Edison Research Survey Results: 55 Million Weekly Listeners for ESPN Audio, Up 11 Percent from 2017.
ESPN Audio was recently part of the 2018 Share of the Ear from Edison Research – a nationally representative study of 2,033 Americans ages 13+ that measures their time spent listening.
“Consumers own their media consumption. Whether it’s on a great local radio station, satellite radio, voice activated device, podcast or TV simulcasts, they pick how they own the decision,” said John Fitzgerald, ESPN vice president, multimedia sales. “What this study points to is the fact that they decide ESPN is where they want to spend their time. Our strategy from day one has been the best games, personalities and stories on all channels work for our fans, advertising and affiliate partners and us.”
Some of the highlights included:
55 million people per week consume ESPN Audio programming, up 11 percent from 2017.
ESPN Audio accounts for 53 percent of all sports digital audio listening.
ESPN Audio podcasting saw a 16 percent year-over-year increase in listeners.
Entercom has unveiled RADIO.COM Sports, a new brand which serves to magnify the company’s unmatched local business to a more prominent national scale in order to better serve its listeners and advertisers. RADIO.COM Sports will sit atop Entercom’s deep roster of leading local sports stations and will also be fully integrated into RADIO.COM, the fastest-growing digital audio app in the U.S. and the exclusive home for all Entercom content.
“RADIO.COM Sports is a strategic initiative to further elevate our existing portfolio of local brands and personalities and provide a more robust and unified experience for fans coast to coast,” said Mike Dee, President of Sports, Entercom. “The platform also offers our advertisers an efficient way to tap into Entercom’s scale and multiplatform content.”
As part of its launch, RADIO.COM Sports will kick off its RADIO.COM Sports Insiders program, a network of experts across all major sports who will make appearances on Entercom sports stations nationwide to provide insight and commentary. This premium content will also be available on demand on the RADIO.COM app and website.
Sports Insiders will include:
Joe Girardi, former MLB player, manager and current analyst for the MLB Network
Ross Tucker, former NFLoffensive lineman and current national sports broadcaster
Bob Nightengale, USAToday MLB columnist
Jason La Canfora, CBSSports.com NFL columnist
Armando Salguero, Miami Herald sports columnist
Others will soon be added. These Sports Insiders will join existing Entercom sports broadcasters to round out the program.
“We have an extraordinary roster of personalities already assembled across the country on our all-sports radio stations,” said Dee. “We are going to be aggressive to expand our depth chart of new talent as well as use our existing stars in new ways on multiple distribution channels outside of their home market, and in many cases, on our expanding digital and editorial platforms.”
Additionally, RADIO.COM Sports will launch its Breaking News Alerts, delivering breaking news on a national scale triggered by both national and local sports news in real time. The Breaking News Alerts will feature a signature mnemonic and will include sponsorship mention and corresponding brand spots. These alerts will also be delivered to mobile users via push notifications.
United Stations Radio Networks, Inc., (USRN) has announced that air personality J.R. Jaus will officially take over the hosting duties on the network’s country countdown show, The 20Twenty Country Countdown.
Jaus is the morning drive host at Cox Media’ Group’s KCYY, San Antonio, known locally as “Y-100.” J.R. has been interim host for the program for several months, but he’s been named the permanent host starting this week, and the announcement comes from USRN’s EVP/Programming, Andy Denemark, in New York.
The 20Twenty Country Countdown debuted in March of 2015, and since its introduction it has remained the most current and most timely Countdown show ever produced for the Mainstream Country radio format because of its unique presentation of two charts in one show. Each weekend, The 20Twenty Countdown presents one 20-song countdown of what’s trending in the digital space for Country music, and that’s followed by a 20-song countdown representing the week’s top song in terms of Country radio airplay.
Clearly, streaming and other digital playback of music has altered everything about the ways in which music is consumed, and this show presents the two charts back to back each week. For radio programmers there’s the added plus that the show’s unique format often delivers the top songs in the nation twice in each 3-hour show with roughly 90-minutes of separation, and that closely matches the regular music rotations that radio stations use for the hottest songs of the week.
J R Jaus
J.R. Jaus is currently the Host of the “J.R. and Beth Morning Show” at KCYY-FM “Y-100” in San Antonio.
