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Tom Langmyer Named Journal VP of News Talk Programming 
Former Tribune Talk WGN-AM, Chicago, VP and General Manager Tom Langmyer is named VP of News Talk Programming for Journal Broadcast Group, effective August 12. Langmyer, who also was previously VP/GM at CBS Radio News Talk KMOX-AM, St. Louis, in his new position will oversee the programming of News Talk "Newsradio 620" WTMJ-AM, Milwaukee, which he has been consulting since March, and will work closely with VP of Programming Beverlee Brannigan on Journal's News and Talk stations nationwide. Says EVP Steve Wexler, "I am thrilled to welcome Tom to the Journal family. He is a trusted leader with a well-known track record of success. He understands the importance of heritage stations like WTMJ. I've known Tom for years and am happy to finally be able to call him a fellow employee." Langmyer tells us, "I've admired Journal Broadcast Group for many years as a leader in local content - and for their service to their communities. WTMJ is Wisconsin's iconic multi-platform brand, with great personalities, dependable news and it's also revered as the home of the Packers, Brewers, Badgers, and Bucks. I’m honored and excited to join Steve, Beverlee and Journal." Brannigan adds, "Tom's many talents make him an all-star addition to the Journal team. I'm proud he's about to call WTMJ home and look forward to his contributions to our success." Brett Andrews Named PD for Two Clear Channel St Louis Stations 
Clear Channel St. Louis promotes Brett Andrews to Program Director for CHR-Top40 "Z107.7" KSLZ-FM and Rhythmic CHR "Wild 104.9" KBWX-FM, effective immediately, reporting directly to St. Louis Regional Program Manager Steve Stewart. Andrews, a 12-year industry veteran, most recently was Assistant PD for the two stations. He will also continue as afternoon host on KBWX-FM. In his new role, Andrews will "manage and develop engaging content for both stations’ digital extensions; program daily and weekly music scheduling; manage station liners and promotional liners for events, websites and special features; maintain record label contacts and relationships; and manage and maintain community service efforts." This isn't his first time as a PD. Previously, he was Program Director of CHR-Top40 "Z100" KKRZ-FM, Portland, Oregon. "Brett has shown incredible talent since coming on board from Portland a year ago," says Stewart. "We are excited for him to oversee the continued success and growth of these two great stations' programming." Andrews tells us, "I am incredibly honored and humbled to take the lead of legendary call letters such as KSLZ. I'm excited to continue working with Regional Program Manager Steve Stewart, Market President Beth Davis and SVP Tony Coles to grow both Z107.7 and the new Wild 104.9." Previous stops for Andrews before Portland included "Channel 96.3" KZCH-FM, Wichita, as APD/morning host and "Hot 97.5" KVEG-FM, Las Vegas, as afternoon host before joining "103.7 Kiss FM" WXSS-FM, Milwaukee. He began his radio career in 2001 as a weekend host in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Saga Reports Q2 Net Operating Revenue Increased 2.6% 
Saga Communications reports that second quarter net operating revenue increased 2.6%. For the quarter ending June 30, station operating expense was $23.5 million compared to $22.0 million for the same period last year. Of the increase, $851 was the result of credits received for music licensing fees during Q2 2012 that are not recurring in 2013, says Saga. Station operating expense increased 7.0% compared to the same period last year, but only 3.0% when adjusted for such credits. Operating income decreased 8.0% to $8.4 million compared to $9.1 million. "Adjusted for the music licensing fee credits, operating income would have increased 1.5%." Net income for the quarter decreased 6.4% to $4.8 million ($0.84 per fully diluted share) compared to net income of $5.1 million ($0.91 per fully diluted share) for the same period last year. Net operating revenue increased 0.8% for the six month period ending June 30. Station operating expense increased 2.9% to $45.6 million. "Adjusted for the $851 thousand music licensing credits received in the 2nd quarter of 2012, station operating expense would have increased 0.9%. Operating income decreased 5.8% to $13.3 million compared to $14.1 million for the same period last year. Adjusted for the music licensing fee credits, operating income would have increased 0.2%. Net income for the six month period decreased 1.1% to $7.8 million ($1.35 per fully diluted share compared to $1.38 per fully diluted share for the same period last year)," reports Saga. "Capital expenditures in the 2nd quarter of 2013 and 2012 were $1.3 million. The Company currently expects to spend approximately $5.5 million for capital expenditures during 2013. Salem Q2 Total Revenue Rises 4.4%, Broadcast Revenue Up 1.4% 
Salem Communications reports second quarter total revenue increased 4.4% to $60.1 Million. Broadcast revenue was up 1.4% to $47 million, while Internet revenue grew 23.3% to $9.9 million. Total operating expenses decreased 5.4% to $50.8 million from $53.8 million. Net income increased 390% to $5.2 million (20 cents per diluted share). The 2012 figures include a $5.6 million impairment loss on land in Covina, California. Salem also reports that total debt excluding capital leases decreased $8.5 million during the quarter to $298.4 million. In its breakdown of the broadcast segment the company tells us that net broadcast revenue increased 1.4% to $47.0 million from $46.4 million; station operating income ("SOI") increased 2.1% to $16.2 million from $15.9 million; same station net broadcast revenue increased 0.2% to $46.4 million from $46.3 million; same station SOI increased 1.9% to $16.2 million from $15.9 million; and same station SOI margin increased to 34.8% from 34.3%. For the third quarter, Salem is projecting total revenue to increase 0% to 2% year-to-year, but 3% to 5% excluding political revenue. Says the company, "The growth is impacted by strong political revenue of $1.5 million in the third quarter of 2012. Excluding that revenue, we would project revenue to increase 3% to 5%. We are also projecting operating expenses before gains or losses on disposal of assets, impairment losses and stock-based compensation expense to increase 1% to 4% as compared to the third quarter of 2012 operating expenses of $47.4 million."
