News Briefs

Kenny Jay Named Minneapolis 'BUZN@102.9' APD. Kenny Jay is named Assistant Program Director at CBS Radio Country "BUZN@102.9" KMNB-FM, Minneapolis, effective December 17. Jay, a Milwaukee native, comes to the Twin Cities from Savannah, Georgia, where he was Program Director of "Bob 106.9" WUBB-FM. Operations Manager Rob Morris tells us, "I believe Kenny is a great, up and coming programmer who understands all facets of what it takes to win and compete in today's media. I'm very excited that he is joining the team at the new BUZN@102.9 and CBS Radio Twin Cities." Says Jay, "Rob Morris and Mick Anselmo have a great vision for the BUZ'N brand and I'm thrilled to be part of such a talented staff. Plus, relocating my family close to home is icing on the cake."

Todd Schnitt Leaving Tampa's WFLA-AM. Syndicated talker Todd Schnitt says he will leave his home base for his show, WFLA-AM, Tampa. His final day there, he says, will be December 18. He emphasizes, though, that his syndicated talk show will continue via Compass Media Networks. Schnitt had previously worked for two stations in Tampa, WFLA-AM with the talk show, and sister CHR-Top40 WFLZ-FM, hosting mornings as MJ Kelli. He eventually gave up the morning show in favor of his afternoon talk show. So far there's no explanation of why he's leaving WFLA-AM, or where he will be based for the syndicated show, although he says his network of affiliate stations will soon expand.

Jen Hobby Crosses the Hall in Atlanta. Earlier this week, we were told (and reported) that Jenn Hobby will leave the "Bert Show" morning program at "Q100" WWWQ-FM, Atlanta, December 7, to become a fulltime mother. It is true she's leaving the "Bert Show" and it's true that she's pregnant with her first child, but she's not leaving radio. We now learn Hobby will be the new midday host at "Q100" sister Country "Kicks 101.5" WKHX-FM, Atlanta. That was kept under wraps until Sari Rose was let go, with Hobby to replace her. Rose joined "Kicks 101.5" as a fill-in in 2007 and became midday host a couple of years later. Hobby's new gig, her first solo hosting job, has now been announced on the "Bert Show" with Bert Weiss commenting, "I'm jealous of all the sleep you’re going to get." Hobby says she wanted a new challenge.

Clear Channel Dallas Names Chris Daly VP of Sales. Clear Channel Dallas appoints Chris Daly as VP of Sales, responsible for advertising, brand partnerships and sales operations for the six station cluster. Daly, a veteran of the market, joins Clear Channel Dallas from KDAF-TV, where he was a Local Sales Manager. "Chris is a proven leader in the industry and is recognized throughout the market," says Clear Channel Dallas President and Market Manager Kelly Kibler. "I am thrilled to have Chris join our team. He will definitely give our Sales Team a unique advantage to create winning relationships with our partners in Dallas." EVP of Operations for Major Markets West Hartley Adkins adds, "We are excited to have Chris Daly join the Clear Channel Media Entertainment Dallas team. He is an accomplished sales leader and his background will be a tremendous asset to the future success of the Dallas market."

Laura Ingraham Says She Will Be Back on Radio 'Very Soon'. Following her expected "surprise" exit from Talk Radio Network, Laura Ingraham says she will be back on radio within a week, but hints her new show may be different than the one she hosted on TRN. Although the syndicator says her sudden exit several days ago caught them by "surprise," Ingraham says she told them months ago that she'd be leaving when her contract ended in late November. She now says she's "very close" to "signing a new deal." Ingraham was neither confirmed nor denied reports she's working out the final details of a deal with Clear Channel that would have she show distributed by Premiere Networks with a provision for an iHeartRadio platform as part of the agreement. Her new show, she hints, may be "more entertainment oriented" than her former TRN program.

NPR's TED Radio Hour Expands with New Host. NPR and TED are expanding the "TED Radio Hour" to make it a weekly program while adding a new host. NPR's Guy Raz joins the show from "All Things Considered," where he's been the weekend host since July 2009. The program has aired on more than 250 NPR member stations since it debuted as a 10-episode pilot earlier this year. The new season is scheduled to start in March. NPR describes the show as "A journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, and new ways to think and create, based on riveting TEDTalks from the world's most remarkable minds." NPR VP of Programming Eric Nuzum tells us, "The audience's response to the concepts and energy generated by this show was, quite simply, overwhelming. With 'the idea' as its only mandate, there's an infinite well for Guy and our producers to draw from -- the perfect recipe for great radio."

