Radio Hall of Fame Announces 2019 Nominees

Voting for the 2019 Radio Hall of Fame Inductees begins today.  The 24 nominations in six categories were determined by the organization’s Nominating Committee.  Four of those categories will be voted on by a voting participant panel comprised of nearly 1,000 industry professionals.  They’ll receive confidential ballots from the online voting service, Votem, which is also used by the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.  Votes will be tallied by certified public accounting firm Miller Kaplan Arase, LLP.

On July 15, listeners nationwide will have the opportunity to weigh in and vote via Votem on the other two categories.  The winners will be determined by the public and the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.  The outcome of the listener vote counts as one vote among the committee votes.

Radio Hall of Fame Chairman Kraig Kitchin comments, “Each year we have the privilege of coming together to acknowledge those who have tremendously impacted our industry and the audiences they serve.  We’re all proud to present our 2019 nominees.”

Inductees will be announced August 5 and they’ll be honored this Fall at the 31st Annual Induction Ceremony. 

⏩ Nominees to be voted on by voting participant panel:

Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more)

• Bob Rivers, Seattle 
• Charles Laquidara, Boston
• Harry Harrison, New York
• Jack Harris, Tampa Bay

Active Local/Regional (10 years or more)

• Angie Martinez, New York
• Kevin and Bean (Kevin Ryder, Gene “Bean” Baxter), Los Angeles
• Preston and Steve (Preston Elliot, Steve Morrison), Philadelphia
• Sarah and Vinnie (Sarah Clark, Vinnie Hasson), San Francisco

Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more)

• Jim Rome, The Jim Rome Show
• Robert Siegel, All Things Considered
• Sid Mark, The Sounds of Sinatra
• Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me!

Active Network/Syndication (10 years or more)

• George Noory, Coast to Coast AM
• Glenn Beck, The Glenn Beck Program
• John Tesh, Intelligence for your Life
• Kim Komando, The Kim Komando Show

⏩ Nominees to be voted on by listeners/Radio Hall OF fame Nominating Committee:

Music Format On-Air Personality

• Hollywood Hamilton
• Lon Helton
• Mark & Brian Show (Mark Thompson, Brian Phelps)
• Ryan Seacrest

Spoken Word On-Air Personality

• Joe Madison
• Scott Slade
• Stephanie Miller
• Suzyn Waldman

Returning sponsors of the 31st Annual Radio Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony include The Mix Group and V Creative.

Report: 'Billboard' Pressured To Revise Bundling Rules

The use of so-called album bundles — tacking a download or CD to another purchase — is an age-old sales gimmick in the music industry, but now it’s everywhere. And Billboard magazine is under pressure to change the bundling rules used to compile its charts, according to The NYTimes.

Billboard, whose charts are widely accepted as the last word in measuring the popularity of songs and albums, acknowledges the problem. It plans to announce this year that it will tighten the rules on merchandise bundling, said Deanna Brown, the president of the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, a division of Valence Media.

The rise of album bundles may be a response to the explosive growth of streaming and the rapid decline of album sales. From 2015 to 2018, revenue from album downloads plunged by about 53 percent in the United States and CD sales fell by 52 percent, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Over the same period, streaming revenue more than tripled.

But the formulas that Billboard and Nielsen, its data partner, have adopted to reconcile the many ways that people consume music today have given artists and their marketers an incentive to push downloads and CDs, despite most fans’ preference for streaming. When it comes to the charts, each album a fan acquires — by itself or when tacked on to the purchase of a ticket or T-shirt — is worth about 1,400 times as much as any individual stream.

Billboard has said it is still deciding how to revise its bundling rules, and has held a series of industry meetings in recent months on the matter. Many of those have involved major-label record executives, who tend to favor bundles as an essential marketing technique as well as a chart strategy.

News Industry Urges Increased Scrutiny of Big Tech

The struggling news industry is joining calls to increase oversight of tech giants like Facebook and Google, urging policymakers to also take into account how Silicon Valley has upended the business of journalism, reports The Hill.

