Plus Pages

Saturday, August 19, 2017

August 20 Radio History



Alan Reed
➦In 1907...actor Alan Reed was born Herbert Theodore Bergman in New York City.  He was a strong, burly presence on film and TV but he would be better remembered for his equally strong, distinctive voice.

His work involved featured roles on Abie’s Irish Rose; as the “Allen’s Alley” resident poet Falstaff Openshaw on Fred Allen‘s NBC Radio show, as Officer Clancey on the NBC Radio show Duffy’s Tavern; as Shrevey the driver on several years of The Shadow; as Chester Riley’s boss on NBC Radio’s The Life of Riley, and as Italian immigrant Pasquale in Life with Luigi on CBS Radio.

He is perhaps best remembered as the voice of Fred Flinstone in the ABC-TV cartoon series.

He sufered a fatal heart attack June 14 1977 at age 69.


Andre Baruch
➦In 1908...veteran golden-voiced announcer Andre Baruch was born in France. He tried to begin his career as a pianist for NBC Radio but got into the wrong line of applicants; he was in the announcers’ line and was hired on the spot.

Over an almost 60 year career he announced for such OTR programs as The American Album of Familiar Music, The Fred Waring Show, The Kate Smith Show, The Shadow, Your Hit Parade and The United States Steel Hour.

Fulfilling a 20-year dream, in 1954 he was named to the Brooklyn Dodgers broadcast team, for whom he worked for two years on WMGM radio and WOR-TV.

He died Sept. 15 1991 at age 83.


➦In 1920...In Michigan, the Detroit News founded radio station 8MK, operating at first using an amateur license until granted a limited commercial license in October 1921. In March 1922, the call-letters were changed to WWJ, which they have remained ever since.




➦In 1959...A Motorola 6 plus 2 transistor radio was advertised for $29.95. Six transistors and 2 diodes. "Hour after hour of top flight listening on a single inexpensive battery. Built-inantenna, Built-in easel for convenience. Slips into purse or pocket."


➦In 1960...19-year-old Marv Alpert, a journalism major at Syracuse University was working at WMGM 1050 AM radio in New York during the summer in the record library and news department.


➦In 1960...Mel Allen, often called the voice of the Yankees, will do the play-by-play of the New York Giants football team over CBS Radio.


➦In 1963...WCPO in Cincinnati goes “All Hootenanny” - all folk music ...


➦In 1963...It was announced that all-night talk show host Long John Nebel - heard on WOR 710 AM in New York would also be heard on WNAC 680 AM in Boston, also owned by RKO-General.





➦In 1963...NYC Deejay Stan Z. Burns at 1010 WINS, New York has the magic touch. After playing “That Sunday, That Summer” off of Nat King Cole’s latest album with tremendous response, Capitol Records announced it will release it as a single.


Rick Sklar
➦In 1963...Many in the industry are stunned by the promotion of Rick Sklar, director of community services at 77 WABC Radio in New York, to Program Director, replacing Sam Holman. The announcement was made by newly-appointed vice-president and general manager Walter Schwartz. “Sam Holman, who has done so much to bring WABC to its present enviable position in the market, willcontinue to be a front-line piece of talent for us (Holman is also a DJ).

With the responsibilities of running a major radio station in the nation’s first market, it is necessary that we have a man in charge of the program department who would not be faced with the dual responsibility of an air show. Sklar has an excellent track record (he was formerly with 1010 WINS and WMGM 1050 AM) and will be given complete authority on all matters involving programming.” Sklar says: “There will be changes and innovations forth coming in conjunction with our fall campaign.


➦In 1963...the CBS radio network established a new dimension in network broadcasting. Net Alert systems were just installed in more than 200 stations of the CBS radio network. This will now allow newsrooms in New York or Los Angles to notify local or other network programs of an important news story.


➦In 1967...With FM radio making some ratings noise in New York, it was announced that a new kind of transmitting antenna was available to improve FM reception. WABC 95.5 FM & WCBS 101.1 FM in New York, began transmitting in September with a circularly polarized antenna from the Empire State Building.

FM transmissions are either horizontal or vertical or both, which means your radio antenna must be positioned the same way. Circularly polarized transmitting antennas means you will be able to set your FM antenna anywayyou want and reception should be good on any plane.


➦In 1967....The New York Times published a report about a noise reduction technology for tape recording that had been developed by technicians R. and D.W. Dolby. Checkmate Records was the first label to use the new Dolby process in its recordings.





➦In 1976...Gordon Lightfoot released his soon-to-be hit single, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, from his album Summertime Dream, about an ore carrier which sank on Lake Superior. It would reach #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.


➦In 1997...Talk show host Bob Grant sued his former radio station – Talkradio 77 WABC New York which he says, tried to blacklist him after he made controversial remarks about deceased commerce secretary Ron Brown.


➦In 2009...keyboard player and guitarist Larry Knechtel, who was a studio musician on such classic recordings as Bridge Over Troubled Water, Mother And Child Reunion, Swayin' To The Music, Rockin' Pneumonia-Boogie Woogie Flu, Mac Arthur Park, Stoned Soul Picnic, Good Vibrations, Up Up And Away, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Monday Monday, Dream A Little Dream Of Me, Christmas-Baby Please Come Home, Eve Of Destruction, Summer Breeze, Dance With The Guitar Man, Taking The Long Way)/guitarist (Stoney End, The Guitar Man, Light My Fire, Mr. Tambourine Man, Surf City and who was a member of the 1970′s group Bread, suffered a fatal heart attack at age 69.


