Tag: "WGOW-FM"

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

NAB Crystal Award Winners Named; Dave Ramsey Inducted into NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.  At the NAB Show Radio Luncheon on Monday, nationally syndicated talk show host Dave Ramsey was inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.  Ramsey’s induction was part of the program that included the announcement of the winners of the 2013 NAB Crystal Awards.  Spoken-word stations that claimed the honor included Hubbard Broadcasting’s WTOP, Washington and Bonneville International’s KIRO-FM, Salt Lake City.  Here is the list of winners:  KIRO-FM, Seattle; WKDZ-FM, Cadiz, Kentucky; KSFI-FM, Salt Lake City; WPEG-FM, Charlotte; KUZZ-FM, Bakersfield; WQHT-FM, New York; WCVQ-FM, Clarksville, Tennessee; WTOP-FM Washington; WHUR-FM, Washington; and WYCT-FM, Pensacola.  Since 1987, the NAB Crystal Radio Awards have recognized radio stations for their outstanding year-round commitment to community service.  The 2013 NAB Crystal Radio Award recipients listed above were chosen from among 50 finalists honored at yesterday’s NAB Show Radio Luncheon. The NAB Show Radio Luncheon also featured a presentation of the NAB Crystal Heritage Award to KNOM-AM/FM, Nome, Alaska.  The Crystal Heritage Award honors those stations that have won a total of five Crystal Radio Awards.  Entertainer, musician, author and broadcast personality John Tesh provided a keynote address.  The luncheon was sponsored by ASCAP.

2013 NAB Show: “It doesn’t feel like 2009.”  Radio consultant Holland Cooke reports from the NAB Show in Las Vegas:  Cue tympani roll for the official attendance count: 92,414, up from 91,565 in 2012.  Notable: Exhibit space is up 10% over last year, and exhibitors I’m speaking with say that stations are here shopping, not just window shopping.  That tracks my conversations with station people here, who came with shopping lists.  The vibe is upbeat generally, despite some cold water thrown on radio:

“Right now, whether FM is on the phone is a very small issue for our customers and it’s not going to be a priority until I hear that’s what consumers want.” That’s from Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam being interviewed by NAB President Gordon Smith indicating that his company isn’t ready to make the kind of deal Sprint has agreed to: FM receiver chips in wireless phones, in exchange for radio spot inventory.  McAdam is unconvinced that his target prospects think radio when they think music: “It looks to me as if the trend is among younger folks customizing the station or getting the playlist they want [from streaming sources].  They will be the ones consuming this stuff and we have to be responsive to what they want.”  They’re also consuming billable data time, which is, after all, what wireless carriers sell; whereas listening to over-the-air radio via a receiver chip would stop the clock.  Recent blizzards and other incidents have demonstrated wireless networks’ limitations, and AM/FM radio’s value as first informer.  Nowhere was that more obvious than in Hurricane Sandy’s path, and New Jersey Broadcasters Association president Paul Rotella is gung-ho for the Sprint deal.  I asked him about some broadcasters’ concern that spot inventory Sprint would turn over to a rep firm could end up competing with member stations’ own sales efforts, and Rotella agreed that’s a key deal point.

Programming Changes at Entercom’s Sports KCSP, Kansas City.  Entercom’s “610 Sports Radio” moves Danny Parkins and Carrington Harrison from middays to the PM drive slot for a new show called “The Drive with Danny Parkins” that features Harrison and former Kansas City Chief Jayice Pearson.  At the same time, the station brings Henry Lake aboard to host the midday program alongside Jay Binkley for “The Dayshift with Lake and Bink.”  Lake comes to the station from Clear Channel’s “KFAN” in Minneapolis where he’s been working since 1998.  There he hosted “Sludge and Lake,” and more recently “The Lake Show.”  He also hosted postgame call-in shows following Minnesota Vikings, and University of Minnesota football games.  KCSP program director John Hanson states, “Minneapolis was sad to lose him and we’re glad to get him.  He’s earned the respect of his listeners and colleagues alike.  ‘610 Sports Radio’ is the most-listened-to sports station in Kansas City, and we know Henry’s experience, sports knowledge and energetic personality will help solidify that position.”  Regarding the move of Parkins and company to afternoons Hanson states, “Listeners have been asking for this move.  Danny and Carrington have built a great chemistry over the past year, so this move is a great one for us.  And to add the player perspective and unique life experience Jayice provides, it will offer a great dynamic to the show.”

Odds & Sods.  It’s been a busy week for WHO, Des Moines PM drive talk host Simon Conway.  The London, England native was an in-demand guest this week commenting on the passing of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.  He appeared on radio shows in Texas, Florida, Arkansas and others as well as with Premiere Networks’ “America Now with Andy Dean” – a program on which he regularly fills in.  On Friday of this week, Conway will fill in on the AM drive show on Clear Channel’s WFLF, Orlando “News Talk WFLA.”…..As CNN continues to re-tool under the guidance of CNN Worldwide chief Jeff Zucker, Deadline.com reports that in addition to bringing back the old “Crossfire” political debate program, the cable news/talk channel is planning to air a 10-week interview program this summer hosted by CBC personality George Stroumboulopoulis.  The show would be taped in Los Angeles before a live audience…..Boston Sports Media Watch’s Bruce Allen is reporting that the Boston Red Sox Radio Network – based at Entercom’s WEEI – is losing studio host and fill-in announcer John Rish who resigned his position and will leave by April 24.  Rish is a fill-in play-by-play voice when Dave O’Brien is away on his ESPN duties.  Rish has been with the network since 2006 and in 2008, he was appointed as the third announcer in the booth to fill in for either O’Brien or Joe Castiglione…..This Saturday, April 13, WYD Media nationally syndicated talk host Stephanie Miller brings her Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour to Chicago for a stop at the historic Chicago Theatre!   As usual, Miller is joined on the tour by comics and radio show cast members John Fugelsang and Hal Sparks.

WGOW-FM, Chattanooga’s Wally Witkowski Passes Away.  The man known on the radio as “Wally Witkowski,” whose real name was Tom Bolden, died in Nashville at the age of 59 after a battle with cancer.  Bolden, who co-hosted “The Village Idiots” with partner Jim Reynolds on WGOW-FM, Chattanooga for years, had suffered with a variety of illnesses over the years but was working as recently as several weeks ago.  According to WRCB-TV, Chattanooga, Bolden was long active in local advertising sales and promotional businesses and became “Wally” in the early 1990s doing traffic reports for the radio station each morning.  WRCB-TV reports that Bolden partnered with Reynolds some 20 years ago and the chemistry between the two was apparent from the beginning.

Talk Show Host is Huge Fan of the Comrex Access.  Technology has changed every part of our lives and that is especially true for those in the arts, particularly broadcasting.  What it used to take a truck to do, now takes less than a briefcase and cost 1/100th the original price.  Radio today is changing; no longer is it just terrestrial, it’s the stream, it’s the podcast, Twitter, YouTube, it’s moving at the speed of sound. But, as one talk personality points out in a post today, many hosts are not.  They are stuck in their studios doing the same type of radio that worked 20 or more years ago.  According to Charles “Karel” Bouley, host of “The Karel Show” (KGO, San Francisco; GCN and CRN), hosts need to be out interacting with the community.  They need to be at events, not just covering them.  They need to be creating events, not just advertising them.  They need to show up at unexpected places and do unexpected things. They need to be entertaining and relevant, and that means they need to get out of the studio.  Karel states, “The Comrex Access unit makes that possible in ways never before imagined.”  To read his entire article, click here.

New Affiliates for the Leslie Marshall Show.  WYM Media Management’s Leslie Marshall show adds some new affiliates to the nationally syndicated talk show.  Beginning April 22, KMA Broadcasting’s KMA-AM/FM, Shenandoah, Iowa starts carrying the program live 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.  Also, Saga Communications’ WHMP, Northampton and WHMQ, Greenfield – both in Massachusetts add the show to their schedules beginning April 15.

North Korea Missile Threat, Gun Legislation Proposals, Washington Budget Battle, Brad Paisley ‘Racist’ Song Flap, Obama White House Concert, and Hillary Clinton in 2016 Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (4/9).  The ongoing threats by North Korea to launch a long-range missile at the United States; the battle over new gun legislation; the Washington tug-of-war over the nation’s budget and the deficit; controversy over country singer Brad Paisley’s song “Accidental Racist”; the recent White House soul concert; and chatter about Hillary Clinton’s possible run for president in 2016 were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.

Cuttin’ the Cake with Corporate.  Staffers from the Beasley Broadcast Group Las Vegas and the company’s corporate execs show off a tasty looking sheet cake bestowed upon them as the big bosses saw fit to throw a little soiree for the Las Vegas staff to recognize them for the good job they’ve been doing lately.  Vice president of corporate communications Denyse Mesnik tells TALKERS, “We all agree that this is what makes Beasley so special!”  Pictured here (from l-r) are: Bruce Beasley, news/talk KDWN program director John Shaffer, Mesnik, VP digital Kathleen Bricketto, Brian Beasley, rhythmic oldies KOAS and classic hits KVGS program director John Candelaria, VP digital production Kimberly Sonneborn, vice president and market manager Tom Humm, and country KCYE program director Justin Chase.