Saturday Aircheck: WLS-AM And John Records Landecker

John Records Landecker on The Big 89 WLS from October 1975. (music scoped).


Part Two...



Also...Landecker offers advice to personalities in this interview with Dan O'Day. Click Here.

R.I.P. Jeff Airplane Drummer Joey Covington

Joey Covington

Joey Covington, a drummer for the rock band Jefferson Airplane in the early 1970s and a founding member of their bluesy spinoff Hot Tuna, died on Tuesday.

He was 67.  He died after crashing his car in Palm Springs, Calif., where he lived, according to the NYTimes.

Covington auditioned for Jefferson Airplane in 1969, when the other members of the group were considering replacing their drummer, Spencer Dryden, but did not join them immediately.

That year, he started playing with Hot Tuna, a side project formed by the band’s guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bass player Jack Casady, but was not on the group’s first record.

Covington replaced Mr. Dryden in 1970.

Joseph Edward Michno was born in Johnstown, Pa., on June 27, 1945. (He changed his name when he moved out to the West Coast because he thought the “no” in Michno was too negative.) He began teaching himself to play the drums when he was 10, then played with polka bands and later in strip clubs.

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Report: All Major Labels On Board For iRadio Launch

After more than year of off-and-on negotiations, Apple has now reached deals with all three major music labels, making it increasingly likely that Apple will unveil its free Internet radio service at next week's WWDC event, according to cnet.com.

The latest deal is with Sony Music, according to industry sources who said the two sides struck a deal Friday morning. Sony had been the lone holdout of the three major music labels, haggling over some details that frustrated execs at the other labels. The world's largest label, Universal Music, was the first to sign on, followed by Warner Music and its publishing arm, Warner/Chappell.

A Sony spokesperson declined to comment. Apple wasn't immediately available for comment.

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Glenn Beck Regrets Country’s Division

During the Talkers New York 2013 conference Thursday, Glenn was the recipient of the Freedom of Speech award.

According to glennbeck.com, he opened his acceptance speech talking about the importance of the first amendment, saying that the only speech that needs to be protected is speech that is found offensive. No one is calling for unoffensive speech to be censored, only when someone disagrees. Glenn also welcomed progressive voices onto talk radio, saying that it was important for all sides of debate to be in the the discussion so that all views can be understood.

Glenn emphasized that he is happy to live in a time when he is given the opportunity to be heard on the air.

“I appreciate CNN for putting me on the air. I appreciate the Fox News channel for putting me on the air. I am thrilled to live in a time to be associated with Premiere and Clear Channel.”

Glenn ended the talk by acknowledging that he has at times been divisive, and while he doesn’t regret the truths that were said he did regret how some of his arguments were made.

“Any role that I have played in dividing, I wish I could take it back — I don’t wish I could take back the truth that was spoken, but [many] times I could’ve said it differently,” he said. “We are now living in a completely new era, and there is profound opportunity and profound light on the horizon ready to dawn, a world that none of us could understand or even design if we tried, because the possibilities are endless. But so are the nightmares.”

“It will require all of us to recognize what time we are living in. To recognize we have a profound responsibility because of the rights that we have. And stand an protect those rights – not of those people we agreed with – but protect the rights of those we vehemently disagree with,” he said. “You stand with those people. And that’s what will heal our country.”

Premiere: Limbaugh’s Fluke Comments Hurt Revenue

Rush Limbaugh’s distributor on Thursday said there is no denying the conservative radio host’s controversial comments about Sandra Fluke hurt advertising last year — but 2013 is apparently a whole different ballgame.

According to an article  by Mackenzie Weinger at Politico, this year, Limbaugh is drawing new advertisers and recovering well after the major boycott he faced in response to his broadcasts on Fluke, Premiere Radio senior vice president and director of talk radio sales Dan Metter told the Talkers New York 2013 conference.

There was certainly a dramatic impact on the advertising sales in the wake of Limbaugh’s comments, Metter noted, but he said that just drove the company to find new sources of ad revenues.

Metter, who repeatedly referred to the advertising boycott of Limbaugh as simply “the challenge,” said Premiere, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Media, focused its efforts on getting ads on air from entrepreneurial-based companies not handled by major ad agencies, such as LifeLock and LegalZoom.

“They’re not buying an ideology, they’re buying an audience,” Metter said. “And many of whom are advertising with our progressive radio hosts and our conservative radio hosts and everything in the middle. They’re not buying Rush’s ideology or Randi Rhodes’ ideology. They’re buying them because their audience buys tractors, their audience drinks soda, and their audience needs data backup. And that’s the place to get those types of customers. So we’re doing very, very well.”

They’re pacing ahead of this time last year, Metter said — and while January was a bit slow, the second quarter is picking up for the company that distributes Limbaugh and other talkers such as Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity.

