AMAs: One Direction Sweeps Top Honors

One Direction (REUTERS/MARIO ANZUONI)

(Reuters) -- British boy band One Direction swept the top honors at Sunday's American Music Awards, while a sorrowful tribute to the victims of the attacks in Paris lent a somber note to a night of otherwise vibrant performances.

One Direction was named artist of the year for a second consecutive year, and also won the best pop/rock album for a third consecutive year, with the album "Made In The A.M."

"It's absolutely incredible to receive this award two years in a row. It's a testament to how incredible our fans are," band member Louis Tomlinson said.

Actor-musician Jared Leto made a moving tribute to the 130 victims of the deadly Nov. 13 attacks across Paris, specifically the 89 who died at the Bataclan concert hall, where he said he and his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, had performed "a beautiful, peaceful" show earlier this year.

"Tonight we honor victims of the unimaginable violence that took place in Paris and around the world," he said. "France matters, Russia matters, Syria matters, Mali matters, the Middle East matters, the United States matters, the entire world matters and peace is possible."


French-Canadian singer Celine Dion sang Edith Piaf's classic French ode "La Vie en Rose" in memory of those lost.

And The Winners Are:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Luke Bryan
Ariana Grande
Maroon 5
Nicki Minaj
One Direction -- WINNER
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor
The Weeknd

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Fetty Wap
Sam Hunt -- WINNER
Tove Lo
Walk The Moon
The Weeknd

SONG OF THE YEAR
Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth “See You Again”
Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!”
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”
Taylor Swift “Blank Space” -- WINNER
The Weeknd “Can’t Feel My Face”

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth “See You Again”
Rihanna & Kanye West Featuring Paul McCartney “FourFiveSeconds”
Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!”
Skrillex & Diplo Featuring Justin Bieber “Where Are Ü Now” -- WINNER
Taylor Swift Featuring Kendrick Lamar “Bad Blood”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Nick Jonas
Ed Sheeran -- WINNER
Sam Smith

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Ariana Grande -- WINNER
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor

FAVORITE DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
Maroon 5
One Direction -- WINNER
Walk The Moon

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
Ed Sheeran x
Sam Smith In The Lonely Hour
Taylor Swift 1989 -- WINNER

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan -- WINNER
Sam Hunt

Carrie Underwood (REUTERS/MARIO ANZUONI)

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Carrie Underwood -- WINNER

FAVORITE DUO or GROUP - COUNTRY
Zac Brown Band
Florida Georgia Line -- WINNER
Little Big Town

FAVORITE ALBUM - COUNTRY
Jason Aldean Old Boots, New Dirt
Florida Georgia Line Anything Goes -- WINNER
Sam Hunt Montevallo

FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Drake
Fetty Wap
Nicki Minaj -- WINNER

FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
J. Cole 2014 Forest Hills Drive
Drake If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
Nicki Minaj The Pinkprint -- WINNER

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
The Weeknd -- WINNER

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Beyoncé
Mary J.  Blige
Rihanna -- WINNER

FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown X
D’Angelo and The Vanguard Black Messiah
The Weeknd Beauty Behind the Madness -- WINNER

Fallout Boy (REUTERS/DAVID MCNEW)

FAVORITE ARTIST - ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Fall Out Boy -- WINNER
Hozier
Walk The Moon

FAVORITE ARTIST - ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift -- WINNER
Meghan Trainor

FAVORITE ARTIST - LATIN
Enrique Iglesias -- WINNER
Ricky Martin
Romeo Santos

FAVORITE ARTIST - CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Casting Crowns -- WINNER
Hillsong United
MercyMe

FAVORITE ARTIST - ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
Calvin Harris -- WINNER
David Guetta
Zedd

TOP SOUNDTRACK
Fifty Shades of Grey
Empire: Original Soundtrack from Season 1
Pitch Perfect 2 -- WINNER

Key winners on the night included Taylor Swift, who went into the night with a leading six nominations and won three awards but did not attend the event.

Nicki Minaj won two awards in the rap/hip hop categories, The Weeknd won two soul/R&B awards, Florida Georgia Line won two country music awards and country artist Sam Hunt was named best new artist.

Unlike the irreverent antics of MTV's Video Music Awards and the industry prestige of the Grammy Awards, the fan-voted AMAs offer up the year's most popular music acts, with a spotlight on performances.

