Once again, a list of heavy hitter songwriters will make a presence at Country Radio Seminar (CRS 2016). On Feb. 9, twelve of the format’s most successful songwriters from this year will perform at "Bob Kingsley's Acoustic Alley." Rhett Akins, Brandy Clark, Rodney Clawson, Ross Copperman, Andrew Dorff, Josh Kear, Shane McAnally, Heather Morgan, Tim Nichols,Josh Osborne, Jonathan Singleton, and Jimmy Yeary are all set to perform at the event, which is co-sponsored by Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40 and SunTrust Bank, with additional support from ASCAP Nashville, who will provide attendees with a complimentary first drink of the evening.
Bob Kingsley will host this magical evening which has become one of the week’s most anticipated after-hour events. This mark’s the fifth consecutive year that “Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley” has taken place at Country Radio Seminar.
This year’s Acoustic Alley will be held on Feb. 9 from 7 p.m. until midnight near Legends Ballroom (level 2) at The Omni in Nashvile, Tenn. A cash bar will be provided. A CRS badge will be required for admittance.
Bob Kingsley states, “For the past five years, putting on Acoustic Alley has been a wonderful experience. These wonderful performing songwriters have provided us all with greater insight into the music we hear on the radio. And as informative, educational and inspiring as each of these evenings has been, I think this year is going to top them all.
CRS Executive Director, Bill Mayne adds, “We are beyond thrilled to announce this high caliber lineup. Having the opportunity to witness this level of talent in our new, beautiful and intimate setting will add to making this year most memorable.”
Country Radio Seminar is currently offering a $100 discount on CRS 2016 registrations, available now through Jan. 11. Following the deadline, the $529 per person rate will increase to $629. To register for the three-day event, held Monday, Feb. 8 through Wednesday, Feb. 10 at the Omni hotel, visit www.CountryRadioSeminar.com today. In addition, a limited number of Omni Hotel rooms are still available. To book a room, please call 1-800-THE-OMNI (1-800-843-6664) or reserve online by visiting here. The CRS Rate booking code is 020616CRB2016.
Alabama’s 45-40 victory over Clemson in the College Football Playoff championship game Monday night on ESPN drew an average of 25.7 million viewers, a 23 percent drop from the 33.4 million who watched last year, when Ohio State beat Oregon.
The NY Times reports the smaller audience could have been because the title game was not the novelty it was last year, when it made its debut; because it was a matchup of two Southern teams; or because Clemson is not as well known to a national audience as Alabama or either of the teams that played last year.
Streaming of the title game on WatchESPN rose 38 percent from last year.
The fall in viewership for the title game came after the semifinals, which were played on New Year’s Eve, took an estimated 40 percent tumble in their audience.
Philadelphia's two main newspapers are now owned by a nonprofit foundation.
CNN.com reports this could be a new way forward for beleaguered local papers in other cities -- or it could be just a one-off. Either way, there is considerable interest in journalism circles about the Philly deal.
H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest, the philanthropist who owns The Philadelphia Inquirer, the smaller Philly Daily News, and the associated web site Philly.com, announced Tuesday that he has donated all three enterprises to an arm of the Philadelphia Foundation.
The papers will still sell ads and subscriptions. They'll still try to turn a profit. But in this new structure, donations will augment traditional sources of revenue. Lenfest has kicked things off with a $20 million endowment.
"It's important to keep journalism strong in this community," Lenfest told the Inquirer in an interview.
Only one other prominent paper in the United States, the Tampa Bay Times, is owned by a nonprofit. But there are an increasing number of nonprofit digital news outlets like ProPublica. And some media industry analysts have predicted that the nonprofit route will be explored by other cash-strapped papers.
The Philly deal is complicated. Lenfest's papers have technically been converted into a public benefit corporation, which means they seek to make profits, but the operators "can consider additional goals, with a main offered 'benefit' being the value to society of an active news organization in the Philadelphia region," the Inquirer explained.
The papers, as a public benefit corporation, have been donated to the Institute for Journalism in New Media, a newly formed part of the Philadelphia Foundation that can accept tax-deductible donations.
