Boston Radio: Mike Thomas Departure Creates WBZ-FM Opening

Beasley Media Group is looking for the Bill Belichick of Sports Radio! WBZ 98.5 FM The Sports Hub is looking for the next superstar Program Director to continue the winning legacy at America’s premiere sports station.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a seasoned programmer looking to make a mark in the big leagues with one of the country’s leading brands! WBZ-FM serves as the official broadcast home of the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics and NE Revolution.

Veteran PD Mike Thomas, who has successfully led the station’s programming efforts over the past decade, has decided to leave and accept a new position in Chicago in an effort to be closer to his family and fulfill a career goal of becoming a Market Manager. He will continue to remain as a consultant to the station and actively participate in the search process.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision. This radio station is a once in a career station, with a once in a career staff,” said Thomas. “I would like to thank Caroline and Brian Beasley and the entire corporate team for everything. Locally, Mary Menna, Cadillac Jack and Buzz Knight have been fantastic to work with! I also want to thank every single Sports Hub employee for 10 years of winning! I know our relationships won’t end here.”

“It has been a privilege and a pleasure working closely with Mike over the past couple of years,” said Beasley Media Group Boston Vice President and Market Manager Mary Menna. “He is a true talent who has built an amazing, iconic brand. I wish our time together was longer, but wish him every happiness as he starts his Midwest adventure.”

“I want to thank Mike for the instrumental part he has played in leading our award-winning brand throughout its first decade, and wish him continued success in his next chapter,” said Beasley Media Group Director of Programming, Cadillac Jack. “They’re big shoes to fill, and we look forward to meeting a lot of great talent in the process as the coming days and weeks unfold.”

If you have what it takes to lead a winning team and build upon the foundation that’s been laid at America’s premiere award winning sports station, we want to hear from you! Please send your resume package to dreamjob@bbgi.com.

Greensboro Radio: J T Bosch Promoted To SVP/Programming

J T Bosch

iHeartMedia announced today that JT Bosch has been named Senior VP/Programming for the Greensboro market, October 14. 

As Senior Vice President of Programming, Bosch will oversee all on-air content as well as music and digital programming operations for iHeartMedia Greensboro’s stations. In addition, Bosch will also serve as Program Director for Rock brand, WVBZ 105.7 MAN UP!

He will report to Kellie Holeman, Market President for iHeartMedia Greensboro and Chadwick, “A.J.” Hausknecht, Region Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Virginia-Carolina region.

“JT’s unique insight on the market, coupled with his extensive programming background and creativity makes him a key addition to our team,” said Holeman. “We’re thrilled to have him join us.”

“We are extremely pleased to have JT join the iHeartMedia Greensboro programming team,” said A.J. “He’s got the vision and passion to lead our market and I’m confident that he will make a strong impact – ensuring that the Greensboro market continues to excel.”

Bosch has over 20 years of radio industry experience and has been a valued team member of iHeartMedia since March 2001. He most recently served as the assistant program director, music director and afternoon show host for WKAT 96.9 The Kat in Charlotte. Prior to his time in Charlotte, JT served as assistant program director, music director and on-air talent for Country WMZQ 98.7 FM in Washington D.C. He also served as the vice president of programming for iHeartMedia Austin as well as regional program manager for iHeartMedia Harrisburg. He began his career at WUPE in Pittsfield, Mass. and is a graduate of New School of Contemporary Radio.

“The opportunity to lead our programming efforts in Greensboro is so incredible,” said Bosch. “We are ushering in a new era and I’m honored to be a part of it. Thanks to the entire iHeartMedia senior leadership team for their continued support.”

S-F Radio: USFDons To Air On KTCT 1050

University of San Francisco Athletics and Cumulus San Francisco’s sports talk radio powerhouse KNBR 1050 The Sports Leader (KTCT-AM) have announced a multi-year agreement making the San Francisco-based all-sports station the new radio flagship of USF Dons Men’s Basketball. 

KNBR 1050 will carry all games plus pregame and postgame shows on one of the region’s strongest radio signals, and will stream all broadcasts via KNBR.com and the KNBR app.

