September 24 Radio History

➦In 1933...the first dramatic presentation for radio, "Roses and Drums", was heard on WABC (then a CBS station) in New York City.


➦In 1934...Seattle Radio Legend Pat O’Day was born (Pat W. Berg). He is probably best known as the afternoon drive personality at Seattle's KJR 950 in the 1960s, he would eventually become program director and general manager. He owned KYYX 96.5 FM in Seattle in the mid seventies and early 80s. This frequency is now occupied by KJAQ.




➦In 1942...Glenn Miller ended his Moonlight Serenade series on CBS radio. It was time for Miller to go to war. The show had aired three times a week for Chesterfield Cigarettes.


➦In 1948..."Axis Sally" (real name Mildred Gillars) pleaded innocent to charges of treason. She was convicted and wound up serving 12 years behind bars for being a Nazi wartime radio propagandist.

Mildred Gillars

In 1934 she moved to Dresden, Germany, to study music, later being employed as a teacher of English at the Berlitz School of Languages in Berlin. In 1940 she obtained work as an announcer with the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft (RRG), German State Radio.

By 1941, as the U.S. State Department was advising American nationals to return home, Gillars chose to stay in Germany after her fiancé, Paul Karlson, a naturalized German citizen, said that he would never marry her if she returned to the United States. Shortly afterwards, Karlson was sent to the Eastern Front, where he died in action.

Until 1942 Gillars' broadcasts were largely apolitical. This changed when Max Otto Koischwitz, the program director in the USA Zone at the RRG, cast Gillars in a new show called Home Sweet Home.

Soon she acquired several names amongst her GI listeners, including Berlin Bitch, Berlin Babe, Olga, and Sally, but the one that became most common was "Axis Sally".

This name probably came from the time when, asked to describe herself on the air, Gillars had said she was "the Irish type… a real Sally."

In 1943, an Italian-American woman, Rita Zucca, also began broadcasting to American troops from Rome, using the name "Sally". Often the two women were thought to be one and the same.

Gillars' main programs from Berlin were:

Home Sweet Home Hour, from December 24, 1942, until 1945, a regular propaganda program the purpose of which was to make American forces in Europe feel homesick. A running theme of these broadcasts was the infidelity of soldiers' wives and sweethearts while the listeners were stationed in Europe and North Africa.

Midge-at-the-Mike, broadcast from March to late fall 1943,  in which she played American songs interspersed with defeatist propaganda, anti-Semitic rhetoric and attacks on Franklin D. Roosevelt.

G. I.’s Letter-box and Medical Reports 1944, directed at the US home audience in which Gillars used information on wounded and captured US airmen to cause fear and worry in their families.

She remained in Berlin until the end of the war. Her last broadcast was on May 6, 1945, just two days before the German surrender.

Mildred Gillars died of colon cancer at Grant Medical Center in Columbus on June 25, 1988

➦In 1957...MLB Dodgers play last game in Brooklyn airing on WMGM 1050 AM

➦In 1960…Radio announcer (Truth or Consequences, The Baby Snooks Show, The Amos 'n' Andy Show, Fibber McGee and Molly)/commercial pitchman (Johnson Wax, Pet Milk, Auto-Lite, Rinso, Reynolds Aluminum) Harlow Wilcox died at the age of 60.

➦In 1977...The Hot 100...The Emotions returned to #1, making it five weeks for "Best of My Love".  The Floaters had to settle for #2 with "Float On" while another hit from Rumours--"Don't Stop" kept Fleetwood Mac in the limelight.  K.C. and the Sunshine Band were up with "Keep It Comin' Love" and the Brothers Johnson were at 5 with "Strawberry Letter 23".

The rest of the Top 10:  Andy Gibb's previous #1 "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" tumbled, ELO moved up with "Telephone Line", Meco's instrumental "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" moved from 13-8, Shaun Cassidy had a hit with the Eric Carmen song "That's Rock 'N' Roll" and Foreigner cracked the list with "Cold As Ice".

➦In 1977...The Album Charts..Rumours by Fleetwood Mac was #1 for a record 20th week.  It wasn't done yet.

➦In 1988...The Hot 100...Bobby McFerrin took over at #1 with his positive song "Don't Worry Be Happy".  Guns N' Roses slipped to 2 with "Sweet Child O' Mine" and Taylor Dayne edged up with "I'll Always Love You".  Robert Palmer fell after a long run with "Simply Irresistible" and Leppard had their third Top 10 song from Hysteria--"Love Bites".

The rest of the Top 10:  Huey Lewis & the News with "Perfect World", Peter Cetera from Sun Valley, Idaho with "One Good Woman", the New Edition dropped with "If It Isn't Love", Kenny Loggins had the #9 song--"Nobody's Fool" and Cheap Trick joined the party with their remake of the Elvis Presley classic "Don't Be Cruel".

R.I.P.: Iconic Miami Radio Personality Rick Shaw

For 51 years Rick Shaw’s resonant and melodious voice echoed through the airwaves — from St. Louis to Omaha to Denver and finally to Miami, where he spent most of his career spinning vinyl and playing oldies, goldies and rock ‘n roll.

In 1964, while he worked for WQAM, Shaw was the first radio disc jockey in South Florida to play the Beatles. He met them later that year in Jacksonville.

