The Saturday Aircheck

Happy Fourth!

Rewound Radio, the Internet’s popular full time on-line oldies radio station, is celebrating WABC/WCBS-FM radio legend Dan Ingram’s 50th Anniversary in New York radio this Fourth of July Weekend.

Ingram started his New York radio career at WABC on July 3, 1961. He went on to set ratings records for the next 21 years. Millions of listeners grew up with his sardonic wit, incredible Top 40 timing and exciting style. He later joined WCBS-FM where he again was a star personality.

Rewound Radio will feature uncut Dan Ingram air checks, including the music, from both WABC and WCBS-FM all Fourth of July Weekend. Listeners can participate by posting messages to Dan or commenting on his career at our special, dedicated message board at 77dan.com.
More on Big Dan, click here.

Click Here To Listen

Cox Surprises Tampa Flips 101.5 FM To CHR 'Hot'

Radio war flares with WFLZ

The Tampa Bay area just got a new radio war as owner Cox Radio dumped the '80s format of 101.5 FM WPOI-FM (The Point) for a hits-focused approach directly targeting rival 93.3 FM WFLZ.

With a website announcement featuring snarky disses of WFLZ and star personality Todd "MJ" Schnitt, Cox Radio unveiled Hot 101.5, a station centered on a Contemporary Hits Radio playlist featuring artists such as Pitbull and Ke$ha. The station will play 10,000 songs in row without commercials or talking, offering a monthlong run of music through July, according to a story by Eric Deggans, TV/Media Critic for the St. Petersburg Times.

The change left former morning personality Corey Dylan without a job. And when voices return to WPOI, said an executive, they won't be signature personalities distracting from the music.

According to Cox vice president and Tampa market manager Keith Lawless, Clear Channel-owned WFLZ has had this segment of Tampa Bay's radio audience to itself for too long, and his company has decided to offer a direct challenge.

"For 22 years, they've been in this format directly uncontested ... our research shows WFLZ has been on an island," said Lawless, who oversees all Cox stations in the area, including WWRM-FM (94.9), WXGL-FM (107.3), WSUN-FM (97.1), WHPT-FM (102.5) and WDUV-FM(105.5).

HEAR PRODUCED KICK-OFF, CLICK HERE

With this format flip, WPOI now targets women 18-49 with an emphasis on those 18-34 — basically, the late twentysomethings and early thirtysomethings who pack dance clubs on the weekends.

As part of its strategy, Cox is taking on WFLZ's signature personality, Schnitt. "(Schnitt) plays four songs in morning," Lawless said. "He's a 45-year-old man trying to speak to women 20 years his junior. We're going to play more music than them ... which is what this audience wants."

Read More.

Columbia, SC: What's Old Is New Again

WWNQ 'The River' Reemerges as 'Country Legends'

Following two days of stunting as CHR Q94.3, Double O Radio in Columbia, SC has flipped it's Classic Hits station to country, 'Country Legends 94.3' FM WWNQ.

The station flipped at noon Friday starting with Barbara Mandrell's “I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" and "God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood.  The station is launching with a limited-commercial “All-American Weekend."

The station was Classic Country until late November 2008, when it was abruptly dropped for an all-Christmas format.  After that, it  flipped to Classic Hits as "Flashback 94.3."  On July 30, 2010 WWNQ rebranded as "94.3 The River", taking the station off the satellite and programmed locally.

On June 28, 2011 at 3 pm WWNQ began stunting with a ticking clock. On June 29, 2011 at 6 am WWNQ changed their format to CHR branded as "Q94.3".  On June 30 t 6 pm WWNQ resumed stunting with a ticking clock and changed their format to classic country, branded as "Country Legends 94.3" at 12 noon on Friday, July 1, 2011.

According OM/PD Marty Hall  "Country Legends 94.3 is what this station was when the signal was launched in '94. Ever since it was changed 3 years ago by previous management, people have been asking us to bring it back. Business 101 says 'Give the customer what they want' and that's what we are doing.”

Sample Hour 3p July 1st

• Dolly Parton - Old Flames (Can't Hold A Candle To You)
• Hank Williams, Jr. - All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)
• Marty Robbins - Story Of My Life
• Earl Thomas Conley - Holding Her And Loving You
• The Kentucky Headhunters - Dumas Walker
• Dwight Yoakam - Honky Tonk Man
• Kenny Rogers - You Decorated My Life
• George Strait - Unwound
• Billy Swan - I Can Help
• Mickey Gilley - Don't The Girls All Get Prettier At Closing Time
• Buck Owens And His Buckaroos - I've Got A Tiger By The Tail
• Merle Haggard - Rainbow Stew
• Eddie Rabbitt - I Love A Rainy Night
• The Bellamy Brothers - For All The Wrong Reasons
• Lacy J. Dalton - 16th Avenue
• Crystal Gayle - I'll Get Over You

Click here to listen.

Becky Brenner No Longer In The KMPS Building

Longtime Program Director of CBS Radio's 94.1 FM KMPS in Seattle, Becky Brenner is no longer with the station.

She has been at KMPS since 1982 and confirmed the change on her Facebook Page.  Twitter (last posting was 6/14).

Brenner is a Seattle native with over 30 years of broadcast experience.

She played a dual role at KMPS as PD and digital web manager.

Brenner's a past President Country Radio Broadcasters Board of Directors, in addition to being active on the Board of Directors for the Country Music Association. Brenner has made multiple appearances on several of Radio Ink’s annual lists, including the Top Country Programmers list, which she has been consistently honored for since 2004, with five No. 1 showings on the list.

In addition, she has appeared on Radio Ink’s Top PD list. Under her leadership, KMPS has won many awards and honors including CMA Major Market Station of the Year and ACM Major Market Station of the Year.

