Friday's Radio & Media News - September 13, 2013

musicFIRST Uses CC-WMG Deal to Renew Call for Radio Performance Royalties The musicFIRST Coalition is using the news of the new deal between Clear Channel and Warner Music Group to renew its call for broadcast radio music royalties, saying all over-the-air radio stations should be paying artists and labels for the airing of recorded music. The coalition's Executive Director Ted Kalo says in a statement that while musicFIRST applauds the deal, it is not a substitute for a legislated performance royalty fee for the entire industry. Kalo's statement comes as the NAB reports, "A bipartisan group of seven Members of Congress have signed on 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 currently co-sponsored by 159 Members of the House and 11 Senators." Meanwhile, we received a brief news release from Entercom Communications telling us that Entercom President and CEO David Field issued a statement heralding the CC-WMG deal: "The Clear Channel/Warner Music agreement is another important step forward in establishing a new business model that aligns the interests of artists, labels, consumers and broadcast radio. While not without its costs and compromises, it represents a smart, bold and visionary approach that will foster further innovation, growth and value-creation for all stakeholders." Kalo's full statement for the musicFIRST Coalition reads: "While we applaud Warner Music and Clear Channel for working together on a deal that allows more artists to share revenue and we appreciate the forward leaning, pro-artist sentiments expressed by Clear Channel’s leadership, these deals are no substitute for a real, industry-wide AM/FM performance right. "Unfortunately, Clear Channel and its trade association, the National Association of Broadcasters, have been the principal roadblocks to ending the loophole that allows AM/FM broadcast radio alone to take music without paying artists or labels. Negotiations are good — but no one can say they are a complete solution when only one side at the table has rights to deal. And no one can dispute that, if creators had such a right, all creators (not just those on labels that negotiated a deal) would be more justly compensated. "The NAB faced a brutal week on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers pointing out its hypocrisy in arguing that video creators must be paid for their work while music creators should not. Isn’t it time for the NAB to be consistent and principled rather than hypocritical? "Only a legal performance right will provide artists, including non-featured artists, the security they deserve: the right to be paid for their work. And only a legal right will create reciprocity for foreign radio airplay so that artists can receive an estimated $100 million a year in income from overseas. "If Clear Channel’s leadership is as forward thinking and pro-artist as their statements suggest, we hope they will at long last publicly break from the NAB’s obstruction of a performance right. Mr. Pittman says that artists and broadcasters need to be 'more supportive of each other’s needs.’ Supporting a real performance right would be a good place to start." NPR Names Paul Haaga Acting President/CEO NPR's Board of Directors announces that Paul Haaga will serve as Acting President and CEO, effective September 30. He's served on the Board since 2011, most recently as Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of its Finance Committee. "Paul has made many valuable contributions to NPR during his tenure on the Board," says Kit Jensen, Chair of the NPR Board. "His intimate knowledge of our organization, his unwavering commitment to the highest quality of journalism and programming, and his financial acumen make him particularly well-suited to lead NPR as we begin our search for a permanent chief executive." Haaga will succeed NPR President/CEO Gary Knell, who recently announced that he will leave the organization to become President and CEO of the National Geographic Society. NPR has appointed a search committee, co-chaired by Board members Florence Rogers, President and General Manager, Nevada Public Radio, and John Wotowicz, Managing Partner, Concentric Capital, to lead the search for a permanent CEO. Says Haaga, "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead one of the world's leading providers of news, music and cultural programming on an interim basis and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Board and senior leadership team to help this great organization build on its success." Ralph Barbieri Reportedly Settles Lawsuit Against Cumulus Several Reports Say Barbieri Accepted $4 Million to Settle Former Cumulus Sports Talk KNBR-AM, San Francisco, host Ralph Barbieri has reportely settled his suit against the station for breach of contract and wrongful termination due to discrimination. Reports say that Barbieri, who had been seeking $10 million in his suit, accepted a surprise offer of $4 million to settle. Barbieri had told the company in 2011 that he had early Parkinson’s, but was assured he was still wanted. Then about six months later in April 2012 was fired from KNBR-AM. He then filed a discrimination suit in June 2012, alleging the termination was because his medical condition and his age (66). He claimed wrongful termination, failure to prevent discrimination and breach of contract. Although reports since the suit was first filed have indicated Cumulus and KNBR-AM were fighting the allegations in the lawsuit, it's now being