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It's interesting to note than the UK, the "digital use of radio" doesn't mean the UK equivalent of HD radio per se (although their version of that is clicking right along - in a marketplace with much less existing choice than we have in the US). "Digital Radio" means the use of radio via any digital means: Internet, Cell Phone, Podcasting, etc. (read more - Mark Ramsey-Hear 2.0)

Some analysts, and even XM Satellite Radio itself, point out that subscriber growth in the first half of 2007 will not be particularly strong. Those statements left alone without further understanding can be a bit dangerous. This is particularly true given a change in the methodology XM will be using counting some subscribers (read more - Tyler Savery-Seeking Alpha)

San Francisco' KCBS-AM afternoon news co-anchor Jeff Bell is going public about his battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (read more - CBS 5 TV)

The Wall Street Journal reports that CBS Corp chairman Sumner Redstone has settled a lawsuit with his estranged son, Brent, over the family's fortune. Reportedly, Redstone now owns 80% of National Amusements and his daughter the remaining 20% (read more - WSJ [subscription required])

The old interview studio at Plymouth-Canton Schools' radio station is so cramped that two people are hard put to crowd inside. And they'd have to be standing. But hey, who needs comfortable surroundings and in-studio guests? WSDP-FM (88.1) is radio, not TV. Bill Keith is looking for alumni to return for an on-air Retro Day Feb. 10. And he's planning a reunion for Nov. 10 (read more - Joel Thurtell-Detroit Free Press)

Today’s Bits adds the morning show “Kelly and Mudflap” at KYGO-FM Denver, CO as its newest affiliate for daily prep and audio service

Mobley Entertainment adds two more radio affiliates for The One Minute Dad -- KRJC-FM Elko NV and Classic Country KAPB-FM Alexandria LA

Bill Tonnis, veteran radio news anchor on 700 WLW and a singer/songwriter, will celebrate the release of his debut solo album with a live performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, in the Mount's Mater Dei Chapel (read more - Cincy Community Press)

An excerpt from radio personality Blake Lindsay's recently published book, "Out of Sight Living" -- "People often ask me which of my four senses is the most valuable. With no reservation, I always reply that my hearing is the most important because of the superior expanded sense of echo, which helps me avoid running into people or things. I assume that this is the type of mechanism bats use to hear. I am able to use the echoes to guide me on when to make a turn in a building and when I need to walk around something in my direct path. I cannot hear when there is a flight of stairs going down, but I can usually feel a draft. The only downside is that an object needs to be at least waist high before my ears can pick up an echo. At times this has caused me pain—literally. Take for example, a dog’s favorite thing to mark his spot on…yes, a fire hydrant. Fire hydrants hurt. I can’t for the life of me figure out why dogs like them so much ..." (read more - BlakeLindsay.com)

Dan Stoneking, a sports writer and editor for the Minneapolis Star and a radio sports talk personality on KSTP, died of pneumonia in Chetumal, Mexico (read more - Ben Cohen-Star-Tribune)

The BBC's growing market share in the latest Rajar figures is bad news for the commercial sector's plans to increase its display advertising revenues, according to a report released by Universal McCann. The corporation's of the UK radio market has risen to 54.4% share, and BBC Radio 2 has added over half a million listeners since the previous quarter to make it the most listened to station in the country (read more - Brand Republic U.K.)

ARBitron numbers for Amarillo, Abilene TX, Anchorage, Billings, Bismarck, Grand Forks and Fayetteville AR (read 'em)

Former Seattle radio talk show host Mike Webb was convicted Friday of insurance fraud in King County Superior Court. Saying he was "mystified and overwhelmed" by the judge's ruling, Webb, a former late-night host on KIRO radio, claimed he'd been set up by a vindictive listener and vowed to appeal (read more - Levi Pulkkinen-Seattle PI)

As Mike Francesa and Christopher Russo tell it, the concept started in 1990 at Super Bowl XXIV in New Orleans. The pair, known as "Mike and the Mad Dog," set up shop to broadcast their radio show on WFAN 660-AM out of New York in the lobby of the Marriott Convention Center. "There was no such thing as Radio Row back then," Francesa said. Dallas radio personality Randy Galloway remembers doing shows even earlier (read more - Dennis Maffezzoli-Herald Tribune)

Centerville High School's radio station and a station in Huber Heights could be shut down if an Urbana country-music radio station gets its way. Radio One Inc. filed an application Jan. 19 with the Federal Communications Commission to move its Urbana country-music radio station, WKSW-FM 101.7, to Enon and take over the 101.5 FM radio frequency in the Dayton area (read more - Katherine Ullmer-Dayton Daily News)

"Jim you know what's happening? Stupid people are happening," says KLBJ's Dale Dudley. When he uses the word stupid, he's referring to DJ's and marketing people who go too far. Fellow KLBJ DJ Charlie Hodge says, "One of the members of the KDND show goes -- you know I've read drinking too much water is dangerous, you could die. And they're like, no they're signing releases no big deal" (read more - Jim Bergamo-KVUE TV)

What was touted to be a juicy tell-all on Katie Couric seems to be shaping up less salacious than expected (read more - Page Six)

A new partnership between WMAR TV and radio stations WCBM-AM 680 and WVIE-AM 1370 will mean not only a daily two-hour simulcast of Good Morning Maryland beginning at 4:55 a.m. on WVIE but weather reports and, as the occasion warrants, news stories shared among all three stations throughout the day (read more - Nick Madigan-Baltimore Sun)

In a nod to concerns about global warming, CBS says WARW-FM will use renewable energy to power its 50,000-watt signal and will replace company-owned vehicles with hybrid models (read more - Milwaukee Biz Journal)

Ken Michaels remembers Buddy Holly Saturday night at 9 on XM Satellite Radio Fine Tuning, Ch. 76 + It's a Beatles weekend on wcbs-fm.com and WCBS-FM HD2 (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

The media, as always, are mesmerized by polls. When Bush was riding high in the "Mission Accomplished" days of 2003, some of the coverage was almost giddy. If Bush's current approval ratings were at 50 percent, his media portrayal would look very different. With the president having sunk as low as 28 percent in a CBS News survey, it is all too easy to dismiss him, even as he mounts an escalation of the war in Iraq. That war, of course, is the reason why the mainstream media see no possibility of Bush bouncing back (read more - Howard Kurtz-Washington Post)

Sen. Barack Obama's staffers are freezing out Fox News Channel reporters after the network relayed an erroneous Web report about the Democratic presidential candidate being educated as a child at a madrassah (read more - Rob Owens - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Two men were seriously injured yesterday after a Toronto radio station helicopter they had been working on crashed in a field outside Cambridge, Ontartio (read more - Edmonton Sun CA)

Jeffrey Gedmin has been named as the new president of U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Radio DJ Jamie Theakston has told of his delight at becoming the capital's most popular commercial breakfast host. The star joined Heart in April 2005 and co-hosts the breakfast show with Harriet Scott (read more - Metro U.K.)

“I’ve Made a Record…Now What?” That's the theme of a seminar which was presented by The Texas Music Chart, Best In Texas Music Magazine, and their parent company, Shane Media, with a full day of information for participants in the new independent music movement. “I sucked,” said Roger Creager of his early days playing music as an acoustic act at a fried chicken restaurant in College Station, Texas. “But it’s better to suck in front of 50 people who aren’t listening. It gets you ready for big crowds where you can’t suck” (visit Shane Media)

Sports talk radio is back in Salem. Entercom, which operates KFXX (1080 AM), also known as "the Fan," has begun simulcasting Fan content 24 hours a day on KSLM (1390 AM) in Salem (read more - Salem Statesman-Journal)

The annual K-Kountry 95 St. Jude Radiothon will be Feb. 14. The first year K-Kountry 95 participated in the radiothon, the station raised $8,000. That was in 1985. Last year the station raised $141,000 and was named the number one fundraising station for St. Jude per capita in the United States (read more - Jan Sisk Lawrence-South Missourian News)

Citicasters Licenses, the licensee of WFLZ-FM, has been given notice by the Federal Communications Commission that it intends to fine the station $10,000 because morning show host Todd Schnitt, who uses the name M.J. Kelli, failed to inform Sheridan that she was being broadcast live when he placed a call to her (read more - Michael Hinman-Tampa Bay Biz Journal)

A small contingent of Asian-Americans protested a V-103 promotion Wednesday night at Midtown’s Shout restaurant, where the radio station held a contest in which it gave away a trip to Hong Kong and China for the best Asian-themed costume ... Gabe Tungol, a 22-year-old Filipino-American, said the promotion for a station whose audience is largely African-American revealed cultural “misappropriation” (read more - Peach Buzz - Atlanta JC)

Landmark Legal Foundation, headed by syndicated radio talk show host Mark R. Levin, has nominated nationally syndicated radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize (read more - PR Newswire) (read more - NY Times)

Mort Crim, former WDIV-TV anchorman and for years one of the most recognizable faces in Detroit television, has told The Detroit News that he is undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer (read more - Michael H. Hodges-Detroit News)

Although Jim Nantz has been an integral part of CBS Sports for more than 20 years, he will be calling the Super Bowl for the first time Sunday. In a conference call, Nantz, who hosted two previous Super Bowls on CBS, said he'll go into the Indianapolis-Chicago contest with broadcast partner Phil Simms with the attitude: “I'll be going to a football game with a good friend, and 140 million people will be eavesdropping” (read more - Laura Nachman-Philly Burbs)

According to figures released yesterday, the digital age has created a new golden age of radio, with the number of listeners in Britain at a record high of more than 45 million every week (read more - Terry Kirby-The Independent U.K.)

The recent "AM to FM: Three Decades of Radio in Utah" TV program on KUED revealed a lot of secrets and tidbits about AM radio in the state. The two-hour-long documentary also included occasional jingles and on-air audio recordings from old radio sign-ons and programs (read more - Lynn Arave-Deseret News)

JoJo Turnbeaugh, who made stops at KFMD 95.7-FM ("Kiss") and KALC 105.9-FM ("Alice"), is joining the morning team at country station KYGO 98.5-FM (read more - Dick Kreck-Denver Post)

Heart FM, owned by Chrysalis Group, has maintained its grip on the top spot in London's fiercely competitive radio market, according to industry data released on Thursday (read more - The Scotsman U.K.)

