May 3 Radio History

In 1958...Alan Freed was fired from WINS-AM, New York City, after a riot occurred at a Boston Rock 'n' Roll show that he was promoting and hosting.


In 1965...DJ The Real Don Steele started at KHJ-AM, Los Angeles in what would be a career that lasted decades at the station.  Here's some audio...

Steele became nationally-known as a DJ on radio station KHJ in Los Angeles, where he helped to promote the "ultrahip" Top40 Boss Radio format which began at 3pm on April 27, 1965.

He also appeared on TV as host Boss City and The Real Don Steele TV Show, a show which ran from 1965 to 1975 on KHJ-TV channel 9 in Los Angeles.

When the popularity of AM radio gave way to FM stereo in the 1970s, Steele continued to remain a popular personality at the station. Following the years at 93/KHJ, The Real Don Steele continued to be heard on Los Angeles radio stations, including KIQQ (K-100), KRLA, KCBS-FM and KRTH-FM (K-Earth 101), until his death in August 1997.


In 1971...National Public Radio began with 112 NPR station affiliates, mostly at colleges and universities. 'All Things Considered' debuted.


In 1982...the "All Talk Network" debuted from ABC.


In 1982...President Reagan began his five-minute weekly Saturday radio messages.


In 1982...Beautiful music WTFM changes to Album WAPP in NYC


In 1986...Robert Alda, WEVD NYC  (Father of Alan Alda) died


In 1992...Elizabeth Lennox died at age 98. She was an early radio singer. She made some of the earliest recordings known. She recorded cylinders for Thomas Edison.  In addition to her recordings Elizabeth appeared on NBC Radio until she retired from performing.

In 2006...Bob Dylan hosted his first show on XM Satellite Radio, playing favorite tracks by Prince, Wilco, Blur, Billy Bragg, Blur, and LL Cool J, among others.

May 2 Radio History

In 1922... WBAP began broadcasting May 2, 1922.

The station shared time with Dallas stations WFAA and WRR. It was the first station in the United States to have an audible logo signal similar to the NBC chimes, the WBAP cowbell. According to Herbert Hoover, the station's call letters stood for "We Bring A Program".

On May 15, 1923, the Federal Radio Commission expanded the broadcast band, and WBAP and WFAA moved to 630 kHz. Another expansion moved WBAP to 600 kHz effective April 15, 1927, and this frequency was shared with WOAI in San Antonio. On November 11, 1928, WBAP moved to 800 kHz, and on June 1, 1929, WFAA also moved to 800 kHz, sharing time (and NBC Red network affiliation) with WBAP.

Station owner Amon G. Carter was unhappy with having to share time on 800 kHz with WFAA. In May 1938, Carter Publishing purchased KGKO Wichita Falls (570 kHz) and moved it to Fort Worth as an affiliate of the NBC Blue network (which became ABC), and more importantly as a second frequency to be used when 800 kHz was not available. On March 29, 1941, as a consequence of the Treaty of Havana, WBAP and WFAA moved one last time, to 820 kHz.

Carter eventually sold half of KGKO to A.H. Belo, owners of WFAA, and on April 27, 1947, KGKO was replaced by a second shared frequency between WBAP and WFAA.

The dual frequency sharing arrangement between WBAP and WFAA continued through the 1950s and 1960s, with the stations switching frequencies several times a day. When WBAP changed frequencies, it signaled the change with a cowbell, which became widely associated with the station.

Even though the stations swapped frequencies several times each day, the network affiliations remained constant: NBC network programming stayed on 820 kHz and ABC network programming stayed on 570 kHz. This frequently proved confusing for announcers and listeners alike.

On May 1, 1970, the unique dual split-frequency lives of WBAP and WFAA ended when WBAP paid $3.5 million to WFAA in exchange for sole occupancy of 820 kHz (and the NBC affiliation).

WFAA took on 570 kHz (and the ABC affiliation) full-time. Once the frequency-sharing with WFAA ended in 1970, both stations were free to program musical formats, and WBAP began programming country music.

It also gained the added benefit of 820's clear-channel signal; previously WFAA controlled it during these prime nighttime hours. After a series of network affiliation changes in the late 1970s among WBAP, KRLD and WFAA, WBAP switched affiliations to ABC.

In 1928...KPQ-AM, Wenatchee, Washington, began broadcasting.


In 1932...the first Radio show featuring comedian Jack Benny debuted on the NBC Blue Network. Here's a video clip from 1942.





In 1960...WLS 890 AM, Chicago, Illinois, switched its format from Country to Top 40.




