Radio’s First Comprehensive Study of Air Personalities Unveiled

• Industry Webinar Scheduled for August 30th

At last week’s “Morning Show Boot Camp” in Chicago, Jacobs Media and Talentmasters/Morning Show Boot Camp released the findings of a comprehensive online study of on-air talent and producers from radio stations across the United States - AQ. Respondents were asked a wide range of questions on their attitudes about the state of the radio industry, their careers, how they define their ever-changing job duties, and even if they have a “face for radio.”

Fred Jacobs presented the study to the capacity Boot Camp crowd last Thursday, who were eager to see research that reflects their aspirations, concerns, and their lives. The full results of the AQ study will be unveiled on a webinar scheduled for Thursday, August 30 at 2pm EST. To download a sneak peek at the results and register for the webinar, go to: https://jacobsmedia.com/radios-first-ever-talent-survey/

“The radio industry historically has done a great job researching its audience,” says Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs. “However, no one has ever studied the attitudes of one of the industry’s most important assets, its air personalities. Stations have a lot riding on their talent, and it’s important management and ownership gain a deeper understanding of what makes them tick. And there are great insights for the personalities themselves.”

Here are some of the highlights from AQ, radio’s first talent on talent survey:

•    Where’s the farm team? More than four in ten (43%) survey respondents perform on their station’s morning show, while only 14% work nights, overnights, and weekends. Yet, nearly three-fourths (74%) of the AQ sample got their start in radio on these rapidly disappearing airshifts.

•    Let’s do an air-check. Overall, four in ten (40%) of the air talent surveyed in AQ say their work is never critiqued by station management. And nearly one-fifth (19%) say they are only air-checked a couple times a year.

•    Venus & Mars. While nearly seven in ten (69%) male air talent agree that “women have as good a chance as men to advance” on the air, less than one-fourth (24%) of female respondents agree.

•    Getting social. The #1 skill mandatory for air talent? Social media prowess, mentioned by nearly two-thirds (65%) of AQ respondents, is at the top of the list. Yet, only about one-third (35%) of these same participants rate their social media ability “excellent.”

•    Why radio? When asked why they opted for a career on the air in radio, the top three reasons are that “it’s fun” (80%), “to entertain” (73%), and because it’s “emotionally fulfilling” (57%). The least important reason? “Sex and relationships,” mentioned by only 1% as a main motivator for being on the radio.

•    Show me the money. Six in ten (60%) say that financially, they’re making it, they’re comfortable, or they’re set for life. Conversely, four in ten (40%) report they’re struggling or in debt. Those having the hardest time are women, Millennials, and those who work in smaller markets.

•    In the eye of the beholder. One in ten (11%) strongly agrees with the statement, “I have a face for radio.” Men are twice as likely to strongly concur with that dubious claim.

Don Anthony, host/creator of Morning Show Boot Camp/Talk Show Boot Camp and publisher of Jockline Daily, notes, "Of all the 'firsts' we've debuted at Morning Show Boot Camp over the past three decades, AQ was easily one of our most anticipated sessions ever. Over 1,100 responses! That's nothing short of amazing. The goal here was to provide usable feedback to both talent and the people who manage them. Having seen the results, I believe Jacobs Media has accomplished this and more.”

AQ is an online study sent via email to both the “Jockline Daily” and Jacobs Media databases. The fieldwork took place between June 13-24, 2018. There were 1,109 responses from commercial radio air personalities in the U.S., and 59 responses from program producers. AQ is a web survey and is not intended to reflect the attitudes of all air personalities and on-air producers.

Aretha Franklin Reported To Be 'Gravely Ill'

Aretha Franklin

Several news media outlets, including The Chicago Sun-Times, were reporting late Sunday night that iconic soul singer Aretha Franklin is “gravely ill” and hospitalized in Detroit.

The Queen of Soul cancelled several concerts this year citing health issues. In March, the 76-year-old canceled a birthday concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey. She followed up in April with a canceled scheduled appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Last year, after postponing a June concert at Ravinia due to health issues, Franklin returned in September for what one newspaper report called a “dazzling” performance.

In 2017, Franklin announced she was retiring from full-on touring and public performances, preferring instead to do select dates.



The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has 18 Grammy Awards to her credit, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award and Grammy Legend Award, and has sold more than 75 million records. Her biggest hits include “Respect,” “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Think,” “Pink Cadillac,” and “I Say a Little Prayer for You.”  Her most recent album is the 2016 critically acclaimed “Divas,” which featured several tracks produced by Stevie Wonder. An upcoming compilation, “The Atlantic Singles Collection 1967-1970,” a 34-song survey chronicling her early years at the label, is due out in September.

