The Saturday Aircheck

77 WABC, Charlie Greer March 1967



Charlie Greer was overnight dee jay at 77 WABC Radio during the mid-'60s. He had the perfect voice and easy-going style for late night radio. But , what most people probably remember when they think of Charlie Greer, is the famous WABC "Swing, Charlie, Swing!" cheer - and his endless supply of hip stream-of-consciousness ads for "Dennison Clothiers, Route 22 in Union, New Jersey". Nobody, but nobody could do those commercials like Charlie.

Let's hear that Chime Time Slide all the way back to March 1967. It's just Charlie Greer, Dennison Clothiers - and you.

John & Tammy Say Goodbye To Madison

Morning team heads to San Diego for mornings at KSON FM

After 5 years on mornings at WMAD (96.3 Star Country) and 11 years in Madison, John and Tammy will depart for the sunny skies of San Diego as the newly hired morning team at KSON FM.

In the just-released April trend of Madison’s Spring 2011 Arbitron, John and Tammy ranked #2 Adults 25-54 beating 4th place competitor WWQM.  In their five years at WMAD they have beaten Q-106 in 16 out of 19 Quarterly Arbitron books.

Tammy Lee said “I want to thank Clear Channel for giving me the opportunity to work daily with my sister and father (CC News Director Robin Colbert and John Colbert). It’s a tough decision to leave, but the reward is getting to work with KSON GM Rick Jackson, PD Kevin Callahan and their amazing team in San Diego.

John Flint thanked Madison listeners “for 11 years of love, loyalty and laughs – and for making everymoment memorable.”

Tammy added “We want to thank (CC Madison) MM Jeff Tyler, OM/PD Mike Ferris and APD/MD Steph Peters for all their leadership, support and love in helping us in this transition as we begin a new chapter  in our career.”

The heritage morning team has been together since July 2000, spending their first six years together at Madison country rival Q-106 before joining WMAD shortly after the launch of Star Country in 2005.

Just recently, they raised over $500,000 in their annual American Family Children’s Hospital Radiothon bringing their three-year total collected to nearly $1.5 million. The team has been nominated for multiple awards from the CRB and CMA, and has won several awards from the Wisconsin Broadcasters  Association, Wisconsin State Journal, and Best of Madison.

Their last Madison show will be broadcast on June 24, with several special celebrations and send-offs already in the planning.

The search for their replacement is underway. Interested candidates should send their materials to: Mike Ferris, WMAD Program Director  (mikeferris@clearchannel.com)

Cumulus' 99X Switches Translators in Atlanta

Moves From 97.9 to 99.1 on FM Dial

Alternative rock station 99X, which has been on the less-than-compatible 97.9 FM translator W250BC dial position, is now on 99.1. This makes it more “brand reinforcing to have the 99 back,” said Gary Lewis, a senior vice president at Cumulus tells Rodney Ho at ajc.com.

After years of dominance in the 1990s and gradual erosion throughout the 2000s, the station in 2008 lost its coveted 99.7 signal and was relegated to an on-line only presence.

About 15 months later, the station owner Cumulus Media procured a modest signal at 97.9 and started playing the station there in 2009. The 250-watt station covers the central part of metro Atlanta but is hardly the powerhouse 100,000-watt signal 99.7 is. (That’s where top 40 station Q100 resides now.)

Lewis said the 99.1FM is also a translator W258BU (licensed to Tallapoosa, GA with 99 watts) and is “comparable” to 97.9 though he didn’t have the exact details. Reports indicate  the new signal today is  strong north of I-20 but a Macon country station 99.1 FM WDEN signal eats 99X alive on the southside.

The station will simulcast on 97.9 and 99.1 for now. What Cumulus will do with 97.9 is currently “undetermined,” Lewis said.

Read More.

Kidd Kraddick To Wake-Up Houston

Dallas-based syndicated morning host Kidd Kraddick  and his ensemble start wake-up duty Monday 6/13 in Houston..  Kraddick will continue to originate from Clear Channel studios in Dallas and entertain Houston listeners on the CBS Radio MIX 96.5 KHMX from 5a to 9a. Kraddick is syndicated by Yea! Network.

Kraddick replaces Maria Todd & Brad Booker which had been in place since February 2010.  Todd is moving to the 2--7p shift, replacing Dave Morales, who departs.  Brad Brooker also exits KHMX.

Minority Kids Plugged Into Media The Most

Minority children spend an average of 13 hours a day using mobile devices, computers, TVs and other media — about 4½ hours more than white kids, says a report out today.

In a story by Mary Brophy Marcus for USA Today, the findings, from Northwestern University, are being presented to childhood and telecommunications experts in Washington, D.C.

The results are from an analysis of two Kaiser Family Foundation surveys that tracked media use by kids 6 to 18. Researchers analyzed that data to find out how black, Hispanic, Asian American and white youth use media for homework and for fun, and how long they're plugged in on any given day.

Among 8- to 18-year-olds, Asian Americans logged the most media use (13 hours, 13 minutes a day), followed by Hispanics (13 hours), blacks (12 hours, 59 minutes), and whites (8 hours, 36 minutes.

Researchers didn't say why, but some experts have theories.

"Children may turn to media if they feel their neighborhoods lack safe places to play or if their parents have especially demanding jobs that prevent engagement," says Frederick Zimmerman, chair of the department of Health Services at UCLA School of Public Health.

"It's clear that, overall, American youth spend an enormous amount of time with media, but minorities spend most of their waking hours with media," says study director Ellen Wartella, head of the Center on Media and Human Development in the School of Communication at Northwestern.

The report shows that compared with white children, minority youth:

•Watch TV and videos one to two hours more a day;
•Listen to music about an hour more a day;
•Use computers about 1½ hours more a day;
•Play video games 30 to 40 minutes longer a day.

Black (84%) and Hispanic kids (77%) also are more likely to have TVs in their bedrooms and to eat meals in front of the TV.

Read More.

