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Saturday, October 26, 2019

October 27 Radio History


➦In 1920...Westinghouse's radio station in East Pittsburgh, KDKA was issued the first-ever commercial radio license.  But it would be another week before it took to the air .. with the Harding-Cox election returns Nov. 2.   The audience was approximately 1,000 people.


KDKA's roots began with the efforts of Westinghouse employee Frank Conrad who operated KDKA's predecessor 75 watt 8XK from the Pittsburgh suburb of Wilkinsburg from 1916. Conrad, who had supervised the manufacturing of military receivers during WWI, broadcast phonograph music and communicated with other amateur radio operators via 8YK. On September 29, 1920, the Joseph Horne department store in Pittsburgh began advertising amateur wireless sets for $10, which could be used to listen to Conrad’s broadcasts.

Westinghouse vice president and Conrad’s supervisor, Harry P. Davis, saw the advertisement and recognized the economic potential of radio.  Instead of it being limited as a hobby to scientific experimenters, radio could be marketed to a mainstream audience. Consequently, Davis asked Conrad to build a 100-watt transmitter, which would air programming intended to create widespread demand for Westinghouse receivers.

The KDKA call sign was assigned sequentially from a list maintained for the use of US-registry maritime stations, and on November 2, 1920, KDKA broadcast the US presidential election returns from a shack on the roof of the K Building of the Westinghouse Electric Company "East Pittsburgh Works" in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania.

According to Britannica.com, the first voice and music signals heard over radio waves were transmitted in December 1906 from Brant Rock, Massachusetts (just south of Boston), when Canadian experimenter Reginald Fessenden produced about an hour of talk and music for technical observers and any radio amateurs who might be listening. Many other one-off experiments took place in the next few years, but none led to continuing scheduled services. On the West Coast of the United States, for example, Charles (“Doc”) Herrold began operating a wireless transmitter in conjunction with his radio school in San Jose, California, about 1908. Herrold was soon providing regularly scheduled voice and music programs to a small local audience of amateur radio operators in what may have been the first such continuing service in the world.

The radio hobby grew during the decade before World War I, and the ability to “listen in” with earphones (as there were no loudspeakers) and occasionally hear voices and music seemed almost magical. Nevertheless, very few people heard these early broadcasts—most people merely heard about them—in part because the only available receivers were those handmade by radio enthusiasts, the majority of them men and boys.

Among these early receivers were crystal sets, which used a tiny piece of galena (lead sulfide) called a “cat’s whisker” to detect radio signals. Although popular, inexpensive, and easy to make, crystal sets were a challenge to tune in to a station. Such experiments were scattered, and so there was little demand for manufactured receivers. (Plug-in radio receivers, which, through the use of loudspeakers, allowed for radio to become a “communal experience,” would not become widespread until after 1927.) Early broadcasters in the United States, such as Herrold, would continue until early 1917, when federal government restrictions forced most radio transmitters off the air for the rest of World War I, stalling the growth of the medium.

After the war, renewed interest in radio broadcasts grew out of experimenters’ efforts, though such broadcasts were neither officially authorized nor licensed by government agencies, as would become the practice in most countries by the late 1920s.

Westinghouse application for licenses
Another early station appeared in Canada when station XWA (now CFCF) in Montreal began transmitting experimentally in September 1919 and on a regular schedule the next year. (The first commercially sponsored stations in Canada appeared in 1922.)

Broadcasting got an important boost in the huge American market when about 30 radio stations took to the air in different cities in 1920–21. Most of these developed out of amateur operations, each dedicated to a different purpose. “Doc” Herrold returned to the air in 1921, but he soon had to sell his station for lack of operating funds. The University of Wisconsin’s WHA began as a physics department transmitter, but as early as 1917 it was sending wireless telegraph agricultural market reports by Morse Code to Wisconsin farmers. WHA, the first American educational outlet, probably began voice broadcasts in early 1921, though several other universities soon initiated stations with similar aims. KDKA in Pittsburgh, most often cited as the first radio outlet in the United States, had begun as the amateur station 8XK in 1916, but it was forced off the air in World War I. It reappeared on November 2, 1920, as a “commercial” voice-and-music service operated by the Westinghouse electrical manufacturer to help sell the company’s radio receivers. Westinghouse added other stations in different cities over the next two years, and General Electric and the newly formed Radio Corporation of America (RCA) soon entered the radio business as well. Detroit’s amateur operation 8MK (which debuted on August 20, 1920) soon became WWJ, the first station to be owned by a newspaper (The Detroit News).

➦In 1947...“This is Nora Drake” premiered on NBC radio. Nora solved domestic, social and child-raising problems in its daily soap slot until January 2, 1959.

➦In 1947..."You Bet Your Life" made its debut on ABC Radio Network with Groucho Marx as quizmaster and George Fenneman as his announcer. The program continued on radio until 1959 and ran on TV from 1950 to 1961.

Father Coughlin
➦In 1979…Radio evangelist Father Charles Coughlin, one of the first political leaders to use radio to reach a mass audience, died at age 88. In the 1930s, his weekly broadcasts had an audience of 30 million people.

Coughlin began his radio broadcasts in 1926 on station WJR, in response to cross burnings by the Ku Klux Klan on the grounds of his church, giving a weekly hour-long radio program. His program was picked up by CBS four years later for national broadcast.  Until the beginning of the Depression, Father Coughlin mainly covered religious topics in his weekly radio addresses, in contrast to the political topics which dominated his radio speeches throughout the 1930s. He reached a very large audience that extended well beyond his own Irish Catholic base.

➦On 1999...composer/arranger/conductor Frank DeVol, a veteran of both radio & TV, died of congestive heart failure at age 88. In the 40′s and early 50′s he directed the orchestra nightly for CBS radio’s “Jack Smith Show.”  He composed the theme songs for TV’s The Brady Bunch, Family Affair, Gidget, and My Three Sons. DeVol also played “Happy Kyne” on TV’s Fernwood Tonight.

➦In 2003...XM Satellite Radio announced it had reached the 1 million subscriber milestone.

➦In 2003…'Price is Right" Announcer and former radio personality (KOST-Los Angeles, KLIF-Dallas, WKBW-Buffalo, KQV-Pittsburgh, KOMA-Oklahoma City) Rod Roddy died of colon and breast cancer at 66.

