Baltimore's '100.7 The Bay' Names Dan Michaels Program Director

Classic Rock "100.7 The Bay" WZBA-FM, Baltimore, appoints Dan Michaels to be the station's new Program Director. He starts in Baltimore February 11. Michaels joins WZBA-FM after four years with AC "Q92.9" WLTJ-FM, Pittsburgh. "Dan Michaels brings a long track record of programming success and is clearly a very special talent. He has a true passion for radio and a deep understanding of how to build a powerful brand and connect that to listeners and advertisers," says General Manager Jefferson Ward. "Dan's excellent leadership qualities, outstanding programming concepts and history of innovation make him a perfect fit for 100.7 The Bay." Michaels tells us, "The Bay is a heritage station in Baltimore with tremendous potential. I'm excited to be involved with the team at the station. We've got a clear goal and I look forward to the journey. This should be fun." A three-decade radio veteran, Michaels has previously programmed stations in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Chicago, Denver, Houston and Norfolk.

Schnitt Attorney Requests Mistrial, Claims DUI Was Set-Up

Todd "MJ Kelly" Schnitt's defamation lawsuit trial against Bubba The Love Sponge Clem resumed Friday (Jan. 25), with Schnitt's legal team asking for a mistrial. They claim their lead attorney, who was arrested on DUI charges, was set-up by the Clem team. No mistrial was declared Friday morning, and testimony in the high-profile case between two former Tampa morning radio rivals continued after Thursday's break because of the Wednesday night arrest of attorney Charles Philip Campbell Jr. Schnitt's attorneys claim that a legal assistant for the law firm representing Bubba, Melissa Personius, was with Campbell at the time of his arrest and that she got Campbell drunk at a restaurant and then called the police. They also allege that Personius never told Campbell that she worked for Bubba's law firm and and set Campbell up by asking him to move her car. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Personius said she didn't tell Campbell where she worked because "you don't give your personal true information to anyone you don't know." Another Schnitt attorney, Jonathan Ellis, alleges that Personius told Campbell she worked for another law firm. Tampa Police DUI Sgt. Ray Fernandez testified that one of Bubba's attorneys, Adam Filthaut, called the police to report Campbell.

Harris Broadcast and GBS Helping Radio to Target Ads

Harris Broadcast and Geo-Broadcast Solutions are working together to provide targeted advertising based on the GBS ZoneCasting while the industry awaits FCC approval for ZoneCasting. "MaxxCasting" uses a network topology similar to the ZoneCasting architecture for targeted, over-the-air radio broadcasting, but instead focuses on simulcasting content to improve coverage which can be deployed under current regulations. "We often hear from broadcasters looking to take advantage of this network topology as our ZoneCasting petition to deliver targeted content moves through FCC approval," says Geo-Broadcast Systems CEO Peter Handy. "The FCC rules currently allow FM stations to deploy boosters to fill in signal coverage gaps, broadcasting identical content on every booster. We have discovered that adding boosters to simulcast across the typical ZoneCasting topology can help broadcasters improve coverage." Harris, we're told, has an exclusive, worldwide license to use and incorporate the GBS ZoneCasting software and hardware design into its Flexiva transmitters and Intraplex SynchroCast systems for deployment in ZoneCasting systems. Broadcasters would use these same tested and proven technologies for MaxxCasting systems. "ZoneCasting was created to bring hyper-localization to over-the-air radio, bringing new advertising opportunities to local businesses and to allow stations of any size to better compete in a challenging landscape," says Harris Broadcast VP of Transmission Systems Product Management/Strategy Richard Redmond. "But a high percentage of radio stations today would like to improve their reach. MaxxCasting allows them to fill out the signal area that they originally purchased, to the maximum of what the FCC allows through their broadcast licenses."

Radio One Back in Nasdaq Compliance

Radio One tells the SEC that the company's stock is back in compliance with Nasdaq's minimum bid price. In the filing, Radio One says it has received a letter from Nasdaq advising it that their Class D shares traded under the symbol ROIAK, had regained compliance with the minimum bid price listing requirements and were in good standing on the Nasdaq National Market. The letter received January 24 from Nasdaq says that because the Class D shares closed above the $1.00 minimum bid price for the 10 consecutive trading days ended January 23, 2013, the threat of delisting had ended.

Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio

Cumulus Albuquerque Operations Manager Eddie Haskell is stepping down after nine years. Haskell also was direct Progam Director for the cluster's Country KRST-FM ... Bob "Wolf" Wohlfeld had a short run of 11 mornings at Triple-A WDST-FM, Poughkeepsie-Woodstock, NY, and now shortly after exiting there, he returns "Wakin' Up With The Wolf" to Albany at Rock WKLI-FM ... Cheryl Park returns to "99.9 Cape Cod's Fresh Mix" WQRC-FM, this time as afternoon host. Park stepped down after seven years in mornings, two months ago. She says she's glad to be back for the later shift ... "The Stoneman" Jay D. Stone is named Assistant PD at Greenville's Classic Rock "Rock 101" WROQ-FM and Active Rock "New Rock 93.3 - The Planet" WTPT-FM. He will also continue to serve as Music Director at WROQ-FM ... Interim PD J. Arthur is now the official new Program Director of Classic Rock "96.7 The Wolf" KWMX-FM and Country "The Big 107.5" KSED-FM, Flagstaff, Arizona. Also, at co-owned Classic Hits KFLX-FM, morning host Samantha Ward adds PD for that station.