Saturday, May 10, 2014

Chicago Radio Urges 'Put The Guns Down'

Chicago Mayor Emanuel Friday joined urban DJs and radio personalities to announce “Put the Guns Down,” a City wide violence prevention initiative. Urban radio stations across the Chicago area are partnering with the City to prevent violence and promote safety throughout our communities.

“While we may be a city of different neighborhoods, when it comes to keeping our kids safe, we are one Chicago,” said Mayor Emanuel. “For every child to live up to their full potential, we must live up to our full responsibilities to them. There is nothing more powerful than an entire city standing together and speaking with one voice, Put the Guns Down.”


A part of the “Put the Guns Down” initiative the radio stations have agreed to:
  • Air PSAs featuring radio personalities and celebrities encouraging listeners to “Put the Guns Down”; 
  • Host a monthly simulcast to discuss the importance of community responsibility and accountability; 
  • Open and close each radio program with “Put the Guns Down;” 
  • Host weekly community affairs segments highlighting community organizations that offer violence prevention programs.
Participating radio stations include:
  • Clear Channel – 107.5 WGCI-FM, V103, Inspiration 1390, 103.5 KISS-FM, 93.9 MY FM, 95.5 El PatrĂ³n and 97.5 ESPN Deportes
  • Power 92.3
  • WVON
  • Univision Radio

Saturday Aircheck: Joey Reynolds Talks With Dan Ingram

From 2001, radio personality Dan Ingram visits The Joey Reynolds show on WOR 710 AM.

May 10 In Radio History


In 1922...WHB-AM, Kansas City, Missouri, began broadcasting.

According to fadedsignals.com, Sam Adair and John Schilling signed WHB on the air in 1922 from Kansas City.  Cook Paint and Varnish Company purchased the station in 1930.  It was an independent station until becoming a Mutual Network affiliate in 1936.

WHB operated as a daytime-only station until the FCC granted it full-time status in 1946.

Cook sold WHB-AM to Omaha entrepreneur Todd Storz in 1954.  He enjoyed success with a Top 40 pop format on his stations in Omaha and New Orleans.  Storz flipped WHB to the nation’s first 24-hour Top 40 format.  It became Kansas City’s most popular station by the end of the year.

WHB-AM’s 10,000-watt signal made the station one of the most powerful Top 40 stations in the country. It became a model for many stations around the nation seeking to copy the success of the Top 40 format.

Here’s a sample of what WHB sounded like in 1960:



Storz Broadcasting sold WHB to Shamrock Broadcasting in 1985.  The new owner dropped Top 40 for a oldies.  In 1989, KCMO-FM flipped to oldies, drawing away WHB-AM’s listeners.

WHB began simulcasting a farm/country music format in 1993.  It swapped frequencies with KCMO-AM in 1998, giving the station a larger daytime coverage area. (DA50Kw-D, DA5Kw-Night).  WHB had been broadcasting at 710 AM (DA10Kw-Day, DA5Kw-Night).

Union Broadcasting purchased WHB and flipped the station to its current sports format in 1999.


In 1927…In Boston, the Hotel Statler became the first such establishment to install radio headsets in each of its (1,300) rooms.


In 1972…Writer/producer (radio serials The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet and Challenge of the Yukon)/lawyer/publisher/radio station owner (Michigan's WXYZ-Detroit, WOOD-Grand Rapids, WPON-Pontiac) George W. Trendle died at age 87.

A noted penny-pincher, Trendle specified that the music on WXYZ shows should be non-copyrighted classical so that the station would not have to pay royalties or performance fees. This is the reason the "William Tell Overture" was adopted as "The Lone Ranger" theme and "The Flight of the Bumble Bee" became the theme for "The Green Hornet."

Here is episode one of The Lone Ranger...





In 1954...Bill Haley and the Comets released the classic "Rock Around The Clock," which became the first rock and roll song to top the charts.





In 1982...Top 40 formatted WABC 770 AM, New York City, played it's last record before converting to talk Radio.

WABC ended its 22-year run as a music station with a 9 am–noon farewell show hosted by Dan Ingram and Ron Lundy. The last song played on WABC before the format change was "Imagine" by John Lennon, followed by the familiar WABC "Chime Time" jingle, then a moment of silence before the debut of the new talk format.



In 1959, Harold L. Neal, Jr. was named General Manager of WABC. Neal had been at WXYZ in Detroit. He was charged with making WABC successful in terms of both audience and profits. By 1960, WABC committed to a virtually full-time schedule of top-40 songs played by upbeat personalities during the first week of December 1960. Still, WABC played a few popular non-rock and roll songs as well. WABC's early days as a Top 40 station were humble ones.

Top 40 WINS was the No. 1 music station and WMCA, which did a similar rock leaning top 40 format, was also a formidable competitor, while WABC barely ranked in the Top Ten. Fortunately for WABC, the other Top 40 outlets could not be heard well in certain New York and New Jersey suburbs, since WINS, WMGM, and WMCA were all directional stations. WABC, with its 50,000-watt non-directional signal, had the advantage of being heard in places west, south, and northwest – a huge chunk of the suburban population – and this is where the station began to draw ratings. Early in 1962, WMGM, owned by Loew's, which then owned MGM, was sold to Storer Broadcasting. Upon its sale, WMGM reverted to its original WHN call letters and switched to a MOR music format playing easy listening and, unlike WNEW which played limited amounts of soft rock and roll, absolutely no rock and roll except maybe Ray Charles or Bobby Darin. WHN was considered MOR because it was vocal based and played about 75 to 80% vocals and the rest instrumentals.

