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Saturday, October 21, 2017

October 22 Radio History


➦In 1891...radio actor Parker Fennelly was born in Maine.

He was a longtime member of Allen’s Alley on NBC’s Fred Allen Show, portraying Titus Moody with a strong “Down East” accent. He was much in demand for numerous radio series based in New York, and over a 20 year span played a countrified New Englander on Snow Village Sketches, which kept popping up on various networks.

He guested on numerous live early TV shows including Lux Video Theatre, Philco Television Playhouse and Studio One.

He died at age 96 on Jan. 22, 1988.

➦In 1939...the first televised pro football game was telecast from Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. NBC’s flagship, W2XBS, carried the action. Brooklyn beat Philadelphia, 23-14. NBC later changed those experimental call letters to WRCA, and even later, to WNBC.

➦In 1956...Billboard announced that Elvis Presley had notched seventeen chart hits this year alone.

➦In 1961...Chubby Checker performed "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again" on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Both songs received renewed radio airplay despite already being hits and, amazingly, "The Twist" went all the way to #1 again, becoming the only song of the Rock Era to reach #1...twice.

➦In 1969…Paul McCartney issued an official press release through Apple stating that he was not, in fact, dead, as had been rumored. He then retired to his farm in Scotland where LIFE magazine tracked him down to prove he was still alive.

➦In 1977...The Hot 100..Debby Boone remained #1 with "You Light Up My Life", holding off Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better".  Shaun Cassidy was up with his Eric Carmen remake "That's Rock 'N' Roll" and K.C. and the Sunshine Band dropped with "Keep It Comin' Love".  Newcomer Heatwave was up to 5 with "Boogie Nights".

The rest of the Top 10:  Foreigner and "Cold As Ice", the Commodores with "Brick House" at #7, Donna Summer's "I Feel Love", the former #1 for Meco--"Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" and Johnny Rivers landed in the Top 10 for the first time in five years with his final Top 10--"Swayin' to the Music".


➦In 1977...The Album Charts..Rumours by Fleetwood Mac was in uncharted territory.  It had spent 24 weeks at #1, six more than any other album in the Rock Era to that time.  Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt was a solid #2 and Steely Dan was rocketing up from 26-3 with Aja.  The debut of Foreigner moved up to #4.

The rest of the Top 10: Shaun Cassidy, Rita Coolidge at #6 with Anytime...Anywhere, the Rolling Stones debuted in the Top 10 with Love You Live, Elvis Presley's Moody Blue was #8, I Robot by the Alan Parsons Project and Livin' on the Fault Line from the Doobie Brothers at #10.



➦In 1986...NY Personality/Traffic Reporter Jane Dornacker was killed in a helicopter accident while working for WNBC 660 AM Radio in New York City (which became WFAN in 1988).



Dornacker was aboard during two unrelated crashes of the helicopters leased to WNBC. She survived the first crash, but was killed in the second crash into the Hudson River, which occurred as she was in the middle of a live traffic report.





Her death came shortly after that of her husband, Bob Knickerbocker, orphaning their 16-year-old daughter. The NTSB investigation determined the cause of the fatal crash to have been use of improper parts and poor maintenance on the part of Spectrum Helicopters of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey.

➦In 1992...Dodgers/Yankees Radio/TV sportscaster Red Barber died.

Red Barber
At the age of 21, he hitchhiked from his home in Sanford, FL to Gainesville, FL and enrolled at the University of Florida, majoring in education. During his first year he worked at various jobs including part-time janitor at the University Club. There in January 1930 Barber got his start in broadcasting.

An agriculture professor had been scheduled to appear on WRUF, the university radio station, to read a scholarly paper over the air. When the professor's absence was discovered minutes before the broadcast was to begin, janitor Barber was called in as a substitute. Thus the future sportscaster's first gig was reading "Certain Aspects of Bovine Obstetrics".

After those few minutes in front of a microphone, Barber decided to switch careers. He became WRUF's director and chief announcer and covered Florida football games that autumn. Then he dropped out of school to focus on his radio work. After four more years at WRUF he landed a job broadcasting the Cincinnati Reds on WLW and WSAI when Powel Crosley, Jr., purchased the team in 1934.

On Opening Day 1934 (April 17), Barber attended his first major league game and broadcast its play-by-play, as the Reds lost to the Chicago Cubs 6–0. He called games from the stands of Cincinnati's renamed Crosley Field for the next five seasons.

Barber had been hired by Larry MacPhail, then president of the Reds. When MacPhail moved on to be president of the Dodgers for the 1939 season, he took the play-by-play man along. In Brooklyn, Barber became an institution, widely admired for his folksy style. He was also appreciated by people concerned about Brooklyn's reputation as a land of "dees" and "dems".

In 1939 Barber broadcast the first major-league game on television, on experimental NBC station W2XBS. In 1946 he added to his Brooklyn duties a job as sports director of the CBS Radio Network, succeeding Ted Husing and continuing through 1955. There his greatest contribution was to conceive and host the CBS Football Roundup, which switched listeners back and forth between broadcasts of different regional college games each week.

For most of Barber's run with the Dodgers, the team was broadcast over radio station WMGM (later WHN) at 1050 on the AM dial.



Prior to the 1953 World Series, Barber was selected by Gillette, which sponsored the Series broadcasts, to call the games on NBC Radio Network along with Mel Allen. Barber wanted a larger fee than was offered by Gillette, however, and when Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley refused to back him, Barber declined to work the Series and Vin Scully partnered with Allen on the telecasts instead. As Barber later related in his 1968 autobiography, Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat, it was O'Malley's lack of support that led to his resigning from the Dodgers later that October.

Soon afterward the crosstown Yankees hired Barber. In 1955 he took his long-running television program Red Barber's Corner from CBS to NBC. It ran from 1949 until 1958.



Under the ownership of CBS in 1966, the Yankees finished tenth and last, their first time at the bottom of the standings since 1912 and after more than 40 years of dominating the American League. On September 22, paid attendance of 413 was announced at the 65,000-seat Yankee Stadium.

