March 6 Radio History

In 1905...Bob Wills, the man who originated western swing, was born near Kosse, Texas. Wills and his Texas Playboys, a swing band with country overtones, were a fixture for nearly 25 years on station KVOO in Tulsa, Oklahoma, beginning in 1933.  In April 1940, when Wills recorded his own composition, “San Antonio Rose,” the disc sold a million copies. Another version by Bing Crosby was also a million-seller. In December 1973, he attended his last recording session. Many of the original Texas Playboys and Merle Haggard were there, but during the session, Wills suffered a second stroke. He never regained consciousness, and died in May 1975 at age 70.

Abbott & Costello

In 1906...comedian Lou Costello was born in Paterson New Jersey. With partner Bud Abbott he produced some of the best comedy of the 1940’s & 50’s in movies, radio & TV.  Their ‘Who’s on First?’ routine is a memorable classic.  Lou died following a heart attack March 3 1959, three days short of his 53rd birthday.



 In 

1954...KE2XCC (93.1 FM), the station owned by Maj. Edwin Howard Armstrong, closes down for the final time at 9 PM.  Today 93.1 FM is occupied by WPAT-FM.


In 1959...Pioneer IV sent the furthest radio signal ever heard: 400,000 miles.


In 1967...singer Nelson Eddy, whose operatic-style duets with Jeanette MacDonald were big favourites in movies, on record and on radio in the 1930s and 40s, died after a stroke at age 65.





In 1981...Walter Cronkite stepped down as anchor of The CBS Evening News after 19 years. He was replaced by Dan Rather.


In 1983…The Country Music Television (CMT) network debuted on U.S. cable TV.


In 1995...the Howard Stern Radio Show debuted in Phoenix, Arizona on KEDJ-FM.





In 2002…Longtime Chicago radio personality (WLS, WCFL) 70-year-old Art Roberts, also remembered for his on-air stints in Milwaukee and Buffalo, died following a series of strokes.

Roberts, according his 2002 obit in The Chicago Tribune,  was known as Chicago's "hip uncle" for his work on AM radio in the 1960s and '70s. And to teenagers of that time he was a godsend for bringing them the rock 'n' roll stars they craved.

According to Jeff Roteman's WLS Tribute website,  his radio career began in Atlanta, Texas in 1953. In 1956, Art Roberts joined the legendary KLIF in Dallas. In 1959, Art worked in Buffalo at WKBW before joining WLS in 1961.

He was one of seven young, star disc jockeys hired by WLS to bring rock to Chicago. Roberts started in the early afternoon slot, then took over the popular 9 p.m. to midnight gig from Dick Biondi. He was known for telling bedtime stories about "the head that ain't got no body" and creating fictitious characters like "Hooty Saperticker," who wanted to go through life doing nothing.

Roberts stayed at WLS for 10 years before heading to San Francisco's KNBR in 1971, Other career stops included WCFL, WOKY, and KLUV. Art's final radio stop was KGVM in Reno in 1998.

In 2005...former BBC Radio 1 DJ, Tommy Vance, died. He originally came to fame during the 1960s as a DJ on British pirate station, "Radio Caroline" and BBC Radio 1. Vance began his radio career in the USA under the name 'Rick West'. He took the name 'Tommy Vance' at the radio station KOL in Seattle from a DJ who had failed to turn up after the station had heavily promoted and paid for expensive jingles which were already recorded.



While at KOL, Vance was recruited by the Top 40 programming consultant Bill Drake, to join his team of "Boss Jocks" at the emerging West Coast KHJ radio in Los Angeles (aka Boss Radio). Vance held the evening airshift at KHJ for several months in late 1965. During this period, it was alleged that Tommy decided to return abruptly to the UK, after running into an unresolvable problem with the U.S. immigration authorities, regarding being drafted for the Vietnam War.


In 2013...Alvin Lee, English rocker, died from complications from surgery at 68.

Tampa Radio: Hogan Can't Use Erin Andrews Comparisons

Hulk Hogan and sportscaster Erin Andrews are both in courtroom battles over graphic recordings that were posted on the Internet.

Andrews, a Fox Sports reporter, was covertly filmed nude through a hotel peephole by a stalker.
Hogan, a former professional wrestler, was filmed having sex with the then-wife of radio personality Bubb The Love Sponge Clem.

CNN Money reports a judge ruled Friday in St. Petersburg, Florida, that Hogan's legal team won't be able to cite Andrews' ongoing case in his defense.

The ruling came after a mostly female jury was seated for Hogan's $100 million civil trial against Gawker Media, the New York-based news and gossip site that posted the sex tape.

Judge Pamela Campbell granted a motion by Gawker's lawyers to exclude evidence related to Andrews, whose trial will head to a jury soon.

Campbell said she wanted to avoid "confusion on the legal issues."

Four of the six jurors, and two out of the three alternates, are women.
Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, is suing Gawker for publishing a portion of the salacious footage in 2012. Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker, and former editor A.J. Daulerio are also named as defendants.

Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Monday.

Jury Gets Erin Andrews Case

Erin Andrews

Erin Andrews' attorney suggested Friday that a jury should punish a Nashville hotel owner and operator $1 for every person — past and future — who watches nude videos of the sports broadcaster that were secretly recorded in 2008 through an altered door peephole.

The Tennessean reports Bruce Broillet offered that roadmap during his closing argument in Andrews' civil trial against the hotel and its operator. According to trial testimony, more than 16.8 million people have watched the video recorded by Michael David Barrett. Broillet asked the jury to consider how many more will watch the video, which is still online, over the next 45 years.

A payment of $1 for each of those people, he said, is how the jury could send a message to the hospitality industry about its responsibility to guest safety.

"Barrett couldn’t have done it without the negligence of the Nashville Marriott, the repeated violations, one after the other, of the standards that are there to protect all of us, our children," he said.

