News

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Three contest winners are suing Chicago's "La Ley"

Published on Tuesday, August 28, 2007

WLEY-FM General Manager Jeff Shrinsky tells the Sun-Times they're "committed to meeting our obligations under the rules and regulations of every contest" - but the top three finishers in La Ley's Idol-like singing contest from 2005 are suing for non-delivery of their prizes. The winner was supposed to get a new car and a recording contract, and the two runners-up were promised recording time in a studio. That was two years ago, and they tell the paper they can't get a phone call returned - so they're filing suit. Here's the story.

Washington's new "3WT" talk station debuts September 20

Published on Tuesday, August 28, 2007

bonnevilleBonneville mothballs its deal with the Washington Post - halfway through a three-year agreement - and adds the syndicated talk personalities it had been pressing for. Those include Neal Boortz, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and liberal Stephanie Miller. The new slogan suggests there will be something for everyone: "Left, Right, and Whatever We Want." The local David Burd/Jessica Doyle morning show remains, along with the Pat Goss-hosted weekend car show. WWWT will keep the Washington Post Radio deal with the baseball Washington Nationals through the end of the season - though writer Paul Farhi says the team "has no radio or TV deals lined up for next year." Read Farhi's updated story on what will succeed "Washington Post Radio" here.

Emmis cuts out live overnight shifts at Chicago's Loop and Q101

Published on Tuesday, August 28, 2007

"Music intensive programming" is what's left, says Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder - with Ray "Crazy Ray" Styles out of Monday-Saturday overnights at WLUP (97.9), and no live personality on WKQX after 2am - with three apparently budget-related cuts also made in the sales department. Read Feder's column here.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Citadel's Suleman would consider hiring Imus, if...

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

Imus_don2If the numbers work, he tells Peter Lauria at the New York Post. In other words, Farid wouldn't be discouraged by the flak about the way Imus left CBS and Westwood, and he tells the paper "there will be a little publicity for a couple of days, but after that, all that will matter is if I made money for my shareholders." Suleman, whose Citadel now controls stations like WABC, New York, says the I-Man's availability is an opportunity (for somebody). The paper concludes a big feature by saying "Sources said that both Suleman and Imus would love to have a deal in place" for the NAB Radio Show in Charlotte, starting September 27." Read the Post story here.

Satirical talker Phil Hendrie to join WTKK, Boston

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

Greater Media's "96.9 Talk FM" WTKK will add the Talk Radio Network-syndicated "Phil Hendrie Show" to its overnight slot, starting September 10. The program replaces "The John and Jeff Show," which moves to the Saturday and Sunday overnight slot. Hendrie - previously syndicated by Premiere - returned to radio after a year's absence, during which he explored his TV opportunities on a fulltime basis.

Ryan Seacrest's next conquest: a syndicated show for the U.K.

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

ryan_seacrest Premiere Radio Networks and GCap's One Network claim that "for the first time in 15 years, an American DJ will be syndicated throughout the U.K. and on London radio." The headliner is the ubiquitous Seacrest and the show's called "The Entertainment Edge with Ryan Seacrest." "Edge" airs Saturdays (11am-1pm) on Capital 95.8FM and Sundays 10am-noon on GCap's regional One Network, featuring interviews with celebs and top-charted tunes. Each program will include two updates from E! News - to which Seacrest also contributes.

New Adult Standards format on WNNJ, in northwestern New Jersey

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

Monday, August 27 at noon, oldies WNNJ "AM 1360" Newton NJ, flipped to adult standards, using ABC Radio Networks' "Timeless Classics." Clear Channel's targeting the 45-plus audience with the new approach.

Anderson takes on OM duties in Richmond

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

Radio One Richmond hires Jeff Anderson as OM of its Richmond cluster, replacing Al Payne, who moved to the company's Detroit cluster. Anderson was last OM of Beasley's urban/urban AC duo of WZFX/WUKS Fayetteville, NC. In Richmond, he will oversee urban WCDX, urban AC simulcast WJKS/WKJM, and gospel WPZZ. Jeff's first day on the job will be September 4.

WAVX sells to Vermont Public Radio and will flip to classical

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

Christian Ministries Inc., sells religious WAVX (90.9 FM) Schuyler Falls, NY - just outside of the Burlington, VT market - to Vermont Public Radio. Look for VPR to take the station dark for a few days, beginning Wednesday, August 29, and returning on Friday morning as classical WOXR at 9:09 am.

Sam Sylk and WUSL part ways

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

wusl After a year as morning man for Clear Channel urban WUSL "Power 99" Philadelphia, Sam Sylk and his morning co-hosts Q-Deezy and Erica Kane have exited. According to a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sylk morning show was tied for 10th place in the Arbiton Spring ratings, among listeners 18 - 34. No word yet on who will replace Sylk. Prior to Sylk joining last summer, Power 99 had the former syndicated Star and Bucwild morning show - which was dropped chain-wide by Clear Channel in May of 2006.

Cincy's Dave Lee Passes

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

Former WKRC Cincinnati midday talker - and an expert at celebrity impersonations - Dave Lee passed away early Sunday, August 26. Lee, whose real name was David Bunce, had been in the Mercy Mt. Airy hospital, and died of cardiac arrest. Funeral arrangements are pending. Bunce is survived by his wife Carol.

Red Alert, Chuck Chillout return home to Kiss FM

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

redalert DJ Red Alert, a fixture on urban radio in New York for over 20 years, and hip-hop artist-turned radio DJ Chuck Chillout are both leaving Clear Channel's urban WWPR "Power 105.1" New York, where they each hosted a Friday and Saturday night mix show, respectively. The two are headed to Emmis urban AC WRKS "98.7 Kiss FM" to handle similar shifts. Red Alert started his radio career at Kiss in the mid-'80s.

York exits SoCal's KFSH "The Fish"

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

Longtime morning co-host Jennifer York is leaving Salem Communications' contemporary Christian KFSH "The Fish", based in Orange County. She and her family are relocating to the Atlanta area.

Michael Vick cancels on Tom Joyner

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

vick_michaelVick called Joyner personally (says the Atlanta Journal Constitution), and the syndicated morning host tells his listeners the embattled QB "really wants to do it, but all of his advisors are advising him not to, because everyone is taking what he says out of context." Vick had been looking for a sympathetic audience, one day after pleading guilty on the federal dog-fighting charges. Joyner had flown into the Norfolk area to interview Vick's mother, and that piece did run. Today's Tom Joyner Morning Show originated from the studios of Clear Channel's "Kiss" WKUS.

Clear Channel is also suing Frequency LLC consultant Jeff Warshaw

Published on Monday, August 27, 2007

clear-channel Connoisseur Communications principal and also outside consultant Warshaw had been advising Frequency LLC backer American Securities Capital Partners - and gets caught in the middle, as he's also named in the suit that Clear Channel throws at Frequency. The claim, says the San Antonio Express-News, is that he was "attempting to to renegotiate the price." Certainly American Securities aims to pay much less - $102 million less than the originally-agreed-upon $452 million, for 187 stations in 36 Clear Channel markets.

Meanwhile, Bain Capital, one of the two private equity groups in the much larger deal to take Clear Channel private, asked for and eventually got an 18% reduction in the price it's paying for Home Depot's wholesale supply division. Even that's not all: Home Depot is agreeing to hold about 12% of the unit's equity, and carry some of the debt. That makes one veteran observer tell Radio-Info "I don't see how the Clear Channel terms won't be affected" by the crunch in the credit markets.

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