Monday's Radio & Media News - July 29, 2013

Morning Show Team Shares Feelings on Loss of Kidd Kraddick A Monday morning broadcast of the "Kidd Kraddick in the Morning" show featured a tribute to Kidd, who suddenly died over the weekend. With the future of the show without Kraddick yet to be determined, this week (for the most part) a series of "Best of" shows are being aired. But today a live segment featured co-hosts/sidekicks in a tear-filled, heartfelt series of reflections of their friend and leader. Singer Gavin DeGraw began the live tribute, recalling that Kidd had been such a personal friend and mentor to him and so many artists, and then offering an acoustic version of his 2005 single "Chariot." The song, from a 2003 album, has previously been described by DeGraw as "a metaphorical vehicle for getting to a place in your mind that is a more broken down and laid back. It's somewhere to be just for a moment--instead of being wrapped up and living wherever you're living and consumed with what you're doing. It's a place to release and chill out." Then "Kidd Kraddick in the Morning" sidekick Kellie Rasberry told listeners, "We don't really know what we're gonna say here." He added that the crew is "beyond devastated" and that Kidd Kraddick's death was a shock. Rasberry also rejected rumors that the crew had been hiding information about his health. "Everybody has questions, and we don't have any answers." Big Al Mack said, "We're just here to talk." Rasberry said Kidd spent his last night shooting craps and making videos on the streets of New Orleans, then became ill before the golf tournament the next morning. Jenna Owens remembered learning golf from Kraddick and bonding with him over the sport over the years, saying his last words to her were "great shot," watching her swing on the golf course. Jose "J-Si" Chavez said he saw Kraddick as a father figure and fought off tears recalling that Kraddick's last words to him were "I'm so proud of you." Then, "Psycho Shanon" Murphy said Kraddick was "like a dad to me," but remembered that Kraddick's last words to her were to complain about the last song played on Friday's show. She called him a perfectionist but said he wanted to give back to people and have the show be the best it could be. Murphy, unsuccessfully fighting back tears, recalled Kraddick helping her financially through a family crisis. "There's just nobody else like him," said Murphy. They then went into an acoustic version of Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are" followed by Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" before concluding the live segment. Kelly told listeners, "It will never be the same without Kidd and we don't know what the future holds but we have our memories of Kidd." The show continued with lots of memories and callers, plus some classic bits from past shows. Kelly ended the segment telling listeners they would let everyone know what was next as soon as they could but that they were going to take the rest of the week off, and that there would be "best of" programming airing. Politico: Cumulus Planning to Drop Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity "In a major shakeup for the radio industry, Cumulus Media, the second-biggest broadcaster in the country, is planning to drop both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity from its stations at the end of the year, an industry source told Politico on Sunday," reports Politico's Dylan Byers. "Cumulus has decided that it will not renew its contracts with either host, the source said, a move that would remove the two most highly rated conservative talk personalities from more than 40 Cumulus channels in major markets." According to the report, the decision comes after negotiations between Cumulus and Clear Channel's Premiere Networks broke down due to disagreements over the cost of the distribution rights, the source said. "Cumulus is known to drive a hard bargain on costs, and Clear Channel is known to seek top dollar for big names," writes Byers. But he notes, "As industry insiders caution, Cumulus and Clear Channel have come to the brink before during contract negotiations only to resume talks. But the source told Politico that Clear Channel was unlikely to reduce the cost for distribution rights to a level that would satisfy Cumulus." So far, there's no on-the-record comment from Cumulus or Premiere. ASCAP Asks FCC to Deny Pandora Purchase of KXMZ-FM ASCAP is asking the FCC to deny Pandora's purchase of Hot AC KXMZ-FM, Box Elder-Rapid City, South Dakota, from Connoisseur Media. In a "Petition to Deny," ASCAP alleges that Pandora "is buying KXMZ for one reason – to argue that it is entitled to pay lower music performance royalties to composers, songwriters and lyricists for its billions of online-only internet music streams." In the filing ASCAP writes, "In its rush to implement its scheme, Pandora has overlooked certain basic Commission requirements. In the application to assign KXMZ’s license, Pandora has failed to fully disclose its ownership, and to adequately demonstrate that it complies with the Commission’s foreign ownership rules." The petition adds, "Pandora's public statements