Saturday Aircheck: Jack Armstrong at WKBW 1520 AM

From December 1970:

During the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, WKBW became a major force in pop radio over the East Coast. KB had a 50,000 watt transmitter. This high power caused WKBW to blanket the entire eastern U.S. with top 40 music every night, and the station actually had a better signal at night in the western Boston suburbs than Boston's own top 40 station, WMEX, located at 1510, right next door to WKBW. Disk jockeys included future Price is Right announcer Rod Roddy, Dick Biondi, Danny Neaverth, Jack Armstrong, Joey Reynolds, Steve Mitchell, Bud Ballou, Norm Marshall, Tom Shannon, and the Amazin' Jim Quinn. Irv Weinstein, later Buffalo's most popular television news anchor, served as news director.

Jack Armstrong, (John C. Larsh) died at his home in High Point, North Carolina, on March 23, 2008. Born on December 4, 1945, he was 62.   Also known as Jackson Armstrong and "Your Leadaaaaah!", he was heard by millions of Top 40 listeners during his career. He worked at stations all over North America, but is probably best remembered for his broadcasts that covered the Eastern seaboard from powerhouse WKBW in Buffalo, New York.

Chicago Radio: Report..Robert Murphy Joins WLS-FM

Robert Murphy

Robert Murphy,  who defined hip adult-contemporary radio in the 1980s at the former Q101, is about to sign on as afternoon personality at Cumulus’s Chassic Hits WLS FM 94.7, according to Chicago media write Robert Feder.

Starting Nov. 11, he’ll be on from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The rest of the station’s lineup will remain intact, but with revised hours: Brant Miller from 5:30 to 9 a.m.; Greg Brown from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Danny Lake from 1 to 4 p.m.; John Records Landecker from 8 to 11 p.m.; and Dick Biondi from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

“It is a great pleasure to have Robert join 94.7 WLS FM as we complete our talent lineup,” said Jan Jeffries, senior vice president corporate/programming for Cumulus Media and program director of WLS FM. “I am a longtime fan and am counting the days to Nov. 11.”

Murphy, 62, most recently hosted mornings on WILV FM 100.3, the Hubbard Broadcasting adult hits station known as Rewind 100.3.

According to Feder, WLS FM still faces an uphill battle in the ratings after a rocky year since it switched from oldies to classic hits. In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, it ranks 10th 6+ with a 3.5 percent share and cumulative weekly audience of 1,277,800. That’s still below its final month as an oldies station in September 2012, when it was tied for sixth with a 4.0 share and weekly cume of 1,442,700.

Among listeners between 25 and 54, WLS FM is tied for 17th with a 2.4 share — down from 15th with a 2.8 share in September 2012.

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FCC: Sustainability Of AM Radio Threatened

The FCC this week has formally adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to introduce a number of  possible improvements to the AM broadcasting.

The Commission is seeking ways  to revitalize the AM band by identifying ways to enhance AM  broadcast quality and proposing changes to our technical rules that would enable AM stations to improve service.

The Commission’s last comprehensive examination of the technical, legal, and policy issues relating to AM broadcasting took place a generation ago, in a proceeding that began with a 1987.  In the more than quarter-century since, the challenges facing the AM band have increased dramatically.

In the mid-1980s, AM radio represented 30 percent of the nation’s radio  listening hours.  By 2010, that number had dropped to 17 percent, with AM radio comprising only 4 percent of listening hours among younger Americans. The causes of this decline are well-documented.

As the Commission has previously stated, a “combination of higher fidelity alternatives to AM radio and  increased interference to AM radio have caused an erosion of the AM radio audience and the loss of  young listeners to other programming outlets.”

The Commission says the sustainability of the AM broadcast service has been threatened by the migration of AM listeners to newer media services, including FM, satellite radio, personal media players, podcasts, and audio streams provided over the Internet.

In its Notice, the FCC states the AM band is also subject to interference concerns not faced by other broadcast  sources.

• First, due to the nighttime propagation characteristics of AM signals, many AM stations are  unable to operate at night, and many others must reduce operating power substantially and/or use a  complex directional antenna system in order to avoid interference to co- and adjacent-channel AM  stations at night.
• Second, reinforced structures, such as buildings with steel frames or aluminum siding, can block AM signals.
• Third, AM radio is particularly susceptible to interference from electronic devices of all types, including  such ubiquitous items as TV sets, vehicle engines, fluorescent lighting, computers, and power lines. The noise on the AM band that is caused by those sources is only expected to increase as electronic devices  continue to proliferate.

The availability of higher fidelity alternatives and increased interference to AM radio has led to a steady decline in AM listenership since 1978. By 2010, AM  listenership had decreased to just 17 percent of radio listening hours.  The decline has been the sharpest  among younger listeners. Only 9 percent of listeners aged 25–34 listen to the AM band; among those aged 12–24, AM radio accounts for only 4 percent of listening hours.

