Former Late-night radio personality Art Bell sued fellow talk-radio host Michael Savage for defamation, saying Savage insinuated his wife was a “hooker” and underage when she married Bellm according to CourthouseNewsService.
“On Sept. 25, 2016, Savage made defamatory and slanderous statements on his radio program, ‘The Savage Nation,’” Bell says in the complaint, filed in federal court on Wednesday.
Savage was apparently talking about topics he thought radio personalities should avoid and he brought up UFOs – a frequent topic on Bell’s former late-night radio show “Coast to Coast.”
“You say UFOs, you wind up in the Philippines with a 10-year-old hooker and you are off the radio after a number of years. You can’t do UFOs. That’s an in joke, by the way, for people who understand the business,” Savage said during his show, according to the complaint.
Bell hosted “Coast to Coast” from 1998 to 2007, discussing many types of paranormal phenomena including UFO activity. The show was syndicated on 500 stations and garnered more than 22 million listeners.
Michael Savage
Bell met his wife Airyn Ruiz Bell in the Philippines when she was a 22-year old college student, according to the complaint. Bell said the marriage and the subsequent visa issues were well-known within the radio industry and that it is clear that Savage was alluding to them in his on-air comments.
“Mr. and Ms. Bell experienced repeated difficulties obtaining a visa for Ms. Bell to reside permanently in the United States, a fact that was publicly known and closely followed by many in the radio broadcasting industry and general public,” Bell says in the complaint.
Bell also names Westwood One and its parent Cumulus Broadcasting, the networks that carries “The Savage Nation,” in the lawsuit.
“Cumulus and Westwood One failed to exercise due care and adhere to standard radio broadcast industry practice by not utilizing the delay function to prevent broadcast of the statement,” Bell says in the complaint.
While Bell acknowledges that Savage did not mention Bell by name, he said the statement – which he called “hateful and untruthful” – was clearly alluding to him.
“A listener of the program would understand that Mr. Bell was the foremost radio personality that spoke about UFOs on the air and that Mr. Bell is not currently on the air,” Bell says in the complaint. “The statement is defamatory per se because Savage falsely stated that Mr. Bell is no longer broadcasting a radio show because he allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with an underage female prostitute and that Ms. Bell was a prostitute.”
Bell seeks damages – including punitive damages – on claims of defamation, false light invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress.
CBS Radio News is losing a slew of its most seasoned journalists after distributor Westwood One cut its fees, The NYPost is reporting.
Senior correspondents and executives were offered buy-outs in advance of CBS Radio’s imminent spin-out of CBS Corporation, sources said.
Among those departing are: Executive Producer Charlie Kaye, with CBS for 34 years; Washington correspondent Barry Bagnato, with the network for 30 years; afternoon anchor Harley Carnes, with CBS for 24 years; and, “CBS World News” anchor Bill Whitney, a 32-year veteran of CBS Radio News.
“They were offered targeted buy-outs to accomplish cuts,” a source told The Post. “They took a big haircut in the new Westwood deal, as expected.”
Insiders are expecting more exits in the coming weeks.
CBS News vice president, radio Harvey Nagler, who heads the operation, announced in November he would be retiring from the company. His last day is expected to be Jan. 6.
HGTV is standing by the hosts of its popular home renovation series “Fixer Upper.”
According to The NYPost, the channel issued a response after BuzzFeed reported earlier this week that Chip and Joanna Gaines attend a church whose pastor has spoken out against same-sex marriage, and raised the question of whether gay couples would be welcome on the show.
“We don’t discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of our shows,” the network said in a statement to The Post. “HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series.”
As the site reported, “Fixer Upper,” which recently returned for its fourth season, has never featured an LGBT couple, though other HGTV series like “House Hunters” and “Property Brothers” have.
BuzzFeed’s initial report centered on the Gaineses being members of the Antioch Community Church, “a nondenominational, evangelical, mission-based megachurch” whose pastor, Jimmy Seibert, has been an outspoken critic of same-sex marriage. The story did not specifically confirm that the HGTV hosts shared that belief, only that Seibert has described them as “dear friends.”
The story has sparked harsh backlash from Christians and others in the media, alleging that the Gaineses are being persecuted for their faith.
(Reuters) -- Satellite radio company Sirius XM Holdings Inc's Chairman Greg Maffei recently made a fresh approach to internet radio provider Pandora Media Inc and expressed interest about a potential takeover, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Sirius XM did not offer a specific price and Pandora has yet to respond to the overture, the source added.
Representatives and Sirius XM declined to comment.
Bloomberg first reported the new approach on Friday. The report noted that earlier this year, Sirius offered about $15 per share to buy Pandora.
Earlier on Friday, CNBC reported that Pandora is now open to selling itself and willing to engage with Sirius XM.
However, a separate source close to the matter told Reuters that Pandora is currently making no renewed effort to sell itself.
Pandora faces stiff competition from services such as Sweden's Spotify, Apple Inc's Apple Music, Google's Play Music and Amazon.com Inc's Amazon Music Unlimited, which dominate the on-demand music service market.
An acquisition by Sirius XM would help give Pandora a bigger foothold in cars and also allow Sirius XM to expand its Internet and mobile presence.
Pandora, which has a model more like an Internet radio station that plays songs matching a genre without allowing users to make selections, is set to unveil an on-demand music streaming service in December, as it looks to move beyond its roots.
The company said in October that it has seen a decline in its active users of the service.
Pandora has been urged to explore a sale by Corvex Management LP, a hedge fund run by Keith Meister, a protégé of activist investor Carl Icahn, after it disclosed a 9.9 percent stake in Pandora in May.
The company earlier offered itself to potential buyers including Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc, the Wall Street Journal had reported in July.
Although U.S. media stocks have pulled back some from their recent run-up, they continue to have score big results since the Presidential election, according to MediaPost.
