Calgary Radio: CKMP-FM Drops Quickhitz

CKMP 90.3 FM in Calgary has given up a format that cut Top 40 pop songs roughly in half.

The goal of Quickhitz was to give listeners twice the music, but 90.3 AMP radio decided it wasn't worth it after realizing the potential for lawsuits from the music industry.

But, according to the CBC,  Steve Jones, vice-president of programming, said the station went back to its original format Tuesday.

"We realized that in order to successfully do this we were going to face a lengthy and divisive and expensive legal process that we weren't willing to do right now, especially when some of those would come from the very content providers we work with — they are partners in our success," he said.

Jones says the logic of having three- to five-minute long radio songs is from 60 years ago when radio broadcasters played 45 rpm records.

The average song on AMP had been running under two-and-a-half minutes under the new format.

The station had been looking for something to differentiate itself from other Top 40 stations in the city. Calgary was also chosen because it was a "progressive, young forward-thinking city."

Jones says he is convinced the format is good and could be brought back if revamped.

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It's not the first time AMP Calgary has made national headlines. It came under fire last March for burning $5,000 in cash on air after holding a contest that asked listeners to vote on whether to raffle off the cash or incinerate it.

Mark Ramsay, Tracy Johnson On What Makes Great Talent

Tracy Johnson

What makes radio talent great? Where do you find it? And how can you leverage it?

Those are just some of the questions tackled by Tracy Johnson, CEO of the Tracy Johnson Media Group in this Q&A from hivio, Mark Ramsay Media's audio future festival.

According to Ramsay, Johnson has a long and decorated career as a broadcast executive, specializing in programming, marketing, talent coaching and management, and he’s the author of three books about developing on-air superstars that have been described as The Bible of Personality Radio.

Tracy answers these and other questions:

• What is the state of talent on radio from your perspective?
• When will radio wake up to the talent in the world of podcasting and use either those podcasts or that talent in its arsenal?
• While platforms like Pandora may be all music, others like Slacker and iTunes are not. How soon until online radio pure-plays look to make a major on-air talent play?
• Morning Shows…What characterizes the best entertainment (i.e., morning) shows? What common trouble-spots do you find?
• Is talent so scarce? Or are we not looking in the right place? Or have we lost the skill to nurture it?
• What advice do you offer to talent who want to leverage their popularity across digital platforms?

Tech Vendors Form BIG - Broadcast Industry Group

Orban, SCMS, Jampro, DaySequerra, BW Broadcast, and StreamGuys  announce the formation of a new mutually owned entity known as Broadcast Industry Group, or “BIG”.  The purpose of BIG is to promote the consolidation of key manufacturers and service providers in the broadcast industry.

All of the founding members are equal owners and will be on the Board of Directors of this industry advancement group.

The first priority of Broadcast Industry Group (BIG) will be to consolidate sales, marketing, and promotions. A larger, united presence will be on display at trade shows, SBE activities, local and state broadcast group meetings, and other broadcast industry events.

Orban CEO and President C. Jayson Brentlinger stated, “For over a year I have been working with the largest names in the broadcast manufacturing industry to start the process of industry consolidation. Broadcasters are standing on the threshold of change both from new and emerging technologies, and in the way mobile media is viewed and delivered. The broadcast industry and media content providers must reshape our industry, while remaining profitable in the face of growing competition and meeting the demands of new media trends.”

SCMS President Bob Cauthen said, “On the ownership side, the broadcast industry has been changing for years. This is a very mature industry. However, it is also still exciting and lucrative. In order for equipment manufacturers and service companies to continue to grow, we must be engaged, innovative, and be proactive. Consortiums, mergers, and acquisitions are inevitable and will be more common in the next decade.  Recently, a number of organizations affiliated with broadcasters, such as Nielson and Arbitron, have either merged or have become part of a consortium. SCMS remains privately owned, and we’ve enjoyed serving this industry for 38 years while providing excellent customer service and maintaining profitability. We plan to continue such positive growth. Being a part of a strong consortium of leading companies in our industry is a smart step in that direction. We intend to be a significant part of their sales and marketing efforts.”

President of Jampro Antennas for Radio and TV Alex Perchevitch remarked, “As the industry continues to evolve, we too as suppliers need to adapt to the market and needs of our customers. We believe through establishing BIG and increasing our marketing and sales potential we can better serve the industry and our effectiveness in the various markets.”

