March 15 In Radio History

In 1679...Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz described binary numbering.

In 1922...WSB, Atlanta, Georgia, began broadcasting becoming the fourth Southern radio station.

First Employees Walter Iller, Walter Tison

The call-sign "WSB" carried an infamous history before it was assigned to a land-based broadcaster in Atlanta.

In very early days of radio licensing, sea-based broadcasters were included in the call-sign assignment system. The first licensee of the call-sign "WSB" was the S.S. Francis H. Leggett. After foundering off the Oregon coast on September 18, 1914, taking a toll of two of the 67 lives aboard, the call "WSB" was reassigned to the Firewood, the name of which forms a grim coincidence with its fate: the ship burned off the coast of Peru on December 18, 1919, with 28 persons on board, all of whom were saved.

Because superstitious seafarers objected to being issued a call "used by that ship which went down with all hands last month", "tainted" calls like "WSB" were quietly issued to unsinkable land stations.

Lambdin Kay, First GM

Originally on 740 kHz until the 1936 FCC band plan, WSB was the fourth radio station in the South, behind the first AM station, WBT 1110 AM in Charlotte, licensed in December, 1920... WNOX 990 AM in Knoxville, Tennessee licensed in November, 1921... and WWL 850 AM in New Orleans, licensed 13 days before WSB in March, 1922.

They, among others, are all considered "clear channel" stations. That designation is given to frequencies on which only one or two stations are assigned to a frequency that allows full power transmission day and night.

The WSB broadcast callsign stands for "Welcome South, Brother". Founded by the Atlanta Journal newspaper (once a competitor of the Atlanta Constitution, now merged), the station began broadcasting on March 15, 1922, just a few days prior to Constitution-owned WGM 710 AM (eventually swapped to WGST 640 AM.

In 1956..."Colonel" Tom Parker signed a management deal with Elvis Presley.


In 1964... Alan Freed indicted by Federal Grand jury for income tax evasion - 1964


In 1972...Robert W. Morgan of Los Angeles radio station KHJ 930 AM played Donny Osmond's "Puppy Love" for 90 minutes straight. Police eventually raided the station fearing foul play, but discovered a publicity stunt instead.




In 1976...After 11 years as an AM Top 40 radio giant, WCFL 1000 AM Chicago, in its most recent years known as "Super 'CFL," changed to a Beautiful Music format.


In 2010... Air Personality Ron Lundy WABC 770 AM, WCBS 101.1 FM died at the age of 75.

Lundy was born June 25, 1934 in Memphis, Tennessee, the only child of Fred Sr., a railroad engineer, and Mary Lundy. He served in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from high school.

Following the completion of his military stint, he returned to his hometown and attended a local radio broadcasting school on the G.I. Bill. At the same time, he worked across the street at WHHM-AM, where he got his first on-air experience one night when he substituted for the regular disc jockey who failed to report for his shift. This resulted in Lundy being hired as a full-time radio announcer by Hodding Carter for WDDT-AM, the latter's new station in Greenville, Mississippi.

After a stop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at WLCS-AM, Lundy was brought to WIL-AM in St. Louis, Missouri in 1960 by Dan Ingram, who was the station's program director until the middle of the next year. Nicknamed the "Wil' Child", Lundy had a style which was described as a combination of "country and crawfish pie" by Bob Whitney, who also played a major role in the appointment.

Lundy was reunited with Ingram at WABC 770 AM in 1965. He made his New York radio debut on September 1, working the overnight shift as "The Swingin' Nightwalker."

Beginning in May 1966, he became the midday fixture at the station for the next sixteen years.  With his catchphrase "Hello, Love–this is Ron Lundy from the Greatest City in the World," he usually preceded Ingram's afternoon drive time program, and sometimes when Ingram was running late to the studio, Lundy would keep going until Dan arrived, doing impressions of The Shadow, where he would play Margo Lane and Lamont Cranston. The two best friends hosted "The Last Show" before WABC's format conversion from music to talk radio at noon on May 10, 1982.

In February 1984, Lundy resurfaced at New York's oldies station WCBS 101.1 FM in the mid-morning slot, following former WABC colleague Harry Harrison. According to program director Joe McCoy, the station created the slot especially for Lundy, reducing other shifts from four hours to three.



In June, 1997, Lundy's WCBS-FM show was awarded the 1997 "BronzeWorld Medal" at the New York Festivals Radio Programming Awards for the "best local personality".

Lundy retired from WCBS-FM on September 18, 1997. (Click Here to listen, courtesy of Musicradio77.com)

During Ron's final show, he rests his hand on Dan Ingram's shoulder

Upon retiring from radio, Ron and his wife Shirley moved to the small town of Bruce, Mississippi.

Lundy's voice made two cameo appearances during his career. The first one was in an early scene in Midnight Cowboy, when Joe Buck, hearing a Lundy WABC broadcast while listening to his portable radio, realized that the bus he was riding soon approached New York City. The other was in Starship's 1985 hit "We Built This City."

Lundy was inducted the St. Louis Hall Radio Hall of Fame on January 1, 2006.

D-C Radio: PD Laurie Cantillo OUT At WTOP

Laurie Cantillo

Laurie Cantillo is out as program director at Washington's Hubbard's all-news WTOP 103.5 FM, according to the D-C Business Journal.

"The decision has been made to not renew Laurie Cantillo's contract," WTOP General Manager Joel Oxley wrote in a staff memo sent Friday. "The decision was reached mutually by Laurie and me."
Cantillo took over at WTOP in 2011, replacing longtime programmer Jim Farley.

