Activity Stream

From Radio Insight: Meruelo Media has appointed Pio Ferro as Senior Vice President of Programming for its four stations in Los Angeles starting Monday, May 13. Ferro will oversee programming and digital content for all four of Meruelo Media’s stations: Classic Hip Hop 93.5 KDAY, Spanish Rhythmic “Cali 93.9” KLLI, Rock 95.5 KLOS, and Hip Hop “Power 106” KPWR plus KWHY-TV. Ferro joins Meruelo from MediaCo New York where he currently served as VP of Programming overseeing “Hot 97” WQHT and Adult R&B 107.5 WBLS. Ferro had been in New York since January 2015 when he first joined WQHT as Program Director. Ferro previously programmed in Los Angeles at Spanish AC “107.5 K-Love” KLVE for Heftel Broadasting from 1994 to 2000. He began his career in his native Miami in 1988 rising from board op to eventually PD/morning host and later served as National Programming Coordinator for Spanish Broadcasting System from 2000 through 2009, Vice President of Spanish Programming for CBS Radio from 2009-2012, and Program Director of CHR “Power 96” WPOW-FM Miami until joining WQHT. He also operates consultancy Vampiro Consulting. Meruelo Media President/CEO Otto Padron stated, ?Pio brings a unique balance of practical science layered with the strategic insights required to shape today?s hybrid environment of linear and streaming content. This operational approach coupled with his calm brand of stress-tested leadership, personal values, and adventurous entrepreneurial spirit is the perfect storm for us. Pio is a proven media veteran with a successful track record of guiding institutional brands while digitally weaponizing them without compromising their legacy.? Ferro comments, ?Meruelo Media has solid brands in Los Angeles with a strong leadership team. I?m excited to return to Los Angeles and work with Otto Padron, Tomas Trujillo, Keith Cunningham (KLOS-FM PD), DJ Eman (Power 106 and 93.5 KDAY APD), J-Dubs (Cali 93.9 APD), Matthew Hernandez (93.5 KDAY Music Director) and their long roster of on-air talent. We will continue to deliver exceptional listener experiences, create innovative live events, deliver client value, and continue to support and connect with our local communities. more

From Radio Insight: Beasley Media has appointed Kyra Ringer as Chief Engineer for their Boston properties. Ringer has most recently been operating a contract engineering business based in New Hampshire. She previously has been Chief Engineer of Cumulus Media’s properties in Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola FL and has been an assistant engineer for Hubbard Radio and Salem Radio Network in Washington DC. Serving under Beasley Boston Director of Engineering and IT Dennis Knudsen, Ringer will be responsible for transmitter and studio maintenance, troubleshooting and repairs of the market?s RF systems, and maintaining their Wheatstone systems. ?Kyra brings deep radio engineering expertise and a can-do attitude to complete our Boston Engineering and IT team,? said Mary Menna, Vice President & Market Manager of Beasley Boston. ?We are thrilled to have her.? Ringer states, ?Having been raised in studios and transmitter sites, I feel that broadcast engineering is in my DNA. My father has been a broadcast engineer for more than 40 years and has taught me most of what I know. I credit him with instilling an unwavering work ethic in me as I watched him work tirelessly through my childhood years. I have been working in radio for more than 25 years and love every aspect of what I do.? Knudsen adds, “Kyra brings a refreshing blend of innovation and expertise to the Boston engineering team. We are all excited to have her on board.? more

From Radio Online: Salem Radio Network host Mike Gallagher will return to the airwaves in Greenville, SC, starting Monday, May 6 from 10am to noon. This is the station that launched Gallagher's career as a talk host some 35 years ago. His loyal fans in Greenville will now have a chance to hear him on Audacy's News/Talk More...

From Radio Online: Benztown promotes two audio production professionals within its Commercial Production Team serving Benztown client, Yamanair Creative. James McDaniels moves up from his role as producer to Production Manager for the Yamanair Commercial Production Team. Kyle Castellani is elevated from writer to Head Writer More...

