The host of “A Prairie Home Companion” who took over the show from its creator, Garrison Keillor, took to the stage Saturday evening in New York City and announced the show’s new name, after Keillor’s quick fall from grace this week.
“People are capable of such beauty. I aim to bring some of it to you on the radio every Saturday. And I’m as thrilled as ever to say, coming to you live from New York City, welcome to ‘Town Hall,’ ” said mandolinist Chris Thile, who took over the show in October 2016.
According to the Twin Cities Pioneer-Press, as he opened the show at New York’s Town Hall theater, Thile addressed the controversy that led to MPR ending all contracts with Keillor on Wednesday.
“Before we begin the show today I want to take a moment to address something which you’ve probably heard about by now, which is MPR is severing ties with Garrison Keillor over allegations of inappropriate behavior.
“This is, of course, heartbreaking news,” he went on, the theater hushed. “As I’ve said many times on the air, ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ has always been a source of refuge and inspiration for me personally. I really did tune in every Saturday as a kid, and like millions of us, I would not be the person I am today without ‘Prairie Home.’
“Today we are in the middle of a national movement which I believe represents progress. We’re recognizing the harmful power imbalance that women have had to endure for so long in our culture. My sincere hope is that with awareness will come improvement.
“As for this show, I want it to be a place for us to gather around, hear great music, laugh together, reflect and gain respite from our weekly troubles,” he said, just before announcing the new name to loud applause.
Minnesota Public Radio and its parent company, American Public Media Group, took something of a financial risk in severing ties with long-time and beloved host Garrison Keillor on Wednesday. The company continues investigating two accusations that Keillor had engaged in "inappropriate behavior."
APMG is stopping rebroadcasts of the Prairie Home episodes Keillor hosted, and it's changing the show's name.
As of late Thursday afternoon, MPR had received 153 cancellation requests from its 133,000 members. The company said members are the most important source of revenue for MPR. Members donated about $22 million over the year ending last June.
John and Ruth Huss are among the MPR members who say their support won't waver. Their contributions have hit $100,000 or more a year. John Huss said he trusts MPR's leaders did the right thing.
But Miriam Simmons and her husband, James Schenz, are thinking differently. They have given more than $10,000 a year to MPR for several years. Miriam Simmons said they were thinking of upping their contribution to $15,000. But now she doesn't expect they will.
"I feel tremendously disappointed in MPR. Unless somebody has done something that rises to the level of a criminal act. I think the action they've taken is disproportionate," Simmons said.
Keillor has said the termination stemmed from an incident where he put his hand on a woman's bare back. MPR, though, has not said what the allegations were. The company said it received complaints from two people, only one of them saying the behavior was directed at her.
WOR 710 AM host Mark Simone boasts that he correctly predicted the sexual harassment scandals surrounding both Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer. Both iconic journalists have now been fired and publicly disgraced for years of sexual misconduct that had been going on behind the scenes.
Now, Simone is calling his next shot. He believes he can correctly guess who's going to be exposed for predatory behavior next. On Friday, he tweeted:
After correctly predicting Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer, everyone keeps asking me who’s next? Let’s just say a very liberal, late night comedian, talk show host. (Hint: he’s not on every night.)
According to popculture.com, guesses vary in the replies to Simone's tweet. Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel seem to be front-runners among Simone's followers — though Colbert and Kimmel are both on five nights a week. Technically, no late night host is on "every" night, so that doesn't narrow it down much.
102.7 KIIS-FM kicked the holiday season into high gear on Friday with their 2017 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball presented by Capital One at The Forum in Los Angeles brought major heavyweights like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran to the jam-packed affair. From covers of holiday classics to surprise performances, the festive affair was the perfect way to start the month of December and bring together music and funs.
The four-and-a-half hour Jingle Ball also included performances from the Chainsmokers (joined by their own perennial duet partner, Halsey), Sam Smith, Demi Lovato, Logic, Kesha, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Charlie Puth. The show will be edited down for a prime-time special on the CW Network Dec. 14.
Country WIL 92.3 Morning duo Bud and Broadway’s "Bikes, Balls and Barbies" campaign more than met their goal of collecting 10,000 Toys for Girls and Boys!
The 36-hour toy drive marathon was broadcast live over the air and on Facebook Live, and benefited The Salvation Army in St. Louis.
The entire New Country 92.3 on-air staff participated in "Bikes, Balls and Barbies" initiative, with toy collection efforts taking place at West County Mall and at several St. Louis area Walmart locations in Missouri and Illinois. Special guests who "powered" the marathon toy drive included KTVI FOX2's Kim Hudson.
