In 1942..."The Better Half,", a quiz show, was first aired on Mutual Radio.
In 1943...Singer Jim Croce was born. He died in a plane crash on September 20, 1973 at 30
In 1945...Singer Rod Stewart was born.
In 1949...RCA Victor announced the creation of a new record format logically nicknamed the "45," since the two-sided seven-inch vinyl discs were designed to play at 45-RPM. 1949 RCA 9Y7 45 rpm record and radio in bleach blond mahogany with AM radio playing Someone you love by Nat King Cole.
In 1964...The first North American Beatles album, "Introducing The Beatles," was released by Chicago-based Vee-Jay Records. The label was forced to stop selling the disc by the end of the year because of legal complications, after 1.3 million copies of the album had been sold.
In 1965...Howard Cosell does first “Speaking of Everything” program on 77 WABC in NYC.
In 1969...Frustrated by Paul McCartney's dominance during the filming of "Let It Be," George Harrison nonchalantly told the rest of the band that he was quitting immediately and sarcastically said as he walked out, "See you around the clubs." George later stated that while he had a growing backlog of new material, he constantly had to work on Lennon and McCartney's songs before the group would work on his. George was the second Beatle to quit; Ringo had left the group for a brief period a year earlier.
In 1987...NRSC-1 goes into effect to establish AM emphasis/de-emphasis curves. Read more here. In 2007...Wilks Broadcast Group completed $138 million acquisition of radio stations in Kansas City and Columbus from CBS Corporation
iHeartMedia Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Pittman talks to Bloomberg's Cory Johnson about changes in the music and media businesses at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. (Source: Bloomberg)
WTMJ 620 AM is getting into the Steven Avery business with a two-hour special broadcast Saturday night called "Beyond Making a Murderer."
The show will air at 7 p.m. Saturday and repeating at 11 a.m. Sunday. Click Here to listen.
The Netflix series about the Steven Avery case, "Making a Murderer," has become an international sensation, but has it succeeded in bringing the whole truth about the murder case of Teresa Halbach?
Perhaps not, in the eyes of one of the men who covered it.
WTMJ's host of "Wisconsin's Afternoon News," John Mercure, covered the trial as a reporter for TODAY'S TMJ4.
He shares his belief that perhaps there's much more to the case than what the producers of the series are presenting.
The Avery case — in which Steven Avery, who was released after spending 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, was convicted in the 2005 murder of photographer Teresa Halbach in Manitowoc — has received renewed focus with the release on Netflix of "Making a Murderer," a 10-part documentary series that has been a hot topic since it began streaming in mid-December.
In a statement from the station, WTMJ Program Manager Eric Brooks said the radio station is "working to go beyond the documentary to talk with the people involved in the case and give our audience updated information."
Mid-day talk host Bill Carroll announced to his listeners Thursday that he was immediately departing KFI 640 AM.
He says he's returning to Toronto to be closer to family. Carrool joined KFI in early 2010 after a hosting at Rock CILQ 107.1 FM and N/T CFRB 1010 AM . And for the past few years he's being hosting from L-A an afternoon show on CFMJ 1040 AM.
During his farewell message, the 56-year-old Carroll implored, "For God sakes, when I am gone, do not elect Donald Trump. You are better than that. Do not let anger sweep you away. Do not elect Donald Trump. I came to live among you because I admire you for your graciousness, your openness, and your religious freedoms. Don't elect Donald Trump - I am begging."
KFI program Driector Robin Bertolucci will use guest hosts to fill the 10a to 1p slot while a search is made for a new fulltime host
Announced Friday by SNL Kagan, broadcast station mergers & acquisitions (M&A) volume reached $486.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2015. Radio reached $160.4 million while TV registered deals worth $326.4 million.
The SNL Kagan report finds that the total is low compared to the more than $3 billion of the previous quarter, but it is still more than the deal volume of the first half of the year.
Highlights from the SNL Kagan report:
There were no billion-dollar deals in the fourth quarter (Q4) and only one transaction of more than $100 million, but with 37 transactions of $1 million or more, Q4 delivered a similarly solid number of million-dollar deals as the previous quarter (38 deals over $1 million).
The TV market ended the year with an average 8.4x forward seller's multiple (0.1 point higher than at the end of Q3). The radio cash flow (c.f.) multiple remained unchanged at 6.7x.
The top TV deal and the only hundred-million-dollar deal of the quarter was Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc.'s $130 million/8.4x c.f. acquisition of the CBS outlets in the West Virginia markets of Charleston-Huntington, Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill and Wheeling, as well as the NBC affiliate in Clarksburg, W.Va., from West Virginia Media Holdings.
In a twist to the usual spectrum aggregator model, LocusPoint Networks LLC sold three of its stations — WMJF-CD in Baltimore, W33BY in Detroit and WBNF-CD in Buffalo, N.Y. — to HME Equity Fund II LLC for $23.75 million. LocusPoint and its backers Blackstone Group had acquired the stations in 2012-2014 for a total of $4.83 million and may have wanted to earn a return on some of the capital invested to date, and/or concentrate on a smaller number of high-demand markets.