Glenn Beck Meets GE CEO..In An Elevator

HuffPo Surpasses NYTimes in Monthly Unique Visitors

Business Insider graphic

Mashable reports The Huffington Post has surpassed The New York Times in monthly uniques from the U.S., according to data from Comscore.

In May, The Huffington Post pulled in 35.5 million unique visitors from the U.S., compared to 36.6 for The New York Times.

Before you new media cheerleaders get too excited, note that AOLNews.com began redirecting to huffingtonpost.com at the beginning of May. We’ll have to wait to see how long the boost lasts — and whether the NYT can do anything to strike back against its upstart rival.

Summer Shot: Radio Talent On 'Dish Nation' TV

Can lively radio make for good television? The Fox Television Stations group is going to find out this summer with “Dish Nation,” a half-hour weeknight show that will package clips from four radio programs around the country.

According to a story by Lee Marguiles at latimes.com, It's being billed as an “entertainment news program featuring … a fast-paced, unscripted take on pop culture, celebrity scandals and salacious, headline-grabbing conversations.”

Among the radio personalities involved is Felli Fel of L.A. hip-hop station KPWR-FM (106.7), along with program hosts in New York (Scott Shannon and Todd Pettengill of WPLJ-FM), Atlanta (Rick Smiley of WHTA-FM) and Detroit (Blaine Fowler and Allyson Martinek of WDVD-FM).

“Dish Nation” will get a six-week tryout on Fox-owned stations starting July 25. It will air on Fox stations in New York, LA, Detroit, Baltimore, Atlanta, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.

Read More.

Ann Curry Era Starts On NBC's 'Today'

WBT's Al Garnder Back In The Air Chair

Al Gardner was back at the microphone Tuesday (6/4) for the "Charlotte Morning News" on 1110 AM WBT, just days after surgery for prostate cancer.

"I feel terrific," Gardner tells Mark Washburn at The Charlotte Observer, who was diagnosed six months ago with a high-risk form of the disease.

Gardner, 64, had been urged by John Carter, who does the early news shift on WBTV (Channel 3), to get his PSA levels checked. Carter was diagnosed in 2006 with an early stage of prostate cancer.

Gardner's treatment involved implantation of 58 tiny radioactive particles to kill the cancer. In 18 months, doctors hope, the cancer will have been eradicated.

Adopting the slogan "cancer hates exercise," Gardner has increased his workout program. He does boxing three days a week and three other days he runs three to six miles a day. You need a real "shirt-soaker," Gardner says, for the exercise to be effective.

Gardner's treatment also involved a hormone implant in one arm and daily radiation treatments for six weeks.

Read More.

FCC's Report Calls For More Local Journalism

Report: The Future of Media

The FCC Working Group on the Information Needs of Communities today delivered an in-depth analysis of the current state of the media landscape along with a  broad range of recommendations.  The staff-level report, titled “Information Needs of  Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a Broadband Age” was delivered to the FCC at an open commission meeting.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “The report’s findings and recommendations contain a strong and hopeful throughline: there has never been a more exciting time than this broadband age to achieve our Founding Fathers’ vision of a free democracy comprised of informed and empowered citizens.  As the report identifies and celebrates the potential of new communications technologies, it also highlights important gaps that threaten to limit that potential and harm communities.”

Addressing the gap in reporting, Chairman Genachowski continued, “Foremost is the disruptive impact the Internet has had on local news gathering.  This is an emerging gap in local  news coverage that has not yet been fully filled by other media.  And the less quality reporting we have, the less likely we are to learn about government misdeeds.”

The report was produced by a group of journalists, scholars, entrepreneurs and government officials, led by Steven Waldman, a successful digital media entrepreneur and former journalist.  Waldman worked for many years as a highly-respected reporter and editor at Newsweek, U.S News & World Report and WallStreetJournal.com.  He was also the cofounder and CEO of Beliefnet.com, which won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online and was later acquired by FOX Networks Group.

Key findings and recommendations include:

• Fueled primarily by broadband-enabled innovation, the news and information landscape  is more vibrant than ever before.  Digital technology is creating a world of opportunity to keep the public informed in ways unimaginable just a few short years ago.
• The disruptive impact of the Internet has enabled an unprecedented free exchange of  ideas and information.  Breakthroughs in hyperlocal news and citizen journalism are on the rise, empowering individuals with a wealth of new information to better inform decisionmaking and engender more accountable government.
• There are nonetheless serious gaps, including in local accountability reporting.  These deficits increase the likelihood of corruption, wasted tax dollars, worse schools and other problems for communities.
• Accelerate move from paper to online disclosure. Disclosure information required by the FCC should be moved online from filing cabinets to the Internet so the public can more easily gain access to valuable information.  FCC should eliminate burdensome rules and replace the current system with a streamlined web-based disclosures focused on providing information about local programming.

To download the full report, click here.

Also Read:

NYTIMES: A Federal Study Finds That Local Reporting Has Waned

DEADLINE.COM:
FCC Chief Julius Genachowski Under Fire As Activists Slam Report On Local News

CBS Adds Last.FM Personalized Radio To Player

Pandora gets competition on radio.com player

Taking advantage of the pioneering technology of Last.fm, the world's leading music discovery and recommendation service, the CBS Interactive Music Group today announced it will now offer consumers the ability to create their own online stations via one-click functionality integrated into its Radio.com player.

Featuring any of the more than 4.5 million artists in Last.fm's library and nearly 12 million tracks, the player will provide listeners, for the first time, an infinite number of free streaming experiences across broadcast, online and personalized radio, according to a CBS press release.

Last.fm is a global music service that exposes its community of over 40 million users worldwide to new and relevant music through its proprietary "scrobbling" technology.  Scrobbling allows the audience to track the music they play on Last.fm, Radio.com and on more than 600 music applications.  Last.fm then uses the collective intelligence to recommend the songs and artists that power its personalized radio stations.

