Saturday, September 27, 2014

K-C Radio: KRBZ Ordered to Pay 'Porn Star' Victim $1M


The KRBZ 96.5 FM The Buzz morning show “Afentra’s Big Fat Morning Buzz” took a big hit from a federal court jury Friday.

A woman falsely identified as a porn star during a 2012 broadcast on 96.5 The Buzz was awarded $1 million after a weeklong trial in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan.

Ashley Patton
The Kansas City Star reports Ashley Patton filed the suit against the radio station’s owner, Entercom Kansas City, seeking damages for mental suffering, shame and humiliation.

The jury awarded Patton $250,000 in actual damages and $750,000 in punitive damages.

As part of an agreement negotiated while jurors were deliberating the amount of punitive damages, the company will not appeal the verdict, said Patton’s lawyer, Arthur Benson.

Both sides agreed that Patton was not and never had been involved in the pornography industry.

Benson told jurors in closing arguments Friday that the company needed to be held accountable for the conduct of employees who acted with reckless disregard of the truth.

The incident that led to the suit occurred during the April 20, 2012, morning show hosted by Afentra Bandokoudis, known as “Afentra,” and Daniel Terreros, known as “Danny Boi.”

During the broadcast, the hosts asked listeners whether they knew of any local porn stars. A short time later, they received a text message that read “Ashley Patton Olathe South. 2007.” After a second text also mentioned Patton, Danny Boi said, “Oh, this girl is going to be good, hold on, guys.”

He then said, “Ashley Patton, Olathe South. Let’s Google this chick. This is what I have been waiting for.”

But the Google search actually turned up pornographic images of a different woman named Ashley Payton. The radio show hosts didn’t realize the mistake.

Denver Radio: Update On KALC's Slacker After Passing Out

Slacker
Personality Slacker, from KALC 105.9 FM Alice's  "Slacker and Steve Afternoon Show," passed out during a live radio interview Thursday afternoon.

During the radio show, listeners heard a loud "thump" and then music began playing. Steve later went on the air and confirmed that Slacker did lose consciousness during the broadcast.

Slacker was transported to the hospital and later released. The station's program director told 9NEWS that Slacker went home to rest.

On Friday, Slacker called the show to give an update.

On September 27, 28 In Radio History





On the 28th in 1936...the radio show "Bachelor's Children" debuted on CBS Radio.



On the 28th in 1939...the "Fleischmann Hour" aired for the final time on radio.


On the 28th in 1963...The Beatles song "She Loves You" was first played on U.S. Radio by disc-jockey, "Murry The K", on 1010 WINS in New York. It is believed that this was the first time a Beatles song has been played anywhere in the United States. The song was played for two solid weeks. The response was tepid.



Murray Kaufman 1960
Murray the K reached his peak of popularity in the mid-1960s when, as the top-rated radio host in New York City, he became an early and ardent supporter and friend of The Beatles. When the Beatles came to New York on February 7, 1964, Murray was the first DJ they welcomed into their circle,

When the band arrived in New York, Murray was invited by Brian Epstein to spend time with the group, and Murray persuaded WINS to let him broadcast his prime time show from the Beatles' Plaza Hotel suite. He subsequently accompanied the band to Washington, D.C. for their first U.S. concert, was backstage at their The Ed Sullivan Show premiere, and roomed with Beatles guitarist George Harrison in Miami, broadcasting his nightly radio shows from his hotel room there.

He came to be referred to as the "Fifth Beatle," a moniker he said he was given either by Harrison during the train ride to the Beatles' first concert in Washington D.C. or by Ringo Starr at a press conference before that concert.


Dewey Phillips
On the 28th In 1968…Pioneering Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips died of heart failure at the age of 42. He was the first person to play an Elvis Presley record on the radio. He also got Elvis to reveal his race (which was in question at the time) in an interview by asking which high school the 19-year-old singer attended (knowing that because of racial segregation, the audience would readily recognize what race attended which schools).


On the 28th in 1968...The Hot 100 "Hey Jude" became the Beatles' 16th #1 song.  Jeannie C. Riley fell with "Harper Valley P.T.A." and the Rascals' former #1 "People Got To Be Free" came in third.  Deep Purple's "Hush" was followed by "Fire" from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.

The rest of the Top 10:  Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 with their version of "The Fool on the Hill", 1910 Fruitgum Company had "1,2,3 Red Light", the Bee Gees climbed to 8 with "I've Gotta' Get a Message To You", the O'Kaysions moved from 16 to 9 with "Girl Watcher" while Clarence Carter moved into the Top 10 with "Slip Away"




On the 28th In 1974…John Lennon visited radio host Dennis Elsas at New York City's WNEW-FM to promote his new album "Walls and Bridges." The former Beatle stayed on the air for several hours talking about the album, acting as a disc jockey, playing records and reading commercials.



On the 28th in 1974...The Hot 100 1974:  Andy Kim had the new #1 song with "Rock Me Gently". Olivia Newton-John was one step closer with "I Honestly Love You" and Billy Preston was next with "Nothing From Nothing".  Dionne Warwick and the Spinners combined for "Then Came You" and First Class were up big (12-5) with "Beach Baby".

The rest of the Top 10:  Stevie Wonder and "You Haven't Done Nothin'", the Guess Who had song #7 with "Clap for the Wolfman", Cat Stevens reached the Top 10 with "Another Saturday Night", Johnny Bristol and "Hang On In There Baby" and Lynyrd Skynyrd reached the Top 10 with "Sweet Home Alabama".




On the 28th In 1997…After 54 years in broadcasting, much of it with NBC and later years with ABC, newsman David Brinkley retired.











On the 28th in 2004...Air personality Scott Muni, WMCA, WABC, WOR-FM, WNEW-FM, WAXQ died.