During a 46-year career in Miami, Shaw finished each program with the 1959 Ray Peterson classic Goodnight My Love.

Friday, just over a decade into his retirement, Shaw died. He was 79, according to The Miami Herald.

Shaw began his decorated disc jockey career in 1956 in St. Louis. After gigs in Omaha and Denver, he landed a job with WCKR, which later became WIOD, in Miami in 1960. Along with his career taking off in Miami came another change: His name.

Friend and former co-worker Joe Johnson, who now works for WLRN, said when Shaw first came to Miami his name was James Hummell. But that changed quickly when Shaw’s new boss looked at him and said, “No it isn’t. From now on you’re Rick Shaw.”

It stuck. And Shaw’s career took off. By 1963 he was working at WQAM, where he recorded a record-shattering 54 share — more than all the other local stations combined.

Then in 2006 Shaw surprised listeners by announcing his retirement midway through a broadcast on Majic 102.7 FM.

Nielsen Sues comScore To Block New TV Ratings Service

Nielsen Holdings filed a lawsuit on Friday to stop comScore Inc from using its technology to launch a competing service for measuring television audiences.

In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Nielsen is seeking an injunction to stop the launch of comScore’s Extended TV service, which it said would incorporate its proprietary Portable People Meter data.

Reuters reports ComScore declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying the matter was being addressed through binding arbitration.

The dispute arose from Nielsen’s 2013 purchase of Arbitron Inc, which was completed after those companies promised federal regulators to preserve competition for “cross-platform” services measuring both television and online viewership.

Nielsen, based in New York, said it contracted in 2014 to let its Reston, Virginia-based rival use Portable People Meter data to measure both TV and online audiences.

But it said that contract forbade using the data for “individual, stand-alone services,” which it said include Extended TV.

Nielsen said it has several large contracts up for renewal, and would suffer “irreparable harm to its business through [the] loss of important customers and decreased market share” if comScore launched Extended TV, perhaps by the end of 2017.

According to the complaint, Nielsen has filed for arbitration as required by the contract to establish comScore’s alleged breach, but is entitled to seek a court-ordered injunction before the arbitration is resolved.

Report: Jay-Z Says 'No' To Super Bowl Show

TMZ Composite Graphic

Jay-Z apparently won’t be following in the footsteps of his wife, Beyoncé. Or those of Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and the numerous others who have performed during the halftime show at the Super Bowl.

The LATimes is reporting, the superstar rapper was offered the prestigious gig at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota on Feb. 4, but turned it down.

The NFL released a statement that (kind of) addressed the matter.

“No decisions have been made on the performer(s) and we are not going to speculate on particular artists,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy stated. “Along with Pepsi, we know that we will put on a spectacular show. When it is time to announce her name we will do it. Or his name. Or their names.”

There has been speculation that Jay-Z said no to the Super Bowl offer as way to show support for former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has yet to land a job in the NFL after opting out of his contract with the 49ers in May. Some people think Kaepernick has been blackballed from the league because he refused to stand for the national anthem last season as a way to protest social injustice.

Jay-Z dedicated his song “The Story of O.J.” to Kaepernick during a performance earlier this month.

BuzzFeed Launching Morning Show On Twitter

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shani Hilton, head of U.S. news for BuzzFeed, thinks the morning show format that's been a staple of broadcast television for decades is stale and a little too predictable. "You know what's going to happen," she said. "It doesn't jive with the Internet."

So, Hilton is now overseeing an hourlong morning show that BuzzFeed brass thinks will be a more authentic, modern version of the television classic. The show, AM to DM, will stream live on Twitter starting on Monday.

Rather than airing at the crack of dawn like most TV morning shows, BuzzFeed's show will start at 10 a.m. ET, which editor Ben Smith said is quite intentional. Millennials are a bit less likely than their parents to be interested in watching something that starts so early, he reasoned.

In some sense, though, the show is not that far from a traditional morning show, particularly the more modern ones that aim to fold in feedback from social media and to operate more in "Internet time."

Putting on a daily streaming news show is an extremely complicated and expensive endeavor, and the well-funded digital media company is seemingly taking no short cuts.  The show has a staff of 22, including a talent booker hired away from NBC, and both Jones and Fitzgerald left their day jobs at BuzzFeed to work on it.

BuzzFeed is doing the show in partnership with Twitter. According to person familiar with the arrangement, BuzzFeed is paying for the costs of production and the two companies are splitting the revenue from advertising.

SBS Stations Unite To Aid Quake Victims

Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc., in response to the widespread destruction and human toll caused by the earthquake in Mexico City, Friday announced that its radio stations in Los Angeles and New York have embarked on campaigns to deliver food and supplies to the country.

In addition, SBS radio station host “El Terrible al Aire” Terry Cortez, is broadcasting live from Mexico City from the affected areas through the weekend. Mr. Cortez’ radio show is transmitted simultaneously to SBS stations, LA RAZA 97.9FM in Los Angeles, LA RAZA 93.3FM in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland areas and LA LEY 107.9FM in Chicago.

All of SBS’ West Coast stations are requesting donations that must be made directly to the American Red Cross and are directed to: (800) 435-7669 or www.cruzrojadonaciones.org. In addition, on-air talent will work with SBS’ marketing team to launch street campaigns this weekend in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose to urge listeners to donate to the American Red Cross.

