To make sure you're reading the latest updates, click your "Refresh" or "Reload" button to renew your screen

\

Tuesday May 13, 2008 Edition

Clear Channel's sale appears to be close (read more - CNN Money)  (read more - NY Times)  (read more - The Times U.K.)

From Rick Aristotle Munarriz -- There have already been enough deals in the radio world that have come undone all on their own - Cumulus and Clear Channel being a prime example. The last thing the industry needs is for regulators to get in the way of a deal (XM - Sirius merger) that makes sense for both consumers and the combining companies (read more - Rick Aristotle Munarriz - Motley Fool) (read more - Todd Shields - Washington Post)  (read more - NY Times)

From David Hinckley -- As radio's Arbitron rating service shifts to its new Portable People Meter (PPM) rating system, things are looking good for WCBS-FM (101.1), WHTZ (100.3 FM), WKTU (103.5 FM), WABC (770 AM) and the last's morning man Don Imus (read more - NY Daily News)

From Robert Feder --  Phil Donahue returns to the old studios at WGN for the morning news slot and to promote his book, "Body of War" (read more - Chicago Sun-Times)

From Jimmy Rabbitt -- The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl was released this week in 1977. The LP was recorded over two nights, a year apart (August 23, 1964 and August 30, 1965). The album is unavailable (at least, legitimately) on CD from either side of the pond. The story goes, in an attempt to squeeze as much material as possible from The Beatles while they were still hot, Capitol Records sought to release a live album  (read more - www.TheRabbittReport.com)

From Tim Cuprisin -- NBC has named former "Saturday Night Live" fake news anchor Jimmy Fallon to replace "Late Night" host Conan O'Brien next year, when O'Brien moves up to take over Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" seat (read more - Milwaukee JS)

From Richard Huff and Leo Standora -- Sweet Sue Simmons said w-h-a-a-a-t? The 64-year-old lead female anchor at WNBC-TV shocked thousands of viewers Monday night by shouting the F-word during a promo for the 11 o'clock news (read more - NY Daily News)  (view the YouTube video)

From YouTube -- Bill O'Reilly goes "nuts" in a YouTube video that's getting lots of hits in the media.  He's having problems reading the teleprompter while taping the show's outro - "There's no words on it - I don't know what that means 'to play us out' - F_ _ _'in thing s_ _ks!"  (view the original video)  (view the dance song remix)

From Ted Cox -- WLS Channel 7 reporter Harry Porterfield is to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists in July (read more - Chicago Herald)

From Jerry Del Colliano -- You may have read that Randy (Michaels) rankled the Los Angeles market recently when he made some untrue claims that the LA Times was bigger than almost the entire radio world out there. He raised the ire of Mary Beth Garber, the outstanding radio advocate who represents the Southern California Broadcasters Association. She’s so good she could even sell CDs to an 18 year old. Garber skillfully disputed Michaels who was loose with the facts, but it is still classic Randy Michaels. You were expecting a change? What doesn’t change is his passion to do almost anything to win – a quality an ice hockey fan like me kind of appreciates in some ways. Today, he’s wearing the hat of newspaper publisher. Tomorrow, could it be radio group head? Zell has again promoted Michaels to in effect make all the major decisions now on running the newspaper and TV company (read more - Inside Music Media)

Clear Channel Radio has launched Totalradius.com, a site to help advertisers take advantage of the company’s ever expanding platforms for reaching target audiences (on-air, online, on-demand, mobile text and digital broadcasts) and explore a variety of advertising combinations and solutions to  facilitate ease, creativity and cost benefits for radio advertisers (read more - Clear Channel)

From Owen Gibson -- Its debut prompted outrage from Radio 4 listeners unsure whether it was satire or not. But the spoof phone-in Down the Line provided Radio 4 with one of a clutch of Sony awards last night, as the resurgent BBC network also took the station of the year prize in its 40th year on air (read more - Guardian U.K.)

All Comedy Radio "News Burps"
* Gasoline prices hit a record $3.72 a gallon. How bad is it getting? Fathers are now encouraging their teen daughters to park with their boyfriends
* John McClain said yesterday he would have a different approach to the environment than President Bush. “For one thing,” said McCain, “I’ll invade Iran with hybrid tanks.”
* Rachel Ray denies tabloid reports that she’s feuding with Oprah. As if Oprah would ever hold a grudge against someone who cooks for a living.
* According to the National Enquirer, OJ Simpson’s girlfriend has been hit by a car in Florida. OJ’s already telling police, “If the bumper don’t fit - you must acquit.”
* Hugh Hefner told reporters he has no intention of retiring. “What would I do if I retire?” asked Hef, “Sit around all day in my pajamas?”
"All Comedy Radio" - www.allcomedyradio.com - A unique and diverse format service is currently on HD-2 stations 24/7 in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City, Memphis, New Orleans, Buffalo and others. For affiliate information for your HD-2 station contact: Al Perrotta at acrnews@mac.com

From Mel Phillips -- New York’s claim to being the media capital of the world is pretty solid this week with one deal down and one to go. Cablevision acted quickly, putting its deal to own Newsday to bed with a winning bid of $650 million to beat out Rupert Murdoch’s paltry offer of $580 (read more - Mel Phillips)

From John Gorman -- It was one of our best kept secrets. In 1976 when Beach Boy Dennis Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown while doing a “Get Down” with Murray Saul, we agreed to keep that news under wraps. Murray and I had gotten to know Dennis Wilson. He’d stop by WMMS whenever the band was in town (read more - John Gorman)

From Steve Eberhart -- A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from Kevin Metheny, seems he was trapped at the DFW International Airport.  So he decided to dial around the FM dial and listen to a little Dallas radio, hence the e-mail I received which read ”What the hell happened to KVIL, it's un-listen-to-able?” Well Kevin, that's getting way ahead of ourselves - that's the 3rd of the three most asked questions I ever hear about KVIL. But it is the most recent one I hear most often now - "Back in the day, what made KVIL so special"? That kind of has a simple answer that unfortunately is extremely difficult to accomplish (read more - Impact Target Marketing)

From Fred Jacobs -- If you're looking for great examples of social networking and consumer-generated content, look no further than Boston's upcoming album and tour (read more - Jacobs Media)

Spanish Broadcasting System's “El Show de La Bronca,” hosted by Silvia Del Valle, is airing now on KLAX 97.9 FM La Raza in Los Angeles and simulcast on San Francisco’s KRZZ 93.3 FM La Raza and Miami’s WRAZ 106.3 FM La Raza

From Laura Nachman -- Philly's 95.7 BEN-FM is giving away free gas + Brian Williams is a Bruce Springsteen fan (read more - LauraNachman.net)

The Dallas Business Journal has launched its inaugural "Women to Watch" awards project, recognizing outstanding women leaders in business. May 16 is the nomination deadline (read more - nominate)

New Haven’s Chaz & AJ on 99.1 WPLR are letting listeners fill up on 99 cents a gallon gas on Wednesday

From Reed Johnson -- If you're an Angeleno looking for "splashy," "soft," celebrity-driven television news, just tune in to one of the local English-language network affiliates. But if you're looking for serious, well-reported television journalism - albeit with a sometimes partisan, pro-undocumented-immigrant edge - you'd be better off clicking on to L.A.'s Spanish-language TV newscasts on Univision's flagship KMEX or Telemundo affiliate KVEA (read more - LA Times)

From Kira Bindrim -- Last.fm is partnering with Lollapalooza to power a streaming radio station of songs from the festival, allowing users to download a music-playing widget and discover new artists (read more - Crain's NY Biz)

Clear Channel, banks and buyers are in settlement talks (read more - AP)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio today announced first quarter 2008 financial results, including a 33% increase in revenue to $270.4 million, total subscribers in excess of 8.6 million and a 55% decrease in the adjusted loss from operations (read more - Sirius)  (read more - Paul Bond - Hollywood Reporter)

Syndicated Solutions has entered into a partnership with Harrison Forbes and will begin nationally syndicating "Pet Talk with Harrison Forbes" on Saturday, 21 June with the program’s flagship station AM 1260 KGIL Los Angeles

Former Clear Channel Director of Oldies Programming and CBS Radio Programming vet Marty Thompson adds VP of Programming stripes to his current hosting duties at TKO Radio Networks and he'll oversee the development of the company's 24 hour Classic Top 40 format with talent John Records Landecker, Eric Chase and Jim Zippo

American General Media adds three new affiliates for its daily syndicated agricultural commentary feature: “Farmview with Joe Scott”: 1520 AM KVTA Ventura/Oxnard, 1380 AM KOSS Palmdale/Lancaster and 1430 AM KFIG Fresno

XM Satellite Radio Holdings has reported financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2007. XM announced that 2007 revenue increased year over year by 22 percent to $1.1 billion. XM added 1.4 million net new subscribers ending 2007 with more than 9 million subscribers, an 18 percent increase over the prior year (read the numbers - XM Radio)  (read more - CNN Money)

Monday May 12, 2008 Edition

Cumulus Media has terminated its pending buyout agreement with the investor group led by Lew Dickey  (read more - Cumulus)  (read more - Houston Chronicle)

Emmis Communications announced results for its fourth fiscal
quarter and full year ended Feb. 29, 2008. "Our Emmis team delivered great results during our fiscal fourth quarter under very difficult operating conditions," Emmis Chairman and CEO
Jeff Smulyan said. "Each of our businesses showed remarkable progress" (read more - Emmis)

From David Hinckley -- Don Imus' first radiothon on WABC (770 AM) Thursday and Friday raised about $1.3 million. That's a little less than half the total it had been raising in its last few years on WFAN (660 AM), setting up a classic discussion over whether the glass is half empty or half full + WABC's annual Memorial Day "Rewound" special, which features a day of music programs from the station's Top 40 past, this year will include an hour of Imus when he was a Top 40 host at the late WNBC  (read more - NY Daily News)

From Jerry Del Colliano -- Radio One CEO Alfred Liggins doesn’t understand how his stock has plummeted to below one dollar a share. While’s he’s pondering that question, he has accepted a bonus, a nice salary and it's business as usual - for him. Many radio people are wondering how a once mighty business can fall this far with so many talented and capable people still on the payroll of the major broadcast companies. Radio One Dollar is not alone. You know about Citadel – or should we call it Cita-Sell  (read more - Inside Music Media)

From Mel Phillips -- Every day someone else adds a new condition to the XM/Sirius merger. At this point we’ve already seen the mandating of price caps, channels set aside for commercial leasing, a 20% channel capacity set aside for a minority-owned company, HD radio capability, room for competing electronic devices, minority programming and just about everything else (read more - Mel Phillips)

Emmis Interactive announced a icensing agreement with the iTunes Store to market its custom Storefront technology to other radio stations and media companies. The Emmis Storefront technology, used exclusively to date by Emmis Communications radio stations, allows a station to build a storefront with a look and feel that is consistent with its over-the-air product (visit Emmis Interactive)

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has withdrawn its bid for Newsday and Cablevision Systems Corp is buying the Long Island-based newspaper Newsday from Tribune Co. for $650 million (read more - Crain's NY Biz)  (read more - NY Times)

From Howard Kurtz -- For political junkies, Chuck Todd has become all but inescapable. When he isn't shuttling between studios, he is being invoked as an authority by one anchor or another. After a career out of the limelight, the genial 36-year-old is the campaign season's most improbable TV star. Every organization has someone like "Chuckie T," as his colleagues call him (read more - Washington Post)

From Harve Alan -- May 10th, 1982 was the date that technology forced change. 26 years ago the technology was FM radio and it was an AM radio station forced to change. That station was WABC in New York. Music on AM was dying and moving over to FM. WABC's ratings had seen better days but it was still a big deal. Just like people all over the New York area I remember stopping whatever I was doing to tune in to hear the change (read more - view the video - Harve Alan)

From Sally Jackson -- The  value of commercial TV licences has been slashed by nearly $2 billion since 2003-04 as network audiences defect to the internet and pay-TV, according to an analysis by the media regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (read more - The Australian AU)

From Eric Benderoff --  For folks who don’t want to spend a dime on another gadget, there is a different way to get Web radio stations on the go - if you have an iPod Touch or an iPhone. I’ve turned my iPod Touch into a portable Internet radio player using a program called FlyTunes. It has limitations, but the price is nice: free. FlyTunes offers 160 stations - at least twice as many from when I started using the service - that range from specialty music channels such as Only Elvis to the usual array of rock, jazz and indie (read more - Chicago Tribune)

From Michele Willer-Allred -- Radio personality Larry Elder brought his controversial opinions on topics such as racism in America and the coming presidential election to a live broadcast of his daily talk show at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley on Friday. Several hundred guests packed into the Library's Presidential Learning Center to listen to Elder, who has hosted his top-rated talk show on KABC-AM (790) in Los Angeles since 1994 and has written several best-selling books (read more - Ventura County Star)

All Comedy Radio "News Burps"
* Jenna Bush was married Saturday in Texas. The bride and groom kissed, The President Cried - And Dick Cheney shot the best man with a champagne cork.
* John McCain and Barack Obama are talking about doing town halls together during the campaign. That could be the oddest tour since Daughtry’s opening act was Sanjaya.
* Hillary is still out there campaigning, insisting the race is still on. You know things are getting pathetic when even Bill is telling her, “Please come home.”
* Indy Racer Danica Patrick accidentally hit another driver’s crewmember during a practice run at Indy the other day. All together now: “Women drivers!!!”
* Playboy has announced it lost money last quarter. “In fact,” said the company, “We’re losing our shirts - our tank-tops - our panties”
* American Idol David Archuleta’s dad has been banned from all rehearsals. How obnoxious is this guy? Not even Paula can say nice things about him.
"All Comedy Radio" - www.allcomedyradio.com - A unique and diverse format service is currently on HD-2 stations 24/7 in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City, Memphis, New Orleans, Buffalo and others. For affiliate information for your HD-2 station contact: Al Perrotta at acrnews@mac.com
 

From Fred Jacobs -- Since the release of our W.T.D.A. initiative last month, we've had some great comment responses to the concept from clients, pundits, and even a broadcaster in India. Recently, we heard from Bob Bellini, a guy who has managed radio stations and also been involved in digital ventures (read more - Jacobs Media)

The official nominating ballot for the 2008 Texas Radio Hall of Fame inductees is now available to download, complete and return (visit www.trhof.com or www.texasradiohalloffame.com)

From Ken Dardis -- It didn't take long for San Diego Tribune's AmplifySD Radio (and also its SignOn Radio) to go from a trumpeted idea to " - the disastrous online radio experiment that is now winding down." To paraphrase that famous NASA saying: San Diego, we have a problem! (read more - Audio Graphics)  (read more - Don Bauder - San Diego Reader)

From Claude Hall -- Timmy Manocheo, ticds@sbcglobal.net,    has teamed up with Shadoe Stevens to issue some of Shadoe's radio programs in CD. Nice boxed sets + Vince Cosgrave, former vice president of MCA Records, sent me an item titled "20 Biggest Record Company Screw-Ups of All Time." One of these was, of course, turning down the Beatles + Bill Beason: "Just a note to let you know how much I enjoy your articles about Jimmy Rabbitt, with whom I stay in touch with these days. I remember hearing him first on KCBQ in '68 while stationed at Camp Pendleton. When I got back from 'Nam, he was in LA where I heard him before I was discharged. Shortly thereafter, I start my long radio career. And I owe it all to the Rabbitt. I still listen to him on KAFM.com & JJRadio.com. Plus, his 'Rabbitt Report' has become a part of my weekly 'must read' list. (read more - www.ClaudeHallOnline.com)

From Jonathan Martin -- Even as the Internet supersedes radio, Limbaugh’s skills as a political provocateur, as much P.T. Barnum as conservative ideologue, are such that he can fuel buzz in the political-media world like few others. In other words, Operation Chaos was good box office, and that may well have been the point - “There’s a lot of self-referential business in the talk show game,” said Tom Rosenstiel of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. “These guys aren’t covering the news - they’re a personality interacting with the news. And they like to be in their own story.” Citing the ongoing spat between Keith Olbermann and Bill O’Reilly, Rosenstiel notes that feuding and setting up a nemesis, whether it be a rival figure or the media in general, is a boon for ratings. “They have to be provocative to generate listenership,” he said (read more - Politico)

From Mark Ramsey -- Because our ratings are a function not only of how large our audiences are but of how much time each listener spends with us, we have ratings winners with small audiences who listen more and large audiences who listen less. The ratings losers are, more often than not, the stations that want the most of both. The toughest strategy is the one that wants it all: Big audience and heavy listening (read more - Hear 2.0)

From Art Vuolo -- Death is one of things that I don't do well with, and the last 50 days have been unkind to the radio business. Things started to "go south" literally when legendary DJ Jack Armstrong died unexpectedly of a heart attack in North Carolina + Remember Chuck Swirsky? He was the unique voice in the WJR sports department back about a dozen years ago + Those friends who have checked out the Internet station of one-time Detroit DJ Rich "Brother" Robbin at W4 in the early 70's, have flipped out over the variety of oldies he features 24/7 at www.richbroradio.com  (read more - MichiGuide)

StudioNow www.studionow.com announced a partnership with Clear Channel Radio to create engaging video and display advertising that allows online listeners to connect with local merchants in communities across the U.S. (read more)

From Blaine Thompson -- Former Summit City Radio Group president/CEO Kristine Foate will become the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce president and CEO on May 15. Before Fort Wayne, she worked in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois (VP/GM at Illini Radio Group), Las Vegas, Nevada (VP/GM at KTNV-TV), and Milwaukee, Wisconsin (GM/WKTI-FM)  (read more - Indiana Radio Watch)

From Sergio Solache -- David Páramo doesn't just dole out advice on his radio show, Don't Throw Away Your Money. He calls up banks, puts their executives on the spot and works out payment plans right on the air. Only two months after it debuted, the show has won a devoted following in a country that is just becoming accustomed to credit again after a 1994 financial collapse (read more - Arizona Republic)

From Tommy Kramer -- “Hi, I really like your show.” “You’re doing a great job today.” “You’re the best, man. I listen to you every day.” “Great show, man.” Every Air Talent gets a kick out of hearing a positive comment from a caller.  But I don’t. These “pat you on the back” calls might boost your ego to hear, but putting them on the air can get to be really phony sounding (read more - www.TommyKramer.net)

From Paul Donovan -- The better-known Academy Awards come from Hollywood, but the radio Oscars always come from Mayfair. This year’s Sony Radio Academy Awards, to give them their proper title, will be presented Monday night in Park Lane. Both events are black-tie galas with plenty of paparazzi and the results are not known in advance, but there the similarities end (read more - The Times U.K.)

From Tim Cuprisin -- With HBO's recent airing of "John Adams," the timing is perfect for the DVD release of one of public TV's landmark miniseries, "The Adams Chronicles." Produced during the bicentennial and aired in 1976, it was last broadcast in the '80s. It had been one of those lost TV gems (read more - Milwaukee JS)

Rick Kaempfer's "Chicago Radio Spotlight" profiles and interviews Ron Britain -- "I flew up to Chicago and met with the folks at WCFL. I thought, you know what? This is a great radio town. Maybe this is where I should go. Ken Draper, the guy who hired me, and Jim Runyan drove me into the city. All these lights were lit along Michigan Avenue, and they told me that they decorated the city just for me. I took the job, but I was scared to death. I had never worked at a place that had so much talent. It was just unbelievable" (read more - Chicago Radio Spotlight)