54-year-old Jamie Dupree has been a radio reporter for Cox Media for more than three decades on Capitol Hill. “The most connected man in Washington,” Sean Hannity likes to call him. But 18 months ago, in the middle of the wildest presidential race of his career, he began to have trouble.
During the primaries, his voice got scratchy, by the conventions he was off the air.
According to Politico, this past April, doctors finally diagnosed him with tongue protrusion dystonia, a neurological disorder that is so rare there are no doctors who specialize in treating it. Earlier this month, Ros-Lehtinen publicized Dupree’s plight with a touching tribute on the House floor, highlighting the cruelest of ironies: Dupree is a radio reporter without a voice.
Dupree may not be a household name in Washington, but to understand the magnitude of what’s befallen him, consider his stature around the country. In the six radio markets served by Cox—Atlanta, Orlando and Dayton among them—Dupree’s name is synonymous with politics. Congressman Doug Collins (R-GA) grew up listening to him on the radio. Another lawmaker—Dupree won’t say who—once asked for his autograph. “Jamie is like the dean around here,” said Ted Barrett, a CNN producer, who’s worked alongside Dupree for years.
Over the last year and a half—a seemingly never-ending news cycle in which no one from the President down to the lowliest pundit can stop talking—Dupree has been rendered mute. His voice, a smooth baritone that hundreds of thousands of people from Florida to the Plains of Oklahoma depended on for a straight daily dose of national civics, has disappeared. With it went Dupree’s certainty about his career, and his life, too. He could have quit, but he has simply shifted platforms, throwing himself into Facebook and Twitter and a blog he writes that appears on Cox affiliates and newspapers. At home, he has reassured his three kids—aged 8, 11 and 13—that their father is all right, despite an uncertain future. "There is no guarantee I'll get my voice back," Dupree wrote to me.
As Dupree’s voice faltered—and with no solution in sight—Cox editors discussed how to adjust their Washington coverage. They wanted Dupree’s name on the radio; he was known and trusted by listeners and surveys found that listeners still responded favorably to him even without his voice on the air. “We figured out he’s still really valuable,” Jon Sonnheim, the Cox Washington Bureau Chief told me.
In his stead, Cox TV reporters have done more radio hits and Dupree has stepped up his online presence. He’s a prodigious blogger, answers questions in chats and on Facebook and he regularly tweets Capitol Hill updates to his 145,000 followers.
ESPN is asking its on-air personalities to stick to sports and avoid airing out their political views on social media, bringing up the topic this week during a wide-ranging meeting of more than 450 employees about the sports network and its future.
The reminder came after ESPN revised its social media policy last month following controversial tweets by SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill calling President Trump a "white supremacist" and a "bigot," and suggesting a boycott of NFL advertisers during the height of the controversy over the national anthem protests, which led to her being suspended for two weeks.
Some critics accuse ESPN of having a liberal bias, which it denies. In the meeting, ESPN asked personalities not to post things that show, quote, "overt political or other biases."
Senior VP Kevin Merida said, "ESPN is a journalistic organization -- not a political organization. We should do nothing to undermine that position. ESPN's focus is sports. By-and-large we are not experts on politics, healthcare policies, terrorism, commerce -- that's not what we do."
He added, "Our audience is not looking for our opinions on the general news of the day."
Ad-supported Pandora users are now able to unlock Pandora Premium by viewing a video ad for 15 seconds, giving them immediate access to the song, album, or playlist of their choice within our mobile platform.
According to a Pandora blog entry, the new experience gives listeners the choice – they can either pay for one of the subscription offerings, or, they can opt into quality ad experiences to unlock the features you want when you want them.
Pandora states they're also seeing the demand for these flexible value exchange experiences steadily increase.
Users between the ages of 20-49 are up to 67% more likely to prefer mobile reward video ads than other types of ads, such as unskippable pre-roll. The difference is even more pronounced among Generation Z (16-19) audiences, who are 3X as likely to prefer mobile rewarded videos.
Value exchange ad products on Pandora, such as Sponsored Listening, have been consistently effective brand lift drivers. In one study with a Quick Service Restaurant brand, Sponsored Listening drove an impressive 69% lift in store visits among adults 18-24. Pandora is now seeing indicators of similar behavior during early testing for our new feature, indicating that 18-24 year olds are 13% more likely to unlock access to Pandora Premium by viewing a video ad.
Pandora is the first to offer access to on-demand music content in a mobile environment at this scale – a benefit for both our listeners, and our advertisers.
At its December Open Meeting Thursday, the FCC moved to amend the EAS rules by adding a new event code — a Blue Alert — that can be sent over the EAS and the Wireless Emergency Alert system. The alerts are designed to be used by state and local authorities to notify the public of threats to law enforcement and to help apprehend dangerous suspects.
