R.I.P: KKOL Morning Host Phil Abbott Has Died

Phil Abbott

The Hawaiian radio industry is mourning after KKOL 107.9 FM Kool Gold 1079’s morning host, Phil Abbot died Monday of natural causes.

He was 55-years-of-age according to hawaiinewsnow.com.

Abbot, the "Old School DJ" served as the morning host and program director of the station in Honolulu since February 2012.

“Phil was an Old School radio professional,” said Patrick Leonard, Abbot’s colleague and Salem Media’s director of marketing and public relations.  “And one of the most humble, professional radio colleagues I have ever worked with.

Abbot worked in the radio industry for more than four decades as a morning host in Hawaii and on the mainland.

During his 17-year career in the mainland, Abbot made a name for himself working with Los Angeles radio legend Rick Dees in their 'Weekly Top 40' radio program.

He also took part in the legendary 98-Rock “Rabbett & Abbot” morning show before moving back to Hawaii with his family in 2009.

The Hilo native graduated from Hilo High School and pursued a journalism degree at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Information on a memorial service for  Abbot’s will be announced at a later date.

Abbot is survived by his wife Joyce and two adult sons.

R.I.P.: Legendary Radio, TV News Anchor Anne Keefe

Anne Keefe

Anne Keefe died in Rochester NY on Tuesday at the age of 90.

"She was a powerhouse," said her daughter Kitty Keefe on Friday morning. "She was a mentor to so many young journalists, even after she'd left the business."

The Rochester Democrat-Chronicle reports she was a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy and the University of Rochester, Anne Keefe started her career in local radio. While still in college, she was hired to produce a live show called "True Stories of the New York State Police" at WHAM 1180 AM.  She switched to television the following year, when WHAM became Rochester's first television station in 1948. Many of the veteran journalists she worked with thought that television would be a passing fad, but at age 22, Keefe seized the opportunity to master the new medium.

For many years, Keefe was the only female newscaster on local television. After leaving the business for several years to raise six children, she returned as news director at WROC (channel 8) in 1969.

She served as weekend anchor and hosted daytime talk shows such as "Dialing for Dollars" and "Crossfire," where she interviewed local newsmakers on the issues of the day.

Keefe move to St Louis in 1976 to work at KMOX, where she quickly became a popular and beloved radio host. She also hosted a show on the local public television station called "Donnybrook," discussing the news of the day with local journalists.

Keefe, known affectionately as the “Grand Dame of the KMOX newsroom.” She retired in 1993.

Her induction into the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame in 2006 described her as the "dean of women radio reporters" in that region. She was also honored with the Missouri Press Women's Quest Award, the American Bar Association's Gavel Award, two National Headline awards, two Armstrong Awards, the American Psychological Society Award and a Peabody award.

She was one of the original inductees into the Rochester Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.

Keefe moved back to Rochester in 2011 to be closer to some of her children and grandchildren.

R.I.P.: Longtime TN Station Owner Philip Beal

Philip Beal, longtime owner and operator of WRGS 1370 AM in Rogersville TN, passed away Tuesday at the age of 71 following a brief illness.

He was 79 years-of-age.

According to the Kingsport Times-News, Beal touched the lives of nearly every person in Rogersville and Hawkins County, not just through his work in radio, but through the countless charitable organizations and civic groups that benefited from his attention, expertise, and resources.

He and his wife, Debbie, were hands-on owners of the local radio station which features a variety of community-oriented programming including Christian music and local church sermons; local news and community coverage; local sports play-by-play coverage; and the most popular program on the station — “Swap Shop.”

Beal purchased the family-owned radio station in 1972 after spending time working and managing radio stations in the Tri-Cities.

Beal gave former Rogersville radio personality and current alderman Mark DeWitte his start in the business at the age of 15.

DeWitte told the Times-News Wednesday Beal’s death is a tremendous loss to the community.

“It’s just terribly ironic that an issue involving his heart had to cut Philip’s life so short,” DeWitte said. “Philip had a huge heart for everyone and especially for the Rogersville community.”

DeWitte added, “I was only 15 when I, like so many others at a young age, started working weekends for Philip at WRGS. That was 1973, one year after he came back to Rogersville to take the reins at the family-owned radio station. He had the patience of a saint as he guided all of us in the ways of radio. I learned a tremendous amount from him in the eight years I was there, but not just about radio. I learned a love for community and everyone in it and the value of honesty and integrity.”

