Monday, June 17, 2013

‘Lite 93.9’ Gone in Chicago; ’93.9MyFM’ Takes Over.  Clear Channel Chicago picks up the pace on WLIT changing it to a hot AC outlet and branding it “93.9 MyFM – More Variety from the 80s ‘til Now” – leaving the soft AC sounds behind.  The new-sound station debuted this morning with Ryan Seacrest introducing it to listeners.  Expect a lineup of personalities to be announced in a few weeks.

Clear Channel Fires Up New Hot AC on KNBQ, Seattle.  The signal – at 102.9 FM – has been a simulcast of sports talk KJR-AM since November of 2011 but became “The New 102.9 NOW” on Friday, June 14.  The station is beginning its life as a hot AC with 10,000 songs in a row commercial free as it begins putting together a talent lineup.  In a statement, Clear Channel Seattle vice president of programming Keith Cunningham says, “We’re excited to offer ‘The New 102.9 NOW’ to our listeners.  It’s the perfect musical complement to ‘KISS’ and KUBE and will soon feature one of the best talent lineups in the country.”  Program director Eric Powers states, “‘The New 102.9 NOW’ fills the need for this programming in the market and is the perfect radio home for artists like Adele, Train, Katy Perry, One Republic, Lady Gaga and more.”

Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” Rockets to the Top of the Pop Songs Chart.  After only  four weeks on the RadioInfo Pop Songs Chart, the catchy attention-getting title track “Blurred Lines”  from artist Robin Thicke‘s sixth studio album has rocketed from #14 last week to this week’s top position.  The song features performances by artists T.I. and Pharrell and marks what Thicke describes as a more “poppy” sound than most of his previous work.  In addition to being very catchy on its musical merits, the song’s controversial lyrics and racy video have raised eyebrows and generated buzz.  Heavily influenced by soul and R&B artists such as Al Green, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder,  Robin Thicke, who formerly recorded under the singular name “Thicke,” is the son of actor Alan Thicke.

“How Many Social Media Followers Should I Have?”  That question is one of the more commonly asked of digital radio consultant and TALKERS columnist Chris Miller.  In a column posted today (6/17) Miller answers that question, as well as some of the most frequently asked, including: “We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest.  What other hot new sites should we be on?” “How often should we post?  I’m not sure we’re posting enough.” “I have many times more listeners than followers.  Why should I waste time with social media?” “I can sell ads on my own air and on my website.  There’s no way to monetize Facebook and Twitter.  I don’t want to get too involved in it for that reason.”  Check out Chris Miller’s answers to these questions and concerns by clicking here.

Clear Channel’s KIIS, Los Angeles Appoints Beata Czechowski APD and Music Director.  Beata Czechowski begins her new post at Clear Channel CHR ‘Kiss FM’ in Los Angeles on July 8.  She’s worked on the radio and the record label side of the business starting her career with CBS Radio’s WLLD, Tampa “Wild 94.1” and working for Jive Records in the promotions department.  She takes over for current APD and MD Julie Pilat and reports to program director John Ivey who says, “I’ve had some great MDs in my career, but I am exhilarated for this new change at KIIS, Beata is the perfect complement for me given her history and connections with both sides of the industry.  We are so happy to welcome her to the KIIS and Clear Channel family.  She has much to offer the company and I can’t wait to get her started.”

Morning Personality Mike Addams to Retire from WMJX, Boston.  Longtime Boston radio personality Mike Addams will officially retire from Greater Media’s AC ‘MAGIC 106.7’ 19 years on the station.  His last official day on the air will be Friday, June 28.  Addams joined the station back in August of 1994.  Prior to that, he worked at WODS, WZOU, WHDH, WROR and WRKO.  Greater Media Boston VP and market manager Rob Williams states, “It has been a pleasure to work with a radio pro like Mike Addams.  He has had a wonderful career on some of the top stations in America including the last 19 years on ‘Magic 106.7.’  I wish Mike and his family many happy years of retirement.”  Greater Media Boston director of programming Cadillac Jack McCartney says, “From the days at WRKO as the exciting Mike Addams to his recent tenure waking up Boston on ‘Magic 106.7,’ Mike has been the consummate professional and has enjoyed a storied career in our ever-changing business.  I respect him greatly, and wish him all the best.”

Bobby Fester Exits WALK, Long Island.  Weekend and swingman Bobby Fester a.k.a Glenn B. Farrell leaves Aloha Station Trust hot AC WALK, Long Island and says, “I wish nothing but the best for everybody at WALK.  PD Patrick Shea and APD Tommy Conway are two of the greatest guys you could ever meet and work with.  I was very lucky to be a part of their team.  It was a great 13 months and unfortunately it had to come to an end.”  Farrell has done stints at SiriusXM’s Hits-1 Channel as well as ‘103.5 KTU’ in New York City, 106.1 WBLI on Long Island, 103.9 WFAS in Westchester, “KC 101” in Connecticut and “PARTY 105” on Long Island.  Farrell is ready for his next challenge.  If you are looking for a weekender or have a full-time daypart to be filled reach out to him at (954) 732-6666 or via email at gfarrell@gbfpro.com.

More RadioInfo Career Moves.  Karolyn Mulvaney is promoted from her general sales manager position to market manager at SummitMedia’s Greenville, South Carolina cluster that includes urban contemporary WJMZ and CHR WHZT…..Local pastor Jonathan Coppedge-Henley begins a Sunday evening program called “Road Signs” on Clear Channel’s alternative WEND, Charlotte “106.5 The End” airing from 10:00 pm to 12:00 midnight…..Mighty Media Group’s country WEBL, Memphis “95.3 The Rebel” and sister classic country WUMY “Y105.5” have a new program director in Rik McNeil.  He most recently served at Clear Channel’s Las Vegas cluster.

Arbitron’s RADAR June 2013 Radio Network Ratings Released.  Reporting that “nearly 179 million Persons 12 and older, or approximately 68% of this demographic, heard one or more network radio commercials in an average week of the survey period,” Arbitron releases data from 47 radio networks operated by American Urban Radio Networks, Crystal Media Networks, Cumulus Media Networks, Dial Global Inc., Premiere Radio Networks, and United Stations Radio Networks.  Premiere Networks places in the top four rank positions with its Premiere Young Influencers Network (dominant formats being rock and CHR) in the #1 position with a cume of 19,418,000.