After graduating from Texas Christian University, Roddy began his professional broadcasting career as a disc jockey and talk show host on KLIF and KNUS-FM (Dallas, Texas). He also worked overnights and mid-days at the Buffalo, New York radio station WKBW 1520 AM, a big-signal station covering the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, and at other high-profile stations. Returning to KLIF and KNUS during the 1970s, Roddy hosted a call-in program, "Rod Roddy's Hotline," whose controversial host and topics made him a frequent target of death threats. He conducted a long-running on-air feud with an elderly woman (dubbed "Granny Hate"), who claimed to represent the local Ku Klux Klan.

➦In 2016...horror movie TV host and radio personality John Zacherle, nicknamed “The Cool Ghoul,” died  at age 98.  A TV movie host in Philadelphia and New York in the 1950’s and 60’s, he also hosted a TV dance show, which led to him becoming morning radio host on WNEW-FM NYC.

Zacherley made a Halloween appearanceduring a two-hour show at WCBS 101.1 FM with Ron Parker on October 31, 2007. The 89-year-old was one of the very few people left in radio that was older than the medium itself. The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Zacherle into their Hall of Fame in 2010.

Baltimore Radio: C-C-Changes At Talk WCBM


Talk Radio WCBM 680 AM has announced major programming changes to its daily line-up. The station is moving in a different direction and is making significant changes to the morning show.

Long-time newsman and co-host Frank Luber is exiting the show. Frank and Nicholas Mangione were instrumental in establishing WCBM Radio as a major news-talk presence in Baltimore.

Frank Luber
For the last 27 years, Frank Luber and Sean Casey have been waking up listeners with the daily news and discussion of current events making the Sean & Frank,” Maryland’s Wake-Up Call”, the longest running news-talk morning show in Baltimore radio history. The duo has broadcast nearly 7,000 shows in that time. Luber will stay on at WCBM to help with special projects and to continue to serve as a spokesman for some of the station’s major advertisers. His last appearance on the morning show will be Thursday October 31, 2019.

Starting Monday, November 4th, the following weekday programming changes take effect:
  • The Fox News Rundown, featuring top newsmakers and Fox reporters and guests plus a daily commentary and significant issues of the day, will air from 5-6am.
  • The Morning Drive with Casey & Elliott premieres at 6am and continues through 9am. Current mid-day air personality Bruce Elliott will join Sean Casey as the co-host for real news and informed opinion. Chuck Whitaker and the Weather Channel offer Traffic & Weather on the 3’s. The show will also feature daily commentaries from nationally-syndicated radio hosts, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity as well as local and national newsmakers. 
  • Elliott comes to the show after hosting his own successful three hour daily talk show when he took over for Tom Marr after his death. Elliott’s resume includes years of broadcast experience in radio and television. Casey continues to serve as the Program Director for both WCBM and sister station Music radio Q1370 (WQLL) as well as hosting the morning show for the past 27 years.
  • Derek Hunter returns to Baltimore after a two year hiatus to host the mid-day slot (nine to noon). The veteran talker is a rising new star in the industry and has worked at the Heritage Foundation, Americans for Tax Reform and as managing editor at The Daily Caller.
  • Bill O’Reilly joins the most powerful names in talk with his daily O’Reilly Update weekday mornings from 11:45 to 12:00PM. Bill is still looking out for listeners with his unique brand of real news and no spin.

CT Radio: Adam Rivers To Program 4 Stations For iHM

Adam Rivers
iHeartMedia has announced today that Adam Rivers has been named Program Director for New Haven. 

Rivers will be responsible for overseeing the programming, music, on-air personalities, promotions and digital operations for Top 40 WKCI KC101, 100.9 The Beat, ESPN Radio 1300 WAVZ and News/Talk WELI 960 AM. He will report to Joey Brooks, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Hartford and New Haven and will continue to serve as an afternoon host for KC101.

“Over the past several years, Adam has truly been the backbone here at KC101 and a staple in Connecticut radio,” said Steve Honeycomb, Region President for iHeartMedia Hartford. “Adam’s years of experience and the way he engages with his listeners go far beyond his afternoon drive show and we couldn’t be happier to see him evolve into this new role here in New Haven, Connecticut.”

Rivers has served as the APD/MD for iHeartMedia Connecticut’s KC101 and WKSS (KISS 95-7) since 2013. He also served as the Program Director for KISS 98.3 in Winchester, Virginia, a swing talent for WMAS-FM in Springfield, Massachusetts as well as assistant program director/marketing director and night host for WILI-FM in Willimantic, Connecticut. He began his career at KISS 95-7 in Hartford, Connecticut.

“A special thanks to iHeartMedia New Haven and Hartford, the market leaders and everyone else who has played a continuing part in my development as a programmer and on-air talent,” said Rivers. “I look forward to many years of continued success at iHeartRadio New Haven.”

Ex-NBC News Employees Free To Speak On Harassment


Former NBC News employees no longer need to fear confidentiality or non-disparagement obligations should they speak out about sexual harassment.

Former staffers who contact NBCUniversal will be released from these provisions in their separation agreements, according to a statement provided to USAToday by NBCUniversal Spokesperson Hilary Smith.

“NBC News has only two agreements with women relating to complaints of sexual harassment by Lauer - both entered into after his termination - and both women are free to tell their stories about Lauer," the statement read.

"Any former NBC News employee who believes that they cannot disclose their experience with sexual harassment as a result of a confidentiality or non-disparagement provision in their separation agreement should contact NBCUniversal and we will release them from that perceived obligation."

The announcement comes in the wake of Ronan Farrow's explosive new book "Catch and Kill," which details multiple allegations of sexual misconduct at the company, including a producer who claimed that Matt Lauer raped her. (Lauer denies the allegation.)

In his new book, Farrow, who won a Pulitzer for his reporting on the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal, said NBC had received multiple complaints about former "Today" host Matt Lauer before his firing. Farrow, who took his Weinstein story to The New Yorker after NBC declined to run it, told USA TODAY that NBC has engaged in a cover-up and that the story is "bigger" than the allegations against Lauer.

Ronan Farrow says NBC’s alleged cover-up of sexual misconduct is ‘bigger’ than Matt Lauer
NBC News President Noah Oppenheim disputed Farrow's allegations and says the author has an "ax to grind."

Rachel Maddow Unloads On NBC News Bosses

MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow publicly confronted the leadership of her own network on Friday night, declaring live on air that she and other NBC News employees had deep concerns about whether the organization had stymied Ronan Farrow’s reporting on the movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. The NYTimes is reporting.

In a prime-time monologue, Maddow questioned why NBC News executives had not invited an independent investigation of the Weinstein episode or the workplace behavior of Matt Lauer, the former “Today” show anchor who was fired in 2017 after a colleague accused him of sexual misconduct.