Muni then spent almost 50 years at stations in New York City. He became a Top 40 broadcaster at WMCA in the late 1950s, just before the start of their "Good Guys" era. In 1960, he moved to rival Top40 WABC. There he did an early evening show called "Scotland's Yard" and was the first WABC DJ to capture the attention of the teenage audience the station would become famous for. He also participated in the competition to cover The Beatles on their first visits to the United States, and thus began a long association with them.

Muni with John Lennon
In 1965, Muni left WABC and ran the Rolling Stone Night Club while doing occasional fill-in work for WMCA. Muni had explored some opportunities beyond radio: he had recently co-hosted a local weekly television show on WABC-TV with Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Morrow, and he would go on to record the spoken single "Letter to an Unborn Child", about a soldier with a premonition, which was released in 1967 to little acclaim.

In 1966, Muni joined WOR-FM, one of the earliest pioneers of freeform-based progressive rock radio.

The notion did not last at that station, but in 1967 Muni moved to legendary rock station WNEW-FM, where the format really took hold. Muni stayed there for three decades as the afternoon DJ and sometimes program director. Muni was described by fellow WNEW-FM DJ Dennis Elsas as "the heart and soul of the place". Under assorted management changes during the 1990s WNEW-FM lost its way, and in 1998 Muni ended up as a one-hour noontime classic rock personality at WAXQ "Q104.3", where he worked until suffering a stroke in early 2004.

Friday, September 26, 2014

NYC Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM Unveiling New LineUp

Beginning on September 29, WEPN 98.7 FM ESPN will debut a new weekday afternoon lineup highlighting featuring New York sports icon Mike Lupica expanding to two hours. The new show Lupica will air from 1-3 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Ryan Ruocco and Dave Rothenberg will take over the lunch hour from 12-1 during the week.

Ruocco will join The Michael Kay Show as a contributor alongside Kay and co-host Don La Greca. Kay runs Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on 98.7 FM.

Former Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro will remain with Alan Hahn in the 7-10 p.m. timeslot Monday through Friday.

Bill Daughtry will have a role on both shows reading SportsCenter updates. Meanwhile, Daughtry’s Saturday morning show will double in length beginning on October 4, running from 8-12, and he will continue in his role as the host of New York Knicks broadcasts on 98.7.

These changes strengthen an already powerful personality driven lineup on 98.7FM,” said Justin Craig, the program director for ESPN New York 98.7 FM. “Two hours of Mike Lupica’s passion and opinions, additional opportunities for Bill Daughtry, Ryan Ruocco and Dave Rothenberg, and the new team of Alan Hahn and Rick DiPietro, whose chemistry was evident from day one, reinforce our commitment to serve sport fans.”

Cox Media Group Names Pete Spriggs N/T Format Leader

Pete Spriggs
Cox Media Group (CMG) has named Pete Spriggs, Director of Branding and Programming for News 95-5 FM and AM 750 WSB, as its new News/Talk/Sports Radio Format Leader.

In addition, Drew Anderssen, Director of Branding and Programming for Orlando’s WDBO, is News/Talk/Sports Format Coordinator. Spriggs and Anderssen will continue their current roles, but also work closely with Steve Smith, CMG’s VP of Radio Programming, and all of CMG’s News/Talk/Sports program directors in the following markets:
  • Athens – WXKT and WGAU News/Talk and WRFC-AM (Sports/Talk)
  • Atlanta – News 95-5 FM and AM 750 WSB (News/Talk)
  • Dayton – WHIO-AM/FM (News/Talk)
  • Jacksonville – WOKV-AM/FM (News/Talk)  
  • Orlando – WDBO-AM (Sports/Talk); WDBO-FM (News/Talk)
  • San Antonio – KONO-AM (Sports/Talk)
  • Tulsa – KRMG-AM/FM (News/Talk)   
"Pete and Drew are two of our most talented directors of branding and programming and we’re thrilled they will share their skills with the rest of our team,” said CMG Executive VP of Radio Kim Guthrie.  “Their natural instincts will help all of our Cox Media Group News/Talk/Sports stations across the country continue to grow and flourish."

Drew Anderssen
Pete Spriggs has charted his 21-year CMG programming career in Dayton, Orlando, and Atlanta. WSB Radio is the home station for nationally-syndicated hosts Herman Cain and Clark Howard, and National Radio Hall of Fame inductee Neal Boortz.  During Spriggs' tenure, WSB Radio has won several AP News Awards, a National Murrow, and several Marconi awards. WSB continues to be the highest-rated News/Talk station in the Top 20 markets in the United States.  

"CMG's News/Talk stations are respected within the broadcast industry like no other, because we have smart, strategic teams working tirelessly on our products in all of our markets,” said Spriggs. “Now we have a tremendous opportunity to convert these superbrands to digital. Drew and I will focus on empowering the great local talent that we have in all of our markets to serve their communities, connect emotionally with the listener, and to use the power of collaboration to turbo-charge our growth.  We also have CMG TV in each of our radio News markets, which is an unbeatable one-two punch."  

Anderssen has been with CMG for 16 years, serving previously as the Operations Manager of News/Talk KRMG in Tulsa.  Anderssen’s teams have won many regional and national awards, including the national Edward R. Murrow.

“I am thrilled to be able to continue to help CMG with our News/Talk/Sports stations,” said Anderssen.  “I’m honored to work alongside Pete Spriggs and am grateful to be able to continue to help and grow our PDs in this format.  It is exciting and a challenge for which I'm grateful."

Two FCC Commissioners Flip-Flop On Net Neutrality

Mignon Clyburn
FCC commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn have called for stronger network neutrality rules than the ones fellow Democrat and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has thus far supported, according to arstechnica.com.

In a speech Wednesday at a congressional forum on net neutrality, Rosenworcel said, "we cannot have a two-tiered Internet with fast lanes that speed the traffic of the privileged and leave the rest of us lagging behind."

The FCC's tentative proposal approved in May would not prevent Internet service providers from charging Web services for priority access to consumers over the network's last mile, but it asked the public for comments on whether the commission should impose stricter or weaker rules. A total of 3.7 million comments poured in, mostly in favor of stronger restrictions on how ISPs treat Internet traffic.

