December 2 Radio History

➦In 1932..."The Adventures of Charlie Chan" was first broadcast on the NBC Blue Radio Network.



On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in several different series on three networks (the NBC Blue Network, Mutual, and ABC) between 1932 and 1948.  Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan on Esso Oil's Five Star Theater, which serialized adaptations of Biggers novels.  Ed Begley, Sr. had the title role in NBC's The Adventures of Charlie Chan (1944–45), followed by Santos Ortega (1947–48). Leon Janney and Rodney Jacobs were heard as Lee Chan, Number One Son, and Dorian St. George was the announcer.

➦In 1949...Gene Autry’s song “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” hit the record charts for the first time.

➦In 1963...Jay Nelson did his first morning show on CHUM 1050 AM Toronto.

Jungle Jay Nelson was well-known to Toronto audiences when he arrived at CHUM in December, 1963, succeeding Al Boliska.

Nelson had done the morning show at WKBW for two years and also an afternoon TV show on WKBW-TV.

But who would have thought he'd last 17 years in morning drive at CHUM, finally stepping down in 1980.



On February 18, 1994, Toronto radio fans were shocked at the news that long-time CHUM morning man Jay Nelson had died. Nelson, whose real name was Frank Coxe, anchored some of the greatest radio lineups of all time during his 17 years as morning man at 1050 CHUM.

Nelson went on to gigs at CITY-TV, CKFM, CKEY, CHFI and CJEZ and was teaching radio at George Brown College in Toronto shortly before his death. He remains one of Toronto's most remembered personalities.



➦In 1971...Don Imus signed on at WNBC, New York City.

Imus was a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Upon winning a talent contest at Johnny Otis's nightclub, he began working as a singer/songwriter, managed by Otis.  After hearing a morning disc-jockey, he went to the nearby radio station and persuaded the owner to hire him. Thus he began his career as a radio disc jockey on June 28, 1968 at radio station KUTY in Palmdale, California. He stayed at the station until 1969 when he left for a job at KJOY, a small radio station in Stockton, California.

He was later fired for saying "hell" on air.  After being fired in Stockton, he went to KXOA in Sacramento, California.  His on-air pranks, such as calling up a restaurant and ordering 1200 hamburgers to go, made his show immensely popular and boosted ratings. He was inspired to pursue a career in radio by listening to California radio personality Don MacKinnon.

After a stint at WGAR (AM) radio in Cleveland, Ohio, Imus moved to New York City and WNBC radio in December 1971. During this first stint at WNBC, Imus recorded three record albums, two for the RCA Victor label (1200 Hamburgers to Go, including some of his more popular humor from KXOA, WGAR and WNBC broadcasts.

Imus was fired from WNBC in August 1977 along with several of the station's other personalities, in an effort to revamp the station's sound and boost ratings. In 1978 he returned to Cleveland radio as afternoon drive host on WHK, making the front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on his first day back in town.

In a surprise change of fortune Imus was rehired by WNBC in September 1979, and revived his morning drive show. From 1982 to 1985, the station also employed talk-radio host Howard Stern, and WNBC heavily promoted the pair in print and television ads, which often featured the slogan "If We Weren't So Bad, We Wouldn't Be So Good." Although Stern's show aired later in the day, Imus and Stern often made brief appearances on each other's shows, giving the audience an occasional glimpse of an on-and-off-air rivalry that continued for many years.

➦In 1992...WQEW-AM radio replaced WQXR on 1560 AM in New York City.

➦In 2008...Canadian broadcaster/cellular mogul Ted Rogers Jr. died at his home in Toronto, after recently being admitted to hospital with a cardiac condition. While he was best known for Canada's Rogers Cable, his communications empire actually makes more money from the mobile phone business.

➦In 2010…Chicago Cubs broadcaster/former MLB 3rd baseman Ron Santo died of complications from diabetes and bladder cancer at age 70.

Apple Sill Considering Deal With iHeartMedia

A new report from Financial Times sheds a bit more light on the ongoing talks between Apple and iHeartMedia. While no deal is imminent, it Appears Apple is still considering how it could invest in iHeartMedia and best make use of the company’s assets to help it promote Beats 1 and Apple Music to iHeartMedia’s millions of listeners across the U.S.

“According to people familiar with the negotiations, Apple has considered buying a stake in the radio group, as well as signing a marketing or promotional partnership,” reads the report. “Another option under consideration is for Apple to acquire iHeartRadio’s streaming platform, which would be a relatively cheap way to reach the service’s 120M registered users.”

According to the Financial Times, an Apple-iHeartMedia partnership “could see Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio station, which is only available through its apps, make its debut on broadcast radio. Extra distribution would give Beats 1 and Apple Music greater awareness among older audiences who are later adopters of streaming services.” A deal would also put the Apple station into more cars, kitchens, or wherever people listen to the radio these days.

