Music Makes Listeners Feel Good – What Else Does?

by Leigh Jacobs, NuVoodoo Research

Maya Angelou is credited with saying, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” We'll submit the emotional connection that radio can have with listeners – how we make people feel – is critical to building and maintaining listenership.

B. F. Skinner is the name that comes to mind when discussing operant conditioning, lab animals in a controlled chamber, or “Skinner Box.” In perhaps the most famous Skinner experiment, a rat in a box would press a lever or button – by accident or chance – and be delivered a food pellet. Once the rat had that experience, it would continue pressing the lever or button until it wasn’t hungry any longer.

Among the goals radio programmers have adopted in the PPM world is to get consumers to keep coming back to their station. We’ve learned that multiple occasions build TSL (or ATE). So, repeat occasions are a goal. To stretch the analogy, we want our consumers to continue pressing the button for one of our stations every time they have the opportunity.

When you ask consumers what they want from radio stations, they get analytical and tell us things like “lots of uninterrupted music” and “a wide variety of music” and the like. And while that’s the logical answer to the question, the deeper and broader response is often to feel better…to improve their mood…to pass the time more pleasantly. That’s why slogans like, “music that makes you feel good” continue to research so well.

In our NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Studies we ask, “When was the last time the radio make you smile?” As time spent listening goes up, so does the likelihood they’ll say the radio made them smile within the last day. In the chart below, among those listening to broadcast radio at least 10 hours a week, 33% say they smiled at something on the radio in the past day – and another 26% smiled in the last week. As time spent listening goes down, many have to reach back a month or more to remember when (or if) the radio made them smile.

Radio History: October 17

➦In 1907...Guglielmo Marconi officially opened the first commercial transatlantic wireless telegraph service, which runs between Nova Scotia and Ireland.

➦In 1919...Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was created.

At the end of World War I, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America was the only company in the United States that was equipped to operate transatlantic radio and telegraph communications. The United States government found this unacceptable since the Marconi Wireless Company of America was entirely owned by a foreign company—the British Marconi Company.

At the prompting of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was undersecretary of the navy at the time, General Electric (GE) formed a privately owned corporation to acquire the assets of American Marconi from British Marconi. On October 17, 1919, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was incorporated and within a month had acquired those assets.

General Electric was the major shareholder of RCA and the two companies cross licensed their patents on long distance transmission equipment. A year later American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) bought into RCA and also cross licensed patents with the new company. Transoceanic radio service began that same year with a major station in New Jersey broadcasting to England, France, Germany, Norway, Japan, and Hawaii. The world’s first licensed radio station also began transmitting in 1920. This station, KDKA of Pittsburgh, was owned by the Westinghouse Company.

In 1921, Westinghouse, too, joined the ranks of asset holders of RCA; in exchange for selling Westinghouse radio equipment to the public, RCA was permitted access to Westinghouse patents.

RCA entered the broadcasting field in 1921 with its transmission of the Dempsey-Carpentier fight in Jersey City, New Jersey. Using a transmitter borrowed from the navy. The company began full-time radio broadcasting shortly afterwards when it became an equal partner with Westinghouse in station WJZ of Newark, NJ.

RCA continued to expand its transoceanic communications operations and opened two more broadcasting stations, in New York and Washington, D.C. In 1924 RCA transmitted the first radio-photo, a portrait of Secretary of State Charles Hughes. This transmission was made from New York to London and back to New York, where it was recorded and marked a pioneering development in the history of television. Two years later, in 1926, RCA formed the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). NBC controlled the radio stations owned by RCA, produced radio programs, and marketed these programs to other radio stations, activities which constituted the first radio network. David Sarnoff, the leading figure at RCA during these formative years, had envisioned the radio network as a form of public service, free from advertising, but this proved financially impossible and sponsors were solicited. At this time RCA began selling components manufactured by the Victor Talking Machine Company of Camden, New Jersey.