Dow Jones U.S. Broadcasting & Entertainment Index is up 4.5% from the election on November 8 through December 2. It had been as high as 7%. On December 2, the index closed down 1.4% to 1,149.69.
Viacom, Discovery Communications, and 21st Century Fox were big losers on Friday -- off 2% to $36.52, 2% to $26.60, and 2.8% to $27.40 respectively.
SiriusXM was perhaps the major loser on the day, giving back 5.6% to $4.30 a share. AMC Networks also lost big -- down 3.9% to $53.10.
Some of the better-performing stocks on the day -- versus the media sector as a whole include CBS, losing 0.6% to $60.18; Time Warner, down 0.4% to $93.80; Walt Disney slipping 0.4% to $98.50, and Sinclair Broadcast Group, up 0.2% to $32.55.
Comcast pulled back 1.6% to $68.78, while Scripps Networks Interactive lost 1.8% to $68.47
Among major digital media stocks -- so called FANG stocks -- Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google (Alphabet Inc.) have all been down 5% since the election. But on Friday, some stocks made back some losses.
Netflix was up 3.1% to $120.81, with Facebook 0.3% higher to $115.40. Google was down 0.2% to $765.46, while Amazon slipped 0.5% to $739.99.
Megyn Kelly’s bestselling memoir is called “Settle for More,” but the star anchor may have to settle for less money if she decides to leave the Fox News Channel.
According to the LA Times, Kelly has not made up her mind about staying with Fox News beyond the end of her contract in July, even with an offer of more than $20 million a year to stay, which would put her in the same income bracket as NBC’s “Today” co-anchor Matt Lauer.
So far no other networks have offered to top Fox’s figure, according to network news executives and agents familiar with the talks and who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. A spokesperson for Creative Artists Agency, which represents Kelly, declined to comment on her contract negotiations.
Many reporters are writing articles about me and my future at Fox. Don't believe a thing u hear unless it comes from me, period.
Kelly’s future is being closely watched. She is the first breakout talent in the TV news business in recent years, becoming an even bigger name in the aftermath of her showdown with President-elect Donald Trump at the first Republican primary debate in 2015.
In an earlier era, her availability likely would have commanded a bidding war. But in a fragmented media environment where there are no longer surefire ratings hits, networks are cautious about making major financial commitments.
Fox News is willing to give Kelly a raise over the $15 million a year she is currently earning because she consistently attracts more than 3 million viewers a night for her prime-time program “The Kelly File.” But there is no guarantee that the loyalty of the Fox News audience is transferable to another channel, where Bill O’Reilly, the most popular personality on cable news, would not be her lead-in.
One agent who handles TV news talent noted how executives have been wary of taking a star out of a successful format since Katie Couric moved from NBC’s “Today” in 2006. After leaving the top-rated morning show, Couric was unable to move “CBS Evening News” out of third place in the ratings. She then failed in a bid with a daytime syndicated talk show.
Had a great time visiting The Villages today! Thank you for such an unbelievably huge outpouring of support on my #SettleForMore tour! pic.twitter.com/FfIYpBn4w7
This week's one-day St. Jude Radiothon during The Bobby Bones Morning Show on WSIX 97.9 FM The Big 98 raised $1.3M for St. Jude Children Research Hospital.
The Bones Morning Show morning show hosted country artists who popped by the studio to perform classic covers of hits that fans know and love. Everyone from Kelsea Ballerini to Lauren Alaina to Mo Pitney stopped in to give their best renditions of some inspiring tunes in order to raise money for the kids in need.
Bobby Bones is not new to the St. Jude family as he has been a dedicated supporter of the organization throughout his career. Planning trips to go visit the kids in Memphis to donating so much time to their cause, Bones was happily surprised with the success of the Radiothon than anything he’s done to help out before.
Thanks to you guys, this morning we made over 1 MILLION dollars for St Jude on the morning show. Thank you. you guys are awesome!
“I’m honestly blown away by the generosity of our listeners this morning,” said Bones. “The amount raised is overwhelming and donations are still coming in. With the holidays coming up, money can be tight and so it means even more that our fans have chosen to contribute to such an amazing cause. I also have to thank all of our artist friends that took part in such an important broadcast, as well as our awesome group of radio station affiliates, who always go above and beyond to support us in our charitable endeavors.”
In 1923...the first Congressional open session was broadcast on radio.
In 1928…A program of classical music, "The Firestone Hour," later re-titled "The Voice of Firestone," began its 28-year Monday night run on the NBC Radio Network.
In 1950...Paul Harvey began broadcasting his show nationally.
Paul Harvey Aurandt broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays on the ABC Radio Network. He also voiced his famous "The Rest of the Story" segments. From the 1950s through the 1990s, Harvey's programs reached as many as 24 million people a week. Paul Harvey News was carried on 1,200 radio stations, 400 Armed Forces Network stations and 300 newspapers.
Harvey made radio receivers as a young boy. He attended Tulsa Central High School where a teacher was "impressed by his voice." On her recommendation, he started working at KVOO in Tulsa in 1933, when he was 14. His first job was helping clean up. Eventually he was allowed to fill in on the air, reading commercials and the news.
While attending the University of Tulsa, he continued working at KVOO, first as an announcer, and later as a program director. Harvey, at age nineteen spent three years as a station manager for KFBI AM, now known as KFDI, a radio station that once had studios in Salina, Kansas. From there, he moved to a newscasting job at KOMA in Oklahoma City, and then to KXOK, in St. Louis in 1938, where he was Director of Special Events and a roving reporter.
Harvey then moved to Hawaii to cover the United States Navy as it concentrated its fleet in the Pacific. He was returning to the mainland from assignment when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He eventually enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces but served only from December 1943 to March 1944.
Harvey then moved to Chicago, where in June 1944, he began broadcasting from the ABC affiliate WENR. In 1945, he began hosting the postwar employment program Jobs for G.I. Joe on WENR.
Harvey added The Rest of the Story as a tagline to in-depth feature stories in 1946.