Jessica Rosenworcel
The FCC's tentative net neutrality vote in May was 3-2, with Republican commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly dissenting. Final rules could again come down to what the three Democratic commissioners want, but chairman Wheeler hasn't revealed his plans.

Stronger rules could require reclassifying broadband as a utility, opening Internet providers up to regulations similar to those placed on telephone providers under Title II of the Communications Act.

Clyburn also spoke at the forum, saying the commission should apply similar rules to fixed broadband and cellular service. The FCC's tentative rules on blocking and traffic discrimination would impose weaker restrictions on cellular data than fixed broadband.

Read More Now

L-I Radio: Connoisseur Media Makes Changes

Connoisseur Media has announced a number of promotions and changes centered around its closing last on WALK 1370 AM and WALK 97.5 FM.

WALK GM Jim Condron is taking a corporate position as senior vice-president of regional strategy. Long Island Market Manager Dave Widmer will add WALK to his GM duties at WKJY 98.3 FM, WBZO 103.1 FM, WWSK 94.3 FM, and WHLI 1100 AM.

Here are the other promotions and changes Connoisseur made.
  • WALK Program Director Patrick Shea has been promoted to Long Island operations director and will oversee all programming and programming personnel for Connoisseur Media Long Island.
  • WALK Assistant Program Director/Music Director Tommy Conway has been promoted to WALK program director.
  • WALK Local Sales Manager Paul Anthony has been promoted to general sales manager and will share responsibilities of that position with current Connoisseur Media Long Island General Sales Manager Janine Johns.
  • WALK Regional and National Sales Manager Arny Levy will add the current CMLI radio stations to his representation of properties on the regional and local levels.
A number of other promotions and changes were announced affecting back-office operations, including:
  • Engineering and technical operations including WALK AM-FM will be led by current Connoisseur Long Island -- Chief Engineer Mike Glaser who will be joined by WALK engineer Jesse Sayre in overseeing the technical operations of the market.

VA Radio: Ralph Salierno Named Interim GM For Star Radio

Longtime radio sales executive Ralph Salierno has been promoted to interim general manager of the Star Radio Group.

Salierno, 62, has worked for the group for more than two years as director of sales. His career in radio sales has spanned two decades and four radio conglomerates.

He succeeds Paul Johnson, who is now with Richmond’s Alpha Media, as top executive.

The Star Radio Group, which is owned by The Free Lance–Star Publishing Co., operates four stations: WFLS 93.3 FM, WVBX 99.3 FM, WWUZ 96.9 FM and WNTX 1350 AM /96.5 FM.



“Ralph has been a key member of the Star Radio group and has earned this internal promotion,” said Gene Carr, publisher and chief executive officer of the FLS and Star Radio Group. “In his new duties as interim GM, he will continue to serve as the director of sales as well. Ralph has done a great job in driving revenue growth.”

Salierno, originally from New Jersey, has moved around the country—living in Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia Beach during his radio career. But he said the Washington D.C. area was always where he wanted to end up and raise his family.

Carr also announced the promotion of Jeff Beck to Program Director.

“Jeff brings years of service and industry knowledge to the team,” Carr said. “This new management team will help to position the company for further growth.”

L-A Radio: KRTH Lets Weekenders Go

Don Barrett's LA Radio reports Sylvia Aimerito posted on her Facebook page Wednesday “KEARTH is ‘going in a different direction.’ So, after 11 years of playing the greatest hits on earth, I now have Saturday afternoons off. It’s all good! I know God has a mighty plan for my life, which doesn’t include KEARTH. I’ll let you know where I land. Already have two high profile L.A. stations courting me... sweet! See ya!”

And before the day was over, three more weekenders were told there would be a change with weekends at the CBS Radio Classic Hits station:
  • After 20 years, Dave Randall is out at K-EARTH
  • Christian Wheel was dealt a double blow this month. He lost his weekend shift at K-EARTH yesterday morning. Earlier this month, his very tasty show, Let’s Talk Tech, was canceled after it was announced that KFWB was changing format.
  • Bruce Chandler. He has been a K-EARTH weekender since 1996. Bruce started in Southern California radio in 1973, starting at KMEN-San Bernardino.
When asked about who will be working this weekend in place of the four departing personalities, pd Chris Ebbott said, “We are making some changes to the sound of our weekends. Will have an announcement about those plans soon.”

Davenport Radio: Steve Ketelaar OUT At N/T WOC

Steve Ketelaar
Changes in the morning show at WOC 1420 AM include the departure of a veteran radio host, according to qctimes.com.

"Steve Ketelaar has left our station," said Jim O'Hara, operations manager at iHeart Media, which owns and operates WOC and four other Davenport radio stations.

O'Hara would not say whether the decision was made by Ketelaar, who co-hosted the "WOC Morning Report" since February 2012, or the company.

"He is going to pursue his voice-work career full-time, which is ... pretty successful already," O'Hara said. "He's looking forward to doing it 100 percent of the time."

A Davenport native, Ketelaar began as a broadcaster in 1981. After working in radio in Orlando, Minneapolis, Dallas, Miami and Madison, Wis., he returned to the Quad-Cities in 2007. He and Mark Manuel hosted the morning show on the former KUUL 101.3 FM, and were moved to WOC shortly before the format of the oldies station changed to become the Top40 "101.3 Kiss FM."

Manuel moved to the afternoon shift at KCQQ 106.5 FM nearly two years ago. He was replaced by Dan Deibert, who will continue to host the "Morning Report" along with station veteran Dan Kennedy.

When Ketelaar and Manuel were moved to WOC in 2012, they also hosted segments on the morning show for sister station WMT 600 AM in Cedar Rapids. O'Hara said the joint morning show has discontinued, and WMT has resumed the show with its own hosts.

