Saturday, November 23, 2013

Saturday Aircheck: Shotgun Tom Kelly On K-EARTH 101 2005

"Shotgun" works afternoon drive at "K-Earth." In the spring of 2013, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.



November 23 In Radio History




In 1889…In San Francisco, the Palais Royal Hotel installed the first coin-operated machine that, by about 1940, was known as a "jukebox." In the beginning it was a crude slot-machine apparatus connected to an Edison phonograph which, upon receiving a coin, unlocked the mechanism, allowing the listener to turn a crank that simultaneously wound the spring motor and placed the reproducer's stylus in the starting groove. This was before the time of vacuum tubes, so there was no amplification. The music was heard via one of four listening tubes. Despite its then-high price of a nickel a song, the new contraption took in $1000 in its first six months of operation.


In 1938…Bob Hope and Shirley Ross recorded his future theme song, "Thanks For The Memory," for the soundtrack of the motion picture "The Big Broadcast of 1938."

In 1959…Alan Freed was dismissed from his daily television show, "The Big Beat," over allegations that he accepted money to play certain records. Freed denied any wrongdoing.


In 1962…The Beatles did a ten-minute audition for BBC Television at St. James' Church Hall in London. Four days later, Brian Epstein received a polite rejection letter from the BBC. They eventually made it on the BBC in 1963.


In 1964…The Rolling Stones were late arriving for the BBC radio shows, "Top Gear" and "Saturday Club" and as a result were banned by the BBC for "unprofessionalism."


In 1967…San Francisco disc jockey Tom Donahue, inventor of "classic rock" and "deep cut" radio, told Rolling Stone magazine, "Top Forty radio, as we know it today and have known it for the last ten years, is dead, and its rotting corpse is stinking up the airwaves."


In 1993….FCC makes C-QUAM AM stereo standard.  WBZ-AM Boston playing Christmas music on Christmas Eve 1993 in C-Quam AM Stereo. This was recorded via skyway 480 miles from Boston in Lockport, NY, near Buffalo.

In 2004…pioneering sports radio talk show host Pete Franklin died at age 76. Franklin's stops included Cleveland and New York with his last job at KNBR, San Francisco.

Friday, November 22, 2013

RAB Reports Q3 Radio Revenue Uptick


Radio's overall Q3 result was the best this year, up 1% compared to flat delivery in Q1 and Q2. Year to date performance remains on par with 2012.

The 3rd Quarter uptick was based on a 1% gain in the Spot sector, which represents the largest portion of Radio's revenue base. Digital continues to show robust gains -- up nearly 1/5 -- while Off-Air was up 3%. Network posted a decline of 11% against last year's sales. Year to date, Spot revenue is flat; Digital, Off-Air and Network are +15%, +3% and -7% respectively.

Digital continues its reign as Radio's fastest growing sector. Off-Air activity also remains steadfast, increasing every quarter in 2013. Combined, Digital and Off-Air represent 13% of Radio's total revenue.

Erica Farber
"The momentum we saw building at the end of Q2 has definitely translated into a positive Q3 for Radio in many of our Top 10 advertiser categories, led by Communications/Cellular with a healthy 24% increase," noted Erica Farber, RAB President and CEO. "Among key categories, Automotive, Professional Services, Health Care, Home Furnishings, all showed substantial increases, as well. Increases from these diverse ad categories illustrate Radio's cross-platform strength to drive traffic and sales - for large corporations to Main Street businesses."

"Automotive regained the top category ranking in Q3 but Communications remains as a strong #2 in the field," noted Farber. "We're looking for the holiday season and year-end selling efforts to provide additional momentum to end the year on a positive track."

Miami Radio: Turnover Hits WAXY The Ticket


Marc Hochman
UPDATE 11/25: Lincoln VP of programming and operations John Dimick tells Inside Radio the Herald has “jumped the gun” and WAXY is continuing discussion with Hochman, whose contract with expires December 31. The Herald reported that Castleberry missed an exclusive negotiating window in Hochman’s contract, and that contributed to his dismissal. Dimick wouldn’t comment on Castleberry’s exit, noting that Lincoln doesn’t comment on personnel matters.

Original Posting...

Marc Hochman has told friends he is leaving WAXY 790 AM / 104.3 FM The Ticket’s morning show at the end of the year.

According to The Miami Herald, Hochman is expected to move to Sportsradio WQAM-560 AM in April.   It’s expected he’ll take over the station’s afternoon-drive slot, which has been handled by Channing Crowder and Brandon Guzio since Jorge Sedano left for ESPN Radio in September.

At The Ticket, Hochman co-hosts the morning show with Jonathan Zaslow and Joy Taylor.  A non-compete clause will keep Hochman off any other station until April 1.

WQAM is very much interested in Hochman, and if he takes over the afternoon drive show there as expected, he would be competing with his buddy Dan Le Batard, whose 790 program he produced for nine years.

The Ticket wanted to keep the 43-year-old Hochman, but former program director Tod Castleberry missed an exclusive negotiating window in his contract, which was one factor that led to Castleberry’s dismissal this week, according to a station source. Castleberry declined to comment.

Pandora Claims Increase In Radio Listeners

Pandora  Thursday announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2014 ended on October 31, 2013.

"Pandora continues to monetize effectively across the board," stated Brian McAndrews, CEO, President & Chairman of Pandora. 

"Mobile advertising revenue surpassed the $100 million milestone during the quarter, which drove increased operating leverage. At the same time, Pandora continues to lead the market in mobile innovations, with a complete redesign for the iPad and the debut of the Android tablet app. We plan to continue to aggressively invest in the business as we seek to deliver the best personalized radio service for users."
  • Mobile advertising revenue exceeds $100 million, growing 58% year-over-year to $104.9 million
  • 3Q14 GAAP total revenue of $180.4 million, growing 50% year-over-year
  • 3Q14 total listener hours of 4.18 billion, growing 17% year-over-year
  • Share of total U.S. radio listening for Pandora in October 2013 was 8.06%, an increase from 6.61% at the same time last year
  • 70.9 million active users , growing 20% year-over-year

Study: Pandora 'Yeah, it’s For Real'

Earlier this week, Mark Kassof & company released results from their study on Millenials which indicated their attitude toward traditional radio is much better than “doomsayers” think it is.

Ranking  on a 1 to 5 (best) Scale 
But, notes Kassof,  radio is no longer the “center of the audio universe”…it faces numerous challengers. In last week’s online research among Millennials, we studied four of them — iHeartRadio,  iTunes Radio, Pandora and Sirius/XM…

At the top: Pandora…39% of Millennials “love it,” edging FM’s 37%. Pandora does have a higher percentage that don’t know (10% versus FM’s 1%) but then, FM has a many-decades  ”head start”! Given its lower awareness, the fact that four in ten Millenials love Pandora is very impressive, according to the study:

Spotify Secures $250M for Global Expansion

Spotify has secured about $250 million in new financing that values the music-streaming company somewhere "north" of $4 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The round of funding, led by Silicon Valley firm Technology Crossover Ventures, will help fuel Spotify's global expansion plans. While already established in many Western markets, including the U.S., Spotify is aiming to launch its service in more countries, including Japan.

Spotify's valuation is beginning to approach the market capitalization of Pandora, which went public in 2011 and is currently valued at $5.7 billion.

Spotify generated more revenue last year about $585 million—compared with Pandora's $427 million.

Losses at both companies, however, have widened as robust listener growth has brought with it higher royalty costs for playing songs.

Read More Now (Subscription Required)

Ad Tax Proposal Comes To Life

Max Baucus
The often feared, but rarely seen changes to tax laws that could threaten the ad industry took an actual step closer to reality Thursday,  according to adage.com.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus dealt adland a blow by proposing to allow businesses to expense only 50% of their advertising costs in the tax year they are incurred and spread the expensing of the rest over five years.

Though the chances of actual tax legislation being passed by the current congress are slim, industry trade groups were quick to react.

"It is essential that everybody in the advertising community speak up loudly and quickly that this proposal is misguided and highly damaging," said Dan Jaffe, group exec VP-government relations for the Association of National Advertisers.

In a statement, ANA CEO Bob Liodice called the proposed changes "a major new tax liability which would increase the cost of advertising and cause a substantial disincentive for companies to spend additional advertising dollars."

The Echo Nest Expands To Digital Music Advertising

The Echo Nest is expanding its existing music intelligence platform to digital music advertising with the introduction of its Music Audience Understanding solution.

 The company calls it a breakthrough offering that enables highly targeted advertising by using music preference to predict high-value demographic and psychographic advertising segments without personally identifiable information.

The Echo Nest's new solution builds on its existing platform to help ad-supported music services more effectively monetize inventory, help music ad networks command higher CPMs, and help advertisers reach targeted audiences more efficiently and affordably through a more data-driven understanding of their target audience's musical footprint.

Initial customers of The Echo Nest's Music Audience Understanding solution include TargetSpot, the world's largest digital audio advertising network, as well as several ad-supported music services.

The introduction of Music Audience Understanding builds upon The Echo Nest's Music Discovery and Personalization and Dynamic Music Data. The company powers personalized, streaming music and radio experiences for the world's top digital music services including Rdio, Clear Channel's iHeartRadio, Rhapsody and SiriusXM, and has developed personalized, branded music apps for Reebok, Microsoft, Knorr Foods, and other top brands.

Jim Lucchese
"With streaming becoming mainstream, music consumption has moved from a broadcast, push-only experience, to a two-way, personalized conversation with each fan. This switch opens up a new world of opportunities for music services to more deeply understand musical identity and create more personalized, social and profitable music experiences," said Jim Lucchese, CEO of The Echo Nest.

