RDN Central Archives I

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From Bridge Ratings -- Bridge Ratings has published a report that shows what the impact of Internet Radio’s “Day of Silence” actually had on its audience. The latest release of data related to Tuesday’s Internet radio listenership shows a significant reduction in the number of listeners to Internet Radio. The latest charts of the data are online at www.bridgeratings.com

From Bill Virgin -- To hear the conventional wisdom about the radio business, advertisers don't want them. They are the older listeners, 49 and older or 55 and older (however the demographic line is drawn). It's not just according to conventional wisdom that radio shuns older listeners. Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps recently noted the lack of attention to that demographic group (read more - Bill Virgin-Seattle PI)

ARBitron numbers for Detroit and Bakersfield (read 'em)

From Randy Dotinga -- Goodbye testosterone, hello estrogen. San Diego's most guy-friendly radio station is going to that big strip club in the sky, replaced by music and personalities who will be "hyper-targeted" to reach young-ish female types. Some might say good riddance to bad rubbish. After all, the defunct 103.7 Free FM was a virtual playground for men behaving badly (read more - Randy Dotinga - San Diego NC Times)

"No, I hate this story and I don't think it should be our lead. My producer Andy Jones is not listening to me. He's put it as the lead," she said as she took a fellow anchor's cigarette lighter and tried to burn the script. Blogs have simultaneously applauded and derided Mika Brzezinski's on-air spat at MSNBC (read more -Daniel Sankey-Sydney Morning Herald)

Dale Sandquist is leaving KMA 960 Shenandoah, Iowa and moving to Urbandale. He's been with the station since 2001 (Photo source: KMA)

Only weeks after taking the job, after Barry Kaye left, Connie Sansom is stepping down at Clear Channel’s WBBQ. She has told people that it’s for family reasons. But insiders say Sansom had found herself in a position that didn’t fit her needs. She’s not the only departure (read more - Augusta Metro Spirit)

From Robert Feder -- Google "Dan McNeil" and "suspension" and you'll come up with a list of incidents going back at least seven years. That list just got longer, thanks to yet another suspension for the mercurial afternoon personality on ESPN Radio's sports/talk WMVP-AM (1000) + Roland Martin, morning host on Midway Broadcasting's urban news/talk WVON-AM (1690), fills in for Paula Zahn at 7 tonight on CNN (read more - Robert Feder - Chicago Sun-Times)

From John Gorman -- What did we learn from Tuesday’s SaveNetRadio.com’s Day of Silence? Start with Capitol Hill getting the message loud, clear and without buffering. Play fair not pay fare + First question. Surprised by the PUR (persons using radio) drop in Canada? I’m not. Second question. Surprised that the greatest decline in listening came from 12-34 year olds? I hope not. Third question. When will their spin begin? Any moment now (read more - John Gorman)

From Tim Cuprisin -- It's easy to complain about the loss of a radio station. It's more effective to explore alternatives: HD radio, satellite and the Internet. Yes, buying into new technology costs money. It cost money when your parents or grandparents bought their first radios in the 1920s and their first TVs in the 1940s, and when you bought your first computer not so long ago (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

From Janet Whitman -- The jury at Conrad Black's fraud trial yesterday began poring over more than three months of testimony to weigh whether to put the dethroned press baron (Chicago Sun-Times) behind bars or set him free (read more - Janet Whitman-NY Post)

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio said they plan to keep the approximately 800 employees based in the District and their local building if their proposed merger is approved. "If you turn on the satellite radio, you're not listening to AM radio and FM radio," Mr. Karmazin said of why the NAB doesn't want the deal to be approved. "This merger is in the public interest" (read more - Jen Haberkorn-Washington Times)

KILT FM 100's Hudson and Harrigan morning team features an "Audio Vault" where listeners can hear the "best of" bits from the morning show (visit and listen - KILT 100)

Cellphones are ubiquitous and the Nielsen Company wants in. Nielsen is acquiring Telephia for an undisclosed amount (read more - Louise Story-NY Times)

From David Blum -- NBC News has paid for interviews. So have CBS and ABC. They just don't like it when the seller goes public with the terms of the deal (read more - David Blum-NY Sun)

Thanks to talk radio, Fox News, bloggers and other challengers of the dominant media's liberal orthodoxy, the forces of freedom have been winning the debate. What's a sore loser to do? Rig the game once again. Of course, today there are a lot more than "both sides of the story." Thanks to the popularity of political blogs, there are hundreds of "sides." Which ones out of that ocean of free expression will Durbin and the state-appointed broadcast commissars who regulate a new Fairness Doctrine deem acceptable? Will 9/11 conspiracy theorists get equal time? How about moon landing hoax proponents? (read more - Investors Business Daily Editorial)  (read more - Andrea Seabrook-NPR)

From Nancy Scola -- Fairness Doctrine Alert! Conservative commentators like Jonah Goldberg would like discussion about the structural imbalance of political talk radio to begin and end with the flagellation of the dread telecommunications principle that dares suggest that broadcasters who license the public airwaves have the responsibility to serve the public good. Of course, the discussion raised by a new report that finds that conservative content has decimated progressive talk on American radio can't end there, though that requires that we politely ignore Goldberg's suggestion that liberals "suck it up for Pete's sake" (read more - Nancy Scola-Huffington Post)

From Murphy Martin -- Most political candidates are masters at speaking without saying anything. This is particularly true of those who want to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. A few examples of what we mean. Just this week we heard Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton say: "If we set big goals and we work together to achieve them, we can restore the American dream today and for the next generation." And Mitt Romney a GOP hopeful said:" Americans can also overcome challenges and our abundant opportunities here at home" (read more - www.MurphyMartin.com)

From Jacobs Media -- If you're going to be the big, in-your-face personality station that is involved in the community, it's going to be difficult to compete with a music box format like Jack for the quantity hill. The fact is, every great radio station's strengths - whether they are personality, music quantity, information, or variety - can be exploited by a competitor in one way or another (read more - Jacobs Media)

From Jimmy Rabbitt -- On this date, Elton John and Eric Clapton headlined a show at Wembley Stadium in 1992. At their request, Bonnie Raitt opened the show. John had recently released the album, The One, while Clapton was burning up the charts with a tribute to his son, Conor, titled “Tears in Heaven.” Raitt’s 1990 release, Nick of Time, netted her four Grammys. John and Clapton would release the single, “Runaway Train,” the following month (read more - www.therabbittreport.com)

Former WIOD Miami anchor Michael Woulfe and former WJNO West Palm Beach morning anchor Gerrard Campbell join WFTL 850AM Fort Lauderdale to co-anchor morning drive news

From Whitney Smith -- "Adventures in Good Music," one of the mainstays of local classical music radio, will end Friday when the program goes off the air for the last time on WICR-FM (88.7). The 48-year-old syndicated program with Karl Haas was once carried by hundreds of stations worldwide (read more - Whitney Smith-Indy Star)

In just over 2 years Clear Channel Radio’s online network has gone from a weekly streaming CUME of 316,000 listeners to 1,375,000, a 335% increase

From Raw Story -- "This next one may make you think twice about freedom of speech," announced Fox News on Wednesday, stating that the federal government wants to "resurrect" the Fairness Doctrine from "back in the 40's." Fox then turned to two regular guests, editor of the conservative National Review Rich Lowry and assistant professor of urban studies Marc Lamont Hill, to debate the issue (read more - view the video - The Raw Story)

From Media Matters -- Since April 2007, ABC Radio Networks has featured a daily commentary from former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN), titled the "Fred Thompson Report." ABC Radio launched the "Fred Thompson Report" amid growing speculation that Thompson would run for president in 2008. A Media Matters for America review of Thompson's commentaries for ABC Radio Networks revealed that he has repeatedly advanced conservative misinformation on a variety of issues (read more - Media Matters)

SaveNet Radio, the coalition of webcasters, artists, and independent record labels, did a remarkable job coordinating thousands of online stations into silence on Tuesday. Next question: Will the flurry of voices, speaking to persons they elected, be powerful enough for movement before July 15?

From John Dvorak -- This is the last week of Apple iPhone hype, hyperbole, and hand-wringing. Oh wait, I mean the last week of pre-iPhone hype, hyperbole, and hand-wringing—we have a few more post-iPhone months left on the calendar. I am sick of it. It's all anyone talks about. It dominates the news. It dominates the podcasts and videocasts and magazines (read more - John Dvorak-PC Mag)

The Mark Levin Show has affiliated 130 stations in 17 months, says ABC Radio Networks. "Watching Mark's show explode on the national platform has been incredibly rewarding for me," said Phil Boyce, VP, News/Talk Stations, Citadel Broadcasting

From Richard Connelly -- There's an intense battle going on here in Houston, one that's baffling national observers, one that's resulted in unprecedented upheaval in an industry that rakes in millions, a life-or-death struggle that will likely see at least one huge company stagger out of town with its tail between its legs. And if you're female, chances are pretty good you know nothing about it, because no one in this fight gives a damn about you. It's the world of sports-talk radio, a place where people wait on line for an hour to talk about who should be hitting sixth in the Astros lineup (read more - Richard Connelly -Houston Press)

Wednesday June 27, 2007

It was a “day of silence,” but Internet radio broadcasters made quite a statement on Tuesday. Some 14,000 webcasters—roughly half of all U.S. Internet radio broadcasters—turned off the tunes as part of a boycott to protest the steep royalty rates they could be forced to pay record labels (read more - Alexandra Berzon-Red Herring)  (read more - Greg Simmons-Fox News)  (read more - Sacramento Biz Journal)

From Bridge Ratings -- Bridge Ratings has published a report that shows what the impact of Internet Radio’s “Day of Silence” actually had on its audience. The first release of data related to yesterday’s Internet radio listenership shows a significant reduction in the number of listeners to Internet Radio. The first charts of the data are online at www.bridgeratings.com

Arbitron and Clear Channel Radio have signed a multi-year agreement for Portable People Meter radio ratings services in 46 markets, as and when those services are rolled out by Arbitron (read more - Business Wire)  (read more - CNN Money)

From Robert Feder -- On Tuesday morning, practically every broadcast outlet in Chicago and most of Illinois into a panic. For several heart-stopping minutes between 7:30 and 8 a.m., when somebody from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, while testing warning equipment, activated the Emergency Alert System + Derrick Brown, former assistant program director and midday host at adult contemporary WLIT-FM (93.9), has been named program director of Clear Channel Radio urban adult-contemporary WVAZ-FM (102.7), effective July 16 to succeed Elroy Smith (read more - Robert Feder - Chicago Sun-Times)  (read more - Short News)

House Republican lawmakers are preparing to fight anticipated Democratic efforts to regulate talk radio by reviving rules requiring stations to balance conservative hosts such as Rush Limbaugh with liberals such as Al Franken. Conservatives fear that forcing stations to make equal time for liberal talk radio would cut into profits so drastically that radio executives would opt to scale back on conservative radio programming to avoid escalating costs and interference from the FCC (read more - Alexander Bolton -The Hill)  (read more - Amanda Carpenter-Townhall)

ARBitron numbers for Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego and Milwaukee (read 'em)

From Lynn Woolley -- The Left has never gotten over the fact that it once had a media monopoly. It hates the New Media, particularly talk radio, and can't understand why so many people tune in. As Hillary Clinton once opined, it must be due to some vast right-wing conspiracy. The Hate Radio movement has achieved moderate success, but the highest-profile victim, Don Imus, was not a conservative (read more - Lynn Woolley-Human Events)  (read more - Klaus Rohrich-Canada Free Press CA)

From Jon Friedman -- The first half of 2007 stands out for big deals with scandals  taking a backseat to the media industry's serious stuff this time. Jon Freidman lists the top 12 media stories so far this year, including the satellite radio merger, the Don Imus exit, Rupert Murdoch's quest for Dow Jones-Wall Street Journal, Katie Couric's flop at CBS and more (read more -- Jon Friedman-CNN Money)

A new study has found that Canadians -- especially teens and young adults -- devoted less time than ever listening to their radios for entertainment in 2006 (read more - London Free Press CA)

From Paul Tharp -- An initial deal was hammered out yesterday to protect the editorial independence of The Wall Street Journal in the event it is acquired by News Corp (read more - Paul Tharp-NY Post)

From David Hinckley -- More than two years after New York lost its oldies radio station, and most of its oldies jocks, a station at the Jersey Shore is getting them back together for a reunion weekend. The Breeze (107.1 FM, 99.7 FM) is reviving the WCBS-FM tradition of a "Radio Greats Reunion Weekend," July 21-22 (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

How fast is your Internet speed? (click the clock to check)

Scottish media group SMG Plc  said it had received several approaches for its Virgin Radio business, which is plans to float as part of a turnaround plan for the group (read more - Reuters U.K.)

The wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards called into Chris Matthews' MSNBC’s “Hardball” on Tuesday to confront Ann Coulter on her personal attacks on her husband and family (read more - Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro-MSNBC)  (view the video)

So how is it? As it turns out, much of the hype and some of the criticisms are justified. The iPhone is revolutionary; it’s flawed. It’s substance; it’s style. It does things no phone has ever done before; it lacks features found even on the most basic phones (read more - David Pogue-NY Times)

From Jacobs Media -- An amazing story played out recently on CBS-TV and the network has done something virtually unprecedented - it brought back a show it cancelled. In this case, it's "Jericho." Apparently, one of the problems with the show's ratings came from too many viewers watching it on TiVos and DVRs - and not in real time on a CBS affiliate (read more - Jacobs Media)

From John Rook -- Surviving severe injuries and three brain surgeries, his head was encased in a steel plate that now must be removed. This week, a team of surgeons will  attempt a risky operation that if successful will replace the plate with a new material that will lengthen the life of Jimmie Rodgers. His son Michael writes, “If this surgery works there is also a very real chance that he might never recover from the intense trauma that he is about to go  through"  (read more - www.JohnRook.com)

From Mike Leonard -- I got slimed by Fox News program host Bill O’Reilly. It was a little like having a skunk tell you that you smell bad. Many of my colleagues expressed envy. Knowing that the bombastic host of “The O’Reilly Factor” would be a speaker at the conference, I mischievously offered up a May column I’d written concerning the Fox News host. Basically, the column was about the blowback from O’Reilly and Fox after Indiana University researchers analyzed more than 100 episodes of “The O’Reilly Factor” and concluded that the program host is a propagandist whose techniques are “heavier” and “less nuanced” than the notorious 1930s radio commentator Father Charles Coughlin (read more - Mike Leonard-Bloomington Herald Times)

From Sonny Melendrez -- Thinking about your ratings? Consider the following. As the story goes, at a charity walk/run sponsored by a radio station in Seattle a few years ago, a group of youngsters taught the crowd a lesson they will never forget. The annual event raised thousands for the National Down Syndrome Society and gave children with Down syndrome an opportunity to have a race of their own (read more - Sonny Melendrez)

CNN Headline News' Nancy Grace got married secretly in April. That is not the only news, the talk show host is also expecting twins (read more - Peach Buzz-Atlanta JC) (Photo source: CNN) (read more - Cleveland Leader)

Less than halfway into a five-minute clip of violent TV excerpts being shown to a packed Senate hearing Tuesday, Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg became visibly fed up. "We've seen enough," he said, after scenes from "NCIS," "The Shield" and "Rescue Me" played. "I think we all know what's out there is disgusting." But though there was a consensus that such scenes were violent and inappropriate for children, sharp disagreements broke out over what, if anything, the government should do about them. The Impact of Media Violence on Children hearing on Tuesday in Washington DC focused on issues related to the impact of violent television programming on children, including issues raised by the recently released Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report, Violent Television Programming And Its Impact On Children (read more - Jim Puzzanghera-LA Times) (view the archived video of the Senate Hearing)

From Tim Cuprisin -- FM stations broadcasting in HD can offer a second channel of music, and WHAD does precisely that with classical music. Unlike satellite radio, there's no monthly fee. But sales of HD radios have been slow, and there continue to be anecdotal reports from folks shopping in the large electronic stores who say that even the clerks don't know what HD radio is (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

