Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Elevator Video Shows Jay Z Being Attacked

Rapper Jay Z was physically attacked by Beyonce’s sister in an elevator — it’s just not clear what sparked the bizarre incident.

TMZ obtained the surveillance video of the altercation, which apparently occurred at a Met Gala after party last week at the Standard Hotel in New York City.

Beyonce’s sister, Solange, can be seen viciously trying to hit and kick Jay Z almost immediately after the elevator doors close. She landed about three hits, according to the video available. A large man, presumably a bodyguard, attempts to control the woman and defuse the situation.

They all eventually left the elevator and strolled past the cameras. Jay Z got into a separate car than Beyonce and Solange.



Chicago Radio WGN To Unveil Personalities' Walk Of Fame

WGN Radio has been home to some legendary broadcasters since it first went on the air in 1924.

To honor that legacy, the station is putting 10 of those names -- covering 90 years of broadcasting -- in stone, reports The Chicago Tribune.

Work is beginning on the WGN Radio Walk of Fame, where plaques honoring 10 air personalities will be installed in the sidewalk outside the showcase studio along Michigan Ave. The initial inductees are: Jack Brickhouse, Bob Collins, Roy Leonard, Judy Markey, Spike O’Dell, Kathy O’Malley, Wally Phillips, Milt Rosenberg, Quin Ryan and Orion Samuelson.  

“In the inaugural year the idea was to represent all nine decades of the radio station’s life on the air,”  said Todd Manley, vice president of content  at WGN Radio.

Chicago Tribune publisher Col. Robert McCormick put WGN Radio on the air in March 1924, with the call letters standing for World's Greatest Newspaper. Over the years, the groundbreaking station aired everything from the first Indianapolis 500 broadcast to the Scopes Monkey Trial.

The Walk of Fame will be unveiled on June 27, the culmination of a month-long celebration of WGN Radio’s 90th anniversary. The inaugural class was chosen for its star power and longevity, according to Manley.

Bios and career highlights of the inductees: Click Here

WGN-AM 720 is not the only Chicago radio station celebrating its 90th anniversary. WLS-AM 890 went on the air on April 12, 1924. Originally owned by Sears Roebuck Company, the call letters stood for World’s Largest Store.

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May 13 In Radio History


In 1941...Pop singer Ritchie Valens, remembered for the hits "La Bamba" and "Donna," was born. He died in a plane crash with singers Buddy Holly and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson on Feb. 3, 1959 at 17.



In 1956...The musical variety show, "Gene Autry's Melody Ranch," aired its final broadcast after 16 years on CBS Radio. The program featured 10 to 15 minute skits about cowboys and rustlers, along with musical numbers by Autry.


In 1969...The Beatles, now with beards and long hair, met at EMI House in London to replicate the cover of their first album for the cover of their current album project, "Get Back." When that project evolved into "Let It Be," the photograph was put aside until its eventual use for the cover of the compilation release, "The Beatles 1967-1970," nicknamed the "blue album."

Monday, May 12, 2014

Philly Radio: WPHT's Stigall Calls Smerconish An Elitist Snob

Chris Stigall
WPHT 1210 AM morning show host Chris Stigall responded Monday to comments made last Friday by talker Michael Smerconish.

Smerconish appeared Friday on the CBS This Morning to promote his new book 'Talk'.  During the CBS-TV interview Smerconish denounced talk radio: "I think it's entertainment masked as news and I wanted to expose it because I think it's had a horrific impact on polarization and incivility in the country."

SEE ORIGINAL POST: Click Here.

Monday, Chris Stigall took Smerconish, who is a former WPHT talker, to task.  Among other things Stigall called Smerconish an elitist snob.

LISTEN TO AUDIO: Click Here.

Tampa Radio: Three Bubba Attorneys Face Diciplinary Action

Bubba The Love Sponge Clem
The Florida Bar is moving forward to discipline three lawyers in the DUI setup of a courtroom rival, according to myfoxtampabay.com.

