June 7 In Radio History

In 1959…KLX-AM, Oakland, California changed its call letters to KEWB-AM. Now it is known as KNEW 960 AM.




In 1965... Bob Crane, popular morning personality on KNX 1070 AM in Los Angeles told his audience he’s leaving the show to star in a new TV series “Hogan’s Heroes.” Crane says he’s been
considering offers for years. Most recently, he co-starred on “The Donna Reed Show” while still doing mornings on KNX. He begins shooting for the new series in two weeks. He’ll be replaced by Pittsburgh’s Rege Cordic. Because of contractual obligations, Cordic won’t be able to debut until January.

Bob Crane came to KNX in 1956 from WICC in Bridgeport, CT. He got his job in Los Angeles, when someone at another station sent KNX a tape of Crane, to get him out of town (Crane had huge ratings at WICC).

In 1978...House Speaker Tip O’Neal announced that for the first time in history, the House would allow complete radio coverage of its proceedings. Radio and TV coverage until now has been limited to ceremonial occasions.


In 1986...Bruce Wayne KFI-in-the-sky traffic reporter was killed after his small plane was taking off in Orange County. Wayne was about to file his first traffic report of the day when the crash occurred. In two weeks, he would have celebrated his 25th anniversary on the job.


In 1986...Wally Clark announced he would resign his post as president/general manager of Gannett powerhouse KIIS-AM/FM on September to form his own consultancy. All outlets in the growing Gannett chain will be his first clients. Clark joined KIIS in 1982 when the station had a 2.2 share and charged $37.5 per spot. KIIS now commands $2.500 per spot and is a top billing radio station.

In 2002…Longtime Seattle radio and television sportscaster (KIRO-AM, KIRO-TV) Wayne Cody died after a heart attack at age 65.

He was Nicknamed the "Mound of Sound" by Brent Musburger of CBS Sports, because of both his rich voice and his large size. The bearded and rotund Cody, who estimated his own weight at 325 pounds, vitalized the sports scene in Western Washington for more than 20 years. He was well known for his on-camera antics and his entertaining style of broadcasting. In the 1980s, KIRO TV ran a promotion called "Watch Wayne Disappear." The sportscaster was to lose 100 pounds over nine months and collect a $25,000 bonus. He was 25 pounds too heavy by deadline day.

Cody is best known for being the sports anchor on KIRO-Channel 7 TV and hosting KIRO 710 AM "Sportsline", a weeknight sports radio talk show that was the only one of its kind at the time in Seattle. He was also the original sideline reporter for the Seattle Seahawks radio network. Cody's other play-by-play experience in the Pacific Northwest included the Seattle SuperSonics (NBA) during the late 1970s thru the mid-1980s, Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League and University of Washington Huskies college football games. Earlier in his career, he also was the sideline reporter for the Seattle SuperSonics (NBA).

Chicago Radio: Bobby Skafish OUT At WDRV-FM

Bobby Skafish

Hubbard Broadcasting's Classic Rock WDRV 97.1 FM The Drive has a dismissed longtime afternoon personality Bobby Skafish.

Skakfish, a veteran of Chicago rradio for almost 40-years, worked at WDRV-FM for almost 8-years.

WDRV-FM Program Director Curtiss Johnson sent out a memo to the entire staff on Friday afternoon, notifying them of the change. The memo read as follows:

"As we announced in a short staff meeting a few minutes ago, our long-time co-worker and friend Bobby Skafish has left The Drive. Bobby has been gracing afternoon drive for us these past eight years, and has been an amazing partner, collaborator and communicator in helping shape the sound of The Drive. 

Please join us in wishing Bobby all the best in his future endeavors. 

Beginning immediately, Steve Seaver will be holding down afternoon drive duties. Seaver has been our "go-to-guy" for the last seven years, and now he will Drive us all home from 2p-7p. 

Onward & Upward"

Skafish started on Chicago airwaves with WXRT-FM November 1976, where he worked until 1983. He then moved over to WLUP-FM The Loop, staying until the station flipped formats to all-talk in 1993. He moved over to WKQX-FM, but stayed less than a year before returning  to WXRT. In 2006, WXRT-FM released Skafish. After starting up his own online radio station for a few months, WDRV-FM hired Skafish in June 2007, moving him to afternoons less than two months later.

Weekender/fill-in host Steve Seaver moves to afternoons. He also voice-tracked the station's "Deep Tracks" channel, heard on WDRV-HD2. He has been heard on Chicago radio stations since 1991, including time at WWBZ 103.5 FM The Blaze and a long run as weekend/evening DJ on WLUP-FM.

DE Radio: Newly Hired Talk Host Reprimanded By SEC

Todd Shoenberger

43-year-old Todd M. Schoenberger, whom cable networks like FOX Business and CNBC turned to for insights on investing, and who was recently hired for a on-air role at WGMD 92.7 FM, has been ordered by the Securities and Exchange Commission to stay away from the financial field after he admitted to fraud.