Smaldone, Gold Join America Weekend LineUp

Valerie Smaldone
Envision Networks has announced hosts Valerie Smaldone and Leslie Gold as part of the all new America Weekend lineup. They can be heard every weekend on affiliate stations of the Envision Talk Network.

“I am delighted to be working with the fabulous Leslie Gold as we host a weekly show together focusing on fascinating personalities and celebrities, trends and curiosities,” said Valerie Smaldone.

“We look forward to having our audience laugh along with us and learn some new things while being entertained. There is nothing like good conversation and that’s what our America Weekend is all about.”

“America Weekend presents an opportunity to talk about the stuff that intrigues, amuses and vexes all of us,” said Leslie Gold. “Hosting the show with my real life friend Valerie Smaldone makes it an immense pleasure for me.  We pledge captivating talk by two veteran broadcasters who are also true friends. It should be much fun.”

Leslie Gold
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Valerie and Leslie join the team of hosts on America Weekend,” said Michael Lichtstein, VP/Programming of Envision Networks. “Each brings a breadth of radio experience to the show and together they set a new bar when it comes to delivering compelling and thought-provoking conversation.”

Designed to be a break from the usual brokered programming and political fare of most News/Talk stations, America Weekend covers the lighter side of news and lifestyle issues facing today’s on-the-go talk listeners. America Weekend offers over 10 hours of new programming each weekend. In addition to Smaldone and Gold, the new lineup includes hosts Mike Bennett, Ed Kalegi, Smith and Sabatino, Animal Radio and Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline.

Portland OR Radio: Bryan LaRoche To Mornings At KBFF-FM

Bryan Laroche
Alpha Media Portland, OR announced today Bryan LaRoche will join co-host, Hannah Byrom on KBFF 95.5 FM Live 95-5 mornings.

LaRoche was born and raised in Indianapolis, IN and went to college on a golf scholarship but was bit by the radio bug! He got his official start in radio in 2008 as an intern for the Smiley Morning Show at WZPL in Indianapolis. Eventually, he made his way to Jacksonville, FL as Afternoon host on WKSL 97.9 FM KISS FM where he was named, “Jacksonville’s Top 30 Under 30” in 2014.

LaRoche has also worked at WKQI/Detroit, WMTX/Tampa, WJFX/Fort Wayne, WSTO/Evansville and WNOU/Indianapolis.

Alpha Media VP of Programming, Phil Becker commented on the announcement, “I’m excited to once again be working with Bryan. I’ve watched him develop over the years and he’s turned into a talent that I would not like to compete against. Teaming him up with Hannah and forming Portland’s only local C.H.R. morning show is going to be a great thing for our listeners, advertisers and brand for a long time to come.”


“I’ve been waiting for this day to come since my career began. To be able to help wake up Portland every morning is a dream come true for me. The team at Alpha Media genuinely loves radio the way I do and I’m beyond thankful for the opportunity to work with them. My family and I are on another level of excitement to call this beautiful city home,” Bryan remarked.

Alpha Media Portland Senior VP/Market Manager, Milt McConnell said, “Bryan is the perfect match not only for Hannah but for our live and local Pacific Northwest audience. Bryan and Hannah’s energy and vibrant personalities will help grow the Live 95.5 brand and elevate the station to the next level.”

Denver Radio: KALC's Slacker Passes Out On-Air

Slacker
Popular personality Slacker, from KALC 105.9 FM Alice's  "Slacker and Steve Afternoon Show," passed out during a live radio interview Thursday.

During the radio show, listeners heard a loud "thump" and then music began playing. Steve later went on the air and confirmed that Slacker did lose consciousness during the broadcast.

KALC has not said what caused the DJ to pass out.

Slacker was transported to the hospital and later released. The station's program director told 9NEWS that Slacker went home to rest.

The station promised to update his condition on its website Friday.

Kansas City Radio: Woman Wins 'Porn Star' Case Against KBRZ

UPDATE 5PM 9/26:  A woman who sued KBRZ over being called a porn star has been awarded at least $250,000 in damages.

Ashley Patton sued Entercom Kansas City, the owners of 96.5 The Buzz and broadcasters of "Afentra's Big Fat Morning Buzz" for false light invasion of privacy and negligent supervision.

KSHB-TV41 reports a hearing has begun to decide punitive damages in the case.

Patton had sued over an April 2012 broadcast in which DJs Afentra (Bandokoudis) and Danny Boi (Daniel Terreros) asked listeners to send in the names of local residents who "were said to be local porn stars," according to the lawsuit. Two listeners texted Patton's name, the lawsuit claimed, and during a Google search, Danny Boi found an adult film actress with a similar, but distinctly different name.

The DJs announced Patton's name and high school, as well as placed it online and kept a podcast of the show online until Patton complained, according to court documents.


Earlier Posting...

Testimony continued Thursday in the trial of a woman who’s suing a popular Kansas City radio station, according KSHB-TV41.

Ashley Patton accused DJs Afentra and Danny Boi of wrongfully calling her a porn star on KRBZ 96.5 FM's morning program "Afentra's Big Fat Morning Buzz."

Patton testified at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in KCK that even two years later, she struggles with anxiety. She blamed the DJs on Afentras Big Fat Morning Buzz, who broadcast a Google search with her name during a segment on local KC porn stars.

Patton has nothing to do with that line of work; instead she was going to law school when the broadcast happened in 2012.

The mistake came down to one misspelled letter.

Defense attorneys cross-examined her, trying to prove the show's mistake wasn't intentional and her stress was caused more by law school than the radio station.

Patton is asking the station's owners to pay $150-200,000 in emotional damages.

WI Radio: iHeartMedia Launching Gilbert Brown Sports Show

Gilbert Brown
iHeartMedia and former NFL Great, Gilbert Brown, a.k.a. The Grave Digger, are pleased to announce the launch of “Gravedigger Radio”. Beginning October 7th, the show will air Friday nights from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. in Milwaukee on WOKY 920 AM, in Madison on WTSO 1070 AM and 100.9 TransFM, Eau Claire on WBIZ 1400 AM and worldwide on iHeartRadio.

