FL Radio: Judy Hoepfl Named LSM For In Fort Walton Beach-Destin

Judy Hoepfl

Cumulus Media announces that it has appointed Judy Hoepfl as Local Sales Manager for its five-station cluster in Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL.

Hoepfl, a 20-year veteran of radio sales, marketing and management, has deep experience in strategic key account management, new account development, digital marketing and events. Previously, she was General Sales Manager for Apex Broadcasting, Fort Walton Beach-Destin; Senior Media Consultant for Cox Media, Fort Walton Beach-Destin; and Senior Account Representative for Clear Channel Radio-Mobile/Pensacola. Hoepfl started her media sales career as Senior Account Representative for Cumulus Media Fort Walton Beach-Destin.

She is a an active community leader and was Co-Chair of the Tourism Committee for the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce in 2015.

Pete DeSimone, Regional Vice President, Cumulus Media said: “Judy’s proven record of achievement and longstanding customer relationships with local clients, accounts and agencies, make her the ideal choice for this position. Her leadership, talent and experience will add to our team and help position us for continued growth. We’re thrilled to have her back on the Cumulus Media team.”

Hoepfl said: “I'm very blessed to have the opportunity to return to the radio stations where I started my career. I am excited to work with this team of professionals and use all the market experience I've gained along the way.”

L-A: KROQ's Kevin & Bean Set April Foolishness For April 2

CBS Radios KROQ 106.7 FM has announced Kevin & Bean‘s April Foolishness 2016 going down Saturday, April 2nd at the Shrine Auditorium in Downtown Los Angeles.

This year’s lineup features comedians Bill Burr, Bob Saget, Eddie Ifft, Gabriel Iglesias, Greg Fitzsimmons, Iliza Shlesinger, and Wheeler Walker Jr.

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 4th at 12pm via AXS.com. Tickets start as low as $25 (plus fees) or splurge for the “That’s My Jawn” section tickets which include premiere seating, VIP parking, one hour reception with The Kevin & Bean Show crew and a limited-edition t-shirt.

Proceeds from Kevin & Bean’s April Foolishness will be donated to Fisher House and Cedars-Sinai NICU.

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment.  These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital it serves. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths.  Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the Hotels for Heroes program using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge.  The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled veterans.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Cedars-Sinai is designed to address the needs of critically ill babies, premature newborns or infants requiring close observation.

Academy Awards: 'Spotlight" Wins Best Picture

HOLLYWOOD (Reuters) -- Catholic Church abuse movie "Spotlight" was named best picture, the top award at Sunday's Oscars ceremony.

In a ceremony where no single movie commanded attention, Mexico's Alejandro Inarritu nabbed the best directing Oscar for "The Revenant", becoming the first filmmaker in more than 60 years to win back-to-back Academy Awards. Inarritu won in 2015 for "Birdman."

"The Revenant" went into Sunday's ceremony with a leading 12 nominations, and was among four movies believed to have the best chances for best picture after it won Golden Globe and BAFTA trophies.

1pm Update: TV Ratings...Sunday night’s telecast on averaged a 23.6 metered-market household rating, according to Nielsen, down 6 percent from last year, when the Oscars averaged a 25.0 overnight. Final ratings generally fluctuate a bit – last year’s telecast adjusted to a 24.6. But right now, this Oscars is posting the lowest overnight rating in seven years. Last year’s show was the least-watched in six years. Among adults 18-49, Sunday’s show averaged a 13.5 adults 18-49 overnight rating, down 5 percent from 2015.

The ambitious 20th Century Fox Pioneer-era tale, shot in sub-zero temperatures, also brought a first Oscar win for its star Leonardo DiCaprio, who got a standing ovation from the A-list Hollywood audience.

"I do not take tonight for granted," DiCaprio said, taking the opportunity in his acceptance speech to urge action on climate change.