Born in Memphis, Tenn., Franklin was raised in Detroit and has made her home in the suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, since the 1980s.

San Diego Radio: Alternative 91X Promotes Hilary to APD

Hilary

Alternative rock station 91X XETRA 91.1 FM has announced that Hilary Doneux, current Music Director and long-time on-air DJ on 91X, has been named Assistant Program Director of the station.

Hilary will continue her role as 91X Music Director and midday host from 10:00AM to 3:00PM.

The move marks a new milestone in Hilary’s radio career, rooted in Southern California since her start in college radio at UC Irvine in 1992.  After work at the legendary KNAC Los Angeles and 92X in Denver, Hilary has been a mainstay of San Diego radio for over 20 years.

“To say I’m excited is an understatement! 91X is my radio home and I feel ridiculously lucky that I get to continue to grow with such an incredible team,” said Hilary. “I’m so grateful to Garett Michaels for having faith in me and sharing his knowledge (and snacks), and to (VP/GM) Gregg Wolfson, for this opportunity!”

“Hilary’s passion for music, San Diego and 91X, along with her tireless work ethic and awesome attitude, make her the perfect partner on the 91X Programming Team,” said 91X Program Director Garett Michaels.  “Our last two years of collaborating have been an absolute blast, and I’m stoked that Hilary will be contributing even more.”

XETRA 91.1. Fm (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

91X (XTRA-FM 91.1) is owned by Local Media San Diego, LLC; a San Diego-based broadcasting company also operates Z90.3 (XHTZ-FM) and Magic 92.5 (XHRM-FM).

Fox Sports Channels Sell-Off Could Shake Up Broadcasting

Walt Disney Co.’s Bob Iger may not have planned it, but his $71.3 billion deal for 21st Century Fox Inc.’s entertainment assets could be about to reshape sports and regional broadcasting in the U.S.

With shareholders approving the sale last month, attention has turned to 22 Fox regional sports networks that regulators are forcing Disney to sell. The networks hold television rights to 44 professional basketball, baseball and hockey teams, including the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Braves.

Bloomberg reports the assets are attracting preliminary interest from media and technology companies including Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., YouTube Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., as well as buyout firms such as Blackstone Group LP, CVC Capital Partners and Apollo Global Management LLC, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Sinclair Chief Executive Officer Chris Ripley on Wednesday told analysts the networks would be a “good fit.”

A sale process for the networks could kick off within weeks.

While station owners are likely to bid for the networks as a package or in pieces, private equity firms could be tempted to take it one step further. With the FCC preparing to loosen restrictions on how many television stations one company can own, some buyout firms are scoping out deals that could bring a station owner and the sports networks together, the people with knowledge of the matter said.

If the FCC scraps the rule, which prevents any one broadcaster from owning stations that reach more than 39 percent of the nation’s households, Sinclair, Nexstar Media Group Inc. and Tegna Inc. would be better placed to compete as more of their viewers migrate to online platforms.

Adding the sports channels could also give the stations more leverage when divvying up fees with their national networks, including NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC.

Some teams, including the Yankees, are weighing whether to buy back their own channels, people with knowledge said in June. Private equity firms could play a role in those types of transactions too, said the people.

Media mogul John Malone, who teamed up with Fox founder Rupert Murdoch in the mid-1990s in a regional sports venture in a bid to shake ESPN’s hold on sports, has also expressed an interest in getting back into regional sports networks. The package of networks Disney is selling include some that were owned by the Fox/Liberty Networks back then.

The RSNs are set to come to market amid fast-paced media consolidation.

The Local TV Consolidation Race Is Here

Changes in decades-old broadcasting rules, combined with new types of competition in news and
entertainment, are creating a drama-filled free-for-all as local U.S. broadcasters consolidate.

According to Axios, here's why it matters: Consolidation will inevitably mean that fewer voices reach more people, but some in the industry argue it's the only way local broadcasting will be able to compete with big tech.

What they're saying:

"Scale matters when we are competing against massive pay TV conglomerates, Facebook, Apple and Netflix. If you want a healthy broadcast business that keeps the Super Bowl on free TV, that encourages local investigative journalism and allows stations to go 24-7 live with California wildfire coverage, broadcasters can’t be the only media barred from getting bigger.”  — Dennis Wharton, National Association of Broadcasters

Tribune Media announced last week that it has terminated its $3.9 billion merger agreement with Sinclair Broadcasting and that it has filed a lawsuit for breach of contract. The merger would have created the largest local broadcaster in America, but its collapse doesn't mean the industry will stop consolidating.