Barber asked the TV cameras to pan the empty stands as he commented on the low attendance. Although denied the camera shots on orders from the Yankees' head of media relations, he said, "I don't know what the paid attendance is today, but whatever it is, it is the smallest crowd in the history of Yankee Stadium, and this crowd is the story, not the game." By a horrible stroke of luck, that game was the first for CBS executive Mike Burke as team president. A week later, Barber was invited to breakfast where Burke told him that his contract wouldn't be renewed.

After his dismissal by the Yankees in 1966, Barber retired from baseball broadcasting.

Taylor w/Chaka Kahn 1975
➦In 1999...WWRL/WRKS personality Sonny Taylor died.

His obituary in the NY Daily News notes millions of New Yorkers who remember the golden age of WWRL 1600 AM, when its playlist and personalities helped shape the whole direction of popular music, also will remember Sonny Taylor,

He programmed WWRL for four years, starting in 1975. Later, he programmed WRKS and he was a deejay at both WWRL and WNJR, where he started in 1966.  "Like many radio people, Taylor got around: St. Louis, Chicago, Miami. He spent the '90s at WMMJ in Washington, where he was working until he died. "

➦In 2004...bass singer Bill Reed, original member of the Toronto-based singing group The Diamonds (The Stroll, Little Darlin’) died at age 68.

➦In 2009...Radio/TV personality Soupy Sales died.

Sales was born Milton Supman, got his nickname from his family. His older brothers had been nicknamed "Hambone" and "Chicken Bone." Milton was dubbed "Soup Bone," which was later shortened to "Soupy".

Sales enrolled in Marshall College in Huntington, WV where he earned a Master's Degree in Journalism. While at Marshall, he performed in nightclubs as a comedian, singer and dancer. After graduating, Sales began working as a scriptwriter and disc jockey at radio station WHTN (now WVHU) in Huntington. He moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1949, where he worked as a morning radio DJ and performed in nightclubs.

On January 1, 1965, miffed at having to work on the holiday, Sales ended his live TV broadcast by encouraging his young viewers to tiptoe into their still-sleeping parents' bedrooms and remove those "funny green pieces of paper with pictures of U.S. Presidents" from their pants and pocketbooks. "Put them in an envelope and mail them to me", Soupy instructed the children. "And I'll send you a postcard from Puerto Rico!" He was then hit with a pie. Several days later, a chagrined Soupy announced that money (mostly Monopoly money was unexpectedly being received in the mail. He explained that he had been joking and announced that the contributions would be donated to charity.



Sales hosted a midday radio show on WNBC 660 AM in New York from March 1985 to March 1987. His program was between the drive time shifts of Don Imus (morning) and Howard Stern (afternoon), with whom Sales had an acrimonious relationship. An example of this was an incident involving Stern telling listeners that he was cutting the strings in Sales' in-studio piano at 4:05 p.m. on May 1, 1985. On December 21, 2007, Stern revealed this was a stunt staged for "theater of the mind" and to torture Sales; in truth, the piano was never harmed.

Sales' on-air crew included his producer, Ray D'Ariano, newscaster Judy DeAngelis (recently retired as AM Drive news anchor on 1010 WINS), and pianist Paul Dver, who was also Soupy's manager.

When Soupy's show was not renewed, his time slot would be taken over by D'ariano. Near the end of his contract, Sales lost his temper on the air, and began to speak very frankly about how he felt he had been treated poorly by the station, and how he felt betrayed that D'ariano would be taking over the show. The show went to break after a commercial - Sales was off the air, replaced without comment or explanation by program director Dale Parsons. Soupy would not return to the air.

TV Ratings Report Card: 'This Is Us,' 'The Good Doctor' Strong

While the average delivery of viewers in the sought-after 18-to-49 demo is down 15 percent compared to the year-ago period, shows like NBC's "This Is Us" and ABC's new medical drama "The Good Doctor" have flipped the script on the ratings narrative for the 2017-18 broadcast season, reports AdAge.

Last season's lone unequivocal breakout hit, "This Is Us" through the first four episodes of its sophomore run is averaging 11.4 million viewers and a 3.2 live-plus-same-day rating, which works out to 4.12 million adults 18 to 49. That marks a 19 percent improvement over the show's year-ago demo deliveries and establishes "This Is Us" as broadcast TV's highest-rated drama series.


If year-over-year growth is almost unheard of in today's fragmented media universe -- even Fox's "Empire," which in the winter of 2015 enjoyed a rare string of weekly ratings gains, experienced year-to-year declines in its sophomore season -- NBC's enthusiasm for "This Is Us" has been contagious.

 As "This Is Us" continues to be the talk of both Madison Avenue and the office water cooler, it is by no means the only drama to draw a crowd thus far in the young season. ABC appears to have solved one of its trickier time slot dilemmas with "The Good Doctor," which is currently drawing a demo that is two-and-a-half times the size of that which tuned in for last season's Monday 10 p.m. occupant "Conviction." Through its first four episodes, "The Good Doctor" is averaging a 2.1 in the demo, or around 2.71 million adults 18 to 49. By comparison, the first four hours of "Conviction" eked out a meager 0.8 rating, good for around 1 million members of the sub-50 crowd.


According to AdAge, dramas aren't the only programs to find an audience this season, as two sitcoms have put up big numbers in the early going. While the ratings for CBS's "Big Bang Theory" prequel/spinoff "Young Sheldon" come front-loaded with an asterisk (the show has aired only once, and outside of its regular time slot), it's hard to argue with the results of that special preview. Leading out of its comedic precursor on Monday, Sept. 25, "Young Sheldon" bowed to a massive 17.2 million viewers and a 5.5 rating in CBS's target demo. Those 6.64 million adults 25-54 who tuned in for the show's opening salvo represents a retention of 95 percent of the 7 million members of the demo who'd been watching "Big Bang" in the previous half-hour.

"Young Sheldon" settles into its Thursday 8:30 p.m. slot on Nov. 2, following CBS's stewardship of its five-game "Thursday Night Football" package.

