Westwood One Talker Jim Bohannon Retiring This Week

Cumulus Media’s Westwood One has announced that legendary broadcaster Jim Bohannon will retire as host of “The Jim Bohannon Show” for health reasons on October 14, 2022, after having helmed the show for more than 30 years. 

Bohannon’s final show will include special guests and the opportunity for listeners to call in and offer their thanks and best wishes. New York-area talk show host and Westwood One producer Rich Valdes will guest host “The Jim Bohannon Show” beginning Monday, October 17, continuing to bring listeners a unique blend of breaking news, interesting features, and informative reports on a spectrum of topics each weeknight from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET.

“It’s been a great 40 years with Westwood One, with the last 30 as host of the ‘Jim Bohannon Show.’ I’ve enjoyed every minute of our daily nighttime town hall with my guests, callers, and all of America,” said Bohannon.

“We celebrate Jim’s long radio history and all his achievements, including his induction into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the First Amendment Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Talkers Magazine, and his inductions into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. Jim has been an invaluable member of our Westwood One family over these many years. He is truly an industry legend,” said Suzanne Grimes, Executive Vice President Corporate Marketing, Cumulus Media and President, Westwood One.

Miami Radio: SiriusXM to Open State-of-the-Art Broadcast Center

Photo Credit: Gensler

SiriusXM has announced it will open a state-of-the-art broadcast center in Miami, Florida. The venue will feature a 50-seat performance space and several artist-first radio and recording studios, in addition to office space. Located at 2340 Collins Avenue, in Starwood Capital's newly opened Miami Beach headquarters, SiriusXM’s Miami broadcast center is slated to open in 2023.

SiriusXM Miami joins SiriusXM’s portfolio of national broadcast facilities, which includes its headquarters in New York City’s Rockefeller Center; its West Hollywood studios, which feature the Los Angeles performance space, “The Garage”; and its studios and offices in Washington D.C. and Nashville, Tennessee.

Miami is a vibrant center for music, art, entertainment and sports and the SiriusXM studios will be a mecca for talent on promotional tours in the area. The studios and programming will celebrate the city’s rich Hispanic and Latinx culture with exclusive live performances, broadcasts, podcasts and events. The studios will be utilized by the company's entire slate of audio entertainment brands including, SiriusXM, Pandora and Stitcher.

Wake-Up Call: Kyiv Braces For Prolonged Hardship

With Kyiv facing rolling electricity outages, authorities on Tuesday raced to repair the damage from a barrage of Russian missiles that slammed into the heart of the Ukrainian capital, in a significant escalation of the nearly eight-month-old war that drew international condemnation of Moscow.

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Many Kyiv residents hurried on Tuesday to make whatever preparations they could ahead of potential cuts to power, heat and water — fearful that the missile strikes, which killed at least 20 people across Ukraine on Monday, were a bleak prelude to what they will face repeatedly in coming months.

The attack, which Russian President Vladimir Putin said was retaliation for an explosion over the weekend on the Crimean Bridge, targeted power plants and other critical infrastructure, and underscored the continuing vulnerability of Ukrainian cities despite a surge in Western military aid since Putin’s Feb. 24 invasion.

Russia's latest wave of strikes across Ukraine has renewed Kyiv's pleas for more military assistance.

Ukrainian officials say the country’s air defenses intercepted large numbers of missiles, but enough made it through to do deadly damage. https://t.co/dERBPhXuIg

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 12, 2022

President Biden

➤JOE SAYS HUNTER IS ON 'THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW': President Biden said Tuesday that his son Hunter Biden is “on the straight and narrow” and denied his offspring committed a gun-purchase crime that the US attorney in Delaware reportedly is considering charging. CNN host Jake Tapper asked Biden to give his first public response to reporting last week by the Washington Post that the FBI believes there's enough evidence to charge Hunter, 52, with tax fraud and lying on a gun-purchase form by denying his drug use.

“Personally and politically, how do you react to that?” Tapper asked Biden, whose own involvement in his family’s overseas dealings will be a top focus of Republicans if they retake Congress in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

“Well, first of all, I’m proud of my son. This is a kid who got, not a kid — he’s a grown man. He got hooked on — like many families have had happen, hooked on drugs. He’s overcome that. He’s established a new life,” the president told Tapper.

