August 23 Radio History

In 1923....Billy Jones and Ernie Hare, “The Happiness Boys”, were heard on New York’s WEAF radio for the first time.  The two were billed as radio’s first comedians and were also credited with creating and performing the first singing commercial.

They began on radio October 18, 1921 on WJZ (Newark, New Jersey), where they were sponsored by the chain of Happiness Candy stores. Listeners mailed in their comments about the singers on cards supplied to retailers by Happiness Candy.

Beginning August 23, 1923, the Happiness Boys broadcast on New York's WEAF, moving to NBC from a run from 1926 to 1929. The duo sang popular tunes, mostly light fare and comic songs, and they engaged in humorous repartee between numbers. Their theme song was "How Do You Do" (1924). However, only the words to this song were new at that time. The melody had been used for a variety of other songs in the past and is still used in the camp favorite "If You're Happy and You Know It (Clap Your Hands)".


By 1928, Jones and Hare were the highest paid singers in radio, earning $1,250 a week. They also made highly successful personal appearances in the United States and Europe. (They mention the European tour fondly in their recording of "We Don't Like It, Not Much.")


In 1989...The music died on the Big 89 WLS.

In June , WLS 890 AM had announced they were going all talk by the end of the summer. Rumors were that the change was to happen September 1.

Air personalities were becoming more talk intensive anyway and midday talk was added as well.

But quietly with no warning, on August 23, 1989 at 7 pm, WLS stopped playing music altogether. Phil Duncan was the last DJ to play music on WLS, and as Phil finished up his show, a voice in the back of the studio (that of then-WYTZ worker Steven Craig) was heard saying "Goodnight!"; Steven unknowingly (and unoffically) became the last live voice on WLS Musicradio. Appropriately, the last song was "Just You 'n' Me" by Chicago.



WLS then became a 24/7 all talk statiom featuring high-rated talk talents from around the country, such as Bob Lassiter from Tampa Bay, Stacy Taylor from San Diego and their biggest hit, Rush Limbaugh out of New York.

In 1975, The Big 89 WLS celebrated its 25th anniversary of playing rock and roll with this retrospective TV show that aired on Channel 7 WLS TV Chicago in 1985. Most of the disc jockeys of the past (and some of the present at the time) appear on this program.  The program is hosted by the late super jock Larry Lujack.



For More on WLS: Click HERE And HERE.


In 1991...Seattle radio station KKND “The End” FM 107.7 was born, billing its music as “The Cutting Edge of Rock.”  It first gave airplay to local bands Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Soundgarden. This launched the Seattle “grunge” movement internationally.


In 2010…Veteran San Francisco radio-TV newsman (KCBS-AM , KPIX-TV) Dave McElhatton died after a stroke at age 81.

Dave McElhatton

McElhatton worked for KCBS Radio in San Francisco for 25 years, starting two weeks after college graduation. Early in his career, he hosted an all-night radio show, "Music Till Dawn".

In the early 1960s, he was the host of "McElhatton In The Morning", a blend of news and comedy, with his sidekick Homer "Friendly Clyde" Welch.

He later hosted a radio program called "Viewpoint", which was the area's first telephone talk show. McElhatton later became news director of KCBS radio, where he helped change the format of the station to an all-news format.

While working in radio at KCBS, McElhatton (along with Friendly Clyde) hosted TV Bingo, a daytime show on KTVU Channel 2.

McElhatton became a television news anchor for KPIX-TV Channel 5, the first television station in San Francisco starting in 1977 upon leaving KCBS radio. The hiring of McElhatton, a radio broadcaster, was noted by some to be a bold stroke. He remained as a news achor with KPIX until his retirement in 2000. He was noted, along with that of CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, to be among two good reporters during a forum by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.

At his peak, his salary as a newscaster was reportedly approximately $750,000 per year. For a decade from the late 1970s to late 1980s, his co-anchor was Wendy Tokuda, with whom he still maintained personal contact.

August 22 In Radio History

In 1906…The Victor Talking Machine Company of Camden, New Jersey began to manufacture a record player called the Victrola. The hand-cranked unit, with horn cabinet, sold for $200. Records had to be purchased separately, usually in the appliance stores that sold the machines, at a price of $1 to $7. Famed conductor John Philip Sousa reacted to the new device by predicting "a marked deterioration in American music" and said that generations of amateur musicians would give way to "canned music."

In 1947...after 14 years as a quarter-hour daily serial for kids, “Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy“, was heard for the first time as a 30-minute three-times-a-week feature on ABC radio.

