Bonneville International has named veteran radio executive Katie Reid to lead its Denver stations. Reid is replacing Bonneville’s former Denver Market Manager Bob Call who recently retired after more than 50 years in the radio industry.
Katie Reid
Previously, Reid served with Cox Media Group as VP and General Manager of its station cluster in Jacksonville, FL. Before that, she was CMG’s Executive Director of Revenue, supporting sales teams across the company.
“Katie is a dynamic leader who knows how to focus on priorities and grow business,” said Bonneville International President Darrell Brown. “I believe her experience will position our stations for long-term success in Denver.”
“We are excited to utilize Katie’s many talents and know that she will help our Denver stations strengthen their brands,” added Executive Vice President, Regional Media Operations Scott Sutherland.
“I am honored to be joining the Bonneville team and work with these legendary brands. The Denver team continues to deliver excellent results and I am excited for this next chapter,” said Reid.
A Billings broadcasting company has bought five radio stations in Bozeman that went off the air in 2018 with the hopes of restoring the stations.
The Bozman Daily Chronicle reports Desert Mountain Broadcasting closed on the five stations, formerly owned by Reier Broadcasting Co. on Jan. 31. It’s now working to build brand-new studios for the five stations as they come back on the air.
The stations are KBOZ 99.9 FM, KBOZ 1090 AM, KOBB 93.7 F, KOBB 1230 AM and KOZB 97.5 FM. Desert Mountain Broadcasting also owns 104.1 FM/1490 AM in Bozeman.
The five stations closed, in part, due to financial woes, the Chronicle reported in 2018.
Cameron Maxwell, the president and CEO of Desert Mountain Broadcasting, had been looking to buy the stations since they went dark.
Cameron Maxwell
“This is really a big deal to me to be able to get a chance to buy, take over and rebuild these stations,” Maxwell said. “They were such a great set of radio stations it was sad to see them go away.”
Restoring the stations is personal for Maxwell, who got his start in the radio business in Billings and later worked for the Reier Broadcasting Co. in Bozeman.
Maxwell, 51, started working at a radio station in Billings at 15 years old as a board operator.
In 2005, Maxwell became a general manager for six radio stations in Billings owned by Connoisseur Media — a broadcasting company that now mainly operates on the East Coast.
In 2019, Maxwell bought out the radio stations in Billings from Connoisseur Media and founded Desert Mountain Broadcasting.
Fox News sued Smartmatic Corp. for allegedly exaggerating how much financial damage resulted from false reports that the voting technology company had rigged the 2020 election against then-President Donald Trump.
Bloomberg reports the complaint, filed Thursday in New York state court, widens a legal battle that began last year when Smartmatic brought a $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox for repeatedly airing unverified claims by Trump and others of a vast conspiracy to flip votes away from him.
Fox now alleges in a so-called counterclaim that Smartmatic’s lawsuit falsely asserted that the voting technology company “stood to make nearly $2 billion in annual revenue in 2025.” According to Fox, that’s more than four times Smartmatic’s highest reported revenues within the past nine years.
“But more fanciful still, Smartmatic insists that these phantom losses are all attributable not to the coverage of the President’s allegations against it, but to a handful of segments on Fox News,” the outlet said in the filing. “That claim does not pass the straight-face test.”
Trump and his supporters have continued to push his conspiracy theory despite it being widely debunked by U.S. intelligence officials and judges who tossed out Republican challenges to the election results. The falsehood ultimately helped trigger the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year.
Fox claims the alleged exaggerations violate New York’s Anti Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation statute, known as an anti-SLAPP law, which bars the filing of cases intended to chill free speech.
Fox’s request to dismiss the suit was denied earlier this month. Justice David Cohen in Manhattan ruled Smartmatic had “adequately pleaded” its claims that Fox “acted with actual malice” by broadcasting interviews with Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a longtime attorney for the ex-president.
➦In 1911...Lester Alvin Burnett was born (Died at age 55 from leukemia – February 16, 1967).
Smiley Burnette
He better known as Smiley Burnette, was a country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 musical instruments, some simultaneously. His career, beginning in 1934, spanned four decades, including a regular role on CBS-TV's Petticoat Junction in the 1960s.
He began singing as a child and learned to play a wide variety of instruments by ear, yet never learned to read or write music. In his teens, he worked in vaudeville, and starting in 1929, at the state's first commercial radio station, WDZ-AM in Tuscola, Illinois.
Burnette came by his nickname while creating a character for a WDZ children's program. He was reading Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" at the time, which included a character named Jim Smiley. He named the radio character Mr. Smiley and soon adopted the moniker as his own, dropping the title.
He made 80 western movies with Autry, then in TV became a regular on Ozark Jubilee, and played Charlie the railroad engineer on Petticoat Junction.