FCC’s Pai Calls AM Revitalization ‘Sensible’

Commissioner Pai

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, a recent champion of AM Radio, welcomed the Notice of Proposed Rule Making, calling it “sensible”.

In September, Pai proposed that the FCC launch an AM radio revitalization initiative and, Thursday, the commission put that plan into motion by issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

"The NPRM embraces a sensible two-stage strategy for improving AM radio service. First, we propose several ways to give AM broadcasters relief in the short term. For instance, we suggest eliminating the ratchet rule. We tee up modifications to the daytime and nighttime community coverage rules for existing AM stations. 

Perhaps most importantly, we seek public input on letting AM stations apply for new FM translators. I’m the first to acknowledge that these and other proposals will not be an immediate panacea for the difficulties confronting the AM band. 

But based on the conversations I have had with AM broadcasters across the country during the past year, I am convinced that they can make a substantial, positive difference to numerous AM stations."

Report: Radio Is Not Going Away

Writing a piece for All Thing D, Mary Beth Garber, Head of Radio Analysis and Insights, Katz Radio Group says radio has increased its share of adults 18-54, 25-54 and 18-34.

She makes her points to counter an article “Seismic ShiftsRemake the Radio Industry” — written last week by Paul Goldstein, a consultant for new media companies.

Garber acknowledges while there truly is a seismic shift in perception of broadcast radio and the facts surroundin. Scarborough USA Plus data shows radio has actually increased its reach over the past five years.

Radio accounts for more than 90 percent of almost any demographic segment of the consumer market every week. And many are surprised to discover that radio is the leading source of reach among media entertainment.

Read More Now.

Fox: The Simpsons To Air Wallace Tribute Show

Marcia Wallace

Fox and The Simpsons producers are making some changes to Sunday’s programming to pay tribute to the passing of longtime Simpsons actress Marcia Wallace, who died earlier this week at age 70.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the network is replacing a repeat of American Dad with a classic Simpsons episode that focused on Wallace’s beloved character Edna Krabappel.

The network will re-air the 16th episode of the show’s third season, “Bart the Lover,” which offered a sympathetic take on Bart’s cynical, lonely teacher. In the episode, Bart discovers Krabappel has posted a personal ad, so he begins writing her bogus love letters. After setting her up on a fake date, he spies her sitting by herself in the restaurant. When she’s still there hours later, he’s no longer amused by his prank and sets about trying to make things right. The episode won Wallace an Emmy Award in 1992.

“Bart the Lover” will air as the 7:30 p.m. lead-in to an all-new Simpsons, titled “4 Regrettings and a Funeral.” The new episode will then conclude with a tribute card from the producers honoring Wallace.

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Report: CableTV Feels the Pressure From Telecom Rivals

Telecom operators began building pay-TV services nearly a decade ago, but third quarter earnings over the past few days showed operators like AT&T’s U-Verse and Verizon’s FiOs are finally becoming formidable rivals to cable carriers, at least in markets where they operate, WSJ reports.

Illustrating the point: the top two cable providers, Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc., shed 435,000 video customers in the quarter, while AT&T and Verizon added 400,000.

The power shift could have significant implications for the TV industry, as public actions and statements by the phone operators suggest they are more focused on delivering strong broadband products and willing to experiment with video streaming subscription services — already a rising source of competition for the traditional TV industry, the story notes.

Read More Now  (Subsciption Required)

NYC Radio: Boomer&Carton Open Kitchen At Barclays

WFAN 660 AM /101.9 FM Radio hosts Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton tonight will open their self-titled food stand Boomer & Carton Kitchen at Barclays Center before the Brooklyn Nets home opener against the Miami Heat.  Esiason and Carton will be on-hand at their food stand, which is located by section 17, for the 7 p.m. ribbon-cutting, along with Barclays Center and Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark, according to the WFAN website.

In personally designing the Boomer & Carton Kitchen menu, the famed radio team will offer includes:

• Boom Doggy Dog, a Nathan’s Hot Dog with smothered onions, spicy cheese sauce and crisp bacon
• Lobster Monster, a Red Hook Lobster Pound sandwich with authentic Brooklyn hot cherry peppers and mustard

“We are thrilled to bring the WFAN brand and our taste for great food to the world class Barclays Center,” said Boomer & Carton. “Since starting our morning show in 2007, we’ve easily gained 50 pounds between the two of us. Clearly we know what tastes good and what people like to eat.  Boomer and Carton Kitchen will be a great extension of our show and an amazing partnership for years to come with Barclays Center.”