"Star Wars" veteran Harrison Ford introduced five-piece a cappella group Pentatonix, who put their vocals to John Williams' iconic "Star Wars" score, along with a full orchestra on stage. The performance comes ahead of next month's highly-anticipated new "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" film.

Show host Jennifer Lopez danced through a high-octane medley of this year's top pop songs, saying: "Tonight is about the music, and this year's music makes me want to dance."

One of the biggest talking points came courtesy of Meghan Trainor and Charlie Puth, who took audiences by surprise with a steamy kiss after their duet "Marvin Gaye."

Selena Gomez performed a sultry rendition of her latest hit "Same Old Love," country star Carrie Underwood belted her romantic ballad "Heartbeat" and Ariana Grande got the crowd dancing with her upbeat hit "Focus." Justin Bieber sang and danced through a medley of his hits, ending with a shower of rain on stage.

The Weeknd set the stage on real fire for his performance of "The Hills," while Coldplay brought out dancing monkeys on a psychedelic stage for "Adventure of a Lifetime," and Walk The Moon started a dance party with their hit "Shut Up And Dance."

(Editing by Peter Cooney and Mary Milliken)



Tweets by @TheAMAs

Indy Radio: Top40 WZPL Climbs To The Top

In just one year, WZPL 99.5 FM  has raced from ninth to first in the Indianapolis radio market among listeners age 6 and older, which prompted the Indianapolis Business Journal to take a closer look.

In September and October, the Top 40 station earned an 8.7 share, which represents the percentage of radio listeners tuning in. In doing so, the station has opened a considerable margin over its closest competitor—soft rock WYXB 105.7 FM—which scored a 7.3 share in each of the last two months, according to New York-based The Nielsen Co.

For WZPL, the numbers are the highest since the spring of 1992.

“We’re on an incredible run,” said the station’s operations manager, JR Ammons.

WZPL has seen its year-over-year share grow 3.4 points, from 5.3 in October 2014, while many other stations have been fairly flat or, in some cases, on the decline.

As strong as WZPL is overall, it’s even stronger with its primary target audience: women. In certain time slots, nearly one in four women ages 18 to 34 who are listening to radio are tuned to WZPL, according to Nielsen. In the 18-to-49 segment, the station is nearly as strong.

The numbers are significant for revenue.

Among women age 25 to 54—one of the most sought-after segments for ad buyers—WZPL has held the No. 1 spot for seven consecutive months, according to Nielsen.

But WZPL isn’t just for women. The Pennsylvania-based Entercom Communications-owned station has been No. 1 with all listeners age 25 to 54 for four consecutive months, according to Nielsen.

WZPL 99.5 FM (19 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

The foundation for the station’s ratings growth was laid in January, Ammons said, when WZPL commissioned a market study. The station received the results in late February and started making programming changes in early March.

“There had been a lot of changes in the market and we wanted to get the lay of the land,” he said. “We wanted to tell the future before it happened.”

In March, WZPL shuffled a couple of on-air personalities and leaned toward music by Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy and Demi Lovato and away from electronic dance music and hip-hop.

The market research also told WZPL officials how much their listeners liked the station’s community events—including Jingle Jam, coming up next month.

Read More Now

Report: FCC Proposes Millions In Fines, Collects $0

The FCC has yet to collect more than $100 million in fines it's announced against companies in the past two years, sparking criticism from members of Congress who say the agency is chasing headlines without following through on enforcement.

Among the outstanding cash: about $100 million in penalties proposed in 2013 against nearly a dozen companies accused of defrauding the FCC's Lifeline low-income phone subsidy program, as well $35 million against a Chinese company for allegedly selling illegal wireless jamming equipment in June 2014, according to a Politico review of agency records.

While the FCC says it's scored important consumer protection wins even without the collection of some penalties, its frequent press releases about enforcement actions — with collection of fines lagging far behind — have irked key lawmakers who oversee the agency. The issue is gathering more attention this year, as FCC officials have unveiled new high-profile actions like a $100 million proposed fine against AT&T in June for slowing down the wireless connections of some unlimited data plan holders.

The FCC enforcement process has never been quick. After the FCC proposes a fine, companies have around 30 days to either pay or challenge it. The fine isn't officially due until the FCC completes its investigation — a process that can take years. Even after that review is complete, the FCC has to rely on the Justice Department to collect the money if a company doesn't agree to pay.

