LiveXLive Media, Inc. has announced that it has entered into a merger agreement to acquire SNAP Interactive, Inc, a leading provider of live video social networking and interactive dating applications.
As of June 30, 2017, SNAP had approximately 179,000 premium subscribers and approximately 45,000 new users joining per day. SNAP's revenue streams include subscriptions, virtual gifts, micro-transactions, and advertising. SNAP's history of innovation is well documented as a holder of 26 patents in video conferencing and gaming.
"We are building a unique, highly differentiated destination for music fans globally and are excited to add SNAP's robust live video expertise and technology, intellectual property and user base to the LiveXLive family," said LiveXLive's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Robert Ellin. "LiveXLive is committed to becoming a live social music network with experiential tools and features from SNAP to power our video content and live streams for music lovers," continued Mr. Ellin.
Andy Schuon
"SNAP is pleased to be joining one of the newest and most disruptive names in music and live video entertainment. Our 18 years of pioneering technology in live video social networking applications is a perfect fit to power LiveXLive's vision. We look forward to being an integral part of an exciting LiveXLive ecosystem," remarked SNAP's Chairman of the Board, Jason Katz.
In addition, the premium live-streaming network has just announced a new acquisition: Slacker Radio.
LiveXLive Media also announced that they’ve appointed a new president, Andy Schuon. Alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs, he helped co-found Revolt TV. Schuon is also an experienced radio veteran. He has developed successful radio programs, including Los Angeles’ KROQ-FM's‘Kevin & Bean.’
At the premium live-streaming network, Schuon will now oversee all of the company’s divisions, including social media influencers and its live music lifestyle video service.
In his first move as President, Andy Schuon has acquired Slacker Radio.
Speaking about Schuon’s appointment and Slacker’s acquisition, Robert Ellin, CEO and Chairman of LiveXLive Media, said, “Andy joins us at a perfect time to lead this latest acquisition of Slacker Radio and direct the company overall.”
The acquisition will accelerate the company’s efforts to deliver world-class entertainment, information, and music content.
Slacker Radio has worked as a key innovator in the music streaming market. The company has provided a personalization platform for both Samsung and Tesla.
With the acquisition, both companies will combine content programming teams. The teams will work together to create a network of both audio and video channels across mobile, TV apps, and in-car entertainment systems.
Speaking about the acquisition, Andy Schuon, said, “I walked into a radio station at 16, and it became who I am, not what I do. To continue to have the opportunity to shape the future of music streaming services and streaming radio with a leading platform like Slacker Radio is incredibly exciting,”
The premium live-streaming network will acquire Slacker through a merger of wholly owned subsidiary LXL Music Acquisition. The aggregate purchase price is $50 million, consisting of both cash and stock.
Envision Networks has announced a partnership with Skid Trax to offer The Ashley & Brad Show on barter.
Ashley & Brad, a Los Angeles based morning show duo provide their top market talent to radio stations nationwide with a daily voice tracked show offered at www.skidtrax.net. The show targets the 25 to 54 audience with current topics and humor. Radio stations’ music playlists will remain intact; they’ll simply add Ashley & Brad voice tracks. For markets that have had challenges finding an entertaining morning show team, these two personalities are a great option for radio stations.
“Programmers have already found The Ashley & Brad Show to be fun and entertaining, so the possibility of partnering with Envision Networks to offer even more stations to come aboard through a barter option means more listeners will get a chance to hear Ashley & Brad in their markets.
Anytime you can put a smile on people’s faces and keep them entertained is always a plus” said Tonya Campos, Skid Trax Co-Founder.
Hosts Ashley Paige and Brad Abrell are both a part of the Los Angeles radio market. Ashley has made stops at KZLA and KKGO. Brad is a Los Angeles based on-camera actor, voice over actor and radio host, with past on-air duties at WMMO Orlando and WZTA Miami. The duo is currently the morning show for KWSV-LP 99.1 FM The Ranch, Simi Valley CA.
