Report: NBC Discussing Jay Leno Exit Plan

Is NBC preparing to announce Jay Leno's departure from The Tonight Show?

The network says categorically no, but two high-level industry sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that NBC is moving toward a May announcement that the 2013-14 television season will be the last for Leno as host of the long-running late-night show. Sources expect the network to move Jimmy Fallon from his Late Night spot into the coveted 11:35 time slot with a soft launch during the summer of 2014 before a formal fall kickoff.

A Leno rep says, "We do not speculate on rumor." Whether the network finally executes the Tonight transition plan remains to be seen. Anyone with even a passing sense of Leno’s personality knows that the hardworking comic would be reluctant to leave his perch, especially before his rival at CBS, David Letterman, announces his retirement. Leno and Letterman are both signed through 2014.

With Jimmy Kimmel attracting younger viewers, Jimmy Fallon seems a logical choice to move into the coveted 11:35 time slot in 2014.

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D/FW Radio: Ben & Skin Now Free Agents

Free Agents

Ben Rogers and Skin Wade couldn’t come to an agreement with KESN-FM ESPN 103.3 FM on a new contract.

They were offered a deal. They declined.

They were taken off the air February 25, 2012, three years after they replaced Michael Irvin in the late mornings. On March 1 they became free agents.

Veterans of “The Ticket” KTCK-AM 1310-AM and KRLD-FM The Fan 105.3, they are optimistic that they will land a new gig. Soon.

The Dallas Morning News reports Ben & Skin may have trailed the competition in the ratings, but they generated revenue from a loyal cadre of advertisers who presumably will follow them.

Gavin Spittle

Coincidentally, Gavin Spittle, the programming boss who hired them at The Fan but had no say in dumping them, returned from Houston last month to assume control of programming at the station.

Craig Fenech is Ben & Skin’s agent. He also represents The Ticket’s Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell as well as Fan morning man Shan Shariff.

Fenech said ESPN’s offer to his clients was “multiyear” but contained “windows.”

Translation: The station had built-in outs. Station manager Tom Lee said he had to move forward when ESPN’s final offer was rejected.

Ben & Skin preferred more stability.

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Boston Radio: Baltazar, Pebbles Reunite At Hot 96.9

Greater Media announces Baltazar has been named as the co-host of the new Baltazar & Pebbles Morning Show on Hot 96.9 FM. The new show will debut officially today.

LISTEN-LINE: Click Here.

Baltazar most recently served as the morning personality at CBS Radio’s NOW 100.5 in Sacramento, California. Prior to that, Baltazar hosted mornings on JAMN 94.5 in Boston with Pebbles from 1994-2001. The duo will officially return to the Boston radio airwaves after being apart for the 12 past years.

“I had to pinch myself and ask if this was a dream to reunite with my radio soul mate, Pebbles, who I enjoyed such great chemistry and success with in Boston,” said Baltazar. 

“What a winning formula: Rob Williams as front office genius, Cadillac Jack as the masterful coach & Pebbles as my playmaker. I can’t wait to say hello to Boston & rekindle our amazing relationship!”

“2013 is shaping up to be a very good year for the All New Hot 96.9,” said Greater Media Boston Director of Programming Cadillac Jack McCartney. 

“The list is very small of radio personalities in America who would, on day one, already have a raving fan base in Boston, proven chemistry with Pebbles, and a great sense of humor to top it all off.  Baltazar brings that and more to our station. I am very pleased to be able to add another “A” talent to the team and reunite Baltazar and Pebbles for the first time in over 12 years for the listeners of Boston.”

Chicago Radio: Harry Teinowitz OUT At ESPN 1000

Harry Teinowitz

WMVP-AM/ESPN 1000 have made a major change to their line-up by releasing longtime employee and afternoon show co-host Harry Teinowitz. ChicagoRadio& Media is reporting it happened at the end of "Carmen, Jurko & Harry" show Thursday.

A memo was immediately sent out to the rest of the station's staff following the release of Teinowitz. As provided to CRM, that memo said:

"At 6pm this evening Harry Teinowitz signed off air for the last time at ESPN Chicago. Throughout the many years that Harry has been with us, he has served in many different roles and has helped to establish the ESPN brand in Chicago.

Harry’s contributions will be felt for years to come in every department at ESPN Chicago. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."

In confirming the news to CRM, ESPN 1000 Program Director Adam Delevitt echoed that sentiment, stating "We all wish him the best, and appreciate all his contributions to the station."

WMVP-AM's afternoon show ratings have been a big disappointment for the station, as ratings have crept downward rather consistently.

In the most recent Arbitron radio ratings for the January period, WMVP-AM's ratings were tied for 26th place with only a 1.5 share in the all ages numbers. In comparison, the station's competitor, WSCR-AM was #12 with a 3.1 share. Most importantly, in the station's target demographic of Men 25-54, WMVP-AM was down to #17 with a 2.6 share, while WSCR-AM was #1 with a 6.5 share. A change to the afternoon line-up was inevitable.

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St. Louis Radio: J.C. Corcoran Departing For Houston

JC Corcoran

After almost 30 years and not quite as many radio stations, radio personality legend J.C. Corcoran is leaving St. Louis for the Lone Star State.

