KDAL Talent Disciplined For Strip Club Comments

Two Duluth radio talk show hosts were disciplined for words used on-air to describe a strip club during a morning broadcast Wednesday on KDAL-AM 610.

The Duluth News-Tribune reports Ken Buehler and Johnny Lee Walker of the KDAL Morning Show were talking about Walker’s going-away party and the questionable word was used in reference to where the party should have been held. Buehler suggested a kind of bar where women are undressed from the waist up.

“It’s not a word you can’t say, it’s just not KDAL appropriate,” said KDAL operations manager Mark Fleischer.

Buehler was asked not to return for the rest of the week, but will be back on the program with Pat Cadigan on Monday. Walker announced Tuesday that he was leaving the radio business. He did not go on-air Thursday, his final day at the station, Walker said.

Ken Buehler said he was told by management that he was not allowed to comment on the suspension.

The morning show airs from 5-9 a.m. on weekdays. Buehler has been part of the lineup for about a year, Fleischer said.

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Has The Mainstream Media Ignored Benghazi

CableTV News Rankings For October

October 2012 was a big one for cable news, thanks in large part to the Presidential debates, and the final leg of the campaign.

According to Alex Weprin at TVNewser, the debates helped boost programs, generating a “halo effect” that had an impact on the top cable news programs. Fox News Channel led the way as usual, scoring the top nine programs in total viewers, and the top three in the demo. MSNBC’s strong performance help propel a few of its programs toward the top of the ranker for the month.

“The O’Reilly Factor” was the number one program on Fox News and cable news overall in total viewers. In the demo however, it was “Hannity” that claimed the top spot, with “O’Reilly placing third behind “On the Record.” “O’Reilly” averaged 3.92 million total viewers, while “Hannity” drew 856,000 demo viewers for the month.

Oct '12 Cable News Program Ranker A25-54

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15 Facts About Radio

Mary Beth Garber, EVP/Radio Analysis and Insights at Katz Radio Group, has compiled a terrific list of radio facts!  Enjoy!

• More 18-34 Adults use Radio each week than any other medium.  

(Scarborough USA+, Release 1  2012 USA Adults 18-34, sample size 29,250)

• More 25-54 Adults use Radio each week than any other medium.  

(Scarborough USA+, Release 1  2012 USA Adults 25-54, sample size 88,248)

• Radio reaches more Adults 18-34 during the work day than any other medium.  

(GfK MediaDay 2012 (Fieldwork 11-12/Doublebase Respondents) weighted to population (000) Base A18-34, Mon-Sun 5A-5P,  sample size 1214)

• The average person 12+ in the USA spends about 2 hours and 40 minutes a day with  Radio.  (RADAR 114 September 2012 Monday-Sunday 6AM-Midnight for Persons 12+, sample size 395,655)

• 18-34 Adults spend more time each day with radio than with the internet. 

(2012.2 MBI - USA TouchPoints smartphone enabled National probability sample of 2,000 persons aged 18-64, Nested within  GfK/MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer)

• Adults 18-34 are 52% more likely to be heavy users of radio than heavy users of television in the USA. 

(Scarborough USA Plus - Release 1, 2012, 12 Month Adults 18-34. Heaviest two quintiles of exposure, sample size 29,250)

• 70% of people with favorite Radio personalities follow them on social media.  

(USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, PSI Study released  June 2012, Woodley, P. and Movius, L. People With a Favorite Radio Personality in Los Angeles 617 respondents)

• More than half of people with favorite Radio personalities have considered or  purchased a product/service advertised during their favorite Radio personality’s show. 

(USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, PSI Study  released  June 2012, Woodley, P. and Movius, L. People With a Favorite Radio Personality in Los Angeles 617 respondents)

• More people of all ages would be more upset to go without their Radio station than to go without Facebook.  

(Alan Burns/Triton Digital “The Future of Radio” September 2012 National Consumer Database;  25,000,000 Panelists; August & September 2012; All Ages, Genders and Format Fans; Total Polled = 41,252; Roughly in Line with 2010 Census; Heavily Caucasian)

• 85% more Adults 18-34 use Radio on a typical day than Facebook.  

