Saturday Aircheck: 20/20 News CKLW Windsor-Detroit

A brief history of 20/20 News on CKLW from 'Radio Revolution - The Rise & Fall of the Big 8'.

R.I.P.: Record Producer Shadow Morton Dead At 72

Recorded producer and songrwriter George 'Shadow' Morton has died.  He died Thursday at age 71 in Laguna Beach, Calif. The cause was cancer, said Amy Krakow, a family friend.

He is best known for his influential work in the 1960s and the introduction of girl group The Shangri-Las to the pop music world.

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, and then Hicksville, Long Island, he formed a doo-wop group, the Marquees, at school. He became friendly with Ellie Greenwich, and did drop-in visits to her and her writing partner (later husband) Jeff Barry when they were working at New York songwriters' 'Mecca', the Brill Building.

In 1964, he wrote and produced "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" with a long-shot, unknown girl-group local club act that he admired, The Shangri-Las (according to Morton, with the then-unknown Billy Joel on piano in the demo recording and offered the demo recording to established industry guru Jerry Leiber who was then setting up Red Bird Records.

The recording "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" by the Shangri-Las reached #3 on the US pop charts in 1964, and was a worldwide teen recording hit that launched the Shangri-Las as a chart-topping recording group.

Morton was transformed overnight from a credential-less industry 'wannabe' into a teen recording songwriter and recording producer sensation—a pop recording industry 'wunderkind'—one of pop recording industry's often-told, long-odds 'success stories'.

In 1967, his production of Janis Ian's "Society's Child" finally became a hit record. Janis was 16-years-old.

The same year, he discovered a group called the Pidgeons, who became Vanilla Fudge, and produced their first three albums, which included their hit containing "You Keep Me Hangin' On."  

In the 1970s he worked with Iron Butterfly, and even though the group gave an interview to Mix Magazine crediting Morton with producing the hit track "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".

In later years, Morton, who underwent treatment for alcoholism in the mid-1980s and remained sober to the end of his life, had a second career as a designer of golf clubs.

He never abandoned songwriting. At his death, Krakow said, Mr. Morton had more than 300 songs to his credit, most unrecorded.

Cleveland Radio: ‘Jen & Tim’ Reunite On WDOK

Tim Richards, Jen Toohey

“We are never ever getting back together”? Never say never!

WDOK New 102 Cleveland announced Valentine’s Day that Jen Toohey & Tim Richards are reuniting – as Jen And Tim In The Morning.

Tim Richards comes over to New 102 from sister station Q104 where he was midday host for the past 7 years as well as serving as Music Director and Assistant Program Director.

“I am very excited for this new opportunity to co-host the Morning Show on New 102,” states Richards. “This is an exciting time, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for New 102.”

Jen and Tim dated 7 years ago and are now back together as co hosts. “Tim and I have a past – and now we have a future,” states Toohey.

“We’ve worked together for many years and have a mutual respect for each other’s broadcasting skills. I’m excited – this is going to be fun. “

“Tim brings a unique local flavor to the show having been born and raised in the area,“said VP Programming Dave Popovich.“

The New 102 Morning show with Jen & Tim can be heard weekdays 5:30 am- 10:00 am on-air at 102.1 FM.  The rest of the New 102 weekday line- up includes Desiray as midday host, Kory hosting afternoon drive and Jaci Fox at night.

CBS Reports 4Q Revenue Increases 2%

CBS' revenue and earnings grew in the final quarter of the year, but the results fell short of analysts' forecasts, sending shares down in after-market trading.

Advertising revenue grew 3 percent, CBS said Thursday. The company pointed out that last year's licensing revenue bump from the sale of CW network shows to Netflix (NFLX) and Hulu wasn't repeated. Local broadcasting revenue grew less than expected and the Simon & Schuster book publishing business declined faster than analysts were bracing for.

"Advertising revenue is growing, and our revenue from non-advertising sources continues to grow even faster," said CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves in a statement. "This includes new recently signed streaming, retransmission consent and reverse compensation deals, as well as ongoing strength in domestic and international syndication sales. Meanwhile, the confidence and visibility we have in our operations, along with the strategic actions we're pursuing at CBS Outdoor, have allowed us to announce today that we are accelerating the pace of our share repurchase program by another billion dollars."

Net income in the three months through Dec. 31 was $393 million, or 60 cents per share. That's up from $370 million, or 55 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding discontinued operations, adjusted earnings came to 64 cents per share. That was below the 69 cents expected by analysts polled by FactSet.

Revenue grew 2 percent to $3.7 billion, below the $3.83 billion analysts were expecting.

The company also said it would double its share buyback program by $1 billion in 2013.

CBS is preparing to spin off its outdoor billboard business in North America into a real estate investment trust, which should return a high proportion of its cash flow to investors. It is also planning to sell its European outdoor operations.

