Dan Dierdorf Announces Broadcasting Retirement

Dan Dierdorf

CBS Sports' Dan Dierdorf, the longest-tenured NFL analyst in television, will retire after the 2013 season. Dierdorf, a Hall-of-Fame player and broadcaster, has been around the NFL for the last 43 years.

After a 13-year career as an offensive lineman with the St. Louis Cardinals, Dierdorf stepped into the booth and has been there for the last 30 years.

“I have been blessed to spend my entire life in the game I love," Dierdorf said. “I had an opportunity to go from the field directly to the broadcast booth where I have had the privilege of working with the giants of our business including Ray Scott, Lindsey Nelson, Jack Buck, Dick Stockton, Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Verne Lundquist, Dick Enberg and lastly, my partner, Greg Gumbel. It has become a challenge for me to travel to a different NFL city every week, so it's time to step aside. This has been a wonderful ride as I really have lived the dream."

"For 43 NFL seasons Dan Dierdorf has been a consummate professional both on the field and in the broadcast booth,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “Very few people in any profession can boast a Hall of Fame playing career and Hall of Fame broadcasting career. Dan, without question, is one of them. His CBS Sports family will miss him on Sundays, but we wish him all the best in his retirement."

Dierdorf was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and is the recipient of the 2008 HOF Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award for excellence in broadcasting. Dierdorf, John Madden, Frank Gifford and Len Dawson are the only Hall of Fame members to also receive the Rozelle award.

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Mending Update: Shanon Murphy Talks

Shanon Murphy

Longtime Kidd Kraddick In The Morning cast member "Psycho Shanon" Murphy underwent surgery for a benign brain tumor last week in Dallas and appears to be on the road to recovery.

Surgeons had been able to remove 99% of the benign tumor. Shanon felt weel-enough Wednesday to be interviewed by local NBC affiliate.

Speaking about the 4-plus-hour operation, Murphy admitted that the complex procedure was "a lot more intense than I thought it was going to be."

SiriusXM Explores ‘JFK..50 Years Later’

SiriusXM is paying tribute to President John F. Kennedy and the 50th anniversary of his assassination with the launch of "JFK: 50 Years Later," a special weekend-long pop-up channel featuring exclusive programming drawn from SiriusXM's multiple talk channels.

"JFK: 50 Years Later" debuts at 6:00 am ET on Friday, November 22 and will air through 6:00 am ET on Monday, November 25 on SiriusXM channel 108. The special channel will feature programming drawn from an array of programming airing this week across multiple SiriusXM channels to mark the anniversary of Kennedy's death. "JFK: 50 Years Later" will feature interviews with guests including Oliver Stone, Dan Rather, Chris Matthews, Sarah Palin and Dick Gregory; special broadcasts of two events from Washington, D.C.'s Newseum: "Inside Media: Covering the Kennedy Assassination" featuring journalist Sid Davis and "Eyewitness to History," hosted by CNN's Jake Tapper and featuring former Secret Service agent Clint Hill and Bob Schieffer.

In addition, a variety of SiriusXM hosts including Martha Stewart, Bob Edwards, Dr. Laura, Joe Madison, Cousin Brucie and Fran Tarkenton will share their personal reflections from fifty years ago, the moment they heard the news on November 22, 1963. SiriusXM will also air a special edition of Andrew Wilkow's The Wilkow Majority, drawn from his JFK special airing on TheBlaze TV, in which he will share interviews conducted in Dallas with guests including former Dallas deputy sheriff Gene Boone and eyewitness James Tague, whose proximity to the president's motorcade was so close he was hit by bullet fragments.

Listeners nationwide are invited to call in throughout the week.

November 21 In Radio History

In 1877…At a gathering of friends and colleagues, Thomas Edison unveiled his new "talking machine," later called the phonograph. The first thing recorded on Edison's new invention was the song "Mary Had a Little Lamb."  Recording made by Thomas A. Edison on August 12, 1927, at the Golden Jubilee of the Phonograph ceremony. In this recording Edison demonstrates how in 1877 he made the first record on his tinfoil phonograph. The original 1877 recording was not saved and no longer exists.

