NYC Radio: Todd & Jayde Add John Mingione To Mornings

John Mingione

Cumulus Media has announced that John “Online” Mingione will join the WPLJ 95.5 FM weekday morning program, “Todd & Jayde in the Morning” as Street Ranger and Video Vigilante.

“Todd & Jayde in the Morning” airs weekdays on 95.5 WPLJ from 6AM-10AM.

Mingione debuted Monday on 95.5 WPLJ. Mingione was previously part of the on-air team on WBLI 106.1 FM morning show “Dana & Jayson in the Morning”, and was Director of Digital Media for Cox Media Group-Long Island (WBLI and WBAB).

Mingione is a native New Yorker who was born and raised on Long Island. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Production from State University of New York at New Paltz. Mingione’s viral videos and parody songs have received millions of views on YouTube and Facebook.

Chad Lopez, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-New York said: “Everyone at 95.5 WPLJ and Cumulus is excited to see John bring his high energy and enthusiasm to the airwaves with Todd & Jayde. John’s unique creative style is the perfect addition to the fast-moving morning show on WPLJ, already seeing tremendous results.”

Gillette, Program Director, 95.5 WPLJ said: “In less than 16 months, ‘Todd & Jayde in the Morning’ has grown to be a top 5 show with Women 25-54 in the most competitive market in the universe. That’s beyond remarkable. But instead of being satisfied, the hiring of Johnny is like throwing gasoline on an already raging fire, and is indicative of our commitment to make the show a three-dimensional dominator…on the air, on the street and online/social media.”

Mingione said: “You can catch me on the streets of New York City with "Todd & Jayde in the Morning" weekdays from 6-10AM! As the newest addition to the show, my goal is to bring a fun and weird twist to every morning. I look forward to bringing my videos, parody songs and unique perspectives to PLJ listeners!”

Probe Finds Ad Kickbacks Are Rampant

Ad-buying firms are taking kickbacks from media companies and cheating their clients, according to an explosive report on Tuesday that called the practice “pervasive” across the industry, report The NY Post.

Even worse, the eight-month investigation by the Association of National Advertisers, which represents the biggest US marketers, found “evidence of potentially criminal activities.”

Madison Avenue execs were not only aware of so-called rebates — steering clients’ money to media companies in exchange for cash or free ad time — but in some instances demanded them, the report said.

“Specifically, the study revealed that senior executives across the agency ecosystem were aware of, and mandated, some non-transparent business practices,” the trade group said in a statement.

“Contracts for rebates and other non-transparent business practices were negotiated and sometimes signed by high-level agency executives.”

The ANA investigation, conducted by K2 Intelligence, found that agencies pocketed rebates anywhere from around 2 percent to as high as 20 percent of a client’s ad buy.

Ad agencies also bought media and then resold it to their clients at steep markups that ranged from 30 percent to 90 percent — conduct that the report deemed “potentially problematic.”

Agencies refer to their biggest-spending clients as “whales” and leverage their buying power to extract rebates from media companies, according to one executive interviewed for the report.

The report doesn’t name names and relied on interviews with 117 anonymous sources, with 59 reporting direct experience with rebates or other “non-transparent” practices.

AURN Inks Mike Love As Programmer

Mike Love

Veteran programmer Mike Love has joined American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) and will oversee the 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm syndicated daypart show currently entitled “The Doug Banks Radio Show”.

Love has either programmed or served as an on air personality at some of the top urban stations in the country including WBLS-FM, New York; WPGC-FM, Washington, DC and KMJMFM St. Louis. Most recently he served as Urban Sr. Director of Programming and Distribution for Cumulus Media Networks.

 “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with AURN and build on the daypart the late Doug Banks held down for so many years. I’m assembling a solid team and it is my intent to dominate afternoons on urban adult stations,” said Love.

Recently Access.1 Communications took over full control of American Urban Radio Networks from Sheridan Broadcasting Networks.

“Mike is our first hire under the new ownership” said Jerry Lopes, President of Program Operations and Affiliations.

“I’ve known Mike and admired his work from afar. I am confident he will put together an entertaining and compelling show that stations will want to air,” said Lopes.

