'The Jazz Station' Starts Streaming

88.7 WSIE FM, broadcasting at 50,000 watts from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is the only radio station in the St. Louis market and the surrounding region that broadcasts modern American jazz seven days a week. But now listeners around the world can hear their favorite jazz from WSIE through the streaming audio feature on the station’s new website—wsie.com.

The Jazz Station, as it’s known, has been broadcasting jazz full-time since the mid-1980s and recently began offering the audio stream. “We had great help from our Marketing and Communications team and our Information Technology Services department,” said Greg Conroy, station director/general manager. “They worked together to give us a great looking website and also to provide the streaming audio.”

Conroy also announced WSIE-FM has begun broadcasting its own CD collection digitally. Thousands of tunes have been entered into the station’s digital server and are being broadcast through high-end software and a digital board.

“Our staff has been working since August entering our own CD collection into the server and we recently began the new broadcast process,” he said. He explained that many of the station’s public service announcements and underwriting announcements were digitized a few years ago and have been broadcast on-air, but that the station has relied for the past several years on music supplied through a satellite service.
“We also have added several selections by St. Louis area jazz musicians in our effort to further our presence as the jazz station for the Edwardsville-St. Louis region.” Conroy said he welcomes submissions from area jazz professionals for review and possible inclusion in the station’s playlist.

In reference to the satellite feed used by the station for the past several years, Conroy said the service had done a great job of keeping up with trends in modern jazz but that the station’s use of student announcers “now enables us to further our core mission of training students in the art of broadcasting.”

He also explained the radio station’s news operation has used student announcers over the years under the guidance of Tom Dehner, a professional broadcaster with some 30 years of radio and public affairs experience.

In addition to the station’s own music, WSIE continues to broadcast NPR Jazz programming on Sunday mornings—Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz and JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater. Also on Sunday mornings, the station features Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis provided by WFMT-FM in Chicago.

Listen Here.

Westwood One to Merge With Dial Global

Dial Global, a division of Triton Media Group, LLC, and Westwood One, Inc. today announced a definitive agreement to merge in a stock for stock transaction. The new entity will remain listed on NASDAQ. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2011, subject to customary closing conditions and expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

The combination of assets of Dial Global and Westwood One creates a diverse radio programming, services and advertising sales company, enhancing the array of products and services provided to radio stations and national advertisers. In addition, the merged entity will expand national advertising sales representation to independent content producers and networks.

"This transaction brings together a highly complementary portfolio of programming assets that will better serve our clients and customers," said Spencer Brown, David Landau and Ken Williams co-CEO's of Dial Global. "We will focus on utilizing the combined company's expanded content and sales platform to enhance the services and value we offer to our current and future clients."

Rod Sherwood, President of Westwood One, commented, "We are excited about this merger and the benefits it will bring to our customers by complementing our existing portfolio of sports, talk, news, music and entertainment programming. Our employees have worked hard to create a diverse portfolio of assets that, when combined with Dial Global, will better serve our clients."

RIP: WDTW Detroit's Jevon Hollywood

A Detroit radio DJ has died after being hit by a car in Northville last week.

According to a story by Tammy Stables Battaglia at freep.com, Jevon Hotchkiss, known as DJ Jevon Hollywood at 106.7 FM WDTW-FM (The Beat), died at 5:10 a.m. today at Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, Northville Police Lt. Michael Wildt said. Jevon's regular shift was 10p-1am.

The 34-year-old was hit early Thursday as he walked along 7 Mile west of Haggerty.

“The person that hit him did nothing wrong,” Wildt said. “We believe Hotchkiss walked right in front of the vehicle. From our information, he had been drinking that night. And he’s walking along the road in a heavy rain and unfortunately stepped into the lanes of traffic.”

Wildt said the driver of the car will not be cited.

From The Beat's website:

Listen Here.

Read More.

Merlin Launches FM News Chicago, Talent Unveiled

Merlin Media, a new multiplatform, multimedia company, has officially launched FM News 101.1 as Chicago's only 24-hour all-news station.

Whenever listeners tune in to Chicago's FM News 101.1 they will experience credible news, jargon-free traffic reports, and accurate weather. Listeners will engage with information from leading experts on subjects such as health, family, career, money, entertainment, beauty and more. The station's terrific content will be accessible through many platforms including online video, social media, mobile, and tablets. Advertisers will become part of a highly effective mix that includes sponsorships, billboards, endorsements, Internet, mobile, tablets, and live reads.

"My favorite format has always been spoken radio," said Randy Michaels, CEO, Merlin Media. "I've long had a nostalgic love affair with the big AM stations known for the format, and today – as music moves to the iPod – it's time for spoken word to move to FM. I'm proud to be part of Chicago's only 24-hour all-news station."

Walter Sabo, COO, Merlin Media added: "Busy adults have told us they need their information on FM, online, and through social media. Our team is prepared to serve them with unparalleled content on every stage."

"We've put together a stellar group of Chicago information news hosts, writers and producers," said Andy Friedman, VP of Programming, Merlin Media. "They will identify precisely the stories our listeners demand."

Assembled by Merlin Media's team of veteran executives who have deep experience in companies like Harpo Productions and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, FM News 101.1's content will be delivered by:

• Mary Ellen Geist is an award-winning broadcast journalist having worked at ABC and CBS radio stations. Geist’s many honors include national and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and Associated Press Awards for best newscast, live coverage, investigative reporting, and Reporter of the Year.
• Ed Curran is a veteran of Chicago media, having been on-air since the mid-‘70s at WEFA-FM, WGCI-FM, WIND-AM, and WGN-AM, where he worked alongside Bob Collins and co-hosted “The Al & Ed Show” with Al Lerner.
• Rob Hart has been a news anchor, reporter, and talk show host over the course of his career at two famous radio stations – WTMJ in Milwaukee and WGN in Chicago. He first went on-air as a sophomore at Marquette University.
• Dave Williams is an award-winning anchor who has received multiple Golden Mike and Mark Twain awards as Best News Anchor in a Major Market. For 20 years at Sacramento’s KFBK, he was the highest-rated radio personality in the city’s history.
• JoAnn Genette has consistently worked in Chicago radio, most recently hosting her own radio talk show. Her big break was a co-host and news reporting role with Chicago radio legend Robert Murphy.
• Monica DeSantis has been in radio for 18 years, most notably as a morning anchor at WLS-AM and several other Chicago news and sports stations. The longtime Chicagoan hails originally from Toronto, Canada.
• Brett Larson is an Emmy® Award winner and one of the nation’s most familiar names in technology and environmental coverage. Larson is a recognized voice on the radio from coast-to-coast.
• Charlie Meyerson has delivered the news to the Chicago area for several decades having spent time at WXRT-FM, WNUA-FM, and ChicagoTribune.com. Meyerson is the winner of dozens of journalism awards, including a national UPI award for investigative reporting.
• Annette Flournoy is a Chicago native, having previously served as the News Director and afternoon news anchor of WVON-AM. Flournoy has worked as an award-winning Associate Producer of “Oprah & Friends” with Harpo Radio.
• Lise Dominique has worked with some of the best on-air talents in Chicago radio as a traffic reporter and newsperson on WLUP-AM/FM with Jonathan Brandmeier, Kevin Matthews, Steve Dahl and Garry Meier, as well as on WTMX-FM with Ron Britain and Brant Miller.
• Diana Bodkins is a household name outside of Chicago, having worked as a morning show producer at WFYR-FM and program director for WLS-AM and WLS-FM. Bodkins will play a key role as a programmer at FM News 101.1.
• Scott Miller is a top-rated morning show host who worked as a producer for Harpo Radio since its inception, most notably for the “Gayle King Show” on XM radio. He also worked as a producer for WCKG-FM.
• Debra Dale has been a Chicago radio stalwart for the past 25 years, having worked for WBBM-AM since 1992 as a traffic reporter and as a news reporter and anchor. Prior to that, she spent six years with WUSN-FM.
• Sam Sylk is a radio veteran and Chicago-native, beginning his career on WKKC-FM in the early ‘90s. Sylk worked on WGCI-FM as an afternoon host and in 2009 began working his “Sylky Style” on the afternoon drive shift on WPWX-FM.
• Ryan Burrow recently worked as Online National News Producer for the Tribune Co. and has served as a radio reporter at Clear Channel, NewsRadio 600 WREC, and WFVA/WBQB. The Chicago native will take his skill set to the streets as a reporter for FM News 101.1.
• Jeff McKinney was the news anchor for WCCO-AM in Minneapolis, Minnesota for nearly 16 years.
• Guy Bauer worked on Comedy Central’s famous “Crank Yankers” and with Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla on “The Man Show.” Bauer became Executive Producer of Jonathon Brandmeier’s morning show on L.A.’s KCBS-FM in 2004, and moved to WLUP-FM/Chicago in 2005. Bauer also hosts “The Guy Bauer Half Hour,” which was featured in Time Magazine.
• Veronica Carter is known by late-night listeners as a deft news reporter and weekend anchor on WGN-AM’s overnight show. In that capacity, the California native worked alongside Steve King and Johnnie Putman.
• Sarah Jersild is a writer, blogger, and podcaster for a number of well-known online outlets. She was a Senior Producer for Tribune Broadcasting and will cover entertainment news.
• Victoria Keelan has spent the last five years on Sirius XM’s Cosmo Radio, bringing audiences the latest and hottest trends in the world of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and food on “Cosmo Life with Victoria.”
• Anne Kelly has worked as a reporter for WCIA-TV in Illinois and KFYR-TV in North Dakota. The young talent will be the northwest suburbs bureau chief for FM News 101.1.
• Katherine Kelly will be the western suburbs bureau chief for FM News 101.1. She has worked as a producer and operations manager at Harpo Radio, and was a morning news anchor and producer for WUSN-FM.
• Brant Miller spent 15 years as one of Chicago’s top DJ’s on WLS-AM and then WLS-FM. In 1989, Miller became a meteorologist with WFLD-TV, later serving as WMAQ-TV’s Chief Meteorologist.
• Jennifer O’Neill is a Chicago native who began her career in 1999 as a producer and writer for WBBM-AM.
• Art Porter is an experienced Chicago radio producer, having worked on morning shows for WVAZ-FM and WGCI-FM. Porter produced Crazy Howard McGee’s well-known morning show and the “Morning Riot” show.
• Jill Urchak is a popular Chicago-based news and traffic reporter having worked on WLS-AM and WLS-FM. She was also a DJ on WABT-FM.
• Mike Wilson began his career as one of the youngest producers in Chicago at WLS radio. He comes to FM News 101.1 as a respected news reporter from WOWO-AM and will now do overnights.

For the new Twitter account, click here.

Facebook Page, click here.

Plenty Of August 1st C-C-C-Changes

Today is the day for format changes, relaunches and talent debuts in a multiple of markets across the country.

In Orlando FL, longtime Smooth Jazz formatted 103.1 WLOQ has moved to an online only station at wloq.com.  The following statement is currently posted on the website:

On air, 103.1 FM WLOQ started stunting as "Elvis 103.1".  The station is operated by TTB Media Corp. via an LMA agreement with the Gross Family in Orlando.  Sale of the station for a little more than $8-million is pending FCC approval. See original posting.

After stunting the station is expected to become an Hispanic CHR as "KQ103".

That would  flank both Clear Channel's Rumba 100.3 FM WRUM and Jose 98.1 FM WNUE and owned by Entravision Communiciations Corporation.

TTB Media has a Facebook page for KQ103 and registered the domain KQ103.com with GoDaddy.

And in the Harrisburg, PA. market, Hall Communications 92.7 FM WSJW, licensed to Starview, PA. dropped its Smooth Jazz format after seven years in favor of Classic Rock with new call lettersWKZF.

First song at midnight Monday morning, was "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. Click here for website.

The domain smoothjazz927.com is still active. Listen here.

See original posting.

Programmer Mike McVay Joins The Cumulus Team

The radio industry was shocked to hear over the weekend that programming consultant Mike McVay is leaving his consultancy to join Cumulus Media.  He will be SVRP for Programming. 

Current SVRP/Programming Jan Jeffries will remain with Cumulus.

