Tuesday, December 31, 2024

S-F Radio: Iconic KGO Call Letters To Disappear January 1


Starting January 1, KGO San Francisco 810 will adopt the KSFO call letters, replacing the short-lived sports-wagering format "810 The Spread." The KSFO calls will move from 560 to 810, and KSFO will adopt the new calls KZAC.

The KGO calls have been associated with the 50,000-watt 810 frequency in the Bay Area since January 8, 1924. The station was a dominant force in San Francisco radio for decades, consistently topping the ratings for nearly 30 years under the management of Mickey Luckoff. Chris Berry, Executive VP of News/Talk Programming at iHeartMedia, described KGO as a "crown jewel" in ABC's portfolio of radio stations.

However, by 2010, KGO's historic streak had ended. All-news KCBS added an FM signal, more listeners left the AM dial, and measurement methods changed. That year also saw the high-profile exit of Luckoff, who managed the station for 35 years. Luckoff lamented the disappearance of the legendary call letters, attributing it to inferior operators.

KGO's ratings, stature, and billings declined over the years, and in September 2022, owner Cumulus Media announced it would retire the station's long-running news/talk format

KGO Building 1926

➦In 1924...After several late-night test broadcasts, using the experimental call letter 6XG, radio station KGO signed on the air from General Electric's Oakland, electrical facility (the original two-story brick building, constructed specifically for the station on East 14th Street, still exists on the site), as part of a planned three-station network comprising WGY in Schenectady, New York, and KOA in Denver, Colorado.


Salem Catches Fish Buyer, Pays Off Entire Debt Load


Salem Media Group, Inc has  announced it has entered into a series of transactions pursuant to which it has repurchased all $159.4 million of its outstanding 7.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 at a $37.1 million discount, including accrued interest, has issued $40 million of a new series of convertible preferred stock, and has agreed to sell seven radio stations and enter into a marketing agreement for total consideration of $90 million.

David Santrella, Salem’s Chief Executive Officer said, “Upon the closing of these three transactions, we will have transformed and significantly improved Salem’s balance sheet and capital structure. With the exception of its revolving line of credit, Salem will have no outstanding debt. Salem will also have the benefit of working with an important new strategic investor that is expected to bring significant new opportunities to the company as well as offer incredible expertise in the area of digital media.” David Santrella added, “As a result of these transactions, our ability to service our national ministry partners and listeners with the important content provided by Salem has been greatly enhanced.”

On December 23, 2024, the Company entered into an agreement with Educational Media Foundation (“EMF”), the owner of the nation's two largest Christian music radio networks (K-LOVE and Air1) with over 1,000 broadcast signals across all 50 states, for the sale of the Company’s Contemporary Christian Music formatted radio stations in Atlanta (WFSH-FM), Cleveland (WFHM-FM), Colorado Springs (KBIQ-FM), Dallas (KLTY-FM), Los Angeles (KFSH-FM), Portland (KFIS-FM) and Sacramento (KKFS-FM) for aggregate consideration of $80 million, and will enter into an advertising and marketing agreement for $10 million. 

The Radio Stations Sale is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the first half of 2025. EMF will start operating the Stations pursuant to an Affiliation Agreement on or about February 1, 2025. In addition, the Company issued EMF a senior secured promissory note due 2027 in the principal amount of $72 million, a portion of the proceeds of which were used for the repurchase of the 2028 Notes. The Promissory Note, which will be terminated upon consummation of the Radio Stations Sale, is secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company and certain subsidiary guarantors and will bear interest at 3-month SOFR + 1.00% starting July 1, 2025.

Regarding the sale, Edward G. Atsinger, the Company’s Executive Chairman and co-founder said, “We have made a strategic decision to exit the Contemporary Christian Music format in order to pay off all of Salem’s long-term debt. We could not be more delighted that the buyer is EMF. EMF has demonstrated over many years a unique ability and dedication to creating and distributing the highest quality Christian music content to its listeners in a positive and encouraging way. I am confident that their impact on listeners and their communities will be incredibly effective.”

Tampa Radio: Roxanne Wilder Exits Q105 Morning Show


Roxanne Wilder is stepping down as co-host of the "MJ Morning Show" on WRBQ-FM (Q105) Tampa. She has been with Q105 for over 8 years, previously co-hosting mornings with Mason Dixon and serving as the midday personality on the Beasley Media Rock outlet. Wilder is also known for her 14 years with FoxSportsFlorida.com.

In a heartfelt Facebook post, Wilder shared, "I won't be coming back to Q105 after the holidays. Q105, and the listeners will always hold a special place in my heart. For four years, and during both my pregnancies, I worked with radio legend Mason Dixon. Being a part of the morning show with Mason, Bobby, and Andrew was what I can best describe as good for the soul."

In a post shared to social media, Wilder wrote:

“I’m moving to the Bahamas…just kidding. Ahhh, but I won’t be coming back to Q105 after the holidays. Q105 and the listeners will always hold a special place in my heart. For 4 years and during both my pregnancies, I worked with radio legend, Mason Dixon. Being a part of the morning show with Mason, Bobby, and Andrew was what I can best describe as good for the soul. Andrew, thank you for meeting me at my car every single morning during both my pregnancies to carry my stuff and open doors. One of a kind human. In the fall of 2020, what a surprise to find out the legendary MJ Morning Show was coming back to Tampa, and I was going to be a part of it. We had lots of laughs…and lots of characters from Cajun Fester to Hal Herman. Speaking of Froggy, whenever he walked in the studio something (Big/Crazy/Fun) was about to happen. I never take for granted the honor of you, the listener, choosing to hear what I have to say. And my intention was always to elevate your mood….”