➦In  2015…Retired broadcast meteorologist Harry Volkman, who reported the weather on four different Chicago television stations over the course of four decades, died of a respiratory ailment at 89.

Philly Radio: Best Wishes For Cadillac Jack Seville

Veteran Philadelphia radio personality 'Cadillac Jack' Seville has disclosed that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer.

In June,  Seville lost his job at CBS Radio's Classic Hits WOGL 98.1 FM, due to budget contraints pending the upcoming merger with Entercom.

That ended a long run for the afternoon Philly jock dating back to 1991 on then WEGX 'Electric 106' (Click Here for audio).  Seville had been hosting PM on WOGL since 2008..

Now Seville posted the terrible news on Facebook:



Cadillac Jack had been with WOGL since 2004 and moved from weekends/swing to afternoons in September 2008 following the passing of Big Ron O’Brien.  He also had  had stints at KQLZ “Pirate Radio 100.3” in Los Angeles, and 105.1 WAVA in Washington. Other stations include WGGY Scranton.Wilkes-Barre, WIOV Lancaster, WIOQ Philadelphia and WLAN Lancaster.

Richmond/Houston Radio: WRVA's Jimmy Barrett Goes West


Newsradio 740 KTRH in Houston has announced that Jimmy Barrett will join Houston’s Morning News on Mon., Sept. 11, co-anchoring with Shara Fryer 5-8 a.m. weekdays.

Barrett comes to KTRH from Richmond, Va., where he served as the morning host for iHeartMedia’s News Radio 1140 WRVA for 16 years. He’ll replace former KTRH morning host Matt Patrick who passed away in early July after a lengthy battle with cancer.

“Jimmy has a big voice, a big heart and big shoes to fill,” said Bryan Erickson, director of AM Programming for iHeartMedia Houston. “It’s impossible for anyone to replace Matt Patrick, and we all know that. I think Matt’s audience will embrace Jimmy as we move forward from what has been a very difficult time.”

“It took an exciting city and great radio station to get me to leave my home for the last 16 years,” said Barrett. “I’m very proud to join the team at KTRH and look forward to becoming a part of the Houston community.”

KTRH 740 AM (50 Kw, DA2)
The Full NewsRadio 740 KTRH weekday lineup starting Sept. 11:
  • Houston’s Morning News with Jimmy Barrett and Shara Fryer 5-8 a.m.
  • The Michael Berry Show 8-11 a.m.
  • Rush Limbaugh 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Sean Hannity 2-5 p.m.
  • The Michael Berry Show 5-7 p.m.

TWC, Twitter Team For Eclipse Livestream


On August 21, consumers will be able to experience a solar eclipse like never before. The Weather Channel digital properties and Twitter have teamed up for a live stream of this once-in-a lifetime celestial event, which will allow consumers to chase the total solar eclipse in real time as it moves from coast-to-coast.

“This eclipse is a once-in-a-hundred-year event, and we’re going to party like it’s New Year’s Eve,’” said Neil Katz, head of global content and editor-in-chief, The Weather Company, an IBM Business. “This eclipse is a celestial phenomenon and cultural moment that can’t be missed, and we couldn’t imagine a better partner than Twitter to celebrate this with.”

“Chasing Eclipse 2017” Live Stream

The interactive live coverage for “Chasing Eclipse 2017” kicks off at noon ET on August 21. The Weather Channel digital coverage will immerse viewers in totalities from 10 locations along the eclipse path - from the ground and from space - and join the fun celebrations taking place across the country. Live locations include: Stanley, ID; Carbondale, IL; St. Joseph, MO; Alliance, NE; Hopkinsville, KY; McMinnville, OR; Belton, SC; Nashville, TN; and Casper, WY.



Hosted in-studio by meteorologists Ari Sarsalari and Domenica Davis, “Chasing Eclipse 2017” will feature:
  • High-resolution and aerial drone footage from Weather’s network of storm trackers as the eclipse moves along the path of totality
  • User-generated content from Twitter
  • Live updates from eclipse viewing parties with weather.com field reporters
  • Special hyperlocal eclipse footage from TEGNA partner stations in Portland, OR; Boise, ID; Denver, CO; St. Louis, MO; Knoxville, TN; and Columbia, SC
  • Red Bull Cliff Diving event featuring athletes diving under the shadows of the eclipse. Surface mirrors will reflect stunning images of the divers and the eclipse.
  • Real-time eclipse footage from NASA
  • “Fact Off” game show featuring the hosts from “Part-Time Genius” podcast
  • Interactive social segments
  • Live coverage of an #Eclipse2017 joint wedding
  • IP-based broadcast production technology and support supplied by NewTek
“We are thrilled to partner with The Weather Channel and their award-winning digital editorial team for coverage of this momentous occasion,” Anthony Noto, COO, Twitter. “The ‘Chasing Eclipse 2017’ live stream allows people around the world to watch and join the #Eclipse2017 conversation as it unfolds live on Twitter.”

“Chasing Eclipse 2017” will be available via The Weather Channel app, weather.com, and Twitter. The live stream will be available for free to logged-in and logged-out users on Twitter as well as connected devices globally. Viewers will be able to access the live stream at http://eclipse2017.twitter.com or via @weatherchannel. To join the conversation and submit content for “Chasing Eclipse 2017,” tweet with  #Eclipse2017.

