Boston Radio: The AMP's T-J Makes Call To Spiderman Fan

The WODS 103.3 FM AMP morning radio show got a little more than it bargained for in a phone call to a six-year-old Spiderman fan.

T-J from 103.3 AMP Radio’s “The TJ Show” called Carter at the request of the child’s mom. TJ told Carter that he was Spiderman.

And as you might expect from a six-year-old, Carter immediately believed he was speaking with his favorite superhero.


Video -

WODS 103.3 FM (8.7Kw) 54dBu Coverage

Cleveland Radio: Rover Attorney Alleges Police Brutality

Shane "Rover" French, the WMMS 100.7 FM radio personality charged in connection with an altercation with an off-duty Cleveland police officer last summer, is a victim of police brutality, his attorney says.

Attorney Larry Zukerman provided The Plain Dealer with photos that he said were taken while French was still in jail following the July 4th weekend incident.

Zukerman said the photos show bruises and red marks caused by officer Steven Kinas.

French, 38, and his radio sidekick, Michael Toomey, 29, both have pleaded not guilty to charges that include assault, criminal damaging, resisting arrest and panic.

Zukerman said French is fighting the trumped up charges because Kinas fabricated much of what he reported took place early the morning of July 5, when the two men had a confrontation over fireworks that French and his friends were setting off.

SEE ORIGINAL POSTING: Click Here

In Court July 2013

Kinas, reached Wednesday, said Zukerman and his clients were weaving a fairytale that paints him as the aggressor. It is a story that Kinas said they won't be able to back up in court.

The officer maintains that French was drunk and shouting at him belligerently when he asked French to stop shooting the fireworks because it was after 3 a.m.

Kinas said the red marks on French were likely from him dragging him by his collar to a nearby guard shack. He said the disc jockey kept saying, "I'm Rover, you don't know who I am."

Kinas said since he doesn't listen to "Rover's Morning Glory," French's talk show, he had no idea what he was talking about until he read about the arrest in the newspaper.

French and Toomey on Wednesday filed a list of witnesses they could potentially call during the trial in the case against them that is scheduled for next month. Among the names is national radio personality Howard Stern.

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Philly Radio: Morning Host Logan OUT At WISX

Logan

UPDATE 4/30/2014 6AM:  Personality Chio takes over AM Drive on WISX May 1. Click Here.

Original Posting...

CCM+E/Philadelphia says it will announce a new morning show host for HotAC WISX 106.1 FM Mix after parting company with APD/MD/Morning Host Logan.

Until a new host is named Nicole airs solo.

Logan was a 14-year Clear Channel veteran in Philly and had been hosting AM Drive since November 2007.

His resume includes KDMX/Dallas and five years in afternoons right across the hall at clustermate Top 40 WIOQ 102.1 FM Q102. Other stops include WKSS and WTIC-FM Hartford and WHTZ Z100/New York.

Stephanie Miller: Rush Being Put On 'Crappy Signals'

Stephanie Miller

Syndicated talk personality Stephanie Miller spent some time this week lamenting the impact of Rush Limbaugh’s decline in ratings, according to laradio.com,  along with the cancellation of progressive host Randi Rhodes and her show once syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks.

“With Rush coming in 37th in Los Angeles, what has happened is that he is being moved to all those crappy signals we were on, but Progressive radio did work,” said Stephanie.

Stephanie explained that the fallout of Rush Limbaugh’s weakening ratings affects all of talk radio, but progressive shows take a greater hit. “We always started with a lot less stations than Rush had.”

As far as Randi Rhodes, Stephanie said, “I love her. She’s my friend but on top of that I think she’s the most talented person in radio today. Period.”

According to LA Radio, Stephanie read from a transcript of the Ed Schultz show on the day that radio consultant Holland Cooke was a guest. Cooke explained that Rush created a business model which capitalized on free speech, allowing the conservative talk host to say whatever he wanted. The irony is a persistent online movement also used free speech to destroy Rush’s program.

SEE ORIGINAL POSTING: Click Here.

Jelli Ad Platform Adds Record Number of Radio Stations

Jelli has announced a major milestones during a record-breaking quarter of expanding its roster of radio stations using the Jelli ad platform RadioSpot.

