Friday's Radio & Media News - June 21, 2013

Clear Channel Jacksonville Facing Discrimination Lawsuit Clear Channel Jacksonville is facing a federal lawsuit for discrimination based on race and gender. Three female account execs/sales reps have filed suit against the company, alleging such discrimination and seeking "declaratory, injunctive and equitable relief, compensatory damages, costs and attorneys' fees for racial and sex discrimination and retaliation suffered by Plaintiffs." The suit was filed in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, by attorney Arnold Gaines of the Harper Law Firm on behalf of Angela Myhand, Monique Blue and Jessica Downs. Myhand worked for Clear Channel for eight years, Downs for six. Blue, who is still employed by the company, has been there for close to nine years. The three ad sellers allege that "Clear Channel continuously and systematically removed large commission accounts" and "distributed the accounts to Caucasian and/or male employees" -- causing them "significant losses of commissions and income." According to the suit, "Listening devices were installed by Clear Channel on Plaintiffs' office telephones after or about the initial filing of Plaintiffs' discrimination charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Plaintiff, Angela Myhand, was told by an employee or agent of Clear Channel that the device was installed so that 'they could listen to [her] conversations'." The three are charging that management violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and allege retaliation for involvement in a protected activity. They are seeking unspecific damages plus attorneys’ fees. Pandora Files Motion with ASCAP Rate Court: Seeks to Keep Low ASCAP Publishing Rates Pandora is continuing its quest for lower royalty rate payments, now filing a motion with the ASCAP Rate Court, saying that publishers looking for their own agreements with Pandora are bound by ASCAP's consent decree and cannot withdraw from the organization in favor of cutting their own deals. Reports say Pandora is asking the rate court judge to specifically rule on publishers that have already filed a notice with ASCAP of their intent to withdraw some publishing rights as of July 1. Pandora says these publishers are obligated to keep these digital rights with ASCAP. Billboard.com reports its sources say, "Pandora is asking the judge to rule on whether publishers like Universal, BMG Chrysalis and Warner/Chappell, which have all filed a revocable notice with ASCAP of their intention to withdraw certain limited 'New Media' rights as of July 1, are in fact obligated to keep those digital rights at ASCAP for the purposes of Pandora licensing." Billboard adds, "While sources say Universal and BMG are withdrawing their digital rights from ASCAP on July 1, Warner/Chappell has yet to reveal what it will do on that date." Pandora contends that since its own license with ASCAP runs up to the end of 2015, the ASCAP consent decree should also apply to the major publishers until that time as well. However, the publishers say that Pandora is operating under a temporary license, until an official rate is set, and that they are within their rights to withdraw digital rights from ASCAP. According to Billboard, "If the ASCAP rate court judge rules in Pandora's favor, then all the publishers, including possibly Sony/ATV, will be stuck with the rate the court decrees, says one source familiar with the situation. But others dismiss that notion, saying that since Pandora willingly entered into a deal with Sony/ATV, not only will that deal stand, but it also helps the legal case of the other publishers who are seeking direct deals." The rate court judge is not expected to rule on the motion until late July, weeks after the publishers could withdraw from ASCAP. 'Listen Longer' Didn't Last Long After Arbitron Legal Threats Controversial Kansas City Website Now Gone; Only Blank Screen with '#LISTENLONGER' Remains "Listen Longer" -- ListenLonger.com -- didn't last long after it drew media attention and threats from Arbitron of legal action against the site's owner. All that remains is a basically empty screen displaying "#LISTENLONGER" (as seen in the graphic with this report) -- obviously directing followers to the site's Twitter posting that explains why it's now down. On June 13, we reported, "The website ListenLonger.com -- targeting Kansas City PPM ratings participants -- receives an angry response from Arbitron -- as the 'ListenLonger' site itself reports. 