Audacy has promoted Drew Bland to Regional Vice President of Country. In this expanded role, Bland will add regional oversight of 93.1 The Wolf (WPAW-FM) in Greensboro. He will continue to have regional oversight as Brand Manager of 100.7 The Wolf (KKWF-FM) in Seattle and KMLE Country @ 107.9 (KMLE-FM) in Phoenix.
“Drew has continued to demonstrate exceptional ability to program and lead country brands in competitive markets and is a leading strategic and creative thinker in our industry with a history of winning brands,” said Tim Roberts, Country Format Vice President, Audacy. “We look forward to having him step into this new role to continue sound programming for these iconic brands.”
Drew Bland
“I am thrilled Drew is joining us in Greensboro,” said Lisa Powell, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Greensboro. “He has a proven track record and is a formidable competitor in the audio landscape. Drew will take 93.1 The Wolf to new heights, building on the strong foundation and success that Clay Walker delivered for our fans and client partners.”
“I'm excited to elevate to this position and be able to work even closer with the dynamic brands, personalities and programmers that make Audacy Country truly one of a kind,” said Bland.
Bland has been leading radio brands and teams for nearly 20 years, including KMLE-FM in Phoenix, KKWF-FM in Seattle and WWKA-FM in Orlando. In 2021, following a stint as Vice President of Promotion for Sony's Monument Records, Bland returned to Audacy to reclaim the Brand Manager position at KMLE Country @ 107.9. In 2022, he added KKWF in Seattle to his oversight for a second time.
For 93.1 The Wolf in Greensboro, Bland will replace Clay Walker, who was recently elevated to Vice President of Content Operations for the company.
Audacy has announced a series of leadership updates for its technical operations business.
Clay Walker has been elevated to Vice President of Content Operations, overseeing a newly created Content Operations Department. In this role, Walker is responsible for content operations across the Company to ensure innovation, standardization, and delivery of a premium product at the local, regional and national levels. Under Walker’s leadership, the Content Operations Department is also responsible for developing the requirements and business objectives that drive the short and long-term goals and funding for content creation, curation, and operational systems. Walker will report to Jeff Sottolano, Executive Vice President of Programming. He will depart his current role as Director of Programming and Operations for Audacy Greensboro.
John Kennedy
John Kennedy, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations, will oversee a refocused broadcast engineering function. Kennedy will manage and maintain Audacy’s acquisition, distribution and production equipment and solutions at the local, regional, and national levels, including Audacy’s Network Operations Center. With expertise in broadcast engineering standards, regulatory needs and equipment, the broadcast engineering function is accountable for ensuring that Audacy’s radio and streaming solutions have 99.99% uptime and meet listener, advertiser and FCC expectations.
“As we aim to continuously evolve our content distribution and technical operations to serve our multi-platform future best, we’re excited to have two passionate leaders in Clay and John to drive two critical areas of our tech ops function,” said Sarah Foss, Chief Technology Officer, Audacy. “We’re confident these changes will enable us to better envision, plan and implement multi-platform transformation across our content operations, broadcast infrastructure and network.”
Clay Walker
“Clay has already proven himself to be an adept and innovative thinker as it relates to the evolution of our content production and distribution systems,” said Jeff Sottolano, Executive Vice President, Head of Programming, Audacy. “I am excited to see him and John partner more closely with our central, regional and local content and technical operations teams.”
“Audacy's portfolio of the industry's highest-profile creators, brands and platforms is simply incredible. I'm excited to help further accelerate the Company’s transformation with technology and world-class technical talent to build better experiences for our fans,” said Walker.
Walker is a 20-year broadcast veteran, 17 of which spent at Audacy. In addition to being the Brand Manager at 93.1 The Wolf (WPAW-FM) in Greensboro, he has helped conceptualize and design the operation of the Company's national programming initiatives in Country, Alternative, Top 40 and Classic Rock. As the Director of Programming Operations for Audacy Greensboro, Walker focused on developing innovation in automation, audio processing and listener experiences while developing frictionless environments for the Company’s content creators.
