June 28 Radio History

In 1940...the Radio show "Quiz Kids?" debuted.

In 1947…The forerunner of TV's "Candid Camera," "Candid Microphone" began its 15-month run on ABC Radio. It returned to the air on CBS Radio for three months in 1950.


In 1965…Early Bird (Intelsat II), the first commercial communications satellite, began service.


In 1965....Dick Clark's latest rock n' roll variety show, Where The Action Is, premieres on ABC-TV, featuring performances by Jan & Dean, Dee Dee Sharp and Linda Scott, and also introducing a new house band called Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Meanwhile, over on CBS, influential DJ Murray The K's variety special It's What's Happening, Baby! features performances by The Supremes, The Ronettes, The Drifters, The Miracles, The Temptations, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Martha and the Vandellas, The Righteous Brothers, Tom Jones, The Dave Clark Five, Patti Labelle and the Bluebelles, and Gary Lewis and the Playboys.


In 1968...Don Imus got his first radio job. Imus was a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Upon winning a talent contest at Johnny Otis's nightclub, he began working as a singer/songwriter, managed by Otis.

After hearing a morning disc-jockey, he went to the nearby radio station and persuaded the owner to hire him. Thus he began his career as a radio disc jockey on June 28, 1968 at radio station KUTY in Palmdale, California.

He stayed at the station until 1969 when he left for a job at KJOY, a small radio station in Stockton, California. He was later fired for saying "hell" on air.

After being fired in Stockton, he went to KXOA in Sacramento, California. His on-air pranks, such as calling up a restaurant and ordering 1200 hamburgers to go, made his show immensely popular and boosted ratings.


In 1975...David Bowie released the single, "Fame", to Radio.


In 1997...George Harrison secretly undergoes surgery to have a cancerous lump removed from his throat. Though it turns out to be benign, the ex-Beatle will eventually succumb to the disease in 2001.


In 2013…Veteran radio broadcaster Rick Barber, a KOA-Denver talk show host for 30 years, died following complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) at 67.

 His voice kept company with countless insomniacs in Colorado and beyond for 30 years on "The Rick Barber Show." The show was an institution on KOA 850 AM from 1982 until he signed off in early 2012, a victim of Clear Channel downsizing.

Glenn Beck Fears SCOTUS Ruling Will Change Radio

Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck said Friday that the Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples have the right to get married anywhere in the United States “is going to change everything.”

TheBlaze reports Beck has repeatedly said he believes the government should have no hand in marriage, and if a church wants to marry a gay couple, it should have the right to do so. But he also doesn’t believe a church should be forced to marry a gay couple, or that people of faith should be forced to be involved in gay weddings.

Beck expressed particular concern for the churches that say “I’m going to read the Bible as it’s written” and opt not to perform gay weddings. If nothing else, he said, they could be compared to the Westboro Baptist Church and lose their tax-exempt status.

“Just so you know, the family has been officially and will now be officially redesigned. It has to be defined differently,” Beck added. “The term ‘mom and dad’ in the traditional family is over. Now you’re parent one and parent two.”

“This could mean the end of radio broadcasts like mine,” Beck continued. “I am on now public airwaves, regulated by the federal government. If I say or anybody on this show says they’re for traditional marriage — which I am in my personal life — I don’t believe the government has any place in it. … That now puts this radio broadcast in jeopardy.”

Beck said after Friday’s Supreme Court decision, he is going to begin looking for new ways to communicate with the public.


“It puts anybody who stands up for traditional marriage in jeopardy at work because you are now going against what the federal government says we must now all accept,” Beck said. “If not, you’re a bigot. And now the law has given these activist groups real teeth. The world has changed.”

Chicago Radio: White Sox Deny Move To WLS-AM Leak

Despite a Chicago-based blog posting by Robert Feder at the start of this week that reported that the Chicago White Sox were about to sign a six-year deal with WLS 890 AM, with an announcement coming later this week, the Chicago White Sox emphatically denied the report.

Click Here For Original Posting

Chicago Radio&Media reports Brooks Boyer, the Chicago Sox's Vice President of Sales and Marketing says there is absolutely no deal on paper or otherwise, at least not at this time.

Boyer also called CBS Radio Chicago -- the parent company of the Sox's current flagship radio home WSCR-AM/670 The Score -- to let them know the blog was completely false and that the team has made no decision about leaving. Cumulus Media President and CEO Lew Dickey has also issued a strong denial that Cumulus has sharply denied the report.

