Westwood One Inks Rep Deal With Sports USA Media

Westwood One has announced it has signed a multi-year agreement with Sports USA Media to represent its Sunday afternoon NFL broadcasts to the advertising community. The agreement starts with the 2015 NFL season.

Both Westwood One and Sports USA Media currently broadcast an NFL doubleheader every Sunday afternoon during the regular season.

"We are thrilled to partner with Westwood One with the NFL,” says Larry Kahn, founder and CEO of Sports USA. “We have worked with them in various capacities over the years, and they are the gold standard when it comes to the NFL.”

Charles Steinhauer, Westwood One's COO, adds "The NFL, with its storied franchises, is the cornerstone of American sports. We are proud to extend our reach with this engaging content for our advertisers by partnering with Sports USA."

Judge Denies Julie Kasem's Request for Attorney's Fees

Casey, Kerri Kasem

A judge this week denied a request by one of Casey Kasem's daughters for about $160,000 in attorneys' fees in connection with her initial bid to establish a conservatorship over the late radio icon.

The Santa Monica Mirror reports Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lesley Green said that even if Julie Kasem believes her stepmother did not honor the terms of their conservatorship settlement agreement, she could instead pursue other options such as a breach-of-settlement action.

Kasem was the subject of a vitriolic legal battle between his wife Jean and his children from his first marriage until he died June 15 at age 82. He suffered from dementia and Lewy body disease, which has symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease.

Green delayed until Dec. 15 a ruling on other requests for fees so that Jean Kasem's attorneys can file any objections. Kasem's court-appointed attorney, Samuel Ingham, is asking for about $103,000.

Although Julie and Jean Kasem settled their conservatorship fight late last year, Julie Kasem's sister, Kerri, later filed a petition of her own. A judge named her as her father's temporary conservator in May.

Kerri Kasem is asking to be reimbursed for travel expenses to Washington state, where her father died.

The remainder of the fees sought total more than $250,000, said Jean Kasem's attorney, Adrian Sawyer. A judge has to approve the costs because they would be paid by Casey Kasem's estate.

Kerri, Julie and Mike Kasem were born during their father's marriage to Linda Myers from 1972-79. Jean Kasem was married to the former radio personality for more than three decades.

Meanwhile, the remains of Casey Kasems remain at the funeral home in Norway awaiting burial.

October 2 In Radio History

In 1928...The first professional recordings in Nashville took place as DeFord Bailey lays down eight tracks in Victor Records (later RCA) Studios.

DeFord Bailey

Bailey was an American country music and blues star from the 1920s until 1941. Bailey was both the first performer to be introduced as playing on the Grand Ole Opry and also the first African-American performer on the show. He played several instruments but is best known for his harmonica tunes.

Bailey also had several records issued in 1927-1928, all of them harmonica solos. In 1927 he recorded for Brunswick records in New York City, while in 1928 he recorded eight sides for Victor in Nashville, of which three were issued on several labels, including Victor, Bluebird and RCA. Emblematic of the ambiguity of Bailey's position as a recording artist is the fact his arguably greatest recording, John Henry, was released separately in both RCA's 'race' and 'hillbilly' series.



He was a pioneer member of the WSM Grand Ole Opry, and one of its most popular performers, appearing on the program from 1927 to 1941. During this period he toured with many major country stars, including Uncle Dave Macon, Bill Monroe, and Roy Acuff.  Like other black stars of his day traveling in the South and West, he faced many difficulties in finding food and accommodation because of the discriminatory Jim Crow laws.

Bailey was fired by WSM in 1941 because of a licensing conflict with BMI-ASCAP, which prevented him from playing his best known tunes on the radio. This effectively ended his performance career, and he spent the rest of his life shining shoes and renting out rooms in his home to make a living. Though he continued to play the harp, he almost never performed publicly. One of his rare appearances occurred in 1974, when he agreed to make one more appearance on the Opry. This became the occasion for the Opry's first annual Old Timers' Show.

He died on July 2, 1982 in Nashville and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery there.

Elvis at Grand Ole Opry

In 1954...Elvis Presley bombs at the Grand Ole Opry, which does not approve of his take on traditional country music. The Opry's talent director, Jim Denny, famously tells Presley he should go back to driving a truck. Elvis swears never to return.

