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From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the December 2024 continuous diary market and Fall 2024 biannual ratings surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Albuquerque, Allentown/Bethlehem, El Paso, Fresno, Honolulu, Knoxville, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Fall ratings for Johnson City/Kingsport/Bristol, Las Cruces, and Williamsport. The next three releases will feature: On Friday, January 17: December monthly ratings for Akron, Bakersfield, Charleston SC, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Omaha/Council Bluffs. Fall ratings for Canton, Hagerstown/Chambersburg, Lancaster PA, Lincoln, Myrtle Beach, New London, Wilmington DE, and York. On Tuesday, January 21: December monthly ratings for Columbia SC, Des Moines, Greenville/New Bern/Jacksonville NC, Little Rock, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, Spokane, and Springfield MA. Fall ratings for Gainesville/Ocala, Hot Springs, and Stockton. On Wednesday, January 22: December monthly ratings for Colorado Springs, Madison, Mobile, Toledo and Wichita. Fall ratings for Boise, Daytona Beach, Fort Pierce/Stuart/Vero Beach, Fort Walton Beach/Destin, Lakeland/Winter Haven, Melbourne/Titusville/Cocoa, Pensacola, Pueblo, Salina/Manhattan, and Topeka. more

From Radio Online: Cumulus Media promotes Laura Dickerson to the role of Assistant Program Director and on-air host for CHR WWWQ-FM (Q99.7) in Atlanta. Dickerson, who will continue to serve as Music Director for co-owned 104.1 KRBE in Houston will host middays on Q99.7, weekdays from 11am-3pm. Since joining Cumulus Media More...

From Radio Insight: President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Senate staffer Olivia Trusty to fill the fifth spot on the FCC. If confirmed, Trusty, who is currently a staffer for Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, will fill the fifth spot at the FCC being vacated by outgoing chair Jessica Rosenworcel. Trusty is currently policy director on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Olivia will work with our incredible new Chairman of the FCC, Brendan Carr, to cut regulations at a record pace, protect Free Speech, and ensure every American has access to affordable and fast internet.” more

From Radio Online: President-elect Donald Trump has announced his nomination of Olivia Trusty, a Senate aide, as a Commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Trusty, currently serving as the policy director on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, is backed by her long experience on More...

From Radio Online: Westwood One, the long-standing official audio partner of the National Football League (NFL), is set to provide live coverage of the NFL Divisional Round playoffs this weekend on January 18th and 19th. This year marks the 38th consecutive season Westwood One has partnered with the More...

From Radio Online: Milwaukee has lost a local hero and a national treasure in Bob Uecker, who has died at the age of 90. Known affectionately as "Mr. Baseball," Uecker's voice was synonymous with Milwaukee Brewers baseball, a post he held steadfastly since 1971. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker's journey in baseball More...