TV Ratings: Football, Dramas Lead

As is traditional in the fall, NBC's Sunday night football telecast dominated the weekly television rankings, in this case a game between Cincinnati and Baltimore

📺TOP 20 PRIME-TIME SHOWS, WEEK OF 3 THRU 9 (TOTAL VIEWERS)

1. NFL Football: Cincinnati at Baltimore, NBC, 15.88 million.

2. “NFL Pregame,” NBC, 11.85 million.

3. NFL Football: L.A. Rams at San Francisco, ESPN, 10.86 million.

4. “The OT,” Fox, 10.46 million.

5. “Football Night in America," NBC, 8.96 million.

6. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 7.62 million.

7. “Chicago Fire,” NBC, 7.35 million.

8. College Football: Texas A&M at Alabama, CBS, 7.15 million.

9. “The Equalizer,” CBS, 6.98 million.

10. “FBI,” CBS, 6.97 million.

11. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 6.96 million.

12. “NCIS,” CBS, 6.92 million.

13. “Chicago Med,” NBC, 6.75 million.

14. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 6.56 million.

15. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 6.47 million.

16. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 6.4 million.

17. “Ghosts,” CBS, 6.21 million.

18. “FBI: International,” CBS, 5.97 million.

19. “Chicago PD,” NBC, 5.95 million.

20. “Fire Country,” CBS, 5.91 million.

📺BROADCAST NETWORK TV

David Muir, Norah O'Donnell, Lester Holt

“World News Tonight with David Muir” stood as America’s No. 1 evening newscast in all of broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (7.407 million), Adults 25-54 (1.201 million) and Adults 18-49 (820,000), for the week of Oct. 3, 2022, based on Live + Same Day Data from Nielsen Media Research. “World News Tonight” outperformed “NBC Nightly News” (6.529 million, 1.072 million and 732,000, respectively) by 878,000 Total Viewers, by 129,000 Adults 25-54 and by 88,000 Adults 18-49.

“World News Tonight” has won the last 201 of 202 weeks in Total Viewers and 130 of the last 132 in Adults 25-54.

Nielsen Sale Completed To Evergreen

Nielsen Holdings plc has  announced the completion of its previously announced sale to a private equity consortium composed of Evergreen Coast Capital Corp., an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management L.P. ("Elliott"), and Brookfield Business Partners L.P. together with institutional partners (collectively "Brookfield") in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $16 billion, including the assumption of debt.

Nielsen shareholders will receive $28 per Nielsen share in cash in accordance with the terms of the transaction. With the completion of the transaction, Nielsen's shares will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange beginning Oct 12, 2022.

"Today's announcement marks an important milestone for Nielsen. We are excited for a bright future as a private company," said David Kenny, Chief Executive Officer of Nielsen. "This transaction provides significant value to our shareholders and provides the best conditions to execute on our Nielsen ONE strategy."

"Nielsen is a leader in the media industry," said Senior Portfolio Manager Marc Steinberg and Senior Managing Director Isaac Kim on behalf of Elliott and Evergreen. "Nielsen created the blueprint for audience measurement, and we believe it is in the best position to be the leader in measurement for the streaming era and to continue to provide value for the new media ecosystem."

"Nielsen is a trusted service provider to its customers," added Dave Gregory, Managing Partner, Brookfield Business Partners. "We look forward to supporting the company's growth as it continues to lay the groundwork for the future of media."

Benztown Releases Two Art LeBoe Specials

Art LaBoe (1925-2022)

Benztown, a global leader in radio imaging, voiceover, programming and jingles, announces the release today of two radio specials honoring the life and career of radio giant Art Laboe, who died at his home in Palm Springs, CA, on Friday, October 7, 2022, at age 97. 

Hosted by Sunday Night Slow Jams’ R Dub!, a longtime friend and colleague of his mentor Laboe, a two-hour special is available free to stations for airing tonight or any night this week, and a four-hour special is available free to stations for Sunday broadcast. Both specials will include Throwback music from Laboe’s show, memories and stories from Laboe’s listeners when R Dub! opens the phones, as well as clips from his 2019 radio interview with Laboe about his career and life.