MJ and Dom ‘Fester’ Siciliano remain in mornings at WRBQ-FM.

2024: Media's Digital Transformation Became Reality


When 170 music festivals vanished and radio continued its dramatic downsizing, most saw chaos. Bridge Ratings saw a data-driven narrative of media's most profound digital transformation yet.

Our research in 2024 revealed a seismic shift: AI isn't just changing media measurement—it's rewriting the rules of content creation, distribution, and consumption, according Dave Van Dyke, President & CEO at Bridge Ratings Media Research.
Three insights that captured the industry's imagination this year:

"Music Festivals Cratered in '24: What Happened?"
Despite an 8.7% increase in concert grosses, average show revenue fell 6.9%. This wasn't just an event decline—it was a structural market recalibration.

"The Downsizing of Radio"
Pre-holiday layoffs became so predictable that industry professionals now update resumes monthly. This isn't just job churn—it's an industry in fundamental transformation.

"The Era Where Everyone's a Creator"
Content creation democratization is fragmenting audiences, challenging traditional monetization models.

Key Research Milestones:

• Integrated AI-powered analytics into StreamStats, providing unprecedented streaming behavior insights
• Expanded Podcastalytics to map emerging audio consumption trends
• Published definitive studies on music festival market dynamics
• Enhanced digital tracking capabilities in our TeenTrends research

Looking to 2025: The convergence of traditional and digital media demands new measurement approaches. Bridge Ratings isn't just observing this transition—they're engineering the analytical tools that will define it.

The media landscape doesn't just change. It transforms. And transformation requires precision, not just prediction.

Philly Radio: 94.1 WIP Names New Eagles Sideline Reporter


Devan Kaney will handle sideline reporting duties for WIP for the rest of the season, joining the broadcast alongside veteran broadcasters Merrill Reese and Mike Quick.

Devan Kaney
Kaney joined WIP in 2022 and was quickly added to the station’s new morning show alongside Joe DeCamara, Jon Ritchie, James Seltzer, and Rhea Hughes. Kaney is also a weekend sports anchor for Fox 29.

“Beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to cover the Eagles sideline,” Kaney wrote on social media ahead of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Howard Eskin announced his sudden departure from the station last week. So far, no reason has been given for the abrupt end of his nearly 40-year tenure with the station.

Kaney joins one of the most respected radio broadcasts in the NFL. Reese is the league’s longest-tenured announcer, in his 47th season calling Eagles games. He has shared the booth with Quick, a former Eagles wide receiver, for 27 years.

“I have extolled a few times on the air my deep appreciation and admiration for Merrill and Mike,” longtime CBS announcer Jim Nantz told The Inquirer ahead of the season. “I think they’re the best hometown team in the NFL.”

R.I.P.: Aaron Brown, Former CNN, ABC News Anchor

Aaron Brown (1948-2024)

Aaron Brown, the renowned CNN anchor who gained prominence for his coverage of the September 11 attacks and his role in shaping the network’s evening news format, died Sunday at the age of 76, his family said.

Brown’s career in journalism began in local television in Seattle before anchoring ABC’s overnight news program “World News Now.” He later joined CNN, where he became known for his incisive reporting. From 2001 to 2005, he anchored “NewsNight,” a program that combined breaking news with in-depth analysis, and earned acclaim for his ability to handle complex stories with sensitivity and insight.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper called Brown “a great writer and broadcaster.”

“Thoughtful, funny, and diligent, he had a truly unique talent and a beautiful way with words,” Cooper said.

Brown’s coverage from New York City of the 9/11 attacks, which marked his first day on air at CNN, established him as a trusted figure during one of the darkest moments in American history, according to CNN’s John Vause, who also reported from New York that day.

On 9/11, Brown began his broadcast earlier than scheduled, and, when the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, his calm demeanor and humanizing approach struck a chord with viewers, Vause said.

“When he was live on air, he just stopped and looked at it. And paused. And he shared this moment that everybody was thinking, ‘Good Lord, there are no words,’” Vause said.

“In the pre-talk era of broadcast journalism, Aaron was first and foremost a writer and a craftsman. That was one of his many skills that earned the respect of his colleagues across the media landscape,” said former CNN producer Jon Auerbach, who worked with Brown.

Following his departure from CNN, he served as the Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where his influence on broadcast journalism continued to resonate.

Radio History: Dec 31


➦In 1910...Actor Dick Kollmar was born in Rigewood NJ. He starred as 'Boston Blackie' in the long-running radio show, and co-hosted a WOR New York chat show with his wife, gossip columnist Dorothy Kilgallen.  On TV he hosted the series Broadway Spotlight & Guess What. He died Jan. 7 1971, an apparent suicide at age 60.

➦In 1914...Roy Rogers’ sidekick Pat Brady was born in Toledo Ohio. He appeared in more than 100 episodes of TV’s Roy Rogers Show, after hooking up with Roy in films & on radio.   He also sang with the western group Sons of the Pioneers. He died in a car accident Feb. 27 1972 at age 57.

➦In 1920...cowboy actor & narrator Rex Allen was born on a ranch in Arizona. Although he sang on radio’s WLS National Barn Dance, published over 300 songs, and starred in 19 Republic western movies, he is best remembered today for his distinctive narration of dozens of Disney films & TV shows.  He died Dec 17, 1999 just days short of his 79th birthday, after being accidently run over in his own driveway.

