Wake-Up Call: At Least 3 Dead In NOLA Tornado

A devastating storm that spawned tornadoes across Louisiana left at least three people dead, destroyed houses and entire neighborhoods and cut power to tens of thousands of residents.

The storm dealt a cruel second blow Wednesday to Friscoville Avenue in Arabi, still reeling from a powerful twister that struck just nine months ago, after cutting across the west banks of St. Charles, Jefferson and Orleans parishes.  At least 21 tornadoes were reported across Louisiana in 24 hours, Gov. John Bel Edwards said. The National Weather Service plans to survey damage in southeast Louisiana on Thursday and possibly Friday to confirm the tornadoes.

This was a big one! Incredible footage of the #tornado moving through New Orleans, #LAwx just moments ago. Again, footage sped up 5x w/ enhanced +contrast.

Credit: @WDSU pic.twitter.com/a1nNhz0r1n

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) December 14, 2022

➤UP AGAIN:  The Fed raised interest rates by 0.5 percentage point and signaled more increases in 2023 are likely to tame inflation.  It’s a step down after four consecutive increases of 0.75 point. Today’s move raised the benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 4.25% and 4.5%, a 15-year high. Most officials penciled in plans to raise the rate to between 5% and 5.5% in 2023, with the median projection implying a further 0.75 percentage point in rate bumps. After a year of inflation and rising rates, financial advisers suggest Americans reset their priorities. U.S. stocks closed lower after the Fed’s decision.

➤FUSION INDUSTRY SUDDENTLY WHITE-HOT: The startups now can compete for a bigger slice of clean-tech and climate-focused investing, because the possibility of almost limitless energy is now real. Yesterday, the Energy Department announced that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the first time achieved ignition, generating more energy than it consumed. Commercialization of the process remains years away.

The House has approved a short-term measure that extends funding for the federal government for another week, buying more time for lawmakers to finish crafting a massive omnibus spending bill in the waning days of this Congress. https://t.co/ktbo2Bkdty

— ABC News (@ABC) December 15, 2022

➤RUSSIA RELEASES ANOTHER AMERICAN: Another U.S. citizen has been released from Russian detention. Air Force veteran Suedi Murekezi was one of 64 soldiers handed over to Ukraine in return for Russian soldiers detained in Ukraine. The American was charged with attending anti-Russian protests and “inciting ethnic hatred.” Murekezi was described as a U.S. Air Force veteran and resident of Minnesota who moved to Ukraine in 2018.

Omaha Radio: Sharp & Handley Morning Show Launches On KOZN

NRG MEDIA welcomes Nick Handley back to KOZN 1620 AM The Zone. Nick joins current morning host Gary Sharp, along with producer Jimmy Chavez, for “Mornings with Sharp & Handley” from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. The new show launched on Monday, December 12th, 2022.

Handley returns to 1620 The Zone after spending the last 9 years as a sports talk show host on AM590 ESPN Omaha. During that time, he also served as a play-by-play announcer for University of Nebraska Baseball on the Huskers Radio Network.

Handley remarked “I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the 1620 the Zone team and come back to the place where I got my start in radio. Gary Sharp is one of the best in this business.”

Morning Host, Gary Sharp commented “I’m excited to add Nick to our lineup. I’ve known Nick for a while and he will be a valuable piece to our morning show and 1620 The Zone.”

NRG Operations Manager, David Adams, stated, “Pairing two of the best sports talk hosts in Omaha together is a huge win for 1620 The Zone and for our listeners as well.”

Little Rock Radio: Cumulus Festival of Stars Radiothon Raises $466K+

B98.5/KURB-FM's Kevin Idol and Becky Rogers, Assistant Program Director/Music Director and Afternoon Host, B98.5/KURB-FM, flank Arkansas Children's Hospital CEO, Marcy Doderer

Cumulus Media announces that its Little Rock, AR, radio stations raised $466,854 for Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Arkansas Children’s Northwest through Cumulus Little Rock’s annual Festival of Stars Toy and Donation Drive and Radiothon. 