lay bare its plot: to use KXMZ as a bargaining chip in Pandora's quest to obtain lower royalty rates for its online music streams. Given these brazen proclamations, there can be no doubt Pandora’s interests do not lie in providing service to Box Elder and the greater Rapid City area." The ownership disclosure allegations involve Pandora shareholders Wellington Management Company and William Blair and Company, which ASCAP alleges do not qualify as "investment companies" subject to a higher threshold for ownership disclosure but are, rather, "investment advisers" subject to the 5% threshold. ASCAP also alleges that information filed about attributable shareholder Crosslink Capital is incomplete, and that the structure of Wellington and William Blair's holdings might violate foreign ownership restrictions. Matt Bell Named Clear Channel Lima-Marion Market Manager Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Lima-Marion (Ohio) announces that Matt Bell has been named Market Manager, effective August 15. Bell will be "responsible for all aspects of the market's operations including all strategies, programming and sales initiatives for the entire Lima/Marion cluster. He will oversee all station activities and events to help drive sales and achieve revenue targets, leveraging Clear Channel's brands, audience and all assets to provide quality programming and create new revenue opportunities." Says CCME Northeast SVP of Operations Kevin LeGrett, "We are excited to bring Matt back to lead the Lima and Marion markets. He has a proven track record of motivating, leading and driving his teams to success. We are thrilled to have him take on this new role and focus on these local markets." Bell started his radio career in Lima as an Account Executive at WIMA-AM in October 2005 and was promoted to Local Sales Manager for WIMA-AM and WZRX-FM in 2006. In 2007 he was named Director of Sales for Lima and Findlay and later his responsibilities also included Marion. Most recently he's been in the Columbus market as a GSM. Bell tells us, "I'm so excited to take what I've learned in Columbus back home to Lima and Marion. I'm thankful for the opportunity to continue to grow my career in the market where it started. I'm confident I will lead our cluster to continued revenue growth and ratings success for years to come." Entercom Austin Launches 'The New 96.3 RnB' Entercom Austin launches Urban AC "The New 96.3 RnB." The 96.3 FM translator had previously been home to a simulcast of sister "Talk Radio 1370" KJCE-AM. Steve Harvey will be heard in mornings, with Snoop Daniel in afternoons. The rest of the on-air lineup will be announced soon. "Entercom couldn’t be more excited to launch the New 96.3 RnB here in Austin. For years, the African-American community has been underserved by radio in this market, and 96.3 RnB will super serve this vital and growing community," says Entercom Austin VP and Market Manager Alan Kirshbom. "We are launching 96.3 RnB to compete and win. Steve Harvey in the morning immediately gives our station credibility with listeners. His mass appeal will resonate not only with the African-American Community but bring in a wider audience over time." Says Steve Harvey, "I couldn't be more excited to launch in Austin, and I truly feel blessed to be a part of the New 96.3 RnB lineup. A special thanks to my friends at Entercom for their confidence in bringing 'The Steve Harvey Morning Show' to Austin. I look forward to waking up 96.3 R&B listeners every morning with inspiration and a whole lot of Funny!" Entercom also announces a lineup change for "Talk Radio 1370" KJCE-AM. "By bringing back 'America's Morning News' from 5am to 8am and moving Laura Ingraham to live programming from 8am to 11am, KJCE once again proves it is Austin's and Texas' Talk Station," says Kirshbom, who also announced Dennis Miller will return from 11am to 1pm, followed by Dave Ramsey and Sean Hannity. Boston Herald to Launch Internet Talk Radio Stream The Boston Herald is launching an online-only Talk stream -- "Boston Herald Radio" -- on August 5. It will feature 12 hours of talk every day streamed from the Boston Herald website according to Herald Publisher Patrick Purcell. Four shows will stream live from a new studio adjacent to the Herald’s newsroom located in Boston’s Seaport District. The shows are "Live from the Newsroom with Jeff Katz," Jaclyn Cashman and Hillary Chabot's "Morning Meeting", "The Michael Graham Show" and "Sports Town with Jon Meterparel and Jen Royle." Radio veteran Tom Shattuck is Executive Producer of Boston Herald Radio. Says Purcell, "Internet radio is exploding and it makes sense that the Herald rounds out our multimedia platform with talk radio programming. It's perfect synergy. Boston Herald Radio will be fast-paced, uncensored, entertaining, completely interactive and, most important, very respectful to our listeners. We have a terrific team of seasoned hosts who are smart, respected and extremely versatile. They live in our communities and fully understand and appreciate the complexities of issues folks care about." We're told that the format of "Boston Herald Radio" programming will "welcome listener engagement," while offering listeners "a myriad of opportunities to fully participate in each show -- through social media, polls, email, live chats, tweets, blogs, and by calling a listener line. "The notion that folks will be encouraged to participate in our programming, and that their opinion really does matter, is practically unheard of in talk radio nowadays," says Boston Herald Editor-in-Chief Joe Sciacca. "Talk Show refugees: welcome to your new home at Boston Herald Radio." Bobby Bones Show Launches '30 Abes' Haiti Hunger Relief Campaign The Premiere Networks nationally syndicated Bobby Bones Show has launched a new public service campaign to benefit hunger relief in Haiti. The show has joined efforts with the non-profit group TeemHaiti and international hunger relief organization Numana to create "30 Abes" -- a special campaign and food packaging event in Nashville benefitting hunger relief in Haiti. On Saturday, September 28, 2013, thousands of volunteers will gather at Nashville Municipal Auditorium with the goal to package 500,000 meals to send to the Maison Des Enfants De Dieu orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As extra motivation to meet their goal, the volunteers will also participate in a Guinness World Records official attempt for the title of "most hunger relief meals packaged in one hour" by a team. The current record of 479,034 was achieved by Numana, Volunteer Kansas and the Rotary Club of Wichita on February 16, 2013. The event will also benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in Nashville as packaging volunteers will be encouraged to bring canned and boxed-food donations. "It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the problems in the world and our desire to do something that makes a difference," says Amy, co-host of the Bobby Bones Show. "What's great about 30 Abes is that it gives us all a place to start. The people receiving this food at the orphanage are very special to me, and knowing that they will be well fed, and even have plenty to share with their neighbors, warms my heart. We can make a difference together and I'm thankful to everyone who supports 30 Abes and this worthy cause in any way they can." FCC Protective Order Limits Access to MMTC Filing The FCC has issued a Protective Order to limit access to confidential information that the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council anticipates filing, as described in a July 25 letter to the Commission. The FCC said it finds that such information is necessary to develop a more complete record on which to base the Commission's decision in the 2010 Quadrennial Regulatory Review of the Broadcast Ownership Rules. "While we are mindful of the sensitive nature of such information, we are also mindful of the right of the public to participate in this proceeding in a meaningful way. We therefore will make such information available to participants in this proceeding, but only pursuant to a protective order," says the Commission. "We conclude that the procedures we adopt in this Protective Order give appropriate access to the public while protecting proprietary and confidential information from improper disclosure, and that the procedures thereby serve the public interest." Amber Perry Named Southern California Radio GSM Council Chair CBS Radio Classic Hits "K-Earth 101" KRTH-FM, Los Angeles, GSM Amber Perry will serve as Chairperson of the General Sales Managers Council for Southern California Radio members, according to the Southern California Broadcasters Association. "The General Sales Managers Council works closely with the SCBA regarding sales training, revenue opportunities, and research and advertiser recognition. We are excited to have Amber as the new chairperson in this important advisory role," says SCBA President Thom Callahan. Perry is a 15-year sales and sales management veteran and much of her time in radio has been with CBS Radio. "I am thrilled to be working more closely with the SCBA and with California business owners on the importance of a 360 degree marketing approach," says Perry. The General Sales Managers Council, formed in 1994, is an active advisory group consisting of SCBA member stations and their sales management teams. Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio Scott Brady joins Hot AC WINC-FM, Winchester, Virginia, as Assistant PD/Music Director and midday host. Most recently, Brady was with Total Traffic and Hot AC "94.7 Fresh FM" WIAD-FM, Washington DC ... Longtime morning host Jay Michaels has exited AC WFAS-FM, in Westchester County, New York ... Allan Handelman returns to Curtis Media Greensboro as afternoon host on Talk WSJS-AM, starting August 5, replacing Bob Campbell, who exits. Handleman previously hosted afternoons on Curtis "FM Talk 101.1" WZTK-FM before it flipped to Regional Mexican "La Ley 101.1" WYMY-FM ... Tom "Jake" Jacobsen exits Country WGNA-FM, Albany, NY, as Brand Manager and afternoon host after more than six years to become General Manager of Pamal Broadcasting's five-station group in Glens Falls, NY, where he starts August 5 ... Boston market veteran George Knight is joining Emerson College Triple-A WERS-FM as morning host, effective August 1.