"The $15 billion broadcast radio advertising industry is based around the well-accepted notion that music is a powerful proxy to audience. We saw an opportunity early on and invested over two years of R&D to help music services turn anonymous listening behavior into high-value audience segments for advertising. The Echo Nest can now analyze music taste and predict non-music affinities in high-value advertising segments."

With Music Audience Understanding, digital music services and ad networks can partner with The Echo Nest to grow advertising revenue by delivering the level of audience segmentation and targeting online advertisers expect, without requiring personally identifiable information or purchasing third-party data.

Real-time segments available with Music Audience Understanding today include:
  • Music fans' age and gender;
  • Music fans' affinity for 20 lifestyle categories (e.g. Foodies, Gamers, Pro Sports);
  • Music fans affinity for 710+ music genres; and
  • Music behavioral segments such as "Mainstreamness" and "Freshness."

Twitter Launches TV Fan Ad Targeting

Earlier this year Twitter launched TV ad targeting for US advertisers, which broadens the reach and power of a brand’s television advertising by extending the brand message to Twitter users who we believe have been exposed to the same TV ads.

Thursday, Twitter announced an expansion to our TV targeting suite. The newest feature, TV conversation targeting, now generally available to all US and UK advertisers, makes it easy for networks and brands to connect with Twitter users already engaged with TV.

According to Oliver Young, Revenue Product Manage at Twitter, “The way TV conversation targeting works is simple: through our conversation mapping technology, networks and brands can promote Tweets to users who engage with specific shows, whether or not a brand is running a spot in the program. Now advertisers can easily reach Twitter users exposed to integrations, sponsorships, and other innovative TV tie-ins for an additional touch point or message expansion.

“We believe Twitter and TV are highly complementary, and we’re working hard to make the Twitter x TV experience better for users, networks, and advertisers alike.”

Press Gets Heated With White House Over Access

Josh Earnest
The atmosphere in the White House briefing room got heated Thursday afternoon as reporters challenged a spokesman over press access to the president, according to Politico.

After delivering a letter arguing that officials are “blocking the public from having an independent view of important functions of the Executive Branch of government,” members of the White House press corps cut into principal deputy press secretary Josh Earnest as he defended the administration’s policies on press access.

“It is the responsibility of those of you who sit in your seats to push for more. You’re supposed to be agitating for more access. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be doing your job,” Earnest told reporters as he filled in for press secretary Jay Carney at the White House press briefing. “So, the fact that there is a little bit of a disagreement between the press corps and the White House Press Office about how much access the press corps should have to the president is built into the system.”

Earlier Thursday, the board of the White House Correspondents’ Association delivered a letter to Earnest detailing press concerns that the White House has engaged in a “troubling break from tradition” by choosing to release photos and videos of events to which the press has not had access, but to which White House photographers and videographers have had access.

Much of President Obama's daily schedule is not made public, though some of it later becomes public when the White House releases photos, videos or blog posts about the president's activities, something the White House argues has given Americans more access to Obama.

“What we have actually done is use a range of new technology to provide people greater access to the president,” Earnest argued, to the scoffs of some reporters.



Read More Now

The Radio TV Digital News Association (RTDNA) has joined with the White House Correspondents Association, other journalism groups and media outlets to protest White House coverage rules that ban photojournalists from covering the president at certain events while releasing government photos and videos of the same events.

“Journalists are routinely being denied the right to photograph or videotape the President while he is performing his official duties,” the news organizations said in a letter to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. “You are, in effect, replacing independent photojournalism with visual press releases.”

The White House has argued that certain meetings and events with the president are private and not subject to media coverage. However, the groups point out that by distributing details and images from the events, the administration is attempting to make the meetings newsworthy on its own terms.

SiriusXM Inks NBC's Chuck Todd For Weekly Radio Show

Chuck Todd
SiriusXM has announced that Chuck Todd--NBC News Political Director & Chief White House Correspondent, and host of MSNBC's "The Daily Rundown"--will host Unscripted with Chuck Todd, a weekly Saturday morning show on which he will speak with notable guests from the worlds of politics, sports, music, entertainment/pop culture, news, literature and more to explore the different sides of newsmakers that are not seen in traditional settings.
                                     
Unscripted with Chuck Todd will premiere on Saturday, December 7 at 9:00 am ET and air Saturdays from 9:00 -- 10:00 am ET on SiriusXM P.O.T.U.S. channel 124--SiriusXM's 24/7 non-partisan channel dedicated to the "Politics of the United States"--via satellite and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App on smartphone, other connected devices and online at siriusxm.com.

