May 1 In Radio History

In 1931...Kate Smith, famed singer, began her Radio program on the CBS Radio Network.

Here's clip of a show aired during WW2.



In 1957...Larry King broadcast on Radio for the first time.

Clip of Larry talking about radio...



In 1957...WBBR changes call letters to WPOW, NYC.  The religious talks and placid string and organ music of WBBR disappeared, and the new station embarked on a series of changes that would repeatedly make it something of a pioneer in New York area radio.  Offices and a closet-sized studio for WPOW at 41 E. 42nd St. in Manhattan, but most of the broadcast operation remained at the Staten Island transmitter.


In 1972...the Mutual Black Radio Network debuted.

The network igned on May 1, 1972 with 32 affiliates, including flagship New Jersey station WNJR, KCOH Houston, KWK St. Louis, and WIGO Atlanta. It was an easy start-up: vice-president Stephen McCormick said all he had to do was hire the staff - 15 black newsmen, six editors, supervisors and salesmen. The news director was Shelton Lewis, once of New York's WPAT; working with him in New York was Robert Nichols, Joe White and Gerald Bentley. Staffing the Washington bureau was Ed Castleberry, Larry Dean, John Askew and Abby Kendrick.

The network fed five-minute news and sports broadcasts hourly from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day, some 100 programs a week. By June 1972, the 32 affiliates had grown to 55; by September, there were more than 80.

Among MBN's program offerings: "Dr. Martin Luther King Speaks," a weekly 20-minute program produced by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference featuring excerpts from Dr. King's speeches, along with comments of black leaders such as Jesse Jackson, Ralph Abernathy, and Benjamin Hooks; and "The Black Experience," a daily feature profiling black Americans and their contributions to American life.


In 1976...Jonathan Schwartz did his last show on WNEW-FM.

Schwartz worked at New York's WNEW-FM from 1967 to 1976, followed by stints at WNEW, WQEW, and currently WNYC-FM. Schwartz also served as programming director for XM Satellite Radio's now-defunct High Standards channel, and later appeared on Sirius XM's Siriusly Sinatra and '40s on 4 channels. His last Sirius XM program was on August 2, 2013.

Schwartz is best known for his two four-hour-long weekend broadcasts on WNYC-FM, The Saturday Show and The Sunday Show, which comprise about half talk and half an eclectic mix of music. Both week-end broadcasts are simulcast on wnyc.org. Beginning September 15, 2012, The Saturday Show has been heard in the evenings, while The Sunday Show is heard in the afternoons, New York time; The Saturday Show is recorded on Saturday afternoons, and a live stream of it can also be heard via The Jonathan Channel, as well as original programs recorded Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings.

Here's an audio clip from Sept. 2013, Schwartz talks about the old WNEW-AM and personality Ted Brown:


In his talk during the shows, Schwartz will discuss many famous pop songwriters and singers, and jazz artists.


In 1982...First WCBS-FM NYC Top 20 Countdown (1966).

Joe McCoy today

The Countdown debuted during the tenure of Joe McCoy as program director. In 1981, began to gradually shift its focus to the 1964–1969 era, but would also feature a more pre-1964 oldies than most other such stations. The station continued to also feature hits of the 1970s and some hits of the 1980s while cutting future gold selections to one per hour.

Also in the 1980s, after WABC 770 AM and later WNBC 660 AM abandoned music in favor of talk, WCBS-FM began employing many disc jockeys who were widely known on other New York City stations (and sometimes nationally), most notably Musicradio WABC alumni Ron Lundy, Dan Ingram, Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Morrow, Chuck Leonard and Harry Harrison, as well as Dan Daniels and Jack Spector.


In 1997...the Howard Stern Radio Show debuted on KIOZ-FM, San Diego, California.

Beasley Broadcast Group Reports Revenue Drop

The Beasley Broadcast Group Inc. today reported net income of $700,000, or 3 cents per share, in the quarter ended March 31, down from net income of $2.4 million, or 11 cents a share, in the same quarter a year ago.

The company reported that its income tax expense increased by $1.3 million, or 128.8 percent, in the quarter compared to a year ago.