➦In 1912... Art Gilmore born in Tacoma, WA (Died at age 98 – September 25, 2010) . He was an actor and announcer heard in on radio and television programs, children's records, movies, trailers, radio commercials, and documentary films. He also appeared in several television series and a few feature films.
Art Gilmore
Raised in Tacoma, Washington, Gilmore attended Washington State University in 1931, where he was a member of the Chi chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity and a member of the Alpha Omicron Chapter of Theta Chi fraternity. In 1935, he got hired to work as an announcer for Seattle's KOL Radio. In 1936, he became a staff announcer for the Warner Brothers' radio station KFWB in Hollywood and then moved to the CBS-owned station KNX as a news reader. During World War II, he served as a fighter-director U.S. Navy officer aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean.
Leaving the Navy, he decided to become a professional singer and returned to Hollywood. With a group of notable Hollywood radio stars, including Edgar Bergen, Ralph Edwards and Jim Jordan, Gilmore founded Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters in 1966.
Gilmore's announcing voice became a part of many classic radio programs. Drawing his inspiration from the radio sports commentators of the 1930s, he became the announcer for Amos 'n' Andy, The Adventures of Frank Race, Dr. Christian, Sears Radio Theater, Stars over Hollywood, The Golden Days of Radio and other radio shows. It was Gilmore who introduced Herbert W. Armstrong and Garner Ted Armstrong, reminding listeners to request free religious literature at the conclusion of "The World Tomorrow" on radio and television.
He narrated 156 episodes of syndicated TV’s Highway Patrol with Broderick Crawford, 39 segments of Mackenzie’s Raiders with Richard Carlson, and 41 episodes of Men of Annapolis
➦In 1922...WHN-AM, NYC signed-on at 833Kc
According to Faded Signals, WHN, New York City, signed on in 1922 as the radio station of The Ridgewood Times newspaper. It was one of the city’s first radio stations, featuring a format of jazz and dance music of the era, as well as children’s shows, variety programs and newscasts. The Loew’s Theater Organization bought the station in 1928.
The station played jazz and contemporary dance music, including Sophie Tucker, Fletcher Henderson, and Duke Ellington, as well as broadcasting Columbia University football games. In 1928 the station was bought by the Loew's Theatre Organization.
During the 1920s the station's frequency changed to 830, 760, and then 1010.
In the 1930s it broadcast the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, which was picked up by the CBS Radio Network.
WHN made its final frequency change to 1050 in 1941.
During the 1940s the programs Radio Newsreel and Newsreel Theater were prototypes for what would later become the all-news radio format. The station broadcast Brooklyn Dodgers games with Red Barber as well as the New York Giants and New York Rangers with Marty Glickman.
In 1948, WHN became WMGM, reflecting the Loew’s then-ownership of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio. The station continued its diversified format until flipping to Top 40 and rock music in the mid 1950s. While it included some R&B, country and instrumentals in the Top 40 mix, WMGM carried a narrower, more up-tempo playlist.
By the early 1960s, WMGM 1050 AM had several competitors in the Top 40 radio market. WINS, WABC and WMCA all were playing rock, and WMGM was falling behind in the ratings.
Storer Broadcasting bought the station in 1962, renaming it WHN and dropping the Top 40 in favor of slow-paced “beautiful music” and standards.
WHN also became New York City’s Mutual Radio Network affiliate. Bob & Ray, WABC legend Herb Oscar Anderson and Jim Ameche were some of WHN’s on-air personalities.
The station picked up New York Mets baseball and launched Marv Albert’s sportscasting career.
WHN’s ratings were low and skewed toward older demographics. After researching the market, Storer converted WHN to a country format in 1973. Here’s an aircheck from WHN’s Bruce Bradley in 1973:
Mutual bought WHN in the late 1980s. An FM competitor flipped to country from 1980 to 1984, hurting WHN’s ratings.
Doubleday Broadcasting bought WHN in 1985, and Emmis Communications bought it the following year. Emmis added sports talk in the evenings, keeping the country format during the day.
In 1987, Emmis announced WHN would become all-sports WFAN. When Emmis purchased NBC’s New York radio stations in 1988, the company moved WFAN from 1050 AM to 660 AM, formerly occupied WNBC.
Spanish Broadcasting System purchased the 1050 AM license and became WUKQ, a Spanish Adult Contemporary station. Spanish Broadcasting System wanted to swap 1050 AM with cash for the Jewish Daily Forward’s FM station, WEVD 97.9. The deal was approved in 1989.
WEVD’s call letters and programming moved to the 1050 AM frequency. The station mainly carried a brokered format of ethnic programs, talk shows and foreign-language programming. By the mid-1990s, WEVD moved to a left-leaning news-talk format.
An agreement with ABC/Disney brought ESPN’s “The Dan Patrick Show” to WEVD in 2001. A public campaign to save the old format failed. On the final day of the news/talk format, soon-to-be-terminated staffers occasionally interrupted portions of the brokered programming with sometimes-profane audio clips. On September 2, 2001, WEVD became “1050 ESPN Radio.”
