a 43 percent increased risk of lung disease. Current vapers have a 34 percent higher risk than non-smokers of chronic bronchitis and are 69 percent more likely to develop emphysema, according to the study. The research, which was based on a study of long-term vapers, is the first to conclude that vaping alone may raise the risk of respiratory disease.

➤COMPANIES ARE GETTING CREATIVE WITH THEIR OFFICE HOLIDAY PARTIES: The pandemic means office Christmas parties are going to be very different this year. One option employers have for throwing a digital gathering comes from PayPal. The company is hosting a 29-hour virtual party where employees can drop in whenever they want. The schedule is broken up into eight different “destinations” during which site leaders from across the world are responsible for arranging virtual entertainment during their designated time. The event is called “All Together Gathering: A PayPal December to Remember,” and planning for it began back in April. But some companies are simply paying for their employees to order dinner, while others are hosting a Secret Santa gift exchange that mails gifts directly to co-workers’ homes. Other companies are sending DIY cocktail kits out to workers, and others are hosting virtual trivia games that allow employees to win prizes.

➤STARBUCKS OFFERING FREE COFFEE FOR FRONTLINE WORKERS IN DECEMBER: Starbucks has announced that it will be extending a new offer to U.S. first responders and health care workers, and will be giving them a free tall brewed coffee (hot or iced) at participating locations throughout the month of December. To redeem their cups, frontline workers just need to show up at a Starbucks and identify themselves as such (no ID required.) Per Starbucks, those eligible for the promotion include doctors, nurses, public health workers, pharmacists, dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics, police officers, dentists, dental hygienists, mental health workers, social workers, hospital staffers, and active-duty military members.

➤HERSHEY’S CHANGED UP ITS ICONIC KISSES CHRISTMAS BELLS COMMERCIAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 30 YEARS: Hershey’s has an iconic commercial for its Kisses for Christmas which shows a triangle formation of the treats that take turns lifting themselves up and “ringing” out the turn to “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” But this year, the ad has been changed, and instead of finishing the song and one of the Kisses wiping its “brow” with exhaustion, a young girl’s hand appears and plucks up one of the Kisses and the camera pans to a little girl making Peanut Butter Blossoms with her father. 

When the ad started airing last week some people took to social media to express that they disliked the commercial being changed after so many years. Hershey’s released a response that says in part, “[…]For viewers who love the original version—don’t worry, it hasn’t gone away for forever. Our hope this season is that our updated version not only harkens back memories of the original Kisses bells tune but also brings the genuine feeling of heartwarming to life with images of holiday baking between a father and daughter.”

🎄HOME DEPOT IS SELLING A CHRISTMAS TREE THAT LITERALLY SHOWS AND PLAYS MUSIC: Home Depot is selling an over-the-top faux Christmas tree this year that actually releases fake snow into the air. The Fraser Hill Farm snowing tree comes in black (6.25 feet tall) or classic green (5.5 feet tall), and both have artificial snow that is blown through the center of the tree where it falls over the branches and then is collected at the umbrella base of the tree to be used again. A description of the tree reads, “Not only does this tree come pre-strung with warm LED lights, a finial tree topper, and a light assortment of tree ornaments (saving plenty of room for your own), but it also produces a flurry of self-containing, faux-snow that trickles down each branch and creates a natural snowy scene.” The tree also has a built-in speaker at its base that can play 25 popular holiday songs.

The Ravens have taken flight and the game is on! Here are three things to watch for in Wednesday's Baltimore-Pittsburgh game, via @TCNGrantGordonhttps://t.co/CxYiD1HrFO pic.twitter.com/Y7VhKL23c7

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) December 2, 2020

🏈WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL! If all goes well, there will be football tonight. Yes, Wednesday night football. The game will pit the Baltimore Ravens against the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was originally scheduled for Thanksgiving Day but has been postponed twice due to COVID-19 positives. It's only the second Wednesday night game since 1949, according to The New York Times. The game starts in Pittsburgh at 3:40 PM EST on NBC.

