November 24 Radio History

➦In 1890... French inventor Edouard Branly coined the term "radioconductor"; the first use of the word "radio".

Experiments with tubes of metal filings, as reported in "Il Nuovo Cimento" in 1884, led to the development of the first radio wave detector, the coherer, by Branly some years later. It was the first widely used detector for radio communication. This consisted of iron filings contained in an insulating tube with two electrodes that will conduct an electric current under the action of an applied electrical signal. The operation of the coherer is based upon the large electrical contact resistance offered to the passage of electric current by loose metal filings, which decreases when direct current or alternating current is applied between the terminals of the coherer at a predetermined voltage. The mechanism is based on the thin layers of oxide covering all the filings, which is highly resistive. The oxide layers are broken down when a voltage is applied of the right magnitude, causing the coherer to "latch" into its low-resistance state until the voltage is removed and the coherer is physically tapped.

The coherer became the basis for radio reception, and remained in widespread use for about ten years, until about 1907. British radio pioneer Oliver Lodge made the coherer into a practical receiver by adding a "decoherer" which tapped the coherer after each reception to dislodge clumped filings, thus restoring the device's sensitivity. It was further developed by Guglielmo Marconi, then replaced about 1907 by crystal detectors.

Ireene Wicker

➦In 1905...Ireene Wicker born (Died at age 81  – November 17, 1987). She was best known to young radio listeners in the 1930s and 1940s as “The Singing Lady”, which was the title of her radio program.She added the second 'e' in her first name on the advice of an astrologer.

Her radio show was first sponsored by the Kellogg Company, beginning in 1931. Her show was promoted as America’s first radio network program for children. Despite the title of her show, The Singing Lady, most of it involved Wicker telling adaptations of stories for children, ranging from fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen through to Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories. Also in the 1930s and early 1940s, she portrayed Jane Lee on the serial Judy and Jane on NBC-Blue.

In the 1940s, Wicker was a regular on Deadline Drama on NBC and the Blue Network. In the 1950s, she told stories on Big Jon and Sparkie on ABC radio.

Wicker came to television at WJZ-TV in 1949 with The Ireene Wicker Show in which she told fairy tales. She also had a program, The Singing Lady, on ABC-TV (1948-1950)

➦In 1906...Actor Don MacLaughlin was born in Webster, Iowa.  MacLaughlin originated the role of lawyer Chris Hughes on As the World Turns in 1956, and played the role until his death in 1986.

Prior to TV, MacLaughlin was active on radio, beginning in 1933. He starred as the title character on radio's David Harding, Counterspy in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1945, he joined the cast of The Romance of Helen Trent, in the role of Dwight Swanson, "a rancher who becomes interested in Helen Trent."

Howard Duff

He died at age 79 on May 28 1986.

➦In 1913...Radio-TV-Film actor Howard Duff was born in Bremerton, WA.

Duff's most memorable radio role was as Dashiell Hammett's private eye Sam Spade in The Adventures of Sam Spade (1946–50).With his TV and film career starting to take hold, he ultimately left the program in 1950 at the start of its final season; Stephen Dunne took over the voice role of Spade.

He died following a heart attack July 8, 1990 at age 76.

➦In 1920...The first radio play-by-play broadcast of a football game was aired by Texas A&M University station 5XB, later known as WTAW in College Station, Texas. The University of Texas defeated Texas A&M, 7-3.  The call letters stood for Watch The Aggies Win.  Today, the calls are used by a locally-owned station at 1620 AM.

➦In 1926...WLAC Nashville signed-on. The call letters were chosen to contain an acronym for the first owner of the station, the Life and Casualty Insurance Company of Tennessee. Studios were located on the fifth floor of the Life and Casualty building in downtown Nashville. In 1928, it became Nashville's CBS Radio affiliate, while its main competitor, 650 WSM, was affiliated with NBC, the other major Radio network in the early days of broadcasting.

The early years of the station featured, as most big-city stations of that time, network programming, local news, studio-orchestra musical features (accompanied by an in-studio pipe organ), farm reports, and some educational programming. Its main competitor in that era, WSM, became known as the radio station where country music essentially developed and became a national phenomenon. When country music became a big business in the late 1940s, WLAC added early-morning and Saturday-afternoon shows in an attempt to steal some of WSM's thunder. Otherwise, the station prided itself as a pillar of the community and placed emphasis on general full-service programs.

➦In 1926...KVI-AM, Seattle, Washington began broadcasting.

KVI's legacy can be traced back to its debut on November 24, 1926, where it was licensed to Tacoma, Washington at 1280 AM. By the spring of 1928 its signal would be shifted to 1060 AM, followed by a larger shift to 760 AM, in the fall. By September 1932, it had moved to its permanent 570 AM frequency. In 1949, KVI relocated its studios and city of license to Seattle. KVI broadcasts from a single tower on Vashon Island.

In 1959, Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasters added KVI to its portfolio. KVI switched to a very successful personality adult contemporary format in 1964. By 1973, KVI had evolved into a middle-of-the-road (MOR) direction. It was during this period that it became established as a dominant player in the market. KVI was the original flagship station for the ill-fated Seattle Pilots in 1969 and for the Seattle Mariners, from their inaugural season of 1977 until 1984.

By 1982, KVI had begun to gradually add more talk programming. In July 1984, KVI switched to oldies. That direction would last less than a decade. By 1992, KVI had a talk-format again. At first, the station used the slogan "the balanced alternative" with a lineup alternating liberal and conservative talk hosts, but in 1993, KVI dropped all its liberal hosts except Mike Siegel. Siegel, formerly a liberal, swung right in his views during this period and remained on the station. By May 1994, the year KVI was sold (along with KPLZ-FM) to Fisher Communications, KVI had an almost entirely conservative-talk format.


Seattle Radio History - 570AM (KVI) from Twisted Scholar on Vimeo.

KVI returned to a full service format at 4 p.m. on November 7, 2010, with a base music rotation of classic hits along with news and traffic updates.

Due to the failure of the format, which only garnered an average of a 0.5 share of the market, and losing the ratings battle against KJR-FM and KMCQ, KVI began stunting with Christmas music on Thanksgiving Day. On January 3, 2012, the station flipped back to talk, this time as "Smart Talk", with an emphasis on entertainment news, lifestyle and health reports, and local news.

On April 11, 2013, Fisher announced that it would sell its properties, including KVI, to the Sinclair Broadcast Group. Although Sinclair primarily owns television stations, the company intends to retain KVI, KPLZ-FM, and KOMO. The deal was completed on August 8, 2013.

➦In 1958…

• Jackie Wilson released the single "Lonely Teardrops," co-written by Berry Gordy, Jr.
• Ritchie Valens released the single "Donna" b/w "La Bamba."
• Brenda Lee released the single "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree."

