Trump Wants FCC To Fine Fox Pundit

Donald Trump is still refusing to appear on the Fox News Channel -- but apparently his self-imposed boycott doesn't prohibit watching the channel's shows.

The Washington Post reports Trump exploded on Twitter on Wednesday night after National Review editor Rich Lowry appeared on Fox and used some rather, well, colorful language to describe exactly how Carly Fiorina bested Trump at last week's Republican presidential debate.

"Let's be honest: Carly cut his balls off with the precision of a surgeon -- and he knows it," Lowry said on The Kelly File.

Host Megyn Kelly was shocked. "You can't say that!" she said, before covering her eyes with a hand. "You can't say that."


Trump quickly exploded on Twitter and wrote in a tweet:

.@FoxNews owes me an apology for allowing clueless pundit @RichLowry to use such foul language on TV. Unheard of!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2015

Trump won't have much luck getting Lowry to pay up for his anatomical comment, as the Federal Communications Commission only polices indecent programming on radio and television -- not cable television, where viewers have greater control over their programming options.

Broadcasters Pushing Translators For AMs

Two former FCC commissioners — one from each major political party — are urging the commission to let more U.S. AM radio stations apply for FM translators. Separately, NAB attorneys met last Friday with FCC staff to press the case and also push back on the notion that a translator window may constitute free spectrum for AM operators.

RadioWorld reports Former Acting Chairman Michael Copps, a Democrat, and former Commissioner Robert McDowell, a Republican, wrote a Op-Ed piece for The Hill. They said the FCC should follow through with the proposal to open a translator application window, an idea that Chairman Tom Wheeler has met with skepticism.

“Since the FCC first allowed AM stations to use translators in 2011, about 20 percent of AM stations have been able to find, buy and use an existing translator to improve their service, and in turn, cement their financial footing — a development the FCC has called an ‘unqualified success,’” Copps and McDowell wrote, urging the commission now to expand that as part of its AM revitalization program.

“Any other steps the FCC may take to help AM radio, no matter how well intentioned, would be relatively small change compared to an AM-only translator window, and do little to meet the FCC’s expressed goal of revitalizing AM radio.”

The National Association of Broadcasters circulated the Copps/McDowell commentary to media outlets and issued a statement from Executive Vice President of Communications Dennis Wharton:

“NAB hopes the chairman will listen clearly to the bipartisan calls from past and current FCC members calling for meaningful revitalization of AM radio.” NAB cited recent news reports indicating that Wheeler “is the only FCC commissioner who opposes this exclusive application window.” 

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Survey: FM Would Be Missed, But Not AM Radio

Radio isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but most people wouldn’t care if AM radio were to go extinct.

Among listeners 18-64, 51 percent say they would not miss AM radio at all if it went away, according to a survey from the research and strategy firm Mark Kassof & Co.

MediaLife reports just 11 percent said they would miss AM radio a lot, while 17 percent said they’d miss it somewhat, 18 percent said they would miss a little and 2 percent didn’t know (percentages don’t add up to 100 due to rounding).

Of course that’s not the case among listeners who prefer the news/talk format. Among that group, 32 percent would miss AM a lot, 38 percent somewhat and just 19 percent wouldn’t miss it at all.

On the other side of the dial, listeners would have a much tougher time letting go of FM radio.

According to the survey, 46 percent of listeners would miss FM a lot, 29 percent somewhat and 18 percent a little. Just 7 percent said they wouldn’t miss FM at all, and 1 percent didn’t know.

In terms of demographics, listeners age 45-54 would miss FM the most (55 percent said a lot), while just 31 percent of 18-24s said they would miss it a lot.

The survey was conducted online earlier this month among 1,289 respondents.

Milwaukee Radio: Eric Brooks New PD At WTMJ

Eric Brooks

E.W. Scripps/Milwaukee has announced that APD Eric Brooks has been promoted to Program Director at News/Talk WTMJ 620 AM.

Scripps Milwaukee radio operations VP/GM/Scripps VP News-Talk president Tom Langmyer comments, “Eric has been an invaluable partner in handling day-to-day programmingWTMJ responsibilities for WTMJ. In his new and expanded role, he will now lead our content team on a daily basis in programming, news, and sports. Eric will work directly with our fulltime program hosts; the news team; and with the digital content team. Between the recent addition of Dayton Kane as program manager of [co-owned country WKTI] and Eric’s new role with WTMJ, both stations have strong and dedicated programming leadership.”

