WCBS-FM NYC aircheck with Dan Ingram on the radio for the first
time since leaving WKTU 6 years earlier.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Ft. Wayne Radio: WOWO, WISE Ink Content Deal
WISE-TV NBC33 and WOWO Radio 1190AM / 92.3FM are joining
forces to launch a market-first venture featuring WOWO morning host Charly
Butcher.
Beginning September 23rd from 6-7am, “Fort
Wayne ’s Morning News with Charly Butcher on NBC33” hits the air
featuring the ability to watch, as well as hear, Fort Wayne ’s number one morning radio show
along with continuous weather forecasts and news information on TV.
“You’re running around getting the kids ready, fixing
breakfast and readying for work. How can we make our viewers morning more
efficient and at the same time enrich their lives? That’s the question we set
out to answer,” explains WISE/WPTA President/General Manager Don Osika.
“With Fort Wayne ’s
Morning News with Charly Butcher on NBC33,” now you’ll be able to listen to
Charly, watch first hand what’s happening in the WOWO studios as well as see a
detailed weather forecast and local headlines at anytime on NBC33 with our
special L-bar graphics package.”
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to streamline the morning as
you get up to date going out the door and continue to follow Charly in your
car,” adds WISE/WPTA News Director Peter Neumann. “For viewers and listeners,
it’s a unique and great way to be informed seamlessly throughout the morning.”
“It took about 2 seconds to realize that this would be a
great win-win,” says Morning News host Charly Butcher, “It took another 2
seconds to realize I had to get a new wardrobe.”
RAB Sez 2Q 2013 Radio Revenue Flat
 |
| Erica Farber |
Radio's Second Quarter 2013 revenue registered "no
change" from 2012, at $4.66B. First-Half comps were similarly flat, at
$8.44B. Digital provided a bright note, up 16% for the Quarter and 13% for the
Half. Network was down 4% for both periods.
"First-Half activity yielded a mixed-bag of
results," stated Erica Farber, President & CEO of the RAB. "While
the Second Quarter was flat, activity was gaining as the months progressed, an
encouraging sign for growth in the latter half of 2013.”
"Not only does this affirm the impact of maintaining an
advertising presence through all economic climates, it underscores the fact
that these marketers know the intrinsic value that Radio - both on-air and
digital - brings to their brands."
AOL Starts Payoffs At Patch
 |
| Tim Armstrong |
AOL Inc.is eliminating about 500 positions at its struggling
Patch local-news business, or close to half of the division’s more than 1,000
employees, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.
According to Bloomberg, about 350 people will lose their
jobs Friday, and roughly 150 will be asked to stay for 60 more days as the
company seeks partners for some of the 900 Patch sites, said the person, who
asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Chief Executive
Officer Tim Armstrong, who apologized this week for firing a staff member in
front of colleagues, announced the job cuts this morning to Patch workers.
Armstrong, who has said he aims to make Patch profitable by
the end of the year, told the staff last week that 400 sites would close down
or look for partners, such as other local-news publishers.
Patch, which covers school-board meetings, local businesses
and other neighborhood stories, has been a costly part of AOL’s strategy to
transform the dial-up provider into an advertising-driven content publisher.
The company has spent more than $300 million developing the sites, which serve
communities and neighborhoods across the country.
7 Top Social Networks Among American Teens
This week on Mashable, you may have heard about one
13-year-old who claims none of her friends use Facebook and a 15-year-old who
said all of her friends use Facebook.
While the perception of each of these two teens can provide
snapshots of their schools and communities, Statista created this chart based
on Pew data on American teens' social media use throughout the country.
On Second Thought…Report Sez Cumulus To Re-up Rush
As with past reports, a Cumulus spokesperson said the
broadcaster was "not in a position to comment about negotiations with
talent under contract."
A Clear Channel spokesperson similarly told Politico,
"We cannot comment as we are still in negotiations."
Neither Hannity nor Limbaugh's spokesperson responded to a
request for comment late Thursday night.
Savage Sez He’s ‘Heir Apparent’ To Hannity On Cumulus Stations
 |
| Michael Savage |
Conservative radio host Michael Savage teased a “major
announcement” on his website earlier Thursday, and last night, he delivered, according to Mediaite.
Savage
predicted that he will be replacing Sean Hannity’s time slot on Cumulus Media’s
network of stations. While Hannity’s fate appeared to be tied to that of Rush
Limbaugh in the initial reports on the Cumulus move, Mediaite has learned from
a talk radio source Limbaugh is likely to stay. Mediaite has also learned from
multiple talk radio sources that Savage’s prediction will likely be confirmed
soon.