In a separate memo, Cantillo wrote "this the right time for me to pursue my next adventure." She expressed plans to co-create a screenplay and to pursue other writing. She said radio and digital media would remain "a big part" of her life.

As of January 2015, Hubbard Radio-owned WTOP was the top-rated station in the Washington market. It is the country's highest revenue-generating news radio station, with $63.5 million in revenue in 2013.

Cantillo joined WTOP in late 2011 after a almost three year stint as Program Director at Cumulus' WABC NYC. Previously, she was PD at Oprah & Friends Radio, and PD of at KFYI and EXTRA Sports in Phoenix.

In late 2013, she took over from longtime WTOP programmer Jim Farley, who retired and is now a Florida-based consultant for the top-rated station.

Detroit Radio: APD Andy Green Joins WRIF Morning Show

Andy Green

• Jade Springart New Music Director

Greater Media's Rock WRIF 101.1 FM in Detroit has announced some new moves within the station’s Programming Department.

Current Assistant Program Director Andy Green will join the top rated “Dave and Chuck The Freak” morning show as a full time member. Since the show started at WRIF, Andy moved from a featured guest to weekly appearances on the show, and has now officially become a full time member of WRIF Morning Drive.

Morning show host Dave Hunter said “We are thrilled to have Andy Green as a full time contributor on the “Dave and Chuck the Freak” show. Soon after we arrived at WRIF, we realized he was hilarious and have been looking for ways to make him a bigger part of the show. “

WRIF 101.1 FM (27 Kw) Red=60dBu Local Coverage Area

Jade Springart

With Andy’s new responsibilities during morning drive, WRIF is moving part time on-air talent Jade Springart into the position of WRIF Music Director. This move will redistribute some of the responsibilities that Andy Green was handling in order to ensure that WRIF stays on the forefront of the Active Rock format.

Program Director Mark Pennington says, “I am extremely proud of Jade’s hard work, positive attitude and enthusiasm. Being able to promote from within is a testament to Greater Media’s belief in grooming and growing local talent, which essential from the long term health of our industry.”
Jade started in 2007 as an intern in the Promotions Department before transitioning to the Programming Department.  She has been on-air at WRIF for the last 5 years as well as programming WRIF’s HD side channel RIFF2.

Andy will continue as WRIF Assistant Program Director, and will work in conjunction with Jade in her new role as WRIF Music Director.

Lansing Radio: WVIC Ready To Flip To Classic Country

• Tim Barron OUT At WLMI

A couple of changes will affect the Lansing radio market beginning Monday, according to the Lansing State-Journal.

WVIC 94.1-FM will switch from an alternative music format to a classic country format as The Duke featuring artists popular between 1985 and 2000, said Patrick Pendergast, vice president and general manager for Midwest Communications Inc. in Lansing.The change happens at 6 a.m. Monday, he said.

WVIC 94.1 FM (40 Kw) Red=60dBu Local Coverage Area

Meanwhile, long-time Lansing radio personality Tim Barron has left his morning slot at sister station WLMI 92.9-FM and is starting a web-based show called Tim Barron's RadioMichigan.com. His last broadcast on WLMI was Friday.

Pendergast called the WVIC format change "kind of a bottom-line-based decision" and said he is saddened to see the alternative format go.



The new format, called "The Duke," is not a true classic country format and has been launched in other markets with great success, Pendergast said. Barron's show will be replaced by "Parker in the Mornings," a music-intensive show that will evolve to include more interviews, he said.

WLMI won't change formats but will become more music-intensive.

SiriusXM Pulls Plug On Guest After POTUS Muslim Comment

A host on SiriusXM radio Friday cut off a guest for declaring that President Obama “is a Muslim.”

According to The Washington Post, it happened during “The Morning Briefing with Tim Farley,” retired Air Force Col. Dick Brauer Jr. said, “The key thing is that, our president being a Muslim, and he is a Muslim because his father -”

At that point, host Farley stopped him with these words, “All right, well, we’re just going to take you right off the air now, so we don’t need that on the air because that’s ridiculous and just, we’re not going to let you put falsehoods on the air. So I appreciate your being here. But that is not something we’re going to allow to get on the air because it’s a ridiculous accusation.”

Later, Farley explained that his program hosts both conservative and liberal guests. “We try to steer them into a path of discussion as opposed to just an attack,” he said. “We will occasionally challenge facts, but when somebody states that the president is a Muslim, we’ve gone past the point of fact and it’s clear that from that point on we cannot have a reasonable discussion so we just stopped it.”

Brauer had been invited on the program — available on SiriusXM’s POTUS (Politics of the United States) Channel 124 — to discuss military action against the Islamic State terror group.

March 14 In Radio History

In 1922...KSD-AM, Saint Louis, Missouri, began broadcasting.

KSD-AM Original Studio, 1922

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch launched KSD in 1922, the first St. Louis station to obtain a broadcast license from the Department of Commerce, though WIL claims earlier operation as an amateur station.

KSD Transmitter 1922

According to route56.com, first as KSD, and now as KTRS, the station has been on 550 kHz since 1923, which probably gives it the longest record of occupancy on any one frequency of any United States radio station. With its 5000-watt signal and low frequency, KTRS actually has better daytime and nighttime coverage than 50,000-watt clear-channel station KMOX in much of Missouri.