Accoridng to iphoneincanada.ca, an unnamed music industry source told the paper, “Terrestrial radio is not the force it once was, but there are millions of people listening to the radio. These radio listeners will inevitably migrate to online services, and they could be herded towards Apple.”

The FT report also mentions that Apple Music’s listener base has grown to 56 million subscribers, up from 50 million in May of this year. This increase has pushed it past Spotify to become the United States’ largest music streaming service, but Spotify is still growing at a faster pace globally, adding 12 million users over the past six months to reach a total of 87 million subscribers.

Apple Music recently picked up three new distributors to promote the service, and in a surprise move today, Amazon announced that it will soon be supported on Echo speakers.

As Apple confronts a maturing market for smartphones, music and other media services are becoming a more important component of its overall revenue growth.

Apple Is Partnering With Amazon

Apple Music is coming to Amazon’s Alexa-enabled Echo devices, Amazon said Friday, in a rare move to broaden Apple’s streaming music ecosystem, reports CNBC.

It’s an unusual move from Apple to allow a third-party voice assistant such as Alexa to control an Apple service such as Apple Music.

Apple has traditionally kept its services and voice-enabled skills locked into its own hardware and has kept rival services such as Spotify and Amazon’s music streaming service at arm’s length. For example, while you can beam Spotify music from an iPhone to Apple’s HomePod speaker using AirPlay, you can’t use Siri voice commands to control Spotify. You can only use Siri to control Apple Music.

Echo devices compete directly with Apple’s own HomePod. Google’s smart speaker, the Google Home, only streams Apple Music through a Bluetooth connection like any regular wireless speaker — the voice-enabled assistant can’t launch the service.

Apple Music will be available on Amazon’s voice-activated Echo devices starting the week of Dec. 17, Amazon said.

Police: Casey Kasem Care Termed 'Appropriate'

Casey Kasem

A police investigation into the end-days care of iconic radio personality Casey Kasem has concluded that he received  'appropriate' care.

The Kitsap County, WA Sheriff's Department has released the following statement:

On October 8, 2018, the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department forwarded a private investigator’s report alleging the wrongful death of deceased radio personality Casey Kasem to the Gig Harbor Police Department.  

This complaint was initiated by the spouse of Mr. Kasem, Jean Kasem. The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department had been involved in a series of events surrounding Mr. Kasem previously. 

Mr. Kasem passed away at St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington on June 15, 2014. 

The Gig Harbor Police Department opened an administrative investigation of the death on October 24, 2018. The investigation was restricted to the standard of care offered to Mr. Kasem in the days before his death, the consideration of any guardianship authority in the medical decisions made during that time, and any sign of collusion between the medical personnel and the family members exerting guardianship for Mr. Kasem. 

The Gig Harbor Police Department investigation revealed that the standard of care delivered to Mr. Kasem by medical personnel was appropriate and that any medical decisions were made by family members authorized to act on his behalf. These facts are supported by a Summary Judgement issued in favor of the medical care provider(s) by United States District Court (Jean Kasem v. Catholic Health Initiatives Case No. C17-5461 BHS). Additional review of statements and depositions by various medical personnel involved in the treatment of Mr. Kasem was also conducted. There was no evidence of collusion between parties that would construe any part of this incident to be considered a homicide. 

Gig Harbor Police Department case number 18 302 00097 will be forwarded to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office for review on December 3, 2018.

Bidding War Looms For Nielsen

A pack of buyout firms is reportedly exploring a bid to buy Nielsen as the measurement giant continues a strategic review of its options, which could involve a sale of all or parts of the company.

According to InsideRadio, among the interested suitors is Chicago-based private equity group Madison Dearborn, which last year hired former Nielsen global president John Lewis as an executive partner “to secure compelling investment opportunities” in the information services landscape.

John Lewis

Lewis is said to be playing a pivotal role in structuring a possible bid for Nielsen.

Nielsen has been under activist shareholder pressure to sell. In August, Hedge fund Elliott Management said it bought stocks and options totaling 8.4% of the measurement provider. Run by billionaire Paul Singer, the activist investor said in a regulatory filing it will “encourage the issuer to undertake a full strategic review of, and initiate a process to explore the sale.”

In September, Nielsen said it was expanding a strategic review of the company to include a possible outright sale of the entire operation or a spin-off of parts of its business. Other options being considered include continuing to operate as a public company or a spin of either its Buy or Watch segments. Nielsen has hired J.P. Morgan Securities and Guggenheim Securities as financial advisors, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as legal counsel to assist in the review.

Madison Dearborn isn’t the only private equity group kicking the tires at Nielsen. At least half a dozen buyout firms have hired advisers for potential bids, according to the Financial Times. Among those reportedly studying a possible offer are a group led by Blackstone and Hellman & Friedman, along with Washington-based Carlyle and Singapore’s GIC and Canada’s CPPIB.