The back story: Many local broadcasters cite one key reason for their consolidation — The FCC's landmark decision last year to roll back old regulations that limited the ability of TV companies to own properties in the same market.

What's complicating many of these deals, however, is that the FCC has yet to determine the new limits on TV station ownership. Right now, there is a national cap limiting television groups (among all of their stations) to reaching no more than 39% of U.S. TV households.

Most sources Axios has spoken to believe that cap will be lifted above 50%, but they don't know what the exact limit will be, or when it will be passed and implemented. The FCC was supposed to vote on a new cap in July, but the vote has been pushed back, and will likely occur later this year.
The ownership rule will impact the entire local TV landscape, which is currently dominated by roughly a dozen companies.

Keep Reading

Arrogance Seems To Have Hurt Sinclair

Sinclair Broadcast Group's failed efforts to merge with Tribune Media and build a conservative media powerhouse may be just the start of the broadcasting giant's problems, reports The Hill.

Tribune called the deal off on Thursday and filed a lawsuit against Sinclair for $1 billion. The suit alleges that its would-be business partner broke the terms of their merger agreement and jeopardized the deal by arrogantly dismissing the concerns of officials at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Justice.

The merger’s collapse was a stunning reversal of fortune for conservative broadcaster Sinclair. The conventional wisdom a few months ago was that Sinclair’s proposal would be approved, giving the company the ability to reach nearly three quarters of the country’s television audience. Now, Sinclair is facing questions about whether it’s even fit to hold a broadcasting license.

Last month, the FCC accused Sinclair of misleading the agency about proposals related to the deal and voted to send the merger to an administrative law judge, a move that ultimately caused Tribune to back away.

According to the agency order last month and Tribune’s lawsuit, Sinclair overplayed its hand with a friendly FCC and a Justice Department that was fully willing to approve the merger but only if the company agreed to sell off certain stations.

Sinclair though wasn’t willing to budge and repeatedly antagonized antitrust officials at the DOJ. At one point, according to Tribune, Sinclair general counsel Barry Faber told the government “sue me” and the company even went so far as to threaten a lawsuit against the Justice Department.

And at the FCC, Sinclair doomed its chances of getting approval by proposing a series of questionable side deals to sell off local television stations to comply with media ownership limits.

Sinclair has long stoked controversy, including by requiring local news stations to air "must-run" segments with a conservative slant.

CBS to Air 'Sunday Morning' Prime-time Special

CBS News will present Sunday's Best: Celebrating 40-Years Of CBS Sunday Morning, a new, one-hour primetime special spotlighting the best original reporting on the arts, humanities, entertainment, music and much more to be broadcast Friday, Sept. 14 (8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Jane Pauley will anchor the special, which features CBS Sunday Morning’s award-winning lineup of correspondents delivering insightful reporting on issues that matter to Americans, profiling top entertainment figures, taking an in-depth look at the world of art, design and architecture – and much, much more. The broadcast is a celebration of CBS Sunday Morning’s 40 years.

CBS Sunday Morning has been the #1 Sunday morning news program for 15 consecutive seasons. Anchored by Jane Pauley, each broadcast features a slate of intriguing stories, thought-provoking arts and culture reports, profiles of some of the most memorable figures of our time – along with stories on science, Americana and newsmaker interviews. The long list of CBS Sunday Morning’s high-profile interviews includes Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, along with former first lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Bruce Springsteen, 50 Cent, Bono, Pharrell Williams, Glen Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, Venus Williams, Tom Brady, Shakira, Elton John, James Patterson, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Tom Wolfe, and scores of others.

The broadcast launched Jan. 28, 1979 with Charles Kuralt as anchor. Charles Osgood was named Kuralt’s successor in 1994 and held the position until he stepped down in September 2016, when Jane Pauley was named anchor.

Correspondents include Lee Cowan, Rita Braver, Mo Rocca, Tracy Smith and Martha Teichner. Among the program’s contributing correspondents: Ted Koppel, Serena Altschul, Nancy Giles, Luke Burbank, David Pogue, Conor Knighton, Faith Salie, Steve Hartman and Anthony Mason.

Since its inception, the broadcast has earned virtually every honor available in broadcast journalism, including three Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Morning Program.

Spotify Testing Skipping Ads

Spotify is hoping to deliver another blow at rival Pandora, all in an effort to dominate the fast growing, $1.6 billion market that is digital audio advertising.