"In this day and age, people tend to think they have more access to newsmakers and politicians, when in many ways they actually have less. With this show on SiriusXM we'll aim to help listeners get to know these powerful people in a different way-- to know them as human beings, not as sound bite machines," said Todd. "Politics today is so much a part of our pop culture, and I look forward to talking to the many famous amateur political junkies out there who just happen to have day jobs in the worlds of sports, Hollywood, Wall Street and everywhere in between."

"We welcome veteran journalist Chuck Todd as he goes outside his normal field of reporting and delves into the personal passions and interests of not just politicians but leaders from virtually every field of interest," said Dave Gorab, Vice President & General Manager, Talk Programming, SiriusXM. "Unscripted with Chuck Todd is new territory for him, but will be built on Chuck's journalistic savvy and experience. It will be a weekly hour that takes newsmakers out of their predictable comfort range to reveal interests and viewpoints listeners haven't heard before."

Chicago Radio: Eric Ferguson From The Mix Undergoes Surgery

Eric Ferguson
Eric Ferguson is scheduled to undergo elective surgery on his spine Friday to relieve numbness in his arms and hands, according Chicago Media Blogster Robert Feder.

The 46-year-old Ferguson, one-half of the top-rated morning team of Eric & Kathy on WTMX FM 101.9 FM said he’d been putting off the procedure for years. “It’s just gotten to a point from a comfort level that I want to get it done and get it over with,” he told me Thursday.

The surgery to correct spinal stenosis will involve removal of a disk and fusion of vertebrae to relieve pressure on the spinal cord.

How soon he’ll return to his show on the Hubbard Broadcasting hot adult-contemporary station “just kind of depends on how I feel over the weekend,” he said.

According to the latest Nielsen Audio survey, Ferguson and partner Kathy Hart dominate morning listenership among adults between 25 and 54 with a commanding 10.2 percent share — double their next closest competitor. They’re in their 18th year together on the Mix.





Columbia SC Radio: Cynthia Hardy Could Have Arrest Expunged

Cynthia Hardy
The attorney for a well-known Columbia radio and television personality entered a conditional discharge plea in court Thursday on her behalf, according to WIS-TV.

Conditions of the plea include having to take two random urine drug tests that test negative, said Todd Rutherford, Cynthia Hardy's attorney.

Hardy was charged with possession of marijuana after Richland County Sheriff's deputies say they found marijuana in her purse as it was searched upon her entry into the South Carolina State Fair in October.

Hardy said the marijuana came from teenagers at an activity she attended.

"As I have previously stated, I retrieved the marijuana after a weekend of activity with several young people who are very dear to me," she said. "I tossed it in my bag with the intent to speak to them about it. Instead I got busy, forgot about it, and neglected to properly dispose of it."

A magistrate accepted the conditional discharge and ordered Hardy to take two drug tests--one in December and another in March.  If Hardy tests negative in both, she can pay a $150 fine and apply to have her record expunged.

Tom Joyner Announces 2014 ‘Full Ride’ Scholarships

Tom Joyner
The Tom Joyner Foundation announced the ‘Full Ride’ scholarship program that will cover all the expenses of one student planning to attend a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the fall of 2014.

“The cost of a college education isn’t getting any cheaper,” said Tom Joyner, chairman of his Foundation and host of the top-ranked nationally syndicated radio show. “So, I want to help a graduating high school senior with a chance to attend a black college to pursue their dreams.”

Past Full Ride Scholars have impressive backgrounds, including the first winner, Britney Wilson, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., who graduated from Howard University, last year. She is now in her first year of law school at the University of Pennsylvania. She impressed the Foundation’s scholarship committee with her solid academic record and her knowledge of local, national and international politics. Cheyenne Boyce of Detroit is now a senior at Spelman College, where she is an international relations major who is fluent in Japanese.

The winning student will receive full tuition and stipends for up to 10 semesters to cover on-campus room and board and books. Students must meet the required academic standards each semester to renew the funds each year. Graduating high school seniors can apply for the scholarship by going to the Tom Joyner Foundation website to download an application.

Buffalo Radio: WGR, Sabres Team For Turkey Promo

Buffalo Sabres fans are calling it "the best traffic jam ever" as they waited Thursday morning to drop off their turkey outside the WGR 550 AM Studios at 500 Corporate Parkway in Amherst.

The Buffalo Sabres teamed up with Entercom stations WGR, WBEN, KISS and STAR to collect turkeys for the City Mission Food Bank Thursday, handing out a pair of tickets to a future Sabres game in exchange for a turkey.

The line of vehicles with turkeys in hand stretched over 2 miles at one point with Sabres fans dropping off over 1,500 turkeys and the Sabres handing out more that 3000 tickets to future games. 

The collection, originally scheduled between 7-9 Thursday morning, actually started well before 7am because of long lines of vehicles and continued well past 9am.   