“We’re happy to have Envision Networks share our excitement about The Ashley & Brad Show. Using Envision’s infrastructure and network reach, we will now have the ability to offer a top notch show that will bolster any daypart” said Skid Trax Operations Manager and Co-Founder, Michael Raffety.
Stations interested in adding The Ashley & Brad Show to their programming should contact
Amber Wade at amberw@envisionradio.com or 216-831-3761.
After months of looking for a buyer and experimenting with a new on-demand streaming service, Pandora is trying to become the old Pandora again by refocusing its efforts on ad-supported radio, reports Barron's Next. Though the stock is down more than 35% so far this year, some think the old-school focus could give shares a jolt.
Ad-supported radio isn’t as cool as on-demand streaming these days, but there’s still demand among advertisers for audio spots, and Pandora looks well-positioned to keep capturing those dollars, according to Needham analyst Laura Martin. “The most undervalued asset at Pandora is the fact that the company now represents nearly 70% of total digital audio advertising ad units,” she writes. “Consequently, any brand or agency that wants to buy targeted audio ads must buy them from Pandora.”
Martin is encouraged by Pandora’s efforts to introduce new types of ads that can fetch premium prices from advertisers. These include shorter, 15-second spots as well as ads that give users the option of watching a video spot in order to get an hour of free listening afterwards.
Finally, there are big opportunities for the company to cut costs. Martin thinks that the shift back to ad-supported radio will enable Pandora to negotiate better terms with the record labels over the next two years.
Stormfront, the Internet-based white nationalist organization, has stopped using a Johnny Cash recording of Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne's song "I Won't Back Down," as the theme music to its weekday audio program Stormfront Radio. The organization received a cease-and-desist letter on Sept. 5 from Universal Music Group (UMG) and American Recordings, the record label which owns the Cash recording, and whose output is pressed and distributed by UMG subsidiary Republic Records.
Roseanne Cash
NPR has obtained a copy of the UMG/American Recordings letter. It was addressed to the Rense Radio Network, which posts Stormfront Radio's content online, and to Don Black, the founder of Stormfront and a former Ku Klux Klan leader. Despite its name, Rense Radio Network does not appear to have any radio broadcast facilities or capacities; its content is at this time apparently distributed via personal websites and various YouTube channels.
In the letter, UMG/American claims that Stormfront Radio is "unlawfully exploiting" Cash's recording, and notes that as of the time its letter was sent, the Cash recording was also included in "hundreds of archived and downloadable copies" of Stormfront Radio's past shows. In the letter, UMG/American write that the labels "have not licensed, granted permission, or otherwise authorized either Rense Radio Network or Mr. Black" to use the Cash recording. UMG declined to comment for this report.
The UMG/American letter was sent nearly a month after Roseanne Cash posted an open letter on Facebook on behalf of herself and her siblings Kathy, Cindy, Tara and John that condemned a "self-proclaimed neo-Nazi" who wore a Johnny Cash shirt as he marched at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va.
In his heyday, James Vaughn was the voice of New York City radio, but the Spartanburg, SC native got his start in his hometown.
Vaughn, 87, died Monday in Bellaire, Fla. His oldest son, James Robert Vaughn Jr., said his father’s love of radio and the legacy he left behind will live on in those who knew him.
“He had a really big, deep classic radio voice,” he said. “To me, dad was just dad. It was just a job that he had ... I know others found that fascinating, but for us it was just kind of the soundtrack of our lives.”
Vaughn dipped his toes into the broadcast pool at 17, after the band director at Spartanburg High School suggested he apply for a job at a local radio station, WSPA. That led to a disc jockey job for the afternoon show on WORD.
“He was working with all these older guys who’d been on the radio for years, and he was 18 and already had an on-air job,” Vaughn Jr. said.
