July 2 In Radio History

In 1916...Radio personality Barry Gray was born, generally considered the father of the "Call-In" Radio format.

Barry Gray 1951

Initially a disc jockey, Gray was working for New York's WMCA radio station in 1945 when he, bored one evening with simply spinning music, decided to put the telephone receiver up to his microphone and share his conversation with the listening audience. The caller that evening just happened to be bandleader Woody Herman, one of the most popular celebrities of the day. This spontanenous live interview was such a hit with both his listeners as well as station bosses, that the talk radio format resulted. Gray subsequently began doing listener call-ins as well.

In 2002, industry publication Talkers magazine selected Barry Gray as the 8th greatest radio talk show host of all time.


In 1939…The radio sitcom "The Aldrich Family" began its 14-year run, originally a summer replacement program for Jack Benny on NBC. The show moved to CBS from 1944 to 1946, then back to NBC until 1953.


In 1946…Arthur Godfrey was signed by CBS Radio to host a weekly nighttime show called "Talent Scouts."


In 1951...Bob & Ray show premieres on NBC radio network.

Elliott and Goulding began as radio announcers (Elliott a disc jockey, and Goulding a news reader) in Boston with their own separate programs on station WHDH-AM, and each would visit with the other while on the air. Their informal banter was so appealing that WHDH would call on them, as a team, to fill in when Red Sox baseball broadcasts were rained out. Elliott and Goulding (not yet known as Bob and Ray) would improvise comedy routines all afternoon, and joke around with studio musicians.

Elliott and Goulding's brand of humor caught on, and WHDH gave them their own weekday show in 1946. Matinee with Bob and Ray was originally a 15-minute show, soon expanding to half an hour. (When explaining why Bob was billed first, Goulding claimed that it was because "Matinee with Bob and Ray" sounded better than "Matinob with Ray and Bob".) Their trademark sign-off was "This is Ray Goulding reminding you to write if you get work"; "Bob Elliott reminding you to hang by your thumbs".




They continued on the air for over four decades on the NBC, CBS, and Mutual networks, and on New York City stations WINS, WOR, and WHN. From 1973 to 1976 they were the afternoon drive hosts on WOR, doing a four-hour show. In their last incarnation, they were heard on National Public Radio, ending in 1987.


In 2012…Broadcasting executive Julian Goodman, president of NBC (1966-1974), died at age 90.

Nielsen Report Points To Drop in Daily TSL For Radio

New data from Nielsen's latest Cross-Platform Report shows indicates a drop of 4% decline in listening to AM/FM during the past two years.

Traditional daily radio was 2:53 in 2012's 1Q and is now pegged at 2:46 for 1Q in 2014. Howver, what's not reported is the growing volume of time spent listening to AM/FM radio via online streams.

The ability to watch TV on mobile devices, such as smartphone, nearly anytime or anywhere has produced "a sharp video viewing curve," Nielsen says.   Many believe that new digital platforms have had a similar impact on broadcast radio listening. But the lack of a unified measurement service that captures all radio listening, regardless of how it's distributed, has made that difficult to prove.

It is encouraging that AM/FM remains the second most consumed media in the U.S. behind live TV. In fact, adults 18+ spent more time with AM/FM radio in the first quarter than with smartphones and the internet on a computer combined.

Weekly TSL...

Adults 50-64 spent nearly twice as much time per week (15 hours and 7 minutes) with AM/FM radio than teens (7 hours, 39 minutes). Adults 35-49 also listen to more radio than the average.

Rochester Radio: Chet Walker OUT At N/T WHAM

Chet Walker

After some 35-years with WHAM 1180 AM Rochester, Chet Walker has been terminated by CCM+E.

His last show was last Friday.

For many years, Walker hosted the morning show with Beth Adams, let go in 2011, according to News10NBC.

His departure was confirmed by WHAM PD Aaron Trimmer.  Trimmer stated, “We appreciate all of his contribution during his time with us and wish him well.

According to the Rochester Decmocrat and Chronicle, WHAM's ratings have declined in the Rochester market. In 12+ figures released for the 2014 winter period, WHAM ranked third locally behind Country WBEE 92.5 FM and Urban WDKX 103.9 FM.

In the summer of 2013 WHAM was second with a 8.9 percent share of listeners 12+, according to Neilsen. Last winter that figure fell to 7.7.

WHAM has yet to announced its long-range plans for the morning show.

Sacramento Radio: R-A-D Re-Sign With Entercom

Suddenly, the fight over Rob, Arnie And Dawn is over.

The Sacramento morning show was believed to be headed to Clearn Channel when contract negotiations with Entercom got stalled. The trio has been with KRXQ 98.5 FM 98 Rock since 1999.

However, the two sides buried the hatchet Monday and signed a new deal.

A press release late Monday stated the show will air on Entercom's 98 Rock for another five years after Entercom dropped a lawsuit against Williams Broadcasting, which syndicates the show.

Entercom then asked the court to dmisses their lawsuit. The morning trio originally wanted to defect to Clear Channel for syndication to various CC markets, and Entercom insisted that it had a right to match.

Saga Announces Cash Dividend For Shareholders

Saga Communications, Inc. ( SGA ) said Monday that its Board of Directors has authorized the initiation of a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share for its Class A and Class B shares.

The dividend will be paid on July 25 to shareholders of record on July 11.

In addition, the Board of Directors expects to continue its practice of paying special cash dividends as circumstances permit.

The company also said its board also consider declaring stock dividends in the future.

Ed Christian, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saga, said, "The initiation of our quarterly cash dividend is based on the Board of Directors and management's continuing confidence in the free cash flow that our radio and television stations generate as well as our commitment to return value to our shareholders."

Hartford Radio: Police Break-Up Rock Da Boat Brawl

Police say an all-out brawl occurred on the Island Belle early Sunday while hosting the WZMX 93.7 FM "Rock Da Boat" summer cruise.

The summer cruise, was co-hosted by CBS Radio's Hip Hop Hot 93.7 took place from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and featured an array of hip-hop, Latin and reggae music.

At approximately 4 a.m., a frantic phone call was placed to the Norwalk Police Department from a woman who had locked herself in a bathroom in fear of dozens of people fighting on the boat.

Officers rushed over to Veteran's Park, where they found the vessel as it was docking at the city boat launch.

As it got closer, officers say they could see a rowdy fight on the lower level of the boat, with patrons screaming and shouting at each other as they hurled glass bottles of beer.

As people disembarked from the boat, officers said many continued to drink beer from the vessel as they carried on arguing with each other.

At one point, the crowd swelled to a sea of approximately 300 people fighting and milling about the parking lot, prompting the entire police shift to respond and try to quell the situation.

WA Radio: KGY AM Sold to Sacred Heart Radio

It’s the end of an era for KGY AM 1240.

The longtime owners of the station announced Monday that it has been sold for $250,000 to Sacred Heart Radio, a Catholic broadcasting company based in the Seattle area, according to The Olympian.

Once approved, the transaction will end the Kerry family’s ties to the historic station.

Nick Kerry, whose great-grandfather, Tom Olsen, bought the station in 1939, said the sale is bittersweet “because of the history and legacy behind the station.”

Kerry currently is business manager for a translator at  95.3 FM and Country KAYO 96.9 FM, two stations that will remain part of KGY Inc., and that will remain in the historic building that is perched on port peninsula property that overlooks Budd Inlet.

Nick’s aunt, Jennifer Kerry, is president of the business.  She said in a statement that the changing media landscape makes this the right time to put the company’s emphasis on the two FM stations.

The sale is subject to review by the Federal Communications Commission, which is expected to take 45 days.

Report: Radio To Get Less Than 6 Percent Of Political Dollars

A new Borrell Report Finds Political Advertising On The Rise, But No Big Growth Ahead For Radio.

According to the report, politics in this country has become an endless campaign, with TV and cable outlets the chief beneficiaries. There are 30,000 elections being held across the U.S. this year, injecting what we
estimate will be $8.3 billion into the advertising ecosystem. The spending runs from $47,000 for the average town  council race up to $23 million for a Senate campaign or $27 million for a gubernatorial race. Close to two-thirds of that money will be spent between July 1 and Election Day.

Today, politicians and political organizations spend $37 per eligible voter to sway opinion via media advertising, up 9% from the last mid-term election year. That will zoom to $51 in 2016, a Presidential election year. That’s 21% more than the last Presidential election year in 2012.

So where does digital media stand in this upward spiral? It certainly plays a role, but not so much on the “advertising” side of the digital equation. Spending on online ads is definitely growing – and poised to explode in two years. But even at a forecast rate of a threefold increase between 2012 and 2016, digital media would still be less than $1 billion, accounting for less than 8% of all political advertising. Most of the activity, it seems, is by digital marketing managers  working within the campaigns, managing social media and email communications directly with the electorate.

As for radio, Borrell finds:

The report notes Pandora will continue to take share from radio station digital efforts. Using information about a listener’s musical preferences and aligning them by zip code to past voting results, Pandora can supply targetable groups of listeners tagged by their inferred political inclination.

CableTV News: F-N-C Makes It To 50 Straight Wins

Perennial ratings victor Fox News Channel celebrates a new milestone this week: It just wrapped its 50th consecutive quarter (and 150th consecutive month) as the most watched cable news network in both total day and primetime.

According to THR, It's a record only matched by ESPN, which has enjoyed a similar dominance in the sports category.

Though FNC, like all cable news networks, saw year-to-year losses in the second quarter, its average 1.6 million viewers and 267,000 adults 25-54 still gives it large margins of victory in primetime — where its biggest competition might be itself. In recent weeks, 9 p.m. anchor Megyn Kelly has out-rated her lead-in, reigning cable news champ Bill O'Reilly, on several occasions.

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Survey: Modest Interest In Iraq News

So far, the growing crisis in Iraq has not drawn strong interest from the American public. As Sunni militants extend their control of large swaths of Iraq, 25% say they are paying very close attention to the growing violence and political instability in Iraq.

By comparison, 28% of Americans surveyed June 26-29 say they followed news about problems with care at veterans’ hospitals very closely and 21% paid very close attention to news about the IRS losing employee emails.

The new national survey by the Pew Research Center conducted among 1,002 adults finds that fewer Americans tracked news about the World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil (17%), the 2014 midterms (16%) and recent Supreme Court rulings (15%). (The survey was conducted before the court’s Hobby Lobby decision.)

Young people typically express lower levels of interest in news stories than older Americans, and the age differences are striking when it comes to Washington news and violence in Iraq.

Tucson Radio: Journal Names Leon Clark VP/GM

Leon Clark

The Journal Broadcast Group has announced Leon Clark has been named VP/GM of its Tucson cluster.

He starts July 7.

Steve Wexler, E/VP of Journals stated, “Leon’s broadcast and digital experience, as well as his strong leadership track record, makes him a great fit with Journal and our Tucson team. He embodies our core values of integrity, excellence, determination and innovation and I’m thrilled to welcome him to our company."

Clark has been  was sales manager for Tune-In and has also served as Sales Manager for CBS Radio/Atlanta, Emmi's in NYC and CBS Radio/San Diego.

"I am honored to lead the Tucson team forward and to become part of a broadcast group that shares the same core values that I do,” Clark said. “We have some incredible opportunities ahead of us and I look forward to much success for our Tucson team.”

Beyoncé Knowles Tops The Forbes Celebrity 100 List

• 5 From RadioMake It

Who runs the world? In entertainment, it’s Beyoncé. The singer has climbed to the No. 1 spot on the Forbes Celebrity 100 after an amazing year featuring a massive tour.

According to Forbes, Queen B played 95 shows, bringing in an average $2.4 million per stop, according to Pollstar. She also dropped her most innovative album. Titled simply Beyoncé, the album hit iTunes with barely any publicity and was billed as a “visual album” because there was already a music video for each of the 14 songs.  The single “Drunk in Love” has gone platinum, selling more than 1 million copies.

But Beyoncé doesn’t stop with music — the 32-year-old has built a small business empire. She earns millions endorsing companies like H&M and Pepsi. She has a line of fragrances with names like Heat, Rise and Pulse, and then there’s her clothing company House of Dereon, which features jeans, shoes and accessories. All together we estimate that Beyoncé earned $115 million between June 1, 2013 and June 1, 2014.

The singer is embarking on another big year highlighted by her first world tour with her husband, Jay Z. Their On The Run tour, which kicked off June 25 in Miami, will be short (only 20 dates are set) but lucrative for the pair, who can claim the crown as the most powerful celebrity couple in the world.

Radio is again represented on the Celeb List: Ryan Seacrest is ranked #31 with $65M in earnings,  Glenn Beck made it at #39, between musician Pharell Williams and NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. With earnings of $90 million, Beck is the eighth wealthiest celebrity on the list.

Rush Limbaugh, with $66 million in earnings, came in at #59, behind chef Gordon Ramsay and ahead of The Daily Show's Jon Stewart. Howard Sterns placed #62 with $95M in earnings,   #86 was Sean Hannity, with $30 million, was #86.

Some of the most recognizable faces in news media — the Brian Williams and Diane Sawyer types — are nowhere to be found.

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