Using the "create a station" button now available within the player, a listener can simply enter an artist and hit the play button to hear their personalized radio station.  Related music will populate the station with the ability to love, ban, and skip tracks as appropriate.  Just as easily, the user can create a different station, or return to their favorite CBS Radio station, or one of its streaming partners.

"CBS is in the unique position of programming to consumers who appreciate high quality local radio stations both on-air and online, but also value the ability to experiment with their own musical tastes," says David Goodman, President, CBS Interactive Music Group.  "We can easily accommodate the listener's needs as a result of combining our breadth of assets, and by using them in a way that complements their inherent strengths and value proposition.

"Premium content from major market brands like KROQ and WXRT, for example, is in high demand and will continue to foster growth online for many years to come.  But in a world where consumers expect more and more control over their audio consumption we're pleased to provide them with the best of both worlds."

Re-launched in July 2010, the Radio.com player is populated with hundreds of professionally programmed stations from CBS Radio, and its streaming partners.  Additionally, consumers can immerse themselves in an abundance of music related news and information, bios and photo galleries of their favorite artists, concert dates and ticketing details, as well as blog posts, and audio and video clips from CBS RADIO's 130 stations.

TomzTake:  Hey, Bob Pittman:  Where's Clear Channel?

Country Jock Turns Tables on Westboro Baptist Church

It was time to give the protesters a piece of his mind, K99 FM KAUD Greeley jock Charley Barnes decided.

Time to go to Topeka, Kan., and bring the show to the Westboro Baptist Church. Time to protest the protesters, according to a story by Mike Peters at greeleytribune.com.

A group of protesters from that church travels the country, usually to attend the funerals for soldiers killed in fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. The church came to Greeley six years ago to protest at the funeral of Tyler MacKenzie, 20, an Evans resident who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

The Westboro church's signs at the protests usually include statements praising the deaths of soldiers and berating the U.S. military. Church members claim God is punishing the United States for supporting homosexuality.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Westboro marchers had the right to protest, citing freedom of speech issues.

“I just finally decided I wanted to go to Topeka and stand on their doorstep and exercise my rights,” said Barnes, who lives in Greeley.

Barnes, an afternoon DJ for Country K99 Radio, wrote his own report of the trek to Topeka, and it's posted online.

“I'm not on neutral ground on this,” Barnes said. “My father was retired from the Navy, and I have a stake in what they (Westboro) say about America's military.”

He was accompanied by three friends. They rode motorcycles (almost 600 miles) to Topeka last weekend, calling their trip a “journey for justice.”

Barnes said there was no real plan for Topeka; they just wanted to go and protest on the doorstep of the church. They arrived Saturday evening, then went to the church Sunday morning, carrying American flags, and rang the doorbell of the church.

He said one man finally came to the door but would not discuss any issues with the protesters. The man called the Topeka police, and three squad cars arrived. Barnes said the officers appeared to be on his side.

The officers told the man at the door that Barnes and his friend had the right to walk on the sidewalk with their flags and didn't need a permit.

“They got so mad that they moved the time of their church service,” Barnes said. “You can't protest or picket within 50 feet of a church while they are having a service.”

At that point, the men from Colorado started to pack up to leave when a woman living across the street from the church invited them to picket in her yard.

Read More.

Report: A New Voice of America for the Age of Twitter

When Walter Isaacson championed Voice of America’s decision to shut down its shortwave radio broadcasts to China — and shift those funds to the Internet, cellphones and other forms of digital media — he viewed it as the sensible updating of a propaganda playbook dating from the cold war, according to a story by Mark Landler at nytimes.com....

While the need for the United States to get its message across to an often hostile world is greater than ever, Mr. Isaacson said, digital technology risks turning these services into relics of a bygone era, when dissidents in closed societies huddled over their transistor radios for scraps of information from the West.

To be sure, the broadcasters have made significant strides. Voice of America is inviting listeners to file reports about the uprisings in Bahrain on Facebook, while Radio Free Asia is aggressively developing technology to circumvent firewalls that the Chinese government puts up to block its transmissions.

Yet in a brutal budget climate, the money for foreign broadcasting is shrinking. And the competition is relentless. In Egypt alone, 12 new commercial television channels have sprouted up since the January revolt.

“It’s not the neatly defined world of the cold war,” said Robert McMahon, a former news director of Radio Free Europe, which reinvented itself after the fall of the Berlin Wall by beaming into countries like Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. “It’s a crowded, chaotic media marketplace.”

Mr. Isaacson’s solution sounds like the blueprint for a state-owned CNN: create a state-of-the-art global newsroom that would gather all the programming generated by the five networks and send it out via television, the Web, social-media services, mobile phones — even shortwave, where it still makes sense.

Read More.

RIP: The Fairness Doctrine

Under GOP pressure, the Federal Communications Commission has agreed to strike from its books an outdated yet still controversial regulation of political speech on the airwaves known as the Fairness Doctrine.

According to a story by Stephen Clark at foxnews.com, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a letter to a House Republican leader this week that the agency's effort to identify and eliminate "antiquated and outmoded rules that unnecessarily burden business, stifle investment and innovation, or confuse consumers and licensees" will include a recommendation to delete the Fairness Doctrine.

"I fully support deleting the Fairness Doctrine and related provisions from the Code of Federal Regulations, so that there can be no mistake that what has been a dead letter is truly dead," Genachowski wrote to Rep. Fred. Upton, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

"I look forward to effectuating this change when acting on the staff's recommendations and anticipate that the process can be completed in the near future."

The Fairness Doctrine has been on the books since 1949. The regulation sought to ensure that discussion over the airwaves of controversial issues did not exclude any particular point of view by threatening to strip the licenses of broadcasters who provide diverse opinions. At the time, only 2,881 radio stations existed, compared with roughly 14,000 today.

The regulation was abolished in the 1980s, but the doctrine is still technically on the books.

Read More.