The nation’s four largest radio broadcasters would make payments and other contributions valued at about $10 million under a proposed settlement of a year-long probe by the Federal Communications Commission into pay-for-play claims in the music industry, said FCC officials and others with direct knowledge of the matter. While the FCC’s three Republicans generally have backed less-punitive terms, Democrats Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps have been pushing for tougher concessions, FCC officials said (read more - Poughkeepsie Journal)

Viacom has demanded that YouTube and Google Video remove more than 100,000 unauthorized clips of its video content, the company said in a statement Friday (read more - CNET)

Hit the pause button, drop the remote and turn your radio down. It's time for another installment of cards and letters across the television/radio desk: Susan Bigos: The announcement of Spike O'Dell's plans to retire in 2009 was good news to me. Bob Collins was right when he said WGN would go on after he was gone, but they still haven't filled his shoes yet. I get so tired of Spike's corny schtick and his stepping on his own words. The whole morning show is about as smooth as sandpaper. They promoted Spike beyond his ability (read more - Feder of Chicago)

From Kent Burkhart -- Long before Arbitron established itself as the radio rating leader serving the top 200 markets (and

more now) there were two other very influential research firms measuring radio audience. One was the C. E. Hooper Company, and the other was Pulse. Both are out of business at this time to my knowledge. The C. E. Hooper ratings provided stations with a 12 plus MONTHLY share of audience. They used a telephone retrieval method simply asking (read more - www.KentBurkhart.com)

A woman has sued Duane "Dog" Chapman, alleging that a member of the TV bounty hunter's team threw her down a flight of stairs and broke her back while her boyfriend was being apprehended (read more - St Louis Post-Dispatch)

The First Meeting of Cuba’s Oldest Cities Radio Stations will begin Saturday in Camagüey, as part of the schedule in occasion of the 493rd anniversary of the city and the third birthday of the local radio station (read more - Radio Cadena Agramonte CU)

103 JamZ radio personality 'Mic Lord' passed away Thursday morning (read more - WAVY TV)

Kirk McEwen and Mark Ondayko have the gift of gab and they're back on 105.7. After a three months hiatus, Kirk and Mark have resurfaced on CBS radio, WHFS (read more - Jessica Kartalija-WJZ TV)

The James M. Cox Foundation of Atlanta has awarded $100,000 to The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago to support its new exhibit --- "Media and the American Presidential Elections" (read more - MBC)

A new radio station which claims to be the first in the UK to be run jointly by Muslims and Jews makes history Thursday night when it begins broadcasting for the first time, the chair of the organisation, Peter Brill, announced (read more - IndiansMuslims.info U.K.)

Envision Radio’s Pump Audio adds 98.5 WUPS-FM/ Prudenville, MI as the newest affiliate. Pump Audio provides independent music to content creators globally

Bob Brinker, host of MoneyTalk with Bob Brinker celebrates the 21st anniversary of financial radio programs on Superbowl Sunday, February 4

Country Music Television's Miss America Pageant drew 2.4 million viewers, down from 2006's 3.1 million, according to Nielsen Media Research + MSNBC has another one of its all-politics days from 8 this morning to 8 tonight (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

From Lee Abrams -- I read with great interest how Randy Michaels has bought into a sizable group of TV stations. I shot him a congratulatory note, where he proceeded to reply in self effacing "I must be crazy to buy into TV" rant. On the surface maybe, but this guy doesn't do too many crazy things. Well---he's known to do some crazy things on the air, but in a business sense, he usually makes the right moves, and I'm sure there's more to the puzzle than what was announced. I find the idea of a guy like Randy, backed with a pure business head like Bob Lawrence, might do some very interesting things (read more - Lee Abrams)

BDSradio.com has welcomed Bravo Mic Communications Radio Station KXPZ-FM/ Las Cruces, NM to its music monitoring service

On the January 31 edition of ABC's World News, during a report on Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s (D-DE) controversial description of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), senior national correspondent Jake Tapper cited radio host Rush Limbaugh as an "[o]bserver" who "questioned what Biden meant, especially by the word 'clean.' " Tapper aired an audio clip of Limbaugh saying, "And see, folks, this is the problem for the libs. Once they get off script, they expose their idiocy. They expose their prejudice" (read more - Media Matters)

Here's something to note: Those missing-children spots WABC Channel 7 airs every day, several times a day, actually work. During 2006, the station featured 260 children in the spots, 95 of whom were recovered, 11 in the local area (read more - Richard Huff-NY Daily News)

The Bay Area got its first new major AM radio signal in half a century Thursday as KTRB-AM began sending an experimental 50,000-watt broadcast at 860 on the dial (read more - Brad Kava-San Jose Mercury News)

Dave Graveline and the Into Tomorrow team bring you the latest in techno gadgets, gizmos and gab this Sunday afternoon (visit www.graveline.com)

Congressman Greg Walden says he's sold the five radio stations he and his wife own in Hood River and The Dalles, citing ownership demands that conflicted with congressional duties (read more - The Oregonian)

Grand total Radio revenues increased 1 percent in 2006 over 2005, boosted by a 10 percent increase in non-spot dollars over that same time period. Total combined local, national and network sales figures were flat for 2006 compared to 2005. National business grew 5 percent in a year-over-year comparison. Local ad sales figures fell 1 percent, 2006 over 2005. Network Radio decreased 2 percent year over year, 2006 versus 2005 (read more RBA)

The nation's four largest radio broadcasters would make payments and other contributions valued at about $10 million under a proposed settlement of a year-long probe by the Federal Communications Commission into pay-for-play claims in the music industry, say FCC officials and others with direct knowledge of the matter (read more - Paul Davidson-USA Today)

Emmis Communications, the Indianapolis-based parent company of classic rock WLUP-FM (97.9) and alternative rock WKQX-FM (101.1), announced that it would give all of its Chicago employees Monday off if the Bears win the Super Bowl. (Indianapolis employees get the day off if the Colts win.). But there's a catch + Leave it to Tommy Edwards to drag his old radio pal Larry Lujack into 21st century cyberspace. At Edwards' urging, the legendary Superjock has begun keeping a blog from his home in Santa Fe, N.M. It's posted at: www.larrylujack.com (read more - Feder of Chicago)

A Denver-area radio personality, Scott Eller Cortelyou, 53, was arrested Wednesday afternoon for the second time in as many weeks on suspicion of using the Internet to lure a child into a sexual relationship after investigators say he had an Internet chat with an undercover police officer (read more - 9 News) (read more - Rocky Mountain News)

Judge Renato Fuentes found Alexis Adonis former radio announcer of Bombo Radyo-Davao guilty of libel for defaming Nograles in his radio program (read more - Mindanao Times)

Ratings-challenged CNN is flipping out over a taunting Fox News Channel ad that cattily compares the also-ran cable network's dapper newsman Anderson Cooper to Paris Hilton (read more - Page Six-NY Post)

XM Satellite Radio will re-create the old WABC (770 AM) tomorrow, 4-9 p.m., on Ch. 6, its '60s channel. It plans to play vintage jingles, airchecks and songs, with Terry (Motormouth) Young hosting + Television may get most of the Super Bowl audience Sunday, but plenty of people listen on the radio, too - and radio is the place for fans to talk about it (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

A study found that about 18 percent of U.S. men over 20 suffer from erectile dysfunction and the condition is strongly linked to little physical exercise, poor diet and lots of television (read more - Reuters)

One of South Florida's veteran radio personalities has decided to come out of retirement. John ''Footy'' Kross Jr., who left WHYI-FM 100.7 (Y-100) in May after 32 years, will now host a Saturday talk show on WIOD-AM (610). He starts on Feb 10 (read more - CBS 4)

You won’t catch Richard Johnson taking credit for creating anyone’s career—he’s far too modest for that. But the power of (NY Post) Page Six, the chatty, irreverent, immensely entertaining domain over which Johnson has presided for most of the last two decades, is beyond question. It launches books and movies, sells magazines, and makes and breaks restaurants, reputations and sometimes marriages (read more - Manhattan Media)

February 15 is when the House Telecommunications and Internet subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing on the FCC (read more - Digital Video Editing)

Arbitron Inc. and The Nielsen Company have signed an agreement that will govern completion of development and testing of the ‘Project Apollo’ marketing research service and the expansion of the pilot panel to a full national service if the test results meet expectations and generate marketplace support (visit www.ARBitron.com)

Radio listening has reached a record high, with more than 45 million people tuning in each week, according to figures published on Thursday. It is the highest figure since industry body Rajar began keeping track of the nation's listening habits in 1992 (read more - Press Association U.K.)

Bosses at Capital Radio in London have praised Johnny Vaughan's "warmth and humour" and also said they were sure the show would thrive under him ... But according to Rajar, the ratings body for radio, his audience has fallen to 782.000 - almost 600.000 less than he inherited from Chris Tarrant (read more - Show Biz Spy U.K.)