“I predict, right here, right now, that I Michael Savage and
the Savage Nation is going to take over The Sean Hannity Show time slot by the
end of the year,” Savage said. “He’s probably a nice guy, but his time is come
and his time has gone,” he continued, and “I am the heir apparent to afternoon
drive on the east coast and around America
GOP Votes to Ban Debates Off NBC, CNN
The Republican National Committee has voted to ban 2016 primary
debates from CNN and NBC over the Hillary Clinton projects that are in the
works at the two networks, according to THR.
"If CNN and NBC continue to move forward with this and
other such programming, the Republican National Committee will neither partner
with these networks in the 2016 presidential primary debates nor sanction any
primary debates they sponsor," read the resolution, as provided to The
Washington Post.
"There are forces out there that want to divide our
party. But we’re not going to let them get in the way of our mission—whether
they’re naysayers or news networks," said RNC chairman Reince Priebus in
prepared remarks at a meeting session in Boston. "That’s why we said to
the media, with a united voice, that a network that spends millions to spotlight
Hillary Clinton is a network with an obvious bias. And that’s a network that
won’t be hosting a single Republican primary debate."
In July, NBC Entertainment president Bob Greenblatt outlined
plans for a four-hour Hillary Clinton miniseries, starring Diane Liane. CNN is
planning a documentary look at the former Secretary of State.
"We’re done putting up with this nonsense. There are
plenty of other outlets. We’ll still reach voters, maybe more voters. But CNN
and NBC anchors will just have to watch on their competitors’ networks,"
read Priebus' remarks.
D/FW Radio: Hundreds Remember Kidd Kraddick
 |
| Star-Telegram photo |
Big Al Mack, left, and Kellie Rasberry, right, get emotional
as the late Kidd Kraddick's daughter, Caroline Cradick, sings "Somewhere
Over the Rainbow" to close out the tribute for radio personality Kidd
Kraddick
Hundreds of Kidd Kraddick's fans gathered at a public
memorial on AT&T Plaza at Victory
Park
And they choked back tears as Kidd Kraddick’s daughter Caroline
wiped her eyes.
"I was in the courier business for years, so I listened
to him (on KHKS Kiss106.1 FM) day after day after day for so many years -- he was like a member of the
family," said Cynthia Likness, who came to the memorial wearing a Kidd's
Kids T-shirt.
Kidd Kraddick's foundation raised money for children with
disabilities.
"He made an impact on so many people," she said.
Video tributes played, with people sharing favorite memories
of Kidd. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban spoke, telling the crowd Kidd
Kraddick taught him a lot.
"There was nobody - nobody - who made everybody around
him feel better than Kidd Kraddick," he said. Cuban said they were friends
for many years, "and along the way, he taught me a lot."
The Jonas Brothers told the crowd, as Dallas natives, Kidd Kraddick was special to
them. They recalled doing one of their first radio interviews ever with him,
when he reminded them to always value family.
Tampa Radio: Bubba Sez He’s No Racist
 |
| Bubba Clem |
Tampa shock personality Bubba the Love Sponge Clem has denied that
an audio clip on YouTube featuring him using the n-word is an accurate portrayal,
insisting that an anonymous enemy has stolen sound clips and edited them to
make him look racist.
According to The Tampa Bay Times, the audio appeared Saturday, with Clem voicing a profane
version of an advertisement for Vermont Teddy Bears. During the advertisement,
which lists different types of toys a man could give to his girlfriend, he
touts a "jungle fever bear" to be given when a woman has sex with
"n------."
Moments later, he references a "n-----" having
rough sex with a woman "Kunta Kinte style." Critics of Clem have
circulated links to the audio, which plays over a blank screen, on Twitter and
social media outlets for days, saying the audio is proof that the shock jock is
racist.
Clem denied the allegation, insisting he never said the
words as they appear in the audio, pointing out spots he believed were edited
together.
The shock jock theorized "someone who had access to my
world" cobbled together the audio from snippets recorded when Clem worked
for Clear Channel-owned WXTB-FM 98 Rock. He was fired by Clear Channel
in 2004; his morning show now airs weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Cox
Radio's WHPT-FM 102.5, The Bone.
"I'm not a racist, period," said Clem. "I never
said the word in that manner, ever."