(Musicradio 77 WABC History segments were compiled by Ellis b. Feaster. Feaster is now morning host on Contemporary Christian WPOZ 88.3 FM in Orlando, FL. Thanks for the work Ellis!)



Sam Holman was the first WABC program director of this era. Under Holman, WABC achieved No. 1 ratings during much of 1962, after WMGM reverted to WHN. By the summer of 1963, WMCA led the pack, with WABC at No. 2 and WINS slipping to third place. It has been said, but is difficult to verify, that WMCA dominated in the city proper, while WABC owned the suburbs. This would be consistent with WMCA's 5,000-watt directional signal, although WMCA had the benefit of a lower frequency than WABC.



Then, Hal Neal hired Rick Sklar as the program director. Sklar would go on to become a member of the Radio Hall of Fame and be credited as one of the pioneering architects of the Top 40 format.

Under Sklar, the station went to the shortest playlist of any contemporary music station in history; the number one song was heard about every hour and 15 minutes. Top 5 songs were heard almost as often. Other current songs averaged once to twice per airshift. The station played about 9 current hits per hour and several non-current songs. The non-currents were no more than 5 years old and the station played about 70 of them totally.

WABC was known by various slogans, "Channel 77 WABC", then "77 WABC", and later "Musicradio WABC". Also, like WMCA did, WABC played no more than two songs in a row and there was heavy talk and personality between every song. The station averaged 6 short commercial breaks per hour but they were short and no more than 3 ads in a row. Voiceovers by the live airpersonality on the air were often part of the commercial.



WABC Daytime Coverage Map
Early 1960s disc jockeys included Dan Ingram, Herb Oscar Anderson, Charlie Greer, Scott Muni, Chuck Dunaway, Jack Carney, and Bob Lewis, but the best known WABC DJs are the ones that followed them in the mid-1960s and 1970s: Harry Harrison, Ron Lundy, Jim Nettleton, Radio Hall of Fame members Dan Ingram and "Cousin Brucie" Bruce Morrow, Chuck Leonard, Bob Cruz (a Dan Ingram sound alike), Frank Kingston Smith, Roby Yonge, George Michael, and Johnny Donovan. Also heard on WABC was sportscaster Howard Cosell, who would continue into 770's all talk format years with a late night program.

Especially in the afternoons and evenings, WABC was the station that teenagers could be heard listening to on transistor radios all over the New York metropolitan area. Due to its strong signal, the station could be heard easily over 100 miles away—as far as the Catskill Mountains, Pocono Mountains and outlying areas of Philadelphia.



WABC's ratings strength came from its cumulative audience. Most listeners didn't stay with WABC for long periods of time, as the station had some of the shortest "time spent listening" (or TSL) spans in the history of music radio—an average listener spent about 10 minutes listening to WABC. It was the price paid for a short playlist, and numerous commercials between songs, but what WABC lacked in TSL it more than made up for with its sheer number of listeners.



The end of the 1970s found FM radio beginning to overtake AM music stations in most markets. In June 1975, an FM station on 92.3, owned by the San Juan (Puerto Rico) Racing Association flipped to Soft Rock and became known as Mellow 92 WKTU. That station had very low ratings and had no effect on WABC. But on July 24, 1978, at 6 PM, WKTU abruptly dropped its Soft Rock format in favor of a disco-based top 40 format known as "Disco 92". By December of that year, WABC was unseated, as WKTU became the No. 1 station in New York City. The first "disco" ratings saw WKTU with 11 percent of the listening audience—a huge number anywhere, let alone in a market the size of New York City—and WABC dropping from 4.1 million listeners to 3 million, losing 25 percent of its audience practically overnight.



After this initial ratings tumble, WABC panicked and began mixing in several extended disco mixes per hour and sometimes played two back-to-back. Some of the disco songs ran in excess of eight minutes. What regular listeners heard was a major change in sound. While the station continued playing non-disco and rock songs about a third of the time, familiar format had seemed to disappear and as a result, WABC began to lose its identity.

For much more on Musicradio 77WABC:  Click Here

Friday, May 9, 2014

Philly Radio: CCM+E's WRFF Gets Boot From Venue


Just days after a packed concert at which some people took liberties with Northern Liberties, including outdoor sex romps and widespread public urination, neighbors are getting results, according to philly.com.

SEE ORIGINAL POSTING: Click Here.

The general counsel for Kushner Cos., the firm that owns the Piazza at Schmidt's, confirmed in an email that the licensing agreement between the venue and a promoter for WRFF Radio 104.5 FM has been terminated as of Wednesday, according to Matt Ruben, the president of the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association.

That means the station will no longer be allowed to host events in that space, a turn of events that Ruben welcomed after scores of intoxicated music fans turned the trendy neighborhood's narrow side streets into public toilets Saturday during a Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party.

"When you see someone in the middle of the day squatting and peeing on your neighbor's house, you don't forget it," said Ruben, who lives about two blocks from the Piazza and witnessed said squatting firsthand.

philly.com photo
"Clearly, there were too many people, not enough security and not enough toilets; this is what you get," he said.

Attempts by philly.com to reach Dilworth and Clear Channel Communications, the company that operates Radio 104.5, were unsuccessful.

Nielsen Maps Radio's Most-Listened-To Hours


Much of the radio listening among a record-high 244.4 million Americans happens away from home, by the working crowd, according to Nielsen’s second-quarter Audio Today report. On the national level, radio listening ebbs and flows over the course of the work day. But, according to Nielsen, every market in America is unique, localized influences play a role in determining how and when listeners come to the radio. To better understand how local markets can differ from the national level, we split the national audience across the portable people meter (PPM) and radio diary markets.