In 1964...The Beatles were in concert at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, playing to 20,261 fans.  The Bill Black Combo, the Exciters, the Righteous Brothers, and Jackie DeShannon opened for the group.  The show was broadcast locally by CKNW 980 AM.

In 1965...The Beatles performed two shows at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.  Mike Love and Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys stopped by between shows to meet the group.





In 1970...Bread reached #1 with their first hit--"Make It With You".  That ended a five-week reign for the Carpenters' classic "(They Long To Be) Close To You".  Eric Burdon & War were up to #3 with "Spill The Wine" while the song "War" was at #4 for Edwin Starr.  The rest of the Top 10:  Mungo Jerry with "In The Summertime", Stevie Wonder had #6--"Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)", Clarence Carter moved from 16 to 7 with "Patches", Freda Payne's "Band Of Gold", B.J. Thomas moved into the list with "I Just Can't Help Believing" and one of the great One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*, "Tighter, Tighter" by Alive & Kicking was still alive at #10.




In 1987..."Who's That Girl" by Madonna became her sixth number one and 13th consecutive Top 10 song.  "La Bamba" by Los Lobos moved up to challenge, Suzanne Vega was at 3 with "Luka" and Richard Marx was up to #4 with "Don't Mean Nothing".  The rest of the Top 10:  "I Want Your Sex" by George Michael, U2 fell from #1 with "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", Debbie Gibson edged up with "Only In My Dreams", the Whispers found the Top 10 with "Rock Steady", T'Pau slipped with "Heart And Soul" and the first single from Bad by Michael Jackson (with Siedah Garrett on this one)--"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" moved from 16 to 10.



In 2004...Al Dvorin, the announcer who coined the phrase "Elvis has left the building" while working the King's Seventies concerts, dies in a car crash en route home from a Californian Elvis convention.

Jerry Leiber

In 2011...Jerry Leiber, who along with Mike Stoller, wrote many of Elvis Presley's big early hits, including "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock", as well as "Kansas City" for Wilbert Harrison, "Stand By Me" for Ben E. King and "On Broadway" for the Drifters, died in Los Angeles of cardiopulmonary failure at the age of 78.


In 2011...Nickolas Ashford of the duo Ashford & Simpson, who wrote songs such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", and "I'm Every Woman" with wife Valerie Simpson, and who also was a stellar producer, died at the age of 70 from throat cancer


In 2014...A Philadelphia radio legend, Don Cannon, passed away. He was 74.

Don Cannon

According to friends at WOGL, Cannon died from an abscess in his tooth that spread to his brain.

Cannon, who was born Dominic Canzano in Yonkers, N.Y., had been doing morning radio in Philadelphia since 1969, and was the morning man on WOGL 98.1 FM from 1990 until his retirement in 2004.   He began his career with Top40 WIBG and has also been heard on WIP, WFIL, WIFI, and WSNI.

In the eighties, Cannon was program director of WSNI and WPGR.

In the original Rocky movie, when the morning alarm clock goes off for Rocky's run, it was Cannon's voice on the radio.


In 2014...retired Milwaukee sportscaster Ted Moore, the radio voice of the Green Bay Packers during their glory years of the 1960s, who spent 48 years pursuing his career in broadcasting, suffered heart failure and died at age 87.

Miami Radio: Entercom Blows-Up Sports Simulcast

Entercom blown-up a sports simulcast to launch a new alternative radio station in Miami. WAXY 104.3 FM The Shark, South Florida’s New Alternative.

Sports will continue on WAXY 790 AM as The Ticket.

The station is launching with 5000 songs in-a-row.  As the only alternative radio station in South Florida, 104.3 The Shark will play alternative music that is modern and mainstream, as well as some classic alternative hits.

“As the exclusive alternative station in South Florida, 104.3 The Shark will target an audience in the heaviest acquisition years of their lives and our station will be incredibly active in the South Florida community,” said Doug Abernethy, Vice President/Market Manager at Entercom South Florida.

Entercom has had success with alternative stations across the country, including The End in Seattle, The Buzz in Kansas City, and KRNK in Portland.

Abernethy also announced that John O’Connell will program 104.3 The Shark.  O'Connel was previously PD at WHFS in Tampa. “With a deep history in the South Florida radio and music scene, John brings a wealth of experience and expertise that will enable us to effectively launch and grow 104.3 The Shark,” Abernethy said.

“We conducted extensive local research in South Florida and listeners want an active and modern alternative radio station in South Florida,” said O’Connell. “104.3 The Shark will play the very best in modern alternative music from artists including Imagine Dragons, Capital Cities, Fall Out Boy, and legendary artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana and Green Day.”

