Saturday, March 12, 2016

March 13 Radio History



In 1922...WRR-AM, Dallas, Texas began broadcasting.

WRR-AM was Texas’ first broadcast station when it signed on from Dallas.  Owned by the City of Dallas, the original studio and transmitter was located in the Dallas Fire Department central headquarters.

WRR-AM actually dates back to 1921 as the wireless operation of the Dallas Police and Fire Departments.

The station received a formal license as a "land station" from the Bureau of Navigation on August 4, 1921, and was assigned the call letters "WRR".  In later years, the call letters would be said to stand for “Where Radio Radiates”.   According to WRR’s original license, the station operated with a “composite” transmitting system (i.e. “homemade”), and was authorized to operate at a power of up to 100 watts, giving the station an approximate range of 200 nautical miles.

According to DFW Radio Archives, there were often long stretches of time when there were no fire or police calls to broadcast, so to ensure the equipment was indeed working (and perhaps satisfy their own curiosity with the strange new device), the dispatchers started to resort to other means of occupying the airwaves.  They would read articles from the Dallas News or Herald, read letters, and tell jokes.  Soon they had even brought in a phonograph player to place next to the microphone and send music over the airwaves.

A small but growing audience became fascinated by the magically transferred voices and music – these were the very beginnings of radio in north Texas.

WRR soon began to evolve into a “real” radio station.  WRR’s initial license was issued through the Bureau of Navigation and fell into a categorical no-man’s land - while operating as a “broadcast” station, it was licensed as if it were a point-to-point operation.  WRR did not receive a true broadcast license from the Commerce Department's Radio Division until March 13, 1922.

WRR-FM signed on in 1948, playing classical music.  WRR-AM focused on popular music until it switched to all-news in 1975.

Bonneville Broadcasting bought the station in 1978.  It became KAAM.  It became all-sports KTCK in 1994.  Today, Cumulus Media owns “Sports Radio 1310: The Ticket.”

The city kept WRR-FM, which remains on the air as a classical station.  Taxpayers do not sustain WRR.  It operates commercially, depending upon advertising revenue.



In 1938...First “World News Roundup” on CBS Radio.

The CBS World News Roundup is the longest-running network radio newscast in the United States. It airs weekday mornings and evenings on the CBS Radio Network.

Robert Trout
It first went on-air on March 13, 1938 at 8 p.m. ET as a one-time special in response to growing tensions in Europe -- specifically the Anschluss, during which Adolf Hitler annexed Austria.

When the show first went on the air it was hosted by veteran radio personality Robert Trout. The first show gave the world the voices of Edward R. Murrow and William L. Shirer. In fact, it was the first time Murrow had ever delivered a news report. During the early years of the war, Murrow's reports from London and Shirer's reports from Berlin were essential listening to anyone trying to keep informed on events unfolding in Europe.

The program was a 38-minute special report from multiple locations around the world as the pre-war crisis mounts. It was the first time that on-the-scene European field correspondents were linked with a central anchor in New York for a national broadcast. A recording of the first episode, as well as some others, is available at the Internet Archive.



Most broadcast references credit either CBS President William S. Paley or News Director Paul White as coming up with the idea for the show, as a way to trump Max Jordan's NBC coverage of the Anschluss. The previous day, Shirer had flown from Vienna to London at the request of Murrow (the CBS European chief) to give the first uncensored eyewitness account of Germany's takeover of Austria.

It was White who relayed the order to Murrow and Shirer for the first Roundup. The two, Murrow in Vienna and Shirer in London, then had the responsibility of linking up reporters and circuits that same day...a Sunday, when many of the key people would be mostly unreachable.

The format was so successful that it was repeated the following evening, and then revived later that year during the Sudetenland crisis. Eventually, it evolved into a daily show.

As World War II raged in Europe, the Roundup format spawned a weekend edition, The World Today. It was just before one 2:30 p.m. Eastern broadcast, on December 7, 1941, that White and World Today anchor John Charles Daly received word in New York that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. Daly's report at the top of the show, among the first on any radio station or network, is the one most often used in audio retrospectives.


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In 1956…RCA Victor released "Elvis Presley," his first album.


In 1964…Billboard magazine reported that more than 60 percent of all U.S. singles being sold at that time were Beatles records.

Stacy Harris
In 1973...Quebec-born actor Stacy Harris suffered a fatal heart attack & died at age 54.  He had worked steadily in bigtime radio, notably on the series This is Your FBI, Dr. Kildare & Frontier Gentleman. He then appeared in scores of TV series over a 20 year period, including recurring roles in Bonanza, Dragnet, Wagon Train, Zane Grey Theatre, Perry Mason, Laramie & Return to Peyton Place.


In 1989...WPLJ 95.5 FM moved to 2 Penn Plaza, NYC


In 1992…The U.S. Federal Communications Commission ruled that companies could now own as many as 30 AM and 30 FM stations. Previously the total permitted had been 12.

Trump Blames 'Our Communist Friend' Sanders for Chicago Clashes


Secret Service agents surround U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a disturbance as he speaks at Dayton International Airport

(Reuters) -- U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Saturday blamed supporters of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders for protests that shut down his Chicago rally, calling the U.S. senator from Vermont "our communist friend".

Trump's Republican rivals, meanwhile, hurled scorn at the New York billionaire, saying he helped create the increasingly tense atmosphere that is now sweeping the race for the White House with his fiery rhetoric.

Trump, who has rallies in Ohio and Missouri on Saturday, canceled the Chicago event on Friday after it turned chaotic, with scuffles breaking out between protesters and backers of the real estate magnate.



The clashes follow a slew of recent incidents of violence at Trump rallies, in which protesters and journalists have been punched, tackled and hustled out of venues, raising concerns about degrading security leading into the Nov. 8 election.

"All of a sudden a planned attack just came out of nowhere," Trump said at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, Saturday morning, calling the protest leaders "professional people".

He said his own fans "were taunted, they were harassed by these other people, these other people by the way, some represented Bernie, our communist friend."

"Now really Bernie should tell his people...he should really get up and say to his people 'stop, stop,'" he said.

A spokesman for Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier on Saturday Trump called the protesters thugs.

"The organized group of people, many of them thugs, who shut down our First Amendment rights in Chicago, have totally energized America!" Trump said on Twitter.



