Anchorage Radio: Ex-Morning Host Sentenced For Kiddie Porn

James LaPlante

A former country music radio station DJ was sentenced Thursday in Anchorage to two years in prison for distributing child pornography.

James Laplante, also known as Jimmy O’Brien, worked as the morning personality at iHeartMedia's KASH 107.5 FM. Prosecutors said the 49-year-old shared the child porn using social media apps, sometimes while he was at work.

The state argued that Laplante’s conduct was more egregious than the typical child porn defendant, while the defense emphasized his philanthropy and his admission of his crimes.

The investigation into Laplante started when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children contacted APD with two “cybertips,” according to the charges.

Alaska Dispatch News reports Anchorage police detective James Estes testified Thursday the tips are generated when social media companies come across images of child sexual exploitation or potential enticement of minors. The companies report the materials to the national center.

Laplante uploaded 13 child porn images to an Instagram account between Sept. 16 and 18, with the uploaded pictures originating from his home address and workplace, the charges said.

August 14 Radio History

In 1933…The daytime radio drama "Ma Perkins" debuted on WLW in Cincinnati. Later the show moved to WMAQ in Chicago and by December 1933 it was heard nationally over the NBC Red network. Virginia Payne played the title role and never missed a performance during 27 years and 7,065 episodes.



In 1957...1010 WINS-AM New York went top-40. 1010 WINS adheres  to a strict playlist, except for Alan Freed and Jack Lacy.

In 1957...ABC radio announced an experiment with a “live” music show hosted by Herb Oscar Anderson. The show would be in sharp contrast to DJ shows and recorded music.

Tom Harmon

In 1962...It was announced that starting in September, sportscaster Tom Harmon will be heard on ABC radio where he will have a 10-minute weekday sports broadcast and he’ll also be heard on weekends in eight five-minute broadcasts. He joins ABC after 13 years with CBS’ Pacific radio network.

Once a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Tom Harmon was one of the first athletes to go into broadcasting. He was an All-American football player in 1940 at the University of Michigan.

One of Tom’s daughters would marry Ricky Nelson and, later, son Mark would become a well-known actor. He currently stars in NCIS on CBS-TV.


In 1962...Disc Jockey Bob Crane of KNX, Los Angeles is signed to star in “Send Me No Flowers” by the Laguna Beach (Calif) SummerTheate


In 1973...In the past six years, FM radio listeners have increased by 152%, according to Arbriton and a statistic that should give AM music stations some pause. The study covered 8 of the top-10 markets.


In 1973...Philadelphia adds its third FM rock station as WYSP 94.1 FM joins the frey behind WIFI 92.5 FM and WMMR 93.3 FM. WYSP (Your Station in Philadelphia) jocks included Tom Straw, Dean Clark, and Doug Cristian with Frank X. Feller as program director. The music included popular cuts from albums by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, and Crosby Stills and Nash.


In 1983...WFIL 560 AM Philadelphia switches to all oldies and Cleveland’s WWWE 1100 AM goes AC.


In 1988...Shadoe Stevens takes over as host of “American Top 40”

Casey Kasem left the show over contract concerns with ABC. Industry trade paper Billboard magazine reported that the main disputes between Kasem and Watermark/ABC were over his salary, because of declining ratings and a smaller group of stations airing the show. Casey's final AT40 show aired on August 6, 1988. At no point during that final show did Kasem ever let on that any changes were afoot, and simply omitted the phrase "join me next week" while closing the show.

Kasem was replaced by Shadoe Stevens, whose first American Top 40 show aired on August 13, 1988, on 1,014 stations.  Kasem joined the Westwood One radio network less than a year later to start a rival show, Casey's Top 40. Many AT40 listeners were upset by Kasem's departure and, as a result, many stations dropped American Top 40 in favor of Casey's Top 40 once it hit the airwaves on January 21, 1989.


In 1993...It was announced Teens are listening to country music more and more. Country has climbed from a 2.3% share of teens in the summer of 1989 to an 8.7% share this year.

In 2007...CBS settles its termination dispute with Don Imus who was fired in April after referring to a mostly black university women’s basketball team as “nanny-headed hos.”


In 2007...Ryan Seacrest is tapped to host the 59th annual Emmy Awards. “I’ve covered the Emmys before from many different angles and I’m thrilled, honored and excited to be hosting it this year. With my schedule, there’s always that final check to make sure I could do it all, but with the Emmy’s you make the time.”


