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Jack Schell fills in for a holidaying Ron Chapman at KLUV 98.7.  Jack is a former KLIF 1190 and KVIL pro who now runs Recall Media.  He'll fill in for Texas and National Hall of Famer Chapman from December 23 through the first part of January (visit RecallMedia.TV)  (visit KLUV)

The Federal Government today began laying the groundwork for introducing digital radio into Australia but it could be many years away. Communications Minister Helen Coonan today announced the Government would begin consultations to develop both a policy and regulatory framework for the introduction of digital radio after the release of a report by the Digital Radio Study Group. “Digital radio presents an opportunity to substantially improve the quality and range of services enjoyed daily by millions of Australian radio listeners,” Senator Coonan said in a statement. “Digital transmission systems offer a range of potential improvements over their analogue counterparts, including better audio quality and the provision of a more diverse range of new enhanced services.” (read more - The Australian)  (read more - The Australian 2)

From JuiceNewsDaily -- This is possibly the most disgusting clip I have ever seen produced.  Saturday Night Live did a cartoon Sketch this past Saturday night.  The clip, produced by Robert Smigel, bashed the Red States, Rush Limbaugh, and countless other "rednecks." To view this clip, click here

Debbie Young signs on today at Racine's WEZY-FM (92.1) in the 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekday slot. The talented Milwaukee radio veteran was most recently at WJZI-FM (93.3). . . . Alley Faith becomes part of the WXSS-FM (103.7) morning team today, joining Wes McKane and Rahny Taylor (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee J-S)

Dear Radio Babe, When WDDV was the DOVE, they owned the airways in Sarasota, capturing 80 percent or more of the radio audience, if memory serves me correctly. Has a survey been done since they abandoned the popular format, and if so, how much market do they currently have? Do you think they accomplished their goal of greater advertising revenue? I tried listening to them a few times after the format change, but have now taken them off the push buttons. I enjoy your column and always learn something from them. Keep up the great work! P.N. Dear P.N., Thanks for the compliments. Radio Babe always learns while writing her columns, too! (read more - Dawn Scire-The Radio Babe)

Melvyn Bragg's heavyweight Radio 4 discussion programme In Our Time is hardly the obvious choice for the iPod generation. But last month, the programme was downloaded 70,000 times on to listeners’ computers and MP3 music players, in a new type of broadcasting that is set to become widespread soon. Known as “podcasting”, listeners sign up for radio programmes that are then automatically saved on a computer or an MP3 player such as an iPod after they are broadcast. The BBC is the first British broadcaster to trial the service (read more - The Times U.K.)

Chicago Ed Schwartz remembers the "Dearly Departed of 2004" (read www.chicagoed.com)

Dave Logan was more than a play-by-play man Sunday. He was a prophet, foretelling an upcoming disaster. After the Chiefs' Dante Hall received the opening kickoff, Logan told KOA-AM (850) radio listeners: "Look out." KKFN-AM (950-The Fan) certainly won't hesitate to mangle Mike Shanahan and Plummer. Joe Williams can't wait to get on the air. And the hosts on KLZ-AM (560-ESPN) certainly won't be in a congratulatory mood. But the main focus should be on KOA, "The Broncos station." (read more - Dusty Saunders - Rocky Mountain News)

NBC11 news director Jim Sanders remembers working at a Fox Network start- up station in Indianapolis in the early 1990s, where his new set was inspired by the Rolling Stones "Steel Wheels" tour. "I said to the designer, 'Did you see the Stones tour? That's what I want, ' " Sanders remembers. "I want post-industrial funk. I want girders that show. I want bolts that stick outside of the metal. I want purple, teal and black." (read more - Peter Hartlaub-San Francisco Chronicle)

Pfizer said that it would immediately stop advertising Celebrex, its best-selling arthritis pain reliever, to consumers after a study showed that high doses were associated with an increased risk of heart attacks. The suspension of advertising, which is indefinite, includes television, radio, newspaper and magazine ads and other promotions to consumers (read more - NY Times)

A radio host making a comeback after he was convicted of paying a 17-year-old girl for sex was taken off the air Friday. Robert Gillet, once Quebec City's top morning man, was let go after ratings showed him trailing behind his chief rival. Gillet's station, CJMF-FM, dropped 19% of its audience after he was hired, according to the most recent BBM Canada ratings (read more - Winnepeg Sun)

Ralph Bernard, the chairman of GWR, which owns Classic FM, has always believed that size does matter. In fact, his entire career in commercial radio has been dedicated to getting bigger.  The need for grander scale was a lesson he learned in the early days of his career, when he was managing director of Radio Wiltshire, then a small, struggling station based in an old house in the village of Wootton Bassett. "It became very evident that if you don't have size you don't have the ability to do things and you are forever trying to find the money to fix leaks - literally," says Bernard, now one of the most influential and outspoken figures in the British radio industry

SIRIUS Satellite Radio and the Chrysler Group today announced the completion of the launch of the 2005 model year lineup of Chrysler, Jeep(R) and Dodge vehicles. "Production rates for 2004 are on-par with our 100,000 unit goal," said Mike Kane, Director, Feature Innovation and Advanced Technology Strategy, Chrysler Group. Availability on additional Chrysler Group models is anticipated, and total volumes of over 500,000 SIRIUS equipped-vehicles are expected over the next model year (read more - PR NewsWire)

CBS has a new name on top of its list of poten tial replacement for Dan Rather — Katie Couric. According to Broadcasting & Cable magazine, CBS wants to "land a superstar to take over" for Rather and the "Today" show diva is its top choice.  Couric has just 18 months to go on her $15-million a year contract with NBC, the weekly reports in its edition out today (read more - NY Post) + Conservative CNN host Tucker Carlson is reportedly close to jumping to rival MSNBC to replace Deborah Norville (read more - NY Post)

With his fiery red hair and trademark bow tie, Brent Bozell cuts an unlikely figure as the scourge of the US TV networks.  Bozell’s Parents Television Council has taken on the US television giants in a self-styled "massive, coordinated and determined campaign" to see the networks punished heavily for showing graphic scenes of sex and violence before 10pm. While Mary Whitehouse’s National Viewers and Listeners Association used more traditional means in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, the PTC has harnessed the power of the internet to ram home its cause.  More than one million complaints registered with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) watchdog this year appear to back up the conservative group’s case. But the mainstream media, shackled with almost $8m in fines levied by the FCC this year, has cried foul, reporting that 99.8% of complaints in 2004 came from the members of one group, Bozell’s PTC (read more - Scotsman)

Radio program director Frankie Blue, apparently under the influence after an office Christmas party, grabbed the mike during a late-night show on 102.7 WNEW this week — and may have gone off-color. Bounced WNEW shock jocks Opie and Anthony reported the incident with great relish on their XM Satellite radio show yesterday as they played a tape of Blue's slurring unscheduled Wednesday night on-air appearance on DJ Yvonne Velasquez's show. The highlight — as far as Opie and Anthony were concerned — came when a seemingly blotto Blue said station stars Rick, RuPaul and Kim would "pick out a winner, and then they're going to f - - - the winner." (read more - John Mainelli-NY Post)

The FCC has been one of the most rogue agencies in recent memory. Charged with writing regulations to carry out the will of Congress in the Telecom Act of 1996, the agency has been rebuked by the D.C. District Court no less then three times for writing regulations that flew directly in the face of the Act's deregulatory intentions. The FCC has behaved this way because regulators cannot be trusted to deregulate. They micromanage industries, they pick winners and losers, they usurp the normal function of markets by interfering with prices. But regulators do not deregulate. Finally this year, the commission seemed to get religion. In just the last few weeks, the commission made the correct decision on Voice over IP (VoIP), determining states could not regulate this transforming new technology (read more - Washington Times)

Two former CFM disc-jockeys who were sacked by their bosses are to join a battle of the airwaves by working for a new Carlisle radio station. Ken White and Mike Charlton have both agreed to work for the proposed new station City Vibe FM, which is the brainchild of 24-year-old Carlisle man Andy Ferriby. He plans to apply for a restricted service licence, which would allow the station to broadcast for 28 days, probably in the summer. All three say they hope to provide a more local radio service, and they aspire to make the station a credible CFM rival with a long-term future (read more - News and Star)

Bill Moyers has always taken the high road, but it got a little lonely up there. In a country where political discourse grows ever more shrill, his voice was more and more easily drowned out. Last night, at the age of 70 and on the eve of his 50th wedding anniversary, Bill Moyers took the high road home. Moyers last night introduced the first report, "A Matter of Opinion," by recalling a car trip he and wife Judith Davidson Moyers (a partner in his business) took and how shocked they were when they started scanning the radio dial. What he heard, Moyers said, was "a freak show of political pornography" on a scale he found "malignant." The report, produced by Kathleen Hughes, documented conservative excesses on the "public" airwaves. Sean Hannity, a bullying buffoon on the "fair and balanced" Fox News network, spent much of his time this year campaigning for George W. Bush, telling an audience in one city that a vote for Democrat John Kerry would help "Osama get his way." (read more - Tom Shales-Washington Post)

Fifty miles is a long way to drive each day without much entertainment. That's the length of Anthony Del Rio's round-trip commute to Morrisville State College's campus in Norwich. "When I'm driving, I'm always flipping through the stations on my radio," said the 18-year-old student from Sidney. "Half of them are staticy." Del Rio said the stations that do come in feature mostly commercials and commentary from disc jockeys, and not enough of the rap and rock music he enjoys. XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, America's two satellite radio companies, are counting on frustrated local radio station listeners like Del Rio to sign up for their services. Del Rio said he's on board and will have XM installed in his vehicle after Christmas (read more - Press and Sun Bulletin-PressConnects)

What's up with longtime Dallas-Fort Worth radio DJ Jon Dillon? The KZPS/92.5 FM jock, who has been doing the 3-7 p.m. shift for the better part of the past 15 years, wasn't on the air Friday. That's not unusual for this time of year, but he's also gone from the station's Web site (read more - Star-Telegram)

The year began with the Super Bowl halftime show fiasco and ended with aftershocks from Howard Stern flipping his detractors the bird and taunting the Federal Communications Commission with a just-try-and-get-me-now move to satellite radio. Between those two seismic events, the FCC levied a record number of indecency fines, responding to an avalanche of complaints carefully orchestrated by conservative zealots and election year political pressure (read more - Paul Heine-Billboard-Reuters)

 VoIP, or voice traffic over the Internet, (Vonage) is headed for Mexico offering an opportunity for upstart telecommunications companies but a headache for traditional companies, who see pressure on their earnings as the cost of long distance calls decline. The new service, known as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), requires a high-speed broadband connection and has caught the eye of customers around the world because of its wider array of features compared with traditional telephony (read more - Reuters)

So, you want to be a broadcaster? Great! Lucky for you today's technology allows anyone to do what was once limited to a small percentage of people. Now YOU can become a broadcaster, YOU can be the DJ, YOU can be the Program Director who decides your broadcast to the world - thanks to the Internet. There are several approaches to webcasting and which one you choose depends on your goals (read more - Corey Deitz)

On Monday, Charlie Pallilo goes to work at KBME (790 AM). On Tuesday, he goes to court. Infinity Radio, Pallilo's former employer at KILT (610 AM), will ask state District Judge Randy Wilson on Tuesday afternoon to grant a temporary injunction prohibiting Pallilo from working for Clear Channel Radio until at least May 2005, six months after his final day at KILT on Nov. 2. It also seeks unspecified damages (read more - David Barron-Houston Chronicle)

The free Web browser, FireFox, is a classic overnight success, many years in the making. Published by the Mozilla Foundation, Firefox is a Web browser that is fast and filled with features that Microsoft's stodgy Internet Explorer lacks. Firefox installs in a snap, and it's free. (Your children in college are already using it.) It is polished, as easy to use as Internet Explorer and, most compelling, much better defended against viruses, worms and snoops (read more - NY Times)

"Since the Janet Jackson episode, there has been a witch-hunt atmosphere going on in this country, which has to do with our puritan history," University of Southern California communications professor Marty Kaplan told AFP. "It reminds me of the early age of the nation. The pendulum has swung again (read more - Channel NewsAsia)

A rapid consolidation in the mobile phone industry, as illustrated by last week's proposed merger of Nextel and Sprint and Cingular's recent acquisition of AT&T Wireless, raises a compelling question: With fewer carriers, has power in the industry shifted away from consumers? Conventional wisdom suggests that with fewer competitors, companies are under less pressure to cut prices and improve services, and that prices ultimately may rise. That's the line taken by many consumer advocacy groups. But industry analysts and executives say the dynamic in the wireless industry is far subtler, and that price is only one way to gauge competition. They argue there is still plenty of competition between the remaining providers and a number of regional companies to ensure that consumers not only have ample choices, but also receive better service and prices (read more - NY Times)

The York County Agriculture Business Council banquet will feature a talk by nationally known radio and television personality Orion Samuelson. The Chicago-based Samuelson is heard daily on more than 200 radio stations with his syndicated “National Farm Report” and on more than 100 stations with “Samuelson Sez.” In 1975, he brought the “U.S. Farm Report” to television. Last year, Samuelson was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago. Council member Tom Brant said the group was happy to be able to secure a notable name like Samuelson and that his appearance in York may drive banquet attendance above the usual 300 diners (read more - York Daily Record)

Long before he redefined the hip-hop market in Baton Rouge and saved WEMX (MAX 94.1) from its ratings free fall, Joshua Bursh saved himself. While other students at Southern were doing their homework, Bursh was doing crack cocaine. He was mad. Ticked-off that his parents had divorced, that his athletic aspirations had vanished, that all of his friends had already completed college. Ten treatment centers had failed him. His "disease" was winning. And his dreams of being a disc jockey were melting away too. Boozy nights chugging 40-ounce beers "to take the edge off" the coke left him chronically unemployed. Going to work turned into going to the Skylark Motel in Scotlandville to score another hit (read more - The Advocate)

Media billionaire Rupert Murdoch has agreed to buy the late Laurance S. Rockefeller's Fifth Avenue penthouse, whose $44 million price tag is the highest ever for a residence in Manhattan.  Mr. Murdoch, the chairman of the News Corporation, will pay the asking price for the triplex apartment in a lavish co-op at 834 Fifth Avenue, according to a person informed of the deal, who asked not to be named because the contract had not yet been signed (read more - NY Times)

Erik Olson was driving home last year at the wheel of his new Honda Accord equipped with XM Satellite Radio when he wondered aloud to his wife why he needed that addition to the familiar AM-FM setup in the dashboard. But after a year of driving through what Susan Olson calls "radio dead zones" en route to visiting their daughter in Tallahassee, the Jupiter Farms couple is hooked on the 130 stations that feature everything from funk to big band. "I think I'd give up my cable before I'd give up my XM Radio," Susan said (read more - Palm Beach Post)

An adjunct English professor at Tarrant County College says he was let go after a student complained about the showing of Fahrenheit 9/11, a documentary that is critical of President Bush. Kendall McCook, 59, a published poet and an instructor at TCC for 2 1/2 years, said he was terminated Wednesday after turning in his grades for the semester. He said it came as a complete surprise because he already had his class assignments for next semester. Jo Bagley, the school's dean of instruction, said it was a "personnel situation" and declined to comment (read more - Star-Telegram) You'll find this and other "Talk Bites" at RDN's sister site, www.talkradiodailynews.com

After every broadcast, KKOW Radio Sports Director Tom Van Hoy uses his signature sign-off, "Telling you the final score for the final time." Today, when the KKOW broadcast of the Pittsburg State University men's basketball game at the High Desert Classic at Las Vegas ends, Van Hoy will do that one final time (read more - The Morning Sun)

Max Brown, who helped create a network of radio stations serving Nebraska agriculture, died Wednesday. He was 93. Brown founded KRVN in Lexington in 1951, and he was one of several leaders of Nebraska farm organizations who started the Nebraska Rural Radio Association. That association grew from KRVN into a six-station network that includes KNEB-AM and -FM in Scottsbluff and KTIC-AM and KWPN-FM in West Point (read more - Quad Cities Times)-

WOIO'S Sharon Reed is Cleveland's best export since LeBron. You have to understand that the news the rest of the country sees from our city hasn't shown much promise. We're known for high poverty levels, rusting factories, job losses, snubbing hi-tech and bio-tech industries, and we're numero uno on obesity, smoking and sleep deprivation. They even call our Browns the Cleveland Clowns. It's a city with an image of being in love with its own mediocrity. Sharon has national star potential. She's strong, talented, witty, feisty, sexy, and backs down to no one — including Letterman. Enjoy her while you can. National TV will come calling, because she has the stuff it takes to make for a flourishing talk show star (read more - John Gorman-Cleveland Free Times)

An unusual pair of referees - CBS and NBC - has flagged Miller Brewing Co. in its advertising fight with Anheuser-Busch Cos. The broadcasters will stop running some of the Miller television spots that A-B complained were misleading. After reviewing the complaint, CBS found three ads to be "unduly disparaging." It also found two of the three conveyed a taste-preference by consumers that was unsubstantiated, CBS said in a letter obtained by the Post-Dispatch (read more - St Louis Post-Dispatch)

I remember "Pretty Perky Peggy" King singing that back in the 1950s on the annual George Gobel Christmas television show. Up to the 1970s and a bit beyond, one could really get into the Christmas spirit by turning on the TV and listening to Perry Como, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Patti Page and many other vocalists who reverently sang the songs of the season. Williams, Crosby, Page and Lawrence Welk brought the true spirit of Christmas to us with unforgettable music. Going back to the World War II era, an "old-fashioned" Christmas was a matter of fact. During those wartime Christmas seasons, our churches, synagogues and temples were an important part of society. Before television, radio played a major part in kindling the Christmas spirit (read more - NJ.com)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio  will soon have a presence on both US coasts, with the establishment of new Los Angeles studios in early 2005. SIRIUS’ Los Angeles operations will be centered in the studios of Swinghouse, a facility currently used by many top artists as a rehearsal and recording studio, located in Hollywood, CA. (read more - Sirius)

The New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) has ordered 200 copies of RAB’s Certified Professional Copywriting Course (CPCC) and 150 copies of the Radio Advertising Bureau’s (RAB) newest training DVD, Breaking The Daily Habit: Competing Successfully Against Newspapers. This latest investment from NYSBA brings their total commitment in 2004 to over 2,300 RAB training products to help its Radio members advance their revenue results (read more - RAB)

ARBitrends for Cincinnati, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and St. Louis (read 'em)

95.5 KLOS presented the 2004 Mark & Brian Christmas Show at the Welter LG Theater on Thursday night where they collected more than 2,500 new and used DVDs and CDs for wounded troops and more than 5,000 hand toys for children with terminal illnesses. “We collected more than $300,000 worth of merchandise to support these two great causes,” said Community Relations Director, Nelkane Benton. “We knew that our listeners, as usual, would be supportive, but we really were overwhelmed by the number of donations we received.” (visit Mark and Brian at 95.5 KLOS)

NewRadio Group LLC, announced that it has received FCC approval and purchased the assets of WFHR-AM and WGLX-FM based in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, from Bliss Communications. NRG is already a part of the Central Wisconsin market area through WDLB-AM and WOSQ-FM in Marshfield, Wisconsin, and WLJY-FM and WYTE-FM in Stevens Point, Wisconsin

BBC Radio announced that a trial of an MP3 downloading service, which saw 70,000 downloads of Radio 4’s In Our Time programme in November, had been a massive success. Simon Nelson, controller of BBC Radio and Music Interactive, said: “We’ve been surprised and delighted by the demand for downloads of what is one of our most challenging programmes. “It demonstrates the public’s appetite for new ways of listening (read more - MediaWeek U.K.)

