➦In 1931...Kate Smith started to become a major star of radio. 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 a separate hit series in its own right in 1940.
Smith continued on the Mutual Broadcasting System, CBS, ABC, and NBC, doing both music and talk shows on radio until 1960.
Phil Baker
➦In 1933...Comedian Phil Baker debutes on NBC's Blue Network. The Armour Jester rapidly rose to the top of the radio ratings, and also hosted the original $64 Question (Take It Or Leave It.).
➦In 1935...Major changes on KSO Clarinda, Iowa gained a sister station in Des Moines, KRNT. To accommodate the new station, KSO moved to 1430 kc, a frequency previously used by KWCR, Cedar Rapids. KWCR moved to Des Moines and given to KSO-AM call-sign.
Starting in 1925, KSO was authorized to operate from Clarinda, Iowa, on October 7, 1925. The owner of the station was the A.A. Berry Seed Company. KSO was assigned the frequency of 241.8 meters (1240 kc) with a power of 500 watts. A used 500 watt Western Electric Transmitter was acquired from WHO, Des Moines. The first KSO broadcast was on November 2, 1925. The station used the slogan, "Keep Serving Others".
In 1927 KSO was moved to 1320 kc. Then, in the great revision of frequency assignments which occurred on November 11, 1928, KSO moved to 1380 with 1,000 watts power, but it had to share the frequency with WKBH, LaCrosse, Wisconsin. On January 18, 1929, KSO was ordered to reduce power to 500 watts; then, the share time order ended on February 28, 1931.
Iowa Broadcasting Co. entered into KSO's history in 1931 when it purchased the station from the Barry Seed Co. Iowa Broadcasting had been formed by Gardner and Mike Cowles, the newspaper publishing brothers who owned the Des Moines Register and Tribune, Minneapolis Star, and Look magazine. The sale from Barry Seed Co. to Iowa Broadcasting occurred on June 26, 1931.
For about a year KSO remained in Clarinda under Iowa Broadcasting ownership. One June 4, 1932, authority was received to suspend operations until October 1, 1932. The FRC granted permission in September 1932 for Iowa Broadcasting to move KSO to Des Moines. KSO returned to the air with studios and transmitter at the Register and Tribune building in downtown Des Moines on November 5.1932, but with a reduced power. KSO was now authorized to use 100 watts.
Note: On-Air Signs for KRNT and KSO
Major changes on March 17, 1935: KSO gained a sister station in Des Moines, KRNT, on March 17, 1935. To accommodate the new station, KSO moved to 1460 kc, a frequency previously used by KWCR, Cedar Rapids. KWCR was also owned by Iowa Broadcasting.
On September 11, 1989, the KSO call letters were retired.
Today, 1460 is owned by iHeartMedia. In early 2001, the call letters were changed to KXNO, and 1460 became an all sports station, featuring the Fox Sports Network.
Fred Allen
➦In 1956...John Florence Sullivan aka Fred Allen died from a heart attacked (Born - May 31, 1894). The Fred Allen Show radio (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the Golden Age of American radio.
His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it was only part of his appeal; radio historian John Dunning (in On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio) wrote that Allen was radio's most admired comedian and most frequently censored. A master ad libber, Allen often tangled with his network's executives (and often barbed them on the air over the battles) while developing routines whose style and substance influenced fellow comic talents, including Groucho Marx, Stan Freberg, Henry Morgan and Johnny Carson; his avowed fans also included President Franklin D. Roosevelt, humorist James Thurber, and novelists William Faulkner, John Steinbeck and Herman Wouk (who began his career writing for Allen).
Allen's first taste of radio came when he and his wife appeared on a Chicago station's program, WLS Showboat.
Allen was honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for contributions to television and radio.
➦In 1965...Quentin Reynolds died from cancer at age 62 (Born - April 11, 1902). He was an American journalist and World War II war correspondent. He also was a narrator on several radio & TV programs about World War2.
➦In 1978…"American Hot Wax"debuted in theaters. It's the fictionalized account of the early days of disc jockey Alan Freed and is considered to be one of the best rock 'n' roll movies of all time. It featured appearances and performances by Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Tim McIntire played Freed. Fran Drescher, Jay Leno, Laraine Newman, and Jeff Altman were also in the cast.
➦In 2004...Radio, TV Personality J.J. Jackson died from an apparent heart attack. (Born - April 8, 1941). He was one of MTV's five original VJs (along with Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn). In his appearances on MTV, Jackson often went by and introduced himself as "Triple J".
J J Jackson
Jackson first gained prominence while working at WBCN in Boston in the late 1960s, then at KLOS in Los Angeles for ten years. Jackson was one of the first DJs to introduce Americans to The Who and Led Zeppelin. In 1976, he was featured in a voice-only performance as a DJ of the fictional KGYS radio in the movie Car Wash. He was a music reporter for KABC-TV when he was tapped as one of MTV's original "fab five." As a VJ, Jackson hosted the long-awaited and much anticipated "unmasking" of KISS. He was one of the few African Americans to DJ an "album rock" radio station.
After five years at MTV, Jackson returned to Los Angeles radio, first at KROQ-FM in 1987, then as program director of modern rock/alternative station KEDG The Edge until May 1989. He later returned to KLOS, and hosted the afternoon shift at smooth jazz station KTWV "The Wave" for one year. He also hosted Westwood One Radio Network's nationally syndicated radio show The Beatle Years from 1995 until his death.
➦In 2015…Veteran radio personality Jack Wood aka Charlie Brown died after a stroke at the age of 80. Woods (left), who in 1962 and using the name "Charlie Brown" was a founding member of the popular Charlie & Harrigan morning show (with his first on-air partner Ron 'Irving Harrigan' Chapman, succeeded in 1966 by Paul Menard).
