Radio History: July 19

➦In 1923...WRC-AM, Washington, DC  signed-on.  WRC started at 640 AM and share the frequency with WCAP.

WRC in the Trans Lux Building

WRC was owned and operated by RCA.  By the 1930, 500 watt WRC moved to 950 AM and was part of the NBC's Red Network. The station moved to 980 AM in the late 1940s.

First Home Riggs Bank

The two stations WRC and now WMAL were located in the Trans Lux Building at 14th & New York Ave.

In 1972,  NBC made the decision to take the MOR station to a Top 40 format and challenge DC champ WPGC in the ratings game.

The birth of The Great 98 had a lot of help from some Philly radio vets.  Lee Sherwood was brought in as PD and Bob Gross was Promotions Director.  Both were from WFIL.  The original on air team consisted of Johnny Andrews, Bobby McGee, Simon Trane, James Michael Wilson and Ron Starr.

Being an NBC O&O had its drawbacks:  NBC Hourly News, NBC Monitor on weekends, special features (Graham Kerr, Gene Shalit, etc) had to be carried.

The Top 40 format moved to WRC-FM, and WRC-AM switched to an all-news format in 1975 before switching to news/talk in 1979.

Greater Media bought WRC-AM in 1984, changing the call letters to WWRC. It switched to business news and talk.   In 1998, sports-formatted WTEM-AM 570 moved its programming and call letters to 980 AM.  The WWRC call letters were moved to 1260 AM, which carried the old business news format until switching to all-sports in 2003.

Today, 1260 AM is owned by Salem Communications, carrying a news/talk format.  The call letters still are WWRC, but the station is branded “1260 WRC,” though it has no connection to WRC-TV, Washington’s NBC affiliate.

Eve Arden, Dick Crenna and Gloria McMillian at CBS Mic

➦In 1948..."Our Miss Brooks", starring Eve Arden and Gale Gordon, debuted on CBS radio.

Our Miss Brooks was a sitcom starring Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952–56), it became one of the medium's earliest hits.

Our Miss Brooks was a hit on radio from the outset; within eight months of its launch as a regular series, the show landed several honors, including four for Eve Arden, who won polls in four individual publications of the time. Arden had actually been the third choice to play the title role. Harry Ackerman, at the time CBS's West Coast director of programming, wanted Shirley Booth for the part, but as he told historian Gerald Nachman many years later, he realized Booth was too focused on the underpaid downside of public school teaching at the time to have fun with the role.

Lucille Ball was believed to have been the next choice, but she was committed to My Favorite Husband and did not audition. Then CBS chairman Bill Paley, who was friendly with Arden, persuaded her to audition for the part. With a slightly rewritten audition script—Osgood Conklin, for example, was originally written as a school board president but was now written as the incoming new Madison principal—Arden agreed to give the newly revamped show a try.

According to radio critic John Crosby, her lines were very "feline" in dialogue scenes with principal Conklin and would-be boyfriend Boynton, with sharp, witty comebacks. The interplay between the cast—blustery Conklin, nebbishy Denton, accommodating Harriet, absentminded Mrs. Davis, clueless Boynton, scheming Miss Enright—also received positive reviews.

Arden won a radio listeners' poll by Radio Mirror magazine as the top-ranking comedienne of 1948–49, receiving her award at the end of an Our Miss Brooks broadcast that March. The radio series continued until 1957, a year after its television life ended.

➦In 2012...Top 40 program director Ted J. Atkins, who helped make KHJ, KFRC, WOL, CKLW and many others successful modern radio stations, succumbed to his pancreatic cancer at age 72.

R.I.P.: Freddy Boom Boom Cannon, 60s Hitmaker

Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, the rock ’n’ roll singer-songwriter and guitarist known for high-energy hits and a record 110 appearances on American Bandstand, died Friday, at a California hospice facility.

He was 89. Cannon passed after a very brief battle with cancer, his longtime friend iHeart Radio executive Tom Cuddy confirmed.

A three-time Top 10 pop artist whose career spanned seven decades, Cannon scored 29 Billboard Hot 100 entries, including the million-selling 1959 smash “Tallahassee Lassie,” 1962’s “Palisades Park,” and “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans.” Other signature upbeat hits included “Action,” “Transistor Sister,” and “Abigail Beecher.”

Born Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr. on Dec. 4, 1936, in Lynn, Massachusetts, Cannon was a former truck driver whose mother’s poem inspired his breakthrough hit. Encouraged by Dick Clark, he and his wife Jeanette moved to Philadelphia in his late teens. Clark’s American Bandstand became the launchpad for his long television career.Cannon performed with rock legends including Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bo Diddley, and appeared on nearly every major 1960s music show from Shindig and Hullabaloo to The Midnight Special. Robert Plant once told him that Led Zeppelin had recorded a blues version of “Tallahassee Lassie” before settling on their name. 

