NYC Radio: Big Apple Stations Are Beach Bound

If it’s the Friday of Memorial Day weekend at the Jersey Shore, that means New York City radio stations are coming to town.

This year there’s a new wrinkle to Memorial Day Weekend Radio Friday — WCBS 101.1 FM’s Shannon in the Morning Summer Blast-Off is leaving Seaside Heights for Coney Island, but the country-themed NASH-FM is taking its place.

The WCBS Big Show Summer Blast-Off

WCBS-FM's Scott, Patty, John & Brad will air live from the Boardwalk in Coney Island – Friday Morning, May 25th and kick off your Memorial Day Weekend with the Shannon in the Morning 'Big Show' featuring performances by Smash Mouth, Taylor Dayne, and Cause & The Effects!

The trend of radio stations setting up shop at the Shore for MDW Friday started with the WNEW-FM beach concerts on Asbury Park in the '80s. In 1997, WPLJ’s “Scott and Todd Morning Show” aired from Jenk’s in Point Pleasant Beach. The WPLJ show is now called “Todd and Jayde in the Morning” and it’s still at Jenk’s.

Here’s a look at the big three this Friday, May 25, courtesy of the Asbury NJ Park Press — they’re all free to attend.

WPLJ Summer Kick-Off

This is the one that started it all for New York radio MDW remotes at the Jersey Shore.

Back in 1997 WPLJ’s 95.5-FM “Scott and Todd Morning Show,” featuring DJs Scott Shannon and Todd Pettengill, came for a visit to Point Pleasant Beach and KT Tunstall was the headliner. Now, it’s “Todd and Jayde in the Morning,” thanks to the addition of Jayde Donovan, and Jason Mraz, Echosmith, Max and John Splithoff will be performing live starting 6 a.m. Friday, May 25 at  Jenk’s on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk,

Todd and Jayde Summer Kick-Off, 6 a.m. Friday, May 25, Jenk’s, Boardwalk, Point Pleasant Beach.

NASH Country in the Seaside Heights, NJ

WCBS-FM’s Shannon in the Morning Summer Blast-Off is leaving Seaside Heights for Coney Island, but a nice dose of country music, courtesy of WNSH NASH 94.7-FM, is taking its place.

Plus you can sleep a little later, too. Granger Smith, Chris Lane, Carly Pearce and Michael Tyler will play for free in the NASH Summer Shindig on the Seaside Heights beach, 3 to 7 p.m., on Friday, May 25 as the station broadcasts live. Smith’s hits include “Backroad Song,” “If the Boot Fits,” and “Happens Like That.”

Boomer and Gio at the Headliner 

It’s going to be a different look at the Headliner in Neptune this Memorial Day Weekend Friday.

The Boomer and Carton show is now Boomer and Gio as former co-host Craig Carton, who used to be one of the Jersey Guys on New Jersey 101.5 FM. was arrested in September after being accused of running a fake discount ticket scam. Gio is Gregg Giannotti, who’s known for his  impersonations of WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Mike Francesa.

Boomer, aka former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason, and Gio will broadcast live 6 ot 10 a.m. from the Headliner. Mike DelGuidice & Big Shot will provide live music, which should include plenty of Billy Joel classics. DelGuidice is a member of Joel’s live band.

Report: KLVE L-A Leads Top Billing Hispanic Radio Stations

Univision captured half of radio’s top 10 billing Hispanic radio station last year, including four of the top five. Spanish Broadcasting System placed two stations in the top 10, while Entravision, Liberman Broadcasting and iHeartMedia each had one. The new 2017 Hispanic radio revenue numbers come from new data provided to InsideRadio by BIA/Kelsey.

Univision’s romantica “K-Love” KLVE Los Angeles (107.5) brought in 2017 revenues of $28.3 million, No. 2 SBS tropical “Mega 97.9” WSKQ New York booked $23.5 million, Univision regional Mexican “Buena 102.9” KLTN Houston had $22.5 million in 2017 revenues, Univision regional Mexican “Que Buena 105.1” WOJO Chicago logged $19 million, and No. 5 Univision regional Mexican “ZonaMX 101.9” KSCA Los Angeles reaped $16.5 million.

