Wednesday's Radio & Media News - June 19, 2013

Beasley Promotes Justin Chase to VP of Programming Beasley Broadcast Group promotes Beasley Las Vegas Operations Manager Justin Chase to a newly-created corporate position of VP of Programming. Chase will remain in Las Vegas until a successor is named, when he will move to corporate headquarters. He will oversee programming for Beasley's 40+ stations in 11 markets, as well as developing digital campaigns for its stations. Says BBG President and COO Bruce Beasley, "Justin possesses all the traits and strengths we were we looking for in a VP of Programming when we decided to create the position at Beasley's corporate level. Over the last four years with our company, he has demonstrated his ability to program numerous formats, develop and maintain strong relationships within the industry and create campaigns that extend stations' on-air brands to digital platforms. We believe Justin is the perfect fit for this new position." Chase tells us, "It has been a privilege to work for a world class radio broadcast company like Beasley Broadcast Group for the past four years and I could not be more grateful to the Beasley family for giving me this amazing opportunity. Beasley has some of the premiere PDs, Sales Managers and GMs in radio and I am excited to work with all of them in order to achieve even more success. I do want to express sincere appreciation to my current GM and mentor Tom Humm who taught me nearly everything I know about business." 'America's Morning Show' Debuts Thursday Cumulus announces "America’s Morning Show" on "America's Country Station" - "Nash FM 94.7" WNSH-FM, New York, will make its debut Thursday. "The show will air live on WNSH-FM, New York City's only Country format radio station, from 6-10am ET weekdays," says the announcement. "America's Morning Show" will feature a mix of Country hits, in-studio interviews with Country music’s biggest stars and news about the Country lifestyle – with New York City area traffic, weather and information updated throughout the show. The New York market radio program will originate live from Nashville before a studio audience, with frequent broadcasts from "Nash FM 94.7" studios in New York City. Host Blair Garner will be joined by co-hosts Terri Clark, Sunny Sweeney, Chuck Wicks and Lee Ann Womack with HLN anchor Robin Meade anchoring news updates. The cast from "America's Morning Show" joins existing on-air personalities Kelly Ford and Jesse Addy on WNSH-FM. "The team has been working around the clock to get 'America’s Morning Show' ready for the Big Apple and starting this week New Yorkers will experience the nation's most unique and authentic Country radio show," says Cumulus EVP and co-COO John Dickey. "We've been getting ready for the big moment when we join fans live in New York and finally the dream is about to come true and the cast and I can't wait to share it," says Garner. "We're like kids the night before Christmas. We can barely contain ourselves. It's that kind of excitement with all of us. Breathe in, breathe out. We’re almost there!" WNSH-FM, New York, is the flagship radio station for the national "Nash" entertainment brand based on the Country music lifestyle.NASH will be a multi-platform brand serving the large and growing interest in Country through radio, video, on-line, magazines, events and merchandise. Although there's no official announcement yet, "America's Morning Show" is expected to eventually be syndicated nationwide by Cumulus Media Networks. Carson Daly Expands Role with CBS Radio Launching New Nationwide Weekend Show "97.1 Amp Radio" KAMP-FM, Los Angeles, morning show host Carson Daly is expanding his role with CBS Radio with the launch of two versions of a new weekly Pop countdown program beginning Saturday, July 6. "The Daly Download with Carson Daly -- This Weeks's Top 30" will make its debut on more than 70 CBS Radio and Cumulus stations, including outlets in eight of the Top 10 and all of the Top 5 markets. Two versions of the program will be created by Daly and offered to stations for broadcast on Saturday or Sunday. The four-hour and three-hour shows will complement programming on CHR or Hot AC stations, respectively. At launch, www.dalydownload.com will provide fans the opportunity to listen to the shows online and the ability to review current and archived song lists to track how their favorite tunes are faring week after week. Live streaming is also available through Radio.com and its app for a variety of mobile devices. Cumulus Media Networks will manage affiliate relations and sales for "The Daly Download" programs. "I'm a self-professed radio guy and an avid music enthusiast," says Daly. "Music has been my passion since I was a kid and it's certainly been the through-line of my career. I feel at home on the radio and look forward to connecting with new listeners by highlighting the top songs around the country. I'm happy to continue my collaboration with CBS Radio, and I'm excited for the opportunity to work with Cumulus Media Networks." CBS Radio SVP of Programming Kevin Weatherly - also Program Director of "97.1 Amp Radio" - tells us, "Pop music continues to drive audience growth for