CableTV News Ratings: FNC Still #1, CNN Bests MSNBC

Fox News Channel has just finished the second quarter of 2103 as the #1 cable news network for 46 straight quarters, according to TVNewser. 

But while boasting 9 of the top 10 shows on cable news among younger viewers, FNC had its lowest weekday primetime performance in the A25-54 demo, in more than 12 years. Which may be why the network is planning changes to primetime.

With double digit growth across the board, CNN was the second most-watched cable news network for the second quarter of 2013, according to TV Newser.

 The network topped MSNBC in primetime in both Total Viewers and the A25-54 demographic for the first time since 2009.

Compared to the second quarter of 2012, CNN was up +49% in Total Viewers and +69% in A25-54 viewers in Total Day. In primetime, the network was up +49% and +77%, respectively. It should be noted that the second quarter of 2012 was CNN’s lowest rated quarter in 21 years in primetime and lowest in 11 years in Total Day.

Bay Area Radio: The Game Gains Traction

KGMZ 95.7 The Game has leaned on its FM sound quality and edgy approach its first two years to try wrestling some of the young audience from local heavyweight KNBR 680 AM, according to a story at mercurynews.com.

Beginning this fall, The Game will add a Silver and Black twist to win listeners. But can Raiders play-by-play provide 95.7 the same kind of lift KNBR gets from the Giants?

The Game, which signed a multiyear deal with the Raiders in April, hopes that bookending an NFL franchise with the A's will provide the station year-round muscle in a tough market.

"They've been walking with just one shoe on with only baseball," said Gary Fiset, whose San Francisco-based company specializes in broadcast promotion for TV and radio. "For me, this dresses them for success."

Two years into its all-sports format, The Game's big-picture plan to carve out a niche in the market doesn't rely solely on game broadcasts. The differences start with 95.7's FM signal.

Dwight Walker, vice president/market manager for Entercom San Francisco, which operates four local stations, said 82 percent of Bay Area radio listeners tune in to FM.

"A lot of the younger audience, they don't even know the AM dial exists," Fiset said.

Moving sports programming to FM is a nationwide trend, according to Jason Barrett, program director for The Game. "It just sounds better," he said. "For a lot of listeners 25 to 54 -- the world we're in -- quality is a big deal."

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Jax Radio: CCM+E Relaunches Planet Radio

Rock radio station Planet Radio has returned to the dial on the First Coast, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment announced Tuesday.

The station, which was once on 107.3 FM and 93.3 FM before that, can now be found on translator W295AZ at 106.9 FM and 97.9 FM WNWW-HD2.

LISTEN-LINE: Click Here.

W295AZ 60dBU Coverage Area

"Fans have missed Planet Radio - we hear from them all the time that they've wanted it back," Tommy BoDean, Operations Manager, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Jacksonville, said in a release. "I couldn't be more excited to bring a real rock station back to Jacksonville and the fact that we revive a brand like Planet that still resonates with the audience makes it even more exciting."

Tom's Take: CC is looking to fill the void created when Cox Media jettisoned music on 104.5 FM to simulcast is N/T WOKV.

Radio Channel Dishes Pop Culture

Jenna Morasca, Dalton Ross

For readers of Entertainment Weekly magazine and its website www.EW.com, there is no mistaking the personality of its new pop-culture talk channel on SiriusXM satellite radio.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, familiar writers such as Dalton Ross, Owen Gleiberman and Lynette Rice are hosts of the 24/7 channel, which mixes live call-in programs with recorded shows. 

Among the voice talent brought in from outside the magazine is Bridgeville native Jenna Morasca, a woman of many titles: "Survivor" champion, former television host and all-around self-professed geek.

"We wanted the channel to be infused with EW's DNA, and after looking around at the various options, this was the best [way] to do that," said Henry Goldblatt, deputy managing editor and director of brand development at Entertainment Weekly.

The jump to radio was more than a year in the making, he said. The channel debuted May 28.

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WJMJ Global Radio Network Sets Launch

Wash Allen

Legendary on-air radio personality Wash Allen has partnered with renowned publicist Judy Foston, international business negotiator, Michael McCall and investor Dr. John Stanford Jr. to create WJMJ global radio network LLC.

According to rollingout.com, the new radio station will allow Wash Allen to reprise his discontinued talk show confessions which aired for over 30 years on the KCOH radio station.

Formerly known as the oldest African American radio station in the state of Texas, KCOH was sold in November for $2.1 million to the La Promsea Foundation of Midland after the January 2012 death of KCOH’s longtime general manager and majority owner, Michael Petrizzo.

When the station was moved from the 5,000-watt 1430 FM frequency to the now 1,000-watt 1230 AM frequency Wash Allen made the decision to leave the station for a new venture.

“People said, ‘I couldn’t leave because I had been there so long’ but now I know it was the perfect time,’ said Wash. “This is exciting to me. I used to beg to be somewhere. Now I make the choice of where I’m going to be.”

The WJMJ radio network will launch in August of 2013.

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Lancaster PA Radio: Listeners Rally Support For Lisa Landis

Lisa Landis

A popular radio personality is in high spirits this week because of a groundswell of support from her friends and listeners.

