Louisville Announcer Bob Valvano Suffers Heart Attack

UPDATE 12/22/2012: According to his Facebook post, Valvano underwent a procedure to clear a 100 percent blockage in one vein.

Later, in a text-message exchange with The Courier-Journal, he said he was told, “Had I gotten on plane, I probably would have been gone. As it is, they had to shock me back once during procedure when I went into cardiac arrest. They shocked me once and procedure was successful. So I feel pretty good.”

Andy Sweeney, who produces Valvano’s WHBE ESPN-680 talk show, said he expects Valvano to be released from the hospital this weekend.

12/21/2012 Posting...

University of Louisville Cardinals Basketball broadcaster Bob Valvano is resting comfortably at Jewish Hospital is Louisville after suffering a heart attack.

WHAS11.com reports Valvano was walking to airport security in Louisville when, as he wrote on his facebook page, he felt a strong pain in his chest that was too strong to be acid reflux.

He said he called 911 and a fellow passenger who was a cardiologist stayed to help him until an ambulance arrived. Doctors found one vein 100% blocked and did a procedure to open it.

Valvano calls Louisville games on WHAS11 TV and ESPN broadcasts as well as radio broadcasts.

Valvano is the younger brother of the late North Carolina State college basketball coach and TV commentator Jim Valvano. He is active in the V Foundation, Jim Valvano's legacy in the fight against cancer, and authored a book about his brother titled "The Gifts of Jimmy V".

Read More Now.

CC-Boston Starts A Evolution At 101.7 FM

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Thursday  announced the launch of Evolution 101.7, its first broadcast Electronic Dance Music (EDM) station.

The new format kicked off at 6 p.m. on Boston's WHBA-FM (formerly WFNX) with an hour-long, Boston-dedicated specialty program hosted by Pete Tong, the iconic British DJ behind BBC Radio 1's renowned Essential Mix radio show.

TO LISTEN, CLICK HERE.

Pete Tong

Evolution 101.7, a broadcast extension of the popular digital station "Evolution" on iHeartRadio, will be hosted by famous DJ and electronic music tastemaker Tong. The station's programming will include "All Gone Pete Tong," an exclusive, two-hour daily show featuring Pete's Essential New Tune of the Week, as well as the hottest tracks from the global Top 100 chart on Beatport.com, the world's largest music store and community for DJs.

The show will broadcast Monday through Friday from 7-9 p.m. EST.

Evolution 101.7's programming will feature special mixes, on-air interviews and guest-hosted radio shows with world-class, progressive DJs and EDM producers. The station will also air exclusive content from Swedish House Mafia's final tour in addition to their featured show with all-new mixes.

"We've seen the impact of EDM in Boston through music downloads, sold-out concerts and passion for iHeartRadio's new Evolution channel," said Dylan Sprague, Vice President of Programming for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Boston. "We're excited to continue the tradition by giving dance music a home on Boston's airwaves."

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment currently owns five stations in the Boston market including WXKS-FM, WXKS-AM, WKOX-AM, WJMN-FM and WHBA-FM.

Behind The Scenes: CBS News' Broadcast Center

Behind-the-scenes tour of the CBS Broadcast Center with Erica Hill, co-host of "CBS This Morning."


Originally posted June 2012 at mediabistro.com.

Jake Tapper Leaves ABC News For CNN Show

Washington journalist Jake Tapper, who has served the last four years as ABC’s senior White House correspondent and is a best-selling author, joins CNN as anchor of a new weekday program and CNN’s chief Washington correspondent, it was announced today by Ken Jautz, executive vice president of CNN/U.S.

Tapper has been a widely-respected reporter in the nation’s capital for 14 years and his most recent book, The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, is currently on The New York Times best seller list.

In his new role at CNN, he will be a key Washington, D.C. anchor and correspondent for CNN.

“We are thrilled to have Jake join CNN and take the helm of a brand new weekday program,” said Jautz. “Jake is an exceptional reporter and communicator, and we look forward to developing a program that takes advantage of all of his strengths, his passion and his knowledge of national issues and events.”

“With CNN’s impeccable reporting during the elections and the exciting changes in the works for the network, this is a perfect time to join the CNN team,” said Tapper. “I am excited about the prospect of working with both the new leadership and some old friends and colleagues.”

Tapper comes to CNN from ABC News, where he most recently served as senior White House correspondent, a position he was named to immediately following the 2008 presidential election.

Toledo Radio: Andrew Z Sentenced To 30-Days

Toledo radio personality, Andrew Z, will serve a 30-day jail sentence and another five years of community control for violating probation.

Zepeda is the current host of Andrew Z in the Morning on Cumulus-owned WWWM / Star 105.

According to northwestohio.com, Andrew Zepeda underwent alcohol dependency treatment after pleading guilty to charges related to the 2010 burglary of his former Perrysburg pizzeria.

In November 2010, Zepeda was indicted by a Wood County Grand Jury on three different felony charges, including theft, failure to remit sales tax and complicity to commit breaking and entering.

Zepeda, former of host of Andrew Z in the Morning on Clear Channel’s WVKS 92.5 KISS-FM, has since maintained his innocence. His attorney, Beau Harvey, filed motions asking that his client be accepted for an intervention in lieu of conviction. The motion, which implies Zepeda made decisions under the influence of an alcohol addiction, was made rather than entering a plea.