McVay will relocate To Atlanta and starts his new position September 1st.

McVay founded McVay Media almost 30 year ago and has become an industry leader with syndication, news media and Listener Driven Radio Divisions.

In making the announcement Cumulus COO John Dickey said "Mike is one of our industry's most talented programmers. His background as a station owner, content creator and brand builder will prove very valuable as Cumulus continues to grow."

In a press release, McVay stated, "The opportunity to work with what is going to be the largest pure play radio company in the world was too great to pass up.  I'm excited to join the team at Cumulus and participate in their tremendous growth." 

McVay Media will continue and be re-branded as McVay/Cook & Associates.

TomzTake:  Now we know why Charlie Cook rejoined McVay Media a couple of weeks ago.  He had been with the West Virginia Radio Coporation controlled by Greer Industries and based in Morgantown, WV since early this year.  Supposedly, he is continuing as corporate PD/Brand manager there. So now,  there are two moonlighting principals of the 28-year-old McVay Media.  The consultancy biz isn't what it used to be.

Mike McVay Taking A Hip Read on Radio Listeners

Cleveland's The Plain Dealer published a profile of Mike McVay this past February:

The first thing one notices about Mike McVay's black Mercedes is not its gleam, though it would put a jeweler's display window to shame.

Rather, it's the license plate that adorns the luxury toy: "TWO HIP."

"I grew up a blue-collar kid in Pittsburgh," McVay says with a smile. "Whenever someone drove through my neighborhood in a car like this, I'd tell my friends, `Man, that guy is just too hip.'

Adds McVay: "But, really, I wanted to be that too-hip guy in the car."

And McVay has certainly earned a vanity plate as president of McVay Media, a Westlake-based radio consulting firm he founded in 1983.

McVay's company is a major player in the radio industry, advising 140 stations from Cleveland to Denver, Panama City, Fla., to Fort Wayne, Ind., and New Zealand to Canada. It shapes strategies for radio formats that include adult contemporary, country, alternative rock and Christian pop music, as well as news and sports talk.

McVay Media also dabbles in the artist management business, offering guidance to musical acts such as Hall & Oates, Paul Anka, Julian Lennon and John Tesh.

No doubt, it is one very impressive portfolio. But there's an obvious reason for that: McVay is as good as he is hip.

He is generally regarded as the brains behind the rise of WMJI FM/105.7 from a once-obscure station to a local radio powerhouse. As WMJI's general manager in 1982, McVay persuaded a reluctant John Lanigan to become the station's morning host, a role that he continues to prosper in today.

McVay has also made a difference as a consultant to local stations. In 1987, he urged WNCX FM/98.5 to drop Top 40 pop tunes for classic rock. The station is still a classic rocker and has become one of Cleveland's most successful programmers.

And McVay is considered one of the fathers of the "lite rock" format, helping stations such as WLTF FM/106.5 (now known as WMVX) and WDOK FM/102.1 update their sounds.

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SF's KBWF Relaunches As 'The Game'

95.7 Gets New Call Letters

KNBR (680-AM) has monopolized the sports radio market in the Bay Area for decades, but beginning Monday there will be an alternative. 95.7 FM KBWF, the flagship station for the A's and Sharks, is re-launching a new sports-talk format.

According to a story by Jonathan Okanes at mercrynews.com, voices will include Greg Papa, who will co-host KBWF's midday show on a semiregular basis, and former 49ers defensive back Eric Davis, slated for the afternoon. Dan Dibley, a onetime anchor/co-host on KNBR, is scheduled for the morning, and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area insiders Mychael Urban, Matt Maiocco, Matt Steinmetz and Brodie Brazil will be regular contributors.

"KNBR does a great job with the Giants and Niners, but there are at least six other professional teams in the Bay Area that deserve attention," said Dwight Walker, vice president of Entercom Communications, owner of KBWF. "They will get it, no question."

Nicknamed "The Game" and located on 95.7-FM, the station is based in San Francisco, and it won't be ignoring the Giants and 49ers. Click here to listen.  The station will also sport new call letters KGMZ.