On the national level, the 7 a.m. hour leads the way during the Monday through Friday week, followed by 3 p.m. and noon. The national radio listening curve’s angled peaks highlight spikes during these key periods. The curve for weekend listening, on the other hand, is much more rounded, showing how the audience builds gradually until the mid-day peak and then begins to drop off at the same rate it grew.

Nielsen broke down this overall view of listening by our two types of measured markets. The audience curves are based on the national average quarter-hour (AQH) audiences for listeners 12 and older, broken out in the 48 largest U.S. markets measured electronically by PPM, and compared to the 200-plus medium- and small-sized markets where Nielsen uses an audio diary to capture listening.


During the work week, PPM and diary listening curves both follow similar paths to the national curve, rising dramatically in the 7 a.m. hour (one of radio’s most important hours no matter where you program) and then spiking again around lunch. However, there are some key differences, especially as you head into the afternoon. Unlike the national curve, the peak of listening in PPM markets is actually the 3 p.m. hour (7 a.m. is ranked second), and that listening is significant and sustained until 6 p.m. when commuters begin to arrive at home. The diary curve, like the national curve, peaks at 7 a.m. and doesn’t have the same dramatic uplift in the afternoon.

These differences mean that the p.m. drive (3 p.m.-7 p.m.) is the most listened-to daypart across the PPM markets, while the a.m. drive (6 a.m.-10 a.m.) leads the way in diary markets.

RI Radio: 92PRO-FM Wins Radio HOF Station Of The Year Award

Ceremonies for this year's inductees to the Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame were held last evening.

Those inducted were Tom Cuddy, Rick Evertt, Dave Fallon, Paul Perry, Pappy Philbrook, Tony Rizzini and Saucy Syliva.

For more on each inductee: Click Here.

The Broadcaster of the Year award went to 92PRO-FM, which is now celebrating 40-years in its current format.



NPR Radio: Industry Veteran Jarl Mohn Named New CEO

Media industry veteran Jarl Mohn will be the new CEO of National Public Radio, the organization's board of directors has announced.

Jarl Mohn
Mohn, 62, currently sits on the board of directors at several media organizations, including Scripps Networks Interactive and web analytics company comScore. He is also on the boards of KPCC Southern California Public Radio and the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism.

Announcing the hire, Kit Jensen, who chairs NPR's board of directors, said Mohn has "an ability to find nuanced and new ideas." He is slated to start work at NPR on July 1.

The move to NPR represents something of a return for Mohn — he worked as a radio disc jockey for about two decades before joining MTV as an executive in 1986. He later became president and CEO of E! Entertainment Television before moving on to other enterprises, including a stint on the board of XM Radio.

Mohn will be NPR's fourth permanent or acting CEO since January 2009, following a procession of executives who served relatively short tenures: Vivian Schiller (2009-2011), Gary Knell (2011-2013), and Paul Haaga Jr., who became the company's interim CEO last fall.

Read More Now

CBS 1Q Earnings: Local Radio Up 2 Percent

Strong ratings for shows like The Big Bang Theory and NCIS helped CBS to earn 78 cents per share in the first quarter on revenue of $3.86 billion, representing a bottom-line record though falling short of expectations on the top line.

THR reports the company, which reported its financial results after Wall Street's closing bell on Thursday, was expected to earn 75 cents per share, about $446 million, on revenue of $3.92 billion.

Net earnings rose to $468 million from $443 million a year ago.

"I'm very pleased to be reporting record first-quarter profits, driven once again by our fast-growing, higher-margin revenue streams," CEO Leslie Moonves said.

Revenue from CBS fell 5 percent compared to the same quarter a year earlier, though the entire difference can be attributed to the $280 million that the network's broadcast of Super Bowl XLVII brought in a year ago.

While the CBS "entertainment" segment logged a 9 percent decrease in revenue, -- due to the Super Bowl comparison as well as two fewer NCAA Tournament basketball games than a year ago -- the company's "cable networks" showed a 12 percent increase.

CBS said growth at cable networks was driven by revenue generated by Showtime, CBS Sports Network and Smithsonian Networks.

Local broadcasting revenue fell 2 percent during the quarter, and CBS again attributed the decline to the Super Bowl and NCAA basketball.  Meanwhile, Radio was up 2%, with double-digit increases in several categories, including travel, health care, telecom and Entertainment.

Moonves also predicted a "surge in political" spending will help CBS post strong results in the upcoming quarters because of what are expected to be contentious mid-term elections this year.

Read More Now

Radio One Reports Revenue 'Slow-Down'

Radio One, Inc. today reported its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. Net revenue was approximately $111.1 million, an increase of 12.1% from the same period in 2013.  Station operating income1 was approximately $35.2 million, a decrease of 1.9% from the same period in 2013.

The Company reported operating income of approximately $15.8 million compared to operating income of approximately $15.5 million for the same period in 2013. Net loss was approximately $25.2 million or $0.53 per share compared to net loss of $18.1 million or $0.36 per share, for the same period in 2013.

Alfred C. Liggins, III, Radio One's CEO and President stated, "Reflective of the broader economy, we experienced a slow-down in revenue growth in Q1.  Adjusting for timing differences on major events, consolidated revenue was up by 5.4% compared to Q1 2013.  Looking across the segments, TV One achieved its highest ever show ratings, with the NAACP Image Awards Show.  However, the benefits of the NAACP partnership will be felt over the longer term as during the 1st quarter, TV One had higher programming amortization associated with the initial telecast of the Image Awards.  Our internet business continued its profitable trajectory and had robust 27.6% revenue growth year-over-year.  Looking ahead, core radio revenue is currently pacing down mid-single digits for the second quarter, but we anticipate markets picking up momentum in the second half of the year as political spending ramps-up."