➦In 1963…On live national television, Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald, President John F. Kennedy's accused assassin, as authorities were preparing to transfer Oswald by armored car from the police basement to the nearby county jail.

Ruby's 1964 conviction and death sentence were overturned in 1966 when an appellate court ruled that his motion for a change of venue before the original trial should have been granted.

In December 1966, before a new trial could be arranged, Ruby died of pneumonia while suffering from liver, lung, and brain cancer.

NAB Applauds FCC Digital AM Vote

The Federal Communications Commission Friday adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that recommends giving AM stations the flexibility to voluntarily adopt all-digital broadcasting.

Many AM stations experience interference from electronic devices and other sources that affects audio quality. All-digital broadcasting offers AM broadcasters the potential to improve their signal quality and area of listenable coverage, as well as offer additional services that FM broadcasters currently offer, such as song and artist identification. It also holds the potential to allow AM stations to increase their programming options to include music formats.

In today’s NPRM, the Commission proposes to allow AM stations to voluntarily transition to alldigital transmission. The Commission also proposes establishing operating parameters for alldigital stations to minimize any risk of interference. Finally, the Commission proposes adopting the industry-approved standard for hybrid and all-digital broadcasting.

This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking continues the Commission’s effort to revitalize AM broadcasting by enabling it to provide a better listening experience and enhanced service offerings.

Radio World reports the vote seems to mark a significant advance toward an outcome where AM owners would have the digital choice. Only one U.S. radio station, owned by Hubbard Radio, operates full-time in all-digital, and does so under special temporary authority.

Advocates think having an all-digital option would be a boon to AM stations, many of which are troubled by economic challenges, band noise and lack of listener interest. Some see it as a logical addition to the AM revitalization effort, bringing benefits like metadata displays that most AM stations currently don’t have, in addition to better sound quality. And some observers, if fewer in number, wonder whether widespread migration to all-digital could substantially revitalize the AM band someday, making it prime spectrum real estate again.

The National Association of Broadcasters applauded the move and said in its statement that “many” AM broadcasters are exploring the potential benefits.

Scooter Braun Makes Plea For Peace With Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift, Scooter Braun

Music executive Scooter Braun on Friday said his family had received “numerous death threats” over a feud with singer Taylor Swift, and appealed to her to make peace.

According to Reuters, Braun, who earlier this year bought the Big Machine Group record label where Swift recorded her first six albums, issued a public plea to the singer after she said the label had refused permission for her to perform her old hits at Sunday’s American Music Awards (AMA) show.

Swift last week urged her 122 million Instagram fans to let Braun and Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta “know how you feel about this.”

In an Instagram post addressed to Swift, Braun wrote that since Swift’s statements “there have been numerous death threats against my family.”

Braun said after six months of fruitless attempts behind the scenes to mend their relationship, he felt he had no choice “than to publicly ask for us to come together and try to find a resolution. I have tried repeatedly through your representatives to achieve a solution but unfortunately here we are.”

Swift and her representatives did not immediately return a request for comment.

Braun said Swift could perform “any song you would like at the AMAs. I have never and would never say otherwise. You do not need anyone’s permission to do so legally but I am stating it here clearly and publicly so there is no more debate or confusion.”

Swift, 29, is due to receive an artist of the decade award at Sunday’s AMA show in Los Angeles. She is nominated for five other awards, including artist of the year and best pop album for her new release “Lover.”

AMAs To Feature A Whole Lot Of Taylor Swift

The 2019 American Music Awards will air Sunday night on ABC (8 EDT, tape-delayed on the West Coast) and superstar singer Taylor Swift will likely be the center of attention, reports USAToday.

Swift, already the winner of 23 AMAs, is nominated for five more awards and could surpass Michael Jackson, who holds the record for most wins with 24. Dick Clark Productions also announced last month that Swift will receive the artist of the decade award at the event.

She's is also slated to perform, but there was drama attached to that as well — Swift and Big Machine Label Group, the record label that now owns  her existing catalog of music preceding her latest album "Lover," engaged in days-long public battle before she could play her old songs at the AMAs.

An agreement has been reached, but we probably haven't heard the last of that feud.

Click Here for the 2019 Nominees.

Albany NY Radio: Jason Howard Joins WRVE For Mornings

Jason Howard

WRVE 99.5 The River, Albany NY has announced the addition of Jason Howard to “The River Morning Show.” Jason co-hosts alongside Tracy every weekday morning from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

“Jason’s experience as an entertaining morning host along with his commitment to community involvement will be a great asset to The River,” said Randy McCarten, Program Director for 99.5 The River and Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Albany. “Tracy and Jason have a chemistry that is just a lot of fun to hear every morning.”

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to join this already successful team here at 99.5 The River,” said Howard. “The music is great and the market is welcoming. I just hope this winter – my first in 13 years – is too!”

Jason Howard joins iHeartMedia Albany from Hurley’s Media in the Cayman Islands where he most recently served as operations manager and morning show host. He was also a weather presenter at Cayman 27 News. Howard also previously served as music director and on-air host for CBS Radio in Rochester, New York where he also began his career as a promotions assistant.

CA Radio: PD John DeSantis To EXIT KHTI

After 23-years, longtime program director John DeSantis is exiting All-Pro Broadcasting's KHTI Hot 103.9 FM in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA.

John DeSantis

VP/GM Kimberly Martinez stated, "John will forever remain a part of All Pro Broadcasting's history. He was a very important part of our X103.9 programming. When we flipped formats in December 2015 he continued on as our program director. John has been a dedicated employee and an important part of the All Pro Broadcasting family, we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

DeSantis stated, "Thank you to All Pro Broadcasting and the Davis family for giving me an incredible opportunity 23 years ago. I've been blessed to be with one company for so long, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Unfortunately most rides eventually come to an end, and I'm super excited for whatever comes next."

DeSantis will continue his PD duties for KHTI Hot 103.9 through December 15th, 2019.

Report: Comcast-NBC Deal Failed To Help Minority-Owned TV Channels

A former NBCUniversal executive said Friday that a deal struck by Comcast and civil rights groups never gave minority-owned channels a real chance to succeed, as the cable giant continued to take heat over its racial discrimination case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports before winning federal approval in 2011 to merge with NBCUniversal, Comcast signed a pledge to launch minority-owned television networks in an agreement with the NAACP, National Urban League, and National Action Network.

But the agreement did not guarantee the channels a minimum number of subscribers, or fees per subscriber, to help the new networks succeed, said Paula Madison, a former executive vice president and chief diversity officer at NBCUniversal. Her statement was released by Entertainment Studios, the company run by Byron Allen, who is suing Comcast for $20 billion in a racial-discrimination lawsuit.

