Cumulus Atlanta, which operates New Country WKHX 101.5, Tanslator OG 97.9, Top40 WWWQ Q99.7 and Rock WNNX 100.5, has quarantined its Atlanta offices for several days after an employee came in contact with a friend being tested for COVID-19, according to Rock 100.5 program director and afternoon host Axel Lowe.
He also said Jason Bailey and “Southside” Steve Rikman will be “best of” morning show on Friday as they prepare to work remotely next week.
“It’s not to panic anybody but it’s where we are,” Lowe said. The Cumulus employee’s friend may not even have the virus but the company made this move out of an abundance of caution, Lowe said, adding that the test results of the employees friend will take about six days.
Bert Weiss of the syndicated Bert Show said they are going to attempt to do the show remotely.
no lie. #coronavirus has affected @TheBertShow office. They won’t let us do the show together from same studio together for precautionary reasons. we are trying to figure out how to do the show for you guys from our homes. Will tell ya everything tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/pRT7r4dWSp
Apple Inc has reportedly sealed multi-year licensing deals with major music labels like Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music in recent months, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing four people familiar with the matter.
Reuters reports the new contracts, however, do not include an agreement to bundle Apple Music with the its television service, the report said, adding that a “super bundle” maybe months away.
Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The iPhone maker is seeking to bolster its sales with paid subscriptions to services such as Apple Music, but it trails its top rival Spotify Technology SA. Apple has more than 60 million paid music subscribers to Spotify’s 124 million.
CUMULUS MEDIA announces that Davey Morris, Program Director for Top 40 WPRO 92.3 FM in Providence, RI, will be inducted into the Rhode Island Radio and Television Hall of Fame.
Morris will be honored at the 2020 Rhode Island Radio and Television Hall of Fame Annual Induction Dinner with his fellow Class of 2020 inductees on April 30, 2020, at the Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick (Airport) in Warwick, RI.
Morris, a native of Warren, RI, began his broadcasting career in 1990 at WPRO-FM as a college intern, and was hired full time in March 1991, hosting overnights on the station. Since that time, he has been heard in all dayparts on WPRO-FM, and is the longest-running afternoon drive host in the history of the station.
Morris is currently Program Director for WPRO-FM and for HOT 106, along with hosting afternoon drive on WPRO-FM. He is an advocate for animal rights, and supports Hasbro Children’s Hospital and the Rhode Island Foundation for Suicide Prevention, among other local charitable organizations. Morris is a graduate of Rhode Island College.
Benztown announces that Chris Longman, Sound Designer, Capital FM in London, UK, has been selected as the finalist in the 9th Annual Iron Imager Contest, the international radio imaging contest where audio production professionals compete for the title of World’s Best Imager.
Current Iron Imager Champion Brendan “BT” Tacey, Head of Production, Triple M Network, Southern Cross Austereo in Melbourne, Australia, will face off against Longman in a head-to-head live competition in the U.S. later this year. Iron Imager is the first and only competition of its kind. Longman has worked at Capital FM and Capital XTRA (Global Radio) in Leicester Square since 2015. He studied Radio Production at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK.
Concurrently, Benztown announced that the 9th Annual Iron Imager Contest, previously scheduled to take place at the Worldwide Radio Summit 2020 in Burbank, CA, on March 26th, has been postponed, along with its official celebration of the sixth annual Benztown 50 List of Radio’s Biggest Imaging Voices.
The Benztown 50 List of Radio’s Biggest Imaging Voices is the radio industry’s exclusive listing of the top 50 voiceover artists in the U.S. and Canada. Both annual events are traditionally held at the Worldwide Radio Summit. The Worldwide Radio Summit 2020 was postponed yesterday until a later date, following the announcement by the World Health Organization that the COVID-19 Coronavirus has been designated a global pandemic.
Andreas Sannemann, Chief Executive Officer, Benztown, said: “In challenging times likes these, we as a community need to stand united, be supportive and reasonable and put our focus on handling a complex situation in the best way possible. Our imaging heroes will be able to compete for the title in the future and show the world their incredible skill sets.”