The top news in the radio sector was the second-largest radio deal of the year, Wilks Broadcast Group LLC's $54.0 million/8.1x c.f. sale of its three-station cluster in the Denver market to sports and real estate mogul Stan Kroenke's Kroenke Sports & Entertainment LLC. Wilks, who is exiting the radio business, also found buyers for its Columbus, Ohio, stations. The company sold WLVQ to Saga Communications Inc. for $13.0 million/7.4x while Radio One Inc. purchased WHOK and WZOH for $2.0 million.
Hall Communications has announced that Bob Walker has been promoted to VP/Programming for its stations in New England, mid-Atlantic regions and Florida.
Walker will continue to program Country WCTK 98.1 fM in Providence, RI.
Hall SVP/Programming Jim Reed made the announcement stating, “Bob has been with the Hall team as Program Director of WCTK in Providence since 2009 bringing a wealth of experience and ratings success for our group’s largest market.”
“It is an honor to work for a company like Hall that is making a positive difference in the lives of so many” said Walker. “I want to thank Jim Reed, my Pprovidence FM Tom Wall, Hall S/VP Bill Baldwin and Hall President Arthur Rowbotham for their support and for allowing me this opportunity to learn and grow within the company.”
Reed added, “In working with Bob over the years, I have found him to be an invaluable resource and asset to our company. I strongly feel this will guarantee a strong and sound programming future for Hall Communications.”
Former WFVX/Fox 22 Bangor/ABC Channel 7 sports anchor Aaron Jackson has replaced Wes Hart as one of the three hosts of The Drive sports radio talk show on WEZQ 92.9 FM The Ticket of Bangor
The show airs 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hart was one of the original hosts along with Jim Churchill and Jeff Solari. The show debuted on Jan. 20, 2015, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Hart failed to reach a contract agreement with Churchill, who owns SportsNet Maine, the group that owns the show.
“I was offered a contract on Dec. 31 for 2016,” said Hart, who also was a producer. “It was a lackluster contract. It wasn’t up to par. And there weren’t any negotiations.
“I didn’t think it would be a good thing for me to sign,” said Hart. “It all happened pretty quickly. I was surprised how it all unraveled. But that’s the way things go. Everybody has to worry about the business side of things.”
Wes Hart
Churchill preferred not to comment on the situation but said Hart “did a great job.”
“We appreciate everything Wes did for The Drive in its first year,” said Churchill. “We had a lot of fun putting it together and getting it off the ground. I wish Wes nothing but the best.
“On the other side of the coin, we are excited and feel fortunate to have someone like Aaron Jackson ready to step into the host role,” continued Churchill. “He has been covering local sports for a number of years. He is passionate about sports and about what we’re doing.”
Jackson, who began this past Tuesday, said he was excited with the opportunity.
WEZQ 92.9 FM (20 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
The 27-year-old Hart, a Bangor native who began his broadcasting career in 2012 at WZON-AM 620 in Bangor, said he hopes to land a job in sports media but also that “I’m a relatively young guy so this might be a good time to see what else is out there and give something else a try.”
After a decade of delighting Torontonians with his wit, wisdom and charm, Mike Cooper will sign off as co-host of Erin and Mike in the Morning on CHFI 98.1 FM on January 29, 2016. A veteran radio personality of 45 years and a leader in Toronto broadcasting, Cooper will continue to host Coop’s Classics Saturday evenings on 98.1 CHFI. Details of a new co-host will be announced in the coming weeks.
“I've taken care of millions of people over the years and now it’s time to take care of one – my beloved wife and childhood sweetheart Debbie,” Cooper told Broadcaster's Magaine. “It’s been an honour to be a part of the Rogers family at 98.1 CHFI working alongside my dear friend Erin Davis for the past 10 years.”
A Hamilton native, Cooper first joined the airwaves as an on-air host at CKAT-FM in North Bay, but his appreciation for Toronto radio eventually led him to a position with 1050 CHUM at age 20. Over the course of his career, Cooper has worked for various Toronto radio stations, including CFTR 680 (now 680 NEWS ), CKEY, and 97.3 EZ Rock.
Cooper’s success in broadcasting is the result of his deep-rooted commitment to radio and entertainment. From riding his way to a Guinness World Record at the CNE, to being an essential figure in positioning Erin and Mike in the Morning as one of Toronto’s most beloved morning radio shows, Cooper has used his creativity and experience to connect with local audiences.
CHFI 98.1 FM (44 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
“Mike has played an integral part in the success of 98.1 CHFI and I would like to thank him for lending his broadcasting expertise to Rogers,” said Julie Adam, Senior Vice President, Rogers Radio. “He is one of the finest and most sincere radio hosts in the business, and I speak on behalf of the entire Rogers Radio team in wishing Mike a blissful retirement.”