CBS Radio stations and our Radio.com platform. The increases are clearly being fueled by a younger generation of listeners who can't get enough programming centered around this type of music. The Daly Download satisfies that need while showcasing one of our most influential music personalities." A full list of the stations set to air the new show is available from CBS Radio here. San Diego's 'Kiss' Names Louie Cruz Program Director Clear Channel Rhythmic AC "95.7 Kiss FM" KSSX-FM -- "The Rhythm of San Diego" -- names Louie Cruz Program Director, effective July 1. Cruz, who brings over 20 years of radio experience to his new position, most recently was Program Director at KKBB-FM, Bakersfield, since 2005, leading the station to successful ratings. Cruz also previously served as a board member for the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Cruz has been both an on-air talent and Program Director for the past 12 years. "I've crafted a definitive style within the Rhythmic AC format, one that has a Top 40 approach but doesn't stray from what makes this format unique," says Cruz. "I can't wait to bring this style and my desire to win to 95.7 Kiss FM and San Diego." Says Clear Channel Media and Entertainment San Diego VP of Programming John Peake, "Louie's personal connection and successful track-record with the Rhythmic AC format are an ideal match for 95.7 Kiss FM. We're excited to add Louie's tremendous format experience, winning attitude and a great work ethic to San Diego's hottest new radio station." FCC Chair Nominee Tom Wheeler Faces Senate Panel Wants to Clean Up Newton Minow's 'Vast Wasteland' FCC Chairman nominee Tom Wheeler wants to clean up former FCC Chairman Newton Minow's "vast wasteland" -- with the Commission doing as much as the courts will allow to crack down on over-the-air indecency. Wheeler testified for close to three hours, Tuesday, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. The nominee was asked by Sen. Scott about how he would approach broadcast indecency. Wheeler, noting that he has three new grandchildren, said, "When I see some things I kind of grit my teeth and say 'is this what I want my grandkids to be seeing?'." However, he quickly added that "the courts have been pretty specific and restrictive. I do believe, however, that it is possible to call upon our better angels with some leadership." Recalling Minow's (in)famous speech, Wheeler said that Minow that "vast wasteland" speech to push the industry to improve, and "did that without regulatory authority. He caught the public's attention. Maybe it's possible to do the same kind of thing today, and say, 'can't we do better?'" Responding to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on the FCC's authority to enforce political advertising disclosure rules or "regulate political speech," Wheeler offered a noncommittal reply, saying that he needs to learn about the issue, drawing Cruz's response that the political ad issue is "the one issue" that "has the potential to derail your nomination." Observers, though, believe President Obama's nominee to succeed Julius Genachowski as FCC Chairman will still ultimately be confirmed -- once a Republican nominee for the open Commissioner seat joins Democrat Wheeler in the confirmation process. But what about broadcast ownership? Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) asked about media ownership in light of the recent Gannett-Belo television deal. Wheeler called himself "an advocate of diversity of voices" but did not expand on how he would address large mergers and sales, telling Cantwell that he was "specifically trying not to be specific." Other issues addressed during the hearing included TV retransmission consent, television sports blackouts, cellphone unlocking, and the transition from broadcast to IP transmission. Family Radio Sells Three FM Stations to EMF Harold Camping's Family Radio continues selling broadcast stations, now announcing the sale of three more stations -- in New York State, California and Texas -- to EMF Broadcasting (Educational Media Foundation). EMF, of course, is the not-for-profit organization that operates the Christian K-Love and Air1 radio networks. The three stations in the deal are WFRW-FM (88.1), Webster, NY; KIFR-FM (88.3), Alice, Texas, and KXBC-FM (89.1), Garberville, California. The price for the three stations is $655,000. As part of the sale agreement, Family Stations will retain the rights to use the KIFR and WFRW call letters. Speculation is they will eventually be used by Family Radio on AM stations in the same markets. Camping's Christian radio company has been selling off FMs and airing its programming on AM signals in some markets -- a trend that's expected to continue for the cash-strapped organization. Just recently we reported that Family Radio is shutting down its WYFR Shortwave service. Still, Family Radio denies that it is "doomed" by lesser listener donations following Camping's failed "end of world" prophecies. RTDNA/Hofstra News Director Survey 'Unclear' for Radio After four straight years of setting new records for the amount of news, the number actually dropped slightly this year -- by 6 minutes per weekday. But the latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey found the median remained at 5 hours per weekday, and both average and median rose for both Saturday and Sunday, "so if you throw in the weekend, then there was a small, overall increase. Call it a semi-record," says a summary of the report. The annual survey of broadcast news directors drew an unclear picture for radio news. Hofstra University's Bob Papper says, "I wish I could provide a clear picture of the amount of radio news this year versus years past, but I can't. It's been clear for a while that different radio news directors were answering the question about amount of news in different ways -- or not answering it at all because of how long and detailed the question was. For two years now, I've tried to streamline and simplify the question. I switched from asking for data from each station by daypart to asking for just weekday and Saturday and Sunday totals; and I've switched from asking hours of news to asking minutes of news. Hopefully, all of these changes have resulted in better numbers, but the changes themselves have made comparisons with the past largely impossible. We'll see how this year's numbers compare to next year's. Overall in the survey, 77.7% of radio stations run local news -- 78.8% of AM stations and 77.2% of FM stations. The overall percentage is up a surprising 8.8 from last year, with AM stations up 9.8 points and FM stations up 4. As I do each year, I would urge caution on those numbers. The numbers are based on stations that return the survey, and since it's a news survey, stations that run news could well be more likely to return the surveys than stations that do not. It's possible those percentages are too high." Arbitron Revises Streaming Simulcasts Reporting Policy Arbitron makes the official announcement that the company has re-evaluated its policies regarding total line reporting (TLR) specific to streams. We previously reported the change was coming at the request of the Radio Advisory Council. Now Arbitron says that - "after some evaluation" - effective with the Summer Diary survey and July PPM report period, a stream will not be required to simulcast any content outside the over-the-air station’s home Metro and DMA to be eligible for TLR. The stream must simulcast 100 percent of its content inside the over-the-air station’s home Metro and DMA. However, streams of an AM/FM station no longer need to simulcast its broadcast partner outside the station’s home Metro and DMA. The official announcement was sent out today to Arbitron clients. It says that a stream is eligible for TLR as long as the stream simulcasts all content 100 percent, including commercials, in the home Metro and DMA of its over-the-air partner. Under this new policy, the stream is not required to simulcast any content outside the over-the-air station’s home Metro and DMA. The 100 percent simulcast requirement for streams will remain in effect in the over-the-air station’s Metro and DMA. Over-the-air stations requesting TLR with one another will also need to simulcast 100 percent without exception, as required under the long-standing Arbitron TLR policy. An eligible station with a stream may request TLR on the quarterly Station Information Packet by checking the boxes in the Internet section of the Station Information Form. An Arbitron staff member will contact the station to verify the request. A station may also request TLR via an email to Arbitron Radio Station Relations. Additionally, total line estimates will be reported for a combo in any market in which the combo meets the applicable Minimum Reporting Standard. The combo’s estimates are reported with the primary station’s call letters, regardless of the amount of listening the respective partners contribute. Individual station estimates are not reported for combos that receive TLR in any syndicated Arbitron service. Individual station estimates are available to the owner of a subscribing TLR combo on a limited basis for the combo’s internal use. The new policy can be downloaded from my.arbitron.com under the Markets, Surveys and Policy section. Seven More DC Lawmakers Support LRFA A bipartisan group of six Members of Congress and a Senator have joined as co-sponsors of a resolution that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act is now co-sponsored by 139 Members of the House and 11 Senators. Adding their support to the Local Radio Freedom Act are Reps. Joe Barton (TX-6), Lynn Jenkins (KS-2), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5), Erik Paulsen (MN-3), Jim Renacci (OH-16) and Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1). Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is the latest senator to sign on as a co-sponsor of a companion resolution in the Senate. Reps. Michael Conaway (R-TX) and Gene Green (D-TX) introduced the Local Radio Freedom Act (H. Con. Res. 16) in the House of Representatives on February 15 along with 71 additional co-sponsors. An identical resolution (S. Con. Res. 6) was introduced in the Senate on March 6 by Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). The LRFA reads in part: "Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings."