College Bowl Games Spike ESPN Ratings

• The Rose Bowl Game, Sugar Bowl Each Average More Than 28M Viewers
• Sugar Bowl up 130% from 2014, Rose Bowl Game up 45%

The two games of the inaugural College Football Playoff Semifinals on ESPN on Thursday, Jan. 1, delivered the largest two audiences in cable television history:

The Rose Bowl Game saw Oregon defeating previously unbeaten Florida State 59-20, the largest margin of victory in the Rose Bowl Game since 1948 – averaged 28,164,000 viewers (P2+), based on a 14.8 rating, according to Nielsen.

The Sugar Bowl at 9 p.m. – Ohio State 42-35 over top-seeded Alabama – averaged 28,271,000 viewers, based on a 15.2 rating.

“These record-setting numbers illustrate the enormous fan interest in college football and the wide-ranging appeal of the new College Football Playoff format,” said John Wildhack, ESPN executive vice president, programming and production. “We are excited to build upon this success when we showcase the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship on ESPN on January 12.”

Rose Bowl

Both games generated significant increases over the ESPN bowl games in the respective January 1 time slots a year ago: a 51 percent increase in viewership for the Rose Bowl Game (vs. 18,636,000) and 150 percent increase for the Sugar Bowl (vs. 11,304,000). The ratings rose 45 percent (from 10.2) and 130 percent (from 6.6), respectively.

ESPN programming now holds the largest 18 audiences in cable television history, and 36 of the top 40.

The New Year’s Six – the six bowl games, three on New Year’s Eve and three on New Year’s Day, that are part of the new College Football Playoff – posted an increase of 78 percent in viewership compared to the same six time slots last year. The six averaged 14,682,000 viewers, up from 8,267,000. In addition to the two semifinals, New Year’s Day’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (12:30 p.m.) on ESPN increased viewership for the time slot 67 percent, from 5,435,000 to 9,086,000. The rating rose 63 percent, from 3.2 to 5.2.

Atlanta Radio: N/T WSB Ends 2014 Number One

News WSB 750 AM / 95.5 FM was the most popular Atlanta radio station in 2014, surpassing R&B/hip-hop station V-103, according to Nielsen Media Research.

According to media writer Rodney Ho at ajc.com, the station’s audience share of 7.26 for the year surpassed its 6.95 share in 2013. That easily beat V-103’s 6.84 share.

The line-up for the Cox Media station was stable in 2014 during its weekday prime hours with Herman Cain, in his second full year as a talk show, able to maintain retired Neal Boortz‘s audience. Ratings for Scott Slade, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Erick Erickson were also up.  The station also added a weekday night show hosted by Mark Arum.

WSB grew its audience during a hot midterm election year packed with plenty of news to parse, from ISIS to Ebola. It also held off competition from iHeartMedia's WGST 640 AM, which added some local programming, and Cumulus N/T WYAY 106.7 FM, which added talk-show hosts in 2014 and cut back on straight news. WSB also faced a new rival in WRAS 88.5 FM, which took on a talk format during the day under the auspices of Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Rank, radio station, format, average share (rank and share in 2013)

1. WSB, news/talk, 7.3 (2. 6.95) year-over-year trend: up

2. V-103, R&B/hip-hop,  6.8 (1. 7.8) trend: down

3. Kiss 104.1, R&B, 6.55 (4. 6.69) trend: down

4. B98.5, pop, 6.31 (5. 6.68) trend: down

5. 94.9/The Bull, country, 5.39 (12. 4.02) trend: way up

6. 97.1/The River, rock, 5.33 (6. 5.78) trend: down

7. Majic 107.5/97.5, R&B, 5.27 (3. 6.81)  trend: down

8. Fish 104.7, Christian pop, 5.03 (10. 4.09) trend: up

9. Q100, top 40, 4.44 (8. 4.63) trend: down

10. Hot 107.9, hip-hop, 4.09 (7. 4.86) trend: down

CA Radio: Knocked Off-Air By Storm, KCAL Rocks Again

Strong winds in the San Bernardino Mountains blew over the broadcast tower of Redlands-based radio station KCAL-FM 96.7 early on Dec. 31.

KCAL 96.7 FM in Redlands, CA was knocked off the air for parts of three days when the winter storm downed its tower, was transmitting rock music again Friday night.

Program director and longtime afternoon host Daryl Norsell told The Press-Enterprise that the station’s signal is expected to be back at full strength on Monday.