Andrews is seeking as much as $75 million from Barrett; the hotel owner, West End Hotel Partners; and the hotel management company, Windsor Capital Group. The jury will decide how much money, up to $75 million, to award the Fox Sports broadcaster and "Dancing with the Stars" co-host.

Andrews says the hotel failed to follow safety standards by allowing Barrett to find her room, and said staff never notified her Barrett had requested to stay next door.

Jury deliberations begin Monday

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R.I.P.: Country Singer Joey Feek At Age 40

Joey Marie Feek was ready — she was peaceful and accepting, believing that it wasn’t God’s will for her to be healed from the stage 4 cervical cancer she’d fought off and on for nearly two years.


Mrs. Feek, 40, lost her battle with cancer at 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, reports The Tennessean.

“I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed I’d discover I was healed,” Mrs. Feek said in November. “But I realized I was healed in a different way. I was healed in my relationship with Christ, because it just drew me closer.”

“Children are never ours,” Mrs. Feek’s mother, June Martin, said tearfully during her daughter’s illness. She also lost her son, Justin, in a car accident in 1994. “God just lends them to us for a while. I believe that. Don’t be angry. It’s easy to be. I have been a couple of times. It’s his call. He is in charge. We’re all given a day to die. None of us are going to live forever.”

Data curated by PrettyFamous

Country music fans first met Mrs. Feek in 2008 — she and husband Rory comprised Grammy-nominated duo Joey+Rory, which placed third on the inaugural season of CMT’s reality talent search “Can You Duet.” Their debut single, “Cheater, Cheater,” climbed to No. 30 on Billboard’s country radio airplay charts, and they were named spokespeople for Overstock.com. They released seven albums, including "Hymns That Are Important To Us" that topped Billboard's Country Albums sales chart in February.

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#JoeyFeek Tweets

R.I.P.: Smith Singer Gayle McCormick

Gayle McCormick, lead singer of the Los Angeles-based psychedelic blues-rock band Smith, died of cancer on Tuesday, March 1.

She was 67.

Smith’s 1969 cover of the 1961 Shirelles hit “Baby It’s You,” a song co-written by Burt Bacharach, peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, three spots higher than the Shirelles’ version. The band’s debut album, A Group Called Smith, made it to #17 on Billboard’s pop albums chart. Smith released one more album, 1970’s Minus-Plus, and McCormick then went solo.

The St. Louis-born singer put out a trio of albums during the first half of the 1970s, and found her biggest solo success with the 1971 single “It’s a Cryin’ Shame,” which peaked at #44 on the Billboard chart.

March 5 Radio History

In 1927...the Federal Radio Commission held its first meeting.

The FRC existed until its replacement by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1934.

The Commission was created to regulate radio use "as the public interest, convenience, or necessity" requires. The Radio Act of 1927 superseded the Radio Act of 1912, which had given regulatory powers over radio communication to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor. The Radio Act of 1912 did not mention broadcasting and limited all private radio

Prior to 1927, radio was regulated by the United States Department of Commerce. Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover played a strong role in shaping radio. His powers were limited by federal court decisions, however; in particular, he was not allowed to deny broadcasting licenses to anyone who wanted one.

Herbert Hoover cira 1930

The result was that many people perceived the airwaves to suffer from "chaos," with too many stations trying to be heard on too few frequencies. Others believed the government simply wanted to control content. (Initially only two frequencies were available for broadcasting with one of these being reserved for "Crop reports and weather forecasts.") After several failed attempts to rectify this situation, Congress finally passed the Radio Act of 1927, which transferred most of the responsibility for radio to a newly created Federal Radio Commission. (Some technical duties remained the responsibility of the Radio Division of the Department of Commerce.)

The five-person FRC was given the power to grant and deny licenses, and to assign frequencies and power levels for each licensee. The Commission was not given any official power of censorship, although programming could not include "obscene, indecent, or profane language." In theory, anything else could be aired. In practice, the Commission could take into consideration programming when renewing licenses, and their ability to take away a broadcaster's license enabled them to control content to some degree.


In 1955...Elvis Presley made yet another appearance on the Shreveport radio show Louisiana Hayride , which is this time also carried over the TV airwaves by local station KWKH, making this Presley's first television appearance.

In 1957...Disc jockey Alan Freed tried to fool the panel on CBS-TV's game show "To Tell The Truth."




In 1958...English pop singer Andy Gibb, brother of The Bee Gees' Gibb brothers, was born. He died of a heart infection on March 10, 1988, just five days after his 30th birthday.




In 1960...Elvis Presley was discharged from the Army after two years of service




In 1963…Country music singers Patsy Cline (Crazy, I Fall To Pieces, She's Got You, Walkin' After Midnight), Cowboy Copas (Alabam) and Hawkshaw Hawkins (Lonesome 7-7203) were killed when their small plane crashed near Camden, Tennessee.

Cline was 30, Copas was 49, and Hawkins was 41.


In 1977...President Jimmy Carter participated in a radio program called “Dial-a-President.” (His official papers refer to the show as “Ask President Carter.”)

The program was the brainchild of Walter Cronkite, who anchored the “CBS Evening News” from 1962 to 1981. After a 20-minute practice session, the president and the anchorman went live on the air. With Cronkite serving as the program’s host, Carter, seated at his desk in the Oval Office, answered questions from callers throughout the country.

More than 9 million calls flooded CBS’s switchboard in New York during the two-hour broadcast. The questions addressed topics ranging from Carter’s decision to pardon Americans who had dodged the draft during the Vietnam War to his support for the pending Panama Canal Treaty. He was also asked why he decided to send his daughter, Amy, to a D.C. public school rather than to enroll her in a private school.

In 2012…John Madigan, whose 60-year journalism career included stints in radio (WBBM-AM, Chicago), television (WBBM-TV, Chicago) and print (Newsweek magazine), died of complications from a stroke at 94.




