Plus Pages

Saturday, October 8, 2016

October 9 Radio History





In 1890...Aimee Semple McPherson was born. She was a Pentecostal evangelist and radio preacher.


In 1935...the "Cavalcade of America" was first broadcast on he CBS Radio Network.  The CBS show (until moving to NBC 1939-53) featured some of Hollywood and Broadway’s most famous stars in leading roles in the half hour dramas about obscure incidents and people in American history.

The DuPont Company introduced its slogan on “Cavalcade of America” …”Better things for better living through chemistry.”


In 1943...The radio fantasy series "Land of the Lost," starring Betty Jane Tyler and Ray Ives, began its five-year run, first on the ABC Blue Network, then on the Mutual Broadcasting System for a year beginning in 1945, and back to ABC until the final broadcast in July 1948. The opening phrase for the show was, “In that wonderful kingdom at the bottom of the sea…” This children’s adventure-fantasy serial took the audience underwater where the main characters, Isabel and Jimmy, were guided by their friend, a red fish named Red Lantern and played at first by Junius Matthews and later, by Art Carney. Land of the Lost found a large audience and remained on the air until 1948.


In 1962...The BBC bans Bobby "Boris" Pickett's hit "Monster Mash," feeling the subject matter -- comical as it is -- may be deemed grotesque or otherwise tasteless to some listeners




In 1967...Legendary New York DJ Murray The K is fired from station WOR-FM, where he had moved to take advantage of the new free-form format of FM radio, when the station's new owners decided to move to a set playlist.  He was fired because of his "inability to live with direction."

When WOR switched to the tighter Drake format where DJ's weren't allowed to pick the music and talk as much, Murray the K left New York radio to host programs in Toronto - on CHUM 1050 AM -and on WHFS 102.3 FM in Bethesda, MD in 1972. He returned to New York after his short stint on WHFS on the weekend show NBC Monitor and as a fill-in morning dj, and then in 1972 moved to a regular evening weekend program on WNBC radio where Don Imus was broadcasting; he was joined there by the legendary Wolfman Jack, a year later. Although it was low-key, Murray's WNBC show featured his own innovative trademark programming style, including telling stories that were illustrated by selected songs, his unique segues, and his pairing cuts by theme or idiosyncratic associations.

In early 1975, he was brought on for a brief stint at Long Island alternative rock station WLIR, and his final New York radio show ran later that year on WKTU-FM after which — already in ill health — he moved to Los Angeles. The syndicated show Soundtrack of the 60s mentioned below was heard in New York City on WCBS-FM. Gary Owens succeeded Murray as its host.

Kaufman died of cancer a week after his 60th birthday on February 21, 1982.




In 1969...BBC's Top Of The Pops refuses to play the Number One hit in the country for the first time. The song, Serge Gainsbourg's "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus," is considered one of the first "orgasm records," that is, one of the first to feature heavy female breathing and moaning.


In 1979...Howard Stern began his first morning show on WCCC in Hartford Conn. From 1976 to 1982, Stern developed his on-air personality through morning positions at WRNW in Briarcliff Manor, New York, WCCC in Hartford, Connecticut, WWWW in Detroit, Michigan, and WWDC in Washington, D.C. Stern worked afternoons at WNBC in New York City from 1982 until his firing in 1985.

In 1985, Stern began a 20-year run at WXRK in New York City; his morning show entered syndication in 1986 and aired in 60 markets and attracted 20 million listeners at its peak. Stern won numerous industry awards, including Billboard’s Nationally Syndicated Air Personality of the Year eight consecutive times, and is the first to have the number one morning show in New York City and Los Angeles simultaneously. He became the most fined radio host when the Federal Communications Commission issued fines totaling $2.5 million to station owners for content it deemed indecent. Stern became one of the highest paid radio figures after signing a five-year deal with Sirius in 2004 worth $500 million


In 1990...radio stations around the world played "Imagine" to honor John Lennon on his birthdate. He was born in 1940 in the middle of an air raid at the Oxford Street Maternity Hospital in Liverpool, England; was shot to death in New York City on December 8, 1980.




In 2011…New York City disc jockey (WCBS-FM for parts of five decades) Bill Brown died at age 69.

In 1969, WCBS-FM traded in their easy listening 'Young Sound' format for an album rock format similar to WABC-FM (later WPLJ) and WNEW-FM. Brown was on the original airstaff.

Unfortunately, WCBS-FM did could not lay claim to sizable ratings in the New York City radio market while other stations such as WNEW-FM and WPLJ gained most of the rock n'roll radio audience. After research and several years of very low ratings WCBS-FM dropped the AOR format on July 7, 1972 at 6 AM and began playing Oldies from 1955 to then current product. Initially the station played both rock and roll songs and non rock songs of the 1950s and early 60's and only softer rock and pop hits of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Brown stayed on with the Oldies format. By the end of 1972, Brown was on the station weekdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

In 1975, Brown also became Program Director of WCBS-FM. For a few months he gave up his midday airshift. By the end of 1976, Brown was on from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays along with his Saturday morning shift. Under Brown, WCBS-FM moved away from easy listening and began to play more 60's rock. In 1978, Brown gave up his program director position but retained his airshifts. His shift was still 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturdays.

In 1984, when Ron Lundy arrived, Brown was moved to 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. while Ron moved to the 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. slot. Harry Harrison now aired from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. (previously he was on 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.). Bill's Saturday shift was then 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. every second week. Bill Brown also continued doing voiceovers for many commercials airing on WCBS FM and other radio stations.

Brown continued on consistently from noon to 3 p.m until 2005, when his airshift was moved to 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. With his years of service, age, and retirements of other well known staffers it was speculated that his retirement was not far off.

Bill Brown remained at WCBS-FM until June 3, 2005. Although ratings were decent and the station was profitable, CBS executives abruptly laid off the entire airstaff at 4 p.m. that day. Bill Brown was the last live air personality to sign off several minutes before 4 p.m.. He came out of Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett and played Rescue Me by Fontella Bass. It was unclear whether or not he knew the end was happening from his last statement, though he did not say a typical goodbye. His last words were, "CBS-FM 101.1, Fontella Bass... Do you ever feel the urge to just kinda scream, "RESCUE ME!?"... I'm beginning to get that feeling, here's Fontella Bass."