The call letters were changed to WEPN in 2003 after Disney bought the station, competing directly with WFAN’s all-sports format. In 2012, WEPN’s programming moved to 98.7 FM. ESPN Deportes later moved the 1050 AM frequency.
On June 11, 2019, ESPN announced that it would be discontinuing the ESPN Deportes Radio network on September 8, 2019. It was stated that WEPN would switch back to an English-language sports format at this time. In September 2019, ESPN agreed to a two-year deal to carry at least 60 New York Islanders broadcasts; due to WEPN-FM's existing contracts with the Knicks and Rangers, most Islanders games are aired on 1050 AM, with select games on WEPN-FM, and previous flagship WRHU continuing to be the primary station for games not carried on either WEPN or WEPN-FM.
➦In 1939...saxophone player Frank Mane, who knew Frank Sinatra from Jersey City radio station WAAT where both performed on live broadcasts, arranged for him to audition and record "Our Love", his first solo studio recording.
➦In 1940...the daytime drama “Light of the World” began airing on the NBC Blue Network. It aired for 10years and was unique in that it featured the Bible as the center of the story line.
➦In 1974...Jim Kerr started mornings on WPLJ 95.5 FM NYC
He began his career at age 14 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. After working at stations in Howell and Ann Arbor Michigan, Kerr joined WORJ, a progressive rock station in Orlando, Florida. At 18, he returned to his hometown and joined the airstaff of WKNR, Detroit. At 19, he served as morning host at WDAI, Chicago, at 20 he moved to the legendary WLS, and when he was 21, he became New York’s youngest morning show host at WPLJ.
Kerr has been the morning show host on six NYC stations, most notably 15 years at WPLJ and as of 2018, 15 years at WAXQ Q 104.3 FM.
➦In 1985... Capital Cities announced that it would purchase ABC Radio for $3.5 billion, which shocked the media industry, as ABC was some four times bigger than Capital Cities was at the time.
Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett helped to finance the deal in exchange for a 25 percent share in the combined company. The deal was, at the time, the largest non-oil merger in world business history. However, this record would be surpassed by year's end by the merger of General Electric and RCA (the latter company then being the parent company of rival network NBC).
NY Times story 3/20/85
The newly merged company, known as CapCities/ABC, was forced to sell off some stations due to FCC ownership rules. Between them, ABC and CapCities owned more television stations than FCC rules allowed at the time. Also, the two companies owned several radio stations in the same markets.
Of the former Capital Cities television stations, the new company opted to keep the outlets in Houston, Durham, and Fresno. WFTS and ABC's WXYZ-TV in Detroit were divested as a pair to the E.W. Scripps Company's broadcasting division (then known as Scripps-Howard Broadcasting).
WTNH and WKBW-TV were sold separately to minority-owned companies; WKBW-TV would eventually be acquired by E.W. Scripps by 2014. WTNH would have been sold in any event due to a significant city-grade signal overlap with ABC flagship WABC-TV in New York City. At the time, the FCC normally did not allow companies to own two television stations with common coverage areas (known commonly as the "one-to-a-market" rule), and would not even consider granting a waiver for a city-grade overlap.
Capital Cities/ABC originally planned to retain WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, but FCC rules could have forced a sale of that station as well due to a large signal overlap with WABC-TV. Citing CBS' ownership of television stations in New York City (WCBS-TV) and Philadelphia (at the time WCAU-TV) under grandfathered status, Capital Cities/ABC requested, and received a permanent waiver from the FCC allowing it to keep WPVI-TV. If the waiver request were denied, WXYZ-TV would have been retained.
On the radio side, new owners were found for CapCities' WPAT stations (Park Communications was the buyer), WKBW (Price Communications, the new owner, changed its call letters to WWKB, which was necessitated due to an FCC regulation in effect then that forbade TV and radio stations in the same city, but with different owners from sharing the same call letters) and KLAC and KZLA-FM (to Malrite Communications), and ABC's WRIF-FM in Detroit (to a minority-owned concern), among others.
The merger was completed on January 3, 1986.
The new company retained ABC's radio and television combinations in New York City (WABC, WABC-TV and WPLJ), Los Angeles (KABC, KABC-TV and KLOS), Chicago (WLS, WLS-FM and WLS-TV), and San Francisco (KGO and KGO-TV), along with WMAL and WRQX-FM in Washington, D.C.; CapCities' aforementioned television outlets and the Detroit, Providence, Marietta and Fort Worth radio stations; Fairchild Publications; the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Kansas City Star; and other broadcasting and publishing properties.