“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs in this company since I’ve been here,” Ms. Maddow said.

“It would be impossible for me to overstate the amount of consternation inside the building around this issue.”

Maddow interviewed Farrow on her show — itself a surprise booking considering her bosses have been at war with him since the publication of his new book, “Catch and Kill,” in which he asserts that NBC executives blocked his reporting on Weinstein’s brutal treatment of women.


Maddow — whose program is MSNBC’s No. 1 ratings draw — represents the biggest name in the NBC family to express misgivings over the network’s handling of Mr. Farrow’s reporting. Her on-air statements on Friday were likely to increase pressure on the NBC News leadership team, including the chairman, Andrew Lack, and the news division president, Noah Oppenheim, who have faced scrutiny from the press and inside network headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Youngstown OH Radio: Happy Holidays From WWIZ


CUMULUS MEDIA announces the launch of WWIZ Christmas 104, an all-Christmas radio station bringing holiday cheer and the season’s best Christmas music to the Mahoning Valley. Christmas 104, The Valley’s Christmas Station, debuted Friday at 12:00pm Noon.

WWIZ-FM, formerly programmed as “Z104, The Valley’s Goodtime Oldies” station.

Bing Crosby’s Christmas classic, “White Christmas”, kicked off the festive lineup of holiday tunes, which will run through year-end on WWIZ-FM.

Bill Kelly, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Youngstown, said: “With everything going on in the Mahoning Valley and in the world these days, we felt we could all use a little more Christmas right now. Playing Christmas music this early in the season will get our listeners in the Valley into the holiday spirit even more this year!"

October 26 Radio History






➦In 1935...Fraces Gumm, a talented twelve-year-old sang on Wallace Beery’s NBC radio show. The young girl would soon be in pictures and at the top of stardom. It would be only four years before the renamed Judy Garland captured the hearts of moviegoers as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz



➦In 1940...Hazelwood Broadcasting put WLOF 1230 AM on the air (We-Love-Orlando-Florida).

It would be Orlando's second radio station. WLOF began broadcasting at 6:30AM with 250 watts of power and radius of 50 miles.

The studios and offices were located on the mezzanine floor of the Angebilt Hotel. The station was an affiliate of the National Broadcasting Co. (NBC), switching to Mutual in 1947.

Also, The station was moved to 950 kHz in 1947 and power was increased to 5,000 Watts.



➦In 1965...The Beatles receive Members of the British Empire (MBE) medals from Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony staged at Buckingham Palace. It is the first such honor ever given to a rock band, causing many former recipients, many distinguished military personnel, to return their medals in disgust. According to John, the group is so nervous beforehand that it gets high on marijuana in a palace bathroom; during the ceremony, when Her Majesty asks the group how long it's been together, Ringo

➦In 1968...Having been fired from WOR-FM, Legendary DJ Murray The K moves across town in New York, again becoming one of the WMCA 570 AM "Good Guys" working a weekend shift.

➦In 1990...CBS founder & CEO William S. Paley died at age 89 after a heart attack and kidney failure.

William S. Paley - 1937
Paley's father Samuel Paley was a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine who ran a cigar company. As the company became increasingly successful, Paley became a millionaire, and moved his family to Philadelphia in the early 1920s. In 1927, Paley's father, brother-in-law and some business partners bought a struggling Philadelphia-based radio network of 16 station called the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System.  Samuel Paley's intention was to use his acquisition as an advertising medium for promoting the family's cigar business, which included the La Palina brand. Within a year, under William's leadership, cigar sales had more than doubled, and, in 1928, the Paley family secured majority ownership of the network from their partners. Within a decade, William S. Paley had expanded the network to 114 affiliate stations.

Paley quickly grasped the earnings potential of radio and recognized that good programming was the key to selling advertising time and, in turn, bringing in profits to the network and to affiliate owners. Before Paley, most businessmen viewed stations as stand-alone local outlets or, in other words, as the broadcast equivalent of local newspapers. Individual stations originally bought programming from the network and, thus, were considered the network's clients.

Paley changed broadcasting's business model not only by developing successful and lucrative broadcast programming but also by viewing the advertisers as the most significant element of the broadcasting equation. Paley provided network programming to affiliate stations at a nominal cost, thereby ensuring the widest possible distribution for both the programming and the advertising. The advertisers then became the network's primary clients and, because of the wider distribution brought by the growing network, Paley was able to charge more for the ad time. Affiliates were required to carry programming offered by the network for part of the broadcast day, receiving a portion of the network's fees from advertising revenue. At other times in the broadcast day, affiliates were free to offer local programming and sell advertising time locally.

Paley's recognition of how to harness the potential reach of broadcasting was the key to his growing CBS from a tiny chain of stations into what was eventually one of the world's dominant communication empires. During his prime, Paley was described as having an uncanny sense for popular taste and exploiting that insight to build the CBS network. As war clouds darkened over Europe in the late 1930s, Paley recognized Americans' desire for news coverage of the coming war and built the CBS news division into a dominant force just as he had previously built the network's entertainment division.

Ed Walker, Willard Scott
➦In 2015...Longtime Washington, DC radio personality/Radio Hall of Famer Ed Walker, whose 60-year broadcasting career included co-hosting "The Joy Boys" with Willard Scott until 1972, died of cancer at 83. (Read More Here)

Friday, October 25, 2019

Entercom, Accuweather Partner For Hyper-Local Forecasts


Entercom has announced a digital content integration with AccuWeather, the world’s largest and fastest-growing weather and digital media company. The partnership scales across RADIO.COM, the exclusive digital home for all Entercom content across its robust portfolio of 235 stations.

The AccuWeather widget is integrated across all RADIO.COM station websites, providing hyper-localized forecasts for users accessing RADIO.COM content, including its leading local news and sports radio portfolio and full suite of leading music stations, podcasts and on-demand audio content. The widget will provide current temperature, precipitation, and high and low temperatures in an easy to interpret design and will direct users to the AccuWeather website for more detailed and extensive forecasts.

“This new integration adds real value for our users and we are pleased to team up with AccuWeather, the leaders in the weather information space, to further personalize their experience on RADIO.COM,” said Pam Russo, Senior Vice President and General Manager, RADIO.COM. “Our listeners trust and recognize AccuWeather’s unparalleled weather reports from our on-air programming, and we’re excited to now make this content available to them online.”

