February 12 In Radio History

In 1924…"The Eveready Hour," paid for by the National Carbon Company which at the time owned Eveready Battery, became radio's first commercially sponsored network program. It originated from WEAF (later to be WNBC and now WFAN) in New York City and was hosted for many years by the banjo-playing vocalist Wendell Hall.

In 1940…"The Adventures of Superman," with Bud Collyer in the title role, began its 11-year run on radio as a syndicated show on New York City's WOR. It became a network show on Mutual in August 1942 as a 15-minute serial airing three to five times a week.

St. John, Age 18

In ????...New York City Radio Personality, Pat St. John, was born. Most notably known for his airwork on WPLJ-FM.

St. John is one of the U.S.'s preeminent and longest serving radio personalities and voice-over artists.

Known as The Dee-Jay’s DJ, he began his radio career on Windsor, Ontario's CKLW 800 AM in 1969 and '70, followed by WKNR 1300 AM in late 1970 to early '72, followed by WRIF 101.1 FM to April 1973.



Pat is best known for his work in the New York City market on WPLJ, WNEW-FM, WAXQ and WCBS FM where he is currently on the air every Sunday from 11AM to 3PM.



He can also be heard on several Sirius XM Radio channels, including 60s on 6 afternoon.  Pat has done extensive television voiceover work, including announcing for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve from 2000 to 2010.

St. John is known for his conversational on-air style with interspersed bits of music trivia, along with "Collectible Cuts" from his extensive record library. Pat has been called a "walking encyclopedia" when it comes to his knowledge of music.

Over the years Pat has had the opportunity to interview all his heroes, from Little Richard to The Beatles, from Eric Clapton to The Rolling Stones, from B.B. King, Freddie King and Buddy Guy to those who he has become friends with like Bob Seger, Leon Russell, and Johnnie Johnson ("Father of Rock'n'Roll" who played piano on almost all of Chuck Berry's recordings and in fact hired Chuck Berry to join his band).

In 1949...there was panic in Quito, Ecuador, after the radio program "War of the Worlds", aired.



In 1964...The Beatles concert at Carnegie Hall with WMCA 570 AM Good Guys. The late promoter Sid Bernstein speaks about Brian Epstein , The Beatles , their first trip to America in 1964 and Carnegie Hall

In 1999...Baseball broadcaster Jimmy Dudley, play-by-play voice of the Cleveland Indians for nearly two decades and the lead announcer for the short-lived Seattle Pilots in 1969, died at age 89. 

NYC Radio: Emmis To Acquire WBLS-FM And WLIB-AM

Emmis Communications Corporation has reached an agreement with YMF Media to purchase urban adult contemporary WBLS 107.5 FM, the No. 2 radio station in New York, and its sister station, WLIB 1190 AM, NY’s first African-American targeted station offering an urban gospel format, for $131 million in cash.  WLIB transmits with 10kw-Day, 30kw-Night.

Emmis, which already owns WQHT, HOT 97 in New York, will nearly double the company’s annual station operating income through this acquisition.

“Today’s announcement is indicative of our belief in the US radio industry and our desire to increase our footprint in the nation’s largest market,” said Jeff Smulyan, President & CEO of Emmis Communications. “Emmis has deep ties to the New York African-American community, and it is with great pride we take the helm of these iconic stations.”

WBLS 107.5 FM (4.2kw) 54dBu Coverage

The purchase price will be paid in two installments.

The first payment of approximately $55 million will occur promptly after the initial grant of the FCC’s consent to assignment of the stations’ FCC licenses, expected to be in the summer of 2014.  The second payment of approximately $76 million will occur in February 2015.  Emmis will finance the acquisition through a new senior credit facility and plans to access the institutional loan market in the coming months.  Emmis expects its senior secured debt-to-EBITDA leverage ratio (calculated in accordance with the Company’s existing credit agreement) to remain below 5x following the acquisition.

The acquisition is subject to the expiration or earlier termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act of 1976, a standard anti-trust review.  Emmis and YMF will request early termination of the waiting period, which could allow the company to begin programming the stations under a Local Programming and Marketing Agreement (LMA) on or around March 1.  The monthly LMA fee will be $1.275 million until the first purchase price payment.  Thereafter, the monthly LMA fee will be reduced to $0.74 million and will continue until the second closing.