Fisher Shareholders Approve Merger with Sinclair 
Fisher Communications announces that its shareholders have approved the merger agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group, under which Sinclair will acquire Fisher. Under the terms of the merger agreement, upon the consummation of the merger, Fisher shareholders will receive $41.00 in cash for each share of Fisher common stock they own. "More than 90% of the votes represented and cast at the special meeting of Fisher's shareholders, or approximately 77% of the total outstanding shares of common stock eligible to vote as of the June 14, 2013 record date, were voted in favor of the approval of the merger agreement. Shareholders also approved the non-binding advisory proposal regarding merger-related compensation with a vote of more than 90% of the votes represented and cast at the meeting. The completion of the merger remains subject to certain customary closing conditions, including the receipt of certain regulatory approvals," says a Fisher news release. Darrell Brown Named KSL Broadcast Group President 
Bonneville International names former McGraw Hill Broadcasting President Darrell Brown as President of the KSL Broadcast Group, which includes Salt Lake City’s News Talk KSL-AM-FM, AC KSFI-FM, and Classic Rock "The Arrow" KRSP-FM. "I am pleased to welcome Darrell to KSL," says Keith McMullin, CEO of Deseret Management Corporation, Bonneville’s parent company. "He embodies the mission of our organization and brings strong leadership and broadcast experience." Brown spent 28 years at McGraw Hill Broadcasting, including as its President from 2008 until its sale to Scripps earlier this year. He tells us, “KSL is a long-standing leader, not just in Utah, but across the broadcast industry. This is a group of stations that builds-up, connects and informs the communities they serve. I am proud to be part of such a strong team, and look forward to upholding the great legacy that is KSL.” His new position brings a return to Utah for Brown, who attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Cincinnati Radio Vet Pat Barry Sues Radio One Over Firing 
Veteran Cincinnati radio host Pat Barry is suing Radio One and Blue Chip Broadcasting, claiming he was fired from the former "Mojo 100.3" WMOJ-FM last October after being accused of "corporate espionage" for forwarding a station email to long-time friend, Merlin Media CEO Randy Michaels. Using his real name of Barry Tingley, he's filed a lawsuit in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court saying he was refused "severance, vacation or other accrued benefits using a false reason of corporate espionage" for his termination after 13 months last October, reports John Kiesewetter at Cincinnati.com. His firing, he says, came two weeks before the station dropped the "Mojo" format and announced it would become a Sports Talk station in January. The station became "The Fan 100.3" as WCFN-FM from January until last week, when it flipped to Urban Oldies "Old School 100.3" ending the Sports Talk format. Barry tells Kiesewetter that he did forward an email to Michaels, inviting Radio One employees to a teleconference with CEO Alfred Liggins last October. But Barry said the email did not include any passwords or proprietary information. Jeff Wilson, General Manager for the three Cincinnati Radio One stations, said he "can’t comment on pending legal matters." Barry, a 40-year market vet, said he "never wanted to" sue, "but they didn’t give me any choice. I've never been treated so poorly." In 2011, says the suit, Doug Spak was GM and signed Barry to a two-year contract with a one-year extension calling for $120,000 a year, including a base salary of $65,000 and benefits. The contract called for the station to promote Barry, and market him for paid personal appearances and commercials, says the suit. Barry claims Spak and others "induced him" to turn down a full-time Dayton broadcasting job to work at WMOJ-FM. But "Mojo" management decided in May 2012 to flip the format to Sports Talk, and planned to terminate him in November last year. Barry also claims he was "qualified" to remain at the station after going Sports Talk because of his "deep contacts in the Cincinnati sports world." Barry seeks re-instatement, lost pay and benefits, punitive damages and $25,000 in compensatory damages. Pandora Reports More Listener Growth in July Metrics 
Pandora releases its own self-reported listenership metrics for the month of July, showing slight increases from June. According to the streaming music service, listener hours increased 14% from 1.12 billion to 1.28 billion, month-to-month. Pandora claims that its unverified metrics show a year-to-year increase in its "share of total U.S. radio listening" -- in July this year at 7.08%, up from 6.13% in July 2012. Pandora also reports that its share of total U.S. radio listening in July was 7.08 percent, up from 6.13 percent a year ago. Active listeners were 71.2 million in July, up 30 percent from 54.9 million in July 2012. In June this year, Pandora reported a 7.04 percent share of total U.S. radio listening, with 71.1 million active listeners. LFM Appoints Ellen Cavanaugh Denver DOS 
Lincoln Financial Media has appointed veteran sales executive Ellen Cavanaugh as the new Director of Sales at LFM's Denver cluster, effective September 3. She "will supervise sales efforts at KYGO, KQKS, KKFN, KEPN, KRWZ and Comedy 103.1," says a company news release. Cavanaugh comes to LFM from new media firm FindMyCompany, where she's been Corporate Sales Manager for the past four years. Her previous experience includes management positions at Latino Vibe Media, KILT-FM/Houston, Radio Unica Network, Liberman Broadcasting and other broadcasting outlets in Houston and Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. "I'm very excited to find someone with the depth of experience across a broad range of media to lead our sales departments," says LFM Denver SVP/General Manager Bob Call. "Ellen brings a terrific professional reputation and outstanding track record to our cluster of brands, helping to support our mission to create effective, integrated marketing solutions that drive results for our clients." Says Cavanaugh, "I can hardly wait to get started with a great company so aligned with my passions, skills, training and experience, and especially my philosophy on marketing and client focus. I look forward to growing with Lincoln Financial Media and its values of placing listeners, clients and employees first." Les Hollander Joins Spotify as Senior Director/U.S. Audio Sales 
Former CBS Radio and Clear Channel sales executive Les Hollander joins Spotify as Senior Director of U.S. Audio Sales. He exited Pandora after four years and moved to Gannett/US Community Publishing in June, joining as VP of Digital. Hollander joined Pandora in March 2009, and was promoted to VP of Sales in December 2011. After his brief stop at Gannett/US Community he returns to an online streaming music service in his latest gig at Spotify. Hollander describes his new duties as creating "the Spotify Audio monetization strategy for U.S. Radio/Audio marketplace. Evangelize internet radio and our digital audio platform to Fortune 500 companies, broadcast and digital media executives at agency holding companies. Lead efforts for measurement, insights and solutions as it relates customer needs." Hollander spent four years at CBS Radio and seven at Clear Channel before joining Pandora. He tells us, “The broadcast advertiser already knows the value of digital audio. Digital advertisers have learned that using audio along with a digital display campaign increases engagement pretty dramatically.” Hollander reports to VP of North American Sales Brian Benedik, also a former broadcast sales executive. Benedik joined Spotify in March after serving as President of Katz360.
Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio Clear Channel Adult Variety Hits "102.9 The Lake" WLKO-FM, Charlotte, Program Director and afternoon host Darla Thomas is out, as Clear Channel continues its latest nationwide round of budget-tightening ... CHR-Top40 "Hot 107.9" WJFX-FM, Fort Wayne, night host Andrea Russett exits, and is replaced with Caden, who was at New Country sister "US93.3" WBTU-FM. Caden will continue as Assistant PD and Music Director for both stations. Meanwhile Randy Alomar is now hosting nights at WBTU-FM ... "Wild Country 93.5" KZTL-FM, Paxton-North Platte, Nebraska, flips to AC "Sunny 93.5" ... Townsquare Comedy "Funny 1410" WNWZ-AM, Grand Rapids, flips to Urban AC as "1410 AM The Touch" using the Cumulus Media Networks syndicated "Touch" programming service ... Former Regional Mexican "La Caliente" WJSJ-FM, Jacksonville, flips to Hot AC "105.3 The Mix” -- with a high percentage of "throwback" songs from the 1980s and 90s. The flip comes after a week of stunting with Christmas music ... Jeff Miles is the new morning host at Country "Y100" KCYY-FM, San Antonio, replacing Jeff Roper who exited in May. Miles, a Waco, Texas native, most recently was midday host at Cumulus Media’s CHR-Top40 "Q100" WWWQ-FM, Atlanta.
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From Mark Harris Broadcast Consulting
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Tuesday's Radio & Media News - August 6, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Monday's Radio & Media News - August 5, 2013
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Entercom Second Quarter Revenues Down 3% 
Entercom reports second quarter net revenues declined 3% to $101.2 million from $104.5 million for April, May and June compared to the same three months in 2012. Station expenses were also down 3% to $65.7 million, while station operating income decreased 4% to $35.5 million. The company posted net earnings of $9.8 million (26 cents/share) compared to a loss of $3.2 million (9 cents) in the year-ago period. During the quarter, the company took a $0.9 million impairment related to the anticipated sale of non-core real estate. Says President and CEO David Field, "Strong expense management and reduced interest expense enabled Entercom to grow Adjusted Earnings per Share despite a decline in Revenues for the quarter. Notwithstanding our disappointing revenues, we believe that we are well positioned to accelerate our performance later in the year based on our excellent ratings and our strong competitive position that has been further bolstered by a number of recent operational and strategic enhancements." We're told that Entercom reduced its outstanding net senior debt and senior notes by $3.5 million during the quarter. As of June 30, the company had $6.3 million in cash and $545.6 million of senior debt and senior notes. Also during the second quarter, the company realized a $1.6 million gain related to the completion of its 2009 tower sale transaction. Eddie 'Piolin' Sotelo Responds to Sexual Harrassment Allegations 
Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo responds to sexual harassment allegations that have been reported as the reason for his sudden exit from Univision last month. Sotelo says in a statement, "For the past week, I have remained silent as some former disgruntled Univision employees have made false accusations about me. I did not want to dignify their lies by responding. But enough is enough. During the past 14 years, I helped my friend Beto Cortez through a number of difficult periods in his life and have been very generous to him. It saddens me that he has resorted to making baseless claims in an attempt to obtain an undeserved financial windfall. For more than a decade, through all of Beto's personal travails, I stood up for my friend again and again. In 2012, by Beto's own admission, his work performance had become horribly erratic and I could no longer protect him. This is why Univision decided not to renew his contract when it expired at the end of last year. For several months, we received reports that Beto was soliciting many of our co-workers to join him in asserting fictitious allegations and filing a complaint against me. Contrary to Beto's malicious statements, I have received an outpouring of unconditional support from my listeners and fans. I am very thankful for their thoughts, their prayers and their encouragement. I plan to be back on radio very soon and will continue to work hard to keep your loyalty and trust. Stay tuned!"