Paula Madison

“Comcast was bound by the agreement to launch the cable networks but was not bound to distribute to a requisite number of households/subscribers so the channels never had a good chance of having a profitable and successful business,” Madison said.

Comcast needed approval from the Federal Communications Commission to acquire NBCUniversal and reaching an agreement with civil rights groups was seen as pivotal in getting the FCC’s support.

Comcast completed the purchase on January 2011.

Madison spoke out Friday, a day after music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs similarly criticized Comcast over its carriage of minority-owned channels. Combs’ Revolt TV is also carried by Comcast, but Combs said the channel has not received “the level of support needed to build a successful African American-owned network.”

Revolt and film director Robert Rodriguez,'s El Rey television network were announced as part of Comcast’s pledge in 2010 to carry more minority-owned companies. Also on Friday, Rodriguez said he agrees with Combs that Comcast has not done enough to support the networks.

Print vs. Digital...Stories Often Vary

For readers of some prominent regional newspapers, following the impeachment inquiry is a far different experience depending on whether you seek out newsprint or go digital, reports The Associated Press.

Copies of The Charlotte Observer, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Idaho Statesman that arrived on doorsteps Thursday all had a story about Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s testimony at the top of their front pages.

Yet if you clicked onto each newspaper’s website mid-morning, you’d see a different lead story. In Indianapolis, it was about racist tweets by an Indiana University professor. Idaho readers learned Boise was a finalist, but a loser, in the competition for a Nike plant. St. Louis reported on testimony in the trial of an elderly mother who killed her disabled daughter.

The impeachment hearings weren’t mentioned on The Charlotte Observer’s home page. In St. Louis and Idaho, the references were limited to links about editorial cartoons. The online IndyStar stressed a local angle: what Sondland said about Vice President Mike Pence, the former Indiana governor.

It’s a stark reflection of how the news business is changing.

Editors say their print and digital editions are completely different products. The online edition is built with business, not necessarily news, top of mind.

“We’re not anti-national news,” said Ronnie Ramos, executive editor in Indianapolis. But readers tell the newspaper — and the clicks each article gets — confirm that local stories are the most popular for online readers.

Regional newspaper websites across the country stick strongly to that local-first approach.

Read More Here

November 23 Radio History

➦In 1887...Boris Karloff was born William Henry Pratt in London.

In a 50 year acting career highlighted by four Frankenstein films, he found time to make an impact in horror radio & TV productions.  He is still heard today as the narrator of the annual TV cartoon favorite, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

He died at age 81 Feb 2, 1969 from emphysema.

For his contribution to film and television, Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1737 Vine Street for motion pictures, and 6664 Hollywood Boulevard for television.

➦In 1889…In San Francisco, the Palais Royal Hotel installed the first coin-operated machine that, by about 1940, was known as a "jukebox." Juke, at the time, was a slang word for a a disorderly house, or house of ill repute.  The unit contained an Edison tinfoil phonograph with four listening tubes. There was a coin slot for each tube. 5 cents bought a few minutes of music. The contraption took in $1,000 in six months!

John Dehner

➦In 1915...actor John Dehner was born in Staten Island NY.  After starting as a Disney animator & radio deejay, he started playing heavies in films & on radio shows such as Gunsmoke, Suspense, Escape and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar.  He starred in The Hermit’s Cave and Frontier Gentleman on radio, and was Palladin in CBS Radio’s Have Gun Will Travel.  TV series credits include Young Maverick, How the West was Won, Temperatures Rising, the Doris Day Show & the Don Knotts Show.  He died of emphysema & diabetes Feb 4 1992 at age 76.

➦In 1938…Bob Hope recorded his future theme song with actress Shirley Ross.  "Thanks For The Memory," debuted during the movie  "The Big Broadcast of 1938." And in 1996,  Hope set a record for the longest continuous contract in the history of Radio-TV when his last TV special aired. Hope had been with NBC for 60 years.

Hope's career in broadcasting began on radio in 1934. His first regular series for NBC Radio was the Woodbury Soap Hour in 1937, on a 26-week contract. A year later, The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope began, and Hope signed a ten-year contract with the show's sponsor, Lever Brothers. He hired eight writers and paid them out of his salary of $2,500 a week. The original staff included Mel Shavelson, Norman Panama, Jack Rose, Sherwood Schwartz, and Schwartz's brother Al. The writing staff eventually grew to fifteen.

The show became the top radio program in the country. Regulars on the series included Jerry Colonna and Barbara Jo Allen as spinster Vera Vague. Hope continued his lucrative career in radio into the 1950s, when radio's popularity began being overshadowed by the upstart television medium.

His final television special, Laughing with the Presidents, with host Tony Danza helping him present a personal retrospective of presidents of the United States known to Hope, a frequent White House visitor over the years. Following a brief appearance at the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1997, Hope made his last TV appearance in a 1997 commercial.

Hope died July 27, 2003 at the age of 100.

➦In 1959…Alan Freed was dismissed from his daily WNEW-TV show, "The Big Beat," over allegations that he accepted money to play certain records. Freed denied any wrongdoing.

➦In 1962…The Beatles did a ten-minute audition for BBC Television at St. James' Church Hall in London. But the “Beeb” did not like them. Brian Epstein received a rejection letter. They eventually made it on the BBC in 1963.

➦In 1964…The BBC banned  The Rolling Stones after arriving late arriving for two BBC radio shows.  The BBC cited the group for their "unprofessionalism."

➦In 1967…San Francisco radio personality Tom Donahue, inventor of "classic rock" and "deep cut" radio, told Rolling Stone magazine, "Top Forty radio, as we know it today and have known it for the last ten years, is dead, and its rotting corpse is stinking up the airwaves."

➦In 1982...The FCC dropped its controls on duration & frequency of TV ads in the US.

➦In 1992...country music legend Roy Acuff died of heart failure at age 89.

Considered the most influential figure in the history of country music, Acuff rose to fame in the 1930’s when radio was more important than records, so his chart hits were relatively few. But he made country standards of songs like “The Wabash Cannonball,” “The Great Speckle Bird,” “Fireball Mail” and “Night Train to Memphis.”

➦In 1993….FCC made C-QUAM AM stereo standard.  WBZ 1030 AM Boston aired Christmas music on Christmas Eve 1993 in C-Quam AM Stereo. This was recorded via skyway 480 miles from Boston in Lockport, NY, near Buffalo.

