CNN To Air Glen Campbell "I'll Be Me" Documentary

Glen Campbell

CNN will broadcast the feature documentary " Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me " this Sunday, June 28th at 9 pm (ET). The film documents Campbell's diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and his corresponding farewell tour in 2011 and 2012 and chronicles his struggle on and off stage, the progression of his illness, and the toll the disease has taken on his family and friends.

Also featured in the film will be the Grammy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," which was the final song Campbell was able to record before his health declined.

The soundtrack to "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me" also features daughter Ashley Campbell's original song, "Remembering," which she was inspired to write while taking part in her father's farewell tour as part of his band.


"Remembering" is slated to be released to radio via DOT Records on Monday, June 29th, one day after the airing of "GLEN CAMPBELL: I'll Be Me" on CNN.

R.I.P. Former NY State Weather Personality Bob Mills

Bob Mills

Bob Mills, a Rochester, NY radio and television personality who became a local star in the days when weather forecasts could descend into slapstick comedy, died Thursday at his home in Georgia.

Mr. Mills, best remembered as the weatherman on the top-rated evening broadcasts on WROC-TV8 from 1954 to 1974, was 83 years old. He died from complications of a degenerative neurological disorder, according to the Rochester Democrat&Chronicle.

After leaving Rochester television, Mr. Mills was a business owner and an author. He had lived in Marietta, Georgia, for the last 17 years.

Weather broadcasters today tend to be trained meteorologists, anxious to explain El Niños, mesoscale cyclones and lake-effect snow. Mills, though, was of an earlier generation.

"I started out not knowing a thing about the weather," he once said. "I tried to take a dull, uninteresting thing and make it interesting and I succeeded. We weren't trying to make a comedy spectacle out of the weather show, just interesting."

So he laughed along as co-workers sabotaged his live commercial spots. One time they hid a set mousetrap in a loaf of bread he was flogging. Another time he poured a glass of the sponsor's ginger ale only to find it full of cigarette butts.

Viewers ate it up.

Born Arthur Robert Mills in Ohio, Mr. Mills' family moved in 1949 to Rochester, where he became an announcer at WRNY.

Three years later he shifted to WVET, which had television and radio stations, and began filling in on the weather. WVET morphed into WROC in 1959.

June 26 Radio History

In 1933…"The Kraft Music Hall" premiered on the NBC Radio Network.

In 1959…"Mad Daddy" Pete Myers broadcast his last show on WHK-AM, Cleveland, Ohio.

Pete Myers 1959

In January 1958, Pete "Mad Daddy" Myers joined WJW-AM  from WHKK 640 AM in Akron. His "Mad Daddy" persona later was adapted by Ernie Anderson for his "Ghoulardi" character on sister station WJW-TV in 1963. Myers' show was heard nightly from 8 pm to 12:30 am. Myers had a brief but meteoric career at WJW, lasting only until May 13, 1958, when he resigned to go to Metromedia's WHK which was establishing itself as the new Top 40 powerhouse in Cleveland.

WJW enforced a 90-day noncompete clause, and "Mad Daddy" could not be heard on WHK until August 10. To keep his name in front of the public while he was off the air, Myers concocted a publicity stunt on June 14, 1958, parachuting from a Piper Cub 2200 feet over Lake Erie, and composing a poem on his way down.

He was fished out the waters shortly thereafter, and handed out copies of the 45 record "Zorro" to hundreds of fans who greeted him when he got to shore.

"Mad Daddy" reached the peak of his popularity at WHK, hosting record hops and live after-midnight shows dressed in a Dracula costume. In July 1959 he moved to WHK's sister station in New York, WNEW 1130 AM, where "Mad Daddy" was not well received. He played it straight as Pete Myers there until 1963, when he moved to 1010 WINS and resumed the "Mad Daddy Show." This show was syndicated to other stations until WINS changed format to all-news in 1965.

As again just Pete Myers, he returned to WNEW once more. Myers lived until October 4, 1968, when he took his own life in New York City.