Program director Scott Roddy says, “Hubbard Broadcasting continues to be the platinum standard for live, local talent with an unfaltering dedication to our community. Bud and Broadway and the entire New Country 92.3 Home Team worked tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most: kids! I continue to be humbled by our community’s response and so grateful for our generous followers who made this happen.”
Beasley Media Group has announced during its recent 100.1 WJRZ “Share the Joy” live radio broadcast, community members helped to fill a 50-foot tractor-trailer with donations of food, clothing, and new, unwrapped toys at Perlmutter Family ShopRite in Toms River to benefit Ocean County Hunger Relief and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County.
The drive totaled $1,832 in cash and checks; $275 in gift cards; 13 pallets of food; 20 of turkeys; 13 pallets of clothing; and 375 toys.
“The Military Club of Toms River North High School volunteered all weekend, boxing up all the donations and lending a helping hand whenever it was needed,” said 100.1 WJRZ Promotions Director Marie Senkeleski- Daley. “We’d like to thank Joe D’Ambro and the entire staff at Keller Williams Realty, who delivered a trailer full of donations to the 100.1 WJRZ “Share the Joy” charity drive. In addition, Doug Hynoski, a teacher at Hooper Avenue Elementary School in Toms River, who lent his support by hosting a food drive and collected over 1,200 food items and 12 cases of food from their Food Trucks, Fire Pits and S’mores Night.
“Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Ocean County (BBBS) is so grateful for the support of the community and the donations received during the 100.1 WJRZ Share the Joy,” said BBBS Executive Director Sue Sedivic, “The toys we received will be given to children at our holiday party and to the families so they can put them under the tree for Christmas morning. There are no words for the happiness that 100.1 WJRZ and the community have brought to our children during this holiday
season.”
“With the help of our dear friends at 100.1 WJRZ, we will be able to assist families who are unable to provide themselves with a Thanksgiving meal for their families,” said Carol Latif of Ocean County Hunger Relief of Toms River. “Hunger doesn’t end at Thanksgiving though. The donations that were received will benefit families long after the holidays.”
“Year after year, 100.1 WJRZ's listeners come through for local families in need at the holidays during our "Share the Joy" broadcasts, and 2017 was no exception,” said Matt Knight, program director and afternoon drive host of 100.1 WJRZ-FM.
Spanish-language broadcasting in the U.S. is losing one of its most prominent figures as Maria Elena Salinas retires from Univision News after more than three decades of blending the role of anchor and advocate.
Salinas, who hosts the main news broadcast on Univision with co-anchor Jorge Ramos, has been weighing her departure for several years and says the time is right to pursue independent projects, including some in English.
“It’s time to go find other audiences,” the 62-year-old anchor said in an interview with the Associated Press last week at the Univision studios outside Miami.
Her departure comes at a difficult time for many immigrants who view the nightly program as a lifeline for understanding current events. Some advocates say immigrants will lose an important voice when Salinas steps down this Friday.
From the anchor desk at Univision, Salinas and Ramos have a big audience that makes them among the most-watched television journalists in the U.S. in any language, with their reach expanding dramatically in recent years as the Hispanic population has grown across the country. But their core viewership is still made up of immigrants and first-generation Americans who primarily speak Spanish and have remained loyal to the network for years.
Taylor Swift’s Reputation album notches a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the first set to rack up three weeks atop the list since Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. in May. Reputation earned 147,000 equivalent album units (down 43 percent) in the week ending Nov. 30, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 131,000 were in traditional album sales (down 43 percent).
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Dec. 16-dated chart (where Reputation holds at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard's websites on Tuesday (Dec. 5).
Only four albums have spent three or more weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2017: Reputation, DAMN., Drake’s More Life and The Weeknd’s Starboy. DAMN. and More Life both spent three weeks atop the list, while Starboy claimed four frames at No. 1 in 2017, following one week at No. 1 in 2016, when it debuted at No. 1 (Dec. 27, 2016-dated list).
Meanwhile, back on this week’s new chart, Pentatonix’s former No. 1, A Pentatonix Christmas, surges from No. 5 to No. 2 with 70,000 units (up 47 percent), of which 56,000 were in album sales (up 41 percent).
Sam Smith’s former leader, The Thrill of It All, holds steady at No. 3 with 62,000 units (up 6 percent), with 36,000 of that sum in pure album sales (up 10 percent).
Garth Brooks’ box set, The Anthology: Part I, The First Five Years, is a non-mover at No. 4 in its second chart week, with 57,000 equivalent album units (up 7 percent, all in traditional album sales).
Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) jumps 9-5 with 42,000 units (up 3 percent).
After 42 years in radio 41 of them at KBEW 98.1 FM in Blue Earth, MN, Benson is retiring on Dec. 12, his 65th birthday.
"I want everyone to know that this has nothing to do with the new ownership here at KBEW," Benson says. "They are good people to work for, and they are very experienced in ownership of stations in small markets like Blue Earth. But, eventually you feel one thing it's time."
It was music that first led Benson to radio, according to The Register.
"I loved to listen to popular music," he recalls. "And radio intrigued me from an early age. I loved listening to radio, the Stones, Beatles and Credence. And I thought, you know, it would be fun to be on the radio."
"It was Sept. 15, 1975, that (then KBEW owner) Paul Hedberg hired me," Benson remembers. "It was a strange job interview. We just chatted about various things until he said, 'well, you're hired.' It was after I had worked a while that I realized he had never said how much I was going to be paid. Turned out it wasn't much."
KBEW 98.1 FM (25 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
Years later, Benson reminded Hedberg of that low starting salary. Hedberg laughed and said, "Well, that was probably what you were worth."
"I started by doing all sorts of things, like writing copy for commercials, doing some announcing, even did the suppertime news," he says. "Eventually I did even more, like more of the news, the midday shift from 10 to 1. I did the remotes, recorded commercials and even did some sports."
Then in 1991 Benson left KBEW and spent one year working at the New Ulm radio station doing sales. After that he returned to Blue Earth and continued doing sales.
"Sales is a tough job," Benson says. "I have the utmost admiration for anyone in sales, whether it is cars, radio commercials or newspaper ads. It can be hard or easy, depending on your ability."
In February of 1996, long-time KBEW morning announcer and station manager Roy Haven left and Benson became the general manager and continued with full time sales. He is grateful to station owner at the time, Jerry Papenfuss, for giving him that opportunity.
Benson says he and his wife, Becky, plan on doing a lot traveling, something they have not done much of in the past.
Benson says he looks back and thinks he was always destined to be a radio announcer.
"It wasn't just my love of music," he says. "I was a good student but I was getting in trouble for being a smart aleck. I thought I was just witty and clever."
Mitch Margo, an original member of the Tokens, the singing group best known for their hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” died on Nov. 24 at his home in Studio City, Calif.
He was 70, according to The NYTimes. His family announced his death in a statement but did not specify the cause.
Mr. Margo was only 13 in 1960 when he and his brother, Phil, joined the Linc-Tones, who soon renamed themselves the Tokens. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” the group’s biggest hit, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in 1961 and one week in 1962.
Margo played piano in those early years, and over the years established himself as a multi-instrumentalist, also playing guitar, bass, drums and percussion.
The group wrote a number of its songs — Mr. Margo, his brother and the Tokens’ Hank Medress collaborated on the group’s first hit, “Tonight I Fell in Love” — but not “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” That song was based on a 1939 recording, “Mbube” — Zulu for “The Lion” — by the South African musician Solomon Linda and his group the Original Evening Birds.
Pete Seeger recorded a version in the 1950s as “Wimowe,” which is how he sang the original lyric “mbube” (pronounced EEM-boo-beh). The American songwriter George David Weiss reworked it in 1961, adding the lyrics “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.” That’s the version made famous by the Tokens.
The Tokens’ other hits in the 1960s included “I Hear Trumpets Blow,” “Portrait of My Love” and “He’s in Town.”
The group’s other original member was Jay Siegel, lead on 'The Lion Sleeps'. Other members came and went over the years.
The Tokens also produced records for the Chiffons, the Happenings, Randy and the Rainbows, and Tony Orlando and Dawn. It was Mr. Margo’s idea for the Happenings to do an up-tempo version of the Gershwin brothers’ “I Got Rhythm,” his nephew Noah Margo said. The record reached No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart in 1967.
Several songs Mr. Margo wrote or helped write were recorded by other artists, including “Laugh,” released by the Monkees in 1967, and “Slow Dance,” released by the Carpenters in 1989.
➦In 1889...radio/TV/film actress Isabel Randolph was born in Chicago.
In her mid-40’s she hit comedy gold playing Mrs. Uppington for seven seasons of NBC radio’s Fibber McGee and Molly show, a snooty personna she would recreate in movies. She starred in the late-30’s radio soap opera Dan Harding’s Wife, and in the 1940’s had a continuing role in One Man’s Family. In the early days of TV her credits include Our Miss Brooks, The Andy Griffith Show, Meet Millie, The Abbott & Costello Show, and Perry Mason.
