Saturday, August 18, 2018

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.

WI Radio: Sports Host Struck By Lightning During Remote

Bill Michaels
Popular Wisconsin talk radio host Bill Michaels, whose late morning and early afternoon sports program is carried on stations all over Wisconsin, was struck by lightning Thursday in Eau Claire, an encounter detailed in a Facebook post by his wife, Sherry.

The post indicated he was treated locally and released, according to jsonline.com.

Michaels, whose "Bill Michaels Show" runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is based on WSSP 105.7 FM / 1250 AM The Fan in Milwaukee, had traveled to Eau Claire and was hosting his show remotely when his signal went dead mid-sentence in the first hour of his program. Producer Joe Zenzola took over thereafter, and CBS 58 personality Kevin Holden later joined the broadcast.

Michaels had been hosting from a patio at Wild Ridge & Mill Run Golf Course, site of the Junior Achievement Golf Outing, when a small cell of thunderstorms moved into the area just as Michaels had finished an interview with newly minted Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer. He detailed the incident at the outset of his Friday show, still broadcasting from Eau Claire.

"I was sitting at the table ... as Joe and I were having this conversation. A lightning strike had taken place. It wasn't directly to me, but it had taken place in the area. There was enough energy - I don't know how to put it - but it hit me. It jolted me, I guess, is the best way to put it. It burned my arms, burned my fingers and found out later it had blown out through my shoe."

Michaels stayed in a hospital for four hours but was given a clean bill of health.

"The only remnants I have left over from this is my finger is completely swollen up like a blister from a burn, and I need a new pair of shoes," he said. "That's about it. ... I figure I've got my one-in-a-million shot out of the way."

NYC Radio: Scott Shannon Reaches Milestone On WCBS-FM

A Big Show Fav: Carrot Cake
The Shannon in the Morning show number 1,000 celebration on WCBS 101.1 FM has come and gone -- with special guest Steve Perry joining the Big Show and a massive group of lucky listeners who got a chance to see the show  LIVE from our Radio.com Theatre in NYC.

Featuring some of the magic moments from the past 4 and a half years, including call-ins from Beth and Howard Stern, Elvis Duran, Debbie Gibson and more celebrities and longtime listeners who helped make the show special over the years.




Shannon joined WCBS-FM in March 2014 after he 'retired' from the morning show at WPLJ 95.5 FM.

L-A Radio: Yesi Ortiz Named Music Director At KAMP

Yesi Ortiz
Entercom has announced the appointment of Yesi Ortiz to the role of Music Director for KAMP 97.1 AMP Radio in Los Angeles.

Ortiz’s new role is in addition to her midday host duties, which she assumed when she joined the station in April 2018. Ortiz can be heard on-air weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PT.

“We are very proud of Yesi’s on-air work since joining us earlier this year,” said Jeff Federman, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Los Angeles. “She has been a respected leader in the music community for many years and we look forward to her expanding her duties as 97.1 AMP Radio’s Music Director.”

“I remain so thankful for the opportunities AMP has given me since I joined the station,” added Ortiz. “I do not take this testament of trust lightly, and I remain committed to helping this station grow each and every day.”

KAMP 97.1 FM (21 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
Prior to joining Entercom, Ortiz was midday drive host and Assistant Music Director for Power 106FM in Los Angeles. She also held on-air roles at KVEG in Las Vegas and XHMORE-FM and KHTS in San Diego.

MD Radio: Rock WGBG Moving To 107.7 FM


Adams Radio Group has announced it is moving heritage Classic Rock WGBG-FM (BIG Classic Rock) Salisbury-Ocean City, MD, to a new frequency.

The station began simulcasting Classic Rock on 25kW WKHI-FM (which was Country K107) at 107.7 at 5pm today. The station will continue to broadcast on the original frequency, 98.5, while listeners migrate to 107.7.

DeMers Programming will continue to consult the heritage Classic Rock outlet.