Glenn Beck Sez 'Goodnight' To Fox News

Glenn Takes A Look Back At The Fox News Shows:

Baltimore's WVIE Dropping Local Sports Talk

Moving to news/talk format weekdays starting July 4

Three local sports talk show hosts -- Stan "The Fan" Charles, Jerry Coleman and Rob Long -- will be without a home at radio station 1370 AM WVIE as of Friday morning when the station starts moving to a mainly all-news format.  The station will be using daytime blocks of TRN-distributed America’s Radio News Network.

According to a story by David Zurawik at The Baltimore Sun, the official move by V-1370 to news/talk won't come until July 4th when it goes to 12-hours-a-day Monday-through-Friday programming from America's Radio News, a news service based out of Alexandria, Va., that is carried on more than 100 stations nationally.

The station will have local news, weather, traffic and sports provided by its Maryland News Center.  The format is expected to be branded as "all news all day," in synergy with sister station, WCBM (680 AM), a conservative talk outlet.

Read More.

Levine: Pandora Isn't Radio Broadcasting

It's Web Streaming
From Richard Wagoner, dailybreeze,com

Saul Levine is the owner of Go Country 105 FM KKGO and 1260 AM KMZT (Los Angeles). I consider him to be one of the better broadcasters in radio, primarily because he tries as much as he can - during an era when so many have given up on the idea - to make his stations relevant to the local market.

Yes, you could make fun of the number of format changes on 1260 over the years (I'm guilty of that myself). But compare that to his FM station, which has run exactly three formats total since it signed on the air. Consider, as well, that often Levine uses the AM to try to fill a format void in the market and that he does this expecting little; he could have sold the station years ago but held on to it because he enjoys radio, itself, more than the station's monetary value.

Earlier this week, I received an email from Levine with an interesting thought. In reference to a news article on the Pandora music service, he wrote, "I am becoming impatient with the media that refers to non-radio transmissions as 'radio.'

"Pandora is Web streaming, not radio. Satellite programming is called Digital Audio Broadcasting by the FCC; it is not radio. Radio should take steps to educate the consumers (and media) as to this fact. Radio is what comes out of a radio, not a computer or smart phone from the Web."

In the strictest sense, Levine is correct, at least when it comes to the Internet. Webster's dictionary agrees, defining radio as "a system of of telecommunication employing electromagnetic waves of a particular frequency range to transmit speech or other sound over long distances without the use of wires."

There is a slight problem, however, in thinking that the definition applies only to traditional broadcast radio.

Note that satellite services fit the definition as well, using electromagnetic waves over a particular frequency range to transmit their programming. And if you want to stretch it a little, a smartphone allows exactly the same thing. I can hear broadcasts via my iPhone wherever I can pick up my cell-provider's signal, and those signals arrive via electromagnetic waves.

But I understand his point, and in a general sense, Levine is correct.

Read More.

TomZTake:  It's been said that many railroad barons thought they were in the railroad business, when they were really in the transportation business.  Fast forward to today: broadcasting is a delivery platform as is streaming.  "Radio" is in the entertainment and information business. 

Ideas: What Are You Programming For The Fourth?

From David Hinckley, nydailynews.com:

Louis Armstrong gets his annual salute from WKCR, WCBS-FM is running artists A to Z, and a whole lot of party music is on the NYC's radio dial for the Fourth of July weekend.

A sampling:

WAXQ (104.3 FM): All weekend: "Four-plays" of biggest classic rock artists. On Sunday, the station goes live in Red Bank, 6-10 p.m., with simulcast of fireworks and musical accompaniment at about 9:15.

WCBS-FM (101.1): A-to-Z countdowns, one artist at a time, started Tuesday. It promises no repeats through Monday.

WFUV (90.7 FM): Today: Holiday free-form Friday, until 7 p.m. Sunday: "Sunday Breakfast," 8-11 a.m., songs for America's birthday and Americana artist Eilen Jewell; "Ceol na nGael," noon-4 p.m., American and Irish independence songs; "Woody's Children," 4-5 p.m., the Jeffersonian heritage featuring Claude Rains' portrayal of Jefferson.

WHTZ (100.3 FM): Summer hits past and present.

WHUD (100.7 FM): Tomorrow, 6 a.m., until Monday, 8 p.m.: No. 1 hits from the '60s through today.

WINS (1010 AM): Monday, simulcast of Macy's fireworks display with musical accompaniment, starts approximately 9:15 p.m. (If you're attending, bring your radio.)

WKCR (89.9 FM): Monday, 24-hour Louis Armstrong birthday broadcast.

WKTU (103.5 FM): Party songs weekend and Britney Spears ticket giveaway.

WOR (710 AM): Monday, 6 a.m.: Former Gov. David Paterson sits in for John Gambling.

WQHT (97.1 FM): All weekend: live hip-hop mixes.

WRAT (95.9 FM): Monday: Oceanfest with simulcast of fireworks at 9 p.m. The station will also be distributing 3-D "fireworks glasses" to those at the site.

WRXP (101.9 FM): All weekend: Three-song blocks from "Great American Rock Bands."

WXRK (92.3 FM): All weekend: Nine-minute, 23-second mixes of party favorites.

Sirius/XM Satellite: All weekend: "Bruce in the USA," six top Springsteen American concerts from Los Angeles, August 1981, to Buffalo, November 2009. Ch. 20. Dolly Parton hosts top 20 patriotic songs, Ch. 58. Multiple Jimmy Buffett concerts, starting at Plymouth Rock and moving west to California, Ch. 24. Tribute to the reggae band Third World, with interviews, concerts and more, Ch. 42.

Read More.

Clear Channel Rebrands KTRH Houston

Lana Hughes and J.P. Pritchard Out In AM Drive

From station website



Lana Hughes and J.P. Pritchard are out of 740 AM KTRH after 27 years. And now the station drops the news front and goes with the talk moniker.