🏀COUNT PORZINGIS OUT: NBA training camps started opening yesterday, but you won't see Kristaps Porzingis training with the Dallas Mavericks anytime soon. Coach Rick Carlisle said the 21-year-old Latvian giant is recovering well from surgery on his right knee, but he won't be back until at least January.

In other news about knees, Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics is out until at least early January recovering from a left knee injury.

🏈THE BUCKEYES ARE BACK: The Ohio State Buckeyes are back. The fourth-ranked team had to cancel Saturday's game at Illinois after an increase in COVID-19 positives. But the team resumed activities yesterday, according to ESPN, and they hope to play the scheduled game against Michigan State on Saturday.

⚽WOMEN'S SOCCER SETTLES SUIT: The members of the U.S. women's national soccer team have agreed to settle a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation that demanded equal working conditions with men's soccer players. The agreement apparently gives women equality in terms of staffing, travel and hotel accommodations. It says nothing about equal pay. However, the resolution of the suit clears the way for an appeal of a judge's decision to reject the women's demand for equal pay with the men.

Pittsburgh Radio: Newsradio KDKA Adds Rick Dayton for PM Drive

Rick Dayton

Entercom has announced news veteran Rick Dayton as afternoon drive host for Newsradio KDKA 1020 AM / 100.1-FM, the authoritative news and talk voice of Pittsburgh. “KDKA Radio Afternoon News hosted by Rick Dayton” will be heard weekdays from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., effective December 7.

“Rick is ingrained in the local community and has a tremendous news reputation in the market,” said Michael Spacciapolli, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Pittsburgh. “He is a beloved personality who will engage the listeners daily with content and information and I’m excited to welcome him to our weekday lineup.”

“After spending more than a decade back home in western Pennsylvania, I am honored to join KDKA Radio and build on its iconic legacy,” said Dayton. “To talk with KDKA’s loyal listeners each day and to discuss important issues is something I do not take lightly. I cannot wait to get those conversations started on Monday afternoon.”

Dayton is a broadcast news veteran with over 30 years of experience. Previous roles include sports director for the North Carolina News Network; reporter and anchor at WOWK in Charleston/Huntington, WV and anchor for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. He most recently served as a fill-in host for KDKA Radio Afternoon News and also hosted the station’s “Pre-Debate Tailgate” on the evenings of the presidential and vice-presidential debates.

At KDKA Radio, Dayton is taking over the time slot recently occupied by Wendy Bell, a controversial and opinionated host who was removed from the air by Entercom in early September after suggesting on her show that park rangers “shoot on sight” people vandalizing public monuments, reports TribLive.com.

Though she brought negative publicity to KDKA, Wendy Bell had a significant number of loyal followers. For his part, Dayton, who has accumulated his own large share of fans with his congenial manner as a television news anchor and quizmaster, said he is bringing his own style to the radio airwaves. And he added that he has not been urged to be as provocative as his predecessor.

Last May, CBS, owners of KDKA-TV, announced staff cuts and Dayton was among the casualties. It left many of his devoted followers in shock but he took the dismissal in stride.

“Television was never about me being on television. Television happened to be the way that I went about telling stories, but it wasn’t who I am,” Dayton said. “So, to go to KDKA Radio now and be able to do it on radio, sure you don’t have pictures, but that’s one of the things that I can’t wait to do. To be able to use my voice, to be able to use my contacts, to be able to educate, to be able to inform, to be able to help other Pittsburghers when they have difficulty or trouble, that’s what I’m so excited about.”

Denver Radio: KYGO Adds Brian McFayden To Morning Show

Bonneville's Country KYGO 98.5 FM in Denver has announced that Brian McFayden will join Tracy Dixon for mornings starting Monday, December 7. 

McFayden's career started in radio on 93.7 "The Edge" in Minneapolis and 92.3 KROCK in New York. He also hosted and acted in a number of network television shows including, "Cupid" on CBS with Simon Cowell and the CW's "Beauty and the Geek."