In May 1991, Capital Cities/ABC's Farm Progress Cos. closed its purchase of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc.'s 12-magazine farm publishing group. In February 1993, the company formed a TV production joint venture with Brillstein-Grey Entertainment to tap into their managed talent and to take advantage of relaxed production regulations. In July, CC/ABC purchased a majority ownership in animation studio DIC Animation City, forming a joint venture called DIC Entertainment L.P. Later in July, CC/ABC reorganized into 4 groups, ABC TV Network Group, CC/ABC Publishing Group, the CC/ABC Broadcast Group, and a newly formed CC/ABC Multimedia Group overseeing the network, magazines & newspapers, stations and new technology & miscellaneous operations respectively. Network Group president Bob Iger was also promoted to executive president of CC/ABC.
CC/ABC in December 1994 agreed to a $200 million seven-year TV production joint venture with the new DreamWorks SKG studio.
Capital Cities/ABC merged with The Walt Disney Company on January 5, 1996. A Disney subsidiary operating the combined company's television operations, ABC, Inc., was established on September 19, 1996.
➦In 1991...Former Radio/TV personality, Jack McCoy, died at age 72.
➦In 2005...Pat Cashman aired his final morning drive show on KJR-FM, Seattle, after 12 years.
Following his graduation from the University of Portland (Oregon), he worked at various small radio stations in Oregon. But after moving to Eugene, Oregon, he left full-time radio work to take a job at a TV station as a commercial writer and director. For a period of time, he even served as the station’s weathercaster, though his humorous bits often took more time than the weather during this brief stint.
Pat Cashman
He moved on to another TV station in Boise, Idaho – this time serving as production director. While there, he originated a legendary Saturday late night TV show called “Peculiar Playhouse.”
Pat moved to Seattle in the early 1980’s, hired as a commercial writer and producer by KING TV. In 1984, he became the station’s first-ever creative director – writing, producing and directing a vast number of award-winning promos and commercials. He was honored with Clios, Addys and Tellys
In 1991, Pat returned to his radio roots on 1090 AM Seattle. He hosted his morning drive time news/comedy show until 1994, when KING Radio was purchased by Bonneville Broadcasting – and moved Pat to become the morning host on another station (then KIRO FM, later called “The Buzz”).
In 1999 Fisher Broadcasting – KOMO Radio hired Pat to immediate strong ratings. When KOMO switched to an all-news, no-Pat format, he left the building… and concentrated on his freelance work.
In the summer of 2003 Pat joined the legendary KJR FM 95.7 as host of the morning show from 6 to 10 AM.
Irene Cara is 63
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Composer John Kander (“Chicago”) is 95.
Actor Brad Dourif (“Deadwood,” ″Lord of the Rings”) is 72.
Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell is 71.
Singer Irene Cara is 63.
Keyboardist Karen Grotberg of The Jayhawks is 63.
Actor Geoffrey Owens (“The Cosby Show”) is 61.
Actor Thomas Ian Griffith (“Cobra Kai,” “The Karate Kid Part 3”) is 60.
TV personality Mike Rowe (“Dirty Jobs”) is 60.
Singer-actor Vanessa Williams (“Desperate Housewives,” ″Ugly Betty”) is 59.
Keyboardist Scott Saunders of Sons of the Desert is 58.
Actor David Cubitt (“Medium”) is 57.
Queen Latifah is 52
Guitarist Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains is 56.
Actor Michael Bergin (“Baywatch”) is 53.
Rapper-actor Queen Latifah is 52.
Comedian Dane Cook (“Employee of the Month”) is 50.
Singer Philip Sweet of Little Big Town is 48.
Singers Evan and Jaron Lowenstein of Evan and Jaron are 48.
Actor Sutton Foster (“Younger,” “Bunheads”) is 47.
Singer Adam Levine of Maroon 5 is 43.
Drummer Daren Taylor of Airborne Toxic Event is 42.
Chris Cuomo, who was fired from his prime-time perch at CNN in December for inappropriately aiding his governor brother’s response to a sexual harassment scandal, has filed an arbitration claim seeking $125 million in compensation from the company, reports The Washington Post.
In a statement, Cuomo’s attorney argued that CNN “wrongfully terminated” its star anchorman and “violated the express terms of his employment agreement by allowing its employees to disparage him.”
Bryan Freedman, the powerful Hollywood litigator who is representing Cuomo, went on to argue that CNN made Cuomo “the scapegoat” of a broader scandal over CNN’s dealings with the Cuomo brothers that culminated in the eventual ouster last month of network president Jeff Zucker and his longtime lieutenant, Allison Gollust.
Since his dismissal, Cuomo’s team has insisted that CNN’s top brass was always aware of the role he played in helping then-New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, even while Zucker told employees that he was misled on this point by Chris Cuomo, formerly a close friend.
In their filing, Cuomo’s lawyers argued “an apparent rush to judgement and caving to uninformed public and internal pressure that was based on speculation and assumption rather than facts.”