Brown then retired from CBS-FM after 33 years of playing oldies, as well as nearly 36 years of service. He is the only air personality to be with the station through their entire first run using live on-air personalities. He did one of their first shifts the day WCBS-FM adopted the rock format in 1969 and the very last live airshift doing oldies in 2005.


In 2012…Longtime Detroit radio and TV announcer (WWJ, WXYZ, WJR, CKLW)/Michigan Sports Hall of Famer Budd Lynch died at age 95. He was the radio voice of the Detroit Red Wings from 1949 to 1975, their public address announcer starting in 1985, and served as the team's public and community relations director.

Trump Defiantly Apologizes After Lewd Remarks Revealed

 (Please Note: Language may be offensive to some readers in paragraphs 11, 13)

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scrambled to prevent his campaign from falling apart early on Saturday with a hastily prepared video statement expressing regret for making lewd comments about women.

Trump declared himself a changed man, but raised the infidelities of former President Bill Clinton and slammed his Democratic opponent in the Nov. 8 election, Hillary Clinton, saying he would talk more about their past in coming days.

Disclosure of a 2005 video of Trump talking on an open microphone showed the then-reality TV star speaking openly about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman. Democrats have sought to highlight such behavior to prevent women voters from supporting him with less than a month to go until the election.

The video landed just ahead of the second presidential debate on Sunday night, which had been seen as critical for Trump to try to rebound from a dip in some opinion polls after a rocky performance in the first debate.

"This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we're facing today," he said, before turning to former President Bill Clinton's infidelities.

"We will discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the debate on Sunday," Trump said in his statement.

The bombshell development rocked Trump's campaign to its core and some Republican lawmakers disavowed him.

House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan withdrew an invitation for Trump to visit Wisconsin on Saturday and there were some calls for the New York businessman to step aside to let his vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, become the party’s standard-bearer.

"Anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize," Trump said in his video statement, posted on his Facebook page.



COMMENTS CONDEMNED

Trump's comments aired in a near-constant loop on U.S. news programs on Friday.

"I did try and fuck her. She was married," Trump said about one woman, before discussing his attraction to others.

"I just start kissing them," he said. "And when you’re a star they let you do it."

"Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything," Trump said.

A stream of Republican leaders condemned Trump's lewd remarks, but a few lawmakers distanced themselves further.

U.S. Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, who has been one of Clinton’s fiercest critics, said he had retracted his endorsement of Trump, telling CNN he would not be able to look his 15-year-old daughter in the eye if he voted for Trump.

Utah's Republican Governor Gary Herbert said on Twitter he would also no longer vote for Trump. "Tonight, millions of Republicans are facing a moment of truth," Herbert said.

Republican lawmaker Mike Coffman from Colorado told CBS that Trump should "step aside" and said "his defeat at this point seems almost certain."

Trump, known for his unconventional and controversial speaking style, has made a series of gaffes in his campaign but the graphic nature of the clip would hurt his standing among women, independents, and wavering Republicans, said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

"We've never seen something like this Trump clip in a modern presidential campaign," Yepsen said, calling the incident "sad for the American political system" and for Trump's supporters.

Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said "this feels like it is quickly becoming a political 'game over'" for Trump.

"Unless voters don’t care about these issues or believe that this is simply political dirty tricks by releasing the videos now, Trump is going to have to pull a rabbit out of his hat in order to turn things around," Bonjean said.

Still, Trump's past controversial comments have failed to shake his core supporters, said David Axelrod, a former political adviser to Democratic President Barack Obama.

"Appalling as the (Trump) tape is, I'm reminded of all the times we have said, THIS time he's REALLY done," Axelrod said on Twitter.

(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason and Emily Flitter in New York, Ayesha Rascoe in Chicago, Steve Holland, Eric Beech and Mohammed Zargham in Washington; Writing by Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Paul Tait)

Billy Bush Apologizes For Lewd Trump Conversation

Billy Bush, Donald Trump
Billy Bush has broken his silence amid the firestorm stirred by the release of a recording from 2005 of the “Today” anchor and Donald Trump discussing women and sexual conquests in vulgar terms, reports Variety.

In the video, Bush, who was then a co-anchor of NBC’s “Access Hollywood,” and Trump were caught on hot mics, speaking in lewd terms about a female TV personality, now identified as former “Access Hollywood” co-host Nancy O’Dell. Trump and Bush also spoke about using the power of celebrity to achieve sexual conquests, comments that have drawn vociferous condemnation of Trump, the Republican candidate for president.

The fallout from the recording has also been swift for Bush, who is heard agreeing and laughing with Trump. Trump and Bush were together for an “Access Hollywood” segment on Trump’s cameo on the NBC daytime soap “Days of Our Lives.”

Bush issued an apology Friday evening.

“Obviously I’m embarrassed and ashamed. It’s no excuse, but this happened eleven years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I’m very sorry,” Bush said in a statement.

Bush worked for “Access Hollywood” from 2001 to 2016. He departed the newsmagazine show earlier this year for a permanent gig on NBC’s “Today”as host of the show’s 9 a.m. hour. Bush got off to a rocky start on “Today” when his interview with Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte was discredited after Lochte admitted to having fabricated the story of being robbed at gunpoint while in Rio.

FCC's Chair Unveils Scaled-Back Business Data Reforms

(Reuters) -- Many small businesses would pay lower prices for high-capacity data and voice connections known as special access lines under a scaled-back proposal to reform the $45 billion-a-year market unveiled on Friday by U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler.

Wheeler proposed a sweeping reform plan for business data services in April, and now may seek a final vote as early as later this month on the updated proposal he circulated to commissioners on Thursday, a person briefed on the plan said on Friday.

Many businesses rely on special-access lines to transmit large amounts of data quickly, for instance connecting banks to ATM machines or gasoline pump credit card readers.

Special-access lines are used by offices, retailers, banks, manufacturers, schools and hospitals to move large amounts of data, and wireless carriers rely on them for the backhaul of mobile traffic.

This data services market is an important business for companies like AT&T Inc (T.N), CenturyLink (CTL.N) and Verizon Communications Inc(VZ.N).

The FCC said Wheeler is proposing to require lower price caps for millions of small businesses, schools and libraries using legacy systems with a one-time 11 percent reduction in prices phased in over three years in addition to annual small reductions starting next year.

The goal is to ensure that prices are competitive for legacy business data networks and newer ethernet-based systems.

