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From Radio Online: Cumulus Media promotes award-winning broadcast journalist Nick Gale to News Director for WLS-AM/Chicago, IL. He'll continue to serve the station as morning news anchor, a post he's held since 2020. Gale previously worked as News Director at a five-station radio group in LaSalle-Peru, IL, and later More...

From Radio Insight: The Intriguing Stations of 2019 article was supposed to come out a week earlier than it did. But it was in early January 2020 that iHeart Radio began a year of industry-shaking layoffs and consolidation. The cutbacks were unprecedented in their scope, but entirely within the spirit of iHR’s very public 20-year campaign for “better local through national.” It was a hard week to celebrate radio when so many broadcasters were wondering what the future looked like, particularly for local radio.* When I did publish Intriguing Stations of 2019, I got an e-mail from Australian radio consultant Craig Bruce asking, basically, “Is that all you’ve got?” Using my column as a listening guide, Bruce felt he encountered too many sweepers and positioners and not enough of the unique on-air personality that he (and many broadcasters) felt was radio’s only remaining point of differentiation.* It was a valid question, and one I’ve tried to head off for more than 15 years or so of writing the Intriguing articles. I still find a lot of radio I want to hear, and I’ve got a three-page listening “to-do” list to prove it. Sometimes even formats of sweepers and older songs, when innovatively assembled, are game-changing. Much of what has been chronicled over the years is the continued influence of Bob-FM and the industry drive to find the next one.* Sea-change stations are important, but quirky listens and innovative failures keep me busy in the meantime. If you read this column, I trust some will intrigue you also. But I gird for “is that all you’ve got?” every year. So if “quirky fun with some oh-wow songs” isn’t enough for our present challenges, I understand.* Bruce and I resolved to write a column together; I wanted to discuss, among other things, how much responsibility any one station shouldered for “saving radio.” That term is in quotes because some of my readers don’t believe radio needs saving, while others believe that we’re well beyond that.* Then the pandemic hit, and we never got to that column. Broadcasters had predicted cutbacks and consolidations among other ownership groups. That might have been speculation in January. By spring it was reality. As the months wore on, even the industry’s most admired groups were making cutbacks as well. By summer, even some big name radio stations were mostly sweepers and positioners, too. In most years, I remind readers that Intriguing Stations is about the stations that represent a change in radio programming, or perhaps made a notable comeback. It’s not about the stations that are reliably great, and just keep on keeping on. After the layoffs, I asked readers to supply a list of what stations were still managing to do radio right, and that was the opportunity to salute WCBS-FM New York; KRTH (K-Earth 101) Los Angeles; WDKX Rochester, N.Y.; WXPN Philadelphia; and many other heritage outlets. But after a year in which “reliably great” could no longer be relied on, it was indeed the big enduring brands that proved handy in a crisis last year. They were stations where personality was indeed a difference-maker. Not every personality I appreciated last year was groundbreaking, but they did make me feel like somebody was there for the audience. And I did discover, after many years, WMMR Philadelphia night host Jacky Bam Bam, and he was like nobody I’d heard recently. Plus WXPN did a Top 2020 countdown and got national press coverage. How could I not mention it? Radio’s crises didn’t entirely bring new station launches to a halt last year, but it’s hard to point to a breakthrough FM station. I wrote 15 “First Listen” columns in 2020. Only 10 were about brand-new stations (rather than existing stations that I had recently discovered). Only six were about local FM radio stations, as opposed to other forms of audio. WMIA (Totally 93.9) Miami was one of my best-received profiles of the year, but it’s not a 6-plus success story yet. And just as iHR’s most notable launch of 2019 was its all-podcast format, its most significant launch in 2020 was the multi-market rollout of the Black Information Network. (BIN also made iHR a purchaser, not a seller, of radio stations last year.)* One of this column’s ongoing predictions has been that when broadcasters no longer had the wherewithal to provide hosted, produced radio, that would become the job of its digital competitors. In 2020, Spotify created its own morning show, “The Get Up.”Spotify also enabled self-published podcasts using licensed music, something put to use both by the syndicated Throwback 2K and my Edison Research colleague Tom Webster’s Deep Six podcast. Broadcasters hadn’t taken the prospect of their deep-pocketed competitors venturing into hosted, produced radio seriously, in part because Apple’s Beats 1 had gained immediate publicity but not traction. In 2020, Beats 1 was rebranded as Apple Music 1, along with the launch of Apple Music Country and the next-gen Classic Hits format Apple Hits 1.The Country format was the one most in competition with a mainstream format, and landed just as the industry was learning to jump-start hits with streaming and outside broadcast radio’s walls. Apple Music 1 remains its own format, but on Wednesday afternoon, I heard Zane Lowe interviewing the newly phenomenal pop star Olivia Rodrigo. The conversation turned to Smashing Pumpkins and Rage Against the Machine, and suddenly the two worlds intersected.* Other intriguing developments beyond broadcast: Urban AC KTSU Houston launching progressive Hip-Hop/R&B format “The Vibe” on a mix of its own air and online; the U.K.’s Podcast Radio,which became the home of former KROQ Los Angeles morning man Gene “Bean” Baxter; ROR readers’ favorite KNXFM93.com, saluting the ‘70s soft-rock outlet; and, for those times when all you indeed want are a succession of “oh-wow” songs, the return of my favorite outlet, Jofox Radio.Australia’s SCA struck a wise alliance that created Soundcloud Radio.Urban AC WHUR Washington devoted an HD-2 channel to the Quiet Storm programming that it helped innovate 45 years ago. Absolute Radio was one of the U.K.’s pioneers of brand extension. Its pop-up VE Day station, Absolute Radio ’40s,*was a brilliant moment–inspirational on multiple levels. (Even with the knowledge that the stunt received government funding, it was still a reminder of what U.S. radio has not done with its side channels.) Then there was*Village Radio,*the in-store service that plays in around 30 stores of a New York/New Jersey area supermarket franchisee. “Oh wow songs heard in supermarkets” is a perennial topic among radio people. VR has some of that, too; there’s a Facebook thread now among friends who heard them playing “Automatic” by the Pointer Sisters. But during the pandemic, they’ve also become a voice of encouragement for employees and shoppers that sounds more on-target than some of what I’ve heard on broadcast radio. A few other favorite places on the Infinite Dial did not survive the downturn. At this writing, you have a few days left to hear John Gorman’s oWow Radio,one of the few individual-broadcaster attempts to do a full-fledged local station without an antenna. Radio Disney Country, which championed female artists at Country, has already signed off, while Radio Disney’slast days are imminent. * On broadcast radio, I found myself coming back to the heritage CHRs that somehow managed to avoid the steep downturn the format experienced last year, particularly WKRZ Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and KJYO (KJ103) Oklahoma City, two stations that proved similarly durable during CHR’s early ‘90s crisis. If you’re looking for a teen-pop boom to signal a resurgence at CHR, KJ103 is also the CHR with the longest running support of the band BTS. I also liked WKCI (KC101) New Haven, Conn.,for its ‘90s/early 2K weekends, and KFTZ (Z103) Idaho Fallsfor taking the opposite approach and being the CHR station that most enthusiastically embraced streaming stories.* WERQ (92Q) Baltimoreand WZMX (Hot 93.7) Hartford, Conn.,were two Hip-Hop stations that largely withstood that format’s travails. KLJY-HD-2 (Boost 101.9) St. Louis,one of the strongest proponents of Christian Hip-Hop/R&B, moved to a full-market signal at year’s end, becoming KXBS (Boost 95.5) and giving that format a new showplace. It’s also hard not to go back to the Soft ACs that endured after the initial late ‘10s excitement over the format diminished. At year’s end, KISQ (The Breeze) San Francisco and WFEZ (Easy 93.1) Miami, celebrating its 10th anniversary, were still proving the format’s durability. So did WRCH (Lite 100.5) Hartford, Conn., nominally Mainstream AC, but more traditional than some peers.* Classic Hits WAKY Louisville, Ky., is a perennial in this column, but led the market at points in 2020. Bobby Rich’s KDRI (The Drive) Tucson, Ariz., was another readers’ favorite, and was about to break even as a stand-alone radio station in the middle of a pandemic. WNKN (Classic Country 105.9) Cincinnati and Classical WETA Washington, D.C., aren’t column perennials, but they were two examples of “niche” stations that suddenly maximized available listening by being programmed for older listeners and longer listening spans, the opposite of what broadcasters had been told to do in the PPM era. When I asked Bruce for his favorite stations, he went back to some heritage outlets as well: New Zealand’s CHR ZM Network and Heritage Rock Radio Hauraki. Both Bruce and an ROR reader sent me back to Australia’s Triple-J, whose version of Alternative includes Bea Miller and the Kid LAROI; it was interesting to see Entercom’s Alternative outlets, including the new WDZH (Alt 98.7) Detroit, evolve a little further along those lines over the course of 2020. I also found myself back on resurgent Triple-A WXRT Chicago.Like Triple-J, it was a station that advocated for the music and made listeners feel connected at a time when it mattered. I’ve particularly liked Alternative radio in Canada for the last five years, both for its ability to balance pop and guitar-rock and for the quality of homegrown acts. I’ve also liked Canadian Country radio, where female acts never stopped being part of the format, and where CKLC (Pure Country 99) Kingston, Ont., went to a 50/50 male/female mix during last year’s controversy about representation at the format. At year’s end, it was also interesting to hear WNCK (Quahog Country) Cape Cod, Mass., become a rare example of a non-commercial take on mainstream Country.* As is the case each year, I have come to the end of a long list worried about sins of omission. It’s not all I’ve got, as it turns out. There is a long list of heritage stations atop Radioinsight’s newly unveiled list of share and cume leaders, and it’s only grazed here. If you don’t see your favorite station of 2020, please leave a comment. Or it may be on my to-do list.* more

From All Access: NIELSEN AUDIO DECEMBER '20 Ratings are out TODAY for JACKSON, MS. Plus, FALL '20 Books for BRIDGEPORT, CT; FT. COLLINS, CO; MODESTO, CA; MORRISTOWN, NJ; NEW HAVEN, CT; … more

From All Access: KEITH ROTHSCHILD, AYELET SCHIFFMAN, HOWARD PETRUZIELLO, EDDIE GUTIERREZ, AMY KAPLAN, CHRISTY TAYLOR, MIKE MENA, LLOYD NORMAN, BRAD STEINER, TAJA GRAHAM, TOM MCGRAW, TYLER HUBBARD, ERIC … more

From the FCC: IB Identifies Inactive C-Band Incumbent Earth Station Antennas and Unresponsive C-Band Incumbent Earth Station Operators . https://www.fcc.gov/edoc/369398

From Radio Online: Benztown appoints Jeff Kelly as West Coast Commercial Production Director. Kelly was previously Production Director for iHeartMedia in Albuquerque, where he won nine New Mexico Broadcasting Awards over the course of four years. Prior to that, he was Program Director for stations in Cheyenne WY, and More...

From Radio Online: ESPN Podcasts will debut a new weekly offering, "First Take, Her Take," with format similar to ESPN TV's weekday morning discussion show, "First Take" on Wednesday, January 20. The new podcast will feature three prominent women in sports -- ESPN's Charly Arnolt, More...

From Radio Insight: Rural California Broadcasting Corporation is purchasing Classic Hits “104.9 K-Hits” KDHT Rohnert Park/Santa Rosa CA from Amaturo Sonoma Media for $1.5 million. The buyer, which operates as Northern California Public Media, will flip the station to its mix of Public News/Talk and AAA programming heard on 91.1 KRCB-FM Windsor and 90.9 K215CQ Santa Rosa. KRCB been operating at low power since its tower site was destroyed in the 2018 Kincade Fire. The buyer also owns two public television stations in the market. After the sale closes Amaturo Sonoma Media will retain its four additional stations in the Santa Rosa market and their publishing holdings. Amaturo Sonoma Media, LLC (ASMG) announced today that it has filed with the FCC to transfer ownership of KDHT 104.9 FM, licensed to Rohnert Park CA, to the long-established public broadcasting non-profit, Northern California Public Media (NCPM). ASMG will continue ownership and operation of its News/Talk KSRO (1350 AM, 103.5 FM and 94.5 FM), KFGY-FM (Froggy 92.9), KVRV-FM (97.7 The River) and KHTH-FM (Hot 101.7). Additionally, ASMG will retain its Northbay Biz magazine and Waterdrop Digital Advertising. NCPM owns and operates KRCB-FM, Windsor, KRCB-TV, Cotati and KPJK-TV, San Mateo. All of NCPM’s radio and TV stations are non-commercial public broadcasting programmed. KRCB-FM lost its transmitter and tower two years ago in the devastating Kincade Fire in Northern Sonoma County and has been operating at low power, while searching for an improved FM facility. “While we’re saddened to part with such a fine station, placing it in the hands of our public broadcasting peers at such a crucial time softens the blow”, said Michael O’Shea, ASMG President. Both parties filed the transaction with the FCC today with expected approval this spring. Terms of the transaction were not announced. For more information: contact Michael O’Shea at michael@mysonomamedia.com. more