Trump To Release JFK Assassination Documents


President Trump announced Saturday morning that he planned to release the tens of thousands of never-before-seen documents left in the files related to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination held by the National Archives and Records Administration.


According to The Washington Post, Kennedy assassination experts have been speculating for weeks about whether Trump would disclose the documents. The 1992 Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act required that the millions of pages — many of them contained in CIA and FBI documents — be published in 25 years, by Oct. 26. Over the years, the National Archives has released most of the documents, either in full or partially redacted.

But one final batch remains and only the president has the authority to extend the papers’ secrecy past the October deadline. In his tweet, Trump seemed to strongly imply he was going to release all the remaining documents. But he also hedged, suggesting that if between now and Oct. 26, other government agencies made a strong case not to release the documents, he wouldn’t. Also, Trump was not clear about whether he would publish all of the documents in full, or with some of them redacted.

In the days leading up to Trump’s tweet, a National Security Council official told WaPo that government agencies were urging the president not to release some of the documents. But Trump’s longtime confidant Roger Stone told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of Infowars this week that he personally lobbied Trump to publish all of the documents.

Kennedy assassination experts say they don’t think the last batch of papers contains any major bombshells.

Billboard Reworking How Charts Are Compiled


Billboard magazine is ending its practice of giving equal weight to paid streams and free streams in its music charts.

Currently a single that is bought from Apple’s download store or streamed on its paid subscription service is viewed the same as a free stream on YouTube for the purposes of Billboard’s “Hot 100.” Next year, Billboard said it will prioritize paid streams, meaning artists might be more inclined to promote their songs on paid services such as Apple's to boost their chances of rising up the charts.

According to NBC News,  the decision is a blow to Google’s YouTube, which had hoped to broaden its representation and was in talks with Billboard about being included in the album charts. YouTube has a gigantic free ad-supported video streaming business.

Billboard said late Thursday on its website that it is retooling the formulation of its charts, which are compiled by Nielsen Music. “Beginning in 2018, plays occurring on paid subscription-based music services (such as Amazon Music and Apple Music) or on the paid subscription tiers of hybrid paid/ad supported platforms (such as SoundCloud and Spotify) will be given more weight in chart calculations than those plays on pure ad-supported services (such as YouTube) or on the non-paid tiers of hybrid paid/ad-supported services," Billboard said.

The statement went on the clarify that video streams would not count into the album chart calculations.

Jimmy Iovine, who is head of Apple Music, has been arguing against YouTube growing its influence.

He told NBC News that artists say they work with YouTube to promote their records because it currently counts the same as a paid stream. “How can the record industry let that go down? It is not in their interest to promote a free tier.” He also described YouTube as “fake news,” meaning that its traffic is open to manipulation.

The music labels receive a much bigger cut from paid streaming services than they do from YouTube’s advertising. Independent labels have also been agitating for change.

Chris Wallace Prefers FNC Colleagues Not Attack Press


In an interview with the Associated Press this week, Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace put his colleagues on blast for discrediting the press. As he puts it, whenever these media attacks are uttered on the air by an opinion host or commentator, that person should realize they are also essentially slamming Fox News reporters and journalists.

“It bothers me,” Wallace said in an interview. “If they want to say they like Trump, or that they’re upset with the Democrats, that’s fine. That’s opinion. That’s what they do for a living.

“I don’t like them bashing the media, because oftentimes what they’re bashing is stuff that we on the news side are doing. I don’t think they recognize that they have a role at Fox News and we have a role at Fox News. I don’t know what’s in their head. I just think it’s bad form.”

As president, Trump has given interviews to Fox News more than any other outlet, but he has favored Hannity and other supportive hosts like Jeanine Pirro and Jesse Watters. News anchors Wallace, Bret Baier and Shepard Smith and chief White House correspondent John Roberts have been shut out. Wallace spoke to Trump when he was president-elect.

“Ultimately, any White House decides who they want to go out and talk to,” Wallace said. “Would I rather they talk to me? Well, if that’s what they’re going to do, that’s what they’re going to do.”

But he said the White House has been fair in delivering other administration officials and, despite their boss’ attacks on the press, “the guests that are there are very professional and answer questions.”

Wallace said there were periods when the Obama administration did not keep “Fox News Sunday” on the same rotation with ABC, CBS and NBC shows in terms of offering interview subjects. President Obama went two years without giving Fox an interview before appearing with Wallace in April 2016.

With Fox News the preferred network for conservatives, journalists there will often hear it from viewers about stories that don’t toe a party line. Wallace told the AP he does, too, like when he hears grumbling about someone on his show who does battle with Trump, like Sen. John McCain.

For the most part, the people who recognize him on the street support his efforts to ask tough questions of everyone, he said.

Flagstaff AZ Radio: Grenax Adds Bruce Kelly As OM


Grenax Broadcasting/Flagstaff-Prescott AZ has announced that Bruce Kelly as new Director of Programming and Operations for it four station cluster.

Bruce Kelly
The cluster includes Country KSED 107.5 FM, Classic Rock KWMX, 96.7 The Wolf, Classic Hits KFLX Rewind 92.5/104.1 and News/Talk KBTK, 97.1 FM.

"Bruce Kelly is a tremendous addition to the Grenax team. He is a talented programmer with a long history of on-air success and a creative thinker on the marketing front. Bringing on someone of Bruce’s caliber reflects our commitment to provide our community of Northern Arizona with top quality radio” said GM Stan Pierce.

"Did someone say Snow!?!?," exclaimed Kelly. "I’ve been visiting Northern Arizona for many years. To live here full time is a dream come true. Grenax has great stations and brands in this market and we’ve got big plans to enhance our products for our fans and clients. I’m excited to be part of growing this market and this company."

KSED 107.5 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

Hannity Special Airs 'Vegas Strong' Country Concert

Firmly embracing the recovery efforts after the Oct.1 shootings, Big & Rich returned to Las Vegas on Thursday.