Aussie Radio: Kyle, Jackie O Leaving 2Day FM

The popular radio duo made the shock announcement this morning that they will not return to the airwaves together as the Kyle and Jackie O Show in 2014, according to The Australian.

"We're proud that Kyle and Jackie have not only given Sydney radio audiences the most entertaining radio show ever, they have also raised millions of dollars for charities and those in need whilst also enthralling listeners with the world's hottest music artists and exclusive interviews with famous Hollywood celebrities. They have certainly lived up to their show mantra 'Breakfast with the Stars'! None of which could have happened without the strong and dedicated team working hard behind the scenes," Southern Cross Austereo Head of Content Craig Bruce said in a statement on their website.

Southern Cross Austereo tweeted the news to followers this morning.

Australia’s most popular radio duo, @kyleandjackieo will not return to the airwaves together as the Kyle and Jackie O Show in 2014. #KJshow
— Southern Cross Aust (@SCrossAustereo) October 31, 2013

Austereo spokeswoman Lisa Schillaci told news.com.au the network hasn't yet considered who might replace the duo.

Speculation has been rife for weeks that something was afoot with the high profile pair unable to come to an agreement on contractual negotiations.

Some media outlets had suggested that rival radio station Nova was in talks to poach the pair.

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Journal Reports 5 Percent Rise In Broadcast Revenue

Journal Communications, Inc. Thursday announced results for its third quarter ended September 29, 2013.

• Broadcast revenue - excluding political, Olympic, and Nashville NewsChannel 5 revenue - up 5.0%
• Political and Olympic revenue of $0.4 million compared to $11.6 million
• Publishing revenue, excluding northern WI community publications sold in December 2012, up 2.3%
• Daily newspaper retail revenue up 7.5% - total advertising revenue up 4.8%
• Operating earnings of $9.5 million, down 29.7% driven by lower political and Olympic advertising

 "Journal Communications had a solid third quarter, driven by continued improving advertising revenue trends in publishing, as well as revenue gains in our broadcast group. Total revenue of $97.7 million was essentially flat compared to 2012 which had record political and Olympic spending," said Steven J. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Journal Communications.

"Within the broadcast group, revenue was up 3%, with television up 2% and radio up nearly 4%.” 

Atlanta Radio: All News WYAY 106.7 Shifting Focus

WYAY 106.7 FM 60dBU Coverage Area

Kim “The Kimmer” Peterson debuts his new 12noon to 3pm show on previously All-News WYAY 106.7 FM this coming  Monday . For the past seven years, since leaving WGST 640 AM. Peterson has been in retirement, splitting time between Massachusetts and Florida. He's played a lot of golf, took care of his horse, rode his motorcycles and bided his time, always hoping he'd find a way back onto the radio.

He had some interested parties over the years but no deals ever came to be  - until now.

"I’m overwhelmed with the response," the Kimmer, 63, said in an interview with Rodney Ho at 

accessatlanta.com. "My Facebook page has been exploding. I'm getting a lot of good feedback. I keep thinking, 'It's just me coming back to do a little radio show!' I can't believe people remember me!"

He said the biggest adjustment for him will be social media. When he was let go from WGST in late 2006, YouTube was still a toddler, Facebook a mostly college-oriented affair and Twitter a mere four months old.

"I'm not as up to date as I should be," he said. "But I'm learning quickly."

After All News debuted last year, the Kimmer contacted Jim Mahanay,Cumulus news/talk/sports corporate programmer, who told him they were interested but the time wasn't right. He'd check back with Mahanay every three months and finally, this past month, they were able to hammer a deal.

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Hartford Radio: Personality Jerry Kristafer Lands New Gig

Jerry Kristafer

Jerry Kritafer, who was released at WDRC-FM last month has landed a new morning show.

Starting Monday, Kristafer will be the new Morning host on non-com WJMJ 88.9 FM in Bloomfield, CT. The station is owned by The Archdiocese of Hartford and is a mix of Soft Oldies and Religious Programming.

Kristafer spent 15-years at WDRC-FM before heading to New Haven’s WELI  where he hosted a morning news/talk radio show. He returned to the Big DRC Morning Show in 2008, succeeding John Saville. 

WJMJ 88.8 FM 60dBU Coverage

Tucson Radio: KMXZ To Celebrate Bobby Rich

Bobby Rich

The 20th anniversary celebration continues for Journal Broadcasting’s KMXZ 94.9MIXfm listeners and fans of the station’s morning personality Bobby Rich with the “Bobby Hearts Tucson” celebration on November 9.

The event will begin with a “party by the pool” from 4-6 p.m. at Casino Del Sol Resort, followed by an 8 p.m. concert by Ann and Nancy Wilson and the band Heart at AVA Amphitheatre, presented by Casino Del Sol Resort.