FCC Considering Allowing Cell Phone Calls on Planes

In the wake of restrictions recently being lifted on the use of most personal electronic devices during flight takeoffs and landings, the FCC is now proposing allowing passengers to make cell phone calls, as well as send email and download data, once the plane is above 10,000 feet.

In a statement Thursday (November 21st), new FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler -- himself a former cell phone industry lobbyist -- called the rules against cell phones calls on flights "outdated."

Flight attendants, as well as some airline officials, quickly objected, citing passenger surveys that overwhelmingly show fliers don't want cell phone calls allowed. Flight attendants and others worry that a plane full of passengers talking on their phones could lead to arguments and affect safety.

Still, even if the FCC were to allow it, airlines would still have the option of deciding whether or not to equip their planes to handle calls and data downloads.

Warning: The following video contains crude language:

Mistrial Declared In Rick Springfield Concert Trial

Rick Springfield
A NY Supreme Court Justice has declared a mistrial in the injury lawsuit against Rick Springfield.

The surprise decision came after a new witnesses came forward supporting the accusations against the 1980s pop icon.

Vicki Calcagno, 43, of Liverpool, had been the only one to testify that Springfield struck her with his buttocks while performing in the crowd during a 2004 concert. She claims the incident left her disoriented or unconscious for at least 10 minutes, but her lawyer told jurors it was probably less. In any event, Springfield's actions caused Calcagno serious and lasting injuries, she claimed.

Springfield testified that he did not remember injuring anyone during the concert.

According to Syracuse.com, at least three more potential witnesses cam forward this week.

Based on the new witnesses, Springfield's lawyer, John Pfeifer, asked for a mistrial to give him time to interview the new witnesses.

Paris agreed to the mistrial and gave the lawyers 90 days to investigate the new claims.

Podcast Talks With KLIF Reporter Covering JFK Assassination

The Radio Stuff podcast commemorates the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination by looking how radio reacted to the events on that historic weekend in 1963.‘

Did you know?
  • A radio station PD came face to face with Lee Harvey Oswald moments after the shooting and asked him where to find a phone.
  • Jack Ruby was a radio groupie and answering phones in the KLIF newsroom just hours after the assassination.
  • The news of JFK’s assassination was delivered on WGBH radio in Boston during a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert.
All of those stories are told in episode 27 of the Radio Stuff podcast.

The first segment of the Radio Stuff podcast is highlighted by hosts Deb Slater & Larry Gifford interviewing Gary DeLaune, a reporter and anchor at KLIF in Dallas on November 22, 1963 and the first person to broadcast news of shots fired at the Presidential motorcade. He was also one of the men standing near Lee Harvey Oswald when he was shot by Jack Ruby.

“I was stunned I guess. I was just getting over reporting about President Kennedy and then – no one knew who it was at the time – this figure just came out of my periphery vision.”

His account of that weekend is as if it happened yesterday. It's chilling. And was life altering.

“Covering that story and reporting it from start to finish, it provided me the self-confidence as a news professional that I would have never have had if it hadn’t been for that event.”

The entire interview is available on the Radio Stuff podcast, episode 27 - www.radiostuff.podomatic.com and it is also available on iTunes, TuneIn and UberTalk.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@theradiostuff). Radio Stuff is a weekly podcast about radio for radio. Larry Gifford (www.larrygifford.com) and Deb Slater (www.debslater.com) host an insider’s listen to what’s happening on the radio

TV Specials Mark The 50th Anniversary

Nov. 22, 1963: At 1:48 p.m. (Eastern), CBS News interrupted the soap opera "As The World Turns" for Walter Cronkite to announce that President John F. Kennedy was seriously injured in a shooting in Dallas, Texas.



A whole crop of new TV specials have been created and aired pegged to this year's 50th anniversary of the assassination. The ones airing today include:
  •  Where Were You? (NBC, 9 p.m. ET) -- This special hosted by former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw combines archival footage with first-person accounts of people who lived through it. It will include comments from former CBS anchor Dan Rather, who gave an interview to Brokaw about his experiences as a young CBS reporter in Dallas on the day of the assassination, including being the one to give CBS Radio the news that Kennedy was dead and being among the first to see the famous Zapruder film of the assassination days later. Because of Rather's fallout with CBS over a questionable 2004 story about President George W. Bush's National Guard service, he wasn't invited to participate in their coverage. He told AP, "I held off doing anything for anybody else for a while, thinking I may be asked to do something [for CBS]. I can't say I had any reason for that hope."
  • JFK Assassination: The Definite Guide (History Channel, 8 p.m. ET) -- Includes polling results of thousands of Americans to discover what they do and don't believe about the assassination and who was responsible. The network said it uncovered 311 different conspiracy theories in the process.
  • Lee Harvey Oswald: 48 Hours to Live (History Channel, 10 p.m. ET)
  • CBS News will stream its original news broadcasts minute-by-minute in real time today on CBSNews.com, just as they were originally delivered. The streaming will begin at 1:40 p.m. ET, the same time the first CBS breaking news bulletins went on the air, and will, of course, include the famous moment when Walter Cronkite announced the president was dead. The coverage of historic newscasts will continue through the weekend, following the four days from the assassination through Kennedy's funeral.