The House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust investigation into tech giants will hold a hearing on Tuesday to hear from industry leaders and advocates who believe that Silicon Valley is responsible for the decline in local newspapers and has threatened the business models relied on by many outlets.

Lawmakers in both parties have steadily turned against the tech giants, fueling a growing movement to scrutinize their market power and their collection of user data.

And as Congress inches towards setting new rules or the industry, the conversation has largely focused on how to protect consumers from digital surveillance and startups from anticompetitive forces.

But advocates are also pushing leaders to examine how tech’s rise has threatened the news industry’s ability to survive.

“I think the media industry itself is one of the sectors that's being most harmed by the way that the major tech platforms that have been operating,” said Jason Kint, the CEO of Digital Content Next, a trade group representing online media outlets. “News is the category of media that's been of most concern, particularly local news.”

The focus at Tuesday’s hearing will likely be on a bipartisan bill introduced in both the House and Senate that would give news publishers an exemption from antitrust law so they can band together and negotiate collectively with Facebook and Google for more advertising revenue.

Among those testifying at the hearing will be representatives from the News Media Alliance and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, as well as Kevin Riley, the editor-in-chief of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

According to the Pew Research Center, newspaper advertising revenue has plummeted since the mid-2000s when U.S. papers brought in more than $49 billion from advertising. Pew estimated that number was down to $16.5 billion in 2017.

Trump Again Blasts NYTimes

NY Times' Front Page headline in print edition

President Trump on Sunday called the New York Times “The Enemy of the People!” for reporting that a deal Mexico worked out with the administration that allowed him to pull back on a new round of tariffs on Mexican imports had been negotiated months ago, according to The NYPost.

Another false report in the Failing @nytimes. We have been trying to get some of these Border Actions for a long time, as have other administrations, but were not able to get them, or get them in full, until our signed agreement with Mexico. Additionally, and for many years,....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2019

Trump continued that Mexico for years had not been cooperative in talks about the border but he said he spoke to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and believes he wants to “get the job properly done.”

The president also signaled that there will be more announcements “at the appropriate time.”

He also cautioned that if Mexico doesn’t carry through on its promises, “we can always go back to our previous, very profitable, position of Tariffs​.”

.....there is not, we can always go back to our previous, very profitable, position of Tariffs - But I don’t believe that will be necessary. The Failing @nytimes, & ratings challenged @CNN, will do anything possible to see our Country fail! They are truly The Enemy of the People!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2019

Late Friday, Trump announced that a deal had been reached with Mexico to avert imposing a series of 5 percent tariffs on Mexican goods beginning on Monday that would have eventually reached 25 percent.

The Times on Saturday reported that one of the components of the deal – Mexico agreeing to deploy its national guard troops to the Guatemalan border – had been decided on in March during discussions between former Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Mexico’s Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez.

Forecast: Music Streaming Growing Faster Than Originally Thought

Goldman Sachs analysts are raising previously-reported industry forecasts by an average of 4 percent over the next decade, now predicting the industry to grow into a $45 billion beast with a paid streaming population of 1.15 billion by 2030, reports Billboard.

In its 2017 dossier, the research team led by Lisa Yang originally projected the industry to pull in $44 billion annually by then, putting the population of paid users at 900 million. But fueled by faster-than-expected adoption of paid subscriptions, she's upping paid streaming forecasts by 6 percent on average over the period, predicting that the population of paid users will balloon to 690 million by 2023 alone.

Yang also predicts that paid streaming will generate $27.5 billion in the forecast period -- up from $27.1 billion, and that overall annual global streaming revenues, including ad-supported, will reach $37.2 billion.

The new numbers coincide with IFPI's recent 2018 Global Music Report, which rung in the fourth consecutive year of growth for global music sales -- up to $19.1 billion, a nearly 10 percent rise on 2017's numbers. Actual market figures were 1 percent ahead of Yang's forecasts: Total paid streaming users came in at 255 million in 2018, slightly more than the 237 million predicted.

