Monday's Radio & Media News - April 15, 2013

Boston Radio Quickly Reacts to Boston Marathon Explosions Boston radio stations offered continuous coverage following the Monday afternoon explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Greater Media Boston, which didn't have any employees at the race when the explosions occurred, ramped up local coverage. "Hot 96.9" WBQT-FM morning hosts Baltazar and Pebbles returned to the station Monday afternoon to provide coverage. Afternoon hosts Steve Kelly from Country WKLB-FM and Julie Devereaux from Classic Hits WROR-FM both provided information to listeners. AC "Magic 106.7" WMJX-FM began providing updates as new information became available. "Our hearts and prayers are with the individuals and families impacted by today's explosions. Our stations will continue to work around the clock to make sure that our listeners, their families and the communities we serve are up-to-date with the latest information being made available by law enforcement," said Greater Media Boston Market Manager Rob Williams. WKLB-FM Program Director Mike Brophey said that as the breaking news story developed, they were "breaking every 10 minutes or so, repeating whatever information" they had -- "street closures, hospital issues, injuries, college lockdowns, cancellations, etc." Brophey tells us, "We asked our morning co-host Lori to come in and do news in the afternoon to bring more credibility to our information. We have ceased all contesting, and watching what songs we play. The main issue is giving information and trying to calm people. We will also give listeners a sounding board on the air when we feel it’s appropriate." Crosstown at Clear Channel, Rhythmic CHR "Jamn 94.5" WJMN-FM continued playing music but not in their usually scheduled mixes. The station was doing extended breaks to offer important information as it became available. The station was also prepared to break for news conferences and updates from city, county and state officials. Sister Talk WXKS-AM was providing extensive coverage. Entercom Boston VP of Programming Jason Wolfe tells us, "We broke in with live coverage on both WEEI and WRKO just before 3pm when first word of the story broke. After about a half-hour I began simulcasting WRKO’s coverage with Howie Carr on WEEI and the WEEI radio network. That will continue throughout the night. Howie has been taking calls from the scene as well as airing all of the media briefings that have occurred. It’s still a fluid situation as you know, but that’s where we are so far." Entercom Active Rock WAAF-FM Program Director Ron Valeri said, "A number of our staff were at the finish line today. Thankfully everybody is okay." He added that some of them began "filing eyewitness accounts with WAAF as well as numerous other Entercom stations across the country. Our primary focus on the air all day and right now is to disseminate key facts and helpful information." He told us they were also airing news conferences on developments, aired President Obama's address on the Boston explosions and other special coverage as needed. "As for the music, we've removed songs that would be insensitive or inappropriate." All of CBS Radio's Boston stations aired live coverage from the cluster's All News WBZ-AM. Milt McConnell Joins Alpha Broadcasting as Portland Market Manager Former Cumulus/Citadel Albuquerque Market Manager Milt McConnell joins Alpha Broadcasting as SVP and Market Manager in Portland, Oregon. You might remember that back in January we reported that McConnell had submitted his resignation and would leave the Albuquerque cluster at the end of the month after more than 10 years. Prior to Albuquerque, McConnell was with Taft Broadcasting in Indianapolis. Alpha Broadcasting now says, "With over 35 years of experience in the radio industry, McConnell comes to Alpha with a stellar reputation and track record in Indianapolis and Albuquerque." Alpha Broadcasting President and COO Bob Proffitt tells us, "Milt is a 100% radio guy, blessed with the talent to stay way ahead of the business trends by being an early adopter of technology, along with knowing basic radio skills inside and out. I competed against him in Albuquerque, and then hired him away to handle national for the Company. When the opportunity came to run our huge Albuquerque cluster, he was the perfect fit. I'd rather have Milt on our side any day than compete with him, and am proud to have the opportunity to work with him again. He gets results, period." Says McConnell, "I am just thrilled to get back to live and locally owned radio. What Larry Wilson and Bob Proffitt have crafted with these premier brands at Alpha Portland is incredible, and I am excited about growing our influence in this dynamic city. The Alpha culture is very reminiscent of the boom years when we were growing Citadel. The cherry on top is that I get to work with formats that I have experience with, and am extremely passionate about." At Alpha Portland McConnell will oversee Sports Talk KXTG-AM, Talk KUFO-AM, News Talk KXL-AM, Triple-A KINK-FM, Country KUPL-FM, and CHR-Top40 KBFF-FM. Salem Brings 'The Answer' to Cleveland at WHK-AM Salem brings "The Answer" conservative News Talk brand to Cleveland at "News Talk 1420" WHK-AM. This follows previous change-overs to the brand in New York, Los Angeles, Riverside, Dallas, Houston, Columbus, and Chicago. Cleveland is the eighth market to get "The Answer" -- the creation of Salem VP Director of Spoken Word Format Phil Boyce, which he first introduced in New York City at what had been "The Apple." Says Boyce, "As our listeners are preparing to write Uncle Sam that fat check, I can't think of a better day to give Cleveland 'The