JFK Assassination: Case Study In Live News Coverage

Fifty years ago, word of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy reached many Americans by television, a relatively new and unproven medium for news coverage. 

The events in Dallas, as reported by those covering the tragedy, became a case study for all television news organizations.



The Kennedy Assassination On Radio 11/22/63

More than three hours of KLIF 1190 AM audio from November 22, 1963, the day of President Kennedy's assassination.

Coverage begins at 11:30 AM (Dallas time) on 11/22/63, with Joe Long of Dallas radio station KLIF reporting live from Love Field Airport as President Kennedy arrives in "Big D".




Today 1190 AM is the home of KFXR.

Kennedy coverage as heard on WBAP 820 AM Fort Worth:




Also, from WCCO 830 AM Minneapolis/St. Paul:


And From The Big One, WLW 700 AM Cincinnati (then an NBC Affiliate):



This is the initial bulletin heard on the NBC Radio Network about the shooting of President Kennedy in Dallas. Robert MacNeil reports live from a telephone located inside the Texas School Book Depository Building, which is where the gunshots came from.



This is the line feed from the ABC Radio Network News in the initial moments of the coverage of the JFK Assasination. Included is the ABC Log Book notes on what they were airing. Someone in ABC Master Control had to log literally everything that was broadcast each day. Also included UPI and AP wire copy which you can see the network anchors are relying on for information.



And Bulletin coverage from KILT 610 AM Houston:

November 22 In Radio History




In 1899…Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America registered in New Jersey

In 1906…the "S-O-S" distress signal was adopted at the International Radio Telegraphic Convention in Berlin.


In 1963…Many U.S. Radio stations suspended regular programming following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  The Number One song that week was 'Sugar Shack' by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs.

1963…In the UK, the Parlophone label released the Beatles' second album, "With the Beatles," and the single, "Roll Over Beethoven." Capitol Records in Canada issued the album as "Beatlemania! With the Beatles," which has the distinction of being the first Beatles album ever released in North America. Most of the songs from the album were not released in the United States until January 20, 1964 when Capitol Records issued "Meet the Beatles!"

In 2011…Stan Case, a 25-year CNN Radio news anchor, was killed in an car accident at age 59.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Survey: Millennials Indifferent To AM Radio

In a study of under-35′s by Mark Kassof & Co., they  wanted to know what Milennials feel and think about AM.

Based on 303 online interviews conducted last week with 13-34 respondents, AM has more likes than dislikes. But, not surprisingly, Millennials’ affection for AM doesn’t come close to that of FM, and their #1 response is indifference — nearly a third neither like nor dislike AM.

Positive feelings for AM have a male skew (the opposite of FM’s skew)…42% of males either like (31%) or love (11%) AM, while only 29% of females do. Broken out by age groups, the youngest and oldest Millennials share pretty much the identical view of AM.

The survey asked those who dislike or hate AM: Why?

Millennials’ reasons for disliking (or even hating) AM radio reflect what they think about it. When we asked respondents: What is the very first thing that pops into your mind when you think of AM radio?, their #1 response was  ”talk shows” (16%), followed by “boring” (10%), “old/outdated”  (8%), “sports” (7%) and news (7%).

Woman Knocked-Out By His Rear-End Sues Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield
80s rock star Rick Springfield has taken the stand this week in a lawsuit by a woman who says he injured her during a concert in 2004, according to
cnycentral.com.

Springfield, known for the 1981 hit “Jessie’s Girl”, was performing at the State Fair’s Chevy Court in 2004 when he allegedly slipped and hit a woman, causing her injuries. The woman, 43-year-old Vicki Calcagno of Liverpool, filed a civil suit in 2007 seeking damages as a result of the incident.

On the stand, Calcagno said Springfield stood on her folding chair at the concert and she has no memory of what happened for 10-30 minutes after the singer's rear end hit her head. One of the exhibits entered into evidence was a close up photo of Springfield's rear end that Calcagno says she took just moments before she was knocked out. On cross examination, Calcagno admitted she did not report any injuries to anyone at the state fair that night or for two days afterwards. She said she continued to take pictures of the concert after she regained consciousness.

NYC Radio: A-Rod Walks And Talks With WFAN

He’s had enough.

Alex Rodriguez walked out of his grievance hearing Wednesday after arbitrator Fredric Horowitz refused to order baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to testify.

He later showed up at the WFAN 660 AM  / 101.9 FM studios to talk to host Mike Francesa about it. And during that conversation he dropped a gigantic bombshell on a saga that’s been filled with one page-turning headline after another.