For party and concert details, go to www.mixfm.com. 

Rich came to Tucson in 1993 and has been waking up listeners every morning on 94.9 MIXfm (KMXZ-FM) ever since. 

He signed a multi-year contract extension with the station in January, and was inducted into the Arizona Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame in Phoenix on October 17 for his popularity on a leading market radio station and for directing Journal Broadcast Group’s Community Partnership Program.

“Bobby discovered the secret of radio success in Tucson by creating the ultimate bond with listeners, advertisers and civic leaders. He’s the best I’ve ever seen at that,” said Shaun Holly, operations manager for Journal Broadcast Group Tucson.

DC Radio: WMAL Survives License Challenge

WMAL 630 AM / 105.9 FM can keep its license. The FCC has rejected a challenge to license renewal for the Cumulus-owned AM station, according to RadioWorld.

Kevin M. Raymond had filed an objection complaining about the station’s “incessant bias” against the government in programs; he said the station broadcasts “blatant lies on each program” that cannot be considered protected by the right to free speech.

The commission reiterated in its ruling that it is prohibited from exercising censorship over broadcast stations with respect to content-based programming.

While the FCC may regulate content where federal statutes require, it will not reject a license renewal application based only on “the subjective determination of a single listener or group of listeners as to what constitutes appropriate programming.”

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NPR Show Apologizes for Polish Joke

A joke from last weekend's broadcast prompted a letter from the Polish consul general in Chicago accusing the show of xenophobia and prejudice, producer Mike Danforth felt the need to apologize.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the joke in question came from the Bluff the Listener segment of the show Saturday, in which an audience member was asked to identify which of three stories about an old joke coming true had been taken from that week's headlines.

Peter Grosz, an actor and TV writer who has appeared as a panelist and guest host on "Wait Wait," offered a supposed news item referencing a joke asking how many Poles it takes to screw in a light bulb.

Host Peter Sagal revealed the light bulb tale wasn't true, but instead another item about road-crossing chickens was the real news. Listeners later called "Wait Wait" and the Polish Consulate to complain that the joke was in poor taste.

Grosz's segment was meant to poke fun at the well-worn light bulb joke, not Polish people, Danforth said. "If anything, it was a little hack," he said. "But some people didn't enjoy that, and we're not trying to upset people, so we wanted to apologize for that."

In a letter to Danforth, Paulina Kapuscinska, consul general of the Republic of Poland in Chicago, said the joke played up false stereotypes of Poles and Poland. It presented National Public Radio, which distributes the show, as "promoters of prejudice," and such jokes "are some of the most unsophisticated of jokes, which offend the intellect of NPR listeners," Kapuscinska wrote.

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Rush Limbaugh: ‘We’re Not Fringe Kooks”

Rush Limbaugh is ticked.   

Among other things, Limbaugh ranted on Thursday’s syndicated radio show that he’s fed-up with being called a “fringe kook.”

He vented that he and his fellow conservatives aren’t the radicals in America, but rather that the label is better suited to Democrats. 

“We’re not the fringe kooks,” he said. “They are.”

"We are traditionalists.  We're constitutionalists.  We believe in the founding.  We are centrists.  We are not fringe kooks in any way, shape, manner, or form -- and the center of American politics is not pro-amnesty.  The center of American politics does not believe that man is responsible, that America is responsible for global warming and we all need tax increases to pay the price for our "excessive lifestyle," which has not contributed to global warming. 

That's not the center of American politics.  The American people are not running around demanding tax increases.  That is not the American center.  Ted Cruz is not a fringe kook.  Mike Lee is not a fringe kook.  The fringe kooks are on the left.  The fringe kooks are these people that showed up yesterday in Boston to heckle Obama.  Do you know who those people were?  Do you pay any attention to this? 

The people protesting Obama yesterday were the people that do not want him to okay the Keystone pipeline.  Let me ask you a question: When has Obama ever said he wants to?  So why in the world are a bunch of people showing up protesting the Keystone pipeline?  He's nowhere near authorizing or okaying the Keystone pipeline.  So why are they up there doing this?  Is gay marriage the center of American politics?  I don't think it is. 

Gay marriage is not the center of American politics.  Not yet.  It may end up being someday, but it isn't yet."

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AP Editors Slam Obama “Propaganda’ Photos

Editors of The Associated Press this week condemned the White House’s refusal to give photojournalists real access to President Obama, who prefers to circulate press release-style pictures taken by his own paid photographers.

These official photographs are little more than propaganda, according to AP director of photography Santiago Lyon.

According to The Daily Caller, the AP has only been permitted to photograph the president in the Oval Office on two occasions. Both were during his first term. All other pictures of Obama in his office were taken by White House photographers and distributed to the press.

