December 29 Radio History

In 1891...Thomas A. Edison patented "transmission of signals electrically" (radio).

Wendell Niles, Marilyn Monroe 1952

In 1904...one of the prominent announcers of bigtime radio & early TV Wendell Niles was born in Twin Valley Minnesota.

On radio he worked on The Bob Hope Show, Adventures of Philip Marlowe & The Man Called X, among many others.  He teamed with Steve Allen & June Foray on a mid-40’s Mutual quarter-hour ‘Smile Time’.  His TV credits include Truth or Consequences, Let’s Make a Deal, Colgate Comedy Hour & It Could Be You.

He died March 28 1994 at age 89.


In 1945...Sheb Wooley recorded four songs for Bullet Records at the studios of WSM Radio, the first commercial recordings made in Nashville.


In 1945...The mystery voice of "Mr. Hush" was introduced to the audience of the radio show, "Truth or Consequences", which was hosted by Ralph Edwards.

Ralph Edwards

Born in Merino, Colorado,  Edwards worked for KROW Radio in Oakland, California while he was still in high school.  Before graduating from high school in 1931, he worked his way through college at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a B.A. in English in 1935. While there, he worked at every job from janitor to producer at Oakland's KTAB, now KSFO. Failing to get a job as a high school teacher, he worked at KFRC and then hitchhiked across the country to New York, where, he said, "I ate ten-cent ($2 as of 2014),  meals and slept on park benches".

After some part-time announcing jobs, he got his big break in 1938 with a full-time job for the Columbia Broadcasting System on WABC (now WCBS), where he worked with two other young announcers who would become broadcasting fixtures - Mel Allen and Andre Baruch.

It was Edwards who introduced Major Bowes every week on the Original Amateur Hour and Fred Allen on Town Hall Tonight. Edwards perfected a chuckling delivery, sounding as though he was in the midst of telling a very funny story. This "laugh in the voice" technique served him well when 20th Century Fox hired him to narrate the coming-attractions trailers for Laurel and Hardy movies. He later used the conspiratorial chuckle frequently when surprising someone on his programs.

In 1940, Edwards created the game show Truth or Consequences, which aired for 38 years on radio and television. Contestants were asked to perform (often ridiculous) stunts for prizes of cash or merchandise.


In 1958...the first radio broadcast from space occurred when the voice of President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "To all mankind, America's wish for Peace on Earth & Good Will to Men Everywhere".

In 1963...WMCA 570 AM first station in New York to Play “I Want to Hold Your Hand " at 12:50 PM.  Across town, 77 WABC plays the song an hour later.

Throughout the 1960s, WMCA would continue to beat other radio stations on most Beatles' promotions, scoring firsts, causing headaches in particular for rival WABC - most notably when Capitol Records printed a photograph of the "Good Guys" line-up - on the back of a limited edition record sleeve for the single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Side 2: "I Saw Her Standing There"). WMCA's Good Guys were also featured at both of the Beatles' concerts at Shea Stadium, on August 15, 1965 and on August 23, 1966.

WMCA Good Guys: Johnny Dark, Joe O'Brien, Jack Spector, B. Mitchel Reed. Harry Harrison

WABC responded in different ways, scoring a success during the Beatles' second New York visit in August 1964 - when the band stayed at the Delmonico Hotel, rousing thousands of teenage fans into a frenzy - while broadcasting from one floor above the Beatles' rooms.  WABC later went against its own music policies, promising promoter Sid Bernstein that it would play a new group he was handling before any other New York City radio station - if it could get exclusive access to the Beatles. WABC never added records "out of the box" - but it did for Sid Bernstein when it played The Young Rascals' "I Ain't Going To Eat Out My Heart Anymore" - before other radio stations.

Since WABC knew WMCA already had a relationship with the Beatles, with tapes of the group promoting the station - what could WABC do to achieve the same? In August 1965, WABC came up with what it thought was a brilliant idea - issuing "medals" called "The Order of the All-Americans" - tied to its own DJs.  The strategy was to present the medals to each of the Beatles the next time they were in New York. Everything was set. The goal was to get each Beatle to comment on the "medal" - and then to get each to say the station's call letters, "W-A-B-C." These in turn could be used in station IDs and promotions, etc. - thus matching WMCA's success at getting the Beatles to promote WMCA and its Good Guys. But WABC's plan backfired. The station got its interviews, but none of the band's members would utter WABC's call letters. According to Beatles' historian Bruce Spizer, manager Brian Epstein ordered the Beatles to stop "giving away valuable promotional spots to radio stations for free."