(comScore Inc Ratings AprilJune 2012, RADAR 114 September 2012, P18-34, 6A-12M, sample size 106,023)

• Only about 10% of Adults 18+ will listen to satellite radio in a week.  Nearly 93% of Adults 18+ will listen to Radio in a week. 

(Scarborough Release 1 2012 (Feb 2011 – Feb 2012, Adults 18+, M-Su 6a-Mid )

• Radio reaches more than 90% of virtually any market segment each week. 

(RADAR 114 September  2012, Mon-Sun 6A-Mid sample size 395,655)

• On Radio, the audience listening level from the beginning to the end of a 6-commercial break is 93% of what it was before the break.  

(Arbitron, Media Monitors and Coleman Insights “What Happens When the Spots Come On?”  study of 866 radio stations measured by Media Monitors and Arbitron across all 48 PPM markets in the United States during the months of October 2010 through September 2011 covering a total of 17,896,325 unique commercial breaks involving 61,902,473 minutes of advertising.)

• Virtually all Radio Listening happens LIVE, in real time, while more than half the Adult 18-49 top 10 TV shows’ ratings come from 7 day DVR viewing. (MediaLifeMagazine.com October 2012)

• There are more than 11,000 commercial radio stations licensed in the US, more than ever before as radio continues to grow.  (FCC July 2012)

Tom’s Take: A lot of positives here, great way to start the week!

Covering Presidential Campaign: Exhilarating and Exhausting

CBS News Correspondent Peter King spent a week following the Romney campaign for CBS Radio News - the first time in his long, distinguished career he was embedded with a presidential campaign.

We're somewhere above the Middle - the part of the U.S. between New York and the big mountains of the West. I have no idea exactly where... and that's something I expect to say a lot during the next week or so. 

Many who grew up reading the great campaign books of the '60s and '70s - Timothy Crouse's "The Boys on the Bus" and Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail" come to mind - have had a somewhat romanticized view of what it's like to ride the bus or the plane. That mostly goes away - fast - once you've actually done it! Sure it's fun. Yes, it's exhilarating, but especially, it's exhausting.

Listen: Peter King talks about his campaign travels, Part 1

Listen: King, Part 2

As my wife, Lisa (Lisa Meyer, who has covered presidential campaigns for CBS and AP Radio) said over and over in the weeks leading up to my trip, "you have NO idea!" Everything she told me during our self-styled pre-campaign "boot camp" came true - and then some. 

The itinerary is dizzying: campaign days start early. That means 5 or 6 a.m. for breakfast (yes, we DO get fed), followed by a "bag drop"; we leave our "checked" bags to be swept by the Secret Service, then collected for the bus and plane. We keep with us whatever gear we need for the day. 

Flying charter is wonderful - and seductive. Lisa told me, flat out, that once I'd flown charter, I'd never want to fly commercial again. She was right. Sometimes, there are more seats than passengers, which makes stretching out easier. The Romney plane has WiFi and power outlets. We're allowed to use all of our electronic gear at any time. No constant admonitions to power off anything with an on-off switch.

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KNUS Denver’s Steve Kelley Swings For Votes

Morning radio personality Steve Kelley is proving Colorado really is a “swing state” by attempting to set the world record for the longest marathon on a swing.

The 710KNUS AM radio host started his “Colorado Swings the Vote” campaign Friday morning to encourage everyone to get out and vote in what he calls the most important election of our lifetime.

“I really believe Colorado will come into play in this election and it scares me if everybody doesn’t get out to vote. This is such an important election and I wanted to do something to make an impact. I wanted to do my small, albeit weird part. If everybody gets out and votes, the best person will win” Kelley said.

Kelley needed to swing more than 31 hours to break the world record. He got a five-minute break every hour.

WWL Host Bobby Hebert Ejected From LSU Press Box

WWL- AM radio talk show host and former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert was ejected from the LSU press box Saturday night during LSU's 21-17 loss to Alabama for creating a disturbance during the game, LSU officials said.  His sin?  He was cheering for LSU!