Communications Workers of America President Chris Shelton said in a statement the rate cuts "will create pressure on companies to cut existing jobs and reduce capital outlays in fiber networks, subverting the very goals the FCC aims to achieve in this proceeding."

AT&T also criticized the proposal, saying it would "contribute to mounting job losses."

The FCC said Wheeler also is proposing to rein in excessive penalties for early termination of contracts for legacy services. Wheeler is opting not to seek price caps on new entrants to the business data services market but will take steps aimed at improving the complaint process, the FCC said.

He is proposing that the FCC take action on Ethernet pricing in the future "if that proves necessary," the FCC added.

Sprint Corp (S.N) praised Wheeler for moving ahead with the proposal.

"For well over a decade, the high-capacity broadband marketplace has suffered from a lack of competition, costing the American economy billions and slowing investments in next generation broadband technologies," Sprint said in a statement.

Wheeler is trying to complete an ambitious agenda before President Barack Obama's term in office ends in January, including broadband privacy rules and an overhaul of the $20 billion annual pay-TV set-top box market.

And The 2016 CMA Broadcast Winners Are...


The CMA has announced its Broadcast Award winners:

CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year 
  • National: Lon Helton, Country Countdown USA, Westwood One 
  • Major Market: Chris Carr, Jeff "Maverick" Bolen and Kia Becht, Chris Carr & Company, KEEY/Minneapolis 
  • Large Market: David Chandler, Chelsie Shinkle and Jason Statt, The Big Dave Show, WUBE/Cincinnati 
  • Medium Market: Gator Harrison, Greg "StyckMan" Owens and "Cowboy" Kyle Croft, Gator & StyckMan, WUSY/Chattanooga, Tenn.
  • Small Market: Eddie Foxx and Sharon Green, The Eddie Foxx Show, WKSF/Asheville, N.C.
CMA Radio Station Of The Year 
  • Major Market: KKBQ/Houston
  • Large Market: WUBE/Cincinnati 
  • Medium Market: WUSY/Chattanooga, Tenn. 
  • Small Market: KTTS/Springfield, Mo.
The winners will be honored at the 50th Annual CMA Awards Nov. 2 in Nashville.

Atlanta Radio: Jeff & Jenn Winning Key Younger Demos


When The Jeff & Jenn Show debuted in March 2016, Star 94 chief Mike Fowler thought it would take at least a year to triumph over The Bert Show in the battle for soccer moms.

And, according to Rodney Ho at The Atlanta Constitution,  the vice president and general manager of Entercom Atlanta, Star 94’s parent, knows a thing or two about how to dethrone a king.

“When I was the GM [general manager] of Q [Q100 — the Atlanta home of the nationally syndicated The Bert Show], we decided the best way for The Bert Show to attack Steve & Vikki, which were No. 1 over here at Star at the time, was to take the young end away,” he said. “So, we concentrated on Persons 18-34, then 18-49, then 25-54 and ended up beating Steve & Vikki. Jeff, Jenn, Program Director Tony Lorino and myself figured we could hurt The Bert Show using the strategy The Bert Show used to beat Steve & Vikki about 15 years ago.”

Now, just seven months after launching The Jeff & Jenn Show on WSTR 94.1 FM and exactly 15 years to the month from when Jeff Dauler and Jenn Hobby of The Jeff & Jenn Show helped launch The Bert Show, The Jeff & Jenn Show is taking key morning radio demographics away from The Bert Show in Atlanta.

In September from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., Star 94 beat WWWQ Q100 in Women 18-49, Persons 18-34, and Women 18-34, and tied in Women 25-54 in September, according to data compiled by Nielson.

South Bend IN Radio: Midwest To Launch New Top 40

Midwest Family Broadcasting, South Bend has announced its longtime Country station WHFB 99.9 FM will drop the format and launching a new Top40 Format.

New calls for the station, licensed to Benton Harbor MI, will be WQLQ and it will brand as Live 99.9.

Live 99.9 will feature the songs of Rihanna, Drake, Ariana Grande and many more current artists. Brooke & Jubal, a live morning show, will consume the morning hours from 5a-9a, with an all music format following. A live DJ, Shady Live, takes over from 6 to 11pm.

In addition to being active in the community, Live 99.9 FM promises to be extremely active on social media and will engage listeners using Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. An aggressive marketing campaign will be used to inform the community of the new LIVE 99.9.

99. FM (50 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
“This is the first true format change we’ve done with any of our stations since we first started working with WHFB in 1999.” “That’s over 17 years!” said Jim Roberts, General Manager of the MWF, South Bend stations. “We’re extremely excited about this new, young station and encourage people to tune in next week.”

The new Top40 format will competed directly  against Artistic Media Partners’ WNDV 92.9 FM. U93 leads the market with a 10.6 share in the Spring 2016 Nielsen ratings. The move leaves Federated Media's WBYT  100.7 FM B100 as the remaining Country station in the South Bend.

Research: Millennials Prefer Reading News..Online


When it comes to technology’s influence on America’s young adults, reading is not dead – at least not the newsm according to the Pew Research Center.

When asked whether one prefers to read, watch or listen to their news, younger adults are far more likely than older ones to opt for text, and most of that reading takes place on the web.

Overall, more Americans prefer to watch their news (46%) than to read it (35%) or listen to it (17%), a Pew Research Center survey found earlier this year. But that varies dramatically by age. Those ages 50 and older are far more likely to prefer watching news over any other method: About half (52%) of 50- to 64-year-olds and 58% of those 65 and older would rather watch the news, while roughly three-in-ten (29% and 27%, respectively) prefer to read it. Among those under 50, on the other hand, roughly equal portions – about four-in-ten of those ages 18-29 and ages 30-49 – opt to read their news as opt to watch it.

Most of that reading among younger adults is through digital text rather than print.

There is also evidence that younger adults who prefer to watch their news are beginning to make the transition to doing so on a computer rather than a television.

While news listening garners a smaller fan base overall, 18- to 29-year-olds who prefer this method of news again show signs of digital migration: Three-in-ten of these news listeners prefer the web for their news, at least twice that of older news listeners.

To be sure, younger adults consistently demonstrate less interest in the news overall. But, according to Pew, research also reveals that, in the digital realm, they often get news at equal or higher rates than older Americans, whether intentionally or not.