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Radio Talkers Fume Over NSA Snoop Dogs

Radio talkers who were gathered at the Talkers NY 2013 Conference Thursday blasted the National Security Agency’s surveillance program collecting the records of phone calls made by millions of Americans as “disturbing” and “an outrage.”

The disclosure Wednesday, reported by The Guardian, of a highly classified NSA program to obtain records of telephone calls on the Verizon network sparked discussion and concern.

“I think it’s an outrage,” Glenn Beck told Politico. “People need to wake up.”

And most hosts spoke with on Thursday agreed with Beck’s take. Liberal talker and Fox News contributor Alan Colmes called the NSA’s data gathering “disturbing,” but said that kind of surveillance of the American people had its origins in the Bush administration. Even so, he said, the practice needs to end under Obama.

And Sirius XM’s David Webb, who noted he is a Verizon subscriber, said it’s important for radio hosts to bring this issue to the attention of their listeners. The conservative talker added, however, that he and his colleagues can’t just throw it out as red meat to rile up the base.

Across the aisle, progressive talker Thom Hartmann said he’s still looking into the story, but “it’s wild overreach if the news reports are right.”

But, like Colmes, Hartmann said he also wanted to examine just how much of this surveillance program was a holdover from past administrations. If it is not, Hartmann said, he’d be “horrified.”

Meanwhile, Sirius XM’s Michael Smerconish — who touts himself and his program as free from ideological entanglements — took a different tack on the NSA reveal from many of his colleagues.

“I think it’s going be red meat [for radio talkers]. Because for this crowd, it will build on the AP, it will build on James Rosen, it will build on the drones, and all of those things,” Smerconish told Politico.

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Report: Investors May Be Confused Over iNet Radio

The Internet radio debate continues to heat up with the news that Apple is prepping to go prime time in the space. 

Shares in  Pandora and Sirius XM took a licking in trading on the announcement -- but investors should keep an eye on the real story, according to The Motley Fool.

 While the media would have you believe there can be only one victor in the battle for radio supremacy between Apple, Sirius XM, Pandora, and many more, Motley Fool analyst Blake Bos has a different viewpoint worth considering.

Triton Shows Mobile Listening Up 38%

Triton Digital has released its monthly online audio Top 20 Ranker for April 2013. The Ranker is a listing of the top-performing Internet audio stations and networks measured by the Webcast Metrics audience measurement platform. Webcast Metrics is accredited by the Media Rating Council.

Webcast Metrics uses a proprietary platform to track audience data and convert it to audience metrics that can be easily understood by stations, publishers and advertisers.

In April 2013, overall listening remained relatively flat, with an overall gain of 1% in Average Active Sessions (AAS) during the All Days/Times daypart from March to April. Taking a look back to the year prior, Triton sees a 24% increase in AAS from April 2012 to  April 2013, with mobile outpacing desktop growth year over year at a 38% increase.

According to Triton digital audio consumption growth continues to be dominated by the mobile platform, even during the traditional in-office hours.

Audience rankings are done on the basis of “Average Active Sessions”, with "Session Starts" and “Average Time Spent Listening” also displayed. Average Active  Sessions (AAS) is defined as “Total Listening Hours (TLH) divided by hours in the reported time period.” TLH is defined as the total number of hours that the station/publisher has streamed during sessions with duration of at least one minute in total within the reported time period. Session Starts (SS) is defined as “the number of different requests for streams (i.e., stream requests) with a duration of at least one minute in total within the reported time period. ”Average Time Spent Listening (ATSL) is defined as “the average number of hours for each session with a duration of at least one minute in total within the reported time period. Calculated as total time spent listening divided by active sessions.”

While Pandora's listening was down a bit, Kurt Hanson at the RAIN newsletter notes broadcast groups like Clear Channel, Cumulus, and CBS Radio all enjoyed 11%-13% AAS bumps in April. Clear Channel (which has the iHeartRadio online radio platform) is up 42% over the past twelve months, and up 21% in 2013 alone. Only Cox among the top broadcast streamers was down in April, 12%. While Cox's AAS is down 10% so far this year, it's still grown 21% since April 2012.

Internet radio pureplay Slacker continues its streak, up another 11% in April (and 40% in 2013). And the online-only webcaster idobi, which seemingly came out of nowhere in November to join the ranks of the top pureplays in Webcast Metrics, also got a 10% AAS bump in April.

7Digital To Power Internet Radio Services

The Internet radio market is about to get more crowded. According to Billboard, 7digital announced Thursday a new streaming radio solution that will help smaller services better compete with names like Pandora, Clear Channel and Apple.

The service provides an enhanced API and capabilities that allow companies to launch their own DMCA-compliant Internet radio service in the United States. 7digital partners -- from music startups to brands -- will have access to the company's entire catalog of over 23 million tracks. 7digital will handle the reporting of digital performance royalties to SoundExchange.

Vickie Nauman, 7digital President - North America, says the company chose to create a radio solution after receiving requests to help powering the backend of a DMCA-compliant radio service.