On April 1, 1951, the ABC Radio Network debuted Paul Harvey News and Comment "Commentary and analysis of Paul Harvey each weekday at 12 Noon". Paul Harvey was also heard originally on Sundays; the first Sunday program was Harvey's introduction. Later, the Sunday program would move to Saturdays. The program continued until his death.
In 1955...Elvis Presley's first single release for RCA Victor was announced as "Mystery Train" b/w "I Forgot to Remember to Forget," sides purchased from Presley's previous label, Sun Records. His new record company described Elvis as "The most talked about personality in recorded music in the last 10 years."
In 1961…The Beatles met Brian Epstein for the first time at his Liverpool record store, NEMS. They met again that evening to discuss Epstein's management of the group.
In 1968...Elvis' critically-acclaimed comeback TV special aired on NBC.
In 1979...Debut of Shadow Traffic in NYC.
The company originated in 1975 by Michael Lenet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The name was derived from Lenet’s handle, or nickname; he called himself the "Silver Shadow." Lenet began the operation as an informal traffic reporting service that was provided over citizens' band radio. Soon after, Lenet began providing traffic information to various radio stations in Philadelphia.
(NY Times photo)
The company grew and expanded into other markets, beginning in 1978 with Chicago, Illinois. New York City followed in December, 1979. This expansion continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s. During that time the company began offering news, weather, and sports services to its affiliates. The primary business philosophy was to provide broadcast services at little or no cost to their affiliates. The majority of the revenue was brought in through sponsorship deals; direct sponsoring of the traffic reports themselves did this.
Today, Metro/Shadow claims to have more than 1,800 traffic reporters, with radio and TV affiliates in all of the major US markets.
In 1991...Disc jockey Alan Feed posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2003...Canadian broadcast pioneer Allan Waters died in his sleep at the age of 84. Waters founded 1050/CHUM, once one of Canada's most prominent Top 40 radio stations.
Allan Waters
Waters worked in a drug company and quit in 1954 and with partner Jerry Grafstein purchased a then money-losing station, 1050 CHUM. From this small humble station, Waters built his media empire.
Getting ideas from a visit to Florida, Waters returned to Toronto and introduced the CHUM Chart, CHUM Chicks and CHUM bugs to attract teenage listeners.
Waters expanded from radio into the television market by buying Barrie CBC affiliate CKVR in 1969, four television stations in the Maritimes in 1972 which formed the CTV-affiliated Atlantic Television System (ATV), and then Toronto's fledgling CITY in 1978. Today CHUM consists of 33 radio stations, 12 television stations and 21 specialty channels, including MuchMusic, Bravo and Space.
Waters stepped down from the Board of Directors on October 29, 2005.
CBS RADIO has elevated Tracy Brandys to Senior Vice President, Market Manager and Director of Sales for its Baltimore market, effective immediately.
Tracy Brandys
The four-station cluster includes radio stations WJZ 1300 AM / 105.7 FM, WLIF 101.9 FM and WWMX 106.5 FM, as well as the CBS RADIO Up Close Performance Studio which hosts local and national sports figures and musicians.
She reports to Scott Herman, Chief Operating Officer, CBS RADIO. Brandys replaces former Baltimore market manager Bob Philips who was recently named Chief Revenue Officer.
In her new role, Brandys will have complete oversight of all Baltimore station operations including sales, programming, events, digital, marketing and promotions, engineering, finance and administration. She will lead the market’s efforts to develop strategic growth initiatives with a focus on nurturing and extending existing client relationships and developing new business opportunities and partnerships.
“Tracy’s years of sales and management experience coupled with her intimate knowledge of our Baltimore stations and the overall market made her the natural choice to take on this important role,” said Herman. “Throughout her tenure with CBS RADIO Tracy has proven to be a powerhouse sales person who has led and grown our revenue and market share in Baltimore, and a trusted leader to our valued employees. We are delighted to reward her accomplishments with this well-deserved promotion.”
Brandys added, “As the radio industry evolves, it’s an exciting moment to take the reins of the Baltimore market and lead our stations and teams to even greater success. As a longtime employee of CBS RADIO I am grateful to the company for giving me this opportunity and look forward to what’s new and next.”
In her most recent role as the VP, director of sales for the Baltimore market, Brandys consistently led the cluster to outperform the competition. She generated new revenue streams for the market by partnering with local events and venues and oversaw regional and national client deals that initiated in Baltimore. Prior to this she served as the general sales manager for WWMX-FM where she managed the sales team to generate all station revenue and developed new client relationships and creative sales ideas. Brandys also held a number of senior sales positions in the Infinity Promotions Group, a former national sales department designed to generate incremental revenue for CBS RADIO’s local stations. Brandys began her career in sales roles at Summit Broadcasting and Sconnix Broadcasting.
Brandys is on the board of the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. She is a graduate of Towson University.
Pandora has recently shifted its posture is now open to selling itself, people familiar with the matter told CNBC.
Pandora has expressed a willingness to engage to longtime suitor SiriusXM, and SiriusXM is expected to pursue a deal, the people said.
It is very early, one person referring to it being the first inning of the process, and there is no assurance that Pandora will find interested parties let alone reach a deal.
Shares of Pandora rose more than 8 percent after the news, while Liberty Media, the majority owner of SiriusXM, rose about 1 percent. Sirius XM Holdings fell nearly 2 percent.
Online streaming service Pandora has faced pressure to sell itself from activist investor Corvex Management, a hedge fund run by Keith Meister.
"Despite its many strengths, the company has been unable to date to translate its great product into a great business with an attractive public market valuation," Corvex, the largest single shareholder in the company, wrote in a letter earlier this year.
Corvex, along with two other shareholders, Matrix and Eminnence, have now unified around the idea of a sale, expressing their frustration to Pandora's chairman, sources said.