From Radio Online: Beasley Media Group appoints Kyra Ringer as Chief Engineer at the company's Boston-based radio properties. She most recently worked as an independent contract engineer in New England. Previously, she served as the Chief Engineer for Cumulus Media in Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola, FL. In her new role, More...

From Radio Online: Meruelo Media/Los Angeles names 30-year veteran programmer Pio Ferro as its new Senior VP of Programming and Content, effective May 13. Ferro joins the company from MediaCo in New York, where served as SVP/P for WQHT (Hot 97) and WBLS. Previously, Ferro was PD for WPOW (Power 96), Country WKIS-FM and Sports More...

From Radio Online: Entravision Communications reported first quarter net revenues rose 16% to $277.4 million from $239 million in 2023. The increase was primarily due to rises in ad revenue from its digital business units and political ad revenue in its audio andamp; TV segments. Consolidated EBITDA fell to $4.5 million from $23.2 More...

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its release of the March 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Monthly ratings for Akron, Charleston SC, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, and Syracuse. Coming later this week: On Friday, May 3: Monthly ratings for Columbia SC, Greenville/New Bern/Jacksonville NC, Little Rock, Springfield MA, and Toledo. more

From Radio Insight: Lotus Communications recently made a round of cuts at its Boise cluster. Among those exiting: Deb Courson was most recently evening host at AAA “94.9 The River” KRVB. Courson joined KRVB in 2016 as morning co-host before moving to a part-time role in 2021. She previously spent eighteen years at KBOI, KIDO, KIZN and KZMG as News Director and morning co-host from 1985 to 2003 and served as Managing Editor for Public News Service from 1999 to 2015. Barry Lewis exits middays at Classic Hits “107.1 K-Hits” KTHI. Lewis had been with KTHI since 2000. Longtime Production Coordinator Dave Sparks previously served as PD/afternoon host of then Rock “J105” KJOT Bridget Bonde is out as evening host at KTHI. Lee Vander Boegh exits weekends at KRVB. Traffic Coordinator Toni Withee had been with the cluster since 1999. more

From Radio Online: Radio broadcasting veteran Lance Ballance is appointed General Sales Manager of MARC Radio Group for the Gainesville/North Florida market. He'll lead the sales team for MARC's group of stations there. A Florida native, his industry experience includes stations in Los Angeles, Boston, Memphis, Utah and More...

From Radio Online: The book "The Singers Talk," by Jason Thomas Gordon, which topped the charts globally, has evolved into a podcast series. Produced in collaboration with Double Elvis Productions and Volume.com, the program delves into intimate conversations with some of the most iconic voices in the music industry. The More...

From Radio Online: Murfin Media introduced a new format in Wichita Thursday at noon, rebranding KVWF (My Country 100.5) to the new "100.5 The Twister," with the slogan "Country's Biggest Hits." The Twister will feature Program Director andamp; morning host Dan Holiday weekdays from 6-10am. Holiday grew up on a farm near El More...

From Radio Online: WSHE (100.3)/Chicago closes the circle on its musical evolution, which began 24 months ago. It's now known as "Throwback 100.3," the station that plays all the biggest hits from the greatest era of pop music, the 90s and early 2000s. Throwback 100.3 features nonstop throwback hits every Thursday. More...

