NFL Red Zone To Start Streaming

NFL RedZone, the popular cable channel that shows every scoring play of the league’s Sunday afternoon games, is coming to a streaming device near you.

The NFL announced Thursday it will make the RedZone channel available in the higher priced version of NFL+, the subscription-based streaming service it introduced last year. The league’s NFL Network channel will be available to stream on the lower-priced NFL+ offering.

The new features come with a significant price hikes, which take effect for the upcoming season.

Radio History: August 11

➦In 1942...Actress Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, and composer George Anthiel received U.S. patent for Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), a method of transmitting radio signals by rapidly switching a carrier among many frequency channels, using a pseudorandom sequence known to both transmitter and receiver. It is used as a multiple access method in the frequency-hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA) scheme. It eventually led to today's Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth.

Hedy Lamarr

Spread-spectrum signals are highly resistant to deliberate jamming, unless the adversary has knowledge of the spreading characteristics. Military radios use cryptographic techniques to generate the channel sequence under the control of a secret Transmission Security Key (TRANSEC) that the sender and receiver share in advance.

By itself, frequency hopping provides only limited protection against eavesdropping and jamming. Most modern military frequency hopping radios also employ separate encryption devices such as the KY-57. U.S. military radios that use frequency hopping include the JTIDS/MIDS family, HAVE QUICK and SINCGARS.

In the US, since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) amended rules to allow frequency hopping spread spectrum systems in the unregulated 2.4 GHz band, many consumer devices in that band have employed various spread-spectrum modes.

Some walkie-talkies that employ frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology have been developed for unlicensed use on the 900 MHz band.

Lamarr died in Casselberry, FL on January 19, 2000, of heart disease, aged 85.

The Beatles in Chicago

➦In 1966…The Beatles staged their fourth concert tour of America, and it was the last commercial tour they undertook.

Lasting a total of 19 performances, with 17 shows in American venues and two in Canada, it was plagued with backlash regarding the controversy of John Lennon's remark about the Beatles being "more popular than Jesus", death threats, and the band's own dissatisfaction with the noise levels and their ability to perform live. Although it was a commercial success, ticket sales had declined since the group's previous visit, in August 1965. Late in the tour, the band returned to Shea Stadium in New York, where they performed to an audience of 45,000, compared with the 56,000 world record attendance they had achieved the previous year. After the 1966 tour, they would become a studio band and focused exclusively on record production.

In March 1966, Maureen Cleave interviewed John Lennon and the rest of the Beatles as part of a London Evening Standard series on the theme "How Does a Beatle Live?" During the Lennon interview at Kenwood, Cleave noted Lennon's interest in Christianity and religions, to which he replied:

"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I'll be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first – rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."

Although the article went largely unnoticed in the United Kingdom, the American magazine Datebook printed the quote containing Lennon's words on the front cover of its August issue.

Fearful of the possibility that protesters or radicals would try to kill them for their supposed "anti-Christ" stance, the group's manager, Brian Epstein, contemplated cancelling the tour altogether. However, during the tour's stop in Chicago, he arranged for a press conference to address the controversy and for Lennon to explain himself. Lennon stated that he was only commenting on the decline among churchgoers, that he made a mistake in using the Beatles' following in comparison with that of organised religion, and that he "never meant it as a lousy anti-religious thing". Despite this explanation, Lennon continued to be asked about the topic in subsequent press conferences throughout the American tour, often visibly exasperating not only him, but his bandmates as well.

➦In 1968...The Beatles launched "Apple Records" label.

➦In 1972...Long John Nebel aired his last show at WNBC 660 AM NYC.

David Portnoy Paid $1 To Buy Back Barstool Sports

David Portnoy

Dave Portnoy has once again become the owner of Barstool Sports, the sports blog he founded in 2003.

Penn Entertainment, a casino-and-sports-gaming company, finalized its acquisition of Barstool earlier this year in a $551 million deal after acquiring a minority stake in the sports blog in 2020 for $163 million.

Insider reports Penn and Barstool agreed to go their separate ways as the gambling operator signed a new 10-year deal with ESPN to rebrand Penn's existing Barstool Sportsbook as ESPN Bet this fall. Penn has agreed to pay ESPN $1.5 billion as part of the deal and $500 million in warrants tied to media, marketing, and other services from ESPN, according to the announcement.