In 1965...The Hot 100...It was up against tough competition but the McCoy's reached #1 with "Hang On Sloopy".  Barry McGuire slid to 2 with "Eve of Destruction" and the Beatles made an incredible move from 45 to 3 with "Yesterday".  Any doubt what would be the #1 song the following week?  The Dave Clark Five were stuck at 4 with "Catch Us If You Can" and the former #1 "You Were On My Mind" from We Five was still at #5.

The rest of the Top 10:  The great instrumental "The 'In' Crowd" from the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Roy Head was up from 12-7 with "Treat Her Right", the Fortunes cracked the Top 10 with "You've Got Your Troubles", followed by two songs from Sonny & Cher--"Baby Don't Go" and "Laugh At Me" finished the list.

In 1971...The Album Chart..Rod Stewart was making an impact as a solo star as Every Picture Tells A Story reached #1 on the Album chart.  Carole King of Stanley, Idaho was three weeks short of setting the record for weeks at #1 (18) with her masterpiece Tapestry.  The Moody Blues were a solid #3 with Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Isaac Hayes was up to 4 with Shaft and Paul & Linda McCartney were at position #5 with Ram.

The rest of the Top 10:  Who's Next from the Who, the Carpenters' self-titled release, Master of Reality by Black Sabbath, The Partridge Family Sound Magazine and John Lennon moved from 134 to 10 with his first solo album Imagine.

In 1976...The Hot 100...Newcomer Wild Cherry remained at #1 with "Play That Funky Music", leader of a great Top 10.  A new duo on the scene, England Dan & John Ford Coley, would have to settle for having one of The Top #2's of the Rock Era* with "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight".  Walter Murphy had one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era with "A Fifth of Beethoven".  For laughs, we had Rick Dees with "Disco Duck" and Boz Scaggs' great song "Lowdown" remained #5.

The rest of the Top 10:  Cliff Richard's biggest hit "Devil Woman", War with "Summer", Chicago had their 22nd career hit and 11th Top 10 with "If You Leave Me Now", K.C. and the Sunshine Band's former #1 "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" and Orleans moved up to #10 with "Still the One".

In 1976...The Album Chart...Former Humble Pie member Peter Frampton was enjoying great success with the double-live album Frampton Comes Alive!--it was #1 for a ninth week.  It had to be a special album to hold off Silk Degrees from Boz Scaggs.  Hasten Down the Wind was right behind by Linda Ronstadt.

The rest of the Top 10:  Wild Cherry with their debut, the Greatest Hits album from War, Spirit by John Denver at #7, Jefferson Starship's Spitfire, Steve Miller moved into the Top 10 with Fly Like An Eagle and Chicago's ninth consecutive Top 5 album (Chicago X) was now at #10.


In 1995...FCC eliminates licensed operator requirements

In 2003...It was announced that talk show host Rush Limbaugh was being investigated for allegedly buying thousands of addictive painkillers from a black-market drug ring.

Denver Radio: Medical Issues Force Michael Floorwax Off-Air

Michael Floorwax, Rick Lewis

One of the stars of Denver morning radio announced on Wednesday that he will no longer be doing his show, according to CBS-TV4.

Michael Floorwax (real name Michael Steinke) told listeners through a statement read by his longtime Classic Rock KRFX 103.5 FM radio partner Rick Lewis that he is suffering from medical issues.

The popular Lewis & Floorwax team has been entertaining radio listeners during Denver’s morning drive for more than two decades, but Floorwax has been missing for the past 10 months or so. It hadn’t been clear why until now.

Rick Lewis reads the letter from Floorwax on air:


“I feel like I’m ready to talk about this and feel like you deserve to know,” he said in his statement.

“As you know if you’ve listened to the show at all for the past 24 years, I’ve struggled with certain medical issues. I’ve openly talked about it on the radio and I’ve made many jokes about my own medical issues that have plagued me for many years.”

He said some of his listeners have told him they struggle from similar medical conditions, although he wasn’t specific about what his is suffering from.