Gainesville Radio: JVC Media Adds Bubba the Love Sponge
 |
| Bubba Clem |
The Bubba Army is advancing on Ocala and Gainesville; talk
radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge has signed a deal to bring his morning
show to JVC Media outlets WTRS MyCountry 102.3 FM in Ocala and WYGC 104.9 FM in
Gainesville, JVC Media said Thursday morning.
The Gainesville Sun reports beginning Sept. 3, the Tampa-based Bubba “The Love Sponge” Clem
will take over the 6 to 10 a.m. time slot held since 2007 by Bo and Dave, who
shift to Kelly Wright's “Country Club” 3 to 7 p.m. time slot at the simulcast
country stations. Wright takes on the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift.
Tom Bowers,
who's currently in that slot, has been promoted to production director.
“We're all about making radio fun again. We think he'll make
a big impact here; it'll be like having a nationally syndicated personality
right here in the area.”
Bubba the Love Sponge® Show is coming to my sister station My Country FLA on September 3rd!! #BubbaArmy @BTLSRadio
— Jason Hines (@TheRoachMotel) August 16, 2013
The Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based JVC assumed control of WTRS 102.3
and WYGC 104.9, along with sister stations WMFQ 92.9 in Ocala
and WXJZ 100.9 and WBXY 99.5 in Gainesville ,
on June 1.
British Radio: Top DJ Charged With Sex Offenses
 |
| Dave Lee Travis |
One of Britain 's
best-known radio DJs has been charged with 12 sexual offenses.
According to nbcnews.com, Dave Lee Travis is the latest
celebrity formerly employed by the BBC to be accused as part of a scandal that
has engulfed Britain ’s
public broadcaster.
Travis, 68, was charged Thursday with 11 counts of indecent
assault and one count of sexual assault.
Nicknamed "The Hairy Cornflake" by fans, Travis
was a regular host on "Top of the Pops," which was the U.K. ’s
equivalent of "American Bandstand." He was also a long-time DJ on the
BBC's flagship station, Radio One.
 |
| Travis today |
He was charged under his real name David Patrick Griffin by
officers working on Scotland Yard’s Operation Yewtree inquiry -- which was set
up in the wake of a scandal involving another BBC presenter, Jimmy Savile, to
investigate historic claims of sex abuse.
Police said the alleged offenses spanned three decades,
beginning in 1977 and ending in 2007.
Speaking outside his mansion in Bedfordshire, Travis denied
the charges.
Report: Podcasts Enjoying Boom
According to Ralking Tech’s Jefferosn Graham at USAToday, the
rise in smartphones and the ability to access podcasts without wires has
changed that, and greatly expanded the audience. Additionally, new apps to
listen to podcasts directly beyond iTunes — including TuneIn Radio, SoundCloud,
Stitcher and iHeartRadio — "gave podcasts an entirely new audience,"
says Allen Weiner, an analyst with Gartner.
Many new cars have Bluetooth connections, which play audio
from a smartphone directly through car speakers without having to be plugged
in.
That podcasts had the potential to chip away at traditional
radio listening was clearly noticed at Clear Channel, the nation's largest
radio broadcaster. In July, it added podcasts to its iHeartRadio service.
Podcasting is still a "small portion of overall
listening, but we need to invest in it," says Brian Lakamp, Clear
Channel's president of digital. "We need to be wherever consumers
are."
As part of the new initiative, Clear Channel struck a deal
with start-up Spreaker to let consumers record their own podcasts from home and
submit them to iHeart alongside professionally produced shows from ABC News,
National Public Radio and Ryan Seacrest.
Start-up BlogTalkRadio has a similar feature, offering free
Web tools to let anyone record a show, using their telephones as microphones,
and a Web platform to bring on guests and callers.
BlogTalk CEO Alan Levy says he's attracting 40 million
listeners monthly — but not all at his site. He shares his stuff out to iTunes,
TuneIn Radio and other platforms — many listeners come from Facebook and
Twitter.
Bay Area Radio: Jesus Gomez OUT At KMEL
 |
'Chuy' Gomez |
Long-time radio personality is out at Clear Channel’s KMEL106 FM San Francisco.
On Thursday afternoon, there were rumblings on social media
sites that morning show personality Jesus Chuy Gomez had been let go from the
hip-hop station.
Thursday night, the assistant program director at 106 KMEL
confirmed to KTVU that Gomez is no longer with the station. He did not elaborate.
Sana G segues from afternoons to host mornings, effective Monday, August 19. She will join existing AM co-hosts Miss Kimmie and Lady Ray and replaces Gomez.