Previous administrations were less strict about photos, undermining Obama’s frequent claim that he strives to run “the most transparent administration” in history.

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Report: Here's Why Kids Aren't Watching Baseball

Through the first five games of this year World Series, Fox averaged more than 14 million viewers, 12% above last year.

There's one problem: Kids weren't watching because too many of them have found something else to do.

CableTV Ratings: The Kelly File #1 In 25-54 Demo

Megyn Kelly

Fox News’ The Kelly File was the highest-rated show in the 25-54 demo Wednesday night for all of cable news, according to Mediaite.

With 445K viewers in the demo, Megyn Kelly beat out Fox’s The O’Reilly Factor, which had 433K. Bill O’Reilly came out ahead of Kelly in total viewers, bringing in 2.962M to her 2.350M.

During the 8pm hour, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 came in last place in both the demo and total viewers, with 66K and 323K respectively. O’Reilly was #1 at 8pm, followed by MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, who had 107K in the demo and 560K total.

HLN’s Nancy Grace was third with 94K in the demo and 374K total.

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'SNL' Obamacare Website Parody Not Far From Truth

A "Saturday Night Live" parody of Obamacare and the healthcare.gov website got a lot of laughs when "SNL"'s Kate McKinnon portrayed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Little did the cast know how accurate its over-the-top satire would be, according to the WTOP website.

"Millions of Americans are visiting healthcare.gov, which is great news," McKinnon said during the opening of last week's show. "Unfortunately the site was only designed to handle six users at a time."

While the audience laughed, it turns out the satire wasn't that far off.

The Obama administration said there were 4.7 million unique visits to the website during its first 24 hours.

But here's the not-so-funny part: Only six users were able to enroll, according to CBS News.

The figure is within newly released documents from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service "war room" meetings that took place after the website failed on Oct. 1, CBS News reports.

Woman Uses Mace To Confront News Crew In DC

Dexter Manley Apologizes To Gay Community

Dexter Manley

A former Washington Redskins star and Hall of Famer appeared on WUSA9 to address controversial comments that were made on News WTOP 103.5 FM on Monday.

In his weekly appearance on WTOP radio, former Redskins defensive end and Game On panelist Dexter Manley used a derogatory slur when referring to former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman.

"I think Troy was a queer," stated Manley on the radio program.

Manley later issued a written apology but was terminated by WTOP.

NYC Radio: Lawyer Sez Dave Herman Was Duped

Dave Herman

The former radio personality Dave Herman said through an attorney on Thursday that he never planned to have sex with a 7-year-old girl, as authorities have charged, according to northjersey.com.

Herman, 77, of Airmont, N.Y. was set up by a Bergen County detective pretending to be a 36-year-old woman involved in an incestuous relationship with her daughter, said the attorney, Mark Agnifilo.

Herman, the former host of WNEW’s “Rock and Roll Morning Show” was arrested last week in St. Croix, where he has a vacation home, and is being held there pending a transfer to New Jersey on federal charges of attempted interstate transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity.

Agnifilo said his client, who plans to plead not guilty, was interested in the mother, not her daughter.

The attorney acknowledged that Herman had a stuffed toy in his car as he waited for the fictitious mother and daughter to arrive at the airport. But he said the idea to bring the toy came from the detective posing as the mother.

He also said the detective, posing as the woman, brought up the idea of sex with the daughter in online chats, and led Herman to believe she had been sexually abused as a child and was involved in a sexual relationship with her daughter.

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Report: What Jeff Bezos Gets That Amazon Critics Don't

Jeff Bezos

According to The Motley Fool: Here's what Bezos knows: High margins are hard to maintain for any company. For a retailer, they are nearly impossible. Competition drives them into the ground, and the low-cost provider always wins. That's how capitalism works. Look at the most profitable retailers in the world -- they all have razor-slim margins. Wal-Mart's net income margin was 3.6% last year and Costco's was less than 2%. Compare this to the S&P 500 average of nearly 9%. Retail just isn't a high-margin business.

In any commodity-type business that is destined for low margins, there is only one way to increase the total dollar amount of net income: Grow revenue. Forget increasing margins beyond anything but a trivial amount. It's not going to happen. Size should basically become the sole focus. Here's how Bezos once put it:

"Percentage margins are not one of the things we are seeking to optimize. It's the absolute dollar free cash flow per share that you want to maximize. If you can do that by lowering margins, we would do that. Free cash flow, that's something investors can spend."

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Struggling Industry Throttles Newspaper Metrics

A series of changes in the way newspapers report readership has made it impossible to authoritatively compare ongoing changes in circulation, according to Alan d. Mutter at the newsosaur.com blog.  