Nielsen To Close Columbia Campus


Media ratings firm Nielsen Holdings will shutter its Columbia call center at the end of August, one of three the company will close as it absorbs Arbitron Inc.

A Nielsen spokesman declined to say how many people in Maryland will be affected by the call center's closing. A spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said the agency has not received word about layoffs since November, when Nielsen announced it would shed 330 jobs or about a third of its Columbia work force.

Nielsen acquired Columbia-based Arbitron for $1.3 billion last September to improve its ability to measure media consumption on multiple platforms. When the merger was announced in 2012, Arbitron employed nearly 1,000 full-time workers nationwide, including 640 full-time employees and 220 part-time workers in Columbia.

Read More Now

Larry King: CNN Made Mistake Hiring Piers Morgan

Larry King
Larry King says he isn’t all too broken up about Piers Morgan’s failure at CNN, according to The Daily Caller.

Morgan, who replaced King in 2011 in CNN’s 9 p.m. ET time slot, was taken off the air by the network in March due to low ratings. Appearing on Howard Stern’s radio show Wednesday, King admitted when pressed that he had “mixed emotions” by Morgan’s misfortune.

“The best definition of mixed emotions: Your mother-in-law goes over the cliff in your new car,” King joked. “The mix was I thought they made a mistake in the Piers hire. I thought it was a mistake, one, to hire a Britisher in prime time and, two, I thought that he made himself too much part of the show.”

“Too much ‘I,’” King further explained. “I always said, if you turn on an interview show on television, 95 percent of the time you should see the guest. If 95 percent of the time you see the host, there’s something wrong with that.”

Piers Morgan took to Twitter for a response:


'Radio Guy' Daryl Parks Gets New Gig

Daryl Parks
Former WLW 700 AM programmer and Clear Channel news/talk radio vice president Darryl Parks has a new job in new media – with Simply Money, the financial advice empire founded by Nathan Bachrach and Ed Finke, according to cincinnatitoday.com.

Parks, who media blogger John Kiesewetter says is arguably the most influential person in Cincinnati radio from 1999 to 2010 – was named senior vice president of Simply Money Media, and a member of the Sycamore Township company's executive leadership team.

He will "help us craft our message and work with all of our media partners – CNBC, The Enquirer, Fox 19 and Clear Channel," Bachrach said.

Clear Channel eliminated Parks' corporate position as vice president for news talk operations in November.

"The first thing I said when I left Clear Channel was I no longer want to be defined as a 'radio guy,' " Parks told Kiesewetter.

"Some very cool things are happening with Simply Money in its strategies and expansion goals. I thought it would be great to be included in this venture," he said.

"While I had success doing radio in Cincinnati and other markets, future success will be defined by having expertise across all mediums. Simply Money Media allows me to use my skills in audio, but also the skills I had in television, digital and print," he said.

Parks' advice was a huge factor in boosting ratings for Bachrach and Finke's "Simply Money" show 6-7 p.m. weekdays on WKRC 550 AM, Bachrach has said.

Chicago Radio: PD Patty Martin Leaving WDRV

Patty Martin
Patty Martin, a 34-year veteran of Chicago’s rock radio wars, is stepping down as program director of Hubbard Radio classic hits WDRV 97.1 FM The Drive, according to Chicago Media Blogger Robert Feder.

Martin, who helped launch the Drive in 2001 and guide it to spectacular success, announced her decision to resign Thursday in an email to staff. She cited health matters involving her husband, who soon may undergo a kidney transplant.

Greg Solk, senior vice president of programming for Hubbard Radio, said Martin will remain in her role until a replacement is named — a process which could take up to two months.

“Bringing Patty in 13 years ago to help us create this uniquely amazing rock station was the best decision ever,” Solk told me. “Patty has been an amazing partner, collaborator, and friend. We love her dearly, and she will be missed.”

Read More Now

IN Radio: Removal Of Old Tower Goes Wrong

Old WITZ Tower
The decades-old radio tower of WITZ 990 AM in Jasper, IN was torn down Wednesday, and the process didn't quite go as planned.

A crew from Chandler-based Electronics Research Inc. worked for several hours Wednesday morning to bring the old decaying tower down.

The plan was to systematically remove the guide wires, so the tower fell slowly and deliberately to the ground.

That plan went out the window when the 66-year-old tower suddenly buckled, snapped, and plummeted.

No one was hurt in the destruction.

14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

MO Radio: Longtime GM Ed Foxall Retires

Ed Foxall
“God has blessed me in so many ways with a wonderful career,” said Ed Foxall, general manager of N/T KHMO 1070 AM, Country KICK 97.9 FM, Top40 KRRY 100.9 FM radio stations, who retired May 1 after 45 years in radio broadcasting.

Foxall will be honored with an open house/retirement party from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 9, at the Hannibal radio station.

Foxall has been GM of the statuion since the '80s.

Townsquare Media has named David Greene of St. Louis the new general manager, effective immediately.

Foxall began his radio career in the KHMO sales department in 1969. While sales were his full-time profession, he also did the play-by-play of local basketball and football on KHMO, mostly Palmyra games, in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Hannibal, MO
When Bick Broadcasting bought out KHMO and merged it with KIDS (now KICK-FM), Foxall was promoted to sales manager, then to general manager in the early 1990s. Bick Broadcasting then purchased Y101 and WLIQ, making it a four-station combo.

Considering the most enjoyable aspects of his career, Foxall said, “meeting a variety of people. … I consider myself a people person and had an opportunity to meet some wonderful people.

Foxall has observed many changes over the last 45 years in the radio industry, reporting, “the most dramatic changes have occurred in the past five years with the coming of the digital age.