Nine of the top 10 are in the top six radio markets—New York, L.A., Miami, Chicago and Houston—with the notable exception of No. 10, iHM tropical “Rumba 100.3” WRUM, which is all the way down in the No. 31 radio market, Orlando. It scored $14 million in 2017 revenue.

Spanish-dominant listeners spend 13 hours and 12 minutes each week with radio, compared with 11 hours and 48 minutes for English-dominant Latinos, according to Nielsen Audio. And also according to Nielsen, the top U.S. Hispanic radio format is Mexican regional (16.2%), compared to Spanish contemporary and Spanish hot AC (9.6%) and pop CHR (8.8%).

Omaha Radio: Salem Sells The Fish

Salem Media Group announced Tuesday that it is selling Christian Contemporary Music KGBI 100.7 FM in Omaha, Nebraska, to the University of Northwestern-St. Paul.

Salem’s Broadcast Media President, Dave Santrella, said, “Salem rarely sells its assets, but when we do, we make every attempt to ensure that the buyer will continue to program the station with a format that will make a positive impact in the community. The track record of University of Northwestern-St. Paul ensures us of that outcome and we couldn’t be more pleased.”

Jason Sharp, Sr. Vice President for Media at University of Northwestern, said, “We are grateful for the partnership we have experienced with Salem Media Group during this process. We look forward to expanding our network in Omaha and continuing the work of pointing people to Jesus through music and programming that makes an eternal impact.”

The University of Northwestern-St. Paul already operates 20 successful non-commercial Christian Contemporary radio stations in the Midwest, including stations in Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota; Des Moines and Waterloo, Iowa; Madison, Wisconsin; Kansas City, Missouri; and Hartford, Connecticut.

KGBI 100.7 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

Pending approval by the Federal Communications Commission, the parties expect to close the transaction in the third quarter of 2018.

G-R Radio: Charges Dropped Against 'Producer Joe'

Joe Gassman

A member of the popular “Free Beer & Hot Wings” radio show will be returning to work Thursday after a months-long suspension.

According to WOOD-TV8, the radio show announced Wednesday that Joseph Gassmann, a Chicago-area native who goes by the stage name "Producer Joe" on "Free Beer & Hot Wings," will return to WGRD at 8 a.m. Thursday.

It comes a day after domestic assault charges against Gassmann were dropped.  The charges against Gassmann were dismissed Tuesday because no complaining witnesses appeared to testify against him

"As we expected all along, the charges have been dismissed. The case is over, and that is great news," said host Gregg "Free Beer" Daniels. "Joe will be back tomorrow at 8 a.m. eastern time. You will hear all about what has been going on in his life and the plan going forward. We are pretty excited about it. I think he is too."

Finally, some news! pic.twitter.com/1kUeCJwIMz

— FreeBeer&HotWings (@fbhw) May 23, 2018

Gassmann was suspended from the radio show after he was arrested in Naperville, Illinois, in March and charged with domestic battery. Police said he assaulted his girlfriend. He pleaded not guilty.

Chicago Radio: Cumulus Names Veteran Jeff Hill VP/Sales

Jeff Hill

Cumulus Media has announced that it has appointed 30-year Chicago radio sales executive Jeff Hill as Vice President, Sales, for Cumulus Media-Chicago.

In the newly created position, Hill will head sales for Cumulus Media’s Alternative Rock station 101 WKQX-FM; 94.7 WLS-FM, Chicago’s Classic Hits station; and Talk Radio station WLS 890 AM.

Hill joins Cumulus from WGN Radio in Chicago, where he was Director of Sales for eight years, having previously served the station as Local Sales Manager and Interim General Manager. Prior to that, he was Sales Manager for ABC Radio for eight years and formerly served as Local Sales Manager for WLS-AM and Local Sales Manager for CBS Radio’s WCKG.