Hughes, Pritchard

Hughes and Pritchard, who have worked together at the station for 27 years and are members of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, were informed of the changes after their morning shifts. Thursday was their last day on the air, and Houston‘s Morning News with Matt Patrick will debut Tuesday at 5 a.m. Former Denver talk show host Lois Melkonian will be the show’s news reader.

Pritchard, 63, said his departure from KTRH and the change in the morning newscast reflects the changing nature of radio.

“Lana and I both understood this was going to take place at some point,” he told David Barron at The Houston Chronicle. “It’s a trend. It’s not personal. It’s the way radio goes. Clear Channel has been very good to both of us. It’s the market forces, the way of the world.”

With a change in the morning show comes a change in direction for KTRH. No more NewsRadio 740 KTRH branding. Now the station is called NewsTalk 740. That's because the days of this station being a news station have been fading quickly over the last years, reports blogger Mike McGuff.    Clearly it is a conservative talk station now with no apologies.

"The move will reflect a new direction for the morning news, combining the informative news coverage KTRH listeners have grown accustomed to along with Patrick’s keen insight and commentary," Clear Channel said in a statement. "

Critical information and timely updates on traffic and weather will still be staples of the new show. The station lineup will remain the same after the morning show, with talk show hosts Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Berry, and Mark Levin, followed by the overnight Coast to Coast. KTRH will continue to serve as the flagship of the Houston Astros."

"This is an exciting time for our station," said AM Operations Manager Bryan Erickson. "Like other forms of media, we have to continue to adapt. We have to serve our listeners by being informative and entertaining. Lana & JP are an institution in Houston, they are true professionals, and we, along with our listeners, will miss hearing their comforting voices every morning. We know our new show has big shoes to fill."

Jersey Guy Ray Rossi Returns To NJ 101.5

"The Late Show With Jersey Guy Ray Rossi" is expected to debut July 11th on the same station that fired him last week.

101.5 FM WKXW will air the new show evenings from 11p to 3a.  It will be live Monday thru Thursday.

Rossi is one half of the Jersey guys team which previously aired on NJ 101.5 afternoons. Their contract was not renewed and it was announced last week that former hosts Jeff Deminski & Bill Doyle are coming back to afternoon drive (2pm -7pm weekdays) starting on Tuesday July 5th.

The change caused an uproar among Jersey Guys fans and one of them had just established a Facebook Page to "Bring The Jersey Boys Back".  The page offers action plans steps for other disgruntled fans of The Jersey Guys.  Today's news pleases fans who aare happy Rossi has a job again, but many are still upset he's not on-air during drive time or at least during the day.

Also see these postings:

CLICK HERE:   Facebook Page: How To Help Bring Jersey Boys Back

CLICK HERE:  Opinion: Bring The Jersey Boys Back To NJ 101.5

Report: NYC's WRXP Cancels Coldplay Concert

The RXP Tākliberty Festival, the 101.9 FM WRXP-sponsored day of alt-rock at the PNC Bank Arts Center in NYC that was announced Monday June 13 and was going to have Coldplay as its headliner?

Well, it's been canceled "due to unforeseen circumstances," according to a Village Voice story.

Which actually isn't all that surprising given that the station sponsoring the day was sold the very next day to Randy Michael's Merline Media.

WRXP was one of three stations sold by Emmis Broadcasting to a company Merlin.

The concert was scheduled for September. Merlin is expected to change the format of the station no later than mid-August.

Obama Called A 'Dick' On Live TV

Mark Halperin suspended from MSNBC

Morning Joe regular on MSNBC, Mark Halperin summed up his impression of President Obama's press conference yesterday: "I thought he was a dick yesterday."



Glynnis MacNicol at The Business Insider reports, Halperin Realized the comment had actually gone to air and he quickly apologized: "This is not a pro forma apology, it's an absolute apology, heartfelt to the President."

And then at the top of the 8 o'clock hour the entire Morning Joe team spent 5 more minutes apologizing for the gaffe, saying it's never appropriate to call the President a "dick."

Later in the morning, Mark Halperin was suspended indefinitely from MSNBC for his comments about President Obama. MSNBC has issued the following statements:

Mark Halperin’s comments this morning were completely inappropriate and unacceptable. We apologize to the President, The White House and all of our viewers. We strive for a high level of discourse and comments like these have no place on our air. Therefore, Mark will be suspended indefinitely from his role as an analyst.

Statement from Mark Halperin:

I completely agree with everything in MSNBC’s statement about my remark. I believe that the step they are taking in response is totally appropriate. Again, I want to offer a heartfelt and profound apology to the President, to my MSNBC colleagues, and to the viewers. My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it.

What’s Next After Glenn Beck's Last Show On FNC?

For two and a half years, millions of viewers have enjoyed watching Glenn Beck take on liberals, progressives and even radical leftists for the last two and a half years at 5pm on cable news. From the corruption at ACORN to the Czars to Van Jones, Beck exposed the left’s agenda and routinely flustered the White House in the process. But while Glenn may be counting down his final shows this week – he is also counting down to the beginning of something bigger and better: GBTV.




And what happens once Glenn goes off the air on cable today? He’s going to be going right to GBTV and giving his first interview to new GBTV correspondent, Raj Nair!

As soon as one door closes, the next door will open. At 6:30pm ET on Thursday, Raj will be asking Glenn your questions.

As for Fox:

On Friday at 5pm, Fox News will be running a John Stossel special entitled "What’s Great About America".

Beyond that, it is still unclear, but a Fox News spokesperson tells Mediaite “We will run encore presentations of Glenn Beck next week and will announce our plans shortly.”

Glenn Beck & Family Accosted In NYC, Part 2

Tuesday, Glenn Beck shared with his radio listeners his story about the hostile environment he and his family experienced while attending movie night in Bryant Park Monday evening.