Brooks remarked, “I have always been humbled to be a part of a prestigious heritage station like WTMJ. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with our team every day; this place is truly special. Our goal always will be to have great local programming and a strong commitment to being ‘Wisconsin’s Radio Station.'”

Before joining WTMJ four years ago as news anchor/producer, Brooks was a news director in Jacksonville, Illinois at WLDS-AM and WEAI-FM.

Pandora Pays Out $500M In Artist Royalties

Internet radio service Pandora Media Inc said it paid nearly $500 million in artist royalties over the past 12 months, bringing the total to more than $1.5 billion in about 10 years.

"It took us nearly nine years to generate the first billion dollars in royalties, and just over a year to increase that total by 50 percent," Chief Executive Brian McAndrews said in a statement on Wednesday.

Pandora has with nearly 80 million active monthly users tuning in to its service for more than 20 hours every month on average.

“We are very passionate about our mission to help artists find their audience and help listeners find their music - music they love, that moves them, that they personally connect with - and we are achieving significant momentum,” said Brian McAndrews, Chairman & CEO of Pandora. “It took us nearly nine years to generate the first billion dollars in royalties, and just over a year to increase that total by 50 percent. We are partnering with music makers to fully tap into Pandora’s people, data and technology to unleash the music industry’s full potential. I am proud of our enormous royalty contributions, and our progress on building on a broader vision for the future of music.”

Pandora achieved this milestone due to joint revenue streams flowing from ad-supported and paying subscribers. The combined income from both sources enabled Pandora to monetize its advertising for the benefit of music makers, while additionally drawing monthly payments from listeners who prefer an ad-free experience. This ability to drive royalties to artists from subscription as well as previously untapped advertising revenue streams is integral to Pandora’s mission to unleash the power of music and foster growth for the music industry.

Fox Poll: Republicans Feel Betrayed By The Party

Most Republicans feel betrayed by their party -- and show their displeasure by supporting outsiders over establishment candidates in the GOP presidential race.

Real-estate mogul Donald Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are the favorites in the Republican race in the latest Fox News national poll on the 2016 election.  Neither has held elected office before and yet the two of them -- together with businesswoman Carly Fiorina -- capture the support of more than half of GOP primary voters.

On the Democratic side, support for Vice President Joe Biden -- who is still considering a run -- has almost doubled since August.  But make no mistake: Hillary Clinton remains the frontrunner.



Trump stays on top with 26 percent among GOP primary voters, followed by Carson at 18 percent.  Fiorina and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio are next, tied at 9 percent.  All four have gained ground. After the August Fox News debate, Trump had 25 percent, while Carson had 12 percent, Fiorina 5 percent and Rubio 4 percent.

Trump holds his leader status even though he was once again rated in the poll as having done the worst job in the debate. Fiorina, Rubio and Carson receive positive marks for their performances.

The appeal of outsiders comes from significant dissatisfaction with the party establishment:  62 percent of Republican primary voters feel “betrayed” by politicians in their party, and another 66 percent say the recent Republican majorities in Washington have failed to do all they could to block or reverse President Obama’s agenda.  For comparison, 40 percent of Democratic primary voters feel betrayed by their party.

Piolin Poll Releases Hispanic Voting Preferences

Eddie Sotelo

Alliance Radio Networks today announced the results of the first polling period for the Piolin Presidential Poll, which tracks Hispanic Americans’ voting preferences for the 2016 U.S. Presidential election on a weekly basis.

One of the most widely recognized Hispanic radio personalities in the U.S.-- Radio Hall of Famer and author Eddie Sotelo-- known to millions as “Piolin”-- and his nationally syndicated weekday morning radio show, El Show de Piolin, kicked off the Piolin Presidential Poll by surveying tens of thousands of Hispanic Americans, representing one of the largest and most representative Presidential Polls of Hispanic American voters.

Respondents submitted their responses to a single question—“Whom do you plan to vote for for President of the United States?”— via www.elshowdepiolin.net and on Piolin’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/elshowdepiolin).

According to the online poll tracking respondent preferences for the Republican Presidential candidates for the week of Wednesday, September 16 through Tuesday, September 22, 2015:

• 50.9% of respondents said that they planned to vote for Gov. Jeb Bush
• Senator Marco Rubio came in at a distant second, with 16.7% of respondents.
• Behind Rubio was Dr. Ben Carson, with 12% of respondents
• 9.3% of respondents said that they planned to vote for Donald Trump
• 4.6% said that they planned to vote for Senator Ted Cruz. 