Country's Maddie & Tae To Host Fourth Special

America is 240 years old – and along with the pool parties, picnics, parades, trips to the beach and fireworks, Westwood One is celebrating Independence Day with a four-hour holiday music special, Celebrate the USA with Maddie & Tae.

CMA Award-winning duo Maddie & Tae are throwing an all-star birthday party featuring great music, patriotic classics, and 4th of July memories from Country all-stars Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, and themselves.

With more than 200 stations projected to air “Celebrate the USA” -- including WNSH-FM/New York, WKHX-FM/Atlanta, KYGO/Denver, WNNF/Cincinnati, WGKX-FM/Memphis, WKDF-FM/Nashville, WGH-FM/Norfolk-Virginia Beach, and KIIM-FM/Tucson -- Westwood One's holiday music specials have become a welcome tradition with hundreds of programmers, millions of listeners, and local advertisers.

Maddie & Tae boldly introduced their songwriting penchant and tight harmonies with their debut single “Girl in a Country Song.” Featured on their Dot Records’ album START HERE, of which they penned each of the 11 tracks, the PLATINUM-certified breakout hit soared atop the Country radio charts and made them only the third female duo to peak their debut single at #1 in the history of the Billboard Country singles chart.

Stations can air Westwood One’s July 4th holiday special any time Saturday, July 2 – Monday, July 4, 2016 between 6:00 am and 12 midnight. For more information, contact Donny Walker at (615) 727-6987 or dwalker@westwoodone.com.

NBC's Savannah Guthrie Skipping Rio Olympics

Savannah Guthrie

Today anchor Savannah Guthrie is expecting her second child, and that means she'll be skipping the Summer Olympics in Rio, where the mosquito-borne Zika virus has been blamed for severe birth defects. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the move makes Guthrie, 44, the most high-profile TV personality to opt out of the Games.

Guthrie made the announcement about her pregnancy Tuesday morning on Today, surrounded by her colleagues. "I’m not going to be able to go to Rio, so you’ll have to go to beach volleyball without me," she said, adding, "I’m looking forward to the campaign season."

NBCUniversal has said that employees concerned about traveling to Rio are not required to go. And so far, a handful of employees have declined. Noah Oppenheim, NBC News senior vp and executive in charge of Today, tells The Hollywood Reporter that Zika has “not been a source of very much angst” at the news division. “We’ve created a transparent culture here where people feel very comfortable raising a hand and saying, ‘You know what? I’d rather not make this trip.’ ”

The same policy was in place in 2014 for the network’s coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where terrorism and security concerns caused some employees to stay away.

NFL's Twitter Account Hacked

The National Football League's Twitter account was hacked on Tuesday and a false tweet was sent that Commissioner Roger Goodell had died, an NFL spokesman said on his Twitter account.

"The @nfl Twitter account was hacked. @nflcommish is alive and well," league spokesman Brian McCarthy said. McCarthy confirmed in an email to Reuters that the account had been hacked and said the NFL was looking into it.

The NFL's official Twitter handle sent a tweet at 12:36 p.m. ET that read, "We regret to inform our fans that our commissioner, Roger Goodell, has passed away. He was 57. #RIP."

The tweet was promptly deleted, only to be followed by another rogue message, this time seemingly mocking the league.

A Twitter spokesman declined to comment and directed inquiries to the NFL.

"Roger Goodell" quickly began to trend on Twitter, with some social media users cracking jokes.

"Fans across the nation devastated after hearing Roger Goodell was found alive this morning in his office at @NFL HQ. He is 57," tweeted Henry McNamara (@HenryLMcNamara).

The NFL was not the only high-profile account hacked this week.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter and Pinterest accounts were hacked on Sunday.

June 8 Radio History

In 1947...the 15-minute "Lassie" radio show began its three-year run – first on ABC then on NBC.


In 1955…The TV quiz show "The $64,000 Question," hosted by actor/comedian Hal March, premiered as a summer replacement series on CBS. It was based on the radio program, "Take it or Leave It," which had a $64 top prize.


In 1967...Exactly one week after its release in the UK, the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" went to #1, where it remained for 27 weeks. Costing $42,500 to produce and requiring 700 hours of studio time, it was also the first album to print the lyrics on the sleeve.