“Philip was a man who was good as gold and solid as a rock,” DeWitte said. “He wasn’t only a boss but a great friend that I loved like a brother. There are so many stories that could be told, and Philip loved to laugh and cry at all of them. But he would be the first to tell you that even though he was in the story, it wasn’t all about him. His humility was as huge as his heart and his involvement in making things happen, and I’ll never forget the influence he had on this entire community and me.”

Pope Urges Media To Report More Good News

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The media should give more space to positive, inspirational stories to counterbalance the preponderance of evil, violence and hate in the world, Pope Francis said on Thursday in his year-end message.

Francis led about 10,000 worshippers in a traditional year-end solemn "Te Deum" vespers service of thanksgiving in St. Peter's Basilica.

In his brief homily, Francis said the outgoing year had been marked by many tragedies.

"(There has been) violence, death, unspeakable suffering by so many innocent people, refugees forced to leaves their countries, men, women and children without homes, food or means of support," he said.

But he said there had also been "so many great gestures of goodness" to help those in need, "even if they are not on television news programs (because) good things don't make news".

Pope Francis

He said the media should not allow such gestures of solidarity to be "obscured by the arrogance of evil".

The Argentine pope, marking the third New Year's season since his election in 2013, condemned the "insatiable thirst for power and gratuitous violence" the world had seen in 2015, without giving examples.

But in his Christmas message last week, he urged the world to unite to end atrocities by Islamist militants who he said were causing immense suffering in many countries.

Security has been very tight at the Vatican since the Nov. 13 Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed.

Police are checking the bags of people as they approach the Vatican area and then have to go through additional, airport-style screening if they want to enter St. Peter's Square or St. Peter's Basilica.

Francis also condemned a political corruption scandal that hit Rome, the city of which he is also bishop. The scandal, known as "Mafia Capital", has spawned a massive trial with 46 defendants that began last month.

Mobsters, bureaucrats and politicians are accused of siphoning millions of euros from public contracts for everything from refugee shelters to trash collection.

The 79-year-old pope, who appears to have held up well during his numerous public appearances over the Christmas and New Year's season, is due to celebrate a Mass on Friday in the basilica to mark the Catholic Church's World Day of Peace.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Richard Balmforth)

Syracuse Radio: 2 Charged In Assault On WKRL Host

WKRL's Joe Grosvant

Two suspects in the Christmas assault on a WKRL 100.9 FM KROCK host and friend have turned themselves into police, according to Syracuse Police.

Police say 18-year-old Nouman Khan and 20-year-old Hamza Khan, both of Binghamton, were charged Tuesday night with third-degree assault and released on appearance tickets.

The charges come only hours after someone with the twitter handle @NoumanKingKhan tweeted a video of the moments leading up to the fight. Police have confirmed the video's legitimacy to CNYCentral.

The man, who posted video of the confrontation, said "They were racist, and they started the whole fight. It was self defense."

The video showed one of the victims who suffered cuts in the fight hitting his vehicle. The video is loaded with expletives.

@CNYcentral @krockjosh look who hit our car and wanted to fight us pic.twitter.com/0cGLcPWUde

— nouman (@Noumankingkhan_) December 30, 2015

The Christmas night confrontation started when Joe Grosvent, a KROCK radio host, and his cousin, James McElyea, say they were leaving a bar just before midnight when they saw a group of five men harassing a homeless person.

According to police, the five men pulled up in a silver or white BMW and began to shout at them.

McElyea says the men appeared to be taking pictures of them or video taping them with their phones.

According to McElyea, Grosvent knocked on the window of their vehicle to ask why they were taking pictures of them, that is when, he says, a fight broke out between the two groups.

Twin Cities Radio: Mary Lucia Stalker Sentenced

Mary Lucia

The man who plead guilty in August to stalking and terroristic threats against KCMP 89.3 FM The Current DJ Mary Lucia — received five years probation and a 10-block restraining order Wednesday.

Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Dan Allard asked that Patrick Kelly, 56, of Eden Prairie, receive the maximum five-year probationary term, keep 10 blocks away from Lucia's home and workplace, and pay restitution of $9,222.99.

According to citypages.com, District Judge William Koch agreed to those requests, and also tagged on 270 days in the county workhouse. Since Kelly already served 197 days in jail with good behavior, however, he was released Wednesday morning.

Seated with her brothers Jim Boquist and the Replacements' Paul Westerberg, Lucia issued her victim impact statement Wednesday.

