August 1st Is Big Start Date For Radio

August 1st is the scheduled start date for CBS Radio's simulcast of News 780 AM WBBM on the FM dial at 105.9 in Chicago.  Some expect Merlin Media to end stunting on 101.1 FM New in Chicago and 101.9 FM New in NYC and unveil an expected female-oriented News/Talk format, possibly airing music on weekends.

Holly Steve, Miquel

And now we hear August 1st is the start date for Steve 'That Guy" Kramer on 98.7 FM WSJT, CBS Radio's recently launched Hot AC, branded at "Play 98.7" in Tampa.  Facebook Fan page is here.

Kramer recently ended a run at CHR Island 105.9 FM WILN in Panama City, Fl and he brings his ensemble with him.

He along with co-hosts Holly O'Connor and Miguel Fuller will  be jumping into a highly competitive AM Drive arena.

Tampa is also the location of an intense Top 40 battle between Cox Radio's Hot 101.5 FM WPOI and Clear Channel's 93.3 FM WFLZ.

By the way, Hot 101/5's new website is now up and active. Click Here.

PPMs Shake-up Jacksonville Country Radio

Arbitron Inc.'s new method for rating radio stations has produced some interesting results since the system was implemented last fall for the Jacksonville market.

According to a story by Mark Basch at jacksonville.com, the most recent monthly data shows that urban adult contemporary music station 101.5 FM WSOL (also known as V101.5 FM) jumped to the top of the charts in June with a 9 percent average-quarter-hour share of all listeners age 6 and older, up from a 7.8 percent share in May.

But what really has the radio industry buzzing is an upheaval in country music ratings. For the past two months, WGNE (99.9 FM) has edged out WQIK (99.1 FM) as the top-rated Jacksonville country station.

WSOL's jump to the top in June is not a big surprise; music stations that appeal to younger listeners tend to get a bump when kids get out of school . But WGNE's move ahead of WQIK is unusual. According to Chris Huff, a Dallas radio ratings historian, that's the first time since 1979 that WQIK has been out of the top spot in local country music.

"The PPM is now giving credit where credit is due," said Bill Reese, general manger of Renda Broadcasting's four radio stations in the Jacksonville market, including WGNE.

Under the old ratings system, Arbitron compiled data quarterly from diaries submitted by area listeners . Since that system relied on recall and because WGNE and WQIK are so close on the dial, one of WGNE's theories is that listeners may have written down WQIK out of old habit. "Gator Country 99.9" is a relatively new station in the market, as Renda moved it from Daytona Beach to Jacksonville in 2005.

Aaron Wilborn, market manager for Clear Channel Radio's six Jacksonville stations, including WQIK, did not respond to phone messages seeking comment.

Renda has become a big player in the Jacksonville country music market. In addition to WGNE, which plays mainstream country music, it converted WMUV (100.7 FM) to classic country in 2009. WMUV was 11th overall in the June ratings with a 4.2 percent share, while WGNE finished seventh among all Jacksonville radio stations with a 7.2 percent share.

"It does give you a one-two punch," said Reese.

Reese said Renda has been aggressive at promoting country music with a free concert series at The Jacksonville Landing, putting on a total of 44 concerts since WGNE moved to the market. And Reese said the concert series is getting bigger, moving to Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena for an Oct. 1 show. The stations will be announcing details of that concert soon, he said.

WQIK was not far behind WGNE in June, finishing eighth overall with a 6.8 percent share. Stark expects the race between the two stations to remain tight from month to month.  See Jacksonville market snapshot by clicking here.

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Is Third Sports Station Coming To Nashville?

The parent company of WPRT-FM 102.5 The Party went on a domain-registering spree last week, though the company won't definitively say the station is in for a new format.

According to a story by JR Lind at nashvillepost.com, Bayard "Bud" Walters, president of The Cromwell Group, registered dozens of domain names associated with the station, currently broadcasting in a Hot AC format.

Among the Web addresses now held by the Nashville-based company are:

• 1025TheGame.com
• TheGame1025.com
• Game1025.com
• Fiesta1025.com
• 1025oldies.com
• TheHeat1025.com.