➦In 2004…Sports radio talk show host Pete Franklin died at age 76 (Born - September 22, 1927). He   nicknamed "The King" and "Pigskin Pete" and is widely credited with pioneering the more aggressive, acerbic and attention-grabbing form of the genre, which has since been adopted by generations of sports media personalities, and bringing it to a multinational listening audience.

His first broadcasting job was for Armed Forces Radio, and his first radio station job was in 1952 in Oakdale, Louisiana. "I worked 70 hours a week, and my main job was to get to the station early and kill the snakes with a baseball bat," he said of his Louisiana assignments. "They came out of the swamp to the heat of the generator. And I read the farm news. The glamour of show business."

Pete Franklin

He later worked at radio stations in North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey, California and Texas, often as a disc jockey. He worked as operations director for WOIO in Canton, Ohio, before moving to WERE 1300 AM in Cleveland in 1967 to host a sports talk show from 7 to 11 PM, after which he hosted a multi-subject talk show from midnight until 5 AM.

The zenith of Franklin's career came when he hosted Sportsline on 50,000-watt Cleveland AM station WWWE "3WE 1100 AM (now WTAM) from 1972 to 1987. Arguably the most popular host on the station, he was popular for his extensive knowledge, outspoken opinions, gruff demeanor and rude banter with callers. Among his trademarks were playing the sound of a flushing toilet as he cut off callers he considered offensive, playing funeral music when the Indians were hopelessly out of contention for the season in question (thus giving them a "proper burial", usually in midsummer given their poor play at that time), his winner and the loser of the day preceded by appropriate introductory music for each, and boasting that his station’s nighttime signal could be heard "over 38 states and half of Canada" (a claim still stated on air by WTAM talk-show hosts to this day).

His caustic personality was a primary reason why "3WE" lost its status as the flagship station of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers in 1981 when he feuded with team owner Ted Stepien. Franklin and Cavaliers' radio voice Joe Tait openly questioned Stepien's ability to operate the team after multiple poor trades and unwise free agent signings leading to a depletion of talent. He went so far as to refer to Stepien again and again by his initials, "T.S.", which Franklin said stood for "Too Stupid." (Ultimately, the NBA itself agreed with this assessment, seizing operational control of the franchise from Stepien for what it considered destroying its financial viability, and instituting what would be known as the "Stepien Rule".) Stepien retaliated by canceling WWWE's radio contract and firing Tait.

Franklin popularized several regular callers by giving them nicknames like "The Swami", "The Prosecutor", and "Mr. Know-It-All." The latter eventually became Franklin's full-time replacement, and today his show is known as the "Mike Trivisonno Show".

In August 1987, Franklin announced he had been hired by upstart all-sports station WFAN 660 AM  in New York City to be its afternoon host starting the following month. His initial contract with the station was for two years and $600,000.  But his act wore thin in the Big Apple, where critics and callers alike disliked his condescending style. After much controversy and dismal ratings, he resigned in July 1989 two months before the end of his contract, and was replaced by the Mike and the Mad Dog program.

He returned to Cleveland and "3WE" immediately afterward. The station even held a press conference to herald his homecoming, but management dropped him after a year.  He moved west, working at KNBR 680 AM in San Francisco from 1991 to 1997 and mostly hosting his own show.

Franklin returned for a third time to the WTAM airwaves in 1998, briefly hosting Sportsline but from a studio in his California home. He joined KNBR's sister station KTCT 1050 AM in 1999, and finished his broadcasting career there in 2000.

Bob Connors

➦In 2014…Veteran radio personality Bob Connors died from cancer at age 80 (Born December 12, 1933).  He spent 33 of his 47 years at WTVN in Columbus, Ohio as the station's morning host.

His broadcasting career lasted more than 60 years.

Conners began his broadcasting work while in high school at WKBI in St. Marys and continued at WJET in Erie, PA. He served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958, then resumed broadcasting roles at KSON and KDEO in San Diego, California, and WEEP in Pittsburgh. He began his career at WTVN in 1964 after moving to Columbus. After a three-year interlude as the afternoon personality at WBNS-AM in Columbus from 1973 to 1976, he returned to WTVN where he was named morning show host in 1978.

AM-FM Act Would Require Radio To Play Performers

Music First graphic

A new bipartisan bill introduced Thursday in Congress calling on radio stations to pay royalties to musicians.

The Ask Musicians for Music Act, abbreviated to the AM-FM Act, was co-sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). If signed into law, the act would require all radio services “to pay fair market value” for any music broadcast over the air, reports Variety.

Music industry groups such as the Recording Academy, the RIAA, the National Music Publishers Association, and SoundExchange all released statements in support of the AM-FM Act.

The National Association of Broadcasters, however, released a statement in opposition to the bill. Gordon Smith, president and CEO of the NAB, wrote:

“NAB opposes the AM-FM Act, which could decimate the economics of America’s hometown radio stations that have launched the careers of countless musicians and exposed legacy artists to a new generation of listeners. We’re pleased that a bipartisan group of 201 House members and 25 U.S. Senators recognize this potential harm and have cosponsored the Local Radio Freedom Act, a resolution opposing any new performance fee on local radio. 

NAB’s door remains open to work with the record labels to find a holistic solution to this issue that reflects the enduring value to artists and labels of local radio to our hundreds of millions of terrestrial and digital listeners. Unfortunately, the record labels have shown little interest in having those discussions.”

“When music creators share their wonderful gift with the world, we hear songs that inspire and unite us. We should encourage such thriving talent and ensure the music community is properly compensated for their work,” said Senator Blackburn, who introduced the bill in the Senate.

Republican Blackburn

“The AM-FM Act will reward singers, songwriters and musicians for their hard work when their music is played on the radio.”

“The United States is an outlier in the world for not requiring broadcast radio to pay artists when playing their music, while requiring satellite and internet radio to pay,” Nadler said.

“This is unfair to both artists and music providers. I’m proud to sponsor the Ask Musician For Music Act of 2019 which would give artists and copyright owners the right to make a choice to allow AM/FM radio to use their work for free or to seek compensation for their work. The bill would also allow them to negotiate rates with broadcasters in exchange for permission for it to be aired. This is what music creators want and deserve.”

Democrat Nadler

Under the current copyright system, radio stations can use sound recordings over their airwaves without paying royalties to creators who own a stake in the sound recordings. The AM-FM Act would require all radio services to pay fair-market value for the music they use.

“Music is essential to the radio business, but for far too long, AM/FM radio broadcasters have profited by using sound recordings without paying anything to their creators,” said Mitch Glazier, Chairman and CEO, Recording Industry Association of America.

“This bill puts the power of free markets to work to reverse that. Requiring terrestrial radio broadcasters to obtain permission to use music would allow creators to seek compensation for their work and remedy a longstanding inequity in copyright law.”