“We are very excited to be making AccuWeather’s local forecasts more accessible to more people through this partnership,” says Kurt Fulepp, Chief Product Officer, AccuWeather. “As the leading provider of hyperlocal weather forecasts, AccuWeather is an ideal partner to support Entercom’s emphasis on delivering the most locally relevant content to their audience.”

For over 20 years, Entercom stations, including 1010 WINS in New York, the most listened to news station in the country, News Radio 950 WWJ-AM in Detroit, News Radio 1020 KDKA AM in Pittsburgh and News Radio 1120 KMOX in St. Louis have featured AccuWeather forecasts as part of their programming.

Philly Radio: WNTP Adds Chris Stigall For Mornings

Salem Media Group's NewsTalk WNTP 990 AM has named Chris Stigall as new morning anchor.

He'll join the lineup with fellow hosts Mike Gallagher, Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager, Sebastian Gorka, Larry Elder and Eric Metaxas.

Stigall’s radio career has spanned nearly twenty years as a producer, writer, news anchor, and DJ prior to making the shift to talk radio. Chris also worked as a former intern on the Late Show with David Letterman and as a congressional staffer in the U-S House of Representatives.
“We are all very proud to have Chris join our roster of some of the best talent on radio today,” said Lorenzo Caldara, General Manager at News Talk 990.

“Chris brings with him depth of knowledge of both local and national politics while evoking both thought and laughter from his audience. I look forward to hearing Chris engage our great city and beyond every morning Monday through Friday.” WNTP NewsTalk 990 AM is part of Salem Media Group.

Stigall most was at Entercom's crosstown WPHT 1210 AM and has been talking with Philadelphia for years, waking radio audiences each morning with razor-sharp wit, a pull-no-punches opinion, and captivating guest interviews. He’s covered everything from political conventions to the Super Bowl parade and sugary beverage taxes. From train derailments and protests to the Mummers to law enforcement heroes, Stigall has talked with Philadelphia about it all.

Stigall’s radio career has spanned nearly twenty years as a producer, writer, news anchor, and DJ prior to making the shift to talk radio. Since 2009, Talkers Magazine lists him as one of the "100 Most Important Radio Hosts in America.”

Profits Off For Amazon

Wall Street Journal graphic
Amazon.com Inc. profit machine sputtered again after more than two years of surging growth, weighed down by the tech giant’s heavy investment into reducing shipping times for retail customers.

The Wall Street Journal reports Amazon's third-quarter profit fell 26% from a year ago to $2.1 billion, or $4.23 a share, missing analysts’ consensus estimate of $4.59 a share, according to FactSet. That was its first profit decline since 2017, and followed a second quarter in which the company ended its streak of record quarterly profits and missed analyst expectations.

Revenue in the latest period rose 24% to $70 billion—better than analysts’ estimates—compared with a 20% increase three months earlier. The third quarter included Prime Day, a July shopping event created to sign up new Prime subscriptions by offering members steep sales discounts.

Amazon’s profit miss sent shares down more than 7% in after-hours trading Thursday. Before the late-afternoon report, the stock was up nearly 16% this year, giving the company a market value of around $881 billion.

Amazon’s advertising business registered $3.6 billion in sales, a 43.7% increase from the year-earlier period. The unit, which sells advertising space in the form of sponsored products in search and display ads, has become another cash cow for the company.

Facebook Test Launches News Service


Facebook Inc. has reached deals with several of the nation’s biggest news outlets to contribute to the social-media giant’s news section, which will launch Friday with a limited test audience of 200,000 users.

Outlets that have agreed to participate include ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, Condé Nast, the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg Media and USA Today publisher Gannett Co., people familiar with the matter said.

The Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed News, Business Insider and the Washington Post are also part of the service, the Journal previously reported.

Facebook will pay licensing fees, which can vary substantially, to many of its media partners. In its discussions, Facebook had been offering from hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for smaller publishers to a few million for bigger ones, and substantially more for the very largest outlets, according to people familiar with those talks.

News Corp’s deal with Facebook—which covers the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal and other Dow Jones publications, such as MarketWatch and Barron’s—will generate fees reaching into the double-digit millions of dollars annually, people familiar with the agreement said. A News Corp spokesman declined to comment.

Facebook hasn’t disclosed financial terms of its arrangements with publishers.

The New York Times has been in talks with Facebook, but hasn’t reached a deal to join, people familiar with the matter said.

Facebook has said it plans to include news from as many as 200 publications, although many won’t receive licensing fees, the Journal has reported. When users click on a link within Facebook News, they’ll be sent to the publisher’s site.

Licensing fees have been viewed as a potentially valuable source of revenue for publishers who are struggling to compete for digital ad dollars against Facebook and Google, the so-called duopoly that together commands nearly 60% of the U.S. market. Many publishers are trying to develop other revenue streams, such as user subscriptions, events and content licensing.

The news product will initially launch to a test audience but will be expanded to a broader group of readers early next year, Facebook said.

Orlando Radio: Country WWKA Revamps Line-Up

Cox Media Group (CMG) Orlando has named Michael “Slater” Wheaton afternoon host on WWKA K92.3. Slater, who was recently morning co- host/producer of the Obie & Ashley in the Morning show, will host weekdays from 3-7p.

“I’m excited for what the future holds for the K92.3 On-Air Family,” says Slater. “Our listeners deserve the ultimate afternoon experience, that is second to none and I won’t stop until that’s what they receive. A HUGE thank you to the entire CMG leadership group seeing me primed for the position. Buckle Up.”

Slater
Additionally, Melissa Quinones is being elevated from part-time night host to full-time midday host on WWKA/K92.3. Melissa will host weekdays from 10a-3p also starting Thursday, October 24th.

“I grew up in Orlando listening to the music and on-air personalities of K92.3. Being able to say that I am now a full-time part of this team is a dream come true,” exclaims Melissa. “I cannot wait to continue bringing the country music world to Orlando.”

Finally, Macie Banks will be hosting nights on WWKA/K92.3 based out of Cox Media Group Athens, GA. Macie currently hosts mornings on WNGC and will add the night show responsibilities. Macie will host weeknights from 7p-12m starting Thursday, October 24th.

“I am so excited to take on this new role with K92.3, and so grateful for this opportunity,” says Macie. “Can’t wait to bring the energy to nights in Orlando!”

Director of Operations for Cox Media Group Orlando, Steve Stewart, who also serves as Brand Manager for WWKA/K92.3 summed up these exciting changes by saying, “we are thrilled to make these moves on K92.3 and to position the station for continued growth and success!”

PA Radio: Forever's WQWK, WRSC Add FM Translators

A pair of State College, PA talk and sports radio stations that have been longtime staples on the AM dial now have an FM signal as well.

