November 1 Radio History

In 1880...sportswriter Grantland Rice  was born in Murfreesboro Tennessee.  He was with the NY Herald Tribune when he was pressed into service as a broadcaster; he was at the mike for the first World Series game to be aired (KDKA 1921) and the first complete World Series (WJZ 1922.) He died July 13 1954 at age 73.

In 1894…Billboard Advertising, a 10-cent trade publication dealing with billboard advertising, began publication. After a few years, it started to focus on the entertainment shows advertised by billboards, and by the 1930s Billboard, as it came to be known, was covering radio and sales of a new medium, juke box records.


In 1937..."Hilltop House" first aired on CBS Radio.


In 1937…"Terry and the Pirates," a radio serial based on the popular comic strip, debuted on NBC's Red network. The show continued until 1948 with a two-year hiatus between 1939 and 1941.


In 1946...The following ad appeared November 1 in the NY Times heralding a change in call letters from WEAF to WNBC.

In 1955...The R&B group the Famous Flames entered Macon, Georgia radio station WIBB to record a demo of their first song, "Please, Please, Please." The result, featuring lead singer James Brown pleading into a single microphone while standing on an overturned wooden Coca-Cola case, was rejected by several record labels before finally being picked up by Cincinnati-based Federal Records, a subsidiary of King Records.


In 1959...WOV-AM in NYC changes call letters to WADO.

This station was launched as WGL on January 30, 1927, and was owned by the International Broadcasting Corporation. WGL president Colonel Lewis Landes stated on the inaugural broadcast, "The International Broadcasting Corporation's aim is to adhere to truth, to be free of partisanship, religious or political."

WGL was the first station to protest the frequency allocations of the Federal Radio Commission in May 1927. WGL was authorized to move to 1170 AM, but wanted to go to 720, occupied by WOR. When WOR was awarded the 710 frequency, both stations went to court, with WOR eventually winning the case. Finally in June 1927, WGL moved to 1020 AM and shared time with Paterson station, WODA.

On September 16, 1928, WGL changed calls to WOV and was sold to Sicilian-born importer John Iraci. The WGL call sign was then picked up by a Fort Wayne station, which uses them to this very day.

WOV's initial programming was aimed at a general audience, but by the mid-1930s, it strengthened its ethnic ties and expanded its Italian-language programming to fill the daytime hours. WOV soon became the dominant Italian voice in the Northeast through its affiliation with share-time station WBIL and Iraci's WPEN in Philadelphia.  Eventually, the station moved to its current 1280 AM spot.

DeeJay Peggy Lloyd (undated)

The station was owned by WOV Broadcasting until 1959, when it was sold to Bartel Broadcasters, at which time the station was renamed WADO.  The station was sold to Command Broadcasting in 1979. In 1986, Heftel bought the station, and over the next three years, moved to a Spanish language adult contemporary and talk format. By the early 1990s, WADO was a Spanish news and talk station.

In March 1996 they bought WPAT and put a Spanish MOR format there. In 1997, Heftel restructured into Hispanic Broadcasters. They sold WPAT to Multicultural, and acquired WNWK from Multicultural. The brokered shows from WNWK went to WPAT and WCAA went to a Spanish Tropical format. WADO remained News and Talk.

In the 1990s the FCC began to entertain the idea of power increases n the formerly regional channels like 1280. Application was made to raise day power from 5,000 watts on two towers to 50,000 watts on a four tower system. This remained on file, and was periodically amended as the ownership changed. In 1998 the FCC granted a CP for days at 50,000 watts. While planning the rebuilt site, DoE David Stewart hit on the idea of a night power increase using the proposed extra day towers. CP was granted for 7,200 watts.

In 2002, Hispanic Broadcasting was sold to Univision, making WADO and WCAA Univision-owned and operated stations


In 1993...Atlantic Radio - a conglomerate of 20 radio stations - became American Radio Systems.

CBS Corp. completed the $2.6-billion acquisition of American Radio Systems Corp.'s 98 stations in 1998.  At the time, Mel Karmazin, chairman and chief executive officer of the CBS Station Group, commented: "The acquisition of American Radio is financially and strategically attractive for CBS. This investment will significantly strengthen CBS's position in the fast growing radio industry.  It will enable CBS Radio to expand into new top 50 markets and increase its position in its existing major markets.  American Radio's stations are located in very attractive radio revenue growth markets where the Company expects to further consolidate its position."

Charlie O'Donnell

In 2010...popular TV announcer and LA radio DJ Charlie O’Donnell, who worked the Wheel Of Fortune, The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game, American Bandstand and the Gong Show, died in his sleep of heart failure at age 78.  He also had announced the American Music Awards, the Emmy Awards and the Academy Awards.