Charlie & Harrigan were first paired in 1966 at KLIF/Dallas before moving on to ratings success in Cleveland, Houston, and both KFMB and KCBQ in San Diego, where the duo invented “reconstructed syndication,” a way to spread their local success to more than 40 affiliates in both large and small markets across the country. Using specially tailored audiotapes delivered via UPS that included time checks, weather, and local information and references, listeners in every single city were sure that Charlie & Harrigan were just down the street.
The Federal Communications Commission today adopted a Report & Order implementing Congress’s directive to expand reimbursements to cover the expenses of certain LPTV and TV translator stations as well as FM broadcasters affected by the agency’s TV spectrum repack.
According to tvtechnology.com, the vote adopting a Report and Order fulfills the March 23, 2019, deadline set up by Congress in its 2018 Reimbursement Expansion Act (REA) that allocated additional funds to reimburse the eligible expenses of LPTV and TV translator stations, FM broadcasters as well as full power and Class A stations, MVPDs and set aside funds to educate consumers.
LPTV and TV translator stations must meet two eligibility requirements to receive repack-related expense reimbursement payments, including having filed an application with the FCC’ Special Displacement Window and obtaining a construction permit as well as being licensed and transmitting for at least nine of the 12 months prior to April 13, 2017.
The R&O also covers repack reimbursement expenses of full and low-power FM stations and FM translators, licensed and transmitting on April 13, 2017, that have facilities impacted by the TV spectrum repack.
Qualified expenses of FM stations include the cost of permanently relocating, temporarily or permanently modifying facilities or purchasing or modifying auxiliary facilities to maintain service while work on repacked TV stations proceeds.
FCC chair Ajit Pai called it an important process for reimbursing "legitimate" expenses, but made a point of saying it would protect against waste, fraud and abuse.
Commissioner Geoffrey Starks called it a good example of good government working as intended, with Congress appropriating new funds and the FCC moving swiftly to adopt a way to do that.
Most of a thousand TV stations are moving in a 10-phase repack as the FCC frees up the spectrum for wireless carriers who won the rights to the TV spectrum in the incentive auction. The FCC is compensating them for new equipment, tweaked equipment and moving costs. The first phase ended Nov. 30 actually ahead of schedule in that more stations had moved by that date than had to. The second phase ends next month.
Apple is pushing back on Spotify's accusations that the iPhone maker is putting up barriers around the streaming service in order to bolster its own competing app, Apple Music.
The Hill reports Apple published a blog post on Thursday dismissing the arguments Spotify made in an antitrust complaint to the European Union, in which it said that Apple's efforts to tax and impose technical hurdles on its service were part of an effort to suppress Apple Music's top competitor.
Apple said Spotify is demanding special treatment and accused the company of exploiting the musicians that use its platform to reach listeners.
"Spotify wouldn't be the business they are today without the App Store ecosystem, but now they're leveraging their scale to avoid contributing to maintaining that ecosystem for the next generation of app entrepreneurs. We think that's wrong," Apple said in its statement.
"Underneath the rhetoric, Spotify's aim is to make more money off others' work," Apple added. "And it's not just the App Store that they're trying to squeeze -- it's also artists, musicians and songwriters."
Spotify's complaint alleges that Apple's conduct as both the owner of the App Store marketplace as well as a competitor within it puts rival services at a disadvantage and violates European antitrust law.
Social media companies are scrambling to stop the spread of live footage appearing to show the attacks on two mosques in New Zealand after one of the shooters reportedly livestreamed the massacre.
At least 49 people were killed in two mosques in the city of Christchurch on Friday. reports The Hill.
"New Zealand Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the livestream commenced and we quickly removed both the shooter's Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video," Mia Garlick, Facebook's director of policy for Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement.
Facebook is "removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we're aware," Garlick added.
The video reportedly showed a gunman opening fire inside the mosque.
New Zealand police have asked social media users to stop sharing the reported footage.
Twitter said in a statement that it has suspended an account related to the shooting and is trying to remove the video from its platform.
A Google spokesperson said YouTube has removed the "shocking, violent and graphic content" as soon as it was made aware of it.
The streaming service Netflix has booted actress Lori Loughlin from her role in “Fuller House” in the wake of this week’s college admissions scandal, The NYPost reports.
She will not be written into the popular show’s fifth season, according to “a well-placed production source.”
The report came less than a day after Loughlin, 54, was axed from her longtime role as the face of the Hallmark Channel, for which she has starred in numerous series since 2013, and where she considered the cast and crew to be “family.”
She had been due to appear in Sunday’s installment of Hallmark’s series “When Calls the Heart,” but the segment now will not run, Hallmark said in a statement.
Loughlin is free on $1 million bail on charges she was one of dozens of well-heeled people — including actress Felicity Huffman — who paid bribes to get their kids into top universities.
Loughlin’s younger daughter, YouTube and Instagram “influencer” Olivia Jade Giannulli, meanwhile has been dropped by hair care brand TRESemme, for which she’d shared sponsored content with her millions of followers.
She’s also been dropped by Sephora, which created a limited-edition bronzing and highlighting palette in her name.
Giannulli — one of Loughlin’s two daughters with fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli — is devastated by her mom’s legal trouble and “terrified” she’ll go to jail, sources told Hollywood Life.
Former WFAN sports radio host Craig Carton will be sentenced on April 5th for his involvement in a ticket fraud scheme.
Carton faces up to 45 years in prison after he was convicted last November of conspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud.