From Radio Insight: I have to start my look at last year’s influential stations by talking about the year before. In 2023, radio had something we hadn?t seen for a while: instant success stories at radio stations that found a hole in the market. One of them was in an existing format that the market had allowed to become unoccupied, Cox?s Adult R&B WTBV (The Vibe) Tampa.This year, that station went on to post record numbers for its frequency, as did the station that inspired it, WCFB (Star 94.5) Orlando. The other was less precedented: the Spanish-language presentation of (mostly) English-language Classic Hits on WMIA (Magic 93.9) Miami,which found an opening in a market where similar music was easy to find elsewhere, and even more available now. In October, I asked aloud why we hadn?t seen more stations inspired by Magic 93.9. Seemingly within minutes, we had them including WOEX (Hits 96.5) Orlando, Fla.; KXXM (Mix 96.1) San Antonio; and, last week, WEPN (Exitosa 98.7) New York. Each list of Intriguing Stations is meant to be not just the previous year?s winners but also successful launches, comebacks, and trendsetters. This year?s list is informed by how many of 2023?s stations remained viable or influential. If you?re wondering why I didn?t mention somebody, perhaps it?s here. Many of 2024?s biggest format launches were previous trends, from 2023 or before, still playing out: The excitement about gold-based Alternative prompted a similar Canadian mini-boom this year, led by CFGQ (The Edge) Calgary.Earlier this month, gold-based Alternative came even to ?94.3 XYZ? Fort Walton Beach, Fla. It?s not a 2023 trend, but we?re still getting new throwback Hip-Hop outlets. ROR readers were excited about the return of WJHM (102 Jamz) Orlando,joining evolving sisters WPOW (Power 96) Miamiand KQKS (KS104) Denver. There were new Classic Country outlets, including KPLZ (101.5 Hank FM) Seattle and, as 2025 began, a new personal favorite for depth and breadth, Eastern North Carolina?s WLGT/WSTK.The year also kicked off, as others have recently, with a barrage of new Jack-FMs and KCKC (Kansas City)?smove from AC to Bob FM. But if it was the ?new, new? you want from this column, there was Hitradio AI,a streaming CHR driven entirely by listeners? AI-powered submissions. Fully explaining the station demanded its own profile, so I wrote one last week. So far, the station is unhosted, but AI breaks are on the way, and there is already an AI-generated podcast. In many years, there?s not a new music-based format to write about because Top 40 co-opts any trend before it can become a format unto itself. There were a number of resurgent heritage CHRs in 2024, including WKST (96.1 Kiss) Pittsburgh and WHTZ (Z100) New York, whose No. 1 25-54 finish last fall is a column unto itself. But KIIS Los Angelesdeserves special mention for being at the forefront of a surge in ?voice of the listener? female pop, particularly as CHR?s most prominent female-programmed station. (It was also a showplace for K-Pop?s resurgence.) I also appreciated PD Beata Murphy and MD Sisanie?s continued enterprise on new music, something which I value more than ever. (Obviously, it?s hard to talk about KIIS only in music and radio terms this week, but I wanted to acknowledge its programming influence first.) I wrote about both Capital UKand BBC Radio 1in August after Britain?s heritage CHRs began posting their best London numbers in years. Hearing the battle in person last summer was a reminder that UK CHR still has superior variety because of its greater dance presence and BBC1 still including rock. In the UK, radio still rules the Ubers, and that?s in part because of an easy-to-use digital tier. (I also wrote about the battle between London?s two digital R&B Oldies outlets, something even the U.S. doesn?t have.) At the other end of the Top 40 spectrum, I?ve often cited WIXX Green Bay, Wis.,as one of the smaller-market pop-leaning CHRs that remained healthy even among the format?s travails. This year, it rated a ?Fresh Listen? as the station where Top 40 and Country most converged. WXLK (K92) Roanoke, Va.,reemerged last year as another successful version of that model, and a confirmation of the ongoing value of well-used music research. I appreciate PD Chris Ryan?s participation in the state-of-the-format dialogue this year. If I?d been writing this column 35 years ago, WWBX (Mix 104.1) Boston predecessor WBMX (Mix 98.5) would have been highlighted as one of the first Rhythmic AC stations, or maybe a few years later as one of Modern AC?s prominent stations. Last year, as a mainstream Adult Top 40, it was a market leader, largely on the strength of strong personality through the day, something other Hot ACs drifted away from because of PPM. It remains the top current-driven station at this writing. Personality also drove the success of Top 40 Nova 100 Melbourne. The expansion of Sydney?s Kyle & Jackie O to a second market prompted a ton of national media coverage, as well as the usual declarations that ?live and local? wouldn?t be enough in the face of great content. As it happened, Nova?s Jase & Lauren ? bounced from their previous station to make room for the other show ? turned out to be more than just live and local. They?re the dominant music show in the market and actually up to an 11.5 share at year?s end. Also, for Soft AC fans, co-owned Smooth FM was No. 1 in Melbourne and Sydney in that survey. I?ve written about Audacy Country sister WPAW (The Wolf) Greensboro, N.C., for its music enterprise in years past. This year, Audacy?s Country outlets as a group were among the early champions of some of the fast-breaking streaming titles that reflected the ongoing evolution of the format and its charts. At the other end of the Country format, sister*KKMJ-HD3 (95.9 Texas Country) Austin moved quickly when KOKE, a longtime column favorite, went online-only following a sale, and was seeing ratings results at year?s end. (It?s also gratifying that KOKE has, thus far, remained hosted.)*It was also gratifying to see that*WWWF (The Wolf) Long Island, N.Y.,*was still able to repatriate some of the listening displaced when Audacy exited Country in New York, even several years later. KINK Portlandhas long had a template of Triple-A with a focus on pop crossovers (and now on streaming) that each PD seems to execute a little differently. This year, it had its best ratings in more than 30 years under PDs Ken Benson and Max Dugan. KINK also inspired AlternativeCIND (Indie 88) Toronto to an evolution under PD Ian March and new owners that was similarly intended, but very different on a song-to-song basis, in part because of the ongoing strength of Canadian Alternative product. There?s usually a new take on the ?AM Gold? era among each year?s Intriguing Stations. This year it was WJIB Boston, evolving from one of the few remaining Easy Listening outlets, and streaming for the first time under new owner John Garabedian. Because of the station?s heritage, it was both older and newer than many of its counterparts. XEPRS San Diego returned to Oldies this year with a unique twist ? it was built around airchecks of former star announcer Wolfman Jack and other legendary L.A. talent. On the mainstream Classic Hits side, it was gratifying to see the growth of WLS-FM Chicago, particularly since returning its signature jingle to the air. There are always follow-up articles to “Intriguing,” and you can probably expect one covering all the Classic Hits stations I personally liked for one reason or another shortly. In the early ?00s, I was excited on Nashville trips to hear then-local WAYM (Way-FM) doing an early attempt at Christian CHR. Now, Scott Herrold of owner Hope Media says that new Spanish-language sister Vida Unida, which was still expanding as 2025 began, is finding a ?considerably younger? audience that remains loyal to radio and represents an opportunity for broadcasters. One of the gratifying developments of 2024 was the addition of station pre-sets and a market scan to the iHeart Radio app, part of the better organization of listeners? infinite choices that I?ve been hoping for. SiriusXM announced at year?s end that it would shift focus away from its app, where rapidly proliferating choices had diluted some of their ease-of-use, but I was glad it brought us Yacht Soul first. I?ve also been enjoying K-Love Popand K-Love ?80s as I delve into the Christian AC network?s new suite of side channels. The thing I would most like to write about in 2025 is a galvanizing new app that comes from helps grow radio; for 18 months, I’ve been saying that broadcasters should consider the prospect of life without TikTok in those terms. Some of the Intriguing Stations of 2024 were more about infrastructure than format. At April?s NAB, Radioinsight?s Lance Venta noted the number of new playout systems that drastically reduced radio?s back end. Within months, we got to hear those on the air. Super Hi-Fi?s AI-driven suite was added in several markets, but Beasley?s WPBB (The Shark) Tampa was a good-sounding ?Classic Rock that Rocks? outlet where you could hear it in action. 2024 was a year when some of the most-compelling radio was the radio that you didn?t want to hear, including Wayne Cabot?s bravura sign-off of all-news WCBS-AM New York. So it?s gratifying to report that Stephen King?s WKIT Bangor, Maine,found a buyer at year?s end, even if two sister stations did not, saving it from being a market-leading FM that signed off anyway (particularly since WKIT is what you?d want from an independently-owned Heritage Rock station in terms of musical uniqueness). In 2024, the great radio you really didn’t want to hear was from Western North Carolina. Pointing out radio?s necessity in an emergency–something that happened a lot for various reasons in 2024–sometimes sounds mercenary, or sometimes like it’s all we have to offer. But Asheville is a great radio market that has always had lots of great choice and sense-of-place.*Hearing Asheville?s iHeart and Saga clusters and non-comm WNCW in October was a reminder that nobody wants to be pressed into service after a disaster, particularly the broadcasters themselves who had to triage help for others when their own world was in chaos. It was also a reminder that radio works best when it is the nerve center for its community every day. * Sadly, whether in Asheville or New Orleans in 2005 or Los Angeles in 2025, all generations of listeners can now too regularly experience a Hindenburg broadcast in real time, except one that lasts for weeks, not minutes, and where announcer Herbert Morrison is himself in peril. This column was originally scheduled for last Thursday, and if it still sounds trifling to talk about mere radio programming at a moment like this, part of what keeps radio relevant to listeners is what it does under less dire circumstances, so that we can be there for them in crisis. I asked Facebook friends for their station suggestions as well. See those here, or please share your Intriguing Stations of 2024. more