“We are proud and excited about this new relationship and we look forward to taking USF Athletics to new heights with this very strong radio and digital partner. KNBR is truly “The Sports Leader” within the Northern California footprint and now all Don’s Fans will be able to have strong access to our games ” said Joan McDermott, Director of Athletics, University of San Francisco.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this partnership between two energized brands,” said Jeremiah Crowe, Program Director of KNBR 104.5-FM, 680-AM & KNBR 1050-AM. “The Dons are a perfect fit for KNBR 1050’s expanding lineup and their game day experience is second-to-none across the market. We look forward to bringing that experience to the local airwaves and our loyal listeners starting November 5th.”

The on-air broadcast team will include longtime voice of Dons Men’s Basketball Pat Olson. Olson has served as the play-by-play voice of USF men’s basketball since the 1990-1991 Season, calling over 800 games spanning three decades. He also is the lead voice for USF’s women’s volleyball and takes on assignments with the Dons’ soccer and baseball programs, as well. No stranger to Bay Area sports fans, Olson has been involved in sports media for over 25 years and served as sports director at KNBR 680-AM in San Francisco from 1993-2001.

NYC Radio: Lay-Offs At WBAI, Local Programs Eliminated

Non-com WBAI 99.5 FM Monday cease all local promgramming. Listener-supported Pacifica Foundation abruptly fired 12 members of the WBAI staff and replaced its local programming with shows drawn from Pacifica’s four other stations.

Berthold Reimers, WBAI’s general manager, told producers in an email on Monday morning: “There is a show on the air now that I do not recognize. This means your shows are no longer on WBAI.” Mr. Reimers declined to comment.

Pacifica leaders said that the decision to shut down WBAI’s operations in New York had been in the works for months, and that it was an essential step to save the larger foundation from ruin.

WBAI had fallen short of its fund-raising goals in recent years and was unable to make payroll and other expenses, forcing the larger Pacifica Foundation network to bail it out.

WBAI and Pacifica had been under strain for years. Pacifica has not released any financial statements since 2017, when its auditor cited doubts that the organization could continue as a going concern.

The foundation faced possible bankruptcy after a New York State court ordered it in 2017 to pay $1.8 million in rent and other fees to a trust affiliated with the Empire State Building, where WBAI transmitted its signal.

Last year, Pacifica settled with the trust after obtaining a loan from FJC, a nonprofit lender. Pacifica apparently had been meeting its obligations under the loan agreement. However, Sam Marks, the chief executive of FJC, declined to comment for The NYTimes.

WBAI, founded in 1960, was a leader in the free-form radio movement, and has had a history of extraordinary moments in broadcasting. Bob Dylan made early appearances on the station, and in the 1970s WBAI was cited by the Federal Communications Commission for indecency for running George Carlin’s routine on seven “filthy words,” a decision upheld by the Supreme Court.

As WBAI’s audience has dwindled, its finances have grown shaky.

Cumulus' Mary Berner To Received Gracie Leadership Award

Cumulus Media announces that Mary Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cumulus Media Inc., will be honored by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation with a 2019 Gracies Leadership Award. 

Mary Berner

The Gracies Leadership Awards are presented annually to women executives who have made a significant impact on the media industry, while also spurring to action and emboldening other female leaders. The award will be presented to Berner and five other female media executives at the Gracies Leadership Awards luncheon at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on Thursday, November 21, 2019.

“The Alliance for Women in Media is proud to showcase female executives for their extraordinary accomplishments and deep contributions across the media landscape,” said Becky Brooks, Executive Director, Alliance for Women in Media Foundation. “The Gracies Leadership Awards are one way AWM recognizes and connects women who serve in all areas of the media and entertainment industry. By honoring these outstanding women, including Mary Berner, we are empowering all women, at every level, to take that next step in elevating their careers and their contributions.” 

For decades, the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation has bestowed the coveted Gracie Award on producers, directors, actors and writers for extraordinary work created by, for and about women. The Gracies are named for iconic comedienne Gracie Allen, who was also a brilliant and visionary business leader and a pioneer of radio and television. The Gracie Leadership Award spotlights the media industry’s business leaders, from founders and owner to C-suite executives. The Gracies recognize all individuals who work to bring the very best in programming to millions of people around the world.