While trying to catch a showing of Hitchock’s The 39 Steps, fellow moviegoers were anything but friendly, shouting hateful messages and even kicking a glass of wine on Glenn’s wife’s back.

Wednesday, the other side.  Lindsey Piscitell, a young woman who says she was sitting behind Glenn and his family, has written a response letter to New York Magazine about the incident. Glenn chose to read her response.

Tara Servatius Returns To The Airwaves

It's just not in her home market of Charlotte, NC.

Tara Servatius, who contract was not renewed last month by WBT in Charlotte has been doing some fill-in work at Clear Channel Radio's 630 AM WLAP in Lexington, KY.  She was on-air at 1110 AM and 99.3 FM WBT in PM drive for about 5 years.

She's on air from 3p to 6 today and again Tuesday, 7/5 filling in for Leland Conway.
You can listen by clicking here.

News Wars Expected Soon In Chicago

The Last Weekend

Chicago radio market watchers are anticipating CBS Radio to start an FM simulcast of its top-rated News 780 AM WBBM anyday now, perhaps as soon as Tuesday 7/5.  

The FM side of the simulcast would be the company's underperforming AC 105.9 FM WCFS, branded as Fresh 105.9.

CBS Radio is expected to start the simulcast in advance of Merlin Media's expected flip of 101.1 FM WKQX.  Randy 'The Merlin" Michael's is expected to flip the Rock Alternative outlet to a talk or a N/T format no later than mid-August. Merlin will be the majority owner of WKQX and 97.9 FM WLUP after its purhcase from Emmis is okayed by the FCC. Emmis retain a minority interest.

Robert Feder at timeoutchicago.com reports incoming Q101 news chief Andy Friedman is busy assembling a staff of known Chicago radio news voices, including Charlie Meyerson, Rob Hart and Lise Dominique.

TomZTake: It will be an interesting battle to observe. It will also be interesting to see how CBS Radio brands the new simulcast, since they already have a WBBM-FM in the market.  The CHR is branded as B96.9 FM.  Would CBS get new calls for B and move the WBBM-FM calls to 105.9FM?  Stay tuned.

WNOK, Q94.3 Square Off In CHR Battle In Columbia

UPDATE FRIDAY 6AM:

After apparently stunting with a CHR format for two days, Q94.3 suddenly started the clock ticking to a new format.  Look for  a noon start Friday.

LISTEN HERE.

Thursday posting:

The squirmish started in Columbia, SC Wednesday as Classic Hits "The River"  94.3 FM WWNQ flipped, now branded as Q94.3.

The Double O Radio facility is aiming at Clear Channel's 104.7 FM WNOK, which posted a a 7.1 Share 12+ TW in the Winter 2011 Arbitron.  "The River" came in with a 1.1 share.

Here's the 10am sample music hour from Q94.3:

Rihanna - S
Martin Solveig - Hello (w/ Dragonette)
Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song
The Script - Breakeven
Lady Gaga - The Edge Of Glory
Neon Trees - Animal
Katy Perry - E.T. (Futuristic Lover)
David Guetta - Where Them Girls At (w/ Flo-Rida & Nicki Minaj)
Tinie Tempah - Written In The Stars
Taylor Swift - The Story Of Us
Britney Spears - Gimme More
Eminem - Love The Way You Lie (w/ Rihanna)
J. Lo - On The Floor (w/ Pitbull)

Here's the WNOK playlist, also from the 10am Wednesday:

Cee-Lo Green - F You
Taylor Swift - The Story Of Us
Britney Spears - Till The World Ends
Maroon 5 - Misery
Rihanna - S
Avril Lavigne - Smile
Black Eyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough
Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
Enrique Iglesias - Tonight (w/ Ludacris)
Rihanna - California King Bed

As far as coverage area. WNOK's 90,000 watts dwarfs, WWNQ's 2550 watts.

You can listen to Q94.3, here.

Listen to 104.7 WNOK here.

Opinion: Bring The Jersey Boys Back To NJ 101.5

From Anne Mikolay, ahherald.com

New Jersey 101.5 (Not New York! Not Philadelphia! Proud to be New Jersey!) has been my radio station of choice for years. In the early morning, Jim Gearhart keeps me updated on what's going on in our state. As I am driving around mid-day, Dennis and Judi keep me company. And while I am on the road from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm daily, The Jersey Guys make me laugh.

While I was out of state last week, my son sent me an urgent text message: “101.5 canceled The Jersey Guys!” I couldn't believe it! 101.5, are you kidding me? How could you cancel the funniest guys you have in your program line-up? It seems station management did not renew the contracts of Ray Rossi and Casey Bartholomew, aka The Jersey Guys, and replaced the duo with Deminski and Doyle. Deminksi and Doyle? Didn't I listen to them back in the 90s? In my humble opinion, the fact that I remember their names and not much else about them doesn't bode well for the new program. No offense to Deminski and Doyle, but isn't replacing a popular team with radio personalities from the 90s taking the station backward rather than forward?

If you are going to miss The Jersey Guys, too, please go to the “Bring Back The Jersey Guys to 101.5” facebook page and let your voice be heard, or email the 101.5 program director, Eric Johnson at Eric.Johnson@mrgnj.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Come on, 101.5, give us back our Jersey Guys! Without them, your station may be “proud to be New Jersey,” but it will be nothing special.

Read More.

Facebook Page: How To Help Bring Jersey Boys Back

The Jersey Boys

The Jersey Guys Casey Bartholomew & Ray Rossi have been removed from radio station NJ 101.5 WKXW.

A Facebook Page has been posted to urge fans to show the station how much the listeners want them back, to show them they should be brought back & to hopefully change their minds.

The page was actually started by a listener from Pennsylvania! However, Angie Esposita O'Dowd was raised and went to school in Woodbridge, NJ.  At least 2200+ people hav e"liked" the page so far.