Vaughn later obtained an on-air position back at WSPA and hosted a segment for children on WSPA TV called “Treasure Hunt” where he dressed as a pirate named Captain R.C.
Though he went on to work for radio stations in Pennsylvania and Florida, he is best known as Robert Vaughn during his time at All-News WCBS 880 AM in New York City, in the ’70s and ’80s.
Sean Adams, a business-trained, California-born athlete who transformed himself into a motivational speaker and one of Austin’s most unique, unstoppable sports radio voices at iHM's KVET 1300 AM, died Thursday after an apparent heart attack.
Adams was widely admired for his dogged perseverance to stay on the air through the years with various Austin stations in the rough-and-tumble sports talk industry.
Adams got his first shot at radio in June 2007 and landed with 1300 The Zone in July 2014. He currently worked as the morning host with Chip Brown, another longtime Longhorns reporter. Together, Adams and Brown hosted “The Bottom Line” from 6-9 a.m.
A message posted on The Zone’s Twitter account said, “Sean Adams was an amazing colleague, an admired talent and a respected member of our Austin family. Our hearts are grieving. We will miss him dearly, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Adams wrote two books. His first was published in 2006 titled “Sports for Life: Daily Sports Themes for Life Success.” His second book was published in 2010 titled “It’s Okay to be Crazy” and focused on keeping a positive attitude.
Over the years, Adams he was a regular on various UT-related media outlets, including the Longhorn Network, ESPN.com and Inside Texas.
➦In 1907...radio & TV host Jack Bailey was born in Hampton Iowa. He will always be indelibly identified with the sob story show “Queen for a Day”. The program was simulcast on both radio & TV for much of its 1945-62 run. Bailey died in 1980 from cancer at age 72. ➦In 1907...announcer Jimmy Wallington was born in Rochester New York. He became one of the most in-demand commercial spokesmen during the bigtime radio era and the early days of TV. Among the programs he worked on were The Big Show, The Fred Allen Show a.k.a. Texaco Star Theater, The Life of Riley, Screen Director’s Playhouse, The Eddie Cantor Show, The Jimmy Durante Show and Duffy’s Tavern. His last radio assignments were as a staff announcer at the Voice of America.
Wallington died at Arlington Virginia Dec. 22 1972 at age 65.
Blondie, Dagwood
➦In 1908...actress Penny Singleton was born Mariana McNulty. She made a career out of playing the comic strip character Blondie in B movies & on radio.
She died Nov 12, 2003 at age 95.
➦In 1915...actor & announcer John Conte was born in Palmer Mass. He was the radio voice of Chase & Sanborn Coffee on the Burns & Allen & Baby Snooks radio programs, on TV he appeared in such shows as The Untouchables, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Your Show of Shows and Studio One.
Conte, who ended up a Calif. TV station owner, died Sept. 4 2006, a few days short of his 91st birthday.
➦In 1934...NBC radio introduced “The Gibson Family” to American audiences. Ernest Whitman and Eddie Green were featured members of the large cast and were billed as ‘network radio’s only colored comedians’. Proctor & Gamble’s hopes for the show were not realized, as it turned into an expensive bust. ➦In 1934...the Mutual Broadcast System was formed.
The three national radio networks already in operation—the Columbia Broadcasting System and the National Broadcasting Company's NBC Red and NBC Blue—were corporate controlled: programming was produced by the network (or by advertising agencies of program sponsors that purchased airtime on the network) and distributed to affiliates, most of which were independently owned. In contrast, the Mutual Broadcasting System was run as a true cooperative venture, with programming produced by and shared between the group's members.
The majority of the early programming, from WOR and WGN, consisted of musical features and inexpensive dramatic serials.