“First I want to thank iHeartMedia for letting me bring my brand of sports talk to their listeners.  I am so excited to be able to have my own show! Gravedigger Radio gives me the chance to be myself and to share my knowledge of football, sports and life with the fans,” said Brown.

“Gravedigger Radio” is a joint venture with Mayfield Sports Marketing.

Fans tuning into Gravedigger Radio will be treated to Gilbert’s’ personality, humor and insight on topics such as: football, movies, music and family, said Mark Mayfield, of Mayfield Sports Marketing.

“Our whole staff is excited to have Gilbert Brown joining us.  To have a Super Bowl winner and Packers Hall of Famer on our team adds something special to our exciting sports talk line up on The Big 920 in Milwaukee and The Big 1070 and 100.9FM in Madison!  Gilbert’s love of football, sports, cars and how he gives back through his many charitable associations is truly unique and we know fans will love the show.  Welcome The Gravedigger,” commented Regional Market Manager, Jeff Tyler.

iHeartRadio Music Fest Generated Social Media Buzz

iHeartMedia Thursday shared the latest social media engagement data resulting from its iHeartRadio Music Festival, which took place in Las Vegas on September 19 and 20.

This year the festival generated more than five billion social media impressions, more than double from last year, putting the festival ahead of the year’s major events such as the high profile Big Game Halftime Show, in terms of related social media activity, and on a par with the Academy Awards.

Twitter emerged as the dominant platform of choice for fans at this years’ event, representing two-thirds of the overall social media activity and resulting in #iHeartRadio trending worldwide on both days of the event. After Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr were the next most popular platforms. Within the content of the posts, Taylor Swift was the most discussed, followed by One Direction, Five Seconds of Summer, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj.

Other noteworthy statistics include:

  • 80 percent of posts came from Millennials, the 18-34 year old demographic
  • A total of 37 topics related to the event trended across local, U.S. and Worldwide on Twitter over the course of the two days, including #iHeartRadioMusicFestival, #OneDirectionAtiHeartRadioFestival and #NickiAtiHeartRadio

WA Radio: Longtime Hosts Paul, Shirley Bragg Leaving KONP

The Braggs
Paul and Shirley Bragg are leaving KONP 1450 AM / 101.7 TransFM, but don't call it a retirement.

The Peninsula Daily News reports the couple, who have between them 116 combined years in the commercial broadcast radio industry, are leaving only live radio.

This Sunday will be the final live broadcast of their 11-year radio show, “Memories in Music,” which airs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. each Sunday.

When they sign off, Paul Bragg, 82, and Shirley Bragg, 79, will leave live radio for the first time since Paul began broadcasting in 1955. However, they plan to continue working, perhaps on a pre-recorded radio show. The show features popular music from the 1940s through the '60s, with some tunes from the '70s.

The Braggs have hosted “Memories in Music” at KONP since August 2003.

Paul has been in broadcasting since his first radio job in 1955 in Bozeman, Mont., where he met Shirley, a singer and state government office employee,

Shirley joined him to become the other half of their broadcasting team in 1957, when the couple married and moved to Livingston, Mont. Their first home was in the radio station building where Paul worked.

Paul later became manager of KSOP 104.3 FM, the first Country FM station in Salt Lake City.

“In '68, we drove through on vacation and met George Buck, who owned KONP,” Shirley said.

The pressures of KSOP were wearing on the couple, and they had two young children to raise.

In 1969, the family made the move to Port Angeles, to work for KONP.

Paul and Shirley said they have outlived most of the musical artists with whom they developed relationships during their years as radio broadcasters and coordinators for concerts at KSOP.

Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Marty Robbins, Red Foley and Minnie Pearl were among the stars the couple met and, in some cases, with whom they became friends.

R.I.P.: Longtime WCBS-TV Newsman John Slattery

John Slattery
Four-time Emmy-winning New York City news mainstay John Slattery, a 30-year veteran of WCBS-TV, died Wednesday after a sudden heart attack only hours after filing his final story, reports The NY Daily News.

General assignment reporter Slattery worked Wednesday, covering a Bronx attack on a 72-year-old Good Samaritan who stepped in to protect a mugging victim.

Slattery, 63, was among the city’s longest-serving television reporters, joining WABC-TV in 1979 and participating in the Emmy-winning coverage of the December 1980 assassination of ex-Beatle John Lennon.

He moved to WCBS four years later and found a home, spending the rest of his career there.

Peter Dunn, WCBS president and general manager, said the death caught everyone by surprise.

“We are saddened by the unexpected passing of our friend and colleague,” said Dunn. “During his nearly 30-year career at WCBS, he was great at reporting the news and was someone we counted on to cover big stories for us, both here in New York and around the world.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with John's wife, Suzie, and their children and grandchildren."

September 26 In Radio History


In 1908...The first stereo advertisement, for an Edison Phonograph, appears in the Saturday Evening Post.


In 1960…The first of the four televised presidential debates between hopefuls Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy took place at the studios of WBBM-TV in Chicago. Moderated by newsman Howard K. Smith, the debate was seen on TV by more than 69 million people, while another 17 million heard the debate on radio.


In 1962...The CBS radio network released a yearlong survey on the most popular radio features of the day. Note: these are not specific radio formats. Talk-Music (22%) - News, interviews, discussions, talks, sports and also have a minimum-to-moderate interest in music but do not tune in primarily for music. News only listeners - listen to newscasts. (12%) Classical/Semi-Classical Listeners (16%) Popular Music - Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Steve and Eydie, etc. (40%) Rock n Roll - (7%) The survey shows that rock n roll listeners have the lowest education and income levels of all listener groups.


In 1962...Gary Owens moves from KFWB 980 AM to KMPC 710 AMLos Angeles. KFWB was playing Top40, KMPC played more adult pop like Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra etc.

