Plus Pages

Saturday, August 3, 2013

TWC Blackouts Hit CBS-TV In Major Markets

CBS Corp.'s flagship broadcast network was dropped from Time Warner Cable Inc.'s TWC TV service in New York, Los Angeles and other major markets Friday after long-running negotiations between the companies failed to reach a deal on fees.

According to wsj.com, the blackout, that started at 5 p.m. Eastern time, came more than a month after a previous agreement between CBS and Time Warner Cable expired, although it had been extended several times to allow negotiations on a new deal.

The two companies have been negotiating over fees to be paid by Time Warner Cable for the right to carry CBS programming. In a statement, CBS accused Time Warner Cable of negotiating "in a combative and nonproductive spirit…while maintaining antiquated positions no longer held by any other programming distributor in the business."

Time Warner Cable said in a statement that "CBS has refused to have a productive discussion" over the past few days. "It's become clear that no matter how much time we give them, they're not willing to come to reasonable terms," it said.

About three million subscribers were expected to be affected by a blackout, which covers CBS Corp.'s Showtime premium channel as well as CBS.

Read More Now

Friday, August 2, 2013

Nashville Radio: Joe Elvis OUT At WRNQ

Joe 'Elvis' King
Joe Elvis has left the building and his PM Drive Show at Clear Channel’s WRNQ.  His departure is believed to be a reduction-in-workforce budget move.

John "Elvis" King had been filling the 3 to 7p air-shift for the past 14-years at the classic rock station.

Nashville has always rocked and that was always fun for me being in a country town playing great rock-and-roll, so that was kind of the fun edge of my job for me," he told Nashville's News 2.

During his long run at the rock-and-roll station, King said he had the opportunity to meet some of the biggest stars in the music business.

"I never thought I would work in radio a day in my life and that's when it usually last forever when you're not looking for it and I got into radio from being a drummer and representing bands from the Mid-South and that was 23 years ago," he said.

King added that he has always enjoyed his time on-air and will miss his devoted fans.

Twin Cities Radio: WCCO’s Tommy Mischke Bids Farewell

Tommy Mischke
Tommy Mischke surprised his listeners Thursday with news that he was leaving The Night Show at WCCO 830 AM in Minneapolis

Mischke is a 22-year radio pro who says he has “chosen to leave” the 10p to midnight Night Show At C-C-O.


The Minnesota writer and musician was formerly employed at City Pages, a Twin Cities alternative news, arts and entertainment publication. For 17 years he hosted The Mischke Broadcast on am1500 KSTP, until it was cancelled in December 2008. His show featured quirky regular callers, stream of consciousness humor, and experts on any topic he found interesting.

Since 1998, Mischke has been the winner of the "Best AM Radio Personality" award given by the local weekly alternative newspaper City Pages nine times.

Mischke hosted a daily webcast entitled In the Stream for City Pages from March 2009 until February 2010. He was most recently the host of The Nite Show weekdays from 10 PM to Midnight on WCCO Radio. His final show on WCCO was August 1, 2013.

In 1986-1987, Mischke was known as "The Phantom Caller" on Don Vogel's show, where he would randomly call in (without identifying himself) with tightly-written, sixty-second comedic bits. He so amused the radio personality that he was invited to become Don's sidekick on his show, Afternoon Saloon, on KSTP in 1992, during Vogel's second stint in the Twin Cities. After the stint as a sidekick, Mischke was given his own program on am1500 in January 1994.

Orlando Personality Sez TSA Inappropriately Touched Her


A popular Orlando radio host says a recent security screening at Orlando International Airport left her feeling humiliated because she is confined to a wheelchair.

WTKS Real Radio 104.1 FM's "Jana Banana" said she was touched inappropriately by TSA agents and it isn't the first time she's had problems at the airport.

A picture posted on her public Facebook profile shows her seemingly distraught after the screening, with an explanation saying, "I was detained, interrogated and molested by 6 TSA agents and 3 bomb explosive experts for over and hour...I've never felt so humiliated."

Her fellow radio hosts talked about her experience during the "Philips Phile" afternoon drive show.

"The more it went on, the more upset she got," said Jim Philips during the show. "You could see her in emotional distress, and who wouldn't be."

Jana
Her husband told Local 6 by phone Thursday evening it happens every time she flies. Because she can't walk through the body scanner or metal detector, TSA policy dictates she must get a pat-down, that she claims was uncomfortable.

"The TSA agent touched her, only where her husband and her doctor do," said Jack Bradshaw, another personality on the radio show.

Hundreds of comments on her Facebook page expressed outrage over the situation and TSA's policies regarding people in wheelchairs.

"I don't understand an hour. I don't understand why it would take anybody more than a few minutes to determine, 'Ok, thank you. We're sorry for the inconvenience,'" said Philips on Thursday's show.

After the security screening was over, she said she missed her flight.


Tom's Take:  Those who know Jana will  say she is the nicest, most-positive lady you could meet. This is an outrage.

