R.I.P.: AC Format Pioneer Bill Dalton Was 80

Radio vet William ‘Bill’ Dalton has passed away at age 80 in Naples Florida.  Dalton was a visionary and was a pioneer in the development of the AC format.

Dalton launched WASH-FM in Washington, DC in 1968 and later managed at KLAC, LA and New York’s WNEW-AM. He also worked for Metromedia.

During the early ‘80s, Dalton and his wife Sue bought FMs in Washington, DC, Charlotte and Cincinnati’s WGRR.

The Dalton recently donated $1M to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida nature center in Naples.  The William Dalton Discovery Center was opened on Nov. 16, 2012.

People Dubs Steve Harvey "Talk's New Titan"

Radio personality, comedian, host of television's Steve Harvey and Family Feud, and best-selling author Steve Harvey graces the pages of back-to-back issues of People magazine.

In a story titled "Talk's New Titan" in the upcoming December 3 issue, Harvey reveals how he went from living out of his car to hosting a hit daytime talk show, giving credit to faith and family for his success.

In addition, Harvey - who is nominated for a People's Choice Award in the "Best New Talk Show Host" category - was included in the People's recent "Sexiest Man Alive" issue as part of their roundup of celebrities with mustaches, which included Zac Efron, James Franco, Adam Levine and Tom Hanks.

The Steve Harvey Morning Show can be heard on more than 60 radio stations nationwide.  The program combines heart, humor, music and celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment. Harvey is joined on the show by Shirley Strawberry, Carla Ferrell and his "Nephew Tommy." 

Community Group Asks Cumulus To Donate FM License

Air waves: A group going by Galveston Community Radio is seeking to revive local station KSTB at 101.5 FM.

The Crystal Beach station has essentially been off air since Hurricane Ike struck in 2008, destroying its transmission facilities.

Laura Elder at galvestondailynews.com reports Galveston Community Radio has asked the station’s owner, Cumulus Broadcasting, to donate its Federal Communications Commission license to the group. Cumulus so far hasn’t agreed, but Galveston Community Radio will keep asking.

“We’re not going away,” Sandra Stern, operations director for the nonprofit, said.

Atlanta-based Cumulus Media Inc., which owns 525 stations in 110 metropolitan areas, has restored the station since the storm, but uses a temporary antenna to broadcast the minimum number of days required to keep its license.

Operation of the station isn’t financially viable, Cumulus has informed the commission. The Houston-Galveston market is so saturated with radio stations, the commission isn’t granting new licenses, Stern said.

Galveston Community Radio hopes public support via petitions and letter-writing campaigns to the company and the FCC would persuade Cumulus to donate the license.

If Cumulus agreed, Galveston Community Radio would create a station offering local news, emergency information and a mix of music with broad appeal, Stern said.

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On September 13, 2008, the transmitter facility and all of the transmitting equipment were "washed away" by Hurricane Ike. Cumulus has filed for permission for the station to cease operations and has no specific plans on whether it will attempt to rebuild the station given the scope of the disaster and the poor economic conditions, according to the FCC filing.  The FCC has accepted the filing, but not approved the request as of January 2009. FCC's standard position is that if a licensed facility remains silent for a year, the license expires as a matter of law, although some exceptions are made.

Prior to its country format, KSTB played an adult contemporary format under the brand "Star 101.5" (or "The Star Of The Bay", referring to Galveston Bay), and was owned by Galtex Broadcasting.

In August 2010, KSTB briefly returned to the airwaves as "Energy", playing music from the 1990s. It was running at very low power, and was thus only receivable in Crystal Beach itself. It is possible that this was simply a transmitter test or a temporary broadcast to keep the station's license active.

Nicki Minaj Shows Diva Side At Power 105.1 NYC

“American Idol” co-host Nicki Minaj recently visited WWPR Power 105.1 “The Breakfast Club” radio show in NYC and proved that rappers can be divas just like their R&B counterparts.

The Pink Friday artist was seemingly irritated that co-host Angela Yee hadn’t purchased her perfume, that Charlamange Tha God offered her the wrong type of bacon, that DJ Envy didn’t have specific songs from her album ready to play and that none of the DJs had watched her latest music video.

“I don’t understand. How are y’all on the radio, especially if you know an artist is about to come up to your show, and you know she just put out a video, what would make you not watch it?” asked Nicki who rolled her eyes, turned her back to the DJs and used her cell phone during the interview.

Read More Now.

Philly's WIP Parody: 'We Are Never Gonna Win'

Sports Talk WIP AM/FM in Philly morning show Joe Conklin has come out with a parody of Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together”.

The song has been re-worked to “We Are Never Even Gonna Win With Andy”.  The song features a coach Andy Reid look-a-like and features the voice of Casey Conklin, Joe’s daughter.