WAXY 104.3 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

At the same time, Abernethy announced a move to broadcast The Ticket exclusively on the 790 frequency. “790 The Ticket is the flagship station for South Florida sports and is the home of the Miami Heat. 790 The Ticket delivers the best in local content, personalities and events,” said Abernethy. “We are making a huge investment in more content featuring the biggest names in sports in South Florida.”

Des Moines Radio: WHO Host "Use Illegals To Build Wall"

Jan Mickelson

WHO 1040 AM talker Jan Mickelson is getting national attention for saying one way to handle immigrants in the country illegally would be to invite them to leave or else face being indentured for service building a border wall.

"So if you are here without our permission," Mickelson said on his show Monday, "and we have given you two months to leave, and you're still here, and we find that you're still here after we we've given you the deadline to leave, then you become property of the state of Iowa. And we have a job for you. And we start using compelled labor. The people who are here illegally would therefore be owned by the state and become an asset of the state rather than a liability. And we start inventing jobs for them to do."

Mickelson told The Des Moines Register Thursday that he thinks "the outrage from the Media Matters is contrived. They included the (audio) of my comments in context which is good, but almost nobody is listening to the premise, just looking at headline. 'Talk host wants to enslave immigrants.' "

He said Media Matters – which called him an "influential conservative kingmaker" is trying to use him as a club to bludgeon candidates.

Mickelson said he offered the Media Matters team to come on his iHM show, but so far they haven't accepted.

Media Stocks Crushed Again

Media and entertainment stocks fell hard again on Thursday, underperforming broader markets that also took a beating.

While the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 358 points Thursday, or 2.1 percent, Walt Disney and Viacom each fell 6 percent; Time Warner was off 5 percent; Sony and 21st Century Fox each fell 4 percent; Comcast was off 3 percent; and CBS dropped 2.5 percent.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, stocks in the media and entertainment sector have been sinking since Disney and others warned of slower growth for cable networks as an increasing number of U.S. consumers choose to scale back their pay TV habit, or drop it entirely.

Since August 4 when Disney reported its quarterly earnings, the conglomerate's stock has sunk 18 percent, a nearly unprecedented amount in only just 16 days. In the same time frame, Viacom is off 21 percent; Time Warner and Fox are each down 16 percent; CBS is off 13 percent; and Comcast is down 7 percent. Even Sony, which doesn't have a cable-networks business, is down 7 percent.

While media and entertainment have been suffering in August, Netflix was holding its own — not surprising since streaming is growing fast as traditional pay TV stagnates — but on Thursday its stock dropped 8 percent, wiping out all its recent gains.

In new-media, Facebook dropped 5 percent, Twitter was off 6 percent, Yahoo was down 3 percent and Google was down 2 percent. Game stocks also took it on the chin, with Take-Two Interactive Software and Activision Blizzard each sinking more than 3 percent.

NY Daily News No Longer for Sale

Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman has called off the sale of the nearly 100-year-old New York newspaper. “For a variety of reasons, I have decided to withdraw the Daily News from the market,” Zuckerman wrote in a memo to staffers. (FishbowlNY)

Zuckerman, 78, announced on Thursday that after six months of trying to wring a single respectable bid for the money- and circulation-losing paper out of the local business community—and failing—he would take the paper off the block. (New York Post)

Presumably, the Daily News was not going to fetch the reported $150 to $200 million Zuckerman was said to be asking for the paper, which is believed to lose between $20 million and $30 million annually, and its printing presses in Jersey City. (Politico Media)

The nearly century-old New York tabloid is the eighth-largest circulating U.S. newspaper. The paper had hired investment bank Lazard Ltd. to advise on the deal, opening a rocky six-month bidding process that elicited scant interest. Bidders included supermarket baron John Catsimatidis and James Finkelstein, publisher of The Hill in Washington, D.C. and a former part-owner of The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek and Billboard magazine. People close to Zuckerman have said he wasn’t satisfied with any offer. (WSJ)

The Daily News' circulation, once in the millions, averaged 307,078 on weekdays and Saturday and 433,077 on Sundays in the second quarter of 2015, according to data from Alliance for Audited Media. (NYT)

H/T: AdWeek

NYC Radio: Mo'Bounce Lands In PM Drive For Z100

Mo'Bounce

iHeartMedia/New York has announced that Mo' Bounce is the new afternoon host Top40 WHTZ 100.3 FM Z100, starting Monday.

