RadioInsight

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American General Media Acquires KSTT Intellectual Property

Posted: 31 May 2016 01:04 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...tual-property/



El Dorado Broadcasters continues to sell off its assets as it has made a
third deal with American General Media to acquire the intellectual property
for AC Coast 101.3 KSTT Los Osos/San Luis Obispo CA.

The move will take place on July 1 to as yet unannounced frequency. AGM
currently owns Variety Hits Krush 92.5 KKAL, Rock 93.3 KZOZ, Country Jug
Country 98.1 KKJG and Classic Hits Q104.5 KIQO and is in the process of
acquiring News/Talk 920 KVEC from El Dorado.

El Dorado previously sold its Lompoc/Santa Maria cluster to American
General Media, Lazer Broadcasting, and Point Broadcasting in a series of
divestitures.

American General Media is pleased to announce the acquisition of KSTT-FM
from El Dorado Broadcasting in San Luis Obispo. Coast FM is the preeminent
contemporary radio station on the Central Coast with a rich heritage as the
leading contemporary music station in the community. The sale will be
completed on July 1, 2016 along with the previously announced acquisition
of KVEC-AM. The transaction will not include the frequency 101.3 FM, which
El Dorado will continue to own after the sale.

Rogers Brandon, President of AGM, commented on the most recent acquisition,
“We are very excited to add KSTT Coast FM to our group of stations on the
Central Coast. El Dorado has done a wonderful job to make Coast FM the gold
standard in contemporary music in the market and we are very lucky to add
the brand to our outstanding group of stations. We look forward to adding
to our group the heritage, the audience share, and the commitment to
community service that has long marked the station�.

Kathy Signorelli, General Manager of AGM San Luis Obispo, commented on the
sale, “Coast FM is a perfect fit to our brand mix of stations, digital
platforms, and event marketing. The station adds a format and a demographic
appeal that perfectly compliments our group. We look forward to working
with all of the El Dorado colleagues that have worked to make Coast such a
great station�.



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ESPN To Syndicate Paul Finebaum Nationally

Posted: 31 May 2016 12:59 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...um-nationally/



ESPN Radio will begin offering Paul Finebaums daily afternoon show
nationally in August.

Currently offered regionally in the southeast, the program is also carried
by the SEC Network cable channel whose studios in Charlotte the program
originates in. Prior to joining SEC Network at its launch in 2014, Finebaum
was a newspaper columnist and long-time local personality in the Birmingham
market. He began self-syndicating his program in 2001 with ESPN taking over
the regional operation in 2013 in partnership with Cumulus. Now ESPN will
take over full control of the syndication.

As part of his new deal with the network, ESPN Radio will make the 3-7pm
eastern show available nationwide as an alternative to its regular
programming.

Beginning August 12, 2016, ESPN Radio will syndicate The Paul Finebaum
Show. Hosted by noted journalist and radio voice Paul Finebaum, the
four-hour daily radio program airs every weekday from 3 to 7 p.m. ET,
showcases Finebaum’s compelling opinions and deep knowledge of the
Southeastern Conference, as well as his interactions with his passionate
callers, many of whom have followed him for years.

“Paul is one of the most compelling talents in all of talk – not just
sports,� said Tim McCarthy, senior vice president, ESPN Radio Group. “His
passion and credibility with his audience is second to none. We’re pleased
to offer our network of affiliate stations The Paul Finebaum Show as part
of our slate of programming.�

The Paul Finebaum Show launched on ESPN Radio on August 12, 2013, and can
be heard on ESPN affiliates throughout the country. The program debuted on
SiriusXM in November 2013, and since August 2014, The Paul Finebaum Show
has been simulcast on the SEC Network.

The Paul Finebaum Show travels alongside SEC Nation during the football
season, airing from various SEC campuses throughout the fall. The show has
set up shop in 20 different locations since launching as a studio show at
SEC Network’s Charlotte, N.C., headquarters, including a South Carolina
women’s basketball game, the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Regions
Tradition Pro-Am golf tournament and the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Fla.