He collected millions of dollars from investors, pretending he had access to VIP tickets to sporting events and concerts.
But in reality, he used that money to pay off gambling debts and landscaping bills.
According to ABC-TV7, Carton's co-conspirator Michael Wright was sentenced March 7 to nearly 2 years in prison for his involvement, while co-conspirator Joseph Meli was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison last year.
iHeartMedia's KLSD XTRA 1360 Fox Sports San Diego shifts its hosts starting Monday including the reunion ion of Mike Costa and Judson Richards for “Costa & Richards” in the morning, followed by middays with “Hardwick, Schaeffer & Friends” featuring Nick Hardwick and Jon Schaeffer, and the “Loose Cannons” get even bigger with former NFL Lineman, Rich Ohrnberger, joining Steve Hartman for the afternoon drive.
XTRA 1360 Weekly Lineup:
Costa & Richards – 6 to 9 a.m.
The Herd with Colin Cowherd – 9 a.m. to Noon
Hardwick, Schaeffer and Friends – Noon to 3 p.m.
Loose Cannons with Steve Hartman & Rich Ohrnberger – 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Power Hour with Ernie Martinez – 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
San Diego sports listeners will wake up with “Costa & Richards” each weekday morning at 6 a.m. The two previously teamed to host “The Drive” which aired in afternoons on XTRA 1360. “I’m so excited to return to morning radio and reunite with my radio life-partner Judson,” said Costa.
"The Herd" with Colin Cowherd, which is simulcast on FS1, will continue to air weekdays from 9 a.m. to Noon.
Melissa Forrest
“Hardwick, Schaeffer & Friends” takes over the middays. “The opportunity to team with Jon Schaeffer, plus bring aboard our new friends Kevin Acee from the Union Tribune, former Padre, Heath Bell, and NFL veteran, Marcus McNeil, is incredibly exciting,” said Hardwick. “Jon and I will have a show that is completely unique to San Diego radio.”
Hardwick spent 11 seasons as a center in the NFL from 2004-2014. During his career, he was considered the anchor for a dynamic offensive line, and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2006. John Schaeffer currently hosts the pre- and post-game shows for the San Diego State Radio Network and San Diego Fleet play-by-play voice heard on XTRA 1360.
Rich Ohrnberger vacates the midday slot to join Steve Hartman as co-host of the “Loose Cannons,” heard weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. Rich, former NFL Linemen, for the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers played from 2009-2014. In addition, Ohrnberger is the Radio Color Analyst for the San Diego State Aztecs and San Diego Fleet Football.
“We are thrilled to make these changes to our lineup, that highlights such extremely talented hosts with versatile skillsets,” said iHeartMedia San Diego Market President, Melissa Forrest on the new lineup. “We are also extremely excited to continue to provide our listeners unparalleled access to the NFL plus Padres, San Diego State, and all San Diego sports news.”
iHeartMedia Jacksonville announced Friday that WFXJ 930 The Game, will broadcast on translator W247CF 97.3 FM.
The move comes after iHM moved its Alternative format breanding as The Planet to 107.3 earlies in the week.
930 The Game will continue to feature renowned hosts, Mike Bianchi, Seth Harp, Dan Patrick and Colin Cowherd. In addition, the station will also feature The Florida Gators well as broadcast the NFL Regular and post-season games, March Madness and The SEC.
“Jacksonville was in need of a strong FM sports station,” said Geewiz, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Jacksonville. “We are very fortunate to have the legendary morning show with Mike Bianchi and ‘Harp on Sports with Seth Harp’ leading the sports world in Jacksonville. The strong FM signal will allow 930 The Game to have an even wider reach.”
CBS Corp. directors agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle investors’ claims that network owner Sumner Redstone received millions of dollars in improper compensation after he became incapacitated in 2014.
According to The L-A Times, the money — coming from insurance covering CBS’ officers and directors — will go back into the network’s coffers and not to individual shareholders, according to a Thursday filing in a Delaware court. Such derivative suits are common against corporate boards.
The settlement resolves what may be the last lawsuit over the corporate fallout from Redstone’s physical decline and jockeying over control of CBS — the most-watched network in the United States — and media company Viacom Inc., both owned by the Redstone family.
Redstone, 95, controls CBS and Viacom through his family investment vehicle National Amusements Inc., but his involvement has waned as his health has deteriorated. His daughter Shari Redstone has assumed a larger role on the companies’ boards.
Redstone’s health played a central role in a corporate clash over a proposed merger of CBS and Viacom, pitting Shari Redstone against CBS’ then-Chief Executive Les Moonves.
The CBS investors noted Redstone’s mental competence was called into question when reports surfaced in 2014 that he wasn’t attending the network’s board meetings and was having trouble speaking.
A Delaware Chancery Court judge allowed the lawsuit to proceed, ruling in April that the shareholders raised legitimate questions whether CBS’ board agreed to pay Redstone in exchange for “services it allegedly knew that he could not render.”
Radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge (born Todd Alan Clem) has finally sold his home in St. Petersburg, FL, for $1.39 million, according to realtor.com.
The property first popped up on the market in 2017 for $1.8 million. The price dropped to $1.5 million in 2018, and even hit the auction block for $900,000. Earlier this year it came back on the market at $1.39 million, and looks to have sold for the discounted amount.
There’s some sordid history that comes with the house. Clem secretly taped his wife at the time, Heather, having an intimate encounter with wrestling legend Hulk Hogan in the residence. An edited version of the video appeared on the website Gawker, which led to a lawsuit and the eventual demise of the gossip site.