KCAL connected its transmission dishes to country music station KFRG’s tower to get back on the air until its tower is replaced. KCAL was off the air early Dec. 31 through Friday evening.

KCAL 96.7 FM (1.75Kw) 60dBu Coverage Area

In a news release, KCAL general manager Jeff Parke said, “We really appreciate the local radio community rallying behind us, in particular the management over at KFRG-FM. The station was able to resume broadcasting by using their tower temporarily while ours is being replaced.”

WWOne Launches New Mike Rogers Segments

Congressman Mike Rogers will appear three times daily on radio stations nationwide beginning January 5 when his “Something to Think About” segments begin providing listeners with unique perspective from the outgoing Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and former FBI agent.

“From the highest level national security discussion to the most inspiring American success story, I have seen it. I am excited to bring these stories to life. They are humorous, compelling, moving and most of all these stories will give us something to think about,” said Chairman Mike Rogers.

Chairman Rogers spent more than a decade at the intersection of the topics and events that shape Americans’ lives, where he's been privy to perspectives available only to a select few in senior levels of government and national security. “Something to Think About” will play an important role helping Americans better understand critical issues that impact their daily lives. Rogers will address the most talked about issues of the day and highlight smaller stories illuminating the concept of American exceptionalism.

“Something to Think About” will debut on radio stations coast to coast with syndication through the Westwood One distribution division of Cumulus.

These daily vignettes are Rogers’s introduction to a broader platform with Cumulus. Cumulus announced last year that Chairman Rogers would join the nation’s largest talk radio platform after the conclusion of his seventh term representing Michigan in Congress.

Chairman Rogers is a seasoned and skilled communicator who for the last two years appeared on more Sunday public affairs shows than any other elected official in the nation.

CableTV Ratings: ESPN Tops In 2014

ESPN was last year’s top dog in cable ratings, sweeping the key demo categories while also winning in total viewers — leap-frogging the likes of USA and Disney Channel, which traditionally battle for the top spot but slumped in 2014.

According to Variety, the sports network, whose telecast of the college football championship game last January was the year’s most-watched cable telecast (25.75 million viewers), edged ahead of TBS in adults 18-49 and 25-54 and bested Adult Swim in the 18-34 demo, according to Nielsen estimates. ESPN was one of seven top-40 networks to deliver year-over-year primetime gains in adults 18-49.

Other top-40 nets on the rise vs. 2013 in the demo were VH1 (up 6%), ID (up 9%), FXX (up 73%), WE tv (up 13%), Hallmark (up 8%) and OWN (up 7%). The Oprah Winfrey network, with a full year of scripted hit “The Haves and the Have Nots,” grew by double-digits for a third straight year — the only top-40 network to do so.

Daytona Radio: WROD Flips To Classic Rock

The Miracle Media Group, which has an LMA with Volusia Broadcasting Company, has flipped WROD 1340 AM / 104.7 T-FM from oldies to Classic Rock as "The Rock of Daytona".

In the process they've reunited the morning team of Frank Scott and Tracy Dillon.  The duo were mostly recently with crosstown Classic Rock WHOG 95.7 FM the Hog.

During the past yearm Southern Stone Communications had removed Scott, Dillon and Gary Meade from WHOG.  Meade is now doing mid-days on WROD. John Barrett is doing evenings and a PM Drive host is expected to be announced soon.

W284AV 104.7 FM (120watts) 60dBu Coverage

The Miracle Radio Group is headed by Patti Miracles and Frank Scott.

Music Represented On 'Worst-Dressed' List

Remember when Mr. Blackwell ripped the worst-dressed celebrities and celebrated the best-dressed style setters?

According to the Orlando Sentinel's media writer Hal Boedeker, Roger Stone is carrying on the tradition, and he bashes with a tart snarkiness that Mr. Blackwell would have admired.

Politicians top Stone's list, but media figures make it too.

Topping the worst-dressed list for 2014 was Hillary Clinton. Stone observes that she "has no taste in clothing and no idea whatsoever what she looks good in." Wear darker colors, Stone advises.

Stone also goes after Rand Paul, like Clinton a possible presidential candidate in 2016. Stone complains that the Kentucky senator "dresses like a college student" and dismisses Paul's hair gel as "ghastly."

Yet Stone sounds most distressed by Madonna, says the Material Girl has lost it and complains that a dental grille made her look like a ghoul. Bad, Madge, bad.

