Philly Radio: Jay Dixon To Program WRNB, WPPZ & Praise

Jay Dixon

Radio One Philadelphia, an Urban One station, announces industry veteran, Jay Dixon, has been named as the new Program Director of Urban AC WRNB 100.3 FM, Praise HD2, and the all-new Urban Oldies WPPZ Classix 107.9.

The company stated that Dixon is an important addition to Radio One’s strategy of positioning the cluster. WRNB introduced the Quincy Harris Morning Show with K. Foxx in January 2018 and in December 2018, Classix 107.9-FM was launched with Lady B joining in February of this year.

Colby Tyner, Corporate VP of Program, said, “I’m excited to be working with Jay. He’s a seasoned pro who understands the Urban format and has a strong track record of success. We’re glad to have him on the Philly team.”

General Manager of Radio One Philadelphia, Ezio Torres, stated, “Now that the launch of Classix 107.9 is underway, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with someone with such passion and a track record of success in the R&B / Urban AC formats. We are excited to see the continued growth for 100.3 WRNB, Classix 107.9 and Praise HD2 under his programming leadership.”

Dixon’s start date is Thursday, April 4, 2019. He shared, “ I’m excited to be with the Radio One Philly team and would like to thank the Urban One family for letting me lead these amazing brands in a city with such a rich R&B music heritage. There’s work ahead but we have the people and resources to move quickly and make an impact. Listeners will notice right away. Look out for big things ahead for WRNB and Classix 1079”

Dixon began his radio career at the legendary WILD-Boston. Over the course of his career, Dixon has worked in multiple formats including Top 40, Country, Rhythmic and Urban and held various positions with Cox Media as OM/PD of WBHK-Birmingham and WALR-Atlanta. He also worked for Emmis New York at the former WRKS (98.7 Kiss FM), serving as both Production/Creative Services Director and PD during his tenure. Dixon has been consulting for KBLX San Francisco and Emmis New York over the past five years.

FL Radio: JVC Launches New Morning Shows On WMFQ, WXUS

JVC Media announces the addition of radio veterans in morning drive at two of JVC’s Gainesville-Ocala radio stations.

Leroy, the 15-year market veteran who has been waking up Gainesville-Ocala on Country-Rock WXUS US 102.3, will join Jenn Ryan as co-host of The Jenn Ryan Show on CHR WMFQ Q92.9 Monday-Friday 6am-10am beginning Monday April 8th, 2019.

Filling the vacant spot at WXUS US102.3 is radio legend Barry Michaels, who will host mornings from 6am-10am beginning Monday April 8th, 2019.  Barry has a long list of radio accomplishments including successful stops in Dallas, Orlando, and Miami, just to name a few.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to stay in North Central Florida and do what I love… waking up my friends and neighbors here, said Barry Michaels.  “US 102.3 is revolutionary – playing Country and Southern Rock on the same station – it’s unique and the music mix means so much to this area.  We’re going to have a lot of fun weekday mornings!  Thanks to Ben Burris, Sam Gerace, Shane Reeve, and John Caracciolo for believing in me.”

When asked about the move to mornings on WMFQ (Q92.9), Leroy was a little confused while commenting, “They told me I’d have pudding if I moved to Q92.9.  Where’s the pudding?”  His new co-host Jenn Ryan shook her head and commented, “Mornings on Q92.9 will be a fun, strange, exciting place to be with Leroy joining The Jenn Ryan Show.  Expect a topical and entertainment-based show that will get North Central Florida to work or school with laughs and tons of interaction

Ben Burris – JVC Media Gainesville-Ocala Operations Manager commented, “We are excited about the future of WMFQ and WXUS.  Adding live and local jocks to both radio stations in a time where most stations around the country are subtracting jobs reiterates our commitment to this industry."

Sam Gerace, General Manager of JVC’s Gainesville-Ocala operation says, “Leroy and Barry Michaels are long-time radio guys and residents of our community.  When Barry Michaels became available, it was a no-brainer to make this move and put the best talent on both stations.  We know these changes to WMFQ and WXUS will position us for even more growth for our clients, community events, concerts, promotions, and great LIVE and LOCAL radio!