From All Access: EMMIS COMMUNICATIONS has promoted EMMIS/INDIANAPOLIS VP/Sales TAJA GRAHAM to Market President effective MONDAY, MARCH 1st. GRAHAM has been with EMMIS for 22 years in a variety of radio sales … more

From All Access: ENTERCOM Classic Hits KXSN (98.1 SUNNY FM) and AC KXKY/SAN DIEGO have announced a change in their lineups. After eleven months in mornings on KXSN, ROB & JOSS TAYLOR are moving back to … more

From All Access: THE BLACK PUMAS and Country stars TIM McGRAW and TYLER HUBBARD join the PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL COMMITTEE (PIC) list of participants and American heroes on the television special … more

From All Access: MIDWEST COMMUNICATIONS flipped Classic Country KMJO (100.7 THE DUKE)/FARGO, ND to Classic Rock KMJO as "100.7 THE BEAR" on MONDAY (1/18) at 8a. The station is positioning … more

From All Access: Congratulations to BIG MACHINE RECORDS’ TIM MCGRAW and BMLG RECORDS' TYLER HUBBARD, who earned 152 MEDIABASE adds this week with their new single, “Undivided,” making it … more

From All Access: EMMIS COMMUNICATIONS has promoted EMMIS/INDIANAPOLIS VP/Sales TAJA GRAHAM to Market President effective MONDAY, MARCH 1. GRAHAM has been with EMMIS for 22 years in a variety of radio sales … more

From Radio Online: The Southeast Michigan Ford Dealers Association piloted a campaign on the smart speaker. It found, over the past four years, the smart speaker has grown to represent nearly a quarter (24%) of all online listening to Cumulus stations. The company had enough confidence in smart speaker listenership, More...

From All Access: BBR MUSIC GROUP has signed singer-songwriter MADELINE MERLO to a record deal. The VANCOUVER native is best known for her appearance on NBC-TV's "Songland," where her song, … more

From All Access: “BIG RICK” DANIELS is on the move again after accepting a new job as PD/morning host at WHITE RIVER BROADCASTING Country WKKG (INDIANA COUNTRY 101.5)/BLOOMINGTON-COLUMBUS, IN, … more

From All Access: ENTERCOM Country KMLE (KMLE COUNTRY 107.9)/PHOENIX morning show producer JP ALLEN has departed the station. He joined KMLE in 2019 to produce “THE MARIA & CHAD SHOW” (NET NEWS … more

From All Access: MIDWEST COMMUNICATIONS flipped Classic Country KMJO (100.7 THE DUKE)/FARGO, MD to Classic Rock KMJO (100.7 THE BEAR) on MONDAY (1/18) at 8a. The station is positioning itself as … more

From All Access: NIELSEN AUDIO DECEMBER '20 Ratings are out TODAY for JACKSON, MS. Plus, FALL '20 Books for FT. COLLINS, CO; MODESTO, CA; MORRISTOWN, NJ; OXNARD-VENTURA, CA; PALM SPRINGS, CA; … more

From All Access: ENTERCOM SAN DIEGO's Calssic Hits KXSN (98.1 Sunny - FM) and AC KXKY (96.5) have announced a change in their line ups. After eleven months in mornings on KXSN, ROB & JOSS TAYLOR are … more

From All Access: New multiyear contract extensions with have been been announced for ENTERCOM Hot AC KMXB (MIX 94.1)/LAS VEGAS morning duo MERCEDES MARTINEZ and JC FERNANDEZ, as they continue on as hosts of … more

From All Access: President/CEO and founder of BIG MACHINE LABEL GROUP, SCOTT BORCHETTA revealed TODAY (1/19) the formation of the BIG MACHINE Racing Team, which will compete full-time in the 2021 NASCAR … more

From All Access: CURB/WORD MUSIC PUBLISHING has extended its worldwide co-publishing deal with singer/songwriter BILLY MONTANA, who was originally signed to the publishing company in 2000. Following the … more

From Radio Online: Entercom inks new multi-year contract extensions with air personalities Mercedes Martinez and JC Fernandez. Both will continue as morning hosts of "Mercedes in the Morning" on KMXB-FM (Mix 94.1) in Las Vegas, weekdays from 5-10am PT. Martinez began her radio career in Colorado as an intern, but has More...