Meanwhile, Liberty Media chairman Greg Maffei has been public about the potential benefits of a tie-up of satellite radio company SiriusXM and Pandora.
"We think that the free space, whether it be commercial terrestrial radio, or Pandora, is still a very attractive space," Maffei said. "And we talked about how we'd like to find a way to participate. I think the streaming business, which Pandora seems to have doubled down on, is a very unattractive business. So there are parts of Pandora that could be attractive. And there's parts that we'd have questions about."
Culminating a six-month search for its next program director, Sports Radio WEEI 93.7 FM has instead created a new program leadership team from its in-house talent bench.
Current WEEI Assistant Program Director Joe Zarbano has been named Program Director replacing Kevin Graham, who departed last spring.
In his new role, Zarbano will assume direct oversight of all audio content for WEEI-FM, the WEEI Sports Radio Network, the Boston Red Sox Radio Network and ESPN 850. He is a nine-year station veteran who began with WEEI as an intern while a student at Emerson College.
Joe Zarbano
Taking Zarbano’s place as Executive Producer is WEEI Senior Producer Ben Kichen. He joined the station in 2006 from iHeart Media’s WXKS and WJMN and has been lead producer for both the Glenn Ordway and Dale & Holley programs on WEEI. Kichen also produces the acclaimed “Enough About Me” podcast with Kirk Minihane and hosts “Soccercast” for WEEI.com.
Carlson Mozdiez is currently Director of Integrated Marketing Strategies for Entercom’s Boston cluster. He joined WEEI in 2002 immediately after graduating from Syracuse University and has held a variety of positions in promotions, marketing and digital operations. Mozdiez will now assume the new title of Director of Operations for Entercom Boston with special emphasis on the company’s digital juggernaut WEEI.com.
WEEI 93.7 FM (34 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
Entercom New England VP/Market Manager Phil Zachary says the search was necessarily long and intensive.
“With its massive broadcast reach and associated digital assets, the WEEI brand is arguably among the most influential and complex in all of broadcasting,” Zachary said. “Many of our outside candidates simply couldn’t get their arms around all of it. As each month passed, it became clear to me that we had the talent right here in Ben, Carlson and Joe. Plus they each have that inimitable DNA of the true Boston sports fan.”
John Kruk, the former Phillies player who parlayed an affable personality into a successful television career, will return to the Phillies in 2017 as a broadcaster.
Acccording to philly.com, Kruk will be one of the team’s five broadcasters, who are employees of Comcast SportsNet, a network that the Phillies own 25 percent of under their new television rights agreement.
A source with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed Kruk’s hiring, which was first reported by CSNPhilly.com, website of the network that carries the team’s games.
Kruk spent 12 years at ESPN before leaving in October. He was both a color commentator and studio analyst at ESPN. The two parties agreed to part ways, an ESPN spokesman said. Kruk, who will turn 55 in February, spent the 2003 season on the Phillies broadcasts. He will join Tom McCarthy, Mike Schmidt, Ben Davis, and Greg Murphy in the booth. Kruk replaces Matt Stairs, who was hired in October as the team’s hitting coach.
(Reuters) -- CBS Corp’s All Access subscription-based streaming video service will offer live National Football League games beginning on Sunday, CBS said on Thursday.
The agreement covers all NFL games that air on CBS throughout the rest of the current season and post-season, it said in a statement. The specific games that subscribers will have access to on Sundays depends on which game their local CBS station is carrying.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by either CBS or the NFL.
The deal covers all tablets and connected TV devices where CBS All Access is available. For mobile customers, the games will be available only to subscribers who are also Verizon Communications Inc customers, due to the telecom company's exclusive mobile rights deal with the NFL.
All Access costs subscribers $6 a month for live and on-demand content, though the lack of pro football has been cited by analysts as an impediment to expanding the platform. CBS is planning two TV series that will be exclusive to CBS All Access – a spinoff of “The Good Wife” and a new “Star Trek” series – as another way of boosting subscribers.
The multiyear deal is a way for the league to reach consumers who do not subscribe to a TV package. The NFL has been experimenting in recent years with distributing its games over the internet.
Last year, the league offered a free livestream of its game between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars on Yahoo Inc. This year, the NFL reached a deal with Twitter Inc that allowed the social media company to simulcast 10 Thursday games that aired on television.
“Distribution of our games on CBS All Access is a win for the millions of NFL fans across the country, especially those looking to watch our games on these emerging digital platforms,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
It has been a particularly rough season for the NFL in terms of TV viewership, particularly during primetime. There has been some uptick since the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election, which the league had cited as one of the reasons for the ratings downturn.
Both CBS and 21st Century Fox Inc’s Fox network had their most-watched games of the season on Thanksgiving.
CBS drew 27.6 million viewers for its Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings matchup. Fox garnered 35.1 million viewers for its game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, making it the most-watched regular season NFL game in its history.
Fox News host Megyn Kelly is considering joining rival network CNN, according to The Drudge Report.
CNN President Jeff Zucker is actively pursuing Kelly to anchor either an 8 or 9 p.m. slot, Drudge reported.
“He is moving the Himalayan Mountains to get her,” a "top insider" said. "But they are tripped up on money. He simply can’t pay her the $20 million a year Fox has on the table.”
According to The Hill, Zucker would compensate Kelly’s salary with heavy promotion and synergy across all Time Warner networks besides CNN, according to a source involved in the proceedings.
“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” the source added. "She could even star in a movie at Warner Bros.”
Drudge said "The Kelly File" host is mulling whether she should leave Fox before her contract ends in July 2017.
Kelly is reportedly “despised” by her on-air colleagues, and opinions of her have deteriorated further after the release of her new book last month.
Drudge said Kelly refused to promote the book, “Settle for More,” on broadcasts with fellow Fox heavyweights Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity.
Kelly’s snub implies she is considering a possible transfer to greener pastures, the report added, and she would potentially compete with O'Reilly's "The O'Reilly Factor" should she join CNN.