With Pandora going mainstream, iHeartRadio grabbing a large share of the U.S. Internet market and Apple about to launch its own radio service, the company saw a need for a solution aimed at smaller companies.

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Radio Revenue Continues Slow Rebound

'12'-'17 Revenue in billions

PwC has issued its annual “Entertainment & MediaOutlook” report, which contains projections for online and offline media markets through 2017 across various components including advertising revenues and consumer spending. The outlook for traditional media markets is similar to previous forecasts in that TV and out-of-home advertising have the healthiest future, while radio continues to grow at a modest pace and the outlook for print continues to be dim, although losses may slow.

The US is easily the world’s biggest radio market, accounting for about half of global revenues. Last year, radio revenues in the US were estimated to be more than $19 billion, and that figure is expected to increase to $21.55 billion by 2017.

Satellite subscriptions are projected to be the key driver of radio revenue growth, with a predicted CAGR of 7.6%, compared to a modest 1.4% CAGR for radio advertising revenues. In fact, US satellite radio subscribers generated almost $3 billion in radio revenue last year. Satellite radio’s growth (from advertising and subscriptions) means that it is expected to increase from 15% of all US radio revenue last year to 20% by 2017.

Overall radio revenues have rebounded after bottoming out at $17.8 billion in 2009, but aren’t expected to reach 2008′s levels until 2016.

Marketing Charts provides the following look at some of the highlights for each of the major traditional media markets (note that all figures are constant to this year):

New Young Broadcasting to Merge With Media General

Richmond-based Media General Inc. and privately held New Young Broadcasting of Nashville, Tenn., announced an all-stock deal today to merge the two companies.

The new company will be named Media General and its headquarters will remain in downtown Richmond, according to the Times-Dispatch.

Young has been the owner of Richmond's WRIC-Channel 8. The merger means the station will be owned by Media General, which despite being based here, does not have a television station in the region.

“I’m particularly pleased that we have WRIC Channel 8 in Richmond, and that Media General will now have a local broadcaster in its home market,” said George L, Mahoney, Media General’s president and chief executive officer. “We will see all sorts of opportunities.”

The combined company will own or operate 30 network-affiliated TV stations across 27 markets, reaching 14 percent of U.S.television households, the companies said.

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Interview: John Records Landecker Offers Advice

Talent coach Dan O’Day talks with John Records Landecker, one of the all-time great radio disc jockeys.

Landecker explains what it really takes to have a career as a radio personality.

Twin Cities Radio: Tom Emmer Quits KTCN Radio Show

Tom Emmer's decision to run for Congress means putting his radio career on hold. The conservative talker's last day on KTCN 1130 AM’s  "Davis & Emmer" morning show will be Friday.

According to the Star Tribune's Rachel Stassen-Berger, Emmer said it's better to leave the program and campaign full-time sooner rather than later.

Emmer doesn't have much of a choice. If he remained on the radio after he legally becomes a candidate by filing papers with the Federal Election Commission, his opponents would have to be granted equal time.

So why did Emmer get two full days on the radio to talk largely about his campaign after he announced his intention to run on Wednesday?

Gregg Swedberg, operations manager for Twin Cities' Clear Channel, which owns the station, said he doesn't believe there is a problem because the campaign has really not started.

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Portland Radio: Candidate Announces He’ll Announce

WGAN’s Morning Show made news in Maine Thursday, when Eliot Cutler, an independent who finished a close second to Republican Gov. Paul LePage in 2010, confirmed Thursday morning that he plans to run for governor in 2014.

When asked by WGAN 560 AM morning show host Mike Violette if he’s running for governor in 2014, Cutler replied, “I am.” Cutler, who has filed as a candidate with the Maine Ethics Commission, said it would be “disingenuous” to deny that he’s running and that he would make a formal announcement after Labor Day.

LISTEN: Click Here.

“You guys have been pressing me for months to announce on your show. I figured I couldn’t make a formal announcement on your show, but I can announce that I will announce,” Cutler said.

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Report: OK TV Weatherman Vilified For Tornado Advice

An award-winning Oklahoma television meteorologist has been criticized as "irresponsible" for telling viewers on Friday to get in their cars and flee approaching tornadoes, and some are blaming him for putting people in grave danger on clogged roads, according to a Reuters story.

Mike Morgan, chief meteorologist for Oklahoma City television station KFOR, told viewers during a tornado warning to get in their cars and drive away from a threatened storm.

Some people said they followed his advice and ended up stuck in traffic jams on major central Oklahoma highways as a massive storm bore down on the Oklahoma City area.

Ernst Kiesling, research professor at Texas Tech's National Wind Institute, said it was wrong to advise people to get in their cars and try to outrun a tornado.

"Irresponsible reporting of that kind is unconscionable in my mind. You have the responsibility to give more than your off-the-cuff opinions."

Morgan has not appeared on the network since Friday, and the station said he is on vacation and would be back on Thursday. He could not be reached for comment.