In 1944…The first episode of "The Roy Rogers Show," featuring the Whippoorwills and the Sons of the Pioneers, was broadcast by radio stations of the Mutual Broadcasting System. It began as a western music and variety show and evolved into an action-drama series during its 10-year run. "The Roy Rogers Show" on television ran for six seasons beginning in December of 1951. Roy's radio show lasted 11 seasons and the Roy Rogers Show On TV stayed on the air for 6 seasons! Roy also made a ton of movies and appeared on numerous other radio and TV shows as a guest star! In addition, Roy had a successful recording career for several years with songs that made it to the top of the charts! His, perhaps, best known song was "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" although most people probably remember him and Dale Evans singing "Happy Trails to You" at the end of each show!

In 1955…In Memphis, Sun Records owner and producer Sam Phillips sold Elvis Presley's contract to RCA for an unheard-of $35,000, at that time the largest amount ever paid to sign a recording artist and topping the offer of $25,000 for Presley's contract made by Atlantic Records. Elvis received $13,500 of the total. Phillips invested his proceeds from the deal in a two-year-old Memphis-based hotel chain called Holiday Inn.

In 1963…U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, arrived in San Antonio, Texas. They were starting a two-day visit to Texas that would end in Dallas.

In 1979…morning man Harry Harrison did his last show on WABC-AM, New York. Here's an January 1979 aircheck of Harry.


In 1983…In Los Angeles, movie theaters premiered Michael Jackson's 14-minute "Thriller" video. The Guinness Book of World Records later named it the "most successful music video" of all time, selling more than 9 million copies.

In 1993…Jim McLaughlin, Radio newsman for WKBW-AM, Buffalo, died at age 59.

In 2003…longtime Cleveland, Ohio Radio pesonality, John Lanigan, was arrested for drunken driving.

Ft. Myers Radio: Trey Radel Busted In Sting Operation

Trey Radel

Freshman GOP Rep. Trey Radel was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor possession of cocaine in what a senior Drug Enforcement Administration official described as a sting operation, according to the Ft. Myers News-Press.

Radel, 37, will appear in court Wednesday morning. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 180 days in jail and a fine of $1,000 for a first offense.

Radel, a former WINK TV journalist and morning radio talk show host for WFSX 92. FM , issued a statement acknowledging he has a problem requiring treatment.

"I'm profoundly sorry to let down my family, particularly my wife and son, and the people of Southwest Florida," he said. "I struggle with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice. As the father of a young son and a husband to a loving wife, I need to get help so I can be a better man for both of them.

The charging document, which uses Radel's full name -- Henry J. Radel III -- says he "did unlawfully, knowingly and intentionally possess a quantity of cocaine."

Radel was caught by federal agents after a dealer they had arrested told investigators one of his clients was a congressman, according to the senior DEA official.

Multiple law enforcement agencies working jointly as a drug task force set up a buy with Radel, who bought the cocaine Oct. 29, the official said. FBI agents arrested Radel that night at his Washington apartment.

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Judge Rejects Conservator For Casey Kasem

Casey Kasem

A request by Casey Kasem's children that a temporary conservator be appointed for their ailing father was denied by a judge on Tuesday, according to CNN.

Kasem's daughter Julie Kasem and her husband filed a conservatorship petition in a Los Angeles court last month, claiming the retired radio host "has been isolated from his daughters, friends and other family" by his wife.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lesley Green ruled Tuesday that Kasem, 81, was being well cared for by his wife, Jean Kasem.

Kasem, who for decades hosted radio music countdown shows "American Top 40" and "Casey's Top 40," is suffering from Parkinson's disease and "may have early onset Parkinson's dementia," according to a court filing. He retired in 2009. Besides the famed countdown shows, Casey Kasem was also the voice of Shaggy in the cartoon "Scooby Doo" and an announcer for NBC.

The children, who have been fighting with their stepmother, are hoping they can soon see their father. While they have not spoken to her, their lawyers are discussing a visitation plan, he said.

Kasem has the "ability to shuffle short distances, but is mainly bedridden and requires the assistance of a wheelchair to move any distance," a court document said.

Daughter Kerri Kasem said last month that her stepmother suddenly barred her sister, her uncle and some of Kasem's friends from seeing him about three months ago. She said she was perplexed by the decision.