According nola.com, Hebert was escorted out by police during the fourth quarter after ignoring warnings not to cheer or disturb sports writers and other media covering the game. The LSU press box was crowded with a record 947 media credentials issued.

Credentialed media are warned over the public address system prior to the game to refrain from cheering and Football Writers Association of America signs are posted throughout the press box reminding media members to behave professionally.

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NBCU: Sandy Benefit Takes In $23M

A live televised concert to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy brought in nearly $23 million, the American Red Cross and NBCUniversalsaid Saturday.

The Red Cross said website and phone traffic exceeded that of telethons supporting the charity over the previous five years.

 “We are incredibly grateful and humbled by this outpouring of support for those who are suffering as a result of Superstorm Sandy,” American Red Cross Chief Marketing Officer Peggy Dyer said in a statement.

Hulk Hogan Tweets: Bubba & I Are Not Friends

They may have settled their sex tape brawl, but Hulk Hogan and Bubba the Love Sponge Clem aren’t rekindling their former friendship, the wrestling star claimed Friday.

“Just for the record, Bubba and I are NOT friends and never will be friends, we are NOT friends,” Hulk Hogan said of the Florida shock jock in a Twitter message.

Hogan sued Bubba Oct. 15 for invasion of privacy after grainy footage of the mustachioed muscleman having sex with Bubba’s wife surfaced on Gawker.com.

The former best friends quickly squared off in a media slugfest, with Bubba claiming he had no idea how the X-rated footage was leaked but that Hogan knew all along the bedroom was wired with video surveillance.

The former best buddies settled their fight Monday, with Hogan’s lawyer saying terms of the pact were confidential.

After calling Hogan a “hypocritical fraud” on his airwaves after the suit was filed, Bubba released a public apology heralding the settlement.

Hogan is still suing his sex partner in the tape, Heather Clem, though that suit is expected to settle as well, a source told the NY DailyNews.

The 12-time world champion, whose real name is Terry Bollea, is still pursuing his $100 million lawsuit against New York-based Gawker Media in federal court.

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R.I.P.: Akron Radio Personality Tom Erickson

Tom Erickson, 58, longtime radio newsman and talk-show host of WNIR 100.1-FM Akron, OH, has died.

Marilyn Miller at the Beacon Journal reports Erickson’s death was announced Saturday evening during Bob Earley’s talk show, which turned into an impromptu tribute show with callers phoning in to share memories of Mr. Erickson.

His passing follows the sudden death in June of talk-show host Howie Chizek, who died of a heart attack.

“I have never heard in the history of radio of losing two mainstay on-air personalities in the same year,” said Jim Isabella, a co-worker who sometimes filled in for Erickson on the air.

“Tom loved radio and being on the air. He was really into space, Bigfoot and aliens. People might have thought he was quirky, but his fans loved him and he was a big part of the success of WNIR,” said Isabella.

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R.I.P.: Former Susquehanna Radio President Art Carlson

Former Susquehanna Radio president and  Art Carlson has passed away. He was 82.

Carlson died over the weekend at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonsille, FL.  He underwent heart surgery six months ago. 

As a radio exec,  Carlson spent more than 30 years on the board of directors at the Radio Advertising Bureau.

The Susquehanna Radio Corporation was a media corporation which operated from 1941 to 2006 that was headquartered in York, Pennsylvania. The company was a unit of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff, a conglomerate more widely known for the Pfaltzgraff kitchenware line than its broadcasting pursuits.

Some of the early Susquehanna radio properties included top 40 music stations WSBA (York, PA), WARM (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA), WICE (Providence, RI), and WHLO (Akron, OH). Spanish language WQBA in Miami, FL, was also part of the group.

Over time, Susquehanna repositioned itself from a company based largely in the Northeast to one based largely in the Southern and Midwestern markets (nevertheless keeping its original stations in York). The company was absorbed into Cumulus Media in 2006 when Louis Appell's children broke up Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff.

He retired in 1994. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, November 7 at 3 p.m. at the Ponte Vedra Valley Funeral Home and Cemetery, 4750 Palm Valley Road, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082.