NOLA Radio: Host Faces False Police Report Charges

Jennifer Gaubert

Authorities say a former radio talk host who in August accused a taxi driver of shooting lewd video footage of her in an extortion scheme made up the story, and charges against the cabbie have been dropped.

32-year-old Jennifer Gaubert, a New Orleans lawyer who at one point hosted her own radio show on WGSO 990 AM, has been charged by the Orleans Parish district attorney's office with filing false statements concerning denial of constitutional rights, stemming from her complaint to police that she was filmed without her permission while in a cab in April 2012.

In an August interview with NOLA.com, Gaubert said she was intoxicated when she was in the cab. She said she had openly discussed her local notoriety with the cabdriver, which she said made her a target.

Gaubert said in the interview she had flirted with Farrell, 38, and kissed him, but told police she never gave him permission to film.She told police that Farrell shot video of underneath her skirt, exposing her underwear and genitals to the camera.

Gaubert told police, saying Farrell sent a message threatening to release the video unless she gave him $1,000. Bowman wouldn't comment on Gaubert's charge, citing the pending case.

Arraignment is set for next week.

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R.I.P.: PA Radio Personality Rebecca Towne

Rebecca Towne

WDDH-FM 97.5 FM The Hound in Ridgeway, PA.  reports the passing of personality Rebecca Towne from severe injuries she sustained in the crash last weekend.

She was 48.

Towne, her husband and two of her children, along with the other driver, were all trapped inside their vehicles and were pulled out by witnesses.

Boston Radio: Entercom Names Zachary Market Manager

Phil Zachary

Entercom Boston Tuesday announced that they have hired Phil Zachary as their new Vice President and Market Manager. The Entercom cluster in Boston includes WEEI-FM, ESPN on WEEI-AM, WAAF, WRKO and The Boston Red Sox Radio Network.

This represents a homecoming of sorts for Zachary, whose first paid radio job was as a part-time, on-air announcer at WAAF.

Zachary, a 41-year radio veteran, is a Connecticut native and graduate of Holy Cross. He began his radio career in Worcester followed by stints in Providence and Boston. While in Boston, Zachary served as Operations Manager at the old WITS 1510.  There his role included direct oversight of both Red Sox and Bruins play-by-play.

Zachary comes to Entercom from Curtis Media Group in Raleigh, N.C. There, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the company’s entire slate of radio stations, networks, digital and interactive divisions and print publications. Prior to joining Curtis Media in 2002, he was VP/Market Manager for CBS Radio in Washington, D.C.  Zachary has held similar senior executive positions for HMW Communications and Voyager Communications in Raleigh and Clear Channel Media and Entertainment in New Orleans.

Entercom Station Group President Weezie Kramer said, “Phil is the right person at the right time for Entercom Boston. He is a leader and a listener. He understands the challenges we face but he also sees the tremendous opportunity we have. Phil believes in the strength of our brands, the dynamic nature of our content and the true potential of our team.”

“The only reason to leave a great job in radio is for one of the absolute best jobs in radio,” said new Entercom VP/Market Manager Phil Zachary. “Make no mistake—WAAF, WEEI and WRKO are not only some of the greatest call letters in Boston radio history, but some of the best brands in our industry. This amazing opportunity brings me back to my New England roots and the place I started my radio career. There are great challenges ahead, not to mention best of-class competition, but I look forward to it and can’t wait to get started.”

Zachary will begin at Entercom Boston on October 21st. 

Boston Radio: Morello New Creative Services Director at WMJX

Scott Morello

Greater Media has announced Scott Morello has been named as the new Creative Services Director at MAGIC 106.7/WMJX-FM.

Morello recently served as the Assistant Program Director at Bell Media’s CHUM-FM and as the Program Director of FLOW, both located in Toronto, Canada. Prior to that, he spent 20 years at Clear Channel Boston, where Morello worked his way up to the position of Creative Services Director.

