Monday, March 18, 2024

Audacy Facing Divestitures In Kansas City and Greenville-Spartanburg


As Audacy seeks approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the broadcaster faces the need to divest at least one station. 

Due to the restructuring, Audacy will lose its grandfathered status in the market, necessitating the cut of one FM station in its Greenville-Spartanburg portfolio to meet regulatory standards. Currently, Audacy holds seven stations in the market, of which five are FMs—one over the legal limit. The station being cut loose has already been decided: Magic 106.3 (WSPA). Formerly under the WYRD-FM call letters, this station has been with Audacy since 1999 following Entercom’s acquisition of 41 stations from Sinclair Broadcast Group. 

With the FCC’s blessing, WSPA will be moved to “The Greenville Divestiture Trust,” managed by media brokerage firm Kalil & Co.’s Kalil Holding Group LLC. The initial transfer will cost Audacy $10,000, with an ongoing $1,000 monthly fee to Kalil & Co. until WSPA finds a new owner.

Meanwhile, Audacy faces challenges in deciding which station to let go of in Kansas City. 

The organization currently operates nine radio stations, including one on an expanded band AM frequency, under a specific waiver from the FCC. Audacy is seeking a waiver to continue operating all stations in the market. Despite its new majority Attributable Shareholder, Laurel Tree Opportunities Corporation, and the indirect controlling parent, George Soros’ Fund for Policy Reform, Audacy will likely divest only in these markets.

 Here are some other key points in the bankruotsy proceedings:
  • Financial Reorganization: Audacy has been dealing with significant debt since its 2017 acquisition of CBS Radio, which added $1.5 billion in new debt. As part of the Chapter 11 reorganization, senior debt holders swapped their debt for an ownership stake in the company.
  • Ownership Changes: The new ownership group, including banks that significantly reduced Audacy’s debt from $1.9 billion down to $350 million, will take control of the board. This group will likely install a new board of directors, potentially by Audacy’s annual shareholders meeting in May.
  • CEO’s Future: The fate of current CEO David Field remains uncertain. Analysts believe the chances of him retaining his position are “extremely low.” The new management team could be led by someone with expertise in both digital and broadcast media.
  • Cost-Cutting Measures: Trimming expenses will be a priority for the new leadership. Expect major cost-cutting efforts, including potential headcount reductions.

S-I Print Gets A Lifeline


The owner of Sports Illustrated said it had chosen a new company to publish the magazine, a deal that could settle some of the recent friction at the storied publication and continue the print edition.

The NY Time reports Authentic Brands Group, which owns the intellectual property rights to Sports Illustrated as well as to celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali, said it had struck a long-term deal to license Sports Illustrated’s publishing rights to Minute Media, a digital-media company focused on sports.

Minute Media’s license with Sports Illustrated will stretch for 10 years with an option to extend for up to 30 years total, into the magazine’s centenary. The companies declined to disclose financial terms but said that Authentic Brands Group was taking a stake in Minute Media as part of the deal.

The deal is a significant expansion for Minute Media, a New York-based company founded in 2011 whose holdings — which include the sports websites The Players’ Tribune and Fansided — generate more than $400 million in revenue annually.

Sports Illustrated has been engulfed in turmoil for months, the result of a corporate tug of war between the company that owns the iconic magazine and the energy drink mogul whose executives have been running it. The agreement begins immediately and effectively wrests Sports Illustrated’s operations away from Arena Group, the digital-media company that has run the magazine since 2019 and threatened to end its print edition.

It is a new chapter for Sports Illustrated, which published its first issue in 1954. Asaf Peled, the chief executive of Minute Media, said in an interview that he planned to continue Sports Illustrated’s print edition.

WSAB Study Offers Insight On Relevance of Radio, TV


Local media leads truth and accuracy in Washington state in a recent statewide media study, conducted by SmithGeiger for the Washington State Association of Broadcasters (WSAB). Based in Los Angeles, SmithGeiger's research for WSAB underscores the enduring relevance of local radio and television broadcasters across the state, despite the rise of on-demand content. 

Keith Shipman, President & CEO of the WSAB, expressed satisfaction with the findings. "It's gratifying to see the majority of our state's citizens recognize local television and AM/FM radio as leading the media landscape in truthfulness and accuracy. With local TV securing the top spot for trust and accuracy at 62%, and AM/FM radio following closely at 57%, it underscores their pivotal role in our information ecosystem. Additionally, local newspapers are highly regarded among all media sources, further emphasizing the value of local journalism.”  