The News Media Alliance Thursday sent a white paper to President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team outlining policy positions on regulations and existing laws that deter investment and limit growth in the news media industry.
The Alliance continues to lead the news sector’s efforts to protect the constitutional right to a free press. That objective also requires government policies that support a vibrant and growing news industry.
“Our member organizations are the lynchpin of credible and trusted journalism in our country, uncovering facts, vetting sources and facilitating public discourse,” said David Chavern, president and CEO of the News Media Alliance. “While news organizations are innovating and adapting to a vastly different media landscape, antiquated government regulations and imbalanced policies are unnecessarily hindering investment and growth at news media companies. We encourage the new Administration to revisit these regulations and policies as it charts a new course for our nation’s economic growth.”
The Alliance’s white paper outlines key public policy positions that involve such issues as: the Federal Communications Commission’s Nixon-era ban on media cross-ownership; unequal Tax Code treatment of digital news production; Copyright Act reforms that bring back value for original content creators, and press access and freedom to assure the government is open and accountable to the public.
Sun Broadcast Group announced Thursday that it has entered into a sales and syndication partnership with Little Steven’s Underground Garage.
The show, heard on over 80 stations across America including Q104.3 in New York City and WROR in Boston, is hosted by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Steven Van Zandt.
“Fourteen years ago we started Little Steven’s Underground Garage. We created a new format which included all 60 years of Rock and Roll, and it’s roots – the Rock pioneers like Little Richard and Bo Diddley, Blues, DooWop, Surf Rock, Girl Groups, 60’s Soul, the British Invasion, Folk Rock, Psychedelic, Glam Rock, Power Pop, Punk, and everything in between, alongside the best new Rock and Roll bands in the world,” said Stevie Van Zandt. “In other words, play the coolest Rock and Roll records ever made. The goal has always been to bring that music to listeners EVERYWHERE and we’re excited to partner with Sun Broadcast Group to help achieve that goal. We’re also enthusiastic about the ability to bring our listeners cool new features that includes Sun’s partnership with Shazam and more.”
“I’ve seen Stevie Van Zandt on stage more than 60 times in the last 36 years. To be able to work with someone you’ve followed and admired for so long is a dream come true.” said Ron Rivlin, SVP of Programming and Affiliate Sales for Sun. “Not only is he a musician, songwriter, producer, arranger, actor and radio host, he is rock and roll’s biggest advocate through his Rock and Roll Forever Foundation and Teach Rock- the foundation’s national middle and high school curriculum. We are proud to be working with Little Steven’s Underground Garage.”
For more information on Little Steven’s Underground Garage contact Ron Rivlin at 212-380-9303 or RRivlin@sunbgi.com.
Broadcast industry veteran Al Peterson will publish the final editions of NTS MediaOnline Today and NTS MediaOnline Monthly, on Friday, December 16, 2016. The founder and publisher of the iconic News/Talk/Sports industry publications arrived at the final decision to end their 10-year run over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Peterson comments, “After serving as the News/Talk/Sports editor for 10 years at the top industry newspaper Radio & Records, to then creating NTS MediaOnline and building it into a reliable hub for news, information and conversation about Talk Radio for the last decade, it just feels right to start a new chapter in my life – one where I’m not waking before sunrise to a blank page and a daily deadline.”
Commenting on his NTS MediaOnline partner and current RAB SVP/Membership Brooke Williams, Peterson says, “Through the majority of these past 20 years, I’ve had the great fortune of having my good friend and longtime sales and marketing partner Brooke working by my side. Her efforts and contributions made our success possible while first at R&R and then creating and building NTS. She’s one in ‘10’ million and I can’t thank her enough for her friendship, profound professionalism, and for helping me put my kids through college!”
While Peterson plans to enjoy more time with his family and pursue other interests outside the industry, he’ll also continue to seek new ways to positively contribute to the future success of radio, a medium he has loved since he was a kid with a transistor radio under his pillow.
NTSMediaOnline.com and associated email for Peterson and Williams will remain active through the end of 2016.
Chenot was a longtime and well-known local radio personality, having spent more than 30 years behind the microphone at WONE 97.5-FM, WAPS 91.3-FM and other stations.
His fans appreciated his deep knowledge of popular music, his sense of humor and catchphrases, and how he often treated local artists on his Sunday evening show, Jim Chenot’s Radio Sandbox, as if they were already big stars.
Before settling in at 91.3 for the last 15 years, Chenot, a Canton native, got his start in radio in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and spent time at stations in Canton, Massillon and Cleveland before becoming one of the signature voices on the then-new WONE. He worked the midday and evening slots, then was teamed up with a young news reporter, Kathy Vogel, to do the morning show, where they worked from 1994-96 and again from 1998-2001.
Vogel, now an on-air personality at WHBC Mix 94.1 FM, praised Chenot for letting her “blossom and grow in a time when female co-hosts were told to sit there and be cute.”
After being fired from WONE in 2001, Chenot was hired in 2002 at The Summit by Bill Gruber and General Manager and Executive Director Tommy Bruno, who described acquiring Mr. Chenot as a turning point for the station.
“We had a real, experienced on-air personality and talent. He came in and was our main guy and I remember the staff being shocked that we landed Jim Chenot. It really was a moment for us.” Bruno said.
.
At 5 p.m. Friday, The Summit will air a tribute to Mr. Chenot beginning with one of his favorite songs, All You Need Is Love, from which Mr. Chenot took his most recent sign-off, “Love is all you need.” The staff will then play songs by Chenot’s favorite artists including The Beatles, Lou Reed, Johnny Cash and others in his honor.
In 1932..."The Adventures of Charlie Chan" was first broadcast on the NBC Blue Radio Network.