In 2014…Radio personality (KFI, KHJ, KMPC, KSUR-Los Angeles, KFMB-San Diego, WOKO-Albany, New York)/TV game show host Geoff Edwards died of complications from pneumonia at age 83.

NYC Radio: WFAN Renews Yankees Radio Voices

The radio voices of the Yankees are sticking around.

WFAN 660 AM /101.9 FM announced on Friday that play-by-play man John Sterling and analyst Suzyn Waldman have signed new multi-year contracts.

“Yankees baseball on the radio provides a soundtrack for the summer, and it would be unimaginable to listen to the Bronx Bombers without these two iconic broadcasters,” said CBS Radio New York senior VP and market manager Marc Rayfield. “This is a special year, particularly as John closes in on his 5000th consecutive broadcast, an ironman feat almost as remarkable as Cal Ripken, Jr and Lou Gehrig’s legendary streaks.”

WFAN has served as the flagship station for the 27-time world champions since 2014. Sterling and Waldman have worked together for the last 11 years.

“We’re thrilled Yankees fans will continue to hear this legendary broadcast team that has been together for more than a decade. John and Suzyn are as much a part of Yankee tradition as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter and Yogi Berra,” said Mark Chernoff, CBS Radio VP of sports programming and WFAN program director.

Sterling is set to begin his 28th consecutive year calling Yankees games. He’s also done play-by-play for the Islanders, Nets, Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks during his legendary career. Waldman covered the Yankees for WFAN from 1987-2001 before teaming with Sterling four years later. She has also covered the Knicks and served as a midday host for the station.

WFAN will broadcast its first spring training game on Saturday when the Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox.

Philly Radio: Talk WPHT Adds Dave Ramsey

CBS Radio;s WPHT 1210AM has announced that nationally syndicated talk star Dave Ramsey radio is being added to the lineup.

Ramsey debuts March 7 in the 9pm to 12midnight time slot now occupied by tlak host Sean Hannity. Hannity will be moving to the 6pm timeslot.  The move is now possible as the broadcasts of the Philadelphia Phillies evenings game have moved to clustermate Sports WIP 94.1 FM.

CBS RADIO Philadelphia SVP and market manager David Yadgaroff says, “We couldn’t be more pleased to bring Dave Ramsey to WPHT.  He has been creating powerful radio broadcasts with the passion and positivity that will fit perfectly into WPHT’s lineup.  Combining Dave Ramsey with the great local talent like Chris Stigall, Dom Giordano and Rich Zeoli has everyone at the station excited to bring this new roster to our listeners.”

WPHT 1210 AM (50 Kw) Red=Local Coverage

Ramsey Media VP Brian Mayfield adds, “We are excited to join the team at WPHT and to work with another strong CBS Radio affiliate.  Philadelphia is already a great market for our brand, and we look forward to what the future holds with this new relationship.”

R.I.P: Top 40 PD, Station Owner John H. Rook

The radio industry has lost another giant.  Iconic radio program and broadcast executive John Harlan Rook died Tuesday.  According to his website, Rook died in his sleep from natural causes.

John Rook

He passed in his hometown of Chillicothe,OH at the age of 79.

Under his guidance in the 1960s, 50,000-watt ABC-owned WLS 890 AM became the highest rated station in the Chicago metropolitan area, known as one of the greatest Top 40 stations in America. After leaving WLS to form a radio consultancy in 1970, WLS' rival, WCFL 1000 AM, beat WLS in the ratings after retaining Rook's services.

After jobs playing records at KASL in Newcastle, Wyoming; KOBH in Hot Springs, South Dakota; and KALL in Salt Lake City, Rook programmed KTLN in Denver, where his success led to ABC hiring him to be program director at KQV in Pittsburgh. KQV, owned by ABC, had initial success with the Top 40 format, but was floundering prior to Rook's arrival.

Photos courtesy of  Jeff Roteman websites

Rook quickly became known for his musical instincts, repeatedly breaking hit records before the rest of the country aired them. He was early on recognizing The Beatles and developed an inside track to their future releases. Under Rook, KQV played world-premieres of new Beatles songs before sending them to other stations owned by ABC in New York City and Chicago. In 1965, KQV had an eight day start on the rest of the country with “Yes It Is” and “Ticket To Ride”.

Young John Rook

In 1967, due to KQV’s success under Rook, ABC appointed him as program director of WLS in Chicago, which, like KQV when Rook arrived, was a major station facing increasingly successful competition. In 1964, WLS had a 34% share of the night time audience while competitor WCFL had 3%. At the time of Rook's arrival in 1967, WLS was down to 16%, virtually tied with WCFL’s 15%.

By 1968, under Rook, WLS again led the market and WLS was named Station of the Year at the Gavin Convention.

In 1970, Rook left WLS to head AIR, American Independent Radio (later known as Drake-Chenault), a Los Angeles based company formed by Boss Radio creator Bill Drake and his partner Gene Chenault, to syndicate their programming including “Hit Parade” and “The History of Rock and Roll”.  Less than a year later, Rook formed “programming db” with radio programmers Chuck Blore and Ken Draper, and a year after that, he opened his own consultancy, John Rook & Associates. Among his early clients was WLS rival, WCFL.

John Rook - Late '60s

As a programming consultant, Rook shaped the sound of several dozen American radio stations. Aside from WCFL, notable stations consulted by Rook include Y-100 (WHYI-FM), Miami/Ft. Lauderdale; WIFI, Philadelphia; KIMN, Denver; WGCL, Cleveland; WZGC (Z-93), Atlanta; KRBE, Houston; and WBAP, Dallas-Ft Worth.

