Thursday's Radio & Media News - September 26, 2013

Watchdog Groups to Challenge KDND-FM/Sacramento License Two media watchdog groups say they will challenge the license renewal of Entercom CHR/Top 40 "107.9 The End" KDND-FM, Sacramento, over the station's 2007 "Hold Your Wee For A Wii" contest that resulted in the water intoxication death of Jennifer Strange. In 2009, her family won a jury award of $16,577,188 in a lawsuit against Entercom Sacramento. Representatives for the Sacramento Media Group and the Media Action Center have announced that they intend to file legal challenges with the FCC before the November 1 deadline to contest the station’s pending eight-year broadcast license renewal. Media Action Center founder Sue Wilson -- producer of a 2009 documentary, "Broadcast Blues," that spotlighted Strange’s death -- said the groups intend to formally serve papers challenging KDND's license renewal when FCC Commissioners meet in Washington DC, on October 22. The group’s efforts are also supported by California Common Cause, which advocates on political transparency and media issues. The Sacramento Bee reports, "In a news conference at the Sacramento County courthouse, Wilson noted that a jury had held the radio station liable for Strange’s death, but the FCC has shown no inclination to go after its broadcast license – despite calls from the victim's family for sanctions against the station." Says Wilson, "In that contest, a woman died. However, the Federal Communications Commission has not acted in any way." Kevin Geary, a spokesman for Entercom Communications, says that "the events in 2007 were tragic. Our thoughts remain with the family. We will respond to any petition filed with the FCC at the appropriate time." In the 2007 contest on KDND's morning show, contestants were urged to drink as much water as they could without urinating to win a $250 video game system. Despite an on-air call to the program from a nurse who warned that contestants were endangering their lives from water contamination, the contest went on with a host laughing and asking, "Is anyone dying in there?" Strange and other contestants vomited. She dropped out of the contest, went home and died about six hours later. No family members were present at Wednesday's news conference calling for the rejection of the station’s license renewal. "These radio stations hold very lucrative licenses ... to serve the public interest," said Roger Smith, a spokesman for Sacramento Media Group, an affiliate of Common Cause. "On-air stunts that kill people do not serve the public interest." The station’s management and crew of "The Morning Rave" show were fired after Strange's death. In 2009, a jury found Entercom Sacramento negligent in the case but exonerated parent corporation Entercom Communications of any liability. In a news release, Media Action Center announced its intentions. "If we drive so recklessly that we kill someone, our insurance company will pay restitution, and the DMV will revoke our license to drive. When a radio station broadcasts so recklessly that it kills someone, its insurance company pays restitution, and the FCC must revoke its license to broadcast," says Wilson. "If ever there is a time the FCC should act on behalf of the public interest, it is now." According to the news release, "Wilson said the staff knew the contest could be deadly (and) made fun of a water intoxication death on the air a month before the contest, but purposely did not give the contestants that information. Staff did draft a set of rules explaining the hazards of the contest, but instead just gave the contestants a generic release form to sign, one so vague a judge later ruled it was no waiver at all. Throughout the contest, concerned listeners called into the station to inform them of the danger, but the DeeJays made sure the contestants could not hear those calls. Contestant after contestant fell ill, suffering severe headaches and vomiting into wastebaskets, all while the KDND staff laughed and took their pictures. Even after the contest, when Jennifer Strange told the Morning Rave crew she was too ill to drive home, they abandoned her to the station's lobby. She died hours later at home of hyponatremia." If you (like we did) question the word "hyponatremia," we looked it up. "Hyponatremia (American English) or hyponatraemia (British English) is an electrolyte disturbance in which the sodium ion concentration in the plasma is lower than normal." Entercom Launches New Buffalo Alternative Station Entercom Buffalo launched a new Alternative Rock station today at noon -- "Alternative Buffalo 107.7 FM" on WLKK-FM. The new station promises to "connect the best of today’s modern alternative music with young, educated, white-collar professionals who are active, mobile, and always online." We previously reported that Entercom "News-Talk-Weather 930" WBEN-AM, Buffalo, said it would end its FM simulcast on WLKK-FM, September 26 at 12noon. Following the launch of the new format, Entercom Buffalo EVP and General Manager Greg Ried tells us, "Our station will reflect the best part of today’s Buffalo. From a revitalized downtown and a growing economy, to a strong sense of environmental protection, to a renewed sense of optimism and community, 107.7 is the New Alternative for a New Buffalo. We are building Alternative Buffalo 107.7 to compete and win. On Day 1 we will stand alone as the exclusive alternative station in Buffalo. With our unique sound, Alternative Buffalo 107.7 will target an audience in the heaviest acquisition years of their lives. Alternative Buffalo 107.7 will deliver modern consumers who need to buy and buy right now." Entercom Alternative Rock KNRK-FM, Portland Program Director Mark Hamilton is advising the new station, as the company launches a national search for a PD for "Alternative Buffalo 107.7 FM." Says Hamilton, "We conducted extensive local research in Buffalo and listeners were clear … they wanted an alternative, and they wanted modern alternative music. Alternative Buffalo 107.7 will play the very best in today's alternative music from artists including Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers, Muse, and fun." Ried previously said research showed that WBEN-AM listeners had mostly remained with "News-Talk-Weather 930" and didn't migrate to the FM frequency, justifying the end of the simulcast. Now he tells us that those who have listened on FM, he believes, will to return to the AM signal. "We are supremely confident that nearly all of our listeners will migrate back to AM over the next few days. Rest assured WBEN remains the premier news-talk-weather station in the market, and we will continue delivering on that promise." Mark Kassof: 'Radio Listeners: Paying Attention!' Listeners don't just consider radio to be "background sound" but they actually pay attention to what they are hearing. In the third of a series of reports on this year’s ListenerThink P1 research, Mark Kassof today offers more of the good news for radio from the study. "One of the great things about radio is that it’s something listeners can do while they’re doing something else…working, driving, whatever. But don’t confuse that with thinking that radio is simply 'background sound'," writes Kassof. "This year’s ListenerThink P1 research -- 989 online interviews with 18-64 U.S. radio listeners, conducted September 12-15 -- reveals that listeners are very much engaged with radio, despite whatever else they’re doing." Three-fourths (76%) agree that "When you listen to radio, you pay a lot of attention to it." Of the overall "agree," 31% "agree strongly" with another 45% that "agree slightly." Only 22% "disagree" -- 18% "strongly," 4% slightly. And only 2% of respondents said they "don't know." Writes Kassof, "The bottom of this scale is every bit as telling as the top, with a mere 4% strongly disagreeing that they pay a lot of attention to radio! Listeners’ involvement in radio extends across demo groups. ..18-24 men agree least that they ”pay a lot of attention,” but still overwhelmingly agree – 69% do (26% strongly), while only 9% disagree strongly. They might change when they get a bit older…25-44 men pay the most attention to radio – 88% agree (36% strongly), while only 1% strongly disagree! So (as we saw yesterday), radio is important for the vast majority of listeners, and (as we see today) the vast majority pay a lot of attention to it. WHY??? Obviously, radio is a source of music, news, weather, sports, etc. But beyond those programming elements, we find that radio serves important personal and emotional needs for listeners. Come back tomorrow and we’ll share more of what we learned in our P1 research." Tuesday we were told that the results of this year's Mark Kassof and Company ListenerThink P1 research "are mostly positive, but there's some negative too." That bad news was that "more than half agree Radio isn't as good as it used to be." The first "good news" yesterday was that overall 70% of respondents agree "Radio Is Important." Today's offering, the third, gives us the second "good news" for radio. And since Mark Kassof promises more good news Friday, you can be assured we will report it here at MHBC Radio and Media News. Official: Michael Savage to Replace Sean Hannity on Cumulus Stations Update: Cumulus Media Networks today (Sept. 26) announced that Michael Savage's "The Savage Nation" will "move to the highly coveted 3-6pm ET time slot beginning in January 2014 – bringing his unique brand of 'News, Views and Reviews' to drivetime on top radio stations nationwide. The Savage Nation will air on more than 200 affiliates of Cumulus Media Networks, including 60 stations owned and operated by Cumulus." Wednesday night, Savage made the announcement on his show, as we reported late last night: Michael Savage has now made the official announcement that he will take over the 3-6pm ET slot currently filled by Sean Hannity on Cumulus Talk stations. Hannity as we now know is exiting all Cumulus stations at the end of this year. Savage, now syndicated by Cumulus Media Networks, had previously said he expected to be making the move to afternoons last month. Wednesday night he told his listeners that it's definitely happening. Savage has aired in evenings since moving to Cumulus from TRN. He told his radio audience he will be on 60 Cumulus stations at the start of 2014 -- including WABC-AM, New York; WLS-AM, Chicago; WMAL-AM-FM, Washington DC; WBAP-AM-FM, Dallas; WJR-AM, Detroit; and KSFO-AM, San Francisco. "The Savage Nation" host calls his move to replace Hannity on Cumulus stations -- and compete against Hannity on his new and non-Cumulus existing stations -- "the biggest shakeup in talk radio history." Hannity is syndicated by Clear Channel's Premiere Networks. CBS Sports TV Net Joins Bidding for 'Boomer and Carton' Simulcast Another player has entered "The Boomer and Carton Show" TV simulcast competition. The New York Daily News says the cable TV CBS Sports Network "has made a serious bid to acquire the TV rights to the WFAN morning drive-time show" hosted by Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, "according to a CBS source." CBS owns both CBSSN and Sports Talk WFAN-AM-FM, New York. "CBSSN’s move follows the Yankees Entertainment and Sports [YES] Network making an offer to acquire simulcast rights to the show. The Madison Square Garden Network [MSG] is the show’s incumbent rights holder and has the contractual right to match any bid," says the report. "CBSSN's interest in 'The Boomer and Carton Show' simulcast has everything to do with network suits trying to beef up -- and bring some buzz -- to the programming lineup of the lightly watched national cable sports network," writes Daily News Sports columnist Bob Raissman. The report says that initially, sources said, CBS brass was seriously considering simulcasting CBS Sports Radio Network’s morning drive-time show, featuring Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson, on CBSSN, but CBS TV executives decided acquiring the rights to Esiason/Carton was a better play. WestwoodOne CEO Paul Caine Speaks on Ad Week Panel Speaking on a panel discussion titled "Kings of Content" as part of Advertising Week in New York City, Wednesday, WestwoodOne CEO Paul Caine promoted the expanding value of audio to advertisers as it moves beyond just the traditional AM/FM radio model. Caine was joined on the Ad Week panel by other industry leaders as they discussed the critical role content plays in this new era of media. In particular, Caine covered the reemergence of audio, the critical role audio plays in reaching today's more mobile and digital consumers, and the importance of delivering great content to consumers by building platforms which will engage them. During the session, Caine noted that content without the proper platform is not “king” -- that a respected and recognized platform is necessary to successfully deliver good content. Caine said that the industry needs to build both content and platforms that consumers want. In explaining the growing nature of audio, Caine said the newer forms of content are those people use when they aren’t able to view a screen or read. “We have to think about it as long-form, whether that’s an NFL game, which we broadcast, to short-form which is podcasting, to shorter-form which is social audio that can be put into bite-sized content and shared with your friends.” Caine said the many ways in which audio content is now packaged is good for advertisers. "Companies like ours have been growing in terms of our ability to reach more consumers." Steve Farber Promoted to Tribune Broadcasting SVP of Operations Steve Farber is promoted to SVP of Operations at Tribune Broadcasting. Farber, who has been acting GM of WGN-TV Chicago for the past year, will be responsible for overseeing operations at the company's national multicast networks, Antenna TV and