A Wood County judge granted Zepeda an intervention. Zepeda then pleaded guilty to all felony charges against him. However, within a year, he was back in court to face the charges again after violating conditions of his intervention.

In court on Thursday, Zepeda was ordered to serve 30 days behind bars at the Wood County Justice Center. He was also sentenced to five years of community control. He will enter jail on Jan. 21.

Read More Now.

ESPN Suspends Rob Parker For 30-Days

ESPN says Rob Parker will get a 30-day suspension for his controversial comments about race and Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III last week on the daytime show Fresh Take.

USA Today quotes Megan Keegan, ESPN vice president/production, in a statement that the network made mistakes in the show's "preparation" and in re-airing the show without cutting out Parker's comments.

Says Keegan: "Both were errors on our part."

Parker's suspension, which will last 30 days from its start last Friday, came from what Keegan calls "inappropriate" remarks.

And Keegan says going forward First Take will have "enhanced editorial oversight" and unspecified "appropriate disciplinary measures" have been taken "with the personnel responsible" for Parker's comments airing.

After the statement was released, ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said the network declined to make further comments.

ESPN commentator Parker has said he "blew it" in on-air comments about rookie quarterback Griffin and says he hopes to apologize to Griffin directly.

Read More Now

Merry Christmas From Detroit's Classic Rock: WCSX

K-Earth To Unwrap 'Top 100 Christmas Hits of All Time'

Gary Lycan at ocregister.com writes:

Picture this. It's late on Monday, Christmas Eve. Midnight is minutes away. Santa is delivering his gifts. You're weary preparing for the big holiday, but can't fall asleep yet. You turn on the radio looking for music to match your mood. 

And then at midnight, on classic hits K-Earth 101, you find it – Wink Martindale's "Top 100 Christmas Hits of All Time." Eight hours of commercial-free songs compiled from Billboard and Cashbox Top Hits Listings. Mariah Carey, the Lettermen, Bryan Adams, Bing Crosby, Amy Grant, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley – they are all there, and more, and for fun, there are novelty hits from Stan Freberg and Spike Jones. 

Martindale, host and one of the producers, said, "I consider it one of my most prized achievements in radio." As I have noted here before, The Winker is well known for his audio-biographies on the old KMPC/710 AM and this is clearly another hit for the radio-TV broadcaster. This special is more than just playing the hits stories accompany each song to bring listeners unforgettable moments. 

"The Top 100 Christmas Hits of All Time" is syndicated by Radio Express whose CEO Tom Rounds first teamed with Martindale on "The Elvis Presley Special." The Christmas show will be heard on stations nationwide.

Read More Now.

What If We Talked Like Reporters?

Behind The Scenes: Hand Cues At WDBO Orlando

Joe Kelley, new morning show host at WDBO 96.5 FM in Orlando took Facebook fans behind the scenes this week.  He explains the hand-cue or signals used by his producer to communicate with him while he's on-air.

Engel Believed They Wouldn't Make It Out of Syria Alive

NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and his crew believed they would not make it out of Syria alive during their five days of captivity, Engel said Thursday.

"There was no doubt that these were violent people and that they could have executed us at any time," Engel told NBC News' Savannah Guthrie in an interview Thursday night on "Rock Center."

Engel, 39, and his team disappeared shortly after crossing into northwest Syria from Turkey on Dec. 13. He and his team had already been captured as his last taped report from Aleppo was appearing on "NBC Nightly News" that evening.

The network had not been able to make contact with them until learning that they had been freed  Monday.

After entering Syria, Engel and his team were abducted and tossed into the back of a truck before being transported to an unknown location believed to be near the small town of Ma'arrat Misrin. During their captivity, they were blindfolded and bound but otherwise were not physically harmed, the network said.

But their captors submitted them to what Engel called "psychological torture," leading them to believe that they were doomed. From time to time, "they were making us choose which one of us would be executed," he said.

Asked whether they ever thought they were going to die, all five men raised their hands. "Every day," Engel said.

Early Monday evening local time, the prisoners were being moved to a new location in a vehicle when their captors ran into a checkpoint manned by members of the Ahrar al-Sham brigade, a Syrian rebel group. There was a confrontation, and a firefight ensued. Two of the captors were killed, while an unknown number of others escaped, the network said.

Engel and his team were unharmed. Engel and several other members of the team remained in Syria until Tuesday morning when they made their way to the border and re-entered Turkey, the network said.

NYC Radio: Dr. Joy Browne, David Patterson Out At WOR

UPDATE 12/20/2012:  This morning Clear Channel has not yet converted the WOR website to its news/talk template.  Changes are being made, especially to the line-up section.

Original Posting...

And so it begins.  Dr. Joy Browne, David Patterson and others are out at WOR 710 AM, NYC.

The move was not entirely unexpected given the change of ownership of the station from Buckley Broadcasting to Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.

Sixty-eight-year-old Dr. Joy Browne is a nationally acclaimed, syndicated radio host and licensed clinical psychologist. Her radio program, the longest running of its kind, has been on the WOR Radio Network for nearly 15 years.

Cumulus' Mike Huckabee syndicated show has been dropped.  Other syndicated programming gone from WOR: Salem's Mike Gallagher and TRN's Jerry Doyle.

It’s also believed that the morning show board-op for John Gambling has been terminated, along with some show producers at the station.

