Saturday, September 1, 2012

RIP: Legendary Songwriter Hal David


Harold Lane "Hal" David (May 25, 1921–September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach. He was 91.



Check out his song list, click here.

David is in the Songwriter's Hall of Fame and according to his bio, David, as a young man, turned to journalism as a potential career, and like a number of other illustrious magicians of words on the printed page, cut his eye teeth at The New York Post.

While pouring out words of the news in The Post's city room, David dabbled in song lyrics as well, and thanks to a lucky break, wrote his first successful lyric for "swing and sway" bandleader, Sammy Kaye, in 1947. With this entree, the door was opened and other hits came tumbling out of David's busy typewriter. One of the first of these was "Four Winds and the Seven Seas," created with co-writer, Don Rodney, a vocalist for the Guy Lombardo orchestra. A recording by the Lombardo ensemble became a hit. David followed with "Broken-Hearted Melody," which became Sarah Vaughan's biggest single hit ever, and "Johnny Get Angry," a great success for yet another female singer, Joanie Sommers.


One of the best-known, most productive songwriting teams of the late '50s and the decade of the ’60s was born in the offices of The Famous Music Corporation in 1957, when Hal David first met Burt Bacharach. Famous exec, Eddie Wolpin, offered them a room and a piano and there was almost instant rapport. Rapport in turn grew into productivity and the two were hitting paydirt in short order with such titles as "Story of My Life," a hit for country singer, Many Robbins, and the same year, "Magic Moments," an important hit for Perry Como. Other hit songs followed, each generating a share of heavy chart activity. Among them were "Wishin' and Hopin'," "Twenty-four Hours from Tulsa," and a pair recorded by the diminutive Connecticut hitmaker, Gene Pitney, "Only Love Can Break a Heart" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance."

One singer in particular, Dionne Warwick, has for years been associated with Hal David and collaborator, Burt Bacharach. Their initial success with Warwick came when she recorded a demo of their song, "Make It Easy on Yourself," heard by and recorded into a hit by Jerry Butler. Later presented by Scepter Records with a chance to not only write songs for Ms. Warwick but to produce her records as well, long runs of success ensued, each of them bearing the estimable trademark lyrics of Hal David. The hit's included "Don't Make Me Over," "Message to Michael," and "Windows of the World." Warwick at the time, commented on another of the team's songs, "What The World Needs Now," which she felt "should be the national anthem." The song actually became identified for years with singer/songwriter, Jackie DeShannon.

Later, David, with Bacharach and others, produced a collection of top hits for other artists, including the Oscar-winning "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "Alfie," "What's New Pussycat," "The Look of Love," (Oscar nominees), "Wives and Lovers," "Casino Royale," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," "It Was Almost Like a Song," (all Grammy nominees), "This Guy's in Love with You," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Promises, Promises," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," "A House Is Not a Home," "Walk on By" and "Trains and Boats and Planes."

During the late 70s, David ventured into Nashville territory, where he co-wrote with Archie Jordan, "It Was Almost Like a Song," which became a smash country hit for Ronnie Milsap, later crossing over into the pop charts. Another country artist, the renowned Willie Nelson, duetted with the Latin star, Julio Iglesias in the hugely successful "To All The Girls I've Loved," which David co-wrote with Albert Hammond.

Source: Songwriters Hall of Fame

Friday, August 31, 2012

Austin Losing Oldies Station


The University of Texas' pending $6 million purchase of KXBT-FM from Dallas-based Border Media means 98.9 Austin's Greatest Hits will soon disappear, according to a  story byGary Dinges at the Austin Statesman.

The deal allows UT to split National Public Radio affiliate 90.5 KUT-FM's news and music programming across two frequencies.   News will stay on 90.5 FM. KUT-FM's music will shift to 98.9 FM, which gets new call letters: KUTX-FM. And those oldies tunes, a format not heard on any other station in town? They're, ahem, history.

Why's this happening?

Well, a couple reasons, according Dinges. Border Media is getting out of the radio business. The company recently sold its other Austin-area stations: 92.5 KXXS-FM, 104.9 KTXX-FM, 1260 KWNX-AM and 1530 KZNX-AM.


 Even though KXBT-FM is beating several well-known Austin stations in the overall ratings, it's farther down the list when it comes to the so-called "money demographics," such as women ages 18-34, that ad buyers crave. That's why some advertisers shy away from oldies stations, making them less lucrative to operate in many cases.

Atlanta's 99X Flipping To Active Rock This Weekend

UPDATE:  At noon Saturday, hard rock returned to Atlanta under the brand "98.9 The Bone".




LISTEN TO THE BONE, Click Here.

Earlier story, Friday 8/31...

In an effort to capitalize on the demise this week of Project 96.1,   99X at 98.9 is launching an Active Rock format this weekend.

The Cumulus Media station is expected to make the change official at noon Saturday (9/1) with a new name.  Until then,  the station is airing a sampling of the new playlist.

Project 96.1, owned by Clear Channel, flipped to a CHR format Wednesday and is branding as Power 96.1.

“We are the saviors the rock,” proclaimed John Dickey, head of Cumulus programming. “We ran Clear Channel out of format. We are going to save rock for all Atlantans.” He noted that they picked up the Regular Guys after 96rock dumped them. “Clear Channel tried to kill off rock. We’re going to save it.”

Dickey also thinks Power 96.1 is going to have a tough go of it.

For fans of Metallica, Alice in Chains, P.O.D. and Shinedown, are sure to welcome the new 98.9. However, the signal is inferior. 

Syracuse TV Anchor Jackie Robinson To Retire


Post-Standard
Jackie Robinson, a longtime fixture on Syracuse TV news, said today she is retiring as an anchor on WSTM-TV and CNY Central., according to a story by Don Cazantre, at the Post-Standard.

Her final newscasts will be the 5 and 6:30 p.m. reports on Sept. 4.

"I have had a long and storied career at CNY Central and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with so many talented people," Robinson said in story posted on the cnycentral.com site. "To those who watched and warmly welcomed me into your homes for over three decades, thank you for your support. You have been a constant blessing, and I hope I have served you well."

Robinson's career spanned 34 years.

NBC Sports Radio Lists Affiliates


Dial Global and NBC Sports Radio has released an affiliates list for their sports talk shows and hourly sports reports set to debut Sept. 4th.

The list includes about 160 stations, the majority of which are on secondary or weaker signals.  The most recognizable calls include:  WNDE Indianapolis, WPOP Hartford and WBBR New York City.

The NBC Sports Network will not be a 24/7 service, at least not in the beginning.


In addition to distribution on terrestrial radio stations, NBC Sports’ audio content will be available on a variety of digital platforms. Live shows will be streamed on NBCSports.com, DialGlobalSports.com, affiliate stations’ websites and other streaming services. On-demand short-form audio content will also be distributed online and through podcasts and other digital applications. Dial Global will be the exclusive ad and affiliate sales representative to the network.

“We are thrilled to bring the rich heritage of NBC Sports to listeners across national radio for the first time,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group, in a statement. “By adding radio to our broadcast, cable, regional, and digital assets, the NBC Sports Radio Network will give sports fans a new way to interact with the NBC Sports Group day in and day out.”

Atlanta Listeners Upset Over Format Flip



Local radio listeners are outraged over the loss of a longtime rock outpost, according to a story at  myfoxatlanta.com.

Instead of hearing Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed or Avenged Sevenfold, radio listeners tuning into 96.1 on Thursday heard the likes of Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and Usher.

Much to the dismay of local rock music fans, Project 9-6-1, which is owned by Clear Channel, flipped to Power 96.1 on Wednesday night. Program Director/afternoon DJ Chris Williams surprised listeners with a farewell announcement before signing off with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" just after 7 p.m.

Williams later posted on the station's Facebook page, "96.1 has been Atlanta's rock destination since 1974. The Project Family is so proud to have carved out our own chapter in the rich legacy of WKLS. The radio dial will sound much different after today. We can never thank you enough for all your support and passion for Project 9-6-1 over the past 6 years and for 96rock the years before us. We consider ourselves among the luckiest each and every day we were allowed to enter this studio and create a radio station that made us proud. Thank you for inviting The Project into your cars, jobs and homes. Thank you for Living Loud and Playing Hard, please don't stop. Most of all, thank you for being Part of the Project!"

WKLS Fan Facebook Page, click here.

CC's Vaughn Packing Up, Heading To Atlanta


The day after flipping WKLS-FM Atlanta to CHR, Clear Channel  Media+Entertainment has named Rich Vaughn Program Director for Power 96.1.  Vaughn will also oversee sister-station Rhythmic-CHR WWVA-FM / Wild 105.7 and WWLG/ Wild 96.7, a simulcast.

Vaughn exits WKSC-FM / 103.5 KISS FM, effective immediately.

TO LISTEN, CLICK HERE.

Rich Vaughn
In a statement this afternoon, Operations Manager Brian Michel said: "We are putting our unmatched leverage, creativity, and resources into creating not just a great cluster of stations, but one that consistently wins. To be able to do that, we are assembling the best team to carry out the mission here. I am proud to have Rick Vaughn -- one of the most respected programmers in the country and a true Top 40 specialist -- take the reigns as PD for both the new Power 96.1 and our Rhythmic Top 40 product, Wild 105.7 & 96.7".

Under Vaughn's leadership, WKSC-FM  has weathered the loss of an extremely popular morning show personality soon after his arrival. For the past two ratings periods, 103.5 Kiss FM has been at the top of the ratings, coming in at #2 in both 6+ ratings and the 25-54 demographic in the June period. In the July period, WKSC-FM became #1 in the 25-54 demographic. More importantly, the station has been #1 in its target demographic of Persons 18-34, most recently with a whopping 9.0 share.

A search is underway for a replacement.

Study: Radio's Biggest Music Consumers Revealed


A new Radio Format study conducted by The Media  Audit reveals that among the top twenty highest reaching radio formats, Dance CHR listeners are the biggest consumers of CD's and digital music downloads. According to the study, 42.8% of the format's weekly listeners frequently purchase CD's or download digital music.  Among all U.S. consumers, 27.7% frequently purchase CD's or download digital music. The figure represents more than 41 million consumers across The Media Audit's 81 measured markets.

Contemporary Hits Radio (CHR) ranked second in the study, with 42.4% of the format's weekly listeners who frequently purchase CD's or download digital music, followed by listeners of Rhythm & Blues-Urban (39.2%), Hot Adult Contemporary (38.3%), and Rock (36.4%). Frequent purchasers are defined as having purchased CD's or downloaded digital music within the past four weeks.

Among those who frequently purchase CD's and downloaded music, 49% are female, while 51% are male. Furthermore, 46.6% are between the ages of 25 and 44 and 67% are between the ages of 18 and 44 years. The same study reveals that frequent purchasers of CD's and downloaded music are 15% more likely to have a college degree and earn an average of $76,739 in household income. The figure is significantly higher when compared to the average household income of $64,316 for all U.S. adults.

Rounding out the top ten radio formats for consumers of CD's and digital downloads are listeners of Urban Adult Contemporary format, with 34.1% who frequently make purchases, followed by Sports (33.2%), Public Radio (32.7%), Classic Rock (31.5%) and Adult Contemporary (30.4%).

The Media Audit's National Radio Format Report measures more than sixty different radio formats, including satellite radio listening.

WINS' Stan Brooks, At 85, Still Getting The Big Stories



Not too many reporters who covered the Empire State Building shooting last Friday are older than the building itself, which opened in 1931. 
 Stan Brooks is. He’s 85. 
 “And he was the first WINS reporter on the scene,” says WINS news and program director Ben Mevorach. “He works like folks half his age.” 
 “A story like that makes it a great day to be a reporter,” says Brooks. “I’ve said for years, it’s like having a seat on the 50-yard line of history.” 
 He’s been narrating the story for WINS listeners since Labor Day weekend 1962, 50 years ago, and 21/2 years before the station switched from rock ’n’ roll to all-news, with Brooks as the first news director. 
 “When they told me about all-news,” recalls Brooks, “I said, ‘What’s that?’ And when we did it, everyone was asking me, ‘What happens when you run out of news?’ 
 “Fortunately, we never have.”

Hip-Hop Mogul Christ Lighty Dead


Hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty died Thursday morning after he shot himself after an argument with his estranged wife at his Bronx apartment, sources told the New York Daily News.

Lighty, 44 — a longtime manager of 50 Cent, Diddy, Ja Rule and Mariah Carey — stepped outside his South Riverdale apartment about 11:30 a.m., after a spat with his wife, Veronica, police sources said.
Suddenly, a gunshot was heard and Lighty was found lying faceup with a 9-mm. pistol next to his body, sources said.

Law enforcement sources said Lighty — whose wife filed for divorce last year — may have been dealing with financial struggles, including owing about $5 million to the IRS.

Read More.

NYTIMES Appreciation: Lighty Changed Hip-Hop Music. Click Here.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Rehkopf Boomerangs To KDKA-AM


Bill Rehkopf, morning co-anchor at CBS Radio’s WNEW in Washington DC, is returning to KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh, effective September 24th.

Rehkopf was AM Drive News anchor for five years at KDKA before he was chosen to help launch WNEW’s All-News format late last year.  He’ll return to KDKA to co-anchor PM Drive news with Rose Ryan-Douglass.

Rehkop’s family has been living in Murrysville, PA and he’s anxious to return “home”.

"Working in the nation’s capital was extremely exciting and rewarding,” said Rehkopf. “However, my family and I have deep roots in Pittsburgh and this is a terrific opportunity. It’s a perfect professional fit for me and it works well for my family. I look forward to providing Pittsburgh with a quality program of essential news, information and entertainment to wrap up their work day.


CBS Radio Pittsburgh SVP & Market Manager Michael Young said Rehkopf was the right choice to host the reformatted Afternoon News show. “Bill’s an incredible talent,” explained Young. “His knowledge of the market and sharp news judgment made him the perfect choice to follow in the great tradition of afternoon programming on the legendary KDKA.”

Rehkop previously was News Director at WPOC Baltimore and anchored for WHP/WRBT in Harrisburg. PA and WARM Scranton/Wilkes Barre previously.

It has been reported that Rehkopf's slot at WNEW will be filled by Nathan Hager.  Hager, a reporter and anchor at Hubbard's top-rated all-news WTOP.  

Nathan started out at WTOP in 2000 as a writer for the morning newscast. He came to Washington from Roanoke, Va., where he worked as a morning anchor and reporter at a local news/talk radio station.

Report: NYYankees To Remain On WCBS-AM


According to multiple sources late yesterday, the Yankees have, at least for one more season, chosen to remain on WCBS 880 AM, rejecting ESPN’s offer to buy team radio rights, according to the NY Post.

A move to ESPN would have placed the Yankees on ESPN-NY’s new 98.7 FM — which on Saturday becomes the local station’s sole carrier, leaving 1050 AM (which soon will become an ESPN Spanish-language sports station).

Such a decision could sustain the team’s broadcast team of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.


Click here for previous story.

5 Years Later: P1s In The PPM World



By definition, P1s are listeners who spend more time with your station than any other; you’re their “first choice” on the dial.
 We’ve known for years that in the Diary methodology, P1s make up 33% of the Cume and 70% of the AQH ratings on average. When PPM was first being introduced to the Houston market in 2007, Arbitron published a study that found the ratio had changed slightly—20% of the Cume now accounted for 63% of the ratings.
 Five years have passed since then, and we’ve learned a lot about radio listening under the new PPM methodology. So we recently dug into 45 of our PPM markets* and examined the makeup of the top 10 stations among adults aged 18-34 and 25-54 over the first half of 2012. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 450 stations’ worth of data.
 Here’s what we found:

About a third of the audience that stays with the station on a daily basis accounts for half of the ratings.
 If you’re re-reading that sentence, you probably had the same reaction that I did when I pulled the data: I thought the AQH contributions would have been higher! These ARE the top listeners to the station after all.
 Well, take a look at the differences that emerge when you break this out by the top-ranked stations compared to those ranked tenth in the market:


The disparities that emerge between the #1s and #10s— a 20% gap in AQH composition for the 18-34 demo—is even more notable. The takeaway is that your position on the ranker dictates strategy.

Report: Miami Top Market For Tweeting


A national ranking of 81 U.S. cities reveals that Miami, Florida locals are among the nation's top  "tweeters". According to the study, 17% of the local metro area's population has used social networking site Twitter in the past month; a figure that is 38% higher when compared to the general U.S. population. Among all U.S. adults, 12.4% have visited Twitter within the past 30 days, compared to 9.6% a year earlier. The national figure represents more than 18.3 million people across The Media Audit's 81 measured markets and an increase in monthly unique visitors by nearly 30% from 2010 to 2011.

Among other top markets for Twitter users is Washington, D.C., where 16.2% have tweeted within the past month, followed by Ann Arbor, Michigan (16.2%), New York, New York (15.8%), and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (15.7%).

Demographically speaking, Twitter users are nearly equally split between men and women. Among monthly visitors, 53.8% are male, while 46.2% are female. The study also found that African American and Asian groups are more likely to tweet than Caucasian or Hispanics. Among African Americans, 16.4% have used Twitter within the past month, compared to 19.5% of Asians, while only 10.2% of Caucasians and 13.9% of Hispanics have visited the site.

Rounding out the top ten markets for Twitter users is Boston, Massachusetts, where 15.5% have visited the site within the past month, followed by Orange County, California (15.4%), Atlanta, Georgia (14.6%), Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina (14.6%), and Cleveland, Ohio (14.4%). Surveys were conducted between January 2011 and February 2012 among 104,000 respondents. 

For more information, contact The Media Audit.

Report: Jim Rome Joining CBS Sports Radio


Jim Rome is becoming CBS Sports man all the way. Deadline.com is reporting that the popular sports broadcaster is finalizing a deal with CBS Radio, which is expected to use his show as the cornerstone for CBS Sports Radio, the new national sports radio network slated to launch on Jan. 2.

Rome’s daily morning Jim Rome Show had been syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks since 1996.

The new agreement follows Rome’s deal with CBS in January when he left ESPN and his show there, Jim Rome Is Burning, for Rome, a new half-hour daily cable TV show on CBS Sports Network, which premiered in April, and a new sports and entertainment series on Showtime, which will debut later this year.

CC Flips Atlanta's WKLS 96.1 To CHR


Wednesday, just after 7:00 PM, Clear Channel signed Project 9-6-1 off following a farewell message by Program Director/PM Drive Chris Williams, ending its Rock legacy with a playing of "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

After stunting with an hour of older Top 40 hits and the opening chorus to "Ready or Not" by the Fugees, the station flipped to Top 40, branded as "Power 96.1." The first song on "Power" was "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO.  Listen to flip here.

Listen for Elvis Duran mornings, Ryan Seacrest middays, 9600 songs without commercials.

Dunwoody High School graduate and media mogul Ryan Seacrest made a surprise appearance at the Jennifer Lopez concert Wednesday night at Philips Arena to make the announcement, noting that his mom will be able to hear him again in Atlanta. (He started his career at Star 94 and has been on that station in syndication in recent years.)


Eddie van Halen Undergoes Emergency Surgery



Last night, Van Halen’s website posted a message to fans, stating that Eddie Van Halen has undergone emergency surgery. The message, in full, reads: “Eddie Van Halen underwent an emergency surgery for a severe bout of Diverticulitis. No further surgeries are needed and a full recovery is expected within 4 – 6 months. Van Halen’s scheduled November 2012 tour of Japan is currently being rescheduled and the band looks forward to seeing and playing for their fans in 2013.”

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, diverticulitis refers to small, bulging sacs or pouches of the inner lining of the intestine (diverticulosis) that become inflamed or infected. Most often, these pouches are in the large intestine (colon).

Mark David Chapman: "Lennon Was Very Polite"


John Lennon’s killer hoped to live with an upstate New York minister and fell trees for work if released from prison, a parole board heard, according to a story in the New York Daily News.

Mark Chapman, 57, made a seventh failed bid to become a free man earlier this month where he spoke about his love for God, his regrets over the ex-Beatle’s murder and his hopes for the future.

Chapman, who fatally shot Lennon multiple times as he walked into his Dakota apartment building with wife Yoko Ono, can still describe the incident in chilling detail.

In a transcript of the Aug. 22 parole board hearing, the murderer remembers Lennon as a “very cordial and very decent man” who stopped to sign his album cover earlier the same day.

“He was very kind to me,” Chapman said. “Ironically, very kind and was very patient with me. The limousine was waiting, his wife was waiting in the limousine, and he took his time with me and he got the pen going and he signed my album. He asked me if I needed anything else. I said, no. No, sir and he walked way.”

Chapman, 25 at the time, laid in wait outside the upper West Side building for 11 hours until the musician returned, and calmly shot him from behind.

Ready More Here.

Read Parole Hearing Transcript below...

Mark Chapman - Parole hearing transcript 2012

Lujack, Edwards Revive Animal Stories


Chicago radio legends Larry Lujack and Tommy Edwards will make a rare personal appearance together in Springfield, Ill. next week.   The former WLS (890 AM) on-air partners are reviving their roles as  “Uncle Lar and Lil’ Tommy” in seven radio spots for the Illinois Emergency  Management Agency’s (IEMA) statewide preparedness campaign.

“These radio spots are really fun and will help us catch the listener’s ear with our message about pet preparedness,” said IEMA Director Jonathon Monken.  “Pets are an integral part of many families and shouldn’t be forgotten when developing a complete family preparedness plan.”

The newly produced 30 and 60 second “Animal Stories” spots highlight the importance of pet emergency preparedness and encourages people to visit the Ready Illinois website,  www.Ready.Illinois.gov, to learn more about pet preparedness. 

The new spots will begin airing soon on radio airwaves throughout Illinois as part of IEMA’s broadcast preparedness campaign, which is aired in cooperation with the Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA) Public Education Partnership (PEP) program.  The spots will air on more than 200 Illinois radio stations. 

Lujack, a Chicago radio personality icon for more than four decades spanning back to the 1960s, has since been inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, the National Association of Broadcasters  Hall of Fame and the Illinois Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame.  He is now retired and lives in New Mexico.  Edwards can still be heard frequently on the Chicago airwaves and serves as courtside announcer for the Chicago Bulls.

Edwards and Lujack will headline the annual conference of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Sept. 5th in Springfield, Ill.

This past Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of Lujack’s retirement from WLS-AM (890). The now classic Animal Stories bit began in the early ’70s as an outgrowth of Lujack’s morning farm reports on WLS.

Report: 72% Of Lady Gaga's Followers Fake


Pop sensation Lady Gaga made social networking history earlier this year when she became the first public figure to amass 20 million followers on Twitter.

But reports now claim that the 'Born This Way' megastar may not be as popular on the social media site as was once believed, according to a story at The Huffington Post.

Thanks to a new tool created by social media management company StatusPeople, The Huffington Post has discovered that, as of Tuesday, up to 72 percent of Gaga's 29 million Twitter followers are considered fake or inactive.

Study: The Politics of TV Shows


Top TV Shows for Reaching Key Voters

From John Fetto, Experian Marketing Services:

The Republican and Democratic parties are gathering in the coming days to officially launch the Presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. In doing so, the candidates, the parties and their support groups will unleash unprecedented amounts of cash in an effort to influence American voters through advertising, much of it on TV. As such, Experian Simmons has released a new list of the top 20 television programs for reaching party loyals as well as three key swing voter segments. 
The shows in each list include those cable and broadcast TV shows with the highest concentration of viewers from each segment. For example, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central has the highest concentration of Super Democrats of any non-news cable or broadcast show on TV. Likewise, Rules of Engagement on CBS has the highest concentration of Mild Republicans. Candidates, political organizations, and even traditional advertisers trying to connect with any of these voting segments would be wise to consider advertising on the programs listed below.






Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Report: Yahoo News Chief Fired For Comment

Chalian
Yahoo News has fired Washington bureau chief David Chalian after he was caught on a hot-mic during an online video broadcast today saying that Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, had no problem with African Americans suffering as a result of Hurricane Isaac, a source familiar with the situation tells POLITICO, according to their Media writer Dylan Byers.

"They're not concerned at all. They're happy to have a party with black people drowning," Chalian said during the ABC News/Yahoo News webcast, in reference to the fact that the GOP convention in Tampa is taking place as Hurricane Isaac makes landfall on the north Gulf coast.




The conservative media watchdog organization NewsBusters first posted audio of Chalian's remarks, but referred to him as an ABC News employee (and offered slightly inaccurate transcription). ABC News spokesperson Julie Townsend informed the organization that Chalian was with Yahoo.

Major News Outlets Adding More Video

Max Whittaker for The New York Times

Convention coverage has come a long way from the days when the “boys on the bus” — the pack of A-list print reporters like R. W. Apple Jr. of The New York Times, David S. Broder of The Washington Post and Walter R. Mears of The Associated Press — set the pace for political reporting more than a generation ago armed with little more than a pen, a pad and a wicked hangover. 
 Back then, conventions were less scripted and generated more surprises, while today’s media labor to enliven coverage of what typically are endless hours of preordained events. 
 Now, Mr. Mears’s Associated Press occupies a skybox at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, the site of the convention, where it shoots and broadcasts high-definition video. 
 This year, the one accessory most newspapers cannot seem to do without is a set with cameras and television lights. The New York Times has its own skybox as well, and for the first time is providing live-streamed coverage of a convention.


Steve Harvey Wants Real People For New Show

He's already made his mark as an actor, comedian, radio star, game show host and author, but Steve Harvey hasn't finished proving himself as an entertainer. With a new self-titled daytime talk show in the works, Harvey hopes to show the competition how it's done.


'The Tonight Show' Experiences Dark Days


The NBC program starring Jay Leno suffers a ratings slide and layoffs amid instability in the TV business — and after network missteps. And the stakes are rising.

Scott Collins, Los Angeles Times writes:

As the No. 1 late-night show for most of the past half-century, "The Tonight Show" has been vital to NBC's fortunes. It was the network's most profitable entertainment program during its 1990s peak, kicking an estimated $100 million to the bottom line annually. 
 And today? "Tonight" is in trouble. This month, the show saw wide layoffs for only the second time in its 58-year history, with about 20 people losing their jobs and host Jay Leno taking a pay cut that lopped off more than 10% from his estimated $26-million annual salary. 
 Leno even offered to work for free to save more jobs, according to people familiar with the matter, who said the offer was rejected because executives believed it would set a bad precedent. These people said "Tonight" was now barely breaking even.



Howard Stern Lashes Out At NBC

Howard Stern is embroiled in a dispute with NBC centering on Jay Leno. The America's Got Talent host told his radio listeners that his TV bosses sent him "a threatening kind of comment" after he recently dissed Leno.

Howard's response?

"I said, 'Do not tell me to not talk about Jay Leno -- I will (bleeping) talk about Jay Leno for four hours if you tell me not to. I was done with Jay, now I'm all fired up again: (Bleep) Jay! Take my job away from me. Who cares? Don't threaten me. I don't answer to anybody."

Curiosity Blasts will.i.am Song From Mars


The Curiosity rover broke the silence of space Tuesday, beaming music back to earth from the surface of Mars. The song's composer and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am talks to a group of high school students about the meaning of his now-interplanetary music.


Vogue's September Issue Is Hefty


At 4 pounds 10 ounces, Vogue’s September issue has weight. Its heft carries some hope, a sign of economic life, a pulse that subverts the flat-lining CBO numbers. This single edition of one magazine suggests that even in bad times, someone is up for a good time, writes Ned Martel at The Washington Post.

The fashion magazine announces right there on the cover that it’s putting out “916 pages of spectacular fall fashion for all.”

Of Vogue’s 916 pages, 658 are ads. As the magazine’s rate card for advertisers explains, one single page can cost as much as $165,232, though many ads are sold in discount packages.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

DG, NBC Sports Radio Unveils Additional Talent


Dial Global and NBC Sports Radio today announced the hiring of four sportscasters to round out its roster in time for the network’s launch on Tuesday, September 4. Former NFL pro Amani Toomer and radio veterans Eytan Shander, Dan Schwartzman and Kay Adams are joining the team as show hosts and update announcers.

Amani Toomer and Eytan Shander will host Amani and Eytan on NBC Sports Radio in the 10pm-1am ET timeslot, Monday-Friday; The Dan Schwartzman Show will air live Tuesday-Saturday between 1am-5am ET; Kay Adams will anchor the NBC Sports Radio national updates between 5pm-10pm ET, Monday-Friday, and she will also be appearing regularly on the previously announced The Erik Kuselias Show, Monday-Friday between 7pm-10pm ET.

Amani Toomer spent 13 years as a wide receiver for the New York Giants, retiring as the team’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards and winning a Super Bowl in 2008. His post-playing career as a sportscaster includes being a regular contributor to NBC SportsTalk on NBC Sports Network, SiriusXM NFL Radio, and MSG’s Varsity's coverage of Friday Night Football.

Eytan Shander was most recently a national host and update anchor on Mad Dog Radio on SiriusXM. He’s also hosted radio shows and anchored updates in Philadelphia at WIP and WPEN, WWTN Nashville as well as other stops. Eytan was also the locker room correspondent for the Tennessee Titans post-game show during his time in Nashville.


Dan Schwartzman spent years hosting weekdays in Philadelphia on WPEN as well as most recently with ESPN Radio New York, among other stops.



Kay Adams hosts SiriusXM’s The Fantasy Drive and Livin’ the Fantasy. She also served as in-game host for the St. Louis Cardinals for two years.

Chris Corcoran, Executive Vice President, General Manager adds, “We are collecting some excellent young talent who are ready for the big stage in their careers. Not only are we adding a second Super Bowl Champ to our roster who has been training for this big moment, but we’re selecting talent that will make a big impact on a national level for our affiliates and our advertisers."

Toomer is the second NBC Sports Radio sportscaster to have won a Super Bowl. Dial Global and NBC Sports Radio previously announced that Rodney Harrison, the three-time All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion, will host a two-hour weekend NFL talk show titled Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison to debut on the weekend of September 8.

Dial Global Sued BY TRN


Accused Of Monopoly

Diall Global is being sued by Talk Radio Networks (TRN).  TRN is claiming the syndication company is a monopoly and is violating anti-trust laws.  The suit was officially filed by The Original Talk Radio Network, Inc., Talk Radio Network Enterprises, LLC and Talk Radio Network-FM, Inc.

TRN further  claims that Dial Global has a monopoly in sales for independent talk radio which could cause a "second generation monopoly" over intellectual property rights.

In a statement, TRN CEO Mark Masters said, "This is a sad but necessary day for us.  But the steps we take today are for the sake of the entire community of independent spoken word syndicators, and independent radio networks who depend on outside sale representation for their very financial survival."

Masters adds that he hopes TRN's lawsuit "signals a beginning of the end to active monopoly and anti-competitive actions within radio’s independent spoken word syndication markets."

Radio: Social Media Tips To Gain New Listeners


Social Media Strategist Stephanie Winans writes  sharing P1 content on your social media accounts can be alienating to the potential or new listener.

To super serve P1s and attract new listeners, she says you should add demo-relevant content to the mix.

Share stories, articles, pictures, videos that appeal to the interests of your audience. Potential listeners will see that you talk about topics that interest them, which is more likely to encourage tune-ins than content that makes them feel like outsiders.

Two More Newhouse Newspapers To Cut Print Days


UPDATED 4PM:  Newhouse Newspapers, which earlier this spring announced that it would stop printing a daily paper at The New Orleans Times-Picayune and its Alabama newspapers, said it would end the daily distribution of two more of its newspapers, The Post-Standard in Syracuse, and The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa.

The papers will merge their content with local news Web sites and deliver the printed newspaper only three days a week.

The Syracuse region’s leading website - syracuse.com - and the largest newspaper brand - The Post-Standard - will be part of a new digital news and information company, Syracuse Media Group. Stephen A. Rogers, Editor and Publisher of The Post-Standard, announced today that the planning for the new company is underway and its debut is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2013. The new model seeks to adapt the journalistic excellence of The Post-Standard and syracuse.com to the demands of today’s 24-hour digitally-focused audience.

“We have not been immune to the challenges facing other newspaper companies and we must adapt to the changing media landscape,” said Rogers. “Our goal is to build a sustainable growth company in an increasingly digital world, ensuring that we have the stability and resources to continue providing quality journalism to the Syracuse community that we have proudly served since 1829.”

The new strategy also includes changes to The Post-Standard’s print schedule. Beginning in January, The Post-Standard will publish on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays for delivery to homes and newsstands. A smaller version will be available for single copy sales the other four days in Onondaga County. The Syracuse Media Group will review the single copy program carefully and may decide to eliminate it before or by the end of next year.

Emphasizing that this is an innovative step forward, not a cost-cutting measure, Harrisburg’s Patriot-News Publisher John Kirkpatrick spent about 45 minutes with his staff, answering pointed questions about the future of the news organization as it moves toward changing its model to a heavy focus online and a print product only three days a week.

The Patriot-News and its website, PennLive.com, will no longer be two companies. They will merge into PA Media Group, which will also include the advertising staff.

Inevitably, there will be cuts in staff.  But new positions will also open.

Almost as many pages of print — to include comics, the weekly local, sports and entertainment sections — will still go through the presses each week and be delivered on newsstands and front porches.

Other than Sunday, the days that the presses will run are not yet determined.

But the online operation will move to a 24-7 model.
There are still unknowns. The price of the paper is one of them.

But no paywall at PennLive.com is in the immediate future, he said.

Report: MLB, ESPN Reach New Deal


ESPN has agreed to a deal that locks down Major League Baseball rights into the next decade, according to SportsBusiness Daily.

The eight-year deal is worth $5.6 billion (an average of $700 million per year), approximately doubling the nearly $306 million ESPN currently pays MLB every year for domestic TV rights.

The new deal adds in digital, international and radio, for which ESPN is paying MLB around $50 million currently, sources said. Sources added the deal will be announced as soon as this afternoon.

As part of the deal, which runs through 2021, ESPN retains the rights to "Sunday Night Baseball," its Monday and Wednesday night games and highlights for "Baseball Tonight."

ESPN also will carry one wild card playoff game, sources said. In its current deal, ESPN does not have rights to any MLB playoffs.

Forbes Lists Highest-Paid Personalities


Oprah Still Queen
Despite all the talk about how the OWN Network is under performing, the network still generated enough revenue to keep its creator, Oprah Winfrey, at the top of Forbes highest paid celebrity list. From May 2011 to May 2012, Winfrey earned $165 million. Earlier this year while on CBS' Early Show, Winfrey told her friend Gayle King, "If I were writing a book about running a network, I could call the book 101 Mistakes." Number Two on the list was Michael Bay, who earned $160 million, largely from the $1.1 billion Transformers: Dark of the Moon, earned worldwide.

Number Three was Steven Spielberg with $130 million, followed by Jerry Bruckheimer with $115 million and hip hop super producer Dr. Dre at Number Five with $110 million from the sale of his Beats By Dre headphones.

Tyler Perry, Howard Stern, James Patterson, George Lucas and Simon Cowell round out the Top Ten.

Also On the list, Glenn Beck at #11, See List Here.

CBS Names Spitz As PD For CBS Sports Radio


CBS Radio has named  longtime WFAN Sports Radio 66 employee Eric Spitz to the position Director of Programming for CBS Sports Radio.  Spitz will be responsible for talent development, scheduling, on-air presentation and production.  He will report to Chris Oliviero, SVP/Programming, CBS Radio who will also oversee the day-to-day operations of the network.

"Eric has a unique skill set ideal for building a sports radio network as proven by his tremendous success at WFAN," said Oliviero.

"Eric has been involved with the pioneering radio station since the beginning and watched the format grow from its infancy to what is now one of the most successful in the industry. His perspective is exactly what’s needed to launch a sports radio brand that can stand the test of time. And his selection for this critical position proves the value we are putting on leadership with a strong editorial track record in sports programming."

Spitz was hired by WFAN as a desk assistant when the station signed on the air on July 1, 1987. He moved up the producer ranks before being named as the station's APD in the early 90’s. In 2002, Spitz was named VP of Operations and Programming for Westwood One's Shadow/Metro Traffic. He held that position for three years before returning  as the WFAN’s program director.