CBS Announces Pricing Of Debt Financing By CBS Radio


CBS Corporation Friday announced that its radio business, CBS Radio Inc., has priced an offering of $400 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.25% senior unsecured notes due 2024.

CBS also announced that CBS Radio has established pricing for a $1.06 billion senior secured term loan B facility maturing in 2023 at an interest rate of LIBOR plus 3.50%, with a LIBOR floor of 1.00%. The $1.46 billion debt financing to be effected through the issuance of the notes and the borrowing under the term loan are being made as part of CBS's plans to separate its radio business.

The offering of the notes is expected to close on October 17, 2016, subject to customary closing conditions. The term loan is expected to be entered into contemporaneously with the issuance of the notes, subject to completion of documentation and customary closing conditions.

CBS expects that substantially all of the net proceeds from both the notes and the term loan will be distributed to CBS. The remaining net proceeds not used for such distribution will be used by CBS Radio for general corporate purposes and ongoing cash needs.

CBS also announced that CBS Radio is expected to enter into a $250 million senior secured revolving credit facility maturing in 2021 simultaneously with the term loan, subject to the completion of documentation and customary closing conditions. The revolving facility is expected to be undrawn at the closing date and will be available to CBS Radio for general corporate purposes.

The notes will be offered and sold in a private placement to qualified institutional buyers in the United States pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and to non-U.S. persons in transactions outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. The notes to be offered have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

Wichita Radio: Entercom Shuffles FM Radio Dial

Effective October 12th, the Sports Format now airing on KFH-FM will move from 98.7 to its new translator K248CY 97.5 FM.

Only the FM dial position will change on Wichita’s most listened to Sports Radio station. Fans will still be able to hear all of their favorite sports programs beginning with ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the morning, followed by Sports Daily with Bruce Haertl, Jim Rome, Doug Gottlieb and The Drive with Bob and Jeff Lutz.

KFH will continue to be available on the AM dial at the 1240 frequency.

K248CY 97.5 FM (250 Watts)
This move creates a long sought FM opening for News/Talk KNSS 1330 AM.  It will gain an FM simulcast at KFH 98.7 FM.

“We jumped on the opportunity to pick up a translator for KFH-AM because this opens up the 98.7 frequency for our AM News/Talker KNSS”, stated Jackie Wise, Vice President and Market Manager at Entercom Wichita. “We’ve had numerous requests through the years to broadcast KNSS on the FM signal and now we have the opportunity to respond to our listeners’ requests and reach an available large FM audience. All of our popular KNSS 1330 AM (5 Kw, DA-N) shows, Steve and Ted in the Morning, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin are now accessible for FM listeners, as well.”

KFH 98.7 FM (50 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
“I’m excited for this to happen for both KNSS and KFH. These are both great radio stations, with many listeners,” said Tony Duesing, KFH and KNSS Program Director. “KFH is the leader in sports talk, and play-by-play. KNSS has traditionally been a strong leader in Wichita, and has provided the audience entertainment and information, as well as serving a major role in times of emergency, disaster and severe weather.”

Report: Viacom, CBS Corp 'Bankering-Up'

The special committee of the board of Viacom has hired Morgan Stanley to explore a potential combination with CBS, accoridng to The Wall Street Journal.

CBS’s special committee, for its part, has retained Lazard as its financial adviser and Morton Pierce of White & Case as its legal counsel, the people say.

According to WSJ, given the struggles of Viacom’s cable networks and movie studio, finding a valuation that both sides can live with will be one of the big challenges in pulling off a deal, and there will be plenty of work for the investment banking and law firm crowd.

A decade after splitting apart, Viacom and CBS were asked to consider merging last week by National Amusements, the Redstone family’s holding company, which owns roughly 80% of the voting shares of both companies.

A reunion of the companies, which have a combined market capitalization of around $40 billion, would likely be the year’s biggest media deal and a potential fee bonanza for advisers lucky enough to land a role.

Bankers who win business on a Viacom-CBS merger could also get close to the industry’s newest mogul, Shari Redstone, who has risen to power in the media empire built up by her father, the 93-year-old Sumner Redstone. They would also likely be in strong position if the resulting entity went on the prowl for another big deal.

Viacom has been trying to deal with a heavy debt load, even as low cable TV ratings and a lack of hits from its Paramount Pictures studio put pressure on its financial results.

The hiring of financial advisors comes just a week after CBS and Viacom set up special committees to review a potential deal.

Read More Now (Paywall)

Report: The Cable TV Most Impacted By Cord-Cutters Is...


New data from Deutsche Bank shows that one network has lost more subscribers than any other from cord cutting. That’s The Weather Channel, accoridng to MediaLife magazine.

DB looked at subscription rates to cable networks from 2011 to 2015.

It found that in that span, TWC is down nearly 12 million subscriptions, and little wonder. These days people can go on their phones to find out what the weather is. They needn’t go through the bother of turning on the TV.

For those cutting the cord or moving to skinny bundles (buying cable plans with just a handful of essential channels), the Weather Channel is an obvious sacrifice.

The other networks in the top 10 biggest subscription declines are all down less than TWC, between 6 million and 8 million. For some, that represents between 5 and 10 percent of their subscribers, a hefty drop.

One of the networks is ESPN, whose subscriber declines have been the subject of much hand-wringing. The network airs some of the most popular programs on cable, including the NBA and “Monday Night Football,” but even that can’t keep subscribers on board.

A slew of channels on the list of top decliners (Spike, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and CMT) are all owned by troubled Viacom.

Hair Plugs Almost Killed Joe Buck's Career

Joe Buck
Fox Sports announcer Joe Buck feared for his broadcasting career five years ago when he suffered a paralyzed left vocal cord. The ailment struck him a few weeks before the start of the 2011 baseball season, and it wasn’t until October of that year that he truly felt his voice was back. At the time, Buck told people that he had developed a virus in the laryngeal nerve of his left vocal cord.

But that was a lie, accoriding to Richard Deitsch at Sports Illustrated.

According to Deitsch the real story is explored in more detail in his upcoming memoir, Lucky Bastard: My Life, My Dad, And The Things I’m Not Allowed To Say On TV. The book will be released on Nov. 15 and was written with Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Rosenberg.

As a young man, one of Buck’s overwhelming fears was losing his hair, and the possibility soon consumed him. So at age 24, in Oct. 1993, he flew to New York City to get his first hair replacement treatment. He writes that, after the procedure, “I, Joseph Francis Buck, became a hair-plug addict.”