J.R. has had a huge passion for Country Music ever since he was introduced to some of the giants of Country music while working on his uncle’s ranch located north of Bakersfield, CA, the city where Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and others created the famous “Bakersfield Sound.” J.R. started in radio at the age of 19 in San Diego, CA, and has worked for Clear Channel, CBS Radio and now Cox Media Group along the way. He’s also appeared on television as an awards show host and had been featured on Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” where he co-starred alongside Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande. Most recently in radio, as part of the Cox Media Group, J.R. was heard in afternoons at WWKA, Orlando.
In announcing J.R. Jaus as the new host, USRN’s Andy Denemark commented, “We love having hosts who can do it all… communicate well, speak to music fans and engage the audience via social media. J.R. does all that and more. We’re grateful to Cox Media Group’s Jeff Garrison for introducing us to J.R. and for his support of our exciting production.” J.R. added, “”So happy to be a part of this new countdown that I truly believe reflects the voice of country music fans. To host a project like this and be able to make it my own is really exciting for me. Thanks to Andy and the entire United Stations team for this opportunity.”
Entravision Communications Corporation has announced it has entered an exclusive audio partnership with actress and ratings sensation Kate del Castillo and television personality Jessica Maldonado to produce and launch a weekly syndicated radio and podcast show.
Neteando (“Real Talk”) with Kate and Jessica, is expected to launch in April 2019 and will be carried on Entravision’s owned and operated radio stations, along with other stations throughout the country.
“Kate and Jessica are incredibly talented and recognized personalities that will bring exciting content to our listeners and benefit from the reach of our platform. Entravision has been at the forefront of introducing iconic and top syndicated personalities and we are excited to be working in partnership with Kate and Jessica as they launch their radio careers around their already successful podcast,” said Jeffery Liberman, President and Chief Operating Officer, Entravision.
Neteando with Kate and Jessica is a “tell it like it is” intimate conversation between best friends. One is a popular outspoken actress and the other an award-winning journalist. When they get together, the conversation can be powerful, relevant, entertaining, and heartfelt. It’s about two best friends, and their occasional guests, being comfortable to speak their minds on popular culture and other trending topics.
SiriusXM's $3.5 billion purchase of Pandora, finalized Feb. 1, will create a digital-radio behemoth with customized radio playlists, a contract with Howard Stern and an estimated 100 million listeners who tune in from cars, smartphones and laptops alike. And, according to Billboard, while some music executives are excited about the potential promotional possibilities, others worry about how this new company might use its considerable leverage to push for better terms.
SiriusXM has a reputation as a tough negotiator: It was the first digital radio company to not pay for the use of pre-1972 sound recordings, and it has consistently opposed labels' attempts to raise its royalty rates for recordings, arguing that AM-FM pays nothing to use them. It fought the Music Modernization Act until labels agreed to lock in its current 15.5 percent-of-revenue royalty rate until 2027. "SiriusXM is a company that we still have issues with," says a major-label source.
In the past, SiriusXM has pointed out that it generates considerable royalties for labels and artists, plus offers airplay for genres that are all but ignored by conventional radio. (Representatives for both Pandora and SiriusXM, in addition to the top three record labels and the RIAA, declined to comment.)
It's unclear how, or even if, the combined company could change the royalties it pays, which are set by the Copyright Royalty Board, although it can also make direct deals with rights holders. But it is certainly big enough to throw its weight around. "The concern is certainly real," says Kevin Erickson, director of the Future of Music Coalition. "They can essentially say, ‘You have to agree to our terms or we don't have to play you at all.'"
Other label executives are excited about the promise of combining SiriusXM's original content and growth in cars with Pandora's ability to reach smartphone users -- and both companies' listener data. "If they execute this well, they become a formidable competitor to AM-FM radio," says Zack Silver, analyst with investment bank B. Riley FBR.
Billboard reports the country legend Reba McEntire announced Monday that she's prepping a new album, and is returning as host of the ACM Awards -- both happening this April.
First, McEntire will release Stronger Than the Truth, her 29th studio album, on April 5. The singer unveiled the cover art on her social media, revealing on Instagram that the LP is "the most country record I’ve done in a long time."