O'Donnell, a native Philadelphian, began his career as a teenager at WCHA in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In 1956, he worked as program director at WHAT, a 250-watt R&B station in Philadelphia, where he discovered and launched the career of future Philadelphia radio legend Hy Lit.

When WIBG became top-40 in 1957, O'Donnell was named news director. In 1958, he became the sidekick of Dick Clark on WFIL-TV's afternoon dance program, American Bandstand. This led to several stints as a disc jockey on Los Angeles radio (most notably on legendary Pasadena station KRLA, 1964–67), and later as news anchorman and staff announcer on Los Angeles television station KCOP-TV. KCOP was the home of The Joker's Wild and Tic-Tac-Dough during its initial syndicated reigns. He is also featured on the Simon and Garfunkel song "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" as the news announcer.

FBN Announces Plans For Next GOP Debate

Neil Cavuto

Republican presidential candidates will not give opening statements at the next debate, hosted by the Fox Business Network, but they will have more time to respond to questions — 90 seconds in their initial answer, and a 60-second rebuttal — according to an internal logistics memo the network sent to the campaigns on Friday.

The NYTimes reports the candidates will also be allowed 30-second closing statements, said the memo, which was obtained by The New York Times and confirmed by Fox Business Network.

The memo comes in the wake of Wednesday evening’s CNBC debate, which angered the Republican National Committee and the candidates, for what they said was the combative tone of the questions, which party officials said did not focus on the economy as much as they had expected from a business news network.

Maria Bartiromo

The Republican campaigns have scheduled a meeting in Washington on Sunday evening to try to regain control of the debate process and force the networks to address their concerns.

The main-stage debate will be moderated by Fox Business Managing Editor Neil Cavuto and Global Markets editor Maria Bartiromo, along with Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Gerard Baker.

On Tuesday, November 10th, coverage will kick off at 5PM/ET with a special edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight featuring pre-debate news and analysis with host Lou Dobbs leading up to the 6PM/ET debate. Dobbs will then toss to Regan, Smith and Seib as they commence the first debate, which will run from 6:00PM-7:30 PM/ET, followed by another special edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight (7:30-9PM/ET).

Gerard Baker

The primetime debate will begin at 9PM/ET, following which, Cavuto will anchor a one-hour special edition of CAVUTO: Coast to Coast live from the Spin Room at 11PM/ET. At midnight, John Stossel will host a special edition of Stossel featuring the Libertarian reaction to the debate with a live studio audience.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015 Line-Up:

• 5-6PM/ET: Lou Dobbs Tonight, Live from Milwaukee Theatre
• 6-7:30PM/ET: Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Live from Milwaukee Theatre
• 7:30-9PM/ET: Lou Dobbs Tonight, Live from Milwaukee Theatre
• 9PM-11PM/ET: Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Live from Milwaukee Theatre
• 11PM-12AM: Special Edition of CAVUTO: Coast to Coast, Live from Milwaukee Theatre
• 12AM-1AM: Special Edition of Stossel, Live from New York

Additionally, Bartiromo, Cavuto and Regan will anchor their shows live from the Milwaukee Theatre with post-debate news and analysis on Wednesday, November 11th starting at 6AM/ET.

Detroit Radio: WMGC Adds Dery, Sharp To PM Drive

Veteran Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp will join Matt Dery as co-host of sports station WMGC 105.1 FM afternoon drive-time show “Dery and Sharp,” filling the slot created when longtime radio personality Drew Lane couldn’t reach a new deal with the Greater Media Inc.’s sports station earlier this month.

Additionally, Sean Baligian and two of Lane’s former on-air sidekicks, Tom Mazawey and Marc Fellhauer, will host the noon to 3 p.m. slot.

Dery previously was the mid-day host until filling in for Lane when he left on Oct. 19.

Dery and Sharp

Crain's Detroit Business reports Baligian previously did sports on Detroit’s WDFN 1130 AM and WMAX 96.1 FM in Grand Rapids.

Sharp has been with the Freep for more than 30 years and has been a regular on sports radio for years.

“This new lineup is very exciting and we will continue bringing Detroit the most knowledgeable and most thought-provoking talent in sports radio,” said WMGC Program Director Dave Shore in a statement today.

WMGC’s overall ratings for the period ending Sept. 29 were a 0.8, which ranked the station 23rd in the market, according to data from Nielsen Audio.

CBS Radio Inc.-owned rival WXYT 97.1 FM, which has the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings play-by-play contracts, dominates the market with a 6.8 rating.