The White Sox's radio broadcast rights contract expires at the end of the current season.

While WLS-AM remains a very strong possibility for the team, remaining with WSCR-AM also is a possibility. No decisions are expected until later this summer.

SF Radio: KFOG To DB Grateful Dead Concert

70,000 Deadheads are expected to attend each night’s sold out Grateful Dead “Fare Thee Well Tour” concerts at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

As the official radio partner for the Dead’s greatly anticipated final Bay Area shows, KFOG 104.5 FM will replay each performance, in its entirety, 30 minutes after both the Saturday and Sunday night shows conclude.  The replay will be on both 104.5FM San Francisco and 97.7 FM (San Jose/South Bay).

LISTEN LIVE: Click Here

“KFOG is proud to have been chosen by The Grateful Dead and Madison House Presents as their official partner for these two shows”, said Program Director Jim Richards.  “We’re very appreciative of this opportunity to air these two shows Saturday and Sunday nights”.

Texarkana Radio: Snake Forces The PIG Off-Air

Classic Country KPGG 103.9 FM The Pig in Ashdown, Arkansas is currently off air due to a large cottonmouth Texas Rat Snake that had taken up residence in the transmitter.

According to the station, “our engineer literally had his hands inside the transmitter box, had pulled them out, turned around, to see the snake’s white mouth, wide open, not a foot from him!”

The station expects to be back up and running by Sunday at the latest. Streaming continues.

KPGG 103.9 FM (5.1 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

R.I.P.: Pioneering Atlanta DJ Alley Pat Patrick Dead At 95

Alley Pat Patrick

Atlanta radio legend James “Alley Pat” Patrick has died at the age of 95.

The Atlanta Constitution reports Patrick began his broadcasting career in 1951 as a disc jockey on WERD, Atlanta’s first black-owned radio station. He joined the staff of WAOK in 1954, and later worked at stations WXAP, WYZE and WQXI-AM.

Patrick, who died Thursday, became a member of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2013. That same year, the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame honored Patrick as the recipient of the Founders and Directors Award.

Former V-103 morning host Mike Roberts, a 2013 inductee into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame, remembers listening to Patrick on WYZE in the early 1980s when he first came to Atlanta.

“He was just a very unique announcer,” said Roberts, who now owns a radio station in Macon. “He was a throwback to the 1960s style of radio, very funny, very creative at the same time. He did commercials for local clients like nobody else. He would criticize a client if he didn’t think they were treating customers right. He would praise them, too. He was a character.”

On his radio show, Patrick needled callers and blithely skewered racial, religious and social sacred cows. Though he was ad-libbing, some say he knew exactly what he was doing.

“Pat would play a simpleton on the air for comedic effect,” director and local filmmaker Tom Roche said. “But when you got to know him, you’d realize he’s quite a citizen of the world. He’d jet up to New York to see plays, he’s been to Africa and he’d go out to L.A. to hang out with John Lee Hooker.”


In 2010, Roche directed the documentary, “Alley Pat: The Music is Recorded.”  Here's a  Q&A session with Alley Pat Patrick from November 28, 2011. Pat was five days a way from turning 92.

June 27 Radio History

In 1949…Gene Autry recorded "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The record sold 2.5 million copies the first year and eventually sold a total of 9 million.





In 1956...Clarence Henry released "Ain't Got No Home" to Radio. It became his first hit song.





In 1995...Former WMMS engineer William Alford is sentenced to 10 days & $1,000 fine for cutting feed during Howard Stern's broadcast on WNCX  from Cleveland.

Among the most notorious broadcasts of The Howard Stern Show occurred on June 10, 1994.  Stern had arrived on the Cleveland airwaves less than two years earlier, and in that time took his syndicated program on rival WNCX from an Arbitron ranking of thirteen to number one.  As promised, Stern held a party for his fans on the streets of Cleveland – a "Funeral" for his local rivals, much like similar events held in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia – and broadcast it nationwide.

During the now infamous broadcast, WMMS engineer William Alford snipped a broadcast wire used for the Stern show's satellite feed.  Stern continued on with the program over a phone line as engineers worked to quickly patch together the severed broadcast wire. Alford was subsequently caught, arrested and later sentenced to ten days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Station management initially claimed that Alford acted alone, however WMMS Promotions Director Heidi Klosterman – working under the name Heidi Kramer – later pled guilty to a felony charge of attempted disruption of a public service and a misdemeanor of receiving stolen property; Greg Smith, a former Klosterman colleague, pled guilty to a misdemeanor of breaking and entering.