But a statement from KFOR on Wednesday said: "After every major storm, we review our coverage and the many things that make each weather event unique, for the purpose of improving our coverage and our ability to forecast."

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Dish Nation Radio Hosts Slam DWTS

The hosts of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning and The Heidi and Frank Show bash DWTS. During a recent segment of the nationally synsdicated TV Show Dish Nation.

Kraddick’s home station is Top 40 KHKS106.1 Kiss-FM in Dallas-Fort Worth and Heidi & Frank air on KLOS 95.5 FM in La.

Clear Channel Launches ‘Stripes’ Initiative

Clear Channel has announced the launch of iHeartRadio’s Show Your Stripes, a company-wide community service initiative to address the issue of unemployment among U.S. military veterans and encourage businesses to hire skilled veterans.

Clear Channel will spend more than $75 million in radio, digital and out-of-home resources to highlight the skills brought back by returning servicemen and women and their value to employers in the workplace.

iHeartRadio’s Show Your Stripes – with the tagline “Hire Smart – Hire Vets” – is a long-term effort to help guide veterans back into civilian life by highlighting their valuable training and experience. It will include radio, digital and out-of-home public service announcements (PSAs) from the biggest names in entertainment and pop culture that will reach Clear Channel Media and Entertainment’s 243 million monthly U.S. listeners, the 60 million unique monthly visitors reached via its digital platforms and the 141 million people reached by Clear Channel Outdoor’s out-of-home advertising every month.

To help deliver the message that hiring skilled veterans is a smart decision for businesses, iHeartRadio’s Show Your Stripes will engage iconic legends in music and pop culture. To launch the campaign, artists across all music and entertainment genres, including Elton John, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Ryan Seacrest, Mario Lopez, Trace Adkins and LL Cool J have recorded a series of PSAs that showcase stories from veterans who have successfully found jobs.

CBS Appoints Joseph Ianniello COO

Joseph Ianniello

Joseph Ianniello has been named Chief Operating Officer of CBS Corporation, it was announced Wednesday by Leslie Moonves, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. 

In this new role, Ianniello will continue to oversee all financial operations and work closely with Moonves and senior management to maximize the monetization of the Company content, including oversight of negotiations for digital streaming, retransmission consent fees and reverse compensation from affiliates. In this five-year agreement, he will continue to report to Moonves and be based in both New York and Los Angeles.

“Joe’s role in CBS’s success these past several years has been extraordinary,” said Moonves. “He’s been a game-changing CFO, but he’s also so much more than that. He is a tough negotiator, a great manager, and someone who brings energy, passion and a great sense of teamwork to anything he does. He is also someone who has developed incredible trust and admiration on Wall Street, with our shareholders, our board of directors and my superb senior management team, of which he is an integral part. I am proud to promote Joe to this new position, which not only recognizes the many contributions he has already made, but sets him up for all the great work yet to be done.”

Ianniello was named Chief Financial Officer of CBS Corporation in 2009. Before that, he served as Deputy Chief Financial Officer, where he was responsible for the Company’s financial strategy across its operations, in addition to worldwide treasury, tax, information systems and technology, corporate development – including mergers and acquisitions – and risk management.  Prior to that, Ianniello served as Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer and Treasurer.

Before the separation of CBS and Viacom Inc., Ianniello held several key roles at Viacom, including Senior Vice President and Treasurer (2005) and Vice President of Corporate Development (2000-2005), where he was integrally involved in identifying and assessing potential mergers and acquisitions for the company. 

Survey: Apple Fans Ready For iRadio Music Stream

Consumers apparently have a lot of blind faith in Apple.

The tech giant, per the New York Times, is expected to enter the Internet radio space as early as next week, taking on established players like Spotify and Pandora. And according to a survey of 1,000 Internet radio users, it could be a big opportunity for Apple.

According to David Taintor at adage.com, the study was conducted by GroupM Next and it found that 34 percent of respondents would switch from their current Internet radio provider to Apple, without even seeing the product. Forty-nine percent said they would at least be interested in checking out Apple's service.

"Consumers express faith in a product experience that steps outside of Apple's mainstream product offering, based on brand name alone," wrote Jesse Wolfersberger, director of consumer insights at GroupM Next. "And for that, Apple has the competition to thank—Pandora, iHeartRadio, Spotify and others—for delivering a marketplace and services that have gained adoption the world over."

Apple's offering is expected to be free and ad-supported, according to the Times, similar to Pandora, Spotify and others (though Spotify also has a paid subscription product).

Read More Now.

Carrie Underwood Wins Big At CMT Awards

The 2013 CMT Music Awards featured an interesting mix of old and new. Veterans like Blake Shelton and Carrie Underwood took home top awards, and Miranda Lambert pocketed multiple belt buckles.