According to lancasteroline.com, Lisa Landis Blowers — best known to fans as Lisa Landis, the lively voice of the Kids Cookie Break from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays and co-host of the Get Up & Go Show weekday mornings on radio station WJTL — is battling a scary infection.

A family spokeswoman said Tuesday the Strasburg woman needs all the good thoughts she can get.

"She's a tough lady, and she has a strong faith," said friend Mindy Lapp.

"But we still need continued prayer. That would be wonderful. That outpouring of love is still needed."

According to Lapp, Landis is suffering from a flesh-eating bacteria called necrotizing fasciitis.

It is not contagious, Lapp said.

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San Diego Radio: CCM+E Stations Launch Safety Campaign

San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has announced that her office has launched a radio and online crime prevention campaign aimed at reducing the number of San Diegans who drive under the influence on the 4th of July and the following weekend, according to scoopsandiego.com.

‘Save Lives, Don’t DUI!’ harnesses the power of two local radio stations, KHTS Channel 933 FM and KMYI Star 94.1-FM , to reach hundreds of thousands of San Diego County residents and visitors who may be celebrating Independence Day with alcohol.

Historically, about half of all fatal traffic crashes on July 4th are alcohol-related.

“By partnering with two popular radio stations, we’re targeting our message to younger listeners who can relate to these radio stations’ on-air personalities,” said Dumanis. “Our office prosecutes about 10,000 cases of driving under the influence every year. I hope this campaign will get people’s attention, cause them to think twice, take a cab or arrange for a designated driver— and maybe even save a life.”

On Monday, July 1, banner ads and pop up videos began appearing on the stations’ websites, reminding people online not to drink and drive over the holiday weekend. The Clear Channel stations also partnered with a local taxi company to provide coupons for $5 off a cab ride.

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"Marie” Heads For Syndication

Hallmark Channel will not renew its afternoon talk show series Marie for a second season, the network announced Tuesday, according to multichannel.com

The daily talk show series, starring singer/TV personality Marie Osmond, was launched last September as a replacement for The Martha Stewart Show after the network pulled Stewart due to poor ratings. The network said in a statement that it is moving in a different direction with its daytime programming format toward more “lifestyle” like its Home & Family series.

However,  Associated Television International will take the series out into syndication for fall 2014.

"We always believed that in order for the Marie Osmond talk show to flourish and resonate with viewers across the nation, we would embark on a multi-platform strategy incorporating broadcast, cable and digital opportunities," stated Jim Romanovich, ATI's president, worldwide entertainment. 

"Our initial exposure on Hallmark Channel provided the perfect launching ground, and we're delighted with the unprecedented media attention Marie and the program has enjoyed. Based on the interest and requests from many groups and key stations across the country, next fall, we're making Marie available to several outlets.  We're excited to bring one of America's most beloved icons to viewers in a big way."

Hallmark will continue to air new Marie episodes through August and then will offer encore episodes through the fall beginning Sept. 28, said the network. It’s unclear what show will take over Marie’s afternoon timeslot.

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Survey: TV News Salaries Fall, Radio Stagnant

The latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey found that local television news salaries actually fell 1.9% in 2012. 

With inflation a modest 2.1%, that meant that TV news salaries dropped in purchasing power by 4% last year. Radio salaries fared only slightly better, with an increase of 0.8% last year.  That's not enough to compensate for 2.1% inflation, leaving radio news salaries down 1.3% in terms of real wages.

Overall, radio news salaries edged up 0.8% in 2012.  But you really have to burrow into the numbers to see what took place. Major market salaries rose in 2012 and rose by quite a bit.  The overall number was so much lower because median salaries actually fell in large, medium and small markets, although the small market results were a bit more mixed.  As usual, the larger the market, generally, the higher the salary.

 Major markets are those with 1 million or more listeners.  Large markets are those from 250,000 to 1 million; medium markets are from 50,000 to 250,000; and small markets have fewer than 50,000 listeners.

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Study: UK Teens Turn Off the Radio

While UK consumers as a whole still love radio, teens are much less keen, according to eMarketer.com.

According to a May 2013 Audiometrics study, 35% of UK internet users preferred to listen to audio on the radio. This most traditional of audio-listening devices was the most popular by quite some distance, with listening on the computer/laptop coming in a distant second, cited by just 16% of respondents.

The same study also delved into the listening habits of the UK teen demographic (those ages 15 to 19), and the results were starkly different. 

Among UK teen internet users, just 3% of respondents cited radio as the preferred device for listening to audio. Instead, results were heavily skewed toward mobile devices, with 36% preferring to listen on their smartphone or mobile phone, and a further 35% choosing an MP3 device. The clear indication is that teens are embracing digital platforms when it comes to audio, and they are very much about mobility.

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St. Louis Radio: JC Corcoran To Return Monday

JC Corcoran

On July 8, J. C. Corcoran — who left Saint Louis in March after almost 30 years to be the morning-drive guy at "The Arrow" classic-rock station in Houston — will be back on local airwaves at KFNS 590 AM.