The report partly attributes the boom to promising recent updates from major labels and streaming services, signifying sustained momentum in the streaming market.

Music Videos Generate Biggest ROI For YouTube

Music videos generate the highest return-on-investment for YouTube despite making up a relatively small percentage of all videos uploaded, according to a new analysis by the global video and music search engine and analytics platform Pex. The study concludes that music is “crucial” to the video-sharing platform’s profits, despite representing only about 5% of all videos uploaded.

The analysis breaks up YouTube's video content into a number of popular categories, including "gaming" (by far the fastest-growing category), "people and blogs," "entertainment" and "film and animation." Of those categories, roughly 35% of videos uploaded to the platform fall into “people and blogs" and just over 30% fall into “gaming."

While music (or music-related) videos make up a much smaller percentage, Pex found that they racked up a collective 1.987 trillion views on YouTube in 2018 (an average of 16,937 views per video), representing 20% of all views on the platform. That compares with just 693 million views for gaming videos, representing an average view count of 2,987 and only 7% of all views.

The relative profitability of gaming videos is further affected by their average length of 24.7 minutes, compared with just 6.8 minutes for music videos. “Gaming content is by far the longest, which requires YouTube to spend more money on hosting it,” wrote Pex founder and CEO Rasty Turek in a Medium post announcing the study. “Music, on the other hand, is the shortest of all categories, but in turn generates the most views per average video.”

'Tomato Gate' Still Causing Country Radio Introspection

Kacey Musgraces' Grammy-winning record “Golden Hour” (which also won album of the year at both major country award shows) has sold more than 200,000 copies; she tours the world and headlines sold-out amphitheaters; her reach extends far beyond country music. Still, reports The Washington Post, her absence from country radio has confused fans and is causing some introspection in the industry.

“The fact that country radio ignored what was album of the year, that’s embarrassing,” said Larry Rosin, president of Edison Research. “But I doubt very many people in country radio are sitting around embarrassed about it.”

Industry insiders offered several possible reasons for “Rainbow’s” stall on the charts. It didn’t test well when stations did audience research. It’s a slow song that doesn’t resonate going into the summer season, when listeners crave upbeat hits. Others pointed out that the Grammy voters who lauded “Golden Hour” are a very different demographic from the radio programmers who construct playlists.



Then, one reason only brought up in the most hushed tones: Some country radio programmers claim that Musgraves hasn’t been very friendly to them and didn’t seem to care much about airplay — and although they insist their priority is playing the best songs, personal bias can seep into decision-making. This triggered a debate at the annual Country Radio Seminar conference in Nashville in February, where a few programmers admitted that they can’t help but want to support singers who seem more enthusiastic about radio.

Musgraves declined to comment. But she has been more openly critical of the industry’s habits than most artists, who fear alienating programmers. “MASSIVE expectance on us to be extra accommodating, accessible, sexy, and kiss ass-y,” she tweeted last year in reference to a Rolling Stone article about sexual harassment in the country radio world. “Maybe it’s why you hardly ever hear me on the radio.”

Nashville is now nearly four years into a debate over the bleak situation for female artists — which exploded into the open in 2015 when a ratings consultant advised stations to make women no more than 15 percent of their playlists. University of Ottawa professor Jada Watson recently scoured country radio data from 2000 through 2018 and found that Kenny Chesney, the most-played male artist, had more than 6 million spins on his songs — nearly double the amount given to Carrie Underwood, the most-played female artist.

NYC Radio: WPLJ Streaming Surged On Final Day

The final day of WPLJ New York, Friday May 31 showed streaming of the now-defunct Hot/AC rose by a staggering 535% above its 4-week average from 6am-7pm, according to Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics. It was a swansong for the 48 year-old radio brand as Todd & Jayde, Melony Torres and Race Taylor took calls and shared memories following a historic “Reunion Day” on Thursday, reports InsideRadio.

The percentage for WPLJ Average Active Sessions was just over 100% above its 4-week average on Tuesday and Wednesday of the week, while “PLJ Reunion Day” saw the number rise 200% above average for the day.

The information came as an accompaniment to the release of the February 2019 U.S. rankers that have iHeartMedia Networks ranked No. 1 among Sales Networks with 1,169,331 Active Audience Streams (6am-8pm M-F) in February.

Perception Of Radio Is Not Reality

Edison Research recently released its quarterly report, “Share of Ear,” the media industry’s go-to for understanding how Americans consume audio each day. The “Share of Ear” report quantifies the reach and time spent with all forms of audio.

In her recent Westwood One Blog post, Lauren Vetrano, who is Director of Content Marketing at Cumulus Media | Westwood One, highlights some key findings from the latest “Share of Ear” Q1 2019 report:

• Perception doesn’t match reality: The audience share of AM/FM radio is 6 times bigger than ad-supported Pandora and Spotify combined
• AM/FM radio accounts for 77% of audio time spent with any ad-supported platform
• For the second quarter in a row, Spotify beats Pandora in share of audio time spent
• Pandora’s audience continues to freefall
• Podcast daily audiences are surging

According to an Advertiser Perceptions study of strategists, media buyers, and planners, the perception of Spotify and Pandora’s combined audience share is larger than AM/FM radio.

According to Edison Research, AM/FM radio has a 46% share of audio time spent, 6 times bigger than ad-supported Pandora and ad-supported Spotify combined.

Mark Ritson, Marketing Professor, describes this phenomenon: “There is increasing global evidence that marketers are basing their media choices on their own behavior or that stoked by the digitally obsessed marketing media, rather than actual audience data.” Perception is shaded by personal experience and for marketers and agencies, creates a major disconnect with reality.

FCC Call Sign Activity Report For May 2019

During May 2019, the Commission accepted applications to assign call signs to, or change the call signs of the following broadcast stations.

R.I.P.: Robert Earle, NY Radio, TV Broadcaster

Robert Earle, the articulate and fast-talking host of one of television's most challenging and popular quiz shows of the 1960s, "General Electric College Bowl," died from cancer June 5 at a hospice facility in Ithaca, New York.

Robert Earle

He was 93, according to The Washington Post.

"College Bowl" began on radio in the 1950s, then moved to television in 1959, as a clean-cut alternative to a game-show scandal exposed that year, when telegenic scholar Charles Van Doren, who died in April, was revealed to have been given answers when he appeared on the show "Twenty One."

On "College Bowl," two teams of four college students answered questions on science, history, philosophy, music, literature and other subjects. It combined elements of a team sport, high-speed oral examination and a football game.

Earle took over the show in 1962, when the original host, Allen Ludden, left to launch a new game show, "Password." At the time, Earle, a onetime broadcaster and college professor, was working in public relations for GE's corporate office.

For his audition, he taped an episode of "College Bowl," then spliced in footage of himself as the host, reciting all of Ludden's lines in exact time, as if he were interacting with the two panels.

He won the job and was the show's host from 1962 until it left the air in 1970. "College Bowl" won an Emmy Award for best quiz show in 1963 and, at its peak, was seen by as many as 20 million viewers a week.

Robert Earle was born Jan. 5, 1926, in Baldwin, New York. After serving in the Navy in the Pacific theater during World War II, Earle attended Utica College, then a division of Syracuse University, in Upstate New York. He received a bachelor's degree in English in 1951.

In college, he began working in radio and later in television. At WRUN 1150 AM in Utica-Rome, NY, he mentored a young Dick Clark, later the host of "American Bandstand."

From 1953 to 1959, Earle chaired the television and radio department at Ithaca College, before joining GE.

After "College Bowl," Earle did voice-over work for industrial films and commercials, including national campaigns for the Mercury Cougar and Liberty Mutual Insurance. He was vice president of marketing for a bank in Ithaca from 1971 to 1982.

June 10 Radio History

➦In 1895...actress Hattie McDaniel was born in Wichita Kansas.

In the 1910s she was a band vocalist, then began playing increasingly assertive maid roles on the big screen, culminating in the supporting-actress Oscar for her ‘Mammy’ in Gone With The Wind (1939), the first African-American to be so honored.  She played on the “Amos and Andy” and Eddie Cantor radio shows in the ’30s and ’40s, and had the title role in her own radio show “Beulah” (1947-51), which she also played on TV (1950-’52) until her death from  breast cancer Oct 2, 1952 at age 57.

➦In 1924…WTAM was the first radio station to broadcast coverage of a political convention when it covered the 1924 Republican National Convention at Cleveland's Public Auditorium from June 10–12, 1924

➦In 1985...Bob  Prince died of cancer at age 68 (Born - July 1, 1916). He was a radio and television sportscaster and commentator best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the MLB Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he earned the nickname "The Gunner" and became a cultural icon in Pittsburgh.

Bob Prince

Prince was one of the most distinct and popular voices in sports broadcast history, known for his gravel voice, unabashed style and clever nicknames and phrases, which came to be known as "Gunnerisms." His unique manner influenced a number of broadcasters after him, including Pittsburgh Penguins voice Mike Lange and Pittsburgh Steelers color analyst Myron Cope.

Prince called Pirates games from 1948 to 1975, including the World Series championship years of 1960 and 1971. Nationally, Prince broadcast the 1960, 1966, and 1971 World Series and the 1965 All-Star Game for NBC, as well as the first year (1976) of ABC's Monday Night Baseball. He also broadcast at different times for other Pittsburgh-area sports teams, including Steelers football and Penguins hockey.

An Army brat, he attended many schools in Pittsburgh. An athlete himself, he lettered in swimming at the University of Pittsburgh. Prince worked for radio station WJAS, then landed a sports show on KDKA-TV. Prince joined Rosey Rowswell in the Pirates' broadcast booth as a commentator in 1948, and he was promoted to the top spot shortly after Rowswell's death in February 1955. He also broadcast Pittsburgh Steelers and Penn State football and once a Duquesne basketball game in the 1950s.

As a result of his distinct voice, knowledge of baseball, and high-profile persona, Prince was very popular among Pirates supporters. Prince was a fixture on team broadcasts for three decades on KDKA-AM, a clear channel radio station that could be heard throughout the eastern United States after sundown.

➦In 1995…Radio/TV Sportscaster Lindsey Nelson died of Parkinson's disease at age 86.

Lindsey Nelson

He spent 17 years with the New York Mets and three years with the San Francisco Giants. For 33 years Nelson covered college football, including 26 Cotton Bowls, five Sugar Bowls, four Rose Bowls, and 14 years announcing Notre Dame games. He is in 13 separate Halls of Fame. Fans remember a talented broadcaster, an expert storyteller, and a true sports enthusiast.

Nelson began his national baseball broadcast career as one of Gordon McLendon's radio announcers for the Liberty Broadcasting System, which primarily did recreations of games. After a stretch as an administrator with NBC Sports, he began doing the network's baseball broadcasts in 1957. He also broadcast college football, NBA and college basketball, and professional golf and tennis during his NBC tenure.

In 1962, he was hired as the lead broadcaster by the expansion New York Mets, and for the next 17 seasons did both radio and television with Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy. All three were eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

➦In 2000...Radio, TV journalist Judd Rose died from a brain tumor at age 44. He rose to prominence as an investigative reporter for ABC News, where Rose spent 16 years working on shows such as Prime Time Live and Good Morning America. His first Emmy came in 1987 for covering the fall of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos, and he would go on to receive a total of four Emmy awards. He ended his career as co-anchor of the CNN program Newsstand.

His father was radio talk show host Hilly Rose. His mother was a 1940s radio actress turned award-winning NPR broadcaster, the host of Midday with Sondra Gair.