According to Joe Holleman at stltoday.com, on March 21, Corcoran will join Clear Channel's KKRW “The Arrow,” Houston’s classic-rock station, as host of the morning-drive show, 5:30 to 10 a.m., station officials said.

In addition to The Arrow Morning Show, Corcoran will be a contributor to Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Houston’s talk stations, KTRH and KPRC.

Never one to shy away from controversy or confrontation, Corcoran worked at — and often got fired from — St. Louis’ most prominent radio stations.

An unofficial count includes KSHE, KSD (twice), KIHT, KLOU, KTRS, KYKY and KMOX.

“People started trying to run me out of town two weeks after I got here back in 1984.” Corcoran, 57, said. “So I consider it a moral victory that it took them 29 years to do it.”

But along with generating headlines through confrontations with bosses and listeners, Corcoran led a revolution in St. Louis radio.

When he started at KSHE in 1984, Corcoran brought with him the trend of music jocks commenting on politics and news events, something which had begun to grow nationwide in the early 1980s.

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Milwaukee Radio: ‘Martini Radio’ Launches On 1290-AM

Milwaukee Radio Alliance LLC launched “1290 Martini Radio” Friday, an Adult Standards radio station with modern twist. Stan Atkinson has been named Operations Manager for the new radio station, which will carry the call letters WZTI-AM.

1290 Martini Radio combines the sound of standards from the “Rat Pack” era with more contemporary artists with a throwback sound. Core artists of the former include Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett. Core artists of the latter include Michael Bublé, Adele, and Norah Jones. Together, they create the sound of 1290 Martini Radio.

“We’re looking forward to bringing a unique sounding radio station to Milwaukee. It’s rat pack meets brat pack and it will be fun to listen to,” said Atkinson.

LISTEN-LINE: Click Here

1290 Martini Radio has a very broad target audience of Adults 35+.

“We’re very excited about 1290 Martini Radio! Milwaukee hasn’t had a station like this, and it’s a station that everyone can enjoy, from grandparents to parents to young adults,” said Bill Hurwitz, Vice President/General Manger of the Milwaukee Radio Alliance.

CRS: Panel Attempts To Pick The Hits

Easton Corbin

During a panel discussion Friday billed as a “real life music meeting” at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, panelists and audience members listened to, and rated, ten new country singles. According to a story at Billboard.com, the goal was to choose which two you would add to your radio station’s playlist, and audience members got to join the discussion and play along to see how their choices stacked up with the panelists’.

Only one song, Easton Corbin’s “All Over the Road,” would have been added by all four radio panelists -- John Paul, vice president of programming at Dial Global, Bruce Logan with Clear Channel, Marci Braun at WUSN, Chicago, and Becky Brenner of Albright & O'Malley & Brenner consultants..

The audience took part with hand-held meters, using them to respond to 30-second hooks played in the room for each of the ten songs. The meters rated whether the respondent liked or didn’t like each hook, with real-time results displayed on the screen at the front of the room. Some respondents liked songs less as the end of the hook neared, some liked songs more. And while the panelists all agreed that the Easton Corbin song would have been one of two adds out of the ten songs chosen for the session, the audience results showed the Corbin song was not a shoe-in; it was tied for the second add-slot with Charlie Worsham’s “Could It Be.”

For the four radio panelists, there was no consensus on what would be the second add.

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Steal This Idea..From Nathan Fast

The Nathan Fast Show strings audio of phone calls from listeners together to build a fast-paced interesting show promo on KHTS Channel 93-3 San Diego.

K-Love Launches Fan Awards

K-LOVE will bring the first ever fan-voted awards show in Christian music history to Nashville. The K-LOVE Fan Awards and Ultimate Fan Experience kicks off Friday, May 31 culminating Sunday, June 2.

The K-LOVE Fan Awards voting process will open to fans in May. The winners will be announced at the Awards show on Saturday, June 1st at 7:30 pm at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. This inaugural event will create a fan experience celebrating artists, athletes, authors and entertainers who, with excellence, engage and impact popular culture for Jesus Christ.

LISTEN-LINE: Click Here

At a recent press event, details were announced about the Fan Awards and the Ultimate Fan Experience. Some of the industry's top artists such as TobyMac, Amy Grant, Jeremy Camp, Brandon Heath, Francesca Battistelli, Jamie Grace and Plumb appeared to share details for this event.

"Christian music is one of the fastest growing genres across the U.S. and is having a life-changing impact on millions of lives," shares Novak. "This is the perfect time to debut the K-LOVE Fan Awards. Listeners who are encouraged daily through Christian music will now have a voice in recognizing the artists for their contribution, as well as authors who write on behalf of the Gospel, sports figures who speak about their faith, movies and other fields where Christ is first. I can't wait to see the lives impacted."

With hosting duties going to stars from A&E TV's popular show "Duck Dynasty," Phil & Kay Robertson and Jase & Missy Robertson, they shared their excitement about hosting this event.