Alex DeMers commented, “This is a very exciting move for BIG. We worked with Adams in Fort Wayne on a similar move for WXKE in 2014. That move proved highly successful for the format. I believe the move in Salisbury-Ocean will see very similar results. We of course will continue to air The Bob and Tom morning show, which is the longest continuous morning show in Delmarva, and will continue to be Delmarva’s number one choice for Classic Rock.”

Adams CEO Ron Stone added, “WGBG Big Classic Rock has been in the same format and with the same morning show for over 20 years. Now they will finally have the signal to truly rock the entire market. Our new coverage is one of the markets best signals and I have no doubt this will enable WGBG to become a top rated station in the market.”

WKHI 107.7 FM (23 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
As for 98.5, Stone says stay tuned. “After the audience migration, we will do something new with 98.5, a format destined to make a major impact on the market, specifically in Sussex County, DE where the station is licensed.”

ABC Refuses To Air Nat'l Anthem On MNF


Avoiding potential controversy over showing players kneeling in protest of racial inequality, ESPN won’t broadcast the national anthem before any Monday Night Football games this year.

“We generally have not broadcasted the anthem and I don’t think that will change this year,” ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said Friday, according to news site Axios. “Our plan going into this year is to not broadcast the anthem.”

The national anthem had long been a staple of sports games until two years ago, when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling to protest racial inequality and police brutality. Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump capitalized on the ensuing firestorm and has railed against the protests ever since.

According to Fortune, the furor has put broadcasters a difficult spot. If they broadcast protests during the anthem, they risk adding to the controversy. If they don’t show the anthem, they face criticism from people who support the kneeling players.

In October, Fox Sports said it would no longer air coverage of the national anthem before NFL games after members of the New Orleans Saints team kneeled before the music began. In January, NBC decided to air the anthem and any protests that accompanied it, although no players kneeled when the anthem was played.

ESPN broadcast the anthem during certain games last year, when it was played alongside events the network deemed newsworthy, such as moments of silence to honor tragedies. Pitaro said that ESPN does not see itself as a political organization.

“It’s not our job to cover politics, purely, but we’ll cover the intersection of sports and politics,” Pitaro said. “When something happens, when the Eagles are disinvited from White House, or when someone takes a knee, if we think newsworthy we’re going to cover it.”

Houston Radio: Entercom, NFL Texans Extend

Entercom and the Houston Texans have agreed to extend their current broadcast partnership. As part of the agreement, SportsRadio KILT 610 AM and Country KILT 100.3 FM in Houston will continue to carry all Houston Texans games, and KLOL Mega 101 FM in Houston will broadcast all games in Spanish.

The new multi-year extension will run through the 2027 season.

“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the Houston Texans and remain as the team’s flagship home,” said Sarah Frazier, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Houston. “Football is an integral part of the Houston community and as the leaders in sports radio, we are committed to providing fans exclusive all-access programming with some of the best on-air talent in the
business in both English and Spanish.”

“We are pleased to have Entercom Houston as our radio partner for at least another decade,” said Jamey Rootes, President, Houston Texans. “Working together, we have created a novel broadcasting approach that allows us to deliver unique, engaging and entertaining Texans content which has been branded ‘Texans Radio.’ The centerpiece of this is our games, but Texans Radio’s extensive platform each week brings the fun and excitement of game day to Texans fans across the world every other day of the year.”

In addition to game broadcasts, SportsRadio 610 will continue to air a three-hour pregame and postgame show, plus “Texans All Access,” which will continue to air weekdays from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT during the regular season and 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT during the offseason. The “Bill O’Brien Show” airs from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the regular season.

All game broadcasts will also be heard on 100.3 The Bull, Mega 101 FM and via the station’s livestream on Radio.com within 100 miles of Houston. Promotional partnerships will extend across Entercom stations in Houston, with on-air features and programming airing on sister stations 95.7 The Spot KKHH-FM, KHMX-FM and CBS Sports Radio KIKK-AM.

