The Academy of Country Music announced today the nominees for the 54TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™, Country Music’s Party of the Year®, honoring country music’s superstars and hottest emerging talent. Iconic entertainer and sixteen-time ACM Award® winner Reba McEntire will return to host LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.
Reba McEntire
This year will also mark the return of the ACM Artist of the Decade Honor which will be announced in the coming weeks. Only five other honorees have received this award, including Marty Robbins in 1969, Loretta Lynn in 1979, Alabama in 1988, Garth Brooks in 1998 and George Strait in 2009.
Reba McEntire appeared live today on “CBS This Morning” to announce this year’s ACM Award nominees for Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Duo of the Year, Group of the Year and Song of the Year. Reba also revealed nominees for Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year on Facebook Live on her Facebook page, which was shared on Academy of Country Music’s Facebook page and CBS This Morning’s Facebook page. Additional nominees were announced on ETonline.com.
Reigning Male Artist of the Year, Chris Stapleton received six nominations in four categories, including his second nod for Entertainer of the Year. Stapleton is also nominated twice, as both artist and producer, for his album From A Room: Volume 2 in the Album of the Year category, which he won last year for From A Room: Volume 1. Additionally, he is nominated for Song of the Year twice, as both artist and songwriter, for “Broken Halos.” Lastly, Stapleton is nominated for Male Artist of the Year.
Dan + Shay earned six nominations, including their sixth nod for Duo of the Year. They received nominations in the Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Video of the Year categories for “Tequila.” Dan + Shay are also nominated for Album of the Year for Dan + Shay, and Music Event of the Year for “Keeping Score” (featuring Kelly Clarkson). Additionally, Dan Smyers received 3 individual nominations as a producer in the Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Music Event of the Year categories. He also received an individual nomination as a writer in the Song of the Year category for “Tequila.”
Kacey Musgraves earned five nominations in three categories, including a nod for Female Artist of the Year. Additionally, she is nominated in the Album of the Year Category twice, as both artist and producer, for Golden Hour, as well as in the Song of the Year category twice, as both artist and songwriter, for “Space Cowboy.” Musgraves most recently won in 2016 in the Video of the Year category for “Forever Country” and previously won in the Album of the Year category in 2013 for Same Trailer Different Park.
Dierks Bentley received four nominations, including his fourth nod for Album of the Year; nominated for the category this year for The Mountain. Additionally, Bentley is nominated for “Burning Man” (featuring Brothers Osborne) in both the Music Event of the Year category and Video of the Year category. He is also nominated for Male Artist of the Year. If he were to win for Video of the Year this year, it would mark his third win in this category.
Reigning Duo of the Year and Video of the Year winners, Brothers Osborne earned four nominations in three categories, including a nod for Duo of the Year. They are also nominated for Music Event of the Year for “Burning Man” with Dierks Bentley. Additionally, Brothers Osborne are nominated twice in the Video of the Year category for songs “Shoot Me Straight” and “Burning Man.”
Florida Georgia Line received four nominations, including a nod for Duo of the Year. They are also nominated with Bebe Rexha for “Meant To Be” for Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year and Song of the Year.
First-time Academy of Country Music Award nominee, Bebe Rexha earned four nominations for “Meant To Be” (featuring Florida Georgia Line). Rexha is nominated for Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year, and twice, as both artist and songwriter, for Song of the Year.
First-time Academy of Country Music Award nominee, Ian Fitchuk received six nominations, including a nod for Album of the Year with Kacey Musgraves as a producer for Golden Hour. Fitchuk also received five nominations across Studio Recording Award categories, including Bass Player of the Year, Drummer of the Year, Piano/Keyboards Player of the Year, Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year and Producer of the Year.
The following is the full list of nominees for all Awards categories, including Main Awards, Industry Awards, Studio Recording Awards and previously announced Radio Awards. ACM Radio Awards winners will be announced in the coming weeks, and Industry Awards and Studio Recording Awards winners will be announced following the 54th ACM Awards.
Nielsen on Feb 19, 2019, released the first batch of January 2019 PPM data for the following markets.:
1 New York City 2 Los Angeles 3 Chicago 4 San Francisco 5 Dallas-Ft. Worth 6 Houston 8 Atlanta 9 Philadelphia 20 Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island) NY 25 Riverside-San Bernardino CA 37 San Jose CA 42 Middlesex-Somerset-Union NJ Click Here for view topline numbers for subscribing Nielsen stations.
WEPN ESPN 98.7 FM's Mike Francesa is looking up at WFAN's Michael Kay after the first three innings of the winter ratings book.
For January, Kay beat Francesa, 5.8-5.0, in the 25-54 male demographic reported by Nielsen Audio and used by both stations to sell advertising. Kay was third overall while Francesa was sixth for the month.
Mike Francesa
The NY Post reports the ratings measurement is a bit confusing, which has led to Francesa trying to muddy the waters and change the longtime rules to discount Kay’s show closing in on his perennial advantage.
In the last full fall ratings book, Francesa just squeaked by Kay. Francesa then complained that his margin was actually larger because FAN’s streaming is not counted in the ratings. ESPN’s also was not used during that fall book, though it is included for this month.
Stations sells different advertising for their streams, so it is not counted in the overall Nielsen.
