Beasley Media Group announces the Florida Sports Network featuring Miller and Moulton can now be heard Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. -10 a.m. on ESPN’s Southwest Florida studios (98.1FM and 770am) and 1010am in Tampa.
Miller & Moulton, featuring Mark Miller and David Moulton, has produced an entertaining and informative show with national guests since 2006 and have been consistently ranked among top rated sports shows in the history of Southwest Florida radio.
Mark Miller is the former Voice of the Florida Everblades who was instrumental in the organization becoming the gold standard of SW Florida sports. David Moulton begins his 20th year as the Voice of FGCU sports while moonlighting behind the scenes for Fox and CBS Sports.
“It’s great to have Miller & Moulton back where they started,” said Beasley Media Group Southwest Florida Vice President and Market Manager AJ Lurie. “Our audience have missed them.”
“We have a great relationship with Beasley in Detroit with the Michigan Sports Network and are thrilled to partner with them again in their hometown of Naples and across the state of Florida,” said Florida Sports Network President Marty Booher. “We already know that sports fans love the Miller & Moulton brand and we’re proud to put them back on the air as we expand their show across the state. Listening to the show is like being in your favorite Florida sports bar for four hours in the morning!”
K-pop boy band BTS is ending its distribution deal with Sony Music’s Columbia Records and will instead partner with Universal Music Group, reports Bloomberg citing a person familiar with the situation.
The move is a coup for Universal Music, which had been pursuing the tie-up for years. Universal Chief Executive Officer Lucian Grainge had been personally wooing Bang Si-hyuk, founder of BTS’s management company Hybe.
The deal includes Universal’s Ingrooves Music division handling distribution and Universal’s Geffen Records providing creative support and marketing, according to the person, who asked not to be named as the plans remain private. Universal’s Interscope has had a deal for three years with K-pop girl group Blackpink, which has made inroads with Western audiences and headlined the Coachella music festival in 2019.
Distribution deals for K-pop acts have been increasing in response to the growing global popularity of the genre. Universal and Hybe announced a new partnership on Thursday with YG Entertainment and Kiswe launching a new global live streaming platform. In February, Universal and Hybe announced an expanded strategic partnership that included a joint venture label with Geffen Records to debut a “global K-pop boy band.”
The Country Music Association has just revealed its first round of performers for the 2021 CMA Awards, and the 10-act list includes its share of A-listers and promising collaborations, reports The Tennessean.
Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Dan + Shay, Brothers Osborne, Mickey Guyton and Jimmie Allen are among those set to perform on the Nov. 10 show, which will air live on ABC from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
Guyton will perform an unspecified song from her debut album, "Remember Her Name," alongside rising Nashville artists Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards.
Female Vocalist of the Year nominees Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde will sing their duet "Never Wanted To Be That Girl," which is featured on Pearce's "29: Written In Stone," an expanded version of Album of the Year nominee "29."
Shelton will sing his new single "Come Back as a Country Boy." Reigning Entertainer of the Year Church will perform "Heart on Fire," from his Album of the Year contender "Heart."
New Artist of the Year nominee Allen will sing "Freedom Was a Highway," and Dan + Shay are set to perform their 2020 single "I Should Probably Go to Bed." Brothers Osborne will give "a deeply personal performance," per the CMA, from their Album of the Year nominee "Skeletons."
Earlier this week, the CMA announced Luke Bryan will host the ceremony for the first time.
The 55th annual CMA Awards will air live on ABC at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday, Nov. 10.
Audacy welcomes Carlota Gonzalez as midday show host for KRXQ 98.5 FM 98 Rock in Sacramento. Carlota will be heard weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. PT, effective October 25.
Carlota Gonzalez
“Carlota is one of the most passionate and dedicated true rock fans in our business,” said Stacey Kauffman, Regional Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Sacramento. “Her love and enthusiasm for both the music and the lifestyle explodes through the radio and makes that special connection with her audience that is increasingly rare these days. I’m so excited to welcome Carlota to our team.”
“After hanging out on the ‘beach’ for the last year working on my tan, I’m super excited to get back to work and back to Northern California where it all began, when I was a baby DJ in Fresno,” said Carlota. “98 Rock is a legendary rock station and I’m thrilled to be joining the Audacy family.”
Prior to joining 98 Rock, Carlota spent over 22 years on-air at KOMP-FM in Las Vegas. Carlota succeeds Pat Martin who, after 33 years in middays on 98 Rock, moved across the hall to host mornings on 96.9 The Eagle (KSEG-FM) this past July.
Several major streaming services have proposed the “lowest royalty rates in history” ahead of a royalty rates review in the US, according to nme.com.
David Israelite, president/CEO of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) says that music streamers including Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Pandora and Google have petitioned for the lowest royalties to date for 2023-2027.
His comments to Music Business Worldwide (MBV) last week preceded filings to the US Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), which sets the mechanical royalty rates paid by streaming services to songwriters and publishers. Under the US’ Copyright Act, Copyright Royalty Judges are required to conduct proceedings every five years to set new rates.
Israelite has claimed that streamers have put forward the “lowest royalty rates in history”, saying that he was disappointed to learn of the apparent proposals but wasn’t shocked.
“It is disappointing, but not surprising, given how they have treated songwriters over the years, including their continued assault on the rate victory that was achieved in 2018 which they are still appealing four years later,” he told MBW.
“We will be fighting to raise significantly what streaming services pay songwriters, and we will now see with full transparency to what degree Spotify, Amazon, Apple, YouTube and Pandora are trying to cut what little they currently pay.
Digital Media Association (DiMA), which represents Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube and Pandora, issued a statement after the filings.
Garrett Levin, President and CEO of DiMA, said: “The headlines each and every day demonstrate how much streaming and streaming services continue to drive ever-growing revenues for publishers and performing rights organizations, massive investments in publishing catalogs, and innovative tools and features that connect songwriters to fans in ways never possible before.
“This CRB proceeding, like any other, does not happen in a vacuum. ‘Mechanical’ licensing is just one of the multiple, necessary licenses for streaming services within a single segment of publisher and songwriter revenue streams. And that itself is one segment of the complete digital music economy.
➦In 1891...Parker Fennelly born in Maine (Died – January 22, 1988). He was an actor and playwright who appeared in ten films, numerous television episodes and hundreds of radio programs.
He was a longtime member of Allen’s Alley on NBC’s Fred Allen Show, portraying Titus Moody with a strong “Down East” accent.
He was much in demand for numerous radio series based in New York, and over a 20 year span on various radio networks.
He died at age 96 on Jan. 22, 1988.
➦In 1939...the first televised pro football game airedfrom Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. NBC’s flagship, W2XBS, carried the action. Brooklyn beat Philadelphia, 23-14. NBC later changed those experimental call letters to WRCA, and even later, to WNBC.
➦In 1961... In the midst of a growing “twist” craze, Chubby Checker was on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show, performing his original hit from the previous year, “The Twist,” along with his followup “Let’s Twist Again.” The resulting attention helped boost “The Twist” back to #1 by early 1962, marking the only time the same recording has hit the top spot on Billboard’s singles chart in two different years.
➦In 1969…Paul McCartney appeared in public to deny rumors of his death.
➦In 1986...NY Personality/Traffic Reporter Jane Dornacker died in a helicopter accident while working for WNBC 660 AM Radio in New York City (which became WFAN in 1988).
Dornacker was aboard during two unrelated crashes of the helicopters leased to WNBC. She survived the first crash, but was killed in the second crash into the Hudson River, which occurred as she was in the middle of a live traffic report.
Her death came shortly after that of her husband, Bob Knickerbocker, orphaning their 16-year-old daughter. The NTSB investigation determined the cause of the fatal crash to have been use of improper parts and poor maintenance on the part of Spectrum Helicopters of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey.
➦In 1992...Sportscaster Walter Lanier "Red" Barber died (Born - February 17, 1908). Barber, nicknamed "The Ol' Redhead", was primarily identified with broadcasts of Major League Baseball, calling play-by-play across four decades with the Cincinnati Reds (1934–1938), Brooklyn Dodgers (1939–1953), and New York Yankees (1954–1966). Like his fellow sports pioneer Mel Allen, Barber also gained a niche calling college and professional American football in his primary market of New York City.
Red Barber
At the age of 21, he hitchhiked from his home in Sanford, FL to Gainesville, FL and enrolled at the University of Florida, majoring in education. During his first year he worked at various jobs including part-time janitor at the University Club. There in January 1930 Barber got his start in broadcasting.
An agriculture professor had been scheduled to appear on WRUF, the university radio station, to read a scholarly paper over the air. When the professor's absence was discovered minutes before the broadcast was to begin, janitor Barber was called in as a substitute. Thus the future sportscaster's first gig was reading "Certain Aspects of Bovine Obstetrics".
After those few minutes in front of a microphone, Barber decided to switch careers. He became WRUF's director and chief announcer and covered Florida football games that autumn. Then he dropped out of school to focus on his radio work. After four more years at WRUF he landed a job broadcasting the Cincinnati Reds on WLW and WSAI when Powel Crosley, Jr., purchased the team in 1934.
On Opening Day 1934 (April 17), Barber attended his first major league game and broadcast its play-by-play, as the Reds lost to the Chicago Cubs 6–0. He called games from the stands of Cincinnati's renamed Crosley Field for the next five seasons.
Barber had been hired by Larry MacPhail, then president of the Reds. When MacPhail moved on to be president of the Dodgers for the 1939 season, he took the play-by-play man along. In Brooklyn, Barber became an institution, widely admired for his folksy style. He was also appreciated by people concerned about Brooklyn's reputation as a land of "dees" and "dems".
In 1939 Barber broadcast the first major-league game on television, on experimental NBC station W2XBS. In 1946 he added to his Brooklyn duties a job as sports director of the CBS Radio Network, succeeding Ted Husing and continuing through 1955. There his greatest contribution was to conceive and host the CBS Football Roundup, which switched listeners back and forth between broadcasts of different regional college games each week.
