August 25 Radio History

➦In 1949…NBC Radio debuted the sitcom "Father Knows Best."  The series was set in the Midwest, it starred Robert Young as the General Insurance agent Jim Anderson. His wife Margaret was first portrayed by June Whitley and later by Jean Vander Pyl. The Anderson children were Betty (Rhoda Williams), Bud (Ted Donaldson), and Kathy (Norma Jean Nilsson). Others in the cast were Eleanor Audley, Herb Vigran, and Sam Edwards. Sponsored through most of its run by General Foods, the series was heard Thursday evenings on NBC until March 25, 1954.

Dick Clark

➦In 1962...The radio bug bit Dick Clark again - as he announced plans to syndicated a radio series for Top-40 stations.

The two-hour program would be broadcast five days a week and would be produced and distributed by Dick Clark Radio Productions and Mars Broadcasting Inc.

Dick Clark says the show will feature artist interviews and records and will be taped at Mars Broadcasting in Stamford, Conn. Clark was a Disc Jockey at WFIL 560 AM in Philadelphia when he landed the job as host  of TV's “American Bandstand.

➦In 1962...Detroit radio personality Fred Wolf celebrated 12 years as the morning man on WXYZ 1270 AM

He started with the station in 1950 and stayed until 1965 when he left the after refusing to play some rock and roll records.

➦In 1962...Paul Sherman, 1010 WINS, New York replaced Bob (Bob-A-Loo) Lewis on its Saturday and Sunday “Freedomland” remote broadcasts. He would soon join rival 77WABC.

➦In 1966...WNBC 660 AM New York canceled the syndicated “Joe Pyne Show” after debuting last March. WNBC gives no reason for the cancellation. Discharged from the Marines at the end of World War II, Pyne attended a local drama school to correct a speech impediment. While studying there, he decided to try radio. He worked briefly in Lumberton, North Carolina, before he was hired at a new station, WPWA, in Brookhaven, PA.

However, he argued with the owner and was fired. Next, he got a job at WILM (AM) in Wilmington, Delaware, the first of three times he would work at that station. He moved to WVCH, a new station in Chester, which went on the air in March 1948. Seeing little chance to advance his career in Chester, Pyne left after a year and a half. He moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he was hired at WLIP, owned by local station owner William Lipman (hence the call letters). After six months of hosting innocuous programs such as Meet Your Neighbor from various grocery stores, he quit during a confrontation with WLIP management in which he threw Lipman's typewriter against a wall. Pyne worked at several stations in Atlantic City, NJ, and began to change his style of broadcasting.

Pyne gradually tired of being a disc jockey who made comments about politics and current events. He developed his on-air persona as an opinionated host who knew something about everything. He returned to WILM, where he debuted as a talk show host in 1950.

By the early 1950s, television was replacing radio as America's main medium. In 1954, Pyne moved to television with The Joe Pyne Show, broadcast by WDEL-TV in Wilmington. In 1957, he moved to Los Angeles. His initial show was unsuccessful, and he returned to Wilmington. He hosted a TV talk show on WVUE, which was also seen in Philadelphia, and received positive reviews from critics. In the late 1950s the local black press generally praised him for inviting black newsmakers on his show to discuss issues of concern to their community. By 1960, he was hosting a radio show on KABC (AM). The acerbic Bob Grant took over Pyne's show in 1964, and Pyne continued on KLAC. This led to a television show on KTTV.

R. Peter Strauss

➦In 1966...R. Peter Straus, president of  WMCA 570 AM New York - appeared on a program on rival station - WNEW 1130 AM. He was interviewed by Richard Doan on a weekly series titled “The Truth About Radio.”

Straus was told that he probably was one of those broadcasters “who peddles rock ‘n’ roll all day and who refuses to call it by that name,” that maybe he was ashamed of the practice. Straus denied he was ashamed and asserted that WMCA programmed for the largest possible audience so that its commercials and community messages of substantive content would be exposed to the largest number of people.

➦In 1971....Former 93 KHJ Los Angeles night DJ Humble Harve Miller, who affirmed his guilt in court, was sentenced for a term of five years to life for killing his wife, Mary.

He pled guilty to second-degree murder – the unlawful killing of a human being with malice, but without premeditation on Aug 2. His seven-year marriage was described as “stormy and tempestuous” and Mrs. Miller as “domineering and literally a witch.”

➦In 1977....Record executive Irving Azoff announced he would be serving as executive producer on a movie called “FM.” Azoff coordinated the soundtrack – to include a blend of rock standards, current hits and original compositions written for the movie and take charge of a live rock concert which will be filmed for inclusion in the film.



The movie was to be  about the going’s on  - at a major market FM rock music station and the music business.

➦In 1989...KLOS-FM Los Angeles morning show hosts Mark and Brian aired a no-no. Equipped with hidden mics, they took listeners on an aural Graceland tour for the 12th anniversary of Elvis’ death, but they were caught. Graceland says you’re not supposed to be broadcasting from the premises. They called the duo incredibly rude and distasteful.

Glenn Beck

➦In 1999...KLOS Los Angeles apologized for a Mark & Brian stunt after they announced plastic gardening tools called “Black Hoes” would be given out.