SBS’s radio stations in New York, WSKQ-FM MEGA 97.9FM and WPAT-FM AMOR 93.1 FM, will also host a campaign to request donations from listeners for the America Red Cross. The campaign will be directly promoted on-air with meeting points in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

"Our radio stations in Los Angeles and New York serve a significant Mexican population and we are committed to informing them about the relief efforts underway, as well as playing a role in contributing aid to Mexico City.," said Mr. Raul Alarcon, President and CEO of Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. "Our radio stations represents a powerful platform to mobilize support and make a difference in addressing this very tragic event.”

SiriusXM Closes On Pandora

SiriusXM and Pandora Friday announced that SiriusXM has purchased $307.5 million of Series A preferred stock in Pandora, completing the $480 million strategic investment announced on June 9, 2017.

Under the terms of the agreement, a subsidiary of SiriusXM purchased $172.5 million of Series A preferred stock upon execution of the agreement on June 9, 2017 and today purchased an additional $307.5 million of the Series A preferred stock.

The Series A preferred stock is convertible into common stock at a purchase price of $10.50 per share.  The Series A preferred stock bears a 6% cumulative dividend, payable in cash, accretion of the Series A preferred stock or a combination thereof. The Series A preferred stock represents a stake of 19% of Pandora's currently outstanding common stock, and a 16% interest on an as-converted basis.

Upon the closing of this second investment, Gregory B. Maffei, the Chairman of SiriusXM, James E. Meyer, the Chief Executive Officer of SiriusXM, and David J. Frear, the Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of SiriusXM, were named to the Pandora Board of Directors.  Mr. Maffei was also named Chairman of Pandora. With these additions, Elizabeth Nelson concluded her tenure on Pandora's board, effective immediately.  Nelson has served on Pandora's board since 2013.  The Pandora Board now consists of nine directors.

SiriusXM may require Pandora to redeem the Series A preferred stock beginning on September 22, 2022, the fifth anniversary of the closing, for an amount equal to its liquidation preference plus all accrued and unpaid dividends.  Pandora may also redeem the Series A preferred stock at any time after September 22, 2020, the third anniversary of the closing, if the daily volume weighted average price of Pandora's common stock is greater than or equal to 175% of the then applicable conversion price for a period of at least 20 days during a 30 day trading window prior to the notice of redemption.

Additional information relating to the SiriusXM investment may be found in the Form 8-K that will be filed by Pandora and the Form 8-K that was previously filed by Pandora on June 14, 2017 in connection with the announcement of the transaction with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

R.I.P.: Former RAB President/CEO Gary Fries

Gary Fries

Former Radio Advertising Board President and CEO Gary Fries has died.

“It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of our friend and colleague,” current RAB President and CEO Erica Farber said in a statement.

According to RadioWorld, Fries led the RAB for 14 years, and until his death, he retained the title of president emeritus and held a seat on the RAB board of directors, Farber said.

During his tenure, “the RAB increased its membership and introduced and advanced numerous sales training programs. He spearheaded radio to the forefront in media accountability, playing a dominant role in the development of RAEL working with advertisers, agencies and broadcasters to further the industry's understanding of how radio advertising works. He also encouraged radio to embrace electronic data interchange, urging the industry to adopt electronic invoicing,” Farber said.

She added, “On a personal note, Gary and I partnered together on many initiatives and I always found a welcoming partner and friend. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this time.”

Fries was appointed president and CEO of the RAB in 1991and held numerous positions in the radio industry including president of Unistar Radio Networks and Transtar Radio Networks; president and COO of Sunbelt Communications’ Radio Division; and VP at both ITC Communications and Multimedia Broadcasting, Inc.

TVNewsCheck reports he began his career in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he worked as a part-time salesperson at Stuart Broadcasting’s KFOR Radio while in college. By the time he was 24, he landed his first management position at KRGI, Grand Island, Nebraska.

Fries was named one of Radio Ink Magazine’s Top 40 Most Powerful People in Radio numerous times, and was recognized as Radio Executive of the Year in 1993.  In 1994, he was roasted by the Bayliss Broadcast Foundation and inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall Of Fame. The Illinois Broadcasters Association also bestowed that same honor on him in 1999. In 2000, he was the recipient of the Arkansas Broadcasters Pinnacle Award. In April 2006 he was recognized with the Broadcast Pioneer Award from the Broadcasters’ Foundation.

September 23 Radio History

➦In 1949...Bruce Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey.

➦In 1950…"The Eddy Arnold Show" debuted on NBC Radio.

➦In 1956...Mickey Dolenz began his television career in NBC’s “Circus Boy” series. But he became a star ten years later as a key member of The Monkees, the TV series inspired by The Beatles.

➦In 1957...“That’ll Be the Day” by Buddy Holly & the Crickets reached #1 on the charts. The title was from a phrase used by John Wayne in the film ‘The Searchers.’

➦In 1967...The Hot 100..An example of what made 1967 one of the best years in the Rock Era--the progression of #1's from "Respect", "Groovin'", "Windy", "Light My Fire", "All You Need Is Love", "Ode to Billie Joe".

And on this date, the Box Tops took over the coveted position with "The Letter".