Al Jazeera America to Limit Commercials
One of the most surprising revelations in a call today with
interim Al Jazeera CEO Ehab El Shihabi and president of newsgathering Kate O'Brian
was that, unlike its more ad-heavy competitors, Al Jazeera America will have only six minutes
per hour of commercials when it launches on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
According to adweek.com, El Shihabi described the limited
advertising as "one of our key competitive advantages," emphasizing
the company's commitment to serious news over punditry and movie stars.
"There will be less opinion, less yelling, and fewer
celebrity sightings," said El Shihabi. "We are not
infotainment."
The exec asserted forcefully that the programming would
satisfy a huge, untapped audience. "We know that there is a desire for the
kind of journalism we will have on Al Jazeera America ," he said.
"Americans want to have more in-depth coverage and less opinion; that is
what we will have, and that is how Al Jazeera operates."
Report: Media Websites Hacked By ‘SEA’
 |
| SEA Graphic |
Websites belonging to the Washington Post, CNN, and Time
magazine have been attacked by supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
According to BBC News,
some links on the sites redirected readers to the website of the Syrian
Electronic Army (SEA).
The breach was the result of a security failure at a firm
which provides a link recommendation service that all three sites used.
Outbrain said its staff had fallen victim to a spoof email.
Dear customers & audience: Our service is now live. We thank you for your patience & understanding. Full recap here: http://t.co/RyZLclJO7X
— Outbrain (@Outbrain) August 15, 2013
The SEA has hit several media companies in recent months,
most frequently by hijacking their social media accounts.
But in this attack the group managed to go one step further
by manipulating the links that appeared on the media groups' own webpages.
Shortly after the attack became apparent the New York-based
firm powering those links blogged: "We are aware that Outbrain was hacked
earlier today and we took down service as soon as it was apparent."
Outbrain resumed its service about seven hours later.
CNN told the BBC: "The security of a vendor plug-in that appeared on CNNi.com was briefly compromised today.
CNN told the BBC: "The security of a vendor plug-in that appeared on CNNi.com was briefly compromised today.
"The issue was quickly identified and plug-in disabled.
Neither CNN.com nor CNNi.com were penetrated directly."
The Washington Post's managing editor Emilio Garcia-Ruiz
later said that this was not thought to be the SEA's only attack on his
newspaper this week.
"A few days ago, the Syrian Electronic Army, allegedly,
subjected Post newsroom employees to a sophisticated phishing attack to gain
password information," he wrote.
"The attack resulted in one staff writer's personal
Twitter.
GOP Senator Accuses FCC Of Missing ‘Obamaphone’ Fraud
 |
| Sen. Sessions |
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) accused the Federal
Communications Commission on Thursday of failing to prevent fraud and abuse in
its cellphone subsidy program for the poor.
According to The Hill, Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget
Committee, sent a letter to Acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, demanding
more information about what the FCC is doing to ensure that only eligible
people receive subsidies.
The program, called Lifeline, has been derisively referred
to as the "Obamaphone" program, although it began long before Obama
took office.
Congress first enacted the Lifeline program in 1985 during
the Reagan administration to provide landline phone access. In 2005, under
President George W. Bush, the FCC expanded the program to cover cellphone
service. To qualify, people must have an income at or below 135 percent of the
poverty level or receive other federal subsidies such as food stamps.
The program pays for phone service, not the phones
themselves. But many companies that receive funding through the program offer
free and low-cost phones to their subscribers. The program is funded through
fees that the telephone companies pass on to all consumers on their monthly
bills.
Lifeline gained more attention last year when conservatives
seized on a viral video of a woman saying she would vote for President Obama
because he gave her a free phone.
The FCC has aggressively defended the importance of the
program, but acknowledged widespread problems with fraud and abuse.
Lifeline has grown from costing $822 million in 2008 to more
than $2 billion in 2012.
Thousands Remember Elvis
According to newsmax.com, more than 35,000 people attended
the vigil, carrying lit candles as they walked silently through the Mediation Garden
at Graceland, Presley's longtime Memphis
home. The garden is the location of Presley's grave and also is the spot where
his mother, father and grandmother are buried.
The vigil was the highlight of Elvis Week, which featured a
listening party at Stax Records for the recent release of the three-CD box set
"Elvis at Stax." Presley tribute artists performed and there was a
screening of the "Aloha from Hawaii "
television program from January 1973, according to the Associated Press.
Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977 from congestive heart failure
that may have been partially caused by drug abuse.
Elvis Week events wrap up on Saturday.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Fox Sports 1 Inks Deal With DirecTV, Dish And TWC
Fox Sports 1 has struck agreements with three major
distributors that will ensure that the new cable network will be available in
the majority of pay-TV homes when the network launches this Saturday, according to the LATimes.