Dave “Chachi” Denes, President, Benztown, commented: “While we are disappointed that we will not be able to hold the 9th Annual Iron Imager Contest or celebrate the Benztown 50 List of Radio’s Biggest Imaging Voices at the Worldwide Radio Summit as originally planned, we look forward to shining a light on our industry’s biggest imaging and VO talents at a later date. In the meantime, we thank Joel Denver and his team for their leadership during this challenging time and will be first in line to support this phenomenal annual event whenever it is rescheduled.”
The sixth annual Benztown 50 List of Radio’s Biggest Imaging Voices will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2020 induction ceremony has been postponed amid ongoing concerns of the coronavirus, 3News confirmed Thursday afternoon.
The ceremony was scheduled to take place Saturday, May 2 at Cleveland's Public Hall. Tickets for the event sold out within one hour when they went up for grabs last month.
Rock Hall officials say the induction ceremony is expected to take place "later this year" with a new date expected to be revealed soon.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame issued the following statement:
The health and safety of our fans and visitors is our highest priority. Given recent news regarding coronavirus and the urging by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine regarding large public gatherings, we have made the decision to postpone the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Induction Week festivities until later this year. Additional details, including new dates and ticket information, will be announced shortly and shared directly with ticket holders and supporters. Details of the rescheduled HBO live broadcast of the event will be announced at a later date as well.
This week Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson issued a Proclamation of Civil Emergency with the goal of minimizing the impact, severity and duration of COVID-19 as it spreads. “To me, the most important thing is minimizing the impact [of the coronavirus]” said the Mayor. Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish also issued a State of Emergency declaration yesterday that helped inform our decision.
Meanwhile, we are maintaining normal operating hours at the Museum. Any additional change of plans will be clearly communicated on our website.
The 2020 class of inductees includes Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., T. Rex, Irving Azoff and Jon Landau.
The seventh annual iHeartCountry Festival, which was slated to take place on Saturday, May 2 at Austin, Texas’ Frank Erwin Center, is being rescheduled.
Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Kane Brown, Dustin Lynch, Kelsea Ballerini, Jon Pardi, Chase Rice and Hot Country Knights were scheduled to perform at the May 2 event, with media personality Bobby Bones serving as the official host for the festival’s main stage.
“The Frank Erwin Center announced today it is postponing all events for the immediate future,” iHeartCountry Festival organizers said via a statement.
“The iHeartCountry Festival at the Frank Erwin Center will be rescheduled at a later date. Our primary goal is always the safety of our guests, employees, artists and partners and we will continue to actively monitor the situation and will provide more information and relevant updates as they become available. Tickets will be honored at the rescheduled date.”
➦In 1903...Charles D. Livingstone was born (died at age 83 - July 28, 1986) He was a favorite director of the two men who put Detroit in the forefront of live radio drama in the '30s and '40s with such programs as "The Lone Ranger," "The Green Hornet" and "Sgt. Preston of the Yukon."
A University of Michigan graduate, Livingstone began his professional career as an actor in stock companies and on Broadway. He joined Detroit radio station WXYZ in 1933, playing minor roles in "Warner Lester" and "The Lone Ranger" and a major part in "Thrills of the Secret Service." George W. Trendle, an attorney, and John H. King, a theater owner, had decided to turn to the infant medium of radio after the stock market crash of 1929.
They found an assortment of writers, actors and directors, and bought WXYZ. Their successes with the "Ranger" and "Hornet" enabled them to expand the shows to WGN in Chicago and WOR in New York. The three stations became the mainstay of the Mutual Network in the mid-1930s.
Livingstone was named the station's dramatic director in 1938 and remained there until 1954, when he went to Hollywood to help film "The Lone Ranger" for television. ➦In 1922...WRR-AM, Dallas, TX signed-on.
WRR-AM was Texas’ first broadcast station. Owned by the City of Dallas, the original studio and transmitter was located in the Dallas Fire Department central headquarters.
WRR-AM actually dates back to 1921 as the wireless operation of the Dallas Police and Fire Departments.