In 1983, Rook and his partners purchased their first station, KCDA 103.1 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; adding KEYF 1050 AM in the Spokane, Washington metropolitan area in 1985. In 1986, Rook’s group signed on an FM facility, KEYF-FM at 101.1 in the Spokane metro, and purchased two stations: KEYW-FM 98.3 in Pasco, Washington and KEYV-FM 93.1 in Las Vegas, Nevada. All the stations were sold by the early 1990s, except KCDA which Rook sold in 2000.

Recommended for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission in 1987,  Rook was a vocal opponent of the FCC's deregulation efforts. He believed the consolidation of ownership allowed by changes in the FCC rules, would be detrimental to the industry.

Rivals Rip Trump

Chief rivals to U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump assailed him for shifting positions on the issues at a debate, but said in the end they would reluctantly support him if he were their party's nominee.

Under questioning by Fox News Channel moderators on Thursday, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kasich made the promise despite efforts by party elders to build an anti-Trump coalition of Republican voters to pick someone other than the incendiary New York billionaire.

Hours earlier 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney in a speech blasted Trump, a former reality TV show host, as an unelectable fraud whose nomination would ensure victory for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama.

Tempers escalated quickly at the two-hour debate and, as in previous encounters, the battle descended into schoolyard taunts between Trump, Rubio and Cruz with accusations of lying and even a reference to male genitalia.

While Trump's three rivals followed party dogma, insisting they would set aside their concerns and rally around the ultimate nominee, they said they did so reluctantly if Trump were to emerge as the candidate for the general election.

"Sometimes he makes it a little bit hard," said Kasich, 63.

Trump, asked if he would support the Republican nominee if it was someone other than him, seemed startled by the question given the momentum behind him, but eventually said, "Yes I will." Trump, 69, defended himself from Romney's blistering rebuke and called Romney a failed candidate.

SHIFTING POSITIONS

With the Florida and Ohio primary votes looming on March 15 as make-or-break for the anti-Trump forces, Trump provided some ammunition to his critics.

Trump shrugged when presented with videotaped evidence from the moderators that he had shifted positions on the Iraq war, immigration and whether to admit refugees from the Syrian civil war.

"You have to show a degree of flexibility," he said.

Both Rubio and Cruz pounced.

"I hope we don’t see yoga on this stage," Cruz said. Replied Rubio: "Well, he's very flexible so you never know."

It remained to be seen whether the debate would prove to be damaging to Trump. The runaway front-runner to date has been immune from criticism that other politicians normally face, for instance, over flip-flopping on issues.

While Trump saw the greatest number of overall mentions on social media site Twitter, an analysis showed that 63 percent of the tweets expressing an opinion on him were negative, according to social media analytics firm Brandwatch which separated objective tweets from opinionated tweets in its analysis.

The rating marks a decline in positive sentiment for Trump. In the last two Republican debates, Trump broke even in terms of positive and negative mentions, according to the firm's analysis, while he enjoyed a 62.5 percent positive sentiment rating during the Republican debate before that.

IMMIGRATION, FOREIGN WORKERS

Rubio, 44, and Cruz, 45, questioned Trump's immigration policy and his use of foreign workers at his exclusive Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Cruz demanded Trump release an audiotape of an off-the-record session he had with New York Times editorial writers on Jan. 5.

Cruz and others have suggested that in the session Trump might have been more flexible on immigration than in public statements insisting he would build a wall between the United States and Mexico and deport 11 million illegal immigrants.

Trump refused to release the tape but said he would be flexible, for instance, on the height of the wall. He also abruptly changed his position on foreign workers, saying more of them who are highly skilled should be allowed to remain in the United States.

Rubio pressed Trump on the foreign workers he has imported to work at his Palm Beach resort, jobs he said could go to Americans. Trump said the workers were for a short November-to-March season.

"People don’t want a short-term job," Trump said. "So we bring people in and we send people out."



'GIVE ME A BREAK'

Rubio asked Trump why he does not bring his clothing-making operations to the United States from China and Mexico if he is so interested in bringing jobs home, a central tenet of his unconventional campaign.

"This little guy has lied so much about my record," Trump said in response to Rubio, adding that he had begun bringing some clothing operations home from overseas.

But Rubio persisted: "The answer is he’s not going to do it ... The reason he makes it in China and Mexico is because he can make more money on it."

Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly, who famously clashed with Trump at the first Republican debate last August, generated a fresh exchange in pressing Trump to explain his involvement with Trump University, a now-defunct online education company that has faced lawsuits from people who feel they paid out money for Trump U and got nothing in return.

"Give me a break," said Trump. "Let's see what happens in court."

Rubio accused Trump of fleecing everyday Americans for personal gain.

"He's trying to do to the American voter what he did to the people who signed up for this course," Rubio said.

The debate went down a negative path early on when Trump responded to Rubio's contention last month that Trump had "small hands."

"Look at these hands," Trump said, flashing his two hands to the crowd. He dismissed any suggestion he might be small elsewhere, Trump said: "I guarantee you there is no problem."

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Ginger Gibson, Emily Stephenson and Amy Tennery; Editing by Howard Goller)

RAB: Digital, Off-Air Platforms Hit New Highs

Radio boasts the broadest mass reach among all media while simultaneously affording narrow targeting capabilities through numerous program formats and networks. These powerful attributes combine to make broadcast radio the most efficient, effective vehicle for advertising – and radio's unparalleled consumer reach through broadcast is increasingly being enhanced by stations' ability to provide additional reach through both digital platforms and ‘Off-Air,' or non-traditional, extensions like events, sponsorships and ticket sales.

In 2015, radio held its own in attracting ad dollars within the highly competitive media environment, and 2015 also represented milestones for radio's Digital and Off-Air sectors: Revenue derived from radio's increasingly important digital platforms topped $1B for the first time, and off-air sales grew 11% over last year's strong performance to exceed the $2B mark. Combined, Digital and Off-Air sectors comprise nearly 1/5 of radio's total bottom line for the full year 2015.