Talk Radio Is Finally Shifting Digital

From Noah Shanok, Founder & CEO Stitcher appeared originally at allthingsd.com

In the last decade, we’ve seen the Internet dramatically impact the newspaper, television and music industries. Everything is delivered where and when we want it, and it’s personalized for each of us. But there’s one segment of media that hasn’t yet converted: talk radio. While many of us have favorite news, sports, and entertainment programs, we don’t listen to that content through the Internet in the same way and with the same frequency that we listen to music.

That’s all beginning to change, with services like Stitcher and, to some extent, with Pandora’s new comedy programming — and it’s with good reason. Talk radio represents 35 percent of all terrestrial radio listening. It’s a $5 billion piece of the $15 billion radio advertising market. So why is this part of the market the last holdout of the Internet revolution? Why are we only beginning to see the familiar digital shift in talk radio now? For this segment of the market, unlike news, television, and music, Internet access isn’t the key to adoption — mobile Internet access is.

Read More.

Cincy Talker Eric Deters Gets New Home

From John Kiesewetter's, Media Blog at cincinnati.com

Attorney Eric Deters, who was fired last week by WLW-AM, returns to the airwaves 6-8 p.m. Monday on WQRT-AM, “Real Talk 1160.”  He says he will do evenings for a while, with a promise of moving to 9 a.m.-noon.

Deters was dropped from WLW-AM’s Memorial Day weekend lineup  after posting a video blog May 26 on Facebook saying: “If you want to conquer an African nation, send white women and pot.” Deters removed the video quickly last week. He called it “an embarrassing thing… Sometimes you say things you wish you didn’t say… and this is one of them.”

Deters had been Bill Cunningham’s back-up, and a weekend host on “The Big One” for more than a year. 

He was also the full-time 9 p.m.-midnight host October-December, after 700 fired Eddie Fingers and moved new night guy Doc Thompson to late mornings. Deters also says he was not paid by the station while working seven days a week last year.

Real Talk 1160, which has former WLW-AM “SportsTalk” host Andy Furman in morning drive, “is excited. They want me! They think I’ve got talent!  It’s nice to be wanted! It’s nice to be paid!”

Here is Deters’ announcement:

I’m happy to announce I’ve accepted a deal with 1160 Real Talk. It will be a full-time gig, and I have a great financial package. It will also allow me to continue my full-time law practice. I’ll begin Monday at a 6-8 p.m. time slot. My first guest will be Chris Smitherman, President of the Cincinnati NAACP.

1160 Real Talk is a great opportunity for me to not only expand my radio work, but I believe will be a platform for my dream of a national show. They do not have the watts of 700 WLW, but in this deal, smaller is better for me.

Real Talk has made me feel very welcome. Talks began to (the) day after I was fired by 700 WLW. My format will be the same as I did at 700 WLW. I’ll weave Topic A — local/national with my love of history, storytelling and current events.

All my shows will be webcast and podcast. My daily blogs will be posted. Their website will be overhauled to accommodate Bulldog Nation. I am looking forward to working with Andy Furman and the entire Real Talk team led by Jamey Schleue, the station manager.

I promise witty and wise radio superbity.

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Making Sense of CC's Satellite Radio Presence

From Rocco Pendola, seekingalpha.com

A label exists for people who become infatuated with radio in youth, obsessively call into stations, and eventually, in their teenage years, land an on-air gig at a commercial station. That label is radio geek. I am a radio geek. As a radio geek, the developments of the last several years represent nothing short of a dream come true.

As a child, I spent my nights doing two things - mimicking my favorite DJ (Kid Crockett on WKSE in Buffalo, who morphed in Kid Kelly on New York's Z-100) and tuning in faraway AM stations late at night.

There was something special about those days, but there was also something equally annoying. When Kid left WKSE for Z-100, I could no longer listen to him. And the reception on the out-of-market AM stations I listened to was horrific. Fast forward about 20 years and that's all changed.

Thanks to Internet streaming, I can listen to pretty much any radio station.

Read More.


Rocco Pendola lives in Santa Monica, California, where he writes and invests in stocks and options for a living.

Mark Viviano Leaving 105.7-FM's Daily Sports Lineup

Baltimore Sun critic David Zurawik reports sportscaster Mark Viviano confirmed that he will be leaving radio station 105.7 The Fan's daily lineup at the end of the week after 6 and 1/2 years at the station.

Viviano, who hosts a popular show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays, said Wednesday night that he had been "pondering the move for several months," according the Z On TV columnist.

"After some time, just the wear of having two full time jobs takes its toll," the 47-year-old sports director at WJZ-TV (Channel 13), explained.

"I have loved every bit of it," he added, "but the cumulative wear adds up and you have to take a step back and reassess things."

Viviano said he's usually out the door on weekday mornings by 7:30 a.m., and he doesn't get home from WJZ-TV until after midnight.

"You're on the air with the radio show for three hours, and you have to put in preparation time, too," he said of his daily job at 105.7 The Fan.

While Viviano will no longer be on the air with a daily show, he said that he will file reports for the station from time to time -- from such places as Baltimore Ravens training camp. He said he might also occasionally "fill in" as a host "at his choosing."

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Non-Com KALW’s Key to Station Greatness

On a Shoestring

From Audrey Dilling, kalwnews.org:

I didn’t need to know about News Director Holly Kernan’s Murrow or Sigma Delta Chi to understand that there is something special going on at KALW News. Week after week, KALW is churning out oodles of well-crafted stories — stories that may take place in San Francisco, but are captivating no matter where you are. As a curator of Public Radio Remix, I can’t get enough of them. Yet, KALW’s newsroom has a tiny budget and a staff of only nine: Holly, her cohost, two engineers and five producer/editors.

In the following interview, KALW News Director Holly Kernan told me how KALW does (and doesn’t) make it all work.

CORWIN: How are you pulling it all off?

KERNAN: Oh man, it’s not easy.  We are all overworked and underpaid.  But it’s just that we’ve put together this stunningly creative team here.