During calendar 2013, WBLS and WLIB reported approximately $31.9 million of net revenues and approximately $16.5 million of station operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, resulting in approximately $15.4 million of station operating income.  In addition, Emmis expects to realize approximately $3 million of annual expense savings by combining these stations with HOT 97 in New York.  Pro forma for these expected cost savings, the purchase price of $131 million represents a buyer’s multiple of 7.1x the stations’ calendar 2013 station operating income.

The WBLS/WLIB operations and studios have been co-located with HOT 97 since 2012, and more than 40% of their employees are Emmis alumni.

Deon Levingston, CEO of YMF Media and General Manager of WBLS/WLIB, will become GM of Emmis’ New York cluster when the LMA commences. Levingston previously worked for Emmis in various management roles.

Moelis & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor to YMF Media in connection with the transaction. Edinger Associates PLLC served as counsel to Emmis and Greenberg Traurig, LLP served as counsel to YMF on the transaction.

R.I.P.: Shirley Temple (April 23, 1928--February 10, 2014)

Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple Black, who rose to fame as arguably the most popular child star in Hollywood history, died late Monday night, her publicist said.

She was 85.

She also served as  U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. She also served as Chief of Protocol of the United States, 1976–1977.

Temple began her film career in 1932 at the age of three and, in 1934, found international fame in Bright Eyes, a feature film designed specifically for her talents. She received a special Juvenile Academy Award in February 1935 for her outstanding contribution as a juvenile performer to motion pictures during 1934, and film hits such as Curly Top and Heidi followed year after year during the mid-to-late 1930s.

Licensed merchandise that capitalized on her wholesome image included dolls, dishes, and clothing.

Her box office popularity waned as she reached adolescence, and she left the film industry in her teens. She appeared in a few films of varying quality in her mid-to-late teens, and retired completely from films in 1950 at the age of 22. She was the top box-office draw four years in a row (1935–38) in a Motion Picture Herald poll.


Temple returned to show business in 1958 with a two-season television anthology series of fairy tale adaptations. She made guest appearances on television shows in the early 1960s and filmed a sitcom pilot that was never released. She sat on the boards of corporations and organizations including The Walt Disney Company, Del Monte Foods, and the National Wildlife Federation. In 1988, she published her autobiography, Child Star. Temple was the recipient of awards and honors including Kennedy Center Honors and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

Temple ranks 18th on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female American screen legends of all time.

Olympics Strike Ratings Gold Sunday Night

Sunday evening was the type of TV ratings event that industry executives might point to to justify big investments in live programming and expensive scripted content.

The Winter Olympics on NBC drew 26.3 million viewers while a tribute to the Beatles brought just under 14 million viewers to CBS, New York Times reports.

Downton Abbey on PBS held near steady with 6.7 million viewers. Variety and Ad Week, meanwhile, examine the continued success of “The Walking Dead,” which drew a whopping 15.8 million viewers during its fourth season premiere Sunday.

Orlando Radio: CBS Radio Rebrands WJHM As AMP Radio

Today at 10:19AM, ET in Orlando, CBS Radio’s WJHM-FM continued its evolution as a contemporary music station by introducing its new name 101.9 AMP RADIO.  The station will continue to feature “All the Hits” from today’s popular artists including Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Rihanna, One Direction, Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars, and Katy Perry, among others.

The pop station had previously been known as 102 JAMZ.

“This is the next step to better strengthen our brand as a pop music station,” says Bobby Smith, Program Director of the All New 101.9 AMP RADIO.  “Exciting energy and the pulse of today’s pop music is what drives 101.9, and with our new AMP RADIO branding we’ve positioned ourselves to more closely reflect those traits.  We are thrilled about the station’s transformation and know listeners will be, too.”

WJHM 101.9 FM (90kw) 60dBu Coverage

LISTEN-LINE: Click Here.

Added Dave Robbins, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, CBS RADIO Orlando, “WJHM has always been a highly attractive format for young adult listeners looking to discover new music.  This latest development will increase the station’s already powerful reach with advertisers and listeners on air, online and through our mobile platforms.”

Entercom Reports 4Q Net Revenue Fell 2 Percent

Entercom Communications Corp. today reported financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2013.