After a year of forcing listeners to endure cheesy syndicated host John Tesh, soft-rock station KyXy is bringing back some live and local flavor. The new weekday host for the nightly "Love Songs" show will be Kris Toledo, a female disc jockey who had hosted the show on weekends (read more - Randy Dotinga-NC Times)

Satellite radio made considerable progress in 2006 despite lower overall subscription numbers than they had expected. The holiday shopping season boosted overall subscriptions above 1.3 million for the quarter. Now in the peace and tranquility of January what are consumers thinking about satellite radio? (read more - Bridge Ratings)

ARBitron numbers for Reno, Boise, Tallahassee, Savannah, Augusta GA, Appleton-Oshkosh, Fargo-Moorhead and Burlington-Plattsburgh (read 'em)

Consumers can run, but they can't hide from the almighty ad. Satellite radio listeners are the latest to be irked by the omnipresence of marketing pitches. Last year, advertisements began popping up on four XM Radio music channels, even though thousands of customers signed up under the promise of commercial-free listening (read more - Eric Morath-Detroit News)

"We live in an age of what Stephen Colbert (host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report) calls truthiness," Frank Rich said. "What used to be truth has been replaced by something that looks like reality, but is often fictionalized" --- The trivializing of news into entertainment and the distortion of fact to serve political ends "is not a Republican problem," Rich said. "It's a cultural problem. The Democrats are just as eager to take this entertainment-over-reality approach and exploit it" (read more - Jan Sjostrom-Palm Beach Daily News)

You may not think being host of a Polka music show on Radio is that important, but, sometimes, people just deserve a little credit. From playfuls.com: "Bronislaw Hudela, host of a weekly New York-area radio program since 1948, has died at 88 (read more - Corey Deitz-About)

As a means of recruiting and retaining listeners, contests have been a part of radio almost since the days of Marconi. "Remember the phrase that pays!" "Be the 10th caller and win!" Even staid National Public Radio uses quizzes and contests on several of its shows. But the radio industry is doing some serious re-evaluation of what part contests should play in their programming, and how edgy those contests should be, in the wake of the death of a contestant in January following a station-sponsored stunt at an Entercom-owned outlet in Sacramento (read more - Bill Virgin-Seattle PI)

From Murphy Martin -- Real, sincere, unforced, from- the- heart smiles are growing fewer in number these days in a

world inhabited by power-grabbers who find it easier to frown---unless they are trying to sell you something! A new way of life is trying to be sold in the Middle East by America in Iraq. Iran and Syria, among others, are smiling and saying wait a minute we want to control that area. Iran and North Korea are also smiling as they try to downplay their reach for nuclear capability. Israel is a bit more open with their dismay with Arabs, showing less smiles and more "our way or the highway" expressions (read more - www.MurphyMartin.com)

From Maxim Radio’s red carpet coverage of one of the hottest parties at the Super Bowl, to Super Bowl-themed programs such as Martha Stewart’s Super Bowl How-To and SIRIUS Disorder’s salute to music from all the NFL playoff cities, along with Playboy Radio’s broadcasts from the private Playmate Pool Party, SIRIUS’ Super Bowl celebration will feature a schedule of selected, SIRIUS-exclusive Super Bowl weekend special concerts, guests and programs (view the schedule - Sirius.com)

MSNBC is taking a page from politics with a campaign-style ad parodying the competition. In the commercial, which started airing Tuesday, MSNBC takes shots at the on-air personas of both Fox and CNN in a bid to carve out space as an alternative to both. It's another sign the cable news race is getting rougher; last week Fox News Channel placed an ad in Television Week portraying Anderson Cooper as the "Paris Hilton of cable news" (read more - Michael Learmonth-Variety)

Al Franken, the best-known personality on the progressive Air America radio network, will end his show on Feb. 14, but local affiliate WPEK-AM/880 (The Revolution), is not planning any changes in its liberal talk format (read more - Tony Kiss-Asheville Citizen Times)

This February , HDNet Movies will present the High Definition premieres of the classics Arabesque, Red River, The Executioners Song and Death Wish HDNet Movies (read more - HD.net)

The Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab will unveil the second study in its new series, "Radio and the Consumer's Mind: How Radio Works" Friday, February 09. This just completed national research takes a first-ever look at how ad campaigns that use Radio and the Internet together compare to campaigns that only use the Internet (read more - RAB)

No one is talking yet, but local radio studios and Web sites are buzzing with the rumored reuniting of Ed Coffey, Jeff "The Jammer" Kauffman and Amy Warner 21/2 years after WTPA-FM (93.5) pulled the plug on their show (read more - Barry Fox-The Patriot News)

Family and friends packed a Falls City auditorium on Wednesday to pay final respects to a Nebraska soldier, Verdon native Army 1st Lt. Jacob Fritz, 25. Fritz and five other American soldiers were killed Jan. 20 in Karbala, Iraq. They were kidnapped by men posing as U.S. military members (read more - KETV 7 Omaha)

Let’s give Greater Media —owners of Detroit’s WRIF-FM (101.1), WCSX-FM (94.7) and WMGC-FM (105.1) —credit for trying to do something to get some buzz going about HD radio. Over the past two weekends, first the main WRIF signal and the next weekend the main WCSX lineup was replaced by the station’s HD channels. WRIF's RIFF2 plays an eclectic mix of local artists, alternative, hip-hop, punk and indie-rock; WCSX’s Deep Trax plays lesser heard rock gems (read more - John Smyntek-Detroit Free Press)

Michael Shumpert, president and chief executive officer of Praestantia Broadcasting, the company that owns WOWE-FM (98.9), takes a cue from the building of the Egyptian pyramids (read more - Jiquanda Johnson-Flint Journal)

Kettle meets pot: Mancow Muller has injected himself in the controversy over the 28-year-old woman in Sacramento, Calif., who died while participating in a radio station's water-drinking contest + An array of Chicago sports celebrities joined stars of the CBS Radio's sports/talk WSCR-AM (670) station for a daylong broadcast at a northwest suburban sports bar to mark the Score's 15th year on the air. Unfortunately, not everyone came away thrilled (read more - Feder of Chicago)

CNBC's efforts to defend its star anchor Maria Bartiromo would be downright comical if the network's arguments didn't seem so pathetic. CNBC is now paying a stiff public-relations price for building a celebrity culture around Bartiromo. Hoping to market a legitimate media star, CNBC instead has created a diva. Intending to control the public-relations damage to its journalistic image, the network instead has become a laughingstock (read more - Jon Friedman-MarketWatch)

Robin Bergman is on a mission — and several Medford residents plan to help her. Bergman, an Arlington resident and Concord-based businesswoman, is hoping to save “Boston’s Progressive Talk,” a radio program on WXKS AM and WKOX AM, which was taken off the air without advance notice at 12 noon on Dec. 21, 2006 (read more - Joe Viglione-Medford Transcript)

The problem with traffic reports is that a reporter discussing a backup on the east side of town is totally ignoring listeners west, south and north of town. Now, change the subject used in the preceding sentence to "radio industry professionals" and restructure it like this: While radio trade publications are discussing who's promoted, which stations are flipping formats (or owners), and the latest person who's been hired to run some group's internet stations, they're ignoring people interested in NEW ways to program radio (read more - Audio Graphics)

WHAT-AM, which for decades called itself the "voice of the African-American community" in Philadelphia, is now being called "Skin Radio," and began broadcasting in high-definition on Wednesday morning, said new owner Tom Kelly of Marconi Broadcasting (read more - Star-Telegram)

The music singer-songwriter Don McLean sang about in "American Pie" has never died, though it's had its difficult periods. Locally, one of those periods has arrived with the scheduled demise of radio giant Clear Channel Broadcasting's oldies station WBPM-FM tonight. Like so many other pop music phenomena, the "Good Times and Great Oldies" format will mutate, presumably, into something else as of tomorrow morning (read more - Jeremiah Horrigan-Times Herald Record)

Some radio stations in Syracuse are paying the price for failing to pay The Arbitron Co. In a new policy, the ratings company is no longer publicly disclosing its survey data for any Syracuse station that isn't one of its subscribers (read more - William LaRue-Syracuse Post-Standard)

ABRitron numbers for Bangor, Roanoke VA, Myrtle Beach, Macon, Portland ME, Santa Fe, Evansville and Charleston WV (read 'em)

WYMS-FM (88.9) will launch its long-expected new identity by the end of February. The station that's redubbing itself "88Nine RadioMilwaukee" will play a format that lacks a radio industry label, according to executive director J. Mikel Ellcessor + Fox News Channel's Neil Cavuto has the president on his show at 3 today (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

In radio land, the name Randy Michaels has been synonymous with creativity and crassness, raunch and return on investment. The new head of the former New York Times TV stations has a colorful, controversial past. Industry watchers wonder whether a return to radio is part of his strategy (read more - Price Colman-TV Newsday)

If the right-wing media keeps spreading lies like the one it about Barack Obama supposedly going to a madrassa as a young boy, then it's time to consider hiring the meanest lawyers on the planet and to file the hairiest lawsuits imaginable against these creeps. Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?" -- From Hannity.com, long after the "madrassa" story had been debunked (read more - Matt Taibbi-Rolling Stone)

Shortly after making his entrance, Oscar winner Jamie Foxx found model Janice Dickinson and her ample cleavage pressed tightly against him. Foxx posed for a photo-op with hip-hop legend Grandmaster Flash, and later traded handshakes and hugs with New York Giants linebacker LaVar Arrington. The VIP lounge at Lotus? The red carpet at the Grammys? Try the star-studded offices of Sirius Satellite Radio, a haven for bold-faced names found 36 floors above Manhattan in a Rockefeller Center skyscraper (read more - CBS News)

Spanish Broadcasting System plans to develop a state-of-the-art broadcast facility in South Florida that will consolidate its Miami radio and television operations, as well as the Company’s new media division. The SBS Broadcasting Center will house SBS’s Miami radio stations: Clasica 92.3, Romance 106.7 and El Zol 95.7 and more (read more - Hispanic PR Wire)

The Dr. Bob Martin Show adds KNST AM Tucson, AZ and WQAH AM Huntsville, AL., the Bobby Likis Car Clinic adds WPNW AM Grand Rapids, MI. and The Small Business Advocate adds WTOD AM Toledo, OH and WJTK AM Lake City, FL. The programs are syndicated by Talk Shows USA. www.talkshowsusa.com

Chapel Hill public radio station WUNC-FM 91.5 hopes to open a new studio and offices in Greensboro by the end of the year (read more - Triangle Biz Journal)

Clear Channel Communications whose properties include radio stations WHJY-FM, WHJJ-FM, WSNE-FM and WHJJ-AM is urging shareholders to approve its proposed merger with a company controlled by Bain Capital Partners LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners L.P. (read more - Providence Business News)

KTRB-AM 860 will sign-on at midnight on February 1, and beginning at 6:00 a.m. that day, the station will play continuous music reprising the late 60s and early 70s heyday of “The San Francisco Sound”

Under the Constitution, Congress has the power to write federal laws, and the executive branch of the government, headed by the president, has the duty to enforce those laws. Congress has given up its power to an ever-growing extent over the past several decades. The legislative branch has passed numerous laws authorizing federal agencies to develop regulations covering various activities, and those regulations have the force of federal law. It allows the Federal Communications Commission to write the laws regarding radio and television stations (read more - Spartanburg Herald-Journal Editorial)

BBC Radio Wales' current affairs programme Wales@Work has been named the UK's best regional business and workplace programme on TV or radio (read more - Sion Barry-IC Wales U.K.)

Georgia’s Legislature has reentered the “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays” debate. National radio talk shows have fueled the debate over whether government employees should say “Merry Christmas” or the more generic “Happy Holidays” (read more - Jeremy Redmon- Atlanta JC)

Westwood One/Metro Networks and Maptuit corporation have released RealTraffic 2.0, a significantly enhanced version of its real-time traffic reporting web application designed to dramatically improve the commuting experience by providing up-tothe-minute traffic information to help make better driving decisions. RealTraffic is currently the largest provider of real-time traffic content to media sites in the country (read more - Westwood One)

In celebration of Black History Month, XM will offer an extensive programming schedule devoted to the important and lasting contributions of African Americans throughout February. Highlights from the special programming include broadcasts of “Artist Confidential” Soul Edition, exclusive interviews on The Power (XM 169), and much more throughout the month. Infiniti will be the presenting sponsor for XM’s Black History Month programming

Bruce DuMont could use a new deal of his own right about now. His old deals--the ones he thought were in place to create a dazzling new shrine to the legacy of radio and television--aren't getting it done. The time is right to make a little more history. In about five months, the Museum of Broadcast Communications will host a public celebration of Franklin D. Roosevelt's historic "New Deal" speech at Chicago's 1932 Democratic convention. With a little luck--OK, a lot of luck--private and public sources will come through with enough "distress relief" to get this project restarted before the opportunity for a world-class broadcasting museum in Chicago slips away (read more - Eric Zorn-Chicago Tribune)

If you hear some scratching noises on XM radio, it's probably not static -- but it might be rats. The satellite radio's District headquarters is so infested with the furry little critters that the company has gone to the rat-eradication equivalent of DefCon 1 (read more - Reliable Source-Washington Post)

The Portable People Meter radio ratings data in Houston has achieved Media Rating Council accreditation. Now that MRC accreditation has been granted for the Houston Portable People Meter radio ratings data, Arbitron will meet with its customers–radio broadcasters, agencies and advertisers–to determine the most appropriate schedule for commercializing the electronic radio ratings service in Houston (read more - ARBitron)

ARBitron numbers for Albuquerque, Cedar Rapids, Charleston SC, Des Moines, El Paso, Jackson MS, Madison and Spokane (read 'em)

Although Bob Reitman's new weekly music show airs on WUWM, the podcast of the 7 p.m. Thursday show is available on the Web page of his old station, WKTI-FM (94.5) (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

Yesterday, on the eve of the arrival of new models of Microsoft’s flagship products, the Windows operating system and the Office programs, the skeptics were overshadowed and drowned out by the opening salvos in the software giant’s marketing campaign (read more - Steve Lohr-NY Times)

ABC News National Correspondent Jim Hickey interviews

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on the launch of the consumer version of the Microsoft Vista operating system, the biggest upgrade to Windows in over a decade (Photo courtesy ABC)

From The Radio Babe -- Dear Readers: You're still sending responses to Radio Babe's new year radio habit query, and they're as varied and delightful as one could imagine. It's difficult to fathom how Arbitron (the professional media-measuring company) and radio stations accurately agree on listeners' "true" habits, since our one shared trait -- despite age, music and other factors -- is how often we flip around (read more - Dawn Scire-The Radio Babe)

From Happy Hare -- Fact is: Simon (Cruel) Cowell, I believe, front-loads a bunch of losers to be scourged at the pillar of national Television, never intending for them to win. “American Idol“ -- the Abu Graib of television. How about radio? Not to be trite, but the principle reason for all of the hatred and cruelty you hear on the radio is that radio, in general has lost its creative force. That loss alone results in resorting to cruelty as a substitute for cleverness such as we witnessed at WKND in Sacramento when the morning show people fatally subjected Jennifer Lee Strange to a spin off of water boarding. Creativity is like that other vital element in our lives. Use it or lose it. The major operators believed that all they had to do was to dominate the major markets with an overwhelming force of radio stations, Therefore, no need for the nonsense of creativity (read more - www.HappyHareOnline.com)

Channel 2 on Sunday night squeezed a blue-and-orange countdown clock into a corner of the screen to show the days, hours and minutes remaining until the Chicago Bears meet the Indianapolis Colts in Miami. Turns out, this was a bad idea. The time ticked away. The audience got ticked off + Chicago jury on Monday awarded agent Todd Musburger $68,750 in his lawsuit against former client Garry Meier to recover payment for work he and his firm did representing the radio personality a few years ago (read more - Phil Rosenthal-Chicago Tribune)

Spanish music and talk radio has become a prominent entity in the radio industry and insiders say that it is the genre that will continue to see the most growth over the next few years. Advertisers everywhere are salivating with these numbers and going after the Latino stations, while many mainstream stations are struggling to stay afloat (read more - Vivir Latino)

Station owner Kingdom Radio Group said that if it could not find a buyer for River FM, it would close down and return the station's licence to regulators Ofcom (read more - The Scotsman U.K.)

NBC10 weekend evening weather anchor Amy Freeze confirmed that she is leaving NBC10 to become the chief meteorologist for the Fox affiliate in Chicago + No one would ever accuse Spike O'Dell of being a genius. But publicly declaring his desire to quit as morning personality at news/talk WGN-AM (720) in 2009 is about the dumbest thing he could have done (read more - Feder of Chicago) (read more - Laura Nachman-Philly Burbs)

XM Radio Online will be included in Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista (read more - XM Radio)

Reggie Rouse has been named Vice President of Urban Programming at CBS Radio

Sirius Satellite Radio will provide comprehensive coverage of Super Bowl XLI with multiple live game broadcasts, live day-long news and analysis every day of Super Bowl week (read more - Media Buyer Planner)

Marc Coppola, aka "the Cope," has moved from doing nights at Clear Channel-owned classic rocker WAXQ (104.3 FM) to doing weekend shifts. Carol Miller is now doing nights -- that is, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays (read more - Claudia Perry-Newark Star-Ledger)

Bill Burns has been named Sales Manager of Greater Media's Smooth Jazz 97.5FM WJJZ-FM in Philadelphia

Virginia Tech’s student-run radio station, WUVT, has recently fallen into financial trouble due to the malfunctioning of its land transmitter, affectionately known as “Harriet.” The Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, also the parent company of the Collegiate Times, has loaned WUVT $9,000 for the transmitter, which the station will have to pay back by then end of the fiscal year, said Michelle Billman, WUVT’s general manager (read more - Collegiate Times)

Todd Alan has been elevated to the role of Vice President Affiliate Sales Entertainment Division at Westwood One. In his new position, Alan will oversee the distribution efforts for all of Westwood One’s entertainment programming

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) threatened a lawsuit against ABC and KSFO if they further attempted to shut down Spocko with Digital Millennium Copyright Act threats. "ABC/KSFO's complaints amount to nothing more than an attempt to silence an effective critic," EFF lawyer Matt Zimmerman wrote. "The radio hosts are crying that I'm trying to silence them, but the one who had the real power -- them -- acted," Spocko wrote (read more - Grant Gross-Info World)

Once and future radio personality DJ Star says he'd like the world to have a better idea of who he is and isn't. "I don't feel like I'm missing much on the radio now. The only thing I listen to is news programs - 1010 WINS, Imus. There's nothing on hip-hop radio for me. There's nothing on so-called 'black radio.' I need to be informed. I don't want to be walking down the street popping my fingers when there's a cloud of gas over the city" (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

It's too soon to know whether the fatal “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” contest will become radio's “Nipplegate.” “Just look who got fired,” Jerry Del Colliano, a former radio DJ and program director, and current music-industry professor at USC said, “It was the DJs and the staff. It's the managers who always ask for the outrageous, and as soon as there's trouble, they fire the people who gave them what they asked for. If management was serious, they would fire themselves.” Dom Theodore, regional vice president of programming for Clear Channel in Michigan, said, “We have numerous checks and balances built into the system. Our promotions management team includes myself and Rebecca Falk, who is our director of promotions and marketing. The programming staff understands that any on-air contest is to be approved by us in advance. Bill Stedman, operations manager for classic rock WCSX-FM (94.7) spoke at length about how Greater Media Detroit takes numerous steps to protect listeners (read more - John Wilkens-San Diego Union-Tribune) (read more - Mike Austerman-Michiguide)

Two UA researchers are collaborating with Texas Instruments to bring portable, low-cost High Definition Radio to the masses. The UA researchers and TI hope to bring HD signals to iPods and other portable devices at low cost and in a battery-friendly package (read more - University of Arizona-Science Tech)

Microsoft's long-awaited Vista operating system will become widely available to consumers Monday night — and the world will be watching to see how well it sells (read more - Michelle Kessler-USA Today)

Don Imus and his WFAN-MSNBC entourage broadcast live this morning from San Antonio at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center. The center is the largest, costliest facility ever built for war veterans with private funds — more than 600,000 individual and corporate donations, ranging from $1 to $1 million (read more - Scott Huddleston-San Antonio Express-News)

Don't expect to hear Chris McCoy on the air anywhere until summertime at the earliest. As part of his severance with WBEB (B101), McCoy has a six-month noncompete clause (read more - Michael Klein-Philly Inquirer)

Public radio, which challenges that notion with virtually all its programming, has been growing while "traditional" radio and other media audiences have shrunk. There are many reasons for this in an age when we face ever-more options and demands on our time. But Public Radio International CEO Alisa Miller thinks more people want the fuller, more nuanced stories they find more often on public radio. "I think there's a tendency in much of the media to underestimate American intelligence," says Miller. "Their interests go well beyond the TomKat wedding" (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

The birth of FM made it clear that radio, far from being a fad, had limitless possibilities for reinvention. Today, radio has become such an omnipresent backdrop to our daily lives that it's taken for granted, like electricity or tap water or convenience stores. But as Marc Fisher makes clear in this elegantly written and deeply researched study of how radio has shaped American culture, Something in the Air, the medium is always amorphous, changing to fit the zeitgeist of every year's consumer needs (read more - Douglas Brinkley-Washington Post Book Review)

ARBitron numbers for Omaha, Little Rock, Fort Wayne, Wichita, Columbia SC, Greenville-Spartanburg, Shreveport, Huntsville AL and Chattanooga (read 'em)

When members of the Federal Communications Commission look at TV stations these days, they aren't just kicking back to watch American Idol or Heroes. Regulators are about to reassess their rules on who can own stations and how many — a review they are legally bound to do every four years. And to rule on the most controversial proposals, they must determine how much damage — if any — the Internet and other new media are inflicting on local stations, which collectively had an estimated $26 billion in ad sales last year (read more - David Lieberman-USA Today)

You may remember last year's groundbreaking "Two Strangers & A Wedding" with Mark Thompson and Brian Phelps on KLOS 95.5 FM. So, here we are again + About a dozen of you who were fans of "Jamie, Jack & Stench" on KYSR 98.7 FM say they won't even listen to the new morning show hosted by Valentine and Lisa Foxx. Those who did sample it called it "vanilla," "stupid," "boring," "bland," and "scripted." These same readers also criticized Star for not allowing JJ&S to say farewell on the air (read more - Gary Lycan-OC Register)

There are some folks out there who think that WOKY-AM (920) is going to change its format again today, less than a month after dropping "adult standards" for a playlist of Beatles-era rock 'n' roll. Not gonna happen (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

Despite a slump in audience for Capital Radio, DJ Johnny Vaughan has signed a new three-year deal to continue hosting tje breakfast show (read more - Reuters U.K.)

