Townsquare To Acquire AOL Music Assets

Townsquare Media Group announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire AOL Music assets

• The Boot theboot.com
• The BoomBox theboombox.com
• NoiseCreep noisecreep.com
• ComicsAlliance comicsalliance.com

The new digital properties will join Townsquare Media Group’s national digital business, a portfolio of premium music and entertainment websites which reach over 52 million US monthly unique visitors and include:

• Taste of Country tasteofcountry.com
• PopCrush popcrush.com
• ScreenCrush screencrush.com
• Okayplayer www.okayplayer.com

AOL Music is considered a pioneer in digital music, creating The Boot, The Boombox and NoiseCreep to expand its scope into Country Music, Hip Hop and R&B and heavy metal, respectively.

ComicsAlliance is one of the most important and established online voices in the comic book industry.  The site, a three-time and 2013 nominee for the industry’s esteemed Eisner Award, has hosted its own panel at ComicCon and has been featured on The Daily Show and in New York Magazine.

Chicago Radio: Marty Bender Appointed New PD For WILV

Marty Bender

Hubbard Broadcasting’s WILV Chicago, better known as Chicago’s REWIND, 100.3, has named veteran programmer Marty Bender Program Director.

Bender replaces Barry James, who retired from radio last month after 20 years with the Chicago properties.

In making the announcement, Hubbard Radio’s Senior Vice President of Programming Greg Solk comments “We believe with Marty, we have found a Programmer with the perfect balance of programming savvy, branding vision and mad scientist. We are looking forward to welcoming Marty into our Hubbard fraternity.”

Bender is most famously credited with over two decades of stellar work in Indianapolis with rock powerhouse WFBQ and the ‘Bob and Tom’ syndicated morning show.

Injured TWC Cameraman Has Broken Neck

Austin Anderson

Storm chaser and Austin resident Austin Anderson, was in an Oklahoma hospital Sunday awaiting surgery for some serious injuries after being caught in Friday's tornado outbreak.

According to KHOU-TV Houston, he has a broken neck, three broken vertebrae, a black eye, collapsed lungs and broken ribs. Anderson is scheduled for back surgery in Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

He was in a truck with two others from the Weather Channel chasing a tornado when it changed direction. See original posting, Click Here. 

The vehicle rolled eight or nine times and was lofted about 30 feet in the air.

The two others inside made it out okay; Anderson's injuries were the most serious.

"I always keep a positive attitude," he said. "Even when I was flying through the air, I was thinking: 'What do I need to do to survive?' instead of, 'Oh no! I'm going to die!'"

Anderson remained immobilized in his hospital bed on Monday.

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Denver Radio: KHOW’s Peter Boyles Starts Another Week Off-Air

UPDATE 6AM 06/04/2013:  Peter Boyles has been let go. Click Here for posting.

Peter Boyles

Last week, we noted that KHOW 630 AM talk-show host Peter Boyles remained off the air following an incident with his longtime producer, Greg Hollenbeck, and his future was uncertain.

More than a week later, that's still the case -- and the station isn't talking about his continuing absence either on the air or behind the scenes.

The incident took place at around 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 23, amid a program during which former Congressman Tom Tancredo announced that he's running for governor. (see original posting, Click Here).  A 9News crew was on hand for Tancredo's statement, and the station has reported that after the argument, Hollenbeck was seen with red marks on his neck.

Greg Hollenbeck

What happened? Sources tell Michael Roberts at westword.com,  that after a high-volume argument, Boyles yanked Hollenbeck toward him by a lanyard, causing the aforementioned red marks. In response to this action, Hollenbeck is said to have thrown his hat at Boyles.

The program continued afterward without further problems -- but the dust-up was reported to KHOW management, with overseers from Clear Channel, the station's corporate owner, getting involved shortly thereafter.

Since then, Boyles has not been heard on KHOW (Click Here for Update posting), and neither he nor Hollenbeck has commented, Likewise, station spokespeople have declined to detail the situation, describing it as a personnel matter.