She died Jan. 11 1973 at age 83.
➦In 1915...longtime newscaster Alan Jackson was born in Hot Springs Arkansas.
He was the head anchor at CBS Radio News for over twenty-five years beginning during the Second World War, reading the 6:00 PM national evening news (then the network’s main news program) and anchoring coverage of many of the major news headlines of the day. He anchored the CBS News coverage of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, and of V-E Day in May 1945. He is believed to have been the first to announce the assassination of JFK in 1963.
Alan Jackson retired from CBS in or before 1981.
Deanna Durbin "Something In The Wind" 1947
➦In 1921...Actress/singer Deanna Durbin was born Edna Rae Durbin in Winnipeg.
She had a short but successful film career, retiring at age 29 just at the start of the TV era. However she has genuine radio credentials as a singing star of the popular Eddie Cantor Show.
Having retired to France she died there in April 2013 at age 91.
➦In 1923...WEAF radio began broadcasting the "Eveready Hour". It was a variety show.
➦In 1932...The famous opening was heard for the first time. “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. North and South America and all the ships at sea. Let’s go to press!” The Walter Winchell Show, later The Jergens Journal and still later, Kaiser-Frazer News, was first heard on the NBC Blue network.
Winchell kept that gossip show going on the radio for 23 years.
➦In 1933...one of America’s great radio soap operas made the leap to the big time. Ma Perkins moved from WLW Cincinnati to the NBC Red network. The show proved to be so popular that, for a while it was carried on both CBS and NBC simultaneously! Virginia Payne played the title role throughout the show’s 27-year run.
➦In 1944...In Nashville at the WSM Radio studios, Eddy Arnold recorded four songs, including "Cattle Call," at his first recording session.
➦In 1944...Beach Boys drummer, keyboardist and songwriter Dennis Wilson was born on this day in 1944. He drowned on Dec. 28, 1983 at 39. Dennis Wilson interview with Pete Fornatale on WNEW-FM, New York City, November 1976.
➦In 1954...the song “Mr. Sandman” by the Chordettes topped the charts and stayed there for 7 weeks.
➦In 1954...Billboard magazine reported that the New York Supreme Court had denied radio disc jockey Alan Freed any further use of the nickname "Moondog." Freed had been sued for infringement by New York street musician Louis T. Hardin, who claimed prior ownership of the nickname.
➦In 1957...Because of the furor created by Elvis Presley's recently released Christmas album, radio station CKWS in Kingston, Ontario plays the album in its entirety, opening the phones to public comment. Most listeners approve of the album.
➦In 1965..."Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)" by The Byrds hit number one on the pop singles chart.
Harry Wismer
➦In 1967...nationally-known sportscaster Harry Wismer died at age 54. His career began at WJR Detroit; he went on to do radio play-by-play of Notre Dame and Washington Redskins football. He was a charter owner of the AFL, with the New York franchise (Titans) that became the Jets.
But he died broke, from a combination of depression, cancer & alcoholism ..following a fall.
➦In 1967...WCBS 880 AM expands "All News" format to midnight.
By the late 1950s and early 1960s, 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.
William S. Paley
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.
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.
➦In 1970…Frank Reynolds co-anchored the "ABC Evening News" with Howard K. Smith for the final time. Reynolds commented on the switch saying, "Due to circumstances beyond my control, the unemployment statistics rose yesterday." Harry Reasoner, formerly of CBS News and "60 Minutes," replaced Reynolds.
➦In 1989...Howard Hoffman and Stephanie Miller first show at WQHT
KHAK 98.1 FM morning host Ryan 'Brain' Brainard is recovering at home after breaking his back in a fall last week. He was released from the hospital on Tuesday evening, four days after falling from a ladder. reports Patch.
Brainard co-hosts the morning show "Brain and Courtlin" on the country music station, where he has worked for 21 years. He told listeners in an on-air call Wednesday that he hopes to return to work this week. He says he is sporting "a very attractive back brace" he will need to wear through the holidays and he requires the use of a walker.
Brainard's fall fractured the first lumbar vertebra — the uppermost of five lumbar bones in the lower back and the one that supports the upper body. He said physicians do not expect him to require surgery, but he has had to relearn to walk and to do things in new and creative ways.
KHAK 98.1 Fm (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
"I can kind of laugh about it now," he said while still hospitalized. "It wasn't very much fun Friday when they taught me how to pee lying down, but you know what, I'm happy I'm at that phase," he laughed.