According to AdAge, the company isrunning a test in Australia that will allow listeners to skip audio and video ads any time they want, as often as they want, allowing them to quickly get back to music. Listeners who don't pay for a subscription currently can't skip ads at all.

Danielle Lee, global head of partner solutions at Spotify, says she compares the move to Spotify's "Discover Weekly" feature, which tailors a playlist to users' established listening habits. Unlimited ad skipping means Spotify users will be able to hear or watch just the ads they actually like, informing Spotify about their preferences in the process, she says.

"Our hypothesis is if we can use this to fuel our streaming intelligence, and deliver a more personalized experience and a more engaging audience to our advertisers, it will improve the outcomes that we can deliver for brands," Lee says. "Just as we create these personalized experiences like Discover Weekly, and the magic that brings to our consumers, we want to inject that concept into the advertising experience."

The effort is another volley aimed at the company's largest competitor. Last month, Spotify quietly pulled its ad inventory from the digital audio ad tech platform AdsWizz, which Pandora bought in May for $145 million.

The company wasn't coy about its motivation, either: Lee says it opted to end its partnership with AdsWizz "to maintain our competitive differentiation."

Reporter Removed After Asking NYC Mayor A Question

Two bodyguards of  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio physically removed a credentialed NYPost reporter who had the temerity to ask him a question in public on Sunday.

The unusual muzzling unfolded at the start of the annual Dominican Day Parade in Manhattan, where the reporter sought de Blasio’s reaction to The Post’s front page story about his administration’s many meetings with lobbyists.

NY Post photo shows reporter 'escort"

It also came after Hizzoner appeared on national TV Sunday to proclaim, “I believe in a free, strong media with diverse views — I’ll defend it with all I’ve got.”

Just two hours later, after de Blasio cut a ribbon to kick off the parade and was posing for photos near West 37th Street and Sixth Avenue, the reporter asked him to comment on the “CITY FOR SALE” Page One story.

Instead of answering or even declining to answer the question, the mayor watched as two members of his NYPD security detail approached the reporter — who was wearing a police-issued press pass around his neck — with one grabbing his shoulder and leading him away from the mayor.

“Kevin, you have to leave. You can’t be here,” the plainclothes cop said.

Both bodyguards then escorted the reporter about a half-block away, where a member of the NYPD’s public-information office, Officer Brian Magoolaghan, told him, “Come on, Kevin. No stunts today.”

City Hall had previously declined to discuss records that showed officials held 136 meetings with lobbyists during just three months earlier this year.

The incident was reminiscent of one last month when the White House barred a CNN reporter from a Rose Garden event for shouting “inappropriate” questions at President Trump in the Oval Office earlier in the day.

The Top Brand Among U-S Adults Is...

What do you get when you mix consumer perceptions of a brand’s quality, value, satisfaction, and reputation, along with impressions of the brand and propensity to recommend it? Overall brand health, per YouGov’s BrandIndex, which has released a list of the brands that top the charts as rated by adults in the US.

Marketing Charts reports, YouGov’s BrandIndex score is derived by taking the average of the above-referenced components and ranking the highest brands from 1630 tracked for at least 6 months during a year-long period from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.

So is it Amazon? Well, seemingly for once in a brand ranking, no. Instead Band-Aid is the top-scoring brand with an index of 58.1 on a 100-point scale. A previous ranking from YouGov had Band-Aid as the second-leading brand among mothers, while an earlier ranking than that pegged it as the brand with the best impression among adult women.

Band-Aid is followed rather closely by Amazon.com, with its score of 55.0. Earlier this year the e-commerce behemoth was ranked the most reputable company in the US, and was second only to Apple in a ranking of the most “intimate” brands. It was also the brand with the best “buzz” last year, per YouGov.

Other notable entrants into YouGov’s latest BrandIndex rankings include:

• Hershey’s (#4);
• Google (#5); and
• Netflix (#7).

Which Brands Are Improving the Most?

Samsung leads that list, with a 5.4-point increase in score to 43.4, leaving it not far outside of the top 10 overall (Craftsman, at #10, had a score of 45.0).

Galaxy was the next-largest improver, though its 4.3-point hike brought it only to a score of 19.2.

And interestingly enough, while Amazon Alexa was third on the list of improvers, its Brand Health score was a modest 14.3.

Newspapers To Editorialize On Trump's Anti-Press Rhetoric

"The dirty war on the free press must end."

According to CNN, that's the idea behind an unusual editorial-writing initiative that has enlisted scores of newspapers across America.

The Boston Globe has been contacting newspaper editorial boards and proposing a "coordinated response" to President Trump's escalating "enemy of the people" rhetoric.