Net revenue was $2.4 million in the quarter, down from $2.8 million a year ago.

"The first quarter decline in net revenue reflects several factors that primarily impacted our three largest markets, including the severe winter weather which had a negative effect on our operations in the northeast," George G. Beasley, chairman and CEO, said in a release announcing the earnings.

Beasley operates 44 stations, 28 FM and 16 AM, located in eleven large- and mid-size markets in the United States.

NAB Requesting Marconi Nominations From Members

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced it will accept nominations from NAB member radio stations between May 1 - 31 for the 25th NAB Marconi Radio Awards, which recognize overall excellence in radio broadcasting.

Winners will be announced during the NAB Marconi Radio Awards 25th Anniversary Dinner & Show, held September 11 at the Radio Show in Indianapolis.

New this year, general managers may nominate NAB member stations and personalities for a 2014 Marconi Radio Award based on either market size or format. Categories include "Station of the Year by Market Size," "Station of the Year by Format," "Personality of the Year by Market Size," "Spanish Format Personality of the Year" and "Legendary Station." Member stations and syndicators may also submit nominations for "Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year."

Also new to the awards is a category for noncommercial radio stations. Noncommercial stations may choose to compete in one category: "Station of the Year by Market Size," "Station of the Year by Format," or "Noncommercial Station of the Year."

Nominations must be submitted online by May 31. Finalists will be announced in July. Guidelines are available to help radio stations build strong entries.

Dickey: Cumulus Evolving Beyond Local Spot Radio

CEO Lew Dickey on Tuesday's earnings conference call with analysts stated Cumulus has evolved its revenue strategy over the past 2.5 years since we closed on our Citadel acquisition, beyond the traditional local spot radio.

Lew Dickey

"We've now become a very diverse national audio advertising and content platform. Our base is fueled by our strong core broadcast advertising category, anchored by our 460 owned-and-operated stations and again, amplified by now more than 10,000 broadcast radio affiliates throughout the U.S."

Moreover, Dickey said Cumulus is developing "an emerging growth stream in digital advertising that is gaining real traction".  Adding that Licensing also provides the company with a significant second stream of non-advertising-based revenue and should continue to grow nicely as it develops NASH and other original content into multimedia brands with multiple revenue streams.

According to Dickey, Cumulus content initiatives will provide the company with new revenue streams originating from monetizing the consumer, as opposed to just the advertiser, through subscription services.

He also outlined key highlights:

• "We are well on our way to successfully rebranding the majority of our owned-and-operated NASH platform as NASH FM. By the end of this year, we expect over 50 fully branded NASH FM affiliates and will begin offering full affiliations to non-owned stations starting in January of 2015."
• The NASH long-form syndicated radio shows are also gaining traction across the country with significant ratings improvements in key markets, particularly the NASH evening show with Shawn Parr.
• Multi-platform asset approach is really developing nicely. "We're in active discussions to create our partner for extensions and video, digital and live events and expect to announce new developments -- key developments shortly."
• The revenue model for NASH will consist of a platform sponsorship for broadcast, cable, digital, print and event, as well as content licensing fees, a B2C subscription package and then ticketing, as well as merchandising revenue. "We're focused on executing our plan around NASH and look forward to announcing a second content vertical sometime next year."
• As an update on our 2013 growth initiatives, CBS Sports Radio, Right Now Traffic are -- both CBS Sports Radio and Right Now Traffic are hitting their strides as national content brands.

Cumulus To Launch Another NASH Station In A Top 10 Market

Billboard graphic

During Tuesday's earnings call, CEO Lew Dickey told analysts that Cumulus sees  country music as a 90 million person consumer segment.

"It's a quarter of the U.S. adult population. So it's not regional. It's a very large segment. We've got over 1 million people in New York City that listen to our NASH station. And we'll be announcing a NASH station in another top 10 market in the next -- probably in the next 60 days."

According to Dickey, country music is a very large and popular lifestyle or type or genre of music. "The NASH brand is, in essence, a way to package that and to create through multiple platforms and using the leverage of that to create access for advertisers to -- for -- and for listeners or consumers, if you will, to embrace this brand and to self-identify with this brand and provide a marketing channel through the various components of this brand, whether it be audio, video, digital, print, events and ultimately, licensing and merchandise."