In 2005...WRAL 101.5 FM became the first commercial station in North Carolina and only the second commercial station in the nation to utilize the "multicasting" cababilities of HD Radio technology to broadcast multiple high definition digital channels.


In Media Confidential one year ago...

R.I.P.: Soul Singer Bobby Womack Is Dead: Click Here

SiriusXM, Major Labels Settle Over Pre-'72 Hits

SiriusXM says it has reached a $210M settlement with major labels to resolve a royalty lawsuit over pre-1972 recordings.

The company will make the payments over a five-year period.

The company came to agreement with Universal, Sony, Warner, and independent ABKCO to settle some uncharted territory, since federal copyright law doesn't predate 1972.

The deal settles past infringements and provides for Sirius XM to play the labels' old songs through 2017. Sirius XM can also make new licenses with them through 2022.

The company says the labels represented to them that they "own, control or otherwise have the right to contract with respect to approximately 80% of the pre-1972 recordings we have historically used."

Cary Sherman

A similar case brought by Flo & Eddie, founders of The Turtles, is separate and unresolved.

“This is a great step forward for all music creators,” said RIAA CEO Cary Sherman.  “Music has tremendous value, whether it was made in 1970 or 2015.  We hope others take note of this important agreement and follow Sirius XM’s example.”

The lawsuit came in the aftermath of a class action filed by Flo & Eddie of The Turtles and aimed to use California state misappropriation laws -- also called common law copyrights -- to win compensation over the use of sound recordings made before such recordings fell under federal copyright protection. For years, record labels accepted publicity and no royalties from terrestrial radio operators, but changes in how music is consumed have changed the dynamic.

Federal copyright law, which has long applied to songwriting rights, was extended to recordings only in 1972. Two years ago, members of the 1960s pop group the Turtles — whose hits included “Happy Together” — sued Sirius XM in three federal courts, saying that their songs from before 1972 were still covered under state laws in New York, California and Florida. The group accused Sirius XM of broadcasting them without permission.

Chicago Radio: Troy Hanson New PD for Alternative WKQX

Troy Hanson

Cumulus Media announces that it has named Troy Hanson as Program Director for Chicago Alternative station WKQX 101.1 FM.

In addition to his new role overseeing day-to-day programming for WKQX, Hanson will continue to oversee Rock Formats as Corporate Program Director, Rock Formats for Cumulus. Hanson joined Cumulus in 2013 as Corporate Program Director, Rock Formats and as Program Director for WNNX/ROCK 100.5 in Atlanta.

Prior to Cumulus, Hanson was Operations Manager for Cromwell Radio Group in Nashville. A 25-year programming professional, he has held various programming positions at stations in markets including: Duluth, MN; Saginaw, MI; Milwaukee; Des Moines; Detroit; Miami; Nashville and Atlanta.

WKQX 101.1 FM (5.7 Kw) Red=Local coverage Area

Mike McVay, Senior Vice President, Content and Programming for Cumulus said: “Troy continues to do an excellent job Corporate PD/Rock for Cumulus. His experience, combined with the need for WKQX to continue to excel, makes him the perfect candidate for this position.”

Peter Bowen, Vice President and Market Manager for Cumulus Chicago said: “We are very fortunate to have someone like Troy leading the charge at WKQX. His experience and leadership will only build upon our brand position and ratings success moving forward.”

Hanson said: “Cumulus has put together an amazing group of highly talented people in our Chicago cluster. Many thanks to John Dickey and Mike McVay for their continued trust in the course of direction our rock brands are charting and in particular, for this new assignment on WKQX-- which is incredibly exciting.”

D/FW Radio: KESN New Home For Aggies Football

KESN 103.3 FM and Texas A&M Sports Properties, the exclusive multimedia rights holder for Texas A&M Athletics, have signed a three year agreement to make KESN the new radio broadcast home in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area for Texas A&M Aggie football.

The Cumulus station will broadcast all home and away Texas A&M football games beginning in August.

“ESPN Dallas is proud to take our Iconic brand, and partner with Texas A&M’s historic football tradition,” said Regional Vice President/General Manager at Cumulus Radio Dan Bennett. We’re excited about this partnership and giving Texas A&M fans in the Dallas/Fort Worth area the ability to hear all Aggie football games.”

“The addition of KESN FM 103.3 to the Texas A&M Sports Network helps us to enhance the distribution of Texas A&M Athletics and brings an added strength to our overall network,” said Texas A&M Sports Properties General Manager Eric Buchanan. “We are excited about this partnership and look forward to working with them for these next three years.”

KESN 103.3 FM (98 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

Indy Radio: Bob & Tom Listeners HobKnobbing With Brad Garrett

L-R, front: Kevoian, Lee, McGee.  L-R, back: Garrett and Griswold  

The Westwood One-syndicated The Bob & Tom Show hosted 20 lucky winners and their guests to laughter and entertainment with comedian, actor, and writer Brad Garrett at Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this past weekend.

Bob Kevoian, Tom Griswold, Kristi Lee, and Chick McGee were all on hand to congratulate the winners at a VIP Meet & Greet with the comedy legend and long-time friend of the show.

Miami Radio: Bryan LaRoche Gets PM Drive At WKIS-FM

Bryan LaRoche

Bryan LaRoche has been named the new PM Drive talent for Country WKIS 99.9 FM, it was announced today by Rob Morris, Vice President, Programming, CBS RADIO Miami.

LaRoche comes to the market from Alpha Media Portland where he has been serving as a talent on CHR KBFF-FM and Country KUPL-FM.  LaRoche will join CBS Radio Miami effective on Monday, July 6th and will be on air from 3-7pm weekdays.  WKIS-FM can be heard on-air, online at wkis.com or by downloading the Radio.com app for a variety of mobile and tablet devices.

“Bryan’s talent both on-air and combined with his digital programming skills makes him a great addition to the WKIS-FM team,” said Morris. “We very much look forward to Bryan joining our CBS RADIO Miami team.”

WKIS 99.9 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area 

"This can't be real life. Country radio?  In South Florida?  For 99.9 Kiss Country?  It doesn't get any better than that!  I'm honored and thankful to have the opportunity to work with CBS RADIO and the team at WKIS.  I truly feel like this is exactly where I belong and can't wait to call one of my favorite cities, home," said LaRoche.

LaRoche’s experience includes stops at WKSL/Jacksonville, WKQI/Detroit, WMTX/Tampa, WNOU/Indianapolis, WJFX/Fort Wayne and WSTO/Evansville.  In 2014, LaRoche was named one of Jacksonville’s “Top 30 Under 30 Future Leaders In America” by Buzz Magazine.   In Detroit, he had the #1 show with P18-34 in PM Drive.

SiriusXM To Air 'White In America' Panel Talk

SiriusXM today announced that SiriusXM's Karen Hunter will host "White in America," an all-white panel featuring Tim Wise, Joan Walsh, Andrew Wilkow, John Fugelsang, Dean Obeidallah, and Boris Epshteyn to engage in an open conversation on the current state of race relations in the United States today.    

Broadcasting from SiriusXM's studios in New York City, SiriusXM's "White in America" special will broadcast on Tuesday, July 7, at 4:00 pm ET on SiriusXM Urban View channel 126 and at 7:00 pm ET on SiriusXM Insight channel 121. It will re-air Wednesday, July 8 at 12:00 am ET; Saturday, July 11 at 4:00 pm ET; and Sunday, July 12 at 10:00 am ET on SiriusXM on Urban View.

Hosted by African American journalist, publisher and SiriusXM host Karen Hunter, confirmed panelists taking part in SiriusXM's "White in America" panel will include anti-racism activist and writer Tim Wise;  Salon.com editor-at-large and MSNBC political analyst Joan Walsh; SiriusXM conservative political talk radio host Andrew Wilkow; lawyer turned political comedian, writer and SiriusXM host Dean Obeidallah; Republican political strategist, investment banker, and finance attorney Boris Epshteyn and, actor, television personality, comedian and SiriusXM host John Fugelsang.

With recent violent events taking place across the country including the massacre at the Charleston, South Carolina church, police brutality, racial profiling and shootings, SiriusXM host Karen Hunter will discuss -- among other timely topics -- white privilege, what it means to "be white," racism in America's police systems and, why blacks and whites see the exact same event -- the Mike Brown shooting in Ferguson; The Waco, Texas biker shooting; and the McKinney pool party melee -- so differently?

SiriusXM Urban View features conversation, information, inspiration, empowerment, motivation and companionship from the African-American perspective.