 "We are thrilled to be a part of this fan-centered event," the Robertson's exclaimed in a joint statement. "With our own show, we know how vital the fans are to our success, and we understand why K-LOVE is giving back to their listeners. As fans of Christian music, we are excited to host the awards and bring our own Duck Dynasty flare to the evening for a fun-filled, family-friendly event."

The biggest names in music, sports, books and movies will gather for the largest night in Music City. Performers already slated are fan favorites such as TobyMac, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, Casting Crowns, Newsboys, and MercyMe.

The K-LOVE Fan Awards is a John Sanders LLC/World Hope Event. K-LOVE plays positive, encouraging contemporary Christian music. The radio network has 446 signals in 47 states with an estimated weekly audience of over 13 million.

Arbitron Begins Cross-Platform Work For ESPN

Arbitron says data collection will take off in the first six months of 2013 for its cross-platform measurement project for ESPN. The initiative, announced last year, is being conducted along with comScore.

According to Dave Goetzl at mediapost.com, the Arbitron-comScore project calls for measurement of five screens --radio, TV, PCs, smartphones and tablets -- where ESPN has a notable presence. Among the tools to be employed are TV set-top-box data from comScore and Arbitron’s portable people meter.

Arbitron and comScore said the plan is to develop a measurement service that would be available to all media companies and agencies.

Arbitron and ESPN signed a three-year deal in 2011 for Arbitron to measure NFL and college football games on TV and radio. Nielsen has a deal to acquire Arbitron, so the fate of the comScore partnership could be in question, since Nielsen competes with the company.

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Vegas Radio: KLUC’s Cat Thomas Shaves Head To Raise Funds

He is a well-known Las Vegas radio personality and program director at CHR 98.5 KLUC-FM but shaving his head is not a radio stunt for Cat Thomas.

He has a very personal reason for going bald and it is making Las Vegas a better place to live, reports KTNV.

Thomas participated in this year's head-shaving event for St. Baldrick's Foundation at McMullin's Irish Pub on West Tropicana Avenue.

SEE VIDEO: Click Here.

It is the fifth year that he shaved his head for the event that raises money for childhood cancer research. His reason for doing so is a little boy that was born the same time as his son.

That boy, named Jackson, was born with leukemia and died two years later.

Thomas is committed to helping find a cure and so is his family at the CBS-Owned KLUC.

Every year, Thomas colors his hair before the big shave and personally raises thousands of dollars for the event.

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Sign-Off: Norb Aschom WPRE/WQPC Prairie Du Chien, WI

Norb Aschom

Had Norb Aschom retired 10 years ago, Friday might have been a little less hectic.

Preparing and delivering radio news with a steady stream of phone calls, visitors bearing cards, flowers and cookies and an office bedecked in balloons can be a bit distracting.

According to a story by Barry Adams at The Wisconsin State Journal, Aschom, 73, was hoping to slip into retirement with a short announcement at the end of one his newscasts. But a posting a few weeks ago to Facebook by Aaron Kramer, the city’s administrator, ensured Aschom’s 52-year radio career at WPRE/WQPC would end anything but quietly.

The City Council also declared March 1 as “Norb Aschom Day.” It came nine years after Facebook was founded in 2004.

“Life is good,” Aschom said before recording his final 12:30 p.m. newscast. “When you like what you do, it’s really not work.”

Aschom leaves the game breathing and with a smile.

“He is the epitome of true localism,” said Michelle Vetterkind, president of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. “He will be missed.”

For Aschom’s listeners, Monday will be a bit different, as he told them in an emotional on-air farewell on Friday.

“We won’t be here after today, but we’ll see you along the way,” Aschom said. “Thank you so much for everything.”

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NOLA Radio: Radio Host Says He Was Beaten

R.I.P.: Bobby Rogers Of the Miracles Was 73

Bobby Rogers

Bobby Rogers, one of the founding members of the Miracles, the Motown group that shot singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson into worldwide fame, died Sunday morning in his Southfield home after complications from diabetes, The Detorit News reports.

Rogers was 73.

Born Feb. 19, 1940, in Detroit, Rogers joined Northern High School student Bill "Smokey" Robinson's group, the Matadors, in the mid-1950s.

After his cousin Claudette was brought into the group, its name was deemed too masculine and was changed to "The Miracles."

With the addition of Claudette, the beautifully harmonic sound that Motown fans came to love was set. Bobby's silky tenor voice fi t right in under Smokey's and Claudette's high voices, and was anchored by Ronnie White's baritone and Pete Moore's bass.

He is particularly apparent singing second tenor under Robinson on "You Really Got a Hold on Me."

His singing would have been enough, but the tall, bespectacled Rogers was the most graceful dancer in the group, and he proved to be a deft hand at songwriting as well. With Robinson, he co-wrote many songs, notably "First I Look at the Purse," recorded by the Contours; "The Way You Do the Things You Do" by the Temptations; Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar" and "One More Heartache"; and the Miracles' smash "Going to A Go-Go."

After Robinson left the Miracles to go solo in 1972, Rogers kept the group going, and they scored a hit with "Love Machine" in 1975. In recent years, he was the only original member left, but illness forced him to retire from the road.

Rogers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the Miracles in 2012, but he was too ill to attend the April ceremony.

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