Forever Media, Inc. has announced WQWK 1450 ESPN Radio 1450 has added translator W279DK 103.7 FM and Newsradio WRSC 1390 is now broadcasting at W227DV 93.3 FM.

“These new signals will allow us to better serve our current listeners and also reach a whole new audience,” Chris Prospero, director of broadcast operations for Forever Media State College, said in a news release. “This project has been in the works for a longtime… and our current programming on WQWK and WRSC is now simulcast 24-hours a day on the new FM frequencies.”

WQWK broadcasts Penn State sports, including football, basketball and baseball, as well as State High football and basketball and "Sports Talk with Steve Jones." An ESPN Radio affiliate, it also carries national sports talk shows like "Golic and Wengo" and "The Dan LeBetard Show," and airs national playoff and championship events such as the Super Bowl, World Series and the College Football Playoff National Championship.

WRSC is home to the weekday show "Morning Guys," with Jeff Byers and Gary Sinderson, AccuWeather reports and nationally syndicated conservative talk shows including Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Joe Pags. The station also broadcasts Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Penn State wrestling and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey.

Forever Media's other State College-area properties are FM stations Majic 93.7, 99.5 The Bus, Big Froggy 101.1 and Happy 103.1.

Jacobs Media Gearing-Up For Techsurvey 2020

Jacobs Media has announced that registration is open for commercial radio stations to participate in Techsurvey 2020.

The previous survey launched early in 2019 broke ground once again in the annual series that began in 2005. Overall, more than 500 radio stations across North America, representing a diverse group of broadcasting companies, contributed more than 50,000 respondents to radio’s largest web survey devoted to media and technology.

Fourteen different formats were represented, helping programmers and managers focus their efforts and resources on what is truly important for their listeners. Techsurvey 2020 will provide even more insights as Jacobs Media tracks media usage and tech trends.


Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs noted, “Our Techsurvey 2019 study from earlier this year once again revealed compelling data, both on a national level and among individual radio station audiences, to help broadcasters navigate the shifting media environment. As digital audio proliferates and with the rapid adoption of smart speakers, voice technology, and podcasting, this study also helps broadcasters better understand radio’s unique attributes crucial to thriving in the new media landscape. We’re looking forward to Techsurvey 2020 and another great turnout.”

This year's study will launch in early January. Stations have until Friday, December 20th to sign up: jacobsmedia.com/techsurvey

Techsurvey 2020 will again feature trending so broadcasters can track the changes that occur with audience usage and habits from year-to-year, as well as delving into the following areas: 
  • Further exploration into how generations impact behaviors and media choices
  • Smart speakers, the voice revolution, and how radio broadcasters can take optimal advantage of this opportunity
  • A continued deep look at the state of podcasting – who’s participating, how on-demand audio is used, preferred podcast genres, and their impact on over-the-air radio listening
  • Now that Nielsen will be surveying its PPM markets to measure headphone usage, Techsurvey 2020 will include this topic, and break it down by formats to help determine the highest impact
  • Facebook is under immense pressure, and Techsurvey 2020 will explore whether it is impacting usage. And of course, the other key social platforms – Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and TikTok – will be accounted for as well.
  • Use of Internet radio, from station streams to Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Music and others
  • A deeper look into mobile apps and their proliferation, including individual station apps, as well as iHeartRadio and Radio.com
  • Privacy concerns and how they impact the way stations interact with their listeners digitally
  • Video games – who’s playing them and how radio broadcasters can take advantage of this explosive trend, including eSports
  • How listeners learn about and connect with their favorite stations using streams, websites, social media, smart speakers, podcasts, etc.
  • Connected cars, their continued growth, and their impact on media consumption and driving
  • The changing world of new music discovery
The public release of Techsurvey 2020 will premiere at the 10th anniversary of Worldwide Radio Summit in Burbank, CA, on March 26th, 2020.
Stations can participate in two different ways:
  1. No fee – This allows participation in the results webinar, along with receiving national data
  2. A small fee based on market size – Stakeholder stations receive all the national data, participation in the webinar, as well as an in-depth look at their unique audience, their format’s audience, including their station’s “Media Usage Pyramid” and “Brand Platform Pyramid.” We are holding prices at last year’s levels to give everyone a chance to see their station data.
Broadcasters can sign up online at jacobsmedia.com/techsurvey and/or contact Lisa Riker at Jacobs Media for more information: 248-353-9030 or lisariker@jacobsmedia.com

Pew Research: NYC Is Media's Newsroom Capital

Pew Research Center just published a new analysis finding that New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. are home to a disproportionately large share of the nation’s newsroom employees.

Based on an examination of U.S. Census Bureau data covering the period from 2013 to 2017, the analysis finds New York, at 12%, has the greatest share of all U.S. newsroom employees – those who work as reporters, editors, photographers and videographers in the newspaper, broadcasting and internet publishing industries.

This is more than twice the share living in the Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., metro areas, which are each home to 5% of the nation’s newsroom employees.

Among the 10 largest U.S. metro areas by total population, only New York and Washington are home to larger shares of the nation’s newsroom employees than of U.S. workers.

Newsroom employees are more likely than all U.S. workers to live in the Northeast. Roughly a quarter (24%) of all newsroom employees work in this region, compared with 18% of workers overall. They are less likely to live in the South: A third of newsroom employees live in the South, compared with 37% of workers overall. About the same share of newsroom employees and all workers live in the West (22% vs. 23%) and Midwest (20% vs. 22%).

U-K Radio: Audience Share Biggest In 20 Years


Audience growth has helped commercial radio achieve its biggest share of the market in more than 20 years, with a share of listening hours at 48.1%, up 5.3% year-on-year from 45.7%.

That’s according to new figures (Q3 2019) published by RAJAR, the body responsible for measuring radio audiences in the UK, reports Radiocentre.

Following a strong first half of the year, commercial radio has cemented this growth with reach of 35.9m people in the UK every week, up from 35.8m in the same quarter last year. Commercial radio’s average weekly hours are now at 13.2, up from 13.1 in Q3 2018.

Across all of radio, the share of listening via connected devices (online and via apps) was up 35.4% year-on-year, from 9.6% to 13%, supported by the rise of smart speakers. Digital listening’s overall share (including DAB and digital TVs) rose 8.4% from 52.4% in Q3 2018 to 56.8%, with 65% of the population now tuning in to digital radio every week.

Overall radio listening remains steady with nine out of ten people (88% of the population) tuning in to live radio each week for an average of 20.4 hours.