"We are not going to be the East Bay radio station," said Jason Barrett, the new program director at KBWF. "We're here to talk about all the teams."

KNBR hasn't been challenged much through the years.

There is 1050 AM KTCT the Ticket , another San Francisco all-sports radio outlet, but it is owned by the same company as KNBR, Cumulus Media.

860 AM KTRB recently became ESPN Deportes after a failed try at an English-speaking all-sports format. Its sports-talk programming never gained traction despite carrying the A's for two seasons.

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HD Radio's Slow Death Continues

From Richard Wagoner, LA Daily News Radio Columnist:

Radio Shack has every one of its house-brand HD Radio units on clearance, if they are still in stock. This includes iPod Touch/iPhone dongles and the Auvio tuner (which, if you can still find one at the clearance price of $30, is a steal).

This means Radio Shack is essentially out of the HD Radio business. A shame, since the Shack was one of the early supporters.

It doesn't mean that the technology is dead, but it certainly isn't flourishing. You can still buy car stereos with HD Radio at various retail stores and at online stores as www.crutchfield.com. Best Buy still carries a few portable products in its stores and online as well.

What went wrong? Two things: content and marketing.

HD Radio -- a system of sending digital audio via traditional airwaves that promises improved fidelity and more listening choices -- still rarely offers much in the way of content.

Locally, Saul Levine provides music you can't hear elsewhere -- classical and adult standards -- via HD Radio secondary channels tied to Go Country 105. But he is the exception. All too often the secondary channels are essentially the same as the main channel.

And the marketing was even worse than the content. Can you remember even one commercial? They have been running for more than five years.

Read More.

TomZTake: Please note MC headline is mine, not Richard's.

Meet The Radio Governor

For Florida's Rick Scott, radio interviews prove to be safest

From Michael C. Bender, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Gov. Rick Scott is in “Heaven.”

He adjusts the headphones, clears his throat and pulls closer to the microphone in the studios of WHBT-AM, “Heaven 1410.”

In a half-hour at the obscure gospel station, Scott talks about his favorite foods and what it’s like to be rich after growing up poor — all while avoiding questions about his controversial policies that aim to create jobs by increasing corporate profits.

For a governor who is about as popular as the summer humidity, radio appearances like this are as close to paradise as he’ll find outside his faithful inner sanctum.

In the past four months, Scott has been on the radio more than 130 times, including 10 appearances last week.

That’s more than all of his other pre-scheduled media interviews combined.

In politics, TV appearances drive poll numbers up and down. And television coverage is often influenced by print media.

But for Scott, it’s the radio that gets most of his attention.

“These are fun,” Scott told the Herald/Times after the gospel show.

“We’ve done country-western. We did sports. We’ve done a lot of talk radio. I’ve done top 40,” Scott said, staring into the distance trying to remember it all.

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FCC Nixes Townsquare Media's Radio Deal

The Federal Communications Commission has rejected Townsquare Media's plan to acquire 12 stations in Yakima and the Tri-Cities from rival New Northwest Broadcasters for $6 million.

In a document filed Friday according to a story by Mai Hoang at The Yakima Herald-Republic, the FCC took issue with Townsquare Media's plans to retain half the stations it would own under the deal and put the rest into a trust, which would be run by a third-party trustee and eventually sold to another company.

"We have never allowed a station owner to use a divestiture trust to re-shuffle its radio station portfolio as proposed here," the commission wrote. "This aspect of the proposed transaction presents even greater concerns about the competitive impact of these small radio markets.

Under the proposed deal, Townsquare Media would retain three of its current stations in Yakima -- country station KDBL-FM, news radio station KIT-AM and rock station KATS-FM. It would also retain three Yakima stations currently owned by New Northwest Broadcasters -- country station KXDD-FM, adult hits station KRSE-FM and ESPN affiliate KJOX-AM.

Townsquare Media planned to spin off the rest of its current Yakima stations -- top 40 station KFFM-FM, variety hits station KQMY-FM and country station KUTI-AM -- along with three New Northwest Broadcasters stations -- oldies station KARY-FM, news radio station KBBO-AM and contemporary hit music station KHHK-FM -- into the trust.

Read More.