In 1980...the Mutual Broadcasting Service cancelled the "Sears Radio Theater" program.


In 1985...Phil Donahue and a Soviet radio commentator hosted a special program called the "Citizens’ Summit" via satellite Television.

Nielsen Expects Classic Radio Christmas

Just like an old-fashion Nor'easter produces substantial snow depths, Christmas music stations can expect the upcoming "Holiday" survey to provide substantial ratings.

Nieklsen reports the December PPM's, which covered BNovember 5 through December 2, 2015, gives a peek into what the impact of holiday music on the radio will look like this season. And it’s no surprise that several of the formats that tend to see ratings surge the most during the holidays are once again rising in the ranks based on the December data.

The appetite for holiday music powered by radio stations that flip to an “All-Christmas” format at the end of the year is showing no signs of slowing down. Last year, 529 stations across the U.S. went “All-Christmas,” setting a record for the most stations ever to do so. So far in 2015, that trend appears to be keeping pace, with nearly 70% of the Nielsen-monitored holiday music stations making the change before the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.

Adult Contemporary (AC), historically the leader of the “All-Christmas” pack, followed up a strong November showing by jumping a full share-point in December, going from 7.6% to 8.6% among listeners age 6 and older. This puts the format just slightly ahead of last December’s pace (8.5% in 2014) and is the best December result since 2012. All of this sets AC up to have another highly successful holiday book, building on last year’s success.

Sister format Hot AC also capitalized on a strong November and kept the momentum going this month, posting its best December ever in PPM measurement across all three of the demographics Nielsen analyzed. Furthermore, Hot AC’s share with both 18-34 and 25-54 year-old listeners this month ties the all-time highs established earlier this year. Suffice to say, it’s been a very good year for HotAC, and it looks like it will end 2015 with a bang.

the real stars behind the ratings success of Christmas on the radio are the songs themselves report Nielsen.. Once again in 2015, the timeless appeal of classic holiday music continues to resonate, regardless of station or market.

Across the country, these were the most played Christmas songs during the December survey.

Most-Played Christmas Songs During December 2015 PPM Survey Period

Peyton Manning Considering Lawsuit Against Al Jazeera

Peyton Manning is hopping mad at Al Jazeera America for a documentary that claims he used human growth hormone (HGH).

He called the report "completely fabricated."

It's "complete trash," he said. It's "garbage," he groused. CNN is reporting the doctor who supposedly gave Manning the drug is disimissing the report.

Manning to me for NBC on suing Al Jazeera: “Yeah, I probably will. I’m that angry.” — Al J: Anti-aging clinic said Sly DID work there in’11.

— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) December 28, 2015

The network, under the gun, is sticking to its guns.


According to The Washington Post, Major League Baseball and the National Football League will investigate allegations in an Al Jazeera documentary that employees at an Indianapolis-based anti-aging clinic supplied performance enhancing drugs to a host of professional athletes including legendary quarterback Peyton Manning and Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

CNN Anchor Passes Out On-Air

CNN anchor Poppy Harlow, who is six-months pregnant,  says she passed out while at the anchor desk on Monday, while introducing a segment about the latest CNN/ORC poll on Americans' attitudes about the war on terrorism.

According to Politico, Harlow's speech slurred as she discussed the results, and a gasp could be heard on air, though a poll graphic was on the screen as it cut to black. Twitter users immediately speculated that something must have been wrong.

Thank you all for your concern and messages! I am ok! Passed out briefly and am with the doctor now. So thankful to our amazing CNN team.

— Poppy Harlow (@PoppyHarlowCNN) December 28, 2015

The show returned with a segment featuring media reporter Brian Stelter, who then tossed back to Harlow, who thanked viewers for their concern.

"And for all of you on Twitter, who are asking if I'm OK, thank you so much. I got a little hot, and I passed out for a moment," she explained. "I am fine."

'Come Together' Tops The Beatles Stream

Beatles songs were streamed an astonishing 50 million times in the first 48 hours after they became available to listen to live on the internet for the first time, reports The Daily Mail.

The hits of the Fab Four, who broke up in 1970, are now being enjoyed by a new young audience, with 65 per cent of the Beatles’ listeners on streaming service Spotify under the age of 34.

The arrival of their songs on such digital formats has been delayed for years by bickering over contracts.



But since being made available on Spotify, Amazon Prime, Apple Music and other sites from midnight on Christmas Eve, the band’s much-loved catalogue means their music is being enjoyed by a generation who are strangers to older forms of music technology.

The most popular Beatles song so far is Come Together, which has already been streamed more than 1.8 million times.

