FNC's Chris Wallace to Donald Trump: Get Off the Phone

Chris Wallace

Donald Trump obviously loves the spotlight, and that means he's been happy to do news show interviews about his presidential run. But he doesn't like having to go to studios to do them, and instead has been doing most of his interviews on the phone.

In the past week, he did phoners on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Fox & Friends on Fox News Channel, and four of the Sunday morning news shows -- all of them by phone.

But Politico reports that Chris Wallace, who hosts Fox News Sunday, has been adamant that he won't allow any phone interviews with Trump.

He explained yesterday (August 13th) on Fox News Radio: "The idea you would do a phoner with a presidential candidate where they have all the control and you have none, where you can't see them and they may have talking points in from of them... we are not a call-in radio show, we are a Sunday talk show and he is a presidential candidate, you do an interview on camera."

Wallace has repeatedly tried to book Trump to do an in-person interview, but has come up empty.

However, Trump is doing an in-person interview with NBC's Meet the Press, taping it with host Chuck Todd this Saturday to be aired the following day.

Philly Radio: WIP Adds Two To Join Josh Innes

CBS Radio has confirmed former Eagles defensive lineman Hollis Thomas and station program director Spike Eskin will join Josh Innes as co-hosts on Sportsradio WIP 94.1 FM's afternoon drive shift, according to Philadelphia Business Journal.

Thomas and Eskin emerged as frontrunners last week after the station auditioned several candidates.
The source said the station decided to mimic the ensemble format it has used for its morning show, led by Angelo Cataldi, Al Morganti, Rhea Hughes and a cast of several part-time contributors.

The station liked the idea of adding a former Eagle to the mix, pointing to the success Ike Reese has had with partner Michael Barkann in the midday shift. Eskin will now man the shift that his father, Howard Eskin, occupied for more than two decades on the station.

Josh Innes

He will continue to serve as WIP’s program director.

The show will switch from five to four hours (2 p.m. to 6 p.m.), with Barkann and Reese now airing from 10 p.m. to 2 p.m. And despite now having three hosts, the afternoon program will now be known as The Josh Innes Show — a nod to the fact that CBS officials clearly see Innes as a future star who could succeed its biggest money maker, Cataldi, when he retires at the end of his current contract as has been rumored.

Jon Runyan

Thomas and Eskin will succeed Tony Bruno, who retired unexpectedly from full-time radio last month after a little more than five months of ratings success that saw he and Innes overtake rival Mike Missanelli of 97.5 The Fanatic. Post-WIP, Bruno is focused on his podcast.

Meanwhile, philly.com reports WIP has landed Eagles legend Jon Runyan to bolster its on-air football coverage just as the season looms.

Sources say that former Congressman and ex-Eagles legend Jon Runyan will join WIP as an on-air personality. His first spot will be on Friday morning as part of the WIP Morning Show with Angelo Cataldi.

Runyan was among the finalists considered for the drive-time co-hosting spot alongside Josh Innes, and was well-liked by listeners and WIP management during his co-hosting stints.

MD Radio: WBOC-TV To Acquire WOLC FM

WBOC, which began serving the Delmarva Peninsula 75 years ago as WBOC-AM radio, is returning to it roots with the acquisition of non-com Religious WOLC 102.5 FM from Maranatha, Inc. The purchase of the radio station, which is presently based out of Princess Anne, Md., was announced Thursday by WBOC-TV16 Vice President & General Manager Craig Jahelka.

"We are humbled by the trust people on Delmarva put in us every day," Jahelka said. "We're dedicated to providing the best news, weather, information and entertainment available. With the addition of 102.5 FM we will be able to serve our audience and advertisers anytime and anywhere on Delmarva, even when they're in their vehicles, on a boat or operating a combine."

WBOC-AM, originally owned by Peninsula Broadcasting, signed on the air 75 years ago on Sept. 13, 1940, and expanded to television in July 1954. In 1980, current owner Thomas H. Draper, CEO & president of Draper Holdings, purchased the stations. Acquiring WOLC is also a return to radio for him.

WOLC 102.5 FM (50 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

“My start in broadcasting began in 1967 at WTHD in Milford,” Draper said. “I’ve come full circle with the addition of WOLC. The 50,000-watt signal can be heard across much of Delmarva and is a perfect fit for our family and our company.”

