Activity Stream

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

From Radio Insight: Audacy Conservative Talk “98.9 WORD” WYRD-FM Spartanburg/Greenville SC has announced a series of programming lineup changes taking effect on Monday, May 6. WYRD-FM will add Salem Radio Network’s Mike Gallagher Show for 10am to 12pm. Gallagher worked in Greenville early in his career and his show had been heard on Salem’s “94.5 The Answer” WGTK-FM until its sale and flip last year. To make room for Gallagher, “Straight Talk with Bill Frady” will move from 10a-12p to 12 to 3pm replacing The Erik Erickson Show. WYRD-FM will also add two more shows to the lineup. “Sunrise Carolina with Joey Hudson” will run from 5-6am weekdays. Hudson previously hosted mornings on WGTK-FM. “The WORD on the Street” will be a magazine show running Saturdays from 12-1pm. Audacy Greenville/Spartanburg SVP/Market Manager Steve Sinicropi stated, “I am thrilled to have Mike return to News/Talk 98.9 WORD. Mike is part of the fabric of Greenville; he connects with our audience and will be a terrific advocate for our advertisers. Having Mike and Joey onboard will enhance our incredible lineup and offer listeners live, locally connected talent.” Gallagher commented, “To return to the same station where I started my radio career 35 years ago is mind-blowing. I?m excited to reconnect with Upstate audiences and advertisers on this powerhouse brand. Having my dear friend Joey play a significant role in the show is the icing on the cake. Everyone knows the Upstate is home to me. So, who says you can?t go home again?” Hudson added, “I?m ecstatic to join the team at this heritage station. It?s especially gratifying to join my longtime friend and mentor Mike as he makes his triumphant return to the Upstate. As a lifelong resident of the area, I?m fortunate to continue serving the community I love as part of The Voice of the Carolinas. Thank you to Steve Sinicropi, Mark Hendrix and the 98.9 WORD family for welcoming me back to the airwaves.” more