Obama To Nominate Republican For FCC Commissioner

President Barack Obama plans to nominate Senate aide Michael O'Rielly to fill the second Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission, the White House said on Thursday, bringing the agency closer to operating at full capacity, according to Reuters.

The U.S. Senate has yet to confirm Democrat Tom Wheeler as the FCC's chairman and Senate Republicans have indicated they wanted to wait for O'Rielly's nomination to pair the two for a confirmation vote after the chamber returns from an August recess in September.

FCC has been in a holding mode on the most controversial and critical issues such as planning for the upcoming large auction of airwaves under Acting Chair Mignon Clyburn.

CC Media, Clear Channel Swing to 2Q Profits

CC Media Holdings Inc. (CCMO) swung to a 2Q profit as it recorded a gain related to the sale of an investment in Sirius XM Radio Inc., while sister company Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. (CCO) also posted a profit as interest expense fell.

The two companies had been bogged down by interest payments and restructuring costs in previous periods, though advertising demand has improved.

CC Media Chairman and Chief Executive Bob Pittman noted the company has continued to improve its balance sheet with debt transactions and enhanced its liquidity through operational improvements and the sale of noncore assets.

CC 2Q Conference Call Transcript: Click Here.

CC Media, the vehicle used by private-equity firms Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP to privatize Clear Channel Communications in 2008, reported a profit of $7.2 million compared with a year-earlier loss of $39 million. The latest period included a $130.9 million gain on marketable securities related to the sale of an investment in Sirius XM.

Revenue increased 1% to $1.62 billion. Revenue from media and entertainment, the company's largest segment, increased 2%. Interest expense increased 5.6%.

CC Sells Stake In SiriusXM

Clear Channel reported in its 2Q earnings report that it has sold its stake in SiriusXM

The stock sale netted Clear Channel $135.5 million.  CC originally made an $83.1 milluion investment in XM radio in 1999.

Which means much of the company’s audio product will disappear from the SiriusXM line-up.

It’s expected that AC “Lite FM”WLTW, New York, country “The Big 98” WSIX-FM, Nashville and urban WGCI-FM, Chicago (107.5) will go off the bird.  

Word is just CHRs Z-100 WHTZ NYC  and 102.7 KIIS-FM, Los Angeles will remain on the XM platform.

Among the other channels airing Clear Channel content are the Talk Radio channel, which features hosts like Glenn Beck and Dave Ramsey; the Extreme Talk channel, with personalities like Todd Schnitt and Bob & Tom; Fox Sports Radio; and the Sixx Sense channel that features syndicated nighttime personality and former Motley Crue bass player Nikki Sixx.

Analyst Asks: How Will CC Make Money On iHeartRadio?

On yesterday’s 2Q Earning conference call, respected media analyst Marci Ryvicker of Wells Fargo Security brought up iHeartRadio.  She asked about the monetization of iHeartRadio. Specifically she wanted to know if “we can see (monetization) materially over time, or is it already instrumental and contributing to the threshold radio growth?

Robert W. Pittman - Executive Chairman jumped in with the answer: 
It is -- iHeartRadio is really a major part of the digital offering of CCME and it's the fastest-growing segment. I think we, as I had said, double-digit revenue growth. And -- but I think the way you think about the monetization is yes, we'll sell in stream spots. 
Yes, we'll sell display ads. But it also is, iHeartRadio, it is the station website, it is the broadcast station, it is events, it is promotions, traffic. And as much as we can, we're trying to build those into multi-platform offerings, so when we talk to advertisers increasingly, we're not talking about a bunch of spots, but we're talking about helping them achieve a goal. 
And we have all of these assets that we can use for their benefit. And to me, that's the new way people sell, is you get an assignment not a buy. And as you look at the national sales marketing and promotion platforms, which John Hogan set up, which Tim Caseli has, that's one of the goals of doing it, is to have one organization that can pull it all together and have those kinds of conversations. 
And it's been happening in other sectors besides radio, and we're now bringing out the exact kind of sophistication to the radio business, which we look at as being one of the important upsides. 
And clearly, digital plays an important role in that. But certainly, iHeartRadio with its tremendous growth, it is really one of the stars of that.

Arbitron Spends Millions On Nielsen Buy

It’s not cheap working to get the government to clear a high-profile transaction. As Arbitron worked to gain acceptance for its proposed   Nielsen deal, it incurred $6.1 million in expenses in the April-June period, according to David Goetzl at mediapost.com.

Year-to-date, the company has spent $9.4 million in hiring consultants, lawyers and other expenses looking to persuade the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to allow Nielsen to buy it for $1.26 billion. Of course, that's on top of all that money spent last year before the deal was announced.

Then again, that's where shareholders stand to get about a 26% premium on the share price the day before the acquisition was announced late last year.

With the acquisition-related expenses a drag, Arbitron’s net income dropped to $7.1 million in the second quarter, down from $10 million last year in the period. Revenue rose 2.9% to $107.4 million.

Like Nielsen, Arbitron has had to answer a second request for information from the FTC as the agency evaluates the merger’s market impact. An indication of the government’s stance is expected this month.