Even if Francesa’s stream numbers were included this month, he still would have lost, 5.8-5.7, to Kay, Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg.
Entercom/Washington DC has announced the addition of Jason Kidd as new morning host for Classic Hits WIAD 94.7 FM The Drive).
He joins the Entercom Classic Hits outlet from crosstown Cumulus HotAC WRQX-FM, where he hosted afternoon drive since 2016. Previously, Kidd held Program Director roles at Entercom sister WPGC-FM in DC, WQSR and WWMX in Baltimore, KQBT in Austin, WKST in Pittsburgh and WWHT in Syracuse NY.
"Jason's boundless energy and local connection to the D.C. market made him a strong candidate early in the search process," said Entercom Washington DC Senior VP/Market Manager Phil Zachary "Once we had the opportunity to meet and discuss his innovative ideas, there was no doubt that Jason was ideally suited to host mornings on The Drive."
"I couldn't be more excited to reunite with Steve Davis [Vice President of Programming, Entercom Washington D.C.] and the entire team at Entercom Washington DC," added Kidd. "Special thanks to Phil Zachary, Bob Philips [Chief Revenue Officer and Regional President, Entercom] and Pat Paxton [President of Programming, Entercom] for this amazing opportunity to make the move across town and to be back home at Entercom Washington DC."
Entercom has announced a shift in morning show programming in Phoenix.
Former KOOL 94.5 FM morning hosts Maria Knight and Chad Mitchell will co-host the morning drive for Country KMLE 107.9 FM.
Subsequently, Niko Petrou, previously on KMLE, will host KOOL FM’s morning drive.
Both shows will begin on February 25, airing live weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PT.
Niko Petrou
“This transition will allow us to maximize the content we deliver daily to this market,” said Dave Pugh, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Phoenix. “Maria and Chad are market veterans who know and love the country format and we are excited for KMLE listeners to get to know them. Niko has a great connection to Phoenix and we are confident that his passion and energy will enable him to connect with KOOL’s listeners.”
“I am a country girl at heart and have been part of the ‘KMLE Nation’ for over a decade,” said Knight. “I am really excited about the move across the hall.”
Knight joined Entercom in 2005 as an on-air personality for 94.5 KOOL FM. Prior to that, she held on-air roles for KZON and KSLX in Phoenix and KJFX in Fresno, CA.
“I’m excited to transition back to country mornings on KMLE, a truly iconic brand,” said Mitchell. “Maria and I cannot wait to celebrate many successes for years to come.”
Mitchell joined the station as an on-air personality in 2016. Prior to joining Entercom, he served as morning show host for KESZ in Phoenix, WRMF in West Palm Beach, FL, and WKQI and WDRQ in Detroit, MI.
“I had such a blast hanging out with our listeners every morning for the past year on KMLE, and being able to continue to host my own show on a legendary station like KOOL is a dream come true,” said Petrou. “I’d like to extend a big thanks to Pat Paxton [President of Programming, Entercom], Jeff Sottolano [Senior Vice President, Radio and RADIO.COM Programming, Entercom], Dave Pugh, Tim Richards [Program Director, Entercom Phoenix] and the KOOL staff for welcoming me. I can’t wait to party with the Valley every morning on KOOL.”
Petrou has been with the station since February 2018. His previous roles include Assistant Program Director, Music Director and midday on-air personality for sister station ALT 92.3 (WNYL-FM, then WBMP-FM) and night drive personality for WHTZ-FM in New York.
Entercom has announced Alek Halverson as afternoon drive host and Music Director for Country KKWF 100.7 The Wolf in Seattle, effective February 21. Halverson will be on air weekdays from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m PT.
“Alek’s passion for radio and dedication to entertaining people on air and on social media makes him a great addition to our team,” said Jack Hutchison, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Seattle. “We are excited to welcome him to Seattle and to start a new chapter of afternoon drive in Seattle.”
“I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity to work for Entercom and to connect with the Seattle community,” said Halverson. “Big thanks to Drew Bland [Program Director for 100.7 The Wolf], Dave Richards [Operations Manager for Entercom Seattle], and Jack Hutchison for this opportunity. I cannot wait to hit the ground running with this team.”
Prior to joining Entercom, Halverson served as afternoon drive host, Music Director and Assistant Program Director for KLTA-FM in Fargo, ND. He previously hosted the night drive for KBVB-FM in Fargo.
Music artist Trisha Yearwood is fully aware of how the Country music industry works. She got her start in country music in the early 1990s, and although she has had hits through the years and has appreciated her time on radio, she sees how women are often left off traditional airwaves.
In a recent interview at Build Series, she said she thinks “women are still absolutely getting the raw end of the deal at country radio.” She blames it partly on “old, antiquated ways of thinking.”
“I want to go, ‘Who says that’s the way it is?’ Like, you don’t play two female artists back to back and you make sure you play four guys before you play a girl? Like, whose rules are those?”
Yearwood, though, predicts the tide may soon turn for radio programmers, reports The Huffington Post.
“I think they are about to get a rude awakening, because women are rising up. We’re going to start marching to your radio station, and you’re going to be afraid not to play our records, I think. I would do that march!” she said, imagining what it would look like. “There are 20 angry women in the parking lot. Let’s play some Trisha Yearwood. I feel like it could happen!”