Finebaum is a longtime sports talk radio host known by many as the leading
sports authority in the South and the “Voice of the SEC.� He joined ESPN in
August 2013 as host of the The Paul Finebaum Show. In addition to hosting
The Paul Finebaum Show, he appears on a variety of other ESPN shows and
outlets, including SportsCenter, College Football Live, College GameDay and
in ESPN The Magazine.



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CNN: Glenn Beck suspended by SiriusXM

Posted: 31 May 2016 11:17 AM PDT
http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/31/medi...sion-siriusxm/





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Dave Numme Joins Rock 98.9 Seattle As PD

Posted: 31 May 2016 11:14 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...seattle-as-pd/



Former CBS VP of Rock/Alternative formats Dave Numme is returning to radio
as Program Director of Hubbards Rock 98.9 KVRQ Seattle following a six-year
absence from the industry.

Numme previously spent fifteen years as OM/PD of Rock 101.1 KUFO Portland
and three years as PD of Alternative Live 105 KITS San Francisco in
addition to his corporate duties from 2006-2009.

Hubbard Radio Seattle welcomes Dave Numme as Program Director, of ROCK 98-9
KVRQ. The announcement came today from Marc Kaye, Hubbard Radio VP/Market
Manager Seattle.

“We are so excited that Dave is returning to the Pacific Northwest and
joining us at Hubbard Radio Seattle. He understands the market, the
opportunity, and will identify great talent that can make a huge difference
in building the ROCK 98-9 brand.� When asked to comment on his new gig
Dave said, “The chance to program again in the Northwest is a return home
and joining Hubbard Radio, a family owned broadcaster, makes this a very
unique opportunity. When I first met with VP/Market Manager Marc Kaye we
quickly bonded after sharing our vision for the new Rock 98-9. I’m very
excited to build our staff and create a special Rock Station for Seattle.�

Dave Numme has a rich background in rock radio programming including most
recently Program Director for KITS-FM Live 105, San Francisco where he also
served as VP of Programming for the Rock and Alternative formats for CBS
Radio. Dave grew up in the Northwest where he began radio in college. He
was the first Program Director for Rock 101 KUFO-FM in Portland, Oregon
from 1991 through 2006. The station led in ratings, established a strong
brand and was tied to the local community. KUFO became a leader in the
Active format and won numerous awards. Dave’s broadcast career also
included stints at KGON Portland, KRQR San Francisco and KSJO San Jose.

Dave begins his duties June 6th.



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Bill Gentry Named Alpha Louisville SVP/Market Manager

Posted: 31 May 2016 09:13 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...arket-manager/



After spending over two decades overseeing iHeartMedias Louisville cluster
and eventually rising to Market President overseeing Lexington and Somerset
KY and Nashville TN as well prior to his exit last September, Bill Gentry
is joining Alpha Media as Senior Vice President/Market Manager of its
Louisville cluster.

Gentry will oversee a cluster that includes Urban
http://www.1013online.com/B96.5 WGZB, CHR 99.7 WDJX, Urban AC Magic 101.3
WMJM, Hot AC 102.3 The Max WXMA, and Classic Hip-Hop Old School 105.1 WGHL.
No word on the status of previous SVP/Market Manager Dale Schaefer within
the company.

Alpha Media, Louisville, KY is pleased to announce that Bill Gentry has
been named SVP/Market Manager for the company’s Louisville, Kentucky radio
stations, including WDJX-FM, WGHL-FM, WGZB-FM, WMJM- FM, and WXMA-FM.

Gentry’s 30 years in the radio industry include positions in all facets of
sales and management. Most recently, he was a Regional Market President for
Clear Channel/iHeart. A native Kentuckian, Gentry has called Louisville
home for many years.

“We’re delighted to have Bill Gentry lead our great Alpha Media team in
Louisville,� says Bill McElveen, Alpha Media’s EVP of the Eastern Region.
“Bill has been a dynamic player on the Louisville media landscape for many
years and we are excited about putting his knowledge of the market and his
long-standing client relationships to work for the Alpha Team and for our
valued Louisville community partners.�

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Alpha team! It will be fun to work for a
company that is growing and building,� added Gentry.