In 1968…The Rolling Stones released the single, "Jumpin' Jack Flash"

In 1968…Gary Puckett & The Union Gap released "Lady Will Power"

In 2003...Dan Ingram does last show at WCBS 101.1 FM NYC. Here's an aircheck from 1992:




In 2011…Steve Popovich, who founded and managed Cleveland International Records, died at the age of 68.


In 2011…Former Detroit Tigers broadcaster/outfielder Jim Northrup died of complications from Alzheimer's disease at age 71.

SF Radio: KNBR Employees Looking For 'Fair' Wages

Employees of Cumulus Media's KNBR 680 AM joined the SAG-AFTRA union in November and held a protest recently at AT&T Park over low pay, according to ajc.com.

The union also released a two-minute video last week. One employee noted that San Francisco is an incredibly expensive place to live so that $12.25 an hour isn’t as high as it seems.

“We are 11 percent more expensive than New York,” said Tony Rhein, creative director.

“We’re very dedicated to working here. However, it’s nearly impossible when wages have been completely stagnant for ten years,” said Tim Webb, a producer.

“The only way I keep my dream alive now is working two other jobs,” said James Kincaid, producer. “And I know I’m not the only one. It’s a reality for most of us here at KNBR.”

Patrick Connor, producer/anchor: “I just want to be paid what’s fair.”

SAG-AFTRA is seeking a contract negotiation with Cumulus but has fallen on deaf ears.

FCC To Speed Review For Foreign Owner Deals

The FCC is preparing to propose that a group of executive departments provide faster responses to the commission when reviewing mergers involving foreign ownership, according to a June 3 announcement.

According to bna.com, the agency plans to consider a notice of proposed rulemaking (IB Docket No. 16-155) expected to include a specific timeline by which agencies including the Defense, Justice and State departments—known as “Team Telecom”—would have to give recommendations to the FCC based on national security and trade concerns about whether to approve a merger, a commission spokesman said. The agency plans to take up the notice at its June 24 meeting.

The current Team Telecom review process is a veritable black box for applicants left wondering about the status of their proposed transactions. Applications passing through the executive agency review can take an average of 250 days to complete, well beyond the FCC's informal 180-day merger review “shot clock.”

“This is an area that could benefit significantly from additional streamlining, clarity and transparency,” said Ari Q. Fitzgerald, a partner with Hogan Lovells LLP's Communications Group and former deputy bureau chief in the FCC's International Bureau.

Netherlands-based Altice NV's proposed acquisition of U.S.-based Cablevision Systems Corp. was among the most recent merger reviews to be subject to a Team Telecom review. Federal law mandates license ownership restrictions on companies with direct or indirect foreign ownership above certain thresholds.

The agency's forthcoming proposal “seeks to make the process more predictable and transparent” for applicants, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a June 3 blog post.

Companies seeking authorizations and license transfers to offer international long distance calling, rulings to obtain or transfer wireless radio licenses, submarine cable landing licenses and satellite earth station authorizations may also be subject to Team Telecom reviews.

Scripps Acquires Podcaster Stitcher

The E.W. Scripps Company has acquired popular podcast listening service Stitcher, which facilitates discovery and streaming for more than 65,000 podcasts to 8 million registered users.

Stitcher is one of the most established and popular streaming audio listening brands. It is accessible via free iPhone and Android apps, on the dashboard of more than 50 car models and at stitcher.com.

Stitcher will operate as part of Midroll Media, a leader in the podcast industry that was acquired by Scripps in July 2015. The Stitcher acquisition significantly broadens Midroll’s consumer base and technology capabilities.

“The Stitcher brand is recognized to be an early mover and innovator in on-demand audio, especially with connected cars,” said Adam Symson, chief digital officer for Scripps. “Stitcher’s data-driven technology has made it a leader in podcast discovery and audio distribution, which will complement Midroll’s leadership in content creation and advertising sales.”

Stitcher’s backend technology and user experience tackle one of podcast listening’s biggest challenges: new content discovery.