Owens replaced previous host Johnny Grant and  he remained for the next two decades working the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. shift, Monday through Friday. A gifted punster, Owens became known for his surrealistic humor. Among his trademarks were daily appearances by The Story Lady (played by Joan Gerber); the Rumor of the Day; myriad varieties of "The Nurney Song"; and the introduction of the nonsense word "insegrevious", which was briefly included in the Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary.



His regular on-air radio terms included "krenellemuffin," as in, "We'll be back in just a krenellemuffin." Gary always credited his radio engineer at the end of his broadcast: "I'd like to thank my engineer, Bob Jones, for creebling at the turntables." He also created the previously non-existent colors "veister" and "krelb".



In 1968...ABC radio says it will not run a radio commercial for the “Barberella” soundtrack album. The network says it won’t accept radioads because the film was given a condemned rating by the Legion of Decency - the official motion picture arm of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. The Paramount film stars Jane Fonda as “Barberella.”






In 1968...Progressive rock radio was making waves - Bill (Rosko) Mercer the 7p to midnight DJ on WNEW 102.7 FM in New York is getting 4 shares on his show and the third highest ratings among teens in the area (WABC and WMCA are first-second) . Says Rosko - “On a progressive rock program, it’s extremely important to think of the programming. Think before you do it, the same as any job requires. People are hungry for proper presentation of music. They don’t want “Ten Years After” or the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” thrown at them. They want it prepared for them. Anyone can play a stack of records at home. It’s a presentation that counts to a large extent.”


In 1983... Falling star – KMET-FM Los Angeles, once the darling of album rock radio is falling apart. Seems that rival KROQ’s ascendance in the ratings has hurt the station. Gone is longtime program director Sam Bellamy. She believes that KROQ’s New Wave music and format would not have been accepted by her KMET audience even if she had chosen that direction. “Rock of the 80’s” programmer Rick Carroll is negotiating to bring his new hits format to New York (it never happened).


In 1983...WABC splits morning team “Ross and Wilson.” Actually, Ross Brittain got his walking papers. He says his firing came as a complete surprise. “Now I’m a member of the Dan Ingram Home For Unemployed Disk Jockeys.”

From December 1983, Brian Wilson solo on WABC.



In 1983...WFIL Philadelphia is bringing back Jim Nettleton for mornings on the oldies-based station.

Here's a terrific aircheck of WFIL 56 and WIBG 99, spaning the years 1970 thru 1983.  A ton of great Philly personalities including George Michael, Long John Wade, Don Wade, John Records Landecker, Don Cannon, Chuck Knapp, Hy Lit, Joe Niagra, Tony Mann, Dick Fennessy, & Jim Nettleton. (Courtesy of Ellis B. Feaster WPOZ Orlando)





In 1983...Jim Pewter is named program director of oldies KRLA Los Angeles.



In 1983...Sony introduces “Super Walkman.”

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Kansas City Radio: KRBZ In Court For Calling Woman 'Porn Star'


An Entercom radio station is defending itself against an Olathe, KS woman in federal court this week.

According to KHSB-TV41, Ashley Patton accused two morning personalities, Afentra and Danny Boi, of wrongfully calling her a porn star on Alternative KRBZ 96.5 FM's morning show "Afentra's Big Fat Morning Buzz."

On April 20, 2012, Patton said Afentra (Afentra Bandokoudis) and Danny Boi (Daniel Terreros) asked listeners to send text messages into the radio station's text line with names of people said to be local porn stars.

The lawsuit alleged two people texted the name "Ashley Patton."

Read the full lawsuit: Click Here.

Ashley Patton
According to the lawsuit, Danny Boi performed a Google search to look for Patton's name.

Patton's attorney said when the search didn't pull up Ashley Patton's name Google suggested "Ashley Payton."

Benson said Danny Boi clicked on Payton and that search returned pornographic images or videos of the person "Ashley Payton".

But Danny Boi, the suit read, went ahead and said her name on the air, "Ashley Patton, Olathe South.



Afentra and Entercom said in court on Wednesday they made a mistake and didn't knowingly mean to. But Patton said the show hosts didn't do due-diligence before naming her as a "porn star" on the air.

Patton wants the station to pay for emotional damages. She's expected to take the stand on Thursday and name how much she wants from the radio station.

Chicago Radio: WGN-AM Increasing Emphasis On News

Starting next week, N/T WGN 720 AM Radio will begin beefing up its news content, adding reporters and rolling out new features to provide an alternative to News WBBM 780 AM /105.9 FM, which will break from its longtime news programming for at least 162 gamedays next year, according to The Chicago Tribune.

"We're going to put more emphasis and energy into news, particularly while they're doing baseball," WGN President Jimmy de Castro said.

WGN on Monday will launch "Business Lunch," a weekday business news program going head-to-head with "The Noon Business Hour" on WBBM. The program will kick off the first hour of the Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano afternoon show and will focus on Chicago business and tech sector news, with regular features on everything from "momtrepreneurs" to social media.

Anna Davlantes
Meanwhile, the station's morning drive will likely get a boost from the hiring of TV news veteran Anna Davlantes, who stepped down as co-anchor of WFLD-Ch. 32's "Good Day Chicago" last year. Davlantes will join the Steve Cochran Show beginning Oct. 13 to deliver "The Big Story," a 90-second report on a trending story delivered at the bottom of each hour. The new feature will replace an hourly headline news update and will tap into social media for topics the station hopes will generate lively on-air discussion with listeners.

The station will employ a program called TopicPulse, which tracks trending news in real time, to choose the subject of "The Big Story" each hour. Davlantes will be charged with turning it into an engaging feature.

Manley says a reliance on analytics more than intuition will help the station fine-tune its editorial judgment in the age of social media. "The Big Story" also will find a home in afternoon drive, delivered by news editor Judy Pielach.

The station also plans to hire additional news staff and increase its commitment to "original reporting," according to Manley.

Study: Social Media Is Reshaping News


The ever-growing digital native news world now boasts about 5,000 digital news sector jobs, according to our recent calculations, 3,000 of which are at 30 big digital-only news outlets.

