January 22 In Radio History

In 1889...The Columbia Phonograph Company began selling Edison phonograph cylinders and players in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Delaware. It derived its name from the District of Columbia, which was its headquarters.

In 1956..."Fort Laramie" debuted on the CBS Radio Network starring Raymond Burr as Captain Lee Quince.

In 1924...KGO 810 AM, San Francisco, California began broadcasting. More info: Click Here.

In 1940..."Road to Happiness" was first aired on the CBS Radio Network.

In 2011...Radio Pioneer Ruth Ann Meyer WMGM, WMCA (PD), WHN (PD), WNEW (PD) NYC died.

In 2012...Sportscaster Andy Musser, voice of the Philadelphia Phillies for 26 years, died at age 74.

Detroit Radio: Cumulus, Blaine Fowler Extend Deal At WDVD

Cumulus announces Blaine Fowler will continue his role as co-host of “Blaine & Allyson in the Morning” on Detroit’s 96.3 WDVD through 2017.

Since joining mornings on WDVD 96.3 FM in 2003, Fowler has helped grow the station’s audience year after year making it Detroit’s #1 station among Women 25-54. Co-hosted by Fowler and Allyson Martinek, “Blaine & Allyson in the Morning” airs live weekdays from 5:30a-10a ET.

Fowler said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to grow the ‘Blaine & Allyson’ audience. I am especially grateful to John Dickey and all at Cumulus Media for making this happen!”

John Dickey, Executive Vice President and Co-COO of Cumulus said, “Blaine Fowler is an essential part of Cumulus Detroit’s present and future success. He and Allyson have a special chemistry that listeners and advertisers love.”

WDVD 96.3 FM  54dBU Coverage

Fowler and Martinek have been leading morning show ratings in Detroit since hitting the airwaves together on 96.3 WDVD in 2005. Dedicated to supporting the local community, they are key ambassadors for multiple charitable organizations including Beaumont Children’s Miracle Network, where they raised an unprecedented amount of donations for the 2013 campaign.

Report: Millions of Teens Ditch Facebook

Millions 25-54 Joining Facebook

The rumors are true: Teenagers are leaving Facebook by the millions, says digital consulting company iStrategy Labs, according to moneynews.com.

Last year, despite studies and articles suggesting that young users are losing interest in Facebook, CEO Mark Zuckerberg denied the claims.

It “just isn't true,” that we have a problem with the teen market, CNN Money quotes Zuckerberg as saying.

But in October, just months after Zuckerberg's denial, Facebook's chief financial officer David Ebersman made an admission.

“We did see a decrease in [teenage] daily users [during the quarter], especially younger teens,” he said. But still he described overall usage among U.S. teens as “stable,” CNN Money reported.

iStrategy Labs last week released data that suggest the declines in teen usage may be steeper than Facebook would care to admit.

More than 3 million teens ages 13 to 17 have left Facebook in the past three years, a decline of 25.3%. And the number of users aged 18-24 has declined 7.5%, iStrategy Labs reported.

The consultancy uncovered these findings in its efforts to refresh the data it released in a 2011 report on Facebook users.

Read More Now 

Beats Launches New Music Streaming Service

Today, Beats Music officially launched in the US. Developed  and led by a team of executives that have spent their entire careers in service of music,  fans, and artists– Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre, Luke Wood, Trent Reznor, and Ian Rogers- Beats  Music brings fans and music lovers an unparalleled personalized and curated listening  experience that answers two important questions: “What should I listen to?” and “what song
comes next?”

"Popular music is created in bite size pieces, one song at a time – but most people need  more than four minutes to be truly satisfied," said Jimmy Iovine. "It takes a highly curated, uninterrupted sequence of songs to achieve a fulfilling music experience, where the only  song as important as the song you are listening to is the song that comes next.”

BEAT MUSIC ACCESS: Click Here

With today's launch, music fans are invited to a free trial of Beats Music, after which a $9.99/month subscription fee will apply. The service will be available on iOS, Android and Windows  Phone as well as via the web beginning January 21st. Fans can stream their music or download to listen offline.