R.I.P.: Fresno Boss Jock Dick Carr Dies

Victor Alan Karsner -- who was known as Dick Carr when he was on Fresno TV and radio -- died Monday after a long battle with respiratory problems.

He was 79, according to fresnobee.com.

Karsner began his career in 1957 in Okmulgee, Okla., and worked at radio stations in Texas and Sacramento before coming to Fresno's KYNO in 1960, where he was part of the Boss radio format that featured less talk and more music.

That was followed by stints at several Fresno TV stations.

Along with working on Fresno radio stations KYNO, KFRE, KARM and KMAK, Karsner hosted a "Dialing for Dollars" program on local TV.  He became the Channel 47 sports director in 1969, plus was a weatherman and talk show host at the local CBS affiliate.

R.I.P.: Radio Personality Dave Diamond Has Died

Dave Diamond
Radio Personality Dave Diamond died Tuesday.  He was 71 and had been in the hospital with pneumonia recently.

He was born Sid Davison in Deadwood, SD.

Diamond worked at many iconic radio stations. He made stops stops at WIL, St. Louis, WIBC Indianapolis, KBTR, KTLK Denver, KFRC S.F. In LA, he worked at KFWB, KRLA, KDAY, KCBS-FM, KIIS AND KFI-AM. He was also one of the original Boss Jocks at KHJ.

According to the book Can't Get Out of Here Alive, Dave is credited as the founder of The Doors.

Dave moved back to South Dakota and taught communications at Black Hills State University.

His own blog noted Diamond died peacefully at home. Our thoughts are with his friends and family. Diamond meant a lot to many people, changed lives, and instilled a sense of good vibes rocknroll in everyone he touched. He will be missed, but his spirit lives on. Break on through, Diamond, break on through."

R.I.P.: Indiana Radio GM/Personality Brad Deetz

Brad Deetz
A Washington, IN radio General Manager and personality died in a fatal motorcycle accident early Wednesday morning.

Dead is 46 year-old Bradly D. Deetz of Vincennes.

According to police Deetz T-boned a pickup-truck.  After impact, Deetz was thrown from the motorcycle into the side of the pickup.

Deetz was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Deetz was General Manager of the DLC Media company and was also a radio personality on the morning show at WFML 96.7 FM in Vincennes.

May 9 In Radio History


In 1929...WJW-AM, Cleveland, Ohio began broadcasting.

Alan Freed
The station was a staple of the Cleveland airwaves for more than 40 years under its original call letters of WJW.

The station was started in Mansfield, OH as WLBV sin 1926 under the ownership of John Weimer.  The call letters became WJW in 1928, reflecting his initials. He sold it in 1931 to Mansfield Broadcasting Association.

WJW moved to Akron in 1932.  William O’Neill purchased the station in 1943 and moved it to Cleveland.  The station moved from 1210 kHz to 850 kHz and increased its power to 5,000 watts.

During its history, WJW aired Alan Freed's "Moondog" rock'n'roll show.



O'Neil sold WJW on 17 Nov. 1954 to Storer Broadcasting, which teamed it with its local television operation, WXEL.  Storer dropped the ABC radio affiliation in 1957 to become independent, although the station later had a brief affiliation with NBC before becoming independent again.


During the 1960s the "Ed Fisher Show" was immensely popular during a 10-year run, as was the station's adult contemporary format of news, talk, and jazz. Sold to Erie Broadcasting in the fall of 1976, WJW began to highlight talk shows and adult popular music. It had begun separate FM programming in 1965 on a station that eventually passed into separate ownership as WGCL.

WJW was sold 1986 to Booth American Broadcasting, at which time it exchanged its long-familiar call letters for WRMR. In 1990 Booth sold the station to Independent Group Ltd., a local group that owned WDOK.

Today, the station's call sign is WKNR and airs sportstalk. The station now has 50Kw-Day, 5Kw-Night.


In 1932...WFLA/WSUN, Clearwater, FL, tested first directional antenna in the U.S.


In 1937…Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy started their own radio show on NBC, just a few months after they had debuted and been a big hit on Rudy Vallee's radio program. Under various sponsors and two different networks, the show continued on the air until July 1, 1956. Here's audio from a 1944 show...




In 1958…Angry that his radio station employer did not back his defense after he was charged with inciting a riot at a recent Boston show, Alan Freed resigned from 1010 WINS in New York City, claiming his bosses refused to "stand by my policies and principles."




In 1990…Pauline Frederick, a network news reporter (ABC Radio, 1946-53; NBC Radio and TV (1953-74) for nearly 30 years, died following a heart attack at age 84.


In 2012…Sportscaster Carl Beane, public address announcer at Boston's Fenway Park since 2003, died in a car accident at age 59.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

LA Radio: Meruelo Media Closes on KDAY Acquisition

Meruelo Media has announced the completed purchase of KDAY 93.5 FM, Los Angeles' original hip-hop and R&B radio station during a luncheon to its partners and clients.

"Thanks to great team effort and execution, we can officially say "KDAY is saved!" and now officially part of our excitingly dynamic media business," said Meruelo Group Chairman and CEO Alex Meruelo.

"We are 100% committed to this unique format and I have charged my team to continue building the legacy and ensure KDAY regains its dominant position in the market place," concluded Alex Meruelo.

KDAY 93.5 FM (4.2Kw) 60dBu Coverage
"KDAY (licensed to Redondo Beach, CA) and KDEY (licensed to Ontariom, CA) bring an incredible multicultural mix to our growing portfolio of media assets," said Otto Padron, President and COO of Meruelo Media. "This distinctive station offers us the ability to effectively reach the millennial generation as a true 'Total-Market' multidimensional solution – few stations in our metro can make this claim."