WOR had The Witch's Tale, a horror anthology series whose "hunner-an'-thirteen-year-old" narrator invited listeners to "douse all [the] lights. Now draw up to the fire an' gaze into the embers ...gaaaaze into 'em deep!... an' soon ye'll be across the seas, in th' jungle land of Africa ... hear that chantin' and them savage drums?" WGN contributed the popular comedy series Lum and Abner. Detroit's WXYZ provided The Lone Ranger, which had debuted in 1933 and was already in demand. It is often claimed that Mutual was launched primarily as a vehicle for the Western serial, but Lum and Abner was no less popular at the time.
What WLW brought was sheer power; billing itself as "The Nation's Station," in May 1934 it had begun night broadcasting at a massive 500,000 watts, ten times the clear-channel standard.
➦In 1948...WHN 1050 AM switched call letters to WMGM.
WHN became WMGM, to reflect the Loew’s then-ownership of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio. The station continued its diversified format until flipping to Top 40 and rock music in the mid 1950s. While it included some R&B, country and instrumentals in the Top 40 mix, WMGM carried a narrower, more up-tempo playlist.
By the early 1960s, WMGM 1050 AM had several competitors in the Top 40 radio market. WINS, WABC and WMCA all were playing rock, and WMGM was falling behind in the ratings.
Storer Broadcasting bought the station in 1962, renaming it WHN and dropping the Top 40 in favor of slow-paced “beautiful music” and standards. Here’s what the switchover sounded like:
➦In 1959...Some in the record business were having apprehensions about the transistor radio, because teens can listen longer and almost anywhere they go - and that could hurt record sales!
Marty Salkin - a VP at Decca Records believes the pocket-sized radios are having animpact on record sales, “You see a lot of the kinds walking around listening to them all day long, which could mean they are notbuying records.”
Arnold Maxim of MGM Records says, “It’s no longer considered the smart thing among teenagers to be a collector of records. It’s much smarter now to be so familiar with the local top-40 jockey- because you listen all the time on your portable radio - that you can tell exactly what time he’s gong to play a certain record, because you know when he played it yesterday and the day before. Somehow, we have to recreate the disk-buying habit with teenagers or tomorrow’s market for LP’s is endangered.”
➦In 1959...Grahame Richards, national programming director for the Storz radio chain, offers Elvis Presley a job when he’s released from the Army in February. He did so, by writing a letter to Col. Tom Parker, Presley’s manager.
➦In 1959...Top 40 1010 WINS, New York will give 250 silver dollars to the listener who guesses the first time the temperature drops to freezing
➦In 1961...The Pendletones, a quintet from nearby Hawthorne, CA, auditioned for Los Angeles music publishers with a version of a folk song called "Sloop John B." The suits, however, are more interested with an original song the group mentions, a novelty called "Surfin'," kicking off the career of the band that would soon come to be The Beach Boys.
➦In 1964... Joe O’Brien , morning man at top-rated WMCA 570 AM, New York, plays “We Have No Bananas Today” after the kidnapping of mobster Joseph “Bananas” Bonanno
➦In 1965...Ford became the first American car company to offer 8-track tape players in its new models; however, the lack of home players means that car buyers must visit the Ford dealership
➦In 1965...WJRZ 970 AM Newark, NJ changed to country music
➦In 1965...The 107.5 frequency in New York City signed on in July 1951 as WEVD-FM, simulcasting its sister station at 1330 AM. Within a few years, WEVD-FM moved to 97.9, and 107.5 went off the air.
Several years later the New Broadcasting Company, then-owners of WLIB, was awarded a construction permit for the dormant frequency and on September 15, 1965 reactivated 107.5 as WLIB-FM. As the Federal Communications Commission recently instituted a rule prohibiting full-time AM/FM simulcasting in large markets, WLIB-FM was programmed with a jazz music format.
The stations were split up in 1972, when Inner City Broadcasting purchased WLIB-AM; WLIB-FM was then renamed WBLS. Inner City reunited the pair with its purchase of WBLS in 1974.
In 1993, Calvin O. Butts III, pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, led a threat to boycott the station if they played any form of gangsta rap. Butts' protests culminated in his bulldozing a pile of hip-hop recordings during a rally. In response to the protests, WBLS excised most hip hop music from its air and carefully screened what it did play for content and language.