He added, "The NASH brand is quite friendly. It's uniquely American and it is, quite frankly, it's exportable. So I think it does go beyond our borders as evidenced by the ticket sales and the reaction overseas. We've already had requests from some international broadcasters on, can they affiliate with NASH. And so I do think there's going to be licensing opportunities and the ability go beyond our borders, but we're very, very focused obviously on building this platform out right now."

Dickey also stated Cumulus expects the NASH brand to do $25 million of incremental revenue next year.

Journal Earnings Report: 4 Percent Radio Revenue Drop

Journal Communications, Inc. Tuesday announced results for its first quarter ended March 30, 2014.

Steven J. Smith

“We are pleased to report that Journal Communications revenue grew nearly 4% in the first quarter benefiting from the Winter Olympics and growth in television retransmission revenue. In addition, publishing advertising revenue was essentially flat for the quarter,” said Steven J. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Journal Communications.

“In the first quarter, Journal Communications’ total revenue was $97 million, driving an operating earnings increase of 44% in the quarter.”

First Quarter 2014 Highlights and Changes from First Quarter 2013:

• Revenue of $96.6 million, up 3.7%.
• Television revenue of $46.0 million, up 12.6%.
• Retransmission revenue of $9.8 million, up 85.6%.
• Operating earnings of $12.0 million, up 43.7%.
• After-tax gain on the sale of Palm Springs television stations of $6.0 million - EPS of $0.12 from discontinued operations.
• Diluted EPS of $0.12 from continuing operations, compared to $0.08.

For the first quarter, revenue from radio decreased 4.0% to $15.2 million. Radio political advertising revenue was $0.1 million in each of 2014 and 2013. Local advertising revenue, excluding political, decreased 3.2%, primarily due to a decrease in restaurant and financial advertising. Digital revenue, which is reported in local revenue, was $0.6 million, up 7.8%. National advertising revenue, excluding political, decreased 18.0%, primarily due to a decrease in automotive and financial advertising. Total revenue, excluding political revenue, was $15.1 million, down 4.2%.

Operating earnings from radio were $2.1 million compared to $2.4 million, a decrease of 11.9%. Radio operating expenses decreased 2.6%, or 0.8% excluding a $0.2 million non-cash building impairment charge recorded in 2013, primarily due to lower programming rights fees.

Majority of House Now Supports Local Radio Freedom Act

A broadcaster-backed effort to keep local radio stations from paying musicians for songs has gained the support of more than half of the House of Representatives, according to The Hill.

As some members push measures that would require AM/FM radio stations to pay for the songs they play, 219 members of the House have signed onto the Local Radio Freedom Act.

That resolution — introduced by Reps. Michael Conway (R-Texas) and Gene Green (D-Texas) early last year — prohibits "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge” on local AM/FM radio stations.
The Senate companion resolution was introduced last year by Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) has 12 other senators backing it.

Though AM/FM radio stations do not currently have to pay artists for songs the stations broadcast, some members of Congress are pushing bills that would require radio stations to pay these “royalty fees.”

Advocates for radio royalty fees say the current system creates an uneven playing field between AM/FM radio stations and other radio stations, such as satellite and Internet radio services.

Opponents say a law requiring radio stations to pay royalty fees would overlook the fact that artists gain exposure through the free advertising that AM/FM radio stations provide.

According to the National Association of Broadcasters, the large number of supporters backing the Local Radio Freedom Act indicates that many in Congress agree that radio royalty fees aren’t needed.

Ted Kalo, executive director of the musicFIRST coalition, said that his group is “confident many of these 'cosponsors' also support” royalty fees for radio stations.

"Signing onto a commemorative resolution, most commonly used to honor sports teams and name post offices, is an empty gesture and hardly a reliable barometer of support,” he said in a statement.

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DC Radio: Bert Show Never Had 'All Wheels On the Track'

Bert Weiss (ajc photo)

And that's from Bert Weiss himself.