For more information on SiriusXM and Karen Hunter, please visit www.siriusxm.com.

Boston Radio: WRKO Announces Revamped Lineup

Entercom/Boston has announced line-up changes at Talk WRKO 680 AM.

The changes includes shifting its current morning show to replace Rush Limbaugh and a groundbreaking joint venture in morning drive with the Boston.com Web site. The new program will be called The Boston.com Morning Show and will feature veteran Boston television anchor Kim Carrigan hosting four hours of rapid-cadence news, talk and trending live from the newsroom at Boston.com.

The new show will lean heavily on contributing writers and columnists from the highly-trafficked, regional Web site as well as national correspondents from ABC News. Joining Carrigan will be former WEEI morning personality and play-by-play talent Jon Meterparel, and producer David Cullinane.

Concurrently, WRKO's popular Kuhner Report morning talk show featuring Jeff Kuhner will move to the 12:00N to 3:00PM slot formerly occupied by Rush Limbaugh. Barry Armstrong's Financial Exchange remains in the 10:00AM to Noon slot, while Howie Carr anchors afternoon drive, 3:00 to 7:00PM. All of WRKO's programming in weekday prime will be live and local for the first time in more than 20 years. To reflect that fact, the station is adopting a new logo and positioning statement as "The Voice of Boston."

Entercom Boston VP/Market Manager Phil Zachary says this is a logical evolutionary step for the talk format. "On the cusp of the 2016 election cycle, it's very clear traditional talk radio is facing strong headwinds," he said. "As ideological lines blur and new technologies afford almost limitless tractability in audio news options, now is the time to deliver highly targeted, local content that's unavailable to consumers anywhere else. This new line-up, anchored by our alliance with New England's second largest news Web site, squarely positions WRKO for the next decade." The station's revamped on-air schedule debuts Monday, June 29th.

Talent-Caused Tune-Outs Unveiled During Webinar

In the first of three online webinars that reveal new discoveries on how listeners respond to air talent, the Tracy Johnson Media Group (TJMG) and Strategic Radio Solutions (SRS) have identified the six most common reasons listeners tune out. The Content Superhero study measured hundreds of pieces of content, featuring air talent breaks tested with tens of thousands of listeners, measuring their moment-by-moment reaction to content.

The findings revealed that stations are losing 40% or more of their audience in many breaks -- and don't need to.

1. Listener's lack of attention. Tune out happens because real tune in never occurs. When stations fail to earn engagement quickly, listeners perceptually tune out. Personality breaks remain in the background. And that's the first step to physically tuning out.

2. Content that's out of context. They listen very little, and as a result, don't understand nearly as much as we think. They don't understand how to play the contest. They don't remember (or didn't hear) that break setup 20 minutes ago. They don't get the backstory necessary to enjoy the content. And they tune out.

3. Slow pace.  Breaks that don't move forward lose attention. Pace has nothing to do with how long or how fast personalities talk, but rather with how well the story moves forward. Resarch clearly shows how and when listeners get bored (it's easily and quickly). And when they get bored, they soon leave.

4. Not enough payoffs. Most talent plans a direction or payoff for each break, but that's not enough. Listeners constantly evaluate entertainment (every 30-40 seconds), making subconscious decisions as to whether it's worth their time and attention. That's why we must provide mini-payoffs to keep them engaged.

5. Confusion. When they're confused, they tune out, and they're easily confused by: too many voices on the air (especially unfamiliar voices), personalities who talk over one another and change in direction or topics.

6. They simply don't care. They're greedy and selfish, actually tuning in to get something. When talent performs in a way that demands listeners come into their world, they can't relate. And when they don't relate, they tune out. Inside references are one of the biggest offenders in this area.

Tracy Johnson

Johnson commented, "It's not about break length. Our studies clearly show that listeners don't care how long a break lasts, but rather how good it is. The problem is that the bar for maintaining attention is high, and the price of tune-out is great. With so many entertainment options, broadcasters can't assume listeners will find their way back to their station once tune out occurs."

SRS Exective VP/Partner Hal Rood added, "Losing quarter hours is often unnecessary. Measuring listener reaction second by second shows us exactly when and why they tune out. When we go for one more punchline or change topics midstream, we see 40% or more loss in listener attention very quickly, and I don't know many stations that can afford to lose that much audience in just a couple of minutes."