“The AM-FM Act ensures that the people who make the music have a protected property right in their own work by requiring broadcasters to get permission before they transmit recordings over the air,” said SoundExchange CEO Michael J. Huppe.

“It sets the table for meaningful marketplace negotiations and ends the current market distortion in our laws that forces artists to subsidize the multi-billion-dollar FM radio broadcast industry.”

Liberty CEO Sees Sirius Well Positioned

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei believes the company is well positioned to capitalize on the growing popularity of podcasts and other audio content, reports CNBC.

Maffei, who joined CNBC’s David Faber from Liberty’s investor day in New York on Thursday, said that while there is competition for audio content, exclusive agreements should prove lucrative over time.

“Exclusives are what you want to have. And there are different forms of that,” the CEO said. “We have exclusives obviously in things like Howard Stern. We have exclusives in the fact that if you want to listen to CNBC in the car, we’re the way to do it, ESPN and the like.”

“We have an exclusive with Marvel, we have an exclusive now with Lebron James called ‘Uninterrupted,’” he continued. “Lots of things that are unique just to us.”


Under the leadership of Maffei and Chairman John Malone, Liberty originally acquired a 40% stake in Sirius XM Radio back in 2009, saving the satellite-radio company from bankruptcy. Four years later, Liberty took majority control of Sirius.

“Not only is there upside in listenership and the kinds of content, including podcasts, but they’re under-monetized. I think there’s an opportunity to see increases in how podcasts and other forms of audio content are monetized,” Maffei said.

“Yes, there’s a little bit of a bidding war for audio content, but you can’t spend on audio. A great podcast might be $250,000 a year; an hour of one of these high-end shows could be $10 million,” he added. “The numbers are so far apart and the war is way less.”

Chicago Radio: Leff, Snyder OUT As WGN Revamps Line-up

In an message to staff, Mary Sandberg Boyle Director of News and Operations at News/Talk WGN 720 AM in Chicago, has announced a revamped line-up and the departure of mid-day hosts Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder.

According to Chicago media watcher Robert Feder, Leff and Snyder learned their fate by phone late Wednesday. Leff was out of town on vacation, and Snyder hosted what turned out to be their last show earlier in the day.

Leff & Snyder

The changes at the station are effective as of December 2.

Feder notes all of the moves mark the first major programming realignment under Sean Compton, who was named executive vice president overseeing the station after Nexstar Media Group acquired Tribune Media in September.

In the latest Nielsen Audio survey WGN was in ninth place overall with a 3.5 percent audience share. In middays — from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — the station ranked 12th with a 3.3 share.

Here is the text of Boyle’s email to staff:

We are making some program changes effective Monday, Dec. 2.  Our emphasis, as always, is to be local, and we think these changes will serve our listeners well. 

Among the changes you’ll notice that we will begin simulcasting WGN-TV’s morning news from 4 am to 5 am.  Steve Cochran’s show will start an hour earlier, at 5 am, and the John Williams show will run from 9 am to Noon. Ji will host the Wintrust Business Lunch and Anna will be leaving afternoon drive to host her own show from 1 pm to 3 pm.   

Change means making difficult choices, and unfortunately there is not a place for everyone in this new line-up.  Tonight we are saying farewell to Bill and Wendy. Please join me in wishing them well and thanking them for their years of service to WGN and their loyal audience.

Thanks for your help and support as we move forward.

Mary

The new Monday through Friday WGN program schedule:   

4am: WGN Radio simulcast of WGN-TV Early Morning News 
5am: Steve Cochran
9am: John Williams
Noon: Wintrust Business Lunch, hosted by Ji 
1pm: Anna Davlantes
3pm: Roe Conn
7pm: Justin Kaufmann
11pm: Nick Digilio 

In the latest Nielsen Audio survey WGN was in ninth place overall with a 3.5 percent audience share. In middays — from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — the station ranked 12th with a 3.3 share.

Twin Cities Radio: John Lassman OUT As Tom Barnard Producer

John Lassman

John Lassman is out as executive producer of "The KQ Morning Show With Tom Barnard."

Lassman has filled many roles in radio both nationally and locally, but he is perhaps best known as an on-air personality for 92 KQRS from 1983 to 1994, reports The Star-Tribune.  For the past five years, he has served as Barnard's producer.

The radio station declined to comment on the departure, which happened last week.

In 1983, Lassman was working as a promotions director at WAPP in New York City when he helped get a new, struggling artist land a spot on the station's album featuring homegrown music. Jon Bon Jovi ended up thanking Lassman for the big break during his 2018 acceptance speech into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Lassman provided many laughs during the top-rated morning program, most memorably in his role as "The Chucker" who specialized in prank phone calls.

Shania Twain Calls Out 'Ageist' Country Radio

Shania Twain

Shania Twain is hoping country radio plays women more equally, calling the industry "very ageist as well" in an interview with USAToday.

"I don't hear Reba (McEntire) on the radio anymore; I don't hear Patty Loveless on the radio anymore," the singer said. "I don't hear Shania Twain on the radio anymore in country!"

Twain, who is set to take the stage at Sunday's American Music Awards, also spoke about Taylor Swift's feud with the Big Machine Label Group, newcomers Lizzo and Billie Eilish and her favorite female artists in country music right now:

"I love Little Big Town, I think they're so incredibly talented. There's a lot of good female talent out there, and they've been more vocal about the resistance at radio to include them more equally in airplay, Twain, 54, told USA Today's Patrick Ryan when asked about the CMA Awards celebrating women in country music.

"I'm hoping that does start to make a change because there are many female artists with strong songs that belong in the Top 40 on country radio that are just not there."

Twain added that "radio isn't the end all be all of somebody's success today" thanks to technology and more outlets to get music to the public.

"But it's very frustrating and it's a disservice not only to the artist, but to the public, that they can't turn on the radio and hear all the best music that's being made right now," Twain said.

Scooter Braun Talks About The Taylor Swift Dispute

Manager Scooter Braun says he would rather sit down and talk with Taylor Swift than add to their highly publicized, social media-fueled disagreement.

Scooter Braun

Braun addressed the half-year-long music titan dispute with Swift, without referring to the pop star by name, at Variety's 2019 Entertainment Industry Conference Thursday — a disagreement that has led to death threats received at his workplace, according to USAToday.

“There’s a lot of things being said and a lot of different opinions, yet the principals haven’t had a chance to speak to each other; there’s a lot of confusion," said Braun, alluding to Swift but declining to go into details.

"It’s just not my style. I just think we live in a time of toxic division and people thinking that social media is the appropriate place to air out on each other and not have conversations. I don’t like politicians doing it. I don’t like anybody doing it," Braun said.