"More and more advertisers are extending the unmatched reach of broadcast radio by taking advantage of radio's off-air and digital options," said Erica Farber, President and CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau.  "By using radio stations' digital and off-air platforms, advertisers are extending the scope and reach of their messaging – and because more and more consumers are enjoying experiential events or spending time on devices, off-air opportunities can build on the strength of broadcast radio and provide the ability to reach them effectively and efficiently."

Other Non-Spot highlights for 2015 include:

• Off-Air sales now represent nearly 12% of total revenue.
• Network's strong second half (up 3%) helped boost full year by 1%.

The Top 5 advertiser categories of 2014 held steady in rank and rank positions through 2015, with four adding additional dollars to radio. Leading category Auto Dealers/Dealer Groups/Manufacturers' spending was flat but represented twice as many dollars in total as #2 Communications/Cellular.

Atlanta Radio: Jeff And Jen Debut On Star 94.1

WSTR Star 94.1 FM introduced its long-awaited new morning show Thursday morning featuring two familiar faces: Jeff Dauler and Jenn Hobby.

“We feel the love,” said Hobby this morning during the first live break. “We feel the support from friends and family… Our families decorated the studio and sent flowers and notes. All your comments, your well wishes have been well received. We’re going to do our best to make you happy.”

The Jeff and Jenn Show will normally air from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily but started today at 7 a.m. The Drex, Cassiday and Tingle morning show, which has been on Star since early last year, is now on in the afternoons. They volunteered to start at 5:30 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. because so many people are up at that time (and it was what the Bert Show used to do as well.)

“Everything here is new,” Hobby said. “The name of the radio station is new. The studios are new. The computer system is brand new. The web site is new. Everything is new!”

Rodney Ho, media writer with the Atlanta Constitution recored a Periscope video while in studio at 9:40 a.m. Thursday morning. It includes a short interview with market manager Mike Fowler and Dauler and Hobby gabbing with mid-day host Heather Branch and program director Tony Lorino.


During their first live opener, they took several calls from fans. They emphasized the fact that the callers were from cities in metro Atlanta, something they couldn’t do on the Bert Show when it went into syndication in 2010.

They then played a special song for Dauler: “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors. He had listened to it every day during his break. Then coincidentally, the bosses flew the show to New York to meet with advertisers and had that band play that very song during a cocktail hour.

Report: FCC AM Order Generates Concerns

The impact of the proposals handed down in the AM Radio Revitalization Order are generating continued commentary and concern — prompting broadcast stations, radio networks and radio listeners to submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission on what these new proposals mean to them.

Issues up for debate include nighttime coverage, expanded band licensees and the difficulty in finding tower crews, among others.

RadioWorld reports Station WRDN 1430 AM in Durand WI submitted a formal comment to the Federal Communications Commission via the agency’s Electronic Comment Filing System requesting that the agency consider a compromise that would lift those low-power restrictions placed on stations at night. “My suggestion is have a post-sunset authority for 500 W until 10 p.m. local time,” said Brian Winnekins, licensee of WRDN in Durand, Wis. “I believe by doing this, it will improve service to the local community, provide a possible revenue stream for stations, while at the same time allowing for ‘long distance’ listening during the overnight hours.”

Durand points out that this step would not require major equipment or engineering investments “like we are seeing with the new rules regarding moving an FM translator 250 miles,” he said. Stations like his would also be able to generate additional revenue by broadcasting local high school sports programming, which some stations are unable to do due to low-power restrictions at night, he said.

Local listeners like Dan Barr from Grand Rapids, Mich., used the ECFS system to express support for small AM radio stations, particularly WION 1430 AM in Ionia, Mich., which has a population of 11,000. “I have wished, on numerous occasions, that WION was available in my area at night, so I might listen to their unique programming and ‘small town’ feel,” Barr wrote.

“WION reminds me of radio stations from my childhood,” he said. “Unlike the cookie-cutter programming you hear on large, corporate-owned stations, WION actually plays requests from their listeners, any time of the day. Because it is run by and for local residents, WION is truly a voice of the people, a true gem among the blandness that is corporate radio.”

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FCC's Pai: Expect A Broadband Internet Tax

Ajit Pai

The federal government cannot afford the subsidies being poured into telecommunication services, unless it's planning to impose a new tax on broadband Internet Service, a member of the Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday.

"It's telling that the agency is already spending money in anticipation of getting a greater amount of revenue from the Universal Service Fund," FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai told a Senate panel.

"We boosted the E-Rate budget by $1.5 billion per year last year. By all accounts, next month we're going to expand the Lifeline program to broadband without any meaningful budget or cap. That money is already being spent, and it has to come from somewhere. I would respectfully submit to you that ultimately, it's going to be in the form of a broadband tax," Pai added.

According to The Washington Examiner, the E-Rate program provides financial assistance to schools and libraries to receive telecommunication service, while the Lifeline provides assistance to low-income consumers. Funding for both comes out of the FCC's Universal Service Fund, which surpassed a record $12 billion last year.

Money for the fund comes from a fee imposed on telecommunication services. Currently, that amounts to an 18.2 percent tax on telephone service. However, since reclassifying broadband providers as public utilities last year, the FCC has been considering whether to impose the same fee on Internet service. A decision was originally due in April 2015, but has been repeatedly delayed.

Deliberations Next For Erin Andrews Trial Jury

Erin Andrews

A jury could begin deliberations Friday in Erin Andrews' civil lawsuit against a Nashville hotel owner and operator.

The Tennessean reports the defense rested its case Thursday after putting on two final witnesses. Jurors have heard seven days of testimony, and the lawyers will deliver closing arguments Friday.

Andrews is suing West End Hotel Partners, the owner of the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University; Windsor Capital Group, the management company; and her stalker, Michael David Barrett, for $75 million. The television personality says in court filings that the hotel and staff allowed Barrett to book a room next to hers, giving him access to film her through a peephole while she was in Nashville covering a Vanderbilt football game in September 2008.