That's heavy duty competition, something you always want to evaluate when looking at music.  All are members of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era.

➦In 1967...The Album Charts..The album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles had been out 14 weeks with 13 of those at #1.  Even the Doors' solid debut could not topple it.  Flowers from the Rolling Stones was #3

➦In 1969…The London Daily Mirror reported that Paul McCartney was dead. It was the first time the rumor was printed in a mainstream newspaper. The hoax began to gain traction in the U.S. on October 12, 1969 when disc jockey Russ Gibb's listeners shared and discussed "clues to the death" on Detroit's WKNR-FM.

➦In 1978...The Hot 100.."Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey amazingly held on to #1 for a third week, but only for the moment.  On its heels was "Kiss You All Over" by Exile while Olivia Newton-John scored her 18th career hit with "Hopelessly Devoted To You".  Behind that trio, the Commodores' former #1 "Three Times a Lady", Andy Gibb's "An Everlasting Love" and yet another hit from Grease--"Summer Nights" from John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John.  The rest of the Top 10:  Boston's new release "Don't Look Back", "Hot Blooded" from Foreigner, Canada's Nick Gilder entered the Top 10 with "Hot Child in the City" and the Little River Band were up from 15-10 with "Reminiscing".

➦In 1978...The Album Charts..Grease returned to #1 on the album chart after a one-week occupancy by Boston's Don't Look Back.    That gave one of the last great musicals its eighth week at the top. Foreigner's Double Vision was third followed by Some Girls from the Rolling Stones.

Radio Marti

➦In 1981...the Reagan administration announced its plans for what would become known as Radio Marti. Radio Marti provided unfiltered and uncensored news to Cubans living under the regime of the dictator Fidel Castro.

➦In 2003...Rosalie Allen died at age 79. Allen was the singer/broadcaster also known as the "Queen of the Yodelers". Allen was the first woman inducted into the Country Radio Broadcasters Country DJ Hall of Fame.


➦In 2004...Bill Ballance died at age 85. Ballance is widely credited for paving the way for "shock jocks" with his controversial show in the 1970s which covered topics such as relationships and sex.



Ballance had radio station stints in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and San Diego. Ballance was the evening personality late 1950s-early 60s on #1 rated KFWB. In Los Angeles, on KGBS, Ballance became well known as the host of the Feminine Forum radio show, which he managed beginning in 1971. He is known as the forerunner to "shock jocks" Tom Leykis and Howard Stern, having been accused of exploiting women's rights activists who called in to his show.

The Feminine Forum was dropped in 1973, and he began the Bill Ballance Show. He left Los Angeles in 1978 and went to radio station KFMB in San Diego, where he remained for fifteen years. While his early years in San Diego were successful from a ratings standpoint, his core audience was much smaller than what he had in Los Angeles. Ballance continued his practice of mixing open-topic callers with various in-studio guests (psychologists, counselors, physicians, etc.), as well as his own hand-written monologues. By the late 1980s, however, his popularity began to wane. As other talk show hosts copied and changed the "shock jock" format, and as the format itself began to evolve into racier topics and discussions, the "Bill Ballance Show" began to seem tame by comparison.

He retired from radio in 1993, after more than 50 years in the industry.

Ballance caused another stir in 1998, when a judge ruled that nude images of Dr. Laura Schlessinger could continue to be posted on a website. Ballance had sold the pictures to Internet Entertainment Group for $50,000.00 because he had been snubbed by Schlessinger at a Beverly Hills luncheon honoring her. He claimed that they were the product of a 1970s affair between himself and Schlessinger, while Schlessinger was married. Schlessinger admitted the affair but claimed she was legally separated and had filed for divorce from her first husband at the time of their affair. Ballance was 28 years older than Schlessinger.

Boston Radio: WRKO's Jeff Kuhner Confronts Elizabeth Warren

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was accused of hypocrisy Wednesday by WRKO 680 AM host Jeff Kuhner for reliably railing against the one percent despite being worth millions of dollars.

Warren, who was at the WRKO studio in Boston for an interview, met Kuhner in the hallway and the situation escalated as Kuhner asked why Warren has built her career haranguing the one percent when she herself is a member of that class.

According to The Daily Caller, Warren defended herself, citing humble beginnings as the daughter of a janitor who was able to advance to her current position due purely to the “equality of opportunity” provided by government programs.



He later posted about the encounter..

First, let me explain about the confrontation that took place. Warren—who I refer to as Chief Spreading Bull—was in studio being interviewed for a pre-taped veterans show. I was in my office, and someone mentioned to me that the Chief was actually at WRKO. I went over and checked and to my pleasant surprise, there she was. After about two minutes, her interview was over. She walked into the narrow hall outside of the studio. I walked up and asked if I could get a picture with her. She graciously said yes. I then inquired whether I could ask her one question. Again, she said yes. 

So I posed the one question no one in the media has dared to ask: Since Warren constantly rails against the “one-percent,” but lives in a mansion in Cambridge and is a multimillionaire—in other words, she is a part of and lives like the “one-percent”—is she not a hypocrite? The Chief was thunderstruck. Her face turned red; her body began to shake; and in anger, jabbing her finger in the air at me, she lashed out in self-righteous indignation. She mentioned her humble origins, her poor “mommy” and “daddy,” her three brothers who served in the military, her desire to become a “special needs teacher,” and her decision to go to “commuter” college and state law school. All of this was not only boilerplate. It was irrelevant. She was embarrassed by the issue—and it showed. Ultimately, her answer boiled down to this: She was given “equality of opportunity” through Big Government programs, and she wants the same for all Americans. Then, she simply ran off.