➦In 1923...In London,, the BBC began using the distinctive Big Ben chime ID.

➦In 1923...the first transatlantic radio broadcast of a voice occurred between Pittsburgh and Manchester, England.

➦In 1926...KOMO signed on the air in Seattle at AM 980.  Today the longtime Fisher Broadcasting outlet has an all-news format at AM 1000.

KOMO Control circa 1948 (Photos courtesy of  nwradiohistory.com)

In July 1926, KOMO was founded on Harbor Island as KGFA 980 by two owners: Birt F. Fisher, whose lease on Seattle radio station KTCL was about to run out, and the Fisher brothers of Fisher Flouring Mills, who had been on the island since 1911. (The Fisher Brothers and Birt Fisher were not related.) In preparation for the switch to the new station, Birt Fisher changed KTCL's call sign to KOMO.

In December, his lease ended, and he took the call letters with him to KGFA. KOMO 980's first broadcast was December 31, 1926. The studios moved to Downtown Seattle in 1927. The station also began a long-running affiliation with NBC Radio that year as well, primarily with the Red Network, but also with the short-lived West Coast NBC Orange Network from 1931 to 1933. Over the following years, KOMO's frequency would go from 980 to 1080, back to 980, down to 920, up to 970, then back to 920, and settled at 950 after the NARBA frequency shakeup in 1941.

Circa 1948





Fisher's Blend Station, owner of KOMO, bought NBC Blue Network affiliate KJR from NBC in 1941. In 1944, KOMO switched frequencies with KJR (then at 1000 kHz) and sold KJR off two years later. At its new frequency, KOMO began broadcasting with 50,000 watts of power from its current transmitter site on Vashon Island in 1948. New studios at the corner of Fourth and Denny, near what is now the Seattle Center, were dedicated in February 1948.

➦In 1928...For the first time Auld Lang Syne was played by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians to bring in 1929, during the band’s annual New Year’s Eve Party at  New York’s Hotel Roosevelt Grill. The event was heard on the CBS radio network, and became the longest running annual special program in broadcast history.

➦In 1940...ASCAP prevented the radio industry from playing any ASCAP-licensed music. The ban lasted for ten months. It was in reaction to a dispute between the radio networks and ASCAP, the American Society of Composers and Publishers.

➦In 1943...Singer John Denver was born Henry John Deutschendorf.  Denver was killed At age 53 on Oct 12, 1997, when his home-built high-performance aircraft he was piloting over Monterey Bay, California. crashed.

➦In 1961...LA radio station KFWB hired the Beach Boys for $300, appearing under that name for the first time, to perform at their Ritchie Valen’s Memorial Dance in Long Beach.   Previously the group had played California nightclubs as The Pendletones, as Kenny and the Cadets, and as Carl and the Passions.

➦In 1963...The "Dear Abby Show" premiered on the CBS Radio network. The 5-minutes program aired for 11 years.

➦In 1967...Radio stations across the nation had to comply with an FCC mandate that AM/FM outlets in major cities had to air non-duplicated programming.  The limit was 50 percent for simulcasts. Here's a NY Times story dated December 31, 1966 concerning NYC stations...

Monday, December 30, 2024

As 2025 Approaches, Radio Still Rules The Road


In this age of streaming and Apple CarPlay, you might wonder if having a functioning car radio even matters.

That was the subject of discussion at the recent WorldDAB Summit 2024, where one speaker talked about the importance of keeping the radio prominent on the center console screen present in many new cars.

“It’s really important to keep radio prominent, to have an easy findability [for the listener],” said Gregor Pötzsch, radio product owner of the Volkswagen Group’s CARIAD and chair of the WorldDAB Automotive Working Group, according to Radio World.

The article also noted that conversely, per Pötzsch, “radio stations need to provide multimedia content that looks compelling on a car’s dashboard video screen.”

Although, dashboard screens are increasingly dangerous, as a Daily Dot investigation discovered. And that concern around new technology may be a good thing.

A Statista chart from August shows that 70% of U.S. drivers 18 and over use a radio in the car, compared to 55% using online audio, 32% listening to podcasts, and one in four still using the tried-and-true CD. As the chart title noted, “Radio still rules the road.”

With in-car entertainment systems that connect to smartphones via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto more and more common in modern cars, digital music consumption has been catching up in recent years, but for now the good old radio remains America's most popular roadside companion.

13 Anonymous Media Executives Make Predictions


It’s a holiday tradition: Anonymous media executives make their 2025 industry predictions.

In honor of the 12 days of Christmas, CNBC gives 12 predictions from some of the most powerful media and entertainment executives in the world, weighing in on the condition of anonymity so they can speak candidly about their visions of the year ahead. And then, because we have holiday cheer, we give you a bonus one. A baker’s dozen!

Executive 1: Comcast will acquire the studio and streaming assets of Warner Bros. Discovery and merge them with NBCUniversal Second time’s the charm! Warner Bros. Discovery is separating its linear assets from the rest of the company. Comcast is spinning out most of its cable networks. It has to mean something, right?

Executive 2: Comcast will acquire Charter and spin off the rest of NBCUniversal   That’s right, Comcast may have SpinCo 1 and SpinCo 2! This executive predicts Comcast will test the Donald Trump regulatory administration and try to combine the two largest U.S. cable companies, 10 years after dropping its bid to buy Time Warner Cable — which used to be the second-largest U.S. cable provider before it was acquired by Charter — after concluding the government would block the deal.