FLASHBACK..to January 9, 1926 edition of Radio Digest. Click Here
In 1922...KQV-AM in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania began broadcasting. Jeff Roteman's Tribute website.
KQV was one of Pittsburgh's five original AM stations, signing on as amateur station "8ZAE" on November 19, 1919, predating KDKA which was granted the distinction of being, as KDKA claimed, the world's first commercially licensed station, on November 2, 1920. KQV did not receive a commercial license until January 9, 1922, despite having started transmitting three years earlier. KQV's call letters reportedly stand for "King of the Quaker Valley".
Only five radio stations east of the Mississippi River have call letters which start with K: along with KQV and KDKA, the others are KYW in Philadelphia (though the KYW callsign has in the past been used in Chicago and Cleveland), KTGG in Spring Arbor, MI, and KFIZ in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. KQV and KTGG are the only two of these such stations that have never had an associated TV station.
KQV was extremely successful as a top 40 station during the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, owned by ABC for nearly all of that period with Count John K. Chapel as the radio personality. Known variously as "Colorful KQV," "Audio 14," "Groovy QV," and "The Big 14" over the years, KQV premiered its top 40 format on January 13, 1958, and is remembered for its high-profile, high-energy personalities, such as Chuck Brinkman, Hal Murray, Dave Scott, Steve Rizen, Dex Allen, Jim Quinn, future game show announcer Rod Roddy, and their large-scale promotion of a Beatles concert at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena in 1964, and its former showcase studios at the Chamber of Commerce Building in downtown Pittsburgh, where the disk jockeys could be watched through a large window.
"Jeff Christie"
Dominant with young listeners throughout the 1960s, the station was a major force in breaking new music and introducing Pittsburgh to new artists such as Sonny & Cher, the Rolling Stones, the Supremes, the Beach Boys, the Dave Clark Five and others. KQV slowly began to decline after 1970 with the advent of new competition from WJAS and the rise of FM radio (including its then-sister station WDVE, which began life as KQV-FM).
One of KQV's top-40 personalities in the 1970s, with the on-air name of "Jeff Christie," later became famous as a talk-show host under his real name, Rush Limbaugh.
In 1929...KDB-AM in Santa Barbara, California began broadcasting.
In October 1929, KDB’s license was cancelled for failure to comply with regulations from the Federal Radio Commission. At issue were broadcasts of “The Crusaders,” which promoted the repeal of Prohibition. Station management put up a vigorous fight and KDB returned to the air by the end of the year.
Over the next couple of decades, KDB was bought and sold a few more times. It was Santa Barbara’s first 24-hour station, broadcasting on both AM and FM. KDB-AM and KDB-FM were bought in 1971 by the Pacific Broadcasting Company.
In 1990, KDB-AM and KDB-FM were split apart due to an owners’ dispute.
Currently owned by Rincon Broadcasting, KDB-AM is now KSPE.
In 1956...At the KHJ Studios in Hollywood, Frank Sinatra recorded "You Make Me Feel So Young."
Radio Bart and Krusty
In 1958...John Tukey coins term "software" in American Mathematical Monthly
In 1992...Sting guest appeared on the TV cartoon series "The Simpsons," as "Radio Bart."
In 2006...Howard Stern began his new program on SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
In 2007...SIRIUS paid Howard Stern an $83 million dollars stock bonus for subscriber goals.
In 2007...WNEW 102.7 FM in NYC became WWFS.
The 102.7 FM frequency was first assigned in the mid-1940s as WNJR-FM from Newark, New Jersey. Initially intended to be a simulcasting sister to WNJR (1430 AM, now WNSW), the FM station never made it to the air despite being granted several extensions of its construction permit. WNJR finally gave up and turned in the FM license to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1953.
In 1955 the FCC awarded a new permit for 102.7 FM to a group called Fidelity Radio Corporation, based in West Paterson, New Jersey. The station was later granted the call sign WHFI, and a year later the community of license was moved back to Newark from West Paterson. Once again, the owners failed to put the station on the air.
In November 1957, the WHFI construction permit was purchased by the DuMont Broadcasting Corporation, which already owned WABD (later WNEW-TV) and earlier in the year bought WNEW radio. In January 1958, WHFI was renamed WNEW-FM and DuMont completed its build-out, moving the license to New York City. The station finally came on the air on August 25, 1958, partially simulcasting WNEW (AM) with a separate popular music format. DuMont Broadcasting, meanwhile, would change its corporate name twice within the next three years before settling on Metromedia in 1961.
WNEW-FM's early programming also included an automated middle-of-the-road format, followed quickly by a ten-month-long period (July 4, 1966, to September 1967) playing pop music—with an all-female air staff. The gimmick was unique and had not before been attempted anywhere in American radio. The lineup of disc jockeys during this stunt included Margaret Draper, Alison Steele (who stayed on to become the "Night Bird" on the AOR format), Rita Sands, Ann Clements, Arlene Kieta, Pam McKissick, and Nell Bassett. The music format, however, was a pale copy of WNEW-AM's adult standards format and only Steele, Sands, and Bassett had broadcast radio experience. The all-female disc jockey lineup endured for more than a year, changing in September 1967 to a mixed-gender staff.