Walters said it was mostly an attempt to protect the station's branding, but admits the company is "exploring some options" for the station.

Cromwell operates two other stations in the Nashville market: Christian station WQZQ 1550 AM and active-rock 102.9 FM WBUZ The Buzz.

The Buzz served as the flagship station for the Nashville Predators during the 2010-'11 season. Walters said that, when the deal was inked just weeks ahead of the beginning of the season, there was discussion of using the hockey team as the centerpiece for an all-sports format.

If The Party does end up using The Game — which would suggest a shift to sports — it would be the third all-sports station in the market, joining WGFX 104.5 The Zone and AM 560 WNSR.  See Nashville market snapshot by click here.

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Cincy Radio: Deters, Furman Swap Time Slots

From John Kiesewetter, cincinnati.com

Starting Monday (8/1) Eric Deters will be on Real Talk 1160 AM WQRT 7-9 a.m., and Andy Furman returns to his 5-7 p.m. afternoon drive slot.

Deters had been 6-8 p.m. since joining WQRT-AM on June 13, after being fired by WLW-AM.

Jon Yinger, owner of the Christian Broadcasting System, explains the moves:

• Deters’ hard news talk fits better with Laura Ingraham’s show 9 a.m.-noon. And the 7-9 a.m. slot fits better into Deters’ schedule as an attorney, and gets him home evenings to be with family.
• Sports talk best fits in afternoon drive. Returning Furman to 5-7 p.m. will allow for more/better guests he couldn’t get to come to Fountain Square in the morning. Sports talk 5-7 p.m. will fit with Florence Freedom games at 7 p.m.

“What we found is that Andy’s audience is just not around a radio at 7 AM. It’s probably why no one else was doing this during AM Drive.

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Dave Pratt Set To Return To Traditional Phoenix Radio

Three months after returning to Valley radio through an internet-based set-up, longtime Arizona broadcasting personality Dave Pratt will expand his footprint to include the morning show for alternative-rock station X103.9 KEXX-FM, according to a story by Larry Rodgers at The Arizona Republic.

Pratt's show, which has been broadcast at daveprattlive.com and through several smart-phone apps since May 2, also will be heard on X103.9 starting Monday, Aug. 15. Pratt and his sidekick, Kassi Jayde, will be heard on the station 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays.

"The combination of traditional radio, along with digital and mobile technologies, has made it possible to stay loyal to each of you while keeping Arizona our home," Pratt said in a message to his listeners on his web site. His wife, Paula, handles Pratt's business affairs.

Pratt, 49, said he chose X103.9 because it is owned by the Riviera Broadcast Group, which has strong ties to Arizona.

Riviera executive Jose Rodiles said, "Dave Pratt is the most recognized on-air personality in the history of Phoenix radio. His track record over the past 30 years is well-documented, and the relationship he has with his listeners is second to none."

Pratt parted ways with country station 107.9 KMLE-FM in late 2008 and waited until this year to return to broadcasting. Pratt said the station let him go to save money, and KMLE never provided an official reason for the move.

See Phoenix market snapshot by clicking here.

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Opinion: Cumulus-Toledo Gambles On Andrew Z Show

From Jeremy Baumhower, for the Toledo Free Press

Following his legal troubles and many reportedly failed negotiations with various media outlets, Andrew Zepeda aka Andrew Z inked a deal with Cumulus Broadcasting. After a six month sit out due to a noncompete clause with his previous employer, Clear Channel, Andrew Z returned to morning radio July 18 on the 100 Watt HD station 100.7 FM The Vibe.

With technology changing media and how consumers get our favorite shows, Andrew Z had some pretty creative options and this signing was completely unnecessary.

When the Andrew Z “mess” happened, he was King of the Toledo Morning Airwaves, hosted a No. 1 Show, was Lucas County’s Weight Czar and was a media darling. Through all the negative press, Andrew Z has maintained the maximum limit of 5,000 friends on Facebook and a “fan” page with more than 2,000 “likes.” These numbers prove the power of his show.

In a town where radio ratings are not made public,  Andrew Z can demonstrate to clients a 7,000-member loyal, dedicated fan base he is reaching on a daily basis. Showing advertisers the amount of people your show and their commercials reach is key— it’s how the game is played.