She said people need to take action ― not just talk ― to make some real change. “Everybody says, ‘This is what we want.’ But you gotta really do it,” she said.
Still, Yearwood was thrilled to see Musgraves swoop up four honors at the Grammys: album of the year and best country album for “Golden Hour,” best country song for “Space Cowboy” and best country solo performance for “Butterflies.”
Follow her heart is something Yearwood has aimed to do since the start of her career. She landed her first No. 1 country single in 1991 with “She’s in Love With the Boy” and has been a force on the country music scene ever since. These days, though, she doesn’t try to put too much pressure on herself. She said she has Garth Brooks to thank for that.
“I have to credit my husband with that because I am competitive,” Yearwood revealed. “I’m always analyzing myself and my career and everything I’m doing. And he’s the one who said, ‘You need to realize you don’t have to prove anything to anybody. Just do you.’ And that’s what I needed to hear. … It doesn’t mean you don’t want those things. I want to have a No. 1 record on the radio. I want to sell records. I want to be successful currently. I don’t want to be just known for what I did and what I’ve done. But at the same time, I’m good.”
Good enough that she just released an album mostly of songs recorded by Frank Sinatra, one of her musical heroes. Called “Let’s Be Frank,” the collection finds her doing versions of standards, including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Come Fly With Me.” It is her first full-length release since 2007 ― and it won’t be her last. She recently recorded a country album featuring a batch of new songs largely written or co-written by women.
The Oakland A’s radio broadcasts are adding a new voice in 2019, as Coco Crisp will join the booth for 33 games as an analyst, the team announced Tuesday.
In addition to his in-game work, Coco “will be featured in content on the A’s channel on TuneIn,” according to the press release. He’ll debut on March 10, in a spring training game against the Giants.
“The time I spent in Oakland as a player was very special, so to come back in any role is exciting,” Crisp said, via the team’s press release. “This is a new venture for me – there’s excitement when you are doing something new in baseball and this is definitely new. I looked at how Dallas Braden transitioned as a player with Oakland and I always thought that this might be an opportunity. This was a no-brainer for me when it was presented.”
Coco played for the A’s from 2010-16 and was a beloved fan favorite.
A’s games can be heard this season on KTRB 860 AM, after the club left its previous radio home last fall. The rest of the in-game crew is the same as usual, with Ken Korach and Vince Cotroneo on full-time duty and Ray Fosse helping out when he’s not on TV. The pregame and postgame will be hosted by Chris Townsend, another familiar voice.
YEA Networks announces that nationally syndicated Tino Cochino Radio has signed two new Saga Communications, Inc. radio stations to its fast-growing affiliate group:
Earlier this month, Tino Cochino Radio welcomed its first new affiliates of 2019, KORQ/96Q in Abilene, TX (3pm-7pm), and KHQT/HOT 103.1 in Las Cruces, NM (7pm-11pm). Tino Cochino Radio is now heard on nearly 40 affiliates across the U.S., including over 50% of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic Markets. The personality-driven next-generation audio brand launched nationwide in 2018.
George Laughlin, CEO, YEA Networks, said: “Tino Cochino Radio is off to a strong 2019, and the incredible momentum continues with the addition of four new affiliates in the first 6 weeks and ratings pops in new markets including Dallas. We’re excited to welcome these two powerhouse Saga stations in Charleston and Milwaukee and know their listeners are going to love what they hear!”
Annmarie Topel, General Manager, Milwaukee Radio Group, Saga Communications, Inc., said: “The first time we heard the show, we knew it had the flavor we needed to really stand out and excite our listeners. Milwaukee is more than ready for Tino Cochino, and we believe he’ll strike a nerve with the Energy 106.9 audience.”
Paul O’Malley, General Manager, Charleston Radio Group, Saga Communications, Inc., said: “Tino’s show is relevant, topical and compelling that caters to a diverse audience that is impactful to the listeners and the advertisers.”
Tino Cochino, Host of Tino Cochino Radio, said: “I’ve been ready for Milwaukee and Charleston! The team and I are beyond excited to get on-air and create great radio with Energy 106.9 and Mix 95.9!”
Hosted by Tino Cochino and co-hosts Raquel and DJ Nicasio, Tino Cochino Radio provides Rhythmic and CHR stations with an innovative combination of topical and relatable on-air content, engaging, original video and social content, and a popular podcast.
For more information about Tino Cochino Radio, contact Scott Kerr, Director, Affiliate Sales and Content, YEA Networks, at: scott@yeanetworks.com.
Ryan Adams, currently mired in sexual harassment charges raised by a story in the New York Times last week, is being abandoned in droves at Adult Album Alternative radio stations around the country.
The singer/songwriter had been a stalwart of Triple A since scoring No. 1 singles with “New York, New York” in December 2001 and “Lucky Now” 10 years later in December 2011; in all, he’d had 17 charting singles at the format.
Variety reports Adams’ newest single, “F— the Rain,” had reached No. 20 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative chart, as of the Feb. 16 issue. It was on the rise even though execs at his distributing label, Blue Note, were miffed to get a song with that problematic a title as a first single, according to sources. It dropped from 54 daily spins at the chart’s 42 reporting stations the day the story broke to a mere seven plays at those stations five days later, mostly in the overnight hours.