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May 1996: Changes From A Management Perspective

Posted: 31 May 2016 08:00 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/blogs/...t-perspective/





As the radio industry has evolved in the past two decades since the
Telecommunications Act, many working in the radio industry have no idea on
how different things were before 1996. To help describe the changes to the
industry since then I asked Dick Taylor to explain how the role of
management has changed. Now Assistant Professor for Western Kentucky
Universitys School of Journalism Broadcasting, in 1996 Taylor was General
Manager for Spring Communications in Atlantic City NJ overseeing News/Talk
1450 WFPG, AC Lite Rock 96.9 WFPG-FM and Country 106.3 WKOE as part of a
career as GM or Market Manager that stretched from 1982 until 2010.

To understand how the Telecom Act of 1996 was the finale of a process that
began back in the 1980s, you need to understand how radio ownership
regulations changed at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that
brought us to that day in February when President William Jefferson Clinton
would sign the dramatic major change to broadcast law since the
Communications Act of 1934.

Radio and television ownership up till the 1985 had stringent ownership
caps. Known as the 7-7-7 rule, any single person or company could only own
a maximum of 7 AM radio stations, 7 FM radio stations and 7 television
stations in the entire United States of America. In 1985, that cap was
expanded to 12-12-12. In 1992, the rule was relaxed further for radio
ownership to 18 AM radio stations and 18 FM radio stations but remained at
12 for television stations.

Something else though came along in the 1980s, Docket 80-90. Docket 80-90
reduced the mileage separation between FM radio stations thereby creating
hundreds of new FM radio stations throughout America.

Unfortunately, while there were more radio stations on the air than at any
previous time in America, each of them was trying to attract the largest
audience share to attract more advertisers and enable them to raise the
prices of their commercials. To do this, radio stations would hire
consultants who would do audience research and the result was everyone
doing virtually the same formats trying to attract the same people, adults
25-54 years of age.

The reality was the advertising pie was not growing at the rate of radio
stations trying to cut their piece of the pie or trying to garner a larger
slice of that ad pie.

What we would see were a lot of radio stations that were financially
challenged.

The next bright idea to solve this problem was the Local Marketing
Agreement or LMA. The LMA was a way that a successful radio station could
now take over the programming and sales of one of these financially
challenged stations to the benefit of both the license holder and the
management company.

Sometimes you may see LMA defined as Lease Management Agreement and that is
incorrect. Under FCC regulations, the licensee of a broadcast license
cannot lease his license to another entity. The marketing agreement got
around this by holding the licensee responsible for oversight of the
operation of his/her radio station(s) in the eyes of the FCC even though in
reality most licensee’s gave the LMA’ing company a blank check in running
things.

With this brief historical perspective you can see how when President
Clinton signed the Telcom Act of 1996 into law on February 8, 1996, the
‘horse was pretty much out of the barn.’ The stated objective of the bill
was to open up markets to competition by removing regulatory barriers to
entry. It was supposed to allow cable TV companies into the phone business
and phone companies into the TV business thereby increasing competition and
reducing rates for both services to the consumer.

A good radio friend of mine told me that he had a speaking engagement in
which he was speaking on the same platform as President Clinton and had a
chance to ask him a question that had been burning inside him for a long
time. That question was why he signed a law deregulating radio and causing
the massive consolidation of the industry. President Clinton responded I
didn’t know that part was in the bill. It was added only minutes before I
signed it into law. Apparently some last minute wheeling and dealing
inserted the radio deregulation part into the bill, something that radio
owners close to Wall Street had been pushing for.

I was a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Broadcasters
Association in those years leading up to the signing of the Telecom Act of
1996. Tom Milewski was general counsel and CEO of Greater Media’s radio
division. Tom, along with the board of NJBA, led a vigorous fight to head
off having such a deregulation of radio ownership being included in this
law. New Jersey broadcasters have been at the forefront of many broadcast
issues due to its being short-changed for full power radio and television
signals in favor of New York City and Philadelphia. Tom Milewski never got
to see the full effects of the new broadcast law he so vigorously fought
against, as he passed away due to lung cancer at the young age of 49 on
February 9, 1999, only three years almost to the day of the passage of the
Telcom Act of 1996.