From Radio Online: Cox Media Group (CMG) appoints David Abel as the new Vice President andamp; Market Manager for CMG Atlanta Radio, effective February 17. His radio career began in New Orleans, followed by an 11-year tenure in leadership roles at Cox Radio's stations in Birmingham, Orlando and Greenville. He later served as the More...

From Radio Insight: Cox Media Group San Antonio VP/Market Manager David Abel is relocating to oversee the company’s Atlanta radio properties. Abel has led Cox San Antonio since March 2019. He has also served as VP/Radio for Griffin Communications Tulsa, VP/GM for Apex Broadcasting in Charleston SC where he also held the dual role of Chief Operating Officer of their New Point Digital subsidiary, and held sales manager roles for Cox in Birmingham, Greenville, and Orlando during his career. Abel commented, “My journey with Cox Media Group started nearly 25 years ago, and it has been a privilege working alongside the many talented and dedicated team members in San Antonio and throughout our company. I am looking forward to working with CMG?s flagship radio brands and serving our team, listeners, customers, and communities throughout Atlanta.? Cox EVP/Radio Rob Babin said, “It?s always rewarding to promote from within CMG. I?m confident that David?s experience and expertise will help us achieve new milestones and drive our vision forward while we work daily to serve our audiences, clients, and talented employees at CMG Atlanta.? He will oversee a Cox Atlanta radio cluster that includes News/Talk 750 WSB/95.5 WSBB, Classic Rock “97.1 The River” WSRV, AC “B98.5” WSB-FM, and Adult R&B “Kiss 104.1” WALR-FM. In Atlanta Abel fills the opening created by the resignation of Jaliegh Long in November. more

