November 6 Radio History

In 1896...Jim Jordan, the radio comedian who portrayed Fibber McGee, was born.

Jim & Marian as Fibber  McGee & Molly

Jim and his wife Marian Jordan got their major break in radio while performing in Chicago in 1924; Jim said he could give a better performance than the singers they were listening to on the radio, and his brother Byron bet $10 that Jim couldn't do it. By the end of the evening, Jim and Marian had their first radio contract, at $10 per show for 26 weeks as The O'Henry Twins, sponsored by Oh Henry! candy.

In 1988, he died at the age of 91 at the Beverly Hills Medical Center from a blood clot in his brain, caused by a fall at his home


In 1925...WKOK Sunbury, PA began broadcasting as WJBQ.


In 1933...Windsor Ont. radio station CKOK and London’s CJGC were merged to create CKLW. The call letters stood for “London-Windsor”.  CKLW (“The Big 8”) became one of the most influential powerhouses of early rock radio, breaking national hits and dominating Detroit ratings for years in the late 1960’s and early ’70’s.

Edwin H. Armstrong

In 1935…Edwin H. Armstrong announced his development of FM broadcasting after conducting the first large-scale field tests of his new radio technology at RCA's facilities on the 85th floor of the Empire State Building from May 1934 until October 1935.

NY Times 11/7/1935

In 1937, Armstrong financed construction of the first FM radio station, W2XMN, a 40-kilowatt broadcaster in Alpine, New Jersey.

The signal (at 42.8 MHz) could be heard clearly 100 miles (160 km) away, despite the use of less power than an AM radio station.

RCA began to lobby for a change in the law or FCC regulations that would prevent FM radios from becoming dominant (David Sarnoff was looking to protect his stations on the AM band) .


By June 1945, the RCA had pushed the FCC hard on the allocation of electromagnetic frequencies for the fledgling television industry. Although they denied wrongdoing, David Sarnoff and RCA managed to get the FCC to move the FM radio spectrum from 42–50 MHz, to 88–108 MHz, while getting new low-powered community television stations allocated to a new Channel 1 in the 44-50 MHz range.

Furthermore, RCA also claimed invention of FM radio and won its own patent on the technology. A patent fight between RCA and Armstrong ensued. RCA's momentous victory in the courts left Armstrong unable to claim royalties on any FM receivers, including televisions, which were sold in the United States.

The costly legal battles brought ruin to Armstrong, by then almost penniless and emotionally distraught. Eventually, after Armstrong's death, many of the lawsuits were decided or settled in his favor, greatly enriching his estate and heirs.

But the decisions came too late for Armstrong himself to enjoy his legal vindication.

It took decades following Armstrong's death for FM broadcasting to meet and surpass the saturation of the AM band, and longer still for FM radio to become profitable for broadcasters. Two developments made a difference in the 1960s.

One was the development of true stereophonic broadcasting on FM by General Electric, which resulted in the approval of an FM stereo broadcast standard by the FCC in 1961, and the conversion of hundreds of stations to stereo within a few years.


In 1945...the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) began an investigation of 7 radio commentators. The committee considered its duty to purge any influences of communism from America.

In 1954…Elvis Presley signed a one year contract with the “Louisiana Hayride,” the Saturday night radio show originating at KWKH, Shreveport, Louisiana.

Nat D. Williams

In 1957...Elvis visits radio station WDIA in Memphis and meets two of his idols, Little Junior Parker and Bobby Bland.

WDIA went on the air June 7, 1947, from studios on Union Avenue. The owners, John Pepper and Dick Ferguson, were both white and the format was a mix of country and western and light pop. The station did not do well.

Nat D. Williams, a syndicated columnist and high-school teacher, started Tan Town Jubilee in October 1948. This was the first radio program in the United States to specifically target black listeners, and WDIA soon became the number-2 station in Memphis. After a switch to all-black programming, WDIA was the city's top station.

Elvis At WDIA At Revue 1956

In June 1954 WDIA was licensed ar 50,000 watts-Day, 5Kw-Night. Its powerful signal reached down into the Mississippi Delta’s dense African-American population and was heard from the Bootheel in SE Missouri to the Gulf coast. As a result WDIA was able to reach 10% of the African-American population in United States.

Future WJLB strong jock herself, Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg became Princess Premium Stuff. Ernest Brazzell gave crop advice and Robert Thomas became a DJ named “Honeyboy” after he won a city-wide amateur competition. Among other notable personalities were Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert, Theo "Bless My Bones" Wade, and Ford Nelson, who remains an active gospel DJ on WDIA in 2013.

Many music legends got their start at WDIA, including B.B. King and Rufus Thomas. Elvis Presley was greatly influenced by the station.

In 1976...The hot 100..It was Steve Miller's turn in the spotlight as his new single "Rock 'N Me" reached #1.  "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees was waddling behind while Gordon Lightfoot made a move with "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".  Chicago's #1 smash "If You Leave Me Now" fell to #4 and the resurgent Bee Gees were up to #5 with another hit--"Love So Right".

The rest of an excellent Top 10:  The Captain & Tennille's "Muskrat Love", Hall & Oates were stuck at #7 with the very underrated "She's Gone", Rod Stewart was on fire again, moving from 22-8 with "Tonight's the Night (Gonna' Be Alright)", Heart crept up with their first Top 10 "Magic Man" while the Commodores entered the list with "Just To Be Close to You".

In 1976...The Album Chart..Songs in the Key of Life was #1 for the fourth week for Stevie Wonder. Spirit by Earth, Wind & Fire remained #2 while Led Zeppelin made a great debut at #3 with the Soundtrack From "The Song Remains the Same".  The Steve Miller Band slipped with Fly Like An Eagle and Peter Frampton was still in the Top 5 with Frampton Comes Alive!