Hill is a member of the Board of Directors for the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. An Illinois native, he earned a B.S. degree in Radio and Television from the University of Northern Illinois in Carbondale, IL.

Marv Nyren, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-Chicago, said: “Cumulus Chicago is thrilled to be adding a market veteran like Jeff Hill as our Vice President of Sales. Jeff’s success in Chicago will allow our cluster to continue to build relationships with the ad community and compete at the highest levels of performance.”

“I’m really excited to join the Cumulus Chicago radio group,” said Hill. “I look forward to learning from the team and sharing my experience with the staffs of 101 WKQX, WLS-FM and WLS-AM.”

Univision Taps Vincent Sadusky As CEO

Vincent Sadusky

Univision Communications Inc. has tapped media veteran Vincent Sadusky as chief executive, succeeding Randy Falco at the troubled Spanish-language broadcaster, according to Marketwatch citing people familiar with the matter.

Sadusky, the former CEO of broadcaster Media General Inc. and a longtime executive at Univision rival Telemundo, is slated to start as soon as June 1, one of the people said.

Sadusky will join Univision at a tumultuous time for the company, which earlier this year announced it was scrapping a planned initial public offering that would have offered a long-desired exit for the media firm’s private-equity owners. Shortly after, The Wall Street Journal reported that Univision’s board was preparing to search for new leadership and had hired a consulting firm to review the business for significant cost cuts.

In the wake of the canceled IPO, Univision replaced its chief financial officer and then announced that Falco had informed the board that he planned to retire at the end of 2018, when he will turn 65.

SBS Appoints David Bailin As VP/National Network Sales

David Bailin

Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. announced Tuesday the appointment of David Bailin as Vice President, National and Network Sales.

Bailin, a leading sales veteran in the media industry, will be responsible for revenue generating sales strategies, expanding business development initiatives and creating 360 multimedia platforms for SBS’ national and network division AIRE Radio Networks. Based out of the SBS New York office, Bailin will also collaborate with SBS’ digital platform, LaMusica,
with its respective sales and business development efforts.

“David Bailin is a dynamic sales executive who has a proven track record of success and a deep knowledge of our diverse marketplace, said Elisa Torres, EVP, SBS National and Aire Radio Networks. “We are excited to have him join our team and deliver innovative media solutions that are designed to super-serve our clients and Hispanic consumers.”

Most recently, Bailin, was Senior Vice President, National Sales for Entravision Communications, where he oversaw network and national spot duties in the New York office. Bailin, a graduate of the University of Michigan, has over 20 years of media sales experience and has held similar roles for various media companies.

“I’m thrilled to join the SBS national and network sales team,” said Bailin. “The opportunity to build on the success of a renowned company that has so many iconic media brands across multiple consumer touchpoints is what excites me the most. I’m looking forward to working with the team on creating competitive and engaging platforms for our clients and audience.”

San Diego Radio: R Dub Inks New Deal With XHTZ, XHRM

R Dub

Local Media San Diego has announced that the company has re-signed XHTZ 90.3 FM and  XHRM  Magic 92.5 FM Program Director and Afternoon Personality R Dub! to a new, multi-year deal. R Dub! joined the
stations in April of 2011.

With the agreement, comes R Dub!’s new title of Supreme Commander (they're serious), where he will continue to oversee the programming, strategy and branding of the company’s CHR, AC and Urban products.

Gregg Wolfson, Vice President/General Manager of Local Media San Diego, said: “We are extremely excited that RDub! will continue to call Local Media San Diego his home.  His ability to deliver relevant and compelling local radio to San Diego is nothing shy of impressive.”

R Dub! said: “Apparently, I’m still foolin’ ‘em!

"No, seriously, I wake up every single day and pinch myself. I’m not only so fortunate to do radio in the country’s most desirable place to live, but I’m working with a company that truly believes in live, local and dynamic content! From our iconic brands and patented promotions like#EPIC48Hours, to the incredible pool of talent we have in the building—including Morton in the Morning and Jagger and Kristi—I’m so proud to play a small role in this incredible team, that is truly a family."