Carly Fiorina and Senator Rand Paul each came in at 1.9% with respondents, while Governors Chris Christie, John Kasich and George Pataki followed behind at 0.9% each.

The Piolin Presidential Poll will be conducted every week until the 2016 Presidential Elections and will alternate between parties each week. Polling for the Democratic Presidential candidates begins today and will run through next Wednesday, September 30. The poll is not scientific, and participation will be driven by on-air and online promotions across Piolin’s massive broadcast, online and social platform, including daily promotions on El Show de Piolin. Only one vote per visitor per poll will be counted by the Piolin Presidential Poll online system.

Piolin said: “The Piolin Presidential Poll will be the bellwether poll for Hispanic voters. It is important to us, as a leading voice for Hispanics, to keep our fingers on the pulse of our community and to keep our listeners fully informed of their choices in this pivotal election. It is most important that we make their voices heard amidst the barrage of information and opinions that will be shared leading up to the election.”

El Show de Piolin is a four-hour weekday Spanish-language radio show that is currently heard on 45 radio stations across the U.S., through a newly announced podcast on PodcastOne.com, and on the El Show de Piolín channel on Tu Visión Canal (www.tuvisioncanal.com/elshowdepiolin).

For more information on El Show de Piolin or contact: Ed Krampf, Alliance Radio Networks, at 310.909.3226.

SLC Radio: KBMG Moves From 106.1 to 106.3 FM

Alpha Media Salt Lake City announced today the frequency move of Latino 106.1 to 106.3. KBMG Latino 106.3 FM will continue to play Spanish CHR and is launching the channel change by giving away $10,000!

Alpha Media Executive VP of Programming, Scott Mahalick commented on the announcement, “Latino 106.1 has proven to be an admirable Spanish station within the Latino community that will be even more powerful with the frequency move to 106.3. Mary Lee, Nelson and the entire Salt Lake City team have put forth remarkable effort in making this move possible. I am confident and excited to continue to see great things from our Salt Lake City Alpha family and Latino 106.3!”

“The frequency move to 106.3 FM is a tremendous opportunity to provide the Latino community with a fresh, innovative product! Latino 106.3 FM is Utah’s exclusive Spanish CHR targeting Millennials and we’re excited to give away $10,000 and a Latin Grammy’s Flyaway in conjunction with the Channel Change,” says Mary Lee Robinson, Market Manager, Alpha Media Salt Lake City.

The stations power output remains at 89 Kw.

BFA raises $235K At Celeb Golf Event

The Broadcasters Foundation of America raised $235,000 at the 2015 Celebrity Golf Tournament, held Monday at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT.  The event is one of the largest annual fundraisers for the charity that provides financial assistance to broadcasters in need.

The funds come at a time when more broadcasters than ever are in need of assistance.  Last year, the Foundation gave away close to $850,000 in grants.

More than 150 broadcasters and celebrities turned out in support of the mission of the Broadcasters Foundation, including famed sportscasters, athletes, and actors.  Celebrity golfers included: Maurice Dubois, WCBS-TV; Rachel Grant, actress and philanthropist; Jay Harris, ESPN; Otis Livingston, WCBS-TV; Sean McDonough, ABC and ESPN; Lonnie Quinn, WCBS-TV; Bruce Beck, NBC -TV; and more.

This year’s Co-Chairs were Paul Karpowitz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Meredith Broadcasting, and Nick Verbitsky, Chairman, United Stations Radio Networks.

Title sponsors of the 2015 event were the Mercedes-Benz Tri-State Dealers and Evercore Wealth Management.  Additional sponsors included NBC, ABC, BMI, CBS Television, The Connors Family Office, ESPN, CBS Radio, The Norman Knight Charitable Foundation, Marketron, Nielsen, Empire Merchants, and others.

The Broadcasters Foundation of America has distributed millions of dollars in aid to thousands of broadcasters and their families who lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease, or unforeseen family tragedy.  Your donation can make a difference in the life of a colleague who has fallen on desperate times.  For more information on applying for a grant or making a donation, please visit www.broadcastersfoundation.org, or call 212-373-8250.

Facebook Debuts 360 Video For News Feed

(Reuters) -- Facebook Inc said its news feed for web and Android platform users will now support 360-degree videos.