Nexstar Media Emerges As Leading Bidder For Tribune Media

Nexstar Media Group has emerged as the leading bidder for Tribune Media as it angles for a deal to create the nation’s biggest owner of local TV stations, The NYPost is reporting.

Sources said Irving, Texas-based Nexstar, which owns 171 stations nationwide and WGN 720 AM radio, looks poised to edge out rival Apollo Global Management, which recently teamed up for a bid with Michigan-based TV-station owner Northwest Broadcasting.

One person close to the talks said it appears Tribune is set to fetch more than $43 a share — the price that conservative-leaning TV giant Sinclair Broadcasting had offered for Tribune before its deal got scuttled by the Justice Department in August.

Shares of Tribune on Friday were recently trading at $40.15, up 26 cents, giving the company a market capitalization of $3.5 billion.

Sources cautioned that the talks were still fluid and that a deal could still fall apart.

In particular, Tribune’s board appears concerned that a merger with Nexstar — headed by Texas media tycoon Perry Sook — will require a lengthy review with antitrust regulators.

“Perry could probably pay a little more, but certainty of close is an issue, and Apollo can close a deal quicker,” according to one source close to the talks.

Chicago-based Tribune’s board of directors was slated to meet midday Friday to vet buyout offers it received on Wednesday, and a deal may not be announced until early next week, sources said.

Houston Radio: CMG Names Todd Elbrink As DOS

Todd Elbrink

Cox Media Group/Houston has named Todd Elbrink as Director of Sales, effective December 17.

Elbrink will oversee Classic Rock KGLK-FM, Country KKBQ-FM, Classic Country KTHT-FM and CMG's digital media platform, Local Solutions. Most recently, Elbrink served as Regional Sales Director for TWIN (Traffic, Weather, Information Network) with Entercom in Chicago. He's also led sales for CBS Radio's WBBM-AM, WSCR-AM, WUSN-FM and WJMK-FM in Chicago.

"I'm honored to join the CMG family. Upon meeting the Houston team, I immediately felt at home," said Elbrink. "I'm eager to provide our business partners with continued unparalleled success through exceptional radio brands, digital media and research solutions."

"Todd has a wealth of sales industry knowledge and demonstrates strong leadership skills," added CMG Houston VP/Market Manager Mark Krieschen. "He is well-respected in our business and will be an incredible addition to our team."

Elbrink succeeds Judy Lakin, who is retiring at the end of the year after serving in sales leadership roles at CMG Houston for 18 years

TV Ratings: NFL Football Rebound Continues

NFL TV games' viewership keeps rising -- now up 5% through week 12 of the season, to average 15.8 million viewers. Through week 11, it had been 3% higher on a season-to-date basis.

One major reason for the increase is that week 12 of the NFL season posted a strong average of 20.3 million viewers for all its programming -- 15% higher than week 12 of the 2017 season, according to MediaPost.

These results come as Standard Index Media says total NFL revenues were down in the first two months of the season -- September and October -- by 19% as a result of fewer games (27 versus 31). No TV revenue data is yet available for the November game weeks that followed.

The NFL says its games accounted for 19 of the top 20 and 46 of the top 50 most-watched shows on television so far this season.

Amazon reported that its comparable TV ratings -- average minute viewing ratings -- grew 36% to 455,000 through the first seven games of “Thursday Night Football” this season that the digital video platform aired.

Fox has the broadcast rights to the ”Thursday Night Football" games; NFL Network has the cable airings.

NBC Sports Radio Downsizes

The daily lineup for NBC Sports Radio will get a lot slimmer in the new year. Beginning on January 1, the network will drop most of its weekday programming, and instead focus on around the clock updates.

According to sportsradiopd.com, just one show remains on the weekday schedule. PFT Live with Mike Florio is safe. The network will also start a new PM drive show that will be available every weekday. On the weekends, NBC Sports Radio will make The Best of PFT With Mike Florio and Safety Blitz With Rodney Harrison available to affiliates.

A spokesperson for Westwood One, which distributes NBC Sports Radio programming, issued a statement to All Access saying “Our desire to focus on sports updates and these primary NBC Sports Radio programs will result in the discontinuation of some of our daily sports shows.  We appreciate and thank all of the talented voices and producers who have contributed to NBC Sports Radio over the years

Amongst those losing their spot on the weekday lineup are Newy Scruggs, Mark Malone, Keith Irizarry, Dan Schwartzman, Dave Smith, and Scott Seidenberg. Jack Silver will remain as NBC Sports Radio’s program director.

Garth Brooks' Historic Notre Dame Concert Airs Sunday

Last month Garth Brooks became the first artist to perform a concert inside Notre Dame Stadium, and now the special performance is coming to CBS. Nearly 85,000 fans were there to witness the concert live. It was recorded for the CBS special, "Garth: Live At Notre Dame!," airing this Sunday on your local CBS station and CBS All Access.

