Saturday Aircheck: WAPE 690 AM Jacksonville Tribute

WAPE  690 AM, Jacksonville, Florida, was a Top 40 radio station with a powerful signal, covering a large area along the East Coast of the United States, during daylight hours.  Its 690 kHz 50-kW daytime/25-kW nighttime frequency is now occupied by WOKV, owned by Cox Radio.

The station, known as The Big Ape, debuted March 1, 1958 with 25,000 watts, operating sunrise to sunset only. WAPE’s almost unequaled daytime coverage area was a result of several factors... the frequency (AM stations on lower frequencies cover far more territory than those on higher frequencies during the day), the location of the tower near the coast (AM signals travel much greater distances over salt water than over land), and the power (25,000 watts packs a lot of punch).

The result was a station with strong coverage from Daytona Beach, Florida, to Charleston, South Carolina, and a very audible signal from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

In the mid '60s, WAPE further solidified its position by increasing daytime power to 50,000 watts and began broadcasting 24 hours a day.

From 1959 through the early 1970’s, it could be said with great certainty that every teenager living along the southeast coast, from Daytona Beach to Wilmington, North Carolina, had two favorite radio stations; the Top 40 station in their home town and Jacksonville’s WAPE.  And in some cases, it was the distant WAPE, and not their hometown station, that was on top of the local ratings.

The exceptional coverage area of the WAPE signal would allow it to spread its musical influence up and down the coastal areas of the southeast.

For More On WAPE: Click Here.

Zimmerman Talks to Opie & Anthony

Make that..Robert Zimmerman, brother of George Zimmerman.  Brother George was found not guilty in the death of Trayvon Martin last week.  Robert Zimmerman blames the media for the blowback following the verdict.

Charles Barkley Calls Out the Media

Charles Barkley

NBA legend Charles Barkley appeared on CNBC’s Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo Thursday afternoon and shared his incredibly diplomatic views on George Zimmerman‘s acquittal. “I agree with the verdict,” Barkley told Bartiromo. “I’m sorry that young kid got killed, but they didn’t have enough evidence to charge him.”

According to Mediaite, Barkley called out the media for not having a “pure heart” when it comes to race. “Racism is wrong in any, shape or form,” Barkley said. “A lot of black people are racist too. I think sometimes when people talk about racism, they say only white people are racist, but I think black people are too. I don’t think the media has clean hands.”

In Barkley’s assessment, “Trayvon Martin, God rest his soul, he did flip the switch and start beating the hell out of Mr. Zimmerman.” He added that he “feels bad” that the trial gave “every white person and black person who is racist the platform to vent their ignorance. That’s the thing that bothered me the most. I watched this trial closely. I watched these people on television talking about it. A lot of these people have a hidden agenda. They want to have their racist views, whether they are white or black… They’re biases come out.”

Read More Now.

You Might Soon Have to Pay Six Cable Bills

TV viewers turning to online streaming services for entertainment could result in having to pay multiple bills. The Wall Street Journal’s Maria LaMagna explains that may not be such a bad thing.

SiriusXM, aTT To Provide Mobile Connectivity

AT&T this week announced an agreement with Sirius XM Radio to provide mobile connectivity to support a suite of security and additional services for Nissan automobiles in North America.

SiriusXM's in-vehicle telematics solution will provide Nissan vehicle owners 24/7 emergency support for accidents, stolen vehicle tracking and roadside assistance, along with a host of additional services to be announced at a later date.

"Your future car is going to be a smartphone with four wheels with powerful capabilities specifically built for a safe and enhanced customer experience," said Glenn Lurie, president of AT&T Emerging Enterprises and Partnerships Organization.

"By adding fast, reliable and built-in mobile internet for SiriusXM's forthcoming in-car experience, we are powering a connected experience inside Nissan automobiles for both drivers and passengers."

"As a Connected Vehicle services provider for Nissan, we are excited to work with AT&T to deliver a world-class telematics service to Nissan vehicles," said Enrique Rodriguez, Executive Vice President, Operations and Products, SiriusXM. "SiriusXM is the leader in subscription services to the car and our network provides ubiquitous coast-to-coast delivery of our unparalleled audio entertainment and information services. Now, as we move into a connected vehicle world, SiriusXM will provide a telematics service that will offer Nissan vehicle owners a comprehensive set of telematics, information and entertainment services in their vehicle. A first for our industry."

SiriusXM will use the combination of satellite and cellular networks to expand features for customers. This combination of networks will allow SiriusXM to take advantage of both one-to-many and one-to-one network connectivity.

Tom's Take: No word on monthly cost, but GM's OnStar charges $18.95 monthly. 

Toledo Radio: Sheryl Underwood To Debut Talk Show

Sheryl Underwood

Sheryl Underwood heats up drive-time as her radio show "Sheryl Underwood In The Afternoon" joins the program line-up of WJUC The Juice 107.3 FM in Toledo, Ohio. "Sheryl Underwood In The Afternoon," begins airing Friday, August 2 from 3pm - 7 pm daily.

"Sheryl Underwood In The Afternoon" gives listeners' an all-access pass to entertaining and enlightening conversations about news stories and issues of the day. Sheryl and the crew, broadcasting from The Juice studios, will be live the entire month of August, putting their particular spin on the topics people are talking about.

According to Sheryl the show fits right in to the taping schedule for THE TALK, which she co-hosts on CBS television, and her philanthropic endeavors. She adds, "I am excited and proud to be working in Toledo, especially at this station. I feel like I've got new friends and a new family. I'm looking forward to being on the radio again. I've wanted to do this for a while.

I believe that there is room on the radio for diverse voices. The radio experience that I had with the Tom Joyner Morning Show, and hosting "The Sheryl Underwood Show" on Jamie Foxx's The Foxxhole as well as my current role as a contributor on "The Steve Harvey Morning Show," have brought me to this place. "

W. Charles Welch, station owner, says "The Juice FM 107.3 is both honored and excited to be the home of Sheryl Underwood In The Afternoon. From the moment we met it was apparent that our station and Sheryl Underwood would be a perfect fit for each other. This is one of the biggest moments in the more than 40 years of my broadcasting career. God is good!"

