Twitter Says COO Adam Bain To EXIT

Adam Bain

(Reuters) -- Twitter Inc said on Wednesday that Chief Operating Officer Adam Bain, widely credited with building a robust advertising business at the company even as it struggled with user growth, is leaving to explore other opportunities.

"Mr. Bain will remain at Twitter in the coming weeks to assist with the transition of the chief operating officer role," the company said.

The move is a blow for struggling Twitter, which has hired bankers to field acquisition offers but has seen a dearth of potential bidders. The company said last month it would cut 9 percent of its global workforce to keep costs down.

Twitter shares were down 4.3 percent in after-hours trading.

Bain will be replaced by Chief Financial Officer Anthony Noto, the company said, adding it would begin a search for a new CFO.

Noto, who became the finance chief in 2014, will continue to manage the live content business as well as Twitter's global advertising sales, data and mobile ad exchange MoPub.

Bain joined Twitter in 2010 when it had almost no revenue and built an advertising sales machine that generated some $2.2 billion last year. A popular executive who was once considered a possible chief executive for the company, Bain was named COO in October last year.

"I think Adam Bain is the most competent person at Twitter," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. "The one part of the business that actually worked was the part he works on, which is advertising."

In announcing his departure on Twitter, Bain heaped praise on CEO Jack Dorsey and added: "I'm excited to take w me everything I've experienced at Twitter & do something totally different and new outside the company. Stay tuned!"

Twitter has assumed a central role in public conversations around the world and U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump made it a centerpiece of his controversial election campaign.

But the company has struggled to make the service appealing to a broad audience and has been unable to address problems with abuse and harassment on the platform, which unlike rival Facebook allows people to remain anonymous.

With user growth stagnant at a little over 300 million compared to 1.7 billion for Facebook, Twitter has seen its stock price plunge to below $18 from a peak of $69 in early 2014. The company went public at $26 in 2013.

Companies including Salesforce.com Inc, Walt Disney Co and Alphabet Inc considered an acquisition of Twitter earlier this year, sources said, but all three decided not to pursue a deal.

Twitter has long had turmoil in the executive suite and a number of executives have departed since Dorsey returned as permanent CEO last year.

Pachter said he believed the latest moves were part of Twitter's efforts to sell itself. Noto is highly regarded on Wall Street, he noted.

L-A Radio: Former KLVE Host Appeals Wrongful Termination Ruling

Sofia Soria

A former announcer with the Spanish-language radio station KLVE K-Love 107.5 FM Los Angeles claims her former employer, Univision Communications Inc. (Univision), wrongfully terminated her employment with the radio station, in spite of high ratings, for alleged tardiness, when in reality plaintiff Sofia Soria was battling a stomach tumor and required surgery, or so she alleged. Soria launched a California Wrongful Termination appeal, which was heard in early November.

According to calabornews.com, Soria alleges in court documents that doctors diagnosed her stomach tumor in late 2010, and following a year of doctor visits that resulted in multiple absences from her radio program, Soria claims to have informed her employer that she would require surgery. That conversation, the plaintiff alleges, occurred in late 2011. Not long after, in November of that year, Soria was terminated from her job after fifteen years with the station.

A wrongful termination lawsuit the plaintiff filed against her former employer in January, 2013 alleges that at the time of her firing, her radio program enjoyed consistently high ratings, for which she earned pay raises and bonuses, as well as positive performance reviews, or so her lawsuit claims.

A lower court found in favor of Univision. Soria appealed, and on November 3 a California appeals court heard arguments supporting the plaintiff’s suggestion that she was wrongfully terminated from her California radio job.

Univision had argued originally that Soria was never really disabled and had not requested accommodation or medical leave.

The defendant had also argued that the tumor turned out to be non-cancerous, and thus was not a threat to the plaintiff’s health. In the employer’s view, the plaintiff had missed numerous shifts without just cause and was terminated for frequent tardiness. Univision was granted summary judgment, prior to Soria’s appeal.

The California Wrongful Termination lawsuit is Sofia Soria v. Univision Radio Los Angeles Inc. et al., case number B263224, in the Court of Appeal of the State of California, Second Appellate District.

WO Adds KQRS Host Tom Barnard To Podcast Platform

Tom Barnard

Westwood One has announced new partnerships with Nashville Insider and Lifestyle personality Caroline Hobby and Twin Cities' KQRS 92.5 fm Morning Show host Tom Barnard, who have both joined the network’s Podcast & On-Demand platform via audioBoom. Westwood One provides exclusive ad sales representation for Hyper Caroline Hobby and The Tom Barnard Podcast. Advertisers will have access to endorsements, live reads, pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll advertisements.

