Newsmax To Launch Rival To Fox News Channel

This June, 49-year-old Christophers Ruddy plans to launch NewsmaxTV, a 24-hour cable news channel that will be, he says, a kinder, gentler Fox.

“Our goal is to be a little more boomer-oriented, more information-based rather than being vituperative and polarizing,” the Newsmax CEO tells Bloomberg Businessweek.

Ruddy says he can make NewsmaxTV profitable entirely through advertising and selling Newsmax’s consumer products over the air. It’s the same business model that’s been successful for QVC, Home Shopping Network (HSNI), and numerous televangelists, but no one has tried it in cable news.


He’s quick to add that he doesn’t need to beat Fox News, he just needs to shave off a little of its audience—particularly those conservatives who feel Fox has drifted too far to the right. “If we take 10 to 15 percent of the Fox audience,” he says, “and they are making $1 billion a year, then we are going to be hugely profitable.”

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VA Radio: F-L-S Stations On Auction Block In May

The Free Lance–Star Publishing Co.’s assets are scheduled to be auctioned off in May as part of the media company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, according to fredericksburg.com.

Attorneys for the FLS and its secured creditor, Sandton Capital Partners, laid out the timeline for the asset sale during a short hearing Thursday in front of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin R. Huennekens.

Almost 20 potential bidders have already signed nondisclosure agreements expressing interest in the company’s assets, FLS attorney Paula Beran told the judge. Thirteen of them are actively looking through company financial data to evaluate a potential bid. One interested party visited the FLS this week.

The company’s assets include the newspaper, fredericksburg.com, Freelancestar.com, WFLS, WVBX, WWUZ, WNTX, Print Innovators, several real estate properties in the city and additional digital products.

WFLS 93.3 FM (50Kw) 54dBu Coverage

The formal bidding process will occur over the next two months. Potential bidders are primarily working through the company’s financial adviser, Suzanne Roski of Protiviti Inc.’s Richmond office.

Interested parties have until May 9 to submit a bid, according to the timeline set forth Thursday. The auction will be held May 15, and a sale hearing is expected May 22.

The assets are expected to be sold officially by June 20, followed by a second closing to sort out transfer legalities with the Federal Communications Commission.

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Grammy's Hill Award To Honor Lady Antebellum

Lady Antebellum

Music and politics unite at The Recording Academy's 2014 Grammy's on the Hill Awards where seven-time Grammywinners Lady Antebellum will be presented with the Recording Artists' Coalition Award (named for The Academy's artists' rights program founded by Don Henley and Sheryl Crow), while House of Representatives majority whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will also be honored for their support and understanding of music creators' unique role in American life.

Known as "Washington's most interesting mix of music and politics," the event will take place on Wednesday, April 2, at The Hamilton Live in D.C., and will include live performances and one-of-a-kind tributes.

Neil Portnow

"We are proud to honor Lady Antebellum for their artistry and inventiveness in the country arena as well as their philanthropic efforts to make a difference for disadvantaged children here and abroad," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "The Academy is also pleased to honor House leaders McCarthy and Pelosi for their tireless support of music, and we look forward to another incredible evening in our nation's capital."

The high-profile celebration at The Hamilton Live will be attended by members of the recording and entertainment industries, including Grammy-winning group Los Lonely Boys, pop trio Hanson, Wesley Schultz (of folk rock group The Lumineers), SESAC hit songwriters Gary Burr and Victoria Shaw, pop music legend and five-time Grammy winner Dionne Warwick, and many others, in addition to numerous Washington luminaries and policymakers. The celebration will begin with a cocktail reception and dinner, followed by the awards presentation.

The day after the awards ceremony, The Recording Academy will host Grammy's on the Hill Advocacy Day, where hundreds of music professionals from across the country will visit with lawmakers to advance policies that improve the environment for American music. Now in its 10th year, the program is the music community's only annual advocacy day in Washington, D.C.

Philly Radio: The Geator With The Heater Is Still Rockin'

Iconic rock ’n’ roll disc jockey Jerry Blavat, a legend on Philadelphia radio for decades, is still going strong, reaching music fans on WXPN 88.5 FM in Philadelphia.