"You don't have to be there to be there," Corcoran told Dan Caesar at stltoday.com. He will man the 10-to-noon weekday shift, broadcasting from the Houston studios of Clear Channel, which owns "The Arrow."

"I actually get off the air about 9:40 a.m., and all I'll have to do is walk down the hall to another studio," Corcoran said.

Corcoran said he would be doing a "solo" for the start-up, "but eventually we'll have someone, in the St. Louis studio, with me."

After arriving in STL in 1984, Corcoran worked at — and often got fired from — STL's most prominent stations. An unofficial count includes KSHE, KSD (twice), KIHT, KLOU, KTRS, KYKY and KMOX.

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Sac Radio: Keith Brooks, Carmichael Dave To Mornings On KHTK

I've never been afraid of change, and am thrilled to be going back to 12-3 starting next Mon on KHTK. I'm also getting back into local tv...
— Don Geronimo (@DonGeronimoShow) July 1, 2013

CBS Radio’s KHTK Sports 1140 AM has announced a new line-up.  Starting Monday July 8, current morning host Don Geronimo moves to Noon to 3pm, following the Jim Rome Show. 

And  KHTK is launching a new sports morning show 5:30 AM-9 AM show with longtime radio host Keith Brooks and the return of  Carmichael Dave inside the KHTK studios.

KHTK remains home to sports play-by-play (Sacramento Kings, Oakland Athletics, Oakland Raiders, San Jose Sharks and NASCAR).

I'm also thrilled that @CarmichaelDave is rejoining KHTK. A huge mistake undone. Now CBS says take the rest of the wk off. See you guys Mon
— Don Geronimo (@DonGeronimoShow) July 1, 2013

Grant Napear, the face of the Sacramento Kings and longtime show host on KHTK, will remain in his current day part from 3-7PM Monday through Friday.  Jason Ross will rejoin the afternoon sports desk in the KHTK Sports 1140 update studios and continue to fill in for Grant Napear.  Dave “Deuce” Mason will continue to be an important part of Sports 1140, according to KHTK.

FLASHBACK:
'Hate Boston' List: Don Geronimo Rips Rivals For Website Posting. Click Here

Chicago Radio: Steve Cochran Returns To WGN

Steve Cochran

UPDATE 07/02/2013 9AM: Three years after he left WGN 720AM, Steve Cochran was back on the Tribune Broadcasting news/talk station Tuesday.  Filling in for vacationing morning host Jonathon Brandmeier.

Earlier Posting...

Former WGN 720 AM personality Steve Cochran is looking to return to that station's airwaves for the first time in just over three years.

According to Chicagoland Radio&Media, he is now available to work there once again, after his contract with WIND-AM expired over the weekend.  It appears the decision to not renew that contract was a mutual one, although the parting of the ways was amicable.

In October 2011, Cochran was brought in to Salem Communication's WIND AM 560 The Answer to help increase ratings, revenues, and awareness of the struggling AM station. By all accounts, that did not happen in Cochran's almost two years there. This was despite the station placing billboards along highways in its reception areas promoting him and having the 52-year-old Cochran do live remotes regularly in the city and suburbs.

According to CR&M, word leaked out online over the weekend that Steve Cochran was going to return to WGN-AM to fill-in for Jonathon Brandmeier, who will be off for two weeks on a vacation. WGN Radio officials chose to not comment on that plan in advance, hoping to instead surprise faithful WGN-AM listeners on Monday morning.

However, a "snag" occurred on Sunday. Because of that "snag," the station made the business decision to not have Cochran on the air this morning. Instead, management quickly had regular Brandmeier fill-in Bill Leff do the morning show and asked Nick Digilio to take over Leff's overnight program.

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Phil Hendrie Reboots

Phil Hendrie

Nationally syndicated radio personality, Phil Hendrie, will now be heard 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. PT (10 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET). Hendrie's show is now syndicated by WYM Media Management.

According to  Corey Deitz at about.com, Hendrie will roll out live broadcasts again beginning July 8 featuring his cast of on-air characters which join him in talking about various topics and issues.

His new syndication company labels Hendrie a "comic genius" and the social satirist has proven that over the years with a loyal following of listeners. Hendrie uses his alter-ego "personalities" to fuel controversies and discussions which listeners participate in. His audience treats Hendrie's characters as viable voices to which agreeing with or commenting on just adds to the show's offbeat fun.

Listening to a Phil Hendrie radio show is almost like listening to a parody of talk radio.

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Steve Moore Resigns As CMA CEO

Steve Moore

Steve Moore, who has led the Country Music Association for nearly four years, has resigned his position, effective immediately, according to The Tennsessean. 

Moore was named CEO two and a half years ago, but had served as interim director before that. He replaced Tammy Genovese, who resigned her position in late 2009.

The organization did not immediately announce plans regarding new leadership, but spokeswoman Wendy Pearl said the board would be making an announcement regarding a transition plan soon.

Under Moore, the 2013 CMA Music Festival hit a record attendance with an increase of 13 percent. He also created and led the newly formed CMA Foundation.

In addition, Moore was instrumental in securing an extension of the television partnership for the annual CMA Awards, the CMA Music Festival special, and the “CMA Country Christmas” special, which all appear in ABC Television Network.

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