The radiothon was broadcast live from 6:00am-6:00pm on Friday, December 9th, and featured on-air talent from Alice 107.7/KLAL-FM, B98.5/KURB-FM, Power 92.3/KIPR-FM, and News Radio 102.9/KARN-FM. All four stations dedicated all, or a substantial portion, of their prime-time broadcast day to the event.

Premiere Networks Promotes 3 To VP/Affiliate Sales

Premiere Networks has announced a trio of promotions, naming Jenny Shields, Kurt Kretzschmar and Rick Bucchieri as Vice Presidents of Affiliate Sales for the company. 

Shields

They will continue to report to Peter Tripi, Executive Vice President of Affiliate Sales for Premiere Networks.

Shields joined Premiere in 2001 and most recently served as Senior Director of Affiliate Sales. 

She’ll continue to manage affiliations for Premiere’s best-in-class roster of entertainment programs and prep, production and imaging services, while serving as a Brand Manager for Delilah and After MidNite with Granger Smith.

Kretzschmar

Kretzschmar, who first joined Premiere in 2004, previously served as Senior Director of Affiliate Sales. 

Bucchieri

He will continue to oversee affiliations for the FOX Sports Radio Network (FSR), as well as Premiere’s industry-leading lineup of talk radio programs in select markets. He also continues his role as Brand Manager for FSR.

A member of the Premiere team since 1998, Bucchieri also previously served as Senior Director of Affiliate Sales. He’ll continue to manage affiliations for Premiere’s entertainment programs and prep, production and imaging services, while serving as a Brand Manager for Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

“I couldn’t be happier to recognize Jenny, Kurt and Rick with these well-deserved promotions,” shared Tripi. “They have proven track records of successfully working with our affiliate partners across the country to deliver programming that resonates with audiences and delivers impressive results. In addition to going above and beyond for our partners, they’ve also proven to be valuable brand leaders, representing more than 100 programs and services with more than 8,200 affiliations across the country.”

Shawn Ryan Joins Cumulus Podcast Network

Cumulus Media has announced The Shawn Ryan Show has joined the Cumulus Podcast Network. A former U.S. Navy SEAL and CIA Contractor, Ryan talks with our nation’s finest warfighters, capturing their stories of sacrifice and valor. With long-form interviews, The Shawn Ryan Show documents the realities our soldiers face when they return home from war, uncovering inconvenient truths the mainstream media often ignores. Ryan also talks with experts about a wide variety of related topics spanning from business to society and culture.

December 15 Radio History

➦In 1922...Albert James "Alan" Freed was born in Johnstown, PA (Died – January 20, 1965). He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country, rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll. His career was destroyed by the payola scandal that hit the broadcasting industry in the early 1960s.

Alan Freed

While attending the Ohio State University, Freed became interested in radio. Freed served in the US Army during World War II and worked as a DJ on Armed Forces Radio. Soon after World War II, Freed landed broadcasting jobs at smaller radio stations, including WKST (New Castle, PA); WKBN (Youngstown, OH); and WAKR (Akron, OH), where, in 1945, he became a local favorite for playing hot jazz and pop recordings. Freed enjoyed listening to these new styles because he liked the rhythms and tunes.

Freed is commonly referred to as the "father of rock 'n' roll" due to his promotion of the style of music, and his introduction of the phrase "rock and roll", in reference to the musical genre, on mainstream radio in the early 1950s. He helped bridge the gap of segregation among young teenage Americans, presenting music by black artists (rather than cover versions by white artists) on his radio program, and arranging live concerts attended by racially mixed audiences. Freed appeared in several motion pictures as himself. In the 1956 film Rock, Rock, Rock, Freed tells the audience that "rock and roll is a river of music which has absorbed many streams: rhythm and blues, jazz, ragtime, cowboy songs, country songs, folk songs. All have contributed greatly to the big beat."

In 1945 Alan Freed joined WAKR and became a local favorite, playing hot jazz and pop recordings. The radio editor for the Akron Beacon Journal followed Freed and his "Request Review" nightly program of dance. When he left the station, the non-compete clause in his contract limited his ability to find work elsewhere, and he was forced to take the graveyard shift at Cleveland's WJW radio where he eventually made history playing the music he called "Rock and Roll."