WSJ: 'Turtles and SiriusXM - Not Happy Together' 
Some 46 years after their 1967 hit "Happy Together" topped the charts, the Turtles are suing SiriusXM for playing the group's songs without permission, reports the Wall Street Journal. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of the group's founding members, "spotlights one of copyright law’s oddities: federal law protects only recordings made since 1972. Recordings made before 1972 are protected under state law, to varying degrees, in a handful of states, according to Henry Gradstein, the Turtles’ lead attorney," says WSJ. "California's civil code explicitly protects pre-1972 sound recordings against unauthorized duplication until 2047, and state courts have ruled that sound recordings can be protected in a misappropriation, conversion, or unfair competition claim, said the attorney. The suit, which is seeking class action status, is demanding at least $100 million in damages." A SiriusXM spokesman declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal report notes, "The 1972 rule wasn’t a significant issue in the past since terrestrial radio broadcasters are exempt from paying performance royalties on all sound recordings, no matter when they were made. But satellite radio and digital music services have been required to pay performing artists royalties for the digital use of their recordings since 1995, according to federal law." Such services can either strike their own deals with rights holders to use their music, or they can get an automatic license from the government to use any music they want for set rates. In the latter case the service pays royalties to SoundExchange, which collects the money and distributes it to recording artists and record labels. Until two years ago, Sirius regularly sent SoundExchange a log of every song it played – including songs recorded before 1972 – along with a lump sum payment for the royalties it owed. The non-itemized sum didn’t include pre-1972 recordings, but since the payment wasn’t broken down per song, SoundExchange for years distributed the royalties to all the artists on Sirius’s playlists, including the legacy artists, according to a person familiar with the matter. But in 2011 SoundExchange asked Sirius to start reporting exactly what it was paying for, and since then Sirius has stopped reporting pre-1972 songs, so SoundExchange stopped paying out on them, meaning older artists like the Turtles are only now starting to feel the impact. Entercom Renews with Arbitron 
Arbitron announces that Entercom Communications has signed multi-year, multi-market renewals for Arbitron's PPM and Diary radio ratings services. "Entercom is an industry leader and shares Arbitron's commitment to helping radio demonstrate its value to advertisers as a vibrant and growing medium," says Arbitron President and CEO Sean Creamer. "Our two companies have enjoyed a long and collaborative relationship and we will continue our joint efforts to demonstrate the strength of Radio within the expanding media landscape." Says Entercom President/CEO David Field, "We look forward to expanding our partnership with Arbitron as we continue to identify opportunities that grow our radio platform and make us more attractive to our listeners and our customers. We plan to continue to collaborate with Arbitron to demonstrate the incredible value of radio, to ensure broadcasters get full credit for their audiences and to enhance the high return to marketers on their advertising investment." New Clear Channel CFO Richard Bressler Gets $1.2M/Year Base 
Clear Channel tells the SEC, in an 8K filing, new CFO Richard Bressler will receive a base salary of $1.2 million a year, with the opportunity to receive a lot more in bonuses. As we reported last week, Bressler was named President and CFO of CC Media Holdings and Clear Channel Communications, and CFO of Clear Channel Outdoor. An employment agreement entered last week is detailed in the 8K. CC Media Holdings tells the SEC that Bressler "will receive a base salary at a rate no less than $1,200,000 per year, which shall be increased at the discretion of CCMH's board of directors or its compensation committee," and that "Bressler will also have the opportunity to earn an annual performance bonus for the achievement of reasonable performance goals established annually by the CCMH Board or its compensation committee after consultation with Mr. Bressler. The aggregate target performance bonus that may be earned when all of Mr. Bressler’s performance objectives are achieved will be not less than 150% of Mr. Bressler’s base salary amount; provided, however, that Mr. Bressler’s actual bonus for 2013 will be no less than the target performance bonus multiplied by the percentage of the 2013 calendar year from July 29, 2013 to December 31, 2013. In addition to the annual bonus, Mr. Bressler is also eligible for an additional annual bonus opportunity of up to $500,000, based on CCMH’s achievement of one or more annual performance goals determined by CCMH’s chief executive officer and approved by the CCMH Board (or a committee thereof), which amount is guaranteed for 2013." The Employment Agreement also "entitles" Bressler "to participate in all pension, profit sharing, and other retirement plans, all incentive compensation plans, and all group health, hospitalization and disability or other insurance plans, paid vacation, sick leave and other employee welfare benefit plans in which other similarly situated employees of CCMH may participate. During the term of his employment, CCMH will make a car service available for Mr. Bressler’s business use. CCMH will reimburse Mr. Bressler for the reasonable legal fees incurred by Mr. Bressler in connection with the negotiation of the Employment Agreement and ancillary documents. The Employment Agreement also contains customary confidentiality, non-competition and non-solicitation provisions." Mike O'Brian Named KKLZ-FM/Las Vegas Program Director 
Beasley Broadcast Group announces the promotion of Mike O'Brian to Program Director for Classic Hits KKLZ-FM, Las Vegas. O'Brian will also continue as co-host of the "KKLZ Morning Show with Mike, Jim and Carla." The promotion is effective today. As PD O'Brian will report to VP and Market Manager Tom Humm and VP of Programming Justin Chase. Corporate VP of Operations Brian Beasley tells us, "It's a good day at the office when we can promote someone who has served previously as a program director and has a long tenure with Beasley. The fact that Mike is a respected and key voice for KKLZ and a genuine supporter of charitable causes in the Las Vegas community is an added and important bonus! We are wishing Mike all the best in his new role."
Las Vegas 'Coyote' Names Kris Daniels Program Director 
Beasley Broadcast Group names Kris Daniels as Program Director and morning co-host at Country "102.7 The Coyote" KCYE-FM, Las Vegas. Daniels will report to VP and Market Manager Tom Humm and VP of Programming Justin Chase. She's coming to Vegas from Louisville, Kentucky, at "New Country Q 103.1" WQNU-FM, where she's co-host of "Daniels and Diaz in the Morning" and is the station's Music Director. She'll start at "The Coyote" in several weeks after exiting WQNU-FM, where she's been since 2008. Previously, Daniels had stops in Tucson, Bakersfield and Fresno tackling a variety of on-air shifts (mornings, middays and nights) and working her way up from on-air personality to Music Director and Assistant PD.
Pandora, Clear Channel Again Top Triton Digital Internet Rankers 
Pandora and Clear Channel again are at the top of Triton Digital's monthly online audio Top 20 Ranker for June 2013. The Ranker is a listing of the top-performing Internet audio using Triton's webcast metrics. Pandora is again first for online listenership rankings. Clear Channel was again ranked second. After Pandora's Average Active Sessions for Monday-Friday 6am-8pm, in the Domestic Ranker declined for three consecutive months, its numbers were up in June, with 1.7 million AAS, compared to 1.69 million in May. Session starts, however, were down to 814.9 million from 961.5 million the prior month. Again second, Clear Channel's AAS was up to 335,571 from 333,058 in May. Slacker was ranked third, followed by Cumulus and CBS Radio, NPR Member Stations, EMF Corporate, Cox Radio, ESPN and Entercom for the top ten. On the June All Streams Ranker (M-F, 6a-8p), Clear Channel was first again, with a slight increase, while Prisa Radio moved up to second, followed by Slacker, Cumulus, CBS Radio, NPR, EMF Corporate, Cox, ESPN and Karnaval.com. On the full week Domestic Ranker (6a-mid), Pandora was again first, but its AAS fell to 1.444 million. Clear Channel remains second, followed by Slacker, Cumulus, CBS, NPR, EMF Corporate, Cox, Univision and ESPN. And on the June All Streams Ranker full week listing, Clear Channel was again first, with Slacker second, and then Prisa Radio. CBS, Cumulus, NPR, EMF Corporate, Cox, Karnaval.com and Univision round out the top ten. John Sykes Among 2013 T.J. Martell Honorees 
The T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research has announced the honorees for its 38th Annual Honors Gala on October 22, which will be held at the legendary Cipriani in New York. The honorees include John Sykes, President of Clear Channel Entertainment Enterprises; Jennifer Breithaupt, SVP of Entertainment Marketing for Citi; Brandon Steiner, CEO of Steiner Sports and Target Corporation. Celebrity performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. Steiner will receive the Humanitarian of the Year Award, Sykes will receive the Lifetime Music Industry Achievement Award, Breithaupt will receive the Spirit of Music Award and the Spirit of Excellence Award will go to the Target Corporation.