In 1995, after WRKS was purchased by Emmis Communications and dropped all hip-hop music in favor of a similar adult R&B format, WBLS countered with a controversial advertising campaign labeling WRKS as a "plantation station." WBLS shortly reverted to urban contemporary, only to exit again in 2004 when WBLS switched to urban adult contemporary.
WBLS acquired WRKS's intellectual property in a merger of the two outlets announced on April 26, 2012 with a joint statement on both stations' respective websites. In addition to acquiring WRKS's intellectual property, WBLS and WLIB also moved into Emmis's New York production facility in the West Village section of Manhattan, into studio space vacated by WRKS during the week of May 21, 2012.
On February 11, 2014, Emmis Communications announced it would purchase WBLS and WLIB from YMF Media LLC for $131 million, pending final approval from the Federal Communications Commission. The purchase was consummated on June 10, 2014.
➦In 1969... Portland, Oregon finally gets another fulltime top-40 station to challenge KISN 910 AM, as KGW 630 AM switches to the format from MOR. The market also has KPAM, a daytimer.
➦In 1969...KMPC 710 AM, Los Angeles deejay Roger Carroll will do the announcing chores for “The Brass Are Coming” - a Herb Alpert special on NBC-TV, October 29.
Gus Gossert
➦In 1969...New York City will get its sixth rock station as WCBS 101.1 FM announces it will go rock October 6. Program Director Gus Gossert says the sound will be half hit singles and half album cuts. The city already had WABC, WMCA, WOR-FM, WNEW-FM, WABC- FM.
WCBS-FM 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.
Original Oldies Years and Greatest Hits
WCBS-FM was never successful with their rock format, competing with stations such as WPLJ (the other former WABC-FM) and WNEW-FM had most of the rock audience. As a result, WCBS-FM switched to oldies on July 7, 1972, becoming one of the first full-time stations in the country to use that format. The change coincided with rival WOR-FM's decision to drop pre-1964 oldies from its playlist a few months prior (as they became WXLO). Johnny Michaels, formerly of WMCA, played the first record, Dion's "Runaround Sue". The entire staff from the rock format remained at the station.
➦In 1979...On The Album Charts..In Through the Out Door took just two weeks to get to #1, jumping from 10 to 1 for Led Zeppelin. One of the group's finest career albums toppled Get the Knack from the Knack. Candy-O by the Cars came in third while Breakfast in America hadn't fallen further than #4 in its 25th week.
The rest of the Top 10: Million Mile Reflections from Charlie Daniels Band, Chic & Risque, I Am by Earth, Wind & Fire, Midnight Magic, the breakthrough album by the Commodores, speaking of breakthroughs, Michael Jackson moved from 23-9 with Off the Wall and the hilarious Robin Williams had #10 with Reality...What a Concept.
➦In 1979...On The Hot 100...The Knack tightened their grip on #1 with "My Sharona". Earth, Wind & Fire edged up to 2 and the Charlie Daniels Band reached #3 with "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". ELO remained at 4 with "Don't Bring Me Down" while Maxine Nightingale had song #5--"Lead Me On".
The rest of the Top 10: Robert John and "Sad Eyes", the Little River Band with "Lonesome Loser", Dionne Warwick was up to #8 with "I'll Never Love This Way Again", Chic tumbled with "Good Times" and the Commodores reached the Top 10 for the sixth time with "Sail On". ➦In 1989...Arbitron Ratings
New York Radio – WHTZ is #1 rising 5.8-6.1… easy WPAT AM/FM – 5.9-5.6… WLTW – 5.5-5.6… WCBS-FM – 4.7-4.6… WNEW-FM – 4.3-4.2… WPLJ (Power 95 – 3.4-3.7. Mornings – WINS (all news) – 8.2… Z100 and WOR – 6.4 share.
