Binghamton, NY Radio CCM+E Launches New Country 107.5 FM

Just in case, you’ve been wondering want a new PD sometimes does during his first three days on the job…Newly-hired PD Tom Scott has gotten off to a fast.

At Midnight Sunday,  he's launched WBBI New Country 107.5 FM in the Binghamton, NY Market.

LISTEN LINE: Click Here.

The format flip follows the move of 70s and 80s BIG to a translator at  96.9 FM.

W221AX 96.9 FM 60dBu Cvoerage 

The format is a simulcast of WINR 680 AM and is rebranded by PD Jim Free as Oldies 96.9 FM.

WBBI 107.5 FM 60dBU Coverage

New Country 107.5 FM is taking on heritage country WHWK The Hawk 98.1 FM. Scott says “It’s nice to have a choice!  We’re introducing New Country by airing 1000 songs, commercial free.”  No word on station line-up yet.

Besides New Country, Scott is programming WMXW Mix 103.3 FM.

Mid-West Family Buying Maverick Media Stations

Madison, Wis.-based Mid-West Family Broadcasting is buying four radio stations in Rockford, IL and six in Eau Claire, WI.

In rockford, Mid-West is acquiring WGFB 103.1 FM, WXRX 104.9 FM, WRTB 95.3 FM and WNTA’s AM and FM stations from Maverick Media in Westport, Conn.

“Everything will continue, and nothing is going to change,” Ron Giordan, public relations representative for Mid-West, told rrstar.com.

The radio stations employ about 45 full-time-equivalent staff members, said J Chapman, market manager for Maverick in Rockford, who will continue with Mid-West. Mid-West will begin operating the Rockford stations on May 1.

Mid-West is also buying Maverick stations in Eau Claire, Wis., as part of the package.

In the Eau Claire, it buys classic rock WECL 92.9 The Big Cheese, country WAXX 104.5 FM, hot AC WIAL I-94, adult hits WDRK Bob FM 99.9, news-talk WAYY (790), sports “ESPN 1150” WEAQ.

Mid-West Family also operates 30 stations in Madison, Wisconsin; Lacrosse, Wisconsin; Springfield, Illinois; Springfield, Missouri, and St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Michigan.

 The sale, pending FCC approval, is expected to close this summer. Total price reportedly is $15.5M. Maverick used to operate in seven markets; it recently sold stations in California. 

Boston Radio: Pete Sheppard Quits WEEI

Pete Sheppard

Weekend and fill-in host Pete Sheppard quit WEEI on the air Saturday, saying he could no longer stand working for the company, according to a story at boston.com.

"I'm going out on my own terms this time,'' said Sheppard, whose blustery but genuine, everyman style won him a loyal following during his two stints at the station.

Sheppard built his greatest notoriety as the "Sports Flash'' anchor on "The Big Show'' hosted by Glenn Ordway during the program's heyday in the early 2000s.

He was fired by WEEI in January 2010 for what both sides said were financial reasons, then was rehired in March 2012.

Hey all, got something special for you at 6:15 on WEEI...
— Pete Sheppard (@PShep326) April 13, 2013

When the time came around, Sheppard revealed he was quitting on the spot, explaining that he was frustrated with the way WEEI's parent company Entercom had been running the station over the past several months.

My dear friends, thanks so much for all the kind words and support, you will hear me again shortly..More to come..Stay tuned!!#outwiththeMRS
— Pete Sheppard (@PShep326) April 13, 2013

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Jon Rish

Sheppard’s resignation follows by days the sudden departure of Jon Rish, the fill-in play-by-play voice and host for WEEI's Red Sox broadcasts.

He resigned last resigned Monday after being asked to take a pay cut by parent company Entercom, according to boston.com.

Rish, who had been working without a contract since the end of the year, informed WEEI program director Jason Wolfe of his decision three hours before the first pitch of the Red Sox home opener, according to boston.com. "I didn't want to tell Jason by phone. I wanted to tell him in person," said Rish, whose relationship with Wolfe goes back to 1993, when Rish was an intern on Dale Arnold's program, which Wolfe produced. "He was speechless."

 Rish, who has been the pregame and postgame host on the network since 2006, did not want to comment on the specifics of his compensation.

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Also, please know that this is not a sad day for me. I can't wait to begin a new career journey beginning with launchacademy.com.
— Jon Rish (@JonRish) April 10, 2013

NYC Radio: John Foxx Adds NashFM To His Plate

John Foxx

Cumulus Radio has tapped NYC in-house at 2 Penn Plaza program director John Foxx for Gotham’s Country NashFM 94-7.

Foxx has been PD at sister-station WPLJ since July 2012.

