Saturday, November 2, 2019

November 3 Radio History


➦In 1906...International Radiotelegraph Conference in Berlin selects "SOS" (· · · – – – · · ·) distress signal as the worldwide standard for help


➦In 1946...This photo appeared in the NY Times...


➦In 1957...Sam Phillips, owner of legendary Sun Records in Memphis released Great Balls of Fire, by Jerry Lee Lewis. The single sold 5 million copies worldwide. Looking carefully at the original label, one will find credit to Lewis and “his pumping piano.”

➦In 1962...Billboard magazine drops the "Western" from its "Country and Western" chart title.


➦In 1961...Newscasters and deejays returned to the air on Top40 KFWB 980 AM in Los Angeles after a striking for 122 days. Major provisions included raising base wages of staff announcers (disc jockeys) for the first year as of May 1 to $187.50 a week, $197.50 the second year and $205 the third year. Base wages of three returning newsman will be increased to $195 a week as of December 1st.


The strike took its toll on the station as it slipped a bit in the ratings, seeing most its audience erosion dial over to competitor KRLA 1110 AM. KFWB has been the areas’ #1 station overall with its “Color Radio” format developed by Chuck Blore. The station was owned by Crowell-Collier Broadcasting. Over the next year, KFWB will be instrumental for bringing the “surf sound” to Top40 radio.

➦In 1985...From R&R...



➦In 2014...One of public radio’s most popular personalities, Tom Magliozzi died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at age 77. Tom and his brother, Ray, became famous as “Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers” on the weekly NPR show 'Car Talk'. For 25 years they bantered, told jokes, laughed and sometimes even gave pretty good advice to listeners who called in with their car troubles.

The Time Has Come...

Most of the United States has basked in an extra hour of daylight since the spring. But that's coming to an end. On Nov. 3, most Americans will set their clocks back an hour, as daylight saving time comes to an end for the year. These spring and fall clock changes continue a long tradition started by Benjamin Franklin to conserve energy.

According to LiveScience, Benjamin Franklin takes the honor (or the blame, depending on your view of the time changes) for coming up with the idea to reset clocks in the summer months as a way to conserve energy, according to David Prerau, author of "Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time" (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2005). By moving clocks forward, people could take advantage of the extra evening daylight rather than wasting energy on lighting. At the time, Franklin was ambassador to Paris and so wrote a witty letter to the Journal of Paris in 1784, rejoicing over his "discovery" that the sun provides light as soon as it rises.

Even so, DST didn't officially begin until more than a century later. Germany established DST in May 1916 as a way to conserve fuel during World War I. The rest of Europe came onboard shortly thereafter. And in 1918, the United States adopted daylight saving time.

Though President Woodrow Wilson wanted to keep daylight saving time after WWI ended, the country was mostly rural at the time and farmers objected, partly because it would mean they lost an hour of morning light. (It's a myth that DST was instituted to help farmers.) And so daylight saving time was abolished until the next war brought it back into vogue. At the start of WWII, on Feb. 9, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt re-established daylight saving time year-round, calling it "War Time."

After the war, a free-for-all system in which U.S. states and towns were given the choice of whether or not to observe DST led to chaos. And in 1966, to tame such "Wild West" mayhem, Congress enacted the Uniform Time Act. That federal law meant that any state observing DST — and they didn't have to jump on the DST bandwagon — had to follow a uniform protocol throughout the state in which daylight saving time would begin on the first Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October.

Fewer than 40 percent of the world's countries observe daylight saving time, according to timeanddate.com. However, those that do are taking advantage of the natural daylight in the evenings.

Happy 99th Birthday to KDKA


Today (Nov. 2) marks 99 years since the first broadcast of radio station KDKA Pittsburgh.

While the debate over which commercial station was first on the air may never be resolved, many attribute broadcasting’s beginnings to when the Pittsburgh station began regular programs.

According to Rick Harris at TV News Check, KDKA’s owner Westinghouse Electric soon began the mass production of radio receivers for sale to the general public, helping to create an audience and a market for radio entertainment that had not existed before. Seven more broadcasting stations went on the air in 1921; over 500 more signed on in 1922 and broadcasting’s boom was on.

KDKA’s own roots stem from the work of Westinghouse engineer Frank Conrad. His broadcasts from the amateur station in his backyard garage helped to convince company executives that the future of radio was in mass communication rather than point-to-point.

Interestingly, Conrad’s first garage broadcast took place on Oct. 17, 1919, the very same day that the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was formed.

Read More About KDKA (including audio): Click Here.

CA Radio: Power Outage Silences Country K-FROG


Entercom's Country KFRG 95.1 FM in San Bernardino was off-air Friday due to a power outage.


Apparently a power outage in nearby Colton cut ower the the K-FROG building.  That resulted in keyvards not working, so employees could not enter the building.

So morning morning personalities Ginny Hartman and David Bugkenske did their show on Facebook from a truck in the stations parking lot.

Operations got back to normal shortly after noon Friday.

Baltimore Radio: PD Mike Miller To EXIT CHR WZFT

Mike Miller
Mike Miller, program director at iHeartMedia Baltimore since 2016 at CHR WZFT Z104.3 is exiting.

Miller is returning to the iHM’s Harrisburg cluster as an account executive in mid-December.

“I can’t thank the team at iHeart Baltimore for EVERYTHING they’ve done for me in these last three years.” Miller tells FMQB. “I was allowed to come in and have FUN with WZFT. In these last couple years I’ve learned a ton and I’m very thankful.  At this time I need to do what’s best for my family and I and that’s to come closer to home and try something different. I’m excited for this new venture and am going to miss the Bmore team so much.”

Baltimore SVP/Programming Mike Preston now needs a creative CHR PD who can also host PM Drive and continue building on Miller’s success.

Memphis Radio: Hank McDowell Retires As Radio Analyst

Hank McDowell
It was announced today that Hank McDowell is retiring from his role as radio analyst for the NBA Memphis Grizzlies, a position he has held for the past 13 seasons.

A Memphis native, McDowell graduated in 1981 from Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis), where he was a two-time team MVP (1980, 1981) for the Tigers. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 1981 NBA Draft and played six NBA seasons – reaching the 1986 NBA Finals as a member of the Houston Rockets – before finishing his playing career in Italy and Spain. In addition to serving alongside Grizzlies radio play-by-play Eric Hasseltine since 2006, McDowell’s broadcasting career includes 13 seasons as a TV and radio analyst for the Tigers’ men’s basketball team.

“Hank has gone through so much last few months, and he has done so with grace and courage and strength,” said Grizzlies Team President Jason Wexler. “Fans all over Grizz Nation routinely tuned in to hear Hank’s game analysis the past 13 years. He is special not only to Grizzlies basketball and Tigers basketball, but to Memphis as a whole. We will miss having him as a part of our broadcast team.”

“After 13 seasons, I have decided to hang up my head set and retire from broadcasting,” McDowell said.

“It was not an easy decision. After my recent surgery and the realization that I have spent 50 years in basketball as a player, coach and as TV/radio analyst for the Tigers and Grizzlies, I’ve decided that now is a good time to smell those roses. It’s been a great run and the last 13 seasons alongside Eric Hasseltine and the crew have been some of the best moments in my life. I’d like to thank the Memphis Grizzlies for the honor of being an NBA broadcaster in the city that I grew up in. Thank you Memphis for listening.”

NE Radio: Rural Radio Network To Acquire 7 Stations

The Nebraska Rural Radio Association announced Friday that they have reached an agreement to purchase seven Legacy Communications radio stations in Scottsbluff and Holdrege.

“We are very excited to add these stations to our other 10 stations and translators across the State of Nebraska,” NRRA Chief Operating Officer Tim Marshall said. “I appreciate how Legacy Communications worked with us on this project.”

According to The Star-Herald, the deal includes all six Legacy owned stations in the Scottsbluff market, including Classic Rock KMOR 93.3 FM, AC KETT 99.3 FM, Top40 KOZY 101.3 FM, Country KHYY106.9 FM, N/Ts KOAQ 690 AM and KOLT 1320 AM, as well as KUVR 1380 AM and translator 96.9 FM in Holdrege.

“We are eager to be able to offer more listening opportunities in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming,” NRRA-Scottsbluff Station Manager Bill Boyer said. “We will be able to offer more local programming to the area, and we look forward to serving the public with our new radio stations.”