The rest of the Top 10:  a self-titled album by a group called Boston moved from 13-6 in its 7th week, Heart's Dreamboat Annie was stalled at #7, Chicago X, their greatest hits package, was #8, the Bee Gees edged up with Children of the World and Lynyrd Skynyrd joined the group with One More From the Road.


In 2007…Disc jockey (WCFL-Chicago, KYW-Cleveland, WOKY- Milwaukee, KYA-San Francisco, WYDE-Birmingham)/program director/record store chain owner (Record City) Jim P. Stagg died of complications from esophageal cancer at the age of 72.

Stagg's radio career began in Birmingham (on WYDE AM). From there, it was on to Philadelphia (on WBIG), San Francisco (on KYA), and Milwaukee (on WOKY) before his stint at KYW, Cleveland.

Jim Stragg-1966

In 1965, KYW program director Ken Draper moved to WCFL to assume the same duties. Stagg and many other station employees, both on and off air, including Dick Orkin, Jim Runyon and Jerry G. (Bishop) eagerly moved from KYW in Cleveland to WCFL in Chicago.

As his radio career wound down, Stagg hosted innovative talk and music shows on WMAQ-AM.

At WCFL, the "Voice of Labor",  Stagg did the afternoon drive shift. He referred to the studio call-in line as the "Stagg Line" and produced a feature titled "Stagg's Starbeat" – in-depth, provocative, and insightful interviews with local, national and international music celebrities. Staggs interviewed nearly every major rock star of the 1960s, including Neil Diamond, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, the Supremes, The Monkees, and Simon & Garfunkel.

Jim became the Chicago chairman of Let Us Vote (LUV), a youth campaign which began in late 1968 to establish the minimum voting age as 18 in all states. Joey Bishop was honorary national chairman and songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart contributed a campaign song. Everyone's efforts resulted in the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution being ratified in 1971.

Staggs eschewed the flashy theatrics of other Top-40 radio hosts in favor a straightforward rock and roll show that kept the focus on the music. His close-of-program line echos that: "Music is my business. I hope my business was your pleasure."

Nielsen Sticks With Estimates of Cable Subscribers

(Reuters) -- The Nielsen ratings agency on Friday reaffirmed a report about U.S. pay-television customers that was challenged by Walt Disney Co's ESPN sports network.

Media reports said the Nielsen data, which showed a decline in subscriptions for most cable networks, suggested ESPN lost 621,000 subscribers from a month earlier. Neither Nielsen nor ESPN released the numbers publicly, but ESPN questioned the accuracy of the findings.

In a statement on its website, Nielsen said an "extensive review" undertaken after ESPN objected showed that estimates of cable subscribers provided on Oct. 28 were accurate.

Disney shares fell nearly 1 percent on Friday to close at $92.45 on the New York Stock Exchange.

"This most recent snapshot from Nielsen is a historic anomaly for the industry and inconsistent with much more moderated trends observed by other respected third-party analysts," ESPN said in a statement.

The figures do not include people who subscribe through digital TV services and other new distributors, the sports network said.

Nielsen, in its statement, said the company is researching newer providers to add those subscribers in future reports.

The future of ESPN has been a concern on Wall Street since August 2015 when Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger acknowledged "modest" subscriber losses at the sports network. Disney and other media companies are facing challenges from "cord cutters" who are dropping traditional TV subscriptions for cheaper online options.

Nielsen said its data showed most cable networks experienced a month-to-month subscriber decline. The drop was driven primarily by a 0.55 percent decrease in the number of households paying for TV packages through cable, satellite or telephone providers.

Analyst Brian Wieser of Pivotal Research Group, which pays for access to Nielsen data, confirmed that Nielsen's latest report indicated a drop of roughly 621,000 ESPN subscribers. But he said it was not unusual as ESPN has seen previous monthly drops of around 500,000 or 600,000 customers.

Wieser estimated that year-over-year declines stood at 3.1 percent, in line with the 2 percent to 4 percent drops seen since the start of 2014.

"This has occurred as the network began to trade off high subscriber fees for greater flexibility" for pay TV providers, Wieser said in a research note. "We continue to believe that ESPN is experiencing low-single-digit subscriber declines."

NYC Radio: Veteran Sportscaster Warner Wolf EXITS Imus

Did he jump or was he pushed?

WABC 770 AM and syndicated radio host Don Imus quietly fired the legendary sportscaster earlier this week, according to the NY Daily News.  The 78-year-old Wolf shocked his co-workers around 7:20 a.m. Friday telling listeners it was his final broadcast on “Imus in the Morning.”

“Finally gentleman — this being my last day on the Imus show with you gentleman. I’d like to leave you with this song” — before launching into his own “Imus” show staff-themed version of “Thanks For The Memories,” which mentioned nearly everyone on the show, except Imus.

Later the sports anchor told the Daily News that he had no plans to hang up his microphone. “You’d have to ask Imus that question,” Wolf said by phone from his Naples, Florida home when asked why he was leaving the program.

“It was fun working with him (Imus) and the rest of the guys for the last 20 years,” Wolf said. “I have nothing but fond memories.”

Sid Rosenberg

Wolf said he will remain at WABC until Dec. 3, when his current deal expires, and expects to be contributing to a short 5:45 a.m. segment with WABC’s news director Noam Laden.

Imus could not be reached for comment Friday. WABC program director Craig Schwab did not return calls to the Daily News.

On the Imus show, Sid Rosenberg will be taking over Wolf’s job.