Despite that great coverage, the Post-Dispatch let KSD slip in the 1970s and, on March 19, 1984, it even lost its historic call letters under Gannett ownership. After a short-lived all-news format, on which Gannett pulled the plug just as KSD was beginning to build an audience, KSD went to country and adopted the call letters KUSA. The call letters were restored by EZ Communications when it bought KSD-AM/FM in 1993.

The call letters were switched back to KSD on October 4, 1993.

Newspaper Ad 1936

Unfortunately, the station lost the call letters again when it was sold to the Dorsey Media Group of St. Louis. EZ's successor, American Radio Systems, retained the KSD call letters for use on KSD(FM), which is now owned by Clear Channel Communications.




In 1937...What was humorously billed as the "Battle of the Century" occurred when comedians Fred Allen & Jack Benny met on Radio.  This episode focuses on the feud between Benny and Fred Allen. After the discussion turns to which one could take the other in a fight, Jack, Mary and Rochester drive out to Andy Devine's farm so that Jack can train there.

The feud was fake, of course. Benny and Allen got along fine, and mllked the feud for laughs for many years.




In 1951...Radio Personality Rick Dees was born.

Dees began his radio career at a Greensboro radio station called WGBG while still in high school. He worked for various radio stations throughout the southeastern United States, including WXYC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, WSGN in Birmingham, Alabama, and WKIX in Raleigh, North Carolina.

His introduction to the international entertainment arena began while working at WMPS 680 AM in Memphis, Tennessee, during the disco craze of the late 1970s, when he wrote and recorded "Disco Duck", the award-winning hit that sold more than six million copies. The song can be heard in Saturday Night Fever, in a brief scene in which a group of older people were learning to "move their feet to the disco beat". While this platinum recording earned him a People's Choice Award, and the BMI Award for record sales in one year, Dees was expressly forbidden from playing the song on the air by station management (rival stations refused to play it for fear of promoting their competition).



Dees was fired from WMPS when he mentioned that his song, "Disco Duck" was almost #1 and his own radio station would not let him play it. The station manager said it was a conflict of interest.

After a 45-day non-compete clause in his contract was satisfied, Dees was hired by RKO Radio to do the morning show at WHBQ AM 560 in Memphis.

The success of Dees at their Memphis radio station, combined with his TV appearances and hit music, motivated station owner RKO General to offer Rick the morning radio show in Los Angeles at 93KHJ AM. Dees helped their ratings, but AM music radio was rapidly losing ground to FM. When KHJ switched to country music, Rick Dees left KHJ, taking a morning position at KIIS-FM in July 1981. In a short time, he turned KIIS-FM into the #1 revenue-generating radio station in America, with an asset value approaching half a billion dollars. Dees garnered many accolades, including Billboard Radio Personality of the Year for ten years in a row.



He began his Weekly Top 40 countdown program, still currently in syndication, in September 1983; the show was created after Dees' station KIIS lost American Top 40 to a rival station over the playing of network commercials.

After 23 years on radio station KIIS-FM, Dees left in 2004 because of a contract dispute, and he was replaced by Ryan Seacrest.

Dees has garnered many accolades, including the prestigious Marconi Award, induction into both the National Radio Hall of Fame, and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall Of Fame. He is an inductee in the North Carolina Music Hall Of Fame, the the Tennessee Radio Hall Of Fame, has received the the Billboard Radio Personality Of The Year award for 10 consecutive years.


In 1991...Radio talk-show host (CKEY-Toronto, WNBC-New York, the NBC Radio Network's weekend program Monitor)/announcer/narrator Brad Crandall died of kidney failure at 63. He joined WNBC in 1964 and stayed for about six years.

In 2002... WTJM 105.1 FM NYC switched from classic soul to Hip Hop. Today, the call letters are WWPR Power 105.1.


In 2011…While reminiscing about his experiences of going to a record store and buying vinyl discs, singer Jon Bon Jovi criticized the co-founder of Apple for introducing iTunes, saying "Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business."

R.I.P.: Longtime L-A Sports Radio Host Joe McDonnell

Joe McDonnell KNX 2010

Joe McDonnell, a Los Angeles sports commentator and talk show host who was known for his once enormous size and magnetic personality, has died, the Angels confirmed.

He was 58, according to The LA Times.

McDonnell died Friday afternoon at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, according to family friend and sports publicist Steve Brener. The cause has not been determined.

McDonnell, who at one time weighed 740 pounds before undergoing gastric-bypass surgery, was known throughout the Los Angeles sports-talk radio scene since the 1980s. His nicknames included Big Joe and the Big Nasty.

McDonnell was admired by fans and teams alike.

"For more than 35 years, Joe has been a regular at Lakers games and press events," Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss said in a statement. "Known for his quick wit and strong opinions, Joe’s love of and support of the Lakers has always been appreciated. Over all these years, our players, coaches and staff have enjoyed working with and knowing Joe. He will be sorely missed.”

Said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia: "I've known him since I first came up with the Dodgers. He's a good friend who will be missed. It's sad."

McDonnell was born Aug. 30, 1956, in Upper Darby, Pa., and began his radio career in 1975 at age 19 for KGIL.

R.I.P.: Longtime KY Radio Broadcaster Paul McRee

Paul McRee

A career that started 40 years ago this month, ended yesterday, March 12, when well-known radio personality and SurfKY News reporter Paul McRee, age 59, passed away in his sleep.

McRee started his broadcast career in March 1975. He went on to work in radio as a morning show host, production director and special event talent at WBKR, WSTO, WVJS, Cromwell Radio Group, and WQXQ/Q102.