ESPN Shutters Grantland Website

Grantland, a sports and pop culture website started by ESPN in 2011, has suspended publishing, the company announced Friday.

"After careful consideration, we have decided to direct our time and energy going forward to projects that we believe will have a broader and more significant impact across our enterprise," ESPN said in a statement.

The site began as the brainchild of editor-in-chief Bill Simmons, who left ESPN earlier this year. Simmons is currently preparing for an HBO show and has a podcast. Several other editors left recently, including editorial director Dan Fierman. Chris Connelly replaced Simmons as the interim editor-in-chief.

"Grantland distinguished itself with quality writing, smart ideas, original thinking and fun," the ESPN statement said. "We are grateful to those who made it so. Bill Simmons was passionately committed to the site and proved to be an outstanding editor with a real eye for talent.

"Thanks to all the other writers, editors and staff who worked very hard to create content with an identifiable sensibility and consistent intelligence and quality. We also extend our thanks to Chris Connelly who stepped in to help us maintain the site these past five months as he returns to his prior role.

"Despite this change, the legacy of smart long-form sports story-telling and innovative short form video content will continue, finding a home on many of our other ESPN platforms."

The Sun To Take Down Paywall

By Angus Berwick

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest-selling newspaper the Sun is to take down its online paywall, after the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid failed to win enough readers in the latest troubled digital experiment for a traditional publisher.

The scrapping of the online subscription, introduced in 2013, marks the failure of the Sun to carve out a niche online, unlike its fierce rival the Daily Mail, which boasts one of the most popular websites in the world.

The decision to remove the paywall is also the first strategic change from Rebekah Brooks since she returned to oversee the Sun and its stablemate the Times as the chief executive of Murdoch's British newspaper arm.

Brooks, who returned to the company in September, had spent the previous four years clearing her name after she was accused of being part of a criminal phone hacking campaign to dig up news stories.

"I have every confidence that this digital evolution will ensure that the unique space the Sun occupies in British culture will be preserved - and enhanced," Brooks said in a note to staff.

The website will be free to read from Nov. 30, although some paid-for products will be retained.

The paper's implicit admission that people were not willing to pay online for its brand of witty journalism comes as the media industry is divided over whether paywalls or online advertising are the remedy to the sector's struggles at a time of declining print revenue.

"For popular journalism generally, I think it's incredibly difficult to run a subscription model for that kind of content," Douglas McCabe, a media analyst at Enders Analysis, said.

"This isn't premium financial information," he added.

Newspapers that have made a success of online paywalls include the Financial Times, the New York Times and Murdoch's Wall Street Journal and the Times of London, which will keep the payments, despite the change at its sister paper.

The move to scrap the paywall, the only one to be used by a British tabloid, is designed to rejuvenate the paper.

In September it had 1.1 million unique browsers a day, according to ABC data, far behind the Daily Mail on 13.4 million and the Mirror Group titles on 3.9 million. Actual sales of the Sun newspaper fell by 34 percent in Brooks' absence.

McCabe said he expected the newspaper to now develop their social media strategy and to try to deliver as big an international audience as possible for advertisers.

"They do have a very powerful brand, and I don't think that brand has been destroyed in any way. It still has real resonance in the marketplace," he said.

(Reporting by Angus Berwick; Editing by Alison Williams)

Charleston SC Radio: WIWF Treats First Responders To NASH Bash

Charleston was treated to the good ole country Charm of Big & Rich and The Swon Brothers Thursday night at the 2nd Annual Nash Bash.

WIWF NASH FM 96.9 took the opportunity to thank hard working South Carolina First Responders for their efforts after the devastating floods crippled the state earlier in the month.

tation personalities delivered free tickets for all EMT, Fire, Police, National Guard and other first responders to show the country music community’s appreciation for the men and women that worked and sacrificed during the recent natural disaster.

Big & Rich, Cowboy Troy and NASH FM on-air staff thank flood first responders backstage

Lance Corporal Adam Klimek with the SC Highway Patrol was one of the many first responders recognized backstage personally by NASH FM and Big and Rich, "That was an experience I will never forget!"

The concert festival featured The Swon Brothers (From NBC’s The Voice), and a special on stage tribute from country super duo Big and Rich.

Also on hand to host the event were America’s Morning Show news anchor Erika Grace Powell and introductions with Charleston NASH FM afternoon hosts Tori Lynn and Jay.

Louisville Radio: Joe Elliott OUT At Salem's WGTK

One of Louisville’s most popular talk radio show hosts has been yanked off the airwaves much to the displeasure of area listeners, according to The Courier-Journal.

Joe Elliott announced Thursday evening his morning program on WGTK 970 AM had been pulled from their lineup.