Bay Area Radio: KGO Extends Cal Contract, Adds Hoops

Cal football and KGO Radio 810 AM are extending one of the longest broadcast partnerships in sports with the announcement that the Golden Bears will return to the station for a 40th consecutive year in the fall for the start of a new five-year contract.

 In addition, Cal men’s basketball games and the weekly Inside the Locker Room program will join the KGO lineup this year.

KGO Radio and IMG College, the multi-media rights holder for Cal Athletics and operator of the nation's largest independent sports radio network, have signed a five-year agreement that lasts through the 2017 football season and 2017-18 basketball campaign. The 50,000-watt station based in San Francisco can be heard from as far north as Redding, south to Fresno and to the coast in San Luis Obispo during the day. The signal also reaches into Canada, Colorado and Mexico at night.

Football fans have been able to follow the Bears on KGO Radio since 1974, while Cal men’s basketball is making a return to the station for the first time since a 13-season run ended in 1992.

“We are thrilled to be able to renew our agreement with KGO Radio for football and to add men’s basketball and our weekly coaches’ show beginning this fall,” Cal Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour said. “Cal football fans have been able to enjoy the strong KGO signal for nearly 40 years, and now our men’s basketball followers will experience the same benefit. With a partnership lasting four decades, many of our fans and alumni know KGO as the only station for Cal football, and I’m excited to see that we are extending our association together even longer.”

“Cal football has long been a part of KGO 810 in the Bay Area and Northern California,” said Steve Sklenar, Vice President and Market Manager for KGO Radio. “We are pleased to extend our partnership with them for both football and men’s basketball and look forward to a long relationship.”

OKC Radio: Cumulus, Thunder Renew Partnership

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Cumulus Media have signed a multi-year agreement that allows WWLS 98.1 FM The Sports Animal to continue as the flagship radio station of the Oklahoma City Thunder Radio Network.

As they have been since 2008, all Thunder preseason, regular-season and postseason games will be carried live on The Sports Animal. All Thunder games will also be broadcast on The Sports Animal's sister station KWPN-ESPN Radio 640 AM, in addition to a dozen other stations across the state and region that make up the Thunder Radio Network. Veteran NBA broadcaster Matt Pinto will return for his sixth season as the radio play-by-play voice of the Thunder.

"We are proud and excited to continue our strong relationship with Cumulus and The Sports Animal," said Thunder Vice President of Corporate Communications and Community Relations Dan Mahoney. "They are the leaders in sports radio in Oklahoma, with passion and excitement for Thunder Basketball."

"When Cumulus Media acquired these stations back in 2011, our then-pre-existing Thunder alliance was one of the first things the company identified as most exciting. Consequently, the extension of our Thunder relationship was enthusiastically supported, especially when considering the partnership’s significant impacts on both listenership and advertising revenues, not to mention the thrill provided to our employees from being associated with a brand recognized worldwide!” said Cumulus Media Market Manager Larry Bastida.

Live Spanish-language broadcasts of Thunder home games will continue on Cumulus station WKY 930 AM (La Indomable) in Oklahoma City. Veteran broadcaster Eleno Ornelas will return to provide play-by-play. Ornelas also serves as the Spanish-language announcer for the Texas Rangers.

NY Radio: Moving Transmitter Costs WFWO

The FCC doesn’t like it when stations transmit their signal from a location different than the one from which they’re authorized for.

According to RadioWorld, the agency has proposed an $8,000 fine for Fellowship, licensee of WFWO FM, Medina, N.Y.

The non-com is authorized to transmit on 89.7 MHz from Presbyterian Road in Knowelsville, N.Y.

Responding to a complaint in October 2012, an agent from the Enforcement Bureau’s Philadelphia office traced the signal back to the Fellowship Christian Center in Buffalo, some 36 miles from Knowelsville. The agent also took field strength measurements to determine if WFWO’s power levels were low enough to operate under Part 15 of its rules. The FCC said in its decision that WFWO exceeded the maximum permitted level of 250 μV/m at 3 meters for nonlicensed devices and, therefore, required a license to operate.

The agent told Young to stop operating the transmitter from Buffalo, because it was over-powered for Part 15 operation and not the authorized location. The FCC said Young agreed.

A director of engineering from a licensed Buffalo station told the FCC in November of 2012 that WFWO was transmitting again from Buffalo. The Enforcement Bureau agent confirmed that and inspected the facility. Young claimed he was unaware the station was operational and alleged that his children must have turned on the transmitter in Buffalo, according to the FCC’s account.

Fellowship has 30 days to appeal or pay.

Read More Now.

Eugene Radio: Pirate Boldly Plans to Hack The Airwaves

Turn your radio dial all the way to the left and you might start picking up broadcasts from KHAC, Eugene’s new pirate radio station at 87.5 FM, “Hearts and Crimes Radio” with the tagline, “First on the Dial, First in Your Heart.”

According to the Eugene Weekly, KHAC has started beta testing its transmitter and plans to be up and running by Dec. 12, occupying an unlicensed spot on local airwaves with music and talk programming.

The radio roll-out is connected with the larger Occupy protest effort to shut down the West Coast ports that day, says Static, a member of the KHAC initiative. The port shutdown is a coordinated effort to shut down “Wall Street on the waterfront,” according to westcoastportshutdown.org and Portland is one the ports targeted. Dec. 12 is also the day the Eugene City Council will decide whether or not to extend Occupy Eugene’s camping permit.

The spot KHAC will occupy on the dial, 87.5, was chosen specifically because it is on the unused end of radio spectrum. It’s so underutilized that some radios, particularly car radios, don’t even have it on the dial, according to Static, a member of the KHAC initiative. “It’s a limited edition frequency,” he says. KHAC expects the range of the station to be throughout the greater Eugene area.

Static says he knows some people will ask, “Why don’t you use the internet?” instead of radio. But KHAC’s aim it to reach the people who don’t have internet access so “some homeless person pushing a shopping cart with a transistor radio could have access.” 

Future programming might include anything from radio broadcasts of Occupy Eugene general assemblies to talk radio and music.

Read More Now.

