USA Today may cease publishing a daily print edition within the next five or six years, according to Editor in Chief David Callaway, who made the remarks Wednesday during a panel discussion about the “Future of Media,” part of the Internet Week conference.
However, he added that the newspaper will continue publishing some sort of print product for years to come, according to MediaPost.
Owner Gannett is in the midst of spinning off USA Today and the rest of its newspaper division, in order to focus on its more profitable broadcast TV properties. A number of other big publishers have already done something similar, including Tribune Co., E.W. Scripps, and Journal Communications.
If USA Today were to shutter its daily print edition, it would become the second major U.S. newspaper to go online only, following the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which went all digital with drastic personnel cuts in 2009.
Other newspapers have cut back their publishing schedules, including The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press and the New Orleans Times-Picayune, while others have simply closed altogether, including the New York Sun and Rocky Mountain News.
Callaway’s prediction follows a series of print circulation declines for USA Today, one of the country’s few truly national newspapers, along with The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Over the last decade, USA Today’s average weekday print circulation fell by half, from 2.22 million in the six-month period ending September 2004 to 1.08 million for the same period in September 2014, according to the Alliance for Audited Media, previously known as the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
iHeartMedia/Chicago Thursday announced it is adding a music programming staffer Johnnie D as the new assistant program director for two of the radio stations it operates in the market — urban contemporary-formatted WGCI 107.5 FM and urban adult contemporary-formatted WVAZ 102.7 FM.
Johnnie D will begin his new role at the two Chicago radio stations on June 1.
For Johnnie D, the new assignment is a homecoming. He grew up in Chicago, but has spent the majority of his professional career to date working at radio stations elsewhere, including most recently at WVEE-FM in Atlanta, where he was music director and executive producer of "The Ryan Cameron Morning Show with Wanda Smith."
He has also worked at radio stations in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
U.S. attorneys Barbara McQuade and Peter Caplan on behalf of the Federal Goverment have filed a lawsuit against Birach Broadcasting Corp. for failure to pay a fine levied by the FCC
The government seeks payment of the $17,000 fine +interest slapped on Birach in 2012 for public file and tower fencing violations at Classic Country/Talk WCXI 1160 AM in Fenton, MI..
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau says its previous $17,000 fine against Birach Broadcasting Corp. was justified and the penalty has now progressed to a Forfeiture Order.
The original penalty was levied in 2012 after an inspector noticed part of the fence for a two-tower array had separated, creating a gap allowing access to the towers. There was no perimeter fence around the property, either, according to the commission. In addition, part of the fine was levied because the station was missing all quarterly issue/program lists from its public inspection file.
Birach had argued the fine should be cancelled or reduced, telling the bureau it doesn’t own the towers, and so fence upkeep isn’t its “responsibility,” but the broadcaster fixed the fence anyway after it was fined.
The Enforcement Bureau didn’t find any of the licensee’s arguments persuasive, noting in its decision the fence gap is a “serious public safety issue.” The bureau notes the fence requirements apply to AM licensees, not tower owners, and it’s Birach’s responsibility to comply.
iHeartMedia/San Antonio and PD Don Gosselin part company after 11 months. Gosselin programed Country KAJA 97.3 FM & Classic Country KRPT 92.5 FM.
"iHeartMedia/San Antonio and I have mutually agreed to part company," he said. "I wish all the people there nothing but the best and I look forward to watching [KAJA morning personality] Randy Carroll inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in June. I'm going to take some time off before deciding what is next in my career."
Gosselin served iHeartMedia over non-consecutive periods totaling 13 years in markets including Detroit, Toledo, Providence and Springfield, MA. He joined the San Antonio cluster in June after three years at iHM/New Orleans, where he served as cluster OM and PD of Country WNOE.
Gov Chris Christie, assuring reporters that he's still planning a 2016 presidential campaign, delivered a potty-mouthed tirade about the NJ press corps Wed night at the annual off-the-record Legislative Correspondents Dinner - it's a fundraiser for scholarships, supposed to be lighthearted. Christie, in his seventh year, seems to have got sick and tired of it
"Anything that gets me off this f**king stage next year, I'm willing to do anything," Christie said. "Why do you think I might run for president? Cause I don't know what primary is in May 2016 next year, but if I'm at it 1 f**king percent, I will be there."