➦In 2009...Glenn Beck returned to Fox News Channel after a vacation with fewer advertisers, part of the fallout from calling President Barack Obama a racist.

A total of 33 Fox advertisers, including Walmart Stores Inc., CVS Caremark, Clorox and Sprint, directed that their commercials not air on Beck's show, according to the companies and Color of change, a group that promotes political action among blacks and launched a campaign to get advertisers to abandon him. That's more than a dozen more than were identified a week ago.

G-R Radio: Gray & Green Morning Show Launching On WHTS-FM

Rachael Gray and Jackie Green

Cumulus Media has  announced that it will debut a new morning radio show, “The Gray and Green Show” on WHTS 105.3 HOT FM, Grand Rapid’s Hottest Hits, on Monday, August 26th.

“The Gray and Green Show” features high-profile media personalities Rachael Gray and Jackie Green, and is the first and only morning radio show in West Michigan presented by two female hosts. The program will air weekdays on 105.3 HOT FM from 6am-10am.

Rachael Gray has been waking up West Michigan for the past seven years at 105.3 HOT FM, and started her career hosting mornings at WBTI in Port Huron, MI. Rachael’s fierce sense of humor is only upstaged by her love of pop culture. If it matters, she’ll tell you! She’s a mom of two and has no problem sharing ALL of what that entails. Rachael is not only a strong communicator, but is also a leader in West Michigan non-profit work. She is a tireless advocate of organizations supporting women and mothers. Conversely, Rachael doesn’t take herself too seriously. In what can be a divisive world, Rachael’s voice breaks through to bring an audience together one laugh at a time.

If it’s happening in West Michigan, Jackie Green is part of it all. Jackie started her broadcast career hosting nights and middays at WGRD-FM before seguing to television as a Fox 17 feature reporter for the “On the Scene with Jackie Green” segment. In 2016, Jackie moved back to radio by entertaining the drive home crowd from 3pm-7pm on 105.3 HOT FM. A working mom and activist, Jackie still finds time to run marathons and volunteers at Children’s Hospital by entertaining the kids dressed as Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and other favorite costume characters. Jackie has been able to spread her advocacy for female empowerment in a unique forum by participating in pageants throughout the country. Her great attitude is infectious as is her warmth and generous spirit.

“We are so excited to present this one-of-a-kind show to the West Michigan audience!” said Lori Bennett, Operations Manager, Cumulus West Michigan, and Program Director of 105.3 HOT FM.  “Rachael and Jackie are two of the most dynamic personalities I’ve ever worked with and their emotional connection as part of the West Michigan community is unmatched. Sure, they’re about “girl power”, but actually, it’s “people power”.”

Rachael Gray said: “I have never been more thrilled in my entire career! It’s an exciting time for our industry, and I feel beyond grateful that I get to sit ‘across the board’ from one of my closest friends, who also happens to be an amazing woman.”

Jackie Green added: “Since I began in radio, my dream was to be part of a morning show.  I’m so happy to make the move to work with Rachael, who’s not only an incredible talent but a great friend.”

ESPN Radio Announces Extensive Football Coverage Plans

ESPN Radio is once again gearing up for the college football and NFL regular season kickoffs with an extensive coverage plan across live games, marquee studio shows, on-site activations, fan promotions and much more.

ESPN Radio’s college football game schedule kicks off this weekend with ESPN’s Week 0 television matchup – the Camping World Kickoff featuring No. 8 Florida vs. Miami, in Orlando. The schedule continues with a Week 1 doubleheader featuring three top 25 teams. First, Duke and No 2. Alabama meet in Atlanta, Ga., in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, immediately followed by No. 16 Auburn taking on No. 11 Oregon in Arlington, Tx. The 27-game schedule culminates with three conference championships – Pac-12 (Dec. 6) and Big 12 and ACC (Dec. 7).

ESPN Radio’s new primary college football commentator team for this season will be led by play-by-play voice Sean Kelley alongside analyst Barrett Jones and sideline reporter Ian Fitzsimmons. The lineup will also feature other veteran college football commentators during the season.

Throughout the season ESPN Radio will also be commemorating the 150th anniversary of college football as part of ESPN’s multiplatform CFB150 initiative. Florida vs. Miami will mark the network’s first CFB150 Showcase Game of the Week. ESPN Radio’s College Football Playoff coverage plans will be announced later this season. Commentator pairings for the remaining games can be found here as the season progresses.

ESPN Radio’s NFL schedule through the beginning of October features a doubleheader broadcast with coverage starting at noon and 4 p.m. ET every Sunday beginning Sep. 8 as the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Kansas City Chiefs followed by the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Seattle Seahawks. The lineup also features the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots taking on the New York Jets on Sep. 22, preceded the previous week by a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship game with the Los Angeles Rams hosting the New Orleans Saints.

ESPN Radio’s commentator pairings, remaining schedule and NFL Playoffs coverage will be available here as the season progresses.

W.Palm Radio: Moriah Daniels Gets Mid-Days At Country WIRK-FM

Moriah Daniels

Hubbard Radio West Palm Beach’s New Country WIRK 103.1 FM has announced the addition of Moriah Daniels.