Last year was a milestone when broadcasters began in earnest to roll out high-definition, or HD, radio. Even so, recognition of this new technology, which squeezes more programming into one frequency and creates subchannels for new niche formats, was scant, to say the least. And the receivers required to tune into these new outlets were pricey (more than $200) (read more - Tom Lowry-Business Week)

The self proclaimed "two dorks" of radio are making sure they don't sound foolish once they hit the air. "We haven't started in a new market in 20 years so I'm not exactly sure what to expect Monday morning," said Bill Michaels, half the team of the popular "Dwyer and Michaels" morning show that has aired for the past 12 years on KCQQ-FM (Q-106) (read more - view the video-Jim Mertens-WQAD TV)

National Public Radio's Juan Williams has landed an exclusive broadcast interview with George W. Bush, the first since his State of the Union speech (read more - NPR)

Former Channel 5 anchor Toria Tolley will co-host Darryl Park's 9 a.m.-noon talk show on WLW-AM (700) today as an audition for her next career move. "I decided about a year ago to try to get into talk radio," says Tolley, who left Channel 5 in 1990 to work for CNN in Atlanta (read more - John Kiesewetter-Cincy Enquirer

2006 Texas Radio Hall of Fame nominee Don Day, 67, a retired radio announcer for KFJZ 1270 and WBAP 820 and other North Texas stations died Saturday (read more - Star-Telegram) (read more - WBAP)

KDKA Radio has lost its second legend within a week. Bob Tracey, whose real name was Bob Michel, died on Friday from pneumonia (read more- KDKA 2)

Sydney broadcaster 2GB breached radio rules when a presenter called Lebanese people inbred and stupid just days after the Cronulla riots, the broadcasting watchdog has ruled (read more - Sydney Morning Herald)

Given all the fuss made over digital television, it's easy to forget that digital radio is also out there on the market. Don't look for big displays at your local Best Buy store, however. In fact, salespeople at the store here in Peoria thought we were talking about satellite radio when I called last week (read more - Steve Tarter-Peoria Journal Star)

From Claude Hall -- Most of the meetings of the West Coast Writer's Conspiracy were held at my home in Bel Air, Los Angeles ... The magazine was definitely a labor of love. Probably cost me at least a thousand dollars an issue. One of the people on the staff of WCWC was David Carren, later to become very successful as a writer/director in television. Among those who contributed to the quarterly were Ray Bradbury, Ray Russell, and radio personality Dave Diamond who eventually gave up radio to become a college professor and write (read more - www.ClaudeHallOnline.com)

Only a month into the new year, and as a nation of renowned complainers we are surpassing ourselves. Three very different and disturbing events have provoked an avalanche of national comment, criticism and debate that has engulfed broadcasting (read more - Dominic Crossley-Holland - The Independent U.K.)

WMJI FM/105.7 has fallen from its perch as the area's No. 1 station. The oldies outlet dropped from first to the fourth-ranked station in the Cleveland market, surrendering the top spot to country station WGAR FM/99.5, which had been No. 2. Both are owned by Clear Channel (read more - J Washington-Cleveland Plain Dealer)

From Tommy Kramer -- I’ve often coached Air Talents, particularly in Morning Shows, who just don't want to do the

MAINTENANCE. Instead, they want to "wing it," and rely on their ability to just "come up with something" instead of PLANNING a show. So they're inconsistent, on fire one day and lukewarm-to-cold on another. And the real tragedy is that since they abandoned the good work habits (or never developed them in the first place), they don't know how to correct the inevitable slide when it comes (read more - www.TommyKramer.net)

The Mentoring & Inspiring Women in Radio group has announced the mentees chosen to participate in their 2007 MIW-Mildred Carter Mentoring Program. Teresa Cox - National Sales Manager/Carter Broadcasting, Deidra Lieberman - Director of Sales/ABC Radio, Jennifer Mefford - General Sales Manager/Greater Media, Inc. and Laura Steele - General Sales Manager/Radio One (visit Radio MIW)

Lifetime Achievement Awards were given to Vin Scully and Ed Arnold at Saturday night's Golden Mike Awards Dinner of the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California (visit RTNA)

Why did Apple announce the iPhone when it did, at Macworld in San Francisco? Why not wait until June (or maybe earlier) when it's ready, and ratified by the Federal Communications Commission? If Apple had waited until then it could have taken its competitors by surprise (read more - Karen Haslam-PC Advisor)

Jerry Waters, true age unknown, is becoming an institution at last in his hometown of Charleston, WV. He's elbowed his way into the papers there over the years in a number of ways: For his work as Captain of one of the capital city's fire departments and lately again as a local talk radio host on Bristol Broadcasting's WVTS, News/Talk 950 AM (read more - Huntington News)

Radio News 95.7 host Andrew Glenn Krystal was out of his element Friday and is off the air for now. He is accused of assaulting a Halifax woman and damaging her property. Court records didn’t indicate Mr. Krystal’s relationship to the woman (read more - Brian Hayes-Chronicle-Herald CA)

Leo Laporte, "The Tech Guy," announced that his KFI radio show is going national February 17 on Saturdays and Sundays via Premiere Radio Networks (read more - Leo Laporte's Leoville)

Several news reports, all relying on anonymous sources, have suggested that the Federal Communications Commission will soon announce a settlement with four major radio broadcasters over payola (read more - Dan Mitchell-NY Times)

Konrad von Finckenstein, a Federal Court judge who was commissioner of the Competition Bureau from 1997 to 2003, was named chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on Thursday for a five-year term (read more - Grant Robertson-The Globe and Mail CA)

She was trying to win a Nintendo Wii video game console for her children. There's a good chance you've already heard about KDND-FM radio station's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest by which Strange died last week. Though she complained her head hurt, and though a nurse called the station to warn about the dangers of water intoxication - yes, there really is such a thing, and yes, it is known to be dangerous, even deadly - the DJs sarcastically laughed off concerns, and Strange kept drinking. And drinking. Hours later, she was found dead in her Rancho Cordova, Calif. home. Arthur Miller wrote about suicide and murder and war. All are tragic today, but our modern American society also faces a menace growing more and more out of proportion: excess (read more - USC Daily Trojan Editorial)

The face of radio in Vermont is changing. After a round of budget cuts, four major radio stations in the Burlington area, broadcast on five frequencies, are for sale. "I was watching it go on, but thought I wouldn't be affected," Jennifer Foxx said of layoffs at Clear Channel stations across the country. "But sure enough, I was" (read more - Dan McLean-Burlington Free Press)

As a birthday gift to myself last month, I visited the morning show on KFOG (104.5 and 97.7 FM). It's no secret that the program -- with 24-year KFOG vet Dave Morey and his team -- is my favorite wake-up show, for its easygoing blend of topical chatter, smart guests, interviews, phone calls and eclectic music. It's lighthearted without being raucous, edgy without being mean, hip without trying to be. It's also as smooth as the break of dawn (read more - Ben Fong-Torres - SF Chronicle)

Maria Bartiromo climbed a long way from hatcheck girl at her father's Brooklyn restaurant to TV star - and married into one of New York's richest and most famous families. Not even CNBC anchorbabe Maria Bartiromo's bosses can say for sure how many flights she took on the Citigroup corporate jet with the bank's wealth-management chief, Todd Thomson, who was jettisoned last week over his lavish spending. Bartiromo logged tens of thousands of miles on at least "six trips" on the plane, two sources at the bank told The Post (read more - Paul Tharp-NY Post) (read more - NY Post) (read more - NY Daily News)

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Clear Channel and bankers have hired a new PR firm and that company execs are getting ready for a road show to woo shareholders. " ... some major shareholders feel they stand to make more money by holding the stock for the long haul than by cashing out now, even at a premium to the current share price," says the article. Fidelity Management and Research, the largest shareholder, " ... has told the company it won't vote for the transaction now on the table ..." (read more - WSJ [WSJ subscription required])

With the benefits of satellite radio, you would think a program director for a local, terrestrial, FM radio station might shudder at its rise, but you'd be wrong. John Patrick, program director of WQUT, a long-standing, classic rock outlet based in Gray, says his station's listener base hasn't dropped since Sirius Satellite Radio and XM came onto the market. "Our total number of unique listeners has not suffered at all. It hasn't moved," said Patrick (read more - Kevin Castle-Kingsport Times News)

Casey Kasem has selected 20 love songs popular among listeners of his syndicated show and put them on a new Valentine's Day CD, "The Long Distance Dedications," released on NorthStar + Stephanie Miller, former WQHT morning co-host who now does a progressive talk show, did a one-shot Wednesday morning on WWRL (1600 AM) (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

When Los Angeles country music station KZLA changed format last August, alarms sounded in the country music radio and record communities. Among the reasons for the KZLA switch: It's increasingly difficult to succeed with country radio in a market where Caucasians carry less and less sway (read more - Ken Tucker-Washington Post)

It has been a year since shock radio personality Howard Stern jumped from over-the-air to satellite radio. The highly trumpeted and expensive Stern launch by Sirius satellite radio was supposed to turn around the struggling industry. It hasn't. Other Sirius personalities such as Martha Stewart and Richard Simmons aren't going to make a big difference, either. Satellite radio competitor XM also is wasting resources trying to lure subscribers with personalities such as Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres and Bob Dylan. Oprah's XM deal is three years for $55 million, and she is seldom heard on her own channel. The many problems facing Sirius and XM won't be solved by high-priced personalities (read more - Jeffrey McCall-Indy Star)