Born in 1940 to a Jewish father and Italian mother in South Philadelphia, Blavat debuted as a dancer on the original “Bandstand” TV show hosted by Bob Horn in 1953. Two years later, at the age of 16, he became the road manager for Danny & the Juniors. Blavat was once comedian Don Rickles' personal valet and remain friends until this day. 

 Blavat began in radio on WCAM in 1960.

His book includes stories about everyone from actress Joan Crawford to actor Charlton Heston, and details his friendships with such superstar performers as Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra.

In the book, Blavat frankly discusses his relationship with the late Philadelphia mob boss Angela Bruno, which caused the DJ to end up on the FBI’s radar screen.

Jerry Blavat

In the early 1990s, an investigation by the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation into organized crime's influence in the liquor business made public Blavat's association with the Bruno-Scarfo crime family. During the investigation, Thomas A. DelGiorno, a former Scarfo family capo, testified that Blavat had regularly paid a "street tax" to the crime family, had purchased a $40,000 yacht for crime boss Nicodemo Scarfo and was one of several individuals who purchased a condominium in Florida for Scarfo. In exchange, the criminal organization secured employment for Blavat throughout the state and also kept union organizers out of Blavat's nightclub. Del Giorno also testified that Blavat regularly served as a driver for crime boss Angelo Bruno. Blavat pled the fifth.

In 1993, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance’s Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of a permanent exhibit in its Museum of Radio and Records.

In addition to his gig on WXPN (which also airs on 3 other non-coms), he hosts a daily two hour show that airs on stations in PA and NJ. He also hosts and produces two oldies concerts each year at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. The next one is “A Doo Wop Reunion” on April 19.

Trends: America Is Now "A Rainbow"

In his new book, The Next America, Pew Research executive vice president of special projects Paul Taylor identifies two key trends that are already reshaping the United States and will continue doing so for decades to come.

The first: far greater racial and ethnic diversity, driven largely by immigration. In 1960, the U.S. population was 85% white, 10% black and 4% Hispanic. By 2060 whites will be a minority (43%), while 31% of the population will be Hispanic, 13% black, 8% Asian and 6% other races or ethnicities. As Taylor puts it, “We were once a black and white country; now we’re a rainbow.”

But there’s also going to be a lot more gray in that rainbow.

Not only are some 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day (and will continue doing so till 203o), but Americans are living longer and having fewer children than ever. Result: The nation’s “age pyramid” is turning into more of a rectangle. That poses challenges for, among other things, Social Security. In 1960, near the peak of the Baby Boom, there were 5.1 workers for every Social Security-eligible retiree. By the time the last Boomer retires, that ratio will be down to 2 workers per retiree.

Nielsen: Top Markets For Millenials, Boomers

The markets where Millennials are most highly concentrated reflect their desire to live in more socially conscious, creative environments.

According to Nielsen, Austin, Texas has the highest concentration of this group—almost 1.2 times the national average—and fits the Millennial ideal, combining urban convenience with an exciting art and music scene. Within Austin, most Millennials are found near the city core and less in the suburban and rural areas.

With the exception of Washington D.C., the top markets for Millennials are in the western portion of the country, unlike their Boomer counterparts who are mostly highly concentrated on the East Coast.

And the growing young population in the Western U.S. will affect demand in these areas.

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LA Radio: Paul McCartney Thanks KCSN For Airplay

As legendary as Paul McCartney is, he's not above picking up the phone and personally thanking a radio programmer for playing songs from his latest album, "New."

According Billboard, when KCSN 99.5 FM Los Angeles program director Sky Daniels arrived at the adult alternative station March 6, he received a message that none other than McCartney wanted to speak with him.

Upon calling Jill Weindorf, senior VP of promotion for McCartney's label, Hear Music/Concord Music Group, he learned that McCartney was in Los Angeles shooting a video for "New" track "Early Days" the day before and spent the evening with "friends at dinner," according to Weindorf. Those friends regaled McCartney with stories about KCSN, licensed to California State University at Northridge, and how it has played cuts from "New," including the title track and second single "Queenie Eye."

KCSN 88.5 FM (380watts) 60dBu Coverage

Impressed by the station's support, McCartney then called the label and asked how he could contact KCSN to say thanks. From there, McCartney and Daniels chatted for more than an hour.

LISTEN: Click Here.

