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Saturday, May 31, 2014

Casey Kasem's Wife Releases Disturbing Audio

Casey Kasem
Five hours after a Washington judge ruled Friday that she would enforce a Los Angeles judge's order that Casey Kasem's medical care be supervised by his daughter--and not his wife--Jean Kasem held an impromptu press conference in Washington in which she played audio of her 82-year-old husband moaningm according to NBC News.

The legendary "American Top 40" host is suffering from Lewy Body dementia, and Jean Kasem claimed the audio she played from her cell phone reveals he is upset about the judge's ruling. The 82-year-old Casey Kasem cannot speak or move on his own and is fed through a tube in his stomach.

"He's crying, he's a man of very few tears," Jean Kasem said.

Claiming that the courts are trying to "rip him away from his family," Jean Kasem called her husband an "American treasure" and added, "He wanted to go out strong…he wanted to leave beautiful memories. That was all gone today."

On Friday, minutes before visiting her father for the first time, Kerri Kasem and her siblings issued a statement saying they "are again devastated by Jean’s poor judgment."

"In court today, Jean Kasem claimed to be concerned about the privacy of her family," the statement said. "Hours later, Jean publicly disseminated an audio tape that purports to be Casey Kasem in anguish. This invasion of family privacy is disgusting and reprehensible. Jean is intentionally causing her husband pain by adding further stress which is the worst thing you can do for anybody suffering from dementia."

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Saturday Aircheck: Pat Sajak On WSM 650 AM From 1975

In the early 1970s, long before Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak worked in Nashville at WSM-AM-FM-TV. His main duties were to be the TV station's weekend weatherman and booth announcer. But Pat had quite a bit of experience doing radio, in Chicago and on the American Forces Vietnam Network, plus he loved doing it. WSM-AM just happened to have a two hour shift open in the afternoons, and Pat was perfect for it.

Thus Pat Sajak, along with his trusty newsman, Al Voecks, entertained the good folks in Nashville on their drive home in 1974 and 1975. During this time, it should be noted that WSM-AM was a full service station, programming pop music and talk shows during the day, and playing country music at night, along with the world famous Grand Ole Opry on the weekends, of course.


May 31 Radio History



On May 31 in 1999...77 WABC-AM, New York, presented "WABC Rewound" where the news/talk station broadcast airchecks from its glory days when it was a Top 40 formatted music Radio station.

 At first, WABC's early days in the 60s as a Top 40 station were humble ones.

Top 40 1010 WINS was the No. 1 hit music station and WMCA, which did a similar rock leaning top 40 format, was also a formidable competitor, while WABC barely ranked in the Top Ten. Fortunately for WABC, the other Top 40 outlets could not be heard as well in more distant New York and New Jersey suburbs, since WINS, WMGM, and WMCA were all directional stations.

WABC, with its 50,000-watt non-directional signal, had the advantage of being heard in places west, south, and northwest of New York City – a huge chunk of the growing suburban population – and this is where the station began to draw ratings.

Early in 1962, WMGM, owned by Loew's, which then owned MGM, was sold to Storer Broadcasting. Upon its sale, WMGM reverted to its original WHN call letters and switched to a middle of the road music format playing mostly non-rock artists such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Andy Williams.



Sam Holman was the first WABC program director of this era. Under Holman, WABC achieved No. 1 ratings during much of 1962, after WMGM reverted to WHN. By the summer of 1963, WMCA led the pack among contemporary stations, with WABC at No. 2 and WINS slipping to third place. It has been said, but is difficult to verify, that WMCA dominated in the city proper, while WABC owned the suburbs. This would be consistent with WMCA's 5,000-watt directional signal.

GM Hal Neal hired Rick Sklar as WABC's program director. He would go on to become a member of the Radio Hall of Fame and be credited as one of the pioneering architects of the Top 40 format.

Under Sklar, the station went to the shortest playlist of any contemporary music station in history. The number one song was heard about every hour during the day and every 75 minutes or so at night. The other top 5 songs were heard nearly as often. Other current songs averaged once to twice per airshift. The station played about 9 current hits per hour and several non-current songs. The non-currents were no more than 5 years old and the station played about 70 of them in total.

Through the years, WABC was known by various slogans, "Channel 77 WABC" and later "Musicradio 77 WABC". Due to the high number of commercials each hour, WABC played no more than two songs in a row and there was frequent DJ talk and personality between every song. The station averaged 6 commercial breaks per hour but they were no more than 3 ads in a row. Often the air personalities delivered live commercials in their own humorous style, so that listeners would consider the spot part of the entertainment.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Jay Carney OUT As TWH Press Secretary

Jay Carney
President Barack Obama made a surprise appearance Friday to announce that his chief spokesman Jay Carney is leaving his post behind the podium, according to NBC News.

Obama called Carney one of his closest advisers and friends at the White House in remarks to the press in the White House briefing room.

Deputy Josh Earnest will take over the job as the president's press secretary.