Seattle Mariners Extend with Flagship KIRO-AM 
The Seattle Mariners have extended their radio contract with Bonneville's Sports Talk "710 ESPN" KIRO-AM, Seattle, through 2016. The team says it agreed to exercise a two-year option with its flagship radio station. The Mariners have aired in Seattle on "710 ESPN" since 2009, after a six-year absence from the former version of KIRO-AM, which was the team's flagship from 1985-2002. "Our relationship with Bonneville and 710 ESPN is an excellent one," says Mariners President Chuck Armstrong. "We look forward to three more seasons on 710 ESPN's powerful signal and the Mariners Radio Network across the Northwest." Bonneville Seattle VP and General Manager Carl Gardner adds, "We are delighted to be part of the rich tradition and the exciting future of Mariners baseball. It's our privilege to allow fans to follow their team at home, in the car and on the go across the Northwest." We're also told that the Mariners will continue to have a year-round presence on "710 ESPN" -- including all regular-season and most Spring Training games, pregame and postgame programming, a weekly magazine feature during the baseball season, and the Hot Stove League during the off-season. Clear Channel San Diego Names James Thomas GSM 
Clear Channel San Diego names James Thomas General Sales Manager. Most recently, Thomas led Townsquare Media's New Jersey and Flint, Michigan, clusters as Sales Manager. Prior to that Thomas was Townsquare Media's Regional Director of Digital Sales and Digital Sales Manager. "We are proud to add the depth and experience James brings to our sales management team," says Clear Channel San Diego Market President Melissa Forrest. "He will be a tremendous asset to our integrated sales efforts." Thomas has also held digital sales management positions with Midwest Communications in Green Bay, McVay New Media in Cleveland and Regent Communications in Evansville, Indiana, and Owensboro, Kentucky. More Congressional Support for Local Radio Freedom Act 
A bipartisan group of 13 members of Congress sign on as co-sponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act, the resolution that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The LRFA is now co-sponsored by 152 members of the House and 11 Senators. Adding their support to the LRFA are Reps. Robert Andrews (NJ-1), Spencer Bauchus (AL-6), Mo Brooks (AL-5), Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Tom Cotton (AR-4), Rick Crawford (AL-1), Duncan Hunter (CA-50), James Lankford (OK-5), Frank Lucas (OK-3), Ben Ray Lujan (NM-3), Dan Maffei (NY-24), Candice Miller (MI-10), and Matt Salmon (AZ-5). 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 Mavericks to Perform at NAB Marconi Radio Awards 
The NAB tells us that the 2013 NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner and Show will feature a performance by Grammy-winning group The Mavericks. The event, sponsored by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, will take place September 19 at the 2013 Radio Show at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando. "The Mavericks' infectious energy, passion and chemistry on stage will make this year's NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner an unforgettable evening," says NAB EVP of Radio John David. "These guys are great entertainers excited to join Radio to salute the Marconi nominees and winners. Our thanks to Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Label Group in Nashville for helping to make this happen." We're told that the "genre-defying Mavericks" -- who describe themselves as the "most interesting band in the world" -- have blended Country, Rock and Cuban sounds in hit songs such as "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down" - "Here Comes the Rain" - and "Dance the Night Away." Established in 1989 and named after inventor and Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi, the NAB Marconi Radio Awards are given to radio stations and outstanding on-air personalities to recognize excellence in radio. Winners will be announced at the NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner & Show. New York City's 'Z100' Celebrates 30 Years 
Clear Channel CHR-Top40 "Z100" WHTZ-FM is celebrating 30 years in New York City. The WHTZ transmitter is located on the Empire State Building. The call letters were chosen to represent the word "Hits" -- and an early advertising campaign for the station claimed that WHTZ was "The New Way to Spell 'Hitz' in New York." Z100's current slogan is "New York's Hit Music Station." The format and the call letters were debuted in early August 1983, with the first two songs played being "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, then "America" by Neil Diamond. Within 74 days of signing on, WHTZ had climbed from last place to first in the New York Arbitron ratings book. Over the years, Z100 stayed with a Top 40 format. Original Program Director and morning host Scott Shannon left at the end of 1988. Over the past 30 years, WHTZ-FM has had several ownership changes, having been launched by Cleveland-based Malrite Communications, then was acquired by Chancellor which later merged with Evergreen, then acquired Capstar, forming AM/FM which was bought by Clear Channel Communications. Although the station became WHTZ-FM on August 2, 1983, the transmitter move to the top of the Empire State Building wasn't completed until several days later, and the "Z100" logo was introduced shortly after that. After Shannon, programmers included Steve Kingston, and Tom Poleman (now Clear Channel Media and Entertainment President of National Programming Platforms). Although Shannon left in late 1988 to begin "Pirate Radio" in Los Angeles, he's now the PD and morning host at crosstown Hot AC WPLJ-FM, which originally was WHTZ-FM's Top 40 competition until WPLJ-FM realized it had lost the battle and tried other formats before moving to its current Hot AC programming.
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Humm adds, "I have worked with, competed against and listened to Mike for over thirty years. He cares about entertaining his listeners every day through great preparation and believes that serving our community is his number one goal. Mike leads by example with great enthusiasm and passion. His desire to achieve perfection makes him the perfect candidate to lead KKLZ and our outstanding staff." O'Brian has been waking up Las Vegas radio listeners for nearly 30 years. He joined the "KKLZ Morning Show" in 2007, but his career with Beasley Las Vegas began five years earlier in 2003 as morning show host and ultimately Program Director of "Star 102.7" KSTJ-FM. O'Brian has been in the Las Vegas market since 1980, hosting morning shows there since 1986.
"We're thrilled to welcome Kris Daniels to Beasley Broadcast Group Las Vegas," says Chase. "She is joining the finest collection of radio professionals that I have ever had the privilege to work with. Kris has an impeccable reputation and history within the Country music community. In addition, we are excited to build upon Vegas' number one Country morning show as she teams up with Rick Kelly." Daniels, originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, tells us, "I'm looking forward to working for a wonderful company and with a strong, local, talented staff; together we're going to make sure that 102.7 The Coyote remains the #1 country radio station in Las Vegas."
The annual New York Honors Gala brings together hundreds of music and entertainment leaders, top business executives and celebrities. It is one of the most sought-after tickets in the industry and is one of the most important events for the T.J. Martell Foundation, allowing the organization to continue its work in Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS research. Sykes is the co-founder of the MTV and VH1 Cable Networks. In 2011 he was named President, Entertainment Enterprises for Clear Channel Media Holdings. "When I started this Foundation with several of my peers in the music and entertainment business in honor of my son T.J., I wanted to do all that I could to make sure other families would not have to suffer the way my family did," says Tony Martell, Founder/Chairman of the T.J. Martell Foundation. "Our annual New York Honors Gala is one of the most important fundraisers we produce and without it we could not continue to offer the patient services or cutting-edge research for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS."
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Weekend Update
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Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio Veteran Programmer Dan Thomas is the new Operations Manager for Townsquare Media's Grand Junction, Colorado, cluster, replacing Ed Chandler, who moves to a different position in the cluster. Thomas previously was PD of Lotus Radio's Classic Rock KKBZ-FM, Fresno ... Michael "Hurricane Shane" Schoenherr exits as Program Director and morning host at Triple-A WZEW-FM, Mobile, after 18 months, a victim of budget cuts. Also exiting WZEW-FM is night host Emily Hayes ... "SportsTalk 790" KBME-AM, Houston, is replacing morning hosts Adam Wexler and Matt Jackson with Lance Zierlein and Adam Clanton. Wexler and Jackson have been hosting the KBME-AM morning show for the past four years. Zierlein and Clanton have been hosting other shows on the station. "SportsTalk 790" is promoting a new line-up starting Monday (Aug. 5) ... Kashon Powell exits as Operations Manager at Norfolk, Virginia, Urban WOWI-FM "103 Jamz" and Urban AC "92.1 Kiss" WKSA-FM ... Danial "Jiggy" Diaz is promoted from weekend and fill-ins to fulltime night host at Rhythmic CHR "97.7/98.3 K-Win" KWIN-FM/KWNN-FM, Stockton-Modesto, California.