Indie Acts Calling For Boycott Of Amazon Music Festival

Amazon is under fire from a growing number of musicians vowing to refrain from any Amazon-linked events or partnerships, reports The Seattle Times.

Last week, eyebrows raised when Amazon Web Services unveiled a pretty solid lineup for a Las Vegas music festival. The Intersect Music Festival (Dec. 6-7) is an open-to-the-public ancillary event to an annual conference Amazon hosts. The two-day fest is set to include stars such as Washington’s own Brandi Carlile, the Foo Fighters, Kacey Musgraves, Beck, and Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, plus hip indie acts Toro y Moi, Japanese Breakfast, Jpegmafia, and Sub Pop’s Weyes Blood.

In response, digital rights organization Fight for the Future launched a “No Music for ICE” petition on Wednesday, calling on artists to boycott Amazon-backed events and partnerships over its cloud services contracts with ICE and other federal agencies. “We the undersigned artists are outraged that Amazon continues to provide the technical backbone for ICE’s human rights abuses,” reads an open letter signed by more some 475 artists as of this writing.

Among its demands, the letter asks Amazon to terminate contracts with military, police and government agencies “that commit human rights abuses” and stop providing cloud services to organizations “that power the US government’s deportation machine.”

An Amazon representative could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

Thus far, the growing number of petition signers have largely been indie acts, a roster that would make for a stellar music festival of their own, but without enough commercial sway to really make the tech juggernaut feel it. A number of Seattle musicians have signed the pledge, including Car Seat Headrest, Chastity Belt, Versing, Lisa Prank, Razor Clam, Emma Lee Toyoda, and Great Grandpa’s Alex Menne.

Poll: Majority of Americans Want First 1A Rewritten


A majority of Americans believe the First Amendment should be rewritten and are willing to crack down on free speech, as well as the press, according to a new poll.

More than 60 percent of Americans agree on restricting speech in some way, while a slim majority, 51 percent, want to see the First Amendment rewritten to "reflect the cultural norms of today." The Campaign for Free Speech, which conducted the survey, said the results "indicate free speech is under more threat than previously believed."

"The findings are frankly extraordinary," executive director Bob Lystad told the Washington Free Beacon. "Our free speech rights and our free press rights have evolved well over 200 years, and people now seem to be rethinking them."

Of the 1,004 respondents, young people were the most likely to support curbing free expression and punishing those who engage in "hate speech." Nearly 60 percent of Millennials—respondents between the ages of 21 and 38—agreed that the Constitution "goes too far in allowing hate speech in modern America" and should be rewritten, compared to 48 percent of Gen Xers and 47 percent of Baby Boomers. A majority of Millennials also supported laws that would make "hate speech" a crime—of those supporters, 54 percent said violators should face jail time.

American hostility to the First Amendment did not stop at speech. Many would also like to see a crackdown on the free press. Nearly 60 percent of respondents agreed that the "government should be able to take action against newspapers and TV stations that publish content that is biased, inflammatory, or false." Of those respondents, 46 percent supported possible jail time.

SiriusXM Radio: Ready With Music For The Holidays

SiriusXM has announced its extensive holiday music lineup featuring 15 commercial free channels including the much anticipated Holly and Holiday Traditions channels. Hallmark Channel Radio will kick off the holiday season Friday, October 25, and 12 more music channels will start broadcasting on Friday, November 1.

SiriusXM's holiday music channels will offer listeners a variety of traditional holiday songs, classic Christmas carols, holiday pop songs, country Christmas classics, contemporary holiday tunes, seasonal soul music, Hanukkah music, and classical Christmas favorites.

SiriusXM will again launch a collection of holiday music online channels, including 70s/80s Christmas, Rockin' Xmas, Holiday Chill-Out, Latin seasonal music and Jazz Holidays. Subscribers are able to listen online, on-the-go with the SiriusXM mobile app, and at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, Amazon Alexa devices, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more. Go to www.SiriusXM.com/streaming to learn more.

SiriusXM's holiday channel lineup features:

➤Holly ( via satellite on channel 65 and on channel 30)
Contemporary holiday hits featuring songs by Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Michael Bublé, Pentatonix, Josh Groban, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Idina Menzel, and more.
Friday, November 1 – Thursday, December 5 at 3:00 am ET on Channel 65
Thursday, December 5 – Saturday, December 28 at 3:00 am ET on Channel 30

➤Holiday Traditions (via satellite on channel 73)
Traditional holiday recordings from the '40s through the '60s by artists such as Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Ray Conniff and Nat King Cole.
Friday, November 1 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET

➤Hallmark Channel Radio (via satellite on channel 70)
Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas celebrates its 10th Anniversary as one of your family's traditions for the holidays. Now we're bringing the warmth and joy of the season back to SiriusXM with Hallmark Channel Radio, featuring timeless Christmas music and carols - a perfect way to celebrate the wonder of this festive time of year. It's the songs you love, brought to you by your favorite Hallmark Channel stars, like Candace Cameron Bure, who will share their own favorite carols, traditions and take you behind the scenes of their new movies.
Friday, October 25 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET

➤Holiday Pops (via streaming on channel 780 and via satellite on channel 76)
Classical Christmas carols and holiday favorites performed by the greatest classical artists of all-time, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Luciano Pavarotti, New York Philharmonic, King's College Choir, Boston Pops and Thomas Hampson.
Friday, November 1 – Tuesday, December 24 at 3:00 am ET on streaming-only channel 780
Tuesday, December 24 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET on channel 76

➤Country Christmas (via streaming on channel 779 and via satellite on channel 58)
A wide-ranging assortment of country Christmas music, including Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Willie Nelson, Kacey Musgraves and more.
Friday, November 1 – Tuesday, December 3 at 3:00 am ET on streaming-only channel 779
Tuesday, December 3 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET on channel 58

➤Navidad (via streaming on channel 781)
Latin holiday music and traditional sounds, including Víctor Manuelle, Gloria Estefan, José Feliciano, Marco Antonio Solis, El Gran Combo and Tito El Bambino.
Friday, November 1 – Tuesday, January 7 at 3:00 am ET

➤Holiday Soul (via streaming on channel 778 and via satellite on channel 49)
Classic soul and Motown holiday music from the '60s and '70s, along with R&B holiday music from the '80s and early '90s, including Aretha Franklin, Temptations, James Brown, Lou Rawls, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Dionne Warwick, The Jackson 5, The Four Tops, The Supremes, The O'Jays, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton.
Friday, November 1 – Tuesday, December 3 at 3:00 am ET on streaming-only channel 778
Tuesday, December 3 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET on channel 49