On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in several different series on three networks (the NBC Blue Network, Mutual, and ABC) between 1932 and 1948. Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan on Esso Oil's Five Star Theater, which serialized adaptations of Biggers novels. Ed Begley, Sr. had the title role in NBC's The Adventures of Charlie Chan (1944–45), followed by Santos Ortega (1947–48). Leon Janney and Rodney Jacobs were heard as Lee Chan, Number One Son, and Dorian St. George was the announcer.
In 1949...Gene Autry’s song “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” hit the record charts for the first time.
In 1963...Jay Nelson did his first morning show on CHUM 1050 AM Toronto.
Jungle Jay Nelson was well-known to Toronto audiences when he arrived at CHUM in December, 1963, succeeding Al Boliska.
Nelson had done the morning show at WKBW for two years and also an afternoon TV show on WKBW-TV.
But who would have thought he'd last 17 years in morning drive at CHUM, finally stepping down in 1980.
On February 18, 1994, Toronto radio fans were shocked at the news that long-time CHUM morning man Jay Nelson had died. Nelson, whose real name was Frank Coxe, anchored some of the greatest radio lineups of all time during his 17 years as morning man at 1050 CHUM.
Nelson went on to gigs at CITY-TV, CKFM, CKEY, CHFI and CJEZ and was teaching radio at George Brown College in Toronto shortly before his death. He remains one of Toronto's most remembered personalities.
In 1971...Don Imus signed on at WNBC, New York City.
Imus was a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Upon winning a talent contest at Johnny Otis's nightclub, he began working as a singer/songwriter, managed by Otis. After hearing a morning disc-jockey, he went to the nearby radio station and persuaded the owner to hire him. Thus he began his career as a radio disc jockey on June 28, 1968 at radio station KUTY in Palmdale, California. He stayed at the station until 1969 when he left for a job at KJOY, a small radio station in Stockton, California.
He was later fired for saying "hell" on air. After being fired in Stockton, he went to KXOA in Sacramento, California. His on-air pranks, such as calling up a restaurant and ordering 1200 hamburgers to go, made his show immensely popular and boosted ratings. He was inspired to pursue a career in radio by listening to California radio personality Don MacKinnon.
After a stint at WGAR (AM) radio in Cleveland, Ohio, Imus moved to New York City and WNBC radio in December 1971. During this first stint at WNBC, Imus recorded three record albums, two for the RCA Victor label (1200 Hamburgers to Go, including some of his more popular humor from KXOA, WGAR and WNBC broadcasts.
Imus was fired from WNBC in August 1977 along with several of the station's other personalities, in an effort to revamp the station's sound and boost ratings. In 1978 he returned to Cleveland radio as afternoon drive host on WHK, making the front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on his first day back in town.
In a surprise change of fortune Imus was rehired by WNBC in September 1979, and revived his morning drive show. From 1982 to 1985, the station also employed talk-radio host Howard Stern, and WNBC heavily promoted the pair in print and television ads, which often featured the slogan "If We Weren't So Bad, We Wouldn't Be So Good." Although Stern's show aired later in the day, Imus and Stern often made brief appearances on each other's shows, giving the audience an occasional glimpse of an on-and-off-air rivalry that continued for many years.
In 1992...WQEW-AM radio replaced WQXR on 1560 AM in New York City.
In 2008...broadcaster/cellular mogul Ted Rogers Jr. died at his home in Toronto, after recently being admitted to hospital with a cardiac condition. While he was best known for Canada's Rogers Cable, his communications empire actually makes more money from the mobile phone business.
In 2010…Chicago Cubs broadcaster/former MLB 3rd baseman Ron Santo died of complications from diabetes and bladder cancer at age 70.
iHeartMedia, the creator of iHeartRadio – the all-in-one streaming music and live digital radio service – today announced the beta availability of iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster.
This is the first service that uses on demand functionality to make radio truly interactive, as compared to all current players which simply add on demand functionality to the music collection experience. Available now in beta on iOS and Android devices, the two new services will be fully available on mobile and desktop in January 2017.
With more than 850 radio stations in 150 markets that reach over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners across the U.S., iHeartMedia has the largest national reach of any radio or television outlet in America and is the only media company that has the assets, platform and reach to drive massive consumer awareness and introduce these two new subscription services, built around real radio, to a large new audience on a national scale.
Bob Pittman
In addition, 84 percent of iHeartRadio users do not currently subscribe to an on demand service – and now, for the first time, may be interested in subscribing to a service that provides them with the best of live radio combined with easy-to-use on demand functionality that makes radio programming truly interactive - and that they can connect directly to their music collection, something no other service or company has the assets to offer.
“10 times more Americans listen to radio every month than use a subscription service – so the debut of iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster is a unique opportunity to capture these non-music subscribers with an on demand service built around radio,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. “Whereas the LP, CD and music downloads are the ancestors of all current on demand services, the ancestor for our new on demand offerings is broadcast radio. By combining radio’s popularity and reach with interactive on demand functionality, we have created the first fully differentiated streaming music service for consumers.”
iHeartRadio Plus, $4.99 a month, completely transforms live radio listening with the addition of:
Replay: Giving subscribers the ability to instantly replay songs from the radio and then return to the live radio station in progress;
Live and custom Artist Radio stations: Now equipped with a save button, allowing subscribers to instantly save songs from the radio directly to their My Music playlist for playback any time;
Search: Search and play any song from a library of millions of tracks;
Unlimited skips: Subscribers listening to custom Artist Radio stations will no longer have a limit on the number of songs they can skip.
iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster, at $9.99 a month, combines the interactive radio functionally of iHeartRadio Plus with a complete music collection and library that is linked seamlessly to the radio listening experience. Given that 70 percent of consumers -- which includes users of on demand music services -- have cited radio as their primary source of music discovery, there is finally a service that allows them the convenience and accessibility of merely pushing a button to add a song immediately to their music collection at the same time they hear it on the radio -- something no other music collection service can offer.