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Friday, August 2, 2013
Friday's Radio & Media News - August 2, 2013
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CC Media Holdings Reports Q2 Revenues Up 1% 
Clear Channel parent CC Media Holdings reports second quarter revenue increased 1% to $1.61 billion from $1.60 billion, excluding foreign exchange and divestitures. Operating income fell to $320.2 million from $346.1 million in Q2 2012. OIBDAN declined 5% year-to-year to $505 million with an OIBDAN margin of 31%. The company posted a consolidated net income of $7 million swinging from a loss of $39 million in the year-ago period. Clear Channel Media and Entertainment (which includes radio) revenues increased two percent to $13 million, driven primarily by national and digital sales, as well as strong growth at Premiere Networks. Partially offsetting this growth were revenue declines in the Traffic business from lost contracts and lower sales resulting from integration activities. "During the quarter, we made important progress across our businesses -- delivering overall topline growth in a challenging market while strengthening our digital and national advertising capabilities for the future," says Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman. "We are continuing to create innovative, multi-platform solutions for leading national marketers and brands. Emphasizing our focus on connecting consumers to their favorite stations, artists, and content wherever they are, iHeartRadio registered users were up 162% from last year’s second quarter and reached the milestone of 30 million registered users in less than two years. Industry research shows that broadcast industry radio listening is also growing -- up 9% over the last decade -- and remains the #1 source of music discovery and the #1 listening choice in the car by a wide margin. At a time when consumers are spending more time out of their homes than ever -- and expect to be connected wherever they are -- both our Media and Entertainment and our Outdoor businesses continue to benefit from our leadership in that out-of-home sweet spot we’re seeing globally. Outdoor generated strong results this quarter by leveraging its growing base of digital displays, both domestically and internationally. We also continued to improve our balance sheet with two opportunistic and transformative debt transactions, and we enhanced our liquidity through both operational improvements and the sale of non-core assets."
President Obama Nominates Michael O'Rielly for FCC Commissioner 
As expected, President Obama nominates Michael O'Rielly to fill the vacant FCC Republican Commissioner seat previously held by Robert McDowell, who left the Commission earlier this year. O'Rielly is an advisor to Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX). O'Rielly's nomination follows the Senate Commerce Committee approval of Tom Wheeler's nomination as FCC Chairman. Republicans have warned that Wheeler would not receive a Senate vote until the GOP nominee was named. O'Rielly previously worked for the Senate Republican Policy Committee as a policy analyst for banking, technology, transportation, trade and commerce issues from 2009 to 2010. He also served as legislative director for Sen. John Sununu from 2007 to 2009 and as senior legislative assistant from 2003 to 2007. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W) says he will try to hold a hearing soon for the Republican nominee.
Gary Burns Says New Arbitron TLR Policy Hurts Small Broadcasters 
The owner of a small radio group, 3 Daughters Media CEO Gary Burns, says Arbitron's new policy on Total Line Reporting has the potential to hurt small broadcasters. As we reported Wednesday, Arbitron announced that in 2014 it plans to make Total Line Reporting of simulcast stations available only to qualified Arbitron-subscribing radio stations in good standing. Currently, any simulcast station in a market, regardless of subscriber status, can request Total Line Reporting. Burns says, "I really believe that Arbitron's new policy on Total Line Reporting for non-subscribers has the potential to hurt small broadcasters. AM stations finally have the ability to broadcast on FM via translators. Many Arbitron markets have grown beyond their MSA's because only subscribers get to vote on the definition of the market. In many cases (like Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA) it takes more than one frequency to cover the Arbitron defined market, that in many cases has no basis in reality. I believe that the DOJ should look into this before the Arbitron merger with Nielsen is allowed to proceed. Arbitron should really reconsider this policy and Arbitron should apply the same rules for all stations when measuring radio listening." Under Arbitron's updated policy, only licensed subscribing radio stations in good standing will be eligible to combine audiences for their radio stations and Internet streams that are 100 percent simulcast on a single reporting line in Arbitron ratings reports and data services. Non-subscribing radio stations will be reported individually and will no longer be eligible to request TLR for 100 percent simulcasts. Burns' 3 Daughters Media is based in Forest, Virginia. Entravision Q2 Revenues Increased 5%, Radio Up 2% 
Entravision Communications reports a 5% increase in revenue during the second quarter to $56.95 million from $54.5 million in Q2 2012. Entravision says the increase is mainly attributed to gains in local and national advertising revenue. Entravision's radio division saw a 2% growth in revenue to $17.36 million. The majority of the company's revenue success was attributed to its television unit, where revenue was up 6% to $39.59 million. Radio operating expenses grew four percent in Q2 to $13.8 million. Overall results show operating expenses up 3% to $33.4 million, while operating income increased 9% to $14.9 million from $13.7 million. Entravision reports a 146% gain in net earnings to $5 million, compared to $2.06 million in the year-ago period. Says Chairman and CEO Walter Ulloa, "During the second quarter, we achieved revenue growth driven by increases in both our television and radio segments. Core revenue (excluding retransmission consent revenue and political advertising revenue) from our television and radio segments outperformed their respective industry averages, and we improved our free cash flow over the second quarter of 2012. Our audience shares remain strong in the nation's most densely populated Hispanic markets, and we believe we are well positioned to benefit as the U.S. Hispanic market continues to expand and advertisers increasingly recognize the importance of reaching our target audience." Kraddick Morning Show Team Returns Live on Monday 
The cast of "Kidd Kraddick in the Morning" will return with a live show Monday (August 5). Following the passing of Kidd Kraddick last weekend, the rest of his show's team did an abbreviated live show on Monday morning to pay tribute to the popular syndicated host. Since then, affiliates around the country have aired "best of" shows for the rest of this week. YEA Networks has informed Kraddick affiliates that some form of the show will be live this Monday. Kraddick affiliate "B97" WEZB-FM, New Orleans, has posted an announcement on the station's website: "The cast of the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show wanted us to share with you that they all came together today and had a great meeting about the show moving forward. They are all excited about continuing Kidd's legacy and are ready to get back on the air at B97 this Monday, August 5th. The show will, of course, be a little different ... but it's going to be funny...it'll be about what's happening in the world...and yes, it will probably be emotional. Many people have asked if it will still be called 'Kidd Kraddick in the Morning.' The answer is yes. Everyone gave this a lot of thought, but the bottom line is that Kidd put together this show and in every way, it is still a piece of him. It is still Kidd Kraddick in the Morning. We hope you'll join Kellie, Big Al, J-Si and Jenna as they help you get through your mornings on B97. And in doing so, you'll help them get though their mornings as well." A total of 50,336 had signed the online petition to keep the show going as of this morning. As we reported yesterday, fans have been signing the online petition to keep the nationally syndicated show on the air following Kraddick's sudden death. (Our Thursday report includes a link to that petition.) Clear Channel 'RIFs' Nashville's 'Joe Elvis' After Two Decades 
One of Nashville's most popular radio personalities -- "Joe Elvis" -- is out at Classic Rock "105.9 The Rock" WNRQ-FM. Longtime afternoon host Joe "Elvis" King has exited in what's being described as "a reduction in workforce." He's been on the air at the station for over 20 years. "I'm very appreciative to Clear Channel. I've raised my boys working there and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has listened for those past 23 years. Nashville has always rocked and that was always fun for me being in a country town playing great rock-and-roll, so that was kind of the fun edge of my job for me," says King, known on-air as "Joe Elvis." He adds, "I never thought I would work in radio a day in my life and that's when it usually lasts forever -- when you're not looking for it -- and I got into radio from being a drummer and representing bands from the Mid-South and that was 23 years ago. At this point in my life I'm looking for new challenges," he continued. "If a mountain was smooth, nobody would be able to climb it so I have a lot of opportunities, looking forward to the next stage. I'm very appreciative to Clear Channel. I've raised my boys working there and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has listened for those past 23 years. I've loved every second of being with you for the ride home." Eric Deggans Joins NPR News as TV Critic/Correspondent 
Tampa Bay Times media critic Eric Deggans joins NPR News as a TV critic and correspondent, starting fulltime in October. Deggans, a longtime TV and media critic, has contributed media criticism and commentary to NPR for the past several years, producing radio pieces and appearing regularly to discuss TV and media on all of its news programs. In the newly-created role of TV critic and correspondent, Deggans will continue to bring audiences his perspective on television, media and cultural criticism, and offer context on entertainment trends and their intersection with society and culture in America today. He will be honored at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention as the recipient of its 2013 Arts & Entertainment Task Force Legacy Award. "For many years, I have been a fan of NPR's super smart journalism and I often fantasized of what it might be like to join their ranks as a contributor," says Deggans. "A position like this one is beyond my wildest dreams; I'm honored and excited by the opportunity to help shape NPR's coverage of television and pop culture." NPR News Executive Editor Madhulika Sikka adds, "We are thrilled that Eric is joining NPR, and going to be part of a team that will enhance our coverage of one of the most important social forces in our time, the impact of TV." Air1 Announces New Program Director Randy Chase 
Educational Media Foundation's Christian CHR Air1 Network appoints veteran programmer Randy Chase as its new Program Director, replacing Paul Goldsmith. Cari Kates will continue as Assistant PD. Chase comes to Air1 with more than 25 years of experience across multiple formats including country, classic rock, talk, AC, oldies and sports talk. Most recently Chase was with Cox Media Group handling all of their country formats around the nation. "It is a very exciting chapter in Air1 as we welcome Randy Chase," says Chief Creative Officer David Pierce.