"I don't get it, I don't understand it," said Kerri Kasem, who co-hosts the radio show "Sixx Sense" with Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx. "He has Parkinson's, and all the research we've done indicates socialization would help him."

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Survey Finds Many Millenials Think FM Radio Is ‘Cool’

Based on 303 online interviews conducted last week with 13-34 respondents, Millennials don’t hate FM radio.  The vast majority either love it or like it, while a scant 1% hate FM, according to a survey from Mark Kassof & Co.

Teens are the least enthusiastic about FM…21%  ”neither like nor dislike it,” while only 10% of 18-34′s do. Even so, they aren’t any more negative than older Millennials…only 3% of teens dislike FM, only 1% hate it. Females are more positive than males – 45% of them love FM, while 29% of males do .

So that’s how Millennials feel about FM radio.  But what do they think about it?

Kassof looked at FM’s image two ways.  First the survey asked respondents: What is the very first thing that pops into your mind when you think of FM radio? The #1 response was a specific FM station (19%), #2 was “music.” Nothing very enlightening, except perhaps that only 3% volunteer that FM is “old” or “out-of-date.” The perception of FM as “old tech” isn’t top-of-mind with many Millennials.

Next, Kassof gave respondents a list of 38 words or phrases and asked them to check all the ones they think describe FM radio.  Kassof finds the results impressively positive.  At the top of the list, a majority find FM “entertaining,”  But the next-highest are more encouraging….42% of Millennials(!)  consider FM “cool,” 35% recognize its “local-ness.”

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3 Things to Watch Ahead of Pandora's Earnings

Pandora has proved resilient to increased competition in the streaming music space, even as tech heavyweight Apple launched its iTunes Radio last month, according to The Motley Fool.

 In fact, Pandora's market share increased more than 8% in October, despite an impressive debut for Apple's iTunes Radio. About 11 million listeners tuned in to Apple's rival service during its first weekend on the market. Apple says it now has 20 million listeners on iTunes Radio, but that's still far fewer than Pandora at more than 70 million active users today.

However, since advertising is Pandora's bread and butter, a more crucial number to consider is the amount of time each user spends on the service. For iTunes Radio, that number is about 9.5 minutes per day, according to analysts at B. Riley & Co., whereas Pandora users tune-in an average of 38.5 minutes each day.

This is important, because investors will want to keep an eye on Pandora's listener hours relative to the prior quarter, when the company reports its third-quarter results on Thursday. For its second quarter of fiscal 2014, Pandora reported total listener hours of 3.88 billion -- representing an 18% year-over-year spike in engagement. The longer users are listening to Pandora, the more cash advertisers would be willing to spend on the platform.

Looking to its third quarter, investors will also want to keep an eye on Pandora's share of U.S. radio listening. With major competition in the space including Apple and Sirius XM Radio , shareholders will want to see Pandora growing its market share on a consistent basis. The Oakland, Calif.-based company increased its market share more than 6% in Q2 and last month said its share of U.S. radio listening grew to 8.06%.

Shareholders will also want to watch how Pandora controlled costs in its third quarter.

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iTunes Radio Trails Pandora in Twitter Comments

Piper Jaffray said Tuesday it is introducing a new, weekly, Twitter  analysis of tweets in order to “measure the consumer sentiment trends between iTunes Radio and Pandora.”

According to marketwatch.com, Piper analyst Gene Munster, who covers, said that while the current data only represents “a snapshot”, over time, it should result in a clearer picture of consumers’ feelings toward the rival streaming music services.

For now, however, that picture is clearly in Pandora’s favor.

Munster said that the first tracking of Twitter sentiment shows Pandora holding “a significant lead in terms of daily tweet activity about the service compared to iTunes Radio.” That activity shows consumer tweeting about Pandora between 300,000 and 600,000 times a day, in contrast to fewer than 50,000 daily tweets about iTunes Radio, which Apple just launched a few weeks ago.

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Howard Stern: One More Year For ‘America’s Got Talent’

Howard Stern will be returning to America's Got Talent for his third season as a judge, according to US Weekly.  He confirmed the news during his SiriusXM radio show on Tuesday.

"It started out as a goof. Now it's becoming a job," Stern, 59, said to his listeners. "I am very excited to be going back to America's Got Talent. I will go back [for] one more season."