Tom's Take:  Organizers plan to hold a fundraiser for the pirate radio station at a time and location that they will announce later. In the meanwhile, the pirates have contact info: email 87.5.Eugene@gmail.com or call 286-KHAC.  Will the FCC dial?

R.I.P.: KCOH Disc Jockey Stevie Goodtime T

Stevie Goodtime T

Longstanding KCOH 1230 AM Houston radio personality Steven Reginald Talton, known on-air as Stevie Goodtime T, passed of cancer complications this past Sunday. While Talton had kept his long battle with prostate cancer quiet, details became known after his passing, according to houstonpress.com.

Talton was most widely known for his nightly program "The Passion Zone," which was filled with the best torch songs in soul music as well as Talton's pointed and often funny observations on couples and relationships. 

Filled with the likes of Isaac Hayes and Barry White as well as with dial-in requests and bits of listener participation, the program often felt like a late-night party.

Born in the tiny north-central Texas community of Maypearl on December 29, 1956, Talton was a graduate of Dallas Baptist University. He was in broadcasting essentially his entire adult life, and spent the last 18 years with Houston's historically black-owned -- albeit recently sold -- KCOH.

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Atlanta Radio: 'The Game' Inks Buckethead For Morning Drive

Jason Bailey

Jason Bailey, formerly known as Buckethead at CCM+E’s WTKS Real Radio 104.1 FM in Orlando has landed on his feet. 

Now going by his real name Jason Bailey, he’s joined CBS Radio’s WZGC 92-9 FM The Game in Atlanta, where he’ll become part of the “Morning Grind”, co-hosting with Randy Cross and Kristen Ledlow. 

“As we continue to position Sportsradio 92-9 The Game success”, said PD Terry Foxx, “we are excited to have Jason join us to bring his unique and entertaining personality to our team.”

The Game’s Rick Kamla will slide into the 10a-2p shift and co-host with Jamie Dukes.

Twin Cities Talk: Leah Remini's Break From Scientology

Leah Remini

Last week, actress Leah Remini's exit from the controversial, scandal-fraught Church of Scientology was made public. Her departure came following a long, difficult journey that began after an innocent question. A question, mind you, she asked at Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' wedding. Leah simply asked where her friend Shelly was. Michele 'Shelly' Miscavige, wife of David Miscavige, the leader of Scientology, has not been seen in public since August 2007.

Although Leah has yet to make a public statement about why she left Scientology, her sister Nicole Remini has. Nicole, now living in Minnesota with her family, is also a former member of the church.

On Monday, Nicole sat down with KTMY myTalk 107.1 host Colleen Lindstrom for an exclusive, in-depth conversation about her own experience in the church, as well as that of her sister and her family.

Personalized News Radio App Swell Raises $5.4M

Swell, the app that brings a Pandora-like experience to news and talk radio content, is announcing that it has raised $5.4 million in Series A funding.

Accord to techcrunch.com, the round was led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, with participation from Google Ventures, InterWest Partners, Correlation Ventures, and Draper Nexus Ventures. Concept.io, the startup that built Swell, previously raised a $1.8 million seed round from Google Ventures, Charles River Ventures, DFJ, Andreessen Horowitz, Inspovation Ventures, and various angel investors.

Swell launched in June with content from NPR, American Public Media, ABC News, the BBC, TED Talks, and others. That content is all available through free podcasts in the iTunes story already, but through a combination of technology and human curation, Swell streams a mix of programs that become personalized to the listener’s interest over time.

Once you start the app, you can just let it run (particularly using Swell on your commute or while exercising), but you can also skip tracks that you don’t like, identify broad topics (such as technology) that you want to focus on at the moment, and bookmark programs for listening later.

Read More Now.

Survey: Too Much Freedom?

In a survey released this week by the Newseum Institute, 34 percent of Americans say the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees, up from 13 percent in last year's survey. This is the largest single-year increase in the history of the State of the First Amendment national survey.

The Newseum Institute's First Amendment Center-sponsored survey has been conducted since 1997 to determine public knowledge and opinion about the First Amendment and related issues. The results were released today by First Amendment Center President Ken Paulson and Newseum Institute Chief Operating Officer Gene Policinski.

Ken Paulson

"It's unsettling to see a third of Americans view the First Amendment as providing too much liberty," said Paulson, who also is the dean of the College of Mass Communication at Middle Tennessee State University.

"This underscores the need for more First Amendment education. If we truly understand the essential role of these freedoms in a democracy, we're more likely to protect them," Paulson said.

On other issues, the survey found:

• Americans identified freedom of speech as the most important freedom that citizens enjoy (47 percent), followed by freedom of religion (10 percent), freedom of choice (7 percent), and the right to vote and the right to bear arms (both 5 percent).
• 80 percent agreed it is important for our democracy that the news media act as an independent "watchdog" over government on behalf of the public, up 5 percentage points from 2012; 46 percent believe that "the news media try to report the news without bias" — the highest number since the survey began asking the question in 2004.
• Only 4 percent of those surveyed could name "petition" as one of the five freedoms in the First Amendment, the lowest percentage this year for any of the five freedoms.
• Only freedom of speech was named by more than half of the respondents, 59 percent. Freedom of religion was named by 24 percent, while just 14 percent named freedom of the press and 11 percent named assembly.
• 75 percent believe high school students should be able to exercise their First Amendment rights just as adults do, while 23 percent disagreed.

"Americans remain generally supportive of First Amendment freedoms. But the inability of most to even name the freedoms, combined with the increase of those who think the freedoms go too far, shows how quickly that support can erode," said Policinski. "As a nation, we must better prepare our fellow and future citizens for the hard decision of defending core freedoms against those who would damage or limit them by violence or by law."

Complete survey results are available at newseum.org .

Boston Radio 92.9 To Swap Tickets For Rolling Stone Issue

Following the release of Rolling Stone's controversial August issue with alleged Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover, thousands of angry subscribers to the magazine declared they would cease paying for the publication.

On Wednesday, retailers like CVS, Walgreens, Shaw's and others declared they would not sell copies of the Rolling Stone issue in-store. Greater Media’s WBOS Radio 92.9 FM  is taking it a step further.