"Today the flak jacket is officially passed to a new generation," he said of Earnest.

Carney, 49, a former TIME Magazine White House correspondent, joined the administration in late 2008 as spokesman for Vice President-elect Biden. He was promoted to Obama's chief spokesman in Feb. 2011, replacing Robert Gibbs.

Judge Rules Daughter Can See Casey Kasem

Casey, Kerri Kasem
Jean Kasem
Jean Kasem showed-up in court Friday, according to KING5.  And a Kitsap County, WA judge ruled Friday that the daughter of legendary DJ Casey Kasem must be allowed to visit her father, but that the visits must be kept private and no photos can be shared with anyone.

Kasem, 82, and his wife, Jean, have been staying with family friends in Kitsap County.

The dispute comes after a California judge ordered temporary guardianship of Kasem to his daughter Kerri, who has made this a public fight over custody of her father. She claims Jean, her stepmother, is hiding her dad and cutting the family out of his life.

There is concern over Kasem's health as he battles the late stages of a disease similar to Parkinson's. Jean says he has all of his proper medication and is being well cared for.

According to KING5, Judge Jennifer Forbes said Kerri must be allowed to see her father at least one hour per day, but the time and location of those visits must be kept private. She is also allowed to take photos, but Forbes ordered Kerri to not share them with anyone – not even family – because they could get out into the public.

Liberty Kasem
Jean appeared under a court order or could have faced a warrant for her arrest. She was accompanied by Liberty Kasem, her daughter with Casey.

Jean’s attorneys requested a continuance until June 20, but Forbes shortened that to next Friday, June 6, unless the family chooses to return Casey to California.

Forbes also ruled that Casey’s future care will be determined by a medical professional, whether it’s putting Casey in the hospital, giving him 24-hour care or something else.

(photos of Jean, Liberty courtesy of KING5)

Albuquerque Radio: Country KRST Rebrands As NASH Country

Cumulus has announced that Country-formatted KRST 92.3 FM in Albuquerque has adopted the NASH FM Country music and lifestyle brand, joining the growing list of what will eventually be more than 60 owned-and-operated Country stations operating under the NASH brand.

As of today at 9:23 a.m. MT, the station is known at NASH FM 92.3 KRST – with their logo, website and on-air promotions using “NASH FM” and “Powered by NASH” language.

NASH FM 92.3 KRST will add “America’s Morning Show” with Blair Garner, Terri Clark and Chuck Wicks to its current lineup of NASH programming, which already includes “NASH Nights Live” with Shawn Parr and Elaina Smith and “Kickin’ It with Kix” with Kix Brooks and Suzanne Alexander. These shows orginate from the Nashville NASH campus, the nation’s only multimedia facility devoted solely to producing and distributing content based on the Country music lifestyle, including radio programming, TV/videos, magazines and events.

KRST 92.3 FM (22Kw) 60dBu Coverage
“We are pleased to introduce NASH FM 92.3 KRST to New Mexico as the NASH brand continues to expand throughout the country,” said John Dickey, Executive Vice President and Co-COO of Cumulus. “The NASH brand will complement the already robust Country-driven content that 92.3 listeners have come to love.”

Kris Abrams
“Integrating the multi-media star power of NASH into a heritage station like KRST just makes sense,” said Kris Abrams, Program Director for KRST. “Pairing Blair Garner and his AMS team, Kix Brooks, and Shawn Parr with 20 year Albuquerque personality Juan Velasco made it natural to put a little more Nashville in our name.”

Cumulus launched the NASH entertainment brand based on the Country music lifestyle in January 2013 beginning with NASH FM 94.7 in New York City. In addition to Country radio stations, the NASH brand will include a NASH magazine, concerts/events, online content and television programming.

SoundExchange Launches Project72


American record industry rights body SoundExchange has launched a new initiative called Project72, calling on the music community, and music fans, to back legislative proposals put forward by Congressman George Holding and John Conyers that would settle the pre-1972 debate in American copyright law once and for all.

The story so far: under US copyright law, traditional broadcasters do not pay royalties to the record companies for using their recordings. But online radio-style services do. They pay via SoundExchange.

But the law that forces those payments is federal law. Copyright only started being ruled at a federal level in the US in 1972, prior to that it stemmed from state law.

So some digital services are saying they don’t have to pay royalties when they use recordings that pre-date 1972.

Rather than leave this in the hands of the courts to interpret (judges have swung in both directions on this one), the record industry has been lobbying for some legislative clarification.  And if Holding and Conyers’ proposals – dubbed the Respect Act – were to be made law, the digital services would be forced to start paying SoundExchange royalties on the pre-72 recordings.

(Source: Complete Music Update)

Report: Amazon To Launch Recurrent&Oldies Based Stream

Amazon, the internet’s largest retailer, is making an aggressive move into the booming and intensely competitive business of streaming music, according to a report at buzzfeed.com.