Bannon's Back At Breitbart


Steve Bannon has rejoined Breitbart as executive chairman only hours after his firing was announced. He is now expected to use it as a platform to blast those within the White House - and perhaps Trump himself - when they don't hew to the fiercely nationalist policies Bannon advocated as an inside adviser.

As Trump's chief strategist, Bannon fought numerous battles with senior Trump aides and top Republicans in Congress over the administration's policy agenda.

Breitbart frequently backed him up, ripping establishment Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan, blaming them for obstructing Trump's agenda.

More recently, the site trained its fire on Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, after he removed officials who espoused Bannon's foreign-policy world view.

In recent days, Bannon had told friends he is worth tens of millions of dollars, is a worldwide leader in the populist-nationalist movement that propelled Trump to power, and could go back to Breitbart, which he refers to as a “killing machine”, or perhaps other endeavors financed by the family of hedge-fund tycoon Robert Mercer, his longtime ally, reports Reuters.

“Steve has a powerful voice, and he’s going to keep that voice up,” said Sam Nunberg, a former Trump campaign adviser and Bannon friend. “He’s going to continue to promote policies that got Donald Trump in the White House.”

Bannon had clashed with the likes of Gary Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, and Jared Kushner, a Trump adviser and the president’s son-in-law, both of whom favored more business-friendly, mainstream economic policies on trade, taxes, and other matters.

While Bannon’s ouster may mean a short-term win for the relative moderates in the West Wing, those he dubbed the "globalists," it does not mean that policy battles on national security, immigration and the economy will dissipate.

Trump has a shown a proclivity for seeking counsel from former advisers such as Corey Lewandowski and Newt Gingrich and from conservative pundits such as Sean Hannity. The outspoken and provocative Bannon could join their number.

Taylor Swift Vanishes From Social Media

Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift, one of the most popular celebrities on social media, wiped all her accounts on Friday, sending fans into a frenzy over whether the pop singer had been hacked, was preparing to launch a new album, or was about to reinvent herself.

Reuters is reporting Swift, who has 85 million Twitter followers and 102 million Instagram followers, deleted all of her Instagram photos, her posts on Tumblr, and removed her avatar from her Facebook page where all postings prior to December 2015 were missing.

The "Blank Space" singer also deleted years of Twitter posts, and her official website showed just a black screen.

Taylor's publicist did not return calls for comment, but the development follows a busy two weeks for Swift, who earlier this month ended a six month absence from the public spotlight to testify at a high-profile groping trial in Denver, Colorado.

Swift, 27, was on Monday awarded the symbolic $1 in damages that she had sought after a federal jury in Denver found that a radio DJ had grabbed her bottom while posing for a photo with her in 2013.

Peoria Radio: Alpha Media Stations Top Ratings


Classic Rock WPBG 93.3 FM The Drive was the ratings winner once again for the Peoria market. The Drive topped the ratings book in the fall of 2016 and repeated Spring 2017 with 9 percent of the radio audience of people 12 and older. Finishing second was WXCL-FM 104.9, the Wolf 104.9, a country outlet, with an 8 share.

WSWT-FM 106.9, the station known as the Mix that plays adult contemporary music, placed third with a 7.4 share while WMBD-AM 1470, the area’s talk radio outlet, was fourth with a 6.4 share.

All four of the top-rated stations are part of the Alpha Media group.


NFL TV Ratings: Sports Bar Traffic Dropped During 2016

Football may be America’s most-watched sport, but the National Football League’s sinking ratings last year has observers questioning how the league will fare this year, especially since live sports has long been viewed as crucial in keeping consumers and high-paying advertisers glued to TV sets.

According to AdWeek,  Foursquare has released some intriguing data about foot traffic to bars and restaurants suggesting that at the very least, sports fans aren’t watching games while out and about with friends at bars. Based on data from the company’s always-on foot traffic panel—which includes data from 2.5 million Americans—Foursquare analyzed visits to sports bars during the previous two seasons in cities with and without NFL teams.

The firm estimates that between 2015 and 2016, foot traffic on Sunday game days dropped 13 percent year over year for cities that do not have a team and 12 percent for cities with a team.

When looking specifically at a group of consumers who went to a sports bar more than six times during the NFL’s 17-week season in 2015, only 40 percent visited a sports bar as frequently in 2016. And among people who went to a sports bar more than three times during the 2015 football season, 2016 foot traffic sank 10 percent. Foursquare noted that women and millennials were most likely to ditch sports bars but visits among all demographics dipped.

While overall traffic to sports bars was down 4 percent for all of 2016, football season continued to drive foot traffic for sports bars compared to the rest of the year. Per Foursquare, foot traffic spikes 32 percent for bars located near an NFL team on Sundays during football season compared to Sundays during the offseason.

Traditional Radio Suddenly All The Rage...In India

India is experiencing a brand new traditional radio revolution. Hundreds of new outlets are hitting the airwaves in the South Asian nation of 1.3 billion people and attracting a record amount of revenue, thanks to deregulation, small-town consumption and cheap cellphones with built-in FM receivers, reports InsideRadio.

Piyush Pandey, executive chairman for South Asia and India at ad agency Ogilvy & Mather, says in a Wall Street Journal story, “Suddenly FM stations are being listened to.”

Radio has existed in India since the early part of the last century, but was largely limited to state programming until the 1990s. In New Delhi, 313 commercial FM radio stations and the state broadcaster made $416 million in revenue last year, according to data from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. For comparison, WSJ reports that 6,700 FM stations in the U.S., brought in $22 billion.