According to delawareonline.com, Schoenberger was sanctioned by the SEC for "fraudulent conduct in the offer or sale of securities."  The statement outlined Schoenberger's role in convincing four investors to give him a total of $130,000 after he told them he would invest it in a hedge fund that had $65 million under management.

In fact, the SEC said, his purported Onshore Fund was a limited partnership that never had any assets to its name. Schoenberger, it said, spent some of the funds investors gave him on a new house and living expenses.

On Monday, only two days before the SEC made public its investigation of Shoenberger, he started an afternoon on-air position at Talk WGMD 92.7 FM in Lewes, DE.

Schoenberger declined comment on the SEC settlement.

Twin Cities: iHM Launches Classic HipHop On Hot 102.5 FM

iHeartMedia/Minneapolis has launched a Classic HipHop/R&R format on K273BH 102.5 FM Hot 102-5.

Hot 102.5 will be fed via  KQQL 107.9 FM HD3 and is featuring 5000 songs in a row, commercial-free, featuring artists such as Jay-Z, 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G.

Co-owned KDWB afternoon host Lucas Phelan expands his responsibilities and will become Hot 102-5's Program Director.

LISTEN LIVE: Click Here

K273BH 102.5 FM (250 watts) Red=Local Coverage Area

"Hot 102-5 will be Minneapolis' new home for classic hip hop and R&B -- this is a completely unserved audience and we can't wait to introduce the new station to millions of listeners" said iHeartMedia/Minneapolis Senior VP/Programming for Gregg Swedberg.

"We're all about the music on Hot 102.5, and we're going to start by playing a ton of it," said Phelan. "I'm excited to introduce this new format to Minneapolis listeners, it's what they have been asking for."

FL Radio: iHM Drops N/T For Beach Tunes

iHeartMedia/Panama City, FL, has dropped N/T on WDIZ 590 AM / W242BF 96.3 T-FM to launch Real Fun Beach Radio.

The station is Panama City's new home for the songs of summertime, with decades of favorite vacation tunes from artists like Jimmy Buffet, Bob Marley, Cream, Toby Keith, and the Beach Boys. Plus, the stations will have the latest updates on the best events and activities happening in Panama City Beach.

LISTEN-LIVE: Click Here

"It's the perfect station to listen to while you enjoy the world's most beautiful beaches," said iHeartMedia/Panama City Senior VP/Programming John Lund. "Music to get you going, music to dine to, music to enjoy the beach. This radio station is the soundtrack to Panama City Beach."

W242BF 96.3 FM (250 watts) Red=Local Coverage Area

"96.3 Real Fun Beach Radio has been a project we've been interested in for a long time. We love that visitors can enjoy the Panama City Beach vibe in their condos and hotels, on the beach, and on the way to restaurants, attractions, and shopping," added iHeartMedia Panama City Market President Jackie Rinker.

"A big plus is that they can take 96.3 Real Fun Beach Radio back to their home via iHeartRadio and enjoy the music they embraced while visiting Panama City Beach and be motivated to visit time and time again."

June 6 Radio History

In 1940...Superjock Larry Lee Blankenburg a.k.a Larry Lujack was born in 1940 in Quasqueton, Iowa, and reared in Caldwell, Idaho. At 18 he joined KCID-AM in Caldwell, adopting the surname of his idol, the Chicago Bears quarterback Johnny Lujack.

After working at stations in Idaho and Washington State, Mr. Lujack joined WCFL in 1967 and moved to WLS four months later. Except for a four-year stint back at WCFL, he remained with WLS for the next two decades.

In 1984 WLS gave Lujack a 12-year, $6 million contract, making him one of the country’s highest-paid radio personalities. (“I am not the least bit excited,” he was reported to have said.) But in 1987, amid declining ratings, the station’s corporate parent, Capital Cities-ABC, bought out his contract.

His honors include membership in the Illinois Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame (“It’s not Mount Rushmore,” he said on learning of his induction) and the National Radio Hall of Fame.

He passed away December 18, 2013.

War correspondent Wright Bryan gives detail of his flight with paratroopers over occupied France. News and reactions from around the world of the allied invasion. plus more. Some of it is harder to hear for static, but I like the originality of the broadcast, especially Eisenhowers message to occupied Europe. Its like its 1944 and your sitting by the radio listening to it when it happened.

In  1944….Radio covered first news of the Allies’ D-Day Invasion…

William Wright Bryan, a former editor of the Atlanta Journal was the first World War II correspondent to broadcast an eyewitness account of D-Day.  He was the newspaper's managing editor, war correspondent and an NBC radio stringer when he became the first newsman to give a report on the D-Day invasion of France on June 6, 1944.