CLICK HERE for The Winner's List

Data curated by PrettyFamous

Yet voters in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chose Open Road Films' (RGC.N) "Spotlight," which traces the Boston Globe's 2003 Pulitzer Prize winning investigation of child sex abuse by Catholic priests, for best picture. The movie also won best original screenplay.

"This film gave a voice to survivors, and this Oscar amplifies that voice, which we hope can become a choir that will resonate all the way to the Vatican," said producer Michael Sugar.

Rising star Brie Larson, 26, took home the statuette for best actress for her role as an abducted young woman in indie movie "Room," adding to her armful of trophies from other award shows.

Among surprises, Britain's Mark Rylance beat presumed favorite and "Creed" actor Sylvester Stallone to win the Academy Award for best supporting actor for "Bridge of Spies."

"Sly, no matter what they say, remember, to me you are the best, you were the winner. I'm proud of you," Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fellow action star, said in a short video he posted online.

Jimmy Naples, Sam Smith

British singer Sam Smith's theme song for James Bond movie "Spectre" beat Lady Gaga's sexual assault awareness ballad "Til It Happens to You."

Swedish actress Alicia Vikander won the supporting actress Oscar for transgender movie "The Danish Girl" while documentary "Amy," about the late and troubled British pop star Amy Winehouse was also a winner.

Warner Bros "Mad Max: Fury Road" was the biggest winner, clinching six Oscars, but all were in technical categories such as costume, make-up and editing.

Chris Rock Transforms Oscars Into Biting Racial Commentary

HOLLYWOOD (Reuters) -- Comedian Chris Rock launched his return stint as Oscar host on Sunday by immediately and unabashedly confronting the racially charged elephant in the room - the furor over the all-white field of performers nominated for Hollywood's highest honors.

In an opening monologue peppered with biting commentary about what he described as "sorority"-style discrimination pervading the film industry, Rock set the stage for a night of running gags that repeatedly returned to themes of racial politics.

In doing so, he transformed a glittering awards show long known for self-reverential pomp into a 3 1/2-hour live ABC telecast punctuated by withering satire riffing on issues of inclusion and diversity raised by the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite social media campaign and the Black Lives Matter movement.

But the issue of race was just one element that made the 88th edition of the Academy Awards likely to go down as one of the most socially conscious shows in Oscar history. Messages ranged from Vice President Joe Biden's special appearance urging a stand against sexual violence on college campuses to best actor winner Leonardo DiCaprio's impassioned appeal to take care of the planet.

The difference in tone was evident from the start. Strolling on stage in a white dinner jacket and bow tie, Rock welcomed the audience to a show "otherwise known as the white People's Choice awards," adding, "You realize if they nominated hosts, I wouldn't even get this job."

From that moment on, it was clear Rock would be pulling no punches, and that his no-holds-barred message could help the film Academy come to grips with its diversity problem.

Wondering with mock bemusement why blacks' anger over a lack of Oscar diversity never boiled over in the 1950s or '60s like it did this year, he answered his own question, "Because we had real things to protest at the time. We were too busy being raped and lynched then to care about who won best cinematographer."

Tweets by @TheAcademy

Atlanta Radio: Morning Host Scotty K OUT At WWPW

Scotty Kay

Top 40 WWPW Power 96.1 AM, on the heels of its best month ever in ratings since its launch in 2012, has dumped its two-year-old morning show featuring Scotty K and Riley Couture, along with producer Bret Mega. Couture will stay on in some different configuration for now.

But, according to Rodney Ho at The Atlanta Constitution, why is a different story. He's been covering radio in this market for 15 years and there has been a fair share of head-scratching moves. This one qualifies as one – at least from Ho's purview. The only semi-logical theory is Power will focus on music in the mornings in response to changes at other pop stations in town, including the pending arrival of Jeff Dauler and Jenn Hobby on Star 94 March 3.