“We were playing it, but no more,” says Jeff Penfield, assistant program director and director of digital integration at the Sky Daniels-led KCSN, a highly influential Triple A station for the Los Angeles area. He has also pulled Adams’ entire back catalog, despite the artist having played a benefit for the station in December 2014. Adams did the show when one of his current accusers, Phoebe Bridgers, was part of his band.
Before the New York Times story hit, Penfield says, KCSN had Adams’ “F— the Rain” in power rotation, playing it up to 20 times a week.
Some of the more disturbing charges in the Times’ story include sexually explicit texting with an underage girl. (Adams has denied knowingly corresponding with any minors.) But what prompted KCSN’s actions, according to Penfield, is the emotional damage he is alleged to have done to a number of his female peers, including Bridgers and ex-wife Mandy Moore, by creating havoc with their musical creativity and ambitions.
This year will mark a major milestone in the world of advertising. For the first time, digital ad spending in the US will exceed traditional ad spending, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast.
By 2023, digital will surpass two-thirds of total media spending.
Total digital ad spending in the US will grow 19% to $129.34 billion this year—54.2% of estimated total US ad spending. And mobile will continue its dominance, accounting for more than two-thirds of digital ad spending, at $87.06 billion this year.
Also for the first time, the combined share of the duopoly (Google and Facebook) will drop, even as their revenues grow. Google’s share will drop to 37.2% from 38.2% last year; Facebook’s share will drop to 22.1% from 21.8% last year.
The big winner this year will be No. 3 player Amazon, which continues to take share from just about everyone. Its US ad business will grow more than 50% this year and its share of the US digital ad market will swell to 8.8% this year.
Where are the digital dollars coming from?
Directories, such as the Yellow Pages, will take the biggest hit—down 19% this year. Traditional print (newspapers and magazines) spending is a close second, which will drop nearly 18%. Overall, traditional ad spending’s share in the US will drop to 45.8% in 2019, from 51.4% last year.
“The steady shift of consumer attention to digital platforms has hit an inflection point with advertisers, forcing them to now turn to digital to seek the incremental gains in reach and revenues which are disappearing in traditional media advertising,” Peart said.
Attorneys representing the Kentucky high school student involved in a confrontation that went viral on social media last month announced Tuesday that they were suing The Washington Post for $250 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
According to Fox News, the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Kentucky, accused The Post of practicing "a modern-day form of McCarthyism" by targeting Nicholas Sandmann and "using its vast financial resources to enter the bully pulpit by publishing a series of false and defamatory print and online articles ... to smear a young boy who was in its view an acceptable casualty in their war against the president."
Washington Post spokesperson Kris Coratti told Fox News in an email that the paper was "reviewing a copy of the lawsuit, and we plan to mount a vigorous defense."
Sandmann, a junior at Covington Catholic High School, became a target for outrage after a video of him standing face-to-face with a Native American man, Nathan Phillips, while wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat surfaced in January. Sandmann was one of a group of students from Covington attending the anti-abortion March for Life in Washington, D.C., while Phillips was attending the Indigenous Peoples' March on the same day.
Sandmann and the Covington students were initially accused of initiating the confrontation, but other videos and the students' own statements showed that they were verbally accosted by a group of black street preachers who were shouting insults both at them and a group of Native Americans. Sandmann and Phillips have both said they were trying to defuse the situation.
Earlier this month, Sandmann's attorneys sent preservation letters to more than 50 media organizations, celebrities and politicians -- including The Post, The New York Times, CNN, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and actors Alyssa Milano and Jim Carrey -- the first step in possible libel and defamation lawsuits.
George Stephanopoulos has signed a new four-year deal with ABC News, Page Six has exclusively learned.
The NY Post cites sources saying that the broadcasting veteran — who’s been with the network since 2002 and anchors both “Good Morning America” and Sunday show “This Week” — was heavily courted by both CBS and CNN as the end of his last contract approached.
But in the end, he stayed put, signing a deal with ABC worth somewhere between $15 million and $18 million per year. His previous, five-year contract was worth $15 million a year.
We’re told that in an effort to entice him to CBS News, execs offered Stephanopoulos Jeff Glor’s anchor chair on “CBS Evening News” — often considered the most prestigious role in TV news — and a plum gig on “60 Minutes.”
Glor’s only been in the job for a year, but as Page Six has previously reported, network execs have been considering replacing him for months amid sinking ratings and newsroom strife.
Sources familiar with the situation say Stephanopoulos — who has had a major hand in the resurgence of “Good Morning America” in its battle with NBC’s “Today” — seriously considered the CBS offer, especially after Susan Zirinsky was named as the new CBS News president in January.
“He’s known Susan for 30-plus years,” said an insider. “That made it even more real.”
Justice Clarence Thomas on Tuesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its landmark 1964 ruling that made it harder for public figures to sue for defamation, a precedent that has served as powerful protection for the news media.