Product innovation abounded in this era. In 1927 RCA introduced the first Radiotron tube. This radio tube was the first to operate on alternating current, thereby eliminating the need for batteries—a crucial step in the development of mass-produced electric radios.

David Sarnoff

In the following year RCA purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company. Sarnoff had always wanted to market a radio and phonograph housed in the same box, but the phonograph companies were suspicious of radio, fearing the loss of their market. So Sarnoff decided to purchase a phonograph company. Several years of negotiation preceded RCA’s 1929 purchase of Victor. RCA owned 50% of Victor, General Electric owned 30%, and Westinghouse owned the remainder. RCA formed the RCA-Victor Company (and the RCA Radiotron Company) only after it had acquired tube-manufacturing assets from General Electric and Westinghouse. The trademark of the Victor company, a dog staring at an old phonograph above the caption “His Master’s Voice,” was also purchased by RCA and became one of the most famous trademarks in marketing history.

David Sarnoff became president of RCA in 1930, the year legal problems concerning the company’s monopoly status began. The Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against RCA seeking to strip RCA of all the patents it had gained. The battle ended two years later; RCA retained all of its patents but General Electric, AT&T, and Westinghouse were forced to sell their interests in the company. The General Electric association was remembered in NBC’s trademark three-note chime—G,E,C—which stands for General Electric company.

By this time RCA’s various businesses included broadcasting, communications, marine radio, manufacturing and merchandising, and a radio school. The year after it became an independent company, RCA moved into its new headquarters—the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center in New York City.

➦In 1934..."The Aldrich Family" premiered on radio.

                       Ezra Stone, Jackie Kelk 1947

It was a popular radio teenage situation comedy (1939-1953), was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' well-remembered weekly opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!", and he responded with a breaking adolescent voice, "Com-ing, Mother!"

The creation of playwright Clifford Goldsmith, Henry Aldrich began on Broadway as a minor character in Goldsmith's play What a Life. Produced and directed by George Abbott, What a Life ran for 538 performances.

When Rudy Vallee saw the play, he asked Goldsmith to adapt it into some sketches for his radio program, and this was followed in 1938 by a 39-week run of a sketch comedy series on The Kate Smith Hour with Stone continuing in the role of Henry. Kate Smith's director, Bob Welsh, is credited with the creation of the "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!" opening, which eventually became one of the most famous signature sounds in radio.

Report: Sinclair To Branch Into Nonbroadcast Business

Media company Sinclair may be best known for its empire of television stations and local news programming across the United States, its founders’ conservative bent and its recent failed foray into regional sports network ownership, reports The Baltimore Sun.

Now, officials say the company’s future will become more tied to industries outside broadcast.

Instead of buying more television stations, the company is shifting its investment strategy to acquire growing, nonbroadcast businesses, Sinclair President and CEO Chris Ripley said in a recent interview.

Chris Ripley

It plans to pursue acquisitions of companies that stand to benefit over the next decades from trends such as the aging of the population, the expanding decarbonization of the economy, the increase in pet ownership and spending, and the “do-it-for-me” sector.

“Our core business and our legacy might be in media and broadcasting, but at the end of the day we’re looking to make Sinclair a success in any industry that it’s in,” Ripley said. “If there are better investment opportunities in other industries, then we should pursue those rather than just blindly saying we’re a broadcaster, and this is all we’re going to do.”

The nation’s largest owner of TV stations still believes in the future of broadcast. The company is investing $65 million this year alone in its broadcast division, in areas such as next-generation television, a broadcast standard designed to improve video quality, reception on mobile devices and interactivity.

But, “as we looked at our business, it became increasingly clear that from a regulatory perspective, broadcasting is not in a good position,” facing far-less-regulated competitors such as Big Tech and Big Media, Ripley said.

OKC Radio: Longtime DJ Ronnie Kaye Out At 92.5 KOMA

Ronnie Kaye

Long-time radio DJ Ronnie Kaye announced in a Facebook post on Saturday morning he's been let go from Oklahoma City radio station 92.5 KOMA.