➤Radio Hanukkah (via satellite and streaming on channel 788)
Extensive collection of Hanukkah-themed music, including contemporary, traditional and children's selections as well as daily reflections and prayers related to the holiday.
Friday, December 20 – Tuesday, December 31 at 3:00 am ET

➤Acoustic Christmas (via streaming on channel 782 and via satellite on channel 14)
Unplug with acoustic holiday songs. From re-imagined versions of classics to new holiday tunes from singer songwriters and bands like Jack Johnson, George Ezra, Norah Jones, Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, The Lumineers, Jewel and many more
Friday, November 1 – Saturday, December 14 at 3:00 am ET on streaming-only channel 782
Friday, December 20 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET on channel 14

➤Christmas Spirit (via streaming on channel 787 and via satellite on channel 63)
Christmas music and holiday favorites exclusively from contemporary Christian artists including MercyMe, Lauren Daigle, for KING & COUNTRY, Michael W. Smith and more.
Friday, November 1 – Saturday, December 14 at 3:00 am ET on streaming-only channel 787
Friday, December 20 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET on channel 63

➤70s/80s Christmas (via streaming on channel 783)
Sing-a-long to the biggest and most familiar Christmas and holiday songs from the 70s & 80s.
Friday, November 1 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET

➤Rockin' Xmas (via streaming on channel 784)
The Rockin' Xmas Channel features classic Christmas songs that rock including hits, rarities, live tracks and some that might make you laugh.
Friday, November 1 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET

➤Holiday Chill-Out (via streaming on channel 785)
SiriusXM brings you a 24/7 Holiday Chill-Out channel featuring downtempo electronic holiday music from artists like Kaskade, Lost Frequencies. DJ Style and more.
Friday, November 1 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET

➤Jazz Holidays (via streaming on channel 786)
Fire up the chestnuts and be prepared to bop along under the mistletoe with Christmas favorites from classic legends and contemporary jazz stars alike. Featuring songs from Ella Fitzgerald, Kenny G, Count Basie Orchestra, Diana Krall, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Koz, and Vince Guaraldi.
Friday, November 1 – Thursday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET

➤New Year's Nation (via satellite on channel 30)
New Year's Nation is custom-created to serve as the ultimate soundtrack to New Year's Eve parties around the country. The channel will feature the biggest, upbeat party hits from genres across SiriusXM's music platform.
Saturday, December 28 – Thursday, January 2 at 3:00 am ET.

Fox News Viewers Believe Economy Rosier Than MSNBC Viewers

The performance of the U.S. economy has been a solid clue to the outcome of past presidential elections.

Reuters reports the upcoming campaign may be different, according to results of a new “big data” survey of consumers showing that views about the economy have split along partisan lines, associated with whether an individual approves or disapproves of President Donald Trump, watches Fox News or MSNBC, or identifies as conservative or liberal.

The online poll, by data firm Morning Consult, asks the same five core questions as the University of Michigan’s well-known consumer sentiment survey, and for nearly two years has been collecting about 210,000 responses a month, compared to 500 or so each month for the Michigan survey.

It also includes questions about the respondents’ political leanings, and an initial set of results released Wednesday showed a stark division that may make it hard to interpret how the economy’s performance will play out in 2020 presidential voting.

American voters face the same set of economic facts, from low unemployment to the risks from a trade war, but the survey’s index of overall sentiment - at 108 just above the 100 line that separates positive from negative impressions of the economic outlook - masked the huge divide between those who approve of Trump, whose views measured a far rosier 136, and those who disapprove of the president, with a reading of 88.

The results, weighted by factors like age, race and sex, to be nationally representative, were similarly skewed based on media consumption. Viewers of conservative-leaning Fox News registered 139 for current sentiment about the economy; viewers of MSNBC, an outlet often critical of Trump, registered 89. Readers of the New York Times sat in the middle at 107, near those who get their news from Facebook (110) and Twitter (112).

The survey will be ongoing, and Morning Consult analyst John Leer said the questions on political alignment, Trump approval and media diet, were included as part of an effort by economists and analysts to try to better define how opinions are shaped and how they influence behavior.

While such factors have been good predictors of electoral results in the past, “it’s important to distinguish the underlying economic phenomenon from political bias,” Leer said, noting what he called the “potentially recursive relationship between consumer confidence and news consumption habits.”

October 25 Radio History


➦In 1937...The soap opera "Stella Dallas" made its debut on WEAF in New York City.

It aired until December 23, 1955. The New York Times described the title character as "the beautiful daughter of an impoverished farmhand who had married above her station in life."

She was played for the entire run of the series by Anne Elstner (1902–1982). Her husband Stephen Dallas was portrayed by various actors.  The series was created and produced by the husband and wife team of Frank and Anne Hummert, based on the 1923 novel Stella Dallas by Olive Higgins Prouty. The 15-minute drama began on October 25, 1937, as a local show on WEAF in New York City, in the wake of the successful movie version starring Barbara Stanwyck, and it was picked up by the NBC Radio network beginning June 6, 1938, running weekday afternoons.

➦In 1959...Chicago-based announcer & host Bob Murphy (not to be confused with sportscaster Bob Murphy) died at age 42.  He was best known nationally for his announcing & substitute hosting on Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club on ABC Radio.

➦In 1984...The summer ratings book…

Los Angeles – KIIS-FM (top-40) gets a 10.0 share. Rival KKHR is up to a 3.0. Talk KABC is up to a 7.9. Easy JOI – 4.4 and Easy KBIG – 4.1. Rock KLOS down to a 3.5 from a 3.9. Nostalgia KMPC at a 3.4 and AC KOST gets a 2.7. Rock KMET is at a #.1, All news KNX and  KFWB are tied at a 2.9.  A/C KFI is up to a 1.8 from a 1.4. KHTZ is at a 2.0.

In New York – WHTZ – 6.6 and rival WPLJ – 5.3.  WRKS gets a 5.4. WOR – 4.7. WINS – 4.4 and Easy WRFM – 3.7. Urban WBLS at a 3.5. WBLS is the “Quiet Storm” at night. WKTU – 3.1. WNBC – 3.0 and Country WHN – 2.9. WNEW AM and WNEW-FM both at a 3.1. WLTW and WYNY are tied at a 2.8. WABC gets a 2.6. WAPP – 2.4 and WMCA – 1.5

Chicago – Top-4- WBBM FM – 5.0. WGN-AM – 11.4 share. Easy WLOO – 6.8.