John Kennedy is Senior Vice President of Technical Operations for Audacy, overseeing regional and market technical staff and operations in all Audacy markets and NOC operations. Kennedy started working in radio engineering upon entering Providence College and has made a career of working in radio broadcast and related industries throughout New England since 1980. He joined the Company in 1999, working his way up from local market Director of Engineering to his current role as Senior Vice President. He serves on the NAB Radio Tech Committee and is a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and the IEEE/Broadcast Technology Society.
Rich Shertenlieb, cohost of 98.5 The Sports Hub’s highly rated “Toucher and Rich” morning program, offered a cryptic update Wednesday on partner Fred Toucher, who has not been part of the show this week after posting some alarming comments on social media over the weekend.
The Boston Globe reports the messages that Toucher posted on social media Saturday and Sunday have since been deleted.
“As you know, Fred isn’t here today, he wasn’t here yesterday, and he most likely won’t be here tomorrow. And a question I’ve gotten a few times is, ‘Why aren’t you talking about Fred?’
“That is more than a fair question. It’s something that … you’ve been fans of the show for years and you’d like to know what’s going on. The best answer I can give you is that I unfortunately can’t talk about Fred because any statement that I make right now has to be approved through management.
Shertenlieb addressed Toucher’s absence during the third hour of Wednesday’s show. Here are his comments in full starting at Time Mark 40:10:
Listen: @Toucherandrich Podcast - Jim Irsay at TD Garden | Mike Gorman Talks Game 7 | Fred’s Absence - 5/31 (Hour 3) - Toucher & Rich https://t.co/1dBu3EfFb2
— 98.5 The Sports Hub (@985TheSportsHub) May 31, 2023
“I don’t want to continue to talk about it because I think saying maybe even this gets me a meeting. But I just want you to know that we want the best for him. Hopefully everything will be back to normal soon. I don’t know how much more I can say. But, we’re rooting for you, Fred. If you’re listening, we’re rooting for you.”
Sports Hub program director Rick Radzik said via email that he had no comment on Toucher’s status.
The “Toucher and Rich” show dominates the ratings in sports radio’s desired demographics, having received a 25.6 share in the most recent Nielsen Audio Ratings. But the show has been dealing with periodic tumult.
St. Louis native Brittish Williams, a cast member on the reality TV series “Basketball Wives” and co-host of “The Home Team Morning Show” on Hip Hop WHHL Hot 104.1 pleaded guilty Wednesday to 15 felonies, including pandemic fraud schemes. The frauds add up to $446,000 in stolen funds, according to the St. Louis American.
The 33-year-old media personality and reality TV star pleaded guilty to five counts of misuse of a Social Security number, four counts of bank fraud, three counts of making false statements to the IRS and three counts of wire fraud.
Hot 104.1 hired Williams in 2022 while she was under federal indictment.
Williams will be sentenced on August 23. She faces up to 30 years in prison for the bank fraud charges, 20 years for the wire fraud charges, and up to five years each for the five charges of misusing a Social Security number. She also faces up to $3.25 million in fines.
Former “The View” co-host Lisa Ling has landed at CBS News after being let go by CNN, reports The NY Post.
Ling, 49, who will join CBS News this summer and be based in Los Angeles, will focus on in-depth stories for shows including “CBS Sunday Morning,” the network said.
“Lisa delivers some of the most authentic, human and revealing interviews because of how she embeds with communities and the people she covers,” CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani said.
Lisa Ling
“It gives her and us a chance to communicate the pulse of the country and the world in a more experiential way.”
The veteran journalist spent nine years at CNN, most recently as host and executive producer of “This Life with Lisa Ling,” which explored issues like interracial families, sex trafficking and artificial intelligence.