NRRA began operating the stations Friday morning under a Local Marketing Agreement with Legacy, while waiting for the FCC to approve the sale later this year.

“Listeners will notice some new changes very soon, including expanding our classic country station (101.7 FM The Trail) to a bigger signal on 106.9 FM,” Boyer added. “We have had an amazing response since we launched The Trail last year, and we are pleased to be able to put it on a station that more of the population will be able to hear.”

In addition, programming currently on KOLT 1320 AM will move to KOAQ 690 AM, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and more. The programming on 690 AM will soon be simulcast on translator K269DO 101.7 FM as well.

“Other than that, you will still be able to hear great classic rock on KMOR 93.3 FM, and today’s hit music on KOZY 101.3 FM,” Boyer added. “And, of course, our same great programming on KNEB 960 AM and 100.3 FM, as well as 94.1 FM The Brand will remain unchanged.”

Due to FCC ownership rules, 1320 AM and 99.3 FM will be temporarily off the air until the FCC approves the sale. Future plans for those stations will be announced at a later time.

NRRA also includes KRVN/ Lexington, KAMI/Cozad, KAWL/York,  KTIC/West Point, KNEB/Scottsbluff and a studio on the Nebraska Innovation campus in Lincoln.

NBC Peacock May Stream As Ad-Supported


Comcast’s NBCUniversal is considering making an ad-supported version of its upcoming Peacock streaming service free for everyone, bucking the trend of charging for streaming products, according to CNBC citing people familiar with the matter. It would be the first free streaming on-demand video service from a major U.S. media provider.

Previously, Comcast had planned on making Peacock free only to cable subscribers and Comcast broadband customers. The new plan, which is still under consideration, would be to give away the ad-supported Peacock streaming service to anyone who wants it. An ad-free product would also be available but will come with a charge, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private.

There may also be multiple tiers of Peacock to give Comcast customers and other pay-TV subscribers additional content or other benefits. But the cornerstone product will be free and ad-supported, for both cable and non-cable subscribers.

Making the service free to everyone would increase the number of people using it and help generate advertising sales. Peacock would likely become the biggest so-called “AVOD” (advertising video on demand) service on the market and would serve as an experiment not only for NBC but for other media companies as they determine whether subscription products or advertising-based services make more sense.

The move comes as competitive streaming products have struck deals that make them available for no extra charge.

NBC’s Peacock will have more than 15,000 hours of content and will include new shows from Mike Schur, the creator of “The Good Place,” and Lorne Michaels, who founded “Saturday Night Live,” as well as back episodes of shows including “Parks and Recreation,” “Cheers,” and “The Office,” for which NBC paid $500 million for five years to snatch the rights from Netflix. Still, NBC won’t get rights to “The Office” until 2021 and it may take some time for new originals to generate buzz, which could limit the appeal of a paid subscription service.

Westwood One News Covering NYC Marathon

Kastenbaum checks out the men's pace car

Westwood One News NYC Bureau Chief Steve Kastenbaum has been covering events leading up to the NYC marathon and will cover the race this Sunday.

The 49th running of the NYC marathon expects 52,000 participants from all 50 states and are almost every country in the world, making it the largest and most highly anticipated marathon. Over a million spectators are expected to line the 26.2-mile course. Security is expected to be very tight in the wake of the attack on ISIS leader Al Baghdadi.

Steve has run it himself in the past.

R.I.P.: Barry Frank, TV Sports Impresario

Barry Frank
Barry Frank, who over a half-century negotiated deals for sportscasting stars like John Madden, developed or created popular shows like “The Skins Game” and “Superstars,” and helped engineer high-priced network rights deals, died on Tuesday in a hospital in San Francisco.

He was 87, according to The NYTimes.

Frank had once dreamed of being an actor. But he ended up working on different stages — as a network official but chiefly as an executive at the International Management Group (IMG), the sports and entertainment agency founded by Mark McCormack in the early 1960s.

“Mark really created the sports marketing industry,” Sean McManus, the chairman of CBS Sports and a former IMG executive, said by phone. “But you can also make the point that Barry in many ways perfected the sports television and talent representation business.”