From Radio Insight: Reno Media Group has promoted Bill Schulz to Vice President of Programming. Schulz, who previously served as Operations Manager also hosts mornings on Hot AC “Alice 96.5” KLCA. Reno Media Group President Tom Quinn commented, “Bill was a very young man when he moved here 28 years ago to become co-host of the morning show on KODS, then called Oldies 104 and now known as 103.7 The River. Bill later became program director of 96.5 Alice and operations manager for our entire radio group. I would never have imagined back in 1996 that Bill would become so key and essential to our company. His vision, creativity, love of Northern Nevada and devotion to public service have helped mold Reno Media Group into one of the most successful broadcast businesses in the western United States. Vice President/General Manager Kara Brown added that Schulz is a ?true broadcast professional? who has ?definitely earned this promotion. After all of these years, Bill still gets to work by 5 a.m. to host the Alice morning show along with co-host J-Lynn and then puts on his executive hat to supervise our program directors and oversee our technical operations. The hard work by Bill and our programming team has led our company to ratings dominance in the Reno, Carson and the Lake Tahoe area,? Brown explained. ?We have 246,000 weekly listeners, the #1 and #2 ranked stations among adults in Northern Nevada and one of our Spanish-language stations is tops with Spanish speaking listeners.?? Schulz said, “We?re beginning 2025 with plans for new products and creative ways to help the community. I thank Kara and Tom for their continued confidence in me and I?m excited by this promotion.? Reno Media Group operates nine brands in the Reno/Carson City area. In addition to KLCA, the company operates “Ten Country @ 97.3” KOLC, Classic Hits “103.7 The River” KODS, AC “Sunny 106.9” KRNO-FM, Classic Rock “92.5 The Hog” KRNO-HD2, Alternative “96.1 The Zone” 1230 KZTQ, Spanish AC “Suave 96.9” KLCA-HD3, Spanish Adult Hits “Juan 101.7” KLCA-HD4, and Hip Hop “Swag 104.9” KLCA-HD2. more

From Radio Online: Veteran broadcaster Bill Schulz is named Vice President of Programming at Reno Media Group, overseeing programming and operations for nine Northern Nevada stations. Schulz's rise through the ranks began 28 years ago when he first joined KODS, known at the time as Oldies 104 and now 103.7 The River, as a More...

From Radio Online: Triton Digital has unveiled its latest U.S. Podcast Ranker for December 2024 covering the period from December 2 to December 29. iHeart Audience Network continued to lead the Top Sales Networks Report, securing the top spot with an impressive 62.7 million average weekly downloads and More...

From Radio Online: Audacy promotes Matt Cahill to Brand Manager of WTEM-AM (The Team 980) in the nation's capital. In his new role, Cahill will be responsible for guiding the station's content strategy, talent management, operations and branding efforts. He will also maintain his current posts as Assistant Brand Manager of More...

From Radio Online: Beasley Media Group appoints AJ Lurie as VP and Cluster Manager for its New Jersey-based radio properties. Lurie, who has been actively involved with Beasley's operations in Fort Myers, will now oversee a lineup of stations including WDHA-FM, WMGQ-FM, WCTC-AM, WRAT-FM, WMTR-AM and WJRZ-FM. Lurie's previous More...

From Radio Insight: Matt Cahill has been promoted to Brand Manager of Audacy Sports “The Team 980” WTEM Washington DC. Cahill has been with CBS Radio turned Audacy Washington since 2007 when he joined then Hot Talk 106.7 WJFK-FM as a producer remaining through its 2009 flip to Sports. In 2012 he became Executive Producer of “The Sports Junkies” morning show and added Assistant Brand Manager duties for WJFK-FM in 2019 and WTEM in 2021. He will continue to hold his existing roles at “106.7 The Fan“. Audacy Washington SVP/Market Manager Ivy Savoy Smith commented, “Matt?s creativity, love for sports and commitment to evolving the brand makes me confident that he will be a great Brand Manager for The Team. Those that have worked with Matt know his dedication to creating a positive working environment and we?re excited to see how he leads the internal team while increasing external traffic for the station.? Cahill added, “I’m absolutely thrilled to lead Team 980 into the future with our outstanding group. The Team has a storied history and to be given this opportunity is humbling. I’m very thankful for the guidance and trust that Chris Kinard and Ivy Savoy-Smith have given me. We have great on-air talent talking about issues that matter to D.C. sports fans, and the potential for The Team 980 brand is unlimited.? He takes the day-to-day WTEM Brand Manager reins from Chris Kinard. Kinard continues in his roles as Audacy VP/Sports Programming, Director of Operations for Audacy Washington, and Brand Manager of WJFK-FM and Classic Hits “94.7 The Drive” WIAD. more