Executive 3: Fox will acquire most of Warner Bros. Discovery’s assets After selling the majority of its entertainment assets to Disney in 2019, Fox will shock the media world by again gaining scale, acquiring HBO, the movie studio, the Turner networks and the streaming assets of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to this executive. For what it’s worth, another executive predicted Fox would sell, given the unknown future of the Murdoch family trust.

Executive 4: Dana Walden will leave Disney at year-end when she doesn’t get the CEO job  Disney has already said it plans to delay naming a new CEO until early 2026, so this prediction assumes the company will slightly move up the announcement. Walden, Disney’s co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, is the ultimate Hollywood insider who many view as the front-runner for the job. The board is taking its time vetting candidates after the handoff from Iger to Bob Chapek in 2020 did not go very well.

2025: The Top Resolution Is To Save Money


A new year means new resolutions, and people in the United States are seemingly on the same page going into 2025. According to recent surveys, above all else, Americans are looking to save their money.

A Statista consumer insights survey of 1,050 U.S. residents assessed what New Year’s resolutions are the most popular, and a fifth of respondents said they are watching their wallets next year, reports ajc.com.

“Planning to save more money is once again top of mind for many Americans making resolutions for 2025,” data journalist Anna Fleck reported. “Data from a recent survey by Statista shows that one in five U.S. adults are committing to the financial goal. Vows to eat healthier, exercise more and lose weight were the next most commonly cited resolutions this year, picked by between 15-19 percent of respondents. Four in ten U.S. respondents said that they do not plan on making any resolutions for next year.”

The data gathering platform was not the only one asking around, either. According to YouGov, an international online research data and analytics technology group, conducted a survey of 1,109 Americans this month. Once again, saving money was the top resolution among respondents. YouGov’s survey takers were also more likely to focus on saving money than Statista’s, with 26% saying they plan to put more money away.

Just like with Statista’s survey, improving physical health came in second place. Exercise, improving happiness and eating healthier finished out the top five.

The Allianz Life 2025 New Year’s Resolutions Study, completed by Allianz Life Insurance Co. of North America, determined more Americans are focused on their finances going into 2025 than they’ve been for a decade.

Around 38% of their respondents said financial stability is their top focus for next year.

“With the rising cost of living, Americans are prioritizing financial stability as part of their New Year’s resolutions in 2025 to achieve greater security in the coming year,” Kelly LaVigne, vice president of the company’s consumer insights, said in a news release. “The new year is an ideal time for Americans to examine the status of their finances, write down their goals, and create a financial plan for the year ahead.”

Elon Musk Could Help Slash Public Media Funding

Sesame Street’s “Sunny Days” may not be as bright if Elon Musk makes good on his proposal to eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual funding that is allocated to PBS and NPR stations — home to Elmo and the gang and popular programs like All Things Considered and Fresh Air with Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley.

The Philly Inquirer reports Elon Musk is in a unique position to recommend defunding public media. 

National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service are preparing for the effects of funding cuts. After the 2024 election, the leaders at NPR’s biggest member stations circulated a report that stated “it would be unwise to assume that events will play out as they have in the past” in regard to federal funding, the New York Times reported, as PBS was made aware of the situation by political consultants in early December. Station directors in certain states have started lobbying legislators.

WHYY is the Philadelphia region’s PBS/NPR member station, serving 2.9 million households in the Philadelphia area, Delaware, and South Jersey — one of the country’s top 10 markets, as of March, according to the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage. Fresh Air, one of the most well-known NPR programs, is owned and produced by WHYY. It’s unclear how WHYY will be affected by potential cuts or if the station is bracing for any impact. New Jersey also has its own public media network — NJ PBS — which is composed of various outlets, including WNJN.

In a statement to The Inquirer, Gary Bramnick, senior director of marketing communications at WHYY, emphasized the importance of public media for educational content, cultural programming, and news regardless of a consumer’s income or location.

“Supporting diverse audiences, voices and perspectives, Public Media is an invaluable asset to our society, offering a unique blend of services that enrich our lives, supports an engaged civic populace and ultimately strengthens our democracy,” he said Friday. “Investing in public media is an investment in a more informed, engaged, and equitable society.”

A spokesperson for PBS echoed Bramnick’s sentiments in a statement Friday and said PBS is grateful to have bipartisan support in Congress.

Woman Claims She Was 'Lured' To Diddy' Party via Radio Contest


In a new lawsuit, a woman has accused embattled rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2006 at a New York party, where she says she was “lured” through a radio station contest.

NBC News reports Latroya Grayson said in the lawsuit she and her half-sibling were flown to New York City from Oklahoma on Oct. 16, 2006, after her relative won a trip for two to attend one of Combs’ parties. 

At the party, the woman, who was 23 at the time, said she felt sick and became unconscious after she was served two premade drinks by waitresses, according to the complaint filed Dec. 20 in the Southern District of New York.

She said she woke up in a hospital with a ripped shirt, missing underwear and shoes, and no recollection of how she got there, the complaint said.

She said her vagina hurt for about a week, which she believed was from rough intercourse that she did not remember, the suit says. She said she did not seek medical treatment or report the incident to law enforcement out of fear, according to the complaint.