Penn also drew tougher scrutiny from some regulators in the past few months because of its relationship with Barstool Sports, The New York Times and other outlets reported.

"Every time we did something, it was one step forward, two steps back," Portnoy said in his video announcement on Tuesday. "We got denied licenses because of me. You name it. So the regulated industry probably not the best place for Barstool Sports and the type of content we make."

A press release published Tuesday said that Penn sold 100% of the Barstool's common stock back to Portnoy "in exchange for certain non-compete and other restrictive covenants." A subsequent filing said the sale price to Portnoy was $1.

Penn also has the right to receive half of the gross proceeds received by Portnoy in any subsequent sale or other monetization event of Barstool, according to the terms of the deal.

TV Ratings: Trump Bump Benefits CableTV News

Live coverage of the arraignment of former President Donald Trump this past Thursday and breaking news of his indictment two days earlier gave cable news a substantial ratings bump this past week, with MSNBC and CNN benefiting the most, according to TV Newser.

Still, Fox News Channel remained in its usual position as the No. 1 cable news network for the full week. Fox News averaged 1.87 million primetime viewers for the week of July 31, 2023, per live plus same day data from Nielsen.  That’s the largest average audience on basic cable, but -2% from the week prior (July 24, 2023). The network also averaged 199,000 A25-54 viewers in primetime, No. 4 on basic cable and +4% from the week prior.

In total day viewing, Fox News averaged more than 1.16 million total viewers. That’s the largest total day audience on all of basic cable for the 31st consecutive week, and +0.3% from the week prior.  Additionally, Fox averaged 139,000 A25-54 in total day, No. 2 among basic cable networks in the measurement and +1% with the week prior.

Elsewhere on cable news, MSNBC had hits highest rated week in total day viewers since the week of Nov. 7, 2022 (midterm elections) and the highest rated week among Adults 25-54 since the week of April 3 of this year. 

Additionally, Thursday’s special coverage of the Trump arraignment propelled MSNBC to No. 1 across all of TV in total viewers and No. 2 in all of TV among A25-54 behind only ABC.

Third, CNN averaged 710,000 total primetime viewers this past week, up a solid +34% from the week before, and No. 6 on basic cable overall. The network averaged 136,000 A25-54 demo viewers in primetime, +40% from the week before and No. 17 on all of basic cable.

Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN

Fox News has six of the 10 most-watched daily cable news shows this past week, including the top four. The Five is the No. 1 show on cable news for the 14th consecutive week, averaging 2.81 million total viewers at 5 p.m. for the week of July 31. The 8 p.m. Jesse Watters Primetime secured second place on cable news for the week behind The Five with a 2.43 million viewer average.

📺BROADCAST EVENING NEWS

Fox Business To Host Second GOP Primary Debate

The Republican National Committee has picked Fox Business to host the second GOP presidential primary debate, which is set to be held next month at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, Calif.

Politico reports the decision means that Fox networks will televise the first two debates. The first debate, to be held Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, will be broadcast on Fox Business’ sister station, Fox News.

The committee also announced that Univision and Rumble will be partners for the second debate. Rumble, a conservative-leaning competitor to YouTube, is also set to broadcast the first showdown.

By tapping Rupert Murdoch-run Fox for the first two debates, the committee is looking to reach a broad swath of Republican voters who regularly tune into the network’s stations. But Fox News’ specific role in the first debate has gotten pushback from former President Donald Trump, who has warred with the network over what he has called its unfair coverage of him since leaving the White House.

Trump has yet to commit to appearing at this month’s debate, and Fox News officials, including network president and executive editor Jay Wallace, recently met with the former president at his Bedminster Golf Club in hopes of persuading him to participate. Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel has also encouraged Trump to attend.

Trump has also downplayed the prospect he will appear at the second debate, to be held Sept. 27. In April, he complained on his favored social media platform, Truth Social, that the Reagan Library is chaired by Fred Ryan, who at the time was the publisher of the Washington Post.