The station received a formal license as a "land station" from the Bureau of Navigation on August 4, 1921, and was assigned the call letters "WRR". In later years, the call letters would be said to stand for “Where Radio Radiates”. According to WRR’s original license, the station operated with a “composite” transmitting system (i.e. “homemade”), and was authorized to operate at a power of up to 100 watts, giving the station an approximate range of 200 nautical miles.
According to DFW Radio Archives, there were often long stretches of time when there were no fire or police calls to broadcast, so to ensure the equipment was indeed working (and perhaps satisfy their own curiosity with the strange new device), the dispatchers started to resort to other means of occupying the airwaves. They would read articles from the Dallas News or Herald, read letters, and tell jokes. Soon they had even brought in a phonograph player to place next to the microphone and send music over the airwaves.
A small but growing audience became fascinated by the magically transferred voices and music – these were the very beginnings of radio in north Texas.
WRR soon began to evolve into a “real” radio station. WRR’s initial license was issued through the Bureau of Navigation and fell into a categorical no-man’s land - while operating as a “broadcast” station, it was licensed as if it were a point-to-point operation. WRR did not receive a true broadcast license from the Commerce Department's Radio Division until March 13, 1922.
WRR-FM signed on in 1948, playing classical music. WRR-AM focused on popular music until it switched to all-news in 1975.
Bonneville Broadcasting bought the station in 1978. It became KAAM. It became all-sports KTCK in 1994. Today, Cumulus Media owns “Sports Radio 1310: The Ticket.”
The city kept WRR-FM, which remains on the air as a classical station. Taxpayers do not sustain WRR. It operates commercially, depending upon advertising revenue.
➦In 1923...Production of the first radio set incorporating a loudspeaker. All previously produced sets had required the use of headphones, which were considered a nuisance because they were so heavy to wear and messed up hairdos. The new radios were also said to have a “foolproof” design.
➦In 1938...“World News Roundup” aired CBS Radio Network for the first time.
The CBS World News Roundup is the longest-running network radio newscast in the United States. It airs weekday mornings and evenings on the CBS Radio Network.
Robert Trout
It first went on-air on March 13, 1938 at 8 p.m. ET as a one-time special in response to growing tensions in Europe -- specifically the Anschluss, during which Adolf Hitler annexed Austria.
When the show first went on the air it was hosted by veteran radio personality Robert Trout. The first show gave the world the voices of Edward R. Murrow and William L. Shirer. In fact, it was the first time Murrow had ever delivered a news report. During the early years of the war, Murrow's reports from London and Shirer's reports from Berlin were essential listening to anyone trying to keep informed on events unfolding in Europe.
The program was a 38-minute special report from multiple locations around the world as the pre-war crisis mounts. It was the first time that on-the-scene European field correspondents were linked with a central anchor in New York for a national broadcast. A recording of the first episode, as well as some others, is available at the Internet Archive.
From March 13, 2013...
Most broadcast references credit either CBS President William S. Paley or News Director Paul White as coming up with the idea for the show, as a way to trump Max Jordan's NBC coverage of the Anschluss. The previous day, Shirer had flown from Vienna to London at the request of Murrow (the CBS European chief) to give the first uncensored eyewitness account of Germany's takeover of Austria.
It was White who relayed the order to Murrow and Shirer for the first Roundup. The two, Murrow in Vienna and Shirer in London, then had the responsibility of linking up reporters and circuits that same day...a Sunday, when many of the key people would be mostly unreachable.
The format was so successful that it was repeated the following evening, and then revived later that year during the Sudetenland crisis. Eventually, it evolved into a daily show.
As World War II raged in Europe, the Roundup format spawned a weekend edition, The World Today. It was just before one 2:30 p.m. Eastern broadcast, on December 7, 1941, that White and World Today anchor John Charles Daly received word in New York that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. Daly's report at the top of the show, among the first on any radio station or network, is the one most often used in audio retrospectives.
)
➦In 1956…'Elvis Presley' is the debut studio album by Elvis Presley. It was released on RCA Victor, catalog number LPM-1254, in March 1956.