Cuddy recalled that Dick Clark always asked Cannon to open oldies concerts “because he knew Freddy would get the audience on their feet with up-tempo rock and roll.” Cannon remained active, working on new music at his Oxnard, California, home until days before his death. 

He was set to give what would have been his final interview on July 11 with friend “Cousin Brucie” Morrow on 77WABC, NYC but entered the hospital the day before.

He is survived by children Conny and Billy, sister Mary Lou, son-in-law Jim, daughter-in-law Beth, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Jeanette in 2024 and son John earlier this year. Cannon co-authored his 2011 biography, Where the Action Is, with Mark Bego.

Telemundo Dominates World Cup Viewership

Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo captured nearly half of the total World Cup audience in the United States through the first 48 matches, drawing millions of viewers—including many whose primary language is English—thanks to its signature high-energy commentary and engaging production.

The network’s strong performance highlights a significant shift in how American audiences consume major soccer events. 

Despite broadcasting exclusively in Spanish, Telemundo has successfully attracted a broad, bilingual, and even English-dominant viewership, underscoring the growing popularity of the sport and the appeal of vibrant, passionate coverage that transcends language barriers.

⚽WORLD CUP FINALE: Spain vs Argentina, Sunday 3pm EDT on FOX,  Telemundo

Industry observers credit the broadcaster’s dynamic announcing style, immersive on-field reporting, and culturally resonant presentation for converting casual fans into loyal viewers. The energetic commentary—often described as more expressive and emotionally charged than traditional English-language broadcasts—has resonated widely, helping Telemundo outperform expectations and claim a commanding 49% share of the cumulative audience across the tournament’s opening rounds.

This achievement comes as soccer continues to gain mainstream traction in the U.S., with the World Cup drawing record overall interest. Telemundo’s success demonstrates that compelling storytelling and authentic enthusiasm can bridge linguistic divides, turning a Spanish-language channel into a primary destination for diverse American soccer fans.

Local Radio Steps Up During South Texas Flooding

Radio broadcasting stations in South Texas, particularly in the Texas Hill Country (e.g., Kerrville, Uvalde areas) and broader affected regions, are largely operational and actively serving as key information lifelines during the July 2026 flooding, despite some disruptions. Heavy rainfall (10–25+ inches in spots) triggered flash flood emergencies, catastrophic river flooding (e.g., Guadalupe River), evacuations, rescues, and at least two deaths in mid-July 2026. 

This echoes the devastating 2025 floods but with lower loss of life so far.

Key Stations and Operations

• Jam Broadcasting (Kerrville area, including multiple FM and one AM station): Stations remain on the air. They experienced a temporary major power outage due to debris damaging electrical infrastructure, but power was restored quickly. They have relayed Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages, city official updates, and emergency info. Downtown businesses flooded again, adding economic strain after last year's revenue losses.
• Ranch Radio Marketing Group (Kerrville, five FM stations): Stations are on air as of July 17, despite initial operational issues and flood damage to some employees' homes. They previously coordinated efforts like "Hill Country Strong" for real-time crisis info.
• Texas Public Radio (TPR) and other NPR member stations (San Antonio, Hill Country, etc.): Actively providing breaking news coverage, live updates, and podcasts on the floods. Streams and on-air programming continue without reported major outages.
• Broader South Texas/Rio Grande Valley and Central Texas stations: No widespread reports of stations going offline. Radio has historically proven resilient in the region when cell service and other comms fail.

RadioWorld reports local radio has stepped up with nonstop emergency broadcasting, debunking misinformation, and supporting first responders and communities—roles they filled effectively in 2025. Challenges include power outages, flooded infrastructure/businesses, employee personal impacts, and economic setbacks, but operators report quick adaptations and continued service.

Overall, stations are faring well in maintaining broadcasts and community support amid the crisis, underscoring radio's reliability in disasters where other systems may falter. For the latest, check local outlets like TPR or Kerrville stations directly.

Music Publishers Drop Elon Musk X Copywright Lawsuit

A group of major music publishers, including Universal Music Group and Sony Music, has agreed to end its long-running copyright infringement dispute with Elon Musk’s X platform.  Court filings made public Friday confirm that both sides have jointly requested the dismissal of their respective lawsuits in federal courts in Tennessee and Texas. 

The dismissals are being sought “with prejudice,” meaning the claims cannot be refiled in the future. The original lawsuit, filed in June 2023 by the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and a coalition of publishers, accused X (then Twitter) of “rampant” and “massive” copyright infringement involving around 1,700 musical works. 