"Beats was created so people could hear the music the way the artists intended, but speakers were just the first step," said Luke Wood, President of Beats Electronics. "Beats Music is the final piece in making that vision a reality.”

Showdown for Pandora, ASCAP

Pandora Media Inc. and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers are expected to square off Tuesday in a long-awaited federal-court trial to determine how much the Internet-radio giant should pay for the use of their compositions for the next two years.

According to wsj.com, the outcome could have a broad effect on the growing digital-music business, which now pays more to record labels and performers than to those who write and publish songs.

Pandora pays a total of 4.3% of its revenue to publishers and songwriters represented by ASCAP and other organizations that collect royalties on their behalf.  By contrast, the Oakland, Calif., company pays record labels and performers roughly half of its revenue.

Pandora sued ASCAP more than a year ago seeking to pay writers and publishers less. The company argues that it shouldn't have to pay ASCAP's songwriters and publishers any more than terrestrial radio broadcasters do—currently about 1.7% of their revenue—since Pandora, which generates the bulk of its revenue from advertising, considers local radio stations its closest competitors.

Historically radio stations weren't required to pay record companies for the use of their recordings, on the theory that airplay promoted sales. As sales have declined in recent years, labels have sought to begin collecting royalties of their own for airplay, with limited success.

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Confirmed: McCartney, Starr To Perform Together

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are reuniting for what is sure to be a memorable performance. However, despite rumors, it will not be at this weekend’s Grammys.

The former Beatles bandmates will perform together at “The Night That Changed America: A Grammys Salute to The Beatles” on Monday, January 27, Ringo revealed to Access Hollywood on Monday night.

The special will air on CBS on February 9 — 50 years to the date of The Beatles’ historic performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

“To celebrate the 50 years since we landed in New York in February [1964], they are putting on a big show on Monday and we will be doing it there,” Ringo told Access Hollywood.

Rumors of a special Grammy reunion performance began to swirl after the Recording Academy announced both Paul and Ringo would be performing separately at Sunday night’s Grammys.

Atlanta Radio: Wanda Smith Returns To WVEE

Wanda Smith has returned to WVEE 103.3 FM V103 with the announcement being made official Monday.

Smith made her announcement at 7:08 a.m.

“I am rejuvenated,” she said.

She said she enjoyed the year off and was able to spend more time with her family, who joined her in the studio. She said she was grateful to come back and plans to do it even better with Ryan. She saved money and was not in any financial straits taking the time off. A highlight: Mayor Kasim Reed called in to wish her luck. With Cameron joining the Hawks to London for their game their later this week, Smith arrived just in time to do the show without him for a few days starting Tuesday.



She was with V-103 for more than 15 years, virtually the entire time as Frank Ski’s co host until he and CBS Radio split ways at the end of 2012. They were the top-performing morning show for pretty much the entire time they were on air as a team.

WVEE 103.3 FM 60dBu Coverage

Hannity, Beck Respond To Remarks About Conservatives

In a radio interview last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) made some disparaging comments about pro-life conservatives, stating they had “no place in the state of New York because that’s not who New Yorkers are,” according to breitbart.com. 

Those remarks drew the ire of conservative talk show host Sean Hannity, who on his Monday radio program declared he had enough and was abandoning his home state, where he hosts his widely syndicated radio show and his high-rated Fox News Channel television program.

“Now I want to tell you something – I was born and raised in New York,” Hannity said. “I want you to know that and I can’t wait to get out of here. I really can’t. I don’t want to pay their 10-percent state tax anymore. I live in the second-highest property taxed county in the entire country in Nassau County. I can’t wait to sell my house to somebody who wants it. I can’t wait to pay no state income tax down in Florida or Texas. I haven’t decided yet, but I’m leaning Florida because I like the water and I like to fish.”

Hannity has hosted a radio show in New York City since the late 1990s. In 2001, the show was syndicated and has since filled the current 3 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET time slot. He will be following in the footsteps of conservative radio talkers Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, who had also fled the Empire State for Florida and Texas, respectively.