The three carriers -- satellite broadcasters DirecTV and
Dish and cable operator Time Warner Cable -- all have agreed to carry Fox
Sports 1 when it launches. Those three distributors combined reach over 40
million homes.
Fox Sports 1 is using real estate previously held by the
Speed Channel. Fox was seeking a big fee increase from distributors to carry
the network. According to industry consulting firm SNL Kagan, Speed received
about 23 cents per-subscriber, per-month. The price Fox Sports 1 is seeking in
the first year is said to be in the neighborhood of 80 cents, which is a likely
sticking point in negotiations.
For comparison, ESPN has the largest per-subscriber fee of
any network. ESPN is charging providers $5.54 per subscriber
R.I.P.: B.O.C. Founder Allen Lanier Dies At 66
 |
| Allen Lanier |
Founding Blue Oyster Cult keyboardist and guitarist Allen
Lanier has died.
He was 66.
Lanier had been hospitalized with Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease, according to the band’s official Facebook page. “DFTR sweet
man,” the post reads, in apparent reference to their hit ‘Don’t Fear the
Reaper.’ “We love you and miss you.”
Apart from a two year absence in the ’80s, Lanier was with
B.O.C. from their inception in 1967 until his retirement in 2006. He co-wrote
several songs for the group, including ‘True Confessions,’ In Thee,’
‘Tenderloin,’ and ‘Lonely Teardrops.’
Radio Industry Delivers FM-enabled Smartphone App
Unprecedented coordination by radio broadcasters led to
today’s announcement that Sprint will begin installing the NextRadio®
application in a broad array of FM-enabled wireless devices over the coming
years, allowing consumers to listen to their local radio stations on their
smartphones.
"Today we set a new course as an industry, one that
will bring exciting audience and advertiser engagement opportunities,"
Emmis Chairman & CEO Jeff Smulyan said.
"This announcement is a credit to the entire radio industry, which
has unified to make this happen."
The announcement by Sprint also marks the official launch of
NextRadio®, the smartphone app that delivers a highly interactive artist and ad
experience to FM-enabled smartphones.
Data for the NextRadio app is supplied by TagStation®, the
cloud-based engine that offers stations the ability to upload branding images
that will display as default artwork in the NextRadio app, as well as call
letters, format, station name and slogan. This basic, free level of station
integration is open to all radio stations and creates a compelling experience
within the app as the user is able to quickly associate their local stations
with familiar visuals while browsing.
"Whether the station is large market, medium market,
small market, commercial or non-commercial, this free service will provide
listeners with a visual radio listening experience on the FM-enabled
smartphone. Radio stations no longer have to add the cost of Internet Streaming
to get local FM radio on a mobile device," said Paul Brenner, Emmis’ Chief
Technology Officer and President, NextRadio, LLC. "Adding full TagStation capabilities
allows radio stations to offer listeners features like album art and artist
information, listener feedback, song tagging capabilities, enhanced advertising
options and social integration, which dramatically enhance the listening
experience."
Boston Radio: Jason Wolfe OUT At WEEI
Entercom Boston announced today that Jason Wolfe, Vice
President of Programming and Operations at WEEI & WRKO, is leaving the
company.
Entercom Boston also stated that they would make an
announcement about Wolfe’s replacement shortly.
“Jason Wolfe has defined sports talk radio, not only in Boston , but around the
country as well. There are very few people who have influenced an industry like
Jason has,” said Jeff Brown, VP/Market Manager at Entercom Boston. “From his
work with the Jimmy Fund and the Red Sox's historic championship run to WRKO's
engagement with politics, Jason’s behind-the-scenes work has made an impact few
people will ever understand. We thank Jason for all his hard work, dedication
to Entercom, and his commitment to the Boston
community.”
 |
| Jason Wolfe |
“Being involved in the growth of WEEI has been a tremendous
honor. WEEI went from a single radio station, to a regional sports network,
added a world class digital platform because the demand for our content is so
strong; and today, is one of the biggest radio brands in any format, anywhere
in the country. We were #1 for six straight years through the fall of 2008.
We’ve won four Marconi Awards and have given back so much to the community,
helping to raise millions and millions of dollars for charity, including over
$31 million for the Jimmy Fund. I couldn't be more proud to have played a role
in all of the station's success,” said outgoing WEEI & WRKO Vice President
of Programming and Operations, Jason Wolfe. Wolfe had been at the station 22-years.