My life would change dramatically after 1996. As the radio industry
consolidated ownership I would find myself being the manager whose stations
were being bought by a company that already had a manager to run
everything. It was like a game of musical chairs, only every time the music
stopped, I was always the one without a chair.

This would continue for the next “lucky� 13-years. The result was general
managers became market managers. Market managers were general managers of
clusters of radio stations in a single market. This would evolve to market
managers that would oversee clusters of radio stations in multiple markets,
with fewer managers, less people overseeing more radio stations in more
places. Much of this due to Wall Street’s involvement in constantly
pursuing increasing shareholder value and the rest do to the “land rush� of
radio signal acquisition that occurred after 1996 where companies just
tremendously over-paid for radio stations because they had lots of cash
flowing in from Wall Street and everyone was trying to buy all they could
while they could.

Radio owner/operators knew that you made your money in radio at the time
you bought a radio station. Wall Street investors never took the time to
get their heads around that basic principle. That’s how we ended up with
the largest radio company in the world having the largest debt of any radio
company in the world as well, a debt that exceeds the entire gross revenue
of the entire American radio industry.

The good news is the radio business is still a great business to be in.
Radio, long the best frequency medium for advertisers, now is also the
number one reach medium as well. 93% of Americans are reached by radio
every week.

Commercial radio in America turns 100 in just a little over three years and
I will be celebrating the power of radio when it does.
Format Changes

As the first round of deals following the passage of the Act closed there
was an uptick in format changes.

Paxson Communications made the first big move of May as it flipped Rock
103.5 WSHE Miami to Adult Alternative The New 103.5. By the end of the
year, WSHE would tweak a drop to the newly created Modern AC format and
rebrand as 103.5 Planet Radio WPLL. To fill the gap created by the loss of
WSHE, Clear Channel would evolve All 70s Big 106 WBGG-FM to Classic Hits.

As MACAmerica closed on its purchase of Oldies Twice 103.5 KTWC Phoenix
flipped to Smooth Jazz 103.5 The Oasis KOAZ to protect new sister AC 99.9
KESZ against competing Smooth Jazz 95.5 The Coyote KYOT.

Country music returned to FM on Long Island NY following the demise of
103.5 WYNY New York in February. Barnstable flipped newly acquired 94.3
WMJC Smithtown from a simulcast of Classic Rock 103.9 WRCN to Country 94.3.

Baltimore got a second Country outlet as Alternative 100X 100.7 WGRX became
Froggy 100.7 following a weekend stunting as All-Disco Polyester 101.

After a pair of stations flipped in April, Las Vegas saw another major
format change as Regent Broadcasting Country 93.1 KEYV became Big Oldies
93.1 KBGO after coming under common ownership with Country 101.9 KFMS.

Secret Communications brought Alternative 104.7 The Revolution WNRQ
Pittsburgh under common ownership with 105.9 The X WXDX leading to the flip
of WNRQ to Smooth Jazz as WJJJ.

Multiple stations flipped in Louisville as Clear Channel consolidated its
newly acquired stations. Country simulcast The Hawk 1080 WHKW/107.7 WHKW-FM
relocated to what was Classic Country 98.9 WKJK, while the Classic Country
format and call letters moved to 1080. With Clear Channel acquiring 1080
and the IP to the Hawk, Regent Communications moved All 70s Cool 103.9
WQLLs format to 107.7, but with a renaming to Star 107.7 WSFR while 103.9
became Smooth Jazz WSJW.

Sinclair Communications acquired AAA 93.7 The Coast WKOC Norfolk VA and
flipped it to Active Rock K94 to differentiate it from new sister
Alternative 96.1 WROX. The flip at WKOC would be short-lived as the Coast
brand and AAA format would quickly return.

Gannett flipped AC 100.7 WUSA-FM Tampa to Hot AC 100.7 Kiss-FM with market
legend Mason Dixon coming aboard as PD/Morning Host from crosstown Hot AC
Mix 96 95.7 WMTX. Three other staffers made the move from WMTX to WUSA with
Dixon.