We have seen one of the most tragic and sad things any of us have ever experienced,” Kenny Alphin, the “Big” of Big & Rich, said before hitting the stage for “Vegas Strong: A Night of Healing” at Orleans Arena. “Our hearts are pouring out, and we wanted to be here to show everything that is right about this great city.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Big & Rich headlined a benefit show rapidly organized by Orleans owner Boyd Gaming and Beasley Broadcasting in Las Vegas, which operates the country station 102.7-FM The Coyote and also KKLZ 96.3-FM.

The night included performances by country star Cam, Vegas emerging artist Sierra Black and an unbilled acoustic set from Rascal Flatts.



Big & Rich appeared prior to Jason Aldean’s performance at Route 91 Harvest festival the night of the shooting. The duo had finished performing about 90 minutes before Aldean took the stage (Jake Owen was next to perform before Aldean) and had cleared the festival grounds before the shooting started.

Nonetheless, the hard-charging country duo remained moved by the city’s Vegas Strong recovery efforts. They were defiant that the city would continue to serve as a leader in live entertainment and return to hosting such large-gathering festivals as Route 91.

NYC Radio: 77WABC Adds Tom Maoli Sunday Eve Show


77 WABC Radio announces that it has added “Go Big or Go Home”, a new call-in business talk show hosted by successful business leader and entrepreneur Tom Maoli, to its weekly line-up.

The one-hour program debuts on 77 WABC on Sunday, October 22, 2017, from 7:00pm-8:00pm. On “Go Big or Go Home”, Maoli reveals his secrets, tips and insights for entrepreneurial and business success with listeners across the northeast.

Chad Lopez, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-New York, said: “We are excited to offer this interactive, engaging program for our listeners who are interested in taking their entrepreneurial endeavors to the next level.”
 
Maoli said: “I was approached by 77 WABC to do a radio show that shares the secrets to building a successful business and career with young people and mid-career executives, including those who are thinking about starting their own businesses. With the huge popularity of shows like Shark Tank and The Apprentice, the idea of doing a radio show that appeals to that audience and allows me to tell my stories and reveal what is essential to achieving all that business and life have to offer is exciting to me.”

“My philosophy has always been to go big or go home,” said Maoli, who also partnered with now-President Donald Trump on an annual classic car show and auction at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, NJ. “Being an entrepreneur is not for the timid. You have to want it more than anything else, and you have to be prepared to totally commit to it and do it right or don’t do it at all. It’s ‘GO BIG OR GO HOME.’ I look forward to showing our listeners just how to do that to win big in business and in life.”

“Go Big or Go Home” listeners can reach Maoli directly by calling 1-800-848-WABC during the Sunday night broadcasts, or may email questions to his website, http://tommaoli.net/ .

October 21 Radio History




➥In 1908...The first two-sided vinyl record was offered for sale by the Columbia label in an ad running in this week's Saturday Evening Post.

➦In 1915...First transmission of speech across the Atlantic by radiotelephone, Arlington, Va., to Paris

➦In 1948...the first Facsimile (FAX), was demonstrated through high-speed radio transmission. It was demonstrated in Washington D.C.

➦In 1969...Roby Yonge does the infamous “Paul is Dead” show at 77 WABC.




Originally hired for the 1 - 3 PM shift, Yonge was moved into the overnight shift in August 1969 when Charlie Greer left the station. He was told by program director Rick Sklar in the early fall, that his contract would not be renewed. He subsequently went on the air with the Paul McCartney "death" rumor on October 21, 1969, having heard the rumor from WKNR-FM (Detroit) radio personality Chris Randall.

Stating that he had already been fired and that at 12:39 AM, he would not be "cut" because there was nobody around, Yonge began to speculate on rumors circulating about the possible death of McCartney. He enumerated various "clues" in album cover art which he said had been catalogued by thirty Indiana University Bloomington students. Callers lit up the station switchboard. It was an hour and a half before program director Rick Sklar got Les Marshak in to relieve Yonge. Marshak continued to do Yonge's show until a replacement was hired.

Yonge was hired by WCBS-FM, where he helped introduce their "Oldies" format in the early'70s. After a few years, he returned to his nativeFlorida, where he served as general manager of Mother WMUM, an early FM rock station in Palm Beach. After the demise of Mother in 1972, Yonge became a morning personality on Y100 WHYI in Fort Lauderdale/Miami. He was fired after the first day on the air, August 3, 1973.  He moved to the competitor WMYQ-FM, where he spoke as a commentator with a morning show. In 1987, Yonge did a morning show at WKAT in Miami, then returned in 1993 to do a music/talk show on 790 WMRZ.

Roby Yonge died on July 18, 1997 of an apparent heart attack at age 54.

➦In 2000...Frankie Crocker, Personality at WMCA, WBLS died from pancreatic cancer.

Crocker began his career in Buffalo at the AM Soul powerhouse WUFO (also the home to future greats Eddie O'Jay, Herb Hamlett, Gary Byrd and Chucky T) before moving to Manhattan, where he first worked for Soul station WWRL and later top-40 WMCA in 1969.

He then worked for WBLS-FM as program director, taking that station to the top of the ratings during the late 1970s and pioneering the radio format now known as urban contemporary.

Frankie Crocker was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2000, and the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2005

➦In 2003...John Dennis and Gerry Callahan returned to their morning on WEEI-FM, Boston, after a 2 week suspension for allegedly racist remarks.

➦In 2014…Veteran Boston radio personaility (WODS-FM, WXKS-FM, WRKO-AM) Dale Dorman died at age 71.

Dale Dorman
With his lightening fast reflexes,  a gift for genuinely clever patter and an astounding ability to “post” a song intro, he did what few others have ever done — he remained a force and a positive influence on radio and music for 45 years. It all began in Syracuse in 1964. After establishing himself at WOLF, he sent a tape to the legendary programmer Bill Drake at KYNO/Fresno. It was Drake who then developed the famous Top 40 format aired on stations owned by RKO General. Drake liked what he heard, hired Dale to work at RKO’s KFRC/San Francisco, and under his tutelage Dale became an integral part of the Drake format and moved cross-country be on The Big 68, WRKO.