Schaflander confirmed that Riley is staying with the station in mornings for now but didn’t confirm whether she will be there long term. (She was on by herself Friday and didn’t reference Scotty K at all because IHeartMedia tends to do it that way.)

Power as a whole is on a roll. Its audience has been growing steadily the past two years and last month, it beat B98.5 and Q100 in overall audience, finishing fourth with a 5.7 share, its strongest performance to date. It almost beat Q100 25-54 and won 18-34 handily among the four pop stations with a 7.8 share.

And the morning show – which has been very aggressive on social media targeting millennials – has been a key to its success. The show finished fifth place last month overall, according to Nielsen Audio ratings data. Among 18 to 34 year olds, Scotty K and Riley finished second with an 8.5 share behind only the Bert Show on Q100 (9.7), beating Ryan Cameron and Wanda Smith on V-103 (8.2) and Rickey Smiley on Hot 107.9 (7.4).

FCC Probes Cable Firms' Influence on Web-TV

The Federal Communications Commission is probing whether big cable firms use special contract provisions to discourage media companies—from Walt Disney Co. to smaller firms—from running programming on the Internet.

According to The Wall Street Journal, it is part of a broader attempt by the FCC to address one of the big conundrums of the telecom age: Why has television been so slow to come to the Internet, despite technical breakthroughs that made it possible long ago?

The FCC is expected to act soon to curb such contracts on the part of two big cable firms, Charter Communications Inc. and Time Warner Cable Inc., if the agency approves their merger. Consumer advocates hope that change would set a precedent that could eventually cover the industry as a whole.

Despite the success of a few on-demand streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, the long-anticipated migration of familiar TV channels to the Internet, especially with real-time programming, has yet to unfold on any significant scale.

At issue are the contracts that pay-TV companies, mostly cable and satellite firms, sign with media companies such as television networks whose programming they carry. The cable firms often insist on inserting clauses that prevent the media companies from simultaneously providing their programs to an online provider, industry insiders say.

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Melissa Harris-Perry OUT At MSNBC After Critical Email

The MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry is officially out at the network.

Two days after Ms. Harris-Perry publicly stated she felt “worthless” to NBC News executives after several weeks of pre-emptions for her eponymous weekend morning show, an MSNBC spokesman on Sunday confirmed that the network and Ms. Harris-Perry were “parting ways.”

Ms. Harris-Perry said in an email on Sunday that she was not in direct communication with anyone at the network but that “terms of severance, not reconciliation” were still being negotiated.

The NY Times reports even by the occasionally dramatic standards of television news, this was an unusually public and ugly breakup. In an interview with The New York Times on Friday, Ms. Harris-Perry said that she was frustrated that MSNBC had effectively sidelined her without clarifying whether her show had been canceled. She said she was told that this would happen for the “foreseeable future.” As a result, she said that she was refusing to appear on her show over the weekend.

MSNBC, which significantly trails Fox News and CNN in ratings, is in the midst of an overhaul, pivoting away from its left-leaning identity toward hard news in the daytime hours. Ms. Harris-Perry had been the host of her show, which focused on issues like racism and social justice, since 2012.

On Friday, she went public with an email that she sent that week to staff members in which she complained that the NBC News chairman Andrew Lack and Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, were letting her twist in the wind.

“I will not be used as a tool for their purposes,” she wrote. “I am not a token, mammy, or little brown bobble head. I am not owned by Lack, Griffin, or MSNBC. I love our show. I want it back.”

She explained in an interview she did not believe that what was happening with her show was occurring because she is black.

The unraveling began four weeks ago, right before the Iowa caucus, when Ms. Harris-Perry said the branding for her show began to disappear and be replaced with MSNBC’s slogan, “The Place for Politics.”

According to The Washington Post, MSNBC’s pivot to more news reporting, especially campaign coverage, has lately resulted in improved ratings. So far this year, its weekday ratings among all viewers have grown 57 percent over the same period in 2015, compared with a 38 percent gain for CNN and 20 percent for Fox News, the cable-news leader, according to MSNBC. Among viewers aged 25 to 54, a key bloc for advertisers, MSNBC is up 76 percent, compared with 25 percent for CNN and 19 percent for Fox.