Just two days after releasing Stronger Than the Truth, McEntire will be celebrating her album release with her fellow country stars at the 2019 ACM Awards in Las Vegas, where she returns as host. This year marks McEntire's 16th time serving as ACMs MC, and the second year in a row.
Stronger Than the Truth follows McEntire's 2017 gospel release Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope, which helped her earn a female vocalist of the year nomination at last year's ACM Awards. The first song released from the album will be the title track, arriving Feb. 15.
McEntire will announce the nominees for the 2019 ACM Awards on CBS This Morning on Feb. 20. The ACM Awards will broadcast at 8 p.m. ET on CBS on April 7.
The Pirates made waves on the first day of Spring Training when they announced that country music star Garth Brooks would join them for the first week of camp. reports mlb.com.
It isn't unusual for celebrities to show up at Spring Training, either through charities or to live out their dreams of being a baseball player. This isn't even the first time Brooks has shown up to Spring Training. He was with the Padres in 1998 and '99, the Mets in 2000 and the Royals in 2002. This time around, he's marking the 20th year of his Teammates for Kids Foundation.
It didn't take long for Brooks to lace up the cleats and hit the field. He took some grounders at third base, and actually looked pretty good doing it:
Even though the Pirates are the fourth team he's appeared with, they're first in his heart. Because of Roberto Clemente, Brooks grew up as a Pirates fan. That, coupled with the 20th anniversary of his foundation, made this a great opportunity:
"We're celebrating 20 years, and the Bucs were sweet enough to let me come here," Brooks explained regarding his foundation. "This has been my team since I was a kid. I'm a Roberto Clemente fan. The day he died, I promised him that I would do some foundation work with baseball. This came really late in my life, but I feel very lucky now we're celebrating 20 years. Here's to 20 more."
The Q4 2018 RAJAR results just released show that 48.4 million people, or 88.4% of the UK’s adult population, listened to their radio station of choice every week and marks a second consecutive year of fourth-quarter decline for radio, with 89.7% in Q4 2017 and 90.1% in Q4 2016.
RadioInfo notes while there has been a decline in numbers over the past two years, there have only been a small fluctuations since 2011 with highs in 2013, 2015 and 2016
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos made waves last week by writing a blog post on Medium in which he accuses the National Enquirer of extortion, citing several emails threatening to publish delicate private photos of him in case he doesn’t publicly rebut allegations that the Enquirer’s reporting (including the previous publication of private messages of Bezos) is “politically motivated or influenced by political forces”.
The National Enquirer had recently come to fame for its role in a so-called catch-and-kill scheme involving President Trump. The tabloid’s publisher AMI entered an immunity deal with the Department of Justice after admitting to buying former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story of an alleged affair with Donald Trump on behalf of the latter’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, only to bury it so as not to hurt Trump’s presidential campaign.
While AMI may have gotten away with dishing out hush money on behalf of a then presidential candidate, it may not get off that easily this time around. “If in my position I can’t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can?” Bezos asks in his blog post, undoubtedly referring to the unlimited resources at his disposal to fight AMI and the National Enquirer. After seeing its circulation drop by roughly 90 percent over the past two decades, picking a fight with the richest man in the world may be the final nail in the infamous tabloid’s coffin.
Meanwhile, while grocery stores, drug stores and even libraries boast racks of celebrity gossip magazines, with titles such as “Star,” “People” and “Us Weekly” lining the shelves. But despite these publications having a large reach, some of them have seen a decline in readership in recent years, and a new Morning Consult/The Hollywood Reporter poll shows that a plurality of adults don’t think highly of the paparazzi, whose work fills the pages of these magazines.
Forty-four percent of the 2,203 U.S. adults surveyed in the Feb. 1-3 poll view paparazzi photographers as intrusive and think that they “need to get a real job,” with 43 percent saying that the government should be able to regulate paparazzi activities. Most respondents (55 percent) said that the celebrity photographers do not generally act in a responsible and civil manner.
On eve of his coverage of the Westminster Kennel Club “Best in Show” award, which will be announced Tuesday night February 12, Westwood One News New York Bureau Chief Steve Kastenbaum gets in some interviews at Madison Square Garden.