Chicago Radio: Mick Lee New PD At WLIT

Mick Lee
Clear Channel Media + Entertainment has finally named a new Program Director and afternoon host for WLIT-FM 93.9 My FM. Both of those roles will handled by Mick Lee, starting August 19.

Mick Lee, who began as a board op for a small radio station in Albany, NY in September, 2001, when he was just a freshman in college, spent the next few years slowly working his way up to weekend host, nighttime host, and Assistant Program Director.

In May 2007, he accepted an offer to move to Portland to become an afternoon host, Assistant Program Director, and Imaging Director for KKRZ-FM. In March 2010, he made a big move up, by being named as Program Director and afternoon host of WZFT-FM in Baltimore, MD.  He now prepares to exit his Boston job to make the move to Chicago.

The nearly three years in Portland are the key ones, according to Chicagoland Radio& Media, because it was there that he worked under Tommy Austin. The very same Tommy Austin was appointed as the new Vice President of Programming for Clear Channel Chicago earlier this year. Austin had been running WLIT-FM, since the station was without a Program Director. Mick Lee will once again be reporting directly to Austin.

On June 17, Clear Channel re-branded and re-launched WLIT-FM from "93.9 Lite FM" to "93.9 My FM." All of the local on air personalities were released or removed.

Television host Mario Lopez was hired to voice-track nights for WLIT-FM, who also started on July 1st. After negotiating for weeks with a popular Chicago radio duo, leading most everyone (including those hosts) to believe they would be taking over mornings in July, Clear Channel Chicago instead hired Paul "Cubby" Bryant to voice track mornings at the station from New York. He started on July 22nd.

Houston Radio: Matt & Adam OUT At KBME

SportsTalk 790 (KBME) has fired its long-time morning duo of Matt Jackson and Adam Wexler, sources tell CultureMap.

All references to the show were removed from the station's homepage after the duo did their usual show Thursday morning. Jackson and Wexler's morning show placed third among local sports stations in the most recent Arbitron ratings book, capturing 1.3 percent of the audience in sports talk radio's critical men aged 25-54 demographic.

That's behind the 2.3 percent captured by national show Mike & Mike In The Morning on ESPN 97.5 (KFNC) and the 1.6 percent captured by SportsRadio 610 (KILT) and its high-profile, well-compensated morning team of Nick Wright and John Lopez. 

A source close to the situation thinks that the decision was a pure cost cutting move, and speculates that 790 AM afternoon co-host Lance Zierlein will end his stint alongside Charlie Pallilo and return to morning radio.

Jackson and Wexler have been at Clear Channel-owned 790 AM since December 2009.

Bridgeport Radio: We-Be's Storm N. Norman To Retire

Storm N Norman
After 40 years in the radio business, beloved WEBE 108(107.9 FM) personality Storm N. Norman is retiring his microphone. One of WEBE's original hosts when the station launched in 1984, Norman will host the WEBE Wake-Up Morning Show for the last time Today, according to ctpost.com.

From making international headlines in 1988 by offering $1 million for proof that Elvis Presley was still alive to anchoring coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 13 years later, Norman has been an on-air fixture in the community.

He has earned four Billboard "Air Personality of the Year" nominations and interviewed stars such as Paul McCartney and Jerry Seinfeld. He met his wife, longtime personality Anne Rondepierre, at the station.

Robby Bridges, a former WEBE employee who has spent time at sister stations in New York, will become the new morning host Aug. 5.

Report: MSNBC 'Too Much Opinion, Not Enough News'

In recent weeks MSNBC ratings have slipped, and “leaning forward” may be a cause. MSNBC markets itself as a place for discussion and community. Yet when bombs explode at the Boston Marathon or unrest shatters Egypt, viewers want information first, and analysis — even solutions — later, if at all.

According to Variety, For the week ended July 7, MSNBC’s primetime programming captured 14% to 15% fewer viewers between the ages of 25 and 54 — the demographic coveted by sponsors of news programming — than a year earlier, according to Nielsen. In May, MSNBC , which usually plays second only to Fox News, saw its ratings fall behind those of CNN and HLN, too.

MSNBC’s top executive, Phil Griffin, thinks the shift is short-lived. “There has been an inordinate amount of big, breaking news, and that is, honestly, when CNN does well. It’s pure muscle memory,” he said. MSNBC’s performance is bound to suffer in comparison with that of 2012, he added, when a presidential election drew political junkies and casual viewers alike.

Sounds plausible, but could MSNBC’s recent ebb suggest something more seriously amiss? Jerey McCall, author of “Viewer Discretion Advised: Taking Control of Mass Media Infl uence,” believes so, saying that the newsie generated its initial momentum by riding the optimism of President Obama’s rise to prominence.

“MSNBC’s problems might be more than just a hiccup,” McCall maintained. “Now that the Obama administration’s fortunes have apparently declined with various challenges like NSA, IRS and Benghazi, previously (enthusiastic) news consumers on the left might find it hard to keep tuned in.”