President of DaySequerra David Day added, "As many of you know, we have been actively looking to be part of a consolidation in this broadcast space, and BIG is the right combination of companies and talent at the right time to form a symbiotic consortium. We believe the ROI (return on investment) for this effort is tangible and we’re excited to get started."

CEO of BW Broadcast Scott Incz said, "We manufacture quality broadcast products and are headquartered in Croydon, UK. We are privileged to have been invited to the BIG family, and we hope it will be just that. Not only do the BW products complement that of the other members, but we hope to use our unique position of being in Europe to further the group’s interests, both here in the UK, in the EU, and equally around the world. Exciting times are ahead for broadcasting!”

President of StreamGuys Kiriki Delany commented, “This is a golden time to be invited to join the BIG founding members in advancing and promoting new technologies of content delivery for a new wave of digital consumer. StreamGuys is thrilled to bring our industry leading support and veteran experience to the BIG family. Through working in league and combining historical strengths, BIG enables next generation end-to-end solutions and key strategic value that envelops the entire media landscape.”

'Turn Up The Radio' A Must For Radio, Music Fans

SF-Based Media writer Ben Fong-Torres says he originally ignored Harvey Kubernik’s latest book “Turn Up the Radio! Rock, Pop, and Roll in Los Angeles 1956-1972.”

But, according to Fong-Torres the 311-page behemoth-with-a-beat has continued to gain praise.

He writes the book is a must-have if  you’re a radio and music fan, and relate to those years in the title. And although L.A. is the heart of rock ’n’ roll — and Top 40 radio, San Francisco is where DJs like Casey Kasem, Gary Owens, “The Real” Don Steele, Robert W. Morgan and DJ-turned-talk-host Michael Jackson, among others, polished their act before going to Hollywood. And when, in 1969, underground radio surfaced in Los Angeles, it was co-produced by Tom Donahue, creator of the format-free format here, at KMPX.

According to Fong-Torres, Kubernik, a music journalist for 30 years (he’s also produced records and scouted talent), grew up amid the emerging scene and knew everyone. In elementary school in the mid-’50s, he discovered the R&B DJ Hunter Hancock and was hooked. “Radio would become my soul salvation,” he writes. Recounting his youthful wanderings, he’s like a pop Zelig. “I danced on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. … The Mamas and the Papas and Bob Lind were the in-studio guests. … That same week, I met (gospel singer) J.W. Alexander and Bobby Womack at the Frigate record shop. … I first saw the Beach Boys perform at a Culver City record store appearance in 1962.”

Kubernik is like the music super fan who saved all his Top 40 surveys and concert tickets, posters and celebrity photos, and found a perfect repository: this book. A bonus: he includes interviews, of both stars and behind-the-scenesters — record producers, engineers and songwriters, as well as his beloved pop stars and DJs.

New Book Explores "The News Sorority"

For Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer and Christiane Amanpour, the moment of truth is about to arrive—or at least a book-length facsimile thereof, writes LLoyd Grove at The Daily Beast.

News executives and network publicists have been distracting themselves from this summer’s seriously depressing or otherwise alarming world events by passing around and poring over bound galleys of The News Sorority, veteran journalist Sheila Weller’s gossipy chronicle of the rise of three of television news’ best-known women.

In Weller’s narrative—which, as the subtitle indicates, aspires to document “the (Ongoing, Imperfect, Complicated) Triumph of Women in TV News”—Couric comes off as brash, striving and self-absorbed.

Sawyer is a Machiavellian, often-inscrutable workaholic who uses her seductive charm and good looks to professional advantage and torments news producers with her relentless perfectionism and insecurity.

Amanpour is the reigning queen of the warzone, more physically courageous and resourceful than her male colleagues in perilous combat situations, but with an occasionally off-putting sense of moral superiority.

Some highlights:

• Sawyer’s famous rivalry with Barbara Walters for ratings-grabbing interview subjects was akin to mortal combat. “Barbara and Diane were determined to kill each other—to wipe each other off the face of the earth,” says an ABC News staffer.
• When Diane beat Katie on an interview with a 57-year-old woman who’d given birth to twins, Katie mused aloud, according to a person who heard the comment: “I wonder who she blew this time to get it.”
• When Couric became the first woman to front a network evening news program alone at CBS, she wooed iconic anchor Walter Cronkite over a couple of dinners, and the old man’s blessing was such that he recorded the introduction to the broadcast. Later Cronkite privately expressed discomfort with Couric’s allegedly soft-news style.