Both the two-hour and four-hour Art Laboe radio specials are available for download NOW. Interested stations should contact Mark Wilson, VP Affiliate Relations, Sunday Night Slow Jams, today at mw@benztown.com or at 917.957.6249 for more information and to download the specials.

R Dub! first worked with Laboe in 1996 when Laboe bought the radio station R Dub! was working for in Tucson (KOHT-FM), then as his Program Director at KHHT-FM in L.A. in 2007, and since 2011 as PD of XHRM-FM in San Diego.

NYC Radio: 77WABC Airing Day-Long Tribute To Bernard McGuirk

Beginning at 6am Wednesday morning 77 WABC Radio will present an all-day special tribute to Bernard McGuirk, who passed away last Wednesday from prostate cancer. McGuirk, who had been co-host of WABC’s Bernie & Sid in the Morning with Sid Rosenberg since April of 2018, helped bring WABC back to the top in New York, reaching #1 in share of the 12+ audience in morning drive in the August Nielsen ratings. 

McGuirk was known to New Yorkers and worldwide for his quick wit, his knowledge of world and political events, and his humor.

The all-day tribute begins on Bernie & Sid in the Morning and will continue throughout the day as friends, colleagues, and fans share their memories. Legendary NYC radio news anchor and air personality Charles McCord, who worked with McGuirk during their years together on Imus in the Morning, will make a rare live on-air appearance between 9 and 10am. A very special announcement for the McGuirk family will be made by WABC Radio owner John Catsimatidis during his Cats Roundtable program between 5 and 6pm.

R.I.P.: Anita Kerr, Developed 'The Nashville Sound'

Anita Kerr (October 13, 1927 – October 10, 2022)

Anita Kerr, who was a key figure in the development of The Nashville Sound, has died at age 94. She passed away on Monday (Oct. 10), according to Music Row.

Kerr worked as an arranger and producer, often not credited, on many of the records that transformed Nashville into Music City. Her group, The Anita Kerr Singers, sang on the international pop hits of Brenda Lee and Roy Orbison, as well as on dozens of country classics.

The triple Grammy Award winner backed such Country Music Hall of Fame members as Red Foley, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Bill Anderson, Patsy Cline, Ray Price and Willie Nelson. At her peak, Kerr was singing on a quarter of the singles produced on Music Row.

She was born Anita Jean Grilli in Memphis on Oct. 31, 1927. She began playing piano at an early age and formed The Grilli Sisters singing group. They broadcast on her mother’s local radio show on WHBQ. She became Memphis station WREC’s staff pianist at age 14.

Kerr formed The Anita Kerr Singers, who were hired to sing on WSM’s “Sunday Down South” radio show in Nashville in 1948. The group began singing backup harmonies on records in 1950 and signed to record for Decca in 1951.

October 12 Radio History

➦In 1937...'Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons' debuted on the NBC Blue Network.  It was one of radio's longest running shows, airing to April 19, 1955, continuing well into the television era. It was produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, who based it upon Robert W. Chambers' 1906 novel The Tracer of Lost Persons. The sponsors included Whitehall Pharmacal (as in Anacin, Kolynos Toothpaste, BiSoDol antacid mints, Hill's cold tablets and Heet liniment), Dentyne, Aerowax, RCA Victor and Chesterfield cigarettes. It aired on the NBC Blue network until 1947, when it switched to CBS.

➦In 1944...What would come to be known as the "Columbus Day Riot" took place in New York City, when 35,000 hysterical teenage girls crowded into the Paramount Theatre for a chance to see the return of Frank Sinatra. The crowd of teen "bobbysoxer" girls stopped traffic in Times Square and  refused to leave between shows.

➦In 1950…The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, sometimes called The Burns and Allen Show, made it debut on TV.   The is a half-hour series broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS.

Burns and Allen were headliners in vaudeville in the 1920s, and radio stars in the 1930s and 1940s.

Their show was initially staged live and broadcast every other Thursday at 8 pm ET. In fall 1952, it became a weekly series filmed on the West Coast. From March 1953 through September 1958, The Burns and Allen Show aired Mondays at 8 pm ET.

The show was an immediate success.

Elvis Duran, Scott Shannon to Receive 2022 NAB Show Impact Award

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) will present the NAB Show New York Impact Award to two legendary radio hosts, Elvis Duran and Scott Shannon, who recently partnered on the feature-length documentary "Worst to First: The True Story of Z100." The award program will take place on Thursday, October 20 in the Content Theater at the Javits Center and is open to all attendees.

The NAB Show New York Impact Award honors the most innovative leaders in media and entertainment for their impact and influence on the overall industry, as well as in the city of New York. Duran and Shannon will be acknowledged for their monumental impact on the radio broadcasting industry. Past honorees include Meredith Vieira (2020), Billy Porter (2019), Wendy Williams (2018), Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory (2017).

Donald Trump Threatens More Lawsuits Against Media

Donald Trump says he plans to file lawsuits against "a large number" of news outlets, just as he has against CNN, reports nexttv.com.

In an e-mail to supporters, the former president said those other news outlets--he did not identify them -- were guilty of "lies, defamation, and wrongdoing," including as it pertains to "The Big Lie."

Trump's history of litigiousness is well documented. In fact, in the run-up to the 2016 election, USA Today reported(opens in new tab), based on its analysis of legal filings, that Trump had been involved in "at least" 3,500 legal actions over the previous three decades, which they said was a record for a candidate.

In seeking donations, the Trump e-mail added that Trump is considering filing suit against the special Jan. 6 selection committee investigating the Capitol insurrection, which he said was also part of his effort to "stand up to Fake News and the Mainstream Media."

Trump claims the committee ignored that he had authorized troops to be deployed to ensure the Capitol's safety. 

R.I.P.: Art LaBoe, Iconic Oldies But Goodies Radio Personality

Art LaBoe (1925-2022)

Art LaBoe, who got his first radio job at 17, went on to fill Southern California’s airwaves for more than 70 years, has died. He died late Friday while battling pneumonia, Joanna Morones, a spokesperson for Laboe’s production company, told the Associated Press. 

He was 97.

He was one of the first to play rock ‘n’ roll on the West Coast and was a pioneer in creating a compilation album, calling it “Oldies But Goodies.”

Through the decades, his night-time love song and dedication show endured unchanged in a sea of constant radio format shifts.

Listeners would call in from Oxnard, Boyle Heights, Riverside; from as far as Phoenix, Albuquerque and Nevada. They were lovers, loners, kids and grandmothers — some who had tuned in since grade school.  Laboe helped them celebrate anniversaries, mourn the loss of loved ones and profess their love. He played intermediary in arguments and blew kisses on birthdays.

His radio program consistently ranked near the top evening time slots and was syndicated in more than a dozen cities, drawing about a million listeners per week. His show was broadcast in Los Angeles for more than 20 years on Hot 92.3 (KRRL-FM).

“He was the voice of the real L.A.,” said Lou Adler, the famed record producer, manager and hardcore Laboe fan. “He reached out and touched people growing up in this melting pot. He cut right through it and understood us.”

Laboe was born Art Egnoian in Salt Lake City on Aug. 7, 1925, in the same decade commercial radio broadcasting first began. He was a loner growing up, he said in a Times profile, a small Armenian kid who “wasn’t a big, good-looking hunk.”

His parents divorced when he was 13 and he moved to South Los Angeles to live with his sister. He started his own amateur radio station in 1938 out of his bedroom. Over the airwaves he was anonymous, and listeners, he was pleased to find, were drawn to his voice.

He attended Stanford University and, after a stint in the Navy during World War II, scored his first job at a station in San Francisco. A general manager encouraged him to adopt the last name Laboe because it sounded catchier.

By the time he returned to Los Angeles in the 1950s, rock ‘n’ roll was beginning to make its furious ascent. Laboe, a plainspoken man with sharp business instincts, dove in and promoted the music.

Digital Makes The AM/FM Radio Ad Plans Better And Vice Versa

New research from Nielsen shows why a blend of digital ad platforms and AM/FM radio is one of the most powerful combinations in media. Some of the largest studies ever conducted on advertising effectiveness have found as the number of media platforms utilized increases, effectiveness and sales effect grows.