Ling is the latest outside hire at CBS News, which has added a handful of on-air talent despite tightening its budget under Khemlani.
Recently, the network added former NBC News personality Natalie Morales, who has appeared on “48 Hours” and “CBS Mornings” in addition to co-hosting “The Talk.” It also nabbed onetime ABC News anchor Cecilia Vega, who became the first Latina correspondent on the long-running newsmagazine “60 Minutes.”
CBS News also hired former Washington Post correspondent Robert Costa, veteran Capitol Hill reporter Scott MacFarlane and CBS Sports personality Nate Burleson to co-host “CBS Mornings” alongside Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil.
Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA) today announced plans to hold a Committee hearing June 6 on the importance of AM radio installation in new cars.
“Communities across the country rely on AM radio services for local news, weather reports, and other critical information. It is also a key tool for our nation's emergency communications infrastructure, especially when other communication services are not available. I look forward to this timely discussion on the many benefits of AM radio as a source of information and the importance of ensuring it continues to be available in new vehicle models.” — Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
“It’s alarming that some auto manufacturers are considering opting out of installing AM radios in new cars. AM radio plays an essential role in our communities, especially during public emergencies when other alert systems that rely on the electric grid and cellphone networks may not work. I’m looking forward to the Energy and Commerce Committee holding a hearing on this important matter next month. Corporate penny pinching is not a justification to undermine one of our nation’s most reliable public emergency communication networks, and requiring consumers to pay more money for a subscription service to receive AM radio is not an acceptable alternative.” — Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ).
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports said that TNT’s coverage of Game 7 of the National Basketball Association’s Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics drew 11.9 million total viewers, up 21% from a year ago when the same teams played a Game 7.
The telecast market TNT’s third most-watched NBA game ever, according to NextTV.com.
TNT covered the Eastern Conference Finals, which averaged 7.4 million viewers, up 6% in audience from last year and the highest-rated game in 10 years.
The series started with Miami taking the first three games, setting up the potential for a sweep, which would have been a financial disaster for TNT. Networks sell commercials based on a five-game series. A sweep means only four games worth of inventory airs, minimizing the ad revenue potential.
Boston battled back, taking the next three in a row, setting up Warner Bros. Sports for an ad revenue windfall, despite Miami’s lopsided 103-84 Game 7 victory.
The Western Conference Finals ended in a sweep for The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and ABC. The Denver Nuggets will play the Heat in the NBA Finals, which begin Thursday night on ABC.
The House passed the debt limit deal between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden on Wednesday 314 to 117. Most Republicans opposed the deal, arguing it caved too far to White House demands, while some Democrats voted in favor of it. The deal, which suspends the debt limit until Jan. 1, 2025, now heads to the upper chamber - where senators have begun to demand amendments to the bill. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said there is not time to send an amended version back to the House before the nation runs out of funds to pay its bills -and is trying to force a quick vote.
Fox News Alert: The debt ceiling bill heads to the Senate after a “big hurdle is cleared as the House overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan deal by 314 votes to 117” says @ChadPergrampic.twitter.com/cE2xWfEpz1
Some older adults would be required to work to get food aid under the federal debt-limit deal set for congressional votes this week, while others would be newly exempt from having to find a job, in one of the more controversial provisions of the compromise agreement. The deal struck by President Biden and House GOP negotiators over the weekend would raise the age to 54, up from 49, for able-bodied, low-income adults without dependents who would be required to work at least 80 hours a month to receive food aid. Currently, able-bodied, low-income people between the ages of 18 and 49 can receive food assistance for no more than three months within a three-year period unless they are working or enrolled in a work program.
➤TRUMP-DeSANTIS FEUD TO INTENSIFY: A ruthless war between the Trump and DeSantis campaigns is unfolding in increasingly personal terms, sucking in top surrogates and raising new skepticism about the likelihood of post-primary reconciliation, reports Axios. Why it matters: Former President Trump doesn't just want to defeat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — he's out to destroy DeSantis' political career and that of anyone who has expressed even a hint of support for his candidacy. For Trump, loyalty is paramount — and a one-way street. The fact that so many former Trump administration officials and supporters have defected to team DeSantis has made the feud intensely personal for the ex-president.