The Oklahoman reports Kaye, who has been on radio and television airways for more than 60 years, said his "career has been terminated" after a comment he made on Oct. 9, which was Indigenous Peoples Day or Columbus Day. Kaye, 84, did not specify in the Facebook post what comment he made.

"I had no intentions of offending the Native American Heritage," he wrote in the post. "I would have preferred to do this on air but I wasn't given the opportunity to do so. Thank you, listeners."

Kaye, inducted into the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004, entertained generations of listeners with mixes of music, special guests and more. His first radio station job was at KLCN in Blytheville, Arkansas, doing play-by-play for a county basketball tournament while still in high school in the mid-1950s.

After stints in Arkansas and Lawton, he began a 19-year run on WKY in Oklahoma City.

"His 65 share in 1963 was the highest rating ever achieved in radio," his biography on the association's website states.

During his career, he played music ranging from early rock 'n' roll to disco to country. In recent years, he played the 1970s and '80s "oldies" on KOMA.

Amazon Launches First Test Satellites For Internet Service

Amazon's first pair of prototype satellites for its planned Kuiper internet network were launched into space recently from Florida, the company's first step before it deploys thousands more into orbit to beam internet service globally and compete with SpaceX's Starlink.

Reuters reports a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket emblazoned with the Amazon logo lifted off from Cape Canaveral, carrying the two Kuiper test satellites, a long-awaited mission Amazon initially had intended to launch using different rockets.

The mission aims to test Amazon's first pieces of technology in space as the e-commerce and web services giant looks to deploy 3,236 more satellites in the next few years and offer broadband internet globally, a feat Elon Musk's SpaceX is targeting with its nearly 5,000 Starlink satellites in orbit.

In the days leading up to the launch, Amazon divulged few specifics about the two satellites, which were built at its satellite plant in Redmond, Washington.

The launch live stream hosted by the United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture, ended shortly after the rocket's liftoff without showing the deployment of the satellites. Amazon later said the two satellites were deployed and its mission operations center had made contact with them.

Amazon has vowed to invest $10 billion into its Kuiper project, which was announced in 2019, the year SpaceX began deploying its first operational Starlink spacecraft.

The FCC is requiring Amazon to deploy half its planned satellite constellation by 2026.

The market for broadband internet service from low-Earth orbiting satellites is viewed as being worth up to tens of billions of dollars in the next decade.

With Starlink making SpaceX the world's largest satellite operator, Amazon's other rivals include Canada's Telesat, which has not yet launched satellites, and French satellite firm Eutelsat's OneWeb, which mainly offers its internet service to governments and businesses.

Down Under: Kylie & Jackie O To Sign Record Contract

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson are poised to sign a record, 10-year contract cementing their controversial and sometimes obscene breakfast radio show at KIIS FM, and extending their reach into Melbourne, according to Financial Review.

After a long negotiation process that included skywriting above Sydney, the duo, who host the top-rating Kyle and Jackie O Show, are within weeks of announcing a new deal.

Sources with knowledge of the negotiations, who were not permitted to speak publicly, said the deal between KIIS’ owner, ASX-listed ARN Media, and Sandilands and Henderson would include Melbourne syndication for the first time.

The contract will also include a base salary, shares in the company and a slice of revenue generated, earning them a $200 million deal. Given the increased audience with the addition of Melbourne, sources close to the deal said the pair could earn up to $230 million over the 10 years if they could increase the station’s breakfast ratings and earnings in the Victorian capital.

It is unclear when the pair will be broadcast in Melbourne, but two people with knowledge of the talks said it could be as early as next year. Their existing contract, which expires at the end of next year, is believed to pay each of them about $8 million annually.

Sandilands has made no secret of his desire to enter the Melbourne market. He has said on air “it doesn’t take a genius to realize how much money you would save if we just had the one big show everywhere”.