He arrived in NYC last summer from Dallas, where he was PD at Top KLIF.  Foxx has also programmed in Colorado Springs and Albany, NY.  He got his start  in radio at WSPK Poughkeepsie.

One would think a top priority would be to hire a morning show for Nash-FM. In February Cumulus announced its first live personalities from NashFM.  Kelly Ford is on-air 10a-3p and Jesse Addy follows 3p to 7p.

Seattle Radio: Garett Michaels Reaches The End

Garrett Michaels

Garett Michaels is back in Seattle, hired by Entercom to program Alternative KNDD 107.7 The End. The move becomes effective today.

Michaels most recently was programming Lincoln Financial’s Alternative KBZT FM 94/9San Diego before exiting last June.

"The extensive journey to discover my next career opportunity has come to The End," said Michaels.  "My family and I are absolutely ecstatic about returning to Seattle. It's an honor to be invited to join the select and outstanding programmers at Entercom."

"In a city as unique and music rich as Seattle, it's critical to have a person with the right combination of creativity, strategy and vision, to lead an iconic Alternative radio station like The End, to the next level," said Entercom Seattle VP of Programming Dave Richards.

"I'm proud that we could bring Garett in to take the 21-year-old symbolic Seattle music brand of 107.7 The End to new heights."

Michaels previously programmed CBS Radio's former '80s outlet KYPT 96.5 The Point from 2000-2002. 

Personality Danni Starr Is Having A Good Year

Danni Starr

Minneapolis native and former KTWN 96.3 FM personality Danni Starr has snagged a job as co-host on "The Kane Show," a Clear Channel syndicated morning radio show that orginates at WITH Hot 99.5 FM in Washington, D.C.

She will also be featured in "Marriage Boot Camp: Bridezillas," a spinoff of WE TV's popular "Bridezillas" series, next month.

Things are definitely looking up for Starr, and that's a good thing reports twincities.com  because 2012 was a rough year for the 28-year-old. She suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her baby girl; she and her husband, Marlon, mourned the loss of several loved ones who died and she parted ways with 96.3, where she'd worked for eight years. Starr was in need of a fresh start and says she couldn't be happier with her role on "The Kane Show."

"Perspective is amazing," Starr said on the phone from D.C., where she moved with her family a couple of weeks ago. "If last year wouldn't have been so bad, I don't think I would have appreciated this for what it is. It's such a fantastic opportunity that I've been waiting for my whole life."

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Tampa Radio: Mike Culotta Leaves WQYK for Nashville

Mike Culotta

Mike Culotta, OM for CBS Radio/Tampa and PD of country WQYK 99.5 FM has been named President of Streamsound Records.

He will oversee operations of the Nashville based label that is distributed by Sony. Artists on the label include Jaida Dreyer, Austim Webb and Dakota Broadley.

"We at Streamsound Records are excited to have Mike Culotta joining our team," said Streamsound CEO Byron Gallimore.

"Mike is a leader in our industry. I know that his knowledge and passion for radio, and his love of Country music, will be an invaluable asset to Streamsound. I am excited because I know that Mike's experience and relationships will translate into instant success for the label."

Culotta added, "This is such a dream come true for me. I have such a passion for music, which is why I have enjoyed all of my years in radio. Instead of programming music, I will now have an opportunity to be a part of a team that is originating music. I’m looking forward to working with Jim Wilkes and Byron Gallimore and the professional team they have put together."

Culotta will start his new position today April 15.

Louisville Radio: Drew Deener Relocates To ESPN 680 AM

A familiar voice was missing from his usual spot on the radio dial Thursday morning. Drew Deener has left The Early Birds on Louisville’s WKRD 790 AM.

Deener created the show in 2008 and its following has grown. Now he's hoping those listeners will follow him to his new spot on WHBE ESPN 680 AM.

"Just 11 clicks down the dial," Deener told wave3.com.

The change seemed abrupt if you're just a listener. On Thursday morning, he was chatting in his normal spot. By Friday morning, he moved. It got a lot of attention on Twitter, people wondering where he went or what his new show will be like. A surprise response to Deener.

wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather

According to Deener, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes for the last year, including getting a spot for a new studio, in a prime location.

"Our studios are going to go into Cardinal Town down on campus," said Deener.

Deener said the studio will have glass windows for people to watch the show from the street. Construction starts Monday.

Deener said another reason for the move, the opportunity to help run the station with its current owners out of Kansas City. They are former athletes who are running stations that only focus on sports and the work their doing is impressive.

"There's no question in my mind that we're going to have all the tools necessary," said Deener. "We're going to have the best on-air talent and we're going to give people the best sports coverage in the history of Louisville in radio."