The recording sessions took place on January 10 and January 11 at the RCA Victor recording studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and on January 30 and January 31 at the RCA Victor studios in New York. Additional material originated from sessions at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 5, August 19 and September 10 of 1954, and on July 11, 1955.
The album spent ten weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in 1956, the first rock and roll album ever to make it to the top of the chart
Stacy Harris
➦In 1973...Stacy Harris died from an apparent heart attack at age 54 (Born - July 26, 1918). He was a Canadian-born actor with hundreds of radio, film and television appearances
Harris was best known for his role as agent Jim Taylor on ABC Radio's This is Your FBI. In 1946, Jerry Devine, that program's producer-director, told newspaper columnist Jack O'Brian: "Stacy has just the sort of voice I need for the quiet authority of the special agent on my show. On top of that, he's a good actor, and it's a combination on radio which can't be beat."
His other roles in radio programs included Batman in The Adventures of Superman, and Ted Blades in The Strange Romance of Evelyn Winters. He was also a member of the casts of Confession, Dragnet, Pepper Young's Family, Destiny's Trails and Frontier Gentleman
He also appeared in scores of TV series over a 20 year period, including recurring roles in Bonanza, Dragnet, Wagon Train, Zane Grey Theatre, Perry Mason, Laramie & Return to Peyton Place. ➦In 1992…the FCC unleashed a new era in radio ownership. The rules were changed to allow corporations to own as many as 30 AM & 30 FM stations (the former limit was 12).
➦In 2017...John Andariese, the white-haired, NBA Knicks radio and television analyst whose love of basketball earned him the nickname Johnny Hoops, died at age 78.
“He was all basketball,” Marv Albert, one of Mr. Andariese’s radio and television partners, said in an interview. “He was in very good shape for a long time, and he was always looking for a game. One of his thrills was on game day at Madison Square Garden — he’d play on the court with Garden employees.”
➤TRUMP SUSPENDS TRAVEL FROM EUROPE AS CORONAVIRUS DECLARED A PANDEMIC: The World Health Organization finally took the step of calling the coronavirus a pandemic on Wednesday (March 11th), hours before President Trump announced in an Oval Office address that he would suspend travel to the U.S. from Europe for 30 days, charging it hadn't acted fast enough to restrict travel from China and that U.S. clusters of the virus were, quote, "seeded" by travelers from Europe. The U.K. is excluded from the ban on 26 European nations, which also won't apply to Americans who've been screened.
Trump also said he was directing agencies to provide unspecified financial relief for workers who are ill, quarantined or caring for others because of the virus, that the U.S. will defer tax payments for some people and business filers, and that the Small Business Administration will make low-interest loans available to business being hurt by the outbreak. However, Trump didn't address the big backlog in testing, which is harming efforts to find out how many Americans are infected and where they are, or the issue of hospitals being able to handle the number of patients who'll need care.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified before a House committee about the virus, warning that things will get worse and that how much worse will depend on actions that are taken to try to stop the spread of the virus. In pointing to comparisons some have made to the seasonal flu, Fauci said the coronavirus is "10 times more lethal."
In other developments:
The State Department issued a global health advisory cautioning U.S. citizens to "reconsider travel abroad."
Public schools in Seattle will close for at least two weeks starting today. The move was made as Washington Governor Jay Inslee banned gatherings of more than 250 people in three counties, including Seattle's King County, which has been the hardest hit by the outbreak.
A member of Washington Senator Maria Cantwell's staff who works in his D.C. office has tested positive for coronavirus, the first confirmed case on Capitol Hill.
Trump has canceled a three-day trip that was to start today in which he was supposed to attend fundraisers in Nevada and Colorado and give a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas. west, the White House announced Wednesday night. A March 19th Catholics for Trump event in Milwaukee has also been postponed.
New York City is postponing its St. Patrick’s Day Parade, calling it off for the first time in its 258-year history. Chicago, Boston and Dublin, Ireland, have also canceled their St. Patrick's Day parades.
In Italy, which is already on lockdown, an order was issued that all stores be closed except grocery stores and pharmacies.