Their show, which goes for between three and five hours every weekday, is condensed into a 60-minute “hour of power” that is already re-broadcast nationally.

Up to $10 million for each of Sandilands and Henderson over 10 years would be an unprecedented amount and timeframe to lock in radio talent. By that time, Sandilands will be in his early 60s and Henderson in her late 50s.

Sandilands and Henderson have dominated FM radio in Sydney for more than 20 years, first joining forces in 1999 on 2Day FM. They famously defected from Southern Cross Austereo, the owner of 2Day FM, to ARN’s new radio network KIIS FM, in 2014.

KIIS commands 14.7 per cent of Sydney’s breakfast market, reaching 121,000 people at any one time and a cumulative audience of 767,000 over the course of the show, the latest ratings figures show.

Indy Radio: Cumulus Stations Take Home 2023 IBA Awards

WFMS afternoon host Matt Malone, WFMS midday host Taylor J, WFMS “Friends & Neighbors” host Steve Stuart, Cumulus Indianapolis VP/Market Manager Darlene Park, and WFMS morning co-host Deb Honeycutt. The second photo is WZPL morning co-host Nikki Reed.

Cumulus Media announces that Indianapolis Country station 95.5 WFMS has been honored by the Indianapolis Broadcasters Association (IBA) with a 2023 Spectrum Award for Station of the Year. 

95.5 WFMS sister station 99.5 ZPL/WZPL-FM (Top 40) was awarded best Promotional Campaign for “Nikki’s Braless Summer,” sponsored by The Naked Monkey and supporting I Support the Girls Indianapolis, a nonprofit which collects donations of new/used bras and new sealed packages of feminine products and distributes them to girls and women experiencing homelessness. The IBA’s Spectrum Awards recognize the best in Indiana broadcasting from the past year.

The IBA presented the awards at the 2023 Spectrum Awards and Hall of Fame Ceremony on Monday, October 2nd, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Darlene Park, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Indianapolis, said: “Excited for our team to be recognized for all their hard work and dedication to providing exceptional content to our incredible listeners. Serving the Indianapolis and surrounding areas is a privilege, and we are honored to receive the Station of the Year and Best Promotional Campaign Spectrum Awards from the Indiana Broadcasters Association.”

10/16 WAKE-UP CALL: Terrorists Warned Of 'Very Heavy Price'

Israel has warned Hezbollah it would pay a 'very heavy price' if the Iranian-backed movement enters the ongoing conflict. The Israeli government said today it was willing to fight a war on two or more fronts as it issued a stark warning to its northern neighbor to stay out of the clashes taking place between it and Hamas. The country's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said the Jewish state did not want a war with Lebanon and was prepared to show restraint despite shooting from both sides taking place at the border which has claimed the life of at least one Israeli so far. It comes Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza following last week's raids by Hamas which are confirmed to have killed hundreds of Israeli civilians and soldiers. It has confirmed that at least 155 people have also been taken hostage by the terrorist organization. Military leaders had warned the people of Gaza City, which is close to the border with Israel, that they should evacuate ahead of a planned ground offensive into the Palestinian territory. Officials have said at least 600,000 have done so far.

President Biden supports a humanitarian corridor that allows people out of Gaza – where Israel has cut off food, fuel, electricity, and much of the water. He also says the Israeli occupation of Gaza would be “a big mistake.” https://t.co/gYadyBKneX pic.twitter.com/7Tn0Oyo8Lo

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 15, 2023

BLINKEN SHUTTLES: Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Israel on Monday after completing a six-nation sweep across the region aimed at preventin the war fro spreading, and he’s bringing back critical words from a neighbor. State-run media in Egypt, one of the countries Blinken visited, reported that President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi told him Israel’s pounding of Gaza last week exceeded: the right of self-defense" and turned into "a collective punishment." The conflict, which has killed more than 4,000 people, has raised concern that it could spark a wider regional war. In Cairo, Blinken once again underscored President Joe Biden's position that the U.S. would support Israel “today, tomorrow and every day,” but also said Israel must take “every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians.”