On October 30, 1967, WNEW-FM adopted a progressive rock radio format, one that it became famous for and that influenced the rock listenership as well as the rock industry. The original disc jockeys were Bill "Rosko" Mercer, who started on October 30, 1967; Jonathan Schwartz, who made his debut on November 16, 1967; and "the Professor" Scott Muni, who first appeared on November 18, 1967. Alison Steele would stay on from the female staff and eventually take over the overnight shift on January 1, 1968.
In 2008...Former radio personality (KGIL, KMPC-Los Angeles)/television producer (Gene Autry: America's Cowboy)/actor Johnny Grant, the honorary Mayor of Hollywood, died at age 84.
In 2013...Announcer/emcee/Country Music Hall of Famer Frank Paige, a broadcaster for 65 years, died of a respiratory infection at age 87.
On October 16, 1954, Wilkinson introduced radio listeners to Elvis Presley when the Memphis teenager first performed at Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium on KWKH's live music show, the "Louisiana Hayride," the state's version of the Grand Ole Opry.
During a year-long series of Presley appearances on the program, Wilkinson was the first to tell an audience, "Elvis has left the building."
In 2015…Radio and television entrepreneur/station owner Lowell "Bud" Paxson, creator of The Home Shopping Network and PAX TV (which later became Ion Television), died at the age of 80.
The FCC has reached a $540,000 settlement with the former owner of a New Hampshire country radio station that broadcast 178 commercial announcements supporting the Northern Pass project without identifying the sponsor.
According to the Manchester Union-Leader, the FCC says its settlement with Cumulus Media, former owner of Dover-based WOKQ 97.5 FM is the largest ever involving a single station for violating sponsor identification laws.
“Radio and television stations that are paid to air any announcements or other content are required to clearly disclose the payer’s identity,” FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc said. “While failure to disclose these identities generally misleads the public, it is particularly concerning when consumers are duped into supporting controversial environmental projects.”
The settlement resolved an investigation into whether WOKQ violated the FCC’s sponsorship identification rules. The station broadcast 178 announcements in support of the Northern Pass hydro-electric energy project without identifying the sponsor of those announcements, in this case Northern Pass Transmission LLC., a company with a financial interest in the project.
The Northern Pass energy project is a $1 billion proposal to run 180 miles of new power lines from Canada through New Hampshire. According to Will Wiquist, a spokesman for the FCC, the Enforcement Bureau began its investigation after receiving a consumer complaint alleging that WOKQ had broadcast an announcement for the Northern Pass project in September 2011 without identifying who sponsored the announcement.
Investigators found that the station had broadcast multiple versions of the announcements from May through October 2011 that referenced the Northern Pass project, but none of them expressly identify Northern Pass Transmission LL as the sponsor.
Wiquist said he was not authorized to reveal what individual or group filed the initial complaint.
Brian Lang, general manager at WOKQ, referred all requests for comment on the settlement to Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, the station’s owner when the announcements aired.
Cumulus Media referred all calls on the settlement to their public relations firm, Goldin Communications, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday night.
Cumulus Media sold WOKQ in 2013 to Townsquare Media, based in Greenwich, Conn.
Under the terms of the settlement, which takes the form of a consent decree, Cumulus Media Inc. subsidiaries Cumulus Radio Corporation and Radio License Holding CBC, LLC will pay a penalty of $540,000 and will enter into what is termed a “robust compliance plan” covering 195 stations across the country.
The plan includes appointing a compliance officer, enhanced operating procedures, employee training on sponsorship identification laws, and a hotline for reporting violations of the compliance plan.
CBS Radio’S KLOL 101. FM MEGA 101 F has announced Tony Luna will continue his role as Program Director for the popular Spanish station as part of a multi-year contract extension. Luna has been the driving force, taking the station to its highest weekly cume for Spanish radio in the market.
Charese Fruge, Vice President, Programming, CBS Radio Houston, stated, “In the short time I have worked with Tony he has proven to be a great leader, as well as a strategic and successful programmer. The Mega brand is a monster in the Houston Hispanic community and that is largely due to Tony and his team's passion for its culture”. We couldn't be more thrilled to have him committed to Mega 101 for several more years.”
Luna’s radio career started at age 15 as an on-air personality at Super Q-104 in Puerto Rico. From there, he became the music director for Cosmos 94 in Puerto Rico where the reggaeton music movement started back in the 90’s. He also served as the program director of WSKQ and WPAT in New York City for 10 years.
KLOK 101.1 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
“We have built an incredible and winning team and I am beyond ecstatic to be part of the CBS Radio family,” said Luna. “I’m looking forward to many more years to come.”