"We propose to publish an editorial on August 16 on the dangers of the administration's assault on the press and ask others to commit to publishing their own editorials on the same date," The Globe said in its pitch to fellow papers.

As of Saturday, "we have more than 100 publications signed up, and I expect that number to grow in the coming days," Marjorie Pritchard, the Globe's deputy editorial page editor, told CNN.

The American Society of News Editors, the New England Newspaper and Press Association and other groups have helped her spread the word.

"The response has been overwhelming," Pritchard said. "We have some big newspapers, but the majority are from smaller markets, all enthusiastic about standing up to Trump's assault on journalism."

Instead of printing the exact same message, each publication will write its own editorial, Pritchard said.

Opinion: The Future Of Radio's Focus

In his new weekly blog posting, radio veteran Dick Taylor writes about the future of radio and, more precisely, how to focus on the future...

Taylor writes: The biggest new habit in our short-attention-span world is On Demand.

Whether we are talking about TV or audio, we are now a culture of wanting things when we want them, not when they are served up, and that’s the juggernaut all traditional media are faced with.

Newspapers, television and yes, radio, serve what they want you to have.

Today’s media consumer knows they have choices and they don’t have the time or patience for the way it used to be.

The Future is…

In 1967, the movie “The Graduate” had a scene where the Dustin Hoffman character was taken aside by a family friend who advised him about where the future was for a person his age. The answer was one word: “Plastics. There’s a great future in plastics.”

What might a friend advise a young person today to focus on? Podcasts?

Dick Taylor

Focus on the Things That Don’t Change

Jeff Bezos’ secret sauce has been to focus his efforts on things that would not change.

He said the question that he’s always asked is “What’s going to change in the next 10-years,” but the question that’s rarely asked is “What’s not going to change in the next 10-years?”

It’s that second question he feels is most important.

Bezos doesn’t concern himself with what will change, but on what won’t change. Then working to make those things better and better and better.

With this strategy, Bezos has become the richest man in the world.

Taylor concludes:  This is what the radio industry should be doing.

Read The Entire Blog Post

August 13 Radio History

➦In 1919...Rex Humbard, pioneer radio and television evangelist, was born. His Radio and TV ministry was based out of Akron, Ohio and founded in 1958.



➦In 1952...the original version of Hound Dog was recorded by Willie Mae (Big Mama) Thornton. It was the first hit for songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who also wrote Kansas City for Wilbert Harrison, On Broadway for The Drifters, and Stand By Me for Ben E. King.  Four years later, Hound Dog got the attention of the world when it was recorded by Elvis Presley.

➦In 1966…The first of the "Beatles bonfires," where ex-Beatles fans could burn the band's records to protest John Lennon's "bigger than Jesus" comment, was organized by radio station KLUE in Longview, Texas.

The next morning, KLUE's broadcast tower was struck by lightning, damaging much of their equipment, throwing the station off the air and sending the news director to the hospital.


➦In 1993...Terry Steele "The Bear", long affiliated with CHUM-AM, Toronto, Canada, died from a fall in his bathtub.  He also worked at CKEY and CJEZ in Toronto. For CKEY aircheck: Click Here.

➦In 1959...Danny Bonaduce was born. Bonaduce began as a child actor on "The Partridge Family" an eventually became a very successful Radio/TV host. He's currently doing mornings on KZOK 102.5 FM in Seattle.

➦In 1986...KRE-AM in Berkeley CA changes call letters to KBLX (now KBFN)

Joe Bolton

➦In 1986...Joe Bolton - WOR TV, Giants baseball announcer, WPIX TV (Officer Joe) -died. He started his broadcast career in 1927 as a staff announcer for WOR in Newark, New Jersey. He was the announcer for DuMont Television Network's talent show Doorway to Fame in 1947, but he left DuMont for WPIX on May 15, 1948 to be a news announcer and weatherman.

On January 17, 1955, he appeared as "Officer Joe" and hosted The Clubhouse Gang, and showed the Little Rascals. WPIX lost the rights to The Little Rascals, and in September 1958, he switched to hosting The Three Stooges Funhouse. This program aired on weekdays at 5:30 pm. He showed Three Stooges shorts until May 7, 1970. At one time, he showed Dick Tracy cartoons as "Police Chief Joe".

➦In 2007...In 2007..Phil Rizzuto, NY Yankees player and announcer died.

After a long Hall of Fame career as a player, Rizzuto broadcast Yankee games on radio and television for the 40 years. His popular catchphrase was "Holy cow." Rizzuto also became known for saying "Unbelievable!" or "Did you see that?" to describe a great play, and would call somebody a "huckleberry" if he did something Rizzuto did not like.