In the late 1940s, while working at WAKR 1590 AM in Akron, Ohio, Freed met Cleveland record store owner Leo Mintz. Record Rendezvous, one of Cleveland's largest record stores, had begun selling rhythm and blues records. Mintz told Freed that he had noticed increased interest in the records at his store, and encouraged him to play them on the radio. Freed moved to Cleveland in 1951, still under a non-compete clause with WAKR. However, in April, through the help of William Shipley, RCA's Northern Ohio distributor, he was released from the non-compete clause. He was then hired by WJW radio for a midnight program sponsored by Main Line, the RCA Distributor, and Record Rendezvous. Freed peppered his speech with hipster language, and, with a rhythm and blues record called "Moondog" as his theme song, broadcast R&B hits into the night.

Mintz proposed buying airtime on Cleveland radio station WJW 850 AM, which would be devoted entirely to R&B recordings, with Freed as host. On July 11, 1951, Freed began playing rhythm and blues records on WJW. While R&B records were played for many years on lower powered, inner city radio stations aimed at African-Americans, this is arguably the first time that authentic R&B was featured regularly on a major, mass audience station. Freed called his show "The Moondog House" and billed himself as "The King of the Moondoggers".

NYC Radio: John Foxx Named WCBS-FM Brand Manager, Morning Host

Audacy has announced plans for morning drive on WCBS-FM 101.1 in New York, following the retirement of industry icon and Hall of Famer Scott Shannon. John Foxx will host a new morning show weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. ET, launching this February.

Foxx will also be named Brand Manager of WCBS-FM 101.1, assuming that role from Jim Ryan. As content lead for the station, Foxx will collaborate with Ryan, who will remain Senior Vice President of Programming for Audacy New York and Brand Manager for WNEW 102.7 FM. Foxx will also continue as Brand Manager of 94.7 HD2 Country New York. He will report for all positions to Chris Oliviero, Market President, Audacy New York.

John Foxx

“John is a rare talent that has achieved success on and off the air in New York City, which makes him the perfect selection to lead the legendary WCBS-FM into its next era,” said Oliviero. “He is well known, respected and liked by his colleagues in our building which will make the transition smooth and seamless. John also has big feet which will come in handy as he has some of the biggest shoes to fill in radio history both as morning host and brand manager at 101.1FM. We are excited to welcome John home.”

“I'm in love with NYC and the Tri-state area and am really excited to join the content team at the iconic WCBS-FM,” said Foxx. “Being a part of the soundtrack of what wakes up NYC every day is a dream come true. Thank you to Susan Larkin, Jeff Sottolano, Chris Oliviero and Jim Ryan for all of their support and this incredible opportunity to lead one of Audacy's elite properties.”

Foxx most recently served as Brand Manager of 100.3 The Bull (KILT-FM) in Houston and Regional Vice President for Country Programming at Audacy. A nationwide search is underway to identify his successor. A native New Yorker, his 23-year career in the radio industry includes experience in multiple formats, with stops as program director and afternoon drive host of WPLJ and Brand Manager of WNSH-FM in New York.

📻Listeners can tune in to WCBS-FM 101.1 (WCBS-FM) in New York on air and nationwide on the Audacy app and website. Fans can also connect with the station via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

NYC Radio: WCBS-FM Honors Retiring Scott Shannon

Scott Shannon with GM Chris Oliviero

On Tuesday, WCBS-FM 101.1 celebrated the career of longtime on-air host Scott Shannon, who will retire on December 16.   The station dedicated the WCBS-FM 101.1 studio in Scott's honor, renaming it as "The Scott Shannon CBS-FM Studio."

Podcasts With Video Is Now A Thing

Along with an ever-increasing number of creators, podcast listenership is rising, and every media platform is looking to get into the distribution game—including visual media. In the past few months alone, YouTube released a podcast homepage and TikTok is rumored to be launching a new podcast app., according to Molly Fuard, Director of Ad Innovation Strategy for SXMedia

What do these businesses know that others don’t.  Here what Fuard has discovered.