“Some of you may know that with these types of conditions doctors will experiment with different kinds of drugs to see what will work. Some work for a while, some don’t work at all, and others can actually make things worse. This past year has been the biggest battle of my life as I continue to seek relief.”

“Unfortunately I will not be coming back as I have to focus all my energy on my health and well being.”

Floorwax also said he wanted to dismiss rumors that had been floating around that he was struggling with substance abuse. “I did not fall off the wagon,” he said. “I have been clean and sober for 30 years and am proud of that.”

He also wanted to make it clear that his employer, Clear Channel, didn’t fire him.

Fresno Radio: Cumulus Names Darrin Arriens PD At KSKS

Darrin Arriens

Cumulus announces that Darrin Arriens has been appointed Program Director of Country station, KSKS 93.7 FM Kiss Country in Fresno. Arriens brings years of programming and operations experience to KSKS. 

He was most recently Operations Manager for Citadel Broadcasting’s Grand Rapids cluster and Midwest Regional Director of Operations for Citadel. Arriens has programmed stations in markets including: Milwaukee, Detroit, Toledo, Greenville, Tucson, and Lansing. 

The appointment is effective immediately.

Mike McVay, Senior Vice President, Programming for Cumulus said: ““We worked up close and personal when Darrin was over the stations that we purchased in Michigan.  We were sorry when we lost him. That experience made him a desirable programmer to target for us to bring back into our fold. He’s another of the bright minds we’re collecting at Cumulus.“

KSKS 93.7 FM (68Kw) 54dBu Coverage

Patty Hixson, Market Manager for Cumulus Fresno said: 

“We are thrilled to have Darrin join our team in Fresno! His extraordinary background will certainly take KSKS to the next level and underscores our commitment to our listeners and our community.”

Arriens said: "I am very excited to be working with an incredibly successful group of people at KSKS in Fresno. Patty and her team already feel like family! Additionally, it goes without saying that working with incredible programming minds and visionaries like John Dickey and Mike McVay again is extremely exciting!!”

Toledo Radio: Mix105 Adds Market Vet Johnny D For PM Drive

Johnny D

Cumulus announces that popular Toledo on-air talent Johnny D (John DiModica) will join the new WWWM 105.5 FM Star 105 as PM Drive Host, debuting tomorrow from 3:00-7:00 p.m.

He was most recently Morning Drive Host on WPFX in Toledo. Johnny has previously been PM Drive Host on Toledo’s WVKS and WSPD. He also served as Program Director/PM Drive announcer on WCKY in Findlay, OH. His other previous on-air assignments include Cleveland and Tampa.

In his new position, Johnny will be reunited with Star 105 Morning Host Denny Schaffer, from their days together at WVKS.

Andy Stuart, Regional Vice President and Market Manager for Cumulus Toledo said: “Johny D is an extraordinary talent and we are very fortunate to have him join what is a very special radio station in Star 105. His singular talent to entertain an audience will be an important addition to Star 105 and is further evidence of Cumulus’ commitment to bringing the very best talent into the company.”

Johnny D said: "I am grateful for the opportunity given to me by the Dickey family and Cumulus. It’s a rarity to work for a company that still believes in local live radio and on-air personalities. Plus, being able to work with Andy Stuart again is something that I greatly look forward to. Andy is truly the best at what he does and I look forward to making history again on Star 105."

DC Radio: WIHT Dominates The Demos

Aside from WTOP remaining #1 in the September PPMs released by Nielsen (6+ AQH Share), the news in DC is the domination of WIHT 99.5 FM. iHeartMedia's Hot 99.5 FM leads the market in Cume...is #4 6+...but, more importantly the Top40 is #1 25-54, 18-34 AND 18-49.

As for the rest of the Top5 6+..WTOP 103.5 FM was off 8.5—7.9, but retained #1 boasting rights, followed by Howard University's UrbanAC WHUR 96.3 FM spikes 5.4—6.5 at #2. American University's non-com N/T WAMU 88.5 FM had an uptick in September 6.2—6.3, but dropped to #3 in the Top5.

And Radio One's UrbanAC WMMJ 102.3 FM was up 4.6—4.8 and finished 5th.