From Radio Insight: This column was originally going to be a recap of some of the technology I saw on display at NAB Show 2024 earlier this month. But as I’ve been spending much of my free time since returning helping to care for my mother as she recovers from surgery, I’ve also been thinking a bit more about the over-arching concept driving much of the technological innovation in the radio space right now. For those that have never been to NAB, it is multiple events in one. There is the show floor, there’s the engineering conferences, the sales conferences, the executive meetings, plus other events piggybacking on it such as Broadcast Education Association. Really it has something for every facet of the broadcast community, except for audio content creators, but even there was an attempt at improving those events this year. What did generate much of my attention was a number of new or recently emerging players into the radio broadcast tech sphere especially on the end-user side. New cloud based playout systems, embedding of AI tech, and the moving of the playout tech from the studio to the transmitter site were seen across the floor of the show. We are headed towards one do-all application/appliance for broadcasting. Super Hi-Fi’s partnership with Orban to place programming, processing, PPM encoding, stream encoding, and metadata in one box is just the start. Soon all of those features could be included in a transmitter along with access to cloud based music scheduling and voicetracking allowing one device to power nearly all of a radio station’s necessary functions. Other companies are doing the same. From Radio.cloud to internal systems like iHeartMedia’s Sound+, the shift to an all-in one combination of application and appliance is only going to continue. It will lead to an improved product as workflows are simplified to allow access to all relevant content in one place. AI generated auto-segueing of songs is already happening. Over time these platforms and others will include your board/faders, allow for any audio clip or song needed to be dropped in on the fly, auto-produce podcasts and on-demand audio clips and publish them to the station website, and allow for customization on the fly in ways that would still take hours of production time today. These are the AI capabilities that radio can and should get behind as it will enable talent to better utilize their time and resources. While still being used as a novelty more than anything at this point, it is the continued growth of AI voices in on-air shifts that still is worrisome, but the fact it has not caught on in a major use is still a good sign for human voices. But it will also enable simplicity. One of the other major topics of discussion at and around NAB was in regards to how stations are going to solve the looming engineering crisis. Many operators, including those in larger markets such as Las Vegas, are down to relying on over-worked contract engineers at or nearing retirement age. A CEO asked us point-blank, “What do I have to do to train and retain a single engineer?” Having less technology to have to maintain will be a great start, especially since training will become easier. There will always be a demand for RF engineers, but radio needs to find IT capable people for studios and a combined infrastructure will make that much easier in helping to teach and learn broadcast IT. The ability for future innovation built around a broadcast architecture that encompasses everything will only accelerate. We’re already at the point where talent can broadcast from anywhere in the world just by clicking an icon in an app. Soon it may also provide web and social media content on the fly, podcasts published within seconds of content airing live, and dynamic customized broadcasts specifically for each listener truly making radio a one to one service in addition to the one to many offering it has always provided. A singular hardware/software solution creating a truly singular proposition. more

From Radio Insight: Hubbard Radio has rebranded Classic Hits 100.3 WSHE Chicago as “Throwback 100.3“. The relaunch comes with the station shifting to Millennial Hits focusing exclusively on music from the 1990s through early 2010s. WSHE is launching its new brand with a $1 million giveaway, while the station’s on-air lineup remains in-tact with Brooke & Jeffrey in mornings, Lisa Kosty middays, Rick Hall afternoons, and Ginger Jordan at night. The 12pm hour of Throwback 100.3 featured: Alanis Morrissete – You Oughta Know Zhane – Hey Mr. DJ Bell Biv Devoe – Poison Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River Eagle Eye Cherry – Save Tonight Sia – Cheap Thrills C & C Music Factory – Gonna Make You Sweat Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved Montell Jordan – This Is How We Do It Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life Pink – Get The Party Started Outkast – Hey Ya Blink 182 – All The Small Things Justin Timberlake – Rock Your Body Destiny’s Child – Jumpin, Jumpin WSHE is currently tied for 21st in the Chicago market with a 1.5 share in the March 2024 Nielsen Audio ratings. INSTANT INSIGHT: Five years ago, I co-developed “2K1” as the first format dedicated to hits of this era emphasizing 1997 to 2012 with a presentation replicating the CHR sound of the time. While the pandemic ended our chances of bringing the format to market at the time, we have since seen many CHRs increasingly become reliant on golds from this era and now a major market station has jumped on the same concept. If your station is looking for a unique hole with a well researched library, lventa@radioinsight.com"]reach out. more