According to Reuters, Thomas took aim at the unanimous ruling in the libel case known as New York Times Co. v. Sullivan in an opinion he wrote concurring with the court’s decision to end a defamation suit against Bill Cosby filed by a woman who said the comedian raped her in 1974.
Thomas, one of the high court’s most conservative justices, said the 55-year-old decision was not rooted in the U.S. Constitution. That ruling and subsequent ones extending it “were policy-driven decisions masquerading as constitutional law,” Thomas wrote, expressing views in harmony with President Donald Trump, who often attacks the media and has advocated making it easier to sue news organizations and publishers for defamation.
Thomas agreed with his fellow justices in refusing to consider reviving a defamation lawsuit against Cosby by Kathrine McKee, an actress and former Las Vegas showgirl who said the entertainer falsely called her a liar after she accused him of rape.
McKee was represented in the case by attorney Charles Harder, who represented Trump in a defamation suit brought against the president by adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels has said she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which he denies. McKee had appealed a court ruling in Massachusetts that threw out her lawsuit.
The New York Times v. Sullivan ruling has served as a safeguard for media reporting on public figures.
Trump in January 2018 called current defamation laws “a sham and a disgrace” following the publication of a book about the White House by author Michael Wolff called “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” which among other things questioned the president’s mental health.
The high court’s 1964 ruling held that in order to win a libel suit, the plaintiff must demonstrate that the offending statement was made with “actual malice,” meaning knowledge that it was false or reckless disregard as to whether it was false.
Alabama elected officials and journalism organizations condemned as hateful on Tuesday a small town newspaper’s editorial calling for the Ku Klux Klan to “ride again,” as pressure mounted on the publisher to resign.
According to Reuters, the widespread rebuke of the editorial published last week by The Democrat-Reporter of Linden, a town in western Alabama with a population of about 2,000, came after a student journalist tweeted an image of the piece on Monday, calling attention to its language.
Goodloe Sutton
“Time for the Ku Klux Klan to night ride again,” said the unsigned editorial, which mainly aimed its ire at Democrats, accusing them of “plotting to raise taxes in Alabama.”
The Ku Klux Klan was a white supremacist group that terrorized blacks in the U.S. South and later targeted other minority groups, following the Civil War and the emancipation of African-American slaves.
“The rhetoric displayed by the Democrat-Reporter is disturbing, disgusting, and entirely unacceptable,” U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, a Republican from Alabama, said in a statement on Tuesday. “I urge the newspaper to issue an apology and the publisher to resign from his duties.”
U.S. Representative Martha Roby, a Republican from Alabama, also on Tuesday urged the publisher to resign, calling the newspaper’s language “hateful” in a tweet.
Goodloe Sutton, 79, the publisher of the weekly newspaper, told the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper on Monday he had written the editorial.
Atlantic City AFL (AC AFL) announce that Townsquare Media South Jersey will be the official broadcasting partner for the team as they launch their inaugural season. Pre-game, in-game, and post-game broadcasts will air on WENJ 97.3 ESPN Radio.
97.3 ESPN host, Nick Kosko, will be the voice of the team and has been named as the Play-By-Play commentator for the team’s broadcasts.
“The partnership between the team and Townsquare Media couldn’t be a better fit,” said George Manias, COO of Atlantic City AFL. “Having our games aired on the go-to sports station in the market makes it easy for fans to find us on the dial. Their reach and format are ideal for what we are doing, and we will all benefit greatly from this partnership. All twelve regular season games, plus our playoff games will be on air, making it easy for fans to follow our journey to win a championship.”
“Having the Arena Football League back in Atlantic City is such a great opportunity for the local community as well as our tourism market,” said Michael Ruble, Market President of Townsquare Media South Jersey. “This group that has brought the AFL back is energetic and prepared. We are thrilled to be partnering with such a great organization and are excited for the upcoming season.”
New Jersey native and voice of the team, Nick Kosko has worked as a host and producer for 97.3 ESPN South Jersey since September 2018. In addition to his work with ESPN Radio, Kosko does play-by-play and color analysis for Rutgers University on the Big Ten Network Plus, play-by-play for the Stevens Institute of Technology Athletics, and works as a producer for Sirius XM Radio.
"I couldn't be more thrilled to be chosen as the voice of the Atlantic City AFL team as we embark on inaugural season,” said Kosko. “I have been a fan of the league for years and I am excited for this opportunity to bring a local flavor to all of our listeners and ensure they get the best coverage of this team and in the entire AFL. The season can’t come fast enough.”
Kosko will also host a weekly coaches radio show on 97.3 ESPN South Jersey, featuring live interviews with head coach Ron James and various players throughout the season. The location, time and air date of the show will be announced at a later time.
Crossover Media Group (CMG) has added ad-sales duties for noted talk host and author Nancy Grace's two-hour show "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace," airing noon Eastern time weekdays on SiriusXM Triumph, Channel 111. Via the agreement, with Red Seat Ventures, CMG also is handling ad sales and sponsorship support for the show's social-media channels.
In recent months CMG has added more than a dozen programmers and shows to its client roster, encompassing political, sports and lifestyle talk formats, and spanning platforms including podcasting, video streaming and terrestrial radio.