Buck said that whenever he had a break in his schedule—usually between the end of the NFL season and the start of baseball—he would fly to New York to have a plug procedure.

“Broadcasting is a brutal, often unfair business, where looks are valued more than skill,” writes Buck. “I was worried that if I lost my hair, I would lose my job. O.K., that’s bulls----. It was vanity. Pure vanity. I just told myself I was doing it for TV.”


Indy Radio: Emmis Sued For Sex Discimination

A former employee with Emmis Communications is suing for sex discrimination, alleging that producers of WFNI 1070 AM / 93.5 FM sexually harassed her and made derogatory gay jokes.

Accoridng to The Indy Star, Kristine Esser Slentz, a former digital content manager, hasfiled a federal employment discrimination lawsuit that says she left her job in December after a little more than a year with the company due to severe harassment.

In the complaint, Slentz accuses 1070 The Fan radio producers Kyle Knezevich and Tony Donohue of creating a hostile work environment. The lawsuit accuses Emmis of failing to take adequate steps to address Slentz's complaints.

Emmis spokeswoman Kate Healey Snedeker denied the allegations in the lawsuit, stating: "Emmis firmly believes that the law is on its side and will aggressively defend against these allegations."

In March of 2015, the lawsuit alleges, Donohue told Slentz he read an article she wrote for the Huffington Post about her bisexuality. Donohue talked about the article in the office, and made derogatory comments and jokes, the suit says. He texted her at night, sometimes after midnight, the suit says, complaining about her work.

Slentz complained to a supervisor, and Donohue was issued a written reprimand and told to stop complaining about her work and discussing her sexual orientation, the suit says. After that, the complaint alleges, Donohue again began complaining about Slentz's work, calling her "stupid," and an explicit word for females.

In May of 2015, the lawsuit alleges, Knezevich, another producer, made sexual advances toward her that she rebuffed. After that, the suit says, the two men escalated their complaints about Slentz. She complained to supervisors, the suit says.

Detroit Radio: 910 AM Talker Ralph Godbee Quits On-Air

Talk radio host Ralph Godbee quit 15 minutes into his midday show on WFDF 910AM Wednesday morning.

Station CEO Kevin Adell told The Detroit News Godbee left because of a disagreement. According to Adell, Godbee wanted a show on The Word Network, a broadcasting station Adell owns, and Adell turned down his request.

“Ralph wanted to go on The Word Network, which is religion and gospel music. I didn’t need a show on relationships on The Word Network, it didn’t fit, so I told Ralph we’re going to look at it for 38 (WADL-TV), not for the Word,” Adell said, “... and he was mad, and so when I had Dave Sheffield tell him we can’t do a show that’s on The Word, he quit on the air.”

On a Facebook post about 10 p.m. Wednesday, Godbee wrote his “decision to leave 910AM Superstation as represented in the media based on a statement issued by Mr. Adell is unequivocally false; However, I would like to thank Kevin Adell and Adell Media for the opportunity extended to me, and I wish the network and the station all of the best.”

Godbee said he plans to now focus on serving as senior pastor of the Inner Court Christian Center.

“I worked very hard to represent the station in excellence, and I pray that my work was impactful for our community,” he wrote.

Godbee, the former Detroit chief of police, joined the Southfield-based station, dubbed the “largest voice for African Americans,” in November 2015. He was the host of “On Point” from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays.

The Detroit News reports Dr. Lee Bell of Flint said he was listening to Godbee’s show this morning when he walked off the air.

“He came on-air and he talked about not being a bought man, and he thanked Kevin Adell for the position and then he just said, ‘I’m out of here,’ at 9:15 and he left,” Bell said.

A day after Godbee quit, the station’s owner said he fired Godbee’s daughter because he feared what she would do.

Godbee told the Free Press his daughter Kayla Godbee was fired this morning, and Kevin Adell, owner of WFDF-AM confirmed the dismissal. Adell said Kayla Godbee was in charge of the station's producers.

Broadcast Grabs More Time-Shifted Viewing

Broadcast network programming continues to see more time-shifted viewing -- in prime time and total day metrics -- than cable network programming, reports MediaPost.

In the second quarter of this year, TiVo Research says 26% of all broadcast prime-time programming gets time-shifted and 12% of all cable network programs, when looking at same-day viewing through seven days of time shifting.

Cable TV networks, by contrast, grabbed more live viewing of its programming than broadcast networks -- 88% to 74%.

Time-shifted viewing through three days represents the lion’s share of time shifting measured: 23% for broadcast; 11% for cable. A tiny percentage of time shifting occurs day four through day seven -- 3% for broadcast, 1% for cable.

Similar results were seen when looking at total day programming.



The CW records the greatest share of its prime-time audience via time-shifted viewing (through seven days) -- 44%. Fox is at 32%; CBS, 29%; ABC, 27%; and NBC 25%.

Highest percentage of time-shifted viewing among cable networks in prime time: MSNBC, 19%; Food Network, 15%; Fox News Channel, 12%; and USA Network and TBS, each with 12%; and CNN, 11%. ESPN scored one of the lowest time-shifting results -- 8%.

The biggest broadcast shows are NBC’s “Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon,” 89%; ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” 88%; NBC’s “Dateline: On Assignment,” 87%; ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” 86%; and NBC’s “The Carmichael Show” at 85%.

TiVo’s Media TRAnalytics analyzes 2.3 million TV homes via second-by-second viewing data.

AdLarge, Markettron Team For Programmatic Network Radio Platform



AdLarge Media and Marketron are collaborating on a new programmatic platform that will automate the buying and selling of network radio advertising. The platform will give advertisers access to radio inventory across a broad and deep market list on Marketron’s Mediascape marketplace and deliver immediacy, accountability, transparency, and campaign analytics.

“Along with Marketron, we are excited to bring to the network radio marketplace a simplified buying and selling model,” stated Cathy Csukas, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of AdLarge Media. “This is a significant initiative that will deliver an end-to-end network radio solution to stations and advertisers.”

“The Mediascape Marketplace allows more stations the opportunity to publish and trade inventory in an efficient manner. We are always looking for opportunities that offer our customers new ways to monetize their inventory. We are excited about working with the innovative team at AdLarge to develop a programmatic platform for network radio,” said Jeff Haley, Chief Executive Officer of Marketron.

"Cathy and I have always felt that network radio would benefit from a programmatic solution that served both advertisers and radio stations," said Gary Schonfeld, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of AdLarge. "When we approached Jeff, he got it immediately. We’re very glad to be partnering with him and his amazing team on this endeavor."

October 8 Radio History


In 1906..Radio producer/director/writer William N. Robson was born in Pittsburgh.  On staff at CBS beginning in 1936, he is best remembered today for his work on the radio thrillers ‘Suspense’ (1956-59) and ‘Escape’ (1947-48).  He was most proud of the wartime series he worked on fulltime, ‘The Man Behind the Gun’ (1942-44).  During the ’50′s he wrote TV dramas, and in 1961 joined The Voice of America, where he was reunited with Edward R. Murrow, and won four Peabody Awards. Robson died due to complications of Alzheimer’s Disease April 10 1995 at age 88.


In 1913...choral director & composer Walter Schumann was born in New York City.  His best remembered composition is the Emmy-winning “Dragnet theme”. The Voices of Walter Schumann were featured on a number of radio-friendly albums for Capitol & RCA Victor. Schumann died young 21 August 1958 during pioneering open-heart surgery, at age 44.


In 1935...“The O’Neills” debuted on CBS radio. The theme song, Londonderry Air, opened the 15-minute soap opera. The O’Neills aired Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. In 1936 it moved to daytime until 1943 on NBC’s Red and Blue networks and on CBS, too. One of radio’s original soaps, it was sponsored appropriately by Silver Dust, Ivory soap and Ivory soap flakes.




In 1937...a radio classic had its first airing on CBS. The anthology series Grand Central Station is better remembered for the dramatic railroad sounds of the opening than for any one script in its 17 year run.




In 1944...the first broadcast of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet was heard on the CBS radio network. The show would continue on radio until 1953 and on ABC-TV from 1952 to 1966.
“Hi Mom, Hi Dad, Hi Dave, Hi Ricky.”

When Red Skelton was drafted in March 1944, Ozzie Nelson was prompted to create his own family situation comedy. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet launched October 8, 1944 on CBS, it moved to NBC in October 1948, then made a late-season switch back to CBS in April 1949. The final years of the radio series were on ABC (the former NBC Blue Network) from October 14, 1949 to June 18, 1954. In total 402 radio episodes were produced. In an arrangement that amplified the growing pains of American broadcasting, as radio "grew up" into television, the Nelsons' deal with ABC gave the network the option to move their program to television. The struggling network needed proven talent that was not about to defect to the more established and wealthier networks like CBS or NBC.

The Nelsons' sons, David and Ricky, did not join the cast until the radio show's fifth year (initially appearing on the February 20, 1949 episode, ages 12 and 8, respectively). The two boys were played by professional actors prior to their joining because both were too young to perform.




In 1953...the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was Stan Freberg‘s  hillarious parody of Dragnet called “St. George and the Dragonet.”


In 1966...The Album Chart..Revolver by the Beatles was the #1 album for the fifth straight week. The Soundtrack to "Doctor Zhivago" was #2 followed by Somewhere My Love from Ray Conniff & the Singers and What Now My Love by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.

The rest of the Top 10:  The Soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" in its 82nd week, Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass was #6, the Rolling Stones were stationary at #7 with Aftermath, Frank Sinatra's Strangers In the Night was #8, the Best of the Beach Boys came in ninth and Sinatra At the Sands from Frank Sinatra moved into the Top 10.


In 1966...The Hot 100..1966:  "Cherish" by the Association continued to set the example in a third week at #1.  The Four Tops, however, were up from 7-2 with "Reach Out I'll Be There).  Question Mark & the Mysterians were close behind with "96 Tears" while "Black Is Black" by Los Bravos held down #4.

The rest of the Top 10:  "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" from the Temptations, the Monkees traveled from 18 to 6 with "Last Train To Clarksville", Neil Diamond's "Cherry, Cherry" took a turn up to #7, the Supremes' former #1 "You Can't Hurry Love", Count Five was up from 15 to 9 with "Psychotic Reaction" and the 4 Seasons collected their 11th Top 10 and 31st hit with "I've Got You Under My Skin".


In 1984...Flashback from Radio&Records


In 1984....From R&R's Back Page..



In 1994...The Hot 100..The Boyz were hot--"I'll Make Love To You" spent a seventh week at #1 for Boyz II Men.  Sheryl Crow was up to the runner-up spot with her first hit "All I Wanna' Do".  Luther Vandross & Mariah Carey slipped down with their remake of "Endless Love" and Babyface found himself at #4 with "When Can I See You".

The rest of the Top 10:  John Mellencamp had his 10th Top 10 and 25th career hit "Wild Night" with help from Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Changing Faces were at 6 with "Stroke You Up", Lisa Loeb & Nine Stores were down with their former #1 "Stay (I Missed You)", Aaliyah remained at #8 with "At Your Best (You Are Love)", Immature were still at 9 and Real McCoy bounced into the Top 10 with "Another Night".


In 2001...talk show host Rush Limbaugh announced to his listeners he was totally deaf in his left ear and had only partial hearing in his right ear. The condition had happened in a three month period. (subsequently his hearing was restored through a revolutionary implant procedure.)


In 2010…Frank Bourgholtzer, the first full-time White House correspondent for NBC News, where he worked for 40 years, died at the age of 90.

Friday, October 7, 2016

October 7 Radio History


In 1939…The drama series "Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy," starring Helen Lewis, Peggy Allenby, Constance Collier, and Clayton "Bud" Collyer began a 2½-year run on CBS Radio.



In 1940…"Portia Faces Life," starring Lucille Wall, debuted on the CBS Radio Network after starting in syndication seven months earlier. The soap opera bounced back and forth between CBS and NBC until 1953.


In 1952...The Philadelphia dance show Bandstand , hosted by Bob Horn and, later, by Dick Clark as American Bandstand , debuts on WFIL-TV.


In 1966...WOR 98.7 FM New York, which has been broadcasting top-40 music without deejays since late July, begins broadcasting with personalities. The DJs are Murray (the K) Kaufman, Scott Muni, Johnny Michaels and Bill (Rosko) Mercer. Robert S. Smith, vice president of the WOR, said the station was negotiating with the union, which wanted the new FM deejays to be paid on the same scale as WOR-AM announcers. The station wanted a lower scale for the FM people, because the operation is beginning from scratch. The minimum weekly salary for performers on WOR-FM will be $175 per week, a little less than half the scale applying to WOR-AM. Murray The K was formerly the teen DJ for WINS, New York before it went all-news last year. Scott Muni was with WABC radio until he was fired in January of ‘65.


In 1970...Intel introduces computer memory chip.


In 1988....WNBC 660 AM's final transmission took place and WFAN moved from 1050 AM to 660 AM. Concurrently, WUKQ began on 1050 AM.

In November 1987, General Electric, which now owned NBC through its purchase of RCA two years earlier, announced that it would sell off the NBC Radio division. In February of that year GE made a multi-station deal with Emmis Communications and, in New York, the WNBC license for 660 was included in the sale. Emmis announced it would move WFAN to the 660 frequency. At the time, WFAN was located at 1050 AM, and had a somewhat marginal signal in portions of the New York area. As the deal only included the license for WNBC and not the station's intellectual property, GE would proceed to shut down the station for good.



On October 7, 1988 at 5:30 pm, the WFAN call letters, studios, programming and staff moved to WNBC's old frequency at 660 AM, which has a much better signal.




Earlier in the day, the station aired a 90-minute retrospective titled "WNBC-The First 66 Years," hosted by Dale Parsons. The program was written and produced by Parsons and his wife, Ginny, who spent nearly six months researching the station's history.



The last voice heard on WNBC was that of Alan Colmes, who said "I'm Alan Colmes. Thank you, God bless you, and for the last time, this is 66 WNBC New York. Let's do the countdown." and counted down the seconds to WNBC's demise with the legendary NBC chimes (the notes G-E-C) playing in the background.



Earlier in the day, regular music programming ended at 6 am; Jay Sorenson played "Imagine" by John Lennon followed by the NBC chimes and a 5-second pause.  Although the FCC regards the 660 frequency as the same license dating back to WEAF, and merely changed its calls from WNBC to WFAN on that day, WFAN does not claim WNBC's history. It did, however, sign up Imus to take Greg Gumbel's place in the morning. Imus would remain on the morning drive-time slot for 19 years, until his firing in 2007 for comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. He moved to WABC near the end of that year.

In the complicated switch that saw WFAN move to the 660 frequency, the 1050 frequency that was formerly the home of WFAN became that of Spanish-language WUKQ, owned by Spanish Broadcasting System. However, SBS already owned an AM station in the market, Newark-based WSKQ at 620 kHz, and at the time, FCC rules stipulated that companies could own only one AM station per market. As a result, SBS received a temporary waiver to run 1050 while exploring the sale of either AM frequency. SBS chose to keep 620 (it is now WSNR), and 1050 was traded to Forward Communications, which owned WEVD, then at 97.9 FM. After that deal was approved, WEVD's call letters and programming moved to 1050 AM, and SBS took over 97.9 as WSKQ-FM. The October NBC-Emmis switch also saw Emmis's WQHT (then at 103.5 MHz) move to 97.1 MHz, which had been the home of NBC's WYNY. Emmis sold the 103.5 frequency to Westwood One, who also acquired the WYNY call letters and its country music format.

In all this, WFAN retired two of the oldest radio call letters from the dawn of commercial radio: WHN and WNBC.


In 1989...Radio talk show host Larry King married Julie Alexander


In 1989...The Hot 100..After peaking at #4 on March 25 and then dropping out of the Top 10, Paula Abdul completed an amazing run to the top with her album Forever Your Girl, in its 64th week of release.  Girl You Know It's True by Milli Vanilli was toppled and Steel Wheels, the best Rolling Stones album in well over a decade, was #3.  New Kids On the Block were Hangin' Tough at #4 and Motley Crue had #5 with Dr. Feelgood.

The rest of the Top 10:  Full Moon Fever from Tom Petty, the self-titled Skid Row, Repeat Offender, the great album by Richard Marx, was #8, Aerosmith moved from 23 to 9 with Pump and Fine Young Cannibals were down with The Raw & the Cooked.


In 2005...Tracey Miller of brain cancer at age 51. Miller and Terri-Rae Elmer co-hosted KFI's TNT in the Morning, the first morning-drive show in a major market to feature two women in the lead roles. One reason KFI "took the risk" of putting a female team on in the morning was because it "was something different," the station's management said at the time.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Weather Emergency Impacting Media Confidential

Postings to Media Confidential are being impacted by Hurricane Matthew.  We expect irregular postings until 6am Saturday 10/8.  Thanks for your visits.

President Obama declared a state of emergency in Florida on Thursday and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in preparation for Hurricane Matthew.

The declaration authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts to try to alleviate hardship and suffering the hurricane may cause, the White House said Thursday.

CBS Radio Appoints J-D Crowley VP/Digital


CBS RADIO Thursday announced that it has appointed J.D. Crowley as executive vice president of digital, effective Monday, October 10, 2016.

Crowley joins CBS RADIO in this newly created position from the Company’s sister division CBS Television Distribution, where he served as senior vice president and general manager of digital media. Crowley will be based at the Company’s corporate headquarters in NYC and report to CBS RADIO President, Andre Fernandez.

CBS RADIO’s current digital portfolio includes market-focused local websites operated jointly with CBS TV stations, local music and entertainment station websites, streaming service Radio.com, podcast network Play.it, event discovery business Eventful, mobile apps, and social media outreach. In his new role, Crowley will develop and lead the future strategy of these properties while collaborating on their present operations with CBS Local Digital Media, a division of CBS Corporation which currently manages the assets. In connection with its separation from CBS Corporation, CBS RADIO plans to continue to collaborate with CBS Local Digital Media via a joint digital services agreement.

J-D Crowley
“J.D. joins us at a monumental time for both CBS RADIO and the industry overall,” said Fernandez. “As we continue to evolve and reshape the future of CBS RADIO, the digital properties within our portfolio – both existing and forthcoming – play an increasingly important role in how we reach and engage consumers, provide value to advertisers and grow revenue. With J.D.’s appointment we are better poised than ever to harness the joint power and reach of our local and national digital properties.”