As has been customary for years, the Alliance for Audited Media, which formerly was known as the Audit Bureau of Circulation, Thursday announced the publication of the second of its semi-annual circulation reports. But this time, according to Mutter, the organization gave no clue as to whether circulation had gone up, down or sideways in the six-month reporting period.

Because publishers no longer are “required to report the same information, it is not possible to come up with a macro [circulation] number,” said Neal Lulofs, the executive vice president of AAM in a telephone interview.

Owing to a series of changes adopted by the industry-funded organization over the years, publishers no longer have to provide a five-day average of daily circulation. They also have the liberty of counting a woman who reads the paper in print, on her office computer, on her personal laptop, on her tablet and on her smartphone as five separate subscribers.

Some newspapers take advantage of these options and others do not, eliminating seemingly forever the possibility of comparing apples-to-apples data across the industry – or even from year to year for the same publication, if it changes its reporting standards over time.

Notwithstanding the limitations imposed by the inconsistent data, a few hardy analysts have been trying to gauge the public appetite for print newspapers as it has declined over the years.

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NY Times Co. Reports 3Q Operating Profit

The New York Times Company announced an operating profit of $12.9 million in the third quarter of 2013 compared with $8.9 million in the same period of 2012. Excluding depreciation, amortization, severance and a special item, operating profit rose 35.1 percent to $39.9 million from $29.6 million in the third quarter of 2012.

There was a third-quarter 2013 diluted loss per share from continuing operations of $.03 compared with a loss of $.02 in the same period in 2012. Excluding severance and a special item, there was a diluted loss per share from continuing operations of $.01 in the third quarter of 2013 compared with a loss of $.02 in the third quarter of 2012.

Total revenues increased 1.8 percent in the third quarter of 2013, with circulation revenues up 4.8 percent. In the third quarter, the Company added more net digital subscribers than in the second quarter of 2013. The total number of digital subscribers at the end of the third quarter was approximately 727,000, a 28 percent year-on-year increase. Total advertising revenues declined 2.0 percent in the quarter – the lowest quarterly year-on-year decline in advertising in three years.

“The third quarter of 2013 was a strong one for the Company,” said Mark Thompson , president and chief executive officer. “We increased our revenue, decreased our costs and, as a result, significantly increased our operating profit compared with the same quarter last year.

“We also made significant progress on our strategic initiatives. But we recognize that, despite these positive developments, we still have a great deal of work to do to transform our business model and to achieve our goal of long-term sustainable growth.

“In the third quarter we also announced the initiation of a 4-cent quarterly dividend. This allows us to return capital to our shareholders while maintaining a prudent view of both our balance sheet and free cash flow.”

Operating costs decreased 1.1 percent to $342.7 million from $346.4 million.

iHeartRadio Theater to Launch One Direction Launch Party

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment announced today the "One Direction iHeartRadio Album Release Party" to launch the global superstars' new album, "Midnight Memories."

Ryan Seacrest will host the event at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles – Clear Channel's new music and events venue located at The Burbank Studios in Burbank, Ca. 

The One Direction iHeartRadio Album Release Party will celebrate "Midnight Memories" set to be released November 25, via Syco/Columbia Records.  The exclusive event will feature a live performance with One Direction as well as an intimate Q&A with Seacrest discussing the making and meaning of the upcoming album.

The event will air as a special 30-minute broadcast on more than 90 Clear Channel Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) stations around the country on Monday, November 25, at 6 p.m. PT.  The One Direction iHeartRadio Album Release Party will also stream on November 25, at 9 p.m. ET for fans on Yahoo Screen (http://screen.yahoo.com/music) as part of a partnership with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment to stream a series of live events. In addition, the party will be recorded and televised on The CW Network on December 9, at 9 p.m. ET.

Broadcaster Tim McCarver Says Farewell

After last night's final MLB-WS game, Tim McCarver and Joe Buck reminisce about the former's legacy as a baseball player and MLB commentator for the past 34 years…18 of them with Fox Sports.

Also: Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal says McCarver's exit is a loss for baseball.  Click Here.

CBS, Nielsen To Measure Cross-Media Campaigns

Nielsen and CBS today announced the media company’s participation in Nielsen’s first-ever trial to measure cross-media campaigns on local television and radio.

The trial will focus on combining CBS local TV audience data with CBS Radio audience data to build a foundation that measures unduplicated reach and time spent across both media. In addition, the trial will measure reach and frequency for campaigns that run on both local TV and radio. The test results will expand local media planning analytics and develop more robust inputs for marketing mix modeling.

As this pilot test develops, Nielsen intends to open participation across a wider group of clients for the benefit of the industry.