Jeff Striegle of Byron Center is about to enter the fast lane as the voice of a pair of prominent NASCAR Nextel Cup Series pre-race shows on satellite and terrestrial radio stations throughout the United States. He has been named host of Motor Racing Network's nationally syndicated "NASCAR Live" and "NASCAR Today" weekly radio shows (read more - Brian Vanochten-Grand Rapids Press)

St. Charles Parish's new low-power 1370 AM radio station is on the air, and parish officials say they hope it will be informative, even though static doesn't always make it easy listening. The station began broadcasting this month with a loop of information on hurricane preparation (read more - Matt Scalan-New Orleans Times Picayune)

On the weekend before Super Bowl XLI, newly appointed NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, joins Bob Costas in his Costas on the Radio studios for the entire program to discuss the state of the league, player behavior, labor issues, officiating challenges and more. Costas show is carried on more than 120 station from Premiere Radio Networks

Maria Bartiromo, CNBC's star business anchor, has been thrust into the spotlight by the disclosure that her friendship and travels with a top Citigroup executive played a role in his ouster. Now it turns out that Bartiromo made nearly 50 appearances last year for corporations, trade associations and other groups, with three of them involving Citigroup in such far-flung locales as London and Hong Kong (read more - Howard Kurtz-Washington Post)

Last week's firing of Mega 101 morning-show hosts the Mexicanz marked the first major change to the station since its launch in November 2004. The station (101.1 FM) was owner Clear Channel's first attempt at a "hurban," or Hispanic urban, format, and it came as the reggaetón explosion reached fever pitch. But two years after the boom, the scene has failed to provide artists on par with Daddy Yankee, and nationally, as well as locally, hurban stations have lagged behind in the ratings. Perhaps most dramatically, Los Angeles' KXOL dropped from its high ranking of No. 2 in the summer of 2005 to No. 14 in the latest Arbitron ratings (read more - Eyder Peralta-Houston Chronicle)

As part of Bridge Ratings' on-going study of audience attrition of traditional radio and subscriber and user growth of alternative digital media, it publishes quarterly insight comparing projected use and growth. Here is an update to findings last published in September of 2006. (1) SATELLITE RADIO - While final results showed growth of 4.5 million satellite radio subscribers for 2006, Bridge Ratings projects a 2007 sector increase of 3.9 million subscribers with XM finishing the year with 9.12 million and Sirius with 8.34 total subscribers. (2) TERRESTRIAL RADIO - Weekly cume for traditional radio will slide from its current 94% of the U.S. population in 2007 to 77% by 2020 (read more - click here)

New York veteran Storm Field is out in the cold at WWOR/Ch. 9. Station officials dropped the bomb on Field, son of legendary weatherman Frank Field, Wednesday night after the station's 10 p.m. newscast. "It's their game," Field said. "If they decide they don't want me playing their game, I have no problem. But there's a humane way to shoot somebody. Unfortunately, they chose to be inhumane about it" (read more - Richard Huff-NY Daily News)

While most sermonizing conservatives wait for a public debacle to expose their failings -- think of William Bennett and his slot-machine addiction, or Rush Limbaugh and his pill problem -- Glenn Beck and his many inner demons are on a first-name basis, and he's constantly introducing them to viewers. His alcoholism is just part of it (read more - David Segal-Washington Post)

Denny Schaffer is attempting a comeback. The controversial former Toledo radio talk-show host has been working on a tryout basis for all-sports station WCNN-AM (680) in Atlanta (read more - Ron Musselman-Toledo Blade)

The reason behind the Pirates' decision four months ago to move its radio broadcasts from longtime partner KDKA to WPGB, a member of the Clear Channel cluster of local stations, came in to sharper focus today when the team announced its plans for the 2007 season. Although the games will be carried on WPGB-FM (104.7), the team will get considerable exposure on all Clear Channel stations (read more - Bob Smizik-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Keith Olbermann's "Worst Persons in the World" for Tuesday -- "Our winner is a tie among the yackers of the irrational right, Glen Beck, Neil Boortz, Steve Doocy, Sean Hannity, and comedian Rush Limbaugh. Each announced that Senator Clinton's online campaign announcement had to have been recorded months ago because you could see some green on the trees in the background and she, thus, was guilty of media manipulation. Their source, apparently, the infamous wacky Web site News Busters. As National Public Radio’s Juan Williams pointed out on Fox Noise, the senator taped the statement last week at her home here in Washington, near Rock Creek Park, which, believe it or not, is still a little green. A little green like Glen Beck, Neil Boortz, Steve Ducey, Sean Hannity, and Comedian Rush Limbaugh, Wednesday’s Worst Persons in the World!" (read more - MSNBC)

ARBitron numbers for Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Johnson City-Bristol, Oklahoma City, Nashville and Knoxville (read 'em)

With his experience working as a producer for WIP 610-AM's Angelo Cataldi and Howard Eskin, dealing with “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell was probably a piece of cake for Mark Farzetta (read more - Laura Nachman-Philly Burbs)

Comic George Lopez got pretty serious Wednesday on Orlando station WOMX 105.1's "Scott & Erica Show" when he told the radio hosts he wanted to "start a feud" with "Tonight" show host Jay Leno. "Leno is the biggest two-faced dude in TV," said Lopez (read more - NY Post Page Six)

Howard Stern, whose satellite radio show is typically available only to subscribers willing to pay $12.95 a month, has sworn that he will never return his morning show to the free commercial airwaves. But for 10 minutes this morning, at least, a listener parked near 239th Street in the Bronx who happened to pause on 88.1 FM on a car radio heard the unmistakable voice of Mr. Stern and his sidekick, Robin Quivers (read more - Jacques Steinberg-NY Times)

From Kent Burkhart -- Business has kept me busy this week. I have not had time to write a column. If I had time I would have written at least one paragraph in the role of a judge -- Arbitron vs.

Levine -- and I would have made a decision without hearing evidence from either side. I may do that next week along with a ten year personal view of what consolidation did to programming, and whether the listeners like it or not (read more - www.KentBurkhart.com)

Don Edwards, 82, a 34-year Toledo newscaster and anchorman on radio and television who retired in 1996 as a lead anchorman for WNWO-TV, Channel 24, died of cancer yesterday in his West Toledo home (read more - -Toledo Blade)

Austin's Spanish-language radio station La Ley (98.9 FM) is celebrating the most recent Arbitron radio ratings: It scored a 6.4 rating among all listeners ages 12 and up, making it, by that measure, the top radio outlet in the Austin market for the fall 2006 period. The accomplishment is remarkable for the station, one of seven in this market owned by Border Media Partners (read more - Omar L. Gallaga-Austin American-Statesman)

Rick Hall becomes the new midday voice/production director at WFZH-FM (105.3) on Feb. 12, coming from contemporary Christian WQFL-FM in Rockford, Ill (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

Dave Graveline and the Into Tomorrow team broadcast Part 3 of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this Sunday afternoon (visit www.graveline.com)

Al Franken, Randi Rhodes and Sam Seeder — articulate liberal pundits — don't sell well, even in Santa Cruz. The trio are part of the nationally syndicated Air America, which was dropped from Santa Cruz radio station KOMY 1340 AM on Thursday and replaced with music from the 1950s, '60s and '70s (read more - Shanna McCord-Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Charlotte Reid, who died Wednesday, was tapped by President Richard Nixon to serve on the Federal Communications Commission. Reid spent about four years on the FCC and also studied music and voice in Chicago, and was a featured vocalist with the NBC Radio show, Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, which originated in Chicago (read more - Beacon News)

For the first time, 710 ESPN Radio is providing coverage of the Winter X Games

Michael Taylor's 2Daze Creative & Production was honored twice in the international 13^th Annual 2006 Communicator Awards Competition in the categories of “Education/College and Universities” and “Radio Copy Writing” (visit 2Daze Creative & Production)

Two new California radio stations have signed with Nova M Radio for programming offered by the Phoenix based progressive talk radio network. Radio Central Coast’s KYNS-AM San Luis Obispo will add the Mike Malloy show to its evening line-up. Bicoastal Media KGOE-AM Eureka will also clear the Mike Malloy program. In addition to Malloy, KGOE-AM will air Mike Newcomb immediately following Malloy, delayed broadcast from Newcomb’s live program earlier in the day. The new stations join other current Nova M California affiliates; KQKE-AM San Francisco and KOGO-AM San Diego (visit novamradio.com)

The FCC's lax oversight of the terrestrial radio industry may have contributed to the death of a listener who drank almost two gallons of water to win a video game console, critics say. "There was a time when radio stations had to be more responsible ... and understood they had a public-interest obligation, that they're supposed to operate their stations in the public interest," said Donna Halper, a radio consultant and Emerson College journalism instructor. "I understand regulation is a dirty word, and a lot of people feel like having the FCC all over us was so oppressive. But it prevented stuff like this from happening" (read more - Randy Dotinga-Wired)

The husband and mother of Jennifer Strange spoke out for the first time together Wednesday, the same day the Federal Communications Commission chairman ordered an investigation of the radio station contest that preceded Strange's death (read more - Christina Jewett-Sacramento Bee)

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), the Federal Communications Commission and the four radio groups under inquiry in the pay-for-play scandal are close to a deal to ensure that more independent music makes it to the airwaves. The agreement would also end the FCC's investigation into alleged "payola" (read more - Otis Hart-Winston-Salem Journal)

No Boston media institution is more unstable these days than WRKO Radio (AM 680). To Phoenix readers, this might seem like a non-issue, or even good news; after all, the liberal-bashing, gay-baiting, illegal-immigrant-scapegoating fare the station has served up in recent years probably isn’t your bag. But here’s the catch: after three-quarters of a century on the airwaves, WRKO is a bona fide New England institution (read more - Adam Reilly-Boston Phoenix)

Anyone who misses the music and style of the old WNEW-AM might want to drop by the Triad Theater on W. 72nd St. some Friday night or Saturday afternoon soon + Rarely has a station added an air personality as gingerly as WCBS-FM (101.1) has added Delphine Blue to afternoon drive, 4-7 p.m. daily (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