Bryan 1944

He covered the invasion from a transport plane dropping airborne troops. When the plane flew back to London, Bryan went on the air and made his broadcast immediately after a one-sentence announcement by the Allied command and tape-recorded statements by King George VI and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

While covering the Allies' further advance across Europe, Bryan was wounded and captured by the Germans and spent six months in hospitals and in a prisoner of war camp in Szubin, Poland. He was freed by Soviet troops in January, 1945.

Bryan died February 15, 1991 of pneumonia at the age of 85

The Allies had gone to extreme measures to protect the location of the invasion including planting fake documents, fake troop placements, and fake announcements. Germany did all it could to try to find out just where the Allies would land. One tactic was to falsely claim the invasion had begun hoping to fool the Allies into revealing the real location.

So it was no surprise that the news organizations were shy to jump on any announcement of a pending invasion. News reports included flash announcements which were deemed immediate and important information received; the other were bulletins which were also important but not deemed as immediate.

On June 3rd there had been a flash announcement that the invasion was under way but within minutes the announcement was withdrawn as the source, the Associated Press, killed the story as false.

When the first announcements started coming in the early morning of June 6, there were cautions attached to the bulletins. NBC reportedly came on the air with announcements around 12:41 AM EST after waiting at least 3 minutes from the time the AP bulletin was received.

The music of Harry James and his Orchestra was broadcasting over WOR (Mutual) from the Hotel Astor in New York. Kitty Kallen had just begun singing ironically "In Times Like These" when her song was interrupted right after 12:45 AM for bulletin.  Listen Here. Ned Calmer with CBS broadcast the bulletin around 12:48 AM. CBS waited until a second source, the Independent News Service, also released a bulletin.

Later repeats of the bulletins appeared over both networks. Irwin Darlington with CBS broadcast the breaking news. Listen Here.   Over at NBC this bulletin was aired.  Listen Here.

Click Here For Much More.

CBS reporter Darlington was very cautionary in his bulletin announcement reminding listeners of Winston Churchill's warnings of Allied feints and the expected invasion story from the Germans. He also carefully identifies where the information is coming from as well as the actual quotes. They also provide reports from the German DNB and German radio broadcasts.

NBC's bulletin was very formal and straight-forward with little warning that the information could be false. Later cautions came from the summary of news reports they broadcast later. (H/T: Radio Days)

In 1955…Bill Haley & Comets', "Rock Around the Clock" hit #1 on Radio.

In 1960…Roy Orbison released "Only the Lonely" to Radio.

Orlando Radio: Russ Rollins Accused Of "Broadcast Bullying"

Russ Rollins

High profile West Coast woman's rights attorney Gloria Allred says Orlando Morning Personality Russ Rollins is a broadcast bully.  Allred respresents Samantha Boomer, who is currently involved in a contentious divorce from Rollins, who works for iHeartMedia's Guy Talk/Classic Rock WTKS 104.1 FM Real Radio.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Boomer, with the help of Allred, is suing her husband, "Monster in the Morning" personality Russ Rollins, and his employer for allowing a hoax to air.

They claim the hoax was perpetrated January 30, 2015 when Rollins duped a process server into delivering the divorce papers on video, according to a lawsuit filed in Orange County Circuit Court on Thursday.

Boomeer, Allred

The lawsuit claims the video, which was shown on the station's website for a time, alleges defamation and invasion of privacy. The video also aired on several TV stations in Orlando and nationwide. It asks for damages on the grounds of emotional distress caused by the video and other social media postings about their five-year marriage.

In a statement, Boomer said her estranged husband and iHeartMedia "decided to take something that is painful, personal and private and make it public entertainment for profit and ratings.

"This public disgrace and embarrassment has caused so much pain and disruption that I had to contemplate moving my family from the community that I love," she continued.

Boomer is referring to the social media comments that poured in after Rollins posted the video online in February.




Rollins' lawyer, Jonathan Simon, acknowledges the staged video may not have been a good choice, but said the lawsuit is groundless because everything his client shared on social media was true.

In the clip, Rollins sighs heavily as he learns Boomer wants a divorce and says, "Wow, so she had me served on the air…that's um, very nice." He then takes a break to "review" the papers.

The radio station, WTKS, issued a correction on its Facebook and Twitter in March at the behest of Boomer's lawyers.

WTKS had no comment on the new lawsuit.

iHR Surpassed 70M Registered Users Faster

iHeartRadio today announced that it has surpassed 70 million registered users and continues to deliver record setting growth. iHeartRadio reached this milestone at a faster rate than any other radio or digital music service and even faster than Facebook. And the fact that iHeartRadio’s registered user milestone does not account for the millions of listeners who tune into iHeartRadio’s live radio streams without registering means its overall reach is even greater.

