Saturday, October 3, 2015

October 4 Radio History


In 1922...the entire World Series was broadcast over radio for the first time over WJZ and WGY.


In 1925...a pioneering concert hour of early radio The Atwater Kent Hour was heard for the first time on WEAF New York and an 11-station network which a year later would form the basis for NBC. Atwater Kent was an early line of radio sets.


In 1936...Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade.



In 1939...a barber from Canonsburg (near Pittsburgh), who had quite a singing voice, recorded That Old Gang of Mine with the Ted Weems Orchestra. That singer was the feature of the Weems band for many years before going solo as a radio, TV and stage star. We know him as The Incomparable Mr. C, Perry Como.

His string of hits for RCA Victor spans four decades. He was an NBC mainstay (radio & TV) for almost as long.  According to Billboard, Como's last Top10 hit was "It's Impossible" in 1970.



In 1948..."The Railroad Hour," starring Gordon MacRae in "The World's Greatest Musical Comedies," began a one-year run on ABC Radio. The series moved to NBC in 1949 and continued until June 1954. Guest co-stars included Doris Day, Risë Stevens, Lucille Norman, and Dorothy Kirsten. Marvin Miller was the announcer


In 1963...Billboard magazine reported that hot-rodding songs were the latest teen fad, replacing surfing songs. Capitol Records started supplying disc jockeys and record retailers with a book of hot-rod terms.


In 1980...The Hot 100..Queen reached the pinnacle for the second time in their career with "Another One Bites the Dust.  Air Supply was #2 in its 17th week with "All Out of Love" and the former #1 ("Upside Down") from Diana Ross was third.  George Benson and "Give Me the Night" was followed by country crossover Eddie Rabbitt and "Drivin' My Life Away".

The rest of the Top 10:  "Late in the Evening" from Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand had her 30th career hit with "Woman In Love", which rose from 12 to 7, "I'm Alright" by Kenny Loggins from the funny movie Caddyshack, Johnny Lee's "Lookin' For Love" at #9 and Olivia Newton-John and ELO joined forces for the #10 song--"Xanadu".


In 1986...CBS newsman Dan Rather was mugged in New York City as he was walking along Park Avenue in Manhattan to his apartment. He was attacked and punched from behind by a man who demanded to know, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?" while a second assailant also chased and beat him. As the assailant pummeled and kicked Rather, he kept repeating the question over and over again.

Ten years later, Rather's primary attacker was identified as William Tager, who shot and killed an NBC technician outside the "Today" show studios in 1994.

SiriusXM's The Bill Carter Interview Kicks Off With "The Jimmys"

Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Carter
SiriusXM has announced that Jimmy Kimmel will be the first guest on "The Bill Carter Interview" airing exclusively on SiriusXM. The show will debut on October 5th at 6:00pm ET on SiriusXM's Insight channel 121.

The one-hour weekly program will feature renowned media commentator Bill Carter sitting down for one hour interviews with major names in entertainment, current events, and beyond. Promising to offer insightful conversations with national newsmakers, the former New York Times reporter will launch his show with two of the biggest stars in late night: Jimmy Kimmel, followed by Jimmy Fallon in week two.

In the premiere, Kimmel shared that his wife Molly was actually the one to create his popular celebrities reading "Mean Tweets" segment; that his recent weight loss is the result of not eating two days per week; and that despite his love of David Letterman, he never thought he'd end up a talk show host. Highlights from his prerecorded interview are below, as well as audio clips.

Kimmel's wife Molly came up with the idea for "Mean Tweets":
"Mean Tweets was my wife's idea. We were sitting at the dining room table and our mutual friend Kelly Oxford, who is very popular on Twitter, was there and she was kind of going through her Twitter feed and reading some horrible things people were saying about her and to her. And I was like, 'That's nothing. Listen to this!' And I started going through mine, and Molly said 'Oh, this needs to be on the show. We have to have people read their own mean tweets out loud.' And that's really how it happened."



Why Kimmel doesn't eat for two days per week to stay in shape:
"It is true, I did it yesterday. Two days a week I eat nothing. That's my diet plan. Yesterday was one of those days, and this morning I had two breakfasts [laughter]….My parents do it. I watched a documentary on the BBC about fasting and how it extends your life and gives your brain cells a chance to heal, or something, some bullshit, but I read it and it seemed to be reasonable. And I tried it. Really, when you think about it, you're really just cutting 5,000 calories out of your diet every week and that's probably why it works."



Carter, who expertly covered the television beat at the New York Times for more than 25 years, is one of the most respected journalists in the media industry and was recently named a CNN contributor. He is also the author of four books, including The Late Shift, a cultural smash that centered on the Letterman-Leno "late night war" to succeed Johnny Carson as host of "The Tonight Show." The book was later adapted into an Emmy Award-nominated film by HBO, also written by Carter.

"The Bill Carter Interview" will air on SiriusXM Insight Ch. 121.

Lady Antebellum To Headline NASH Benefit Concert


Cumulus has announced that its popular NASH Country lifestyle brand will present “Hearts Unsung,” a benefit concert supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals nationwide and featuring Lady Antebellum, on November 9, at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.

Tickets for the Hearts Unsung benefit concert will be available beginning 11 a.m. ET on Monday, October 5, at www.nashvillesymphony.org. Additional guest performers will be announced soon.

The fundraising event will support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in its mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible through its network of 170 hospitals across the United States and Canada. Since it was founded in 1983, the organization has been raising money to support research and training, purchase equipment and pay for uncompensated medical care for children in need. One in 10 kids in North America is treated each year by its member hospitals.

“One of the coolest parts of the Country Music community is how Country Radio uses their platform to help and inspire people,” said Lady A’s Dave Haywood. “We also believe in Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ mission and the work they are doing, so we’re really looking forward to being a part of what I know will be a great night in our hometown!”