Clem is back in the news cycle again, this time for offensive comments made on his show years ago by Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Last year, Clem agreed to settle a ratings tampering scandal and pay an undisclosed amount to Nielsen, which asked for $1 million in damages.
The gated community by the lake offers scenic water views. The 6,367-square-foot home has four bedrooms and five baths. The living and dining rooms overlook a lanai and pool.
Clem's ongoing legal and financial issues will probably diminish any returns he realizes from the sale of his home.
In addition to the Nielsen ratings lawsuit, he reportedly owes “$47,000 in past due property taxes, and owed close to $200,000 to the IRS as of August 2018.”
The music industry, radio and pop culture lost an iconic figure this past week when Rock Hall of Famer Hal Blaine died of natural causes at age 90.
As a session musician, the drummer came to be associated with the Wrecking Crew, a loose collective of Los Angeles-based artists who backed a host of hit makers from the 1960s and '70s.
Blaine was a prolific session player and by his estimation played on over 35,000 recordings, including 6,000 singles. He plays on "A Taste of Honey," the Grammys' 1965 record of the year, by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. "Strangers in the Night," Frank Sinatra's 1966 Grammy winner; the 5th Dimension's "Up, Up and Away," which won the Grammy the year after that ... in fact, Blaine's beat can be heard on six consecutive Record of the Year winners, up through Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water."
A number of tributes have circulated this week as remembrances and to honor his contributions to the soundtrack of our lives. Each one is worthy of a listen...
➦In 1916...Mercedes McCambridge born (Died at age 87 - March 2, 2004). She was an American actress of radio, stage, film, and television. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress."She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for All the King's Men (1949) and was nominated in the same category for Giant (1956). She also provided the voice of Pazuzu (the demon) in The Exorcist (1973)
She had lead roles in many of his Mercury Theatre broadcasts in the 1930’s while starring on Broadway. She guested on numerous radio dramas (Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, Studio One, Bulldog Drummond, Ford Theatre, Gang Busters, Abie’s Irish Rose, etc.) and had lead roles in both East and West Coast originations of I Love a Mystery. Later she had a healthy career in TV, and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for All the King’s Men.
➦In 1922...WKY AM, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma signed-on.
1944 Print Ad
"5XT" became the 87th licensed station in the United States on March 16, 1922. It was owned by the Oklahoma Radio Shop (Earl C. Hull & H.S. Richards). The station was assigned the WKY call letters and began broadcasting weekdays from noon to 1:00 P.M. and from 7:30 to 9:30 P.M. On Sundays, WKY was on the air from 3 to 4 P.M. and 7:30 to 9:30 P.M.
On November 1922, WKY announced a "silent night" policy, meaning the station would broadcast only four, and later three nights a week. This was so listeners could have a chance to tune into other stations in neighboring states.
Richards and Hull struggled to keep WKY on the air. In late 1925, Richards left the radio business, but Hull continued to keep WKY on the air by selling shares of the station to radio dealers in Oklahoma City. The dealers paid Hull a small salary to keep the station broadcasting; however they decided the financial drain had become too much. In 1928, WKY was purchased by the Oklahoma Publishing Company, publishers of the Daily Oklahoman for the hefty sum of $5,000 (over $63,000 in 2010 dollars).
The formal opening of the new WKY was set for November 11, 1928, but the station went on the air several days earlier to carry the presidential election returns as Herbert Hoover won in a Republican landslide.
By the following year, WKY was attempting to operate like the powerhouse stations in the east. Aside from the programming from NBC, everything broadcast by WKY originated locally.
In 1958, WKY became the second Top-40 formatted station in Oklahoma City, behind KOCY, (now KEBC). During the 1960s and 70's WKY fended off serious challenges from 50,000 watt rival KOMA 1520 AM.
Although KOMA was very famous outside Oklahoma City, due to its large nighttime signal (like WABC in New York), WKY was usually the ratings leader in the city itself (as WMCA won New York City ratings books from 1963–1966); WKY continued to top many Arbitron ratings sweeps into the 1970s.
Ironically, WKY mainstays during that time—Danny Williams, Ronnie Kaye and Fred Hendrickson—would go on to become "KOMA Good Guys" when the station flipped from a standards to an oldies format.
Today, WKY is owned by Cumulus and airs ESPN DePortes radio.
➦In 1926...Joseph Levitch aka Jerry Lewis was born (Died – August 20, 2017). He was a comedian, actor, singer, director, producer, screenwriter and humanitarian, whose career spanned eight decades and was nicknamed "The King of Comedy". He was known for his partnership with Dean Martin as the groundbreaking act of Martin and Lewis.
Lewis went on to star in, write, produce and direct many motion pictures, such as The Delicate Delinquent, The Sad Sack, Rock-A-Bye Baby, The Geisha Boy, Don't Give Up The Ship, Visit to a Small Planet, Cinderfella, The Bellboy, The Ladies' Man, The Errand Boy, It's Only Money, The Nutty Professor, Who's Minding the Store?, The Patsy, The Disorderly Orderly and The Family Jewels. He would also appear in concert stages, nightclubs, music recordings and television.
Outside of his career, Lewis supported fundraising for muscular dystrophy research, during 60 years as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and 44 years hosting The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon every Labor Day weekend. In 1977, he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
Lewis initially gained attention as part of a double act with singer Dean Martin, who served as straight man to Lewis' zany antics as the Martin and Lewis comedy team. They were different from other duo acts of the time because they played to each other and had ad-libbed improvisational segments within their planned routines.