Dale was 24 when he took over morning drive at WRKO in August, 1968 and delivered top ratings for ten years. He also hosted the afternoon kid’s show on TV38 and the weekend “Creature Double-Feature” as Uncle Dale. By the late 70’s FM radio had eclipsed AM for music listening. After a brief stop at WVBF Dale landed his second long-term gig doing afternoon drive at Kiss 108 (WXKS-FM) for 23 years.  “To be able to be a top-rated jock on a Top-40 station in his 60s is really astounding,” Don Kelley, then Vice President of Programming for Magic 106.7 WMJX and now President of the Mass Broadcasters Hall of Fame, told the Boston Globe in 2003, when Dale left Kiss 108.



In 2003 Dale moved back to morning drive at Oldies 103 (WODS/Boston). “I wound up at Oldies 103 playing the same music that I played at WRKO when I was just starting out,” he told the Globe in 2008. “A bunch of people started calling. They were like, ‘Oh, wow! How are you? Where have you been?’ ” playing the same songs that he played on WRKO in the 60’s and 70’s, but by now they had become oldies.

Dale was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2015 the brand new Dale Dorman studio at Massasoit Community College was dedicated in his name.

Friday, October 20, 2017

Megyn Kelly Tries Dancing To Boost Ratings..Sad


Megyn Kelly Today on NBC desperately needs a ratings boost after less than a month on the air.

On Thursday, Hoda Kotb, the ever-upbeat popular Today host from another hour appeared as a guest. They chatted. They danced. They tried to get the audience on its feet dancing, too.


Last year, Kelly was a rising star on Fox News, earning national headlines for her dogged questioning of presidential candidate Donald Trump. But her short tenure on NBC’s “Megyn Kelly Today” continues to be challenging both for her and the network.

The show premiered on Sept. 25, and its ratings continue to tank.

According to The Washington Post, the fallout is so worrisome to the network that other “Today” hosts have begun visiting Kelly’s show as if on a rescue mission. Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie all recently appeared. It could be “a strategic way to familiarize viewers with faces they already know and boost viewership,” according to Variety.

Her ratings aren’t even close to those of her predecessors.

Meanwhile, the show’s biggest direct competitor, ABC’s “Live With Kelly and Ryan,” has a healthy lead over Megyn Kelly. The ABC program drew 14 percent more viewers than Kelly during her first week and a robust 34 percent more during her second, according to Nielsen

CBS Radio Merger With Entercom Inches Closer


CBS Corporation Thursday announced the commencement of an exchange offer for the separation of its radio business as part of its previously announced agreement to combine CBS Radio with Entercom Communications.

The combined company will have a nationwide footprint of 235 stations, including stations in 22 of the top 25 U.S. markets.

Les Moonves
The exchange offer represents the next step in the planned combination of CBS Radio and Entercom, which will be effected through a “Reverse Morris Trust” transaction. In the exchange offer, CBS shareholders will have the opportunity to exchange their shares of CBS Class B common stock for shares of CBS Radio common stock, which will be immediately converted into the right to receive an equal number of shares of Entercom Class A common stock upon completion of the proposed merger, in each case subject to certain customary terms and conditions. The exchange offer and merger are generally expected to be tax-free to participating CBS shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

“We are very pleased to be taking this important step toward the split-off of our radio business in a way that we believe is good for CBS Radio, good for the CBS Corporation, and good for our shareholders,” said Leslie Moonves, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Corporation. “This exchange offer will give equity holders the opportunity to invest in what we believe will be a best-in-class radio company, with top assets and a terrific management team. And for CBS, we expect that it will unlock even more value and allow us to become even more focused on the creation and distribution of premium video content.”

David Field
In a memo to staff, Entercom President/CEO David Field agreed with Mooves, writing "We couldn't be more excited about the team we are building, the brands we will own, and the bold plans we have to enable the combined company to thrive in the future with big investments across many areas of our business to enhance our capabilities and firepower."

"Our merger still requires regulatory consent from various government agencies. We are continuing our work with those agencies and remain optimistic that we will receive their approvals in a timely manner and close our merger in the fourth quarter, possibly as early as November 17, the day after the CBS exchange offer is scheduled to conclude," Field added.

Tribune Media Shareholders Vote In Favor of Sinclair Merger

Tribune Media shareholders on Thursday “overwhelmingly” approved the company’s proposed acquisition by Sinclair Broadcast Group, even as federal regulators slow down the TV station megamerger to allow for more public input.

More than 99 percent of the votes cast by shareholders Thursday morning at a Los Angeles hotel were in favor of the merger, according to The Chicago Tribune.

“Today’s vote is an important milestone in the merger process and confirms that Tribune stockholders strongly support this transaction and the value it delivers,” Tribune Media CEO Peter Kern said in a news release. “We look forward to continuing our work with Sinclair toward the closing of this deal.”

Sinclair agreed to buy Tribune Media in May for $3.9 billion, plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in debt, creating what would be the largest TV station group in the U.S. with more than 200 stations, reaching about 72 percent of TV households.

Tribune Media shareholders needed to sign off on the deal, which ultimately requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice.

The proposed deal has generated pushback from broadcasters, lawmakers, media watchdogs and viewers alike over Sinclair's right-leaning editorial views as well as concerns about media concentration.

On Wednesday, the FCC stopped its 180-day transaction clock for 15 days to allow for additional public comments after an Oct. 5 filing by Sinclair. The filing outlines more specific plans for the combined station group, including possible divestitures to get under an FCC ownership cap.

Chicago-based Tribune Media owns or operates 42 TV stations, including WGN in Chicago, KTLA in Los Angeles and WPIX in New York, as well as WGN-AM 720 and cable channel WGN America.

MLB World Series: L-A Clinches, NY Next?

The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their first trip to the World Series in 29 years tonight with an 11-1 victory over the defending champion Chicago Cubs to win the National League Championship Series. Dodgers outfielder Kike Hernandez hit three home runs in the victory, the first Dodger to do so in a championship game.

The last time the Dodgers make the World Series was 1988, when they beat the Oakland A’s for the franchise’s sixth world championship.