Radio 92.9 announced on its Facebook page  it will 'buy' back copies of the August issue of Rolling Stone on Friday, July 26, in exchange for random concert tickets. The only stipulation is that the copies must be your subscription; in other words, a listener can't run to the store and buy a magazine just for the free tickets - that kind of defeats the purpose of the promotion.

Read the full statement: Click Here.

Study: Public Radio Thrives

According to Arbitron, public radio continues to be a vibrant and relevant part of many Americans’ lives. The stations Arbitron evaluated for its Public Radio 2013 report broadcast  unique programming to over 32 million weekly listeners nationwide. Public radio is also meeting the challenges of a crowded media landscape by taking full advantage of technological innovations including podcasting, Internet streaming, and HD Radio multicasting.

Public Radio Today 2013 is an in-depth look at the listening activity to the nine most popular public radio formats representing the Fall  2012 Diary and October-November-December 2012 PPM survey periods: News/Talk/Information, Classical Music, News-Classical,  Album Adult Alternative (AAA), Jazz, News-AAA, News-Music, News-Jazz, and Variety Music.

Among the study’s findings:

• During the Fall 2012 rating period covered by this year’s study, over 32 million people, about 12% of the 12+ population, listened to a public radio station in an average week. Some 1,247 rated radio stations (AM, FM, streamed, and HD Radio) were evaluated for this year’s report.
• In an environment of increased media choices, time spent listening to public radio has held steady in recent years. For example, when compared to the prior year edition of Public Radio Today, time spent listening in this year’s study either remained thesame or improved in 11 of 14 key age/gender categories.
• Public radio’s popularity among younger audiences continues to grow—it reached record numbers of 18-24 Men and 25-34 Men in Spring 2012, and the medium reaches over 17% of older men.
• The public News/Talk/Information format accounts for more than a third of all rated public stations and now, for the first time this year, accounts for more than half of all public radio listening. The format is most popular in the PPM markets but it’s the No. 1 format in Diary markets as well. Listeners to this format are better educated and live in a greater number of high income households than the listeners to any other public or commercial radio format.
• Classical remains the second most popular public radio format. As public Classical stations assume the mantle from commercial stations, the format’s popularity continues to grow in PPM markets.
• Public radio’s most popular music format, Album Adult Alternative (AAA), along with News-AAA, continues to capture nearly 10% of all public radio listening.

Report: Asiana Dropping Plans To Sue KTVU

Asiana Airlines has backed off plans to sue a Bay Area TV station that broadcast fake and racially offensive names for the pilots involved in the July 6 crash landing of Flight 214, according to USAToday.

The station, KTVU TV, quickly retracted the report on the pilot names and issued an apology.

However, the incident angered Asiana officials, who had threatened to sue the Bay Area Fox affiliate. Asiana executives claimed the incident sullied the carrier's reputation.

"Asiana Airlines had intended to pursue legal action for a regrettable report on July 12 made by local San Francisco Bay Area broadcasting station KTVU," the airline says in statement. "The report referred to the names of the pilots by using racially charged epithets. It profoundly disparaged Asiana, its employees, and all Asians. Asiana deplores the hateful words of the broadcast."

Now, Asiana says it simply wants to move forward and focus on supporting passengers and families. Three people were killed and dozens injured as a result of the crash.

Read More Now.

Report: Bob Pittman Radio’s ‘Most Powerful’

Radio Ink has released its 18th annual list of the 40 Most Powerful People in Radio.

Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman heads the list at number one, marking the third consecutive year he’s topped the chart. “Bob Pittman is transforming Clear Channel, and, as a result, impacting all of radio,” Radio Ink Publisher B. Eric Rhoads said.

“His influence ripples throughout the industry with every new innovation and decision.”

Bob Pittman

Pittman said, “Being selected as one of the Top 40 Most Powerful People in Radio with these other amazing industry leaders is a great honor. The future is great for radio, and it continues to thrive as our industry evolves. We continue to have a great story to tell — and it’s an exciting time for our industry. I’m thrilled to be part of it.”

The process of determining who wields the most power in radio begins several months in advance of the list’s publication. The editors and writers at Radio Ink conduct research into the companies and individuals being considered, looking at annual sales, the number of stations, the number of employees, and power ratios of billing per station. High-level industry insiders and respected observers are also queried for analyses and perspective on those they believe are influencing, leading, and shaping the industry today.

Turner Broadcasting CEO Phil Kent Stepping Down

Phil Kent

Phil Kent, chairman and chief executive officer of Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting System Inc., told colleagues Wednesday he will not renew his contract with the company when it ends next year.

In a letter obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kent said his decision followed many conversations with Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes over long-term leadership planning for Turner, a company started by cable TV pioneer Ted Turner but is now a division of Time Warner.

Chief Financial Officer John Martin will assume the title of CEO at Turner in January. Kent will remain chairman during a transition period next year

John Martin

“Nothing changes for me or any of you until then,” Kent told colleagues. “ I’ll come in tomorrow and be on the job with the same enthusiasm as today, just as I know you will.“

In an effort to reverse poor ratings at CNN last fall, Kent hired former NBCUniversal President Jeff Zucker in November to replace Jim Walton as head of the struggling Atlanta based cable news network.

Before being named CFO in 2008, Martin had been executive vice president and CFO of Time Warner Cable Inc. since August 2005. Before joining Time Warner Cable, he spent nearly 12 years at Time Warner, most recently serving as senior vice president for investor relations from 2002 to 2005.

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George Noory, Premiere Extend C2C Deal

Premiere Networks Wednesday announced an exclusive long-term agreement with top national radio personality George Noory to renew his relationship with the company.

Under the new agreement, Noory will continue his current role as host of Coast to Coast AM, the most-listened-to overnight radio program in North America. Heard by nearly three million weekly listeners on nearly 570 radio stations in the U.S., Canada, Guam and Mexico, the program is ranked #1 in several markets, including Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Sacramento, Cleveland, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Providence and Hartford.

In addition, Coast to Coast AM's audience has grown 13% over the past two years, and in the past year alone, has experienced double and triple digit gains in major markets, including New York (+23%), Los Angeles (+25%), Houston (+121%) and Philadelphia (+167%)*.