R Dub!, Sunday Night Slow Jams host and Director of Programming for XHRM Magic 92.5 in San Diego, presented the station’s first-ever “Magic 92.5 Lifetime Achievement Award” to radio broadcasting veteran Art Laboe on Saturday night, February 9th, at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
The award recognizes the legendary broadcaster’s many achievements over his legendary 75-year radio broadcasting career, and was presented in front of an audience of over 6,000 people.
Laboe was one of the first DJs to play Rock ‘n’ Roll on the West Coast, was one of the first to do dedications on the radio, and coined and trademarked the phrase “Oldies but Goodies”. Laboe still broadcasts on Magic 92.5 every Sunday from 8pm-10pm, as well as on over a dozen other radio stations throughout California and the West Coast.
The entire Magic 92.5 on-air staff joined Laboe on stage, surprising him in-between acts at the station’s 2019 Valentine's Super Love Jam concert.
Laboe said: “What an honor to receive the first-ever Magic 92.5 Lifetime Achievement Award! Great to have the entire Magic 92.5 team in the house! Thank you to all, especially my good friend, R Dub!”
R Dub! said: “Art Laboe is nothing short of a living legend. We’re so happy he’s a part of the Magic 92.5 family and we were incredibly proud to present him with the station’s very first Lifetime Achievement Award. No one could deserve this recognition more. Art is adored and revered by both his listeners and the radio community and has certainly been an inspiration for me and Sunday Night Slow Jams, and to so many others in our industry."
Laboe has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. The City of Los Angeles declared ‘Art Laboe Day’ twice, in 1981 and again in 2015.
Howell worked at WRHI 1340 AM in Rock Hill SC as a newsman during his career.
Howell also taughter mass communication at Winthrop College.for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2012.
“He helped build the broadcasting section of our department from some of its earliest years and made it into one of the best, if not the best, in the state,” said Guy Reel, mass communication department chair at Winthrop and longtime peer of Howell. “Students talk of him as if he was a legend. He really is a legend and he’s going to be sorely missed. It was really a shock to all of us.”
In 2011, Howell received the South Carolina Broadcasters Association’s Honorary Lifetime membership Award, according to a release from Winthrop. His name is listed on a commemorative wall in Winthrop’s Johnson Hall.
Reel said Howell left a lasting impression on students with stories of his experience covering the Vietnam War for CBS from Cambodia.
Howell also worked in New Delhi, India, and held news roles in Texas, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, according to a release from Winthrop. He also participated in the Poynter Institute Seminar on Broadcast Journalism in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Joe Schlesinger, who narrowly escaped the Nazis as a young boy growing up in the former Czechoslovakia and ended up becoming one of Canada's most beloved and respected journalists, has died after a lengthy illness.
As a foreign correspondent for the CBC, Schlesinger covered some of the most significant news events of the latter part of the 20th century and early 2000s.
He bore witness to historical events from Vietnam to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the first Gulf War, and he did so in his inimitable way, with his accented English, his gimlet eye for detail and the elan of a born storyteller.
"You could see the way he talked to the camera, embraced the camera," former CBC News chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge said today from his home in Stratford, Ont.
"In translating the story to all of us, whatever that story was, wherever he happened to be. Whether he was in Zimbabwe, being gassed by Zimbabwean soldiers, whether he was in Vietnam, whether he was in the streets of Paris during riots. He knew how to tell a story in a way that could really embrace the viewer. That's an art form."
➦In 1904...Ted Mack, was the host of Ted Mack and The Original Amateur Hour on radio and television born.
The Original Amateur Hour began on radio in 1934 as Major Bowes' Amateur Hour, and ran until the 1946 death of its creator, Major Bowes. Mack, a talent scout who had directed the show under Bowes, revived it in 1948 for ABC Radio and the DuMont Television Network.