How to Watch Garth Brooks' Notre Dame concert

• What: Garth Brooks concert
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium – South Bend, Indiana
• Date: Sunday, December 2, 2018
• Time: 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT
• TV Channel: Your local CBS station
• Live Stream: CBS All Access or fuboTV

Garth Brooks is the best-selling solo artist in U.S. history. He's produced 12 studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums and four box sets. He's the only artist in music history to have seven of his albums reach diamond status by the Recording Industry Association of America, meaning at least 10 million copies sold.

He's won two Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards and is a six-time winner of both the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year and Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year. Brooks was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.

Brooks is married to country singer Trisha Yearwood.



Garth Brooks by the numbers.

2: The number of times he’s said he’d retire from the music industry, but then didn’t.

3: The number of years Garth Brooks’ World Tour with wife Trisha Yearwood spanned.

4: The number of half-siblings Garth has: Jim, Jerry, Mike and Betsy.

23: The number of hours (plus ten minutes) Brooks spent doing a meet-and-greet at the 1996 Fan Fair in Nashville, Tenn.

83,000: The number of tickets sold for five concerts Garth performed over two days to help California with wildfire prevention in 2008.

980,000: The estimated number of fans at Brooks’ 1997 Central Park concert, the park’s largest of all time.

December 1 Radio History

➦In 1931...Gene Autry's first radio show debuted on WLS Chicago. From 1940 to 1956, Autry had a huge hit with a weekly show on CBS Radio, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. His horse, Champion, also had a CBS-TV and Mutual radio series. He also sold several radio stations he owned, including KSFO in San Francisco, KMPC in Los Angeles, KOGO in San Diego, and other stations in the Golden West radio network.

Autry is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for film, television, music, radio, and live performance.

➦In 1941...WNEW (now WBRR) moved to 1130 AM. WNEW was located on 1250 AM and shared time with Newark station WHBI. In March 1941, WNEW and WHBI were both reassigned to 1280. Then, on December 1, 1941, a swap of call letters and frequency took place between WNEW on 1280 and WOV on 1130. WOV moved to 1280 (to later become WADO) and WNEW moved to 1130 and assumed full-time status.

➦In 1972...Wings released "Hi, Hi, Hi." The BBC banned the song for its supposedly suggestive lyrics and because of their assumption that the title phrase, "We're gonna get hi, hi, hi," was a drug reference. The sexual line the Beeb objected to is the one they heard as "get you ready for my body gun." McCartney has said the correct lyrics are "get you ready for my polygon," an abstract image.

➦In 1995...FCC eliminated the Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit requirement to operate a broadcast station.

Cleveland Radio: WDOK Pulls 'Baby, It's Cold Outside'

Entercom's WDOK Star 102.1 FM has stopped playing “Baby It's Cold Outside" this holiday season after it says listeners voiced concern about the song’s predatory undertones amid the “Me Too” movement.

WDOK pulled the song from its around-the-clock rotation of Christmas music this week after receiving a call from a listener who suggested it is inappropriate in 2018.

The call-and-response song written in the 1940s includes a woman singing that she has to leave a man’s house as he tries to lure her to stay.

In the song, the female sings “I really can’t stay,” to which the man responds, “but baby, it’s cold outside.”

Other lyrics include the woman singing “say, what’s in this drink?” and “I simply must go… the answer is no.”

The station posted a poll about the song on its website.



Poll results were not visible on the station's website. However, a poll on the station's Facebook page showed that among more than 2,000 votes by Friday noon, 94% of respondents favored playing the song while just 6% felt it was inappropriate.

“People might say, ‘oh, enough with that #MeToo,’ but if you really put that aside and listen to the lyrics, it's not something I would want my daughter to be in that kind of a situation,” Desiray said. “The tune might be catchy, but let's maybe not promote that sort of an idea.”

Republicans Most Likely To Care About Seasonal Greeting

Winter is coming, and with it return the ubiquitous battle lines of what has become a cultural and political conflict in the 21st century: the so-called “War on Christmas.”

New analysis reinforces the idea that it’s mostly just one political party that believes there is an intentional effort to remove the religious elements of Christmas from the public sphere: Republicans. The GOP’s identity strongly overlaps with attitudes about the holiday spirit and concerns about political correctness in the United States, according to Morning Consult polling.

In a Nov. 1-3 Morning Consult survey among 2,201 U.S. adults, respondents who said they believe there is “too much political correctness” and also said that would shop more at stores that say “Merry Christmas” were more than three times as likely to identify as Republican than as Democrat, 41 percent to 12 percent.