DeadlineHollywood reports Fox, which broadcasts the World Series beginning next week must be rooting for the New York Yankees on Friday in the American League Championship series — the network is one pinstriped win away from a matchup of teams from the nation’s two biggest TV markets.

Both the league championship series are crushing the ratings this year: Through three games, the Dodgers-Cubs on TBS has averaged 6.4 million viewers, a 73% increase over last year on the network. The Yankees-Astros series is averaging 5.8 million viewers through three games on Fox and FS1, up 57% over 2016.

The best-of-7 World Series begins October 24 at Dodger Stadium.

NYC Radio: WOR Is Schnitt-Less

One half of the WOR 710 AM morning show is MIA.   Todd Schnitt has departed the iHeartMedia Station after he was unable to reach a new contract agreement.

He had been paired with 40-year sportscasting veteran Len Berman since early 2015.

Schnitt will continue his daily The Schnitt Show, which is syndicated by Compass Media Network.  That show continues to air on iHM's WHNZ 1250 AM and WFLA 970 AM in Tampa.  WHNZ airs the syndicated show live 3 to 6 and WFLA repeats the show 6 to 9 pm.

In 1994, then-Clear Channel Communications brought Schnitt to Tampa, to anchor a new morning show on WFLZ 93.3 FM The Power Pig. Schnitt was teamed up with BJ Harris, the Power Pig’s program director to form the MJ and BJ Morning Show. Harris left the show on February 7, 2001. The show was renamed The MJ Morning Show.

Schnitt hosted The MJ Morning Show which focused on current events, lifestyle news, pop-culture and personal experiences. The program had been mostly a talk format but played about two songs per hour.

Schnitt added a daily talk show on sister-station WFLA in 2001. He ended the WFLZ Morning Show on February 17, 2012, but  continued hosting his conservative talk show on WFLA.

In March 2008, Schnitt sued Tampa-area rival Bubba the Love Sponge Clem for defamation of him and his wife. A Jury found Clem "not guilty" on all counts.

Denver Radio: VP/GM Amy Griesheimer OUT At Entercom

Amy Griesheimer
One of the most powerful figures in Denver radio has fallen. Amy Griesheimer is out as vice president and general manager for KQKS KS-107.5, KALC Alice 105.9 FM and three other stations owned by Entercom.

According to westword.com, market observers are speculating that the move was made because of ratings and revenue shortfalls.

Entercom has offered no official comment on the move. However, a knowledgeable source reveals that Doug Abernathy, one of Entercom's regional vice presidents, will serve as acting general manager for the Denver cluster, which also includes KQMT 99.5 The Mountain, Cruisin' KEZW 1430 AM and K276FK Comedy 103.1 FM, while a nationwide search is conducted for Griesheimer's replacement.

Griesheimer has been a power player in Denver radio for more than two decades. Her LinkedIn page notes that she's served as vice president and general manager of Alice for 23 years, beginning in 1994, and her responsibilities over the entire Entercom station group in the market began in the early 2000s.

Much of her success has been tied to the popularity of recent Westword interview subject Jamie White. In June, Griesheimer announced that she'd signed White and current co-host BJ Harris to a new five-year contract. "We are thrilled to have BJ and Jamie stay part of the Entercom/Denver family and continue building on their long track record of success!" she said in a statement.

St. Louis Radio: Staffer Sues Frank O Pinion Over ReHab Talk

Frank O. Pinion
St. Louis talk-radio host Frank O. Pinion may have talked too much.

In a lawsuit filed Oct. 6 in St. Louis Circuit Court, a man who worked 19 years for Pinion (whose real name is John Craddock) alleges that Craddock broadcast live on KTRS 550 AM the fact that the man had entered a substance abuse rehab facility.

He now airs on KFNS 590 AM.

According to stltoday.com, the suit asks for "in excess of" $50,000, and states Craddock talked about the subject at least six times in the two weeks the man was in a rehab facility in late August. The lawsuit does not name the plaintiff.

On Aug. 21, Craddock told listeners that the man "had to go get help" to "deal with substances," the suit alleges.

The suit also states that on Aug. 23, Craddock said the man "has gone away to get straightened out" and then went on to say:

"People who have a substance abuse problem — you're never going to help them kick it by molly-coddling them, helping them keep it hush-hush. You have to put the hammer down."

Bill Designed To Halt Election Meddling On Social Media


Bipartisan legislation to boost social media ad transparency and curb foreign influence in elections was introduced Thursday, the latest congressional response to the role of Russian hackers using Facebook and other social media to influence the 2016 election, according to The Hill.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), along with Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), are supporting the bill, which aims to put social media companies on par with radio and TV in their disclosure requirements.

“It’s our hope that social media companies, the platform companies will work with us,” Warner said. “The leadership of Facebook recently said they’ll do everything they can to keep our community safe from interference. If they believe those statements, [they should] work with us to get these common sense, light-touch regulations in place.”

The proposed legislation will affect websites, apps, search engines, social media and ad networks with over 50 million unique visitors.

Such platforms would be required to provide data on campaigns that spend at least $500 on political ads a year. Necessary information would include copies of ads, information about groups purchasing ads and data on who the ads may have targeted.

Additionally, like TV regulations, the social media ads must clearly show who is funding such content. The ads encompass paid political advertisements on these digital platforms, made by or on behalf of candidates or encompassing national issues.

Lawmakers have clashed with technology companies since Facebook revealed that Russian actors purchased 3,000 ads on its platform around the time of the 2016 election. Warner and others charged that Facebook was not being forthcoming as to the extent of Russian influence on its platform. He later hammered Twitter for its “disappointing” briefing of the Senate Intelligence Committee, saying that wanted the company to offer a more detailed analysis of influence on its platform.

S-F Radio: Cumulus Partners With Businesses To Help Fire Victims


(Left to Right) Donating gift cards for Cumulus Media's North Bay Fire Relief effort on Sunday, Oct. 15, at San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria are: Arthur (KFOG Morning Show); KFOG listener, Stephanie from Martinez, CA; Stephanie’s son; Dayna (KFOG Talent); and Stephanie’s daughter.