Wolf, one of the longest lasting and best-known personalities in New York City local news, is famed for his many catchphrases, including “Let’s go to the videotape!” to introduce highlights.

He began working as a sports broadcaster in 1961 and hit the big time when he joined ABC Sports’ “Monday Night Baseball” and the Olympics.

Wolf landed at WABC/Ch.7 in 1976 and moved to its crosstown rival, WCBS/Ch. 2 in 1980.

He also worked for WUSA in Washington D.C. and rejoined WCBS/Ch. 2 in 1997.

Wolf was fired from Ch. 2 in 2004 and joined WABC in 2006.

HBO Cancels Bill Simmons Show

Sports personality Bill Simmons' weekly HBO show ending after a little more than four months on the air.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pay cable outfit announced Friday, on the eve of wall-to-wall election coverage, that it has canceled his young Any Given Wednesday talk show — though the network will remain in business with the popular sports personality and continue to be minority investor in his Bill Simmons Media Group.

Simmons accepted responsibility for the show's failure in a statement.

"One of the many reasons I joined HBO was to see if we could create a show built around smart conversations for sports fans and pop culture junkies," he said. "We loved making that show, but unfortunately it never resonated with audiences like we hoped. And that's on me. But I love being a part of HBO's family and look forward to innovating with them on other ambitious programming ideas over these next several years — both for the network and for digital. With that said, I want to thank the dedicated staff that worked so diligently with me behind the scenes to make this show every week — we hired so many great and talented people and I loved having them in my life. It's difficult for me to imagine not working with them anymore."

The last episode will air on Nov. 9.

Ay Caramba! 'The Simpsons' To Become Longest-Running TV Show

(Reuters) -- The Simpsons have traveled the world, saved Springfield from annihilation and even stepped into virtual reality, but the beloved animated family is entering new ground as it heads toward a record-breaking 30th season.

"The Simpsons" has been renewed for two more seasons running until 2019, Twenty-First Century Fox Inc's Fox Broadcasting said on Friday, meaning it will break the record for most episodes of any scripted television show in U.S. history.

"The Simpsons" is currently in its 28th season, with just over 600 episodes aired. By 2019, it will have outpaced western TV drama "Gunsmoke," which concluded after 635 episodes in 1975.

"Take that 'Gunsmoke!'  You lost a race you didn't even know you were running!," Homer Simpson said in a statement from Fox.



Since its 1989 premiere, "The Simpsons" - bumbling patriarch Homer, long-suffering wife Marge, prankster Bart, prodigy Lisa and baby Maggie - have become globally recognized figures.

The show, which has won 32 Emmy awards and was nominated for an Oscar in the animated short category in 2012, often playfully and poignantly satirizes American culture.

Homer's catchphrase "D'oh" and Bart's "Ay Caramba" are part of the zeitgeist and the fictional family from Springfield even have a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

The show is syndicated in more than 100 countries and is already the longest-running sitcom and primetime scripted series in U.S. history.

The most recent season, which featured a virtual reality episode and guest stars including comedians Amy Schumer and Sarah Silverman, has averaged around 7.2 million total viewers across multiple platforms.

WNEP-TV Loses Two On-Air Veterans

At WNEP Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa. (DMA 55), viewers have come to expect familiar faces delivering their news. But the Tribune Broadcasting-operated ABC affiliate has seen its main female co-anchor leave, and is preparing to say goodbye to its chief meteorologist. TVNewsCheck reports both have taken early retirements in the wake of company-wide buyouts of veteran employees.

Marisa Burke, 56, noon anchor and 6 p.m. producer/co-anchor, left the station on Oct. 28. Tom Clark, 64, chief meteorologist, will leave in late December.

Burke started in 1984 as morning co-anchor/reporter. She became the station’s 6 and 11 p.m. co-anchor in 1990. During her 26 years anchoring at 6 p.m. — all of them as No. 1 in the ratings — she was paired with four male co-anchors.

Marisa Burke

In her final sign-off, Burke said the buyout was “very generous.”  She said she was not singled out personally, but was one of several non-management employees with more than 30 years on the job, to get a buyout offer. In addition to Burke and Clark, an engineer and photographer accepted buyouts.

Clark, who began full-time in 1982, said he was planning to retire within a couple of years, but the offer from Tribune was “too generous” to pass up. He said it was not worth the risk of staying around, as he planned.

No matter what the weather, Clark delivered all his forecasts from “the back yard,” an outdoor weather set. Except when dangerous lightning was in the area, Clark was outside enduring all conditions:  freezing temperatures to 100 degree-plus days, not to mention snow, rain or fair skies.

“I would like to travel,” he said about his future plans. He is looking forward to more frequent visits with his daughter, a meteorologist who lives in Minnesota, and his mother, who lives in the Philadelphia area. He has no plans for work, saying he will “lay low” for a while. His wife, Noreen, a meteorologist too, will continue to work part time at WNEP.

News Director Carl Abraham said, both have” played major roles in the longtime news and rating success of Newswatch 16.” He said a national search is underway “for a talented meteorologist” to replace Clark.

ABC Stages Fake Crime Scene

ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis stood in a field in Woodruff, South Carolina, and relayed the gruesome details of how a 30-year-old woman had been held captive in a storage container allegedly by a registered sex offender.

Behind her, yellow police tape with the words "SHERIFF'S LINE DO NOT CROSS" flapped in the wind, indicating the scene of the crime.

In fact, the police tape was tied to ABC News' own equipment just off-camera, a photograph obtained by CNNMoney shows. Sources with knowledge of the matter say the tape was placed there by ABC News for the purpose of its inclusion in the live shot.