First quarter 2014 highlights include:

• Launching 188 radio stations on RadioSpot during the quarter, representing 109% growth in terms of number of stations versus Q4 2013 and doubling the impressions served from the platform.  This is fueling rapid growth in programmatic radio advertising across numerous markets with an impressive partnership roster that includes Marketron, Townsquare Media, Entercom, Emmis owned WQHT-FM (HOT 97) in New York City, Sun Broadcast Group and Focus 360. 
• Reduced time to launch by 133% vs. 2013 on the RadioSpot platform due to investments made in automatic networking and an ad trigger technology that works with all traffic and automation systems. 
• 18 stations per week achieved certification and the average time for a station to receive the green light was 12 days due to the RadioSpot installation online app that provides partners the ability to certify in 4 steps with an easy to use guide.

"We operated at a blistering pace in the first quarter, with hundreds of radio stations now using RadioSpot to buy and sell ads programmatically," said Mike Dougherty, Jelli co-founder and chief executive officer.  "We are committed to creating the most powerful buying platforms for radio advertisers and new revenue opportunities for radio stations, making it easier for everyone in the industry to move into programmatic advertising.”

Chris Brown Remains Jailed, Bodyguard Convicted

Chris Brown

Chris Brown has been ordered to stay in jail for at least another week.

Lawyers acting for the 24-year-old singer - who had been due to stand trial this week for misdemeanour assault charges for allegedly hitting Parker Adams and breaking his nose - appealed for him to be allowed out of prison yesterday, but Jude Victor Greenberg denied the request until a probation revocation hearing takes place on May 1.

Chris' arrest for the assault, which took place in Washington D.C. in October marked a violation of the probation which was set in 2009 following his assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna, but he was allowed to enter rehab rather than prison.

However, when he was kicked out of the clinic for rule breaking, he was subsequently jailed and his lawyer argued it was unfair he had been in prison for 39 days without a hearing.

Another lawyer for the 'Yeah 3x' hitmaker - whose bodyguard Christopher Hollosy has been convicted of assaulting Adams - branded the ruling ''over the top''.


Mark Geragos said earlier in the day: ''I think it's a little over the top to have him in custody on this misdemeanour when everybody saw the bodyguard's trial and which was nothing more than a bloody nose.
''And you have got the bodyguard who was convicted and who readily admitted he was the one who did the punching. So all of this is much ado about nothing.'' (TV3.ie)

WB/Scranton Radio: Newsman Bud Brown Signs-Off

Bud Brown

He’s considered a broadcasting legend here in northeastern Pennsylvania and on Wednesday he signed off the air here for the last time, according to WNEP-TV16.

Newsman Bud Brown of WILK 980 AM/103.1 FM is retiring after more than 40 years working in radio.

“I’m really enjoying this, but I think this is the first time in a long time I had to think at work here,” laughed Brown.

Brown says he had trouble adapting to the changes in broadcasting over the years.
“For the first time in my life, I felt a disconnect not only from the business but from my coworkers.”

Now Bud and his wife are moving to Arizona.  He plans to work part time but says he’ll miss radio.

“Writing the news and then going on the air because they are the two things that I really did derive pleasure from, as far as radio,” Brown said.

Bud’s coworkers also call him humble. In fact, Bud said his sendoff was overwhelming.

There was a proclamation from the governor, a cake, and on-air messages from friends, colleagues, and listeners.

But all good things must come to an end and Brown was great as he signed off from his final noon newscast.

“In April of 1969, this guy gets out of the army, goes to a broadcasting school in Washington D.C., and in early October of that year, he says hello to his first radio audience, and he today he says goodbye to his last radio audience. Thanks for listening.”

April 24 In Radio History

In 1949…Dick Powell began a four-year run as "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" on NBC Radio. In the late 1950s, Powell's company, Four Star Television, produced a TV version of the series starring David Janssen. His secretary, Sam, was shown only from the waist down to display her beautiful legs. Initially, those were the legs of budding actress Mary Tyler Moore, but later, the legs of other actresses were shown.




In 1953...Eric Bogosian was born in Woburn, Massachusetts. Bogosian is best known for his starring role in the movie, Talk Radio.


In 1959…After 24 years of Saturday nights on radio and nine years on television, the final installment of the musical countdown show "Your Hit Parade" was presented on NBC-TV.