All the same, radio revenue in India climbed 18% in 2016 from $352 million a year earlier and is expected to continue to grow, according to PwC. In the U.S., Japan and the U.K., revenue has averaged growth of less than 2% over the past four years, while growth in China and Brazil has been below 3%.

More than 70 stations launched in the year ended March 31, and another 90 are expected this fiscal year. The government will auction rights for 800 more stations in coming years, said one official.

'Stayed Tuned' Pulls 29M+ Viewers In First Month

Savannah Sellers, Gadi Schwartz
NBC News’ twice-daily Snapchat show, “Stay Tuned,” has garnered more than 29 million unique viewers since launching July 18, according to Variety.

The show’s debut came after NBCUniversal invested $500 million in Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, as part of its initial public offering in March.

“Stay Tuned,” the first daily news program on Snapchat, is co-hosted by Savannah Sellers and Gadi Schwartz. It features two episodes a day during the week and one each day on weekends, plus breaking news updates. According to Snapchat, more than 40% of viewers tune in at least three days a week.

As NBC News — along with other TV news outlets — struggles to find a younger audience, it’s significant that more than 60% of the “Stay Tuned” audience is under the age of 25, according to Snapchat.

Each episode is 2-3 minutes in length, with four to five segments per show, covering national and international news, politics, pop culture and other topics. NBC News said Schwartz will provide a “Stay Tuned” report on Monday, Aug. 21, from Casper, Wyo. — a city that’s in the path of total solar eclipse.

Snap has struggled since its IPO, with its first two quarterly reports missing Wall Street expectations on both earnings and users growth. Snapchat averaged 173 million daily active users in Q2, up 4% from 166 million during Q1. Snap’s stock has tumbled about 50% from its post-IPO high, as investors fretted about valuation and Snapchat’s growth trajectory.

August 19 Radio History



➦In 1903...writer Fran Striker was born in Buffalo New York. He was best known for creating the Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, and Sgt. Preston of the Yukon characters for young listeners with half-hour melodramas aired from the studios of George W. Trendle’s WXYZ Detroit, from the early 1930’s into the TV era.  At his peak Striker was writing 156 Lone Ranger scripts a year. He died in a car crash while moving with his family Sept. 4th 1962 at age 59.


➦In 1929…"Amos 'n' Andy," the comedy program starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, heard in Chicago and then in syndication since March 1928, made its network debut on NBC Radio. The program stayed on the air in different lengths and forms, switching networks to CBS in 1939, until November 1960.



➦In 1955...
1010 WINS radio, announces it will not play "copy" white cover versions of R&B (DJs must play Fats Domino's "Ain't It A Shame," not Pat Boone's)


➦In 1974...Cousin Brucie started at WNBC 660 AM.



He served at WABC for 13 years and 4,014 broadcasts until August 1974, when he jumped to rival station WNBC; after three years there, he left the airwaves to team with entrepreneur Robert F.X. Sillerman to become the owner of the Sillerman Morrow group of stations.


➦In 1975...WQIV 104.3 FM NYC ended it AOR format at 2:00 PM

WQIV was a short-lived FM rock station (November 7, 1974 - August 25, 1975) owned by Starr Broadcasting that replaced classical WNCN. The station was called WQIV because it broadcast in quadraphonic stereo sound (although very few people had quad-capable receivers.)


The move to a rock format was highly controversial and was challenged in court. A Chicago group headed by William Benton forced Starr to accept an offer from GAF Broadcasting of $3 million for the station or risk a license challenge before the FCC. GAF returned the station to a classical music format. However, GAF itself was under upheaval and when a new chairman was elected, he sold WNCN to Clear Channel for $100 million. In December of 1993, the call letters were changed to WAXQ.



➦In 1983...Having been sporadic since it was originally shut down in 1968, "pirate radio" station Radio Caroline makes its comeback on board the ship Ross Revenge in the North Sea's international waters. Six years to the day later, it would be shut down again.

Friday, August 18, 2017

NYC Radio: Howard Stern Hijacks Wife's Interview On WCBS-FM


During the Scott Shannon's “Big Show” Friday on WCBS 101.1 FM, New York Times best-seller Beth Stern called in live to talk with the crew about the upcoming Clear The Shelters event with the North Shore Animal League happening on Saturday, August 19th from noon to 10PM.

Beth, an avid animal lover and adoption advocate, is involved with NBC 4 New York & Telemundo 47’s Clear the Shelters initiative — a community-driven country-wide pet adoption drive with shelters offering low cost or complete waivers of adoption fees — seeking to match deserving animals with loving and permanent homes. Since 2015, this event has resulted in more than 70,000 pet adoptions, according to CBS Local.


And also on the line was her sort-of-famous husband, the King of All Media,” Howard Stern, to offer up his congrats to Scott and the crew for recently reaching the number 1 spot in the Tri-state .

“I like the story of it,” Howard said about Scott’s latest ratings. “I’m very impressed because your old radio station said ‘aah, you know, we don’t appreciate you guys anymore.’ And you went, you go to CBS, and look what you did to them! Oh, do I love it.”

NYC Radio: Alan Hahn Goes Solo On WEPN

Alan Hahn
Beginning Monday, Aug. 21, WEPN ESPN New York 98.7 FM’s Alan Hahn will host The Alan Hahn Show – weekdays 7- 10 p.m. ET – where he will discuss the biggest topics in New York sports.
Hahn has hosted Hahn, Humpty & Canty (weekdays 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET) since 2014.