The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech and assembly. The Chicago rally came ahead of five primary elections on Tuesday, including contests in Ohio and Illinois.

John Kasich, the Republican governor of Ohio who is also running for president, told journalists before a campaign event in Cincinnati on Saturday that Trump has created a "toxic environment".

"And that toxic environment has allowed his supporters, and those who seek confrontation, to come together in violence," he said. "There is no place for a national leader to pray on the fears of the people who live in our great country."

Asked if he could still back Mr. Trump should he win the GOP nomination, Mr. Kasich said: “It makes it extremely difficult.”

Trump has drawn fervent support as well as criticism for his calls to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and to impose a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country.

Trump Cancels Chicago Rally After Mayhem


Member of the cleaning crew sweeps the stands at the UIC Pavilion after Donald Trump cancelled his rally for safety reasons at the University of Illinois at Chicago

UPDATE 3/12/16 12NOON: U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Saturday blamed organized "thugs" for protests that shut down his Chicago rally and said the incident had "energized America."



Earlier Posting...

U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump canceled a campaign rally Friday night amid security concerns just hours after the Republican front-runner earned the endorsement of a former rival who said the billionaire's pugnacious campaign style is belied by a more thoughtful, private side.

"There are two different Donald Trumps: there's the one you see on the stage and there's the one who's very cerebral, sits there and considers things very carefully," Ben Carson said Friday as he became the second former Republican candidate to back Trump in the White House race.

The soft-spoken retired neurosurgeon, who dropped out of the race last week, said the American people would be "comforted" when they discover Trump's gentler side.


The thousands of protesters who showed up for Trump's rally Friday evening at the University of Illinois at Chicago - along with thousands of supporters - showed little indication they had noticed anything but the candidate's combative campaign style.

The university arena turned into a chaotic scene as the two warring sides amped up their positions. A half hour after the rally was slated to begin, a Trump campaign staffer announced it was being postponed for safety reasons, unleashing competing chants of "We dumped Trump!" and "We want Trump!" throughout the packed venue.

"We made a great decision not to have the rally," Trump told CNN after meeting with law enforcement and making the call.

"I am not a person that wants to see violence," he added.

Trump blamed protesters for creating disturbances at his campaign events and said it is a "love fest" among his supporters.

A Trump supporter (R) yells at a demonstrator (L) after Donald Trump cancelled his rally

Friday's event in Chicago stood out because the huge number of protesters virtually matched the number of Trump supporters, as opposed to other Trump campaign events where protesters have been a very small, albeit vocal, minority.

Earlier in the day, speaking at a public event in St. Louis, Missouri, Trump was interrupted repeatedly by protesters who were led out of the event by police and security, an increasingly common occurrence at his raucous rallies.

"He's all mouth, get him out," Trump shouted as one of the protesters was led out. "Go back to mommy," he said as another protester was led away.

The latest endorsement for Trump followed a Republican debate in Miami on Thursday night at which Trump and the remaining three candidates in the Republican race struck a markedly more civil tone.

Carson shot to the top of the Republican pack last year but faltered in the early nominating contests. His endorsement is unlikely to dramatically shift the Republican race, but it gives Trump a boost as the Republican establishment cranks up attacks, and comes just days before crucial nominating contests in the battle to be the party's presidential candidate for the Nov. 8 election.



The Republican primaries to be held on Tuesday in five states will be critical for Trump to cement his lead, and to determine whether U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio Governor John Kasich, whose home states are among those holding contests on Tuesday, will be able to continue with their increasingly long-shot candidacies. Trump's nearest rival in the race is U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

Carson's comments on Friday aimed to soften Trump's public image after a campaign marked by his demeaning personal attacks on opponents, harsh comments about Mexican immigrants and calls to temporarily bar all Muslims from entering the country.

"I'M A THINKER"

Trump's controversial campaign has led many Republican establishment figures to call for an all-out effort to prevent him from winning the nomination - an effort that Carson said would fracture the Republican Party and ensure a Democratic win in November.

Asked about Carson's comments, Trump said he did not want to "overanalyze" himself but there was only "one Donald Trump."

"Certainly you have all of this, and you have somebody else that sits, and reads and thinks. And I'm a thinker," said Trump, 69. "Perhaps people don't think of me in that way because you don't see me in that form."

Trump also raised the possibility that he will not attend the next Republican debate, scheduled for later this month in Salt Lake City. "We've had enough debates, in my opinion," he said.

In St. Louis, Trump's speech was interrupted more than a half-dozen times by protesters. Scuffles between Trump supporters and protesters have become more frequent, and a protester was punched in North Carolina on Wednesday by a Trump supporter who has been charged with assault.

"The officers are being very gentle," Trump advised, telling the crowd later, "It adds to the flavor, makes it more exciting, isn't this better than listening to a long boring speech?"

Carson's endorsement of Trump followed that of another former candidate, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who announced his backing last month.

Next Tuesday's voting will be a pivotal point as candidates chase the 1,237 delegates from primary contests and caucuses needed to win the Republican nomination. Trump has 459 delegates, followed by Cruz at 360, Rubio at 152 and Kasich at 54, according to the Associated Press.

The primaries in Florida and Ohio on Tuesday have the potential to be game-changers because both states award Republican delegates on a winner-take-all basis, meaning that he winner of the popular vote in each state will be awarded the state's entire slate of delegates. Many states award delegates proportionate to the popular vote.

For his part, Rubio said in a round of television interviews on Friday he was still in position to win Florida next week. Voters in his home state who do not want Trump as the Republican nominee should support him, he said.

"If they don't want Donald Trump to be our nominee, then voting for John Kasich or Ted Cruz in Florida is a vote for Donald Trump," Rubio said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Rubio said later that his supporters in Ohio should vote for Kasich next Tuesday if that looked like the best anti-Trump tactic.

“Clearly John Kasich has a better chance of winning Ohio than I do, and if a voter in Ohio concludes that voting for John Kasich gives us the best chance to stop Donald Trump there, I anticipate” that is what they will do, Rubio told reporters at an event in West Palm Beach, Florida.

CBS Journalist Detained By Chicago Police


A journalist for CBS News was arrested following Donald Trump's canceled rally in Chicago on Friday night.