To be sure, there’s nothing wrong with opinion-making. But MSNBC offers an awful lot of it. An analysis by Pew Research of 108 hours of cable-news programming during three days in November and December found opinion and commentary overwhelmed straight news on MSNBC by 85% to 15%. Fox News content included 55% opinion and commentary and 45% factual reporting, Pew said, while CNN content consisted of 46% opinion and commentary and 54% factual reporting.

Flashback: ‘Worst to First’ Climb Started 30 Years Ago Today



Top 40 WHTZ, went on the air at 6:08 AM on August 2, 1983 with program director/morning show host Scott Shannon. The station did not begin calling itself "Z100" until a few days later

The first two songs ever played on the station were "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, followed by "America" by Neil Diamond.

The station signed on from its new and still-incomplete studio in Secaucus, transmitting from the old FM tower site near Livingston, New Jersey, as their antenna was not moved to the top of the Empire State Building until later in August.  Moving the tower to midtown Manhattan greatly increased the coverage area of the station's signal.
R&R's top 25 CHR Hits for 1983
Z100 was actually the second station that summer to attempt to bring the Top 40 format back to New York, with rock station WPLJ having begun the evolution to top 40 in June.

WHTZ was programmed to remind listeners of one-time AM powerhouse WABC, which had gone from a tight Top 40 format to leaning Disco in early 1979 to leaning adult rock later in 1979, to leaning adult contemporary in 1980 and then evolving to Adult Contemporary/Talk in 1981, before it finally flipped to an all-talk format on May 10, 1982.

Within 74 days of signing on, WHTZ had climbed from last place to first in the New York Arbitron ratings book.

FLASHBACK:  Here's Quick blitz teaser of the 4 hour 20 minute history of the first 10 years of Z-100 plus their 15th on-air reunion anniversary. Get it at www.vuolovideo.com



Over the years, Z100 stayed with a top 40 format, with WPLJ behind them in the ratings. Scott Shannon left Z100 at the end of 1988 to begin "Pirate Radio" in Los Angeles, and Steve Kingston took over as operations manager and Frankie Blue would become assistant programming director.



By 1991, however, the Top 40 format was in an identity crisis.

A major sign of this crisis came when WPLJ moved to a hot adult contemporary format by 1992. Z100 responded to this by adding some older songs and introducing an evening talk show called "Love Phones." Ratings gradually dropped from 1991 to 1993.

In 1993, Z100 dropped the older songs and began mixing in alternative rock music which wasn't normally being played on Top 40 stations. By the end of 1994, the majority of the station's music consisted of alternative rock with only a few non-modern-rock-based songs per hour. The station still played the current big hits by artists such as Madonna, TLC, Mariah Carey, and others.

When Z100 was sold to Shamrock Broadcasting. Frankie Blue would leave in 1995 and Sam Milkman would move up to his position.
R&R's Top 25 CHR Hits 1993
Ratings, though nowhere near the top anymore, remained steady at the station during much of the mid-1990s, but by March 1996, there was a steep drop after WKTU signed on at 103.5 FM with a dance music format, and WXRK adapted a full-time alternative rock format. Both stations took listeners from Z100.

Steve Kingston and his assistant Sam Milkman left Z100 for WXRK, while music director Andy Shane left for WKTU, joining another former Z100 music director, Frankie Blue. Airstaff had also gradually begun leaving the station beginning that February. Z100 had even stopped using the name "Morning Zoo" the year before. Morning host John Lander left in November 1995. That January, Steve Cochrane arrived to do mornings, but by May, he was gone. Z100 was undergoing a crisis at this point. The station was sold in a corporate deal to Chancellor Media.

In April 1996, the station brought in Tom Poleman as its new programming director.

Initially, at that point, Z100 dropped all non-modern rock titles and began playing strictly pop alternative. By May 1996, Z100 began gradually replacing its on-air staff, and the harder alternative songs were phased out.

Though initially it seemed that Z100 was becoming a modern AC station, beginning that summer, the station gradually began to move back to a mainstream Top 40 format, as it added pop music from such formats as R&B, rap, and adult contemporary.


One of Poleman's biggest moves was to switch DJ Elvis Duran from afternoons to the "Z Morning Zoo" (which was known as "The Morning Show" for the previous several years), Z100's popular morning show. Despite having shared the post with other hosts (such as Elliot Segal, now at WWDC) through the years, Duran remains the "Head Zookeeper" to this day.

By December 1996, Z100 was a full-time Top 40 station again. Chancellor merged with Evergreen in 1997, making WKTU a sister station of Z100.

In a 1999 merger, Z100's parent company, Chancellor, acquired Capstar, forming AM/FM Inc. Shortly after the merger was finalized, AM/FM was bought by its current owners, Clear Channel Communications.

Report: BBC’s Nick Grimshaw Adds 100,000 Listeners

BBC Radio 1's breakfast DJ Nick Grimshaw has stemmed the exodus of listeners since he took over from Chris Moyles, adding just over 100,000 between April and June, according to The Guardian.