The show lasted on radio until 1952 and until 1970 on television, where it ran on all four major networks, ending as a Sunday afternoon CBS staple. A success in the early days of television, the program set the stage for numerous programs seeking talented stars, from The Gong Show to Star Search to American Idol to America's Got Talent. ➦In 1909,...singer/producer Barry Wood was born in New Haven Conn. He was the singing star of radio’s Lucky Strike Hit Parade in the early 40’s just ahead of Frank Sinatra, and went on to perform in lesser-known radio shows. In the TV era he was host of several shows including Places Please & Backstage with Barry Wood, and producer for The Bell Telephone Hour & Wide Wide World. He died July 19 1970 at age 61.
Ken Roberts- 1945
➦In 1910...Longtime radio announced Ken Roberts born (died June 19, 2009). He was known for his work during the Golden Age of Radio and for his work announcing the daytime television soap operas The Secret Storm, Texas and Love of Life, each for a two-decade span.
His first announcing job was at WMCA in New York lasting three weeks. Next at WLTH in Brooklyn. In an interview for the book The Great American Broadcast, Roberts told Leonard Maltin that he had started at the Brooklyn station in 1930, where his responsibilities included answering phones and sweeping the floors, in addition to on-air roles playing piano and reading poetry.
During the 1930s and 1940s, at the height of the radio era, Roberts' voice appeared widely in live programming to introduce programs, moderate game shows and do live reads for commercials. Despite his Errol Flynn-like good looks and the frequent broadcasts featuring his voice, as often as several times each day, few listeners knew who he was or would have recognized him in public.
Radio credits include The Shadow (including the 1937-38 season on the Mutual Broadcasting System with a 22-year-old Orson Welles starring in the role of Lamont Cranston), the comedy Easy Aces, along with soap operas Joyce Jordan, M.D. and This is Nora Drake. In 1941, he achieved his goal of hosting his own quiz show, with Quick As a Flash on the Mutual network.
He also announced or hosted a number of game shows, such as What's My Name? and the parody It Pays to Be Ignorant, in which he would pose questions to actors portraying contestants such as "Who came first: Henry I or Henry VIII?" that would be answered incorrectly.[3] At various times, he performed on eponymous programs for Fred Allen, Milton Berle, Victor Borge and Sophie Tucker.[2]
In 1941, he achieved his goal of hosting his own quiz show, with Quick As a Flash on the Mutual network.
Del Sharbutt
➦In 1912..Bigtime radio announcer Del Sharbutt was born in Cleburne Texas.
His first appearance on radio was in 1929 as a singer on WBAP in Fort Worth, Texas.He soon became an announcer and from that point on, he made his career in broadcasting
Old-time radio shows for which Sharbutt was an announcer included The Man I Married, Lavender and Old Lace, Guy Lombardo, Jack Pearl, Ray Noble, Bob Hope, The Song Shop, Hobby Lobby, Myrt and Marge, The Hour of Charm, Melody and Madness, Colgate Ask-It-Basket, Lanny Ross, Amos 'n' Andy, Club Fifteen, The Jack Carson Show, Lum and Abner, Your Hit Parade, The Campbell Playhouse, Request Performance, Meet Mr. McNutley and Meet Corliss Archer.
In 1958,Sharbutt became a disc jockey on 77WABC in New York City. He and another old-time radio announcer, Tony Marvin, began "hosting afternoon record shows in their distinctively deep voices." Other on-air activities in radio for Sharbutt included being a newscaster for the Mutual Broadcasting System.
He died April 26, 2002 at the ripe old age of 90. ➦In 1924…The Eveready Hour was the first commercially sponsored variety program in the history of broadcasting. It premiered February 12, 1924 (other sources: December 4, 1923 or November 4, 1923) on WEAF Radio (now WFAN) in New York City. Radio's first sponsored network program. it was paid for by the National Carbon Company, which at the time owned Eveready Battery
In early 1924 The Eveready Hour began to be carried simultaneously by a second station, WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, and the number of outlets was expanded to a group of Eastern and Midwestern stations "as quickly as WEAF could add stations" to its "WEAF chain" radio network. On election night, November 4, 1924, the program, hosted by Wendell Hall, was carried by 18 stations, with Will Rogers, Art Gillham, Carson Robison and the Eveready Quartet entertaining between election returns given by Graham McNamee. Joseph Knecht led the Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orchestra.