Buckley Broadcasting CEO Joe Bilotta released the following statement: 

"The acquisition of WOR has officially closed. We thank our employees for their service over the years and wish them all the best in the future. We are providing our workers with a generous severance package, and Clear Channel will absorb a number of the station staff."

The NYTimes is reporting Bilotta said Clear Channel had asked him to make the staff changes before the deal closed. Clear Channel increased by one-third the severance package for departing employees..

It’s been widely believed CC will move Premiere Networks properties such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity over to WOR from WABC 770 AM.  It’s also anticipated that Glenn Beck will take the time slot now occupied by Salem’s Mike Gallagher. 

Mike Huckabee, heard on WOR until Thursday, is expected to find a new home on WABC.  The show is part of the Cumulus Media Network lineup.

Stay Tuned.

CC Names New Leaders in Philly and DC

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment has appointed new Market Presidents for its Washington, D.C./Baltimore and Philadelphia clusters. Dennis Lamme has been named Market President for D.C./Baltimore, with Richard Lewis replacing Lamme in Philadelphia.

Lamme will report to Tom Schurr, CCM+E President of Operations for its Major Markets. Lamme has been with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment for more than 15 years and joins the market from CCM+E-Philadelphia, where he has served as President/Market Manager since February 2012.  He also previously held senior market leadership positions within Clear Channel in the Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Albany markets.

As Market President, Lamme will be responsible for all aspects of the Washington, D.C./Baltimore market’s operations including all strategies, programming and sales initiatives. He will leverage Clear Channel’s assets including its brands and audience to create new revenue opportunities. Lamme will also oversee all station activities and events, such as the recent Hot 99 FM’s Jingle Ball, to help drive sales and achieve revenue targets.

"My goal is to grow the Clear Channel Washington, D.C./Baltimore market including both our team’s capabilities as well as revenue for the cluster," said Lamme. "As Clear Channel Media and Entertainment continues to grow and change, I’m excited to continue with the company.”

Clear Channel Washington, D.C./Baltimore owns and operates WASH, WBIG, WIHT, WMZQ, WWDC, WCAO, WPOC, WQSR, and WZFT.

In Philadelphia, Lewis will also report to Schurr. In his new role as Market President, Lewis will leverage CCME+-Philadelphia’s brands, audience and all assets to provide quality programming and create new revenue opportunities. 

He will oversee all station activities and events to help drive sales and achieve revenue targets.

Lewis most recently served as the Philly clusters’ VP of Sales.

He has been in the broadcast industry since 1975 and with Clear Channel since 1992. Lewis previously served as Market Manager for Clear Channel’s Harrisburg and Allentown markets, as well as holding the position in Philadelphia from 2001 through 2005.

"I am thrilled to return to the role as Market President for Philadelphia. It's such an amazing opportunity to work with some of the most talented people within Clear Channel Media and Entertainment," said the 54-year-old Lewis. "I look forward to continuing our winning streak through audience and revenue growth."

Clear Channel Philadelphia owns and operates WDAS-FM; WDAS-AM; WIOQ-FM; WISX-FM; WRFF-FM; WUSL-FM.

Boston Radio: Santa's Moonlighting At WBZ

WBZ Radio Midday news anchor Rod Fritz is dressed for his shift today in Boston. Obiouvsly, ready to share some holiday cheer.

Cheer-up Santa..Christmas will be here before you know it!

Cleveland Radio: WDOK-FM To Revamp Morning Show

Trapper Jack Elliot, a fixture in Cleveland radio for a quarter-century, and one of his morning show partners at soft-rock WDOK 102.1 FM, Jim McIntyre, are out of work and off the air.

Trapper Jack (cleveland.com photo)

"Ironically, we found out on Nov. 15, exactly the 17th anniversary of when Jim and I began working together,'' Elliot told Chuck Yarborough at The Plain Dealer.

"We decided to go in a different direction with the morning show,'' said WDOK Program Director Dave Popovich of opting against renewing the pair's contracts, which expire on Dec. 31. "I'm the one who brought Trapper to Cleveland 25 years ago. I have nothing but admiration for the man as an individual and as a professional. Same with Jim McIntyre.''

Popovich said  personality Jen Toohey will remain with the station and the show. He called the decision to make the move a way of "revamping'' the morning show, not a shift in format.

The latest numbers from Arbitron put WDOK fifth in the market, with a 6.7 share, behind WMJI/FM-105.7, WTAM/AM-1100, WZAK/FM-93.1 and WENZ/FM-107.9.

Both McIntyre, 55, and Elliot, 60, have six-month noncompete clauses in their contracts, which will keep them off the air locally at least until June.

Read More Now.

CBS Radio’s Stealth Lay-Offs

While attention was made to Clear Channel’s wide-scale layoffs on December 6, it seems that CBS has quietly been making staff cuts as well.

Lance Venta at radioinsight.com has chronicled lay-offs since December 6.  The following on-air talent have been confirmed to be let go from CBS owned stations.