“The issue of ‘War on Christmas’ seems like asymmetrical warfare, in that only one side seems to be fighting it,” said Dan Cox, an independent pollster and former research director and co-founder of the nonpartisan polling firm PRRI.

President Donald Trump made the issue of political correctness a consistent talking point throughout his presidential campaign, with other Republican candidates also taking up the mantle — including Governor-elect Brian Kemp of Georgia, who went as far as to call himself a “politically incorrect conservative” in 2018 midterm election ads.

The survey, which has a margin of error of 2 percentage points, shows most adults don’t have strong opinions over the use of “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” as December greetings, a binary that’s key to the so-called holiday war.

Cox said the “War on Christmas” has never really been over the use of the phrase “Merry Christmas,” but more about the message behind it — namely, perceived cultural changes tied to race and religion, as well as Christianity’s slipping dominance in popular culture.

SiriusXM Radio Wants 80% In-Car Penetration

David Frear, SEVP and CFO at pay radio operator SiriusXM, speaking at the Credit Suisse Technology, Media & Telecoms conference on November 27th told equity analysts that 2018 was proving to be a better than many expected. However, he also explained that the radio broadcaster’s overall aim was to see penetration of its radio sets into more than 80 per cent of all cars. SiriusXM currently has some 32 million total subscribers, out of a total 130 million cars on the road.

David Frear

According to advanced-television.com, Frear said that key to the overall penetration rates were pre-owned/used vehicles, and their owners maintaining a subscription to SiriusXM.

“When the used vehicle penetration rates started out in the sort of low- to mid-30s, we were stunned that our original [financial] models assume that maybe we’d get 15 per cent conversion rates. I think the transaction penetration rate right now is about a little under 40 per cent. The used cars, the turnover on any given day are Sirius XM enabled vehicle, vehicles, that 40 per cent is got to go to 80 per cent eventually.  I think we’ve got good long-term growth characteristics in the used car business.”

Frear also included the company’s recent acquisition of music streaming service Pandora. “When it comes down to talking about synergies and the impact of the Pandora transaction as we move into providing 2019 guidance we’ll start to talk more about it then. In the last couple of years, we’ve provided guidance at the conference that coincides with the Consumer Electronics Show.”

However, he expanded his thoughts, saying: “Far and away what North American consumers want in audio entertainment is a free service. It just dwarfs everything else, right. So you still have 200 million people listening to AM and FM radio, you’ve got 200 million people streaming. [We] are trying to figure out is that we’re ultimately going to have 200 million cars on the road with a radio in them, and we want to figure out how to drive the maximum amount of free cash flow out of those 200 million vehicles. And you have got to have a free product, if you want to monetise all the vehicles.”

Day 2: Nielsen Releases More November 2018 PPM Data

Nielsen on Thursday 11/29/18 released the second batch of  November 2018 PPMs results.  The markets released include:

   7  Washington DC

  10  Boston 
 

  11  Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood FL

  12  Seattle-Tacoma

  13  Detroit

  14  Phoenix

  15  Minneapolis-St. Paul

  16  San Diego

  18  Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater

  19  Denver-Boulder

  21  Baltimore

  24  St. Louis

Click Here to view topline 6+ numbers for subscribing Nielsen stations.

AT&T Plans 3-Tiered WarnerMedia Streaming Service

AT&T Inc., has announced it plans to offer three versions of a new streaming video service next year that will feature original movies and television series from Warner Bros., Turner and HBO.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the service, intended to help the telecom giant compete with new technology rivals like Netflix Inc. and a similar online system planned by Walt Disney Co. , is part of AT&T’s venture into other fields aside from wireless and traditional pay-TV services.

AT&T had said it planned to launch the streaming service in the fourth quarter of 2019 but hadn’t disclosed many details. Executives didn’t say Thursday at a briefing for analysts how much the tiers would cost or which shows and movies each would include.

Randall Stephenson

Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said Thursday that his collection of cellphone, internet and media businesses will generate $26 billion of free cash flow next year, allowing the company to uphold its generous dividend as it chips away at an unprecedented debt load.

The company’s acquisition of Time Warner, renamed WarnerMedia, turned it into a major producer of film and television content, though the larger wireless unit still generates more revenue.

WarnerMedia plans an entry-level streaming service focused on movies, a second tier with original programming and more films and a bundle tier with content from the first two plus classic films, comedy and children’s programming. WarnerMedia chief John Stankey said the bundles would grow over time to include content licensed from other media companies.

“We understand that this product has to be good enough” to get viewers to spend money on it, Mr. Stankey said.

Mr. Stankey said that other media companies should expect to “pivot” in the coming months to adjust to the new strategy that pulls many of WarnerMedia’s movies and TV series off other libraries and onto AT&T’s planned on-demand service.

“Some of the incumbents should expect that their libraries are going to become a lot thinner,” he said.