The company will expand its Prime membership offerings by adding a stockpile of old and newish music for subscribers to stream on demand.

The Prime music service, which is scheduled to launch this June or July, will not include recent releases but instead restrict its catalog to songs and albums that are 6 months old and older, five music industry sources familiar with the company’s plans confirmed to BuzzFeed.

Similar to Prime Instant Video, the on-demand video option available to Prime members, the Prime music service (the official name of which is still unknown) won’t aspire to the full universe of existing content, instead offering a potluck of select songs and albums it has licensed from labels at a discount. That distinguishes it from the prevailing business model of stand-alone streaming competitors like Spotify, Rdio, and Beats Music, all of which have tried to lure customers by promising all of the world’s music with a few precious exceptions.

TV Fuels LA Clippers $2B Price Tag

Steve Ballmer
Shelly Sterling announced late Thursday night that she has signed an agreement to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.

A source close to the situation told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that Sterling and Ballmer signed the final papers of the sale shortly before midnight Thursday at the offices of her Los Angeles-based attorneys. Sterling announced that she was acting under her authority as the sole trustee of the Sterling family trust, which owns the Clippers.

"I am delighted that we are selling the team to Steve, who will be a terrific owner," Sterling said in a statement. "We have worked for 33 years to build the Clippers into a premiere NBA franchise. I am confident that Steve will take the team to new levels of success."

Forbes cites 10 Reasons fueling deal.  Among them:
  • The NBA is poised to sign new national TV pacts that are expected to at least double the annual average of $930 million from  current partners ESPN/ABC and TNT. The NBA is one of the last major TV sports packages that is not already locked up beyond 2020. Bidding is expected to be fierce for one of the remaining DVR-proof properties on TV.
  • The Los Angeles Lakers displayed what is possible on the local TV level with their Time Warner Cable TWC +0.54% deal signed in 2011. The pact is expected to generate $5 billion over 25 years for the purple and gold. Los Angeles’ baseball teams inked $8.5 billion (Dodgers) and $3 billion (Angels) deals in recent years.
  • The Clippers’ current TV deal with Fox Prime Ticket is worth roughly $20 million a year and expires after the 2015-16 season. Experts think the team could get $60-75 million under a new deal.

D/FW Radio: Trapper John Promoted At KSCS

Trapper John Morris
Cumulus Media has announced that Trapper John (John Morris) has been promoted to Assistant Program Director for New Country 96.3 KSCS in Dallas.
In addition to his new role, Trapper will retain his previous position as on-air personality with the Hawkeye and Dorsey morning show on KSCS. He has been with KSCS for almost six years and has previously worked at KKND, New Orleans; WGKX, Memphis; and WFMS, Indianapolis.

The promotion is effective immediately.

J.R. Schumann, Operations Manager, Cumulus Media-Dallas/Fort Worth, said: “I am excited to announce that Trapper John has been promoted to Assistant Program Director for KSCS. Trapper’s experience and passion make him a tremendous asset to this radio station. He will also continue as part of the Hawkeye and Dorsey morning show. I’m looking forward to seeing Trapper grow, not only as part of this great radio station, but with Cumulus as a whole!”.

Trapper John said: “Thanks to J.R. Schumann and Dan Bennett for the opportunity to be more involved in the legendary KSCS. It’s gonna be fun to help Cumulus expand its Sasquatch-like Country footprint in DFW.”

Sinclair To Sign-Off TV Stations

Broadcasting giant Sinclair is taking some of its local stations in Alabama and South Carolina off the air after this year’s Federal Communications Commission actions to keep broadcasters from sharing resources.

The Hill reports in a filing with the FCC on Thursday, Sinclair told the agency that it couldn’t find buyers for two stations in Birmingham, Ala., and one station in Charleston, N.C., after the FCC’s actions to curb resource sharing among broadcasters.

Sinclair was supposed to sell those local broadcast stations as part of its nearly $1-billion deal to purchase stations from competitor Allbritton Communications.

Earlier this year, the FCC voted 3-2 to crack down on broadcast stations that share advertising sales resources.

Under FCC rules, a company can only own one of the top four broadcast stations in any market.

The FCC voted in March to consider any two stations that share more than 15 percent of their advertising sales resources as being owned by the same company.

The agency also said it would begin to look at deals between broadcasters to share other types of resources.

Critics of the broadcast industry hailed the move as a crackdown on collusion that operated outside the lines of federal regulation.

But broadcasters protested the vote, saying that the resource sharing arrangements helped small broadcasters remain competitive and pointing to the FCC’s allowance of these deals in the past.

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Bill Would Prohibit FCC From Reclassifying Broadband As Utility

A U.S. lawmaker has introduced legislation that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from reclassifying broadband as a common-carrier utility, a move many net neutrality advocates have called for.