Hyper Caroline Hobby is a fast paced, quick-witted, one-on-one rap session with the incredible celebrity talent pool that lives in Nashville, TN. Hobby, an original member of the Country trio Stealing Angels, features podcast guests who are movers and shakers, ranging from recording artists, entrepreneurs, and music industry execs to hit songwriters, fashionistas, and athletes. The podcast, which airs every Wednesday, features messages to motivate, empower, and encourage listeners to keep dreaming, show up, do the work, and make their mark.

Caroline Hobby

The Tom Barnard Podcast features local and national guests and is heavily focused on humor. Barnard, host of the #1 local morning show in the United States since 1986, created the podcast with the goal of doing a show with more creativity and flexibility than traditional radio. He hosts the podcast along with his wife Kathryn, daughter Alex, and son Andy. The Tom Barnard Podcast features guests and touches on everything from pop culture and music to politics, sports, and entertainment, all laced with Tom’s special brand of humor.

Suzanne Grimes, Westwood One’s President and EVP, Corporate Marketing for Cumulus, said, “Caroline and Tom are dynamite personalities who make people think and laugh as they engage in the conversation. Caroline is a doll – charismatic, clever and compelling - with the best dish from Nashville and the greatest guests from the world of Country music. And there’s a reason why Tom has one of the most successful radio programs in Twin Cities history. He’s smart, funny, and extremely entertaining. Caroline and Tom are two wonderful additions to our podcast platform and will bring great value to listeners and advertisers.”

Tom Barnard was born in Minnesota and raised on the north side of Minneapolis. He grew up with six brothers and sisters and was raised almost entirely by his mother. Tom has been in radio since 1971 and has been one of the most popular morning show hosts in America since 1986 on KQRS. In 2006 Tom won the Marconi Award for Large Market Personality of the Year. Tom made great connections in the music business while working for Capitol records, and was one of the top five voice-over talents in the U.S. (clients were: Gatorade, Nike, McDonald's and Home Depot and more). Tom is known for his sense of humor, candor and transparency on almost any subject.

Megyn Kelly Visits 'Live With Kelly'

Megyn Kelly

"Live with Kelly" picked a great day to have Fox News' Megyn Kelly on.

The Fox anchor co-hosted the morning talk show on Wednesday with Kelly Ripa, and the pair wasted no time jumping into the hot news of the day: Donald Trump being elected the 45th president of the United States.

"Straight from the frontlines," is how Ripa introduced Kelly before holding up the cover of several newspapers reporting the win.

According to CNNMoney, Ripa then asked the question on so many folks minds: "How do the pollsters get it so wrong?

"What they think so far is that there really was a hidden Trump vote," Kelly said. "Some people felt stigmatized about voting for Donald Trump and didn't want to tell the pollsters who they were voting for but they did want to go into the polling booth and do what they felt was right. It was a resounding victory, there's no question about it."

And for those disappointed or even fearful of a Trump presidency, Kelly had some words of advice: "Keep an open mind."

"My philosophy in hard times or anytime you feel sort of blue or threatened or scared is remember who you are," the journalist said. "What happens in the White House does not affect who you are, who your children are, what's most important to you in your life."

'The Simpsons' Foresaw A Trump Presidency Back In 2000

Don’t have a cow man, “The Simpsons” saw President Trump coming a long time ago.

In an unnervingly prescient episode of the iconic Fox show from March 19, 2000, Bart was transported to the future when Donald Trump’s presidency had just come to an end.

In the episode “Bart to the Future” from Season 11 of the show, a Native American oracle gives Bart visions of the future when he is an adult wearing flip flops, a Hawaiian shirt and sporting a pony tail.

According to Variety, it turns out that his sister Lisa has become “the first straight female president” who has inherited “quite a budget crunch from President Trump,” and Bart visits her at the White House.

Lisa’s aide, Secretary Milhouse Van Houten, explains that Trump has left the country “broke.”

Toronto Radio: Erin Davis To Retire From CHFI

Erin Davis

Longtime CHFI morning host Erin Davis announced Wednesday she was signing off the air after a nearly 28-year radio career.

According to The Star, Davis was joined in-studio by her husband Rob as she delivered a tearful on-air message to thank listeners and her “Rogers family.”

“Our hearts are full of sadness and gratitude, of hope and even of some excitement,” said Davis. “There are a lot of reasons to go and to stay and I want you to know the hardest part of leaving is not sharing every morning with you, the friends that I’ve never met and the many that I have, the people that have been so good, so very good to our little family over the years.”

Davis’ final show will take place Dec. 15.

She announced she would continue to be part of CHFI 981. FM in some capacity, although she wasn’t yet sure how.

After working morning show hours since she was 19, Davis, an Edmonton-native who joined CHFI in 1988 where she worked alongside then-co-host Don Daynard, said she was “excited too about sleeping in a little.”

