Tag: "105.3 The Fan"

Monday, May 13, 2013

Mike Huckabee Sounds Positive About Radio to Newsmax.  After appearing to sound less than eager to continue his talk radio career in a piece published in Arkansas Business last week, Cumulus Media Networks talk host (and former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate) Mike Huckabee tells Newsmax he’s hoping to continue his daily talk show.  “I’m hoping that we’re going to continue right on.  That’s my plan and my hope and so there’s nothing to report other than I’ll be on the air today and next week and, as far as I know, for the long term to come.  I’ve enjoyed it.  It’s been a terrific outlet for me.”  In last week’s piece, Huckabee sounded as though he was considering the cost and benefit of his daily radio show when he told Arkansas Business, “Within the next month, I’ll decide if I want to continue it or not.  I’ve got to always weigh how much time I’m putting in it and what the return is.  How long it will take to make it what I call hopefully, disgustingly, profitable.  That’s what one always hopes for in a deal like this.”

Catching Up with Laura Ingraham.  A dozen years have elapsed (April 2001) since Westwood One filled its 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm ET slot with a then-36-year-old, meteoric-rising, dynamo.  Association with the Norm Pattiz-founded syndication powerhouse would last more than two years before the conservative-slanted talk talent segued to 9:00 am – 12:00 noon duties for Talk Radio Network in September 2003 where her star continued to rise to national prominence for the next decade during which time she ascended to the position of the most listened-to female political radio talk show host in the country.  As of the first of this year though, five-time author and TALKERS magazine “Woman of the Year” recipient  Laura Ingraham has reunited with Pattiz, as the illustrious broadcaster, 2009 Radio Hall of Fame inductee, and iconic Los Angeles Lakers fan is distributing Ingraham’s daily talk program through his recently minted Courtside Entertainment Group.  ”I was off the air for six weeks and I needed to build back my station base,” Ingraham recounts.  ”We are doing a pretty good job of that thus far.  It has been fun, and we have a great team spirit.  I treasure that and think we are onto something quite special.  Norm and I have known each other since I started in radio, so we have come full-circle and are good friends.  After all these years, it is exciting that he and I have started this new venture together.”  Multi-media talker Laura Ingraham is not only one of the most successful talk show hosts in America, she is an extremely interesting human being.  Read about this attorney’s, cancer survivor’s, and single adoptive mom’s colorful past, transitional present and bright future in an in-depth profile by TALKERS managing editor/West Coast bureau chief Mike Kinosian posted today (5/13) by clicking here.

Ben and Skin Take Over PM Drive on “105.3 The Fan” in Dallas.  As many in the Dallas market had predicted when Greg Williams and Richie Whitt were let go from the afternoon drive show on CBS Radio’s KRLD-FM “105.3 The Fan” a month ago, it’ll be Ben Rogers and Jeff “Skin” Wade – Ben and Skin – hosting the 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm shift at the sports talker beginning this afternoon.  CBS Radio Dallas vice president of news/talk/sports Gavin Spittle says, “We are really excited to bring the energy and excitement of the Ben and Skin Show to our listeners.  They are a perfect fit for our lineup and are well known in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, having spent their whole lives here cheering on and suffering alongside fellow sports fans.”  Ben and Skin were most recently heard in the Dallas market on ESPN O&O KESN-FM.  They exited that station earlier this year after failing to come to terms on a new contract with KESN-FM.

Michael Harrison Tapped to Keynote 38th Annual Conclave Learning Conference.  ”Radio in the Digital Age: Where Does Talent Fit In?”  In what will be a comprehensive-yet-fast-paced overview of the state of broadcast radio and its integration into the digital media world of the 21^st century, Talkers publisher Michael Harrison approaches these issues of this new environment from the perspective of the changing role of talent in a keynote address that will take place during Conclave Learning Conference 38 on Thursday, July 18 at 9:00 am.  Conclave executive director Bob Shannon says of Harrison, “A visionary, an inventor, a trailblazer, and a writer of powerful words and ideas.  Michael is all of these things and more, and the Conclave is very lucky to have him on our teaching faculty this year.”  Upon being named keynote speaker at this year’s Conclave Michael Harrison states, “It is an honor to be involved with such a positive organization and participate in its mission to educate and inspire the upcoming generation of radio broadcasters.  I can’t think of a better use of all these years of experience that I have been blessed with attaining in such a wonderful industry.”  Harrison’s presentation is of importance to both radio personalities and management alike and will examine and offer solutions for what he describes as:  1) The number one problem threatening the survival of FM/AM radio, as we’ve known it – DEBT – along with several other existential threats facing the medium. These include generational/cultural shifts, exotic new media competition, audience measurement shortcomings, and emerging obstacles impairing commercial placement and presentation; 2) The increasing importance of intellectual property as a bargaining chip in talent/management relationships and negotiations. “Who owns what?” will be a key question and consideration in all radio business relationships including those between employees and employers; 3) Talent as entrepreneur.  The new media offers today’s talent the opportunity to go into business for themselves on a level never enjoyed by their predecessors of the age gone by; and 4) The human element.  Harrison provides an uplifting and inspirational case for radio’s greatest asset – human-to-human communication – as its most vital tool in maintaining a purpose for the medium to continue to play an important role in society and continue to be needed as a cultural institution for many years to come.  Michael Harrison is the editor and publisher of two of the radio industry’s leading trade publications, TALKERS and RadioInfo.  Mr. Harrison founded Talkers in 1990 and today manages its many divisions and services which include its website, its annual conventions, its regional conferences, and its positive social initiatives.  In late 2012, Mr. Harrison assumed the duties of publisher of the major broadcasting trade journal, RadioInfo, which serves a wide spectrum of popular music formats.  Among the initiatives being promoted in the revamped publication are a call for radio stations to “reclaim ownership” of the music culture by restoring and nurturing the DJ to prominence as well as the development of music charts that are “specifically targeted to the interests and needs of radio listeners and presentations.”  He is an influential pioneer in the radio trade publishing field having served as the first managing editor of Radio & Records during its formative years and radio columnist/record chart consultant for Billboard in the early 1980s.   A graduate of Hofstra University where he currently sits on its Department of Communications Advisory Board, Michael Harrison’s background in radio broadcasting and trade journalism is extensive.  In a career dating back to 1967, he has served as an on-air program director of such heritage stations as WLIR-FM, Long Island; KPRI-FM, San Diego; KMET-FM, Los Angeles and WZLX-FM, Boston. He was an owner/operator of WSPR in Springfield, Massachusetts.  He has been an air personality on a range of stations including the legendary WNEW-FM in New York as well as WCBS-FM and WPIX-FM in the Big Apple, plus, WTIC, Hartford, WWRC, Washington, DC and others.  He has hosted and produced hundreds of hours of syndicated radio series and specials for most of the leading networks and syndicators.  Conclave Learning Conference 38 takes place in Minneapolis July 17-19, 2013. For more information on the Learning Conference and Conclave educational programs, visit http://www.theconclave.com. Also found on the Conclave website is hotel room reservation information for the Doubletree Park Place Hotel.  The Conclave, a 38-year-old 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation offers year-round learning to the industry including webinars, a Speaker’s Bureau, and the annual national media summit Summer Learning Conference.  Since 1979, The Conclave has provided over $1 million in media scholarships.

Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio Claims 30 Million-plus Registered Users.  The digital audio platform iHeartRadio developed by Clear Channel Media and Entertainment has surpassed the 30 million registered users mark, according to the company.  CC states that iHeartRadio has achieved this in less than two years since its launch.  Further, since iHeartRadio listeners are not required to create an account to stream broadcast radio stations, the number of registered users reflects only a small snapshot of the service’s overall reach, particularly given the175 million downloads of the iHeartRadio mobile app and more than 60 million monthly uniques across its digital network.  Clear Channel president of digital Brian Lakamp states, “iHeartRadio sets the standard for how radio continues to fit into people’s everyday lives.  This latest milestone is another clear indication how our full-featured iHeartRadio experience resonates with tens of millions of people — with more coming every day.  Being able to draw on Clear Channel’s unparalleled range of resources allows us to continually innovate and improve on the user experience, while giving listeners access to both live radio and custom stations.  When you combine this with the strong promotional power of Clear Channel’s broadcast properties across the nation, iHeartRadio is well-positioned to continue or even surpass our current adoption rate.”

Have You Hugged a Lawyer Today?  Radio consultant Holland Cooke asks this metaphorical question because if you haven’t, you may be missing out on a great sales – and programming — opportunity.  He suggests you consider a targeted approach to pitching attorneys to advertise on your talk radio station, in this case, a female lawyer who specializes in family law (a.k.a. divorce).  He even provides some pretty compelling copy in this piece.  But it shouldn’t stop there, as Cooke says, “Admittedly, divorce is the legal category’s low-hanging fruit.  It’s the back end of ‘The Wedding Industrial Complex,’ fueled by human nature and recession resistant.  But there’s plenty else lawyers do that radio sells quite well, and radio has lots more to offer ‘em than :60s.”  Find out more, read Holland Cooke’s piece here.

WTOP, Washington’s Websites Get Clean Bill of Health.  The websites of Hubbard Radio’s WTOP and WFED in Washington were the victims of cyber attacks that left some users of Internet Explorer vulnerable.  Hubbard reports that as of Saturday, May 11, the sites were deemed safe for users no matter which browser they use.  Hubbard Washington SVP and general manager Joel Oxley states, “Getting the websites back up and running safely for all users has been our top priority.  We take our users’ privacy very seriously, and we have taken steps to prevent similar occurrences.  We apologize to our user community for any inconvenience that this incident has caused.”  The company says that when the attacks were discovered, an investigation was launched immediately, the malicious code was removed, additional security measures were installed, and federal law enforcement officials were notified of the incident.  Hubbard is recommending that users of their sites run security scans on their computers.

Compass Media Networks Announces College Football Schedule.  The 2013 college football broadcast schedule for Compass Media Networks is being announced and the 17-game schedule kicks off on August 31 with Georgia at Clemson and ends with the Big Ten Championship game on December 7.  Compass notes that all of the games lined up this season include top-ranked teams from the ACC, BIG TEN, SEC and PAC-12.  Other big match-ups on the schedule include Alabama at Texas A&M (9/14), Oregon at Stanford (11/7), and LSU at Alabama (11/9).

Lew Dickey Talks Limbaugh on Bloomberg TV.  Cumulus Media CEO Lew Dickey went on Bloomberg TV on May 9 and he spoke – although not in detail about the ratings and sales numbers at his news/talk stations that carry the Rush Limbaugh program – but about the general effect Limbaugh’s Sandra Fluke comments had on his stations.  About the loss, he told Bloomberg’s Betty Lu, “It was in the millions of dollars and what we said was our news/talk segment…represents about 10% of our business and it’s indisputable that it took a hit because of those events.  We’ve moved on, we’re growing again.”  Speaking to charges that Limbaugh says Dickey is still blaming him for news/talk problems at Cumulus stations and he might take his program elsewhere when the contract is up, Dickey says, “Sometimes contract negotiations get handled in public, we prefer not to do that…we have the premier talk distribution platform in the business and if you want to be on a big stage in this game, you need to be on our stations in the largest markets.  They’re the biggest signals, the heritage brands and everybody knows that.”  In what might have been a move to downplay the importance of Limbaugh’s midday show to his stations, Dickey stated that half their revenue comes from morning drive.  Lu asked Dickey if he thinks conservative talk hosts are not as big as they used to be and he answered, “I think everything has to evolve…we have to make sure these radio stations do a wonderful job of reflecting the local communities in which they compete and that’s what we’re focused on.”