Phil Rizzuto

He would frequently wish listeners a happy birthday or anniversary, send get-well wishes to fans in hospitals, and speak well of restaurants he liked, or of the cannoli he ate between innings. He also joked about leaving the game early, saying to his wife, "I'll be home soon, Cora!" and "I gotta get over that bridge", referring to the nearby George Washington Bridge, which he would use to get back to his home in Hillside. In later years, Rizzuto would announce the first six innings of Yankee games; the TV director would sometimes puckishly show a shot of the bridge (which can be seen from the top of Yankee Stadium) after Rizzuto had departed. Rizzuto was also very phobic about lightning, and sometimes left the booth following violent thunderclaps.

Rizzuto started his broadcasting career working alongside Mel Allen and Red Barber in 1957. Among a number of announcers that Rizzuto worked with over the course of his career, Frank Messer (1968-1985) and Bill White (1971-1988) were the two most memorable. Rizzuto, Messer, and White were the main broadcast trio that presided over an important time period for the Yankees, which spanned from the non-winning CBS years through the championship seasons and other years of struggle during the Steinbrenner era. On television, for example, the Yankees broadcast team went unchanged from 1972-82.

Les Paul

➦In 2009...uber-guitarist Les Paul died in hospital in White Plains, New York at the age of 94 suffering from severe pneumonia. Paul is credited with developing one of the first solid-body electric guitars, which went on sale in 1952 and contributed to the birth of rock. He also developed other influential recording innovations such as multi-track recording and overdubbing. In the early ’50s, Paul and his wife Mary Ford had a string of hits including ‘Mockin’ Bird Hill,’ ‘How High the Moon,’ and ‘Vaya Con Dios.’

➦In 2010...longtime (1949-’84) NBC newsman Edwin Newman died of pneumonia at age 91.

August 12 Radio History

➦In 1877...Edison invented the phonograph.

The phonograph, also called gramophone,  is a device introduced in 1877 for the recording and reproduction of sound recordings. The sound vibration waveforms are preseved in the form of a groove engraved into the surface of a rotating cylinder or disc. As the recorded surface rotates, a playback stylus traces the waveforms and vibrates to reproduce the recorded sound waves.

While other inventors had produced devices that could record sounds, Edison's phonograph was the first to be able to reproduce the recorded sound. His phonograph originally recorded sound onto a tinfoil sheet phonograph cylinder, and could both record and reproduce sounds. Alexander Graham Bell's Volta Laboratory made several improvements in the 1880s, including the use of wax-coated cardboard cylinders, and a cutting stylus that moved from side to side in a "zig zag" pattern across the record.



In the 1890s, Emile Berliner initiated the transition from phonograph cylinders to flat discs with a spiral groove running from the periphery to near the center. Other improvements were made throughout the years, including modifications to the turntable and its drive system, the stylus or needle, and the sound and equalization systems.

The disc phonograph record was the dominant audio recording format throughout most of the 20th century. From the mid-1980s, phonograph use declined sharply because of the rise of the compact disc and other digital recording formats. While no longer mass-market items, modest numbers of phonographs and phonograph records continue to be produced in the second decade of the 21st century.

➦In 1937…Comedian Red Skelton made his network radio debut on NBC's "Rudy Vallee Show."

➦In 1977...Cousin Brucie did last show at WNBC 660 AM,

➦In 2003...longtime Richmond, Virginia DJ, Eric E. Stanley, died after a 3-year battle with cancer. He was 53. He was known for his program, "The Bebop, Boogie, and Blues Revue" heard first on WRXL, then WVGO and later on WJMO.



➦In 2004...NYC personality Chuck Leonard - WWRL, WABC, WXLO, WRKS, WBLS, WQEW, WNSW - died.

Leonard began at ABC's flagship New York radio station, Musicradio 77 WABC, under program director Rick Sklar in 1965. He broke the color barrier for all who followed — the first African-American to cross over from black R&B radio to (then-mostly white) mass-appeal radio.

Leonard began in the 11 p.m. to midnight slot, and continued working late nights and Sundays at the station until November 27, 1979. He did the 10:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. shift following “Cousin” Bruce Morrow and later George Michael. He also gladly handled weekend and fill-in work.

Leonard was the host of "Sneak Preview," a five-minute Monday-through-Saturday evening program on ABC's American Contemporary Radio Network, which featured newly released songs. He stayed at WABC until 1979, before moving to WXLO and WRKS.