Report: FNC Has Perception Problem With Republicans

Since the first GOP presidential debate last August, Fox News Channel seems to have lost its perception mojo with its core right-leaning audience.

According to Brand Index, By mid February, FNC’s perception by Republican adults 18 and over had reached its lowest point in more than three years, and has declined by approximately 50% since January of this year.

Coinciding with Trump’s rise to front-runner in the GOP presidential race, Fox News Channel has seen its perception by Republicans slide. In early August 2015, right after the first GOP debate aired on Fox News Channel,Trump went on a Twitter war with moderator Megyn Kelly, saying she “bombed” and calling her “a lightweight reporter.”

To measure perception of the two networks, YouGov BrandIndex used its Buzz score, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" A score can range from 100 to -100 with a zero score equaling a neutral position.

On January 1, 2013, Fox News Channel’s Buzz score with Republican adults 18 and over was 49. By the first GOP debate last August, the score had dropped to 38. The downward momentum accelerated earlier this year when Fox News Channel’s score dropped from 36 on January 18th to 14 on February 12th. Trump declined to participate in FNC’s sanctioned GOP debate on January 28th. Fox News Channel’s current Buzz score is 17.

Glenn Beck Pressured Over Anti-Trump Rhetoric

Glenn Beck

After campaigning for Ted Cruz in Nevada earlier this week, Glenn Beck warned that the Donald Trump campaign is "grooming Brownshirts," likening Trump's supporters to the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party.

According to the website rightwingwatch.org, it turns out that calling Trump supporters "Brownshirts" is not even the most insulting comparison Beck could come up with because, on his television program last night, he took things even further when he compared them to the worst people imaginable: Obama supporters!

After revealing that he is getting word that "stations want to cancel the show because they believe that Donald Trump is going to be the next president," Beck vowed that he was not going to stop attacking Trump because the GOP presidential front runner is simply too dangerous, something he learned when he encountered Trump supporters at the Nevada caucuses.

Clinton Has One Eye On Trump

Hillary Clinton (Reuters)

(Reuters) -- Fresh off a runaway win in the South Carolina primary, Democrat Hillary Clinton turned her sights to a possible match-up with Republican front-runner Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election.

Without mentioning Trump's name, the former secretary of state made it clear on Saturday she was already thinking about taking on the real estate mogul whose recent string of victories made him the favorite to be the Republican nominee for the White House race.

Clinton shot down Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again" and his plans to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.

"Despite what you hear, we don’t need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great," she told supporters in her victory speech in South Carolina, pausing for applause then adding, "but we do need to make America whole again."

"Instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers," said Clinton, who would be America's first woman president.

Tulsi Gabbard

Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Tulsi Gabbard resigned from her post on Sunday to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, following months of rising tensions within the group.

"I think it’s most important for us, as we look at our choices as to who our next commander in chief will be, is to recognize the necessity to have a commander in chief who has foresight, who exercises good judgment," Gabbard, a U.S. representative for Hawaii, said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Gabbard, one of five vice chairs, and her committee colleagues have butted heads over a thin debate schedule in the months leading to Democratic voting contests for the party's nomination, with Gabbard calling for the group to add more debates to the calendar.

Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, is competing with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination to run for president on Nov. 8. Critics have said the scheduling of the debates has favored Clinton, who is better known than Sanders and is favored to win the nominating contest.

Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued a statement accepting Gabbard's resignation, calling her a friend and praising the active-duty veteran for her service in the armed forces.

Meg Whitman

A former finance co-chair of Chris Christie's presidential campaign on Sunday slammed Christie's recent endorsement of Donald Trump, according to NBC, calling for the New Jersey governor's supporters to reject the Republican front-runner.