Boston – Rock WBCN – 8.6. A/C WHDH – 8.4. Top-40 WXKS – 7.5. WBZ – 7.4. Top-40 WHTT – 6.6. Talk WRKO – 4.7


➦In 1984...CKLW Windsor/Detroit is switched to a nostalgia music format.

Out was long-time music director Rosalie Trombley who served in that capacity since CKLW’s influential heyday in the ‘60’s. In the summer ratings book, CKLW dropped again, from a 1.2 to a .7.

Many believe that CKLW started to decline in popularity after Canadian content regulations went into effect. Although having to play some "CanCon" songs that generated little in the way of sales put the station at a competitive disadvantage compared to its U.S.-based competition, CKLW still managed to help break a number of Canadian songs and artists in the United States.

Just as, if not more, responsible for the decline in CKLW's ratings as the 1970s wore on was the rise of FM radio as an outlet for contemporary music, as the station gained a direct FM Top 40 competitor, WDRQ, in 1972, and its listening audience was also fragmented between album oriented rock outlets such as WWWW, WRIF and WABX and adult contemporary stations like WNIC and WMJC.



The Canadian government's initial unwillingness to licence FM frequencies with pop or rock formats stranded Canadian stations on AM while an entire demographic of listeners began the exodus to US-based FM outlets anywhere the signals were in range. For many younger listeners by 1978, CKLW was the station they listened to only if they had an AM-only radio in their cars.

As a result, like many other powerhouse AM Top 40 stations, CKLW evolved during the late 1970s into an Adult Top 40 sound. The station's music softened to the point where by 1982 it gave no airtime to harder-rocking songs like Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", and jingles were initially phased out, with new jingles and a new slogan ("The Great Entertainer") being introduced in 1979.



Dick Purtan joined the station for mornings in 1978, coming over from WXYZ-AM. Largely due to Purtan's popularity, CKLW remained a moderately popular station into the early 1980s, but after Purtan departed at the start of 1983 for FM competitor WCZY, the station quickly tumbled to the bottom of Detroit's Arbitron ratings (its last appearance in the Top 10 was in 1981). In an attempt to go after longtime "full service" powerhouse WJR, CKLW converted to AM stereo in 1982 and even got the rights to broadcast University of Michigan football and NASL soccer.

In 1984, the station's owners (Baton Broadcasting) sold CKLW-AM-FM to Russwood Broadcasting Ltd. Also in 1984, CKLW made an attempt to transfer its CHR format to its FM sister station, big band and jazz standards-formatted CKJY. These hopes were dashed when the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) refused to approve the format change on anything more than an "experimental" basis, reasoning that FM was for "fine" music and that Top 40 music belonged on AM.

CLICK HERE for more about CKLW

The final death knell for the "Big 8" came in October 1984, when the station fired 79 staffers (including most of the remaining announcers and Rosalie Trombley), closed its American sales office in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan, and announced that it would soon change format to Al Ham's "Music of Your Life" format of Jazz standards and big-band music and go completely automated.

Morton Downey - 1933
➦In 1985...one of early radio’s singing stars Morton Downey  died at age 83. In 1930, Downey began making national radio broadcasts after opening his own nightclub (The Delmonico) in New York. He was voted America's "Radio Singer of the Year" in 1932. At the time, Downey was featured nightly on the Camel Quarter Hour radio broadcast.  On February 5, 1945, his transcribed program, Songs by Morton Downey, moved from the NBC Blue Network to the Mutual Broadcasting System. The move came after Blue Network officials adopted a policy "against the use of transcriptions for network originated programs, except where technical difficulties void live broadcasts." As a result of the shift, the number of stations carrying the program more than doubled.

➦In 1987...CBS radio correspondent Cecil Brown, one of Ed Murrow’s “boys” who reported from the Pacific front during WWII, died at age 80. In September 1943, Brown resigned from CBS after being rebuked by CBS news director Paul White for expressing an editorial opinion during an August 25 news broadcast. Brown had stated that "a good deal of the enthusiasm for this war is evaporating into thin air." Announcing his resignation Brown said that he could not subscribe to what he characterized as CBS' policy of "non-opinionated" news.

After leaving CBS Brown covered the rest of the war at home, in the United States, for the Mutual Network. When World War II ended, Brown continued to work in broadcast journalism as a correspondent for Mutual, NBC and ABC. He retired from broadcasting in 1967.



➦In 1991...Rock promoter Bill Graham died in a helicopter crash at age 60.

He was killed in a helicopter crash west of Vallejo, CA, while returning home from a Huey Lewis and the News concert at the Concord Pavilion. Graham had attended the event to discuss promoting a benefit concert for the victims of the 1991 Oakland hills firestorm. Once he had obtained a commitment from Huey Lewis to perform, he returned to his helicopter.

Flying in severe weather, with rain and gusty winds, the aircraft flew off course and too low over the tidal marshland north of San Pablo Bay. The Bell Jet Ranger flew directly into a 223-foot high-voltage tower near where Highway 37, which runs between Vallejo, California and Marin County, California, crosses Sonoma Creek. The helicopter burst into flames on impact, killing Graham, pilot and advance man Steve "Killer" Kahn, and Graham's girlfriend, Melissa Gold. The charred remains of the helicopter hung in the tower for more than a day.

Among other events produced by Graham were the Live Aid concert, Amnesty International tour and US Festival.

At times he managed the careers of the Grateful Dead, Van Morrison and Santana.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

In Spite Of Cord Cutters, Comcast Reports $3.2B 3Q Profit


Comcast Corp. reported $3.2 billion in third-quarter profits on Thursday as the cable and media giant added more high-speed internet customers but continued to shed less profitable pay TV viewers.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the company’s cable unit signed up 379,000 broadband customers from July through September, while losing 238,000 Xfinity TV subscribers. The cable division’s revenues were up 4% overall, driven by gains in internet, business services, and wireless revenue.

Despite the cord-cutting woes, analysts have said Comcast’s shift to internet-related businesses should boost profits over time since it would no longer have to pay entertainment companies for the rights to carry their cable channels.

Comcast pulled in $26.8 billion in revenue during the quarter, up 21.2%, largely due to the acquisition of Sky, the European telecommunications company that Comcast bought for $40 billion in late 2018. Net income was up 11.5 percent to $3.2 billion, or 70 cents per share.

NBCUniversal’s revenues dropped 3.5 percent overall and were down across its cable networks (2.8%), broadcast television (9.1%), and filmed entertainment (6.2%) businesses. However, revenue from theme parks jumped 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year.