Tag: "ESPN DEPORTES"
Friday, July 1, 2016
TALKERS 2016: Bridging the Generations – WFAN, New York Sports Talk Star Mike Francesa Video Now Posted for Viewing. A Livestream video recording of WFAN, New York sports talk personality Mike Francesa delivering the morning keynote address at the recent Talkers 2016: Bridging the Generations convention is now posted and available for viewing (7/1). Francesa spoke at the event on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY at the 19th annual installment of the talk media industry’s longest-running and most important convention. He discusses the state of the radio business from the perspective of talent including podcasting and a variety of other aspects of the digital era. If you didn’t catch it live the first time around, this video is certainly not to be missed. To view it and the other videos from the convention now being posted, please click here.
Hip-Hop & R&B “Bounces” to Detroit. The mystery regarding what would succeed sports on Greater Media Detroit’s WMGC has been answered: It’s “105.1 The Bounce – Detroit’s Throwback Hip Hop and R&B.” Representative artists will span from 2Pac and Ice Cube to Drake and Rihanna. Vice president and market manager Steve Chessare states, “Greater Media is thrilled to unveil this fun and unique new format in the Motor City. We look forward to providing a fun, fresh new sound featuring some of the best throwback hip hop and R&B sounds over the past for our listeners to enjoy.” Greater Media senior vice president of program development Buzz Knight adds, “We are thrilled that our great Detroit cluster is adding a new brand for our audience and our customers.” Detroit’s “Bounce” was introduced today (Friday, 7/1) at 12:00 noon and is playing 10,000 songs in a row; its on-air line-up will be announced soon. News of an impending WMGC format transition was made earlier this week. In the past six Nielsen Audio PPM ratings sweeps, the sports station failed to rise above a one-share (6+). Its .9 in May places it at #23, while CBS Radio‘s WXYT-FM “The Ticket” not only notches a 7.3 (6+), it reigns at #1.
Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Taps O’Reilly President/CEO. The appointment of Terry O’Reilly as president/chief executive officer follows the recent consolidation of talk WESA and triple A WYEP into a single public media entity. Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation board
president
Harris Jones comments, “We are excited that Terry will lead the team we have built. His experience and expertise will help accelerate our efforts to deliver high-quality global, national and local music, news, information and cultural programming that is engaging, relevant and inspiring. His diverse background also serves us well as we extend our strong broadcast brands across digital media and other emerging platforms.” O’Reilly states, “It is an honor to join WYEP and WESA, the two leading public radio stations in my hometown of Pittsburgh. The media industry is at a critical inflection point and public radio is well-positioned to thrive by focusing on what it does best – allowing each of us the opportunity to hear, listen, learn, and participate. Pittsburgh’s public radio stations remain remarkably strong, with growing audiences, in this changing media environment.” For the past seven years, O’Reilly – who begins his new duties in just over four weeks (8/1) – was senior vice president and chief content officer for Twin Cities PBS. Prior to that, he spent approximately 30 years in the commercial television industry. Over the last six Nielsen Audio PPM ratings periods, WESA (1.9, #12, 6+) has registered a 1.9 four times and a 2.0 the other two; WYEP (#13, 6+) notches a 1.3 for the third time in the last six sweeps. The market’s 6+ market leader is iHeartMedia classic hits-oldies outlet WWSW (10.2, 6+).
PPM Analysis: All-News. Based on PPM data from Nielsen Audio’s May 2016 survey period, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents a look at the performances of all-news stations to see how the 2016 presidential race has influenced their ratings. There is a bit of a similarity between the month-to-month and year-to-year comparisons, in that, 63% of the sample in our overview was down April 2016 – May – 2016 (6+) and 58% of our all-news panel experienced May 2015 – May 2016 6+- erosion. The typical all-news station in May 2016 has a 6+-share of 4.21 and finishes tenth in its respective market (#10.15). See Mike’s entire report here.