Veteran Houston newsmen Jim Carola, a familiar voice to Houston sports fans for four decades, and Pat Hernandez were laid off Wednesday night by KILT radio as part of planned cutbacks in the station's news operation. Carola, 63, who had worked at KILT since its heyday as the Houston outpost of Gordon McLendon's radio empire, said he and Hernandez were told that KILT-FM (100.3 FM) will drop afternoon newscasts in an effort to improve its standing in the competitive Houston radio market. "The ratings have not been good, and we were the last, as far as I know, full-service news department at a music station in Houston," Carola said (read more - David Barron-Houston Chronicle)

Getting fired brought Paul Berlin to Houston. Berlin, who hosts the last edition of his show on KBME (790 AM) at 10:30 a.m. today, had been on Memphis radio for two years. He was 19. "I fell asleep on the air," Berlin says. The station manager fired him but helped him get another job, which turned out to be at Houston's KNUZ. Fate must have had a hand in Berlin's on-air nap because it was a boon to a lot of Houston radio listeners who made him a favorite choice for the next 54 years. KBME becomes an all-sports station on Monday. He's been a nominee for radio's Marconi Award. His face and voice are seen and heard in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He's in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. He's proud of the accolades, sure, but adds, "I can take a kick in the butt, too, for screwing up. I've done that." He's most proud of the fans who call and send e-mails — dozens a day — since the format change was announced (read more - Louis B Parks-Houston Chronicle)

In the home stretch of 2004, the Federal Communications Commission, the official enforcer of the nation's anti-smut standards, has so far received more than a million complaints about public radio and television programming. That's a record and so is the close to $8 million in fines levied, half of them against Clear Channel Communications and Viacom. The numbers suggest a few things: the minds of entertainment industry honchos are getting a whole lot dirtier, Americans are fed up, and indecency watchdogs in Washington, D.C. are writing tickets faster than a traffic cop on a quota (read more - CNN Money)

Who will be the RadioDailyNews.com "Radio Person of the Year for 2004"? You'll find out right here on Wednesday December 29th! Got a suggestion or a guess? e-mail RDN at 2004@radiodailynews.com 

Howard Stern, the notorious shock jock/best-selling author/movie star, has been known to bellow at anyone who will listen that he is "The King of All Media." That hyperbolic rant from the King of All Self-Promoters aside, Stern, 50, is Media Web's selection as the Media Newsmaker of the Year because of his resounding one-man October Surprise (read more - Jon Friedman-CBS MarketWatch)

From Kent Burkhart -- Here we are at Christmas time again. It’s a great time of the year. The all Christmas music stations are doing a terrific job of selection rotation. The decorations have their wonderful, colorful flair. And families and friends will soon gather to celebrate Christmas. Pat and I will be in Atlanta with our family…we are certainly looking forward to it. So, Merry Christmas to all!!!!! (read more at www.kentburkhart.com)

Ron Magers, the No. 1 news anchor at top-rated WLS-Channel 7, has agreed to continue as a daily contributor to Roe Conn's WLS-AM (890) afternoon talk show + Fresh from his stint filling in for WSCR-AM (670) morning personality Mike North today, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn turns up as guest co-host of Jake Hartford's annual holiday show, starting at 6 a.m. Saturday on WLS + John Soss and Andy Cirzan host "The Christmas Club," their seventh annual showcase of rare and unusual holiday tunes, from 8 to 10 p.m. Monday on WDCB-FM (90.9) (read more from Feder of Chicago)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will air a special Christmas music show hosted by noted recording executive and Blue Note Records President and CEO Bruce Lundvall on Christmas Eve at 6pm ET with repeats at Noon on Christmas Day and at 6am on December 26 on SIRIUS Pure Jazz, channel 72.  “A Blue Note Christmas” will feature holiday tunes from noted artists such as Diane Reeves, Count Basie, Norah Jones and Dexter Gordon. Friday, December 24 (visit Sirius Radio)

Talk about video killing the radio star. Yahoo! will tempt users with video search, which allows them to search for video clips. Next on the agenda, Yahoo! will offer live traffic maps, bringing a national flavor to what has traditionally been a local content offering, particularly from radio. Now that most people run computers with muscular processing power and broadband connections, it's easy to see that video is a formidable new frontier in search (read more - Fool.com)

"Broadcasting for Dummies" -- Based on my observations of the broadcast media over the past year, the above is the working title of a book I have written for people wishing to get into a career in that field, both from a management and staff perspective. First, two tips for station managers: - Recruit disc jockeys that are popular in nightclubs to work as announcers and let them behave as they do in the nightclubs, meaning they must spend most of their time shouting and trying to get a party started as opposed to speaking in more subdued tones. - If a singer is popular, he or she can also be recruited as an announcer. Just let them be themselves when they are on air and use the opportunity to promote their music wherever possible (read more - David Hinkson-The Barbados Advocate)

Christine Kniffen did not always want her own talk-radio show. But after a guest spot on "The Dave Glover Show" on KFTK-FM (97.1), she was hooked. She eventually made her way to the tiny WEW-AM (770) — the second-oldest radio station in the United States, according to its web site (read more - St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Radio One Inc. chief executive Alfred C. Liggins III said yesterday he is lobbying District officials to support a plan to move his company's headquarters from Prince George's County to the District, near Howard University. Radio One would like to construct a 76,000-square-foot office building at the corner of Seventh and S Streets NW for his 69-station radio group, which was founded in the District 24 years ago (read more - Washington Post)

Convicted murderer Scott Peterson's mistress Amber Frey is getting used to her new status as a celebrity author. Frey, who has signed to write a memoir with Judith Regan, celebrated the deal with the publisher at Mr. Chow Wednesday night and enjoyed her share of attention even as Star Jones arrived in an eye-popping white mink (read more - NY Post)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- Just got word that an independent feature film that I have a very teeny role in will premier in the Frontier section of the Sundance Film Festival in January. Local actress Cyndi Williams, a former radio personality and radio copywriter, plays the lead role. Room was shot in Austin, Houston and New York City during the winter of 2003. I also recently played a principal role in a short indie film called “Lucre,” written and directed by Gardenia Spiegel. Good script; great cast and crew; wonderful experience. Let’s see, how does it go? “I’d like to thank the Academy….” (visit Jarrott Media)

Today's SDRadio contains verbs, adjectives .. and an interview with Iraq bound Ted Leitner of The Mighty 1090 + AJ from Channel 933 checks in (read it all at SDRadio)

The stars couldn't have aligned much better for Entercom Communications this year. The New England Patriots won their second Super Bowl in three seasons. And the Boston Red Sox captured their first World Series championship since 1918. Elated fans can't stop talking about their winning teams, and that's where Entercom comes in.  The Philadelpha-based media company launched a sports talk-radio station in Rhode Island this spring, and it has quickly become one of the top stations in the Providence market (read more - Providence Journal)

KENR had a dy-no-mite fast-paced Top 40 sound with a thoroughly modern Country format. The #1 ARB rated radio station here in Houston at that time. KENR had fabulous studios up high in Greenway Plaza near the Galleria. One Saturday morning this enticing female listener revealed that she could peer out her office building window across from where KENR was and see me. Didn't believe her. She told me to go over to the large west facing window in KENR's studio, glance about 20 stories down to the first floor of the next skyscraper and I could see the poster that she held up. That was a long shot. Barely could make it out, but there she was. She waved frantically and shook the poster madly. Those were the days, my friend (read more - Jim Rose Remembers)

For many XM Satellite Radio subscribers, the designation XXL might be more apt. There are too many choices spread across more than 120 channels, and not enough time to listen to them all. TimeTrax Technologies, a company in North Potomac, Md., has made an attempt to solve the problem with TimeTrax Connect. The system includes hardware and software that allows an owner of an XM Direct receiver to capture satellite broadcasts on a computer hard drive as MP3 or WAV files to be saved and played back at the user's convenience (read more - NY Times-ZDNet)

A former Cincinnati television news reporter was sentenced today to serve five years in prison. Stephen Hill had agreed to the sentence under terms of a plea deal he reached with prosecutors on charges he had sex with teenage boys he was mentoring (read more - WCHS-TV)

For the last three years, Louise Kattenhorn was the producer of the John Peel Show and, for the last two, Hermeet Chadha was the programme assistant. We met at Radio 1 HQ in Great Portland Street, London - in G12, the cluttered, open plan office shared by the station's specialist DJs and production teams. It's the room where John, Louise and Hermeet would put his Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night (11pm-1am) shows together - and a room which is now keenly feeling his absence (read more - Liverpool Echo 1)  (read more - Liverpool Echo 2)

Veteran sports broadcaster Peter Brown starts Jan. 3 as afternoon drive host on WEMP-AM (1250) when it goes all-sports. "One of his nicknames is 'the coach killer,' 'cause he makes them squeal like a pig," says WEMP general manager Ray Quinn (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee J-S)

Why not use satellites to let you listen, from anywhere, to every NFL or Major League Baseball radio game broadcast? That's one of the ideas behind the fledgling satellite radio business in which two companies — Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio and New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio — are trying to create demand for yet another way to repackage sports media. And, sports business consultant David Carter says, don't bet that sports fans can't find room for more. "It's like the holiday season, where people sit around the table saying they couldn't possibly eat another bite," he says. "But then they say, 'What's another piece of pie at this point?' (Fan interest) is all so over the top for all this." (read more - USA Today)  (read more - UPN 29)

Robert F.X. Sillerman has agreed to buy an 85% stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises.  It's the first of a series of strategic acquistiions for CKX Inc., a new Manhattan company he is creating (read more - Crain's NY Biz)

ARBitrends for Akron    Baltimore     Hartford    Washington DC   Fredericksburg VA (read 'em)

Larry Ahrens, an Albuquerque radio icon for about a quarter of a century, is leaving the microphone after failing to negotiate a new contract. Ahrens said that he is disappointed that he'll be unable to do a final show on 770 KKOB-AM. He called it disapointing, but said he understood the reasons behind it (read more - KOBTV)

570 KLIF's Darrell Ankarlo broadcast his show from the Gaylord Texan near DFW Airport for the "We've Got Your Back Project" (read more and view the photos at www.klif.com) 

XM Satellite Radio will broadcast the major college football bowl games live from coast to coast. XM's college bowl line-up includes every game from the Bowl Championship Series, which will determine the NCAA Division I football champion (see below for schedule). "XM fans across the country will hear every minute of the most exciting college football games of the season," said Eric Logan, Executive Vice President of Programming, XM Satellite Radio. "This is one more reason why XM is the sports leader in satellite radio." (read more - Car and Sound)

Kelvin MacKenzie, the abrasive media mogul, yesterday won the right to broadcast a new FM radio station to Edinburgh - promising a 24-hour talk station featuring local news. The former editor of the Sun, now the chairman and chief executive of Wireless Group, saw off competition from 11 rival bidders for the lucrative 12-year licence from industry regulator, Ofcom (read more - The Scotsman)

Tom Fenton, a 34-year veteran of CBS News and the dean of American foreign correspondents, is retiring this week (read more - CBS News)

Sanne DeWitt is a 70 year old woman who survived the holocaust. She decided she would team up with Christians For Israel (Sanne is Jewish) and bring the remains of Jerusalem bus #19 to Berkeley, California. You may recall this was the bus that was bombed by terrorists last January. I took up her cause and after a few days of talking about it on the air AND urging my listeners to call, write and e-mail the Berzerkley city officials, they relented and the Global Anti-Terrorism Rally will take place on Sunday January 16 from noon to 3pm at Martin Luther King Park in Berkeley. Sanne has asked me to serve as the keynote speaker and, of course, I will (read more from Jeff Katz)

Sirius Satellite Radio has been getting more attention after signing Howard Stern, but Sirius is still the smaller of the two satellite radio providers.  XM Satellite Radio forecasts 3.1 million subscribers by the end of the year, Sirius says it will have about 1 million subscribers by then.  XM CEO Hugh Panero was recently interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter (read more - Hollywood Reporter)

Recording companies have filed copyright infringement lawsuits against 754 computer users in the latest round of legal action in the industry's effort to stop unauthorized swapping of music online. Students at University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in New York, Old Dominion University and State University of West Georgia were named (read more - My Way)

The staff of 89.7 FM will trade turkeys for Christmas compact discs during Turkeys for Tunes 1-3 p.m. Saturday at three Salvation Army locations. The Salvation Army will distribute the turkeys to needy families this Christmas season. The station is mixing in Christmas songs like those on the featured CDs to regular programming, and its sister station, 88.7, has begun its “The 12 Days of Christmas” programming (read more - Enid News and Eagle)

While Michael Eisner and Disney board members were taking shots at Michael Ovitz in a Delaware courtroom, Ovitz was carefully plotting his return to show business. Yesterday, he got the green light from Paramount for a big-budget movie based on the hugely popular "Splinter Cell" video game. Ovitz will produce the picture (read more - NY Post)

A radio station popular among big-city inmates being held in isolated prisons in central Appalachia plans to take its annual Christmas program nationwide this year. WMMT-FM in Whitesburg will host a call-in show Monday so that people can offer messages of holiday cheer to inmates from Red Onion in Virginia to Folsom in California (read more - Herald Leader)

No one would dispute that electricity, water, even gas or oil for heating, are essential. But cable television? Or high-speed Internet? Utility leaders think so. They are renaming the city’s utility provider. Bristol Tennessee Electric System becomes Bristol Tennessee Essential Services. The name will change, but the acronym will stay the same. The name change comes as the utility pushes into the cable television and broadband Internet markets. Apparently, the moniker "electric system" no longer fits. The utility now wants to be more (read more - Bristol Herald Courier)

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said yesterday he taking legal action against prominent radio talkback host Alan Jones for defamation over his comments on the 'Lay Down Sally' rowing controversy at the Athens Olympics (read more - The Star-Australia)

Consumer electronics distributor Audiovox Corp. reported Thursday that its Audiovox Electronics Corp. unit agreed to acquire Terk Technologies Corp. Terk provides satellite radio receivers and digital antenna products and has agreements with XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. to provide aftermarket car stereo systems (read more - Forbes)

On ABC NightLine -- A three night series on the psychological effects of war. The hidden scars of war are caused by the intense and violent experience of combat, and studies show that one in six troops coming home from Iraq has post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. We took a look at what the U.S. Military is doing to help these soldiers and marines fight the illness (visit ABC NightLine)

KNOW Austin alum Harry Smith passed away yesterday. Harry was sales manager from 1961 and became GM somewhere around 1970, where he remained until retirement in 1979 (read more - Austin American-Statesman)

For someone who has been talking endlessly on the air about how federal communications regulators have forced him from his home of 20 years, Howard Stern seems pretty content. America's most famous shock jock, who moves to Sirius Satellite Radio in 13 months, has been reading the Bible. With all this talk about how the country is into religion and morality, Stern, 50, figures it was time to read The Good Book. Of course, he hasn't gotten past Genesis, and he has problems with the part about God creating night and day (read more - USA Today)

Live drama and variety shows, some old favorites on the Seattle scene, a lot of music and a lot of Dickens highlight the lineup of Christmas programming on Seattle radio beginning this weekend.  Saturday brings not one but two live performances under the auspices of and broadcast from the Museum of History and Industry (read more - Bill Virgin's Seattle Radio Beat)

WBLS (107.5 FM) will sign a local morning show to replace Rick Party, new General Manager/Vice President Deon Levingston said yesterday - and that won't be the only change listeners will hear on the air. Soon, he says, WBLS will stop straddling the line between older and younger listeners - playing more hip hop than WRKS (98.7 FM), but more adult R&B than WQHT (97.1 FM) or WWPR (105.1 FM) (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

Radio legend Paul Harvey has kicked in $1 million for the new Museum of Broadcast Communications in downtown Chicago. Harvey does his daily broadcasts - which air in Milwaukee on WISN-AM (1130) - from Chicago. The new museum is scheduled to open in 2006, and its public programming facility will be called Angel Harvey Center, after his wife and producer (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

iBiquity Digital, the sole developer of digital HD Radio™ technology, and Atmel® Corporation, a global leader in the development and fabrication of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced today that iBiquity Digital has certified the Atmel T4260 RF tuner chip for use in automotive and home HD Radio receivers. The T4260 is a complete front-end solution for both AM and FM reception. It is used to tune the radio and converts the signal into a frequency that the receiver can decode. The integrated fast fractional PLL allows locking times of less than 1 ms. The flexible IF output frequency enables designers to adapt the IC to various customers needs (visit iBiquity)

Come the new year, there will be fewer commercials on some of the city's top radio stations. Could it be that Clear Channel Radio, which counts ''Kiss" WXKS-FM (107.9) and ''Jammin' " WJMN-FM (94.5) among its nearly 1,200 US outlets, is preparing a belated holiday present for listeners? (read more - Clea Simon-Boston Globe)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- I’m not in the Christmas spirit yet. I haven’t heard one radio station here in Austin play The Barking Dogs’ “Jingle Bells,” or “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.” Christmas of 1979 a listener sent me a copy of the original Patsy and Elmo recording of “Grandma..” before it was released nationwide. It was on a little independent label out of California at that time. It was our most requested record that year at KHFI-FM! And for many years to come! (visit Jarrott Media)

Tony Jarvis has been named Senior Vice President, Research, Infinity Broadcasting, it was announced today by Joel Hollander, President and Chief Operating Officer, Infinity. Jarvis will oversee all radio research for Infinity, including audience measurement and demographic and advertising research. The appointment is effective immediately (visit Infinity)

When Fox News and Clear Channel Communications announced a new alliance last week, it was widely characterized as the convergence of two of media's evil empires. But the deal between the two conservative bastions won't impact Austin, according to local Clear Channel chief Dusty Black. It only calls for Fox to supply news updates to Clear Channel's news-talk stations. Clear Channel owns six stations in Austin, but none of them are news-talk (read more - Kevin Brass-Austin Chronicle)

Internet search engine Yahoo! will launch a new, locally oriented search intended to offer consumers updated traffic-condition updates from around the U.S. Yahoo! says the service will offer live, local traffic information integrated with online roadmaps and driving directions. It also claims it will be the first to provide speed conditions and dynamic traffic information, changing by the second, nationwide (read more - Forbes)

Four teenagers have been convicted of killing a Birmingham radio DJ, who died in an incident outside his home. Heart FM DJ Tushar Makwana, 37, was thrown to the ground in Wasperton Way, Castle Bromwich, as he chased a car containing the four men (read more - BBC News)

ARBitrends for San Francisco, San Jose, Boston and Monterey (read 'em)

The Federal Communications Commission rejected a request Wednesday to begin imposing indecency standards on satellite radio, where frequent agency target Howard Stern is taking his show. The FCC's media bureau turned aside a radio station owner's request that broadcast indecency regulations apply to subscription satellite services (read more - Seattle P-I)

Salem Communications Corporation announced two major Houston radio station initiatives. Today it launched a new station in the Houston metro area, News/Talk 1070 KNTH-AM. Salem's long-time Christian Talk and Teaching station, KKHT-FM, moved from the AM band to a new dial position at 100.7-FM (read more - Business Wire)

The influential House of Commons media select committee has urged the government to set up an independent board of governors for the BBC as part of the process of renewing the corporation's charter. In a wide-ranging report on the future of the BBC published today, the committee also recommended that the corporation's next charter, setting out its scope and responsibilities, should be cut from 10 years to five and be replaced by an act of parliament (read more - The Guardian U.K.)

People on the move will soon be able to enjoy broadcasting at an affordable price as the long-awaited satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) phone is expected to hit the stands next month. TU Media said Thursday the company plans to provide tens of thousands of satellite DMB phones next month through its parent firm SK Telecom, or the nation’s top wireless carrier (read more - Korea Times)

Rumors that Sirius and Apple Computer Inc. were going to announce next month at the Consumer Electronics Show or MacWorld a deal to bundle iPods with satellite radio have added to the sector's buzz. Sirius and Apple declined comment on the rumors, but analysts said it seemed technologically unfeasible right now. "I don't believe Sirius' chip set is at the point where it can go into an iPod. It's the size of a credit card, and an iPod would need a chip set the size of a thumb nail," said April Horace, a Janco Partners analyst (read more - CNN Money)

First he bought Monticello Raceway. Then the Concord Hotel.
Now Sullivan County native Robert Berman is buying one of the county's three radio stations, WSUL-FM (98.3 and 95.7), its owner confirmed yesterday. "An application has been filed with the Federal Communications Commission," said Bill Reynolds, who stressed the deal will not be done until it's approved by the FCC (read more - Record Online)

Suddenly, TV broadcasters - who often produce programmes months in advance of their transmission date - are being fined huge amounts for what would be, in Europe, considered minor offences at the most. The Federal Communications Commission - just five people in a country of 300 million - have suddenly decided to move the goalposts without any prior warning, forcing many broadcasters into panic as they make last-minute changes to schedules and re-edit finished programmes to avoid potential fines (read more - Radio Netherlands)

An Army study shows that about one in six soldiers in Iraq report symptoms of major depression, serious anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, a proportion that some experts believe could eventually climb to one in three, the rate ultimately found in Vietnam veterans. Because about one million American troops have served so far in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Pentagon figures, some experts predict that the number eventually requiring mental health treatment could exceed 100,000  (read more - NY Times)  You'll find this and other "Talk Bites" at RDN's sister site, www.talkradiodailynews.com

Talk radio grows larger in bandwidth, talent, and influence as time goes on. When Rush first came on the national airwaves in 1988, his Seattle affiliate was an Oldies station. Today, the burgeoning demand that has developed around the Rush Limbaugh Show has brought two conservative radio stations into prime competition in the Seattle market ... But I never truly appreciated the importance of talk radio in American political culture until Rush Limbaugh read one of my columns on his program last March (read more - Hans Zeiger)

Thursday marks the last day that Tavis Smiley will appear on his eponymous show on National Public Radio. Smiley says he is leaving the network after three years on the air because the show, the first and only in the history of NPR with an African-American sensibility, didn't receive enough support. "NPR has simply failed to meaningfully reach out to a broad spectrum of Americans," he wrote in a Nov. 29 release. "In the most multicultural, multiethnic and multiracial America ever -- I believe that NPR can and must do better in the future." (read more - Brian Montopoli-Salon)

I have always been a radio junky. When I was younger, my fix was Seventies gold from my mother's clock radio and archived recordings of George Burns and Gracie Allen. Micro-stations and AM talk kept me well-fed through my 20s. Now, it's satellite radio.  For a true junky, there's no better fix. Many people I know think this is daffy – why, they ask, would you pay for something you can already have for free – the same quizzical wondering that accompanied the arrival of cable television in the Seventies. The answer is simple: Satellite radio is better. Don't get me wrong, I still listen to local radio; among my favorite local stations is 88.7 KAZI, like my home-growing colleague Rachel Proctor May (read more - Jordan Smith-Austin Chronicle)

Time Warner Inc. agreed to pay $510 million to settle criminal and civil charges stemming from an accounting scandal at its America Online division, moving to end a messy affair that tarnished its image and impeded its business after its merger with AOL in 2001(read more - Washington Post)

Maybe this was one White House invite that publishing titan Judith Regan should have turned down. Regan paid an awkward visit to the White House yesterday - just 11 days after her ex-lover Bernard Kerik had been there to announce his nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security (read more - NY Daily News)  

Just weeks after a presidential election during which both candidates pledged their loyalty to our troops fighting in Iraq,  Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell is attempting to show his patriotic gratitude in the oddest of ways: He's trying to raise the prices for the very pre-paid telephone calling cards that 95 percent of the troops use to communicate with their family members who wait with hope of life reassured with the telephone's ring (read more - Francisco Ivarra-Seattle PI)

The New York Daily News is planning to offer voluntary buyouts to its entire editorial staff, a spokeswoman for the paper says (read more - Crain's NY Biz)

It looks like WEMP-AM (1250) will finally flip to an all-sports format on Jan. 3, bringing 24-hour sports radio to the Milwaukee market + WQBW-FM (97.3), the '80s rock station better known as "The Brew," airs a "requestathon" starting Friday morning to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation (read more - Tim Cuprisin-Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Cumulus Broadcasting, which owns six radio stations in Topeka, is trying to raise $60,000 in private donations and corporate sponsorships to refurbish diamond No. 6 at the Gage Park ball fields. "We're really committed to generating this revenue -- 6 million pennies -- to make this happen," said Bryan Hallman, Cumulus sales manager. "This will really change the way people with disabilities use recreational facilities in this city." (read more - Topeka Capital Journal)

The Infinity Broadcasting station is expected to announce today that it has signed a multiyear agreement to add NASCAR-related programming to its schedule, including 36 Nextel Cup Series races, starting in February. US-99.5 also will air daily updates on the NASCAR scene, hosted by morning co-star Ramblin' Ray Stevens + Sun-Times television critic Phil Rosenthal will fill in Thursday for morning host Mike North on WSCR-AM (670). Subbing for North Friday on the Score will be Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. *Three of the brightest lights on WGN-AM (720) -- Kathy O'Malley, Steve Cochran and Rick Kogan -- review the events of 2004 with Milt Rosenberg on WGN's "Extension 720" at 9 p.m. Thursday (read more - Feder of Chicago)

A popular radio personality is being remembered for her dedication to the Central Florida community. Hundreds of people gathered at Faith World Church for the funeral for Dawn Flemming, known on air as Break-A-Dawn with 102 JAMZ (read more - WFTV)

From Chuck Blore's "Okay Okay I Wrote the Book" --  "We were off to KTSA in San Antonio where Don Keyes would guide us to a dominance of the market. KTSA was just the second station in what would become one of the most influential radio companies ever, The McLendon Stations. And we were the four guys Gordon had chosen from all over the country. I came from Tucson, Bob Cooper from Minneapolis, Frank Bell from Austin (?) and Don French, who would be our morning man was from Fargo North Dakota. Don was a large man with a super-size talent. He was absolutely charming and his humor was very low-key. You simply could not stop smiling when you were around “Big D.” I learned to love Don almost instantly and over the years I hired him three times, first to PD KDWB in Minneapolis, then PD of KEWB in San Francisco and lastly to replace me, at KFWB ..." (read more from Chuck Blore)

Unless you're John Bell, who can be heard daily on Elvis Duran's "Morning Zoo" over WHTZ (100.3 FM), a station whose teenage audience thinks anything that happened before 1998 might as well have happened in Ancient Rome. "The first time I went to a high school, I mentioned the Beatles and got blank stares," says Bell. "They don't let you live in the past." So he doesn't, which is why the Zoo was able to mark his 70th birthday right out in the open yesterday (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

The 2004 Broadcasting Policy Monitoring Report, released yesterday, is a 140-page compendium of statistics on the Canadian radio and television industries, prepared by the commission. It shows that Canadians enjoy an amazing variety of broadcast services, with 657 television stations available. That includes 156 conventional Canadian stations, 394 Canadian community, specialty and pay stations, and 107 non-Canadian services. There are 1,139 over-the-air radio services, including 622 commercial stations. The report shows that drama and comedy are by far the most popular television choices among English Canadians, with 44 per cent of weekly viewing in those categories. About 18 per cent of viewers' time was spent watching news shows, and 11 per cent on sports (read more - The Globe and Mail)

In Argentina, a unique radio program, broadcast from the grounds of a mental hospital with the patients as the principle participants, is drawing a large following. The talk therapy radio show not only helps patients deal with their problems, it also has served as outreach to family and friends, and helped to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness. Radio La Colifata, which in Buenos Aires slang means 'Crazy Radio.' It bills itself as the first radio show in the world to broadcast live from a mental hospital (read more - Voice of America)

The man who built WVXU-FM (91.7) into a Peabody Award-winning seven-station network will return to the classroom at Xavier University next year. Jim King - known as "Doc King" to listeners since 1976 - announced his resignation Tuesday night at the station's holiday party (read more - John Kiesewetter-Cincy Enquirer)

95.5 KLOS will present the 2004 Mark & Brian Christmas Show at the Wiltern Theatre on Thursday, December 16th from 6-10 p.m.  Comedian and actor, Rip Taylor, has joined the entertainment line-up and will read this year’s edition of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which has been read in the past by such noteworthy figures as Dick Van Dyke, Jack Palance, Charlton Heston, Betty White and Bob Hope. Other live entertainment will include REO Speedwagon, Alan Parsons, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Jonny Lang, Ingram Hill, Beth Hart and a special appearance by Gibson, the World’s Tallest Dog. Additionally, the Last Generation of Syncopated Drummers, the Huckabee family and students from Rodgemoor Elementary School in Menifee, CA will perform (visit Mark and Brian at 95.5 KLOS)

Sprint Corp. on Wednesday agreed to buy mobile telephone company Nextel Communications Inc. in a deal worth $36.3 billion to gain more business customers and more airwaves to transmit calls (read more - Reuters)

Palm-Sized Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver Unveiled by The Brix Group -- In your truck, car or home, bring the vast world of satellite radio in the palm of your hand. Streamer GT, the latest in a line of satellite radio products from The Brix Group, brings affordability and portability to satellite radio. With the addition of the palm-sized Streamer GT to Brix's existing portfolio of truck, auto and home satellite radio equipment, users will have "always on" access to more than 120 channels of SIRIUS Satellite Radio's commercial-free music, sports, information and entertainment (read more - TMCNet)

Lisa Mirick, of "The Lisa and Ron Show," left her position at BOB 96.9 FM after an extended segment filled with cursing and criticisms of her colleagues and employer. In the report, an employee said that prior to the incident, Mirick went into the audio booth and said she was going to "unload on the world" and quit her job (read more - KOCO)

Dr. Laura Schlessinger, nationally syndicated radio talk show host and best selling author, and former Radio Today Entertainment, Inc. founder, Geoff Rich, have teamed up once again to produce and syndicate The Dr. Laura Show, effective January 1, 2005. Joining Dr. Laura and Geoff Rich as COO will be veteran radio broadcaster, Jake Russell, most recently COO of Pamal Broadcasting. The new name of the company will be Take On The Day, Inc., with offices located in New York, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Premiere Radio Networks will handle the satellite distribution of the program and oversee the national advertiser relationships. Take On The Day will be responsible for all affiliate relations (visit Dr. Laura)

Add Penfield feels he has come full circle with his selection to the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame. He started his radio broadcasting career at a station in Raleigh, the same city where he will be inducted this spring. "It's been quite a ride," Penfield said Tuesday. Penfield, 86, is in High Point Regional Hospital, rehabilitating complications from heart surgery in July. He said he should return home Dec. 21 and plans to attend the Hall of Fame induction May 19. "I'm on the road to recovery," he said, "and I don't want to miss that one." (read more - News Record)

If you tune to KOA-AM (850) tonight at 8 you'll hear a talk show hosted by Bob Newman, mixed with local and national news. The station, with its booming 50,000 watts, will be heard in 38 states. KOA's debut was decidedly different Dec. 15, 1924, when the station - then 830 on the dial - signed on with 1,000 watts. The infant outlet featured a performance by the Saxophone Band of the Public Service Co. of Colorado and an address by Dr. George Norlin, president of the University of Colorado. And on its opening night, KOA was heard in Hawaii. Obviously, the world of radio signals wasn't very crowded 80 years ago (read more - Rocky Mountain News)

China has cancelled the first late-night television talk show about sex a fortnight before the first episode was scheduled to air nation-wide. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), China's top TV watchdog, yesterday ordered all TV stations not to broadcast the TV talk show, "The Mask" on the ground that its producer, the Beijing Shixi Media Company, didn't not have a licence to produce TV and radio programmes (read more - The Hindu)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- During one of my respites from radio back in the mid 70s I was working as a freelance writer and was asked to write and produce a series of commercials for a local gift and plant shop. I spent many hours crafting an interrelated series of radio spots called “Gone With The Fern,” starring Rhett Begonia and Scarlett O’Hollyhock. After the spots were produced and running, the agency called back and said “Quick, we need a Christmas commercial…yesterday!” In a matter of minutes I dashed off a little song called “The 12 Plants of Christmas,” which I sang to Joel Block’s accompaniment on The Production Block Studio’s piano. We entered all the spots in the local Addy awards competition, and you can guess what won. In fact, “The 12 Plants…” won not only locally and regionally, but also nationally. Sometimes it’s good not to give projects too much thought and planning (visit Jarrott Media)

Media Matters for America launched a nationwide initiative to draw attention to the conservative slant in Sinclair Broadcasting Group's television news programming. The campaign, supported by MoveOn.org, MediaChannel, Working Assets, Robert Greenwald, Director of Outfoxed, Campaign for America's Future, FreePress, and Alternet, aims to spur action against Sinclair Broadcast Group's use of the 62 television stations it owns and operates to systematically promote partisan political interests above all others. Of particular concern is a nightly "news" commentary titled "The Point" in which Sinclair Vice President Mark Hyman espouses one-sided, conservative rhetoric without any counterpoint. The vehicle for the initiative is a new website www.SinclairAction.com  where citizens can register concerns directly with companies that advertise on Sinclair stations (read more - US Newswire)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio's programming has been selected as satellite radio's best by the popular and respected automobile information site Edmunds.com. Founded in 1966, Edmunds.com is an internet automotive resource for consumers with more than 4.3 million unique visitors per month (read more - PR Newswire)

1,000 soldiers on a western Baghdad base broke Tuesday from the war's grind and were entertained by Robin Williams, former NFL quarterback John Elway, and sportscaster and model Leeann Tweeden. The three stars landed in Baghdad along with Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, in military helicopters for a visit to boost troop morale during the holiday season (read more - Excite)

President Bush has called for universal broadband by 2007. That's a critical goal, since there are more than a dozen countries that have greater Internet access for its citizens and businesses than we do. But does the White House understand that his own Federal Communications Commission is inhibiting this goal? Specifically, the FCC is going to decide this week whether to promulgate new regulations that would allow the competitors of the incumbent telephone companies — the "Baby Bells" — to have access to the infrastructure that the phone companies built with billions of dollars of private investment capital (read more - Washington Times)

Kirk, Mark and Lopez, the wacky morning jocks on 98 Rock, are riffing on crummy Christmas gifts they have known when newsman Bob Lopez abruptly stops talking. He jabs a white button on the console in front of him, taking himself off the air, and turns his head away from his colleagues. An instant later, huge heaving hacks explode from Lopez's body. His ample frame recoils, then doubles over, as a great disturbance roars from him. And then the storm subsides. Lopez hoists himself back up and starts chatting again with Kirk McEwen and Mark Ondayko about crummy Christmas gifts. The coughing is a residual effect of the treatments that Lopez, 51, underwent over the summer . Having your lungs seared with powerful blasts of cell-killing radiation is a bit of a liability for a guy doing drive-time radio, as Lopez has for 27 years on Baltimore's 98 Rock. But Lopez -- everyone calls him that, just Lopez -- is an old pro, and he has his button-jabbing routine down. Every time he feels another rumble coming on, which is often on KML's 5:30 to 10 a.m. shift, he hits the white "cough" button to spare listeners his coughing spasms (read more - Paul Fahri-Washington Post)

ARBitrends for Chicago and Los Angeles (read 'em)

When Army Sergeant Dave Bristol’s wife was asked by her friend Kidd Kraddick what the soldiers really needed in Iraq her reply threw him for a loop. It wasn’t toothbrushes and toilet paper; it was the gift of a comedic distraction; DVD’s. So was born Operation Laughline, a campaign that has since collected over 7,000 comedy movies for our troops. Kraddick took this new revelation to the air and his listeners responded by dropping off DVD’s at checkpoints across the country, some even ordered videos on line and routed directly to Kraddick. This past Saturday, a handful of soldiers gathered with Kraddick’s Morning show at the Hard Rock Café to box the videos and ship them overseas, just in time for Christmas (visit Kidd Live)

WWPR (105.1 FM) set the stage yesterday for a lively new year on hip-hop radio, officially moving morning host Ed Lover to afternoons so Star and Buc Wild can take mornings. Lover started 2-6 p.m. yesterday. Star and Buc arrive on Jan. 17 (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

A man wracked by more than three decades of guilt has donated $10,000 to a fund that pays for free hospital care for children. Pittsburgh radio personality Jack Bogut said he received the letter, and a $10,000 cashier's check, from a 46-year-old man who spent $300 he had for the Children's Hospital Free Care Fund 33 years ago. Bogut was then a KDKA radio personality who promoted that station's fund-raising campaign that during which people were encouraged to collect money for the fund and bring it downtown during Bogut's live broadcast (read more - Times Leader)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- I’ve told this story before, but it’s particularly appropriate this time of year. And besides, my wife says I repeat myself all the time anyway. So why should now be any different? It was early December, 1969, and I was doing mornings at KXOL in Fort Worth. We lived in south Fort Worth and every evening around dusk a teenage boy who lived on the next block over would walk up our street and smoke a cigarette or two. I’m sure his parents didn’t know that he smoked and he was very secretive about the whole affair. If a car came down the street he would turn away or duck behind a tree. This particular evening I was putting up lights on the front porch when one of our radio station news units drove up the street; one of our newsmen also lived in that neighborhood. As fate would have it, the smoking boy was just across the street from my house when the newsman flipped on the flashing police lights on top of the news unit by way of greeting to me. Well the boy must have thought the jig was up and his parents had sent the cops after him, because he took off in a run that would have made Jesse Owens proud. I always thought that, after he cleaned himself up, he probably never smoked again! (visit Jarrott Media)

The makers of "Girls Gone Wild" will air a pay-per-view special during this year's Super Bowl halftime show that promises "guaranteed wardrobe malfunctions." The show is the latest in a long line of bawdy Super Bowl halftime counter-programming that frequently appears opposite the game to draw young male viewers during the halftime break. "I'm sure full nudity will happen, and there will be a lot of baby oil," "Girls Gone Wild" CEO Joe Francis told The Post yesterday (read more - NY Post)

A new study by Borrel Associates has identified the rapid growth of internet radio. In 2004 internet radio has grown 40% to 20 million regular listeners, 50% of whom tried the service for the first time in 2004. Some of the newcomers appear to have migrated over from traditional radio, which has seen diminishing listener numbers. The largest losses have been in the 18- to 34 year old age group - the same demographic that comprises the bulk of new internet radio listeners.Free internet radio station WebMasterRadio.FM will not only contribute free internet radio content but they will report on it as well (read more - eMediawire)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio today announced that it will provide real-time traffic data to vehicles over its nationwide satellite radio network.  The company has signed an agreement with NAVTEQ, the premier provider of mapping and traffic data reporting services, to offer consumers reliable traffic information in their vehicles. The new service will provide consumers with regularly updated traffic information, such as accidents, scheduled road closings, traffic flow data or other traffic-related incidents to help them select the best available route (visit Sirius Radio)

Larry Gifford will join ESPN Radio as Program Director effective Monday, Jan. 24. Gifford, who fills a position vacated by Peter Gianesini, who was promoted to Senior Director of Programming in August 2004, will oversee ESPN Radio’s weekday programming (Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-7 p.m. ET) featuring Mike & Mike in the Morning (6-10 a.m.), The Herd with Colin Cowherd (10 a.m.-1 p.m.), The Dan Patrick Show (1-4 p.m.) and Sportsbash with Erik Kuselias (4-7 p.m.) (visit ESPN Radio)

Viacom's Infinity Broadcasting unit this week is expected to announce it has tapped Tony Jarvis as its new research chief, sources said (read more - MediaPost)

Radio retained its position as a mainstay medium over the past year reaching demographics in locations, both in and out of home according to the latest total radio listening estimates compiled by RADAR®, the radio network and national audience measurement service of Arbitron Inc. Initial findings indicate that, over the course of a typical week, radio reached 95 percent of Persons 18+ who live in a household with an income of $75,000 or more. Ninety-five percent of college grads listened to radio, as compared to only 92 percent of people who did not go to college. Eighty-two percent of Persons 18+ listened to radio while in their cars; 25 percent listened at work (read more - Arbitron)

On Wednesday December 15, Brian Beirne will spin his last record on K-EARTH 101 and will receive morning show tribute with Gary Bryan and special guests that include Phil and Mitch Margo of The Tokens, Dick Peterson of The Kingsmen and Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon (read more PR Newswire)

Radio stocks boomed with almost the same enthusiasm as dotcom stocks in the late 1990s. It was during this time of consolidation when radio’s leadership took their eye off the ball, looking to economies of scale to cut costs and boost profits. Wall Street loved it, but what FM radio needed to be doing was creating new formats. But who needed new formats when the stock price is through the roof? FM radio did – badly. Enter satellite radio in the early 2000s. For the first time in radio’s history, it potentially had a real competitor on its hands (read more - Jerry Del Colliano -  Audio Video Revolution)

WSNC-FM, Winston-Salem State University's radio station, has become the city's second member of National Public Radio. The change took effect Dec. 1, said Elvin Jenkins, the station's manager. The station has begun delivering NPR's hourly news broadcasts. It already broadcasts such NPR programs as Jazz Profiles and Latino USA, a news and information program geared toward the Hispanic market (read more - Winston-Salem Journal)

In a two-year agreement announced today, Simmons Lathan Media Group's Def On Demand division and Clear Channel Entertainment Television, a Clear Channel Communications division, are partnering to co-produce, promote, and distribute at least 12 monthly Def on Demand Live! music entertainment events per year (read more - Black Enterprise)

Radio listeners in Rotorua and Taupo will notice a few changes up and down the dial this week. Rotorua's Lakes 96FM and Taupo's Kis FM are both being relaunched as More FM. The Taupo station will change this Friday, while the Rotorua station will change on January 14 (read more - Daily Post-New Zealand)

Arbitron announced today that Elkins-Buckhannon-Weston, WV will join the Spring 2005 Arbitron radio survey schedule.
The Elkins-Buckhannon-Weston market contains an estimated population of 102,600 persons who are age 12 and older, placing the market at rank number 267 out of the 290+ markets Arbitron will measure in the spring (visit Arbitron)

Don't call WRIR a public radio station, says Chris Maxwell, president of the organization that's launching Richmond's first low-power FM station. When WRIR (97.3 FM) goes on the air by Jan. 1, it will be a community radio station (read more Richmond Times-Dispatch)

ABC Radio Network’s award-winning annual Christmas Around the World show will be available on December 24 from 12:00 p.m. ET through December 25 at 9 p.m. ET.  Broadcast live from the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, this year’s Christmas programming includes thirty-three hours of music, celebrity interviews, and memories to make the yuletide extra special and extra easy for affiliates this holiday (visit ABC Radio Networks)

Like most wars, the cable-television flap in the Joplin area is creating some winners, including a former weatherman.
Jeff Welborn, owner of Wireless Connections, said Monday that since the announcement was made that Cable One may drop KODE and KSNF from its lineup as of midnight Dec. 31, his business has seen a dramatic jump in customers asking for DISH Network. In a telephone interview, he said requests for DISH Network have gone up 300 percent to 400 percent. DISH Network carries the local stations (read more - Joplin Globe)

The man Toledo radio listeners knew as "the polka king" has passed away. Chester Zablocki died Friday from heart failure. In 1947, Zablocki began a radio program playing polka music. The show aired three and half hours early Sunday morning from his home where he built a studio (read more - WTOL - TV)

Regis Philbin will fill in as host of ABC's "New Year's Rockin' Eve 2005" for Dick Clark, who suffered a mild stroke last week, the network announced Monday (read more - 7 Online)

Air America programming is being carried on 40 stations around the country (many on Clear Channel outlets) as well as on two satellite networks - XM and Sirius. And the list of national advertising sponsors is growing. Such growth brings smiles to local Clear Channel executives who put Air America on KKZN-AM (760) in late August, replacing Business for Breakfast and sports programming. "Our research and audience response show the network is catching on in the Denver area, even though the combative political climate has died down," says Jerry Bell, who is assuming new duties locally at Clear Channel as program director for KKZN and KHOW-AM (630). "I predict the station will show a 1 audience share in the current fall Arbitron diary report - something The Zone (KKZN) never did." (read more - Dusty Saunders-Rocky Mountain News)

As Robert Evans's years as Hollywood's boy-king recede into history, industry insiders could imagine that he might be groping for reasons to get out of bed. They need not worry. Mr. Evans, the fabled producer and man about town, will more than likely be enjoying his latest gig, as a satellite radio talk-show host, in the comfort of his pajamas. Mr. Evans, 74, has signed on to be the anchor of a weekly program, "In Bed with Robert Evans," for Sirius radio (read more - NY Times)

From Claude Hall Online -- Dave Donahue e-mails: "Claude, in one word...'wow'! In a few more, pulling up your anchor from the bottom of the sea of memories brings up wave after wave of bits and pieces of your life.  The printed word and wordsmiths like you have always given me pause to reflect on my own times. You do us all proud + Dene Hallam: "When it comes to mind, I go to Your Website, and, as always, thoroughly enjoy your writing, and, insight! Tom Noonan: "Thank you for that commentary -- I found it fascinating, interesting, and in parts so very true (read more at www.claudehallonline.com)

There's just no stopping Dick Biondi and his annual toy drive. On Saturday, the WJMK Oldies 104.3-FM radio personality was back at it again at Yorktown Shopping Center in Lombard. "I'm tired, but I get second winds every now and then," Biondi said of the two-day marathon radio broadcast and collection. With more than $20,000 in toys collected, Biondi and his radio crew were able to set a record for the 13th annual Dick Biondi toy drive, which benefits thousands of youths from the Uhlich Children's Advantage Network (read more - Chicago Daily Herald)

Standing with the cast of "Saturday Night Live" at the tail end of last Saturday's live broadcast, Colin Farrell said he'd just experienced one of the finest weeks he'd ever had, "I s - - - you not." One two three FCC! + This is the problem for Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and other multimillionaires in the conservative media elite. They're on top. Their guys won. Life is a dream. It's hard to do the liberal-hating, angry-conservative routine without sounding ridiculously disingenuous (read more - Richard Roeper-Chicago Sun-Times)

"Kimmie" is out as a sidekick on the WVKS-FM (92.5) morning show. She had been associated with morning host Johny D. for nine years. She did daily psychic readings on his afternoon show before joining him as a full-fledged sidekick when he switched to mornings in 2003 + Kathy Stinehour has quit her job as market manager of the Cumulus-owned radio stations in Toledo to pursue what she calls a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." (read more - Russ Lemmon-Toledo Blade)

It's lamentable that Pittsfield should lose one of its local FM signals, but we can't blame the Vox Radio Group for taking its 105.5 signal where the money is. "Live 105," whose moniker is a bit of a joke considering its dull and homogeneous programming, will move to some other spot on the dial, presumably displacing an equally uninspiring oldies station (read more - Berkshire Eagle)

Before the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in March 2003, Iraqis' primary news source was state-run broadcasting. The government had banned satellite dishes, so Iraqis were largely deaf to the dozens of satellite channels saturating the Middle East. After Saddam's ouster in March 2003, the U.S. military lifted the ban. Dishes began sprouting from rooftops, and televisions hummed with Western and Arabic newscasts. The U.S. military is no stranger to the use of propaganda. The armed forces routinely use psychological operations - such as leaflets and radio broadcasts - to demoralize enemies and win over locals. "If we don't harness propaganda in wartime," says Krohn, "it isn't because we don't know how." (read more - Gov Exec)

Remember the first time you had to pronounce “Schlotsky’s” on the radio? If memory serves, their first commercials were written by Guy Bommarito, a terrific copywriter and creative director for GSD&M in Austin. Guy expatriated to the Left Coast for awhile and wrote in San Francisco, but he left his heart in Texas and came back. Now comes word that Schlotsky’s has been auctioned off to Fort Worth’s Cox Companies. Fortunately they’re going to keep the Schlotsky’s name. (rim shot) (visit Jarrott Media)

Clear Channel Radio's (CCR) Power 105.1 (WWPR-FM), Hip Hop & R&B, has announced a new weekday lineup effective today. Morning personality Ed Lover will debut this afternoon in his new shift. Cherry Martinez has been named officially to the 6-10pm shift, and weekend personality Malikha Mallette will be taking on overnights from 2-6am (read more - PR Newswire)

Telecommunications companies see Internet calling as the future of their industry. Regulators view voice-over-Internet protocol, or VoIP, as the key to widespread competition and lower consumer prices. Others worry that it could saddle a dwindling number of traditional phone customers with the cost of paying for existing infrastructure. Analysts believe that eventually most traditional telephone calls will be made over the Internet. Such a sea change in the telecommunications industry has broad implications (read more - Arizona Republic) (read more - Local Tech Wire)

Dear Radio Babe: I smiled as soon as I saw the "headline" on your column today. My wife and I had just been talking about 92.1 and how we both removed that station from our car radios and the few other digital radios we have in our home. We noted that this station, which had been a favorite since (we) arrived in the Sarasota area a few years ago, had gone to 24/7 holiday music... so I did take your advice and e-mailed WDDV. I got a reply from David Harrell, the program director. I enclose his reply below. Note he mentions you -- (read the note and more - Dawn Scire-The Radio Babe)

GM announced that it recently signed up its one millionth XM Satellite Radio subscriber (read more - XM Radio)

Sirius joins XM Radio on the NASDAQ listings (read more - PR Newswire)  (read more - Motley Fool)

BBC London will survive the corporation's job cull, bosses say. More than 1,800 jobs from London will go to Manchester as the BBC moves production north. The move, over the next five-years, is part of a shake-up that will see at least 2,900 job losses nationwide (read more - Ham and High)

Media consolidation is hurting local broadcast and radio stations because they are not working for the public interest, a Federal Communications Commission member said Thursday. “We need to make sure we hear more voices that are not from one ventriloquist,” Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said. With media ownership rules up for review at the FCC, Adelstein said, it’s important the organization listen to the public’s opinions (read more - Minnesota Daily)

TXCN recently announced it is laying off more than half of its 75-person staff. Beginning Jan. 1, anchors will be gone. So will specialty shows + Former KRLD anchor/reporter Bob Crowley has joined the staff of WBAP as overnight anchor and reporter + more (read Robert Philpot-Star-Telegram)

"Aspiring writers and journalists have their blogs, aspiring movie directors have their Apple iMovies, and aspiring DJs/radio producers now have podcasting," says Reinier Evers, the founder of Trendwatching.com, in an e-mail interview. "Podcasting allows for tens of thousands of new 'radio' stations - or, more likely, tens of thousands of radio programs."  It's a boon for audiences, too, because podcasting is the audio equivalent of TiVo. Although the software that makes podcasting possible has been publicly available for only three months, radio stations are already exploring ways to exploit the medium (read more - Arizona Republic)

From George Mair's LA LA Land Letter -- At holiday season we wonder why they call it "Rush Hour" when nothing is  moving****This is the time for partying and singing songs such as "when auld acquaintances be forgotten" Unless, of course, the tests come back positive**** There is a rumor that the traditional 12 days of Christmas may be out sourced to Pakistan ****Book lovers sorry to see Brian Lamb's BOOKNOTES on C-Span go off the air (read more from George Mair)

Listen. It's at the gym, the grocery store, in a diner, a gasoline station, at a fast-food restaurant - it's music - and it's meant to make you spend. Although we don't always pay attention to it, businesses do, and they're willing to shell out big money to pay the companies that provide the soundtrack to our lives as shoppers. But Muzak, long the king of background tunes, is starting to face competition from the traditionally consumer-driven satellite music providers such as XM and Sirius (read more - Augusta Chronicle)

The Pentagon is engaged in bitter, high-level debate over how far it can and should go in managing or manipulating information to influence opinion abroad, senior Defense Department civilians and military officers say. Such missions, if approved, could take the deceptive techniques endorsed for use on the battlefield to confuse an adversary and adopt them for covert propaganda campaigns aimed at neutral and even allied nations. Critics of the proposals say such deceptive missions could shatter the Pentagon's credibility, leaving the American public and a world audience skeptical of anything the Defense Department and military say - a repeat of the credibility gap that roiled America during the Vietnam War (read more - NY Times)

The trade magazine Broadcasting and Cable is reporting Oprah Winfrey will develop talk shows for television syndicator King World. Details of the agreement were not announced but her first effort is expected in 2006 (read more - WLS TV)

Enter “Mix-Tape Radio”, the new, 3-hour weekly radio show announced today by New York-based syndicator X Radio and producer FM2, in which DJ Green Lantern will have the opportunity to showcase all of his phenomenal skills as well as his amazing rolodex of artists in a way not previously available to listeners nationwide. Green Lantern’s career trajectory has ascended rapidly since his first foray into hip-hop back in ’90 as a party DJ (read more - PR Web)

Local, national, sports and business news 24 hours a day from the comfort of your laptop or work station? It becomes a reality on Monday, when WCBS Newsradio 880 launches WCBS@WORK, a live stream of its programming over the Internet. This marks the first time an all-news station in the tri-state area will broadcast its programming 24 hours a day on its Web site (read more - New Jersey Star Ledger)

The 2004 election is history, but broadcasters are rubbing their collective hands together in anticipation of a huge windfall that has nothing to do with political advertising revenue. The nation’s two major broadcast trade publications, Broadcasting & Cable and Television Week, are predicting changes at the Federal Communications Commission that will result in an increasing republican influence. That, in turn, will proffer even more rewards to big broadcasters. Technically, the F.C.C. is an apolitical concept (read more from Frank Absher)

One interpretation of freedom of the press is that those rich enough to own a press are free to print whatever they please. That's a cynical view, of course, which doesn't jibe with the high-minded notion that without freedom of the press there would be no free society ... golden ages do not last forever. They pass, when the unique set of circumstances that created them are fundamentally changed. In my view, that fundamental change began when the news divisions went from loss leaders to cash cows — in other words, when instead of being considered a public service — they started making big money. From that moment, ratings began to dictate the content of news broadcasts as they went into competition with entertainment programs for advertising dollars. While this was happening, cable TV and the Internet became major news and entertainment options, greatly fragmenting the audience and ending the networks' monopoly. The result is that Americans are now getting their news from all kinds of sources, some of them being highly unreliable (read more - Barrie Dunsmore-Times Argus) (Barrie Dunsmore is a veteran diplomatic and foreign correspondent for ABC News now living in Charlotte)

With its somewhat bulky contours and shiny silver case, Delphi's MyFi portable satellite radio evokes an old transistor radio. And the selection of programming it offers -- a hundred-plus XM Radio channels, all but a few included in a $9.95 monthly fee -- might also remind you of that bygone era before radio stations gave themselves over to market-tested playlists (read more - Washington Post)

Controversial DJ Les Ross today promised to sign for BBC WM - two days after being sacked by commercial rivals SAGA FM.  Manager Keith Beech said: “I am really pleased because I’ve been keen to get him for years. “We shook hands on the deal after your story broke in the Evening Mail and we just need to sort out the paper work - I’d like to think he’ll be with us for at least a couple of years. “Les will start work for us early in the New Year but I’ve got to work out exactly what he is going to do (read more - IC Network-Birmingham U.K.)

Assuming that two AM stations now off the air will adopt religious formats, Aberdeen now has six commercial radio stations, and Rob and Todd Ingstad own all of them. Some people believe that having one company own all of a city's radio stations is not good for a community. But the Ingstad brothers say their ownership will be good for Aberdeen (read more - Aberdeen American)

Entercom Inc.'s plans to relocate its offices, studios and more than 230 employees to Mission may now hinge on a $300,000 incentive package. The Westwood-based owner of eight radio stations was expected to close Tuesday on a three-story office building at 7000 Squibb Road, but Cindy Schloss, vice president and market manager for Entercom, said the company has postponed the purchase (read more - KC Star)

There is news on the commercial aviation front. It seems there's a move under way to deliver an exciting new service to airline passengers. An electronic enhancement aimed at increasing the enjoyment of the in-flight experience. Yes, those fine folks at the Federal Communications Commission are talking about allowing people to use cellphones while flying. What a comfort, what a convenience. What are they, crazy? (read more - Laurie Roberts-Arizona Republic)

It's scandalous, I tell you. Absolutely scandalous! I saw that TV ad the other night for the United Church of Christ. You probably heard about it, but you won't see it if the only networks you watch are CBS and NBC. Both networks turned down the ad as being too "controversial." They did not want to deal with the angry phone calls and letters and e-mails and possible threats of retaliation from the Federal Communications Commission. Not to mention the risk of having a cross burned on their corporate front lawns (read more - Jim Ketchum-Times Herald)

Trash-TV ringmaster Jerry Springer is launching a Cincinnati-based radio talk show next month — and he quickly hopes to take nationwide. The show will air in Cincinnati on WSAI. "I doubt if this show would fit WABC [770 AM]," says programmer Phil Boyce.  "For a show to work on WABC, it needs substance, intelligence and a learned host. "I am not sure if Jerry fits the bill." All-talk WWRL [1600 AM], which has a liberal tilt — Springer says he's liberal— is another possibility (read more - John Mainelli-NY Post)  (read more - Rick Bird-Cincy Post)

It's not an exaggeration to say that hundreds of thousands of Mid-Southerners were raised on the melodic radio voice of A.C. "Moohah" Williams. From his often funny -- always clean -- "sick jokes" to his outspoken disdain for snow (he refused to even say the word), Moohah was a radio institution throughout Greater Memphis from the late 1940s to the early '80s (read more - Memphis Commercial-Appeal Editorial)  (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

KBIA 91.3 FM is hoping a technology upgrade will add some metaphoric sizzle to its signal. The station, which broadcasts a mix of classical music and National Public Radio programming, began adding new equipment that will allow the station to broadcast a "high definition" digital signal. KBIA will be the first Mid-Missouri station to offer an HD signal, which is aimed at providing more crisp sound quality and some high-tech bells and whistles (read more - Columbia Daily Tribune)

Has conservative euphoria over Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's toppling begun to subside? Hope so, because here's a reality check: His supposedly "mild-mannered" replacement, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, could become a bigger headache for Republicans and conservatives than Daschle ever was. He's misunderstood by the opposition, and the political machine he built in Nevada provides great insight into what may happen nationally. I know from experience: I've been on his bad side and lived to tell about it only because of a lucky career break. In 1996, after a stint as a radio talk-show host in California, I was hired to host the afternoon drive program at Reno's primary news/talk radio station, KOH-AM ... (read more - Brian Maloney-WorldNetDaily)

The Federal Communications Commission's enforcement bureau has asked NBC for tapes of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, apparently in response to one or more indecency complaints. The Olympics opening ceremony on Aug. 14 in Athens, Greece, included actors and actresses depicting two lovers dancing in the sea, a goddess of fertility and a pregnant woman whose belly glowed (read more - AdWeek)

ARBitrends for New York, Riverside-San Bernadino,  Middlesex, Nassua, The Hamptons  (read 'em)

Bill Kamal, the South Florida television weatherman and personality who was fired from his job after his recent arrest, pleaded guilty on Friday to a single count of using a computer to try and seduce what he thought was a teenage boy into sex.  Ironically, the subject of his cyber attention was in the same courtroom. Neil Spector, a balding, middle-aged police detective, was a stark opposite from the inexperienced gay 14-year-old boy he portrayed in computer communications with Kamal (read more - Sun Sentinel)

Lu Burke from Queensbury got her sleigh out a few weeks early. She dropped off all of her donations for this year's Stuff-A-Truck fundraiser, which was organized by Adirondack Broadcasting. Kenny of Froggy 107 FM said, "It's just absolutely wonderful. I know this time of year everyone is just giving and giving and giving, so we like to try and give back to our community in whatever way that we can." (read more - Capital News 9)

The U.S. Supreme Court Friday agreed to hear a case filed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and a host of other film and music companies against two file-sharing services, Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc (read more - Crain's NY Biz)  (read more - CNET)

Bill Moyers retiring from television -- "I was just in the editing room, working on the last piece," Bill Moyers says. "I thought: `I've done this so many times, and each one is as difficult as the last one.' Maybe finally I've broken the habit." It hasn't been so much a habit for Moyers as a truth-telling mission during his three decades as a TV journalist. But come next week, he will sign off from "Now," the weekly PBS newsmagazine he began in 2002, as, at age 70, he retires from television (read more - Yahoo News)

The Republican Talk Radio Machine seemed caught off guard by the ferocity of the questioning he received in Kuwait City, especially the ballistic question from Spc. Thomas Wilson, a scout with a Tennessee National Guard unit, over the lack of adequate armor for guardsmen vehicles being deployed north into Iraq. Come the next day, however, they had their talking points in line. Poor Donny was ambushed, you see, by an unfair question. Set up. A sitting duck, like an armorless Humvee sent down the Baghdad airport road. Blame it on the press. Horse feathers. Such mindless chatter is simply another example of the bait and switch approach so often used by the nattering nabobs of talk radio to distract people from the real issue at hand (read more - Carl Luna - San Diego Union Tribune)

He's a living legend, and a broadcasting pioneer. But he came to Colorado from his home in California to serve coffee. Art Linkletter was in Evans to help launch the opening of his granddaughter's new business , the Human Bean Drive-Thru Coffee Bar. For two hours Thursday morning he passed out free samples of hot coffee and cold drinks while signing autographs, chatting with fans and telling jokes (read more - 9 News)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio today announced that popular talk show host Leslie Gold, known on-air as "the RadioChick," will broadcast exclusively on SIRIUS starting in January 2005. Gold enjoyed the highest morning show ratings in the history of WAXQ/New York after little more than a year, and was the only woman headlining a New York morning radio show.  She previously was a host on WNEW-FM/New York, where her show shot from No. 17 to No. 3 among men.  She has also hosted a New York television program, The RadioChick on the Prowl (visit Sirius)

Carrie Anne Johnson of Minneapolis said she was so mad and so sad that she didn't know whether to scream or cry. Based on her own experiences as a protester against the World Trade Organization, Johnson believes that the national TV news networks propagate lies in the interests of the big corporations that control them. Barbara Murdoch of St. Paul worried that "corporate-controlled media can lead to tyranny as surely as government-controlled media can." Their complaints were two among more than 100 that poured forth in two-minute bursts at Hamline University in St. Paul on Thursday night as frustrated Minnesota media activists urged the FCC to prevent any further consolidation of media ownership while one commissioner promised to preach their views to his colleagues (read more - Star-Tribune)

Just a day after he was interviewed and said that he was ready to go, David Brudnoy of Boston talk radio for over 25 years has died.  He passed away Thursday night at Massachusetts General Hospital, his radio station, WBZ-AM, reported. He was 64  (read more - Boston Herald)

From Kent Burkhart's "I Was There" series -- Recently I have heard a lot about spot lengths reference a return on investment (ROI) for advertisers. I have told the following many times about Mr. Pipkin. He was the first retailer I called on. He said, “I’ll give you a one week spot schedule. Sell all of the sweaters stacked on the floor over there and I will give you another order next week. I don’t care how many spots you run, or their length, or even the production and content. I don’t care about your ratings or personalities. I am just interested in selling those sweaters. Got it???” I got it. It was the basic ROI, and Mr. Pipkin was in his store hourly to check my progress; therefore, I ... (read it all from www.KentBurkhart.com)

TV talk show host Jerry Springer will debut a three-hour weekday radio talk show here in January. The former Cincinnati mayor and TV anchor will launch a 9 a.m.-noon call-in show on WSAI-AM (1530) when the Clear Channel station switches from oldies music to liberal talk. He wants to syndicate the show nationally from Cincinnati, he said (read more - Cincy Inquirer)

George Carlin blames a listless Las Vegas crowd for his anti-Sin City tirade the other night. As reported last week, Carlin dissed Vegas and ridiculed people who vacation in the gaudy gambling mecca as "moronic," drawing some jeers from the crowd. The laugh legend called PAGE SIX yesterday to further explain his comments: "In Vegas, you don't get the hardcore fans who follow what you do. It's like betting on a craps table. Am I gonna get a good audience or am I gonna get these dopes who wander in with a coupon, wearing short pants and scratching their nuts? I had two weeks of audiences just staring at me and I got frustrated." (read more - NY Post)

Marv Dyson, one of radio's premier executives for 35 years, is joining the City Colleges of Chicago to lend his wisdom and expertise to WKKC-FM (89.3) and WYCC-Channel 20 + The great Dick Biondi, the icon of oldies at WJMK-FM (104.3), hosts his 13th annual marathon toy drive to benefit Uhlich Children's Advantage Network, a refuge for abused and troubled children. Starting at 10 a.m. today, he'll broadcast live for 32 straight hours from Yorktown Center in Lombard and more (read more from Feder of Chicago)

Seasoning in radio sometimes is a tiny bit difficult for a few of us. From 1965-66, was knee deep in the mire of a small east Texas 250 watt daytime AM radio station by the name of KTER, 1570 on your dial. The operation was in beautiful downtown Terrell on Moore Avenue in a very old bank building with high concrete steps. Should've been a museum or parking lot. KTER was owned and managed by a very nice guy, BILL PIRTLE. He was an easy going sort of guy who was the most frugal individual I ever laid eyes on (read more from Jim Rose Remembers)

DFW talk-show host Mark Davis inspired a firestorm of protest -- misguided, as it turns out -- over Parker County's policy regarding signs at the courthouse. Davis said in a telephone interview Thursday that stories aired Wednesday night on a couple of TV stations had brought the topic to his attention and he discussed it on his talk show on WBAP/820 AM on Thursday. He said that, in his opinion, there would be no way to accommodate all people and all faiths and that a county shouldn't even try. "The underlying principle is what is vital here," Davis said. "Whether it's Target stores kicking out the Salvation Army or any courthouse that believes they must accommodate every faith, that's just simply not true." Davis said stories that people have heard or that have been reported by other outlets are often discussed on talk shows without doing any additional reporting. "I'm always pleased when someone can join us immediately to say: 'You know what? Here's the real deal,' " Davis said (read more - Star-Telegram)

Salem High School (SHS) Principal Robert Cresswell again caught the attention of Atlanta-based national radio talk show personality Neal Boortz on Thursday when a SHS parent reportedly called Boortz’s show to complain about Salem’s bathroom policy.  According to Cresswell, the controversy erupted when a SHS student asked to use the bathroom during classroom instruction, and a teacher told the student his parent would be contacted.  Boortz and his call-in audience reportedly blasted Cresswell for having the student’s parents called (read more - Rockdale Citizen)

Employment Web site operator Monster Worldwide Inc. on Friday said it signed a one-year marketing agreement with Viacom International Inc.'s radio operator Infinity Broadcasting to promote its products online and on the air. The contract begins this month and extends Monster's presence to 180 radio stations in 41 U.S. markets, serving 70 million weekly listeners and Infinity online visitors (read more - Forbes)

A new voice will debut at the Metropolitan Opera this weekend, and she probably will never sing a single note. Margaret Juntwait takes over as host of the company's national radio broadcasts each Saturday, only the third regular announcer since the series began in 1931 (read more - Miami Herald)

Effective immediately, KTCT-AM 1050, will pick up The Drive with Chris Myers & CJ Silas. The show will air weekdays from 12-3 p.m. PST + new affiliates who will be carrying Fox Sports Radio are WQCY-FM 103.9 in Quincy, Ill.,  KIDO-AM 580 in Boise, Idaho, KTOX-AM 1340 in Needles, Calif, KOLX-FM 94.5 in Fort Smith, AR,  WKSN-AM 1340, in Jamestown, N.Y, WDOV-AM 1410, in Wilmington, Del and WLRT-AM 1490 in Virginia Beach (visit Fox Sports Radio)

The end of one era and the beginning of the next ... Radio superlegend Paul Berlin's last day on KBME in Houston will be December 17.  Paul is not only a founding board member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, he's a charter year inductee   (visit Paul Berlin at KBME)

Micky Dolenz, who played Zoser in the final cast of Broadway's Aida, will begin hosting a radio program for WCBS-FM Jan. 10, 2005. Dolenz has been named the new morning-show host for Infinity Broadcasting's WCBS-FM, 101.1 FM. Dolenz, best known as a member of the pop group "The Monkees," will host the 6-10 AM show Monday-Friday. He previously guest-hosted the show Oct. 7 (read more - Andrew Gans-Playbill)

Were those family-friendly tax cuts too big? "It's a special day for Mike and Sharla," the president said, "their 13th wedding anniversary. Theirs is a typical story. See, last year they received a child-tax-credit check for $1,600 for their four children. They took the family on a vacation to Minnesota. Next year when you get your check, you may want to come to Texas." Unfortunately, Mike, a First Assembly of God youth pastor, might not be making the trip next year. Seems he was arrested this week and charged with sexual exploitation of a child, according to Iowa news reports (read more - Al Kamen-Washington Post) You'll find this and other "Talk Bites" at RDN's sister site, www.talkradiodailynews.com

Chad Brown, Vice President/General Manager of WCBS-FM has announced Ezio Torres, as General Sales Manager, effective December 27, 2004 (visit WCBS FM)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio today announced the appointment of Ross Zapin to Vice President of Promotions. Zapin is responsible for overseeing the company's music, sports, and entertainment promotions and reports to Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS President of Entertainment and Sports (visit Sirius)

Neal Boortz's bad knee should start throbbing right about now. The New York Daily News is reporting that Boortz pal and syndicated radio talk show rival Sean Hannity has been cinched up by ABC Radio for the next five years to the tune of "about $25 million."   Hannity, a former Atlantan, now works in the Big Apple (read more - Peach Buzz)

Radio talk show host Dave Barber filed suit against City Council President Johnnie Coleman on Thursday over comments Coleman made last month that claimed Barber doesn't have credibility in Flint and was being paid by Mayor Don Williamson (read more - Flint Journal)

The PU-Litzer Awards from Norman Solomon -- MEDIA BIGOT OF THE YEAR: MSNBC and radio host Don Imus -- On his Nov. 12 show, the day after Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat died, Imus said of Palestinians: "They're eating dirt and that fat pig wife of his is living in Paris." After an Imus colleague referred to Palestinians as "stinking animals" and said "they ought to drop the bomb right there, kill 'em all right now," Imus responded: "Well, the problem is we have (NBC reporter) Andrea (Mitchell) there; we don't want anything to happen to her." In February, when a civilian Iranian airliner crashed, killing 43 people, Imus reacted: "When I hear stories like that, I think 'Who cares?'" So much for showing the Islamic world we don't see all Muslims as enemies (read more of the awards - Norman-Solomon-AlterNet)

In filing a petition to deny the licenses of two Miami area television stations, the United Church of Christ affirms FCC guidelines that local license challenges are the best vehicle for the viewing public to hold network broadcasters accountable for proper - or improper - stewardship of the airwaves, church officials said today (Dec. 10) (read more - UCC News)  (read more - East Bay)

With the CBS News investigation of Memogate almost done, Mary Mapes, the producer who obtained the fake memos used in Dan Rather's George Bush-bashing report, is fighting to save her job and her reputation. The sleuths at ratherbiased.com report Mapes wrote up a 68-page statement in her own defense and has been lobbying to convince the CBS probers that Rather's exposé on Bush's National Guard service was accurate, even if the documents obtained from a crackpot Texas Democrat were bogus (read more - NY Post)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- I hear that Mickey Dolenz will be hosting his own morning show on WCBS. Yes, that Mickey Dolenz. Former Circus Boy and former Monkee! Remember that first TV show of his, Circus Boy? With Noah Beery Junior? I remember that one, as well as The Monkees. I played all their hits, too; even the ones they actually played and sang on. And I got to sing with Mickey Dolenz on stage at the Erwin Center in Austin when KOOL 99 brought in “30 Years of Rock and Roll,” a great live oldies reunion concert. So now, Mickey’s the one getting up at 4 am and spinning the records. Somewhere there’s an elephant for me to ride. No, wait. I did that in Fort Worth at KXOL (visit Jarrott Media)

The film "Remember the Titans" documented the 1971 Group AAA state football championship in Victory Stadium between T.C. Williams and Andrew Lewis. Jim Carroll broadcast that game 33 years ago to a Roanoke Valley radio audience, but alas, his character was not portrayed in the movie. Carroll said Thursday he will sign off for good as a football broadcaster for WGMN (1240 AM) following Saturday's VHSL Group AA final between Salem and Harrisonburg (read more - Roanoke Times)

This year, 94.1 hasn't switched over to reindeer, snowmen and little drummer boys. Jim Richards, a local Clear Channel executive, said it's not likely that 94.1 will switch to all-Christmas music. Clear Channel's decision is a bit unusual considering that all-Christmas-music radio stations have become a mainstay across the nation during the holidays. It used to be that stations just devoted Christmas and maybe Christmas Eve to strictly holiday music, but then they discovered not too long ago that listeners loved to tune in for not days, but weeks. Sean Ross, a radio analyst with Edison Media Research, reported that 119 stations went all-Christmas last year ---- the poor folks in Allentown, Pa., had not one but three stations on the bandwagon. As a whole, the gimmick wasn't a bad move for the ratings of the stations (read more - Randy Dotinga-North County Times)

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul and the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, is battling prostate cancer. Brown, 71, who also has diabetes, will undergo surgery Dec. 15. "I have overcome a lot of things in my life. I will overcome this as well," he told his manager, Superfrank, at Intrigue Music Management (read more - Page Six)

The e-mails, often forwarded by friends, vary in wording, but the underlying message is always ominous: Soon, all cell phone numbers will be made public to telemarketing firms. That means, according to one version, that "your cell phone may start ringing off the hook with telemarketers" and your precious, limited cell phone minutes will be eaten up with calls you don't want. It's not clear where the e-mails originated, but industry and government officials say they are an urban myth; they are not true. There is no list of cell phone numbers being turned over to telemarketers, and telemarketers are barred from calling cell phone numbers (read more - Washington Post)

William Joseph "Joe" Blake, a longtime fixture in Upper Peninsula radio broadcasting and a voice familiar to Northern Michigan University sports fans, has died. He was 75 (read more - Detroit Freep)

Air America, the liberal radio network that had a rocky takeoff last spring, has struck a deal to land in Washington. The arrangement with WRC-AM comes as the fledgling network is gaining altitude, announcing yesterday that it has re-signed star personality Al Franken to a multiyear contract, raised $13 million in new financing and named Rob Glaser, chief executive of RealNetworks, as its chairman. WRC (1260) plans to drop its syndicated sports talk programming in favor of Franken and some of the rest of Air America's left-leaning lineup while adding other liberal commentators, say people familiar with the matter (read more - Howard Kurtz-Washington Post) (read more - John Mainelli-NY Post) (read more - Reuters)  (read more - Chicago Tribune)

Froggy radio station is offering a one-thousand dollar reward for the person who returns a SpongeBob SquarePants inflatable figure -- unharmed -- to the Burger King restaurant in Chippewa Township or the radio station by noon December 24th. The morning host of the country music station yesterday offered the four-figure reward, even though the bright balloon is only worth 500 dollars (read more -  WPXI)

Longtime "American Bandstand" host and rock music pioneer Dick Clark has suffered a stroke and is being treated at a Los Angeles area hospital, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. "He did have a minor stroke and he's in the hospital for that reason but he'll be fine," spokeswoman Amy Streibel told Reuters (read more - LA Times)  

The state Supreme Court gave Rush Limbaugh an extra month Wednesday to argue prosecutors illegally seized his medical records as part of a probe into whether he sought multiple prescriptions for painkillers. Florida's high court extended Limbaugh's deadline for filing his written arguments from Dec. 20 to Jan. 20, but said that date is final (read more - Miami Herald) 

Bruce Wolf, the veteran Chicago broadcaster and morning sports anchor at WFLD-Channel 32, will be adding his wit and wisdom to Roe Conn's WLS-AM (890) afternoon show -- at least for a while +  In a first for local radio, Newsweb Corp. will begin offering zoned advertising on its three "Nine FM" simulcast outlets -- WRZA-FM (99.9) to the south, WKIE-FM (92.7) to the north and WDEK-FM (92.5) to the west (read more - Feder of Chicago)

From FCC Commish Michael Copps -- Members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are coming to Minnesota to learn about your local media. Television and radio broadcast corporations are given the privilege of using the public airwaves -- and to profit from that use -- in exchange for their commitment to serve the public interest. We want to hear directly from you about how well broadcasters are meeting the needs of your local communities. This town meeting continues a remarkable grass-roots dialogue about the future of our media ... Michael Copps is a member of the Federal Communications Commission. A town meeting on the media will be held at 7 p.m. today at Hamline University's Sundin Music Hall in St. Paul (read more - Michael Copps-Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Tonight, two commissioners from the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) will convene a "town hall" meeting at Hamline University in St. Paul seeking public comments on the effects of ownership consolidation in broadcast media ... Whatever your view of media consolidation, tonight's forum in St. Paul will promote a healthy and no doubt spirited dialogue. But please take a moment to scan the radio or dial or surf through the myriad channels on your cable or satellite system and ask yourself if there are greater or fewer choices in today's electronic media. Jim du Bois is president and CEO of the Minnesota Broadcasters Association (read more - Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Industry analysts have said that Fox News Channel will become a significant player in radio as a result of its recent deal to provide news to radio stations owned by Clear Channel Communications Inc. In the agreement, announced earlier this week, Fox will replace ABC News as the sole provider of broadcast news material for Clear Channel stations. "You couldn't say enough about how phenomenal this is for Fox," Matt Feinberg, senior vice president for radio at Zenith Media, a buying agency in New York, said on Monday. "This is gigantic." (read more - NY Times)

 Vonage, one of the many companies behind the ever-more popular voice-over-Internet Protocol technology for making phone calls over the Web, disclosed today a partnership with a maker of video phones. Vonage offers unlimited calling for $25 to its 300,000 subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, which amounts to about half of all VoIP customers in the U.S. It says it is adding some 30,000 customers per month (read more - Forbes)

A year ago this month, the big news in radio was the emerging duel between Seattle's long-standing alternative-rock-station, KNDD-FM (107.7), and new entrant KRQI-FM (96.5). Within hours of one another, KRQI started its new format while KNDD overhauled its on-air lineup, music and presentation. The competition promised to heat up when "The End's" former morning host, Andy Savage, and team joined "K-Rock." A year later, the competition hasn't quite shaped up the way listeners may have anticipated (read more - Bill Virgin's Seattle Radio Beat)

Univision Communications Inc. announced that McHenry (Mac) Tichenor, Jr. will resign his position as President of Univision Radio, effective December 31, 2004, to pursue other interests outside of the Spanish-language broadcast business. He will continue to serve as a member of Univision Communications' Board of Directors and will be a consultant to the Company. Gary Stone will continue running the day to day operations of Univision Radio in his current role as Chief Operating Officer. He has occupied that position since 2001. An internal and external search for Mr. Tichenor's successor will commence immediately (read more - BusinessWire)  (read more - Dallas Morning News)

Facing a life-threatening battle with cancer, longtime Boston radio host David Brudnoy started saying goodbye Wednesday to his listeners. In an emotional on-air interview, the WBZ-AM personality says the merkel-cell carcinoma has spread into his liver and kidneys and he's ready to die. ``I am not asking my doctors to do anything illegal,'' Brudnoy told WBZ's veteran news anchor Gary LaPierre in an interview conducted at his bedside at Massachusetts General Hospital. ``I wish I could but they won't. I will make it through. My head is completely accepting of this. I am absolutely ready.'' (read more - Dean Johnson-Boston Herald)  (read more CBS 4 Boston)

Give old-fashioned radio credit for hanging on as the digital revolution brought us CDs, DVDs, iPods and HDTV. But with consumers filling their vehicles with new entertainment options and flocking to satellite radio for commercial-free programming, southeast Michigan radio stations are quickly realizing they have to adapt in order to survive well into the future. Fourteen stations in Metro Detroit -- more than any other market in the country -- now broadcast in "high definition," a digital format that eliminates static and gives listeners a multitude of new features (read more - Detroit News)

Martha Stewart will revive her daily homemaking show next September, this time with a live audience, celebrity guests and the help of "The Apprentice" producer Mark Burnett, it was announced Wednesday (read more - Billings Gazette)

Rummy finally got called on the carpet. Not by the president, of course, but by troops fighting in Iraq. Some of them are finally fed up enough to rumble about his back-door draft and failure to provide them with the proper armor for their Humvees, leaving them scrambling to improvise with what they call "hillbilly armor."  As Joe Biden told Aaron Brown of CNN about his visit to Falluja, "They got the biggest hornets' nest, but the hornets have gone up and set up nests other places." He said that a general had run up to him as he was getting into his helicopter to confide, "Senator, anybody who tells you we don't need forces here is a G.D. liar." (read more - Maureen Dowd) You'll find this and other "Talk Bites" at RDN's sister site, www.talkradiodailynews.com

A local radio personality died Wednesday morning from pregnancy complications. Dawn Flemming was known as "Break-A-Dawn" on the 102 JAMZ morning show (read more - WFTV)

Now that he has satellite radio in his car, Los Angeles television producer Chuck Labella says he'll never listen to commercial radio again. “I bought it because I'm a music fan,” he said. “And to listen to unedited music without disc jockeys, without commercials sounded like a dream to me." For XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, it's all-out war for customers like Labella. Some 4 million listeners have made the switch to satellite, and the battle has just begun. "It's definitely very intensive competition,” said industry analyst David Kestenbaum at IRG Research. “It's a new business and they're both fighting to become the leader." (read more - MSNBC)

Andres Onetto of the University of California, San Diego has been chosen by MTV to be the next college "VJ" for the 24-hour college network (read more - San Diego Union Tribune)

If you thought the voting was over, you’re wrong. You can vote again this weekend. OK, so it changes nothing about the incoming jokers here or in Washington, but you can vote Saturday and Sunday to send one of WTCR’s disc jockey wannabes off the air.  The WTCR Jock Search has been narrowed to five finalists: Mark Journey, of Portsmouth; Jamie Campbell, of Ironton; Chris Forman, of Barboursville; Isaac Stambaugh, of Ashland, and Drew Damron, of Lavalette. Those five have completed their first radio task (to complete a 30-second on-air commercial) which airs at 7:10 a.m. Friday on WTCR-FM, 103.3 during the morning show with Clint McElroy and Judy Eaton (read more - Herald Dispatch)

Too @#$%ing fast? Shares of Sirius Satellite Radio  tumbled Wednesday after analysts waggled their fingers at the market's apparent over-optimism Tuesday. Sirius gained wild public attention--for a previously dubious industry--with the announcement that blue-talk maestro Howard Stern had signed on (read more - Forbes)

A strip club in Northfield (UK) has parents embarrassed and kids wondering why Santa suddenly got so hot. The Medusa Club has placed an outdoor board with a nearly naked woman on all fours dressed in Santa garb near a busy shopping center. One young girl asked her mom, "Mummy, where's the real Santa?" (read more - Adrants)  You'll find this and other "Talk Bites" at RDN's sister site, www.talkradiodailynews.com

Tavis Smiley's departure from National Public Radio will be a loss not only to blacks but also to all NPR listeners. For its part, NPR issued a vague statement that is long on happy talk about Smiley helping to "jump start" its effort at reaching blacks. Smiley's departing letter to local stations asserts that NPR has "failed to meaningfully reach out to a broad spectrum of Americans who would benefit from public radio." Smiley may simply have been tired of banging his head against the racial wall. He told me when I interviewed him a year ago that he was often frustrated and exhausted from doing the work involved in putting together a meaningful show five times a week, while at the same time tussling frequently with NPR over the show's tone and guests (read more - Colorado Daily)

To win approval in Canada, satellite radio must become a little more Canadian. Though XM and Sirius signals reach Canada, and some Canadians furtively own receivers, the equipment is not yet legal. The hitch is a decades-old Canadian broadcasting policy meant to guarantee that the content on Canadian airwaves is sufficiently Canadian (about 35 percent for the typical music radio station) and not overwhelmed by a flood of American pop culture.  These rules remain important for Canada, said Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa. "There needs to be cultural policy put into place that helps level the playing field and allow Canadian content to be made," he said (read more - NY Times)

Arbitron Inc. announced that the program developed to recruit consumers for the Houston market trial of the Portable People Meter (PPM SM ) is delivering positive, initial results in terms of sample performance indicators (SPI), response rate metrics and panel representation at the household level (read more - Arbitron)

When the News Went Live: Dallas 1963, by Bob Huffaker, Bill Mercer, George Phenix and Wes Wise, is a fascinating read, especially to anyone interested in news and broadcasting. "When I was at Channel 4, I had a journalism background, so I became a sports announcer/news announcer," Mercer told SLAM! Wrestling recently. "So when the assassination of Kennedy occurred here, four of us were suddenly thrust into covering this thing. That's what we've written about. I've written a chapter, Wes has written a chapter, Wes Wise who later became the mayor of Dallas, and Bob Huffaker, who has written and pulled the whole thing together, was there, and George Phenix." Mercer has a learned perspective from his decades in the news business (read more - SLAM!)

General Electric Co.'s NBC plans to launch a syndicated television show hosted by Martha Stewart next fall (read more - Crain's NY)

ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning show will kick-off a “12 Days of Christmas” charity drive for 1050 ESPN Radio in New York on Monday, Dec. 13 when the show will originate from Penn Station. Co-hosts Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg will broadcast their 6-10 a.m. show from the Amtrak level where they will encourage passers by to drop off canned goods which 1050 ESPN Radio will donate to New York’s City Harvest charity (visit 1050 ESPN)

According to U.S. officials, congressional aides, officials at the Bush administration are seeking to increase public criticism of Iran's human rights record by backing exiles and other opponents of the country's government, as well as collecting better intelligence on the Islamic republic. With the U.S. military engaged in two major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. new campaign is not necessarily aimed at building support for taking military action against Iran, but rather to turn up the heat on Iran to abandon its nuclear program. Meanwhile, the Broadcasting Board of Governors has suggested a major increase in broadcasting into Iran by Voice of America television, a U.S. official said  (read more - Al Jazeera)  You'll find this and other "Talk Bites" at RDN's sister site, www.talkradiodailynews.com

The University of Kentucky and its partner, Host Communications, say they are closing in on a deal with Clear Channel that will give UK's football and basketball broadcasts priority over the University of Louisville on WHAS-AM (read more - Courier Journal)

This Thursday, December 9, FCC (Federal Communications Commission) Commissioners Michael J. Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein will convene a forum on media concentration, sponsored by media reform advocates Free Press, to be held in St. Paul, from 7-11 pm in Sundin Music Hall at Hamline University. The forum is open to the public and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis (read more - Minnesota Spokesman Review)

Infinity Chief Operating Officer Joel Hollander, speaking to investors during a lively session at the UBS Media Week Conference in New York Tuesday, said he fully expects Stern to finish his existing deal with Infinity, which runs out at the end of 2005. After that, the shock jock will head to Sirius, where IRG analyst David Kestenbaum expects him to lead as many as 3 million subscribers onto the Sirius ledger (read more - John Mainelli-NY Post)  (read more - CBS MarketWatch)

Sports radio tongue-lashings may be commonplace by New Mexico radio personality Ian P. Martin, but Tempe police say he dished out a physical beating during a weekend visit to the Valley.  Martin, 31, host and program manager for Albuquerque's KNML-AM (610) "The Sports Animal," was arrested Saturday in the assault of Yellow Cab company driver Ramón Lopez during an argument over cab fare (read more - Kate Nelson-Arizona Republic)

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell bristles whenever it is suggested that he's in the pocket of the telecom industry. So, you'd think when he had a chance to appoint a Consumer Advisory Committee to act as something as a counterweight to industry lobbying, he wouldn't have handed more than a third of the 35 seats over to representatives from the likes of AT&T, BellSouth, the National Association of Broadcasters and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. Since then these reps have ensured that the panel, which operates through consensus, has rarely challenged the industry or taken a clear stand on any of the industry's intramural battles (read more - Steve Pearlstein-Washington Post)

BBC morale is at an all time low. The BBC is to axe 2,900 staff in a huge shake-up announced by bosses yesterday. The massive makeover will see reality shows scrapped and a cut-back in repeats. Instead the Beeb will concentrate on quality dramas, documentaries and comedy.  Director General Mark Thompson aims to save £320million with the cuts over three years and plough it into new digital channels.  In a grim warning he said: “Otherwise, we’re dead.”  A tenth of the workforce will be axed in the revolution. Reality shows like Money Spinners, Homes Under The Hammer, Houses Behaving Badly, Cash In The Attic and Flog It! will be OUT  (read more - BBC News)  (read more - Opinion Telegraph U.K.)  (read the "out" and "in" lists at The Sun U.K.)  (read more - The Guardian U.K.)  (read more - The Independent U.K.)

An update from "The Wilson Girls" on Texas Radio Hall of Famer Stan Wilson, legendary station manager and "The Godfather of the Texas State Network" -- "Well, folks, the signs today are encouraging after the post-surgery (to clear out one carotid artery) stroke last Wednesday. Stan is now talking intelligibly, chewing ice and sitting on the edge of the bed. He is off oxygen but still has lots of tubes everywhere. He will probably go to a rehab hospital at some point. We are being told to be patient, but that's hard (especially for the impatient patient!). Your prayers are working miracles; keep them coming his way. Meanwhile we appreciate your willingness to communicate by e- mail, as phone calls can be overwhelming for the family. He still is not having visitors, nor can he receive cards, except perhaps at home. Thanks for caring! The Wilson Girls  (e-mail Stan Wilson at stan@wilsonshannon.com) 

From Chuck Blore's "Okay Okay I Wrote the Book" -- Gordon McLendons’ KLIF in Dallas was attracting more and more listeners with his ever expanding presentation of local news. Tod Storz, KOWH playing the same songs, over and over again was attracting more audience than any other station in Omaha. When Gordon became aware of that little daytimer getting those big numbers he sent Bill Stewart, his PD at KLIF, to Omaha to listen to the station and report back to him. Bill listened for a couple of days but couldn’t quite figure our the formula. Actually I would guess it was a simple matter to discover that they were playing the same ten records over and over, but something was missing. The mystery was ... where’s the gimmick? Bill was much too good a radio man to ever believe you could play the same ten records back to back to back without boring people to death ... there had to be something he wasn’t hearing. He called Tod Storz, introduced himself and told him what he was doing. Tod invited him to his office (read more from Chuck Blore)

The selection by Clear Channel Communications, the nation's largest radio station operator, to use Fox News Radio to provide national news for its news and talk stations is "quite disturbing," a University of Tennessee professor says. Dr. Mark Harmon, associate professor of journalism and electronic media, told the Northwest Democratic Club on Monday evening that the partnership brings two "right-wing" groups together to disseminate news. The rapid rise of Fox News is the most significant development in the intersection of politics and mass media in his 10-point list, Harmon said. He said Fox News was not a newsgathering organization but a "news-chattering" organization z(read more - Knoxville News)

Radio Hamilton could be on the air within 18 months. WIN Radio Broadcasting of Forest Hills, N.Y., has applied to the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast at 1440 on the AM dial, with studios in Hamilton. WIN, owned by Dr. Richard S. Yoon, of Westbury, N.Y., owns WCTN in Potomac, Md., said consultant Bill Parris. Since passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, radio broadcasting has become more consolidated and automated, and has gone to a satellite delivery system, said Parris. That's not what his client has in mind for a Hamilton station. “Radio by nature is a live, local medium. This radio station will be just that.” (read more - Loudon Times Mirror)

From Sonny Melendrez' upcoming audio-biography -- Before there was Comedy Central, there was comedy. It was the mid-seventies and on any given night you could catch up and coming funny people honing their material and paying their dues. The Comedy Store on Sunset, the Improv on Melrose, the Ice House in Pasadena, and the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach were each a Gold’s Gym of comedy. All guaranteed a full work out. That's exactly what these comics did. They worked out; sometimes shuttling to all four locations in one night. It wasn't about the money. It was about the funny. It was a time before CD burning and MP3 recording. Many comics would bring a cassette recorder on stage with them and set it on the stool. Later they would listen over and over in search of a word that might be added or left out to “make the bit stronger.” (read more from Sonny Melendrez)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- 1955 was the year I became aware of radio beyond Arthur Godfrey and Art Linkletter, “The Lone Ranger” and “Suspense Theatre.” It was the year I first heard the beginnings of rock and roll. What a great year! That winter in San Antonio, the only time we ever had a house with a working fireplace, my father promised a fire on Christmas Day! Well, that particular Christmas it happened to be 90 degrees outside, but my father turned the window unit air conditioners on and lighted the fire in the fireplace! A week later on New Year’s Day we were swimming at Landa Park in New Braunfels! Even had some rock & roll on the radio! It wasn’t Norman Rockwell, but it was a fun holiday (visit Jarrott Media)

99.8 percent of all the indecency complaints made to the Federal Communications Commission in 2003 were generated by a single group. An FCC estimate obtained indicates that nearly all indecency complaints in 2003 were filed by the Parents Television Council, created by L. Brent Bozell (read more - Washington Times)

A new kind of radio format is blazing a trail across the internet. Called "podcasting" (because it's a bit like broadcasting and it's aimed at machines like the iPod), it uses open source software, MP3 players and the rambling efforts of audio webloggers ("audiobloggers") to redefine the role of radio in the mobile digital world, and offers hope to the millions who pray for the demise of inane DJs and obnoxious radio advertisements. Podcasting delivers radio-like sound files via RSS (the "web syndication" system that many websites now offer) for downloading onto MP3 players like Apple's iPod that have plenty of room for audio files. The sheer simplicity and potential of the idea have created quite a buzz (read more - The Independent U.K.)

Micky Dolenz has been named the new morning show host for Infinity Broadcasting's WCBS-FM, 101.1, it was announced today by Chad Brown, Vice President and General Manager, WCBS-FM. Dolenz will debut on CBS-FM on Monday, January 10, 2005 as host of the 6:00-10:00AM show Monday-Friday (read more - John Mainelli-NY Post) (read more - PR Newswire) (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)  (visit Mickey at WCBS FM)

A study of Iowa’s public radio stations is calling for a unified “Iowa Public Radio” system, which a consulting group says would improve service to public radio listeners across the state. A consultant’s report recommended unprecedented sharing among the current radio systems at Iowa’s three public universities and the hiring of a single executive director to oversee operations.
WOI, KUNI and KSUI and WSUI would be allowed to keep their call letters and their own university affiliations (read more - Quad Cities Times)

The move by Chicago's top television stations to preempt their prime-time network lineups Monday for nonstop coverage of the LaSalle Bank building fire ignited a raging debate: Ken Adams: Have you noticed the inferiority complex the Chicago media have? So desperate to be on par with Los Angeles and New York, they turn a little office fire into the second coming of 9/11. There was no need for five straight hours of coverage for a fire that had no fatalities. Michael Class: "News" implies that something has actually changed, i.e. something new has happened. Four hours of talking is not news. This was a case of talking faces wanting to be on camera (read more - Feder of Chicago)

Spanish Broadcasting System announced the appointment of Peter Remington as Vice President/General Manager of KRZZ-FM ("La Raza 93.3") in San Francisco/San Jose. SBS is operating the station pursuant to a Local Marketing Agreement pending the closing of its announced acquisition of KRZZ-FM from Viacom (visit Spanish Broadcasting)

Arbitron has appointed Bill Rose to senior vice president, Marketing, U.S. Media Services. In this newly created position, Mr. Rose will head-up all marketing efforts for the U.S. Media Services division, which now includes Radio, Advertiser/Agency, Outdoor and the Product/Customer Services groups. He will also oversee the Custom Research team, which manages the comScore Arbitron Online Radio Ratings service. Mr. Rose will focus on identifying and prioritizing customer needs as well as develop programs and initiatives to address those needs for U.S. Media Services (visit Arbitron)

Kidd Kraddick's show granted a Magical Christmas Wish Tuesday. After receiving a letter from two different people regarding the same family in need, Kraddick took action by reading the letter on the air and asking for listeners to help. The father of four is battling Pancreatic Cancer and is about to begin another round of Chemo Therapy. The nationwide audience of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning rallied around the family to donate thousands of dollars, tickets to The Disney World Resorts, hotel rooms, and even a private airplane (visit KiddLive)

CC McCartney signs on as the voice for "Dave Watson Outdoors" which airs on The Outdoor Network, and Cabellas's "Memories in the Field" aired on TNN (visit CC McCartney)

The Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab (RAEL) has released its second study revealing the striking impact on various measurement criteria when Radio is added to the media mix. The Benefits of Synergy: Moving Money Into Radio is the second in a series of major research studies from RAEL that identifies how Radio advertising works (read more - RAB)

In FM radio’s heyday from the late 1960s to right after deregulation of radio in America in the mid-1990s, radio was the single most powerful source for consumers to find out about new music. On a no-cost media that was installed in every car, Walkman and AV receiver, radio was everywhere and had the power to literally make or break an artist overnight. Financially, radio has always been TV’s bastard stepchild, with some radio insiders saying the media has never earned more than seven percent of the total ad revenue in a given year. Despite this relatively small portion of overall ad revenues, radio stocks boomed with almost the same enthusiasm as dotcom stocks in the late 1990s. It was during this time of consolidation when radio’s leadership took their eye off the ball, looking to economies of scale to cut costs and boost profits. Wall Street loved it, but what FM radio needed to be doing was creating new formats. But who needed new formats when the stock price is through the roof? FM radio did – badly." Of course, they didn't realize that until way too late (read more - The Big Picture)

U.S. shoppers have kept a tight grip on their wallets this holiday season with indices on Tuesday showing sluggish sales in the second week of the season. Retailers still hope a last-minute dash to stores will boost sales to their targeted 3-5 percent growth rate -- still slower than last year's Thanksgiving-to-Christmas period, which accounts for 23 percent of annual retail sales (read more - Reuters) You'll find this and other "Talk Bites" at RDN's sister site, www.talkradiodailynews.com

Bruce Dunning, whose 35-year career at CBS News included work as an assignment editor, correspondent, producer and, ultimately, Asia bureau chief, will retire in December (read more - CBS News)

SIRIUS OutQ, America's first and only full-time gay radio service, expanded its commitment to the GLBT music scene by launching six new weekend music programs on Saturday. The new weekend music programming will feature an emphasis on gay artists and other programming directed to the GLBT community (read more - Out)

Scottish actor Craig Ferguson, who played the boss for many years on ``The Drew Carey Show,'' will be the new host of CBS' ``Late Late Show.''  A formal announcement was expected Tuesday, according to two executives close to CBS who spoke on condition of anonymity (read more - Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. chairman Joe Clayton said the company would love to bring Howard Stern on board before Stern's contact with Infinity Broadcasting ends in 2005. Clayton, who stepped down from the New York company's chief executive post last month to make way for former Viacom chief operating officer Mel Karmazin, avoided giving any indication whether the company is in talks with Infinity to buy out the remainder of Stern's contract (read more - LA Times)  (read more - Jonathan L. Schwartz-Forbes)  (read more - Matt Krantz-USA Today)

Just call Charlie Payne, "Dr. Payne!"  It's official! The legendary manager-owner at such stations as KLIF, WINS and WCPK will receive an honorary PH.D. in Media Management from Cambridge University in London (congratulate him by e-mail at cpayne47@sbcglobal.net)

The BBC's director general will announce thousands of job cuts today, part of his vision for a more efficient public service broadcaster. Up to 6,000 jobs will be axed from the 28,000-strong workforce after four reviews ordered by Mark Thompson when he joined the BBC in June. A further 1,700 posts are expected to move from London to Manchester. Staff morale has plummeted and unions say they will oppose compulsory redundancies or forced relocations and threaten strike action if their demands are not met (read more - The Independent U.K.)  (read more - Reuters) (The Guardian)

Radio giant Clear Channel, the owner of 1,200 stations, continues to make news that will affect your listening habits. Cincinnati Clear Channel will likely be bringing fledgling liberal radio network Air America to local airwaves, giving some competition to its own generally conservative talk radio shows on WLW and WKRC. And Clear Channel has announced a deal with fellow media conglomerate News Corp. that will make Fox News the main radio news source nationwide on many of its stations (read more - Rick Bird-Cincy Post)

Two stations' coverage of a deadly tornado that ripped through the center of a small north central Illinois town won industry honors for excellence at the 46th annual Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards.
WLS-Channel 7 was cited in the spot news category and WBBM-Channel 2 in the news special/ planned coverage category for reports from Utica, where the tornado last April killed eight people in a tavern (read more - Feder of Chicago)

George Carlin ended his relationship with the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with a devastating diss the other night. The caustic comic finished his four-year run with a dark set that included riffs on suicides and beheadings, and made it clear that he couldn't wait to get out of "this [bleeping] hotel" and Sin City. The Las Vegas Review-Journal's Norm Clarke reports that Carlin told the crowd of 700 that he was looking forward to going back east "where the real people are." (read more - NY Post)

It was 25 years ago last Friday that Shadow Traffic launched in New York - a daring gamble that different radio stations would subscribe to a single central traffic service. Shadow was already operating in Philadelphia and Chicago, but New York was the big test, recalls Bernie Wagenblast, one of the original half-dozen reporters (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

On a recent morning, my husband and I drove three hours through the mountains, in a snowstorm, with two-year-old twins, a carsick puppy and no cell phone service.  We hit a deer, ran out of coffee and were both late for work.  Yet the soothing voice of a BBC World News anchor in London didn't falter, the morning news on CNN was crystal clear, and Vanilla Ice offered comic relief when no vanilla ice lattes were in sight (read more - CNN/Money) (read more - News Record)

Salem Communications Corporation, focused on Christian and family-themed programming, announced today an increase in its revenue guidance for the fourth quarter of 2004. Specifically, the company is projecting net broadcast revenue of between $48.75 million and $49.25 million. The company is projecting same station net broadcasting revenue growth of approximately 10% for the fourth quarter of 2004 (read more - BusinessWire)

Defeat demands solace, and viewers who voted against George W. Bush will find the first half-hour of "The First Amendment Project" tonight as soothing as hot cocoa or an ice-cold martini. "The First Amendment" is a civic-minded four-part series about free-speech issues. Produced by the Sundance Channel and Court TV, it will be shown on both stations. The premiere, "Fox v. Franken," is light and frothy. Like a favorite bedtime story, it gleefully relives the humiliation Fox News endured for bringing a lawsuit against the comedian Al Franken's satirical book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right." Mr. Franken is amusing, but the First Amendment question in his case was not very challenging (read more - NY Times)

Bill Coffey, morning show host on country music station WBEE-FM (92.5) for 13 years, died this morning of an apparent heart attack at his home in Pennsylvania. He was 56 years old (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

 "So you're Sean Combs" — that's what President Bush kept saying yesterday as he gave the hip-hop mogul a private tour of the White House. When Combs — in D.C. to present a Kennedy Center honor — was offered a tour, "he didn't realize his guides would be the president and first lady," a source said. Laura Bush told Puffy: "I understand you had a wonderful birthday party recently." (read more - NY Post)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced that its SIRIUS College Sports Radio will bring fans the only live radio coverage of the 70th Heisman Memorial Trophy Awards Presentation on Saturday, December 11. The live, three-hour show begins at 7pm ET on SIRIUS Sports Action, channel 123, and SIRIUS will broadcast the first post-ceremony radio interview with the 2004 winner. The program will originate from the Hilton Hotel New York (visit Sirius)

WPLJ (95.5 FM) music director Tony Mascaro says his research turned up a sixth song that listeners can't stand: Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer."  The Top 5: Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song," Burl Ives' "Holly Jolly Christmas," Celine Dion's "O Holy Night," Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" and John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)." (read more - John Mainelli-NY Post)

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell expects to postpone until early next year a vote on his plan to convert the U.S. television system to digital technology by January 2009, a Powell aide said. Local television stations and broadcasters such as Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network have lobbied against the plan, saying consumers aren't prepared to switch to digital TV sets (read more - Bloomberg)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- These days our TV weather guessers track Santa’s progress on radar. You can even hear Santa on the radio. Doing commercials! It seems the jolly old elf has sold out, doing personal endorsements for lots of products. But before all this technology took over, there was the personal visit. Do you remember going to a department store and sitting on Santa’s lap and telling him what you wanted for Christmas? In San Antonio, Joske’s had a particularly wonderful Christmas Wonderland with moving exhibits and even a train you could ride inside the store! Everything seemed so magical at Christmas. Still does if you look and listen with child-like eyes and ears (visit Jarrott Media)

A Rhode Island television reporter facing a possible jail sentence for refusing to reveal a source said in court documents on Monday that he had asked his source to come forward, but that the source had repeatedly refused. The reporter, Jim Taricani of WJAR-TV, an NBC affiliate in Providence, was convicted of criminal contempt in federal court last month because he would not disclose who had given him an F.B.I. videotape related to an investigation of corruption in the Providence government. He will be sentenced Thursday and faces up to six months in jail (read more - NY Times)

Tom Brokaw has numerous important journalistic memories - Watergate, Tiananmen Square, the fall of the Berlin Wall and Sept. 11, to name a few. I wonder how much he recalls of the Creepy Car Caper - something I'll always remember (read more - Dusty Saunders-Rocky Mountain News)

The owner of a now-shuttered music store and the man accused of working with him in a compact disc “bootleg” operation face more than $150,000 in restitution to the recording industry and possible prison time on federal music piracy charges. David L. Hubbell, the music store owner and host of two local radio shows (KRVS), and William F. Pritchard Jr. both pleaded innocent at their Monday arraignment. Pritchard, 25, is accused of copying hundreds of illicit concert recordings (read more - The Advertiser)

It seems like a cool idea - sunglasses with a built-in digital music player and speakers. No headphone cables to untangle as with most portable players. Music actually riding on your ears. Zero retinal damage from ultraviolet radiation. And if Oakley's new breed of eyewear, dubbed Thump, retailed for about $100, it might be a tempting alternative to some of the rudimentary flash memory card music players on the market. But these supershades cost $395 for a pair with 128 megabytes of memory and $495 for the 256-megabyte version, which sports polarized lenses  (read more - My Way)

Belo Corp. said David Lougee, currently president and general manager of its KING-TV Seattle NBC affiliate, will succeed Glenn Wright as group executive over Belo's Northwest operations.  Dallas-based Belo said Wright is retiring during the second half of 2005, and will work with Lougee to hire a replacement to run KING, along with KONG-TV and Northwest Cable News. Belo also owns KGW-TV, the NBC affiliate in Portland; KREM-TV, a CBS affiliate, and KSKN-TV, both in Spokane; and KTVB-TV, the NBC affiliate in Boise, Idaho (read more - Puget Sound Biz Journal)

Arbitron announced today that it has compiled detailed ethnic commuter profiles utilizing Census 2000 and Arbitron data to provide valuable information to the radio industry about ethnic commuters' travel time, time of departure and method of getting to work. This free tool is expanded to offer profiles covering Persons 16+ for Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Non-Hispanic White demographic segments. Arbitron has posted the new profiles with the general population profiles on its Web site at http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/commuterIQP.asp

ARBitrends for Albuquerque, Baton Rouge, Charleston SC, Greenvile NC, Jackson and El Paso (read 'em)

Sirius and XM may not be household words ­ just yet. Two years ago, neither Sirius nor XM had listeners. Today, their subscribers number more than four million combined. According to The Kipplinger Letter, that figure will double by the end of next year. In Minot, retail dealers are finding that this is the Christmas gift of choice for many consumers. Mike Christianson, manager of Radio Shack, said they are hot. "If I could get another 150 of them, I know I could sell them all," Christianson said. "They are a great product ... They are definitely a popular item, I don't have any of the car kits or the home docking systems in stock. I'm hoping to get some more in next week." (read more - Minot Daily News)

I’ve been thinking about music and radio a lot lately, especially given all buzz recently on Satellite radio. (Recall we visited this topic over the summer). Here’s a simple question that many people get wrong: What does (terrestrial) radio sell? Think about it for a moment before answering. If you are like most media consumers, your answer will be “advertising.” Since Radio is media, and most media rely on advertising, it’s a reasonable conclusion. That answer, however, is wrong (read more - Barry Ritholtz-The Big Picture)

Amador Bustos knows he will have to move fast. Fueled by new investment money, Hispanic radio companies are maneuvering for position, bolstering their strongholds, and exploring new territories.
"At least I have a little bit of a head start," says Mr. Bustos, who has put together a chain of 18 Spanish-language stations in the last 12 months. In September, Bustos Media, which Mr. Bustos founded in 2003 with his brother, John, secured more than $100 million in private equity financing. Bustos plans to grow to 40 stations in the next year, focusing on building clusters of stations in mid-size markets like Portland and Sacramento before the big companies move in. "We're trying to play a chess game, trying to protect certain territories," Mr. Bustos says (read more - Hispanic Business)

A civil dis-union — Say what you want about the marital woes of radio gabhead Rush Limbaugh, but something about the guy inspires loyalty even in his soon-to-be-ex, Marta. Speculation that the former aerobics instructor might take advantage of Limbaugh's legal problems to get herself a cushy settlement — after all, who's more of a dream witness for a prosecutor than a woman scorned? — turns out to be a bunch of hooey  (read more - Palm Beach Daily News)

We are in the studios of The Russ Martin Show, the popular afternoon show on Dallas-Fort Worth's talk station KLLI/105.3 FM. Since about fall 2001, Martin's 3-7 p.m. show on KLLI has continually been at or near the top of the Arbitron ratings. There have been a couple of off quarters, but more often than not, he's No. 1 in his time slot. Even Martin says he isn't sure how this happened. Martin talks about a lot of things you're not supposed to talk about on the air, and they don't always have to do with sex. Many radio personalities wouldn't think of mentioning a rival jock on the air, but Martin has no problem praising the ones he likes -- or, more often, slamming the ones he doesn't. "Radio people are just so plastic," he says. "And it's funny that they think that they're further up the entertainment chain than we really are. I don't like 'em." "Everything on the air obviously is a characterization of our real lives." he says. "In everybody's character, they have their jerky side, they have their compassionate side. On the air, everything is just amplified."  Maybe that's another part of the appeal -- in Martin's compassionate jerk, listeners can see both sides of themselves. But KLUV/98.7 FM's Ron Chapman -- whose morning oldies show is the antithesis of Martin's -- says the jerkiness is exaggerated. "If that's supposed to be his reputation, that's supposed to be his image, I'm sorry to be the guy that's breaking the mold for him," says Chapman, who, like Martin, works under the Infinity umbrella. "He's OK. He's a hard worker, and within the company, we all know that he delivers and that he works his a- - off to have it done." (read more - Robert Philpot-Star-Telegram)

Today Arbitron and comScore Media Metrix, a division of comScore Networks, Inc., released the first audience ratings from their new online radio ratings service – with an estimate of 4.1 million people a week, age 12 and older, listening to three major online radio networks. The comScore Arbitron Online Radio Ratings service rated the three charter subscribers – America Online’s AOL® Radio Network; Yahoo!®’s LAUNCHcast,; and Microsoft’s MSN Radio and WindowsMedia.com – during an average broadcast week in the month of October. Subsequent reports will be released approximately 30 days after the end of each calendar month (read more from Arbitron (.doc))

"God help me, my 15-year-old daughter just put an XM satellite radio on her Christmas list," said Joel Burke, program director at KYGO's country 98.5 FM. The hours people spend listening to radio are in steep decline as younger audiences switch to iPods, CDs mixed at home and subscription satellite signals, industry experts agree. This month marks a radio counteroffensive for the collective ear. Denver stations are among the leaders in cutting ads per hour, jumping back into Internet streaming, and emphasizing live local shows to restore the "companionship" factor in commercial radio. Executives at the metro area's most popular stations admit it's a tough fight, and they're not sure they have settled on the most effective plan (read more - Michael Booth-Denver Post)

From George Mair -- Holiday season is here..Johnny Carson says it's the once a year families get together to remind us once a year is too often***Dick Gregory doesn't believe in Santa Claus. Says no white man would come to his neighborhood after dark****In keeping with Hollywood crime entertainment of continuous murder trials, Peterson trial is over and immediately Robert Blake jury was cast or, er, ah, picked****Kato Katland is still around proving talent is not a requirement in Hollywood (read more - George Mair's LALA Land)

Aaron Ticknor dumped commercial radio more than a year ago.  Tired of his favorite stations using limited playlists, often repeating the same songs, he opted to subscribe to satellite radio, an industry beginning to emerge from the fringes. "With radio there's a lot of repetition," Ticknor said. "I can only listen to the radio so much. I need some variety when I'm listening, and satellite radio goes a lot deeper. That's what I like more than anything. "And the new songs I hear on the radio now when I'm working, I heard on satellite radio months ago. It's a lot more updated," he added (read more - Charles Emerick-WF Courier)

From Claude Hall Online -- Cruising: I also think of the ghosts of John Huston and his friend Bill Randle stomping through those mountains high up yonder hunting gold and laughing.  Strange, because Bill Randle never laughed much.  It is interesting that a lot of radio men and women that I knew had enormous amounts of fun, but never laughed much.  In oh so many years, I never heard Gary Owens laugh.  Perhaps because laughter was a business.  As it was with others.  But neither did I ever hear Ted Atkins, Woody Roberts, Charlie Parker, the Geater with the Heater, Reggie Lavong, Joe Smith laugh.  Funny, because Joe could make anyone laugh.  But I never heard him laugh himself.  Strange (read more - www.claudehallonline.com)

The weekday lineup on WSPD-AM (1370) is practically a Murderers' Row of "conservative" talk shows. Bob Frantz, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Denny Schaffer, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage preach the "Red State Gospel" from 5:30 a.m. to midnight. Much to the delight of their loyal listeners. The Philadelphia-based Beck, who bats No. 2 in the lineup, is also No. 2 in terms of on-air seniority at the station. He made his debut on WSPD shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, taking over the time slot previously filled by Dr. Laura. Only Limbaugh, the Babe Ruth of radio talkers, has been on WSPD longer than Beck. Beck is spending today in Toledo (read more -  Russ Lemmon-Toledo Blade)

Irish music fans who get the new Apple iPod U2 Special Edition this Christmas risk prosecution if they buy the popular gadget’s latest accessory, the iTrip. The iTrip, a tiny wireless transmitter that plays songs from the iPod on any nearby radio, is illegal under Irish and EU broadcasting law because it transmits under the licensed FM band. Under the 1988 Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Act, the maximum fine for supplying illegal broadcasting equipment is €25,400 in the Circuit Court (read more - The Times)

Infinity's KRLD 1080 and the Texas State Network will be leaving the Ballpark in Arlington and moving into the same building that houses KOAI, KVIL and KLUV in Dallas.  The move is expected to be completed by May (visit KRLD and TSN)

Clear Channel Radio, the largest U.S. radio station chain, has selected Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Radio as the main national news supplier for about 100 of its news/talk stations, the companies said on Monday. The five-year agreement with Clear Channel Radio, part of Clear Channel Communications Inc., marks the first major affiliate group deal for Fox News Radio and will create a direct competitor to ABC Radio and CBS Radio, the companies said in a statement (read more - Reuters)  (read more - SA Expess-News)

"Satellite is still a work in progress. But soon enough," said longtime media analyst Robert Unmacht, "most people will know about satellite radio and consider it no more intimidating than cable TV.Unmacht. "The Sirius channels with real hosts, like Meg Griffin's, are terrific. But some just play music with an occasional joke over the intros. That's not the way you make radio a companion." XM's '50s channel has a great range of music, from deep rockabilly and blues to the hits. "Hank's Place," XM's classic country channel, has a much narrower playlist. Some channels sound just like "regular radio," with jocks. Others are jukeboxes. Both services are commercial-free on ­music channels, though not elsewhere. Many of the early satellite subscribers, it turns out, are in their 40s and 50s, which Unmacht said isn't surprising. "As terrestrial radio goes after younger listeners," he said, "those are the age groups it is increasingly disenfranchising." (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- Yesterday my great aunt Margaret would have been 102.  She died when she was 88 and I still think of her daily and miss her greatly.  She was my grandmother’s sister; I never knew my grandmother, so Margaret lovingly filled that role.  Sometimes in life there are people who have children and really shouldn’t, and sometimes there are people who should have had children and didn’t.  Aunt Margaret was in the latter category.  Of course, if she had had children, she might not have given me as much love as she did.  Naaaah.  She was so full of love, there was plenty to go around.  We should all live so that someday someone says they still miss us daily even after we’ve been gone for years and years (visit Jarrott Media)

Zeo Radio Networks and Clifton Radio Consulting announced plans today to syndicate the Interactive Countdown (ICD) top 30 radio show. The new weekly show, hosted by voiceover man Dr. Dave, highlights the top 30 songs in the country and is targeted for CHR/Rhythmic stations. A special New Year’s version of ICD will be offered to stations on a first-come, first-serve basis to help countdown to 2005 (visit ZeoRadio.com)

Boy, this one is really going to annoy the grown-ups. The holiday season's must-have gift might just be the new Wild Planet Hoodio, available at the Gap. Kids don't have to worry about leaving home without their Walkman again -- because this fleece jacket has its own personal radio built right in. There is a snap-on FM radio power pack. The tuner and volume control are within easy reach, and there are snap-in headphones in the hood. So all you have to do is put the hood up, turn on the tunes and rock out (read more - WOAI)

What are we to think of a governor who chats easily and enthusiastically with a ranting buffoon on AM radio but will not speak to a reporter from this newspaper?  Times change. As Bradford Jacobs, the former Evening Sun editorial page editor, put it in an interview for Charles G. Whiteford's obituary in 1982, "Things were different than they are now. Whoever was political reporter for The Sun was the voice. There was no television. People would say, 'It's what The Sun says, and it's what Whiteford says, so it's probably true.'"  Things were different in many other ways, too. For one, politicians did not regard reporters as the enemy (read more - G. Jefferson Price III-Baltimore Sun)

Q: What in the world is going on with these local TV station anchors? Do they all come from the same mother or what? I was flipping last night to check out news — they all look the same. The guys are sort of feminine, pretty boys that look as if they never got roughed up in their life. What happened to real men, like Steve Smith, Ron Stone, Doug Johnson? Those guys had soul. All the new ones have no soul. Even the women are looking the same. They are all nice with pretty hair and nice dresses, but something is missing. Bottom line is they are all way too plastic. I'm ready for a fat chick. Since Houston is the fattest city, that should not be a problem. A guy with a Cajun accent would be cool, too. Lanis Neugent, Houston (read more - Ken Hoffman-Houston Chronicle)

Danny Stiles, who still plays popular standards seven nights a week on the radio, will celebrate his 57th broadcast anniversary with a party tonight at John's Pizzeria on W. 44th St. John's owner Pete Castelotti throws the annual party, which will include music for dancing. That would be Stiles' kind of music, some of which he still plays from his world-class collection of vintage 78 rpm records. Stiles started his career on Dec. 2, 1947, at WHBI in Newark. He calculates he has been on 24 stations over the years.  Now he's heard on WNSW (1430 AM) (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

Dear Radio Babe, What is up with the Christmas music on Dove already? I love the seasonal music in season, but not this early, and 24/7, and nothing else. Who makes the decisions, and have they actually asked the listeners how they feel about it? I asked my husband to PLEASE turn it off on a drive yesterday; just too much! Thanks, C.H. Dear Radio Babe, At the great risk of sounding like Scrooge, I would like to complain and speak to the radio stations, but I don't know their "contact." May I use you? (read more - Dawn Scire-The Radio Babe)

“TBN’s goal is to inspire people, engage their minds, and encourage their spirit through contemporary and positive programming that speaks to people from all walks of life,” says Paul Crouch, Jr., VP of Administration of TBN  JCTV is part of that strategy. As TBN’s premier youth network, JCTV www.jctv.org offers stylish, faith-based, state-of-the-art programs with dynamic music videos for those 13 to 29. JCTV features trendy programs that include reality shows, music videos, and game shows. Also, there are relevant talk shows, movies, comedies, and competitive sports that speak to America’s youth in a dynamic format they can grab hold of (read more - Web Wire)

It could turn out that the head of the FCC is less of a threat to free speech in this country than the heads of CBS and NBC. The latest act of fealty to the conservatism now in vogue in Washington is the refusal of CBS and NBC to run an ad from a mainstream Christian denomination on the grounds that its message could generate controversy and be perceived as "advocacy advertising." (ABC does not accept any religious advertising.) The networks say they refuse such ads as a matter of policy, although they certainly showed no reluctance to run advocacy political ads this fall that were both inflammatory and demonstrably false (read more - Eileen McNamara-Boston Globe)

Barry Champlain is a profane, angry motormouth contrarian, a man willing to insult you for your opinion no matter what opinion you hold -- who will, in fact, insult you for precisely the opposite reason he insulted another person five minutes ago. So, of course, he's the perfect radio personality. "This country, where culture means pornography and slasher films ... is rotten to the core," Champlain snarls at the beginning of his nightly show, though he's dimly aware that his own performance is itself a kind of pornographic act.
Champlain is the central character of "Talk Radio," the new E.M.U. Theatre production that opened Friday. The play is set in 1985, before the rise of Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh and a whole generation of shock jocks whose over-the-air anger had more to do with pumping up ratings than with actual outrage. Andrew Stowers, who plays Champlain, is note-perfect in capturing the deep-voiced pomposity of a big-city radio host on the eve of national syndication (read more - Joel Mathis-Lawrence Journal World)

WBBM NewsRadio 780 devoted most of its broadcast day this past Friday to the Chicago Anti Hunger Federation Radiothon. This annual radio fund-raiser and awareness effort is one of the most effective tools in both collecting funds to buy nutritional foods for those at risk of hunger and teaching the hungry how to obtain food stamps, and participate in other beneficial programs. The Anti Hunger Federation also conducts food preparation and cooking classes so the unemployed can find training and employment in the industry. I was invited to spend a few minutes with WBBM Radio's Sherman Kaplan and Kris Kridel to explain how this project began since it started in the early 80's on my radio program at WGN AM 720 (read more - www.ChicagoEd.com)

The Atlanta radio industry gathered at the new InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead Thursday for schmoozing, booze, awards and at least $70,000 for the March of Dimes. The ninth annual AIR awards show had its share of doofy moments. Presenter B98.5's Jordan Graye announced the winner for best jingle -- V-103's popular morning host Frank Ski -- but mispronounced his name "Sky." (read more - Peach Buzz-Atlanta J-C)

Will Smith has found himself at the centre of a public row after comparing the 9/11 terrorists to racist American cops. The Men In Black star sparked outrage among right-wing Americans after speaking candidly to a German newspaper. When asked if the terror attacks had changed him, Smith said: "No, absolutely not.  He added: "Whether you are wounded in an attack by a racist cop or in a terrorist attack, I'm sorrry, it makes no difference. "In the 60s, blacks were continuously the victims of terrorist attacks. It was civil terrorism, but terrorism nonetheless." This was enough to persuade the group Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood to add Smith to its list of "banned" stars (read more - Sky Showbiz)  You'll find this and other "Talk Bites" at RDN's sister site, www.talkradiodailynews.com

Young people are now the savviest of the tech-savvy, as likely to demand a speedy broadband connection as to download music onto an iPod, or upload digital photos to their Web logs. The Internet has shaped the way they work, relax and even date. It's created a different notion of community for them and new avenues for expression that are, at best, liberating and fun - but that also can become a forum for pettiness and, occasionally, criminal exploitation. More than any previous generation, today's young people are plugged in - all the time - with a world of communication and information at their fingertips (read more - Star-Telegram)

Veteran WBZ-AM (1030) talk host David Brudnoy checked himself into a local hospital yesterday where he will undergo a series of tests, according to sources close to the popular radio personality.  Brudnoy was dehydrated and mildly jaundiced. He also had been unable to shake a recent cough and cold. He is expected to be hospitalized for a few days. Brudnoy, now in his early 60s, took a four-month leave of absence from the station late last year to treat a rare form of skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma (read more - Dean Johnson-Boston Herald)

WIP 610-AM operations manager Neal Newman died of a heart attack Thursday night while taking a karate class with his wife. He was 49-years-old. Newman began at WIP four years ago, serving as the assistant program director under Tom Bigby. When Bigby left the station this summer, Newman acted as interim program director, and recently was promoted to operations manager. Radio listeners also would recognize Newman from his days as a disc jockey on the old Jammin’ Gold 95.7-FM, and he continued to fill in on the air on WIP sister station WOGL 98.1-FM. WIP host Glen Macnow said, “Neal was a genuinely nice guy that everyone liked and respected. He recently lost over 50-pounds and was trying to get into shape. It’s ironic that Neal died, when he was trying to take care of himself.” Newman is survived by his wife and two sons - 8 and 4-years-old. Funeral arrangements are pending (read more columns and articles by Laura Nachman)

WDAC is back in the preset radio business – but with a different audience. The station just passed its goal of raising $35,000 from listeners to finance the purchase of 1,000 radios that broadcast WDAC in English and, with the flip of a switch, the Hispanic Christian Radio Network in Spanish (read more - Lancaster Online)

Former children's TV presenter Dwayne Francks pleaded guilty on Friday to indecently assaulting two girls. Emily Watt reports. The shame of former television funny man Dwayne Francks was exposed within a day – because one of his young victims was so frightened. One of the girls refused to go to bed and when her grandmother Jan (not her real name) went to kiss her goodnight, the six-year-old screamed. She froze, naked on her bed, crying and refusing to put her pyjamas on. Moments later, she revealed Francks had indecently assaulted her and a friend the night before, and told them not to tell anyone (read more - Stuff New Zealand)

After 14 years in the industry, local radio personality Charlie Bosworth, a.k.a. Charlie Profit, has received the chance to host his own afternoon talk show broadcast over 20 stations nationwide. General manager at Southington-based WXCT (AM 990) where he has worked for three years, Bosworth had hosted a weekly showed called "Eye on Southington" conducting interviews with town leaders, until new owners shifted the station’s focus to include more Spanish programming (read more - Bristol Press)

Of all the irresponsible aspects of the 2005 budget bill that the Republican-led Congress just passed, nothing could be more irresponsible than the fact that funding for the National Science Foundation was cut by nearly 2 percent, or $105 million. Think about this. We are facing a mounting crisis in science and engineering education. The generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians who were spurred to get advanced degrees by the 1957 Soviet launch of Sputnik and the challenge by President John Kennedy to put a man on the moon is slowly retiring. But because of the steady erosion of science, math and engineering education in U.S. high schools, our cold war generation of American scientists is not being fully replenished. We traditionally filled the gap with Indian, Chinese and other immigrant brainpower. But post-9/11, many of these foreign engineers are not coming here anymore, and, because the world is now flat and wired, many others can stay home and innovate without having to emigrate (read more - Thomas Friedman)  You'll find this and other "Talk Bites" at RDN's sister site, www.talkradiodailynews.com

A radio station pulled a host off the air indefinitely after he used an obscenity on the air to refer to state lawmakers. Jerrel Jones, the owner of WNOV-AM, said Michael McGee's "Word Warriors" show was suspended because of his use of the word, which may have violated federal broadcast law. Jones said McGee - a former Milwaukee alderman - may have uttered the word in the heat of the moment during his show on Thursday, but he does not want to jeopardize his license with the Federal Communications Commission (read more - Duluth News Tribune)

"In the last year, year and a half, the commission has stepped up its enforcement," said David Solomon, FCC enforcement bureau chief. Many point to an increasingly vocal public, angry about filth on the airwaves. Others argue it's not the public that's angry — but a very vocal minority. The FCC said it had received "159 complaints" about "Married by America." But media writer Jeff Jarvis obtained copies of those complaints, and the number was not 159, but 90, written by 23 people. And 21 apparently were copied from the same form letter by a conservative group. So in the end, there were only three original letters. "We're in a situation here where the FCC and a few prudes are trying to determine what all of us can watch," Jarvis said (read more - ABC News)

Sales of high-powered aerials have soared in Sligo and Donegal following the shut down of North West Radio, it emerged today.  Former listeners of the popular local broadcaster are using the aerials to tune into its sister station, Mid West Radio. Mid West Radio chief executive Paul Claffey said his presenters were getting calls from listeners in Sligo town, Manorhamilton in Leitrim and Killybegs in Donegal. “Many of the electrical dealers there will tell you they’re inundated with people looking for outside aerials. You have people climbing up on roofs to put up an outside aerial, some of them successful, some of them not so successful,” he said (read more - Ireland Online)

The new director-general plans to shed jobs and axe copycat programmes, writes Guy Dennis.  Ever since Mark Thompson became the director-general of the BBC in May, in the wake of the Hutton report into the death of the government scientist Dr David Kelly, there has been speculation about how he would make his mark on the corporation. Despite Thompson's casual, bearded appearance and relaxed manner, he is known in the media as a sharp and incisive thinker. This week will see the results of his questioning and probing when he unveils four strategic reviews on Tuesday. The results are likely to lead to some of the most radical changes in the corporation's history. Two themes are expected to run through the reviews: the need to spend the BBC's annual £3.6bn budget more efficiently and a refocusing of the corporation's remit to produce public service broadcasting (read more - The Telegraph U.K.)

Texas Cable News Network announced Friday that it will cut more than 50 percent of its staff in the latest round of layoffs from companies owned by Dallas-based Belo Corp. The statewide cable channel, which resembles CNN Headline News, will lose about 45 employees, leaving a staff of about 30, said Jamie Aitken, TXCN's president and general manager. The changes will be complete Jan. 1, the network's sixth anniversary. Aitken said the station will cancel its half-hour and hourlong programs, such as film critic Gary Cogill's Big Movie Show, Mondays With Mattie featuring Mattie Roberts, Family Time with Tracey Johnson and various sports shows. All the anchors, including Johnson, Michael Rey, Jolene DeVito and Deanna Dewberry, were among the people cut. Among those losing their jobs are Mr. Aitken and executive news director Steve Ackermann (read more - Dallas Morning News)   (read more - Star-Telegram)

WZMR, 104.9 FM traded its jazz/classic soul format for holiday music and began calling itself the "Christmas Station," on Nov. 9. That gave it a two-week jump on WTRY, 98.3 FM, an oldies station that has been playing Christmas music every December since 2001, but did not make the change until Thanksgiving day. WTRY bills itself as the "Holiday Superstation" (read more - Albany Biz Journal)

Dennis Buettner's thousands of weekly radio listeners have no idea what he looks like. But if they were ever to see him, he would appear exactly as they might expect - vaguely middle age, with an easy, back-slapping nature, thinning hair and another feature stereotypically associated with those who enjoy the fine beverages made of barley and hops. No, we don't mean a beer belly. "It's an inactivity belly," Buettner says. The cornerstone of the empire is Beer Radio, which originates out of the Infinity Broadcasting studios in Towson. The show was picked up by Sirius satellite radio in July and just last week Buettner and his partners signed a syndication deal that they hope will put the show on 80 stations within a year  (read more - Baltimore Sun)

The new world at WCBS-FM (101.1) is reflected in the new top-500 countdown it broke out last weekend. The Beatles' "Hey Jude" finished first, followed by the Temptations' "My Girl," Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife," A Taste of Honey's "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody." Reflecting WCBS-FM's shift forward in time, much of the top 500 was from the '70s, with only about a dozen songs from the '50s (read more - David Hinckley-NY Daily News)

The Supreme Court agreed to consider whether cable companies must open their high-speed lines to rival Internet providers. Justices will hear two cases challenging a lower ruling forcing cable companies to share their lines. That October 2003 decision by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has been stayed pending the outcome of appeals. At issue is whether cable-based broadband is a ''telecommunications service" that makes it subject to strict Federal Communications Commission rules requiring phone companies to provide access to independent providers (read more - Boston Globe)

ARBitrends for Des Moines, Chattanooga, Columbia SC and Huntville  (read 'em)

Just when you thought you'd figured out cell phones, there's another player in the phone service arena. It's called VoIP, or ''voice over Internet protocol,'' also known as IP telephony. Translation: phone calls over the Internet. AT&T and Vonage seem to be the big national players so far. You'd better get used to it because it's spreading. It's big already and it's proving useful as yet another tool in the telephony toolbox. Chief advantages are lower costs for long-distance and international calls, plus the ability to take your phone number with you while traveling
''Of all North American homes, 19 percent will use broadband Internet connections for voice communications by 2008,'' said Margaret Schoener, analyst with Gartner Group in Stamford, Conn., in a forecast analyst published in June.  (read more - Poughkeepsie Journal)

A former Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) producer and an event-planning company president were arrested Saturday over a notorious kickback scandal that cost the public broadcaster over 40 million yen, police said. Katsumi Isono, 48, former chief producer at the NHK radio center who was fired by the public broadcaster in July over the scandal, and Hisayuki Uehara, 48, president of the planning firm, are accused of fraud. The arrest comes as a massive number of NHK viewers have refused to pay subscription fees to the broadcaster in protest over the scandal and subsequent revelations of other suspected embezzlement cases (read more - Asahi News) (read more Mainichi Daily News)

"I never wanted to be a prophet or a savior," Bob Dylan, 63, told Ed Bradley on a CBS' "60 Minutes" show that will be broadcast Sunday night. He recently published his memoir, "Chronicles: Volume One." The interview is Dylan's first TV interview in 19 years (visit 60 Minutes)

A perfect storm of high-level holiday shopping, affordable portable component, and frustration with redundant broadcasting has made satellite radio a blue-chip item for the holidays. Fueled by strong auto-industry participation, satellite radio now has the commercial base to stand and evolve as a true consumer option. “I’m getting it for myself,” said Wanda Furlong of Bowling Green, who is awaiting the arrival of her XM unit she purchased from Best Buy. “My brother has one and I really like his. We listened to bluegrass, gospel and country on a camping trip we did.” Furlong is not deterred by the notion of paying for radio service. “It’s worth the $10 (a month) for programming,” she said. “If you’re going to have something to enjoy, you’ll pay for it.” “It’s certainly going to shift the entire landscape of radio as we know it,” said Marjorie Yambor, general manager of Western Kentucky University’s WWHR-FM 91.7. “Commercial radio is going to have to ante up and create better programming, which they are not doing with mass radio consolidations. (read more - Bowling Green Daily News)

Calling radio host Curtis Sliwa's radio show criticisms of John A. "Junior" Gotti "quintessentially prejudicial," a judge nonetheless Friday refused to order Sliwa to stop them prior to Gotti's upcoming federal criminal trial. U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin said the prejudicial effects of Sliwa's on-air rants can be overcome by thorough questioning of potential jurors to weed out biases and by emphatic instructions to the jury to avoid media reports on the case. A court order silencing Sliwa on his drive-time morning show, she said, would likely have the opposite effect, causing further media distribution of the comments Sliwa has made to this point (read more - Newsday)

Advocates of requiring recorded votes in the Legislature vary from religious and seniors groups to media associations and organizations that regularly push for transparency in government. It's also an issue that's uncharacteristically united the state Democratic and Republican parties. More than 150 organizations and individuals statewide have called for change in the Legislature's voting practices. Two of the state's largest media organizations — the Texas Press Association and the Texas Association of Broadcasters — have led the charge (read more - San Antonio Express-News)

"Music" is why Ukiah High School senior, David Alton, has since July been spending his Tuesday evenings learning how to make a radio show. "I like people to hear music they don't hear often," Alton said, sitting in the Eastlab with five other high school students involved in the Community Youth Radio Project. The class, offered through the county's Regional Occupational Program, is a joint project between the Mendocino County Office of Education, Ukiah High School, KZYX&Z Ukiah Studio Project, and the new KMEC Radio Station (105.1 FM), located inside the Mendocino County Environmental Center on Standley Street (read more - Ukiah Daily Journal)

The U.N. Correspondents Association chose the Wall Street Journal, independent filmmaker Theodore Folke and the British Broadcasting Corporation for its top journalism prizes on Friday.
Each of the UNCA's first prize winners, for print journalism, broadcast and humanitarian reporting, received $10,000 at a black tie dinner. The Wall Street Journal team won for a series on U.N. activities around the world written by Robert Block, Alix Freedman, Carla Anne Robbins, Jess Bravin, Steve Stecklow. The funds for the print journalism award came from the Boston Globe and UNCA in honor of Elizabeth Neuffer, the U.N. correspondent for the Globe killed in Iraq in May 2003 (read more - Reuters)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio today announced the appointment of William C. Pratt to Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Information Technology (IT). He reports to the company's Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, David J. Frear.
Pratt is responsible for the company's IT infrastructure, including subscriber management and billing, channel partnerships, financial systems and the company's web properties (visit Sirius)

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., stung by a lackluster start to the holiday shopping season, said Thursday it is launching a new advertising campaign to remind its customers of its low prices. The world's largest retailer is starting the price-focused ad blitz Friday in newspapers, television and radio, said spokeswoman Mona Williams, and feature two dozen key items, mainly toys and electronics, on which the company is cutting prices. "That's what people are buying," she said (read more - Seattle P-I)

It's no secret Howard Stern's counting the seconds until his new job on Sirius satellite radio. Fans complain Stern's current employer, Citadel Communications, turned his show into Swiss cheese in response though, making edits every time he drops the Sirius name. On four stations, including one in Syracuse, Citadel's also cutting Stern off early at 10 in the morning, done or not ... The controversy really hit home when Stern lashed out at Citadel station's 95X shock jock Ryno after the Syracuse DJ wrote a letter criticizing Stern's program saying it had become an infomercial for Sirius. Ryno wrote, "We don't appreciate him talking about satellite radio and we don't appreciate him taking our money to do a show then end up talking about moving to a direct competitor." "I like that Ryno's worried I'm doing an infomercial. He's worried personally it bothers him. I like that the company tapped Ryno to be the company spokesperson. How about Ryno, like a Nazi sympathizer," Stern said on the radio (read more - News 10 TV - NY)

From Kent Burkhart's "I Was There" series -- This is a continuation of last week’s column (38) about Mike McVay and McVay Media. I asked Mike how many stations he has personally consulted. He said he had never counted them, but assumed around 250 (hey, he is catching up with me!!!). He has several consulted stations that have been with him for 20 years…an example is WAJI in Ft. Wayne. I asked what recent movie he had seen and liked. He said “Ray”. I agree!!!!! Saw it myself a few weeks ago. Some awards will come out of that one. Everyone in show business should see “Ray”. (read more at www.kentburkhart.com)

Time to take a deep breath. The high pitch at which many are discussing the enforcement of rules against indecency on television and radio is enough to pop an eardrum. It is no surprise that those who make a handsome living by selling saucy fare rant the loudest - it drives up the ratings. The news media further fan the flames, obsessed with "culture war" stories that slot Americans into blue-state and red-state camps. Overheated words, however, obscure what should be an important debate over two American values that are, at times, in tension. As one deeply suspicious of government involvement in the regulation of content, I understand and often agree with those who stand up for the cherished value of free speech. But as a parent, I respect the desire of the American people for a minimum level of decency on the public airwaves - particularly where their children are concerned. The often unenviable task of striking a balance between these two competing values falls to the Federal Communications Commission (read more - Michael Powell Op/Ed-NY Times)

From the audio-biography by Sonny Melendrez -- The green grassy slopes in Griffith Park near downtown Los Angeles were made for kids and dogs. This is a story about both. It was 1982. A young actor named Ricky Schroeder was filming a movie scene one afternoon at Griffith Park. During a break in the action, he noticed a very friendly dog who obviously wanted to play. They did just that in between scenes for the rest of the afternoon. Just before it was time to finish up, Ricky noticed his furry friend was limping. Upon closer examination, he realized the mutt had cut his paw. Since the dog had no tags, one of the crew members called the Los Angeles Humane Society. That’s when this story took an unexpected turn. “What’s going to happen to him?” Schroeder questioned the man who lifted him into the caged truck. “Oh, he’ll probably be dead by tomorrow.” That was all the 12 year old needed to hear. He asked his manager to do something. Within a couple hours the story had hit the wires and was on every evening newscast in LA. The next morning, I sat having breakfast at my favorite coffee shop on Ventura Boulevard in North Hollywood. The story in the LA Times was accompanied by a picture of a lonely looking Collie-Shepard peaking through a chain link fence. The caption read, “Who will save this dog?” (read more from Sonny Melendrez)

Viacom  today announced that Infinity Broadcasting President and Chief Operating Officer Joel Hollander will participate in a question and answer session at the UBS 32nd Annual Media Week Conference on December 7, 2004. The session will begin at 11:00 a.m. EST, and an audio webcast of the session will be open to the general public through Viacom's corporate website at http://www.viacom.com. A replay of the audio webcast will be available in the speeches section of Viacom's corporate website (read more - PR Newswire)

Former KRLD anchor/reporter Bob Crowley is joining the staff of WBAP 820 AM as overnight anchor and reporter. Bob brings more than thirty years of experience to DFW’s most highly rated news/talk radio station. “Bob brings a wealth of broadcast journalism experience to our newsroom,” said Rick Hadley, WBAP News Director. “We believe he has much to contribute and will greatly enhance our on-air product. I’m glad to bring Bob on board.” (visit WBAP News)

CNBC is finally canning "McEnroe" — and will replace John McEnroe's low- rated talker with "The Big Deal with Donnie Deutsch," which will air weeknights at 10 p.m. The announcement is expected to come today. "McEnroe," which launched last summer, never got off the ground and, at times, garnered the dreaded Nielsen "hash marks" — meaning its viewership was too low to measure (read more - NY Post)

Chuck Scarborough delivers the news to millions of local viewers each week on WNBC/Ch. 4, but a little-known fact is he played a key role in "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams getting where he is today. In fact, a chance meeting with Scarborough two decades ago at a snowy Washington airport helped launch Williams, then working at the National Association of Broadcasters, on track as a journalist (read more - Richard Huff-NY Daily News)

Mario Paez has resigned after almost seven years as vice president and general manager of Spanish-language WLEY-FM (107.9) to become a senior account executive at all-news WBBM-AM (780) + Jeffrey T. Mason, who's handled practically every other format during his stints at WZZN-FM (94.7), WXXY-FM (103.1), WKIE/WDEK/WKIF and elsewhere, is going country for the first time. He just landed as evening personality at WKIS-FM in Miami (read more - Feder of Chicago)

The Conclave announced that fresh off his newly signed syndication agreement with TRN-FM, Erich “Mancow” Muller will appear as a keynote presenter at the 30th Anniversary Conclave Learning Conference on Saturday, July 23, 2005 at the Marriott City Centre in Minneapolis. Host of “Mancow’s Morning Madhouse” on Q101/WKQX-FM in Chicago, “Mancow” promises a thought provoking, educational, funny and entertaining speech as only he can deliver! Muller’s rating’s in America’s third largest radio market exposes his titan status (read more at The Conclave)

Local talk-radio host Mike McGee on Thursday verbally attacked state lawmakers for criticizing a central city social service agency that has funded his show, using an obscenity on the air that might violate federal broadcast rules. During his morning "Word Warrior" program on WNOV-AM (860), McGee said that Opportunities Industrialization Center of Greater Milwaukee had been unfairly criticized in a state audit and by legislators at a hearing Wednesday. While defending the agency, McGee - a former Milwaukee alderman - used a version of the F-word in referring to critical lawmakers. The agency has provided about $176,000 since 1997 in Wisconsin Works welfare reform money to sponsor McGee's Thursday show (read more - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Remember "May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose"?Little Jimmy Dickens was the youngest of 13 children and was born Dec. 19, 1925 in Bolt, W.Va. He studied awhile at The University Of West Virginia but decided that singing on the radio was more fun. He was toiling at the microphone for WKNX Radio in Saginaw, Michigan when Opry star Roy Acuff came thru town, heard his radio show, and offered him a guest appearance on The Grand Ole Opry. The Opry kept him coming back and made him a regular member (read more - Texarkana Gazette)

Big John Gillis, the dean of Indianapolis radio traffic reporters, has been grounded. Until recently, WIBC-AM (1070) listeners heard about traffic snarls and fender benders from the sky. Gillis has reported road-related news from helicopters and airplanes, when weather has permitted, for more than 20 years. Now he's back on terra firma for good. Station officials say having Gillis broadcast from the WIBC news center at Emmis Communications on Monument Circle provides better service to listeners, including news they can use, such as estimated travel times  (read more - Susan Guyett-Indy Star)

Ball State University's student-run radio station recently won seven awards at an international radio competition open to commercial and non-commercial broadcasters. WCRD-FM staff members received seven Communicator Awards, including five in sports broadcasting. The station received two awards in 2003. Nancy Carlson, chair of Ball State's telecommunications department, said the awards exemplify the university's high ranking by author Leonard Mogel in his book "This Business of Broadcasting." Mogel touts Ball State as one of eight schools having a superb program in broadcasting (read more - The Star-Press)

Salem Radio Network President Greg Anderson announced that national talk host, Michael Medved, has agreed to terms of a new five-year agreement with SRN.  Anderson says, “Michael Medved has been one of the key building blocks for our talk programming. His ratings in his home base of Seattle have been absolutely dominant. Ratings growth at nearly all 180 affiliates across the country is very strong. We are looking forward to working with Michael for years to come.” The Michael Medved Show is syndicated by SRN and can be heard Monday–Friday 3–pm ET (12n–3p PT) (visit SRN)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- I took my 16 year old daughter to a wrap party for a film I did recently. It was at a local watering hole and there was a big sign on the door that read, “Absolutely no one under 21 admitted. No exceptions.” No one even asked her age. I think I’m even more worried now (visit Jarrott Media)

Bob Brown had a special relationship with his radio listeners: He loved them and they loved him, said Al Heinz, his broadcast partner for 31 years. Brown, a KGLO radio personality for three decades, died Tuesday at the age of 77. "He was a barrel of laughs," said Heinz, contacted at his winter home near McAllen, Texas. "He was a great person and a great friend. We did our show from 8:30 to 9 a.m. He called it the Al and Bob Show. I called it the Bob and Al Show (read more - Globe Gazette)

Billings radio host Lonnie Bell's latest career achievement could be his biggest yet. Next March, Bell will be enshrined in the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. The Hall of Fame recognizes people who have made significant contributions to country radio and the music industry. Bell began his radio career in Hawaii in 1953 while he was in the U.S. Navy. He worked at radio stations in Washington state, Texas and Kansas before moving to Billings in 1963. His Sunday morning country music radio show, broadcast on KGHL AM, continues to have a wide following (read more - Billings Gazette)

A public service ad paid for by the Los Angeles County public health agency to raise awareness about the dangers of syphilis has been rejected by local television stations that consider the content inappropriate. County health officials had signed off on the admittedly adult-oriented spot aimed at reaching gay men who are at greatest risk of getting the disease. But they said they were frustrated by their inability to get the ads broadcast at a time when Los Angeles was struggling with a high number of syphilis cases (read more - LA Times)

The Education of Dan Rather -- For three years, from 1981 through 1984, I wrote his daily radio commentary, a four-minute essay with a one-minute spot that went out to all the CBS affiliates and network-owned stations. It was a great job. We did some good work. Here's how it got done: When I had been doing the show for a few weeks I could see that my work was not good--uneven, without voice, without a clear point of view. I thought I knew the reason. I had become increasingly a political conservative. So I went to him and told him my problem. He was great. He said: On any given issue that we discuss, give the liberal point of view fairly and give the conservative point of view fairly, and then we'll end it with my opinion, because it's my show. I thought that sounded good. And it worked. "Dan Rather Reporting" actually got something of a conservative following, not because it was a conservative show--it wasn't--but because it actually put forward the conservative point of view in what might be called a fair and balanced way. At CBS News in those days that was surprising (read more - Peggy Noonan-WS Journal)

If it feels like the holiday season is starting earlier every year, radio may be offering one reason. At 9 a.m. on the Friday before Thanksgiving (yes, before), WODS-FM (103.3) switched from its regular oldies format to one that plays all holiday music, all the time (read more - Clea Simon-Boston Globe)

Art Smith, 78, known as the "Voice of Fremont" for his nearly half-century as a reporter, news announcer, and sportscaster for a local radio station, died yesterday in Fremont Memorial Hospital. Dona Smith, Mr. Smith's wife of 57 years, said her husband died of a brain hemorrhage two days after suffering a stroke while working on a Habitat for Humanity construction project in Clyde, Ohio. Mr. Smith started his radio career in 1948 at WFOB in Fostoria and moved the next year to WFRO in Fremont. He remained there until his retirement in 1998 (read more - Toledo Blade)

Jay Tope, a former radio personality, withdrew Wednesday from the San Antonio mayoral race and plans to endorse one of the remaining candidates. Until June of last year, he covered news and traffic for KTSA Radio and before that was an on-air morning personality with KSMG Radio (read more - SA Express-News)

WGVU, West Michigan’s first and only public broadcasting station, has raised $6.5 million to follow through with a federal mandate ordering all television stations to convert to digital technology or get off the air. Two years of campaigning and 4,000 donors later, WGVU has reached its goal (read more - Grand Valley Lanthorn)

From Bill O'Reilly -- The ordeal of Dan Rather goes far beyond the man himself. It speaks to the presumption of guilt that now rules the day in America. Because of a ruthless and callow media, no citizen, much less one who achieves fame, is given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to allegations or personal attacks. The smearing of America is in full bloom ... As a CBS News correspondent in the early 80's, I worked with Rather and have known him for more than 20 years. Listen to me: there is no way on this earth that he would have knowingly used fake documents on any story. It may be true that Rather did not vet the information supplied to him by producers, but few anchor people do. They are dependent on other journalists, and this is a huge flaw in the system. Dan Rather is guilty of not being skeptical enough about a story that was politically loaded  (read more - Bill O'Reilly.com)

The family used to gather around our first guest to listen to Benny Goodman, Abbot and Costello and Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds." A younger generation now downloads hundreds of songs off iTunes and streams audio posted on the Web. That's why in the past five years more than one of every 10 radio listeners between the ages of 25 to 34 stopped listening. Ms. Radio, come on out and don't forget to bring with you the radio titans, Clear Channel, Citadel Broadcasting and Cumulus Media, which have watched their stock prices plummet 23 percent, 40 percent and 26 percent, respectively, in the past year. Like its compatriots, newspapers are also becoming a relic of a bygone era. News clips are e-mailed to our desk and we can check CNN or Fox News Online 24 hours a day  (read more - Nicholas Economides Seattle P-I)

Brothers Tyler and Justin Florence of San Jose started the band My Former Self three years ago. The group has played in several states and has shared the stage with artists like the Beastie Boys, Yellowcard and Story of the Year. More recently, the band has been talking seriously with a few major record companies. So why haven't more people heard of MFS? The reason is simple: radio play. When flipping through your favorite radio stations, do you realize that 75 percent of the music you hear is owned by four corporations? Then you add the ``corporatization'' of radio. Companies like Clear Channel -- which owns Bay Area stations KMEL (106.1), KYLD (94.9) and others -- have a network of stations across the United States and can control what goes on playlists. For groups like MFS and their fans, this all translates to one thing: They're getting shoved out of radio play by acts that are backed by big corporations  (read more - San Jose Mercury News)

Moments after surviving a horrific plane crash, Charles Ebersol frantically begged bystanders for help in rescuing his kid brother from the wreckage: "Can you please help get him out?" the 21-year-old was quoted as saying. Nearby, his father, NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol, sat on the snowy ground amid the billowing smoke and chunks of wreckage, numbly rocking back and forth, according to a witness. "You could tell he was in shock. Both of them had been ripped out of their shoes," said Doug Percival, a driver at a towing service who was one of the first to arrive(read more - NY Post)

Over a long career, former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite has been at the center of some of broadcasting’s most sublime and memorable moments. But 46 years ago, Cronkite was conscripted into a program that -- even by today’s standards of decadence -- has stood for more than four decades as one of television’s most memorably vulgar events: the 1957 Mike Todd party at Madison Square Garden (read and listen - NPR)

TimeTrax, makers of the popular satellite radio recording software for the XM PCR, has released the TimeTrax Connect, which will let anyone with an XM Connect receiver automatically record broadcasts after setting up a recording schedule (read more - Engadget)

Dave Jarrott Observes -- Now comes the onslaught of holiday movies. And you thought the turkeys were only for Thanksgiving! (visit Jarrott Media)

Accipiter Solutions, Inc. today announced that Salem Web Network, a division of Salem Communications, signed a license tier upgrade to Accipiter's AdManager allowing them to serve up to 8.5 million ads per day. Salem Web Network operates OnePlace.com and Crosswalk.com, the leading internet platforms serving the audience interested in Christian and family themed audio content including streaming music and ministry, commentary, articles, and reviews. In addition, SWN serves the company's radio station and Internet sites. AdManager delivers millions of ads per day to more  than 60 Salem Communications properties nationwide (read more - Businesswire)

Arbitron Inc. and comScore Media Metrix, a division of comScore Networks, Inc., announced today the debut of a new service designed to provide traditional broadcast ratings for the online radio industry. America Online's AOL Radio Network; Yahoo!'s LAUNCHcast; and Microsoft's MSN Radio and Windowsmedia.com have signed on as charter subscribers for the new service. The new measurement service, which is named comScore Arbitron Online Radio Ratings, is the result of collaboration between Arbitron and comScore Media Metrix, the respective leaders in radio and online audience measurement. The data will be released monthly and the first estimates from the service will be released next week. The comScore Arbitron Online Radio Ratings service is based on a subset of approximately 200,000 U.S. participants within the comScore global consumer panel. Using proprietary and patent-pending technology, comScore passively and continuously captures the online behavior of these panelists, including online radio listening behavior. The service will provide customers with Average Quarter Hour and Cume audience estimates for traditional broadcast dayparts and demographics. This allows online radio to be planned and bought using the same metrics as those used by traditional radio (read more - Business Wire)

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