Los Angeles Radio – KPWR (Power 106) – 7.2-6.7… KOST – 6.6… KIIS AM/FM – 5.3-5.9… Pirate Radio (KQLZ) – 5.4-5.6.. KABC 5.0-4.6…… KLOS – 3.8-3.9…
L-A Mornings – Rick Dees – 6.5-6.9… Jay Thomas 6.5-6.1… Mark & Brian – 6.3-6.5 … Scott Shannon – 4.2-4.3
➦In 1989...Bright A/C KKBT 92.3 FM debuts in Los Angeles. It had been classical KFAC-FM for many years. Comedian Paul Rodriquez and Ron O’Brien are part of its airstaff.
➦In 1991...one of the great announcers of network radio (and Pathe Newsreels,) Andre Baruch died at age 83. Your Hit Parade, The Shadow, The Kate Smith Hour & American Album of Familiar Music were among the many big-time radio shows he regularly worked on.
➦In 2013…San Diego radio/TV personality (KPOP and KFMB-TV in San Diego, WCFL, WIND, WMAQ, WRRL, WNMP, WFLD-TV and WMAQ-TV in Chicago, WPGC-Washington, KYW/WKYC-Cleveland) Jerry G. Bishop died following a heart attack at 77.
A day after breaking his silence and saying that he would come back stronger than ever, Craig Carton has resigned from WFAN.
In a statement released through a publicist Wednesday night, the morning radio co-host of “Boomer and Carton” explained his decision a week after being arrested on charges that he was behind a $5.6 million Ponzi scheme to repay his own gambling debts.
“Unfortunately, the unfounded legal issues currently plaguing me will only be a distraction to everyone at WFAN and the show I helped build,” the statement read. “With that in mind, I have submitted my resignation to the station and they accepted. I am sad to see this chapter of my life close but know that it will allow me to focus on my family, my well-being and clearing my name, while giving the show the best opportunity to succeed without further disruption.
“I’ve always felt a personal connection to our listeners and want to thank them for making me a part of their daily routine. I hope they can respect the fact that as much as I want to talk about the allegations against me I can’t at this time. There will come a time when I will be able to speak directly about the case and I hope our listeners will be there.”
Carton, who had been suspended from the station since the day he was arrested, thanked his family, friends, listeners and executives at WFAN and CBS Radio after a 10-year run at his “dream job.”
The NY Post reports Carton is facing charges of conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud for allegedly taking money from investors for a sham ticket-reselling operation that promised big returns, Carton and co-defendant Michael Wright could face up to 45 years in jail if convicted.
Carton was released on $500,000 bail and his lawyer, Robert C. Gottlieb, has called the government’s allegations “a gross misunderstanding of what happened.”
The case may not go to trial until mid-to-late 2018, according to white-collar criminal attorney Richard Roth of the Roth Law Firm in New York.
With Carton officially out at WFAN, the station will need to fill his spot. Phil Simms has been one of the fill-ins alongside Boomer Esiason in the interim. Potential candidates include Simms, his son Chris Simms, Kim Jones, Chris Carlin, Evan Roberts and Sid Rosenberg.
The station already was searching for a replacement for Mike Francesa, who is set to leave the station after 30 years when his contract expires on Dec. 15, but he told The Post on Tuesday he was willing to discuss delaying the departure.
Here is the statement released by Carton:
“For 10 years I’ve had the great privilege of showing up to work every day at my dream job. I have nothing but love and respect for my co-host, the show and the entire CBS Radio family and I’ve always tried to represent them in the best possible light.
Unfortunately, the unfounded legal issues currently plaguing me will only be a distraction to everyone at WFAN and the show I helped build. With that in mind, I have submitted my resignation to the station and they accepted. I am sad to see this chapter of my life close but know that it will allow me to focus on my family, my well-being and clearing my name, while giving the show the best opportunity to succeed without further disruption.
