Cumulus Launches More NASH and NASH Icon Stations

Cumulus announces that three of its existing Country-formatted stations will rebrand today as NASH stations and three additional stations will launch today as NASH Icon stations.

These changes bring the number of NASH branded stations to 40 and the number of NASH Icon stations to 20, including the highly successful NASH Icon station WSM-FM, which debuted as the number one Country station in Nashville in September 2014 Nielsen ratings.

The new NASH stations are:

• KTOP-FM, Topeka, KS
• KATC-FM, Colorado Springs, CO
• KBUL-FM, Reno, NV.

In addition, America’s Morning Show will debut on KTOP-FM on Monday, November 3.

The new NASH Icon stations are:

• WORC-FM, Worcester, MA (was Classic Hits)
• WOGT-FM, Chattanooga, TN (was Classic Hits)
• WVLK-FM, Lexington, KY, (ends simulcast with N/T WVLK-AM)

In a hat tip to Country megastar Garth Brooks’ arrival in Lexington today for the first of two concerts, WVLK-FM launched this morning as GARTH 101.5 at 6:00a and became NASH Icon at 5:00p. 

The new NASH Icon station also broadcast outside Lexington’s Rupp Arena at Brooks’ first Lexington concert.

John Dickey, Executive Vice President, Content and Programming for Cumulus said: “NASH continues to take the country world by storm. NASH captures the essence of what it is to be country and NASH Icon is the most exciting new format in radio. Our new NASH and NASH Icon stations are thrilled to be formally associated with these brands.”

NASH and NASH Icon are based at the NASH Campus in Nashville, the nation's only multi-media facility devoted solely to producing and distributing content based on the Country music lifestyle. Featuring three studios designed for a combination of TV and radio programming, indoor and outdoor event space, a print newsroom and extensive office space, leading Country stars such as Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum and Sheryl Crow are among the early visitors.

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Nielsen: Sports Headlines October Format Performances

In looking at U.S. radio listening trends in October, it’s clear that Americans were, indeed, ready for some football—and some baseball in select pennant-chasing markets. Sports radio, already on the uptick last month, shot upward in October, setting several records along the way.

Nielsen reports the October listening trends for several major formats were consistent with those in September. News/Talk posted another solid month of gains, while both Country and Classic Hits continued to cool from their summertime highs.

But Sports was the headline story, as it gained nearly a full share point, increasing from a 4.5 to 5.4-share (5.4% of the listening audience) among all listeners aged 6+ and from a 5.1 to a 6.0-share among audiences 25 to 54.

News/Talk also saw a rise in audience share for the second straight month, keeping with a similar annual cycle of increased ratings during the fall. The audience share for News/Talk grew to 9.1%, the first time News/Talk has been above a 9-share since March. October also marked the format’s second-best book of the year, falling just behind January (9.3%), a month that brought a heavy doses of winter weather across many parts of the country.

Below are some additional highlights from Nielsen’s October PPM data:

• October was a good month for several of the most-popular Spanish-language formats in PPM markets. Mexican Regional, the No. 1 format among Hispanic radio listeners nationwide, saw growth with listeners aged 6+ (going 3.6%-3.7%), 18-34 (increasing from 4.9% to 5.2%) and 25-54 (growing from 4.4% to 4.6%). Elsewhere, Spanish Contemporary had its best month of the year with listeners 25-54, hitting a 2.6-share in October.
• The Country downtrend has now extended into a third consecutive month. Listening trends in August and September marked the first time in recent memory that Country’s growth slowed significantly after growing on a sustained basis for several years. October marks the third consecutive month of declining shares. Among listeners 6+, the trend has tracked 8.4%-8.3%-8.2%; among audiences 18-34, 10.1%-9.8%-9.5%; and for 25-54 year-olds, 8.2%-8.2%-8.0%.
• Listening trends in October suggest that the highs that Classic Hits experienced over the summer was likely tied to seasonality more than anything else. Overall, listening for the format dipped below a 5-share for the first time since January, posting a 4.9-share in October. And, more tellingly, among listeners 18-34, Classic Hits has trended 3.8%-3.7%-3.3% over the past three months, falling back to pre-summertime levels.

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Younger Demos Continue To Drive Country Format

Country’s cross-over appeal isn’t exactly new—country twang has found its way to the pop charts many times over the past 50 years. These days, however, Nielsen reports hybrid country-pop music reflects a new generation of fans influenced by other genres topping today’s charts, including rap and hip-hop, among others.

Similar to today's pop music fan base—which tends to include women and young adults under 44 years old—many current country listeners are young.  The modern country music audience, which includes fans of artists such as Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift, skews toward women under 49 years old.

Meanwhile, Millennial males listen more to traditional country music, from artists like Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band, than the general population. On the radio, Country's loyal listeners also skew young. It's the top national format among Millennials (aged 18-34) and Generation X’ers (aged 35-49). And audience share has grown 17% with teens (12-17 year-olds) over the last two years.

Still, country music has mass appeal. Among Boomers (aged 50-64), it’s the second most popular national format after News/Talk radio. As a result, the cross-over appeal of country and pop music extends the music beyond the typical audience.

With an increasingly young audience, country music's popularity is growing. Country is the No. 1 format radio genre in the U.S., and its audience has increased by 17% since 2006. With a 15.2% share of all listening as of Spring 2014, that means 69.7 million listeners tune to country radio in the U.S. each week.

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Nielsen Releases October PPMs For Remaining 12 Markets

Nielsen has released the final batch of October PPMs for subscribing stations:  Markets released Thursday are:

35 Austin 

38 Milwaukee-Racine 

40 Indianapaolis 

42 Raleigh-Durham NC 

43 Norfolk-Viriginia Beach-Newport News 

44 Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket 

45 Nashville 

46 Greensboro-Winter-Salem-High Point 

48 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton 

50 Jacksonville FL 

51 Memphis 

52 Harford-New Britain-Middletown CT

To See Topline results for Nielsen subscribing stations: Click Here 

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Happy Halloween From America's Morning Show

Chuck Wicks, Blair Garner, Terri Clark, Rick Prince

America’s Morning Show had professional TV/Film makeup artist and SyFy Channel's Rick Prince on the show this morning for Halloween.  

Rick was on the 5th season of SyFy’s reality special-effects makeup competition “Face Off.” Check out Rick's Halloween handiwork on Blair Garner, Terri Clark and Chuck Wicks of America's Morning Show, taken at the NASH Campus in Nashville this morning.

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Chicago Radio: Steve Dahl Returns To WLS-AM Monday

Chicago radio's original bad boy is returning to the airwaves.

Steve Dahl left radio several years ago and has been openly critical of the medium while he does a subscription podcast.

As announced earlier this month (see posting), the 60-year-old Dahl has agreed to become the afternoon personality on WLS 890AM 890. The deal includes support for his daily podcasts. Dahl told The Chicago Tribune, "They will help sell product placement ads in the podcasts and provide technological support and resources. They will also help me advertise for subscribers across multiple platforms."

Dahl will replace Roe Conn and Richard Roeper starting Monday Nov. 3.

The @SteveDahlShow returns to #WLS890 Monday, Nov 3rd, afternoons 2-6pm! What's he been up to the past 6 years? http://t.co/2n4LUdnCYU
— WLSAM890 (@wlsam890) October 30, 2014

When Steve Dahl last signed off terrestrial radio in 2008, The Chicago Tribune reports he seemingly burned his bridges to Chicago radio, opting instead to launch his own subscription podcast network.

Steve Dahl

His exit ended three decades of supervision by corporate overlords, Federal Communications Commission indecency fines and the daily battle for ratings. For six years, Dahl seemed content to talk unfettered to his most loyal fans from the comfort of his west suburban basement, building the Steve Dahl Network in relative media obscurity.

After decades on air, he started the Steve Dahl Network in August 2011 from his home in the Western suburbs of Chicago. The Network offers 11 unique weekly shows via a subscription-based podcast. Called the "Founder of Modern FM Talk Radio", Steve's career has influenced countless other comedians and broadcasters.

Dahl took to Chicago airwaves in 1978, hitting his stride at the Loop WLUP 97.9 FM while teaming with Garry Meier for a long and successful run. During that time, Dahl was at the center of the infamous 1979 Disco Demolition Night at old Comiskey Park, where an on-field riot forced the White Sox to forfeit a game.

The pair hosted a popular show from 1980 to 1985 on WLS-AM, where Dahl again shook up the Chicago radio order, culminating in a near on-air fistfight with legendary "Superjock" Larry Lujack. In December 1985, tired of being taunted by the pair, Lujack entered the studio and confronted Dahl and Meier. They left the studio and Lujack finished their show.

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Chicago Radio: Jack Diamond "Dream Comes True"

Jan Jeffries, Jack Diamond

Cumulus has officially announced that Jack Diamond joins WLS 94.7 FM as host of its morning show, debuting on Monday, November 3, from 5:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m.

See Original Posting: Click Here

Jack’s radio career includes positions at WRQX/Washington, where he hosted the morning show for 24 years; KSON/San Diego; WQXI/94Q Atlanta;  KNBR/San Francisco; WRKO/Boston; WPRO/Providence and KIMN/Denver, among others.

Jan Jeffries, Cumulus Senior Vice President and Program Director of WLS said: “Jack’s  positivity, fun and endearing qualities match perfectly with our current morning lineup, including air talent/meteorologist Brant Miller, Marty Jones with information and traffic updates and producer Dan Wolfe. This will be the third radio tour for Jack and me working together, previously in Atlanta and Washington, DC. What seemed like a fun idea to have him sit-in WLS-FM mornings for a week this summer turned out to be a great idea. If you don’t know Jack, you will soon! Welcome, Jack Diamond, to 94-7 WLS!”

Diamond said: “As a kid listening to the radio at night, WLS and WABC were the stations that sparked a desire to spend my life doing what those great personalities were doing from so many miles away. Pure magic. Hosting Mornings at 94-7 WLS is not only a career dream come true, it brings my career full circle and is truly “going home”. In a city with such great air talent through the years, it’s an honor to join them, past and present in Chicago. Thanks to John Dickey, Mike McVay, Market Manager Donna Baker and the one and only Jan Jeffries for the enthusiastic welcome and great opportunity at such a legendary radio station.”

In the most recent Nielsen radio ratings, WLS-FM mornings were ranking #15 with a 2.8 share of the overall audience. For the 35-64 demographic, WLS-FM was ranked #12 (tie) with a 3.0 share, while for the 25-54 demographic, WLS-FM was ranked #18 (tie) with a 2.4 share.

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SF Radio: KKSF Adds Ed Baxter As Midday Talker

Ed Baxter

iHeartMedia San Francisco announced Thursday that talk radio host Ed Baxter has joined Talk 910 KKSF 910 AM as Midday Host from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., effective immediately.

“We are thrilled to add Ed Baxter to the Talk 910 line up.  Ed has a tremendous audience base from his many years on the air in the Bay Area, as well as a fantastic track record of success for advertisers,” said Don Parker, Vice President of Programming, iHeartMedia San Francisco.

“Our commitment to live and local talk throughout prime time programming is unparalleled in the Bay, making Talk 910 San Francisco’s Talk Station.”

Baxter is a member of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame and spent over 30 years at KGO-AM as afternoon and morning anchor. He is the winner of the Edward R. Murrow award for best newscast in the country, as well as over 50 regional and local awards in all facets of news.

Baxter began his career at KGO in 1976 as a street reporter covering Contra Costa County. After working his way up to the position of East Bay Bureau chief, he became an anchor on the "KGO Afternoon News" broadcast and held the position for 21 years. He replaced morning co-anchor Jim Dunbar in 2000.

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Atlanta Radio: Star 94 Adds Donny Michaels To Nights

Donny Michaels

Lincoln financial Media has announced that Donny Michaels is the new evening personality on WSTR 94.1 FM StarFM.

He starts Nov. 10 and will be on air from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Michaels comes to Atlanta from WQSH 105.7 FM Albany, NY, where he was morning host on PopCrush 105-7.

Michaels replaces Ali Mac, who left for Vero Beach, Fla. last month.

Michaels is married with two great kids, Nicholas and Aliana.

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Journal Reports 5.1 Percent Increase In Radio Revenue

Stephen J. Smith

Journal Communications, Inc. Thursday announced results for its third quarter ended September 28, 2014.

“We are pleased to report that Journal Communications third quarter revenue of $105 million grew more than 8%, driving an operating earnings increase of 40%. Earnings per share in the quarter were $0.14 compared to $0.09 last year,” said Steven J. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Journal Communications.

“Journal benefitted from continued growth in television retransmission revenue along with significant political and issue advertising spending in a number of our markets."

“Our focused broadcast sales efforts grew both television and radio revenue, excluding retransmission and political, by approximately 3% and drove television and radio digital revenue up 22% and 31%, respectively."

“Publishing experienced a soft quarter due to lower retail and classified spending and circulation volume declines. A publishing expense reduction initiative in the fourth quarter will create a lower expense base in the business going forward."

"Journal Communications continues to work with The E.W. Scripps Company to complete our previously announced transaction. We expect to close the transaction in the first half of 2015.”

Highlights:

• Revenue from radio increased 5.1% to $21.6 million. 
• Radio political advertising revenue was $0.4 million in 2014 compared to $0.1 million in 2013. 
• Local advertising revenue, excluding political, increased 3.3% to $18.5 million, primarily due to an increase in automotive and medical advertising. 
• Digital revenue, which is reported in local revenue, was $0.8 million, up 30.8%. 
• National advertising revenue, excluding political, decreased 1.6%. Excluding political revenue, total revenue was $21.2 million, up 3.4%.
• Operating earnings from radio were $4.1 million compared to $3.5 million, an increase of 16.1%. Radio operating expenses increased 2.8% on higher employee related costs and sports rights fees.

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NY Times Reports 3Q Loss of $12.9M

The New York Times Company said on Thursday that its third-quarter revenue increased by less than 1 percent from a year ago, as growth in its digital business offset declines in print circulation and advertising.

The Times planned to spur revenue growth in 2014 with the introduction of several new digital subscription products, but those products have not caught on as the company had hoped. Total revenue during the third quarter increased 0.8 percent to $365 million, compared with $362 million in the same period last year.

In a call with investors, the company’s chief executive, Mark Thompson, said that the new products reflected a desire to be “unashamedly experimental and willing to adapt.” Its chief financial officer, James M. Follo, said that the company was “still in the early stages of a multiyear transformation.”

The company posted a third-quarter operating loss of $9 million, compared with an operating profit of $12.9 million in the same period of 2013. Investment in its new product initiatives, which include the mobile app NYT Now, contributed to the loss.

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Salem Announces Two Manager Appointments

Dale Hendry

Salem Communications Corporation has announced that Dale Hendry will be relocating to San Diego to lead the team as General Manager. Dale has been in radio for 32 years in several capacities, including station ownership.

He joined Salem seven years ago as General Manager of Sacramento. One of Dale's strengths is building strong succession teams. Due to Dale's focus on team building, Salem is also pleased to announce the promotion of Mark Durkin, Director of Sales, to General Manager of Sacramento. Mark has been in radio for 31 years. He is on his second tour with Salem. Mark's first tour was with Salem Portland. He joined Salem Sacramento three years ago as Director of Sales.

Scott Hamilton

Scott Hamilton will step into the General Sales Manager role in Sacramento. Scott has been with Salem Sacramento for five years. Prior to joining Salem, he owned an advertising agency.

Linnae Young, Senior Vice President for Salem's Radio Division stated, "We are delighted to have a seasoned pro like Dale Hendry take the helm in San Diego. His 32 years of radio experience will help take this market to the next level. We are equally excited to promote Mark Durkin to the GM role in Sacramento. He has over 31 years in the broadcast business and has demonstrated tremendous leadership in Sacramento as Director of Sales."

Dale Hendry commented, "Working for Salem has been a highlight of my life and career. The group in Sacramento has been a pleasure to work with. I'm equally excited about working with the seasoned staff in San Diego. I want to thank the Senior Management team for affording me the opportunity to work at one of the premier clusters in Salem."

Mark Durkin stated, "There is a winning team and culture at Salem Sacramento. I look forward to building upon the success and greatly appreciate this new assignment and opportunity with the company.

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Cumulus Appoints Mary Giesen VP/Sales Planning

Mary Giesen

Westwood One announces that Mary Giesen has been hired as Vice-President, Sales Planning.   It is a homecoming for Giesen, who previously worked at Westwood One in several sales planning capacities.

Her responsibilities will include strategic development of the company’s sales initiatives, including management of commercial inventory; sales data; pricing; and performance.  Giesen will work closely with Westwood One’s agency client partners to meet their sales objectives and best position their brands within the company’s vast array of programs.  She starts on Tuesday, November 18, 2014.  She will be based in New York City and report directly to Mike Malone, VP of Finance.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for us to have Mary at the helm of our Sales Planning Team,” said Steve Shaw, Westwood One’s President.  “She has a wealth of experience managing commercial and digital inventory and an excellent reputation for maximizing performance for customers.  Plus, she is keenly familiar with our products and brands across the board.  Her expertise is invaluable and we look forward to her collaboration with the senior management team.”

Prior to re-joining Westwood One, Giesen was the Vice-President of Sales Planning and Operations for Compass Media Networks, where she was responsible for all aspects of advertising sales operations, commercial inventory, and affiliate relations.  Before that, she worked at Westwood One as Vice President, Sales Planning, Traffic, and Continuity; as Senior Director, Sales Planning; and as a Sales Planner.  She is a graduate of Providence College in Rhode Island.

“I am so excited to come back home where it all began,” said Giesen.  “Westwood One delivers real value to advertisers and amazing content that connects audiences to brands. This is such an exciting time for Westwood One and I look forward to jumping back in and working closely with Steve, Mike, and the entire sales organization.”

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FCC Chair Wants to Expand Political Disclosures

Tom Wheeler

Back in 2012, the FCC passed a rule requiring that broadcast stations post online publicly available files detailing agreements for sales of political ads. Now, according to Variety,  FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is proposing that that requirement be extended to satellite, radio and cable outlets.

The proposal to expand the requirement was to be circulated among other FCC commissioners on Thursday.

The proposal would not just apply to files on political ad sales, but other public documents, like public interest statements.

The political ad files, however, have generated the most interest, drawing millions of hits to the FCC’s website, according to an FCC official.

The proposal calls for the requirement to apply initially to big stations and major cable operators first, and then be phased in to smaller entities. That is the same rollout that the FCC used in its requirement for broadcasters.

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Country Consultants AOandB Set Pre-CRS Seminar

Mike O'Malley

Country Radio Consultants Jaye Albright, Mike O'Malley and Becky Brenner have announced that their 21st annual Pre-CRS seminar will take place on Wednesday, February 25 at the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame from 9am-12:30pm.

The event features sessions addressing personal career growth, important topics facing country radio and radio in general. Guests will enjoy a performance and meet & greet with the new group A Thousand Horses.

The A&O&B team will also present the first results of their 10th annual online perceptual study, "Roadmap 2015," including Country P1 trends in music, digital consumption, social networking and more. Data from thousands of P1's from across the U.S and Canada will be included.

Becky Brenner

"Over the past years our presenters have included branding experts, talent coaches, researchers and even a politician," said O'Malley. "It's a half-day of thought-provoking and actionable sessions that help set the stage for CRS."

Brenner added, "Today's hectic and demanding schedules often prevent valuable Face time with peers. This is an opportunity to share, learn, grow and reenergize for the new year!"

The A&O&B Pre-CRS Seminar is free and is open to all clients as well as to broadcasters in non-competitive situations.

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Boston Radio: WKLB Honored At Tufts Pediatric Hospital

Greater Media’s Country WKLB 102.5 FM’s was recently recognized for the station’s on-going support of Tufts Floating Hospital for Children in Boston when an outside area called The Healing Garden was officially opened and named in honor of the station.

The Country 102.5 Healing Garden is a unique and special outside space where pediatric patients and their families can escape their rooms and the “stuffiness” of the hospital and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Attached to the Ace’s Place playroom, it will also give children the chance to explore flowers and gardens, even as they are hospitalized for treatment.

In the warmer months, The Country 102.5 Healing Garden will be home to country music artists who visit Floating Hospital to perform for kids as part of the Country 102.5 Healing Tour. The Healing Garden will be a place where children can feel like kids- not just patients.

WKLB-FM has hosted many concerts at the Hard Rock and House of Blues over the past few years in Boston in an effort to raise money for the Healing Garden. Recently, a special show featuring National Country Recording Artist Hunter Hayes show raised $40,000.

“We are so proud and humbled to have the Healing Garden named after Country 102.5,” said Mike Brophey, program director of WKLB-FM. “Our logo is on the door. Funds we helped raise were used to reconstruct and beautify the area for patients and their families to enjoy. It’s a great moment for Greater Media and Country 102.5.”

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SiriusXM Unveils Holiday Music Channels

SiriusXM has announced its holiday music lineup featuring eight commercial-free channels celebrating the festive season.

SiriusXM's holiday music channels will offer listeners a variety of traditional holiday songs, classical Christmas carols, country Christmas classics, contemporary holiday tunes, soul music, Hanukkah music and Latin seasonal music.

SiriusXM's commercial-free holiday music channels will be available on multiple satellite radio channels, and via the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and other connected devices and online at siriusxm.com

SiriusXM's holiday channel lineup features:

Holiday Traditions (via satellite on Sirius channel 147 and XM channel 73) will feature traditional holiday music from the '40s through the '60s by artists such as Andy Williams, Ray Conniff, Bing Crosby and Nat "King" Cole.
Tuesday, November 11 at 12:00 pm ET- Wednesday, December 31 at 3:00 am ET

Holly (via satellite on channel 17) will feature contemporary holiday music as well as traditional favorites, including songs by Idina Menzel,  Kelly Clarkson, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Mariah Carey, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Colbie Caillat, Whitney Houston and the cast of Pentatonix.
Tuesday, November 11 at 12:00 pm ET- Wednesday, December 31 at 3:00 am ET

Holiday Pops (via satellite on channel 76) will feature classical Christmas carols and other holiday favorites by the greatest classical musicians of all-time, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Boston Pops, Luciano Pavarotti, The New York Philharmonic, King's College Choir and Thomas Hampson.
Wednesday, December 24 at 12:00 pm ET- Friday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET

Country Christmas (via satellite on channel 58) will feature a mix of country Christmas music from contemporary artists as well as classic country artists, including Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum.
Tuesday, December 2 at 12:00 pm ET- Friday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET

Navidad (SiriusXM channel 785) will feature contemporary Latin holiday music and with traditional classics, including Jose Feliciano, Willie Colon, Gloria Estefan, Marco Antonio Solis, El Gran Combo and Thalia.
Tuesday, December 2 at 12:00 pm ET- Wednesday, January 7 at 3:00 am ET

Holiday Soul (via satellite on channel 49) will feature classic soul and Motown holiday music from the '60s and '70s as well as R&B from the '80s and '90s including Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Dionne Warwick, The Four Tops, The Supremes, The O'Jays, James Brown, The Temptations, Lou Rawls and Toni Braxton.
Friday, December 19 at 12:00 pm ET - Friday, December 26 at 3:00 am ET

Radio Hanukkah (via satellite on channel 68) will feature a wide variety of Hanukkah music including contemporary, traditional and children's Hanukkah classics.
Tuesday, December 16 at 12:00 pm ET- Thursday, December 25 at 3:00 am ET

New Year's  Nation (via satellite on channel 3)is the  ultimate soundtrack to New Year's Eve parties around the country and will feature the biggest, upbeat party hits from genres across SiriusXM's music platform.
Wednesday, December 31 at 12:00 pm ET - Friday, January 2 at 3:00 am ET

For more information about additional holiday programming, visit www.siriusxm.com/holiday.

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October 31 In Radio History

In 1942..."White Christmas" by Bing Crosby hit No. 1 on the pop singles chart, where it stayed for 11 weeks.

In 1968..The War of the Worlds was a radio drama, originally aired by Buffalo, New York radio station WKBW 1520 AM on October 31, 1968. It was a modernized version of the original radio drama aired by CBS in 1938.

WKBW program director Jefferson Kaye (d. 2012), a big fan of the original Orson Welles version from three decades earlier, wondered what The War of the Worlds would sound like if it was made using up-to-date (for 1968) radio news equipment, covering the "story" of a Martian invasion. Up until this point, most radio renditions of the 1938 broadcast were simply script re-readings with different actors or had minor variations to account for significantly different geographical locations. Kaye decided to disregard the original script entirely, move the action to Grand Island, New York, and use actual WKBW disc jockeys and news reporters as actors.

Other changes reflected the changing state of the industry: instead of the old-time radio programming fare of the 1930s, WKBW's War of the Worlds broadcast was interwoven into the station's Top40 programming.



Initially, a script was written for the news reporters to act out; however, upon hearing the rehearsals, it was evident that the news reporters were not adept at scripted radio acting. So instead, Kaye wrote an outline based on the events that were to occur, and the news reporters were then asked to describe the events as they would covering an actual news story. The results were much more realistic for its time, and this was the process used for the actual broadcast.

Jeff Kaye

Despite an exhaustive advertising campaign by WKBW for this show, several people were still convinced upon listening to it that the events unfolding in the show were genuine. Among those fooled included a local newspaper, several small-town police officers and even the Canadian military, which dispatched troops to the Peace Bridge. Although the public concern over the legitimacy of the broadcast was not as great as in 1938, creator Kaye and director Dan Kriegler feared that they were going to lose their jobs as a result of the broadcast; Kaye claimed that he actually submitted his resignation, certain that he was going to be fired the next day. However, no one involved in the broadcast was fired and the resignation was not accepted.

It was a generally conceived notion before the broadcast that a mass hoax, even one as unintentional as the 1938 program, could never be duplicated again by a lone radio broadcast. The rise of television as a preferred news medium was a factor in this notion that radio could no longer produce such a drastic response from its audience. The fact that the WKBW broadcast could unintentionally re-create that response on a smaller scale surprised many people and garnered a lot of post-broadcast attention on the radio station. In this way, it was a successful marketing gimmick.
Versions.


The original and longest airing broadcasts. featured Sandy Beach during the opening.


In 2008...Chicago author/actor/radio host Studs Terkel died at age 96. He broadcast on WFMT/Chicago for 45 years.

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Chicago Radio: Report..Jack Diamond To Mornings At WLS-FM

Jack Diamond (photo)

Jack Diamond, the  longtime Washington, DC, radio personality at WRQX 107.3 FM, is expected to be named morning host at WLS 94.7 FM.

Insiders tell Chicago Media writer Robert Feder that Diamond will start Monday on the Cumulus Media classic hits station, Diamond joins the current morning lineup including air talent/meteorologist Brant Miller, Marty Jones with information/traffic updates and producer Dan Wolfe.

The 60-year-old Diamond began his full-time career in radio at the age of 16 while a junior in high school. His first full-time on-air job was at WINX, a Top-40 radio station in Rockville, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. He originally went by the name of Bruce Diamond on air at WINX.

His birth name is Harvey Joel Fischer.

WLS 94.7 FM (4.4Kw) 54dBu Coverage

WLS PD Jan Jefrries inks deal

While at WINX, Jack did 7:00 pm-midnight, Monday-Friday during his junior year, and afternoons 3:00 pm–7:00 pm during his senior year.

After working for a few years at WINX, he moved to WEEL in Fairfax, Virginia for another two year run.

At the age of 19, his radio career began. Diamond worked in Washington, D.C., Denver, Providence, Jacksonville, Baltimore, Boston, Seattle, San Antonio, San Francisco, Atlanta, San Diego, New York and Chicago.

Some of the stations he has worked at are WABC, WLS, KNBR, KSON, WPRO & PRO-FM, WQXI, WCBM, WRKO, and WRQX.

Diamond filled-in on WLS-FM in early August. Many believed it was test-run to become the morning host fulltime.  There were reports that a contract couldn't be reach,  At the time,  it was reported rejected an offer by WLS-FM to become its new morning show host becuae the WLS-FM offer was only for one-year and that did not give Diamond the security he wished for in order to move his family to the Midwest.

On August 18, 2014, Diamond began co-hosting mornings with Kim Morrison at 1980s-based classic hits station XHPRS 105.7 FM in the San Diego market.  However, on September 1, 2014, he announced on his Facebook page that he'd left XHPRS and was working on a new opportunity.

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ABC News Takes Charge Of "The View"

For 18 seasons, “The View” has been one of the crown jewels of ABC Daytime programming block. But in a significant restructuring that could foreshadow the management style of incoming president Ben Sherwood, ABC’s daytime executives are losing oversight of the show, Variety has learned.

Starting today, “The View” will be part of the non-fiction branch of programming within ABC News, which produces the documentary series “NY Med.” The talk show will now be in the growing portfolio of ABC News president James Goldston, Sherwood’s right-hand man who helped revamp “Good Morning America.”

“Moving ‘The View’ to our non-fiction programming group now allows it to fully draw on the vast resources of ABC News and our team in New York, where the show is based right next door,” Goldston says in a memo Variety obtained from the network that will circulate to staffers on Thursday morning. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to work with this terrific team.”

One of his central goals, according to insiders, is to make “The View” more appealing to younger viewers. The show has fallen 10 percent in the last year among female viewers between the ages 18 to 49, but it’s up 1 percent in total viewers.

The long-running gabfest faced a drastic makeover in the fall with three new co-hosts — Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie Perez and Republican strategist Nicolle Wallace — joining moderator Whoopi Goldberg, though it hasn’t improved much in the ratings from last year’s lackluster season with Jenny McCarthy.

“The View’s” new panel has struggled to find its voice this season. The Hot Topics segments have focused more on hard news, like Ebola and ISIS, as opposed to celebrities and reality stars, the sweet spot for the knockoff CBS series “The Talk.”

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Café Mocha Radio Gets Support From President Obama

Westwood One announces that President Barack Obama will join its syndicated Café Mocha Radio Show this Saturday, November 1, 2014, to discuss the importance of making ‘smarter’ decisions by voting to better our communities.

The President has an animated and insightful conversation with show hosts Loni Love, Mc Lyte, and Angelique Perrin.


Inspired by Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Café Mocha Radio created the GET SMART initiative, a total wellness, month-long movement designed to empower women to make smarter decisions in every aspect of their lives.  Each week during this month, the show has featured experts on relationships, health, finance, community service, and entrepreneurship, as well as guest celebrity advisors who also participate in “post smart” twitter parties which have generated more than 45.7 million impressions to date.

The GET SMART initiative has been integrated across all Café Mocha platforms, which include the radio show’s Mocha Mavens blogger network. Visit www.CafeMochaRadio.com for more information.

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Pandora's Slowing Growth: Speed-Bump Or Wall?

• Pandora’s earnings results beat expectations; however, the slowing and possibly dead growth has severely wounded the stock.
• Pandora swears by its unique service and industry-leading algorithms, but is it any special?

Pandora was defenseless as it showed analysts that its growth might be coming to an end.

According to Sean Chandler at SeekingAlpha, investors were quick to underline the lack of sequential growth in active users and listening hours; the attractive year-over-year growth figures were largely driven by growth from prior quarters. Pandora may have beat earnings and topped even its own estimates, but it is meaningless if the service shows no signs of growth.

Pandora believes that its unique radio service is unaffected by on-demand streaming services like Spotify and the company swears by its carefully articulated music algorithms, but does this mean that Pandora can secure a future in such a competitive market?

For its third quarter, Pandora generated $239.6M in revenue, an increase of 40% year-over-year and 9% sequentially. Ad revenue grew 44% year-over year, lifted by a nice 50% increase in mobile ad revenue as monetization shows improvements. These figures handily beat estimates and landed on the high side of Pandora's expectations, but there was little concern for this as growth flattened.

Investors were swift in examining the disappointing changes in active users and listening hours. Active users only grew by a tenth of a percent to 76.5m from 76.4m, and listening hours saw a slight 1% decline from 5.04b to 4.99b hours. On the brighter side, Pandora did secure some market share from terrestrial radio, as its overall US radio market share grew to 9.06% in September from 8.9% in June 2014.

CEO Brian McAndrews tried to address the blow during the conference call by stating that last year's sequential changes from the same quarters was also minimal, but last year's active users saw a decent 2.3% increase, or 1.6m users. While this may be insignificant, it is still the biggest increase since, with the exception of the holiday quarter that generally shows positive growth. On that note, it is likely that the company will show some improvement next quarter, but if it stays flat or starts rolling downhill, a lot investors will lose faith.

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Orlando Radio: 'Positive Hits' Again Claims #1

For the second straight month Central Florida Educational's non-com WPOZ 88.3 FM Z88-3 is #1 (6+ AQH) in the October PPMs released Wednesday by Nielsen. The Contemporary Christian station was done a bit 7.0—6.7, but that was enough to grab the top spot.

Cox Media Group's Top40 WPYO 95.3 FM spiked 5.4—6.3 to claim #2. Followed by clustermate Country WWKA 92.3 FM 6.7—6.3 at #3. 

 CBS Radio's Classic Hits WOCL 105.9 FM Sunny moved 5.8—6.0 for #4 and clustermate HotAC WOMX 105.1 MixFM was up a bit 5.3—5.6 to round out the Top5.

Worth Noting: Non-com WMFE is the News/Talk market leader (3.5—4.1), followed by Cox Media's WDBO 96.5 FM 3.4—4.0 and iHeartMedia's WFLF 540 AM / 102.5 T-FM 1.0—1.3

Worth Noting:  Central Florida Educational is into something good with its recently launched Gospel format on 107.3 T-FM:  three-month trending:  0.6-1.9-2.5

Worth Noting: Sports WDBO 580 AM ESPN 0.8—1.0, WYGM 740 The Game 0.4—0.4

25-54: WPOZ...WWKA tied WOCL...WTKS...WCFB

18-34: WPYO...WWKA...WJRR...WTKS tied WXXL...WOCL

18-49: WPYO...WTKS...WOCL...WXXL...WWKA

Cume: WXXL-FM 502,400...WMGF-FM 451,500...WOMX-FM 439,200...WPYO-FM 387,200...WJHM-FM 375,300...WOCL-FM 369,200

Top 6 Morning Show 25-54 (M-F 6am-10a)

WTKS Monsters In The Morning

WCFB Tom Joyner Show

WWKA AJ and Ashley

WPOZ Ellis and Tyler

WOCL Rick Stacy

WXXL Johnny's House

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Nielsen Release Latest PPMs For Twelve More Markets

Nielsen has released the third batch of October PPMs for subscribing stations:  Markets released Wednesday are:

23  Portland OR 

24  Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill 

25  Pittsburgh 

27  Sacramento 

28  San Antonio 

29  Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo 

30  Cincinnati 

31  Cleveland 

32  Las Vegas 

33  Orlando 

34  Kansas City 

37  Columbus OH

To view topline results for Nielsen subscribing stations: Click Here

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Univision: 3Q Radio Revenue Drops 12.3 Percent

Thanks to the World Cup and digital gains, Univision Communications reported an uptick in growth in the third quarter.

Third quarterly net revenue for the Spanish-language media conglom grew 5.2% to $728.9 million, compared to $692.7 million in the same frame last year, spurred by gains in TV and digital, the company said Wednesday. The performance of the radio division, however, continued to slide, according to Variety.

Revenue at Univision's radio division decreased 12.3 percent to $78.9 million compared to $90.0 million in 2013. For the first nine months of the year radio revenue at the Hispanic-focused company is down nearly 11 percent, $221.5 million compared to $248.1 million in 2013.

Per Nielsen, Univision’s flagship broadcast held the No. 3 spot among primetime 18-34 demo and remained fifth in the ranking of broadcast primetime 18-49 adult demo in the third quarter.

FIFA World Cup incremental ad revenue during the third quarter and nine months ended Sept. 30 were estimated at $54.1 million and $174.2 million, respectively. However, operating expenses associated with the World Cup were $46.6 million and $136.8 million for the same periods. Given that Univision expected to break even, a margin of profit is encouraging.

Univision is lowering its expectations for mid term election political advertising, given the dearth of competitive races in “high-density Hispanic markets,” CFO Andy Hobson said Wednesday on an earnings conference call. He expects political ad revenue to fall $10 million below the original estimate.

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Houston Radio: Sam Morton Named VP/Sales For CBS Radio

Sam Morton

CBS Radio/Houston has appointed Sam Morton as VP/Director of Sales for the broadcaster's six-station cluster, including Hot AC KHMX-FM, Sports KIKK-AM, Sports KILT-AM, Country KILT-FM, CHR KKHH-FM and Spanish CHR KLOL-FM.

Morton will assume his new post on November 24.

Morton most recently served as Director of Sales for CBS Radio/St. Louis since October, 2013. He previously was GSM for co-owned Sports KRLD-FM, Adult Hits KJKK-FM and Classic Hits KLUV-FM/Dallas.

"Sam is a strategic leader and a creative thinker," said Senior VP/Market Manager Sarah Frazier. "He has a tremendous amount of passion and a strong work ethic. He'll be a great fit for our team that specializes in custom marketing solutions here in Houston, and a great business partner for me."

Morton said, "My family and I are excited about the opportunity to come back to Texas, a place where we have family, and I'm very excited to get to work with Sarah and her team in Houston. The past year has been great and I'm thankful to John for giving me the opportunity in St. Louis. I am proud of what we have accomplished. I'll miss all of my sales managers and AE's but I know they will continue to be the best in town."

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Nielsen: Slow, Steady Progress For Consumer Confidence

 Global consumer confidence edged up one index point in the third quarter to a score of 98—an increase of one point from the previous quarter and two points from the start of the year. The index, which has been on a slow and steady rise for two-and-a-half years (since Q1 2012), has now exceeded a pre-recession level of 94 for three consecutive quarters.

In the latest online survey, conducted Aug. 13-Sept. 5, 2014, consumer confidence increased in 65% of the markets measured by Nielsen, compared to 52% in the second quarter. Among the world’s biggest economies, consumer confidence increased four points in the U.S. (108), one point in Germany (97), three points in the U.K. (93) and four points in Japan (77), from the second quarter. Meanwhile, consumer confidence in China held steady at 111 for the fourth consecutive quarter.

Consumer confidence in the North America region improved most, rising four points to 107—a score that matches Asia-Pacific’s index for the first time in Nielsen’s Consumer Confidence history (since 2005). Asia-Pacific’s index increased one point. Confidence also increased three points in the Middle East/Africa (96), one point in Latin America (91) and one point in Europe (78), from the previous quarter.

The Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions, established in 2005, measures perceptions of local job prospects, personal finances and immediate spending intentions among more than 30,000 respondents with Internet access in 60 countries. Consumer confidence levels above and below a baseline of 100 indicate degrees of optimism and pessimism, respectively.

The latest results reflect an outlook of cautious optimism, as every region’s consumer confidence score improved compared to the previous quarter.

Highlights:

• 52% believed the job market would be good or excellent in the next 12 months, a 2 percentage-point increase from the second quarter.
• 57% of global respondents rated their personal finances as good or excellent for the upcoming year, compared to the average annual low reported in 2009 of 46%—an 11 percentage-point increase. 
• North American respondents showed the most dramatic increase in job prospect expectations, as perceptions about employment opportunities rose to 55% in the third quarter—a 9 percentage-point improvement in 12 months (from 46% in Q3 2013).

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Facebook: Music 'Likes' Determine Likely Voting Preferences

In the US, there is a documentable difference in musical genre preference between Democrats and Republicans?

A comparison of bands "Liked" on Facebook and the political affiliation of the Facebook profile found that some music was more usually liked by Democrats and other music more by Republicans.

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Country Music Fest Announced For NYC

Brad Paisley, Dwight Yoakam, Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will be among the main attractions at FarmBorough, a new country music festival coming to New York City over three days next June, according to The NY Times.

The festival, planned for June 26 through 28 on Randalls Island, was announced on Wednesday by Live Nation Entertainment and the New York concert promoter Founders Entertainment, which are presenting it in partnership.

The country genre, led by a new generation of stars like Mr. Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and — until her recent move to pure pop — Taylor Swift, has been surging in popularity for years; on the radio, it has supplanted Top 40 as the most popular format. But even while data have repeatedly shown that New York is a big market for country, the genre’s identification with Nashville and with rural life has historically made it a tough sell in the city.

“Everybody has the big myth that New York City for some reason has not been a supportive country music market,” said Brian O’Connell, Live Nation’s president for country touring, “but it’s just not true.”

Mr. O’Connell pointed to recent touring successes in New York, like sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden by Mr. Shelton, Mr. Bryan and Eric Church. Tours like those have been helped by promotion on WNSH 94.7 FM NashFM.

Among the other performers expected for FarmBorough are Brandy Clark, Kip Moore, Randy Houser, Ashley Monroe, Maddie & Tae, Wade Bowen and the Cadillac Three. Tickets will be sold only as three-day passes costing $225, not including fees. They go on sale next Thursday.

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NASH Nights Host Kristian Bush

Elaina Smith, Kristian Bush, Shawn Parr

Country artist Kristian Bush, formally of Sugarland, joined NASH Nights Live host Shawn Parr and co-host Elaina Smith in their NASH Campus studio last night in Nashville.

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Brad Paisley Hosts Carrie Underwood, Lon Helton

This week, Westwood One’s Country Countdown USA host and CMA “National Personality of the Year” Lon Helton traveled to the home of Brad Paisley to count down the Top 30 with Brad and Carrie Underwood.

The occasion was to preview next week's CMA Awards, hosted by Brad and Carrie.  This will be the 7th time the two stars have co-hosted the TV show, and ironically, this is the 7th time Lon has won the CMA Award.  The interview was done in Brad's Irish Pub, and after the interview, Brad poured the "perfect Guinness" for Lon.

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Westwood One News Inks Content Deal With CBS Radio

Westwood One has announced that its new customized news product--Westwood One News, a next-generation, full-service news network powered by CNN—has signed on four CBS Radio stations in Top 10 markets — 1010 WINS in New York, WBZ 1030 AM in Boston, KYW 1060 AM in Philadelphia, and WNEW 98.1 FM in Washington, D.C.

“Westwood One is proud to have major market CBS Radio stations join our Westwood One News Network from the outset,” said Dennis Green, Westwood One’s SVP, Affiliate Sales.  “These stations are among the most innovative and trusted brands in radio news.  To have major news brands become early adopters of this service speaks volumes to broadcasters looking for superb content by which to build their local news brands.”

Scott Herman, Executive Vice President of Operations & NY Market Manager for CBS Radio, said “We are very excited to be part of the launch of Westwood One News.  The ability to get in on the ground floor and help establish what our all news stations needs are was very enticing for us.  Our stations have a huge appetite for news material and Westwood One News gives us the flexibility to get what we need when we want it.”

Westwood One News, which will launch at the end of the year, was created to offer stations greater flexibility and local branding opportunities. Stations have the option to select one to five minute newscasts based on needs and preferences, allowing them to integrate network news into their local operation.  Westwood One News will include special reports, correspondent two-ways, newsmaker sound bites, live feeds of breaking news events, and other elements that affiliated stations have come to expect from Westwood One as a respected network news provider.

Westwood One owns, manages, and operates Westwood One News.  Four top reporters were recently announced--Steve Kastenbaum, Bob Constantini, Jim Roope, and Alan Scaia--and news anchors will be announced soon.  As momentum and buzz continue to build, other major station groups are lining up to align with this innovative news product.

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Fresno Radio: Jennifer Lipp Leaving N/T KMJ

Jennifer Lipp

Jennifer Lipp, who has been on Fresno radio for 20 years, is leaving KMJ 580 AM / 105.9 FM. Her last day partnering with John Broeske for“The John and Jen Show” morning show— is Friday, Oct. 31.

According to the Fresno Bee, she’s headed to Arkansas where her husband has taken a job. Lipp isn’t looking to get back into radio. She plans to be a stay-at-home mom for the couple’s three children.

“We are ‘Beverly Hillbilly-ing‘ backwards,” Lipp says.

“I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone here. I came to Fresno from the East Coast and from the moment I got here, everyone has been so warm and welcoming,” Lipp says. I will always be thankful the people in this Valley have let me do what I do.

“I have a lot of interests and getting to be on different formats gave me a chance to grow and change.”

Being on the air in any radio market for two decades is a major accomplishment. Lipp worked at various local radio stations and on radio formats from rock to talk.

Before teaming with Broeske in January 2013 for the program that aired 9-11 a.m. weekdays, Lipp was the host of her own morning program starting in 2012. The Philadelphia native worked at The Beat (103.7 FM) until 2005 and then at The Blaze (105.1 FM) from 2008-2011.

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Philly Radio: WPHT Moves Rich Zeoli up To PM Drive

Rich Zeoli

Talk Radio WPHT 1210 AM has announced that Rich Zeoli will be the host in the 3p-6p slot on 1210AM starting Wednesday, November 5th.

Rich will discuss local and national policy, the economy, the biggest news stories and issues that affect all Philadelphians, coupled with interviews of the day’s news and decision makers.

“We are thrilled that Rich is moving to afternoons at WPHT.  He’s a smart, energetic, entertaining talk show host who can tackle a variety of issues that relate to his audience.” said Marc Rayfield, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, CBS Radio Philadelphia.

Added Zeoli, “This is a passionate town and we have opinions on everything. I love nothing more than challenging the audience and they challenge me right back. There are many local issues that impact our lives and we need a place to talk about them. That’s what the show is all about and what I plan to bring to afternoon drive on WPHT – a place for the Delaware Valley to talk. I’m just as interested in talking about pop-up beer gardens as I am about NSA spying. What makes this town like nowhere else in America is its passion, and we’ll share a lot of passion on the drive home together.”

Zeoli joined WPHT in 2010 as a freelance part-time talk show host. He was hired full-time in October 2012, and has hosted evenings, 6-9pm since then.  Zeoli grew up in New Jersey and spent his career advising candidates in New Jersey and Pennsylvania running for all levels of political office including Governor, U.S. Senate, and Congress. He was the youngest chair of a political party in New Jersey history.

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Steve Harvey, Ford Team For 'Fusion Sweepstakes'

Steve Harvey

The Steve Harvey Morning Show and Ford are now conducting the "Fall Into A Ford Fusion Sweepstakes." Beginning today, listeners of the No. 1 syndicated morning show in America can enter for a chance to win a 2015 Ford Fusion on SteveHarvey.com.

Entries must be submitted by November 27, 2014, and the winner will be announced on air on Friday, November 28.

The four-week long "Fall Into A Ford Fusion Sweepstakes" will take place across more than 70 markets and is Ford's latest partnership with The Steve Harvey Morning Show that connects directly with its audience.

"I'm excited to give our loyal listeners a chance to win a brand new 2015 Ford Fusion," said Steve Harvey, host of The Steve Harvey Morning Show. "We want our radio fans to be able to listen to The Steve Harvey Morning Show wherever they want, and the stylish Ford Fusion helps our fans take our show on the road."

"We are thrilled to kick off the opportunity for one Steve Harvey listener to win the keys to the 2015 Ford Fusion," said Shawn Thompson, manager, Ford Multicultural Marketing. "We will be announcing the winner just before the holiday season, so we are eager to find out who will win the keys and what feature they are most excited about. This vehicle is not only stylish, but it also comes equipped with a wide array of technologies, including the standard rearview camera."

The sweepstakes is being promoted on-air, online and across social media, reaching the program's weekly audience of approximately six million weekly listeners on more than 70 radio stations nationwide.

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