To some, 7,000 people is not a lot, especially when Andrew’s previous audience was around 25,000 to 40,000 people.  I would disagree; 7,000 people who own a computer — and more importantly, disposable income — is a great marketable number. The more powerful aspect is that his fan base will grow as his show improves and word gets out.

The problem with Top 40 radio today is the listeners who must be targeted to get ratings. Top 40 stations play around 40 songs, which means they play same song every 60-90 minutes. That’s why it seems your one favorite song is always on. What does this mean? It simply means Top 40 stations target people who are less likely to  have extra money to buy music, an iPod, a smartphone or a newer car with satellite radio. Why would anyone wait through songs they do not like — and commercials — when they can play their favorite music off their iPod? Smartphones have apps like Pandora, where you can play the music you want commercial free.

See Toledo market snaphshot by clicking here.

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Jeremy Baumhower is a media expert who writes and produces for morning radio shows across the country. Follow him on Twitter @jeremytheproduc.

Report: iNet Radio Audience Increases 27%

The combined audience of the Top 20 webcasters in Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics for June 2011 is up 27% from last year, according to results released Tuesday and reported by Kurt Hanson's RAIN.

Pandora and AccuRadio led the way in year-over-year growth at 47% and 30% increases, respectively, in AAS (Average Active Sessions, which is essentially equivalent to AQH — i.e., average simultaneous listeners).

Presumably Slacker, too, would show impressive growth over June 2010, though they were not tracked in Webcast Metrics until July 2010. Slacker has grown 131% since July 2010 (though some of that was due to Triton Digital gradually incorporating the webcaster’s mobile audience).

Several broadcasters grew their online audiences year-over-year, too, with Emmis up 24%, Citadel up 19%, and Radio One / Interactive One up 8%.

Most month-over-month growth came from the pureplays. In the Domestic Mon-Sun 6a-12m daypart for June 2011, Slacker showed 7% growth over May 2011, AccuRadio 4% and broadcaster Greater Media 3%. Meanwhile, 977Music.com recovered after falling sharply in April and May.

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Target Friends Of FB Fans To Spread Your Brand

Forget Facebook fans; brands need to target the friends of fans. That's the takeaway of Social Essentials, a new service provided by ComScore, with help from Facebook. The service offers unprecedented insights into the influence of brands through social media, complete with detailed credit card behavior that can link web browsing patterns to purchase decisions.

A story by Gregory Ferenstein at fastcompany.com reports ComScore recently released a white paper based on the data that shows why brands should focus more on the friends of their fans, and engage the most hardcore users with interactions that will ripple throughout their network's newsfeed. The data was collected through a massive survey of privacy-flouting Facebookers who volunteered to have their complete Internet behavior vigorously tracked.

Here's the key stat, as far as marketers are concerned: A meager 16% of company messages reach users in a given week, largely because the Facebook newsfeed usually only displays popular posts and few fans go to the brand's page on a regular basis.

The solution is to reach friends of fans through messages that are shareable, and promotions that require voting, checking in, or other interactivity. "Friends of fans represent about the most untapped potential in Facebook marketing," says ComScore VP of Marketing Solutions, Graham Mudd. For example, Starbucks's impressive 23 million fans pales in comparison to the number of friends of those same fans: 670 million.

In other words, for popular brands, the friends of fans represents "a very large proportion of the Facebook universe."

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Survey: 56% Of Americans Go Online For News

More than half of Americans, 56%, go online once or twice per day for news; nearly one-third go online for news three or more times per day, according to a survey from personal news service Ongo.

According to a posting at netnewscheck.com, the survey also found that 34% of Americans go to two news sites daily to stay informed, followed by 26% relying on three sites and 24% four sites or more.

Men were more likely than women to visit multiple sites for news, with 32% of men going to four or more sites for daily news, the survey said.

More than one-third of Americans, 37%, spend between 15 and 30 minutes reading news online each day. Some 26% spend between 31 minutes and one hour, while 21% spend up to 15 minutes, Ongo found.

The three most important news categories for Americans are national news (77%), followed by world news (75%) and local news (73%). Health and politics were the next most important news categories, at 50% and 49% respectively.