He had been employed by SurfKY News since 2012 as a staff writer/reporter. Having spent most of his 40-year career at various radio stations in the area, McRee lent his voice to thousands of commercials, announcements and his own brainchild – Airplay.

McRee became ill Monday. and rescheduled the Brown interview for the following Monday. Yet on Thursday afternoon, SurfKY News Director Rita Dukes Smith got a call from McRee's stepdaughter with the sad news.

“We were so impressed with Paul's natural ease in the studio,” said Smith. “He was quick thinking and charming during his interview with Travis. Video Director Gary Gates and I immediately knew that Paul had 'the right stuff' to do our local video series.”

Gates said McRee was like a man on fire during the filming and interview with Dukes.

“It was like a light came on,” said Gates. “Paul was in his niche. He was excited and happy.”

Thicke, Williams To Appeal 'Blurred Lines' Verdict

Earlier this week, the U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles sided with Gaye’s estate, finding that parts of his 1977 hit “Got to Give it Up” were lifted by Thicke and Williams for their 2013 R&B chart-topper.

Heirs of the late soul singer, Marvin Gaye, won a $7.4 million judgement on Tuesday against recording stars Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, who a jury found plagiarized the Motown artist in the creation of their hit single “Blurred Lines.”

However, the musicians’ lawyer remained adamant Blurred Lines was original, as his clients insist it was created solely by them.

Howard King told Fox Business News, “We owe it to songwriters around the world to make sure this verdict doesn’t stand.

“My clients know that they wrote the song Blurred Lines from their hearts and souls and no other source.

“We are going to exercise every post-trial remedy we have to make sure this verdict does not stand.”

Read More: ICYMI..Why Verdict Is a 'Horrible Decision': Click Here.

FCC Releases Full Text of Net Neutrality Rules

The new net neutrality regulations from the Federal Communications Commission is not utility style regulation, is not a form of price regulation, doesn't give the government control over Internet content and will not embolden authoritarian states to tighten their grip on the Internet, according to a summary released Thursday by the agency along with the first public look at the complete text of the new Open Internet rules.

According to The Hollywood Reporter,  the FCC says in a release accompanying the full text, "means consumers can go where they want, when they want. It means innovators can develop products and services without asking for permission. It means consumers will demand more and better broadband as they enjoy new Internet services, applications and content."

"This Order," adds the agency, "implements bright line rules to ban blocking, throttling and paid prioritization (or "fast lanes") and, for the first time, the rules fully apply to mobile."

The FCC under chairman Tom Wheeler passed the new rules Feb. 26.

Reaction was predictable, especially from opponents.

"One thing is for sure: the Commission's claim that it is not imposing price regulation is clearly false," said Lawrence Spiwak, president of the Phoenix Center in Washington. "As the D.C. Circuit made clear in Verizon, the agency's attempt at a 'non-discrimination' and 'no blocking' rule is plainly regulation at a price of 'zero.'"

Daniel Berninger, founder of "tech elders," restated opposition to the use of Title II regulation. His group includes Mark Cuban, Tim Draper, Dave Farber, George Gilder and Bob Metcalfe.

"The Order reveals FCC ambitions through what it leaves out as much as what it includes," writes Berninger." The FCC fails to include a limiting principle and places the entire Internet ecosystem within the reach of regulatory discretion."

Read More Now

Report: FCC May Downsize Field Offices

The FCC is apparently proposing to close or significantly reduce assets at approximately half of its field offices.

RadioWorld reports a memo from the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc and Managing Director Jon Wilkins to the bureau staff that outside sources shared with Radio World.

In the memo, they state that the current field office model was adopted 20 years ago “and while field operations have served a vital part of the agency’s mission, significant technological changes and increasing resource limitations require a fresh look at this operating model.”

The FCC would reduce the number of field agents from 63 to 33, reduce the number of director positions from 21 to five and cut support staff as well under the plan.

The agency would shrink the number of field offices from 24 to eight. The field offices to remain open would be in or near New York City, Columbia, Md., Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Some markets would have “prepositioned equipment” with an emphasis “on population/spectrum use density,” according to the memo, including Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Seattle, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Anchorage, Alaska, Honolulu and Billings, Mont.

Read More Now

Report: Newsrooms Changing As Media Priorities Shift

Click To Enlarge

A new report highlights the shift in the changing newsroom and media priorities, and the media industry's increase use of social media, mobile and video platforms, as well as how brands reimagine content models to reach readers. The change continues to create new revenue streams.

Cision Media Research's The State of the Media 2015 Report examines traditional and social media, the rebranding and reinvention of big-name media companies, such as Yahoo, and the rise of mobile, video and new media entrepreneurs.

According to Mediapost.com, the report also includes mobile and social insights based on a survey of 200 journalists, bloggers and influencers across broadcast, print and online outlets.

Big-name media companies sought to reinvent themselves in 2014 in terms of operations, offerings, products and personnel, going beyond the scope of traditional news, whereas online companies began capitalizing on content to build out original programming.

Major news and media companies, such as Tribune Media Company, Gannett Company and News Corporation, separated their broadcast holdings from their print products in an effort to boost value and opportunities for brands.

Restructuring and rebranding at media companies led to the reinvention of the newsroom and job losses, as the newspaper publishing industry found itself with reshuffled newsrooms and redefined job roles that emphasized digital media.

Greg Gutfield: "Indict The Salivating, Race-Crazed Media"

Greg Gutfield

On Thursday's broadcast of FOX News' The Five, co-host Greg Gutfeld ripped the "race-crazed media" for creating the atmosphere for two police officers to be shot Wednesday night in Ferguson, Missouri.