This new offering is the best of all worlds, combined in one service with the ability to:
Build subscribers’ personal music libraries: Completely create, control and curate playlists from a library of millions of tracks;
Give subscribers total flexibility to listen to their music the way they want, when they want: With no playback cap and the ability to reorder, delete and sequence their playlist experience as well as manage unlimited playlists;
Access offline listening: Subscribers can now enjoy offline listening and take their music and playlists with them everywhere they go, even when they don’t have a data connection.
“iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster are revolutionizing how we think of live radio,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio.
Darren Davis
“With features such as personal music libraries and playlists, the ability to search and play any song instantly, and the option to save and replay songs directly from live and custom radio listening, our new iHeartRadio on demand offerings are fundamentally changing the way consumers interact with live radio at an unprecedented level. We are introducing a service like no other to tens of millions of consumers across dozens of devices, and also driving massive awareness of the new service to more than a quarter of a billion Americans a month through our broadcast stations alone, which presents a major revenue growth opportunity for our very important strategic partners - artists and the music industry.”
iHeartMedia partnered with Napster to power the music technology back office behind iHeartRadio All Access. Napster brought their depth of experience in on-demand music delivery, customer billing, data and analytics and rights holders’ payments to complement the iHeartRadio-based application.
“iHeartMedia has a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on the tremendous value premium streaming services bring to music fans, and to the music community at large,” said Mike Davis, Napster CEO. “We're honored that iHeartMedia selected the Napster platform and brand to power a great music experience for consumers, and we're excited to play a role in what will be a successful launch."
Aside from the two new subscription on-demand services, iHeartRadio will remain free.
The much anticipated 2017 New Faces of Country Music Show, which will take place during Country Radio Seminar (Feb. 22-24, 2017), will feature performances by William Michael Morgan (Warner Bros.), Maren Morris (Columbia Nashville), Jon Pardi (Capitol Nashville), Granger Smith (Wheelhouse Records) and Drake White (Dot Records).
“This year’s New Faces lineup is reflective of our format’s strength, and steady growth. I’m happy to report we received a record number of qualified votes from country radio supporting these talented artists. We believe it is going to be an amazing show,” said John Crenshaw, Chairman of CRS New Faces Committee.
The five chosen artists, all whom have achieved significant success at Country radio during the qualification period, will perform in front of an industry and radio-filled room.
The New Faces of Country Music Show is a pinnacle event that closes out the 3-day seminar each year. This year’s show will take place on Friday, Feb. 24 at the Omni Nashville, and is co-sponsored by the Academy of Country Music and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dinner tickets for the New Faces of Country Music Show are sold-out. The New Faces of Country Music Show as well as other performance events held in the performance hall during CRS 2017 are powered by Live Nation.
Qualifying radio station personnel voted and determined the class of 2017 New Faces of Country Music Show performers. Votes were verified by the Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc., and the official count was reviewed and certified by Chuck Flood and Flood, Bumstead, McCready, & McCarthy, Inc. representatives.
Cumulus Media announces that it has appointed Glen Tacinelli as Vice President of Sales for Cumulus Media-New York.
In this newly created position, Tacinelli will oversee all sales for Talk 77 WABC, HotAC 95.5 WPLJ, Country NASH FM 94.7, and Urban Radio 103.9, as well as Cumulus Media-New York’s digital assets. Tacinelli was previously General Sales Manager of 77 WABC, a position he has held since July 2015.
Prior to joining Cumulus, Tacinelli was Director of Sales for Katz Radio for more than seven years and managed a sales team focused on cluster selling in over 137 markets. Tacinelli’s 20-year radio career also includes management positions at CBS-FM, Katz Media and Arbitron/Nielsen.
Chad Lopez, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-New York, said: “Glen’s significant experience in the New York market will be an important asset to the entire Cumulus New York cluster. In this ever-changing and evolving industry, we are very excited to implement this integral role and have Glen lead all sales efforts in the top market in the country.”
Dave Milner, Senior Vice President, Cumulus Media said: “Glen has done a terrific job since joining Cumulus Media-New York. His experience working across multiple formats and developing strong marketing solutions for clients makes him the perfect choice to lead the sales team in New York.”
Cumulus Media announces that it will kick off a nationwide radio promotion today that celebrates Led Zeppelin, Classic Rock’s most enduring band with “12 Days of Led Zeppelin”.
For 12 consecutive days in December, Cumulus rock stations will highlight music from the band’s iconic career and will give away Deluxe CD sets and Super Deluxe box sets from Led Zeppelin’s extensive album catalog.
In addition to showcasing the music and the collector’s item giveaways from the Led Zeppelin archive, participating Cumulus Classic Rock stations will air clips from a four-hour “Led Zeppelin Then and Now” radio special produced by Rhino Records in 2015 supporting the re-issue campaign of the Led Zeppelin catalog. Clips from the full broadcast include storytelling from band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones.
Scott Jameson, Vice President/Classic Rock for Cumulus Media, said: “The impact Led Zeppelin made on music is profound, and today they remain the most played artist in Classic Rock radio. The “12 Days of Led Zeppelin” platform allows us to take our audience behind the velvet rope to hear engaging stories from the artists who created these timeless albums. The ability to give away unique, limited edition CD sets and box sets is a real treat for uber Led Zeppelin fans across the U.S. this holiday season.”
Rich Mahan of Rich Mahan Promotions added: “Led Zeppelin left an indelible mark on Rock music that continues to inspire new generations of musicians and fans alike. Partnering on this “12 Days of Led Zeppelin “promotion with Cumulus allows us to entertain music fans, and continue to expose Led Zeppelin’s catalog to new fans across the country.”
A former ally of Vice President-elect Mike Pence with a strong focus on deregulation could be in line for an appointment to the Federal Communications Commission, possibly as the next chairman.
Fortune is reportind that Brandt Hershman, a longtime Indiana state senator, is believed to be the leading candidate for an opening on the agency, which oversees the telecommunications, broadcasting, and cable industries,
Hershman, the senate majority floor leader, authored a massive law to deregulate telecommunications in Indiana a decade ago. The bill ended government regulation of phone rates, freed up cable companies from needing to get dozens of local licenses to offer service, and stopped cities and towns from setting up their own municipal broadband services.