Grayson said in the suit that she later received a call from an unknown woman with a New York number, allegedly threatening her to keep quiet. The caller allegedly said any attempts to pursue anything about the alleged assault “would be futile” because Combs “was a celebrity,” the complaint said.

Nashville's Big Bash Rings In 2025


Many TV viewers tuning into the CBS New Year's Eve "Big Bash" tomorrow night might not be ready for the display of influence Nashville's music stars are set to have on American pop culture, based on current hit songs and streaming trends.

The Tennessean reports The "Big Bash" will air from 8 to 10 p.m. ET/PT and from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. ET/PT on CBS, with streaming available on Paramount+. Live viewing is for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, while Paramount+ Essential subscribers can watch on-demand the day after.

Lainey Wilson
The celebration includes performances from Downtown Nashville at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, featuring artists like Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey, Keith Urban, and the critically acclaimed Brittney Spencer, leading up to the midnight music-note drop.

Artists at the 2024 New Year's Eve celebration reveal through their performances that country music traditions endure despite changes.

Conversations with artists like Tyler Hubbard (formerly of Florida Georgia Line), 2023's Country Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson, and Zach Top, nominated for CMA awards, underline the timeless appeal fueling Nashville's cultural influence.

"We're accomplishing everything that we told our fans and the music industry that we could achieve and because of that, we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," Wilson told a Tennessean reporter while breaking from rehearsals at Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge honky-tonk on Lower Broadway.

Nashville's country music scene has evolved, now emphasizing both its mainstream popularity and the widespread acceptance of country artists' capabilities across America.

Wilson has won 14 awards from the Academy of Country Music and the CMA since 2021, alongside seven No. 1 country hits. Her ballads like the Jelly Roll duet "Save Me" and the solo "Watermelon Moonshine" have also found success on all-genre top-40 radio, showcasing her crossover appeal.

"We're excited and proud to be on the platforms we're on, but if they're anything like me, we're also thinking about what we can improve on because I'm my worst critic," Wilson said. "With every song and performance, we're sharing all of ourselves to set the groundwork to fuel the fire behind a culture that people can also live."

Let's Get The Party Started


Happy New Year! Ryan Seacrest is set to countdown to 2025 on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest live on ABC starting at 8pm ET, January 31st, and the performances will be truly star-studded.

Performing during the New Year's Eve festivities to help ring in 2025 are Alanis Morisette, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Dasha, Ernest, Hardy, Jonas Brothers, Kesha, Laufey, Lenny Kravitz, Luis Fonsi, Megan Moroney, Natasha Bedingfield, Reneé Rapp, Sophie Ellis Bextor, T-Pain, Teddy Swims, Thomas Rhett, Tinashe, TLC and more!

Seacrest will be joined by co-host Rita Ora. The show will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations across the country, as well as on iHeartRadio's Hit Nation station.

Dayanara Torres returns as co-host in Puerto Rico. Additional hosts include NFL retiree Rob Gronkowski and TV personality Jeannie Mai. Gronkowski will be covering NYE content from Las Vega, while Mai will be on location in Los Angeles as the ball drops in NYC.

The 54th edition of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest will also be available to stream next day on Hulu.

Stormy Weather Made 2024 Dangerous


2024 had its fair share of weather events that received top billing over newsier topics.

Hurricanes dominated the news cycle, with three making landfall within the lower 48 states. Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 storm on July 8; Hurricane Helene landed as a Category 4 on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sept. 26; and Hurricane Milton made landfall in the Sunshine State in October, touching down as a Category 3 storm.

Helene was the most destructive of the three hurricanes, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicating that it was the deadliest hurricane to affect the continental U.S. since Katrina in 2005. The hurricane led to more than 150 direct fatalities, the majority occurring in North Carolina and South Carolina.

These major storms—as well as other weather events taking place throughout the year—kept America’s major weather networks, including The Weather Channel and Fox Weather, very busy.

The Weather Channel 

Hurricane Milton was the network’s most-watched weather event of 2024, with October posting its best monthly, weekly, and daily performance. The Weather Channel ranked among the Top 5 cable networks in the advertiser-coveted Adults 25-54 demo between Oct. 7-10 and was the top cable network among that audience on Oct. 9 when the hurricane made landfall. It outperformed the combined viewership of Fox News and CNN on that day, according to TVNewser.

Outside of its special hurricane coverage, The Weather Channel’s highest-rated program of 2024 was Weekend Recharge, which saw 313,000 total viewers and 48,000 demo viewers on Aug. 4. Its highest-rated primetime show of the year was Highway Through Hell, which attracted 267,000 total viewers and 13,000 demo viewers on Mar. 17. 


Fox Weather

Like The Weather Channel, Fox Weather saw significant viewership growth during the month of October due to coverage of Hurricane Milton. 

Note: Fox Weather’s viewership is not Nielsen measured as it is primarily distributed as a streaming network. Data sources for Fox Weather streaming: Adobe Analytics, Amagi, Cascada, Roku Portal, Xumo dashboard, Fubo dashboard, YTTV, Tubi dashboard, Hulu, and Nielsen.

During October, Fox Weather’s coverage total view time was up +662% year over year. Oct. 9 was the network’s best day in view time, with 994.8 million minutes streamed across its cable and the FAST channels.

Meanwhile, coverage of Milton and Helene represented 9 out of the top 10 days for the Fox Weather stream, and boosted viewership on the network’s website, which saw a +167% increase in year-over-year page views.

A viral moment occurred during Fox Weather’s Helene coverage involving on-air meteorologist. While on location in Atlanta, Bob Van Dillen switched from reporter to hero mode as he rescued a woman trapped in a flooded car. 

R.I.P.: Jimmy Carter, 39th Presdient


Being elected president of the United States just once would satisfy most people, but Jimmy Carter has pushed the envelope ever since he was a farm boy dreaming of the Navy. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has compiled a list of some of Carter’s biggest accomplishments,

1. As a lieutenant in the Navy in 1952, Carter served under the legendary Adm. Hyman Rickover, helping to develop a nuclear-powered Navy. Bringing things full circle, Carter in 2004 christened the USS Jimmy Carter, a $3.3 billion nuclear submarine.

2. Carter left the Navy in 1953, following the death of his father, Earl, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 58. The elder Carter was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, and his son eventually followed him into politics. In 1962, after first winning a court fight over voter fraud, Jimmy Carter was elected to the Georgia Senate. In 1971, on his second try, Carter became Georgia’s governor, and in 1976, he won election to become the 39th president of the United States.

3. As president in 1978, Carter mediated negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to produce the Camp David Accords. Under the agreement, Israel agreed to return Egyptian territory conquered during the 1973 war, and Egypt in return extended full diplomatic recognition to Israel. Begin and Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize for that effort.

4. Carter has long been associated with Habitat for Humanity, first working with it in March 1984 when he joined a work crew in building a home for a needy family in Americus. Habitat for Humanity has honored the former president’s efforts for the charity by holding an annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. The next one, the 32nd, will take place Nov. 1-6 in Nepal to help that country recover from a massive earthquake.

5. Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

R.I.P.: Charles Dolan, A Cable-TV Pioneer


Charles Dolan, a pioneer of the cable-television industry who launched Home Box Office and AMC Networks, has died at age 98.

The Wall Street Journal reports Dolan was the founder of Cablevision Systems, which over four decades grew into a leading pay-TV operator in the New York metropolitan area. Over the course of his career, his holdings in media included AMC Networks, whose namesake channel aired “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad”; Madison Square Garden Co., including the famous venue and ownership of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers; Radio City Music Hall; and the newspaper Newsday.

He “passed away peacefully from natural causes, surrounded by his loved ones,” a family spokeswoman said. “Remembered as both a trailblazer in the television industry and a devoted family man, his legacy will live on.”

Dolan, who was known as Chuck, often took a contrarian path compared with cable-industry peers and didn’t shy away from a fight. He was one of the first industry executives to argue that consumers should be able to buy cable channels a la carte instead of being forced to buy large bundles, an idea that is still resisted by entertainment giants. He took on major media companies in a landmark legal battle that ultimately legalized the cloud-based digital video recorder, an innovation now used by a host of online TV services.

Cablevision in recent years sold or spun off its media investments, including MSG, AMC and Clearview Cinemas, as the operator refocused on its core cable business.

Dolan for years toyed with the idea of selling the cable business itself, including to the neighboring New York operator Time Warner Cable. But he always stepped back from such a move.

A Tribute To Those We Lost in 2024


Around this time of year, it's hard not to think of those we lost – family and friends, most of all. Then, there are the people who in their own way almost become like family to all of us … people from all walks of life, in all kinds of fields.

"Sunday Morning" correspondent Lee Cowan remembers some of the newsworthy men and women who passed away this year – musicians and storytellers who surpassed the ordinary, athletes who defied expectations, and activists who defied injustice, all touching us with their creativity and humanity.


Radio History: Dec 30


➦In 1911...Actress Jeanette Nolan born (Died at age 86 from a stroke – June 5, 1998). Nominated for four Emmy Awards, she had roles in the television series The Virginian (1962–1971) and Dirty Sally (1974); and in films such as Macbeth (1948).

Nolan began her acting career at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California, and, while a student at Los Angeles City College, made her radio debut in 1932 in Omar Khayyam, the first transcontinental broadcast from station KHJ. She continued acting into the 1990s.

Nolan made more than three hundred television appearances.

➦In 1914...Radio & TV host Bert Parks born (Died at age 77 from lung cancer – February 2, 1992).  He is best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979.

Parks entered radio broadcasting at age 16, for Atlanta's WGST. Three years later, he moved to New York City and was hired as a singer and straight man on The Eddie Cantor Show, then becoming a CBS Radio staff announcer. Parks was the host of Break the Bank, which premiered on radio in 1945 and was telecast from 1948 to 1957, as well as Stop the Music on radio in 1948 and television from 1949 to 1952.

Bert Parks
The success of Stop the Music took a toll on the ratings of the popular radio show hosted by satirist Fred Allen, who began spoofing Parks's program with skits mocking the premise of the show, one called Cease The Melody.

With other celebrities, he hosted NBC radio's Monitor during the 1960s.

Parks' first game show was Party Line on NBC (broadcast from New York City NBC flagship station WNBT), which involved viewers calling in to answer questions and win $5 prizes; Party Line ran from June 8 to August 31, 1947, making its one surviving episode the oldest known game show and one of the oldest surviving television shows to have been recorded. Commercial kinescopes did not come out until fall 1947 (co-sponsored by NBC, DuMont, and Kodak), and the only kinescopes known to predate Party Line are a few episodes of Kraft Television Theater from February and June 1947.

