Salem Buys WJKR Columbus From Radio One

Radio One, Inc. Tuesday announced it has signed a definitive agreement to sell the assets of one of its Columbus, Ohio radio stations, WJKR-FM (Jack, 98.9 FM), to Salem Media of Ohio, Inc., a subsidiary of Salem Communications .

 The station is not a core asset for Radio One and Radio One will continue to own and operate two urban format radio stations in the Columbus market: WCKX-FM (107.5 FM), which plays mainstream/urban and WXMG-FM (106.3 FM), which plays R&B and oldies. 

The closing on the sale of WJKR-FM is subject to customary conditions, prorations and adjustments, including approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Radio One expects the transaction to close shortly after final consent from the FCC.

 However, under a local marketing agreement, Salem will be providing programming for the station on November 1, 2012.

TV Personality Starts New Radio Show In Sacramento

People in Sacramento have been able to see media personality Walt Gray for over 20 years, but as of Monday, they’ll only be able to hear him.

Gray is starring in an eponymous show on 96.9, the Eagle Station, after having been at KCRA since 1988.

He’s hosting the show with Eagle personality Kat Maudru.


Read More Here.

Radio Caller Wants Deer Crossings Signs Moved

You know those deer signs you see from time to time? After three accidents involving deer, one North Dakota woman wants them moved.

Under the impression the signs are intended to tell deer where it’s safe to cross, she embarked on a (failed) mission to get the signs moved to lower-traffic areas.

She wrote letters, called television stations, but no one seemed to want to hear what she had to say. Finally, she turned to WDAY-FM Y94 Playhouse Radio in Fargo. They listened (and laughed) and then posted her call on YouTube.

Morning Joe Crowd Boos Little Girl For Supporting Romney

From MSNBC Tuesday Morning....

Mel Karmazin Leaving SiriusXM

SiriusXM Radio today announced that Mel Karmazin informed its Board of Directors that he will be leaving the Company on February 1, 2013, following the expiration of his current employment agreement and after a transition period.  Mr. Karmazin will also leave the Board of Directors at that time.

Karmazin has been Sirius XM's CEO since 2004. There has been speculation Karmazin would leave the company after an expected takeover by Liberty Media Corp., which is seeking a controlling interest in the satellite radio provider.

Liberty has amassed a 47.3 per cent stake in Sirius XM, and the Federal Communications Commission is currently considering Liberty's proposal to take control of the company.

"SiriusXM is an extraordinary company with an incredible team.  It is an honor to come to work here every day where we truly deliver the best radio on radio.  I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished.  Given where we started, it is amazing that SiriusXM has grown to become the largest radio company in the world.  With a deep bench of corporate talent, a roster that includes the most in-demand on-air personalities and a wide-range of exclusive programming, SiriusXM has never been better positioned than it is today.  We continue to grow our subscriber base to record levels and our financial position has never been stronger.  Importantly, the commitment to delivering innovative new products and technologies is very strong.  SiriusXM has a strong foundation to build on for the future and there is a great team in place to keep the company moving forward.  I am confident that SiriusXM's best years are ahead," said Karmazin.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Mel for his significant contributions to the Company," said Eddy Hartenstein, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SiriusXM. "Under his leadership, the Company underwent a transformative merger and a financial restructuring that has enabled SiriusXM to deliver significant value for shareholders.  Our record breaking financial results are a testament to Mel's leadership and strategic planning, and we continue to exceed our expectations with all-time high subscriber numbers.  Thanks to Mel, we are well-positioned for long-term growth and value creation.  We will miss Mel – and the Board wishes him the very best in his future endeavors – SiriusXM has a strong executive team in place and we are very confident in our business and our future prospects."

"We appreciate the tremendous job Mel has done for the Company in overseeing the merger and delivering outstanding operating performance.  While we understand, we regret Mel's decision to pursue other interests and are grateful for his willingness to oversee a smooth and orderly transition," said John Malone, Chairman of Liberty Media Corporation.

The SiriusXM Board of Directors has formed a search committee, chaired by Greg Maffei and including James Mooney and Eddy Hartenstein, to consider both internal and external candidates for the Company's next Chief Executive Officer.

Miami Sports Stations Cover Guillen Firing

The Miami Marlins called at 4:15pm news conference Tuesday to announce the dismissal of Ozzie Guillen as manager.

Here’s how the sports stations covered the news on their respective websites at the same time.

WQAM 560 AM..banner linked to short 3 line mention

Oops!  WQAM also promoted the start of the World Series, between SF and Detroit Tigers.  But, they had the wrong night.  WS starts Wednesday, not Tuesday as "tonight" would indicate.  Apparently, no one at the station station caught it all day.

WMEN 640 AM...no mention on homepage.

WAXY 790 AM/104.3 FM..linked To Miami Herald story. WAXY is the English langugage flagship station for the Marlins.  

WINZ 940 AM..banner linked to one sentence mention of breaking story.

Tom's Take: Let's assume they had live on-air coverage of announcement.

Fox News Channel Scores Biggest Telecast In History

The third presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney produced very good news for Fox News Channel.