WLS had been wholly owned and operated by the radio division of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) since the purchase of its parent company in 1959. Five years earlier WLS was merged with WENR, a station with which WLS had shared its frequency since the 1920s

Mort Crowley was the first on-air voice of the new WLS (6 AM); the first song played was "Alley-Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles, four full weeks before it debuted on the Hot 100. Other notable disc jockeys who worked at WLS over the years include Fred Winston, Art Roberts, Ron "Ringo" Riley, Gene Taylor, Larry Lujack, Dex Card, Clark Weber, Chuck Buell, Kris Erik Stevens, Joel Sebastian, Gary Gears, Jerry Kay, Bob Sirott, John Records Landecker, Yvonne Daniels, Steve Dahl, Garry Meier, Brant Miller, Tom Kent Steve King, and Tommy Edwards. Some of the production directors responsible for the sound of WLS were Ray Van Steen, Hal Widsten, Jim Hampton, Bill Price and Tommy Edwards.

In the 1960s WLS was a major force in introducing new music and recording artists. WLS was voted by broadcasters nationally as "The Station of the Year" in 1967, 1968 & 1969. John Rook was named "Program Director of the Year" in 1968 & 1969 as WLS was estimated attracting 4.2 million listeners weekly by Pulse research.

The WLS News Dept included Lyle Dean, Jeff Hendrix, Catherine Johns, Dick Harley, Harley Carnes, Linda Marshall, Karen Hand, Jim Johnson, Jerry Golden, Jim Wynne, Stan Dale, Bill Guthrie and Les Grobstein was the Stations Sports Director.

For More WLS History: Click Here  and Here.

WLS-AM flipped to a talk format on August 23, 1989 at 7 pm.
In 1963...DJ Dick Biondi did his last show on WLS-AM, Chicago. Here's some audio from a 1962 show.  He returned to WLS 94.7 FM and its Classic Hits format  in November 2006.

Indy Radio: Cumulus Taps Scott Lindy As WFMS PD

Scott Lindy

Cumulus Media announces that it has named Scott Lindy as Program Director for Country-formatted WFMS 95.5 FM in Indianapolis.

Scott Lindy is a third generation broadcaster and multi-format programmer, who was previously Director of Operations/Program Director for Lincoln Financial Media in Atlanta, serving for five and a half years as Program Director for Star 94 (WSTR - Hot AC) with oversight of ESPN 790 The Zone and The Atlanta Falcons Radio Network.

Prior to that, Lindy was Operations Manager for iHeartMedia/Clear Channel’s Atlanta stations which included Program Director duties for 94.9 The Bull (WUBL - Country) and 640 WGST (News/Talk) and programming oversight for their cluster of six stations and three networks.

He formerly held positions including: Senior Director of Country Music Programming for Sirius/XM Satellite Radio; Operations Manager and Program Director for the award-winning WPOC in Baltimore, MD; and Operations Manager and Program Director for WTVR FM /AM in Richmond, VA.

Mike McVay, Senior Vice President, Content and Programming for Cumulus said: “Scott and I have worked together and competed against one another. I am happy that this time we’ll be working together. It’s much easier than competing with him. We’re excited to have him join us in Indianapolis at the legendary WFMS.”

WFMS 95.5 FM (13 Kw) Red=60dBu Local Coverage Area

Lindy said: "It's an honor and humbling to join Cumulus Media and to work with John Dickey and Mike McVay. My thanks goes out to them for the opportunity to grab the programming reins of a station as legendary and as important to the Country radio format as WFMS."

R.I.P. The Great Ben E. King Has Died

Ben E. King

Singer Ben E King, best known for the classic song Stand By Me, died Thursday in New Jersey.

He was 76, according to BBC News.

King started his career in the late 1950s with The Drifters, singing on hits including There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me.

After going solo, he hit the US top five with Stand By Me in 1961.

It returned to the charts in the 1980s, including a three-week spell at number one in the UK, following its use in the film of the same name and a TV advert.

The song has charted nine times on the US Billboard 100 over the years - King's version twice and seven times with covers by artists like John Lennon and Spyder Turner.

Born Benjamin Earl Nelson, he initially joined a doo-wop group called The Five Crowns, who became The Drifters after that group's manager fired the band's previous members.

He co-wrote and sang on the band's single There Goes My Baby, which reached number two in the US in 1959.



But the group members were paid just $100 per week by their manager and, after a request for a pay rise was turned down, the singer decided to go it alone. In the process, he adopted the surname King.

His first solo hit, in 1961, was Spanish Harlem, which was followed by Stand By Me.


Stand By Me, Spanish Harlem and There Goes My Baby were all named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and were all given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Radio One Reports Revenue Dropped 4.8 Percent During 1Q 2015

Radio One, Inc.today reported its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2015.