I’d like to thank VP/General Manager Gregg Wolfson, consultant Tracy Johnson and Director of Operations/Programming Joe Lindsay, for an amazing seven years, and here’s to mucho mas!”

TV Ratings: CBS Wins Prime Time, Fox Wins Basic Cable

CBS is finishing another television season atop the television ratings, but the network had to sweat a little this time.

The traditional TV season that started in September ends on Wednesday, and CBS will win bragging rights for the 10th year in a row, reports the Associated Press citing Nielsen data.

CBS has won for 15 of the last 16 years, the only exception being Fox during the height of “American Idol.”

Nielsen says CBS averages 9 million viewers in prime-time this season. NBC is averaging 8.9 million, but there’s not enough time to catch up.

NBC made it particularly close this year because it televised both the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics, which let the network dominate in February.

But CBS withstood it with the strength of its regular schedule.

Still, it’s NBC’s closest finish to CBS in 16 years. NBC won among viewers aged 18-to-49-years-old, the demographic its advertisers care most about, for the fourth time in five years.

ABC is averaging 6.1 million viewers this season, and Fox is at 4.9 million, Nielsen said.

CBS won the last full week of the TV season, averaging 6.6 million viewers. NBC had 5 million viewers, ABC had 4.5 million, Fox had 2.5 million, Univision had 1.5 million, the CW and ION Television had 1.2 million and Telemundo had 1.1 million.

TNT was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 3.06 million viewers in prime-time. Fox News Channel had 2.34 million, ESPN had 2.28 million, MSNBC had 1.67 million and USA had 1.39 million.

Basic Cable Ranker: Week of May 14 (Total Viewers) on Scribd

Basic Cable Ranker: Week of May 14 (P25-54) on Scribd

ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the broadcast evening newscasts with an average of 8.2 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” was second with 7.8 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 5.7 million viewers.

Report: ESPN Acquires UFC TV Rights For $1.5B

ESPN is doubling down on UFC, the mixed martial arts league the Disney-owned sports behemoth secured its first TV rights deal in April.

Variety cites sources familiar with negotiations say ESPN has struck a deal for a second portion to the package currently held by Fox Sports that will bring the total cost in the neighborhood of $300 million per year for five years, totaling $1.5 billion. The new deals, which cover a total of 30 fights per year, kick in early 2019.

As with their other pact, the events covered under this deal will be split between ESPN’s linear channels and ESPN+, the new streaming service launched last month.

Fox is exiting the UFC business after spending well north of $1 billion on a new WWE deal. After nabbing a different set of TV rights from UFC in April for a five-year deal worth $750 million, the second pact will deliver an additional 30 fights to Disney. UFC will still pay-per-view and its Fight Pass streaming service.

Nielsen To Measure YouTubeTV On Local Level

Nielsen announced Tuesday that YouTube TV viewership at designated market levels (DMAs) will now be included in Nielsen Local TV audience measurement using Nielsen Digital in TV Ratings (DTVR), reports AdWeek.

The on-demand streaming subscription service and Nielsen signed an audience measurement partnership last summer, where the media measurement titan would provide YouTube TV DTVR ratings on a national level. Measurement on the local level appears to be the next step in that partnership.

“Local broadcasters have been eagerly anticipating the inclusion of YouTube TV into Nielsen currency measurement,” said Nielsen Local managing director Jeff Wender. “We’re excited to be able to help local media buyers and sellers capture digital audiences, as well as provide advertisers a full account of all viewing activity, irrespective of distribution channel.”

To measure local media viewing, Nielsen has developed the DMA, a group of counties that form common local TV markets. There are currently 210 DMAs across the U.S., and by including YouTube TV in Nielsen local ratings using the company’s DTVR, the company is enabling programmers and advertisers across local DMAs to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how audiences are consuming linear TV shows across digital platforms.

YouTube TV presently costs $40 per month for 60-plus channels; add-on packages ranging from $5 to $15, and includes all the major broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW) to go with a wide variety of cable channels that present local sports, news and entertainment programming.