The Bar says there is enough probable cause for disciplinary proceedings against Stephen Diaco, Robert Adams, and Adam Filthaut.

They three were members of the defense team for radio persoanlity Bubba The Love Sponge Clem. Bubba succesully fought a civil lawsuit filed by crosstown rival Todd Schnitt.

SEE 'JURY SAYS SCHNITT NOT DEFAMED': Click Here

During the trial, Schnitt's lead attorney was stopped for allegedly driving DUI.  A special prosecutor found that Campbell's arrest was a setup, which also invoved Sgt. Ray Fernandez, who was the head of TPD's DUI squad.

Fernandez was eventually fired for his role in the setup.

Prosecutors dropped charges against Campbell; the FBI is investigating whether his civil rights were violated.

The Florida Bar will file a formal complaint to the Florida Supreme Court. From there, the court will appoint a referee to look into the matter.

M-C: Boston Radio..Sports WEEI To Make Midday Changes


WEEI 93.7 FM and its parent company Entercom will announce changes to its midday program Monday, according to boston.com.

Lou Merloni, the Framingham native and former Red Sox infielder, will remain as a host of the program. He will be joined by two new daily co-hosts on the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. program: former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria and Tim Benz, a New England native who is currently a host on 970 ESPN Pittsburgh and the Clear Channel Pittsburgh sports director.

Tim Benz
Benz will join the program -- titled "Middays with MFB'' -- sometime later in the month after the Penguins complete their Stanley Cup playoff series with the Rangers.  Benz was morning show host at CCM+E's WXDX for eight years and since January he's been sports director of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment's Pittsburgh stations.

Mike Mutnansky, who has been paired with Merloni on the WEEI midday show since February 2011, is no longer part of the program. He will shift to another role at Entercom over the next few weeks.

Mutnansky and Merloni formed a knowledgeable tandem and the show had a genial tone, yet the ratings have suffered.

WEEI 93.7 FM (34Kw) 54dBu Coverage
In the Nielsen winter ratings period (January 2-March 26), "Mut and Merloni'' ranked a distant 10th in its time slot among the coveted men 25-54 demographic. Its chief sports radio competition, 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Gresh and Zo'' show, was second with an 8.9 share.

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"We are thrilled with the new team we have assembled," said WEEI program director and brand manager Kevin Graham.

"This show will be the only sports radio program in New England that offers listeners insight from a former major leaguer and a former NFL player. When you add in the sports radio experience of New England native Tim Benz, listeners will hear a brand new sound in the market."

Graham describes the new program as "fast-paced, loose and fun with a diverse mix of opinions and entertainment." The show will be called "Middays with MFB" and will also be heard across New England on the WEEI Radio Network.

Report: Wheeler Revising Net Neutrality Plan

The head of the Federal Communications Commission is revising proposed rules for regulating broadband Internet, including offering assurances that the agency won't allow companies to segregate Web traffic into fast and slow lanesm according to wsj.com.

The new language by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to be circulated as early as Monday is an attempt to address criticism of his proposal unveiled last month that would ban broadband providers from blocking or slowing down websites but allow them to strike deals in which content companies could pay them for faster delivery of Web content to customers.

The plan has drawn criticism from a wide range of players in the technology world, including Google Inc., Netflix Inc. and dozens of prominent tech investors, who say that such deals will inherently segregate the Internet into fast and slow lanes.

In the new draft, Mr. Wheeler is sticking to the same basic approach but will include language that would make clear that the FCC will scrutinize the deals to make sure that the broadband providers don't unfairly put nonpaying companies' content at a disadvantage, according to an agency official.

The official said the draft would also seek comment on whether such agreements, called "paid prioritization," should be banned outright, and look to prohibit the big broadband companies, such as Comcast Corp. and AT&T Inc.from doing deals with some content companies on terms that they aren't offering to others.