Tobin Joins New York Times. WBUR, Boston senior producer Lisa Tobin departs the Boston University-owned public outlet to join the expanded audio content division of The New York Times as an executive producer. Stated in a memo announcing Tobin’s arrival was mention that “Modern Love,” the first podcast “to briefly displace ‘Serial’ at the top of the charts, was Tobin’s idea.” The memo further states Tobin has “launched feature shows, like the literary advice podcast ‘Dear Sugar Radio,’ based on the cult-favorite advice column. She has developed newsy shows, including a daily podcast produced in partnership with The Boston Globe during the trial of [Boston Marathon bomber] Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and she has incorporated audio into giant multimedia projects.” Once Tobin has settled in, she and editorial director Samantha Henig plan to solicit podcast ideas from their NYT colleagues.
Odds & Sods. There is a rolodex alert for ABC News Radio, which relocates from 125 West End Avenue (New York) to ABC News headquarters at 47 West 66th Street (New York, NY 10023). Remaining at the West End Avenue address though are sports outlet WEPN-FM “ESPN New York” and Spanish sports WEPN-AM “ESPN Deportes 1050” ….. Two
weeks from tomorrow (Saturday, 7/16) is the first-ever WCMC “The Fan,” Raleigh “Beer Academy.” The event of the Capitol Broadcasting sports outlet benefits the Me Fine Foundation and will be held at Bull Durham Beer Company inside the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Joe Ovies of “The Fan” and executive brew master Sebastian Wolfum will teach listeners how to make their favorite beverage and educate them on North Carolina beers. There will be two 90-minutes sessions, one starting at 1:00 pm and the other at 3:30 pm ….. As part of a multi-year exclusivity pact between Salem Media Group Twin Cities’ KYCR “Business 1440” and North Dakota State University, all regular season games and any post-season contests of the five-time defending champion Bison football team will be available in Minneapolis-Saint Paul on KYCR. Salem Media Group Twin Cities general manager Nic Anderson remarks, “Bison football is serious business, and ‘Business 1440’ is the serious voice of Twin Cities business news and financial information. It is a winning combination.” The first game of the 2016 NDSU Bison football season is (Saturday) August 27 at 6:30 pm.
‘Brexit’ Aftermath Top News/Talk Story of the Week. The aftermath of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union was the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio this week, landing atop the Talkers TenTM. Following at #2 was the U.S. presidential race. Coming in at #3 was the GOP’s Benghazi report tied with the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server and, at #4, was the Istanbul terror attack. The Talkers TenTM is a weekly chart of the top stories and people discussed on news/talk radio during the week and is the result of ongoing research from TALKERS magazine. It is published every Friday at Talkers.com. View this week’s entire chart here.
Trio Added to New York Public Radio Board. Joining the board of trustees of New York Public Radio are author-Roots drummer-“The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” regular Questlove; investor David Tisch; and entertainment attorney Marc Chamlin. Board chair Cynthia King Vance comments, “Questlove, David, and Marc each bring a deep understanding of the value and potential of public radio, and a commitment to working with our highly engaged board to advance our mission and help us reach our digital, content, and audience development goals. Their appointment broadens the base of expertise on the board; we are thrilled to have them.” Chamlin chairs the television group at Loeb and Loeb. Tisch is managing partner of New York City-based angel capital firm BoxGroup. Meanwhile, 30+-year board member Billie Tisch has been elected to its honorary board.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Eyes (and Ears!) on News/Talk Radio as Recent Ratings Trends Spur Criticism. As the September PPM data continues to roll out, industry watchers and mainstream media writers and analysts are scrutinizing talk radio’s numbers – as well as its programming. Citing a perceived slow-but-steady decline in ratings for the news/talk format in general, critics are wondering if the political “right-versus-left” programming philosophy has become tiresome to all but the staunchest news/talk radio fans and is resulting in the generally lower numbers in Nielsen Audio’s PPM and diary ratings. Some high-profile cases have been cited, including KFI, Los Angeles’
decline in 6+ PPM ratings over the past year from being one of the country’s best-performing news/talk stations in one of America’s most vibrant markets. Just today (10/2), Chicago media writer Robert Feder writes about the state of Cumulus Media’s WLS, Chicago and its declining place in the