David Field

David J. Field, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated: “Entercom’s fourth quarter revenues declined 2% while revenues excluding political advertising posted a 2% increase. 2014 began on a solid note with January revenues up moderately over the prior year. We are optimistic about 2014 performance based on improving sales capabilities and execution, strong ratings and meaningful local growth opportunities.”

Entercom is one of the largest radio broadcasting companies in the United States, with a nationwide portfolio of over 100 stations in 23 markets, including San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Denver, Portland, Sacramento and Kansas City.

Glenn Beck Rips NBC For 'Pivotal Experiment' Comment

Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck on Monday ripped into NBC’s coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympics, saying it may as well consider itself a “communist network” at this point, according to Beck's website TheBlaze.

Beck referred to NBC’s coverage of the opening ceremonies, in which a narrator described communism as a “pivotal experiment” while speaking of the “towering presence” of an “empire that ascended to affirm a colossal footprint.” The narrator also described the “collective heart” of the people that have “resisted any notion of limitation.”

“I didn’t realize that killing 50 million people was a ‘pivotal experiment,’” Beck said in a withering tone. “Bless their collective heart … can you imagine saying that about fascism? That was a pivotal experiment, wasn’t it? You know, ‘Here we are in Berlin, where this was the home of a pivotal experiment.’ No, it was called fascism. Killed millions of people.”

Beck added that the people had a “collective heart” because they “had a gun to their head.”

Beck said he understands that NBC has millions of dollars invested in its coverage of the Olympic Games, but that the network should focus on praising the people and the athletes, not Russia’s history. The Russians can take care of glorifying themselves, he said.


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CBS Radio Names Max Krasny VP Sales/Strategic Alliances

Max Krasny

CBS Radio, one of the largest major-market broadcast media operators in the United States, producing original audio and video, live events and exclusive programming broadcast via on-air, online and mobile platforms, today announced Max Krasny as Vice President, Sales and Strategic Alliances, Altitude Group.  Based in Los Angeles, he will represent the division’s local engagement expertise to Fortune 500 clients, working to create distinctive marketing campaigns and promotions.

Krasny reports to the executive leadership of the Altitude Group, Rich Lobel, Executive Vice President and CMO, and Sue McNamara, Senior Vice President, Sales.  The Altitude Group is tasked with helping brands connect with consumers using CBS RADIO stations, along with CBS Television Stations and their digital properties, as well as CBS’s outdoor assets.

“Max is a seasoned pro who brings a marketing acumen to a client’s business, and knows how to deliver creative excellence that makes brands stand out and get noticed,” said Lobel.  “No one has a better portfolio of local assets under one roof than CBS including: radio, television, out of home, live events, websites, mobile and social apps.”

Added McNamara, “The things we are able to do with our vast array of multi-media platforms are only limited by our imaginations, and with Max based on the West Coast to lead our sales efforts the possibilities are endless.”

Krasny most recently was Executive Vice President/GM, Strategic Partnerships and Western Sales for WestwoodOne programs and alliances including the GRAMMYs, ACM’s, and Live Nation.  He spent close to 20 years at WestwoodOne in a variety of roles, spearheading content, affiliate sales and ad-sales divisions.

He started his career in local radio in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles where he worked on a number of hit shows such as “Ferrall on the Bench” and “Loveline.”

Chairman Tom Wheeler: FCC Will Preserve Net Neutrality

Tom Wheeler (Daily Camera)

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler on Monday reasserted that his agency has the authority to preserve the open Internet and will take active steps to do so, according to
dailycamera.com.

But on the eve of his 100th day as FCC chief, Wheeler stopped a few steps shy of fully disclosing his agency's plan of action following a recent landmark court ruling affecting open Internet laws.

Wheeler on Monday delivered the closing keynote speech at a two-day telecommunications law conference hosted by the University of Colorado's Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship.

The speech came just weeks after a federal appeals court struck down portions of the FCC's net neutrality provisions that were aimed at equal treatment of Internet traffic.

Wheeler said Monday that the judges' ruling supports the FCC's ability to govern and protect the open Internet.

"The preservation of an open Internet is within the FCC's authority," Wheeler said.

Wheeler asserted that the FCC needs to be nimble as it approaches regulating a dynamic and constantly evolving broadband landscape.