In 1971…WNEW-FM in New York City became the first radio station to play Don McLean's "American Pie," aired in its 8-minute, 36-second entirety.

In 1977…Elvis Presley's final concert took place at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Before the show Elvis was presented with a plaque commemorating the 2 billionth Presley record to come out of RCA's pressing plant. He appeared pale, weak, and overweight, but the only thing out of the ordinary about this show was that Elvis inexplicably introduced almost everyone in his life while on stage. Some took this as "proof" that he knew his end was near.   He died 51 days later.


In 1990...8 Radio stations in Kansas and Oklahoma boycott k d lang, due to her anti-meat ad.

k d lang

LS Radio Inc., a Wichita-based company with seven stations in Kansas and one in Oklahoma, pulled k.d. lang's records Thursday. So did the Shepherd Group, which has three stations in Missouri and one in Montana.

The spot also irritated Larry Steckline, a Wichita broadcaster who owns five country stations in Kansas, the top beef state in the United States. Steckline, a farmer-rancher, said he had ''no problem with her being a vegetarian. . . . My problem is somebody with a name in this industry coming down hard on the number one industry in our state. That's not what I call ladylike.''

Great Empire Broadcasting Inc., another Kansas chain with 10 stations in five states, gathered listener reaction as it considered joining the boycott. Mike Oatman, Great Empire's chief executive officer and general manager of a station in Wichita, reported that 60 percent of the callers favored continuing to play k.d. lang's records and 40 percent favored banning them.


In Media Confidential one year ago...

Springfield MA..Radio veteran Brad Sherpard OUT at WHYN-AM: Click Here

Podcasters Need Better Metrics

Tom Webster

Edison Research VP of strategy & marketing Tom Webster says podcasters need better audience metrics.

The comment came Tuesday during a webinar on The Podcast Consumer 2015.

According to webster, yhe most commonly cited podcast metric–—number of downloads —doesn’t provide a qualitative enough picture of the audience. Nor does it measure the number of people who actually listen after downloading.

“It’s incumbent on podcasters to take all aspects of measuring this medium seriously,” Webster said, adding the purveyors of the medium need to better explain its reach to advertisers.

“Podcasting is starting to become mature enough that a credible measurement system is warranted,” Webster said.

Watch the webinar here:


Despite the absence of a syndicated audience measurement service for podcasting, a clearer picture of the medium’s audience is emerging.

According to new Edison Research data, the listeners are educated (58% have at least a four-year college degree). Affluent (36% have a household income greater than $75,000) and engaged with brands (six in ten say they follow companies or brands on social media, compared to four in ten of the total U.S. population). In short, they’re “an advertiser’s dream,”

Anyone Surprised? '1989' Will Be On Apple Music

Taylor Swift's latest album, 1989, is coming to Apple Music, representing a massive get for the streaming service ahead of its June 30th launch.

She announced the news on Twitter Thursday ending a dramatic saga that began Sunday when Swift voiced disappointment over the original terms of Apple Music's three-month free trial. The company had first planned to hold back royalties for any music streamed during the trial, a decision that drew heavy criticism from lesser known, indie performers.

In her Tumblr post, Swift said she was speaking on behalf of those artists.

Roger Ailes To Remain At Fox News

Roger Ailes

Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes has renewed his contract, ending speculation about his future at 21st Century Fox now that Rupert Murdoch's sons are taking over the company.

Ailes' contract renewal was announced Thursday morning. The company characterized it as a "new multi-year contract." Ailes' contract was previously set to expire in the summer of 2016, months before the presidential election.

21st Century Fox declined to elaborate on the length or the value of the new contract.

Along with running Fox News, Ailes oversees the Fox Business Network and Fox's local television stations.

The announcement was made by Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch and James Murdoch, to whom Mr. Ailes will jointly report.

Rupert Murdoch, 21st Century Fox’s Executive Co-Chairman as of July 1, commented:

“Nearly two decades ago, Roger took a bold idea rooted in the belief that there was room for more choice in cable news, and – much to all the naysayers’ surprise – through his development of vibrant programming and talent, created a behemoth of a business with one of the most passionate and engaged audiences in the history of television news. 