PC World reports the bill, introduced late Wednesday by Representative Bob Latta, an Ohio Republican, would block the FCC from reclassifying broadband as a common-carrier telecom service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. Earlier this month, the FCC released a proposal to restore net neutrality rules and asked for public comment on whether to reclassify broadband instead of taking an approach advocated by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler that would allow broadband providers to engage in “commercially reasonable” traffic management.

Reclassifying broadband would hurt the Internet economy, Latta said in a statement. “At a time when the Internet economy is thriving and driving robust productivity and economic growth, it is reckless to suggest, let alone adopt, policies that threaten its success,” he said. “Reclassification would heap 80 years of regulatory baggage on broadband providers, restricting their flexibility to innovate and placing them at the mercy of a government agency.”

The legislation would give all Internet businesses the certainty they need to continue investing in broadband networks and services, Latta added.

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Infographic Illustrates Mobile Audio Listening


The  visual data designers at XAPP tackled the challenge of collating numerous data sources to provide a coherent view of radio’s march to new listening patterns.


Click HERE to see full infographic

The infographic details the movement of listening hours, media consumption environments and advertising dollars.

KC Radio: Kris Kobach Off KCMO Air For Campaign

Kris Kobach
Emergence of a Republican challenger in Secretary of State Kris Kobach's campaign for re-election necessitates a leave of absence from his weekly radio show on politics, according to cjonline.com.

Kobach is a Sunday night talk-show regular on KCMO 710 AM, but he must step aside through the August primary and possibly the November general election. Otherwise, each of his opponents for the job of Kansas secretary of state would have the right under Federal Communications Commission regulations to seek equal time on the station.

Kobach’s 2010 Republican opponents signed waivers of their right to claim time, and Kobach asked 2014 GOP challenger Scott Morgan to likewise relent. Morgan declined to sign the document, which would forbid Kobach from mentioning his re-election bid on the air and require him to ignore callers who wanted to talk about the race.

"I've never heard a convincing argument as to why I should sign it," Morgan said. "It's the nature of campaigns — to compete."

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Report: Apple Needs Beats Deal To Revive iTunes

Apple Inc. is making a big bet that the hotter streaming-music service, Beats Music, can bring some life to its aging iTunes service, which is seeing its growth slow amid the popularity of streaming-music services, according to Marketwatch.

The company confirmed on Wednesday that it is buying Beats for $3 billion, its larger acquisition ever. Some investors and Wall Street analysts appear mystified over the deal and the hefty price Apple is paying for the headphone and music-service developer.

But one thing is clear: Apple realizes that it needs to go back to one of its earliest success stories outside the computer business — the music business — and revive its offerings.

Just a year ago at its Worldwide Developer’s Conference, Apple unveiled iTunes Radio, a streaming music service to compete with Pandora Media, privately held Spotify, and other upstarts in music streaming. But iTunes Radio is not yet faring as well as its rivals, even though Apple is paying artists more in royalties and has been able to garner some exclusive radio-play deals because of that higher royalty rate.

Yet even though it now has its own streaming service, Apple has yet to see much of that streaming-music play translate into purchased music on iTunes. In April, Billboard reported that Apple was seeing 1% to 2% of iTunes Radio listeners buy music amid a general fall-off in buying and downloading music.

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NewsmaxTV Signs With DirecTV


  • Launch Set for June
Focused on serving an audience of more than 80 million disenfranchised baby boomers, Newsmax Media Inc.'s Newsmax TV has signed a distribution deal with DirecTV and is accelerating toward a national launch that expects to reach 40 percent of U.S. cable and satellite homes by the end of this year.

Newsmax TV also plans a major OTT platform rollout with penetration estimated in excess of 100 million iOS and Android smart devices.

Christopher Ruddy
Newsmax Media CEO Christopher Ruddy said the company will begin its soft launch in mid-June through DirecTV on its most penetrated residential and commercial packages, reaching more than 20 million subscribers. Newsmax expects to announce additional distribution deals in the near future.

Newsmax TV will provide independent news with a mainstream conservative tilt, while offering a balanced perspective and open to all points of view. More than just a politically focused channel, Newsmax TV will provide a full range of informational programming and lifestyle content for boomers in the areas of health, finance, and personal well-being.

"The agreement we have signed with DirecTV marks a significant milestone for Newsmax TV as we prepare for a national launch this summer. Our launch will benefit from the existing Newsmax.com audience that is already in place, will naturally be drawn to our brand of news, features, and useful information and consists of one of the highest concentrations of baby boomers on the web," Ruddy said. "We will immediately plug into that audience to participate in the development and the evolution of the channel prior to a national launch."

The Newsmax TV channel will build on and benefit from an array of Newsmax Media multimedia assets, which include:
  • The Newsmax Feed Network, now carried on approximately 2,000 websites with 1 billion page views monthly;
  • Top ranked websites like Newsmax.com, Newsmaxhealth.com, and Moneynews.com, which draw close to 14 million unique monthly visitors, including more than 4 million opt-in email news alert subscribers.
  • With headquarters in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, Fla., and additional studios in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, Newsmax TV will initially launch with nine hours of original programming. The schedule will expand to 18 hours by year's end with an emphasis on practical, useful information that is relevant to the lives of a large, under-served adult audience. 
Founded in 1998, Newsmax Media is a privately held news-focused media organization. In addition to being the parent company that is launching Newsmax TV nationally, its media holdings and products include The Newsmax Feed Network, Newsmax.com, Moneynews.com, Newsmaxhealth.com, Newsmax Magazine and more than a dozen health and financial online and print newsletters.