➤DONALD ON TAPE ADMITTING HE KEPT CLASSIFIED DOCS: Prosecutors for the Department of Justice have gotten an audio recording of former President Donald Trump discussing keeping a classified Pentagon document related to a potential attack on Iran, as part of a continuing investigation into Trumps handling of classified documents. Aide Margo Martin was regularly taping Trump at the time so that she could accurately depict his remarks in former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' memoirs.
➤'JESUS' IS WH SPOX RESPONSE TO BIDEN CORRUPTION QUESTION: The questions had covered Ukraine, North Korea and Sudanese peace talks when one of the White House briefing room's more robust questioners hijacked proceedings. After citing a secret FBI file, an anonymous IRS whistleblower and a Harvard-Harris poll earlier this month that found 53 percent of the public had suspicions about the first family's foreign relations, The New York Post's Steven Nelson got to his question. 'So what do you say to the majority of Americans who believe that the President is himself corrupt?' he asked. 'Jesus,' was White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's response, muttered as she bowed her head on the briefing room podium.
Total TV usage trended down another 1.9% in April, as is typical when the weather starts to warm up. According to Nielsen, despite the drop in total usage, an active news cycle contributed to a second month of share gains for cable, which picked up 0.4 share points to account for 31.5% of TV usage. The gain represents the first back-to-back increase for cable since the launch of The GaugeTM in May 2021.
The strength of the news cycle helped cable remain largely stable from a usage perspective, as cable viewing was down just 0.6% from March. In fact, news was the only cable genre that didn’t experience a dip in usage. News viewing was up 4.3%, accounting for 19% of cable usage in April. Former President Trump’s court appearance in New York on April 4 fueled daily usage spikes of 93%, 44% and 39% on CNN, FOX News and MSNBC, respectively. On a year-over-year perspective, cable content viewership was down 12% (5.3 share points).
In the streaming space, competition is causing shifts in usage shares, while seasonality contributed to a 2.1% dip in viewing across the category. Netflix viewing, for example, dropped 7%, translating to a loss of 0.4 share point, despite having the top two programs from a viewing perspective: The Night Agent and Love is Blind. Comparatively, usage increased across the two newest free, ad-supported options in The Gauge: Tubi TV usage grew 6% and Pluto TV usage increased 3.9%.
Other highlights:
While Disney+ viewership was down 1.7%, The Mandalorian was the third-most streamed title in April.
YouTube, excluding YouTube TV, remained the most-used platform, with usage increasing 1.5% to help the platform capture 8.1% of TV usage.
Viewership to “other streaming” resulted in an increase of 0.1 share points in April, with multiple platforms inching toward the 1% threshold to be reported individually.
Results Radio LLC has hired Jennifer Jones Lee as Operations Manager for the Company’s 5-station Redding cluster including KESR-FM (Adult Hits 107.1 Bob-FM), KEWB-FM (CHR Power 94.7), KHRD-FM (Classic Rock Red 103.1), and KKXS-FM (XS Sports 96.1), and KNCQ-FM (Country Q97). Results’ Sr VP Dave Shakes has performed many of the role’s responsibilities during the interim period. Lee begins June 26.
Jennifer Lee
Lee arrives from KFI Los Angeles where she has produced and performed the lead-in hour “Wake Up Call with Jennifer Jones Lee” and as news anchor on the Bill Handel AM Drive daypart since 2016. Prior to that she performed a variety of roles over 17 years including AM Drive News Anchor for KGO San Francisco. Lee has been honored with numerous awards from the Associated Press, RTNDA, and received the Edward R. Murrow Award.