YouTube TV is not disclosing subscriber numbers right now.

SiriusXM Radio: Exclusive U2 Channel Debuts June 1

SiriusXM has announced that U2 will launch an exclusive, limited-run SiriusXM channel, The U2 Experience, on channel 30 beginning Friday, June 1.

The U2 Experience will showcase music from the band's more than four decade long career, including tracks from their latest album Songs of Experience (Interscope) – ranked #6 in the Global Top albums of 2017, epic rock anthems, historic performances, and rarities. SiriusXM subscribers will also hear exclusive stories from Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, and U2's long-time sound engineer Joe O'Herlihy, who has helped shape the remarkable sound of U2 throughout the decades since he first saw them perform in September 1978 at the Arcadia Ballroom in Cork City, Ireland.

On Monday June 11, U2 will take a one night detour from the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour 2018 to perform at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater for the first time ever for a special invitation-only concert for SiriusXM subscribers. This exclusive SiriusXM concert, and U2's most intimate New York City show in nearly 20 years, will air on SiriusXM's The U2 Experience, channel 30, on Wednesday, June 13 at 5:00 pm ET. The concert will also air simultaneously on Howard Stern's Howard 101 channel.  Subscribers will be able to listen to SiriusXM hosts Bill Flanagan and Jenny Eliscu host the pre-show concert coverage from the historic Harlem landmark.

The U2 Experience begins on Friday, June 1 at 12:00 pm ET and runs through Saturday June 30, via satellite on channel 30, and through the SiriusXM app on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at siriusxm.com

For further information on U2, the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour 2018 or Songs of Experience, visit www.U2.com.

European Lawmakers Criticize Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's meeting with European lawmakers in Brussels on Tuesday has been criticized by political representatives for being too short and providing "no answers."

According to CNBC, Zuckerberg's appearance in the European Parliament was facilitated by Antonio Tajani, the parliament's president, and consisted of around an hour of questions and less than 10 minutes of answers.

"I was really not satisfied with the hearing yesterday because Zuckerberg gave no answers whatsoever," Ska Keller, co-head of the Greens-European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament, told CNBC in a phone interview Tuesday.

"That was facilitated by the format, that there was no possibility to ask follow-up questions so that was definitely a very big problem created by the parliament's president. But still, Zuckerberg could at least have answered some questions more precisely. But he really didn't and was just repeating what he said in his opening statement, so really nothing new."

Politicians in the U.S. and Europe are seeking answers from Facebook after it was revealed that the data of tens of millions may have been improperly shared with political data firm Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica briefly worked for President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign. Concerns have been raised over whether targeted advertising techniques and the use of Facebook data may have played a role in swaying elections.


Mark Zuckerberg's testimony before the European Parliament: The four key moments from CNBC.

Zuckerberg was questioned by U.S. lawmakers on Capitol Hill last month. At times, he was unable to answer questions from politicians, saying instead that his team would follow-up with them afterwards.

R.I.P.: Actor Clint Walker

Clint Walker, a former merchant seaman and real-life deputy sheriff who roamed the West as a towering, solitary figure on “Cheyenne,” the first hourlong western on television, died on Monday in Grass Valley, Calif.

He was 90, according to The NYTimes.  Walker lived in Grass Valley, about 60 miles northeast of Sacramento.

Walker also appeared in the “The Dirty Dozen” and other movies, but he was best known for “Cheyenne,” seen on ABC from 1955 to 1963.

Walker — born Norman, but renamed Clint by Jack Warner of Warner Bros. — played Cheyenne Bodie, a big-hearted man who performed good deeds and fought bad men in his wanderings. “Cheyenne” was among the first television series produced by Warner Bros., and it had the lavish look of a big-screen movie.

As shooting of the show’s first season began, Mr. Walker confessed to the crew that he did not have a great deal of experience on horseback. He later recalled the response: “You’ll either be a good rider, or a dead one.”

“There were a few times I wondered which one it was going to be,” he said.