Jon Caldera continues to fill-in.

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Media Village Expected for Zimmerman Trial In Florida

Orlando Sentinel graphic

With the George Zimmerman murder trial just one week away, a village of satellite TV trucks is about to pop up outside the Seminole County criminal courthouse in Sanford, FL.

For months, courthouse personnel and others have been getting ready for what's expected to be one of the most-watched trials of the year and the biggest in Seminole County history.

Mostly according to the Orlando Sentinel, they've tried to figure out how to prepare for the crush of people expected to descend on the 215,000-square-foot building once Zimmerman's second-degree-murder trial begins June 10.

County officials have strategized over how to make sure there's enough electricity, Wi-Fi and radio-frequency capacity for the multitudes about to descend on the $45 million building.

"It's a big deal," said Steve Hyvonen, news director at WKMG-Channel 6, who plans to have 15 staffers at the trial every day. "It's a very big deal."

And it's a challenge for the 9-year-old building, built by county officials who had no idea of the demands that would be placed on it because of a confrontation one rainy evening between Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer with a gun, and Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old high-school junior.

More than 200 journalists will be covering the trial, a spokeswoman for trial Judge Debra S. Nelson. The most visible sign will be the village of TV satellite trucks and temporary studios on the courthouse grounds.

CCU Buys Time On Debt

Clear Channel Communications, Inc. has announced the successful closing of its previously announced offer to amend CCU’s cash flow credit facility pursuant to which Term Loan B lenders and/or Term Loan C lenders agree to extend the maturity of a portion of their loans due 2016 through the creation of a new $5.0 billion Term Loan D facility due January 30, 2019.

Approximately $6.7 billion in aggregate principal amount of term loans was submitted for extension in the offer and, accordingly, the amount of each lender’s term loans that was accepted for extension was reduced by a proration factor of approximately 74.6808%.

Upon the closing of the offer, CCU’s cash flow credit facility consisted of an approximately $3.0 billion Term Loan B facility which matures on January 30, 2016, an approximately $198.2 million Term Loan C facility which matures on January 30, 2016 and a $5.0 billion Term Loan D facility which matures on January 30, 2019.

Report: Apple Inches Closer To iRadio Streaming

Apple is inching closer to a new streaming music service for iTunes, according to a story at wsj.com.

On Sunday, Apple inked a licensing deal with Warner Music Group for the rights to its recorded music and music publishing, agreeing to terms on the publishing side that other major music publishers have been seeking, according to people familiar with the matter.

Under the deal, Apple will give Warner Music Group's publishing arm 10% of ad revenue—more than twice what Internet radio giant Pandora Media Inc. —pays major music publishers. Warner's terms with Apple could pave the way for other major publishing deals to follow.

Apple has indicated to people involved in the negotiations that the service could be announced at its annual developers conference, which begins June 10 in San Francisco.

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FCC Clears FEMA EAS PSAs

With the recent severe weather and the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, FEMA and the Ad Council released a PSA video to reinforce the need for Americans to familiarize themselves with the look, sound and authenticity of real-time Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). While the PSAs intend to inform the public of what an alert sounds like, the PSA includes two bursts of the familiar EAS tone. Part 11.45 of the FCC prohibit using tones and codes for anything but an emergency or an authorized test. But the FCC has granted a temporary waiver for this campaign.

In PS Docket 07-287, the FCC grants a one-year waiver to allow the use of a simulated WEA Attention Signal for demonstration in a PSA. The waiver is in effect for one year until May 31, 2014, and stipulates that the simulated tones must not be used in a misleading way that would lead listeners/viewers to believe and actual emergency is happening.

The new English and Spanish PSAs are being distributed as part of Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 26 - June 1, 2013), an annual effort by FEMA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Hurricane Center to inform the public about hurricane hazards and provide knowledge which can be used to prepare and take action.