McFayden

At MTV, Brian had many roles including host of the popular "Total Request Live" and as an MTV News Anchor. Brian went on to host and produce for Al Gore's Current TV, a web series called "7 Wonders of the Wall" for MSN and Campus Insiders. Most recently, Brian anchored sports for HLN's highly rated daily show "Morning Express" with Robin Meade and "Bleacher Report" segments for CNN, CNN International and HLN. Before the pandemic, Brian was working on a film with director Ron Krauss.

"I'm beyond excited to not only be doing mornings for those legendary KYGO call letters and arguably the greatest country station ever, but I get to be on the air with my friend and amazingly talented, Tracy Dixon, said McFayden.

"I'm thrilled to have Brian join KYGO," said Dixon. "Brian is an incredible and rare talent in this business. He is one of the most natural and creative personalities I've ever met. We've known each other for years and it's quite literally a dream come true to have Brian as a partner."

"As a country boy from Nebraska, it only makes sense that he would return to his radio roots at the biggest brand in Country radio and join his longtime friend, Tracy Dixon, on the KYGO Morning Show," said Brian Michel, Program Director for 98.5 KYGO.

Twin Cities Radio: Christian EMF Snags KZGO, KQGO

The Twin Cities’ most prominent hip-hop radio station and its sister pop-rock outlet will soon go off the air, reports The Star-Tribune.

Pohlad-owned stations KZGO Go 95.3 and KQGO Go 96.3 FM are being sold and will change to new formats to Christian music. The new buyer of the stations, Educational Media Foundation (EMF), is a Rocklin, Calif.-based nonprofit that runs the contemporary Christian music radio networks K-LOVE and Air1.

While the rock outlet Go 96.3 successfully drew teen listeners with slick, poppy bands such as Twenty-One Pilots and Imagine Dragons, the hip-hop station Go 95.3 broke more ground, writes Chris Riemenschneider at the Star-Tribune.

“This has been the most incredible experience of my life,” the station’s flagship DJ Peter Parker (née Peter Mazalewski) said when reached for comment Tuesday night.

Go executives did not yet respond to requests for comment, nor did representatives from the stations’ new ownership. The frequencies used to operate as Christian stations before the Pohlads took them over.

The demise of both Go stations can be attributed to the broader decline of FM radio on the whole among younger listeners, who now often turn to YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify and other streaming services to hear new music.

In a press release distributed at 7pm Eastern on Tuesday, Ben Hawn, Chief of Staff for Pohlad Companies, said, “We have decided to exit the radio business. We are deeply grateful to the talented team at Go Radio and proud of their engagement within our community. We also sincerely appreciate the loyal support of our audiences over the years.”

Once the radio stations are sold, Pohlad Companies’ businesses will be comprised of eight automotive dealers, jeweler JB Hudson, real estate brand United Properties, feature film production company River Road Entertainment (led by producer Bill Polhad), advanced production technology firm PAR Systems, commercial real estate owner and investor debt, equity, and loan servicing company NorthMarq and, most notably, the Minnesota Twins baseball club.

Report: iHM To Put Studios In The Cloud

iHeartMedia’s new operating model includes what it has called Centers Of Excellence, centralized hubs that that consolidate key resources for the entire company into one location. 

iHM CEO Bob Pittman told attendees at Wells Fargo TMT Summit 2020 the company will be able to save money as well "deliver better quality programming around the clock'.  Currently, iHM operates a digital content center in Nashville and at one other location.

According tp Pittman putting studios on the cloud allows broadcasters to “dematerialize” their air studio and place all of a station’s music, spots, IDs, and voicetracks can be easily assembled, mixed and sent to the transmitter from a tablet or laptop. 

iHM would then have less need for racks and racks of physical equipment and technical support in all of its 160 markets. 

Chief Operating Officer Rich Bressler said revenues at iHeartMedia have improved 120% from the pandemic low point in April, when advertisers cancelled or suspended campaigns in vast numbers. President and Bressler called it a “pretty profound” trend.  Pittman said “the revenue signs are very encouraging,” describing the progress from Q2 to Q4 as a “steady climb back.”