Video of WDCG's Christmas Parade Float

Clear Channel's WDCG Raleigh is still under fire for its float in the Raleigh Christmas Parade.

G105's morning show, The Showgram, and its host Bob Dumas have turned controversy into ratings gold over the years.

But many thought the station went too far at the city's 68th Annual Christmas Parade on Nov. 17.

The G105 Showgram float featured a black man harnessed to a tow truck while dressed in fairy wings and a skirt. Dumas and his co-hosts called it Tyrone the Black Christmas Fairy.

Merrill Osmond Radio To Launch in December

Merrill Osmond says he will launch Merrill Osmond Radio, his very own online radio show in December.

According to David Burger at sltrib.com, the show will feature music by Merrill Osmond and his famous family as well as other artists. He will also share personal memories and interests with his legions of fans around the world.

"People have been asking me to start an online radio show for years and I’ve put it off because of my busy schedule, Merrill said in a press release. "It wasn’t until I started writing down ideas for the show, that I got excited and realized how much fun this will be."

Merrill Osmond Radio will give listeners a chance to pick topics for Osmond to discuss and will provide them a number to call in during some shows.

The first few Merrill Osmond Radio shows will be holiday-themed. Other topics Osmond plans to tackle include his life in show business, and the healing power of music.

The show will stream monthly at first but will become more frequent as it gains popularity.

To listen to the show, Click Here.

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Report: Social Media Revenue To Double

U.S. social media ad revenue is expected to double to $9.2 billion by 2016, according to a new report from BIA/Kelsey.

Local ads will account for $3 billion of those revenues, up from $1.1 billion.

“The year 2012 can be viewed as social advertising’s ‘coming of age,’” said Jed Williams, the program director of social local media at BIA/Kelsey. “The continued development of native ads, such as Facebook’s Sponsored Stories and Twitter’s Promoted Tweets, and the acceleration of mobile monetization will be the primary drivers of social advertising growth through 2016.”

The full report is available here [fee required].

R.I.P.: Former KSON San Diego Owner Dan McKinnon

Former radio and aviation executive Dan McKinnon, who helped oversee deregulation of the airline industry while in public service, died Nov. 22 in San Diego.

He was 78 and had neuroendocrine cancer. According to his obit at nctimes.com.

McKinnon was the son of former San Diego Congressman Clinton McKinnon and the brother of Mike McKinnon, owner of San Diego television station KUSI.

As a young man, Dan McKinnon served in the Navy as a helicopter pilot. He is credited with 62 “saves” on land or sea, which still stands as the Navy’s peacetime helicopter rescue record, according to an account by his daughter Lisa.

In 1962, Dan and Mike McKinnon purchased the struggling San Diego radio station KSON. Switching to the country music format, they built it into a successful enterprise. In 1977, Dan McKinnon was president of the Country Music Association in Nashville. He also served on the National Association of Broadcasters board of directors, according to his family’s account.

His family says McKinnon had several major enthusiasms: broadcasting, aviation, his work on Christian causes and sailing.

The broadcasting interest came by way of family. His father started the San Diego Daily Journal newspaper in 1944 and owned the La Jolla Light, the Coronado Journal and radio station KCBQ, first known as KSDJ.

“We grew up in a journalism family,” said his younger brother, Mike. “He just loved San Diego. He was passion about community involvement, and he loved broadcasting.”

McKinnon made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 1980. The next year, he was tapped by then-President Ronald Reagan to lead the federal Civil Aeronautics Board, which oversaw airline routes and fares.

His work at that agency included overseeing the Airline Deregulation Act, which eliminated the need for the board. McKinnon presided over the agency’s closure in 1984.

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CC-NYC, Alicia Keys To Light-Up Empire State Building

Tonight, the world-famous Empire State Building (ESB), in collaboration with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment and 14 time Grammy Award winner, Alicia Keys, will give a gift to New York City and the world by revealing ESB's new, one-of-a-kind LED tower lights with a first-ever light show on the Landmark. This show marks the official unveiling of a groundbreaking new LED lighting system, developed by the world's leader in LED lighting Philips Color Kinetics (PCK).

At 9:00 p.m. ET Monday, Alicia Keys will help kick off the light show by flipping the switch live in Clear Channel New York City studios

On hand will be Elvis Duran, Z100; DJ Clue, Power105; Helen Little, 106.7 Lite fm; and Cubby, 103.5 KTU.  The switch moment will be synchronized on-air to two of Keys' tracks--her single from her new album "Girl on Fire," followed by her smash hit "Empire State of Mind."

New Yorkers and those in the surrounding area with a view of ESB can tune into one of four Clear Channel radio stations--Z100, 103.5 KTU, Power105, and 106.7 Lite fm--as the stations simultaneously play accompanying music to the light show. The light show will be hosted for on-demand viewing at iHeartRadio.com, home to Clear Channel's digital radio service, by 10 a.m., on Tuesday, November 27.