From Radio Insight: A leadership change atop Emmis Indianapolis will take place on March 1. Taja Graham will rise from VP/Director of Sales to Market President as Bob Richards will step down to “pursue other career interests”. Graham has been with Emmis Indianapolis in multiple sales roles since 2003 after previously serving as Promotions Director of 105.7 WTLC-FM for the company from 1996 to 2001. She has served in her current VP/Director of Sales position since Richards rose to Market President. Richards had been with Emmis since 2009 first as as Operations Manager then Vice President/Programming in 2014, and as Market President since November 2017. He previously programmed Country 95.5 WFMS for Susquehanna and then served as Operations Manager for Cumulus Indianapolis after they purchased Susquehanna. Emmis Communications announced today that Taja Graham will become its Indianapolis Radio Market President on March 1, 2021. Emmis owns news/talk WIBC, adult contemporary B105, country Hank FM, sports/talk “The Fan”, and Network Indiana. Graham is currently Vice President, Sales and will immediately become Deputy Market Manager retaining her sales responsibilities and working with current Indianapolis Radio Market Manager Bob Richards to transition into the market leadership role. Following the transition, Richards plans to pursue other career interests. Graham has spent 22 years with Emmis in a variety of radio sales and promotions leadership roles. She is a graduate of the Radio Advertising Bureau’s Mentoring and Inspiring Woman in Radio (MIW) Rising Through the Ranks program and was an MIW Mildred Carter Mentoring Program Finalist. Graham is also a past recipient of Junior Achievement of Central Indiana Indy’s Best and Brightest and the Center for Sales Strategy Super Hero designation. She is a graduate of Butler University. “Bob approached us last year with this plan and strongly endorsed Taja to succeed him in the role,” said Emmis Chairman and CEO Jeff Smulyan. “Taja has been a huge part of creating our winning culture at Emmis. Her commitment to building and developing great teams is directly correlated with our top-ranked position in the Indianapolis market. I’m thrilled to see our home-grown talent like Taja succeed and look forward to the impact she will have on our great brands in the years to come.” Richards has been with Emmis for 11 years, the past three and a half years as market manager. Richards built a reputation as one the radio industry’s best country music programmers during his tenure as an Operations Manager and Program Director at Emmis, Cumulus, and Susquehanna. During Richards’market manager tenure, Emmis Indianapolis was consistently the top ranked radio group in both revenues and ratings. Smulyan commented on Richards, “I can’t thank Bob enough for his contributions over the past decade and in particular his leadership as market manager. His passion and desire to win have been hallmarks of his leadership and positioned our team for a great future. I wish Bob every success as he charts the course for his next career adventure and thank him for all he’s meant to Emmis.” more

From All Access: EMMIS COMMUNICATIONS has promoted EMMIS/INDIANAPOLIS VP/Sales TAJA GRAHAM to Market President effective MARCH 1. GRAHAM has been with EMMIS for 22 years in a variety of radio sales and … more

From All Access: Country artist ERIC CHURCH and R&B singer JAZMINE SULLIVAN have been slated to sing the national anthem together at SUPER BOWL LV, according to THE ASSOCIATED PRESS and other sources. … more

From All Access: MIDWEST COMMUNICATIONS/WAUSAU, WI has promoted Top 40/Mainstream WIFC/WAUSAU PD RUSTY JAMES to the newly formed OM position. JAMES will oversee programming for WIFC, Country WDEZ and Rock … more

From All Access: ANNA & RAVEN, the syndicated joint venture between COMPASS MEDIA NETWORKS and CONNOISSEUR MEDIA was launched nationally at the beginning of the year, after having added Hot AC WALK-F … more