"Right now what you see is the fruits of subversion," Gutfeld said. "This is about subversion, about undermining society, undermining civilization. They show up at protests like this for a reason because it's their way in."

"We watched an entire nation of law enforcement get smeared over Ferguson," Gutfeld said. "They took something local and they made it national. They said it was an epidemic of police shooting blacks. This was wrong."

"We should indict the salivating, race-crazed media who ginned up this and spread the virus of division that allowed a atmosphere for this to happen," Gutfeld also said.

SiriusXM To Launch Jeff And Larry's Comedy Channel

Larry, Jeff

SiriusXM announced Thursday that standup comedy superstars Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy will lead their own 24/7 comedy channel on SiriusXM to be called Jeff and Larry's Comedy Roundup.

Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy will executive produce the channel and contribute new, exclusive comedy material that listeners will not hear anywhere other than at the comedy stars' live comedy shows. On the exclusive channel, both Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy will regularly appear in special programming developed exclusively for SiriusXM.

The comedy channel will debut later this year.

"Looking forward to working with the good folks at SiriusXM and with my buddy Jeff to help produce and program the comedy you've come to know and love in our comedy roundup," said Larry the Cable Guy. "This'll be funny, I don't care who ya are!"

"Not only have I been a comedian for 30 years but I am a lifelong fan of comedy. I am so excited to work with SiriusXM to bring exclusive comedy content, showcases and interviews found nowhere else," said Jeff Foxworthy. "This is going to be a whole lot of fun!"

"We are excited to work directly with Jeff and Larry to create their own SiriusXM channel that will embody the everyman humor that has made them so popular across the country and with our subscribers. Having great comedic minds like theirs producing and contributing to their own 24/7 channel is exactly the kind of unique, original, only-on-SiriusXM content that makes subscribers love turning on their radios every day," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM.

Orlando Radio: WPYO Adds Aladdin For Evenings

Aladdin “Prince of the Airwayz” takes the mic at Cox Media Group (CMG) Orlando’s WPYO Power 95.3 FM as its newest personality, effective this Thursday, March 19.

“Timing couldn’t be more perfect! Aladdin is ready for his first full-time opportunity and we are ready to for our next superstar at night,” said CMG Orlando’s Operations Manager Stevie DeMann.

“I believe that Orlando will welcome Aladdin with open arms.  The CMG Orlando team is ready for this ride with Aladdin!”

Prior to joining POWER 95.3 FM, Aladdin has been part-time on-air weekends and has served in the producer role at WPGC 95.5 FM in Washington, D.C. for programs such as The Home Team, Love Talk and Slow Jams, Michelle Wright’s show, Big Tigger’s show, the legendary Donnie Simpson Morning Show and, most recently, the Lil’ Mo Show.  He attended Bowie State University, where he earned a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism in 2007.

WPYO 95.3 FM (12 Kw) Red=60dBu Local Coverage Area

“I am ecstatic at the opportunity of becoming a part of the Cox Media Group family,” said Aladdin.

“I have heard nothing but amazing things about the company and look forward to building a long and fruitful relationship. I want to thank Stevie DeMann for affording me this opportunity and believing in my talent. WE are about to do big things! Don't believe me, just watch!”

Portland OR Radio: KFXX Goes Live With 3 Shows

KFXX 1080 AM The Fan, Portland now has three consecutive local weekday programs starting Tuesday, according to oregonlive.com.

From 10 a.m. to noon, The Fan airs "Hard Count with Dirt and Sprague." That's followed by a new show, "Dusty and Cam in the Afternoon," that will run noon to 3 p.m.

The station's long-running anchor show, "Primetime with Isaac and Suke," will remain in its 3-7 p.m. slot. KFXX will retain two ESPN national shows, with "Mike & Mike" running from 3-7 a.m., and "The Herd with Collin Cowherd" going from 7-10 a.m. Cowherd's show originated as a Portland show on KFXX before he took it ESPN.

"We have achieved a dream scenario for our lineup," KFXX program director Jeff Austin said. "'Hard Count with Dirt and Sprague' and 'Dusty and Cam' represent the strongest midday content The FAN has ever had. With Mike & Mike and Colin Cowherd starting the day and Isaac and Suke anchoring the drive home, we believe we offer listeners an all-day sports and entertainment home."

"Dusty and Cam" will be co-hosted by Dusty Harrah, a long-time KFXX employee, He's joined by Cam Cleeland, a former NFL tight end who had been dabbling in radio and TV commentary. Cleeland, a native of Sedro-Woolley, Washington,  played at the University of Washington and seven years in the NFL, with stints with New Orleans, New England and St. Louis.

The changes at KFXX come at a time when another local sports station, KPOJ 620 AM, also known as Rip City Radio, debuted the market's only local morning sports show. "Rip City Mornings with Bunker and Danforth," co-hosted by Danforth and Andy Bunker, debuted Monday.

Albany NY: Christmas In March Ends

Merry March Christmas for Albany listeners has ended as WQSH 105.7 FM has ended stuning as "Santa 105.7" and has launched a new format.

The Townsquare Media Station milked publicity for about a week, launching a Classic Hits format as Rewind 105.7 FM.  The music focuses on the '80s and '90s promoting itself as “Feel Good songs from Prince, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, Michael Jackson, Alanis Morissette, The Cure, Madonna, Def Leppard and more”.