Commenting to RAMP about the demise of the Bert Show on WRQX 107.3 FM as of Friday, Weiss says

"There are numerous factors that contribute to any morning show being successful or failing. I never felt like the Bert Show had all the wheels on the track in DC. A lot of factors made it a 'tough putt,'" he said. "We're in an industry that demands results and I understand the urgency of seeing ratings growth quickly. It didn't happen in this case. 

We're in 25 cites now and this is the only station where we haven't worked. It definitely stings because this station and city are so personal for me. We put our heart and souls into ensuring ratings success in each city we're in so it hurts a lot when it doesn't work out."

The Bert Show with Weiss and co-hosts Jeff Dauler and Kristin Klingshirn was installed on WRQX  to replace 24-year predessesor Jack Diamond.

Weiss, whose show is based at Cumulus Top 40 WWWQ (Q100)/Atlanta, further explained to RAMP,
"[Cumulus EVP/co-COO] John Dickey and I met and agreed that the parts just didn't fit and it was best for us all to focus on future properties."

Detroit: NASH-FM Adds Lauren Crocker for Mid-Days

Lauren Crocker

WDRQ 93.1 FM The New NASH FM has announced the addition of  Lauren Crocker to middays in the Motor City, Monday-Friday 10a-3p, beginning May 19th.

Lauren will segue to NASH FM 93-1 from her current position as Middays/Music Director at Hot AC WWZY Monmouth-Ocean NJ. This is a reunion for Crocker with newly installed NASH FM 93-1 PD/PM Driver Robby Bridges for whom she did mornings when he programmed AC WFAS Westchester, NY. Her previous experience also includes CHR WBBO on the Jersey Shore and WKTU/New York.

Jan Jeffries, Cumulus Senior Vice President/Programming, said: “A big Cumulus welcome to Lauren as she arrives in Motor City. Lauren is the complete personality package that will greatly accelerate NASH FM 93-1’s midday growth and bonding with Detroit Country radio listeners.”

Robby Bridges, Program Director/Afternoons, NASH FM 93-1 Detroit, said: "After an extensive nationwide search, we kept coming back to LC. Lauren is full of energy, enthusiasm and is just an all around happy-go-lucky person. It's been delightful for me to watch her truly come into her own as an air talent and production voice, who is also great at live events and social media. Bottom line, I believe she is a star on the rise and I'm thrilled to work with her again!"

Lauren Crocker said: “I am beyond excited and honored to be back in the Cumulus family and reunited with the extremely talented Robby Bridges. Joining a powerhouse like NASH FM 93.1 at this stage in my career is a dream come true and I am still pinching myself! I am ready to make the Motor City, my city!”

Philly Radio: Chio Replaces Logan At WISX

Chio

A familiar voice is returning to the Philly radio dial.  Chio - of  "Chio in the Morning" fame - will start airing his show May 1st on WISX 106.1 FM.

But there's a catch, according to philly.com.

Chio, who was let go from WRDW 96.5 FM Wired in December 2012, had landed at KSSX 95.7 Kiss FM, in San Diego, and he won't be moving back. Both Mix and Kiss are owned by Clear Channel, allowing for the cross-pollination.

Instead, he'll do a customized broadcast from 6 to 9 a.m. Eastern time from San Diego. For those keeping score at home, that means the dude will start work at 3 a.m. Pacific time.

His co-host will be Nicole Michalik, who is the co-host of the Mix 106.1 morning show. She will broadcast from Philadelphia. Chio and Nicole worked together while Chio was still with WIOQ 102.1 FM Q102, and Nicole was just getting her start in radio.

Logan, who previously hosted the Mix morning show, is no longer with the company.

Report: Apple To Launch Song-ID Feature for iPhone Software

Pandora is still the dominant in online streaming radio, with a 31 percent share of all listeners, according to Edison Research’s 2014 Infinite Dial survey, with Apple’s iTunes Radio far behind, at 8 percent. However, according to The Wall Street Cheat Sheet, there are indications that the audience gap might narrow, as Apple is rumored to soon introduce a feature Pandora doesn’t offer.

As reported by Bloomberg, sources close to the project say Apple will unveil a song discovery feature during a preview of its mobile software update, iOS 8, at the company’s annual developer conference in June. Partnering with music identification service Shazam, the app will be able to capture a song via the iPhone or iPad’s microphone using its voice-activated search feature, Siri, and match it in Apple’s iTunes database, which the company has expanded even as song download rates have gone down.