The photograph, sent by an anonymous source, shows the tape running no more than 30 feet and tied to camera stands at both sides. In Davis' segment, which was broadcast on ABC's "Good Morning America," it is impossible to tell where the tape ends.

"This action is completely unacceptable and fails to meet the standards of ABC News," Julie Townsend, the vice president of communications at ABC News, told CNNMoney. "As soon as it was brought to our attention, we decided to take the producer out of the field, and we're investigating further."

TVNewser notes the incident follows several recent news media fails. Earlier this week, CNN revealed it had parted ways with Donna Brazile following an incident (and another that followed) in which she gave questions to the Clinton campaign ahead of a primary debate and a town hall on CNN; earlier today, a Virginia jury found a former Rolling Stone reporter, and the magazine, liable in a defamation suit over a now-retracted story about sexual assault at the University of Virginia; and Bret Baier just apologized for suggesting indictments were “likely” in an investigation of the Clinton Foundation.

iHM Makes Bill Gann SVP/Programming For Central TX

Brian Gann

iHeartMedia has announced the appointment of  Brian Gann to Regional SVP/Programming for its Central Texas Region.

Gann will oversee all on-air content as well as music and digital programming for iHM's 15 radio station brands in the Austin and San Antonio Regions. Previously Gann served as the PD for the spoken word formats in iHM's Central Texas Region and oversaw News/Talk WOAI 1200 AM and Sports KTKR 760 AM in San Antonio, plus Sports KVET 1300 AM in Austin.

He will work closely with Program Directors and on-air personalities from each market, and will report to Tony Coles, iHeartMedia EVP Programming.  Gann will be based out of San Antonio.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to program some of the leading radio station brands in Central Texas," said Gann. "Great things are happening for iHeartMedia in Austin and San Antonio, and I am humbled to be a part of it."

"I am delighted to have Brian take over the Central Texas Region cluster of stations," said iHeartMedia Region President for Central Texas Breeanna Malik. "He has a proven track record during his time with iHeart, and I couldn't be happier knowing he will lead our station brands to success."

jacapps Promotes Kate Levy VP/Software Development

Mobile application development firm jacapps has announced the promotion of Kate Levy to Vice President of Software Development. Since joining jacapps as a mobile application developer in 2010, Kate has taken on more responsibilities.

Kate Levy

During her tenure, she’s been involved in the development of more than six hundred mobile apps, helped guide her team in the creation of the innovative V4 platform which powers the majority of jacapps’ mobile applications, and coded the first radio applications for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

“Kate’s promotion is well-deserved,” comments jacapps President Paul Jacobs. “She has worked tirelessly to turn jacapps into the success that it has become, and is a real visionary for the company. Given our significant growth and her talents, it was time for Kate to be recognized for her leadership.”

Levy remarks, “It is an honor to receive this recognition. This is a company where every employee, whether in management, development, sales, or support, is dedicated to providing the best experience to our customers and users. We are driven to find innovative solutions and stay ahead of the curve. This promotion is as much a reflection of my team’s accomplishments as it is my own. I’m humbled to have such stellar people around me and I’m excited to see jācapps continue to grow and expand.”

jacapps COO, Bob Kernen, added, “Kate has proved to be a remarkably creative application developer from her first day at the company. It’s great to be able to give her the space to lead the build-out of our company’s growing product lines.”

R.I.P: '40s, '50s Pop, Country Singer Kay Starr

Kay Starr

Kay Starr, who crisscrossed jazz, country, pop, blues and rock ’n’ roll in the 1950s with hits like “Wheel of Fortune” and “Rock and Roll Waltz,” died on Thursday at her home in Los Angeles.

She was 94, according to The NYTimes.

The cause was complications of Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter and only immediate survivor, Katherine Yardley, said.

Ms. Starr, whose career began when she was a teenager and continued into her 80s, was a rarity: a singer who blossomed in the big-band era of the 1930s and 1940s, hit it big as a pop and country artist, and scored one of her biggest hits in the emerging rock scene of the mid-1950s.

When her style eventually faded from the pop charts, she continued to tour for decades, performing, to her surprise, to devoted crowds.

“When they brought in rock, hard rock and acid rock, I thought God was trying to tell me it was my turn to get off the stage,” she once told an interviewer. But she never did.

She was born Katherine Laverne Starks on July 21, 1922, in Dougherty, Okla., to an Irish-American mother and an Iroquois father.  Her singing career began in childhood. After she moved to Dallas with her family, she began singing to the chickens in the backyard, catching the ear of an aunt, who entered her in a local radio talent contest. Kay became a local radio sensation at age 7 and eventually had her own 15-minute show twice a week, earning $3 a performance.

She changed her last name to Starr because, she said, too many fans misheard it that way.

Kay Starr

Starr’s first records were “Baby Me” and “Love With a Capital ‘You,’” made with the Glenn Miller Orchestra when she was 16 after Miller had hired her to fill in for an ailing Marion Hutton.  After going solo in 1946, she signed with the newly formed Capitol Records the next year.

For a while she was overshadowed by two more successful female singers on Capitol, Margaret Whiting and Peggy Lee. That changed when Ms. Starr had a breakthrough hit with “You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling in Love)” in 1948, followed by two songs tinged with country and folk, “Oh, Babe!” and “Hoop-Dee-Doo.”

The hits continued: “Come On-a My House” (which had already been a hit for Rosemary Clooney) reached No. 8 on the pop chart in 1952, and that same year she released what is probably her best-known song, “Wheel of Fortune,” which was No. 1 for 10 weeks. The next year brought another hit, “Side by Side,” which went to No. 3.