• Net revenue was approximately $105.8 million, a decrease of 4.8% from the same period in 2014. 
• Adjusting for timing differences on major events, consolidated net revenue increased approximately $2.7 million and 2.7% for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to the same period in 2014. 
• Station operating income was approximately $36.6 million, an increase of 4.0% from the same period in 2014. 
• The Company reported operating income of approximately $15.6 million compared to operating income of approximately $15.8 million for the same period in 2014. 
• Net loss was approximately $18.5 million or $0.39 per share compared to net loss of $25.2 million or $0.53 per share, for the same period in 2014.

Cumulus 1Q Revenue Drops 7.2 Percent

• Cumulus Media posted a wider net loss in Q1 as revenue slipped more than 7%, but narrowly beat earnings expectations and cut content costs more than 7% as well.
• EBITDA of $44.66M missed expectations for $46.68M.Revenue by segment: Broadcast advertising, $251.2M (down 7%); Digital Advertising, $8.1M (down 16.4%); Political advertising, $702K (down 67.7%); license fees and other, $11.1M (up 9.1%).
• Broadcast advertising further broke down into $141.6M local, $22.8M national, and $86.7M network.
• Capex was $10.1M, mainly $6M for a new office and studio in San Francisco and $2M in platform-wide computer upgrades.
• Shares are down 46% YTD.

Cumulus Media posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the analysts’ consensus estimate of ($0.06) by $0.01.

The company had revenue of $271.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $282.47 million.

During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.04) earnings per share. Cumulus Media’s revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Tampa Radio: WBTP Adds Mychal Maguire As New PD

Mychal Maguire

iHeartMedia/Tampa Bay has announced that Mychal Maguire has been named program director of WBTP 95.7 FM The Beat.

Maguire makes the move from iHM in Mongtomery AL.  Prior to that, he held programming roles at stations in Macon, Shreveport, Hartford, Charleston, and Killeen.

Maguire replaces Bo Money, who was promoted to PD of Houston sister-station KQBT-FM earlier in April.

SVP of Programming for iHeartMedia Tampa Bay Doug Hamand said: "Mychal is an extraordinary programmer and great find for 95.7 The Beat. His attention to detail and attitude to make his products and content the best is extremely refreshing. I cannot wait to hear what he will do to an already successful radio station."

WBTP 95.7 FM (100 Kw) Red=60dBu Local Coverage Area

"I’m extremely excited to join the talented iHeartMedia Tampa Bay team. I’ve always considered this as a dream position, and I'm thrilled to lead such a talented team," said Maguire. "Working under Ray Quinn, Tom Hanrahan and Becky Sweeny has been a rewarding experience, and sincere thanks to Sam Nein, Doug Hamand, Gene Romano and Doc Wynter for entrusting me with such a great opportunity to grow my career."

Detroit Radio: WMGC Vows To Beef-Up Local Content

Dave Shore

Back in February, when it was announced that Dave Shore would become the new program director at Detroit Sports WMGC 105.1 FM, his friends back in Los Angeles were understandably puzzled.

Why are you leaving this weather?

"I'm not in the weather business," Shore told The Detroit News, laughing, over coffee on Thursday morning. "I'm in the sports business. I grew up in the Midwest. I can handle it.

"If Detroit isn't the best ... it has to be No. 1 or 2 of the top sports cities in America."

Shore, 49, a radio veteran whose career has taken him through Los Angeles, Dallas, North Carolina, Oregon, Kentucky and Indiana, has a tall task ahead of him here, trying to take a sliver of the ratings away from chief competitor WXYT 97.1 FM The Ticket.

It's a tough battle, considering 97.1 is round-the-clock local — and among the top-rated sports-talk stations in the country, not just Michigan — while 105.1 remains local only from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Detroiters have proven time and again that they want local content, not national.

So no surprise, Shore, who takes over for Jason Dixon, who was the station's programming director for its launch in August 2013, said more local programming is essential, and while he doesn't have a time frame, he said, "I like to work fast."

WMGC 105.1 FM (50 Kw) Red=60dBu Local Coverage Area

Read More Now

Seattle Radio: Chris Sargent New PD For KJR-FM

Chris Sargent

iHeartMedia/Seattle has announced the return of veteran programmer Chris Sargent.  He's the new program director of Classic Hits KJR 95.7 FM The Jet.

He replaces Keith Cunningham, who departed in December.

Sargent most recently served as operations manager for Mapleton Communications in Medford, OR, and regional rock programmer for Mapleton Communications. Prior to that, Sargent had radio programming stops in Portland, Denver, and Eugene/Albany, OR. He's also worked at KYGO/Denver as a jock and morning show producer.

iHeartMedia Seattle SVP of Programming Rich Davis said: "Chris has a ton of experience as a program director and brand leader and is a great find for 95-7 The Jet. Adding Chris will help accelerate the growth of a station that's already had a great start to 2015 and I'm excited to be able to welcome him back to iHeartMedia."