Other fashion washouts, in Stone's estimation, are Kanye West, celebrity chef Guy Fieri, Bono, Kesha and Taylor Swift ("a style train wreck" who "dresses like she got everything as a TJ Maxx 30 percent off sale").

Of course, that could inspire the "Shake It Off" songwriter to dash off another ditty. Then we'll have another song stuck in our head. And that would be another win for Swift.

Jim Rome Takes Heat For Calling Marching Band Members 'Dorks'

Syndicated Sports personality Jim Rome apologized over the weekend for calling members of marching bands "dorks" after Band Nation schooled the professional provocateur on what it takes to be in a band.

The CBS Sports Radio talker, who has earned a reputation for name-calling and starting fights, started the controversy on Thursday with a tweet that has since been deleted.

"Is there anyone not in a marching band who thinks those dorks running around with their instruments are cool?"


#MarchOnRome Tweets

Musicians and marching bands responded using the hashtag #MarchOnRome with a few examples of why being in a marching band is more than running around a field, prompting Rome to apologize.

Band nation - I hear you. I was out of line. I apologize. I do not condone bullying of any kind and that was not my intent.
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) January 2, 2015

Jimmy Fallon Again Named Most Desirable Neighbor

Every December the real estate website Zillow asks Americans which celebrities they would most like to have as their neighbor, as well as which celebs they wouldn’t dare share a fence with.

Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Fallon can add yet another award to his list of accomplishments this year, as the comedian and late-night TV host was the top choice for a celebrity neighbor for the second year in a row.

Fallon earned 10 percent of the overall votes in his category, and was more popular among voters with kids (14 percent) than those without (8 percent).

Country music couple Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton were a close second place on the list with 9 percent of the votes.

Worst Neighbors of 2014

Infamous teen pop star Justin Bieber topped the list of worst neighbors for the year, earning the highest percentage of votes in survey history.

One in three voters (34 percent) found Bieber to be the most undesirable neighbor of 2014 — more than double last year’s 16 percent.

Justin Bieber

Last year’s winners, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, came in second with 22 percent of the votes, down slightly from 25 percent last year.

“No one wants to live on the same street as someone accused of reckless driving or egging neighboring homes, which is likely why Bieber received the highest percentage of ‘worst’ votes in survey history,” said Bohutinsky in the release.

Bieber currently rents a dramatic Beverly Hills bachelor pad with sweeping city views for a whopping $59,000 per month.

Roanoke Radio: Old Studios Transformed Into Upscale Loft

It may not look like it now, but this upscale loft in Roanoke, Virginia used to be a hopping radio station with big names walking through its doors.

“Gene Autry was here, Shirley Temple celebrated her fifth birthday here,” says owner Will Trinkle.

WDBJ (now WFIR 960 AM) was the town’s first radio station built in the 1930s, the art-deco building was eventually purchased by Will Trinkle’s father and later by Will who had visions of a metropolitan lifestyle.

The loft has it all, a dining room, living room, kitchen two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The renovation was difficult but the results are stunning and many of the station's original features were reused in interesting and elegant ways.

Glen Campbell Celebrated Christmas At Home

Glen w/wife Kim, Daughter Ashley (Big Machine)

Glen Campbell and his family had a very Merry Christmas. The singer celebrated the holiday at home with his family in Nashville, according to A Taste of Country.

The 78-year-old singer-guitarist has been living in an assisted care facility since early 2014, as his Alzheimer’s has progressed to the point where his family could no longer provide the full-time care he needed. But he spent Christmas with his family, captured in the photo at left with his wife, Kim, and their daughter Ashley.

Campbell has plenty to celebrate at the turn of the year. His final song, ‘I’m Not Gonna Miss You,’ recently garnered two Grammy nominations for Best Country Song and Best Song Written for Visual Media.

R.I.P.: ESPN's Stuart Scott Dies

Longtime ESPN broadcaster Stuart Scott died Sunday after an extended battle with cancer.

He was 49 years old, according to CNN.

"ESPN and everyone in the sports world have lost a true friend and a uniquely inspirational figure in Stuart Scott. Who engages in mixed martial arts training in the midst of chemotherapy treatments? Who leaves a hospital procedure to return to the set? His energetic and unwavering devotion to his family and to his work while fighting the battle of his life left us in awe, and he leaves a void that can never be replaced," said ESPN president John Skipper.

Scott spent more than two decades with the "Worldwide Leader In Sports." He joined the network in 1993 as it was getting prepared to launch ESPN2 and steadily grew into one of ESPN's most well-known and respected personalities.