According to a new study by Pew Research, many of these digital organizations emphasize the importance of social media in storytelling and engaging their audiences. As journalists gather for the annual Online News Association conference, Pew offer answers to five questions about social media and the news.

1. How do social media sites stack up on news? When you take into account both the total reach of a site (the share of Americans who use it) and the proportion of users who get news on the site, Facebook is the obvious news powerhouse among the social media sites. Roughly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults use the site, and half of those users get news there — amounting to 30% of the general population.

YouTube is the next biggest social news pathway — about half of Americans use the site, and a fifth of them get news there, which translates to 10% of the adult population and puts the site on par with Twitter. Twitter reaches 16% of Americans and half of those users say they get news there, or 8% of Americans. And although only 3% of the U.S. population use reddit, for those that do, getting news there is a major draw–62% have gotten news from the site.

Read More Now

Twin Cities Radio: Talker Margery Punnett Leaving KTMY

Margery Punnett
Margery Punnett of KTMY 107.1 FM  myTalk 107.1's "Margery and Elizabeth" show announced on Wednesday that she is leaving the station in December, according to twincities.com.

In a note posted on the radio station's website, Punnett said she was moving to Phoenix to be with her husband and former radio co-host, Ian Punnett, who currently lives in Arizona, where he attends graduate school.

"You may think that I'm trying to get out of town before the polar vortex hits again, and you would be right," wrote Punnett. "Sort of.

"The weather is nice in Phoenix, but the lure west is my sweet husband."

Punnett and her husband co-hosted the "Ian and Margery" morning show until he left the station in December 2012 after dealing with persistent issues with tinnitus.

Margery Punnett currently co-hosts the station's mid-morning show (9 a.m.-noon) with Elizabeth Ries. Punnett's last day on myTalk will be Dec. 18.

Benztown Profiled In Business Journal


Benztown was profiled this week in the attached San Fernando Valley Business Journal story, "More Than a Jingle".

Reporter Mark Madler visited Benztown's Burbank, CA, studios and spoke to Chachi Denes, Benztown President, and others on the Benztown team on the heels of Benztown's placement at No. 596 on the Inc. 5000 ranking of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America (for the second consecutive year).

Benztown President Chachi Denes
Kevin Horton, Benztown Imaging and Production Director

ESPN Suspends Bill Simmons Over NFL Comments

Bill Simmons has been suspended for three weeks over heated remarks he made during his popular B.S. Report podcast, ESPN said in a Wednesday statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Every employee must be accountable to ESPN and those engaged in our editorial operations must also operate within ESPN's journalistic standards," the network stated. "We have worked hard to ensure that our recent NFL coverage has met that criteria. Bill Simmons did not meet those obligations in a recent podcast, and as a result we have suspended him for three weeks."

On Monday, Simmons had seemingly issued a challenge to the network to respond over comments he made about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's recent response to the Ray Rice domestic abuse scandal.

"I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I'm in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell. Because if one person says that to me, I'm going public. You leave me alone," Simmons stated in the podcast. "The commissioner's a liar and I get to talk about that on my podcast. … Please, call me and say I'm in trouble. I dare you."

Read More Now

Author Sez She Used Rush Limbaugh Tips To Abort Babies

Merritt Tierce
Last week The Dallas Morning News ran the story of local author Merritt Tierce, whose debut novel, Love Me Back, includes some wild tales from a high-end Dallas steakhouse. Tierce used to work at Nick & Sam’s. She saw some things.

But her best story, according to writer Chris Vognar, didn’t make it into the book.

Tierce used to get some high rollers at the restaurant, including conservative talk show mogul Rush Limbaugh. Tierce waited on Limbaugh twice (both times he came in with Al Michaels, who was in town to call Cowboys games). Both times Limbaugh left her $2,000 tips on modest-size checks, once with twenty $100 bills.

“That was like blood money to me,” says Tierce, who does not share Limbaugh’s social views.

Tierce was also executive director of the TEA Fund, which provides money to women who can’t afford to get abortions.  So she did the only logical thing with Limbaugh’s cash. She donated a sizable chunk of it to the TEA Fund.

“It felt like laundering the money in a good way,” she says. “He’s such an obvious target for any feminist or sane person. It was really bizarre to me that he gave me $2,000, and he’s evil incarnate in some ways.”

Radio At The 11th Annual Advertising Week Conference

Amani Toomer
The radio industry will once again take center stage next week in New York at the 11th annual Advertising Week Conference, the world’s premiere annual gathering of marketing and communications leaders.  Executives and on-air talent from the radio industry will prominently be featured throughout the week’s confab.

Below is a list of sessions and programs featuring the radio industry:
  • Opening Concert - Monday, September 29, Terminal 5, 8:00 PM – New York Market Radio (NYMRAD) hosts a star studded concert featuring New York’s top DJ’s with performances by T.I. and The Script.
  • Voices of the Original Social Media - Tuesday, September 30, The Microsoft Stage, 11:30 AM  –  A star studded panel of radio’s top talent including: iHeartMedia’s, Bobby Bones, Angie Martinez; Hot 97’s Ebro Darden, and NBC Sports Radio Network, Amani Toomer. These personalities will sit down with Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) president and CEO, Erica Farber to discuss their social media tactics and how they keep connected with listeners and how advertisers can leverage radio’s unique relationship.
  • State of the Industry Series - Wednesday, October 1, The Microsoft Stage, 12:30 PM - RAB president and CEO, Erica Farber join this leadership panel for an in-depth discussion, and look at the current and future state of media and advertising.
  • Loss of Serendipity - Wednesday, October 1, NASDAQ Marketsite, 4:00 PM – Chairman and CEO, iHeartMedia, Bob Pittman will join MediaLink Chairman and CEO, Michael Kassan, and SVP Global Marketing, Google’s Lorraine Twohill as they explore the flip side of data-tailored content creation and distribution by considering the importance of serendipity. 
  • Evolution or Revolution Part II - Thursday, October 2,  Times Center Stage, 1:00 PM - Entercom, president and CEO, David Field will sit down with other leading luminaries including: Jim Doyle, president, Enterprise Group, Panasonic; Meredith Kopit Levien, executive vice president, Advertising, The New York Times; Troy Ruhanen, CEO and president, TBWA; Andria Vidler, CEO, Centaur Media, and Shelly Palmer from Shelly Palmer Digital Living to discuss disruption, real-time reinvention, retaining and growing share, and balancing today with tomorrow. 
“We are thrilled to see radio playing such an important role at the media and advertising industry’s biggest assembly of forward thinking minds at Advertising Week,” noted president and CEO, Erica Farber, Radio Advertising Bureau.  “We will be out in full force spreading the message that radio is thriving in the media marketplace.”