Upper MI Radio: Armada Media to Acquire Eight Stations

Armada Media Partners, based in Fond du Lac, Wis., has announced the purchase of Sovereign Communications radio stations based in Marquette and Iron Mountain.

Armada Media Partners currently owns and operates two Upper Peninsula radio stations: Bay Cities Radio, a five station group based in Marinette and Menominee, and Radio Results Network, a 10 station group based in Marquette, Escanaba and Manistique.

The stations in the Marquette area included in the transaction are: 92.3 WJPD, 94.1 WUPK, 1320 AM WDMJ, 1240AM WIAN and 99.5 WNGE. Stations in Iron Mountain include: WIMK 93.1, WMIQ AM 1450 & 94.3 WZNL. The additional eight radio stations will be operated under the Radio Results Network umbrella.

“We are extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished in the past ten years with these great radio stations,” says Sovereign Communication President and Owner Bill Curtis. “The opportunity to allow these stations to be transitioned to a new ownership group like Armada Media was too perfect to pass up. We remain committed to Sault Ste. Marie, Newberry and the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. That will not change.”

“We are excited to be able to expand our coverage even further as the premier media company in Central Upper Michigan. Sovereign Communications has a tremendous group of radio station with a long heritage of serving the local community,” says Radio Results Network General Manager Jesse Huff. “We plan to continue what has made us successful in the past…and that is providing local news, sports, weather, and personalities that live, work and love the U.P. This now gives us 23 radio stations in the Central U.P. that are each committed to great local radio and serving as a resource for the communities in which we serve. We now have even more resources and opportunities to offer our listeners and advertisers.”

Huff will continue to lead operations for Armada Media and Radio Results Network’s original 10 stations along with the newly acquired 8 radio stations.

SiriusXM Radio: J T Brick To Host New Show

Sports Talk personality JT The Brick (aka John Tournour) will host a new show on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio channel, airing five nights a week (Sundays 11pm-2am, Monday-Thursday, 11pm-3am) starting October 8.

J T Brick

"Brick at Night with JT The Brick" will broadcast live from Las Vegas and feature JT's brand of fast-paced, high energy sports talk covering the hottest sports topics of the day.

"I'm excited to be part of the best lineup in sports radio," said Tournour. "I have wanted to work with this great group of people for a long time. Special thanks to SiriusXM for this opportunity. Being on SiriusXM means we'll be reaching more fans than ever, and I can't wait."

"JT is a super talented sports radio personality with the unique voice and strong and informed takes that sports fans love," added SiriusXM Senior VP/Sports Programming Steve Cohen. "We're very excited to expand his role on Mad Dog Sports Radio and give our listeners great sports talk late into the night coast to coast."

In addition to his work on SiriusXM, Tournour hosts "The Game Plan" podcast for the Oakland Raiders, and has been a part of the Oakland Raiders broadcast team since 1998.

Nielsen Shows Audience Growth Well After 7 Days

In another indication of changing viewing habits, shows are capturing viewers up to five weeks after they air, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Most of a given show's audience comes in the first three days after it airs. Even in a world of 500 scripted shows, most viewers get to a show within 72 hours.

Numbers back that up: In 2018-19, broadcast series collected more than 90 percent of their seven-day viewer totals within the first three days. After that, the audience tails off — but, data from Nielsen shows, it doesn't stop. The Peak TV era has shown that series can leave a ratings footprint more than a month after it airs.

Nielsen measures viewing out to 35 days — five weeks — after a show's initial airdate. Those additional four weeks don't bring huge ratings bumps the way three- and seven-day figures can; they do, in fact, continue to move the needle.

The effect is more pronounced among adults 18-49, the demographic group advertisers pay a premium to reach, than it is among viewers as a whole. Per Nielsen, primetime dramas in the fourth quarter of 2018 rose 60 percent among adults 18-49 after 35 days, and comedies grew by 36 percent. In both cases, those gains outpaced the total-viewer lifts, which were 45 percent for dramas and 23 percent for comedies.

THR also compared seven-day and 35-day viewer averages for 20 high-performing shows from January to August 2019. On average, those shows brought in almost 1 million more viewers in days 8-35, a gain of just over 9 percent from where they stood after a week.