Key Insights from the First-Ever WSAB Statewide Media Landscape Study: 

  •  Local radio (AM/FM) continues to lead as Washington state's preferred audio platform, with daily usage surpassing 5 hours across various devices—including in-car, digital, mobile, and social platforms—marking a +34% increase over paid audio. 
  •  The widespread availability of radio content on diverse platforms has greatly improved access, leading to increased engagement with local AM/FM stations. Notably, 77% tune into terrestrial radio, with 63% listening in their cars; 52% stream AM/FM radio, while 27% access it via their smartphones. 

Podcaster Kast Media Files for Bankruptcy


A podcast production company that was accused by comedian Theo Von and others of owing content creators millions of dollars has filed bankruptcy in California.

Bloomberg reports Kast Media Inc., which historically produced and placed ads in shows, filed a type of Chapter 11 for small businesses. It had nearly $700,000 in total assets and more than $6.3 million in total liabilities as of Jan. 31, according to a balance sheet Kast included in the Wednesday filing.

Multiple podcasters last year accused Kast and its chief executive officer Colin Thomson of falling behind on payments to shows the company worked with. In a Youtube video with more than 1.7 million views, Von said Kast owes various podcasters more than $4 million in back pay.

Kast owes Von’s company $456,398, according to the bankruptcy petition, which is signed by Thomson. The company also listed other debt that it described as being related to podcast content, subscription services and legal services.

The case is Kast Media Inc., number 24-10396, in the US Bankruptcy Court in the Central District of California (San Fernando Valley).

One Year Later, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Reaches Staggering Numbers

 


As of yesterday, it has been officially have been one year since Taylor Swift's Eras Tour kicked off in Glendale, Ariz. In the 12 months since that fateful first show, Swift has broken untold records, made history as TIME's 2023 Person of the Year, cultivated a new legion of NFL fans, and announced her forthcoming 11th studio album—The Tortured Poets Department, out April 19—among a litany of other accomplishments, according to Time magazine.

By the end of 2023—less than halfway through its scheduled 152-show run—the Eras Tour had earned over $1 billion to become the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. During that period, every city where Swift played got a substantial economic boost from the so-called "Taylor Swift effect," a term that refers to the singer's unprecedented ability to influence consumer behavior. Following the inaugural U.S. leg of Eras, the U.S. Travel Association estimated that the tour's total economic impact likely exceeded $10 billion.

In the new year, Swift's staggering popularity seems to somehow still be on the rise. Less than a week after watching her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, win the Super Bowl, Swift played to the biggest concert crowd of her career while performing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Australia during the first run of 2024 Eras dates, following four shows in Tokyo.

Of her shows, 53 took place in the U.S. in 20 different cities stateside. The remaining 30 were part of the Latin America and Asia-Pacific legs of the tour. By the end of 2024, Swift is set to play a grand total of 152 Eras shows across 54 cities worldwide.

Swift played three back-to-back shows at MCG on Feb. 16, 17, and 18 that were each attended by a record 96,000 people for a three-day total of 288,000 concertgoers. Ed Sheeran, who drew a crowd of around 109,500 each of the two nights he played at MCG in 2023, still holds the venue's single-night attendance record. But that's largely due to the fact that Swift's stage setup took up more room in the arena, cutting down on the number of available seats.

MLB Atlanta Braves Announce Their 2024 Broadcast Team


Last season the MLB Altanta Braves went through a change in their play by play commentator for the first time in over a decade. Hopefully, the changes set for the 2024 season can walk the same path Brandon Gaudin last season.

Earlier this offseason it was announced Jeff Francoeur would be taking a reduced schedule in order to spend more time with his family. Former big league pitcher C.J. Nitkowski will take on the brunt of the color commentary duties alongside the aforementioned Brandon Gaudin.

Bally is set to broadcast 151 of the possible 162 regular season games, so we will be getting a heavy dosage of all these names in 2024. Recently, The House That Hank Built website learned about a trio of new additions that will make the on-field reporting much different from seasons past.

One of the most notable new additions is that of the recently retired Collin McHugh. Just last season, he pitched over 58 innings for the Braves, so he will certainly bring an insight on the feelings in the clubhouse considering he's not long removed from it. McHugh was often regarded as one of the brightest pitchers in the league, so I'm sure we are all eager to hear some of his insights to what pitchers are trying to do on the mound.

Also notable is the absence of regular sideline reporter, Kelly Crull. It seems the Braves will instead rotate through Hanna Yates, Wiley Ballard, and Ashley ShahAhmadi as their sideline reporters for 2024. It has not yet been stated why Crull will not be apart of the Braves broadcasts for the upcoming season.

Trevor Scales will remain the host for the majority of "Braves Live" while the beloved Peter Moylan and Nick Green will serve as analysts once again in 2024. Bally's season-long coverage will start with an hour long edition of "Braves Live" at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 28th when the Braves take on their rivals the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day.

Study: Americans Can’t Tell The Difference Between Facts And Opinions


With many people’s judgments clouded by partisan bias, troubling new research finds many Americans struggle to distinguish facts from opinions in their 24-hour news cycles. 

Study authors from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign say this worrisome trend potentially holds grave implications for civic discourse in the United States. On an individual level, this research suggests the average American is ill equipped to navigate the nonstop wave of political information (and possibly misinformation) they receive on a daily basis.

“There’s a huge amount of research on misinformation. But what we found is that, even before we get to the stage of labeling something misinformation, people often have trouble discerning the difference between statements of fact and opinion,” says study co-author Jeffery J. Mondak, a professor of political science and the James M. Benson Chair in Public Issues and Civic Leadership at Illinois, in a university release.

“We also see a lot of research on misinformation that comes at the problem from the angle of, ‘How are we doing in terms of playing whack-a-mole with misinformation? Are we able to fact check them and rebut these claims?’ Well, that isn’t necessarily a useful way of getting at the root cause of the problem,” adds Matthew Mettler, a U. of I. graduate student and co-author of the study.

The Study Finds focused on assessing whether Americans can differentiate statements of fact (2 + 2 = 4) versus statements of opinion (“Green is the most beautiful color”). The research team placed a particular emphasis on political statements.

Researchers asked study participants to categorize 12 statements regarding current events as either statements of fact or statements of opinion. Rather surprisingly, 45.7 percent of respondents did as badly as if they had flipped a coin to make a decision.

“What we’re showing here is that people have trouble distinguishing factual claims from opinion, and if we don’t have this shared sense of reality, then standard journalistic fact-checking – which is more curative than preventative – is not going to be a productive way of defanging misinformation,” Prof. Mondak explains. “How can you have productive discourse about issues if you’re not only disagreeing on a basic set of facts, but you’re also disagreeing on the more fundamental nature of what a fact itself is?”

3/18 WAKE-UP CALL: Guess Who Won The Russian Election

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed his preordained electoral victory Sunday as a sign of the country's "trust" and "hope" in him, and after stifling any real attempt at unseating him, felt confident enough to refer to late opposition leader Alexei Navalny by name.  Despite several opposition protests across Russia, Putin easily claimed another six-year term by getting 87% of the vote with 80% of the precincts counted, election officials said. Other candidates languished below 5%. Putin has been in power since 1999, and the predetermined victory will allow him to surpass Josef Stalin's 29-year tenure, making the former KGB agent the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years even though the country has been engaged in a costly war in Ukraine for more than two years. The turnout of 74.22% was higher than the 67.5% recorded in 2018.

➤BIBI CALLS SCHUMER'S COMMENTS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE:  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday denied claims that he is an obstacle to peace in Gaza and dismissed as "totally inappropriate" Sen. Chuck Schumer's call for Israelis to hold elections to vote Netanyahu from power. "It's inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership," Netanyahu said. "That is something the Israeli public does on its own, we're not a banana republic." Schumer, D-NY, the nation's highest-ranking Jewish elected official and long a supporter of Israel, said last week that "nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence, preserve Israel’s credibility on the world stage and work toward a two-state solution.”

➤TRUMP TALKS THE ABORTION DEBATE: Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the abortion debate, which has been a politically fraught subject for Republicans.  Reports claim Trump has discussed having a ban on abortions after 16 weeks of pregnancy with three exceptions: rape, incest and the life of the mother.  “Pretty soon, I’m going to be making a decision. And I would like to see if we could do that at all. I would like to see if we could make both sides happy,” Trump said on “MediaBuzz” Sunday.

Trump was vocally pro-life throughout his presidency, but he drew backlash after telling MSNBC in September that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ six-week ban on abortion was “a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.” While he has not officially announced his recommendation for abortion, his stance on the issue illustrates the changing attitudes and strategies among Republicans.

“If the Republicans spoke about it correctly, it never hurt me from the standpoint of elections. It hurt a lot of Republicans,” Trump told host Howard Kurtz. “But I tell people, No. 1, you have to go with your heart. You have to go with your heart. But beyond that, you also have to get elected, and if you don’t have the three exceptions, I think it’s very, very hard to get elected.”

➤LEFT LOSES ITS MIND OVER 'BLOODBATH' DECLARATION: Former President Donald Trump’s declaration that if his second attempt at securing a second term in the White House fails then it will result in a “bloodbath” was taken entirely out of context by the Biden team and the media, according to his campaign. 

Trump was speaking from an airfield in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday during a rally in support of Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, when the former president seemed to suggest another electoral loss would lead to widespread violence in the United States. “If I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country,” Trump said.

President Biden’s campaign was quick to call out the 45th president’s rhetoric, declaring Trump’s statements a further piece of evidence that his public cozying up to authoritarians like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is not just politics as usual, but a sign of his own authoritarian leanings.

According to Trump’s campaign, the “bloodbath” comment is being taken out of context from a larger speech. The former president was not indicating any sort of violence, they say, but was instead referring to the impact Chinese auto manufacturing will have on U.S industry and job markets, his team said.

➤MAN SHOOTS 3 FAMILY MEMBERS:  A man faces multiple charges in Pennsylvania and New Jersey after suspected of killing three family members, including a 13-year-old girl, and carjacking vehicles in both states, authorities said Sunday. Andre Gordon Jr., 26, was charged in Bucks County, PA, with three counts of first- and second-degree murder, aggravated assault, robbery and other charges, according to court documents. In New Jersey, Gordon was charged with first-degree carjacking and weapons offenses, the state Attorney General's Office said in a news release Sunday. "The string of violent acts that took place yesterday, allegedly at the hands of a single armed individual, alarmed and terrorized communities in Bucks and Mercer counties."

Apple In Talks to Let Google Gemini Power iPhone AI Features


Apple Inc. is in talks to build Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence engine into the iPhone, according to people familiar with the situation, setting the stage for a blockbuster agreement that would shake up the AI industry.

Bloomberg reports the two companies are in active negotiations to let Apple license Gemini, Google’s set of generative AI models, to power some new features coming to the iPhone software this year, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. Apple also recently held discussions with OpenAI and has considered using its model, according to the people.

If a deal between Apple and Google comes to fruition, it would build upon the two companies’ search partnership. For years, Alphabet Inc.’s Google has paid Apple billions of dollars annually to make its search engine the default option in the Safari web browser on the iPhone and other devices. The two parties haven’t decided the terms or branding of an AI agreement or finalized how it would be implemented, the people said.

A deal would give Gemini a key edge with billions of potential users. But it also may be a sign that Apple isn’t as far along with its AI efforts as some might have hoped — and threatens to draw further antitrust scrutiny of both companies.

Apple is preparing new capabilities as part of iOS 18 — the next version of the iPhone operating system — based on its own AI models. But those enhancements will be focused on features that operate on its devices, rather than ones delivered via the cloud. So Apple is seeking a partner to do the heavy lifting of generative AI, including functions for creating images and writing essays based on simple prompts.

Swift’s Taylor-Made Recordings Just Reached A Special Milestone

 


Taylor Swift started releasing re-recorded editions of her first six albums–renamed Taylor’s Version–nearly three years ago. Since then, all four projects she’s delivered have become massive global commercial successes. They’ve all churned out big hits and sold incredibly well. This week, Swift hits a special milestone for the first time with one of her re-recordings. according to Forbes.

“Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version) [From The Vault]” is the new No. 1 song on two of Billboard’s charts. The single, taken from her 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album, jumps to the top spot on both the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay rankings.

That track now stands as the first No. 1 from any of Swift’s re-recordings on one of Billboard’s radio charts. Impressively, before this week, she had never reached the highest rung on any of the radio rankings with a tune from a re-recorded album, but suddenly, she’s scored two such wins at the same time.

“Is It Over Now?” lifts from No. 3 to No. 1 on both of the aforementioned rankings, which are two of the three of Billboard’s pop radio charts. At the same time she leads both the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay lists, Swift also controls the third pop radio tally, the Adult Contemporary chart. On that roster, her single “Cruel Summer” is still in charge.

As she earns another leader, Swift makes history on both tallies. On the Pop Airplay chart, “Is It Over Now?” helps the singer further distance herself from all other acts with the most No. 1s ever. It’s her thirteenth champion, while the runners-up, Rihanna, Maroon 5, and Katy Perry, all claim 11.

On the Adult Pop Airplay chart, Swift doesn’t yet own the record for the most No. 1s ever, but she’s close. “Is It Over Now?” is her twelfth ruler. She’s currently behind only Maroon 5, as the pop band has collected 15 winners.

“Is It Over Now?” has been slowly climbing on the radio charts for several months, since it was first released in October of 2023. The track debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and was a huge sales success the moment it hit the Billboard rankings, but it usually takes much longer for singles to climb on the radio lists

CNBC Releasing Documentary About ESPN


 Awful Announcing
is reporting CNBC is releasing a documentary this week highlighting ESPN’s transition from cable reliance to the uncertainty of direct digital offerings.

The documentary, titled “ESPN’s Fight for Dominance,” will be announced next week with clips airing Wednesday and throughout the week with the full version (a little under half an hour) posted online next week at a time to be determined. The project is being led by CNBC reporter Alex Sherman, who has done an extensive amount of reporting on the business of ESPN.

We’re told several ESPN personalities did participate such as Elle Duncan, Kevin Negandhi, Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and others appearing in the project. On the business side, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was interviewed, as was Rosalyn Durant, ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions. Endeavor President and COO Mark Shapiro also participated.

n a bit of a surprise, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was also interviewed. Chapek has not spoken much publicly since being ousted from the company. Noted ESPN pessimist Rich Greenfield was also interviewed, ensuring the “sky is falling” narrative will be articulated in a way that only he can.

RI-CT Radio: Cumulus Stations Official Radio Home for Rhode Island FC


Cumulus Media announces that it has entered into a new partnership with Rhode Island Football Club (Rhode Island FC) to broadcast select matches for the club’s inaugural 2024 season on Cumulus radio stations 790 The Score/WPRV-AM (Sports) in Providence, RI, and 890 WXLM-AM (NewsTalk/Sports) in New London, CT. 

A club for all Rhode Island, Rhode Island FC is independently owned and operated and is the only homegrown men’s professional team in the state. It is led by co-founders Brett Johnson and former MLS and USMNT player Michael Parkhurst, a Rhode Island native. The club will begin play in March 2024 in its temporary venue, Beirne Stadium on the campus of Bryant University, while its permanent home stadium is completed for the 2025 season. The Stadium at Tidewater Landing in downtown Pawtucket will be a state-of-the-art stadium with a 10,000+ capacity.

Holly Paras, Regional Vice President and Market Manager, Cumulus Media, said: “I am delighted that our stations will enter into this new broadcasting partnership with Rhode Island FC, and help to bring the Southern New England community the passion and drama of this new team and exciting sport.”

“We are beyond excited to be partnering with Cumulus Media to broadcast Rhode Island FC matches on their stations,” said Rhode Island FC President Brett Luy. “As a Club for All Rhode Island, it is imperative to be able to provide our fans with access to our matches through as many platforms as possible, and this partnership is another critical step in accomplishing that objective.”

Beyonce's Country Hits Raising Profiles Of Other Artists Of Color

Beyonce

Superstar singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles is foraying into country music — taking on a genre that has excluded women of color for decades and in the process proving its listeners have a strong interest in Black female artists. Her country music era, launched during a Super Bowl ad in mid-February and headlined by an upcoming album, is broadening the industry’s listenership and igniting streaming numbers for songs by other Black female country artists.

Country star Tanner Adell, a Black artist, saw U.S. streams of her track “Buckle Bunny” soar 305% during the first week of March, according to CNBC citing data from Spotify

Another song from Adell, “Trailer Park Barbie,” saw a 130% jump in streams, the music streaming company said.

R.I.P.: Bill Jorgenson, Longtime NYC Broadcast News Anchor

Bill Jorgensen (1928-2024)

Longtime New York City broadcast news anchor Bill Jorgensen, known for coining the tagline, “It’s 10 p.m. — do you know where your children are?” died on Wednesday at age 96.

The NY Post reports Jorgensen was recruited from Cleveland in 1967 to be the founding anchor of the Ten O’Clock News on WNEW, now Fox 5 New York, which he hosted for over 12 years, always signing off with his signature, ““Thanking you for your time this time, until next time.” 

“His ‘never-give-up’ spirit lasted until his end of life, and I just hope to be able to follow his example as long as possible,” his daughter, Rebekah Jorgensen, wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.

She did not share his cause of death.

Radio History: March 18


➦In 1911...Lester Alvin Burnett was born (Died at age 55 from leukemia – February 16, 1967).  

Smiley Burnette
He better known as Smiley Burnette, was a country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 musical instruments, some simultaneously. His career, beginning in 1934, spanned four decades, including a regular role on CBS-TV's Petticoat Junction in the 1960s.

He began singing as a child and learned to play a wide variety of instruments by ear, yet never learned to read or write music. In his teens, he worked in vaudeville, and starting in 1929, at the state's first commercial radio station, WDZ-AM in Tuscola, Illinois.

Burnette came by his nickname while creating a character for a WDZ children's program. He was reading Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" at the time, which included a character named Jim Smiley. He named the radio character Mr. Smiley and soon adopted the moniker as his own, dropping the title.

He made 80 western movies with Autry, then in TV became a regular on Ozark Jubilee, and played Charlie the railroad engineer on Petticoat Junction.

➦In 1912... Art Gilmore born in Tacoma, WA (Died at age 98 – September 25, 2010) .  He was an actor and announcer heard in on radio and television programs, children's records, movies, trailers, radio commercials, and documentary films. He also appeared in several television series and a few feature films.

Art Gilmore
Raised in Tacoma, Washington, Gilmore attended Washington State University in 1931, where he was a member of the Chi chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity and a member of the Alpha Omicron Chapter of Theta Chi fraternity. In 1935, he got hired to work as an announcer for Seattle's KOL Radio.  In 1936, he became a staff announcer for the Warner Brothers' radio station KFWB in Hollywood and then moved to the CBS-owned station KNX as a news reader.  During World War II, he served as a fighter-director U.S. Navy officer aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean.

Leaving the Navy, he decided to become a professional singer and returned to Hollywood. With a group of notable Hollywood radio stars, including Edgar Bergen, Ralph Edwards and Jim Jordan, Gilmore founded Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters in 1966.

Gilmore's announcing voice became a part of many classic radio programs. Drawing his inspiration from the radio sports commentators of the 1930s, he became the announcer for Amos 'n' Andy, The Adventures of Frank Race, Dr. Christian, Sears Radio Theater, Stars over Hollywood, The Golden Days of Radio and other radio shows. It was Gilmore who introduced Herbert W. Armstrong and Garner Ted Armstrong, reminding listeners to request free religious literature at the conclusion of "The World Tomorrow" on radio and television.

He narrated 156 episodes of syndicated TV’s Highway Patrol with Broderick Crawford, 39 segments of Mackenzie’s Raiders with Richard Carlson, and 41 episodes of Men of Annapolis

➦In 1922...WHN-AM, NYC signed-on at 833Kc

According to Faded Signals, WHN, New York City, signed on in 1922 as the radio station of The Ridgewood Times newspaper.  It was one of the city’s first radio stations, featuring a format of jazz and dance music of the era, as well as children’s shows, variety programs and newscasts.  The Loew’s Theater Organization bought the station in 1928.

The station played jazz and contemporary dance music, including Sophie Tucker, Fletcher Henderson, and Duke Ellington, as well as broadcasting Columbia University football games. In 1928 the station was bought by the Loew's Theatre Organization.

During the 1920s the station's frequency changed to 830, 760, and then 1010.

In the 1930s it broadcast the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, which was picked up by the CBS Radio Network.

WHN made its final frequency change to 1050 in 1941.

During the 1940s the programs Radio Newsreel and Newsreel Theater were prototypes for what would later become the all-news radio format. The station broadcast Brooklyn Dodgers games with Red Barber as well as the New York Giants and New York Rangers with Marty Glickman.

In 1948, WHN became WMGM, reflecting the Loew’s then-ownership of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio.  The station continued its diversified format until flipping to Top 40 and rock music in the mid 1950s. While it included some R&B, country and instrumentals in the Top 40 mix, WMGM carried a narrower, more up-tempo playlist.

By the early 1960s, WMGM 1050 AM had several competitors in the Top 40 radio market.  WINS, WABC and WMCA all were playing rock, and WMGM was falling behind in the ratings.

Storer Broadcasting bought the station in 1962, renaming it WHN and dropping the Top 40 in favor of slow-paced “beautiful music” and standards.

WHN also became New York City’s Mutual Radio Network affiliate.  Bob & Ray, WABC legend Herb Oscar Anderson and Jim Ameche were some of WHN’s on-air personalities.

The station picked up New York Mets baseball and launched Marv Albert’s sportscasting career.

WHN’s ratings were low and skewed toward older demographics.  After researching the market, Storer converted WHN to a country format in 1973.  Here’s an aircheck from WHN’s Bruce Bradley in 1973:

Mutual bought WHN in the late 1980s.  An FM competitor flipped to country from 1980 to 1984, hurting WHN’s ratings.

Doubleday Broadcasting bought WHN in 1985, and Emmis Communications bought it the following year. Emmis added sports talk in the evenings, keeping the country format during the day.

In 1987, Emmis announced WHN would become all-sports WFAN.  When Emmis purchased NBC’s New York radio stations in 1988, the company moved WFAN from 1050 AM to 660 AM, formerly occupied WNBC.

Spanish Broadcasting System purchased the 1050 AM license and became WUKQ, a Spanish Adult Contemporary station.  Spanish Broadcasting System wanted to swap 1050 AM with cash for the Jewish Daily Forward’s FM station, WEVD 97.9.  The deal was approved in 1989.

WEVD’s call letters and programming moved to the 1050 AM frequency.  The station mainly carried a brokered format of ethnic programs, talk shows and foreign-language programming.  By the mid-1990s, WEVD moved to a left-leaning news-talk format.

An agreement with ABC/Disney brought ESPN’s “The Dan Patrick Show” to WEVD in 2001.  A public campaign to save the old format failed.  On the final day of the news/talk format, soon-to-be-terminated staffers occasionally interrupted portions of the brokered programming with sometimes-profane audio clips. On September 2, 2001, WEVD became “1050 ESPN Radio.”

The call letters were changed to WEPN in 2003 after Disney bought the station, competing directly with WFAN’s all-sports format.  In 2012, WEPN’s programming moved to 98.7 FM.  ESPN Deportes later moved the 1050 AM frequency.

On June 11, 2019, ESPN announced that it would be discontinuing the ESPN Deportes Radio network on September 8, 2019. It was stated that WEPN would switch back to an English-language sports format at this time.  In September 2019, ESPN agreed to a two-year deal to carry at least 60 New York Islanders broadcasts; due to WEPN-FM's existing contracts with the Knicks and Rangers, most Islanders games are aired on 1050 AM, with select games on WEPN-FM, and previous flagship WRHU continuing to be the primary station for games not carried on either WEPN or WEPN-FM.

WEPN is now owned by Good Karma broadcasting and has announced it will end an LMA with Emmis for the 98.7 signal in late summer and distribute programming exclusively on WEPN-AM (1050) and streaming.

➦In 1939...saxophone player Frank Mane, who knew Frank Sinatra from Jersey City radio station WAAT where both performed on live broadcasts, arranged for him to audition and record "Our Love", his first solo studio recording.

➦In 1940...the daytime drama “Light of the World” began airing on the NBC Blue Network.  It aired for 10years and was unique in that it featured the Bible as the center of the story line.

➦In 1974...Jim Kerr started mornings on WPLJ 95.5 FM NYC


He began his career at age 14 in Ypsilanti, Michigan.  After working at stations in Howell and Ann Arbor Michigan, Kerr joined WORJ, a progressive rock station in Orlando, Florida. At 18, he returned to his hometown and joined the airstaff of WKNR, Detroit.  At 19, he served as morning host at WDAI, Chicago, at 20 he moved to the legendary WLS, and when he was 21, he became New York’s youngest morning show host at WPLJ.

Kerr has been the morning show host on six NYC stations, most notably 15 years at WPLJ and as of 2018, 15 years at WAXQ Q 104.3 FM.

➦In 1985... Capital Cities announced that it would purchase ABC Radio for $3.5 billion, which shocked the media industry, as ABC was some four times bigger than Capital Cities was at the time.