Parks is most famous for hosting the Miss America telecast from 1955–79; each telecast ended with Parks singing "There She Is, Miss America", as the winner was crowned. Following the 1979 pageant, he was unceremoniously fired by the organization (he heard a newscast while on vacation) in an attempt to attract a more youthful audience. The Tonight Show host Johnny Carson led an on-air campaign to get Parks rehired, but was unsuccessful. In 1990, for the 70th anniversary of the Miss America pageant (during which Miss America 1991 was crowned), Parks was brought on by host Gary Collins to sing "There She Is" to the new Miss America, Marjorie Judith Vincent. It was the last time Parks performed the song live.

➦In 1917...actress Nancy Coleman born (Died at age 82 – January 18, 2000). After working on radio and appearing on the Broadway stage, Nancy Coleman moved to Hollywood to work for Warner Bros. studios.

Early in her career as an actress, Coleman portrayed Alice Hughes on the radio version of the soap opera Young Doctor Malone.  Coleman also appeared as the lead in the 04/13/1943 episode of "Suspense", entitled "Fear Paints a Picture". On television, she played Helen Emerson on Valiant Lady.

Jack Benny and Fred Allen

➦In 1936...The famous radio feud between Jack Benny and Fred Allen began. Good friends in real life, Fred Allen and Jack Benny inadvertently hatched a running gag in 1937 when a child prodigy, violinist Stuart Canin, gave a very credible performance on the Allen show, inspiring an Allen wisecrack about "a certain alleged violinist" who should hide in shame over his poor playing.

Allen often mentioned his show-business friends on the air ("Mr. Jacob Haley of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts" was Allen's way of saying hello to his pal Jack Haley), and on the Canin broadcast Allen knew Benny would be listening. Benny, according to Allen biographer Taylor, burst out laughing, then responded in kind on his own program. The rivalry gag went on for a decade and convinced some fans that the two comedians really were blood enemies.

The Allen-Benny feud was the longest-playing, best-remembered running gag in classic radio history.  The gag even pushed toward a boxing match between the two comedians and the promised event was a sellout, though the match never occurred.

➦In 1942...the radio program, "Mr. and Mrs. North", began it's run on the NBC Radio network. The show was a radio mystery series that aired on NBC and CBS from 1942 to 1954. Alice Frost and Joseph Curtin had the title roles when the series began in 1942.

The characters, publisher Jerry North and his wife Pam, lived in Greenwich Village at 24 St. Anne's Flat. They were not professional detectives but simply an ordinary couple who stumbled across a murder or two every week for 12 years. The radio program eventually reached nearly 20 million listeners.

➦In 1942...Frank Sinatra opened at New York's Paramount Theater for what was scheduled to be a four-week engagement, but turned into eight weeks because of its popularity.

Saturday, December 28, 2024

Radio History: Dec 29

➦In 1891...Thomas A. Edison patented "transmission of signals electrically" (radio).

Wendell Niles, Marilyn Monroe

➦In 1904...one of the prominent announcers of big-time radio & early TV Wendell Niles was born in Twin Valley Minnesota.

Niles worked on such radio shows as The Charlotte Greenwood Show, Hedda Hopper's Hollywood, The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, The Man Called X, The Bob Hope Show, The Burns & Allen Show, The Milton Berle Show and The Chase and Sanborn Hour. On February 15, 1950, Wendell starred in the radio pilot for The Adventures of the Scarlet Cloak along with Gerald Mohr.

Wendell Niles
He began in entertainment by touring in the 1920s with his own orchestra, playing with the Dorsey Brothers and Bix Beiderbecke. In the early 1930s, Niles was an announcer at radio station KOL in Seattle. He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1935 to join George Burns and Gracie Allen.

He and his brother, Ken, developed one of the first radio dramas, which eventually became Theatre of the Mind.

He toured with Bob Hope during World War II. Among his film credits are Knute Rockne, All American (1940) with Ronald Reagan and Hollywood or Bust (the last Martin & Lewis comedy, 1956) as himself.

Wendell Niles was the announcer for TV's "America's Show Of Surprises"... It Could Be You, and for the Hatos-Hall production Your First Impression. Niles was also the original announcer for Let's Make a Deal during that show's first season in 1963 and 1964; he was later replaced by Jay Stewart.

Niles and his brother, Ken, are the first brothers to have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

He died March 28 1994 at age 89.

➦In 1945...Sheb Wooley recorded the first commercial record made in Nashville. The song was recorded at the studios of WSM-AM and released by the Bullet label; but it would be 13 years before Wooley would finally score with a big hit (“The Purple People Eater” was #1 for six weeks in 1958.)

WSM is credited with helping shape Nashville into a recording industry capital. Because of WSM's wide reach, musical acts from all across the eastern United States came to Nashville in the early decades of the station's existence, in hopes of getting to perform on WSM.  Over time, as more acts and recording companies came to Nashville, the city became known as the center of the country music industry. Disc jockey David Cobb is credited with first referring to Nashville as "Music City USA", a designation that has since been adopted as the city's official nickname by the local tourism board.

➦In 1945...The mystery voice of "Mr. Hush" was introduced to the audience of the radio show, "Truth or Consequences", which was hosted by Ralph Edwards.

Ralph Edwards
Born in Merino, Colorado,  Edwards worked for KROW Radio in Oakland, California while he was still in high school.  Before graduating from high school in 1931, he worked his way through college at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a B.A. in English in 1935. While there, he worked at every job from janitor to producer at Oakland's KTAB, now KSFO. Failing to get a job as a high school teacher, he worked at KFRC and then hitchhiked across the country to New York, where, he said, "I ate ten-cent ($2 as of 2014),  meals and slept on park benches".