By looking at their audience across local TV and radio in a given month, CBS is exploring the development of an analytic framework that would allow media planners to develop cross-media strategies to maximize reach as well as address the issues of day-to-day and week-to-week reach, distribution and the concept of “recency.” 

 “In today’s multi-platform advertising environment, it is not enough to set full campaign reach and frequency targets,” said David F. Poltrack, Chief Research Officer, CBS Corporation.

“The advertiser must distribute the exposure to their message over time – and in a manner that assures that each potential purchaser is exposed to that message in a consistent manner before each purchase occasion. With our strong combination of television and radio stations in major markets and the extension of these local stations over online and mobile platforms, CBS is uniquely positioned to provide advertisers with the combination of market penetration and controlled frequency distribution needed to optimize the return from their media investments in these markets. Armed with this new cross-platform, local market custom analysis, each advertiser will be able to use these powerful media to their full potential and both TV and radio stations nationwide will benefit.”

“We are very pleased to be working with CBS to bring together television and radio measurement as a result of our newly acquired Nielsen Audio capabilities and for the benefit of all clients,” stated Lynda Clarizio, President U.S. Media, Nielsen. 

“Developing new models of cross-media measurement allow our clients to identify expanded markets of potentially loyal consumers of products or content.”

The test will combine data from Nielsen’s Local People Meter panel with data from the newly acquired Nielsen Audio’s PPM panel to provide the cross-platform measurement. Results will be shared in late Q1 2014.

NYC Radio: Scotty McCreery Visits America’s Morning Show

Scotty McCreery helped WNSH Nash 94.7 FM co-host the show recently, and he talked all about his new album, "See You Tonight", with Blair Garner, Sunny Sweeney & Chuck Wicks!

Sony Reports 2Q Losses of $196M

Sony Corp. cut its full-year profit outlook Thursday after its fiscal second quarter net loss widened due to a loss in its movie business, according to wsj.com.

The Japanese electronics giant said net loss for the three months ended Sept. 30 widened to Y19.3 billion ($196 million) from a loss of Y15.5 billion a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had projected a net profit of Y12.08 billion for the quarter.

Operating profit fell 51% to Y14.8 billion from Y30.3 billion, even as revenue rose 11% to Y1.78 trillion from Y1.6 trillion.

Sony's latest quarterly results will likely spur concerns among investors, who have been closely watching the company's earnings to identify any real signs of recovery. For the last fiscal year ended March, Sony posted its first annual net profit in five years, but its TV business remained unprofitable and its smartphone business trailed far behind Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.

Sony blamed the second quarter loss mainly on its movie business, which posted an operating loss of Y17.8 billion in the quarter, reversing from a profit of Y7.9 billion a year earlier. Sony cited disappointing box office performance of some of its films.

Sony's movie and music businesses have come under the spotlight this year since hedge-fund investor Daniel Loeb called for a spin-off of the entertainment division through an initial public offering.

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Lawyer Sez Herman Was Attracted To ‘Mom’

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Report: Wheeler Rolls Into FCC Monday

Former cable and wireless phone lobbyist Tom Wheeler plans to step in officially as the FCC’s new chairman next Monday (Nov. 4), moving quickly to take command of the agency in the wake of his Senate confirmation, according to TV NewsCheck.

The FCC source also said Wheeler and Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn spoke last night to discuss how best to orchestrate the changing of  the guard. “They both talked about the importance of a smooth transition,” the source told TV NewsCheck.

Wheeler, who was nominated to the FCC’s top post by President Barack Obama on May 1, finally received Senate confirmation for the post Tuesday evening, shortly after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released his long-time hold on a Senate confirmation vote for Wheeler.

Also receiving Senate confirmation Tuesday evening for a GOP vacancy at the FCC was Senate aide Mike O’Rielly. But sources said it was unclear when O’Rielly, who has been keeping his cards close to the vest, would step in at the FCC.

At deadline, Wheeler had yet to announce any FCC staffing positions for his new administration.

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Report: CBS News Developing Streaming Service

The news and interactive divisions of CBS have been quietly developing a digital video service that continually streams content 24 hours a day and leverages reporting from its existing news staff and content from the broadcaster’s archives onto new distribution platforms, according to Buzzfeed..

These sources said CBS is currently in talks with distribution companies to carry the service, though no deals have been signed and an official launch date is still several months away at the earliest. The service is said to be a pet project of CBS News President David Rhodes, who has developed a close relationship with CBS Interactive President Jim Lanzone since both joined the company within a month of each other in 2011.

Sources said Rhodes sees the product as a digital cable news channel that in essence would make up for the company’s lack of an actual cable television news outlet.

According to both sources, that means having CBS News content available as a standalone product for streaming for smartphones and tablets, on game consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox or Sony’s Playstation, on over-the-top TV distribution services such as Roku or Apple TV, and on online video platforms like Hulu Plus or YouTube, for instance. The service under development would be separate and distinct from both other CBS News-branded and show-specific (i.e., 60 Minutes) websites and apps.