Greater Media’ WBQT HOT 96.9 FM has announced popular radio personality, Ramiro “The Freakin’ Puerto Rican” Torres, is joining HOT 96.9’s GetUp Crew morning show with Pebbles, Melissa and Wiggy in Boston.
Ramiro
Ramiro most recently hosted mornings at WJMN. He has also worked on television as host of Community Auditions and as a correspondent for NESN’s Red Sox Final.
“To say I’m excited about joining Pebbles, Melissa and Wiggy on HOT 96.9 would be a MASSIVE understatement!” said Ramiro. “I’d like to thank everyone at Greater Media including Peter Smyth, Mary Menna, Scott Morello and the man who’s been responsible for every single opportunity I’ve had in my career, Cadillac Jack. I can’t wait to become part of your morning routine again!”
“Ramiro is quick-witted, a quick study, and an all-out superstar,” said Director of Programming Cadillac Jack. “Greater Media remains committed to building out our team of “A” talent, and this addition truly testifies to that, further bolstering our already strong lineup! I’ve known Ramiro for his entire work life (and more than half his natural life) and can say unequivocally that listeners will welcome him to HOT 96.9 in a big way, as he joins Pebbles, Melissa and Wiggy to round out a team of Boston personalities that people from all backgrounds have grown to know and love.”
WBQT 96.9 FM (22.5 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
“Ramiro is the consummate professional and I am thrilled that he is joining the GetUp Crew,” said VP/Market Manager, Mary Menna. “He has such a long history with both listeners and clients who will all be excited to welcome him back to the Boston airwaves every morning.”
HOT 96.9 ranked # 4 with W 25-54 and #3 with Adults 18-34 in the most recent Fall Nielsen Ratings Period.
NBC announced Thursday that it will end its affiliation with Boston’s Channel 7 WHDH-TV and open a new Boston station, owned by the network, in 2017, according to The Boston Globe.
The announcement from NBC came Thursday in an employee memo acquired by the Globe, and stated that the network plans to create a local news team to staff the new station. The memo did not specify where the NBC Boston station would broadcast from, but WHDH-TV owner Ed Ansin told the Globe that the network had plans to move programming to WNEU-TV, an NBC-owned station in New Hampshire that currently broadcasts Telemundo.
Ansin said the move isn’t final, as he plans to fight NBC’s decision on the grounds that the move violates a Federal Communications Commission agreement with the network, the Globe reported. He cited concerns as to whether the move to a smaller media market would best suit public interest, as NBC has committed to producing a certain amount of free broadcasting.
“I have a feeling a year from now we will still be the NBC affiliate,” Ansin told the Globe. “That’s how serious we think the violations are.”
Station owner Ed Ansin says he's fighting to keep that from happening.
"We intend to contest NBC's plans," said Ansin.
Ansin says NBC's planned TV divorce could violate an agreement Comcast made with the FCC to let the cable giant buy NBC five years ago.
Comcast promised to make sure people could continue to get NBC programming free over the air without being forced to buy cable.
NBC tells WHDH its programs will air on a signal broadcasting from Merrimack, New Hampshire. But as a map based on FCC information shows, that signal doesn't reach half of the city of Boston and millions of viewers farther south.
"They have the right to buy a station, change affiliation. That's their privilege. They don't have a right to violate the agreement between Comcast and NBC and the affiliates, and the government," Ansin said. "This is clearly not in the public interest. They will have half the coverage area of Channel 7. They will reach less than half of the population."
Billy Joel dropped by “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Wednesday night to announce that the Billy Joel Channel will return to SiriusXM Radio starting Jan. 15.
Newsday reports Joel told Fallon he will be more involved in this incarnation and that it will be “not just me, but stuff I like,” adding that he may also show up as a disc jockey on the channel, as BJ the DJ, doing impressions of New York DJ legends Cousin Brucie and the late Scott Muni.
He and Fallon also discussed their plan to take over WLNG 92.1 FM in Sag Harbor some night where they would perform their favorite doo-wop and rock classics unannounced, an idea hatched at a party at Howard Stern’s house where Joel and Fallon sat around a piano all night.
Joel, 66, also announced that he will add another show to his record-setting run at Madison Square Garden on July 20. However, sales information hasn’t been released yet.
Joel kicks off the third year of his Madison Square Garden residency Thursday night and he invited Fallon to perform a song with him. Then they performed the Rolling Stones’ “Beast of Burden” together, with Fallon adopting a Mick Jagger accent.
(The studio audience was also treated to an impromptu a cappella version of “The Longest Time,” featuring Joel and his band, Fallon and the show’s other guest Oscar winner J.K. Simmons.)
He's Brian Moote, a Seattle stand-up comic, actor and radio host.
Moote, replaces former No.2 man Jeff Dauler, who resigned in Jeff Dauler resigned in November from the Bert Show on WWWQ 99.7 FM Q100 (and syndicated in 17-markets) after 14 years to join rival station Star 94. Dauler's new morning star on WSTR is expected to start in February.