reported that they made the surprise offer to settle and Barbieri accepted the offer, even though his lawyer wanted to go to trial with the case. Barbieri had been on the air at KNBR-AM for 28 years. Art Bell: 'Premiere, Stop Airing My Old Shows' As Art Bell prepares to debut his new SiriusXM "Dark Matter" show next week, Bell is asking Premiere Networks to stop airing its replays of his old "Coast to Coast AM" shows as "Somewhere in Time." Premiere owns those shows and can air them legally, but Bell makes it clear that does not make him happy. He says in a Facebook post that "some months ago" he "asked Premiere to stop" the "Saturday replays." Bell adds, "I thought they had run their course and I wanted them gone for reasons I will not state here. They refused and continue to this day for reasons I still don't understand, so thank Premiere for my new show. I also want to thank George [Noory] for signing his new LONG term contract. Without those two things I would not be going back on air. I would only add that if Premiere is going to continue my Saturday show, please tag it at the end with..'for new shows, please tune to SiriusXM 104'." Referencing current "Coast to Coast AM" host Noory's on-air mention of Bell's new show, the post adds, "With regard to George talking about my new show last night, whatever his motives were, he took the high ground and can now pick up open lines without undue fear, good move and thanks for the plug. George has a good trait, he is a nice guy. I would like to dispel the notion however that I picked him for the show, I did not. The bone I have to pick is with Premiere and it goes well beyond Saturday replays. I have been called a serial Retiree on the Web and it annoys me because the rest of the story has yet to be told. I may well tell it soon and I think you will all be quite shocked." New Arbitron Market Rankings Announced Arbitron releases its latest update to their market rankings with new population estimates for Fall 2013. The Top 10 markets remain unchanged, but there is a two-market change in the Top 20. Denver is now market #19 while Nassau-Suffolk is #20. Other changes in the Top 100 markets include Salt Lake City at market #29 and Charleston, SC, moving up to market #79. Boise, Idaho, moves into the Top 100 as the new market #100, pushing Wichita down to #101. Beckley, WV is now the smallest market covered by Arbitron at #274. The full listing of all 274 radio markets, complete with population estimates, is available from Arbitron's website. 'Quick Hits' Debuts in Illinois at WYDS-FM We've previously told you about the new "QuickHitz" from Paragon Media Strategies and SparkNet, a CHR/Top 40 format that promises "Twice the Music in Half The Time" by editing songs to make them shorter, allowing for the airing of as many as 24 songs per hour. It's being called a "lifestyle targeted format." Now we're told that the format is adopted by Cromwell Group's WYDS-FM, Deactur, Illinois, where it replaces "Party 93.1" -- and where, with "QuickHitz" the station is promising stopsets of no longer than three minutes. The station says the new format is "built especially for the needs and lifestyle of today's multi-tasking, attention challenged listeners." Says Cromwell Group Illinois General Manager Chris Bullock, "We are excited to launch 93.1, The New QuickHitz in Decatur! Playing Twice the Music in Half the time is going to be a lot of fun and our listeners are going to LOVE it!" The "QuickHitz" format -- like SparkNet's "Jack" and "Juan" formats -- is programmed using the exclusive WestwoodOne STORQ technology. SiriusXM and Bleacher Report to Launch New Daily Sports Talk Show Sirius XM and Bleacher Report today announced that they have teamed up to create an all-new daily sports talk program launching Monday (Sept. 16). "Bleacher Report Radio, which will be hosted by SiriusXM's Steve Covino and Rich Davis, will air nationwide every weekday (11:00am-1:00pm ET/8:00am-10:00am PT) on SiriusXM Sports Zone (Sirius channel 92 and XM channel 208)," says the announcement. "Bleacher Report, a division of Turner Broadcasting, is the leading digital destination for team-specific sports content and real-time event coverage and is one of the fastest-growing digital properties in the U.S. Bleacher Report Radio now expands the company's reach into a new medium and will be available exclusively to more than 25 million SiriusXM subscribers nationwide." We're told that each weekday Covino and Davis will speak with some of Bleacher Report's most prominent contributors, including Mike Freeman, Matt Bowen, Matt Miller, Michael Schottey, Adam Kramer and Michael Felder among others, as they deliver fans the latest team-specific news and analysis. "Listeners across the country can call in to discuss Bleacher Report's latest content and weigh in with their opinions. Bleacher Report was founded in 2007 by four die-hard sports fans as a platform through which passionate writers could have their voices heard, and at which sports fans could find all relevant content for their favorite teams in a single place. Today its editorial and video teams, led by a growing roster of lead writers and premier contributors, create hundreds of pieces of content per day to provide fans with the most comprehensive experience for their favorite teams and topics across all major sports." KSL Media Files for Bankruptcy, Shuts Down Operations After 32 Years, independent media agency KSL Media is shutting down. They say they are closing in New York and California, after filing