From Radio Insight: Beasley Media Group has announced that AJ Lurie will relocate from Fort Myers FL to New Jersey to oversee the company’s stations in the state. Lurie will oversee Rock 105.5 WDHA Dover and Oldies 1250 WMTR Morristown in northern New Jersey, AC “Magic 98.3” WMGQ and “Fox Sports New Jersey” 1450 WCTC New Brunswick in Central Jersey and Rock “95.9 The Rat” WRAT Point Pleasant and Classic Hits 100.1 WJRZ Manahawkin in the Monmouth/Ocean market. He will succeed Dan Finn, who is retiring at the end of March. Lurie has served as VP/Market Manager for Beasley Fort Myers since October 2020. He has also held roles as Director of Local Market Integrated Partnerships at Beasley XP, the company?s former E-Sports division and was VP/Market Manager for WJBR Wilmington DE from 2017-19. He has spent his entire professional career with Beasley starting as an account executive in Fort Myers in 2007 where he would then rise to Interactive Sales Manager, National Sales Manager and Director of Sales. Lurie commented, “I look forward to working alongside the talented team in New Jersey to build on their success and continue delivering exceptional results for our listeners, advertisers, and communities. I am honored to follow in the footsteps of Dan Finn, whose legacy of excellence has set a high bar for all of us.? Beasley Media Group COO/EVR Brian Beasley said, “AJ?s proven experience, ability to drive results and commitment to localism made him the perfect choice to lead our New Jersey cluster into the future.” more

From Radio Insight: Townsquare Media has transferred operation of Radio By Grace’s 97.5 W248BO Tuscaloosa AL to Rivera Communications, which has flipped the translator to Spanish Adult Hits “97.5 El Jefe“. Owners Isabel and Joel Rivera, who operates “El Jefe 1500” WQCR Alabaster and Regional Mexican “La Jefa 98.3” 1220 WAYE Birmingham/93.1 W226CT Leeds/98.3 W252BE Tarrant, told Townsquare’s Tuscaloosa Thread, “The Hispanic community is growing, we’re all over the place now. And I think people are starting to see how the Hispanic Community contributes to a city and they know the importance of keeping them there.” Townsquare Media had operated the translator from 2017 until the end of 2024 first as Classic Hits “Nick 97.5” and since January 2022 as Soft Oldies “MeTV-FM“. The translator continues to be fed by Townsquare’s 92.9 WTUG-HD3 Northport. more

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the December 2024 continuous diary market and Fall 2024 biannual ratings surveys today. Today’s markets include June monthly ratings for Dayton, Fort Myers, Grand Rapids, Metro Fairfield County, Tucson and Tulsa. Spring ratings for Danbury, Fort Smith, Kalamazoo, Lima/Van Wert, McAllen/Brownsville/Harlingen, Muskegon, New Haven, and Sarasota. The next three releases will feature: On Thursday, January 16: December monthly ratings for Albuquerque, Allentown/Bethlehem, El Paso, Fresno, Honolulu, Knoxville, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Fall ratings for Johnson City/Kingsport/Bristol, Las Cruces, and Williamsport. On Friday, January 17: December monthly ratings for Akron, Bakersfield, Charleston SC, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Omaha/Council Bluffs. Fall ratings for Canton, Hagerstown/Chambersburg, Lancaster PA, Lincoln, Myrtle Beach, New London, Wilmington DE, and York. On Tuesday, January 21: December monthly ratings for Columbia SC, Des Moines, Greenville/New Bern/Jacksonville NC, Little Rock, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, Spokane, and Springfield MA. Fall ratings for Gainesville/Ocala, Hot Springs, and Stockton. more

From Radio Online: National Public Radio (NPR) appoints Ryan Merkley as its new Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Merkley will oversee a broad portfolio including Member Partnership, Network Growth, Technology Operations and Distribution, and Product and Audience Technology. This position also places him at the helm of More...

From Radio Online: KQAC-FM/Portland, OR, known as All Classical Radio, has received a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support its upcoming Access Recording Project. This initiative is designed to lower financial hurdles to quality recording and performance facilities for artists and groups from More...

From Radio Online: In her final meeting as Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Jessica Rosenworcel delivered a heartfelt address, reflecting on her tenure and the agency's achievements under her leadership. After four years at the helm, Rosenworcel's parting remarks were filled with both nostalgia and a More...

From Radio Online: Veteran radio personality Greg T. has introduced his latest venture, a weekly podcast entitled 'Greg T. LiVE,' which made its debut on January 13. With a rich background in the radio industry, Greg T. is set to captivate his audience with his characteristic wit and charm in a new format. 'Greg T. LiVE' will More...

From Radio Online: As California battles widespread devastation due to relentless wildfires, local journalists are demonstrating what can only be described as heroic efforts in their coverage. Reporting tirelessly, often for days without a break, these professionals exemplify dedication and compassion, serving communities More...

From Radio Online: A new study by Edison Podcast Metrics has revealed significant insights into the media habits of weekly podcast listeners, particularly in the context of the 2024 U.S. general elections. According to the findings, YouTube emerged as the top platform where podcast listeners ages 18 and over engaged with More...