But newcomer Hunter Hayes also won an award, and Florida Georgia Line scored multiple buckles as well. Traditional vs. cutting edge, classic vs. new -- the 2013 CMT Music Awards had a little something for everyone.

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The following videos won trophies at Wednesday's 2013 CMT Music Awards.

• Breakthrough video of the year: Florida Georgia Line, Cruise
• CMT performance of the year: Miranda Lambert, Over You
• Collaborative video of the year: Jason Aldean with Luke Bryan and Eric Church, The Only Way I Know
• Duo video of the year: Florida Georgia Line, Cruise
• Female video of the year: Miranda Lambert, Mama's Broken Heart
• Group video of the year: Lady Antebellum, Downtown
• Male video of the year: Blake Shelton, Sure Be Cool If You Did
• Video of the year: Carrie Underwood, Blown Away

CCM+E Does Dualtone Digital Deal

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment and Dualtone Music Group, a leading boutique independent music label, today announced an agreement that enables Dualtone and its artists to share revenue from Clear Channel’s broadcast and digital radio.

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment is the leading media company in America with a greater reach than any other radio or television outlet.

Dualtone Music Group is a Nashville-based independent label specializing in roots rock, indie rock and critically acclaimed singer/songwriters. Founded in 2001 by Scott Robinson, the label’s CEO, Dualtone is known for its thoughtful approach to artist development, providing dedicated attention to a small roster and focusing on gradual, long-term success.

This style has attracted artists like The Lumineers, whose quadruple-platinum single “Ho Hey” has garnered more than 65 million YouTube views, is consistently in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, and whose self-titled debut album went platinum as the band was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

Dualtone’s current artist roster includes The Lumineers, Shovels & Rope, Ivan & Alyosha, Little Comets and legendary songsmith Guy Clark. Overall, Dualtone’s artists have been nominated for 17 Grammy Awards, including three wins.

This is the second such deal in a week for Clear Channel, which signed a deal with Fearless Records earlier in the week. CC now has a total of 10 agreements with record labels.

Detroit Radio: Hastings Makes Quick Exit

Keith Hastings

After just four month on the job, programmer Keith Hastings has left Greater Media’s building and WCSX 94.7 FM.

Hastings is headed to the Cox Media building in San Antonio to program classic rock KISS 99.5 FM.

"KISS is one of the legendary rock brands in the nation and I'm excited to have one of the best rock programmers in Keith Hastings take the station to the next level," said Dan Lawrie, CMG’s VP/Market Manager San Antonio.

"Keith brings strong leadership, creativity and the ability to develop great talent; assets that will help grow the Bill Madison Morning Show and the station as a whole.”

"After talking to a number of rock PD's in the past few months, I was most impressed with Keith" said Steve Smith CMG’s VP of Programming.

"He knows the rock format and knows what it takes to be competitive today. It's great to have Keith join our programming team in, and I'm confident he will add to our already solid momentum we have in that market."

Hastings' lengthy programming career includes such call letters as WAAF/Boston 2002-2005.  He also spent 18 years with Saga, where he programmed WAQY/Springfield, MA, the late WLZR/Milwaukee and its successor, WHQG (102.9 The Hog). Hastings was also involved in the launch of Connoisseur Media's Long Island Rock station WWSK (94-3 The Shark in Nassau-Suffolk last year.

Springfield, MO Radio: Bobby Baldwin OUT At KTTS

Baldwin

Bobby Baldwin, morning host at full-service Country KTTS 94.7 FM , is suddenly gone.  Baldwin joined the Journasl Broadcasting station in October 2011.   

Prior to that he worked at Clear Channel’s KMAG/Ft. Smith AR and tracked shows for Clear Channel's Country KSWF The Wolf  in Springfield.

Summer Stevens who was working with Baldwin will remain and handle mornings alone until a successor is found.

KTTS/PD Mark Grantlin is searching for a morning co-host.

The successful candidate will have at least 3 years experience, preferably in mornings and will embrace digital/interactive/social media.

TV Ratings: 'Live With Kelly and Michael' Hits Six-Year High

Disney distribution’s Live With Kelly and Michael rose from fifth place in the last May sweep to a virtual tie for second place with Ellen DeGeneres this year, according to THR. National ratings released Wednesday by Nielsen have Live scoring a 2.5 household rating, a 9 percent increase from last year.

Live had the largest year-to-year viewership increase of any syndicated talk show, up an impressive 9 percent to an average of 3.2 million viewers a day. The show most importantly improved by 15 percent among the key demographic group of women 25-54, with a 1.5 demo rating -- its highest numbers in six years.

Dr. Phil was the highest-rated syndicated talk show for the fifth straight May sweep, with a 3.0 household rating and an average of 3.9 million viewers a day. He was also the top talker among women 25-54. His 1.9 rating in the demo was up 12 percent from last May.

Steve Harvey

Radio's Steve Harvey continues to impress. His talk show had a 1.5 rating, which is just over 2 million viewers a day. He has grown 25 percent since his September debut in households and beat Katie in the key female demo, with a 0.9 compared to Couric's 0.8 rating.