His new afternoon show will be all about today's hit music and the local listeners ­ he was born and raised in Brooklyn and has a deep and passionate connection with the tri-state area. In addition to his on-air duties at Z100, his show is also heard weekly in Washington, D.C., Portland and nationwide on XM Radio Channel 12 as well as iHeartRadio.  Mo' Bounce hosts daily on NickRadio heard nationwide on iHeartRadio or at Nick.com.

Mo' Bounce debuted on Z100 in September, 2009, hosting the station's night show.

WHTZ 1003. FM (6 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

"Mo' Bounce is one of the premiere on air talents in the country," said Mark Medina, Program Director, Z100.  "His contributions over the past several years have helped solidify Z100 as a world class brand and we¹re thrilled to have him driving home New York City."

"Mo' Bounce is an incredible talent who has dominated nights in New York for the past 6 years," said Thea Mitchem, SVP/Programming ­ Major Markets, iHeartMedia. "His transition to Afternoons was a natural evolution that we are very excited about!"

Report: NextRadio Doubles Traditional Radio TSL

Average station listening sessions on the NextRadio smartphone app have grown to 20 minutes, nearly double that of traditional over-the-air listening, according to new data from NextRadio developer Emmis Communications.

That compares to the average traditional radio listening session of 10.3 minutes, according to Nielsen, and 8.9 minutes in streaming music apps, per Appfigures.

InsideRadio reports average NextRadio station listening sessions go as high as 21 minutes during weekdays. Emmis pointed to two other data points that it said proves that “FM in smartphones is the future of radio listening.” Namely, Nielsen data that shows 36% of consumers in the U.S. listen to music through their smartphone and research showing music apps are the 3rd fastest growing app category.

“Double the listening in NextRadio provides broadcasters with a great message to share with advertisers on the value of offering an enhanced ad on NextRadio,” NextRadio president Paul Brenner said in a statement.

Radio Show Session To Chart Radio's Economic Future

Leading executives from the radio business and investment communities will take a forward-looking view at radio from the financial perspective, and provide insight on how the industry is raising capital to finance acquisitions and operations, during a session entitled “Pillsbury’s Financing the Future of Radio,” Wednesday, September 30 from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. during the 2015 Radio Show.

Scott Flick

With this year’s session, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman continues the 25-year tradition of discussing broadcast finance at the Radio Show. A breakfast sponsored by Media Services Group will be provided.

The Radio Show, produced by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), takes place September 30 – October 2 in Atlanta.

Davis Hebert, senior fixed income analyst at Wells Fargo Securities, will provide a highly visual financial analysis of the radio business, including the impact of current and future economic trends.

Scott Flick, partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP, will lead a discussion between top radio business executives and representatives of the lending and investment communities.

This year’s panel includes Beasley Broadcast Group Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Caroline Beasley, Entercom Chief Executive Officer David Field and Connoisseur Chief Executive Officer Jeff Warshaw speaking for the radio business, with the investment and finance community represented by Anish Aswani, senior vice president, Moelis & Company; and U.S. Bank’s Senior Vice President, Media and Communications Division, Garret Komjathy.

Montgomery AL Radio: Chris Coleman New iHM SVP/Programming

Chris Coleman

iHeartMedia has announced that Chris Coleman is now Senior VP/Programming for its cluster in Montgomery, AL.

The Montgomery cluster consists of  R&B/Old School WWMG 97.1 FM, Gospel Hits WHLW 104.3 FM and HipHop WZHT 105.7 FM.

Coleman previously worked with Radio One as Program Director of Urban AC WOSL 100.3 FM in Cincinnati. His other programming stops includes WFXE-FM/Columbus, WBLX-FM/Mobile and WBHK-FM/Birmingham. Coleman was also a finalist for the 2011 NAB Marconi Award for Medium Market Personality of the Year.

"It is indeed a blessing for me to lead such a great team and staff," said Coleman. "These stations and brands are iconic in Montgomery and the state of Alabama. Working with Tom Hanrahan and Becky Sweeney is going to be epic! Home is where the heart is and I have a new home with iHeartMedia Montgomery."

"I am extremely excited to welcome Chris to the iHeartMedia Montgomery iHeartMedia Birmingham family," added Senior VP/Programming Tom Hanrahan. "Coleman is a strong programmer with a contagious passion to win! His programming experience will make a strong impact and will allow him to ramp up quickly and build immediate relationships with the programming and sales team."

Philly Radio: Rob Keegan New GSM At WMGK

Rob Keegan

Greater Media/Philadelphia  announces Rob Keegan has been promoted to General Sales Manager of WMGK 102.9 FM.