Crowley added, “Local stations are the bedrock of any radio company, and through our digital portfolio we are able to enrich listeners’ daily experience by reaching them wherever and whenever. With a focus on world-class products and industry-leading storytelling and experiences, I’m confident our digital efforts will help pave our road to success while retaining the personal connection with our audience that radio has always delivered. I am honored and excited to join CBS RADIO and look forward to working with the team to reimagine our future.”

“I’m thrilled to have J.D. as my colleague to support the current digital portfolio as he charts a path for the future growth of CBS RADIO’S digital footprint,” said Adam Wiener, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Local Digital Media.

While at CBS Television Distribution, Crowley oversaw the creation of an in-house digital video studio to produce and distribute original content for dozens of leading brand advertisers, as well as CBSTD’s category-leading television brands. Crowley and his team also launched a successful digital publishing business, and forged deep partnerships with each of the major digital distribution and social platforms. One of his chief accomplishments at CBSTD was growing traffic across multiple sites in several categories to nearly 50M unique visitors globally over two years, with ETonline rising from #42 to #3 in the entertainment news category, and #1 in the category in video for 16 consecutive months.

Prior to CBSTVD, Crowley served as a senior supervising producer at Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. There he created an in-house creative and production group to develop and produce marketing campaigns, live events, and primetime specials, as well as creating custom branded programs for key advertising partners. He began his career as a producer at KCAL/KCBS Television in Los Angeles, and has created and produced programming across genres from newsmagazines, reality, investigative and special events. Crowley is the recipient of multiple Emmy, Promax/BDA, Telly, AP and RTNA Awards. He earned bachelor degrees in Cinema and Visual Anthropology from the University of Southern California.

Arson Attempt Made At Albuquerque Transmitting Mountain


UPDATE 12NOON 10/6/16: KOB engineer Wayne Kootz stated the Bernalillo County Sheriff's office confirmed the arsonist had 4 gallons of accelerant.

Engineers say he small concrete buildings that house operations for those transmitters wouldn't easily burn. But propane tanks, generators and electrical lines would have likely exploded if a fire had spread quickly.

Earlier Posting...

A suspect who broke into a transmitter facility on Sandia Peak earlier this week remains on the loose, and it appears the individual brought enough fuel to literally blow every TV and FM broadcaster off the mountain, reports KOB-TV4.

It is an attempted act of domestic terrorism and had the efforts been successful, all broadcast television and radio stations in the Albuquerque metro area could have been knocked off the air.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office confirms they are aiding in the investigation into the arson atop the Sandias in the early hours of Sunday morning. A spokesperson for the department said it is working closely with federal partners, but the investigation remains in the early stages.

Two TV engineers happened to be on the crest noticed an open door at the transmitter site and saw a flickering light inside. They also saw a man and practically interrupted the male suspect as he lit the first one of these Molotov cocktails.



There were several more placed steps away from dozens of transmitters at a facility with a huge amount of combustible materials. Propane tanks, generators and electrical lines would have likely exploded is a fire had spread quickly.

Investigators say the suspect, who remains unknown, left in a white SUV. That vehicle was later found on fire with a dog inside. Investigators say the car was stolen.

WWOne Taps Mark Wildman As SVP/Strategic Partnerships

Mark Wildman
Westwood One today announced the hiring of Mark Wildman as SVP, Strategic Partnerships. In this key role, Wildman is charged with leveraging Westwood One’s vast portfolio of multimedia assets including award-winning content, digital audio, and experiential opportunities across marquee events such as The GRAMMYS®, Super Bowl, ACMs, Billboard Music Awards, and American Music Awards, just to name a few. He is based in New York City and reports directly to Steve Shaw, President, Westwood One Sales.

Wildman joins Westwood One from William Morris, where he was responsible for selling media, sponsorship, and content programs to clients by leveraging WME/IMG’s entertainment, sports, and music event platforms and talent resources. His worked closely with a number of high-profile brands, including ABInBev, Heineken, Ford, Cadillac, Samsung, Gatorade, and Pepsi.

Wildman has more than 25 years of sales leadership experience. Prior to William Morris, Wildman held executive sales positions at Three Lions Entertainment, Bonnier Corporation, Readers Digest, and Condé Nast.

Shaw said, “Mark is an expert in packaging and selling original content and media programs to clients across multiple platforms. We are excited to have him join the company at a time of unprecedented ratings growth with strong engagement metrics.  It’s a great time to join the Westwood One sales organization to create new revenue opportunities. His depth of experience is a tremendous asset for our clients and agency partners.”

"I am thrilled to be joining Westwood One at this point in their growth,” said Wildman. “I have a real appreciation for the power of radio and the unique connections that consumers have with music and sports content. I am looking forward to developing some innovative storytelling ideas for clients using our best-in-class audio assets and driving new revenue to the organization."

Emmis Reports Net Revenue Down 3.3 Percent

Emmis Communications Corporation today announced results for its second fiscal quarter, ending August 31, 2016.

Emmis' radio net revenues for the second fiscal quarter were down 3.3%, from $47.6 million to $46.0 million. Per Miller Kaplan reporting, which excludes barter and syndication revenues, Emmis radio revenues were down 3.8% in markets up 1%.

For the second fiscal quarter, operating income declined to $4.9 million from $9.9 million in the same quarter of the prior year, partially due to a $3.0 million noncash impairment charge related to Digonex intangibles.

Publishing net revenues were down 13.5% in the second fiscal quarter, from $14.6 million to $12.6 million.

Jeff Smulyan
On August 18, the Company announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives for its publishing division, excluding Indianapolis Monthly magazine.  The Company also announced it was exploring strategic alternatives for its Terre Haute radio stations and WLIB-AM in New York.

"Across the board, this was a difficult quarter," said Jeff Smulyan, Chairman & CEO of Emmis. "Third quarter radio revenues are currently pacing flat to the prior year.  We are hopeful that we will see political advertising tailwinds strengthen as we move through October.  We are increasing marketing spend at some of our largest brands to boost ratings and to give us a competitive advantage."

"NextRadio continues to make progress on multiple fronts," Smulyan continued. "NextRadio-compatible Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge and Note 7 smartphones are now available across all carriers, and an industry marketing campaign has begun to promote this to consumers.  NextRadio continues to grow its geographic footprint and is now available in Mexico, Canada and Peru.

"Lastly, there is marked and deserved interest in our magazines, and while it is early in the process, I'm optimistic about the reaction to these marquee brands," Smulyan concluded.