I’ve always felt a personal connection to our listeners and want to thank them for making me a part of their daily routine. I hope they can respect the fact that as much as I want to talk about the allegations against me I can’t at this time. There will come a time when I will be able to speak directly about the case and I hope our listeners will be there.
From the bottom of my heart, I’d like to thank my family, friends, listeners and especially the executives at WFAN and CBS Radio for their continued understanding and for giving me the most amazing platform to do what I love to do the most, besides being with my family.”
In response, CBS Radio a short statement:
“WFAN has accepted Craig Carton’s resignation. We appreciate all of his contributions over the last decade and wish him and his family well during this next phase. We are especially grateful to our dedicated employees, sponsors and listeners for their continued support of THE FAN. The search for a replacement co-host for the morning show will begin immediately.”
Gow Media announced today it will launch a new sports radio station, SportsMap 94.1 FM on translator K231CN, on October 1st. The signal will be fed via ESPN 97.5 KFNC-HD2.
The new station will be Gow’s second signal on the FM band, as the company also runs ESPN 97.5 FM. As part of this launch, Gow will lease KGOW 1560 AM to another party, and move the lineup of 1560 AM to SportsMap 94.1 FM.
“We are excited to add a second sports station to the FM band,” said David Gow, CEO of Gow Media. “Listenership has been migrating to the FM dial, and we have now secured a strong strategic position with both ESPN 97.5 FM and SportsMap 94.1 FM.”
The lineup on SportsMap 94.1 FM will feature exceptional local talent, including the company’s most recent addition, Charlie Pallilo, who joined Gow Media last month and hosts a show from 11 am-1 pm each weekday. Other Houston-based hosts on the station include Nate Griffin, Patrick Creighton, Barry Warner, Sean Salisbury, Brian Barrett and Robin Carlin. SportsMap 94.1 FM will also air leading national shows from Gow’s own national sports radio network, SB Nation Radio.
Later this month Gow will be announcing details of a new sports site, SportsMap.com, which shares the name of the new station. “We have more sports content creators in our building than anyone in the city, and we have a strong digital platform with CultureMap.com — launching SportsMap.com is a great next step for us,” said Gow.
Gow has tapped Fred Faour, an afternoon drive show host on ESPN 97.5 and former Houston Chronicle Sports Editor, to serve as Editor in Chief of Sportsmap.com.
Gow is bullish about the site’s prospects: “The combined promotional power of all our platforms will propel SportsMap.com to become the leading sports site in Houston.”
K231CN 94.1 FM (99 watts) Red=Local Coverage Area
The imminent additions of SportsMap 94.1 FM and SportsMap.com are the latest in a series of significant moves by Gow Media in 2017, including the acquisition of CultureMap.com; the launch of a new national TV show, The Sean Salisbury Show on BeInSports TV Network; the hiring of Ken Hoffman as a columnist for CultureMap.com and contributor on sports radio; a new content-sharing and cross-promotion partnership with ABC13 KTRK-TV in Houston; and the recent hire of Charlie Pallilo for Gow Media’s sports platforms.
“With a focus on sports and lifestyle content, we are building the leading multi-platform media company in Texas,” said Gow.
Radio host Danny Meyers will be heard in Roanoke once again, according to iHeartMedia announced Wednesday.
Meyers will be the afternoon host for WSNV MIX 93.5, Roanoke's Best Variety, starting September 18. He will host from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, officials say.
His new show will feature a "variety of today's top hits and discussion about national and local news and events."
Meyers will still be Program Director and Morning Host for MOViN 107.7 in Norfolk.
“I’m excited to return to Roanoke on MIX 93.5,” said Meyers. “We’ve got a lot of fun things planned for our listeners and I’m anxious to re-connect with the audience.”
Cumulus Media announces that KQHN-FM in Shreveport launched today as The All New Q97.3 – Shreveport-Bossier’s Best Music!