Daniels has been in the Radio Industry for the last 8 years in Palm Beach County. Her career began as an intern at CBS Radio, then a Brand Ambassador, and on-air personality with WIRK.

Bruce Logan, Operations Manager and Brand/Content Director of WIRK-Country, said, “As a program director, there is nothing better than inheriting great talent! When I started the search to transition New Country 103.1 from a voice tracked show to a live & local show in West Palm Beach, I was thrilled to find Moriah sitting mere feet from my office dutifully serving our sales team. She expressed interest, I went through the entire search process and in the end there was no one I’d rather have as WIRK’s At-Work host.”

Daniels commented, “WIRK has been best known for the music and the on-air personalities. We are excited to bring a fresh look to our country community. Listeners might hear some new tunes, but also some familiar voices as well.”

Sinclair Closes On 21 Regional Sports Networks

Twenty-one local sports networks that used to belong to 21st Century Fox — and carried games from the Miami Heat to the Atlanta Braves — are now owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.

The NY Post report the transfer means Sinclair’s Diamond group is now the country’s largest collection of regional sports networks, with a footprint that includes exclusive local rights to 42 professional teams. The portfolio consists of 14 Major League Baseball teams, 16 National Basketball Association teams and 12 National Hockey League teams.

Sinclair has already signaled its interest in acquiring more RSNs, particularly the four that AT&T is expected to sell. CEO Chris Ripley told The Wall Street Journal on Friday that the company would be “very interested in looking at those and filling out our regional sports network footprint.”

Sinclair agreed to buy the RSNs for $10.6 billion — or $9.6 billion adjusted for minority interests — in May. It then set up Diamond Sports Group to hold the networks and brought in Entertainment Studios’ Byron Allen as an equity and content partner in the newly formed subsidiary.

Sinclair’s deal, which was carried out with Fox’s new owner Disney, did not include the YES Network, the New York-based sports network that carries Yankee games. Although Fox was also its majority owner, it was sold in a separate transaction to the Yankees for an estimated $3.5 billion. Sinclair participated in that transaction as minority partner, however, along with Amazon and several investments firms.

PA Radio: Forever To Acquire WQIC-FM, WLBR-AM Lebanon

Lebanon Broadcasting Company has announced that Forever Media has entered into an asset purchase agreement for Soft AC WQIC 1001. FM FM and WLBR 1270 AM.

“Forever Media is proud to become part of these great stations and have the opportunity to serve the community”, commented Forever Media President Lynn Deppen.

Lebanon Broadcasting President Robert Etter said, “WLBR/WQIC has been in the Etter family for over 70 years. Since my sons have independent careers, I made the decision to sell to Forever Media. Forever Media is an excellent company consisting of community-oriented radio stations. They empower local managers with key decision-making authority and encourage local community interests to be a factor in any decision.”

With this addition, Forever Media grows to 64 stations in 11 markets throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia.

Westwood One Adds Star Power To Labor Day Music Specials

Cumulus Media’s Westwood One winds down the summer season with two exclusive Pop and Rock Labor Day Weekend music specials hosted by singer/actress Sabrina Carpenter and rocker Brandon Boyd of the acclaimed multi-platinum rock band Incubus.

Last Big Weekend of Summer, hosted by Carpenter, celebrates the best music of the summer for your Labor Day Weekend Party and shares what’s ahead for this fall with concerts, movies and more. This four-hour Top 40/CHR Labor Day weekend special is designed to air from Saturday, August 31 through Monday, September 2.

Last Official Weekend of Summer, hosted by Incubus’ Boyd, looks back at the big summer festivals and provides a preview of upcoming fall concert tours. This four-hour Rock Labor Day weekend special is designed to air from Saturday, August 31 through Monday, September 2.

For more information on the Top 40/CHR Labor Day weekend special, Last Big Weekend of Summer, contactJulie Bell at (212) 735-1114 or jbell@westwoodone.com.

August 24 Radio History

➦In 1911...Durward Kirby born (Died at age 88 – March 15, 2000).  He was a radio, TV announcer/host, best remembered for The Garry Moore Show in the 1950s and Candid Camera, which he co-hosted with Allen Funt from 1961 through 1966.

Durward Kirby

By 1936, Kirby was an announcer for WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1937, an Associated Press news story reported that Kirby "made a name for himself" with his reporting on the Ohio River flood of 1937. He also worked at radio stations in Chicago and Indianapolis before the war.

Following the war, Kirby hosted Club Matinee in Chicago with Garry Moore on the NBC Blue radio network before moving to television in 1949 as an announcer. He also worked on Meet Your Navy and Honeymoon in New York on network radio.

Kirby also appeared as a host, announcer, or guest on other television programs, including serving as one of NBC Radio's Monitor.


➦In 1917...Dennis James born (Died  of lung cancer at age 79 – June 3, 1997). He was a TV personality, philanthropist, and commercial spokesman. Up until 1976, he had appeared on TV more times and for a longer period than any other television star. Often referred to as "The Dean of Game Show Hosts", he is credited as the host of television's first network game show, the DuMont Network's Cash and Carry (1946). James was also the first person to host a telethon (raising over $700,000,000 for United Cerebral

Dennis James

Palsy throughout his career), the first host to appear in a television commercial, first to emcee a variety show, and first to appear on video tape.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, James began his career in radio with WNEW (now WBBR) and moved to television in 1938, working for the soon-to-become-DuMont Television Network station WABD (now WNYW), which helped to found the DuMont network in 1946. James became the host of many game shows, such as the ABC version of Chance of a Lifetime (1952–53) and served as commentator for DuMont's wrestling and boxing shows, such as Boxing From Jamaica Arena (1948–49) and other DuMont boxing and wresting shows such as Amateur Boxing Fight Club (1949–50). He hosted the DuMont daytime variety show Okay, Mother (1948–51) with Julia Meade.

➦In 1950...the summer replacement radio show for Suspense, titled Somebody Knows, was heard for the final time on CBS Radio. The program offered a reward of $5,000 for information that led to the solving of crimes. Somebody Knows began with the introduction, “You out there. You, who think you have committed the perfect crime — that there are no clues, no witnesses — listen. Somebody knows.”

➦In 1999...actress Mary Jane Croft, who frequently appeared in Lucille Ball’s TV & film projects, died of natural causes at age 83. She was a much-in-demand Hollywood radio regular from the 1940′s through the 70′s, with supporting roles in dozens of series such as One Man’s Family, Suspense, Sam Spade, Our Miss Brooks and Sears Radio Theatre.

➦In 2012...Bruce Dale Sommers died (Born - November 26, 1943). He was best known by his nickname "The Truckin' Bozo" and for his long-running country music show geared toward truck drivers.

Dale Commers

Sommers hosted the overnight show from Cincinnati, Ohio-based clear-channel station WLW from 1984 to 2004, and it was carried by a small network of similarly high-powered stations across the United States. Sommers discontinued playing music on his nightly show, focusing on general and truck news, and talk from his listeners. Sommers announced his retirement from radio in 2004, but XM Satellite Radio was successful in getting him to do an afternoon truck show.

Born Glen Council in Humboldt, Tennessee, Sommers moved to Cincinnati with his family at the age of 15. The next year (1959), be began working for WAEF. Sommers worked for other local radio stations in Cincinnati, as well as in Evansville, Indianapolis, Seattle, San Diego, Miami, and Kansas City, before settling back at WLW in 1984.

Jay Thomas

➦In 2017...Jay Thomas died from throat cancer (Born Jon Thomas Terrell -  July 12, 1948).  He was an actor, comedian, and radio personality. He was heard in New York from 1976-79 on Top 40 station 99X, and later on Rhythmic CHR station WKTU, and in Los Angeles beginning in 1986 on KPWR "Power 106", where he hosted the station's top-rated morning show until 1993.



His notable television work included his co-starring role as Remo DaVinci on Mork & Mindy (1979–81), the recurring role of Eddie LeBec, a Boston Bruins goalie on the downside of his career, on Cheers (1987–89), the lead character of newspaper columnist Jack Stein on Love & War (1992–95), and a repeat guest role as Jerry Gold, a talk show host who becomes both an antagonist and love interest of the title character on Murphy Brown. He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1990 and 1991 for portraying Gold.

In film, he co-starred in Mr. Holland's Opus as a high school coach with a flair for theatrics, and portrayed the Easter Bunny in The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3. He was also an annual guest on The Late Show with David Letterman during the Christmas season, where he told a story about how he met Clayton Moore, who portrayed the title character on The Lone Ranger.  Beginning in 2005, he hosted The Jay Thomas Show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, which aired every Friday afternoon on Howard 101.



➦In 2018... Chuck Brinkman, a KQV 1410 AM mainstay in the 1960s who became one of Pittsburgh’s most popular Top 40 DJs, died. He was 83.

Orlando Radio: JVC To Launch 'Florida Man' Talk Format

JVC Media of Florida has announced the addition of Florida Man Radio – WDYZ 660 AM / W288CJ 105.5 FM in the Orlando market. Target air-date is September 3.

Bubba

Florida Man Radio will be a talk format and will formally launch with a live press conference from the JVC studios. The press conference will be hosted by the on-air staff including long- time Orlando talk legend Shannon Burke, Bubba the Love Sponge Clem, radio veteran Scott Ledger, and Attorney Justin Clark.

Scott Ledger

JVC Orlando Director of Programming Len Shackelford lends more info on Florida Man Radio, “This will be a personality driven talk station focused on Central Florida. There will be NO topics off limits, including topics specifically about our on-air staff. Think sports, politics, pop culture… if you talk about it in your life or on social media, Florida Man Radio 660 AM and 105.5 FM will talk about it.”

“With Bubba the Love Sponge Clem hosting morning drive, Scott Ledger’s Dangerous Conversations in midday, Shannon Burke in afternoon drive, and Attorney Justin Clark’s You Have Power from 6pm-7pm, Florida Man Radio will be must-listen radio every day” says JVC’s EVP Shane Reeve.

Shannon Burke

“The great talent and notoriety of our hosts will wake up talk radio in Orlando. Florida Man Radio will prove that there can still be creativity and real topics discussed on Orlando radio that affect each and every one of us.”

“This is exactly what radio needs right now, fresh, new, funny and local this is ‘Florida Man Radio”, said JVC’s CEO John Caracciolo.