In addition, the iHeartRadio network reaches 87 million unique visitors each month and has achieved 80 percent brand awareness among consumers.

iHeartRadio has been downloaded more than 600 million times and offers listeners instant access to thousands of live radio stations, Custom Stations featuring a catalog of more than 20 million songs spanning more than 800,000 artists and thousands of on demand podcasts. Data shows that listeners predominately tune in to iHeartRadio via mobile devices (63 percent) and though live radio streams account for the majority of iHeartRadio listening, its users have created more than 580 million Custom Stations. Its social footprint also continues to expand, reaching nearly 80 million social media users across its network; and iHeartRadio accounted for 68 percent of all social engagement on Facebook and Twitter among all leading digital radio or music services – see graphic.

iHeartRadio also continues to expand its offering across devices, most recently announcing its availability on Xbox One, Apple Watch and Honda vehicles. iHeartRadio is currently available on more than 60 device platforms spanning in-home entertainment, wearables, gaming, mobile and auto. To see all available platforms and to download the app, visit iHeartRadio.com/apps.

NYC Radio: WQHT, Tidal Partner For Sunday's Summer Jam

Emmis' WQHT HOT 97 FM has announced it has partnered with global music and content platform, TIDAL.

Beginning at 2:00 p.m. (EDT), on Sunday, June 7th, TIDAL will exclusively live stream TIDAL X: HOT 97 Summer Jam, the biggest Hip Hop concert there is, from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey!

TIDAL members will be able to view the entire nine-hour live stream and a 25-hour replay. Hip Hop and music enthusiasts can catch performances by Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Big Sean, Fabolous & Friends, Meek Mill, Ty Dolla $ign & Friends, Omarion and more, and also take advantage of TIDAL’s full catalogue of over 30 million songs, more than 75,000 videos and exclusive content. TIDAL users can view the show on TIDAL’s website and both desktop and mobile apps.

Deon Levingston

“HOT 97 began streaming Summer Jam in 2012 as a way to connect with our audience and fans around the world who may not be able to attend the live event,” states Deon Levingston, General Manager of Emmis NY. “In 2014, more than 1.3 million viewers tuned in to the stream across multiple distribution partners. Given the value of the Summer Jam brand, the performances and behind-the-scenes action, we’re excited to have an exclusive partner like TIDAL behind this year’s event. Through this partnership, HOT 97 is not only able to provide fans with the hottest content, but also able to work with the biggest emerging music platform out today. As the Digital Age progresses, radio must progress with it. We’re excited to work with TIDAL to expand HOT 97’s presence, as well as give viewers a taste of the live action via the stream”

The TIDAL X: HOT 97 Summer Jam live stream will consist of performances from both the Festival Stage and Stadium Stage, as well as backstage interviews, Live Broadcast room, and more! HOT 97 Summer Jam begins at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) with performances by Travi$ Scott, B.o.B, Joey Bada$$, DeJ Loaf and Teyana Taylor on the Festival Stage.

NBA Finals Hit 14-Year Ratings High

An overtime thriller in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday produced the top overnight rating for the event in 14 years, propelling ABC to a dominant primetime victory for the night.

Total-viewer estimates won’t be available until later today, but, according to Variety,  the Golden State Warriors’ 108-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers generated a 12.9 overnight household rating, peaking with a 15.6 rating from 11:30-11:45 p.m. ET. This is up 24% over last year’s opener between Miami and San Antonio (10.4), which translated into a 6.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 14.85 million viewers overall.

ABC said this was the highest Game 1 overnight since it started airing the NBA Finals in 2002. The previous year’s series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers on NBC delivered a higher rating and ended up with a total-viewer average of 18.58 million — the highest for any Game 1 in the post-Michael Jordan era.

In the 13 years that ABC has aired the NBA Finals, the most-watched Game 1 was in 2012 between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder (16.195), but last night’s should easily eclipse that.

iHM Sued Over Automated Text Responses

A woman who texted to enter a WHTZ 100.3 FM Z100 contest has initiated a class action lawsuit against iHeartMedia and several of it stations.

Beth Shvarts says in her filing that she entered Z100 "$1000 Thursday" via text to 55100 and received a response from The Elvis Duran Show, including a link to play "Words With Friends" via an App. Similar text responses with other ads were noted from iHM's KDWB Minneapolis and WIHT Washington, DC

Shvarts filed the suit in US District Court for the Eastern District of New York and it accuses iHM of harvesting cell phone numbers of listeners who enter contests or make phone calls. The suit goes on to state iHM used automatic dialers to send texts as a reponse claiming violation of the Telephone Consumer Proection Act.

The suit adds that the response texts are not disclosed in the solicitations to text the stations and require prior express written consent.

The suit seeks a minimum of $500 damages for each violation, plus attorney's fees.

Mickey Sells Off Two More Stations

Salem Media has entered into an agreement to acquire two Radio Disney stations.