They wrote that the $125 million he is seeking represents not just $15 million remaining from his CNN contract but also future “decades of earnings” that they argue he has been deprived of because “CNN’s calculated efforts to tar and feather him” left him “untouchable in the world of broadcast journalism.”
Their filing also lashes out at CNN’s top executives, essentially accusing them of some of the same ethical transgressions that ensnared Cuomo.
Media critics had raised concerns about CNN’s decision to let Cuomo interview his brother about his handling of New York’s pandemic crisis in a series of jocular broadcasts in the spring of 2020. In the filing, Cuomo’s team claims that CNN leadership “demanded” he conduct these interviews, “despite Cuomo’s and Gov. Cuomo’s expressed reservations.”
Last March, The Washington Post reported that Gov. Cuomo arranged for his brother and other well-connected people to get special access to state-administered coronavirus tests early in the pandemic, when tests were hard to come by. In the filing, Chris Cuomo’s lawyers claim that Zucker and Gollust also “demanded priority testing from Gov. Cuomo’s administration,” and that the governor’s staff “felt it had no choice but to fulfill” because of their “power over [Chris] Cuomo’s career.” Zucker and Gollust declined to comment on the claim.
The filing also alleged that Zucker and Gollust “acted as advisors” to then-Gov. Cuomo and provided him “with talking points and strategies,” a charge that both have previously denied.
Media mogul Byron Allen is suing Nielsen, claiming the ratings company was not forthcoming about the reliability of its audience measurement data for smaller TV networks, reports The L-A Times
The suit filed Wednesday in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., said Nielsen committed fraud when it agreed to provide ratings to Allen’s Entertainment Studio Networks, a group of seven niche TV channels that have limited distribution on cable and satellite systems.
Audience levels for smaller networks are harder to measure and are more likely to be subject to errors.
Allen’s suit lands at a time when New York-based Nielsen has been under assault from its dissatisfied clients who use Nielsen ratings data to set advertising rates. Some media companies, such as NBCUniversal, have begun to use alternative services for audience measurement.
The accuracy of the company’s data — drawn from a sample of 40,000 homes equipped to measure viewing habits — has been questioned throughout the media industry in recent years as viewers increasingly turn to streaming services for their video content.
Nielsen had to admit that it undercounted TV viewing during the pandemic as COVID-19 health protocols kept the company from updating its panel of homes. The company also acknowledged it undercounted out-of-home viewing from September 2021 through January 2022. Media companies say the discrepancies have cost them millions of dollars in ad revenue.
The lawsuit cites a litany of criticisms and problems Nielsen has faced in recent years. But the crux of Allen’s complaint is that Nielsen persuaded executives at his company to add his Entertainment Studios Networks channels to its existing contract in 2017, adding “significant fees” to what was already being paid (Allen also owns the Weather Channel and nearly two dozen network-affiliated TV stations) and they were unhappy with the results.
Nielsen executives allegedly told the company that the audience for ESN channels could be reliably counted, even though they had limited distribution (the suit does not state the current number of households the channels reach), and that the count would ultimately benefit ad sales. “These representations were, and are, false,” the suit said.
Entertainment Studios began receiving ratings data for the channels in 2017. The company said its own internal data showed that Nielsen’s reports “did not capture” the audience viewing the channels, which include Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, Cars.TV, Pets.TV, MyDestination.TV, ES.TV and JusticeCentral.TV. The company alleges its viewing data for the Weather Channel is inaccurate as well, as its audience has shrunk because of increased competition.
Audacy’s “The Morning Mess” will move to B96 WBBM-FM in Chicago as the station’s new morning show. Beginning the week of April 4, “The Morning Mess,” featuring Joey Boy, Aneesh Ratan, Jeana Shepard and Karla Hernandez, will be heard weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. CT.
The show, which will also continue to be heard on sister station Live 101.5 (KALV-FM) in Phoenix, will originate from Chicago with popular segments like “Nachoo’s Revenge,” featuring Joey Boy’s alter ego prank calling unsuspecting listeners.
“After a long search we are thrilled to bring ‘The Morning Mess’ to Chicago,” said Rachel Williamson, Regional President and Market Manager, Audacy Chicago. “This show is a fun, energetic and close team who embrace their diverse cultures and lifestyles to bring lively and relatable entertainment to listeners every morning.”
Joey Boy joined the company in 2013 as an original co-host for “The Morning Mess” on Live 101.5. Considered the ringleader of the show, Joey Boy is never afraid to share his family life and stories on air.
Aneesh Ratan joined the company in 2015 as an original co-host on “The Morning Mess.” Ratan is an avid advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and considers himself a top-of-the-line twerker, body positive, retro gaymer.
Jeana Shepard, is a young mother of a two and three-year-old and is looking for any excuse to get out of the house. Shepard started with the company in 2014 and joined “The Morning Mess” in January 2019.
Karla Hernandez is a young and fun Mexican-American beauty queen who enjoys giving listeners a sneak peek into her dating, partying, and personal life. Hernandez joined the company in January 2018 and became part of “The Morning Mess” in January 2019.