FL Radio: Solmart Media Closes On Two Stations

Tomas Martinez
Solmart Media LLC has completed its acquisition of Heartland Broadcasting stations WZSP-FM, licensed to Nocatee, FL. and WZZS-FM, licensed to Zolfo Springs, FL.

The properties currently serve the Southwest Florida Market including Sarasota, Venice Beach, Port Charlotte, Arcadia, and Sebring. The new formats will primarily target the Latino population in these cities.

"This is an exciting opportunity for Solmart Media," said CEO Tomas A. Martinez. "We've admired the good work and reputation of Heartland Broadcasting and see a fantastic future in this underserved Hispanic market."

"According to Geoscape, there are more than 200,000 people of Hispanic descent in our coverage areas. Our objective is to offer this community relevant news and information as well as entertainment. From politics to health and from the legal system to sports and the latest music trends, La Zeta and La NĂşmero Uno will become household brands and the go-to stations for the Hispanic population in Southwest Florida," said Martinez.

WZSP 105.3 FM (4.1Kw) 60dBu Coverage
WZSP-FM 105.3 FM, La Zeta, a leading station in the market, will maintain its format targeting Hispanic Adults 25-54 with an Adult Contemporary Mexican Regional format.

WZZS 106.9 FM (5.1 Kw) 60dBu Coverage
WZZS-FM 106.9 FM, La NĂşmero Uno will offer a Mexican Regional Dance format targeting Hispanics Adults 18-34.

WY Radio: Edwards Closes On Four Stations

Edwards Communications announced this week they have consummated the purchase of 4 radio stations in Fremont and Hot Springs Counties, Wyoming.

The stations, KFCW 93.1 FM, (formerly KTRZ), KWYW 99.1 FM, KDNO 101.7 FM and KTHE-1240 AM, will now join KTAK 93.9 FM and KVOW 1450 AM to form the Wind River Radio Network.

The stations are currently airing commercial free until at least June 20.

Wyoming’s Big Country KTAK 93.9 FM will continue to provide Mainstream Country to Fremont County radio listeners. KTAK-FM also has translators at 104.1 FM in Lander and 106.3 FM in Dubois.  KVOW-1450 AM will continue to provide Talk Radio.

The new format for KFCW 93.1 FM will combine Classic Rock with a blend of Today’s Best Rock and will be known as Wind River’s Rock!  KFCW, (Fremont County Wyoming), also has a translator in Lander at 95.3 FM.

It will be All Sports, All the Time on KWYW-99.1 FM.  KWYW will be a part of the ESPN Radio Network and will feature Colorado Rockies Baseball, Denver Broncos Football, Wyoming Cowboy Football and Men’s Basketball.

KDNO-101.7 FM will feature the best classic country music from Country’s Legends. At this point, future plans for KTHE are being developed.

Ray Rintamaki, Wind River Radio Network General Manager, said, “The entire staff is excited about the additional offerings and choices for local radio listeners.”  We are going to encourage folks to give us a listen by kicking things off with a $10,000 Giveaway on the new stations, with cash prizes each weekday and a grand prize of $2,500 to be given away at the Fremont County Fair later this summer.”  Rintamaki added, “We’ll also be able to broadcast more area team’s sports as well as fill listeners in on events and happenings across the entire Wind River Radio Network listening area.”

SF Radio: KSFO Raises $111,000 for Fisher House Foundation

Cumulus Media has announced that the KSFO 560 AM Morning Show with Brian Sussman and Katie Green raised $111,000 for the Fisher House Foundation, benefiting veterans, military and their families.

Brian Sussman broadcast live from the Fisher House Palo Alto on Friday, May 23, from 5:00-9:00 a.m. with interviews from soldiers and their families who have used Fisher House’s services along with television personality, actor and former U.S. Marine Montel Williams.

KSFO’s Spencer Hughes (weekdays, 9:00 a.m.-noon) and Ethan Bearman (weekends, 4:00-7:00 p.m.) continued the effort throughout the Memorial Day weekend. Listeners donated online at KSFO.com/fisherhouse and by phone during the live broadcast and Spencer Hughes program. KSFO supported the fundraiser through on-air recorded and live promotional announcements.

Brian Sussman
Brian Sussman, host of the KSFO Morning Show said: “Once again the San Francisco Bay Area’s patriotism was on display as the faithful listeners of KSFO rallied to help the families of our wounded warriors. It’s an honor and privilege to host this exciting radio event.”