To support Israel and Ukraine, Pres. Biden is asking for billions.

“We're the United States of America for God's sake, the most powerful nation,” says Mr. Biden. “We can take care of both of these and still maintain our overall international defense.” https://t.co/7XMBtkAofI pic.twitter.com/c4tBAgjRmh

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 15, 2023

➤SCHUMER: HAMAS MUST BE ELIMINATED: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's delegation was rushed to a shelter to wait out rockets shot off by Hamas - just three days after up to 100 pro-Palestine demonstrators were arrested outside his NYC home. Schumer posted a photo to X, the app formerly known as Twitter , on Sunday morning that appeared to show him and others including Senator Mitt Romney gathered in a bunker. The New York Democrat landed in Israel this weekend to lead a bipartisan coalition of senators in talks with Israeli officials. 'While in Tel Aviv today, our delegation was rushed to a shelter to wait out rockets sent by Hamas,' the senator wrote. 'It shows you what Israelis have to go through.'

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer denounced US protests against Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza and the calls for a “ceasefire” from some of his fellow Democrats during an interview with The Post Sunday – as he and other lawmakers were forced into a Tel Aviv air raid shelter to wait out Hamas rockets. The New York Democrat said he’d work to ensure that Israel has “everything they need” to “totally eliminate” the terrorist group from the Gaza Strip – adding that he feels “vindicated” in opposing former President Barack Obama’s release of money to Iran in light of Tehran’s aid to Hamas. “If the threat of Hamas is not eliminated, they will do it again,” Schumer said when asked specifically about House Democrats — including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — calling for a ceasefire following the terror group’s surprise attack on Israel.

LIVE UPDATES: Gaza’s largest hospital says it has become a mass shelter, with 35,000 seeking refuge inside. https://t.co/gRo2pRaC42

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 15, 2023

➤FBI WARNS OF 'LONE ACTORS': Chris Wray, 56, made the comments while speaking to a gathering of police chiefs in San Diego Saturday, where he urged locals to be vigilant and share intel to stop 'lone actors' inspired by Palestinian militant group Hamas . With those attacks fresh in mind, the Trump appointee acknowledged an increase in stateside threats due to a so-called 'heightened environment', and called for an increase of vigilance. He said the FBI is 'committed to continuing confronting those threats' - both in the US and overseas. He finished by offering his condolences to the people of Israel, expressing 'outrage' over 'the sheer brutality and disregard for innocent lives there.' The remarks came the same day that Israel defense officials said they are set to commence 'significant military operations' in Gaza, after an impending evacuation. Wray told attendees Saturday there's 'no question' threats are on the rise as a result.

A plurality of Americans back what the U.S. is doing to support Israel in the war against the Islamic militant group Hamas and an additional 29% think the country should be doing even more, according to a new @ABC News/Ipsos poll. https://t.co/3trNIXb9cz

— ABC News (@ABC) October 16, 2023

➤MUSLIM BOY KILLED AND WOMAN WOUNDED IN ILLINOIS HATE CRIME MOTIVATED BY ISRAELI-HAMAS WAR: A 71-year-old Illinois man accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounding a 32-year-old woman was charged with a hate crime Sunday. Police allege he singled out the victims because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Left-Wing Foundations Pouring Money Into Local News

Nearly two dozen liberal foundations will begin dropping $500 million into propping up local media infrastructures to drive coverage of issues that include criminal justice reform and climate change ahead of the 2024 elections.

Fox News Digital reports the initiative, called Press Forward, consists of 22 left-wing foundations and was organized by the MacArthur Foundation, which has pumped millions of dollars into progressive journalistic endeavors to create an "equitable future by informing, engaging, and activating Americans through deep investments in just and inclusive news and narratives."