Salem's Pennsyvlania Media Associates subsidiary is buying WMKI 1260 AM in Boston for a reported $500,000 and KMKI 629 AM licensed to Plano/Dallas for $3M.

The Boston purchase has some wondering whether Salem would launch its N/T format, branding as as "The Answer".  If so, it could be a landing place for the Rush Limbaugh Show.  Limbaugh is losing WRKO as an affiliate and crosstown Talk WMEX 1510 AM reportedly has passed on an opportunity to carry the show.

WMKI 1260 AM Coverage Area

WMKI has 5Kw-Daytime, and 5Kw-Nightime-DA.

Salem already offers Christian preaching on WEZE 590 AM, Spanish Christian on WWDJ 1150 AM and Christian teaching on WROL 950 AM.

In dallas KMKI wwould be Salems sixth property in the market.

It stations are Christian AC KLTY 94.9 FM The Fish, Christian Preaching KWRD 100.7 FM , Conservative Talk KSKY 660 AM The Answer and Spanish Christian KTNO 1440 AM.  Salem also operates Business Talk 1160 KVCE 1160 AM under a Time Brokerage Agreement with First Venture Capital Partners.

Celebs Tell-All To Howard

On Wednesday, it was business as usual on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM radio show: Two celebrity guests, followed by two news-making celebrity reveals. His first guest, Jason Alexander, began casually reminiscing about his Seinfeld days—like he’s done many, many times before—but he ended up setting the record straight on a serious Seinfeld fan theory and revealed why they killed off George Costanza’s fiancée, Susan.

Fans will recall that Susan (Heidi Swedberg) died rather unceremoniously while licking “inexpensive envelopes” for their wedding invitations. Alexander explained that the reason for her sudden departure came down to the actors’ chemistry.

“The actress is this wonderful girl. I love her,” Alexander told Stern, but explained that, like his Seinfeld character, he didn’t know how to play off of her. “We could do the most horrible things to her,” Alexander said, “but the audience was still on my side.” Alexander then recalled how the rest of the cast shared his sentiment. “Julia [Louis-Dreyfus] said, ‘Don’t you wanna just kill her?’ And Larry [David] went ‘Ka-bang!’ ”



Vogue reports Stern’s second guest was Jada Pinkett Smith, who also gave an extremely candid interview. The actress’s marriage to Will Smith has been tabloid fodder for years, and when she visited Stern, the talk show host asked Smith to clarify her previous comments about the pair being in an open relationship.

Tulsa Radio: John Roberts New PD For KHTT

John Roberts

Scripps Radio /Tulsa has announced that John Roberts as new Program Director for it Top40 KHTT 106.9 FM K-Hits.

Roberts arrives June 8 direct from the PD post at former sister Adult Hits WLWK 94.5 FM The Lake in Milwaukee which recently flipped to Country.


"Scripps/Tulsa and 106.9 K-Hits are thrilled to welcome John Roberts to the team," commented OM Jules Riley. "He brings a wealth of programming knowledge to the table.  K-Hits will continue to thrive under John's leadership.  Providing entertainment and connectivity to the current and next generation of Top 40 listeners in Tulsa."

KHTT 106.9 FM (98 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

"After almost four years with Scripps/Milwaukee, I'm so pleased to be offered the chance to continue with the company in Tulsa," said Roberts. "K-Hits has been one of the industry's great Top 40 stations for many years, and I'm excited to join the group of programmers and air talents who've contributed to its success in the past, and lead the team that will continue that winning tradition into the future.  Thanks to Steve Wexler, Beverlee Brannigan, Bill Berry, Jules Riley and Tom Langmyer for making this happen."

Prior to his time in Milwaukee, John held corporate and programming positions with CBS Radio, Entercom, First Broadcasting and Clear Channel.

Daytime TV Ratings: Judge Judy Rules!

Judge Judy

Based on the national rating results from April 23 to May 20 (also known as the May 2015 sweeps), everyone’s favorite gaveler, "Judge Judy" finished at the top of the rankings (among all strips).

According to Marc Berman, “Judy” averaged a 6.7 household rating, which bested No. 2 “Wheel of Fortune” (6.5) by two-tenths of a rating point (or three percent).  Compared to May 2014, the two veteran strips posted minor losses at eight percent and three percent, respectively.  And corporate cousin “Dr. Phil” (3.3: - 3 percent) led the category of talk for the 11th consecutive sweep.

Second in talk was “Live with Kelly & Michael” from Disney-ABC at a 2.9 rating, which rose to its best May in eight years and held a 16 percent advantage over No. 3 “Ellen DeGeneres” from Warner Bros. (2.5: - 7 percent).

Also on the plus side in the category year-to-year were “Wendy Williams” (1.7: +21 percent) and “Jerry Springer” (1.3: + 8 percent).  Just the opposite, with a loss of 35 percent, was “Dr. Oz” from Sony Pictures Television at a 1.3.  Erosion among key women 25-54 (0.7) was even more severe for “Dr. Oz” at 42 percent.