We are heartbroken to report that Stuart Scott has died after a long fight with cancer. He was 49. pic.twitter.com/aI0TGwFqGU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 4, 2015

While he'll always be remembered for assisting in the rise of SportsCenter, which he brought to life with countless catchphrases, he also took a leading role in the fight against cancer in recent years.

ESPN Media Zone notes potentially cancerous tissue was first discovered in 2007 during an appendectomy. It marked the beginning of a battle that featured several steps forward, but also some setbacks as the disease proved difficult to shake.



#RIPStuartScott Tweets

R.I.P.: Former St. Louis AM Personality Ed Goodman

Ed Goodman

A former morning show host at KMOX’s CBS Radio St. Louis sister station KEZK has died.

Ed Goodman passed away Friday after a bout with cancer, according to CBS Radio.

After spending more than 18 years behind the microphone at KEZK 102.5 FM and countless others before that at several stations in St. Louis, Goodman took his talents to south Florida, where he had been serving as a reporter and weekend anchor for for iHeartMedia's N/T WIOD 610 AM since August 2011.

KEZK & KYKY radio host Stel Pontikes says his longtime colleague and friend will be missed, “Ed was always a true consummate professional and a great guy to work with. He was a wonderful guy to know,  so friendly, so helpful, one of the real gems of our industry.”

R.I.P.: Omaha's 'Polka Joe' Passes

Joe Siedlik

Longtime radio polka host Joe Siedlik of Omaha died January 1, 2015 from an agressive forme of cancer, which was diagnosed just weeks ago.

Siedlik was 80-years-of-age according to Omaha.Com.

For more than five decades, Joe Siedlik of Omaha brought what he called “happy music for happy people” to listeners — and dancers — not just in Nebraska but all across the country.

His “Big Joe Polka Show” aired on radio for more than 25 years, becoming a Sunday fixture for many. At one time, he was on 30-some stations from California to New York. He hosted TV shows and polka festivals, promoting the music he loved and polka bands along with it.

January 5 In Radio HIstory

In 1923...Legendary music producer Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records who discovered Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, was born. He died July 30, 2003 at 80.




In 1932..."The Shadow" debuted on the Colubmia Broadcast System (CBS).


In 1935...the CBS Radio Network program, "The Hour of Charm", featured Phil Spitalny’s All-Girl Orchestra.





In 1940...the FCC, Federal Communications Commission, was given its first demonstration of FM radio.


In 1965...50 year ago this week

In 1973…Bruce Springsteen released his first studio album "Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ." It was recorded in a single week at lower-priced 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, New York to save as much money as possible from the advance given by Columbia Records. It sold about 25,000 copies in the first year of issue. Two tracks from the album, "Blinded By The Light" and "Spirit In The Night," were released as singles but neither made a dent in the charts.


In 1979...FCC eliminated Third Class operator requirement for stations

In 1980...Donna Summer's compilation On the Radio-Greatest Hits-Volumes I & II moved to #1 on the album chart with the double-album compilation Bee Gees Greatest moving to #2.  Cornerstone by Styx continued to hold down #3 while Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants by Stevie Wonder and the previous #1 The Long Run from the Eagles were close behind.

The rest of an incredible Top 10:  In Through the Out Door by Led Zeppelin, The Wall from Pink Floyd moved from 20-7, Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Tusk from Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson had his biggest career album to date with Off the Wall.

In 1985...Madonna remained at #1 with her first chart-topper "Like a Virgin".  Duran Duran was second with "The Wild Boys" while the Honeydrippers edged up with their remake of "Sea of Love".  The New Edition was right behind with "Cool It Now" and Pat Benatar had another smash with "We Belong".

The rest of the Top 10:  actor Jack Wagner with "All I Need", Hall & Oates were on the way down with "Out of Touch", Bryan Adams moved in with "Run to You", Chicago collected hit #38 with "You're the Inspiration" and John Lennon's son Julian had a Top 10 hit with "Valotte".


In 1998...Pop star-turned-Republican politician Rep. Sonny Bono, Cher's ex-husband and former showbiz partner, died in a skiing accident. He was 62.



In 2004...the first HD Radio receiver - a Kenwood KTC-HR 100 model - went on sale commercially in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In 2014…Baseball broadcaster (San Diego Padres, California Angels, New York Yankees)/former MLB manager (Padres)/former infielder (Yankees)/Baseball Hall of Famer and WW2 hero Jerry Coleman, who called Padres games for 33 years, died of complications from brain bleeding and surgery at 89