Pittman also predicted the pandemic will have a long-term effect on how radio programming is accessed. The lockdowns caused consumers to seek out radio on digital devices like smart TVs, smart speakers and video game consoles. 

 “They’re always checking in and out.” The acceleration of consumers listening to radio on digital devices caused by the pandemic “will have a long lasting positive impact for us.”

CNN Threatens Legal Action After Audio Sting

CNN has reported Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe to police over his latest undercover investigation in which he secretly recorded network president Jeff Zucker's morning conference calls 'for months,' reports The Daily Mail.  

O'Keefe, 36, on Tuesday announced he was releasing audio recordings of several network meetings which he claims will 'expose' Zucker and other CNN executives expressing their 'political biases'. 

The calls O'Keefe had been listening to over two months are the network's daily 9am editorial meeting with senior staff from CNN's main bureaus, which is run by Zucker. 

The move by Project Veritas is the latest sting operation orchestrated against the news station by the conservative operative who has long-targeted CNN over claims of liberal and anti-Trump bias.  

O'Keefe teased the exposé on Twitter by sharing a livestreamed video of the moment he ambushed Zucker during a phone call telling him he was planning to make the footage of his rundowns public.  

Surprise, CNN! https://t.co/ANeg7vyQ0A

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 1, 2020

'Mr Zucker, are you there? Hey, this is James O'Keefe. We've been listening to your CNN calls for basically two months, and recording everything. I just wanted to ask you some questions if you have a minute,' he began. 

'Do you still feel you're the most trusted name in news, because I have to say from what I've been hearing on these phone calls, I don't know about that; we have a lot of recordings that indicate you're not really that independent as a journalist.'

After a few seconds of silence, Zucker replies: 'Uh..thank you for your comments', before quickly scrambling to cut the discussion short.

The video quickly drew thousands of responses including one from CNN's Communication division which accused O'Keefe of breaking the law.  

'Legal experts say this may be a felony. We've referred it to law enforcement,' the network said. 

O'Keefe however shrugged off the threat in a tweet mocking the network saying: 'Our legal experts say Jeff Zucker is just mad and embarrassed.' 

TV Ratings: Turkey Day NFL Scores 30.3M Viewers

The Turkey Day TV encounter between Washington and Dallas drew 30.3 million viewers and now stands as the season’s most-watched NFL game, reports Sportico.com.

To better contextualize the size of Fox’s national TV audience, Thursday afternoon’s game out-delivered every non-NFL sports broadcast going back to Nov. 2, 2016. On that evening, Fox’s coverage of the Chicago Cubs’ history-making World Series win averaged a staggering 40 million viewers.

The turnout for the visiting Football Team’s 41-16 win over the Cowboys was down 7% compared to last year’s Buffalo-Dallas game on CBS (32.6 million viewers) and trailed Fox’s coverage of the 2018 Tryptophan Bowl, which also featured Washington and Dallas, by fewer than 150,000 total viewers. Thursday’s game ranks 17th on the list of the most-watched Thanksgiving Day NFL broadcasts of the modern Nielsen era.

Fox now accounts for six of the season’s 10 most-watched NFL games, with CBS laying claim to the other four. Thus far in the 2020 campaign, 15 of the 20 highest-rated games have aired outside of primetime.

As much as streaming represents the future of video consumption and the [eventual] demise of the linear TV networks, Thursday’s digital deliveries suggest that Fox can rest easy for the near term. The average-minute audience for the Dallas game worked out to be 562,623 streamers, and while that is hardly an inconsiderable figure, it also is merely 1.85% the size of the game’s TV deliveries.

Earlier in the afternoon, CBS’s presentation of the Texans-Lions meetup averaged 23.4 million viewers, down 14% versus Fox’s analogous Bears-Lions broadcast in 2019 (27.1 million) and off 12% compared to CBS’s own Chicago-Detroit game from the previous year (26.5 million). Houston’s 41-25 victory currently ranks as the fourth most-watched NFL broadcast of the 2020 season.