As part of the agreement, SportsRadio 610 will continue to produce Houston Texans content for distribution on the Texans Radio Network. The Texans Radio Network broadcast team of Marc Vandermeer and Andre Ware will continue to provide play-by-play and game analysis as they have done for the past 17 years. Enrique Vasquez and Gustavo Rangel will provide the play-by-play for Spanish broadcasts on Texans Radio Network.

A-O-C Takes Heat For Banning Media

Bans press from public town hall
New York Democratic House candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is facing blowback on social media after she banned reporters from a public town hall event earlier this week.

The Hill reports the event, which took place Sunday in the Queens borough of New York City, was open to the public but not the media.

Ocasio-Cortez's spokesman, Corbin Trent, told the Queens Chronicle that the banning was "an outlier" and the campaign is "still adjusting our logistics to fit Alexandria's national profile."

A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez's campaign declined to comment, but Ocasio-Cortez tweeted later on Friday that her campaign's decision to bar press from the event was a "non-story."



The news was first reported in the Chronicle on Thursday, a small newspaper adjacent to the district Ocasio-Cortez seeks to win this fall. After the story went viral on Friday, critics were quick to condemn the rising political star's actions as she embarks on her "listening tour" throughout the 14th District.



Ocasio-Cortez, 28, a former volunteer for Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential campaign, shocked the political establishment by upsetting 10-term congressman Joseph Crowley in June's Democratic primary.

Miss America Accuses Gretchen Carlson Of Bullying

Cara Mund
In a letter sent to her “Miss America Sisters,” the current Miss America, Cara Mund, says she’s been “silenced,” belittled, and bullied by the new CEO of the organization, Gretchen Carlson, and that she has been researching “workplace bullying” as defined by the State of New Jersey, reports philly.com.

“Ultimately, this is my year in a nutshell,” Mund wrote after quoting the description of workplace bullying, which included “deliberate insults, threats, demeaning comments, constant criticism … and blatant ostracism.”

Her bombshell letter comes a little more than three weeks before the scheduled Miss America telecast from Boardwalk Hall on Sept. 9, leaving the iconic Atlantic City institution in even more turmoil.

The pageant and organization has been rocked this year, first by an email scandal that led to the ouster of its former CEO and board of directors, then by renewed dissension with the new leaders, including Carlson, who eliminated the swimsuit competition and have tried to link the organization with the #MeToo movement, and new executive director Regina Hopper.

“If you want Miss America to be relevant, then the leadership needs to understand she is not a wind-up toy who they can power up to spit out the meaningless words that are put into her mouth, and then put back on the shelf until it’s time to do it again,” Mund wrote in the letter, dated Aug. 16.

The letter was leaked by a representative of a group of former Miss Americas and state pageant directors who have called for the ouster of Carlson and Hopper. They have also threatened a boycott or other protests during the week leading up to the televised broadcast, which current leadership is calling a competition, not a pageant. Many have objected to the changes in the pageant and what they say is a lack of transparency from the top.

In a statement late Friday, the organization said it would be reaching out to Mund “privately” to address her concerns.

U-S Senators Agree: The Press Is Not The Enemy


On Thursday when hundreds of newspapers published editorials to defend the free press against attacks by President Donald Trump, the U-S Senate offered unanimous support: the press is not the enemy of the people.

On Thursday, the Senate unanimously — yes that means Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike — passed a resolution affirming that “the press is not the enemy of the people” while condemning “the attacks on the institution of the free press.”

According to The San Diego Union, the resolution cited remarks from Benjamin Franklin, Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Ronald Reagan and Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

“The United States, including the long-held commitment to and constitutional protection of the free press in the United States, has stood as a shining example of democracy, self-government, and freedom for the world to emulate,” the resolution says.

The U.S. Senate’s decision followed a flood of editorials from the opinion sections of more than 350 news outlets who joined a call from the editorial board of The Boston Globe to write in defense of journalists and the vital role journalism plays in democracy.

While the majority of editorials shared tone, each editorial was independently written.

Orlando Radio: WPRK Back On-Air Months After Irma


Rollins College’s student-run radio station, WPRK 91.5 FM in Orlando, returned to the airwaves Friday, its first radio broadcast since Hurricane Irma damaged an antenna and tower about 11 months ago, the Winter Park school reported.