The FCC under chairman Tom Wheeler, appointed by President Obama, has pressed several major regulatory initiatives, including net neutrality rules to prevent Internet providers from blocking or charging more for access to any web site or online service. Wheeler also pushed online privacy rules that apply to Internet service providers.
Analysts expect an FCC run by a Trump appointee would roll back those rules, which have been opposed by Republicans in Congress and major communications companies. The president’s party typically occupies three of the commission’s five seats, and the president designates one member as chairman. Trump could name a new appointee such as Hershman chairman or possibly designate current Republican FCC member Ajit Pai as chairman.
All cable TV news networks had a strong November viewing period -- results that were largely expected due to the strong interest in the Presidential election, according to MediaPost.
Fox News Channel grew 71% over the same month a year before to a leading Nielsen 3.3 million total viewer average in prime time; it also grew 71% to 778,000 in the key 25-54 TV news viewers that advertisers target.
CNN had one of the best performances overall in terms of growth versus November 2015 -- up 132% to 1.5 million total viewers -- and 163% higher to 608,000 25-54 viewers.
MSNBC was runner-up to most improved -- most than doubling its total prime-time viewers, 104%, to 1.3 million total viewers. It also grew 137% in 25-54 viewers to 358,000.
Among all cable TV networks, Fox was the highest overall network in total viewers in prime time. CNN came in third, while MSNBC was in seventh place.
Total day TV news viewing offered much of the same results, with Fox News adding 61% to average 2.0 million total viewers and 106% higher in 25-54 to 466,000. CNN grew 76% to 995,000 total viewers, and 102% to 346,000 in 25-54 viewers.
MSNBC was the most improved network overall in total day viewers -- up 84% to 736,000 total viewers and 105% more in 25-54 viewers to 195,000.
Breitbart News is asking its readers to boycott Kellogg Co. after the cereal maker said it would no longer advertise on the conservative news website, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In a post on Breitbart News on Wednesday, the publication called on readers to sign a #DumpKelloggs petition against the manufacturer, whose brands include Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies and Cheez-It.
Kellogg on Tuesday said it would pull its ads from Breitbart News after consumers notified the manufacturer that its products were appearing on the site. A company spokesperson told the Associated Press, “We regularly work with our media buying partners to ensure our ads do not appear on sites that aren’t aligned with our values as a company.”
Breitbart fought back hard. “Boycotting Breitbart News for presenting mainstream American ideas is an act of discrimination and intense prejudice,” Alexander Marlow, Breitbart News editor-in-chief, said in the Breitbart News article.
Cumulus Media announces that it has appointed Andy Winford to Program Director of KAT Country KATM 103.3 FM in Modesto/Stockton, CA.
Winford joins Cumulus Media from Townsquare Media-Yakima, WA, where he was Brand Manager of KIT-AM and KATS-FM. Prior to that, he was Brand Manager for Townsquare Media’s Billings, MT, station group. Winford previously held programming positions including: Program Director of KHBN/91.7 The Bounce in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Program Director for KKBZ-FM and KHIT-FM in Fresno, CA; Director of FM Programming for iHeart Media/Clear Channel in San Luis Obispo, CA; and Program Director of KURQ and KSTT in Modesto, CA.
Bob Berger, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-Modesto/Stockton said: “KAT Country has been a great radio station for nearly 25 years. What makes it great is the people that have been and are a part of it today. Andy Winford will bring us fresh ears and ideas, and I know that he will work to support the great talent we have in place. I am excited to see KAT Country’s growth in serving our community in the coming years.”
Richard Perry, Operations Manager, Cumulus Media-Modesto/Stockton said: “KAT Country has a long history of ratings dominance, but has only been led by a handful of PD’s. All of them did great things here. I look forward to Andy adding his name to the short list of PD’s who have made KAT Country special."
KATM 103.3 FM (50 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
Winford said: “I want to thank VP/Market Manager Bob Berger and Operations Manager Richard Perry for giving me the opportunity to be the leader of one of America's truly great radio stations as evidenced by its previous CMA and ACM Station of the Year Awards. I'm truly humbled and I can't wait to start collaborating with the fantastic talent that's ruled over Modesto-Stockton for the last decade and become part of KAT Country 103's rich history.”
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. pop star Taylor Swift, boy band One Direction and British singer Adele were the highest paid musicians in the world this year, Forbes magazine said on Wednesday.
With earnings of $170 million from touring, recordings, endorsements and other income, Swift, 26, earned the title of 2016's highest paid musician. She pulled in a gross total of more than $200 million on the North American portion of her "1989" world tour.
Taylor Swift
The "Bad Blood" singer was followed by One Direction, the English-Irish pop band, which brought in $110 million, grossing $200 million-plus for its recent On The Road Again Tour. Members of the band include Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and, previously, Zayn Malik.
Ranking third was "Hello" singer Adele, 28, with $80.5 million, her highest earnings total yet. Adele, whose album "25" was the biggest seller of 2015, enjoyed continued success with album sales this year and grossed millions per night for her arena shows.
Madonna, whose recent "Rebel Heart" tour grossed $170 million, was fourth with $76.5 million, which pushed her career total on the road to $1.4 billion pretax, according to Forbes.
Rounding out the top 10 were Barbados-born Rihanna, who earned $75 million, country star Garth Brooks ($70 million), veteran rock band AC/DC ($67.5 million), the Rolling Stones ($66.5 million), DJ Calvin Harris ($63 million) and music mogul Diddy ($62 million).
Collectively, the 30 listed musicians earned more than $1.8 billion this year.
Forbes compiled the list after estimating pretax income for the 12 months from June 2015 to 2016 based on interviews with managers, agents, lawyers and some of the stars. It also looked at data from.
