ENGLAND: The BBC has come under fire for spending $41.5 million on the Birmingham-based digital station Asian Network, which “hardly anyone listens to” … BBC Radio Leeds mid-morning host Graham Liver is named as the replacement for Tony Livesey when he departs BBC Radio Lancashire in January … Real Radio’s exclusive X-Factor correspondent Tony Cowell will also be heard on London’s Smooth Radio (102.2) every Monday morning … SCOTLAND: There’s a battle for control of Lanarkshire’s L-107 FM, as managing director Alan Shields is fighting local businessman George Fulston over the station’s debt.

CANADA: CBC Radio Two is changing their drive-time lineup, taking Tom Allen, who had been doing both mornings and afternoons into just PM drive, and bringing in Bob Mackowycz for mornings, starting Monday … VENEZUELA: The nation’s Supreme Court upheld the orders to close Caracas-based radio station CNB (102.3), and said the government was within its rights to revoke the licenses of other radio and TV stations … HONDURAS: An unidentified person threw a fragmentation grenade at the building housing HRN Radio in Tegucigalpa, injuring two people and causing minor damage … HUNGARY: Laszlo Majtenyi, chairman of Hungary’s communications regulator resigned after the government agreed to terminate the licenses of two foreign-owned radio stations, giving them to bidders he considered weaker … UGANDA: Members of Parliament are demanding the government reopen Radio CBS FM in Kampala, which remains closed following riots in September, which the government blamed on the media … AUSTRALIA: On the North Shore, community station 2NSB-FM (99.3) has shut down, due to a lack of funding, but will continue to air BBC programming so as to not lose their license …

Two Detroit AC stations have already jumped to all-Christmas: Clear Channel’s WNIC and Greater Media’s WMGC … At the Jersey Shore, Greater Media’s WJRZ (100.1) is now all-Santa … Christmas is coming soon to New York City. WLTW-FM (106.7) is running promos saying “Not yet – but the continuous Christmas music starts soon” … Another Clear Channel “Lite-FM” station, WLZT-FM (93.3) in Columbus, Ohio has started playing holiday music … Suburban Boston’s 1000-watt WLLH-AM (1400), formerly an ESPN Radio affiliate before going dark in September, is back on the air playing Spanish music … Radio-Info confirms the soon-to-be syndicated Tony & Kris morning show will have Heather Cramsie as its producer. There’s now a countdown clock on the Tony & Kris website for their new show debut … Citing family reasons, Steve Lloyd-Jones says after just one season he won’t return as the radio voice of minor league baseball’s West Michigan Whitecaps … Sirius XM’s Playboy Channel will air the “Legends of Porn” during the “Night Calls” show for five days starting on Monday.

The morning duo recently left the market’s KREV-FM (92.7) when it flipped from the dance-formatted “Energy” in September. The new home for Fernando & Greg will be rhythmic AC KMVQ-FM “Movin' 99.7”, where they begin morning drive on Monday. KMVQ cut loose morning host Maria Todd and producer “Chunk” Bonfiglio on Thursday. Fernando and Greg are no strangers to the market, having been named in 2007 as one of OUT Magazine’s Top 100 most influential people in gay culture. Doug Harvill, CBS Radio San Francisco SVP & Market Manager, tells Examiner.com, “I’m going to hide under my desk and not answer the phone."

It seems Ugandan witch-doctors have found radio a very good way to advertise their healing powers. However, that may change, as the government’s ethics minister, James Buturo wants to put a stop to it. Buturo says that airing advertising from witch doctors is contravening the 1957 Witchcraft Act, and according to a report by ScreenAfrica.com, “are promoting witchcraft-related activities to the detriment of Uganda’s integrity.” Witchcraft and witchcraft-related activities are widespread in Uganda and the government wants radio to stop promoting it.

In Fort Myers, morning co-host Bob Garrett on WJBX-FM (99.3) “New Rock 99X” is promoted to PD, taking over for Matt Johnson, who remains as PD for sister-station WXKB-FM (103.9) in nearby Cape Coral. At Beasley’s “770 ESPN Radio,” John Cassio, the producer of the Miller & Moulton Show on WWCN-AM (770), is also promoted and becomes the new program director, replacing Mark “Steele” Matthews. Steele remains in charge of WRXK-FM (96.1) in Bonita Springs.

On October 29, WDAE-AM (620) morning host Dan Sileo announced that he'd heard from a friend who worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission that Tampa Bay Buccaneers' owners lost $440 million in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, and speculated the NFL team might be for sale. Calling that report “baseless, irresponsible and slanderous,” the co-chairman of the Buccaneers threatened legal action against Sileo and the Clear Channel-owned radio station, which led to Sileo’s immediate suspension. The St. Petersburg Times says Sileo returned to his morning show today, with no mention of the events that led to his week-long suspension.