After a failed move to Alternative 95.1 The Edge WEDJ Charlotte completed
its shift back to CHR with a rebranding to 95.1 Kiss-FM WNKS.
Acquisitions

Florida was the center of the deal-making universe in May.

Cox and Infinity matched up on a swap where Cox sent Classic Rock 105.9
WCKG and All 70s Y107.9 WYSY Chicago to Infinity for Standards 990 WHOO,
Classic Rock 96.5 WHTQ and Rock AC 98.9 WMMO Orlando.

Chancellor Media paid $165 million for OmniAmericas eight stations in three
Florida markets. The deal gave Chancellor CHR 95.1 WAPE and Rock 105 104.5
WFYV Jacksonville, Urban 102 Jamz WJHM, Hot AC Mix 105.1 WOMX and CHR XL
106.7 WXXL Orlando, News/Talk 850 WEAT, Oldies 94.3 WOLL and AC Sunny 104.3
WEAT-FM West Palm Beach.

Paxson Communications continued to purchase as many Florida stations it
could with a plethora of deals. News/Talk 610 WIOD Miami came over from Cox
for $13 million. Rock 100.3 WDIZ Orlando was acquired from Times-Shamrock
for $22.5 million, while the company announced its intent to acquire Hot
Talk 104.1 WTKS from Press Communications for an undisclosed amount. Paxson
then agreed to purchase nine stations from Southern Broadcasting for $21
million as it added Rock 92.5 WPAP and Oldies 94.5 WPBG Panama City, Rock
101.5 WTKX-FM and Alternative 107.3 WOWW Pensacola, Talk 1270 WNLS, Country
94.9 WTNT, Hot AC 100.7 WTPS, Rock 101.5 WXSR and Oldies 107.1 WSNI
Tallahassee. A final deal netted Standards 590 WGNE, AC 98.5 WFSY, Smooth
Jazz 99.3 WEBZ in Panama City from Boss Radio Group for $2.85 million.

It was described as a merger of equals that already shared some services
following the $250 million purchase of New City Communications by Cox
Broadcasting. The deal brought eighteen stations in seven markets to Cox as
it added New Citys stations in Atlanta, Birmingham, Fairfield County CT,
Orlando, San Antonio, Syracuse and Tulsa.

The second biggest deal of the month came as Clear Channel purchased Radio
Equity Partners for $235 million to bring nineteen stations in Columbia SC,
Fort Myers, Greensboro, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Providence and
Springfield MA.

Colfax Communications purchased Sundance Broadcasting for $95 million to
add Standards 550 KOY, Urban AC 1230 KISO, Smooth Jazz 95.5 The Coyote KYOT
and Alternative 101.5 The Zone KZON Phoenix, Standards 920 WOKY and Country
106.1 WMIL Milwaukee, and News/Talk 630 KIDO, Classic Rock 103.5 KARO and
Oldies 104.3 KLTB Boise. Colfax already owned Oldies 960 KOOL/94.5 KOOL-FM
Phoenix.

SFX Communications sold its two Dallas AMs as it exited the market.
News/Talk 1080 KRLD and the Texas State Network were swapped to CBS for
Classic Hits 93.7 The Arrow KKRW Houston, while Susquehanna acquired Sports
1310 KTCK for $14 million.

Bonneville entered the Washington DC market with the purchase of Country
820 WQSI Frederick and 70s simulcast Xtra 104 103.9 WXVR Braddock
Heights/104.1 WXTR Waldorf MD from SFX for $25 million.

Entercom, Nationwide and Secret pulled off the rare three-way deal. Secret
sent Alternative 107.5 KTBZ Houston and $13 million to Entercom for
Alternative 104.7 WNRQ and Country 107.9 WDSY Pittsburgh. KTBZ and $12.5
million were then swapped to Nationwide for Rock 99.9 KISW Seattle.