Portland OR Radio: Bobby Duncan, New PD At KGON

Entercom has announced Bobby Duncan as Program Director of Classic Rock KGON 92.3 FM in Portland, effective December 3.

Bobby Duncan

“Bobby has a proven track record of managing great on-air teams and stations, as well as their respective digital channels, and we are confident that his experience will translate to success for 92.3 KGON,” said Bill Ashenden, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Portland. “We are thrilled to welcome Bobby to the KGON team and are certain he will enhance the heritage rock station that our listeners have come to know and love.”

“I may not have won the billion dollar lottery but I got something just as good – the Program Director chair at legendary 92.3 KGON in Portland,” said Duncan. “My sincere thanks go out to Bill Ashenden, Dave Richards [Vice President Programming and Operations, Entercom Seattle] and Doug Abernethy [Regional President, Entercom] for their faith in me and making this possible.”

KGON 92.3 FM (100 Kw) Red=60dBu Coverage Area

Duncan began his career as an on-air personality for sister station Mega 101 FM (KLOL-FM) in Houston. He has also served in management and consulting roles for KQBT (then KKRW) in Houston, WXMX and WKIM in Memphis and WGRD in Grand Rapids, MI.

Augusta GA Radio: Chris Daugherty Promoted To WHHD PD

Beasley Media Group’s Augusta Market announces Chris ‘Fenway’ Daugherty has been promoted to the position of Program Director of WHHD 98.3 FM in Augusta, GA.

Fenway most recently served as Assistant Program Director and Afternoon Host for Beasley Media Group’s WHHD-FM. Previously, he worked as Music Director and Evening Host at WWST-FM in Knoxville, Tennessee as well as spent several years working in Promotions and Programming at WFBC-FM in Greenville, South Carolina.

WHHD 98.3 FM (11.5 Kw) Red=60dBU Coverage Area

“We always love to promote from within. Fenway has proven he can do this job and do it well,” said Tee Gentry, Operations Manager. “I look forward to his fresh ideas and leadership in helping us take HD 98.3 to the next level.”

Detroit Radio: Cumulus VP/MM Tom O'Brien To Retire

Cumulus Media announces that Tom O’Brien, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Detroit, will retire at year-end after a brilliant 40-year career as a Detroit radio fixture.

Tom O'Brien

O’Brien joined WJR-AM Detroit in 2004 as Director of Sales, and was promoted to Vice President/Market Manager for Cumulus’ three-station cluster in 2011.

Prior to joining the Cumulus Radio Station Group, Tom was General Sales Manager and Station Manager at WWJ Detroit for 14 years, and also held positions as local Account Executive and Regional Manager for Interep.

Dave Milner, Executive Vice President, Operations, Cumulus Media, said: “We thank Tom for his significant contributions to radio, to Cumulus, and to the Detroit community and wish him all the best in his retirement.”

O’Brien said: “Working with the team at WJR, The Great Voice of the Great Lakes, and Cumulus Detroit has been a privilege. Thank you to my first boss Tony Salvadore, my last boss Dave Milner, and all the team members and clients in between for a really enjoyable career.”

Milwaukee Radio: Karen Dalessandro Is Ready To Rock

Karen Dalessandro

Milwaukee's hall-of-fame country radio voice is ready to rock.

Karen Dalessandro, who lost her gig at WKTI 94.5 FM when the station switched to a sports-talk format, said on Facebook that she's joined the on-air crew at classic-rock station WKLH 96.5 FM.

According to jsonline.com, her official start on the air will be at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Dalessandro did afternoons on WKTI for 13 months; before that, she was on the air for 19 years at WMIL-FM (106.1) — both country music gigs.

A two-time Country Music Association personality of the year, Dalessandro was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2015.


Although Dalessandro has spent the last 20 years doing country radio in Milwaukee, she said on WKLH's morning show Wednesday that she did rock radio before that. She also noted that the first concert she went to growing up in Detroit was Bob Seger — whose farewell tour is coming to Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum Jan. 24.

Atlanta Braves Unveil Radio, TV Broadcast Teams

Jeff Franceour

The Atlanta Braves, Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Southeast and Dickey Broadcasting announced their broadcast teams for the 2019 Atlanta Braves season on Thursday, including the elevation of Jeff Francoeur into the lead analyst role.

Braves telecasts on the Fox Sports regional networks will include Chip Caray, returning for his 16th season as play-by-play announcer. Additionally, analyst and Hall of Famer Tom Glavine will have an increased presence on the networks.

The Braves Radio Network, the largest sports radio network in baseball, will feature a four-man rotation with the addition of Braves Hall of Famer Joe Simpson and Ben Ingram. Simpson and Ingram will join Hall of Famer Don Sutton and Jim Powell in different combinations throughout the season.

In addition to his new radio duties, Simpson will also continue as an analyst with Fox Sports for select telecasts, while Ingram will continue his pre- and post-game shows when not in the booth.