For most of Barber's run with the Dodgers, the team was broadcast over radio station WMGM (later WHN) at 1050 on the AM dial.
Prior to the 1953 World Series, Barber was selected by Gillette, which sponsored the Series broadcasts, to call the games on NBC Radio Network along with Mel Allen. Barber wanted a larger fee than was offered by Gillette, however, and when Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley refused to back him, Barber declined to work the Series and Vin Scully partnered with Allen on the telecasts instead. As Barber later related in his 1968 autobiography, Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat, it was O'Malley's lack of support that led to his resigning from the Dodgers later that October.
Soon afterward the crosstown Yankees hired Barber. In 1955 he took his long-running television program Red Barber's Corner from CBS to NBC. It ran from 1949 until 1958.
Under the ownership of CBS in 1966, the Yankees finished tenth and last, their first time at the bottom of the standings since 1912 and after more than 40 years of dominating the American League. On September 22, paid attendance of 413 was announced at the 65,000-seat Yankee Stadium.
Barber asked the TV cameras to pan the empty stands as he commented on the low attendance. Although denied the camera shots on orders from the Yankees' head of media relations, he said, "I don't know what the paid attendance is today, but whatever it is, it is the smallest crowd in the history of Yankee Stadium, and this crowd is the story, not the game." By a horrible stroke of luck, that game was the first for CBS executive Mike Burke as team president. A week later, Barber was invited to breakfast where Burke told him that his contract wouldn't be renewed.
After his dismissal by the Yankees in 1966, Barber retired from baseball broadcasting. The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association inducted Barber into its Hall of Fame in 1973. In 1978, Barber joined former colleague Mel Allen to become the first broadcasters to receive the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. In 1979, he was recognized with a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Florida, given a Gold Award by the Florida Association of Broadcasters, and inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. In 1984, Barber was part of the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame's inaugural class which included sportscasting legends Don Dunphy, Ted Husing, Bill Stern and Graham McNamee. Barber was given a George Polk Award in 1985 and a Peabody Award in 1990 for his NPR broadcasts, and in 1995 he was posthumously inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
In 1993, TV Guide named Barber the best sportscaster of the 1950s
Sonny Taylor w/Chaka Kahn
➦In 1999...Radio personality Sonny Taylor, who died at age 59. He programmed WWRL for four years, starting in 1975. Later, he programmed WRKS and he was a deejay at both WWRL and WNJR, where he started in 1966.
"He was a great jock and a tremendous programmer," says Bobby Jay then of WCBS-FM, whom Taylor convinced WNJR to hire from their alma mater, the School of Broadcasting and Announcing. "I remember his words," says Jay. "He said, 'Don't embarrass me!
Like many radio people, Taylor got around: St. Louis, Chicago, Miami. He spent the '90s at WMMJ in Washington, where he was working until he died.
➦In 2009...Milton Supman died from cancer (Born - January 8, 1926), known professionally as Soupy Sales, he was a comedian, actor, radio/television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television show Lunch with Soupy Sales (1953–1966), a series of comedy sketches frequently ending with Sales receiving a pie in the face, which became his trademark. From 1968 to 1975 he was a regular panelist on the syndicated revival of What's My Line? and appeared on several other TV game shows. During the 1980s, Sales hosted his own show on WNBC-AM in New York City.
Soupy Sales
Sales got his nickname from his family. His older brothers had been nicknamed "Hambone" and "Chicken Bone." Milton was dubbed "Soup Bone," which was later shortened to "Soupy".
Sales enrolled in Marshall College in Huntington, WV where he earned a Master's Degree in Journalism. While at Marshall, he performed in nightclubs as a comedian, singer and dancer. After graduating, Sales began working as a scriptwriter and disc jockey at radio station WHTN in Huntington. He moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1949, where he worked as a morning radio DJ and performed in nightclubs.
On January 1, 1965, miffed at having to work on the holiday, Sales ended his live TV broadcast by encouraging his young viewers to tiptoe into their still-sleeping parents' bedrooms and remove those "funny green pieces of paper with pictures of U.S. Presidents" from their pants and pocketbooks. "Put them in an envelope and mail them to me", Soupy instructed the children. "And I'll send you a postcard from Puerto Rico!" He was then hit with a pie. Several days later, a chagrined Soupy announced that money (mostly Monopoly money was unexpectedly being received in the mail. He explained that he had been joking and announced that the contributions would be donated to charity.
Sales hosted a midday radio show on WNBC 660 AM in New York from March 1985 to March 1987. His program was between the drive time shifts of Don Imus (morning) and Howard Stern (afternoon), with whom Sales had an acrimonious relationship. An example of this was an incident involving Stern telling listeners that he was cutting the strings in Sales' in-studio piano at 4:05 p.m. on May 1, 1985. On December 21, 2007, Stern revealed this was a stunt staged for "theater of the mind" and to torture Sales; in truth, the piano was never harmed.