"By renewing my deal with Premiere Networks, I'll be around when astronauts land on Mars," said Noory. "I want to thank Premiere and Clear Channel Media and Entertainment for having the confidence in me and our amazing team to take Coast to Coast AM into the future. I look forward to many more years of bringing riveting programs during the late-night hours to our millions of listeners around the world."

"The continued growth and success of Coast to Coast AM is a testament to George's incredible talent and dedication," stated Julie Talbott, President of Content and Affiliate Services for National Media Groups, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. Â "Each year, George takes Coast to Coast AM to new heights, and we couldn't be happier to extend our partnership with him for years to come."

On Twitter: Anger Greets the Zimmerman Verdict

The response on Twitter to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin was almost equally divided between sharing news about the verdict and weighing in on it. And among those offering opinions about the outcome, their conclusion was very different from the jurors’.

According to a new Pew Research Center analysis of nearly 5 million tweets about the case in the first 26 hours after the verdict, 39% of the statements on Twitter shared news without any opinion. That demonstrates the degree to which the social media platform functions as a vehicle for disseminating breaking news by both citizens and news organizations.

But of the 38% of the statements offering clear views about the result, those expressing anger or opposition to the verdict (31%) outnumbered those in support of the acquittal (7%) by more than 4:1.

For determining the tone of the conversation on Twitter, Pew Research employed methods that combine Pew’s content analysis rules with computer coding software developed by Crimson Hexagon. Crimson Hexagon identifies statistical patterns in words used on Twitter and includes all public Twitter posts.

The sentiments decrying the verdict were often emotional and frequently evoked a racial subtext, according to an analysis of the Twitter response to the trial outcome from 10 p.m. July 13 to midnight on July 14. Among that group, the largest component (15% of the Twitter reaction ) was criticism of the criminal justice system, including charges that it is biased against African Americans. Another 14% accused Zimmerman of wrong-doing, such as deliberately profiling Martin. And 2% spoke of Trayvon Martin as an innocent victim.

The next highest level of attention (11%) was devoted to the media’s role in the case—an issue highlighted by Zimmerman attorney Mark O’Mara’s public condemnation of the press after the verdict. The level of Twitter engagement in the case spiked dramatically after the verdict. The nearly 5 million tweets (4.9 million) in the first 26 hours after the verdict virtually equaled the total volume of tweets (5.1 million) about the case posted during the entirety of the 33-day trial. By way of comparison, there were 4.7 million tweets alone on July 14 in contrast with an average of about 151,000 tweets each day during the trial.

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Broadcasters Lose Another Round In Aereo Battle

In another win for Barry Diller's IAC-backed Aereo Inc, a U.S. appeals court declined on Tuesday to rehear an appeal by the major broadcasters seeking to temporarily shut down the online television start-up, according to Reuters

The broadcasters, including Walt Disney Co's ABC and Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal, contend Aereo infringes their copyrights. In April, a panel of the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals refused to close down Aereo while a lawsuit over the service continued in Manhattan federal court.

The broadcasters had asked the full court to rehear the appeal, but the majority of the court on Tuesday declined.

The case has been closely watched by the television industry because Aereo's service threatens the traditional broadcast model and broadcasters see Aereo as a challenge to their ability to control subscription fees and generate advertising income.

Aereo charges users about $12 a month to watch live or recorded TV channels on their computers or mobile devices. The company, which does not pay licensing fees to the broadcasters, streams the televised content to subscribers via tiny off-site antennas.

CBS Broadcasting Inc called the decision "no surprise" and said that "all industry lawsuits against Aereo and similar services that steal our content are going forward as planned."

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Maine Radio: WDEA Gets Flak For “Hottest” Competition

An online beauty contest posted by an Ellsworth radio station has outraged the news director for two of the state’s broadcast TV stations.

According to the Maine sunjournal.com, DJ Fred Miller of radio station WDEA 1370 AM, owned by Townsquare Media, posted a poll on the station’s website Monday morning asking readers to vote for “the hottest TV newswoman in Maine.” The poll listed six TV news reporters and anchors.

The women and their network affiliations are listed, along with photos and brief descriptions reminiscent of beauty contest biographies, including information such as what school the women attended and what sports teams they root for.

WDEA has since changed the name of the online poll to "Who is your Favorite TV Newswoman in Maine?"

The page with the poll also is update with an apology. "It seems we offended a few of you out there with our use of the word 'Hottest' to describe these lovely and talented journalists. It was not our intent to offend, so we’ve changed it to 'Favorite'."

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CNN Ratings Surge With GZ Talk

Intense interest and continued fallout from the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial boosted cable news on Monday night. But it was CNN that posted the biggest gains among the viewers that matter most to advertisers; those in the 25-54 demographic.

And with one of the jurors on Anderson Cooper 360 and star (and controversial) witness Rachel Jeantel on Piers Morgan Live, CNN bested perennial cable news leader Fox News Channel in the demo from 8-11 p.m., according to THR.

At 8 p.m. Anderson Copper 360 was within 4,000 demo viewers of Fox News Channel’s The O’Reilly Factor (474,000 viewers compared to 478,000 for O’Reilly). For AC360, that’s a 131 percent bump compared to the previous Monday; O’Reilly was up 3 percent while MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes was up 24 percent with 202,000 demo viewers.

The unidentified female juror told Cooper Zimmerman’s “heart was in the right place, but just got displaced with vandalism in the neighborhoods and wanting to catch these people so badly that he went above and beyond what he really should have done.”

Read More Now.

Tom Joyner Offers Scholarship To Rachel Jeantel

zimbio composite

UPDATE 07/18/2013 6AM: The 19-year-old, who is still in high school,  accepted radio personality Tom Joyner’s offer to pay for her to attend a historically black college.

Earlier Posting...

Radio personality Tom Joyner invited George Zimmerman trial witness Rachel Jeantel to his morning radio show on Tuesday — and greeted her with a big surprise.

“Here’s my offer to you, if you want to graduate from high school and go to an HBCU*, even if it’s not in Florida but especially Florida, like Florida Memorial, Edward Waters, Bethune Cookman or FAMU, if you want to do that, I want to help you do that,” Joyner told Jeantel on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, according to thegrio.com.