Jahelka said WBOC has retained the services of a firm that specializes in radio programming. He said that while no decision has been made yet on a format for 102.5, "I can promise the station will reflect the WBOC brand, serving our family, friends and neighbors here on the peninsula.”

Waco Radio: iHM's KBGO Wins Spring '15 Ratings

iHeartMedia's  Classic Hits KBGO 95.7 FM continued its winning ratings ways, leading the spring Nielsen Audio ratings book with a 10.6 share among listeners ages 12 and older.

Regional Mexican station KWOW 104.1 FM La Ley enjoying a ratings bounce into third place behind country WACO 99.9 FM, second with a 9.7 share.

KBGO programming director Dewayne Wells attributed his station’s showing to a veteran staff and community involvement.

“We’re very thankful for that,” he said

Zach Owens, iHeartMedia regional programming director and co-host with Jim Cody of WACO’s morning show, said iHeartMedia stations hit their demographic targets — men ages 18 to 34 for KRBQ, women ages 18 to 34 for KWTX-FM, for instance — while longtime market leader WACO still headed Waco’s country stations.

“It’s a tough country battle, but we’re still the No. 1 country,” he said.

Columbia SC Radio: Q93.5 Racks Up Awards

Alpha Media Columbia, SC had a very eventful week taking home prestigious awards from both the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, and Morning Show Bootcamp.

At the SCBA’s Annual Ceremony, David Reed took home the Star Award for Production, Koko took home the Star Award for Public Service Announcement, and Brendan Croghan took both the Merit Award for Personality of the Year, and the Star Award for Radio Show of the Year!

Brendan Croghan

Brendan Croghan’s whirlwind of a week continued with a trip to Chicago for Morning Show Boot Camp where he also won the Rising Star of the Year Award from ReelWorld.

Alpha Media VP of Programming, Phil Becker commented on the announcement, “Brendan is another example of the type of team members that our company is dedicated to working with. Often times we talk about our focus on recruiting and retaining superstars and Brendan is proof of that very thing.”

“You never really think about the awards when you are putting in the work for the show. It is always about the passion for live and local radio and the strong bond you have with your listeners in the community, but it has been a great experience to be recognized by our peers in the industry,” remarked Brendan.

WARQ 93.5 FM (2.8 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

Top40 WARQ 93.5 FM PD Greg Pitt added, “We are so proud of all that Croghan has accomplished, and thrilled that he has been recognized for his talent, work ethic and character. He is the consummate team player and we couldn’t be happier for him.”

Groups Challenge FCC Over Phone Rules

The two trade associations representing the nation’s largest marketing, media and opinion research firms, filed briefs Thursday to intervene in the court challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s new mobile telephone rules, according to katyonthehill.com.

In the motion filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C.Ccircuit, the Marketing Research Association and the Council of American Survey Research Organizations, argue that the FCC’s rules go too far and raises the level of risk for the research industry especially since more than 60 percent of households are now mostly or only reachable via mobile phone.

The FCC updates to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act issued in July give consumers more control over who gets to call their cell phone numbers, but it also broadens the definition of autodialers used by research firms to conduct surveys and market research. The rules make no exceptions for caller intent.

The two groups also seek relief from a growing number of class action litigation suits over reassigned cell phone numbers. Under the FCC’s rules, research firms would be allowed to make only one call to a number that has been reassigned.

MRA and CASRO members include hundreds of marketing and opinion research firms including Nielsen, Gallup, NPD Group, Kantar, as well as colleges, universities and companies such as Eli Lilly.

L-A Radio: KXOS Owner Sued By Former Employees

Radio station operator Grupo Radio Centro LA LLC has been hit with a wrongful termination lawsuit, removed Tuesday to California federal court, by two former employees who say they were fired after they reported suspected Nielsen ratings fraud and after they uncovered that the station was employing unauthorized immigrants.

The suit, originally filed last month in a state court, alleges that the company, whose parent company is based in Mexico City, subjected the employees to a hostile work environment.

Ricardo Sanchez

The lawsuit was filed by former GM Sean O'Neill and office manager Rosa Ambriz against Grupo Radio and morning personality Ricardo "El Mandril" Sanchez as well as 50 unnamed "Does" alleging that they were fired after blowing the whistle on ratings fraud, payola/plugola, and employment of undocumented workers at Regional Mexican KXOS 93.9 FM in Los Angeles. Click Here for additional posting.