SiriusXM Radio: New Pandora NOW Channel Launches

SiriusXM and Pandora today announced Pandora NOW, the first original and exclusive music experience created for both SiriusXM subscribers and Pandora listeners. Pandora NOW harnesses the combined strength of Pandora’s extensive listener data and SiriusXM’s curatorial expertise to create unique access to the most popular and fast-trending music right now.

Pandora NOW features today’s hottest and most listened to new music on Pandora but will be delivered uniquely to both the SiriusXM and Pandora audiences. For SiriusXM listeners, Pandora NOW will be presented as a new curated channel (Channel 3), while Pandora users can experience Pandora NOW music as an interactive station with song skipping and thumbs up/down rating, or as a continually-updated playlist for Pandora Premium subscribers.

The music played on Pandora NOW will be uncensored and showcase the most listened to and fastest-trending new music on Pandora across all genres, including Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Dance and Latin. Pandora NOW will launch on Thursday, April 4 on both platforms.

“Pandora NOW will be an amazing new experience for both SiriusXM and Pandora listeners,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “We’re excited to combine, for the first time, the wealth of Pandora listener data with the proven curation expertise of our SiriusXM team to give our combined 100 million listeners a truly unique and unprecedented listening experience. Not only will Pandora NOW give listeners exclusive, up-to-the-moment access to the music people are streaming on Pandora the most, but it will let music fans influence which songs are played.”

Pandora announced that Cardi B, Post Malone, and Khalid are currently among its most listened-to artists. “To find out that I am one of the most played artists on Pandora is so great and I am so excited to share this news with my fans! Shout out to Bardi Gang!” said Cardi B.

To celebrate the launch of Pandora NOW, multi-platinum R&B superstar artist Khalid will be at SiriusXM’s Rockefeller Center studios today to launch the new channel and station on SiriusXM and Pandora. Khalid’s music is amongst Pandora’s top trending tracks, and throughout this weekend Pandora NOW will feature several songs from his highly anticipated sophomore album, “Free Spirit,” which will be released on Friday, April 5, including Khalid’s newest song “Out Of My Head” (featuring John Mayer).

SiriusXM subscribers will be able to listen to Pandora NOW (Ch. 3) on SiriusXM radios, and those with streaming access can listen online, on-the-go with the SiriusXM mobile app, and at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, Amazon Alexa devices, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more.

Pandora users can experience Pandora NOW as an interactive station for ad-supported and Pandora Plus listeners, or as a curated playlist for Pandora Premium subscribers on both the web and Pandora’s mobile app.

Miami Radio: Taylor Jukes To Program WHYI-FM

Taylor Jukes

iHeartMedia announced today that Taylor Jukes has been named Program Director for top40 WHYI 100.7 FM / Y100.

As Program Director, Jukes will be responsible for the ratings, revenue, and digital growth of Y100 and its online and social brands. She will report to Rob Miller, Region Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia South Florida.

“Taylor is a passionate leader who has programmed multiple successful brands in Canada,” said Miller. “Her fresh perspective on collaborating with talent and innovative social media strategies, paired with strong relationships with artists and our label partners will reinforce the dominant position we have at Y100. I am excited for Taylor and me to make history together in Miami!”

Jukes was most recently Senior Manager of National Content for iHeartRadio Canada, overseeing content for the brand digitally and on-air across 109 Bell Media stations. She also served as the Program Director for one of the most successful Top 40 stations in Canada, CKFM/99.9 Virgin Radio Toronto. She’s had programming and on-air roles at Alternative CHHR/Shore 104 Vancouver, BC, Virgin Radio Vancouver, Top 40 CHBN Edmonton, AB and more.

“I’m excited to join an innovative company like iHeartMedia that leads the way in Radio Programming and Events,” said Jukes. “Top 40 has always been my passion and to join the Miami team at the iconic Y100 is thrilling! Big thanks to the entire iHeart team for the amazing opportunity.”

Survey: Radio News Salaries Growing Slower Than TV

The latest RTDNA/Lawrence Herbert School of Communication - Hofstra University Annual Survey found that local television news salaries rose by 3.1% in 2018, just over the U.S. average hourly wage gain of 3% for 2018. With inflation remaining low at 1.9%, real wage growth in local TV news hit 1.2%.

TV news wage growth for 2018 was up four-tenths of a point from last year’s 2.7% increase.