KDEY 93.5 FM (5Kw) 60dBu Coverage
KDAY is an iconic Los Angeles radio station with roots as far back as the early 80's when it was the first station in the world to ever play commercial Hip-Hop. KDAY helped transform N.W.A. from an unknown group to one of the most prolific Hip-Hop groups ever, and it helped launch the careers of many mainstream artists such as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Ice T, LL Cool J, and Queen Latifa. KDAY reflects and appeals to the diversity of the Southern California market with its unique and unmistakable West Coast sound.

KDAY's studio operations will continue to be based in Los Angeles.  The station currently ranks among the top stations in the competitive Southern California market.

Media Venture Partners represented the seller, Magic Broadcasting, in the transaction.

Clear Channel Launches Hispanic Radio Network

Clear Channel has announced it is launching the iHeartRadio Hispanic Network.

Mexican broadcaster Group Radio Centro (GRC) will serve as the foundation partner of the network, providing live broadcasts from some of Mexico's top-rated radio stations on Clear Channel’s iHeart digital platform with new ads substituted to target U.S. Hispanics.

The network will include a collection of assets providing advertising partners large-scale reach to nearly 90% of the U.S. Spanish and English-speaking Hispanic population.

The agreement gives Clear Channel exclusive digital distribution for all GRC stations, including regional Mexican “Radio Centro 93.9” KXOS, Los Angeles and its popular "El Show Del Mandril” morning show.


The two companies recently inked a U.S. national sales and distribution deal via Premiere Networks for “Mandril.” GRC parent company Grupo Radio Mexico’s 51 radio stations in 13 Mexican markets will also be available on iHeartRadio. Beginning later this year, iHeart will become the exclusive digital ad sales provider for GRC’s Mexican stations with plans to replace all local Mexican station ads with consumer-targeted U.S. ads.

Bob Pitman
With 65% of the U.S. Hispanic population being of Mexican descent, Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman sees the network delivering unique content to the U.S. marketplace. "This unique partnership represents a key milestone in Mexico/U.S. broadcasting, allowing Clear Channel for the first time to offer this key demographic exclusive access to the most popular Mexican stations from anywhere across the U.S. with the iHeartRadio Hispanic Network, in addition to providing our partners with unprecedented access to the Hispanic community,” he said in a statement.

GRC Chairman/CEO Francisco Aguirre calls it “the second step in the groundbreaking partnership between our two companies,” adding that he and Pittman “share a vision to expand both companies beyond their respective borders in a very fast paced and evolving digital landscape.”

Liberty 1Q Earnings: SiriusXM Reports Strong Results

Liberty Media Corporation today reported first quarter 2014 results. Highlights include:

Today announced:
  • Plan to distribute via dividend two shares of Series C non-voting common stock (“LMCK”) for each share of LMCA and LMCB
  • Plan to spin-off Liberty Broadband Group into a new publicly-traded company called Liberty Broadband
  • Purchase of 897 thousand Charter shares for $124.5 million, resulting in 26.4% beneficial ownership of Charter’s equity
SiriusXM reported strong Q1 results
  • Subscriber base grew to 25.8 million
  • Revenue of $998 million, up 11% from the first quarter of 2013
  • Adjusted EBITDA(2) grew 28% to $335 million
  • Net income of $94 million
  • Repurchased 158 million shares through April 25, including shares from Liberty Media
  • Issued $1.5 billion of 6% Senior Notes due 2024 on May 6, 2014
  • Completed sale of last two tranches to SiriusXM of its shares for $340 million at $3.66 per share in April
Charter announced agreements with Comcast, which will make Charter the second largest US cable company; separately reported strong operating results.  Live Nation reported solid results across all lines of business; announced Live Nation Channel on Yahoo to debut this summer.  Completed sale of 90% of Liberty Media’s stake in Barnes & Noble in April.

Lawmakers Pushing Radio To Pay Performance Royalties

Rep. Marsha Blackburn
Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn introduced legislation Wednesday that would force broadcasters to pay royalties to artists and record labels when their songs are played on terrestial radio, according to The Tennessean.

Currently only writers and publishers receive royalty payments when a song is played on the radio. Artists and labels, meanwhile, receive royalties for virtually every other transmission of their song – from satellite radio to streaming services.

Blackburn said it was time for radio broadcasters to pay performance royalties, too.

“This is a basic issue of modernizing the law to get rid of a dated loophole that only applies to AM/FM radio,” Blackburn said in a release. “Internet radio pays music creators fair market value for their performances, Satellite radio pays music creators for performances, Cable and Satellite TV/radio stations pay music creators for their performances. Everyone but AM/FM radio pays.”

The bipartisan legislation was offered by Blackburn, R-Brentwood, and U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo. It comes amid an ongoing debate in Congress about retransmission fees that cable companies are required to pay to broadcasters for content.

During a recent committee debate on the matter, Blackburn noted the inconsistency in the broadcasters’ positions on the two issues.

While the broadcasters believe cable companies are profiting from retransmitting their television shows, the same companies, which often own radio stations, have argued against performance royalties for artists and labels.

If the broadcasters want to collect money from cable companies for television content, which the broadcast companies have been advocating for in Congress, then they should pay performance royalties to the artists and labels, Blackburn said.

The legislation was received warmly by the Recording Industry Association of America, the Washington D.C. nonprofit group that represents record labels.

The legislation is being introduced amid an ongoing debate about broader royalty reform, including performance royalties for traditional radio. Other issues being debated in Congress include digital radio royalties for pre-1972 recordings and how songwriters are paid for songs played on digital radio stations.