After forming in 1946, they quickly rose to national prominence, first with their popular nightclub act, then as stars of The Martin and Lewis Show on the radio NBC Red Network. The two made appearances on early live television on their June 20, 1948 debut broadcast on Toast of the Town (later renamed as The Ed Sullivan Show on September 25, 1955) on CBS. This was followed on October 3, 1948, by an appearance on NBC's Welcome Aboard.
In 1950, Martin and Lewis signed with NBC to be one of a series of weekly rotating hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour, a live Sunday evening broadcast. Lewis, writer for the team's nightclub act, hired Norman Lear and Ed Simmons as regular writers for their Comedy Hour material. Their Comedy Hour shows consisted of stand-up dialogue, song and dance from their nightclub act and movies, backed by Dick Stabile's big band, slapstick and satirical sketch comedy, Martin's solo songs, and Lewis' solo pantomimes or physical numbers.
As one of the most successful performers in show business, with worldwide box office receipts of his films in excess of $800 million, Lewis received global acclaim for his unique ability and style with both comedy and drama. As part of Martin and Lewis and as a solo actor, he was voted Hollywood's top box-office draw from 1951 to 1965, in later years as the sole comedian.
Dick Beals
➦In 1927...Richard "Dick" Beals was born (Died at age 85 – May 29, 2012). He was an American actor and voice actor, who performed many voices in his career, which spanned the period from the early 1950s into the 21st century. Beals specialized in doing the voices of young boys, although he was also hired to voice young female children.
Perhaps his most recognizable characterization was the voice of the stop-motion animation figure called "Speedy Alka-Seltzer", featured in television commercials for more than 50
Beals was born in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated in 1949 from Michigan State University (MSU), where he majored in radio broadcasting and puppetry. He covered intramural sports and performed in weekly radio dramas for the campus radio station WKAR.
In January 1949, as a senior at MSU, Beals got a call to do a radio commercial for WXYZ, Detroit. After the show, the director asked him to be on call for all the children's voices as well as those of small, talking animals on all three network radio shows produced by WXYZ - The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet and Challenge of the Yukon.
In 1952, after performing in an episode of The Green Hornet, WXYZ station manager Jack McCarthy referred Beals to Forrest Owen of Wade Advertising. Owen showed Beals a rendering of a proposed product spokesman for their client, Alka-Seltzer and had him record a voice audition. Four months later, Beals was notified that he had been selected as the voice for Speedy Alka-Seltzer as well as the voice of Sticky, the Vaseline mascot.
Beals moved to Los Angeles where he continued making commercials as Speedy Alka-Seltzer and also provided voices for other commercials, such as Alka-Seltzer, Oscar Mayer, the Campbell Soup Kids, and Bob's Big Boy. Beals recorded his first Speedy Alka-Seltzer television commercial in 1953, doing a total of 225 in his career.
➦In 1929...WHP-AM, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania signed-on. The origin of WHP actually dates back to 1925, when a small radio station, known then as WHBG signed on at 1300 AM, with a tiny 20 watt transmitter (today it has 5 Kw DA-2). The station was first owned by Skane Electrical Service, however, it was then sold in early 1927 to Mack’s Battery Service, who changed the name to WMBS, moved its location to Lemoyne, and changed it’s position on the dial to 1280 AM.
The WHP name was crowned to the station in 1929, when the Harrisburg Telegraph Newspaper took over the station, and moved it’s dial position to 1430 AM. The station later moved to 1460 AM, and eventually moved to its well known frequency of 580 AM in 1949.
Today, WHP is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a News/Talk format.
➦In 1956...WQXR 1560 AM boosted power to 50Kw. Today, the station call sign is WFME and airs a religious-format licensed to New York City. The station is owned and operated by Family Radio, a Christian radio ministry based in Alameda, California. The station broadcasts the Family Radio - East satellite feed from its transmitter located in Maspeth, Queens.
➦In 1983...Arthur Morton Godfrey died (Born - August 31, 1903). He was a radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead. An infamous on-air incident undermined his folksy image and resulted in a marked decline in his popularity. At the peak of his success in the mid-1950s, Godfrey helmed two CBS-TV weekly series and a daily 90-minute television mid-morning show, but, by the early 1960s, his presence had been reduced to hosting the occasional TV special and his daily network radio show, which ended in 1972.
Arthur Godfrey
One of the medium's early master commercial pitchmen, he was strongly identified with many of his sponsors, especially Chesterfield cigarettes and Lipton Tea. Having advertised Chesterfield for many years, during which time he devised the slogan "Buy 'em by the carton", Godfrey terminated his relationship with the company after he quit smoking, five years before he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1959. Subsequently, he became a prominent spokesman for anti-smoking education.
Godfrey served in the United States Navy from 1920 to 1924 as a radio operator on naval destroyers, but returned home to care for the family after his father's death. Additional radio training came during Godfrey's service in the Coast Guard from 1927 to 1930. It was during a Coast Guard stint in Baltimore that he appeared on a local talent show and became popular enough to land his own brief weekly program.
On leaving the Coast Guard, Godfrey became a radio announcer for the Baltimore station WFBR (now WJZ (AM) and moved the short distance to Washington, D.C. to become a staff announcer for NBC-owned station WRC the same year and remained there until 1934.
Arthur Godfrey 1948
Recovering from a near-fatal automobile accident en route to a flying lesson in 1931 (by which time he was already an avid flyer), he decided to listen closely to the radio and realized that the stiff, formal style then used by announcers could not connect with the average radio listener; the announcers spoke in stentorian tones, as if giving a formal speech to a crowd and not communicating on a personal level. Godfrey vowed that when he returned to the airwaves, he would affect a relaxed, informal style as if he were talking to just one person. He also used that style to do his own commercials and became a regional star.