“We are all beyond excited for this opportunity – mornings at the iconic B96,” said Joey Boy. “The mess team is the hardest working and most talented ensemble I have ever worked with, and they are my dear friends. ‘The Morning Mess’ is ready to embrace Chicago and become part of its vibrant and diverse culture; thanks to everyone at Audacy for the incredible support.”
“After many years of the same morning show choices for contemporary hit music fans, we believe Chicagoans will be excited to have a new, fresh option to wake up with and to energize their mornings,” said Greg Solk, Vice President of Programming and Operations, Audacy Chicago.
Listeners can tune in to B96 (WBBM-FM) in Chicago on air, as well as nationwide on the Audacyapp and website. Fans can also connect with the station on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with the U.S. for more help to fight against the Russian invasion in a live video speech before Congress Wednesday, asking for more weapons and even stronger sanctions. Zelenskyy, who twice received a standing ovation from the U.S. lawmakers, referred to the Pearl Harbor and 9/11 attacks on the U.S. in his impassioned address, saying, "Our country experiences the same every day right now."
He thanked America for all the support it's given, while urging more, saying directly to President Biden, "I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means being the leader of peace." During his remarks, Zelenskyy showed a video that contrasted scenes of Ukraine before the invasion with graphic scenes of the death and devastation the war has brought.
Speaking at the White House, Biden announced new assistance he'd already been set to reveal, saying the U.S. will be sending another $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft systems, grenade launchers, ammunition, mortar rounds, and drones. At a later, unrelated event, Biden said to a reporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, "He's a war criminal," his strongest condemnation yet of Putin and Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy showed this powerful video to Congress, depicting Ukraine before and during the invasion.
The video ends with a familiar call for a no-fly zone: "Close the sky over Ukraine." pic.twitter.com/8nG0w9sv4y
In Ukraine, Russia's bombardment continued, including in an around the capital city of Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said an airstrike hit a theater in the besieged city of Mariupol where hundreds of people had been sheltering, leaving many buried in the rubble. AP reported that at least as recently as Monday, the pavement in front of and behind the theater had the word "children" spelled out in huge white letters in Russian. Russia denied bombing the theater.
Talks Continue: Talks continued yesterday between Ukraine and Russia, with AP citing an unnamed official in Zelenskyy's office as saying the main subject under discussion was whether Russian troops would remain in separatist regions in eastern Ukraine after the war and where the borders would be. The official said Ukraine was insisting on the inclusion of at least one Western nuclear power in the negotiations and on a legally binding document with security guarantees for Ukraine, and that in exchange, it was willing to discuss a neutral status.
Many deaths AP documented in Mariupol were of children, despite Russia’s claims of not attacking civilians. “Why? Why? Why?” a mother wailed after her son's death. https://t.co/7fq0Ts87IW
Putin Denounces 'Scum and Traitors': Putin gave a televised speech in which he denounced Russians who don't support him, saying that Russians, quote, "will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and will simply spit them out like a gnat that accidentally flew into their mouths." He stated, "I am convinced that such a natural and necessary self-purification of society will only strengthen our country.” He also accused the West of using a "fifth column" of traitorous Russians to create civil unrest to destroy the country.
➤7.4-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE SHAKES NORTHERN JAPAN: A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coasts of northern Japan late last night, leaving four people dead and 107 injured. The quake shook large parts of eastern Japan, including Tokyo, and a low-risk tsunami advisory was issued, before later being lifted. The region is part of the area devastated by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami it caused 11 years ago, which led to nuclear reactor meltdowns, releasing radiation that left some areas still uninhabitable. Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, where the cooling systems failed after the 2011 quake, found some tanks holding treated radioactive water were out of alignment due to the shaking, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the site. The nuclear plant is being decommissioned.
WATCH: Shaking, power outages, and flashes in the sky as 2 strong earthquakes hit central Japan pic.twitter.com/d7z9CsJzvI
💰FED RAISES INTEREST RATE, SIGNALS UP TO SIX MORE INCREASES THIS YEAR: The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark short-term interest rate by one-quarter point Wednesday, and signaled that up to six more rate increases would be coming this year. The key interest rate had been near zero since the pandemic-caused recession, but the Fed is acting now to try to bring down inflation, which is at its worst level in four decades. Fed Chair Jerome Powell stressed at his news conference that he has confidence the economy is strong enough to withstand higher interest rates.
➤NINE KILLED IN CRASH INVOLVING NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY'S GOLF TEAMS: Nine people were killed in a head-on collision Tuesday evening in West Texas that involved a New Mexico university's golf teams returning from a tournament. The Texas Department of Safety's Sergeant Steven Blanco said a pickup truck crossed the center lane of a two-lane road and crashed into a van carrying members of University of the Southwest's men's and women's golf teams, and both vehicles burst into flames. Golf coach Tyler James and six players were killed, as were the pickup driver and a 13-year-old boy traveling with him. Two other students in the van were critically injured. The University of the Southwest is a private, Christian college located in Hobbs, New Mexico.