Atlanta Radio: WABE-FM Partners With AJC For Daily Political show

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has hired veteran political broadcaster Bill Nigut as a new co-host of “Politically Georgia,” which will become a weekday radio show on 90.1/WABE-FM starting this fall.

Nigut will join the AJC’s political team of Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Washington correspondent Tia Mitchell.

“Politically Georgia” will be added to WABE-FM’s daily lineup at 10 a.m. and supplement the public radio station’s daily coverage of politics and its own podcast “Political Breakfast.” It will replace the Washington D.C.-based NPR show “1A” at 10 a.m. though an exact date was not specified.

The mix of hosts on “Politically Georgia” will rotate daily and features guests from across the political spectrum. It will also be available as a podcast from the AJC on all platforms each day.

Bill Nigut

“We’re thrilled to welcome Bill to the AJC,” said AJC President and Publisher Andrew Morse. “His insight and experience will help make ‘Politically Georgia’ a must-listen for anyone interested in this pivotal election. We’re proud to partner with WABE as we share a commitment to provide world-class political coverage to the people of Georgia.”

Jennifer Dorian, CEO of WABE, called this partnership “a great opportunity for WABE and the AJC to collaborate on a high-quality, informative radio show that will serve the needs of the Greater Atlanta area.”

Nigut was most recently host of “Political Rewind,” a daily show for Georgia Public Broadcasting’s 88.5/WRAS-FM and its statewide network of radio stations. He was let go in June after nearly 10 years at the station.

Nigut, a 76-year-old Chicago native, came to Atlanta in 1983 to cover politics for WSB-TV. In 2003, he left the station and became CEO of Metro Atlanta Arts and Culture Coalition followed by a six-year stint as Southeast regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). He joined GPB in 2013.

8/10 WAKE-UP CALL: Paradise Becomes Hell

Daily Mail US Composite 8/10/23

36 people have been confirmed dead after wildfires fueled by hurricane winds began burning in Maui overnight, destroying much of the popular tourist town Lahaina. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said in a press conference Wednesday that it was too early to know how many homes, businesses or other structures have been destroyed or damaged. He said “many have been burned to the ground,” particularly in the Lahaina area on Maui’s west coast. Three wildfires caused the damage and were still burning Wednesday afternoon, Bissen said. More than 1,000 acres of the island’s Upcountry, an agricultural inland area that includes Haleakala National Park, have been charred. 

A historic town that once was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii has been decimated by wildfires that have killed at least 6 people in the state. https://t.co/WpWhMkSiwk

— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 10, 2023

Evacuations have been ordered in 13 communities and towns and many roads closed around Maui, while roughly 2,100 people have taken refuge in shelters. State and county authorities have urged tourists to stay away from the region or leave Maui if they can. Bissen said he didn’t know whether the six people who died in the fires were local residents or tourists.

Deadly wildfires burning in Hawaii have forced evacuations and cut power to thousands, fueled by a mix of land and atmospheric conditions that can create "fire weather." https://t.co/14QLePJvfi

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 10, 2023

➤JACK SMITH GOT SEARCH WARRANT FOR TRUMP'S TWITTER ACCOUNT: Special counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant earlier this year requiring X to produce data and records related to Donald Trump’s account. A federal appeals court affirmed a lower-court decision that held the social-media company formerly known as Twitter in contempt of court for its slow response to the warrant and imposed a $350,000 fine. Smith also got a nondisclosure order that prohibited X from notifying anyone about the warrant. X argued in court that it violated the company’s First Amendment rights. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment beyond an auto reply from its media email contact. The former president posted on his social-media website, Truth Social: “Just found out that Crooked Joe Biden’s DOJ secretly attacked my Twitter account, making it a point not to let me know about this major ‘hit’ on my civil rights.”

➤EDCUADOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ASSASSINATED: Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime, was killed at a campaign event on Wednesday, authorities said, amid an upsurge in violence in the Andean nation blamed on drug traffickers. Local media reported some 30 shots had been fired at an event in the north of the capital, Quito. Video footage posted on social media showed Villavicencio getting into a car after the event, before the sound of apparent gunfire and screaming.