From Radio Online: The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) is extending the submission deadline for the 50th Gracie Awards, in response to the ongoing wildfires affecting the Los Angeles area. The new deadline for submissions is now set for February 6, with the regular deadline remaining on More...

From Radio Insight: A huge thank you to everyone who has been reading, commenting, sharing and inquiring about our weekly piece. It’s fun putting this together because of all the different data points, discussing radio and hearing what others think about certain artists or songs. We?ll always do our best at presenting the facts without bias and opinion in hopes that we are able to entertain, challenge and expose you to important new information. Let’s find out what’s hot this week! Lola Young –*“Messy”:*It has exploded in the past three weeks, at #4 on Shazam and #14 on Spotify in America (if you exclude the Bad Bunny songs) and broken into the Liveline top 20 requests this past week (#16). It’s about her struggles with ADHD and her last relationship, feeling good about yourself one day and then losing all hope and confidence the next. It?s showing the major signs of becoming a massive hit. Currently #34 on Top 40 radio, up from #52 last week.* Now on Z100, KIIS, KMVQ (30x), WXKS and most of the iHeart stations. What an incredibly relatable, fresh, unique and song from this 24 year old likely-to-be superstar. Signed with Island Records in 2019, she released her debut single “6 Feet Under” followed by the EP “Intro“. In the past year, she collaborated with Tyler, the Creator on his succesful “Chromakopia” album. “Messy” came out in May of 2024 and didn’t really blow up until social media stars Jake Shane and Sofia Richie posted a clip of them dancing to the song on TiKTok, followed by a lip-sync video from Kylie Jenner. Bad Bunny –*“DtMF”:*From his album*“DeB? TiRAR M?S FOToS“, the world’s 17th most-streamed artist currently occupies 17 of the top 50 slots on Spotify in America. “DtMF” isn’t even the single, yet it’s the one getting more attention than any of his others. Currently #1 on Spotify in America and globally, #2 on Shazam in America and #3 globally. He is an amazing performer, easily the biggest Latin artist of the past 15 years. He blew up at the Superbowl halftime Show 2020 performing with Shakira. It was just announced that he would begin a 21-show residency at Coliseo du Puerto Rico in San Juan on July 11th.* As we’ve stated, you might get the impression that we just endorse or any song that’s doing well on Spotify. While streaming charts often show early passion and hit-potential, most people don’t investigate the reasons behind their exceptionally fast-rise popular songs. Bad Bunny is a great example of someone with a very niche, but passionate and large fan base. His album came out on January 5th, so it’s always good to wait a solid two to three weeks for the early hype and hardcore fans to disperse. That’s when you’ll see which songs from the album are*really*the most beloved by the broad audience if any. Rhythmic radio has embraced a few of his songs in this past, but Top 40 never did much with him except for the features on “K-POP” with Travis Scott, “I Like It” with Cardi B and “MIA” with Drake. On Liveline, we’ve had no requests for any of his songs yet. Buried Treasures of the Week Daft Punk –*“One More Time”:*O In his latest treatise on the state of Pop radio, the esteemed Guy Zapoleon bemoans the state of pop music, now in the fifth year of a ?doldrums rut? with no variety of styles and everything essentially formula pop.* The surprise breakout of the David Guetta/Ava Max redo of the 1985 chestnut ?Forever Young showed an appetite for variety and EDM. ?One More Time? was voted as the greatest dance song of all time Daft Punk’s signature track was released in 2000 when clubs, techno music and anything longer than 4 minutes was actually cool. It never went away. All this time later, it’s one of the few from that era which stand the test of time. It’s used in so many mashups, mixshows and heard at parties with people of all ages who just*love*this song. Everyone knows this song, despite the fact it only reached #61 on Billboard and #33 on Pop radio. Their album “Discovery” is a pioneering piece of dance music history and generated tons of iconic dance-chart-topping hits like “Digital Love“, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” (sampled in Kanye?s ?Stronger?)and “One More Time“, for which requests still come in for. John Garabedian’s Open House Party radio show was quite possibly the reason for it’s success in America, as he heard it in a club one night and started playing it for his millions of listeners on over 175 affiliates, with top ten requests as a response.* Pop Radio sadly limited it to night airplay. The song became an “Open House Party staple until John’s departure from the show in 2017. Daft Punk broke up in February 2021. RIP. No Top 40 station has played this song more than once in the past two weeks. Worth considering for your music test and to add some cool variety. Avicii –*“Levels”:*After the December 31st Netflix release and success of his wonderful, shocking and beautifully produced “Avicii – I’m Tim” documentary, many of his massive EDM songs spiked in streams and popularity, including “I Could Be The One“, “The Nights“, “Hey Brother” and the his biggest hit “Wake Me Up“. The film is stacked with concert footage, details on his early life and interviews with legends like Nile Rodgers, David Guetta and Chris Martin of Coldplay. It takes you through the timeline of how his career came to be, in-studio footage, backstage moments, the pressures of touring and pleasing everyone, which led to his drug problem and the shock of his eventual suicide at 28 in April 2018. “Levels” was the song that started it all for him. It is this generation’s “Sandstorm” (which is still huge) and has generated dozens of requests in just the past few weeks. Definitely a good song to spike in Gold. Everyone knows the words! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Liveline with Mason more