Many episodes of “Cheyenne” called for Walker to be shirtless, revealing a bodybuilder’s 48-inch chest and a 32-inch waist in onscreen moments that, while maybe not essential to the plot, helped make the handsome, blue-eyed Walker a star.

He had supporting roles in “Send Me No Flowers,” a 1964 comedy with Rock Hudson and Doris Day, and “None but the Brave,” a 1965 war movie with Frank Sinatra, who also directed.

In “The Dirty Dozen,” released in 1967, he played the meek Samson Posey alongside a crew of hardened military convicts — played by Jim Brown, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland and others — who were recruited for an assassination mission behind German lines during World War II.

May 23 Radio History

➦In 1910...bandleader and clarinetist Artie Shaw, whose real name is Arthur Arshawsky, was born in New York City.

Shaw formed his first orchestra in 1936, and two years later had a double-sided million-seller with ”Begin the Beguine” and ”Indian Love Call.” Shaw is estimated to have sold more than 43- million copies of such records as ”Frenesi,” ”Summit Ridge Drive” and ”Dancing in the Dark.” Artie Shaw was married eight times — two of his wives were Lana Turner and Ava Gardner. Shaw later became an author and a theatrical producer, and again fronted a big band in 1980’s.

Shaw died December 30th, 2004 of natural causes, at age 94.

➦In 1922..the first debate to be heard on US radio was broadcast on WJH in Washington, DC. The two debaters argued about the topic of Daylight Saving Time with the audience acting as the judge.


➦In 1922...Seattle radio station KOL first signed on. The station is now known as KKOL AM1300, having surrendered the heritage 3-letter call sign in 1975 when it briefly became KMPS.

➦In 1926...Christian broadcaster, Wilbur Nelson, was born. Best known as host of "The Morning Chapel Hour".  He was  pioneer religious broadcaster, passed away on August 22, 2003, in Laguna Woods, California, at the age of 92.

Nelson, who founded the nationally syndicated daily radio ministry, The Morning Chapel Hour, in March of 1944, was an evangelical renaissance man who excelled as a pastor, preacher, broadcaster, author, tenor soloist, song writer, choral conductor, and trombonist.

➦In 1928..1950’s pop singer Rosemary Clooney was born in Maysville, Kentucky. While still in high school, she and her younger sister Betty began performing on Cincinnati radio station WLW. Bandleader Tony Pastor heard them, and soon the sisters were singing, in person and on record, with the Pastor orchestra. After Betty tired of the road, Rosemary began a solo career. She signed with Columbia Records, and in 1951 had her first number-one hit, “Come On-A My House.”  Her other hits included “Hey There,” “Tenderly” and “This Ole House.” She died of lung cancer at the age of 74 on June 29th, 2002.

➦In 2005...Baltimore newsman Bob Lopez died of Lung Cancer. He had been part of the WIYY-FM (98 Rock) morning show for 27 years.

Joining the station in 1978, Lopez participated in 13 morning radio shows during his 27 years at the station. He was known for his humor, thoughtful opinions, and dogged liberal views.

 For the last part of his career, he was part of the "Kirk, Mark & Lopez" or "KML" morning show, along with Kirk McEwen and Mark Ondayko, with whom he worked for seven years. He also hosted the Sunday Lopez, a Sunday morning talk show where he discussed politics and listeners called in to express their views.

Lopez was diagnosed with lung cancer in February 2004, having been a smoker for several decades, starting at age 12.  He died at the age of 52.

➦In 2012...Personality Hal Jackson - WMCA, WLIB, WNJR, WWRL, WBLS died at the age of 96.

Jackson began his broadcasting career as the first African-American radio sports announcer, broadcasting Howard’s home baseball games and local Negro league baseball games.

In 1939, he became the first African American host at WINX/Washington with The Bronze Review, a nightly interview program. He later hosted talk show, a program of jazz and blues on WOOK-TV.

Jackson moved to New York City in 1954 and became the first radio personality to broadcast three daily shows on three different New York stations. Four million listeners tuned in nightly to hear Jackson’s mix of music and conversations with jazz and show business celebrities.