KJR 95.7 FM (98 Kw) Red=60Dbu Local Coverage Area

Twin Cities Radio: Sports Talker Jeff Dubay Busted Again

Jeff Dubay

Sports radio personality Jeff Dubay was charged with felony fifth-degree methamphetamine possession Thursday after police allegedly found meth and more than 30 syringes during a traffic stop for speeding, according to swcbulletin.com.

Dubay, 47, whose prior crack cocaine possession case led him to lose his job as a KFNX 100.3 FM K-FAN radio co-host, was formally charged Thursday in Washington County District Court.

According to the criminal complaint:

Dubay was stopped by police around 5 p.m. after he was clocked at 50 mph in a 35-mph zone near a school. Dubay was driving after suspension and had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out of Wright County for no insurance.

During a search as part of his warrant arrest, Dubay was found in possession of two unused hypodermic needles in his pocket and a small baggie that contained a trace amount of methamphetamine.

Police also found 31 used syringes in a computer bag in his car, the complaint says. One of the syringes contained a liquid believed to be a controlled substance.

A longtime co-host on sports radio station KFAN, Dubay was convicted of crack cocaine possession in 2009. He was fired from KFAN after the arrest. He later was hired to co-host a show on KSTP 1500 AM ESPN, but in 2014 was let go in what the station described as a cost-cutting move.

He runs a sports-themed podcast called the Jeff Dubay Show.

The Twins batboy in the late 1980s and early 1990s whose rapid-fire speaking style has been a signature of his career, Dubay has been hosting a sports-oriented podcast. Others filled in for Dubay during his Wednesday evening live podcast.

In an interview on WCCO Radio in July 2012, Dubay said he started experimenting with crack during a difficult divorce.

TX Radio: Two Alpine Stations Being Sold

Two radio stations in Alpinem Texas are being sold after  a half-century of same ownership.  The good news is the new ownserhip remains local.

Ray Hendryx, president of Big Bend Broadcasters Inc., the parent company of KVLF 1240 AM, and Rio Grande Broadcasting Company, parent company of KALP 92.7 FM, said the deal was completed Monday.

KALP 92.7 FM (2.35 Kw) Red=Local Coverage

The new owner is Alpine Radio, a limited partnership headed by Martin and Patricia Benevich of Alpine. Tom and Val Beard, part of the ownership of Rio Grande Broadcasting, will also be part of the company.

Hendryx, whose family has been in the radio business in Alpine since 1947, told bigbendnow.com,  it is very fortunate that the radio stations will remain in local hands.

While this will be the first venture into the broadcasting business for Benevich, he has run a successful local business, Big Canyon Television, for the past 30 years.
 
Hendryx will remain with the broadcast operations while the transition takes place.  The transfer of the station licenses is pending approval by the FCC.

“We are really thankful to Ray for all the work he has done at KVLF and KALP over the years and all the help in getting this sale done,” Benevich said. “We have big shoes to fill” and Ray has a place at Alpine radio for as long as wants.”

The beginning of a new staff is already in place. Mike Martini, the morning radio announcer on KALP-FM has more than 20 years of broadcasting experience.

“Our plan is morning classic country and progress to more contemporary country in the afternoon,” Benevich said.

Canada Radio: Rob Farina Joins Rogers Media

Rob Farina

Former Astral and CHUM radio exec Rob Farina is joining Rogers Radio as VP content & programming beginning May 4, the company said Tuesday.

Farina will oversee the programming and content on all Rogers radio brands, and will report to SVP Julie Adam.

Most recently co-founder and COO of Los Angeles-based music consultancy Black Box, Farina also served as EVP content & platforms at Astral Media, where he was responsible for programming, digital operations, marketing, and promotions for all 84 stations and brands, including Virgin Radio and Boom.

Prior to that, he oversaw the operations of Orbyt Media, Canada’s largest syndicator of radio programming, services, and digital content, plus was VP of programming for CHUM Radio.

Grooveshark Shuts Down

Controversial music-streaming service Grooveshark shuttered its service Thursday after settling a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by the major recording labels.

Cnet.com reports Escape Media, the parent company of Grooveshark, agreed to cease operations and surrender ownership of its website, mobile apps and intellectual property in the settlement, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Escape Media had faced the possibility of paying hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group.

"This is an important victory for artists and the entire music industry. For too long, Grooveshark built its business without properly compensating the artists, songwriters and everyone else who makes great music possible. This settlement ends a major source of infringing activity," said a statement by the RIAA, the industry trade group that represents the major labels.

Launched in 2007, Grooveshark's service allowed its 30 million web and mobile users to search for and stream an unlimited number of songs produced by major record labels. But the service got the company into legal trouble after several record labels argued that Grooveshark lacked the necessary rights to upload the copyrighted songs.