Conclave 007 gets underway in Minneapolis on Thursday. Entrance into the learning conference is $549. Or, if you can only attend on Saturday, the Conclave is offering a Saturday-only tuition of $99 (read more - www.TheConclave.com)

Envision Radio Networks’ Cheap Psychological Tricks with Dr. Buff adds WLS 890 AM.  “Dr. Buff is unique. He can say more in fifty-seconds than most say in an hour! He's simply the best at shrinking complex problems with his surprising solutions,” says WLS Program Director Kipper McGee

ChickChat Radio has a new producer, Eric Price, and industry veteran consultant David Bernstein has joined "Team Chick"

Cox Radio has named Louisville's WVEZ, Lite 106.9-FM, its Radio Station of the Year for smaller markets (read more - Louisville Courier-Journal)

Commercial television stations take advertising of all kinds. But ads are traditionally kept separate from news reports.  For the past year or so, KOIN-TV has had a deal with Providence Health Systems to sponsor a medical report once a week (read more - Colin Fogarty-Oregon Public Broadcasting News)

Radio has gone from ‘golden age' to middle age, and it's moving east. A survey of Canadian's radio listening habits reveals a continuing shift in habits, with teens and young adults ditching antennas for downloads and audiences across the country disappearing. The only places bucking the trend are Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, where radio listening rates have actually risen in the last year (read more - Tenille Bonoguore -The Globe and Mail CA)

Westwood One and AccuWeather announced an extension of their content and distribution partnership by which Metro Networks traffic content will be added to the free AccuWeather.com sites on both the wired and mobile web

Tuesday  June 26, 2007

Many Internet radio stations are deliberately offline today. Many Web-based music services and some conventional radio stations that offer Internet audio streams are scheduled to shut off their online music and programming until midnight tonight. Organizers are calling it Day of Silence and are hoping it will focus attention on a royalty-fee increase that many Internet-based broadcasters say could drive them out of business (read more - SaveNetRadio-PR Newswire) (read more - Mike Musgrove-Washington Post)  (read more - ABC 6 Philly)  (read more - Heather Newman-Detroit Free Press)  (read more - Isaac DeVille-State News MSU)  (read more - Peter Hartlaub-SF Chronicle)  (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

From Jacob Bennett -- Over-the-air radio stations are facing increased competition for audiences from satellite radio and iPods, just as other types of media struggle with Internet broadcasts and a growing number of cable channels. The way local radio stations will keep their audiences, local program directors say, is to provide services that far-off satellite stations cannot. Many are also exploiting the Internet (read more - Jacob Bennett-Evansville Courier and Press)

From Robert Feder -- With an eye on its ratings, urban news/talk WVON-AM (1690) is shaking up its program department. Forced out Monday after nine months as program director is Jerry Riles + Mancow Muller, who still hosts his syndicated morning show from Chicago, joins Roe Conn as guest co-host from 4 to 7 p.m. today on Citadel-owned news/talk WLS-AM (890). Conn will be joined Friday by guest co-host Larry Lujack (read more - Robert Feder-Chicago Sun-Times)

From Tom Teepen -- Talk radio is all atwitter with doomsday scenarios, its talk masters and mistresses in self-reported alarm. To hear them tell it, Congress is out to spike their mighty cannons ... Talk radio is a Them and Us medium. "They" – illegal immigrants now but in the past socialists, secular humanists, the politically correct, multilateralists, elitists, the French (but always, always liberals) – are out to get us. Talk radio pulls about 50 million listeners weekly on some 1,700 stations. The shows are 90 percent or more conservative – which in most cases is putting it mildly. They are volcanoes of molten misinformation and of acid indignation, contempt and ridicule (read more - Tom Teepen-Cox News Service)

Radio One reported a 71 percent decline in profit for the first quarter of the year compared with the corresponding period in 2006, as the Lanham company works to realign its strategy in urban markets (read more - Anita Huslin-Washington Post)

Several factors play into whether the national media focus on a story. One is race, particularly black-on-white crime. Pregnant women or women with young children also get a great deal of attention, as evidenced by the interest in Davis and in the Laci Peterson case four years ago. Sex is another element. Affairs attract the public (read more - Alison Kepner - Delaware News Journal)

Classical music disappeared from Milwaukee radio as WFMR-FM (106.9) flipped to smooth jazz. It's part of a chain reaction that started with WKTI-FM (94.5) dumping its morning show to target younger listeners, which led WJZI-FM (93.3) to drop smooth jazz to target disenfranchised WKTI listeners. Now it's WFMR's turn (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

FamilyNet Radio, the voice of Christian Talk on SIRIUS Satellite Radio , today announced its strong support for the pending merger between SIRIUS and XM Satellite Radio (read more - PR Newswire)

Arbitron revealed that the radio industry in Denmark has selected the Arbitron Portable People Meter system as their electronic audience measurement system

As with satellite radio, much of HD Radio receiver growth will ultimately come by way of car manufacturers including it in vehicles. With a big advertising push coming this spring, more affordable receivers are starting to appear. Sony has signed on to incorporate HD Radio in its products over the next few years. The Accurian Tabletop HD Radio, appropriately available at Radio Shack, sells for $159 before rebate. And now Silicon Prarie startup Radiosophy is offering the boombox-like HD100 receiver for merely $59 after rebate. This makes it the least expensive HD Radio on the market (read more - Ross Rubin-EnGadget)

From The Radio Babe -- WUSF seeks stories from those who survived World War II, whether at home or in the military, for its "Florida Stories" series, which airs at 5:30 p.m. during "All Things Considered." Its goal is to air World War II stories from Memorial Day through Veterans Day in conjunction with Ken Burns' PBS documentary, "The War" (read more - Dawn Scire-The Radio Babe)

Should the government green-light a merger between Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Chief Executive Mel Karmazin might end up taking the reins of the merged company (read more - Matthew Kirdahy-Forbes)

ARBitron numbers for New York   Middlesex-Somerset   Nassau-Suffolk   Riverside-San Bernadino   Hamptons-Riverhead (read 'em)

The iPhone doesn’t go on sale until Friday, but Steven P. Jobs, the chief executive of Apple, is already changing the perception of the mobile phone, from a quick way to call a friend to a hip, media-friendly device. In doing so, he has forced mobile phone and Hollywood executives to react by chasing hungrily after the newest thing or face being left behind (read more - -Laura M. HolsonNY Times)  (read more - NY Post)

Both XM and Sirius have launched microsites - at www.xmmerger.com and www.siriusmerger.com  The NAB has countered with www.xmsiriusmonopoly.org. All three provide the means for visitors to submit comments directly to the FCC (read more - PR Week)

From Rich Lowry -- Broadcasters go where the money is. If a liberal could draw the kind of listeners -- and hence the kind of advertising dollars -- as Limbaugh, he too would be on more than 600 stations. This is why Spanish-language radio is such a growth commodity. Not because broadcasters have an agenda to Hispanicize America, or because there's a structural imbalance that favors Spanish-language over German- or French-language programming, but because there's an audience for it (read more - Rich Lowry-Town Hall)

The power of the federal government to regulate violent content on television -- on cable as well as broadcast TV -- gets its latest hearing today before the Senate Commerce Committee in Washington, D.C. (read more - Timothy McNulty-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

From Dave Kohl -- Radio's strength is its ability to paint the picture for the listener, and sports broadcasts certainly lead the way over the years. But as the rich tradition and history of the major sports continues to dwindle over the past few years, I'm coming to realize that radio (and TV) are actually playing a role in this (read more - Dave Kohl)

From Happy Hare -- Sorely vexed at Talk Radio’s massive campaign against the Immigration Bill, Senator Trent Lott blurted out. “Talk Radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.” Now, there he goes again. Who does he think he is? Rosie O’Donnell? Hey! Lott is lucky to be still in the Senate fold after committing a major gaffe when celebrating Senator Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday. During the old senator’s birthday party, Trent Lott rose to proclaim his regret that Thurmond had not been elected president. Thurmond was an unreconstructed southern bigot. It was probably a friend’s way of making his old buddy feel better, but, few took it that way. The aftershock of Lott’s earth shaking proclamation rippled into the main stream media (read more - www.HappyHareOnline.com)

From Laura Nachman -- “Kathy Griffin: “My Life on the D List” airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Griffin made a strong case for being named a co-host on “The View” with her recent hilarious appearance on “Larry King Live” + The has-beens get their chance again with “Scott Baio is 45 and Single” on VH1, Bret Michaels of Poison in “Rock of Love” on VH1 and Corey Feldman and Corey Haim in “The Two Coreys” on A & E (read more - Laura Nachman-Philly Burbs)

Soundboard.com has uploaded several Chris Hansen one line sound bites from Dateline NBC's TO CATCH A PREDATOR series which some people are using for their cell phone ring tones and radio people are airing on their shows (listen to and download 'em-Soundboard)

From John Gorman -- Tomorrow (Tuesday) is Internet radio’s Day of Silence. Most, but not all, Internet radio streams will be mute ...  After World War II, when some radio stations first played recorded music, the labels protested, contending that if recorded music could be heard for free, no one would buy it. There was even an ephemeral flap about music being played on FM since that frequency could broadcast music in cleaner fidelity - and in stereo! That protest ended abruptly with the advent of the album rock format. The labels realized that they now had a frequency that could sell big records with small holes to the masses. Labels have a history of challenging and being hostile toward new technology (read more - John Gorman)

Arbitron announced that KDAY-FM and KDAI-FM, simulcast hip-hop stations owned by Magic Broadcasting, have entered into a multi-year agreement for Arbitron’s radio ratings services that include Portable People Meter audience measurement services when the PPM system is deployed in Los Angeles, starting in January 2008

BDSradio.com has a new group deal with Journal Broadcast Group and will be the exclusive provider of music monitoring services for all Journal Broadcast stations

1010 WINS and TrafficLand have partnered to supply real-time video content from 264 New York City metropolitan area traffic cameras to the radio station’s Web site www.1010wins.com

Rick and Bubba's The Rick & Bubba Code has hit #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List of paperbacks (read more - NY Times)

Westwood One will have a special edition of Rowdy Yates' “The Country Gold Studio Spotlight” featuring a rare one-on-one interview with Country music legend Merle Haggard on the July 7th show

 ESPN Deportes Radio will launch in three new markets – Dallas, New Jersey and Knoxville. ESPN Deportes Radio can now be heard on KNIT 1480-AM in the Dallas-Forth Worth metropolitan area, WADB-1330-AM serving the central region of New Jersey and WKCE-AM in Knoxville, Tennessee

From Natalie Guyol -- With the cooperation of the print media and Sunday pundits, Newt Gingrich made his career out of anger, and the sustenance of public anger served to enhance the power he derived from it. This vague subsurface anger has been manifest for years now — in the popularity of people like Imus and Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy and Anne Coulter, in the coarsening of our political commentary across the board, and of course most devastatingly in the incidents of random violence, from “road rage” to the D.C. snipers to schoolyard shooters, that seem to occur ever more frequently (read more - Nathalie Guyol -Waxahachie Daily Light)

Doug Stephan's Good Day, Good Day Weekend, and Talk Radio Countdown adds new affiliates, WNIX AM in Greenville MS, and KKTK AM in Texarkana

On July 1,Premiere Radio will assume the distribution rights to Dawson McAllister Live, a call-in show designed to meet the needs of teenagers and young adults which airs live Sundays

Emmis and StreamAudio have entered into an exclusive agreement for StreamAudio to be the streaming provider for all of Emmis' radio stations (read more - PR Newswire)

Salem Communications is restructuring the company's senior executive officer positions effective July 1 (read more - Business Wire)

On Thursday, Greater Media Boston's first annual on-air radiothon will raise funds to benefit the newly constructed Camp Harbor View will feature Mayor Tom Menino, actors Brian Denehey and Jay Thomas, comedian Steve Sweeney, Donna Summer, Boston Bruins great Cam Neely and former "New Kids On The Block" star Joey McIntyre

In an interview with HDNet World Report, San Francisco’s unorthodox Mayor Gavin Newsom discusses what he calls
“the extraordinary experiment that is San Francisco” on Tuesday, June 26 at 9:00 pm ET and expresses his views on gay marriage and immigration, and his own turbulent
personal life

Rockers reaching a certain age suddenly reveal their long-repressed passion for country music. Bon Voyage: For Bon Jovi the move to country seems a smart marketing move (read more - Jonathan Takiff-Philly News)

Less than a week before launching its closely guarded new cellphone, Apple has unveiled the technology industry's version of the Zapruder film. The company added a 20-minute video "tour" of the iPhone to its website on Friday, revealing new features (read more - Jim Hopkins-USA Today)

A proposed sale of Chrysalis Radio, comprising all of Chrysalis’s radio operations, to Global Radio, a newly-formed investment vehicle, for an aggregate cash consideration of £170m has been announced (read more - Business Sale U.K.)

WFMD and WFRE may be destined for new ownership as Clear Channel Communications filed with the Federal Communications Commission last week to transfer dozens of station licenses, including its two Frederick stations, to Aloha Station Trust (read more - Justin M. Palk
-Frederick News Post)

Monday June 25, 2007

Arbitron released its June 2007 RADAR radio network audience reports (RADAR 93) covering the period March 30, 2006 – April 4, 2007. In addition to the 12+ rankings released each quarter, Arbitron will now post (RADAR Radio Network Ratings for Persons 18-49 and Persons 25-54)  RADAR Radio Network Ratings for Persons 18-49 and Persons 25-54 on its Web site (read more - ARBitron)

From Jacobs Media -- Tomorrow, an interesting protest will be taking place, and terrestrial radio could and should be a part of it. Led by Kurt Hanson's SaveNetRadio, the idea is to create a "Day of Silence" for stations' web streams to protest the Copyright Royalty Board's rate increases. At the same time, the goal is to support the Internet Radio Equality Act (read more - Jacobs Media)

File-sharing service Qtrax is about to hit the markets with the blessing - not to mention the catalogs - of all four major record labels, The NY Post has learned (read more - Peter Lauria-NY Post)

Members of the public will have a rare opportunity on Thursday of this week to offer feedback to the Federal Communications Commission on how Portland-area broadcasters are fulfilling their public service responsibilities. FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, who will attend the hearing said, "I want to know how the out-of-state ownership is affecting people. I'm not prejudging it, but I am concerned" (read more - -Boston Globe)

Judging by talk radio and letters to the editor, illegal immigrants are the ruination of this country – the source of every social ill known. But Bill Hammond doesn't see things that way at all. "No, I do not. I see it just the other way," he said. Contrary to believing illegal immigrants are a menace, Hammond and the Texas Association of Business say illegal immigrants have been a huge benefit to our society. "I think a lot of people don't realize how essential these workers are to our economy," he said. But aren't Mexicans taking over? "That's complete baloney," he said, sounding exasperated to even address such claims. "Texas has a very diverse population, and that's a good, healthy thing" (read more - Steve Blow - Dallas News)

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Supreme Court loosened restrictions Monday on corporate- and union-funded television ads that air close to elections, weakening a key provision of a landmark campaign finance law and upheld the right of an Alaska school principal to confiscate a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" from a student who unfurled the banner off school grounds at an Olympic torch event in Juneau

Last night, advisers to both sides said they were close to reaching an agreement on editorial control, but it was unclear whether the Bancrofts would approve a deal (to sell the Wall Street Journal to Rupert Murdoch). When he bought The Times of London in 1981 he gave similar assurances, but some former editors say he meddled with news operations anyway. Rupert Murdoch's vast media holdings give him a gamut of tools — not just campaign contributions, but also jobs for former government officials and media exposure that promotes allies while attacking adversaries, sometimes viciously — all of which he has used to further his financial interests and establish his legitimacy in the United States, interviews and government records show (read more - Jo Becker, Richard Siklos, Jane Perlez and Raymond Bonner-NY Times)

Gene Maxwell knows the music and the equipment and he even knows the DJ he's sitting in for at WNIC-FM, so it only makes sense that he's back -- until you remember why he left. He was let go. Or downsized, if you prefer, since nobody new took his place (read more - Neal Rubin-Detroit News)

From Tim Cuprisin -- The latest contender for Bob Barker's"Price Is Right" spot is Drew Carey. Rosie O'Donnell - who was never likely to get the job - was asked about him at www.rosie.com.  She blogs: "I love Drew Carey" (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

From Art Vuolo -- On Friday night, in the midst of the Talkers event, I got on a cruise around Manhattan that was sponsored by WABC radio and featured several legendary radio names. On that cruise was Soupy Sales, who, sadly, isn’t doing so well - he’s in his early 80s and, needless to say, no longer able to throw pies + Remember Denny Schaffer from WKQI-FM (95.5) when it was known as WCZY, Z-95.5? He’s now doing fill-in work for talk hosts, including Glenn Beck, and hosting a daily Internet radio show live from 10 a.m.-noon. You can tune in at www.dennyradio.com (read more - Art Vuolo-Michiguide)

From Gary Lycan -- Phil Hendrie is back on the radio.  But try to find him. Hendrie's new show is with Talk Radio Network. Now one would think TRN would want to "talk" about the new Hendrie show. At this writing, it's just the opposite. Can it be because the only way to hear Hendrie on Monday is go to the TRN Web site and plunk down money for a monthly or yearly subscription? (read more - Gary Lycan-Orange County Register)

From Claude Hall -- Courtesy of Bruce Miller Earle and Bill Crawford, I've just received a book titled "Border Radio." The book was written by Gene Fowler and Bill Crawford. Impressive! And also outstanding. If, like me, you grew up
listening to some of those Mexican stations with their ungodly wattage and those horrible commercials selling baby chicks and "autographed pictures of Jesus Christ," then you will love this book! If you're a radio buff like me and just about everyone I know, you will love this book. If you just wish to read some excellent history written well, you will love this book. Hey, Don Imus, you will love this book! Pictures, too  Gary Allyn, left; George Wilson, Happy Hare, second from right; Rich Brother Robbins, right. (Photo courtesy Amie Moorhead) (read more - www.ClaudeHallOnline.com)

With its launch set for Friday, there's no escaping the iPhone hype. But do you really need, or even want, such an expensive cell phone? Okay, the iPhone is more than just a cell phone. It is a music player and Web browser. It takes pictures, too. By all accounts, it's a really, really cool gadget. And there's little doubt it will instantly be a status symbol. But that doesn't mean there aren't drawbacks, starting with the price tag (read more - Matthew Weinberger-NY Daily News)

The Association of Electronic Journalists has honoured the best in electronic journalism in Canada. RTNDA Canada presented the coveted RTNDA Awards at the National Awards Gala Saturday evening in Vancouver (read more - CNW CA)

James K. Glassman, an occasional radio talk show host,  has become Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency supervising US government international broadcasting and offered a candid and optimistic appraisal of the agency and its mission (read more - Follow the Media)

Britain's commercial radio companies are lobbying for the FM and AM radio signals to be switched off, leaving listeners forced to tune in via digital radio sets or the internet. The radio companies claim that their medium will be left behind unless the government orders a cut-off date (read more - Juliette Garside-The Telegraph U.K.)

From George Diaz and The National Review -- Talk radio pushes more hot buttons than music because of the content. But once you start trying to homogenize and balance content to extremes, we lose the essence of free speech ...  "The Fairness Doctrine would kill talk radio as we know it," Fox News talk-show host Sean Hannity said recently. Finally, something liberals and conservatives should agree on (read more - George Diaz-Orlando Sentinel)  (read more -
The National Review)

Clear Channel has agreed to use a new electronic rating system in the top 50 U.S. cities that is aimed at replacing a decades-old system of paper diaries, a person familiar with the agreement said (read more - Houston Chronicle)

In the past, media coverage of celebrities often hinged on the promotional agenda of studios, publicists and other handlers. Under the direction of Harvey Levin, a former lawyer and investigative reporter, and Jim Paratore, an executive consultant to the site, TMZ.com has quickly gained an audience by posting news articles garnered from documents, unofficial videotapes, exclusive paparazzi shots and other sources like law enforcement officials and courthouse clerks (read more - Allison Hope Weiner-NY Times)

Gene Peterson and Jim Foley, who have provided the radio soundtrack of Rockets basketball for more than three decades, will work a 33rd and final season together before retiring at the end of the 2007-08 NBA campaign (read more - David Barron-Houston Chronicle)

On the June 24 edition of Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace said Sen. James Inhofe "says that he overheard Barbara Boxer and Hillary Clinton three years ago complaining about talk radio and saying there should be a legislative fix." However, as blogger Greg Sargent observed, Inhofe had first asserted during a June 21 interview on Los Angeles radio station KFI 640 AM's The John Ziegler Show that he had overheard the conversation between Boxer and Clinton "the other day" but then said on Your World that the conversation had occurred "three years ago" (read more - Media Matters)

Scott Sams is anchoring at CBS 11 in Dallas-Fort Worth. For nearly 20 years, Scott Sams worked at CBS 11's competition, ABC Channel 8. But in September 2004 the station fired him, ostensibly for sagging ratings on the morning show he anchored but perhaps just as much for the rumors and allegations that snuck out of the studio: that he became too comfortable with his position; that off-camera his ego was unbound and his relationship with coworkers bristly; that in a meeting he called a colleague a “Greek bitch.” Post-Channel 8 was painful for Sams. No work, no prospects of work, a nightmare that stretched into months and then a year (read more - Paul Kix-D Magazine)

When 20 armed soldiers stormed into Radio Sagarmatha on 12 February 2005, Mohan Bista, the station's chief, knew there was going to be trouble. The King of Nepal had just declared martial law, seized executive power and ordered all news bulletins and political shows to be replaced with music (read more - Jerome Taylor-The Independent U.K.)

From Mark Ramsey -- Seth talks about the crisis in the music business, and what you need to sell when consumers aren't buying what you're trying to sell. "7 Days of Seth" is an extensive discussion with marketing guru Seth Godin about his new book, The Dip, and about the future of the radio industry (read more - Mark Ramsey-Hear 2.0)

From Tommy Kramer -- It seems so easy to hear the mistakes your competitor makes--the things he or she does that are dumb, not thought out well, phony-sounding, pukey, lame, irritating or obvious. So why can't we hear ourselves the same way? It's because we know it's us. Someone we like. Someone we root for and want to succeed. Okay, here's the lesson. To really be able to listen to audio of yourself and make ... (read more - www.TommyKramer.net)

UTV scrapped plans to bid for Virgin Radio after deciding it was worth much less than the £100-million-plus that SMG is seeking for it (read more - Sunday Herald U.K.)

Thousands of webcasters across the country plan to pull the plug on Tuesday. One of the nation's largest -- Live 365 -- will shut down the 10,000 channels of varied music programming it carries. "By joining together with all other Internet radio stations, Live 365 will show them what they can look forward to if things don't change quickly: silence." Webcasters such as AccuRadio, Rhapsody, Pandora, Yahoo Music and MTV Online also plan to go silent, while some stations will air public-service announcements on the campaign (read more - Adrian McCoy - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

John Laws has announced his retirement from radio after more than half a century behind the microphone. Speaking at 9.09am on 2UE, Laws said he had planned to make an announcement at 9.45am, but had been beaten to the punch by other media, which had already announced his planned retirement. "There are a lot of people who listen who have absolutely no time for me at all, they don't like me a bit. And that's fine, I accept that, but you shouldn't be listening. "Because you're committing an offence, you're stealing talent, and I do have some left. So you listen to me, and bad mouth me round town, but you listen to me, so you thieves, I'd like you to go away
 (read more - Dylan Welch-Sydney Morning Herald AU)

Rob Waddell, 63, former radio personality and voice talent passed away in Houston last week (read more - Houston Chronicle)

Longtime Boise State Radio DJ Victor Pacania passed away Saturday morning after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer, according to a message on the KBSU Web site (read more - Idaho Statesman)

With its launch set for Friday, there's no escaping the iPhone hype. But do you really need, or even want, such an expensive cell phone? Okay, the iPhone is more than just a cell phone. It is a music player and Web browser. It takes pictures, too. By all accounts, it's a really, really cool gadget. And there's little doubt it will instantly be a status symbol. But that doesn't mean there aren't drawbacks, starting with the price tag (read more - Matthew Weinberger-NY Daily News)

The Association of Electronic Journalists has honoured the best in electronic journalism in Canada. RTNDA Canada presented the coveted RTNDA Awards at the National Awards Gala Saturday evening in Vancouver (read more - CNW CA)

James K. Glassman, an occasional radio talk show host,  has become Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency supervising US government international broadcasting and offered a candid and optimistic appraisal of the agency and its mission (read more - Follow the Media)

Britain's commercial radio companies are lobbying for the FM and AM radio signals to be switched off, leaving listeners forced to tune in via digital radio sets or the internet. The radio companies claim that their medium will be left behind unless the government orders a cut-off date (read more - Juliette Garside-The Telegraph U.K.)

From George Diaz and The National Review -- Talk radio pushes more hot buttons than music because of the content. But once you start trying to homogenize and balance content to extremes, we lose the essence of free speech ...  "The Fairness Doctrine would kill talk radio as we know it," Fox News talk-show host Sean Hannity said recently. Finally, something liberals and conservatives should agree on (read more - George Diaz-Orlando Sentinel)  (read more -
The National Review)

Clear Channel has agreed to use a new electronic rating system in the top 50 U.S. cities that is aimed at replacing a decades-old system of paper diaries, a person familiar with the agreement said (read more - Houston Chronicle)

In the past, media coverage of celebrities often hinged on the promotional agenda of studios, publicists and other handlers. Under the direction of Harvey Levin, a former lawyer and investigative reporter, and Jim Paratore, an executive consultant to the site, TMZ.com has quickly gained an audience by posting news articles garnered from documents, unofficial videotapes, exclusive paparazzi shots and other sources like law enforcement officials and courthouse clerks (read more - Allison Hope Weiner-NY Times)

Gene Peterson and Jim Foley, who have provided the radio soundtrack of Rockets basketball for more than three decades, will work a 33rd and final season together before retiring at the end of the 2007-08 NBA campaign (read more - David Barron-Houston Chronicle)

On the June 24 edition of Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace said Sen. James Inhofe "says that he overheard Barbara Boxer and Hillary Clinton three years ago complaining about talk radio and saying there should be a legislative fix." However, as blogger Greg Sargent observed, Inhofe had first asserted during a June 21 interview on Los Angeles radio station KFI 640 AM's The John Ziegler Show that he had overheard the conversation between Boxer and Clinton "the other day" but then said on Your World that the conversation had occurred "three years ago" (read more - Media Matters)

Scott Sams is anchoring at CBS 11 in Dallas-Fort Worth. For nearly 20 years, Scott Sams worked at CBS 11's competition, ABC Channel 8. But in September 2004 the station fired him, ostensibly for sagging ratings on the morning show he anchored but perhaps just as much for the rumors and allegations that snuck out of the studio: that he became too comfortable with his position; that off-camera his ego was unbound and his relationship with coworkers bristly; that in a meeting he called a colleague a “Greek bitch.” Post-Channel 8 was painful for Sams. No work, no prospects of work, a nightmare that stretched into months and then a year (read more - Paul Kix-D Magazine)

When 20 armed soldiers stormed into Radio Sagarmatha on 12 February 2005, Mohan Bista, the station's chief, knew there was going to be trouble. The King of Nepal had just declared martial law, seized executive power and ordered all news bulletins and political shows to be replaced with music (read more - Jerome Taylor-The Independent U.K.)

From Mark Ramsey -- Seth talks about the crisis in the music business, and what you need to sell when consumers aren't buying what you're trying to sell. "7 Days of Seth" is an extensive discussion with marketing guru Seth Godin about his new book, The Dip, and about the future of the radio industry (read more - Mark Ramsey-Hear 2.0)

From Tommy Kramer -- It seems so easy to hear the mistakes your competitor makes--the things he or she does that are dumb, not thought out well, phony-sounding, pukey, lame, irritating or obvious. So why can't we hear ourselves the same way? It's because we know it's us. Someone we like. Someone we root for and want to succeed. Okay, here's the lesson. To really be able to listen to audio of yourself and make ... (read more - www.TommyKramer.net)

UTV scrapped plans to bid for Virgin Radio after deciding it was worth much less than the £100-million-plus that SMG is seeking for it (read more - Sunday Herald U.K.)

Thousands of webcasters across the country plan to pull the plug on Tuesday. One of the nation's largest -- Live 365 -- will shut down the 10,000 channels of varied music programming it carries. "By joining together with all other Internet radio stations, Live 365 will show them what they can look forward to if things don't change quickly: silence." Webcasters such as AccuRadio, Rhapsody, Pandora, Yahoo Music and MTV Online also plan to go silent, while some stations will air public-service announcements on the campaign (read more - Adrian McCoy - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

John Laws has announced his retirement from radio after more than half a century behind the microphone. Speaking at 9.09am on 2UE, Laws said he had planned to make an announcement at 9.45am, but had been beaten to the punch by other media, which had already announced his planned retirement. "There are a lot of people who listen who have absolutely no time for me at all, they don't like me a bit. And that's fine, I accept that, but you shouldn't be listening. "Because you're committing an offence, you're stealing talent, and I do have some left. So you listen to me, and bad mouth me round town, but you listen to me, so you thieves, I'd like you to go away
 (read more - Dylan Welch-Sydney Morning Herald AU)

Rob Waddell, 63, former radio personality and voice talent passed away in Houston last week (read more - Houston Chronicle)

Longtime Boise State Radio DJ Victor Pacania passed away Saturday morning after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer, according to a message on the KBSU Web site (read more - Idaho Statesman)

The Sun is dropping its star film critic Johnny Vaughan as part of its cost-cutting drive. A spokeswoman for the Capital Radio breakfast show DJ confirmed the column is coming to an end (read more - Stephen Brook-The Guardian U.K.)