We started this newsroom from scratch in 2004 to try to fill the void in local media left by shrinking commercial outlets.  A couple premises were at the center of it.  One was that arts and creativity would be at the center of our news coverage.  Another was that we would strive to have the highest possible quality reporting and production, even though we had no staff — I think we started with me as a half-staff.  So our formula was to have professional editors and a newsroom with community volunteers and student reporters in our training program.  We try to help them skate the creative edge and do really high quality work; and our newsroom ends up looking like the community we serve.

CORWIN: What are you prioritizing in your newsroom? How do you decide what to cover?

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Opie & Anthony Release Alleged Weiner Nude Photo

An alleged photo of Congressman Anthony Weiner's genitals hit the Internet on Wednesday after conservative watchdog Andrew Breitbart shared it with satellite radio DJs Opie & Anthony who then tweeted it to the masses, according to a Reuters story and The Hollywood Reporter.

Breitbart had said repeatedly he had no intention of releasing the photo unless the embattled politician launched a "jihad" against him.

"I'm not releasing it. I can't think of any other publication that wouldn't," he reiterated on XM Sirius' "The Opie & Anthony Show." "I could probably get a gazillion hits off my page -- I'm not doing that to him and his family."

But the two radio hosts goaded Breitbart into showing the photo -- via his cell phone -- to them and some staffers, as well as actor Vincent D'Onofrio, who was also an in-studio guest Wednesday. Breitbart claimed Weiner had sent the photo to "a gal down in Texas."

After Breitbart left the studio, the Opie & Anthony crew, according to their tweets, used footage from their in-studio surveillance camera to grab a still photo off Breitbart's phone screen. Gawker published the uncensored photo, which does not include Weiner's face or any other clues that it is him.

As Opie and Anthony passed Breitbart's phone around, Breitbart is heard saying: "Don't show it anywhere," instructions that were apparently ignored.

Breitbart didn't return phone calls or emails from The Hollywood Reporter, but he told Fox News Channel that he was "mortified" by the photo's release and the behavior of Opie (Gregg Hughes) and Anthony (Anthony Cumia).

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Your Career: 4 Mistakes You Shouldn't Make

What can those of us who make mistakes learn from Anthony Weiner’s saga?

John Baldoni, The Purposeful Leader, bnet.com

1. If you make a mistake, admit it right away. So often the cover up is worse than the transgression because it shows you are deceitful.

2. Do not lie. Especially do not tell lies repeatedly. You’ll get caught.

3. Apologies aren’t enough. No matter how long you drone on.  You have to show you’re not just sorry you got caught. You’re sincere. That means make reparations.

4. Shut up and go back to work. For Weiner, going back to work may be problematic. He has vowed not to resign. While resignation is his option, it is really not his decision. It is the decision of his constituents. They will do it at the ballot next year but what to do in the meantime? It would have been preferable if he had said in his press conference that he was going to talk to his constituents first and then make a decision about staying or going.

That statement would have resonated with integrity. But as we all know now, integrity is not one of Representative Weiner’s strong suits.

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John Baldoni is an internationally acclaimed leadership educator, executive coach and speaker. In 2011, John was named No. 11 on the list of the world's top thirty leadership gurus. He blogs for Fast Company, the Washington Post, and Harvard Business Review.

Opinion: Keep Close Eye On Anthony Weiner

From Dr. Drew Pinski, cnn.com:

...I do not know Rep. Weiner. But I do know he seems to have the features of a narcissist. Narcissists feel empty. Narcissists feel invincible. But their emotional landscape is barren. They are trying to evoke something through these inappropriate experiences. They feel they are entitled to these interactions.

And those of us watching from the sidelines are drawing the erroneous conclusion that this is the totality of what's going on. It's not. With many men, it's sex addiction. I do not know if Rep. Weiner is a sex addict, but he could be.

So, is it cheating? Yes. You don't have to have a physical relationship with someone other than your spouse or significant other to betray him or her. That's why the guilty party tries to prevent the truth from coming out. They know they are cheating and they don't want to get caught. Rep. Weiner said it straight-out -- he wasn't protecting his wife. He was protecting himself.

Here's what I am most concerned about: Rep. Weiner has been publicly shamed. Shame is a shattering experience for a narcissist. He simply can't avoid it because of who he is and how his lies came to light.

People who are narcissists and experience such shame can develop depression, or commit self-destructive acts. I would keep a close eye on this man. We have to remember, this is a human being at whom we're all taking aim.

We have judged, criticized, and even condemned Rep. Weiner, and that's where our own responsibility comes in. Let's think about the consequences of that.

I'm not saying that what Rep. Weiner did was OK. But let's allow him to get his personal life in order...

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Drew Pinsky is the host of "Dr.Drew" on HLN, shown weeknights at 9 p.m. ET and PT. A practicing physician, he is on the staff at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California. Pinsky is also assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the Keck USC School of Medicine.

Westwood One has announced the return of the syndicated radio night show “Loveline” to the New York market debuting on Emmis rocker WRXP-FM New York beginning June 8th. Hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky and “Psycho” Mike Catherwood, “Loveline” addresses the issues of young people today in the arena of sex, relationships and health.

'Today' Sez Farewell To Meredith Viera

Opinion: AOL After the Honeymoon

From Jeff Bercovici, Mixed Media Blog at forbes.com

Jeff Bercovici

What happens when you mix the ambition of Arianna Huffington with the desperation of Tim Armstrong?

AOL shareholders will soon find out.

AOL Chairman Tim Armstrong seemed to find his ideal mate in Arianna Huffington. He needed someone to galvanize his drifting editorial division and give it a distinctive voice to woo readers and advertisers. She provided all that with The Huffington Post, one of the most successful publishing ventures of the last decade.

In just six years her site became one of the world’s top ten news destinations–and profitable, to boot. Armstrong, seeing a savior, was willing to spend $315 million for it in February and to make Huffington editor-in-chief of AOL’s 1,200-person newsroom. “Arianna represents what the future will look like for social news,” Armstrong said on CNN the day the deal was announced.

But Armstrong’s big coup could also be AOL’s eventual undoing. In hitching himself to Huffington, he has signed on to a mission and an agenda that go well beyond his mandate of re-creating value for shareholders.

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TX QB McCoy's Wife Talks On Radio Of Perks

Did the wife of former two-time All-American quarterback Colt McCoy implicate the Texas football team when she made an impromptu call to a national radio program Tuesday morning?

Possibly. according to a story by Suzanne Halliburton at statesman.com.

Rachel McCoy, just like any other sports fan could do, placed an on-air call to Colin Cowherd, an ESPN personality who has a national daily radio show. Cowherd had been discussing boosters and the problems at Ohio State and Southern California. The Buckeyes lost their head coach last week and star quarterback Tuesday. Meanwhile, USC also was stripped of its 2004 BCS national title Monday.

During McCoy's call (LISTEN HERE), which lasted about six minutes, the topic immediately turned to Texas. McCoy, who married Colt last July, said she wanted to hold accountable the "grown, adult men," who she said were always offering free items to McCoy and his teammates.

She never offered specifics, just general observations.

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Report: How CNN Trounces Competitors On The Web

From Nieman Journalism Lab:

For the past several years, news outlets that cover the media industry have focused predominantly on television ratings when reporting on the cable news wars — a metric that, at least until recently, has been almost exclusively dominated by the Fox News Channel. But underlying all the ratings horse-race stories has been a burgeoning thread of discussion on one metric that Fox isn’t ruling: online readership.

Using numbers from multiple analytics firms, it has long been apparent that CNN beats not only its cable news competitors on the web, but nearly every other major news source, as well. According to comScore, CNN received an average of 8.5 million unique U.S. visitors a day for the first three months of this year, figures that dwarf MSNBC’s 7.4 million daily visitors and Fox’s 2.3 million.

In U.S. monthly uniques, CNN outperforms MSNBC.com (51 million), AOL News (40 million), Fox News (20 million), CBS News (16.4 million), and The New York Times (32.9 million).

Figures from Compete tell a similar story, though with radically different numbers — 27.7 million uniques for CNN, 18.3 million for The New York Times, and 14.7 million for Fox News. And unlike MSNBC.com, Yahoo!, and AOL, CNN doesn’t have a major news portal funneling traffic to its site.

Why does CNN trounce all its competitors on the web? AdWeek took a stab at this question a year ago, suggesting that it might have to do with the demographics of CNN viewers and the idea that Fox News’ brand of opinionated journalism doesn’t automatically work well on the web. “People shouting at each other doesn’t translate to a mass audience online,” a source told AdWeek’s Mike Shields. But Meredith Artley, the managing editor of CNN.com, told me in a phone interview that the network owes its online success to what she calls the “Pilates strategy.”

“What that means, as someone who has friends who do Pilates but has never done it herself, is that it’s about strengthening your core and stretching into new areas,” she said.

The core, as she sees it, is breaking news. “But that’s not enough; you can’t do just that alone. You have to go beyond that. To that end, you have to stretch into new areas and try new things and innovate and play and experiment.”

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Opinion: The Answer is Yes, The World Would Miss DJs

From Mike Stern, The Talent Mechanic.com

Scott Muni At WNEW-FM

If you haven’t seen it yet, there is an interesting article making the rounds that you should read titled “Would the World Miss DJ’s?” You can find it in its entirety here .

It was written by Rich Appel and originally ran in his publication “Hz So Good,” which he describes as a “monthly e-blog-azine.” 

I heartily agree with many of the sentiments he expresses especially when he says, “if people knew how riveting and fun live radio could still be, it might just turn things around.”

However, I question the relevance of references Appel makes to  pioneering radio talent like Don Steele, Scott Muni and Frankie Crocker. I mean no disrespect. Those guys were giants in their time and their legacy should be honored.

But the world has changed since their day. They were competing with a limited number of other radio stations, three television networks and not much more. No cable, no satellite radio, no Facebook etc.

Here’s how Appel describes today’s radio audiences, “Most listeners like a DJ who is engaging, but on their terms: tell me what I need to know, then shut up and let me enjoy the tunes.”

I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Listeners still want to be entertained and informed. It’s just a lot tougher to get their attention than it used to be.

Today it takes a multi-faceted approach that includes what Appel aptly calls “sticky” on-air content that will hold a listener’s attention.

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Delilah Stalker Arrested A Second Time

Seattle Times photo

Syndicated radio host Delilah continues to draw the attention of a  Seattle man who was jailed five years ago for stalking the Premiere Radio Network evening personality.

According to a report by Radio Syndication Talk, the 51-year old man who has a long history of making unwanted gestures to Delilah Rene, was arrested again Monday in South Kitsap, Washington.  The current owner of The Cozy Kitchin restaurant (previously owned by Delilah and former Premiere President Kraig Kitchin), said the suspect had been leaving gifts for her there.

Her gardener also reported that the suspect was at her home attempting to deliver flowers.

On Monday an agent of a private detective agency hired by Delilah reported the suspect lurking near her home. A sheriff’s deputy, who is a neighbor also said the suspect was in the neighborhood asking questions about the syndicated radio host and  positively identified the man from a Department of Corrections photo.

The suspect was booked into Kitsap County, WA jail on $50,000 bail.

THR Profile: Olbermann Explains MSNBC Exit

In a long Hollywood Reporter profile packed with news, Keith Olbermann opens up about his exit from MSNBC, pushing back against the narrative that’s been floated in recent weeks that his rant on the evening of the Tucson shooting ended his tenure at the cable network, according to a posting by Keach Hagey at politico.com.

“Frankly, I knew before Gabby Giffords got shot, several weeks beforehand, that the NBC experience was coming to a close,” Olbermann told Marisa Guthrie. “I think the smart ones [colleagues] suspected something was up, because every night I was leaving with various objects from my office.”

But the deal to get out of his contract wasn’t sealed until the 8:30 commercial break, so his staff didn’t find out for sure until he announced it on the air.

His suspension for campaign donations also played a role, though he was less forthcoming about that.

“It seemed like this huge thing externally,” he said. “Internally, it was like, ‘OK, put that on the list.’”

A source told the Hollywood Reporter that it was simply the last straw. “At that point, I think they [MSNBC management] were looking for the straw that would break the camel’s back,” the source said. “I don’t know what’s less than a straw, a thread, an eyelash? He apologized. He took a suspension. It wasn’t a big amount of money. It wasn’t a big newsmaker that he made the donation to. It was a fairly minor infraction. But I think they were looking for some reason to end the relationship.”

MSNBC declined to comment, though the Reporter notes that neither side would confirm the reported existence of a non-disparagement pact.

Now Olbermann is about to launch a new version of “Countdown” on Current TV that competes directly with his old slot at 8 p.m.

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Funding Reductions Drive WITF Layoffs In Harrisburg

These days, there's no fighting over parking spaces at WITF's headquarters in Swatara Twp. outside of Harrisburg, PA.  Dozens of empty slots greet visitors and staff.

The decline in vehicles outside the building is mirrored by staff reductions inside, which have been ongoing almost since the public broadcaster moved into its hilltop complex four years ago.

According to a story by David N. Dunkle at The Patriot News in Harrisburg, PA, a recent round of layoffs, the third in less than three years, will cut 20 percent of the staff, including two of WITF's better-known radio personalities. On the television side, the number of episodes of the locally produced "Smart Talk" show is expected to decline from 30 to as few as four to 12 next season.

Patriot-News photo

"That's probably the biggest visible impact," WITF President and CEO Kathleen Pavelko said of the "Smart Talk" cutbacks. "I truly believe we've kept the audible and visible impacts of this to a minimum."

The gaps are starting to appear in WITF's on-air programming, thanks to a $600,000 budget shortfall and a business model based on state and federal government support that is evaporating. State funding of about $900,000 a year was eliminated two years ago. Federal aid is expected to fall from $1.3 million to $650,000 in the coming year.

Pavelko said WITF plans to continue broadcasting signature PBS programs such as "Nova" and "The News Hour," as well as NPR shows like "All Things Considered."

Among the 18 employees who learned last week that they were losing their jobs are Craig Cohen, who has hosted "Radio Smart Talk" since the show started in 2008, and Melanie Herschorn, who has been the local reporter for "All Things Considered" for the last three years.

The other layoffs, which will drop the number of full-time employees from 85 to 67, are spread through the operation, including technology and development divisions.

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Vanderbilt's WRVU-FM License Sold

Buyer Nashville Public Radio Launches Classical Format

The Board of Directors of Vanderbilt Student Communications and the Board of Directors of Nashville Public Radio agreed today to the transfer of the license of WRVU 91.1FM to Nashville Public Radio, according to a story by Harrison Dreves at  insidevandy.com.

The change in format on 91.1FM took effect at midnight last night.

WRVU's student-originated musical programming will continue to stream live online and, beginning this fall, over-the-air on WPLN's HD3 channel.  91.1FM will adopt the call letters WFCL and switch to a classical music format, with a focus on the arts and local events.

Specifically, the agreement between Vanderbilt Student Communications and Nashville Public Radio calls for a payment of $3,350,000 to VSC, gives WRVU the use of WPLN HD3 and guarantees internship opportunities for Vanderbilt students in Nashville Public Radio’s news department.

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5 Clear Channel Stations Now On XM

Clear Channel Radio today announced that five of its industry-leading radio stations, covering five different formats, began simulcasting on the XM satellite radio service beginning today at 12:01 a.m.

The stations include:

• KIIS-FM, a Top 40 station based in Los Angeles, CA is now simulcasting on XM Channel 11
• Z100, the nation’s largest CHR/Top 40 station based in New York City, is now simulcasting on XM Channel 12
• WLTW Lite FM, an adult contemporary station in NYC, is now simulcasting on XM Channel 13
• WSIX, a country station based in Nashville, TN is now simulcasting on XM Channel 57
• WGCI in Chicago, an urban station, is now simulcasting on XM Channel 163.

“Clear Channel’s goal is to be wherever our listeners are with the content they want and expect, and that includes offering our top stations and formats on the satellite platform,” said John Hogan, President and CEO of Clear Channel Radio.

“These five stations have fans across the country, from people who listen in their home cities to those who have discovered them on iHeartRadio, our digital service. Now we can extend them to listeners who tune in via XM satellite radio.”

The company’s new simulcasts replace current Clear Channel programming on XM satellite radio, although only one involves a change in format.

The simulcasts will not appear on Sirius satellite radio. In addition to the new channels on XM, as always, fans can access simulcasts of these stations through iHeartRadio, Clear Channel’s industry-leading digital radio service, which delivers more than 750 of America’s favorite radio stations from 150 cities.

iHeartRadio is available on the web at iHeartRadio.com and on any smartphone device including iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, and now the iPad.

Glenn Beck Talks About GBTV On Radio Show

On radio this morning, Glenn formally announced GBTV to his fans. The network – a live streaming video service – will be his new home once he leaves FOX News Channel at the end of the month.

NBC Grabs Olympics Rights Through 2020

The International Olympic Committee has awarded the media rights to the 2014-2020 Olympic Games to NBC, according to a story by Anthony Crupi at adweek.com.

Early reports from Lausanne, Switzerland, peg NBC's bid at $4 billion, which would make this the most expensive TV rights deal in Olympic broadcast history.

While many observers predicted that Comcast-NBC Universal would come up short in Lausanne, the Peacock on Tuesday outflanked rivals ESPN and Fox for the blockbuster four-event package.

News of the winning bid began flooding Twitter at approximately 12:45 p.m. EDT. The Associated Press was the first media outlet to announce the deal.