➦In 2005...Newsradio KNX 1070 Newsradio in Los Angeles, left its studios at the CBS Columbia Square broadcast center and moved to 5670 Wilshire Blvd to join other locally owned Infinity radio stations.

KNX-AM had been housed at the CBS Columbia Square building for 67 years, in the heart of Hollywood.

Merv Griffin 1945

➦In 2007...media mogul (he owned several radio stations in the 60s/70s) Merv Griffin, creator of the TV game shows “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy,” and the host of his own popular longrunning syndicated TV show, died of prostate cancer at age 82.

➦In 2009...Rock WBCN in Boston closed its doors after 41 years on the air, and 98.5 "The Sports Hub" debuted immediately afterwards.



➦In 2011...WEMP 101.9 FM switched to FM News

DC Radio: What's Up At WTEM? Urban One Is Mum

Urban One assumed operational control of WTEM The Team 980 AM last week, two months after the sale of Redskins owner Daniel Snyder’s flagship and final radio property was announced.

According to The Washington Post, the changeover has left the station’s programming lineup in flux, with several longtime hosts conspicuously absent from the airwaves this week.

“We don’t comment on personnel decisions,” The Team 980 program director Chris Johnson said when asked about a report that four 980 hosts, including former Redskins tight ends Chris Cooley and Rick “Doc” Walker, were let go as part of budget cuts. “However, we’re still in the process of finalizing our lineup.”

The Team 980 has been the flagship home of the Redskins since 2008, when Snyder-owned Red Zebra Broadcasting, which will be liquidated in the coming months, purchased WTEM. Terry Bateman, the chairman of Red Zebra Broadcasting, said Thursday that Redskins games — as well as pregame and postgame coverage — will continue to air on The Team 980 and WMAL, and that Cooley and Walker will remain part of the broadcasts, no matter the status of their respective shows.

And according to sportsradiopd.com, 11am – 1pm host Bram Weinstein also has not confirmed is he’s no longer with the radio station.  The former SportsCenter anchor has continued to co-host his television show on Fox 5 DC, but has been MIA from The Team 980 since his last show July 31st.

Co-hosts of Inside the Locker Room, 980’s 1-4pm weekday show, Rick “Doc” Walker and Scott Jackson were not on the air this week, with Walker tweeting Thursday afternoon, only saying “It’s true!”  The third host of Inside the Locker Room, Brian Mitchell, appears to have survived the cuts and has continued to be featured on 980 since the changes began taking place.

This past week Al Galdi has hosted the morning show from 7-10am followed by Al Koken, Chris Knoche, Fred Smoot and Scott Linn splitting up the middays. The one constant in the lineup for 980 has been Steve Czaban who remained hosting his afternoon drive show from 4-7pm.

Twin Cities Radio: KSTP Revamps..2 Shows Dropped

KSTP 1500 AM is pulling the plug on longtime talk-show hosts Joe Soucheray and Patrick Reusse.

Both are leaving the air in four weeks, it was announced Friday, according to the Star-Tribune. The morning show “Mackey & Judd” and anchor John Heidt will be gone as well.

Also exiting the station will be Brad Lane, who been PD since 2011. Overall, Lane has been with the station for 20 years.

In all, the news affects nine hours of weekday programming on 1500 AM, which adopted a sports format in 2010 and renamed itself ESPN 1500.

Reusse, who also writes a sports column for the Star Tribune, said he learned the news in a phone call Friday with Dan Seeman, VP and general manager of the station’s owner, St. Paul-based Hubbard Broadcasting.

“I’m 72 years old. It’s not like you don’t expect it to end someday. I am not somber about it in any way,” he said. “It’s been a hoot. I think I survived in radio because I never took it terribly seriously. It was always about fun for me.”

In an interview Friday, Seeman confirmed the cuts and called Soucheray and Reusse “legends in this market.”

“This is more reflective of a change in the media landscape than it is to any performance or any passion, or any creativity that these guys have brought to the airwaves every day,” he said.

Seeman said KSTP plans to develop new shows in the next few months that will debut online first and also air on the AM dial. But he said he’s not sure what will actually be on the air on Sept. 8.

“I don’t know. I’m not being coy. We don’t know yet. We may not be there Sept. 8. We may not really launch anything until mid-October,” he said.

Morning-show co-hosts Phil Mackey and Judd Zulgad will continue to work at the station and Soucheray’s 'Garage Logic' podcast will continue and will be produced by Hubbard, he said.