The jury will weigh whether those companies and Barrett are liable. If jurors find the companies at fault, then they will address what Andrews' damages — money award — should be.

The defense's last witness was former NFL player Jesse Palmer, who worked on ESPN's Thursday night college football crew with Andrews in 2008 and 2009. He said he was amazed at Andrews' on-air performance at her first game back after the videos were leaked, calling her a professional. He also said she was subject to sexual comments before the videos were leaked, and said she had additional security after the incident.

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Nielsen Doubles Down on Media Planning

Nielsen Thursday announced that it has completed its acquisition of Pointlogic, a global leader in marketing decision support systems that improve precision and allocation through innovative software. With clients in over 100 countries, Pointlogic software is integral to the media planning functions of agencies, media owners and advertisers.

The acquisition of Pointlogic further extends Nielsen’s data and planning assets across its Watch and Buy divisions, and advances the adoption of Nielsen Total Audience data, including Digital/Total Ad Ratings and Digital/Total Content Ratings around the world. Among the benefits for Pointlogic, the acquisition provides the opportunity to strengthen and better leverage the company’s product portfolio, which includes Bizpoint, Brandpoint, Commspoint, Pinpoint and Valuepoint.

Megan Clarken

Nielsen and Pointlogic formed a strategic alliance in 2014 to co-develop Nielsen Media Impact, an innovative tool using best-in-class media measurement, and advanced analytics that enable clients to predict the Impact of their plans on sales and brand equity before committing investments. Nielsen Media Impact delivers integrated Reach, Resonance and Reaction data in a single platform, helping clients improve their marketing effectiveness with easy to use software.

“This acquisition significantly enhances our clients’ ability to plan and execute with greater precision in today’s digitally enabled marketing environment,” said Megan Clarken, President, Product Leadership, Nielsen. “Together with Pointlogic, Nielsen is transforming the way clients reach, engage and activate consumer connections in the most effective way – with the brand and business outcomes they want to achieve.”

O'Reilly Agrees With Koppel: I 'Ruined' TV Journalism

Former "Nightline" host Ted Koppel told Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly it is his fault that television journalism has become less objective and more sensational, but he did so in the nicest of ways.

On Wednesday's episode of Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor"  the host asked Koppel how he would interview GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump if he were still in the business.

"It's irrelevant how I would do it," Koppel said. "You know who made it irrelevant? You did."

According to Newsmax, Koppel said O'Reilly has changed the television landscape over the past 20 years.

"You took it from being objective and dull to being subjective and entertaining," he said. "And in this current climate, it doesn't matter what the interviewer asks him, Mr. Trump is going to say whatever he wants to say, as outrageous as it may be."

Trump's audience isn't a television audience anyway, Koppel said, but a Twitter audience, where the short messages are kept "nice and simple."
Special: How Melissa McCarthy Shed a Shocking 50 Pounds in 30 Days
O'Reilly readily admitted to being one of the TV commentators who have "ruined the country."

"That's true," Koppel calmly replied.

"I have ruined everything," O'Reilly said, but countered that journalists outnumber commentators 50 to 1, so "Maybe the journalists aren't as powerful as they should be."

Iger Defends ABC News Over Accusations of Liberal Bias

Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger defended ABC News and one of its anchors, former Democratic party advisor George Stephanopoulos, against charges of liberal bias when pressed to do so Thursday by a shareholder who works for a conservative advocacy group.

"Are we perfect? No. But I believe the overall presentation of ABC News, the reputation of ABC News, is one that we are and will continue to be proud of," Iger told the shareholder.

"We're well aware of the George Stephanopoulos situation. I watch George often. George is a person of integrity ... we believe that George is presenting to his public a fair and unbiased look at news," he said.

Robert Iger

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Iger said he saw the anchor interview the various presidential candidates and he was satisfied the interviews were fair.

"He seems to be equally aggressive in terms of looking for criticism, looking for applause, demanding facts and opinions from all of them. I assure you, if we felt George was not presenting it fairly or were bias, he would not be on our air," he said. "It's something we take very, very seriously, and we monitor closely."

The shareholder reminded Iger that he asked the CEO to ensure ABC News was free from bias at the annual meeting three years ago, and he wanted to know "one concrete step" Iger took to meet that goal. He said polls still show consumers view broadcast news as liberally biased. Iger, though, rejected the premise.

"People with one very specific set of beliefs or political opinions may view a lot of what is presented across numerous networks as not consistent with their own beliefs, and I guess it would be their conclusion that that would be bias," he said.

February 2016's Best News Bloopers

Donald Trump and Ben Carson Hilariously Blows GOP Republican Debate Entrance, NFL Denver Broncos fan spends $21,000 on Super Bowl tickets, Criminal looks just like BBC news reporter, NASCAR reporter snubs John Cena - make up this month's ultimate best news blooper compilation.

ABC News: Chronicles Clinton Avoiding The News Media

For the first time in 88 days, Hillary Clinton took questions from her traveling press corps during a coffee shop stop in Minnesota Tuesday afternoon.

ABC News reports Clinton's decision to take questions comes after growing pressure from reporters who have recently been tweeting and writing stories about the lack of access to the Democratic presidential candidate.

The former Secretary of State regularly ignores reporters on the rope line and also travels in a separate charter from her press corps.

The lack of access to the Democratic presidential front-runner has led reporters to bombard Clinton with questions on the rope line as she's greeting supporters at campaign events. But -- aside from an occasional "Hi!" or "I'm feeling great!" in response -- she ignores them there, too.

During the unscheduled media availability with reporters today, Clinton responded to questions about her Super Tuesday chances, the path forward for Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and the whole GOP field.