In short, she dodged my question. And the reason is simple: She is a liar and a hypocrite. No amount of dissembling can change this. Warren’s left-wing progressivism is marked by class warfare, soak-the-rich redistribution of wealth and hatred for the so-called “one-percent.”

uring her term, the Chief has done almost nothing for the people of Massachusetts. She’s written books, given speeches and augmented her national profile. But in terms of legislative accomplishments, Warren has achieved zero. What she has done is advance her self-interest—politically and financially. She seeks to use the Bay State as a springboard toward running for the presidency in 2020. 

Warren is a fraud. She is a phony Indian, a phony progressive and a phony senator. This is why when I confronted her she panicked. Because deep down, she knows it.  

Read More Now

Fox News Channel To Launch 11PM Newscast

Fox News Channel will add Shannon Bream to its primetime lineup with a live newscast at 11 p.m. ET starting Oct. 30, the same evening that Laura Ingraham’s new show kicks off.

“Fox News @ Night” will be a live hour of hard news and analysis out of the Fox News Washington D.C. bureau, providing viewers with an extra hour of primetime coverage as part of the network's revamped lineup.

"For the past decade, Shannon’s insight into the inner workings of the Supreme Court and Washington has made her a major asset to our news division," Fox News president Jay Wallace said in a statement. "Her experience, coupled with the relationship she has with our viewers, offers a perfect fit for the anchor position at 11 p.m. ET as we extend our live primetime programming."

Bream has provided coverage of every major election and Supreme Court decision since she joined in 2007 and has recently been working alongside Bill Hemmer on “America’s Newsroom.” She joins Megyn Kelly and Martha MacCallum as Hemmer’s co-hosts who have gone on to anchor a primetime program on Fox News.

“It has been an honor to work alongside the hardest-working team in the news business for the past 10 years. I am delighted to bring our audience an hour of captivating television, providing viewers with a recap of the day’s most important stories and the latest breaking news,” Bream said.

Prior to joining the Fox News in 2007, Bream served as a weekend anchor for WRC-TV (NBC) in Washington, DC and an evening anchor for WBTV (CBS) in Charlotte, NC. A graduate of Florida State University’s College of Law and Liberty University, she began her journalism career at WFTS-TV (ABC) in Tampa, FL.

A-I Making Billboards Even Smarter

Here is what’s around the corner: Smart digital billboards will detect the make, model and year of oncoming vehicles and project ads tailored to the motorist.

Roadside cameras will read license plates, and powerful computers will make snap judgments based on likely home address, age, race and income level to pitch products or services through the billboards.

According to mcclatchydc,com, a series of factors are reshaping the quintessential experience of the road trip or job commute. Smart billboards are already here, gracing the sides of bus shelters, urban interstates and pedestrian walkways. And as the digital billboards grow in size and number — rotating ads, customizing them to passing traffic and earning far more income — old-fashioned billboards face an existential moment.

Throw in artificial intelligence and powerful computers, and the roadside experience is on the cusp of change. Digital electronic billboards actually stare at us – and make judgments about who we are and how we might spend our money.

“Often your car is a proxy for demographics. We get several ad agencies who say, I want to advertise to affluent men over $100,000 [in annual salary] with XYZ education. Often driving a BMW or an Audi is a proxy for that,” said Kevin Foreman, general manager of geoanalytics at INRIX, a Kirkland, Washington, company that gathers and sells real-time traffic information.

To determine make, model and year of cars on the road, start-up companies marry powerful computing, roadside sensors or cameras and pinpoint advertising.

One of them is Synaps Labs. Its cofounder and chief executive, Alex Pustov, said the company installs roadside cameras roughly 600 to 650 feet in front of electronic billboards. The cameras feed images of oncoming cars through a cellular signal to a computer.

When multiple lanes are filled with traffic, the computer can determine broad groups of targets, say, owners of older automobiles, and flash ads accordingly.

“Most car companies want to advertise to seven- to 12-year-old cars. They don’t want to advertise to a 1- to 2-year-old car,” Foreman said. “Ford spending money on you when you’ve just bought a new Ford is lousy. But me, I have a 12-year-old Ford. I’m a great candidate.”

Portland OR Radio: Michael LaCrosse Named PD For KKCW, KLTH

Michael LaCrosse

iHeartMedia/Portland OR has announced that Michael LaCrosse has been named program director forAC KKCW 103.3 FM and Classic Hits KLTH 106.7 FM The Eagle.

He succeeds programming vet Chris Shebel.

Previously La Crosse served as PD for AC KOST-FM and Rhythmic Oldies KHHT-FM Los Angeles. Before that, was OM for iHM's co-owned cluster in Spokane. La Crosse has also served was OM of Cumulus' WLS-FM and WZZN-FM in Chicago. He started his career in 2001 as a Promotions Director at Smooth Jazz WNUA-FM/Chicago.