This week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® blog makes the case for using AM/FM radio and digital in conjunction with each other for positive campaign effect.

Wake-Up Call: Russian Missiles Kill Dozens

Waves of Russian missiles slammed into Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in one of the broadest and most intense barrages of the war, in response to a weekend attack Moscow blamed on Ukraine that seriously damaged a bridge connecting Russia to occupied Crimea, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had carried out dozens of strikes using missiles as well as Iranian-made drones to target the country’s electrical grid and other civilian infrastructure. “The occupiers cannot match us on the battlefield, and that is why they resort to such terrorism,” Mr. Zelensky said in a video address as he stood near a crater left by a strike in Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday warned of a harsh response if Kyiv were to conduct further “terrorist attacks” following weeks of battlefield losses that culminated in the attack on the strategically important Kerch Strait Bridge.

Of at least 84 missiles that were fired at Ukrainian cities on Monday, 43 were intercepted, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said, adding that 13 drones were also shot down.

Ukraine’s emergency services said 14 people were killed and 97 injured across the country, with most strikes hitting electricity substations and other targets outside city centers, away from civilian homes. Power in more than half of Ukraine’s regions remained partially disrupted as of late Monday, and work was under way to restore damaged infrastructure, emergency services said.

Russia's forces in Ukraine are exhausted, says UK intelligence head https://t.co/yygmzZPNbE

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) October 11, 2022

Putin's military has come under increasingly withering criticism from the war’s supporters for not being aggressive enough in its assault on Ukraine, a chorus that reached a fever pitch after Saturday’s attack on the 12-mile bridge to the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea — a symbol of Mr. Putin’s rule.

With Monday’s devastating escalation of the war effort, The NY Times reports Putin appears to be responding, in part, to those critics, momentarily quieting the clamors of hard-liners furious with the Russian military’s humiliating setbacks on the battlefield.

Columbia SC Radio: Ronnie Ramone named PD For WTCB, WOMG

CUMULUS MEDIA announces that it has appointed Ronnie Ramone as Program Director for Adult Contemporary radio station B106.7/WTCB-FM and Classic Hits station 98.5 WOMG-FM in Columbia, SC. 

Ramone brings over 20 years’ experience to Cumulus Columbia and was previously Program Director/Brand Manager for Hall Communications’ AC/Hot AC-formatted WROZ-FM and WONN-FM (Sports) in Lancaster/York, PA, for 14 years. Prior to that, Ramone was Program Director and On-Air Personality for Cumulus Media’s Rhythmic AC station WWKL-FM in Harrisburg, PA. 

Holiday Forecast: Tepid Online Increase

Tighter family budgets mean fewer people will shop online this holiday. And Adobe is forecasting online sales of $209.7 billion this season, a gain of 2.5% compared to last year.

MediaPost reports Adobe expects discounting to be "massive," with a record 32% of transactions, as retailers struggle with too much inventory and cautious consumers.

On Cyber Monday­ -- the Monday after Thanksgiving -- sales are forecast to reach a record $11.2 billion, up 5.1% compared to last year.

But Adobe expects Black Friday sales to add just 1%, to $9 billion, with online sales on Thanksgiving falling 1% to $5.1 billion.

"The shape of the holiday season will look different this year, with early discounting in October pulling up spend that would have occurred around Cyber Week," said Patrick Brown, vice president of growth marketing and insights at Adobe, in the announcement. "Even though we expect to see single-digit growth online this season, it is notable that consumers have already spent over $590 billion online this year at 8.9% growth, highlighting the resiliency of ecommerce demand."

Analyst: Expect Netflix To Haul-In Big Bucks

Netflix stands to haul in big bucks over the next few years from the launch of its first ad-supported tier, estimates JPMorgan.

Yahoo! Finance reports Analyst Doug Anmuth estimated in a new note on Monday Netflix could drive 7.5 million subscribers to its ad-supported tier in its US/Canada segment in 2023. That alone will help drive $600 million in advertising sales in 2023 for the segment. Anmuth expects those numbers to swell by 2026 as Netflix's execution on selling ads improves.

By 2026, Anmuth thinks Netflix's US/Canada segment will boast 22 million subscribers and drive $2.65 billion in advertising sales.