Local TV news salaries look better on the average with salaries for 80% of TV news jobs increasing and just 20% decreasing. Of median salaries, which are more indicative of typical pay, half increased with a quarter each decreasing or staying the same.

After 6 straight years of overall salary increases ahead of inflation, the big, long-term salary picture looks better than ever. Overall, TV news salaries have risen at twice the rate of inflation over the last 5 years, and nearly all positions have done better than inflation. Is your position coming out ahead?

The survey found that local radio news salaries rose by 1.7% from last year. That’s down from last year’s 2.8% increase. Factor in low inflation of 1.9%, and radio salaries almost held even over the last year, with a loss against inflation of 0.2%.

While it was a largely stagnant year overall, some positions fared much better than others.

With just a couple exceptions, five-year comparisons look strong, with overall salary growth well ahead of inflation for most radio news positions. Aided by the disastrous year of 2009, the 10-year comparison is strong across the board.

This is only the second year in a row where overall radio news salaries have exceeded inflation in a five-year comparison, at least for quite a few years. Ten-year comparisons have been stronger, but that’s heavily based on some very low salaries a decade ago.

Overall, non-commercial salaries are 37.4% higher than commercial ones, but that’s not quite a fair comparison. The vast majority of non-commercial stations surveyed are in large and major markets.

Using median (or more typical) salaries, non-commercial radio salaries come out 23.6% higher than commercial radio salaries – just looking at comparable market sizes.

Average starting pay in radio increased a whopping $3,300 after increasing $500 last year, $600 the year before and $700 the year before that.

Seattle Radio: Funny Stuff At KBKS

Carla Marie and Anthony with cast

KBKS 106.1 KISS FM has announced the winners of Seattle’s Funniest Person Contest.

Amber “Alabama” Cole and Evan “English Evan” Omelia have joined the “Carla Marie and Anthony Show” broadcasting weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. In addition, the winner of the $10,000 refer-a-friend contest, the referral portion of the contest where listeners referred their top picks for the Funniest Person Contest for a chance to win a $10,000 grand prize, was also revealed.

In November 2018, Carla Marie and Anthony announced Seattle’s Funniest Person Contest on 106.1 KISS FM. A contest that allowed all eligible listeners a chance to compete for a chance to join the morning show by submitting a video of 60 seconds or less to the 106.1 KISS FM website. Each contest participant was tasked with putting together a funny short video, explaining why they deserved to win. In addition, the contest also offered a grand prize of $10,000 to a lucky listener who referred a friend. The winner of the $10,000 refer-a-friend contest was Mikaela from Bothell, Washington.

Alabama joins the Seattle market from Big 95.5 in Chicago, Illinois, where she most recently served as the station’s Midday Host. In addition, she has also held several on-air positions, including on-air personality on the “Mason & Remy” show, Afternoon Host and Midday Host for Big 95.5 and Midday/Afternoon Host for WNOH in Norfolk, Virginia. She began her career at WJIM-FM in Lansing, Virginia.

“Being a part of the legendary KISS brand has always been a dream of mine and living in the Pacific Northwest has been on my bucket list as I feel a true connection to the people,” said Alabama. “I’m thrilled to be chosen to join the ‘Carla Marie and Anthony’ show and am truly lucky to be able to have fun with our listeners, advertisers and lively community each morning.”

English Evan previously worked for iHeartMedia Seattle as a Sales Account Executive and worked in security prior to joining the market. He is a graduate of Washington State University where he played two years of Division 1 golf.

“It is surreal to be on air as a part of the ‘Carla Marie and Anthony’ show,” said English Evan. “I’ve been a loyal listener of the legendary 106.1 KISS FM for as long as I have lived here and I can’t wait to be a voice that helps wake up Seattle every morning.”

“This contest was all about attracting and finding the very best radio on-air personalities and providing them a platform to showcase their talent on-air,” said Tim Herbster, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Pacific Northwest and 106.1 KISS FM Program Director.

“After narrowing the field down from over 500 entries to our top seven, we knew it would be very difficult to pick just one winner and so we chose two! Both Alabama and English Evan have dynamic, relatable personalities that completely click with Carla Marie and Anthony. I’m thrilled to hear their instant chemistry on-air and look forward to the impact this show will have in our Seattle community.”

Des Moines Radio: Scott Allen EXITS Saga Cluster

Scott Allen, veteran Operations Manager for Saga’s Des Moines Radio Group has resigned, effective April 23.