According to a new study by CareerCast.com, “Broadcaster” is the eighth most stressful job you can have. They looked at 11 different kinds of job demands that evoke stress, both physical and mental.
Stress, as defined by the Jobs Rated methodology, is determined by 11 factors: travel, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, the life of oneself or others at risk, meeting and interacting with customers and/or the public, and the potential for job growth.
Thus, jobs can be remarkably stressful, albeit for remarkably different reasons. The stress inherent with working as a police officer or firefighter, for example, is readily apparent.
SiriusXM announced Tuesday the launch The David Bowie Channel to pay tribute to and commemorate the life and music of the innovative music pioneer David Bowie.
The exclusive, limited-run channel, which originally aired in 2013, will feature music from the vast body of artistry from Bowie's entire career, from his earliest recordings through his most recent release Blackstar, as well as rare tracks and demo versions of some of Bowie's greatest songs.
"We are fans of his music and admirers of his talent, and so it is with great sadness that we mark his passing. Since his death, many of our channels have been playing music from his legendary career. Now we'd like to present an entire channel devoted to his artistic genius and extraordinary musical longevity," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM.
The David Bowie Channel will run through Monday, January 18 via satellite on SiriusXM's The Loft, channel 30. The David Bowie Channel will also be available online and through the SiriusXM app.
David Bowie's extensive, legendary catalog is one of the most revered in popular culture, and includes all-time great million selling albums and artistic landmarks such as The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, Aladdin Sane, Young Americans, Low, Heroes, Scary Monsters, Let's Dance, The Buddha of Suburbia and more. Within the featured catalog are Top 30 Billboard hit singles including Space Oddity, Young Americans, Fame, Golden Years, Let's Dance, China Girl and Blue Jean.
The number of FM signals is expected to continue to grow, given recent LPFM expansion and the recent FCC plan that includes two windows, beginning next year, during which AM owners will be able to apply via auction for FM translators.
The number of stations on the AM band declined again slightly in 2015. The FCC counts 4,684 licensed AM stations as of Dec. 31, down from 4,705 at the end of 2014, 4,727 the year before, and 4,738 the year before that.
Notable: the number of LPFMs is now at 1,433 licenses, almost double the 776 of just two years ago, as the commission effort to expand the low-power service has kicked into high gear.
In 1905..."Scientific America" published an advertisement for the "Telimco", a device guaranteed to received signals for as far as one mile. It cost $8.50.
The Telimco system included a battery-operated spark transmitter, shown on the left, plus a tapping-coherer receiver, also battery operated, shown on the right. (The use of a spark transmitter and tapping-coherer receiver meant it could only be used to send and receive telegraphic dots-and-dashes, and not full audio.) This small ad--which measured just 2-1/4 inches wide by 1-1/8 inches high (60 by 28 millimeters)--appeared on the back pages of the magazine, mixed in with the advertisements for sundry offering by numerous other small firms. It is generally believed that this was the first-ever advertisement run by a company selling complete radio systems to the general public.
The Telimco brand name was a contraction of The Electro Importing Co. In addition to Telimco Wireless Telegraph Outfits, you could also buy Telimco Experimental X-Ray Outfits, Telimco-meters, Telimphones, etc.
In 1910...the first opera was broadcast on Radio, courtesy of the New York Metropolitan Opera.
The first public radio broadcast consisted of performances of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci. Riccardo Martin performed as Turridu, Emmy Destinn as Santuzza, and Enrico Caruso as Canio. The conductor was Egisto Tango. This wireless radio transmission event of the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso of a concert from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City is regarded as the birth of public radio broadcasting.
The New York Times reported on January 14, 1910,
"Opera broadcast in part from the stage of the New York City Metropolitan Opera Company was heard on January 13, 1910, when Enrico Caruso and Emmy Destinn sang arias from Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci, which were "trapped and magnified by the dictograph directly from the stage and borne by wireless Hertzian waves over the turbulent waters of the sea to transcontinental and coastwise ships and over the mountainous peaks and undulating valleys of the country." The microphone was connected by telephone wire to the laboratory of Dr. Lee De Forest.”