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Also Read:

GIGA.COM:  If your news site isn’t social, great design won’t matter

Tracy Dixon Gets WMAD Madison AM Drive Gig

A Rochester, MN radio personality is moving on to a new gig in Wisconsin.

Tracy Dixon, who is the voice in the morning on Clear Channel's The Fox 102.5 FM KMFX, announced Tuesday that she is going to Madison, Wis., to lead a morning show on Clear Channel's 96.3 Star Country, according to a story by Jeff Kiger at postbulletin.com.

"It is very bittersweet," she says. "(Rochester) is really one of the most giving communities I can imagine."

She'll wrap up her 12 years at The Fox with her last show on Aug. 5.

Her new show on Star Country on 95.3 FM WMAD in Madison will launch Aug. 22.

"This next month will be a whirlwind," she says of moving her family to Madison and taking on a job. "I seriously couldn't be any more excited."

Most of her time on the air at The Fox, she worked with partner Jake Duffy.

Then about three years ago, the station cut back on staffing and she became a one-person morning show.

"That was tough. I had to re-invent the way I do a morning show," Dixon says.

That certainly won't be the case in Madison.

She is partnering with another Madison Clear Channel personality, who is shifting from hosting his own sports show. Her team will also include a news and weather person and a show producer.

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Gaga Omaha Radio Gigs Ignite Social Media Frenzy

Two hours. That's all it took.

The World-Herald photo

Social media junkies spread word of a possible Lady Gaga radio appearance Monday in Omaha. And, in less than 120 minutes, little monsters swarmed the radio building.

Fans left their jobs in haste. They darted out of shopping malls. They tore out of restaurant parking lots.

A chance to see Mother Monster? That's epic.

According to a story by Josefina Loza at omaha.com, Lady Gaga had been in town shooting video footage — involving Sarpy County cornfields, a barn with a piano and a biker bar — for nearly a week. Local fans have been looking for her, talking about her, tweeting and Facebook messaging each other about the pop star.

Emotions ran high Monday afternoon when a local DJ with 94.1 FM KQCH announced that Lady Gaga (real name: Stefani Germanotta) would be at the Journal Broadcast Group building in northwest Omaha for a live interview.

Immediately after the announcement, phones rang off the hook. Word spread like a California wildfire. People in Germany and England were listening to the station on the Internet.

More than 100 fans stood outside the radio station in 90-degree heat for a glimpse of Gaga. The 94.1 team handed out pop.

Inside, television reporters, cameramen and photographers scoped out the best angles to capture Gaga's entry. Access was tight.

Later, a throng of fans also gathered at the Clear Channel radio building for Gaga's interview on country station 103.7 FM KXKT.

The crowd at 94.1 impressed Mark Todd, director of operations for Journal Broadcast Group. He knew Gaga was in town, messaged a few people and started the media blitz. An Interscope record label representative flew out to oversee the operation.

Journal knew it would get an interview, but the station had only two hours to promote the appearance.

"We got word that it was going to happen last Friday afternoon," Todd said. "But we didn't know all the details until this morning."

Radio personalities Big Party, Jeff Degan and Molly Cavanaugh of Channel 94.1's "Big Party Morning Show" did the interview (listen here). Cavanaugh called in from Chicago, where she was visiting. Nobody told them what questions to ask.

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RIP: Dan Peek, Founding Member of America

Dan Peek, a founding member of soft-rock trio America, which shot to the top of the pop charts in the 1970s with bouncy, lightweight hits including "A Horse With No Name," "Ventura Highway" and "Sister Golden Hair," died Sunday at his home in Farmington, Mo., outside St. Louis, according to a story by Randy Lewis at latimes.com.

He was 60.

Peek's wife, Catherine, found him dead in bed, his father, Milton Peek, told the Associated Press. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Peek rode to mainstream success with half a dozen top 10 singles with fellow band members Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell.

"It was a joyous time for the three of us, full of excitement and laughter," Bunnell said in a statement. "We created lasting music together and experienced a life that we could never have imagined."

Said Beckley: "He was a dear friend for many years. Dan and his music will live on in the great songs he shared with us all."