From Radio Insight: MARC Radio Group has appointed veteran programmer Lance Ballance as General Sales Manager for its Gainesville FL cluster. Ballance joins MARC from Ramar Broadcasting Lubbock TX where was Brand Manager and an account executive since last June. He previously has held roles as Director of Content for Townsquare Media Lubbock, Operations Manager for Cumulus Media Worcester MA, Program Director of WTLT Fort Myers, WMJJ Birmingham, WMC-FM Memphis, and KOSY Salt Lake City. Earlier in his career he worked on-air at KOST and KBIG Los Angeles. MARC Radio Chief Revenue Officer Scott Miller states, “Lance possesses the attributes we sought to bring our company to the next level. He?s a leader. He coaches his teams with enthusiasm. MARC Radio is growing, and with Lance leading our sales team here in Gainesville, that growth is assured.” Ballance commented, “If you follow the industry as I do, you take notice of MARC Radio?s emerging reputation as a caring enterprise committed to its people, its advertisers and its listeners ? embodying a true local station culture. I?ve experienced the opposite and wanted to be part of growing that local culture even more, and leading it even further.” more

From Radio Online: Cumulus Media/Dallas-Fort Worth's News and Information KLIF (570) and KSCS-FM-HD2 (96.3) adds "The Brian Kilmeade Show" to its weekday on-air lineup. Hosted by Brian Kilmeade, the program will air weekdays from 9am-noon, beginning Monday, May 6. The talk show is syndicated by FOX News Audio and tackles the More...

From Radio Online: Good Karma Brands (GKB) announces WTLX-FM (100.5 ESPN)/Madison and WTMJ/Milwaukee will serve as the new home for University of Wisconsin women's volleyball, beginning in the 2024-2025 season. UW Women's Volleyball completed the 2023 season at No. 3 in the AVCA Poll after a trip to the semifinals in the NCAA More...

From Radio Insight: Audacy Vice President of Digital Audio Content Leslie Scott has exited the company after twelve years as part of last week’s layoffs. Scott originally joined the company as APD of former AAA ?103.7 The Mountain? KMTT and Digital Program Director of their Seattle cluster. She rose to Program Director of Alternative “107.7 The End” KNDD in 2015 and added Regional Alternative programming duties in 2020. She moved over to the corporate role in August 2021 overseeing the programming of Audacy’s exclusive streaming-only channels. Before coming to Seattle, Scott programmed KBXR and KBBM Columbia MO and was APD/MD of WFXH Savannah and WMAD-FM Madison. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Mentoring & Inspiring Women in Radio. Scott shares with us, “I’m grateful for the relationships I built and the success I had in my 12 years at Audacy. If you’re looking for a level-headed leader, a fearless teammate, and resourceful strategist, I’m excited about the future and ready to talk about my next opportunity.” She’s looking for her “next opportunity to build brands and build teams” and can be reached at lesliescottradio@gmail.com. more

From Radio Insight: Point-To-Point Marketing, an industry-leading audience development company, teamed up with Strategic Solutions Research, a full-service market research firm, to conduct audio usage research focused exclusively on U.S. workers. This national study of workers? audio consumption, perceptions, expectations, and desires will be the first-ever of its kind. The companies have partnered up in order to provide the audio industry greater insight into workers who are heavier users of audio and radio, and part of that collaboration will include a three-part webinar series titled ?What Workers Want? conducted by Tim Bronsil, CEO of Point-To-Point, and Hal Rood, EVP/Partner of Strategic Solutions Research. On Thursday, May 2, they will present the final webinar, titled ?Contesting, Marketing, and a Profile of Likely Ratings Participants.? Some headlines: 1. 55% of workers would participate in the ratings process. ?The results are encouraging, but of course the method of participation is a key consideration,? Tim Bronsil, CEO of Point-To-Point and one of the authors of the ?What Workers Want? research, commented. ?The process of participating needs to be as easy and enjoyable as possible.? ?These ratings-likely participants also are more likely to value a radio station with entertaining hosts more than a playlist with no host,? Hal Rood, EVP/Partner of Strategic Solutions Research, who partnered with Point-To-Point on this study, noted. ?It?s time for radio stations to make sure they have enough engaging content.? 2. Nearly eight out of ten workers who listen to radio are positive about contests on the radio.* ?This is the golden age of contesting.? Rood remarked. ?There is gamification and gambling happening more than ever. Radio has always been good at contests to drive listening and attention, so this trend moves right into radio?s wheelhouse.? ?We?ve never seen enthusiasm for contests at this level ever,? said Bronsil. ?Radio can and should ride this wave and drive more usage.? 3. Three out of four workers enjoy the social media content shared by on-air talent. Even the great majority of 18-to-24-year-old workers say they enjoy the content.* ?Radio hosts are doing a great job of sharing content and opinions that resonate with workers. The issue is listeners simply are not seeing posts frequently enough,? said Bronsil. ?We?ll discuss that in more detail in Thursday?s webinar.?* ?We see multiple data points in the ?What Workers Want? research that radio has faded from their view. They don?t see radio in social media enough or in advertising in general,? Rood explained. ?They love radio, so radio has to get back out there and be more visible.? Tim and Hal will do a dive deep into contesting and explore the ways radio can benefit in part three of ?What Workers Want? on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at 2pm ET / 11am PT. Some other major research findings on contesting that will be revealed:* We will provide a full profile of likely ratings participants. Specifics about the best methods of entry and why they work will be shared. And the jackpot?we?ll share the ideal cash prize amount. Click below to sign up to attend the final ?What Workers Want? webinar: Thursday, May 2, 2024, 2pm ET | Part 3: Contesting, Marketing, and a Profile of Likely Ratings Participants *https://whatworkerswantstudy.com/ more