• Atlanta – Morning hosts Frank Ski and Wanda Smith are leaving Urban “V103” WVEE after being unable to come to terms on a contract renewal.
• Baltimore – JoJo Girard, morning host at Adult CHR “Mix 106.5” WWMX was let go on 12/6. Girard had been with the station since 1994.
• Chicago – Eddie & JoBo, morning hosts at Classic Hits “K-Hits 104.3” WJMK. The longtime morning team at sister Rhythmic CHR “B96” WBBM-FM returned to CBS to launch “K-Hits” in March 2011.
• Cleveland – “Trapper Jack” Elliot and Jim “Infoman” McIntyre were let go from the morning show at AC “New 102” WDOK. The duo had been in that timeslot for the past 17 years.
• Detroit – Joe Donovan, morning anchor at News 950 WWJ retired after 36+ years at the station. Reporter Florence Walton was also let go from WWJ.
• Pittsburgh – John Seibel, afternoon co-host at Sports “93.7 The Fan” KDKA-FM was cut on Tuesday, December 18. Seibel joined KDKA-FM from ESPN Radio to launch the Sports format in February 2010.
• Washington – Sports “106.7 The Fan” WJFK midday hosts Mike Wise and Chris Johnson were let go on December 14.

Read More Now.

TRN Taps Andreas Tantaros To Fill Ingrahm Slot

Andrea Tantaros of Fox's talk show "The Five" has been signed to do a national radio talk show by Talk Radio Network. Starting on January 2, Andrea's new show will air in the 9 am to noon slot where TRN had produced Laura Ingraham's show until a few weeks ago. (Ingraham just signed with a new distributor, Courtside, and will also be back on the air that day.)

Tim Grahama at newsbusters.com notes, Tantaros will be joined in the studio by Human Events editor Jason Mattera, author of the best-selling books Obama Zombies and Hollywood Hypocrites.

TRN CEO Mark Masters declared “Andrea and Jason will bridge the age and gender gap that challenges talk radio today in ways no other show can.  Their appeal to a bigger and broader audience, combined with an understanding of the actual radio business, is the best thing to happen to this new radio environment.”

Fox Sports Picks Jay Mohr To Fill Jim Rome Time Slot

Actor-comedian Jay Mohr will take over Jim Rome’s noon (eastern) time period Jan. 2 on the Fox Sports Radio Network.

Rome left Fox Sports for the new CBS Sports Radio. His show will air noon-3 p.m. starting January 2 on an expected network of 100+ stations.

Fox says “Jay Mohr Sports…. will feature sports talk and entertainment highlighted by Mohr’s trademark comedic style and unique perspective as a multi-media star, in addition to conversations with top athletes and celebrities. He has been a frequent guest host in the Fox Sports Radio studios in Los Angeles.

"After spending the last 15 years guest-hosting, I couldn’t be happier to get the opportunity to host my own show!" Mohr said in a statement.  "I’m looking forward to talking sports, connecting with listeners, and interviewing amazing guests every day, while being a part of the Fox Sports Radio family.  It was worth the wait."

The former “Saturday Night Live” cast member (1993-95) has been seen on TV’s “Suburgatory,” “Gary Unmarried,” “Ghost Whisperer” and “Action” (the 1999 Fox series in which he played a foul-mouthed Hollywood movie producer whose crude vocabulary is barely bleeped out by Fox censors, leaving little to the imagination.) He’s also appeared in more than 25 feature films, best known from “Jerry Maguire.”

Brandon Tierney Ready For New CBS Sports Radio

Brandon Tierney remembers his time on Lehigh Valley, PA  sports-talk radio as being "very pure and much less pressurized."

"I was just thrilled to be on the air," Tierney said of his time spent as the co-host with Tom Fallon on the 1320 Sports morning show at WTKZ from April to November in 1999. "I was thrilled to be going over to Lehigh for Eagles training camp in what was Andy Reid's first year as coach and Donovan McNabb's first year.

Tierney told Keith Groller at The Allentown Call, "I also remember we did a lot of 76ers and Phillies and some Steelers because Tom was always such a big Steelers fan."

Tierney said he didn't have any idea of what the business side of radio was about back then, but added, "I didn't care because I was just happy to have a microphone in front of me for four hours every day. I was only worried about the next show."

Tierney has worked in various places since leaving Allentown, including his hometown of New York City (ESPN's 1050 AM) and his current home, San Francisco. On Jan. 2 he will begin the biggest gig of his career when he makes his debut as co-host of the CBS Sports radio's Morning Show with former ESPN host Dana Jacobsen and former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber.

Tierney's show will air from 6 to 9 weekdays from the network's studios in the Tribeca section of New York.

The morning show will be followed by noted sports author John Feinstein from 9 a.m. to noon and Jim Rome from noon to 3 p.m. Doug Gottlieb has the 3 to 6 slot and Scott Ferrall has the late shift from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

CBS Sports radio will have enough affiliates to reach about 10 million listeners at its launch. It will have homes in most major cities, including 610 WIP-AM in Philadelphia.

Read More Now.

DC Radio: Feinstein Warming Up for CBS Sport Radio

CBS Radio recently announced that bestselling author and Washington Post sports columnist John Feinstein would host a show on the soon-to-launch CBS Sports Radio Network.

Also, Feinstein is being used as a holiday-time fill-in on local CBS sports-talker 106.7 The Fan.

Which led some to wonder whether Feinstein could become a regular addition to The Fan’s lineup. The answer? No.

“John is ramping up for the launch of his new show on CBS’s new national sports radio network,” program director Chris Kinard explained in an e-mail. “Since he’s in the CBS family and already a regular guest on The Fan, it’s a great opportunity for us to have a quality host help us with vacation fill-in, and a great opportunity for John to get ready for the launch of his new, national show.”

Feinstein will be hosting shows for The Fan this Wednesday from noon-2, next Wednesday and Thursday from noon-2, and next Friday from 10-noon. Then it’s on to the national format.