➤JUSSIE SMOLLETT TO BE RELEASED FROM JAIL, PENDING APPEAL: An appeals court ordered former Empire actor Jussie Smollett be released from the Cook County Jail on Wednesday. He was just seven days into his 150-day sentence for allegedly faking a hate crime.
The justices ruled 2-1 pending the appeal of his conviction and on the basis that he posts $150,000 bond. The justices did not explain their decision.
Smollett’s attorney, Nenye Uche, argued that Smollett was subject to threats and could face harm while imprisoned.
After he was originally sentenced, Smollett said, "I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that."
"Where there is prostitution, there is exploitation, disease, dysfunction and broken families," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. https://t.co/rAmB0H6gKv
➤NETFLIX TESTING NEW FEE STRUCTURE TO CUT DOWN ON SHARED ACCOUNTS: Netflix announced Wednesday that they are testing out a new fee structure that would allow subscribers to add two additional users outside of their households for an additional fee. The streamer will charge primary account holders $2.99 to create new profiles – with their own login, passwords and personalized recommendations – for the additional users. The feature is first rolling out in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.
⏰SLEEP EXPERTS SAYS STANDARD TIME SHOULD BE MADE PERMAMENT, NOT DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME: One day after the Senate unexpectedly voted unanimously to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, the Washington Post reported that sleep experts are saying that while they agree the twice-yearly time shifts should stop, it's standard time that should be made permanent, not Daylight Saving Time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) said in a statement after the Senate vote that it overlooks potential health risks associated with Daylight Saving Time. The organization says that standard time is more closely associated with humans' circadian rhythm, and that disrupting it, as happens with Daylight Saving Time, has been associated with increased risks of obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and depression. The measure would still have to be approved by the House and then signed by President Biden to become law, and the AASM said, "We call on the House to take more time to assess the potential ramifications of establishing permanent daylight saving time before making such an important decision that will affect all Americans."
🛫EXPERTS SAY TO BOOK YOUR SUMMER FLIGHTS NOW: If you’re planning to go away this summer, you need to book your flight now. Airline executives at this week’s JP Morgan Industrials Conference say that between world events, inflation, lower airline capacity and pen-tup travel demand after years of Covid-19, mean that ticket prices are about to go up. Delta president Glen Hauenstein estimates that costs will likely go up between $15 and $20 each way on a ticket
🏀WRIGHT STATE, NOTRE DAME WIN LAST TWO MEN'S 'FIRST FOUR' MARCH MADNESS GAMES:Wright State and Notre Dame won the second two of the "First Four" play-in games Wednesday in the men's NCAA basketball tournament. Wright State defeated Bryant 93-82, and Notre Dame topped Rutgers 89-87 in double overtime. Paul Atkinson Jr. scored the winning basket for Notre Dame with 1.4 left in the second OT. The tournament's first round games begin today.
NOTRE DAME IS DANCING AFTER BEATING RUTGERS IN 2OT
🏀DAYTON, HOWARD WIN FIRST TWO WOMEN'S 'FIRST FOUR' GAMES: Dayton and Howard won the first two of the "First Four" play-in games yesterday in the women's NCAA basketball tournament, the first time the play-in games are part of the women's tournament. Dayton beat DePaul 88-57, and Howard defeated Incarnate Word 55-51. The second two "First Four" games are today.
🏀WARRIORS' CURRY EXITS GAME WITH INJURED FOOT: Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry left last night's 110-88 loss to the Boston Celtics after injuring his foot late in the second quarter. He underwent an MRI after the game, and when head coach Steve Kerr was asked about his level of concern about the injury, said only, "We'll know after the MRI." Curry suffered the injury when his leg was rolled on by Boston's Marcus Smart as they fought for a loose ball.
⚾FREEMAN REACHES SIX-YEAR, $162 MILLION DEAL WITH DODGERS: First baseman Freddie Freeman has agreed to terms with the L.A. Dodgers on a six-year, $162 million deal, according to media reports last night. The 32-year-old was a free agent for the first time after spending his entire 12-year career with the Atlanta Braves, including helping them win the World Series last year. Freeman was the National League MVP in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and has made five All-Star teams.
🏈VON MILLER AGREES TO DEAL WITH BILLS: Linebacker Von Miller has reached a six-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, the team announced yesterday, that's reportedly worth $120 million. The eight-time Pro Bowler was a key part of the L.A. Rams team that won the Super Bowl last month, and had two sacks of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the championship game. The 32-year-old Miller leads all active players with 115.5 sacks in his career.
Even as many people spent much more time at home during these last two years, many more people now report having no radios in their home, according to The Infinite Dial® 2022, from Edison Research.