Grimshaw's breakfast show is still 900,000 below the audience the 28-year-old inherited from Moyles in September, at just under 5.9 million listeners on average each week in the three months to 23 June, according to the latest Rajar figures published on Thursday. This was just over 100,000 up on the first quarter of the year.

However, according to figures supplied by the BBC, 70% of the new listeners Grimshaw added in the period were in the 15- to 24-year-old bracket. The average age of a Radio 1 listener is 32, with Grimshaw drafted in by controller Ben Cooper as part of a strategic move make the station more appealing to its target audience of 15- to 29-year-olds.

Radio 1 had an average weekly audience of 11 million listeners, an increase of more than 750,000, over the previous quarter.

The 7.4% increase is in part thanks to the wall-to-wall coverage Radio 1 gave to the Big Weekend, held in Derry, featuring acts such as Calvin Harris, Bruno Mars and Biffy Clyro.

FOX Sports Extends Deal With NASCAR

FOX Sports and NASCAR have extended their multi-platform media rights agreement by two years.

The deal begins in 2015 and now runs through 2024.

In addition, FOX Sports has added exclusive rights to three more NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, bringing the total to 16 — including the Daytona 500 — and the first 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series events of each season. FOX broadcast the Nationwide Series as part of its original package beginning in 2001.

FOX Sports will also air the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited, Budweiser Duel and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

FOX Sports' exclusive rights to the entire NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season also has been extended through 2024.

NBC, which last broadcast NASCAR events in 2006, will televise the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, the final 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series races and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events beginning in 2015.

FL Radio: Pirate Dies Installing Antenna

Jean Adelphonse
Jean Adelphonse ran numerous businesses from a tiny office at a shopping strip, including a traffic school, tax preparation store and immigration firm.

But, according to sun-sentinel.com,  the entrepreneur's latest venture — a pirate radio station, situated in the same building where his other businesses are — got him killed, the Broward Sheriff's Office says.

Adelphonse, 42, was electrocuted in Oakland Park, FL on Monday night when part of the pirate radio antenna he was installing above his business office collapsed and struck a powerline, the agency said.

The illegal station would've been the latest one in South Florida, where federal and local officials have been busy in recent years trying to shut them down only to see more jamming the public airways with cheaper broadcasting equipment.

"More and more people are trying to find ways to make money on the side, and they don't have the experience of handling these antennas," said Broward sheriff's Detective Valerian Perez.  Perez adds he suspects the proliferation of pirate stations will continue to multiply as the costs of setting one up has become cheaper and with equipment becoming more easily available on the Internet.

Local, state and federal officials say South Florida has long been considered a hotbed for pirate radio stations. Since January 2012, the Federal Communications Commission has filed legal actions against 50 pirate stations throughout the United States. Of those, 31 were located in South Florida's tri-county area, according to the agency's database.

Chris Jacques, 27, of Boca Raton, who runs the licensed station Radio Haiti Amerique International on WHSR 980 AM Radio in Boca Raton, downplayed the notion that the illegal stations are filling a gap of Creole and Caribbean programming.

Jacques said his operation can cost up to $15,000 a week, and the pirates are just looking to make easy money from advertisers looking for cheaper rates.

Public Memorial Planned For Kidd Kraddick

Kidd Kraddick
Many, many folks have asked in recent days about the time and date for Kidd Kraddick’s funeral following his death Saturday in New Orleans. The DallasMorning News reports the funeral be a private.

But according to his publicist, Ladd Biro, “Kidd’s family is planning a public memorial service,” details of which will be announced “in the upcoming days.”

In the meantime tomorrow is Kidd Kraddick Kidd’s Kids Day, during which KHKS 106.1 KISS-FM, Southwest Airlines, Yea Networks and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers will raise money for Kradick’s charity and “honor Kidd’s legacy,” according to Biro’s announcement. His charity, as you’re no doubt aware by now, raised money to treat chronically ill and/or physically challenged children ages 5 to 12 with trips to, among other places, Walt Disney World.

“There are four ways to donate on Friday,” says the release. “Stop by one of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers’ 20 DFW-area restaurants, donate online at 1061kissfm.com, text “KIDD” to 52000 to automatically donate $10, or call 214-866-8106 to donate via phone.”

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Live Kraddick Morning Show Set to Return August 5


Some form of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, the morning radio show whose host David "Kidd" Kraddick died on July 27, will air live on Monday, August 5. Representatives from the show's parent company, YEA Networks, don't know yet what form that will be.

According to dallas.culturemap.com, that uncertainty didn't stop management from emailing stations around the country that air the show, stating that it felt confident the show would go live on Monday morning, with cast members such as Kellie Raspberry and Big Al "doing a few live breaks."

At Louisiana FM radio station B97 New Orleans, which has the August 5 announcement posted on its website, DJ Jammer says that they've been reassured that some live show will be aired.

Jammer is also the person who took the photo, now widely circulated, of Kraddick arm-and-arm with his crew, hours before his passing.

"I'm still spinning at this point," Jammer says. "And our audience here in New Orleans is so emotionally wrapped up in it."