Sales' on-air crew included his producer, Ray D'Ariano, newscaster Judy DeAngelis (recently retired as AM Drive news anchor on 1010 WINS), and pianist Paul Dver, who was also Soupy's manager.
When Soupy's show was not renewed, his time slot would be taken over by D'ariano. Near the end of his contract, Sales lost his temper on the air, and began to speak very frankly about how he felt he had been treated poorly by the station, and how he felt betrayed that D'ariano would be taking over the show. The show went to break after a commercial - Sales was off the air, replaced without comment or explanation by program director Dale Parsons. Soupy would not return to the air.
➦In 2016....Herbert Rogers Kent died at age 88 (Born - October 5, 1928) was "the longest-running DJ in the history of radio", a radio personality in Chicago, Illinois, for more than seven decades. As a high school student, Kent began hosting a classical music program for Chicago’s WBEZ. Over the years he “has served as an inspiration to a number of aspiring African-American broadcasters.” He was known as the "cool gent", a phrase that he coined to rhyme with his name.
Kent was born Herbert Rogers Kent in Cook County Hospital in Chicago. An only child, he grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago. He told a reporter in 2009 that as early as age 6 he "had a love affair with radio", as he enjoyed listening to a blues station at that age.
Members of Kent's radio audience usually felt as if they knew him personally, even though they might never have met him — a familiarity facilitated by "his lively exchange with guests and co-workers during his broadcasts".
Kent began working in radio in 1944 when he was 16 years old and still in high school, hosting a classical music program on WBEZ in Chicago. That assignment resulted from his acceptance into "highly competitive" workshops conducted by WBEZ.
By the late 1940s, he was working at two stations -- acting in old-time radio dramas on WMAQ in Chicago and hosting a record program on WGRY in Gary, Indiana. He went on to work at WJFC-AM and WJOB-AM before reaching the role for which he became best known.
In the 1950s, Kent became known as "The King of the Dusties" for his development of the oldies format that he called "dusty records", a term he coined while working at WBEE radio in Harvey, Illinois.
Herb Kent WVON-FM
In March 1963, Kent headed the disc jockey lineup at WVON, a newly launched Chicago station that resulted from the purchase of WHFC and a change in format to "uncompromising soul-style rhythm and blues." Kent, who was one of two disc jockeys retained from the WHFC staff, had the 7:30-11 p.m. program. Robert Pruter, in his book, Chicago Soul, noted that Kent had a distinct on-air style: "Unlike many other deejays of the day, black or white, he never shouted or screamed or used an artificial patter. He always talked in a conversational, ultra-cool style."
Hermene Hartman and David Smallwood, in their book, N'Digo Legacy Black Luxe: Media Edition, described WVON as "arguably the most popular Black radio station ever in America" and Kent as the station's most popular disc jockey at his peak. Gary Deeb, radio-TV critic for the Chicago Tribune, noted that Kent's popularity as a night-time disc jockey attracted an audience of young people who also listened to the station at other times.
In March 1977, Kent was fired from WVON. The station's owner blamed Kent's lack of energy, but Deeb wrote that the dismissal of Kent and other WVON personnel resulted from cost-cutting measures.
In 1978, Kent returned to Chicago radio with a 5-6 p.m. weekday program on WXFM. In the 1990s, he was heard on FM station WVAZ in Chicago. By October 1999, he had returned to WVON, but on the station's FM side.
Christopher Lloyd is 83
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Actor Christopher Lloyd is 83.
Actor Derek Jacobi is 83.
Actor Tony Roberts is 82.
Actor Catherine Deneuve is 78.
Musician Eddie Brigati of The Rascals and Joey Dee and the Starlighters is 76.
Actor Jeff Goldblum is 69.
Keyboardist Greg Hawkes of The Cars is 69.
Actor Luis Guzman (“Code Black”) is 65.
Bassist Cris Kirkwood of Meat Puppets is 61.
Actor Bob Odenkirk is 59.
Christian singer TobyMac (dc Talk) is 57.
Singer-songwriter Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding) is 56.
Sofia Vassilieva is 29
Actor Valeria Golino (“Rain Man,” “Hot Shots!”) is 55.
Comedian Carlos Mencia is 54.
Country singer Shelby Lynne is 53.
Reggae rapper Shaggy is 53.
Director Spike Jonze is 52.
Rapper Tracey Lee is 51.
Actor Saffron Burrows (“Boston Legal”) is 49.
Actor Carmen Ejogo (“Selma”) is 48.
Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”) is 46.
Guitarist Jon Foreman of Switchfoot is 45.
Actor Michael Fishman (“Roseanne”) is 40.
Guitarist Rickard Goransson of Carolina Liar is 38.
Drummer Zac Hanson of Hanson is 36.
Actor Corey Hawkins (TV’s “The Walking Dead,” film’s “Straight Outta Compton”) is 33.