The next two webinars are now available for registration: Click Here

Asheville Radio: Saga Launches 80s Rewind 100.3 FM

Saga's Asheville Radio Group has launched the market's newest station Rewind 100.3 FM on W262CO and fed via WTMT 105.9 FM HD-2.

The station is in the midst of airing 10,000 songs-in-a-row,  The music mix will mostly stay in pop-rock territory without straying into hair metal or prog rock, according to Bruce Law, vice president and general manager of Asheville Radio Group.

Law said he thinks the Asheville radio market is ripe for '80s hits.

"What's interesting about the '80s music is right now there seems to be a resurgence of interest in that era," he said. "You end up with two groups of people who like that music from the '80s and '70s: somebody who's in their 40s but also some 20-somethings that like it because they're used to hearing it (from their parents)."

W262CO 100.3 FM (250 watts) Red=Local Coverage Area

LISTEN-LIVE: Click Here

The station says it will use local personalities.

Saga purchased W262CO from Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting this month for $125,000.

Apple Launches Beats1 June 30

Apple is set to begin broadcasting its Beats 1 24-hour live radio station at 11 AM ET on TuesdayJune 30, according to Apple Music Senior Director and former Beats Music CEO Ian C. Rogers, who posted the following to Twitter:

Please join us at 8am Tuesday morning as we set this ship a sail: Zane Lowe, the D.J. (NYT) http://t.co/ycXatH5pmm

— ian c rogers (@iancr) June 25, 2015

The debut of the streaming radio station, which is hosted by a trio of DJs led by former BBC tune jockey Zane Lowe, will feature content including interviews with the likes of Eminem, as well as shows hosted by and starring music industry icons like Drake, Pharrell and Elton John, to name just a few.

Charter Promises To ‘Go Further’ Than Net Neutrality Rules

Charter Communications said that it will commit to principles of net neutrality, such as no blocking or throttling of traffic, as part of its planned merger with Time Warner Cable and acquisition of Bright House Networks.

Variety reports the cable company also promised not to engage in paid prioritization, in one of several commitments it made in a public interest statement for its proposed transaction filed with the FCC on Thursday.

Charter announced its planned merger with TW Cable last month, just weeks after Comcast abandoned its proposed transaction.

In a listing of the benefits of the transaction, Charter said that it will “go further” than the FCC’s recent net neutrality order by agreeing not to impose data caps or usage-based pricing.

The company also said that it will make “comprehensive and significant investments” in its broadband network, with TW Cable and Bright House customers getting at least 60 Mbps download speeds, as well as all-digital cable networks. The broadband service will be priced on its current model, which is less expensive than comparable offerings from TW Cable and Bright House.

Read More Now

Utica NY Radio: WIBX Partners With TV for Content

News/Talk WIBX 950 AM's Keeler in the Morning has announced a partnership with local television stations WFXV and WUTR beginning on Monday July 6.

The Keeler in the Morning program will be simulcast LIVE on WFXV Fox-33 in Utica each weekday morning 6-9a.m.

‘This is an eavesdropping situation where the audience gets to eavesdrop on our program everyday. And this is a raw feed, basically this is one camera shooting the studio with audio for three straight hours. It is unprecedented…this is to me one of the coolest things that we could offer to an audience,’ Bill Keeler said when announcing the partnership on the air Thursday morning.

Additionally, WIBX announced that WUTR’s ‘Eyewitness News at Six’ will be simulcast on the station weekday evening from 6:00 – 6:30 p.m.

‘We’re really happy to be able to offer our radio listeners a longer form newscast at 6:00 weekday evenings. The team in the newsroom at WUTR does an excellent job of informing their viewers of the latest local and national stories and we look forward to sharing that product with our listeners on WIBX,’ said WIBX Brand Manager Jeff Monaski.

Bob Beckel OUT At FOX News Channel

Bob Beckel

Bob Beckel, a FOX News host who has struggled with prescription drug addiction, was let go Thursday in a move that a top executive blamed on Beckel's "personal issues."

CNN reports Beckel, a former Democratic consultant who had become the most prominent left-leaning voice at the conservative cable news outlet, had been off the channel for several months. In March, Fox News said that Beckel was off the air recovering from back surgery. Beckel said on Twitter at the time that he hoped to return soon to "The Five," Fox's highly rated evening panel show on which he often served as the lone liberal commentator.

A month later, FOX released a statement indicating that Beckel had checked into a rehab facility to receive treatment for a prescription drug addiction.