Moote is a Washington state native who grew up on a farm and moved to Atlanta last month. He was so eager to join the Bert Show Thursday morning, he was at the mic at 5:15 a.m., even before his boss Bert Weiss showed up.
He is married to Katie Waissel, a singer who finished seventh on the “X Factor” in the U.K. in 2010. They had been living in Los Angeles, though for a time he had commuted to do radio in Seattle. He was doing stand-up comedy and “auditioning [for acting roles] relentlessly and being told no for no reason.”
Now that he’s in Atlanta, “we have an apartment that has a pool and I have already found out the hard way that winters in Atlanta mean that the pool is just for looks and that hypothermia is real. We don’t have any children because we have a one bedroom apartment with a ton of breakable stuff.
Alpha Media/San Antonio has announced the rebranding of Top40 KTFM 94.1 FM as Energy 94.1.
Blondie & Nugget
Listeners will continue to hear their same favorite air personalities including, Blondie and Nugget in the Morning, DJ Grooves in middays, Tony Cortez in afternoons, and Auggie 5000 in the evenings. KTFM first signed on the air in San Antonio in 1969 at 102.7. In 2005, KTFM landed on "94.1 as Jammin'" and by 2010 became CHR "Puro San Antonio" station.
Alpha Media Senior VP/Market Manager Lance Hawkins commented, "We are ecstatic to start the year with a new chapter of the KTFM frequency and refresh this brand's identity in the form of Energy 94.1."
KTFM 94.1 FM (40 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
"By launching Energy 94.1 we believe we can generate enough noise to differentiate ourselves in a crowded San Antonio top 40 marketplace. The birth of this new brand will also reinforce Alpha Media's commitment to live and local radio. San Antonio is a unique market, and this presented us with the perfect opportunity to custom design a radio station that truly sounds like the community it serves," added Energy 94.1 PD Pat Cerullo.
Anya Grundmann is NPR's new Vice President of Programming and Audience Development, it was announced Thursday by NPR CMO and Senior Vice President for Audience Development Emma Carrasco and Senior Vice President of News and Editorial Director Michael Oreskes, to whom Grundmann will jointly report.
She has been in the new role on an interim basis and was selected following an extensive national search.
In this position, Grundmann will lead NPR's programming center to create and acquire the highest quality content offerings that will engage and grow public radio's audience on Member stations across the country, and inspire new levels of engagement with audiences on digital platforms. During the six months Grundmann was in the interim role, she oversaw the launch of several major additions to NPR's content development pipeline, including the debut with NPR News of the Hidden Brain and NPR Politics podcasts and the upcoming second season of Invisibilia, as well as an on-air promotion campaign for All Things Considered.
"Anya has distinguished herself from both a creative and audience development perspective for many years. She is ideally suited to develop a comprehensive content development strategy that guides the growth and direction of NPR programs for the next decade, taking into consideration changes in our nation's demographics, audience behaviors and competitive media landscape," says Carrasco.
"I'm thrilled to be working with the incredible journalists and creative storytellers of our day to develop and support programming that our audiences will find smart, fun, deeply engaging and important to their lives," says Grundmann.
Recently named one of Billboard's Women in Music for a third consecutive year, Grundmann comes into her new position after eight years as the head of NPR Music, where she and her team established NPR Music as a powerhouse in digital innovation and creative experimentation, and an industry leader in multi-genre music discovery that reaches more than 20 million people every month.
iHeartMedia announced Thursday that Kelly Kibler, previously Executive Vice President of Operations for the company’s Texas Major Markets, has taken on a new role as Executive Vice President of Multi-Cultural Marketing for the iHeartMedia Markets Group.
In this new position, Kibler will work with groups across the company to leverage iHeartMedia’s unparalleled reach and unmatched ability to target and communicate to its culturally diverse audience. She will work closely with Liz Blacker, EVP of Multi-Cultural Strategy and Sales for iHeartMedia’s National Sales, Marketing and Partnerships group, to coordinate and execute multi-cultural advertising opportunities at the market level, and work with iHeartMedia’s National Programming Group to develop custom programs utilizing the company’s on-air talent for the benefit of marketers and advertising partners at the market level. Kibler will report to Hartley Adkins, Executive Vice President of Operations for Major Markets.
The bilingual Kibler has over 20 years experience in the broadcast industry, beginning her career in 1991 at Telemundo. She has had great success as a market leader, and in her most recent role as Executive Vice President of Operations for the Texas Major Markets she led a number of key initiatives across iHeartMedia. In addition, Kibler has led a number of iHeartMedia markets, serving as Market President in Las Vegas, San Diego and Dallas before her tenure as Executive Vice President of Operations.
During the transition to her new role Kibler will continue to oversee the Texas Major Markets.