From Radio Insight: NPR has announced the appointment of Ryan Merkley as its new Chief Operating Officer. NPR’s Member Partnership, Network Growth (including the NPR app and New Platform Partnerships), Technology Operations and Distribution, and Product and Audience Technology team will report to Merkley, who will also oversee its AI strategy. Merkley previously was CEO of biotech non-profit Conscience that uses AI and collaborative science to address areas of market failure in drug development. He has also held roles as Senior Technology Fellow at the Aspen Institute, Chief of Staff of the Wikimedia Foundation, CEO of Creative Commons and Mozilla Foundation, Director of Corporate Communications for the City of Vancouver during 2010 Winter Olympics, and a Senior Advisor to Toronto Mayor David Miller. Merkley commented, “”I believe deeply in collaboration – especially things we can only do together – and I’ve spent my career in organizations that do just that. Public media is a collective effort, beginning with communities and local stations across the country, and connecting across the network. Public media and its unique mission of service is essential to give people the information and context they need to make choices about their lives and their families, and to understand each other at home and around the world. We need that connection and understanding more than ever, and I’m so inspired by this team and our mission to ensure we protect and grow it.” NPR CEO Katherine Maher added, “Throughout his career Ryan has demonstrated a commitment to the public trust, leading organizations that prioritize universal access to the common good. He has a proven track record in helping companies with ambitious missions achieve high-performance outcomes, and his success working with complex distributed network organizations and fluency in product and emerging technologies make him an ideal COO for NPR at this moment in time. I look forward to working with Ryan to build the NPR Network into a truly national public media network with local audience services at its core, and to develop and sustain the technologies that make this work possible.” more

From Radio Insight: Gateway Creative Broadcasting’s Christian Hip Hop “Boost Radio” network based at 95.5 KXBS Bethalto IL/St. Louis has announced the return of Bryan ‘Yoshi’ Harada to serve as Program Director. Harada, who has been APD/MD at Hope Media Group Christian AC 89.3 KSBJ Houston since September 2022, previously spent six years at Boost and sister Christian AC “99.1 Joy-FM” KLJY as Director of Promotions and Listener Engagement and KXBS Music Director and morning co-host. He also has spent time at “NGen Radio” KXNG Houston and “Spirit 105.3” KCMS-FM Seattle in promotions roles. He takes the day-to-day programming reins from Operations Manager Mike Couchman. Couchman said, ?Our listeners loved hearing Yoshi on Boost during his first round with us, and our team loved working with him. He?s the God-given perfect choice to lead Boost into the next season and to help us build even deeper relationships with our amazing audience.? In addition to St. Louis, “Boost Radio” is currently heard on HD subchannels and/or translators of Educational Media Foundation owned stations in Austin, Chicago, Fayetteville NC, Lansing, Memphis, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, and Portland OR. more

From Radio Insight: Jeffrey Jennings? Storm Broadcasting launched Variety Hits “95.1 Great-FM” KKGT Jacksonville TX after the holidays. Positioning as “Great Times, Great Music”, KKGT is featuring pop hits from the 1970s through early 2000s. Jennings, who used the on-air name ‘Michael Storm’, was a programmer and morning host throughout the 1990s and 2000s with a long stint as PD/morning host in the nearby Tyler/Longview market at CHR “Mix 107.3” KISX followed by time at Hot AC “Star 105.9” KSTE-FM and CHR “Z100” KKRZ Portland, Hot AC “Mix 100.5” KPSI Palm Springs, and CHR 104.3 WZYP Huntsville AL before moving into his family’s business in 2008. Jennings acquired the former Silent 95.1 KEBE-FM in December 2023 for $66,000. more