Kansas City Website Raises Issues Regarding Radio Ratings and the Law.  By now you’ve probably heard about the reportedly independent website www.listenlonger.com operating in Kansas City that had been seeking out PPM holders in an effort to save its “favorite Kansas City radio station through education about the ratings system.”  The site reports it has been in contact with Arbitron – in fact the ratings company sent a cease and desist letter to the operators and they’ve tweaked their strategy but are not shutting down the site.  Now the site operators say they will no longer ask to be contacted by PPM holders but will continue to keep the site going and it appears the operation is not violating any laws.  For its part, Arbitron has sent a letter to Kansas City subscribers to assure them the May 2013 PPM data has not been tainted that reads, in part: “During the May report period, a third-party website encouraged Kansas City radio listeners to support an unnamed local station, posted general information about ratings methodology and ratings data, and solicited information on PPM panelists.  We want to assure subscribers that the website is not affiliated or endorsed by Arbitron and that Arbitron has taken substantial steps to ensure the integrity of the Kansas City PPM panel and all Arbitron audience estimates for the market…Arbitron monitors social media sites daily, interacts with panelists on a regular basis, and has confidential processes in place to help identify panelists who may have disclosed their participation.  We have also taken special measures in light of the Kansas City website to protect the integrity of in-tab panelists included in the recently-released May 2013 Kansas City data.”  After being contacted by Arbitron, the following (an excerpt) was posted on the site: “Arbitron has demanded we provide the name of anyone who contacted us regarding this issue, and the names of anyone to whom we passed that information along.  ListenLonger.com would like to use this update as written notice to Arbitron that no one has ever contacted us saying they had a PPM except a reporter who posed as a PPM holder in an attempt to surreptitiously gather information…In short, please whatever you do, don’t tell us if you have a PPM.  Really.  We don’t want to know.”  The site operators are fans of an Entercom station in the market as they encourage people to sign up for the “Get My Perks” program Entercom employs and although the site operators say Wilks Broadcasting had questioned the integrity of the May 2013 PPM data as a result, Arbitron ensures subscribers the data was not affected.

Magna Global Releases International Ad Revenue Forecasts for the Rest of ’13 and for 2014; United States Radio to Be Flat.  Looking at the really big picture first, Magna Global predicts global ad spending to be up 3% in 2013 and rise to 6.1% in 2014.  That said, in the United States, those figures are up just 0.4% for ’13 due to the missing Olympics and political ad spending that occurs in even-numbered years.  For 2014 the figure is expected to rise. As for radio, Magna Global predicts 2013 will be flat but for those radio companies also selling digital, there is a ton of opportunity as that category is expected to rise 11.5% and is boosted by the mobile aspect of the category, predicted to go up 61.7%.

WNNT, Richmond Begins Carrying ‘The Country Oldies Show.’  The three-hour, weekly classic country program syndicated by Envision Radio Networks and hosted by Steve Warren is added to the program schedule at Real Media Inc.’s country WNNT, Richmond “River Country.”  The station airs the program every Thursday at 6:00 pm ET.  “The Country Oldies Show” has been in existence since 1994 and, according to Envision, is the longest-running weekly radio program featuring the greatest country hits from the 1950s to the 1980s.  Radio personality Steve Warren has a 50-year pedigree as a host, programmer and radio consultant.

CBS Radio Creates Web Radio Station in Synergy with CBS TV’s “Under the Dome” Series.  The Stephen King-created series “Under the Dome” premiere’s next Monday evening on CBS TV and CBS Radio is creating an internet radio channel on its Radio.com to feature music playlists influenced by the show’s characters, conversations with King, weekly interviews with music supervisor Ann Kline, and an array of commentary surrounding each episode and how the plot is developing week to week.

Clear Channel Moves John Hogan to New York City.  Most of the company’s high-level executives are already stationed in the Big Apple and not the company’s legal headquarters in San Antonio.  Now, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment CEO John Hogan is moving to New York as well.  In a filing with the SEC, the company notes that Hogan is also getting a pay increase to make his base salary $1,125,000 in addition to moving expenses and a housing allowance for the next year and a half.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Pandora Faces Battles with BMI and ASCAP.  The dispute between Pandora and BMI will take place in United States District Court Southern District of New York as the latter is suing Pandora after rate negotiations broke down.  The issue is complex and the court case could result in defining just how digital music services such as Pandora are to be categorized.  Pandora claims it is not unlike a radio station and should be treated as such when it comes to creating a rate structure for fees.  But the complaint filed by BMI contains some interesting points arguing Pandora is not just another radio station.  In fact, Pandora’s ability to serve millions of listeners at a time – each potentially listening to different songs – means it is pushing more product to consumers than a radio station could ever do in the same period of time.  BMI claims, “Pandora does not play one song at a time…by 10:00 am every morning, Pandora has already performed 200 million songs, as compared with the hundreds of songs played by an average radio station per day.”  At the crux of BMI’s argument is that Pandora (and other pure plays) has created “a new market for music performing rights.”  Additionally, BMI calls out Pandora on the acquisition of KXMZ, Rapid City in an effort to qualify for lower rates in accordance with the deals between ASCAP and the Radio Music Licensing Committee (RMLC) and BMI and the RMLC in which stations pay 1.7% of gross revenues from broadcast and new media offerings.  BMI calls the KXMZ deal a “brazen attempt to artificially drive down its license fees…for the purpose of ‘qualifying for the same RMLC license under the same terms as our [Pandora’s] competitors.’”  As for ASCAP, the performance rights organization has not filed suit but has stated publicly that the KXMZ deal is a backdoor attempt to qualify for the RMLC license and the reach of that small station is nothing compared to Pandora’s internet audience.

Cumulus Media to Report CHR, Hot AC and Rhythmic from Corporate in Atlanta.  This move, while seemingly a drastic change in the way the company reports music for its pop music stations, is Cumulus bringing into line the way it does business for CHR, hot AC, rhythmic formats the same way it does for country.  The new policy means vice president of label relations John Kilgo will handle all music recommendations for stations and those, in turn, will be approved via co-chief operating officer John Dickey’s office in Atlanta.  Senior vice president of programming Jan Jeffries is still part of the mix in this effort, according to Cumulus sources.

Final Round of May 2013 PPM Data Released.  Arbitron delivers the last of four rounds of PPM data from the May 2013 survey that includes the 12 markets: Austin, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Providence, Raleigh, Norfolk, Nashville, Greensboro, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Memphis, and Hartford.  You can find those ratings here.  RadioInfo managing editor and West Coast bureau chief Mike Kinosian has his “Ten Takeaways” from this batch of ratings here:

• Austin — KLJA’s fifth successive uptick is a hefty +1.1 to 3.6 and it carries “La Jefa 107.7″ from #16 in April to #13. The Univision Radio regional Mexican operation has precisely doubled its 6+-numbers since the “Holiday” report: 1.8 – 2.1 – 2.2 – 2.3 – 2.5 – 3.6. Meanwhile, Emmis-owned similarly-formatted KLZT (“107.1 – La Z”) is up for the second straight month (5.4 – 5.7 – 6.1) and ranks fourth.
• Indianapolis — For the fifth consecutive month, the market’s top two stations (6+) are country-formatted rivals. With a solid +1.1 to 8.3, Cumulus Media’s WFMS regains the lead. Conversely, following a strong +1.3 March-April showing, WLHK (Emmis’ “Hank”) slips back to second (8.6 – 7.8).
• Providence — After four downward trends in a row dating back to the “Holiday” report (14.9 – 8.4 – 8.1 – 8.0 – 7.7), WWLI explodes by +1.4 to 9.1. As a result, the Cumulus Media AC progresses from #3 to the top spot. “Lite Rock 105″ displaces CHR sibling WPRO-FM, which slips from first to second (8.9 – 8.5).
• Raleigh — The third straight (6+) gain for WRAL (#3) is a +.7 which takes the Capitol Broadcasting adult contemporary facility to an even 8.0, its best 6+-share since 10.9 (“Holiday”). Clear Channel classic rocker WRDU (formerly WRVA) posts its fifth consecutive up trend, and improves from #7 to #6.
• Norfolk — After back-to-back months at 8.6 and 8.9 (6+), Entercom urban AC WVKL returns to double-digits with a 10.2. “R&B 95-7 FM” has now scored double-digits (6+) in nine of the last 15 reports.
• Nashville — On the strength of a hefty +1.1 to 4.9, Nashville Public Radio’s WPLN-FM cracks the top ten, progressing from #11 in April to #10.
• Greensboro — Both of the market’s FM country outlets improve from April. Entercom’s WPAW “The Wolf,” #2 is up seven-tenths to 9.3 – its highest 6+-stat since last November’s 10.1, while Clear Channel’s WTQR “New Country – Q104.1,” #3 gains one-half share to 8.8 – which just so happens to be its best-ever 6+ PPM share.
• Jacksonville — Cox Media Group siblings exchange places at the top with CHR WAPE-FM (7.7, 6+) enjoying a robust +1.1, advancing from second to first. In the meantime, classic hits WJGL – actually up one-tenth to 7.3 – dips from first to second.
• Memphis — For the third straight month, WMFS-FM “ESPN SportsRadio” registers a (6+) gain. This time, it is a significant +1.4 to 4.3, by far, the Entercom-owned station’s best 6+-stat in its PPM history, elevating the station from #13 in April to #8. Meanwhile, after being in the unaccustomed runner-up position for three successive months, Clear Channel urban AC KJMS returns to #1 (+.4 to 10.3), trading places with gospel sibling WHAL (10.7 – 10.1).
• Hartford — Albeit that it came down to the lowest-ranked of the 48 PPM markets, WZMX “Hot 93.7″ can nonetheless claim bragging rights for loftiest (6+) April-May improvement. The CBS Radio rhythmic CHR gains a whopping 2.1 shares (6.1 – 8.2) and leapfrogs from #8 in April to #3.

RadioInfo Career Moves.  Three Eagles Communications names Joel Burke corporate programming consultant for its 47 radio stations.  Burke is, and will remain, program director for First Dallas Media’s Christian KCBI, Dallas.  Prior to joining KCBI, Burke programmed Clear Channel’s country KASE and KVET in Austin…..Weekend personality Adam moves up to evenings at Journal Broadcast Group’s rock KQXR, Boise “100.3 The X.” He takes over for Britt Reid who moves to the cluster’s traffic department…..Roger McCoy is leaving Media One Holdings‘ country WYBL, Ashtabula, Ohio “98.3 The Bull” where he is program director and PM drive host to join Clear Channel‘s WKSF, Asheville, North Carolina “99.9 Kiss Country” as assistant program director, music director and afternoon host.

The 2013 Radio Show to Feature Two-Pronged Program Agenda.  The National Association of Broadcasters and the Radio Advertising Bureau announce the 2013 Radio Show – scheduled for September 18-20 in Orlando – will feature two new conference tracks, the Programming Masters Series and Sales Consultants’ Corner, both on Friday, September 20.  According to a release from the organizations, “The power tracks, which will run concurrently on Friday morning, are designed to provide radio programming and sales professionals a comprehensive training opportunity in a consolidated format.  Attendees will learn strategies and best practices that can be immediately employed to increase station revenue and enhance programming content.”  The fast-paced Programming Masters Series will address how today’s multi-platform media environment impacts radio programmers as they juggle the demands of programming multiple stations and cultivating talent.  Sessions include: “The Art of Story Telling;” “The Next Gen Programmer,” featuring tips from college radio on how mainstream radio can connect with diverse audiences; and “What’s Working at Work,” featuring unique research on media consumption.  Panelists include Evan Harrison, executive vice president, content and entertainment, Univision Radio; Laurie Cantillo, program director, WTOP; Buzz Knight, vice president, program development, Greater Media; and Steve Reynolds, The Reynolds Group.  During the four-hour Sales Consultants’ Corner, radio’s top sales trainers and consultants will discuss effective strategies for training salespeople, prospecting new leads and growing revenue.  Sessions include “The Seven Steps for Selling Success,” “Getting the Appointment” and “Addressing Objections and Closing.” Additionally, RAB will provide resources and tools stations can use to support the sales process.  Panelists include Paul Weyland, president, Paul Weyland Communication Strategies; Marijane Milton, international director of revenue innovation and training, MultiBrand Media International; Michael Guld, president, The Guld Resource Group and author of “The Million Dollar Media Rep;” and Susan Novicki, president, Morrison and Abraham.

Steve Harvey Show Preps “Two-Week Celebrity Takeover.”  Premiere Networks nationally syndicated urban morning drive superstar Steve Harvey is taking some time off and is bringing in the celebrity big guns beginning Monday, June 17.  Guest hosts from the world of music, TV and movies will sit in alongside Harvey’s cast that includes Shirley Strawberry, Nephew Tommy and Carla Ferrell.  The lineup of hosts includes: superstar Tyler Perry for a back-to-back two-day stint June 25th – June 26th, beloved actors Morris Chestnut and Shemar Moore, the brilliant comedic talents of Kevin Hart, Cedric The Entertainer, and Sheryl Underwood, award-winning artist Charlie Wilson, honoring him and fans with a special edition of “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” celebrating Charlie Wilson Day, NFL champion Deion Sanders, and R&B hitmaker Jaheim.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

New Morning Show Destined for Cox Media Group’s ‘B98.5’ in Atlanta.  The Vikki & Kelly Morning Show will wrap up at Cox Media Group’s AC WSB-FM, Atlanta “B98.5” as Vikki Locke leaves the station to start her own media coaching company and partner Kelly Stevens also exits.  Locke and Stevens have been a team at the station since 2011.  Prior to that Locke co-hosted the morning show with Steve McCoy.  Locke also worked at Lincoln Financial Media’s CHR WSTR “Star 94” for 17 years.  In a statement, Locke says, “I thank Atlanta for making a Buckeye feel like a Southerner for the last 25 years.  After years of waking up at 3:00 am, I’m excited about starting this new chapter.”

Shelley Wade Named Midday Host at KSSX, San Diego.  Clear Channel’s urban contemporary KSSX, San Diego “95.7 Kiss FM” names Shelley Wade midday personality hosting the 10:00 am to 3:00 pm show.  Wade most recently served at the company’s hot AC KBIG, Los Angeles “104.3 MYfm” and also spent more than a decade at CC’s CHR WHTZ, New York “Z100.”  Initially, Wade will host the show from New York but will move to San Diego later in the summer.

Chase Daniels Takes Over Mornings at WNTR, Indianapolis ‘107.9 The Mix.’  After exiting Lincoln Financial Media’s hot AC WSTR, Atlanta “Star 94” where he held the PM drive slot, Chase Daniels moves west to Indianapolis to Entercom’s hot AC “107.9 The Mix” where he’ll be the morning drive host and serve as assistant program director and music director.  In a statement, Daniels says, “I have been waiting for an opportunity to join the Entercom family for quite some time and I am beyond excited to work with J.R. Ammons, VP/GM Jenny Skjodt and the rest of the Indianapolis team and I brought a winter jacket and an electric blanket.  Bring it on!”

