Tag: "Lori Lewis"
Monday, May 9, 2016
CONVENTION ALERT — TALKERS 2016: Bridging the Generations Approaching Sellout this Week. The 19th annual installment of the talk media industry’s longest-running and most important national convention is projected to reach its registration capacity sometime this week. TALKERS 2016: Bridging the Generations will take place on Friday, May 20 on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. The event will feature more than 65 luminous industry speakers in a power-packed day of presentations, panel discussions, keynote addresses, talk rumble, techno-exhibits, live broadcasts and numerous networking opportunities including breakfast, lunch and closing reception. Registration fee is $299 per person and includes all events and activities. Registrations for this special event are open only to media industry professionals and communications students and can only be booked via telephone with credit card at 413-565-5413. Registrations will only be sold until 5:00 pm ET on Thursday, May 12 of this week. After that, the event will be officially sold out. Registrations will not be sold at the door. For complete up to the minute agenda, hotel and sponsorship information, please click here. If you plan on attending, do not wait and do not get shut out! Register now!
Media Sales and Marketing Pro Christina Albee Named CMO at Cumulus Media. The company calls this a newly created position but Pierre Bouvard had been serving as chief marketing officer for Cumulus Media/Westwood One. Regardless, Christina Albee is named chief marketing officer of Cumulus Media, a position in which she’ll report to Suzanne Grimes, whose title is president, Westwood One division and EVP of corporate marketing, Cumulus Media. As for Bouvard, he now
reports to Albee in the new position chief insights officer in which he leads research and insights efforts. Back to Albee; she’s most recently been head of sales marketing for social news magazine Flipboard. Prior to that she was chief marketing officer at Dial Global where she was instrumental in its rebranding to Westwood One. She was general manager, marketing solutions at Condé Nast Media Group from 2008 to 2013, and served in numerous sales and management positions with Time, Inc. from 1991 to 2007. Cumulus president and CEO Mary Berner states, “Christina brings tremendous experience and energy to this critical role. We are delighted that she will apply her considerable skills and talent to the development of new marketing strategies that will facilitate new revenue opportunities throughout our organization.” In addition to Pierre Bouvard, also reporting to Albee will be VP of social media Lori Lewis and SVP of brand partnerships Tommy Page.
Larry Gifford Named to PD Post at CKNW, Vancouver. American news/talk and sports talk radio pro Larry Gifford is officially named program director at Corus’ Vancouver news/talk station CKNW. Gifford – who’s served in recent years with ESPN Radio and Bonneville’s KIRO-FM and
KTTH-AM in Seattle – has been consulting the station’s programming for several months. Corus VP news and information Western Canada Kenton Boston says in a company memo, “We are very fortunate to have Larry join the already talented team at CKNW and AM 730. His leadership is a natural fit, not only for Vancouver, but for our team across the country. His insight and expertise will be instrumental as we focus on our future as the leading multi-media company in Canada.”
Drew Anderssen Upped to OM for WDBO-FM, WDBO-AM, and WMMO-FM at CMG Orlando. Spoken-word radio programming pro Drew Anderssen – currently serving as director of branding and programming for news/talk WDBO-FM “News 96.5 FM” and sports talk WDBO-AM “ESPN Orlando 580 AM” – is promoted to operations manager for the two stations as well as sister classic hits WMMO. This promotion comes at the same time as fellow cluster programmer and OM Stevie DeMann adds urban contemporary WCFB “Star 94.5.” to his OM responsibilities. Anderssen comments, “I am thrilled to take on a larger leadership role with [program director] Hildi Brooks and her team at the legendary WMMO. The artist base of WMMO is experiencing a tremendous resurgence in popularity, and the station has a history of delivering fantastic returns for our advertisers. I’m thankful for the opportunity [Cox Media Group RVP and GM] Susan Larkin has provided for Stevie and me, and I believe it will allow us a unique opportunity for our teams to better meet the needs of listeners and advertisers in the Orlando market.”
Dave Ramsey Packs LA’s Shrine Auditorium. Pictured here on stage at the legendary Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles is nationally syndicated talk radio superstar Dave Ramsey, hosting his Smart Conference on Saturday (5/7). Other speakers at the conference included: Rachel Cruze, Chris Hogan, John O’Leary, Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. Les Parrott, Dr. Meg Meeker, and Michael Jr. The event was marketed with the assistance of LA affiliate KEIB “The Patriot.” Prior to the event, station PD Robin Bertolucci said, “When Dave Ramsey comes to town, Patriot listeners come out to welcome him. Close to 6,000 people plan to attend this weekend’s SoCal Smart Conference and that is a testament to the trust and respect KEIB’s listeners have for Dave Ramsey.”
Odds & Sods. The new morning drive show at CBS RADIO’s sports talk WKRK-FM, Cleveland is “The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima.” Carman (right) is officially in the driver’s seat and update anchor Lima (left) has been promoted to co-host. This comes three months after former morning host Kevin Kiley resigned from the station….. In Tulsa, Steve Hunter joins E.W. Scripps’ to serve as operations manager for the five-station group there that includes: country KVOO, CHR KHTT, country KXBL, classic hits KBEZ, and news/talk KFAQ…..WHO, Des Moines-based talk show host Simon Conway is pulling triple duty today
and tomorrow (5/9 & 10). Conway will be hosting his usual afternoon drive show on WHO and his regular morning drive show on WMT, Cedar Rapids, but he’s also adding morning drive duties on iHeartMedia’s WFLF, Orlando…..Talk show personality Tom Donahue is launching a new, daily show on Trinity Associates Broadcasting-owned WFYL, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (northwest of Philadelphia) today. The show – titled “Philly Freedom” – airs at 6:00 pm…..E.W. Scripps news/talk
WTMJ, Milwaukee wins 10 awards from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. In a ceremony held in Madison on Saturday (5/7), WTMJ picked up honors for News/Talk Station of the Year, Best News Operation, Best News Writing, Best Live On-Scene Reporting, and more. Scripps Radio Milwaukee VP/GM Tom Langmyer says, “Receiving these awards from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association reinforces our mission of
serving our community and being famous for localism.”…..SiriusXM talk show host Joe Madison delivered the keynote address at the NAACP Washington branch’s 56th Annual Human Rights Award Banquet on Friday (5/6). At the ceremony, District Judge Traci McDonald-Kemp was honored with the organization’s Human Rights Award…..Former San Diego Chargers player Nick Hardwick is named color analyst for Chargers radio play-by-play based at iHeartMedia’s San Diego operations…..Richard C. Hoagland’s “The Other Side of Midnight” radio program is now airing in the 12:00 midnight to 2:00 am slot on KCAA, Loma Linda. The program previously was aired on Art Bell’s “Dark Matter Digital Network.”
The Presidential Race, Canadian Wildfire, North Korea Workers Party Congress, West Point Photo Controversy, Britain EU Exit Issue and NBA-NHL Playoffs Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. The activities of the candidates for president and the potential controversies surrounding the summer’s political conventions; the enormous wildfire in Alberta that caused some 88,000 people to evacuate Fort McMurray; North Korea’s Workers Party Congress and leader Kim Jong Un’s statements about nuclear weapons; the controversy over a photo of black female West Point cadets appearing to give the black power salute; the looming vote in Great Britain over whether to leave the EU or not; and the weekend’s NBA and NHL playoff games were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.
NAB Names Four to Radio Board. Four broadcasting executives have been named to the NAB Radio Board of Directors by the NAB Radio Executive Committee and Joint Board Chairman. Joining for two-year terms, effective June 2016 are: Hartley Adkins, president, Northeast Division and Corporate Operations, iHeartMedia; Andre Fernandez, president, CBS RADIO; Deon Levingston, regional vice president, Radio One; and Jose Valle, president of Political & Advocacy Sales, Univision Communications Inc.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Price: Weighing Public Safety vs Risk of Assisting Threatmongers in Reporting to Your Listeners. The recent terroristic threats against the New York City and Los Angeles public school districts – which turned out not to be true – present a bit of a potential problem for radio stations and news organizations. ABC Television director, business continuity Howard B. Price writes today in TALKERS, “Critical to the discussion is the hard reality that those who make these threats are banking on a response from both authorities AND the media. Thankfully, even in these troubled times, most threats are hoaxes made to seize on public fear. The hoaxers find out about that response the same way the rest of us do – through the media. SO what to do? As with most professional challenges, the process begins with an internal conversation, specific to your station and market. For example, do you have a policy document to guide your decision making in such dynamic breaking news situations?” Read more here.
Cumulus Media Names Suzanne Grimes to President of the Westwood One Division and EVP of Corporate Marketing Roles. According to Cumulus Media, this new role of president of the Westwood One Division “creates a unified structure that maximizes opportunities across the division’s national content and sales platform.” Steve Shaw, president of Westwood One, will continue to lead ad sales, and Charles Steinhauer, COO of Westwood One, will continue to lead operations, both reporting directly to Grimes, who in turn reports to company CEO Mary Berner. Grimes was most recently president and COO of Clear Channel Outdoor. Berner states, “When it comes to anything in media, Suzanne’s the full package. With 30 years of experience building content businesses into high-performing brands, she brings valuable perspectives from leadership roles in outdoor, mobile, social, digital, print and experiential sectors for both public and private companies, so she’s a natural choice for these important roles. I look forward to her contribution as we build a stronger, more operationally focused organization.”
Newly Re-Organized Corporate Structure at Cumulus Includes Tommy Page and Mike McVay Taking on New Responsibilities. As part of her memo to Cumulus Media staff of Suzanne Grimes’ new role, CEO Mary Berner also explained some of the other changes atop the corporate structure at the company. Working for Grimes will be the company’s chief marketing officer Pierre Bouvard and VP of social media Lori Lewis. Berner announces Tommy Page’s new title will be SVP of brand partnerships & NASH in which he’ll continue his role as leader of platform events initiatives and brand partnerships, corporate
marketing function, and new duties including the development and execution of the NASH brand strategy. Berner says the company is creating a new Office of Programming in which SVP of content & programming Mike McVay will operate to “lead our content strategy across the platform, including talent recruitment and development and label relations.” Tom Schurr, SVP of
operations, will work with McVay in a new role overseeing the business aspects of programming, including organization and prioritization, resource allocation, and budget responsibilities. Berner concludes, “Our belief with regard to ratings is that more local insight and more effective corporate support will result in an improved outcome. The new Office of Programming will be responsible for executing this strategy to drive ratings growth and will be rolling out more details in the coming weeks.”
Jim Bohannon to Exit ‘America in the Morning’; Continues Late Night Show. Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Bohannon is cutting back on his duties for Westwood One and is leaving the hosting role for “America in the Morning” after the December 18 broadcast. He is continuing his work as host of the late night Jim Bohannon show. He signed a multi-year contract extension with Westwood One in February of this year. Bohannon has been the sole host of “America in the Morning” since its first
broadcast in 1984. The morning magazine program airs on more than 250 stations nationwide. Taking over for Bohannon is the show’s regular guest host John Trout. He officially begins on Monday, January 18, 2016. Bohannon comments, “It’s time for me to cut back the daily schedule a bit and focus my attention on the research, interviews, and calls for my weeknight Jim Bohannon show. But I’ll still be contributing my daily feature, the ‘Offbeat,’ and my newsmaker interviews to ‘America in the Morning.’ Listeners will love John Trout as host. He’s got a stellar track record and he’s been a terrific fill-in. The show is in great hands and I wish him much success.”
Tom Leykis’ New Normal Projecting Another Profitable Year. New Year’s Eve will be the sixth anniversary of The New Normal – the audio content company founded by radio legend Tom Leykis after exiting his CBS RADIO talk show in 2009. Leykis has long been a vocal proponent of the digital delivery system for taking audio content into the future. Today, he reports that as 2015 winds down, The New Normal is financially continuing on an upward trend. Leykis tells TALKERS that revenue is up for the third straight year. Profits will increase from $23,000 in 2014 to almost $100,000 in 2015. He adds, “This means that, for the second year in a row, we will be more profitable than the top two radio companies combined.”
Odds & Sods. Are there wrinkles in the future of the Bob & Tom Show post-Bob Kevoian? TALKERS sources are hearing that negotiations between the syndicated program’s management and staff are hitting snags. Kevoian announced his retirement at the recent Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony and although the show is moving forward with Tom Griswold continuing his role, rumors are that negotiations for contract renewals with longtime cast member Kristi Lee and contributor Ron Sexton are facing challenges…..Software platform provider Mediaocean announces it is integrating iHeartMedia within its Spectra platform. As a result, within one central system, ad agencies are able to seamlessly manage, research, and buy local digital audio inventory across the iHeartMedia digital platform. Mediaocean says users will be able to compare iHeartMedia’s audience data side-by-side with other digital audio platforms to better plan campaigns and engage the right audiences at the local level.
Covering the GOP Debate. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen here gesturing as he makes a point while speaking with Salem Radio Network personalities Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager and Michael Medved (who are out of the picture to the right) while SRN VP news & talk programming Tom Tradup holds the mic. The exchange took place during SRN’s exclusive radio distribution of the Republican presidential debate. SRN talk host Hugh Hewitt appeared on the CNN debate panel asking questions of the GOP hopefuls.
Run-Up to Last Night’s GOP Debate/2016 Presidential Race, Refugee and Immigration Policy, Los Angeles and New York Schools Terror Threats, Battle Against Islamic State, Freddie Gray Trial, Government Shutdown Threat, and New Star Wars Film Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (12/15). The build-up to last night’s GOP primary debate in Las Vegas and the activities of the candidates for president in 2016; debate over policy regarding refugees from Syria and over immigration in general; terror threats against the New York and Los Angeles public school districts and criticism over LA’s decision to cancel school; the battle against Islamic State; the wait for the verdict in the case against the first of six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray; the move in Congress to avert a government shutdown; and the hype over the new Star Wars film were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.