Tops among the freshman strips, not surprisingly, was “Hot Bench,” also from CTD (and from Judge Judith Sheindlin) at a 2.0 rating.  Comparably, that was a hefty 54 percent above its debut week (1.3 for the week of Sept. 15).  And veteran “Entertainment Tonight” from CTD (3.2: - 3 percent) clocked its 98th straight sweeps victory (translation: more than 24 years!), with corporate cousin “Inside Edition” (3.1: + 3) trailing by just one-tenth of a rating point.

IL Radio: Restraining Order Against WRPW Reporter Dismissed

A Bloomington, Illinois employee has dropped a petition for a stalking "no contact" order filed against a Twin City radio host.

In late May, Nora Dukowitz had asked that Josh Schmidgall with WRPW Cities 92.9 FM in Normal be barred from threatening or stalking her at her home or at her City Hall office where she works as the city's communications manager.

Schmidgall

The order signed by Associate Judge David Butler does not state a reason for the dismissal.

Dukowitz

Chris Gramm, lawyer for Schmidgall, had earlier filed a motion seeking the dismissal. Gramm said Thursday that he did not think Dukowitz's petition was sufficient to obtain such an order.

Dukowitz said last month that she sought the order after the radio reporter showed up at her home unannounced when she was home sick. She said she has had previous problems with Schmidgall recording her without her permission when the two met at City Hall.

The legal action was filed by Dukowitz as a private citizen and she covered any legal expenses.

Judge Tosses Athletes Suit Seeking Payment

A federal judge in Tennessee on Thursday tossed out a class action lawsuit filed by 10 former collegiate football and basketball players against ESPN and other broadcasters, concluding that sports broadcasts are exempt from their right of publicity claims.

Variety reports U.S. District Judge Kevin Sharp wrote that the athletes had failed to allege sufficient facts to show that they were entitled to monetary compensation because they play in televised games. The suit was filed last year shortly after a federal judge, in separate litigation, concluded that the NCAA couldn’t block former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon and 19 others from receiving compensation for the use of their images in videogames and certain types of broadcasts.

But Sharp noted that the NCAA wasn’t among the defendants in the latest litigation. In addition to ESPN and broadcasters ABC, Fox, CBS and NBC, the former athletes named licensing agents including WME Entertainment and IMG Worldwide. A number of sports conferences also were named, including the Big 10 and the Pac-12.

Sharp did acknowledge the ongoing debate over whether student athletes should be paid or receive some share of the sports rights bounty — but said it was not a question for this case.

The networks argued that they did not create the NCAA’s amateurism rules that prohibit payment, and have no ability to eliminate them.

Report: How Much Artists Make On Spotify

On Spotify, not all songs are created equal; sometimes not even the same song is created equal—at least when it comes to how its creators are compensated.

The Wall Street Journal reports to an analysis of data supplied by Spotify AB to music publishers. It takes five to seven plays of a song on the streaming service’s free “tier”— which makes its money from ads—to generate the same amount of royalties as a single play on Spotify Premium, which charges users $10 a month.

Last December, a single play on Spotify Premium was worth an average of about 0.68 of a cent in royalties, according to the analysis, conducted by Audiam, a company that helps music publishers collect digital royalties. In the same month, a single play on Spotify Free was worth an average of about 0.14 of a cent, about one-fifth the value on the subscription. (Royalties generally are due to record companies and music publishers; how they are shared with performers and songwriters depends on their contracts.)

Some in the music industry want Spotify to set stricter limits on the free tier, either by reserving certain music for paying subscribers, or by making people start paying after a certain number of months on the free service.

Spotify argues that the open-ended free service is a way to convert listeners to subscribers.

The share of Spotify users paying for the Premium service fell last year, to 25% of its 60 million active users. A year earlier, the company told music companies, paying subscribers represented 28% of its users. The company says that ratio moves both up and down from month to month.

Dash Radio Aims To Reinvent Radio

Internet radio service Dash Radio has signed up more than 1 million users since its beta launch in 2014 as a way for people to listen to streaming radio stations.

Now it’s emerging from that beta with new iOS and Android apps, and $2m of seed funding from investors including former Facebook executives, music and radio industry veterans, and US sports stars.

“We want to make radio good, and take it back to its roots,” founder Scott Keeney – known as DJ Skee in his career as an Los Angeles radio DJ – told The Guardian ahead of the launch.

“The core of what we are doing is very simple: taking something that’s worked for 100 years and just making it digital, getting rid of the massive amounts of advertising, and focusing on people as the best curators of music.”

The latter comment shows that Dash Radio sees its competition as more than just traditional FM radio stations. It will also compete with “personal radio” services like Pandora and MixRadio, as well as the programmed playlists on Spotify and other streaming services.