In past years, Christie has made a video of the event, but Christie told the roomful of reporters that he was done with that. "The reason we don't have a video is that we just don't give a sh*t anymore," Christie said. "We don't give a sh*t about this or any of you." At the top of the list of things Christie didn't care about any longer was Claude Brodesser-Akner, a reporter for NJ.com
Christie pushed back at complaints that reporters aren't told where Christie is at times. "This is a guy who says he doesn't know what I'm doing every day. Then just get the f**k away from me. Every time I turn the corner in NH, you and that beard are there. So here's my suggestion: Open your eyes, clean the sh*t out of your ears, and pay attention."
Thursday morning, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was a special co-host on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike alongside regular host Mike Greenberg and guest hosts Michael Smith and Jemele Hill, who filled in for Mike Golic.
Stevens dished on the use of analytics in the NBA, the best strategy for defending the Warriors, teams' approach to the Draft and Stephen Curry's three-point shooting abilities.
ESPN Audio has debuted The “Golf” Podcast with ESPN.com golf writers Michael Collins and Jason Sobel discussing the action on the course and everything surrounding the game and the athletes. The podcast, which joins ESPN Audio’s extensive offerings of sport-specific and general interest sports podcasts, will be offered bi-weekly and will generally last about 30 minutes.
The first edition was posted May 7 and featured an interview with Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee to discuss his golf game, his challenging of Tiger Woods on Twitter and more. The next edition went online yesterday with ESPN’s Skip Bayless. Topics include his passion for golf, the lack of African Americans on the pro tour and why Rory McIlroy is not the next Tiger Woods.
“Michael and Jason know the game of golf and they know the players, the issues, the scene and the hot topics that surrounds life on the Tour…that’s why ‘golf’ is in quote marks in the title,” said Pete Gianesini, senior director, ESPN Radio programming and digital audio content. “Our podcasts allow fans to listen whenever and wherever they are – all part of our mission to serve sports fans.”
Collins, who joined ESPN.com in 2011 after 10 years as a PGA caddie plus 20 as a stand-up comedian, added, “We can’t wait to deliver a fun, entertaining, and informative golf podcast. Golf is a game played by celebrities and athletes from all walks of life and we’re going to try and talk to them about the connection this game has made between people who otherwise aren’t be connected.”
Sobel, who worked for ESPN from 1997 – 2011 and recently rejoined the company, said, “We'll provide inside analysis, but in a fun way that any golf fan -- or even just any golfer -- can relate to their own games. We're going to speak with non-golfer celebrities about their golf games and professional golfers about everything but their golf games. If you've ever wondered what your favorite PGA Tour player is like away from the course, this will be your chance.”
Benztown’s internationally syndicated Sunday Night Slow Jams and weeknight Slow Jams show announces that—following a successful promotion to sign its 100th affiliate—Slow Jams has signed its 102nd affiliate.
The three stations that affiliated the show concurrently and tied for the distinction of 100th Slow Jams affiliate are: KKST 98.7 in Alexandria, LA; 104.7 KCLD-FM in Minneapolis, MN; and KAJM Mega 104.3 in Phoenix, AZ.
Dozens of industry executives and Slow Jams artists joined Sunday Night Slow Jams Host and creator, R Dub! at Slow Jams’ headquarters in San Diego last Thursday for a blowout celebration party—complete with a taco truck, a live performance from Al B. Sure, a ribbon-cutting for Slow Jams’ new studio, and champagne toast.
R Dub!, Sunday Night Slow Jams Host and President of Fusion Radio Networks, said: “I can’t tell you how humbling it was to be in the company of so many amazing programmers, record execs, syndication professionals and artists last Thursday night. This was above all a ‘thank you party,’ to show gratitude to all of the great people who helped Slow Jams get to 100. Not a day goes by that I don’t stop and appreciate all the folks who contribute to the success of Slow Jams, especially our amazing affiliate Program Directors.”