The addiction appears to have been a factor in Fox's decision to part ways with Beckel. Bill Shine, the channel's executive VP of programming, said that patience with Beckel had run out at the channel.

"We tried to work with Bob for months, but we couldn't hold The Five hostage to one man's personal issues," Shine said. "He took tremendous advantage of our generosity, empathy and goodwill and we simply came to the end of the road with him."

Shine said that Juan Williams and Geraldo Rivera "will be among those rotating on the show for the near future."

On Thursday evening, hours after the news came out, Beckel said on Twitter that Fox's statement "baffles" him and that he will "respond in the appropriate forum."

Thank u for thousands of Tweets not angry but very very sad Where I go from here is in Gods hands

— Robert G Beckel (@RobertGBeckel) June 26, 2015

Radio, Social Media Climb For TV Outside Promo Tool

Social media as a cultural phenomenon are just about a decade old — Facebook was launched in 2004; Twitter, in 2006 — yet they have cemented their place as the No. 1 "outside media" for promoting TV newscasts, ranking higher (in order) than radio, websites and cable, according to TVNewsCheck's second annual survey of creative services directors and promotion managers.

Radio was ranked second.  In last year's survey Radio was #3 behind Websites.

Of the Big Two in social media, an overwhelming majority (77.7%) said Facebook was "most effective," while only 10.9% thought Twitter was. That was a big jump for Facebook. Last year, 65.6% said Facebook was tops.

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Univision to Donald Trump: You're Fired

Donald Trump intends to sue Univision for breach of contract and defamation after the media company announced it would renege on a five-year contract for broadcast rights to the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants, his lawyer said Thursday.

The announcement comes hours after Trump told the On Media blog that Univision was defaulting on an "iron-clad" $13.5 million contract, which he said it had no right to terminate.

Univision spokesperson Monica Talan said her organization would not comment beyond its initial statement. In that statement, released Thursday morning, Univision said it would "not be airing the Miss USA pageant on July 12th or working on any other projects tied to the Trump Organization" because of his remarks about Mexican immigrants.

Trump, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, said in a speech earlier this month that he would build a wall to stop Mexico from dumping "rapists" and criminals on U.S. soil. On Wednesday, Trump issued a statement accusing the media of trying "to distort my comments regarding Mexico and its great people," adding that he has "many successful business relationships with Mexican companies and employ, and am close friends with, many Mexican people," and that he has "tremendous respect for the leaders of Mexico."

Univision Radio Promotes Jose Valle

Jose Valle

Univision has announced strengthening of its local radio and political and advocacy sales departments by appointing two executives.

Jose Valle has been named president of political and advocacy sales while Jaime Jimenez will be EVP/Local Media, overseeing content for local radio and haeding up its operating hubs in Los Angeles, Miami and San Antonio, Texas.

“Jose Brings a fantastic background with diverse experience in sales, general management, local TV and Radio, which make him uniquely qualified to help potential political and advocacy clients see all of the opportunities Hispanic constituents and UCI present,” said Keith Turner, president of advertising, sales and marketing for UCI.

Valle has been president of Univision Radio since 2011. Before that, he was GM of KVEA and oversaw operations for Spanish-language station KWHY in Los Angeles. He’s also worked at KXTX and also KXAS in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas.

Jimenez was the evp of Univision Local media, responsible for half of the station group’s local TV and radio stations.

Radio Disney To Launch 'Sweety High' Video Series

Radio Disney, as part of shifting from primarily a terrestrial-radio service to a digital outlet, will develop music and entertainment video series aimed at tween and teen girls in a deal with startup Sweety High.

Variety reports Under the terms of the two-year pact, the companies will co-produce and distribute shows across Sweety High and Radio Disney platforms, as well as work together to integrate talent into audio and video content and jointly pursue marketing and sales deals. Program episodes will be distributed on SweetyHigh.com and its Sweetivity app, and on RadioDisney.com and Radio Disney apps.

The deal will let Radio Disney — which already produces some original video in-house — expand content aimed at its large user base of young girls, a demo that meshes with Sweety High’s target audience of femmes 10 to 16.

The goal is to produce up to 100 episodes per year with Radio Disney, said Sweety High CEO Frank Simonetti, starting with two initial series. The startup, founded in 2009, has produced 500 original episodes aimed at young girls to date.