Mixed Results At Disney, Streaming Losses, TV Decline

Disney’s era of budget-priced streaming video packages and galloping subscriber growth has come to an end. For the second time in about a year, Disney announced a round of major price increases to its various streaming products, raising the cost of the ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu by more than 20% each, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The price increases come as the company earlier Wednesday said its streaming business lost far less money in the latest quarter than it did in previous periods, but reported that its flagship Disney+ streaming service lost domestic subscribers for the second quarter in a row.

The company also raised prices on its Hulu Live television packages and announced the launch of a new bundle known as the Duo Premium, which pairs Disney+ and Hulu without ads for $19.99 a month. Previously, the company had offered both services as stand-alone products, or bundled with ESPN+ for the same price.

Wednesday’s price increases, which take effect in October, mean that the monthly cost of the ad-free stand-alone version of Disney+ has doubled to $13.99 from its 2019 introductory price of $6.99. The price of Disney’s ad-free Hulu service will rise to $17.99 from $14.99, making it more expensive than the most popular ad-free version of rival Netflix.

Since launching Disney+ in late 2019, the company has lost more than $10 billion in its direct-to-consumer segment, which also includes Hulu and ESPN+. And for much of the past year, Disney’s shares have traded below $100 as investors have grown impatient with media companies such as Disney that have spent heavily to acquire subscribers without giving priority to profit.

The NY Times reports an 11 percent increase in profitability at Disney’s theme park division — despite unusual weakness at Walt Disney World in Florida — allowed the company to salvage the quarter, to a degree. Companywide revenue totaled $22.3 billion, a 4 percent increase from a year earlier; analysts had expected slightly more. About $2.7 billion in one-time restructuring charges resulted in net loss of $460 million, compared with $1.4 billion in profit a year earlier.

Disney+ will begin cracking down on password-sharing in 2024 in an effort to drive monetization, Disney CEO Bob Iger said on the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday.  “We are actively exploring ways to address account sharing and the best options for paying subscribers to share their accounts with friends and family,” he said. “Later this year, we will begin to update our subscriber agreements with additional terms and our sharing policies. And we will roll out tactics to drive monetization sometime in 2024.”

The linear networks segment saw revenue fall 7% year over year to $6.7 and operating income plunge 23% year over year to $1.9 billion.

“While linear remains highly profitable for Disney today, the trends fueled by cord-cutting are unmistakable. As I’ve stated before, we’re thinking expansively and considering a variety of strategic options,” CEO Bob Iger said during his opening remarks. “However, we’re fortunate to have an array of extremely productive television studios that we will rely on to continue providing exceptional content for audiences well into the future.”

Linear wasn’t included by name as one of the three main businesses that CEO Bob Iger highlighted during the beginning of the earnings call. The Wrap reports those three businesses, which Iger noted “will drive the greatest growth and value creation over the next five years,” were the company’s film studios, parks and businesses and streaming. But while addressing the “practical considerations” of separating linear assets like ABC or National Geographic from ESPN and direct-to-consumer platforms like Hulu, Iger elaborated on linear’s role in the company’s current structure.

Walt Disney is cutting its content budget for the year by $3 billion, CEO Bob Iger said Wednesday on the company’s third-quarter earnings call, in part because of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. “We currently expect fiscal 2023 content spend to come in at approximately $27 billion which is lower than we previously guided due to lower spend on produced content, in part due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes,” Iger told Wall Street analysts.

The notion of cost savings due to the ongoing production stoppage has been a sensitive topic. No company wants to be seen as benefiting from the cost savings in halted work. At the same time, all media companies have faced pressure from investors to rein in content budgets that ballooned during the streaming wars.

Ocala FL Radio: 97.3 The Sky To Unveil New Line-Up

Audacy has revealed a new weekday programming lineup for 97.3 The Sky (WSKY-FM) in Gainesville and Ocala, set to launch on Labor Day.

“These strategic changes mark the most significant additions to the station's talk show roster in years, reinforcing its position as North Central Florida's premier news and opinion-leading station,” Peter Rothfuss, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Gainesville-Ocala. “The fresh lineup showcases the most influential voices in the region and is designed to propel The Sky towards unprecedented growth, especially as the station approaches the highly anticipated election season.”