The FCC would not comment on the outstanding Lifeline cases, saying it can't talk about ongoing proceedings. But a spokesperson said the practice of issuing proposed fines — technically called notices of apparent liability, or NALs — is a major tool to protect consumers, even if companies don’t ultimately pay a full penalty.

Read More Now

Fox News Snags Rush Limbaugh for Rare Interview

Appearing on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, talk radio host Rush Limbaugh believes that the Grand Old Party may to be the arch nemesis of President Barack Obama:

During a rare TV interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace on Sunday, he declared that:

“Barack Obama’s number one enemy is the Republican party and the conservative movement. 

You see he gets animated, he doesn’t need cue cards, he doesn’t need teleprompters when starts ripping into them…”

Limbaugh then compared that to how Obama handles ISIS or Iran, calling his behavior “cautious” and “precise,” in order to avoid offending them.

The popular talk radio host also criticized Obama’s “lack of a strategy” against ISIS with Wallace, telling the “Fox News Sunday” host that the President’s dealings with the international terrorist group are “inept and incompetent and nonexistent.”

Report: Late Show Is Propaganda Tool

NY Post Composite Graphic

After an initial burst of interest spurred by CBS’s big-bucks saturation advertising campaign for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the show’s ratings have tanked and it is now running third in late night behind NBC’s Jimmy Fallon and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel, who rarely has managed second place before.

The reason? According to The NY Post, a survey by the Hollywood Reporter found that conservative viewers are turning off Colbert in droves. Nearly twice as many Republicans are watching Kimmel as Colbert, who has turned “Late Night” into a sort of wannabe MSNBC show.

The pattern is familiar: When a Democrat is the guest, Colbert is Barbara Walters. When a Republican is on, he turns into Tim Russert.

Ratings show that 47% of Colbert’s viewers identify as Democrats, 17% as Republicans. Kimmel’s audience is evenly split — 33% Democrats, 32% Republicans, while Fallon’s is nearly so (36% Democrats, 31% Republicans).

“Colbert Nation is filled with wealthy, socially liberal men who overwhelmingly support legalizing marijuana and want Bernie Sanders to be president,” pollster Jon Penn explained to The Hollywood Reporter. Some 30% of Colbert viewers report that they are atheists, which is the No. 1 “religion category” choice for “Late Show” viewers.

Except in the first week of November, Kimmel not only beat the “Late Show” in total audience, he also beat him in the key 18-49 age group. Colbert isn’t targeting a demo; he’s pandering to a niche.

EODM Band Members Talk About Paris Attack

(Reuters) -- The California rock band that was playing in Paris on the night of the Nov. 13 attacks survived the massacre at their concert, but others died seeking shelter in a dressing room, the group’s lead singer said in an interview with international news channel Vice.

Jesse Hughes of the band Eagles of Death Metal spoke to Vice in an interview that airs on its website next week. A 30-second excerpt was posted on Saturday. It was the first time a member of the band had spoken about the shootings, Vice said.



Bombings and shootings carried out by Islamic State militants in Paris killed 130 people, including 89 who were attending the U.S. band's performance at the Bataclan concert hall.

“Several people hid in our dressing room and the killers were able to get in and killed every one of them – except for a kid who was hiding under my leather jacket,” Hughes said in the interview, as the band’s co-founder, Josh Homme, sat next to him.

“People were playing dead and they were so scared,” Hughes said, his voice quavering. “A great reason why so many were killed is because so many people wouldn’t leave their friends. So many people put themselves in front of people.”

In a statement on its Facebook page earlier this week, the band said those killed that night included Nick Alexander, its merchandising manager, and three record company “comrades” of the band: Thomas Ayad, Marie Mosser and Manu Perez.

The band, which also goes by the acronym EODM, was on stage at the Bataclan when gunmen opened fire with automatic rifles.

Bangor Radio: WVOM-FM Morning Host George Hale Honored

Ric Tyler and George Hall

When former WABI-TV of Bangor sportscaster and WABI radio morning show host George Hale began his broadcasting career over 60 years ago, he never gave any thought to winning awards.

George Hale

“I didn’t go out looking for those things,” he said.

But, according to Bangor Daily News,  awards found him, including the prestigious Gold Circle Honoree that he received from the New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Thursday night.

The Gold and Circle Awards honors veteran television professionals who have made noteworthy contributions to their community, the television industry and to individuals for careers in the field of television. The Gold Circle Award is for 50 years of service in the industry.

“You’re always happy when people recognize you. And when it comes from within the industry, it’s nice. I appreciate it very much. It was a fun night,” Hale said Friday.

