News Briefs (Nov. 19, 2012)

Lance Venta: 'Is Cumulus Planning A National Country Brand?' Is Cumulus planning a national Country brand? Lance Venta at RadioInsight.com poses that question, writing that Cumulus "appears on the way towards establishing a new national Country brand." Venta notes that domain registrations "have been made over the past few months for every commercial FM frequency ending in NashFM.com and .net (Example 921NashFM.com) as well as NashCountry.com and NashRadio.net." He adds that "CountryAircheck recently reported that Cumulus will move all record label meetings in the Country format to the corporate level. Monthly meetings and calls will take place in their Atlanta offices with the company’s Country format captains and Co-COO John Dickey to formulate the company’s initiatives and playlists for the format." Venta also suggests that with the Cumulus purchase of WFME-FM in the New York market, a market "that has been without a Country station since 1996, what better way to make a splash with Country to ad agencies nationally than to redebut it in New York?"

Mike Olson Joins CBS Radio Los Angeles. Mike Olson is hired by CBS Radio Los Angeles as the Director of Intergrated Marketing for Alternative KROQ-FM and Adult Hits KCBS-FM. Olson spent the last four years with Cumulus as Director of Promotions, Marketing and NTR for KLOS-FM and KABC-AM. Olson take over from Chad Fitzsimmons who will remain as the Director of Integrated Marketing for CHR-Top40 KAMP-FM, and will also now be serving as Director of Music Initiatives for CBS Radio.

Liberty Gets More of SiriusXM. Liberty Media now owns 49.8% of SiriusXM Radio stock as Liberty approaches full control of the satcaster, continuing to add to its stake in SiriusXM. Liberty, already the satcaster's largest shareholder, reports in a new SEC filing that it has acquired another 30.96 million shares at $2.66 each. Liberty recently stated the it is becoming costlier to add shares as the price increases with the knowledge that Liberty Media is still buying, ultimately to top 50%.

San Diego's KOGO Ends AM-FM Simulcast. Clear Channel San Diego News Talk KOGO has ended its AM-FM simulcast. KOGO-AM's programming is no longer airing on KOGO-FM, but instead since Friday night, the FM at 95.7 is running commercial-free Christmas music. After the holiday season a new format is expected to be unveiled. Speculation is running high that a Country format will return to the FM station, which previously aired the format as "US 95.7" KUSS-FM until the AM-FM simulcast began a year ago. However, reclaiming the "US 95.7" identity might be difficult as Lincoln Financial Media’s Country KSON-FM has grown its ratings, picking up many who previously listened to 95.7 FM. But speculation suggests Clear Channel may want to get some of the former format's listeners back for the sake of its CHR-Top40 "Channel 93.3" KHTS-FM which had been the top-rated station in the market until KSON-FM started receiving higher ratings after picking up much of the former 95.7 Country audience. Observers in the San Diego market, reacting to the FM flip, note that the FM simulcast never improved KOGO's ratings.

The Ins and Outs of Radio
CHR-Top40 "92.7 Rev FM - The Revolution" KREV-FM, San Francisco, says "you're in" to Boomer Barbosa for afternoon host ... Alternative "96 X" WROX-FM, Norfolk-Virginia Beach, weekender and imaging assistant Lee Foster moves up to midday host, taking over from Kristi Michael who moves to Country clustermate "US 106.1" WUSH-FM, but will continue to host 2-4pm weekdays on WROX-FM ... Country "Y100" KCYY-FM, San Antonio, morning co-host Vanessa Macias exits, three months after being named part of the "Jeff Roper and the Y" show, when she replaced Laurie Pearson, who segued to middays on sister AC "Magic 105.3" KSMG-FM.