'Received a cease & desist letter from Arbitron. Read it' said ListenLonger, providing a link." A week ago, the website offered "an explanation of 'Why we're here' which detailed Arbitron's PPM ratings system, and concerns for an unnamed Kansas City radio station." We later learned, and reported, that the unnamed Kansas City station was Entercom Alternative "96.5 The Buzz" KRBZ-FM. The station had been promoting that their listeners needed to stay more attached to KRBZ-FM and "listen longer" to prevent a format flip. Paul Love, who launched ListenLonger.com, is one of their listeners. "We are a site dedicated to saving our favorite KC radio station through education about the rating system. We won’t be naming that station anywhere on this site, and ask that you don't reference it with regard to this site either," said the site last week. "ListenLonger.com is in no way affiliated with the station, and this will keep them out of harms way." On June 14, we reported, "Arbitron Confirms Kansas City May Ratings Integrity, Action Follows 'Listen Longer' Website Controversy." We told you then, "Arbitron informs its subscribers that the 'Listen Longer' website -- and the controversy surrounding it -- has not affected the integrity of its latest PPM ratings for the Kansas City market." Soon thereafter, ListenLonger.com modified its site to remove some content that brought the ire of Arbitron upon it. Now, Chris Love has taken the site down, telling Twitter followers, “I need a new project.” Before taking it down, Love modified the site to tell visitors NOT to out themselves as PPM participants, as he'd previously requested. Love tells us that no one ever actually did so. Even with the site gone, though, the controversy continues among Kansas City broadcasters, with Arbitron again re-affirming its view that the ratings were not negatively affected, and declining to re-do them. Is this the end of the story? We suspect not. 'Guess FM' Debuts in Memphis Independent broadcaster Mighty Media Group debuts "Guess FM 97.7" in Memphis, on translator W249BN, with "a non-stop marathon of all kinds of pop, rock and soul hits." The "Guess What's Next?" format, we're told, "has something for almost everyone spotlighting the best music from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s and Today." Clearly, this goes far beyond the "Jack" concept of "we play anything" despite the superficial similarity. The new "Guess FM" is running jockless and commercial free, overseen by consultant Joel Folger. "We're very excited to launch a brand new station for all types of music lovers here in the Mid-South," says Program Director Tom Freeman. "Guess FM takes a fun, casual approach and our broad playlist sounds like a gazillion songs and artists. Listeners can tune in to "Guess What's Next?" for days or weeks without hearing the same songs over and over and over again like most other stations." And says General Manager Diana Smith, "Memphis, and the entire Mid-South now have a station they can truly call their own. Guess FM is driven by focusing on all kinds of music that can appeal to the whole family and also be perfect for office listening." The 250-watt 97.7 FM translator had previously simulcast Mighty Media's Country "95.3 The Rebel" WEBL-FM. The new "Guess FM" is also airing on AM 1430 WOWW-AM, which feeds the translator. By the way, Smith says that's a correction from a news release which said "Guess" was originating on 830 AM WUMY-AM, which continues to originate programming for sister Classic Country "Y105.5" on FM translator W288BJ. 'UberStations' Launches for Online Listening New Service Finds Specific, Recommended Live Radio Content Michael Robertson launches UberStations -- "a new way to listen to online radio stations as well as traditional AM/FM broadcast stations online." The service, we're told, "includes a comprehensive guide to radio showing listeners what's playing across the entire radio spectrum. An intuitive player displays and plays every station with a single click." And a "recommendation engine steers people to music or shows of interest." Robertson is the entrepreneur who launched MP3.com, MP3Tunes, and the "DVR for radio" DAR.fm. He tells us that thousands of music and talk stations are monitored in real-time and users can see what songs are playing on stations in their area and see instantly when songs change with a pleasing fade in-and-out display. For Talk stations, users see what shows are playing. By default users are shown stations in their local region, but they can also search for stations in other areas and monitor what is playing in those areas. Clicking a station plays the stream in a web browser. Both MP3 and AAC stations stream directly into the browser using HTML5 with a Flash fallback providing a