Former WFNX, Boston PD Paul Driscoll Named Director of Ops and Program Development at RadioBDC.  As Boston.com gets ready to celebrate the one-year anniversary of its online alternative radio station RadioBDC, it announces former WFNX, Boston program and music director Paul Driscoll is named director of operations and program development for the station.  Boston.com is operated by the Boston Globe and the company’s vice president of marketing & sales development Jane Bowman says, “In this role, Paul can build on our early success in establishing a foothold in the Boston music scene. His vision, and deep experience in the industry, will take RadioBDC to a new level, enabling us to expand our community of listeners.”  Driscoll served with WFNX for 10 years.  Prior to that he was an artist development rep for Universal Music Group.  He says, “We’re creating our own history here at RadioBDC.  We’re becoming what I’ve always thought radio should be: about the artists, and about the community of listeners.  I’m excited about this expanded role, and the opportunity to create innovative programs that will continue to engage our audience.”

WGVU-AM, Grand Rapids Personality and Programmer Bill Bailey Dies.  The Granite Valley State University-owned oldies outlet WGVU-AM, Grand Rapids, Michigan is mourning the death of 30-year personality and programmer Bill Bailey who died on the golf course on Wednesday, June 12 while playing during a station promotion.  Bailey was a veteran of such stations as WLS, Chicago; WDRQ, Detroit and WIZF, Cincinnati.  He began his radio career with Armed Forces Radio during the Vietnam War.  WGVU general manager Michael Walenta states, “Bill has been an integral part of building WGVU Real Oldies.  We will miss his smile, his style, and the contribution he has made to our station and our lives.  His passion for music, golf, and the community are an inspiration.  Please keep Bill’s family in your thoughts.”

Clear Channel Announces Emcees for Second Annual iHeartRadio Pool Party in Miami.  Clear Channel Media and Entertainment announces that LL Cool J, Jason Derulo and Miley Cyrus will co-host this year’s iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party presented by sponsor  VISITFLORIDA.com.  The two-day musical weekend, taking place June 28-29, is part of the Fontainebleau’s BleauLive concert series and will feature main stage performances by superstar recording artists Pitbull, Ke$ha, Afrojack, Icona Pop, Krewella and recently added to the performance lineup Jason Derulo as well as live poolside sets by DJ Prostyle, DJ Skee and DJ Obscene.  The evening performances will stream live at 9:00 pm ET, Saturday, June 29 on Yahoo! and more than 120 Clear Channel mainstream and rhythmic CHR and electronic dance music stations nationwide.  It will also air the evening performances live and report updates every hour throughout the day.  The exclusive television broadcast of the two-day event will air nationally on The CW Network on Monday, July 15, from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm ET/PT.

Arbitron Releases May 2013 PPM Data for 12 More Markets.  The third round of May 2013 PPM data is released by Arbitron and includes the markets Portland, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, San Antonio, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Orlando, and Columbus.  You can find that data here.  RadioInfo managing editor and West Coast bureau chief Mike Kinosian spotlights his “Ten Takeaways” below.

• Charlotte — country remains the center of attention in the 24th-rated market, with CBS Radio’s WSOC rebounding after a one-half share March-April decline to a nine-tenths April-May gain (6.7 – 7.6). In the process, “Country’s Hottest Hits” returns to the top spot from #3 in April. This is WSOC’s highest 6+-share since last May’s 7.7. Meanwhile, WKKT (Clear Channel’s “Kat Country”) is off by one full-share (7.1 – 6.1) and tumbles from a first-place tie to #4.
• Pittsburgh — Several parallels exist between Charlotte’s WSOC and Pittsburgh’s WDSY. Both are CBS Radio-owned country outlets and each registers a nine-tenths April-May gain. In the case of WDSY, the 7.0 – 7.9 improvement lifts “Pittsburgh’s Country Y108″ from #4 in April to #2. Also highly noteworthy: It is WDSY’s most potent 6+-share since PPM became ratings currency in the Steel City.
• Sacramento — Ironies in May’s PPM numbers continue and stretch to the left coast as the station registering the most significant 6+ April-May gain is – you guessed it – a CBS Radio-owned country property, and the increase – once again – is by nine-tenths. Specifically, 105.1 KNCI enjoys its third successive up trend (5.0 – 5.1 – 5.3 – 6.2) and progresses from #5 in April to #2. The last time KNCI had a 6+ showing this high was April 2012 (6.2 as well).
• San Antonio — Just as has been witnessed in the three previous markets cited in this overview, San Antonio’s strongest 6+ April-May improvement is by nine-tenths. In this particular case though, it is not by a CBS Radio country-formatted outlet, but by Cox Media Group rocker KISS, which advances from #11 to #9. Moreover, KISS is up for the fifth straight month: 2.6 – 3.1 – 3.2 – 3.4 – 3.6 – 4.5 and has its highest 6+-stat since December 2009′s 4.6.
• Cincinnati — WKRQ makes a dramatic +1.1 to 6.9, which is the Hubbard hot AC’s strongest 6+-share since last August’s 7.0. The increase helps “Q102″ inch up from #5 in April to #4.
• Salt Lake City — Clear Channel CHR KZHT “97.1 ZHT” notches an eight-tenths gain (6.4 – 7.2) and displaces Bonneville talk outlet KSL at #1; KSL takes a significant -1.5 to 6.0, but only falls to #2.
• Las Vegas — There is more good news for the country format, as KWNR boasts the best 6+-gain (+1.3) of any station in the 36 PPM markets released thus far. In addition, Clear Channel’s “95.5 Vegas Country” zooms from #21 (April) to #13.
• Kansas City — From a 6+ ratings standpoint, November through April was especially unkind to KRBZ. In that stretch, the Entercom alternative outlet experienced six successive negative trends: 4.6 – 4.1 – 3.7 – 3.3 – 3.2 – 2.9 – 2.8. The month of May though proves to be a different story with “96.5 – The Buzz” busting out with a massive +1.2 (2.8 – 4.0) to jump from #15 in April to #12.
• Orlando — With an eight-tenths gain (4.8 – 5.6, 6+), CBS Radio-owned classic hits WOCL “Sunny 105.9″ progresses from #8 to #6.
• Columbus — Clear Channel talk WTVN follows up its +.2 (March-April) with an eight-tenths improvement to 5.7 (6+), bumping up from #6 in April to #4.

Goo Goo Dolls High on New “Magnetic” Album.  Pictured here with ABC News Radio’s Andrea Dresdale are the Goo Goo Dolls backstage at ABC TV’s “Good Morning America.”  The band tells Dresdale that after their less-than-stellar previous album, “Something for the Rest of Us,” the band reflected on the tone of the record and decided to make a record that would be fun.  Johnny Rzeznik tells Dresdale, “I just wanted to write an album that was gonna be fun.  I was determined that I was gonna actually enjoy myself writing and recording this album.  So, we made the right decisions about things this time.  We learned from the mistakes of our last album.”  The band heads out on tour June 25 in support of the record paired up with Matchbox 20 and the band reports that press and ticket sales have been “great.”