“The vision of a locally based talk station that isn’t afraid to confront the big topics while not taking it too seriously, screams the mantra of JVC. We aren’t afraid to buck the norms – keeping live and local radio working for our clients and listeners, providing great results for clients, and continuing to invest in great programming. I’m thrilled for the future of our stations across the country.”

JVC recently acquired the frequencies from Salem Media Group for $900,000. It also owns Country WOTW 103.1 FM The Wolf.  It also programs a rock format on translator W231CT, branding as Bud 94.1 FM,  However, iHeartMedia is scheduled to take over the translator on October 1. 

Gallup: America's Most Trusted News Sources Are...

Many more Americans trust news on the internet than did so in 1998, when only a small fraction of Americans got their news this way, according to a new Gallup survey.

Currently, 40% of Americans say they trust online news, up from 25% in 1998, the last time Gallup measured opinions on the subject. Since 1998, Americans' use of the internet as a news source has grown more than five times compared with what it was.

Trust in talk shows on radio and television each also rose by double digits over the same period. Meanwhile, of the 14 news sources tested by Gallup in 1998 and 2019, CNN and network nightly news shows were the only ones to become significantly less likely to be trusted.

Of 15 news sources measured in Gallup's May 15-30 poll, three local sources -- television, newspapers and radio -- engender more widespread trust than any of the dozen other sources. Local sources were among the most trusted in the 1998 survey, but all three did not sit atop the list as they currently do.

In addition to local television (74%), local newspapers (67%) and local radio (65%), several other news sources garner majority-level trust from the public. They include discussions with friends or family (62%), public television news (59%), National Public Radio (55%), nightly network television news programs (54%), and national morning television network news and interview shows (51%).

Fewer than half of Americans say they trust national newspapers (49%), CNN (48%), Fox News (43%), online news (40%), radio talk shows (38%), television talk shows (33%) and half-hour television entertainment news programs (29%).

Chicago Radio: Scotty Kay Joins WUSN-FM Morning Show

Just three weeks after departing CHR KLIF 93.3 FM in Dallas, Scotty Kay has a new on-air gig.

Kay has just been added to the new morning show at Entercom country WUSN 99.5-FM. He joins co-hosts Jason Pullman and Katie Bright and contributor Erin Creedon.

Kay spread his good news on Facebook:

Kay is a native of Chicago and left KLIF-FM to be closer to his son.  Previously, he was nighttime personality and music director at iHeartMedia CHR WKSC 103.5 KissFM.

Philly Radio: Fourth Sports Station Launches August 26th

iHeartMedia/Philadelphia debuts "FOX Sports Radio The Gambler," creating a destination for Sports/Talk in Philadelphia, starting August 26th.

The new outlet will broadcast on WDAS 1480 AM, W273DO 102.5 FM and WDAS 105.3 FM-HD2.beginning August 26 at 3pm. The Gambler will feature FOX Sport's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," "The Dan Patrick Show," "Outkick the Coverage with Clay Travis," "Straight Outta Vegas with RJ Bell" and others, as well as "The Daily Ticket" hosted by Sean Brace, owner of phillyinfluencer.com.

"Whether you're heading to Atlantic City or one of our four local sports books, we'll have what you need to keep you informed," said iHeartMedia Philadelphia Senior VP/Sales Jeff Moore. "It'll be a great mix of national sports talk icons with the local edge to inform and entertain the gambling audience in a groundbreaking way."

The full weekday program lineup:

• Outkick The Coverage with Clay Travis (6-9am)
• The Dan Patrick Show (9am-12pm)
• The Herd with Colin Cowherd (12-3pm)
• The Daily Ticket with Sean Brace (3-6pm)
• Straight Outta Vegas with RJ Bell (6-7pm)
• The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard & Rob Parker (7-10pm)
• The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon (10pm-2am)
• The Ben Maller Show (2-6am)

The Gambler will compete with Beasley's Media Group's WPEN 97.5 FM The Fanatic, Beasley's WTEL 610 AM and Entercom's WIP 94.1 FM

Seattle Radio: Bonneville Media Group Restructures

Bonneville Seattle Media Group has announced an organizational restructure, effective Monday, August 26.  Among the moves:

• KIRO (710 ESPN) PD Mike Salk rises to Director of Programming, overseeing KIRO-FM, 710 ESPN and KTTH-AM
• Tina Sorensen is upped from KIRO/KTTH Sales Manager to Director of Digital, managing content and revenue for its digital properties
• KIRO-AM Sales Manager Cathy Cangiano is boosted to Director of Sales for KIRO-FM, 710 ESPN Seattle, KTTH and Seattle Mariners Radio
• Alison Lichtbach is elevated from Controller to Director of Finance 
• Marin Brustuen continues to serve in the Human Resources Business Partner role

"These are proven leaders within our organization who are ready for their challenging assignments," said Bonneville Seattle Media Group Dave Pridemore.

"They are innovative and prepared to provide guidance as we look to the future of our dynamic and far reaching audio and digital products. This new structure ensures our success in 2020 and beyond and elevates our daily focus on our digital business which is imperative, as Bonneville Seattle is well positioned in this space to generate significant audience growth and to deliver solid ROI to our clients."