Read More Now

Tucson Radio: CCM+E Goes WILD Country

Clear Channel-Tucson has launched country WILD 97.1 FM ending a simulcast of N/T KNST 790 AM, which continues a simulcast on the HD2 signal of its CHR KRQQ (93.7).

Wild Country 97.1 FM kicks off with 10,000 contemporary country songs in a row sans commercials.

LISTEN-LINE: Click Here.

According to the Arizona Star, the station in March will welcome the nationally syndicated Bobby Bones Show weekday mornings with Bones and radio personalities Lunchbox and Amy.

Clear Channel will compete for listeners with Citadel Broadcasting's powerhouse country station KIIM 99.5 FM, the city's longtime country radio leader.

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Delilah Knows Nearly Every Love Song Ever Written

For Valentine's Day, CBS News’ Ben Tracy profiled Delilah.

DC Radio: WMAL Turns Down Gun Commercial

Steve Vaus

Talker WMAL 630 AM in Washington, D.C. has refused to sell airtime for a political statement from the writer-actor-singer who performed for years as television’s Buck Howdy – deeming it too “controversial.”

“How sad that we live in a time when a message supporting the Constitution is deemed too controversial,” Grammy-winning musician Steve Vaus, creator of the Buck Howdy character, told WND.

He has recorded a song that defies those advocating gun confiscation with one of the slogans of the Texas Revolution, “Come and take it.”

Vaus said he had attempted to purchase air time on WMAL News/Talk to play his recording, but was rejected.

An email from General Sales Manager Todd Freundlich, forwarded by Vaus, said, “After reviewing the spot with my program director we have determined that it is too controversial for us to air.”

His email continued, “Sorry that we can’t help you with this but if I can answer any additional questions please let me know.”

Vaus had requested the prices and information for a one-minute spot, he said.

Last year, Vaus stirred controversy with his satirical look at the government’s decision to impose invasive body-scans and full-body patdowns on airline travelers. Millions have viewed his work online.

The song was a parody of “Help Me Make It Through the Night”.

Read More Now

Beyonce's HBO Documentary 'Life' Gets Personal

Beyonce

Beyoncé has been in the public spotlight for more than 15 years, but for the most part, she has kept her private life out of its harsh glare.

She offers some illumination with her new HBO documentary, Beyoncé: Life Is But a Dream (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET/PT), a portrait of someone who, for all her fame, has remained mostly a mystery, according to Steve Jones at USAToday.

For years, the superstar has existed behind a veneer of perfection and control that rumor, controversy and no amount of speculation could penetrate.

Her personal life remained off-limits and public missteps were avoided. But the special shows a different side: Here's a woman with her hair up and unadorned by makeup speaking candidly for the first time about the pain of firing her father as her business manager,her devastation after suffering a miscarriage, her deep affection for husband Jay-Z (they dated for years and barely acknowledged it), and the joy and pride she takes in daughter Blue Ivy.

Ready More Now

Report: TRN’s Andreas Tantatros FNC's New 'It' Girl

From Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke, NY Observer:

Andreas Tantaros has been one of the hosts of The Five on FNC since it launched almost two years ago. The show is billed as a rotating panel of seven contributors (five of whom appear each day at 5, hence the name of the program) who discuss current political issues and pop culture. Each of the co-hosts introduces a segment, and they all weigh in on the other topics while bantering and joking around with each other. 

Ms. Tantaros, who recently turned 34, has been on the verge of stardom at Fox since she started full-time at the network in 2010. But since taking over Laura Ingraham’s morning spot on Talk Radio Network this past January, she is no longer waiting in the wings. Ms. Tantaros has become the right wing’s new “It” girl. 

And although she is solidly conservative, she represents a departure from the old Fox News mold of firebrand yellers and bubbly blondes. Ms. Tantaros lives in Manhattan, talks with equal enthusiasm about reality shows and budget hearings, and is laughingly sarcastic rather than loudly belligerent when decrying a liberal viewpoint. And she will occasionally depart from the party line. She is, in short, the perfect standard-bearer for Fox’s recent subtle shift to a less-divisive model of conservative news. 

“Andrea has it all—smart, good-looking, well-informed, great sense of humor, fun to be around,” gushed Sean Hannity, the right-wing rock star and fellow radio host/Fox
personality, whose approbation name-checks a critical box. “She’s always stood out as a rising, bright, young smart conservative star.”

 Read More Now

History Of The Eagles Airs On Showtime

The Eagles will premiere the band's two-part career-spanning documentary, History Of The Eagles, on Showtime tonight and tomorrow (February 15th and 16th.) The doc, which recently had its big screen debut at the Sundance Film Festival, will be released on DVD "as early as March 19" with the package including two discs featuring the documentary and a third disc showcasing eight songs filmed during the band's tour behind 1976's Hotel California.