Rodriguez vehemently denied any wrongdoing in the case, including saying that he’s not used PEDs at all since 2003. He also denied having leaked documents about Ryan Braun to Yahoo! Sports, calling that accusation by Major League Baseball “laughable” and “disgusting.” Finally, he denied any obstructing of justice during the course of this case, one of the several reasons given by MLB to give Rodriguez the biggest drug-related suspension of all-time.



Listen To WFAN Audio: Click Here.

Study: How CableTV News Covered Two Big Stories


In a week dominated by two mega-stories—the continuing travails of Obamacare and the devastating typhoon in the Philippines—America’s hypercompetitive cable news outlets exercised very different news judgments, according to Pew Research Center.

The health insurance saga took a dramatic turn when President Obama announced a change in the law to prevent individuals from having coverage cancelled. And frantic relief efforts continued in the Philippines, where the official death toll from Typhoon Haiyan reached the 4,000 mark as of Wednesday.

A clear pattern in how four major cable news networks handled the competing stories emerged from a Pew Research Center analysis of 80 hours of programming from Nov. 11-15. The analysis studied one hour of midday and three hours of prime-time each day.

The two channels with strong ideological identities in prime-time—liberal MSBNC and conservative Fox News—spent far more time on the politically-charged health insurance story than the overseas disaster.

The differences in the amount of coverage of each story on Fox News and MSNBC were striking. In the sample studied, MSNBC devoted three hours and eight minutes to the issues surrounding Obamacare, about four times as much as the Philippines typhoon garnered (41 minutes). On Fox, the differences were even greater. In the sample studied, the channel devoted almost eight hours to the health care drama and six minutes to the aftermath of the typhoon. That translates into nearly 80 times more coverage of the health insurance story than the typhoon.

CNN had the closest balance between the two stories, spending slightly more than three-and-a-half hours on Obamacare and just under five hours on the typhoon. The fledgling Al Jazeera America network devoted three hours and 10 minutes to the typhoon, more than twice as much airtime as health insurance commanded (one-and-a-half hours).

Ft. Myers Radio: Trey Radel Takes Leave Of Absence

Trey Radel
U.S. Rep. Trey Radel said Wednesday night he will take a leave of absence for an unspecified time and donate his salarym according to CNN.

"I have no excuse for what I have done. I have let down our country," he said at a news conference.

Radel spoke to reporters after returning home to southwest Florida, hours after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine possession.

The 37-year-old first-term Republican from Florida said he will enter an inpatient drug treatment program.

The cocaine possession charge came after authorities said he bought a small amount of cocaine in a sting in the nation's capital last month.

The plea and sentence were part of a deal that Radel's attorney struck with federal prosecutors. He could have received a maximum sentence of 180 days imprisonment or a $1,000 fine, or both. Instead, he was placed on one year probation, and if it is "successfully completed," his guilty plea will be cleared from his record.

He is a former journalist and TV news anchor, having worked for WINK and a morning radio host for Fox Newsradio WFSX 92.5 FM  in Fort Myers, Florida. He also owned and eventually sold the Naples Journal newspaper, according to a biography on his congressional website.



Tribune Company Announced More Layoffs

Tribune Co. announced a restructuring of its publishing business Wednesday to focus on its digital efforts and streamline operations, resulting in nearly 700 job losses across the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and six other daily newspapers.

The plan, which was outlined for Tribune Co. employees in a memo, seeks to integrate business units such as advertising, marketing, manufacturing and digital media under common leadership. It is aimed at offsetting annual publishing revenue declines of $75 million to $100 million without diminishing editorial content, according to executives.

But publishing staff positions accounting for about 6 percent of Tribune Co.'s workforce were being eliminated beginning Wednesday, and the effect of those cuts remains to be seen. Most of the layoffs will be in technology, marketing and other noneditorial functions.

Under the publishing realignment, which will go into effect Jan. 1, the company plans to "invest more concertedly" in digital growth, according to Liguori. He announced that Tribune Publishing's digital unit will be headed by Bill Adee, currently senior vice president of digital development and operations at the Chicago Tribune.

Tribune Co. emerged Dec. 31 from a four-year stay in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company owns 23 television stations, including WGN-Ch. 9; national cable channel WGN America; WGN-AM 720; eight daily newspapers and other media assets.

Tribune Co. has been exploring the possible divestiture of its newspapers since February. In July, it announced plans to spin off its publishing division into a separate company.

While the publishing division continues to operate in the black, advertising revenue declined by $84 million last year, a trend that shows no sign of slowing.

Tribune Co. eliminated about 800 publishing positions last year.

Layoffs Hit Rdio

The music streaming business can be tough, with market leaders like Spotify growing like weeds but still loss-making. Wednesday, some bad news from competitor Rdio, the music streaming service startup from Skype co-founder Janus Friis. The company has confirmed to TechCrunch that it is laying people off.