In 2012…Actress Rosemary Rice died after a heart attack at 87. She provided the voice of Betty Cooper on the Archie Andrews radio series, played the oldest daughter and narrated the early 1950s TV series, "Mama," appeared on Broadway, recorded 15 children's albums, and earned three Clio Awards for her work in television commercials – on camera and as a voiceover artist. For Clairol, she became the familiar voice of the ad slogan, "If I've only one life to live, let me live it as a blonde."

Springfield MA Radio: WHYN Sponsors 'True Blue Thank You'

WHYN to Thank Police Officers in Home County

iHeartMedia's NewsRadio WHYN 560 AM in Sprginfield, MA is sponsoring an event Sunday called "True Blue Thank You," which seeks to thank every police office and state trooper working in it home county of Hampden County.

Police officers and state troopers are invited to attend the barbecue at no charge. Any members of the public who wish to attend to show their support for police will be charged $5 per person. Each officer is also allowed to bring up to three family members at no charge.

The event, co-sponsored by Peter Pan Bus Lines and Elks Lodge #61, will feature food, a live band, and entertainment for children, including a rock-climbing wall, a bounce house and face painting.

MLive.com reports, all profits will go to the Springfield Police's upcoming Ride to Remember to raise money to support the Fallen Officer Memorial Fund in Boston. The ride, featuring an estimated 300 bicycle riders, will go from Springfield to Boston on Sept. 19.

The event was the brainchild of hosts Adam Wright and Bo Sullivan, who thought it would be a good idea to have an event to allow the public to show gratitude to police for all they do.

"We wanted to create an event that would allow the public to recognized the great work our law enforcement professionals do every day. They need to know that the communities they serve stand behind them and support them," Wright said.

ESPN's Ryen Russillo Re-Ups For New Show

Reyen Russillo

Ryen Russillo, who has spent the last 10 years with ESPN Radio, has signed a multiyear extension and will continue with ESPN Radio as host of Russillo & Kanell, co-hosted by ESPN college football analyst Danny Kanell and broadcast daily from 1 – 4 p.m. ET.

The new three-hour show will debut Monday, Aug. 31, and will be televised on ESPNEWS starting at 1 p.m. Russillo will also have an expanded TV presence across multiple studio shows, with a focus on NBA programming.

Kanell, who recently signed a multi-year agreement with ESPN, will continue to host college football studio programming on ESPN Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (link to release).

Mo Davenport, senior vice president, ESPN Audio, said, “We are happy to have Ryen at ESPN for the long-term.  We look forward to utilizing his creative energy as we forge a smart, engaging and entertaining show, born from the natural chemistry between Ryen and Danny.”

Danny Kanell

Russillo stated, “Danny is the perfect partner for an everyday radio show. Former athletes get labeled as one sport guys all the time based on what they played and that isn't fair. Danny can talk all sports and is one the best college football voices in the country. Staying with ESPN and this time slot is a challenge I have been ready for."

Kanell added, “I'm excited to work with Ryen on Russillo & Kanell. I've been a huge fan of his and enjoy listening to him on ESPN Radio. Spending time with him as a guest host has really allowed me to see just how good he is at his job. The show has a very unique and loyal fan base, with powerful social interaction. I know Ryen and I share a common goal of growing that fan base by continuing to deliver thoughtful and authentic content while having a ton of fun."

Wheeler: Proposals For AM Revitalization Coming

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler this week has promised he will soon recommend adoption of several proposals discussed in the 2013 AM Radio Revitalization NPRM.

Wheeler writes in his blog he believes the recommendations will further enhance the viability of the AM broadcast service.  He adds he looks forward to working on this issue, launched by  then-Acting Chairwoman Clyburn and championed by Commissioner Pai, and hope that broadcasters will participate extensively.

"This comprehensive set of actions modernize our rules to keep them in line with the public interest in an ever-changing marketplace, and will help to ensure the continued vitality of AM radio".

Tom Wheeler

Wheeler did not indicate when the recommendations would be made.  Some hope they could come during the upcoming NAB/RAB Radio show scheduled for Sept. 20 thru Oct. 2 in Atlanta.

The news comes two years after Clyburn promised FCC relief during the 2013 Radio show in Orlando. In prepared remarks, Commissioner Pai three years ago in Las Vegas ackowledged it’s trendy among some to dismiss broadcasting as a fading relic of the  past. However, he stated broadcasters have heard this tune before.

Ajit Pai

In 1922, Thomas Edison famously said that “the radio craze will die out in time. "Edison was right about a lot of things, but it’s remarkable to think about just how wrong he was about that. It’s now ninety years since he said it, and radio is still going strong."