From Radio Insight: In my quest to bring you the new, new thing, I probably should have written about Hit Radio AI as soon as its creator, veteran programmer/engineer Dave Solomon, brought it to my attention around Labor Day. ?All AI-generated hit music from average people ? 150 artists and about 400 songs,? he wrote. By the end of September, there were 50-100 submissions daily. Even then, he wrote, ?I have seen make amazing progress in just a few months, and know that a year from now, it will be incredible. Devices that can create songs based on your mood, etc. Music will become much more personal.? In recent months, the mainstream hit music pipeline has slowed to a crawl. It?s exciting to CHR programmers that the first apparent hit of 2025, SZA?s ?BMF,? emerged within days, not 2-3 weeks. On Jan. 2, 2025, Hit Radio AI added 22 songs. Less than week later, on Jan. 8, it added another 35 titles. Solomon has built a community of creators who promote the station on their social media. He’s also created a podcast. I knew Solomon through his work in Oldies/Classic Hits, then through an AI/radio Facebook group. Through that time, the controversy among ROR readers was more about the prospect of AI personality in radio. (Hit Radio AI is jockless, but Solomon says AI tracks will start soon.) On broadcast radio, the initial public efforts at AI jocks seemed only to confirm the value of human contact. In 2024, there was surprisingly little to report and the consensus seemed to be that AI would be of more value to radio in other ways. The issue of AI-generated music has been equally galvanizing among creators. In a companion piece this week, S-Curve Records? Steve Greenberg suggests that readers think of AI in the way that they came to accept sampling, as a creator?s tool. He also suggests that labels are more willing to allow existing music to inform AI, as long as they?re compensated in the way they would be for sampling. That it took me a while to write about Hit Radio AI was, in part, trying to wrap my head around both the concept of AI music, and trying to ingest a body of music that sounded mostly like the hit music we know, but was 100% unfamiliar. It took me a while to put it in perspective. A lot of the songs I heard on Hit Radio AI remind me of hit music from the late ?00s: often with a similar mix of trappy and ethereal. To some extent, it makes sense that AI-generated music would be an extension of bedroom pop, especially if it?s being created there. But I also heard songs that sounded like late-?00s turbo-pop, like late-?80s Eurodance or hair ballads. Its creators? idea of hit music was wider than what Top 40 accommodates now. When I first listened to Hit Radio AI in September, it felt like most of the songs could be Shazamed or found in streaming. (There?s a station Spotify playlist of songs from around that time.) When I listened this week, there seemed to be a higher percentage of songs that stumped Shazam or weren?t yet available in streaming, an indicator of how fast the music is proliferating. Here’s Hit Radio AI just after 11 p.m. on January 7. I?ve tried to convey the best sense of what a dozen songs likely unfamiliar to you sound like without resorting to the A&R or label promo person?s oft-reductive ?a cross between Artist A and Artist B.? As with the sound coding of music by radio people ? in which no two people make the same decisions about even familiar megahits ? the artist might have a very different take, or you would. Kuda, ?Dive In? ? trappy, but melodic male pop Josh Ray, ?Father of the Revolution? ? melodic rap, seemingly Hamilton-inspired, in which the narrator takes the POV of George Washington Atom Bites, ?Bitcoin Bandit? ? reminiscent of ?30s jive or the ?90s swing revival. but with decidedly timely lyrics Kade Noir, ?Feel Some Way? ? pop/R&B ballad definitely reminiscent of the late ?00s Morning Star, ?Be You? ? affirmative female teen pop; a modern-day Radio Disney song Voices of Melbourne Florida, ?Chasing the Clouds? ? female-sung/rapped vocal; ethereal intro. An act that had new music added to the station last week and this Amira Uwu, ?Skin Care? ? R&B ballad, one of the year?s first adds Arizto, ?Untouchable? ? the turbopop throwback and the most melodic, uptempo song in the stretch I heard; I like to think that the resemblance in the act?s name to the lost ?70s hit ?Eres Tu? is intentional AI.Ka & Inkaz, ?Love Is Gone? ? the song with the ?80s Euro feel. The act is on Shazam and the artwork self-identifies the act as ?AI.KA Digital Singer? Angel Warrior, ?Last Goodbye? ? the late-?80s-style epic hair ballad Triad, ?Locked Away? ? female singer/songwriter pop Mr. Bazeman, ?Hide and Seek? ? ballad with a Country feel and lyric about missing childhood After several listens, I haven?t heard the song that I would have recognized as blatantly AI-generated out of context. That?s much different from radio?s stilted early jock breaks, although chances are those have improved in the last year too, and we may be hearing some less awkward ones that aren’t being flagged for us. On the station, I heard only a lyric or two that might have had the awkward wording of an AI chatbot-generated lyric. And some artists play up the AI aspect, such as the act currently playing, (AI)n’t Real. In the stretches of Hit Radio AI I?ve heard, there have been songs that I enjoyed. I haven?t yet encountered the song that I would have taken into a label A&R meeting. But, as happened when I did A&R and listened to random submissions, I have encountered creators whose next song I would want to hear. Also, to be fair, I also might not take a lot of the music coming from TikTok seriously without the built-in cachet that we give it as an industry. When you take a listen, I?ll be interested in your reactions. Greenberg?s positioning AI as just another in a succession of artist tools that once didn?t exist ? the electric guitar, the synthesizer, the sample ? makes me more open to its uses.* Greenberg is also clear that the tool needs a human POV to validate it, which in turn makes me more dubious about the concept of AI voice-tracking at radio, since it replaces the work of people, instead of augmenting it. In the meantime, Hit Radio AI?s debut means that when we look at Intriguing Stations of 2024 next week, there will definitely be something that truly didn?t exist last year. * more