Hilary Duff Talks Tinder Dating With Johnjay And Rich

Actress and singer Hilary Duff joined The Johnjay & Rich Show today, April 30, to talk about her new sitcom "Younger" on TV Land, which was just renewed for a second season, and the recent release of her single "Sparks." Duff also talked about a couple dates she's been on since joining Tinder, revealing that some of her fans were angry about a group bowling date she went on.

"I don't know why people are so angered by what I'm doing on Tinder, or how I decide to spend my time with my dates..." shared Duff. "...This whole thing started as a joke, and then my girlfriend was like ‘you can't go on Tinder.' And I was like ‘you bet your sweet ass I can. Why not? I don't care what people think.'"

When asked if she was open to a relationship or something more serious, Duff said, "I don't know if it's going to happen on Tinder...I wouldn't turn it down if I was actually, genuinely into a guy and thought he was good for me...It would be the story of the year, that I fell in love on Tinder."

Dr. Oz Radio Feature Moving To iHM Platforms

Dr. Oz

The short-form radio feature “The Daily Dose With Dr. Oz,”produced by Oprah’s Harpo Productions since 2010, will end its run with radio syndicator  Westwood One on May 29 and join iHeartRadio, a rep for Dr. Mehmet Oz said.

According to the NY Daily News, it was a curious move, given that the syndicator had just renewed its deal with the TV doctor last September. Westwood One even had glowing words of praise for the now-embattled Dr. Oz. at the time.

Still,  Oz's rep, Tim Sullivan claimed Thursday that Oz had actually chosen to end his deal with Westwood One last winter - just months after signing a new deal. He said the change of heart came after Harpo's radio division shut its doors in December.

“Daily Dose” had aired on approximately 150 stations, including six of the top 10 radio markets.

Westwood One sent a letter to affiliates Wednesday offering a replacement feature, “A Better Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta.”  Gupta is chief medical correspondent for CNN.

“We have been great fans of Dr. Oz and we are thrilled to be able to give him this much larger platform— from broadcast to digital and mobile,” says iHeartMedia Networks president Darren Davis.

Voltair: The PPM 'Hot Box' Is Explained

Dr. Barry Blesser, Director of Research at Telos Alliance made a presentation at last month's NAB Show “Monitoring for Ratings: Putting Yourself in Your Listeners’ Ears.”

Dr. Barry Bressler

During his presentation he explored effects of ambient environments on the effectiveness of the decoding operation of the PPM monitors and how this can be measured with the new confidence monitor, called the Voltair.

25-Seven Systems’ new processor Voltair works to improve PPM’s ability to capture most if not all of a station’s actual listening.

According to Telos Alliance, its new product was prompted by reaction to a Blesser white paper in 2009 that questioned certain aspects of PPM.

According to Blesser, certain kinds of music or voice do not effectively mask the watermark signals, resulting in lower amounts of coding depending on format or voice talent.

“The publication of that paper had the effect of bringing to light a number of people in the radio industry who had questions about the PPM system,” according to Blesser.

Report: More Viewers For Network News

Pew Research Center's report, "The State of the News Media 2015," offered some encouraging news for legacy media. While cable viewership dropped 8 percent and newspapers readership dipped 3 percent, local news was up 3 percent, and network news saw a 5 percent jump, with a combined average evening viewership of about 24 million.

In contrast, AdAge reports, local TV grew its on-air ad revenue to roughly equal that of newspapers—$19.4 billion in 2014, according to BIA/Kelsey. That is up 7 percent from 2013 and 2 percent from 2010, the latter of which is perhaps more analogous to 2014 because it was also a nonpresidential-election year. News-producing stations, about two-thirds of all local TV stations, account for a disproportionate amount of this revenue. Retransmission fees, also on the rise, added another roughly $5 billion for the year, SNL Kagan estimates.

At the network level, ABC News' and CBS News' revenue grew, but NBC News' declined. As ABC World News Tonight now wins in the ratings, it has nearly caught NBC Nightly News in revenue.

In cable, the NBCUniversal property MSNBC also fared the worst. Its total revenue was down 1 percent for the year, due mainly to a 5 percent decline in ad revenue, according to projections from SNL Kagan. CNN's revenue was projected to rise 3 percent, while Fox News' revenue was projected to increase 6 percent and was the only one of the three channels to report a profit increase (10 percent). Subscriber revenue for all three cable news outlets was expected to see continued growth.

Cox Media To Cut 100 Jobs At Austin Newspaper

Cox Media Group’s Austin American-Statesman has entered into an agreement with Hearst Newspapers to move Statesman Media’s printing and packaging operations from Austin to facilities in San Antonio and Houston.

The transition will happen over several months starting at the end of June. The final dates will be driven by business needs and outside printing obligations. Approximately 100 jobs at Statesman Media will be eliminated as a result of the change.  All impacted employees are eligible to receive severance pay, benefits continuation and job search assistance.