In 1972…John Lennon's controversial single, "Woman Is the N#gger of the World" was released in the U.S. The song reached #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, even though only two major radio stations – KDAY in Los Angeles and WCFL in Chicago – aired it. Yoko Ono originally uttered the phrase during a magazine interview in 1967 and John explained that he was making a point that women deserved higher status in society.

Des Moines Radio: KWQW-FM Re-Launches as 98.3 The Torch

UPDATE 10/06/15:  Cumulus has flipped the format of KWQW to Classic HipHop as The Vibe. Click Here for more.

Original Posting...

Cumulus Media announces that its news/talk station KWQW-FM in Des Moines has re-launched as 98.3 The Torch - “Common Sense Radio”. The station debuted a new morning show on hosted by Robert Rees, who also serves as Program Director of 98.3 The Torch.

The Torch offers an entertaining weekday line-up of hosts who provide a conservative/libertarian point of view without the partisan politics. The Torch line-up includes Glenn Beck (9am-11am), Dennis Miller (11a-2p), Michael Savage (2p-5p), Mark Levin (5p-8p), John Batchelor (8p-Midnight) and Red Eye Radio (Midnight - 5am).

Rees said: " "I'm excited to be here in Des Moines to get people to talk about and laugh about all aspects of life during their morning drive. Plus, we'll get them all of the traffic, news and weather information they need to start their day!"

KWQW 983. FM (41Kw) 60dBu Coverage

After years as a real estate entrepreneur, Rees began his radio career in Sports/Talk in Austin, Texas, later moving into News/Talk. He then became the morning drive host and Program Director for a News/Talk station in Bloomington-Normal, IL. In March, Rees joined Cumulus in Des Moines as Program Director for KWQW-FM and KBGG-AM (1700 The Torch) and as host of the morning show on 98.3 The Torch.

Nielsen: N/T Top March PPM Format 6+

NielsenAudio has released highlights from the late PPMs, including a list of the Top Format In March:

According to Nielsen, Classic Rock hit a new high in March, exceeding its previous listening share records across all three demographics, while Urban Contemporary matched some of the high-water marks it set in February. Following the trends from February, Country and Pop Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) both had their best March results since the start of PPM measurement in 2011, which propelled them to their best historical first-quarter showings, too.

On the other hand, Hot Adult Contemporary (AC), finally let off the accelerator after three consecutive record-breaking months, but still finished the quarter with its’ all-time best listening share. Shares for spoken word also dipped slightly this month as old man winter finally loosened his grasp, bringing fewer storms to the major markets that had helped spike listening levels in February. And AC ended the quarter at its lowest share level in PPM history.

Below are some highlights from Nielsen’s March PPM data across 45 markets using the full-week (Monday-Sunday 6 a.m.-midnight) daypart and audience shares for listeners aged 6 and older.

• Classic Rock eclipsed last summer’s record listening shares by finishing with new highs across all three demographics in March. The format posted a 4.6 share (for listeners aged 6+), 3.9 share (18-34) and 5.2 share (25-54). For context, this is only the second time Classic Rock has posted better than a 5-share in the 25-54 demo, with the first month being this past January. And the format is on a roll even among 18-34 listeners, ranking ahead of all other rock-based formats in March by more than a full share point.
• Urban Contemporary saw its shares with listeners aged 18-34 and 25-54 hold steady this month (5.9 and 3.5, respectively) as it tied February’s record highs in those demos. This means 2014 is off to a very good start for a format that had its best PPM year ever in 2013.
• Pop CHR and Country both set records for listening in February, and they continued the trend in March. Both formats’ again logged their highest shares for PPM measurement in the month going back to 2011. And the first-quarter rollup for both Pop CHR and Country reveals these formats are all off to their best start of any year since PPM rolled out nationwide.
• Lastly, AC went the other direction to begin the year: after two straight years with at an 8.0 share (listeners aged 6+) in first quarter, the nation’s number-one ranked format for cumulative listening opened 2014 by posting a 7.4 share in January, February and March. This marks the lowest first quarter for AC in PPM measurement.

Former Radio PD Is New P-A Voice For MLB Padres

Alex Miniak

When the San Diego Padres held an open casting call two months ago for a new public address announcer for their home games, more than 800 people turned out.

See Original Posting: Click Here

Well, that field was narrowed to 50, then 30 and then 10. Fans then got to vote for the top three candidates, with the team picking the winner.