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Poker Classic Benefits the Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab

More than 300 actors, voice-over stars, poker players and party guests landed at the illustrious Museum of Flying in Santa Monica last Saturday night for the Screen Actors Guild Foundation’s  4th Annual Poker Classic and Party. Supporters played in the heated poker tournament and posed for pictures, including much-coveted shots with Airplane! star and host Robert Hays in the cockpit. Surely, we’re completely serious!

Actors, voice-over talent and poker players who turned out to support the Screen Actors Guild Foundation’s Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab included Powers Boothe, Joe Cipriano, Sharon Lawrence, Fred Melamed, Paul Pape and Randy Thomas.

When guests weren’t ante-ing up, they flocked to the Flight Simulator sponsored by New Trails Productions, played in other casino-styled games, mugged for free shots in the photobooth, and danced the night away under a canopy of vintage aircraft. Party guests entered the big raffle with over 21 exclusive items and walked away with everything from a private IMAX screening to a Portable Recording Studio (valued at $3500). The two “Pilot” sponsors of the Poker Classic were Benztown and New Trails Productions along with “Co-Pilot” sponsors Integrated Wealth Management and Jim Tasker, VIP suite sponsor Edge Studios, and more. Over 75 sponsors and donors pitched in to ensure everyone went home a winner!

“It was a fierce night, filled with friendship and more poker faces than I care to remember! The unity of this group is something to behold, and they definitely know how to have a good time!” said Host Robert Hays.

“The first time we did this was in my backyard, so we’ve definitely moved up,” said Joe Cipriano, Co-Founder of the Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab. “This event is how we’re able to continue to offer all of our workshops, seminars and everything we do at the Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab for free for anyone who’s into voiceover.”

The Grand Prize winner of the tournament was voice-over artist and actress Julie Marcus. Marcus won a package including a 3-night stay at the Hilton Los Cabos, two first class tickets on United Airlines, a Dunkin’s Diamonds watch and more.

The SAG Foundation Poker Classic and Party is the major annual fundraiser for the SAG Foundation’s Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab, a state-of-the-art voice over facility that offers free workshops, seminars and demonstrations led by industry experts for voice-over artists. The fully-equipped studio also allows voice-over artists to perfect their craft by making demo reels and recording auditions, all at no cost.

Homer Takes Up The ALS Challenge

Throughout the month of August, the world's biggest celebrities have been donating their money and dryness for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

But now the campaign has entered the animated realm, with a shirtless Homer Simpson taking the plunge

Homer challenged "Flanders, Lenny...and Flanders again" – as well as Donald Trump.

August 28 In Radio History

In 1922...WEAF New York airs first commercial ("This program brought to you by...").




The first radio advertisement (actually a roughly 10-minute long talk anticipating today's radio and television infomercials) which promoted an apartment development in Jackson Heights near a new elevated train line,

In 1961...“Cousin” Brucie Morrow starts at 77 WABC.

Morrow's first stint in radio was in Bermuda at ZBM-AM, where he was known as "The Hammer."

Morrow began his stateside career at New York Top 40 station WINS in 1959. In 1960, he moved to Miami for a brief stint before returning to the New York airwaves the following year on AM 770 powerhouse WABC, another Top 40 outlet. Morrow's return to New York City came at the precise moment that rock and roll music was exploding across the Baby Boom demographic and Morrow found himself on the most powerful radio station on the East Coast. His main competition came from his previous station WINS, which featured "Murray the K."

"Cousin Brucie" quickly became a success on WABC's teen-oriented evening shift in the 6:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. slot. Morrow became a commercial radio powerhouse and household name through his ability to maintain a rapport with his listeners while smoothly mixing the diverse musical genres of the time (Motown soul, pop, hard rock, surf music, novelty records), and then seamlessly segueing into commercials for youth-oriented sponsors and events such as concerts and drag-strip races.

He served at WABC for 13 years and 4,014 broadcasts until August 1974, when he jumped to rival station WNBC.


In 1967...WCBS 880 AM flipped to all news.

By the early sixties, WCBS had evolved into a Middle of the road (MOR) music and personality format, which included limited talk programming. Personalities included legendary morning host Jack Sterling, Bill Randle and Lee Jordan. Like many MOR stations at the time, WCBS did mix in softer songs by rock-and-roll artists, as its ratings at the time were ordinary compared to the higher ratings at WOR and WNEW, both of which also had MOR formats and more distinct identities. Through it all, the variety show "Arthur Godfrey Time" remained a weekday mid-morning staple. Eventually, WCBS gained a foothold in local news coverage (WOR and WNEW's strengths) bolstered by its standing as CBS's flagship radio station.

During the 1960s, CBS chairman William S. Paley was concerned about the station's low ratings, and that concern started a process that would lead to the creation of a news radio format that would become known as "Newsradio 88". This format debuted on August 28, 1967. Its original roster of anchors included Charles Osgood, Ed Bradley, Robert Vaughn (not related to the actor of the same name) and Pat Summerall. Later anchors included longtime anchor Lou Adler, and others like Jim Donnelly, Harvey Hauptman, Bill Lynch and Gary Maurer.

Initially, the station ran news in the drive time periods but maintained an MOR format during the midday and overnight hours, and within a couple of years, it ran all-news programming for much of the broadcast day except for overnights. "Newsradio 88" began its transformation into an all-news format in 1970, when the overnight American Airlines-sponsored Music Till Dawn ended in January of that year, and completed the process in 1972, when Godfrey's weekday morning variety show came to an end. The station built a reputation as an all-news powerhouse during the 1970s, and has continued with an all-news format to this day.

Although 1010 WINS has usually received the higher Arbitron ratings of the two all-news stations, WCBS has had the stronger ratings in the outlying suburbs because of its broadcast-signal pattern. Its traffic reports and news coverage includes more of Long Island and the northern and western suburbs of New York City than WINS, and it occasionally allows room for longer interviews and analysis pieces than does WINS. The station is less tightly formatted than WINS, and formats at a half-hour cycle instead of a 20-minute cycle.

Courtesy of DonSwain.com:

WCBS-AM Newsradio88 debuts inauspiciously on its little-heard FM Station on August 28, 1967, because a small plane demolished the transmitter tower on High Island in a fatal crash, knocking the AM station off the air. Interestingly, the debut begins with a staff announcer reading the WCBS-FM sign-on, followed by the "Star Spangled Banner." Then, anchorman Steve Porter reads an account of the air crash. Pat Summerall delivers the sports, Gordon Barnes the weather. The rather ponderous presentation includes few if any commercials, and virtually no news audio. Charles Osgood takes over from Steve Porter at 6:00 A.M. The producer of the broadcast was Mike Ludlum, the editor was Al Wasser. Audio courtesy of Bill Tynan, Manager of On-Air Promotion, WCBS.

Part One 8/28/67

Part Two 8/28/67

Courtesy of DonSwain.com:

30th ANNIVERSARY BROADCAST WCBS's LET'S FIND OUT -- 8/3/97. Hosted by Rich Lamb, this special broadcast looks back at 30 years of Newsradio88. With Charles Osgood, Lou Adler, Art Athens. First of two broadcasts. Audio courtesy of Bill Tynan (30:00) Part One: Click Here.

30th ANNIVERSARY BROADCAST WCBS's LET'S FIND OUT -- 8/10/97. Hosted by Rich Lamb, this special broadcast looks back at 30 years of Newsradio88. With Jim Donnelly, Harvey Hauptman, Rita Sands, Gary Maurer, Ben Farnsworth, Bill Fahan, Neil Busch. Second of two broadcasts. Audio courtesy of Bill Tynan (30:00) Part Two: Click Here


In 2012…Boston radio personality (at classical station WCRB for 57 years) David MacNeill, "the voice of the Boston Pops," died at age 80.

Survey: Ad Agencies Show More Interest In Radio

A recent survey of media buying agencies found that 45% of those polled are more interested in digital/online video than they were a year ago, while streaming/online radio saw a 53% increase. Overall, video dominates as 67% of agencies said that their clients' primary focus for campaigns is video advertising (which includes traditional TV, cable, and network, as well as digital video).

The second quarter survey of agencies was conducted by STRATA, the leader in media buying and selling software.