Austin American-Statesman Publisher Susie Ellwood said, “This strategic business decision allows us to reduce expenses and be more efficient and flexible going forward. And it helps us continue to do what we do best, being the most essential news, information and advertising source for Austin and Central Texas.”

Statesman Media will continue to maintain its portfolio of products, including seven-day print and a full array of digital publications, as well as the transportation and distribution of the print products. Home delivery and single copy distribution areas will not be affected, and the change will have no impact on delivery times.

Report: Brian Williams Knows He's Dead

Brian Williams

At this point, Brian Williams knows he’s dead: He’s simply negotiating the terms of his burial, according to Jack shafer at Politico.

For a brief moment earlier this week, it looked as though Williams might have found a champion in Andrew Lack, the newly returned chief of NBC News.

According to a blind-sourced story in the Daily News, Lack was hoping to reseat his old friend Williams in the network’s anchor chair. But whoever launched that trial balloon—presumably a Williams loyalist—must have been ducking for cover the next day when the Hollywood Reporter and the New York Post sent high-velocity rounds through the Daily News item with a blind-sourced story of its own.

“They want Brian to resign,” an anonymous source told the Post. “If they have to fire him, they can’t control him.” That came just days after the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi broke news of the DC bureau’s “strong opposition” to Williams returning to the anchor chair.

The leaks coming from NBC News weren’t intended for Brian Williams as much as they were for his lawyer, Robert Barnett, who officiates at both hirings and firings as power players make their entrances and departures at media jobs in Washington and New York. The message appears to have been, ‘It’s up to you, Bob, how much more injury we do to your client’s reputation. Be a smart counselor and take the money we’ll offer in a couple weeks; we have no interest in Brian’s rehab.’

Read More Now

Chicago Radio: The Wild I-Tralian Observes 55-Years

Dick Biondi

WLS 94.7 FM listeners will be hearing a special liner this weekend saluting Dick Biondi's 55-years on the station and WLS-AM.

Biondi is on-air nightly 11pm to 2am.

Richard O. "Dick" Biondi began his broadcasting career in New York at station WCBA. He moved to Chicago in 1960 where he worked at WLS. During this time, he wrote and recorded the novelty song, "On Top of a Pizza," which sold over 11,000 copies.

In the early 1960s, Biondi was the nation's #1 disc jockey, averaging a 60 share of the national audience. You listened to Biondi or else.

In early 1963, Biondi is credited as the first U.S. disc jockey to play the Beatles, on Chicago's WLS 890 AM in February 1963, with the song "Please Please Me". That same year, Biondi left Chicago for KRLA/Los Angeles. The following year, he joined the Mutual Broadcasting System for a syndicated program heard on over 125 stations. During this time, he launched the Dick Biondi Road Show, bringing young acts to local schools throughout Southern California.

Biondi returned to Chicago in 1967 for a five-year stint at WCFL/Chicago and then headed to South Carolina in 1973 for a decade at WNMB/North Myrtle Beach. Biondi returned to Chicago once more in 1984 to help launch WJMK. Biondi says, "Chicago is my favorite city because the most loyal people in the world live here."

Biondi is an inductee of the National Radio Hall of Fame.

May 1 Radio History

In 1931...Kate Smith, famed singer, began her Radio program on the CBS Radio Network.

Smith w/radio's The Aldriches 1938

Smith was a major star of radio, usually backed by Jack Miller's Orchestra. She began with her twice-a-week NBC series, Kate Smith Sings (quickly expanded to six shows a week), followed by a series of shows for CBS: Kate Smith and Her Swanee Music (1931–33), sponsored by La Palina Cigars; The Kate Smith Matinee (1934–35); The Kate Smith New Star Revue (1934–35); Kate Smith's Coffee Time (1935–36), sponsored by A&P; and The Kate Smith A&P Bandwagon (1936–37).

The Kate Smith Hour was a leading radio variety show, offering comedy, music and drama with appearances by top personalities of films and theater for eight years (1937–45). The show's resident comics, Abbott and Costello and Henny Youngman, introduced their comedy to a nationwide radio audience aboard her show, while a series of sketches based on the Broadway production of the same name led to The Aldrich Family as separate hit series in its own right in 1940.

Here's clip of a show aired during WW2.



In 1957...Larry King broadcast on Radio for the first time.

Clip of Larry talking about radio...



In 1957...WBBR changes call letters to WPOW, NYC.  The religious talks and placid string and organ music of WBBR disappeared, and the new station embarked on a series of changes that would repeatedly make it something of a pioneer in New York area radio.  Offices and a closet-sized studio for WPOW at 41 E. 42nd St. in Manhattan, but most of the broadcast operation remained at the Staten Island transmitter.


In 1972...the Mutual Black Radio Network debuted.