“Kelly has been a constant innovator in this company and is the perfect choice to head up our focused multi-cultural advertising efforts at the market level,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc. “Her success as Executive Vice President of Operations, as well as in her role as a sales leader and Market President – and her leadership of numerous iHeartMedia initiatives -- have enabled her to grow her career here with us, and we look forward to her using all of her experience and relationships to build this new capability for our company.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to take on this new position at iHeartMedia, using the tools and experience we’ve developed in Texas and applying them across our 158 markets in a space that continues to grow in both importance and footprint across America,” said Kibler.
According to Nielsen Music’s annual 360 report, which polls 3,000+ US music fans, the price of Spotify and other services remained a significant barrier to entry for millions of people in 2015. Almost 50 percent say streaming music is too expensive.
The survey discovered that, despite the fact 75% of music fans listen online in the US each week, and 44% do so on a smartphone, they are very price conscious.
Of those who currently use streaming services, 83% said cost was their top reason for choosing a platform.
Younger generations tend to have more-positive views than their elders of a number of institutions that play a big part in American society. But for some institutions – such as churches and the news media – Millennials’ opinions have become markedly more negative in the past five years.
Since 2010, Pew Research reports Millennials’ rating of churches and other religious organizations has dipped 18 percentage points: 55% now say churches have a positive impact on the country compared with five years ago, when nearly three-quarters (73%) said this. Views among older generations have changed little over this time period. As a result, older generations are now more likely than Millennials – who are much less likely than their elders to be religious – to view religious organizations positively.
Pew adds Millennials’ views of the national news media also have grown more negative. In 2010, four-in-ten Millennials said the national news media was having a positive impact on the way things were going in the country, a far more positive view than among older generations (just 27% of Silents and Baby Boomers and 29% of Generation Xers said this).
But now, Millennials’ evaluations of the news media have grown more critical and are currently on par with older generations: Just 27% now say it has a positive impact, compared with 26% of Xers and Silents and 23% of Boomers.
KMG Networks, a division of Krantz Media Group, Harris Media, the producer of Control Room Pro, a suite of game-changing digital production field and studio tools, and AdLarge Media, which provides ad sales representation, announced major market affiliations with CBS’s WFAN-AM/NY, Bonneville’s WTOP-FM/Washington DC, dominant news outlet iHeartmedia’s WIOD-AM/Miami, legendary news station WHO-AM and sports outlet KXNO-AM/Des Moines. Several more major market stations and national platforms will be announced shortly.
“Most of the new digital and mobile programs for broadcast radio are consumer-facing,” observed Lee Harris, Founder of Harris Media. “We focused on the development of cutting edge newsroom and radio station field tools that expedite the gathering of news-related material for anchors and streamlined the field reporting process.”
“All of these media outlets have the same things in common: they are the leading stations in the market within their format, and they have a constant focus on presenting their content with the best sound quality possible,” said Gary Krantz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Krantz Media Group. “QGoLive allows reporters to send reports from the field, the stadium, or anywhere else, in broadcast-ready, digital quality from any device,” Krantz added.
“Our partnership with QGoLive gives us the opportunity to offer our advertisers access to some of the biggest audiences in radio,” stated Gary Schonfeld, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of AdLarge Media. “These powerhouse radio stations increase the value to our advertisers who want to connect with listeners in major markets.”
QGoLive is a mobile App for broadcast-quality, live field reporting on an iPhone, iPad, Android, or laptop, featuring the ability to insert recorded clips into live shots. While designed for news/talk stations, the Live Report Pro App works for any station that has air personalities or reporters in the field. Stations are using it to bring in remote talk show hosts, sideline reporting, and even to broadcast high school sports.
ESPN Radio will launch a new weekend lineup beginning Saturday, Jan. 9, highlighted by the debut of espnW’s The Trifecta with Spain, Jane and Kate on ESPN Radio.
The program, which will air Saturdays, noon – 3 p.m. ET, will be hosted by espnW writers Kate Fagan, Jane McManus and Sarah Spain as they discuss the latest headlines with a distinct perspective on sports that only espnW can provide. The show represents a continued collaboration between ESPN Radio and espnW focused on adding diverse voices to ESPN Radio’s programs.
Fagan will also co-host Will & Kate with ESPN contributor Will Cain, airing Sundays from 7 – 10 a.m. The show, which will launch Sunday, Feb. 14, will take a look at topical societal issues in sports by hosts who often find their opinions to be at opposite sides of the table. Also, Spain will host a new podcast, That’s What She Said, based on her espnW digital animated column, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19, and available on ESPNRadio.com.
“ESPN Radio is excited to bring our listeners a diverse lineup of voices that should reach all our sports fans,” said Louise K. Cornetta, ESPN Radio program director II. “Our collaboration with espnW continues to grow with the addition of The Trifecta, which will offer three of the most prominent female voices in the business.”