According to RadioWorld, Blue Alerts are designed to warn the public when there is information related to a law enforcement officer who is missing, seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, or when there is a threat to an officer. At the meeting, the commissioners welcomed the family members and colleagues of two New York City Police detectives who were killed in the line of duty in 2014, officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. These new codes are being in put in place to help protect officers in future, Chairman Ajit Pai said.
“We owe [these detectives] and their brave family members who come here today a tremendous debt of gratitude,” Pai said. “We cannot begin to fathom your pain, but we can honor your sacrifice. And the FCC attempts to do that today by adopting rules that police officers across America and the communities they so proudly serve will be better protected.”
Under the adopted order, state and local agencies have the option to send warnings to the public via EAS broadcast or through the Wireless Emergency Alert system to consumers’ wireless phones. As with AMBER Alerts and weather alerts, usage of this code will be voluntary on a case by case basis.
The order provides a 12-month implementation period for Blue Alerts to be delivered over the Emergency Alert System and 18 months for delivery over the Wireless Emergency Alert system.
Music and film producer Russell Simmons faced new accusations of sexual misconduct from nine woman dating back to 1983, including four who alleged he raped them, and New York police have opened an investigation, police and U.S. newspapers said on Thursday.
In an emailed statement on Thursday, the 60-year-old co-founder of Def Jam Records denied the accusations from the nine women reported on Wednesday by the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.
“These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual,” Simmons said in the statement.
Simmons, one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the hip-hop world, said last month that he was stepping down from his production and fashion businesses after a screenwriter said he sexually assaulted her in 1991. He has denied the incident and said that he remembered it differently than the accuser.
According to Reuters, the statement said the current accusations “range from the patently untrue to the frivolous and hurtful. The presumption of innocent until proven guilty must not be replaced by ‘Guilty by Accusation.'”
The Los Angeles Times and New York Post reported on Thursday that the New York City Police Department had opened an investigation into Simmons and was in the early stages of contacting women who have accused him of assault.
The allegations of rape reported by the New York Times were between 1988 and 1995 from a music journalist, a singer he managed and a former executive producer at Def Jam Records.
The new allegations reported by the Los Angeles Times dated back to 1983 for one from a member of an all-female hip-hop group who claimed Simmons raped her and included another from a massage therapist who said he exposed himself and asked her to touch him.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, Simmons used the hashtag #NotMe, in contrast with the #MeToo hashtag used by millions of women on social media to share their stories of sexual abuse.
“Today, I begin to properly defend myself,” Simmons wrote. “My intention is not to diminish the #MeToo movement in anyway, but instead hold my accusers accountable. #NotMe.”
An Iraqi war veteran has come forward alleging that she had an affair with Matt Lauer just after she worked on the Today show 17-years-ago.
According to USAToday, 41-year-old Addie Collins Zinone is the first woman to allege misconduct by Lauer on the record. She told her story to Variety, describing how a newly married Lauer seduced her into sexual encounters in his dressing room, a bathroom and his office, equipped with the infamous button under his desk to lock the door.
Variety opined that Zinone's story "illustrates what can happen when a prominent person brings sex into the workplace, and there’s an imbalance of power."
Zinone acknowledged that her affair with Lauer was consensual and that she was an adult at the time, but she says she felt like "prey" and that it had a devastating and lasting effect on her personal and professional life.
She came forward, she said, to "validate" the stories of other women who have accused Lauer, all of them anonymously so far, "because some of our experiences are similar."
Moreover, she charged, NBC executives at the time had to know what he was up to because "there is no way he could have gotten away with it without others above him making these situations go away — manipulating, strategizing, whatever it is they did to wield their power against the powerless.
"He was the golden boy. His contract always got renewed for millions of dollars more, and he was the face of NBC. How is any woman supposed to go up against that?"
Lauer's representative and NBC News declined to comment to USAToday.
➦In 1922...deejay Alan Freed was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He is said to have coined the phrase rock ‘n’ roll, and was in large part responsible for the wide-scale acceptance of the music through his radio shows in Cleveland and New York. Freed became a scapegoat in the payola scandals and in 1962 pleaded guilty to accepting bribes. He died, a broken man, in a California hospital on January 20th, 1965. Freed’s life was dramatized in the film “American Hot Wax.”
➦In 1936....pioneering Seattle radio station KVL changed its call letters to KEEN. Later it changed again to KING-AM .. and in recent years KPTK, a talk station whose hosts espoused a progressive (left-leaning) philosophy. In the past several years AM 1090 went All-Sports, joining the CBS Radio Sports Network as KFNQ..
➦In 1941...the largest radio audience ever for a drama tuned in on the four national networks for “We Hold These Truths,” a one hour dramatic program written by Norman Corwin for the 150th anniversary of the US Bill of Rights. With the nation suddenly at war after the Dec. 7th Pearl Harbour attack, it was estimated that 63 million Americans, about half of the US population at the time, listened to the program.