John Palfrey

The effort will likely aid Democrat candidates who espouse those stances as a byproduct of its mission. The MacArthur Foundation, meanwhile, is linked to the Biden administration through the president's Community Violence Intervention Collaborative, which seeks to reduce gun violence, according to a White House press release from last year. 

"My sense is that we are losing a newspaper in America every week, and that’s a dangerous thing for American democracy," MacArthur Foundation president John Palfrey told the Washington Post on the new effort. "It’s hard to have a democracy when you don’t have good local news. When you lose credible news sources, misinformation and disinformation swoop in."

According to the Post, the coalition plans to thrust $100 million annually into the measure over the next five years for what they call a "lifeline" for local news. 

Sunday Ticket Draws an Estimated 1.3M To YouTube

The NFL Sunday Ticket, now distributed by YouTube, has attracted an estimated 1.3 million sign-ups, Antenna said Thursday. That exceeds the 1.2 million customers the service reportedly had under its old distributor, DirecTV.

Bloomberg reports the package, which lets fans watch games not shown on local channels, is also driving new subscribers to YouTube TV, a $73-a-month online alternative to cable television. About 41% of Sunday Ticket subscribers who purchased the package as an add-on to their YouTubeTV subscription are new YouTube TV subscribers.

“It’s a really great win-win for the NFL and YouTube,” Jonathan Carson, Antenna’s co-founder and chief executive officer, said in an interview.

YouTube, an Alphabet Inc. subsidiary, won the rights to Sunday Ticket in December 2022, agreeing to pay more than $2 billion a year over seven years, people with knowledge of the matter said at the time.

YouTube offers multiple plans for Sunday Ticket, ranging from $349 a year to as much as $489, depending on what’s included in the package. Fans who also sign up for YouTube TV pay less than those who chose only the football offering.

Antenna bases its estimates on a panel of consumers it monitors.

‘Eras Tour’ Revives Box Office

AMC/Variance’s “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is falling short of pre-release hopes for an October opening weekend record, but is still rejuvenating the box office with what AMC is estimating as a Fri-Sun frame between $95 million and $97 million domestic, reports The Wrap.

Prior to release, AMC projected a $100 million domestic opening for the concert film, which would have topped the $96.2 million October record set in 2019 by “Joker.” The weekend grosses released on Sunday morning are always educated guesses based on Friday and Saturday earnings, and they are usually pretty on point when the final figures are released on Monday.

You will find more infographics at Statista

Even if the film falls short of the October record, neither AMC nor other theater chains will bemoan these slightly lower-than-expected numbers. They are still pushing overall weekend grosses to the highest levels seen since “Barbie” topped the charts two months ago.

Moreover, in just three days, Taylor Swift’s concert epic has already passed the unadjusted totals of “Michael Jackson: The Is It” ($72 million in 2009) and “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” ($73 million in 2011) to become the top-earning concert documentary ever at the domestic box office.

If the weekend figure seems lower than the sky-high guestimates offered up over the last month, well A) some of that was hyperbole and B) it’s still a $20 million concert flick with minimal advertising that just opened with $93 million in domestic earnings.

Sold-out We Can Survive Concert Raises $600K+ For Suicide Prevention

Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs onstage (Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images for Audacy)

Audacy brought its 10th annual We Can Survive to the East Coast on October 14 for an evening of performances by Maroon 5, ONEREPUBLIC, Kelly Clarkson, David Kushner and IZZA at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The sold-out show, part of Audacy’s ongoing I’m Listening mental health initiative, raised over $600,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

“It was so special to commemorate We Can Survive's 10th anniversary in front of new listeners with a memorable lineup of performances,” said Michael Martin, Senior Vice President of Programming and Music Initiatives, Audacy. “Music unites us, and last night was the perfect kickstart to our Fall live events season. We’re proud to have once again teamed up with AFSP while connecting with our fans to promote research, education and advocacy for mental health.”