O'Neill and Ambriz allege that the defendants took retaliatory and adverse actions against them and subjected them to "ongoing hostility in the work environment... (and) intolerable working conditions, obstructing other economic and career opportunities for Plaintiffs, engaging in a campaign of character assassination against (O'Neill)... and making demeaning remarks and defamatory statements" about him, and wrongfully terminating O'Neill.

DC Radio: Andi McDaniel New Content Director At WAMU-FM

Andi McDaniel

Non-Com WAMU 88.5 FM has announced the appointment of Andi McDaniel as senior director of content and news.

Andi was previously with Twin Cities Public Television, where she was director of content strategy and innovation. She will manage WAMU 88.5’s content and news teams and lead the station’s transformation to a multiplatform news organization with a culture of best practices in public media journalism.

Andi quickly rose to the top of the WAMU search committee’s list because of her extensive experience in innovation.

A graduate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and an experienced journalist and storyteller, Andi has a background that spans traditional and emerging media. She’s been on the ground in Nicaragua, has covered U.S./Mexico border deaths and produced daily features in San Francisco. Her work as a public radio reporter in Alaska, TV news reporter for CBS, and freelance writer and multimedia producer.

WAMU 88.5 FM (50 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

Jay Leno Slams Media Over Cosby Coverage

Jay Leno, appearing Thursday at the Television Critics Association confab in Beverly Hills to promote his new CNBC show, Jay Leno's Garage, made fun of Trump, the GOP presidential frontrunner of the moment, and rival Jeb Bush, comparing them to "the tortoise and the bad hair."

USAToday reports afterwards, he fielded reporters' questions about fellow comedian Cosby, the former TV titan now felled by accusations that he drugged and sexually assaulted nearly 50 women in episodes dating back decades. Cosby has denied the allegations and has not been charged with a crime.

Leno has said before he believes the Cosby accusers. On Thursday, he went further and criticized the media coverage, comparing it unfavorably to the coverage of the Catholic Church's clerical pedophilia scandal.

"Fifty women come forward and (the media) calls them liars, and says, 'Oh, you waited 40 years.' Men waited 50 years to say that a priest touched them and got $7 million. How can we believe them and not the women? It seems terribly sexist to me," Leno said. "It seems unfair and I'm surprised no one has made that analogy."

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NBC Extends Jimmy Fallon Contract

NBC has given a six-year contract extension to Jimmy Fallon, keeping him as host of “The Tonight Show” through the fall of 2021.

NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt announced the deal Thursday morning as part of the network’s Television Critics Assn. press tour presentation.

“We have locked him in as host of ‘The Tonight Show’ for six more years,” Greenblatt said. He praised the work that Fallon has done since taking over the show in February 2014. He also had kind words for Seth Meyers and the adjustment he made this week to the opening segment of “Late Night” — shifting from a traditional stand-up monologue delivery to a desk-based segment that looks more like the “Weekend Update” bit that Meyers anchored for years on “Saturday Night Live.”

Sun Broadcast Group Again Named "Fastest Growing"

For the second year in a row Inc. Magazine announced that Sun Broadcast Group has been named one of the fastest growing companies in America. Sun also received recognition as the fastest growing company in the broadcast radio industry and the 11th fastest growing company in all of media.

The Inc. 5000 list, released today, ranks the country’s fastest-growing private companies according to percentage of revenue growth over three years. During the period measured to receive this year’s honor, Sun’s revenue jumped more 629%. In that time the company is also proud to have added 18 full time positions between its New York City and Boca Raton offices.

Jason Bailey

“When we were given the honor of making the Inc. Magazine list in 2014 you could have knocked me over with a feather.” said Sun Broadcast Group CEO, Jason Bailey.

“Making the list for a second year and being in the top 20% among some of the most incredibly innovative companies in this country is absolutely mind blowing. I’m so proud of the incredible team here at Sun and so thankful to the clients, producers and agency partners who have supported us over the last seven years. The journey has been a mighty one but we always have and will continue to do it our way for the better of our partnerships and for this incredibly industry. Onward!”

The team from Sun will be recognized at The Inc. 5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony held later this year in Orlando, FL. Click here for complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria.