HOT TOPICS
Here are the most popular topics of the last 3 hours
Taylor On Radio-Info
Some of the headlines in the latest issue of the free daily publication T-R-I - Sure enough – Clear Channel swaps with Lotus, in San Antonio, Las Vegas, Bakersfield.
Who’s really #1 in Seattle? That would be public radio talker KUOW.
CNET gives CBS a bigger face in China. Click here for immediate access and to begin receiving Taylor on Radio-Info for free, delivered first thing every morning to your mailbox in pdf or html - your choice.
STATIC
Here's what's happening on Radio-Info.com: Radio One's stock price has dropped frighteningly low to below $1. But it's not the only broadcasting stock in trouble. In this week's guest column, On The Mic, Inside Music Media's Jerry Del Colliano talks about the Radio One Dollar. The Winter 2008 quarterly ratings have wrapped up. View them now up on the Radio-Info.com Ratings page. The next ratings update will be the April Monthly PPM ratings for Houston and Philadelphia due on Wednesday, May 21 at 5 pm ET. The Spring 2008 Phase I trends will start to roll on Tuesday, May 27 at 5 pm ET. Looking for a job? Radio-Info.com can help. Visit the "People Seeking Jobs" board, and post the job you're looking for and your qualifications.
RI 360°
The Strategy Session
We asked the readers of Taylor On Radio-Info “Who are the Innovators in radio today, the people who are helping to expand radio’s reach and creating the new technology and ideas that will help move the medium forward?” We received emails with names, products, companies, and even suggestions on how we all can move the industry in the “right direction.”
We’ve narrowed the list, and now we’d like you, the Radio-Info.com user, to vote on who you believe are the Innovators. We’ll be spotlighting these folks, and the products and companies they represent, in the future.
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Ross on Radio
When WCBS-FM New York dropped Oldies in 2005, it had a 3.0 share 12-plus. When WCBS-FM came back last summer, it returned with a 3.7 share and has held there through the recently released winter 2008 book.
In that time, WCBS-FM's many disenfranchised listeners had no shortage of choices that could have taken them away from terrestrial radio. They were directly targeted by Sirius Satellite Radio and its hiring of Cousin Brucie. They had their iPods. They could have found no shortage of customizable Internet-only Oldies channels. They had plenty of options - many of which would have been seen by some industry people as far superior to the old WCBS-FM during its problematic last year. But when WCBS-FM came back, the listeners came back, too.
Sean Ross
Edison Media Research
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NEWS
Saturday, May 17, 2008
TOP STORYWYSP Philadelphia's Kidd Chris & PD John Cook are fired over a racist parody song
 "Schwoogies" aired on the Kidd Chris morning show nearly two months ago, on March 21, and again on March 24, says the Philadelphia Inquirer - and was sung by a guest named Lady Gash. CBS now says "We found the song to be highly offensive and completely inappropriate for broadcast on our airwaves. When senior management of the station learned that it had been played, they took immediate steps to prevent it from ever appearing on the station again." CBS spokeswoman Karen Mateo adds that "We launched an extensive internal investigation, including a thorough review of the editorial controls and systems we have in place to prevent this type of content from airing. We instituted additional educational training for the station, and have taken appropriate disciplinary action, including termination of the individuals involved." That's morning talent Kidd Chris and PD John Cook, who also worked together in Houston. It's unclear whether Kidd Chris will continue to be paid for the duration of his contract - which runs another three years.  Discuss It
Ford drives off from country WKDF in Nashville
After a year programming and doing afternoons on WKDF-FM (103.3), Bud Ford is parting ways with the Citadel station. Ford spent a total of 5 years with Citadel Broadcasting, starting in Little Rock at KARN 920/102.9, and moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan (94.5) before being sent to Nashville. Bud tells Radio-Info he was cut loose "without cause." Ford's had success in both management and morning drive radio, and says he does have some possibilities, but he's "not sure if I want to be a PD or a morning guy." Radio-Info was told by a WKDF staffer that no replacement has been named. Discuss It
Radio revenues were down again in April - but did better than March
 The good news is that Wall Street expected the loss would be worse. The Radio Advertising Bureau reports local radio revenues were again down in April by 1%, but that figure is better than the jolting 8% decline in ads suffered in March. Overall, national radio revenue for April was down 5%, and combined national and local radio revenues was off 2%, but both figures showed improvement over March. CL King analyst Jim Boyle supplies one reason: "Some of the Top 5 markets popped back with positive growth."
Trouble for the FCC's new cross-ownership rule - the Senate blasts it
 FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's plan passed the FCC on December 18 but has been getting bad reviews from public interest groups and some Congressional reps - and Thursday night, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to keep the Commission from implementing it. Bush has promised to veto such a bill, and the House has yet to vote. But Martin's idea of loosening up the 33-year-old ban on newspaper/broadcasting ownership, just for the top 20 markets, seems to be in peril. Opponents fear that the new policy's exception for markets outside the 20 largest markets will let big media swallow up local media, as Free Press puts it in a press release about the "astounding victory."
Making Moves: Friday Afternoon
The Radio-Info discussion board was the first to break the news - Robby Bridges will be traveling down I-95 from country WCTK-FM (98.1) in Providence, Rhode Island to Bridgeport, Connecticut's AC WEBE-FM (107.9) for afternoons Discuss It ... "The bottom line" got the best of Jerome Solomon. The host for Cumulus-owned sports talker KFNC-FM (97.5) in Houston was cut loose - because as a newspaper guy, he contractually can't read live ads, which are very profitable for the station ... Radio-Info confirms that Jim Beard is out as the GM of Main Line Broadcasting's cluster in Dayton, Ohio. No replacement has been named ... Congratulations to Rutgers University's WRSU-FM (88.7), which just turned 60 years old. Graduates of the station include WFAN (660) PD Mark Chernoff & MTV VJ Matt Pinfield. They're holding an alumni day in New Brunswick, NJ on Saturday, May 17 ... Speaking of Matt Pinfield, he's also the former morning host of New Jersey's WHTG-FM (106.3), and he's rumored to be the next announced hire at New York City's WRXP-FM (101.9) ... Radio-Info confirms that WMZQ-FM (98.7) evening host & MD Deena Blake will be leaving Washington, D.C. for Chicago, to be with her new husband ... Sales rep Stacy Hilton is upped to Sales Manager of Davidson County Broadcasting Classic Hits WTHZ and News-Talk/Sports WLXN Lexington, N.C.
GUEST COLUMN
On The Mic
Radio-Info welcomes the industry's top thought leaders as guest columnists
There's no shortage of advice on how to reach young consumers and a recently released report from Mr Youth and Rep Nation boil it down to this Top 5. These findings have implications and offer opportunities for both the programming and sales sides of our business.
Our challenge: radio, by its very nature is a mass appeal entity. Our entire system is built upon a platform of gathering as many listeners to our frequencies as possible and enticing them to listen for as long as possible. Therein lies the great paradox for broadcasters. How can we be personal, hyper-niched, and be a flexible brand all wrapped up in a singular mass-appeal broadcast signal? That is where our live interactions (on-air and in your communities), our websites, social networking, and mobile strategies come into play.
Harve Alan
Harve Alan Media
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