While unable to broadcast via radio waves after the storm, the non-com station continued to pump out shows during the interruption via the internet and its website, wprk.orgaccording to The Orlando Sentinel.

WPRK 91.5 FM (1.3 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
The 1,300-watt station’s return to radio airwaves was expected to occur months ago but was complicated by nesting bald eagles which occupied a tower where the station’s new antennae was to be installed.

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...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,

Friday, August 17, 2018

Cincy Radio: WRRM To Debut New Morning Show

Amanda Orlando
Cumulus Media has announced that WRRM WARM 98.5 will be waking up Cincinnati radio listeners in a whole new way starting Monday, August 20, when its new morning show “The WARM Morning Show with Jim and Amanda” debuts from 5:30am-10:00am.

The program features Co-Hosts Jim Day, top-rated WRRM personality and morning show producer, and Amanda Orlando, who joins WARM 98.5 from sister station WNNF-FM/NASH FM 94.1 in Cincinnati, where she has been Midday Host and Assistant Program Director.

Day has hosted popular morning shows at WHKO-FM in Dayton, OH; KWEN-FM in Tulsa, OK; and WSM-FM in Nashville, TN, prior to joining WRRM last July. Before taking the Midday hosting spot at WNNF, Orlando was an award-winning morning show host at WUBE-FM in Cincinnati and at WFMS-FM in Indianapolis, IN.

Jim Day
Dave Crowl, Regional Vice President and Market Manager, CUMULUS MEDIA-Cincinnati, said: “We are thrilled to debut WARM 98.5’s new morning show with Jim Day and Amanda Orlando, two dynamic personalities WARM listeners are going to love waking up to. We want to thank Bob Goen and Marianne Curan for their contributions to mornings on WARM, and wish them all the best.”

WRRM Program Director Brian Demay said: "Sometimes you just know! Jim and Amanda have obvious chemistry, they have both been a part of very successful morning shows - it's time to put them together on Warm 98.5. Being able to move Amanda over from a few doors down the hall is an amazing coup!"

WRRM 98.5 FM (18 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
Amanda Orlando said: "I’m very excited to officially join the WARM family. We have all been friends and co-workers for years - heck, I’ve even been in some of their weddings! It feels like a very natural move and I cannot wait to start each day at WARM 98.5! I’m looking forward to many more lunches with Jim Day and family where we talk radio and bore our children for 3 hours!"

Jim Day said: "Man, I count myself blessed. My family and I love living here and now I get to hang out with Amanda, too! She’s funny, her stories make me laugh and she is so West Side. I can’t wait to start the day and share that laughter with the Tri-State!"

L-A Radio: David Bugenske Gets Wake-Up Duty At KKGO

David Bugenske
Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters has announced Country KKGO 105.1 FM morning personality Graham Bunn has exited as of Thursday August 15.

Bunn reportedly will be hosting USA Network's "Real Country" music showcase series. Previously, Bunn appeared as part of  ABC-TV's "The Bachelorette," "Bachelor Pad," and "Bachelor In Paradise" shows..

KKGO Program Director Michael Lavine has announced morning co-host David Bugenske will handle wake-up duty solo.

"We are excited to have David Bugenske take over the morning show on Go county 105," said Levine. "He is an extremely talented host who has a fantastic following in the Southern California area."

KKGO 105.1 FM (18 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
Bugenske joined the morning show in early 2015 as Associate Producer, then segued to a co-host role.  Previously, he was producers of the Dennis Miller radio show for Dial Global and Westwood One.  Bugenske arrived in L-A in late 2009, from Orlando, where he had several roles for iHeartMedia's Orlando cluster.

FCC's Pai: Enforcement Has Nothing To Do With Content

Ajit Pai
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday said the FCC this week shut down a pirate radio station because it was broadcasting illegally, not because it was known for airing controversial radio host Alex Jones, according to The Hill.