Patrick Kelly

“My whole sense of self is in question. It has left me feeling powerless," the Twin Cities radio veteran said, adding that she struggled to eat and sleep due to the trauma. "If he makes one more attempt to contact me, it will ruin his life — and for what?”

Kelly began stalking Lucia in late 2014 and was arrested in June.

Among the disturbing things to which Kelly admitted: leaving candles, wine, flowers, and notes on the stoop of Lucia's Minneapolis home, violating a previous restraining order. He also sent packages — children’s toys, raw meat, a photo of a masked man — to the Current offices in St. Paul.

Mary Lucia returned to work at the Current on Nov. 9 following a seven-month leave to deal with the legal and emotional fallout of being stalked.

2015 Was A Good Year For Fox News Channel

Fox News Channel was No. 2 in prime time and No. 3 in total day viewers among all ad-supported cable networks during 2015, reports TV Newser.

 FNC averaged 1.79 million viewers between 8-11 p.m. ET, behind only ESPN’s NFL-heavy content. TBS, USA and TNT join FNC and ESPN among the Top 5 prime time networks. Nickelodeon and Adult Swim are the only networks to surpass FNC in total day viewership.

CNN finished No. 22 in prime time and No. 20 in total day, while MSNBC ranked No. 26 in both categories. FNC, CNN and MSNBC all improved their position compared to last year and FNC becomes the first news network to ever finish among the Top 3 in basic cable.

CNN finished 2015 up +38 percent in prime time viewers and up +30 percent in prime time among the key A25-54 demo, compared to 2014. Last year the network saw a record low in total viewers, so the growth helps make CNN the fastest growing Top 40 cable network among the key demo. CNN’s prime time numbers were boosted by three presidential primary debates, which were among the most-watched programs in cable TV history. Despite the growth, CNN finished No. 22 overall among all basic cable networks during prime time.

2015 Ranker

Streaming Service Live365 May Be Forced To Close

Citing the recent CRB ruling on  royalty rates and loss of investor support, the internet streaming service known as Live365 is planning on ending service January 31, 2016.

In a statement to its participating broadcasters, the service stated:

Recently, the Copyright Royalty Board, the governing entity for establishing the sound recording royalty rates that are paid to copyright holders, has published the new rates for 2016-20. The previous provisions for small webcasters to opt for a percentage of revenue model were not renewed. The current provisions end at the end of 2015.  

The absence of this license will make legally streaming copyrighted musical content prohibitively expensive for many small to mid-sized Internet broadcasters. Live365 relies on this license for many of their broadcast partners and, as such, has hard decisions to make regarding their future in the streaming industry. 

Two weeks ago, Live365 faced an additional blow, losing the support of its investors who have helped the company with its mission for over a decade. The company was forced to significantly reduce staff and is now actively looking for partners to help continue the service into 2016.  

At this time, Live365 is planning to keep their stations active while getting the word out about this investment opportunity. With nearly two decades of Internet streaming experience and thousands of paying customers, this could be an ideal situation for a company looking to diversify into streaming audio. 

CEO N. Mark Lam has begun initial discussions with possible business partners as the company looks to new options in the new year. 

And from Dean Kattari, Director of Broadcasting for Live365:

"The true value of Live365 lies in it's diversity of content - it's a sanctuary where you can hear music and other content that it so unlike the template broadcasting that is heard on most terrestrial radio. These stations are the hard work of real human beings who use Live365 to share their vision with the world. It's a home for musical discovery because many of these stations play emerging artists that terrestrial stations are reluctant to take a chance on. It would be a great loss for this to all go away."

December 31 Radio History

In 1910...actor Dick Kollmar was born in Rigewood NJ.

He starred as Boston Blackie in the long-running radio show, and co-hosted a WOR New York chat show with his wife, gossip columnist Dorothy Kilgallen.  On TV he hosted the series Broadway Spotlight & Guess What.

He died Jan. 7 1971 from an overdose of pills, an apparent suicide at age 60.



In 1914...Roy Rogers’ sidekick Pat Brady was born in Toledo Ohio.

He appeared in more than 100 episodes of TV’s Roy Rogers Show, after hooking up with Roy in films & on radio.   He also sang with the western group Sons of the Pioneers.

He died in a motor vehicle accident Feb. 27 1972 at age 57.



In 1923...In London, the BBC first aired the chimes of Big Ben.


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


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





In 1929...Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians played "Auld Lang Syne" as a New Year's Eve song for the first time during their first annual New Year's Eve Party at the Hotel Roosevelt Grill in New York. The show was broadcast on the CBS Radio network and became the longest-running annual special program in radio history.