Mr. Wheeler's language will also invite comments on whether broadband Internet service should be considered a public utility, which would subject it to greater regulation. The FCC has so far not reclassified broadband as a utility, and providers have fiercely opposed such a move, saying it would cause innovation and investment to collapse.

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Nielsen Maps Out Music


Nielsen has created an interesting infographic which illustrates how regions in the US interact with music.

Music Mapped Out that carves the U.S. into regions, and analyzes how their populations listen to, and pay for, music.

For example:
  • The Pacific coast streams music to a greater extent (51.3%) than any other region. That population also pays for music streams more than other populations (7.5%).
  • Conversely, the northern-middle part of the country takes least advantage of streaming, at 37%.
  • In every region, the car radio is the most-used listening medium, and PCs are the second-most preferred. Only the third-most used device is up for grabs throughout the U.S.

Atlanta Radio: WYAY-FM Rebrands As Newsradio 106.7


Cumulus Media has announced that beginning Monday, May 12, Atlanta radio station WYAY-FM “All News 106.7” will become Newsradio 106.7, the place for Atlanta’s best local news and talk.

The station’s new line-up features three daily local talk shows, and all-news blocks during the morning commute (5:00 a.m -8:30 p.m.) and the drive home (3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.). Starting Monday, Michael Graham will host a live, local talk show weekdays from 8:30 a.m. till Noon. Graham began his talk radio career at WBT-AM in Charlotte, followed by stints in Richmond and Washington, D.C. He then moved to Boston, where he became a fixture in talk radio.

Graham is followed by Kim “The Kimmer” Peterson, whose show airs Noon-3:00 p.m.

Newsradio 106.7 will also feature live local talk weekday evenings from 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Cumulus Media’s John Batchelor Show will air from 10:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m., followed by Cumulus’ Red Eye Radio from 1:00 a.m.-5:00 a.m.

WYAY 106.7 FM (77Kw) 60dBu Coverage
Newsradio 106.7 remains the FM home of the Atlanta Braves and continues to partner with Fox Five (WAGA-TV) as Atlanta’s Local News Team. The station also will continue to provide business news updates in partnership with The Atlanta Business Chronicle.

John Dickey, Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer for Cumulus, said: “Newsradio 106.7 is Atlanta’s best resource for in-depth news and compelling, entertaining talk about the things that matter most in our lives. Our five-star news team, in partnership with Fox Five, tells listeners what’s happening locally, nationally and around the world. Our fresh talk personalities, including Michael Graham and Kim Peterson, help the audience understand, respond and sometimes even laugh about those events.”

Entercom Earnings Report Flat Can Be Okay

Entercom Communications Corp. Friday reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2014.

First Quarter Highlights
  • Net Revenues were flat at $78.2 million 
  • Station Expenses were flat at $57.8 million 
  • Station Operating Income was flat at $20.4 million 
  • Adjusted EBITDA declined slightly to $15.1 million 
  • Adjusted Net Income per share more than doubled to $0.05 
  • Free Cash Flow increased 19% to $4.7 million 
David J. Field
David J. Field, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated: "I am pleased to report that Free Cash Flow increased 19% for the quarter. First quarter Revenues were up excluding the effect of our non-renewal of Boston Celtics radio broadcasts, despite the unusually challenging winter weather that impacted many of our markets. We are increasingly enthusiastic about the radio industry's future growth outlook based on a number of recent developments, most notably the release of the Nielsen Catalina study which showed radio generating outstanding ROI results across ten major national brands, significantly outperforming other competitive media."

During the quarter, the Company launched SmartReach Digital, a new division that will help local businesses navigate the growing universe of digital marketing options. It will focus on designing and implementing fully integrated local digital marketing strategies to help simplify the complex and constantly changing digital marketing landscape for local businesses. SmartReach Digital will offer a number of products and services that enable local businesses to attract, activate and engage targeted leads. SmartReach Digital has rolled out in six of Entercom's markets as of April 1. Additional markets will be added over the next twelve months.