KSTP has lagged in the ratings, far behind sports rival KFAN 100.3 FM. Overall, it ranked 21st among adult listeners in July with a 1.0 audience share according to Nielsen Audio, compared to a 3.7 share for No. 11 KFAN.

Boston Radio: WEEI's Kirk Minihane Talks Depression

WEEI 93.7 FM's Kirk Minihane returned to "Kirk & Callahan" Friday and opened up about his recent absence from the program.

In a Twitter post Thursday, Minihane said he had checked himself into Winchester Hospital Aug. 2 after experiencing suicidal thoughts. He was then transferred to McLean, where he was released earlier this week.

“For the first time in my life, I had suicidal thoughts," Minihane said. "The way it manifested itself for me was I think I hated the fact I was thinking about doing it, and pretending in a weird way I was almost doing research on it, so if you Gerry or Mut came up to me and said, ‘I’m going to commit suicide on Day X, and I’d like you to put together a plan for me,’ that’s how I started to think about it. I read books, I went online, and if you want to go online for it, like anything else it’s a rabbit hole. It never ends."

According to the station's website. Minihane, who's been open about his bouts with depression before, described the moment he decided to check himself into the emergency room. It came last Thursday, while he was standing in front of his car at a commuter rail station in Winchester.

“I was lying to myself, saying ‘I’m going to look.’ I’m thinking about it, thinking about it, thinking about it," he said. "There I was, at 8:00, wandering around the Wedgemere train station, going around the parking lot, walking around the field around there. A few minutes before, I stood in front of my car and said, ‘I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to die. But I also know this thing in my head that keeps talking about this, saying ‘examine this’ and ‘look at this’ and the word ‘suicide, suicide, suicide,’ and the fact how I felt internally, and I felt over the last couple of weeks, I felt like I was having a heart attack almost all of the time. I was having a hard time breathing. I was also playing this character on the air, who was feeling good; Around my family, who was feeling good; talking to my brothers, who was feeling good. Meanwhile, I was sort of dying on the inside. I said, ‘I cannot live like this anymore. I have to give up whatever power I have.’ I drove the car to Winchester Hospital and walked up to the Emergency Room woman and said, ‘I’m having very dangerous thoughts.’ That was the beginning of five days of hospitalization."

Laura Ingraham Defends Comments About Demographics

Fox News host Laura Ingraham has addressed the controversy over her remarks on her Wednesday show.

During that show, Ingraham lamented the “massive demographic changes” due to immigration, prompting a ringing Twitter endorsement by ex-KKK leader David Duke, which he later deleted.

Her comment also sparked backlash and a renewed call for an advertising boycott.


She continued on: “A message to those who are distorting my views, including all white nationalists and especially one racist freak whose name I won’t even mention. You do not have my support. You don’t represent my views and you are antithetical to the beliefs I hold dear.”

She then said the purpose of her talk was to point out that the “rule of law” and “secure borders” is something that “used to bind our country together” before praising merit-based immigration for doing “wonders” for the nation’s economy.

Country Artist Maren Morris To Host WWOne Special

Maren Morris

Summer will not go quietly, so Westwood One, the largest audio network in the U.S., sends it off in style with multiple award-winning Country artist Maren Morris. This year’s Billboard Music Award winner for “Top Country Female Artist” will host Westwood One’s Labor Day salute to America’s work force.

Morris will fire up the four-hour music-intensive end-of-summer blowout with work songs, summertime anthems, pre-fame stories, and current hits from Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Florida Georgia Line, Carrie Underwood, Jake Owen, Dierks Bentley and other top Country artists.

Westwood One's holiday music specials are a welcome tradition with hundreds of programmers, millions of listeners, and local advertisers. Stations can air Westwood One’s Labor Day holiday special Workin’ Hard Country with Maren Morris any time Saturday, September 1 - Monday, September 3, 2018 between  6:00 am and 12 midnight. For more information, contact Country@WestwoodOne.com.

Twenty-eight year old singer/songwriter Maren Morris has quickly established herself with vocal stylings that reflect her country, folk and pop influences.

Armed with sheer talent, honest lyrics and a completely magnetic presence, Morris’ label-debut album, the Gold-certified Hero, released via Columbia Nashville on June 3, 2016. One week after it was available, Hero entered the Billboard Country Albums chart at No. 1 and No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, which spans across all genres. With this, the Arlington, Texas native became the first artist in the history of Columbia Nashville to open at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Charts with a debut album in the Soundscan era. Morris’ debut single from Hero, “My Church,” set a record at country radio by having the most chart reporting stations to play a debut single by a country artist with 107 stations the week it hit the airwaves, in addition to being certified Platinum by the RIAA.