"Michael's skill set is a natural match for taking the reins of KKCW and KLTH in Portland," said iHeartMedia/Pacific Northwest Region SVP/Programming Tim Herbster. "His vast experience in programming for these formats and working with top talent is second to none. We can't wait to welcome him to our community."

"I'm excited to be joining the great teams at KKCW and KLTH," added La Crosse. "They are among the gold standards in their respective formats and I'm very humbled and lucky to be joining them. My thanks to Greg Ashlock, Robert Dove, Tim Herbster and Andrew Jeffries for providing this opportunity."

Fayetteville Radio: Cheryl Salomone Named VP/MM For Cumulus

Cheryl Salomone

Cumulus Media has announced that it has appointed seasoned broadcasting executive Cheryl Salomone as Vice President/Market Manager for its four-station group in Fayetteville, NC, effective October 2, 2017.

Salomone joins Cumulus from Pamal Broadcasting in White Plains, NY, where she was Director of Non-Traditional Revenue and Local Sales Manager for WXPK.

Previously, she was Vice President/Market Manager for Adams Radio Group in Salisbury/Ocean City, MD. She was also Regional Vice President for Townsquare Media overseeing Tri Cities and Yakima, WA, and prior to that, was General Manager for Townsquare’s stations in Billings, MT.  Salomone holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from the University of Tampa and an MBA from the University of South Florida.
 
Mark Sullivan, Regional Vice President, Cumulus Media, said: “I am thrilled to have Cheryl on our team. We’re privileged to have a manager of her caliber and track record of sustained success leading the charge for our great stations in Fayetteville.”

Salomone said: “I am privileged to be joining the talented and passionate team in Fayetteville and thrilled to be returning to North Carolina. I look forward to the great things we will accomplish together. I would like to thank Mary Berner, Bob Walker and Mark Sullivan for this wonderful opportunity to join Cumulus Media.”

Cumulus Media owns and operates Fayetteville, NC, radio stations WMGU 106.9 FM (Magic 106.9), WQSM Q98FM, WRCQ-FM Rock 103, and WFNC 640 AM.

Study: Radio Drives 29% Incremental Search

Erica Farber

The Radio Advertising Bureau, announced Thursday new research that proves radio advertising drives search results.

Based upon its analysis of over 2100 local radio ads across 6 different categories, there was a 29% incremental lift in search results.  Radio is extremely effective in driving search during weekdays and in the daytime.

“We already know that radio delivers a strong return on an advertisers’ investment,” said Erica Farber, RAB President and CEO.  “Now we know it drives search results across a number of advertising categories in addition to other metrics.”

President and CEO of Media Monitors Philippe Generali said, “The study proves that radio significantly impacts digital behaviors and activities – and is even more relevant in a digital and e-commerce world.”

In addition, the research offers insights about how to guide creative execution, including:

• Price deals
• New product or new product features
• Mention of specific locations

“Radio continues to be undervalued, and we are uncovering incremental benefit that radio consistently provides to advertisers,” said Alice K. Sylvester, Partner at Sequent Partners.  “It was also clear that there is an opportunity to increase this benefit with smart, measurement-informed, placements and creative approaches.”

“Showing the value of radio advertising through a combination of Big Data and advanced analytics yields significant new insights for advertisers,” added Steve Cohen, Partner at in4mation insights. “As a means to drive ROI, this research shows that radio ads have an important and rightful place in the toolbox of modern marketers.”

This study designed and commissioned by the RAB, was conducted by Sequent Partners, Media Monitors, and In4mation Insights in June and July of this year in the top 31 markets.

SMI: Ad Revenue Dropped 7% In August

U.S. advertising revenues in August took an expected hit -- down 7% for the month.

That's due, in large part, to unfavorable comparisons to high TV media spending from the Summer Olympics in August 2016, reports MediaPost.

Standard Media Index says overall TV advertising spending for the month was down 25%, with broadcast TV networks sinking  54% and local TV station national spot advertising down 35%.

Cable TV networks and U.S. syndication fared much better  -- just losing 1% and 2% in the month. Local cable advertising grew 9%.

All the while digital media continued to grow -- up 12% in the month. Social media was up 26%; search advertising, gaining 17%; and internet radio, 36% higher. One of the big losers -- in part from the Olympics performance of a year ago -- was TV network-associated digital advertising, down 20%.

Like TV, other traditional media during the month endured losses. Magazines were down 12%; newspapers dipped 5%; radio dropped 5%; and out of home fell 4%.

Looking at the calendar year to date (January through August), SMI reports U.S. advertising is still up 2.4% versus a year ago.

SMI research comes from major U.S. media agency billing systems, representing about 70% of all U.S. agency spending.

Curt Schilling: 'The most racist people' are on ESPN

Former ESPN commentator and baseball star Curt Schilling blasted his former network on Thursday, saying it employed "some of the most racist people in sports."

According to The Hill, Schilling addressed the controversy over "SportsCenter" anchor Jemele Hill, who called President Trump a "white supremacist" on Twitter.

"Her calling [Trump] a racist is not a surprise," Schilling told "Fox & Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade in an interview. "Disney and ESPN have stopped giving all pretense of objectivity and they support a very intolerant, exclusive liberal agenda."

"Some of the most racist people in sports are at the station there now and they have a voice," the former MLB player continued. "They have always had a voice."