McCormack gave Frank a wide berth to build a portfolio. As an agent, he had a stable of top sportscasters, including Bob Costas, Jim Nantz, Robin Roberts, Mike Tirico and Mr. Madden. As an adviser and negotiator, he worked for Major League Baseball, the United States Tennis Association, Wimbledon and the Atlantic Coast Conference to get the most money for their TV rights.

And as a programmer, he created shows — including “American Gladiators” and “Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes” — that were labeled “trash sports” by Sports Illustrated.

When he was asked in 1991 what he thought of those shows being called trash, he told The Associated Press: “My philosophy is simple. A, if people enjoy it, I don’t think these kinds of pejoratives are deserved; and, B, I don’t care.”

November 2 Radio History




➦In 1920...KDKA in Pittsburgh went on the air as the first commercial radio station, a distinction that has also been challenged by other stations (see below), although it has claimed to be the "world's first commercially licensed radio station": WWJ in Detroit, Michigan (also a CBS Radio station), lists its "First Air Date" as August 20, 1920.

Listen to announcer Leo Rosenberg, radio's first announcer:


Frank Conrad's experimental 75-watt transmitter
Frank Conrad
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.

KDKA 11/2/20, Coverage of Harding-Cox 
The KDKA callsign 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.  Four men basically manned that first broadcast: Engineer William Thomas; telephone line operator John Frazier; R.S. McClelland, a standby and Leo Rosenberg, radio’s first announcer.

The election results were relayed to about 1,000 listeners, who learned that Warren Harding beat James Cox in the race for the Oval Office.

The original broadcast was said to be heard as far away as Canada. KDKA continued to broadcast from the Westinghouse building for many months.

Soon after its successful election coverage, KDKA upgraded to a 100-watt transmitter.

Early programming often featured live musical performances from a Westinghouse band. KDKA provided its first remote broadcast by airing a choir, live, from the Pittsburg Calvary Baptist Church in January 1921.  On January 15, 1921, at 8 p.m., KDKA broadcast a speech on European relief by Herbert Hoover from the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh that was transmitted ten miles down a telephone line to Westinghouse's East Pittsburgh Works.

On July 2, 1921, the station featured the first national broadcast with live commentary of the Jack Dempsey - Georges Carpentier fight via teletype from New Jersey.  Also in 1921 the station had the first broadcasts of major league professional baseball games and the first broadcast college football game.


KDKA hosted political comedian Will Rogers in his very first radio appearance in 1922. KDKA played popular music and advertisers began sponsoring special radio programs like The Philco Hour, The Maxwell House Hour and The Wrigley Party.



In 1923, KDKA began simulcasting its AM medium-wave broadcasts on shortwave.


Along with RCA and General Electric, Westinghouse was a co-founder of NBC in 1926, and thus KDKA was affiliated with the new network. When NBC decided to split its network up into two networks (NBC Red Network and NBC Blue Network), KDKA affiliated with the NBC Blue Network.


In reality, It is difficult to answer the question, "Who was the first broadcaster?" Much depends on what is defined as broadcasting . As far as AM radio is concerned, the grandfather of the broadcast industry, there were five stations that exhibited a rich tradition of being first in broadcasting:
  • KDKA, Pittsburgh: Dr. Frank Conrad conducted the experimental work that led to the establishment of KDKA, which made its formal debut on November 2, 1920. Conrad was apparently the first to use the term "broadcast" to describe a radio service.
  • WWJ, Detroit: The birthplace of broadcasting at WWJ was the Detroit News. The station signed on the air August 20, 1920. It was the first station to be operated by a newspaper, and the first commercial station to broadcast regularly scheduled daily programs.
  • KCBS, San Jose:Doc Herrold's station at San Jose (which eventually became KCBS, San Francisco) began as an experimental operation with the first documented transmissions occurring in 1909. It is said of Herrold that he conceived the idea of broadcasting information and entertainment programs to the public.
  • WHA, the University of Wisconsin: 9XM-WHA achieved its first successful transmission of voice and music in 1917 from the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison. Pioneers in the establishment of the station were Malcolm Hansen and Professor Earle Terry.
  • WGY, Schnectady, NY: Operated by the General Electric Company, WGY served as the test bed for many experiments in AM radio. Later efforts at the facility were directed toward perfecting FM and television transmission.
Each of these stations was first in its own way, and each played a significant role in establishing the foundation for broadcasting. Contributions included both equipment and technology.