In addition to announcing, Godfrey sang and played the ukulele. In 1934 he became a freelance entertainer, but eventually based himself on a daily show titled Sundial on CBS-owned station WJSV (now WFED) in Washington. Godfrey was the station's morning disc jockey, playing records, delivering commercials (often with tongue in cheek; a classic example had him referring to Bayer Aspirin as "bare ass prin"), interviewing guests, and even reading news reports during his three-hour shift. Godfrey loved to sing, and would frequently sing random verses during the "talk" portions of his program. In 1937, he was a host on Professor Quiz, radio's first successful quiz program.
Godfrey became nationally known in April 1945 when, as CBS's morning-radio man in Washington, he took the microphone for a live, firsthand account of President Roosevelt's funeral procession. The entire CBS network picked up the broadcast, later preserved in the Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly record series, I Can Hear it Now. Unlike the tight-lipped news reporters and commentators of the day, who delivered breaking stories in an earnest, businesslike manner, Arthur Godfrey's tone was sympathetic and neighborly, lending immediacy and intimacy to his words. When describing new President Harry S. Truman's car in the procession, Godfrey fervently said, in a choked voice, "God bless him, President Truman." Godfrey broke down in tears and cued the listeners back to the studio. The entire nation was moved by his emotional outburst.
Godfrey made such an impression on the air that CBS gave him his own morning time slot on the nationwide network. Arthur Godfrey Time was a Monday-Friday show that featured his monologues, interviews with various stars, music from his own in-house combo and regular vocalists. Godfrey's monologues and discussions were usually unscripted, and went wherever he chose.
"Arthur Godfrey Time" remained a late morning staple on the CBS Radio Network schedule until 1972.
➦In 1983...B. Mitchel Reed died at age 56 (Born Burton Mitchel Goldberg - June 10, 1926). Hewas a successful radio personality and worked inNew York and Los Angeles during his 25-year career.
After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he entered the world of radio while teaching political science at his alma mater.
Reed hosted the all-night Birdland Jazz Show at WOR (AM) in New York in 1956. A year later, he landed a job at KFWB in Los Angeles.
On January 2, 1958, KFWB became a Top 40 station known as "Coloradio Channel 98," and the DJ's were known as "The Seven Swinging Gentlemen." The lineup included Bruce Hayes, Al Jarvis, Joe Yocam, Elliot Field, Bill Ballance, and Ted Quillan. Reed held the 6-9 P.M time slot. Under Program Director Chuck Blore, KFWB became the number one radio station in LA.
He was known as "The Fastest Tongue in the West," for the speed in which he spoke to his audience. He left KFWB for WMCA in his home state of New York on February 7, 1963. He soon became part of a team of disc jockeys known as "The Good Guys," among them Jack Spector.
Reed went to London, England in pursuit of a band making headlines in hopes of breaking them in New York. The band was none other than The Beatles. His persistence paid off as it led to advance record pressings and exclusive interviews. This helped usher in "Beatlemania" in early 1964.
By 1965, Reed decided to return to Los Angeles. His last show at WMCA was on March 20. Thousands of his fans cheered him at the airport upon his departure. Many fans who were thrilled of his return greeted him when he arrived in LA. This ushered in his second stint at KFWB and The Wide Wide Weird World of BMR.
After attending the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, Reed realized he wanted to go in another direction music-wise. He met with San Francisco based DJ Tom Donahue over the frustrations of radio music restrictions. Donahue was a Program Director for underground station KMPX (FM). With no such music station in LA, Reed left KFWB and founded KPPC-FM in Pasadena. Both stations achieved more success than anticipated with the popularity of AOR programming.
Both stations ran into a conflict with their respective owners thus resulting in a strike. After the strike ended in June 1968, Donahue, got Metromedia to take on the AOR format at KMET (FM). Reed programmed what would become one of the first 24 hour automated music stations. It would go live in the summer of 1969. He left KMET for one year in 1971 to work at KRLA. He returned to KMET in 1972 where he stayed the next six years.
In 1978, Reed underwent coronary bypass surgery. He would leave KMET for KLOS (FM) in 1979. His lingering heart condition caught up with him on March 16, 1983. He died in his West Los Angeles home at the age of 56.
➦In 2012...Bell Canada, that country's biggest telecommunications company, announced it was going to acquire Montreal-based Astral Media Inc. for $3.38B. The deal gavethe company more control over content for its cellphone, Internet and land-line services. The deal included acquisition of Astral's 84 commercial radio stations, 22 English-language specialty television channels, and 13 French channels.
Entercom and on-air personality Vinnie Hasson have agreed to a new multi-year contract extension.
The co-host of the morning drive on KLLC Alice @ 97.3 in San Francisco will remain on “Sarah and Vinnie,” weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PT.
“There is a generation of local Bay Area listeners who have followed Vinnie’s life and adventures on and off the air and have connected with him each and every morning,” said Gregory Nemitz, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom San Francisco.
“We are pleased to continue this relationship with Vinnie on Alice @ 97.3 for many more years to come.”
“A thousand thanks to Michael Martin [Senior Vice President of Programming, Entercom] and Greg Nemitz for their support and leadership, and to my wonderful partner Sarah – you are the best and I look forward to chopping it up with you every day,” said Hasson. “I’m stoked to keep rolling with our great team and continue waking up the Bay Area every day.”
Hasson joined Alice @ 97.3 with Sarah Clark in 1997 when “The Sarah & Vinnie Morning Show” made its San Francisco debut. Prior to joining Entercom, Hasson served as morning show host for KNRQ in Eugene, OR. “Sarah and Vinnie” debuted on WDRE in Philadelphia in 1996.