The network igned on May 1, 1972 with 32 affiliates, including flagship New Jersey station WNJR, KCOH Houston, KWK St. Louis, and WIGO Atlanta. It was an easy start-up: vice-president Stephen McCormick said all he had to do was hire the staff - 15 black newsmen, six editors, supervisors and salesmen. The news director was Shelton Lewis, once of New York's WPAT; working with him in New York was Robert Nichols, Joe White and Gerald Bentley. Staffing the Washington bureau was Ed Castleberry, Larry Dean, John Askew and Abby Kendrick.

The network fed five-minute news and sports broadcasts hourly from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day, some 100 programs a week. By June 1972, the 32 affiliates had grown to 55; by September, there were more than 80.

Among MBN's program offerings: "Dr. Martin Luther King Speaks," a weekly 20-minute program produced by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference featuring excerpts from Dr. King's speeches, along with comments of black leaders such as Jesse Jackson, Ralph Abernathy, and Benjamin Hooks; and "The Black Experience," a daily feature profiling black Americans and their contributions to American life.


In 1976...Jonathan Schwartz did his last show on WNEW-FM.

Schwartz worked at New York's WNEW-FM from 1967 to 1976, followed by stints at WNEW, WQEW, and currently WNYC-FM. Schwartz also served as programming director for XM Satellite Radio's now-defunct High Standards channel, and later appeared on Sirius XM's Siriusly Sinatra and '40s on 4 channels. His last Sirius XM program was on August 2, 2013.

Schwartz is best known for his two four-hour-long weekend broadcasts on WNYC-FM, The Saturday Show and The Sunday Show, which comprise about half talk and half an eclectic mix of music. Both week-end broadcasts are simulcast on wnyc.org. Beginning September 15, 2012, The Saturday Show has been heard in the evenings, while The Sunday Show is heard in the afternoons, New York time; The Saturday Show is recorded on Saturday afternoons, and a live stream of it can also be heard via The Jonathan Channel, as well as original programs recorded Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings.

Here's an audio clip from Sept. 2013, Schwartz talks about the old WNEW-AM and personality Ted Brown:


In his talk during the shows, Schwartz will discuss many famous pop songwriters and singers, and jazz artists.


In 1982...First WCBS-FM NYC Top 20 Countdown (1966).

Joe McCoy today

The Countdown debuted during the tenure of Joe McCoy as program director. In 1981, began to gradually shift its focus to the 1964–1969 era, but would also feature a more pre-1964 oldies than most other such stations. The station continued to also feature hits of the 1970s and some hits of the 1980s while cutting future gold selections to one per hour.

Also in the 1980s, after WABC 770 AM and later WNBC 660 AM abandoned music in favor of talk, WCBS-FM began employing many disc jockeys who were widely known on other New York City stations (and sometimes nationally), most notably Musicradio WABC alumni Ron Lundy, Dan Ingram, Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Morrow, Chuck Leonard and Harry Harrison, as well as Dan Daniels and Jack Spector.


In 1997...the Howard Stern Radio Show debuted on KIOZ-FM, San Diego, California.

Traffic, Wx, Syndication Pace iHM 1Q Revenue

iHeartMedia, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015.

“We’re pleased with the growth we achieved this quarter, and continued to break new ground in enabling advertisers and partners to engage seamlessly across all of our diverse media platforms with the announcement of our creation of a new programmatic buying solution, which will bring the power of radio to advertisers through an automated, real-time ad buying platform,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Bob Pittman

“In addition, we continue to provide the most live entertainment – with more content and more events in more places on more devices – to the industry’s most engaged audiences, wherever they are. Last month, our second annual iHeartRadio Music Awards Show generated more buzz than ever with 14 billion social media impressions and was rated Number 1 for 18-49s across the Big 4 broadcast networks that night. At Outdoor, we couldn’t be more happy with our team and the strong momentum we gained in the first quarter.”

“We delivered strong year over year growth in both revenue and OIBDAN across the board in the first quarter,” said Rich Bressler, President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. “We also continue to pursue transactions that streamline our balance sheet and maximize liquidity, as well as continually review our entire portfolio of assets to ensure we operate them in the most efficient way possible.”

First Quarter 2015 Results

• Consolidated revenues increased 4% to $1.4 billion in 2015 compared to 2014 after adjusting for a $54 million unfavorable impact from movements in foreign exchange rates. On a reported basis, consolidated revenues were slightly up.
• iHeartMedia revenues increased $28 million, or 4%, driven primarily by our traffic and weather and syndication businesses, as well as events. Revenue growth was partially offset by lower core local broadcast radio advertising revenue.
• Americas outdoor revenues increased $9 million, or 3%, after adjusting for a $4 million unfavorable impact from movements in foreign exchange rates. Growth was driven primarily by digital billboards, as well as higher revenues from our Time Square spectaculars. On a reported basis, revenues increased $5 million, or 2%.