The few radio receivers able to pick up this first-ever "outside broadcast" were those at the De Forest Radio Laboratory, on board ships in New York Harbor, in large hotels on Times Square and at New York city locations where members of the press were stationed at receiving sets. Public receivers with earphones had been set up in several well-advertised locations throughout New York City. There were members of the press stationed at various receiving sets throughout the city and the general public was invited to listen to the broadcast.
The experiment was considered mostly unsuccessful. The microphones of the day were of poor quality and couldn't pick up most of the singing done on stage. Only off-stage singers singing directly into a microphone could be heard clearly. The New York Times reported the next day that static and interference kept the homeless song waves from finding themselves.
In 1913...producer/host Ralph Edwards was born near Merino Colorado. Best known as producer/host of TV’s This is Your Life, he came to prominence as the host of radio’s zany Truth or Consequences, a game show which ran for 38 years on radio & TV. As producer he brought to the airwaves TV’s The People’s Court, still on the air 25 years later. He died of congestive heart failure Nov. 25 1997 at age 84.
On 1918...actor Steve Dunne was born in Northampton Mass. He succeeded Howard Duff on radio as the star of The Adventures of Sam Spade. On TV he starred in the series Professional Father & The Brothers Brannigan, and appeared repeatedly on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Brady Bunch, The Millionaire & Lux Video Theatre. He died Sept. 2 1977 at age 59.
In 1922...WHA 970 AM in Madison, Wisconsin began broadcasting.
WHA's history dates back to 1914 when Professor Edward Bennett started using the call sign 9XM. A year later, the call sign was transferred to the University of Wisconsin and used for many experiments in the physics department. Professor Earle M. Terry managed many of these tests, and he eventually decided that the station should start making regular weather broadcasts. From December 4, 1916 onward, the station transmitted regular reports in Morse code.
While most early radio stations in the United States were shut down when the country entered World War I, 9XM's early transmissions were considered important enough to continue, spending much of the war broadcasting weather information to ships sailing on the Great Lakes.
Regularly scheduled audio broadcasts began in February 1920. A six-day-per-week schedule began on January 3, 1921, notable for the introduction of the first radio broadcast of a weather forecast. The station received its WHA call sign on January 13, 1922.
In 1928…The first public demonstration of television was given by Ernst F. W. Alexanderson. The first television broadcast in the United States was to his home in Schenectady, New York in 1927.
In 1934...a comedy-variety hit of early radio The Al Pearce Show debuted on NBC Blue, after 5 successful years on KFRC San Francisco.
In 1958...St. Louis radio station KWK (now KXFN 1380 AM) declared Rock n’ Roll dead. (Ha ha ha ha ha.) After giving their rock records a final play, the station staff broke them
In 1962..."The Twist" by Chubby Checker hit Number 1 again, over a year after it first reached the top spot on the charts. The only other song ever to do that was Bing Crosby's "White Christmas."
In 1970...Los Angeles DJ Sam Riddle forms the Sam Riddle Organization to be known as SRO for coordinating five separate companies headed by Riddle. The divisions include concert promotions, television appearances, record production, publishing and artist management. Riddle is host of “Get It Together” on ABC-TV and still syndicates “Boss City” on TV. He was still heard on 93/KHJ.
In 1970....David Sarnoff, the man who put radio into the American home, resigned as chairman of RCA Corp. because of ill health.
In 1970....Host Bob Grant completes the final two-way talkshow over KLAC, Los Angeles, ending the station’s run as an aggressive “in-your-face” talk format. The station has been transitioning into a MOR music format for the past few months.
In 1980...Orchestra leader/arranger Andre Kostelanetz, whose radio program was one of America's most popular from the 1930s to the 1950s, died at the age of 78.
In 2006...Bob Grant did last long-form form talk show at WOR 710 AM.
In 2011...the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council banned Dire Straits ‘85 hit “Money For Nothing” because a homophobic epithet in the song is no longer acceptable. “The panel concluded that, like other racially driven words in the English language, ‘faggot’ is one that, even if entirely or marginally accepted in earlier days, is no longer so,” said CBSC chair Ron Cohen in an official statement. Many Canadian stations ignored the ban.