LISTEN-LIVE: Click Here

At the time the Santa stunt started, local Market President Jake Demmin said, "This might strike some as being risky in this environment of new media, but I've looked at the numbers and they don't lie. There's literally a clamoring for Christmas music 24/7/365/52."

One listener called the sudden reappearance of Christmas music a "wonderful surprise." Another upset listener objected to the "bizarre" move, along with the station's response: "Don't be a grinch ... get in the holiday spirit early."

D-C Radio: County Passes On Bidding For WMAL Property

Montgomery County, MD will not submit an offer for the 75-acre WMAL 630 AM transmitter site in Bethesda, likely ensuring the open green space will become hundreds of new homes, according to The Sentinel.

Chief Administration Officer Timothy Firestine cited the expensive price – potentially nine figures, according to some estimates – as the biggest obstacle keeping the county from buying the Greentree Road property and maintaining it as community space.

“The challenge is that the price is way beyond what we can do,” Firestine said. “You’re talking about a million (dollars) per acre, and that’s a big chunk of land. We don’t have the resources to do that.”

After The Sentinel reported WMAL’s owner Cumulus Media put the transmitter site up for sale, local residents contacted local officials to ask whether the county could save the space, where people have come for decades to walk dogs, run and play sports.

With the county out of the running, all signs point to a massive residential development on the property.

Companies have until March 12 to submit an offer to CBRE Group Inc., the real estate broker representing Cumulus. CBRE Senior Vice President John Sheridan declined to comment on the number and nature of applications he’s received, but said his team will review all the offers and approach selected companies in a few weeks.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman Resigns From NBC News

Dr. Nancy Snyderman

Dr. Nancy Snyderman, the chief medical editor for NBC News who made headlines six months ago when she broke her precautionary Ebola quarantine, announced Thursday (March 12th) that she's resigning from the network.

Snyderman said that, in her words, "becoming part of the story" after covering the Ebola epidemic in Liberia contributed to her decision to leave for a medical school faculty job.

Snyderman had been asked to observe a voluntary 21-day quarantine at her New Jersey home when she came back from Liberia, where she'd briefly worked with a cameraman who caught the virus. But after she was seen getting takeout food near her home, state authorities made her quarantine mandatory, and NBC was flooded with angry complaints from the public.

Snyderman returned to the air on December 3rd after being told to take some time off, and apologized. But although she came back, Snyderman didn't do another Ebola story for NBC, and she was last on air on February 22nd.

Viacom Settles Internship Lawsuit

Viacom will be putting up more than $7.2 million to end a lawsuit over unpaid internships. If approved by a New York federal judge, the settlement will represent the most amount of money ever set aside to resolve labor claims on the internship front, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The class-action lawsuit was filed by Casey Ojeda, who was an unpaid intern at MTV from September 2011 to January 2012. He was joined by more than 300 other individuals.
Read more NBCUniversal Agrees to Pay Out $6.4 Million To Settle Unpaid Internship Claims.

According to a memorandum in support filed on Wednesday, $900,000 of the total will be going to law offices of Virginia & Ambinder and Leeds Brown for handling the case.

The average settlement payment in the NBCU case was $505. For Viacom, it's $505 for each traditional academic semester in which the participating claimant was an intern

Univision Host Fired Over FLOTUS Comment

Rodner Figueroa

Spanish-language TV network Univision has fired popular host and fashion commentator Rodner Figueroa for saying on-air Wednesday (March 11th) that First Lady Michelle Obama looked like a Planet of the Apes cast member, the network saying in a statement Thursday that the comment was, quote, "completely reprehensible."

Figueroa made the remark during an entertainment show segment about a makeup artist.

While Obama's image appeared on-screen, he said -- in a translated version of his Spanish comment -- "Mind you, you know that Michelle Obama looks like she's part of the cast of Planet of the Apes, the film."

Co-host Raul de Molina, who reportedly appeared shocked, quickly complimented Obama, saying that she's beautiful.

In an open letter to the first lady yesterday, Figueroa claimed that he was fired because of a complaint from the White House, which Univision denied.

He said his comments were meant to criticize the unflattering work of Obama's makeup artist, which he contended the "full video clip in context shows," and stated he's not a racist, citing his biracial Latino family. But he said there was still no excuse for what he'd said because of how it could be interpreted, and added that he voted for President Obama twice.

The first lady's office didn't comment.

Report: Rosie Got Disrespectful 'View' Producer Fired

Shephard-Brookman with Rosie

A woman who worked on The View was reportedly fired because of her issues with Rosie O'Donnell. According to Page Six.

Jennifer Shepard-Brookman worked on the show for over eight years before things took a turn at a production meeting in February.

A source revealed, "During a production meeting, Jennifer began mumbling behind Rosie, who told her, 'If you have something to say, say it to my face!'

So Jennifer did -- she laced into Rosie, and there was a shouting match. Jennifer was loud, and profoundly and publicly disrespectful to Rosie."

The insider added, "You have to be mindful of your role and the pecking order. Producers cannot be publicly disrespectful to the talent, no matter how much you disagree. You have to know your place. It was so shocking, Rosie and other members of staff told the HR department about Jennifer's behavior -- she was suspended and then she was fired."

A rep for Rosie refused to comment.

Johnstown PA Radio: Fired DJ Sues Broadcasting Co.

Nancy Lane

A popular radio personality who claimed she was unfairly fired a year ago as a result of criminal actions by her ex-husband filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Johnstown alleging wrongful termination and gender discrimination.