The lineup will continue to be headlined by the top-rated “Bob Rose Show” with Greg Cassidy from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. ET. The “Glenn Beck Program” is new to the lineup from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET, and the “Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET. “The Dana Show” with Dana Loesch will move to the 10:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. ET timeslot.

Indy Radio: Police Mum On Sexton Death Investigation

Police in Harrison, Ohio, are investigating the July death of Ron Sexton, reports WISH-TV. Sexton is best known as “Donnie Baker” to the radio audience of “The Bob & Tom Show.”

Police records show authorities were called to the Holiday Inn Express in Harrison on July 21 for a “non-breather.” Upon arrival, officers located Sexton in the hotel room deceased.

Harrison, Ohio, is on the border of Indiana and Ohio, and is just west of Cincinnati.

The Harrison police and the Hamilton County, Ohio, coroner opened an investigation into the death of Sexton and asked anyone in the public who may have information to contact them at 513-367-3715.

Sexton was listed as 52 years of age and also a resident of Dunedin, Florida.

Last December, Sexton was involved in an attempted shooting after a dispute over a woman. Police arrested Paul Berkemeier for shooting into a car driven by Sexton. Berkemeir has recently been removed from his GPS monitor from that incident.

The shooting resulted from a dispute over the woman who is both Berkemeier’s wife and Sexton’s girlfriend, court documents say.

Sexton was in Indianapolis after finishing a performance in a comedy show in Portland, Indiana. Sexton contacted the woman and asked her to meet him at a bar. After leaving the bar, they drove separately to a parking garage to drop off her car. Sexton never made it to the parking garage.

Sexton began driving on Shadeland Avenue when a vehicle that was traveling behind his car pulled up to his driver’s side, and shots were fired.

Sexton told investigators that he recognized the shooter as Berkemeier.

Over the years, Sexton entertained fans in Indianapolis and around the country with his celebrity impersonations and on-air characters like Donnie Baker and Floyd the Trucker.

Police have not commented on if they feel the death is suspicious or believe foul play was involved. The cause of death was never confirmed but the coroner’s office responded to the open investigation:

"The cause and manner of death of Ronald Sexton are still pending at this time.  I would not expect anything available until the end of the month or early September."

Houston Radio: 100.3 The Bull Raises $94K+ For Vet Service Dogs

100.3 The Bull (KILT-FM) just raised over $94,000 as part of the station’s “The Morning Bullpen’s One Pet One Vet” event to raise money for veterans in Houston to get service dogs.

And because of listener donations, Give Us Paws will be able to train and certify a service dog for 18 veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country.

GEORGE LINDSEY, co-host: “Our listeners took over our idea and ran with it! Thank you to the city of Houston for showing us that we can DO more and we can BE more.”

MO LUNSFORD, co-host: “We really should not be shocked that our Houston community continues to step up to support our service members. Even still, we are just so extremely thankful for their generosity.”

ERIK SMITH, co-host: “What an incredibly fulfilling week fundraising for Houston heroes! Once again, our listeners have proven the power of local radio & the magic of our amazing city.”

MELISSA CHASE, Vice President of Programming: “100.3 The Bull is always looking out for our service men and women and veterans, and when The Morning Bullpen learned about the incredible work of Give Us Paws, they knew they wanted to get involved. George, Mo and Erik set out to help just one person, but through their beautiful storytelling and genuine care for the Houston community, Bull Nation came forward to donate not one but EIGHTEEN dogs of service for those who fought bravely to protect our country.”

R.I.P.: Robbie Robertson, Influential Leader of The Band

Robbie Robertson (1943-2023)

 
Robbie Robertson, the driving force behind the pioneering rock ’n’ roll group the Band, died on Wednesday.   He was 80, reports The L-A Times.

Robertson died in Los Angeles after a long illness. “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death.

As the Band’s chief songwriter and grand conceptualist, Robertson turned old American folklore into modern myths, a knack that gave a timeless quality to such songs as “The Weight” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”; it was as if he had unearthed the songs, not written them. Robertson specialized in portraits of bygone figures and institutions, writing odes to Confederate soldiers, blacksmiths, medicine shows and whistle stops, his tall tales given weight and energy by the heft of the Band.