The Harvey-hosted Family Feud was also big news. Its 4.5 household rating marked a 50 percent increase over the game show's performance last May.

And of course Judge Judy is still the queen of TV syndication. She had a 6.7 household rating for May sweep.

Read More Now.

Boston Radio: Bombing Week Listening Gets Profiled

As one may have suspected radio listening was destined to grow as Boston radio stations covered Marathon bombing events.  And obviously, events benefited some stations and adversely impacted others, especially music stations.

The Radio Research Consortium ( the RRC provides service for non-com stations) has documented the day-by-day profile of  radio listening as recorded by Arbitron’s PPM.

RRC added WBZ-AM to the mix for a “Big-3” News/Information combo and it’s clear that  News/Information radio became more important as the week went on.

The study profile begins on Monday, Patriot’s Day.  That was the starting point of the week’s events which ended with the capture of the second suspect the following Friday Evening.  On Friday the RRC study shows 24% of the population was reach by radio.

The top-5 commercial music stations saw their combined listening drop for the historic workweek.

Read More Now. 

Former Pittsburgh PD Busted For Kiddie Porn

Michael McGann

A former Pittsburgh radio personality and PD is in jail after allegedly having and sharing child pornography.

Police say 65-year-old Michael McGann, a former radio host and program director for WTAE, WJAS and 96KX, is accused of having and distributing child pornography.

McGann had a radio career spanning more than 30 years and worked at WJAS until 2008.

Keith Olbermann Gets New TBS TV Gig

Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann is heading back to cable TV to host TBS' postseason Major League Baseball coverage.

Olbermann, who was most recently the chief news officer of Current TV, will get back to his sports roots, as he shot to fame as a host on ESPN's "Sportscenter" during the '90s.

"It's tremendous to be back in baseball," Olbermann reportedly said on a conference call.

"This will be the third different network I have done the postseason for, and I guess that is a record I'm the only one capable of breaking, but I hope I don't."

Turner Sports president David Levy said on the call that Olberman's experience will be invaluable to the network's coverage.

Olbermann was ousted from Current in March last year after conflicts with the network heads.

Premiere Launches Pete Tong EDM Show

Pete Tong

Premiere Networks has announced the launch of Evolution with Pete Tong. Available to CHR and Rhythmic radio stations nationwide, the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) program will further expand Clear Channel Media and Entertainment's Evolution brand, which includes the popular digital station Evolution on iHeartRadio, and terrestrial stations Evolution 101.7 Boston and Evolution 93.5 Miami.

Evolution with Pete Tong is a one-hour, weekly program featuring the iconic British DJ behind BBC Radio 1's renowned Pete Tong Show and the Essential Mix radio show, and host of All Gone Pete Tong, which can be heard daily on Evolution 101.7 and 93.5, as well as iHeartRadio's Evolution channel.

Each week on Evolution with Pete Tong, host Tong showcases the best music from the biggest DJs and dance music producers in the world, such as Swedish House Mafia, deadmau5, Luciano, Richie Hawtin, Calvin Harris, and others. Tong also counts down a weekly chart of the USA's favorite dance tracks, presents his essential new tune of the week, and features guest mixes from EDM's biggest stars.

Launched nationwide the week of May 13, Evolution with Pete Tong is available for air Tuesday through Sunday from 6 a.m. to midnight local time, and can already be heard on nearly 80 stations nationwide, including: KIIS-FM /Los Angeles, Calif; WKSC-FM/Chicago, Ill.; KYLD-FM/San Francisco, Calif.; KHKS-FM/Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas; WIHT-FM/Washington, D.C.; WIOQ-FM/Philadelphia, Pa.; WWPW-FM/Atlanta, Ga.; WXKS-FM/Boston, Mass.; WKQI-FM/Detroit, Mich.; WHYI-FM/Miami, Fla.; KUBE-FM/Seattle, Wash.; and KZZP-FM/Phoenix, Ariz.

Newhouse School To Name New Studio After Dick Clark

Clark (Post-Standard photo)

The name of Dick Clark, the late host of "America's Bandstand" and Dick Clark's "New Year's Rockin' Eve" is becoming part of the Newhouse School complex.

The school announced today that it will name its renovated studio facilities Dick Clark Studios in honor of legendary entertainer and alumnus who graduated in 1951, according to Dave Tobin at syracuse.com.  The Kari and Dick Clark Foundation donated $5 million to the school, a gift announced by Clark's widow, Kari Clark, at the school's annual Mirror Awards ceremony in New York City, which honors excellence in media industry reporting.

The $18 million state-of-the-art studio is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2014.

Clark began his broadcasting career with radio station gigs in Central New York, working at WAER-FM as an SU student and at Utica's WRUN radio, where his father, SU alumnus Richard A. Clark, '18, was the station manager. During Clark's senior year at SU, he joined WOLF-AM in Syracuse.