The publishers sought more than $250 million in damages, alleging the platform allowed users to post unlicensed music without adequate enforcement. X countered in January 2026 with an antitrust lawsuit in Texas, accusing the NMPA and 18 publishers of colluding to “weaponize” DMCA takedown notices and force the platform into industry-wide licensing deals at inflated rates. 

Settlement talks in 2025 had shown progress but ultimately collapsed. 

Neither X, the NMPA, nor the individual publishers have commented publicly on the resolution or disclosed any financial terms or licensing agreements that may have been reached as part of the settlement.

The development ends a multi-year legal battle that highlighted ongoing tensions between social media platforms and the music industry over unlicensed use of copyrighted songs. X has been the only major social media platform without comprehensive music licensing deals. 

Details of any future licensing arrangements between X and the publishers remain undisclosed.

Netflix Home Run Derby Viewership Drops

Netflix’s MLB Home Run Derby drew 5.3 million viewers, falling short of traditional linear television audiences and marking the event’s smallest turnout since 2003.

The streaming service reported Thursday that the Philadelphia contest, won dramatically by St. Louis Cardinals slugger Jordan Walker, averaged 5.3 million viewers — a 7.5% drop from last year’s 5.73 million on ESPN and ESPN2.

Like other sports events that have shifted to streaming, the broadcast drew immediate complaints Monday from fans who struggled with access. Despite the lower overall numbers, Netflix highlighted positive demographic results: the youngest Home Run Derby audience since 2014, with a median viewer age of 44.3, and its strongest ratings among the 18-34 and 18-49 age groups since 2021.

The viewership figures were released late Thursday, delayed from the morning after Netflix encountered data issues with Nielsen. The numbers came after Fox posted stronger ratings for Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game.

Netflix had aimed to refresh the production with a new look, matching the Derby’s format change to an untimed, swing-based competition. While pre-game coverage had some rough spots, the effort largely succeeded, featuring former stars Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols — the No. 1 and No. 4 career home run leaders in MLB history.

The Derby performance follows Netflix’s earlier season-opening MLB broadcast in March between the Yankees and Giants, which averaged three million viewers despite production challenges.

Netflix’s next MLB event is next month’s Field of Dreams game in Iowa.

San Jose Radio: KUFX To Flip to Country Wednesday

Connoisseur Media will flip longtime South Bay Classic Rock station KUFX “98.5 The Fox” to a new Country format called “Bay Country” at Noon Pacific on Wednesday, July 22.

The change ends the station’s run as a 10kW Class B FM with boosters and moves its programming exclusively to digital HD Radio signals: KUFX’s HD2 channel and KMVQ-FM 99.7’s HD3 signal in San Francisco. 

Listeners will need HD Radio tuners or streaming audio to continue hearing the station.

Air personalities making the transition include midday host Chris Jackson, afternoon host Ileana, and morning man Morris Knight.

The format switch follows Connoisseur’s decision to sell the physical facilities of KBAY-FM 94.5 in Gilroy to K-LOVE Inc. while retaining the intellectual property and call letters. The company is relocating the Country format to the stronger 98.5 MHz signal, which will also simulcast on 92.1 MHz in the East Bay.

With Country music enjoying renewed mainstream popularity in 2026, the move aims to fill a significant gap in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose market. It comes years after the end of KRTY-FM 95.3 as a terrestrial station. Currently, the only other Country-formatted FMs audible in the Bay Area originate from Santa Rosa, Monterey-Salinas, and Stockton-Modesto.

Green Bay Radio: Personality Hit With Restraining Order

Otis Day

A Green Bay WIXX radio host has been granted long-term restraining orders against a former Kiss FM DJ and another man after they admitted roles in a conspiracy to harass her.

Winnebago County court officials issued the injunctions Friday morning against Emily Chagnon and Richard “Otis Day” Dey. The orders, which stem from petitions filed in March, will remain in effect until 2030 under an out-of-court agreement reached by both respondents with Natalie Jansen and her legal team.

Under oath, Dey directly acknowledged his involvement in the harassment plot. “As you’re sitting here today, under oath, you admit and acknowledge that you were a part of the conspiracy to harass Ms. Jansen, correct?” Jansen’s attorney asked.

“Yes sir,” Dey replied. 

Chagnon also accepted responsibility during the hearing. “I am an adult. I take responsibility, good or bad,” she said. “Yeah, I prayed a lot about it, I learned a lesson and moved on and yes, I take responsibility for my actions.”