“At Midroll, we’ve always been impressed with Stitcher’s incredible reach and pioneering work in the audio landscape,” said Erik Diehn, vice president of business development for Midroll. “Together, we can accelerate the podcast industry’s growth and further our combined mission to connect ever larger audiences with even more great shows.”

Stitcher was founded in 2008 and purchased in 2014 by French music streaming service Deezer. Its team of 12 will join Midroll and operate out of San Francisco. Stitcher’s General Manager and Vice President of Product Todd Pringle will lead all of Midroll’s product development and will have continued responsibility for the Stitcher product development team. Stitcher’s sales and editorial staff will join their Midroll colleagues in their respective disciplines.

Scripps and Deezer agreed to a $4.5 million cash purchase price.

“Combining Midroll’s leadership in great audio storytelling and advertising with Stitcher’s expertise in product development and technology will accelerate the growth of both companies,” said Pringle.

BuzzFeed Dumps Trump Ads

Jonah Peretti

BuzzFeed announced Monday that it was terminating a planned advertising deal with the Republican National Committee because Donald Trump's campaign "is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees."

According to BusinessInsider, Jonah Peretti, BuzzFeed's CEO, wrote an email to employees on Monday morning to inform them of the decision. BuzzFeed has published the email in full.

In it, Peretti said BuzzFeed had signed a deal in April for the Republican National Committee "to spend a significant amount on political advertisements slated to run during the Fall election cycle."

Politico reported that the contract was worth $1.3 million.

But since the deal was signed, Trump became the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee. Peretti noted that Trump has said he wants to bar Muslims from entering the US, has "threatened to limit the free press," and has made "offensive" statements towards various other groups of people.

Peretti wrote:

The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs.

Peretti said BuzzFeed didn't need to agree with the positions or values of all its advertisers and that the decision would "have no influence" on how its editorial team covers the campaign.

But while BuzzFeed never likes to turn away ad dollars, Peretti said, the company can make exceptions.

"We don't run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health, and we won't accept Trump ads for the same reason," Peretti said.
BuzzFeed's advertising model is slightly different from most publications'. Rather than simply running display ads that brands create themselves, BuzzFeed's creative and video teams work with the advertiser to create original content, such as posts, quizzes, infographics, and videos.

Glenn Beck Returns to SiriusXM

Glenn Beck

One week after being “suspended” from SiriusXM, Glenn Beck’s radio show was back on the satellite radio system Monday, and though he said it’s “not even worth” mentioning, the conservative talker took a few minutes to address the issue on his program.

TheBlaze reports Beck told listeners that he “strongly disagrees” with the decision to pull his show over comments made by author Brad Thor that some interpreted as supportive of assassination should Donald Trump win the presidency in November. Thor and Beck have since sought to clear up the controversy, saying that was not at all what was being suggested.

“I was wildly confused by it because [SiriusXM Vice President and General Manager David Gorab] didn’t listen to the segment where we explained it the very next day, nor were we called or talked to,” Beck said Monday morning on The Glenn Beck Radio Program.

The host added that he finds it “interesting” that the announcement was first made on a radio show for Breitbart — a publication often at odds with Beck.

Regardless, Beck said he hopes to have a “long relationship” with the broadcasting network, but, if not, it’s a “free market,” so SiriusXM “can do whatever they want.”

“I talked to Dave yesterday, and I said, ‘Dave, you don’t want to be in business with me? That’s totally cool, and we’re still friends,’” Beck said. ”You don’t want to be in business, don’t be in business, and no hard feelings. That’s what private free market industry is about.”

Beck added that he doesn’t “agree with silencing voices” but admitted that he doesn’t think that was SiriusXM’s intention.

Portland OR Radio: Alpha Promotes Bruce Collins

Bruce Collins

Alpha Media, Portland, OR has announced Bruce Collins as Talk Operations Manager over Portland’s N/T KXL 101.1 FM, Sports KXTG 750 AM / 102.9 FM, Talk KUFO 790 AM, and Radio Northwest Network.

Collins’ years in the radio industry have given him vast experience in the news/talk programming arena. Most recently, he served as News/Talk/Sports Format Captain for iHeart Media as well as a Program Director. Over the years, Bruce also worked in the programming department at WLW 550 AM and WKRC 550 AM in Cincinnati as well as Oklahoma City, Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, Ohio, McAllen, Brownsville, Harlingen and Baton Rouge, LA.