For more information and to get Sunday Night Slow Jams in your market, visit www.benztown.com/slowjams or contact Masa Patterson at Benztown at mp@benztown.com or (818) 842-4600.
President Barack Obama said Wednesday he plans to renominate Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, best known for her work on improving Internet access schools and increasing spectrum, to a five-year term.
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel was praised Thursday as a "tireless advocate" for increasing access to telecommunications services. Rosenworcel, who has been part of a 3-2 Democratic majority on the commission since 2012 was praised Thursday by fellow Democrats.
"NAB congratulates Commissioner Rosenworcel on her renomination to the FCC," said NAB President Gordon Smith. "She has proven to be a dedicated public servant and a leader in public safety, technology and consumer protection. We appreciate her fair treatment and open door policy toward broadcast-related issues and strongly support her swift confirmation."
Chairman Tom Wheeler issued a statement: “Throughout her entire tenure in public service, Commissioner Rosenworcel has been a tireless advocate for increasing access to crucial telecommunications services and leveraging technology to improve people’s lives. It has been a privilege to serve alongside her, and I know the Commission will continue to benefit from her deep knowledge of the important issues before us and her thoughtful approach to the complex challenges we face.”
Rosenworcel stated, "During my tenure at the agency it has been a tremendous privilege to work with my colleagues, the talented staff of the Commission, and the American people to develop policies that expand access to modern communications and the opportunities of the digital age. I look forward to the United States Senate considering my nomination and the continuing opportunity to serve.”
There are about 75 million people in America ages 18-34. That’s about one Millennial for every Baby Boomer. And a recently published inforgraphic from The Wall Street Journal indicate on average, Millennials watch less TV and spend more time on smartphones than their parents, but there are also marked differences within this young generation.
Some interesting artwork has popped up on the streets surrounding ABC News’ Good Morning America studios in New York City.
First noticed by Washington Free Beacon and the Weekly Standard’s Mark Hemingway, the posters feature Hillary Clinton with a smiling George Stephanopoulos, the ABC News anchor under fire for failing to disclose $75,000 in donations to the Clinton Foundation, along with the words “Pay Pal” and “Donate.”
They were posted near ABC News studios on “Peter Jennings Way” in Manhattan.
Country singer/songwriter Sam Hunt paid a visit to America's Morning Show at the NASH Campus in Nashville earlier this week. Please see attached photo.
The BBC’s global audience has passed 300 million, with television overtaking radio as the most popular platform for international news for the first time in the corporation’s history.
The Guardian reports the number of people tuning in to services such BBC Global News and the BBC World Service hit 308 million a week in the year to the end of March.
Tony Hall, the BBC director general, has set a target global reach for BBC news and entertainment content of 500 million by 2022, meaning the corporation needs to add about 30m per year.
The figures, which includes people looking at news content on the BBC’s Facebook page and on YouTube for the first time, shows that television has overtaken radio as the most popular platform for BBC international news for the first time.
The BBC’s overall weekly global news audience hit 283 million in the year to the end of March, up 7% or 18 million people year on year.
The figures show that the BBC World Service, of which the corporation took over full funding last year, increased its radio audience by 10% to 210 million.
Legendary Akron radio host Chuck Collins died after a long battle with cancer.
He was 62-years-of-age. He chronicled his own battle with brain cancer in an e-book.
Collins was a 40 year veteran of broadcasting in Northeast Ohio, mostly in Akron.
He was a host on N/T WAKR 1590 and served as operations director for Rubber City Radio Group.
Collins, who grew up in Warrensville Heights, started his radio career in Cleveland in 1974 as a producer and part of the morning team on the old "M-105," which later became WMJI. He also worked at WWWE.
He was better known in Akron, where he was program director for WKDD-FM through the 1990s.
In 1900...In New York City, the Associated Press was incorporated as a non-profit news cooperative. In 1922..WGR in Buffalo, NY signed-on...