Natalie Jansen

As part of the agreement, Jansen’s team will conduct a full forensic examination of the respondents’ social media accounts and electronic devices, her attorney Mark McGinnis confirmed.

McGinnis further alleged that Chagnon operated a Facebook page under the alias “Sally Gibson,” where she posted information about Jansen and WIXX that was allegedly supplied by Dey.

Jansen’s attorneys also claimed Friday that Dey’s wife, Melinda Dey, participated in the conspiracy. 

They stated that Dey has not been fully truthful about the extent of the involvement. Attorneys plan to file a restraining order against Melinda Dey as early as Monday.

The case highlights ongoing tensions in the local radio industry following the filings in March. The extended restraining orders through 2030 provide Jansen with legal protection for the next six years.

60-Minutes Ex-Producer Tell-All Targets Shari Redstone

Former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens is preparing a highly critical memoir about CBS News and its parent company Paramount, even as the network continues to pay out the remaining years of his multimillion-dollar contract under a separation agreement that includes a non-disparagement clause.

The arrangement, first reported by Puck News, has triggered internal concern at Paramount and CBS, where executives and lawyers are discussing whether Owens’ planned book violates the terms of his exit package and whether legal action is warranted.

Bill Owens

According to the book proposal obtained by Breaker Media, Owens accuses former Paramount controlling shareholder Shari Redstone of caving to political pressure, claims corporate executives routinely interfered with “60 Minutes,” and charges that senior management prioritized merger politics over journalistic integrity. 

He also targets Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, describing Weiss as “an opinion writer who has made a name for herself by having a lot of opinions.”

Owens has already gone public with his criticisms. While accepting a New York Press Club award last month, he called Weiss “a fraud” and “an ideologue.”

Paramount agreed to continue the multimillion-dollar payments when Owens left the network in April 2024. He was required to sign a non-disparagement agreement as part of the deal. CBS television chief George Cheeks and network attorneys have at least considered taking legal action over the book, though both Paramount and Owens declined to comment.

Shari Redstone

Owens’ departure stemmed from a bitter dispute with Paramount’s previous leadership over what he saw as increasing corporate meddling in “60 Minutes” editorial decisions during the company’s effort to sell to Skydance. The conflict intensified around President Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS over the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

Redstone, eager to secure regulatory approval for the Skydance merger, pressured Owens and then-CBS News president Wendy McMahon to issue an apology and settle the case. Paramount ultimately settled for $16 million. Redstone later became more involved in reviewing programming and brought in veteran executive Susan Zirinsky to oversee standards following a controversial Gaza segment — moves Owens viewed as direct intrusions on his authority.

Zirinsky subsequently assigned producer Al Ortiz to vet every “60 Minutes” segment before broadcast.

Newsrooms Turning to Video To Attract Consumers

News publishers are re-engineering their newsrooms to turn reporters and editors into on-camera video correspondents and creators, as video becomes a core editorial format rather than a side project.

Driven by shifting audience habits—where people increasingly discover and consume news via social platforms, video apps, and AI search—publishers are investing in new training and support systems to help journalists build on-camera skills and personal brands.

At The New York Times, the effort now has a dedicated leader. In March, the Times hired Tom Denison as video training editor. His full-time role is to coach reporters and editors and find ways to extend their reporting into video, according to a staff memo from Charlotte Greensit, managing editor of visuals.

“With this dedicated resource, we’ll make our training more systematic and even better aligned with video strategy, desk priorities and the newsroom’s evolving needs,” Greensit wrote. She noted that the most effective training happens in small groups and one-on-one sessions.

Reporter-led video output at the Times doubled year-over-year in Q1 2026, CEO Meredith Kopit-Levien said on a recent earnings call.

The Wall Street Journal has created the WSJ Talent Lab, a dedicated team focused on “upskilling” journalists for video and other audience-facing formats. Taneth Evans, head of digital at WSJ, said the lab teaches reporters to shoot vertical video, appear on podcasts, and write newsletters — all aimed at increasing individual journalists’ visibility to subscribers. Devin Smith, who previously launched the first creator network at USA Today’s sports media group, directs the lab.

These initiatives reflect a broader industry shift. Some publishers are building formal “talent labs” with structured coaching, while others are adopting looser approaches by simply putting more journalists in front of cameras and learning through iteration.

DigiDay.com reports the push is urgent, according to the Reuters Institute’s 2026 Digital News Report. Audiences now get more news from social media and video platforms than from publishers’ own websites or apps. The report also found that 27% of people globally get news weekly from news-focused creators or influencers, and 46% from creators of any type. As “news creators” gain prominence, publishers are competing directly with individual personalities rather than relying solely on institutional mastheads.