From Radio Insight: After sixteen years in Houston, Sarah Pepper will be saying goodbye to Audacy Hot AC “Mix 96.5” KHMX. Pepper announced that she will depart KHMX following her show on Friday, May 17 as she is relocating back to Indiana to care for her ailing mother. As part of a staff memo regarding the upcoming departure, Brand Manager Melissa Chase states, “While we are saddened to see her go, we understand and respect her decision to prioritize family during this challenging time.” Pepper first came to Houston in 2008 to co-host mornings at defunct sister CHR ?Hot 95.7? KKHH until its flip to Variety Hits ?95.7 The Spot? at the end of 2016. She then moved to KHMX in April 2017 to launch ?The Morning Mix? first with Geoff Sheen and Lauren Kelly. She has been paired with Jessie Watt since Watt joined the morning show in January 2020. She also is heard in her native Evansville IN currently hosting middays on Midwest Communications CHR ?Hot 96? WSTO. Pepper began her career at that station and previously co-hosted mornings at WSTO from 2003-08 before returning in 2019 first in mornings. For a brief time, Pepper hosted her Houston morning show from Evansville. Watt will remain in mornings hosting a music-intensive show in the interim while the station begins a search to succeed Pepper. more

From Radio Online: Former WJBC/Bloomington, IL morning host Scott Laughlin died on Tuesday after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 65. Laughlin was diagnosed with kidney cancer in May of 2019. Shortly after, he retired from a 40-year career in radio, which included nearly two decades hosting the morning show on WJBC. He was More...

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its release of the March 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Monthly ratings for Albuquerque, El Paso, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Metro Fairfield County. Coming later this week: On Thursday, May 2: Monthly ratings for Akron, Charleston SC, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, and Syracuse. On Friday, May 3: Monthly ratings for Columbia SC, Greenville/New Bern/Jacksonville NC, Little Rock, Springfield MA, and Toledo. more

From Radio Online: iHeartMedia and Pandamp;G will once again join forces during Pride Month for the return of Can't Cancel Pride -- an evening recognizing the impact of music and the impact that LGBTQand#43; organizations continue to have on the community. The special event will feature performances from some of today's hottest More...

From Radio Online: "What Happened in Alabama?" -- a new 10-part limited series from American Public Media's APM Studios and journalist Lee Hawkins -- is set to launch on May 15. Hawkins was previously a reporter at the Wall Street Journal for 19 years. The series finds Lee digging into his family history, dating back to the More...

From Radio Online: Woodward Community Media adds of Katie Schurk and Nick Vitrano to WKSZ-FM (95.9 Kiss FM) in Appleton-Oshkosh for "Mornings with Otis Day, beginning June 10. After patiently waiting for the end of a non-compete clause, Katie and Nick are set to bring their chemistry back to Northeast Wisconsin. Day said, More...