Current Bonneville Seattle Media Group Managers with expanded responsibilities include Bryan Buckalew as the KIRO Program Director, Colleen O'Brien as KIRO Managing News Editor and Ethan Kelly as Sales Manager for KIRO and KTTH.

San Diego Radio: LaDona Harvey Re-Ups With KOGO

LaDona Harvey, Melissa Forrest

KOGO 600 AM and LaDona Harvey, co-host of San Diego’s Morning News, have agreed to terms on a new contract that extends her role on the most popular local news and information program on San Diego radio.

For the past five years, veteran news personalities LaDona Harvey and Ted Garcia have helped San Diegans start their day with breaking news and the information important to their world. With both under multi-year contracts, listeners can be assured that LaDona and Ted will be there with their trusted presentation of news, weather, traffic and information uniquely designed for San Diego for many years to come.

San Diego’s Morning News also features Real Time Traffic reports with Kevin Dean, up to the minute Business News with Robert “Sully” Sullivan and of course the award-winning KOGO News reporting team.

“I am delighted to continue to be a part of the News Radio 600 family,” said Harvey. “It has been an honor to be a part of this team and the company since 1998. I look forward to many more exciting years at KOGO!”

Harvey has been a respected voice on San Diego news radio for more than 20 years covering a wide range of important San Diego stories like the devastating wildfires in 2003 and 2007.  She has received a number of awards, most recently honored with a “Gracie” for her radio feature, “I am NOT grateful, I am qualified!”

Prior to the move to mornings, LaDona hosted a popular midday talk show on KOGO for several years.

“When we re-launched Newsradio 600 KOGO, it was clear that LaDona had the versatility needed to shift from a popular local news-talk host to become a strong morning news personality without missing a beat,” said KOGO and XTRA 1360 Program Director, Brian Long. “LaDona and Ted Garcia together every morning share a chemistry that connects with San Diegans and serves to entertain and inform KOGO listeners every weekday morning.”

Beasley Media Group Honors Achievement Award Winners

(L-R):  BMG Philadelphia Chief Engineer Keith Smeal, BMG Philadelphia DOS Paul Blake, BMG Spoken Word Brand Manager & WBZ-FM Program Director Mike Thomas, BMG Boston VP/Market Manager Mary Menna, BMG CEO Caroline Beasley, BMG COO/EVP Brian Beasley, BMG President Bruce Beasley, BMG New Jersey Regional VP/Market Manager Dan Finn, BMG Tampa VP/Market Manager Steve Triplett, MG Philadelphia VP/Market Manager Joe Bell and WMMR-FM/WMGK-FM Program Director & BMG Rock Format Brand Manager Bill Weston

Beasley Media Group has announces the winners of the company’s annual Outstanding Achievement Awards. The presentations were made during a special dinner that took place at the company’s annual Management Meeting on Wednesday, August 21st at the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia, PA.

The celebration honors the outstanding achievements and contributions made by individual employees and radio stations over the preceding twelve months. In addition, legendary WMGK-FM Midday Personality Debbi Calton was recognized for her many contributions on the station over the past 26 years and in the radio industry. WMMR-FM was also honored for its recent year-long celebration of the station’s 50th Anniversary on the airwaves in Philadelphia.

The evening featured Warner Music Nashville Recording Artist Hunter Hayes with an opening performance by Triple Tiger Recording Artist Gone West.

The 2019 Winners include:

• Mary Menna...Market Manager of the Year/ Boston
• WMMR-FM...Station of the Year (Large Market)/ Philadelphia
• WDHA-FM...Medium Market/ New Jersey
• Paul Blake...Director of Sales (DOS) of the Year/Philadelphia
• Mike Thomas...Program Director of the Year/WBZ-FM/ 98.5 The Sports Hub/Boston
• Rachel Pitts...Digital Content Professional of the Year/Tampa
• Chris Lobono...Digital Sales Professional of the Year/Boston
• Keith Smeal...Technology Award/ Philadelphia
• John Coury...Market Controller of the Year/ Boston

“Our annual Outstanding Achievement Awards dinner and ceremony recognizes the outstanding contributions made by our incredible employees and stations who give their “Beasley Best” on a daily basis,” said Chief Executive Officer Caroline Beasley. “We are so very proud to have them all in our radio family.”

Report: Pushback On Trump's Social Media Plan

Officials from the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission reportedly are pushing back against a proposal that would task them with regulating social media companies' editorial policies.

The agency officials have voiced concerns that an attempt by them to police content on social media would violate the First Amendment, CNN reported Thursday. The officials were reportedly responding to a draft of a executive order aimed at discouraging web companies from removing posts for political reasons.

That draft order would task the FCC with crafting regulations tying web companies' legal protections to their content moderation policies, according to CNN. The order would also require the FTC to examine content moderation policies when investigating companies.

MediaPost reports that While the details are vague, the potential order appears similar to a recent legislative proposal by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), who also wants to link web platforms' legal protections to their content practices.

Specifically, Hawley's proposed bill would strip large online platforms of the protections of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, unless the companies prove to the FTC that they don't discriminate based on politics or viewpoint. Section 230, considered one of the most important laws affecting the internet, immunizes tech platforms from liability for users' speech.