YouTube is the most dominant site within digital video, as 72% of agencies said their clients are interested in advertising on that medium, up 5% from last year. HULU followed at 36%, a 32% jump from 3Q13. Despite the strong growth for digital video, agencies still question the value of online video ads. Almost half (47%) said they are fairly confident they are getting a good value for their money in recent digital video ad purchases, while 40% say they are unsure.

Driven by television along with digital advertising, the overall ad economy appears to be strong as 62% of agencies say their business is increasing this quarter compared to the same time last year, representing an all-time high for the STRATA Agency Survey.  Spot TV continues to be the top source for advertisers as 55% say their clients are the most interested in that medium, the largest percentage in 22 quarters of the survey.

For spot radio, 13% of agencies responded that that medium is receiving the most interest, up 32% from a year ago.

Joy Bauer

"While dollars continue to flow to the traditional advertising mediums, our agencies continue to ask for better ways to buy digital video advertising," said Joy Baer, president of STRATA. "We are seeing long-form digital video content increasingly mirror the 30-second TV ad experience, further blurring the lines between devices. We as an industry need to make it easier to buy video, regardless of the platform, and provide the right measurement and accountability to help our buyers purchase digital video at scale."

The use of programmatic buying also continues draw differing opinions from agencies. Thirty-nine percent of agencies are still undecided as to whether they trust programmatic to carry out their media buying, while an equal amount of agencies believe that programmatic buying is effective in reaching their clients' target audiences. The most popular form of programmatic buying, according to agencies, is digital, with a third of agencies polled stating they use programmatic to purchase their digital ads.

Other key findings:

• 89% plan on using Facebook in client campaigns, which is the third highest number in the STRATA Agency Survey since 2008. YouTube (53%), Twitter (50%), LinkedIn (36%) and Pinterest (32%) followed.
• Pinterest had the largest year-to-year growth, jumping up 31% over 2Q13.
• 51% project the second half of 2014 to be better than the first half, up 19% from the second quarter of 2013
• 31% are less interested in Out of Home advertising than a year ago, the largest percentage since 2008.

Broadcasters, Cable Protest FCC Emergency Plans

Broadcast and cable television companies are pushing back against the FCC’s new plans for emergency alert messages.

The Hill is reporting that trade groups this month told the FCC that its new proposed guidelines for the text that crawls at the top of the screen during a flood, snowstorm or other emergency aren’t necessary and could be expensive.

Current cable systems “generally display visual crawls that are readable by viewers, do not pass too quickly, and continue throughout the duration of the EAS [Emergency Alert Service] activation,” the National Cable and Telecommunications Association told the FCC this month. “Standardizing the appearance of EAS messages for speed and size is unnecessary to address accessibility concerns and would lead to significant cost with little benefit.”

The National Association of Broadcasters, too, objected to the FCC’s attempt to write new standards for the text messages during emergency alerts.

“Given the multiplicity of sources that may deliver EAS messages and emergency information to stations — some of which a broadcast television station may or may not control — and the various ways stations may present that information, imposing specific standards for the visual presentation of EAS text crawls would not be an effective approach to enhancing the accessibility of EAS crawls,” the group said.

The FCC is working on new guidelines for the text that runs during an alert as part of its broader overhaul of the emergency system that will create a new national location code for transmitting emergency messages nationwide.

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NBC News Chief Apologizes For 'Sleep' Comment

Deborah Turness

NBC News president Deborah Turness had to apologize after infuriating top execs and talent by announcing the network news organization had been asleep for 15 years, according to The NY Post.

Turness, who came to the job from Britain’s ITV News one year ago, dropped the tactless clanger in a New York Times interview on Sunday, saying, “NBC News hadn’t kept up with the times in all sorts of ways, for maybe 15 years . . . I think the organization had gone to sleep.”

Sources tell us Tom Brokaw, managing editor and anchor of NBC’s “Nightly News” from 1982 until 2004, Turness’ predecessor Steve Capus (NBC News president from 2005 to 2013 and now executive producer of “CBS Evening News”) and CNN chief Jeff Zucker “are apoplectic” over Turness’ remark.

One network insider fumed, “Turness is making enemies. Her ‘asleep’ comment is incredibly disrespectful to many of NBC’s top journalists, especially Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams, and her predecessors Steve Capus, Andy Lack, Neal Shapiro and Jeff Zucker.”

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