After some part-time announcing jobs, he got his big break in 1938 with a full-time job for the Columbia Broadcasting System on WABC (now WCBS-AM), where he worked with two other young announcers who would become broadcasting fixtures - Mel Allen and Andre Baruch.

It was Edwards who introduced Major Bowes every week on the Original Amateur Hour and Fred Allen on Town Hall Tonight. Edwards perfected a chuckling delivery, sounding as though he was in the midst of telling a very funny story. This "laugh in the voice" technique served him well when 20th Century Fox hired him to narrate the coming-attractions trailers for Laurel and Hardy movies. He later used the conspiratorial chuckle frequently when surprising someone on his programs.

In 1940, Edwards created the game show Truth or Consequences, which aired for 38 years on radio and television. Contestants were asked to perform (often ridiculous) stunts for prizes of cash or merchandise.

➦In 1958...the first radio broadcast from space occurred when the voice of President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "To all mankind, America's wish for Peace on Earth & Good Will to Men Everywhere".






➦In 1963...Much to the chagrin of the disc jockeys at 50,000-watt 77WABC in New York, the 5,000-watt blowtorch known as WMCA 570 AM and its famed “Good Guys” became the first New York radio station to play the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. It didn’t take long for WABC to get revenge. WABC played the record an hour later and started calling itself the “official” Beatles station (W-A-Beatle-C).

Throughout the 1960s, WMCA would continue to beat other radio stations on most Beatles' promotions, scoring firsts, causing headaches in particular for rival WABC - most notably when Capitol Records printed a photograph of the "Good Guys" line-up - on the back of a limited edition record sleeve for the single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Side 2: "I Saw Her Standing There"). WMCA's Good Guys were also featured at both of the Beatles' concerts at Shea Stadium, on August 15, 1965 and on August 23, 1966.

WMCA Good Guys: Johnny Dark, Joe O'Brien, Jack Spector, B. Mitchel Reed. Harry Harrison









WABC responded in different ways, scoring a success during the Beatles' second New York visit in August 1964 - when the band stayed at the Delmonico Hotel, rousing thousands of teenage fans into a frenzy - while broadcasting from one floor above the Beatles' rooms.  WABC later went against its own music policies, promising promoter Sid Bernstein that it would play a new group he was handling before any other New York City radio station - if it could get exclusive access to the Beatles. WABC never added records "out of the box" - but it did for Sid Bernstein when it played The Young Rascals' "I Ain't Going To Eat Out My Heart Anymore" - before other radio stations.

Since WABC knew WMCA already had a relationship with the Beatles, with tapes of the group promoting the station - what could WABC do to achieve the same? In August 1965, WABC came up with what it thought was a brilliant idea - issuing "medals" called "The Order of the All-Americans" - tied to its own DJs.  The strategy was to present the medals to each of the Beatles the next time they were in New York. Everything was set. The goal was to get each Beatle to comment on the "medal" - and then to get each to say the station's call letters, "W-A-B-C." These in turn could be used in station IDs and promotions, etc. - thus matching WMCA's success at getting the Beatles to promote WMCA and its Good Guys. But WABC's plan backfired. The station got its interviews, but none of the band's members would utter WABC's call letters. According to Beatles' historian Bruce Spizer, manager Brian Epstein ordered the Beatles to stop "giving away valuable promotional spots to radio stations for free."

Ted Danson is 77
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS
  • Actor Jon Voight is 86. 
  • Singer Marianne Faithfull is 78. 
  • Actor Ted Danson is 77. 
  • Singer-actor Yvonne Elliman is 73. 
  • Actor Patricia Clarkson is 65. 
  • Comedian Paula Poundstone is 65. 
  • Guitarist-singer Jim Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain is 63. 
  • Actor Michael Cudlitz (“The Walking Dead”) is 60. 
  • Singer Dexter Holland of The Offspring is 59. 
  • Actor Jason Gould is 58. 
  • News anchor Ashleigh Banfield is 57. 
  • Director Lilly Wachowski (“The Matrix”) is 57. 
  • Singer-guitarist Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) is 54. 
  • Actor Kevin Weisman (“Alias”) is 54. 
  • Actor Jude Law is 52. 
  • Actor Maria Dizzia (“Orange Is the New Black”) is 50. 
  • Actor Mekhi Phifer is 50. 
  • Actor Shawn Hatosy (“Reckless,” ″The Faculty”) is 49. 
  • Actor Katherine Moennig (“Ray Donovan,” “The L Word”) is 47. 
  • Actor Alison Brie (“Glow,” ″Community”) is 42. 
  • Country singer Jessica Andrews is 41. 
  • Actor Iain de Caestecker (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) is 37. 
  • Actor Jane Levy (“Suburgatory”) is 35. 
  • Drummer Danny Wagner of Greta Van Fleet is 26.
✞REMEMBRANCES
  • In 2011..Bobby Purify [Robert Lee Dickey], American soul singer (I'm Your Puppet), dies at 72
  • In 2020..Phyllis McGuire, American pop vocalist (McGuire Sisters - "Sincerely"; "Sugartime"), dies at 89
  • In 2022..Pele, Brazilian soccer attacking midfielder (92 caps; Player of the Century; 1,281 goals in 1,363 games; Santos, died from colon cancer at age 82
  • In 2023..Les McCann, American jazz pianist, soul singer ("Compared to What"), painter, and photographer, dies of pneumonia at 88