“Scott is one of those unique talents that combines excellent production and imaging skills with a great, strategic mind and programming acumen.” said Greater Media Boston Director of Programming Cadillac Jack.  “Not to mention, Scott is also a genuinely nice person and another great “A” talent!”

Government Shutdown Closes FCC

A partial government shutdown began at midnight this morning (October 1st) for the first time in 17 years, after the Republican-led House refused to pass federal funding legislation without including measures to kill or delay the three-year-old Affordable Care Act, and the Democratic-led Senate and President Obama refusing the approve any legislation that contained those measures.

Nearly all Federal Communications Commission staff are affected by the government shutdown furloughs.

With no appropriations bill for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, about 98 percent of the FCC workforce will remain home after, in most cases, spending a half day at work for the orderly shutdown of operations, the agency's shutdown plan says.

The FCC employs 1,754 employees at last count.

After furloughs go into effect, 38 employees--including Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, two commissioners and three full time information technology workers and one part-time IT worker--will remain at work, the plan says.

Employees exempt from furloughs caused by the lack of appropriations aren't paid until Congress passes a funding measure.

Radio Performance Bill Re-introduced In House

Rep. Mel Watt

Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) has introduced legislation to require that broadcasters compensate artists and labels when their music is played over the airwaves, adding to the long history of efforts by the music industry to obtain such a “performance right,” according to Variety.

 

Watt, who is the ranking member of a House Judiciary subcommittee on intellectual property and the Internet, had indicated last month that he planned to unveil such a bill.

The effort by artists and labels to establish a performance right goes back decades — Frank Sinatra once championed it in a legislative push in the 1970s — but opposition from radio stations has been fierce. A bill seemed to make progress in Congress in 2009 and 2010, when it passed the House and Senate judiciary committees, but a potential compromise fell apart before the legislative session ended.

Watt’s Free Market Royalty Act will obligate AM and FM stations to pay performers when they play their songs over the air, something that digital and satellite services already do. Songwriters and publishers also are compensated for radio airplay.

Broadcasters have argued that the free airplay is a valuable promotional platform for artists, and that have been lining up supporters behind a separate piece of legislation, the Local Radio Freedom Act, to prevent such a plan to require payment for performance.

But they also have been pointed to recent agreements between artists and individual station groups, like Clear Channel, to provide such compensation and argue that the issue can be resolved by the private sector.

In a statement, Watt said that “those deals expose the unfairness and inadequacy of the current system and they strongly point out the need for a legislative solution that will apply market wide.”

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NAB Favors Free Market Negotiations

In response to Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) introducing legislation today that would negatively impact local radio stations across America, NAB Executive Vice President of Communications Dennis Wharton issued the following statement: 

"NAB respectfully opposes the legislation, and appreciates the support of 183 members of Congress who stand with America's hometown radio stations against the offshore record labels. 

"NAB believes market-based negotiations like the recent Warner Music-Clear Channel accord demonstrate that this issue is already being addressed in the free market. This legislation would impose new costs on broadcasters that jeopardize the future of our free over-the-air service."

NAB also announced that five additional Members of Congress have signed on as cosponsors of a resolution that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act is now currently co-sponsored by 171 Members of the House and 12 Senators.

Meanwhile, Ted Kalo, executive director of the MusicFIRST Coalition, a lobbying org of labels and artists, said that Watt's bill “sends all parties back to the bargaining table to find common ground.”

NYC Radio: WLTW Rebounds To #1 6+, WSKQ Tops 25-54

WCBS-FM 101.1 FM probably wishes Arbitron was still around.  The first release of the now Nielsen Audio PPMS shows the CBS RADIO Classic Hits station dropping 6+ 6.2 – 5.5 and dropping into a third place tie with WHTZ Z100 FM which was also off 5.8 – 5.5.

Ahead of it are CCM+E’s AC WLTW 106.7 LiteFM back in the top spot rebounding 6.1 – 6.6,  In the second slot is YMF Media’s UrbanAC WBLS, which was steady at 5.9.