The re-named Humpty & Canty will continue to be hosted by Rick DiPietro and Chris Canty alongside new co-host Dave Rothenberg. Rothenberg, who has hosted The Dave Rothenberg Show weekday evenings, will join Humpty & Canty Tuesday, Sept. 5. The Saturday edition of The Dave Rothenberg Show will continue from 9 a.m. – noon.

“Hosting the show  with Rick and Chris has been one of the most valuable experiences of my career,” said Hahn. “I’m excited about my new venture back at night where it all started. I can’t thank Tim McCarthy (senior vice president of ESPN  New York 98.7FM) enough for working with me on this move to ensure I can keep developing as a radio host.”

Tim McCarthy, senior vice president of ESPN  New York 98.7FM, said, “Alan has been an integral part of 98.7FM and Hahn, Humpty & Canty. I am very happy that Alan will have his own show, showcasing his knowledge of New York sports, especially his basketball expertise. We are also excited to add Dave to Humpty & Canty. Dave has been a successful host for many years at 98.7FM and will only add to an already successful show with Rick and Chris.”

Atlanta Radio: Christopher Rude OUT At The Fan

Christopher Rude
After 15-year as morning show host, Christopher Rude has exited Sports WCNN 680 AM /  93.7 FM (Translator W229AG).

According to ajc.com, cohosts Chris Dimino and Nick Cellini will remain with a new name to be unveiled next month, according to David Dickey, who runs the station. The show for many years was called the Rude Awakening, even after Dimino and Cellini joined the show following their departures from the now defunct WQXI 790/The Zone.

“I did not renew his contract,” Dickey texted me this morning. “Chris [Rude] did a great job for us and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

He feels Dimino and Cellini “can do a great morning show by themselves. You don’t necessarily need a third cast member in the room with them. Simple as that.”

Rude’s agent Norm Schrutt confirmed the news and plans to have lunch with Rude today. He suspects Rude would like to get back into rock radio. Rude worked for many years at 96rock before joining the Fan, coming to Atlanta in the late 1980s. He found a way to transition from rock to sports and survived an impressively long period of time.

Schrutt said the station treated Rude well, even when he suffered throat cancer in 2010.

CNN's Blitzer Links Barcelona To Charlottesville

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer raised some eyebrows Thursday when he compared the ISIS terror attack in Barcelona to last week's attack in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The host predicted there would be questions about whether the Barcelona attack was "at all, a copycat version" of what happened in Virginia.

"They used the same killing device," Blitzer noted, since both attacks involved a vehicle being used to hit innocent people.


On his show on Fox Business, Stuart Varney said the comment was "outrageous" and was an attempt to associate President Trump with the terrorist attack.

"Wolf Blitzer is a good man, but he shouldn't have done that," he said.

Syndicated radio host Tammy Bruce agreed, pointing out that others on CNN picked up on the talking point and the coverage should concern Americans.

"There's a pathological fixation. Every single thing they see over there they interpret through the lens of hating Trump," said Bruce.

She said the idea is to make Americans "infer" that Trump is responsible for what happened in Charlottesville and now can also be linked to the Spain attack, which left 14 dead and dozens injured.



Bruce made the point that Fox Business covers world events through the lens of business and markets, but many in the media are now covering every event with a tainted anti-Trump view.

Poll: Voters Trust Local News More Than National

President Donald Trump has frequently lashed out at news organizations for reporting “fake news” about him and his administration, but most Americans continue to maintain faith in at least one media pillar — their local news outlets.

A new Morning Consult/POLITICO poll conducted Aug. 10-14 found that 41 percent of registered voters have more trust in their local news outlets to report the truth, while 27 percent said they have more faith in the truthfulness of national news coverage. Thirty-two percent didn’t know or had no opinion, according to the survey — a national sample of 1,997 registered voters.

A slim plurality of Democrats (39 percent to 36 percent) trust national news coverage more than their local news outlets, the poll showed. Meanwhile, many Republicans (45 percent to 21 percent) and independents (41 percent to 22 percent) trust local news over national news.

Fifty-four percent of overall respondents found national news coverage to be somewhat or very liberal, while 16 percent said national organizations were somewhat or very conservative. Just 7 percent found national news coverage to be centrist or nonpartisan.

Trump has often taken to Twitter to label the national media as “fake news,” saying most recently in a Thursday morning post: “The public is learning (even more so) how dishonest the Fake News is. They totally misrepresent what I say about hate, bigotry etc. Shame!”

Cincy Radio: Chris Clare Named PD For Country WNNF


Cumulus Media has announced that it has appointed Chris Clare as Program Director for WNNF/NASH-FM 94.1 in Cincinnati, OH.

Clare leaves 99.9 The Wolf/WTHT-FM in Portland, ME, where he was Program Director, for his second stop in Cincinnati, having previously been on-air at Star 96.5/WFTK-FM. He’s also programmed and worked at stations in markets including: Indianapolis, Denver, New Orleans and Pensacola.

Keith Mitchell, Operations Manager, Cumulus Media-Cincinnati, said: “The team here in Cincinnati is excited for Chris’ arrival in September and the wealth of country experience and enthusiasm he brings to NASH-FM.”

Mitchell added: “Knowing Chris is an avid runner, the NASH team will be rooting for him when he runs the Flying Pig marathon!”

WNNF 94.1 FM (16 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
Clare said: “I want to thank Mike McVay, Charlie Cook, Dave Crowl and Keith Mitchell for this opportunity. I look forward to working with them to achieve the goals that have been set for WNNF. I also want to thank Lee Kinberg, Massimo Rossati, Mark White and Stan Bennett at Binnie Media for everything they've done. Now, I have to remember how I like my chili!?”