Added David Roberts, vice president, network content: “There is a wealth of talent at ESPN, and we are extremely delighted to maximize this strength by offering diverse, distinctive and dynamic voices across our audio platforms 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Additional programming will continue to debut throughout January and February. Also debuting January 9 - 10 will be Rothenberg, Wallace & Golic Jr. (Saturdays, 5 – 8 p.m.) -- featuring ESPN New York 98.7FM’s Dave Rothenberg with ESPN.com NBA reporter Michael Wallace and Mike Golic Jr., son of Mike & Mike co-host Mike Golic Sr. – as well as Izzy & Amin (Sundays, 10 a.m. – noon), an NBA-focused program hosted by ESPN NBA reporters Israel Gutierrez and Amin Elhassan.
In addition, a Sunday edition of the Chicago-based Dickerson & Hood (4 – 7 p.m.), will begin February 14. Booger & Burns, a podcast hosted by the SEC Network’s Anthony “Booger” McFarland and Peter Burns, will premiere as a full show beginning Sunday, Feb. 21, from 10 p.m. to midnight.
The full schedule also includes mainstays like John Clayton’s Inside the Huddle, The Sporting Life, Dari & Mel, Marty & McGee, Robin Lundberg, The Coach & Bretos and NBA Lockdown: Insiders with Marc Stein, Elhassan and Brian Windhorst.
iHeartMedia Thursday shared the latest social media engagement data from its annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2015 Tour Presented by Capital One, which took place in 11 cities across the United States between December 1 and 19.
The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour -- the season's biggest music event, which captures the music and holiday spirit of the iHeartRadio app with performances by this year’s biggest recording artists -- garnered almost 11 billion social media impressions. In fact, the 2015 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour increased 67 percent over last year, putting the record-breaking tour ahead of both the Big Game Halftime Show and the Academy Awards, and neck-and-neck with the Grammy Awards.
Each stop of the 2015 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour -- which included Dallas; San Francisco/Oakland; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; Boston; New York; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Miami/Ft. Lauderdale; and Tampa -- continued to build buzz, with Z100's Jingle Ball in New York taking the crown for the most social interactions garnering more than 3.5 billion social media impressions. Overall, the social traction skewed mostly female (71 percent) as well as younger, with Generation Z and Millennials driving the bulk of the action as 85 percent of those taking to Twitter, Facebook and most were under the age of 34.
Other noteworthy statistics include:
Pop ruled iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball Tour social shares; the Top 5 artists of the tour were: One Direction, Selena Gomez, 5 Seconds of Summer, Demi Lovato and The Weeknd.
Many social media users chose to share their favorite hashtags while watching the show. On the night of Z100’s Jingle Ball in New York, #iheartradiojingleball trended worldwide, nationally and locally in over 30 cities in the US including New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Cleveland, Columbus and Tampa. Other trending topics included #z100jingleball, #Y100jingleball, #kiss108jingleball and Sixth Harmony.
Additionally, the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2015 Tour made a splash with fans at home with an incredible 19 million music lovers watching and listening across the Yahoo stream, iHeartMedia’s radio stations and on the iHeartRadio app, and through the special broadcasts on The CW Network.
Alpha Media/Savannah-Hilton Head announced that Allyson Hillman has been named Director of Business Development.
Allyson has close to 30 years’ experience in the broadcast industry; 22 in the Detroit market both with Cumulus and as a manager with iHeart Media. With experience in radio, television, internet, digital and outdoor industries; Allyson’s strengths include revenue generating ideas, inventory pricing and management, recruiting and developing strong sales teams, prospecting new business and increasing revenue from existing accounts.
Alpha Media EVP, Bill McElveen commented on the announcement, “We are happy to have Allyson join our live and local team and excited to see her experience put to work.”
Alpha Media VP/Market Manager, Gigi South added, “After a long search, we believe we have found the very best fit for the future growth of our cluster. Allyson has a history of achievement driven by her success in team and business development. Welcome to the family, Allyson!”
“It’s wonderful to be with a company that is so focused on Live and Local RADIO! I can’t wait to get started with this new innovative group here in Savannah-Hilton Head,” remarked Allyson.
Ryan Seacrest accepted Variety’s inaugural Digital Impact Leadership Award at the publication’s annual Entertainment Summit Thursday at CES.
In Las Vegas to get the honor just as the final season of “American Idol” kicks off, Seacrest pointed out the continued importance of his roots in radio. He is the longtime host of nationally syndicated “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” for iHeartMedia’s 102.7 KIIS-FM.
“Radio is how people can connect with the stars, as well as really engage in the great events we offer, such as the iHeartMedia Music festival,” said Seacrest, adding that he enjoys how the daily nature of his radio gig “makes people feel comfortable with me.”
Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, presented the honor to Seacrest. He noted that there are more radios in the marketplace than smartphones or PCs, and radio enjoys nearly 100% penetration with the key millennial demographic.
“As moms are taking kids to school, they are listening to the radio, so from day one they are growing up with it,” said Pittman.