“Gov. Cuomo, I’m going to leave and I’m taking all of my money with me – every single solitary penny,” he added. “And by the way governor, because I work here – there’s a whole bunch of people that work for me and benefit because I do two shows. And I guess maybe some of them will be out of work, governor. I’m sure you’ll take care of them.”

In an open letter to Cuomo, Beck wrote:

We (conservatives) are fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, entrepreneurs, dreamers, visionaries, hard-workers, straight, gay, black, white, believers, non-believers, liberals and conservatives. More importantly than any one of these labels, we are decent and kind human beings, and upstanding, loyal and patriotic Americans. 

We are principled in the content we provide, and we work under a simple ethos: We tell the stories of love and courage where the good guys win.

We don’t see things as left and right. We see things as right and wrong. 

Our organization creates jobs for hundreds of people in your state, and provides news, opinion, entertainment and a helping hand for millions of people across this country. 

Are our contributions, tax dollars, and genuine goodness as citizens not welcome here? 

We respectfully request an answer on whether there are two classes of citizens.

FL Radio: JVC Shifts Party Format To 100.9 FM

Ocala-Gainesville, FL listeners expecting smooth jazz may have had a surprise hearing Flo Rida or Nicki Minaj when they flipped on their radio Dec. 26, according to gainesville.com.

WXJZ Smooth 100.9 FM played Christmas music from November until Dec. 25 before switching its format and becoming Party 100.9. The station is in a transitional phase of taking the reins from WBXY Party 99.5 FM and the stations are currently simulcasting electronic dance music.

Both are currently owned by JVC Media of Long Island, N.Y., which is making the switch because Party 99.5 is popular but lacks some signal in Gainesville with the company spinning-off the property.

WBXY 99.5 FM 60dBu Coverage

Party's format “really took off in Gainesville on 99.5, and the 100.9 frequency is a stronger frequency,” said John Caracciolo, JVC's CEO. “We knew we were onto something with the format, but one complaint we would get is a lot of students in the dorm would say, 'Hey, I can't get it in the dorm.'”

The transmitter for 99.5 is north of the city, while 100.9's is in the heart of the city and has “a better signal for Gainesville,” Caracciolo said.

WXJZ 100.9 FM 60dBu Coverage

JVC is doing market research to establish a new format for 99.5 that should debut around March, he said.

JVC, under an LMA with an option to purchase, took over five Gainesville/Ocala FM stations — 100.9 and 99.5, as well as Country simulcast WYGC 104.9 FM and WTRS 102.3 FM plus Top40 WMFQ 92.9 FM — last summer from Asterisk Communications of Fort Lauderdale.  Now, JVC has filed with the FCC to purchase and with Asterisk’s grandfathered ownership of five FM’s in the market ending following the sale, JVC is spinning-off WBXY 99.5 FM Ricardo Arroyo’s RMA Media for $500,000. Arroyo holds a CP for WGMA 99.7 FM Silver Springs Shore that will serve the Ocala portion of the dual market.

Read More Now

Richard Sherman Apologizes

Erin Andrews Calls Post-Game Rant 'Awesome'

The sports world and football fans were still buzzing Monday (January 20th) about Richard Sherman's post-game rant Sunday night slamming the San Francisco 49ers' Michael Crabtree after his play on Crabtree guaranteed a Super Bowl ticket for his Seattle Seahawks.

Sherman wrote in his regular Sports Illustrated blog yesterday: "To those who would call me a thug or worse because I show passion on a football field -- don’t judge a person’s character by what they do between the lines. Judge a man by what he does off the field, what he does for his community, what he does for his family."

He also addressed the disturbing racial character of some of the criticism, writing, "People find it easy to take shots on Twitter, and to use racial slurs and bullying language far worse than what you’ll see from me. It’s sad and somewhat unbelievable to me that the world is still this way, but it is. I can handle it."

Last night shows that racism is still alive and well... And that's so sad.... At Least some people respect MLKs dream
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) January 20, 2014

However, in a text message to ESPN's Ed Werder, Sherman was regretful, saying, "I apologize for attacking an individual and taking the attention away from the fantastic game by my teammates . . . That was not my intent."

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said on Seattle's ESPN affiliate that he spoke to Sherman about the comments, saying, "We aren't perfect and we all make mistakes. Things don't always come out exactly as we planned."