Ms. Starr signed with RCA Victor in 1955 and recorded “Rock and Roll Waltz” (“A-one, two, and then rock, / A-one, two, and then roll ...”), which became a huge hit in the early years of rock ’n’ roll, spending six weeks at No. 1. Ms. Starr often said that she never really cared for the song but “liked it because everyone else liked it.”

Her last big hit was “My Heart Reminds Me” in 1957.

November 5 Radio History

Dale Evans and Roy Rogers

In 1911...singing cowboy Roy Rogers was born Leonard Slye in Cincinnati.  He starred in 85 Republic Pictures westerns, and headed up his own adventure show on radio beginning in 1944.  The Roy Rogers Show moved to TV in 1957, and wife Dale Evans was added to the title in 1962.  He died July 6, 1998 of congestive heart failure at age 86.

In 1946...This ad appeared in the NY Times...

In 1948...Jack Sterling starts at WCBS 880 AM.

Jack Sterling

The "Jack Sterling Show," broadcast Monday to Saturday from 1948 to 1966, was noted for its relaxed chatter, joking, storytelling, interviews, features on news and sports and tips on fishing sites.

The show was one of the last radio programs to offer live music -- by a quintet occasionally joined by the host's drumming. Mr. Sterling succeeded Arthur Godfrey in the local show when that humorist joined the CBS network.

Sterling, a six-footer with a trim mustache and contagious laugh, described his style this way: "It isn't pleasant for most people to get up early in the morning, so we use the undersell, quiet approach."



He appeared in vintage hits and worked up a minstrel routine. At age 24, he turned to radio, working for stations in Peoria and Quincy, Ill.; St. Louis; Bridgeport, Conn., and Chicago. He worked for CBS and its affiliates for 25 years and retired in 1979.

Sterling died November 1, 1990 at his home in Stuart, Fla. He was 75 years old.

Tallulah Bankhead, far right

In 1950...a 90-minute radio spectacular to battle the TV onslaught, The Big Show was launched by NBC Radio. “The greatest stars of our time on one big program” was the introduction by hostess/actress Tallulah Bankhead.  It was a big show all right. The peacock saw red as losses exceeded a million dollars in the three years the program was on the air.





In 1988...The Beach Boys set two records with their latest #1 hit, "Kokomo," which marks the group as having the longest gap between chart-toppers (21 years and ten months from 1966's "Good Vibrations") and the longest stretch of career #1s (dating back to their first, "I Get Around," 24 years and four months earlier).

In 2003...singer Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers,   was found dead in a hotel room in Kalamazoo, Michigan, just 45 minutes before the duo was to perform. Hatfield was 63.  Cause of death .. an accidental cocaine-induced thrombotic heart attack.


In 2011…Veteran radio personality (WEEP-Pittsburgh, WIND-Chicago, WJAS-Pittsburgh, KQV-Pittsburgh, KDKA-Pittsburgh) Perry Marshall died of a heart ailment at 86.


In 2014…TV broadcaster (KNSD, KFMB) Larry Hammil, who variously reported features, weather, and sports on San Diego television for 35 years, died of cancer at age 68.

LA Radio: Dani Mathers Facing Charges Over 'Body-Shaming' Photo

Dani Mathers lost her gig on the Heidi & Frank Show on KLOS-FM

Ina pioneering prosecution against “fat shaming,” the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office on Friday filed criminal charges against a former Playboy playmate, alleging she secretly photographed a 70-year-old woman in the nude while she was in the shower area of a Los Angeles fitness center, according to the LATimes.

Dani Mathers

Legal experts said this marks a rare time authorities have brought charges against someone over photos making fun of someone’s weight. It comes amid growing awareness and outrage about “fat shaming” — particularly common on social media.

Prosecutors charged Dani Mathers, 29, with one misdemeanor count of invasion of privacy. Mathers is accused of posting an image of the woman on her Snapchat social media account in early July with a mocking caption about the woman's appearance, sparking a widespread public outcry.

Mathers later apologized for taking a photo of the woman in a locker room shower at an LA Fitness exercise center and posting it online.

City Atty. Mike Feuer said Friday that it was important to send a message with the criminal charges filed against Mather.

Los Angeles police began an investigation in July after receiving a report of “illegal distribution" of the image, LA Fitness officials reported the posting to police as well, officials said.


Mathers  shared the photo of the naked woman  on July 13 with the caption: “If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either.”

Fox: Clinton Foundation Indictment Story Called "Mistake"

Fox News anchor Bret Baier, who hosts “Special Report” on the cable channel, apologized Friday for reporting that indictments were “likely” in an ongoing investigation into Clinton Foundation investigation, adding that the reports were a mistake, reports Politico.

“All the time, but especially in a heated election on a topic this explosive, every word matters — no matter how well-sourced,” Baier told Fox News’ Jon Scott in the Friday broadcast of “Happening Now.”

"Which brings me to this: I explained a couple of times yesterday the phrasing of one of my answers to [Fox News host] Brit Hume on Wednesday night, saying it was inartful the way I answered [a] question about whether the investigations would continue after the election. And I answered that, yes, our sources said it would, they would continue to likely an indictment. Well that wasn't just inartful. It was a mistake. And for that, I’m sorry.”

Baier apologized for the use of the word “indictment,” but said he and the network stand by their reporting.


His comment came a day after several news outlets rebutted the Fox News report.

CNNMoney reports throughout the day on Thursday, NBC News, ABC News and CNN all reported that Fox's assertion was not true. And Baier, the Fox host responsible for the original assertion, seemed to backtrack from it, saying he had spoken "inartfully."