NAB Favors Easing Cross-Ownership Rules. No surprise here. NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith says the broadcasters association favors the FCC's plans to ease media cross-ownership rules. In an on-air interview with Jim Bohannon, Smith said it's time to rethink the "antiquated" rules that have, as a general rule, prevented newspapers from owning radio and TV stations or broadcast media also operating newspapers in the same market. The FCC is reportedly close to easing those rules for the Top 20 markets. Smith told Bonannon that "there's concern out there about the survivability of hard journalism" because of the onslaught of information the Internet now provides. Smith said, "We don't think the rules should be totally eliminated. But we think the rules were developed in the days of 'I Love Lucy' and are completely antiquated for the purposes of today's marketplace of information."

Critics to FCC: Slow Down on Easing Media Cross-Ownership Restrictions. Critics of media ownership concentration – including civil rights organizations, unions and public interest groups – are demanding the FCC to slow down on "lifting longstanding media ownership limits" and urging the Commission to first finish diversity studies. In a news conference, or more correctly teleconference, Free Press President Craig Aaron threatened to sue the FCC again, as they did in 2007, if new media ownership rules are approved before the Commission completes diversity studies. "If they move forward without public input, then I believe we will have no choice but to take them to court again." He added, "Diversity is not something that we can deal with later after changing the rules, after allowing more concentration. Diversity needs to come first. As we have reported, the Commission is reportedly on the verge of easing ownership restrictions on stations in the top 20 markets by loosening the broadcast-newspaper cross-ownership ban. After two previously failed attempts to eases the restrictions begun in the 1950's, the FCC is reportedly soon going to approve a new proposal that would allow newspapers and TV or radio stations in the top 20 markets to consolidate.

Listener Driven Radio Continues International Growth. Listener Driven Radio continues to expand internationally, as Virgin Radio Italy launches a new show using the LDR.Takeover platform. Gruppo Finelco, S.p.A. manages Virgin Radio Italy, and the network has been actively using the LDR.1 platform to power an interactive benchmark called "Radio Comando" online and on air. Building on the success of Radio Comando, Virgin Radio Italy recently launched Radio Comando Total Control powered by LDR.Takeover. Weeknights at 9pm, every song is crowdsourced and the songs with the highest voting play on the air. Since Radio Comando launched with LDR.1, the website has received over 50 million votes, and still counting. Listener Driven Radio CEO Daniel Anstandig tells us, "We've had a great partnership with Virgin Radio Italy for a long time, and it's exciting to see the platform grow on such a massive scale with incredible support throughout the entire country."

AWMF Names 'Gracies Scholars'. The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation announces that two of its Gracies judging student volunteers will be named "Gracies Scholars." College student volunteers are integral to the annual Gracies judging process, in which pros from a variety of media outlets convene to participate in the peer review, deliberation and scoring necessary to select the Gracie Award winners. This year's judging weekend will take place January 26-27 at the National Press Club in Washington DC. All student volunteers who complete their duties during the judging weekend will receive a complimentary ticket to the 2013 Gracies Luncheon, being held June 26 in New York. The student volunteers are also invited to submit an essay about their Gracies judging experience, along with a resume. The Foundation will select two Gracies Scholars, who will each win a travel stipend to attend the event. "The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation is pleased to offer yet another opportunity for our student members to become involved with the Gracies," says AWMF President Erin Fuller. "Our Honorary Trustees recognize the value in providing emerging media professionals with these important learning and networking opportunities."

Arbitron: Winter 2013 Station Information Packets Due December 3. Arbitron is reminding stations that Winter 2013 Station Information Packets for stations in markets Arbitron measures for the Winter 2013 Diary survey and for the January, February and March PPM report periods (January 3-March 27) are due back to Arbitron on December 3. The packet was mailed to clients on November 15. It contains a Station Information Form that includes information the station submitted the previous survey, along with other information important for the Winter quarter. The information collected on the Station Information Form is used by Arbitron to credit Diary entries and serves as a basis for reporting audience estimates in the Diary and PPM services. All stations are asked to complete the forms and return them by Monday, December 3. Stations may further update their submitted station information at any time during the survey or report period.

Salem Communications Declares Q4 Dividend. Salem Communications announced that its Board of Directors has declared a dividend for the fourth quarter of 2012 in the amount of $0.035 per share of its Class A and Class B common stock. The cash dividend will be paid on December 28, 2012 to all common stockholders of record as of December 14, 2012.