“Sarah and Vinnie” has been the #1 rated morning show in the San Francisco area amongst commercial radio stations since Winter 2015.
The 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards brought the biggest names in entertainment and fans together from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to celebrate all things music live on FOX; on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, the all-in-one digital music, podcast, on demand and live-streaming radio service on Thursday, March 14.
Hosted by T-Pain, the fan-fueled iHeartRadio Music Awards featured performances and incredible collaborations including Alicia Keys, Ariana Grande, Backstreet Boys, Ella Mai, Garth Brooks, Halsey with special guests Yungblud and Travis Barker, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves with special guest Chris Martin, lovelytheband and Marshmello with special guest Lauv.
In addition, iHeartMedia partnered with leading short-form mobile video app TikTok to present seven awards in the seven days leading up to the Thursday, March 14 telecast. Beginning Thursday, March 7, winning artists were presented their awards and gave acceptance speeches that aired exclusively on the TikTok app each morning at 8:00 AM ET. Winners included Panic! At The Disco for Alternative Rock Album of the Year, Jason Aldean for Country Album of the Year, twenty one pilots for Rock Album of the Year, Marshmello for Dance Artist of the Year, Imagine Dragons for Most Thumbed Up Artist of the Year, the Chainsmokers for Dance Album of the Year and Lauren Jauregui’s dog, Gracie, for Cutest Musician’s Pet.
The official hashtag of the evening, #iHeartAwards2019 trended #1 on Twitter Worldwide and in the U.S.
Additional highlights included:
For the first-time ever, the iHeartRadio Music Awards presented an AI (Artificial Intelligence) voice assistant with an award. The iHeartRadio Game Changer Tech Award, which honors the most innovative use of technology that brings fans closer to the music they love, was awarded to Amazon’s Alexa. Garth Brooks and Bobby Bones spoke to Alexa, who gave a tongue-in-cheek acceptance speech. Watch it HERE.
Halsey opened the show with a stirring performance of “Without Me.” She was later joined onstage by YungBlud and Travis Barker for the song, “11 Minutes.”
Kacey Musgraves performed her hit, “Rainbow,” sitting on an actual rainbow, with surprise guest Chris Martin accompanying her on piano.
Jamie Foxx presented Alicia Keys with the iHeartRadio Innovator Award and later came back to introduce her performance. The iconic superstar performed for the first time ever with her son, Egypt, who accompanied his mother on piano for a special medley of her new song, “Raise A Man,” and one of her biggest hits, “You Don’t Know My Name.”
In a world television premiere, Ariana Grande gave an intimate performance of her new hit single, “Needy,” accompanied by violinists.
For the first time in the iHeartRadio Music Awards show history, winners of three Best New Artist categories – Marshmello (Best New Pop Artist) with special guest Luav, lovelytheband (Best New Rock/Alternative Rock Artist) and Ella Mai (Best New R&B Artist) – came together to perform a medley of their hits including “Happier,” “broken” and “Trip”
John Legend performed his new song, “Preach,” backed by a choir.
Backstreet Boys started their performance of “No Place” from the audience before seamlessly transitioning into their iconic hit, “I Want It That Way.”
Actor and Country music fan, Chris Pratt (right), surprised those at the show by presenting Garth Brooks with the first-ever Artist of the Decade Award. It was a rare award show appearance for Brooks, who performed a live medley of his number one hits -- with Pratt even joining in on stage to sing along -- before accepting his award.
A Baltimore law firm is representing Tampa radio personality Bubba “the Love Sponge” Clem in his lawsuit this week against his former employer, Cox Media Group, which claims Cox employees were behind the leak of a sex tape involving Clem’s wife and wrestler Hulk Hogan.
According to the Baltimore Sun, the suit seeks unspecified damages against Cox and two employees for the “malicious and deceitful destruction of [Clem’s] business relationships and career,” according to the filing Wednesday on behalf of Clem by Baltimore law firm Nusinov Smith and another firm, based in Orlando, Fla.
“As our complaint alleges, Cox Media has engaged in improper, anti-competitive acts that no major media company should ever employ,” Clem’s attorney Jeffrey E. Nusinov said in a statement. “Cox Media set out to destroy Bubba Clem – not through honest competition, but through dishonest and illegal means.”
In a statement, Cox Media Group denied the allegations.
“While we typically do not comment on active litigation,” the company said, “the suggestion that our company participated in a conspiracy or any wrongdoing alleged in the complaint is simply false and without merit.”
Clem broadcast his top-rated show on Cox’s WHPT 102.5 in Tampa from 2008 until 2014, when the company replaced him in its morning time slot with its afternoon broadcaster Mike “Cowhead” Calta.
After Clem took his show to Beasley Media Group’s WBRN 98.7 FM in 2015, Calta claimed on air that Clem had falsely inflated his ratings, prompting a Nielsen investigation.
Calta and fellow Cox radio personality Matthew “Spice Boy” Lloyd are also named in the lawsuit, which claims they conspired to leak the 2007 sex tape — which the lawsuit says was stolen from Clem’s office — to Gawker and The Dirty in 2012.
Hogan won a $130 million lawsuit against Gawker following the website’s publication of the video, which forced the online publication into bankruptcy.
“The interference resulted in the termination of Clem’s network contract, the loss of major advertisers, and the loss of program syndication,” Nusinov said. “He alleges that he sustained losses in the tens of millions.”