This TV, the nationally syndicated Bill Cunningham Show as well as other operational assignments, including those associated with Tribune's acquisition of Local TV Holdings. Farber will report to Larry Wert, President of Broadcast Media, and stay in the WGN-TV post until a successor is named. Before WGN-TV, Farber was VP of Programming Operations at Tribune, having earlier worked at CLTV, the division’s 24-hour cable news operation in Chicago, since 1995. "I look forward to the opportunity of working directly with a growing number of stations across the United States, including the diverse set of affiliates for Antenna TV and This TV," says Farber. AdLarge Names Jackie Montagna National Account Manager AdLarge Media adds Jackie Montagna as National Account Manager. Previously, she was Director of Sales at TargetSpot. Montagna has also worked for OMD and Google, where she was East Coast Manager of the Audio Account Management Team and Account Executive of the Audio Group. "Jackie is an expert at helping agencies develop custom strategies for clients," says CRO/Radio Sales Don Wachsmith. "Her audio sales and advertising agency background gives her keen insight into how to maximize the power of audio to connect listeners with advertisers' brands. We are delighted to welcome her onboard." Says Montagna, "I am excited to be joining AdLarge during this tremendous growth phase for the company. AdLarge gives me the freedom to create customized advertising campaigns across traditional and digital channels, and that is important for achieving success in today's marketplace. Clients are looking for ways to engage their target consumers in relevant environments across multiple platforms." EVP/CRO Digital Eric Ronning tells us, "We are thrilled to have Jackie select AdLarge as her home. Jackie represents exactly what the market demands today-integrity; the confidence of clients and their agency partners; intelligence, which allows for creativity to meet client needs and demands in both digital and audio. She fits perfectly with the AdLarge strategy of individual representation." BFA Celebrity Golf Tournament Raises $235,000 The Broadcasters Foundation of America raised $235,000 to help broadcasters in need at the 2013 Celebrity Golf Tournament this week at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ. The funds come at a time when more broadcasters than ever are in need of assistance. The Foundation is expected to grant more than $850,000 in aid over the next year. The BFA has distributed millions of dollars in aid to hundreds of broadcasters who lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease, or unforeseen family tragedy. More than 150 broadcasters and celebrities turned out for this year's Celebrity Golf Tournament in support of the mission of the Broadcasters Foundation, including 30 sportscasters, athletes, and actors. The tournament is one of the Foundation's biggest annual fundraisers. This year's co-Chairs were CBS Television Stations President Peter Dunn and Katz Radio Group President Mark Gray. Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio When Entercom's WWWL-AM, New Orleans, rebrands and revamps its format, as well as dropping ESPN Radio for NBC Sports Radio, October 14, ESPN Radio will move to Coastal Broadcasting of Larose KLRZ-FM, Larose, as "100.3 ESPN" where it will replace "Rajun' Cajun" whose format is Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop music. The station targets both New Orleans and the Tri-Parishes area ... Veteran Sports Talk broadcaster Dennis Glasgow joins Capitol Broadcasting as Program Director and Operations Manager in Raleigh of "99.9 The Fan" WCMC-FM, "620 The Buzz" WDNC-AM, "1550 ESPN Deportes" WCLY-AM, and "99.9 The Ticket" on WCMC-FM's HD3 multicast channel. Glasgow starts October 1. Most recently, he was PD for Pamplin Broadcasting's Talk KPAM-AM, Portland, Oregon. Before that, he was VP of Operations for Red Zebra's WTEM-AM, Washington DC ... Hot AC "Mix 107.1" KOGM-FM, Lafayette, Louisiana, taps Jai Rio for morning host beginning September 30. Most recently, he hosted mornings at AC "107.7 The Island" KSYZ-FM, Grand Island-Kearney, Nebraska ... Country "92.1 Hank FM" KTFW-FM, Dallas, hires Erin Wilde Burke as its new morning host. She previously was at Hot AC WMYB-FM, Myrtle Beach, SC, until June 28, when she relocated to Dallas to join her new husband, Christian KCBI-FM, Dallas, PD Joel Burke ... Alternative "Radio 105.7" WRDA-FM, Atlanta, adds market veteran Steve Barnes for weekends. He previously spent close to a decade in mornings at "99X" from 1994-2003. Contact MHBC News News Releases Welcomed