Frank Flores Appointed VP of Hispanic Marketing and Sales at SiriusXM.  The satcaster announces Frank Flores is named vice president of Hispanic marketing and sales.  He’ll oversee the marketing and advertising sales initiatives surrounding the SiriusXM Latino channels, which include ten exclusive commercial-free music channels covering a wide variety of music genres, and multiple Spanish-language sports and talk channels.  President and chief content officer Scott Greenstein states, “We are excited to have Frank Flores join SiriusXM as we continue the expansion of our Latino subscriber initiative for a national audience of bilingual listeners.  Frank will help lead the growth of SiriusXM Latino, which contains the most comprehensive Latin programming lineup on radio.  He is a dynamic executive with deep experience and we welcome him to the SiriusXM team.”  Prior to joining SiriusXM, Flores was SVP of sales marketing for National Latino Broadcasting.

Bobby Bones Helps Jake Owen Finish CMA Music Festival Set.  American Country Awards “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” Jake Owen (pictured here in the studio with Bobby Bones) had his set cut short at last week’s CMA Music Festival due to bad weather.  Premiere Networks syndicated country morning show host Bobby Bones offered to let Owen make it up to his fans by finishing his set live on air from the program’s Nashville studio.  Premiere reports that “hundreds of thousands of fans tuned in to the broadcast, which was also streamed live on www.BobbyBones.com, to hear some of Owen’s biggest hits, including the multi-week #1 singles “Alone With You” and “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” chart-topper “The One That Got Away,” and current top 5 smash “Anywhere With You.”  Owen says of the broadcast, “The CMA did the right thing, they were trying to keep people safe.  Of course, we were all a little bummed when the show was cut short.  So for Bobby to invite me in to do something like this and show that kind of support really goes to show how much he cares!  This was incredible!”

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Clear Channel Strikes Revenue Deal with Fleetwood Mac.  Broadcast and digital revenue-sharing deals with labels have been the MO for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment recently but now the company strikes its first-ever deal with an artist as the company and Fleetwood Mac agree to terms that will enable the group to receive revenue from airplay on its digital and broadcast radio platforms.  The group’s new EP, Extended Play, features the first recording of new Fleetwood Mac music since the release of “Say You Will” over a decade ago.  Azoff Music Management’s Irving Azoff states, “It’s fitting that a group that’s played such an integral role in radio and music history would be the first band to take such a major step — helping the music industry create a sustainable digital marketplace so it can thrive for decades to come.  We’re delighted to join Clear Channel in creating a new model for the music industry, one that will be good for performing artists, good for music fans, and good for the people who have invested their talent, time and money.”  In a press release, Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman says, “Fleetwood Mac has blown me away from the first time I heard them – they are the perfect group for radio.  Reaching an agreement with them is the clearest sign yet that this kind of revenue-sharing model represents the industry’s future – it is a win-win-win, for artists, fans and the music business.  We look forward to helping Fleetwood Mac get their hit songs to their fans on whatever platform or device they want to find them.”

Erica Farber: “There’s Nothing We Can’t Do Anymore!”  Brimming with optimism, Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) CEO/president Erica Farber tells TalkersTV, “For the first time in the history of radio, we are integrated marketers.”  In an interview conducted at the recent Talkers New York 2013 convention (6/6) by RadioInfo managing editor/West Coast bureau chief Mike Kinosian, Farber explains how radio can not only offer commercials on our broadcast signals but also video, special events and a variety of methods of exposure on our digital platforms as well.  Farber praises what she describes as ”great energy” in the radio business and says that those of us who are in radio are here because “we love it” and although we are facing obvious challenges, there are also great opportunities.  When asked to define her role at the RAB as well as the organization’s role she states, “We are advocates of the industry to anyone who will listen – advertisers, agencies, broadcasters, and consumer media.”  She strongly believes that far more people are listening to radio than detractors of the medium would have you believe.  To see a video of the entire interview with Erica Farber, please click here.

Clear Channel’s John Sykes Challenges View of Pay-to-Listen Future.  At the recent New Music Seminar held in New York City, Clear Channel president, entertainment enterprises John Sykes argued against the notion that free, over-the-air radio will die, stating that those who support that argument “don’t realize that not all people live in big cities such as New York City and Los Angeles.  And not all people can afford to pay a $15-a-month subscription.”  As reported by Helienne Lindvall on Digital Music News, Sykes told the conference during a panel discussion that radio has an important place in people’s discovery of new music.  “We curate.  We may come in late [in the discovery process] – but we are still the number one place where people discover music.”  As iPods became the rage in the mid-2000s, music industry and radio people were hearing that people would rather create their own playlists than listen to someone else’s (a radio station’s programming list, for example).  But now the debate in the industry – both digital and broadcast – is over “leanback” versus “lean forward” – with the former meaning the listening experience is guided by the service (or station) and the latter being a listener-curated music experience.  This argument, though a long way from being decided, may be found to break down among demographic lines.  Younger people have more time to seek out new music and to curate their own listening experience while older demographics (people with jobs and families) don’t have the time or the inclination to make music discovery a part of their daily lives and are happy to let stations and services do it for them.  The argument is that free, over-the-air radio plays an important part in the lives of music fans and that digital services that do a good job of selecting music and presenting in a way that entertains and informs will ultimately be successful.

Cadillac Jack Re-Ups with Cumulus’ Country WKHX, Atlanta.  Host of the “Cadillac & Dallas” morning show on Cumulus Media’s Atlanta country station WKHX “Kicks 101.5” Cadillac Jack signs an agreement to continue in that position for years into the future.  Cadillac Jack is a 20-year staffer at the station and is pictured here (l) with Cumulus EVP/Co-COO John Dickey (r) as he signs his new contract.  He says, “It has been an exciting week.  I turned 40 on Saturday and with much excitement re-committed myself to the station that is in my DNA and has been since I was 19 years old.  Thanks to Lew and John Dickey, SVP/programming Mike McVay, Greg Frey and the entire Cumulus organization for their belief in me and to the country fans in Atlanta.  I am thankful for a 20+ year relationship.”  Cadillac Jack is represented by Heather Cohen of The Weiss Agency.

Brian ‘Hammer’ Panerali Takes Over Mornings on Adult Hits ‘107.9 BOB FM’ in Las Vegas.  GGB Las Vegas, LLC announces Brian ‘Hammer’ Panerali is the new morning host adult hits KVGS, Las Vegas “BOB FM” beginning June 24.  Panerali has worked in New York, New Jersey, California and Idaho, and most recently was handling weekends and fill-in for Phoenix’s ‘98.7 The Peak.’  KVGS program director John Candelaria says, “Brian’s experience and skill set makes him the perfect fit.  We are thrilled to have Brian on board.  He brings relief to a staff that has been working tirelessly at getting involved in the Vegas community, from marching in parades to hosting fundraisers.  Brian brings a great level of enthusiasm for the BOB format.  His excitement for radio and social media is infectious!  I am eager to work with Brian as we take BOB FM to new levels in Las Vegas.”  About his new gig, “Hammer” states, “I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot (pun intended, c’mon it’s Vegas!) with KVGS in Las Vegas!  Everybody has been extremely accommodating and supportive, and with a format like BOB the sky’s the limit!  I can’t wait to join the team and have the opportunity to entertain a great city like Las Vegas.  A huge thank you goes out to the extremely talented group of PDs and air talent with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working in Phoenix; without their guidance and support, a position of this magnitude would have never been an option. I owe that town a lot!”