"If that means that I’ve got to be the bad guy longer, I’ll be the bad guy longer, but I’m not going to participate," Braun added.

The industry heavyweight Braun made waves in late June when Swift accused him of "incessant, manipulative bullying" after the 38-year-old paid $300 million to acquire Big Machine Label Group – and, by extension, the masters of Swift's music. In a lengthy Tumblr post, Swift called the deal her "worst case scenario."

"People need to communicate, and when people are able to communicate, I think they work things out," Braun said, blaming "miscommunications" for any problems.

"I believe that people are fundamentally good," said Braun, who mentioned that issues "discussed behind closed doors (can be) figured out pretty easily, and it’s something I’ve wanted to do for six months."

Braun said the public debate has been difficult, even alluding to death threats from Swift fans.

One bright side to the dispute is that Braun says it had shown him who his friends are in the industry. Some "friends" turned their backs on him in tough times.

Former Music Exec Slams Grammys, Plans Exposé

A former record exec who penned a tell-all exposing sexism in the music industry claims she was blackballed by the Grammys in its audio book category, reports The NY Post.

But the ex-Atlantic Records A&R woman, Dorothy Carvello, adds that she’s received so much support from women in music who’ve shared their own stories, “ranging from rape to sexual and emotional abuse,” that she’s planning a follow-up.

“It’s the same b.s., my nomination was killed somewhere along the line,” Carvello, the author of “Anything for a Hit: An A&R Woman’s Story of Surviving the Music Industry,” told Page Six after Grammy nominations came out this week.

The audio book “recounts the rampant sexual harassment, toxicity and egoism [Carvello] got to know firsthand in the business … Casual anecdotes include music executives ordering sex toys and lube to the office, signing paperwork while receiving a blowjob in a recording studio and, in one instance, breaking her arm as punishment.”

“Nothing has changed,” Carvello told us, alleging that industry “abusers” are still involved in voting for the Grammys and other prestigious awards. “All the white carnations in the world are not going to change things. I’ve had firsthand accounts of women that reached out to me. They punish the women who speak out … But I’m not going to stop advocating for women, and to stop the abusers.”

Audio books that received Grammy nominations this year include Michelle Obama’s smash “Becoming,” John Waters’ “Mr. Know-It-All” and the “Beastie Boys Book.”

“It’s not sour grapes,” Carvello said. “I am happy for the other nominees.”

Nick Fox To Program Westwood One's Country Formats

Westwood One, the largest audio network in the U.S., has hired Nick Fox as Country Program Director for Westwood One’s 24/7 Formats.

Nick Fox

In this role, Fox will oversee day-to-day operations of delivering 24/7 programming to Westwood One Country affiliates.  He will manage on-air talent while supervising music databases and support current and potential 24/7 affiliates. He is based in Denver and will report to George King, VP/GM Network Formats.

Nick joins Westwood One from Pensacola, FL where he was Program Director/Midday Personality for CUMULUS MEDIA’s Country WXBM and afternoon personality on AC WMEZ.  Nick also worked in Clarksville, TN for Saga WVVR and WCVQ, Mobile WABD, which carried Westwood One’s 24/7 AC programming.

“We’re very excited to welcome Nick Fox to the Westwood One 24/7 Formats family,” said King. “Nick brings a unique set of qualities and experiences to the network.  His programming, technical and creative skills will be an excellent addition to our team.”

Fox says, “I am honored to join George King, and the rest of the Westwood One 24/7 Formats team.  My heart belongs to country music and I’m ready to contribute to their already successful business.”

Edmonton Radio: Rhythmic Classic Hits CJNW To Rebrand

Harvard Broadcasting says it will rename Power 107 CJNW-FM Edmonton, following a Monday court ruling granting Corus Entertainment a temporary injunction against Harvard’s use of the ‘Power’ brand, reports Broadcast Dialogue.

At the heart of Corus’ lawsuit, launched in September, was the assertion that Harvard knowingly made use of the ‘Power’ brand, including assuming a similar logo, playlist and “Phrase That Pays” contesting tag synonymous with Power 92 – the name CKNG-FM Edmonton was operated under between 1991 and 2003 – by a series of ownership groups including Moffatt Communications, Westcom Radio, Shaw Communications and eventually Corus. Since 2018, the station has been branded as 92.5 The 'Chuck.'

Corus acquired the Power 92, Power 107, and Power 97 trademarks as part of the company’s acquisition of Western International Communications Ltd. (WIC) in 1999, however Power 92 and Power 107 were expunged from the registry in 2015 due to failure to renew.

In a Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta ruling issued Monday, Justice Nancy Dilts said she was satisfied that Corus’ claims of copyright infringement presented a serious issue to be tried, both as to the similarity of the former Power 92 logo and a Harvard social media post that contained the Power 92 logo, teasing “Back this Monday #PhraseThatPays.”

Harvard rebranded CJNW-FM to Power 107 in mid-August, with Christian Hall, the company’s National Brand Manager, hailing the change as the debut of the relatively new Classic CHR or “rhythmic classic hits” format that harkens back to 1990s and early 2000s power pop from artists like Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls and NSYNC.

Harvard issued a statement to listeners and clients late Monday indicating that while it believes the company has grounds to appeal, it will respect the ruling.

CT Radio: Faith Middleton EXITS Non-com WNPR

Faith Middleton

Faith Middleton, who hosts Faith Middleton's "Food Schmooze" on WNPR 90.5 FM, is leaving the station 39 years over the air.

Connecticut Public Radio announced that Thursday's episode was the final of the show.

“I’ve adored the privilege of these 39 years at Connecticut Public,” said Middleton in a media release. “I am so grateful to all those who have generously worked on any of the shows with me, and to the amazing listeners, guests and supporters for joining the party.”

Middleton is veteran broadcaster and a two-time winner of the Peabody Award. She was named “Best Radio Talk Show Host” by Connecticut Magazine for 11 years and is in the magazine’s Hall of Fame. In 2012, she was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.

The station did not give a specific reason for Middleton's departure, but wished her well in new adventures.

Connecticut Public Radio will run rebroadcasts of the program and it will be available on demand at WNPR.org. Middleton’s recipes, tips, and videos will remain available on her website and Facebook page.

Dem Candidates Urge Comcast To Clean Up 'Toxic Culture' At NBC

Six Democratic presidential candidates called on Comcast this week to conduct an independent investigation into how NBC handled allegations of sexual assault and harassment at the network.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sens. Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren urged the Democratic National Committee to ensure that Comcast and NBC News “take steps to clean up the toxic culture” at their networks. Rep. Julian Castro and businessman Tom Steyer later signed on to the letter to the DNC, according to UltraViolet, a national women’s group that organized the letter.