Speaking of the way things look now (in 2012), about 93% of American adults today listen to broadcast radio during the course of any given week. Other than sleeping or brushing our teeth, it’s hard to think of another activity that 93% of us do every week. And we don’t just flip on the radio for a few minutes. Our average weekly listening is over 14 hours. On any day, more adults listen to the radio than surf the Web, and more than twice as many adults listen to the radio as read a newspaper."

Tribune Media Swings to Q2 Loss

Tribune Media, the entertainment company that was created by last year's split of the Tribune Co., on Thursday reported a second-quarter loss even though it benefited from higher retransmission consent and carriage fees.
‎
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company, led by CEO Peter Liguori, posted a second-quarter loss from continuing operations of $3.3 million, or 4 cents per share, including a pre-tax charge of $37 million for the extinguishment of debt. The loss compared with a year-ago profit of $82.9 million.

Operating profit decreased 39 percent to $19.8 million and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization fell 29 percent.

The company cited three other factors as drags on the bottom line: a previously announced change in the timing of the amortization of programming expense for original programming at WGN America, planned production funding for co-owned original programming for WGN America and "implementation costs for improved technology applications and the establishment of new shared services operations."

Quarterly revenue rose 6 percent to $501.5 million. Wall Street had on average expected earnings of $29.1 million on revenue of $503 million.

Peter Liguori

Said Liguori: "We are making noticeable progress against our strategy to build Tribune Media for sustainable, long-term, profitable growth...Our Television and Entertainment segment experienced revenue growth in all key areas and the outlook remains positive. We continue to post gains in our local station business due to its unique ability to deliver content to our loyal local viewers. Our decision to focus on local news and live sports, especially in major markets, is already paying dividends as we continue to grow advertising market share and generate higher retransmission fees. We are also encouraged that WGN America's conversion to a cable network is ahead of schedule and our investment in high-quality original and syndicated content is creating value for our [pay TV] partners, advertisers and audience."

Tribune Media consists of 42 owned or operated TV stations; national entertainment network WGN America, which has had success with such originals as Salem; Tribune Studios; Tribune Digital Ventures; WGN Radio; real estate properties and strategic investments. The other company created by the Tribune split is Tribune Publishing, which‎ operates the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel and other newspapers, as well as local news services.

Report: Trump, Ailes Forge FNC Truce

Ailes, Trump

Fox News chairman Roger Ailes woke up Monday morning thinking that his network and Donald Trump's campaign had reached an understanding.

CNN reports after a weekend's worth of stressful phone calls, the tacit agreement -- he thought -- was that Trump would stop attacking Ailes' biggest television star, Megyn Kelly, in interviews and tweets.

Then came an ugly surprise. Trump said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he thought Kelly should apologize to him.

"This was the final straw for Roger," according to a source close to the situation.

Ailes' office called Trump's office. We "can resolve this now," Ailes said to Trump, "or we can go to war."

For now, war was averted. There is mutual respect between the two master negotiators. Trump has stopped criticizing Kelly. And Fox has stopped ignoring Trump on its shows.

But if this is a truce, it's a tenuous one, according to CNN.  In recent days Trump loyalists have leaked unflattering claims about Ailes, and Fox staffers have privately likened Trump to a crazy person.

With detente in place, each side is now being more careful with their words. Trump is, to put it kindly, as one high-placed Fox source purposefully did, "a nontraditional candidate."

The candidate is also being kind to Fox; when Trump called into Lou Dobbs' Fox Business show on Wednesday, he said "I love your show and watch it all the time."

Given the billionaire's popularity, "Ailes had to make peace," said Roger Stone, a Trump senior adviser who recently left the campaign in disputed circumstances.

But no one knows how long the peace will last.

Trump Tweets About Kelly Interview With Stern

When a furor erupted last week about Donald Trump's controversial comments about Megyn Kelly, the Republican presidential candidate moved quickly to shift back on the Fox News anchor — and a graphic interview she gave with Howard Stern several years ago.



But Trump has also appeared on the shock-jock's show multiple times since the 1990s to field questions about everything from the size of his genitalia to premature ejaculation, sleeping with another man's girlfriend and his wife's bathroom habits. He's also criticized several women for their body shape, described the time he watched a celebrity sex tape, fondly recalled days before the rise in sexually transmitted diseases made condoms necessary and once compared a shrinking economy to a woman's contractions in pregnancy.


Trump's comments on Stern's program, while not out of step with the show's normal fare, reveal further details of the candidate's unvarnished views of women at a time when many Republicans worry that his frontrunner status and larger-than-life persona could further damage the party with female voters before an 2016 election that could come down to the slimmest of margins.

SiriusXM Is Shaking Things Up

Sirius XM Radio subscribers can expect some heavy duty changes when they crank up their satellite radio receivers starting today. Sirius XM is moving several channels around and adding some new options.