WVOM 103.9 FM (90 Kw) Red=Local Coverage

The 83-year-old Hale, co-host of the “George Hale Ric Tyler Show” on WVOM 103.9 FM in Bangor, moved to New York City in fourth grade after spending his previous time in Florida, said he developed his interest in broadcasting at age 6.

“My family made me a microphone, and I would go outside and describe traffic jams, ambulances going by along with birds and a few other stupid creatures,” said Hale.

He tried to break into the broadcasting business in New York, but it was overcrowded, so friends suggested he look for a TV/radio gig in another town.

“I found that they had a new TV station in Bangor,” he said.

That was 1956.

He began as the morning newsman on radio with one day a week on television.

He remained a morning disc jockey and eventually became the TV sports anchor. He also added play-by-play man to his resume.

R.I.P.: TV Game Host, WABC DJ Jim Perry

Jim Perry

Jim Perry, best known as the host of game shows "Card Sharks" and "$ale of the Century," died Friday in Oregon following a five-year battle with cancer, surrounded by his wife and children.

He was 82, according to Reuters.

The Camden, N.J., was a star basketball player while growing up and was nicknamed "Big Jim" at 6-foot-4. He attend the University of Pennsylvania and joined the Special Services, where he worked on Armed Forces Radio during the Korean War.

After his time in the service, Perry teamed with comedian Sid Ceasar, touring as a pair for several years. He served as host of the Miss Canada Pageant, which he emceed from 1967 until 1990; he was the announcer on 1969's syndicated program "That Show" starring Joan Rivers; and from 1969 to 1972, he was a weekend overnight DJ at WABC 770 AM in New York (Aircheck). Johnny Donovan replaced Jim Perry on July 9, 1972.

In 1974, Perry became the host of the CTV game show "Headline Hunters," then began hosting the networks series "Definition," which went on to become the longest-running game show in Canadian television history.

Perry's first major American network hosting job came in 1967 with "It's Your Move." He began hosting NBC's "Card Sharks" in 1978 until 1981. In 1982, NBC named Perry as the host of revamped edition of the beloved series "$ale of the Century," which aired for six years and was spun off into a nightly syndicated version, which saw Perry doing double duty as the host of both shows.

R.I.P.: Longtime WCCO Radio Personality Charlie Boone

WCCO 830 AM has announced Charlie Boone, whose 37-year partnership with Roger Erickson produced one of radio’s most popular teams in the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and 90’s died Sunday after a brief illness.

Charlie Boone

He was 88-years-of-age.

Boone & Erickson arrived at WCCO AM-Minneapolis the same year – 1959 – and hosted their own programs featuring music and information. Erickson’s afternoon show aired just before Boone’s and when the two began to chat and share jokes a legendary radio team was born. Erickson retired in 1998 while Boone continued hosting a Saturday morning show until 2010.

Boone began his radio career in Wadena, Minnesota and later worked at stations in Colorado Springs and Fargo before coming to WCCO AM in 1959.

His career highlights:

• Was WCCO’s first ‘disc jockey’, playing records on his show instead of introducing a live orchestra.
• His show, “Boone in the Afternoon” followed Roger Erickson’s program each day and the two began chatting and sharing jokes on each other’s shows.
• 1961: The “Boone & Erickson” show was born. Featured were skits poking fun at politicians, giving comic treatment to current events and parodying old radio shows (the most popular of which was “Minnesota Hospital” billed as “the best place to get sick in”.) In addition “B & E” interviewed countless dignitaries and celebrities.
• 1998: Roger Erickson retires after his 37-year partnership with Charlie Boone
• Charlie continues to host a Saturday morning radio show until December 2010, completing a 51-year career at WCCO.

According to WCCO, Boone was the scheduled emcee for an appearance by Buddy Holly in Moorhead and was waiting at the airport when he learned the rock legend was killed in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa on February 3rd, 1959. Needing a replacement act, Charlie enlisted a local band – The Shadows – headed by 15 year-old Bobby Velline, thus helping launch the career of ’60s star Bobby Vee.

Boone was a master of voices whose dialects ranging from a New York cop to a bellicose southern senator provided the color for countless comedy routines with Erickson. The two often parodied old radio shows, the most popular of which was “Minnesota Hospital” touted as “the best place to get sick in.”