“With Chip, Jeff, Tom and Joe calling the games, fans can look forward to an entertaining and informative 2019 season of Braves baseball on the Fox Sports regional networks,” Jeff Genthner, senior vice president and general manager of Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast said in a press release.

“We are excited that Joe is returning to his roots and doing both radio and TV,” said Derek Schiller, Braves president and CEO. “We think we have the most talented TV and radio broadcast lineups in baseball, and we look forward to watching and listening to the new combinations beginning in the spring.”

Westwood One Offers Kix Brooks Holiday Special

Like decorating the tree and putting cookies out for Santa, some holiday traditions are like gifts that keep on giving, such as Westwood One’s An American Country Christmas with Kix Brooks, now celebrating its 12th year of holiday cheer.

An American Country Christmas with Kix Brooks features 24 hours of unique content featuring Christmas classics and an array of top Country stars sharing their favorite holiday memories and traditions, including Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line, Kenny Chesney, Brett Eldredge, Miranda Lambert, and many more.

Westwood One's holiday music specials are an honored tradition with hundreds of programmers, millions of listeners, and local advertisers. Stations can air Westwood One’s An American Country Christmas with Kix Brooks any time from Saturday, December 22 through Tuesday, December 25, 2018, from 6:00 am – 12 Midnight.

For more information, contact Country@WestwoodOne.com.

D/FW Radio: KLIF-FM To Stuff-a-Bus For Annual Toy Drive

Hot 93.3/KLIF-FM announces that Fox Sports Southwest, the Dallas Mavericks and Hope Supply Co. have signed on as the newest sponsors for Scotty K and Bret Mega Mornings’ “Stuff-a-Bus” annual toy drive benefiting underprivileged children living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  Other sponsors of the holiday benefit are: Stonebriar Centre, Wynne Transportation, and the RV Concierge.

From Thursday, December 13th through Tuesday, December 18th, Hot 93.3’s Scotty K and Bret Mega Mornings will live on the Fox Sports Mavs Express bus for 5 days as they attempt to cram as many new and gently used toys into the bus. Hot 93.3 also announces that Plano Power Equipment/Honda Power Equipment has signed on as Equipment Sponsor to help keep Scotty K and Bret Mega warm all day and all night!

All donated toys will be distributed to needy children in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by local non-profit organization Hope Supply Co., whose mission is to meet the critical needs of homeless and at-risk children across North Texas by providing necessities including diapers, clothing, school supplies, toys and programs to enhance their lives.

 
“With the amazing success of last year's Stuff-A-Bus, and being inspired by the generosity of the DFW community, we are excited to announce that Stuff-A-Bus is back!” said Bret Mega, Morning Show Co-Host. “This year will be even bigger, helping more kids in DFW than ever before. Stuff-A-Bus brings the community together so that every single kid can feel the joy of opening a present for the holidays.”

“It breaks our hearts to think that there are thousands of kids who will have nothing.” Scotty K added. “That is why, once again, we are committed to LIVING on the bus 24/7, around the clock, collecting toys to be there for them!"

San Diego Radio: Jagger & Kristi's 'Christmas Wish' Returns to XHRM

The season of giving back returns to the airwaves as local radio morning show “Jagger & Kristi in the Morning” announced the return of “Jagger & Kristi’s Christmas Wish.”

XHRM Magic 92.5 listeners can nominate a family member or friend to receive a surprise “Christmas Wish” on behalf of the radio station. Letters are submitted at the station website www.magic925.com and reviewed by the morning show.

A minimum of 12 “Christmas Wishes” will be granted and shared on-air starting December 6. Every Wish granted is customized to fit the recipients need and vary in nature, from over-due vacations to new cars or home repairs. All recipients are also granted a free holiday tree, family meal and gifts for children.

To help raise funds to grant bigger Wishes, Jagger & Kristi will host a “Wish-A-Thon” broadcast this Saturday from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM. The duo will encourage listeners, businesses and community members to make a donation by visiting the broadcast, calling the studio request line or donating online. All donations go to the non-profit Magic 92.5 Foundation 501(c)(3) and are tax deductible. Magic 92.5 on-air personalities Xavier “X-Man” Soriano, Kelly Cole, Billy Blast, Jay Michaels, and R Dub! will also be present to greet fans and say thank you for the donation in person.

Kristi said, “Life has become challenging for people who work hard to raise their families. All it takes is one unexpected crisis, accident or illness to throw a family into a financial struggle to pay rent and feed their families, much less have extra for Christmas. We want to help those families in need make holiday memories together and have a Merry Christmas!”

R.I.P.: Dave Roberts, Radio Air Personality, Programmer

Dave Roberts Nov 1, 1948 - Nov. 24, 2018

Dave Roberts was a smooth, straight-ahead Bay Area disc jockey hosting the afternoon drive for KYA and K101. Off the air he was “Dr. Dave,” armed with a doctorate in communications research and a knack for launching and driving radio formats.