People come and go in life, and especially in the topsy-turvy world of radio. Still, it is amazing how just the simple mention of a name from the past can bring back a flood of nostalgic memories. As such, here's the first part of a listing of some of the former personalities who used to be on the air at various Salt Lake-area radio stations decades ago. These aren't all-inclusive lists but rather a sampling of the era. Credit goes to Joey Santarelli of Roy for his extensive research on these names (read more - Lynn Arave-Salt Lake City Deseret News)

From Bruce Westbrook -- "Voice work is great," says Janeane Garofalo, who also did voices for The Wild, Titan A.E. and Kiki's Delivery Service. "You can wear your PJs to work if you want." Or have "airplane hair," as she calls it, and 14 tattoos, as she has. And if you don't know French, no problem. She picked up her accent by listening to a CD of a Frenchman speaking English (read more - Bruce Westbrook-Houston Chronicle)

Gas prices around the world (Source: CNN)

Classical music radio, virtually gone from commercial stations and increasingly shoved aside even on public radio, is refusing to die in Washington. WETA's return to classical this January after a two-year experiment with news and talk is looking like a ratings winner (read more - Washington Post)

Speculation is mounting that it will be lights out for the Yankees on "free" TV and that, if that happens, 20 to 25 games would move to the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network (read more - Bob Raissman-NY Daily News)

A survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan on the ‘Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) in March 2007’ has revealed that 91 percent of the radio audience listens to Radio Pakistan and only seven percent tune in to other stations like BBC, VOA, AIR, and VOG (read more - Pakistan Daily Times PK)

From George Mair -- Rosie O’Donnell wanted to take over the M.C. slot on The Price Is Right from retiring Bob Barker but it looks as if the Australians who own the show don’t want her*****For many women love and marriage is a wonderful fairy tale so it seems only natural that Walt Disney Disney is launching a line of 34 bridal dresses inspired by films like Sleeping Beauty and Beauty And The Beast. Designed by Kirstie Kelly and priced under $2,000 (read more - George Mair - LA LA Land)

An Australian production company has apologized to Mexico for a segment of a "Big Brother" reality program that showed people throwing water balloons at the Mexican flag (read more - LA Times)

Conservative talk radio's impact on the immigration debate reached new heights last week, with one host effectively writing an amendment for when the Senate returns to the imperiled bill this week. National talk show hosts have spent months denouncing the bill as providing amnesty for illegal immigrants. Some top Republicans who support the legislation have defied the broadcast pundits. Others GOP lawmakers have tried to placate them, even to the point of accepting their ideas for amendments (read more - Seattle PI)

From Rick Bird -- Called "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio,"a study by the Center for American Progress, in collaboration with the group Free Press's findings are hardly surprising. Even the most casual radio listener has known that popular conservative talkers are dominating the airwaves, like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage. The study claims each weekday there are 2,570 hours and 15 minutes of conservative talk on the 257 stations compared to 254 hours of progressive talk (read more - Rick Bird-Cincy Post)

From Percy Allen -- During a week of upheaval inside the Sonics' front office, radio play-by-play announcer David Locke became the latest employee to be fired. Locke, 36, took over last year when the Sonics became the last NBA team to separate its broadcasts and moved to KTTH-AM (770). He had worked at KJR (950 AM). The future of Francis Williams, who served as a commentator on radio broadcasts last season, is uncertain (read more - Percy Allen-Seattle Times)

From Brad Kava - San Jose Mercury News -- I’m working on a story about Tuesday’s “Day of Silence,” in which Internet broadcasters will shut down their operations. Do you listen to Internet radio? Why do you like it? Do you prefer it to broadcast radio? I’m looking to interview some Internet radio fans…Drop me a line at bkava@mercurynews.com Here’s some of my upcoming story (read the story - Brad Kava-Mercury News)

From Dr. Don Newberry -- In the early going, Dallas’ Bill Melton, this UT-Austin graduate hired on at Radio Station KGNB in New Braunfels. One of his first assignments was to interview Sky King—the daily radio show pilot who caught up with sidewinders in his trusty plane, the Songbird.  “It just couldn’t get any better than this,” Melton thought. “Every kid in America hurried home from school to hear Sky King’s adventures.” Melton was nervous as he interviewed this national radio star who favored New Braunfels for the grand opening of six stores in a strip shopping center. It was “heady stuff,” but he was to soon learn that fledging radio personalities must be morning persons. He wasn’t, and isn’t. Soon, he was at KASE in Austin (read more - Dr. Don Newberry - Mexia Daily News)

From David Martin -- Little has changed in the way radio sells radio. Radio still gets up each day and goes to work to kill other radio. This zero sum game is the real reason radio fails to gain share of ad spend. It's silo warfare to gain share of a single digit ad spend while ignoring the double digit dead tree guys. This is the same kind of thinking that drives stations with a one share in Arbitron to target and attack other one share rated stations rather than targeting and attacking the market leaders (read more - David Martin)

Bob Edwards, a 60 year old radio personality from Kentucky has reinvented himself with an hour-long show on XM Radio (read more - Florida Times-Union)

The Bob Costas show, Costas on the Radio, is carried on more than 120 stations by Premiere Radio Networks -- Costas on the Radio this weekend features interviews with Bill Scheft - writer, actor and author of such books as The Best of The Show: A Classic Collection of Wit and Wisdom and Time Won’t Let Me and Marv Albert - legendary sportscaster; primary voice of Nets basketball and host of The Marv Albert Show on the YES Network; and voice of the NBA on TNT and NFL Monday Night Football on Westwood One Radio/CBS Radio Sports

Lost in all the talk about Cuba and the controversy surrounding my trip there as part of "Sicko" is what really matters in all of this - how we treat people in this country. I worked at Ground Zero on the days after 9/11 with thousands of other men and women from in and around New York. Many of us contracted debilitating illnesses because of our work there. When we asked for help, we were ignored by almost everyone - everyone except Michael Moore (read more - John Graham-NY Daily News)

Critical Mass Media will present the study on “Marketing That Works” and “The Impact of Present Day Ratings & the PPM” as part of The McVay Media Programming Summit at The Conclave. This nationwide 30,000 person study by Critical Mass Media will reveal who is participating in research in 2007 and techniques to find them (read more - www.TheConclave.com)

A block of choice seats for the “75th Anniversary Salute to FDR” on Monday, July 2nd at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago have just been released. These are Main Floor seats for $25.00 each. All proceeds benefit The Museum of Broadcast Communications. You can order tickets online at www.Museum.tv

Friday June 22, 2007

From Chris Taylor -- Tuesday is the day dozens of online broadcasters go silent, in protest of a new levy the government and the music labels are about to impose. An overly dramatic gesture? A petulant response to a little extra taxation? Perhaps -- until you discover that the new fee appears to add up to more than the annual revenue of all Internet radio sites put together. That ludicrously high bill could well cripple this promising young industry in its crib (read more - Chris Taylor-Business 2.0)

From David Hinckley -- In a tense exchange with their former program director, John Mainelli, yesterday, WXRK (92.3 FM) morning hosts Opie and Anthony argued that their show retains a lively spark despite a climate that renders their more daring material unusable.
"A few years ago, we did a Mike Tyson bit that many of our listeners consider a classic," said Anthony. "We couldn't do it now because it would be considered racist and sexist. Mainelli said he "felt bad that it had come to this. I still think they're the best radio comedy team that ever was when they're on their toes" (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

A former part time Salt Lake TV weatherman and TV show host, Mathew Duhamel, was sentenced to five years in prison on a child pornography conviction on Thursday after a Federal District Court judge ruled his "child model" websites were pornographic (read more - view the video - ABC 4 Salt Lake City)

On Tuesday, Tracy Cloherty takes over as Program Director of New York’s 92.3 K-ROCK. Cloherty was responsible for finding and developing WQHT’s morning show

From Jesse Noyes -- Authors of a report, which found that the vast majority of talk radio programs cater to conservatives, called on the Federal Communications Commission yesterday to push for more local ownership to promote different voices. Ninety-one percent of the talk on the radio dial during weekdays is given over to right-wing programming, according to a study by Free Press and the Center for American Progress, both left-leaning groups. Even in blue-state Massachusetts, there’s very little liberal talk ... Clear Channel dumped its liberal talk format heard on WKOX-AM (1200) and WXKS-AM (1430) last year in favor of a Spanish-language format (read more - Jesse Noyes-Boston Herald)

From Gary Allyn -- Now is the time for all good radio men. To come to the aid of our Medium. The time is right for a "takeover". That’s right, our medium has been stagnant far too long. Every day we read of complainers, whiners, doomsayers, and nostalgic ramblings; but no ACTION! I’ve been guilty of this myself. The accent has been on the negative instead of the positive. How can we "take back" our Medium of Radio? It requires only
one positive person per market to start. He or she can just decide, today, to make his or her station fundamentally sound (read more - Gary Allyn)

KJR in Seattle is saluted on XM Satellite's "60's on 6" channel today (Friday) from 4 - 9 pm ET.  Listen online, on XM or on DirecTV's channel 803

Jon Bon Jovi and Whoopi Goldberg were reunited yesterday in the Wake Up With Whoopi studio in NYC. Left to right: Cubby Bryant, Whoopi Goldberg and Jon Bon Jovi (Photo courtesy Premiere Radio)

Charging that "right-wing talk reigns supreme on America's airwaves," two liberal groups on Thursday called for increased government regulation and greater diversity of commercial radio station owners to "close the gap" between the amount of conservative and "progressive" talk. An analyst with a conservative media watchdog group responded by calling the organizations' recommendations an example of "amazing liberal hypocrisy" (read more - Randy Hall-Cybercast News Service)

From Robert Feder -- Anne Maxfield has signed off after three years as Mike North's morning co-host at CBS Radio sports/talk WSCR-AM 670 + Ed Smaron, overnight news and traffic reporter for Metro Networks/Shadow Broadcast Services, shot a scene last week for "The Express," the movie starring Dennis Quaid that's been filming around Chicago (read more - Robert Feder - Chicago Sun-Times)

From David Barron -- KILE (1560 AM), Houston's soon-to-be-launched sports/entertainment talk station, has a new studio and a couple of new talk show hosts-to-be, and station owner David Gow says employees are hard at work selling advertising + KILT (610 AM) is the only one of Houston's three existing sports talkers with a measurable rating on the broadest measuring stick — persons 12-plus from 6 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Sundays — and in the target demographic of men 25-54. KBME (790 AM) and KFNC (97.5 FM) do not register (read more - David Barron-Houston Chronicle)

From Frank Beckmann -- The talk radio industry has provided Americans with a town hall-like forum that has disappeared from the political landscape. That open discussion is now being threatened by those who seek government control of speech (read more - Frank Beckmann-Detroit News)

From Jacobs Media -- Remember that now-famous campaign that helped launch "Desperate Housewives" where ABC printed up dry cleaning bags and distributed them in key markets around the country? It was a clever way to use another "medium" (dry cleaners?) to get their message across. And in the process, the campaign itself generated media buzz because everyone was talking about it. These clever applications are still available to radio, morning shows, and personalities, but too often, we continue to spend our marketing dollars in traditional places (read more - Jacobs Media)

Frank Terry, 68, a very early Boss Jock who helped launch 93 KHJ, died on Wednesday

MSNBC.com identified 144 journalists who made political contributions from 2004 through the start of the 2008 campaign, according to the public records of the Federal Election Commission. The donors include CNN's Guy Raz, now covering the Pentagon for NPR, who gave to Kerry the same month he was embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq; New Yorker war correspondent George Packer; a producer for Bill O'Reilly at Fox; MSNBC TV host Joe Scarborough; political writers at Vanity Fair; the editor of The Wall Street Journal's weekend section; local TV anchors in Washington, Minneapolis, Memphis and Wichita; the ethics columnist at The New York Times; and even MTV's former presidential campaign correspondent (read more - Bill Dedman-MSNBC)

From Tim Cuprisin -- WUWM-FM (89.7) is picking up public radio's "Radio Lab" for five Fridays starting July 6 in the 11 a.m. slot. The science show, produced by New York Public Radio, is hosted by Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad.  Speaking of WUWM, "Weekend America," airing at 11 a.m. Saturdays, is adding a new co-host, Desiree Cooper. Cooper, a Detroit Free Press columnist, joins Bill Radke (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

From Ron Musselman -- After 14 years at WXKR-FM, 94.5, on June 29 Mike "Mac" McIntyre is movin' on from 3 to 7 p.m. at the classic rock station and is headed to another Cumulus Media station in Nashville - WRQQ-FM, 97.1 (read more - Ron Musselman-Toledo Blade)

From Phil Rosenthal -- Having realized that, like the devil's temptress Lola in "Damn Yankees," whatever Rupert wants, Rupert usually gets, the publisher of the Financial Times and the owner of CNBC announced Thursday that they won't be making a play for the Wall Street Journal's parent, Dow Jones & Co., after all (read more - Phil Rosenthal - Chicago Tribune)

CBS News veteran Bob Schieffer is having the time of his life. Schieffer, 70, will don his cowboy gear and belt out songs with the country band "Honky Tonk Confidential" Wednesday for a Walter Reed Society fundraiser (read more - NY Post)

From Mark Ramsey - In Chapter 5, Seth tackles the issue of HD radio and choice. Offering more choices, he says, only trains listeners to want still more. "7 Days of Seth" is an extensive discussion with marketing guru Seth Godin about his new book, The Dip, and about the future of the radio industry (read more - Mark Ramsey - Hear 2.0)

Rupert Murdoch was on the verge of victory in his battle for Dow Jones last night after Pearson and General Electric ditched plans to make a "white knight" offer for the company (read more - David Litterick-Daily Telegram U.K.)

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann names Glenn Beck and Michael Graham as Thursday's "Worst Persons in the World"  over their comments about the Clinton's Sopranos' video (view the MSNBC Video)_

The National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO), a coalition of over 200 women's organizations and representing over 11 million diverse and talented American women, today called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve the proposed merger of XM Radio and Sirius (read more - Jon C. Ogg-24/7 Wall Street)

Greater Media will temporarily take its radio stations' webcasts off-line on Tuesday, June 26th, in support of a "Day of Silence" for webcasters

From Kent Burkhart -- Our daughter Traci recently visited us on our small barrier island of eleven thousand fulltime residents (twelve thousand in the winter when the snowbirds from the Northern and Midwest USA, Europe and South America join us for some welcome/warm Florida sunshine). Traci is a veteran radio sales and research broadcaster; thus, it is only logical that we chat about media. While showing her the sights of the island over three days we thoroughly discussed the subject of “local, local, local” broadcasting. And during those three days I stopped to run many/various errands which which demonstrates “local, local, local” (read more - www.KentBurkhart.com) 

ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning co-host Mike Greenberg paid-up on a bet Thursday when Greenberg milked a cow named Sox LIVE at 8 a.m. ET in the TV studio where the show is simulcast from on ESPN2 (Photo courtesy ESPN)

From Lee Abrams -- Reminds me of a recent discussion with Randy Michaels, newly minted TV mogul. Upon taking over the New York Times TV group, he said the leading question from employees was "what will the new policy manual look like"... Huh? think about it: An entertainment company...new owner...and they're worried about a policy manual? …some of our most inventive people here are our Audio Animators. Formerly called production directors—but they are infinitely more than that. They are…audio animators. Drew Kennedy, Pants, Larry Whitt, Matt Wolfe, Jim Mc Bean, Aaron Lee, Rashad Smith, Ben Krech, Jim Sharifi, Bill “Lucy PD” Hutton, Rob Aneiva, and ALL the others (I figured I stop here name wise because I was bound to forget Someone and I don’t want to because they’re ALL good). I’d stack these guys against any---anywhere in the World (read more - Lee Abrams)

Jay Philpott moves to The Arch 106.5 in St Louis at the end of June

Dave Graveline and the Into Tomorrow team will be taking a look at and bringing you the latest in consumer electronics on Sunday afternoon's show from the BREW Conference in San Diego  (visit www.graveline.com)

NY’s Z100 “Romeo on the Radio” host and music director Romeo will anchor Premiere Radio’s Contemporary Hits Radio coverage of the “Live Earth” concert on July 7 (Photo courtesy Premiere Radio)

Xhang Creative has launched pOne Partners Radio/Audio Creative Consultancy and Website with 5% of all sales to benefit the Freeplay Foundation

Motorola’s H9 Miniblue headset, for use with cellphones equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, is so small that it resembles a large hearing aid, with everything fitting inside the ear (Photo courtesy Motorola) (read more - -Marty Katz-NY Times)

Today 890 WLS afternoon's Roe Conn gets out of the rain for the first real party of the summer; Summertime Booze. The live broadcast at the House of Blues is an invite-only, sold-out affair, but listeners can tune-in to 890 AM or on-line at www.wlsam.com from 2pm to 6pm, June 22nd (Photo courtesy WLS)

Thursday June 21, 2007

MSNBC Hardball's Chris Matthews apparently did not know he was back on the air when a promo spot ended and he suddenly appeared on screen in the middle of a conversation with some off-screen staffer. ". . . we're all reacting here and putting on s**t! We have nothing to [offer]," he said just before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. He quickly realized he was on the air and tried to recover (read more - Adam Buckman-NY Post)

Facing a certain lawsuit, WEEI morning host John Dennis has publicly apologized for defaming a prominent North Shore family. The unusual on-air mea culpa is part of a confidential settlement reached this week by 'EEI's parent company Entercom and the Doyle clan (read more - Carol Beggy & Mark Shanahan-Boston Globe)

From David Hinckley -- Talking with Jim Kerr Monday on WAXQ (104.3 FM), Paul McCartney made a point that many fans of early rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues have been pushing for some time. Instead of defining that rich body of work only as the music of an era, figuring it must only appeal to people from that era and then deciding those people are too old to matter, McCartney suggested radio start treating it as just music - the way, say, golden-age popular standards or classical music is regarded (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

From Robert Feder -- When Shepard Smith showed up recently at WFLD-Channel 32, it wasn't to make a social call. The flashy anchor for Fox News Channel came to critique the Fox-owned station's local news operation -- with emphasis on its new 10 p.m. newscast. "I'm not here to talk to you about journalism," one witness recalled him saying. "I'm here to talk to you about good TV" (read more - Robert Feder-Chicago Sun-Times)

From Bruce Hagen -- The power of IR did for music and news what eBay did for retail commerce: it lowered the barrier for entry. Musicians out on “the long tail” didn’t have meet Clear Channel or Wal-Mart popularity thresholds to get a world-wide audience (long tail is a term for what you see when you plot the volume of music sales by artist ... Combine this global reach with the search and collaborative filtering power of “Web 2.0”, and the radio business is revolutionized. For evidence, see my “dial” idea at www.live365.com (they beat me to it.) All of this beautiful music will go mute, however, if the regulations proposed by the Copyright Royalty Board are allowed to take effect as planned on July 18 (read more - Bruce Hagen-Petaluma Argus-Courier)

iPhone mania is nearing fever pitch. June 29 is the day many gear-heads have marked on their calendars as iDay, the release of what independent analyst Richard Doherty calls "the most eagerly awaited consumer technology device of the last 20 years" (read more - Jefferson Graham-USA Today)   (view the video on "buying strategies)  (view the iPhone demos)

From Tony Blair, British Prime Minister -- The media world--like everything else--is becoming more fragmented, more diverse, and above all transformed by technology ... In the early 1980s, there were three TV stations broadcasting in the UK. Today there are hundreds. In 1995, over 200 TV shows had audiences of over 15 million. Today there is almost none. Newspapers fight for a share of a shrinking market. Many are now read online, not the next day. Internet advertising has overtaken newspaper ads. There are roughly 70 million blogs in existence, so I'm told, with around 120,000 being created every day. In particular, younger people will, less and less, get their news from traditional outlets. But, in addition to that, the forms of communication are merging and interchanging (read more - Tony Blair-Wall Street Journal)

From Richard Roeper -- Your turn. John Isaac: "You are an idiot comparing Rush Limbaugh to fat slob [Michael] Moore. Rush never lies the fat slobs miss called documentaries are filled with lies. I can't believe you would defend this slob. You are a stinking liberal. I guess that explains you using lies to defend another liar."
Mr. Isaac: You are a Jedi knight of the political wars. I believe I speak for all liberals, and future generations of liberals, when I say 'thank you' for shooting beams of sunlight into our darkened minds (read more - Richard Roeper-Chicago Sun-Times)

CNN anchor Paula Zahn may or may not be leaving her cable network show, but she's already moved out of the Fifth Avenue co-op apartment she's shared with her soon-to-be-ex husband, Richard Cohen (read more - Braden Keil-NY Post)

As part of yesterday's rollout for "Sicko," Michael Moore -- liberal firebrand, master of the promotional stunt -- invited 900 pharmaceutical and insurance lobbyists to a free screening of his attack on America's health-care system. Guess how many showed up? Eleven (read more - Reliable Source-Washington Post)

GCap Media has held merger discussions with Emap, its rival, in an attempt to create a new British commercial radio giant (read more - Dan Sabbagh-The Times U.K.)

From Jon C. Ogg -- A group of more than 70 US Congressmen signed a formal letter in opposition of the merger. Sure, the National Association of Broadcasters, which is vehemently against the merger, probably backs many of these congressmen. But the truth is that it isn't just rare for a large group in Congress to sign a letter against a merger ... the satellite radio companies need and want the merger to get approved and to go through more than the opposition wants it blocked ... There is room for both, and it is obvious the terrestrial radio operators are trying to kill the competition. If satellite radio was a critical infrastructure operation the blockage attempts would make sense in that it would be a true monopoly. But the monopoly here that would be created is truly just a monopoly on an alternative system that is purely opt-in and comparably one that costs money versus what is free (read more - Jon C. Ogg-24/7 Wall Street)

From the Center for American Progress and Free Press -- Despite the dramatic expansion of viewing and listening options for consumers today, traditional radio remains one of the most widely used media formats in America. Arbitron, the national radio ratings company, reports that more than 90 percent of Americans ages 12 or older listen to radio each week, “a higher penetration than television, magazines, newspapers, or the Internet.” Although listening hours have declined slightly in recent years, Americans listened on average to 19 hours of radio per week in 2006. Among radio formats, the combined news/talk format (which includes news/talk/information and talk/personality) leads all others in terms of the total number of stations per format and trails only country music in terms of national audience share. Through more than 1,700 stations across the nation, the combined news/talk format is estimated to reach more than 50 million listeners each week ... conservative talk radio undeniably dominates the format (click here to download and read the full report from Center for American Process and Free Press [Adobe PDF])

Sen. Trent Lott gets that talk radio hosts are angry with him, but he wants to set a couple of things straight: He’s not hiding, and he still doesn’t like that fence. So why didn’t he take the opportunity to defend himself when Sean Hannity wanted to interview him on his nationally syndicated radio show? Oh, that. Lott said he would have loved to do the interview, but it happened that he was on a tractor plowing his wheat fields when Hannity’s staff tried to track him down (read more - Daphne Retter -The Hill)  (read more - Jonathan Weisman and Shailagh Murray-Washington Post)

Do the people of the Oklahoma City-Norman area want a fourth all-sports radio station? Citadel Communications is guessing they do. 930-AM converted to an all-sports format, called Jox 930 (read more - Brian Sandalow-News OK)

From NAB chair David Rehr-- I am writing with regard to today’s Senate Rules Committee hearing on S.1285, the Fair Elections Now Act. As the Committee hears testimony on the legislation, please know that sections of the bill are of great concern to broadcasters. First, the bill requires broadcasters to offer participating candidates and political parties fixed advertising rates. These rates would be 20 percent less than the station’s lowest unit charge (LUC) during the 45 days before a primary election and 60 days before a general election (read the letter - NAB)

At WGY 810 AM, the declaration comes at the top of every hour: "Your news. Your talk. From the Capital Communications Federal Credit Union studios." Most news outlets depend on advertising for revenue. And some media organizations have business arrangements with institutions they might report on ... But observers say it's rare for news organizations to have advertisers sponsor the physical space where news is produced (read more - Chris Churchill-Albany Times Union)

Sirius is maintaining the retail sales edge over XM Satellite Radio (read more - Tyler Savery-Seeking Alpha)

From Phil Rosenthal -- Chicago-based media buyer Starcom USA announced Tuesday that it secured a major deal with Discovery Communications that relies on minute-by-minute commercial ratings ... "This is the second generation of this next wave," said Joe Abruzzese, head of advertising sales for Discovery Communications (read more - Phil Rosenthal-Chicago Tribune)

The broadcast networks' annual summertime slumber is providing opportunities for the smaller cable networks. The debut of "Ice Road Truckers" on Sunday reached the biggest audience ever for an original program on The History Channel - 3.4 million viewers (read more - Milwaukee JS)

Emmis and NDS, along with iBiquity Digital Corp, have successfully concluded the initial HD Radio conditional-access field testing of traffic data services at Emmis station WKQX-FM (Q101) in Chicago, the first conditional-access test for broadcasting real-time traffic information over the HD Radio system to vehicle navigational systems (read more - Broadcast Buyer)

The U-S government's anti-Castro radio and TV stations have improved significantly in recent years after allegations of corruption and mismanagement. That's according to a draft State Department review of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (read more - Tampa TV 10)

HDNet will have live, exclusive HD coverage of shuttle Atlantis mission STS-117 with the shuttle’s landing at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida

From Randy Dotinga -- Mark Larson, who's regaled San Diego radio audiences for three decades, is hanging up his microphone. But he won't be far away from the spotlight: The unabashedly conservative Larson is considering a run for the House of Representatives (read more - Randy Dotinga - NC Times)

At the beginning of 2006, Bridge Ratings began its research into the potential impact of Howard Stern's departure from terrestrial radio and whether his arrival at satellite radio would boost subscriptions for Sirius. Time confirmed our findings and Stern's impact has surely been felt. CBS Radio saw not only morning ratings topple but full-year 2006 radio revenue for the CBS radio division and its former Stern stations in particular was significantly diminished by Stern's departure. By the end of the first quarter of 2006, it became clear through out studies of then-current Stern listeners and his former terrestrial fans, that Howard's influence would increase total Sirius subscriptions and boost the company's brand (read more - Bridge Ratings)

Premiere Radio Networks has entered into an agreement with X-Digital Systems Inc. to develop, license and deploy the new XDS-PRO-P satellite receiver

From Murphy Martin -- The Mayoral election in one of America's largest cities is over and the chance for the first openly Gay Mayor of a top American city was not successful. Despite the fact only about fifteen-per -cent of the eligible voters turned out, and despite the fact the gay candidate had served on the Dallas City Council for multiple terms and his opponent was a relative unknown in Dallas, the gay candidate finished with only 38%of the votes (read more - www.MurphyMartin.com)

Westwood One has appointed Bill Martin as Senior Vice President of Interactive Services to oversee digital content distribution and partnerships for Westwood One’s traffic information services including online, mobile, automotive, commercial fleet and government markets

From Bill Virgin -- Glenn Beck has been waiting since he was 18 years old and left town to seek his fame and fortune in radio to be back on the air in the city that gave him his start in the business. Beck is now 43 and will be on the air on KTTH-AM (770) as of Monday (read more - Bill Virgin-Seattle PI)

NBC Universal and News Corp. will launch an Internet broadcaster meant to rival to Google Inc.'s YouTube after approval by the EU (read more - Crain's NY Biz)

Mike Anderson of St Louis Media reports that Dianna Kirby, Radio Station Supervisor at KCFV passed away Wednesday morning

Smooth Jazz 97.5 WJJZ is now broadcasting with the maximum permissible signal for an FM radio station in the Northeast

On the June 19 broadcast of 630 KHOW-AM's The Caplis & Silverman Show, co-host Dan Caplis agreed with a caller's dubious assertion that "most of America is conservative, and every poll shows it." Caplis stated, "I think that most of America is conservative, and it does have traditional values, and that includes an awful lot of Democrats and an awful lot of independents, and I think that explains the success ... of quote-unquote conservative talk radio" (read more - Colorado Media Matters)

Sirius has completed a $250 million senior secured term loan from Morgan Stanley (read more - Forbes)

Greater Media Philadelphia's Ralph Nieves has been named Sales Manager of Sports Radio 950 WPEN

Wednesday June 20, 2007

The intensity of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) campaign and aggressiveness of the NAB response to shoot down the proposed XM-Sirius merger, although “probably predictable,” proves the point that satellite and terrestrial radio compete and the proposed merger would not make a monopoly out of a duopoly, Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin contended in an interview with TWICE (read more - TWICE)

Howard Stern is about to be hit with a $100 million lawsuit by an advertiser who claims his weight-loss product was trashed on the King of All Media's show, resulting in a dramatic drop in sales (read more - Page Six-NY Post)

Sen. Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., has managed to rile up some of his core supporters - conservative talk radio shows nationwide with remarks last Thursday blaming talk radio for the collapse of the immigration bill. "Talk radio is running America," Lott said last week. "We have to deal with that problem". "What are we going to do about Mississippi Senator Trent Lott?" asked Rush Limbaugh on his show Friday. "What are we going to do about Senator Lott?n " Talk radio host Kim Wade of WJNT in Jackson went to Lott's office Tuesday. "Being a radio show host, I took offense," said Wade (read more - Fort Wayne News-Sentinel)

Clear Channel radio station takes down billboards in Tampa that featured unflattering photos of a bald, scowling Britney Spears after her attorneys threatened legal action (read more - ABC 7)

From Mark Ramsey -- Surprise! The music industry lies! And they do it with research. Check the "media center" tab on the Music First Coalition website and you'll see a glaring example of this. This is the front organization for the labels and the RIAA in their war on Radio. The lie is a quotation from a study called "Don't Play it Again Sam: Radio Play, Record Sales, and Property Rights," and it's published by an academic at the University of Texas (read more - Mark Ramsey - Hear 2.0)

From Robert Feder -- Ben Ponzio, local sales manager at CBS Radio's Top 40 hits/hip-hop WBBM-FM (96.3), emerged the top winner Sunday at the World Series of Poker's No Limit Hold' em tournament in Las Vegas + Geoff Morrell, who worked at CBS-owned Channel 2 from 1996 to 2000 is the new face of the Pentagon (read more - Robert Feder - Chicago Sun-Times)

XM will provide 24 hour coverage of "Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis," the seven-continent concert series scheduled for July 7. XM's broadcast on Channel 40 will include 27-hours of continuous, live coverage from all nine concerts of this historic musical and environmental event, featuring more than 100 music artists from around the world (read more - PR Newswire)

94.9 FM KLTY, Safe for the Whole Family, and Interstate Batteries will present Celebrate Freedom, the largest free, outdoor concert in America, will be held over a two-day period for the first time in the festival’s 17-year history June 29-30 at the Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas. Last year, more than 210,000 people attended this event (read more - Weatherford Democrat)

Brian Freeman, the new morning-show host on WSJS-AM, is the new voice on Triad radio, but he has been in the radio business a long time - 36 years. And he’s not even 50 (read more - Tim Clodfelter-Winston-Salem Journal)

From David Hinckley -- A million letters calling on Congress to enact fair immigration reform were just part of Hispanic radio's efforts on this issue, say officials in that thriving media field. Some critics, however, want more. General manager Frank Flores of WSKQ (97.9 FM) and WPAT (93.1 FM), the two biggest Hispanic stations in New York, says that while neither is a talk station, "both regularly call attention to the issue," including the status of the controversial immigration bill now before Congress (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

The newest news anchor at the local CBS affiliate and star of the upcoming Fox reality series Anchorwoman -- a show premised on a buxom, big-city fish with no journalism experience being dropped into small-town media waters -- is concerned about writing her voice-over for the story she and cameraman Wilton Johnson are putting together on rising lake levels. Some people in the Tyler-Longview area, home to around 300,000 people, worry about being portrayed as bumpkins (read more - Cary Darling-Star Telegram)

Hot on the heels of its recently opened Doors exhibit, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum honors yet another seminal Los Angeles-based band with an expanded display: 1988 Rock Hall inductees the Beach Boys. The exhibit, Catch a Wave: The Beach Boys, The Early Years, opens at 10 a.m. Friday, June 22 (read more - Cleveland Free Times)

From Tim Cuprisin -- In addition to his show at 7 tonight at the Riverside Theater  Tom Joyner broadcasts his national show from the studios of WJMR-FM (98.3) from 5 to 9 a.m. Thursday (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

From Sonny Melendrez -- While the debate over satellite company mergers, Google radio ads, and Internet broadcasting occupies the minds of contemporary radio types, there's something going on in a little corner of the world that is perhaps more relevant than any modern day broadcast controversy. Radio 4VEH in Haiti offers hope to listeners whose lives are filled with difficulty, desolation, and despair. In an area where the average wage is $360 a year, this radio station uses its AM/FM and short wave bands to change the world one listener at a time (read more - Sonny Melendrez)

Former XM Satellite Radio customers say the D.C. company has made it difficult to cancel their radio subscriptions (read more - Kara Rowland-Washington Times)

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation (Fox News) has discussed swapping MySpace, its internet social networking unit, with Yahoo! in return for a 30 per cent stake in the enlarged group (read more - The Times U.K.)

Hyped in Cuba, unveiled in Cannes, pirated on YouTube and rallied around last week in Sacramento by nurses chanting for the demise of the current health insurance system, Michael Moore’s documentary “Sicko” is finally ready to meet its American audience — or at least some of it — a week ahead of schedule (read more - Michael Cieply-NY Times)

TargetSpot will sell and deliver audio and other kinds of advertising on the Web sites of about 90 radio stations owned by Entercom (read more - Centre Pennsylvania Daily)

From Bill Zwecker -- Rosie O'Donnell succeeding Bob Barker as host of "The Price Is Right" gains credibility as O'Donnell openly campaigns for the job on her personal blog -- and show sources confirm to this column that the recently departed co-host of "The View" is about to meet with "Price" producers FremantleMedia (read more - Bill Zwecker - Chicago Sun-Times)

AT&T launched what it said is the first service letting callers share live video between cell phones (read more - Yahoo News)

ESPN's Mike and Mike – and Mike Ditka – will call the Cardinals-49ers September 10 Monday Night Football Doubleheader Game

Tony Burman, 59, a driving force in Canada's public broadcasting scene for nearly 35 years, says he will step down as editor-in-chief of CBC News next month (read more - Rita Trichur -Toronto Star CA)

The Pavek Museum of Broadcasting, located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota,  was presented with the Richard M. Uray Alpha Epsilon Rho Award for Excellence for its efforts and achievements in preserving the history of electronic communication.  The museum contains one of the world's finest collections of early radio, television, broadcasting, and recording equipment, as well as a growing archive of regional radio and television shows (read more - Hometown Source)  (visit the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting)

Dear Radio Babe: Hi. Is there a section in the Herald-Tribune that lists the various radio stations in the Sarasota/ Tampa/Fort Myers and Naples areas? I thought at one time the lineup of radio stations was published in the H-T, but I can't seem to locate it now. Thanks for your help. -- S.F. (read more - Dawn Scire-The Radio Babe)

99.7 KY is not alone in pursuing a claim on the Guinness World Record on guitarists playing the same song simultaneously. Poland’s Leszek Cichonski has been chipping away at it for years and thinks this year’s May 1 performance of “Hey, Joe” is a winner (read more - Hearne Christopher Jr - KC Star)

Internet Broadcasting Systems has named David Lebow, Internet veteran from AOL and Emmis, as its new president and chief executive officer (read more - Twin Cities Biz Journal)  (read more - PR Web)

From Steve Eyre -- Does size matter in radio? I say it does when it comes to spots. It hasn't been easy to execute my beliefs, but I'm one that prefers pitching 30 second spots (or under) to new advertisers. This while the common perception is to go for the 60's. For the "well known" client, what they really need is a reminder that they are out there. I've pitched away at the 'billboard' campaign as a full-blown sales campaign over the years. I still contend that ... (read more - Steve Eyre)

"Chick Chat" with Heidi Hanzel and Lara Dyan has been added to the World Internet Radio network Monday through Friday from 11PM to 1AM eastern

From Jacobs Media -- The May edition of Fortune Small Business. The cover story caught my eye: "Old Dogs, New Tricks: Innovators find fresh ways to profit in out-of-fashion industries." I figured there was a blog in there somewhere, especially when I turned to the story and saw that right there with a parking lot, minor league sports, and beer was good old local radio (read more - Jacobs Media)

ABC News Radio will offer three one-hour specials for use over the Fourth of July Holiday. The programs include: “Fourth of July LIVE, ““ABC’s Sunsational Summer 2007,” and “The John Stossel Special: Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity”

Premiere Radio Networks says that The Mix Group has signed its 100th affiliate. Created and produced by Jason Garte, the service is available on a barter basis to stations of any format and provides daily customized imaging and production services to such affiliates as KDAY-Los Angeles, WPOW-Miami, WPWX-Chicago, KATZ-St. Louis and KDHT-Austin.

Radio station WIOD, 610 AM, will remain Broward County's official channel for emergency information after the Broward County Commission retreated from talk of dumping the station because it also broadcasts Limbaugh (read more - Scott Wyman-Sun Sentinel)

Tuesday June 19, 2007

In a letter to AG Alberto Gonzales, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and FTC Chairperson Deborah Platt Majoras, 72 Congresspeople have written to express their concerns about the Sirius-XM merger (read the letter-NAB) (read more - Reuters)

"I would bring something new to ESPN," Bob Barker said. "I'm an interesting guy. Before anyone had heard of Michael Jordan, they were calling me Air Barker" (read more - Farrah Weinstein-NY Post)

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder's RedZone Capital has bought Dick Clark Productions Inc. for $175 million (read more - Houston Chronicle)

From Peter H. Smyth -- Can Google Sell Radio? It's now official that a major broadcast company has signed with Google to sell some of its inventory online, and other broadcast groups are considering following in its footsteps. As with any new or innovative event in our industry, the first question everyone asks is "Is it good or bad for radio?", quickly followed by "...are you going to follow?" The answer is not as simple as the question is. And I'm not sure the question is the right one to ask (Photo courtesy Greater Media) (read more - Peter Smyth-Greater Media)

WJZI-FM 93.3 completed its transition away from "smooth jazz" Monday, moving to what program director Stan Atkinson describes as a "mainstream adult contemporary" format (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

Will the iPhone be a hit or miss for Apple, which has a lot riding on its success? My guess is that the device will be a huge hit. But with its $499 to $599 price tag, some unusual features including a touch screen, and a handful of similar products already in the marketplace, it won't be for everyone.
Should you run out and buy one? There are pluses and minuses of the device (read more - Dean Takahashi-Mercury News)

The CEO of one of the country’s largest television station groups, Sandy DiPasquale, is sending a strong signal that he intends to make Kansas City the company’s new home (read more - Aaron Barnhart-KC Star)

From Robert Feder -- Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell is joining veteran radio newsman Ty Wansley to revitalize a long-running weekly public-affairs talk show + The recent elevation of news anchor Rob Johnson to replace Antonio Mora alongside Diann Burns isn't the only change on the ratings-challenged 10 p.m. newscast at Channel 2 (read more - Robert Feder - Chicago Sun-Times)

From Jimmy Rabbitt -- The "Day of Silence" is an encore of a successful media event that small webcasters organized on May 1, 2002 in response to a similarly royalty rate ruling from a Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP) five years ago. That event garnered national attention and was subsequently followed by a rate cut by the Librarian of Congress and the passage of the Small Webcaster Settlement Act for the period 1998-2005 (read more - www.TheRabbittReport.com)

WPHT 1210-AM host Michael Smerconish enjoyed his guest appearance discussing his book “Muzzled” on “The View” Thursday on ABC. “Everybody treated me well. It was a far friendlier crowd than when I was on (“Real Time with) Bill Maher,” he said. Smerconish will sub for Tucker Carlson Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on MSNBC (read more - Laura Nachman-Philly Burbs)

'USA Today' founder, Al Neuharth, assesses status, future of news media
Q: We are ... ripped by the right-wing conservative talk show hosts and others who just brand the mainstream media as worthless. Do we deserve that? ... And what can we do about it?
A: Well, when I travel across the country, my amusement comes from Rush Limbaugh's show. I find that that's one of the funniest programs on the air. I don't become offended by the idiotic things he says; I become amused by them. But I also think that from my perspective that it's OK for idiots like him to voice their opinion because that's what this country is about and that's what the First Amendment is about. I might add that I have become convinced, although a little reluctantly, that all the bloggers on the Internet have a right to all of their stupidity, too. And there's a lot of it. But I really think we're better off with those kinds of opinions and dissenting voices than we would be if we or the government tried to control them (read more - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

‘The Dennis Miller Show’ heads for Detroit Thursday, June 28, where Miller will broadcast his radio show live with Salem Radio's News Talk 1400 WDTK from 10 am to 1 pm. Miller then has an evening performance at the Detroit Opera House to benefit the Jewish Vocational Service

Many Beatles fans and readers have expressed outrage that the 36-foot-tall sculpture of the Beatles that will soon grace Interstate 10 near the Shepherd exit has John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the wrong positions (read more - Ken Hoffman-Houston Chronicle)

Lawyers for Britney Spears have told a Clear Channel Florida radio station to take down billboards showing the pop star's shaven head as part of an advertisement for its morning talk show which feature three identical pictures of Spears, apparently snarling, next to radio station WFLZ's logo and a picture of talk show host Todd Schnitt. Atop the pictures run the labels "Total nut jobs", "Shock Therapy" and "Certifiable" (read more - ABC News AU)

From Happy Hare -- I was first introduced to Jerry Coleman, the matchless Yankee second baseman, in 1950, but not the way you might imagine. I was in New York to visit my mother and brother, Richard, a Broadway Technical Director, of renown. Richard was not into sports, so my mother developed cabin fever after a week’s visit with him, and dragged me to see a Yankee game. If she wanted to see a Yankee game, that meant the Dodgers were out of town. She was a rabid Dodger fan who knew all of the stats, following them on the radio, and listening to the play by play narratives of Red Barber and his young protégé, Vin Scully (read more - www.HappyHareOnline.com)

Microsoft and a major Chinese TV set maker will jointly develop entertainment products linking television and the Internet, joining a race to profit from the Web's growing status as a channel to distribute movies and other programs (read more - Mercury News)

Arbitron and Crawford Broadcasting Company have entered into a multi-year agreement for the Arbitron Portable People Meter audience measurement service when the PPM system is deployed in Chicago, starting in January 2008

Kidd Kraddick courageously underwent surgery recently.  He's expected to fully recover from the evidently frightening procedure (Photo courtesy KiddLive) (read more - view the photos)

“I’m definitely a west side girl,” says Kimberly Ray, the morning co-host of “The Breakfast Buzz” on 98.9 FM (5 to 10 a.m. weekdays). “There’s a lot of moving in radio. I’m hoping this is my last stop.”(read more - Westside News NY)

ARBitron numbers for Des Moines   Albuquerque   Charleston SC   El Paso   Jackson (read 'em)

92.9 WBOS kicks off their their free summer concerts at Copley Square Park in Boston with Brandi Carlile on July 12th

Arbitron has released preliminary findings from RADAR 93. Some of the key demographic findings from the new RADAR results that advertisers look for when placing their ad buys: Ninety six percent of Adults age 25-54 with a college degree and an annual household income of $50,000 or above, tune into radio over the course of a week. RADAR Network affiliates (which account for over 50 percent of all radio stations) reach 85 percent of this coveted demo. They also reach 86 percent of adults 18-49 in households with a college degree and an annual household income of $75,000 or above.  The full results will be released on June 25

KTTH-AM 770 in Seattle adds The Glenn Beck Program to its weekday lineup beginning June 25

Any day now, Tracey Neale is going to briefly disappear from the airwaves, and now we know why: WUSA's nightly anchor is adopting two children from Ethiopia (read more - Reliable Source-Washington Post)

Premiere Radio Networks Big D and Bubba welcomed Brad Paisley and Big D challenged him to an arm wrestling match. Jo Dee Messina will debut her new single on the Thursday show (Photo courtesy Premiere Radio) 

SIRIUS Satellite Radio programming is now available on Bell Mobility multimedia phones like the LG Chocolate, LG Fusic, Samsung m610 and Samsung a900 for $8 per month. SIRIUS Satellite Radio from Bell is powered by mSpot (read more - Market News Canada)

From Mark Ramsey -- In Chapter 2, Seth says radio is headed for a "dead end" - but he has a solution, if we're bold enough to follow it. "7 Days of Seth" is an extensive discussion with marketing guru Seth Godin about his new book, The Dip, and about the future of the radio industry - in seven daily audio chapters (read more - Mark Ramsey-Hear 2.0)

Washington Monthly on the Radio adds WCMI-AM Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY to the list of the weekly one-hour talk radio program's affiliates

It's easy to pick on Rush Limbaugh for his belligerence and his hypocrisy; he ranted on the air about tough penalties for drug addicts, then entered rehab for painkiller addiction and pleaded guilty to a felony. But he's a big supporter of public education. Without so much as an "ouch," as far as I know, Mr. Limbaugh gave $118,000 to the Palm Beach County School District last year, through his property-tax bill. Mr. Limbaugh is one of those fortunate people who can afford to pay $430,000 a year in property taxes. His Palm Beach compound has a market value of $35 million. However, he's not taxed on that amount. Thanks to Save Our Homes, he's taxed on a value of $23 million (read more - Joel Engelhardt-Palm Beach Post)

Jay Howard — the closest personality that San Antonio had to the iconic Harry Caray of Chicago Cubs fame on WOAI and KTSA — ended up being his own poster boy for how to rebound from financial setbacks (read more - Adolfo Pesquera-SA Express-News)

From Jacobs Media -- Leave it to St. Louis' Point to come up with a cool, listener-oriented feedback campaign, The Soundboard. Not be critical of their efforts, however, we're a bit less-than happy about the way they have positioned it on the air (read more - Jacobs Media)

670 The Score in Chicago has partnered with Paltalk (www.paltalk.com), the premier real-time, video-based community pioneering the social-casting movement, allowing listeners to participate in live, interactive video streams of the station’s popular weekday sports talk shows, including The Mike North Morning Show (6-10 AM) and The Boers and Bernstein Show (2-6 PM)

93.3 WMMR's Preston & Steve’s 1,000 Pint Blood Drive on Saturday with the American Red Cross that replenished blood supplies in advance of the July 4th holiday demand crunch was a huge success

Radio & Records country format editor R.J. Curtis will lead a fast-paced symposium on hot issues in country radio at the 32nd Annual Conclave Learning Conference in Minneapolis. “Pardon The Interruption” will take place on Friday, June 29, at 5 p.m. at the Marriott City Center Hotel

The Association of Electronic Journalists announced the new RTNDA Canada Award for Diversity will be named after the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson. The Adrienne Clarkson Diversity Award will be awarded for the news story, feature or series on television or radio that best exemplifies or explores an issue of diversity (read more - CNW Group CA)

Monday June 18, 2007

Radio One, the Lanham company that not long ago was leaping over lumbering media conglomerates with its hot urban sound, has stumbled in recent years as tastes have changed and competition grows from satellite and Spanish-language radio and iPods (read more - Anita Huslin-Washington Post)

Bill O'Reilly got inside the Mets visitors' clubhouse before Stadium security realized that he was not wearing a credential granting clubhouse access. He and his party then were escorted out of the room (read more - NY Daily News)

Opie and Anthony returned to XM Satellite Radio Friday with less furor than they sparked when they were suspended 30 days earlier. They treated their return as a victory for themselves and their fans who reportedly cancelled about 5,000 XM subscriptions last month, and many repeated a mantra on message boards Friday that "in the end, we always win" (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

At the same time the music industry is allegedly bribing radio for airplay, the MusicFIRST coalition says radio airplay harms musicians. MusicFIRST takes a "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free," position, saying consumers who get free music on the radio don't buy records (read more - Pocono Record)

From Jacobs Media -- In just a couple of weeks, Apple's revolutionary new iPhone will finally come to market, and we will see if the reality lives up to the hype. I was doing a market visit a couple of weeks ago, and someone on the programming staff asked me, "Will the iPhone change everything?" (read more - Jacobs Media)

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that General Electric and the Financial Times publisher are in talks about making a joint bid for Dow Jones that would allow the family to keep a minority interest (www.wsj.com)

From Lee Abrams -- There are so many stories abut the early XM. Those were magical times. I miss the free-form creativity. I miss the selling of this new medium and the pressure to create new attitudes, a language and ways of doing things. To balance history with a new blueprint, on the streets and over the air -- quickly, efficiently and thoroughly (read more - Washington Post)

A recent CNN/Time report says the iPod doesn't necessarily mean the demise of radio. But it does suggest many of the 200 million people who reportedly tune in each week could soon be plugging in elsewhere to hear what they want when and where they want it. And that, some industry observers insist, will mean one thing - a funeral for radio. John DeSantis, program director at KCXX-FM (103.9), San Bernardino, has a quick answer to that prediction (read more - Bob Sokolsky-Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)

From Ben Fong-Torres -- Erich Muller, better known as Mancow, visited San Francisco the other week to promote his syndicated morning show, which has been airing on the new talk station KTRB (860 AM) + KABL is back ... the Bay Area Radio Museum site has put together a new stream of that music, at www.RadioKABL.com (read more - Ben Fong-Torres - SF Chronicle)

"Dan must be having some kind of crisis," said Rick Kaplan, current "CBS Evening News" executive producer. "I don't understand what would make him strike out at his old colleagues, especially when they supported him through thin and thinner" (read more - Washington Post)

The Denver Post blurbs that KKZN AM 760's morning guy Jay Marvin continues to lose the weight since his gastric bypass surgery on Dec. 29. He's now lost 120 pounds. "I'm down nine pants sizes ... and it feels weird. But it's great" says Jay

From John Gorman -- For some mysterious reason, every Wal-Mart store I’ve stopped in over the past week didn’t have any HD Radio units displayed – and had none for sale. And I got the same response I did three and six months ago when I asked about HD Radio.
“You mean HD TV?”
“No, HD Radio.”
“Do you mean HD DVD or Blue-Ray? We have those…”
“No, HD Radio. It’s a new product.”
“We have satellite radio.”
“No, HD Radio.”
I have yet to find one clerk in any Wal-Mart that even knows of HD Radio (read more - John Gorman)

Howard Stern got some serious advice the other day from Dr. Keith Ablow about his upcoming marriage: Take your shoes off! (read more - NY Post Page Six) It's a castle fit for a king (of all media). It's a three-level custom-built oceanfront mansion measures just over 16,000 square feet, with eight bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a great room, a media room (natch), an attached cabana, a bowling alley and a wine cellar with a tasting room  (read more - Bradon Keil-NY Post)

From Claude Hall -- I consider it an honor to have met and know some of the people in radio. Gordon McLendon, Bill Stewart, Gary Owens, Joey Reynolds, etc., including the guy who dropped by this past week with one of his daughters and one of his grand daughters but didn't want me to mention it because "everyone will say how come you didn't come to see me." He was en route to see Gary Allyn, Lee Baby Sims, Chuck Blore and a few others ... Lately, there appears to be several "Hall of Fame" groups springing up. I have no criticism of these and, in fact, praise these groups and their honorees. The only flaw might be when someone backbones such an organization merely to honor themselves. I believe this happened in Kansas City (read more - www.ClaudeHallOnline.com)

From Michael Klein -- With Chio in the Morning sidekick G-N having breast-augmentation surgery this week, two TV newsies will fill in on Wired 96.5 + Frank Sinatra Jr. diverted his Atlantic City-bound jet to Philadelphia, and he spent the evening in the studios of WPHT (1210) with Sid Mark (read more - Michael Klein-Philly Inquirer)

Way back when, radio commercials were 60 seconds long. Eventually, the :60 begat the 30-second ad, which begat the :15. More recently, some spots have shrunk to just five seconds. Now, "Iced coffee at McDonald's" is part of the vanguard of radio commercials that take this trend to its obvious next diminution: the two-second ad (read more - Paul Farhi-Washington Post)

From Tommy Kramer -- In an interview about Ford, John Wayne said that the director once gave him this advice: "Duke, every so often, you'll be called upon to play a scene that seems a little 'corny.' When that happens, just play it for all it's worth." Once in a while, you'll have a charity auction, a grateful contest winner, traffic information, or a serious story to handle on the air. Instead of the all-too-typical "flippant disc jockey insincerity thing," play it for all it's worth. Straight ahead, positive, human, sincere (read more - www.TommyKramer.net)

From Mark Ramsey -- "7 Days of Seth" is an extensive discussion with marketing guru Seth Godin about his new book, The Dip, and about the future of the radio industry - in seven daily audio chapters. In Chapter 1, Seth talks about the importance of "hits" in a "long tail" world, and radio's role in creating those hits  (read more - Mark Ramsey-Hear 2.0)

Have you noticed moments when the AM or FM sound goes silent – and, no, we're not talking about "The Sopranos" abrupt ending on TV. KNX/1070 AM is one of several stations that in recent days has lost its radio signal + Jazz fans must have been stoked this past week when they tuned in KKJZ/88.1 FM and heard a familiar voice in morning drive –Bubba Jackson + KXOL/96.3 FM's "The Morning Invasion" team of Joey Medina and Nico Jones has a new member – Alysha Del Valle (read more - Gary Lycan-OC Register)

XM has unveiled two new radios. The XpressR - is the industry's first satellite radio with split screen display - and the XpressEZ

Dave Roberts, the former main weather anchor on Fox4, has returned to the airwaves and is doing daily weather reports for Naples B103.9, WJPT 106.3, 99X, 96 K-Rock and Sportsradio 770 (read more - News-Press)

On August 18 the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame will induct Red Steagall, Bob Lumin and Johnny Rodriquez. Marty Stewart and his band will open the show, and Ralph Emery will be the emcee (read more - John Watson - Cleburne Times-Review)

From Mike Austerman -- Country WDTW-FM 106.7's new morning host is Chad Mitchell who takes over behind the mike replacing Rick Miller, who was in the chair for less than a year + One of the biggest radio deals in recent memory was completed last week with news-talk WJR-AM (760), variety hits WDRQ and pop WDVD-FM (96.3) moving from the ownership of the Walt Disney Company to Citadel Broadcasting (read more - Mike Austerman-Michiguide)

From George Mair -- The big news this week is the question of just WHAT is news?*****High paid “journalists” contend “news” is only what they – the professional journalists -- say it is.****Having been with CBS and the L.A. Times for 16 years, I know all about that obsession (read more - George Mair- LALA Land)

Leaders of First Baptist Church of Dallas are protesting plans to sell Christian radio station KCBI-FM (90.9) without the church's approval (read more - Sam Hodges-Dallas News)

A new radio show dedicated to his life and music, JohnnyCash.com Radio, features interviews with Cash family members, friends and fans on the late singer/songwriter's official website (read more - Contact Music)

Shouting cheers of support and waving signs, 75 to 100 fans of fired radio talk-show host Barbara Stanton took to the streets Friday in front of Clear Channel in support of Stanton who was fired in April after she made on-air remarks against Desert Community Bank and Dominic Ng, president of East West Bank. "I have nothing against the Chinese, nothing against anyone," she said (read more - Melissa Pinion-Whitt-San Bernadino Sun)

A CBS3 spokesperson confirmed that sportscaster Steve Bucci is no longer with the station. According to industry sources, Bucci had been working without a contract for a few months and his last day at CBS3 was Wednesday (read more - Laura Nachman-Philly Burbs)

From Mark Ramsey -- Dear HD Radio...this is what a hot product looks like ...even when it costs $600: With about 19 million people in the U.S.--or roughly 9% of cell phone users--highly interested in purchasing Apple's iPhone, AT&T is looking at a possible windfall of new customers, two new consumer surveys show. Obviously very few new products stack up this way. But the reason I wave this in our face is to illustrate an important point: It's research among consumers that indicates whether or not a product is likely to be a hit (read more - Mark Ramsey-Hear 2.0)

The Eric and Kathy morning show from WTMX (101.9 FM, “The Mix”) took over the Kane County Cougars’ stadium from 6 to 9 am (read more - Stephanie Lehman-Kane County Chronicle)

He heads a university, an international relief agency, a conservative legal center and the Christian Broadcasting Network. But at age 77, Pat Robertson is still not ready to disclose who will succeed him at any of those organizations.
The unexpected death in May of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, 73, highlighted the question of leadership succession for an aging generation of Christian leaders (read more - Steven G. Vegh-Virginian Pilot)

Rick & Bubba Morning Show greeted fans at the Tifton mall where they were promoting their new book, "The Rick & Bubba Code", which pokes fun at the popular book, "The Davinci Code" (read more - WALB TV)

Mark Larson has ended his show on KOGO (read more - SD Radio)

Tawn Mastrey, known as the "Leather Nun" on the air at KNAC FM in the 80's, needs a liver transplant due to an advanced case of Hepatitus.  Tara was a personality at several other U.S. radio stations, and most recently at Sirius Satellite Radio, a job she's had to quit due to her health (read more - KNAC)

Brian Gamroth, one of 18 candidates to apply for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the late Craig Thomas, is better known as Brian Scott to those who listen to his morning radio show on Casper radio station KTWO, has a daily audience and a presence in the Casper community (read more - Cory Matteson-Jackson Hole Star-Tribune)

A massive rate hike for online radio stations could prove to be the demise of one Foster City-based company that hosts thousands of stations representing more than 150 countries and numerous musical genres. Through online radio networks, music aficionados around the world can share their love for music with the click of a button. Live365, a Foster City-based company, allows four million people a month explore the radio stations and almost 10,000 people and organizations play DJ to their own station (read more - Corazon Riley-San Mateo Daily Journal)

Michael Moore might be feeling a little sick today, now that his "SiCKO" is available for download on the Internet from peer-to-peer content sites like thepiratebay.org. An Advertising Age reporter claims she "downloaded a copy and watched it late Thursday night with ease." (read more - NY Post)

From Mark Ramsey -- Radio is all about the average listener, of course. But do you know who that is? And are you really speaking a language she understands? Adapted (and personalized to radio) from pollster Frank Luntz's book Words That Work come these guiding principles for effective communication:
1. Simplicity is important because the average radio listener hasn't graduated from a four-year college.
2. Brevity is important because she doesn't have time to think about what you're saying. She has to sort it out immediately (read more - Mark Ramsey-Hear 2.0)

Here's to Mid-West Family Broadcasting for saving the Elver Park Fourth of July fireworks. The local broadcasting group announced this week that it will pony up to bail out the popular fireworks display on the city's southwest side. Only a few days ago it appeared the event was doomed because the previous underwriter, Clear Channel, Mid-West's main radio competitor, said it could no longer afford the $60,000 outlay (read more - Madison Capital Times Editorial)

ABC GMA's Sam Champion had a scare when an envelope  containing white powder arrived in his office (read more - Page Six)

In the past two years, Des Moines Radio Group has raised over $350,000 for the victims of the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. This last May, (on-air personalities) Ken and Colleen, along with the STAR 102.5 staff, did their ninth radiothon for the Children's Miracle Network, raising over $1 million (read more - Jeff Delvaux, Altoona director of sales Saga Communications - Des Moines Business Record)

Joe Ross, instrumental in putting WFSS on the air in the 1970s, is expected to resign as manager of the Fayetteville State University public radio station June 29 (read more - Michael Futch-Fayetteville Observer)

About 60 state legislators signed a petition Friday calling for the Maine Public Broadcasting Network to reinstate "The Humble Farmer," the radio personality it dropped from its lineup after more than 28 years on the air (read more - Sea Coast Online)

The annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, honoring local musical achievement, will be broadcast statewide on the radio for the first time this year (read more - Erika Engle-Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

I couldn't believe what I was hearing as I tuned in this morning. Anthony Cumia, Gregg "Opie" Hughes, and their comedian sidekick Jim Norton seemed to go out of their way to try to convince the public that their show will remain unshackled. After several meetings with XM's top brass, the trio proclaimed that it would be "business as usual," that the show would remain "uncensored," and that XM would stand by them if some decided that the lines get crossed again. I think those are lies. All lies (read more - Rick Aristotle Munarriz-Motley Fool)

Under the direction of Kent Burkhart and, later, Jerry Blum, WQXI attracted and groomed outstanding talent that contributed significantly to the industry. Unfortunately, some key air-men from that fantastic era are gone including Pat Hughes, Rod Roddy (“The Price is Right”) and Dr. Don Rose, but they will be among the Legatees in GA Radio who are remembered when many of the WQXI staff gather for a reunion within the gala inaugural awards dinner of the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame on September 22nd. Spread the word!  More details are at the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame’s web site www.grhof.com

Classic Hits 106.9 KFRC San Francisco's morning drive will have Dave “The Duke” Sholin beginning July 2 says Steve DiNardo

ARBitron numbers for Omaha-Council Bluffs   Chattanooga   Columbia SC   Huntsville    Little Rock   Shreveport (read 'em)

From Martin H. Bosworth -- Let's face it -- radio stinks. It's 40 minutes of commercials, 10 minutes of annoying DJs looking to offend, and maybe 10 minutes of music.  And in that 10 minutes, you're bound to hear the same five artists multiple times, and the music will generally be the most inoffensive pablum imaginable. DJs are corrupted by payola and stations are driven by the profit motive to turn as much time over to advertising as possible.  This sorry state of affairs comes just as listeners have a broad array of new options (read more - Martin H. Bosworth-Consumer Affairs)

“Creating Powerful News, Talk & Sports Radio” will take place June 29th at 2:30 p.m. at the Marriott City Center Hotel by Geller Media International president Valerie Geller who will present proven practical and specific ideas to help broadcasters in news, talk or sports radio get and keep their gigs at the 32nd Annual Conclave Learning Conference in Minneapolis (read more - www.TheConclave.com)

Mark O’Brien assumes the General Sales Manager Postion Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland for Metro Networks on  June 25, 2007,

"He's everywhere! He's Everywhere!" Chicken Man is the '60s only real super hero; forget Batman or even the Green Hornet. The most fantastic crime fighter the world has ever known, is on the 60s on 6, seven days a week on XM Satellite Radio (read more - XM Radio)

ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning co-host Mike Greenberg will pay up on a bet on Thursday, June 21 when the self-proclaimed metrosexual will doff his pressed khakis for overalls and milk a cow named Sox live at 8 a.m. ET in the TV studio where the show is simulcast from for ESPN2

Friday June 15, 2007

Oklahoma can relax. The world is not coming to an end, it’s just changing formats. Enid Police Department has received several calls about a countdown currently being broadcast on Oklahoma City radio station WKY AM 930, which can be heard across the state (read more - Enid News)

It's been two months since Don Imus was fired from WFAN and, after a number of fill-ins on MSNBC, as of now, there is no replacement for Imus.  CBS Radio is taking its time, not wanting to repeat what happened when David Lee Roth was hired to replace Howard Stern (read more - Ocala Star-Banner)

After blasting the NAB for funding what Sirius and XM labeled a "biased" report that argued against their proposed merger, the satellite radio operators yesterday released a study they commissioned and paid for. To no one's surprise, it came out decidedly in favor of the marriage and the NAB thinks the new report is biased (read more - Peter Lauria-NY Post)  (read more - PR Newswire)

Q101 kicked up some dust late last month when it allowed an afternoon DJ, Electra, to play the new White Stripes album, Icky Thump, in its entirety, well in advance of its June 19 release date. What she played wasn’t a promo; it was a leak that the station’s music director, Spike, had downloaded off the Internet. (read more - Ross Wolinsky-Chicago Reader)

Many Americans are too young to appreciate what radio was in its glory days -- before television became the dominate source of news and entertainment. To most my age, talk radio means Imus in the Morning, the Howard Stern Show and Opie and Anthony.  But let me take you back - back before commercials, advertising and plain bad taste corrupted the airwaves. Back to an era without shock jocks or on-air racial and gender slurs. An era when programming met standards of reliability and character. I went back to the world of 1960’s radio last weekend when I traveled to St. Louis Missouri, for the city’s “Media Halls of Fame” induction dinner (read more - Michelle Oddis-Human Events)

The hot-talk "Free-FM" experiment lasted less than 18 often-messy months in New York, but people involved with the format say we haven't heard the last of it. "So-called 'FM Talk' is not only the future, it's the only future for FM radio," says John Mainelli, who programmed WFNY (92.3 FM) through the last few months before parent CBS switched it back to rock-formatted WXRK. Consultant Walter Sabo, one of the creators of WKXW, cites two keys to successful FM talk (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

Last month, CBS VP Linda Mason told its Public Eye blog that new CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric's lack of success stems from the fact that Americans prefer to get their news "from white guys." Wednesday, CBS made that its official stance when CEO Les Moonves whined to a Newhouse School of Communications group that people don't want their news from a woman (read more - Edward Morrissey-NY Post)

Elizabeth Grattan, former midday personality at WJXA-FM in Nashville, starts Monday as Scott Mackay's new partner at "True Oldies" WZZN-FM (94.7) + Pete McMurray turns up next week as the first guest host to audition for the afternoon job on Emmis Communications' classic rock WLUP-FM (97.9) (read more - Robert Feder - Chicago Sun-Times)

From Tim Cuprisin - Steve Palec devotes his three-hour "Rock & Roll Roots" at 9 a.m. Sunday on WKLH-FM (96.5) to Waukesha's own Les Paul, the 92-year-old guitar legend +  CBS head Les Moonves says there's no chance of bringing Imus back (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee JS)

Stephen Limbaugh Jr. is a cousin of conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh -- and he is a candidate for a federal judgeship which is a presidential appointment with confirmation by the Senate  (read more - Columbia Tribune)

KSL (AM-1160/FM-102.7) continues to be the top Salt Lake-area station, and KNRS (AM-570) is enjoying its best-ever start to any Arbitron ratings book and is now the second-most-listened-to station. Whatever KNRS is doing, it's working (read more - Lynn Arave-Deseret News)

Univision radio personality Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo traveled the country to collect letters signed by U.S. citizens and legal residents in favor of the stalled immigration bill touted by President Bush and personally delivered more than a million letters to a handful of senators who helped craft the Senate immigration bill (read more - Amie Parnes-TC Palm)

DJ Gloria Broussard isn't letting last year's stalking horror stop her from being provocative. The luscious Latina, who does middays on WPAT "Amor FM," just sent out a sexy publicity photo of herself in a bustier with deep décolleté, along with the slogan, "Relieve your stress with Gloria B from 10 to 3"  (read more - Page Six NY Post)

Oprah Winfrey is the world's most powerful celebrity, according to business magazine Forbes. Winfrey beat golfer Tiger Woods into second spot, with Madonna in third place following a successful tour (read more - BBC News U.K.)

Univision is calling on viewers to get their U.S. citizenship. The "Ya Es Hora" ("Now is the time") campaign started in Los Angeles in January. It's in a dozen cities with large Hispanic populations, such as Houston and Miami, and will come soon to New York (read more - USA Today)

From Lee Abrams -- The world of music is getting very sophisticated, complicated and driven by dealmakers ... But what if Microsoft had soul? Not the software or systems, but their foray into music. Big monolithic highly successful companies who get into music talk about devices, systems, distribution---but what would happen if they also had soul. Pure non-corporate love-of-music as a component that the public believed in beyond the "brand name". It would be unstoppable. The thing is, soul isn't in the DNA of the business tycoons and technocrats running these companies. Apple comes close---there's a pulse of "getting it" in there, and it's no wonder they are #1 in music. Soul is an unbelievably powerful thing in any aspect of music (read more - Lee Abrams)

From Laura Nachman -- After waiting a year to launch a local morning show, then wasting almost another year by hiring a host who did not know or care about Philadelphia, Sports Radio 950-AM may have finally gotten it right by hiring hometown guy Michael Bradley for its morning show (read more - Laura Nachman-Philly Burbs)

The Apple iPhone is about two weeks away from being available and already there is a growing list of accessories. Dave Gravelline and the Into Tomorrow team will be taking a look at them and bringing you the latest in consumer electronics this Sunday afternoon  (visit www.graveline.com)

As radio stunts go, give 99.7 KY an “A” in getting media and public buy-in on its recent luring of hundreds of people to the Community America Ballpark in Kansas City. The event was billed as an assault on the Guinness record for most guitarists playing a song simultaneously. However, the jury is out on the station’s final grade in actual record setting (read more - Hearne Christopher Jr-KC Star)

From Mark Ramsey -- The 16% year-to-year increase in Internet spending is notable, especially since this is a distribution channel in which radio can compete way better than it does now. And we already know that Internet advertising has surpassed radio advertising as a whole. Right now your competitors are knocking heads in an effort to understand the best online strategies to tap this booming market (read more - Mark Ramsey-Hear 2.0)

From Dick Kreck -- This marks my last TV/radio column for The Denver Post. And my last day at the paper. After 38 years with "The Voice of the Rocky Mountain Empire," I'm off to do something else. Anything else (read more - Dick Kreck-Denver Post)

Oink! is launching a weekly radio show, Oink! On Air! on Fun Radio following the closure of its previous home Capital Disney, where it had a show (read more - Marketing News)

The musicFIRST Coalition, which counts recording artists Don Henley, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and Wyclef Jean among its members, intends to lobby Congress for new laws requiring the payments by broadcasters to performers whose music is played on the radio (read more - San Jose Mercury News)

"The Economics of the Satellite Radio Merger," explores the financial and strategic rationale behind the SIRIUS-XM merger and concludes that the merger offers the potential to yield substantial efficiencies, benefit consumers and enhance the dynamics of competition within the audio entertainment marketplace. The paper was prepared for XM and SIRIUS and was filed today at the Federal Communications Commission as part of the companies' merger application (read more - Jon Ogg-24/7 Wall Street)

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

From Kent Burkhart -- As I was about to sit down and write a "local, local, local in a small town", column I was told to head to the airport to pick up some very close relatives coming for Father's Day weekend!!! (read more - www.KentBurkhart.com)

On “Good Morning America”, Michael Moore told ABC’s Chris Cuomo that he was concerned that the health-care debate would go the way of the war debate, where he also thinks the media is to blame. He said that had journalists confronted the government about its decision to invade Iraq, they could have saved thousands of lives (view the video - Crooks and Liars)  Moore was interviewed by ABC Nightline's Terry Moran last night (view the video of the piece)

Greater Media Boston radio's WTKK-FM, WKLB-FM, WROR-FM, WMJX-FM and WBOS-FM, join together for an on-air Radiothon to raise funds to benefit the newly constructed Camp Harbor View whose mission is to provide a summer camp experience for Boston youth between the ages of 11-14

The Bob Costas show, Costas on the Radio, is carried on more than 120 stations by Premiere Radio Networks -- Costas on the Radio this weekend features interviews with Don Rickles - Comedian, actor and author of Rickles’ Book: A Memoir. and Mike Pressler - Former Duke University Lacrosse Coach and co-author of It's Not About the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case and the Lives It Shattered

Chicago financier Sam Zell made the rounds on Capitol Hill this week, drumming up support for a buyout of Tribune Co. in an effort to pressure federal regulators to grant waivers necessary to own both newspapers and TV stations in Los Angeles and four other cities (read more - Jim Puzzanghera-LA Times)

Nikki Nicole is the news evening on-air personality for 101.9 Kiss WIKS-FM, Beasley's urban adult contemporary-formatted station in Eastern North Carolina

High-Speed Internet alternatives may be coming soon. No later than January 2008, the FCC will begin auctioning off the portion of the public airwaves that is being returned by broadcasters as part of their mandatory transition from analog to digital broadcasts (read more - Leslie Harris-ABC News)

Friends and former colleagues of hall of fame broadcaster Doug Mayes packed the Verdict Ridge Country Club Thursday night to poke fun at a legend and raise money for a good cause (read more - Lincoln Tribune)

Maybe Joost really does represent the future of television. But for now the new, ad-supported Internet TV service feels retro — and thin. Joost lets you watch a variety of full-length TV shows for free on a computer. But there's no live programming at the moment, and the sparse lineup is underwhelming (read more - Edward C. Baig-USA Today)

Thursday June 14, 2007

And what do black folks think about foul language on radio? And how does decency on radio -- or lack of decency -- impact young black listeners? Only time will tell if urban radio stations -- and corporate radio executives -- will get onboard with a campaign to clean up the epithet-laced content and profanity from the airwaves ... (read more - Tiffany A. Bolden-Howard University News - Black America Web)

WKY-AM 930 began a minute-by-minute automated countdown on Wednesday to draw attention to a format change that will go into effect Monday morning. Station spokesman Dax Davis said he could not comment on the new format (read more - Mel Bracht-The Oklahoman)

Madison's only Fourth of July fireworks tradition will continue after all. The Elver Park fireworks will go on as schedule, but with a different sponsor, Midwest Family Broadcasting and its local station WWQM Radio (Q106), after the main sponsor, Clear Channel Radio-Madison, said it was pulling the plug on this year's event (read more - WISC TV) (read more - Sandy Cullen-Wisconsin State Journal)

Nine television stations in Chicago are off the hook with the FCC despite complaints about inadequate election coverage +  With corporate sponsorships topping out at $10,000, Elroy Smith, who stepped down June 1 after 15 years as a top programmer at Clear Channel Radio in Chicago, will be honored July 6 at a tribute to benefit Les Brown's Greatness Foundation and the United Negro College Fund (read more - Robert Feder-Chicago Sun Times)

From Bill Virgin -- Few music formats on the radio dial generate as loyal a core of listeners to the stations that play it. So listeners of Seattle's AAA station, KMTT-FM (103.7), may have been a bit thrown by a series of changes The Mountain has gone through in the past seven months, and left wondering what's ahead for the format and the music (read more - Bill Virgin-Seattle PI)

From Randy Dotinga -- Steve West might well be the busiest man in San Diego radio. And he's definitely one of the cheeriest. Each weekday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., this redheaded Brit holds court on alternative-rock station 91X. Every weekend he hosts the station's "Resurrection Sunday" show, featuring the best of 1980s music. On top of all that, he has his very own Internet radio station (read more - Randy Dotinga - NC Times)

ARBitron numbers for Albany-Schenectady   Memphis   Raleigh-Durham   Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville (read 'em)

From Jacobs Media -- It's tough out there, as companies grapple with choosing the right strategies to pursue, given all the choices. Is it podcasting, streaming, blogs, HD Radio, or even different commercial architectures, along the line of models that Clear Channel is pursuing? (read more - Jacobs Media)

Chattanooga's Top 40 music station, 98.1 KissFM, signed off at 10am Wednesday. The 98.1 frequency is is now simulcasting 97.3/99.3 "The Legend", and is expected to move exclusively over to the 98.1 frequency. The moves comes as Clear Channel is selling off two of its stations to 3 Daughters Media (read more - News 9 Chattanooga)

Radio station WIOD likely will remain Broward County's official channel for emergency information despite concerns it is also home to conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. On his show Thursday, Limbaugh called Broward Commissioner Stacy Ritter ''a babe'' after seeing her photo in The Miami Herald. ''Liberal babes are rare,'' he said. ``That's why they stand out. It's in The Miami Herald. It's not Photoshopped''  (read more - Scott Wyman-Sun Sentinel)  (read more - Amy Sherman-Miami Herald) (read more - Brit Hume-Fox News)

From Sonny Melendrez -- SonnyRadio.com, with the help of visionary Dan Atkinson of Sacramento, is building Radio Island: A virtual media center complete with studios and performance venues. When finished, Radio Island will invite listeners to exclusive live online concerts, celebrity interviews, and more. Our "signal" is broadcast throughout the island as visitors explore the "acres" of our virtual paradise. The possiblities are limited only by our imagination. If your station already has a major online presence (and even if it doesn't), Second Life can give your product just that: a second life (read more - Sonny Melendrez)

Amid growing signs that Whoopi Goldberg will be offered the vacant Rosie O'Donnell seat on the syndicated TV show "The View", assurances are being issued that if that happens, she will also keep the morning radio show heard locally on WKTU (103.5 FM) (read more - NY Daily News)

News Corp. has put nine of its Fox network-owned-and-operated stations on the block, including Milwaukee's Channel 6. Other markets where Fox stations are for sale are Cleveland; Denver; St. Louis; Kansas City, Kansas; Salt Lake City; Birmingham, Ala.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Greensboro, N.C. (read more - Tim Cuprisin - Milwaukee JS)

From Mark Ramsey -- Of the 80% of viewers who had watched an online video ad, just over half had taken some sort of action. Nearly a third had checked out a Web site, while 22% had searched for more information, 15% had gone into a store and 12% had actually made a purchase. Those are some astounding statistics. And you can bet that effectiveness translates to the price paid for the video. Is your station in this business? Because you should be (read more - Mark Ramsey-Hear 2.0)

Immigration matters will cause politicians to spend to court what will be a key constituency in next year's elections, analysts say. Spanish-language broadcasters should expect a surge in advertising (read more - Jeremy Herron-AP-Houston Chronicle)

Last night on ABC Nightline -- "Nightline" co-anchor Terry Moran spent the day with Michael Moore in Sacramento, Calif., where he met with legislators to discuss health care in this country, and with a group of nurses who went to a screening of the film. Terry sat down with Moore for a wide-ranging conversation about politics, health care and why some people find him so odious. He had some interesting and surprising answers

WMGC-FM listeners are being invited to tee off at the Second Annual "Girl's Day on the Green" to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk in Metro Detroit

Steve Powers, who just retired after 45 years as a New York radio and TV newsman, has seen a whole lot of changes in the news game since he was a young reporter meeting President John F. Kennedy in the White House Rose Garden. Nor does he think they're finished (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

eBay has pulled its advertising from search company Google Inc.'s AdWords network in the United States (read more - Fox News)

Microsoft released four critical fixes Tuesday to patch security holes in many versions of its Windows operating system, Internet Explorer browser and other programs (read more - download security updates from Microsoft)

From Murphy Martin -- Eight days in a hospital gives one time to think about a lot of things. Your youth. Your family. Your friends. Peaks and valleys of your life. And, even recall what we referred to as common sense! Lo and behold--- when I arrived back at my computer at home following that hospital stay, among the more than three-hundred e-mails was one from my friend John Koonsman about common sense! It makes for good conversation even if it does not explain the absence lately of it's use. We remember common sense helping us cultivate such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault (read more - www.MurphyMartin.com)

"I got tired of hearing my friends bitch about FM radio, so I started doing some demographics about what's missing in the Charleston market," says Bunky Odom. One Sunday, sitting at Bert's Bar, Odom asked to borrow their music collection, spreading out the albums on a booth table. Surveying the piles of Southern roots and rock music, not the sounds typically heard on the Clear Channel airwaves, RadioFree was born in Odom's mind. "WNCW (the public radio station in Western N.C.) is why Asheville is so hip," he says. "Our market is really starving, and this station is going to provide." (read more - Stratton Lawrence-Charleston City Paper)

Jon Brooks, a morning host with WKOL-FM, was set to apologize on air Thursday for comments he made this morning concerning Winooski girls when he was talking about having donated blood recently (read more - Burlington Free Press)

Donald Trump has made his name negotiating gold-plated real estate deals, but when it comes to selling other goods, the tycoon doesn't always have the Midas touch (read more - Suzanne Kapner-NY Post)

Former Saturday Night Live star Jimmy Fallon will be meeting fans and performing his new song “Car Wash for Peace” at the Mr. Squeaky Car Wash in Pompano Beach this Saturday, June 16th along with WFTL 850 AM's Steven J. Gray and Joyce Kaufman

From Gary Allyn -- I’ve done a lot of thinking and research on this idea for more than forty years, and I’ve come to the conclusion that they have. At the very least, Ratings companies have caused the fractionalization of radio programming to the detriment of the industry as a whole. Ratings changed the focus from being Mass Appeal, to narrow casting. The appeal of all demographics, to the appeal of just one. To being a "Big Fish" in a large pond, to being a "Small Fish" in a smaller pond. Let me try to explain it. Many years ago, a respected colleague and a National P.D. told me to go to ... (read more - Gary Allyn)

Andrew Anthony Bonillas "Andy B" 42, who worked for several local stations during his career, most recently Radio Tejano 1600 AM, has passed away and will be missed by his friends at Clear Channel Radio (read more - Tucson Online)  (read more - Kimberly Matas-Arizona Daily Star)

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