Boston's WEEI-FM Is Pan-Mass Challenge Radio Partner 
Entercom Sports Talk WEEI-FM, Boston, is the official radio partner for the 2013 Pan-Mass Challenge, which takes place August 3 and 4, at the PMC Kids Rides program. As the official radio partner, the station supports the PMC throughout the year and leading up to the event via website, on-air and e-newsletter promotion. WEEI's four Entercom sister stations in New England also air public service announcements from December through the summer to bring awareness to the PMC. Says Pan-Mass Challenge Founder and Executive Director Billy Starr, "Entercom and WEEI have both been fabulous friends and partners. They have ensured that the PMC message is heard -- and understood -- far, wide and often." Entercom Boston VP and Market Manager Jeff Brown will be riding in this year's PMC. He tells us, "I am proud to continue Entercom's support of the Pan-Mass Challenge and we are also proud to be raising additional money through our dedicated team of riders and Virtual Riders. Our own Gerry Callahan will be taking part in his sixth ride and it is such an honor, both for WEEI and for all of us at Entercom Boston, to be a part of this dynamic cause and help the dedicated Dana-Farber doctors and researchers discover cures for cancer." The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge annually raises and contributes more money to charity than any other. Since its 1980 inception, the PMC has generated $375 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio MBC Radio swaps programming on two of its Grand Junction, Colorado stations. Country "The Moose 100.7" KMOZ-FM and Adult Variety Hits "The Vault 92.3" KKVT-FM have traded dial positions, giving the Country station the stronger of the two signals ... Just ahead of its flip to ESPN Radio, Cumulus WAPI-FM, Birmingham, changes its call letters to WJQX-FM, and will be branded as "Jox 2 - 100.5 ESPN" to tie into the branding of sister WJOX-FM ... Cumulus Media AC "webe 108" WEBE-FM, Bridgeport, Connecticut, announces that Storm N Norman is retiring from the Wake-Up Morning Show, August 3. With nearly 40 years behind the microphone, and as one of WEBE's original hosts at its launch in 1984, Storm N Norman has become a radio fixture in the market ... Stephens Media Group Tulsa brings in Josh Venable to be Program Director and afternoon host of newly-acquired Alternative "Z104.5 The Edge" KMYZ-FM, replacing Paul Kriegler. Most recently, Venable was PD at Clear Channel's Alternative "102.1 The Edge" KDGE-FM, Dallas ... Corinne Kimball joins Rhythmic CHR "Hot 104.5" WKHT-FM, Knoxville, as Music Director and night host, starting August 19. Kimball is inbound from CHR-Top40 "103.3 Amp Radio" WODS-FM, Boston. "Hot 104.5" Assistant PD Joey Tack segues from nights to afternoons, while PD Darren Stephens shifts from afternoons to middays ... Radio veteran Kevin Cruise exits as Assistant PD and night host at Alternative Rock "Radio 105.7" WRDA-FM, Atlanta, due to a reduction in force at the Clear Channel cluster ... Kim Monroe exits as Program Director and morning host at Alternative Rock WLFM-LP, Cleveland ... Jason Addams exits Capital Radio Group's Springfield Illinois cluster, where he was Operations Manager for five stations, and direct PD of CHR-Top40 WDBR-FM, Springfield, as well as co-host of WDBR-FM's morning show.
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"Randy brings a wealth of programming experience that will serve both our listeners and staff in amazing ways. Randy has been an Air1 fan while living in San Antonio and therefore has a deep understanding for what we do here at Air1 as well as the vision of what we hope to accomplish in the future." Says Chase, "I'm incredibly excited by the opportunity to be joining such a dynamic team dedicated to great radio with a purpose. I'm looking forward to helping Air1 fulfill its potential as a truly transformative multi-platform medium that creates compelling content and encourages our listeners to deepen their walk with Christ." Air1 is a non-profit, listener-supported Christian CHR radio networkl.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Thursday's Radio & Media News - August 1, 2013
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Commerce Department Task Force Wants Radio Performance Royalties 
The U.S. Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force supports performance royalties for the airing of recorded music, releasing a report titled "Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy." Although the extensive report deals primarily with Internet streaming audio, the Commerce Department Task Force clearly indicates that it supports terrestrial radio performance royalties to establish parity with fees charged for digital audio streaming. In the report, the task force writes, "As the market for digital transmission of sound recordings continues to mature, and streaming becomes an increasingly important means of enjoying music, questions have been raised as to different obligations for different types of services using sound recordings, and disparities in rate-setting standards for those digital services that are subject to the statutory license. Of particular concern in the context of the growing digital audio market is the fact that there is still no public performance right when sound recordings are used by over-the-air FCC-licensed broadcasters. As a result, over-the-air broadcasters enjoy a competitive advantage over emerging digital services. For over thirty years, the Administration and Copyright Office have made repeated calls to create a public performance right for the broadcasting of sound recordings. Apart from the inability to obtain compensation in the United States, this omission has had a real impact on revenues received from abroad. While broad public performance rights are enjoyed by owners of sound recordings in most other countries, U.S. sound recording owners and performers have been unable to collect remuneration for the broadcasting of their works in those countries, due to the lack of reciprocal protection here." The report adds, "The Task Force believes that the overall framework of rights for the public performance of sound recordings should be revisited and better rationalized. In particular, the Administration continues to support a broadcasting right for sound recordings. With respect to the rate-setting standards for digital services, we urge that any reconsideration should focus broadly on the interests of all involved parties, taking into account the impact on creators and right holders as well as on different types of services. As Congress considers these issues, the Department of Commerce will provide ongoing input." Read the full report here (pdf). Los Angeles Times: 'Can Piolin Have A Radio Future?'