"Nancy has that rare storyteller's ability to connect with audiences," said Sue Freund, Crossover Media Group Sales managing member. "The addition of 'Crime Stories with Nancy Grace' places CMG in an even stronger position to offer marketers access to hard-to-reach female demographics with proven national personalities."
"Nancy's audience and brand now extend across multiple platforms, and we needed a partner that not only understands but has experience with the cross-media marketplace and the needs of marketers and media buyers," said Christopher Balfe, CEO of Red Seat Ventures.
Radio personality Steve Ferguson of WTHO 101.7 FM in Thomson, GA lost his battle with cancer Tuesday; he was diagnosed with terminal bile cancer earlier this year.
Ferguson began his radio career in 1985 with WMTZ in Martinez, Georgia, as a part-time Sunday afternoon host. In five years, he had been promoted to program director and morning drive host. In 1990 when WMTZ’s format changed to oldies, Ferguson left the station to work for WTHO. He served as the program director for 29 years as well as morning drive host for 18 years.
Last week (Feb. 13), he was awarded the Music Row's Randy Jones Award for the same devotion to his community and career. Ferguson was also an avid musician having played bass guitar, drums and vocals.
Longtime KNBC-TV Channel 4 consumer reporter David Horowitz has died at age 81, his wife told the station Monday, reports The LA Times.
Horowitz was best known for his appearances on KNBC’s newscasts and Emmy-winning TV program “Fight Back! With David Horowitz” that investigated defective products, advertised claims and confronted companies with customer complaints.
Born June 30, 1937, in the the Bronx borough of New York City, Horowitz received a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University in 1959 and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Horowitz worked at newspapers and television stations in the Midwest, including KRNT-TV (now KCCI), the CBS affiliate in Des Moines.
Horowitz became a writer for NBC’s “Huntley-Brinkley Report” and held several other positions with the network before joining KNBC in 1973 as its consumer reporter.
Horowitz’s acclaim led to being a regular guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and appearing as himself on episodes of “Silver Spoons,” “ALF,” “The Golden Girls” and “Saved by the Bell.”
(Real Name Charles Thomas Aldrich, Jr., died from lung cancer June 30, 1995) is best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television situation comedy.
Gordon's first big radio break came via the recurring roles of "Mayor La Trivia" and "Foggy Williams" on Fibber McGee and Molly, before playing Rumson Bullard on the show's successful spinoff, The Great Gildersleeve.
Gordon and his character of Mayor La Trivia briefly left the show in December 1942 when Gordon enlisted in World War II and the storyline followed. He was the first actor to play the role of Flash Gordon, in the 1935 radio serial The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon. He also played Dr. Stevens in Glorious One.
In 1950, Gordon played John Granby in the radio series Granby's Green Acres, which became the basis for the 1960s television series Green Acres. Gordon went on to create the role of pompous principal Osgood Conklin on Our Miss Brooks, carrying the role to television when the show moved there in 1952. In the interim, Gordon turned up as Rudolph Atterbury on My Favorite Husband, which starred Lucille Ball in a precursor to I Love Lucy.
Jim Jewell
➦In 1906...James Jewell was born. He was an American radio actor, producer and director at radio station WXYZ, Detroit, Michigan. (Died from a heart attack August 5, 1975 at age 69)
Jewell first got into radio in 1927. with a background of summer stock, vaudeville, burlesque, and even touring with a troupe of marionettes. In June 1932, George Trendle, the owner of radio station WXYZ Detroit, decided to drop network affiliation and produce his own radio programs. Jewell was hired as the dramatic director for the radio station. He supplied the actors from his own repertory company, the "Jewell Players".
Jewell was part of the station staff that worked out the original concepts for The Lone Ranger. Jewell is also credited for selecting The William Tell Overture as the theme music for the series. "Ke-mo sah-bee", Tonto's greeting to the masked Ranger, was derived from the name of a boys' camp owned by Jewell's father-in-law Charles W. Yeager. Camp Kee-Mo-Sah-Bee operated from 1911 until 1941 on Mullet Lake south of Mackinac, Michigan. After the radio show became popular, Yeager held "Lone Ranger Camps" at his camp.
Jewell produced, directed and occasionally wrote many of the early episodes for The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet. He was the director for both series from their beginning up until 1938.
Jewell left WXYZ in 1938, and moved to Chicago and worked as a director-producer at WBBM (AM), the CBS radio affiliate in Chicago.
He directed Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy beginning in 1938 until the series ended in 1951. From 1951-1955, Jewell was the producer/director of The Silver Eagle, a mountie adventure which ran on ABC and starred Jim Ameche, the brother of movie star Don Ameche.
As the era of radio dramatic series came to an end, attempted to bring The Silver Eagle to television.
➦In 1914...John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly was born (Died February 24, 1991). Known as John Daly, he was an American radio and television personality, CBS News broadcast journalist, ABC News executive and TV anchor and a game show host, best known as the host and moderator of the CBS television panel show What's My Line?
Daly began his broadcasting career as a reporter for NBC Radio, and then for WJSV (now WTOP), the local CBS Radio Network affiliate in Washington, D.C., serving as CBS' White House correspondent. He appears on the famous "One Day in Radio" tapes of September 21, 1939, in which WJSV preserved its entire broadcast day for posterity.