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NAB: Bill Would 'Devalue' Local Broadcasting

Dennis Wharton
In response to the introduction of legislation today by Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) that would block a broadcast television station from receiving retransmission consent payments if its parent company also owns a radio station that does not pay a performance royalty, the following statement can be attributed to NAB Executive Vice President of Communications Dennis Wharton:

"NAB is concerned that this legislation would devalue local broadcasting. Every day across America, local radio and TV provides a positive, competitive balance to national pay radio and TV giants. Local stations offer news, entertainment, and emergency warnings that make the difference between life and death. NAB will respectfully oppose this legislation."

In addition, reporters might find of interest that broadcasters pay approximately $500 million a year to compensate songwriters for music we play on the radio; radio stations also pay millions a year to the record labels and recording artists for music that we stream on digital platforms.

Two other points: The promotional value of free and local radio airplay to artists and record labels is between $1.5 billion and $2.4 billion annually, according to James Dertouzos, a former PhD Stanford economist.

Free and local radio remains by far the #1 promotional platform for exposing new music, according to Nielsen.

FCC: Revolt At The Palace

Jessica Rosenworcel
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s controversial net neutrality proposal showed signs of fraying Wednesday, taking hits from a fellow Democratic commissioner and the nation’s leading tech companies, according to Politico.

After weeks of backlash, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said a scheduled May 15 vote on the plan should be delayed at least a month, while Google, Facebook and other Web giants slammed the proposal as a “grave threat to the Internet.”

Wheeler late Wednesday vowed to move forward with the vote. The plan has sparked a firestorm of criticism for allowing Internet service providers like AT&T and Verizon to charge companies for faster delivery of content.

“I have real concerns about FCC Chairman Wheeler’s proposal on network neutrality — which is before the agency right now,” Rosenworcel said during a Washington speech. “While I do not know now where this conversation will head on a substantive basis, I can tell you right now I have real concerns about process.”

Without Rosenworcel’s support, Wheeler’s plan is unlikely to win the three commission votes necessary to go forward. Despite the opposition, the chairman showed no signs of backing down.

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Analyst Bullish On Cumulus

Cumulus Media has outperformed research analyst Gary Bourgeault's high expectations for the company, jumping from $3.33 per share on June 20, 2013 to $6.57 per share, where it closed on May 5, 2014. For the last 12 months it is up 81.15%.

Bourgeault cites major catalysts as Nash brand, Right Now Traffic, CBS Sports Radio, and WestwoodOne. He claims they are creating more synergies at a faster pace than projected.

Also contributing is its growing digital advertising business, along with increasing national spot advertising, which will increase through the rest of the year as the elections get closer. So far political advertising has generated little to the top or bottom lines of the company, but that will change in the second quarter onward.

He acknowledges an ongoing concerning is the Cumulus balance sheet, but, he believes decent free cash flow has allowed the company to pay that down and strengthen its financials.

To Bourgeault the NASH Brand represents the type of future to look forward to with Cumulus Media. Not only does it attract advertisers to a very favorable demographic, but it has a variety of ways to monetize the customer base, which should provide stability and growth for a long time into the future.

NASH is projected to generate 2% growth for the company through 2016.  Bourgeault believes that those projections are conservative.

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Toledo Radio: Mark Elliott Joins Cumulus

Mark Elliott
Cumulus Media has announced that it has appointed radio veteran Mark Elliott as Operations Manager of Toledo stations Classic Hits WRQN 93.5 FM and Top40 WWWM 105.5 fM as well as Program Director of WRQN.

Elliott moves to Toledo from Evansville, Indiana, where he was Program Director and Afternoon Host of WIKY for the past seven years. WIKY was #1 in every ratings book during Elliott’s tenure, and also won Marconi, Crystal and R&R Station of the Year awards. He also served the industry for 10 years as a promotions and marketing consultant for radio stations nationwide, and was Program Director of WKRQ Cincinnati, WYCD Detroit, WYNF Tampa and WKHQ Traverse City.

Mike McVay, Senior Vice President, Programming, Cumulus, said: “Toledo has a special place in the hearts of Cumulus’ senior management. It’s the birthplace of many of our radio careers. Mark brings a new vision to the stations and a fresh perspective on how to continue to grow the stations and attract an even larger audience. We’re excited to have him join the team at Cumulus.”

Elliott said: "Things were good in Evansville, but when Mike McVay called, I had to answer. The chance to work directly with him and with some great radio stations was one I could not pass up. (Plus, I think one of the stations in the cluster is a Cincinnati Reds affiliate - free tickets!). Thanks to everyone at WIKY for a great run. I'm ready to get to work with the great people at WRQN and WWWM."

Toledo Radio: Bill Michaels New PD At WXKR And the Zone

Bill Michaels
Cumulus Media announces that it has named programming veteran Bill Michaels as Program Director of Classic Rock-formatted radio station, WXKR 94.5 FM and of Alternative station W264 AK 100.7 FM The Zone in Toledo.

Michaels was previously Operations Manager for Clear Channel Toledo for eight years, and oversaw its six-station cluster in Toledo, including WVKS, where he began his radio career in 1991, working as night jock from 1994-1995 and Program Director from 1999-2010. He was also Program Director of Clear Channel Toledo’s Heritage Rock station, WIOT from 2008-2010.

John Gallagher, Vice President/Market Manager of Cumulus Toledo, said: “Bill was able to rise through the ranks at Clear Channel here in Toledo, from intern to Operations Manager. His music, programming, and market knowledge will be an extremely valuable asset to the Cumulus Toledo team. We are very pleased to welcome Bill aboard.”

Michaels said: “I am very excited to be joining a very talented programming team at Cumulus Toledo. I am also looking forward to working with great minds like John Dickey, Mike McVay and Corporate Programmer, Aaron Roberts.”