The complete Beatles top ten on Spotify is: 1. Come Together (1.84 million); 2. Let It Be (1.55m); 3. Hey Jude (1.32m); 4. Love Me Do (1.31m); 5. Yesterday (1.23m); 6. Here Comes The Sun (1.23m); 7. Help! (1.22m); 8. All You Need Is Love (1.17m); 9. I Want To Hold Your Hand (1.1m); 10. Twist And Shout (940k).


Tweets by @thebeatles

Report: D/FW NWS Short-Staffed

Staffing shortages at the local Dallas-Fort Worth National Weather Service office left forecasters scrambling to cover Saturday’s tornado outbreak and could slow the process of completing damage surveys, reports KXAS-TV.

NWS officials insist all weather warnings were issued in a timely way. But the union that represents forecasters says forecasters covered the storms with the help of meteorologists who volunteered to come in from home and managers pulling extra duty.

Tweets by @KRLD

The Dallas Morning News reports the Dallas-Fort Worth National Weather Service office currently has three vacant front-line forecaster positions. The meteorologist who serves as the union representative for the DFW area office says Saturday’s storms highlight the urgent need to fill those jobs.

“This office needs to be fully staffed. We shouldn’t have to be spending time trying to find people to cover shifts and do surveys after high impact weather,” said local National Weather Service Employees Organization representative Jason Dunn.

“We serve more than 8 million people. Densely populated with lots of weather,” Dunn said.

SiriusXM To Celebrate NYE With Concert Specials

SiriusXM has announced that it will broadcast concerts, DJ sets and special performances live on New Year's Eve.

SiriusXM's New Year's Eve Live Concert Lineup Includes:

• Dead & Company at the Forum in Los Angeles—airing live on SiriusXM's Grateful Dead Channel
• Jimmy Buffett at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn – airing live on SiriusXM's Radio Margaritaville
• Willie Nelson from Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater in Austin – airing live on SiriusXM's Willie's Roadhouse
• Morrissey at the Galen Center in Los Angeles – airing live on SiriusXM's 1st Wave
• Gregg Allman at the Atlanta Symphony Hall in Atlanta – airing live on SiriusXM's Classic Vinyl
• Widespread Panic at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta – airing live on SiriusXM's Jam_On
• Southside Johnny from the Court Basie in Red Bank, NJ – airing live on SiriusXM's E Street Radio
• KC & The Sunshine Band from the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, CA – airing live on SiriusXM's 70's on 7
• Countdown in San Bernardino—live DJ sets by Carnage, Flux Pavilion, Yellow Claw, Pierce Fulton, Baggi, The Chainsmokers and Kaskade—airing live on Electric Area

SiriusXM will also broadcast classic New Year's Eve concerts including Pearl Jam at the Academy in New York City in 1992 on Pearl Jam Radio; Bruce Springsteen at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA in 1975 and at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY in 1980 on E Street Radio; and Elvis Presley at the Civic Center Arena in Pittsburgh, PA in 1976 on Elvis Radio.

SiriusXM's The Pulse channel will air "Live in the Vineyard Concert," exclusive performances from vineyards around the valley and the Uptown Theatre, featuring performances by Rob Thomas, Barenaked Ladies, American Authors, James Bay, A Great Big World and For King & Country.

Additionally, SiriusXM will air year end countdown specials across fourteen music channels, including Alt Nation, Octane, SiriusXMU, Hits 1, The Pulse, BPM, Chill, Shade 45, The Highway and more, featuring the biggest songs of 2015.

Pitbull's Globalization, SiriusXM's exclusive channel in partnership with Pitbull, will feature Pitbull's New Year's Mega Mix, which includes more than 60 hours of exclusive DJ mixes created just for New Year's; 1st Wave will air a special New Year's edition of its Safety Dance mix show featuring 17 hours of new wave dance mixes.

SiriusXM will also launch a limited-run party music channel on New Year's Eve, New Year's Nation. The limited-run channel is the ultimate soundtrack to New Year's Eve parties around the country and will feature the biggest, upbeat party hits from genres across SiriusXM's music platform. New Year's Nation, which will be available on channel 18 and via the SiriusXM app for smartphones and other connected devices and online at siriusxm.com, Thursday, December 31 at 12:00 pm through Saturday, January 2 at 3:00 am ET.

2015 Best TV News Bloopers

Colin Cowherd Sells Naples FL Home

Fox Sports Radio and FS1 television host Colin Cowherd has sold his home in Naples, FL for $3.9 million. The buyer was Allen Lenzmeier, former president and chief operating officer of Best Buy Co.