The Fan, meanwhile, will begin using CBS Sports Network content to replace its current Fox Sports Radio programming on Jan 2.

Read More Now

KFOR's Stevens Retiring After 50+ Years

There will be no more “holy molys” from Chuck Stevens.

Lincoln Journal-Star photo

After more than 50 years in broadcasting, including the last 30 at Lincoln, Nebraska radio station KFOR 1240 AM, the 71-year-old sports announcer is retiring.

His last day is Friday, according to Jeff Korbelik at journalstar.com.

KFOR has aired tributes this week to Stevens, who is to Lincoln area high school sports as the late KFAB announcer Lyle Bremser was to Nebraska football.

Former Lincoln Southeast High School coach Chuck Mizerski called him “golden throat.”

Former Nebraska Wesleyan University men’s basketball coach Jerry Schmutte urged him to work on his golf game.

And then there’s been the several “holy moly” references.

Stevens came to Lincoln in 1960 to work at KOLN-TV as a staff announcer.

He was just one year removed from high school, but already had quite the resume, having worked at a radio station in his Sterling, Colo., hometown, another radio station in Hot Springs, S.D., and a TV station in Rapid City, S.D.

In 1972, he left KLIN for KLMS and spent 10 years at the station, primarily in sales. Ten years later, he moved over to KFOR, where he’s been ever since.

 “His sort of down-home style appealed to a lot of people,” said Dick Janda, KFOR sports director, who also worked with Stevens at KOLN. “Chuck is kind of like an old shoe. He really fit. He was what (listeners) were used to and could relate to.”

“He’s the voice of credibility and trust,” said KFOR personality Cathy Blythe, who came to the morning show two weeks after Stevens did. “People knew he cared about the players and about their families.”

Read More Now.

Military Turns to ESPN to Help Analyze Drone Footage

Can SportsCenter teach the military something about combating terrorists?

(Photo: Lt Col Leslie Pratt, U.S. Air Force)

According to a story at USA Today, after rapidly expanding the number of drones around the world, the Air Force is now reaching out to ESPN and other experts in video analysis to keep up with the flood of footage the unmanned aircraft are transmitting.

"They're looking at anything and everything they can right now," said Air Force Col. Mike Shortsleeve, commander of a unit here that monitors drone videos.

The remote-controlled aircraft are mounted with cameras that transmit real-time video of terrorism suspects to military analysts in the USA.

The amount of video streaming into this base, one of a number of sites that monitors and analyzes the images, is immense. Drone video transmissions rose to 327,384 hours last year, up from 4,806 in 2001.

Given the huge amount of feeds, the Air Force has launched an aggressive effort to seek out technology or techniques that will help them process video without adding more people to stare at monitors.

"We need to be careful we don't drown in the data," said David Deptula, a retired Air Force lieutenant general and a senior military scholar at the Air Force Academy.

Air Force officials have met with the sports cable network ESPN to discuss how it handles large amounts of video that stream in.

Read More Now

What An Ironic Contrast

WHO-AM PM Drive talker Simon Conway says it's a bit strange.

Conway is physically in Des Moines, currently getting pelted by a snowstorm; however, today he was filling-in morning drive on WFLF 104.5 FM & 540 AM in Orlando, FL where it's expected to be sunny & 80-degrees today. Conway's snow-covered car below:

Report: Chi's NBC5 Ignores Union Ties To Socialist Orgs

At a Chicago Teachers Union protest in November, NBC5 Chicago’s Charlie Wojciechowski refused to cover Chicago Teachers Union members connection to the International Socialist Organization and told me Breitbart News was “full of s**t,” after asking him if he would do so. Tuesday night, NBC5 reporter Christian Farr followed suit by also refusing to cover those same ties displayed at a CTU protest he was covering.

Breitbart.com is reporting Chicago Teachers Union organizers teamed up once again with Action Now for a protest directed at Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his so-called “fat cat” friends ahead of Wednesday’s vote to close underutilized Chicago schools. The protest was staged outside of the Chicago Public School headquarters.

Breitbart reports as is typical of many CTU protests, however, few actual teachers and parents were present at the protest themselves, while many left-wing front groups were.

Action Now, formerly ACORN, had the largest presence, along with Stand Up Chicago, Teachers for Social Justice, and members of the International Socialist Organization.

WLS 890 AM radio’s Bruce Wolf and Dan Proft have been the only “main-stream media” in Chicago to question the ties between the Chicago Teachers Union and the International Socialist Organization; when they interviewed CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey, they asked him about his participation in the Midwest Marxism Conference held in October at the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism.

Read More Now.

SiriusXM Goes ‘Interim’

Sirius XM Radio today announced that James E. Meyer has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, on an interim basis, effective immediately.

Meyer, SiriusXM's President of Sales and Operations, succeeds Mel Karmazin, who, as previously announced, informed the Board of Directors that he will not be renewing his current employment agreement.  

Meyer will also join the SiriusXM Board of Directors.

"We are fortunate to have a very strong executive team in place at SiriusXM and in Jim we have a highly qualified leader and operator," said Eddy Hartenstein , Chairman of the Board of Directors of SiriusXM.  "Jim has been an integral part of SiriusXM for eight years and his extensive knowledge of SiriusXM's business and significant industry experience are a great asset.  Given Jim's current position, we expect this will be a seamless transition.  Thanks to Mel Karmazin 's leadership, strategic vision and operating focus, SiriusXM is poised for a continuation of the results and performance investors have come to expect."