“Cumulus is proud to join forces with Lady Antebellum and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to bring music and funding to millions of children in need,” said Mike McVay, Cumulus Senior Vice President of Content and Programming.

The benefit concert will serve as the centerpiece for the next full-length feature film directed and produced by NASH TV Films: Hearts Unsung. The documentary, which is currently in production, features inspiring stories of courageous women who have overcome adversity paired with amazing live performances from some of the best acts in America, including exclusive content from the Nashville benefit show. Hearts Unsung will also be presented in select movie theaters throughout the U.S. beginning on January 21, 2016.

In addition, the benefit concert will be spotlighted on a two-night “NASH Nights Live” special broadcast airing on Friday, November 6th and during the Monday fundraiser. The broadcast will include updates from the concert, behind-the-songs stories from Country artists and personal testimonials about the cause.

Westwood One Sports Presents a NFL Quadrupleheader

Westwood One, the exclusive national radio partner of the NFL, will air four consecutive NFL games this Sunday, October 4, 2015.  This special day of back-to-back-to- back-to-back NFL broadcasts kicks off at 9:00 am ET with the NFL’s International Series game, between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets, live from Wembley Stadium in London, England. Westwood One is the only network partner that will deliver all four windows of NFL games to the fans.

Westwood One will broadcast the following four NFL games this Sunday (complete with play-by-play/analyst assignments):
  • 9:00 am ET    Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets @ Wembley Stadium, London with Kevin Lee and Brady Poppinga
  • 12:45 pm ET  New York Giants @ Buffalo Bills with John Sadak and Ross Tucker
  • 3:45 pm ET    Minnesota Vikings @ Denver Broncos with Dan Miller and Mark Malone
  • 7:30 pm ET    Dallas Cowboys @ New Orleans Saints with Kevin Kugler and James Lofton
Westwood One’s NFL broadcasts can be heard on nearly 500 radio stations nationwide, as well as on SiriusXM radio and through NFL Game Pass (NFL.com/gamepass), which is available on NFL.com and the NFL Mobile from Verizon app. For the complete schedule of games and announcer bios, visit www.westwoodonesports.com.

October 3 Radio History


In 1901...The first record company, The Victor Talking Machine Company, is incorporated, later merging with the Radio Corporation of America to become RCA-Victor.


The famous Victrola phonograph logo, with Nipper the dog, and the words “His Master’s Voice”, appeared on all RCA-Victor phonographs and record labels.


In 1946...singer Dennis Day  started his own radio show on NBC. Dennis, a popular tenor featured on The Jack Benny Show, played the same naive young bachelor he played on the Benny show. “A Day in the Life of Dennis Day” aired for five years.


In 1949...radio staion WERD, the first black-owned radio station, went on the air in Atlanta, Georgia.





In 1952...The long-running radio hit The Adventures Of Ozzie and Harriet , now featuring a 12-year-old Ricky Nelson, debuts on CBS-TV, where it will run for another 14 years, bringing the total life of the show to 22 years!


In 1960...a program called "Flair" premiered on radio featuring with Dick Van Dyke.


In 1985...CBS radio/TV newsman Charles Collingwood, one of Edward R. “Murrow’s Boys” for more than 40 years, died of cancer at age 68, three years after retiring.  For two years he hosted the celebrity interview program ‘Person to Person’ after Murrow left CBS in 1959. Collingwood was plagued for years with longtime alcohol & gambling addictions.



In 1987...The Hot 100"Didn't We Almost Have It All" by Whitney Houston was #1 with Whitesnake in the bridesmaid's position with "Here I Go Again".  Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam were back with the #3 song "Lost In Emotion", followed by "I Heard A Rumour" by Bananarama and Europe's "Carrie".

The rest of the Top 10:  Prince and Sheena Easton with "U (sic) Got the Look", Heart's 23rd career hit "Who Will You Run To", which cleared the Top 10 moving 13-8, "When Smokey Sings" from ABC, John Cougar Mellencamp and his 16th hit "Paper in FIre" and Smokey Robinson in person with "One Heartbeat".


In 2014...legendary programmer Kevin Metheny died suddenly. He was 60-years-old and apparently died from a heart attack. He was found unresponsive at his desk.

Metheny was Operations Manager of KGO 810 AM and KSFO 560 AM in San Francisco at the time of his death.

Friday, October 2, 2015

ESPN Radio’s Russillo & Kanell to Simulcast ESPNEWS

Russillo & Danny Kanell
Russillo & Kanell, co-hosted by Ryen Russillo and Danny Kanell and broadcast daily on ESPN Radio from 1 – 4 p.m. ET, will be simulcast in full on ESPNEWS beginning Monday, Oct. 5.

The show, which debuted August 31, airs Monday – Friday, and is also available nationally on ESPN Radio, espnradio.com, the ESPN app, SiriusXM, Apple iTunes, Slacker Radio and TuneIn, as well as on WatchESPN.

Russillo was named co-host of ESPN Radio’s Scott Van Pelt Show in May 2009. From June – August 2015, he hosted The Russillo Show with a group of alternating co-hosts, including Kanell.  Previously, Russillo hosted ESPN Radio’s College GameDay (noon-7 p.m. Saturdays throughout the football season). Russillo joined ESPN Radio in February 2006, and hosted NBA Sunday, The Baseball Show and the NFL Draft.

Kanell joined ESPN in 2010 as a college football game and studio analyst. In addition to Russillo & Kanell, he hosts a variety of college football studio programming Thursdays-Saturdays during the season.  Prior to joining ESPN, Kanell was an NFL and college football analyst for WQAM Miami and CBS4 Miami. After playing quarterback at Florida State for four years, Kanell was drafted by the New York Giants in 1996.  He also played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Denver Broncos until 2004.

And The 2015 Marconi Award Winners Are...


Winners of the 2015 National Association of Broadcasters' (NAB) Marconi Radio Awards were announced Thursday night at the NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner & Show held at the Radio Show in Atlanta.