Actor Jonathan Lipnicki (“Stuart Little,” ″Jerry Maguire”) is 31.
Actor Sofia Vassilieva (“Medium,” “Eloise”) is 29.
Steve Somers, WFAN’s longest-serving daily host, will be leaving the station "more sooner rather than later," he said on the air early Thursday morning, reports Neil Best at Newsday.
After making several allusions to his imminent departure early in the three-hour show, callers asked him for more details in the final half hour or so, and Somers described the decision as a "mutual thing."
"I’m at peace with it," he said. "I’m not being fired."
Somers, 74, said he was offered a return to his old overnight shift but declined it.
Shortly before 2 a.m., he told a caller, "What I’ve done before, I don’t want to do again, working five hours overnight. They made it clear that they wanted to keep me around, but the bottom line is the time period. I would need to recharge the batteries and so forth and so on.
"One thing I don’t want to do is have a farewell tour. (Mike) Francesa had that, and Joe Benigno had that, and I don’t want to go through all of the gladhanding, the hugging and the kisses and all that stuff. That would embarrass me, number one, and number two, I would rather share the information with those people who gave me the support and gave me, really, a life and gave me a career as far as that goes and that’s the audience late at night."
Somers said he might return for occasional appearances as a fill-in and reiterated he will leave on good terms after speaking to WFAN executives Chris Oliviero and Spike Eskin.
A well-known Russian hacking group previously sanctioned by the United States is behind the crippling ransomware attack on Sinclair Broadcast Group that is continuing to impact news stations across the country, according to The Hill citing a new report.
Bloomberg News cited multiple people “familiar with the attack” in reporting that a group known as Evil Corp. was behind the ransomware attack, which occurred late last week and was disclosed by Sinclair both to the Securities and Exchange Commission and to the public on Monday.
According to Bloomberg, the hackers used a malware virus known as Macaw to attack Sinclair. The company confirmed that data had been stolen in the attack, but that it was still working to determine exactly what data was stolen.
The ransomware attack has wreaked havoc on Sinclair-owned and -operated news stations this week. Sinclair is the second-largest U.S. television station operator, owning or operating around 185 stations, including some radio stations in Seattle now owned by Lotus Media.
Sinclair noted Monday that the attack had caused “disruption” to portions of the company, including the provision of local advertisements, stressing that it was “working diligently to restore operations quickly and securely” and that it had engaged the help of an unnamed cybersecurity firm in doing so.
CNN reported Monday that some TV stations had trouble accessing graphics, phones and video files and that some live segments were being pre-taped.
Evil Corp. was the target of a multiagency effort in 2019 after it was accused of using its Dridex malware to steal more than $100 million from hundreds of banks and financial entities in over 40 countries.
As part of that effort, the Treasury Department issued sanctions against 17 individuals and and seven entities associated with Evil Corp., while the State Department offered a reward of up to $5 million for information that could help capture and convict the group’s leader, Maksim Yakubets. The Justice Department also unsealed an indictment against Yakubets.
The DarkSide group, also believed to be based in Russia, was linked to the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline in May that led to fuel shortages in several states, which also went offline following the incident.
Alpha Media has announced the appointment of Zoe Burdine-Fly as Regional President, effective November 1, 2021.
Ms. Burdine-Fly joins Alpha Media’s leadership team from Townsquare Media. In her role with Alpha Media, she will oversee the operations, talent management and the strategic growth of 13 Alpha Media markets, including Amarillo, Bakersfield, Lincoln and Topeka. Ms. Burdine-Fly will play a key role supporting the development of the Company’s growing digital engagement platform.
She will report to Chief Operating Officer Larry Bastida.
Zoe Burdine-Fly
“I am pleased to welcome Zoe as the newest member of Alpha Media’s senior leadership team,” said Alpha Media Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Proffitt. “We conducted a thorough search process, and Zoe stood out as possessing the right leadership experience, sophisticated expertise and deep radio industry knowledge to guide our markets and support our long-term growth strategy. Zoe will help us further expand our digital capabilities across our nationwide platforms so we can continue to deliver excellent results and value in partnership with our advertiser partners. I look forward to all we will accomplish together.”
“Alpha Media continues to deliver incredible programming in all of its communities, and I am thrilled to join the Alpha Media family at a pivotal moment in the Company’s growth,” said Ms. Burdine-Fly. “I am eager to get to work with Alpha Media’s team as together we continue to strengthen our market presence, serve our advertiser partners and honor the Company’s legacy of engaging content and relevant local programming.”
Ms. Burdine-Fly brings to Alpha Media more than 20 years of leadership experience and a proven track record of success in the radio industry. In her previous Regional Vice President role at Townsquare Media, Ms. Burdine-Fly oversaw market-level culture, revenue, brand development and business performance, helping transition the company to a digital-first entity. Most recently, she served as Market President at Townsquare, where she led audience engagement initiatives to increase revenue across numerous local markets. She has also held sales and operations management roles at iHeartMedia, Regent Communications and Citadel Broadcasting. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.