"Chris Christie's endorsement of Donald Trump is an astonishing display of political opportunism. Donald Trump is unfit to be president," Meg Whitman, chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, said in a statement reported by NBC's "Meet the Press" program.

Christie, appearing on ABC's "This Week" program, responded by describing Whitman "a great friend" with a different political opinion. "And that's OK. That's what makes this country great is that people can have differences of political opinion," he said.

Just days before the Super Tuesday nominating contests, Christie on Friday became the most prominent mainstream Republican to get behind the billionaire Republican front-runner and former reality TV star, declaring Trump to have the best chance of defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election.

But Whitman's statement said the New Jersey governor made his statement despite his own public misgivings about a Trump presidency.

"Trump would take America on a dangerous journey. Christie knows all that and indicated as much many times publicly," Whitman said.

Rubio, Trump, Cruz

Republican presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz released tax returns for several years on Saturday in an effort to pressure billionaire front-runner Donald Trump to follow suit.

Rubio, whose financial decisions earlier in his life have come under scrutiny, paid $78,917 in taxes on $335,561 in gross income in 2014, along with his wife, Jeanette.

Cruz paid $389,124 in taxes on $1.2 million income in 2014 along with his wife, Heidi, who is employed by Goldman Sachs and currently on leave from the bank.

Rubio and Cruz, both first-term U.S. senators, trail Trump in national polls and are fighting to stop the political novice from locking up the Republican nomination for the Nov. 8 election after big wins in South Carolina and Nevada.

The real estate developer has said he will not release his returns until a routine audit has been completed.

The Conclave Opens Rockwell Award Voting

Since 1989, the Conclave has presented The Rockwell Award - an annual lifetime achievement award – to an individual of unquestioned accomplishment in the radio industry. And once again the Conclave’s is putting the voting for the individual to receive this honor in the hands of the industry.

Lori Lewis

The Rockwell Award honors those who have contributed to the industry as an inspirational leader, and a person of great accomplishment. The recipient has made lasting and significant contributions within radio, and also to the public radio serves.

Conclave Board Chair Lori Lewis states "Conclave honors those who have contributed to the industry as an inspirational leader, and a person that has made lasting and significant contributions within radio. Conclave is a celebration of radio, so everyone should have a voice and take part in this prestigious award."

The five individual nominated this year come from different aspects of the industry:

• Duke Wright, President/CEO Midwest Communications 
• John Gehron, COO AccuRadio
• Beverlee Brannigan, VP/Programming E.W. Scripps
• Mike Kennedy, Steel City Radio/Kansas City
• Joe Schwartz, Former President/CEO Cherry Creek Radio

Individuals who want to vote for a Rockwell Award nominee may do so at the Conclave website www.theconclave.com. One vote per person. Voting ends at 11:59 PM on March 31, 2016.

Prior recipients of the Rockwell Award include:

• All Access President/Publisher Joel Denver (2003)
• Former CBS Radio Pres./CEO Dan Mason (2011)
• Jacobs Media Pres. Fred Jacobs (2012)
• Albright, O’Malley & Brenner Pres. Jaye Albright
• CONCLAVE Exec. Dir. Emeritus, Tom Kay (2013)
• Hubbard CEO Ginny Morris (2014)
• NRG CEO Mary Quass along with Founder Vallie, Richards, Donovan Consulting and The National Talent System, Dan Vallie (2015).

This year’s Rockwell Award will be presented during The Conclave’s 41st anniversary celebration on July 14 and 15, 2016 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Minneapolis.

Westwood One News Covers The Oscars

Westwood One News correspondent Jim Roope reports from the red carpet outside the Dolby Theatre Sunday prior to the 88th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles

R.I.P.: Iconic Phoenix Broadcaster Jim Taszarek

Jim Taszarek

One of the biggest voices in news-talk radio has been silenced: Former KTAR News Vice President and General Manager Jim Taszarek has passed away.