Lee’s career began in her hometown of Redding as a music personality at KEWB-FM, later owned by Results Radio LLC since 1999, before her stints at KPAY Chico and KFBK Sacramento. She is a 3rd generation native of nearby Palo Cedro, where her extended family still resides on acreage homesteaded by her great-grandfather.
Shakes commented: “We’re fortunate to bring in Jennifer who is strongly driven, proactive, and possesses tremendous leadership skills. She will lead our talented local team in evolving forward and keep our brands top-of-mind and necessary in the lives of our audiences”.
Lee said “I am thrilled to get back to my roots in Redding and can’t thank Results Radio enough for this opportunity. After 30 years learning and working with amazing radio journalists and top newsrooms, the opportunity to shift into music with a challenging new position is more than I could’ve imagined. Can’t wait to begin this new chapter in my career!”
According to the latest publication of the Top Podcast Genres in the U.S. for Q4 2022 – Q1 2023 from Edison Research, comedy continues to be the genre consumed by most weekly podcast listeners age 13+. The list ranks the most popular podcast genres based on audience size among weekly podcast listeners from Edison Podcast Metrics.
Podcasts are classified according to the self-identified genre submitted by the podcast to Apple Podcast API. Nineteen genres are identified as having at least one percent reach among those in the U.S. age 13+ for Q4 2022 – Q1 2023, and the full list is below.
Audacy Minneapolis raised over $80,000 for Be The Match, a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization that works tirelessly daily to save more lives through cellular therapy—including the life of WCCO on-air host Jordana Green.
On May 25, the station hosted a live auction with items and experiences provided by WCCO and sourced by on-air talent, sponsors and partners. Many items brought more than their actual value, showing WCCO listeners’ generosity and willingness to contribute to worthy causes. Items auctioned off included a vacation to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, tickets and field passes to an upcoming Minnesota Golden Gophers football game, a Minnesota Vikings VIP Training Camp experience, and more.
“We are so humbled and grateful for our fans’ incredible generosity, the amazing financial support from our corporate partners, and the remarkable donation of ideas and time by our personalities,” said Brad Lane, Brand Manager, 830 WCCO. “What a fun day auctioning off priceless, unique experiences for a cause so close and personal to us…in honor of our friend, teammate, and bone-marrow transplant recipient Jordana Green!”
Connecticut radio personality John LaBarca, who hosted “Italian House Party” for decades on various stations including WICC, died this week at the age of 76, reports NewsBreack CT.
LaBarca’s signature show—which was dedicated to Italian music, food, history and anecdotes—was a Sunday tradition for countless families. In recent years, LaBarca brought “Italian House Party” to WHLI on Long Island, sharing his heritage with new listeners and old.
“It was his enthusiasm and his larger-than-life personality. John had this way of telling a story, any story, and he could just bring the characters to life,” said Jon Daniels, program director at WHLI.
“It was just a very unique show. He was the first to do it,” explained former WICC host Tim Quinn. “Everything that Italian Americans did growing up is discussed on ‘Italian House Party’ and usually with some good humor as well, and I think that's what made it such a very popular show.”
Quinn co-hosted the morning drive with LaBarca Monday through Friday on WICC for 20 years.
“We had huge ratings, and we had a lot of fun. And we were back into the days before television even started broadcasting school closings. It was only on radio. Well, on days when we had school closings, we were the most popular guys in the world if in fact your school was closed that day,” Quinn recalled.
LaBarca’s show had been on hiatus at WHLI due to his health. Quinn said he died from prostate cancer.
➦In 1921...Conductor & musician Nelson Riddle was born in Oradell New Jersey. His career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. His work for Capitol Records kept such vocalists as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Rosemary Clooney and Keely Smith household names.
He found commercial and critical success again in the 1980s with a trio of Platinum albums with Linda Ronstadt. His orchestrations earned an Academy Award and three Grammy Awards.