The Baltimore News-1925
➦In 1925...WBAL began broadcasting as a subsidiary of the Consolidated Gas Electric Light and Power Company, a predecessor of Constellation Energy.

WBAL's initial broadcasting studio was located at the utility's offices on Lexington Street, and it operated as part of the Blue Network of the National Broadcasting Company.  On January 12, 1935, with radio becoming more commercialized, there was little justification for public service company ownership of a radio station, and WBAL was sold to the Hearst-controlled American Radio News Corporation, who operated it alongside the Baltimore News-Post and Baltimore American (later merged as the Baltimore News-American).

During the 1960s, WBAL had a full service Middle Of The Road music format heavily emphasizing personality. The station played a mix of soft rock and roll and non rock songs/standards.

By the early 1970s, the station had a full-service adult contemporary music format with the exception of weekday evenings, where the station employed talk programming. Among its personalities during that period were program host Jay Grayson, Harley Brinsfield (who had a long-running Saturday night jazz music program, The Harley Show), and White House-accredited newsman Galen Fromme.

In the early 1980s, WBAL began running talk shows overnights as well as evenings and continued to play some music during the day. Music gradually decreased and in the fall of 1985, WBAL had transitioned to its current news-talk format, winning 19 national Edward R. Murrow Awards since then – the most of any local U.S. radio station.

In addition to its analog 1090 kHz signal, WBAL is repeated on WIYY 979.9 FM HD2.


The Dixie Spiritual Singers performed on the first broadcast of WRVA
➦In 1925...Although three-letter call signs were still available when the station was started, "WRVA" was chosen since RVA was short for Richmond, VA. WRVA 1140 kHz was launched at 9:00 p.m. on November 2, 1925. Known initially as "Edgeworth Radio", it was owned by Larus and Brother, a tobacco company known as the House of Edgeworth. The radio station was originally operated as a public service 2 nights per week.

The early WRVA facilities were a small studio in a corner of a warehouse on Richmond's Tobacco Row and a tower mounted on the roof of the building. It soon became a vital and profitable business enterprise.

By 1930, WRVA was on-the-air 7 days a week, 24 hours daily, with broadcasting power increased to 50,000 watts.

In the late 1940s, WRVA's facilities extended beyond Richmond; an ad in a 1947 issue of the trade magazine Broadcasting proclaimed "Studios in Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia." The same ad noted that WRVA was "Virginia's only 50,000 watt radio station."




➦In 1931...the 15-minute daily drama “Myrt and Marge” was heard for the first time — at 7 pm on CBS radio. The program centered on two chorus girls who competed for the same parts and the same men. The creator and writer of the series, Myrtle Vail, also played the role of Myrt; and the original Marge was performed by Vail’s daughter, Donna Fick. Three other performers played the part when Donna died giving birth.


Myrt and Marge continued for 11 years, most of the time as part of the daytime soap opera block.

➦In 1936...The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation replaced the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission and is the country's oldest existing broadcasting network. The service aired commercials until 1974. Since then, like the BBC, CBC Radio has been commercial-free.
NY Times Ad appeared November 1, 1946

➦In 1946...WEAF, New York changed its call letters to WNBC.

N Y Times story
WNBC signed on for the first time on March 2, 1922, as WEAF, owned by AT&T Western Electric. It was the first radio station in New York City.

The call are popularly thought to have stood for Western Electric AT&T Fone or Water, Earth, Air, and Fire (the 4 classical elements).  However, records suggest that the call letters were assigned from an alphabetical sequence. The first assigned call was actually WDAM; it was quickly dropped, but presumably came from the same alphabetical sequence.


In 1926, WEAF was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America, making it a sister station to WJZ. RCA then formed the National Broadcasting Company, which operated two radio chains.

WEAF became the flagship station of the NBC Red Network. The other chain was the NBC Blue Network, whose programming originated at WJZ (now WABC), also owned by RCA. As a result of the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement of 1941, WEAF became a clear channel station, and could be heard across most of the eastern half of North America at night.