The sites under the CBS banner generated more than 35 million “Session Starts”, as Ando introduces a number of new categories for its “Webcast Metrics Audience Ratings.” This latest report covers May through September, and the 35 million figure is for Internet radio’s most-popular daypart. That’s 6am to 8pm, Monday through Friday.

In Chicago, Derrick Brown, OM for Clear Channel’s urban trio urban AC WVAZ “V103”, Urban WGCI (107.5), and gospel WGRB (1390), will add PD duties for urban WGCI. He also serves as PD of WVAZ. PD/midday personality Kris Kelly will assume APD duties under Brown. In addition, the Chicago Tribune reports that Clear Channel announced it will unify the three stations under one single advertising banner called the Urban Network, meaning they will “offer marketers a single cross-platform opportunity to reach Chicago’s African-American audience through radio, digital and event marketing even as programming on WGCI, “V103" and “Inspiration 1390” continue to target different parts of that group.” Earl Jones, President and Market Manager for Clear Channel Chicago told the newspaper “For African Americans (age 18 and older) we beat ABC, Fox, CBS and NBC in this market,” Jones said. “If you want to reach an African American … you cannot overlook this capacity here that we have.” Previously, Clear Channel Radio Chicago had WGCI, top 40 WKSC-FM (103.5) and Spanish-language WNUA-FM 95.5 grouped together based on their penetration in the age 18-34 and 18-49 demographics, while WVAZ, WGRB and AC WLIT-FM 93.9 were sold as a way to reach listeners age 25 to 54.

He spent 37 years on the air, all in the same town on CJXX-FM (93.1) and also CFGP in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Peter Hall was the longest-serving radio personality in town, was very community minded and had a voice that was “smooth-like-butter.” Hall passed away in his Grande Prairie home. He was 62.

At Seattle-based Fisher Communications, overall revenues were down 18%, but radio was the big drag, falling 49% to $6 million from $11.7 million. The blame for such a drastic drop goes to the loss of advertising for Seattle Mariners baseball. If the baseball ads weren’t factored in, the overall revenue loss would have been 22%. Fisher President/CEO Colleen Brown says “we remain confident in our business,” and touted the company’s new technologies, including “hyperlocal websites” and a “broadcast-to-broadband initiative” which she claims “will play an important role” in the future of the company. Fisher owns a radio cluster in Seattle and five stations in Great Falls, Montana.

WVUS (1190) has been on the air for 52 years in Grafton, but unless it is sold, it will turn off the transmitter on December 31 and go silent. The station, which currently has a “Timeless Favorites” format, has gone through a number of format changes, including adult contemporary, CHR and rhythmic AC in just the last 22 months. WVUS owner Steven Tocco tells WBOY-TV he’s asking $59,000 for the station, but has yet to get a serious offer. Tocco says right now, he can’t sell enough ads to cover the costs of running the station, and says unless it’s sold soon, he will have to shut WVUS down.

Before election day, you'd tune in to KMPT-AM (930) and hear talk hosts like Stephanie Miller and the Air America lineup. After election day, KMPT is now the home of “The Best Conservative Talk.” KPAX-TV reports that GapWest Broadcasting market manager Scott Lindahl says the reason KMPT flipped direction was because the station “under-performed” with progressive talk, and “they had to either turn it off, sell it or change formats.” Along with syndicated shows including Michael Savage and Bill Bennett, KMPT is also the home of “Voices of Montana” with Aaron Flint.

CFUN (1410) has been talk since 1996 and now CTVglobemedia explains that after “many ups and downs”, it’s decided to make it a companion to its existing sports station, “Team 1040” CKST. They won’t simulcast, and having a second sports signal lets the owner put Jim Rome and Dan Patrick on the air every day, along with large doses of play by play from the B.C. Lions to the NFL to soccer, baseball and even U.S. NCAA basketball. One poster on the Canada Board of Radio-Info says the company is “showing virtually the entire staff the door.” More on the Canada Board here.

Clear Channel is taking their three urban-formatted radio stations and placing the three sales departments under one banner. The “Clear Channel Chicago Urban Network” comprises WGCI-FM (107.5), WVAZ-FM (102.7) & WGRB-AM (1390), allowing advertisers a broader reach into the urban market. The Chicago Tribune reports Clear Channel will have Darlene Park oversee the Urban Network as general sales manager, while Carla Ross will be the local sales manager. Both Park and Ross have sales management experience with Clear Channel Chicago, and Joe Gersh was named GSM for Clear Channel Chicago’s three other stations (WLIT 93.9, WNUA 95.5 & WKSC 103.5).