Younger listeners are attracted to visual media

While podcasting is rooted in audio, hosts are seeing their fanbase grow through video platforms. In fact, in a recent Voices study, 57% of respondents said that YouTube was their preferred podcast listening app. Because of this change in consumption, more and more creators are investing in video content—both long-form and short-form—so they can leverage clips and drive further engagement on social media platforms.

Rather than a change in existing listener habits, this shift is actually due to a new era of consumers—the “podcast pioneers.” This audience only started listening in the past year, and they’re typically younger than historical listeners. So, they choose to listen within apps they already know and love.

Visual programming unlocks native integrations

Chicago Radio: Steve King, Johnny Putman To Host New Show For WGN

Beginning Saturday, January 7, veteran broadcasters Steve King and Johnnie Putman return to WGN Radio, hosting Saturday overnights from 9pm to 2am.

“Returning to the Saturday nighttime slot is a full circle moment for us. Our first regular show as a duo on WGN Radio was in February 1985 – on a Saturday night. Coming back to WGN for version 2.0 seemed like a fun idea,” wrote Steve King and Johnnie Putman. “Of course, we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular features, but we’re looking forward to seeing where version 2.0 takes us. We’re throwing a Saturday night party for our friends – and there’s no dress code!”

The award-winning husband-and-wife duo were two of the longest-running hosts on WGN and in the overnight slot for nearly three decades until December 2011. Steve and Johnnie were on the forefront of tech with segments like “Website Wednesdays” long before computers were a household item. Their shows frequently featured musicians, from the up-and-coming to the well-established, including the late guitar legend Les Paul who was a longtime friend and frequent on-air guest. The couple authored the Les Paul memoir “A Little More Les” in 2015.

iHeartMedia Gutting Office Space

iHeartMedia is cutting its office square footage by half across the U.S. The company does not plan to close offices in any of the 160 markets where it has a presence.

Worklife.com reports the company declined to share how much office space it currently pays for or a timeline for when this process will be completed. An iHeartMedia spokesperson said the reduction began as early as 2019.

A “huge portion” of the media and internet companies tracked by Craig Huber, media analyst and founder of research and advisory firm Huber Research Partners, has reduced their real estate footprint to save on costs in the past two years, he said. Many are getting out of leases or subleasing excess real estate.

While overall real estate costs at iHeartMedia have declined with a reduced real estate footprint, “much” of this money is being reallocated to hire more people, to develop more projects and build out technology at iHeartMedia, said iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman. “It’s a reallocation of expenses to where we will get our growth,” he said.

Locations pictured not necessarily included in  office cutback

 
Pittman declined to share how much money these changes will save the company overall. iHeartMedia had $63 million of free cash flow in the third quarter, and “when including the proceeds from real estate sales” its adjusted free cash flow was $70 million, said Rich Bressler, iHeartMedia president, COO and CFO, in a Q3 company earnings call.

Cause of Death For Journalist Grant Wahl Revealed

Grant Wahl’s cause of death was an undetected aortic aneurysm, his wife revealed on the American soccer writer’s blog Wednesday morning, reports The Boston Globe..

Wahl died last week while covering the World Cup in Qatar. His body was returned to the US on Monday, and an autopsy was performed by the New York City medical examiner’s office.

“Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium,” wrote his wife, Céline Gounder, who is an infectious diseases doctor. ”The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death.”

Wake-Up Call: Bankman-Fried Facing 8 Counts of Fraud

Sam Bankman-Fried was charged with eight counts of fraud and conspiracy. Federal prosecutors said the FTX founder defrauded his crypto exchange’s customers and his hedge fund’s lenders by using FTX.com deposits to pay Alameda Research’s expenses and debts. He also was charged with defrauding the U.S. and conspiring to make illegal political contributions.

According to new FTX CEO John J. Ray III’s testimony at a congressional hearing, the company has incurred more than $7 billion in losses. Bankman-Fried has said he bore responsibility for FTX’s collapse but denied committing fraud; his lawyer said that his client “is reviewing the charges with his legal team and considering all of his legal options.” 

Regulators allege that the founder of FTX Trading, Sam Bankman-Fried, "willfully and knowingly" defrauded investors. Bankman-Fried was arrested Monday in the Bahamas on federal charges filed in the U.S.