Ken Fisher, Chief Executive Officer of Fisher House Foundation, said: “Fisher House Foundation is thankful for the support of KSFO and their listeners. Yet again, Brian Sussman has brought to life the needs of our veterans, military and their families, and we greatly appreciate his voice. The funds raised from this incredibly successful campaign will make a huge impact for our veterans, military and their families.”

Fisher House Foundation is best known for the network of comfort homes built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers nationwide and in Europe. Fisher Houses are beautiful homes, donated to the military and Department of Veterans Affairs. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time - during the hospitalization for a combat injury, illness or disease.

The World Has Screen Addictions


How many hours would you say you spend in front of screens each day?

The Daily Mail reports data from a recent survey of 16-to-44-year-olds finds that worldwide, people spend an average of just under seven hours a day staring at TV screens and PC monitors.

Of the 30 countries surveyed, those in Indonesia logged the most screen time with an average of nine hours a day. Those in Italy spent the least average amount of time in front of screens with just over five hours a day, and Americans fell somewhere in the middle, logging an average of about seven hours a day.
  • The graph was presented at the recent Code Conference in California 
  • It plots the amount of screen time in 30 nations around the world
  • This includes time spent in front of phones, tablets, laptops, PCs, and TVs
  • Indonesians topped the chart spending 9 hours a day looking at displays
  • At the other end of the scale, Italians spend just 5 hours 17 minutes
  • Britons watch the most TV, while Chinese residents use laptops the most
  • Nigerians spend the most time looking at their smartphones, and tablets are most popular in the Philippines

Chicago Radio: Urban Stations Team-Up For Anti-Gun Special


Five different Cicago radio stations from three different radio corporations will all be airing the same special presentation Sunday night. The two-hour talk show on Sunday is called "Sunday Night Open Mic" and will be part of City of Chicago's new "Put The Guns Down" initiative, according to the website CRM.

Earlier this month, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel asked numerous Chicago radio stations to help spread the message of anti-violence via a radio initiative entitled "Put The Guns Down." The initiative aims to promote safety throughout the local communities and help to lessen the senseless gun violence that has plagued Chicago.

On Sunday, June 1st from 7:00pm-9:00pm, five local radio stations will broadcast a gun violence prevention special. The program will be presented live and commercial-free. The five stations simulcasting the special will be WGCI-FM/107-5'GCI, WVAZ-FM/V103, WPWX-FM/Power 92, WSRB-FM/Soul 106.3, and WVON-AM/1690 AM.

Personalities from each one of the simulcasting radio stations will take part on the special.

Sunday night's joint radio special will be the first of four planned multi-station specials which will take place over the next few months. Each station is committed to spreading the City of Chicago's initiative's pledge: "I am Chicago and every life matters -- One City, One Voice, and One Message... Put The Guns Down!"

Read More Now

Newbay Media To Launch The Content Show

NewBay Media, publisher of Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News, and Next TV, has announced the launch of The Content Show, a dedicated conference and marketplace that will cover all aspects of programming, development and distribution for scripted, live, news, sports, documentary, and nonfiction entertainment, as well as branded content.

The Content Show takes place at the Affinia Manhattan on November 12 and 13 as part of NYC Television Week, which is produced by NewBay Media.

Topics covered by the best-of-industry presenters will include development, production, programming, production funding, monetization, and distribution across all screens including traditional TV and digital. Beyond the conference sessions, The Content Show will also feature a networking lounge and a series of presentation rooms where production companies can pitch their content and programming initiatives to buyers and programmers in a unique, organic setting unlike any other conference.

Louis Hillelson
“The Content Show is unlike any of our other conferences,” says Louis Hillelson, VP/Publishing Director, Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News, and Next TV. “Yes, it will have an impressive lineup of keynotes and sessions, but it will also offer one-stop shopping to discover the best-of-the-best programming and content, and provide non-stop networking opportunities and pitching in a fun, creative environment. ”

For information on The Content Show at NYC Television Week partnership and sponsorship opportunities, contact Louis Hillelson at 917-231-4730 or lhillelson@nbmedia.com.

Radio Personality Deals With The Big C

If you or a loved one has ever battled the Big C, you know the toll it can take not only on the person engaged in battle but on family members and friends as well.

According to mysantonio.com, Adam Corolla sidekick and radio personality Bryan Bishop was diagnosed in 2009 with an inoperable brain tumor.

In “Shrinkage: Manhood, Marriage, and the Tumor That Tried to Kill Me,” he tells of not only his physical, mental and emotional suffering but also that of his friends and family, especially his fiancĂ©e, Christie. While the subject matter can be very, very dark, Bishop uses humor to confront the darkness. The prologue begins with: “If you're reading this, it means I'm already dead.” (Spoiler alert: He's still alive.)

The book is  very readable account of Bishop's battle seems to be primarily written for patients and family members dealing with cancer. Bishop includes several “Tumor Tips,” which are basically tidbits of advice — how to talk to family, how to pick the right doctor, etc.