“I will help you get tutors to get you out of high school, tutors to help you pass the SAT and I will give you a full ride scholarship to any HBCU you’d like,” he said.

Jeantel responded with a “thank you” and Joyner went on to explain that he was moved by her testimony and appearance on CNN’s Piers Morgan show on Monday night, where she discussed her thoughts in the aftermath of George Zimmerman trial.

*Historically Black College or University

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Regis Philbin Returning To TV

Regis (NY Daily News)

Two years since he left his cohost position on Live With Regis and Kelly, Philbin has landed a new gig as the host of Fox Sports 1's upcoming talk show Crowd Goes Wild, the NY Post reports. According to eonline.com, the daily live TV show on the new Fox Sports 1 cable channel will revolve around a panel that will be lead by Philbin.

"We've got a nice little panel of people together, a lot of friends," Philbin says about the show. "And if a celebrity like George Clooney comes to town with a movie, we'll play clips from his movie—but we'll also talk to George, who grew up in Cincinnati, about his sports roots, like if he's still a big Reds fan."

"I'm happy to be part of sports TV," the 81-year-old continued. "If you look at the ratings, that's what's on top. Sports is the biggest hit TV has these days. It's all there on the field, pal."

Crowd Goes Wild will air daily at 5 p.m. and will feature a roundtable of Philbin and five others, who have yet to be confirmed. However, Philbin say one will be an ex-NFL player."

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Keith Olbermann Returning To ESPN

Flashback: Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick

Keith Olbermann will return to TV sooner than expected. The former MSNBC and Current anchor has finalized a deal with ESPN for a late-night show to air on ESPN2 later this year, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. The show will originate from the ABC News Nightline studio overlooking Times Square.

The two-year contract returns the erstwhile SportsCenter anchor to the network where he rose to stardom as an erudite and skilled sports commentator. 

His pairing with Dan Patrick on SportsCenter was among the most popular and memorable in the long history of the franchise.

The ESPN pact also follows closely on the heels of Olbermann’s deal with Turner Sports to host that network’s coverage of the Major League Baseball postseason, which commences in October.

That deal will have Olbermann leading TBS' Atlanta-based studio show with Dennis Eckersley. TBS this season has both Wild Card playoff games, 18 of the 20 League Division Series games and exclusive rights to the National League Championship Series. Sources say the deal has an option for the 2014 postseason as well.

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Fired Anchor Larry Connors Reports Job Offer

Larry Connors

Fired KMOV anchorman Larry Conners claims he has a job opportunity in St. Louis, but also says his old employers are blocking the hire, according tostltoday.com.

In a Facebook post, Conners says, "I have been offered a job to return to broadcasting in St. Louis.

"I can’t give details at this time," Conners said of the job offer, then adds that KMOV officials still maintain that Conners is bound by the contractual clause which bans him from competing with KMOV for one year.

Conners, 66, was fired May 21 after spending 37 years in St. Louis television — the last 27 as an anchor at KMOV. The dismissal came after a series of events that began when Conners implied in a May 13 Facebook post that he may have been targeted by the IRS after interviewing Obama in 2012.

The IRS claims Conners and his wife, Janet L. Conners, owe more than $85,000 from 2008, 2009 and 2010. Conners has said he was on a payment plan with the IRS, but that the plan was cancelled after the Obama interview and a tax lien was placed on the couple's home.

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Jay-Z’s New Album Tops Billboard’s 200

Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" album storms in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 527,000 copies in its first week, according to preliminary data from Nielsen SoundScan.

The larger-than-expected start is the second-biggest sales week for a single album this year. According to Billboard,  it bypasses the previous runner-up, Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories," which opened with 339,000 in May. Both albums trail behind the year's largest frame, racked up when Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" exploded with 968,000 in its first week.

The latest sales week ended at the close of business on July 14. The rest of the new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed today.

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MTV Unveils 2013 Video Music Award Nominations

Justin Timberlake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead the field with six VMA nominations each.

Get More: Music News

Get The Full List: Click Here.

SiriusXM’s “Left” Channel Rebrands

“SiriusXM Left,” will re-launch as “SiriusXM Progress” on July 22 with an expanded line-up, the satellite radio company announced Tuesday. 

The name change is part of the channel’s fresh focus on activism — SiriusXM Progress’s tagline is “We don’t just talk, we do” — and progressive politics.

“I think this is a pretty big deal, and it’s a way to really renew the energy and the interest in progressive talk radio,” Sirius XM’s Mark Thompson told POLITICO.

Thompson, a longtime civil rights and NAACP activist, said rebranding the channel means progressive talk will have a definitive home on satellite radio.

“Just like the right has its channels from its perspective, those of us who are progressive will have our channel from our perspective. It’s very important, too, because terrestrial talk radio is dominated by the right,” said Thompson, whose program “Make it Plain with Mark Thompson” will air weekdays from 6-9pm EST.

“SiriusXM Progress will provide an outlet for people who are progressive and people who still consider themselves on the left, and we’ll be a clearinghouse for that discussion with our whole line-up. Some of the most well-known and traditional progressive hosts will still be here with us, so we’re pretty much battening down the hatches.”

Progressive talkers have long been dwarfed by their conservative counterparts in nearly

every capacity, from advertising to audience size to available stations, and have faced several notable failures with the end of Air America in 2010 and the recent shutdown of Portland’s commercial progressive talk-radio station last year.

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DC Radio: Chris Cooley Signs For Redskins Radio

Chris Cooley

Red Zebra Broadcasting announced Wednesday that they have signed former Washington Redskin Pro Bowler Chris Cooley to a multi-year deal.

Cooley will join the Washington Redskins Radio Network as an in-game contributor. “Cooley’s Corner” will be heard every game beginning with the pre-season opener in Tennessee on August 8th, 2013.

Chris joins former Redskin Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen, Rick “Doc” Walker and Brian Mitchell as former Redskin players that are members of the Washington Redskins Radio Network.

Of the hiring, Chuck Sapienza, Executive Producer for the Redskins Radio Network said, “To add a talent and fan favorite like Chris to our team will add excitement to our broadcast and a level of unpredictability for our listeners.”

Cooley had 429 receptions for 4,711 yards and 33 touchdowns during his 9 year playing career.

In addition to his duties for The Redskins Radio Network, Chris Cooley will also be joining the Redskins Broadcast Network for commentary on various TV and Web-based shows including The Mike Shanahan Coaches Show on NBC 4.

The Washington Redskins Radio Network can be heard nationally on 34 stations, including their flagship, WTEM ESPN980-AM in Washington DC.

Maine Radio: Jock Returns To Air After Accident

WCYY DJ Rob Riccitelli is back on air after a horrible accident just 3 weeks ago.

According to WCSH6.com, Rob was run over by a truck while cycling to work nearly a month ago. He suffered a number of broken bones, including his collarbone, every rib on the right side of his body and a few on the left, his pelvis, tailbone, and foot, along with a collapsed lung.

Rob returned to the air this week from the comfort of his living room thanks to a set up from his radio station, Rock alternative WCYY 94.3 FM.

Rob is expected to make a full recovery.  He hopes to be back in the studio sometime next week.

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Detroit Radio: WWJ Helping Job Hunters Navigate Social Media

Social media is becoming one more way to generate the “wow” that translates into higher sales — not to mention one more way to lose a job.

WWJ Newsradio 950 will be taking a look at the latest and greatest in using social media to build your business Thursday morning at Schoolcraft College’s VisTaTech Center in Livonia.

WWJ morning anchor Roberta Jasina will moderate. The event is sponsored in part by Strategic Staffing Solutions and the VisTaTech Center.

In one recent study in Social Media Examiner, marketer interest is growing in some bookmarking sites like Pinterest, but declining in other bookmarking sites like De.licio.us and Digg. And marketer interest is plunging in daily deal sites.

Also according to the study, marketers who spend more than 40 hours a week on social media are more heavily focused on Pinterest, Google, Instagram and YouTube than those who spending 6 hours a week or less on social media marketing.

And business-to-consumer marketers have adopted Facebook at a greater rate than business-to-business marketers, while the opposite is true of LinkedIn, which is beloved of the B2B crowd.

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Deal: Hubbard Buys-Out Sandusky Radio

St. Paul-based Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., announced Tuesday that it has struck a deal to acquire 10 radio stations for $85.5 million—marking its radio subsidiary’s first expansion into the Seattle and Phoenix markets.

According to tcbmag.com, the agreement calls for Hubbard Radio, LLC, to purchase the stations from Sandusky Radio, whose operator, Sandusky Newspapers, will exit the radio business and focus on its 12 newspapers.

The acquisition, which is subject to approval from the Federal Communications Commission, will expand Hubbard’s portfolio to include five new stations in Seattle and five in Phoenix.

Hubbard Radio, which currently has about 600 full-time employees, will also gain 65 to 70 new workers in each of the two markets where it is expanding.

Hubbard Radio President and CEO Bruce Reese said in a statement that the deal will add to the company’s existing 20 stations in the Twin Cities; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; St. Louis; and Cincinnati.

SEE THE DEAL: Click Here.

The five Seattle stations Hubbard will acquire are: KIXI-AM 880, 92.5 KQMV-FM, 1150 KKNW-AM, 106.9 KRWM-FM, and 98.9 KLCK-FM.

The Phoenix stations include 100.7 KSLX-FM, 97.9 KUPD-FM, 93.3 KDKB-FM, 1440 KAZG-AM, and 1060 KDUS-AM.

Hubbard Radio is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hubbard Broadcasting, a family-owned television and radio broadcasting corporation that was founded in 1923 by Stanley E. Hubbard. In 2011, the company struck a $505 million deal to buy 17 radio stations from Bonneville International Corporation.

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Dallas Radio: Jon Dillon OUT At KZPS

Jon Dillon (Dallas News Photo)

Jon Dillon, whose voice is synonymous with rock-and-roll radio in Dallas, is no longer on the air at KZPS 92.5 FM.

According to The Dallas Morning News, KZPS has confirmed what the radio boards whisper: Jon Dillon, the 2-7 p.m. voice of the classic-rock station and a member of the Texas Radio Hall of Honor, is no longer employed by Clear Channel. 

Station program director Don Davis will only confirm Dillon’s departure, but says via email that’s the only comment he can offer.

Jon Dillon‘s career in Dallas radio dates back to 1969, when he was, for a while, the sole voice of KFAD-FM, which briefly poked its head out of the rock-and-roll underground from 94.9 on your FM dial. After that came his stint at KRLD-AM and its FM counterpart, where he could be heard playing “progressive rock” all the way down to Mexico. Then, in ’73, he began his legendary stint at KZEW-FM — one of the first Zoo Freaks hired, and one of the last to leave 14 years later. In 1989 he landed the midday spot at KZPS-FM (92.5), where he’s been ever since.

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KTVU Namegate Takes Dramatic Turn

Several insiders in the know have told media blogger RichLieberman that the Asiana Airliner pilot-name brouhaha might very well have been perpetrated by individuals from the local SF-TV competition. Or from a rogue KTVU staffer bent on revenge!

Even with the disclosure that an NTSB intern has been identified and relieved of his duties, the embarrassing incident still made it past KTVU news personnel on duty at the time of the Noon News newscast last Friday.

Lieberman reports probably 4 or 5 employees in the newsroom "touched" the story before air. They include the assignment desk; a writer; a producer; a graphic artist; and the anchor. It's possible the executive producer and/or news director saw it, too. That's a LOT of eyes missing the real story! All could be fired.

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L&L Broadcasting to Buy Six Stations In Jackson, MI

Larry Wilson's Live & Local Broadcasting company has announced its intention to purchase six Jackson, MS radio stations owned by YMF Media, LLC.

Included in the sale are:

• Urban AC WKXI Kixie 107
• Urban WJMI  99 Jams
• ESPN affiliate WRKS 105.9 The Zone
• News-Talk WJNT-AM
• Urban Gospel WOAD-AM
• Oldies WJQS-AM.

Larry Wilson, Chairman of Portland-based Alpha Broadcasting and L&L Broadcasting commented on the announcement, "The YMF Media cluster in Jackson will be a great addition to our Mississippi footprint. As the state capital, Jackson is an energetic and thriving city with endless opportunities for growth. We're excited to bring these heritage stations into the L&L family."