The Bowery Boys were featured on the Eveready Hour
In 1926 the WEAF chain operations were purchased by the Radio Corporation of America, becoming the basis of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in early 1927. The Eveready Hour continued as a featured broadcast on NBC until 1930.
Calvin Coolidge
➦In 1924...President Calvin Coolidge made the first US presidential political radio speech. It originated from New York City and was broadcast on five radio stations to an audience of an estimated 5M listeners. During his presidency, Coolidge made around 50 broadcasts. He soon learned how to make best use of the new technology, adding a consultant to his staff to help him polish his radio persona.
While Coolidge was a radio pioneer, the American president most associated with radio is Franklin D. Roosevelt. From 1933 to 1944, Roosevelt delivered 30 “fireside chats,” in which he addressed the American people in a friendly, plainspoken manner about his efforts to bolster the depressed economy through innovative government programs and about global challenges in the run-up to World War II.
➦In 1940…The Adventures of Superman made its debut on radio. It was a long-running serial that originally aired from 1940 to 1951 featuring the DC Comics character Superman.
The serial came to radio as a syndicated show on New York City's WOR. On Mutual, it was broadcast from August 31, 1942, to February 4, 1949, as a 15-minute serial, running three or, usually, five times a week. From February 7 to June 24, 1949, it ran as a thrice-weekly half-hour show. The series shifted to ABC Saturday evenings on October 29, 1949, and then returned to afternoons twice a week on June 5, 1950, continuing on ABC until March 1, 1951. In all, 2,088 original episodes of The Adventures of Superman aired on American radio.
The Man of Steel first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938. When Superman was first heard on radio less than two years after the comic book appearance, the character took on an added dimension with Bud Collyer in the title role.
During World War II and the post-war years, the juvenile adventure radio serial, sponsored by Kellogg's Pep, was a huge success, with many listeners following the quest for "truth and justice" in the daily radio broadcasts.
St. John, Age 18
➦In 1951...Radio Personality, Pat St. John, was born in Detroit.
In early 1969, at the age of 18, he landed his first gig as a radio personality on Windsor's CKLW, where he also worked for CKLW's 20/20 news doing newscasts one day a week, and part-time booth announcing on CKLW-TV Channel 9. In late 1970 he moved across the border to WKNR and was then hired in early 1972 at the ABC-owned album-oriented rock (AOR) station WRIF until 1973.
In April 1973, St. John began an almost 15-year stint at New York's WPLJ. He survived the station's transition from AOR to top 40 in 1983.
He left WPLJ in 1987, and returned to his rock roots on WNEW-FM, which had been WPLJ's rival during its AOR years. He became the station's program director in the early 1990s. St. John remained with the station until it switched to a hot talk format in 1998.
After the demise of WNEW's rock format, St. John was one of the first programmers hired by CD Radio in October 1998 as the Director of classic Rock Programming. CD Radio would later change its name to Sirius Satellite Radio, and then after acquiring XM Satellite Radio become known as SiriusXM, where he remains today as one of their most popular personalities on its Sixtie On Six channel.
He also joined WCBS 101.1 FM in 2002, followed by moving to WAXQ in 2004 where he stayed until late 2006. In July 2007, he returned to the re-incarnated WCBS-FM. For the first decade of the new century he was the announcer for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. He continues to do voiceover work for radio and TV commercials as well as station imaging for radio and television as well as narration.
In March 2015, St. John announced that he was leaving WCBS-FM and that he and his wife were moving to California to be closer to their grandson. He aired his final show on April 12, 2015 marking the end to a legendary career in New York City radio.
In March 2015, St. John announced that he was leaving WCBS-FM and that he and his wife were moving to California to be closer to their grandson. He aired his final show on April 12, 2015 marking the end to a legendary career in New York City radio.
He is now heard daily on several SiriusXM's 60s on 6 channel 3 to 6pm (Eastern).
St. John is known for his conversational on-air style with interspersed bits of music trivia, along with "Collectible Cuts" from his extensive record library. Pat has been called a "walking encyclopedia" when it comes to his knowledge of music.
➦In 1964...The Beatles made their third appearance in the U-S. This time at NYC's Carnegie Hall hosted by the WMCA 570 AM Good Guys. The band’s fee was $6,500 for two shows at Carnegie Hall — an amount just under $49,000 in today’s money.