Miami Radio: WPOW Adds Miguel Irizarry For Evenings

Miguel Irizarry
Miguel “Mijo” Irizarry will join the air staff of CBS RADIO’s WPOW Power 96 in Miami beginning Monday, August 28. He will host weeknights from 7:00 PM to Midnight and engage with listeners across the station’s social media channels.

The announcement was made by Rob Morris, VP of Programming, CBS RADIO Miami and PD of Power 96. Mijo replaces Ivy “Unleashed” who was elevated to afternoon drive host, Monday-Friday, 2:00-7:00 PM, last month.

Mijo commented, “Excited doesn’t begin to justify the feeling of joining such an incredible team at CBS RADIO Miami and Power 96. Mil gracias to Rob and Will Calder [Power 96 APD/MD] for allowing me to become the newest member of such a super talented group!”

“We searched the country far and wide to find the perfect fit to continue the Power 96 Miami legacy!,” added Morris. “We can’t wait to get Mijo down here, on the air, in the streets and under the palm trees!”

WPOW 96.5 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
A second generation broadcaster, Mijo joins Power 96 from Hot 104.7 where he hosted afternoons and also served as the station’s music director, imaging director, including web graphics, and mix show coordinator. Prior to that, he was with Wired 96.5 in Philadelphia where he hosted nights. He began his radio career at Hot 106.3 in Providence in 2010.

Chicago Radio: Mark Suppelsa To EXIT WGN-TV

Mark Suppelsa
Veteran Chicago TV journalist Mark Suppelsa, currently a top anchor at WGN-Channel 9, plans to retire at year’s end.

“My wife and I have for years planned carefully for this period of our lives,” Suppelsa said in a letter to colleagues quoted Thursday. “Now that our kids are out of college and about to launch their own careers, we decided we are ready to wind down ours.”

The news was first reported by media columnist Robert Feder.

Suppelsa, 55, now anchors the 5, 9 and 10 p.m. weekday newscasts on Channel 9 alongside Micah Materre. He joined WGN in 2008 after earlier stints at WMAQ-Channel 5 and WFLD-Channel 32.

The newsman’s letter made no mention of the looming takeover of WGN parent Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group.

YouTube TV Now In 50% of Households

Following July’s expansion which tripled its footprint, Google Thursday announced that YouTube TV is now available to 50 percent of U.S. households, thanks to a rollout to 14 new markets. The company is also pre-announcing its plans to move into 17 more major metros in the weeks ahead, as it continues its rapid march towards nationwide coverage.

According to TechCrunch, YouTube TV is one of many “skinny bundles” for streaming live TV over the internet, which today includes rivals like Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, fuboTV, and AT&T’s DirecTV Now. The service costs $35 per month, and includes access to nearly 50 networks, including broadcast networks, cable TV, and, in select markets, local sports.

However, YouTube TV has aimed to differentiate itself from competitors by focusing on providing access to the major broadcast stations, like ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX in the markets where it goes live. While not every market offers all four stations, most do. YouTube says that its service now has the most live, local broadcast stations, as compared with other over-the-top streaming competitors in the markets where it operates.

Along with its affordable pricing, YouTube TV includes a DVR with unlimited recording, and support for up to six accounts per household, each with their own recommendations and DVR storage space. Three people can stream at the same time across desktop, tablet, mobile or TV via Chromecast or AirPlay.

Today, YouTube TV’s service is officially available in the new markets of Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Columbus, OH, Jacksonville-Brunswick, Las Vegas, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Seattle-Tacoma, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota and West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce.

Fox' James Murdoch: "There Are No Good Nazis"

James Murdoch
James Murdoch – chief executive of 21st Century Fox and son of Donald Trump ally Rupert Murdoch – has become one of the most prominent voices yet to condemn the US president’s response to neo-Nazi violence in Charlottesville, reports The Guardian.

In a memo to colleagues obtained by the Hollywood Reporter, Murdoch pledged to donate $1m to the Anti-Defamation League, which works to combat anti-semitism.

Murdoch’s father, Rupert Murdoch, is a conservative media mogul who has become an informal adviser to Mr. Trump, recently dining with the president in the White House residence.

“What we watched this last week in Charlottesville and the reaction to it by the president of the United States concern all of us as Americans and free people,” Murdoch, 44, writes in the memo.

“These events remind us all why vigilance against hate and bigotry is an eternal obligation – a necessary discipline for the preservation of our way of life and our ideals. The presence of hate in our society was appallingly laid bare as we watched swastikas brandished on the streets of Charlottesville and acts of brutal terrorism and violence perpetrated by a racist mob.”

Murdoch adds: “I can’t even believe I have to write this: standing up to Nazis is essential; there are no good Nazis. Or Klansmen, or terrorists. Democrats, Republicans, and others must all agree on this, and it compromises nothing for them to do so.”

He goes on to say that he and his wife, Kathryn, are donating $1m to the Anti-Defamation League in the wake of the tragedy, which left one civil rights activist dead.

Report: 'Amen' Talkers Remain Supportive Of Trump

Conservative radio, TV hosts who have been generally supportive of Trump have spent the week endorsing his evolving message, reports The Washington Post.

On “Bottom Line,” the commentary segment included with Sinclair Media programming, former Trump campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn argued that the president had given a pitch-perfect response and that opposition was coming from the violent left, which did not want to be exposed.