Roger and I have always had, and will continue to have, a special relationship. Lachlan, James and I are delighted that Roger will be leading key businesses for us and our shareholders for years to come, and he has our unwavering support.”

Lachlan and James Murdoch, 21st Century Fox’s designated Executive Co-Chairman and CEO, respectively, commented: “Roger is an incredibly talented executive and we’re pleased he has accepted our offer to continue his extraordinary record of success at 21st Century Fox. We look forward to witnessing his energy and entrepreneurial drive in leading the next wave of growth for Fox News, Fox Business Network and Fox Television Stations, as well as many years of continued success together.”

Roger Ailes said: “I am grateful to Rupert Murdoch for taking the risk on Fox News to see it become the number one 24-hour news network in America. I look forward to working with Rupert, Lachlan and James to do my part to help bring 21st Century Fox well into the future.”

James Murdoch Says Family United As He Takes Charge

James, Rupert Murdoch

CANNES (Reuters) - James Murdoch, who will take the helm of Twenty-First Century Fox next week, said there was little he and his father Rupert did not agree on with respect to the future of the family media empire.

At the Cannes Lions advertising conference on Thursday, the 42-year-old executive also said his relationship with brother Lachlan, who will be elevated to a co-executive chairman in the recently announced reshuffle was "very much a partnership".

While James and Lachlan are said by company sources to have a good relationship and approach the business as partners, the dual-reporting line could prove to be confusing and a source of tension, analysts have said.

"The family is obviously a big shareholder in the business, so we are all really invested in each others' success," said Murdoch.

"We all see very eye to eye on the business, so I think we're in reasonably good shape there."

Rupert Murdoch, who controls Fox through a trust that owns 39 percent of the voting shares, announced the long-expected elevation of his sons this month as he prepares the future of the company at a time of wrenching change in the television and entertainment businesses.

James Murdoch will soon be running a sprawling media empire that owns cable assets, broadcast networks and movie studios, including Twentieth Century Fox, Fox News and Star India. Fox is also the largest shareholder in European pay-TV group Sky PLC with 39 percent.

The family spun off the newspaper business News Corp., long a passion of Rupert Murdoch, into a separate company in 2013.

Some investors have questioned whether James is less attached to some parts of the media empire that his father built, such as the less profitable newspaper arm. The future of Fox's investment in Sky is also an issue after media reports of interest from European media group Vivendi <VIV.PA> and telecom operator Vodafone.

James Murdoch did not comment on Thursday on those topics in particular, but did not mention News Corp. or Sky when asked what he thought the most promising areas of development were for the company.

"We are a global business and have always been so but I have to say we think India is the single greatest opportunity in the next five to ten years," he said, adding that Latin American and the United States were also bright spots.

Asked whether he would one day like his own children to run the family business, Murdoch laughed.

"My kids are really little right now. I'd just like them to pass the fifth grade."

(Editing by Dominique Vidalon and Keith Weir)

Fox News To Launch 24/7 SiriusXM Channel

SiriusXM and FOX News Wednesday announced the launch of FOX News Headlines 24/7, a new national headline news service and full-time satellite radio channel produced by a dedicated team of FOX News journalists and contributors. The channel, part of a multi-year agreement, will launch in the fall of 2015 to all SiriusXM subscribers on channel 115.

Staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year, FOX News Headlines 24/7 on SiriusXM will deliver the day's top stories at any time. FOX News Senior Vice President of News Jay Wallace will oversee operations of the new channel, in addition to his current responsibilities managing news at FNC.

Utilizing the resources of FOX News, FOX Business Network, FOX News Radio, Foxnews.com, and Foxbusiness.com the new channel will be continuously updated with headlines, breaking news, on-scene reporting, business news, politics, entertainment, sports, and more. SiriusXM listeners will be able to access breaking news throughout their day wherever they listen to SiriusXM, whether in the vehicle, or via the SiriusXM app or online at siriusxm.com.