25-54: WIHT...WHUR...WTOP...WWDC...WAMU

18-34: WIHT...WKYS...WPGC...WMZQ tied WWDC

18-49: WIHT...WHUR...WPGC tied WKYS...WWDC tied WIAD

Cume: WIHT-FM 1,255,500...WASH-FM 1,164,700...WTOP-FM 1,098,600...WIAD-FM 935,700...WBIG-FM 857,300

  

Philly Radio: WDAS-FM Hops Over WBEB For #1 Honors

The big news in the City of Brotherly Love is WBEB is NOT #1 in the September PMMs released by Nielsen (6+ AQH Share). The honors go to iHeartMedia's UrbanAC WDAS 105.3 FM, which zoomed 5.5—6.7. It's best performance in over a year.

WEAZ-FM Radio's AC WBEB 101.1 FM dropped to #2, getting an uptick in September 6.5—6.6.

CBS Radio's Classic Hits WOGL 981. FM was also up 6.2—6.4, but slipped to #3. Beasley's Country WXTU fell from #3 August to #4, despite an 5.5—5.6 uptick. And Greater Media's Classic Rock WMGK 102.9 FM ended up at #5 thanks to a 5.1—5.5 move.

25-54: WMMR...WDAS...WXTU...WMGK...WUSL tied WBEB

18-34: WUSL...WXTU...WRFF...WMMR...WBEB

18-49: WMMR...WUSL tied WXTU...WRFF...WBEB

Cume: WBEB-FM 1,570,100...WOGL-FM 1,138,600...WMGK-FM 1,090,300...WIOQ-FM 1,075,500...WRFF-FM 951,700

  

Nielsen Releases September PPMs For Twelve More Markets

NielsenAudio Tuesday released the second batch of September PPMs for the following marke

 7 Washington, DC 

10 Boston 

11 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood 

12 Detroit 

13 Seattle-Tacoma 

14 Phoenix 

16 Minneapolis-St. Paul 

17 San Diego 

18 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater 

19 Denver 

21 Baltimore 

22 St. Louis

To view the Topline Number for subscribing stations: Click Here.

FCC Considering Making 'Redskins' An Obscenity

The Federal Communications Commission is considering whether to punish broadcasters for using the moniker of the Washington NFL team, the Redskins, a word many consider a slur to Native Americans, the agency's chairman indicated on Tuesday, axccording to Reuters.

The FCC, which enforces broadcast indecency violations, has received a petition from legal activist John Banzhaf III, asking that regulators strip local radio station WWXX 94.3 FM of its broadcasting license when it comes up for renewal for using the name "Redskins."

Banzhaf says the word is racist, derogatory, profane and hateful, making its use "akin to broadcasting obscenity."

"We'll be looking at that petition, we will be dealing with that issue on the merits and we'll be responding accordingly," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told reporters.

"There are a lot of names and descriptions that were used over time that are inappropriate today. And I think the name that is attributed to the Washington football club is one of those," Wheeler added.

The FCC could formally deem use of the team name to be indecent, and thus impose a de facto ban on it on over-the-air television and radio.

Read More Now

Atlanta Radio: iHeartMedia Names Schadflander As MM

Justin Schaflander

iHeartMedia/Atlanta has announced the appointment of Justin Schaflander to VP/MM for the cluster.

The move is effective immediately.

He has been with iHeart Media  for seven years.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this cluster and build on the great success that we have had over the past years," said Schaflander.

"I look forward to working hard and continuing to deliver the best content for our listeners and the best solutions and results for our advertising partners."

At the same time Jayson Mosher was promoted to replace Shaflander at VP/Sale.

He previously served as GSM for WUBL and WGST as well as Total Traffic and Weather Network.

He has been with iHeartMedia/Atlanta for six years.

"I'm excited about Justin and Jason taking on even more responsibility for us in Atlanta," said EVP/Operations East Tom McConnell.  "They are proven leaders with strong relationships, and I'm confident they will both excel in their new roles. "

Myrtle Beach Radio: Zac Davis Named New OM For iHeartMedia

Zac Davis

iHeartMedia/Myrtle Beach has announced the appointment of  Zac Davis as Operations Manager, effective immediately.