The Company reduced its outstanding debt by $18.1 million (net of cash) during the quarter. As of March 31, 2014, the Company had $5.9 million in cash and $492.7 million of senior debt and senior notes.

LA Radio: Pop Meets Club Music At Wango Tango

Calvin Harris performs (Andrew Hrera photo)
KIIS 102.7 FM Wango Tango's sold-out 2014 edition was held Saturday at the StubHub Center in Carson, according to a LA Times review.

Ariana Grande
It  featured appearances by more than a dozen acts, including Shakira, Maroon 5, Ariana Grande and Zedd. All had come to perform their hits — quickly — as a kind of quid pro quo meant to ensure future airplay.

"I got 20 minutes," Calvin Harris said as his set at Wango Tango came to a close, and that was all he needed.

Careful not to offend his host, the Scottish DJ was complaining ever so mildly about the brevity of his slot at this annual pop-music extravaganza put on by L.A.'s Top 40 radio powerhouse KIIS-FM.

If the hurried ring-kissing left Harris feeling crowded, though, he needn't have worried. Short as it was, his set, which came about halfway through the six-hour event, provided Wango Tango's first real eruption of energy.

As he did at last month's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Harris was hitting a sweet spot at the intersection of radio pop and club music, with sticky choruses laid over stomping beats that might have banged on for hours in other settings.

Shakira, atypically dressed down in jeans and a T-shirt, moved her body like no robot can in "Hips Don't Lie" and "Can't Remember to Forget You." Ed Sheeran enlisted the crowd as backup vocalists in "Sing," which the British folkie played as a one-man band, thumping the body of his guitar for percussion.

Grande peppered her effervescent pop-soul songs with lively vocal runs, while Adam Levine of Maroon 5 strutted across the stage like any number of peacocking frontmen before him.

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FL Radio: JoJo Kincaid Returns Home To Gainesville


JoJo Kincaid
JoJo Kincaid has been named the new afternoon host for JVC Media’s WYGC 104.9 FM in Gaineville, FL.

The move is a homecoming for Kincaid, who began his radio career in Gainesville, Florida, at the age of fifteen.

Over his career, he has worked in eight of America’s top 10 radio markets, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. He most recently worked at WRBQ-FM in Tampa, Florida.

WYGC-FM is a Classic Hits radio station broadcasting in the Gainesville, Florida, area.

WYGC 104.9 FM (3.2Kw) 60dBu Coverage

Finalists For 2014 Radio Mercury Awards Announced

157 radio spots and campaigns have made it to the finals of the 2014 Radio Mercury Awards, which honors outstanding radio created by advertising agencies, production companies, radio stations and students.

According to the Radio Advertising Bureau, DDB NY and Clear Channel Media + Entertainment lead this year's entries throughout multiple categories. Publicis Kaplan Thaler and The Richards Group closely follow with multiple nominations. The Radio Marketer of the Year will be awarded to GEICO at the June 4 awards event.

The 2014 finalists incorporate a wide range of small to large advertising agencies and radio stations alike, as well as national and regional advertisers from the automotive, consumer packaged goods, beer, entertainment, fast food, financial services, insurance, telecommunications and retail categories. Entries were judged on their creativity, originality and effective communication of a brand's message.

"This group of finalists all created stories to help develop their client's brand and messaging," noted Matt Eastwood, chief creative officer, DDB NY and Chief Judge for the 2014 Radio Mercury Awards. "We really heard a new level of creative executions specific to what radio does best and that is storytelling."

"Radio continues to be an effective and strategic medium to build brand awareness and drive ROI, no matter the advertiser or marketer," said Erica Farber, president and CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau. "Not only am I encouraged by the creative use of radio, which is always set at such a high bar, but I am thrilled to see the caliber of radio station produced spots and campaigns shining in this year's competition."