Joe here. I'm sad to report the our program was cancelled today. I want to thank you so much for the support over the past 5 years at 970.

— The Joe Elliott Show (@joeelliottshow) October 29, 2015

Elliott's show ran from 8 to 11 a.m. on the station's mostly conservative talk radio lineup. WGTK-AM management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Elliott previously worked at WHAS 840 AM where he hosted a nightly radio program before being layed-off just days prior to Christmas 2007.

“Thanks for listening and hope to see you again on the radio sometime soon,” Elliott said.

WW1's Zach&Gang Host Ariana Grande

Pop star Ariana Grande stopped by Westwood One’s Zach Sang & The Gang studio this week and spent some quality time with the gang.

She talked about her friendship with Katy Perry and about having British actor Tom Felton star her new music video. Grande also talked about being embarrassed by her old music, her TV persona “Cat Valentine,” the movie Zoolander 2, Halloween costumes, and her first Snapchat ever.

The full intervieedw aired  Friday night during Zach Sang & The Gang, 7 pm – 12 midnight, ET.

October 31 Radio History

In 1912...actress & singing cowgirl Dale Evans was born (Frances Butts) in Uvalde Texas. She was Roy Rogers’ partner in life, the movies, radio & TV.  Dale wrote Roy’s theme song, Happy Trails to You. She died at 88 on Feb 7, 2001 of congestive heart failure.


In 1942..."White Christmas" by Bing Crosby hit No. 1 on the pop singles chart, where it stayed for 11 weeks.


In 1942...CBS radio debuted Thanks to the Yanks, a wartime themed game show starring Bob Hawk, the quizmaster who had introduced Take it Or Leave It to radio, the original $64 Question show.

In 1968..The War of the Worlds was a radio drama, originally aired by Buffalo, New York radio station Top40 WKBW 1520 AM on October 31, 1968. It was a modernized version of the original radio drama aired by CBS in 1938.

WKBW program director Jefferson Kaye (d. 2012), a big fan of the original Orson Welles version from three decades earlier, wondered what The War of the Worlds would sound like if it was made using up-to-date (for 1968) radio news equipment, covering the "story" of a Martian invasion. Up until this point, most radio renditions of the 1938 broadcast were simply script re-readings with different actors or had minor variations to account for significantly different geographical locations. Kaye decided to disregard the original script entirely, move the action to Grand Island, New York, and use actual WKBW disc jockeys and news reporters as actors.

Other changes reflected the changing state of the industry: instead of the old-time radio programming fare of the 1930s, WKBW's War of the Worlds broadcast was interwoven into the station's Top40 programming.



Initially, a script was written for the news reporters to act out; however, upon hearing the rehearsals, it was evident that the news reporters were not adept at scripted radio acting. So instead, Kaye wrote an outline based on the events that were to occur, and the news reporters were then asked to describe the events as they would covering an actual news story. The results were much more realistic for its time, and this was the process used for the actual broadcast.

Jeff Kaye

Despite an exhaustive advertising campaign by WKBW for this show, several people were still convinced upon listening to it that the events unfolding in the show were genuine. Among those fooled included a local newspaper, several small-town police officers and even the Canadian military, which dispatched troops to the Peace Bridge. Although the public concern over the legitimacy of the broadcast was not as great as in 1938, creator Kaye and director Dan Kriegler feared that they were going to lose their jobs as a result of the broadcast; Kaye claimed that he actually submitted his resignation, certain that he was going to be fired the next day. However, no one involved in the broadcast was fired and the resignation was not accepted.

It was a generally conceived notion before the broadcast that a mass hoax, even one as unintentional as the 1938 program, could never be duplicated again by a lone radio broadcast. The rise of television as a preferred news medium was a factor in this notion that radio could no longer produce such a drastic response from its audience. The fact that the WKBW broadcast could unintentionally re-create that response on a smaller scale surprised many people and garnered a lot of post-broadcast attention on the radio station. In this way, it was a successful marketing gimmick.
Versions.



The original and longest airing broadcasts. featured Sandy Beach during the opening.




In 1988...prominent network radio announcer & commercial spokesman Ken Niles died, aged 81.  He had numerous assignments from the late 1920′s through the 1950′s, as announcer for Abbott & Costello, Judy Canova, Danny Kaye, Louella Parsons and Kay Kyser, plus such shows as A Date with Judy, Life of Riley, Beulah, Camel Caravan and Suspense.


In 2008...Chicago author/actor/radio host Studs Terkel died at age 96. He broadcast on WFMT/Chicago for 45 years.