Keegan, who joined the station four and a half years ago, most recently served as the local sales manager. Prior to that, he spent 20 years at Beasley Broadcast Group, where he led the non-traditional revenue department for the company.

In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing all local, national and digital sales efforts for WMGK-FM.

“Rob has done an outstanding job as the Local Sales Manager for WMGK for nearly five years,” said Paul Blake, Vice President of Sales at Greater Media Philadelphia. “His collaborative leadership and innovative style has established the station as a top-tier sales organization.”

“I’m proud to have the opportunity to lead this incredible team at WMGK-FM,” said Keegan. “The culture of Greater Media Philadelphia is second to none and I am excited to further enhance our position in this marketplace.”

Indy Radio: Ineligible Entry Also Wins NowFM Contest

Hannah Brewer, Friend Painted Garage Door

It turns out that Hannah Brewer wasn’t even eligible to enter a radio station’s garage-door-decorating contest for a chance to meet the superstar pop/punk band 5 Seconds of Summer.

But her efforts still won her a backstage pass to meet the band as well as two choice seats for the concert on Saturday at Klipsch Music Center.

WNOU RadioNOW 100.9’s afternoon drive host Mike Klein and midday host Hunter personally delivered the good news to Brewer, a high school senior, at her place of work (Wendy’s) on Wednesday night.

Brewer painted the garage door of her residence with images of the band members, a slice of pizza, an astronaut, a message reading, “5SOS is kinda hot” and other things to prove she was the band’s biggest fan.

In response, two anonymous letters were left in the front door of her westside residence purporting to be from “YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.” The letters compared Brewer’s art work to “vandalism” that you would expect to see in the ghetto or Mexico or Los Angeles or south Muncie. The letters also threatened legal action to have the painting removed.

WNOW 100.9 FM (6 Kw)

After Brewer’s story was spread by The Star Press, Indianapolis broadcast media and other news outlets, RadioNOW contacted 5 Seconds of Summer’s record label, Capitol Records.

“She didn’t actually win the contest,” Max Williams, marketing director at Indianapolis-based RadioNOW, said. “The reason why is she lives in Muncie, which is technically not part of our market. She was not even eligible to win according to the contest rules.”

However, “because of everything that happened and the extra exposure she got for us it is definitely worth her getting to meet the band,” Williams said. “The record label thought it was great extra attention to their band. They loved it, so we were able to secure the extra meet and greet and tickets. They won some pretty decent seats and will get to go backstage prior to the show and meet the band.”

Fans from outside RadioNOW’s market area call to win concert tickets all the time during contests, even though they aren’t eligible.

Atlanta Radio: Bert Show Bit Gets Nat'l TV Coverage

After a long summer, it can be hard for kids to get out of bed and ready for school — so hard that one Georgia mom recently enlisted help from The Bert Show to arrange for a live 5-piece ragtime jazz band to wake her daughter.  The syndicated show's home is WWWQ 99.7 FM (Q100) in Atlanta.

Shelly Kent of Cumming, Georgia, told TODAY.com that her 10-year-old daughter Sophie is known for hitting the snooze button several times every morning. But last Monday, a jazz band marched into her bedroom around 6:30 a.m., jolting the young girl from sleep.



The bit also got play on ABC's Good Morning America.

ABC Reporter Tells Trump "Anchor Babies" Is Offensive

Tom Llamas

During a Q&A Wednesday with reporters, ABC's Tom Llamas told Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump the term ‘anchor baby,’ saying it was offensive.

“That’s an offensive term!” Llamas told Trump in footage that aired Thursday on Good Morning America. “People find that hurtful.”

“You mean it’s not politically correct, and yet everybody uses it,” Trump shot back.

Chicago Radio: Johnny B Sets Sail With WLS-AM Listeners

And They Set Sail for a Three-Hour Tour...

Wednesday night, Westwood One and Chicago’s WLS 890 AM hosted an exclusive sunset cruise on Chicago’s First Lady featuring (the Captain) Jonathon Brandmeier of The Jonathon Brandmeier Show.

Johnny B regaled the intimate crowd, including staffers and clients, as they set sail for an architectural tour on the lovely Chicago River.

Pitbull, Aaron Bruno To Hot WWOne Specials

Pitttbull

Summer will not go quietly at Westwood One!  The network is presenting two four-hour Labor Day specials--hosted by Pitbull and AWOLNATION--that will keep the summer hits pumping overtime during the holiday weekend.