The final round judging panel included Chief Judge Matt Eastwood, chief creative officer, DDB NY; Jill Applebaum, group creative director, JWT NY; Chris Beresford - Hill, executive creative director, BBDO NY; Wayne Best, founder, COG NYC; Pablo Buffagni, chief creative officer, Grupo Gallegos; Jim Elliott, chief creative officer, Y&R NY; Mark Gross, executive vice president / executive creative director, DDB Chicago; Joe Johnson, executive creative director, Publicis, NY; and Jeff Vinick, EVP, Executive Creative Officer, Deutsch NY.

2014 Radio Mercury Awards Finalists: - To listen to this year's finalists: Click Here.

Report: Michael Smerconish Slams Talk Radio

Appearing on Friday's CBS This Morning, Sirius XM radio and CNN host Michael Smerconish, to promote his new fictional novel about the talk radio business entitled "Talk", denounced the industry: "I think it's entertainment masked as news and I wanted to expose it because I think it's had a horrific impact on polarization and incivility in the country."

According to newsbusters.com, co-host Norah O'Donnell challenged Smerconish's accusation that talk radio was to blame for polarization: "The rise of talk radio has coincided with increasing partisanship in politics. But I'm not sure it's the cause of it. There are a lot of other factors and there's always been partisan media since the beginning of media."

Smerconish insisted: "Norah, I disagree with you, respectfully. I think it is a significant causal factor in this....In the early 1980s, on Ronald Reagan's watch, 60% of the Senate comprised of moderates. Today, literally none." O'Donnell countered: "And that's because of talk radio?"

Co-host Charlie Rose wondered why so many talk radio hosts were conservative. Smerconish explained: "I think conservatives rightfully believed they had nowhere to go. The Big Three networks, the Washington Post, the New York Times didn't give them a feeling that the red carpet had been rolled out. So they carved out this clubhouse for themselves."


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Facebook Blocks Fox Radio Host Post

Todd Starnes
Facebook blocked Fox News Radio’s Todd Starnes after he posted a message on his fan page supporting the National Rifle Association, Paula Deen and Jesus. He was also prevented from posting a daily Bible verse on the page, according to the Fox News Channel.

The post generated hundreds of comments and went viral. But Facebook said what Starnes wrote violated their policies.

“We removed this from Facebook because it violates our Community Standards,” Facebook wrote in a message to Starnes. “So you’re temporarily blocked from using this feature.”

Starnes is the host of Fox News & Commentary – a daily radio commentary heard on hundreds of stations around the nation. He is a member of the National Rifle Association and owns a number of Paula Deen cookbooks. He also owns a Cracker Barrel rocking chair and is fond of sweet tea.

And he is also a fan of Southern Gospel music groups like the Gaither Vocal Band.

The Fox News Radio host said it was disturbing the social networking site would target a group of conservative patriotic Americans — especially since they allow incredibly obscene Facebook pages to exist.

After a massive public outcry, Facebook relented and apologized for removing the post and blocking Starnes.

“A member of our team accidentally removed something you posted on Facebook,” read a statement from Facebook. “This was a mistake, and we sincerely apologize for this error.”

In other words, they blamed a low-level employee from their Cincinnati office, quipped Starnes.

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Miami Radio: Grieving Family Files Lawsuit In Boating Death

A grieving family has filed a lawsuit against Pitbull’s vodka brand and Miami radio personality DJ Laz following the tragedy that took one family member’s life involving the DJ and vodka brand Voli Spirits last week in South Florida, according to voxxi.com.

Victim Ernesto Hernandez’s mother, Maricel Valdez, asked for damages in excess of $15,000 in the death of her son, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday morning.