Part One of the doc chronicles the band's pre-fame years up through their split in the summer of 1980. Part Two touches upon the band's solo careers, their reformation in 1994, and their story up through the present day. The group members pull no punches in discussing their inner-band conflicts and drug and alcohol abuse during the band's career.

All seven Eagles members appear over the course of the documentary -- Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit. and former members Don Felder, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon.

Despite Glenn Frey and Don Henley writing and co-writing the bulk of the band's catalogue, it's interesting to note that all the band-members had a hand in writing massive hits for the Eagles -- Don Felder wrote the guitar intro and instrumental tracks to "Hotel California" and "Victim Of Love," Timothy B. Schmit co-wrote "I Can't Tell You Why," Randy Meisner co-wrote "Take It To The Limit," and Bernie Leadon co-wrote "Witchy Woman."

• The Eagles now consists of Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit.
• Their last collection, 2007's Long Road Out Of Eden, was the band's sixth chart-topper and was the highest selling album of the year. To date, it has sold over 3.5 million copies in the U.S. alone.
• Co-founding guitarist Bernie Leadon, who was originally part of the Byrds offshoot band the Flying Burrito Brothers, quit in 1975 and was replaced by Joe Walsh.
• Co-founding bassist Randy Meisner -- who sang lead on the Eagles' 1976 Top Five hit "Take It To The Limit" -- quit the band in 1977. He was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit -- the same musician who had replaced him in Poco.
• Guitarist Don Felder was touring as David Crosby and Graham Nash's lead guitarist when he sat in on the Eagles' 1974 On The Border album, and went on to join the band in time for 1975's groundbreaking One Of These Nights collection.
• Felder was fired from the Eagles in 2001 following monetary disputes with Henley, Frey, and Eagles manager Irving Azoff. The case was settled out of court the following year.

R.I.P.: KSRO's Jim Grady Dead At 77 in Santa Rosa

Jim Grady

Quick-witted radio broadcaster Jim Grady, for more than 50 years the voice of Sonoma County, California and one of its happiest advocates, died Wednesday at the age of 77, according to a story by Chris Smith at The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa.

In his heyday, Grady's newsy, folksy morning show started the day for much of the population of a county he had loved since the early 1940s, when he began to visit the Russian River from his home in San Francisco.

"I grew up on that river," he said in a 2010 interview with The Press Democrat.

Grady studied at Los Angeles' Don Martin School of Radio and Television and in 1959, the same year he married his wife, Carol, found a radio job in Seattle.

He loved the work but hated the soggy weather. So he moved south to more familiar, temperate territory and sought a job from Frank McLauren, then station manager at KSRO 1350 AM.

McLauren hired him for an afternoon shift. A couple of years later, morning anchor Ken Minyard moved to Los Angeles and left behind an opportunity for Grady to move up.

For decades, he anchored the morning show, spent much of the rest of the day traveling the county and selling airtime to advertisers, and at night broadcast local high-school and Santa Rosa Junior College games with longtime on-air partner Merle Ross.

Read More Now.

Slacker Relaunches, Aiming At Pandora

Slacker Inc. has spent the past six years as an also-ran in the digital-music business, where even the leaders have struggled to make money.

The San Diego-based company says that’s about to change, with a revamped mobile application, website and a $5.5 million advertising campaign attacking rivals Pandora Media Inc. and Spotify Ltd. In preparation, the startup has more than doubled its staff to 90 in the past eight months, according to a story from Bloomberg.

“It’s an opportunity for us to throw a punch when nobody’s looking,” said Chief Marketing Officer Craig Rechenmacher, who joined from Electronic Arts Inc. in July and opened the company’s marketing office in Palo Alto, California.

For consumers, Slacker Personal Radio presents another choice in a crowded field. The company is touting a music service with 10 times the number of songs as Pandora, as well as content from Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and ABC networks. In a market where Pandora gets close to 90 percent of its sales from ads, Slacker focuses on paid subscriptions, which account for two-thirds of revenue.

Read More Now.

Larry Wert Tapped To Head Tribune’s TV, Radio

Larry Wert (Trib photo)

Veteran Chicago broadcasting executive Larry Wert has been named president of local broadcasting for Tribune Co.

The announcement Wednesday puts Wert in charge of Tribune Co.'s 23 television stations, including WGN-Ch. 9 in Chicago, KTLA in Los Angeles and WPIX in New York, as well as WGN-AM 720 in Chicago.

Wert, who has been president and general manager of NBC-owned WMAQ-Ch. 5 since 1998, is expected to assume his new role within the next several weeks, according to The Chicago Tribune.

"I'm very much looking forward to this," said Wert, 56. "The timing is terrific for a new beginning for me, and the Tribune organization as well."