In commenting on the announcement, FOX News Chairman & CEO Roger Ailes said, "By creating this new news offering, we're aiming to provide FOX News viewers and satellite radio subscribers the opportunity to stay informed with the latest headlines and breaking news from the network they have come to rely on and trust."

Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM, added, "We are excited to expand our relationship with FOX News to include this original and exclusive channel. FOX News has the credibility and expertise to develop a channel unlike anything else in radio. It will deliver timely, valuable information that allows our listeners to immediately get caught up on the latest news, no matter where they are. With so much happening in the news cycle, the channel's dedicated teams of broadcasters will keep our subscribers updated around the clock. FOX News Headline 24/7 will produce a news channel that no competitor can match."

FOX News and SiriusXM already broadcast three dedicated satellite radio channels, including: FOX News Channel, featuring an audio simulcast of the most watched cable news network, on channel 114; an audio simulcast of FOX Business Network on channel 113; and FOX News Talk on channel 450, which offers opinion programming from popular FOX News personalities such as Brian Kilmeade, Alan Colmes, John Gibson and Tom Sullivan.

Dr. Phil To Produce New Daily Mail TV show

L-R: Jay McGraw, Carla Pennington, Dr. Phil McGraw, Martin Clarke in Cannes today

DailyMail.com is teaming up with TV’s number one daytime talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw to launch a brand new daily television series in the US in Fall 2016.

Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Martin Clarke made the announcement with Dr. Phil on board the Daily Mail yacht at the Cannes Lions festival on Thursday.

Mr Clarke said DailyMail.com and Stage 29 Productions would jointly develop the dynamic and creative television show that will bring the very best of the world’s most read English-language newspaper website to life on TV in the US.

The series will be executive produced by Carla Pennington, executive producer of Dr. Phil and The Doctors) and Jay McGraw, executive producer of The Doctors, and Dr. Phil.

It will cover topics including breaking news, exclusive stories, politics, US and world news, crime, health, lifestyle, fashion and showbiz.

He said: 'As soon as I met Dr. Phil, I recognised he was a kindred spirit. He is a news guy and loves human interest. He knows television inside out.

It has not been decided if McGraw, who got his first break on Oprah, will front the show.

Apple Music Does Deal With Indies

The turning point in Apple’s talks with the music industry came late Sunday night, when — after a
rebuke from Taylor Swift — the company reversed course on a proposal to not pay royalties during test drives of a new streaming music service, reports The NY Times.

But for thousands of small record companies for whom Apple is a crucial source of income, a crisis had already been in effect for two weeks, and was resolved only late Tuesday, when the independent groups agreed to licensing terms with the tech giant.

“Over the last few days, we have had increasingly fruitful discussions with Apple,” Martin Mills, the founder of Beggars Group, whose acts include Adele and Vampire Weekend, said in a statement on Wednesday. “We are now delighted to say that we are happy to endorse the deal with Apple Music as it now stands, and look forward to being a big part of a very exciting future.”

The deal, which was also endorsed by Merlin, an organization that represents small labels in digital negotiations, will let thousands of labels join the new streaming service, Apple Music, which will open around the world on Tuesday. The new service is Apple’s long-awaited entry to the world of on-demand streaming music, and will include $10-a-month subscription plans to rival Spotify and others.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday about the indie deals, and representatives of Beggars, Merlin and other independents declined to comment further.

Read More Now

Denver Radio: Three KLZ-AM Talkers Walk Claiming Censorship

Clark, Cook, Cal Thomas, Corporon

Three talk show hosts on KLZ 560 AM have resigned, claiming station management interfered with their coverage of a coup attempt inside the Colorado Republican Party.

Randy Corporon, Ken Clark and Kris Cook submitted letters of resignation to KLZ parent company Crawford Broadcasting, according to a joint statement issued by the radio hosts.

"This is a united protest by the three of us against interference with our shows," the hosts wrote. They claimed station management banned on-air appearances by former Congressman Tom Tancredo and Colorado GOP chairman Steve House.