International music superstar Pitbull, who just scored his first #1 on Billboard’s Latin Album chart, will host Westwood One’s “Endless Summer Fun” special, featuring this summer’s hottest tracks.  Red Bull Records recording artist Aaron Bruno and his band AWOLNATION are hosting Westwood One’s “Summer of Rock,” a look back at the songs and the summer of 2015.

Armando Christian Perez, known around the world as Pitbull has scored #1 hits in more than 15 countries, his videos have over 7 billion views, and his social media reach matches audiences of some television networks. After hosting the American Music Awards for the second time, Pitbull released his eighth studio album, Globalization, which includes “Time of Our Lives,” topping charts around the world; “Celebrate,” a song heard in the animated film, Penguins of Madagascar; and “Fun,” one of 2015’s summer anthems. Pitbull’s world tours have sold out concerts in North and South America, Europe and the Far East.

Aaron Bruno

AWOLNATION released their new album RUN on March 17, 2015. Written, performed and produced by musical architect Aaron Bruno, the album features #1 hit “Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)” and current Top 10 single “I Am.” It is the follow-up to gold-certified debut album Megalithic Symphony and the chart-topping, record-breaking single “Sail,” which is certified 6x platinum in the US and holds the record for the most weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart by an independent artist. The song has also achieved global success: it is certified platinum across multiple countries and has over 200 million views on YouTube.

Stations can air “Endless Summer Fun” and  “Summer of Rock” any time Saturday, September 5 – Monday, September 7, between 6:00 am and 12 midnight. For more information, contact Neal Bird at nbird@westwoodone.com or (310) 840-2811.

Eugene, Springfield OR Radio: Cumulus Stations To Air Ducks

Cumulus Media announces that it has signed a new multi-year agreement with the University of Oregon and IMG, the university’s multimedia rights partner, to be the exclusive radio broadcast partner for University of Oregon Sports in the Eugene/Springfield market.

University of Oregon Sports will be broadcast on several Cumulus Eugene stations including: N/T KUGN 590 AM, KUJZ 95.3 THE SCORE, and Rock KZEL 96.1 FM.

Al Scott, Market Operations Manager for Cumulus Eugene said: “University of Oregon Sports broadcasts are a tradition here at Cumulus Eugene. Our entire team is incredibly proud of our partnership with the University of Oregon Ducks. We all look forward to broadcasting the
U of O sports features and games. The Oregon Duck games are as exciting for all of us here in the building as they are for our listeners.”

Craig Pintens, Senior Associate Athletic Director for the University of Oregon said: “The University of Oregon Athletic Department is thrilled to continue the broadcast partnership with Cumulus and KUGN. The storied history between Oregon Athletics and KUGN goes back many years and the relationship has been strong since KUGN regained the rights in 1995. When you think of Oregon Athletics being broadcast on the radio in this community, Duck Fans think of KUGN and Jerry Allen.”

Bruce Gilbert, Senior Vice President, Sports for Cumulus and Westwood One said: “We’re very proud to continue this valued partnership with the University of Oregon athletics. This is one of the many elite programs we have the privilege of working with on our Cumulus stations and Westwood One Sports.”

NYC Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM Tees-Up With Listeners

Broadcaster and former NY Jet Ray Lucas and ESPN New York 98.7’s Bill Daughtry

The 11th annual ESPN New York 98.7FM Tee it Up Golf Classic was held at Knollwood Country Club in Westchester this week.

Listeners from the tri-state area were able to "fill their foursome" at the event by winning on-air contests throughout various shows on 98.7 FM or entering at local PGA Tour SuperStore locations.

Several high-profile ESPN broadcasters participated in the event including Michael Kay, host of The Michael Kay Show; Mike Lupica, host of Lupica; Linda Cohn; Alan Hahn and Rick DiPietro, co-hosts of Hahn & Humpty; Trey Wingo; Ryan Ruocco and Dave Rothenberg, hosts of Ruocco and Rothenberg; and Damien Woody.

ESPN New York 98.7FM’s Michael Kay, Ryan Ruocco, Robin Lundberg and Dave Rothenberg

Numerous former New York athletes also participated including Shaun O'Hara and Jeff Feagles (Giants), Ray Lucas, Marty Lyons and Greg Buttle (Jets).

"Today's event is an example of our station truly living up to our mission of serving New York Sports Fans. Our sponsors, on-air winners, broadcasters and staff made this a great event," said Tim McCarthy, General Manager, ESPN New York WEPN 98.7 FM.

This year’s event raised more than $15,000 for The V Foundation for Cancer Research. Overall, ESPN New York 98.7FM has raised more than $130,000 for The V Foundation.