Stern -- who has costarred alongside Howie Mandel, Sharon Osbourne, Melanie "Mel B" Brown, Heidi Klum plus host Nick Cannon on the NBC series -- admits that the decision didn't come easy.

"I really, really did struggle with this decision because I've been working a long time. I really wanted to decide if this was going to take away too much free time.”

He joked: "I decided I needed a personal life, but that big black hole in me that demands attention -- it won."

Portland Radio: Michael Castner Lands Dan Rather Interview

Michael Castner

Dan Rather, who unwillingly stepped down from CBS News in 2006, is not a part of the news’ division coverage this Friday. (See Original Posting Click Here.)   Rather will be seen on NBC News with Tom Brokaw on Today Friday morning.

Michael Castner, who hosts afternoons at CCM+E’s N/T. KEX 1190 AM in Portland, last week chatted with Rather, now a cable channel AXS-TV, about his memories of covering the assassination of JFK.

During the interview, Rather comments on how he believes CBS has essentially erased him the network’s retrospective.

West Texas Radio Group Names John Moesch VP

John Moesch

West Texas Radio Group recently announced the promotion of John Moesch to Vice President of its Odessa-Midland broadcast stations KHKX-99.1 FM, KMCM 96.9 FM and KQRX 95.1 FM, according to oaonline.com.

Moesch had been general manager of the stations since Brazos Communications West acquired them in June 2012, according to a statement from the company.

“John’s done outstanding work in rebuilding this station into a strong competitive position,” said Tommy Vascocu, general partner of Brazos Communications West, in a prepared statement. “He’s a very talented veteran manager with extensive experience in developing, leading and executing aggressive programming and branding strategies for radio stations.”

Before he became general manager, Moesch had served as a radio personality with KNFM 92.3-FM.

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Chicago Radio: Steve & Johnnie Set For Holiday Fill-In At WGN

Johnnie & Steve

The overnight duo of Steve King and Johnnie Putman will be making their return to the WGN 720 AM airwaves in December, doing four days of fill-in shows during Christmas week. They won't be heard in their familiar overnight hours, however. Instead, the husband and wife team will be taking over the morning show hours of 5:00am-9:00am.

This will be the first time back on the air for Steve & Johnnie since their exit from the station back in December 2011.

Speaking to CRM from their second home in Florida, King and Putman expressed their happiness at being asked back to WGN-AM.

With Steve Cochran out on a pre-planned vacation during the week of Christmas, Steve & Johnnie will take over his morning show on Monday the 23rd, Tuesday the 24th, Thursday the 26th, and Friday the 27th. Wednesday the 25th is Christmas Day and the station will be airing special, pre-recorded, holiday-themed programming throughout much of the day.

Steve & Johnnie are happy that they will also be able to work out of the station's famed showcase studio, with windows facing Michigan Avenue and Pioneer Court.

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Boston Radio: Christopher Lydon Returns To WBUR

Lydon (Boston Globe)

Twelve years after parting company with WBUR-FM after a rancorous contract dispute, Christopher Lydon — former host of “The Connection,” a daily talk show that once aired on 75 National Public Radio affiliates — is returning to the station, according to bostom.com.

Starting in January, Lydon, 73, will host an hourlong program titled “Open Source with Christopher Lydon,” to be broadcast live on WBUR 90.9 FM every Thursday from 9 to 10 p.m. Joining Lydon is his longtime producer, Mary McGrath.

Under the arrangement, finalized roughly six weeks ago, Lydon and McGrath will continue to produce their own podcasts, links to which will be posted on the radio station’s website. WBUR will rebroadcast “Open Source” on weekends, at a time to be determined. It will replace “The Moth Radio Hour,” which moves to Fridays at 9 p.m.

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New Kanye West Music Video: Kim Goes Topless

Kanye West has outdone himself once again with the music video for 'Bound 2,' featuring a topless Kim Kardashian, a motorcycle, and some horses, according to The Daily Beast.

West has just released a new music video for the song “Bound 2,” one of the standout tracks off his recent LP Yeezus, arguably the best rap album of the year.

The tune is an ode to his 33-year-old bride-to-be, reality TV star Kim Kardashian.