The Chicago-area native has spent 30 years in broadcasting, most of it in his home market. He started in television sales with ABC in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, where he became local sales manager at WLS-Ch. 7.

In 1989, Wert shifted to radio as president and general manager of Chicago combo WLUP-FM 97.9 and AM 1000, better known as The Loop. He worked his way up to overseeing 13 radio properties as senior vice president of Chancellor Broadcasting before leaving for NBC 5.

Read More Now.

LaCrosse Radio: WIZM Transmits Zombie EAS

A goof-up by some La Crosse, WI radio personalities caused WKBT-TV viewers to hear a warning of a zombie attack Wednesday morning.

According to the LaCrosse Tribune, the message went out shortly after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday when, Brittany & Marco,  hosts of the WIZM Z-93 morning show were talking about how hackers broke into the Emergency Alert System of a Montana TV station Monday and sent out the bogus warning.

The problem: Z-93, owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting, is the primary station in the local emergency network, and when they played a tape of the hoax, the alert tones triggered WKBT’s receiver, which automatically rebroadcast the signal.

Viewers heard both the phony message — which warned of “dead bodies rising from their graves” in several Montana counties and attacking the living — as well as the local DJs’ laughter.

Brittany & Marco

The hackers’ message warned people not to “approach or apprehend these bodies as they are extremely dangerous.”

“Our engineers caught it immediately and called them,” said Z-93 station manager Brian Michaels, who apologized to WKBT.

Michaels said as far as he knows WKBT was the only station to pick up the alert, which would normally be carried by all radio and television stations broadcasting to La Crosse and surrounding counties.

La Crosse County dispatchers said the alert did not generate any calls from the public.

Of course if it had been an actual zombie apocalypse, viewers would have been instructed where to tune in for official information.

Read More Now.

CCM+E, Robbins Reach Revenue Sharing Agreement

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment and Robbins Entertainment, a major indie dance/pop music label, announced an agreement that enables Robbins Entertainment's artists to share in all of Clear Channel's radio revenues, a key approach to building a sustainable Internet radio industry.

Robbins Entertainment was founded in 1996 by veteran record executive Cory Robbins. A pioneer in dance music, the company has guided the genre into the 21st century, from Afrojack's "Take Over Control" and D.H.T.'s "Listen to Your Heart" to Cascada's "Everytime We Touch" and DJ Sammy's "Heaven." Prior to founding Robbins Entertainment, Cory Robbins was president and co-founder of Profile Records, the seminal hip-hop label that signed Run-D.M.C., Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock, and DJ Quik.

"I've always said that the music industry needs to figure out a way to give listeners what they want," said Cory Robbins. "Clear Channel has always believed in playing the best music on its stations, regardless of the size of the label or the national picture, and I think Clear Channel's strategy will help Internet radio become a viable business, encouraging its growth and enabling listeners to discover and enjoy our roster of the hottest dance artists. The growth of Internet radio will be a boon for all parties - artists, labels, distributors, and fans."

"Cory Robbins has a rich history of introducing great artists from a variety of genres," said Bob Pittman, CEO of Clear Channel. "He understands what music and dance fans want and he has been a pioneer in delivering it to them, wherever they are, on whichever device suits them best.

Clear Channel's agreement with Robbins Entertainment follows several other agreements reached this year, including Big Machine Label Group, Glassnote Entertainment Group, DashGo, rpm Entertainment and Naxos.

Dallas Radio: DeDe McGuire ReUps At K104 FM

Approaching the two-year anniversary of her show, DeDe McGuire has signed a new deal, cementing her place in the top spot as host of KKDA K104 FM Morning Show, now named DeDe in the Morning.

“I’m trying to be the hardest working woman in radio,” McGuire told pegasusnews.com, “I’m ready to take the throne as the new king of mornings.”

Officially joining the morning show team at K104 in 2009, McGuire played the co-host role to two other personalities before claiming the head position becoming DeDe in the Morning. Lady Jade and comedian Michael Shawn, who recently joined the team, join McGuire on the morning show weekdays on K104.

Hosting a major-market morning show five days a week, while also co-hosting a nationally syndicated afternoon radio show, is almost unthinkable, unless you happen to be McGuire. With a workday lasting from pre-dawn to beyond sunset, McGuire is fueled by a midday lunch break and the passion that propelled her from small-town radio to legendary stations in San Antonio, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Dallas.

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Jeff Foxworthy Turns Bible Verses Into Hit Game Show

"If you don't know your Bible, you don't have a prayer!"

R.I.P.: KLBJ AM Reporter Barbara McCarley Dies

Barbara McCarley

Barbara McCarley spent nearly 15 years covering Austin news for KLBJ 590 AM/99.7 FM.

“She was constantly upbeat and smiling, and a great personality to have at the radio station," co-worker Scott Gilmore told KVUE News. “She loved this city and loved what she did, so she brought that energy and passion every day and we'll really miss that."

