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From All Access: AYELET SCHIFFMAN, DJ ENNIS, JENNIFER LISS, GREG LAWLEY, DYLAN SPRAGUE, BRIAN KELLY, LAURIE GAIL, JOE HAZE, NICK WIZE, ROB GOLDKLANG, WENDY ROLLINS, CHRISTINE CHIAPPETTA, NIK … more

From Radio Insight: Alpha Media founder and former Chairman/CEO Larry Wilson has filed a Petition To Deny with the FCC against the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring. In the filing, Wilson accuses Alpha Media’s Board of Directors of multiple violations including making false certifications on multiple FCC applications, transferring control of the company’s operations without Board approval to a “Special Independent Committee” without seeking FCC approval for transfer of control, and “pursuing a foreign ownership structure set out in the above-captioned applications with the purpose and intent to freeze the current Alpha domestic shareholders out of the company and for the sole benefit of Alpha management, private equity investors, and foreign entities”. Wilson “stepped down” as Chairman of Alpha Media in July 2018 after forming the company’s predecessor Alpha Broadcasting in 2009 with the purchase of CBS Radio’s and Rose City Radio’s stations in Portland. In the filing Wilson details what he believes led to his exit from the company in particular his clashes with Stephens Capital Partner’s Noel Strauss, a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Wilson alleges that at the behest of Strauss and fellow director Breakwater Investment Management’s Saif Mansour, the company failed to hold a Board of Directors meeting from mid-2018 to early 2019 as required by the company’s governing documents, “purported to fire” Wilson as Chairman despite never holding the necessary board vote to do so, entered into a loan agreement with Intermediate Capital Group that required the company to divest $110 million worth of assets without the necessary board approval. Wilson claims that he had an alternate proposal in which former Digity CEO Dean Goodman and Southern Stone Communications CEO and Alpha board member Paul Stone would have invested $30 to $40 million themselves into Alpha in exchange for equity in the company. That proposal was claimed to have been rejected without being proposed to the board to not “dilute the equity interests of the two entities they represented”. Wilson alleges that the divestitures including the $80 million sale of their West Palm Beach cluster to Hubbard all were done without necessary corporate authorization. Wilson and another former board member notified that the violations included false representations made to the FCC and belatedly called a meeting in January 2019 to ratify the divestitures and authorize the FCC filings although Wilson wrote to the company’s CFO, “To vote in favor now is an admission that the agreement was not properly approved and clear evidence that the FCC has been misled by Alpha.” Following the meeting Wilson resigned from the Alpha Media Board of Directors. Wilson then claims that the company adopted a Fifth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement over the dissent of all minority shareholders which eliminated the core fiduciary duties of each board member and created a “Special Independent Committee” comprised of Strauss and Mansour with full power and authority to make significant decisions “regarding any proposed transactions to restructure, reorganize, or recapitalize the Company.” He states that the committee accepted Intermediate Capital Group’s prepackaged bankruptcy plan without the knowledge or approval of any of the minority shareholders and that the two directors and Alpha President/CEO Bob Proffitt “may well have effectively transferred control of Alpha to ICG” ahead of the filing as “the current lack of corporate transparency has foreclosed the acquisition of facts regarding Petitioner’s belief that Alpha is continuing to operate outside the dictates of its governing documents.” Wilson and a separate petition to deny filed by Paul Stone also claim that the restructuring attempts to circumvent the FCC’s 25% limit on foreign investment before requesting a petition for declaratory ruling. Stone writes, “Alpha is asking the Media Bureau to essentially undercut the balance and sanctity of this new process by granting it a temporary waiver of the requirement to demonstrate that its proposed foreign ownership is in the public interest.” Stone is concerned that if the FCC were to later determine Alpha’s foreign ownership is not in the public interest coming into compliance later would be complicated as the Bankruptcy Court has already approved the restructuring which is not contingent on a grant of a declaratory ruling in surpassing the 25% foreign ownership limit. Wilson’s full petition can be read here. more

From Radio Online: NPR and Edison Research have released the findings of their first-ever study of its kind on radio -- which identifies six segments of radio listeners, their listening behaviors and their attitudes towards advertising. Entitled "Radio: Live on Air and Everywhere," the study reveals that radio plays More...

From Radio Online: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has announced that the CPB Board of Directors unanimously approved a distribution plan for the $175 million of emergency stabilization funds for public media. The funds were included in the American Rescue Plan Act, More...

From Radio Online: Michigan State University's school of Communication, Arts and Sciences has announced Paul Jacobs, Vice President/General Manager of Jacobs Media and President of jacapps, is a recipient of its Outstanding Alumni Award. Jacobs is one of five MSU graduates receiving the honor at the school's annual More...