Kidd Kraddick Public Memorial To Be Held
North Texans will gather today to remember a radio legend. Friends, family members and fans are all set to participate in a public memorial and star-studded tribute concert for the late Kidd Kraddick. The radio personality was 53 years old when he passed away at one of his charity events in
In addition to his work on the air, Kraddick was also known
for his Kidd’s Kids organization, which helps children who are battling an
illness by taking them on fun trips to DisneyWorld .
But most listeners connected with Kraddick through his radio
show on KHKS 106.1 KissFM, which has continued even without his presence.
The free public memorial for Kraddick starts at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the American AirlinesCenter in
After that celebration, at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, there will
be the first-ever Kidd’s Kids concert at the House of Blues in Dallas
Public Celebration For KEZR’s Bill Kelly To Be Held
Two weeks ago, the KEZR My Mix 106.5 FM family lost their morning
host Bill Kelly.
He was 55 and had been battling cancer for quite some time.
SEE ORIGINAL POSTING: Click here
Co-workers, friends and fans today will celebrate Kelly’s extraordinary
career with a celebration and a tribute.
The memorial will be held Thursday starting at 6pm in San Jose Civic
Auditorium,135 West San Carlos
Street , San Jose , CA 95113
Then on Friday morning from 5am to 9am Mix 106.5 will broadcast
a celebration of Bill Kelly, as they pay fond tribute to his remarkable 30 year
morning show career.
Arbitron Releases New Hispanic Radio Study
About 95% of Hispanic consumers tune to the radio in an
average week, underscoring a strong relationship with an important and growing
listener segment. Radio listenership among Hispanic consumers is bigger than
other ethnic groups measured by Arbitron. Radio remains a reliable entertainment
and information source for Hispanic listeners, regardless of their language
preference, country of origin, age, gender, income, or listening location.
Radio’s reach among 25-54 Hispanic listeners is even better,
reaching nearly 97% of women 35-44 weekly. In an era where all consumers are presented
with many media choices, time spent listening to radio among Hispanic persons
is holding steady (and in some cases, increasing) in key demographics.
This year’s Hispanic Radio Today has detailed analyses for
the 12 most popular formats according to Average Quarter-Hour share, plus
abbreviated analysis for five additional Spanish-language formats that achieve
an AQH share of up to 2.0. For the first time, the study also shows the AQH proportion
of language preference (English-dominant vs. Spanish-dominant) for each format.
Some highlights of the formats in this year’s study (listed
in order of Average Quarter-Hour audience share and appearance in the study):
- Mexican Regional remains far and away the most popular choice of Hispanic listeners by nearly twice the share of the second-largest format. The format draws young listeners (mostly men) of Mexican descent and is a popular out-of-home listening choice.
- Spanish Contemporary + Spanish Hot Adult Contemporary is another strong out-of-home performer and is slightly more popular among women than men. A growing number of listeners to these formats comes from higher income households.
- Pop Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR), the No. 3 format among all audiences based on AQH, is similarly ranked among Hispanic listeners. Just like with the general market, Pop CHR is popular among Hispanic women, especially those who primarily speak English.
- Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) remains the most ethnically-diverse format among all listeners and remains very popular among young Hispanic listeners. Listeners to this format are among the most tech-savvy in this study.
- Adult Contemporary + Soft Adult Contemporary’s share of audience tapered slightly this year, matching the format’s trend in the general market. It remains a strong midday performer and its listeners are well educated and live in high income households.
- Spanish Adult Hits, which tends to be most popular in Western markets, has nearly half of its audience between 35–54 years old.
- Country + New Country,
- Classic Hits remains most popular with men, particularly Spanish-dominant Hispanic men.
- News/Talk/Information + Talk/Personality feature the highest proportion of English-dominant Hispanic listeners. These listeners are also the best educated and live in the highest-income households of all formats in the study.
- Spanish Tropical, a popular choice of Hispanic listeners of
Arbitron subsriber's can get the detailed report here.
NYC Radio: Al Sharpton Show Moves To WLIB
 |
| Dillard, Sharpton |
REACH Media Inc. has announced that Reverend Al Sharpton’s
radio show, “Keepin’ it Real with Rev. Al Sharpton” is now broadcasting live on
1190 AM WLIB Monday through Friday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
Sharpton has been a long presence in the New York market and now will be live daily
discussing current topics, news, inspiration, and issues affecting African
American communities.