Read More Now

The nationally synidcated TV show DishNation dedicated their Monday airing to Kidd Kraddick.


Rush Limbaugh Observes 25 Years In Syndication

Today, August 1, marks the 25th anniversary of The Rush Limbaugh Show in national syndication.

Heard on nearly 600 stations by nearly 20 million people each week, it is the highest-rated national radio talk show in America. Celebrating 25 years of Excellence in Broadcasting,  Limbaugh has spent 788,918,000 seconds, 13,148,640 minutes, 219,144 hours, 9,131 days and 1,304 weeks serving as “America’s Anchorman.”

“It’s meant more to me than I’ll ever be able to fully describe. It's the best three hours of the day! We’re going to do this for a long time to come.”

“The relationship we’ve established here – between the audience and myself – is everything,” stated Mr. Limbaugh. “It’s meant more to me than I’ll ever be able to fully describe. It's the best three hours of the day! We’re going to do this for a long time to come.”

Known as the media pundit who reshaped the political landscape with his entertaining and informative brand of conservatism, Limbaugh is widely credited by many industry experts with resuscitating AM radio. In 1988, Limbaugh and his partners founded EIB, the Excellence In Broadcasting network, and he launched his phenomenally successful radio broadcast into national syndication on August 1 of that year with 56 radio stations. Adding 100 affiliates in just a few months, Limbaugh set a rapid pace for growth and paved the way for the expansion of the Talk radio format.

Here’s a snapshot of the Talk radio format 25 years ago: In 1987, the year before his emergence, there were approximately 150 traditional News/Talk radio stations in America. Today, there are more than 2,000 News/Talk/Information stations.

Limbaugh also pioneered an entirely new model for Talk radio. Defying industry convention, he does not book guests on his program. Centered on the news of the day, he describes his unique approach as “a serious discussion of issues, combined with irreverent humor.” He has enjoyed uninterrupted status since the early 1990s as the leading Talk radio host in the U.S., and the program continues to expand its reach.

In the past year alone, The Rush Limbaugh Show has experienced an 11% audience increase (Source: Arbitron, Nationwide, FA’11 to FA’12, Exact Times, AQH, P 12+). Mr. Limbaugh has also been recognized with Marconi Awards for “Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year” in 1992, 1995, 2000 and 2005 from the National Association of Broadcasters. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1993, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2012.

CBS TV, Radio 2Q Revenue Down One Percent

CBS Corp. on Wednesday reported record second-quarter results that surpassed Wall Street analyst expectations.

Accoridng to THR, the Les Moonves-led company grew revenue 11 percent from the previous year to $3.7 billion. Analysts were anticipating about $3.5 billion.

Net earnings from continuing operations also were encouraging as the company reported $476 million for the past three months, up from $452 million the same prior-year period.

"Double-digit revenue growth—and the best quarterly profits we've ever had—add up to a phenomenal quarter for CBS," said Moonves, singling out the successful introduction of Under the Dome and subsidiary Showtime's Ray Donovan as reasons to be hopeful for the future.


Local Broadcasting (CBS Television Stations and CBS Radio) Local Broadcasting revenues for the second quarter of 2013 decreased 1% to $698 million from $704 million for the same prior-year period. CBS Television Stations revenues decreased 1%, primarily reflecting lower political advertising. CBS Radio revenues remained flat compared with the same prior-year period, as the benefit of the new CBS Sports Radio network was offset by the impact of radio station dispositions in 2012.

Local Broadcasting OIBDA for the second quarter of 2013 increased 3% to $255 million from $248 million for the same prior-year period, principally because of lower programming and production costs.

Arbitron: Total Line Reporting For Subscribers Only

Arbitron announced Wednesday that in 2014, it plans to make Total Line Reporting of simulcast stations available only to qualified Arbitron-subscribing radio stations in good standing.

Currently, any simulcast station in a market, regardless of subscriber status, can request Total Line Reporting.

Under the updated policy, only licensed subscribing radio stations in good standing will be eligible to combine audiences for their radio stations and Internet streams that are 100 percent simulcast on a single reporting line in Arbitron ratings reports and data services.

Non-subscribing radio stations will be reported individually and will no longer be eligible to request Total Line Reporting for 100 percent simulcasts.

Arbitron's current plans call for the updated policy to become effective with the Winter 2014 survey in Diary markets and the January 2014 report period in PPM markets. 

Fargo Radio: Jesse, Amanda, Pike Morning Show Leaves KVOX


The popular local morning radio show “Jesse and Amanda with Pike” will return to the metro airwaves despite its departure from KVOX Froggy 99.9 on Wednesday, but the hosts aren’t saying when or where they’ll return.

According to inforum.com, the only thing they are saying is that they will not head to rival country station KBVB Bob 95.1.  Bob 95 already has a popular morning show with “Chris, John and Jane in the Morning.”

The trio – John Halvorson (Jesse James), Amanda Scheid (Amanda Lea) and Taylor Peterson (Pike) – are mum on details of the move.