The state-of-the-art dynamic lighting system from PCK is unique to ESB and allows customized light capabilities from a palette of over 16 million colors in limitless combinations along with effects previously not possible such as ripples, cross-fades, sparkles, chasers, sweeps, strobes and bursts. In addition to greater control and management of the lighting, the new computerized system will deliver superior light and vibrancy levels in real-time, unlike the previous floodlights.

"The Empire State Building's lights are the international icon of the New York City skyline. We use our tower lights to partner with select charities, organizations, and events around the world," said Anthony E. Malkin, President of Malkin Holdings which supervises the Empire State Building.

"Philips Color Kinetics' new LED lights were installed over the summer and have been set at the color and intensity of the incandescent lights they replaced. As of tonight, our lights' full range and intensity will be brought to life, forever changing the New York skyline. We wanted to celebrate with and thank New York City and our global audience with a specially choreographed, custom light show. I am so happy that real New Yorkers, Alicia Keys, Z100, 103.5 KTU, Power105, and 106.7 Lite fm are sharing in our gift of the light show tonight." 

CBS Sports Radio Ready To Launch; Line-Up Unveiled

CBS Sports Radio today announced it will launch on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013 with three media veterans as hosts of morning drive.

Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson will anchor the program live from the brand new radio network’s New York City studio in Tribeca. The program will be broadcast weekdays from 6:00-9:00AM.

Dan Mason

“CBS Sports Radio has been able to attract some of the most renowned names in the business, and Tiki, Brandon and Dana are just the latest example of the network’s star-power,” said Dan Mason, President and CEO, CBS RADIO. “We’ve assembled an impressive group of professional athletes and accomplished broadcasters to bring fans unrivaled sports commentary, and the most entertaining lineup in all of sports radio.

“The launch of CBS Sports Radio provides an additional way for us to use our content, debuting original programs to millions of listeners across the country on day one. The network’s reach in the major markets is unsurpassed, and the marketplace has taken notice of our depth and broad range of offerings.”

CBS Sports Radio will offer around-the-clock national sports coverage and programming. High-profile personalities from CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com will play a prominent role on CBS Sports Radio which will reach more than 10 million listeners when it debuts.

Original programs across multiple weekday and weekend time periods will feature expert sports commentary and interviews with major sports figures along with listener calls and fan interaction. Cumulus Media Networks serves as the exclusive syndicator and sales partner for CBS Sports Radio.

Several Top 50 markets will showcase CBS Sports Radio’s Morning Show, including WIP-AM (Philadelphia), WFOM-AM (Atlanta), WXYT-AM (Detroit), WJZ-AM (Baltimore), KFNZ-AM and KJQS-AM (Salt Lake City), and WSJZ-FM (Orlando).  (Tom's Note: WSJZ-FM is licensed to Sebastian, FL and currently has no impact in the Orlando metro).

Following is the complete weekday lineup for CBS Sports Radio:

6:00-9:00AM: Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson

9:00AM-12:00Noon: John Feinstein

12:00Noon-3:00PM: Jim Rome

3:00-6:00PM: Doug Gottlieb

Scott Ferrall serves as host of evenings program broadcast weekdays from 10:00PM-2:00AM on CBS Sports Radio, and Damon Amendolara will provide commentary overnights from 2:00-

6:00AM.

Gene Baxter Returns To ‘Kevin & Bean’ Show

Gene 'Bean' Baxter  was back on the air Monday at 106.7 KROQ LA. after successfully donating a kidney to 106.7  FM KROQ’s Chief Engineer Scott Mason.

Scott Mason, the station’s chief engineer of 30 years, had been on dialysis and never told anyone.

Mason told CBS News reporter Lee Cowan, “I didn’t want anyone to think I was less capable than anybody else at work.”

Bean did notice a difference in Mason recently. “He’s moving kinda slow … didn’t look that great and I thought ‘Whoa what’s going on?’” Mason confessed — he was on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. And he also said it could take upwards of eight years to get one.

Giving it a second of thought, Bean told Mason he would be willing to be a donor. “It wasn’t a big emotional decision for me. I don’t think that my part of this decision is all that big a deal. I’m not the one who has to do the hard work. All I have to do is go to sleep.”

Mason received what he called “The Kidney Bean.”

And to describe Mason as appreciative would be an understatement. “I haven’t figured the right words out that are three or four levels higher than thank you. What are those words?” Bean’s co-host Kevin marvels at his on-air partner. “What he’s doing is more than I would do you know? He’s the better man than I am.” Mason and Bean had two different blood types. A new procedure, offered at only four hospitals in the country (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is one) makes it possible for the organ transfer even with people of different blood types.