RNC Suspends NBC News' GOP Debate

(Reuters) -- The Republican National Committee on Friday dumped NBC News from sponsoring a Feb. 26 debate of presidential candidates in the fallout over a debate conducted by media partner CNBC this week that was roundly criticized by the candidates.

The move comes as several campaigns seek to change the format for the remaining debates due to concerns too many candidates are on stage at the same time and do not get enough time to speak.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus cited "bad faith" in announcing the party will suspend its partnership with NBC News for the Feb. 26 debate to be held in Houston. Telemundo and National Review are co-sponsors of the event.

Priebus told NBC in a letter that the committee wanted to ensure its candidates would be given a "full and fair" opportunity to lay out their political visions. The party has complained about the handling of Wednesday night's debate by CNBC.

The CNBC debate in Boulder, Colorado, was supposed to be devoted to discussing the candidates' views on how to improve the U.S. economy but frequently strayed from that theme and the moderators struggled to maintain control.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie were among those candidates who objected to questions during the debate. Christie wondered aloud why they were being asked about Fantasy Football competition when Islamic State militants are killing people in the Middle East.

“This is a disappointing development. However, along with our debate broadcast partners at Telemundo we will work in good faith to resolve this matter with the Republican Party," an NBC statement said.

Representatives from several campaigns are to meet on Sunday to discuss how to repair what they feel is a broken debate format that is backed by the RNC and TV networks.

At least one campaign has suggested that instead of having 10 or 11 candidates on stage at the same time, that the group be split in two for two debates of 90 minutes each.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Bill Trott and Andrew Hay)

Milwaukee Radio: WKTI Adds Jake&Tanner Morning Show

Country WKTI 94.5 FM has announced the “Jake & Tanner Show” as its new morning team.

Hosts Jake Kelly and Tanner Jay, along with producer Samantha Walker arrive from Top40 WIXX 101.1 FM in Green Bay, where they hosted the afternoon drive show for the past three years.

“Jake & Tanner are local, fun, engaging - and they’re Wisconsin Proud!  Their younger approach, heavier local involvement and humor will be points of difference." said Tom Langmyer Vice President & General Manager.  "With the recent addition of Dayton Kane in afternoon drive and Jillene at night, KTI Country is growing fast as Milwaukee's live and locally-hosted Country station."

Jake & Tanner's success has been built on genuine friendship, fun and an interactive relationship with their audience.  The show has been dominant in Green Bay and was recently awarded “2014 Best Radio Show Medium Market” by the Wisconsin Broadcasters’ Association.

"We are so excited and grateful to come to Milwaukee.  Like Kenny Rogers said ‘You got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them, know when to walk away and know when to run’ and that’s how Tanner and I live our lives" said Jake.

"Don’t group me in with your Kenny Rogers quote. It doesn't even make sense with what you were saying." said Tanner.

"I thought we talked about this. We said we would use Kenny.” added Jake.

"We agreed not to do that because it's sounds ridiculous.  Why couldn't you just say, we're a fun, family, funny show and we are glad to be part of Southeast Wisconsin." responded Tanner.

“Welcoming Jake & Tanner to KTI Country brings a young, fresh, proven show that's also extremely active on social media...everything we’re about.  I hope Milwaukee is ready for something totally different in the morning" said Program Manager and KTI Country Afternoon Personality Dayton Kane.

WKTI 94.5 FM (14 Kw) Red-Local Coverage Area

“The Jake & Tanner Show” debuts on KTI Country on Monday, November 23rd.

Beasley Reports Net Income Loss For 3Q 2015

Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBGI) today announced operating results for the three month period ended September 30, 2015.

Chairman/CEO George G. Beasley, “On a combined basis, third quarter top line revenue growth of 7% reflects the ongoing leadership of our Ft. Myers cluster as well as growth in Tampa-St. Petersburg, one of the two markets we entered as a result of last year’s asset exchange (with CBS RADIO). The station exchange diversified our local radio and marketing solutions platform and, since closing the transaction, we have been executing plans to extract operating and financial synergies from the transaction."

ESPN's Mike & Mike Get A Bit Spooky

In what has become a time-honored, yearly tradition, Mike & Mike co-hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic -- along with regular contributor Cris Carter – donned Halloween costumes for Friday morning’s program.

Mike & Mike airs weekdays, 6 – 10 a.m. ET on ESPN Radio and is simulcast on ESPN2. The show is also available via ESPNRadio.com, the ESPN app, SiriusXM, Apple iTunes, Slacker Radio, TuneIn and on WatchESPN.

Chuck Wicks' AMS Pull-Up Challenge Raises $5K

Chuck Wicks, co-host of America's Morning Show, raised over $5,000 for Susan G. Komen and breast cancer research Friday morning!