The reported draft order, like the legislative proposal, reflects complaints leveled by President Trump and other conservatives that tech companies discriminate against right-wing views.

ACCN, ESPN Flip The 'On' Switch

With competition among major college sports Opens a New Window. conferences at an all-time high, the long-awaited launch of the ESPN-owned ACC Network  Thursday night is expected to a major financial boost in the Atlantic Coast Conference's bid to catch up to the financially dominant SEC and Big Ten.

According to the Fox Business Network,the ACC and ESPN are set to split both revenue and costs on the new initiative, which will air dozens of games in football, basketball and other sports involving top programs such as Clemson and Duke in traditional cable TV and digital formats. Similar networks provide a sizable chunk of revenue that the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Big Ten disperse to their schools, which then re-invest the proceeds into team facilities, coach salaries, equipment and other programs.

After a lengthy pre-launch process, the ACC Network will look to lure paid subscribers and put its schools on equal financial footing with their out-of-conference rivals.

Despite a membership that includes some of the most marquee names in college football and basketball – traditionally the most lucrative sports in college athletics – the ACC has distributed far less to its schools in recent years. Bolstered by their successful media experiments, the Big Ten distributed $54 million to each of its 12 longest-standing programs in fiscal 2018, while the SEC distributed $43.7 million, according to documents obtained by USA Today. By comparison, the ACC doled out just $29.5 million each.

The ACC Network will air 450 live events in its debut year, but the conference’s top games will still air on Disney-owned ABC or ESPN platforms as per a separate broadcast rights deals.

The fledgling service is years away from a subscriber base on par with that of the SEC Network, which boasts roughly 59 million subscribers generating about $230 million in annual revenue, according to estimates by The Athletic.

Music Modernization Act Called Unconstitutional

The co-owner of the publishing rights for songs by hip-hop artist Eminem sued Spotify in Nashville on Wednesday in a major copyright lawsuit that challenges the underpinnings of the landmark Music Modernization Act, reports The Tennessean.

A key component of the Music Modernization Act was shifting the onus of licensing songs away from the streaming services and to the new licensing organization that will be run by publishers and songwriters.

Spotify was the subject of several expensive lawsuits and subsequent settlements, including with the National Music Publishers Association. The Music Modernization Act included a provision that makes it extremely difficult for copyright owners who failed to file a lawsuit prior to Dec. 31, 2017, to seek legal remedies.

The NMPA and other stakeholders garnered the support of the streaming services for the Music Modernization Act largely by including the provision protecting Spotify, Apple Music and others from such copyright lawsuits.

The lawsuit by Eight Mile Style against Spotify challenges that component of the law. Eight Mile Style, which co-owns and maintains administrative rights to Eminem's 243 songs, claims Spotify has not properly licensed the songs or paid the company its publishing royalties.

Eight Mile Style is represented by prominent Nashville-based entertainment industry attorney Richard Busch, who has represented other clients who sued Spotify before the 2017 cutoff date.

Critically, Eight Mile Style argues the cutoff date is unconstitutional because it violates property rights and due process.

Report: News Corp Developing Service To Take On Google News

News Corp is developing a news-aggregation service meant to address concerns that Alphabet Inc.’s Google News and other digital platforms don’t reward publishers’ work adequately and play down articles from certain types of sites, according to The Wall Street Journal citing  people familiar with the plans.

The service, currently called Knewz.com, is expected to be a website and a mobile app. An early version is being shown to a small group of News Corp executives and an official launch could come later this year, though no specific timeline has been set, the people said. The company could still decide not to proceed with the project, they said.

The service will draw from hundreds of news sources, including national outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post and NBC News, digital-native players, magazine publishers and local newspapers, the people said. News Corp owns Dow Jones & Co., which publishes The Wall Street Journal.

The project aims to give exposure to smaller outlets that News Corp executives believe are often demoted in Google’s search results and Facebook Inc.’s social feed, the people said.

That includes publishers with conservative audiences such as the Daily Wire, the Daily Caller, the Washington Free Beacon and the Washington Examiner, according to some of the people. Others said the idea is to highlight deserving news stories, regardless of politics, noting that progressive sites such as Daily Kos and ThinkProgress are included.

The articles on Knewz.com will link directly to publishers’ sites, and News Corp won’t take a cut of the advertising revenue the articles generate. News Corp also expects to share data with those publishers.

The Fight Over Aretha Franklin’s Assets Could Last Years

A  court audit has now revealed that The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin had about $1 million worth of uncashed checks in her possession when she passed away, reports Digital Music News.

Franklin’s August 2018 passing saddened the music world and fans mourned the loss of one of history’s most versatile and capable singers. Behind the scenes, however, the stage was being set for Franklin’s children to become embroiled in a vicious dispute over her estate.

A court battle over who will receive Franklin’s funds and handle the estate’s long-term management is threatening to last for years.

It initially seemed that Aretha Franklin hadn’t written a will at all; her assets would have then been evenly distributed amongst her children.  After her passing, though, three handwritten wills were discovered under a pillow in her Detroit home.

The most recently written of these wills placed control of the estate with her youngest son, Kecalf Cunningham. The problem was that Aretha’s vast estate had previously been managed by Sabrina Owens, Franklin’s niece.  Another son, Theodore White II, sued to become co-manager with Owens.