Through covering the Roosevelt White House, Daly became known to the national CBS audience as the network announcer for many of the President's speeches. In late 1941, Daly transferred to New York City, where he became anchor of The World Today. During World War II, he covered the news from London as well as the North African and Italian fronts. Daly was a war correspondent in 1943 in Italy during Gen. George S. Patton's infamous "slapping incidents". After the war, he was a lead reporter on CBS Radio's news/entertainment program CBS Is There (later known on TV as You Are There), which recreated the great events of history as if CBS correspondents were on the scene.
As a reporter for the CBS radio network, Daly was the voice of two historic announcements. He was the first national correspondent to deliver the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941, and he was also the first to relay the wire service report of the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945, interrupting the program Wilderness Road to deliver the news. Transcriptions of those bulletins have been preserved on historical record album retrospectives and radio and television documentaries. Among the first were the Columbia Records spoken word series I Can Hear It Now and the later CBS Television series, The Twentieth Century.
In July, 1959, along with the Associated Press writer John Scali, he reported from Moscow on the famous Kitchen Debate between USSR General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev and then U.S. Vice President Richard M. Nixon in 1959.
➦In 1922...WGY-AM, Schenectady, NY went on the air. As early as 1912, General Electric company in Schenectady began experimenting with radio transmissions, being granted a class 2-Experimental license for 2XI on August 13, 1912 by the Commerce Department.
WGY signed on on February 20, 1922 at 7:47pm at 360 meters wavelength (about 833 kHz), with Kolin Hager at the mike, or as he was known on the air, as KH. Hager signed on with the stations call letters, explaining the W is for wireless, G for General Electric, and Y, the last letter in Schenectady.
The first broadcast lasted for about one hour and consisted of live music and announcements of song titles and other information. The early broadcasts originated from building 36 at the General Electric Plant in Schenectady. The original transmitter produced an antenna power of 1,500 watts into a T top wire antenna, located about 1/2 mile away, also at the GE plant.
WGY led the way in radio drama. In 1922 Edward H. Smith, director of a community-theater group called the Masque in nearby Troy, suggested weekly forty-minute adaptations of plays to WGY station manager Kolin Hager. Hager took him up on it and the troupe performed on the weekly WGY Players, radio’s first dramatic series.
Kolin Hagar
During their initial broadcast—of Eugene Walter’s The Wolf on August 3, 1922—Smith became the electronic media’s first Foley artist when he slapped a couple of two-by-fours together to simulate the slamming of a door, and radio sound effects were born. While the invisible audience could not see that the actors wore costumes and makeup—which were expected to enhance performance but didn’t and were soon discarded—they could hear the WGY Orchestra providing music between acts.
By May 15, 1923 the station was operating on 790 kHz with a frequency/time share agreement with RPI's WHAZ. Later, WHAZ moved to 1300 kHz allowing WGY to operate full-time on 790 kHz.
In 1924, the transmitter site was moved to its current location in the Town of Rotterdam known as South Schenectady. From this site, the station's power levels were increased first to 5,000 watts, then 10,000 watts and finally to 50,000 watts on July 18, 1925. Temporary broadcasts were carried out at the 100 KW (August 4, 1926) and 200 KW (March 9, 1930) power levels. From those broadcasts, the station received reception letters and telegrams from as far away as New Zealand. Plans were to make those power increases permanent, but were never carried out.
WGY also used the first Condenser microphone, developed by General Electric for radio studio applications, on February 7, 1923.
Amelia Earhart
In 1923, WGY formed the first radio network with WJZ and WRC, however the station also broadcast programs from rival station WEAF. Later in 1925, the New York State radio network was formed with WMAK, WHAM, WFBL, and WGY. In 1926, WGY affiliated with the WEAF-based NBC Red Network, and after the split of the sister NBC Blue network into today's ABC Radio, WGY remained with NBC Radio until it folded in 1989.
To add to their laurels, six years later the Players performed an old spy melodrama titled The Queen’s Messenger in the world’s first dramatic program to be broadcast simultaneously over both radio and the new medium called television.
“Radio station WGY had cornered the market on talk and music by 1928,” the Daily Gazette recalled. “Scientists from the General Electric Co. could have winked to their audience and said, ‘You ain't seen nothing yet.’ The smart guys who developed amplifiers, transmitters and bright lights were working on that next step—sound and pictures. On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 1928, they succeeded. WGY became the first radio station in the world to televise a drama on separate radio channels.”
In 1941, WGY changed frequency from 790 kHz to 810 kHz to comply with the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement also known as NARBA. In 1942, during World War II, a concrete wall was built around the base of the tower to prevent saboteurs from shooting out the base insulator on the tower and taking the station off the air.
WGY was the flagship station of General Electric's broadcasting group until 1983 when it was sold to Empire Radio Partners, Inc. General Electric also owned pioneering sister stations in television (WRGB-TV, signed on as WGY-TV in 1928) and FM radio (W2XOY, later WGFM, then WGY-FM, and today WRVE, signed on 1940).
As the golden age of radio ended, WGY evolved into a full service middle of the road format, slowly evolving as programming tastes changed. The station changed from full service to news/talk on Memorial Day Weekend, 1994.