Deener said the first question he gets when people learn of his new location is about the signal. He knows right now the signal for ESPN 680 is not as strong as the Clear Channel station he left, but he's asking listeners to be patient.

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Tom Notes:  WKRD boasts 5kw daytime, WHBE has 1kw daytime. Denner may be hinting about translator simulcast.

CBS CEO Leslie Moonves' 2012 Pay: $62.2 million

CBS is home to "Two Broke Girls" and one rich chief executive.

Leslie Moonves, the CEO of CBS, had a 2012 compensation package valued at $62.2 million, according to the company's proxy statement filed Friday.

Although that makes Moonves the highest-compensated media chief executive, it is also a decline from 2011, when his pay package was worth almost $70 million, according to a story at latimes.com.

Moonves had a base salary of $3.5 million and received a bonus of $27 million. The rest of his compensation was in the form of stock awards and option awards.

Besides the CBS broadcast network, CBS holdings include TV and radio stations and the pay-TV channel Showtime.

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Cumulus CEO John Dickey 2012 Pay: $2.1M

According to a just-filed Cumulus proxy, CEO Lew Dickey compensation has tumbled from $19.9M in 2011 to $2.1M in 2012.  The big difference:

Lew received $15.2M in stock awards in 2011.

In 2012, his base salary was $1.45M plus a $725,000 bonus.

Brother John Dickey reaped a total of $5.4M in 2012, comprised of a $875,000 base, $626,500 bonus, $389,600 in stock awards and $3.6M in options.

Top 40 Reasons to Buy Casey Kasem's Mansion

Last week brought the news that legendary radio personality Casey Kasem and his wife Jean Kasem were putting their Holmby Hills mansion on the market for a cool $42 million.

Sure, it's pricey, but Huffington Post blogger Ryan Nickum has come-up with  are 40 reasons to buy it...Here are his Top 5 Reasons…

1. There's a fireplace in one bathroom so you can roast marshmallows while taking a bath. 

2. The property once hosted a Sea World party, which included performing seals and a whale. Since that's seemingly cool with the home owners association then you could probably adopt a family of pet otters like you've always wanted to. 

3. It's a superior home to the Toluca Lake house belonging to Rick Dees, of Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40. 

4. The circular fountain in the driveway is large enough to wash an elephant* in. *Elephant not included. 

5. Sloping front lawn is large enough to host a Civil War reenactment of Picket's Charge.

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Don Imus CT Home Sells For Record Amount

A sprawling waterfront estate in Westport (CT) that was most recently home to radio personality Don Imus and his wife, Deirdre, has been sold for $14.4 million, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage announced Friday.

The sale is among the highest-priced home sales in the town’s history, Coldwell Banker said, citing the Greater Fairfield County CMLS.

The 10,000-square-foot home was built in 2000 on a four-acre plot, and is situated on the Long Island Sound. The 106 Beachside Ave. property includes six bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms, a carriage house with a garage that can fit up to six cars, a two-bedroom guest house and a 215-foot private beach.

Philly Radio: WMGK Plans For 'Let Freedom Rock Fest'

Classic Rock 102.9 WMGK has announced its “12th Annual 102.9 WMGK Let Freedom Rock Fest”, on July 3rd at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ starring 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Heart and special guest Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience.

Fans attending the concert will enjoy individual sets from each band. After Heart’s set, both bands will join forces for a thirty minute performance of Led Zeppelin songs to close the show.

Tickets for the “12th Annual 102.9 WMGK Let Freedom Rock Fest” are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.

Patriotism will be an ongoing theme throughout the event. John DeBella and a group of local military veterans will kick off the evening by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Attendees will also have the opportunity to sign a banner that says ‘PA, NJ and DE thank and support our troops’. The banner will be delivered to the Philadelphia chapter of the USO.

The MGK “House Band”, The Sofa Kings (from Blue Bell, PA), will open up the main stage prior to Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience.

                        

Matt Lauer Pokes Fun At His Own Bad Press

Matt Lauer

Matt Lauer made light of his own bad press last week at UJA Federation of New York’s Broadcast Cable & Film Division event honoring Bloomberg Media Group CEO Andrew Lackm reports The New York Post.

Lauer, who emceed, took the stage and told the crowd at the Edison Ballroom in Times Square he was “a bit surprised to be asked to host this dinner. If you’ve been following the papers lately, you know it’s been a bit rough for me. These days, I only get asked to host dinners if polio is busy. Yup, I have a lower Q rating than polio right now.”

Later, after introducing Tony Bennett, who performed a few songs, Lauer introduced presenter Katie Couric with this zinger: “Katie has a way of making headlines. Who can forget when she was co-host of the ‘Today’ show? She got a colonoscopy on TV. Not to be outdone, two weeks ago, I got one in The New York Times.”

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