Kevin Martin, chairman of the FCC, has directed its enforcement division to investigate the on-air water-drinking contest that preceded the death of Jennifer Strange, 28, a mother of three, a spokeswoman confirmed to The Sacramento Bee on Wednesday (read more - Christina Jewett-Sacramento Bee)

ARBitron numbers for Greensboro-Winston Salem, Raleigh-Durham, Memphis, Albany, Syracuse and Greenville-New Bern (read 'em)

Is WCRB-FM fading out? While the Dec. 1 move of the commercial classical station's frequency, from 102.5 to 99.5, has made tuning in troublesome for some listeners, changes in the station's programming have raised other questions. In Boston's classical music community, the reception to both the signal and the revived station has been mixed (read more - Clea Simon-Boston Globe)

Former WRIF-FM (101.1) part-time staffer Jay Hudson is now pulling down the full-time 7-11 p.m. shift at 89X, CIMX-FM (88.7) . Phat Matt , who previously held that slot, is now working behind the scenes, heading up programming at sister station The River, CIDR-FM (93.9) (read more - Susan Whitall-Detroit News)

The final three months of 2006 were rich with major and controversial sports stories, the kind that can have a big impact on sports-talk radio. Whether it was the decline of the Steelers, the possible resignation of Bill Cowher or the Penguins' survival in Pittsburgh, it had listeners tuning it in large numbers (read more - Bob Smizik-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

A former treasurer at NBC Universal was arrested on fraud charges for allegedly stealing more than $800,000 from the media and entertainment company, prosecutors said on Thursday (read more - Crain's NY Biz)

Why do stations resort to stunts like playing nothing but Christmas music from Thanksgiving to the big day? Because they often work. Just ask KRWM-FM (106.9), which rode its all-Christmas format to first place in the fall quarter ratings book for Seattle-Tacoma (read more - Bill Virgin-Seattle PI)

If you have an ordinary cellphone — the type that you got free, or cheaply, when you signed up for service — you might envy those with phones that are also personal digital assistants, like BlackBerrys, Treos, Sidekicks and Windows smartphones. But as it turns out, that humble cellphone in your pocket may be able to do all this and more, depending on its built-in features and the available add-on software (read more - Larry Magid-NY Times)

Police raided a tidy home with pruned palms in the yard and a 50-foot antenna on the roof Wednesday night. Acting on Federal Communications Commission intelligence, they shut down an illegal Haitian radio station, 106.1 FM (read more - Allyson Bird-Palm Beach Post)

DFW's Classical WRR/101.1 FM has received three "awards of distinction" in the 2006 Communicator Awards competition, which recognizes creative excellence in the communications field (read more - Star-Telegram)

After Super Bowl sales seemed to get off to a slow start, CBS said it's close to selling out ad time with still two weeks to go until the big game (read more - Holly M. Sanders - NY Post)

Drivers in Europe could soon be receiving, recording and time-shifting radio and television if a test of a new satellite-based multimedia system is successful. A group led by the European Space Agency (ESA) on Thursday will demonstrate what it calls "the multimedia car radio of the future" at the Noordwijk Space Expo in the Netherlands (read more - CBC News CA)

Faction, Sirius Satellite Radio’s action sports/music lifestyle channel, will provide expert on-site coverage of the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado

The Rockin’ ‘80s adds a new affiliate, WKGO-FM/ Cumberland, MD, with its two hour version of the program on its weekend lineup

When a woman called up a Sacramento radio morning show to warn that its contest might be dangerous, the hosts laughed her off. "Is anyone dying in there?" one host asked as contestants vied to win a video game console by drinking the most water without going to the bathroom. "We've got a guy just about to die," a voice joked back. The host responded: "Can we get insurance on that please?" At one point, a female host wondered aloud about the wisdom of the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest: "Maybe we should have researched this." Maybe indeed (read more - Randy Dotinga-NC Times)

Clear Channel is laying off 13 of 48 full-time employees who work at its two Wichita television stations (read more - Wichita Eagle)

“When I was a boy” we used to always listen to what was then called “pirate radio” - such as Radio Caroline and Radio Luxembourg. In the 1950s Radio Luxembourg, broadcasting in the evenings in English from the Grand Duchy itself and beamed towards the British Isles, was “must listening” on a Sunday night to hear the new Top Twenty. It was perfectly legal for Radio Luxembourg to broadcast, but listening was considered to be illegal in Britain. Of course, nobody paid any attention to it (read more - A Hewitson-Northern Sentinel)

From Murphy Martin -- His smile was genuine when he entered the room that for the first time in history was presided

over by a female Speaker of the House. After taking nearly 15-minutes to glad-hand his way to the rostrum, President Bush warmly acknowledged Nancy Pelosi and mentioned her father's early leadership days in Baltimore. President Bush then went to work on issues that probably will be the center of attention as he reaches for more Bi Partisan support in Congress in the coming days (read more - www.MurphyMartin.com)

Americans may enjoy the services of XM and Sirius Radio, but the satellite radio industry in Europe is quite at a nascent stage. Working on the similar premise of the dish antenna for TV, ESA and their nine partners have labored for three long years and are coming out with a satellite car radio that will change the face of the radio industry in Europe for good. The prototype of this radio will be demonstrated at the Noordwijk Space Expo on Thursday 25 January (read more - About Electronics U.K.)

Maribel Nava Alvarez, 22, has sued WLEY FM, a Spanish-language radio station in Chicago, claiming it refused to give her the Corvette she won in a 2005 contest because she is undocumented (read more - NBC 5)

The first ARBitron eDiary arrived last week and it was submitted by a Honolulu woman, 31 years of age, for the January 11-17 survey week. Her eDiary contained 11 entries, amounting to seven hours of radio listening to four radio stations. Interestingly, all the entries were for listening in the car

The Half-Hour News Hour, a new comedy program, a cross between The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, is being taped for Fox. It's hosted by comedians Kurt Long and Susan Yeagley, and correspondents include original Daily Show cast member Brian Unger. Guests so far have included Rush Limbaugh (who bragged about appearing in a skit as the president, with Ann Coulter as his vice president) ... While early reports on the show promised a January debut, as of now, no air date has been set (read more - Radar Online)

There he is! Chris Matthews is headed for Las Vegas to fulfill a lifetime dream: judging the Miss America pageant. "It's like running with the bulls in Pamplona," said the MSNBC host. "Who doesn't want to do it?" (read more - Reliable Source-Washington Post)

Jennifer Strange, 28, was found dead hours after she competed in a radio show contest, “Hold Your Wee for a Wii.” Strange’s participation in the (KDND) contest was completely voluntary. What’s next? Someone suing and the police filing criminal charges after getting sick following a failed attempt at the Blazin’ Challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings? I hope not. I’d miss 50-cent leg night (read more - Dakota Ballard -Oklahoma State Daily Collegian Commentary)

The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show add new affiliates, KFAQ AM in Tulsa OK, WEEV AM in Albany NY, WRCG Am in Columbus GA, and WRNN in Myrtle Beach SC

In the fall 2006 quarterly study for listeners 12 and older, WHAM-AM (1180) is the most-listened-to station both overall and in the key morning drive period. But among listeners ages 25 to 54, an important demographic for advertisers, country station WBEE-FM (92.5) holds the top overall spot and wins the morning-drive battle (read more - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

The WCSX Deep Trax Free Preview Weekend will kick off Saturday, January 27th at 12 noon and continue all weekend through Sunday night commercial Free

Premiere Radio Networks’ Kimberly Dudow has been promoted to Vice President of Continuity and Traffic Operations from Senior Director

Nearly three years after agent Todd Musburger filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court against radio personality Garry Meier to recoup more than $92,000 in fees he alleges Meier owes him, the trial is set to begin Wednesday at the Daley Center. Musburger claims in his lawsuit, filed on April Fool's Day 2004, that he spent more than 200 hours negotiating a 10-year renewal worth $12 million for Meier, then Roe Conn's afternoon partner at WLS-AM 890 (read more - Phil Rosenthal-Chicago Tribune)

Clear Channel Radio has lured Crawford Broadcasting's top gospel programmer to lead WGRB-AM (1390), the gospel station known as Inspiration 1390 + Terry Foxx, former afternoon personality at CBS Radio rhythmic Top 40 WBBM-FM (96.3), has been named program director of nights and weekends for ESPN Radio (read more - Feder of Chicago)

Monday night Jamie Foxx was lighting up Madison Square Garden. Now he's at Sirius Satellite Radio, announcing his new "Foxxhole" channel (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

95.5 KLOS on-air personality, Jim Ladd, will be honored at the upcoming 21st Annual ‘Charlie’ Awards, hosted by the Hollywood Arts Council, on Friday, February 2 at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

ARBitron numbers for San Antonio, Norfolk VA, Austin, Jacksonville, Louisville, Richmond, New Orleans, Tulsa, Grand Junction, Biloxi and Lafayette LA (read 'em)

Nationally, the top 10 radio advertisers went like this: Geico, McDonald's, Verizon, Home Depot, Fox-TV, Shane, AutoZone, Lowe's, ProActiv Solution and Kohl's + Hal Jackson of WBLS (107.5 FM) looked ageless Monday night when he joined a rousing 2-1/2-hour memorial service for the late Ruth Brown (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

Bonneville International has signed sports columnist and ESPN commentator Tony Kornheiser to host a midmorning program on Washington Post Radio (read more - Paul Farhi-Washington Post)

Al Winters has been hired to do mornings on Greater Media's Smooth Jazz 97.5 WJJZ in Philadelphia. He most recently served as the morning host and music director at WLVE-FM in Miami

Yet another media mogul has reportedly entered the fray for the Tribune Company — Rupert Murdoch and his News Corporation, whose holdings include Fox News and The New York Post (read more - NY Times)

Media regulator Ofcom has proposed limiting some aspects of the BBC’s plans for internet-based broadcasting because they would have too much impact on the commercial sector. The Corporation’s expansion plans include simulcasting of live broadcast streams over the internet, downloadable “catch up” copies of previously broadcast programmes, and a substantially increased number of radio programmes made available as downloads suitable for MP3 players such as iPods (read more - The Stage U.K.)