FCC February 2016 Call Letter Activity

Philly Radio: WIP Host Battles Bout of On-Air Hiccups

Big Dady Graham

Philly radio icon Big Daddy Graham has battled through a lot in recent years - major back surgery, throat cancer, a serious staph infection.

But this past week, according to philly.com, the longtime WIP 94.1 FM host and comedian was sidelined by the most unlikely of calamities – a case of the hiccups.

At midnight about a week ago, as Graham prepared for his 2 a.m. radio shift, the host was overcome by a sudden bout of hiccups. Graham went live anyway, attempting to drink as much water as he could during commercial breaks, but the intensity of the hiccuping just kept getting worse.

“I started getting bouts of three to four hiccups in a row,” Graham said. “It’s a hard thing to hide on the air.”

Graham eventually made it through his show and left Philadelphia on a prepaid New York City vacation, but had to cut the trip short when the hiccups returned. At one point, the host said he hiccuped for 41 hours straight before begrudgingly agreeing to get it checked.

He spent more than five hours in the emergency room of a New Jersey hospital he declined to name, thinking his hiccuping problem had finally been cured.

“Ten minutes after they released me, I started hiccuping again,” said Graham, who eventually ended up at Jefferson University Hospital, where his problem was diagnosed as atrial fibrillation, or AFib. To say the WIP host is used to receiving bad medical news is an understatement.



“I’ve had three back surgeries, three throat surgeries, throat cancer and a mini-heart attack over Labor Day weekend,” Graham said. “I’m a very bad eater with very bad hours, but that’s the price I pay for doing a job I don’t consider work.”

Despite the bad news and a three-day stay in the hospital, Graham couldn’t stop working. From his hospital bed, he came up with a comedy routine for fellow WIP host Josh Innes’ afternoon show.

FL Radio: Anchor Experiences Medical Issue On-Air

Ronald Ebben

Ronald J. Ebben, the Morning Edition host for WFSU 88.9 FM in Tallahassee, suffered a medical episode during a live broadcast Thursday morning.

According to tallahassee.com, Between 6:04 and 6:07 a.m., listeners reported Ebben had a difficult time forming words. There were about two seconds of silence followed by music and a National Public Radio feed.

The 78-year-old was taken off the air, the station said. Out of precaution, he was transported to a local hospital.

WFSU posted an update on Ebben on its website shortly after 8 a.m. Flanigan also read the update on air.

Doctors kept Ebben at the hospital overnight for observation and tests. The cause of the episode is unknown, Flanigan said. However, there is no initial indication of a stroke, which many listeners feared after hearing the broadcast.

Ebben, Flanigan said, has been the local "Morning Edition" host in Tallahassee for at least 12 years. He typically arrives at the station about 3 a.m. and starts compiling news reports. He then delivers local news stories on air, about two to three per hour from 6 a.m. to noon.

March 4 Radio History

In 1877...Emile Berliner, the man behind so many inventions, came up with a thing called the microphone. The Bell System, run by Alexander Graham Bell, came up with a compact way to put Mr. Berliner’s microphone on a wooden box, with a crank, an earpiece, a cradle hook for the earpiece and some wires, and called it thetelephone.


In 1910...DeForest conducted an experimental Radio broadcast from New York City.

Lee de Forest

Lee de Forest (August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American inventor with over 180 patents to his credit. He named himself the "Father of Radio," with this famous quote, "I discovered an Invisible Empire of the Air, intangible, yet solid as granite,".

In 1906 De Forest invented the Audion, the first triode vacuum tube and the first electrical device which could amplify a weak electrical signal and make it stronger. The Audion, and vacuum tubes developed from it, founded the field of electronics and dominated it for 40 years, making radio broadcasting, television, and long-distance telephone service possible, among many other applications. For this reason De Forest has been called one of the fathers of the "electronic age". He is also credited with one of the principal inventions that brought sound to motion pictures.

He was involved in several patent lawsuits, and spent a substantial part of his income from his inventions on legal bills. He had four marriages and 25 companies. He was indicted for mail fraud, but later was acquitted.




In 1925...President Calvin Coolidge was adminstered the oath of office in Washington, DC. as it was was broadcast over the Radio for the first time.


In 1930...“The Redhead”, sportscaster Red Barber, began his radio career on WRUF at the University of Florida in Gainsville. He soon became one of the best known sports voices in America.


In 1935..WOR-AM went to 50 Kw power.

1934 WOR Ad courtesy of Faded Signals

In 1942...teenager Shirley Temple had the starring role as Junior Miss debuted on CBS radio. The show, costing $12,000 a week, was found to be too expensive to produce and ended after 6 months.  But a 1948 version starring Barbara Whiting as Judy Graves stayed on network radio for 5 years.


In 1952...the first seagoing Radio broadcasting station, "Courier", was dedicated by President Harry Truman.


In 1955...the first radio facsimile was transmitted across the continent.


In 1959...The very first Grammy Awards are held in New York City, and the winners, to no one's surprise, have nothing to do with rock and roll, or, sometimes, even the categories they were nominated in: for some reason, the Champs' "Tequila" wins Best R&B Song, but Record of the Year goes to "Volare" by Domenico Modugno, while Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn soundtrack LP wins Album of the Year.


In 1966…In London, the Evening Standard newspaper published an article titled "How Does a Beatle Live? John Lennon Lives Like This." In one small part of the story, Lennon was quoted as saying, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue that. I'm right and will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus right now. I don't know which will go first, rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was alright, but his disciples were thick and ordinary."

The English public didn't raise an eyebrow over his remarks, but they caused controversy and protest in America when they were reprinted later in the U.S. teen magazine DATEbook. Thousands of Beatles records were smashed at mass rallies and some radio stations quit playing their songs altogether in protest. Lennon later apologized, explaining that what he meant was "the way some people carry on, (screaming at their concerts) you'd think we were more popular than Jesus Christ."