Her FB Page also offers suggestions to help bring Casey & Ray back on the air & make your opinions known:

1. Call the NJ 101.5 radio station and voice your opinion at 1-800-283-1015, Business phone at 1-609-771-8181, or Fax 1-609-406-7956.

2. Contact Oaktree Management, the new owners of Millenium, at their global headquarters at 1-213-830-6300, or E-mail them at contactus@oaktreecapital.com Another E-mail for Oaktree deemed for "media" is mediainquiries@oaktreecapital.com

3. E-mail the NJ 101.5 station. Program Director Eric Johnson at Eric.Johnson@mrgnj.com or the General Comments E-mail at nj1015@nj1015.com Another good E-Mail to voice your opinion is lorenzo.caldara@mrgnj.com

4. Contact all the sponsors who aired during Casey & Ray's time slot. Voice your opinion. A threat to boycott these business, or the radio station all together, can sometimes make an impact. A complete list of these specific sponsors is coming soon & is currently being compiled......

5. Stage a protest. This can either be at the station itself or any other location where your voice can be adequately heard. No specific site has been set up as of yet but if posters to this site want to form a place or time they are more than free to do this as long as it is posted here so everyone can be aware of the date & time. If this occurs I will update this section with info. Please note-I promote only peaceful protests. Anything violent in nature or using vulgarity will not be backed or condoned by this site or this site's administrator.

6. Go to the media. The Star Ledger has already been contacted. Other newspapers incude The Home News Tribune & The Asbury Park Press though since NJ 101.5 does not cover South Jersey any longer I am unsure as to if the Asbury Park Press will actually be interested in this story. E-mails & phone #'s coming soon to local newspapers.....

For More Suggestions, click here.

NBC Host Caught On Camera Cheating On His Wife

Gotcha!

Investigative star Chris Hansen – best known for exposing Internet sex perverts on “To Catch A Predator" – has been caught in his own cheating scandal with a sexy blonde young enough to be his daughter!

For nearly four months, The National Enquirer cites sources as saying, the handsome father of two has been cheating on his wife with 30-year-old Kristyn Caddell, a news anchor at NBC affili­ate WPTV in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Hansen and his wife, Mary, 53, live togeth­er in Connecticut and have two sons.

Read More.

Reports: Howard Stern Still Wants A Raise

Already Paid $600 Million By Sirius

Howard Stern is still locked in a lawsuit with his former employer Sirius over his pay. In a new filing, Stern says he “saved” the company, but now the company is refusing to pay him what it owes.

Sirius disputes that claim and is asking the New York state judge overseeing the case to throw Stern’s suit out, according to a posting at paidcontent,com.

Paid Content cites a report st RBR.com, Stern says he was promised additional pay if he beat subscriber targets by at least 2 million. “Now that the company has done that and more, it is refusing to pay me what it owes,” stated Stern in a court filing.

Some of the dispute seems to stem from how the two sides are counting subscribers. Stern wants to count both XM and Sirius subscribers, whereas Sirius wants to count only XM subscribers who paid extra for the “Best of Sirius” package that included Stern’s program. There was an internal target of 12.1 million subscribers by the end of 2010, and Stern was supposed to get a different bonus if that number got beat by more than six million. “Sirius alone was well short of that, but including XM the subscriber count at the end of 2010 was just shy of 20.2 million.”

Read More.

Octomom Visits Howard Stern

Also Wednesday, Nadya "Octomom" Suleman talks candidly about her life with 14 kids to Howard Stern. She also discusses a lot of personal things about her unique and interesting life!

Commentary: So What Will Happen In NYC

From Vince Santarelli, NY Radio ExaminerRead More.

Now that Emmis Communications has sold a majority interest in WRXP (101.9 FM) to Merlin Media, the speculation is on as to what happens to the station. For quite some time, the market has been abuzz with the possible move of ESPN Radio to the 101.9 spot, but it looks like that's out of the question now. Everybody is anticipating a move to a news / talk format. Adding fuel to that fire is the announcement that Walter Sabo has been named COO of Merlin.

Sabo, as you probably know, is the guy who put the highly successful New Jersey 101.5 (WKXW FM) in Trenton, NJ on the air. In the most recent Monmouth-Ocean ARB's, WKXW is the number one station with an 8.3 share. The second place station comes in with a 4.8. WKXW also consistently pulls around a 1.0 in the New York market.

So, you ask, what does Mr. Sabo do in New York? Work more magic? The fact that he's on board makes it almost a gimme that he's going to do some sort of news / talk format. And by doing that, he puts himself in direct competition with market giants WABC and WOR. So, this had better be big and good.

Basically what I'm hoping for here is that the new station, probably to be called WYNY, goes very local and very live. By that I mean, no syndicated talk shows. We have all we really need with Rush, Hannity and Imus on WABC and Michael Savage and Michael Smerconish on WOR. The new 101.9 needs to put on people who are in tune with the New York market. People who will actually be in the studio to take phone calls from the listeners. To talk about what New Yorkers want to talk about. What's happening at City Hall and the five boroughs. And they need hosts with no agendas. Not a bunch of right wing conservatives. And no left wing liberals either. A host who straddles the middle and is able to carry on an intelligent conversation with those who wish to do so

Clear Channel To Operate Metro As Separate Entity

Clear Channel Radio President John Hogan has announced that a separate agreement has been signed with the Dept. of Justice to operate Metro Traffic independently.

The agreement ends "a routine investigation" by the DOJ into the $119.25 million transaction closed on April 29.

Except for back-office functions such as payroll, HR and IT, Clear Channel and Metro staffers “must behave as if they are employed by separate companies.”