Dave Richards, Chris Oliviero, Jeff Sottolano, Jim Ryan, Susan Larkin, Michael Martin and Chad Fitzsimmons with Maroon 5 at Audacy's We Can Survive concert Saturday night. 

We Can Survive is part of Audacy's ongoing commitment to mental health and follows the annual “I’m Listening” special – a live, national broadcast of open dialogue about mental health featuring some of the nation’s top influencers, artists, athletes, medical experts and more. The 2023 special featuring Selena Gomez, Kelly Clarkson, Ed Sheeran and more is available on-demand at ImListening.org.

Hard Rock International is a proud partner of We Can Survive, supporting a continued commitment to AFSP and Audacy. As part of the event, Hard Rock donated $25,000 to AFSP, building on a donation of more than $250,000 made earlier this year by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Hard Rock Hotels also sponsored the Opening Act stage at the pre-party on Championship Plaza, and was the title sponsor of the Hard Rock Artist Lounge, which was home to artist interviews and exclusive meet and greets. Fans also had the chance to win a VIP trip to see We Can Survive and stay at the Hard Rock Hotel New York.

R.I.P.: Suzanne Sommers, Three Company's Chrissy Snow

Suzanne Sommers (1946-2023)

Suzanne Somers, who gained fame initially by playing a ditsy blonde on the sitcom “Three’s Company” and then by getting fired when she demanded equal pay with the series’ male star — and who later built a health and diet business empire, most notably from the ThighMaster, a workout device — died on Sunday at her home in Palm Springs, Calif. She was one day away from turning 77, reports The NY Times.

Suzanne Sommers

The cause was cancer, R. Couri Hay, a spokesman, said.

“Three’s Company” told the story of two roommates — Chrissy Snow, a secretary, played by Somers; and Janet Wood, a florist, played by Joyce DeWitt — who rent the third room in their apartment to Jack Tripper, a culinary student played by John Ritter. Since their landlord would frown on an unmarried man living with two single women, the group pretends that Jack is gay. (High jinks ensue.)

By the show’s fifth season, “Three’s Company” was one of the nation’s most popular sitcoms. During Ms. Somers’s contract negotiations with ABC in 1980, it was widely reported, she asked for a raise from $30,000 to $150,000 — equal pay with the series’ male star, Mr. Ritter. Instead of getting the raise, Ms. Somers was fired.

But her later reputation sprang just as much from her business acumen — which proved to be more formidable than ABC’s executives appreciated in 1980.

She and her husband, Alan Hamel, made the ThighMaster one of the most recognizable products in infomercial history, thanks in part to Ms. Somers’s many leggy appearances alongside the product. She said that she and her husband had earned hundreds of millions of dollars from its sale.

Somers also wrote more than 25 books, several of them best sellers, which tended to focus on issues related to the body and aging.

Radio History: October 16

➦In 1923...Prolific songwriter Bert Kaempfert born in Hamburg, Germany. He wrote "Strangers in the Night" for Frank Sinatra, "Spanish Eyes" by Al Martino, "Danke Schoen" for Wayne Newton, "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole, and many others) and performed "Wonderland By Night" in 1960 and signed The Beatles to a recording contract.

➦In 1939...Listeners first heard "The Right to Happiness” to the NBC Blue Network. The 15-minute daytime drama turned out to be one of the longest-running radio shows of its kind. It moved over to CBS in 1941, then back to NBC in 1942. Fourteen years later “Right to Happiness” returned to CBS where it stayed until its final days in 1960

➦In 1951...Singer Richard Penniman, known as Little Richard, made his first recordings for RCA Camden at the studios of WGST Radio in Atlanta. It took another four years and working in New Orleans' French Quarter to turn him into a rock 'n' roll star.

➦In 1954...Elvis Presley made his famous first radio appearance on the KWKH Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, LA. He appeared weekly for $18. His sidemen, Bill Black and Scotty Moore, were paid $12 each.