"Radio is leading the way forward and we are elated to have such robust presence from the industry by day and by night”, said Matt Scheckner, Executive Director.

Poll: 58 Percent Want Third Political Party

As voters gear up this November, many are asking themselves which candidate they will vote for, a Republican or a Democrat. A new poll by Gallup suggests that a significant portion may want neither, with 58 percent of Americans wanting a viable third party, according to the Talk Radio News Service.

Satisfaction with the current system might be waning, as the last time that Americans said that the the current two party system was giving them adequate representation was 2003. Since then, the approval rating has been dipping.

2007 was the first time that Americans said that a third party was needed, and they have not changed their mind since then. The lowest rating that the poll has gotten in favor of a third party since then was 46 percent.

Overall satisfaction rates with Congress are still not high, with only 35 percent of those polled saying that Congress is doing a satisfactory job representing America.

The survey included a sample of 1,017 voters aged 18 or over and was conducted between Sept. 4 and 7.

September 25 In Radio History


In 1933...Tom Mix was heard for the first time on NBC Radio. His show ran until June,1950.







In 1967...Bob  Hall, Host of Music Til Dawn on WCBS 880 AM passed away.  "Music Till Dawn" premiered on April 13, 1953. WCBS announcer Bob Hall was the model for hosts on that program around the nation.


In 1975...While performing "Lonely Teardrops" onstage at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ during a Dick Clark oldies revue, Jackie Wilson collapses from a heart attack, bashing his head on the stage and lapsing into a come from which he will remain until his death in 1983.


In 1976...Frampton Comes Alive!  by Peter Frampton stood alone at the top of the album chart for the eighth week.  Silk Degrees from Boz Scaggs was a strong second with Linda Ronstadt's Hasten Down the Wind close behind.

The self-titled Fleetwood Mac was now moving back up after 61 weeks of release.

The rest of the Top 10:  Wild Cherry, War with their Greatest Hits package, Spirit from John Denver at #7, Spitfire by Jefferson Starship, All Things in Time by Lou Rawls at #9 and Chicago X.


In 1978
…Radio actor (The Shadow, The First Nighter Program, Heartbeat Theater) Bret Morrison died following a heart attack at the age of 66.


In 1989...Jacor launched "Power 93: the Power Pig" in Tampa

A year earlier, Jacor Broadcasting bought WFLA-FM 93.3 and its sister station, WFLA-AM 970, and switched the FM’s format and calls to oldies WFLZ “Z93.”  The format lasted only about a year.

After a weekend of stunting, including an hour of an urban contemporary micro-format, WFLZ would flip to Top 40 on September 25, 1989 at 8:15 AM to compete against local CHR Q105 (the first song under the new format was "Cold Hearted" by Paula Abdul). The station became "Power 93" or "The Power Pig", and aggressively targeted Q105 with promotions such as handing out "Screw The Q" t-shirts at various on the street events. The station took over first place in 72 days and became one of the most legendary radio stations of all time.



The first full-time Power Pig on-air lineup in October 1989 included Dr. Don Carpenter and the “Three Little Pigs” – Jack Harris, BJ Harris, and PD Marc Chase – on the morning show. In middays was long-time Tampa radio vet Dave Mann; afternoons were led by former Q105'er Jon 'Rock N Roll' Anthony, and nights were hosted by Tim and Tom. The original Beaver Stevens held down 10pm-2am, and Russell ‘The Love Muscle’ handled overnights from 2am-6am. The Pig continued its double-entendres on the weekends, too, with Hot "Dickie" Damn, Booger, Hardin Long, Jason (Mason's illegitimate son) Dixon, Jomama Johnson, Boner, and Brian Christopher.

READ MORE NOW: Click Here

Ratings for “The Power Pig” took off with listeners 12+ and 18-34 who bought specially-designed T-shirts imprinted with “Screw the Q” on them from the station’s pink-colored mobile unit dubbed “The Pig Van.”  Lawsuits ensued and, in the end, Q105 took quite a beating and switched to country in 1993. In 1995 WFLZ dropped its aggressive approach and re-imaged itself more mainstream Top 40 as “93.3 FLZ The New Music Revolution” and, in 2000, “The #1 Hit Music Channel”.


In 2001…XM Satellite Radio began fulltime operations. It was set to officially launch on September 12, but due to the September 11 attacks, the kickoff was postponed to the 25th.


In 2003...Bob Murphy broadcast his last MLB NY Mets radio broadcast


In 2005…Longtime radio favorite in Seattle (KOL, KJR) and Chicago (WLS, WCFL), Jerry Kay died at the age of 67.


In 2010…Radio-TV show announcer (Amos 'n Andy, The Adventures of Frank Race, Dr. Christian, The Sears Radio Theater, Stars over Hollywood, The Golden Days of Radio, The World Tomorrow, The Red Skelton Show, Highway Patrol, The George Gobel Show, Mackenzie's Raiders) Art Gilmore died at age 98.


In 2013…News correspondent (CBS, NPR, CNN) Lee Thornton, the first African American woman to cover a regular White House beat for one of the big three broadcast networks, died of pancreatic cancer at 71.