As for Fox Sports' Erin Andrews, who did that post-game interview with Sherman, she doesn't seem to think he has anything to apologize for. She told USA Today, "You expect these guys to play like maniacs and animals for 60 minutes, and then 90 seconds after he makes a career-defining, game-changing play, I’m gonna be mad because he’s not giving me a cliche answer -- 'That’s what Seahawks football is all about and that’s what we came to do and we practice for those situations' -- No you don’t. That was awesome. That was so awesome. And I loved it."

Richard Sherman gave a candid response seconds after an emotional game..looking forward to a great Super Bowl matchup
— Erin Andrews (@ErinAndrews) January 20, 2014

Andrews also wanted to make clear that she hadn't felt frightened or threatened, saying the producers cut off the interview because they were afraid some four-letter words might start coming out.

Fallon's First Guests For 'Tonight' Announced

Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Fallon took the stage at the 2014 Television Critics Association winter press tour on Sunday to announce Will Smith and U2 will be his first Tonight Show guests when he takes over for Jay Leno on Monday, Feb. 17.

His fellow Saturday Night Live alumna Amy Poehler joins him for his last episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. She will also be Seth Meyers’ first guest when Late Night with Seth Meyers debuts on Monday, Feb 24.

“She’s basically Bono’s common-law wife now,” Meyers joked, referring to Poehler and the U2 frontman’s Golden Globes kiss, at the TCA winter press tour where he made the announcement.

The late-night host added that all of his guests for the first three weeks of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon are already booked, and he also revealed that he’ll bring The Tonight Show to Los Angeles a few weeks out of the year, noting it was initially tough to convince NBC to let him stay in New York, where the comedian was born and raised.

Aussie Radio: Kyle, Jackie O Launch KIIS-FM

Kyle, Jackie O

The top-rating FM breakfast duo Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O debuted in their new home Monday morning. In the small world of Sydney breakfast radio - where men have first names and women have initials - they don't come any bigger, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Sandilands has spent the summer slagging off people at his old radio station 2Day FM - who, in turn, have called him fat, out-of-date and a "wounded narcissist".

Perhaps weary from battle, Kyle lost himself momentarily on air this morning. When throwing to a Jessica Mauboy song, he accidentally says he is still on 2Day FM instead of Kiis 1065 (formerly known as Mix 106.5). He soon realized his blunder, interrupting the song to say: "OK, wow, I meant Kiis FM. Big mistake. Big mistake."

The traffic announcer warns of a "sloppy start to your Monday morning". But the breakfast duo slip into their new pad as comfortably as a pair of Sandilands' sweatpants.



Promising the "world's biggest stars", they deliver Kris Jenner, matriarch of the Kardashian clan, who talks about "keeping it real". Kylie Minogue talks about camping and how hard it is to change a tire. "It's hard, it's really hard," says Jackie O in sympathy.

Moments later, Minogue pops up on the 2Day FM breakfast show, where she fails to mention motor mechanics. Flicking between the two radio stations can be confusing. The same celebrity guests, the same air "kiises", the same ads for fertility specialists promising help with the "baby-making equation".

Radio 2Day FM has a $10,000 pop quiz. Kiis FM's quiz is worth $20,000. One happy caller on Kiis wins $300 after being asked whether Rihanna has a pet tiger and for the number of Angelina Jolie's children.

Read More Now

Charlotte Radio: Szoke New DOS At Greater Media

Sandra Szoke

Greater Media announces Sandra Szoke has been named Director of Sales at WBT 1110 AM / 99.3 FM and WLNK 107.9 FM in Charlotte.

She will officially begin her new position on January 27, 2014.

Szoke most recently served as the Local Sales Manager at Time Warner Cable in Charlotte. Previous to that, she worked as a Senior Account Executive, Assistant Director of Business Development /Marketing and Public Affairs Director when Lincoln Financial/Jefferson Pilot owned WBT-AM/FM and WLNK-FM prior to Greater Media purchasing the stations back in 2008.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sandra back in the role of Director of Sales to the Greater Media Charlotte family,” said said Senior Vice President and Market Manager Rick Feinblatt.”Her leadership, knowledge of the market and familiarity of WBT and WLNK made her the perfect choice for the position.”

