NC Radio: WPCM Flips to Country

Curtis Media Group has changed the format of WPCM 920 AM / 95.1 T-FM  to mainstream country after playing beach and oldies music, General Manager Byron Tucker said.

The station was first founded on playing country music — the call letters stand for We Play Country Music — and the station has heard mostly positive responses, Tucker said, but some listeners did take to Facebook to air their complaints about the format change.

Others said they were excited for the change or inquired whether the station would play classic country songs.

“The music will be mainstream country, but we are mixing in a couple (older songs) per hour,” Tucker said. “We’ll reach back to Garth Brooks and Brooks and Dunn, but not very old. And it has to be an incredible huge hit along with today’s hits.”

Tucker said listeners can expect some changes to their DJ lineup, but they hadn’t sorted through all the details yet.

WPCM (W236BO) 95.1 FM (250 watts ) 60dBu Coverage

“We have listeners in all surrounding counties, but programming will remain for folks in Alamance County,” he said. “So we will hear local events and local folks on the radio.”

The station posted the following message to announce the change:

Thank you WPCM family. 

It has been an amazing time, from Oldies And Beach to Classic Hits and you have shown us unprecedented love over the years. Today we begin an exciting new chapter in our life as a radio station as we bring you the best in country music. 

We know that many you will miss the old music, but many of you will also be as excited as we are. Alamance County has a love of country music and it is our responsibility to the community and to ourselves to play the music that you want to hear and that our advertiser’s clients want to hear. 

Our devotion to Alamance County will not waiver, we will continue to bring you local events and news, keeping you, our listeners, at the top of our minds. 

Thank you again for your support, we hope that you enjoy this new phase of our lives. 

-The Staff And Managment Of WPCM

SD Radio: Fired Sales Rep Sues Citing Age Discrimination

A fired Rapid City, SD radio sales executive has filed a federal lawsuit accusing her former employer, New Rushmore Radio, Inc., of age and sex discrimination, according to The Journal.

Sherry Erickson had worked as a sales representative for the radio group for almost 12 years when General Manager Lia Green fired her in September 2013 after she refused to resign, according to the suit.

A subsidiary of Schurz Communications, New Rushmore Radio operates Fox 96.9, KRCS 93.1 FM Hot93-1, KOUT 987. FM KatCountry and AC KKMK 93.9 FM Mix93-9.

Erickson, who the lawsuit identifies as "over age 40," was granted permission to sue the radio group by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September, one year after her termination.

In court documents, Erickson said her duties were equal to her male co-workers', Erickson asserted she was not treated equally when it came to overtime and a bi-weekly salary draw. Sales representatives worked on a salary plus commission basis, with a bi-weekly salary draw.

In 2012, Green used every opportunity to ask Erickson when she was going to retire, and in a sales meeting, Green once asked Erickson her age, according to the lawsuit. A supervisor also told Erickson that "the company would prefer a younger, more energetic employee," according to court documents.

Erickson seeks compensatory damages, including back pay, liquidated damages, and interest. She has also asked for general damages for past and future losses arising from the pain, anxiety, humiliation and embarrassment she suffered, along with punitive damages, court costs and attorneys' fees.

Rolling Stone, Don Lemon Top 2014's 'Worst Journalism' List

The prestigious Columbia Journalism review released its list of the worst journalism of 2014 and several notable moments popped up including the "Jackie" fiasco from Rolling Stone and Ebola coverage from CBS.

Rolling Stone made the list for its multiple lapses in telling the story of a woman called "Jackie" who said she was raped at the University of Virginia. The powerful tale spread like wildfire throughout the country before other media outlets found issues with the storytelling itself, eventually revealing more questions than answers. RS didn't handle the aftermath very well either, earning it the negative accolade.

CNN's Don Lemon had several notable mistakes in 2014 including suggesting that missing flight MA Flight 370 could have been swallowed by a black hole, making comments about "preventing" oral rape and suggesting that Ferguson smelled like weed smoke.

The journalism review also called Fox and Friends "Fox and Fail" after a morning anchor suggested that the Rices (Ray Rice and Janay Palmer) should have taken the stairs because elevators have cameras. The two were involved in a violent assault on an elevator in which Rice knocked Palmer out cold.