In spite of Bishop's grim prospects (he initially was told he had six months to live), his positive attitude remains intact.

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R.I.P.: Longtime Seattle Commentator Ken Schram Dies

Ken Schram, who for 35 years was the gruff but, for his many fans, endearing personality and commentator at KOMO Radio and TV, died Thursday of massive organ failure.

He was 66, according to The Seattle Times.  He had been battling an internal infection for the past several months.

Schram, preferred to be known as “Ken” or “Schrambo”, in recent days had been taken to a hospice care in Kirkland, said his wife of 44 years, Sandi Schram.

Schram was always the contrarian, and she said he wasn’t much for doctor visits. She recalled for “20 to 25 years,” her husband had “never been to a doctor.” Then, in November of 2013, she says, Mr. Schram collapsed and was hospitalized with kidney failure.

Mr. Schram received numerous Emmy Awards for his work, and also the prestigious Peabody Award.

May 30 In Radio History


In 1894...Radio comedian, Fred Allen, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Best known for "The Fred Allen Show".

From 1942...



Allen has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: a radio star at 6713 Hollywood Blvd. and a TV star at 7001 Hollywood Blvd


In 1935…"America's Town Meeting of the Air" began its 21-year run, mainly on the NBC Blue Network and its successor, ABC Radio. The moderator during the first 17 years was George V. Denny, Jr., executive director of the League for Political Education, which produced the program.


In 1943...the "Archie" comic strip was first broadcast on the Radio.




In 1989...the 20,000th "Rambling with Gambling" Radio show aired on WOR-AM, New York City. (Several generations of Gamblings kept the program going continuously)
John A, John R, John B Gambling
John B. Gambling started the show in March 1925, when WOR was a promotional arm of the Bamberger's department store in Newark. His son, John A. Gambling became host in 1959. He brought his son, John R. Gambling, to the show as co-host from 1985 until his retirement in 1991. John R. Gambling has been solo host since that time.



In September 2000, WOR cancelled the program. At the time, it was the longest continually-running radio broadcast in America, a position now held by the Grand Ole Opry. After a brief hiatus, WABC hired John R. Gambling.

WOR owned the rights to the name Rambling with Gambling, so the revived show was renamed The John Gambling Show.

In January 2008, WABC laid off Gambling in a cost-cutting measure.

On Wednesday, April 30, 2008, WOR and John R. Gambling announced the return of the show to its original station. They began broadcasting on Monday, May 5, 2008, from 6 AM to 10 AM. despite the return to WOR.


Gambling retired from WOR radio at the end of 2013, bringing an end to the almost 89-year combined run of The John Gambling Show and Rambling with Gambling.

He has since returned to the NYC airwaves hosting 11am to 1pm on WNYM 970 AM The Answer.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Report: Dave Herman Dies In Custody

Dave Herman
A legendary radio DJ died while awaiting trial on federal pedophile charges, according to WABC-TV7 in NYC.

78 year old Dave Herman died in federal custody at the Essex County Jail in Newark.

His attorney says he appears to have suffered an aneurysm of a major blood vessel near the heart.

Herman was being held on charges of attempting to transport a 7-year-old from New Jersey to the Virgin Islands for a sexual liaison.

The "girl" was actually a detective in the Bergen County prosecutor's office. Herman was facing 10 years in federal prison.

Herman worked at WMMR in Philadelphia and for a quarter century from 1972 to 1998, Herman was one of the defining personalities on New York rock radio on WNEW 102.7 FM.

NAB Radio Show To Explore AM, Hybrid Radio

The 2014 Radio Show Technology Program, produced by NAB Labs in cooperation with the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), will address developments in AM and hybrid radio among other technology and engineering issues impacting Radio.

The Radio Show, held September 10-12 in Indianapolis, is produced by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

The 2014 Radio Show will include an NAB Labs presentation on the latest news from the field as testing continues on AM stations nationwide. These results, along with accompanying laboratory tests, will determine the feasibility of an all-digital future for AM broadcasters.

Wayne Pacena
NAB Labs will also present a session on hybrid radio with a high-level panel discussion covering the latest success stories and opportunities for the technology, particularly the integration of internet and broadcast. Actual implementation case studies will follow showing the technical requirements necessary to bring this value-added content to radio stations.

NAB Labs and SBE will offer an extended program including intermediate to advanced instruction for engineers to address the impact of information technology on radio infrastructure. Wayne Pacena, director of engineering at Texas A&M University, will present a session titled "IT for Radio Engineers – IP Networking: When to Route and When to Switch." New to the Radio Show, SBE certification examinations will be available for SBE members seeking to advance their careers.

Pittsburgh Radio: Renda Is Selling WJAS 1320 AM

Renda Broadcasting has filed with the FCC to sell it's WJAS 1320 AM to Pittsburgh Radio Partners for a reported $1M.

Tony Renda, Prersident of Renda, will be left with just one station in the market WSHH 997. FM Wish.