Spotify: Bad Bunny Most Streamed Artist In 2020

Spotify’s Wrapped 2020 has been released.  So, what did the world listen to in 2020?

Most Streamed Artists Globally

• Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny claims the top spot with more than 8.3 billion streams this year from fans around the globe. His album YHLQMDLG—released in late February and featuring collaborations with Sech, Anuel AA, and Daddy Yankee—is the number one streamed album as well. 
• Following Bad Bunny is Drake and Latin star J Balvin. The fourth most-streamed artist is the late rapper Juice WRLD, followed by The Weeknd.
• Billie Eilish continues her reign as Spotify’s most-streamed female artist for the second year in a row, followed by Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande in spots two and three. Coming in as the fourth and fifth most-streamed female artists are Dua Lipa and Halsey.

Most Streamed Songs Globally

• The most-streamed song of the year is The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which held out strong after being the second most-streamed song of the summer with almost 1.6 billion streams this year. 
• In the second and third spots, respectively, are Australian ex-busker Tones And I’s viral 2019 earworm “Dance Monkey” and Roddy Ricch’s “The Box.” The fourth most-streamed song is the catchy “Roses – Imanbek Remix” by Imanbek and SAINt JHN, followed by “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa.
• Most Streamed Albums Globally

More and more podcasts came to Spotify in 2020, and with over 1.9 million titles, there’s now something for everyone. That includes The Joe Rogan Experience, which holds the number one spot for most popular podcast of the year. Filling in spots two and three are TED Talks Daily and The Daily, showing that listeners were staying in the know as usual. Coming in at number four is a new series from a well known voice: The Michelle Obama Podcast. The fifth most popular podcast is the comedy/advice show Call Her Daddy.

Most Popular Podcast Genres Globally

• Taking spot number one is Society & Culture, a genre that includes both spooky stories and foodie content. 
• Next in line is Comedy, which is no surprise as many are looking for more ways to laugh this year. 
• Spot three is reserved for Lifestyle & Health, demonstrating that listeners love turning to podcasts for wellness. 
• Arts & Entertainment ranks fourth and Education ranks fifth, proving that people are turning to podcasts for both a break and a time for learning.

'American Country Christmas' To Air For 14th Year

CUMULUS MEDIA’s Westwood One, America’s largest audio network, continues a cherished holiday tradition with their 14th annual broadcast of “An American Country Christmas” with Kix Brooks. Country superstars including Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, and Kelsea Ballerini will share their holiday music, favorite traditions, and memories with Kix in this special program from Westwood One Nashville.

Stations can air the special programming any time between Monday, December 21 and Friday, December 25, 2020, between 6:00 a.m. and 12 midnight. “An American Country Christmas” will provide 24 hours of unique content with an eight-hour minimum for stations.

Delivery is via XDS receiver or web download.

For more information, contact Country@WestwoodOne.com.

December 2 Radio History

I➦n 1917...actor/director Ezra Stone was born in New Bedford Mass.  ezra-stone His major acting success was as the teenaged son, Henry, in the popular radio comedy The Aldrich Family. As director he shot that show when it came to TV, as well as The Munsters & Lost in Space. He died at age 76 in an auto accident Mar 3, 1994.

➦In 1932..."The Adventures of Charlie Chan" first aired on the NBC Blue Radio Network. The Chinese detective became even more popular on the movie screen in the 1930s and 1940s.



On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in several different series on three networks (the NBC Blue Network, Mutual, and ABC) between 1932 and 1948.  Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan on Esso Oil's Five Star Theater.  Ed Begley, Sr. had the title role in NBC's The Adventures of Charlie Chan (1944–45), followed by Santos Ortega (1947–48). Leon Janney and Rodney Jacobs were heard as Lee Chan, Number One Son, and Dorian St. George was the announcer.

➦In 1963...Jay Nelson aired his first morning show on CHUM 1050 AM Toronto.