➤NBA SUSPENDS SEASON AFTER JAZZ PLAYER GOBERT TESTS POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS: The NBA suspended its season Wednesday night (March 11th) after a Utah Jazz player, reportedly Rudy Gobert, tested positive for the coronavirus, saying games won't be played "until further notice." The league said in statement, "The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic." Utah's game at Oklahoma City against the Thunder was canceled after the positive test result came in shortly before start time, with fans at the arena told the game had been postponed. The game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings was also postponed because one of the assigned referees had worked a Utah game Monday. The four other scheduled games for the night were played, with the suspension taking effect after they were over.
➤MARCH MADNESS TO BE PLAYED WITHOUT FANS: The NCAA announced yesterday (March 11th) that the men's and women's basketball tournaments will go forward, but they will be played without fans because of the coronavirus. Only essential staff and a limited number of family members will be able to attend. The major college conferences then followed the NCAA's lead, announcing their league tournaments would take place with restricted fan access.
➤Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have both tested positive for the coronavirus. According to TMZ, the couple is currently in Australia shooting an Elvis Presley movie. The actor's rep said that Tom and Rita felt like they had a cold and then felt extra tired and had body aches. They got tested for the virus and it came back positive.
Hanks took to Instagram to inform fans and said that he and Rita plan to follow protocol put in place by medical officials. He also revealed that he rest of his family will be tested for the virus and that he will be observed and isolated for as long as required. Tom and Rita are not the only celebrities who tested positive for the coronavirus.
➤MLB officials were deliberating Wednesday where to relocate those seven games (four vs. Texas and three vs. Minnesota). The most likely scenarios are to move the series to Texas and Minnesota or to play at the Mariners’ spring training facility in Arizona. In addition, the March 24 exhibition game between the A’s and Giants will not be contested at San Francisco’s Oracle Park.
Washington state and California are two of the areas that have had the most confirmed cases of coronavirus. But the problem with moving any series is assuming that the new location will still be viable on March 26, when the regular season is to begin. It was announced Wednesday, for example, that the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament will be contested without crowds. And those tournaments have games all over the country
➤ACM AWARDS: the Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions plan to move forward with the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards show, which is set for April 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“We are closely monitoring the situation along with the MGM team, who are in continuous contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Southern Nevada Health District, and other agencies and experts for guidance. We will take every precaution to ensure the safety of our artists, staff, crew, guests and attendees,” the organization said via a statement.
➤CMA FEST: Organizers of CMA Fest, one of the largest country music festivals in North America and a marquee summer event in downtown Nashville, said the event plans to "proceed as scheduled" despite mounting concerns regarding the novel coronavirus. CMA Fest runs June 4-7 in downtown Nashville, with most acts performing for free in clubs or on outdoor stages. Ticketed events to see top country music entertainers take place at Nissan Stadium and Ascend Amphitheater.
NuVoodoo Media Services, a data-driven media marketing, programming and content intelligence provider, announces that in the face of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, it is conducting an ongoing nationwide study to track concern about the spread of the virus and media usage surrounding the concern. With the potential exponential increases in cases in the coming days, NuVoodoo will release updated findings later this week, and share a deeper dive into what it means for radio on its upcoming webinar on Monday, March 16, 2020.
In data captured on March 9 and 10, with nearly 3,000 interviews collected, about half of the nationwide 16-54 year-olds in NuVoodoo’s sample are taking at least a few precautions in light of the virus.
Self-reported usage is up across all the media types NuVoodoo explored, including 20% of respondents saying they are listening more to the radio than before the outbreak.
Leigh Jacobs, Executive Vice President, Research Insights, NuVoodoo Media Services, said: “While the online space stands to be the big winner as people search for local information about the spread of Coronavirus, Radio stands to benefit as well – as long as you have a plan and have information to share.”
Carolyn Gilbert, President and Chief Executive Officer, NuVoodoo Media Services, noted: “Coronavirus is on virtually everyone’s minds right now. Our ongoing nationwide research focused on consumer perceptions and behaviors related to COVID-19, including media behaviors, will help Radio keep its finger on the pulse of our listeners and communities.”