Skip Dillard, Operations Manager WBLS/WLIB, states “Rev Al’s
weekday show is a perfect fit for WLIB, a station with a history of both
inspiration and information. Rev Sharpton has a long history with WBLS and
WLIB. We’re super-excited to now have him at work with WLIB listeners each
weekday!”
Senior Vice President of Programming, REACH Media Inc., Gary
Bernstein attests “We appreciated the tremendous support from our former
affiliation with WWRL, but the opportunity of a live clearance on WLIB from 1p
to 3p in the biggest radio market in the country was the motivation for us to
make the switch. We are also enhancing what has been a special relationship
with our friends at YMF Media and WBLS/WLIB.”
Morgantown Radio: WCLG Sale May Raise FCC Questions
In a market dominated by West Virginia Radio Corp. stations,
news that Morgantown, WV
radio stations WCLG 1300 AM and 100.1 FM are being sold is drawing attention.
According to wvgazette.com, the stations, locally owned by
Bowers Broadcasting, are to be sold to an entity called AJG Corp. -- if the
Federal Communications Commission approves the sale.
That could be critical, since FCC rules restrict the number
of radio stations any one company may own in a market. If AJG Corp. had not
been spun off from West Virginia Radio Corp. -- owned by Morgantown businessman and frequent political
candidate John Raese -- then the original company might not meet those
restrictions.
 |
| John Raese |
In a market the size of Morgantown-Clarksburg, the FCC
ownership limit is seven commercial stations, with no more than four in either
AM or FM.
Incorporated in 2007, AJG operates three former West
Virginia Radio Corp. stations: WKKW-FM in Fairmont ,
WFGM-FM in Barrackville, and WFBY-FM in Weston. If AJG bought WCLG-FM, it would
have four FM stations in the market.
However, business filings with the Secretary of State's
Office and FCC records show that, at the very least, AJG is closely aligned
with West Virginia Radio Corp.:
- AJG's office address, according to business filings with the
Secretary of State's Office, is 1251 Earl Core Road in Morgantown -- the same
address as West Virginia Radio Corp. offices and Morgantown radio stations, and
also the location of the Dominion Post newspaper, owned by the Raese family. (FCC
records list AJG's office address as 279 June Road,
- Vice president and general manager of AJG is Jack Murphy Jr., who used to be sales manager for West Virginia Radio Corp. The contact number listed for Murphy at AJG is the same as the main number for the WVRC business office.
Fresno Radio: Greg Hoffman OUT At KBOS
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| Greg Hoffman |
Greg Hoffman is no longer working at KBOS 94.9 FM.
He will not say whether his departure from the local radio
station was his decision or that of management. Jeff Negrete, general manager
of the local Clear Channel radio stations that include KBOS, could not be
reached for comment.
According to the Fresno Bee, Hoffman's been at the local
radio station — better known as B95 — for more than 17 years as program
director and on-air talent, including being a co-host for the "Juice Crew
Morning Show" for a dozen years.
His morning show partners, Andre
Covington and Carmen, are still with the station.
Hoffman did release a statement on the end of his run at
KBOS:
"I want to say thank you to all my co-workers at B95
for being such great teammates throughout the years, especially for the support
they have given me the last nine and a half years that I have served as the
program director of the station. I would like to give a special thank you to
Andre Covington, with whom I created the 'Juice Crew Morning Show' over 12
years ago," Hoffman says. "Most importantly, I would like to thank
all the people of Fresno and Central
California who have loyally woken up and listened to my show each
morning.
"I am going to miss interacting with all the listeners
of the 'Juice Crew Morning Show.' It is my hope that I left them with some
lasting positive memories."
CNN To Place Greater Emphasis On Mobile Audience
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| Jeff Zucker |
CNN is increasing its emphasis on consumers who get its
content from mobile phones and tablets, its top executive said Wednesday,
investing about $15 million so far in 2013 on reworking its digital
infrastructure to make the placement of news content and advertising across
different digital outlets easier, according to Variety. The maneuver, said Jeff Zucker, president of
CNN Worldwide, is aimed at grabbing new viewers who increasingly reach for the
nearest screen when breaking news erupts, not necessarily the one that is part
of a TV set.
“The future of CNN is as much about digital as it is about a
television screen,” Zucker said at a media event. “I fervently believe mobile
is a big part of our future,” he added later.
To that end, CNN intends to unveil a new digital face in
November. Its system will free up editorial staff to focus on reporting the
news while facilitating the posting of stories across a variety of devices and
screens ranging from desktops to Androids, said KC Estenson, senior veep and
g.m. at CNN Digital. The Time Warner cable network has seen more rapid growth
in people accessing its content from social networks and mobile outlets and
believes those figures are only going to increase –and more rapidly than TV
viewership and even desktop viewing, he said. Additional interest from
international audiences is also fueling some of the activity, he added.