Born Frank Coxe in Scranton, Pa., Nelson was a disc jockey there before arriving in  Buffalo, where WKBW was riding the crest of rock's surging popularity.

He joined Joey Reynolds, Danny Neaverth, Fred Klestine and a handful of other star disc jockeys who were kings of radio and school record hops. Owing to the station's 50,000 watts of power, their irreverent voices and record selections boomed into homes up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

On weekends Nelson changed into a pith helmet and khakis for his role as host of WKBW-TV's "Jungle Jay Show," a humorous audience participation series that aired on Saturday morning.

The program was a hit with Canadian viewers as well, and it was Nelson's cross-border popularity that earned him the morning job at CHUM.

Nelson had a 17 year run in morning drive at CHUM, finally stepping down in 1980.



Nelson went on to gigs at CITY-TV, CKFM, CKEY, CHFI and CJEZ and was teaching radio at George Brown College in Toronto shortly before his death.

On February 18, 1994, Toronto radio fans were shocked at the news that long-time CHUM morning man Jay Nelson had died.



➦In 1971...Don Imus started at 660 WNBC, New York City.

Imus was a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Upon winning a talent contest at Johnny Otis's nightclub, he began working as a singer/songwriter, managed by Otis.  After hearing a morning disc-jockey, he went to the nearby radio station and persuaded the owner to hire him. Thus he began his career as a radio disc jockey on June 28, 1968 at radio station KUTY in Palmdale, California. He stayed at the station until 1969 when he left for a job at KJOY, a small radio station in Stockton, California.

He was later fired for saying "hell" on air.  After being fired in Stockton, he went to KXOA in Sacramento, California.  His on-air pranks, such as calling up a restaurant and ordering 1200 hamburgers to go, made his show immensely popular and boosted ratings. He was inspired to pursue a career in radio by listening to California radio personality Don MacKinnon.

After a stint at WGAR 1220 AM radio in Cleveland, Ohio, Imus moved to New York City and WNBC 660 AM radio in December 1971. During this first stint at WNBC, Imus recorded three record albums, two for the RCA Victor label (1200 Hamburgers to Go, including some of his more popular humor from KXOA, WGAR and WNBC broadcasts.

Imus was fired from WNBC in August 1977 along with several of the station's other personalities, in an effort to revamp the station's sound and boost ratings. In 1978 he returned to Cleveland radio as afternoon drive host on WHK, making the front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on his first day back in town.

In a surprise, Imus was rehired by WNBC in September 1979, and revived his morning drive show. From 1982 to 1985, the station also employed talk-radio host Howard Stern, and WNBC heavily promoted the pair in print and TV commercials, which often featured the slogan "If We Weren't So Bad, We Wouldn't Be So Good."

➦In 1992...WQXR 1560 AM New York City changed calls to WQEW-AM. Today the station is WFME and is owned by Family Stations.

The change in call letters co-incided with owner New York Times flipping to popular standards format, which was inaugurated by a live studio performance by Tony Bennett. The change came a few months after WNEW 1130 AM, New York's heritage popular standards station, announced an impending sale to Bloomberg L.P. and a format switch to business information with the new call letters WBBR. The format change at 1560 to standards happened 10 days before WNEW's transition.

The station focused on a broad range of pop standards–the format's foundation artists including Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin and Perry Como, but also artists from the big band era (such as Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington); and non-rock-and-roll pop hits (by artists like Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin and Pat Boone, among others). Light rock'n'roll material such as the Turtles was also occasionally heard.

Although initially successful, the station's advertising revenues were not spectacular, and older audience demographics were deemed undesirable for long-term success. On December 3, 1998, the Times announced that WQEW would switch to Radio Disney after agreeing to what was initially an eight-year local marketing agreement term with the Walt Disney Company and its ABC Radio subsidiary.  Radio Disney programming launched on WQEW on December 28, 1998.

At the end of the agreement with the Times in late 2006, Disney had the option to purchase the station or to extend the arrangement with the Times maintaining ownership. Disney exercised the option to purchase in early January 2007.  Disney/ABC officially became the owner of the station on May 24, 2007.