The bid is believed to have been secured by new NBC Sports/Olympics chairman Mark Lazarus, who was supported by as many as 16 Comcast-NBCU higher-ups, including Comcast Corp. CEO Brain Roberts and GE president of Olympics Sponsorship, Peter Foss.

Fox had also submitted a bid for the 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 Games, but NBC either put up more cash for the rights to broadcast the events or it presented a more compelling narrative.

The news comes just three weeks after longtime NBC Olympics steward Dick Ebersol took leave of the network. While Ebersol was famously chummy with the Olympics’ governing body, IOC officials were apparently able to look past his glaring absence.

Since 1992, Ebersol had won the rights to 10 Olympic Games. He was also responsible for producing NBC’s coverage.

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The End Of Free HDTV?

Endangered?

The Consumer Electronics Association recently commissioned a poll that found that fewer than 8 percent of US households use over-the-air broadcast as their sole means of receiving television programming, according to a posting by Geoffrey Morrison at The Crave blog at cnet.com.  This number has been descending, according to the CEA, since 2005.

It is the CEA's position that because fewer and fewer households are getting their TV from over-the-air (OTA), the wireless spectrum used for these broadcasts should be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

In other words, do away with free over-the-air broadcasts as we know it.

While it's true that most U.S. households use cable or satellite for the television signals, in most cases this is a choice to pay for these services.

Other families either cannot afford to pay for cable/satellite, or prefer the significantly higher picture quality available from over the air.

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NJ Public TV Readies For Big Changes

New Jersey public television will have a new name, a new schedule and a new — and much smaller — workforce when it is reintroduced next month as NJTV, the independent broadcaster that will replace the state-owned New Jersey Network, according to a story by Peggy McGlone at The Star Ledger.

Making good on last year's promise to get the state out of the TV business, Gov. Chris Christie Monday unveiled a five-year agreement with WNET Channel 13 to operate the state's TV network. Christie also announced the state will sell the network's radio licenses to WHYY in Philadelphia and New York Public Radio in New York (see original posting) for almost $5 million in cash and in-kind contributions.

Video: Christie's 'Soviet' Remark On PBS: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Lawmakers, some of whom have opposed the deal, responded by saying they will hold hearings. Unless the Legislature vetoes the contracts, the agreements will go into effect July 1.

The deal means the end of NJN, the state-owned-and-operated broadcaster that has been on the air for 43 years. The network' 130 employees will be laid off and the facility in Trenton will be shut down. NJN interrupted “Barney and Friends” yesterday to broadcast the announcement live.

WNET’s subsidiary, Public Media NJ, is obligated to air a nightly news show and 20 more hours of New Jersey-focused programming a week, Christie said. The contract also mandates the network cover election night and major events at the Statehouse, such as the annual State of the State and budget addresses.

Christie said the agreement with WNET will result in better programming and more New Jersey-centric programming at less cost to the taxpayer.

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Glenn Beck Announces 'GBTV'

Full Launch For Live Streaming Video Network Sept. 12

Mercury Radio Arts, Glenn Beck’s multi-media production company, unveiled GBTV – a live streaming video network featuring Glenn’s new daily two-hour show and a wide range of original and licensed information and entertainment programming.

All programs will be broadcast in HD and will be available live or on-demand across multiple viewing platforms. Select shows on the network, which already has over 80,000 paying subscribers, are currently available, and others will come online over the months leading up to the full launch on 9/12.



Glenn’s two-hour show will be broadcast live weekdays from 5 to 7PM ET from a newly-built set designed by Glenn and his team at the iconic NEP Studios in Midtown Manhattan.

Joel Cheatwood, the former Fox News Channel executive who joined Mercury earlier this year, has been appointed President of Programming for all of GBTV and will oversee Glenn’s show.

Stu, Pat

Cheatwood will also be responsible for the production and acquisition of all content for the network. In addition to Glenn’s new show, GBTV will launch with two other programs: A six camera simulcast of Glenn’s three hour radio show and “The 4th Hour” starring Pat Gray and Stu Burguiere. The network will continue to add a variety of scripted and un-scripted content produced by Mercury and other companies and has already signed a development deal with award winning and critically acclaimed television producer and #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor, who has sold over 2 million copies of his books nationwide.

“GBTV is the future,” said Glenn Beck. “The confines of traditional media no longer apply. GBTV is about getting active in the community, participating in stories, and finding new ways to deliver news, information and entertainment directly to the audience.”

Mercury’s decade-long relationship with Clear Channel Communications will extend to the promotion of GBTV across over 100 of Clear Channel’s spoken word radio stations, reaching over 13 million listeners per month.

Christopher Balfe, President & COO of Mercury Radio Arts, will oversee all of GBTV. “Lots of people are talking about the digital content revolution, but few are willing to risk it all and place a huge bet on the future,” Balfe said. “With GBTV, Mercury is doing just that. Fortunately, our incredible team at Mercury, as well as our industry-leading business partners, makes me confident that we will once again build something extraordinary.”

Starting today and running through the launch of Glenn’s new show on 9/12, the network will feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes reality show about the making of GBTV.

GBTV is built from the ground up for social sharing. The GBTV Facebook page will reward fans with virtual currency for actions such as “checking in” to the show or sharing information with their friends. The currency can then be used to unlock exclusive content, such as downloads of documentaries, discount codes, etc.

New subscribers can join GBTV immediately at http://www.GBTV.com. Subscriptions are $4.95/month for access to Glenn’s two-hour daily show only, or $9.95 for GBTV Plus, which offers the complete network of programs, including the radio simulcast, documentaries and special events. For a limited time, all new subscribers can join at the $4.95 rate.

GBTV will employ a hybrid business model, with support from both subscriptions and advertisers. Kraig Kitchin, the former president of Premiere Networks who joined Mercury earlier this year, will be responsible for cross-platform advertising sales leveraging all of Mercury’s digital properties.

Tomorrow night (June 8th) at 7PM EST, Glenn will host a free streaming event on glennbeck.com to discuss GBTV.