Kelly Kibler Is Promoted to SVP of Operations for CC’s Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio Markets.  Moving up from her most recent post as the company’s market president in Dallas, Kelly Kibler is named senior vice president of operations, effective immediately.  In her new role with the company, she’ll oversee the Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio markets and will report to Tom Schurr, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment‘s president of operations — major markets.  Kibler has been with CC for more than 16 years, holding a variety of leadership and sales positions in the Dallas, San Diego and Las Vegas markets.  Schurr states, “Kelly’s strong performance and high level of achievement make her the perfect choice to oversee and lead our Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio markets.  Her track record is one of continuous success with the company.”

AdLarge Promotes Don Wachsmith to Chief Revenue Officer, Radio Sales. AdLarge Media reports that EVP, radio sales Don Wachsmith is promoted to chief revenue officer, radio sales for the company.  AdLarge Media CEO and co-founder Gary Schonfeld states, “Don has done an incredible job of exceeding revenue goals, two years in a row.  His client relationships and ability to develop targeted national radio advertising packages have dramatically increased sales results for AdLarge.”  AdLarge president and co-founder Cathy Csukas adds, “With Don’s leadership, Adlarge has already surpassed 2012 results and achieved exceptional growth in 2013.  This is a well-deserved promotion for Don and recognition for his contribution to our success.”  Wachsmith states, “The past two years at AdLarge have been a wonderfully rewarding experience.  As AdLarge continues to expand partnerships with content providers, I look forward to delivering targeted branding experiences for our national advertising clients.”  Wachsmith joined AdLarge in 2011.  Prior to that, Wachsmith was executive vice president, sales, at Dial Global Media.

More RadioInfo Career Moves.  Delmarva Broadcasting country WXCY, Wilmington, Delaware program director Dave Hovel is exiting the station after almost a quarter of a century to join Renda Broadcasting’s country WWGR, Fort Myers “Gator Country 101.9” in the same capacity…..Jeremy James is the new program director and music director at Baker Broadcasting’s active rock duo KHDR, Lenwood and KHRQ, Baker, California branded as “The Drive, Highway Rock.”  James also serves as the station’s morning drive host.

Pandora Buys South Dakota FM to Lower Royalty Rates.  CHR KXMZ, Rapid City, South Dakota, owned by Connoisseur Media is being taking over immediately on an LMA basis by Pandora.  The price for the property is not known at this time but in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Pandora states, “This acquisition is being made in part to allow the Company to qualify for certain Radio Music Licensing Committee (“RMLC”) settlement agreements concerning royalties and public performance of musical works in the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Broadcast Music, Inc. repertories.  The Company believes that qualifying for these royalty rates could provide the Company with modest savings (less than 1% of revenue) in content acquisition cost compared with the rates it is currently paying.”  Just how much this will help Pandora in the long run is uncertain.  A number of analysts believe the answer is not much at all.  The investment analysis site Seeking Alpha writes that “while content acquisition costs equaled 69% of Pandora’s FY13 revenue, performance royalties to ASCAP and others only made up 4.3%.  Recording royalties paid to SoundExchange are a much bigger expense.”

Round Two of Arbitron’s May 2013 PPMs Released.  The second round of May 2013 PPM data for 12 markets including Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, and Washington, DC is found right here.  RadioInfo managing editor and West Coast bureau chief Mike Kinosian offers his “Ten Takeaways” from this second batch of numbers:

• Washington, DC — Ever since it registered a 10.8 in the “Holiday” report, “97.1 WASH” has been no better than flat. The Clear Channel adult contemporary’s January through April (6+) line score is 6.4 – 5.6 – 5.6 – 4.9. That however changes significantly in May with a +.9 to 5.8, and a #4 ranking, up from #6 in April.
• Boston — Ratings results from this top-ten market are still carefully being monitoring following the Patriot’s Day bombing (Monday, 4-15). CBS Radio-owned WBZ-FM “The Sports Hub” emerges as the most prolific (6+) April – May gainer with a potent +.8 to 5.7, where it is tied at #6 with co-owned news-talk hybrid WBZ-AM, which conversely is -1.1 compared to April. Looking ahead, there is added potential good news for Bruins’ flagship “The Sports Hub,” since that NHL franchise has advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.
• Detroit — Meanwhile in “Hockeytown” (or “Motown”),  Radio One urban AC WDMK “Kiss FM” notches an eight-tenths gain from 3.6 (6+) in April (#12) to 4.4, placing it in a three-way tie at #8. Over the course of the past 11 PPM reports, “Kiss FM” had been in the 3.2 – 3.9 range; 4.4 is its best 6+-number since last May’s 4.9.
• Seattle — Continuing a theme of stations making advances by eight-tenths among persons 6+, CHR KQMV “Movin’ 92.5″ improves 5.2 – 6.0, keeping the Sandusky Radio CHR #1 for the third consecutive month. Seven of the market’s top eight outlets – including #1 through #5 – are up month-to-month (6+), with KKWF (Entercom’s “The Wolf”) posting its fifth successive plus trend (3.1 – 3.8 – 4.1 – 4.9 – 5.0 – 5.6); it inches up from third to second.
• Phoenix — Among all stations in the 24 markets whose PPM data has been released thus far, KSLX has the distinction of registering the loftiest (6+) April – May increase. The Sandusky Radio classic rocker gains one full share (3.9 – 4.9) and jumps from #8 (April) to #3. The 4.9 represents the station’s highest 6+-share since July 2011, when it reached 4.9 as well.
• Minneapolis — For the first time since last August when it shared the top spot with Clear Channel CHR KDWB, Hubbard hot AC KSTP-FM “KS-95″ resides at #1 (albeit that it is flat from April at 8.4). With a +.6 to 5.4 (#8), KMNB “Buz’n@102.9″ logs its best 6+-stat since CBS Radio transitioned it from adult contemporary to country in December 2011.
• San Diego — In April, Lincoln Financial Media country outlet KSON-FM enjoyed a 3.4-share advantage over runner-up KHTS. The Clear Channel CHR “Channel 93-3,” however, gains one-half share (5.1 – 5.6, 6+) while KSON simultaneously slips by -1.3; thus that lengthy April lead is sliced by more than half.
• Tampa — Owing to a +.7 to 5.4 (6+), WXTB “98 Rock” vaults from #11 in April to #5. This represents the Clear Channel facility’s best 6+-performance since August 2010′s 5.6. 
• Denver — Clear Channel-owned Colorado Rockies flagship KOA’s third successive positive trend (4.5 – 5.0 – 5.8 – 6.6) keeps the talk station at #1 for the second straight month.
• Baltimore — A seven-tenths progression (3.1 – 3.8, 6+) leads Shamrock classic rocker WZBA “100.7 – The Bay” from #11 in April to #8.

Arbitron Announces ‘Model-Ready’ PPM Data Available in GfK MRI’s Granularity Portal.  Arbitron Inc. reports that Model-Ready Radio data is now available in media and consumer research firm GfK MRI‘s Granularity Portal.  The company states that “the model-ready radio ratings data is linked with Media Monitors commercial airplay data to enable advertisers to get a better read on radio’s contribution to marketing and sales results.  Its presence in the Granularity portal is designed to boost radio’s presence in marketing mix models and make it easier, faster and less error prone to use for advertisers, agencies and modelers.”  The model-ready data is now available in Granularity to all subscribers of the new data set.  It had previously been available in a beta version for a limited number of trial users, which was announced in October 2011.  Arbitron also states, “A series of case studies demonstrated that the model-ready Arbitron PPM Radio Ratings Data can help improve the statistical reliability of marketing mix models and provide advertisers with a better understanding of radio’s ability to drive marketing ROI.  The data is based on PPM radio ratings which is linked to commercial occurrence data from Media Monitors for the specific date, quarter-hour, and station on which each commercial ran.”

New Affiliates for Nick Michaels.  CDV Broadcasting’s WAVQ-AM/FM, Jacksonville, North Carolina adds American Voice Corporation’s daily one-hour version of “The Deep End with Nick Michaels” as well as the feature “Stories from the Deep End.”  Also, G2 Media’s KXMX, Sallisaw, Oklahoma adds the four-hour weekend version of “The Deep End with Nick Michaels” to its program schedule along with “Stories from the Deep End.”  At the same time, Nick Michaels picks up some new clients for his imaging business as KFMB, San Diego; KYHN, Fort Smith, Arkansas; and KXMX, Sallisaw, Oklahoma join his roster of stations.

Cool Job Opportunity.  Townsquare Media has an exciting opening at Southwest Oklahoma’s dominant country station, “K-LAW 101.3” in Lawton.  Are you the next Brand Manager and Morning Show Co-Host for K-LAW?  As Brand Manager and Morning Show Co-Host, you will be responsible for representing the K-LAW brand with excellence on the air, online and at events.  The right candidate is highly organized, driven to succeed and comfortable delegating responsibility, not to mention is able to work seamlessly with other departments like digital, sales, promotion and engineering.  If you’re the person for the job, you have an excellent working knowledge of music scheduling systems and a solid understanding of what it means for a station to be digitally active.  You will also do everything you can to make sure K-LAW is involved in the Lawton community.  As the Morning Show Co-Host, you will be working every day to ensure your listeners are entertained and informed, while delivering the best country music around.  If you work hard and have fun doing it, send all your materials (including references) to Chuck Armstrong at chuck@townsquaremedia.com. Townsquare Media is an equal opportunity employer.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Recording Artist Tora Fisher Wows Radio Talk Show Hosts at NYC Convention.  She is a rising pop and rock LML Music recording artist as well as a spokesperson for one of radio’s favorite charitable organizations, Fisher House Foundation. In the words of RadioInfo publisher Michael Harrison, “This amazing 23-year-old woman reminds me of the great female singer/songwriters of the golden era, such as Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro, who created deep, passionate and compelling music back in the day – music that inspired a generation.  In the spirit of good old-fashioned ‘artist development,’ we must keep our eyes and ears on her progress.”  This past Thursday (6/6), Tora performed an a capella version of the Lee Greenwood patriotic anthem “Proud to Be an American” before a packed auditorium of talk radio broadcasters at trade publication TALKERS magazine’s annual convention, “Talkers New York 2013″ and received a standing ovation.  Backed by two singers in full dress uniform, Master Sergeant Mary Kay Messenger (l) and Staff Sergeant Alexis Cole (r) of the United States Military Academy West Point Band on a bare stage, Tora (c) received raves from the attendees – many moved to tears – as well as requests for interviews (she appeared later that evening on the nationally syndicated Jim Bohannon show).  Tora’s performance opened the convention’s “Freedom of Speech Ceremony” honoring the First Amendment and several individual broadcaster achievements.  Honorees included Clear Channel‘s EVP of programming Clay Hunnicutt who was hailed as “Humanitarian of the Year” for his role in getting hundreds of radio stations across the country involved in supporting Fisher House, which provides comfortable housing for the families of wounded military personnel near the hospitals around the country where they are recovering.  These efforts have raised more than $8 million for Fisher House and served as encouragement for other radio companies to become involved in the worthy cause as well.  But wait, there’s more – Tora Fisher is the daughter of Fisher House founder Tony Fisher who died along with four other people 10 years ago in a small plane crash – a crash in which then-13 year old Tora was a survivor.  In addition to the sheer horror and shock of that experience coupled with her devastating loss, she faced the realities of survival and continuing her life by writing soulful, introspective music.  In 2012 she released her first full CD, “Spilling Over” which includes the song “Finally Free” which has enjoyed a modest run on the RadioInfo pop and rock song charts (#29 and #21 respectively). To see Tora’s performance at the TALKERS convention including publisher Michael Harrison‘s introduction and emotional outro, please click on the RadioInfoTV box at the top of the right hand column on this page.

Beasley Announces Ruben Perez New Promotions and Non-Traditional Revenue Director for Fort Myers Cluster.  Ruben Perez moves from Beasley Broadcasting’s hip hop WPOW, Miami “Power 96” to the company’s five station Fort Myers cluster that includes AC WJPT “Sunny 106,” CHR WXKB “B103.9,” talk WRXK “96 K-Rock,” rock WJBX “99X,” and sports talk WWCN.  The company says Perez will be “responsible for the coordination and execution of all promotions for the stations in the Fort Myers-Naples market.  Additionally, he is charged with creating and implementing large-scale community events such as festivals and concerts that bring awareness to – and non-traditional revenue for – Beasley’s SW Florida cluster.”   Vice president and market manager Brad Beasley states, “Ruben brings a wealth of radio knowledge and experience to our Southwest Florida team.  We believe his abilities to generate large-scale events and brands will greatly benefit both our listeners and advertisers.”

Ashley Dingess Appointed Social Media Manager for Emmis’ KPWR, Los Angeles.  Ashley Dingess comes to Emmis’ rhythmic CHR KPWR, Los Angeles “Power 106” from Clear Channel’s crosstown alternative KYSR and hot AC KBIG where she was content producer.  Vice president of programming and Emmis digital PD Jimmy Steal says, “We met with a lot of qualified candidates for this important position and Ashley clearly led the pack with her strategic and creative solutions.  We are thrilled to have her join our team, her energy and enthusiasm is contagious.”  Dingess begins her new post on June 17 and she comments, “I’m happy to be joining ‘Power 106’ as their social media manager.  I am excited to use my experience and knowledge to help make ‘Power 106’ shine on every social media platform.”

Kwame Dankwa Returns to WZRT, Rutland, Vermont.  Kwame Dankwa recently left his nights and imaging position at Clear Channel’s CHR KWNW, Memphis “Radio Now 101.9” to go back to New England to be near a sick relative.  Now, he returns to Pamal’s CHR WZRT, Rutland “Z97.1” to the program director position.  He says, “Thank you to my good friends at Pamal Broadcasting for being supportive and welcoming me back with open arms.  This has been a very stressful time for my family and I am grateful to have a (radio) home to come back to.”  The station’s operations manager Terry J adds, “When Kwame left us we knew we would have the pleasure of working together sometime in the future.  We just didn’t know it would be this soon. Wherever he is, he makes that market better and right now we are glad to have him home.”