Davis and her husband plan to move west to British Columbia where they have family, she wrote in a blog post on her website. In May 2015, Davis’ daughter Lauren died in her sleep at age 24, leaving behind a son, Colin, who had not yet turned one.

In her message to listeners, Davis expressed gratitude for “the endless kind of support that you’ve give to me and to Rob when we’ve needed it – and lately, we’ve needed it a lot.”

Triad Radio: Delilah Visits WMAG-FM

Premiere Networks host and 2016 Marconi Award winner Delilah recently visited affiliate WMAG 99.5 FM in Greensboro, N.C., as part of her latest Home Depot “Do-It-Herself Workshop.”

More than 300 fans were treated to a fun and informative girls night out at the home improvement superstore as Delilah shared stories and music, while teaching them how to build and decorate a wooden serving tray.

NYC Radio: Country Artist Cam Visits WNSH-FM

Country artist Cam stopped by the WNSH NASH FM 94.7 studios Wednesday in New York City to chat with host Shila Nathan after she performed on Live with Kelly in the morning.

Cam is currently on her Burning House Tour and will be performing at the Highline Ballroom tonight, November 10, in New York City.

IN Radio: Accused Facing April Trial In Death of Radio Personality

Matt Luecking

Trial for Donald S. Featherstone, accused in the Oct. 24 slaying of a Terre Haute radio personality, has been set for April 24, according to tribstar.com.

Featherstone appeared in a video hearing Wednesday before Vigo County Superior Court Division 6 Judge Michael Lewis, who appointed public defense attorneys Rowdy Williams and Michael Brewer to represent Featherstone, 47, who waived extradition from Illinois.

Featherstone is charged with murder, burglary and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury after Matt Luecking, a WFNB 92.7 FM DJ and a bank employee, was found dead Oct. 24 in his apartment. Featherstone is being held in the Vigo County Jail with no bond.

Other murder defendants are John Edward Collins and Kathleen E. Featherstone.

A fourth defendant, Benjamin Selig, 28, of Rockville, arrested on a charge of assisting a criminal after meeting up with Collins in Rockville and allegedly attempting to use Luecking's bank card, has a trial date of May 8.

Defendant Featherstone

Police affidavits filed in support of the case indicate the three murder defendants were involved in a break-in that led to Luecking's death, but it was Collins who actually struck Luecking in the head with a heavy object as Luecking slept.

Eric Michaels, program director for WFNB-FM, attended Wednesday's hearing for Donald Featherstone.

Michaels called Donald Featherstone "the last piece of the puzzle" who will "face the music, if you will, for our friend Matt Luecking who was so tragically taken from us."

Luecking was a "person who loved life, loved this community and did not deserve the cards that were dealt to him and the tragic way that he was taken from us," Michaels said.

Luecking, most recently of WFNB-FM 92.7, also worked at Terre Haute Savings Bank and owned his own music business, Showtime Music. He had previously worked at other radio stations in Terre Haute and in Indianapolis, as well as in Casey, Illinois.

November 10 Radio HIstory

In 1938...Radio star Kate Smith introduced Irving Berlin's 'God Bless America' to her CBS radio network audience. Smith was only 32 and already the undisputed Queen of Network Radio. Her variety hour on CBS had Thursday’s Top Ten for two years and in 1939 she would move to Friday and dominate the night’s ratings for the next four consecutive seasons.



"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song.

Irving Berlin wrote the song in 1918 while serving the U.S. Army at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York, but decided that it did not fit in a revue called Yip Yip Yaphank, so he set it aside.

In 1938, with the rise of Adolf Hitler, Berlin, who was Jewish and a first-generation Russian immigrant, felt it was time to revive it as a "peace song," and it was introduced on an Armistice Day broadcast in 1938, sung by Kate Smith on her radio show. Berlin had made some minor changes; by this time, "to the right" might have been considered a call to the political right, so he substituted "through the night" instead. He also provided an introduction that is now rarely heard but which Smith always used: "While the storm clouds gather far across the sea / Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free / Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, / As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer." (In her first broadcast of the song, Kate Smith sang "that we're far from there" rather than "for a land so fair".)


In 1950...a radio comedy series The Magnificent Montague starring Monty Woolley debuted on NBC. It may rank as radio’s last original sitcom. Ironically, its final airing was exactly one year later, as TV continued to steal the radio audience.


In 1951…Mayor M. Leslie Denning of Englewood, New Jersey called his counterpart in Alameda, California, to mark the beginning of direct-dial, coast-to-coast U.S. telephone service.


In 1956...Billboard magazine's DJ survey reveals that Elvis Presley is the country's number one male artist on both the pop and country charts.


In 1966...British newspapers break the news that the Beatles will indeed refuse all future offers to tour.