The history of one of Buffalo's earliest radio stations has its roots at sea. On April 1, 1921 the Governor, a passenger ship, sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean after collision with a freighter, the West Hartland.
The passenger ship’s assigned radio call letters were WGR. Due to maritime superstition, the call sign was never reissued to another ship and reverted to a pool of available call signs for new radio stations.
That same year, the Federal Telephone & Telegraph Company (FTTC), headquartered in a sprawling manufacturing complex in North Buffalo, began marketing its first, completely assembled radio sets. To fill a radio void in the city, and to stimulate sales of their new "high-tech" products, the FTTC applied for (and received) a commercial radio license from the Department of Commerce. The station was named "WGR" after George Rand (founder of Remington Rand), a key investor in the FTTC.
WGR Transmitter Equipment Early '20s
On May 22, 1922, WGR's broadcast operations commenced, beginning nine decades of continuous service to Western New York and Southern Ontario. It is the oldest continuously operating station in Buffalo.
1738 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo - Birthplace of WGR Radio
Published reports say that the first programs on WGR were: a clergyman’s lecture; a concert from Victor’s Furniture Store showroom; and a presentation on the advantages of a college education by Dr. Julian Park, from the University at Buffalo.
In the late 1940s, the station was bought by a consortium of Western New York families known as the WGR Corporation, which signed on WGR-TV (channel 2) in 1953. WGR Corporation bought several other television and radio stations in the 1950s, and eventually became known as Transcontinent Broadcasting. Transcontinent merged with Taft Broadcasting in 1964. Taft sold off WGR-TV in 1983 (it is now WGRZ-TV), but kept the radio station until 1987.
During its days as a full service radio station, its roster of personalities included "Buffalo Bob" Smith, later famous for TV's Howdy Doody children's show, and popular national TV and nightclub comedian Foster Brooks.
The station's longtime music format combining Adult Top 40 hits and rock oldies and featured some of Buffalo's top radio personalities, talk hosts and news reporters including Stan Roberts, Frank Benny, Tom Donahue, Randy Michaels, Jim Scott, Jerry Reo, Shane, Joe Galuski, Tom Langmyer, George Hamberger, Tom Shannon, John Otto, Chuck Lakefield, Don Dussias, Lauri Githens, Wayne Smith, Sandy Kozel, Jane Tomczak, Craig Matthews and Tom Bauerle. WGR gradually evolved to news/talk during the late 1980s.
In 1987, Taft sold the station to Rich Communications, which was part of the Robert Rich family's business holdings, which also included a major processed-food company and a venture applying for a National League expansion baseball franchise (for which WGR was projected to be flagship station of the team's projected network). Although the Rich interests were the National League's choice for the new franchise they dropped out of the competition for an expansion team (which ultimately went to Denver, Colorado (Colorado Rockies) for cost reasons. Soon after, WGR was eventually spun off to new owners.
Today, WGR 550 AM airs Sports. In 1922…Singer Ada Jones, the most popular female vocalist of the early 20th century, died of kidney failure at age 48. Between 1905 and 1922, she had an astounding 108 Top 10 singles, seven of which went to #1.
In 1955…Jack Benny's broadcast run of live network radio programs ended after 23 years. His TV show aired from 1952-1965. In 1972...Dave Herman starts at WNEW 102.7 FM in NYC. Herman interviews Elton John from 1976..
In 1998…Los Angeles radio disc jockey (KHJ, KMPC, KRTH) Robert W. Morgan died of lung cancer at age 60.
As a youth growing up in Galion, Ohio, Morgan's interest was piqued while listening to his favorite DJs on Cleveland's top forty giant KYW which would eventually lead to his first on-air job was at Wooster College in 1955 on WWST & WWST-FM, for an initial salary of $1 per hour.