McClatchy Sells Two Newspapers In Georgia

Two of Georgia’s oldest newspapers — The Macon Telegraph and the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer — have been acquired by a nonprofit organization, ending decades of corporate ownership.

The California-based McClatchy company sold the papers to the Georgia Trust for Local News, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Local News, according to a news release. Purchase prices were not disclosed.

Cynthia DuBose, executive director of the Georgia Trust, said the move will strengthen local journalism in both cities. The nonprofit plans to expand local coverage at both papers, which have relied heavily on McClatchy-produced national and state content.

“That is going to be an investment in how we cover the communities, but also I think there’s an investment on our part in becoming not just an information provider, but actually a part of the community,” DuBose said. “We are going to be visible to the community. That’s probably going to be a change for (readers) in ways that they might not have seen in the past.”

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a grant from the Local News and Information Fund at the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, supported by more than a dozen donors including Aflac, funded the Columbus acquisition. The Macon purchase was backed by the Peyton Anderson Foundation. Anderson previously owned and published The Macon Telegraph before selling it to Knight Ridder, which McClatchy later acquired in 2006.The Georgia Trust now owns 21 news outlets across Georgia, including locations in Albany and Dublin. 

The National Trust also operates subsidiaries in Maine and Colorado.

Canada: Corus Cutting Jobs

Corus Entertainment is cutting 43 jobs across Canada as part of programming changes aimed at stemming losses from declining advertising revenue and heavy debt.

The Toronto-based media company, which owns the Global Television Network and several radio stations, confirmed the reductions on Thursday. Unifor, the union representing media workers at Corus, said the cuts will hit newsrooms hardest, particularly in Western Canada.

Regional job losses include:

• 28 in Alberta
• 5 in Winnipeg
• 3 in the Maritimes
• 3 in Ontario
• 2 in British Columbia
• 2 in Saskatoon

Unifor National President Lana Payne criticized the moves, saying: “We warned that consolidation would come at the expense of local news, particularly in Western Canada, and that is exactly what we're seeing.”

In an internal memo obtained by CBC News, Corus described the changes as necessary “to support the sustainability of our operations and provide greater flexibility to us.” The company said it will centralize some production of Global News broadcasts for Alberta but will continue producing local news content in provincial studios. It also plans to add an undisclosed number of new roles to support local news delivery.

Corus spokesperson Annie Arnone stated: “Corus is committed to local news and will maintain its local news delivery in Calgary and Edmonton. While some roles have been impacted as we centralize production, we are adding additional roles to continue providing news programming in these markets.”

Among those affected is Scott Roberts, co-anchor of Global Edmonton’s 6 p.m. newscast, who posted on Instagram: “Sad to say, but I won't be reporting the evening news on Global any longer. The company is making significant cuts to local news and I among them. Thank you to everyone who invited me into their homes over the past four years. Thinking of all my colleagues impacted by the layoffs.”

Last month, Corus CEO John Gossling pointed to “continued pressure on linear television advertising demand” after the company posted double-digit year-over-year revenue declines in both radio and television.

Corus shares have fallen nearly 70 per cent over the past 12 months, trading in penny stock territory. The company ended its latest quarter with $1.16 billion in debt, much of it stemming from its $2.65-billion purchase of Shaw Media in 2016.

R.I.P.: Mike Marino, Radio Consultant and Format Pioneer

Mike Marino ('66-'26)

Mike Marino, a veteran radio programmer credited with pioneering Rhythmic AC and Modern AC/Adult Top 40 formats, has died at age 60 following a battle with cancer.

News of his passing on July 16 was announced Friday on Marino’s personal Facebook page by Jason Hillery, Operations Manager of Midwest Communications’ Green Bay, Wisconsin, properties.

Marino first gained prominence in 1988 as Music Director and Assistant Program Director of KGGI-FM in Riverside, California, where he helped guide the station to strong ratings over five years. He later served as Assistant PD at KMEL-FM in San Francisco (1994), launched and programmed KMXB “Mix 94.1” in Las Vegas for CBS Radio (1996), and held programming roles at stations in Houston, Cincinnati (WKRQ “Q102”), and Los Angeles (KHHT “Hot 92.3” and KYSR “Star 98.7”).

For the past 25 years, Marino operated as a consultant and content provider through GotRooster.com (formerly TheBitXChange Prep) and AmeriCountry.com, working with air personalities nationwide. His consulting clients included Marker Broadcasting’s KMRJ-FM in Palm Springs, KOKO-FM in Fresno, and a Max Media Rhythmic AC station. He also consulted conservative talk show The Regular Joe Show while programming his own syndicated Urban AC format.

Details on a memorial service are pending.