Pittsburgh Radio: WAMO Jock Suspended For Instagram Post

Mike Jax

Mike Jackson, aka "DJ Mike Jax," has been suspended for two weeks from his weekday 2-6 p.m. show on Pittsburgh's WAMO 100.1 FM, according to the Post-Gazette.

A screenshot of an Instagram post -- since deleted -- showed a list of Freddie Gray's arrests for narcotics-related offenses, with comment that Mr. Gray "was pretty busy before he was unjustly killed at the hands of Baltimore PD."

Mr. Gray suffered a fatal injury after his arrest April 19; riots in Baltimore followed.

Mike Jax's Instagram account and web page carry a statement reading "I'd like to apologize for my previous post. My intention was not to justify Freddie Gray's death. It was to highlight that his arrest record DOES NOT justify his death. I'm sorry I was not more clear."

A statement from General Manager Jamal Woodson was posted yesterday on the WAMO100 Facebook page. In part, it read "WAMO100 does not share the views or condone the comments expressed on a WAMO100 employees (sic)".

A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER OF WAMO100. WAMO100 HAS BEEN A VOICE IN THE COMMUNITY AND STAYS COMMITTED TO BE A...
Posted by WAMO 100 Pittsburgh on Tuesday, April 28, 2015

WAMO’s marketing director, Lisha Logan, said the station received angry calls, including some threats that “people would come up to the station to harm Mike Jax.”

As a result, she said, the suspension was also “for his safety as well as the people at the station.”

NYC Radio: NY1 Suspends Curtis Sliwa For Gross Comments

77 WABC radio personality Curtis Sliwa has been suspended from his regular commentating gig on New York 1 because he can’t stop telling the public about how badly he wants to have sex with New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

He recently described the speaker as “extraordinarily hot.”

During a panel discussion on New York 1, Sliwa addressed a not-present Mark-Viverito in the “character” of a Latino man telling her, “I’m your papi, right?” The next day, on Curtis and Kuby, the midday show on WABC, he went on at length about the imaginary “sexual tension” he believes exists between himself and Mark-Viverito.

The Guardian Angels founder said he’s fantasized about having sex with her.

The NY Daily News reports that Sliwa has been suspended “indefinitely” from appearing on NY1, with the company telling the paper, “In light of recent remarks made by Curtis Sliwa, we have removed him from the weekly Inside City Hall segment for the foreseeable future. While he has appeared on the network, he is not an employee of NY1.”

 On the “Curtis and Kuby” Facebook page he also released a statement that says, in part, “all’s fair in love and politics” and claiming that he was using “sexually charged language” to encourage men to seek treatment for impotence, a condition he has suffered from due to gunshot wounds and prostate cancer.

Read More Now

Steve Harvey, President Talk About Baltimore

President Barack Obama once again condemned the violent riots in Baltimore in the wake of 25-year-old Freddie Gray's death, as he spoke on The Steve Harvey Morning Show Wednesday, according to People magazine.

"Unfortunately we've seen these police-related killings or deaths too often now, and obviously everybody is starting to recognize that this is not just an isolated incident in Ferguson or New York, but we've got some broader issues," Obama told host Steve Harvey on the radio show.

"The kind of violence that we saw from a handful of individuals in Baltimore – there's no excuse for that," he said. "That's just criminal behavior. It's counter-productive because it hurts the very communities that are already suffering a tragedy with Freddie Gray's death."

Gray died after suffering a spinal injury while in police custody earlier this month. His family called for an end to the horrific violence, which saw rioters setting fire to buildings across Baltimore on Monday evening. "Instead what you got is focus on a CVS burning," Obama said. "People who engage in that kind of violence, it needs to stop."


Obama went on to say that it's important for all communities, not just Baltimore, to address these problems in a serious way. "This is not just a job for the Justice Department; it's a job for all of us as a society."

24/7 News Provides Custom News Feeds From Baltimore

Rick Hoshal of 24/7 News has been providing customized coverage for iHM-owned news network affiliates plus Q&As of the unrest in Baltimore.

Rick's reporting included broadcasting from the scene of a new Senior Citizens Center that was under construction prior to being burned to the ground by rioting street mobs that have terrorized residents and destroyed property across the city.

WWOne's Bob Constantini Covering Baltimore Unrest

Bob Constantini reports from empty Camden Yard

Westwood One News correspondent Bob Costantini, who’s from Baltimore and still lives there, has been covering the demonstrations, violence, and unrest after the funeral of Freddie Gray, who died while in police custody.

Constatini was in Camden Yards Wednesday, covering the Baltimore Orioles-Chicago White Sox game being played without any fans in the stadium, a first for Major League Baseball.