The late promoter Sid Bernstein speaks about Brian Epstein, The Beatles , their first trip to America in 1964 and Carnegie Hall.
➦In 1999...Baseball broadcaster Jimmy Dudley died at age 89.
He beganbroadcasting in the late 1930s, starting out at a Charlottesville radio station. He moved up to calling Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox games from 1938–1941 before serving as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
Dudley was the Cleveland Indians' lead announcer from 1948 until his firing by the club in January 1968. In 1969, Dudley broadcast for the expansion Seattle Pilots; when the club moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers the following year, he did not join them.
Dudley broadcast for a number of minor league teams in the 1970s before retiring. As an announcer, Dudley was known for his friendly, homespun style and his signature catchphrases: "Hello, baseball fans everywhere" (to start a broadcast), "The string is out" (describing a full count on a hitter), "A swing and a miss!-he struck him out", "That ball is going...going...gone!" (to describe a home run) and "So long and lots of good luck, you hear?" (signing off at the game's end). Dudley called the 1954 World Series and All-Star Game for the Mutual network, and 1961's first All-Star Game for NBC Radio.
In addition to baseball, Dudley also broadcast football at various times for the Ohio State University, the University of Washington, and the NFL's Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Colts.
Dudley was presented with the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
➦In 2015...Longtime Radio personality Gary Owens died at age 80.
Owens started his radio career in 1952 as a news reporter at KORN, Mitchell, South Dakota and two years later was promoted to news director. In 1956, he left KORN for a newscaster job at KMA, Shenandoah, Iowa before moving on to a disc jockey job at KOIL, Omaha, Nebraska. He also worked in Dallas, New Orleans, St. Louis, and at KIMN in Denver before relocating to California in 1959, working at KROY in Sacramento and KEWB in Oakland before finally settling in Los Angeles.
Owens moved to KEWB's sister station KFWB in Los Angeles in 1961. From there, he joined the staff of KMPC in 1962, where he remained for the next two decades working the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. shift Monday through Friday. A gifted punster, Owens became known for his surrealistic humor. Among his trademarks were daily appearances by The Story Lady (played by Joan Gerber); the Rumor of the Day; myriad varieties of "The Nurney Song"; and the introduction of the nonsense word "insegrevious", which was briefly included in the Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary.
Owens also did amusing radio promotions, such as sending in for "Yours", which turned out to be a postcard from him at the radio station which simply said "Yours" on it; autographed pictures of the Harbor Freeway in Los Angeles; and his famous "Moo Cow Report", in which Gary and his character Earl C. Festoon would describe where cows were moving inbound on the crowded freeways of Los Angeles.
Owens became more widely known as the voice of the eponymous television cartoon characters in Roger Ramjet and Space Ghost; the excitable narrator/announcer from The Perils of Penelope Pitstop; and perhaps most well-known, as the hand-on-the-ear announcer in the booth on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, all the while continuing his show on KMPC.
➦Click Here for more Historical Events that occurred on Feb 12.
Beasley Broadcast Group today announced operating results for the three-month and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2018.
As previously reported, on May 1, 2017, the Company completed the sale of six stations in Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville, and on December 19, 2017, Beasley completed an asset exchange transaction whereby the Company exchanged its Boston adult contemporary station WMJX-FM and $12.0 million for Boston’s sports station WBZ-FM. On September 27, 2018, Beasley completed the acquisition of WXTU-FM in Philadelphia from Entercom Communications Corp. for $38.0 million. Prior to the acquisition closing, on July 23, 2018, the Company began operating WXTU-FM under a local marketing agreement (“LMA”). During the term of the LMA, the Company included net revenues and station operating expenses, including the associated LMA fee from operating WXTU-FM, in its consolidated financial statements.
The results presented herein reflect the operations and results from WBZ-FM in the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2018 and WMJX-FM in the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, prior to its divestiture. The results also reflect a full quarter’s contribution from WXTU-FM in the three months ended December 31, 2018 and approximately five months of contribution from WXTU-FM in the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 and four months of contribution from the Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville stations in the twelve month period ended December 31, 2017. The pro-forma revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 presented herein reflects the exchange in Boston and the acquisition of WXTU-FM.