In 1959 Morgan moved from college radio to KACY Port Hueneme, California where he hosted the over night show called Kegler's Spare Time with Bob Morgan live from the Wagon Wheel Bowl before moving on to a succession of brief stints beginning in 1961 at KTEE Carmel as the second half of a two-man classical music announcer on KTEE with Bob Elliott, a Marine Corps Heavyweight Champion who later went onto radio fame as "K.O. Bailey," then a short time later as the morning drive DJ and mid-day board op for the Arthur Godfrey Show at KMBY, Monterey, then a jump to KOMY Watsonville, then back to KMBY Monterey followed in 1962 at "K-MAKE", KMAK, Fresno where he first worked with program director Ron Jacobs. This was followed in 1963 by an eight-month stay at KROY Sacramento before finally landing his first major-market job in 1964 at KEWB, San Francisco. It was here that he met and worked with his lifelong friend "The Real" Don Steele.
On April 27, 1965 the careers of Morgan, Steele and programer Ron Jacobs would gain superstar status when they joined the staff of KHJ 930 AM, Los Angeles almost overnight. Programming genius Bill Drake along with a staff of talented DJs called "Boss Jocks" had transformed a sleepy giant into the city's most dominant radio station. It was here that Morgan enjoyed his greatest on-air success as one of the original "Boss Jocks" on 93/KHJ which dominated the Top 40 radio market in Southern California from 1965 to 1973. Morgan's signature, "Good Morgan Boss Angeles!" to his devoted morning drive time audience would stay with him until the end of his career. It was also Morgan that voiced much of the "Boss Radio/93 KHJ station promos and imagery.
It was also during this time that Morgan co-produced and narrated the 48-hour History of Rock and Roll in 1969, a definitive on-air encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. It was the first-ever "rock-umentary" aired worldwide as a definitive history of the Rock & Roll genre—a "rockumentary," as producers Drake and Gene Chenault would call it—that would stretch from the early 1950s to 1989.
In 1970 Morgan made a surprise move from Los Angeles to WIND Radio Chicago where he remained in the morning slot until finally being enticed back to his KHJ morning show in 1972.
Until his departure from KHJ in October 1970, Morgan had commanded unparalleled radio ratings in Los Angeles. Morgan's return to his former time slot in L.A., which saw a significant spike upward for KHJ until he departed just a year later.
In 1973, Morgan and Steele walked out of KHJ and joined Bill Drake six months later at KIQQ-FM, Los Angeles. The ratings were sub-par, though, causing Morgan to leave the morning slot a year and a half later for weekends and fill-in slots at the prestigious KMPC Los Angeles. He did that for four years before legendary morning man Dick Whittinghill retired in 1980, allowing Morgan to go back to mornings. He stayed at KMPC until 1984. After a short stint at KMGG, Morgan returned to KMPC.
Morgan was heard in 1973 on Saturday night segments of the long-running NBC Radio program Monitor, an attempt to freshen that program's image. While with KMGG, he was at one time heard as a substitute host of American Top 40. During the mid to late 70s, Morgan also did his own one hour radio weekly special highlighting one artist or group per show. "Robert W. Morgan's Special of the Week" was often played on radio stations that also carried Casey Kasem's American Top 40 as the same company, Watermark, distributed both.
The year 1992 would signal the twilight years of Morgan's distinguished radio broadcast career when he signed on as the morning show host of "oldies" K-EARTH 101 where he again enjoyed solid ratings in the Los Angeles market before announcing in May 1997 that he was suffering from lung cancer.
According to L.A. radio personality Bob Shannon, Morgan told his listeners, "It could have something to do with the two packs a day cigarette habit I had for the last 35 years." In an emotional on-air statement, Morgan stated that he was taking some time off to fight the disease full-time. His friend and colleague Don Steele died, also of lung cancer, in August 1997. Morgan continued to do broadcasts from his home studio until 1998.
On January 9, 1998, K-EARTH 101 held a retirement tribute for Morgan at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills. The tribute included a re-dedication of his Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and a three-hour broadcast from the museum’s theater, hosted by Gary Owens and Morgan's KRTH co-host, Joni Caryl. It concluded with a thirty minute retrospective on Morgan’s career, narrated by Dick Clark.
Morgan died on May 22, 1998. He was 60 years old. Morgan was married twice and was survived by a daughter.