How to Tweet Effectively.  Digital radio consultant and RadioInfo columnist Chris Miller advises his clients, “When it comes to social media, either you’re building your brand, or spinning your wheels.”  He says, “Twitter has turned into a huge wheel-spinning exercise for many businesses!”  In a column posted today (6/11) titled “How I Tweet,” Miller shares what he has found works for him.  He suggests 1) not waiting to be followed; 2) choosing wisely when it comes to following others; 3) being yourself and writing in a natural, personable voice; 4) don’t sell – share; 5) treat your subjects the way you treat your power rotation; 6) re-tweet effectively, and 7) don’t forget to respond.  Read Chris Miller’s entire column here.

First Round of May 2013 PPM Data Released.  Arbitron is releasing the PPM data for May 2013 and the first 12 markets — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), Riverside, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union – are available here.  RadioInfo managing editor and West Coast bureau chief Mike Kinosian has examined the numbers and has these “Ten Takeaways”:

• New York — For the second consecutive month, urban AC WBLS gains three tenths as “Your #1 Source for R&B” climbs from 5.6 (April) to 5.9 (6+), which matches its “Holiday” stat. The Yucaipa Companies’ property is tied for third. Also advancing by three-tenths are Clear Channel classic rocker WAXQ (4.3 – 4.6, #5) and ESPN sports outlet WEPN (1.3 – 1.6, #21).
• Los Angeles — CBS Radio adult hits KCBS-FM “Jack” registers its second straight 6+ uptick (2.3 – 2.4 – 2.8) and advances from #19 in April to #16. Its 2.8 is the “Playing What We Want” station’s highest 6+-stat since last November’s 2.9. After its first-ever month in sole possession of #1, Clear Channel-owned KBIG “MyFM” shares the lead with co-owned KIIS “Kiss-FM.”  Hot AC “MyFM” gained one-tenth, while CHR “Kiss-FM” improved by two-tenths; the siblings each have 5.6 shares.
• Chicago — On the heels of March-April’s +.6 (5.3 – 5.9), WTMX adds another half-share bringing “The Mix” to 6.4, the first time the Hubbard hot AC has crossed the six-share threshold. “Mix” now trails market frontrunner WVAZ by just five-tenths, as Clear Channel urban AC “V103″ slips 7.0 – 6.9.
• San Francisco — With a +.3 to 5.7, CBS Radio news outlet KCBS-AM (#2) is within one-tenth of Cumulus’ KNBR, since the San Francisco Giants flagship slips from 6.0 – 5.8 (6+). Also making a three-tenths gain (3.0 – 3.3, 6+) is Entercom urban AC KBLX “R&B 102.9,” which inches up from #12 (April) to #11.
• Dallas — Owing to a respectable +.6 to 2.2, ESPN-owned Texas Rangers flagship KESN (#18) records its best 6+-figure since October’s 2.6.
• Philadelphia — WXTU’s March-April-May (6+) line score reads: 4.6 – 5.1 – 5.7. Over and above gaining +1.1 in that time, the Beasley country facility has progressed from #7 (March), to #6 (April), and to #4 (May).
• Atlanta — Another station on the rise is alternative WRDA “Radio 105.7.”  Since flipping from rhythmic CHR (as WWVA), the Clear Channel alternative outlet posted a modest March-April increase (2.0 – 2.4), but now explodes to 3.3 (+.9, #15). Meanwhile in the urban AC battle, Cox Media Group’s WALR “Kiss 104″ is +.3 to 7.2 (#2), while rival WAMJ (Radio One’s “Majic”) is +.2 to 6.9 (#3).
• Long Island — After three successive down trends which began in January (6.0 – 5.6 – 5.3 – 5.1), Clear Channel, New York City CHR WHTZ “Z100″ rebounds with a strong +.8 to 5.9 (#2).
• Riverside — By improving one-half share to 5.0 (6+), Clear Channel rhythmic CHR 99.1 KGGI (#3) ends its brief slide (4.8 – 4.6 – 4.5).   
• Middlesex-Somerset-Union, New Jersey — Cumulus-owned WPLJ is on an absolute tear. Going back to December in this particular New Jersey market, the New York City hot AC has not posted a negative trend: 4.3 – 4.9 – 5.4 – 5.6 – 5.6 – 6.0. In December, its 4.3 placed it #6. It now takes a robust +.9 to 6.9 (its strongest-ever 6+ Middlesex PPM stat) placing 95.5 WPLJ in second place, nine-tenths behind talk WKXW (8.0 – 7.8).

David DuBose Sues Cox Media Group for Breach of Contract.  In a suit filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Southern Division, former Cox Media Group Birmingham market manager David DuBose (now serving with SummitMedia at the same group of stations) is alleging the company is in breach of contract after failing to pay agreed-to compensation for work done outside the bounds of his normal duties in improving the signals of Cox-owned stations to improve their value as well as a “special retention bonus” for remaining with the company through the sale to SummitMedia.  In the complaint, DuBose also alleges Cox Media Group used “inflated and unrealistic figures” in the revenue reports for the Birmingham stations and stations outside that metro “for the purpose of enhancing the sale price of those stations.”  In the complaint he also notes that former Cox chief Bob Neil stated the enhancement of the signals improved the value of the company’s station portfolio by some $200 million.  DuBose is not seeking a specific damage amount in the complaint.

AnG Services Launches Imaging Production Service.  Las Vegas-based AnG Services Inc. announces the launch of its new brand, angaudio.com, that offers “top-notch creative radio imaging production services from copywriting, sweepers and promos to radio imaging demos for voice talent at prices that consider the client experience.”  AnG Services CEO G.A. Simon states, “There are many imaging companies out there whose customer service is deplorable.  A lot of these other guys don’t even pick up their phone when you call.  We feel that creative imaging cannot be produced from a template.  There has to be open communication between the creatives and the program director to fit the vision for the station’s brand.”  The company says that it offers cutting-edge creative from copywriters and producers in New York, Las Vegas and Orlando with one focal point: customer satisfaction.  “We are working towards creating a support system for stations that otherwise cannot have internal creative services, or for those in need of support,” says Simon.

CC Brings Smooth Jazz Back to Philly.  The smooth jazz format returns to Philadelphia on Clear Channel’s WJJZ at 1480 AM and on the HD2 channel of WISX 106.1 FM.  Longtime WWJZ personality Michael Tozzi is being featured on the station.  He was midday host and program director of WWJZ-FM from 1995 through 2008.  The station will focus on core artists including Dave Koz, Peter White and Norman Brown.  It is also available on iHeartRadio.

Power of Urban Radio Forum Scheduled for October in Washington.  The 13^th “Power of Urban Radio Forum” – hosted by Kizart Media Partners in partnership with the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters – takes place on October 3 at the Westin City Center in Washington.  It’s billed by the producers as “an exceptional forum of CEOs and global marketers to discuss the strategic importance of the $900 billion African American consumer market as it applies to their companies and urban radio.”  Forum sessions will include:  A National Marketers Session with leading executives from Coca Cola, Sprint Nextel, Comcast, Miller Coors, and BMW North America.  The Global Media Agency Session will include executives from Horizon Media, Group M, Zenith Optimedia, Omnicom Group, Carat USA and Campbell Ewald.  The Radio Group Head CEO Discussion will include insight on the future of radio from the heads of Emmis Communications, Radio One, Summit Media Group and Cox Radio.  Registration information can be found at www.nabob.org.