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CT Radio: Lisa Wexler Show Moves To WGCH

Lisa Wexler

The Lisa Wexler Show is now airing exclusively on Greenwich-based WGCH 1490 AM from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

Wexler, a Westport resident, has won the Gracie Award, the Best of Gold Coast three times, the Best of Westchester and the Connecticut Press Club Award.

The show was previously broadcast on WFAS 1230 AM, based in Westchester.

"I am thrilled to be back in Connecticut, but still able to reach my Westchester audience," Wexler said. "If you are thinking about it, I'm talking about it."

CRS Honors 2015 Radio HOF Inductees

Randy Carroll, Mike Kennedy, Karen Dalessandro, Joel Raab, Sammy George 

Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. honored the 2015 class of inductees into the Country Radio of Fame Wednesday night at a special ceremony, held at the Omni Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.

The Country Radio Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of those individuals who have made significant contributions to the radio industry over a 20-year period, 15 of which must be in the Country format.

Dwight Yoakim

This year’s Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees were Joel Raab, Sammy George, Mike Kennedy, Randy Carroll and Karen Dalessandro.

In addition, Dwight Yoakam was recognized as the recipient of the 2015 CRB Artist Career Achievement Award, and Jeff Walker was honored with the 2015 CRB President’s Award.

The CRB Artist Career Achievement Award is presented to an individual artist or act that, through their creativity, vision, performance or leadership has made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of country music and country radio. The President’s Award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the marketing, production, growth and development of the Country Radio Seminar and the multiple services that Country Radio Broadcasters provides to the Country radio and music communities.

Photo credit: Kristen England

JacApps Introduces App Everywhere

Mobile application developer JACAPPS has rolled out a new initiative -- "App Everywhere."

The program utilizes the growing array of new devices -- including Apple Watch, Google Chromecast, smart TVs, and in-car dashboards to provide radio brands with the ability to connect with listeners wherever they are and whenever they want.

Jacobs Media CEO Fred Jacobs commented, "We saw the growing trend at Consumer Electronics Show this past January.

Fred Jacobs

It is essential that radio stations make it easier for consumers to connect with their content throughout the digital ecosystem.  Consumers aren't buying radios, but they are purchasing smart TV, smartwatches, and other gadgets driven by apps.  The radio industry needs to be there, too."

JACAPPS is now developing apps for these new platforms, and will produce Apple Watch applications for an early Fall release to coincide with Apple's WatchOS2 update.

"These new devices provide radio with an opportunity to maintain and grow its already amazing reach," JACAPPS COO Bob Kernen added.  "While the smartphone has revolutionized our lives, we are focused on developing apps in cars, on wrists, and in living rooms.  Our experience as the House Developer for FORD has demonstrated the power of distribution, and this expansion is just the beginning."

Jacobs mentoned, "We think it is important for our clients' content to be where the audiences are,", "And that's what 'App Everywhere' is all about."

M-J Image Seen In VA Storm Clouds

Six years after his death, Michael Jackson made an appearance in the skies over Central Virginia.

The combination of clouds and light created an image that appeared — to some — to look like the King of Pop. The image was captured over Goochland County, Virginia during a June 23 lightning storm. Jackson died on June 25, 2009.

Photographer John Plashal said he was unaware of the Jackson imagery when he first submitted photos to the WTVR CBS 6 Facebook page following the storm. He said a storm chaser app, not a higher calling, compelled him to set up his camera outside Satterwhite’s Restaurant in Goochland where took several photos of the lightning storm.

“The image that you see of Michael Jackson just happens to be there,” Plashal said. He insisted he added nothing to the photo. “It’s pretty wild.”

Plashal, 45, said he was a fan of Michael Jackson and said he particularly recalled how the music video for Thriller changed MTV. He also said Jackson’s death six years ago was one of those ‘I know where I was’ moments.

Forbes: Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris Top Couples Power List

Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris

Though their relationship may be new, this pair has quickly ascended the latest Power Couple rankings released by Forbes.

Forbes pegs their combine earnings for 2014 at $146M.

The pop singer—who boasts a loyal fan base and plenty of industry clout, recently forcing Apple to pay musicians royalties during the free trial period of its new streaming service—and the Scottish DJ both land in the top 20 on this year’s Celeb 100.

To add to their incomes, each has lucrative endorsement deals: Swift with Diet Coke, Keds and Sony, and Harris with Giorgio Armani and Sol Republic headphones. With careers that only seem to be getting bigger and bigger, these two may be setting themselves up for a longstanding place at the top of this list (that is, if they stay together).

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