Davis will also serve as Program Director and Morning Show Host for New Country WGTR 107.9 FM The Gator.

As OM, Davis will oversee all aspects of iHeartMedia Myrtle Beach's 5 stations' operations.  He will also manage all programming for 107.9 The Gator and host The Morning Show with Zac, Beth and Adam weekdays from 6-10:00 a.m.

Davis joins iHeartMedia Myrtle Beach from Top40 WDCG 105.1 FM G105 in Raleigh, N.C., where he served as Program Director and Afternoon Host since June 2011. His prior experience includes a variety of on-air and programming roles in Denver; Modesto/Stockton, CA.; Greensboro, N.C.; Melbourne, FL; and Salt Lake City.

WGTR 107.9 FM (20Kw) 60dBu Coverage

"Zac's programming and on-air experience has been an exceptional asset to our team in Raleigh," said Rod Phillips, SVP/Programming, iHeartMedia.  "I'm confident he will take our Myrtle Beach cluster to the next level and be a great addition to mornings on The Gator."

Seattle Radio: KRKO, KKXA To Test All-Digital

Special promos began airing today on Seattle AM stations KRKO and KKXA notifying listeners about upcoming all-digital testing, according to RadioWorld.

The NAB Labs tests are set to begin Oct. 2 and run through Oct. 6 and the analog will be turned off so an all-digital signal can be transmitted.

Participants expect the digital coverage areas for both Fox Sports KRKO on 1380 kHz and Classic Country KKXA on 1520 kHz to increase during the tests. Both station offer 50Kw power. Listeners with analog radios will hear silence during the tests. Those who have HD Radio receivers will hear all-digital AM quality “similar” to FM. Those tuned to KXXA in particular will notice stereo separation and the full audio range of the music that’s airing, according to participants.

In the promos, listeners that have HD Radios are invited to tune in to 1380 kHz Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and to 1520 kHz Sunday during the same period.

Read More Now

Brain Research Shows High Effectiveness Of Radio Ads

iHeartMedia Tuesday announced results from a study conducted in partnership with leading neuromarketing firm Neuro-Insight.

Neuro-Insight uses its patented brain imaging technology, Steady-State Topography (SST), to measure how the brain responds to communications, including a broad spectrum of content and advertising.

Neuro-Insight’s research clearly showed radio outperforming television – and radio advertisements in particular outperformed television advertisements for the same brands—showing much higher performance in Neuro-Insight’s Memory Encoding metric, an indicator repeatedly and strongly associated with consumer choice and purchase behavior.

Neuro-Insight tested eight advertising campaigns with parallel radio and television versions across the automotive, financial services, insurance, consumer packaged goods, quick-service restaurants, entertainment, retail and telco categories. In seven of the eight test cases, radio ads returned much higher results than TV in Memory Encoding at key branding moments.  For advertisers, Memory Encoding at branding is the key to a successful ad campaign – and unless Memory Encoding is high at this critical point, the ad will not function successfully. This has been peer-reviewed and published in various other research studies.

Radio was also more effective than TV in converting content engagement into Memory Encoding during advertising breaks – indicating better content-ad interaction and stronger impact on consumer choice and behavior for radio ads as compared to the tested television ads.

Radha Subramanyam

“These findings from Neuro-Insight represent significant scientific evidence that radio’s ability to engage consumers -- and influence them to purchase – can far outperform other media,” said Dr. Radha Subramanyam, Executive Vice President of Insights for iHeartMedia.  “If advertisers want their messages to truly register with consumers – and drive their purchasing behavior -- they need to make radio a significant part of their media budgets.”

Neuro-Insight’s Memory Encoding metric is both scientifically and commercially validated to correlate with advertising effectiveness, consumer choice, and in-market behavior.  In this study, the higher Memory Encoding figures seen for radio indicate that radio advertising in its current form is both well-designed and more likely to impact consumer and market outcomes than TV advertising.



"The data in this study clearly show that iHeartMedia's radio offerings excellently harness the unique power of their medium,” said Pranav Yadav, CEO of Neuro-Insight US Inc.  “It also shows that radio should always remain a part of your marketing mix.”