Fort Wayne Radio: Adams Group To Close On Seven Stations

Adams Radio Group plans to close June 2 on its purchase of seven Fort Wayne radio stations, Ron Stone, company president and CEO tells news-sentinel.com.

Any programming changes will take place quickly at some stations and later at others, said Stone, who said he couldn't disclose the plans now. He urged listeners to stay tuned to the radio stations beginning June 2 for information about any changes.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted approval April 16 for Adams Radio to buy Summit City Radio's stations for $2.9 million and Oasis Radio's stations for $3.5 million. The Lakeville, Minn., company announced the purchases Feb. 27, pending FCC approval.

After June 2, Adams Radio will own: Country WBTU, U.S. 93.3-FM, Top40 WJFX, Hot 107.9-FM, oldies music WGL 1250-AM, WXKE, Rock 104 103.9-FM and hip-hop WNHT, Wild 96.3-FM.

Ron Stone
The deals also include 1990s pop music WHPP 106.3-FM and oldies WGL 102.9-FM. However, FCC rules limit one company to owning a maximum of seven radio signals in the same market. No more than four of those stations can be either AM or FM.

So Adams Radio will trade WHPP to local Catholic radio station Redeemer Radio in return for that station's signal, WLYV, 1450-AM. Adams Radio also will give WGL, 102.9-FM, to Calvary Radio Network of Valparaiso in return for Calvary's Fort Wayne translator signal at 103.3-FM.

Adams Radio is also completing the purchase of four stations owned by Radio One Communications of Valparaiso.

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Survey: Journalists Are Not Happy Campers


More journalists are dissatified with their profession.

A survey of 1,080 journalists by Indiana University researchers found 59.7 percent of those surveyed see journalism going in the wrong direction.

Asked what constitutes the most important problem facing the industry today, journalists mentioned declining profits (20.4 percent), threats to profession from online media (11.4 percent), job cuts and downsizing (11.2 percent), the need for a new business model and funding structure (10.8 percent), and hasty reporting (9.9 percent).


The study, “The American Journalist in a Digital Age,” provides some numbers on the deteriorating morale in the country’s newsrooms, following years of layoffs, declining revenues and the still-rocky transition into the digital age.

IOC, NBC Ink Olympic Deal

The International Olympic Committee doesn't want anybody but NBC, according to USAToday.

The IOC announced Wednesday it had agreed to a $7.75 billion deal with NBCUniversal for broadcast rights to the Olympic Games through 2032. Instead of putting the rights up for bid as it usually does, the IOC quietly approached the network in November about an extension.

NBC got caught in a bidding war with Disney's ESPN/ABC and News Corp.'s Fox Sports when the rights were up for bid three years ago.

"The confidence and the reliable promotion of the Olympic Games and the Olympic values, it's key. This is why we wanted to build on our long-term partnership with NBC," IOC President Thomas Bach said on a conference call. "We could be sure and we are sure that the Olympic Games will be presented in a way that the Olympic spirit requires and how we see."

The deal covers six Olympics, from 2021 to 2032, and gives NBC rights to all media platforms including TV, internet and mobile. NBC's previous agreement, negotiated in 2011, included four Olympics through 2020 and cost the network $4.4 billion.

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Detroit Radio: WCHB Taps Cliff Russell For Talk Slot

Cliff Russell
Cliff Russell has been named to fill the time slot at WCHB 1200 AM formerly headed by award-winning journalist Angelo Henderson, according to The Detroit News.

“I am pleased and honored to announce that I have been hired to host “Detroit Speaks with Cliff Russell,” he wrote in a Facebook posting on Wednesday night. “I’ve been filling in as host for the past two-and-a-half weeks, but I will officially begin hosting the midday program on Monday, May 12th.”

A former basketball player, Russell has been a press secretary for former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, a radio talk show host and was the first African-American media relations member of the Detroit Tigers, according to Detroit News archives.

He takes over for Henderson, who died Feb. 15 at his home in Pontiac.

Study: Birds Don't Like AM Radio

A new study released this week claims AM radio signals disorients birds migrating at night.

The study shows how even weak electromagnetic fields produced by AM radio signals are bad for birds. The research was outlined in the journal Nature, according to autoworldnews.com.

Electronic pollution, or "electrosmog" as it's called among researchers, is a growing issue that will likely just continue to get worse as more people plug in or listen to radio stations, computers, TVs, and other electrical devices.

Biologist Henrik Mouritsen, a professor at the University of Oldenburg, and his fellow researchers, made this conclusion after studying European robins.

The European robins have an internal magnetic compass, which helps them find their way when other cues, like visual ones, are bad.

"For decades, it has been hotly debated whether man-made electric and magnetic fields affected biological processes, including human health," the authors, from Oldenburg University, wrote in Nature.

The internal magnetic compass helps birds find their way at night, according to Mouritsen.

The team housed birds in windowless huts, which helped them figure out a way to easily turn on and off the bird's exposure to urban electromagnetic signals.

Only certain electromagnetic noise bothered the birds however. The birds were affected in the frequency range of two to five kilohertz megahertz, putting it right in the range of AM radio signals.

"These perturbations do not originate from power lines or mobile networks," Mouritsen said.

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Managers! Need A Morale Booster?


Diane Sawyer

In recognition of ABC News employees’ “excellent work,” news division president James Goldston deemed Wednesday “Food Truck Day” at ABC, according to TV Newser.

Staffers were given vouchers for food trucks — Kimchi Taco, Taim Mobile and Milk Truck — stationed outside ABC News for lunch.

One speed bump: food trucks probably don't trade.