Gilbert added: “NuVoodoo’s Leigh Jacobs and PJ Kling will update the findings of this ongoing study beginning next Monday, March 16th, during the second installment of NuVoodoo’s Spring Webinar Series, 2020: New Technology & A New Way to Play the Ratings Game. We invite all radio professionals to join us for this free 30-minute webinar and get ahead of the game in their markets by registering for any of the three sessions at: www.nuvodoo.com/webinars.”
NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study XV incorporated the opinions of nearly 4,000 14 to 64 year-olds, including a proportional group of over 700 Baby Boomers (ages 55-64), across all PPM markets. The NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study is conducted twice a year to learn more about those who are most likely to say “yes” to the opportunity to wear a meter or fill out a diary. The company shares the top-level findings of its studies with its radio broadcasting clients to develop winning next-generation marketing and programming strategies for stations of all formats in PPM and diary markets.
NuVoodoo will give radio professionals a closer look into the findings of the latest NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study in the second installment of its spring webinar series, 2020: New Technology & A New Way to Play the Ratings Game, which launches on Monday, March 16, 2020. The free webinar is open to all radio professionals who register for any of three sessions at www.nuvoodoo.com/webinars. Each webinar session will last less than 30 minutes and will include Q&A at the conclusion.
A recording of the first webinar in NuVoodoo’s spring duo, 20 Things to Put Your Station on Top of the 2020 Ratings, can now be found on www.nuvoodoo.com/webinars, along with recordings of another dozen of the company’s webinars.
CBS News employees at its headquarters in New York City were sent home Wednesday afternoon after two employees reportedly tested positive for coronavirus.
2 NY-based CBS News employees have confirmed cases of coronavirus; "They have our full support, and those who worked closely with them have been asked to self-quarantine, and our NYC Broadcast Center is closed tonight in order for it to be cleaned," @NorahODonnell reports. pic.twitter.com/pgyXt57ye0
The company asked employees to work remotely for the rest of the week while the two affected Manhattan buildings are disinfected.
The two employees with the virus work in separate buildings, complicating the matter for the network, the Associated Press reported.
"CBS This Morning" will relocate to the network's Washington studios for its Thursday and Friday shows, according to the AP.
“We have begun planning for this possibility and want everyone to be assured that we’re taking all necessary measures,” CBS News President Suzan Zirinsky said in an email to employees, adding that staff who had contact with the affected employees should self-quarantine for 14 days, The New York Post reported.
“At this point, we anticipate the offices will be open Monday,” Zirinsky added.
CBS News Radio has also relocated to Washington, DC for the foreseeable future. A number of key NYC people are now in DC. Thursday mornings newscasts were anchored by Peter King, based in Orlando.
The Associated Press also announced it will permit employees to work at home if they are able, staggering the temporary new policy across its 250 worldwide offices. NBC News also says it will let some employees who work out of its New York offices to work remotely.
There’s only one television show that can stand atop the weekly ratings and say it did the same thing more than 40 years ago.
That’s CBS’ venerable newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” which was the week’s most popular show with an episode that led with Dr. Jon LaPook talking about the coronavirus outbreak, the Associated Press reports citing Nielsen data. It was the show’s first time in the top spot this television season.
“60 Minutes” would have to dust off the history books to find the first week it was ever television’s top-rated show. The newsmagazine finished as the top show for the entire TV season in 1979-80, back in its heyday with Mike Wallace and Morley Safer.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus, but for some, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
CBS won the week in prime time, averaging 5 million viewers. ABC had 4.4 million viewers, NBC had 4.1 million, Fox had 2.8 million, Univision had 1.4 million, ION Television had 1.3 million, Telemundo had 1.1 million and the CW had 600,000.
⏩ Broadcast TV Top 20 Prime-Time Shows (total Viewers):
ABC’s “World News Tonight” won the evening news ratings race, averaging 9.1 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” had 8 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 6 million.