“The sky is blue — does the president have to repeat that fact day-in and day-out for us to believe it?” asked Epshteyn on Wednesday’s segment. “The president correctly acknowledged that there was hate and violence coming from the left. Rep. Steve Scalise and three others, shot at an Alexandria baseball field, have the bullet wounds to prove that there is hate and violence on the left.”

On Wednesday’s episode of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” there was a second consecutive night of questions about why Trump, not left-wing protesters, was the focus of criticism. An opening segment questioned whether the First Amendment was shredded by companies denying Web services and hotel rooms to white nationalists; a second segment raised awareness of a pro-Trump protest in San Diego that had been threatened by protesters.

On “Hannity,” a host who has stood out as Trump’s most stalwart defender in the press spent nearly 10 minutes playing back criticism of the president’s statements that had run on other networks. Much of it, Sean Hannity said, was a distraction from the racist past of the Democratic Party, a well-known bit of history which in conservative media is frequently claimed to be obscure.

After a tedious recitation of history, concluding with Democrat Hillary Clinton’s praise for the late Sen. Robert Byrd (a Democrat and former KKK member who later apologized for his membership), Hannity pivoted to the problem he said only Trump would talk about: left-wing acceptance of black radicalism.

And on his radio show, Rush Limbaugh argued that criticism was being lobbed at Trump to “nullify the election,” referring obliquely to columnists who’ve urged the president to step aside.

Nielsen Launches On-Line Ratings Academy

Nielsen has launched the Nielsen Ratings Academy, an online, interactive, one-stop shop for understanding Nielsen measurement, including the types of media consumers access, as well as how the company measures viewership and derives ratings.

Nielsen measures audiences across TV, digital, and audio and provides insight into these audiences through Nielsen ratings, which play a pivotal role in providing both content creators and advertisers with a single data set to operate and evaluate opportunities to reach the right consumer.

Considering the vast evolution of the media landscape, understanding audience viewership across platforms has never been more important. “Measuring media consumption is a very complex process today,” Nielsen SVP/Product Leadership Eric Solomon said. “Accurate, comprehensive measurement requires extensive, scientific, and constantly evolving technologies and methodologies in order to deliver the level of quality the market expects. Given these complexities, we felt it was useful to give a peek ‘under the hood’ to provide insight into how ratings are derived. Ratings Academy does just that.”

Over time, the website will include a series of modules, each of which will cover a different element of the media landscape. The first module explores the overall media realm, laying the foundation for additional modules diving into TV, Audio, and Digital.

Taylor Swift Donates to Joyful Heart Support Group

Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has made good on her pledge to support groups that help sexual assault victims following her victory in a Colorado groping trial this week.

According to Reuters, the 27-year-old singer on Wednesday made what officials described as a generous donation to the Joyful Heart Foundation, whose mission is to educate, support and campaign on sexual violence issues.

"Joyful Heart is honored to be recognized by Taylor Swift for our work on behalf of and in service to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse," the organization said in a statement.

Swift on Monday was awarded the symbolic $1 in damages that she had sought after a federal jury in Denver found that a radio DJ had grabbed her bottom while posing for a photo with her in 2013.

The pop star delivered unflinching testimony describing the incident, saying she wanted to help other women make their voices heard. She said she would donate to organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.

The Joyful Heart Foundation was launched by former "Law & Order; Special Victims Unit" television star Mariska Hargitay in 2004 with the aim of alleviating the isolation felt by domestic abuse and sexual assault victims.

VT Radio: CEO Robin Turnau To EXIT Vermont Public Radio

Robin Turnau
Robin Turnau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vermont Public Radio, has announced plans to step down in March 2018.

Turnau began her career at VPR in 1989 as membership and volunteer coordinator. She went on to serve as capital campaign coordinator, development manager, director of development, and vice president for development before being named president and CEO in 2009.

“Reaching this decision has been very difficult for me,” said Turnau. “I care deeply about VPR and it has been an integral part of my life for the past 28 years. Every one of those years has been incredibly rewarding and waking up and coming to work each day continues to be a joy. I’ve been working at VPR for more than half my life and I realized it was time for a new challenge. While I don’t have plans at this time, I look forward to taking some time to assess what my next professional endeavor will be.”

VPR has flourished under Turnau’s leadership, according to a news release. Most recently, she oversaw a successful $10 million capital campaign which included the expansion and renovation VPR’s headquarters in Colchester and the establishment of an Innovation Fund to fuel the next generation of program and content initiatives.

“On behalf of the VPR Board of Directors, our thanks go out to Robin, who has served as an outstanding leader and inspiration to everyone at VPR,” said Peggy Williams, chair of the board. “She has led our beloved institution during a time of intense media disruption. Thanks to her dedication, hard work and professionalism, VPR is stronger than ever and poised for an even greater future. She has kept our focus   firmly on doing what’s best for VPR’s audience.”

AirKast To Offer Alexa Skills To Partner Stations

AirKast Inc., a mobile app developer for broadcasters, has developed and will be providing free Alexa skills for all its customers -- including over 800 North American radio stations, syndicated radio hosts and podcasters -- allowing them to bring voice interaction to audiences.

Beyond the basic launching of radio music streams, AirKast's Alexa skills will enable listeners to explore, interact and request other content from stations and hosts available through their own branded mobile apps.

AirKast will also provide functionality that allows stations and hosts to collect and harness permission-based user data to help them sell mobile ad campaigns and drive listener engagement beyond current levels. AirKast also offers Apple Car Play and Android Auto functionality for free -- which will be relaunched with auto voice controls.