"Some have criticized the FCC for removing Mr. Jones from the airwaves in Austin allegedly because of the content of his program," Paj said during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing. "Many others have praised us for allegedly taking that same action."

"It is important to make clear that our pirate radio enforcement, including this one, has nothing to do with the content that pirate radio stations air," he continued. "We act against pirate radio stations because they are violating the law by broadcasting on the FM airwaves without a license."

Jones in recent days has claimed to be the subject of censorship.

The Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday that the station, Liberty Radio, was hit with a $15,000 fine and temporarily pulled from the airwaves. The FCC is charging the station with illegally broadcasting on an FM wavelength.

"Normally our pirate radio efforts don’t make national news, but this one has, because the pirate radio station in question was airing Alex Jones’ show," Paj said.

Radio Liberty logo
Jones, who founded the outlet InfoWars, has been booted from multiple social media platforms in the past week, including Facebook and YouTube, who claim he has violated their "hate speech" policies. His content has also been removed from Spotify and Vimeo, and Twitter suspended him temporarily for violating their policies.

Also Thursday, Pai revealed that White House counsel Don McGahn called him about the merger between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media last month as the deal was imploding due to opposition from regulators.

Pai made the revelation during an oversight hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee, saying that McGahn had been making a “status inquiry” and was not expressing a view about the transaction.

President Trump has been a staunch defender of Sinclair and the broadcast giant has promoted the administration's talking points through "must-run" editorials distributed to its television stations around the country.

Pai has denied that the White House interfered in the proceeding.

NYC Radio: WNSH Hosting NASH-Next Talent Competition


Cumulus Media  and WNSH NASH-FM 94.7 have announced NASH Next 2018 New York City Country Challenge Showcase, a live country music talent competition, Tuesday, August 21, 2018, from 6:30pm-8:30pm at Opry City Stage in Times Square.

The live talent competition is free and open to the public. Cumulus Media launched the fourth annual NASH Next 2018 grassroots national search for the nation’s newest star earlier this year in over 54 U.S. markets including New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Nashville.

Katie Neal
NASH FM 94.7 on-air personality Katie Neal will host Tuesday night’s NASH Next 2018 New York City Country Challenge Showcase on the Main Stage of Opry City Stage, New York’s home for country music and culture. Doors open at 6:00pm, with live music performances by 10 area country artists beginning at 6:30pm. The artists were selected to perform in a previous challenge round.

The NASH FM 94.7 judging team includes: Country artist Jessie Chris; Dolly Chandler, Talent Buyer, Opry Entertainment Group; Leslie Slender, VP, Brand Partnerships, Cumulus Media; NASH FM 94.7 on-air personality Kylie Keene and NASH FM 94.7 producer and on-air personality, Jason Goldstein.

The 10 country artists performing in the NASH Next 2018 Country Challenge Showcase are:
Jessie Chris

  • Chloe Collins
  • Country Fresh
  • Courtney
  • Jeanna Lewis
  • Jessica Rose
  • Lauren Davidson
  • Lyssa Coulter
  • Nikki Dee
  • October Rose
  • Patrick Darrah
Chad Lopez, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media/New York, said: “Cumulus Meda and NASH-FM 94.7, New York City’s country music station, are thrilled to present this exciting live showcase of local country talent in one of America’s most high-profile country music venues, Opry City Stage in Times Square. This family-friendly program is free and open to the public and we anticipate a full house of New York City’s passionate country music fans turning out to support these 10 talented artists.”

Local winners will be judged by a panel of industry professionals who will decide the top 10 finalists. Those 10 national finalists will then compete at a live concert event in Nashville, TN, on October 11, 2018, where the NASH Next 2018 winner will be selected by a celebrity judging panel including Big Machine Label Group’s founder, president and CEO, Scott Borchetta and Brooks & Dunn’s Kix Brooks.

The winner of this four-month-long national competition will receive a record deal under the Big Machine Label Group, home to such superstars as Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and the reigning ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year Brett Young. The NASH Next 2018 winner will receive substantial exposure, commensurate with a major label release, on Cumulus Radio stations nationwide. While television boasts several talent competitions, coveted radio play is the most effective medium to cultivate an artist and propel a major music career.