Hernandez’s cause of death is listed as “multiple chop wounds” by the medical examiner after he was reportedly in the water, trying to push off DJ Laz’s boat promoting Voli Spirits vodka after it got stuck on a sandbar on Sunday, May 4th in Key Biscayne, Fla.

SEE ORIGINAL POSTING: Click Here

The family announced the lawsuit against Pitbull’s Voli Spirits vodka brand and DJ Laz claiming negligence.

“He jumped out in the water and he pushed the boat and he got killed by the negligence of the captain of the ship,” said attorney Carlos Silva, who represents Valdez, in a report published by NBC 6 Miami.

“He had the engines running while he was in the water trying to push the boat off the sand bar, it makes absolutely no sense.”

The lawsuit against the DJ and brand also names Park Street Imports and Plantation Boat Mart and Marina as co-defendant, identifying renowned artist Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Perez, as a spokesperson and majority owner of Voli Spirits.

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May 12 In Radio History


In 1908...wireless Radio broadcasting was patented by Nathan B Stubblefield

Stubblefield
Stubblefield (November 22, 1860 - March 28, 1928) was an American inventor and Kentucky melon farmer. It has been claimed that Stubblefield demonstrated radio in 1892, but his devices seem to have worked by audio frequency induction or, later, audio frequency earth conduction (creating disturbances in the near-field region) rather than by radio frequency radiation for radio transmission telecommunications.

He made public demonstrations of voice and music transmission to five receiving locations on the courthouse square in Murray on January 1, 1902, witnessed by at least 1,000 people, apparently using voice frequency transmission through earth conduction, to a radius of one-half mile. Later he demonstrated wireless telephony in Washington, D.C. on March 20, 1902, where voice and music transmissions were made over a third of a mile from the steamer Bartholdi to shore. He demonstrated wireless telephony as well in Philadelphia on May 30, 1902 to a distance of a half mile. His experiments were discussed in leading scientific journals.

In 1903, he could transmit 375 feet without earth connections, using induction. In 1904, he could transmit 423 yards. The total wire required for the transmitting and receiving coils was of a greater length than what would be required to simply interconnect the transmitter and receiver, but the invention would allow mobility.

By 1907, with a 60-foot transmitting coil, he could work 1/4 mile or 1,320 feet "nicely." On May 12, 1908, he received U.S. patent 887,357 for his Wireless Telephone, using the voice frequency induction system. He said in the patent that it would be useful for "securing telephonic communications between moving vehicles and way stations". The diagram shows wireless telephony from trains, boats, and wagons. In foreign patents he showed wireless telephony with cars. However, there is no indication that he was using voice-modulated continuous high frequency waves, as used for radio today.

Stubblefield's inventions did not lead directly to radio as the technology works today, but the public demonstrations in 1902 and the press coverage in the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post, the Louisville Courier-Journal, Scientific American, and elsewhere helped to spur public interest in the possibilities of wireless transmission of voice and music. Most other inventors of the era sought to provide point-to-point messaging, to compete with telephone and telegraph companies.

Stubblefield in the 1902 was in a sense the "Father of Broadcasting", in that he said to the St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter in 1902, "..it is capable of sending simultaneous messages from a central distributing station over a very wide territory. For instance, anyone having a receiving instrument, which would consist merely of a telephone receiver and a signalling gong, could, upon being signalled by a transmitting station in Washington, or nearer, if advisable, be informed of weather news. My apparatus is capable of sending out a gong signal, as well as voice messages. Eventually, it will be used for the general transmission of news of every description".


In 1930…Syndicated gossip columnist Walter Winchell made his radio debut on WABC-New York. From 1930 to the late 1950s, his Sunday night broadcasts on the ABC Radio Network were heard by an estimated 20 million people.

Here's audio from a 1941 broadcast...



In 1965…In Hollywood, the Rolling Stones re-recorded "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which they had first recorded in Chicago two days earlier. It was this Hollywood version that was released. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Satisfaction" #2 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, runner-up to Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." In 2006 it was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.