On August 13, 2014, Disney announced its intention to end terrestrial distribution of the Radio Disney format, in order to focus on digital distribution. Disney would also sell its remaining Radio Disney broadcast outlets, including WQEW and with the lone exception of KDIS in Los Angeles.

On November 21, 2014, Oakland, California-based Family Stations announced it would purchase WQEW from Disney/ABC for $12.95 million.  In January 2013 Family Radio sold the original, Newark, New Jersey-licensed WFME 94.7 FM, which it had owned since 1966 but had been programming since 1963) to Cumulus Media, who converted the station into country music-formatted WNSH. 

In what amounted to a station trade-plus-cash transaction, Family Stations also acquired the license for WDVY (106.3 FM) in Mount Kisco, New York. The 106.3 FM signal, combined in tandem with Family Radio-owned WFRH (91.7 FM) in Kingston, New York mainly serves the Hudson Valley region; another Family Radio outlet, WFRS (88.9 FM) in Smithtown, New York serves Long Island. This left Family Radio programming unavailable over-the-air in New York City proper and northern New Jersey (including Newark) for over two years.

After the FCC approved the sale on February 10, 2015,  1560 AM went silent on February 17 in preparation of the format change. The sale was finalized on February 20 and the call sign was changed to WFME. The station returned to the air on February 27, again giving Family Radio full coverage of the New York City market.

➦In 2008...Canadian broadcaster/cellular mogul Ted Rogers Jr. died at his home in Toronto, after recently being admitted to hospital with a cardiac condition. While he was best known for Canada's Rogers Cable, his communications empire actually makes more money from the mobile phone business.

➦In 2010…Former MLB Chicago Cubs player and sportscaster Ron Santo died.  He was 70.  He had been dealing with diabetes and other health issues for some time.

As the "single biggest Cubs fan of all time", Santo joined the Cubs' broadcast booth in 1990 as the WGN radio color commentator.  He worked with play-by-play announcer Pat Hughes, and these radio broadcasts were also known as the Pat and Ron Show. He also worked with Harry Caray, Thom Brennaman, Steve Stone and Bob Brenly.

Santo also briefly worked with Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers commentator Wayne Larrivee.

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY: 

• Actor Cathy Lee Crosby (“That’s Incredible”) is 76. 
• Director Penelope Spheeris (“Wayne’s World,” “The Decline of Western Civilization”) is 75. 

• 

  Britney Spears is 39

  Actor Ron Raines (“Guiding Light”) is 71. 
• Country singer John Wesley Ryles is 70. 
• Actor Keith Szarabajka (”Angel,” “The Equalizer”) is 68. 
• Actor Dan Butler (“Frasier”) is 66. 
• News anchor Stone Phillips is 66. 
• Actor Dennis Christopher (“Breaking Away,” ″Chariots of Fire”) is 65. 
• Actor Steven Bauer (“Scarface”) is 64. 
• Bassist Rick Savage of Def Leppard is 60. 
• Actor Brendan Coyle (“Downton Abbey”) is 57. 
• Bassist Nate Mendel of Foo Fighters is 52. 
• Actor Lucy Liu is 52. 
• Actor Suzy Nakamura (“Dr. Ken”) is 52. 
• Actor Rena Sofer (“24,” ″Just Shoot Me”) is 52. 
• Rapper Treach of Naughty by Nature is 50. 
• Actor Joe Lo Truglio (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is 50. 
• Singer Nelly Furtado is 42. 
• Singer Britney Spears is 39. 
• Singer-actror Jana Kramer is 37. 
• Actor Daniela Ruah (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) is 37. 
• Actor Alfred Enoch (“How to Get Away with Murder”) is 32. 
• Singer Charlie Puth is 29.