Cumulus Media-San Francisco announces that it has engaged listeners of its six popular radio stations - KFOG, KGO, KNBR, KSAN, KSFO, and KTCT – to raise over $250,000 for the Bay Area Fire Relief Fund since Friday, October 13, 2017, bringing much-needed relief to victims of the massive Northern California wildfires.

The wildfires destroyed homes displacing thousands of Northern Californians and scorched areas including Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties, with 42 people reported to have perished in the fires, and more than 58 people still missing. Cumulus Media’s San Francisco radio stations have partnered with local businesses to launch a major two-week relief drive, where businesses match up to $10,000 per day in cash donations raised by the stations’ listeners, driving big momentum for the fundraising effort. 100% of funds raised by the drive will go to local North Bay fire relief. Cumulus San Francisco has already disbursed $150,000 between the Northern California Chapter of the Red Cross and to the United Way Bay Area.

Cumulus Media-San Francisco has established a PayPal account exclusively for donations. Those wishing to donate to the Bay Area Fire Relief Fund with a credit card, debit card or PayPal account will text one of the following keywords to 77948 to make a secure donation: “KNBR”, “KGO810”, “KFOG”, “BONE” or “KSFO”. Relief agencies are requesting cash donations over hard goods at this time. Those preferring to donate via check, should make their checks payable to the Red Cross or United Way while indicating Bay Area Fire Relief Fund in the memo line.

Chilton Auto Body kicked off the fundraising on Friday, October 13, by matching $25,000 in listener donations, while Cumulus Media transported critical supplies donated by listeners to affected areas multiple times throughout last weekend.

Over the next two weeks, other business leaders matching funds raised by Cumulus Media-San Francisco include: Handlery Hotel; Dolan Law; Hanson Bridgett; Ooma; Cal Bank of Commerce; Bay to Breakers; RW Garcia; and The Home Consignment Center. Additionally Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow and his team in Chaska, Minnesota, donated 3,000 pillows to support the Northern California families who were victims of the wildfires. Cumulus Media-San Francisco and its partners have held collection events since the fundraiser’s launch.

Justin Wittmayer, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-San Francisco, said: “We are doing everything we can to raise awareness and donations for the North Bay fire victims. We activated a text-to-donate line last week that has driven over $250,000 in donations with a goal of raising $500,000. We’d like to thank our incredible employees for leading the charge, our advertising partners who’ve offered to match daily listener donations, and our truly generous and big-hearted listeners. This compounding effect has really engaged our audience to get involved and continues to build momentum for much-needed donations. We have a long road ahead of us and plan to stay involved to positively impact those affected as long as we are needed.” 

Following the initial two-week relief drive, KGO 810 will host a benefit Holiday Comedy Show & Toy Drive in early December. The station will collect new and unwrapped toys for children who lost all of their toys in the North Bay Fires. Further details on the Holiday Comedy Show & Toy Drive are forthcoming from Cumulus Media-San Francisco.

D-C Radio: WPGC Hosting Annual 'For Sisters Only' Expo


CBS RADIO’s WPGC 95.5 is proud to announce its 18th annual “For Sisters Only” (FSO) expo, Saturday, November 4th 12:00 Noon to 8:00 PM at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. FSO is one of the largest expo’s for women of color in the Washington, DC area annually attracting thousands and focuses on the needs, issues and lifestyle of this growing consumer base.

Produced and hosted by WPGC 95.5, the annual FSO Expo is a consortium of seminars, healthcare screenings, panel discussions, inspirational forums, and live entertainment.  Over 100 vendors and small businesses will promote their services and engage attendees throughout the day.

 “WPGC is proud to once again present the FSO Expo,” said Steve Davis, Vice President, Programming, CBS RADIO Washington, D.C. and Program Director, WPGC 95.5.  This iconic event is a premier showcase for some of the most incredible talents and performers.  As a local outlet dedicated to connecting with the community, WPGC 95.5 entertains and informs nearly one million listeners each week, with 60% of that audience being women of color.”

This year FSO will spotlight award winning talent with roots in the D.C. area through a showcase entitled The DMV All Star Edition.  Guests include: Emmy award winning, New York Times Best Seller and host of OWN’s “Fix My Life”, Iyanla Vanzant, Grammy nominated artists, Ginuwine and Ameriie, Grammy award winning artist, Mya, The CrossRhodes featuring three time Grammy Award nominated, Raheem DeVaughn and  his critically acclaimed partner, Wes Felton, ASCAP and BMI Award winner Lil Mo, Prince’s Paisley Park Musicology Battle of the Band winners, Black Alley, and the band responsible for bringing the first Go Go #1 record to the USA, E.U. featuring Sugar Bear.

Past musical artists include: Eric Benet, Tamar Braxton, Toni Braxton, Ciara, Keisha Cole, Bell-Biv-Devoe, Estelle, Faith Evans, Johnny Gill, Vivian Green, Dru Hill, Joe, Mary Mary, Miguel, Jay Sean, Diggy Simmons, Jazmine Sullivan, Tank, T.I., Tye Tribbett, Wale, and the local Go-Go sounds of The Chuck Brown Band, Lissen Band, Rare Essence and many more.

Past panelists include network and reality television stars: Nicole Ari-Parker, Kandi Buruss, Hosea Chanchez, Torrei Hart, Stevie J, Drea Kelly, Boris Kodjoe, NeNe Leakes, Omarosa, Tami Roman, Richard Roundtree, Dr. Ian Smith, Larenz Tate and many more.

For more information, visit www.wpgc.com/fso.

The 25 Brands US Consumers Feel the Most Loyalty Toward


Consumers in the United States feel the most loyalty toward Amazon's e-commerce store and Google's search engine among major brands, according to recent research from Brand Keys.

Marketing Profs reports the report was based on data from a survey of 49,168 US consumers between age 16-65. Respondents were asked to evaluate how loyal they feel to 740 brands in 83 categories.

Amazon's e-commerce site, which ranked second in last year's survey, tops this year's list of brands US consumers feel most loyal to.

Google's search engine, which ranked first in last year's survey, drops to second on the list this year.