“We, the undersigned candidates, are very concerned about the message it would send to sexual assault survivors if our next debate is sponsored by MSNBC without clear commitments from Comcast, the parent company of NBC and MSNBC, to conduct an independent investigation into the toxic culture that enabled abusers and silenced survivors,” the candidates said in the letter dated Monday.

The candidates did not threaten to skip the fifth Democratic primary debate, which took place Wednesday night in Atlanta. Castro did not qualify for the debate.

NBCUniversal has come under fire for its handling of sexual-assault allegations against former Today cohost Matt Lauer, who was fired in 2017. Lauer was accused of raping an NBC colleague, Brooke Nevils, in New Yorker staff writer Ronan Farrow’s new book, Catch and Kill, released in October. Lauer has denied any wrongdoing, saying it was a consensual sexual encounter.

Farrow also alleges that NBC managers were aware that Lauer behaved inappropriately before firing him in 2017 and that the network obstructed his reporting on allegations of sexual assault by former film producer Harvey Weinstein.

The network also conducted an internal investigation that found NBC News executives weren’t at fault because there were no previous formal complaints. Critics have said NBC should hire an outside firm to conduct an investigation.

Shepard Smith Gives $500K To a Free Press Group

Shepard Smith

In his first public remarks since abruptly resigning from Fox News last month, the anchor Shepard Smith called on Thursday for a steadfast defense of independent journalism, according to The NYTimes.

And in a surprise announcement, Smith said he would personally donate $500,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit group that advances press freedoms around the world.

“Intimidation and vilification of the press is now a global phenomenon. We don’t have to look far for evidence of that,” Mr. Smith said at the group’s annual dinner in Midtown Manhattan, an appearance he signed up for before he left Fox News, his television home of 23 years.

The crowd at the black-tie fund-raiser — which draws leading reporters, editors and executives from across the media industry — rose to its feet and applauded after Mr. Smith revealed his donation.

The dinner, formally known as the International Press Freedom Awards, recognized journalists who had persevered through hardship and government oppression in Brazil, India, Nicaragua and Tanzania. Mr. Smith served as M.C., and while he did not mention President Trump by name, his remarks brought knowing nods from the crowd at the Grand Hyatt hotel ballroom.

Smith’s experience at Fox News was a far cry from those of the honorees, who faced censorship, intimidation and imprisonment. But the anchor can relate to being the subject of insults and ire from a head of state.

Trump made Mr. Smith into a favorite punching bag, taunting him as Fox News’s “lowest-rated anchor” and routinely complaining about his coverage of the White House. Smith had not hesitated to attack the president on the air, calling him out for falsehoods and denouncing his harsh language.

In his speech on Thursday, Smith refrained from addressing his time at Fox News or the network’s coverage of the Trump administration. Fox News was a main sponsor of the dinner, and several of the network’s journalists attended, including FOX  News' Jennifer Griffin and White House correspondent John Roberts.

TV Ratings: Dem Debates Show Fatigue

Wednesday's Democratic debate, the fifth this year, was the least-watched debate of this election cycle. The ratings for MSNBC were down more than 20% from last month's match-up on CNN.

According to CNN, one obvious reason: The televised impeachment hearings earlier in the day sucked all the political oxygen out of the room. Some viewers who spent all day watching House testimony probably didn't want to spend all night watching a debate.

On the other hand, cable news viewership levels have been significantly elevated by the hearings, so that theoretically could have benefited MSNBC. But it didn't.
About 6.6 million people were watching between 9 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. ET, according to overnight Nielsen ratings.

The debate was also live-streamed by MSNBC's partner, The Washington Post, and by several NBC-affiliated websites.

MSNBC said that the debate "generated more than 1.3 million live video streams" across its sites, but those are just live-stream starts, which are not comparable to TV ratings.

Nielsen measures the per-minute average audience for shows, while live-stream starts signifies how many times a video begins playing, even if the user only watches for a few seconds or minutes.

The most-watched Democratic debate of the season was the very first, back in June, both because of the novelty factor and because it was carried live on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo. The second night of that two-part debate averaged 18.1 million viewers across the three networks.
Ratings for subsequent debates have declined over time, which network executives generally expected, to varying degrees.

The next debate will be held by PBS  and Politico in Los Angeles next month on December 19 and will be simulcast on CNN. The requirements to qualify keep getting tougher so the number of candidates will likely shrink from the 10 that were on stage last night.

Country Artist Sam Hunt Arrested for DUI

Country singer Sam Hunt was arrested in East Nashville on Thursday morning on DUI charges.

Sam Hunt

The Tennessean reports, the 34-year-old Hunt was charged with DUI and open container violation after his arrest in Davidson County, according to online court records. He was granted $2,500 bond.

Hunt, an arrest warrant says, was allegedly driving the wrong way on Ellington Parkway in the early morning hours Thursday before exiting at Cleveland Street towards Gallatin Avenue.

When Metro Nashville police got behind the vehicle, the driver had difficulty staying in the proper lane.

Hunt allegedly had bloodshot, watery eyes and smelled of alcohol, the warrant said. Two empty beers were in the vehicle next to the driver, MNPD reported.

The driver had trouble finding his ID to show officers, and attempted to give both a credit card and a passport instead of his driver's license — while that card sat on his lap, according to the warrant.

Sobriety tests were conducted in the field, which were captured on an MNPD dash cam, the warrant said.

Hunt allegedly tested with a blood alcohol level of 0.173, well over the legal limit of 0.08.

A four-time Grammy Award nominee, Hunt released his UMG Nashville debut, "Montevallo," in 2014. The album went triple Platinum in the United States, boasting top-charting country singles such as "House Party" and "Take Your Time." In 2017, Hunt released the crossover hit "Body Like A Back Road," which spent 34 weeks topping the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Coldplay Puts Concert Tour On Hold

Coldplay is releasing a new album on Friday, but fans will have to wait to hear the band perform it live.

Chris Martin, the band's frontman, announced they would be putting plans to tour on hold for at least a year or two in the name of environmental sustainability.

"We’re taking time over the next year or two to, to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable, but how it can be actively beneficial," Martin told BBC. "How can we harness the resources that our tour creates and make it have a positive impact?"

The British rockband wants to have a show that relies mostly on solar powered energy and without using single-use plastic.

Martin also noted that he's not criticizing others who aren't following suit, he just wants to be an example for how it can be done.

"Everyone will catch up, I think, if you prove that it's easy to do it the right way," Martin said.

The band's last tour, A Head Full of Dreams Tour, ended in 2017 after playing 122 dates in five continents. It was the "third-highest grossing global tour of all time," according to Billboard, bringing in over $500 million.