Peek left the group in 1977, devoting himself to writing and recording contemporary Christian music.

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Emmis' 101X Settles To End FCC Payola Probe

Emmis Austin Radio Broadcasting Co., owner of Austin radio station 101.5 KROX-FM,  will pay $12,000 to put an end to a five-year investigation by the Federal Communications Commission, according to a story by Gary Dinges at austin360.com.

A complaint filed with the FCC in 2006 accused the station, known on air as 101X, of engaging in a payola scheme that netted one of its hosts "valuable consideration" from a music store, a live music venue, a booking agent and a band manager.

Payola, according to the FCC, occurs when a station or one of its employees fails to report that it has received some form of payment for airing material.

The same complaint also claimed that 101X made it difficult for independent musicians to get airtime.

Emmis believes it did nothing wrong, market manager Scott Gillmore said, but opted to settle to end a costly, time-consuming legal battle.

"We basically consider this to have been a misunderstanding," Gillmore said Monday. "We would never want anything to happen that would even cause the appearance of payola."

In addition to paying $12,000, Emmis will also increase its training for staffers and strengthen its record-keeping procedures.

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Chicago's WWWN Stunts With On-Air Tune-Up

From Robert Feder, TimeOutChicago,com

Honestly, I’ve heard college radio stations deliver smoother newscasts than the ones they’ve been airing on Merlin Media’s new 101.1 FM. Since last week, the station (which officially changed call letters from WKQX to WWWN) has been supplementing its music stunting with hourly, six-minute newscasts testing various combinations of anchors and contributors. Granted, they’re still in rehearsal/test mode, and they’re struggling without the right equipment in place. But you’d think they’d work out their choreography off the air before subjecting listeners to samples of a format that’s clearly not up to par. A few of the clumsy trial runs I heard only made me appreciate the polished professionalism of all-news WBBM-AM (780) that much more.

Merlin Media’s plans to roll out a full-time news format on FM continue to have repercussions up and down the dial — even if rival station bosses would like us to believe they’re not reacting. CBS Radio execs tried to pretend that the impending competition wasn’t behind their decision to simulcast Newsradio 780 on WCFS-FM (105.9), starting next week. And now WGN-AM (720) managers are insistent that nothing should be read into the sudden return of “The Voice of Chicago” as the Tribune-owned news/talk station’s on-air slogan. Let’s hope CBS doesn’t try to deny the obvious now that it’s touting WXRT-FM (93.1) as “Chicago’s Original Alternative” on the heels of Q101’s demise.

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Latino Media Booms in U.S.

In a saucy pencil skirt, permed hair ratted up high, Geovanna Martinez does a little jig down the length of the soundproof recording studio Salt Lake City's newest Spanish-language radio station calls home and grabs the microphone. Elizabeth Stuart at Deseret News writes, Martinez pumps her hips from side to side as the traditional Mexican music fades out and, with animated expression, exclaims, "La Favorita 104.7 FM: La que se escucha ahorita!"
"I dance because my mood is happy," said Martinez, 46, a Spanish language radio DJ of 15 years, pursing painted pink lips and tapping blue-glitter nails against the counter. "I love what I do."

La Favorita started out on a low-strength AM frequency in 2006, a small-time dream of a local Hispanic businessman with little reach beyond its Bountiful base. The radio station stepped onto the scene at just the right time, though: Utah's Hispanic population grew by 78 percent over the last decade, according to the U.S. Census, and La Favorita's listenership swelled right along with it. July 7 the company moved to Salt Lake City, switched to an FM frequency and started broadcasting from Payson to Brigham City.

The little station's experience is indicative of a nation-wide trend. English language media is having a rough go of it. Newsrooms across platforms saw audiences either stall or decline in 2010, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. Newspaper newsrooms, now 30 percent smaller than in 2000, have shed some 1,500 jobs. But while Spanish-language media has taken some similar hits among daily newspapers, radio stations have grown by more than a third since 2002 and revenues are rising among weekly papers, according to market research analysts. In television, Spanish-language networks are seeing double digit ratings boosts year-over-year. Top network researchers have predicted the media giant Univision station — now fifth in terms of ratings — could soon surpass traditional networks.

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