St. Louis Radio: Country WIL Putting A Lotta Love On Air

Not enough love in the world? Bud and Broadway want to make a little!

With the recent hurricanes, earthquakes and politics, Bud and Broadway present “Make a Little Love Week” – September 25 through 29, 2017 on Country wIL 92.3 FM

St. Louisans are invited to call Bud and Broadway every morning next week at 6:50 am and share how they or someone they know is makin’ a little love!

According to Bud and Broadway, “You don’t have to fly to a foreign country and volunteer to save the world…we’re looking for simple acts of kindness! It could be as easy as holding the door for a stranger, calling your mom or picking up the Starbucks tab for the car behind you! “

For those listeners who want to call in and share the “love”, Bud and Broadway’s studio number in Missouri is 314-969-9230, and 618-399-9230 in Illinois.

L-A Radio: Art Laboe To Celebrate 75-Year On-Air Years

Radio legend, Art Laboe, will begin his 75th consecutive year on the radio this Sunday, September 24, 2017.

He will break the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a radio presenter/ DJ this Sunday as he kicks off his 75th year on-air.   Laboe’ s professional career began at KSAN/San Francisco on September 23rd, 1943. Art was inducted in the National Radio Hsall of Fame in 2012 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of radio in 1981.

“Art Laboe is an LA legend like Vin Scully and Chuck Hearn… his work and brand are truly synonymous with LA’s music history and culture,” said, Meruelo Media President, Otto Padron. “It is an honor to have him as a part of our Meruelo Radio Family.”

The record breaking feat can be heard live on the Art Laboe Sunday Special immediately following Sunday’s Raider’s football broadcast on KDAY 93.5 FM at 9pm PST on 9/24 on 93.5 KDAY-FM, online at 935KDAY.com, or KDAY’s free streaming app 93.5KDAY.

Laboe said, “I have one of the best jobs in the world, playing the music, interacting with our listeners, doing their dedications and connecting them with their loved ones!  Thank you to our dedicated fans that have listened through the decades and made The Art Laboe Connection a family tradition. And thank you to the promoters we work with on our concerts and to our many friends and colleagues at our many radio stations that have aired and currently air The art Labooe Connection.”

Art LaBoe and KDAY are scheduled to present the 7th Annual Chicano Soul Legends concert on Saturday, december 2 at the Honda Center Anaheim, then he hosts a 2nd Annual concert on January 20, 2018 at Spa Record Casino Palm Springs and willbe a Guiness World Records holder as he embarks on his 75th year on the radio.

Westwood One, 1-800 Flowers Partner For Sympathy Dialogue

John Tesh

Lia Knight

1-800-Flowers.com, together with Westwood One, has launched a fully-integrated nationwide initiative to educate, engage, and connect individuals around the difficult subject of expressing sympathy. The “Celebrating a Life” campaign, which kicks off this week, is designed to create a platform for thoughtful dialogue about navigating through the many cultural and social sensitivities that factor into offering caring support during times of loss.

Spanning radio, digital, social media, and video, the “Celebrating a Life” campaign will address emerging and challenging topics surrounding sympathy and grief, including the appropriate use of social media to express condolences, how to best offer support for loss in the workplace, writing sentiments for remembrance cards, and the cultural considerations for paying respects. Westwood One will ask its listeners for feedback and opinions in order to gain insights for additional areas of discussion. A new online destination at www.1800flowers.com/sympathy-articles will provide ongoing resources for all topics discussed during the campaign and provide a forum for those needing advice and guidance in times of loss.

“1-800-Flowers.com has long been a trusted partner in helping those coping with loss and we've witnessed the eternal challenges experienced over what's appropriate to say or do, as well as the evolution in the ways sympathy is being expressed,” said Jim McCann, Founder, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.

“Increasingly, the celebration of one's life has become the ritual of choice, rather than the ceremony of mourning one's death. With its extensive national reach and ability to thoughtfully connect with its audience on sensitive topics, Westwood One will help drive and ignite this important conversation about coping with loss in modern times.”

“We’re proud to collaborate with 1-800-Flowers.com to help facilitate, and be part of this very human conversation,” said Mary Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cumulus Media, the parent company of Westwood One. “Radio is an accessible environment for listeners to explore a wide variety of topics, while providing a trusted communication platform to discuss the more challenging topics. Westwood One enables 1-800-Flowers.com to have a 1:1 conversation about coping with loss while reaching almost a quarter billion Americans a week.”

The national dialogue will be anchored by Westwood One syndicated radio talent John Tesh and Lia Knight during conversations each week on the hosts’ respective shows.

September 22 Radio History

➦In 1899...DeForest sought employment with Marconi.

Lee DeForest

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

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

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

De Forest was a charter member of the Institute of Radio Engineers. DeVry University was originally named De Forest Training School by its founder Dr. Herman A. De Vry, who was a friend and colleague of de Forest.

Haneley Stafford

➦In 1899...radio/TV actor Hanley Stafford was born in the town of Hanley in the UK.