Tancredo and House are embroiled in a feud in which House accused Tancredo and his allies, including Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, of trying to blackmail him out of office with false claims of marital infidelity.

Crawford Broadcasting President Don Crawford, Jr confirmed the departures but said the on-air ban only involved Tancredo, not House.

"We were told we have full creative control of our shows," Kris Cook told 9NEWS.

Crawford was nonplussed by allegations of censorship.

"I guess they didn't realize they don't own the radio station," Crawford said.

Crawford said there was no censorship and he’s surprised the three are making that claim. He said he did order a “freeze” on Tancredo being a guest until he could personally meet him and talk to him about his role in the ongoing drama concerning the state Colorado Republican Party chairman, Steve House.

The KLZ AM website still promotes their shows. Corporon’s aired from 5 to 8 a.m.; Clark’s from 1 to 3 p.m.; and Cook’s from 6 to 8 p.m.

Sean Hannity Raps Rap Music

Sean Hannity

During his radio show on Wednesday, Talk Host Sean Hannity questioned if there was any point in removing the flag when there are so many things still on the shelves that he finds offensive.

According to Mediaite, Hannity hypothetically began to ask whether Walmart or Amazon would still be selling music from rappers like 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg if the Confederate flag will no longer be available. “Why do I say that,” Hannity explained, “because a lot of the music by those artists is chock-full of the ‘N word,’ and the ‘B-word,’ and the ‘H-word,’ and racist, misogynist, sexist anti-woman slurs none of those retail executives would be caught dead using.”

Hannity then went on to call President Obama a hypocrite for speaking against racism in America after previously inviting music power couple and harsh-language-users Jay Z and Beyonce to the White House.

“If it’s okay for Obama’s teenage daughters and people to go into these stores and buy music chock-full of the n-word, the b-word, well maybe we should consider banning that too,” Hannity said. “We’re in the process of banning everything.”

Stern Sez He's Leaving AGT For New TV Gig

Howard Stern

Howard Stern says he’s leaving “America’s Got Talent” at the end of this season — but, according to The NY Post,  whether he’s serious or is negotiating publicly for a new contract remains to be seen.

Stern told his SiriusXM radio audience Wednesday that he is leaving “AGT” later this summer at the end of the season, his fourth on the popular NBC talent show.

He said NBC wanted to know from him whether he would return for Season 11 by July 4.

NBC had no comment Wednesday, but a network insider told The Post that Stern — who’s on a year-to-year contract — says he’s leaving the show every year right around the time his deal is set to expire.

Stern also said on his radio show Wednesday that has an offer from another, unnamed TV show that interests him.

SF Radio: True Don Bleu Retiring Friday

Don Bleu

iHeartMedia/San Francisco has announced that radio icon True Don Bleu will be his morning show on Classic Hits KOSF 103.7 FM.

His final show will be Friday, with a career retrospective planned. Bleu has been in Bay Area radio for 34 years and was inducted into the Bay Area Hall of Fame in 2007. He has been on KOSF since 2011, following 22 years at KIOI and nine at KYUU.

Market President Katie Wilcox said, "Don Bleu has been a fixture in the Bay Area radio community for decades. Beyond the years of making audiences laugh and fall in love with his authenticity, he is also credited as the inspiration for many other local and national talent. He is no different in the halls than he is on the air, and our staff will miss his quick wit and warm presence."

"This has been an incredible run at iHeartMedia, both at Star 101.3 and Big 103.7. I am so fortunate," Bleu said. "When I meet listeners, I’m amazed at the memories and moments they bring up. They have listened for years, and their children have listened for years. As I have ended each broadcast for many years in the Bay Area, 'Thanks for bein' on the show,'" he said.

Click Here To Listen

Bleu began his career in 1966 when his University of North Dakota classmate Shadoe Stevens encouraged him to give radio a try.

He signed on at KILO in Grand Forks, and soon became the night-time disc jockey. After a term at KQWB Fargo, he moved to the Twin Cities and KDWB in 1968, where for the next ten years he was one of the top jocks in the region, even touring the state with his own group, True Don Bleu and the Upper Division Back to the '50s Rock and Roll Revue.