Answer' to why their taxes are so high. We have the answer for little things like 'why am I stuck in traffic' to bigger things like what can conservatives do to win back the White House." WHK-AM is also adding a new 11pm-12midnight show -- "The 11th Hour" hosted by newly-hired morning news anchor Jim McIntyre and veteran Cleveland talk host Tom Kelly. The show will focus on both local and statewide stories with news updates and interviews of the day’s newsmakers and journalists. The show will focus on both local and statewide stories with news updates and interviews of the day’s newsmakers and journalists. The rest of the station's lineup remains intact. The new "AM 1420 The Answer" brand at WHK-AM started today (April 15). Classic Country 'Hank FM' Launches in Gainesville MARC Radio Group launches Classic Country "101.7 Hank FM" -- featuring "Country Legends" -- on WDVH-FM, Gainesville, Florida. The Monday morning launch of the new station followed a brief period of stunting as Dance "Nova 101.7" reports Lance Venta at RadioInsight.com. He tells us "a new format had been expected on the 101.7 signal since last September when Christian AC 'Pulse 101.7' WPLL moved to the stronger 106.9 signal in the market." We're told that the new "Hank FM" is promoting a broad mix of music from the 1960s through the 2000s. The new station -- online here -- returns the Classic Country format to the market, and to 101.7 FM, where the format aired from 2004 until 2011 as part of a simulcast with WDVH-AM, Gainesville. The AM station is now Conservative Talk "Fox News Radio Florida." Arbitron Settles WKYC-TV/Pandora Infringement Suit Arbitron settles its legal action with WKYC-TV, Cleveland, resolving the lawsuit filed by Arbitron for copyright infringement, trademark infringement and false designation of origin under the Lanham Act, involving the TV station's advertising for Pandora. In the suit, Arbitron claimed that WKYC-TV copied and distributed its copyrighted audience estimates without permission, and that the Cleveland TV station improperly used Arbitron's federally registered trademarks to create the false impression that non-Arbitron audience estimates for Pandora were genuine Arbitron products. WKYC-TV, which is owned by Gannett, agreed to settle the suit for an undisclosed sum of monetary damages, and agreed not to engage in any further activities that would infringe Arbitron's intellectual property rights in its data, information and audience estimates. Arbitron agreed not to pursue legal action against WKYC-TV so long as it complies with the terms of the settlement agreement. CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves Compensation Down 11% CBS Corporation CEO Leslie "Les" Moonves is by no means headed for the poorhouse, but the fact that he took an 11% pay cut is getting plenty of media attention. Moonves, however, still took home more than $62 million in total compensation for 2012. His overall pay includes $3.5 million in cash plus $27.5 million in cash bonuses and more in stock awards and options and pension increases, and was disclosed in a newly filed SEC proxy statement. The company writes that "Moonves provided leadership in delivering record-breaking results in key metrics in a macroeconomic environment that has been slow to recover. He provided the leadership under which the Company's stock price once again outperformed the average of its diversified media peers and the S&P 500. Together with his senior management team, he focused division and corporate unit management to grow OIBDA, expand margins and deliver on FcF goals. The CBS proxy statement adds, "He continued to demonstrate consistent leadership in driving continued ratings successes." And, we're told, "Under Mr. Moonves' leadership, the Company continued to return significant value to shareholders as demonstrated by a total shareholder return that was a top-performer among its diversified media peers and an increase in both the share repurchase program and the dividend." But is that enough to justify $62 million in total compensation? Well, of course, there's more. "The Compensation Committee also acknowledged Mr. Moonves' successes in management development and human resources, including his involvement in acquiring key executive and creative talent, his execution of the Company's succession planning and diversity programs and his leadership in fostering a remarkably stable senior management team." And, says the SEC filing, he "was instrumental in continuing to lead the CBS Television Network in solidifying its #1 position in key ratings measures and further outpacing the competition with his direct involvement in developing and securing high quality programming and maintaining CBS' reputation as one of the most highly desirable organizations for top creative talent." FCC and FEMA (Finally) Issue National EAS Test Report Remember the first-ever national test of the Emergency Alert System back in November 2011 -- which, as we reported at the time, was plagued with problems? Seems like "just yesterday"? Then you'll think the FCC and FEMA have "quickly" released their report on the test. The just-released report on the national EAS test is titled "Strengthening the Emergency Alert System: Lessons Learned from the Nationwide EAS Test." Before recapping the details, here's the bottom line: "The test demonstrated that the national EAS distribution architecture is basically sound" but notes "several problems" during the test. We remember our November 2011 reports after the test, and if memory serves us correctly, there were more than "several" problems. The ones cited by the report from the FCC and FEMA include "Widespread poor audio quality nationwide; Lack of a