universal player for all popular radio stations. The uniform web experience is also useful for PCs and tablets. Says Robertson, "Remember when you had to scan through each TV channel to find something to listen to because there was no interactive guide? That's how radio still is today, but UberStations changes that by giving users a comprehensive real-time guide to songs and shows that are playing across the entire radio world all of which play in a uniform experience." According to the Los Angeles Times, UberStations is offering a challenge to TuneIn and iHeartRadio. Glenn Beck's Mercury Radio Arts Buys Dallas-Area Studio Building Glenn Beck’s Mercury Radio Arts has purchased the studio building where Beck has been producing his show for Premiere Networks and TheBlaze, his online and satellite TV network. The former television and movie studio in Irving, Texas, a 72,000 square foot facility that's hosted Beck on a lease basis since last year, will be renamed Mercury Studios. The building has in the past been used for production of several TV shows and movies since opening in 1982, including "Robocop" and "Walker Texas Ranger." Says Beck, "We are proud to call Texas our home and be part of the local community in Irving. We are building a world-class facility that provides TheBlaze with the highest quality talent and top-of-the-line production capabilities so American stories can be told to viewers across the country.” TheBlaze President and Chief Content Officer Joel Cheatwood tells us, “TheBlaze has quickly built up the capacity to produce over 43 hours of original programming per week and we are excited to now have our own multi-media base as we continue to grow.” Sam Huff Retiring from Redskins Radio Network Hall of Fame linebacker and broadcaster Sam Huff says he's retiring from the Washington Redskins Radio Network after 38 years. Huff came to the Redskins as a player in 1964 and began broadcasting games in 1975 after a playing career that included being named one of the top 100 players in NFL history. Huff and his longtime broadcasting partner and friend Sonny Jurgensen (pictured together) were teamed in 1981 on the Redskins Radio Network where the duo called all three Washington Redskins Super Bowl titles. In announcing his retirement, Huff said, "I've enjoyed every game that I played, coached and provided color commentary over the last 50 years with the Washington Redskins. I look forward to joining Larry, Sonny and Doc on the pre-game show a few times this season." Washington Redskins Owner/Chairman Daniel Snyder tells us, "Although Sam's commentary duties will change he will always be part of our Redskins family, and we look forward to his future contributions on Washington Redskins broadcasts." Red Zebra CEO Rick Carmean adds, "This is truly the end of an era. You cannot think Redskins Radio without Sam and Sonny. We support Sam's decision and look forward to having him as a special guest during the season." Sam Huff will be honored during a pregame ceremony at a to be determined Redskins game." The Washington Redskins Radio Network airs on 33 stations, including flagship, Red Zebra's "ESPN 980" WTEM-AM, Washington DC. Mike Paterson Named Mid-West Rockford Market Manager Mike Paterson is named Market Manager for Mid-West Family Broadcasting's Rockford, Illinois, four-station cluster. Paterson joins from Emmis where he was GSM for Rock KSHE-FM, St. Louis, for the past two years. He takes over from J. Chapman, who is exiting to head up the new Woof Boom Radio. Mid-West Family is buying the Rockford cluster along with stations in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, from Maverick Media for $15.5 million. Paterson has a diversified radio background, having worked in almost all departments. Before joining Emmis in August 2011, Paterson worked at Clear Channel's Minneapolis stations as GSM from 2009-2011. Before that, he was Digital Sales Manager for Cox Radio Group's Atlanta and Houston clusters from 2006-2009. Prior to that, he was Marketing Director for Susquehanna Radio’s CHR-Top40 KRBE-FM, Houston, from 2000-2006. He's also worked in promotion in Austin and Milwaukee. Earlier in his career he was a sports report and an on-air personality at several CHR-Top40 stations. TuneIn Launches 'Events-Focused Initiative' TuneIn tells us they are launching "an events-focused initiative" which they say will "bring live radio in a way that's never been done before." TuneIn will provide radio stations and air personalities the opportunity to promote their own in-studio performances, interviews and concerts directly through TuneIn, exposing those events to TuneIn's audience