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


In 1943...Country singer John Denver was born Henry John Deutschendorf. He died in a crash of an experimental plane he was piloting on Oct. 12, 1997 at 53.


In 1948...Disco diva Donna Summer was born. She died on May 17, 2012 at 63


In 1951...The "Wild Bill Hickok" TV series was replicated on radio following its success on television.


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


In 1963...the "Dear Abby Show" premiered on the CBS Radio network. It ran eleven years. On this day in 1966, "Pirate Radio 390" (Radio Invicata)an off-shore station near England, resumed broadcasting.


In 1970...Paul McCartney sued the other members of the Beatles for a legal dissolution of their "partnership." On the same day, the British magazine Melody Maker announced that the Beatles were looking for a new bass player. Four years to the day later, the four of them came to terms and made the separation final.




In 1972...TV producer Dick Clark initiated a new holiday tradition with "Three Dog Night's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on NBC. The headliners, along with Blood, Sweat & Tears, Helen Reddy, and Al Green, appeared in performances that had been pre-taped in the Grand Ballroom of the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, California. Clark himself did not appear on the initial program. In 1973, he began hosting the special, its name shortened to "New Year's Rockin' Eve." The show moved to ABC-TV in 1974.


In 1982...the "CBS Mystery Theater" aired its final episode after 8 years on radio.


In 1982...the NBC Radio network cancelled practically all of it's daily features.



In 1985...Singer/actor Ricky Nelson, his fiancé Helen Blair, and five members of the Stone Canyon Band, died in the crash of his private DC-3 airplane (which was previously owned by Jerry Lee Lewis) near DeKalb, Texas, while en route to a concert appearance in Dallas. The pilot was attempting an emergency landing after a fire, caused by a malfunctioning gas heater, broke out on the plane. Nelson was 45.


In 1989...the final edit was added to the annual WLS Music Montage.

Every New Year's Eve, the "Top 89" songs of the year were counted down on WLS-AM (and FM). After the #1 song was played at about 4 minutes before Midnight, the radio station wished listeners a Happy New Year!

Then...this wonderful montage was played. Each year added about a minute of the previous top songs in Chicago. The montage originally started short, as you can guess, and ultimately ended up as this 27+ minute marathon.



After WLS-AM changed to all-talk in 1989, this montage was no longer heard in Chicago. But thanks to Scott Childers, this "rebuild" version can be heard exactly as it was played every year. Kudos to Scott for putting this together!

This is an appreciation to the production work that Scott, Tommy Edwards (the originator) and the production staff created over the years.

Thanks to Scott Childers for the permission to post this. Check out his site at www.scottchilders.com.


In 2013...Veteran talk radio personality (WOR, WABC, WMCA in New York, KABC, KNX in Los Angeles, WBBM-Chicago, WWDB-Philadelphia) Bob Grant died at the age of 84.

NY-VT Radio:WEQX Tower Rocked By Ice, Winds

Listeners of 102.7 WEQX 102.7 FM (licensed to Manchester VT) could only hear static over their car radios after an ice storm Tuesday snapped its tower and transmitter in half.

The station, which reaches the Albany NY Capital Region, continues to stream music online at weqx.com and plans to install a temporary transmitter Thursday, Jeff Morad, programming director said.

Click Here to Listen

"We hope to be able to piece it together and put it back on full power in the next week," Morad told the Albany NY Times-Union.

The temporary transmitter will not have the range of the previous tower, but Morad said they are unsure exactly how powerful it will be.

The 75-foot tower crested the peak of the 3,855-foot Mount Equinox, allowing the station to broadcast from Kingston in Ulster County, N.Y., to Pittsfield, Mass., and Keene, N.H.

The location of the tower, however, means reaching it could be difficult.

The only road to the peak is closed for the winter, Morad said, and the station is considering using snowmobiles, a helicopter or other means to carry equipment up the mountain.

Tuesday was the first serious weather-related mishap in the tower's 31-year history, Morad said. He said a deer broke into a generator shaft last winter and chewed through some wires.

Tower repairs could cost around $10,000 plus labor, Morad said. The station has spoken to advertisers and has said it will make up ad time once the station comes back online.

WEQX 102.7 FM (1.25 Kw_ Red=Local Coverage

Fans seemed understanding of the plight.

Widespread Flooding Hits Midwest, Missouri

Valley Park, MO

By Mary Wisniewski

Rain-swollen rivers in the U.S. Midwest forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents, threatened crops and livestock and left scores of buildings underwater on Wednesday after days of extreme weather in which 24 people died.