His Minnesota success earned him a spot at KHJ Radio in Los Angeles. In 1980 he moved to San Francisco, where he became a star in the adult contemporary format, twice named National Adult Contemporary Air Personality of the Year by Radio & Records Magazine. He's also enjoyed success in television, having hosted "The Gong Show" for a season, as well as shows for the Discovery Channel and Home and Garden TV.

In 2007, he was inducted into San Francisco's Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.

RTDNA Announces National Murrow Award Winners

RTDNA has announced the winners of the 2015 National Edward R. Murrow Awards, which recognize outstanding work produced by radio, television and online news organizations around the world.

"From investigations that probe the issues that divide us, to features that highlight what can unite us, our winners are truly the best of the best," said RTDNA Chair Amy Tardif. "Their work demonstrates the dedication and perseverance that exemplify the highest standards of journalism excellence."

This year, RTDNA awarded 104 national Edward R. Murrow Awards in 13 categories including Feature Reporting, Hard News, Overall Excellence and more. RTDNA received more than 4,200 entries during the 2015 awards season, setting an all-time record for the third year in a row.

CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE WINNER'S LIST

For the second year in a row, ABC News Radio and ABC News (television) both won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence at the network level. ABC's radio team also won awards for Breaking News, Sports Reporting and Writing.

In the network television division, CBS News earned seven Murrow Awards in 2015 – for Breaking News, Continuing Coverage, News Series, Newscast, Use of Video, Writing and Best Website. NBC News TODAY won for Hard News and Sports Reporting in the network television division. Al Jazeera America took the award for News Documentary, while CNN won for Investigative Reporting and ESPN won for Feature Reporting.

In the network radio division, National Public Radio took home awards for Hard News, Use of Sound and Investigative Reporting. CBS Radio News won three awards in the same division: Continuing Coverage, Feature Reporting and Newscast. State of the Re:Union repeated as the winner of the News Documentary award. And Serial won the Edward R. Murrow Award for News Series.

The Denver Post won the Overall Excellence Award in the large online news organization division as well as awards for News Series and Sports Reporting. In the same division, The Washington Post won three awards: Investigative Reporting, Feature Reporting and Writing. The New York Times won two awards: Breaking News and Continuing Coverage. Four newsrooms round out the category: The Bay Area News Group - News Documentary, Vocativ - Hard News, The Des Moines Register - Use of Video, and The Detroit Free Press was a repeat winner for Best Website.

Three newsrooms got double wins this year. In the Small Market Radio division, WGLT-FM, the NPR affiliate at Illinois State University in Normal, IL won for both News Series and Investigative Reporting for its entry Police and Race in the Twin Cities: A WGLT News Investigative 5-part Series. In the Large Market Radio division, KIRO-FM in Seattle won for Sports Reporting and Use of Sound for its entry Something Special. And in the Large Market Television division, KXAS-TV (in partnership with the Dallas Morning News) won for News Series and Investigative Reporting for its entry Injured Heroes.

"The Edward R. Murrow Awards shine a light on the outstanding work being done in newsrooms every day," said RTDNA Executive Director Mike Cavender. "Each year, the winners raise the bar and inspire their fellow journalists to tell great stories."

To receive an Overall Excellence award, a news organization must exemplify the highest standards in serving its audience through quality electronic journalism.

Overall Excellence award winners in 2015 are:

•  ABC News, New York (Network Television)
• ABC News Radio, New York (Network Radio)
• The Denver Post, Denver (Large Online News Organization)
• Free Press Media, Burlington, VT (Small Online News Organization)
• KING-TV, Seattle (Large Market Television)
• KETV-TV, Omaha, NE (Small Market Television)
• WCBS, New York (Large Market Radio)
• New Hampshire Public Radio, Concord, NH (Small Market Radio)

The winners will be recognized at the RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala at Gotham Hall in New York City on October 12.