of over 40 million monthly active listeners. So far, we're told, there have already been 2,400 events featured. TuneIn says the new initiative also helps radio stations grow their digital audiences and brands, which in turn can ultimately make generate cash through TuneIn's revenue share deals. Also, listeners across all iOS and Android platforms can now instantly add future events to their personal calendars. Just before an event starts, listeners will receive a notification, and with a simple click the event will start playing immediately. TuneIn notes that "one of the great things about radio that services like Pandora can never replicate is the sheer number of live events that happen every day -- from interviews to concerts to sporting events." TuneIn has also hired individuals with strong radio backgrounds, including: Director of Strategic Sales Jon Latzer, Audio Sales Manager/East Scott Elberg and Audio Sales Manager/West Leon Clark. Says Head of Advertising Sales Rick Cotton for TuneIn noted, "It is an exciting time in this white-hot industry of targeted mobile advertising. We find that radio is an incredibly compelling sector for brands to reach their audiences and we are excited about working hand in hand with our broadcast partners to help their sales teams monotize this rapidly growing audience." John Wetherbee Joins 'America Weekend' as Chief Stormcaster Envision Radio Networks tells us that AMS and NWA certified meteorologist and broadcast veteran John Wetherbee will be the "Chief Stormcaster" for "America Weekend" -- providing live reports on major severe weather developments and how they may impact travel, business and the country. He joins hosts Paul Harris, Turi Ryder, and other talk talent on the syndicated weekend programming. "As we have learned, many significant weather events happen on weekends," says America Weekend Executive Producer Kipper McGee. "John adds a unique national perspective that is absent from most weekend News Talk programming." The "America Weekend" programming -- the "next generation of weekend talk" -- is said by Envision to offer "a break from the usual brokered programming and rerun political fare of most News Talk stations" featuring "news you can use, plus interviews with the people making it happen." Sports USA to Syndicate Little League World Series Sports USA announces the syndication of the Little League World Series radio broadcasts for 2013. For the second straight year, Sports USA will offer the U.S. Championship Game and the International Championship. The U.S. Championship game broadcast will be on Saturday, August 24 and the International Championship game will air on Sunday, August 25. "The Little League World Series is an event that has great appeal from coast to coast," says Sports USA President Bob Moore. "We are thrilled to be a part of this American tradition." Sports USA will produce the Little League World Series broadcasts in conjunction with Clear Channel in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio CHR-Top40 "Star 102.1" WWST-FM, Knoxville, morning co-host Frank Murphy nabs Assistant PD for clustermate "Classic Hits 93.1" WNOX-FM. Murphy will move from mornings to middays at "Star 102.1" ... Hot AC "Star 92.1" WMYB-FM, Myrtle Beach, Florida, midday host Erin Wilde will exit at the end of the month to move to Dallas. Wilde also handles Imaging and Production at the NextMedia station ... CHR-Top 40 "107.5 The River" WRVW-FM, Nashville, part-timer Ashlee Foxx gets fulltime nights on Country sister "The Big 98" WSIX-FM (just across the hall) ... Country WZZK-FM, Birmingham, hires Jim Tice for weekends and fills. Tice previously spent 16 years at WZZK-FM as Program Director, until leaving for a position in Richmond, Virginia ... "106 Kix Country" KQKX-FM, Norfolk, Nebraska, promotes parttimer Jay Johnson to fulltime midday host, effective June 24. Johnson has handled fill-in and voice-tracking since February. He joined "Kix Country" from crosstown Country "US92" KUSO-FM where he spent ten years ... Triple-A "99.9 FM" WWCT-FM, Peoria, Illinois, names Marc Alghini as Program Director. Alghini comes from WXRT-FM, Chicago, where he's been an air personality, morning show producer and social media contributor since 2005. He previously worked in artist management and was in promotion and marketing at Astralwerks before that ... CBS Radio AC "K104.7" WKQC-FM, Charlotte, morning host Todd Baker will be moving to sister Hot AC "100.5 Now FM" KZZO-FM, Sacramento, for mornings with in-place Nina Hajian, July 1. "K104.7" is bringing in Phil Harris from WLYT-FM, Charlotte, where he hosted middays since 2000, to replace Baker.