From John Rook -- Our long time pal Russ Regan, who discovered dozens of giant stars such as Elton John, Neil Diamond, Barry White and Olivia Newton-John and was a major force behind the 1970’s hit “Jesus Christ Superstar” is about to introduce another epic, "The Red Letters Project" (read more - www.JohnRook.com)

After four years in the midday slot on WMYX-FM (99.1), Sandy Maxx is leaving the station and heading south to Chicago's version of the "Mix" - WTMX-FM, where she'll take an off-air role as promotion director + Weather guy Scott Steele has popped back up on Milwaukee television, this time on Channel 4. As for the question that always comes up when the name Scott Steele is mentioned, aging weather pooch Spunky was not with him on the air, and the odds are against the resumption of his TV career (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

Arbitron will debut electronic measurement of New York area radio audiences on Thursday September 20, beginning a two-month demonstration period that will allow stations and agencies to better understand the differences between the two methods in the New York area markets. Electronic radio ratings will replace diary-based ratings as “currency” in all three markets with the release of the December 2007 survey month scheduled for December 31

Emmis Chairman and CEO Jeff Smulyan was honored at the 2nd annual Indiana Minority Business Magazine Dinner. In recognition of his efforts in the area of diversity at Emmis, Smulyan received the Dr. Martin Luther King Freedom Award. Last year's recipient of the award was Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy

Entravision Communications Corporation announced today that it has promoted the general managers of its Los Angeles, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Tampa, Florida; and Laredo, Texas stations to Vice President. The four executives are Karl Meyer (Los Angeles, California), Chris Roman (Las Vegas, Nevada), Lilly Gonzalez (Tampa, Florida) and Terry Elena Ordaz (Laredo, Texas)

For the first time in Denver radio history, a Spanish-language station has finished atop the Arbitron ratings (read more - Dick Kreck-Denver Post)

The Lex & Terry Morning Radio Network adds its latest affiliate, “105.5 The Vulcan” WENN-FM/ Birmingham. WENN joins KDGE/Dallas, WZZR/West Palm Beach, KHBZ/Oklahoma City, WPLA/Jacksonville and WTKX/Mobile on The Lex & Terry Morning Radio Network

Journal Broadcast Group has agreed to sell KOMJ-AM, "Magic 1490," Omaha, to Cochise Broadcasting of Wyoming (read more - Milwaukee Biz Journal)

Arthur E. "Art" Pallan, a retired KDKA Radio personality, died

Monday. John Cigna, former morning host at KDKA, said Mr. Pallan "was great at practical jokes. He played many of them on me" (read more - Jerry Vondas-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

It's time to put this recurring rumor to rest for good. "If you've received an e-mail telling you that your cell phone is about to be assaulted by telemarketing calls as a result of a new cell phone number database, rest assured that this is not the case. Telemarketing to cell phone numbers has always been illegal in most cases and will continue to be so." Dated April 15, 2005, the Federal Trade Commission release shows how long the rumor has been around (read more - Daily Nonpareil)

You're not reading much about the first independent radio online advertising auction that's scheduled for this Friday. Maybe it's because those holding power in the radio industry press aren't aware of the importance such an event represents (read more - Audio Graphics)

L. Stewart Diamond (Uncle Stew) started as a radio news broadcaster in the 1960s, working for KKUA-AM and KGMB-AM, now KSSK-AM. In the 1980s he was station manager of KULA-FM, now KSSK-FM. Diamond, 68, died Friday in Mililani (read more - Mary Adamski-Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

Lawyers for the family of a woman who died after drinking nearly 2 gallons of water in an on-air radio contest are demanding that the Federal Communications Commission terminate the station's license. A lawyer for the family of Jennifer Lea Strange, 28, said KDND showed "wanton disregard" for the safety of her and others who entered the Jan. 12 contest (read more - Buffalo News) (read more - view the video - NBC 11)

Eric Savitz (Barron's) submits: When it comes to the possible merger of XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, everyone has an opinion. For instance, New York Times columnist Joe Nocera weighed in on the topic on Saturday, reporting that Reed Hundt, the FCC chairman at the time that the commission approved a rule that would prevent the two companies from merging, now says he would advise reversing the rule (read more - Seeking Alpha)

Why, many have asked in the wake of contestant Jennifer Lea Strange's death, would The End, a contemporary hits radio station, have staged such an outrageous and risky stunt? Simple, industry experts say. Stunts are a huge boon to radio ratings. And stations have no trouble finding willing participants -- especially in this era of reality TV and extreme sports -- to go to the edge. And, occasionally, over it (read more - Sam McManis - Sacramento Bee)

If people vote by remote tonight, it's likely that American Idol's Simon, Paula, Randy and Ryan will outpoll President Bush. They won't compete head-to-head, but the president takes over prime time tonight when he delivers his State of the Union Address (read more - Dusty Saunders-Rocky Mountain News)

Morning man Imus of WFAN (660 AM) will broadcast live next Monday from San Antonio for the opening of the Center for the Intrepid, a facility for severely disabled veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

Clear Channel Radio expands a unique advertising campaign it created with Consolidated Media, a Las Vegas-based vacation resorts operator. The campaign, which consists of entertainment spots featuring celebrity interviews with DJs, will now be offered to Clear Channel Radio stations all over the country. The spots have been airing in radio markets on the West Coast (read more - Business Wire)

The biggest development in the Fall 2006 radio ratings is the appearance of multiethnic radio station KNDI-AM 1270 to the list of the top 10 morning shows and among the top 16 radio stations overall (read more - Erika Engle-Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

The music of Beethoven and Bach has disappeared from commercial radio in Washington. WGMS FM dropped the classical music format this afternoon in favor of hit songs from the 1970s and 1980s. The station has been renamed "George 104" (read more - ABC 7) (read more - Paul Farhi-Washington Post)

Its future ownership under the Tribune Co. banner remains in doubt, but WGN-AM (720) can at least take comfort in its first-place showing in revenue for 2006 + After six weeks off recovering from knee replacement surgery, Wendy Snyder thought she was returning Monday to her job on Steve Dahl's WCKG-FM (105.9) afternoon talk show. But when she showed up at the CBS Radio "Free FM" station, she learned she was fired (read more - Feder of Chicago)

Almost as interesting as what Keith Urban said Monday about rehab is where he decided to first speak publicly about his 90 days at the Betty Ford Clinic. Rather than giving an exclusive to Oprah or Katie Couric, Keith bypassed all traditional media outlets and instead spoke to fans directly on his Web site, keithurban.net Expect this move to help accelerate the trend of celebrities using video on their official Web sites to directly talk at length about significant events in their lives (read more - Beverly Keel-The Tennessean)

Sherry Clifton earned her nickname when she was host of a late-night "love songs" radio show, during which listeners would send requested dedications to "Sistah Sherry." The name stuck, and now serves her well as she co-hosts a highly rated morning radio show on KRTR-FM, where she has been working since 2000 (read more - Mark Coleman-Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

Amir Forester has been promoted from VP to the newly created position of Premiere Radio Networks' Senior Vice President of Public Relations (read more - Premiere Radio Networks)

The VoiceOver International Creative Experience – VOICE - will take place at the Palace Station in Las Vegas March 27th through March 31st. The conference, of which voices.com is a co-sponsor, is a first for people who make their living recording voiceovers

ARBitron numbers for Birmingham, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Topeka, Fort Myers and Fort Collins (read 'em)

The Lionel Show adds WCME FM in Portland ME, WTAR AM in Norfolk VA and WILM AM in Wilmington DE to its list of affiliates

From Happy Hare -- My entire career has been fiction-trumping. I still feel a twinge when I think about being out of morning radio, but I left with no regrets. Although I have a rich voice career, my last serious jock effort ended in 1973 at the end of a wildly successful four year run on KCBQ in San Diego after my return from Detroit on the Martin and Howard Show. My adventures at KCBQ after Detroit are chronicled in previous chapters. After my return from Detroit, The KCBQ adventures include swimming across San Diego in 200 swimming pools, preceded by a swim through Sea World. There was a warm-up10,000 foot parachute jump into the Pacific to start things off. I also broke the world record for a ... (read more - www.HappyHareOnline.com)

Sean M. Beall, 34, is better known around Lafayette as Marley, the overnight personality and creative services director for radio station WKHY. He was killed in a Saturday morning apartment building fire (read more - Journal and Courier)

Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association is producing “Revenue Matters” a panel at RAB2007, the Radio Advertising Bureau’s Annual Conference, which is being held from February 8-11 at the Hyatt Regency-Reunion in Dallas and moderated by Steve Sklenar, General Sales Manager of Lincoln Financial Media’s Charlotte Radio Group

Limerick's Live 95FM is to continue to hold the Radio licence for Limerick City and County following a challenge from Heart FH which failed to convince the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) that it could do a better job (read more - Limerick Post IE)

In the age of the Internet where information and data -- all kinds of data -- can be freely interchanged in an instant, the days are numbered for some industries unless change occurs, even if it means being dragged into a "new digital world" (read more - Brian White-Blogging Stocks)

Sirius Satellite Radio will launch The Foxxhole, an exclusive urban comedy, entertainment and lifestyle channel with Academy Award-winning actor, American Music Award-winning and Grammy-nominated artist, and comedian Jamie Foxx

In Argentina, the mentally ill are using radio as therapy. "Radio La Colifata FM 100.1! The first radio station to transmit from a psychiatric hospital!" an announcer shouts into a microphone at Buenos Aires' Jose Borda Neuropsychiatric Hospital. He pushes up the volume as the Beatles belt out "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah" (read more - Chicago Tribune)

Air America may have new owners -- the French family of Westchester County which owns New York City-area television WRNN. Richard French, son of WRNN owner Dick French, will likely get his own show in prime time on Air America (read more - Wall Street Journal)

XM Satellite Radio and American Honda Motor Co have launched a satellite radio trial program for Honda Certified Used Cars with factory-installed XM Satellite Radio. Under this new program, all certified pre-owned Honda models equipped with XM Satellite Radio will be available with three months of complimentary XM service and a waived activation fee. Honda models equipped with XM include the Accord, Accord Hybrid, Civic, Civic Hybrid, CR-V, Element, Odyssey, Pilot, and Ridgeline

Rural East Tennessee areas once served by "hometown" radio stations are losing ground to big companies, aided, in part by a licensing process that goes to the highest bidder (read more - WATE 6 TV)