➦In 1946...WABC, New York became WCBS.


NY Times Ad 11/02/46
The station's history traces back to 1924, when Alfred H. Grebe started WAHG at 920 AM. WAHG was a pioneering station in New York, and was one of the first commercial radio stations to broadcast from remote locations including horse races and yachting events. Two years later, in 1926, Alfred Grebe changed the station's call sign to WABC (for his Atlantic Broadcasting Company) after concluding a business arrangement with the Ashland Battery Company (which had owned the call sign for a station in Asheville, North Carolina) and moved his studios to West 57th Street, which would not be the last time the station would operate from 57th Street.

In 1928, General Order 40 moved the station's frequency to 970 AM, and the station became a part-time affiliate of the Columbia Broadcasting System, which was looking for a full-time radio presence in New York City (CBS's first flagship was WOR). After a short time broadcasting CBS programming three days a week, CBS president William S. Paley purchased WABC and it became a subsidiary of CBS.

Soon after this purchase the station moved to a new frequency, this time to 860 AM, and would eventually increase its transmitting power from 5,000 to its present 50,000 watts. The station also moved its studios into the CBS headquarters at 485 Madison Avenue (on the corner of 52nd Street). The station, still operating as WABC, featured a mix of local interest programming, ethnic content and music programs from CBS's national feed. As time went by, WABC turned more and more to the national programming provided by CBS and its affiliates, and its broadcast day was influenced by CBS's growing interest in news programming.

In 1939, the broadcasting operations were moved across 52nd Street from the headquarters to the new CBS Studio Building.

In 1941, WABC moved to the frequency it currently occupies, 880 AM, and changed its call letters to WCBS on November 2, 1946, to identify more closely with its parent network, the Columbia Broadcasting System or CBS, and avoid possible confusion with the rival network of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which had begun operation in 1943. As a result, this station has no relation to the longtime ABC radio flagship station on 770 AM that began in 1921 as WJZ, and has operated as WABC since 1953.


➦In 1958...Billboard magazine introduced a new chart. It ranked the top singles in order, from number 1 to 100. Previously, only 30 records had been on the weekly hit list. It would take Casey Kasem to count ‘em down backwards from #40 to #1 years later.

➦In 1964...Columbia Broadcasting System bought 80% share in the New York Yankees Baseball Club for $11.2 million; later purchases club outright.

➦In 1995...Spanish Broadcasting System bought NYC radio station WPAT-FM for $83.5M.

Salty Brine - 1943
➦In 2004... Providence, Rhode Island radio personality Walter Leslie "Salty" Brine, Jr., the morning host on WPRO 630 AM for 51 years, died at age 86.

"Salty" Brine was born on August 8, 1918 in Boston, MA, the last of four children. His parents were from Nova Scotia; his father was a carpenter. For over 50 years the morning host on popular AM-radio station WPRO, and for 13 years (1955-1968) the host of Salty's Shack, a live children's television broadcast, Mr. Brine has become somewhat of a cultural icon to thousands of Rhode Island residents.

Salty Brine
His first jobs in radio were all in Massachusetts, at WNAC, WESX in Salem, and WCOP in Boston. Brine became a staff announcer at WPRO in September of 1942.

In 1943, Brine began his 50-year run as WPRO's morning announcer on a news show called the TNT Revue, short for "Time, News and Temperature". His radio name derived from the nickname his friends gave him, "Walt the Salt.  Brine was as popular with advertisers as he was with regular listeners, as sales tended to increase in response to his presentation of product advertisements.

Breaking into television in 1955, WPRO broadcast a nautically-themed children's program called Salty Brine's Shack, produced live, which Mr. Brine hosted with a collie named Jeff. Both Salty and Jeff evolved into local celebrities. The show ran until 1968.  Salty Brine retired from WPRO in 1993.

Brine became a member of the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1979.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Worldwide, North America Spotify Outpacing Pandora

Little over three years ago, at the end of Q2 2015, Pandora had more active users worldwide than Spotify (79.4m vs. 75m).

Today, according to Music Business Worldwide citing updated Q3 statistics publicly unveiled by both companies this week – Spotify has nearly four times as many as its one-time rival (248m vs. 63.1m).