From Radio Online: PodcastOne has acquired the sales and distribution rights to society and culture podcast, "Dumb Gay Podcast" hosted by Bravo stars and comedians Julie Goldman and Brandy Howard. The program launches on May 7. Bravo stars and comedians Julie Goldman (the gay) and Brandy Howard (the More...

From Radio Online: Edison Research's Share of Ear study answers the question, "How do Americans 13 spend their day with audio?" Respondents nationwide completed a detailed one-day audio listening diary. This diary details what they listen to, where they listen, what device they listen on, and for how long. While on average More...

From Radio Online: Audacy's WYRD-FM (News/Talk 98.9 WORD) in Greenville, is making weekly lineup changes, effective May 6. Mike Gallagher will host "The Mike Gallagher Show" weekdays from 10am-12pm ET. Joey Hudson will host a new show, "Sunrise Carolina with Joey Hudson," weekdays from 5-6am ET and a magazine-style show, "The More...

From Radio Insight: University of Washington’s Public News/Talk 94.9 KUOW-FM Seattle is the latest public media operator to institute a round of layoffs. KUOW-FM will reduce their operating costs by $2 million for fiscal year 2025, with $1 million of the cuts coming from operational spending and the other half from ending their RadioActive Youth Media program and eliminating 8 current and 3 open staff positions representing 6% of the station’s staff. RadioActive provided community workshops to help youths discover public radio journalism and learn basic radio storytelling skills. In a news story, KUOW-FM President & General Manager Caryn G. Mathes stated these were the first layoffs in station history caused by flat revenue and operational costs rising due to producing more podcasts and on-demand content. She stated, “I feel like we?ve gone from a two-ring circus, with the live stream program and a website, to a 12-ring circus because of digital consumers.” Mathes also added that the station’s radio audience is aging, “The baby boomer audience was our bread and butter, and still are, money-wise in a lot of ways. They just wanted to turn on the firehose of content and have it wash over them.” Station Director of Community Engagement Zaki Hamid, who oversaw RadioActive added, “RadioActive was a champion for youth voices in media. Throughout the years, youth tackled some of the thorniest issues, from abortion to religion to gender identity and so much more. RadioActive gave us the privilege of insight into the world of young people, and their perspective on the world. The stories that they produced made us pause, rethink issues, laugh, and learn. I hope this program and all of the wonderful memories it created can act as a beacon of hope for youth to continue championing their voices being heard.” Mathes shared the following memo: KUOW, like many media outlets, is facing financial headwinds that necessitate realigning our operating cost model with the realities of changing consumer media consumption behavior and the availability of public, corporate, and philanthropic funding. We have worked diligently to manage expenses and have simultaneously invested in new strategies for revenue generation and have seen some good trends with revenue growth. However, these new revenue generation measures will take some time to fully manifest and are not currently delivering adequately to cover the rising costs of producing journalism that informs the public, broadens conversations, and contributes to a vibrant democracy. In the short term, our budget remains strained, requiring us to take decisive actions to align our expenses with available funding. To address this shortfall, KUOW will reduce FY2025 operating costs by $2 million. $1 million of this will come from ending the RadioActive Youth Media program and the elimination of 8 current and 3 open staff positions. These reductions are essential for us to maintain financial sustainability while continuing to fulfill our mission of providing high-quality journalism and programming to our community. While reductions are being made across all departments, they are being implemented thoughtfully, taking into account the unique needs and functions of each area, and with careful consideration given to preserving the core functions of our organization. This approach aims to distribute the impact of the reductions fairly while maintaining a balanced and sustainable organizational structure. We recognize that these staff reductions will significantly impact the affected employees, and we are committed to providing support and assistance throughout the transition process. Overall, these changes at KUOW are a necessary step to address our budget constraints and ensure the long-term sustainability of our organization and our ability to continue delivering a valuable public service to our local community and broaden conversations, deepen understanding, and create a more informed public. more