After returning to WRUN and then moving to a Utica television station, Clark's star took off when he headed to Philadelphia to join WFIL-AM. The young DJ soon became host of "American Bandstand," a WFIL-TV program that was eventually broadcast nationwide on ABC. Through the show, Clark helped introduce rock 'n' roll to mainstream America.

Read More Now.

Parents Not Worried About Kids' Digital-Media Use

With seemingly every kid in America glued most waking hours to a glowing digital device, you might expect their parents to be worried about the potentially harmful effects of all that screen time.

Turns out, not so much, according to a CNN report.

The majority of parents in the United States are largely unconcerned about their young children's media use, according to a Northwestern University study released Tuesday. This despite 70% of parents saying that smartphones and tablets -- so-called "digital babysitters" used to appease bored or fussy kids -- don't make parenting any easier.

Based on a nationally representative survey of more than 2,300 parents of children up to 8 years old, the study "reveals a generational shift in parental attitudes about technology's role in young children's lives," said Ellen Wartella, director of Northwestern's Center on Media and Human Development and lead author of the report.

An overwhelming majority (78%) of parents say their children's media use is not a source of family conflict, while 59% say they are not worried about their children becoming addicted to phones, tablet computers or gaming devices. The study found that 55% of parents are "not too" or "not at all" concerned about their children's media use, compared to 30% who are concerned.

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Study: More Cellphone Owners Getting Smart

For the first time since the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project began systematically tracking smartphone adoption, a majority of Americans now own a smartphone of some kind. Pew's definition of a smartphone owner includes anyone who says “yes” to one—or both—of the following questions:

• 55% of cell phone owners say that their phone is a smartphone.
• 58% of cell phone owners say that their phone operates on a smartphone platform common to the U.S. market.

Taken together, 61% of cell owners said yes to at least one of these questions and are classified as smartphone owners. Because 91% of the adult population now owns some kind of cell phone, that means that 56% of all American adults are now smartphone adopters. One third (35%) have some other kind of cell phone that is not a smartphone, and the remaining 9% of Americans do not own a cell phone at all.

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Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” Called 2013 Summer Song

"A dance song about sex with a hook that won't quit? It's a no-brainer," one radio programmer told Billboard's radio analyst Sean Ross, who named “Get Lucky” the song of the summer in his column.

According to Duane Dudek at jsoneline.com, Ross compares interest in the "song of the summer" concept in the United States to interest abroad in quaint foreign rituals, like the Eurovision song contest or the annual U.K. Christmas No. 1 single competition portrayed in "Love Actually."

But Dudek wonders, are summer songs made or born that way? And just how in the age of Spotify and PPM, the radio analytic that tells stations exactly when listeners tune in and out, does a song reach that exalted status?

YouTube, TV shows and the consumer press publicity are all part of the equation when music labels attempt to create buzz for a song or artist.

"But radio confirms it," said Ross. "A big part of the summer song is hearing it everywhere ... without really trying to. And to do that you need radio.

"There are new ways to listen to music. But radio is the closer."

Summer songs of the recent past have included Kid Rock's Lynyrd Skynyrd riff "All Summer Long," Katy Perry's "California Gurls," the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling," and what Ross calls "throw up your hands" songs like "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO.

Cousin Ed at WNRG 106.9 FM in Milwaukee says another contender this year is "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke.

A summer song, said Cousin Ed, "is the one song on the radio everybody wants to claim as theirs. 'That's my jam.' When you're by yourself you're singing it, and when you're with a group of people, you're singing it louder."

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TWC’s Mike Bettes Talks About Twister Experience

Newlywed meteorologists Mike Bettes and Allison Chinchar reflect on chasing storms in an interview with WXIA-TV in Atlanta after Mike's near-death experience Friday while tornado chasing.

Bettes is part of the Weather Channel's "Tornado Hunt" chase team.

NYC Radio: R.I.P..WBAI Show Hosts Commit Suicide

Lynne Rosen

Lynne Rosen and John Littig were found dead Monday in their Park Slope home. As a psychotherapist Rosen, 46, and motivational speaker Littig, 48, were in the business of telling people how to live.

The Brooklyn couple hosted a radio show called "The Pursuit of Happiness" and they committed suicide together by putting plastic bags over their heads and inhaling helium.

Lynne Rosen and John Littig, who were found dead on a couch in the living room of their Park Slope apartment, left behind two notes, police said the NYDailyNews.

“We’re going to do this together,” was the gist of Littig’s note, sources said.

John Littig

Littig said, without explanation, that he could not watch his wife suffer any more.

“Her note basically said she was sorry for doing this,” a police source said. “We believe she had some psychological problems.”

Until their decomposing bodies were found Monday, the couple had been best known as the hosts of a self-help radio show on WBAI-FM.