Some of the incoming channels include Velvet (contemporary pop), SiriusXM Fly (retro hip-hop and R&B), Limited Engagement (a new hub for the steady flow of limited-run stations), and a new channel devoted to comedy greats. Many existing stations will also relocate to new channel numbers.

But, according to The Motley Fool,  Sirius XM is also making room for some of these new offerings by eliminating some of the current channels. Escape -- the easy listening music channel -- joins C-SPAN, SiriusXM Indie, and several Latino channels on the way out of the receiver-based offering.

There will be some grumbling. According to the Motley Fool, we tend to know only what we will have to go without instead of the enjoyment we will receive from the new ear candy. But Sirius XM has survived and even thrived through similar channel shakeups in the past. It will do so again.

Sirius XM closed out its second quarter with a record 28.4 million subscribers. The appeal of satellite radio isn't waning. Sirius XM had a record 8.2 million drivers on free trials, and if we go by the platform's historical performance, more than 3.3 million of those listeners will stick around as paying subscribers. With monthly churn near its historical low and Sirius XM now targeting a whopping $1.3 billion in free cash flow, it seems like a safe time to risk near-term alienation of a few fans of fringe channels for the sake of beefing up its overall lineup of content.

Triad Radio: WKZL Suspension Stunt Or Not

"Jared & Katie in the Morning" Top40 WKZL 107.5 FM reportedly has been suspended following a "physical altercation" that occurred on-air.

The morning show airs on WKZL-FM 107.5. A message from Dick Harlow, the station's vice president, was posted on Facebook:

Or is it simply vaction time?

WKZL 107.5 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

TV Broadcasters Could Lose Exclusivity Rules

Broadcasters haven’t had an easy time under the Tom Wheeler Federal Communications Commission, and now the chairman is proposing eliminating the exclusivity rules that have served as a backstop for TV localism in retransmission consent disputes.

According to katyonthehill.com, the network non-duplication and syndication exclusivity rules codify a TV station’s sole right to carry a network or syndicated TV program in its local market. The rules prevent a pay TV provider from carrying out-of-market TV stations that duplicate the programming of the local outlet. Pay TV providers have argued that puts them at a distinct disadvantage when negotiating carriage deals with TV stations that carry “must have” content.

Tom Wheeler

In a blog post, Wheeler called the rules “outdated,” but the National Association of Broadcasters, which said it would oppose the order, called the rules the “lynchpin of the local broadcast business model.”

“The order currently circulating at the commission imposing changes to these rules would threaten the vibrancy of our uniquely free and local broadcast system,” said Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of communications for the NAB.

“It is curious that the FCC keeps relying on the rationale that it is taking such pro pay-TV actions because the rules are decades-old, but refuses to even review or remove broadcast ownership rules that were imposed under market circumstances that clearly no longer exist.”

Facebook To Open Live Broadcasting to Journalists, Verified Profiles

On August 5th, Facebook launched Live, which lets broadcasters instantly start a live video stream on Facebook. Users can tune in to watch in real-time and submit comments that appear on the broadcaster’s screen.

Techcrunch reports, Facebook shows the streams in News Feed to people who Like the broadcaster’s Page, and sends instant notifications about tuning in to fans who’ve interacted with the broadcaster recently on Facebook.

At the end of the broadcast, Facebook Live streams are permanently saved as a video that people can watch, unlike Meerkat streams that disappear instantly and Periscopes that can only be replayed for 24 hours. That means Live not only drives real-time engagement, but also adds to Facebook’s exclusive video content trove that it can show in the feed to make lucrative video ads seem more natural there.

Twitter Drops 140-Character Limit On DMs

Social Media site Twitter has removed the 140-character limit on its DMs, making it the first aspect of the social media platform free of any word limit.

The feature is rolling out globally, with Twitter saying the aim is to allow users to 'express themselves' more freely, according to The Daily Mail.

Direct Messages - also know as 'DMs' - is the private messaging aspect of the Twitter platform where users can communicate directly with one another away from the public area of the site.

The micro-blogging site's co-founder and interim chief executive Jack Dorsey recently admitted the service was not doing well enough when it came to making the site better for users and attracting new interest.

The change was announced on Twitter's developer community forum in June, but the site stressed that the update wouldn't impact public tweets.

Twitter currently has about 300 million global users while rival social network Facebook has more than 1.4 billion.



Twitter confirmed that public tweets would continue to operate by the 140-character limit rule.

Robbins And Markely Sign Multi-Year Renewal

Alpha Media headquartered in Portland, Oregon announced the multi-year renewal of Robbins and Markley. Robbins and Markley broadcast live weekdays 2pm-6pm CST on WMBD 1470 AM / 100.3 T-FM  in Peoria, Illinois and weekdays 9am-12pm on KXL 101. FM in Portland, Oregon.

Alpha Media Executive VP of Programming, Scott Mahalick commented on the announcement, “Robbins and Markley bring a contemporary style and entertaining flare to the FM NEWS 101 KXL brand that connects with the audience in a big way. We are proud they are on our winning team.”

“Robbins and Markley have made a tremendous showing in Portland. Scott and Jamie are two of the best communicators in our business, and we are thrilled to have them for years to come,” added Alpha Media Portland SVP/Market Manager, Milt McConnell.

Alpha Media Peoria Market Manager, Mike Wild said, “Scott and Jamie reflect real-life, day-to-day, and they are some of the most genuine personalities anywhere. Their chemistry is unique and they both have an amazing sense for content. The show is a completely fresh approach to News Talk Radio.”

“We are both so pleased to be a part of the Alpha team. We couldn’t be happier,” remarked Scott Robbins.

“Sometimes I think of radio like the classic reality show “Survivor,” said Jamie Markley. “So this contract means Robbins and I have immunity necklaces and we get to stay on the island for a while, right? Awesome!”

SF TV News Crew Robberies Suspect Arrested

Police have arrested a suspect in a vicious attack on 2 television news crews that unfolded on the air, during a live shot at Pier 14, in San Francisco.

CBS SF reports Michael A. Jones was arrested in San Francisco after an intense manhunt. The 30-year-old, along with two other men, was wanted in the armed robbery and attack on two cameramen, last July.

According to KTVU, Jones tussled with the arresting officers. His accomplices are still at large.

Jones and his accomplices allegedly pistol-whipped a KNTV cameraman and stole his equipment. Then, they pointed a gun at the KTVU cameraman, and fled with his equipment, as well. Both crews were covering the fatal shooting of Kate Steinle.

No shots were fired.

There have been several incidents in which television news crews were attacked and robbed during live shots in the Bay Area. KPIX 5 has been hiring security guards to accompany crews in Oakland ever since a reporter was punched in the face outside a school. The robbers made off with a camera and tripod in that incident.

Ryan Seacrest Again Bound For The Olympics

Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest has been tapped to host NBC's late night coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The show will be live, like much else on Seacrest's resume, and feature a mix of interviews, human interest stories and a round-up of the day's news, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Seacrest served as a correspondent and Closing Ceremony cohost for NBC’s 2012 coverage of the London Games, which drew a record 217 million-plus viewers.

"The late night atmosphere will be electric, and we’re thrilled to have Ryan Seacrest in the middle of it all capturing Rio’s unique flavor, talking to Olympic athletes, and telling the stories of the day," said NBC Olympics exec producer Jim Bell, in a statement announcing the news Wednesday.

Added Seacrest: "I appreciate Jim Bell’s confidence, along with everyone at NBC Sports. I can’t wait to reunite with the team of broadcasters and producers for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and I look forward to hosting the live late night show."

Earlier this month, NBC Sports execs told reporters that they expect the Rio Games to exceed the more than $1.1 billion in advertising booked for the London Games. Boosting the bottom line is the advantageous time zone — Rio is just one hour ahead of the U.S. eastern time zone — and the continued interest in live events.

The news of Seacrest's late night show comes as his contract with sibling E! is set to expire after September's Emmy awards, where he'll once again appear on the red carpet. Elsewhere on TV, he's prepping his fifteenth and final season as host of American Idol, and will continue emceeing ABC's New Year’s Eve program, Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. His short-lived Fox reality show, Knock Knock, was pulled the week before last.

Report: Cowherd To Bump Francesa Off Fox Sports 1

Mike Francesa

Mike Francesa will be moving to a new simulcast home.

The NY Daily News reports Francesa’s WFAN 660 AM / 101.9 FM drive-time show, currently simulcast on Fox Sports 1, will move to FS2 in order to make room for Colin Cowherd’s new Fox Sports Radio simulcast soiree on FS1.

The switch will be made on Tuesday, Sept. 8, when Cowherd, who recently confirmed his move to Fox, debuts his new radio show.

Cowherd’s show will air from noon to 3 p.m. EDT. Clearly, it made no sense to move Francesa’s show from FS2 back to FS1 for the final three hours of his show.

Considering his well-documented dissatisfaction with having his FS1 simulcast preempted by other Fox sports programming, Francesa will not be thrilled about being permanently bumped to FS2 to accommodate Cowherd, who is joining the Foxies after a lengthy tenure at ESPN.

Francesa is on vacation this week.