Robertson rarely sang in the Band but he was unquestionably its leader, assuming control of the initially egalitarian outfit when his bandmates demonstrated they had no desire to take that position. He played that role with charismatic ease, a quality showcased in “The Last Waltz,” Martin Scorsese’s documentary about the Band’s 1976 farewell.

Radio History: August 10

Ted Husing

➦In 1962...Edward Britt "Ted" Husing died from complications of a brain tumor at age 60 (Born - November 27, 1901).  He was an early radio sportscaster and was among the first to lay the groundwork for the structure and pace of modern sports reporting.

At age 16, he joined the National Guard and in World War I was assigned to stand watch over New York's harbor. Following the war, he floated between jobs such as carnival barker and payroll clerk.

After he won an audition over 500 other applicants for announcer at New York City radio station WHN, Husing found his life's calling. He was schooled under the tutelage of pioneer broadcaster Major J. Andrew White. There he covered breaking news stories and political conventions and assisted White during football commentaries.

By 1926, Husing was working at WJZ, which made him "its specialist in announcing dance programs." A newspaper article reported that Husing was selected for the job "out of 610 applications for the position of announcer at station WJZ."

As an announcer, his use of descriptive language combined with a commanding voice made his broadcasts must-listen events. By 1927, he was voted seventh most popular announcer in a national poll. Following a pay dispute, he moved to Boston, where he broadcast Boston Braves (now Atlanta Braves) baseball games.

Later in 1927, he returned to New York and helped his mentor, J. Andrew White, start the new CBS chain. After cigar mogul William S. Paley bought the cash-strapped network in 1928, Ted Husing rose to new heights of glory and fame.

At CBS, Husing took on a wide variety of events. In 1929, he was named studio director of WABC (the CBS flagship station) in addition to continuing his work as an announcer for the network.

He was the original voice of the popular March of Time program and an announcer for shows such as George Burns and Gracie Allen. Above everything, his work on sports gave Husing the greatest prominence. He covered events as diverse as boxing, horse racing, track and field, regattas, seven World Series, tennis, golf, four Olympic Games, Indianapolis 500 motor racing, and especially college football.

CRB Announces 2023-2024 Board of Directors

Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has announced their 2023-2024 Board of Directors, which consists of prominent industry professionals who are equipped to drive the success of Country Radio Seminar (CRS).

Kurt Johnson (Townsquare Media) will return as President alongside John Shomby (Backstage Country/Country’s Radio Coach), who will return as Vice President, and Beverlee Brannigan (“A Coach For Creators”), who is set to return as Secretary.

The upcoming Board of Directors is made up of both elected and appointed members. Those serving include Kurt Johnson, Shomby, Brannigan, Chuck Aly (Country Aircheck), Justin Chase (Beasley Media Group), Gator Harrison (iHeartMedia), Mike Harris (UMG Nashville), Debra Herman (Apple Music), Clay Hunnicutt (BMLG), Kenny Jay (Albright & O’Malley & Brenner), Jennifer Johnson (Riser House), Jon Loba (BMG Nashville), Rod Phillips (iHeartMedia), Kelly Rich (Red Street Records) and Tim Roberts (Audacy).

Among those continuing their terms this year are Becky Brenner (Albright & O’Malley & Brenner), Johnny Chiang (SiriusXM/Pandora), George Couri (Triple 8 Management/Triple Tigers), Steve Hodges (Sony Music Nashville), Michelle Kammerer (Amazon Music), Mike McVay (McVay Media), RJ Meacham (Curb Records), Brent Michaels (KUZZ), Charlie Morgan (Apple Music), Joel Raab (Joel Raab Country Radio & Media), Bob Richards (TuneIn/Sevens Radio Network), Royce Risser, Lesly Simon, Matt Sunshine (The Center for Sales Strategy) and Kristen Williams (Warner Music Nashville).

“As we embark on this new Board term, I’m honored to lead a dedicated group of professionals who are committed to advancing the country music landscape. Together, we will continue to strengthen the bond between country radio and the music industry,” states Kurt Johnson.

CRS 2024 will take place Feb. 28–March 1.