Here is the full text of John Hogan's memo to CC troops:

"As you may have heard, we recently learned that the US Department of Justice, commonly called the DOJ, will be conducting a routine investigation of our acquisition of Metro Networks and associated businesses, including Smart Route Systems and SigAlert. For ease of communication, we will refer to all of these businesses collectively as Metro in this email. On Friday, in connection with the investigation, we signed an agreement with the DOJ to hold separate and operate Metro independently from Clear Channel. While this agreement remains in effect, we must:

"Cease any further combination, coordination, or integration of Metro and Clear Channel;

"Take all steps necessary to ensure that Metro will be maintained and operated as an independent, economically viable, and active competitor, including substantially complying with Metro's pre-existing business plans, providing Metro with sufficient working capital and lines and sources of credit, keeping Metro's books and records in accordance with sound accounting principles, and keeping such books and records -- along with all competitively sensitive sales, marketing, and pricing information - separate and apart from Clear Channel's other operations;

"Take all steps necessary to ensure that Metro's management, including the performance of decision-making functions regarding marketing and pricing, will be kept separate and apart from Clear Channel's other operations;

"Refrain from accessing any competitively sensitive information relating to any aspect of Metro's operation;

"Refrain from selling, leasing, assigning, transferring, licensing, pledging, or otherwise disposing of any part of Metro's business;

"Refrain from firing (other than for cause), transferring, or reassigning Metro employees with responsibility for management, sales, marketing, or content creation. In the case of terminations for cause, where practical Clear Channel must provide 72 hour advance notice and, if advance notice is not practical, must provide notice to the DOJ within 72 hours.

"Notwithstanding these obligations, Metro may continue to use the corporate services of Clear Channel to support the Metro business (including Clear Channel's legal, human resources, tax, and IT services). In addition, Metro will continue to report to Rick Baran during the hold separate period.

"From a practical standpoint, in order to satisfy the obligations outlined above, Metro and Clear Channel employees must behave as if they are employed by separate companies. In other words, it is necessary to treat the other entity in the same way you would treat an unaffiliated competitor - i.e., apply the same rules you would apply with respect to all communications, information sharing, business dealings, and other activities.

"The full cooperation of all employees is necessary in order to ensure that Clear Channel meets its obligations under the agreement. To the extent you have questions or need further guidance on how best to comply with the hold separate obligations, please consult with Rick Baran. I appreciate your cooperation and will keep you posted as we work through this issue with DOJ.

John Hogan

Hat Tip to Radio-Info.

Study: Radio Makes People Happier Than TV, Web

Listening gives Britons higher energy levels

Over 1,000 Britons were polled via their smartphones and asked to record what media they were consuming and to rate their mood and energy levels while doing so.

According to a story by Emma Bernett, Digital Media Editor at telegraph.co.uk, radio came out top, beating both TV and online, in the study called ‘Media and the Mood of the Nation’, with respondents recording a 100 per cent lift in happiness and 300 per cent boost to their energy levels when listening to a radio show versus not consuming any type of media at all.

Watching TV and surfing the internet also significantly boosts people’s happiness and energy levels, but failed to come close to the positive effect radio listening has on Britons’ well-being.

“People are the happiest and most energetic when listening to radio. It plays an important emotional role in people’s lives,” said Mark Barber, planning director at the British Radio Advertising Bureau which commissioned the research.

“People use radio as a lifestyle support system and to make themselves feel better about their lives… Our latest research highlights the immense potential of radio to influence emotions.”

The study found that listening to the radio increases people’s happiness levels nearly twice as much as watching TV does, and gives them four times the amount of perceived energy. Similarly radio trumped people’s feelings when online, especially in the energy stakes. Those listening to radio said that they felt three times more energetic than they did when browsing the web.

Read More.

For a copy of the Complete study, click here.

Roe & Roeper Re-Up For 3 Years At WLS-AM

Roe & Roeper

N/T 890 AM WLS Chicago has renewed Roe Conn and Richard Roeper for three more years.

Although both hosts had months to go on their current deals, Robert Feder at timeoutchicago.com, sez the new agreements announced Tuesday lock them in through the end of 2014, and solidify their on-air partnership by linking the effective dates of their contracts. Financial terms were not disclosed.

With the WLS morning team of Don Wade and Roma also under a multiyear deal, the two drive-time duos are secure as the station prepares for new owners. Earlier this year, Cumulus Media agreed to buy Citadel Broadcasting, including WLS and oldies WLS-FM (94.7), in a $2.5 billion transaction. The transfer is expected within the next few months.

Feder writes the public vote of confidence for Roe and Roeper came one day after they shined during a six-hour recap of the Rod Blagojevich trial, which they’d been covering from the get-go with gusto and authority — a fact not lost on Michael Damsky, president and general manager of WLS.

Another boost for the show came last November when NBC began airing a video simulcast from 3 to 6pm weekdays on its Chicago Nonstop digital subchannel.

Read More.

Advice: The Metrics To Watch If You Invest in Pandora

From Spencer Osborne, seekingalpha.com

Pandora recently went public and after a successful IPO is trading at just above the $16 price tag it went public with. Pandora is among the first Internet radio companies to go public, and understanding that Internet radio is a new dynamic may have investors a bit confused over what metrics are the important ones to watch.

Let's face it. When a company has a quarterly conference call it tends to highlight the positives and find reasons to explain away the negatives. While the financial performance is an obvious target, the important numbers can sometimes be lost in the fog of discussion about potential.

When invested in Pandora, some key element that investors will want to watch go much deeper than revenue and cost of revenue. Investors need to dig deeper, and perhaps more importantly they need to know where to dig.

For Metrics that Pandora Investors will want to watch, click here.

Jock Awarded $1.2M In Copyright Lawsuit

Black Eyed Peas' 'My Humps' At Issue

Cleveland disc jockey and early rap artist Orrin Lynn Tolliver, Jr. has just been awarded nearly $1.2 million by a New York jury.