In fifth place in the Big Apple is Mega’s WSKQ was also steady at 4.8.

25-54:  WSKQ….WHTZ…WLTW…WBLS…WKTU

18-34:  WHTZ…WSKQ…WQHT…WWPR…WLTW

18-49:  WHTZ…WLTW..WSKQ…WKTU…WBLS

Cume:  WLTW 5,035,000…WKTU 4,864,500…WHTZ 4,537,000

Nielsen Audio Monday released September PPMs (August 15 thru September 11) for the following markets: MYC, LA, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas-Ft.Worth, Houston-Galveston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nassau-Suffoll (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino CA, San Jose, Middlesex-Somerset-Union NJ.

Click Here for Topline Numbers.

LA Radio: 102.7 KIIS-FM Rebounds, El Mandril Widens Lead

Top 40 station KIIS-FM 102.7, which has been the dominant radio station in Los Angeles and Orange County for most of the previous three years, reclaimed sole possession of first place last month for the first time since April, according to the LA Times.

CCM+E’s KIIS claimed a 5.4 – 5.9 share of listeners age 6+ in September, according to the Nielsen Audio.

Sister-station AC KBIG-104.3 FM dropped to second, taking a 5.9 – 5.7 audience share, while CBS Radio’s Top 40 station KAMP-97.1 FM was flat to take third, at 4.5, based on the survey of listeners from Aug. 15 to Sept. 11.

CCM+E’s KOST 103.5 FM was fourth despite a 4.4 – 4.1 dip.

Emmis’ Top 40 KPWR 105.9 FM Power was flat 4.0 – 4.0 to hold on to the #5 slot 6+.

New/Talk KFI-640 AM, long a contender for the top spot among all stations in the Southland, and one of the most listened-to and influential talk-radio outlets in the country, dropped to 13th place in September.

Robin Bertolucci

KFI was in first place from January through March 2012, and remained near the top for most of last year. The station had been tied for fourth as recently as April 2013, but dropped to 12th in July.

"If you look at the monthly ratings, they're not so good," said Robin Bertolucci, program director at KFI and its sister talk station KTLK-AM (1150).

"Summers are never traditionally a good time for news/talk," she said, adding “In the fall you get more into a regular rhythm for news/talk," Bertolucci said, noting that she's already starting to see improved weekly numbers for the station.

KFI dipped last summer as well, though not as steeply.

During September's "morning drive time," the crucial 6-10 a.m. weekday slot when stations hope to grab and hold listeners for the rest of the day, Ricardo "El Mandril" Sanchez at regional-Mexican music station KLAX-97.9 FM took 6.9 of the audience, up from 6.5% in August.

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25-54:  KBIG…KIIS…KLAX…KROQ

18-34:  KISS…KPWR…KBIG, KAMP tied…KLAX

18-49:  KIIS…KBIG…KBIG…KAMP…KLAX

Cume:  KIIS 3,043,300…KBIG 3,456,500…KAMP 3,326,100

Nielsen Audio Monday released September PPMs (August 15 thru September 11) for the following markets: MYC, LA, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas-Ft.Worth, Houston-Galveston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nassau-Suffoll (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino CA, San Jose, Middlesex-Somerset-Union NJ.

Click Here for Topline Numbers.

Chicago Radio: Make It Nine Straight For WVAZ

CCM+E Urban AC WVAZ V103 was #1 again despite posting a  6.7—6.2 showing. 

CBS RADIO News WBBM 780 AM spiked a half-share 4.9—5.4 to land in the second spot. Hubbard’s Hot AC WTMX MIX ticked upward 5.0—5.2 for #3

CBS RADIO Country WUSN US 99.5 was steady at 4.5 and landed at #4.  CCM+E Top 40 WKSC KISS had a nice upward movement 3.9—4.3 and finished fifth

25-54:  WTMX…WVAZ…WKSC…WGCI…WUSN, WOJO, WXRT tied.

18-34:  WGCI…WKSC…WTMX…WBBM, WPWX tied

18-49:  WGCI, WTMX…WKSC…WBBM-FM…WVAZ

Cume:  WKSC 2,254,700…WTMX 2,063,400..WBBM-FM 2,046,00

Nielsen Audio Monday released September PPMs (August 15 thru September 11) for the following markets: MYC, LA, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas-Ft.Worth, Houston-Galveston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nassau-Suffoll (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino CA, San Jose, Middlesex-Somerset-Union NJ.

Click Here for Topline Numbers.

Triton Digital Reports Streaming Sessions Were up In August

Triton Digital has released their rankers for web listening for the month of August.

 Pandora remains king of the hill with an 7% increase.  They company ended is 40-hour monthly streaming cap for mobile lsiters on Sept. 1. 

Clear Channel remains in second place, up 4%.  Slacker slipped from third to fourth with a 5% dip to 69,053.  CBS Radio rounded out the top 5, up 8% to 65,908

All but one of the top 10 internet radio networks measured by Triton Digital increased their Average Active Session in August during the Monday-Friday, 6am- 12 midnight daypart. Two webcasters experienced double digit gains.

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Atlanta Radio: Regular Guy Von Haessler OUT At WNNX

Eric Von Haessler

Over 15 years on three different stations in Atlanta, the Regular Guys have always included Larry Wachs and Eric Von Haessler.

As of Monday, according to Rodney Ho at accessatlanta.com, Von Haessler is out. One-fourth of the Regular Guys posted this Facebook message Monday: 

At about 10:05 this morning I was "officially relieved" of my on-air duties. In plain English that means I'm no longer a Regular Guy. The last 15 years in Atlanta have been quite a ride. And the years in Los Angeles before that were even crazier. Through it all there have been great, great fans of the show and it's been a pleasure to be a part of that community. Strangely, I don't feel bitter or angry. Obviously, Cumulus and the other members of the show felt my presence was holding them back and keeping from being able to grow. I disagree with that assessment but wish them the best of luck. Go Bills!

John Dickey, the co-chief operating officer for WNNX Rock 100.5's Atlanta-based parent company Cumulus Media, said he couldn't say exactly why the station let go Von Haessler but said the station is trying to be more female friendly.

The Regular Guys "is a venerable brand," he said. "It's a venerable brand that can live beyond any one individual person. That's our premise."

Since the new program director Troy Hanson arrived a month ago, the station has excised a lot of its heavy-leaning acts such as Halestorm, Pop Evil and Beware of Wilderness while adding cuts by Muse, Fall Out Boy and Alice in Chains.

Also exiting the station is night personality Lewis Alston.  

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Little Richard Discloses Heart Attack

Little Richard

Last night in Atlanta, Little Richard joined Cee Lo Green onstage for a Recording Academy fundraiser, where the topics ranged from MC Hammer to the Ten Commandments and pancake makeup. And according to Rolling Stone, the two also talked about a recent health scare.

"The other night, I didn’t know I was having a heart attack," Little Richard admitted to the crowd about an incident he says happened just last week. "I was coughing, and my right arm was aching. I told my son, 'Make the room as cold as ice.' So he turned the air conditioning on, and I took a baby aspirin. The doctor told me that saved my life. Jesus had something for me. He brought me through."

Toward the close of the evening, Little Richard turned to his spiritual philosophies. "God talked to me the other night," Richard said. "He said he's getting ready to come. The world's getting ready to end . . . and He's coming, wrapped in flames of fire with a rainbow around his throne." Some of his apocalyptic prophesies garnered snickers as well as cheers from both Cee Lo and the audience, but Richard seemed stubbornly sincere. "When I talk to you about God, I’m not playing," he said. "I'm almost 81 years old. Without God, I wouldn’t be here."