In the 2020 Infinite Dial, performed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, just under one-in-three Americans age 12 and older reported not having a single radio in their home. Two years later, that number is now 39%. Fourteen years ago, only 4% of respondents said they had no radios at home.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the numbers are particularly acute among younger people. Fully 57% of respondents age 12 to 34 reported having no radios at home.
“Of course, nearly all cars have AM/FM radios easily available, and people can listen to the content of radio stations on their phones or smart speakers,” says Edison Research President Larry Rosin. “However the elimination of the standard, single-use radio from so many households makes the challenge that much harder in the location that most people spend the most hours.”
Many radio companies believe the smart speaker brings the radio “back into the home.” New data will be revealed on smart speaker adoption – including in no-radio households, in The Infinite Dial 2022 presentation.
Click Here For more information on The Infinite Dial 2022.
Cumulus Media announces that it has appointed veteran radio programmer Hayden Green as Program Director for Country station NASH FM 105.5/WYZB-FM in Fort Walton Beach/Destin, FL.
He has been Interim Program Director for the station since February 2021. Green will continue his duties as Program Director/PMD for CHR-formatted sister station Z96/WZNS-FM.
Hayden Green
Green has been with Cumulus Fort Walton Beach/Destin since 1993, holding various on-air and programming roles. In addition to programming top-rated Z96/WZNS-FM and hosting afternoons on the station, Green lends his talents to Westwood One’s Total Formats - Hot AC at night. The multi-talented Green will also host middays on NASH FM 105.5/WYZB-FM.
Ashley Allegretto, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Fort Walton Beach-Destin, said: “Hayden has proven himself with every project and station we have asked him to manage or program. His skillset makes him the perfect person to guide NASH FM 105.5 to its full potential.”
Chris Kellogg, Operations Manager, Cumulus Fort Walton Beach-Destin, noted: “Hayden’s ability to focus and consistently program top-notch radio stations will give our cluster a big player with NASH FM 105.5. His enthusiasm is contagious!”
Green commented: “I look forward to putting in the hard work on another great Cumulus station and I’m excited to continue working with Charlie Cook and Doug Hamand on WYZB. Their support makes the station sound great and makes me look good, too.”
iHeartMedia, Inc. Wednesday announced that it has named Sam Englebardt, General Partner of Galaxy Interactive, to its Board of Directors. Galaxy Interactive is a venture capital franchise focused on companies operating at the intersection of content, finance and technology, with a particular emphasis on video game studios, NFTs, social platforms and financial marketplaces.
Sam Englebardt
Englebardt, an accomplished media and technology investor and content producer, has deep experience at the intersection of content and exponential technologies, including the metaverse and web3. He is also co-founder and Partner at Galaxy Digital, a technology-driven financial services and investment management firm that provides institutions and clients with a full suite of financial solutions spanning the digital assets ecosystem.
“Sam’s expertise and deep understanding of web3, exponential technologies and the potential of emerging consumer tech platforms like NFTs, tokens and shared virtual experiences, combined with his background in media and entertainment, will be uniquely valuable to us as we extend iHeart’s presence into web3 and the metaverse,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc.
Prior to Galaxy Digital, Englebardt was a Partner and Managing Director at Lambert Media Group (LMG), where he helped source and oversaw investments in Rave Cinemas (sold to Cinemark), Gold Class Cinemas (sold to iPic) and Demarest Films and managed a portfolio of early-stage media tech venture investments. He also previously served as Vice President and Financial Advisor at Alliance Bernstein and is a licensed attorney in California. Englebardt earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and studied philosophy, political science and economics at Oxford University and the University of Colorado at Boulder, from which he graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has elected Curtis LeGeyt, President and Chief Executive Officer for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Dennis Lyle, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Illinois Broadcasters Association and the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation, and Chad Matthews, President of ABC Owned Stations, to its Board. In addition, it has named Heather Cohen, Executive Vice President of The Weiss Agency, and Judy Quaranta, a highly accomplished executive in the world of finance, as Officers. Quaranta will also fill the role of Vice President of Finance for the charitable organization that is devoted solely to providing financial aid to broadcasters in acute need. The elections took place yesterday at the Broad of Directors meeting in New York City.
“We’re delighted to announce these esteemed individuals -- Curtis, Dennis, and Chad -- as members of our Board,” said Scott Herman, Chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. “Their support of the Foundation’s charitable mission and their leadership in the broadcast industry is commendable. Heather and Judy are accomplished professionals in their individual field, and as Officers of the Broadcasters Foundation they will help us advance our cause of helping our colleagues who are in great need.”
The Broadcasters Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised of highly respected broadcast executives who are committed to “giving back” through the Broadcasters Foundation. The members of the Board represent a wide array of broadcast and broadcast related companies. For a complete list of the Board of Directors and Officers, please click here.