Dash Radio currently has more than 60 channels created by musicians including Snoop Dogg and Odd Future, record labels, brands and music tastemakers.

“All these stations are run like traditional radio stations: we are powering what we feel are the best content creators in each field, whether it’s DJs, artists, brands or labels,” said Keeney.

Apple is also reportedly signing up musicians to front radio-style channels in its imminent relaunch of its Beats Music streaming service, with Drake, David Guetta and Pharrell Williams expected to be among its roster.

Read More Now

Charter To Add MLB Dodgers Next Week

Charter Communications said it will offer the Los Angeles Dodgers-owned cable channel to its customers in Southern California beginning Tuesday, ending a 14-month TV blackout that's left thousands of baseball fans fuming.

The L-A Times reports the first broadcast will be the second of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Charter has some 300,000 subscribers in the Los Angeles region.

The move comes less than two weeks after Charter unveiled a nearly $57-billion deal to acquire Time Warner Cable, which until now had been the only major pay-TV operator to carry SportsNet LA. Charter was motivated to begin offering the games as it seeks to build goodwill for a proposed takeover that would make it the largest pay-TV company in Southern California.

The Stamford, Conn., company didn't want to antagonize Southern California customers who have expressed concerns about the stalemate. There has also been sharp criticism from key government officials, including members of Congress and the Federal Communications Commission.

Read More Now

NYC Radio: WABC Presents Joan Hamburg At Sardi's

Kelsey Grammer, WABC's Joan Hamburg

TalkRadio 77 WABC’s Joan Hamburg taped a special show Wednesday from Sardi’s Restaurant in the heart of Times Square to celebrate this Sunday’s Tony Awards.

Hamburg featured special Broadway guests, who dropped in to talk about their shows, nominations, and much more. 100 of Joan’s loyal listeners joined for a sold-out event featuring live interviews and a full lunch from Sardi’s Restaurant.

Guests included:

Jason Alexander

• Jason Alexander - 'Fish in the Dark'
• Geneva Carr (Tony Nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play) and Marc Kudisch  from 'Hand to God' (nominated for 5 Tony Awards including Best Play)
• Tyne Daly and Harriet Harris - 'It Shoulda Been You'
• Brian Darcy James (Tony Nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical), Christian Borle (Tony Nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical), and Brad Oscar (Tony Nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical) - 'Something Rotten' (nominated for 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical)
• Kelli O'Hara (Tony nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical) ('The King and I' – nominated for 9 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical)
• Robert Fairchild (Tony Nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical) and Leanne Cope (Tony Nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical) - 'An American in Paris' (nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical)
• Kelsey Grammer - 'Finding Neverland'

 The show will air on Saturday, June 6th from 1-3 PM on 77 WABC, or via live stream at www.wabcradio.com.

DC Radio: NFL Great Sonny Jurgensen Returns To WTEM

Sonny Jurgensen

Red Zebra Broadcasting, the parent company of WTEM ESPN 980 AM , has announced that Sonny Jurgensen will return for another season of calling Redskins games.

The Hall of Fame quarterback played for Washington from 1964 to 1974, then began a career covering the team. Most recently, he has served as a color commentator on Redskins game broadcasts for ESPN 980.

With 10 years in uniform and 35 years in the broadcast booth, the 2015-16 season will be Jurgenson's 45th year with the Washington Redskins in some capacity.

Red Zebra’s ESPN 980 is available on WTEM 980 AM  Washington, DC, WWXT 92.7 FM Prince Frederick, MD and WWXX 94.3 FM Buckland, VA

Sac Radio: Jack Armstrong Talks About His Cancer Battle

Jack Armstrong, cohost of the Armstrong and  Joe Getty Show, was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2014.

And he recently finished with cancer treatment.

Armstrong & Getty originates at KSTE 104.1 FM in Sacaramento and is also heard on iHeartMedia's KKSF 910 AM San Francisco and KFMB 760 AM San Diego.

R.I.P.: PA Radio Owner L. Stanley Wall

L. Stanley Wall

The owner of WLSW 103.9 FM Music Power 104 in Scottsdale, PA L.Stanley Wall died Wednesday.

He was 78-years-of-age according to triblive.com.

“He has led a remarkable life for over 70 years,” friend Henry DeLuca said. “As a teenager living in Pittsburgh, Stan's mother would drive him to deejay on WAKU, a small AM station in Latrobe. He later bought the station and (continued) to own it (as) WQTW.”

Wall bought WQTW-1570 in 1984. It largely simulcasts his first station, WLSW-103.9, which signed on in 1971 and has had its share of Pittsburgh oldies disc jockeys, including Wall himself

“He deejayed for 60 years,” DeLuca said.

By 1959 Wall was working at the old WESA-940 in Charleroi.