San Diego Radio: Former KOGO Financial Talker Banned By SEC

Jacob Cooper

Jacob Cooper, head of Total Wealth Management and former host of a KOGO 600 AM radio show, Uncommon Wealth, on Monday was banned from the securities industry by the chief administrative law judge of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The San Diego Reader reports Judge Brenda P. Murray wrote that "Cooper's violations of the anti-fraud provisions [of securities law] were egregious." Cooper recruited investors and then took kickbacks from the firms whose investments he was touting without informing those investors.

Among other things, Cooper admitted that he took investor funds to pay legal fees to fight the securities agency's charges.

R.I.P.: KOMO Seattle News Anchor Jane Shannon

Jane Shannon

UPDATE 8/22/15 6A: Veteran broadcast journalist Jane Shannon anchored the afternoon news on KOMO Newsradio Wednesday as normal and then returned to her home in Federal Way. Co-workers at KOMO arrived Thursday, but Shannon did not. After calling her home authorities were finally called for a welfare check.

Shannon was found at home where it is believed she died peacefully of natural causes.

Original posting...

Veteran afternoon KOMO 1000 AM / 97.7 FM news anchor Jane Shannon passed away unexpectedly this week.

An Oregon native, Shannon started her radio career at KITI in Centralia, where she was an anchor and the news director. Before coming to KOMO News Radio in 2010, Shannon worked at KXXO-FM in Olympia, KING AM in Seattle, and was a Morning News co-host at KIRO.

Former KOMO News Radio program director Paul Duckworth called Shannon an outstanding talent and a dear friend.

"When I met her the first time in the radio station, she was everything I thought she would be. She was smart. She was always looking for stories that made people feel things," Duckworth said.

Listeners around the Northwest knew Shannon as a passionate journalist, whose mission was always to find out why the story mattered to you. Her friends and co-workers knew her not only for her consummate professionalism, but as a friend who will leave a large hole in the KOMO family, according to a story at komonews.com.

R.I.P.: Legendary Chicago Weatherman Harry Volkman

Harry Volkman

Harry Volkman  died Thursday after a long illness at the age of 89, his son, radio personality Eddie Volkman, confirmed to CBS 2.

Volkman spent more than 50 years as a TV weatherman and meteorologist.

Harry was one of the first of the television weathermen, getting his start all the way back in 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  A few years later, he was the man who broadcast the first televised tornado warning. When he began  his career, there was no radar or computers.

In the early days, Harry got a lot of his weather via Morse code on shortwave radio.  He always said he loved conveying information about the weather.

He came to Chicago in 1959, working at WMAQ and later at WGN and at WBBM CBS-TV2 from 1978 to 1996.

While he was first and foremost a weather forecaster, his viewers came to know him for his sense of humor.

August 21 Radio HIstory

Ken Carpenter

In 1900... the man who, for 27 years was the announcer for Bing Crosby, Ken Carpenter was born in Avon Illinois. He became a staff announcer at KFI Los Angeles, and called USC & UCLA football games in the early 1930′s, and the Rose Bowl game in 1935.  In 1936 he began his career-long association with Crosby.  He also announced for Al Jolson and Edgar Bergen, The Life of Riley, Great Gildersleeve,  The Halls of Ivy, from 1952-55 Lux Radio Theatre, followed by Lux Video Theatre (1953-57.)

He died following a brief illness Oct. 16 1984 at age 84.


In 1923...one of early TV’s most prolific sportscasters Chris Schenkel (below) was born in Biuppus Ind.  Although he did playbyplay for ABC TV on college football, Major League Baseball, NBA basketball, golf and tennis tournaments, boxing, auto racing, and the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, he is best remembered today as the voice of Professional Bowling for more than 35 years. He died of emphysema Sept. 11 2005 at age 82.

Jack Buck

In 1924...sportscaster Jack Buck was born in Holyoke Mass. His deep gravelly voice is best remembered for his baseball playbyplay of the St. Louis Cardinals over more than 40 years.  He also did NFL football on TV, plus World Series Baseball and (for 20 years) Monday Night Football for CBS radio. He died of lung cancer June 18 2002 at age 77.


In 1935...the Benny Goodman Orchestra played a concert that’s considered to be the beginning of the Swing Era. The band’s exhuberant performance was at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, and was heard by millions coast-to-coast on radio.


In 2005...the inventor of the Moog Synthesizer, Robert Moog passed away at age 71, four months after being diagnosed with brain cancer.  Dr. Moog built his first electronic instrument, a theremin , at the age of 14 and made the MiniMoog, “the first compact, easy-to-use synthesiser” in 1970

Canton Radio: Morning Host Pat DeLuca OUT At WHBC

Pat DeLuca

Morning show personality Pat DeLuca has left AC WHBC Mix 94.1 FM after two years, according to indeonelin.com.