"(The new circumstances of the Internet and broadband) demand that we must act anew," Wheeler said, referencing a quote from President Abraham Lincoln. "We can't just kick the can down the road. We have an obligation to act now."

Wheeler also indicated that path might include case-by-case enforcement, reiterating a position made at the end of January.

"We will act when the record warrants and the public interest demands," he said.

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Pittman Sez Mobile Could Triple Out Of Home Usage

Bob Pittman

Clear Channel Entertainment CEO Bob Pittman, speaking Monday at IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting in Palm Desert, said that radio has been able to leverage its undiminshed strength with digital providing a new channel and new listeners for the medium, according to localonliner.com.

Pittman noted that “digital was the obvious way to go” for reinforcing Clear Channel’s value when he took the company’s helm a few years ago. “My entire career since the early 1970s has been about trying to find new ways to connect to the home,” he said. But now we have reversed it,” with the latest trends –driven by mobile — about doubling or even tripling out of home usage.

While digital is a great enabler, it is still not the centerpiece of marketing, Pittman stressed. “You want a product strategy.” With Clear Channel, his team has built out “I Heart Radio” with an annual, in person concert that leverages the comapny’s relationships with on air talent and musical artists. The concert is now the anchor of the company’s marketing, and has helped raise awareness of the digital channel to 70 percent (along with what Pittman described as millions of dollars worth of on-air advertising).

Nielsen Sez Digital Blurring Media Definitions

The number of digital devices and platforms available to today’s consumers has exploded in recent years. As a result, Nielsen reports today’s consumer is more connected than ever, with more access to and deeper engagement with content and brands. And these changes are contributing to the media revolution and blurring traditional media definitions.

Americans now own four digital devices on average, and the average U.S. consumer spends 60 hours a week consuming content across devices. And a majority of U.S. households now own high-definition televisions (HDTVs), Internet-connected computers and smartphones. In addition to more devices, consumers also have more choices for how and when they access content.

As a result, consumption habits are changing. According to Nielsen, the rapid adoption of a second screen has transformed the traditional TV viewing experience, with consumers using smartphones and tablets in ways that are natural extensions of the programming they watch. And social media usage is now standard practice in our daily lives—almost half (47%) of smartphone owners visit social networks every day.

It has never been a more important time to know how consumers are behaving than in today’s fast evolving digital environment. These trends in digital technology are propelling consumers’ new multiscreen, constantly connected lifestyles.

Read Full Report: Click Here

The Nielsen report found:

• That young adults can’t put their smartphones down even when they go potty. About 40 percent of those aged 18-24, twice the national average, use social media in the bathroom.
• An eye-popping 84 percent are using another device — a smartphone or tablet — when they watch TV.
• In a huge boost for Netflix, the report found 38 percent of US consumers subscribe, or use, the streaming service; 23 percent of those said they watch it on a smartphone outside the home, up from 11 percent the year before.
• As a nation we spend a stunning 2¹/₂ days a week, or 60 hours, consuming media content across all devices.
• Bad news for advertisers trying to reach viewers with perishable offers: We’re watching almost 3 hours less live TV a month, even though TV remains the most-watched screen.
•  Time spent watching TV via DVRs or On Demand services rose by 1 hour, 42 minutes, while video viewing via the Web rose by 43 minutes.
• The shifts have sent the value of content watched live much higher, particularly sports content.
•  In a bit of good news for iTunes, smartphone users spent almost 10 hours more per month using apps and browsing the Web than last year.
• Most social-media sites have seen their PC audiences sink, with the exception of LinkedIn, Nielsen finds. LinkedIn saw a 37 percent jump in its unique audience to 39 million.
• Facebook and its Instagram unit dominated social media in terms of unique audience on smartphones, Nielsen found. The two social-media brands had a unique app-based audience of 144 million combined.
• Facebook grew 39 percent, while Instagram jumped 79 percent.
• Twitter, the next-closest competitor, grew by a much smaller percentage, Nielsen found. It increased by 38 percent, to 31 million.
•  Americans spent 7 hours, 43 minutes a month on Facebook checking out baby photos, remembering dead relatives and photographing their meals, according to the report.
• They spent 3 hours on Twitter, doing such things as sharing complaints about bad service