The evening's host was Rickey Smiley and featured a performance by singer/TV entertainer Gavin DeGraw.



Established in 1989 and named after inventor and Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi, the NAB Marconi Radio Awards are given to radio stations and outstanding on-air personalities to recognize excellence in radio.

Hubbard Broadcasting had the most hardware winners with six, Cox Media Group boasts five winners.

This year's NAB Marconi Radio Award recipients are: (# Italics)

LEGENDARY STATION
KRMG-AM Tulsa, OK
#KYW-AM Philadelphia, PA
WBLS-FM New York, NY
WHIO-AM Dayton, OH
WTMX-FM Chicago, IL

NETWORK/SYNDICATED PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Elvis Duran, Premiere Networks
#Steve Harvey, Premiere Networks
Dan Patrick, Premiere Networks
Ryan Seacrest, Premiere Networks
Rickey Smiley, Radio One/REACH Media

MAJOR MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Carter Alan, WZLX-FM Boston, MA
#Eric & Kathy, WTMX-FM Chicago, IL
Felger & Massarotti, WBZ-FM Boston, MA
Hal Jay, WBAP-AM Dallas, TX
Jenn Ryan & Bill Tafrow, WBEB-FM Philadelphia, PA

LARGE MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Chuck Edwards & Linda Lee, WYCD-FM Detroit, MI
#Gene & Julie Gates, WRAL-FM Raleigh, NC
Jeff & Jenn Mornings, WKRQ-FM Cincinnati, OH
Moon & Staci, KSTP-FM St. Paul, MN
DJ Laz, WFLC-FM Miami, FL

MEDIUM MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Buzz Jackson, KIIM-FM Tucson, AZ
Steve McIntosh & Ted Woodward, KNSS-AM Wichita, KS
#Dan Potter, KRMG-AM Tulsa, OK
Bud Nameck, KXLY-AM Spokane, WA
The "Rise Guys," WTPT-FM Greenville, SC

SMALL MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Alex & Cora, WAXX-FM Altoona, WI
Bill Barrett, Tim Fox & Tracy Berry, KKNU-FM Eugene, OR
#Brian Byers, WSOY-AM Decatur, IL 
Scotty Cox & Cara Denis, KCLR-FM Columbia, MO
Brian Egan, Amanda Walton, Bryan Bradley & John Devincent WKWS-FM Charleston, WV

MAJOR MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR
KHKS-FM Dallas, TX
KIIS-FM Los Angeles, CA
KLTY-FM Dallas, TX
WQHT-FM New York, NY
#WTOP-FM Washington, DC

LARGE MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR
KINK-FM Portland, OR
KROX-FM Austin, TX
#KSTP-FM St. Paul, MN
WCTK-FM Providence, RI
WKRQ-FM Cincinnati, OH

MEDIUM MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR
#KRMG-FM Tulsa, OK
WDGL-FM Baton Rouge, LA
WHO-AM Des Moines, IA
WJBR-FM Wilmington, DE
WJMZ-FM Greenville, SC

SMALL MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR
KNDE-FM Bryan, TX
KWYO-AM Sheridan, WY
WAFL-FM, Milford, DE
WGIL-AM Galesburg, IL
#WLEN-FM Adrian, MI

AC STATION OF THE YEAR
KBIG-FM Los Angeles, CA
KIFM-FM San Diego, CA
KOIT-FM San Francisco, CA
#WDUV-FM Tampa, FL
WLYF-FM Miami, FL

CHR STATION OF THE YEAR
#KQMV-FM Seattle, WA
WBLI-FM New York, NY
WFLC-FM Miami, FL
WPUP-FM Athens, GA
WWPW-FM Atlanta, GA

CLASSIC HITS STATION OF THE YEAR
#KONO-FM San Antonio, TX
WJMK-FM Chicago, IL
WMMO-FM Orlando, FL
WMTR-AM Cedar Knolls, NJ
WXGL-FM Tampa, FL

COUNTRY STATION OF THE YEAR
KCLR-FM Columbia, MO
KKBQ-FM Houston, TX
WWKA-FM Orlando, FL
WLHK-FM Indianapolis, IN
#WUBE-FM Cincinnati, OH

NEWS/TALK STATION OF THE YEAR
KTMY-FM St Paul, MN
KFGO-AM Fargo, ND
WDEL-AM Wilmington, DE
WKXW-FM Trenton, NJ
#WSB-AM Atlanta, GA

RELIGIOUS STATION OF THE YEAR
KKLA-FM Los Angeles, CA
WMCA-AM New York, NY
WNNL-FM Raleigh, NC
#WPRS-FM Washington, DC
WPZS-FM Charlotte, NC

ROCK STATION OF THE YEAR
KSWD-FM Los Angeles, CA
WDHA-FM Cedar Knolls, NJ
#WDRV-FM Chicago, IL
WSUN-FM Tampa, FL
WXXJ-FM Jacksonville, FL

SPORTS STATION OF THE YEAR
KJR-AM Seattle, WA
KTCK-FM Dallas, TX
#WFAN-FM New York, NY
WIP-FM Philadelphia, PA
WSCR-AM Chicago, IL

URBAN STATION OF THE YEAR
#WBLS-FM New York, NY
WKYS-FM Washington, DC
WFXC-FM Raleigh, NC
WQOK-FM Raleigh, NC
WVKL-FM Virginia Beach, VA

NONCOMMERCIAL STATION OF THE YEAR
KPCW-FM Park City, UT
#WKAR-FM East Lansing, MI
WPSC-FM Wayne, NJ
WSDP-FM Plymouth/Canton, MI
WSOU-FM South Orange, NJ

NAB and RAB also announced the total number of registered attendees for the 2015 Radio Show, held this week in Atlanta. to be 2,170.

This compares to 2,079 attendees at the 2014 Radio Show in Indianapolis.

Event organizers also announced that the 2016 Radio Show, September 21-23, will be held at the Omni Nashville Hotel in Nashville, TN.

Radio Show: Packed Voltair Session

The makers of the Voltair watermark processor, 25-Seven Systems, steered clear of controversy at a packed session on the Radio Show floor Thursday afternoon, according to RadioWorld.



Speaking at “New Monitoring Capabilities for Measuring Watermark Quality,” Geoff Steadman, president of 25/Seven Systems, shared the latest developments in his processor with more than 100 engineers who jammed into the presentation.

Steadman didn’t take audience questions or discuss the ongoing Voltair/Nielsen dustup, instead sticking to an update on what’s new from his own side of the trenches. Last week, 25-Seven released version 2.0 of the Voltair firmware, with version 2.2 now in alpha test mode.

Steadman said the 2.2 version will include an analysis-only mode that will not affect Voltair’s audio output, but will allow stations to conduct ongoing analysis on how well Nielsen’s proprietary PPM encoders are succeeding at putting usable watermarks on a station’s audio. The new Voltair software will also include an enhanced ability to export encoding analysis data, a move Steadman says could enable larger groups to establish central monitoring facilities to ensure their encoding is working properly.



“We’re addressing two groups of listeners now with our audio,” Steadman noted, “humans and monitors” that are listening for PPM data. 25-Seven sister company Omnia is developing its own new presets for its .9 and .11 processors, Steadman said. They are designed to be “Voltair-aware” to provide the best possible audio environment in which encoding can function.

Nielsen Unveils Enhanced CBET PPM Encoding

Nielsen Audio executives Thursday unveiled plans for the rollout of enhanced CBET PPM encoding and results from early testing during an NAB session in Atlanta.

Nielsen has recently been conducting "non-currency" tests in Washington DC and Baltimore. Those are also the first two markets launching with the enhanced CBET encoding this month. Other PPM markets will get the enhanced coding and go live in November and December, while delivery of enhanced coding monitors will begin in 2016.

The Session Was Packed


It was noted that the enhanced CBET encoding "increases code detection rates and the detection per minute rate." The tests also showed that enhanced CBET encoding improves detection, especially in high-noise environments" and "credits 100% of quarter hours in challenging acoustic conditions."


A Nielsen engineer stated that parallel testing against the "legacy" PPM encoding shows the enhanced encoding has a "positive impact on audience estimates." Among the findings from the enhanced coding non-currency tests:
  • A 39% overall increase for station/demo/dayparts.
  • The ratings impact was higher M-F, 6a-7p and for P35+.
  • The AQHP was 15% higher.
  • Overall, the AQHP share was .8 higher; the rating was .1 higher.
Nielsen will conduct a webinar to show the results for Washington and Baltimore, at which time they will also announce the next steps for the enhanced encoding rollout. The session was held at a large booth in the NAB's exhibit hall before a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd. No questions were taken following the 31-minute presentation.

Radio Show: Jacobs Sez Radio Has A Car Dealer Conundrum

Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media hosted a session titled "Dashboard Disruption" Thursday at the NAB/RAB Radio Show.  Also there was fellow consultant Alan Burns and KSWD programming guru (and former Jacobs new car dealershipMedia consultant) Dave Beasing.

Fred Jacobs
The focus of the session was “How can local radio stay strong in the car?”

And, according to Jacobs that IS the dilemma.  "As we’ve learned from our first two DASH Conferences, the car dealership may be more important than those corner office suites in Dearborn, Auburn Hills, and downtown Detroit."

Jacobs stated, "To a great degree, dealerships in every city or town of size in North America are where media buying decisions are being made, and where consumers are hopefully learning how to tune in their favorite AM/FM radio stations on their often complicated new vehicle dashboards."

His presentation included several video interviews conducted among dealership presidents and owners, car salespeople, and trainers, as well as the head of a state dealership group.

Hurricane Unlikely To Be Major US Threat


(Reuters) -- Slow-moving Hurricane Joaquin pounded the Bahamas for a second day with powerful winds and waves on Friday, but, much to the relief of radio stations,  it was not expected to be a major threat to the U.S. East Coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

A westerly shift in the forecast track of Joaquin spared the Carolinas, New York and New Jersey, where Sandy killed more than 120 people and caused some $70 billion of property damage in October 2012.

"A strong majority of forecast models is now in agreement on a track farther away from the United States East Coast," the NHC said.



Despite the more favorable outlook, the NHC said Joaquin could still cause flooding from South Carolina to New England.

The Miami-based NHC said the hurricane, a potentially catastrophic Category 4 storm on a scale of 1 to 5, was poised to make a sharp northerly turn on Friday.

The third hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season, Joaquin was about 20 miles (32 km) east of Long Island, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour (210 kph), the NHC said.

The governors of New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maryland all declared states of emergency and announced various measures, including the mobilization of National Guard troops, in preparation for the storm.

"I cannot stress enough that we are talking about the real possibility of deadly flooding in many areas around our state,” North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory told a news conference on Thursday.

Nielsen, Westwood One Renew

Nielsen and Westwood One announced today that Westwood One has signed a multi-year extension to use Nielsen BDSradio measurement exclusively across its Cumulus stations and Westwood One 24/7 syndicated programming.

Nielsen BDSradio is the world's leading measurement tool for streaming, airplay, and sales data for the record and radio industries and powers the official Billboard charts. The tool produces strategic programming research, including comprehensive music reports, competitive head-to-head analyses and custom reports that enable broadcasters, rights owners, and streaming services to optimize programming, measure consumption, and maximize audiences.

Charles Steinhauer, Westwood One’s COO, said “The power of our platform, our recent investments in sales and marketing, and the strong continuity of our partnerships has allowed us to represent the best in class services in the industry. We are proud to extend our relationship with Nielsen and look forward to the future together.”

“We are delighted to extend our successful relationship with Westwood One” added Erin Crawford, GM of Music, Nielsen. “As a leading provider of audio entertainment content, Westwood One is an ideal collaborator for us as we continue to develop new innovative tools for a dynamic music industry. It is a testament to our commitment to quality services and insights and we couldn’t be prouder.”

Nielsen BDSradio processes over 7 billion streams each week, and over 550k music detections every day from more than 1,900 radio stations, networks and video channels in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. Nielsen’s measurement of music consumption, including radio monitoring, sales and streaming activity, as well as consumer research, is the currency for the entertainment industry. Nielsen is the exclusive provider of airplay, sales, and on-demand streaming activity to Billboard’s charts and is the global standard for music measurement.

Survey: Fox News "Most Trusted" National Source

Nearly a quarter of U.S. voters say Fox News is the television news or commentary source they trust the most, putting the network ahead of its cable news and network rivals on that front.

Twenty-three percent of voters named Fox News as the TV news or commentary source they trust the most, according to a Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll released this week.

CNN was second at 15 percent, followed by NBC at 10 percent and CBS at 9 percent.

ABC was at 6 percent, followed by MSNBC at 5 percent, Comedy Central at 4 percent, and C-SPAN at 3 percent. About a quarter were undecided.

The survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted Sept. 24-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

TV news viewers consider local news the most consistently trusted source of news and see Fox as the most trusted source among national TV outlets, according to a survey released Monday by Quinnipiac University.

In the survey, 19% of respondents said they trusted local TV "a great deal," while 52% responded "somewhat."

"Fox News may be the most trusted in the network and cable news race, but they all take a back seat to your local news," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

Underscoring cable news' more overtly political slant, 26% of respondents also said they didn't trust Fox News "at all" as a news source, the highest among the national TV news outlets mentioned in the survey. MSNBC came in second at 24%.

Not surprisingly, Fox News is preferred by Republican respondents. Fifty-eight percent of GOP voters said they trust Fox the most, while 13% prefer CNN.

Democrats prefer CNN (32%) over Fox News (3%) and NBC (15%).

Americans' trust in TV news is eroding, the survey showed. Nearly half – 48% - said network TV news is "less trustworthy than in the days of Walter Cronkite" while 35% said it is about as trustworthy.

Orlando Radio: Sports WYGM Adds FM Simulcast

iHeartMedia/Orlando has added another FM signal for its sports station WYGM The Game at 96.9 FM W246BO.

The New FM 96.9 The Game is also available at 740 AM as well WJRR 101.1 FM HD2 as well as at iHeartRadio.com.

QWGYM is home for University of Central Florida athletics, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Orlando Solar Bears.

The 96.9 The Game lineup includes "The Open Mike Show" with Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi from 6 to 9 a.m.; "The Beat of Sports" with Marc Daniels, voice of the UCF Knights, from 9 a.m. to noon; "The Sports Rx" with the Shot Doctor and Brandon Kravitz from 3 to 5:30 p.m.; and "Magic Drive Time" with Dante Marchitelli from 5:30 to 6 p.m.

"This is an exciting day for our team and Orlando sports radio listeners," Linda Byrd, president of the iHeartRadio Orlando market, said in a statement.

Fans can celebrate at the official launch party from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Duffy's Sports Grill -- Millenia, where "The Sports Rx" and "Magic Drive Time" will broadcast live.

W246BO 96.9 DM (250 watts) Red=Local Coverage Area
The New FM 96.9 The Game, a Fox Sports Radio affiliate, will continue with the rest of weeknight and weekend hosts.

Milwaukee Radio: NBA Bucks, WTMJ Extend Broadcast Deal

The Milwaukee Bucks and WTMJ 620 AM Radio announced that they have extended their partnership for several years, keeping WTMJ as the radio home for Bucks basketball and as the flagship station of the Bucks Radio Network.

“We’re excited to continue our long-term relationship with WTMJ and that they’ll remain a part of our team’s bright future,” Bucks President Peter Feigin said.

“We’ve strengthened this partnership so our fans can enjoy even better world-class coverage and programming from the Bucks’ flagship radio station.”

WTMJ will serve as the radio home for Bucks basketball throughout the 2015-16 regular season and will broadcast all six of the Bucks’ preseason contests, beginning with the matchup against the Bulls next Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The broadcasts will be led by experienced play-by-play broadcaster Ted Davis, who returns for his 19th season as the “Voice of the Bucks.” He will again be joined by color analyst Dennis Krause at home games throughout the season.

SNL Kagan: Q3 Broadcast Deal Volume Picks Up

SNL Kagan announced Thursday that broadcast station M&A volume reached $3.04 billion in the third quarter of 2015. Radio reached $422.1 million while TV registered deals worth $2.61 billion.

The total is more than twice the combined amount registered in the previous three quarters. Year-to-date, at the end of September, radio registered a total of $663.4 million while TV deal announcements amounted to $2.75 billion.

Between Q1 2013 and Q3 2014 we registered seven consecutive quarters with deal volumes above $1 billion, mainly driven by large TV consolidation deals. Starting in Q4 2014, deal activity slowed dramatically. Between October 2014 and August 2015, we did not register a single deal above $100 million. In the past quarter, five such transactions were announced.

Due to a number of high-ranking TV deals, the TV broadcast cash flow multiple on two-year average forward cash flow rose from 8.0x at the end of Q2 to 8.3x at the end of Q3. The radio multiple remained unchanged at 6.7x.


The quarter's top deal announcement by far was the possible next giant leap in TV consolidation, Media General Inc.'s $3.10 billion acquisition of Meredith Corp. At a 9.1x multiple of seller's 2016/2017 broadcast cash flow, we value the 17 TV stations in 13 markets at $1.81 billion, which would make the deal the TV sector's largest since Media General's purchase of LIN Media LLC in March 2014.

However, this transaction might not take place, if Media General's shareholders agree to a bid by Nexstar Broadcasting, announced on September 28, to buy all of Media General for $4.1 billion. Nexstar's offer is not included in our total deal volume numbers.

While the Media General/Meredith deal would affect mainly top- and mid-sized markets, another large TV station buyer, Gray Television Inc., extended its small-market foothold in Q3, paying $100.0 million for Gazette Company's only TV station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and $442.5 million for Schurz Communications Inc. At 8.5x forward broadcast cash flow, SNL Kagan allocated a deal value of $420.5 million to Schurz's 15 TV stations and two local marketing agreements in seven markets.

Also expanding by means of a deal valued at more than $100 million was Raycom Media Inc., which paid $160.0 million for Drewry Communications Group's seven TV stations (including one local marketing agreement).

Gray's purchase of Schurz and Raycom's acquisition of Drewry were both primarily TV deals, but the transactions also came with a number of radio stations, transforming Gray and Raycom into combined TV and radio station owners.


Q3's top M&A news from the radio station sector was the merger of Alpha Media LLC and Digity LLC. Alpha Media paid $264 million for Digity's 116 stations, which SNL Kagan estimates translates to year-forward seller's cash flow multiples of 6.8x for the FM and 6.3x for the AM stations.

The radio station sector's largest Q3 deal aside from the Alpha-Digity megamerger was a station swap between Bonneville International Corp. and Entercom Communications Corp. SNL Kagan estimates deal values of $25.0 million for Bonneville's KEPN-AM and $20 million for the four Entercom stations.

The only other radio deals in a similar range of about $20 million were the radio part of the Gray/Schurz deal, to which SNL Kagan allocated $22.0 million and Educational Media Foundation's $21.7 million acquisition of four Florida stations from non-commercial American Public Media Group.

Late Night Hosts Reach For Digital Domination


By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Daniel Radcliffe raps the alphabet. Mariah Carey sings karaoke to her own hits. Celebrities read out nasty tweets about themselves. In the race to go viral online, U.S. television late night hosts are bringing out the big guns.

Wedged between YouTube celebrities, Vine stars and an Internet full of cat videos, the hosts of late night talk shows are putting a larger focus on becoming online sensations, creating meme-friendly content to draw an audience well beyond their tiny midnight viewership.

As entertainers compete for eyeballs in the cut-throat world of television ratings, having a strong social media presence can help lure advertisers not just to broadcast TV, but a broader range of online platforms.

"It's the holy grail, to be able to sell cross platform advertising," said Seth Shapiro, digital media consultant and a governor at the Television Academy, bestowers of the Emmy awards.

NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" currently leads the social media race over eight late night rivals - NBC's "Late Night With Seth Meyers," ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," TBS' "Conan," CBS' "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" and "The Late Late Show with James Corden," and Comedy Central's "@midnight," "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" and "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore."

Fallon, whose "Tonight Show" team just won an Interactive Emmy award for social media engagement, boasts 6.7 million Facebook fans, 8.3 million YouTube subscribers and nearly 30 million Twitter followers.

Those numbers dwarf Fallon's regular TV audience, where he is also ratings leader with about 3.5 million nightly viewers.

In the month of September, 30 million people on Facebook engaged in content and discussion around the nine late night hosts, with Fallon drawing 58 percent of that chatter, Facebook said.

On Twitter, Fallon garnered 963,000 mentions over a 30-day period, outpacing second placed Kimmel's 242,000 mentions.



SMALL TUBE TO YOUTUBE

British entertainer Corden, 37, was little known in the U.S. before taking over "The Late Late Show" in March. It's his digital content that broadens his reach beyond his relatively small TV viewership of about 1.3 million, and also to international audiences, said executive producer Ben Winston.
"It doesn't matter what your time slot is or what your lead-in is, the good content will survive," Winston told Reuters.

Corden's most popular online clips are his "Carpool Karaoke" sketches, where he and guests such as Carey sing along to their hit songs while he drives to work. Justin Bieber's appearance in May drew 35 million YouTube views.

Fallon and his "Tonight Show" team have "charted out a best practice for doing late night on social media," said Shapiro.

The comedian's penchant for parodies and musical numbers are viral bait - "Harry Potter" star Radcliffe rapping Blackalicious' "Alphabet Aerobics" has 48 million YouTube views. Other popular segments include "Lip Sync Battles."

Kimmel has numerous online favorites including his faux feud with actor Matt Damon and his popular "Mean Tweets," where celebrities read rude posts about themselves, drawing upwards of 50 million views.

Chris Hardwick's "@Midnight" dominates Twitter trends well into the next day with #HashtagWars, as audiences tweet their answers to missives such as #MakeTVShowsPunk or #SuperheroLyrics.

As a newcomer, 31-year-old South African comedian Noah has a new digital team for "The Daily Show" to distribute content across numerous platforms. It's especially important for Noah, who garnered 29,000 tweets during his Monday debut, to connect with audiences on social media, executive producer Jen Flanz said.

"He is young and he is engaged in that world. He is used to being a standup comedian and most of them have very open conversations with their fans almost all the time," she said.
Social media also allows writers of late night comedy to find new outlets for material often left out of the main show.

"On the old show (with Jon Stewart), we would have so much material that we would just throw it away," said Flanz. "Now we have an endless amount of time and space and so we will use it."

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and Christian Plumb)

Judge Rules Against Media In Hogan Case

A Pinellas, Florida County circuit judge ruled Thursday that several pieces of evidence related to the Hulk Hogan sex tape case will remain confidential despite a request from media outlets that they be made public.

Of the 17 items at issue in the hearing, Judge Pamela Campbell determined that 15 will remain sealed, one will be unsealed and one pushed to a later discussion.

The rulings add to a long list of proceedings related to a lawsuit that Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, filed against Gawker claiming that the media company violated his privacy by publishing an excerpt from a sex tape. The video involves Bollea and Heather Cole, the ex-wife of Tampa radio persoonality Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Bollea is seeking $100 million in damages.

The Tampa Bay Times reports the document that Campbell unsealed contained orders from court documents as well as two letters touching on the sex tape, said Stephen Thompson, spokesman for the court.

The judge also allowed Hulk Hogan access to Gawker’s computer system — giving the former WWE wrestler his most important victory in years.

The NY Post reports Hogan believes there’s evidence on Gawker hard drives that will prove the embattled gossip website leaked a tape of a racist rant by the former WWE star to the National Enquirer.

Gawker allegedly leaked the tape in July in hopes it would hurt the $100 million invasion of privacy suit the celebrity filed against the Web site.

Toronto Radio: Jian Ghomeshi Pleads Not Guilty

Jian Ghomeshi
(Reuters) -- Disgraced Canadian radio host Jian Ghomeshi pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and choking on Thursday in a pretrial hearing that sets the stage for a high-profile trial over what Ghomeshi has said was consensual rough sex with a series of women.

Ghomeshi, 48, the former host of Q, an internationally syndicated CBC Radio music and arts program, was fired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp in October 2014. The CBC said it had seen graphic evidence that he had injured a woman in what Ghomeshi later said on Facebook were consensual sex acts involving bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism.

Toronto police charged the well-known former musician in November after several women came forward with complaints of sexual assault that had allegedly occurred over several years.

On Thursday, Ghomeshi appeared in person, accompanied by his lawyers, to plead not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking.

Ghomeshi's trial is scheduled to begin in February, and will be by judge only. He faces a separate trial for another count of sexual assault.

After the Ghomeshi scandal broke, an independent investigation slammed the national public broadcaster for ignoring Ghomeshi's abusive behavior in the workplace because he boosted ratings.

The report in April by law firm Rubin Thomlinson, commissioned by the CBC, said Ghomeshi made inappropriate comments to colleagues, gave unwanted back and shoulder massages, played cruel jokes, and yelled at and shunned colleagues who displeased him, in addition to other offensive behavior.

NJ Radio: Reporter Sues NJ101.5 Over Age, Race

Rosetta Key
A veteran award-winning radio reporter is suing the company that owns WKXW New Jersey 101.5 FM claiming she was pushed aside for a younger white woman.

Rosetta A. Key, who began working in 2004 for the network of New Jersey radio stations that were then known as the Millennium Radio Group, says she was fired in March after at least three other employees who were over 50 also had been terminated.

According to mycentraljersey.com, Key’s career included seven years as a reporter and anchor for Star 99.1 in the Zarephath section of Franklin. She then worked for WOBM-FM 92.7,  WOBM-AM 1160 and 1310, 94.3 The Point, SOJO 1049 and the group's flagship 101.5 FM, which is known for its monthly "Ask the Governor with Chris Christie" show.

Key said her salary had been frozen at $35,000 since 2007 “despite her stellar performance and industry awards.” Her replacement, a younger white woman, was hired as a part-timer in 2013 and quickly rose through the ranks, getting various on-air duties and a salary that surpassed Key’s and the anchor whom she had replaced.

Key makes the allegations in a federal age-and-racial discrimination lawsuit against Townsquare Media Group, which took over Millennium in 2009 and owns 310 radio stations across the country.

In a response filed in federal court, lawyers for Townsquare deny the allegations.

The lawsuit says the stations are driven by programming “to a core demographic of whites (primarily female) in the age range of 25-45.”

In July, the company posted a job ad "looking for the next generation of journalists," Key's lawsuit points out.

October 2 Radio History



Groucho Marx
In 1890...“The one, the only, Groucho” (Marx) was born in New York City. In fact his birth name was Julius Marx. He topped the Marx Brothers` vaudeville & film career as host of the radio & TV quiz show You Bet Your Life.

He died from pneumonia Aug 19, 1977 at age 86.


In 1896...the ultimate straight man (to partner Lou Costello)  (William Alexander) Bud Abbott was born in Asbury Park New Jersey.  Movies, radio & TV all garnered laughter from Abbott & Costello.

Bud outlived his partner by 15 years, succumbing to cancer Apr 24, 1974 at age 77.


In 1900...talented radio actor  Barton Yarborough was born in Goldthwaite Texas. He is famous for his roles in the Carlton B. Morse productions I Love a Mystery, where he played Doc Long, and One Man’s Family, where he spent nineteen years portraying Clifford Barbour. He also spent three years as Ben Romero on Jack Webb‘s Dragnet.

He started work on the Dragnet TV series in 1951, but the day after he filmed the second episode, he suffered a heart attack and died four days later Dec. 19, 1951 at age 51.


In 1928...The first professional recordings in Nashville took place as DeFord Bailey lays down eight tracks in Victor Records (later RCA) Studios.

DeFord Bailey
Bailey was an American country music and blues star from the 1920s until 1941. Bailey was both the first performer to be introduced as playing on the Grand Ole Opry and also the first African-American performer on the show. He played several instruments but is best known for his harmonica tunes.

Bailey also had several records issued in 1927-1928, all of them harmonica solos. In 1927 he recorded for Brunswick records in New York City, while in 1928 he recorded eight sides for Victor in Nashville, of which three were issued on several labels, including Victor, Bluebird and RCA. Emblematic of the ambiguity of Bailey's position as a recording artist is the fact his arguably greatest recording, John Henry, was released separately in both RCA's 'race' and 'hillbilly' series.



He was a pioneer member of the WSM Grand Ole Opry, and one of its most popular performers, appearing on the program from 1927 to 1941. During this period he toured with many major country stars, including Uncle Dave Macon, Bill Monroe, and Roy Acuff.  Like other black stars of his day traveling in the South and West, he faced many difficulties in finding food and accommodation because of the discriminatory Jim Crow laws.

Bailey was fired by WSM in 1941 because of a licensing conflict with BMI-ASCAP, which prevented him from playing his best known tunes on the radio. This effectively ended his performance career, and he spent the rest of his life shining shoes and renting out rooms in his home to make a living. Though he continued to play the harp, he almost never performed publicly. One of his rare appearances occurred in 1974, when he agreed to make one more appearance on the Opry. This became the occasion for the Opry's first annual Old Timers' Show.

He died on July 2, 1982 in Nashville and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery there.


In 1930...“The Lutheran Hour” began its weekly broadcasts which continue on today, on some 800 radio stations worldwide.  It is the longest running Christian broadcast in the world.


In 1933...“Red Adams” was heard for the first time on NBC radio. Later, the program was retitled, “Red Davis” (starring Burgess Meredith), “Forever Young,” and, finally, in 1936, “Pepper Young’s Family” (starring Mason Adams).

(Mason would later find TV fame as Lou Grant’s boss, and the voice of Smucker’s Jams.) Pepper Young’s Family kept daytime radio listeners tuning in for another 23 years.



Pepper Young's Family was one of radio's more popular daytime drama series, with various format and title changes during its long run from 1932 to 1959. It was created and written by short story author and playwright Elaine Sterne Carrington. With Burgess Meredith in the title role, the program began as Red Adams, about high school athlete Red Adams, his family and friends. The 30-minute series was broadcast on the Blue Network, airing on Sunday nights at 10:30pm. When Beech-Nut Gum signed as a sponsor, they wanted no mention of their competition, Adams gum, so the title changed to Red Davis, a 15-minute series heard three times a week from 1933 to 1935. The series was again retitled, and the 15-minute Forever Young was heard on NBC weekdays at 3pm from January 13 to June 26, 1936. Three days later, on June 29, it became Pepper Young's Family, continuing on NBC for the next 23 years with Procter & Gamble's Camay as the sponsor.




In 1939...the most celebrated portrayal of Sherlock Holmes came to the US airwaves, as Basil Rathbone debuted in the title role on The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on the NBC Blue network. As in the movies, Nigel Bruce played the bumbling Dr. Watson.


Elvis at Grand Ole Opry
In 1954...Elvis Presley bombs at the Grand Ole Opry, which does not approve of his take on traditional country music. The Opry's talent director, Jim Denny, famously tells Presley he should go back to driving a truck. Elvis swears never to return.



In 1962...Johnny Carson made his debut as host of the The Tonight Show. Johnny went on to host The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson for 30 years and became one of the biggest stars of the 20th century




In 1965...The Hot 100...It was up against tough competition but the McCoy's reached #1 with "Hang On Sloopy".  Barry McGuire slid to 2 with "Eve of Destruction" and the Beatles made an incredible move from 45 to 3 with "Yesterday".  Any doubt what would be the #1 song the following week?  The Dave Clark Five were stuck at 4 with "Catch Us If You Can" and the former #1 "You Were On My Mind" from We Five was still at #5.

The rest of the Top 10:  The great instrumental "The 'In' Crowd" from the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Roy Head was up from 12-7 with "Treat Her Right", the Fortunes cracked the Top 10 with "You've Got Your Troubles", followed by two songs from Sonny & Cher--"Baby Don't Go" and "Laugh At Me" finished the list.


In 1971...The Album Chart..Rod Stewart was making an impact as a solo star as Every Picture Tells A Story reached #1 on the Album chart.  Carole King of Stanley, Idaho was three weeks short of setting the record for weeks at #1 (18) with her masterpiece Tapestry.  The Moody Blues were a solid #3 with Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Isaac Hayes was up to 4 with Shaft and Paul & Linda McCartney were at position #5 with Ram.

The rest of the Top 10:  Who's Next from the Who, the Carpenters' self-titled release, Master of Reality by Black Sabbath, The Partridge Family Sound Magazine and John Lennon moved from 134 to 10 with his first solo album Imagine.

In 1976...The Hot 100...Newcomer Wild Cherry remained at #1 with "Play That Funky Music", leader of a great Top 10.  A new duo on the scene, England Dan & John Ford Coley, would have to settle for having one of The Top #2's of the Rock Era* with "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight".  Walter Murphy had one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era with "A Fifth of Beethoven".  For laughs, we had Rick Dees with "Disco Duck" and Boz Scaggs' great song "Lowdown" remained #5.

The rest of the Top 10:  Cliff Richard's biggest hit "Devil Woman", War with "Summer", Chicago had their 22nd career hit and 11th Top 10 with "If You Leave Me Now", K.C. and the Sunshine Band's former #1 "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" and Orleans moved up to #10 with "Still the One".

In 1976...The Album Chart...Former Humble Pie member Peter Frampton was enjoying great success with the double-live album Frampton Comes Alive!--it was #1 for a ninth week.  It had to be a special album to hold off Silk Degrees from Boz Scaggs.  Hasten Down the Wind was right behind by Linda Ronstadt.

The rest of the Top 10:  Wild Cherry with their debut, the Greatest Hits album from War, Spirit by John Denver at #7, Jefferson Starship's Spitfire, Steve Miller moved into the Top 10 with Fly Like An Eagle and Chicago's ninth consecutive Top 5 album (Chicago X) was now at #10.


In 1995...FCC eliminates licensed operator requirements.


In 1998...career New York radio actor Lon Clark, who starred for 12 years as Mutual radio’s Nick Carter, Master Detective, died at age 87.



In 1998…Singer/actor/MLB team owner/radio station group owner (Golden West)/Country Music Hall of Famer Gene Autry, "The Singing Cowboy," died of lymphoma at the age of 91.




In 2003...It was announced that talk show host Rush Limbaugh was being investigated for allegedly buying thousands of addictive painkillers from a black-market drug ring.


In 2014...CBS Radio, Beasley Media agreed to swap stations.  Beasley announced today that it entered into an asset exchange agreement with CBS Radio, whereby Beasley will exchange five stations in Philadelphia and Miami for fourteen CBS Radio stations in Tampa-St. Petersburg, Charlotte and Philadelphia.

Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, there is no cash consideration or other contingent consideration to be paid by either party beyond the asset exchange.