for bankruptcy in California. In its Chapter 11 filing, KSL says that it had more than $50 million in debt owed to over 200 creditors, but less than that in assets. The agency adds that it had determined that "restructuring efforts would not be successful" so it decided to "wind down" operations under the protection of Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy code. Says KSL, its board was presented with information in June indicating that efforts to restructure "would likely not be successful," according to this week's filing. KSL Media's 20 largest creditors include ESPN, with a claim approaching $4.2 million; FX, with a claim above $1.8 million; and Comedy Central, with a claim nearing $1.2 million. KSL was founded in 1981 by Kal Leibowitz. KSL inherited Interpublic as a parent when True North Communications, its previous owner, was acquired by Interpublic. KSL Media bought itself back from Interpublic in May 2003 in an all-cash deal negotiated in September 2001. WEEI Announces Mike Tirico as Addition to NFL Programming The WEEI Sports Radio Network announces the addition of ESPN and "Monday Night Football" announcer Mike Tirico to its "Patriots Monday" morning lineup. Tirico will call in to the "Salk and Holley" show every Thursday afternoon at 4:30 throughout the season. In addition to complementing head coach Bill Belichick's Monday visits with "Salk & Holley," Tirico's appearances will bookend his fellow ESPN regular Chris Mortensen's weekly sit down with "Salk and Holley" at 5pm on Patriots Friday. Tirico has handled a variety of assignments for ESPN, ESPN Radio and ABC Sports since 1991, establishing himself as one of the most recognizable faces and steady voices across ESPN's multimedia platforms and in the industry at large. In 2006, he assumed the position of play-by-play commentator on Monday Night Football and his other major roles include the NBA, college basketball and golf play-by-play and studio hosting duties for major events. Tirico works alongside analyst Jon Gruden on MNF. He is just the fourth person to occupy the play-by-play post in the more than 40-year history of sports television's signature series, alongside Keith Jackson, Frank Gifford and Al Michaels. Hola 'ESPN Deportes 760' / West Palm Beach Good Karma Broadcasting flips "ESPN 760" WEFL-AM to "ESPN Deportes 760" - "West Palm Beach's first Spanish-language sports radio station." Programming, we're told, will cater to Hispanic sports enthusiasts with programming that includes Raza Deportiva, ESPN Al Despertar and Jorge Ramos y Su Banda. "ESPN Deportes 760" will also feature top sporting events, including the live broadcast of CONMEBOL South American World Cup Qualifiers, Mexican First Division soccer, U.S. National Team friendlies, MLB and MLS. "We are proud to extend ESPN Deportes Radio's reach in South Florida, this is another milestone in our effort to continue expanding our national presence," says ESPN Deportes Radio Senior Director/General Manager Oscar Ramos. "This launch also represents a great opportunity to better serve our local audience and our advertisers." ESPN West Palm VP/GM Steve Politziner adds, "As we celebrate ten years in West Palm Beach, we are excited to bring the first Spanish-language sports radio network to the large population of Hispanic sports fans in the area. The addition of ESPN Deportes 760 will allow ESPN West Palm to expand our fan base, and with the support of our pillar partners we look forward to bringing the best in sports content to the Hispanic population of the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast." Those who previously listened to "ESPN 760" in English are being told they can now hear that programming on "ESPN 106.3 FM" WUUB-FM. Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio Kim Carson is in as midday host at Classic Rock WLAV-FM, Grand Rapids, where she replaces the exiting Mary Ellen Murphy. Carson, who previouslyh was at crosstown AC "100.5 The River" WTRV-FM, has recently been doing parttime work at WLAV-FM ... After stunting with non-stop Taylor Swift music as "Taylor 92.7", KZDR-FM, Fargo, North Dakota, debuts its real new format as Classic Hits "92.7 The Drive" with core artists to include Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Elton John, Billy Joel, The Beatles, and Rolling Stones ... Julian (Nieh) is the new night host at Clear Channel CHR/Top 40 "Z104.3" WZFT-FM, Baltimore. He joined Clear Channel at "104.7 Kiss FM" KZZP-FM, Phoenix, after exiting "B96" WBBM-FM, Chicago ... CHR/Top 40 "Channel 955" WKQI-FM, Detroit, Promotion Director and weekend/swing host Sam "Stick" Day is upped to Assistant PD/Music Director and night host ... Afternoon host Bootleg Kev exits Rhythmic CHR "Power 98.3" KKFR-FM, Phoenix, Night host Deongello moves up to afternoons ... Nikki Ramirez joins Hot AC "97.3 The Coast" WFLC-FM, Miami. Ramirez mostly recently was afternoon host at AC WLYF-FM, Miami ... Amy Rodriquez (Amy Sunshine) is named morning co-host at Hot AC WBEC-FM, Pittsfield, teaming with Rob Poulin for "The Live 95.9 Morning Crew" ... Adult Variety Hits "104.7 Popster FM" KMJO-FM, Fargo, North Dakota, flips to AC as "104.7 Mix FM" ... Kevin Johnson, Program Director and afternoon host at Hot AC "Mix 93.1" WHYN-FM, Springfield, Massachusetts, adds PD duties at AC sister "Lite Rock 96.1" WSRS-FM, Worcester ... Alternative "New Rock 106-5 The End" WEND-FM, Charlotte, morning show cast member Melany Myers will exit after two years, September 27. Contact MHBC News News Releases Welcomed