In her career, Barbara covered countless breaking news events, including the wildfires at Steiner Ranch and in Bastrop, but most recently she was on the city beat, and frequently reported on Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo.

On Monday, Barbara covered road closures in Austin before ex-Navy SEAL Chris Kyle’s procession. The next morning, she was hit by another driver and badly hurt.

The accident in NW Austin involved three cars. Two other people had minor injuries, but Barbara was hospitalized immediately.

On Wednesday morning, her injuries proved too severe, and Barbara passed away.

Austin police say there will be no charges filed against the driver that caused this deadly accident.

Read More Now.

KLBJ posted a tribute on their website, Click Here.

Boston Radio: Glenn Ordway OUT At WEEI

Ready for the most #honest radio show I've ever done @2 on WEEI
— Glenn Ordway (@BigOWEEI) February 13, 2013

Glenn Ordway

Chad Finn at boston.com was first to report a seismic shakeup at sports radio station WEEI 850 AM/93.7 FM . Longtime host Glenn Ordway being replaced on its afternoon drive program by Mike Salk, a Boston native who has co-hosted a program on 710 ESPN in Seattle since 2009.

Ordway confirmed that he was leaving the show in the opening segment of Wednesday's program.

Multiple industry sources have said that Salk has been heavily pursued by WEEI to replace Ordway, a staple on the Boston sports radio scene since the '70s, and that he will accept the job.

It is uncertain when the change will take place.

Mike Salk

It's expected that Salk will be paired with Ordway's current co-host, Michael Holley, in the 2-6 p.m. time slot. The pairing of Salk and Holley, who was moved from middays to afternoon drive in February 2011 when he signed a new multi-year contract, would give WEEI a program that would logically trend younger.

WEEI has typically been overwhelmed in the younger Arbitron demographics by rival WBZ-FM 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Ordway has been at WEEI since 1987. Ordway signed a five-year contract worth a reported $1 million per year in January 2009, but there were out-clauses if certain ratings benchmarks weren't met.

In September 2009, Entercom, WEEI's parent company, cut his salary in half after the program failed to finish among the top three stations in the Boston market for a particular demographic in a specific number of consecutive Arbitron books.

Read More Now.

ACM Radio Nominees Unveiled

CMT's Cody Alan

Cody Alan, host of CMT Radio Live With Cody Alan, is one of five nominees for the Academy of Country Music's national on-air radio personality of the year.

Nominees in the ACM's radio categories were announced Wednesday morning (Feb. 13) along with the artist nominees for the 48th annual ACM Awards.

Others nominated for the national on-air personality honor are Blair Garner (After MidNite With Blair Garner), Kix Brooks (American Country Countdown With Kix Brooks), Shawn Parr (The Country's Hotlist With Shawn Parr) and Whitney Allen (The Big Time With Whitney Allen).

Nominations were also announced Wednesday for on-air personality of the year honors in major, large, medium and small markets.

Radio station of the year nominees were also confirmed, including major market nods to KNIX-FM/Phoenix, KUPL-FM/Portland, Ore., WDSY-FM/Pittsburgh, WQYK-FM/St. Petersburg, Fla., and WYCD-FM/Detroit.

The large market nominees are KAJA-FM/San Antonio, WFMS-FM/Indianapolis, WLHK-FM/Indianapolis, WSM-AM/Nashville and WUBE-FM/Cincinnati.

Contenders in the medium market category include KUZZ-AM & FM/Bakersfield, Calif., WBBS-FM/Syracuse, N.Y., WGNA-FM/Schenectady, N.Y., WKMK-FM/Monmouth-Ocean, N.J., and WMYL-FM/Knoxville, Tenn.

KCLR-FM/Columbia, Mo., WXFL-FM/Florence, Ala., and WYCT-FM/Pensacola, Fla., are nominated in the small market division.

The radio awards will be presented during a special ceremony in Las Vegas on April 6. The main ACM Awards show airs April 7 on CBS.

Study: Rdio Gaining on Pandora on West Coast

A new analysis by Fizziology, a company that uses social media like a focus group, shows Pandora losing momentum on the West Coast, while subscription service Rdio is gaining among West Coast trendsetters according to Glenn Peoples at billboard.com.

Any new innovation has to pass through five phases of adoption: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation. In the U.S., consumer adoption takes place at different times in different regions because innovation diffusion does not taken place at once at the same time. Innovation tends to start on big cities on the coasts and then moves inward.

Pandora is so popular it ranks first among the four groups tracked: creative communities, urban America, rural America and college towns. It is also most popular in the four geographic areas tracked: the East, the South, the Midwest and the West. Pandora has clearly achieved confirmation stage with many consumers in all parts of the country.

But Fizziology says "the West has abandoned Pandora quicker than the rest of America, as the region ranks just above college towns in providing social buzz about the service." In other words, Pandora has lost momentum with the creative communities in West Coast, urban centers that were its earliest adopters. Social feedback still comes from urban, creative communities, but now they're predominantly on the Eastern Seaboard.

Read More Now.

DC Radio: Lori Brooks Leaves WASH-FM

Loo Katz, Lori Brooks

After 10-years,  Lori Brooks is leaving the "Loo & Lori" morning show on CC’s WASH 97.1 FM.  Apparently, it was her decision.

Her last day is today. She posted the following on the show’s blog:

I didn't want to just up and disappear this week. It turns out I will be leaving WASH-FM after today's show (2/13/13).  It's with great thought that I made the decision to move closer to my parents in Pennsylvania to be able to care for them, and my father who recently underwent major surgery and has had several complications. 

BUT...I couldn't leave without thanking you for listening all these years and giving me such pride in my radio home, WASH-FM!  Thank you.  You made it a wonderful almost ten years! 

With much love and respect WASH-FM Morning Show (Loo and Lori) listeners, I say goodbye and thank you so much! I will miss you! 

I'll miss you, too, LOO!

 Lori is the second long-time WASH personality to depart.  Last week it was announced Bill Worthington was gone from his afternoon/evening slot after 20 years at the station.  It wasn't his decision.

Gun Battle Caught On Tape

CBS News Exclusive: Video recorded by CBS News reporter Carter Evans shows an up-close account of the gun battle between police and fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner in Big Bear, California.

Pitt Radio: Tim Benz Returns To X Morning Show

Tim Benz, co-host of the Morning Show on alternative rock radio station 105.9 The X, said he'll return to the show Wednesday, according to triblive.com.

“I will be back on the air,” Benz tweeted Tuesday. “Thanks to all of you who have reached out lately. I'll have more to say in the morning.”

I will be back on the air tom morn at 6:00. Thanks to all of you who have reached out lately. I'll have more to say in the morning #CantWait
— The X Morning Show (@XMorningShow) February 12, 2013

Benz left the air Friday after arguing with listeners about his support of stricter gun laws.See original post, Click Here.

“This was a radio station issue,” he said. “So I think it should be addressed first on the air.”

LISTEN-LINE: Click Here.

Cox Media Sells 27 Stations In Six Markets

UPDATE: In southern Connecticut, Cox sold WPLR-FM, WEZN-FM, WFOX-FM, and contract rights for WYBC-FM to Connoisseur Media for $40 million, according to documents filed with the FCC. SummitMedia is paying $66.25 million for a number of stations in Birmingham, AL, Greenville, SC, Louisville, KY, Richmond, VA, and Hawaii.

Cox Media Group (CMG) has reached a definitive agreement with two companies to sell radio stations in six markets as part of its broadcast portfolio realignment.

The broadcast realignment, announced in July 2012, is part of CMG’s strategy to focus on larger markets, cross-media collaboration, and heightened impact in fewer markets.

The company has signed an agreement to sell its Southern Connecticut radio stations – WPLR-FM, WEZN-FM, WFOX-FM, and contract rights for WYBC-FM – to Westport, CT. based Connoisseur Media. 

CMG has also signed a separate agreement to sell its radio stations in five other markets to SummitMedia, including:

• Birmingham (WAGG-AM, WBHJ-FM, WBHK-FM, WENN-AM, WZZK-FM, WZNN-FM, WBPT-FM, and CMG’s contract rights for WALJ-FM)
• Greenville, S.C. (WJMZ-FM, WHZT-FM)
• Hawaii (KRTR-AM/FM, KPHW-FM, KCCN-FM, KINE-FM, KKNE-AM)
• Louisville (WRKA-FM, WVEZ-FM, WSFR-FM, WQNU-FM)
• Richmond (WHTI-FM, WKHK-FM, WKLR-FM, WURV-FM)

 “These are all important brands powered by talented media professionals who tirelessly serve their audiences, advertisers and communities,” said CMG President Doug Franklin.  “We wish all of the employees well and know they will continue to work hard to produce quality entertainment, news and information for their customers and new owners.”  

The sales are expected to close during the second quarter following receipt of regulatory approvals.

As part of its broadcast realignment, CMG recently added four new TV stations in two markets – Jacksonville, Fla. and Tulsa, Okla. – to its broadcast group. 

The new stations – WAWS-TV (Fox) and WTEV-TV (CBS) in Jacksonville and KOKI-TV (Fox) and KMYT-TV (MyNetwork) in Tulsa – will provide opportunities for collaboration with CMG’s other businesses in those markets. 

CMG owns and operates WAWS-TV, KOKI-TV and KMYT-TV and provides operating services to WTEV-TV, which is owned by Bayshore Television.