Dame Media, Inc acquired WGY and WGY-FM the during proceedings in the Philadelphia bankruptcy court, late 1993. Dame moved the studios to One Washington Square at the end of Washington Avenue Extension, in the west end of Albany, New York late 1994, where they remained until 2005.
In 1999, Dame Media sold its entire radio group to Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia), whose ownership remains to this day. Clear Channel combined all of its radio station studio operations into the former CHP (Community Health Plan) building on Route 7 (Troy-Schenectady Road) in Latham August, 2005.
On September 20, 2010, WGY began simulcasting its programming on 103.1 FM (the former WHRL, which took the calls WGY-FM, previously on 99.5 FM). WGY 103.1 FM broadcasts at 5,600 watts power.
➦In 1949...Ricky Nelson, joined his parent radio series The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. His role was previously portrayed by hired actors. In 1952, the Nelsons tested the waters for a television series with the theatrically released film Here Come the Nelsons. The film was a hit, and Ozzie was convinced the family could make the transition from radio's airwaves to television's small screen. On October 3, 1952, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet made its television debut and was broadcast in first run until September 3, 1966, to become one of the longest-running sitcoms in television history.
➦In 1971...NORAD at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado was ready to broadcast a required weekly test of the Emergency Broadcast System.
However, AT&T reported that the United States Air Force accidentally used the wrong tape for the test, and initiated an Emergency Action Notification, normally issued by the Office of Civil Defense or the President. This prompted all stations in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, area by order of the FCC to operate under emergency procedures and feed the broadcast from WOWO through their radios.
Bob Sievers was at the microphone at WOWO at the time. Sievers and everyone at the studio had no idea what was going on.
Mistake wasn't resolved for 30 minutes.
Walter Winchell
➦In 1972..Early radio broadcaster and syndicated newspaper colmnist Walter Winchell died of prostate cancer at the age of 74 in Los Angeles, California. He is buried at Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery in Phoenix. His weekly broadcasts in the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s started with: “Hello Mr. & Mrs. North America & all the ships at sea, let’s go to press.”
Rosemary DeCamp
➦In 2001...Radio, TV, Film Actress Rosemary De Camp died of pneumonia at age 90. DeCamp first came to fame in November 1937, when she took the role of Judy Price, the secretary/nurse of Dr. Christian in the long-running radio series of the same name. She also played in The Career of Alice Blair, a transcribed syndicated soap opera that ran in 1939–1940
➦In 2003...99 people were killed when fire destroyed the nightclub The Station in West Warwick RI. The fire started with sparks from a pyrotechnic display being used by the band Great White. Among those who died in the fire were Great White's lead guitarist, Ty Longley, and the show's emcee, WHJY 94.1 FM Providence personality Mike "The Doctor" Gonsalves.
➦In 2006...Curtis Edward Gowdy (Born July 31, 1919) died of leukemia at age 86. He was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports and ABC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.
He had a knack for broadcasting, and, in 1942, worked at the small KFBC radio station and at the Cheyenne, Wyoming Eagle newspaper as a sportswriter (and later sports editor). After several years in Cheyenne, he accepted an offer from CBS's KOMA radio in Oklahoma City in 1946. He was hired primarily to broadcast Oklahoma college football (then coached by new-hire Bud Wilkinson) and Oklahoma State college basketball games (then coached by Hank Iba).
Curt Gowdy
Gowdy's distinctive play-by-play style earned him a national audition. Gowdy began his Major League Baseball broadcasting career working as the No. 2 announcer to Mel Allen for New York Yankees games on radio and television in 1949–50. There, he succeeded Russ Hodges, who departed to become the New York Giants.
In April 1951 at the age of 31, Gowdy began his tenure as the lead announcer for the Red Sox. For the next 15 years, he called the exploits of generally mediocre Red Sox teams on WHDH radio and on three Boston TV stations: WBZ-TV, WHDH-TV, and WNAC-TV (WBZ and WNAC split the Red Sox TV schedule from 1948 through 1955; WBZ alone carried the Red Sox from 1955 through 1957; and WHDH took over in 1958). During that time, Gowdy partnered with two future baseball broadcasting legends: Bob Murphy and Ned Martin. Chronic back pain caused Gowdy to miss the entire 1957 season. He also did nightly sports reports on WHDH radio when his schedule permitted.
He left WHDH after the 1965 season for NBC Sports, where for the next ten years he called the national baseball telecasts of the Saturday afternoon Game of the Week and Monday Night Baseball during the regular season (and the All-Star Game in July), and the postseason playoffs and World Series in October.
➦In 2012...Longtime Seattle radio personality Danny Holiday died at the age of 68. He spent decades spinning top-40 hits and oldies on Seattle stations KOL, KZOK and KBSG. In retirement, he brought his Rock ‘N’ Roll Time Machine to community radio, hosting the weekly show on Everett’s KSER (90.7 FM).
Holiday was inducted into NorthWest Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
➦In 2014…Former NBC News correspondent Garrick Utley died at age 74. His parents, Frayn and Clifton Utley, were correspondents for NBC radio in the mid-20th century, based in Chicago. When he passed he professor of broadcasting and journalism at the State University of New York at Oswego, NY.