“Bubba the Love Sponge” has been in the news this week due to the unearthing of inflammatory comments made by Fox News prime-time host Tucker Carlson as a contributor on Clem’s show between 2006 and 2011, before Carlson worked for Fox.
Carlson has refused to apologize for the remarks, which he said were spoken in jest.
Former WFAN sports radio host Craig Carton is scheduled to be sentenced Friday for his involvement in a ticket fraud scheme.
Carton faces up to 45 years in prison after he was convicted last November of conspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud.
He collected millions of dollars from investors, pretending he had access to VIP tickets to sporting events and concerts.
But in reality, he used that money to pay off gambling debts and landscaping bills, reports WABC-TV7.
Carton's co-conspirator Michael Wright was sentenced March 7 to nearly 2 years in prison for his involvement, while co-conspirator Joseph Meli was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison last year.
Cumulus Media has announced that WKXS 94.5 The Hawk , the Port City’s Classic Rock, will bring The BOB & TOM Show to Wilmington mornings beginning March 18th. A favorite of millions and one of the funniest, longest-running and highest-rated radio programs in America, The BOB & TOM Show will air live on 94.5 The Hawk weekday mornings from 5am-10am EST.
Eric McCart, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Wilmington, said: “The BOB and TOM Show is a mix of original comedy, notable guests, entertaining conversation and it’s a perfect fit for our Classic Rock format. We’re excited to bring them to the Port City’s Classic Rock station and make them part of our local Wilmington community. Be sure to tune in for the funniest morning show in Wilmington!”
Tom Griswold, Host, The BOB & TOM Show, said: “What a great city with the best classic rock station! We are thrilled to wake up with Wilmington’s classic rock fans on 94.5 The Hawk. We’re going to have some fun together on this crazy train, so get ready to rock, Wilmington!”
The BOB & TOM Show is exclusively distributed by Westwood One and airs live weekday mornings on more than 100 stations across the U.S. and on the American Forces Network worldwide. Inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame, The BOB & TOM Show features comedy, news, sports, lifestyle content, and interviews with today’s top actors, celebrities and newsmakers.
Townsquare Media/Quad Cities has announced that Ryan McCredden is the clusters new Operations Manager.
Ryan McCredden
The cluster includes WXLP-FM, KJOC-FM, KIIK-FM, KBEA-FM and KBOB-AM.
He begins his new duties on March 18. McCredden's previous stops include CBS Radio's KRLD-AM and KRLD-FM/Dallas, CBS Radio's KILT-AM (Sports Radio 610) and KIKK-AM/Houston and KQTH-FM (104.1 The Truth) & and ESPN Radio in Tucson.
"I'm thrilled to be able to work with the entire team at Townsquare Quad Cities and their great local brands. We will have a lot of fun and I look forward to growing upon the success they've already achieved," said McCredden.
Townsquare Quad Cities Market President Becky Riojas added, "I am very excited to have Ryan join our Quad Cities stations. His experience will bring new insights to our great local brands."
Beasley Media Group has announced Cameron Moore has been named as the Music Director for WSOC Country 1037 in Charlotte.
Moore most recently worked at Midwest Family Broadcasting’s Top 40 and Country stations in Springfield, MO. In her new role, she will also continue as the Midday On-Air Personality from 10am-3pm and the Music Director at KISS 95.1.
“Cameron is experienced in the Country Music format,” said Jack Daniel, Program Director for Country 1037. “She has a great work ethic and I’m very excited to have her on the Country 1037 Team and cannot wait to utilize all of her creative input and perspective.”
“It’s an honor to join this legendary Country radio station,” said Moore. “I love country music and I’m excited for the opportunity to program and promote this format again with such an incredible team!”
“We are absolutely delighted to add Cameron to the Country 1037 team,” said John Reynolds, operations manager for the Beasley Media Group Charlotte radio cluster (Country 1037, WNKS, WKQC, WPEG, WBAV and Fox Sports) and Program Director for KISS 95.1 and K 104.7. “Her expanded experience in every aspect of radio programming will help Country 1037 continue the solid growth we have been having all year! Cameron is a great example of our goal to mentor and groom excellent talent within our company.”
Major League Baseball on Thursday announced a number of rule changes that will impact the game in 2019 and beyond, and among them is a plan to reduce each national commercial break by 25 seconds. Trouble is, the league has yet to secure the approval of the networks, reports AdAge.
In a statement, MLB said it would look to speed up the pace of its games by putting the squeeze on the middle-inning and between-inning ad breaks, reducing the commercial time from 2:25 per interval to an even two minutes. In a standard nine-inning game, this would erase the equivalent of 15 30-second spots from the networks' available inventory, slashing the average in-game load from 67 ads to a hair over 50.
The break-reduction scheme would shave 425 seconds off the length of each nine-frame ballgame, or a little more than 7 minutes. But the cost of keeping things moving would be dear for Fox and ESPN, which rely on the ad sales revenue to subsidize the expense of broadcasting MLB games. For example, if the skinny-pod strategy had been in place during Fox's Red Sox-Yankees showcase back on June 30, 2018, the network theoretically could have been forced to leave approximately $885,000 on the table. (That estimate, incidentally, is based on Fox's 2018 unit cost, which in the event of a reduction in available commercial spots, would only increase thanks to the concomitant decline in clutter and the quotidian supply-and-demand dynamics that hold sway over the TV marketplace.)
Per the terms of Fox's new rights deal with MLB, the network will pay an estimated annual fee of $700 million per year to the league starting with the 2022 season. Naturally, the loss of any ad revenue is less than ideal given the amount of cash the network is forking over to carry the games, but that is not to say that Fox (and ESPN and TBS) don't have options on the table.