➦In 1944...US Army Major and bandleader Glenn Miller's plane disappears in thick fog somewhere over the English Channel. The fate of Miller and his passengers, en route to play a Christmas concert in Paris with his Air Force band, has never been determined.
➦In 1961...John Battison calls for Institute of Broadcast Engineers in Broadcast Engineering editorial
➦In 1955…Johnny Cash released the Sun Records single "Folsom Prison Blues," which peaked at #4 on the Country chart but did not break into the Billboard top pop list. Cash included the song in his repertoire for decades.
He performed it at Folsom Prison on January 13, 1968 and that "live" version was eventually released by Columbia on the "At Folsom Prison" album the same year, and as a single that reached #32 on the pop chart.
➦In 1956…Elvis Presley gave his final performance on the "Louisiana Hayride" after 50 appearances on the radio show, a weekly broadcast from KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana.
➦In 1957…Columbia Records executive Mitch Miller and entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. disparaged rock 'n' roll as "the comic books of music" during a radio talk show hosted by Davis. Another guest on the radio show, Arnold Maxim, president of the MGM record label, disagreed with them saying he saw no end to the fad in the near future.
➦In 1966...Walt (Walter Elias) Disney died in Burbank at age 65, a victim of lung cancer.
➦In 1988..."The Godfather of Soul," James Brown, was sentenced to six years in prison for failing to stop for police during a two-state car chase. He was released in 1990 on probation.
➦In 1990... John R. Gambling takes over Rambling With Gambling on WOR 710 AM, NYC.
John R. Gambling
Gambling joined his father as co-host of Rambling with Gambling in 1985, and took over as sole host after John A.'s retirement.
When WOR ended Rambling with Gambling in 2000 after 75 years on the air, John R. Gambling moved up the dial to WABC, taking over the post-morning-drive 10 a.m. - noon slot. Gambling was fired by WABC on February 29, 2008 in a cost-cutting move. On April 30, 2008, WOR announced the return of John R. Gambling to its air waves in his old morning-drive timeslot starting May 5, 2008. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also moved to WOR, joining Gambling on a one-hour segment, Fridays from 8-9am.
On December 20, 2013 John R. Gambling did his last morning show on WOR after announcing his retirement from broadcasting. He and his wife of 37 years Wendy are retiring to Florida ending a run of over 80 years during which the Gamblings were a staple of New York Radio.
On April 14, 2014 Gambling returned to New York radio on WNYM 970 AM weekdays from 11:00AM to 1:00PM.
➦In 1999...Country music superstar Garth Brooks said that he planned to keep an "extremely low" profile in 2000 and that he would "probably" announce his retirement at the end of the year.
➦In 2001…R&B singer/songwriter (Walking The Dog) Rufus Thomas, a popular Memphis disc jockey from 1953 to 1974, died following a heart attack at age 84.
He began working as a DJ at radio station WDIA in 1951, and hosted an afternoon R&B show called Hoot and Holler. WDIA, featuring an African-American format, was known as "the mother station of the Negroes" and became an important source of blues and R&B music for a generation, its audience consisting of white as well as black listeners. Thomas used to introduce his shows saying: "I'm young, I'm loose, I'm full of juice, I got the goose so what's the use. We're feeling gay though we ain't got a dollar, Rufus is here, so hoot and holler."
The Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines on Thursday to repeal landmark 2015 rules aimed at ensuring a free and open internet, setting up a court fight over a move that could recast the digital landscape. Reuters reports the 3-2 vote overturned net neutrality rules that barred broadband providers from blocking or slowing access to content or allowing websites to pay for “fast lanes” to get their content more quickly to consumers.
Republicans said the internet will operate essentially the same without what they see as heavy-handed government rules, while Democrats said the repeal will allow internet providers to change how people access content. Net neutrality advocates have planned a legal challenge aimed at preserving the rules.
But, according to USAToday, opponents do not plan to go quietly and are already planning strategies to combat the regulations in Congress and the courts. Some in Congress say they will introduce Congressional Review Act legislation to overturn the measure.
And just as previous attempts to pass Internet regulations landed in court, so likely will these new rules. The 2015 measure, passed by an agency then controlled by Democrats and led by Chairman Tom Wheeler, withstood a court challenge from USTelecom, a trade association that counts among its members AT&T and Verizon, and San Antonio-Internet provider Alamo Broadband.
Decrying those so-called net neutrality regulations as "heavy-handed micromanagement" and "utility- style" regulations, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the replacement provisions do a better job for consumers and businesses alike.
The FCC's action "is not going to end the Internet as we know it. It is not going to kill democracy and it's not going to stifle free expression online," Pai said. "We are helping consumers and promoting competition."