Mike McVay, Executive Vice President, Content & Programming, CUMULUS MEDIA, said: “Dreams do come true, and NASH Next 2018 is a testament to Cumulus’ commitment to support and grow the next generation of great country artists.”

NPR's 'Morning Edition' Gets New Format Clock


NPR this week introduced a new clock for its Morning Edition newsmagazine.

Newscasts had aired each hour at 1 minute after the hour and again at 19 minutes and 42 minutes after the hour. Now, while there is the same amount of newscast time, it is grouped in just two breaks, at more intuitive times at the top and bottom of the hour — as was the case for most of Morning Edition's nearly four-decade history.

The bigger significance in the adjustments is the potential that the changes unlock, including allowing for two slightly longer blocks of uninterrupted news time within each hour. Most notably, the news block that leads off the hour will gain a minute for stories and interviews, for a total uninterrupted time of 11 minutes and 29 seconds.

The last time NPR changed the Morning Edition clock was in November 2014. A spike in listener complaints followed; listeners told my office that the new format felt choppier and more commercial.

The 2014 change was made, under a previous management team, because there was a belief that listeners wanted to tune in and not have to wait to hear the news headlines, according to Sarah Gilbert, NPR's acting vice president for news programming.

But "news consumption habits are changing very rapidly," Gilbert said. New evidence shows the audience is increasingly getting headlines from mobile phones, news alerts and social media. So the new clock will offer headlines, but then quickly follow with content that provides "deep dive, context and deep reporting."

The changes are expected to have another outcome that NPR  hopes will become apparent to listeners. With slightly more time for individual interviews, the hosts doing live interviews will theoretically no longer find themselves cutting off guests mid-thought because they have run out of time.

"It's something we have been struggling with under the old clock model; there wasn't quite enough room to finish that arc" of a conversation, Gilbert said. "The new clock should make that easier."

Baltimore Radio: Dan Joseph Joins WBAL For Evening Show


Hearst Media News/Talk NewsRadio WBAL 1090 AM Baltimore expands its local talk offerings with a new 8-11pm program hosted by Dan Joseph.

He joins WBAL with an interesting career path that includes acting, a political blog and media projects. Joseph commented, “I’m absolutely thrilled to be here at WBAL and I’m so grateful to discuss the issues of the day with the people of Baltimore, each night. It’s an honor to be part of the WBAL NewsRadio 1090 line-up.”
WBAL 1090 AM (50 Kw, DA-N) Daytime 2 mV/m contour
WBAL President/General Manager Cary L. Pahigian added, “Providing Baltimore and Maryland with the most local news and talk is Job 1 at WBAL NewsRadio 1090. With Dan’s new 8-11pm program, WBAL now is the area’s only destination weeknights for live and local conversation and insight.”

Portland OR Radio: Geoff Moyer New GSM for Alpha Talkers

Geoff Moyer
Alpha Media has announced Geoff Moyer will take over General Sales Manager duties for its talk stations in Portland, OR, which include KXL-FM News 101.1, KXTG 102.9/750 The Game, KUFO Freedom 970 and the 22-station Radio Northwest Network.

Moyer has been with Alpha Media Portland since November, 2016 as the Local Sales Manager for KXTG and KUFO. Previously, Moyer worked as an account executive for Comcast Spotlight and local Fox affiliate KPTV. He is a graduate of Washington State University.

Alpha Media Portland VP/Sales Amy Leimbach commented, "Geoff is an excellent coach and talent developer who has rapidly become one of Alpha Media Portland's most effective leaders. I'm excited to watch Geoff excel in his newly expanded role."

"Geoff has been an outstanding contributor to our sales management team as a Local Sales Manager. It's time to advance him into a large role. This is a well deserved promotion," added Senior VP/Market Manager Lisa Decker.

"I am happy and excited about this great opportunity to continue growing at Alpha. It's always exciting to work alongside so many great people. Every day brings new adventures and I am excited about our future," commented Moyer.