American Radio Systems agreed to swap their recently acquired Classical
stations in Detroit and Philadelphia to Secret for two stations in
Sacramento. 105.1 WQRS Detroit and 95.7 WFLN Philadelphia went to Secret,
while ARS added Standards 1380 KMJI and Rhythmic CHR 102.5 KSFM. American
Radio Systems also acquired Smooth Jazz 101.9 KSSJ Sacramento from Olympic
Broadcasters for $14 million.

Benchmark Communications sold its three stations in Norfolk VA to two
buyers as Oldies 95.7 WLTY went to Susquehanna for $6.5 million, while
News/Talk 790 WTAR and AAA 93.7 WKOC (see above) went to Sinclair for $8.1
million. Benchmark then sold its 70s 96.5 WLEE and Alternative 106.5 WVGO
in Richmond to ABS Communications for $14.5 million.

SFX Broadcasting sold the three stations in Louisville it was purchasing
from PRISM Radio Partners to two buyers. Talk 790 WWKY and Rock 100.5 WTFX
went to Clear Channel for $6.9 million, while AC 106.9 WVEZ went to Regent
for $12.6 million.

Jefferson-Pilot added a third station in San Diego as it purchased Oldies
K-Best 95 94.9 KBZT from Anaheim Broadcasting for $30 million.

Tichenor Media acquired Urban AC combo 98.9 KSOL San Francisco/99.1 KYLZ
Santa Cruz from Crescent Communications for $40 million.
Airchecks

KHKS (106.1 Kiss-FM) – Dallas/Fort Worth – May 1996 – Kidd Kraddick

WSHE Miami Becomes 103.5 Planet Radio



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Knoxville Rimshot Flips To Oldies

Posted: 31 May 2016 05:26 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...ips-to-oldies/



Momentum Broadcasting flipped Country Q-Country 104.9 WTNQ
LaFollette/Knoxville TN to Oldies Good Time Oldies 104.9 prior to the
Memorial Day Weekend.

WTNQ is retaining its local morning and afternoon shows with the change in
format. The station management explained the reasoning in a pair of
messages on its Facebook page as being due to the glut of Country stations
in the Knoxville market and lack of ad revenue to go with it.

Dear Q-Country listeners,

After careful consideration and 8 years of ownership, we at Momentum
Broadcasting have made the decision to change the format on 104.9 to
Oldies. We invite you to listen to the new format and tell us what you
think. You can still hear Jodie in the morning and Chuck Jacobs during
afternoon drive. The ownership is the same and we will strive to deliver
quality programming including a variety of Good Time Favorites, news,
traffic, weather, contests and local information. Thank you your support
and we hope you will enjoy our new station.

The decision was based on the fact that there are 8 Country stations in the
area. Watching the top dog in Knoxville lose half its audience over the
last few years is a good indicator that this format is just too crowded.
All the country stations are just chewing each other up. We chose Oldies
because there was a market and a demand. Its better to be 1 of 1 than 1 of
8. This way, we as one of the last locally owned radio stations can have a
chance at making it. Our revenue depends solely on advertising dollars. We
loved being different, cool and rugged, but there simply were not enough
advertising dollars to go around. We know that we probably wont convert
most of our Country listeners to Oldies listeners, so with that we invite
those of you who like the nostalgic music and want to hear Chuck and Jody
to listen to the new 104.9 Good Time Oldies! As for the rest of you, thanks
for your support over the last 8 years. We hope you will continue to
support local radio. There are still a few of us left. Cheers!



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Davidson Sells Mega 105.7 Philadelphia

Posted: 31 May 2016 04:21 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...-philadelphia/



Davidson Media continues the sell-off of its broadcast assets as it divests
Spanish CHR Mega 105.7 1310 WEMG Camden NJ/Philadelphia to Michael Sciores
M.S. Acquisitions Holdings for $975,000.

This will be the first broadcast property for the Cherry Hill NJ based
Sciore. He previously operated Precision Funding Group and Americas
Mortgage University. As part of the purchase he also assumes Davidsons
lease and option to purchase 105.7 W289AZ Camden.

Following the sale of WEMG, Davidson Media will only retain a translator in
San Bernardino CA.