In 1982...FCC allows industry to select AM stereo standard


In 2001…Singer (In The Navy, YMCA, Macho Man) Glenn Hughes of the Village People died of lung cancer at the age of 50. He was buried in his leather biker outfit.


In 2004...Clear Channel Communications paid a record $755,000 fine for indecent material aired during broadcasts of the "Bubba The Love Sponge" program. Today, Todd Alan Clem is the host of The Bubba the Love Sponge Show on WBRN 98.7 FM in Tampa as well as online via RadioIO.


In 2008...Radio program director Fred Horton died at age 56. He was born in Syracuse. In the 80s he hosted the Saturday Night Oldies Party on WYYY Y94 FM. He also worked at WBEE Rochester, NY, Country WGNA Album , WYNY NYC, WRUN 1150 Utica NY.


In 2009…Peter Tork of the Monkees underwent extensive surgery after being diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare, slow-growing form of head and neck cancer. A preliminary biopsy discovered that the cancer had not spread beyond the initial site.


In 2011…Radio and TV host (WPTR, KILT, WPRO-AM/TV, WJAR, KLAC, WCAU-AM/TV, WWDB, KNBR, WRC/WWRC) Joel A. Spivak, one of the pioneers of talk radio, died of cancer at the age of 75.

Nielsen: Candidate Supporters Rely On Radio Most

A new study on the media habits of voters found that Bernie Sanders supporters are some of the least likely among candidates' supporters to watch cable TV in general, and cable news in particular.

Around 85 percent of those who identified at Sanders supporters in the Katz Media/Nielsen Scarborough Research Panel study said they watched cable TV in general (both entertainment and news channels), compared to 87 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters. For Marco Rubio, 92 percent of his supporters cited cable television -- the highest among decided voters -- whereas 89 percent of Donald Trump supporters used cable. Only 32 percent of Sanders supporters said they watch any of the cable news channels. Rubio supporters were the most likely to watch cable news, with 59 percent saying they do so.

Trump and Rubio supporters use the internet more than other sources of media, with 92 percent of Trump supporters and 97 percent of Rubio supporters using the internet. Ted Cruz had 96 percent of his supporters using the web while undecided voters were at 93 percent.

Undecided Republicans and Democrats were more likely to use the radio than any other medium.

Politico reports the study was conducted between Jan. 25 and Feb. 22 based on interviews with 3,000 registered voters and 1,802 likely primary goers from Colorado, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Mitt's Fit.. Romney Calls Trump "A Phoney, A Fraud"

(Reuters) -- Former Republican U.S. presidential nominee Mitt Romney gave a blistering rebuke of 2016 party front-runner Donald Trump on Thursday, the latest sign of how badly mainstream figures in the party want to stop the incendiary New York billionaire.

Romney, an elder statesman in the party, urged Republicans in states that have not yet held nominating contests to vote for Trump's opponents to stop his march to the nomination for the Nov. 8 election to succeed President Barack Obama.

"Here's what I know. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud," said Romney, 68, who has kept a low profile since losing to Obama in 2012.

"He's playing the members of the American public for suckers. He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat," he said.

ICYMI: Watch my speech on the state of the 2016 presidential race https://t.co/uJmonN0IwD

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) March 3, 2016

Trump has made his party's establishment uneasy with his positions on trade and immigration, including his calls to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, deport 11 million illegal immigrants and temporarily bar Muslims from entering the country.

Romney pointed to the billionaire real estate developer's refusal to release his tax returns and initial reluctance to disavow an endorsement from a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.

Romney, who did not endorse anyone, suggested Republicans vote for candidates who appear poised to do the best against Trump in states still to hold nominating votes: Senator Marco Rubio in Florida, Ohio Governor Kasich in his home state, and Senator Ted Cruz from Texas where he is strong.

Romney said Trump's economic policy would sink America "into prolonged recession" and his foreign policy would endanger the country. He criticized his business acumen and his temperament.

"This is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss," he said.

He's playing the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat. (2/2)

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) March 3, 2016

Ahead of the speech, much of which had been previewed in excerpts, Trump dismissed Romney in television interviews and posts on Twitter, calling him "a failed candidate" who had "begged" him for an endorsement in 2012.

"Mitt Romney is a stiff," Trump told NBC's "Today" program.

Romney's strategy risks backfiring by further energizing Trump's supporters, who are angry with a party they see as not defending their interests.

"If you’re Trump, this is like getting the good kind of Kryptonite," Republican strategist Doug Heye said.

Romney's speech came hours before Trump and rivals Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich share a debate stage in Detroit.

It risks locking Trump's opponents out of news coverage until the 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT Friday) debate hosted by Fox News begins. The debate will be the candidates' first face-to-face gathering since Super Tuesday nominating contests this week gave extra momentum to Trump but did not knock out his rivals.

Trump took to Twitter to respond Thursday:

Failed candidate Mitt Romney,who ran one of the worst races in presidential history,is working with the establishment to bury a big "R" win!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2016

The message to his social-media followers came after Trump had already taken on Romney Wednesday night after the planned speech became public.

Looks like two-time failed candidate Mitt Romney is going to be telling Republicans how to get elected. Not a good messenger!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2016

U.S. Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, joined 2012 nominee Mitt Romney on Thursday in criticizing front-runner Donald Trump, particularly on foreign policy.

I share my friend @MittRomney's concerns - hope American ppl think hard about who they want as Commander-in-Chief: https://t.co/yP6NqRDM17

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) March 3, 2016

"I would also echo the many concerns about Mr. Trump’s uninformed and indeed dangerous statements on national security issues that have been raised by 65 Republican defense and foreign policy leaders," he said of the letter, published online.

McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said at a time of global turmoil, "I want Republican voters to pay close attention to what our party's most respected and knowledgeable leaders and national security experts are saying about Mr. Trump."

Data curated by InsideGov