"Popular Spanish-language radio personality Eddie 'Piolin' Sotelo's departure from Univision Communications Inc. in the wake of sexual harassment allegations won't necessarily be a career-ending blow, but a comeback could be tricky, experts said," writes the Los Angeles Times. "I suspect he's a bit radioactive until this matter is resolved," says Howard Bragman, a crisis public relations consultant and founder of the firm Fifteen Minutes. "Allegations of sexual harassment are taken more seriously than ever, and the fact that he's gone might indicate that his employers gave these allegations credence." Until Univision last week severed ties with Sotelo, refusing to provide an explanation, Sotelo hosted the nationally syndicated "Piolín por la Manana" radio show, which aired on about 50 stations. The Times, of course, as we previously reported, broke the story about the sexual harassment allegations. According to documents obtained by the newspaper, Sotelo's show was canceled after a performer on his program, Alberto "Beto" Cortez, accused Sotelo of sexual harassment over a period of three years ending last winter. The claim was made in an April 16 letter from Cortez's attorney to executives of Univision, which broadcast and syndicated the show. The L.A. times reports now that "representatives of Sotelo, who has a loyal following among Mexican immigrants, have started conversations with other radio companies about finding a new home for his show, according to two people with knowledge of the talks. And competitors already are trying to take advantage of the situation. Univision has not decided how it plans to program the early morning drive-time period that Piolín ruled for a decade. For now, the company is playing Mexican regional music during that slot." The article goes on to detail other prominent radio comebacks after scandals or widely-publicized controversies -- including those of Don Imus, Rush Limbaugh, Bubba the Love Sponge, and Opie and Anthony. "Other radio personalities have bounced back from seemingly career-crushing controversies," writes the Times. Mick Lee Named '93.9 My FM'/Chicago Program Director 
Clear Channel Media and Entertainment names Mick Lee as Program Director and 3-7pm afternoon host for Hot AC "93.9 My FM" WLIT-FM, Chicago, effective August 19. Lee will join CCME Chicago from Baltimore, where he most recently has been Program Director for "Z104.3" WZFT-FM since 2010. Previously, he was Assistant PD both in Albany and Portland. "Hot 99.5" WIHT-FM, Washington DC, Program Director Mark Medina will replace Lee in Baltimore. Says CCME Chicago VP of Programming Tommy Austin, "Mick has spent the last three years with the elite team in the Washington/Baltimore corridor and we look forward to applying that knowledge to My FM. He will be a terrific addition to our team." Says Lee, "I am thrilled to join the already incredible programming team in Chicago and look forward to growing the new 93.9 My FM brand. Thank you to Tommy Austin, Earl Jones and Clay Hunnicutt for the amazing opportunity. It's been an absolute pleasure working with Meg Stevens, Dennis Lamme, and the entire DC/Baltimore cluster and I'm excited to take this next step in my career!" Dan Halyburton Joins Falls Media As Vice President 
Dan Halyburton is named VP of Falls Media, which currently owns Adult Hits KWFB-FM and CHR-Top40 KXXN-FM, Wichita Falls, Texas. He will share management duties for the stations with Falls Media President and co-founder Dan Balla. With Halyburton aboard, the company says it will seek additional capital, and focus on strategic acquisitions in mid- to large-sized markets. Halyburton has also made a financial investment in the company. Halyburton most recently has been with CBS Radio’s Texas State Networks. Halyburton is the former president of RadioTime (now TuneIn), market manager for Emmis Communications, New York, and senior vice president and group manager for Susquehanna Radio Corporation’s 22 radio stations. Says Halyburton, “I am excited about returning to day-to-day radio operations. Falls Media has had real success in its first market, and I plan to bring my station and digital experience to help grow our stations and position us for expansion." Balla adds, “Dan Halyburton’s extensive experience, knowledge, and industry contacts position us to begin making acquisitions in our target markets,” said Balla. From our first meeting, it was apparent that Dan shares our vision and passion for great radio, and a belief that investing in great people is as important as the properties we acquire.” Gigi South Joins L&L Broadcasting as Market Manager 
Larry Wilson's L&L Broadcasting names Gigi South Market Manager for its Savannah, Georgia, and Hilton Head, South Carolina, radio station clusters. She succeeds Mark Halverson, who recently left the company. South joins L&L from Clear Channel Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she was VP and Market Manager. Says L&L Broadcasting CEO Bob Proffitt, “Gigi is ideally suited to lead our team in Georgia and South Carolina. She understands the passion, energy, and commitment necessary to win with our live-and-local approach to radio broadcasting.” South started her radio career in Tupelo, Mississippi. She came up through the sales ranks with Cumulus and Clear Channel working as Market Manager for Citadel in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. "I am honored to become part of the L&L team and to have the opportunity to work with radio legends Larry Wilson and Bob Proffitt. Savannah/Hilton Head has been my favorite vacation spot since I was a child. I'm beyond excited to lead the dynamic L&L Savannah/Hilton Head team to live and local service to our community, clients, and listeners,” says South. L&L Broadcasting -- based in Portland, Oregon -- owns and operates radio stations in Peoria, Illinois; Bluefield, West Virginia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi; and operates six stations in Jackson, Mississippi, under an LMA. Rush Limbaugh Celebrates 25th National Syndication Anniversary 
Today, August 1, marks the 25th anniversary of "The Rush Limbaugh Show" in national syndication. It was 25 years ago today that Rush Limbaugh began his national syndication based at WABC-AM, New York. "Heard on nearly 600 stations by nearly 20 million people each week, it is the highest-rated national radio talk show in America," says Premiere Networks. Celebrating 25 years of "Excellence in Broadcasting," Limbaugh has spent 788,918,000 seconds, 13,148,640 minutes, 219,144 hours, 9,131 days and 1,304 weeks talking to America, according to Premiere. "The relationship we've established here-between the audience and myself-is everything," says Limbaugh. "It's meant more to me than I'll ever be able to fully describe. It's the best three hours of the day! We're going to do this for a long time to come." According to a news release, "Known as the media pundit who reshaped the political landscape with his entertaining and informative brand of conservatism, Limbaugh is widely credited by many industry experts with resuscitating AM radio. In 1988, Mr. Limbaugh and his partners founded EIB, the Excellence In Broadcasting network, and he launched his phenomenally successful radio broadcast into national syndication on August 1 of that year with 56 radio stations. Adding 100 affiliates in just a few months, Limbaugh set a rapid pace for growth and paved the way for the expansion of the Talk radio format. 25 years ago there were approximately 150 traditional News Talk radio stations in America. Today, there are over 2,000." Fans Want Kidd Kraddick Morning Show to Continue 
More than 49,500 "Kidd Kraddick in the Morning” fans have signed an online petition to keep the nationally syndicated show on the air following Kraddick's sudden death. "Best of" shows have been airing since Tuesday, while cast members Kellie Rasberry, Big Al, Jay Si and Jenna take the week off to grieve. "We don’t know what the show holds for any of us," they told listeners Monday. Facebook groups memorializing David "Kidd" Kraddick, who passed away just short of his 54th birthday, and showing support for the radio show, have also sprung up since the weekend. No plans for the show have been announced by station management, or by any of the shows' staffers. The show, based at Clear Channel CHR-Top40 "Kiss" KHKS-FM, Dallas, was syndicated by Kraddick's YEA Networks. As we were preparing this report, we checked the online petition, set up on ipetitions.com, and it showed 49,560 signers, a total that has been constantly and steadily growing.