Seller YMF President/CEO Charles M. Warfield, Jr. commented, "We are proud of our 13-year relationship with these great stations and committed staff. Under the leadership of L&L Broadcasting, the stations will continue their outstanding service to Jackson and its communities."

Effective immediately and pending FCC approval, the YMF stations will be operated by L&L under an LMA. The addition of these six stations brings L&L's current total to 30. 

2013 Marconi Awards Finalists Announced

The National Association of Broadcasters announced today the finalists for the 2013 NAB Marconi Radio Awards honoring radio stations and on-air personalities for excellence in broadcasting. 

The winners will be announced on September 19 at the NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner & Show, held during the 2013 Radio Show at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando, FL.

The nominees are:

LEGENDARY STATION

KFI-AM Los Angeles, CA

KIIS-FM Los Angeles, CA

KYW-AM Philadelphia, PA

WBBM-AM Chicago, IL

WEEI-FM Boston, MA

NETWORK/SYNDICATED PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Argelia Atilano, Univision Radio Network

Delilah, Premiere Radio Networks

Steve Harvey, Premiere Radio Networks

Tom Joyner, Reach Media

Petros & Money, Fox Sports Radio / Premiere Radio Networks

MAJOR MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Carter Alan, WZLX-FM, Boston, MA

Boomer & Carton, WFAN-AM/FM, New York, NY

Ryan Cameron, WVEE-FM, Atlanta, GA

Eric & Kathy, WTMX-FM, Chicago, IL

The Musers, KTCK-AM, Dallas, TX

LARGE MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Amos Brown, WTLC-AM, Indianapolis, IN

Chris Carr & Company, WUBE-FM, Cincinnati, OH

Cornbread, WIL-FM, St. Louis, MO

Laurie DeYoung, WPOC-FM, Baltimore, MD

Kym Sellers, WZAK-FM, Cleveland, OH

MEDIUM MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Roger Todd, Tom O’Brien, Melissa Moran & DJ the Trucker, WPCV-FM, Lakeland, FL

Brian Byers, WSOY-AM, Decatur, IL

Brian Gary, Todd Harding and Susan Moore, KUAD-FM Fort Collins, CO

Mark Ericson and Karen Kiley, WOKQ-FM Portsmouth, NH

Jermaine "Funny Maine" Johnson, WBHJ-FM Birmingham, AL

SMALL MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Alex & Cora, WAXX-FM, Altoona, WI

Cosmo & Whitney, KTXY-FM, Columbia, MO

Brian Lee & Chris Wolfe, KZOQ-FM, Missoula, MT

Susan Littlefield, KZEN-FM, Columbus, NE

Monk & Kelly, WGSQ-FM, Cookeville, TN

SPANISH FORMAT PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Milton Andrade Cardenas, KLNV-FM, San Diego, CA

Diamond Boy Luis, WLZL-FM, Washington, DC

Rafael Orlando, WYUS-AM, Milford, DE

Javier Romero, WAMR-FM, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Armando Ulloa, "El Chiquilin," KLZT-FM, Austin TX

MAJOR MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR

KROQ-FM Los Angeles, CA

WBEB-FM Philadelphia, PA

WINS-AM New York, NY

WJMN-FM Boston, MA

WMMR-FM Philadelphia, PA

LARGE MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR

KSTP-FM St. Paul, MN

WCCO-AM Minneapolis, MN

WPRO-AM Providence, RI

WWL-AM New Orleans, LA

WXYT-FM Detroit, MI

MEDIUM MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR

KRMG-FM Tulsa, OK

WDGL-FM Baton Rouge, LA

WGCV-AM Columbia, SC

WMEE-FM Fort Wayne, IN

WMGX-FM Portland, ME

SMALL MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR

KCLR-FM Columbia, MO

KCVM-FM Cedar Falls, IA

KICD-AM Spencer, IA

WKDZ-FM Cadiz, KY

WLEN-FM Adrian, MI

AC STATION OF THE YEAR

KBIG-FM Los Angeles, CA

WFEZ-FM Miami, FL

WTMX-FM Chicago, IL

WWDE-FM Virginia Beach, VA

WWRM-FM Tampa Bay, FL

CHR STATION OF THE YEAR

WFBC-FM Greenville, SC

WKSW-FM Cookeville, TN

WRDW-FM Philadelphia, PA

WVAQ-FM Morgantown, WV

WXNY-FM New York, NY

COUNTRY STATION OF THE YEAR

KCLR-FM Columbia, MO

KKBQ-FM Houston, TX

WDSY-FM Pittsburgh, PA

WGSQ-FM Cookeville, TN

WUSN-FM Chicago, IL

NEWS/TALK STATION OF THE YEAR

KTMY-FM St. Paul, MN

WBT-AM Charlotte, NC

WBZ-AM Boston, MA

WPRO-AM Providence, RI

WSB-AM Atlanta, GA

RELIGIOUS STATION OF THE YEAR

KFSH-FM Los Angeles, CA

KKJM-FM Sauk Rapids, MN

KKLA-FM Los Angeles, CA

KLRC-FM Siloam Springs, AR

WCAO-AM Baltimore, MD

ROCK STATION OF THE YEAR

KSHE-FM St. Louis, MO

WBAB-FM Long Island, NY

WDRV-FM Chicago, IL

WRAT-FM Belmar, NJ

WZLX-FM Boston, MA

SPANISH STATION OF THE YEAR

KGBT-FM McAllen, TX

KLOL-FM Houston, TX

KLNV-FM San Diego, CA

WKAQ-FM San Juan, PR

WYUS-AM Milford, DE

SPORTS STATION OF THE YEAR

KTCK-AM Dallas, TX

WBZ-FM Boston, MA

WIP-FM Philadelphia, PA

WSCR-AM Chicago, IL

WXYT-FM Detroit, MI

URBAN

WEDR-FM Miami, FL

WHUR-FM Washington, DC

WKYS-FM Washington, DC

WTLC-FM Indianapolis, IN

WVEE-FM Atlanta, GA