News outlets like The Hill and RealClearPolitics published stories repeating Baier's original claim, and countless conservative blogs and forums claimed it as fact and celebrated Clinton's possible legal peril. Some sites wrote hopefully about prison time.

By Thursday evening, Clinton's campaign responded by calling on the FBI to make a public statement "to put a stop to these baseless Fox News reports."

Campaign press secretary Brian Fallon cited reporting by NBC's Pete Williams, who said "the idea that indictments are near is just not true."

Fallon tweeted, "This reporting has been debunked far and wide, and even by Fox News' standards, it was shameful for them to air it."

Rolling Stone, Reporter Found Liable Over Rape Story

(Reuters) -- A University of Virginia administrator has won her $7.9 million federal defamation suit against Rolling Stone magazine over a retracted story about a gang rape at the school, according to court documents on Friday.

Sabrina Erdely

The 10-person jury found that the magazine, reporter Sabrina Erdely and owner Wenner Media liable in defaming the administrator, Nicole Eramo, the filings in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville, Virginia showed.

The magazine had reported in a November 2014 story, "A Rape on Campus," that a female student was raped at a university fraternity in 2012. Rolling Stone retracted the story after inconsistencies in the account arose, and police found no evidence of an attack.

Eramo, who was then an associate dean of students, accused the magazine of portraying her as unfeeling about the alleged assault and concerned only about hushing up reports of sexual assault.

In a statement, Rolling Stone spokeswoman Kathryn Brenner said: "We deeply regret these missteps and sincerely apologize to anyone hurt by them, including Ms. Eramo."

NYC Radio: Lulu and Lala To Join WKTU For Evenings

iHeartMedia New York today announced that popular twin duo Lulu and Lala have joined WKTU 103.5 FM, The Beat of New York as nighttime hosts effective November 14th weeknights from 7pm to Midnight.

The KTU night show with Lulu and Lala will feature the dynamic pair’s unique take on pop culture news and fun antics with listeners along with special celebrity guest interviews and KTU’s unique blend of today’s hits and throwbacks.

Born in North Bergen, New Jersey, television and radio personalities and twin sisters Marissa and Marianela Gonzalez, better known as “Lulu & Lala,” began to captivate the Latin market in 2007 as part of The Luis Jimenez Morning Show on Univision’s X96.3 in New York. Six years later, these Cuban-Salvadorian sisters carried their loyal Latin following over to mainstream as co-hosts of Ty Loves NY on 92.3 NOW. Most recently the sisters hosted an afternoon show on Hits 97.3 in Miami.

In addition, throughout their tenure the girls have been regular correspondents for the entertainment news show “El Gordo y la Flaca,” Univision’s highest rated national TV show. They have also been correspondents for many events including Premios Juventud, Premio Lo Nuestro, the Latin Grammys and the multiple auditions for Nuestra Belleza Latina in New York.

“We’re excited to welcome Lulu and Lala back home” said Rob Miller, Program Director for 103.5 KTU. “Their amazing energy, positivity and charismatic personalities paired with their ability to reach a broad audience on-air and through social platforms make them the perfect choice to keep New York City feeling good all night long on KTU.”

WKTU 103.5 FM (6 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

“Someone get me a Metro card because I’m taking the A train straight to KTU! I’m so excited for this new adventure,” said Lulu. “Thank you to iHeart for believing in us and giving us the chance to go back to the city where we started. The Big Apple better get ready for us!”

“NYC is the greatest city in the world and I’m excited to say that I’ll be working in it,” said Lala. “Muchas Gracias to iHeart for giving us this amazing opportunity. Double the trouble, but double the fun! Get ready NYC, we’re coming to take over!”

Mueller: Swift's Bare Butt Grope Claim "Defies Credibility"

David Mueller

Former radio KYGO 98.5 FM Denver morning sohost David Mueller has released a statement in response to Taylor Swift‘s claim that he sexually assaulted her during a meet and greet in 2013.

Mueller and his legal team say that his firing from radio station KYGO due to the allegation was the result of a “sham” investigation, according to The Boot.

Swift and her legal team recently filed a motion requesting that the case against her be dismissed because Mueller’s firing was the result of an internal investigation by KYGO, not any direct action by Swift. However, the former DJ is fighting back against that motion.

“The contention that Mr. Mueller lifted up Ms. Swift’s skirt and grabbed her bare ass (while standing with his girlfriend, in front of Ms. Swift’s photographer and other staff, as well as Ms. Swift’s highly trained security personnel, during an employer-sponsored, VIP, backstage meet and greet) defies credibility,” says Mueller’s legal team in response to the request for dismissal, the statement also adds, “KYGO’s so-called investigation was a sham.”

In September of 2015, Mueller filed a lawsuit against the country-turned-pop star for what he says are unfounded claims that he grabbed her bottom while taking a photo with her at a meet-and-greet.

Swift recently filed a motion to restrict public access to some of the documents involved in her lawsuit, including a photo of the incident, as well as a description of the photograph, 12 pages of summary judgement and hundreds of supporting documents and photos. A judge has since ruled that the photo will remain sealed, but Swift’s deposition has been released. (Click Here)

Atlanta Radio: MLB Braves, Dickey Ink 10-Yr Deal

The Atlanta Braves and Dickey Broadcasting Company have announced an unprecedented 10-year extension for Dickey Broadcasting Company to remain the exclusive radio rightsholder for Braves baseball through 2026.

In addition, Dickey Broadcasting will also move its studios and offices to The Battery Atlanta, leasing loft office space on the 4th floor, overlooking the plaza and next to the Coca-Cola Roxy Theater in the new mixed-use development adjacent to SunTrust Park.

Dickey Broadcasting Company, which became the Braves exclusive radio rightsholder in 2010, will carry all 162 regular season games on its two Atlanta flagship radio stations, WCNN 680 AM and W229AG 93.7-FM. They will also continue to manage the expanding Braves Radio Network - the largest sports radio network in the U.S., covering well over 100 radio stations throughout the Southeast.

WCNN 680 AM (50 Kw-D, 10 Kw-N DA-2)

"Our relationship with Dickey Broadcasting Company is an extremely important part of our team and they are the best in the business," said Derek Schiller, Braves president, business. "This agreement ensures our fans throughout the South -- and beyond -- will be able follow Braves baseball wherever they go and know they are receiving the highest quality radio broadcasts anywhere in professional sports. We are also proud to have their team of professionals relocating next to SunTrust Park which further showcases the success of The Battery Atlanta."

In addition to its new offices, Dickey Broadcasting will have a significant presence at The Battery Atlanta on gamedays, with "680 The Fan's Game Day" pregame show and "Atlanta Braves Wrap-Up" postgame show broadcast live adjacent to the Terrapin Taproom.

W229AG 93.7 FM (220 watts) Red=Local Coverage Area

"This extension represents a new era for our relationship with one of the most storied franchises in professional sports," said David Dickey, president of Dickey Broadcasting Company. "We've long been proud partners of the Atlanta Braves, and now we're excited that we can call them our neighbors at The Battery Atlanta. From expanded coverage opportunities to exclusive programming, we'll be able to share the best stories from the team to all of Braves Country."

Scripps Earnings Fall Short, Radio Off 5.5%

Six months ago, the E.W. Scripps Co. was expecting a hotly contested presidential race to produce $150 in advertising revenue for its TV, radio and digital media properties.

Now, the estimate is $100 million.

For the quarter, net income from continuing operations was $12.5 million or 15 cents per share. In the prior-year period, the net loss from continuing operations was $24.4 million or 29 cents per share, including a non-cash goodwill and intangible impairment charge of $24.6 million and Journal-related transaction and acquisition integration costs of $4.2 million. As previously reported, the non-cash impairment charge and Journal-related costs reduced net income by $24 million or 31 cents per share in 2015.

Third-Quarter Highlights

• Election-year political advertising for the television division was $26.9 million in the third quarter. We expect full-year political advertising to be about $100 million.
• Digital revenue grew 45 percent, driven by strong organic growth and acquisitions.
• Retransmission revenue increased 46 percent. We are currently negotiating two renewals covering 3 million households, which will help fuel an estimated 20 percent increase in retransmission revenue in 2017.
• The Summer Olympics contributed $10.3 million in revenue to our five NBC stations, with our No. 1 West Palm Beach station garnering the highest ratings in the country for the Rio Opening Ceremonies.
• Newsy delivered 330 million video views and is on track to exceed our 2016 goal of 1 billion video views for the year. Newsy continued to expand its distribution, launching on Hulu as well as its first cable platform, Cincinnati Bell Fioptics.

Commenting on the third-quarter results, Scripps Chairman, President and CEO Rich Boehne said:

Rich Boehne

“This uncommon – if not downright unique – presidential election, combined with key Senate races in Ohio, Florida, Colorado and Wisconsin becoming far less competitive than forecast, leaves us with much less political advertising revenue than we expected.

“Political spending was healthy further down the ticket and across the country, but presidential spending in some typically crucial swing states was roughly half of what we saw four years ago, reducing the opportunity for some Scripps stations.

“Our local TV newsrooms served communities across the country with unmatched political news coverage. They cut through the noise and helped voters understand issues that could affect their lives for many years to come. We also used the spectacle of this election to boost the brands and audiences of our fast-growing over-the-top video and audio businesses.

“Newsy, aimed at younger viewers, secured a National Emmy nomination for its fact-checking reporting during the presidential primaries and rode this momentum to a long list of new distribution partners in recent months, including Hulu and Cincinnati Bell Fioptics.

“At Midroll, where we own, host, market and distribute some of the most popular podcasts now being heard, we took advantage of this election to reach new audiences with shows including “The David Gregory Show” and “DecodeDC” that provided some of the most compelling commentary during this election cycle.

“And at Cracked, where the brutal absurdities of current events are our currency, the election has been an opportunity to build both brand and reach through clever satire.”

Third-Quarter Operating Results

Revenues increased $43.3 million, or 23 percent, to $233 million, compared to the third quarter of 2015. The increase was primarily a result of increases in retransmission revenue, political advertising revenue and our growing digital businesses.

Television revenue climbed 25% to $197.3 million, as retransmission revenue rose 46%. Political advertising totaled $26.9 million during quarter, compared with $4.3 million in 2015.

Digital revenue surged 45% to $15.8 million, helped by last year’s acquisition of podcast advertising network Midroll Media.

Revenue in company’s radio segment, meanwhile, slipped 5.5%.

Radio Revenue was $19.3 million, down from $20.4 million in the 2015 quarter. Expenses were $16.8 million compared to $16.3 million in 2015. The 2016 expenses include about $500,000 of costs for flood cleanup at our operations in Wichita, Kansas.

Segment profit in the radio division was $2.5 million in the third quarter of 2016, down from $4.1 million in the 2015 quarter.

Entravision Revenue Off 6%, Radio Off 8%

Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE: EVC) today reported financial results for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2016.

Commenting on the Company's earnings results, Walter F. Ulloa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "During the third quarter, we faced challenging comparisons to last year's third quarter. We continued to grow our core television advertising revenue (excluding retransmission consent revenue and political advertising revenue), but these increases were offset by decreases primarily attributable to the loss of non-advertising revenue from a telecommunications operator.