Struggling to compete with the volume of sound generated by screaming fans, the band had grown increasingly bored with the routine of performing live. Recognizing that their shows were no longer about the music, they decided to make the August 1966 tour their last. The last US concert was at Candlestick Park, San Francisco on August 29, 1966.  A crowd of 25,000 saw the Beatles final concert which began at 8:00 pm.The support acts,in order of appearance,were the Remain, Bobby Hebb, the Cyrkle and the Ronettes.The Beatles played from 9:27 pm until precisely 10:00 pm on a stage five feet high and fully encaged by a six foot high wire fence surrounded by security and police

The famous and very final Beatles concert would be the famous Rooftop concert January 30, 1969.

In 1973...The Hot 100..Eddie Kendricks, former lead singer of the Temptations, earned the #1 song with "Keep On Truckin'".  That meant Gladys Knight & the Pips had an abbreviated stay of two weeks at #1 with "Midnight Train To Georgia".  The Rolling Stones' former #1 "Angie" was third followed by "Heartbeat - It's A Lovebeat" from the DeFranco Family.  The rest of the Top 10:  Marie Osmond's "Paper Roses", Ringo Starr had his fourth solo hit and third straight Top 10 with "Photograph", moving from 11 to 6, Billy Preston's instrumental "Space Race" came in at position #7, Cher's former #1 "Half-Breed" was #8, Art Garfunkel slipped up to #9 with "All I Know" and the Carpenters were an amazing 10 of 14 in earning Top 10 hits, registering their eight consecutive Top 10 with "Top Of The World"





In 1975...The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks suddenly in Lake Superior during a storm, killing all 29 men aboard and inspiring Canadian folkie Gordon Lightfoot to write a song about the tragedy, "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald."

Freeman Gosde and Charles Correll

In 1982...Freeman Gosden, the radio actor who portrayed "Amos" on the Radio show "Amos 'n' Andy", died at age 83.

In 1984...The Hot 100..Billy Ocean remained at #1 with "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)".  Stevie Wonder's former #1 "I Just Called To Say I Love You" wasn't going away, Prince remained at #3 with "Purple Rain" and Wham! had #4--"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".

The rest of the Top 10:  A solo hit from Chaka Khan ("I Feel For You") moved from 10-5, Hall & Oates had their 25th hit and sixth straight Top 10 song with "Out Of Touch", Tina Turner's comeback was complete with "Better Be Good To Me", David Bowie's "Blue Jean" was #8, Chicago dropped with their great song "Hard Habit To Break" and Styx lead singer Dennis DeYoung picked himself up a solo Top 10 with "Desert Moon".

In 1992...First AM HD Radio broadcast with audio codec.

An audio codec is a device or computer program capable of coding or decoding a digital data stream of audio.

In software, an audio codec is a computer program implementing an algorithm that compresses and decompresses digital audio data according to a given audio file format or streaming media audio format. The objective of the algorithm is to represent the high-fidelity audio signal with minimum number of bits while retaining the quality. This can effectively reduce the storage space and the bandwidth required for transmission of the stored audio file. Most codecs are implemented as libraries which interface to one or more multimedia players.

In hardware, audio codec refers to a single device that encodes analog audio as digital signals and decodes digital back into analog. In other words, it contains both an Analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and Digital-to-analog converter (DAC) running off the same clock. This is used in sound cards that support both audio in and out, for instance.

In 2003…Chicago Sun-Times newspaper columnist (Kup's Column for six decades)/syndicated TV talk show host/Chicago Bears radio color commentator/Philadelphia Eagles quarterback (1935) Irv Kupcinet died of complications from pneumonia at 91.

In 2010...the radio/TV voice of the Seattle Mariners for their entire 33 year history, Dave Niehaus was silenced forever after a heart attack at age 75.  He has since been immortalized with his own “statue” on the concourse at Safeco Field.

Philly Radio: Marilyn Russell OUT At WBEN-FM

Marilyn Russell

Longtime radio personality Marilyn Russell is no longer in the hosting chair at WBEN 95.7 FM.

Russell was laid off from the station last week, the former “Mornings with Marilyn” host confirmed Wednesday.

“I am completely heartbroken. I worked for Greater Media since 2003, and these people are like my family. I am still processing it,” Russell told Philly.com onWednesday. “Of the five stages of grief, I am not sure which I am in.”

The development comes several months after former owner Greater Media Inc. agreed to sell WBEN-FM to Beasley Broadcasting as part of a $240 million deal that also included stations like WMGK 102.9 FM, WMMR 93.3 FM, and WPEN 97.5 FM he Fanatic.

Ben FM declined to comment on Russell’s layoff.

Russell began her Philadelphia radio career in the 1990s at the now-defunct WDRE-FM (103.9) before cohosting mornings on Y100 with Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison. In 2003, she moved on to Greater Media Inc. as a host at WMGK, and later joined Ben FM full-time in 2007 to help head up the station’s morning programming.