Sopan Deb, a campaign embed who has been following Trump's campaign since it launched, was detained in the chaos outside of the site of the Republican front-runner's rally. According to Debs' own video he appears to be thrown to the ground while attempting to film police and protesters on the street. On the video he identifies himself as a member of the media.

Another video of part of the incident shot by Fox News shows Deb on the ground surrounded by officers before he's lifted, his arms in handcuffs. An officer is clearly shown holding Deb's camera and equipment.

According to Politico, Deb was charged with resisting arrest, though CBS said in its own report on the incident that the video clearly shows this was not the case.

Hulk Hogan's Side Rests Their Case

(Reuters) -- Attorneys for wrestling celebrity Hulk Hogan rested their $100 million privacy invasion case against the Gawker news outlet on Friday, wrapping up a lively week of testimony in a Florida lawsuit examining the posting of a sex tape in modern media.

Next week, Gawker will call the editor behind the post and other witnesses, that could include founder Nick Denton, at a civil trial in St. Petersburg, Florida, near Hogan's home. It also may show the tape to the jury.

Gawker's one-minute, 41-second edited excerpt shows Hogan having consensual sex with the wife of his then best friend, radio "shock jock" personality Bubba the Love Sponge.

The 62-year-old former professional wrestler, whose legal name is Terry Bollea, told jurors he still suffers from the humiliation of the sex tape's posting in 2012. Hogan said he did not know the encounter was recorded when it took place five years earlier in Bubba's home.

Asset valuation expert Jeff Anderson said that between Oct. 2012 and April 2013, when the video was removed, Gawker's value, as measured by the number of readers who visited its website, climbed by $54 million. On its own, the Hogan sex tape accounted for 28 percent of that increase, he said.

"It's those provocative stories, such as an exclusive celebrity sex tape…that can drive value," Anderson said. "As I think Mr. Daulerio even said, this wasn't just boobs," he said, referring to A.J. Daulerio, the former Gawker.com editor who posted the video.

Bubba Clem with then-wife Heather
The Tampa Bay Times reports listening to Anderson's testimony, Gawker Media founder Nick Denton shook his head at the assertion that in 2012, the company was worth $232 million. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, is demanding $100 million in damages.
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Attorneys for Gawker disputed Anderson's figures, calling them artificially inflated and the result of a methodology that was out-of-date.

According to them, in 2012, Gawker.com received 678 million page views, of which the Hogan sex tape accounted for less than one percent. The website's writers published some 10,000 posts that year, and while the video was popular, it was only one of many such stories, they said. Moreover, in the month after the video was published, Gawker.com's page views actually declined.

Hogan's side on Friday highlighted the video's viral spread, with an expert tallying that it reached millions more than the 2.5 million who saw it on Gawker over six months.

Gawker questioned another expert's presentation that it saw a boost from the post that added $5 to $15 million in value to the company.

"Where exactly is this Hulk effect?" said Heather Dietrick, president and general counsel of the company.

Testimony this week ranged from journalism ethics and website analytics to Hogan's statements about his penis size.

Hogan, a leading wrestling figure in the 1980s and '90s, emphasized a distinction he drew between his true personality and the bombastic persona he used professionally with "artistic liberty."

The Hogan side questioned Gawker's approach to sexual content. In a taped video deposition, former editor A.J. Daulerio called celebrity sex tapes newsworthy unless involving a child. When pressed on an age, he drew the line at under four.

Gawker later called the age reference a "flip" response.

On Friday, attorneys for Hogan read some of Daulerio's emails regarding a woman seeking the removal of a video showing her having sex in a public bathroom. He wrote: "Blah, blah, blah."

Gawker later noted that those comments were not sent to the woman.

Hogan attorney David Houston called "disgusting" how Gawker claimed speech protections under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

"This is a case of pandering to the very basest of human curiosity," he told Reuters, expecting a favorable verdict to demonstrate "there is still privacy in the modern world."

(Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by David Gregorio)

Louisville Radio: iHM Promotes Hughes, Jordan To SVPs

Kevin Hughes
iHeartMedia/Louisville has announced it has promoted Kevin Hughes to Senior Vice President of Sales and Michael Jordan to Senior Vice President of Programming, effective immediately. Both positions will oversee iHeartMedia's Kentucky-Indiana region and will be based out of Louisville.

"iHeartMedia's strength is built on our commitment to the listener and the amazing passion of team members like Kevin and Michael," said Earl Jones, iHeartmedia's Kentucky-Indiana Region President. "Their talent, desire to win and proven track records make them remarkable additions to our senior leadership team. I look forward to them continuing to build upon their successes."

Hughes is a 30-year veteran of the radio industry. As Senior Vice President of Sales he will work closely with key advertising and marketing partners to create and deliver unique, effective opportunities to reach their consumers through iHeartMedia's unmatched assets, including on-air, online, social media promotions, personality endorsements and live event integrations.  Hughes has been with iHeartMedia for 19 years, most recently serving as the Senior Vice President of Sales for the Louisville market.
Michael Jordan

"I am so honored and thankful to both Earl Jones and Tom McConnell for the opportunity to expand my role within the company," said Hughes. "It is a real thrill to be able to team up the with the tremendous talent and heritage brands we have in our Kentucky-Indiana Region and I can't wait to get started!"

Jordan, who has been iHeartMedia for 13 years, will work closely with key talent and the programming staff to deliver unique, effective opportunities to reach our listeners through iHeartMedia's unmatched assets, including on-air, online, social media, personalities and live events.

"My dream has always been to work with the legendary brands I grew up with and grow within a great company," said Jordan. "Thanks to Earl Jones, Gene Romano, Rod Phillips and Tom McConnell that dream has come true."

Orlando Radio: Pacheco Named DOS For Cox Media

Evelyn Pacheco
Cox Media Group/Orlando has named Evelyn Pacheco as its new Director of Sales.

In this role, Pacheco will lead the sales organization of CMG Orlando’s radio and digital brands UrbanAC WCFB 94.5 FM, WCFB-HD2, N/T WDBO 96.5 FM, Classic Hits WMMO 98.9 FM, HipHop WPYO 95.3 FM, Country WWKA 92.3 FM and WDBO-AM ESPN 580 AM.

“After a very thorough search for a Director of Sales, I am excited that Evelyn Pacheco will be joining our CMG Orlando team,” said CMG Orlando/Jacksonville Regional VP and General Manager Susan Larkin. “Evelyn’s leadership talent and past successes are the right combination to help lead our sales organization and talented team to new levels of success.”

Prior to joining CMG Orlando, Pacheco was a member of the sales management team at CBS, Orlando FL. "I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to be a part of the CMG team in Orlando, which has a history of being a force to be reckoned with, and I look forward to working as a collective to take our market to the next level. I'm excited to be working in tandem with Susan Larkin and the entire team to perpetuate growth, while nurturing the coveted CMG culture for many years to come,” said Pacheco.

March 12 Radio History


In 1900...announcer Harlow Wilcox was born in Omaha, Nebraska.

He studied voice for three years in his youth and left home in his late teens to try for a career on the stage.  His first radio work was for station WGES in Chicago in 1930. In January of 1934, he was signed as a Chicago staff announcer by NBC.  He would deliver Johnson Wax commercials for the hit show Fibber McGee & Molly for seventeen years, 1935 through 1952, and became an integrated character in the script.  He also became the regular announcer for the half-hour radio version of Amos & Andy, for the Baby Snooks Show, Truth Or Consequences, and the Autolight-sponsored six years of Suspense.

One of the top announcers of bigtime radio, Wilcox died much too young on September 24, 1960, at age 60.


In 1912...orchestra leader Paul Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield Mass.  First big break was as arranger for Rudy Vallee’s Fleischmann Hour on NBC Radio.  Worked as arranger for Tommy Dorsey, Dinah Shore and Bob Crosby, then joined Capitol Records, where he met & married singer Jo Stafford. He worked on radio with Johnny Mercer’s Music Shop, his wife’s Chesterfield Supper Club, & the Joan Davis & Duffy’s Tavern sitcoms.  In TV Weston was musical director for Danny Kaye, Jonathan Winters, Jim Nabors, etc.

He died Sep 20, 1996 at age 84.



In 1917...radio actress Georgia Ellis was born Georgia B. Hawkins in Ventura, Ca.  She is best remembered today as Matt’s love interest Kitty in the acclaimed CBS radio version of Gunsmoke.  Other featured radio credits include Dragnet, Dr. Kildare, Escape, Romance, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, This is Your FBI, and dozens of lesser known series.  She died at age 71 March 30 1988.


In 1923...Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrated his method for putting sound on motion picture film. One of the pioneers of radio in the early 1900s, DeForest came up with a snappy name for his invention; he called it: phonofilm. Today, we call it a soundtrack.


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In 1933...just eight days after he was inaugurated, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt broadcast his first presidential address to the nation. It was the first of what were called Roosevelt’s famous Fireside Chats, a name that was coined by CBS newsman, Robert Trout. The frequent, soothing, down-to-earth radio talks helped bolster Roosevelt’s enormous popularity for four terms in office, making him, many say, the greatest President of the century, if not of all time.


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In 1953...Memphis disc jockey Rufus Thomas signed with Sun Records to release a song called "Bear Cat," an answer to Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog."


In 1985...one of the great classical conductors of the 20th century, Eugene Ormandy, for 44 years leader of the Philadelphia Orchestra, died at age 85. That symphony had been the first orchestra to make a commercially sponsored radio broadcast (on NBC in 1929) and the first to appear on national TV (on CBS in 1948).


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In 2001...TV-radio talk show host/singer/songwriter Morton Downey, Jr., son of singers Morton Downey and Barbara Bennett, died of lung cancer at age 68.

Downey was a program director and announcer at a radio station in Connecticut in the 1950s, and later worked in various markets around the U.S., including Phoenix (KRIZ), Miami (WFUN), San Diego (KDEO) and Seattle (KJR).

Like his father, Downey pursued a career in music, recording in both pop and country styles. He sang on a few records and then began to write songs, several of which were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. He joined ASCAP as a result. In 1958, he recorded "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams", which he sang on national television on a set that resembled a dark street with one street light. In 1981, "Green Eyed Girl" charted on the Billboard Magazine country chart, peaking at #95.

In the 1980s, Downey was a talk show host at KFBK-AM in Sacramento, California, where he employed his abrasive style. He was fired in 1984. He was replaced on KFBK by Rush Limbaugh, who has held the time slot ever since, later via his national syndication.

Downey also had a stint on WMAQ-AM in Chicago where he unsuccessfully tried to get other on air radio personalities to submit to drug testing.  Downey's largest effect on American culture came from his popular, yet short-lived, syndicated late 1980s television talk show, The Morton Downey Jr. Show.

His third – and final – attempt at a talk radio comeback occurred in 1997 on Cleveland radio station WTAM in a late evening time slot.  It marked his return to the Cleveland market, where Downey had been a host for crosstown radio station WERE in the early 1980s prior to joining KFBK. This stint came shortly after the surgery for lung cancer that removed one of his lungs. At WTAM, Downey abandoned the confrontational schtick of his TV and previous radio shows, and conducted this program in a much more conversational and jovial manner.

Friday, March 11, 2016

R.I.P.: Keyboardist Keith Emerson Passes At 71



(Reuters) -- British-born keyboardist Keith Emerson of the 1970's progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer died from a self-inflicted single gunshot to his head, police said Friday.

He was 71.

 Emerson's body was found by local police at his Santa Monica, California, home in the early hours of Friday. Police have preliminarily ruled the death a potential suicide, Santa Monica police spokesman Sergeant Rudy Camarena told Reuters.

 Born in 1944 in the Yorkshire village of Todmorden, Emerson was a keyboardist for a number of groups in the 1960's, including The Nice. But he was best known as a founding member of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, a so-called "super group" of well-known rock musicians formed in 1970.

 In addition to Emerson, the band included bassist Greg Lake, formerly of King Crimson, and drummer and percussionist Carl Palmer, a veteran of several famous English bands.

 "Keith was a gentle soul whose love for music and passion for his performance as a keyboard player will remain unmatched for many years to come," said Palmer on his website.

 "He was a pioneer and an innovator whose musical genius touched all of us in the worlds of rock, classical and jazz."

 The band posted about Emerson's passing on Facebook, asking "that the family's privacy and grief be respected." The band released nine studio albums during the 1970's, including its debut self-titled album and its follow-up "Tarkus," released in 1971. The latter reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart, according to Billboard.com. Emerson later worked as a solo artist and wrote an autobiography, "Pictures of an Exhibitionist," in 2004.

Keith Emerson (1944 - 2016)We regret to announce that Keith Emerson died last night at his home in Santa Monica, Los...
Posted by Emerson, Lake & Palmer on Friday, March 11, 2016

Reporter Files Police Report Against Trump Campaign Manager

Just prior to alleged incdient: Fields, Trump, Lewandowski
Florida law enforcement is investigating an alleged physical altercation between Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, who filed a police report against Trump's top aide on Friday.

Michelle Fields
Politico is reporting that Fields alleges Lewandowski strong handed her on Tuesday night as she tried to ask Trump a question following his press conference in Jupiter, Florida. Washington Post reporter Ben Terris has backed up her claim.

The Jupiter Police Department released a statement confirming that the report had been filed on Friday. "The Jupiter Police Department is currently investigating an alleged battery that occurred at 115 Eagle Tree Terrace (Trump National) on March 8, 2016. A police report was filed with the Jupiter Police department on March 11, 2016 at approximately 10:00AM and the investigation is ongoing. As with any investigation, specific details concerning criminal investigative information is not releasable while the investigation is considered active. Any additional details regarding this incident will be released once the investigation has concluded. The initial report, outlining the date, time, location, and nature of the incident will be released today," the police said.


The Trump campaign has flatly denied the allegations, going so far as to question Fields' motivations and personal history.

CEO Berner Sees Cumulus As 'A Winner'

While she says she like radio's odds, there is no denying that the entire media landscape, digital included, is still in the midst of seismic change and there will be winners and losers.

During Thursday's conference call with analysts, Cumulus CEO Mary Berner talked about a number of imperatives designed to turnaround the fortunes of the company.

"What I have heard and learned over the past five months of extensive travel and group and one-on-one interactions with both employees and advertisers simply confirmed what I already believed, which is that while our challenges are formidable, Cumulus certainly has the assets to become one of the winners if given a plan to deal with its operational issues and the time to leverage and build on its considerable strength."

However, she assured analysts she wasn't about to minimize the challenges facing Cumulus.

"As you can see by the continued under performance we experienced this quarter versus our peers, we have a lot of work to do to stabilize the business. We are organizing that work around four foundational issues which I believe are responsible for our under performance, and I will give you some context for the moves we are making to correct Cumulus' trajectory."

She cited:
  • First, a well constructed operational plan wasn't or couldn't be executed at Cumulus due to a lack of management tools and information, as well as a misalignment of authority and responsibility across many functions. 
  • Second, the company had a corporate culture characterized by a lack of focus, accountability, and collaboration and under-investment in human capital which collectively resulted in significant turnover and economic leakage.
  • Third, revenue was meaningfully impacted by multi-year declines in ratings across the entire platform in part due to a command and control operating strategy that often ignored local market dynamics. 
  • And finally, a substantial amount of leverage on the balance sheet has reduced the company's capital flexibility while increasing the pressure to execute in operational turnaround quickly.
To address these issues Berner talked about programming being returned to the local markets.

Mary Berner
"For instance, after we eliminated our nationally-mandated music list and clock strategies in October, our local Los Angeles programmers began to tailor their music and clock setup to their own market. In November, they launched a small digital and social marketing campaign along with a cash contest to support their new tactics. These changes along with the addition of a new Midday talent have helped propel the station from 0.3 rating with men in April 2015 to a 0.6 rating in January.

"In Nashville, our country station WSM-FM took over the number one spot in country in January after we started to localize the music in October, adjusted our clocks and got more competitive with our morning show. These positive moves came specifically from returning authority to our local country program director.

"In D.C. in November, we brought back Jack Diamond during Morning Drive, reversing a corporate decision to remove him in 2013. Jack's departure was arguably symptomatic of an over-zealous focus on expense reduction without accurate analysis of the potential revenue impact. And in D.C.'s case, the result was dramatic, this decline in revenue. After bringing Jack back and adjusting the music strategy on the station Mix 107.3 is showing some very early, but encouraging signs in the February ratings weekly rating."

As for the challenges Cumulus is facing with the balance sheet, Berner said,  they "are significant and we are reviewing all available options to maximize value for the company and give us the time and the operational runway needed to turnaround the business."

"We will continue to explore additional opportunistic debt reduction strategies similar to the discounted term loan prepayment we executed in December, which extinguished approximately $65 million face value of first lien term loan for only $50 million.

"Additionally, we are relentless in our valuation of cash use through the same highest and best use lens and we also continue to explore ways to shed non-core or non-strategic assets or otherwise reduce non-value-producing cash outlays. Unfortunately, we do not have anything remaining that is immediately actionable and individually as large as the prospective LA or D.C. land sales. But we were able to in the last three months generate $10 million collectively from our sale of our corporate aircraft as well as the divestiture of our two trust stations that are currently under contract. Also, by choosing not to execute our call option for KSJO-FM in San Jose, we avoided approximately $8.5 million of cash outlay that otherwise would have been expended into April."

Cumulus Reports $546M Loss In 2015

Atlanta-based radio giant Cumulus Media Inc. (NASDAQ: CMLS) fell deep into the red in 2015 after sagging revenues as its debt was at $2.4 billion.

The company posted an annual net loss of $546.5 million, or a loss per share of $2.34, according to the Atlanta Business Journal.

Revenue for the year was down 7.5 percent to $94.7 million. This included decreases of $58.3 million, $16 million, $15.9 million and $4.5 million in broadcast advertising, digital advertising, political advertising and license fees and other revenue, respectively.

“First, national spot advertising sales are heavily dependent on ratings across our stations,” the company said. “Declining ratings in certain key markets resulted in a significant decrease in national spot revenue period over period. Second, our largest competitor has strategically shifted its focus towards national advertising clients, resulting in lower market share and revenues for us and the remainder of the industry. Third, our sales execution in 2015 compared to 2014 was less successful partially due to national advertisers seeking more digital advertising components than we are currently able to fulfill.”

The company also said in its annual report Thursday its debt was at $2.4 billion.

Q4 2015:


“Lower than expected financial performance and the amount of our outstanding debt may make it more difficult to comply with the covenants in our debt instruments, including the financial covenant in our Credit Agreement (defined below), which could cause a default or an event of default under such debt instruments and a related acceleration of our indebtedness and, in some instances, the foreclosure on some or all of our assets, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations,” it said in the report.

Mary Berner
The company's stock closed the day at 41 cents a share.

Cumulus CEO Mary Berner struck an optimistic note:

“Our continued underperformance in the fourth quarter underscores the amount of work required to address the significant challenges that we face,” she said. “However, by quickly establishing and beginning to implement our operational turnaround initiatives -- enhancing our operational blocking and tackling, instituting a strong and positive culture, and driving improved ratings -- we believe that, with time, we can stabilize the business and ultimately provide a foundation for growth.”

Cumulus reaches markets with 245 million people through 454 radio stations in 90 U.S. media markets (including eight of the top 10) and has more than 8,200 broadcast radio stations affiliated with its Westwood One network and numerous digital channels.

Edison Research: Half of Americans Listen to Online Radio Weekly

Powered in part by the ever-expanding proliferation of smartphones, digital audio behaviors such as listening to online radio and podcasts are achieving significant mass usage, according to the Infinite Dial 2016, the latest in a long-running series of studies on consumer adoption of digital media from Edison Research and Triton Digital.

The study, a nationally representative telephone survey performed to the highest research standards, finds that 50% of respondents age 12 and older listened to some sort of online radio in the last week, a rise from 44% last year. With 57% of Americans using online radio monthly, the conversion of monthly to weekly users is now 88%.

Infinite Dial 2016, released Thursday, is the latest report in a series dating back to 1998 that uses the “gold standard” of survey research—a random probability telephone sample, comprising both cellphones and landlines, of all Americans ages 12 or older. The study has become the report card on digital audio and other digital media, and is widely used and quoted by broadcasters, Internet radio, ad agencies, and the financial community.



Among the many other highlights:
  • Podcast Listening showed sharp gains on both a monthly basis (17% to 21%) and weekly (10% to 13%). Those who consume podcasts on a weekly basis listened to an average of five podcasts per week.
  • In-home Ownership of Over-The-Air Radio receivers has dropped, with 79% of respondents saying they have a radio at home. That number was 96% in 2008. Among 18-34-year-olds, that number is down from 94% to 68% over the same time period.
  • Pandora remains the most-known online audio brand with 82% awareness, followed by the retooled Apple Music (67%), iHeart Radio (65%) and Spotify (52%). For listening in the past week, Pandora (32%) has a large advantage over Spotify (13%), but Spotify has narrowed that gap over 2015. Among 12-to-24s, 43% listened to Pandora last month and 30% listened to Spotify.
  • Spotify also posted a gain as “Audio Brand Used Most Often,” up 10% to 14%, while Pandora, however, leads strongly with 48%.
  • Broadcast Radio is tied for the lead among all sources used for keeping up-to-date with new music. “AM/FM Radio” is used for that purpose by 68% of respondents, the same number that rely on “friends and family.” You Tube is next with 66%. Among 12-to-24s, however, broadcast radio falls to third (58%), behind You Tube (86%) and friends/family (74%). Smartphone Ownership has increased from 71% to 76% of all respondents. Among 12-24-year-olds, smartphone ownership rose to 93%, while even respondents age 55 and older cracked the “more than half” barrier, up 45 to 51%
  • On demand video-subscriptions are at 51% of the population; 43% of all respondents subscribe to Netflix.
  • Facebook remains the most-used social media brand among all-ages with 64%. But among 12-24s, it has been overtaken by Snapchat (72% to 68%) with Instagram close behind (66%).
“Media consumption is showing signs of being dramatically changed by both technology and by new paradigms,” noted Tom Webster, Edison’s Vice President of Strategy. “Mobile’s increasing utility as ‘the first screen,’ as well as the rise of alternative content forms, such as podcasts and ‘bingeable’ content from on-demand video services is subverting the myth that our attention spans are shorter.“

“The Infinite Dial remains an important yardstick for media consumption and the 2016 edition does not disappoint”, said John Rosso, President of Market Development at Triton Digital. “As online radio joins smartphones and social media as truly mainstream, mass market activities, we are sure to see some interesting data emerge from this study.”



Republicans Discover Civility

(Reuters) -- U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump came under fire from his rivals on Thursday for saying Muslims hate the United States at a debate where the gut-punching attacks of earlier forums gave way to a suddenly civil tone with a serious focus on the issues.

Trump, who has voiced skepticism about U.S. military involvement abroad in the past, for the first time said America's effort against Islamic State militants might require between 20,000 and 30,000 U.S. troops, a number similar to what some Republican hawks have proposed.

The CNN-hosted debate at the University of Miami was crucial, coming days before votes in Florida and Ohio that will determine whether U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio Governor John Kasich will be able to continue with their increasingly long-shot candidacies.
UPDATE 3/11/16 12:30P: The television audience for Thursday's restrained Republican Party presidential debate on CNN was down from last week's figures, according to preliminary Nielsen data on Friday.The debate got an average household rating of 8.3, according to overnight data supplied by CBS television. That's well below the 11.5 rating garnered by the rowdy March 3 Republican debate, broadcast by the Fox News Channel, which translated to 16.9 million viewers.
With previous assaults on Trump having failed to knock him down, Rubio and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas chose a more civil approach, raising questions about Trump's policy positions without attacking him personally.

Trump, for his part, used the debate to try to attract establishment Republicans, saying he is generating support from non-Republicans who could help carry the party to victory in the Nov. 8 election. And he eschewed the inflammatory, personal attacks on his rivals that have drawn both cheers and boos in prior debates.

Who won? Drudge Report Readers Vote
"The Republican Party has a great chance to embrace millions of people that it's never known before. They are coming by the millions. We should seize that opportunity," he said.

But he stuck to positions that many establishment Republicans reject, such as his belief, as stated in television interviews, that followers of Islam "hate us."

"We have a serious problem of hate. There is tremendous hate," said Trump, who has proposed a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

Rubio, Cruz and Kasich said the United States needs to maintain good relations with Muslim countries in the Middle East to help in the fight against Islamic State militants.

"We are going to have to work with people in the Muslim faith even as Islam faces a serious crisis within it," Rubio said.

Rubio also defended American Muslims as patriots.

"If you go anywhere in the world you're going see American men and women serving us in uniform that are Muslims," he said.

"Anyone out there that has the uniform of the United States on and is willing to die for this country is someone that loves America," he added.



FOCUS ON CONSERVATIVE CREDENTIALS

Rubio shifted to a more positive tone after his anti-Trump tirades of the past two weeks. But he and Cruz repeatedly sought to raise questions about Trump's policy positions from trade to the Middle East.

Cruz pointed to areas where Trump has been a late-comer to the conservative movement, such as his past support for Democratic causes and candidates. He also noted how Trump has asked his supporters at rallies to demonstrate support by raising their right hand, a scene that produced photographs that some critics said looked like Nazi Germany.

"At Donald‘s rallies recently he’s taken to asking people in the crowd to pledge their support to him. I have to say I think that's exactly backwards. We are here pledging our support to you, not the other way around," Cruz said.

Trump, in discussing how he would consider placing between 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops on the ground to defeat Islamic State militants, vowed to complete the mission quickly and bring troops home to focus on rebuilding the United States.

“We really have no choice, we have to knock out ISIS,” Trump said. “I would listen to the generals, but I’m hearing numbers of 20,000 to 30,000.”

It was the most detailed view yet of Trump's thinking about Islamic State. He has previously talked of "knocking the hell" out of ISIS without offering specifics.

Next Tuesday's Florida and Ohio Republican primaries both award delegates on a winner-take-all basis, meaning that the winner of the popular vote is awarded the state's entire slate of delegates.

So far, 25 states and Puerto Rico have held nominating contests, and Trump has amassed a solid lead in the delegate race. According to the Associated Press, Trump has 458 delegates, followed by Cruz at 359, Rubio at 151, and Kasich at 54.

Clinching the Republican nomination requires 1,237 delegates.

There are a total of 367 delegates at stake on Tuesday, including a total of 165 in Florida and Ohio.


Trump on Thursday appeared to try to appear more presidential, something he has pledged often in the past to do so but never has. On Thursday he modulated both the tone of his voice and the tenor of his remarks, which in prior debates have drawn sharp criticism for being vulgar.

"I would say this, we're all in this together. We're going to come up with solutions, we're going to find the answers to things, and so far I can't believe how civil it has been up here," Trump said.

The two-hour debate included a sober discussion of pressing foreign and domestic policy challenges, including illegal immigration, reform of Social Security, free trade deals, the role of the federal government in education and Israel.

(Additional reporting by Ginger Gibson, Alana Wise, Amanda Becker; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker Jurors Get Glimpse of Sex Tape


Jurors at Hulk Hogan’s $100 million invasion-of-privacy suit against the website Gawker got their first glimpse of the secretly made sex tape at the heart of the case on Thursday — from a local Florida news report about Hogan’s suit.

According to The NY Post, A brief clip of the hidden-camera recording was played in court during cross-examination of University of Florida journalism professor Mike Foley, who appeared as a $350-an-hour expert witness for Hogan.

After testifying that he couldn’t imagine a “reputable news outlet” publishing video of the pro wrestling legend having sex with his best friend’s wife, Foley had to eat his words when confronted on cross-examination with a 2012 broadcast of Tampa’s ABC Action News.

The station’s report included several seconds of grainy, black-and-white footage that showed Hogan’s bare butt as he leaned over a canopy bed.


Mike Foley
Also Thursday attorneys for the website Gawker got their chance to question an expert witness for the former wrestler Hulk Hogan, and they used their time to make him appear as out-of-touch with modern journalistic practices as possible.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the questions began innocently enough. But within a few minutes of taking the stand, University of Florida journalism professor Mike Foley was forced to acknowledge it had been 43 years since he was a reporter and nearly two decades since he worked in a newsroom.

There were repeated references to "back in the day," when he was the executive editor of the Tampa Bay Times in the early 1990s.

"When you were last in a newsroom, there was no Facebook, right? There was no YouTube, right? There was no Twitter?" asked Gawker Media attorney Michael Sullivan. "You're familiar with Twitter?"

Foley has a Twitter account, but the point was made.

"Things have changed," he allowed.

A day earlier, Foley testified that when Gawker published an excerpt of a sex tape featuring Hogan in 2012, it had violated the Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics and the former wrestler's right to privacy. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, is suing Gawker for $100 million in damages.

Although the existence of the sex tape was news, Foley said, the tape itself was "not newsworthy." Publishing even one-minute and 41-seconds, as Gawker did, was gratuitous.

St. Louis Radio: Dino Costa Debuts On Sports KFNS Monday

There’s about to be a new morning mouth on local radio. And if you listen to Dino Costa, he’ll be THE Mouth in the Morning in St. Louis.

Costa, an outspoken host who mixes conservative political opinions with his takes on sports, is set to man the morning drive-time slot at KFNS 590 AM beginning Monday.

According to stltoday.com, he is riding in from the Cowboy State, where he has been doing his show on the Internet, and is full of bravado, brusqueness and confidence.

KFNS 590 AM (1 Kw DA-2) Red=Local
“If I don’t dominate this market in a year, I will crawl on hands and knees back to Wyoming,” he said this week. “They’ve got some nice little shows on sports radio here. But they’re ham-and-eggers for the most part. The worst thing that ever happened to other people in sports radio is the arrival of Dino Costa. The salad days are over. I have nothing personal against any of these guys but I have to destroy them, I will destroy them, and I will dominate this market. I will be No. 1. I’m so confident of this, it’s already happened in my mind.”

Costa, 52, is an East Coast native who has worked in numerous markets, including Denver, Jacksonville, Fla., as well as Wheeling and Huntington, W.Va. His most prominent job was on Sirius XM Radio, for which he has a show for five years. He also has made TV guest appearances on Fox News.

He said he’s ready for St. Louis, and already is taking shots at what will be two of his competitors in the morning sports-talk fray.

“The market is wide open, and based upon what I’ve been able to glean it’s time to take the training wheels off,” said Costa, who is to be on from 6-9 a.m. weekdays. “I don’t believe there is one single must-listen-to show. That’s a sad commentary. I think this market is ready for what I’m bringing, a radical departure from the status quo. I look forward to providing a show every day that is going to quickly become destination radio for people who are looking for the most candid and entertaining sports-talk radio available in the city of St. Louis.”

KFNS management is putting much stock in Costa. He also has been named the station’s director of programming and content.

Costa already has dumped Dan Patrick’s national show, which he calls “very bland. It’s the same show every day. ... We were not able to sell it.” It is being replaced by a Blues-specific program hosted by Dave Rapp that is to run from 9-11 a.m. weekdays, then become a general sports-talk program after the Blues’ season ends. (Rapp, along with Matt Berger, have been in the spot Costa will take. Berger is moving to 8-10 p.m.) Costa also plans to add a year-round Cardinals program.

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WHDH Sues Comcast Over NBC Affiliation

A Boston television station is accusing Comcast Corp. of violating conditions that were part of the government’s approval of the cable giant’s 2011 purchase of NBCUniversal.

WHDH-TV, a unit of closely held Sunbeam Television Corp., made that charge and several others in a suit filed against Comcast Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston. The suit is in response to NBC’s decision to drop the station as an affiliate of the network starting in 2017 in favor of media platforms owned by Comcast.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the suit claims that by dropping WHDH-TV, Comcast is not only breaching an agreement it made with NBC affiliates as part of its NBCUniversal purchase but violating the Federal Communication Commission’s public interest obligations.

An NBC spokeswoman said the company was “disappointed that Sunbeam has chosen to file this meritless lawsuit, and that it has chosen to do so by constructing baseless claims against our parent company.”

The acrimony between WHDH-TV and NBC is not an anomaly in the television business. The major broadcast networks are eager to control more of their distribution and that has led to several clashes in recent months with their affiliates.



The tensions between WHDH-TV and NBC began in 2013, according to the suit. It was then, WHDH said, that it began to hear rumblings that NBC planned on replacing the station as its affiliate with New England Cable Network, a local news channel that Comcast had long owned. WHDH said it confronted NBC and Comcast about this and was told it wasn’t true. WHDH-TV then tried to renew its affiliation with NBC only to be rebuffed.

Instead, in late 2015, NBC told WHDH-TV that it wasn’t renewing the pact and instead would create a local channel that it would deliver via cable using the facilities at its New England Cable Network, according to the suit.

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Wilmington DE Radio: Marta DeLisi Named WJBR GSM

Marta DeLisi
Beasley Media Group Thursday announced Marta DeLisi has returned to 99.5 WJBR, to serve as General Sales Manager.

“Radio is my life, but Beasley Media Group is my professional home,” said Marta. “Over the past 14 years, I’ve worked in several radio positions at stations throughout the Philadelphia and Wilmington media markets, but my greatest accomplishments were when I have worked for Beasley. I have had many positions, ranging from WJBR’s Promotions Director to Senior Account Executive. But, it’s a happy homecoming to return to 99.5 WJBR as General Sales Manager! I couldn’t be happier to work with Matt Smith, whom I’ve always admired.”

“We’re warmly welcoming Marta DeLisi back home to join us at Beasley Media Group!” commented Wilmington /Philadelphia Market Director Matt Smith. “She has the essential experience, and a deep knowledge of the needs of our radio market. She’s done a wonderful job for us over the years. As 99.5 WJBR’s General Sales Manager, Marta will take our sales team to new heights in Wilmington!”

Seattle Radio: KIRO-AM, MLB Mariners Extend Broadcast Deal

KIRO 710 AM ESPN Seattle will remain the flagship radio station of the Mariners.

Bonneville Seattle Media Group and the Mariners have agreed to a multi-year contract extension that will keep the team's games as well as other weekly programming on 710 ESPN Seattle.

"We are excited to continue our proud partnership with the Mariners," 710 ESPN Seattle program director Mike Salk said. "Baseball and radio have always gone hand in hand. We couldn't be happier to continue broadcasting Mariners games and partnering with this organization."

In addition to Mariners games, 710 ESPN Seattle airs "The "Hot Stove League" during the offseason, "The Cactus League Report" during spring training, and a weekly magazine program during the regular season.

"Bonneville has been our radio home for 25 of our first 39 years," said Mariners president and COO Kevin Mather, "and we are happy to continue our long and successful partnership with 710 ESPN Seattle and the Bonneville stations."

Added Carl Gardner, vice president and general manager of Bonneville Seattle Media Group: "Bonneville's mission is to connect our community by providing original, local content that Northwest people care about deeply. Nothing fits that description better than Mariners baseball, so we are delighted to continue our long, storied partnership with the Mariners."

BMI Thinks ESPN Should Pay for Ambient Music At Venues

ESPN has taken BMI to court to get a break from royalty payments.

In response to ESPN's demand that a New York federal court determine a reasonable license fee for the performance of songs on its cable sports networks, licensing agency BMI is noting the "vast amounts of music played loudly and prominently in stadiums and arenas," ambient noise that is often picked up by the broadcaster's microphones and heard by its viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Although some might assume that the airing of such background music constitutes "fair use" — see for example ABC's 1978 legal victory over a song played by a band at a televised parade — determining fair use is a case-by-case process that depends on the specific facts at issue. Thus, BMI says a blanket license that covers incidental and ambient uses is "particularly important."

According to a court filing made by BMI on Tuesday, "Advertisers place a premium on live sporting events ... and ambient stadium music is a critical component of the broadcast that allows ESPN to attract viewers by making them feel like they are sitting in the stadium cheering on their favorite team."

The argument aims to rebut ESPN's attempt to get a break on royalty payments that could amount to about $15 million per year.

Last month, ESPN kicked off this rate-setting proceeding by talking how it "unlike typical television networks ... acquires music rights through direct licenses."

ESPN still wanted a blanket license that would allow it to use BMI's catalog of approximately 10.5 million published songs, but thought the royalty rate should bear some proportional relationship to the amounts it directly paid songwriters and other publishers. "To date, BMI has refused to quote license fees to ESPN for the License Period that bear any such relationship and instead has insisted on license fees that completely ignore the best available evidence of the value of public performances of music on ESPN," states a petition.

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