Primary Entry Point (PEP) in the area to provide a direct connection to FEMA; Use of alternatives to PEP-based EAN distribution; The inability of some EAS Participants either to receive or retransmit the EAN; Short test length; and, Anomalies in EAS equipment programming and operation." The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, we're told, added its recommendations. They include a rulemaking proceeding to look at equipment performance issues; a Public Notice encouraging states to review and update their EAS plans; a rulemaking on changes to EAS plan rules; and working with FEMA to develop and issue best practices and other educational materials for EAS. On future nationwide EAS testing -- yes, they still plan to try again -- the Bureau recommends a rulemaking proceeding to address any operational issues left open in previous EAS orders, including a possible nationwide location code for national EAS activations and use of the National Periodic Test code or other test code to allow FEMA and the FCC to conduct "less disruptive nationwide tests," a new Nationwide EAS Test Reporting System database, and encouraging the Executive Office of the President to reconvene the Federal EAS Test Working Group. Julius Genachowski: From FCC to Aspen Institute Outgoing FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will follow in the footsteps of his four predecessors, making his next stop the Aspen Institute. "When Julius Genachowski finishes his four years as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission later this month, he will follow a 16-year tradition followed by his four immediate predecessors: moving to the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program as a Senior Fellow," says the Aspen Institute (AI). "We are delighted, of course, to welcome him to the Aspen family.” AI also says that it will allow him a chance to step back and assess his own chairmanship. But AI will, of course, obtain Genachowski’s input on pertinent issues. “Freed of the possibility of moving markets by the mere intonation of their comments, these leaders can frame the issues going forward in new and important ways.” AI notes that the FCC-to-Aspen path is now a 16 year tradition, with Genachowski following the footsteps of Kevin Martin, Michael Powell, William Kennard and Reed Hundt. John Mullet Named Marketing Director for Boston's 'Radio 92.9' John Mullet is named Marketing Director for Greater Media Alternative "Radio 92.9" WBOS-FM, Boston, effective April 29. Mullet most recently was Marketing Director at crosstown Triple-A "92.5 The River" WXRV-FM. Mullet replaces Crystal Margolis as Marketing Director at WBOS-FM. "I can't begin to express how honored I feel to be joining the team at Radio 92.9," says Mullet. "I'm eager to become part of the creative force that has built such a great and unique brand in Boston." WBOS-FM Program Director Ken West tells us, "John will fit in well with Greater Media and the Radio 92.9 staff. He impressed us with his passion for music, his understanding of connecting people to the Radio 92.9 brand, and his positive attitude. We look forward to having John take on all facets of moving the Radio 92.9 brand forward and creating experiences and stories for our fans and clients." Danny O’Neil Joins '710 ESPN Seattle' to Co-Host with Brock Huard Danny O'Neil joins Bonneville's "710 ESPN" KIRO-AM, Seattle, as late morning co-host. The veteran market sports journalist, who will co-host the 9am-12noon program with Brock Huard, replaces Mike Salk who recently moved to Boston's WEEI-FM. The "Brock and Danny Show" began airing on KIRO-AM today. O’Neil will also write a daily Seattle-focused sports column/blog on 710Sports.com. During the NFL season, O’Neil will cover the Seattle Seahawks to provide fans with an inside perspective on the team. O’Neil, who has had three different stints with the Seattle Times between 1996 and this year, has also written for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. KIRO-AM VP and General Manager Dave Pridemore tells us, "We are extremely excited about teaming up Danny O'Neil with Brock Huard on 710 ESPN Seattle. I'm sure our listeners will appreciate the combination of an athlete’s insight and analysis with a journalist's curiosity and straight forward perspective." Says Program Director Brian Long, "Brock and Danny have a natural chemistry and genuine likability that will make for a smart entertaining listen for the Seattle sports fan." Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio Sports Talk "105.3 The Fan" KRLD-FM, Dallas, afternoon hosts Greg "Greggo" Williams and Richie Whitt have exited the station along with anchor Sybil Summers. Williams and Whitt both say that all three of them were cut loose by the station ... "Kix Country" KXKX-FM, Sedalia, Missouri, hires 33-year industry veteran Ken Dillon for the "Better Country Kix 105 Morning Show." Dillon will also manage social media efforts for the three-station cluster that also includes News Talk KSIS-AM and Adult Variety Hits KSDL-FM. Dillon's previously hosted mornings at KDKD-FM, Clinton, Missouri, and Christian "K-Love" KLRQ-FM, also in Clinton ...CBS Radio's "Talk Radio 1210" WPHT-AM, Philadelphia, debuts its new afternoon show hosted by Dick Morris, with a lineup shakeup, as longtime WPHT-AM host Michael Smerconish moves to SiriusXM ... Country KRYS-FM, Corpus Christi, TX, Program Director and afternoon host "Big" Frank Edwards segues to mornings to co-host with Coco, while Mark Wintrow, who had been handling mornings, moves to afternoons ... Country "101.9 The Wolf" KNTY-FM, Sacramento, morning host Jennifer Steele moves to crosstown News Talk KFBK-AM-FM as a news anchor and reporter..