Alpha Media Executive VP of Programming, Scott Mahalick commented on the announcement, “Bruce is a star programmer and talent mentor with a great sense of news, sports, and entertainment. He is the perfect fit for our talk brands in Portland”

Alpha Media SVP/Market Manager, Milt McConnell had the following to say, “Bruce brings to Portland extensive news, talk, and sports experience to our cluster.  I am particularly excited about his work with both sports and traffic networks which will help with the expansion of our Radio Northwest Network.”

“What a wonderful opportunity Alpha Media has given me to lead their talk stations in such a beautiful city as Portland, Oregon.  Alpha truly believes in staying connected to the community with their stations and they believe in being informative through live and local programming.  I am looking forward to working with the great teams at FM News 101 KXL, Sports 750/102.9 The Game, and Freedom 970 and calling Portland home,” Collins remarked.

Report: Pandora NOT For Sale

Reports of Pandora's possible sale or merger with another company were swirling when its founder Tim Westergren returned as CEO in March. In an interview at the Midem music industry conference in France over the weekend, Westergren addressed those rumors and provided some info on the upcoming subscription service.

"We are on a path to do something big and something for the long term, and that's why I got back in the saddle," Westergren said. "So no plans for that."

Pandora nabbed what was left of Rdio after that streaming service filed for bankruptcy last year. When that move was made, it seemed pretty obvious that Pandora was planning an on-demand monthly subscription of its own. According to engadget.com, Westergren told Glassnote Records founder Daniel Glass during the interview that the upcoming service will take what the internet radio option knows about your listening habits and personalize the on-demand experience for each listener.

"Our approach is going to be to take what we know about you to make it intuitive and personalized," he explained. "I think it will be a [benefit] to the industry in a way that nobody else can do, so we bought Rdio to do it."

Westergren also noted that in addition to the going rate of $10 a month, the plan is to offer "mid-level" features at a cheaper rate. "I think the big challenge is there's a small segment of the population that will pay the $120 per year, but we think there's a much bigger audience that will pay maybe something less," he said.

There was no indication if this would be something like Hulu where TV streaming with some ads costs less than a pricier plan that's free of the interruptions.

Smartphones Replace The Post-Sex Cigarette For Millennials

Smartphones have become so central to the lives of U.S. millennials that one in three millennials checks their phone right after love making, 12 percent check before they’re finished, and 35 percent check their phones at least twice an hour during their vertical hours.

What’s more, 20 percent of millennials said they can’t keep track of how often they check their phones during the day, but said it’s definitely more than 10 times an hour.

Those are among the kiss-and-tell findings of a survey of 2,000 millennials by Coupofy, the online database of coupon and promo codes for redemption through online stores.

On top of that, 73 percent of millennials do to sleep with their smartphone by the bed.

As for how they use smartphones, millennials cited GPS location, games, online buying, sharing via social media and getting news updates as the top five advantages of owning a smartphone.

Coupofy also uncovered the following:

• 28 percent of U.S. millennials prefer shopping on their smartphones rather than on computers.
• 40 percent spend the most on flowers when they buy online, followed by taxi and booking services.
• More than 68 percent of millennials consume smartphone-delivered news through Facebook, while Instagram is the primary source of news for 24 percent of high school students.

Millennials And Social Media

• Millennials browsing the news in the morning have different attitudes towards their smartphones than those browsing social media.
• 18% of millennials browsing the news first thing in the morning think their smartphones made them smarter.
• Millennials checking social media in the morning are 30% more likely to sleep with their smartphones by their sides than news checkers.
• Twice as many men, compared to women, check their news feeds in the morning.
• 16% of men feel their smartphones have made them smarter, compared to only 5% of women.
• Over 68% of millennials now consume their news through Facebook.
• Instagram is a primary source of news for 24% of high school students.
• Twitter is a primary news source for twice as many high school students than entrepreneurs.
• Both Instagram and Twitter are more popular among iGen millennials than leading and GenY millennials.