"Additionally, we continued to grow our digital segment revenue and build our digital footprint through Pulpo Media, which provides us with an integrated platform to connect advertisers and marketers with Latino audiences. Looking ahead, we remain well positioned to build on our success in further attracting Latino audiences, expanding our advertiser base and monetizing our reach to the benefit of our shareholders."

Net revenue decreased to $65.3 million for the three-month period ended September 30, 2016 from $69.3 million for the three-month period ended September 30, 2015, a decrease of $4.0 million. Of the overall decrease, approximately $3.0 million was attributed to our television segment and was primarily attributable to approximately $5.5 million of revenue associated with television station channel modifications made by the Company in order to accommodate the operations of a telecommunications operator included in the 2015 period, and which revenue did not recur in 2016, and a decrease in local advertising revenue.

This decrease in the television segment was partially offset by an increase in national advertising revenue, an increase in political advertising revenue, which was not material in 2015, and an increase in retransmission consent revenue.

Additionally we had a decrease of $1.7 million in the radio segment primarily attributable to a decrease in local advertising revenue, partially offset by an increase in political advertising revenue, which was not material in 2015. The overall decrease in net revenue was partially offset by an increase of $0.7 million that was attributed to our digital segment and was primarily attributable to increases in national and local revenue.

Toledo Radio: Cumulus Promotes Two At WQQO-FM

John DiModica

Cumulus Media announces that it has promoted John DiModica to Program Director of WQQO Q105.5 FM and Russ Ryder to Assistant Program Director for WQQO.

DiModica, a longtime Toledo radio personality known on-air as “Johny D”, will keep his shifts as Afternoon Drive host on WQQO and as Midday host on sister station WMIM 98.3 FM NASH Icon.

In addition to his new role at WQQO, Ryder will host the Midday show on WQQO.

DiModica joined WQQO in 2014 as Afternoon Drive host. Prior to that, he was on-air at WPFX, WVKS and WSPD in Toledo. DiModica also previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Drive host on WCKY in Findlay, OH. He has also held on-air posts in Cleveland and Tampa.

Russ Ryder

Ryder is a veteran programming operations and on-air professional, who joined Cumulus Media-Toledo in August. He previously held programming and on-air positions in Toledo and in markets including: Fort Wayne, IN; Lima, OH; Defiance, OH; and Detroit, MI.

Bill Michaels, Operations Director for Cumulus Media-Toledo, said: "I am excited about John and Russ taking over WQQO programming. The two have a unique energy and work well together. Paired with their extensive market experience, they are a perfect fit for these positions.”

DiModica said: "I want to thank Andy Stuart, RVP/Market Manager, Bill Michaels, Operations Manager, Doug Hamand and Mike McVay for a great opportunity. I have been blessed enough to be a part of a wonderful team and I am looking forward to driving the growth and success of WQQO/Q105."

WQQO 105.5 FM (4.3 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

Ryder said: “Thank you to Andy Stuart, Bill Michaels, Johny D, Doug Hamand and Mike McVay for giving me the opportunity to work with this exceptional group of people again. I am grateful to be a part of a station that truly engages and entertains our listeners.”

CBS Results Top Street, Viacom Merger Exploration At Early Stage

(Reuters) -- CBS Corp (CBS.N), owner of the most-watched U.S. television network, reported results that exceeded Wall Street expectations and said it was still in the early stages of exploring a merger with Viacom Inc (VIAB.O), a deal favored by its controlling shareholders.

Media mogul Sumner Redstone, who controls both CBS and Viacom through his privately held National Amusements, in September proposed a merger of the two companies, which he split up a decade ago. Both have created special committees to explore a tie-up.

Shari Redstone, Sumner Redstone's daughter, has been in favor of merging CBS and Viacom under the leadership of CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves, sources have told Reuters.

Les Moonves

On a call to discuss CBS earnings, Moonves told investors contemplation of a Viacom deal is still in the early stages, but added, "if it looks right and is structured properly, it could be an attractive opportunity."

Shares of CBS rose 1.8 percent in post-close trading.

CBS, home to popular shows such as "Homeland" and "The Big Bang Theory" and the Showtime cable network, said revenue rose 4.3 percent to $3.396 billion in the third quarter.

Analysts had expected revenue of $3.34 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

However, ad revenue, which accounts for more than 40 percent of total revenue, fell slightly to $1.47 billion. That was the result of limited ad spots during the prime time hours of the Republican and Democratic Party conventions and first presidential debate, as well as competition from the Summer Olympics on NBCUniversal, owned by Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O).

While CBS executives on the call said they expect fourth-quarter ad revenue to be stronger, they added that CBS relies less on ad revenue than ever before.

The company is working to add NFL games to its All Access online streaming service, for example, Moonves said, noting that the broadcaster is in "active discussions" with the NFL.

CBS plans to begin selling All Access with its Showtime over-the-top service - independent of any cable TV subscription - but is still determining the pricing, Moonves said.

Revenue from CBS's affiliate and subscription fees division rose 13.4 percent to $753 million in the quarter. Revenue from its content licensing and distribution business, one of its fastest growing, rose 6 percent to $1.11 billion.

CBS said net income from continuing operations rose to $514 million, or $1.15 per share, in the three months ended Sept. 30, from $426 million, or 88 cents per share.

Excluding items, CBS earned $1.05 per share, beating the average analyst estimate of 98 cents per share.

And in Q3, CBS’ 117 radio stations saw a small increase in revenue.

Radio revenue increased from $318 million to $319 million in the quarter and is pacing up low single digits in Q4. For the nine months ending in September, radio revenue decreased from $907 million in 2015 to $898 million in 2016.