The station debuted its new HotAC format by playing 97 hours of non-stop, commercial-free music, which will continue through the weekend.
Starting Monday, September 18, The Bert Show will kick off weekday mornings from 6am-10am on Q97.3, followed by The Shawn Dion Show in Afternoon Drive from 3pm-7pm, with Adam Bomb rounding out the daily lineup from 7pm-12am Midnight.
The All New Q97.3 moved from its previous CHR format to play the best music by artists including: Adele, Katy Perry, Train, Pink, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Jason Mraz and more. The station also launched its new website today at: www.Q973Radio.com.
Cody Welling, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-Shreveport/Bossier City, said: “Cumulus is excited to launch The All New Q973, Shreveport-Bossier’s Best Music. This Hot AC format focuses on the needs of our listeners in the community, and our clients. The All New Q973 uniquely positions our group of radio stations in Shreveport and Bossier City to match our diverse community and culture, which we so proudly serve.”
KQHN 97.3 FM (42 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
Chip “The Fat Man” Arledge, Operations Manager, Cumulus Media-Shreveport/Bossier City, said: "We're thrilled to offer a focused and compelling product that focuses on the musical tastes and lifestyle of some beautiful people in our marketplace that have long been ignored and underserved. I'm confident The All New Q97.3 will be a great complement to our listeners' busy lives."
In an amendment filed with the SEC Wednesday, CBS and Entercom have agreed that if this nearly $3 Billion deal to merge the two companies does not take place by January 31, 2018, it can be called off.
According to RadioInk, the amendment also states that the time-frame for closing the deal can also be extended to May 2, 2018. Here is the exact wording of the amendment filed with the FCC…
“Amendment No. 2 provides that, among other things, the Merger Agreement can be terminated by either CBS or Entercom if the Merger has not been consummated as of January 31, 2018. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each of CBS and Entercom has the right to extend such date until May 2, 2018 if, by November 2, 2017, the approval of the Federal Communications Commission has not been obtained or if the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, has not occurred, in each case only if the failure to consummate the Merger is not due to a party’s failure to perform its obligations under the Merger Agreement. However, if as of January 31, 2018, the conditions to the closing of the Merger concerning the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under the HSR Act, the approval of the FCC, the approval of Entercom’s shareholders and the absence of any law or order restraining, enjoining or prohibiting the consummation of the transaction have all been satisfied, CBS may not terminate the Merger Agreement due to the passing of the termination date of the Merger Agreement.”
Entercom CEO David Field has said he expects the deal to close in Q4 of this year. He has been consistent with that expectation.
Media behemoths from Comcast to Disney say they’ve been hit by cord cutting, but CBS’ Les Moonves claims that’s not his company’s problem, according to The NYPost.
“This movement is a positive for us,” the CEO said Thursday at Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia media conference. “We’re different from them.”
Les Moonves
As an example, Moonves estimated that CBS gets $2 a month for each subscriber from a traditional cable company carrying his network, $4 from a skinny bundle and $6 from an over-the-top delivery system.
“[Cord cutters] are not disappearing … They’re just going to other services,” he said.
Moonves said there’s upside, as CBS is still playing catch up on the retransmission fees that cable operators and other multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) pay broadcast networks to carry their programming.
He noted that the $2 per-subscriber fee collected by CBS compares to about $7 for ESPN.
That means CBS collects only 2 percent of the country’s retrans revenue — yet it provides 10 percent of the viewership.
“We’re going to make up that gap,” Moonves said.
Using the CBS hit “Bull” as an example, Moonves put its live audience at 10 million, its audience including three days of delayed viewing at 14 million, its seven-day audience at 16 million and its 35-day audience at more than 18 million — making for an 80 percent increase.
“The better Nielsen gets, the better we get,” he said of the audience-measurement giant.
“The OTT consumer is 20 years younger,” he said, which further distances CBS from the “geezer network” reputation that Moonves insists became obsolete years ago.