November 22 Radio History

➦In 1899…Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America registered in New Jersey

➦In 1904...Actor Roland Winters was born in Boston.  He was the longtime radio announcer for John J Anthony’s Goodwill Hour.  In TV he had recurring roles on the series Mama, Door With No Name & Green Acres, as well as dozens of guest spots. He died Oct. 22 1989 after a stroke, at age 84.

➦In 1906...Actor & announcer Howard Petrie was born in Beverly Mass. He had many bigtime radio announcing assignments with Garry Moore, Jimmy Durante & Judy Canova, frequently taking part in the skits himself. In TV he had recurring acting assignments on Bat Masterson & The Edge of Night, plus scores of guest roles.  Howard died March 24 1968 at just 61.

➦In 1934...“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” was aired on radio for the first time, on NBC’s Eddie Cantor Show.

➦In 1955...RCA paid the unheard of sum of $25,000 to Sam Phillips of Memphis for the rights to the music of a truck driver from Tupelo, Mississippi: Elvis Presley. Thanks to negotiations with Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, RCA tossed in a $5,000 bonus as well — for a pink Cadillac for Elvis’ mother.

➦In 1963…Most U-S Radio stations suspended regular programming following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  The Number One song that week was 'Sugar Shack' by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs.

More than three hours of KLIF 1190 AM audio from November 22, 1963, the day of President Kennedy's assassination.

Coverage begins at 11:30 AM (Dallas time) on 11/22/63, with Joe Long of Dallas radio station KLIF reporting live from Love Field Airport as President Kennedy arrives in "Big D".

Today 1190 AM is the home of Talk KFXR.

Kennedy coverage as heard on WBAP 820 AM Fort Worth:




And From The Big One, WLW 700 AM Cincinnati (then an NBC Affiliate):

Here is the initial bulletin heard on the NBC Radio Network about the shooting of President Kennedy in Dallas. Robert MacNeil reports live from a telephone located inside the Texas School Book Depository Building, which is where the gunshots came from.

This is the line feed from the ABC Radio Network News in the initial moments of the coverage of the JFK Assasination. Included is the ABC Log Book notes on what they were airing. Someone in ABC Master Control had to log literally everything that was broadcast each day. Also included UPI and AP wire copy which you can see the network anchors are relying on for information.

➦1963…The Parlophone label released the Beatles' second album in the U-K, "With the Beatles," and the single, "Roll Over Beethoven." Capitol Records in Canada issued the album as "Beatlemania! With the Beatles," which has the distinction of being the first Beatles album ever released in North America. Most of the songs from the album were not released in the United States until January 20, 1964 when Capitol Records issued "Meet the Beatles!"

➦In 1980...actress Mae West   died at her Hollywood home at age 87 following a stroke.



Famous for her double-entendres she had a sensational if brief radio career, appearing in two risque sketches on the Charlie McCarthy Show on a Sunday in Dec. 1937.  The listening audience was so shocked that West did not appear again on radio for another 31 years.

➦In 2002...actor Parley Baer died at age 88 after a stroke.  He was active in bigtime radio, playing Chester on Gunsmoke, and dozens of supporting roles on The Lux Radio Theater, Escape and Suspense.

Baer in the 1930s served on radio as director of special events for KSL. His first network show was The Whistler, which was soon followed by appearances on Escape (notably narrating "Wild Jack Rhett" and as the title patriot in an adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benet's "A Tooth for Paul Revere"), Suspense, Tales of the Texas Rangers (as various local sheriffs), Dragnet, The CBS Radio Workshop, Lux Radio Theater, The Six Shooter, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, to name a few.

Parley Baer

In 1952, he began playing Chester, the trusty jailhouse assistant to Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, eventually ad-libbing the character's full name, "Chester Wesley Proudfoot" (later changed to "Chester Goode" in the televised version of the series, which featured Dennis Weaver in the role of Chester). Baer's portrayal of Chester was generally considered his finest and most memorable role, and as he often said, the one he found most fulfilling.  Baer also worked as a voice actor on several other radio shows produced by Norman MacDonnell, performing as Pete the Marshal on the situation comedy The Harold Peary Show, as Doc Clemens on Rogers of the Gazette, and as additional characters on Fort Laramie and The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.

Other recurring roles included Eb the farm hand on Granby's Green Acres (the radio predecessor to television's Green Acres), Gramps on The Truitts, and Rene the manservant on the radio version of The Count of Monte Cristo. His later radio work included playing Reginald Duffield and Uncle Joe Finneman on the Focus on the Family series Adventures in Odyssey in the 1980s and 1990s.

Radio playwright and director Norman Corwin cast Baer as Simon Legree in the 1969 KCET television reading of his 1938 radio play The Plot to Overthrow Christmas.

On TV he was seen in everything from The Andy Griffith Show to Star Trek: Voyager. Six decades of character roles in broadcasting.

Gunsmoke "The Stage Holdup" CBS 1/2/54 Oldtime Radio Drama Western
Matt Dillon: William Conrad...Kitty: Georgia Ellis...Chester Proudfoot: Parley Baer

➦In 2011…Lead anchor for 25 years at CNN Radio Stan Case was killed in a traffic accident in Birmingham AL, as he was driving to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. He was 59.

➦In 2015…Charlie Boone, the WCCO Radio host who was the voice of mornings in Minnesota for nearly 40 years, died at age 88.

Charlie Boone, Roger Erickson

“Boone and Erickson,” Boone’s 37-year collaboration with Roger Erickson, was one of the most popular shows on radio from the 1960s to the 1990s. The partnership ended in 1998 when Erickson retired, but Boone continued to host a Saturday morning show until 2010.

Born in Newfoundland, he started at WCCO in 1959 and was the station’s first disc jockey.

His show at WCCO, “Boone in the Afternoon,” followed Roger Erickson’s program each day, and the two struck up a friendship.

The weekday morning show started in 1961 and would last 37 years. Boone was more of the straight man and Erickson got most of the gags. The two were famous for their skits and voices. Boone could impersonate a bellicose Southern senator or a New York cop. Erickson, a Minnesota native, handled the Scandinavian accents.

Boone and Erickson poked fun at politicians, lampooned current events and parodied old radio shows. One of their most popular bits was “Minnesota Hospital,” billed as “the best place to get sick in.”

Boone liked to say that he and Erickson treated their relationship like a marriage.



Right before he arrived in Minneapolis, Boone was scheduled to emcee a show by Buddy Holly and Richie Valens in Moorhead, Minn., and was waiting at the airport when he learned the rock star had been killed in a plane crash. Needing a replacement act, he scrambled to enlist a local band called The Shadows, headed by 15-year-old Robert Velline, who later became known as Bobby Vee.