In 2012…Former Radio/TV newsman (CBS, ABC) Richard Threlkeld was killed in a car accident at age 74.
iHeartMedia/Los Angeles has announced a new three year contract extnetion for the The Woody Morning Show on Akrernative KYSR ALT 98.7 FM.
Woody Fife
The new deal keeps Jeff Woody Fife and sast members Ravey, Menace and Greg Gory will continue to host morning drive, Monday through Friday, through December 2018.
Fife arrived at ALT 98.7 in April 2014 from St. Louis, where they had held the #1 position in key demos during their tenure in the market.
"As a long-time fan of The Woody Show, we brought them to Alt with one goal in mind – to win," said PD Mike Kaplan.
"And now they’re the No. 1 Alternative Rock Morning show for adults 18 – 34. I’m not surprised they’ve built such a passionate and loyal fan base in here in Los Angeles. They’re champions of the regular guy, and so completely relatable and authentic, you can’t help but be drawn into the discussion every morning. I can’t wait to see what they will do over the next 3 years!"
"Since brining The Woody Show to ALT, I am so impressed by the impact the show has had in a relatively short period of time,” said Andrew Jeffries, SVP/Programming for iHM/L-A.
"They have become a significant part of this market in such a real and genuine way. The listeners embrace the personalities’ unique honesty and appreciation of their own odd-ball quirks as regular people. There’s no fluff and no hype. Just awesome conversation about everyday things that make the audience absolutely love this team. We are thrilled they have extended their deal with us.”
KYSR 98.7 FM (75 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
Woody added, "It really felt like the L.A. market was ready for something new, and my team and I have been blown away with how quickly the show has been embraced. There's no better platform for us than iHeartMedia, as we continue to impose our will on Los Angeles ... and beyond."
The NFL is looking into the possibility of splitting up its Thursday night package and selling it to two, or even three, broadcast networks, according to several sources.
According to sportsbusinessdaily.com, the league asked the broadcast networks to submit bids on eight-to-10-game packages. But it also requested that CBS, Fox and NBC submit bids covering three-to-five games, as well, sources said. It is conceivable that the league could expand the Thursday night package to 17 games, giving each broadcast network three Thursday night games that would be simulcast on NFL Network.
That would leave eight games that would appear exclusively on NFL Network -- a figure that hits the minimum number of games needed for NFL Network to keep its affiliate rate at north of $1 per subscriber per month.
By contract, NFL Network has to carry at least eight regular-season games exclusively or else the affiliate rate cable/satellite/telco distributors pay for the channel drops significantly.
Sources said a decision could come as early as this week and that all the broadcast networks begrudgingly have submitted bids on the three-to-five game partial packages.
SBP reports broadcasters are wary about picking up such small packages. It is more difficult to sell ad schedules around three-to-five game packages, as opposed to full-season ones. And the broadcaster that ends up with the December package will have ad sales advantages over the one that ends up with the October package, as December is rife with pre-Christmas advertisers, and October ad sales have more competition with the baseball playoffs.
Cumulus Media Atlanta announces that on-air personality CJ Lusk joins WKHX KICKS 101.5 FM as Host, Middays.
Lusk was previously Morning Show Host and Social Media Director for WHBQ Q107.5 FM in Memphis, TN. Prior to that, he was Morning Host and Imaging Director for Live KBFF Live 95.5 FM in Portland, OR, and was Afternoon Host for WIBT 96.1 FM in Charlotte, NC. Lusk also covered Showtime boxing as ring announcer for the mid-south region.
Sean Shannon, Vice President/Market Manager for Cumulus Atlanta said: "CJ brings a unique blend of humor and creativity. KICKS listeners are going to love him. We're fortunate to have found a truly next generation host for this legendary brand."
Scott Lindy, KICKS 101.5 FM Program Director and Corporate Program Director for Cumulus Media said: “CJ’s style is genuine, authentic and highly engaging on the air and in person. He’s a perfect fit for what Atlanta’s country music fans expect from KICKS 101.5.”
WKHX 101.5 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
Lusk said: "I’m so excited to be joining Scott Lindy’s team at Kicks 101.5! A million thank-you's go out to Mike McVay, Jeff Brown, Sean Shannon and the entire Cumulus Atlanta team. Amazing things are on the horizon for Cumulus and I’m grateful to become a part of our future.”