Former radio talk show host Pat Campbell, died Wednesday from brain cancer.
Campbell, most recently was morning host on KFAQ 1170 AM in Tulsa (now sports KTSB). He joined KFAQ in 2008 after several years hosting at WFLF 540 AM in Olrnado.
He was a guest on Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor, Fox and Friends, and Purity Products' weekend informercials, heard on stations all across the US.
Campbell was born in Erie, PA and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mercyhurst College. Formerly a math teacher, Campbell began his career in radio as a talk show caller. After listening to Rush Limbaugh during the 1991 Gulf War, he would then call a local liberal host who followed. Impressed with Campbell's ability to debate the host extemporaneously, he was offered a try-out as a result.
He was host of The Pat Campbell Show at WFLF 540 AM in Orlando from 2004-08. One of Campbell's interviews made the national spotlight when, in 2005, he interviewed Rep. Tom Tancredo, who suggested that Mecca should be bombed if the U.S. was attacked with nuclear weapons. Campbell was also a regular Friday guest of Tucker Carlson while the host was on MSNBC; he was also a frequent guest of television host Rita Cosby.
In 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Campbell was named one of Talkers Magazine's 250 most influential talk show hosts.
Oklahoma U-S Senator Jim Inhofe is mourning the loss of Campbell.
“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and long-time radio personality, Pat Campbell. I will never forget how last summer, Pat called me up and told me he was working through his bucket list, and one of the items was that he had always wanted to fly upside down with me in my airplane. On September 5, 2020, Pat was able to cross that off his list, and I was honored to be a part of it.
Pat – always larger than life - had a profound impact on television and radio, proudly representing Tulsa and Oklahoma locally and nationally. Yet, more than being a pioneer for Conservative values in America, he was a friend. This loss will be felt for years to come. I am praying for peace for his loved ones during this difficult time.”
Spotify has the most users among digital audio platforms, followed by Pandora, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. Amazon will surpass Pandora in listeners next year, reports eMarketer.
Within audio subscriptions, there’s a similar pattern. Spotify is the market leader in US audio subscriptions, followed by Apple Music, YouTube Premium, and Pandora. While eMarketer doesn’t have visibility into how many people pay for Amazon’s music service independent of Prime access, they expect Amazon to also be a major player in this space.
YouTube Premium isn’t exclusively used for audio listening, but they included it in this forecast because most users who pay for YouTube use it to listen to music or podcasts at least once per month. The YouTube Premium metric combines YouTube Premium and YouTube Music. eMarketer's YouTube Premium estimate captures all users who use that product, including ones who use it for purposes other than audio listening. In September, Google disclosed that audio listening accounts for one-fourth of all time spent with YouTube.
Additionally, Spotify will overtake Apple in podcast listeners for the first time to become the new leader in the category. eMarketer expects Apple podcast listeners to plateau and Spotify listeners to keep increasing throughout our forecast period.
Spotify has grown its podcast base by acquiring companies like Gimlet Media, Anchor, Parcast, Megaphone, and The Ringer while also striking exclusive deals with celebrities such as Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, former President Barack Obama, and Michelle Obama.
AT&T posted a big jump in cellphone customers during the September quarter, while the number of domestic subscribers to its HBO services declined and it spun off its DirecTV business, reports The Wall Street Journal.
AT&T posted a net gain of 928,000 postpaid phone connections, a key figure for investors who watch the growth of subscribers under contracts for signs of overall business strength. The company also added 249,000 prepaid phone connections.
Rival Verizon Communications Inc on Wednesday reported a net gain of 429,000 postpaid phone connections. Its relatively small prepaid-phone business could grow larger if regulators approve its pending purchase of TracFone from Mexico’s América Móvil SAB. T-Mobile US Inc. is slated to post its quarterly results on Nov. 2.
T-Mobile’s 2020 merger with Sprint Corp. reshaped the wireless business into a three-player market, leaving carriers with fewer paths to poach each other’s customers. AT&T has grown its wireless base by offering customers sharply discounted smartphones in exchange for long-term commitments, a tactic rivals have copied to varying degrees.
AT&T’s overall quarterly revenue fell about 5.7% compared with a year ago, when it still ran DirecTV, a massive but shrinking satellite brand that had burdened its financial results. Excluding that effect, the remaining company’s revenue rose 4.7% to $38.07 billion.
AT&T gave up a 30% stake and operational control of its U.S. pay-TV business to a joint venture with private-equity firm TPG in August, which skewed results in the full September quarter.
The DirecTV asset sale was the first in a string of deals struck this year to point the telephone giant away from the media business and toward its core cellular and fiber-optic services. A sale of its Latin American pay-TV operations is awaiting regulatory approval, while the biggest of those divestitures—the spinoff of its WarnerMedia unit—is expected to close before the middle of next year.
The White House plans to make COVID-19 vaccines available for free to children ages 5 to 11 in early November, NBC reports. About 28 million shots will be made available to pharmacies, schools and doctor's offices nationwide. Approval of the vaccine's use in children is expected from the FDA imminently.