After emigrating to the US in his twenties he became active in radio acting, in action shows such as The Count of Monte Cristo, The Last of The Mohicans, Tarzan, Chandu the Magician, Calling All Cars, Flash Gordon, Speed Gibson and The Cinnamon Bear.  Beginning in 1937 he became widely known as Lancelot Higgins (“Daddy”) in Fannie Brice’s radio skit, ‘Baby Snooks,’ and as Dagwood’s boss Mr.Dithers on the radio version of the comic strip ‘Blondie.’  During WWI he had served in the Canadian army and was wounded at Ypres.

Stafford died Sept. 9th 1968, two weeks short of his 69th birthday.

➦In 1927...NBC pioneer sportscaster Graham McNamee  broadcast the famous “Long count” championship fight in which Jack Dempsey lost the heavyweight boxing title to Gene Tunney.

➦In 1935...the final broadcast of Gulf Headliners was heard on CBS.  This was the Sunday night half-hour which starred popular homespun philosopher Will Rogers until his untimely death in an Alaska plane crash August 15.

➦In 1943...singer Kate Smith ended her War Bond radio appeal. She had been on the air for 13 continuous hours and collected $39 million in bond pledges.

Kate Smith

Smith was a major star of radio, usually backed by Jack Miller's Orchestra. She began with her twice-a-week NBC series, Kate Smith Sings (quickly expanded to six shows a week), followed by a series of shows for CBS: Kate Smith and Her Swanee Music (1931–33), sponsored by La Palina Cigars; The Kate Smith Matinee (1934–35); The Kate Smith New Star Revue (1934–35); Kate Smith's Coffee Time (1935–36), sponsored by A&P; and The Kate Smith A&P Bandwagon (1936–37).

The Kate Smith Hour was a leading radio variety show, offering comedy, music and drama with appearances by top personalities of films and theater for eight years (1937–45). The show's resident comics, Abbott and Costello and Henny Youngman, introduced their comedy to a nationwide radio audience aboard her show, while a series of sketches based on the Broadway production of the same name led to The Aldrich Family as separate hit series in its own right in 1940.

➦In 1957...the CBS Radio Workshop was silenced after 18 months of what the critics said was ingenious radio programming.

➦In 1971...Last Arthur Godfrey radio show on CBS

➦In 1984...The Album Charts...Prince made it eight weeks at #1 on the album chart with Purple Rain, holding off Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. again.  Huey Lewis & the News were still at #3 after 51 weeks with Sports.  Tina Turner remained at 4 with Private Dancer and the Cars' great album Heartbeat City was at #5.  That is as fine a Top Five as you'll ever see.

The rest of the Top 10:  Julio Iglesias with 1100 Bel Air Place, Lionel Richie and Can't Slow Down at #7, Ratt's Out of the Cellar, the Soundtrack to "Ghostbusters" at #9 and the Pointer Sisters entered the list with Break Out.


➦In 1988...as part of a complex transaction, 103.5 WQHT and 97.1 WYNY switched frequencies. WYNY continued to play country music at the new frequency until February 1996. Then the station was sold, the format changed to dance-based CHR, and the call letters changed to WKTU.

Irving Berlin

➦In 1989...Irving Berlin, one of the greatest songwriters in American history, whose "White Christmas" is one of the top-selling singles of all-time, died in his sleep at the age of 101 in New York City.

Berlin composed some 1,500 songs -- including favorites like "God Bless America" and "White Christmas" -- 19 Broadway musicals, and 18 movie scores.

"God Bless Ameria" was also written by Berlin in 1918, he filed it away until 1938, when Kate Smith's manager asked Berlin if he had a patriotic song Smith might sing to mark the 20th anniversary of Armistice Day, celebrating the end of World War I. According to author Sheryl Kaskowitz, who wrote a book about the history of the song,  not only was Smith looking for a song to remember veterans of that war, but she was also hoping that there would not be another war, seeing that hostilities and war "tensions in Europe were escalating."  It was "a simple plea for divine protection in a dark time—a plangent anthem in just 40 words," adds film writer Richard Corliss.

Berlin's daughter, Mary Ellen Berlin-Barrett, states that the song was actually "very personal" for her father, and was intended as an expression of his deep gratitude to the nation for merely "allowing" him, an immigrant raised in poverty, to become a successful songwriter.

➦In 2003...Gordon Jump died. Jump played the befuddled Station Manager in the classic TV sitcom, "WKRP in Cincinnati".

➦In 2004…CBS-owned TV stations were fined a total of $550,000 by the Federal Communications Commission for showing Janet Jackson's exposed right breast during the Super Bowl halftime show. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit later voided the fine ruling that the broadcast was legal under the FCC's then-current policy of allowing "fleeting" indecency on the airwaves.




➦In 2011...Longtime Cleveland radio personality Charles "Chuck" Collier died.

Collier was best known for his many years at radio stations WGAR (AM) and WGAR-FM.  He began his broadcasting career shortly after college, bouncing between jobs in Cincinnati, Dayton, and New York City. He came to Cleveland in 1970, where he worked for WGAR 1220 AM, and later its sister station, WGAR 99.5 FM. He served the latter part of his tenure as music director/afternoon drive DJ.

After 41 years in the Cleveland radio market, Collier died of a heart attack.

➦In 2012...Howard Scott, sound engineer and producer who helped introduce the long-playing vinyl record in 1948, and was a producer with Columbia, Sony and MGM, died of cancer in Reading, Pennsylvania at age 92.