Scott Allen

Allen, who has been with the nine-station Des Moines Radio Group in some capacity since starting as a Drake University intern in the early 1990’s, has been named VP of Marketing for a Des Moines insurance company.

“Obviously this is a very rare and very desirable opportunity”, said Des Moines Radio Group Vice President and General Manager Tom Nankival. “We expect there will be a tidal wave of qualified candidates. We’re just hoping there is someone capable of filling Scott’s immense shoes that’s a fit for our culture and our city and can move us forward without losing momentum.”

Allen’s responsibilities include PD of KSTZ-FM Star 102.5 and KMYR-FM More 104.1 as well as oversight of KAZR-FM Lazer 103.3 and 93.3 KIOA-FM plus KRNT-AM, KPSZ-AM and three Metro stations.

Country's Biggest Stars Going Backstage With Westwood One

Westwood One will welcome more than 90 of Country Music’s biggest and brightest stars to its Westwood One Backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards™ to celebrate the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards™, Country Music’s Party of the Year®. 

Top Country superstars and hot, new emerging talent – including Reba McEntire, Keith Urban, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Thomas Rhett, Little Big Town, Jason Aldean, LOCASH, Chris Young, Rodney Atkins, Old Dominion, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Luke Combs, Brooks & Dunn, Dan + Shay, Dierks Bentley, Lauren Alaina and more will engage with 25 of America’s top Country stations and national shows. Westwood One is the official national radio partner for the 54thAcademy of Country Music Awards™.

“Westwood One knows Country, and through our invaluable partnership with the Academy of Country Music, we deliver unprecedented access to Country’s biggest stars,” said Suzanne Grimes, EVP Marketing for CUMULUS MEDIA and President, Westwood One. “Our exclusive backstage experience is just one more way Country Music lovers can feel they are a part of Country Music’s Party of the Year.”

The exclusive star-studded Westwood One Backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards features a top-tier radio row, live performances, and social media experiences. It will take place on Friday, April 5 from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm PT andSaturday, April 6 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm PT during rehearsals for the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Westwood One Backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards will also feature live performances from Big Machine’s Riley Green on Thursday, Curb Record’s Dylan Scott on Friday, and Riser House Records’ Dillon Carmichaeland UMG Nashville’s Lauren Alaina on Saturday.

Join Westwood One’s Backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards conversation on social media: #WestwoodOne @WestwoodOne, #ACMawards

The 54th ACM Awards takes place on Sunday, April 7, 2019, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will broadcast LIVE at 8:00 pm ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. The show will be hosted by the “Queen of Country,”Reba McEntire.

For information about Westwood One Backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards, contactCountry@westwoodone.com.

Reba to Host ACM Awards Show Sunday

At last year’s Academy of Country Music Awards, host Reba McEntire stole the show when she re-wore her famous sheer red dress that had its own pop culture moment when she first debuted the form-fitting look in 1993.

“The dress was stretchy, thank God,” quipped the 64-year-old country singer.

Reba's Red Dress: 1993 and 2018

And like the red dress, McEntire remains the perfect fit for the ACMs, reports The Tennessean. The entertainment icon, ever relevant, will serve as host for the 16th time when the 54th ACM Awards air live from MGM Grand’s Garden Arena at 7 p.m. Sunday on CBS.

Performers include McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Ashley McBryde, Kane Brown, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, George Strait and ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award honoree Jason Aldean.

"Reba is the consummate host in that she understands what it takes to put a show together," ACM Awards producer RAC Clark said. "Her sitcom experience, her Broadway experience, all of that comes into the fold when it comes to being a host. People love her. She's one of the best in the business."

McEntire, who herself has won 16 ACM trophies, said there was one thing that had no place on the show: politics.

“We’re not here to give them airtime,” she said. “This is country music.”

2018 Was Good Year For Music Industry

You will find more infographics at Statista

According to IFPI’s latest Global Music Report, worldwide recorded music revenues totaled $19.1 billion last year, up 9.7 percent from the previous year’s total of $17.4 billion. This marks the fourth consecutive year of growth for the global music industry after nearly two decades of gradual decline.