According to Hal Boedeker at the Orlando Sentinel, the cable news channel notched its most-watched telecast ever with the debate, which pulled in 11.5 million viewers, according to early ratings.

The previous high in the channel's 16-year history: 11.1 million viewers. Two telecasts reached that audience: the second presidential debate this year and the 2008 vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.

FNC’s 11.5 million was also competitive with its broadcast competition, which was won by NBC with 12.4 million viewers, down from last week’s debate when NBC drew 13.8 million. NBC narrowly edged out ABC’s 11.7 million viewers, followed by CBS in a distant third-place with only 8.4 million.

Read More Here.

Apple Unveils iPad Mini, New Macs

Apple CEO Tim Cook and vice president of marketing Phil Schiller took to the stage in California at a media event to finally unveil the company's long-awaited iPad mini -- something Jobs once declared the company would never do. According to Fox News, the new $329 product is meant to compete with smaller, 7-inch tablets from companies like Google and Amazon that are nipping at the tech giant's heals.

"You knew there'd be something called Mini in this presentation," Schiller joked with the crowd before revealing the hotly anticipated gadget. Apple has sold 84 million iPads since their debut in April 2010, he said.

"So this iPad mini is just 7.2 mm thick. That's about a quarter thinner than the fourth-generation iPad. Thinner than a pencil," Cook told the crowd. The new product has the same resolution as the larger display 1,024 × 768, but it should look sharper thanks to the smaller screen.

"You can hold it in one hand," he said. It's not just a shrunken down iPad. It's an entirely new design." Yet the new mini will run all of the software designed for the full-size siblings, he said. The mini will start with 16GB of storage at $329; a 4G model will cost an additional $129.

Cook announced an update to the iPad prior to that that he labeled a "fourth-generation" model with updated specifications.

Read More Here.

Shocker: Tom Langmyer Out As GM At WGN Chicago

Tribune Broadcasting pushed out longtime WGN Radio Vice President & General Manager Tom Langmyer Monday, according tochicagoradioandmedia.com.

Publicly, it was made to look as though Langmyer simply chose to leave the station, effective immediately. Privately, Langmyer and his Tribune Broadcasting bosses disagreed about upcoming changes to the radio station. Both parties felt it was just best to part ways. The move had been coming for some time, but it was Tribune Broadcasting that chose the time of this exit to be today.

Tribune Company is looking to exit bankruptcy at some point this year and turn over ownership of the media giant to a handful of creditors, who are expected to begin to sell off portions of the company. The most valuable asset Tribune Company has is its radio and TV division, Tribune Broadcasting. Nils Larsen, President and CEO of Tribune Broadcasting and Sean Compton, President of Programming and Entertainment for Tribune Broadcasting, wish to make changes right away to make the division look leaner and more valuable on the books. That means major cutbacks will soon be happening. Rather than fighting against the changes, something he has done to some success for the last few years, Langmyer chose to step aside.

Tom Langmyer came to WGN Radio in 2005, after a highly regarded 13 year run as an executive for CBS Radio. During his time in Chicago, the radio station experienced record revenue and profits.

Read More Here.

Study: Streaming Advertising Response Up Sharply

Internet Radio has grown exponentially and so has its audience. More than 42% of the population is listening to Internet Radio, which is up 8% from 2011.

According a a White Paper created by Targetspot, this audience has numerous significant traits:  many are married and have kids, they own their own homes, have high levels of disposable income and they are also highly engaged with Digital Audio content.  In fact, 75% change stations at least one time daily and 64% change websites multiple times a day in order to remain connected with their listening experience.

 Another key indication of engagement is that these listeners regularly interact with the player – 61% don’t keep the player minimized and 67% often check the player to see the name of a song or artist.

 With key metrics such as these, it’s not surprising that this audience’s engagement with content translates to their interaction with Digital Audio advertising.  Given the importance of this major media segment, there is a growing need to understand Digital Audio listeners’ viewpoints on advertising and to leverage these findings to best communicate with them.

Get Full Report Here.

Baltimore’s Stash Gets Jail Time

Stephen G. Smith, who was known as "Stash" on 98 Rock, pleaded guilty Monday morning to drunk driving charges and was sentenced to six months in the Harford County Detention Center, according to a story atbaltimoresun.com.

District Court Judge Susan Hazlett reduced the original one-year sentence after Smith's lawyer said Smith immediately took part in a 28-day alcohol treatment program and admits he has a drinking problem.

She also placed him on supervised probation and required him to abstain from alcohol.

Smith, a Bel Air resident, was involved in a three-car crash at Route 24 near the I-95 intersection July 22 that sent five people to the hospital with minor injuries.

As a result of the charges, he was fired from 98 Rock after more than 20 years working in radio.

Hazlett called his record "lousy," noting 32 prior convictions for traffic offenses.

Smith's lawyer, Leonard Shapiro, said his client had done a lot of good in the community, including charity through the radio station, and is committed to turning his life around.

Shapiro said Smith, who has five children with his wife, relapsed into drinking from the stress of dealing with his severely autistic son.

Read More Here.