Poll: Nearly 7 in 10 Adults Support Stay-at-Home Orders

Most Americans support statewide mask mandates that carry penalties and stay-at-home orders, according to a new Morning Consult survey conducted as the country stares down its first COVID-19 winter.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has consistently hit record highs over the past three weeks, reaching more than 93,000 patients Sunday, and states and localities are tightening restrictions on restaurants, gyms and schools in an effort to tamp down the spread of the virus and alleviate the burden on health systems on the brink of collapse. Public health experts, including those advising President-elect Joe Biden, have clashed on how far to go, but despite the heated political discourse around so-called lockdowns, the new survey indicates most people are generally supportive of these public health measures.

Meanwhile, in the event of rising coronavirus cases in their states over the next month, 84 percent of adults said they support wearing masks in public, and 68 percent support fines or jail time for those who don’t abide by statewide mask requirements, according to the survey, which was conducted Nov. 18-22 among 2,200 adults and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

“Oftentimes a small but vocal minority will make it seem as if an issue is bigger than it really is,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. “But then you see data like this, and I think it does show that people are engaged and they are taking it seriously.”

Political leaning was a stronger determinant of a respondent’s attitude toward these measures than income, education level or geographic setting.

“Ideally, we should be framing this as, masks are what allow businesses to stay open,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a visiting professor of health policy and management at George Washington University and the former health commissioner of Baltimore. Closing businesses without enough people also wearing masks and forgoing private social gatherings, for example, would “hurt the economy without actually tamping down the virus.”

Other national measures had broader consensus: 82 percent of adults said they strongly or somewhat support social distancing measures that require people to stand 6 feet apart from one another in public and limit large gatherings, like concerts or sports events, and 83 percent said they support quarantines of up to 14 days for people with COVID-19 symptoms.

Philly Radio: WMGK Turkey Drop Gobbles-Up Record Total

Beasley Media Group’s Classic Rock 102.9 legendary Morning Personality John DeBella has announced a recording breaking grand total for this year’s John DeBella Turkey Drop…. 12,509 turkeys! The annual event is the largest one-day food gathering event in Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, November 24th, John DeBella broadcast live from The Kimmel Center. In addition, the entire MGK’ on-air staff lent a helping hand on the air from 12 additional sites across the tri-state area. The turkeys will be given out to needy individuals and families throughout the holiday season.

“Eleven thousand turkeys in 2019 was the biggest year we ever had, with the pandemic going on all I could hope for was to make a good showing,” said DeBella.”12,509 turkeys truly proves that “The City of Brotherly Love” is not just a saying…it’s a fact!”

The Turkey Drop benefits Cityteam Philadelphia, a local non-profit organization that provides holiday meals as well as other important services for individuals and families in need. Cityteam has seen a record number of sign-ups for holiday meals in 2020, including a large percentage of families seeking assistance for the very first time.

Tampa Radio: WiLD's Orlando Davis to Host Holiday Toy Drive

Beasley Media Group announces WiLD 94.1 FM’s Freak Show Personality and Program Director, Orlando Davis’ will host the station’s 9th Annual Toy Drive Tower event to benefit The Children’s Home Network in Tampa, Florida.

Beginning on Friday, December 4th at 5pm through Saturday, December 12th at 5pm, Orlando will climb the Toy Drive Tower, an outdoor constructed platform which will be elevated 30 feet in the air overlooking the City of Tampa and Metro by T-Mobile (2907 North Dale Mabry), where he will remain for eight days.

He will encourage listeners to stop by and donate unwrapped toys, bicycles, toys, gift cards and monetary donations to benefit The Children’s Home Network. In addition, the Freak Show will join Orlando from the tower and broadcast live every morning from December 7th-11th, 2020. Covid-19 precautions will be in place on-site.

The WiLD 94.1 FM Morning Show Personality hopes to break last year’s donation collection record, which included more than 844 bicycles, 3 Full POD containers of toys and over $42,900.00 in cash and gift cards!

“In a year like 2020, it feels good to be able to battle through, and still help spread love to the kids and partners of the Children’s Home Network,” said Davis. “All of our ‘new normal’ didn’t derail the truly normal caring for those in need of love.”

The Children’s Home Network is a non-profit organization that serves as a sanctuary for abused, neglected or abandoned children in the community.