Interestingly, the transition to digital distribution has both fueled the music industry’s decline and helped stop it. After the golden age of the CD, which propelled worldwide music revenues to unprecedented highs through the 1990s, the advent of MP3 and filesharing hit the music industry like an earthquake.

Between 2001 and 2010, physical music sales declined by more than 60 percent, wiping out $14 billion in annual revenue. During the same period digital music sales grew from zero to $4 billion, which wasn’t even remotely enough to offset the drop in physical music sales. It wasn’t until the appearance and widespread adoption of music streaming services that the music industry’s fortunes began turning around again.

According to data published by IFPI, the music industry bottomed out in 2014, when revenue was at a 20-year low of $14.3 billion, nearly $10 billion less than it had been 15 years prior, when physical music sales alone had amounted to $23.8 billion during the peak of the CD era. After some initial hesitance by the music industry to embrace streaming services, record labels and artists appear to have followed consumers’ lead in accepting that the future of music lies in digital distribution.

Last year, digital music accounted for nearly 60 percent of worldwide music revenues, with streaming services alone accounting for 47 percent of the industry’s total haul. According to IFPI, 255 million people have a paid music streaming subscription and streaming revenues are now bigger than digital download sales ever were.

Westwood One Unveils Plans for 2019 Masters

Westwood One, the largest audio network in the U.S., proudly presents exclusive hole-by-hole coverage from the 83rd Masters Tournament from Thursday, April 11, through Sunday, April 14, 2019. Mike Tirico joins Westwood One this year to anchor the network’s coverage from the18th green at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. It will be his first Masters Tournament for the network. 

In addition to complete coverage, Westwood One is broadcasting hourly updates and a nightly half-hour preview and recap show, The Masters Tonight.

This year marks the 64th consecutive year that Westwood One has provided Masters radio coverage, the longest continuous sports broadcast partnership in network radio history. Westwood One has broadcast a wealth of historic Masters Tournament victories from Augusta National, including the memorable wins of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, and many more. 

In 2019, the tradition continues as defending champion Patrick Reed highlights a field that includes four-time Masters champion Woods, #1-ranked player Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, and three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson.

Tirico will anchor the daily longform coverage, adding to his already prolific schedule, after having served as NBC Sports’ play-by-play host for both the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and – for the first time – the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. Tirico works on an array of high-profile NBC Sports events, including golf, the NFL, Olympics, Notre Dame, horse racing, the Indy 500 and the NHL. Tirico also served as a play-by-play announcer for this year’s NFL Playoffs for Westwood One.

Joining Tirico in the 18th tower is former Golf Channel host and professional golfer Charlie Rymer. Rymer returns for his 11th consecutive Masters as the lead analyst. Calling the action from holes along the course will be 1992 PGA Rookie of the Year Mark Carnevale, SiriusXM PGA Channel and PGAtour.com host Brian Katrek, 1979 British Ladies Amateur Champion Maureen Madill, and Westwood One Sports play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler. Rounding out the network’s broadcast team will be the Golf Channel’s Whit Watson, who will conduct interviews with the golfers as they finish their rounds, and Ted Emrich, who will provide leader board updates during the longform coverage.

For more information, to listen live, or to find a radio station airing Westwood One’s broadcast of the Masters Tournament, visit WestwoodOneSports.com.

Big Payday Looms For ESPN's Stephen A Smith

Stephen A Smith

Stephen A. Smith is in line to become the highest-paid on-air person at ESPN by potentially boosting his salary to $10 million per year, according to The NY Post citing people with knowledge of the upcoming negotiations.

The Post spoke with multiple executives and agents to figure out the number that Smith could garner, and the consensus was in the $8 million-to-$10 million range. By comparison, Mike Greenberg is paid $6.5 million to host “Get Up!,” which is the network’s highest publicly known salary. PTI’s Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser are believed to be in Greenberg’s neighborhood.

SportsCenter’s Scott Van Pelt, with his rising late-night ratings, is also considered in the nearly indispensable category in Bristol.

Since Smith still has two years remaining on his current contract — which is paying him, according to sources, in the $5 million per range — the two sides have not yet begun serious talks. But ESPN considers Smith among its most valuable on-air performers, and many think he is on top of the mountain.

Smith, 51, is a polarizing figure, as those in the opinion business tend to be. He is on “First Take,” hosts his own national radio show and appears on countless programs.