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Work-Out At Work!

Sitting too long at your desk and need to get your blood moving?

R.I.P.: Broadcast Veteran Jack Roberts

Jack Roberts

Radio veteran Jack Roberts died Friday following a long illness.

He was 62, according to CRN Digital Talk Radio/

Jack Roberts was Executive Producer of all CRN Programming and has an extensive career in broadcasting.

For more than 25 years, Roberts has worked with some of the top celebrity broadcasters and air talent in the country, in major markets ranging from New York and Boston to Providence and Hartford.  As senior producer on the nationally syndicated Dick Cavett and Colonel Oliver North radio programs, he also was in charge of production for The Jerry Williams Show and The Doug Stephen Show.

His experience ranges from a Top 40 Radio on air personality at WRKO; WMEX; WXKS; WPRO; WGUY and WDRC to General Manager and Program Director at WWRC; WDRC; WMRE; WBET and WHIL.

R.I.P.: Cape Cod Broadcaster Don Moore Dies

Don Moore

Donald Moore died Friday at age 77 from complications of a staph infection after a 14-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

He was 77, according to the Cape Cod Times.

Moore built the award-winning radio station WQRC-FM in 1970, followed by TV station WCVX-TV in 1985 and radio station WOCN-FM "Ocean 104" in 1994.

"In addition to his incredible technical skills, which is what he was known for, he also had a terrific sense of programming and music, and that's an unusual combination," said Dick Golden, who worked with Moore at WQRC from 1972 until Moore's departure in 1985.

"Don used the radio station as an instrument to improve the quality of life on Cape Cod," Golden said. "It represented the tastes of a large portion of people who lived on the Cape."

In 1978, Moore won WQRC an Armstrong Award for the station's daylong coverage of the 75th anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi's first trans-Atlantic wireless broadcast transmission originating from a station near Wellfleet.

Moore worked as an audio engineer for WHDH radio in Boston, where one of his roles was that of camera operator in the Boston Red Sox dugout, before building WQRC in 1970.

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March 10 In Radio history

In 1922...KLZ-AM, Denver, Colorado began broadcasting.

Two years earlier, Dr. William "Doc" Reynolds, a dentist, founded Colorado's first experimental radio station, 9ZAF, at his 1124 S. University home in Denver.

The studio was on the front porch and the transmitter was in the back yard.

On March 10, 1922, the station's call sign changed to KLZ, then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover granted Reynolds one of the first commercial broadcasting licenses in the country, and KLZ became Colorado's first commercial radio station.


In 1922…Variety magazine greeted readers with the front-page headline that read, "Radio Sweeping Country - 1,000,000 Sets in Use."


In 1949…In Washington, DC, Nazi wartime broadcaster Mildred E. Gillars, known as "Axis Sally," was convicted of treason. Gillars served 12 years in prison.


In 1955..."The Silver Eagle" program was broadcast for the last time on Radio.

In 1980…Radio-TV broadcaster/creator of the Ronald McDonald character for McDonald's Corporation restaurants/commercial spokesman Willard Scott became the weather forecaster on NBC-TV's "Today" show. After more than a decade in that role, he is now the substitute for weatherman Al Roker on the program and appears twice weekly to wish centenarians happy birthday.

From 1955 to 1972, Scott teamed with Ed Walker as co-host of the nightly Joy Boys radio program on WRC 980 AM (now WTEM). (This was interrupted from 1956-1958 when Scott served on active duty with the U.S.Navy.)

Scott routinely sketched a list of characters and a few lead lines setting up a situation, which Walker would commit to memory or make notes on with his Braille typewriter (he was blind since birth).

In a 1999 article recalling the Joy Boys at the height of their popularity in the mid-1960s, The Washington Post said they "dominated Washington, providing entertainment, companionship, and community to a city on the verge of powerful change". The Joy Boys show played on WRC until 1972 when they moved to cross-town station WWDC 1260 AM (now WWRC) for another two years. Scott wrote in his book, The Joy of Living, of their close professional and personal bond which has continued to the present, saying that they are "closer than most brothers".


In 2013…Newsman/staff announcer (WGN-TV, WGN-Radio, ABC Radio) Marty McNeeley died at the age of 86.