Throughout this week, America's Morning Show gathered pledges from listeners per each pull-up Chuck could pull off in 30 seconds.

The show received pledges from D1 Sports (which provided the pull-up bar), New York Jets' Wide Receiver, Eric Decker, and the cast of America's Morning Show.

Chuck was inspired by Mark Wahlberg’s performance last week on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where Wahlberg did 22 pull-ups in 30 seconds.

Chuck SMASHED Mark’s performance with 28 pull-ups!

High Ratings, Criticism Give CNBC Mixed Victory

(Reuters) -- Fourteen million viewers tuned in for the Republican Party presidential campaign debate on CNBC on Wednesday night, a record for the network, but criticism of the moderators left CNBC with a mixed victory.

Ratings for the third debate among Republicans seeking their party's nomination to run for the White House in the November 2016 election trailed the other two aired on Fox and CNN, which drew 24 million and 22.9 million viewers.

John Harwood, Becky Quick, Carl Quintanilla

During and after the debate, some comments on social media and some politicians criticized moderators for being biased with their questions. Candidate Ted Cruz, a conservative U.S. Senator from Texas, said the event showed "why the American people don't trust the media."

CNBC, in a statement announcing the ratings, defended itself against the criticism, describing the evening as "a hard-hitting debate that changed the course of the Republican primary."

Media analyst and entrepreneur Steve Brill said that CNBC's focus on financial news would insulate it to some extent from any backlash.

"I am not sure that it really affects the reputation of the network at the core of what it is, which is a financial news network," Brill said.

CNBC sold all of its advertising slots during the prime time debate, charging advertisers $250,000 or more for a 30-second ad, according to a person familiar with the situation.

"It's a victory, but it's a mixed victory for CNBC," said Barry Lowenthal, president of the The Media Kitchen, a New York-based media buyer.

Questions at Republican primary debates have long been a point of contention within the party. Party chairman Reince Priebus instituted a series of rules after the 2012 election in an attempt to have moderators who would be interested in discussing conservative issues.

Jury Slaps Cox Cable With $6.3M+ Verdict

With cable boxes currently costing the average household $231 a year, Cox Communication subscribers in middle America won an antitrust lawsuit with a $6.31 million jury verdict on Thursday. The damage award could be trebled as more antitrust lawsuits await.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plaintiffs in the case alleged that Cox improperly tied and bundled the lease of cable boxes to the ability to obtain premium cable services. A national class action wasn't certified because of differences in geographic markets, but consolidated actions have been proceeding in various regions of the country.

A federal court in Oklahoma was the site of the first case to make it to trial after attempts to send the dispute to arbitration failed.

An eight-day trial explored the question of whether Cox subscribers were really coerced into renting set-top boxes. Some of the premium programming and video-on-demand services may have been available through satellite TV distributors like Dish and DirecTV. Although companies like TiVo have offered an alternative to traditional set-top boxes, the market is thin. For the most part, if Cox customers want premium cable, they must spend extra money for the Cox boxes.

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San Diego Radio: BCA Promotes Mike Shephard To VP/Programming

Mike Shephard

Broadcast Company of the Americas has announced Programming/Ops Manager Mike Shepard has been promoted to VP/Programming & Operations.

BCA President Mike Glickenhaus said, "Mike's leadership, creativity and understanding of today's media dynamics and the opportunities they present, coupled with his tremendous work ethic, have been a major contributor to the success of BCA. This new position properly recognizes both his past contributions as well as solidifies his role moving forward."

RAMP reports that prior to joining BCA in May 2011, Shepard was across the street as VP/ Programming & Operations for Jefferson Pilot-owned KSON, KIFM and KBZT. He's also held senior management roles at Moyes Research, Pinnacle Media Research, P1 Research and Shepard Media Research.

Commenting on his promotion, Shepard said, "[CEO] Jay Meyers and Mike Glickenhaus have created a strategic vision for BCA as a multimedia company and I'm honored in their confidence in me we as we fulfill that vision. BCA is one of the remaining 'great places' in our industry and I'm excited about our future."

Founded in 2003, BCA Radio operates XEPRS Mighty 1090 AM, ESPN XEPE 1700 AM and XHPRS 105.7 MaxFM, and is the flagship broadcast partner of the San Diego Padres and San Diego State Athletics, as well as the Gulls.

Milwaukee Radio: Bonnie Petrie Exits WTMJ

Bonnie Petrie

Bonnie Petrie has left WTMJ 620 AM because of a voice disorder, a little more than three months after the station hired her to co-anchor its morning show.

Petrie confirmed in an email to The Milwaukke Journal-Sentinel that she and the station "have parted ways."