According to a story by Eriq Gardner at The Hollywood Reporter, the award comes after a former friend and collaborator allowed without permission his 1983 song, "I Need A Freak," to be sampled by the Black Eyed Peas for the group's hit song, "My Humps."



In the early 80s, Tolliver formed a concept band called Sexual Harassment and recorded "I Need A Freak" at his friend and collaborator James McCants' studio at Heat Records.

McCants registered the song with BMI, credited Tolliver as the songwriter, and agreed to pay him 75% of royalties.

In 2000, the song was included on the compilation, "In Da Beginning...There Was Rap," from Priority Records, which caused Tolliver to send McCants a cease-and-desist letter. His former friend and collaborator denied issuing a license.

However, in the proceeding years, the song was sampled for use by other artists, including by the Black Eyed Peas on "My Humps."

Tolliver sued McCants for copyright infringement.

Read More.

Most Music Battle Rages In Columbus, GA

Clear Channel Loses BBB Accreditation Over Song Count

From Richard Hyatt for ledger-enquirer.com

Do you care which country radio station plays the most music? I don’t. That’s why there are buttons on my radio.

Jim Martin and Jennifer Newman care deeply, and so does Leonard Crain, the president of the Columbus, GA Better Business Bureau.

The music issue arose because two competing stations showed once again that radio people don’t work and play well together.

The question of which country station plays the most music was posed in a series of promotional ads on My South 106.1-FM WSTH, a Clear Channel station.

The ongoing claims were clear: “In the last 24 hours, South 106.1 played more songs than 99.3. The most country guaranteed. That’s South 106.1.”

The broadcast spot was specific about how many more songs South 106.1 played than its competitor -- and that’s when Martin’s people got out their calculator.

On behalf of Kissin’ 99.3 FM WKCN, Martin and PMB filed a false-advertising claim with the BBB in April. Crain gathered information from both parties and then turned it over to a panel of BBB board members and people familiar with the advertising business.

In the course of the inquiry, it was learned that two outside agencies actually monitor the number of songs a radio station plays in a 24-hour period.

One of them is owned by Clear Channel Communications. Newman said their findings aren’t valid in Columbus. The BBB disagreed and used the data.

On June 13, Crain sent out a letter upholding PMB’s allegations and confirming that Clear Channel’s on-air claims were false.

“The BBB has decided that the advertising claim used by Clear Channel-Columbus to be in violation of the BBB’s Code of Advertising,” Crain said. He also told Newman that the findings mean the station is losing its BBB accreditation.

Read More.

Advice: Radio Keys To Success

From Consultant Jaye Albright's Breakfast Blog:

1. Signal
2. Potential market or format growth
3. Potential station growth
4. Price and/or terms paid for the facility
5. Promote: increase visibility and sampling, then build loyalty and time spent listening.
6. Concentrate on retail business. Emphasize local, direct sales.
7. Be flexible. Avoid bureaucracy.
8. Research consistently. Make sure the audience thinks you have the best personalities and the best music.
9. Attitude. Become positive and aggressive. Make your staff that way, and "take it to the streets."
10. Take risks.

You simply MUST have #1. Then, the more of the others you have, the higher your potential for success.

Read More from Jaye.

Alan Jackson Comes A Knockin' At WIRK

                                                Sandra Foxx, Bill Adams, Jeff Elliott, Alan Jackson, Tiny

Alan Jackson stopped by The Jeff Elliott in the Morning Show at 107.9 FM WIRK in West Palm Beach, FL. last week.  But it could have been a visit that never happened. 

According to a posting on the station website, here's is the lowdown: show member Tiny answered a phone call and said, “Um…Ooooo.Kkkk.”  Other morning show members asked Tiny if there was something wrong and tiny replied, “No, that was someone saying that Alan Jackson is out in the hallway trying to get in.”

Jeff Elliott said, “Sandra, go outside and see what’s going on.”

I had it in my head completely that we were being punked. There’s no way Alan Jackson is here!  I opened the door and I froze.  I must have stared at Alan and his friend, Frank, for a good 3 to 5 seconds before I introduced myself and let them in to the WIRK studios.  I was in shock.

Alan is so incredibly kind and humble, and what you will be listening to here is 2 parts of the impromptu interview with our surprise visit from Alan Jackson on June 22nd, 2011.

Bachmann Now Accepts Chris Wallace's Apology

Sean Hannity Monday night interviewed the GOP's hottest Presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann, and took time to mend the 24-hour rift between her and Fox News' Chris Wallace.

Tom Petty Tells Bachmann Not To Use 'American Girl'

Tom Petty doesn't want Republican President Candidate Michele Bachmann using his 1977 song, "American Girl," in her campaign events, NBC Nightly News reports.



According to a posting by Gael Fashingbauer-Cooper, an today,com producer, the song was played when the Republican presidential candidate left the stage in Waterloo, Iowa, after making a nationally televised speech. Later, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reported that Petty's manager will be asking the candidate's team not to use his song again.

O'Donnell also reported that Petty asked George Bush not to use his song "I Won't Back Down" in 2000, but apparently allowed Hillary Clinton to use "American Girl" during her 2008 campaign.

John McCain was also met with resistance from rockers on the campaign trail. The Republican presidential hopeful was asked to change his tune by both the Foo Fighters and John Mellencamp during his 2008 run. And the band Heart asked that McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, not use their hit "Barracuda" when she joined him on stage.

e-Reader Ownership Surges

Tablet ownership grows more slowly

The share of adults in the United States who own an e-book reader doubled to 12% in May, 2011  from 6% in November 2010.  E-readers, such as a Kindle or Nook, are portable devices designed to allow readers to download and read books and periodicals.

This is the first time since the Pew Internet Project began measuring e-reader use in April 2009 that ownership of this device has reached double digits among U.S. adults, according to a posting by Kristen Purcell at pewinternet.org.