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Balt. Radio: Stash Returns On The Web

Stash

KHZTV announced Monday that it's bringing Stephen Smith, better known as "Stash," for a 7am-10am show starting Wednesday..

KHZTV bills itself as a one-stop showbiz site to watch what's hot in media. Featuring Top Viral Videos, Top Tunes, Top Movies, Featured Clips, also manages Aberdeen-based WAMD 970 AM in Harford County.  In addition to WAMD, the network runs WYRE 810 AM in Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties, WKHZ 1460 in Talbot County and WJSS 1330 AM in New Castle, DE.

Stash, the Bel Air resident who was formerly a DJ with 98 Rock, will host the weekday morning program on KHZTV airwaves.

“There has been a big hole in the Baltimore area radio market since his departure from 98 Rock,” Tracy Hart, general manager of KHZTV Network, said in a prepared statement.

Stash and 98 Rock "parted ways" in July 2012 after he was charged with DUI for the second time in less than a year, The BaltimoreSun reported. The July crash on MD Route 24 in Bel Air injured five people, and resulted in Stash being sentenced to six months in jail, according to Bel AirPatch.

“I am very excited about being back on the air and talking to my listeners in the Maryland area," Stash said in a prepared statement. "We will be bringing exciting creative radio back to morning drive."

Nick Radio Launches On iHeartRadio

Nickelodeon and Clear Channel Media and Entertainment announced Monday the launch of Nick Radio, where listeners will get “All the Hits, All the Slime,” on iHeartRadio -- Clear Channel’s industry-leading digital radio platform. 

Nick Radio will feature today’s hit music; guest DJ stints by Nickelodeon stars, kicking off with Sam & Cat star Ariana Grande, Big Time Rush and Austin Mahone; and Nick-branded entertainment and celebrity interviews, all which will reflect Nickelodeon's personality and surprise-filled brand of humor. 

The brand-new family-targeted station will be programmed by Sharon Dastur, Program Director for the world-famous Z100 -- New York’s Hit Music Station, and will stream on Nick.com, iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio digital app.  Additionally, Relativity and Reel FX’s Free Birds, which hits theaters nationwide November 1, has signed on as Nick Radio’s exclusive launch partner.

Pam Kaufman

"Nick Radio is the perfect place for Nickelodeon to serve kids with the music they love and entertain them with our great characters and funny content,” said Pam Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer and President of Consumer Products, Nickelodeon Group. "Our partnership with Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio will allow us to further deepen our relationship with kids across this great platform.”

“It is such a great opportunity to work with Nickelodeon and create the first ever Nick Radio,” said Tom Poleman, President of National Programming Platforms for Clear Channel.  “The combination of Clear Channel’s reach and programming expertise with the fun and dedicated audience of Nickelodeon is unique in the digital and on-air space.  Introducing a family focused station like Nick Radio to the iHeartRadio platform and supporting it with an industry expert from Z100, one of the nation’s top radio stations, is destined to be a homerun with both our listeners and Nick’s viewers.”

Nick Radio will feature DJs in America including Mo’ Bounce of New York’s hit music station Z100, Maxwell of Q102 Philadelphia, and Wendy Wild of 103.5 KTU with Z100’s Erica America on weekends.  Nickelodeon will roll out additional programming, showcasing the network’s talent and content, including:

•  On the Set With…– featuring interviews with Nickelodeon’s live-action stars from the sets of their hit shows.
• Nick Radio Top 10 Countdown – a radio version of the weekly top ten video show that airs on TeenNick, Nick’s 24-hour digital channel for and about teens.
• Nick Radio Dance Party – hosted by Nickelodeon’s own J. Boogie, this two-hour mix of the best in Top 40 music will air every Friday and Saturday night to get listeners up on their feet and dancing.
• Nick Radio Top 10 – a daily hour-long countdown of the most popular songs on the airwaves.
• Hangin’ With… – celebrity interviews with some of the biggest music, TV, film and sports stars.