According to triblive.com, former WRKW Rocky 99 FM (Ebensburg, PA) and WFGI Froggy 95.5 FM (Johnstown)  radio personality Nancy Lane, who broadcast under the names “Daisy” and “Lexi,” filed the lawsuit this week seeking unspecified damages against her former employer, Forever of PA Inc. in Hollidaysburg.

Lane claims she was fired because of the actions of her ex-husband, George Lane, 36, who is serving a 50-month prison sentence for his conviction last year in Cambria County on multiple counts of stalking.

According to the 10-page lawsuit, Lane's employer began working with her through the domestic ordeal that was being investigated by multiple police departments and that county's district attorney's office.

G. Lane

“On or about Jan. 31, 2014, Ms. Lane received a call from the Cambria County District Attorney's office in which Ms. Lane was informed that (George) Lane was soliciting her murder and that it was prudent for Ms. Lane and her male co-worker, Boss Frog (another on-air personality), to leave town for the weekend,” the lawsuit states.

In response, Forever General Manager Terry Deitz told Nancy Lane that she would be granted paid leave from work.

“On Feb. 4, 2014, effective Feb. 3, 2014, Forever fired Ms. Lane for the following reason, ‘Regrettably, recent events involving your former husband have caused severe disruption to our business and made this decision necessary,' ” the lawsuit alleges.

Lane said she was escorted from the radio station building Feb. 3, 2014.

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VT Radio: Tom Beardsley To Retire From Radio Vermont Group

Tom Beardsley

Tom Beardsley of the Radio Vermont Group in Waterbury has announced he will retire soon as vice president of advertising sales.

He began his radio career in Vermont in 1973 and for the next 13 years served a reporter, copywriter, program director and sales manager. Then, for a decade, the voice familiar to many listeners in the Waterbury area pursued other interests — public relations manager for the New England Dairy Association, Vermont office manager for the state’s only congressman, then overseer of two radio stations in Maine.

Then he returned to Radio Vermont Group, where he supervises the sales and marketing for WDEV 96.1  FM / 550 AM, WLVB 93.9 FM and WEXP 101.5 FM.

“I’ve been involved going back all the way to the early 1970s and I’ve had some other jobs, but 30 out of the past 40 years have been spent right here and it’s been a pleasure,” Beardsley said.

March 13 In Radio History

In 1922...WRR-AM, Dallas, Texas began broadcasting.

WRR-AM was Texas’ first broadcast station when it signed on from Dallas.  Owned by the City of Dallas, the original studio and transmitter was located in the Dallas Fire Department central headquarters.

WRR-AM actually dates back to 1921 as the wireless operation of the Dallas Police and Fire Departments.

The station received a formal license as a "land station" from the Bureau of Navigation on August 4, 1921, and was assigned the call letters "WRR".  In later years, the call letters would be said to stand for “Where Radio Radiates”.   According to WRR’s original license, the station operated with a “composite” transmitting system (i.e. “homemade”), and was authorized to operate at a power of up to 100 watts, giving the station an approximate range of 200 nautical miles.

According to DFW Radio Archives, there were often long stretches of time when there were no fire or police calls to broadcast, so to ensure the equipment was indeed working (and perhaps satisfy their own curiosity with the strange new device), the dispatchers started to resort to other means of occupying the airwaves.  They would read articles from the Dallas News or Herald, read letters, and tell jokes.  Soon they had even brought in a phonograph player to place next to the microphone and send music over the airwaves.

A small but growing audience became fascinated by the magically transferred voices and music – these were the very beginnings of radio in north Texas.

WRR soon began to evolve into a “real” radio station.  WRR’s initial license was issued through the Bureau of Navigation and fell into a categorical no-man’s land - while operating as a “broadcast” station, it was licensed as if it were a point-to-point operation.  WRR did not receive a true broadcast license from the Commerce Department's Radio Division until March 13, 1922.

WRR-FM signed on in 1948, playing classical music.  WRR-AM focused on popular music until it switched to all-news in 1975.

Bonneville Broadcasting bought the station in 1978.  It became KAAM.  It became all-sports KTCK in 1994.  Today, Cumulus Media owns “Sports Radio 1310: The Ticket.”

The city kept WRR-FM, which remains on the air as a classical station.  Taxpayers do not sustain WRR.  It operates commercially, depending upon advertising revenue.



In 1938...First “World News Roundup” on CBS Radio.

The CBS World News Roundup is the longest-running network radio newscast in the United States. It airs weekday mornings and evenings on the CBS Radio Network.

Robert Trout

It first went on-air on March 13, 1938 at 8 p.m. ET as a one-time special in response to growing tensions in Europe -- specifically the Anschluss, during which Adolf Hitler annexed Austria.

When the show first went on the air it was hosted by veteran radio personality Robert Trout. The first show gave the world the voices of Edward R. Murrow and William L. Shirer. In fact, it was the first time Murrow had ever delivered a news report. During the early years of the war, Murrow's reports from London and Shirer's reports from Berlin were essential listening to anyone trying to keep informed on events unfolding in Europe.

The program was a 38-minute special report from multiple locations around the world as the pre-war crisis mounts. It was the first time that on-the-scene European field correspondents were linked with a central anchor in New York for a national broadcast. A recording of the first episode, as well as some others, is available at the Internet Archive.



Most broadcast references credit either CBS President William S. Paley or News Director Paul White as coming up with the idea for the show, as a way to trump Max Jordan's NBC coverage of the Anschluss. The previous day, Shirer had flown from Vienna to London at the request of Murrow (the CBS European chief) to give the first uncensored eyewitness account of Germany's takeover of Austria.