He died of liver ailments Oct 6, 1985 at age 64.
➦In 1936...the NBC Blue network’s Lux Radio Theater moved from New York City to Hollywood. On the first show from Tinseltown, program host and “producer” Cecil B. DeMille introduced Clark Gable and Marlene Dietrich in The Legionnaire and the Lady. It attracted a remarkable (for the era) listening audience of 40 million.
➦In 1945...WLB-AM in Minneapolis MN changed call letters to KUOM.
➦In 1961..WVNJ 100.3 FM signed-on (today it is iHeartMedia's WHTZ Z100). 100.3's origins date back to 1942 when it was WMGM, licensed to New York. The station went off the air in February 1955. During 100.3's down time, the frequency was allocated to WFHA in Red Bank. On June 1, 1961, 100.3 was resurrected as WVNJ, now licensed to Newark. WVNJ featured an easy listening/jazz format that continued until August 2, 1983, when WHTZ "Z100" was born.
➦In 1961...FM stereo began. At 12:01 a.m., GE's WGFM 99.5 FM (now WRVE) Schenectady, NY became the first FM station in the United States to broadcast in stereo. The station, which had been simulcasting WGY 810 AM, started airing classical music.
The first commercial FM broadcasting stations were in the United States, but initially they were primarily used to simulcast their AM sister stations, to broadcast lush orchestral music for stores and offices, to broadcast classical music to an upmarket listenership in urban areas, or for educational programming.
By the late 1960s FM had been adopted by fans of "Alternative Rock" music ("A.O.R.—'Album Oriented Rock' Format"), but it wasn't until 1978 that listeners to FM stations exceeded those of AM stations in North America.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Top 40 music stations and later even country music stations largely abandoned AM for FM. Today AM is mainly the preserve of talk radio, news, sports, religious programming, ethnic (minority language) broadcasting and some types of minority interest music. This shift has transformed AM into the "alternative band" that FM once was.
➦In 1967...The Beatles released 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' album.
➦In 1968...'Mrs. Robinson' by Simon and Garfunkel hit Number One
Don Imus
➦In 1968...Don Imus started at KUTY in Palmdale, CA. He stayed at the station until 1969 when he left for a job at KJOY, a small radio station in Stockton, California. He was later fired for saying "hell" on air. After being fired in Stockton, he went to KXOA in Sacramento, California.
New data from Convergence Research highlights some trends that will continue to fuel growth in streaming media, with cord-cutter/cord-never homes in the U.S. growing to 72% of all households in 2025 and traditional pay TV video offerings seeing even larger sub losses in the next few years.
"Net-net traditional TV access [from a pay TV subscription] is well into becoming a niche product (even if we included vMVPDs in our TV numbers)," the report states according to TVTechnology.
“The Battle for the North American (US/Canada) Couch Potato: OTT and TV” report analyzed more than 80 OTT services (over 50 providers), led by Netflix, Disney/Hulu, WBD, Amazon. Based on that data, it concluded that 2022 U.S. OTT access revenue grew 26% to $49.6 billion and forecasts 21% growth in 2023. But that growth will significantly slow to 13% in 2025.
The researchers also estimated that broadcast and cable TV Network online advertising, propelled by OTT (AVOD, FAST, SVOD), will rise to 23% of 2025 U.S. TV advertising revenue.
Much of this is being fueled by an ongoing slump in the pay TV ecosystem. The report estimates that 2022 U.S. cable, satellite, telco TV access revenue declined 6% to $85.8 billion and will drop by even larger rates in the future, with a 9% decline in 2023 and 13% in 2025.
Meanwhile the decline of 7.37 million U.S. TV subscribers in 2022 will grow to a 8.24 million TV pay TV sub loss in 2023, Convergence estimated. That means U.S. pay TV subs, which declined by 11% in 2022, will drop by even faster rates in the next few years, with a 14% decline in 2023 and 16% in 2025.