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LA Radio: Kanye West Visits Ryan Searcrest Show

Kanye West is so in love that he boasted about Kim Kardashian to Ryan Seacrest on his 102.7 KIIS-FM radio show Tuesday in a pretty big way -- comparing her to Michelle Obama, according to USAToday.

At one point in the long interview, Seacrest asks what frustrated West, and he spoke about life being unfair.

"Classism has been going on before racism. We're classist. We have our cool table … and there's no way Kim Kardashian shouldn't be on the cover of Vogue. She's like the most intriguing woman right now. She's got Barbara Walters calling her like every day … and collectively we're the most influential with clothing."

He added, "No one is looking at what [President] Obama is wearing. Michelle Obama cannot Instagram a [bikini] pic like what my girl Instagrammed the other day… so when we [editor-in-chief of French Vogue] Carine Roitfeld supports my girl (Roitfeld put Kim on the cover of her new fashion publication, CR Fashion Book), that's a breakthrough … there's a wall of classism that we are breaking through."

The comparison to President and Mrs. O. has been spreading around the Web.

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Denver Radio: Snooki Responds To F-Bomb

It's not been a good week for Snooki, reports The DailyMail.

The 25-year-old reality star was left in tears on Monday after she was booted from Dancing With The Stars.

Then the Tuesday morning she was called 'f****** ugly' by KOA 850 morning radio host Steffan Tubbs, who mistakenly thought his microphone was turned off. See Original Posting, Click Here.

At least Snooki, real name Nicole Polizzi, saw the funny side.

No hard feelings Steffan Tubbs..i am "f*cking ugly" :(
— Nicole Polizzi (@snooki) October 31, 2013

The former Jersey Shore star took the high road on Wednesday via a Twitter message she shared with her more than 6.4million followers.

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Curtis Brings Trip Savery Back To Raleigh

Trip Savery

Regional radio giant Curtis Media Group has named one of its alumni, industry veteran Trip Savery, senior vice president in charge of the company’s Triangle stations, according to newsobserver.com.

Savery has been vice president and station manager of Greater Media Charlotte stations WBT and WLNK and its Bob & Sheri Radio Network since March 2010. Previously he spent 18 years at Curtis Media, most recently as senior vice president and general manager of WQDR and WWMY.

Raleigh-based Curtis Media owns 25 radio stations across the state and also operates the North Carolina News Network, which has 81 affiliates.

Report: Twitter Music Will Continue

After a rocky six months as a stand-alone application, Twitter #Music is likely to be folded into Twitter's primary platform, according to several sources familiar with the plans told Billboard.

The possibility, and its implied uncertainty about the product, led recent reports that Twitter was "strongly considering" killing off the mobile app.

Sources, however, say that wasn't the case. Instead, Twitter intends to integrate the app into its main feed as one of several topic verticals that the Silicon Valley company intends to build so it can sell more effectively targeted advertising. Other verticals include news, TV and movies. Developing those verticals, sources say, is seen as key to ­Twitter's future growth as the company prepares to raise an estimated $1 billion from an upcoming initial public offering.

Music marketers say a move to combine the two would go a long way to solving one of the biggest problems hampering Twitter #Music's growth.

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CCM+E Rebrands Total Traffic Service

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment announced today that Gary Larkin has joined the company as Executive Vice President of Total Traffic and Weather Network, the leading provider of traffic, transit and weather information in the United States, effective immediately. 

Larkin will report to John Hogan, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment's Chairman and CEO.

In September 2013, Total Traffic Network (TTN) introduced a new weather network and rebranded the company as Total Traffic and Weather Network (TT+WN).  TT+WN reaches more than 200 million monthly listeners across more than 200 markets, and the expanded division now includes weather reports and localized weather information such as surf and heat index reports to its portfolio as well as new sponsorship opportunities.  

Gary Larkin

With services to over 3,000 radio and 200 television affiliates plus automotive, navigation, internet, mobile and government partners, Total Traffic and Weather Network operates the largest private data gathering network, staffed with over 800 local traffic reporters, in the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

In his new role, Larkin will oversee all sales operations for Total Traffic and Weather Network, developing strategic plans for partners and advertisers by leveraging its massive network which reaches more than 98 percent of all commuters in the U.S. each week.  He will work closely with Clear Channel's Market Presidents and Local Sales Managers across the country as well as the National Sales, Marketing and Partnerships team to incorporate the Total Traffic and Weather Network's platform into integrated and high impact packages. In addition, Larkin will also help with the design and development of the Total Traffic Network digital traffic app.