Cumulus Media announces that Urban programming executive Ken Johnson will return to its Urban AC station WNBM 103.9 FM in New York City as Program Director.
Johnson successfully launched WNBM in July 2014, and left the station in April 2015 to become Operations Manager for Cumulus Media’s Urban AC-formatted WUHT-FM/Hot 107.7 in Birmingham, AL. In addition to Johnson’s new role as WNBM-FM Program Director, he continues in his corporate role as Vice President, Urban Formats, for Cumulus Media. Johnson, who joined Cumulus in 1997, will be based in New York.
Chad Lopez, President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-New York, said: “Everyone at WNBM 103.9 and Cumulus are excited to have Ken Johnson back in New York. Ken’s expertise and experience in this format will only continue to build a very strong loyal listener base and grow audience.”
WNBM 103.9 FM (980 watts) Red=Local Coverage Area
Johnson said: “I love the energy of Cumulus New York. The people and resources are the best in the business. I look forward to being back there and with Chad Lopez and Mike McVay supporting me, it makes being ‘Focused, Responsible, Collaborative and Empowered’ easy.”
Cumulus Media announces it has launched Amazon Alexa skills for 300 local radio stations, popular Westwood One brands, plus the leading dedicated Christmas Radio Skill, Christmas Radio. This is the largest collection of custom skills available with Amazon Alexa in the U.S.
This week marks the kick off of a national consumer marketing campaign designed to educate listeners on how to find and enable skills, fueled by local on-air, video and social promotion. Individual stations will create localized messaging that speaks directly to their unique listenership. The custom skills can be enabled vocally by using unique key phrases for each radio station; top Cumulus markets including New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Dallas stations are now available.
“Voice-interactive technology is bringing radio listening back into the home and office, and will enable interactivity with our stations in the connected car,” said Mike McVay, EVP, Programming and Content, Cumulus Media. “Our strategy to create a custom skill for individual radio stations and programs, while educating consumers, is critical as smart speakers have created an entirely new, and rapidly growing platform to consume audio content.”
Mike McVay
“At an aggregated network level we will have access to valuable data and insights on this rapidly-evolving audio ecosystem,” said Suzanne Grimes, EVP, Corporate Marketing, Cumulus Media and President, Westwood One. “We are dedicated to educating, testing, and learning to evolve the listening experience for our listeners and brand partners.”
Grimes says XAPPmedia was the clear choice to collaborate on this groundbreaking rollout, given the company’s expertise in Voice and AI technologies, strong relationships with radio broadcasters, and the XAPPmedia One Voice AI™ SaaS platform that automates deployment and management of voice apps for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana. It took just a couple of weeks from the project kick off to launching hundreds of stations live on Alexa; across the board XAPP was efficient, organized, and adept.
Suzanne Grimes
“Cumulus Media has a track record as media innovators. It is a pleasure working with executives with a long-term vision for how voice interaction will change radio. Cumulus challenged us to move quickly because they wanted to have an immediate impact; no company has brought hundreds of media properties as individual and local custom skills to Amazon Alexa with this speed and at this scale,” said Pat Higbie, CEO and co-founder of XAPPmedia. “Their Amazon Alexa skills network will yield tremendous insight into listener behavior. We are excited to be a part of this important milestone that’s defining the direction for the voice interactive radio era.”
To sample a Cumulus local station skill, follow these simple steps, using the legendary rock station KLOS as an example.
Just ask your Amazon device, "Alexa, enable Ninety-Five Five, K-L-O-S skill.”
After it is enabled, access the skill by saying "Alexa, open Ninety-Five Five, K-L-O-S."
Cumulus Media will be rolling out new national and local audio experiences, as well as sharing new insights on skill discovery and usage as their Amazon Alexa skills network continues to grow in 2018.
Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch said that “New Fox,” pared down by its deal with Disney to its broadcasting assets and national news and sports networks, is interested in expanding its portfolio of TV stations, reports TV NewsCheck.
“There will be opportunities,” he said he said on a conference call with securities analysts this morning. “It will depend on the price.”
Certainly, if we have more [stations],” he said, “it will give us greater strength in getting clearances.”
New Fox will have revenue of $10 billion and free cash flow of least $2 billion, Murdoch said.
“We will start modestly on the dividend side and then we will see from there.
“We will be in a mood to expand and do new things. And we will have the ability. It will be somewhat underleveraged very quickly.”
Fox currently operates 28 stations in 17 markets covering 37% of U.S. TV homes.
Earlier this year, the FCC relaxed its national ownership cap in a way that would allow Fox to increase its household coverage to as much as 66%.
Of the major broadcast networks, Fox has shown the most interest in buying more stations in recent years. At one point, it made an effort to buy the Tribune group, which eventually went to Sinclair.