Westwood One News Presents Vietnam Retrospective

Westwood One News, winner of the 2017 Edward R. Murrow Award for Hard News Reporting, will present a special retrospective, Pain & Pride: Remembering Vietnam – 50 Years Later, a look back at 1967, a pivotal year in what may have been the most polarizing event of 20th century America. Nearly half a million American troops were fighting in Vietnam at that time and the anti-war movement at home was heading toward a fervent peak. 

In Pain & Pride, the terror of war and a divisive home front is brought to life through the recollections of those who were there and from archive audio from Westwood One News, including audio from a similarly titled program 30 years ago.

In their own voices, combat veterans share their stories with Vietnam War veteran and Westwood One talk host Jim Bohannon, and former Westwood One executive, White House press secretary, and NBC News Vietnam War correspondent, Ron Nessen. Bohannon will look back 50 years on his own war experience and will cull new perspectives on the war in assorted interviews, including one with filmmaker Ken Burns, director of the recently broadcast 10-part documentary, “The Vietnam War.”

The half-hour special -- airing Veterans Day weekend, November 10-12, 2017 -- is available to all Westwood One News affiliates, Westwood One music format stations, and Cumulus-owned stations. It will also air in place of The Week in Review during that same weekend.

Contact Jim Jones at jimjones@westwoodone.com or (202) 895-2339 for more information.

October 20 Radio History


➦In 1906...Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrated the electrical vaccuum radio tube.


DeForest disliked the term "wireless" and chose a new moniker, "radio."

In 1902 he and his financial backers founded the De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company. In order to dramatize the potential of this new medium of communication, he began, as early as 1902, to give public demonstrations of wireless telegraphy for businessmen, the press, and the military.



A poor businessman and a poorer judge of men, de Forest was defrauded twice by his own business partners. By 1906 his first company was insolvent, and he had been squeezed out of its operation. But in 1907 he patented a much more promising detector (developed in 1906), which he called the Audion; it was capable of more sensitive reception of wireless signals than were the electrolytic and Carborundum types then in use. It was a thermionic grid-triode vacuum tube—a three-element electronic “valve” similar to a two-element device patented by the Englishman Sir John Ambrose Fleming in 1905. In 1907 de Forest was able to broadcast experimentally both speech and music to the general public in the New York City area.

De Forest is credited with the birth of public radio broadcasting when on January 12, 1910, he conducted experimental broadcast of part of the live performance of Tosca and, the next day, a performance with the participation of Italian tenor Enrico Caruso from the stage of Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

➦In 1908...Arlene Francis was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She appeared on radio and TV in most notably the show called "What's My Line?".

➦In 1930...the "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" premiered on the NBC Radio Network.




➦In 1945...the quiz show Break the Bank debuted on Mutual radio.  With contestants routinely winning as much as $3,000, It became known as the “highest paying quiz program in the world.”

➦In 1947...the radio rights to the World Series were sold to Mutual for three years for $475,000.

➦In 1969...WCBS 101.1 FM switched to live deejays when it launched a freeform rock format, which was becoming increasingly popular, and all other CBS-owned FM stations followed suit.


For the first time, WCBS-FM would have an airstaff. Bill Brown began his long tenure with the station, and Don K. Reed began his late in 1971; both remained there until 2005. Radio personalities such as Bobby "Wizzard" Wayne, Tom Tyler, Ed Williams, Steve Clark, Roby Yonge, K.O. Bayley (Bob Elliott from WOR-FM), Les Turpin, Bob "Bob-A-Lew" Lewis also briefly joined the WCBS-FM "freeform" format. Besides Bill Brown and Don K. Reed, Wizzard Wayne and Ed Williams also stayed into the early part of the oldies format.

Here's a pre-Oldies aircheck of PD Gus Gossert on WCBS-FM (courtesy of nyradioarchive.com)

➦In 1973...the Family Station Inc. purchased shortwave station WNYW, changed the call letters to WYFR & moved it from New York City to Scituate, Massachusetts.


Assocated Press photo
➦In 1977...Guitarist Steve Gaines, lead singer Ronnie Van Zandt, and backup singer Cassie Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd are all killed when the band's small Convair plane runs out of fuel and does down en route from Greenville, SC, to their next gig in Baton Rouge, LA. Crash landing in a forest near Gillsburg, MS, the accident also takes the lives of the band's assistant road manager as well as the two pilots, not to mention severely injuring the rest of the band and most of the other two dozen passengers. The remaining members would not reunite for another decade.

At the time of the 1977 plane crash, Lynyrd Skynyrd was at the height of its fame, having just released its sixth album, “Street Survivors,” only three days earlier. The original album cover featured a picture of the band surrounded by flames; it was changed shortly after the accident.

➦In 1984...The Hot 100...Stevie Wonder remained at the top with his eighth #1 song--"I Just Called To Say I Love You".  Billy Ocean closed with "Caribbean Queen" and Chicago was up to #3 with "Hard Habit To Break".

The rest of the Top 10:  Madonna edged up with "Lucky Star", the Cars slipped into reverse with "Drive", the new one from Bruce Springsteen ("Cover Me") was up to #7, John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band got their first taste of the Top 10 with "On The Dark Side", Prince shot up from 18 to 9 with "Purple Rain" and the Pointer Sisters were feeling good about their new hit "I'm So Excited".

➦In 1984...Prince reigned for the 12th week on the Album chart with Purple Rain.  Born in the U.S.A. from Bruce Springsteen was second, followed by Private Dancer from Tina Turner, Sports from Huey Lewis & the News and Heartbeat City by the Cars.  It was the ninth consecutive week that those five releases held down the Top 5 albums, believed to be the only time in the Rock Era that the feat has occurred.

Luther Masingill 1922-2014
➦In 2014...Legendary Chattanooga radio broadcaster Luther Masingill died after a short illness.

He was 92 and had been on the air for a record 74 years.  He was still active on Country WDEF 92.3 FM.




➦In 2015...singer Cory Wells, a co-founder and longtime member of the rock group ‘Three Dog Night,’ died of an infection while battling cancer at age 74.