Not long after she joined WTMJ in mid-July, Petrie wrote, her voice quality began to deteriorate. She went to have it checked out, and eventually was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological disorder affecting the larynx.

The ailment is treatable, and Petrie said in her email that she is regularly seeing a vocal therapist.

"I know I will beat this thing," she wrote.

Petrie has been writing news stories and doing some reporting in the intervening weeks. While her voice has "significantly improved," she wrote, full recovery will take awhile, preventing her from doing the job she was hired for.

Petrie, who came to WTMJ from gigs as a news anchor at radio stations in Houston and Dallas, said it had been "an honor and a pleasure to work with the fine team that makes WTMJ tick."

British Radio: Digital Listenership Passes 50 Percent

The proportion of audiences who listen to national radio stations via digital radio has passed 50 per cent for the first time, in what the industry is hailing as a breakthrough moment for the medium.

Ford Ennals

The Telegraph reports quarterly figures show that 50.6 per cent of all audience hours for national BBC and commercial stations came via the digital platform, with Radio 4 Extra setting a new audience record of 2.2 million listeners per week. When local radio stations are factored in, digital’s share is 42 per cent.

Digital radio initially failed to take hold in Britain, but in recent years it has grown in popularity, on the back of BBC stations such as 6 Music, and the decision to move test match cricket onto 5 Live Sports Extra, which also posted a record audience of 1.73 million weekly listeners. 54 per cent of households now own a DAB radio, up from 22 per cent eight years ago.

Ford Ennals, chief executive of Digital Radio UK, said: “The shift to digital listening is accelerating across the UK. We are now counting down to the moment when the majority of all radio listening will be to digital.”

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Report: Samsung To Sponsor Rihanna Tour

Electronics giant Samsung has reached an unprecedented $25 million deal to sponsor Rihanna’s upcoming album and tour, The NY Post has learned.

Rihanna is signed to Roc Nation, run by rap mogul Jay Z, who has had a long and profitable relationship with Samsung.

The Rihanna deal follows seven months of talks and is the biggest music-marketing tie-up in recent memory. Hammering out the details took longer than expected in part because Rihanna made some last-minute tweaks to the album, sources said.

The news comes just a day after The Post reported exclusively that representatives of Adele, the 27-year-old UK pop star, are pushing Apple — and perhaps other companies — for a $30 million commitment to back her upcoming album and an as-yet announced world tour.

Rihanna, the 27-year-old beauty from Barbados, is releasing an album in the next few weeks, reportedly titled “Anti.” It will be her eighth studio album.

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Justin Bieber Storms Off Stage In Norway

Bieber walks off stage

(Reuters) -- Justin Bieber, who made a triumphant return to the European stage at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Milan on Sunday, abruptly canceled his concert in Oslo on Thursday night after performing just one song.

The singer, who found fame at 13 and went on to become a global pop phenomenon, scooped five prizes in Milan, including Best Male and Biggest Fans, and next month is to release his first album in three years, during which bad behavior offstage risked damaging his family-friendly teen heartthrob image.

"I'm done, I'm not doing the show," he told his fans, known as "beliebers", after complaining that they did not listen to him while he was trying to wipe up spilled water, a video from the concert posted on the website of Norwegian daily VG showed.

"Sadly it's been a rough week for me, long days, no sleep, while having to be 'on' as they would say for cameras fans etc...," he later said in a post on Instagram, apologizing.

"In no way did I mean to come across mean, but chose to end the show as the people in the front row would not listen."

His private jet took off from Oslo's airport just after midnight, leaving his fans shaken, and some in tears, VG said.

Bieber is extremely popular in Norway, with some schools even having rescheduled exams in the past so their students could attend his concerts.

(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; Editing by Ken Wills)

On Wednesday, Justin Bieber got caught up in one of the most awkward interviews ever on Spanish radio. The 21-year-old went from looking confused to fed up to irritated during the nine minute exchange, before getting up and walking out.

The bizarre featured three Spanish speaking DJs - one of whom had very broken English - and no translator for Bieber, who being Canadian can parle Français, but does not habla Español.

The interview starts amicably enough, but it soon becomes apparent that the one who's supposed to be serving as the translator has a tentative grip on the English language.

Dave Ramsey Pays $10M+ Cash For TN Property

Dave Ramsey

Personal-finance guru and radio personality Dave Ramsey has cemented a deal for his company's new headquarters in Franklin, near Nashville.

Ramsey announced Wednesday that his company, Ramsey Solutions, had formally closed on 47 acres within the part of Berry Farms at the southeast quadrant of exit 61 of Interstate 65.

Ramsey Solutions paid precisely $10,883,248 — all-cash, of course, as the company's spokeswoman made sure to note in an email.