Entercom/South Florida has announced Kenny Walker as the new host of mornings on Classic Hits WMXJ 102.7 FM The Beach. Walker announced his departure from crosstown Country WKIS last week, owned by CBS Radio.
Walker joined WKIS in late 2009 following a stint at crosstown Top 40 WFLC; previously, he was part of Top 40 WHYI’s morning show for many years.
A recognized member of the Miami community, Walker has been making South Florida radio listeners smile for over 20 years. In addition to his morning show, Walker is the voice of the Miami Dolphins and active with various charities throughout the area.
"I am thrilled to be joining 102.7 The Beach,” said Walker. “I love the energy of the station and I am excited to be working with Program Director, Pattie Moreno to help build this brand and connect with our audience, online and through social media and within our amazing community.”
Jade Alexander
Pattie Moreno, the Program Director for 102.7 The Beach, commented “Kenny is the perfect fit for mornings on 102.7 The Beach. His endearing and unique style in morning drive will provide great compelling content for our fans, drive ratings growth and further enhance the Beach brand.”
The Beach also announced the addition of market veteran Jade Alexander as new midday host. She has spent 25 years in South Florida radio and television, including stints at WHYI and CBS Television.
“Jade is a natural talent with an unmistakable voice,” Moreno said. “Her trademark style reflects the rich, bicultural heritage of South Florida and she is a great addition to our phenomenal live and local lineup on 102.7 The Beach.”
“102.7 The Beach is a station that represents the best of everything that is South Florida," Alexander stated. "I am so excited to bring great content and music to the beautiful people of Miami and work with Patti and the talented on-air staff at The Beach."
Radio personality Kristi Lee has left “The Bob & Tom Show” after 27 years on the program, she said Monday morning, confirming industry and listener speculation that began last week after she failed to return to the airwaves following the holiday break.
Kristi & Bob (Indy Star photos)
Lee, 55, known as the “news director” on the show, said she has “decided to pursue new opportunities in 2016.” Her last day on the program, which airs mornings locally on WFBQ 94.7 FM, was Dec. 17.
“I wish all those involved in making “The Bob & Tom Show” the best radio program in America continued success,” Lee said in written comments. “I owe this part of my career to Bob Kevoian, Tom Griswold, Chick McGee, Dean Metcalf and all of those on staff. They have been family to me both on and off the air. I gained a lifetime of growth and experience for which I am extremely grateful.”
Lee’s departure coincides with the retirement of Kevoian, who signed off Dec. 17. Kevoian announced the retirement Nov. 5 when he and Griswold were inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame, 32 years after starting the popular comedy show.
The Indy Business Journal reports Lee’s off-air name is Theresa Ritz. She worked as a TV engineer at WRTV Channel 6 in Indianapolis for six years before joining Q95 as a part-time disc jockey. She began working full-time on “The Bob & Tom Show” in 1989.
Lee often described her role on the show as that of a den mother, playing the straight role amid the typically immature and raunchy antics of the male cast members.
She helped make the program a national success and local ratings leader. The show went into national syndication in 1995 and is carried on 130 stations nationwide It also won five Marconi Awards and generated more than 50 comedy albums over the years.
Guns have been selling like hotcakes, even before President Obama announced controversial new executive orders on gun control last week. Black Friday, you'll recall, was the biggest day ever for gun sales.
Now, according to KY3-TV in Springfield MO, KUNQ 99.3 FM The Rooster om Houston MO is giving away a free gun every month.
"The things we're doing here at Big Country Radio; we are focused on community and we're all about community involvement," says Station General Manager George Sholtz.
To get its listeners more involved the owner and General manager of KUNQ Radio in Houston decided they wanted to do a giveaway promotion.
George Sholtz
"We thought, what would work in this area, the people we have; so we all got together and said, let's try a gun; and of course everybody here was on board, we're all about God and guns," says station owner Justin Dixon.
So the station decided it would give away a gun to one listener each month for the entire year.