The uncashed checks (one of which is worth more than $700,000) appear to have greatly angered Aretha Franklin’s four sons, each of whom has retained a legal team.

These sons released statements through their legal teams that indicated their overall dissatisfaction with the fact that it took so long to determine exactly how much money — and which possessions — Aretha Franklin had at the time of her death.

August 23 Radio History

Art Van Harvey, Clarence Hartzell, Bernadine Flynn, Billy Idelson

➦In 1883...Radio actor Art Van Harvey was born in Chicago.  He is best known for playing the role of  Vic in the memorable daytime radio series Vic & Sade.

Vic and Sade was an American radio program created and written by Paul Rhymer. It was regularly broadcast on radio from 1932 to 1944, then intermittently until 1946, and was briefly adapted to television in 1949 and again in 1957.

During its 14-year run on radio, Vic and Sade became one of the most popular series of its kind, earning critical and popular success: according to Time, Vic and Sade had 7,000,000 devoted listeners in 1943. For the majority of its span on the air, Vic and Sade was heard in 15-minute episodes without a continuing storyline. The central characters, known as "radio's home folks", were accountant Victor Rodney Gook (Art Van Harvey), his wife Sade (Bernardine Flynn) and their adopted son Rush (Bill Idelson). The three lived on Virginia Avenue in "the small house halfway up in the next block

 Van Harvey died Sept. 7 1957 at age 74.

➦In 1923....Billy Jones and Ernie Hare, “The Happiness Boys”, first aired on New York’s WEAF radio.  The two were billed as radio’s first comedians and were also credited with creating and performing the first singing commercial.

They began on radio October 18, 1921 on WJZ (Newark, New Jersey), where they were sponsored by the chain of Happiness Candy stores. Listeners mailed in their comments about the singers on cards supplied to retailers by Happiness Candy.

The Happiness Boys aired on WEAF, moving to NBC from 1926 to 1929. The duo sang popular tunes, mostly light fare and comic songs, and they engaged in humorous repartee between numbers. Their theme song was "How Do You Do" (1924). However, only the words to this song were new at that time. The melody had been used for a variety of other songs in the past and is still used in the camp favorite "If You're Happy and You Know It (Clap Your Hands)".



By 1928, Jones and Hare were the highest paid singers in radio, earning $1,250 a week. The partnership ended with Ernie Hare's death on March 9, 1939.

➦In 1989...The music died on the Big 89 WLS in Chicago.

In June , WLS 890 AM had announced they were going all talk by the end of the summer. Many expected that to happen on September 1.

By 1988, WLS was airing adult contemporary music, liberally laced with oldies and standards, with talk programming at night.  Air personalities were becoming more talk intensive anyway and midday talk was added as well.

Then with no warning, on August 23, 1989 at 7 pm, WLS stopped playing music altogether. Phil Duncan was the last DJ to play music on WLS, and as Phil finished up his show.  The last song was "Just You 'n' Me" by Chicago.



WLS then became a 24/7 all talk statiom featuring high-rated talk talents from around the country, such as Bob Lassiter from Tampa Bay, Stacy Taylor from San Diego and their biggest hit, Rush Limbaugh out of New York.

In 1975, The Big 89 WLS celebrated its 25th anniversary of playing Top40  with this retrospective TV show that aired on Channel 7 WLS TV Chicago in 1985. Most of the disc jockeys of the past (and some of the present at the time) appear on this program.  The program is hosted by the late super jock Larry Lujack.



For More on WLS: Click HERE And HERE.


➦In 1991...Seattle radio station KNDD 107.7 FM “The End” was born, billing its music as “The Cutting Edge of Rock.”  It first gave airplay to local bands Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Soundgarden.  This launched the Seattle “grunge” movement internationally. The End's first song was "It's The End of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.


➦In 2010…Veteran San Francisco Radio, TV newsman  Dave McElhatton died after a stroke at age 81.  (Born - December 8, 1928). He retired in 2000.   McElhatton was sometimes called "Mac"

Dave McElhatton

McElhatton worked for KCBS Radio in San Francisco for 25 years, starting two weeks after college graduation. Early in his career, he hosted an all-night radio show, "Music Till Dawn".

In the early 1960s, he was the host of "McElhatton In The Morning", a blend of news and comedy, with his sidekick Homer "Friendly Clyde" Welch.

He later hosted a radio program called "Viewpoint", which was the area's first telephone talk show. McElhatton later became news director of KCBS radio, where he helped change the format of the station to an all-news format.

While working in radio at KCBS, McElhatton (along with Friendly Clyde) hosted TV Bingo, a daytime show on KTVU Channel 2.

McElhatton became a television news anchor for KPIX-TV Channel 5, the first television station in San Francisco starting in 1977 upon leaving KCBS radio. The hiring of McElhatton, a radio broadcaster, was noted by some to be a bold stroke. He remained as a news achor with KPIX until his retirement in 2000. He was noted, along with that of CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, to be among two good reporters during a forum by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.

At his peak, his salary as a newscaster was reportedly approximately $750,000 per year. In 2006, the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame was created. McElhatton was among the inaugural inductees.