The timing of the show’s departure comes shortly before Froggy and Bob are set to officially change ownership.

James D. Ingstad is handing off Froggy 99 to Midwest Communications in exchange for Bob 95.

At that time, Ingstad sold his six Radio Fargo-Moorhead stations, including Bob 95, to Midwest. He followed up that deal by buying Froggy 99 and five other stations from L&L Broadcasting. L&L Broadcasting had just bought the Fargo-Moorhead stations as part of a larger deal with Triad Broadcasting.

According to the most recent Arbitron ratings, Bob 95 and Froggy 99 are the top-rated country music stations in the metro, both ranking in the top five stations.

The highest rated music station was pop music Y-94, which is home to the “Y-94 Morning Playhouse.”

Houston Radio: KGOW, KROI Ink Content Deal

KGOW Yahoo Sports Radio 1560 AM and KROI News 92 FM on Wednesday announced a content-exchange deal that would give sports updates to news listeners and news updated to sports listeners.

According to bizjournals.com, Yahoo Sports Radio 1560, which is owned by Houston-based Gow Media, will provide twice-per-hour sports updates on the News 92 FM broadcast clock between 7:00 p.m. and midnight daily, as well as between 6:00 a.m. and noon on weekends. 

Initially on nights and weekends, News 92 FM, which is owned by Atlanta-based Radio One, will give hourly news updates.

“Research suggests that news and sports stations have shared listener bases so this makes sense for both stations,” Radio One Regional Vice President Doug Abernethy said in a statement. “We’re leveraging our respective strengths.”


MTV, HuffPo Founders Share Thoughts On Digital Media

Minneapolis advertising agency Olson on Wednesday hosted its North By Midwest VIP Marketer Summit, an all-day, clients-only event featuring high-profile speakers such as Clear Channel Communications CEO Bob Pittman and Huffington Post founder and Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington.

According to bizjournals.com, the summit focused on trends in emerging media, entrepreneurship and digital innovation.

Pittman, perhaps best known as the founder of MTV, kicked off the event as the early-morning keynote speaker. Here's a quick overview of some of his remarks, most of which are paraphrased:
  • TV is America's hobby. The Internet is your manage-my-life box. Radio is America's companion.
  • Clear Channel has radio & billboards. "We're the only company in America that loves traffic jams."
  • On rise of digital radio: "We're not locked in to a transmitter and a tower."
  • "This social stuff isn't doing anything new. It's doing something more efficiently, which is why it's so popular."
  • Even Spotify and Pandora users still discover new music via broadcast radio. That's where they go to find out what's new. Their digital playlists are where they turn to escape the world.
  • Various media channels should be seamless, not viewed as separate marketing buckets.
  • The biggest challenge for innovation at a big company is that one person can say no to an idea, but no one person can say yes. That keeps companies from taking chances.
  • Half of all new things we try will fail. We just have to be ready for that and able to make quick decisions.
  • I don't see myself as the general. I'm the team leader. My opinions aren't more important than anyone else's opinions.

Deep Staff Cuts Hit The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Roughly 50 members of the Cleveland Plain Dealer staff learned their jobs were eliminated Wednesday morning.

The paper's parent company, Advance Publications, warned the staff in a memo earlier this week.

Channel 3 also learned today that some employees at Sun Newspapers were also laid off. It's still unclear how many, but Sun News is owned by the same company -- Advance Publications.

Those losing their jobs at Sun included editors, reporters and photographers.



MLB’s Joe Maddon Managerial Style Offers Radio Insight

Joe Maddon
Jamey Wright did a double-take the day he saw the DJ. 
Then there was the time he saw the magician. And the merengue band. Oh, and the live penguins, too. At times during Wright's first two months as a pitcher for the Rays, his newest clubhouse looked like Barnum and Bailey or Siegfried and Roy had taken it over. 
"Little things like that, I've never seen in a clubhouse," said Wright, an 18-year major league veteran who arrived in Tampa Bay earlier this year. 
Welcome to Joe Maddon's madhouse. Or, perhaps more appropriately, welcome to a baseball player's paradise. 
As eccentric as Maddon's free-spirited, fun-loving approach to managing players and personalities may appear to be, it is the primary reason why Tampa Bay boasts the type of environment many big leaguers are desperate to see first-hand. 
The approach also is the bedrock of a cash-strapped franchise that in recent seasons has bucked expectations and made winning its surprising calling card.

Tom’s Take: This piece offers a ton of applicable tactics for radio including, but not limited to:  1.  Have Fun 2. Have Integrity 3. Take Chances.  Great read!

Houston Radio Legend Gets Scanned In Kidd’s Memory

The untimely death of popular Texas radio personality Kidd Kraddick prompts a local radio icon to get her own heart checked out.

In the 1980's, Dayna Steele ruled Houston's airwaves as the First Lady of Rock ‘N Roll on 101 KLOL-FM.

It wasn't a healthy lifestyle, Steele admits. Today, she's much more discerning about how she treats her body.