"Just listen on the radio, we do sounders all throughout the day and you can get registered to win and we're going to do a drawing the last Friday of every month," says Dixon.
"All gun laws apply and you have to be 18 to register so we're going to make sure we're covered there of course," says Sholtz.
The promotion is already getting tons of attention on Facebook.
KUNQ 99.3 FM (30 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
"The Facebook page here, 60,000 response on Facebook within two days; this thing is taking a life of its own," says Sholtz.
Though George is sure the station will get some negative feedback for giving away guns, he says he's standing by the promotion.
"When the current administration challenges our Second Amendment rights as they are right now whether they want to admit it or not, and challenge our religious freedom; we take up arms and we put it out there for everybody to see that we are proud to be giving away a gun a month," says Sholtz.
To enter the contest you can listen to KUNQ on FM radio or online or follow the station's Facebook page.
iHeartMedia announced Monday the return of the iHeartCountry Festival on Saturday, April 30. For the third straight year, Country music's biggest superstars will perform at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas in a live celebration of all things country.
The Country music of the iHeartRadio app will come to life with an extraordinary lineup including Florida Georgia Line, Brett Eldredge, Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett, Cole Swindell, Miranda Lambert, Lee Brice, Chris Young, Keith Urban, Zac Brown Band, with more to be announced.
“This year’s incredible roster of artists is unquestionably a Country Music Dream Team,” said John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises, iHeartMedia. “These performers are all living testaments to why Country is one of music’s most popular genres and we have them all one night, on one stage.”
iHeartCountry has more than 140 Country broadcast radio stations across the U.S. reaching more than 98 million Country music listeners per month, making it the largest Country broadcast radio group in America. The iHeartCountry Festival is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of incredibly successful, nationally recognized concert events, including the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the iHeartRadio Summer Pool Party, the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour, the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina and the recently announced iHeart80s Party.
“We created our first Country festival with the goal of giving iHeartMedia’s millions of Country listeners an extraordinary night of music,” said Tom Poleman, President of the iHeartMedia National Programming Group. “In just three short years, it has quickly established itself as one of Country music’s biggest nights. The iHeartCountry brand is extremely important to iHeartMedia and we couldn’t be more excited about its growth and success. This year’s show promises to be an event that can’t be missed.”
Tickets go on sale to the general public on January 15 at 10 a.m. CT via TexasBoxOffice.com. iHeartMedia’s Country music radio stations will broadcast the event live in their local markets and at iHeartRadio.com. Streaming details will be announced soon.
A familiar voice is returning to Albuquerque radio. After a more than six month hiatus, half of a favorite, morning show duo is hitting the airwaves.
KTEG 104.1 FM The Edge’s Aaron 'Buck' Burnet and Joe 'Dex' Toth were part of many locals’ routine for more than a decade. That is, until iHeartmedia pulled their show last May. Now, one of them is making a comeback, this time, on Christian radio.
Many of their fans took it hard when iHeartmedia gave their show the ax and so did Buck and Dex.
”It’s the first time I’ve ever been fired from radio,” said Dex Toth.
Now, according to KRQE News13, after more than six months off the air, Dex Toth is making a return to his element, the airwaves. But this time he'll be on KLYT 88.3 FM, a station that airs contempotary Christian music.
KLYT 88.3 FM (4.1 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
“We’re bringing back the show that I used to do,” Toth said.
Yet, when Dex says “we”, he doesn’t mean him and Buck. He’s talking about a different morning show team, Stevo Jeter and Teo Lot of Star 88’s Morning Invasion.
“We don’t try to squeeze in a Jesus reference whenever we can, it’s just truly living life. But if we live our lives as Christians, that’s going to come out anyways,” explained Jeter.
While you can expect more faith, the crew said, above all, the show promises to be genuine interactions between close friends.
Dex said, for the most part his former KTEG partner Buck is focused on his real estate career.
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. investigators will examine actor Sean Penn's interactions with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, two U.S. government sources said on Monday, but it is unclear if prosecutors would try to force the actor to turn over information about his interview with the recaptured drug kingpin.