Work continues on the sale of its TV locations in El Paso, Texas; Johnstown, Pa.; Reno, Nev.; and Steubenville, Ohio.

Details will be made public when finalized.CMG is working with Citi as financial advisor and Dow Lohnes as transaction and regulatory counsel for all transactions.

Comcast Buys Out G-E Shares Of NBC Universal

Over two years since taking a 51% majority ownership in NBCUniversal, Comcast has decided to buy the remaining 49% of NBC from General Electric for $16.7 billion.

According to Wayne Friedman at mediapost.com says the buyout comes about 18 months early than General Electric said it would begin divesting its stake in NBC. The latest deal will be mostly in cash, $11.4 billion, with the rest coming in $4 billion in bonds.

Comcast is also buying NBCUniversal-owned real estate -- its headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York and the CNBC headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., for another $1.4 billion.

Comcast closed its initial majority stake deal with GE for $6.2 billion in cash for NBCUniversal in January 2011, as well as contributing Comcast's cable TV networks, such as E!, The Golf Channel and Versus worth $7.25 billion, to the deal.

This gave Comcast operating control over the NBC TV network, Universal Studios, NBC stations, and all of NBC's cable networks, such as USA Network, Bravo, MSNBC, and its digital assets.

Also on Tuesday, Comcast reported its fourth-quarter profit rose 18% to $1.5 billion, with revenue up 5.9% to $16 billion. Growth came from its cable operations and NBCUniversal.

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NBC Radio Analyst Van Gundy Visits Piers Morgan

Anyone who followed the Orlando Magic during Stan Van Gundy's five seasons as the team's coach knows that Van Gundy has opinions — and isn't afraid to express those opinions.

On Monday night, anyone who watched CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" learned the same thing.

The Orlando Sentinel reports Van Gundy appeared as a guest on the show alongside three panelists who have no ties to sports: HuffPost Live host/producer Abby Huntsman, commentator Faith Salie and author Gary Vaynerchuk.

Guest host Donny Deutsch peppered them with questions on topics as varied as Rihanna's relationship with Chris Brown and Pope Benedict XVI's resignation.

"I wasn't going to let a lack of knowledge deter me!" Van Gundy joked in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday.

Late last week, Van Gundy's agent called and asked if he'd be interested in appearing on the show, and Van Gundy recalled answering, "Sure, it sounds like fun."

Van Gundy is now working as a contributor to NBC Sports Radio and as an occasional color commentator for NBC Sports Network's college basketball coverage. His final game this season will be the Feb. 24 matchup between New Mexico and Colorado State.

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KIIS-FM’s Ellen K Guests On Y&R

Ellen K

LA fans of the syndicated “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” radio program, or have watched the recent Grammys or Screen Actors Guild awards telecasts, they’ve heard the voice of Ellen K.

This week, Ellen guests this week on The Young &The Restless as the voice of the radio announcer warning Genoa City of an impending blizzard.

In addition to sharing her mornings with Ryan and lending her voice to awards shows, Ellen is a frequent contributor to The Talk on CBS Daytime and narrates My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding for TLC.

Ellen previously co-hosted Wayne Brady's 2003 talk show; she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

Ted Nugent Quietly Rocks The SOTU

NYTimes photo

Rocker/gun advocate Ten Nugent attended the POTUS’ SOTU Tuesday evening and pretty much sat stone-faced high up in the gallery.

The 64-year-old Nugent was invited to attend as the guest of Republican Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas.

Nugent sat with crossed arms and legs and the NYTimes reports the tern visage captured the conflict ‘lurking within the Republic Party”.

“He’s a masterful speaker, but in the past he’s proven he doesn’t mean what he says,” said Nugent of President Barack Obama. “It’s all flowers and very attractive and scripted emotion.”

According to politico.com, Nugent said the people who sat with him during the speech were those who “lived by the same logic as the Nugent family.”

“People of the military, people of law enforcement, small business owners — everyone was in agreement with Uncle Ted,” he said.

As he left the the gallery, Nugent was swarmed by fans wanting photos — and even one woman who yelled “Run for president, Ted!”

R.I.P.: Rick Huxley Dave Clark Five Co-Founder Dead

Rick Huxley

Musician Rick Huxley, one of the founding members of 1960s chart stars The Dave Clark Five, has died at the age of 72.

The bass player, who joined the group in 1958, performed on hits such as "Bits And Pieces" and "Glad All Over".

Huxley died yesterday and the group's leader and drummer Dave Clark said the news was "devastating", according to TheIndependent in London.

The band was famously at the forefront of the British invasion of the US charts in the early 60s, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show hot on the heels of The Beatles.

Huxley's death leaves two original members of the band surviving - Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson.

The group scored a number one with "Glad All Over" in January 1964, and twice went to number two - with "Bits And Pieces" later that year and in November 1967 with "Everybody Knows".