The challenge has been great: CNN publishes news across 20
different media venues, supporting nine different editions in six different
languages, he said.
Paul McCartney Joins iHeartRadio Fest Line-Up
Paul McCartney joins an extraordinary line-up including Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, J. Cole, Elton John, Muse, Tiësto, Chris Brown, Keith Urban, fun., Miguel, Bruno Mars, Phoenix, Zedd, Maroon 5, Tim McGraw, Ke$ha, Drake, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Benny Benassi, plus a rare live appearance by legendary rock band Queen + Adam Lambert, this year's Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Star winner, The Summer Set and other special surprise guests to be announced later.
Paul has spent much of 2013 on his Out There tour, winning unprecedented praise wherever it goes, and is currently working on new material.
This year, the Festival gets even bigger with the addition of the "iHeartRadio Music Festival Village" on Saturday afternoon. The Festival Village will feature live performances on two stages by nearly a dozen popular and up-and-coming artists, including Miley Cyrus, The Wanted, Jason Derulo, The Band Perry, Avril Lavigne, Krewella, Cher Lloyd, twenty one pilots, Pete Tong, AWOLNATION and a special guest appearance by Ne-Yo.
iHeartRadio Music Festival will take place Sept. 20 and 21, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Paul McCartney will perform on Saturday evening, Sept. 21. The Festival will broadcast LIVE across Clear Channel radio stations in 150 markets nationwide, and this year will air as a two night special on The CW Network on Sept. 30 (night one) at 8-10 p.m. ET/PT and Oct. 1 (night two) at 8-10 p.m. ET/PT, to launch the network's fall season.
R.I.P.: Macon Radio Personality Don King Dead At 82
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| Don King |
People passing by Don King on the sidewalk might not have
realized he was one of the biggest names in Macon radio for more than 30 years.
According to macon.com, the broadcast legend, who stood
shorter than 5-foot-5, used to joke that he started his career a foot taller
but was a victim of continual downsizing.
The 82-year-old had been retired nearly 20 years when he
died Tuesday evening of complications after heart surgery.
While spending a decade at television station WCWB, now
known as WMGT, he created gerbil races and his “Wild Bill Peacock” television
persona, complete with a huge cowboy hat, leather vest and boots.
He’d greet folks with “people, people” and sign off with a
trail of “Bye, b-bye, bye, bye, bye.”
Colleagues say his creativity fueled a promotional
brilliance that anchored radio station WBML’s spot on the dial.
“Just genius stuff,” said Bill Elder, who ruled morning FM
radio for three decades on WMAZ. “He would paint these pictures in the theater
of the mind.”
While signing off, King often would tell listeners he was
going wandering along the Ocmulgee
River
After earning a journalism degree from Mercer
University , King joined WBML as a
traffic reporter in 1955, but he was promoted to become one of Macon ’s first rock ’n‘
roll disc jockeys a few months later.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Chicago Radio: Mike McConnell OFF AIR At WGN, But Not OUT
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| Mike McConnell |
McConnell has not been heard on the air for WGN-AM since late last month. He has been "on vacation" since that time, replaced by a series of fill-ins. McConnell himself announced today on his Facebook page that he is moving online for the station. He will continue to do his radio show from 10:00am-2:00pm, but that show will only be heard on the WGN-AM website's secondary stream, WGN-2.
For the time being, WGN-AM will continue to use various personalities on the air, filling the now vacant 10:00am-3:00pm shifts. A newly revamped on-air schedule for WGN-AM is expected to be announced in the near future, giving permanent roles to some of these fill-ins.
McConnell was hired to come to WGN-AM from Cincinnati in the summer of 2010, beginning on the air on August 9th of that year. He was brought here by the then-CEO of Tribune Company Randy Michaels. Michaels was the disgraced former CEO of Clear Channel Radio and had previously worked with McConnell in Ohio. Michaels, and some of his former Clear Channel Radio cronies, including Sean Compton and Kevin Metheny, thought that bringing the controversial McConnell to Chicago would help shake up WGN-AM. He was supposed to come along with another controversial political talk show host Bill Cunningham, but Cunningham changed his mind at the last moment and stayed behind in Cincinnati.
McConnell's in-your-face, politically conservative show was programming that was opposite of what the rest of the programming on the station offered. As it turned out, it was opposite of what listeners wanted to hear.
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