That's how Alex Miniak, the P-A announcer for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the double A affiliate for the Toronto Blue Jays, got called up to majors.

The 37-year-old Miniak won over fellow finalists Sam Chin and Todd Leitz. All three were on the public-address system for a full game during the Padres' 10-game homestand before Miniak was proclaimed the winner.

"It's quite an honor," said Miniak. "When I entered, I thought it was a long shot just because of the number of entrants. Then, from the sample I heard, I saw it was a pretty deep field."

“I've been preparing myself for this for a very long time, and even still when you hear the news, it's not something that you're completely expecting,” said Miniak, who the team announced Saturday won the competition.

Miniak has radio experience on his resume. He served at Brand Manager and PM host at Classic rock WMLL 96.5 FM in Bedford, NH and PD at CCM+E's Classic Rock WGIR 101.1 FM in Manchester, NH. He's also been OM for CCM+E in Sarasota.

'Full Disclosure' Sought For Political Ads

Key former FCC Democrats have urged the FCC to plug what critics allege is a loophole in existing political advertising law that allows nonprofit groups to protect the identities of donors for some political broadcast attack ads, according to TV NewsCheck.

“This pervasive use of secret money undermines the democratic process,” said Newton Minow, former FCC chairman, and Henry Geller, a former agency general counsel who previously headed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, in a petition filed Monday at the FCC. “Full sponsorship disclosure is the law.”

The two Democrats are urging the agency to act, because FCC rules only require disclosure of the actual sponsor of the issue ads — not also the individuals or groups who donated funds to the sponsor of the ads.

In their petition, Minow and Geller insist that the FCC already has the power to require the additional donor disclosure.

“It is the responsibility of the FCC to enforce the long-established rule,” the two said in their petition. “The voting public needs and is entitled to know who is trying to persuade it.”

In their petition, the two Democrats also said $332 million of “dark money” was spent on controversial radio and TV issues ads by so-called social welfare organizations during the last election cycle.

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Report: Streaming In The Car Is Huge Business

"When you get the younger buyer, connectivity is huge. When they see our research, it's the No. 1 reason they purchase a car," says Scott Keogh, president of Audi America, tells Billboard.  Audi has pre-wired its 2015 A3 sedan with an AT&T 4G LTE connection that turns the car into a rolling Wi-Fi hot spot with access to thousands of streaming Internet stations.

According to Gartner Research, in five years 70 to 80 percent of all new vehicles will include the high-speed wireless service options. As in the smartphone wars, the same players -- Google, Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry -- are battling for supremacy over the connected car.

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Pandora Targeting Terrestial Radio's Ad Revenue

Once focused on just national advertising, Oakland, Calif.-based Pandora now has sales teams in 35 markets--including top performers Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas—and reportedly has plans to enter four or five more, according to Crain's Business New York.

Ground zero for its ad efforts is New York, home to the company's largest sales force. A new two-floor, 50,000-square-foot office in midtown holds nearly 200 employees, many of them radio-sales refugees from Clear Channel and CBS Radio. That's up from 95 a year ago, and could grow to 350 by next year. Their target: terrestrial radio's $17 billion in annual ad revenue--in particular the $14 billion that comes from local advertisers.

"Half of the salespeople here are laser-focused on broadcast radio," said John Trimble, Pandora's New York-based chief revenue officer.

A lot is riding on their success. It took 14 years for the company to eke out its first profitable quarter: net income of $9 million on revenue of $200 million at the end of 2013. Still, it lost $41 million last year, despite a 56% growth in revenue, to $638 million.

John Trimble

Trimble says that the company is just hitting its stride. Pandora, in addition to being the leader in streaming radio, is also the largest station in its local markets, he said. And he has the data to prove it. Ad agencies now combine Pandora's streaming data with their ratings for broadcast radio stations, producing a "ranker" that shows the streaming service to be No. 1 in New York City, with a bigger audience than terrestrial standbys LiteFM and Z100.

Pandora also sells local advertisers on its ability to target users by age, gender and ZIP code. And its overall reach is huge. The service has 75 million active listeners, a 9% share of total U.S. radio listening and a growing presence on car dashboards.

"Pandora has eaten into the overall radio budget," said Kim Vasey, director of radio for media-buying giant GroupM. "They are making a dent in the space."

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