"I eat healthy, I exercise, I'm not overweight," Steele said.

But she is also 53 years old – the same age as Kidd Kraddick. So on Wednesday she went to Houston Methodist Hospital for a heart scan and arterial ultrasound.

Steele invited FOX 26 News to tag along so our viewers could see how quick, easy and painless the diagnostic tests actually are.

Houston weather, traffic, news | FOX 26 | MyFoxHouston

Earliest Known Beatles Broadcast Surfaces

Dick Biondi
Here is the first known Beatle record ever broadcasted in America ( at 5:56 in ) .... long before they became famous about a year later.

According to The Dick Biondi Show, WLS in Chicago the recording was made  on a home recorder directly off a WLS 890 AM live radio broadcast approximately 750 miles from the broadcast station in the state of Delaware in late February 1963.

At 5:56 on the video is Dick Biondi's introduction of the Beatles' song "Please Please Me."

Randy Travis Released From Hospital

Randy Travis
County superstar Randy Travis has been released from the hospital and is headed to a physical therapy facility after suffering a stroke and a heart attack earlier this month.

According to Fox News, his publicist said in a statement that Travis had left Baylor Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas, for an unspecified rehabilitation center.

“Thanks to all the fans and friends for your continued prayers and support as Randy continues on the road to recovery,” says Travis’ fiancĂ©e Mary Davis said Wednesday. 

The 54-year-old Grammy award winning singer had a stroke July 10 while being treated for heart failure caused by a viral infection.

Travis' illness comes as he's been trying to put his life back together following a series of embarrassing public incidents involving alcohol.

R.I.P.: Memphis Personality Corey Maclin Dies At 43

Corey Maclin
Corey Maclin, 43, the voice and television host of Memphis Wrestling, radio and a former sportscaster and TV personality died on Tuesday in a car accident.

According to memphisrap.com, Maclin was pronounced dead on the scene after his car swerved and rolled into oncoming traffic throwing him from the vehicle as he drove southbound on I-55 just south of Sardis around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30.

Maclin who began his career first hosting programs at around the age of 13 years-old at local churches, venues and by participating in the community, moved on to become a sought-after personality who ended up working as an on-air radio personality for KFTH 107.1 FM, which led to him being promoted and working as program/news director at WLOK at the age of 18, the youngest in Memphis.



Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Journal Reports 2Q Radio Revenue Up 2.3 Percent

Journal Communications, Inc. today announced results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2013.

Steve J. Smith
Highlights:
  • Revenue of $101.2 million, up 6.0%
  • Broadcast revenue up 15.3% , up 6.1% on a same-station basis and excluding political revenue
  • Political revenue of $0.3 million compared to $5.7 million
  • Daily newspaper retail advertising revenue up 2.8%
  • Publishing revenue down 6.5%, down 0.5% excluding northern Wisconsin community publications sold in December 2012
  • Operating earnings of $13.1 million, down 2.6% primarily due to lower political revenue
  • Closed on acquisition of WNOX-FM in Knoxville, Tennessee for $5.96 million in cash
  • Diluted EPS of $0.13 in both years
“Journal Communications had a solid second quarter, driven by revenue gains in our broadcast group, as well as improving advertising revenue trends in publishing. Total revenue of $101.2 million was up 6% year over year,” said Steven J. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Journal Communications. “Operating earnings decreased 2.6% as lower political revenue offset operating earnings increases in broadcast, driven by NewsChannel 5 in Nashville, as well as higher earnings at our daily newspaper.”
“Within the Broadcast group, we continue to see core revenue growth. On a same-station basis and excluding political advertising, revenue was up 6%, with television up 7% and radio up 5%.”
For the second quarter, revenue from radio stations increased 2.3% to $19.9 million, or 4.7% excluding political revenue.

Radio political advertising revenue was $0.1 million, compared to $0.5 million. Local advertising revenue, excluding political, increased 5.0%, primarily due to an increase in retail advertising.

National advertising revenue, excluding political, decreased 4.9% to $1.8 million, primarily due to a decrease in media advertising.

Operating earnings from radio stations were $3.8 million compared to $4.4 million, a decrease of 13.8% or a decrease of 19.0% excluding acquisition costs in both years.

Radio operating expenses increased 7.1%, or 9.3% excluding acquisition costs in both years, primarily due to employee-related expense increases and the impact of credits received from an industry-wide music licensing fee settlement in 2012.

Note that unless otherwise indicated, all comparisons are to the second quarter ended June 24, 2012. Same-station comparisons exclude the operations of NewsChannel 5 in Nashville, Tennessee, which we purchased in December 2012.

For the second quarter, revenue of $101.2 million increased 6.0% and operating earnings of $13.1 million decreased 2.6%. Net earnings were $6.6 million, a decrease of 13.3%.

In the second quarter, basic and diluted net earnings per share of class A and B common stock were $0.13 in both years.

The operating margin was 13.0% for the second quarter compared to 14.1%. Adjusted EBITDA, as defined in Table 4, was $20.4 million, a decrease of 1.6% from $20.7 million.