NBCUniversal Shuffles Suits

Matt Strauss

NBCUniversal has tapped Matt Strauss, a longtime executive at Comcast Corp., to oversee its upcoming streaming service, called Peacock.

Strauss was named chairman of Peacock on Monday as part of a management shakeup at NBCUniversal’s television studios, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.  Strauss was most recently executive vice president of Xfinity services for Comcast, where he oversaw the cable giant’s video, internet, home, and voice businesses.

Peacock is set to launch in April with 15,000 hours of content. Unlike ad-free Netflix, Peacock will be supported by advertising, with an ad-free version available for a fee that has not yet been disclosed.

NBCUniversal, owned by Comcast, is a late entrant into the streaming business, which has been dominated by companies such as Netflix and Hulu.

Peacock was developed under Bonnie Hammer, who will now head NBCUniversal Content Studios, a newly created part of the company that will house its television studios. Hammer and Strauss will both report to Steve Burke, NBCUniversal’s CEO, the company said.

Strauss was one of the “pioneers of video-on-demand” and helped launch X1, Comcast’s video platform, its voice remote, and cloud DVR, among other services, according to NBCUniversal. He was also an architect of Xfinity Flex, a Roku-like streaming box that aggregates streaming services and is free for Comcast’s internet-only customers. Strauss joined Comcast’s senior management team in 2004.

Bonnie Hammer

The company also announced that George Cheeks, Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment, will become Vice Chairman of NBCUniversal Content Studios, reporting to Hammer. He will also continue to oversee late-night programming for NBC. Pearlena Igbokwe and Dawn Olmstead will continue in their roles as head of Universal Television and Universal Content Productions respectively, jointly reporting to Hammer and Cheeks.

Paul Telegdy will become the sole Chairman of NBC Entertainment, reporting to Jeff Shell, Chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment. Telegdy will also continue to oversee syndication and Universal Television Alternative Studio.

Mark Lazarus continues as Chairman of NBCUniversal Broadcast, Cable, Sports and News, overseeing the cable entertainment networks, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, the owned-and-operated local stations, and affiliate relations.

Apple Looking To Bundle Services

Apple is in early discussions with record labels about bundling Apple Music and Apple TV+ as part of a "super-bundle of media content" for one flat monthly rate, according to a report from the Financial Times.

While some record labels are said to be open to the idea, the report claims at least one big label has voiced concerns, adding that the industry is growing more wary about its relationship with Apple. In particular, the report claims record labels are worried that the bundle would lead to lost revenue.

The report adds that the two sides have not yet discussed a pricing formula, so it is unclear what Apple would charge for its Apple Music and Apple TV+ bundle. It is also unclear if the bundle would extend to Apple's other subscription-based offerings like Apple News+, Apple Arcade, AppleCare+, and iCloud storage.

Apple Music costs $9.99 per month for individuals in the United States, with a $4.99 tier for students. Apple TV+ will cost $4.99 per month, with a free one-year subscription available to customers who purchase any iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, or Mac as of September 10 and later.

The total cost of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+, and Apple Arcade rounds to $30 per month.

Apple TV+ launches November 1.

China State TV Boots NBA..For Now

Chinese state-run television network CCTV said it was suspending the current broadcast arrangements for the NBA’s preseason games in China, reports CNBC.

Tencent, which owns the digital streaming rights for NBA in China, said it would also “temporarily suspend” the preseason broadcast arrangements.

It follows a tweet made by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey in which he showed support for the anti-government protests in Hong Kong. The tweet, which was later deleted, drew strong criticism in the world’s second-largest economy.

The suspension underscores the difficulty American companies face when they want to do business within China’s massive economy, but can’t run the risk of saying anything that will upset the country’s autocratic government.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver defended Morey.

“I think as a values-based organization that I want to make it clear ... that Daryl Morey is supported in terms of his ability to exercise his freedom of expression,” Silver said in an interview with Kyodo News in Tokyo Japan.

CCTV did not agree with Silver’s remarks.

It’s unclear if this suspension will last into the regular season.


Tencent has been the digital media partner of the NBA in China since 2009. The two sides just announced an extension of their deal to the 2024-2025 season, that’s reportedly worth $1.5 billion.