Several major rivers, including the Mississippi, were expected to crest at or above record levels as flood waters rushed toward the Gulf of Mexico, the National Weather Service said.

Flooding has closed many roads and parts of Interstate 44, a major artery running from west Texas to St. Louis.

'ONE HUGE LAKE'

At least 24 people have died in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Oklahoma in flooding after days of downpours that brought as much as 12 inches (30 cm) of rain to some areas. Most of the deaths resulted from people driving into flooded areas.

In Eureka, Missouri, along the Meramec River, Mayor Kevin Coffey said a man was rescued from atop the cab of his pick-up truck after spending the night in a parking lot to watch over his gun shop business.

"This is 4 feet (1.2 meters) above the worst flood we ever had," Coffey said after helping to put sandbags around a school. "The town looks like one huge lake."

Historic floods on the Mississippi in 1993, 1995 and 2011 occurred during warm weather, after snow melts in the north. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski called it highly unusual to have heavy flooding in winter and said it could presage trouble for the spring.

"The gun may be loaded again for another major flooding event," said Sosnowski, who cited the El Nino weather pattern as the source of recent heavy rains. "You're not supposed to get this kind of heavy rainfall during the wintertime."

Agriculture experts said that water standing more than a week could kill the soft red winter wheat crop. Export premiums for corn and soybeans were at their highest levels in weeks because of stalled barge traffic on swollen rivers.

Union, MO

2,500 HOGS DROWN

Livestock also has been hard hit. About 2,500 hogs drowned in an Illinois barn after a creek overflowed its banks, said Jennifer Tirey, a spokeswoman for the state's Pork Producers Association.

"There was no electricity and roads were impassable. It was just impossible to get to those pigs,” she said.

The U.S. flooding is occurring at the same time as historic El Nino-related flooding across northern England. The El Nino weather phenomenon tends to disturb global weather patterns as ocean water temperatures rise above normal across the central and eastern Pacific, near the equator.

Several major rivers, including the Mississippi, and tributaries in Missouri and Illinois were poised to crest at record or above-record levels, the National Weather Service said, but parts of the region were already inundated.

Flood warnings were issued from eastern Oklahoma into southeastern Kansas, southern Missouri, central Illinois and parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Florida panhandle.


While the rains have stopped for now, freezing weather is setting in, which will make the cleanup a miserable undertaking, Sosnowski said.

At the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, about 20 miles (32 km) north of St. Louis, residents of the towns West Alton and Arnold were told to evacuate on Tuesday. About 400 residents and businesses in the town of Pacific also have evacuated.

The U.S. Coast Guard closed a 5-mile (8 km) stretch of the Mississippi near St. Louis on Tuesday to all vessel traffic due to hazardous conditions.

The Mississippi River, the third longest river in North America, is expected to crest over the weekend at Thebes, Illinois, at 47.5 feet, more than a foot and a half (46 cm) above the 1995 record, according to the National Weather Service.

The severe weather has stranded tens of thousands of people during one of the busiest travel times of the year. More than 750 flights were canceled and 4,760 delayed as of mid-afternoon on Wednesday, according to FlightAware.com.

(Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City, Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles, Heide Brandes in Oklahoma City, Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Theopolis Waters and Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Bill Trott, Toni Reinhold)

#moflooding Tweets

R.I.P.: Veteran Radio Executive Bob Lind Has Died

Bob Lind

The Capitol Broadcasting Company has announced the passing of  Robert J. (Bob) Lind.  The 62-year-old Lind died in his sleep on Monday, Dec. 28, leaving behind a legacy of service and dedication to the community.

Lind worked at Capitol Broadcasting Company for a little more than a decade in the radio divisions.  He joined CBC in 1986 as Vice President & General Manager of WWMX in Baltimore, which was owned by CBC at the time. In 1990, he became VP of the Radio Group, overseeing properties in Orlando, Richmond, and Raleigh while still managing the Baltimore operation. In 1992, Bob moved to Raleigh to head up WRAL-FM, continuing his radio group duties and other corporate responsibilities including CBC’s baseball operations.

Bob started Radiothons at both WWMX-FM in Baltimore and WRAL-FM in Raleigh. At the time he left CBC, both had raised more than $3 million for Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Duke Children’s Hospital.

He moved on from CBC in 1997 to become Vice President of Radiothons for Children’s Miracle Network. He went on to help Children’s Miracle Network expand to do Radiothons across the U.S. and Canada and even across the world. But he maintained a sense of pride in the fact that the WRAL-FM Radiothon continued to be one of the top radiothons for CMN.

“We talk about [WRAL-FM] all the time around the country,” he said in 2008. “People look at the number for Raleigh/Durham and ask, ‘Is this correct?’”  WRAL-FM continues to raise more than stations in much larger markets, being a part of the prestigious Million Dollar Club for raising more than $1M in a single year.

“I’m really proud of what they’ve done,” he said of MIX 101.5 in that same interview. “We raised $125,000 for the first few we did and we were thrilled, and it was great. Here we sit all these years later and the radio station’s relative size is about the same as it was then and yet look at what’s happening to these dollars.”

Philly Radio: WIP Extends Josh Innes

Josh Innes

Sportsradio WIP 94.1 FM has agreed to pick up an option on Josh Innes to keep him on-air during PM Drive in Philly.

“The Josh Innes Show lives on,” Innes tweeted out Tuesday night. “Thanks, everyone.”

Since taking over the afternoon slot on WIP back in February, Innes has been a ratings hit, despite replacing original co-host Tony Bruno with former Eagle Hollis Thomas and Spike Eskin, who also serves as the station’s program director.

Innes has beaten his chief competitor, WPEN 97.5 FM The Fanatic’s Mike Missanelli, every month except December in the key men 25-54 demographic, and placed number one overall in both the Spring and Fall Ratings Book, quarterly measurements of a show’s popularity that usually determines a host’s bonus.

WIP picked up the 2016 option on my contract. The @JoshInnesShow lives on. Thanks everyone.

— Josh Innes (@JoshInnesRadio) December 30, 2015

According to philly.com, there has been some speculation that  Innes’ tenure at WIP might be threatened with the departure of former operations manager Andy Bloom, who became victim of cutbacks at CBS Radio. But David Yadgaroff, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Philly, says he’s committed to Innes.

“Josh is part of the fabric of the station,” Yadgaroff said. “He’s one of the most compelling hosts we have on the radio, and no matter who we’ve paired him with in the afternoon, his ratings have been fantastic.”

WIP 94.1 FM (9.6 Kw) Red=Local Coverage

Innes was brought on board by WIP in January 2014 to take over the 6-10 p.m. slot vacated by Rob Ellis. Innes, who has previously hosted the afternoon drive spot at CBS station KILT in Houston, moved to WIP’s afternoon spot back in February.

Spotify Socked With $150M Lawsuit Over Royalties

Spotify was hit Monday with a lawsuit claiming at least $150 million in damages for unpaid royalties.

According to The Hill, the lawsuit, which asks to be treated as a class action, was filed by David Lowery, who performs with the bands Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker and has long been a critic of music streaming services.

His lawsuit claims that Spotify has distributed music “without mechanical licenses in an egregious, continuous and ongoing campaign of deliberate copyright infringement.” Calling the alleged infringement “knowing and willful,” the lawsuit argues that the company streams music without tracking down the people who hold the copyright on the recording.

Lowery’s lawsuit also claims that Spotify maintains a fund “wherein the royalty payments Spotify wrongfully withholds from artists are held.” Billboard reported on Tuesday that such a fund exists and is worth between $17 million and $25 million.

"We are committed to paying songwriters and publishers every penny,” said Spotify’s Jonathan Prince in a statement. “Unfortunately, especially in the United States, the data necessary to confirm the appropriate rightsholders is often missing, wrong, or incomplete. When rightsholders are not immediately clear, we set aside the royalties we owe until we are able to confirm their identities.”

The lawsuit claims class-action status, meaning Lowery would represent other people in a similar situation and the court would make a decision that would apply to all of them. The lawsuit hopes to encompass “owners of mechanical distribution and reproduction rights in musical compositions registered under United States federal law, which compositions were reproduced or distributed by Spotify without license or authorization since December 28, 2012.”

What Americans Were Talking About During 2015

Freddie Gray, gay marriage, Donald Trump and the Paris attacks. Those were among the biggest news topics of conversation for Americans on Twitter in 2015, according to an analysis by Echelon Insights, a research and intelligence firm.

The Washington Post reports the company looked at an estimated 459.9 million Twitter mentions to break down the biggest trending topics of the year, week by week. The chart shows how those topics varied over the year. Most of the topics were political, though the Pluto flyby, Caitlyn Jenner and "the dress" also made a prominent appearance.

Top Talk Topics By Political Audience