Operating income, net income and net income per diluted share in the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 were impacted by the $1.7 million USTN bad debt expense.
The $17.0 million, or 29.1%, year-over-year increase in net revenue during the three months ended December 31, 2018, reflects year-over-year revenue increases at ten of the Company’s thirteen market clusters compared to the same period of 2017 and the inclusion of WBZ-FM Boston and WXTU-FM Philadelphia, partially offset by the disposition of WMJX-FM Boston.
Beasley reported operating income of $13.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to operating income of $23.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The year-over-year decrease in operating income reflects a net benefit of $13.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 related to change in fair value of contingent consideration and gain on exchange in connection with the acquisition of Greater Media, Inc. and the related sale of Greater Media’s tower assets, which net benefit was partially offset by certain transaction and other operating expenses.
The decline in 2018 fourth quarter net income primarily reflects the lower operating income during the period and a $62.2 million year-over-year net increase in income tax expense as the Company recorded a $59.7 million deferred income tax benefit in the 2017 fourth quarter due to a reduction in the federal tax rate following the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and a revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities using the new rate. As a result, net income for the 2018 fourth quarter was $2.1 million, or $0.08 per diluted share.
Caroline Beasley
Commenting on the financial results, Caroline Beasley, Chief Executive Officer, said, “Our record 2018 fourth quarter and full year revenue and strong operating results, despite the benefit of non-cash transaction related and tax items in the 2017 period, highlight the value being created as we execute strategies to expand our scale, diversify our revenue mix and leverage the value of our local brands in our core and ancillary verticals. Actual fourth quarter revenue rose by 29.1% on a year-over-year basis driven by net revenue increases at ten of our clusters, recent acquisitions and station swaps and approximately $3.9 million of fourth quarter gross political revenue. While we remain focused on diversifying our operating base, our fourth quarter pro-forma revenue rose an impressive 9.9%. Fourth quarter net income declined from 2017 levels solely because of gains and tax benefits in the year-ago period that did not recur in the 2018 fourth quarter.
“Throughout 2018, we continued to execute on our integration strategy focused on premium local programming to support our goals of ratings and market leadership at acquired stations, while remaining opportunistic in further building our scale and revenue diversification to drive growth and SOI margin expansion. Our strong free cash growth has enabled us to complete strategic investments in our broadcast, digital, technology and other platforms, reduce leverage and pay cash dividends to shareholders. During the year, we completed the strategically complementary and accretive acquisition of WXTU-FM which has significantly strengthened our competitive position and revenue share in the Philadelphia market. We also completed several smaller acquisitions including a Tampa-based event company and a nationally syndicated esports show and podcast in separate transactions that were funded with cash on hand.
Longtime News/Talk programmer Peter Bolger has announced his intention to retire from Cumulus Media's WLS 890 AM as of March 15, 2019.
The 64-year-old Bolger plans to relocate to Portland, OR.
During his 44-year career, Bolger's programming stints have included six year+ at News/Talk WOAI / Sports KTKR in San Antonio. 14-years+ at News/Talk WIOD and WINZ in Miami.
Cumulus Chicago VP/Market Manager, Marv Nyren sent an email to the staff on Friday:
In an attempt to keep you all informed anytime we have changes within our operations, I wanted to let you all know that Peter Bolger will be retiring from his post as Operations Manager/Program Director of WLS-AM effective Friday, March 15th.
I can not begin to tell you how appreciative I am for all the Peter has done for this station over the years and the recent rebuild of the on-air lineup
Peter will be moving back to Portland, Or to enjoy his family and friends and I can only thank him for all he’s done and wish him the best as he enjoys life.
With many years in radio (he asked me NOT to put the number in this e-mail) he has been a proponent of our medium and we will miss his calm personality and talent in the hallways.
Please join me in wishing Peter the best as he starts a new chapter in his life. And yes, we will be having a ‘farewell’ prior to his last day.
Thank you Peter and we look forward to the next 5 weeks.
Marv
Nyren said while there is no timeline for naming a successor, he expects quite a few applicants.