Philly Radio: WIP Bugs Out, When Rivals Show-Up At Remote

Anthony Gargano

SportsRadio WIP 94.1 FM's Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis left their broadcast spot Friday at Chickie's & Pete's due to "technical difficulties," forcing the relatively new partners to head back to their Old City studio.

But I heard it wasn't technical difficulties at all, according to philly.com.

Apparently, operations manager Andy Bloom was not happy when he found out that personalities from rival media conglomerate Greater Media, including WMMR 93.3 FM's Matt Cord and, more interestingly,  WPEN 97.5 FM The Fanatic's Jon Marks, were at the noted South Philly eatery's main bar area doing promotional appearances for a $1,000 MetroPCS giveaway.

WIP 94.1 FM 54dBu Coverage

Rob Ellis

Greater Media also owns WBEN 95.7 FM and WMGK 102.9 FM in the Philadelphia market. WIP is owned by CBS Radio.

The rivalry between WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic is quite storied. The hullabaloo did not start until Marks showed up about 3:30 p.m., according to sources. At that point, Chickie's & Pete's reps tried to get the promotion moved from the VIP area to the back of the space to appease WIP bigwigs, but Greater Media refused. WIP packed up and went back to the station, forcing someone from WIP to get on the air until Ellis and Gargano could make it back to Old City.

Read More Now.

R.I.P.: Kelso, WA Broadcaster Rick Roberts

Rick Roberts

Rick Roberts, the voice of Kelso, WA sports for nearly four decades, passed away surrounded by family after a three-year battle with leukemia.

He was 66 years old, according to tdn.com.

“That he survived three years after the original diagnosis is incredible,” Roberts’ wife Sharon O’Connell said by phone Monday night. “Every day was Christmas to him, and he appreciated it. That’s a testimony to his spirit.”

Nicknamed “The Hurricane” for his irrepressible energy, Roberts missed just one Hilander football game in 39 seasons of broadcasting with KLOG 1490 AM.

His legendary call — “Scottie Dogs… You gotta love it” — was as much a part of Kelso sports as navy blue blazers, ties and the Highland Fling. And as Kirc Roland, his broadcast partner for more than 30 years, said Monday, there was no difficulty deciphering where Roberts’ loyalties lied.

“He never tried to hide who his audience was and who he was calling the game for,” Roland said. “Some people call them homers, and other people call them great.”

Born Aug. 12, 1947, in Longview, he graduated in 1965 and went to school in Portland to learn about the radio business. He got on at KLOG in 1973 selling ads and broadcasting games and was eventually named the station’s sales manager.

Read More Now.

January 21 In Radio History

In 1927...the first opera broadcast on a national Radio network occured. Radio listeners in Chicago, Illinois heard music from Faust.



In 1938...Legendary radio disc jockey Wolfman Jack was born Robert Smith. He died July 1, 1995 at 57.

In 1946..."The Fat Man" debuted on the ABC Radio Network.



In 1978...the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever reached number one on the album chart.

In 1989...Ted Nugent married his second wife, former radio traffic reporter for WLLZ-FM in Detroit, Shemane Deziel. They have a son together.

In 1997..."Colonel" Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager for 22 years (and briefly before that managed Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow) died following a stroke at 87.

In 1996...WYNY 103.5 FM NYC confirms rumors that they are dropping country

In 1998...WNSR 105.1 FM BYC becomes WBIX “Big 105"

In 2004...FCC Chairman, Michael Powell, anounced his resignation - 2 years before his term was to be up.

In 2005...College DJ, Dave Plotkin, from Rollins College's WPRK-FM in Winter Park, Florida, set a record for the world's longest continuous broadcast by a single DJ. He stayed on the air for 110 hours.


In 2006...Country music singer Kix Brooks replaced Bob Kingsley as host of the syndicated radio show "American Country Countdown."

In 2010...WWRL drops “Air America” format - 2010

In 2013...WRXP 94.7 FM NYC becomes Country “Nash FM”