Apple and Pandora have been stepping on each other’s toes for years, but the competition appeared to shift into higher gear last September, when the iPhone maker launched a music streaming service with iTunes Radio last September.

In a recently filed court ruling that settled a royalty rate dispute between Pandora and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) the presiding judge echoed the sentiment of some in the market, saying that “Pandora has continued to grow despite the presence of iTunes Radio.”  Whether or not Pandora will be able to continue to grow at the fast pace it managed through February of this year is less clear.

The possible introduction of an official iTunes app for the Android mobile OS could increase the radio service’s footprint enormously.

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Report: Commercial Free Music Still Gives SiriusXM An Edge

Increasingly, newer competitors are entering the audio entertainment market and magnifying the competitive playing field for SiriusXM. The company has been competing with terrestrial ad-supported free radio for a long time, and now major Internet players are stepping up their efforts to compete with Sirius and get a piece of the pie, according to The Motley Fool.

Leading Internet radio service Pandora is surging ahead with growth in users, listening hours, and market share. In March 2014, Pandora saw its total users grow to 75.3 million, an 8% year-over-year increase. This increase in total listeners has translated into a 14% year-over-year increase to 1.71 billion listener hours in the month of March, both of which aren't exactly good signs for Sirius.

Pandora is already integrated across major auto makers in the U.S., and the company has begun playing audio ads on the in-dash infotainment systems of various cars. Clearly, more people playing Pandora in cars can translate into fewer paying subscribers for Sirius.

Also, Apple has seen good usage of its iTunes radio service. The iTunes radio service was originally laid out to boost digital music sales, which have been declining as consumers shift away from digital purchases to streaming options like Pandora and Spotify. Apple's large customer base can connect their Apple devices and use them in their cars like a makeshift infotainment system. Apple's music streaming offering is ad-supported, just like Pandora, and should lead to cannibalization of music downloads instead of growing music sales.

The Motley Fool notes however, the moat separating SiriusXM from Apple and Pandora is somewhat protected because the competitor offerings are ad-supported musical content, whereas Sirius provides commercial-free music and offers a larger variety of exclusive content including sports, popular talk shows, news, and comedy.

Kansas Radio: Public Broadcasting Funding Shrinks

UPDATE Friday 5/2/2014:   A state grant of $600,000 for Kansas public TV and radio stations has been preserved in a budget agreement reached Thursday by House and Senate negotiators.

Original Posting...

The money is the same amount allotted in the current year, but down from the $3.8 million the state provided as recently as 2008.

A 40-year history of state subsidies for public broadcasting in Kansas could evaporate when lawmakers return to Topeka this week, according to the Kansas City Star.

The state funding has already shrunk from $3.8 million in 2008 to $600,000 in Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

At one point in recent years, Brownback wanted to wipe out the funding completely. This year, the Kansas House wants to end the subsidies.

The budget fight reflects both an increasingly tight state budget and conservative lawmakers’ reluctance to underwrite what they see as left-leaning media.

Supporters of the subsidy think the public broadcasting funding is in real peril.

“I’m worried about it,” said Rep. Don Hineman, a western Kansas Republican who wants to preserve funding for public broadcasting.

A growing number of lawmakers find public broadcasting easier to cut amid the search for money to pay for schools, social services, public safety and roads.

“I don’t care if PBS exists,” said Rep. Virgil Peck, a Republican. “I’m just not in favor of taxpayer dollars going to fund something that can do its own fundraising and competes against private industry.”

In some cases, such as in Kansas City, state funding makes up less than 1 percent of a station’s budget. The state provides about $44,000 to Kansas City Public Television, which has a nearly $8 million budget. In Lawrence at Kansas Public Radio, state funding is about 1 percent of that station’s budget.

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FCC Chair Pledges To Police Internet 'Fast Lanes'

The FCC Chairman Tuesday said he would use "every available power" to prevent Internet providers from restricting users' access to any web content as he seeks to calm a consumer storm over his proposed new Internet traffic rules, according to Reuters.