June 5 Radio History

In 1954…Billboard magazine reported that, as of July, major record labels would supply radio stations with 45-RPM singles rather than 78-RPM singles.

In 1956...Elvis Presley appeared on The Milton Berle Show, causing a national uproar with his hip-swiveling performance of "Hound Dog.

In 1973…CFRB-Toronto radio newsman Gordon Sinclair aired an editorial, later released as the recording "The Americans (A Canadian's Opinion)," his reaction to the growing amount of U.S.-bashing around the world. Another recorded version of his dissertation, "Americans" by CKLW-Windsor/Detroit radio news director Byron MacGregor, peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1974 and became one of the most popular spoken-word recordings of all time.

In 1977…DJ Charlie Van Dyke did his last show on KHJ 930 AM, Los Angeles.

In 1982…DJ Cousin Brucie returned to New York City Radio on WCBS 101.1 FM.

In 2013…Radio personality (host of the syndicated American Country Countdown from 1973 to 1978, KDEO-San Diego, KEWB-Oakland-San Francisco, KDWB-Minneapolis-St. Paul, WKDA-Nashville, KRZK-Branson)/ commercial announcer (Bank of America, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pace CB Radios)/actor (The Las Vegas Hillbillys, Hillbillys in a Haunted House) Don Bowman died at age 75.

L-A Radio: Ken Charles To Program Newser KNX

Ken Charles

Veteran News/Talk Programmer Ken Charles is heading to the West Coast again..this time to pilot Newsradio KNX 1070 AM.

Charles most recently was National Brand Manager of IHeartMedia's News/Talk and Sports stations. Previously, he programmed iHM's Talk KSTE and N/T KFBK in Sacramento.  Charles left iHM December 2014.

At KNX, Charles will fill the program void left by Andy Ludlum, who excited the CBS Radio station last September.

A 30+ year programming veteran, his previous programming experiences include Houston, Syracuse, Miami and Atlanta.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find a programmer with as much experience and success in the news format as Ken,” CBS RADIO/Los Angeles SVP/Market Manager Dan Kearney said.

“He is one of the most respected managers of news operations in the country and during this seminal, fast-changing period of how people get their news, he is uniquely qualified to build upon KNX’s reputation as Southern California's news, traffic and information authority.”

"I can't wait to begin working for CBS RADIO, a company committed to local news, and the team of award-winning professionals at KNX, L.A.'s heritage home for local news and traffic,” said Charles.

“I’m thankful to Chris Oliviero, Scott Herman, Dan Kearney and Kevin Weatherly for giving me this incredible opportunity."

NYC Radio: 17K Fans, Celebs Show-Up For B&C's True Blue Night

More than 17,000 fans showed up to Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night to show their appreciation for the NYPD and honor fallen officers Brian Moore, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu.

The “True Blue” celebrity softball game, organized by WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, had a big-league atmosphere and raised big-time funds for the families of New York’s Finest.

“I am honored to speak for my generation,” said Savannah Solis, a 10-year-old from Tyler, Texas, who made hundreds of thank-you cards after Liu and Ramos were killed in December. “My goal is to tell as many police officers as I can that I love them.”

CBS reports proceeds from the game — “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Carton said Thursday morning — will benefit the Silver Shield Foundation, the NYC PBA Widows’ and Children’s Fund, and the families of Moore, Ramos and Liu. Use of the Stadium came free of charge, courtesy of the Yankees, and half the concession revenue was donated toward the cause.

“Our hearts break every single day that we have to hear of another cop injured in the line of duty,” Esiason said to kick off the event, which was broadcast live by Joe Benigno, Evan Roberts and play-by-play man Chris Carrino on WFAN 660 AM/ 101.9 FM. “And that’s one of the reasons, if not the biggest reason, that we’re here tonight.”

The Moore, Ramos and Liu families threw out the ceremonial first pitches to a huge ovation, with New York baseball greats Joe Torre, Bernie Williams and John Franco making up the other end of the battery.

#TrueBlue Tweets

Atlanta Radio: Tom Joyner Loses 9 AM Hour On WALR

Tom Joyner, the legendary syndicated morning host on R&B station WALR Kiss 104.1 FM for the past two decades, is now heard live from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., according to the Atlanta Constitution.

Listeners who want to hear the fourth hour of his show from 9 to 10 a.m. will have to go to his live stream.

Joyner, 65, runs his show in Dallas from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., the traditional time frame for personality-based morning shows for decades. But there has been a shift in radio to earlier starts and stops.

“The reason for the change is for audience members who listen while in the office at 9 a.m.,” said Tony Kidd, who runs Cox Radio Atlanta. “They have told us they want more a more music environment. Like anything, we will evaluate this over time.”

Joyner is heard on about 110 stations nationwide to about 8 million listeners. On Kiss, his show drew a 6.2 share last month in Nielsen Audio ratings, good for fifth place.