Fox News Channel led all cable networks with an average of 3.18 million viewers in prime time, MSNBC had 2.05 million viewers, CNN had 1.33 million, HGTV had 1.15 million and Discovery had 1.12 million.
Orbyt Media, Canada’s premier content syndication group, and Premiere Networks, the #1 syndicator of personality-driven radio programming in the United States, have announced a new, expanded agreement to distribute 'The Breakfast Club' across Canada. Effective immediately, the popular morning show, which reaches 4.4 million weekly listeners on 90 stations in the U.S., will be available to Canadian music stations.
As part of the agreement, The Breakfast Club joins Toronto’s Hip Hop – CFXJ FLOW 93-5 in the Monday through Friday, 6–10 a.m. ET timeslot, beginning March 16.
TBC originates from the legendary Power 105.1/WWPR-FM in New York and can be heard in markets such as Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, Minneapolis, St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
“Through our extended partnership with Premiere Networks, we continue to bring the best radio content to stations across Canada,” said Rob Farina, Head of Radio Content and Strategy, at Bell Media. “We’re the first to make The Breakfast Club’s weekday radio show available in international syndication and we’re sure this will make a great addition to mornings.”
“There is no brand in Canada more synonymous with Hip Hop than FLOW 93-5. And there is no radio morning show in the world more synonymous with Hip Hop than The Breakfast Club,” said Steve Parsons, General Manager of Stingray Radio. “With the addition of The Breakfast Club to FLOW 93-5, we strengthen our commitment to serving the people of Toronto with the best hip hop and the best on-air talent.”
“The Breakfast Club is one of the leading tastemakers in Hip Hop, and their brand of entertainment engages millions of fans across multiple platforms,” said Julie Talbott, Premiere Networks President. “We’re excited to work with our partners at Orbyt Media to syndicate The Breakfast Club across Canada, and we couldn’t be happier to mark our expanded partnership by launching The Breakfast Club on Toronto’s only Hip Hop station, FLOW 93-5!”
Orbyt Media and Premiere Networks most recently partnered to bring The Bobby Bones Show, the #1 country morning radio show in the U.S., as well as the popular weekend countdown show, Countyr Top 30 With Bobby Bones, to markets across Canada.
Curtis Media Group’s Top 40 station WPLW Pulse FM 96.9 & 102.5 welcomes Mel Rose to Raleigh NC to take over Midday duties starting Monday March 16th.
Mel Rose
Mel will also run promotions for Pulse FM and Hot AC sister Star 92.9. Mel makes the move from Jacksonville FL where she previously was Nights/MD at iHeart’s WKSL Kiss FM.
Mel commented on the move “This job means the absolute world to me and I’m beyond thankful for the experiences I’m coming here with. I’ve met so many incredible people and learned so much from all of them. Can’t wait to grow here in Raleigh!” Mel Rose takes over for Brittani Blanc who transfers to Country sister WQDR’s as full time promotion director while remain on weekends at Pulse FM.
Program Director Jud Heussler “Brittani is a Pulse FM original! I’m so excited to see her role grow within the company while finding a superstar in Mel to run our promotions department & hold down Middays.”
Media mogul Byron Allen has made a bid for broadcaster Tegna Inc. that values the owner of 62 local television stations at $4.4 billion, The Wall Street journal reports citing a person familiar with matter.
The all-cash, $20-a-share bid was submitted to Tegna on Tuesday, the person said. Taking into consideration Tegna’s hefty debt load, the bid is worth about $8.5 billion.
Allen, a comedian-turned-entrepreneur, joins an increasingly crowded list of Tegna suitors. Private-equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc. also made an all-cash $20-a-share bid for Tegna, and broadcaster Gray Television Inc.made a $20-a-share offer for Tegna, though its offer was a mix of mostly cash and some stock, a person familiar with it said.
Allen’s company, Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios, produces movies and owns 15 television stations, the Weather Channel as well as a stake in more than 20 regional sports networks controlled by Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.
One of the biggest broadcasters in the industry, Tegna is the largest owner of NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox stations in the top-25 markets and overall its stations reach 39% of the country.