Taszarek passed from cancer on Thursday night, leaving behind a legacy in the radio station industry that will take only the biggest of shoes to fill.

The radio legend, who liked to be called “Taz,” began his career in 1965, as a disc jockey in St. Louis. He quickly rose up the ranks to general manager and took his talents across the country, from Miami to Cincinnati.

Taz spent one of the the biggest portions of his career with KTAR News, from 1981 to 1983 and then again from 1987 to 1995. At KTAR, he increased the station’s earnings from $300,000 to more than $3 million in just two years.

Taz then went on to start TazMedia, a consulting firm for broadcast, online and print media, in 1996.

R.I.P.: San Antonio Radio, TV Anchor Bob Guthrie

Bob Guthrie

Former News 4 and WOAI 1200 AM radio news anchor Bob Guthrie died on Saturday.

He was 81-years-of-age, according to Fox San Antonio.

Guthrie died of complications from surgery.

This comes just four days after former San Antonio anchor Fred Lozano passed away.

Guthrie's booming voice was unmistakable, as he was one of the most recognized and respected news reporters and anchors in Texas in a career that spanned more than 50 years.

"You must have a real passion for news, what is it that you love so much? every morning when I go to work, it's different," he said during an interview back in 2006. "The stories are different."

He started working for Talk WOAI in 1956 while he was stationed at Fort Sam Houston. He also worked for News 4 San Antonio.

Listening to Bob tell a story was like listening to someone reading a history book. He's covered hurricanes and assassinations.

Aside from being a radio and television personality, Bob was also a licensed pilot and home contractor.

February 29 Radio History

In 1936...Fanny Brice brought her little girl character “Baby Snooks” to radio on “The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air” on CBS Radio. It was a role that would endear her to radio audiences for the next 15 years. Miss Brice was 44 at the time, and was known as America’s “Funny Girl” long before Barbra Streisand brought her even greater fame and notoriety nearly 30 years later.


In 1948...KPUG 1170 AM in Bellingham, WA, signed on the air from its original studios on Sunset Drive.


In 1966...This month marks the 50th anniversary of KFRC 610 AM flipping from MOR to Top 40.

KFRC - Circa mid '60s

In 1949, RKO-General acquired KFRC. Like most radio stations during the 1950s, KFRC lost ratings and share to television. In February 1966, KFRC flipped to a Top 40 rock and roll music format, and quickly became the dominant station in the region with that format through the 1970s, featuring the tight, carefully programmed sound developed by RKO General's national program director, Bill Drake, formerly of cross-town rival KYA, and program directors Tom Rounds and, later, Les Turpin.

It entered its second "golden era," which coincided with San Francisco’s Summer of Love, and featured legendary disc jockeys Mike Phillips, Ed Mitchell (Who later changed his name to Ed Hepp) , Bobby Dale, Jay Stevens, Sebastian Stone, K.O. Bayley (real name Bob Elliott), Dave Diamond, Charlie Van Dyke, Howard Clark, Dale Dorman, Mark Elliott, Frank Terry, Joe Conrad, Jim Carson, J.J. Johnson, and Bob Foster.



During the Drake era, KFRC was responsible for two memorable concerts.

The station presented several prominent acts at the “The Beach Boys Summer Spectacular” at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in June 1966. On June 10 and 11, 1967, KFRC organized and hosted the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival at the summit of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California. Occurring one week before the more famous Monterey Pop Festival, the well-attended event is regarded as the first rock festival in history.  For several years, KFRC had extended local newscasts on its AM station, under the leadership of news director Bob Safford; however, management decided to curtail news coverage, so Safford and other news staff moved to other news broadcast departments in San Francisco, including KCBS Radio and KGO-TV.





In 2012…Actor (The Monkees, Head, The Brady Bunch Movie)/ singer (Daydream Believer, A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You, Valleri) Davy Jones of the Monkees died after a heart attack at 66.