August 2 Proclaimed 'Kidd Kraddick Kidd's Kids Day'
NBC Sports Radio Passes 300 Affililates 
The Dial Global nationally syndicated NBC Sports Radio Network announces it has passed 300 affiliates. Dial Global Sports EVP and General Manager Chris Corcoran says, “Signing more than 300 affiliates so quickly is a true testament to the mass appeal of our talent and programming, creativity of our producers, and hard work of our exceptional sales and affiliate teams. We are especially honored to partner with such great radio stations across the country as we work together to connect avid sports fans, consumers, and advertisers. We continue to be motivated to reach more audiences by the amazing feedback we regularly receive from our local station owners, program directors and listeners." As of August 1, programming from the network is now heard on 303 stations. Helping the network get over the 300 mark were Tyler Media's KRXO-FM, Oklahoma City; Entercom's WDMT-FM, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; and Townsquare's KROD-AM, El Paso. The network also recently announced the addition of WCAR-AM, Detroit. Corcoran adds, "We are especially honored to partner with such great radio stations across the country as we work together to connect avid sports fans, consumers, and advertisers. We continue to be motivated to reach more audiences by the amazing feedback we regularly receive from our local station owners, program directors, and listeners." Spotify Reports Strong Revenue Gains, But Also Larger Losses 
Spotify more than doubled revenues in 2012 to $577 million (435 million euros), up from $246.7 million (162 million euros) in 2011, as it expanded to new markets and almost doubled its users. However, its net loss also increased to $77.4 million (51 million euros) from $58.8 million (39 million euros). Spotify has more than 20 million "active" users and over 5 million paying subscribers. Spotify tells us, "During 2012 Spotify saw dramatically increased revenues while maintaining a free to paid conversion rate of well over 20 per cent – unheard of for a freemium business, and a clear demonstration of the success of the business model. In 2012 the business focused on driving user growth, international expansion and product development, resulting in soaring user numbers and increased market penetration. Our key priority throughout 2013 and beyond remains bringing our unrivalled music experience to even more people while continuing to build for long-term growth - both for our company and for the music industry as a whole." According to Spotify's filings, it may consider another round of outside funding for capital, as it "cannot exclude the need or desire to raise more funds in the future to fund future growth initiatives." Spotify's financial backers include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Accel Partners and DST. Spotify, founded in 2006 by Swedes Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, strikes royalty deals with record labels and pays about 70 percent of its revenue back to rights holders. Ivan Shulman Named Radiate Media President 
Eight months after joining traffic information service Radiate Media as Chief Revenue Officer and EVP of Sales, Ivan Shulman is named President. "Ivan has a deep background in sales, marketing and media, and his leadership experience makes him a great fit for us," says CEO Chris Rothey. "Since joining us in November of 2012, we have experienced quarter over quarter revenue growth, including the launch of our Radiate360, our integrated marketing platform to drive hyper-local business. Ivan will continue to lead that initiative as well as overseeing the day-to-day activities of our broadcast radio, TV and digital lines of business." Shulman started in radio working at Westwood One in the Metro Networks division where he worked for 15 years. He began as a Director of Operations and an on-air personality, and by the time he left the company, he was the Senior Vice President of Marketing. He helped Metro Networks grow from seven cities to 81 cities during his tenure, exceeded sales and marketing goals and supervised revenue growth from $72 million to $290 million. He was integral in the transition of Metro Networks from being a privately held entity to a public company which was later sold to the largest radio network in the United States, Westwood One. From there, Shulman went on to join Global Traffic Network as Senior Vice President and President of the company's Canadian Traffic Network Division. "I joined Radiate because I was excited about future opportunities," says Shulman. "Our growth on both the broadcast and digital side has been phenomenal and I look forward to working with broadcasters to help bridge the gap between digital and traditional media." Dial Global Signs Exclusive Deal with UK's talkSPORT 
Dial Global has signed an exclusive terrestrial, three-season partnership with talkSPORT in London, UK, to broadcast live coverage of Barclays Premier League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup. The partnership includes play-by-play commentary of nearly 400 soccer matches per year, in both English and Spanish languages, on a soon-to-be-announced digital platform as well as weekend morning Barclays Premier League games of the week throughout the season for domestic radio stations serving a rapidly growing U.S. soccer fan base. "On the heels of reaching a major milestone with our 300th NBC Sports Radio affiliate, we couldn't be more excited to be the resource delivering top-rate soccer coverage to a rabid fan base across the country," says Dial Global CEO Paul Caine. "This partnership is another major step forward for Dial Global as we continue to bolster the strength of our sports offering through powerful programming, content and cross-platform promotions in audio, digital and mobile." Listeners, we're told, will have access to talkSPORT's official play-by-play commentary which will be broadcast live from the UK, an exclusive weekly Barclays Premier League preview show, a weekly highlights show, live interviews and English-language documentary programming featuring profiles of sporting figures and Barclays Premier League clubs. "In just the past year, since becoming the Global Audio Partner for the Premier League, we have witnessed a groundswell of demand for live soccer commentary around the world," says talkSPORT CEO Scott Taunton. "We are thrilled to be working with Dial Global who is just as passionate and committed as we are about delivering the best and most exciting soccer coverage to the ever increasing number of fans in the U.S. market." Triton Digital Partners with Semcasting to Expand a2x Targeting
Triton Digital announces a partnership with multi-channel targeting company Semcasting to expand its audience targeting capabilities within a2x, the "programmatic exchange for streaming audio advertisements." The partnership will enable Triton to target every listener on any device without the need for cookies. Semcasting uses big data analytics and an automated genetic modeling platform to weigh the impact of hundreds of demographic, firmographic, socio-economic, life stage, and transaction data variables to score every local or national campaign. Semcasting's Smart Zones Audience Targeting platform effectively links the mailbox with the modem, providing a2x advertisers with reach to all IP-connected devices, advanced levels of data accuracy and comprehensive, compliant privacy. "Our Smart Zone targeting will enable a2x advertisers to extend their targetable audience reach while providing specific and documented profiles of each listener,” says Semcasting CEO Ray Kingman. "Because we don't use cookies, Semcasting supports targeting on all platforms and to all users, including mobile, further extending advertising reach without compromising privacy." Traditional audience targeting techniques require the use of cookies, or stored data, on the user's machine or browser. Cookie-based targeting is limited due to the number of devices that do not allow cookies or that enable users to delete or disable them. When used in conjunction with cookie-based targeting, Semcasting's IP-based system delivers the ability to target nearly every user on any device including Microsoft's Xbox, Apple's iTunes and the Windows Media Player. "As we continue to add new publishers and trading desks to our a2x network, providing the best consumer data and targeting is an important focus for us," says Triton Digital President of Market Development John Rosso. "Our trading desk partners and brand advertisers will benefit greatly from the combination of Triton Digital's online audio exchange and Semcasting's targeting capabilities."
Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio Wall Street Journal Radio Network Executive Director Nancy Abramson is exiting. She'd been with the network since 1996, and previously worked for the former ABC Radio Networks. She'll remain with WSJR through mid-September to assist in the transition ... Journal Sports Talk KXSP-AM, Omaha, hires a new local afternoon team for the ESPN affiliate. Joe Quinn and Nick Handley will co-host the 2-6pm shift starting August 5 ... Market veteran Rick Moore is named morning co-host at Journal Broadcast Group Country KTTS-FM, Springfield, Missouri, joining current morning host Summer Stevens, and replacing Bobby Baldwin, who recently exited. Moore joined the Journal Springfield cluster as Director of Production two years ago ... Sara Perry debuts a new afternoon show on Adult Variety Hits "100.7 Jack FM" KFMB-FM, San Diego -- the 3-7pm "No-Request Ride Home" -- as Perry returns to the station.
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Clear Channel's "106.1 Kiss FM" KHKS-FM, Dallas, YEA Networks, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, Southwest Airlines and the Dallas Fort Worth area are teaming up to honor the late Kidd Kraddick by proclaiming Friday August 2, as "Kidd Kraddick Kidd's Kids Day." The special proclamation culminates a weeklong on-air celebration of Kidd's life following his passing last weekend. Longtime listeners will be able to honor Kraddick's legacy Friday by contributing to his Kidd's Kids charity, estblished to help chronically ill and physically challenged children experience unforgettable adventure by sending them to Walt Disney World.
Says Clear Channel SVP of Operations Kelly Kibler, "Kidd devoted his life to making people smile every morning, and for 21 years his foundation has been dedicated to bringing joy to thousands of chronically and terminally ill children. "Kidd died doing what he loved, and his final day was spent selflessly focused on those special children that meant the world to him." We're also told that a slew of cities have made official proclamations to designate August 2, 2013 as "Kidd Kraddick Kidd's Kids Day" -- including Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Allen, Flower Mound, Euless, Bedford, Grapevine, North Richland Hills, Addison, Coppell, Denton, Mansfield, Southlake, Plano, Frisco, Grand Prairie, McKinney, Carrollton, Weatherford, Richardson, Irving, Garland, and Mesquite. A public memorial service for David "Kidd" Kraddick is being planned by his family with details to be announced soon.