"I'm honored to lead SiriusXM during this important time for our Company," said Mr. Meyer.  "SiriusXM is a great business and I look forward to working with our talented management team to continue to deliver the best content and service to our subscribers, while enhancing value to our shareholders."

As previously announced, the SiriusXM Board has formed a search committee, chaired by Greg Maffei and including James Mooney and Eddy Hartenstein , to consider both internal and external candidates, including Mr. Meyer, for the Company's next Chief Executive Officer.

Meyer has served as President of Sales and Operations since May 2004.

Report: Music Buyers More Exposed to Radio, Outdoor

Those consumers who regularly purchase CD's or download music from the Internet are more likely to be heavily exposed to radio and outdoor, according to a recent report from The Media Audit.

The study, which polls consumers in 81 U.S. cities, reveals that consumers who have purchased CD's or downloaded music in the past four weeks are 8% more likely to be a heavy radio listener and 18% more likely to be heavily exposed to outdoor advertising. 

Heavy exposure to radio is defined as having listened for three or more hours in a typical day, while heavy exposure to outdoor advertising is based on a person driving 200 or more miles within a metro area in a typical week.

Among all U.S. consumers, 27.7% have purchased CD's or downloaded music from the Internet within the past four weeks, a figure that represents more than 41 million consumers across The Media Audit's 81 measured markets. Last year was the first year that the industry saw digital music sales eclipse the physical sale of music.

Both males and females purchase or download music equally, however, a greater percent of music buyers are under the age of 50. Among all music buyers, 77% are between the ages of 18 and 49 years old. And, 18 to 49 year olds buy music at a rate that is 32% higher when compared to the general market, however consumers who are over the age of 50 are almost half as likely to buy or download music.

Among those most heavily invested in CD's or downloaded music are those who are between 18 and 34. According to the study, 41% regularly purchase or download music from the Internet in a typical four week period.

Read More Now.

Nielsen, Arbitron Tout Synergies

Arbitron and Nielsen believe that together, they can better measure more audience and go where that audience consumes media in the future.

So said executives of both companies in a conference call with Wall Street analysts Tuesday, according to a story by Leslie Stimson at RadioWorld.

The deal for Nielsen to acquire Arbitron, announced this morning, makes sense for both ratings companies, executives said, as they pointed to similar goals and business plans.

For radio, the deal helps bring the medium “more into the center part of the advertising mix,” said Arbitron President/CEO Bill Kerr, who’s soon transitioning away from that position but will remain on the board. He also said the deal creates “broader opportunities for our employees.”

Executives skirted a question about the future of current Arbitron management, other than Calhoun characterizing Arbitron as “the domain experts in radio,” and “we have a lot of appreciation for what they bring their clients.”

Asked about how the cross-measurement products from both companies would fare, Calhoun said “we don’t know enough about each other’s road maps today” to discuss integration.

Arbitron has been working on a cross-platform measurement concept for awhile, one that would measure both traditional radio and streamed stations. In answering one analyst’s question about that, Creamer said: “Our job is to measure radio wherever it’s being consumed.

Read More Now. 

Tom's Take:  Synergies...isnt that code for lay-offs?

Nielsen Plans To Track And Rank Pandora

Nielsen Holdings, the biggest tracker of U.S. television ratings, agreed to buy Arbitron Inc. for about $1.26 billion in cash, giving it access to the largest source of data on the country’s radio listeners.

The $48-a-share offer is 26 percent higher than Arbitron’s closing price Monday. Excluding acquisition costs, the purchase will add about 13 cents to earnings per share in the year after it’s completed, Nielsen said Tuesday in a statement. The New York-based company is financing the entire transaction.

Bloomberg is reporting if it passes regulatory hurdles, the deal will extend Nielsen’s dominance in television to radio. The company wants to offer its advertisers a unified system that measures audiences across multiple forms of media, making it easier for them to make ad-buying decisions -- whether on TV, radio or the Web. The move follows a partnership with Twitter Inc. Monday that will monitor discussions of TV shows on the social network.

“We want to cover as much of the media landscape as possible and be helpful to our clients in that way,” said Steve Hasker, Nielsen’s president of global media products, who will oversee Arbitron after the merger. Marketers are looking for simpler ways to compare their ad spending across media, he said. As part of that effort, Nielsen plans to start measuring popular digital radio services such as Pandora Media Inc.  after the acquisition, according to Hasker.

That should be good news for Pandora, which has maintained that for it to be competitive with traditional radio broadcast in the fight for advertising dollars, it needs to be ranked equally with them by services like Arbitron.

The deal still faces antitrust scrutiny from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, said Rich Tullo, an analyst at Albert Fried & Co. in New York. Nielsen controls more than 80 percent of the TV-rating industry, while Arbitron has more than 90 percent of the market for terrestrial-radio ratings, he said.

“It’s a monopoly in radio and a monopoly in TV -- the FTC is going to want to understand the transaction,” Tullo said in an interview.

Read More Now.

Ke$ha Tweets About Lost Airplay for “Die Young”

Kesha's "Die Young," the number three song on Billboard's Hot 100 weekly singles chart, is drastically losing radio airplay in the wake of Friday's Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults. For original posting, Click Here.

The 25-year-old singer and rapper responded to the radio news in a tweet Tuesday night:

I'm so so so sorry for anyone who has been effected by this tragedy.and I understand why my song is now inappropriate. words cannot express.
— ke$ha(@keshasuxx) December 19, 2012

Kesha's tweet has more than 3,000 retweets and nearly 1,500 favorites in three hours.

Months before Friday's shooting in Newtown, Conn., Kesha told radio and TV personality Carson Daly that the concept for the song "was to live each and every single day like it's your last and to always remain having a youthful spirit no matter how old I get."

Read More Now

CT Radio: Nearby WDAQ Adjusts To Massacre

Following the shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Conn., on Friday (Dec. 14), radio is doing what it traditionally does best in the wake of such tragedy: providing listeners a forum to express their emotions and tempering its sound and playlists accordingly.

"Sandy Hook is 11 miles down the road from us," adult pop WDAQ Danbury, Conn., program director/morning host Rich Minor tells Gary Trust at billboard.com.  The school's proximity, he says, has made it a natural partner when the station has conducted community-based promotions.

Minor says, however, that the events of Friday hit especially hard, considering that WDAQ was amid a fundraising partnership for the holidays. "I was actually supposed to go to the school tomorrow at 11:30. It's on my calendar," he says.

On-air, WDAQ has radically changed its presentation since Friday, airing calls from listeners and adjusting its music as needed.

"We're letting people grieve," Minor says. "It's just me in mornings and Nate Mumford in afternoons during the week, so, on Friday, we were just trying to get information out. Since then, we're airing more calls. We've suspended all uptempo music beds under our talk breaks, as well as giveaways and gossip for now."

The station has also aired songs since Friday that are normally far beyond the scope of an adult pop station that lives by a code of hipness. What's hip, says Minor, is what hits home at a given time. "We're playing a song called 'Aftermath' by Lifehouse with clips from President Obama's speech in Connecticut Sunday night. We're also airing a special cover of White Lion's [1989 Billboard Hot 100 No. 3 ballad] 'When the Children Cry,' also with sound bites."

Appropriate soft AC songs are even in the mix on WDAQ now. "We've played Eric Clapton's 'Tears in Heaven,' Bette Midler's 'Wind Beneath My Wings' and Whitney Houston's 'Greatest Love of All'," Minor says. "I even played a request for USA for Africa's 'We Are the World.' A listener - male, by the way - called during it to give me props for playing it, saying how poignant it seems right now."

Read More Now.

Residents Want Journalists To Leave Newtown

Newtown, Connecticut continued to endure a crush of reporters on Tuesday, as its residents struggled with the aftermath of Friday's shooting. Many have expressed that they want the media to leave — and some journalists, it seems, feel the same way.

Reporters at Newtown Starbucks

The tragic event has dominated news coverage non-stop, and brought scores of reporters to Newtown. Katherine Fung at HuffPo writes some residents have told reporters that the media attention is simply too much right now. Poynter compiled some of their reactions in a piece on Tuesday.

"Please tell them to just ease up," Teri Brunelli, a Newtown store owner, told reporter Adrienne LaFrance. "It happened and we're going through it. Just let it be for now."

The BBC's Jonny Dymond reported being told, "Go home, please, go home, all of you," by a man who said that he knew four or five of the families who lost children.

Residents complained about reporters showing up at funeral homes, and there are "no media" signs posted around town.

Like some journalists, Dymond agreed with residents. "I have covered stories for 15 years in the field, some of the biggest, and have never seen anything like this, nor felt so uncomfortable about being part of it," he wrote, lamenting the "exceptionally heavy" media presence in Newtown. "After a while, you have to wonder what more there is to say," Dymond added.

Read More Now.

Two KC Star Reporters Told To Choose Who Gets Sacked

A. Pawlowski , NBC News contributor calls  it the “Hunger Games” approach to layoffs – one that’s getting a big thumbs-down from workplace experts.

The Kansas City Star recently told two of its journalists, Karen Dillon and Dawn Bormann, that only one of them could keep her job -- and the employees themselves would have to decide who should leave the company, according to the media blog JimRomenesko.com.

Dillion confirmed the report in an e-mail to NBC News, but did not provide any more details. The investigative reporter has worked for the Kansas City Star since 1991, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Bormann did not answer an e-mail seeking comment. She reportedly is leaving the company, according to the blog KC Confidential.

On Monday, Mi-Ai Parrish, president and publisher of the Kansas City Star, announced in a memo to staffers a new round of layoffs -- the third since she joined the company in 2011, according to MediaKC, a blog that covers media issues.

In a statement e-mailed to NBC News late Wednesday, Parrish said the paper was cutting its workforce by 17 positions.

She added that if an employee in a group does not volunteer, "then the person with the least amount of tenure is included in the severance program."

Parrish declined further comment on personnel decisions.

Workplace experts said it’s practically unheard of for a company to take this approach when deciding who to terminate – for good reason.

Read More Now.

Atlanta Radio: V103’s ‘Frank & Wanda’ Amazing Run

From Rodney Ho The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

V-103 has been Atlanta’s top-rated radio station for years, with a morning show regularly drawing 1.3 million listeners a week. The R&B;/hip-hop station takes its “Big Station” moniker seriously.

Frank Ski and Wanda Smith have been at the helm of that top-rated morning show for 14 years. With Thursday’s news that they’re leaving, will V-103 also lose its top-of-the-heap luster? 