March 9 In Radio History

In 1945...the program "Those Websters" was first broadcast on the CBS Radio Network.

KJR Transmitter 1927

In 1922...KJR-AM, Seattle, Washington, began broadcasting.

Vincent I. Kraft

According to John Schneider at The Radio Historian: KJR, begun by amateur radio operator Vincent I. Kraft, was the first radio station to be licensed in the Pacific Northwest.

After World War I, the civilian radio stations that had been ordered closed during the war were allowed to reopen.  One was Vincent I. Kraft’s amateur station 7AC in Seattle.  Kraft operated a small radio parts store in downtown Seattle, and in his spare time played with a small 5 Watt deForest Wireless telephone transmitter, transmitting from his home at E. 68th Street and 19th NE.  An antenna hung from a 90 foot tower in the back yard.

He soon applied for and received the experimental license 7XC for “wireless telephone” transmission.  He moved a phonograph and a piano into the garage adjoining his home, and tacked carpeting on the walls to improve the acoustics.  7XC went on the air on 1110 kc. starting in 1919, transmitting voice and music programs.  He played phonograph records, coaxed a local piano teacher into performing, and asked a neighbor boy to play the violin.  There was no regular schedule.  Every so often he would get a call from one of the few people that had a crystal radio set in Seattle, and he would turn on the transmitter and broadcast so they could demonstrate the new "wireless" to their friends.

In 1921, the U.S. Department of Commerce created a new class of license for radio broadcasting stations. At the same time, a new law was issued that prohibited amateur stations from broadcasting music.  So Kraft immediately applied for and received the license KJR, and transferred his 7XC operations to this new license.  Unlike its amateur station predecessor, KJR operated on a regular schedule of several hours per day, 3 days a week.

Beginning in the 1950s and lasting until 1982, KJR was a pioneer Top 40 radio station owned by entertainer Danny Kaye and Lester Smith, "Kaye/Smith Enterprises".

In the 1960s, under the programming guidance of Pat O'Day, the station was top rated in Seattle and well known for introducing the Pacific Northwest to many recording stars such as Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts and the Ventures.  Today, the call letters are used by KJR-FM, which broadcasts a format that includes many of the songs and shows (including original American Top 40 shows from the 1970s) from that era.


Gary Lockwood was THE big morning show on Seattle radio in the 1980's as AM radio was fading out in Seattle. KJR was playing Oldies then.

KJR would switch to soft adult contemporary in 1982. In 1988, the station shifted to oldies, playing the music that had made the station famous throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

KJR's shift to sports programming was a gradual evolution starting in 1989, when the station added some sports-themed shows in mid-days and afternoons. The rest of the music programming would be phased out in September 1991.

On November 4, 2011, at 7 AM, KJR began simulcasting on 102.9 FM, replacing country-formatted KNBQ. This ended on June 13, 2013, when KNBQ (now KYNW) reverted to an Adult top 40 format. During this time, Clear Channel did not transfer the KJR-FM calls from 95.7 to 102.9, instead co-branding the station as "Sports Radio 950 AM and 102.9 FM KJR".

A collection of some of the country's greatest air personalities entertained Seattle listeners like Larry Lujack, Scotty Brink, Norm Gregory, Burl Barer, Pat O'Day, Eric Chase, Bob Shannon, "World Famous" Tom Murphy, Bobby Simon, Jerry Kaye, "Emperor" Lee Smith, Lan Roberts, Robert O. Smith, Charlie Brown, Bwana Johnny, Matt Riedy, Marion Seymour, Sky Walker, Tracy Mitchell, and Bob Brooks. Gary "Lockjock" Lockwood, a.k.a. L.J., was the disk jockey who had the longest tenure on the "Mighty Channel 95," from 1976-1991.

In 1982...Announcer (The Adventures of Ellery Queen, Suspense)/commercial spokesperson (Reynolds Aluminum, Esso, Auto-Lite, Maxwell House)/TV news anchor (WPIX-New York) Rex Marshall died following a heart attack at the radio station he owned in White River Junction, Vermont. He was 64.


In 2005...Dan Rather did his last "Dan Rather Reporting" radio segment for the CBS News Radio Network afer 20 years. (After 24-years to the date he started, Rather also left as anchor of CBS Evening News on this date.)