➦In 1960...Sportscaster Arch McDonald died at age 59 from a heart attack (Born - May 23, 1901). He served as the voice of Major League Baseball's Washington Senators from 1934 to 1956 (with the exception of 1939, when he broadcast the New York Yankees and Giants).

McDonald was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. During the early 1930s, he broadcast for the Chattanooga Lookouts, and won the first The Sporting News "Announcer of the Year" award in 1932—a remarkable achievement, considering that the Lookouts were a Class A team. Senators owner Clark Griffith jumped him straight to the big club in 1934, and he immediately became a hit. He was one of the first to use "ducks on the pond" as a term for players on base, and was notable for singing an old country tune, "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree", after a big Senators play.

He was best known, however, for his studio re-creations of road games—a common practice in the 1930s, when line charges were too expensive for live road coverage. The radio listeners would hear the click of the ticker tape code for HR, and the announcer would convey, "It's a long fly ball to deep center, going, going ....... gone. It's a Home Run" For many years, it was common for Senators fans to crowd around McDonald's studio at a drug store on G Street to watch his recreations.

In 1939, he became the first full-time voice of the Yankees and Giants, working the second half of the season alongside a young Mel Allen. In that same year, he aired the opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame on CBS. However, his homespun style didn't play well in New York, and he was back in Washington for the 1940 season.

For the most part, McDonald called losing baseball; the Senators only finished higher than fifth four times during his tenure. However, he was named "Announcer of the Year" again in 1942. During the 1940s, he began calling Washington Redskins and college football games.

McDonald was forced off Senators broadcasts by a sponsor change in 1956, but remained behind the mic for the Redskins.

➦In 1984…Announcer Kenneth Lee Carpenter died at age 84 (Born - August 21, 1900). He was best known for being the announcer for singer and actor Bing Crosby for 27 years.

Carpenter moved to Hollywood in 1929, one year after resolving to move there after listening to radio legend Graham McNamee call the Rose Bowl. The 1930 Census reveals he was employed as a newspaper copywriter. Not long afterward, he became a staff announcer for KFI radio. As part of that job, Carpenter announced USC and UCLA football games for the Pacific Coast and the NBC radio networks from 1932 until 1935. In 1935, Carpenter announced the Rose Bowl for NBC radio.

Ken Carpenter

Carpenter became the color man for Bill Stern for all NBC-originated radio programming from Los Angeles from 1938 until 1942, which included the Rose Bowl. "Those Rose Bowl games were a big break for me, as they made me known to clients and advertising agencies in the East, so I had a jump on other local men when the big commercial shows started originating in L.A. in the mid-1930s," Carpenter later said.

In 1936, Carpenter became Crosby's announcer after Crosby began hosting the Kraft Music Hall radio variety program. Carpenter continued to announce for Crosby on various programs for the next 27 years. Crosby famously once called Carpenter "the man with the golden voice."Carpenter also was known for ringing the chimes on many of Crosby's shows.

Carpenter also announced for Al Jolson and Edgar Bergen as well. By virtue of his extensive announcing career, he wound up with un-credited roles in well-known movies, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Susan Slept Here.

From 1949 until 1952, Carpenter was the announcer for the NBC Radio sitcom The Halls of Ivy. He was also the announcer for Lux Radio Theater from 1952 through the end of the series in 1955; from 1955 until 1957, Carpenter hosted NBC's Lux Video Theatre program during its summer seasons. Other programs for which Carpenter was an announcer on radio included The Great Gildersleeve, The Chase and Sanborn Program (featuring Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy) and a stint on The Life of Riley from 1947 through 1949.

➦In 1999...Personality Jean Parker Shepherd Jr. died (Born - July 26, 1921). He was an storyteller, radio and TV personality, writer and actor. He was often referred to by the nickname Shep. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted, based on his own semi-autobiographical stories.