When his contract with the station expired Saturday, he was offered a six-month continuance that he chose not to accept, DeLuca said Thursday.

DeLuca and his attorney, Steve Okey, “had questions about the continuance that no one would answer,” he said. “That’s a big problem when you ask for clarification and you get no answers.”

An Akron native, DeLuca was hired as a part-timer at Q92 in Alliance in 2002, when he was 20. A year later, he was given the 7 p.m.-to-midnight show on Q92, which he did until 2006, when he was promoted to hosting the station’s morning show.

In 2012, DeLuca was fired from Q92. He then launched an online radio station, DSN (DeLuca Show Network). It continued through August 2013, when he was hired at Mix 94.1.

DeLuca was teamed with Kathy Vogel on the morning show. “Kathy was the best partner I ever had — such talent, such a good personality, such good chemistry,” he said.

Nielsen: State of Radio Outside The Big Markets

While big cities grab most of the headlines, a big and qualified audience uses radio every day in medium and small markets. Nielsen Wednesday released a special Audio Today report which focuses on the radio audience in 215 Nielsen Diary markets.

There, more than 86% of consumers (age 12 or older) tune in during the week spending more than 15 hours of their media time with radio, the original mass medium. That means, 65 million consumers listen to medium and small market radio each week.

These figures represent “Weekly Cume Ratings.” For example, more than 90% of Women 35-44 in these markets tuned to radio at least once during an average week (between the hours of 6AM and Midnight, Monday-Sunday). The dotted line represents the average of all consumers in medium and
small markets (12+) who listen to radio at least once during the week (86.4%).

Key Take-Aways:

• Medium and small market radio listeners are evenly split when it comes to gender. From an age perspective, more than 60% are between the ages of 18 and 54, where most advertising is targeted.
• Qualified consumers make up the majority of the medium and small market radio audience; working listeners account for three-quarters of all radio users, tuning in away from home and close to the point of purchase.
• Millennials make up the largest generation of radio users in medium and small markets. 75% of radio listeners in those markets are in the work force and can be found outside the home when they are ready to buy.
• Small and medium market radio listeners are evenly split when it comes to gender. Radio also reaches across the generations -- 86.8% of Boomers (aged 50-74), 86.5% of Millennials (12-34) and 89.9% of Gen Xers (35-49) are reached by radio in these markets each week.

The Top Formats In 2014:

1.  Country 15.9%
2.  News/Talk 11.1%
3.  CHR 8.6%
4.  AC 7.2%
5.  Classic Rock and Classic Hits 5.4%
7.  Christian CHR 4.2%
8.  Hot AC and Urban AC 3.9%
10. Rhythmic CHR and Urban, 3.7%

Philly Radio: Sports Hosts Have Heated Confrontation

Innes, Missanelli

During Eagles training camp on Wednesday, things got heated between WPEN 97.5 FM The Fanatic host Mike Missanelli and Sportsradio WIP 94.1 FM’s Josh Innes, eventually leading to the pair being separated by the team's security.

According to philly.com, Innes joined “The Mike and Ike Show,” hosted by Ike Reese and Michael Barkann on 94WIP, to describe the encounter, which he said was started by Missanelli.

Innes said Missanelli griped about Innes talking tough about The Fanatic's hosts on the radio, but not in person.

Angered by the way Innes has spoken in the past about Anthony Gargano, The Fanatic's morning show host, Missanelli claimed Innes was afraid to confront Gargano in person, Innes said.

Then, Innes recalled to Reese and Barkann, “I took off my sunglasses, looked him straight in the face and said, ‘your show [expletive] sucks.”

Missanelli then aggressively moved toward Innes, and Innes backed away, before Eagles security intervened and separated the two, Innes said.

Innes told Reese and Barkann: “I’m not afraid of the guy, but why am I going to get in the fight ... he’s a typical meathead bully who can’t settle things with his words.”

Former Philly.com reporter Jimmy Kempski, who covers the Eagles for Philly Voice, snapped a photo of the two hosts talking on the sideline prior to the dispute.

Eagles practice notes, August 19, 2015: No fights on the field, but one on the sidelines http://t.co/BCtMODEd3g pic.twitter.com/OOAWCzTRJ1

— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) August 19, 2015

Despite reports, neither Innes nor Missanelli were escorted off the field, and both are hosted their radio shows from the Eagles practice facility.