R.I.P.: OK Station Owner William H. Payne

William Payne

William H. Payne, who owned nine radio stations in eastern Oklahoma, including one in Muskogee, died in Tulsa.

He was 76, according to the Muskogee Phoenix.

Payne owned and operated nine radio stations in eastern Oklahoma: KTFX 101.7 FM Warner/Muskogee, KTNT 102.5 FM Eufaula, KITX K95.5 FM Hugo, KTLQ 1350 AM and KEOK 102.1 FM Tahlequah, KQIK 105.9 FM Haileyville, KSTQ 93.5 FM Stuart, and KYOA 93.5 FM Kiowa.

Payne graduated from Oklahoma City University with a degree in electronic engineering. He had been on the radio since 1953 and was a pioneer in FM broadcasting in Oklahoma in 1963, owning one of three FM stations on the air.

Payne began broadcasting live on June 28, 1962, at age 22 from a one-car garage in Edmond. In addition to being the owner, manager, and engineer of his station, KWHP-FM, Payne sold advertising and announced play-by-play sports.

November 23 Radio History

In 1887...Boris Karloff was born William Henry Pratt in London.

In a 50 year acting career highlighted by four Frankenstein films, he found time to make an impact in horror radio & TV productions.  He is still heard today as the narrator of the annual TV cartoon favorite, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

He died at age 81 Feb 2, 1969 from emphysema.

For his contribution to film and television, Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1737 Vine Street for motion pictures, and 6664 Hollywood Boulevard for television.

In 1889…In San Francisco, the Palais Royal Hotel installed the first coin-operated machine that, by about 1940, was known as a "jukebox." In the beginning it was a crude slot-machine apparatus connected to an Edison phonograph which, upon receiving a coin, unlocked the mechanism, allowing the listener to turn a crank that simultaneously wound the spring motor and placed the reproducer's stylus in the starting groove. This was before the time of vacuum tubes, so there was no amplification. The music was heard via one of four listening tubes. Despite its then-high price of a nickel a song, the new contraption took in $1000 in its first six months of operation.

John Dehner

In 1915...actor John Dehner was born in Staten Island NY.

After starting as a Disney animator & radio deejay, he started playing heavies in films & on radio shows such as Gunsmoke, Suspense, Escape and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar.  He starred in The Hermit’s Cave and Frontier Gentleman on radio, and was Palladin in CBS Radio’s Have Gun Will Travel.  TV series credits include Young Maverick, How the West was Won, Temperatures Rising, the Doris Day Show & the Don Knotts Show.

He died of emphysema & diabetes Feb 4 1992 at age 76.

In 1938…Bob Hope and Shirley Ross recorded his future theme song, "Thanks For The Memory," for the soundtrack of the motion picture "The Big Broadcast of 1938."

Also on this date in 1996,  Hope set a record for the longest continuous contract in the history of radio and television when his last TV special aired. Hope had been with N-B-C for 60 years.

In 1959…Alan Freed was dismissed from his daily television show, "The Big Beat," over allegations that he accepted money to play certain records. Freed denied any wrongdoing.

In 1962…The Beatles did a ten-minute audition for BBC Television at St. James' Church Hall in London. Four days later, Brian Epstein received a polite rejection letter from the BBC. They eventually made it on the BBC in 1963.

In 1964…The Rolling Stones were late arriving for the BBC radio shows, "Top Gear" and "Saturday Club" and as a result were banned by the BBC for "unprofessionalism."

In 1967…San Francisco disc jockey Tom Donahue, inventor of "classic rock" and "deep cut" radio, told Rolling Stone magazine, "Top Forty radio, as we know it today and have known it for the last ten years, is dead, and its rotting corpse is stinking up the airwaves."


In 1992...country music legend Roy Acuff died of heart failure at age 89.

Considered the most influential figure in the history of country music, Acuff rose to fame in the 1930’s when radio was more important than records, so his chart hits were relatively few. But he made country standards of songs like “The Wabash Cannonball,” “The Great Speckle Bird,” “Fireball Mail” and “Night Train to Memphis.”

In 1993….FCC makes C-QUAM AM stereo standard.  WBZ-AM Boston playing Christmas music on Christmas Eve 1993 in C-Quam AM Stereo. This was recorded via skyway 480 miles from Boston in Lockport, NY, near Buffalo.

In 2004…pioneering sports radio talk show host Pete Franklin died at age 76. Franklin's stops included Cleveland and New York with his last job at KNBR, San Francisco.