The White House says it is ready to quickly roll out COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11, if the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for that age group is authorized by the FDA and CDC. https://t.co/hWb28xKWOY
➤TWO MORE VACCINES APPROVED FOR BOOSTER SHOTS: The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of booster shots for recipients of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The approval was made earlier for recipients of the Pfizer vaccine. In addition, the FDA authorized providers to give people a booster shot of a different vaccine, the so-called "mix and match" strategy. The booster shots are recommended six months after the first shots for adults who have underlying medical conditions or are at least 65 years old.
➤REPUBLICANS BLOCK VOTING RIGHTS BILL: For the third time this year, Republicans in the Senate have blocked action on a voting rights bill. Opponents used the controversial filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes rather than a simple majority to move a bill forward. In this case, 49 votes against taking up the bill were enough to defeat 51 votes in its favor. The bill would establish federal standards for early and mail-in voting and make Election Day a holiday.
JUST IN: Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in 2018 Parkland school shooting. https://t.co/gBqxKcaB2Z
➤GUILTY PLEA IN PARKLAND SHOOTING: The man who killed 17 people and injured 17 more has pleaded guilty to all counts, more than three years after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Nikolas Cruz faces life in prison or the death penalty. He was 19 at the time of the shootings.
➤REMAINS MAY BE FUGITIVE LAUNDRIE: Human remains have been found in a nature reserve in North Port, Florida, along with at least two personal items that belonged to fugitive murder suspect Brian Laundrie. The FBI said it is examining the finds, which were discovered in an area that had been under water until recently. Laundrie disappeared more than a month ago after the body of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, was found in a national forest in Wyoming.
➤HUMAN GETS PIG KIDNEY: For the first time, a pig's kidney has been transplanted into a human, and it appears to be working. Considerable testing and regulatory hurdles remain before the procedure would be generally available. But a steady supply of organs from genetically altered pigs could be a lifesaver for about 100,000 Americans currently waiting for a transplant of a heart, lung or liver. USAToday first reported the breakthrough at New York University's Langone Health.
➤MCDONALD’S WORKERS REVEAL ‘LEAST ORDERED’ MENU ITEM: Ever wonder what people don’t order from McDonald’s? Stephen Patula, a McDonald’s area supervisor from Waterford, Ohio, posted a video to TikTok saying customers almost never order hot tea. In his 15-second clip he says, “Over the years, a ton of people have asked me what is the least ordered item at any McDonald’s. We bought these stores in July and I have yet to serve one hot tea. I actually didn’t know that we sold hot tea until about a month ago. Ironically though, our most sold item is iced tea.” The video quickly went viral, and one TikTok user commented, “We sold a hot tea the other day. No one knew how to make it. We had to get the [general manager] to help us.” A number of hot tea fans argued that the drink is or could be a top order in the UK.
➤VIKINGS WERE HERE: Vikings from Greenland settled in the Americas nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus' voyage, new evidence shows. We have long known that Vikings built a settlement in Newfoundland, off the coast of Canada. But new technology dates the constructions of their village earlier than had been believed, to the year 1021. The site is a historic landmark.
➤CHECK FOR TAINTED ONIONS: Fresh whole onions have been linked to a growing salmonella outbreak in at least 37 states. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the onions may be marked as imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, and distributed by ProSource Inc., or may not be marked at all. Unless they carry some other mark, the agency suggests you throw them out. The onions were sold to grocery stores and restaurants across the country.
⚾ASTROS ROLL RED SOX: The Houston Astros steamrolled the Boston Red Sox 9-1 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. Framber Valdez is getting a lot of the credit. That means the team heads back to Houston with a 3-2 series lead and a real chance at a third World Series in five years.
⚾BRAVES DEFEAT DODGERS: The Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-2 in Game 4. Atlanta pitcher Huascar Ynoa was out of the game due to a shoulder problem. Jesse Chavez stepped in.
🏈MAYFIELD MISSING FOR BROWNS DEBUT: Baker Mayfield won't be playing for the Cleveland Browns at tonight's game against the Denver Broncos. He has been told to rest his injured shoulder. Mayfield does not like to miss a game. In fact, the injury has interrupted his streak of 53 consecutive starts with the Browns. Backup quarterback Case Keenum will replace him tonight.
🏈DESHAUN WATSON MAY BE A DOLPHIN: The Houston Texans and the Miami Dolphins are reportedly working on an agreement that would send three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson to Miami. According to the Houston Chronicle, the two teams are hoping to complete a trade deal this week. General manager Nick Caserio is said to be holding out for three first-round picks and two second-round picks for Watson.
The FCC is questioning whether a licensee of a station in Pennsylvania is qualified to retain his license — or if it should be revoked after he pled guilty to felony use of a communication facility and several related misdemeanors.
RadioWorld reports the chief of the Media Bureau has begun a hearing proceeding to determine whether 70-year-old Roger Wahl, licensee of WQZS 93.3 FM in Meyersdale, Pa., should be allowed to keep his broadcasting license.
In July 2020, Wahl pleaded guilty to criminal use of a communications facility (the station is located in his home) and four related misdemeanors after he admitted to recklessly endangering another person, unlawfully disseminating intimate images and tampering with evidence.
At the time of his sentencing in November 2020, the judge decided against jail time for Wahl due to his age and underlying health conditions that put him at risk for the coronavirus, according a report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Roger Wahl
Wahl, the station owner as well as a disc jockey, pled guilty to secretly taking nude photographs of a woman inside her home using a concealed camera that had been installed in her bathroom. According to court documents, he also impersonated the woman on an online dating site, sent nude photos of the woman to at least one man whom he connected with through that site and solicited that man to have sexual relations with the woman without her consent. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one man from the dating site came to the woman’s address and was met by Wahl who solicited the man to rape the woman, according to authorities quoted by the Post-Gazette.
Initially, Wahl also pleaded guilty to invasion of privacy; after learning that that charge would require him to register as a sex offender, however, he withdrew that guilty plea and instead pled guilty to identity theft. He was sentenced to three years of probation, four months of electronic monitoring, and was required to pay $600 in fines as well as the costs of his prosecution and supervision.
Charges of this type — which in Wahl’s case include a third-degree felony, first-degree misdemeanor and several second-degree misdemeanors — raise the question of whether the holder of a broadcast license possesses the character qualities to remain a licensee. Following guidelines under the FCC’s Character Qualifications Policy Statement, the Media Bureau instigated a hearing proceeding in which an administrative law judge will serve as a presiding officer.
A new WARC analysis of advertising spend forecasts for 100 markets worldwide and the results of a survey by GWI of more than 715,000 consumers, show that advertiser spend on TV and social media is highly inflated in relation to daily consumption. These findings are published today by WARC, the international marketing intelligence service, as part of its new WARC Data Premium suite, launched today.
The analysis finds that, as of the first quarter of 2021, social media now attracts more investment from advertisers than linear TV for the first time, however both media draw far more of advertising budgets than the average consumer spends with these channels each day.
Social media, for example, is forecast to account for 39.1% of 2022 adspend among the eight media studied in the report – linear TV, online video, social media, print press, online press, podcasts, broadcast radio and online audio – but has a 21.4% share of daily media consumption, a discrepancy of 17.7 percentage points (pp) equivalent in value to $94.3bn.
Socially devoted
Social media has accounted for over two hours of daily media consumption since Q2 2016, per GWI monitoring, and WARC Data Premium’s latest forecasts expect daily social time to reach 2:30 during the second half of next year.
Notably, all demographics measured in the report are set to spend twice as long with social media as they are with online press next year, despite ongoing trust issues – less than one-half of adults say advertising on social media is 'somewhat' or 'very' trustworthy, falling to 28% in China, 19% in the US and just 10% in the UK.
Despite this, the largest gaps between social consumption and adspend can be found in China (where advertiser spend is 3.3x consumption), the UK (2.2x) and the US (2.0x). Conversely, in Australia (0.9x), India (0.4x) and Russia (0.5x), social’s share of daily media consumption is higher than its share of advertising budgets – a potential indicator of opportunity for brands.
Linear TV adspend is 2x daily consumption, but online video investment is balanced
Linear TV is forecast to account for a 31.5% share of advertising spend next year among the eight media studied, compared to a 16.1% share of daily media consumption. This would equate to an investment gap of $86.9bn worldwide next year.
An overspend in relation to consumption does not translate directly into waste, and proportions vary by size of budget. Successful high-budget campaigns spending over $10m, for example, typically allocate 60% of their budgets to TV, while successful alcoholic drinks campaigns typically allocate 44%.
While linear TV spend is inflated in relation to its consumption, online video is now close to parity after years of underinvestment. It is worth noting that the world’s largest online video platform – Netflix – is predominantly ad free, while platforms such as YouTube are prone to ad blocking on desktop and mobile devices.
Still, advertisers are forecast to spend $71.9bn on online video this year, a 13.6% share of the eight studies media which compares to a 12.9% of media consumption, or one hour 37 minutes.
Audio and online press heavily undervalued
Data show that audio media appear highly undervalued – a trend that was recently highlighted by WARC in the US.
Perhaps most notably, podcasts are found to be undervalued by $40bn, with the greatest opportunities for advertisers among audiences aged 16–24, middle earners, and those educated until the age of 16.
One in three internet users now listens to a podcast each month, but a cost per thousand (CPM) of $23.55 is higher than even TV. Spotify has quickly gained ground on Apple to become the largest app for podcast streaming as of March this year.
Online press also appears to be another heavy undervalued medium: advertisers would need to spend $58.0bn on online press ads globally next year to achieve parity with consumption levels. Instead, forecast spend is just $12.8bn.
Business models in the publishing sector have been diversifying to counter the shortfall in advertising revenue; 76% of publishers are prioritising subscriptions this year.