ratings race. The reasons for the states of these stations are open to analysis – including, but not limited to, the possibility that Nielsen Audio’s PPM methodology is less than perfect – and could easily vary from market to market. When talking ratings, what are usually not included in the recent criticism of news/talk as a format are: the #1 showing for Cox Media’s WSB-AM, Atlanta (which carries the oft-maligned Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity);
Cumulus’ WMAL, Washington’s rise in the September PPM; CBS Radio’s high-flying KMOX, St. Louis; Bonneville’s steady-performing KIRO-FM, Seattle; Cox’s WOKV, Jacksonville; and the two Milwaukee news/talk outlets that have
consistently performed as two of the top six stations over the last year – Clear Channel’s WISN and Journal’s WTMJ. Constant awareness and analysis of the sound and perception of one’s stations are the hallmarks of good operators and effective programmers should care about how the format is perceived. But discovering what’s “wrong” with a format or a station is not easy and not always possible given the limited information available. In the words of TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, “The first people out there ready to proclaim news/talk radio as being dead are usually people who see the world primarily through a political lens who disagree with the ideology of the hosts they dislike. Political news/talk radio is cyclical and will always come back from the brink when there’s inevitably a new chapter in contemporary issues. Regardless, the good thing that hopefully will come out of this ratings down-tick will be some of the major operators giving consideration to different forms of talk and even news/talk that are just being ignored. There are so many potential ways of doing ‘talk radio’ it is crazy for so many stations to bunch up around one predominant style. Everyone should spread out and claim and develop new territory on the spectrum of possibilities.” This topic will be one of those addressed at the Talkers Los Angeles 2013 conference taking place next Thursday, October 10 at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood.
Nielsen Begins Synergies; Sean Creamer and Debra Delman to Exit Ratings Giant. Nielsen responded quickly to TALKERS last week after we reported that the “$20 million in
synergies” the company hopes to realize with the acquisition of the former Arbitron would cost jobs. The company stated it had “no plans to reduce headcount at this time.” Perhaps that applies to the rank and file and not the executive strata because it’s now being reported that former Arbitron CEO Sean Creamer and CFO Debra Delman will leave Nielsen at the end of the year. Though Nielsen has not released a statement about the changes, it’s expected that other executives may also be headed for the door. Both Creamer, Delman and most of the other high-level execs who might follow the two have clauses in their contracts that will give them very nice golden parachutes. Creamer could realize almost $7 million in total compensation and Delman’s take is just shy of $2 million.
ESPN Deportes Radio Extends NFL Deal. Sports giant ESPN reports that its ESPN Deportes Radio unit has reached a new multi-year agreement for media rights to the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 National Football League seasons. Under the agreement, the network will have exclusive Spanish-language rights to Monday Night Football, the 2013-2014 National Football Conference Playoffs, the 2014 Super Bowl, 2015 Pro Bowl and the 2014-2015 American Football Conference Playoffs. ESPN Deportes Radio general manager Oscar Ramos says, “We’re incredibly excited to add NFL to our diverse roster of programming. U.S. Hispanics are becoming avid NFL fans and this new deal allows us to deliver the content they want in the language they prefer.”
MEDIA BROKER SPOTLIGHT: Diane Warren and Jean Robinson – MMTC Media Brokers (run by Bounceology). In this week’s installment of Media Broker Spotlight, Sandi Bergman of RadioTVDeals.com interviews media brokers Diane Warren and Jean Robinson of MMTC Media Brokers (run by Bounceology) located in San Antonio, Texas. MMTC Media Brokers specializes in locating properties and selling them to potential minority, multicultural and women buyers. In addition to telling their fascinating story, they share several outstanding opportunities that they have among their listings that would be of interest to first-time buyers. To read the entire installment of Media Broker Spotlight, please click here.
CNBC’s Jim Cramer Featured on SiriusXM ‘Town Hall.’ CNBC “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer (left) recently took part in SiriusXM’s “Town Hall” series for a Q&A with SiriusXM personality Pete Dominick (right). The program will be aired on Friday, October 4 on its Indie channel. The conversation – which took place before an audience of SiriusXM listeners – covered financial markets, fiscal trends, the economic state of the nation, and the story of Cramer’s personal road from hedge fund manager to popular CNBC host. Dominick is a stand-up comedian who has opened up for Cramer on his “Mad Money Back to School Tour.”
Two Weeks in a Kennel Reaps Rewards for KIDO’s Kevin Miller. KIDO, Boise morning drive host Kevin Miller (right) is pictured here with ASPCA senior director Tami McReynolds (left) and Canyon County Animal Shelter director Barb Hutchinson (center) showing off the check for $35,000 the CCAS received after Miller helped get more than 300 animals adopted. To achieve that and win the $35,000 prize, Miller spent two weeks living in a makeshift kennel from which he broadcast his morning program. The contest is national in scope and – with Miller’s help – the CCAS is the only shelter to win the prize twice.
Government Shutdown, ObamaCare Enrollment Begins, Scrapped Hillary Clinton Programs, U.S.-Iran Relations, and Financial Markets Activity Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (10/1). The battle between the GOP and the Obama Administration and the government shutdown; the enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act begins; two television projects on the life of Hillary Clinton are scrapped; possible diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S. and the former’s nuclear program; and the effects of the government shutdown on the U.S. financial markets were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
Tuesday, October 1, 2012
Entercom Brings Phil Zachary to Boston as VP/Market Manager. A day after losing Jeff Brown to Cumulus Media’s Atlanta operations, Entercom announces Phil Zachary will take over as vice president and market manager effective October 21. Zachary will lead sports talk stations WEEI-FM, ESPN on WEEI-AM, rock WAAF, news/talk WRKO and The Boston Red Sox Radio Network. The company says, “This represents a homecoming of sorts for Zachary, whose first
paid radio job was as a part-time, on-air announcer at WAAF. Zachary is a 41-year radio veteran, a Connecticut native and graduate of Holy Cross in Worcester. After beginning his career in Worcester, he moved on to stints in Providence and Boston. While in Boston, Zachary served as operations manager at the old WITS 1510. There his role included direct oversight of both Red Sox and Bruins play-by-play. Zachary comes to
Entercom from Curtis Media Group in Raleigh where he was president and chief operating officer, overseeing the company’s entire slate of radio stations, networks, digital and interactive divisions and print publications. Prior to joining Curtis Media in 2002, he was VP/market manager for CBS Radio in Washington. Entercom group president Weezie Kramer says, “Phil is the right person at the right time for Entercom Boston. He is a leader and a listener. He understands the challenges we face but he also sees the tremendous opportunity we have. Phil believes in the strength of our brands, the dynamic nature of our content and the true potential of our team.” Zachary comments, “The only reason to leave a great job in radio is for one of the absolute best jobs in radio. Make no mistake – WAAF, WEEI and WRKO are not only some of the greatest call letters in Boston radio history, but some of the best brands in our industry. This amazing opportunity brings me back to my New England roots and the place I started my radio career. There are great challenges ahead, not to mention best-in-class competition, but I look forward to it and can’t wait to get started.” Management consultant Joel Hollander has been retained by Entercom to assist in the transition.
Turner Broadcasting Content to Be Available on iHeartRadio Talk. A deal between Turner Broadcasting and Clear Channel Media and Entertainment will see select audio content including news from CNN, entertainment clips from TBS‘s “CONAN” and sports programming from Bleacher Report, in its new iHeartRadio Talk feature. The content will also include segments from “Anderson Cooper 360,” “New Day,” “Piers Morgan Live,” and “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” Full episodes of “Anderson Cooper 360,” “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” “State of the Union,” and “Erin Burnett Out Front” will also be accessible via iHeartRadio Talk. Clear Channel president of digital Brian Lakamp states, “This marks yet another significant milestone for iHeartRadio Talk. We are continuing to identify and add quality partners to iHeartRadioTalk to continue to deliver our listeners even more content that is relevant and entertaining anywhere they are.”
Sean Hannity Receives GOP Statesman of the Year Award in Florida. An enthusiastic, record-breaking crowd welcomed Sean Hannity to Sarasota, Florida, this past Friday night (9/27) to witness his acceptance of the Statesman of the Year award. The event, underwritten by the Republican Party of Sarasota County, drew nearly 2,000 people to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota to hear a lineup of state notables, such as Florida Governor Rick Scott and State Attorney General Pam Bondi, laud the radio and TV talk show host and to listen to his acceptance remarks. TALKERS magazine sales expert Al Herskovitz was in attendance at the event. Hannity in his acceptance, adhered to his well-known partisan positions in line with his radio and TV point of view. However, the speech was generously laced with numerous personal
anecdotes about his family, career and upbringing and peppered with much good humor. He even poked a few light-hearted jabs at his former TV co-host, Alan Colmes, but pointed out that Alan and he remain friends. During the VIP reception, Hannity personally and individually greeted a nearly block-long line of well-wishers posing for photos, signing autographs, shaking hands and holding mini-conversations. This step took over an hour by itself. In spite of the frenzied attempts by various factions and individuals in the crowd trying to get the popular talk show host’s attention, literally pulling him in all directions, Hannity remained calm, friendly and good-humored, making it a point to speak with as many individuals in a one-on-one manner as humanly possible. Commenting on Hannity’s ability to “work a room,” TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison states, “Sean Hannity is more skilled at mingling with a large crowd and making everyone in it feel good than any radio personality I have ever witnessed. He might have a completely opposite view of politics than Bill Clinton – but he shares the former president’s supreme skills at pressing the flesh and connecting with people in person. It is because of this gift, coupled with his steadfast loyalty to the principles and listening constituency he represents, that Sean Hannity would make a magnificent candidate for national office. Obviously, I am not the only one with this opinion as evidenced by Hannity receiving so prestigious an award from the GOP.” The radio talk show industry was well-represented in the audience. Among them was Barb Yoder, the general manager of WGUL, Tampa and WLSS, Sarasota – part of the Salem Broadcasting Group in the area. Also on hand was Andi (she uses only her first name) of the morning team of Ken Walsh & Andi on News/Talk 1260, WFTW, Fort Walton Beach — a Cumulus property. The annual Statesman of the Year award has taken on growing importance. Recent recipients were former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and financier Donald Trump, who sent along video-taped wishes to Hannity.
TALKERS PROFILE: Bill Meyer of KMED, Medford, Oregon – Super Serving Local Listeners, a Blueprint for Talk Success. If you leave Portland, Oregon and head just over four hours south down Interstate 5, before you reach the California border you’ll drive right into the town of Medford. About 75 miles inland through rugged terrain from the Pacific Ocean, Medford is a small town with a population of 76,000, but is also an economic hub for Southern Oregon and a home for the state’s growing wine industry. Medford is also the home of KMED-AM (1440), a news/talk station owned by
Bicoastal Media and the oldest radio station in Medford. Its weekday lineup includes syndicated superstars Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, along with Glenn Beck and Alex Jones. However, what drives the station is their morning show, and extremely talented host Bill Meyer has not only made the morning show his own, he has been able to create a blueprint of how to package a large-market type of local show and imprint that on a small-market audience, giving the station a very sellable show, while the listeners get the interaction and local flavor they would not get with a nationally syndicated program. And, he does it all on his own – without a show producer. Read TALKERS magazine special features correspondent Jeff McKay‘s profile on Bill Meyer and KMED by clicking here.
Journal Goes Spanish Sports in Wichita. Flipping KLIO, Wichita from its true oldies format, Journal Broadcast Group moves to service the Spanish-speaking population in the market with sports talk using ESPN Deportes. Journal Wichita vice president and general manager Eric McCart says, “We are very excited to join with ESPN Deportes to broadcast live 24-hour unparalleled sports content in Spanish, including SportsCenter updates, soccer, Major League Baseball and much more. ESPN Deportes on 1070AM will deliver a passionate and relevant sports listening experience to Latino sports fans who have been underserved in our market. It will also provide a unique opportunity for local advertisers to connect with our community’s growing Hispanic population.”
Odds & Sods. Florida-based talk show host Nicole Sandler is sitting in for Gloria Neal (7:00 am to 10:00 am MT) on Clear Channel’s progressive talk KKZN, Denver today (10/1) through Friday. Sandler will also be subbing for Premiere Networks nationally syndicated host Randi Rhodes the week of October 21 -25…..ESPN Radio begins its 16th season of Major League Baseball playoff game broadcasts tonight. “Sunday Night Baseball” play-by-play voice Dan Shulman and analyst Orel Hershiser will call the National League Wild Card game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates, the National League Division Series (NLDS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, the National League Championship Series (NLCS) and the World Series. ESPN Radio’s “Sunday Night Baseball” team of Jon Sciambi and analyst Chris Singleton will describe the American League Wild Card game (Tampa Bay Rays against the Cleveland Indians), the American League Division Series (ALDS) between the AL Wild Card winner and the Boston Red Sox, and the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Additionally, Dave Flemming and analyst Rick Sutcliffe will call the NLDS between the NL Wild Card winner and St. Louis Cardinals while Michael Kay and analyst Aaron Boone will describe the ALDS between the Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers.
SCBA to Honor Radio Advertisers. The Southern California Broadcasters Association and its General Sales Managers Council will honor the Southern California Ford Dealers, AIS Insurance, In-N-Out Burger, and Cedars-Sinai with its annual Outstanding Achievement in Radio Awards on October 24 at a luncheon to be held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City. The awards are voted on by the GSM Council and represent the very best in creative radio commercials using both Southern California’s Radio and digital platforms. SCBA president Thom Callahan states, “We are thrilled by the client and agency excitement and response to attending this prestigious Radio Awards luncheon. The senior management from each client honored will be in attendance. These special clients really understand the ubiquitous reach and power of Southern California Radio and we are excited to give them the public recognition they so richly deserve.”
Beasley Broadcast Group Honors Staff with Company Operating Awards. Beasley bestowed Company Operating Awards during its annual management meetings held in Naples, Florida. The company reports it gathered corporate management and station leadership from the 11 markets in which it operates to celebrate achievements and contributions from individual employees and radio stations over the preceding 12 months. The 2013 honorees include: WXTU-FM, Philadelphia – Radio Station of the Year; Tom Humm– General Manager of the Year/Las Vegas; Robin Wood – Business Manager of the Year/Fayetteville, NC; Matt Smith – Sales Manager of the Year/WXTU-FM and WRDW-FM, Philadelphia; Shelly Easton– Program Director of the Year/WXTU-FM, Philadelphia; Charlie McCoy – Engineer of the Year/Augusta, GA; Sam Floyd– CEO Award of Excellence/ Executive Vice President. Founder, chairman and CEO George G. Beasley comments, “Each year, as we honor our company’s highest achievers, I’m reminded of the quality of professionalism within Beasley Broadcast Group. The ladies and gentleman we recognize this year have certainly earned our respect and it is my privilege to acknowledge their accomplishments and congratulate each and every one of them.” Pictured here are (from l-r): Sam Floyd; Mac Edwards (accepting for Robin Wood); president Bruce Beasley; EVP Brian Beasley; Natalie Conner (accepting for WXTU; Shelly Easton & Matt Smith); chairman & CEO George Beasley; EVP/CFO Caroline Beasley; Tom Humm; and Kent Dunn (accepting for Charlie McCoy).
Sean Hannity and Andy Dean Help WOKV, Jacksonville ‘Stand Up for America.’ Cox Media Group’s Jacksonville news/talk outlet WOKV held its annual “Stand Up for America” event at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Jacksonville over the weekend and Premiere Networks stars Sean Hannity and Andy Dean were there. The station reports that “thousands of fans gathered at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts where Hannity and Dean, along with former presidential candidate Herman Cain and veteran Washington reporter Jamie Dupree, appeared on a panel to discuss a wide range of topics, including ObamaCare, Syria, taxes, spending, dependency on foreign oil and much more.” Pictured here are (from l-r): Jamie Dupree, Sean Hannity, Herman Cain and Andy Dean.
Government Shutdown, ObamaCare, U.S.-Iran Relations, Scrapped Hillary TV Movies, and Syria Weapons Inspections Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (9/30). The eve of the shutdown of the federal government; the beginning stage of the implementation of ObamaCare; relations between the United States and Iran; two scrapped TV movies about Hillary Clinton; and the start of the inspection of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Jimmy Hayes to Retire from Cox Enterprises President and CEO Post; Executive Structure Transitions Announced. Jimmy Hayes has served as president and CEO of Cox Enterprises since 2008 but now he will retire from the company in April of 2014 and John Dyer, who becomes chief operating officer of Cox Enterprises, will succeed him when he steps down. Hayes will maintain a seat on the company’s board of
directors. In related moves, Doug Franklin, currently president of Cox Media Group, moves up to become EVP and chief financial officer of Cox Enterprises. Cox Media Group executive vice president Bill Hoffman moves up to become president of Cox Media Group. Cox Enterprises chairman Jim
Kennedy says of Hayes, “Jimmy has led an impressive career at Cox, and I consider it a privilege having worked alongside him for so many years. I thank Jimmy for his loyalty and service to Cox, and am delighted to work with him over the next 12 months to carefully and thoughtfully transition Cox’s next senior leadership team.” Kennedy also addressed Hoffman’s rise to president of Cox Media Group. “Bill is a talented senior executive who will provide strong leadership, continuity and direction at Cox Media Group. His innate understanding of the integration of broadcast, print and digital media will help ensure Cox outlets maintain their enviable rankings in a highly competitive media landscape.”
WTMA, Charleston Names John Quincy PD. Cumulus Media’s WTMA, Charleston, South Carolina — “Charleston’s Big Talker” announces John Quincy is promoted from assistant program director to program director of the station. Quincy also serves as producer of the station’s morning program “Tara on TMA” hosted by Tara Servatius. Quincy has worked in the Charleston market since 1981 and he’s been with WTMA since 2002. He says, “I’m honored to have the opportunity to helm this legendary radio station. As WTMA celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2014, I’m more passionate than ever about its news/talk format.”
Imaging Master Suggests Slowing Down Voice Presentations to Be Noticed in “Hyper-Communicated World.” Highly respected radio/TV voice-over and imaging professional Nick Michaels, author of the concept, “over-communicated world,” tells TALKERS that we are now quickly moving past it to what he describes as the “hyper-communicated world” which he says can be “a very uncomfortable place.” He says, “One of the downsides of too many messages is the inability to focus on any one thing long enough to enjoy it. The by-product of the over-communicated world is the feeling that life is moving faster, even though we are sitting still. An occasional ride on a roller coaster is fun, but living on one is a nightmare.” Michaels suggests that radio personalities and commercial producers can make their work stand out in this dizzying environment by stepping back and slowing things down by adding drama and variety to their pacing. He advises, “Media, and especially advertising and promotion, can take advantage of this by making their messages slower and lower. In audio messages, speak softly and use the power of the pause. In the over-communicated world, messages that subliminally make you feel more comfortable have an advantage over those that do not. That advantage can be the difference between your message being received or rejected.” To read a recent interview with Nick Michaels that appeared in TALKERS magazine’s sister publication for music radio, RadioInfo, click here.
Clear Channel to Return WGST-AM, Atlanta to News/Talk. The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Rodney Ho tips us that Clear Channel Media and Entertainment plans to drop the Spanish sports on WGST-AM, Atlanta and return to news/talk with a syndicated lineup of stars including Premiere Networks’ Glenn Beck, independently syndicated financial talk sensation Dave Ramsey, Talk Radio Network rising star Andrea Tantaros and “The Wall Street Journal This Morning” featuring Gordon Deal for AM drive. The rest of the schedule is not known at this time. It’s been eight months since CC dropped the news/talk – including local hosts Rob Johnson in mornings and Rusty Humphries (who did a separate program from his successful TRN syndicated show) in PM drive and opted for Spanish sports talk via ESPN Deportes.
Keith Cunningham Named Vice President of Programming at Clear Channel Seattle. Moving in from his most recent position as broadcast consultant for Jacobs Media, Keith Cunningham takes the VP of programming position and will be in charge of the programming at Clear Channel Media and Entertainment’s cluster in Seattle. Cunningham says, “The past seven years with Jacobs Media has been a wonderful experience and I feel fortunate to now have the opportunity to return to Clear Channel to work with Seattle’s great brands like ‘Kiss,’ KUBE, KJR-AM and FM and ‘The Brew.’ The Clear Channel Seattle cluster is well positioned for growth – the resources available to the team are second to none and each brand is loaded with great talent, both on and off the air.” The company’s Seattle properties include: hip hop KUBE, classic hits KJR-FM, rock KKBW “The Brew,” CHR KBKS “106.1 Kiss FM,” and sports talk simulcast KJR-AM and KNBQ-FM.
Clear Channel’s KOA, Denver Extends Deal with NFL’s Broncos. The relationship between Clear Channel’s KOA, Denver and the Denver Broncos is extended for another four years through the 2017 season. As part of the new deal, Broncos play-by-play will also air on Clear Channel’s classic rock KRFX “103.5 The Fox” beginning with the 2013 season. As in the past, the relating programming includes exclusive interviews with starting quarterback Peyton Manning, executive vice president of football operations John Elway and head coach John Fox as well as Broncos-themed talk shows. KOA’s Dave Logan is entering his 24th season in the Broncos broadcast booth and 17th season as the radio play-by-play voice of the team. Former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey will be back for his second year as color commentator. KOA serves as the flagship for more than 60 affiliate stations in nine states.
KIRO-FM, Seattle Adds Weekend Boat Show. Bonneville Seattle’s news/talk KIRO-FM announces the addition of “KIRO Radio On the Water” – a one-hour Sunday morning program hosted by Captain Bob McLaughlin. The program promises to discuss “nautical subjects from the latest boat maintenance techniques and models; to water sports and safety tips; to the cruise ship industry and marine life in the Puget Sound.” McLaughlin is not just any boat aficionado, he’s a founder and board member of Seawolf Rescue and Research, a non-profit organization that provides the expertise and equipment to rescue and relocate wild marine and terrestrial animals, while documenting the process for future educational and research opportunities. The group has conducted research and observational work for both the U.S. and Canadian governments. McLaughlin took part in the only successful reintroduction of an orphaned marine mammal being reunited with its family, and has co-produced an Emmy and Columbia Peabody award-winning documentary on the plight of killer whales.
Odds & Sods. CBS Radio News has been honored with five 2013 Headliner Awards and, for the third consecutive year, finished in first place in both the Network Newscast and Breaking News or Continuing Coverage categories. The National Headliner Awards recognize journalistic merit in the communications industry. In the Network Newscast category, correspondent Sam Litzinger and editor Dianne James won for the hourly newscast for coverage of the Newtown massacre; CBS Radio News also won in the Breaking News or Continuing Coverage of a Single News Event category for its Newtown coverage; and correspondent Heather Bosch won in the News Series category for her programs on “Women Warriors.” In the five-part series that aired for 2012 Memorial Day, Bosch talked to women who have been on the front lines in Afghanistan and are struggling to overcome the effects of PTSD…..CBS Radio’s KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia was honored by the Radio Television Digital News Association
(RTDNA) with three regional Edward R. Murrow awards, standing out among other very competitive major market stations in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania…..Journal Broadcast Group’s news/talk WTMJ, Milwaukee and country KTTS-FM, Springfield, Missouri were also honored with regional Edward R. Murrow awards. WTMJ picked up six including Best Breaking News, Continuing Coverage and Overall Excellence and KTTS-FM was honored with five awards including Best Newscast, Breaking News Coverage and Overall Excellence.
David Webb Explores Immigration with Governor Jan Brewer. With the subject of immigration reform front-and-center, SiriusXM Patriot channel evening talk host David Webb conducted a special one-hour interview program with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer called “David Webb’s American Forum with Jan Brewer” that aired on April 23 (encore airings will take place on April 27 at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm ET). Topics covered included immigration, border security, states’ rights and responsibilities. Webb and Governor Brewer posed for a photo at the satcaster’s New York studios.
Boston Marathon Bombing Aftermath, Immigration Reform Legislation, New Gun Law Proposals, Domestic Drones Issue, and Keystone Pipeline Case Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (4/23). Debate over terrorism policy in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing; new proposals for immigration reform legislation; gun law proposals; the lethal domestic drone debate and Washington, DC discussion over the Keystone Pipeline project were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.