“This isn’t just a real estate deal. It’s about bringing our team back to a central location and continuing to grow the company, and the number of people we are able to help,” Ramsey said in a statement.

“Williamson County is home, and I’m glad we were able to stay in the area.”

Ramsey plans up to 600,000 square feet of office space and a 50,000-square-foot conference center. The first phase of construction will be one office building, containing 200,000 square feet.

That one building alone is bigger than the office space Ramsey Solutions current occupies, spread across five locations in the Cool Springs commercial hub.

The company currently employs about 500 people and plans to hire 180 more in the next year. Half of those openings are in tech fields. This year, for the first time, the 23-year-old company surpassed $100 million of annual revenue.

Combined with Dave’s daily broadcast radio audience of a reported 8.5 million, listening on over 550 broadcast radio affiliates nationwide, The Dave Ramsey Show now reaches more than 11 million fans weekly — on-air, online, and on demand.

“While our main focus will remain on the continued growth and development of our program on radio, we must also be in constant evaluation, exploration, and development of new technologies and ways of reaching new audience,” said Ramsey Media VP Brian Mayfield. “Forming strong working relationships with companies such as Spotify and Google are what we hope is just the beginning of our potential growth in the digital space as well as on broadcast radio.”

L-A Radio: Jonesy's Jukebox Return To KLOS

Steve Jones

Cumulus Los Angeles announces that Steve Jones, best known as guitarist for the Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop and one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”, returns to the Southern California airwaves Fridays as host of “Jonesy’s Jukebox” from Noon to 2:00 p.m. on The Rock of Southern California KLOS 95.5 FM.  “Jonesy’s Jukebox” launches on 95.5 KLOS today at Noon.

Jones mixes an eclectic Rock and Classic Rock playlist with freeform and often humorous interviews of guests from the music and entertainment world. He is known for keeping an acoustic guitar in the studio and performing stream-of-consciousness songs about the show’s current topic of discussion.

Keith Cunningham, Program Director for KLOS and Corporate Program Director, Rock Formats for Cumulus Media said: “Adding Steve Jones and his wildly popular and unique show to our line-up was a no-brainer. Talent is radio’s secret sauce and having a Friday midday block with Bob Coburn followed by Steve Jones is Rock & Roll Royalty. KLOS listeners are going to love it.”

Jones said: “I can’t wait to be on KLOS and play all my favorite types of rock and classic rock music. I needed a good reason to get my platform boots out, and this is the perfect opportunity.”

SF Radio: KFOG Food Bank Fund Raiser CD Released

KFOG-FM announces the release of its annual benefit CD, Live from the Archives 22, to raise funds for Bay Area Food Banks. The live compilation CD features KFOG in-studio performances from rock’s biggest artists, including Train, Michael Franti and Cage the Elephant, and will be available for purchase starting Monday, November 2, at Bay Area Peet’s Coffee & Tea locations. A special pre-sale is available online now at www.peets.com/kfog. In addition, on November 12, KFOG will present Bay Area Food Banks with a $200,000 donation, representing funds raised from last year’s Live from the Archives 21 CD sales.

KFOG 104.5 FM in San francisco has produced its annual CD benefiting Bay Area Food Banks for 22 consecutive years.

The CD is the biggest single cash fundraiser each year for Bay Area Food Banks, which include: Alameda County Community Food Bank; Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano; Napa Valley Food Bank; Redwood Empire Food Bank; San Francisco-Marin Food Bank; and Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. These agencies help feed disadvantaged children, families in crisis, low-income seniors, people living with AIDS, the homeless, the working poor and others in need.

Jim Richards, Program Director for KFOG-FM said: “The continued support of this project by the music community is impressive and humbling.  These artists give their time to perform in our Private Concerts, then contribute the recordings to this compilation so that Bay Area Food Banks can provide a much-needed community service.  The musicians, their managers, publishers and labels have all been generous and gracious.  I’d like to thank them for keeping this worthwhile tradition alive.”

Paul Ash, Executive Director of San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, said: “The amount of support the Bay Area Food Banks has received from Live from the Archives over the last 21 years is tremendous. Not only in dollars, but in raising awareness about food insecurity to KFOG listeners. Meals bring people together, especially during the holidays, and this annual donation allows Food Banks to provide critical assistance and joy to thousands of families who are struggling to make ends meet.”

Below is the track listing from KFOG’s Live from the Archives 22. Listeners can preview tracks and all funds raised from the sale of Live from the Archives 22 will go to Bay Area Food Banks.

For more information, contact: Jim Richards, Program Director, KFOG at: jr@cumulus.com and at 415.995.6800.