W.VA Radio: WCHS Talker Suspended Following DUI

Mike Agnello

Charleston police arrested WCHS radio talk show host Michael Agnello early Sunday morning on charges of drunk driving.  Agnello was picked up at about 12:30 am.

Charleston Police Deputy Chief Jason Beckett says a unit on DUI patrol stopped Agnello after they spotted him swerving in traffic.    Beckett says Agnello recorded a .194 on the breathalyzer, twice the legal limit. He was taken to the South Central Regional Jail.

Agnello, who hosts a nighttime talk show on WCHS 580 AM, has been taken off the air following his arrest.  “We have suspended him without pay pending the outcome of the investigation,” said station General Manager Mike Buxser.

It’s the second time Agnello has been charged with DUI. He was also arrested in 2009.  Additionally, Agnello was charged in 2010 with domestic battery, an arrest that led to his firing.  He was later rehired by the station.

“We believe in second chances,” Buxser said.  “However, this latest arrest is a serious matter and we will take appropriate action when all the facts are in.”

Akron Radio: WNIR Talkers Chat With "Neighbors"

John “Couchburner” Denning was near the end of his Friday talk-radio shift at WNIR and he was in no mood to let a caller rant about labor relations at an area company.

“I absolutely hate unions, I’m sorry,” Denning said during his 10am to 3pm shift..

The guys at WNIR 100.1-FM will tell you that listening to their talk-radio format is like chatting over the fence to a neighbor, reports Akron's Beacon-Journal.

John Denning

They do it for fun and profit.

The laughs come easily and few topics are too serious for making fun.

But there is an edge.

When late-afternoon 3p-7p host Bob Golic discusses the 2012 attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, he doesn’t hesitate to call President Barack Obama a liar.

When midday talker Denning refers to the lawyers representing the man accused of bombing the Boston Marathon, he calls them “bleeding-heart liberals.”

When the news summary included an item about homosexuality, Denning facetiously claimed to be a lesbian and the newsman adopted a falsetto voice.

Denning and Golic start their shifts with monologues offering talking points, but the callers turn the conversations wherever they want.

Bob Golic

Most of those issues are in the news but Denning and Golic don’t want to be called journalists and don’t want to be held to the same standards of civility expected from more serious television and radio shows.

“We use techniques to be entertaining, yes,” said Bill Klaus, chief executive officer and station manager. “We use sarcasm. We are satirical like Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart. We use entertaining ways, humor and exaggeration to elicit a response to point out something. Sometimes extreme exaggeration sheds light on an argument.”

The humor is similar to The Daily Show, but the presentation is different.

Stewart labels his show “Fake News” but the WNIR hosts say they do their best to get the facts right. Denning and Golic keep a laptop computer nearby for reference. Denning often shakes a newspaper near the microphone so readers know the source of the story he is citing.

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Charlotte Radio: Summer Camp Started Career For Greg Wood

Woody & Wilcox

It was on a stage at summer camp that Gregg “Woody” Wood found his calling.

The Charlotte Observer reports Wood, who co-hosts the popular Woody and Wilcox morning drive-time radio show on WEND-FM “The End”106.5, first attended Camp Fox the summer after seventh grade. Camp Fox is a YMCA summer camp for kids ages 13-17 on Catalina Island, off the southern California coast.

His mom thought a week at sleep-away camp would be good for him, so Wood reluctantly packed up and was none too thrilled to discover that the camp was sing-your-heart-out music intensive.

“Not so easy when you’re 13 and trying to be cool,” he recalls.

Quickly, he realized that “all the cool people were clapping and singing” and that one of the best parts of the day was at dusk, when the 300-some campers and counselors gathered nightly to sing and perform skits for each other.

When the time came for his camp acting debut, he had the honor of delivering the skit’s punch line. The crowd erupted in laughter.

“It was a thrill,” Wood, 41, recalled during a recent interview in the Clear Channel studios. “I thought, ‘I’d love to feel this every day.’ ”

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