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Report: Apple's iRadio To Be Supported By Ads

Apple Inc., planning to unveil a music-streaming service next week, is revamping how it sells mobile advertising to cater to businesses eager to reach customers as they listen to songs, people familiar with the changes told Bloomberg.

According to Bloomberg, engineers and sales staff in Apple’s iAd business have been charged with supporting the new digital-radio service, which the company plans to debut as early as June 10 at its annual developers conference, said the people, who asked not to be named because the moves aren’t public. The music service won’t be publicly available until later this year, when Apple’s iOS 7 mobile-operating system is released, one person said.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook is shifting how the company courts advertisers after failing to make much headway against Google Inc. in the $4.11 billion U.S. mobile-ad market. Apple will seek to land big brands for the new streaming-radio service -- akin to Pandora Media’s business model --scaling back its role as a network that places marketing messages in mobile software from its App Store.

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, has been negotiating with advertising companies including Omnicom Group Inc. to secure brands that will run campaigns on the radio service, one person said.

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TV: CMT Music Awards Are Tonight

Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Reba McEntire will open the 2013 CMT Music Awards with a segment that also features Dr. Drew, Kelsey Grammer, Lorraine Bracco and Vince Vaughn.

Hosted by Jason Aldean and Kristen Bell, the CMT Music Awards air live Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CMT and CMT.com.

Kacey Musgraves has been added to the show, marking her first appearance as a main stage performer at the awards show. Additional presenters announced Tuesday include AnnaSophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries), Twitter Tracker presenter Cassadee Pope, Dax Shepard, Jana Kramer, Kenny Rogers, Sheryl Crow and The Band Perry.

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As previously reported, the awards show will feature a collaboration featuring Aldean and Lenny Kravitz along with rapper Nelly joining Florida Georgia Line on their hit "Cruise." Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line, Hunter Hayes, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift will also perform. The Mavericks will serve as the official house band of the evening.

Other presenters include Charles Esten, Duane "Dog" and Beth Chapman, Ed Sheeran, Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Kellie Pickler, Kevin and Michael Bacon of the Bacon Brothers, Larry The Cable Guy, Lisa Marie Presley and Scotty McCreery.

Prior to the main event, the hottest stars in country, rock and pop culture entertainment will step out in their designer best at the 2013 CMT Music Awards Red Carpet hosted by CMT's Cody Alan, Katie Cook and Allison DeMarcus. Airing live Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CMT and CMT.com, the red carpet will include exclusive interviews, candid moments and a first look at the fashion choices of the night's biggest stars.

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SF Radio: Cumulus Media Appoints Two

Cumulus Media has announced two key appointments for its San Francisco cluster of stations. Steve Sklenar will join Cumulus as Market Manager and Kevin Crespo will join as National/Regional Sales Manager.

Sklenar will oversee station operations for Cumulus stations in the San Francisco market: KFOG Radio, KFFG 97.7, 107.7 The Bone, KNBR The Sports Leader, KTCT The Ticket 1050, Hot Talk KSFO 560 and KGO Newstalk 810.

A seasoned radio broadcasting professional, Sklenar most recently served as Assistant Vice President and Director of Sales at Lincoln Financial Radio in San Diego.

Crespo will help to develop national and regional advertising sales for the cluster. Crespo is a radio sales veteran who most recently served as National Sales Manager at Lincoln Financial Radio. Prior to that, Crepo served as General Sales Manager for Finest City Brodcasting in San Diego. Earlier in his career, Crespo held sales management positions in Washington, D.C. for Colfax and CBS.

“To be tapped as the leader of Cumulus San Francisco is both exciting and humbling. This is without question one of the most coveted positions in all of broadcasting, not just radio. The history and prestige of these stations in the San Francisco community comes with great responsibility. We will not take that lightly,” Sklenar said.

Report: Downsizing Disney Puts Stations On The Block

In the latest cost-cutting move at Disney, the company is seeking buyers for six AM and one FM radio station that are part of the Radio Disney portfolio in the United States.

Variety is reporting Disney Media Networks is handling the sale of the stations in small- to mid-sized markets:

• WDDY 1460 Albany, NY
• KPHN 1190 Kansas City
• KDIS-FM 99.5 Little Rock
• WKSH 1640 Sussex/Milwaukee
• WDZY 1290 Colonial Heights/Richmond
• KWDZ 910 Salt Lake City
• KRDY 1160 San Antonio

It is unclear just how much coin Disney could collect from the sale of the stations aimed at kids, tweens and families. The company does not break out results from its radio stations in earnings reports, incorporating them, instead, with the media networks group, which also includes broadcast and cable TV networks like ABC, Disney Channel and ESPN.

Disney still considers Radio Disney a strong asset — especially as a platform to promote its young Walt Disney Records and Disney Channel stars, as well as company TV shows, theme parks, online, game and film properties.

But it sees the sale as a way for Burbank-based Radio Disney to focus on the 24 stations it operates in the top 25 markets.

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