Other hits included "Catch Us If You Can" and their cover of The Contours' "Do You Love Me"?.

The bassist, originally from Dartford in Kent, remained in the line-up until the group disbanded in 1970. He went on to have a property and music business.

Huxley - whose wife Ann died last year - attended the ceremony in 2008 in which The Dave Clark Five were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame by Hollywood star Tom Hanks, a fan of the band. A band featuring Joan Jett, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp and Billy Joel performed some of their biggest hits.

Sax player Denis Payton died in December 2006 and singer/keyboard player Mike Smith died in 2008.

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‘Zombie’ EAS Hoax Hits Stations

At least four TV stations across the country Monday were the victims of a hoax after a hacker broke into their Emergency Alert Systems, according to Andrew Dodson at tvnewscheck.com.

KRTV Great Falls, Mon., initially made headlines Tuesday after a video of the alert, claiming “dead bodies were rising from their graves,” went viral on the Web. (See original posting, Click Here) But the CBS affiliate wasn’t alone. WBKP and WNMU Marquette, Mich., also had the same alert played on their airwaves.

The hack likely happened because station operators didn’t change the default password on their Common Alert Protocol Emergency Alert System, says Ed Czarnecki, senior director of strategy and regulatory affairs for Monroe Electronics, the main manufacturer of EAS systems across the country.

The FCC Tuesday evening ordered stations to take immediate action to secure their EAS systems. (See separate posting, Click Here)

A spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency acknowledged that there may have been "a breach of security" of the product used by some broadcasers.

However, he added, "FEMA's integrated public alert and warning system was not breached or compromised and this had no impact on FEMA’s ability to activate the Emergency Alert System to notify the American public."

After reviewing his station’s EAS security log Monday night, Kenn Baynard, WBKP operations manager in Marquette, said it was clear that someone made multiple attempts to break into the system. “They went in from the back door of this system and tried numerous passwords and have been doing so for days leading up to the hack,” Baynard says.

Before any real alert goes out, such as one from the National Weather Service, station executives are notified via email about it. That didn’t happen at the ABC affiliate on Monday afternoon, Baynard says. “It just went out by itself. There was no log about it, nothing. It just went out.”

Baynard is now blaming Monroe Electronics, claiming the software has a security flaw. “I spoke with an engineer in Montana using the same system, and it was hit the same exact way.”

As for who did the hacking is still being investigated.

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FCC Issues Urgent EAS Advisory

Participants asked to change passwords

The Federal Communications Commission is requiring all broadcast and cable operations to secure their Emergency Alert System equipment. 

According to tvtechnology.com, the commission issued an urgent advisory Tuesday  after EAS systems were hacked at several stations and fake alerts about zombie invasions were transmitted. (See original posting, Click Here.)

The EAS system was transitioned in recent years to an Internet Protocol format and a Common Alerting Protocol that makes it available to all manner of public-safety authorities, but also vulnerable to hacking.

The FCC urged participants “to take immediate action to secure their CAP EAS equipment, including resetting passwords, and ensuring CAP EAS equipment is secured behind properly configured firewalls and other defensive measures. All CAP EAS equipment manufacturer models are included in this advisory.”

The advisory directs “all broadcast and cable EAS participants… to take the following actions immediately:

1. EAS participants must change all passwords on their CAP EAS equipment from default factory settings, including administrator and user accounts.

2. EAS participants are also urged to ensure that their firewalls and other solutions are properly configured and up-to-date.

3. EAS Participants are further advised to examine their CAP EAS equipment to ensure that no unauthorized alerts or messages have been set (queued) for future transmission.

4. If you are unable to reset the default passwords on your equipment, you may consider disconnecting your device’s Ethernet connection until those settings have been updated.

5. EAS Participants that have questions about securing their equipment should consult their equipment manufacturer.

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Attack By Zombies EAS Alert Transmitted In Montana

KRTV3 (Great Falls, Montana) is reporting that someone hacked into their Emergency Alert System Monday afternoon and transmitted an announcement  over the air via an EAS Alert that “bodies of the dead are rising from their graves.”

The station quickly assured viewers that “there is no emergency” and says “our engineers are investigating to determine what happened.”

According to the Great Falls Tribune, the fake emergency alert was issued during afternoon programming on KRTV, a CBS affiliate. The station says the hacking came from an outside source and station officials are working to find out how this happened.

The alert featured a scrolling warning for various Montana counties and a voice-over claimed there were “dead bodies rising from the grave and attacking the living” and urged people to use caution.

“Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are extremely dangerous,” it went on to say.

Lt. Shane Sorensen with the GFPD said he’s not sure yet what sort of penalties a person faces, if any, in Montana for hacking into an emergency alert system. But he said the police department did receive phone calls from people who were concerned after they saw the message.