Mexico is pressing the U.S. government, which has requested Guzman's extradition, to find out more about Penn's dealings with the infamous head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, according to one U.S. government source who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
Rolling Stone Magazine rushed Penn's 10,000-word article to publication on Saturday after Mexican officials captured Guzman in a dramatic raid, ending a months-long manhunt following his July escape from a maximum security prison. The only interview the drug lord is believed to have given in decades was brokered with the help of the Mexican television star Kate del Castillo.
Mexico's Attorney General on Monday said her office has an open line of investigation into Penn's meeting with Guzman, saying their rendezvous - captured by Mexican surveillance - was an "essential" element in the drug lord's arrest..
If U.S. authorities ultimately subpoena Penn or want him to testify against Guzman, it would be difficult to force the actor to reveal facts beyond the published interview, since he could invoke "journalistic privilege," which in some cases protects reporters from divulging information about their work, said lawyers with expertise in U.S. media law.
The U.S. government sources could not confirm whether or not authorities will subpoena Penn. The request to extradite Guzman to the United States to face federal charges is still at a very early stage and Mexico said the process could take years.
The question of journalistic privilege has been a hotly debated topic in the United States, with federal courts disagreeing on how much reporters are protected.
Representatives for Penn did not respond to a request for comment. The actor told the Associated Press in a brief email conversation that he has "nothin' to hide."
Mike Vigil, former DEA chief of international operations who has been briefed on the Guzman investigation by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement, said there is a "very strong possibility that Penn and Del Castillo are going to have to testify."
Beyond requiring Penn to testify or hand over information, it would be extremely unlikely that U.S. authorities would have grounds to bring criminal charges against Penn himself, the sources said.
Unless Penn aided and abetted Guzman in some way, the Oscar-winning actor would not have a duty to disclose to authorities that he was talking to a fugitive, legal experts said.
MOVIE STAR AS JOURNALIST
Even though Penn is a well known actor and was traveling to Mexico on his own dime, there is little doubt he was engaged in a journalistic endeavor when he met with one of the world's most wanted men, said George Freeman, director of the Media Law Resource Center, a non-profit group in New York.
"Being a movie star wouldn't disqualify him from the journalistic privilege," said Freeman.
Of particular interest to investigators could be Penn's revelations that the drug lord discussed "a host of corrupt major corporations" that helped Guzman launder money from his vast criminal enterprise. The actor said he agreed not to publish the company names.
A disclaimer on the article says it was submitted to Guzman for approval before publication, a practice that several renowned journalists and professional organizations have criticized. The government could try to argue Penn's article is not journalism and therefore not protected, but that argument would be difficult to win, said Freeman.
Prosecutors might also try to say the actors were not working as a journalists because Guzman's original interest in connecting with Del Castillo was for a movie deal, according to Penn's account.
"You would have to know all the facts, but making a movie is creative activity and even if it is part of a business deal it would be protected by the first amendment," said Theodore Boutrous, an attorney in California who represented Time Inc in a case that also involved the New York Times journalist Judith Miller. Miller went to jail for refusing to testify in a case.
Depending on where Guzman is tried, it could make a difference in how the courts would treat potential testimony from Penn.
Guzman has been charged in seven separate U.S. indictments stretching back to 1995 and but Chicago and New York are the leading contenders to host the high profile trial, according to former U.S. law enforcement officials.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Chicago has questioned whether any privilege exists for journalists in any context. Meanwhile, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which handles cases out of New York, has ruled that the party requesting a subpoena must prove the confidential information sought from a journalist is both highly relevant to the case and not attainable through any other source, raising the bar for prosecutors.
David Schultz, an attorney who defends journalists and news organizations at Levine, Sullivan, Koch & Schulz in New York, said the split in the courts raises more questions than answers.
"Whether or not he would have any privilege at all is pretty much in the air," said Schultz.
(Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York and Mark Hosenball in Washington DC; Additional reporting by Julia Edwards in Washington DC; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Mary Milliken)
Bob Kingsley states, “For the past five years, putting on Acoustic Alley has been a wonderful experience. These wonderful performing songwriters have provided us all with greater insight into the music we hear on the radio. And as informative, educational and inspiring as each of these evenings has been, I think this year is going to top them all.