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Nielsen Releases More December PPM Data

Nielsen Friday released the third batch of December PPM results.  Markets released were:

23 Portland OR

 

24 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill

25 Pittsburgh  

27 Sacramento

28 San Antonio  

29 Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo

30 Cincinnati  

          31 Cleveland

32 Las Vegas 

33 Orlando 

34 Kansas City

37 Columbus OH

To See Topline Numbers for Nielsen subscribers: Click Here.

Boston Radio: The Sports Hub #1 Men 25-54

CBS Radio's WBZ 98.5 FM The Sports Hub finished first and Entercom's WEEI 93.7 FM was third in the men 25-54 demographic for the three-month fall Nielsen Audio Ratings period of September 11-December 3.

The Sports Hub had a 10.5 share, while WEEI had 7.0. Rock station WZLX, also owned by CBS Radio, was second (7.4), reports Boston.com.

It's the 10th straight three-month period that the Sports Hub has been the top-rated sports station in the market.

In morning drive, The Sports Hub's Toucher and Rich program regained the top spot, earning an 11.4 share. WEEI's Dennis and Callahan program, which also includes third host Kirk Minihane, was strong second with a 9.7.

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                  December 2014 6+ Topline Numbers for Nielsen Subscribers:

© 2005-2014 Arbitron Inc. All Rights Reserved. Arbitron radio audience estimates and data are federally copyrighted by and proprietary to Arbitron Inc. All Arbitron data are protected under U.S. copyright law, state misappropriation law, and other state and federal laws. Violations of Arbitron’s rights under U.S. copyright law may result in statutory damages per act of infringement and the recovery of Arbitron’s attorneys’ fees required to enforce Arbitron’s rights, in addition to other rights and remedies under other applicable laws, such as the Lanham Act.

Atlanta Radio: Clark Howard Collects Toys For Foster Kids

Clark Howard

Syndicated Financial Talk Host Clark Howard, in his 24th year, has collected enough toys and gifts for 5,200 foster kids statewide for Christmas, the most ever.

The year he joined WSB 750 AM radio, the Atlanta-based talker began this quest in 1991 to help kids who are often forgotten, ones who don’t know their moms and dads, who lack the traditions that many hold dear.

The syndicated talk show host consumer advocate said the process has become more streamlined over time, his National Guard buddies always a huge help. Every year, he stops by several retail stores as collection points for toys.

Howard said he was taken aback by the number of kids in need this year but his listeners stepped up. “The turnout was huge the last two days,” he texted me after Christmas. “I was on Cloud Nine!”

December 29 In Radio History

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


In 1945...Sheb Wooley recorded four songs for Bullet Records at the studios of WSM Radio, the first commercial recordings made in Nashville.


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), 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...WMCA 570 AM first station in New York to Play “I Want to Hold Your Hand " at 12:50 PM.  Across town, 77 WABC plays the song an hour later.

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."


In 1980...the Mutual Broadcasting Service cancelled the "Sears Radio Theater" program.


In 1985...Phil Donahue and a Soviet radio commentator hosted a special program called the "Citizens’ Summit" via satellite Television.

Poll: We're Optimistic For The New Year

Americans are closing out 2014 on an optimistic note, according to a new Associated Press-Times Square Alliance poll. Nearly half predict that 2015 will be a better year for them than 2014 was, while only 1 in 10 think it will be worse.

Azerbaijan Police Raid U-S Funded Radio Station

Azerbaijan police raided the Baku bureau of U.S.-government-funded Radio Free Europe early Friday, shutting down the office and ordering its journalists to stop working, according to the Voice of America.

RFE chief editor Nenad Pejic called the raid "a flagrant violation of every international commitment and standard Azerbaijan has pledged to uphold."

He told VOA that officials from the state prosecutor's office took documents and questioned staff members from Radio Azadliq into Friday evening.

The broadcaster has received no details on why it was targeted. "No allegations," Pejic said. "What we do know is they say they (are investigating) our operations. That's it."

 "We assume (staff) are going to be asked questions about our operations, maybe about salaries, maybe who works, who doesn't work — this kind of stuff," he added. "Frankly, this is, from my point of view, not important at all, because officials are going to say what they want to say."

Pejic said the action was unsurprising for a government that has demonstrated increasing hostility toward the media, with at least 200 journalists arrested annually for the past three years.

Radio Free Equrope staff in Baku

Jeff Shell, chairman of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, which funds RFE/RL, called on the Azeri government to allow the bureau to immediately reopen.

"This unwarranted action is an escalation of the Azeri government's abusive attempt to intimidate independent journalists and repress free media," Shell said.

A U.S. State Department senior official said the U.S. is "deeply disturbed" by reports that employees of the RFE/RL bureau in Baku have been detained in their offices and questioned while the premises were searched by police.

The State Department official called on "responsible authorities" to respect Azerbaijan's "international commitment to protecting media freedom," saying a free and independent press is "critical to the well-being of the nation."

Azerbaijan has been in a "downward spiral" with regard to media. Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 160th out of 180 in its press freedom index this year, four points below its 2013 score.

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Best News Bloopers Of 2014

SoundExchange Releases Tops In Streaming Music

SoundExchange has put together three exclusive charts revealing the top streaming artists, top breakout artists and top tracks from the past year. Topping these lists, respectively, are Drake, Sam Smith, and One Republic’s “Counting Stars.”

These charts are based on data reported to SoundExchange from digital radio services including satellite radio, Internet radio, and cable radio. The recordings featured were played between September 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014. For an artist to qualify as a “Breakout Artist,” that artist must have earned 100% of their SoundExchange royalties (of all time) between September 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014.

Yabba Dabba Doo! Dick Clark's 'Flintstones' House Is Sold

Of all the throwbacks in Los Angeles, Dick Clark seemed one of the least likely to live in a cave. But there it was, perched above the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by parks and wilderness — and sitting on the market for almost three years.

According to the Zillow blog, the walls of Clark’s longtime Malibu home are stone inside and out, leading some to call it the “Flintstones House.”

The secluded 1-bedroom, 1.5-bath home sits on 22 acres and offers 360-degree views of mountains and sea. It has vaulted ceilings in the living and dining rooms, and sunset views from the master suite.

The house finally sold this month for $1,777,777 — about half its initial listing price of $3.5 million. It was first listed in March 2012, a month before the legendary host of “American Bandstand” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” died.

R.I.P.: Philly Radio Exec Kernie Anderson

Kernie L. Anderson a huge name in African American media, died Saturday, Dec. 20.

Kernie Anderson

He was 74-years-of-age, according to Philly.com.

Anderson, an executive at WDAS-AM/FM, WHAT-AM, and WURD-AM, was known for his precision and control in business affairs, his commitment to African American media, and his ability to turn things around for ailing media venues.

Born in Harrisburg, Mr. Anderson attended Howard University. His radio career began in 1963 in Washington, notably at WQMR-AM/WGAY-FM, where he worked his way up from messenger to producer/marketing assistant in just a few years. After a stint in the Army, he moved to Florida in 1968, becoming general manager/managing partner of WOCN-AM/FM.

In Florida, he met and hired the young Larry King.

"I loved working with him and I'm terribly sorry to learn of his death," King, the longtime radio and TV host, said Wednesday through a publicist. He recalled Mr. Anderson as "a great, great guy."

In 1981, Mr. Anderson came to Chicago to manage WBMX-FM/AM.  In Philadelphia, he became vice president/general manager of WDAS in 1988, shortly after the station was sold. It was a time when the station was struggling over audience and identity. He was widely credited with a back-to basics approach that made the station financially strong again. Later, Mr. Anderson became general manager of WURD, remaining in that post until 2010, when he joined the station's board of directors.

December 27 Radio History

In 

1932...Radio City Music Hall, in New York City, began operation with the first event open to the public.




In 1939...the radio program, "The Glenn Miller Show", debuted on the CBS radio network.




In 1947...Bell Labs invented the transistor.


In 1958...Buddy Holly made his first appearance in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas since becoming a major recording star. Along with broadcasting "live" over KLLL radio from a fruit and vegetable store, he returned to the station's studios to record "You're The One," a song that station management challenged him to write in half an hour.


In 1963..."The Animals" performed on the BBC radio show, "Saturday Club", their first radio appearance.


In 1964...The Beatles' scored their sixth No. 1 song when "I Feel Fine" hit the top of the charts. Their previous No. 1 hits that year were: "I Want to Hold Your Hand"; "She Loves You"; "Can't Buy Me Love"; "Love Me Do" and "A Hard Day's Night."





In 1968...Don McNeils' "The Breakfast Club" signed off the ABC Radio network, after 35 years of successful broadcasting.

Don McNeil 1942

In Chicago during the early 1930s, McNeill was assigned to take over an unsponsored early morning variety show, The Pepper Pot, with an 8 a.m. timeslot on the NBC Blue Network. McNeill re-organized the hour as The Breakfast Club, dividing it into four segments which McNeill labeled "the Four Calls to Breakfast."

McNeill's revamped show premiered in 1933, combining music with informal talk and jokes often based on topical events, initially scripted by McNeill but later ad-libbed. In addition to recurring comedy performers, various vocal groups and soloists, listeners heard sentimental verse, conversations with members of the studio audience and a silent moment of prayer. The series eventually gained a sponsor in the Chicago-based meat packer Swift and Company. McNeill is credited as the first performer to make morning talk and variety a viable radio format.

The program featured Fran Allison (later of Kukla, Fran and Ollie fame) as "Aunt Fanny", plus Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers and various comedy bits. Every quarter-hour came the "Call to Breakfast" -- a march around the breakfast table. A featured vocalist on the show, under her professional name of Annette King, was Charlotte Thompson Reid, who later became an Illinois congresswoman for five terms (1962–71). Eileen Parker became a vocalist with the program in 1953.

The Breakfast Club initially was broadcast from the NBC studios in the Merchandise Mart. In 1948, after 4,500 broadcasts from the Merchandise Mart, the program moved to the new ABC Civic Studio. It was also heard from other Chicago venues: the Terrace Casino (at the Morrison Hotel), the College Inn Porterhouse (at the Sherman House) and "the Tiptop Room of the Warwick Allerton Hotel on Chicago's Magnificent Mile," as well as tour broadcasts from other locations in the U.S. It remained a fixture on the ABC radio network (formerly the NBC Blue Network; it became known as ABC in 1945), maintaining its popularity for years and counting among its fans Supreme Court Associate Justice William O. Douglas.

Don McNeil with comedian Sam Cowling 1956

After ABC Radio was split into four networks in 1968, The Breakfast Club was moved to the new American Entertainment network, and was known for its last months on the air as The Don McNeill Show.

K-C Radio: KMBZ To Split Talk-Talk Simulcast

Entercom's KMBZ 980 AM / 98.1 FM has announced that as of Jan. 5, its AM/FM simulcast will end.

Most of KMBZ’s current content will stay on the FM side, with two major exceptions: Darla Jaye’s local show (moving to mornings) and nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh, both of which will be heard only on AM.

“It’s not a divorce, it’s a conscious uncoupling,” afternoon co-host Dana Wright joked on the air Wednesday.

KMBZ 980 AM 5Kw (DA-Night)

The station at 98.1 FM had for years been KUDL, but when owner Entercom killed the adult-contemporary music station in spring 2011, it started simulcasting KMBZ-AM in KUDL’s spot.

KMBZ-FM will be “all live and all local” from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays.

KMBZ 98.1 FM (98.5Kw) 60dBu Coverage

The AM station, which has been broadcasting since the 1920s, will brand as “Talk 980.” Except for Jaye’s morning show, 980’s programming will consist of nationally syndicated fare including conservative talkers Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity.

The 98.1 FM weekday schedule:

• 5a.m.: “Kansas City’s Morning News” with E.J. Becker and Ellen Schenk, which will expand by an hour
• 10 a.m.: “Trend KC with Burns and Monacelli,” a new show that will cover such topics as technology, sports and politics
• 2p.m.: “Dana & Parks,” with Dana Wright and Scott Parks, which stays in its current time slot
• 6p.m: Jonathan Weir’s show, which moves from mid-mornings
• National shows round out the schedule: “Ground Zero” (9 p.m.-midnight), “Coast to Coast” (midnight-4 a.m.) and Gordon Deal (4-5 a.m.).

The 980 AM schedule:

• 5a.m.: Darla Jaye
• 9a.m.: Glenn Beck (to air live; KMBZ has been tape-delaying Beck’s show to run at night)
• 11 a.m: Rush Limbaugh (airing live)
• 2p.m.: Sean Hannity
• 5p.m.: “America Now”
• 8p.m.: Herman Cain
• Overnight: Laura Ingraham (10 p.m.-midnight), “Coast to Coast” (midnight-5 a.m.).