“Rdio confirmed making across-the-board workforce reductions today to improve its cost structure and ensure a scalable business model for the long-term,” a spokesperson said today.

The company did not offer any further specifics on the layoffs. One person who first alerted us to them alleges that they affect 35 people. Techcrunch reports they’ve have had other tips that say this works out to between one-fifth and one-third of the workforce, with significant cuts in engineering.

Indeed, at least two people affected by the layoffs are both engineers that focus on mobile and web apps.

But, according to TechCrunch,  it’s notable that the company has not released any user numbers in a while. As a point of comparison, earlier this month Deezer reported passing the 5 million mark for paying users — and that’s without any entry into the U.S. market. Spotify last reported 6 million paying users in March 2013.

Rush Ends Call After Past Drug Issue Mentioned

Rush Limbaugh decided to prematurely cut off one of his radio show callers Wednesday after the man brought up some troubling stories from the host’s past.

According to Mediaite, the call began under the guise of advocating for Limbaugh to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom, but before long the caller was talking about that time the host “exchanged shoe boxes of cash for narcotics.”

In an attempt to highlight similar honors Limbaugh has received in the past, the caller brought up a bust of the host that now resides in the Hall of Famous Missourians. “That, and you can correct me if I’m wrong,” the caller said, “came after you exchanged shoe boxes of cash for narcotics in Florida, something that most people go to jail for–decades for mandatory minimums. They gave you a statue! I mean, you imported drugs into America with the Viagra deal down in Florida…”

At this point, Limbaugh cut his caller off, saying, “Oh, no sir. See you are a victim of, once again, totally distorted media reporting.” He commended the “first half of your call,” during which the man highly praised the host, as “exactly right.” But as for the accusations about drugs, that portion was “filled with the usual leftist, bigotry, hatred and gibberish. And you don’t have the slightest idea what you are talking about!” 

And, that was the end of that call.

Madonna Tops Forbes' Highest Earning Musicians List

Madonna was this year's top earning musician, according to Forbes' annual report that was released Wednesday.

The Queen of Pop rakes in $125 million before taxes, agents and managers fees, the financial magazine estimated. The majority of her income came from her MDNA Tour, which grossed $305 million, as well as merchandise sales, her Material Girl clothing line and Truth or Dare fragrance.

Following with $80 million was Lady Gaga, who grossed $160 million on her latest tour before a hip injury forced her to cancel dates. Forbes estimates had she been able to finish that tour, she would have raked in more than $200 million. Her recent album ARTPOP, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 100 this week is expected to push Gaga to the top seat next year with a successful set of concerts in support.

Judge Orders Chris Brown Back Into Rehab

Chris Brown
Musician Chris Brown has been ordered to return to rehab for three months to deal with anger management issues, according to the BBC.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Brandlin also said he must do at least 24 hours of community service a week and be tested for drugs.

The singer agreed to the terms, which were suggested by probation officers overseeing his sentence for beating his ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

He left rehab earlier this month after throwing a rock through a window.

After a joint counseling session with his mother on November 10, where she suggested he needed to remain in treatment, Brown threw the stone through the window of her car.

Brown was kicked out of the rehab centre because he had signed a contract agreeing to refrain from violence while in treatment.

He had gone to the facility voluntarily on 29 October having been arrested in Washington DC days earlier. A man accused Brown of punching him after he tried to get in a photo with the singer.

The event could still be considered a probation violation and result in further punishment for the singer. He is due to appear in court in Washington DC on Monday.

Listeners To Rate Super Bowl Radio Commercials

Westwood One is launching WestwoodOne's Super Bowl Audio Index, the first-ever consumer-driven index ranking the most creative audio commercials aired during Super Bowl XLVIII.

The index will be comprised of all commercials aired on the 700+ radio stations which broadcast WestwoodOne’s exclusive, play-by-play coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII.

Each of the commercials will be available for consumer voting through on February 2, 2014. Two awards will be announced across WestwoodOne’s on-air and online broadcast network.
  • Listener’s Choice: selected by consumers through an online voting process that can also be leveraged by marketers through social media, and activated through SoundHound to create even more engaging experiences for listeners.
  • Media Choice: selected by an advisory council comprised of leading advertising, media and creative executives across multiple consumer categories. 
“For brands wanting to engage a captive audience with the largest reach, there is no comparison to the Super Bowl,” said Paul Caine, CEO of WestwoodOne. “We created the Index as a new way for all brands to leverage the power of sound and capitalize on this massive advertising moment. The index enables marketers to engage more intimately with 26 million+ listeners, expanding their campaigns and maximizing their marketing dollars.”

WestwoodOne’s coverage of the Super Bowl is broadcast across terrestrial radio, on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, NFL.com/audiopass, NFL Mobile from Verizon subscribers, in the stadium during the game, and on the American Forces Radio Network.