Jenn Hobby Leaving The Bert Show In Atlanta

Jenn Hobby is leaving WWWQ Q100’s The Bert Show in Atlanta after nearly a decade.   According to Rodney Ho at ajc.com commented on-air:

“It’s going to be a whole new chapter of life.  I wouldn’t be the woman I am without the Bert Show.”

Hobby got married two years ago and is pregnant with her first child.

Her voice cracked when she said that the Bert Show is how she met her husband, who is a high school principal. He showed up in studio when his school band came in and they fell in love.

Hobby posted a statement on her station blog:

“What a decade! I started working with Q100 in 2002, when I was just 25 years old and eager to join a cool morning radio show and brand-new station. I had no idea at the time that I was in for the ride of my life! The 10 years that followed have been full of more laughter, tears, surprise, growth, excitement and discovery than this girl ever dreamed possible.”

She will be officially leaving in two weeks. Her final day on air will be Dec. 7. Bert Weiss on air said he is in no rush to replace Hobby’s spot.

Read More Now.

Cumulus Stops 103.3 York Simulcast of WINK 104

Time will determine if “stop” means “end”.

WARM-FM 103.3 in York, PA has been simulcasting sister-station WINK 104.1 in Harriburg, PA for about a year.  It had been branded at WINK 103. 

But the simulcast has been stopped as 103.3 becomes “Central PA’s Christmas Music Station" and resurrects the WARM brand imaging, Official calls letters have remain WARM-FM.

Will WARM 103 resume its light-AC format?  Will it restart the simulcast of Hot/AC WINK in Harrisburg?

Or is something entirely different on tap?  Can you say CBS Sport Radio? 

Another possibility, there's street talk of new Cumulus AC format in the works to be based at WARM98 in Cincy.

Stay tuned.

The Radio Discussion board is speculating, Click Here.

Dodgers, Fox Sports Talking $6-billion TV Deal

Fox Sports could pay at least $6 billion to retain the Dodgers’ television rights, three parties familiar with the negotiations said Sunday.

According to the LATimes, The deal could be worth three times what the Dodgers’ new owners paid for the team and almost 20 times the value of the Dodgers’ current television contract.

The deal is not done, the parties said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing negotiations.

If the two sides do not strike a deal by Friday, the Dodgers would have until the following Friday to present Fox with a final offer, according to the team’s current contract. Fox would then have 30 days to accept or reject the offer.

In the absence of a deal, the Dodgers would be free to open talks with Time Warner Cable SportsNet or launch a team-owned cable channel.

Read More Now.

Tom’s Take:  Increasing cost of sports deals is #1 reason why your cable/SatTV monthly charges will continue to rise.

Media: Smaller Audiences Despite Longer TSL

Decades of channel expansion have made fragmentation an indelible feature of the marketing landscape. One of the curious qualities of fragmentation is that it yields audiences that appear large in aggregate form, but are actually smaller in real terms. This quality tends to hold true regardless of channel.

For example, more consumers watch TV, and indeed, by eMarketer’s calculations, watch more of it, but those larger audiences are dispersed across multiple screens, or stream TV content to their PCs and smart devices. With rare exception, the mass audience accustomed to appointment viewing is long gone.

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Rolling Stones Kick-off 50th Reunion Tour

The Rolling Stones welcomed former members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor back on stage at their 50th anniversary kick-off concert at London's O2 Arena last night (November 25th). The show also featured guest spots by Jeff Beck and Mary J. Blige.

Although Wyman and Taylor weren't onstage at the same time, the show definitely showed a small amount of nostalgia for the Stones, with the band tipping it's hat to the Beatles for the opening number by performing "I Wanna Be Your Man" -- which John Lennon and Paul McCartney finished for them in 1963 giving them their first Top 20 UK hit. 

The Stones followed it with a triple punch of '60s classics -- "Get Off My Cloud," "It's All Over Now," and "Paint It, Black" before settling into the set. Blige stepped up to sing the Merry Clayton part in "Gimme Shelter" and Jeff Beck joined the band for the 1969 Let It Bleed outtake, "I'm Going Down."

Bill Wyman made his first appearance with the Stones since June 27th, 1990 in Basle, Switzerland, sitting in on "It's Only Rock N' Roll" and "Honky Tonk Women." Taylor was featured on the band's 1969 classic, "Midnight Rambler" -- a cornerstone of the legendary shows he played with the band between 1969 and 1973. 

Although he hasn't played live with the band since sitting in with them on December 15th, 1981 in Kansas City, Missouri, he added new guitar work to the 2010 expanded reissue of Exile On Main Street.

Tom's Take: Did you know the average age of the US Supreme Court justices is YOUNGER than the Stones?

Cell Phone Being Used For More Than Calls

Fully 85% of American adults own a cell phone and now use the devices to do much more than make phone calls. Cell phones have become a portal for an ever-growing list of activities.  In nationally representative phone surveys in the spring and summer, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project obtained readings on some of the most popular activities.