From Radio Online: JAKIB Media Partners has announced that its launching "The National Football Show with Dan Sileo" across the JAKIB Media Network. YouTube will be the video platform while the show and other Sileo content will be utilized across the growing Sports Platform. The new show will debut April 26 and air More...

From Radio Online: Remote News Service (RNS) has added a third new affiliate in as many months. Former longtime client WDNY in Dansville, NY has resigned for local news content. The station is back in the hands of Genesee Media and is working with RNS again for custom news delivery. More...

From Radio Online: SiriusXM has announced its season-long coverage for the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, featuring live broadcasts of every race all season long, as well as shows and podcasts hosted by active drivers. The season begins with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, April 18 (3pm ET). SiriusXM More...

From All Access: PILLAR MINISTRIES RADIO GROUP Contemporary Christian WAWZ (STAR 99.1)/MIDDLESEX-SOMERSET-UNION and WAKW (STAR 93.3)/CINCINNATI have hired CARI KATES as Director of Digital Content. … more

From All Access: SIRIUSXM’s “The Highway” (ch. 56) will help promote the upcoming “56th ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS” with a weekend of special programming that will find the … more

From All Access: As a battle rages between TENNESSEE’s business community and the state’s political leaders, including Governor BILL LEE, over anti-LGBTQ legislation, CURB RECORDS founder and … more

From All Access: During every spring membership drive MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO Triple A KCMP (89.3 THE CURRENT)/MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL does a countdown to coincide with it. This year the station is asking … more

From All Access: GENESEE MEDIA Classic Hits WDNY-A and Classic Rock WDNY-F (CLASSIC ROCK 93.9)/DANSVILLE, NY have returned to the affiliate roster at REMOTE NEWS SERVICE. RNS Owner LESLEY LOTTO said, … more

From All Access: PILLAR MINISTRIES RADIO GROUP Contemporary Christian WAWZ (STAR 99.1)/MIDDLESEX-SOMERSET-UNION and WAKW (STAR 93.3)/CINCINNATI have hired CARI CATES as Director of Digital Content. … more

From All Access: Syndicated sports talker DAN SILEO is hosting a new weekday football show for the JAKIB MEDIA NETWORK. "THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL SHOW WITH DAN SILEO" launches APRIL 26th for weekdays … more

From All Access: SIRIUSXM INDYCAR NATION will kick off coverage of the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES on SUNDAY (4/18) with the HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA, airing at 3p (ET). The channel will cover all 17 … more

From All Access: NPR and EDISON RESEARCH TODAY (4/15) released the findings of their first-ever study of its kind on radio. The results identify six segments of radio listeners, their listening behaviors and … more

From All Access: The ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC’s philanthropic arm, ACM LIFTING LIVES, will host its annual “ACM Awards Pre-Party For A Cause" as a livestream this year, with SIRIUSXM’s … more

From All Access: TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP announced THURSDAY (4/15) it has appointed ZHU LIANG as the new CEO of the company, and CUSSION KAR SHUN PANG as the new Executive Chairman of the Board, … more

From Radio Insight: NPR and Edison Research today released the findings of their first-ever study of its kind on radio — which identifies six segments of radio listeners, their listening behaviors and their attitudes towards advertising. The study, titled “Radio: Live on Air and Everywhere” reveals that radio plays an important role in the lives of consumers and that the majority of radio listeners are receptive to sponsorship messages on the platform. The findings were presented in a webinar hosted by NPR VP of Sponsorship Marketing Lamar Johnson and Edison Research VP Megan Lazovick and is available now at http://npr.org/radioiseverywhere. Approximately 156 million people age 18+ – 63% of U.S. adults – listen to AM/FM radio daily, and listeners are driven to the medium for myriad reasons. The study finds that the heaviest users of radio are the most open to its advertising messages. Two of the six segments of listeners, “Radio Heads” and “Connection Seekers,” the groups that spend the most time with radio, are the least likely to avoid ads or sponsorship messages on AM/FM radio. The six radio listener segments identified are: Radio Heads (9% of radio listeners) Listen for all audio needs; listen to the most radio Connection Seekers (16% of radio listeners) Listen for company and connection Infomaniacs (18% of radio listeners) Listen for their need to consume news and information Rhythm Rockers (27% of radio listeners) Listen for their need to consume music Laidback Listeners (17% of radio listeners) Listen to radio only in the background Habitualists (13% of radio listeners) Listen to radio when it is the only option available Regardless of segment, 47% of radio listeners overall agree that listening to ads is a fair tradeoff to consume the free content. Almost half of all AM/FM radio listeners (46%) say they have considered a new company, product, or service after hearing an ad on the radio. NPR Radio listeners show a particularly strong engagement with radio and its sponsorship messages: with 46% agreeing that they are more likely to trust a company they hear advertised on NPR and 59% agreeing that NPR engages their mind in a more positive way than other media does. NPR listeners are more likely to be Infoseekers (26% of all NPR listeners), Connection Seekers (19%), and Radio Heads (15%)* than the average radio listener. Although often eclipsed in the media by other audio platforms, AM/FM radio commands 41% of all time spent listening to audio by those in the U.S. age 18+. Even with the growth in available online audio and other options, this new research finds that 33% of AM/FM radio listeners say the platform is becoming a more important part of their lives. “NPR has been a leader in radio for 50 years, with programming airing across more than 1000 member stations nationally,” said NPR VP of Sponsorship Marketing Lamar Johnson. “And while we all can agree that radio certainly has had an amazing legacy – we’re thrilled to see it also has a very vibrant future, with dedicated listeners who are especially engaged with radio’s content, including advertising and sponsorship messages.” According to Edison Research VP Megan Lazovick, “Even in a world where people have many audio options, radio is by far the most listened-to in terms of reach and the most-used in terms of time. Don’t take for granted the fact that radio is everywhere – providing enormous audiences and engaged responses from tens of millions of people, every hour of every day.” How the study was conducted Radio: Live On Air and Everywhere from NPR and Edison Research is based on a national online survey of 1,500 U.S. adults age 18 and older, conducted January 13-21, 2021. All respondents reported listening to AM/FM radio (traditional or streamed) in the last week. Data was weighted to match the sex, age, and ethnicity of AM/FM radio weekly listeners from The Infinite Dial from Edison Research and Triton Digital. Edison Research Share of Ear®: A total of 4,000+ respondents age 13+ completed an online or offline survey which was offered in English and Spanish. Data weighted to national 12+ U.S. population estimates and has been tracked since 2014. more

From All Access: PLAY MPE VP/Label & Radio Relations LAURIE GAIL has left the company after a long 14-year run. GAIL told ALL ACCESS, "My toes are in the sand, iced tea in hand, and I'm looking … more

From All Access: The COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION (CMA) is extending its partnership with the TOURING PROFESSIONALS ALLIANCE (TPA), a nonprofit that supports crew members working behind the scenes in the live … more

From All Access: PILLAR MINISTRIES RADIO GROUP Contemporary Christian WAWZ (STAR 99.1)/MIDDLESEX-SOMMERSET-UNION and WAKW (STAR 93.3)/CINCINNATI have hired CARI CATES as Director of Digital Content. … more

From All Access: BREWER MEDIA GROUP, LLC is selling Sports WALV (105.1 ESPN CHATTANOOGA)/LAKESITE-CHATTANOOGA, TN to AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION for $610,000. In other filings with the FCC, applying for STAs … more

From All Access: MARC RADIO Alternative WHHZ (100.5 THE BUZZ/GAINESVILLE, FL names VINNY FOO PD to succeed KEVIN MANGAN. FOO is also PD at cluster mates Top 40/Rhythmic WTMG (MAGIC 101.3) and Rhythmic AC … more

From All Access: Last year, Country artists -- like those in other genres -- were forced to cancel or reschedule their 2020 tour dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, some Country acts like BROTHERS … more

From All Access: Two-time GRAMMY Award winner and multi-platinum selling CENTRICITY MUSIC artist LAUREN DAIGLE will return to AMERICAN IDOL on MONDAY, APRIL 19th. It's a special comeback show featuring 10 … more

From All Access: BRANDI CARLILE’s memoir, "Broken Horses," debuts at #1 on THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS list. It is published by CROWN—an imprint of the RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP, … more

From Radio Online: WAWZ-FM (STAR 99.1)/New York and WAKW-FM (STAR 93.3)/Cincinnati appoint Cari Kates as the new Director of Digital Content for the Pillar Ministries Radio Group. Her career began with Clear Channel at WQEN/Birmingham and has included WDJC/Birmingham, KDUV/Visalia-Tulare, EMI CMG (now Capitol CMG), More...

From Radio Online: Longtime air personality Steve Palec is hanging up the headphones at Saga Communications' Classic Rock WKLH in Milwaukee. His critically acclaimed Sunday morning show "Rock N Roll Roots" officially ends this Sunday, April 18 beginning at 9am. In reflection on his time at WKLH, Palec remarked, More...