“No,” said Mike Roberts, at one point the station’s longtime morning host before being replaced by Ski and Smith in 1998. “They’ll be fine. It’s a monster station that has been successful for many years because they are truly connected to the community. And they always seem to know when to make changes.” 

Rick Caffey, market manager for V-103 since 1994, said Ski wanted a syndication deal to expand beyond Atlanta, but the two sides couldn’t agree to a deal. “We want to stay local,” said Caffey. 

Ski, with stand-up comic Smith, created a morning show that blended the serious, the silly and the sublime. They could be interviewing reality stars from “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” one moment, then switch to talking budget issues with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Each day at 9:50 a.m., Ski would read a Bible verse and play a gospel tune, something he’d call the “Inspirational Vitamin.”

Ski’s replacement is Atlanta native Ryan Cameron, host of V-103’s afternoon show since 2004. Cameron started his radio career at V-103 in the early 1990s. He then competed against Ski during morning drive time on rival R&B;/hip-hop station Hot 107.9 until V-103 wooed him back. 

V-103 was able to walk away from Ski because its audience knows and loves Cameron. Based on polls over the years on ajc.com’s Radio and TVTalk blog, Cameron is actually more popular than Ski. On Thursday, more than 70 percent of poll takers were happy Cameron is moving to mornings. Nearly 60 percent said they wouldn’t miss Ski and Smith, whose last day on the air is Thursday. 

Although Ski and Cameron are both in their late 40s, Cameron seems much younger, relying more on goofy comedy than Ski.

Read More Now

Orlando Radio: Chilled, But Nimble

Many a radio studio is kept chilled.  Here's how Laurel Lee, board op/producer, keeps hands warm during Central Florida's Morning News on 96.5 WDBO, Orlando.

Anita Marks Named Weekend Host At NBC Sports Radio

Former South Florida sports talk host Anita Marks has been named as a new weekend host on NBC Sports Radio Network. She will begin her new position on January 5. Marks will be given a Saturday and Sunday shift from noon until 3 p.m. She is a Miami native that once played quarterback in the Womens Professional Football League from 2000 until 2004.

A profile by the South Florida Sports blog notes Marks started her broadcasting career as a sports intern and sports producer at WFOR-TV Channel 4. She then joined 940 Fox Sports Radio WRFX-AM in 2002 as a morning co-host with Carl Foster. Both of them went to 1400 The Fan WFLL-AM when it flipped to a sports talk format in April 2004. She moved to the afternoon shift in early 2006 and held that spot for several months. Marks left 1400 The Fan in April 2006 one month before the station changed its format again.

She made a major step and joined ESPN 1300 WJFK-AM in Baltimore as an afternoon host. She gained Scott Garceau as a co-host when the show was moved to sister-station 105.7 The Fan WJZ-FM. It was later picked up as a television simulcast on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

She got a national platform as a sideline reporter for United Football League telecasts on Versus from 2009 until 2010.

This led to a career jump into the New York City media market where she has held many positions. She was named a reporter on New York Giants.com and then joined Sirius XM Radio as a sports reporter, NFL channel sportscaster and fantasy football afternoon show co-host. Marks added duties at MSG Network as a studio co-host for the New York Giants weekly football show. She became the studio co-host for the pregame and postgame shows on the New York Giants Radio Network. 

Over the past year Marks worked occasional weekend and late night shows on Sports Radio 66 WFAN-AM.

Read More Now. 

NBC Sports Radio unveils weekend line-up:

Video: NBC's Richard Engel, Crew In Captivity

Video of NBC News Reporters and his crew in captivity has emerged.  They were held captive for 5-days by Pro-Assad forces in Syria.  They were freed late Monday (local time) by rebel forces at a roadside checkpoint.

Thank you all for the support, prayers and kind thoughts.We're out. Free. Happy and safe.
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) December 19, 2012

During the video, each of the kidnapped victims voice requests for their home governments to work toward their release and to stop supporting the rebel forces challenging the Assad regime.

Is Jimmy Fallon On Fast Track To Replace Leno?

There’s word that NBC brass are ruminating over Jay Leno’s future — which would involve finally giving their current late-late guy comic, Jimmy Fallon, the coveted job as the host of "The Tonight Show."

The latest rumblings about Leno come from various talent agents who admit they have quietly been contacted by NBC officials hoping to find a new late-late host who will eventually take over Fallon’s 12:35 a.m. time slot.

Leno’s current $15 million a year deal expires in 2014, and came about after he “volunteered” to take a 50% pay cut earlier this year, a move that helped NBC slash "The Tonight Show’s" $100 million budget by about 20%.

But Don Kaplan at NYDailyNews says his money is on how NBC brass are betting it’s high time they cash in on a generational shift toward younger viewers that has been going on in late-night television for some time.

ABC will be the first to capitalize on the shift next month when their own late-late guy, Jimmy Kimmel, moves his show to 11:35 p.m., switching places with “Nightline” in a bid to boost the network’s percentage of viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 — a group prized by advertisers.

It doesn’t hurt at all that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” is an entertainment program headed by a star 20 years younger than his new time slot rivals, Letterman and Leno.

Meanwhile, at CBS, Leno’s nemesis, David Letterman, is also under contract until 2014, and there has been a long unsaid understanding throughout the TV industry that Leno won’t step down until Dave does.

Of course, as these rumblings may prove, Jay could always be pushed — but he’s proven over the years that he’s harder to kill than Dracula.

Read More Now