Chairman Tom Wheeler has been under fire for proposing new so-called "open Internet" or "net neutrality" rules that would allow content companies to pay broadband providers for faster Internet speeds delivering their traffic as long as deals are deemed "commercially reasonable."

Consumer advocates are worried the rules would ultimately allow Internet companies like Comcast Corp or Verizon Communications Inc to create "fast lanes" on the web for traffic of content companies that pay up, potentially shutting out poorer newcomers.

In a lengthy blog post on Tuesday, his second on the subject, Wheeler said the FCC would "shut down" broadband providers' efforts to degrade their service to create a new fast lane and would not tolerate degrading of service to push customers or content companies to a higher-priced tier.

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NYC Radio: Mike Francesa Makes It To NY Radio HOF

CBS RADIO’s Sports Radio WFAN 660 AM/101.9 FM has announced that afternoon host Mike Francesa has been selected for induction into New York State Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will take place at a special luncheon during the Association’s summer conference at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on Friday, June 13 and will also celebrate five other deserving broadcasting legends who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Francesa.

Francesa, whose name is synonymous with New York sports, can be heard on his program, Mike’s On, weekdays on WFAN  from 1:00 – 6:30 p.m.  In addition, Francesa hosts the nationally syndicated Mike Francesa’s Football Sunday radio program, which will enter its 28th season next fall.

“I’m humbled and excited to be recognized by the New York State Broadcasters Association,” said Francesa.  “It is a great honor, and anything with New York attached to it means all the more to me.

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration in 2005, New York State Broadcasters Association created a Hall of Fame to honor the elite radio and television hosts of New York.  Other local broadcasting icons who are in the Hall of Fame include television host Regis Philbin, newscaster Walter Cronkite, Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes, sportscaster Len Berman, journalist and television personality Barbara Walters and radio hosts Scott Shannon, Scott Muni, Don Imus, Funk Flex and Curtis Sliwa, among others.

Francesa has for more than 25 years been the on-air cornerstone of WFAN, the nation’s first all-sports talk radio station launched in July 1987.  Since 2008, Francesa has hosted his own afternoon show, Mike’s On, on WFAN.  From 1989 to 2008, he had a critically acclaimed on-air partnership with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who together co-hosted the Mike and the Mad Dog Show.  In 2000, the Francesa/Russo duo became the first sports-talk hosts ever to win the Marconi Award for Major Market Personality of the Year, an award Francesa received again in 2012.  He was the first sportscaster to ever earn radio’s biggest honor more than once.

FAA 'Looking Into' Drone Journalism

Storm chaser and videographer Brian Emfinger used a drone to document the aftermath of a tornado that ripped through Arkansas.  And according to Forbes, that video prompted speculation as to whether the FAA was going to investigate or even fine Emfinger for using the drone.  The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is reporting that the FAA is investigating the use of drones to gather aerial footage in Arkansas.   FAA investigations and enforcement actions against drone journalists raise serious First Amendment questions about the agency’s ability to infringe upon press freedom in the absence of formal rules.

According to the article, The Federal Aviation Administration currently prohibits the commercial use of the devices, including for reporting, according to the agency’s website. But some photographers who fly small drones say a recent court case voids the federal regulators’ authority over unmanned aircraft.

Asked Monday about KATV’s use of a drone for its coverage of the tornado, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said, “We are looking into it.”

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Millennials Have Little Trust In Media

A new poll out yesterday from Harvard's Institute of Politics found that young Americans have less trust in government and public institutions than ever.

Millennials -- defined as those between ages 18 and 29 -- have lost trust in the president, the military, Congress, the Supreme Court and the federal government as whole to "do the right thing,"

Trust in the president and the military fell the most in the past year, to 32 percent for the president from 39 percent and to 47 percent for the military from 54 percent.

The only institutions that remained the same were the United Nations, at 34 percent, Wall Street at a dismal 12 percent, and the media at an even worse 11 percent. The military (47%) had the highest level of trust, followed by the Supreme Court at 36 percent, and the U.N. (34%). The media (11%) was lowest, followed by Wall Street (12%) and then Congress, at 14 percent.