"We expect that these new Alexa skills will be quite beneficial to radio stations -- by permitting them to forge easy-to-use personal connections with their audiences, and by giving them new content whenever and wherever they want it," explained AirKast CEO Larry Leung. "It's our mission to not only provide basic Alexa skills, but also more advanced voice recognition, so fans can interact with a radio station's podcasts, show schedules and other application-based content."

AirKast provides services to CBS Radio News, FOX Radio News and Cumulus Media.

August 18 Radio History


Walter O'Keefe
➦In 1900...radio/TV performer/songwriter Walter O’Keefe was born in Hartford Connecticut.  He started in vaudeville and became a Broadway performer. By 1937 he was filling in for such radio stars as Walter Winchell, Edgar Bergen, Don McNeill and Garry Moore. He became the long-time master of ceremonies of the NBC game show Double or Nothing and was a regular on that network’s Monitor series.  He was the host for the first Emmy Awards ceremony in January 1949. O’Keefe has a star for his radio achievements on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died of congestive heart failure June 26 1983 at age 82.


➦In 1927...at age 20, Christian radio pioneer Theodore Epp was converted to a living faith. In 1939 he founded  the “Back to the Bible Broadcast,” an evangelistic Radio Program which still in recent years was heard on over 600 stations around the world.


➦In 1937...FCC issued first FM construction permit to W1XOJ, Boston. Station signs on in 1941 as WGTR (General Tire & Rubber).

John Shepard
W1XOJ signed on from Asnebumskit in 1939, the result of a partnership between Yankee Network owner John Shepard and FM inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong to explore the potential of inter-city FM networking. Programs were fed from the Yankee studios in Boston to Asnebumskit, and were picked up from there at stations on Mount Washington, N.H. and in Meriden, Connecticut. Other programs were picked up at Meriden from Armstrong's W2XMN in Alpine, N.J. and carried through Asnebumskit to Mount Washington.

In 1941, W1XOJ became commercial outlet W43B, with 300 kW ERP (50 kW TPO) on 44.3, as a sister to Boston's WNAC and WAAB. Two years later, Yankee moved WAAB to Worcester to escape the FCC's new anti-duopoly rule. While WAAB and W43B were nominally sister stations, they were never operated jointly (W43B was treated as a "Boston" station and operated from Yankee's Boston studios), and Yankee soon sold WAAB to new owners.

Edwin H. Armstrong
W43B eventually took new calls WGTR, moving to the new FM band on 103.1 and then on 99.1. In October 1948, the Yankee Network moved its FM operations to Boston, on the new WNAC-FM 98.5. WGTR's license was transferred to Eastern Radio, which apparently operated the station with “Transit Radio”, providing programming heard in city buses. The 1951 Broadcasting Yearbook shows WGTR once again under the ownership of the Yankee Network, but operating from the same 34 Mechanic Street address as WAAB, by then under Olin Company ownership.

WGTR faded from the scene completely within a year or two, as WAAB flirted with television. By 1961, WAAB was in the hands of Waterman Broadcasting, and when its new FM signal signed on that fall, it was as a simulcast of the full-service AM station. The simulcast lasted until 1967, when WAAB-FM split off from the AM with a stereo beautiful music format. In 1969, WAAB-FM became WAAF, adopting a freeform rock format at 107.3 FM that later evolved into album rock under new owner Southern Massachusetts Broadcasters.

A power increase in 1970, to 16.5 kW at 780 feet above average terrain, gave WAAF a commanding signal that could be heard across most of Massachusetts, as well as large portions of eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire and southern Vermont.


➦In 1959...Bartell Broadcasting purchased WADO 1280 AM NYC


➦In 1961...Dan Daniel started at Top40 WMCA 570 AM.

Dan Daniel
He started as a disc jockey at age seventeen on Armed Forces Radio with the US Navy. His first commercial job was at KXYZ in Houston in 1955 and he then worked at WDGY in Minneapolis before moving to WMCA in 1961.

He started on the graveyard shift overnight but from 1962 to 1968 he played the top 40 hits from 4 pm to 7 pm — the evening drive home slot.  The station produced a survey of the current sales in New York record stores and Dandy Dan gave the countdown of the week's best sellers every Wednesday in this late afternoon slot.  From 1968 to 1970, he did the early morning drive-to-work slot before leaving WMCA after nearly nine years; his final broadcast was on 11 July 1970.

Dan was heard coast-to-coast on NBC Radio's "Monitor" in the summer of 1973.

He subsequently worked on WYNY-FM where he hosted the mid-day slot and later morning and afternoon drives. He then did a stint at WHN playing country music before returning to WYNY-FM. Finally, he moved to WCBS-FM in 1996. He retired from WCBS on December 31, 2002.

WMCA transitioned to talk in 1970, bringing an end of the “Good Guys” era.  It did well until rivals WOR and WABC flipped to talk through the early 1980s.   Salem Communications bought WMCA in 1988, which started the current Christian radio format.


➦In 1984...TBT...Flashback From R&R...




➦In 2014...announcer Don Pardo, for 37 years the booming voice of NBC-TV’s Saturday Night Live, who had a seven-decade career that began in the glory days of NBC radio, died in his sleep at age 96. 

Pardo began his association with NBC in New York in 1944, six years after his debut on WJAR Radio in Providence.  In the early days of TV Pardo forged a career as a game show announcer, working on Jeopardy, Winner Take All, Three on a Match, Call My Bluff, Jackpot and the original Bill Cullen-hosted Price Is Right,