The two-story contemporary-style house, designed by architect Matthew Kragh and completed this year, features a floating steel-and-wood staircase, mosaic stone walls and porcelain tile floors.

Open-plan living and dining rooms, a center-island kitchen with a wavy pearl backsplash, an office and a lofted area are within the 3,562-square-foot interior. Rows of windows and bi-folding glass doors bring the outdoors inside

The house came to market in April for $4.25 million, public records show. Cowherd bought the property in 2013 for $1.325 million.

The sale caps off a string of real estate moves for Cowherd, who in August joined Fox Sports as an on-air personality after more than a decade at ESPN.

Earlier this year, the radio host sold his house in West Hartford, Connecticut, for $1.15 million. The Colonial-style home, on nearly 2 acres, has a media room, a library and five bedrooms.

He then paid $3.095 million for a five-bedroom house in the Tree Section area of Manhattan. Trimmed in white, the East Coast-inspired residence boasts wide-plank wood floors, open-plan living areas and a paver patio with a built-in barbecue.

R.I.P.: Easybeats Frontman Stevie Wright Has Died at 68

Stevie Wright - 2013

One of Australia's best loved rock stars and the lead singer of The Easybeats, Stevie Wright, has died aged 68, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

He had fallen ill on Saturday and died in Moruya Hospital on the NSW south coast on Sunday night.

Wright was in Leeds, England in 1948 and moved to Australia with his family when he was nine years old, living in Melbourne first and then Sydney.

He formed The Easybeats in 1964 at the age of just 16 with a group of other young migrant teenagers - Harry Vanda, George Young, Dick Diamonde and Snowy Fleet. Within a few years the band had become one of Australia's most popular musical groups, inspiring their own brand of Beatles-style fandom, dubbed 'Easyfever'.

Their best known song, Friday On My Mind, reached the number one spot on the music chart in Australia in 1966, and later went on to become a top ten single in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy and a top 20 hit in the United States.

Des Moines Radio: R.I.P. WHO-AM APD Cheryl Pannier

54-year-old Cheryl Pannier died unexpectedly on Christmas Day at her home.

Pannier was Assistant PD at WHO 1040 AM and cohost of the Saturday morning show.

In a statement, iHeart Media Regional Market President Joel McCrea said, "We are all saddened by Cheryl's passing. We will miss her unique sense of humor and her leadership as WHO Radio's assistant program director. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family today."

WHO talk host Simon Conway remembered Pannier with a Facebook posting:

My friend and colleague is no longer alive. For the past five years since I arrived in Iowa, Cheryl has been my friend, my source of advice and a constant joker! She and I have seen each other just about every morning at 6.30 as I informed her that the daily promo for my show was complete and she scheduled it for the day. We always shared a joke and a kind word. I always pointed out how cold it was while she was wearing shorts and telling me I should have Iowa blood by now.... I am still in shock, but I am grateful for the time I got to spend with Cheryl Pannier. 

Rest in Peace my friend.

December 28 Radio History

In 1915...announcer Dick Joy was born in Putnam, Connecticut.

Starting in local LA radio while a USC journalism student he became the youngest staff announcer in CBS radio history at age 21. On radio he worked on The Danny Kaye Show, The Sad Sack, Vox Pop, The Adventures of Sam Spade, Blue Ribbon Town, Dr. Kildare. Silver Theatre, New Old Gold Show, The Saint, and The Danny Thomas Show.  On TV his assignments included December Bride, Perry Mason, Have Gun – Will Travel, Daktari, Lost in Space, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., and Playhouse 90.

He died Oct. 31 1991 at age 75.


In 1953...Bob Pittman, CEO of iHeartMedia was born.

The son of a Methodist minister, Pittman was born in Jackson, Mississippi, but raised in Brookhaven and became a radio announcer at the age of 15 to earn money for flying lessons.

He was an announcer in a number of cities and then successfully programmed radio stations in Pittsburgh, Chicago and finally at the NBC flagship station, WNBC-AM, in New York when he was 23 years old. He also produced and co-hosted a music video and news show in 1978 that ran on NBC's O&O Television stations.

He did learn to fly, and has been a pilot for almost 40 years: He now has over 6,000 flight hours; currently holds an Airline Transport Pilot's license for airplanes; and is rated for helicopters and 3 types of jets.


In 1981...WEA Records (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic) raised the price of its 45 rpm records from $1.68 to $1.98. The company was the leader of the pack with other labels soon boosting their prices. Within a few years, the 45 rpm record was “boosted” right out of existence by the arrival of the CD.