Here's what to know about the charges he's facing: https://t.co/O4sHbqsjcV

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 14, 2022

Also, the SEC alleged in a civil lawsuit that Bankman-Fried diverted customer funds from the start of FTX to support Alameda and to make venture investments, real-estate purchases and political donations, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a separate lawsuit accusing him and his companies of fraud that affected markets it regulates.

➤INFLATION EASES A BIT LAST MONTH:   The consumer-price index, a measurement of what consumers pay for goods and services, climbed 7.1% in November from a year ago, down from 7.7% in October, the Labor Department said. Inflation this year hit its highest level in four decades. Consumers saw lower prices for used cars, plane tickets and electricity in November compared with October, though food and shelter inflation continued to be elevated. Slowing inflation could intensify the debate over when the Fed should stop raising interest rates; the central bank is on track for a half-percentage-point increase this week.

The checks will feature the largest cost-of-living-adjustment to Social Security in 40 years. https://t.co/wwArpfO52l

— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 14, 2022

➤SOME TESLA INVESTOR'S ARE NERVOUS:  Some Tesla investors’ concerns are growing louder about how Elon Musk’s Twitter involvement affects the EV maker. The Tesla CEO acquired the social-media platform for $44 billion in October. At a trial about his Tesla compensation package last month, he said he'd been focusing on Twitter recently, but planned to reduce his time there and find somebody else to run it. Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment.

➤POLL:  TRUMP'S IN TROUBLE: As the former president is beleaguered by midterm losses and courtroom setbacks, Republican support for Donald Trump's presidential bid in 2024 has cratered, an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds. By 2-1, GOP and GOP-leaning voters now say they want Trump's policies but a different standard-bearer to carry them. While 31% want the former president to run, 61% prefer some other Republican nominee who would continue the policies Trump has pursued. And they've got somebody in mind: By double digits, GOP voters prefer Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the 2024 presidential nominee over Trump. The findings are a red flag for Trump, whose core support has been remarkably solid through firestorms over his personal behavior, provocative rhetoric, and most controversial actions in the White House. 

Boston Radio: WEEI-FM Cuts Mut At Night

More cuts at WEEI sports radio.

Earlier this week, the station announced former Boston Red Sox infielder  — and Providence College graduate — Lou Merloni is out at WEEI. 

Now, it is veteran Mike Mutnansky.

He Tweeted on Tuesday night:

Some news - next week will be my final week at WEEI.

Station management informed me last week they are not renewing my deal for 2023.

Will briefly talk about it in the first hour of tonight’s show.

— Mike Mutnansky (@MutWEEI) December 13, 2022

Mike Mutnansky has been hosting shows at WEEI since 2009. A 2002 graduate of UConn, 'Mut' actually interned for Glenn Ordway on "The Big Show" in the summer of 2001. A product of the mean streets of Pepperell, MA, Mut has hosted virtually every day-part for WEEI over the last 10 years. When he's not working you can find him coaching his son's baseball team or handicapping the next Triple Crown or Breeders Cup race.

Mut also hosts the M&M Investments podcast, where he covers horse racing and other sports betting-related topics

Entries Now Open For 2023 Edward R. Murrow Awards

The Radio Television Digital News Association is now accepting entries for the 2023 Edward R. Murrow Awards!

The Murrow Awards celebrate excellence in broadcast and digital journalism at the professional and student levels. To be eligible work must have been published between Jan. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2022.

The deadline for entry is 5 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Entries must be submitted as first heard on air or viewed online. See the full rules and eligibility.

Fox Business Launching New Shows

FOX Business Network (FBN) will debut two new programs starting January 23, 2023, announced Lauren Petterson, president of the network. 

Bloomberg Television’s Taylor Riggs has signed with the network to co-host The Big Money Show, alongside FBN’s Brian Brenberg and Jackie DeAngelis weekdays from 1-2 PM/ET while Dagen McDowell and Sean Duffy will co-host The Bottom Line which will air weeknights from 6-7 PM/ET. The Evening Edit with Elizabeth MacDonald will shift to 5-6 PM ET and Cavuto Coast to Coast will continue to air from 12-1 PM/ET.