It was White who relayed the order to Murrow and Shirer for the first Roundup. The two, Murrow in Vienna and Shirer in London, then had the responsibility of linking up reporters and circuits that same day...a Sunday, when many of the key people would be mostly unreachable.

The format was so successful that it was repeated the following evening, and then revived later that year during the Sudetenland crisis. Eventually, it evolved into a daily show.

As World War II raged in Europe, the Roundup format spawned a weekend edition, The World Today. It was just before one 2:30 p.m. Eastern broadcast, on December 7, 1941, that White and World Today anchor John Charles Daly received word in New York that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. Daly's report at the top of the show, among the first on any radio station or network, is the one most often used in audio retrospectives.


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In 1956…RCA Victor released "Elvis Presley," his first album.


In 1964…Billboard magazine reported that more than 60 percent of all U.S. singles being sold at that time were Beatles records.


In 1989...WPLJ 95.5 FM moved to 2 Penn Plaza, NYC


In 1992…The U.S. Federal Communications Commission ruled that companies could now own as many as 30 AM and 30 FM stations. Previously the total permitted had been 12.

Report: ABC, Yahoo Partnering For News Content

Disney/ABC has reached a new and expanded deal with Yahoo that will add a Yahoo branded segment to Good Morning America and make clips of ABC's top entertainment properties, including Scandal and Jimmy Kimmel Live, available on the site, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The GMA segment, Yahoo Your Day, will each day feature Yahoo editors and experts, including style editor Joe Zee, beauty editor Bobbi Brown and food editor Kerry Diamond. Flickr images will be integrated into GMA weather reports, and Tumblr will be featured in the morning show’s Social Square.

The companies also will develop a more robust partnership on major news events, including the 2016 presidential election.

Interestingly, content from Katie Couric, who left ABC News last year and joined Yahoo in a reported $6 million deal as its global news anchor, will be distributed across ABC News. Couric is known to have been looking for a TV home for her Yahoo interviews, which have included Michael Bloomberg and Bryan Cranston, who last year won a Tony for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in Broadway's All the Way.

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JRN Earnings: Revenue Increased 7.8 Percent During 2014

• Q4 Revenue increased 13.6%

Journal Communications, Inc. today issued its earnings report for Q4 2014 and the entire year.Fourth

Q4 2014 Highlights and Changes from Q4 2013:

• Revenue of $122.0 million, up 13.6%; up 11.1% excluding the fiscal year change.
• Television revenue of $60.0 million, up 32.9%; up 29.9% excluding the fiscal year change.
• Radio revenue of $22.1 million, up 7.7%; up 5.5% excluding the fiscal year change.
• Television retransmission revenue of $9.8 million, up 65.2%; up 60.0% excluding the fiscal year change.
• Political revenue of $11.9 million compared to $0.4 million in 2013.
• Publishing revenue of $40.0 million, down 4.3%; down 6.5% excluding the fiscal year change.

2014 Highlights and Changes from Full Year 2013:

• Revenue of $428.4 million, up 7.8%; up 7.2% excluding the fiscal year change.
• Political and Olympics revenue of $21.1 million, compared to $1.6 million in 2013.
• Television revenue up 20.5%; up 19.7% excluding the fiscal year change.
• Radio revenue up 3.0%; up 2.4% excluding the fiscal year change.
• Retransmission revenue of $39.0 million, up 78.0%; up 76.6% excluding the fiscal year change.
• Publishing revenue of $149.0 million down 3.6%; down 4.2% excluding the fiscal year change.

Steven J. Smith

“Journal Communications delivered a solid fourth quarter. Results were driven by political and issue advertising, gains in retransmission revenue and local revenue growth in radio. Consolidated revenue of $122.0 million was up 13.6% compared to 2013, though up 11.1% excluding the change in our fiscal year in 2014,” said Steven J. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Journal Communications.

“Within the television group, revenue was up 33%, or 30% excluding the fiscal year change and radio revenue was up almost 8%, or more than 5% excluding the fiscal year change. Television retransmission revenue grew to $9.8 million in the quarter. Publishing saw revenue down 4%, or more than 6% excluding the change in fiscal year. Publishing also remained focused on cost cutting efforts, resulting in almost $2 million in workforce reduction charges in the quarter with annualized savings of more than $3.2 million from our workforce actions in 2014. Publishing costs were down more than 6%, excluding these charges and the change in the fiscal year.

“The balance sheet of the company remained strong as we reduced debt by almost $78 million and increased cash balances to more than $13 million, leaving us net debt of just over $117 million at the end of 2014.”

Meanwhile, The E.W. Scripps Company and Journal Communications yesterday received approval from their shareholders for their proposed spinoffs and mergers.

Upon closing of the transactions, Scripps and Journal will merge their broadcast operations, creating an expanded Scripps, while simultaneously spinning off and merging their newspaper operations to form a new publicly traded company called Journal Media Group.

The transactions are expected to close early in the second quarter of 2015. The merged broadcast and digital media company will retain The E.W. Scripps Company name, and the Scripps family shareholders will continue to have voting control. The company will have approximately 4,000 employees across its television, radio and digital media operations.

Journal Media Group will combine Scripps' daily newspapers, community publications and related digital products with Journal Communications' Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin community publications and affiliated digital products. The company, with approximately 3,600 employees, will operate in 14 markets and be headquartered in Milwaukee.