Born David Bob Kelliher Nov. 1, 1948, in Los Angeles, Roberts died Saturday at his home in Rochester, Mich., from complications of prostate cancer, said his wife, Marsha Kelliher. He was 70, according to the San Fran Chronicle.

“Dave was energetic, but not in a hyped-up, Top-40 style,” said Ben Fong-Torres, longtime radio columnist for The Chronicle. “He did the right thing for any format he was working. A real pro.”

His voice was heard nationwide on “The Hot Ones With Dave Roberts,” an interview show syndicated to 200 stations, and “American Top 40,” where he filled in for legendary radio host Casey Kasem.

As a program director, Roberts’ boldest move was to switch KCBS-FM from classic hits to album-oriented rock. He came up with the call letters KRQR and the handle “the Rocker.” When KRQR went live in 1982, it became one of the last hit stations in the golden age of album-oriented rock.

“KCBS was a stodgy oldies format, and New York management did not think it would be CBS to play hard rock,” said Peter B. Collins, morning host on KRQR. “Dave did the research and proved them wrong. KRQR lasted for 10 years and bested KMEL and KKCY (“The City”). We even beat KFOG in some years.”

That success got him a promotion to director of programming for CBS FM stations nationwide.

“Dave gave me my big break, and the big breaks for many other people,” Collins said. “He was a good guy in an industry with a lot of creeps.”

In the late 1980s, Roberts formed a consulting firm with Dave Cooke, a former news director. Roberts/Cooke Media Research & Resources operated out of Roberts’ house in Mill Valley. This was when drivers were still punching buttons on the car radio during the commute, and the major news/talk stations on the AM dial went to Roberts/Cooke to figure out how to get listeners to stop punching.

“Dave had a Ph.D. and a lot of experience both on the air and in program management,” Cooke said by phone from Texas. “He was able to combine these talents and skills to effectively interpret what stations needed to do to improve their ratings.”

Jedediah Bila Is Returning To Fox News

Jedediah Bila

Fox News announced Thursday that Jedediah Bila, formerly a co-host on ABC's "The View," signed on with the network as a contributor.

"Over the years, Jedediah has built a strong relationship with our audience through her unique perspective on the big issues of the day. We’re excited to welcome her back to the Fox News family," said Lauren Petterson, Fox News' senior vice president of morning programming and talent development.

"I’m very excited to re-join the Fox News family," Bila said, "the place I started my TV career. I’m really looking forward to this new chapter and all that’s to come."

Bila previously joined Fox News as a contributor in 2013 before moving to "The View" in August 2016. She was a permanent co-host on "The View" during its 20th season in 2016 and 2017, but did not return for the following season.

Revenue Drop Causes Layoffs At NRA-TV

NRA-TV, the media wing of the National Rifle Association (NRA), has reportedly laid off several employees following a $55 million revenue drop for the nation's most prominent gun-rights lobby, according to The Hill.

NRATV was launched in late 2016 and dubs itself the "online television platform of the powerful gun-rights lobby," including "two live news channels and 34 taped shows, all sponsored by gunmakers," according to its homepage.

Its offerings include programs hosted by NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, CEO Wayne LaPierre, frequent Fox News guest Dan Bongino, and former Reagan National Security Council member Oliver North.

The layoffs were first reported in The Trace, a nonprofit online publication. It is not known how many employees are affected.

Cameron Gray, a correspondent and producer for NRATV, took to Twitter to confirm the report of layoffs.

“Some personal news: Just shy of my 10-year anniversary, me and several colleagues had their positions terminated this morning,” wrote Gray on Wednesday in a since-deleted tweet. "So, if you have or know of any jobs available in the DC-area, or any that can be done remotely, please let me know."

Survey: Younger Gen Doesn't Think America Is So Great

An new online survey found that national pride is falling among the next generation.

The survey, conducted by polling firm YouGov, reveals that many members of the younger generation (under 38 -- Generation Z and millennials) do not identify with patriotism or American exceptionalism.

The Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness, which sponsored the survey, highlighted some key findings, including that 46 percent of respondents do not agree that America is the greatest country in the world, half believe the country is sexist (50 percent) and racist (49 percent), and 47 percent say America's future should be driven by socialism over capitalism.

Other findings include:

• 38% of younger Americans do not agree that “America has a history that we should be proud of”
• 14% of millennials agree that “America was never a great country and it never will be”
• 46% of younger Americans  agree that “America is more racist than other countries”
• 84% of Americans do not know the specific rights enumerated in the First Amendment
• 19% of millennials believe that the American flag is “a sign of intolerance and hatred”
• 44% of younger Americans believe Barack Obama had a “bigger impact” on America than George Washington