The most fateful decision in Pandora’s story, it could be argued, was its global contraction: in July 2017, the firm shut down operations in Australia and New Zealand, making it a US-only service, while, since that date, Spotify has expanded into the likes of India, Vietnam and the Middle East (with a launch in Russia now on the agenda).

There are other key factors at play, too, though: for a long time following that isolationist US-only move, Pandora has boasted of being “the largest music streaming service in the US”.


According to the latest Q3 quarterly update from Pandora parent SiriusXM, Pandora ended Q3 with 63.1m active users in the States. That was down 1.8m quarter-on-quarter, and down 5.7m on the 68.8m user count it announced at the same point in the prior year (Q3 2018).

In a growing music streaming market where upward arrows have become par for the course, that 63.1m number is also down by over 18m users on the 81.5m base Pandora announced at its height, in Q4 2014.

Switching attention back to Spotify: Daniel Ek’s company just announced that 27% of its 248m active users in Q3 were located in North America. That equates to approximately 67m Spotify users in the US and Canada.

Day 4: Nielsen Releases Final Batch Of October 2019 PPMs

Nielsen on Thursday, October 31, 2019 released the finL batch of October 2019 PPM data for the following markets:

   33  Austin

   38  Raleigh-Durham NC

   39  Indianapolis

   41  Milwaukee-Racine

   43  Nashville

   44  Providence


   45  Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News


   46  Jacksonville

   47  West Palm-Boa Raton

   48  Greensboro-Winston-Sale-High Point NC


   51  Memphis

   52  Hartford-New Britain-Middletown CT


Click Here for view topline numbers of subscribing NielsenAudio stations.

Philly Radio: Jason Myrtetus OUT At WPEN-FM

Jason Myrtetus
Like any Thursday, Jason Myrtetus spent four hours on the air co-hosting the midday show on Beasley Media's WPEN 97.5 FM The Fanatic.

When the show was over, he found out he was no longer employed by the station.

“I was blindsided. Show was doing great and had grown a ton. And yet somehow I get clipped,” Myrtetus told The Inquirer. “I worked so hard in multiple capacities for the station, and to have it end like this is very disappointing.”

Myrtetus, who also acted as the station’s assistant program director, was laid off as part of nationwide cuts across many Beasley Media Group radio stations. He announced his departure on Twitter:


Eric Johnson, The Fanatic’s program director, declined to comment on Myrtetus, but did say co-host Anthony Gargano would continue on middays as a solo host. Producer Andrew Salciunas will also remain on the show. It’s unclear how many people lost their jobs at Beasley stations locally and nationally, but Johnson said no other Fanatic staffers were impacted by the layoffs.

The move comes as ratings were up at The Fanatic compared to last year. But while Gargano and Myrtetus were doing better in the ratings, they still finished behind 94.1 WIP’s duo of Joe DeCamara and former Eagles fullback Jon Ritchie in the latest quarterly ratings book.

CA Radio: Amanda McGraw To Program Two for iHM

Amanda McGraw
iHeartMedia/Fresno has  announced that Amanda McGraw has been named Program Director for Country KWVF 102.7 The Wolf and Country KOSO 92.9 The Big Dog.

As Program Director, McGraw will be responsible for overseeing the programming content and station branding for 102.7 The Wolf and 92.9 The Big Dog. She will report to Tony Matteo, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Central California and Nevada.

“We’re very fortunate to have Amanda join our team,” said Steve Darnell, Market President for iHeartMedia Fresno. “She’s a motivated and skilled programmer and will help elevate our iHeartCountry brands.”

Prior to joining iHeartMedia Fresno in October 2019, McGraw served as assistant program director for 92.5 The Breeze and 107.1 The Bull for iHeartMedia Sacramento. She began her career with Bicoastal Media as the promotions director and morning show co-host at KDUK-FM in Eugene, Oregon. She is a graduate of the University of Oregon.

“I’m thrilled to join our fantastic team in Fresno,” said McGraw. “It’s been my goal to program great stations since the beginning of my radio career, so the opportunity to take on two iHeartCountry stations for my first role as Program Director is a dream come true. There is something so special about the artists, listeners and entire country music community – I’m proud to be a part of it and I’m ready to fill the Central Valley with the best New Country.”