The company previously donated another AM, WMNY 1360 AM to Pentecostal Temple Development Corporation, licensee of WGBN in New Kensington. The transaction was completed on October 9, 2013

Pittsburgh Radio Partners is headed by Frank Iorio Jr. and owns Talk WRRN in Warren, PA, Country WKNB in Clarendon, PA and Religion WLKE in Gallitzen, PA.

Renda Broadcasting continues to own stations in Fort Myers and Jacksonville, FL and Greensburg, Indiana, and Punxsutawney, PA.

WJAS' morning host is longtime market-fixture Jack Bogut and the station is airing a Standards format.

Apple's Acquisition Could Shake-Up Music Biz

Jimmy Iovine, Apple's Tim Cook, Dr. Dre, Apple's Eddy Cue
Apple’s $3 billion purchase of Beats Electronics could reinvigorate the tech titan — and shake up the music industry by boosting valuations of some companies, one music industry heavyweight told The NY Post.

The sale of Beats, co-founded by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, will form “a bridge between Apple and the music industry and help align their interests in getting behind subscription streaming in a big way,” according to Sony Music CEO Doug Morris.

“This is going to cause a lot of excitement and re-evaluation of record companies. It’s a rebirth of the record business,” said Morris, a good friend of Iovine, who first brought the music mogul’s Interscope label to Universal in the 1980s.

“I realized [Jimmy] is one of a few special people and gave him the opportunity, and that’s where Beats came from,” added Morris commenting on his friendship. “He’s now my richest friend.”

Iovine was one of the original supporters of Apple’s iTunes store and was friendly with the late Apple founder Steve Jobs.

The 61-year-old Iovine, who held a 25 percent stake in Beats, is now worth $970 million, according to Forbes. Dr. Dre is worth up to $800 million.

Read More Now

Apple Buys Beats for Brand Power

  • Apple is paying $3B to buy the high-end headphone vendor/streaming music provider - $2.6B up-front + $400M that will "vest over time."
  • The deal is expected to close in FQ4. 
  • Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will be joining Apple, but their specific roles haven't yet been disclosed. Iovine is stepping down as chairman/CEO of music label Interscope Geffen A&M.Apple will continue using the Beats brand, and states Beats' products will now be "offered in many more countries through the Apple Online Store, Apples retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers."More on Apple/Beats
  • Tim Cook on Beats Music: "We love the subscription service that they built—we think it's the first one that really got it right."
WSJ is reporting Apple Inc. said on Wednesday it is buying Beats Electronics LLC for $3 billion to bolster a music business that has lost some of its mojo, as streaming-music services encroached on the downloads dominated by Apple's iTunes service.

In Beats, Apple is getting a music-streaming service, high-end headphones and music-industry connections. Beats' co-founders, rap star Dr. Dre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine, will join Apple.


The deal will make Apple "cool" again by uniting Mr. Iovine's feel for "the culture of young people" with Apple's "many millions of young peoples' credit cards," said Sony Music Entertainment Chief Executive Doug Morris, who, as the former chief executive of Universal Music, was Mr. Iovine's boss when he carved out a sideline running Beats Electronics. "Apple was starting to lose their edge," Mr. Morris said.

Read More Now (Paywall)

John Janick to Succeed Jimmy Iovine At UMG

Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced that John Janick, COO and President of Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA), will succeed Jimmy Iovine as Chairman and CEO of IGA later this year.

Iovine, who founded the Interscope label in 1989 and later co-founded Beats Electronics in 2008, will join Apple when it closes its acquisition of Beats.

Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of UMG, said, "I'm thrilled to announce John Janick's promotion to Chairman and CEO of IGA.  Since coming to UMG nearly two years ago, he has consistently shown why he is widely regarded as one of the most talented, innovative and entrepreneurial executives in the music business today and will be a key player in the future generation of industry leaders. John is the ideal executive to be writing the next chapter in IGA's illustrious history."

John Janick
Janick said, "To have been able to work alongside Jimmy Iovine and contribute to the current success of Interscope Geffen A&M--three of the most storied brands in music—has been an extraordinary privilege.  Now to be appointed Jimmy's successor and be in a position to carry on his tradition of creative excellence and innovation is a truly humbling honor.  I want to thank Lucian and Jimmy for their belief in me and for fostering an environment that values artistry and entrepreneurship above all else."

Janick joined IGA in October 2012 and took over the day-to-day management responsibilities of the company.  Recently, IGA realized industry-leading commercial and creative success. From 2012 to 2013, IGA achieved a 1.04%  increase in current US album (plus TEA) market share according to Nielsen SoundScan, the greatest increase in current share for any UMG label during the period. The strong results have been driven by a series of new and established artist successes across a wide variety of genres.  Among the many achievements were platinum and multi-platinum-selling releases by Eminem, Imagine Dragons, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Maroon 5, Phillip Phillips and Robin Thicke.