A 360 video gives an immersive experience to users by allowing them to view a scene from any angle.

Such videos are created using a special set of cameras that manage to capture all 360 degrees of a scene at the same time.

Support for the iOS platform will follow in the coming months, the company said on Wednesday.

Action camera maker GoPro Inc has posted a video on motocross riding in the Idaho desert, while Vice Media has released a video of on-the-ground reporting in Afghanistan.

Basketball star LeBron James has also uploaded a 360 video, taking viewers behind the scenes during his workouts.

Walt Disney Co has uploaded a video of its upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" movie, which allows viewers to explore the fictional planet Jakku.

Facebook web users can drag a cursor and mobile users can tilt their devices in any direction to experience a 360-degree panorama view.

Anyone can upload 360 videos starting today, but Facebook is not currently allowing users to run ad campaigns with the videos.

jacapps Extends Deal With Radio Express

Radio Express announces that it will exclusively market and sell jacapps branded radio station mobile applications  to radio stations around the globe.

This expands an agreement that Radio Express signed with jacapps in June to market and sell the all new V4 platform to radio stations across Latin America and Africa, which marked the first international sales efforts since the apps’ successful U.S. launch earlier this year. jacapps provides stations with their own branded app on smartphones and other mobile devices at an affordable price.

The apps give stations more than a stream, with integrated social media that allows listeners to see the station’s social stream and interact without ever leaving the app and on-demand content, and deliver a cost-effective solution for stations to get their brands and products onto the mobile devices of millions of consumers and engage their audiences wherever they are.

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Barbara Rounds, President and Chief Executive Officer for Radio Express said: “Radio Express’ global network of established relationships with radio stations across six continents, paired with jacapps’ customizable apps developed especially for radio stations, will enable stations around the world to affordably have their own branded station apps that engage their listeners and differentiate themselves with audiences. It also frees them from any ties to aggregated apps, where their brand is lost in a sea of stations-- and it puts them front and center with their listeners in a meaningful way that maximizes the tremendous social engagement of radio. We are thrilled to take jacapps’ branded station apps to markets around the globe and believe this will be a real game-changer for stations.”

Paul Jacobs, President of jacapps said: “Radio Express hit the ground running, and has kept our development team busy. There is pent-up demand for quality mobile applications worldwide, and the combination of our app platform and Radio Express’ reputation and relationships makes this decision to expand our relationship a no-brainer.”

For more information about jacapps radio apps, contact Bob Kernen at (248) 353-9030 or at Bob@jacapps.com.

Blue Sun Media Launches Mobile Data Collection Tool

Blue Sun Media, a Los Angeles-based creative digital solutions provider, announces that it has launched ActiveBooth, a new ultra-portable mobile photo booth tool specifically designed to drive social media, contesting and data collection at radio station events and promotions.

Blue Sun Media Founder and Managing Director Russ Gilbert and the Blue Sun Media team will be at the NAB Radio Show in Atlanta next week to demonstrate ActiveBooth to interested stations and will be offering ActiveBooth at a reduced rate to 25 stations exclusively in its closed beta test period between October 1 and the end of the year. To apply for this closed beta test of ActiveBooth, register at: www.activebooth.com/radio.

ActiveBooth is the natural evolution of the much-loved photo booth that has been around for decades, and is more akin to a “selfie stick” than traditional event photography booths or set-ups. The easy-to-use digital takeaway is perfect for social sharing, and offers high-resolution photos suitable for printing either on-site or at-home. Stations can capitalize on the opportunity to share their brand messages, images, logos and website URL on an attractive graphic overlay that will be presented on every photograph taken by the booth. Users of the booth then share the branded photos with the rest of their friends on their social networks.

Russ Gilbert, Founder and Managing Director of Blue Sun Media, said: “From the first time we took ActiveBooth into the field we started getting questions from users and station clients on how they could get it for themselves.  After very successful trials with radio stations, agencies, and several major brands it’s very exciting to be bringing the technology to the industry at large.”

Mike Glickenhaus, President and Market Manager, Broadcast Company of the Americas said: “ActiveBooth was actually originally developed for a client of Mighty 1090 and has branched out from there. The app was a great success for us at the time and we’ve continued to use it for station and client events ever since.”

For more information about ActiveBooth, visit: www.activebooth.com/radio or contact Russ Gilbert at: 323-596-1701 or at: russ@bluesunmedia.com.