Tablet computers—portable devices similar to e-readers but designed for more interactive web functions—have not seen the same level of growth in recent months.  In May 2011, 8% of adults report owning a tablet computer such as an iPad, Samsung Galaxy or Motorola Xoom.  This is roughly the same percentage of adults who reported owning this kind of device in January 2011 (7%), and represents just a 3 percentage-point increase in ownership since November 2010.  Prior to that, tablet ownership had been climbing relatively quickly.

Read More.

Newspaper, TV News Confidence Strengthens Some

Confidence still lags behind the '90s and to '03

Americans' confidence in newspapers and television news rebounded slightly in the past year, having been stuck at record lows since 2007. The 28% of Americans who express a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in newspapers and the 27% who say the same about television news still lag significantly behind the levels of trust seen through much of the 1990s and into 2003, according to a posting by Lymari Morales at gallup.com.

The findings are from Gallup's annual update on confidence in institutions, which found few other notable changes from last year. Newspapers and television news rank 10th and 11th in confidence, respectively, among the 16 institutions tested. While the improvement for each is small in absolute terms, it could mark the beginning of the reversal of the trend seen in recent years. The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism's annual report on The State of the News Media suggests that the state of the media improved in 2010 as content providers found new ways to meet the changing needs of their audiences as well as new revenue models.

Read More.

Glenn Beck Sez His Family Accosted In NYC

What was supposed to be a nice evening in the park turned into a truly hostile free-for-all, as Glenn and his family attempted to watch a movie in New York’s Bryant Park last night.

Hoping to enjoy some time together, while taking in a showing of Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps with his wife, Tania, and daughter, Glenn and his family instead experienced an unfriendly and borderline violent scene. At one point, an angry moviegoer kicked a glass of wine into Tania’s back, and as she got up to walk away, a man shouted, “We hate conservatives here.”

AOL Partners With Slacker Radio

The AOL Huffington Post Media Group's AOL Music is relaunching AOL Radio in partnership with Slacker Inc., it was announced Tuesday.

AOL Radio will offer an enhanced radio experience with fewer ads, new personalization features and premium subscription offerings. The new service will deliver three product tiers to users:

• Free AOL Radio service
• Ad-free and feature-rich radio
• On-demand premium subscription tiers with personalization and customization

AOL's partnership with Slacker Inc. claims it will provide access to ad-free radio and enable users to create tailored radio stations, save favorite songs and stations, read album reviews, access artist biographies, review station histories, increase song skipping capabilities and much more, depending on the tier of service selected. The partnership will enable Slacker to deliver its new radio offerings to a larger audience, allow AOL Radio and Slacker to develop new advertising opportunities for mutual clients and integrate AOL Music's original editorial voice across all its services.

Merlin Media Hires Jerry Rohira As VP/Production

Merlin Media announced Tuesday that creative services pro Jerry Rohira has joined Merlin Media as VP of Production.

In his new role, Rohira will be responsible for implementing and maintaining the overall creative sound design for Merlin Media and its properties.

Merlin Media was formed to acquire and operate media through a partnership between Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR and Emmis Communications, a diversified media company. The company begins with a base of three properties – two in Chicago and one in New York – and intends to develop a combination of media across the country.

"Jerry will be responsible for creating the highest level of innovative production that exists in American media," said Walter Sabo, COO of Merlin Media. "The overall sound, philosophy and imagery of Merlin stations in all formats will benefit from his soundscapes."

Most recently, Rohira was Creative Director at SiriusXM where he served for over seven years. He launched the Howard Stern show on SiriusXM and was Creative Services Director for its first year on the air.

Rohira began his career in radio at 94.5 "The Buzz" in Houston, Texas where he worked in the production department.

Merlin Media Quickly Hires Meyerson

Charlie Meyerson has quickly landed a new gig.

The former WGN Radio News Director was forced out June 17th after two years and, according to Robert Feder at timeoutchicago.com, is among the first hired made by Andy Friedman. Friedman is VP of Internet Initiatives for Randy Michaels' Merlin Media.

Meyerson resume includes FM news at 93.1 WXRT-FM and 95.5 WNUA.

Merlin Media is expected to start programming Q101 and The Loop in mid-August.

When Meyerson left the Trib building last week, he listed accomplishments for Chicago media:

"It's been almost two years of continual and tremendous change for WGN News. We moved the news team from its home of a quarter-century on the 1st floor of Tribune Tower to the 4th floor, integrating it more tightly with the Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV news teams. We launched aggressive email and text alert services for our listeners. We overhauled and improved WGNradio.com several times. We aired some of Chicago's smartest radio news reporting and analysis -- on technology, the weather, the environment, politics, civic affairs and more. And the WGN Radio News team's hard work has been recognized with several significant awards this year: The AP/Illinois prizes for Outstanding News Operation and Best Newscast; the Chicago Headline Club Lisagor Award for Best Newscast; and a contributing role in the Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome awards for Station of the Year and Best Station Website. It's been a privilege to work with as accomplished a group of broadcast journalists as you'll find in Chicago."

WYSK To Flip From All Sports To Hybrid Talk

Conservative talk radio is returning to the Fredericksburg, VA. market a week from today (July 5).

Starting July 5, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity’s three-hour shows will join sports talk on 1350 AM WYSK and 96.5 FM (translator W243BS). Those stations are part of The Star Radio Group, which is part of The Free Lance-Star Publishing Co.  The stations are currently airing just ESPN Sports programming.

The station line-up includes: Mike & Mike In The Morning 6a, Glenn Beck 9a, Rush Limbaugh at noon and Sean Hannity 3p.  After an hours of news, traffic, weather and sports, WYSK will air ESPN overnight.

Fredricksburg is located halfway between DC (46 miles) and Richmond (50 miles) along the I-95 corridor.