Radio News

In late November, RBR+TVBR reported about a group of plaintiffs that has sued four audio media companies in a Dallas Federal District Court, arguing that they should be held liable, in some way, for airing programming tied to “a known fraud recidivist.” It turns out that RBR+TVBR's belief that one of the companies named in the suit shouldn't have been there was accurate. 

Iconic Mexican balladeer Vicente Fernandez died on Sunday at 6:15am local time, at a hospital in Guadalajara. Within minutes, radio stations in Los Angeles and across the U.S. raced to scrap programming and devote their airwaves to Fernandez — recognizable to non-Hispanics perhaps for his trademark oversized sombrero.

At 103.9 MHz on Maryland's Eastern Shore is a heritage rhythmic Top 40 station that in recent years has been owned by the Ron Stone-led Adams Radio Group. In June, Stone indicated that the station would be sold, as part of a wholesale exit from the Salisbury-Ocean City market. Now, it's official: Adams has spun the last remaining assets it had on the Delmarva Peninsula.

The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report is out, and it shows a big leader for the week ending December 12, 2021. No, it's not for a big retailer at Christmastime. And no, it's not an auto insurance specialist. Rather, it is a maker of a COVID-19 vaccine and an approved booster.

The fate of Roger Wahl, who could be stripped of the ownership of his Class A FM radio station in Pennsylvania, will become that much clearer come January 13, 2022. That is the date of an initial status conference to be conducted virtually as part of a Hearing Designation Order led by the FCC's Administrative Law Judge, Jane Hinckley Halprin.

There's very little in common between CBS and iHeartMedia these days. They're no longer competitors in the radio industry, and that's perhaps one reason why a pair of up-and-coming air personalities in the nation's biggest market have been given the all-clear to be one group of contestants on the upcoming season of one of the CBS Television Network's top reality competition series.

What is Media Services Group Chicago-based Partner Bob Heymann's assessment of where FM station valuations are, and is that seriously harming the marketplace for a longer period than some may have anticipated? That's just one question he responds to in the latest RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM. LISTEN HERE

Some 125 members working in the iHeartPodcast Network division say they “have been encouraged to embrace the dynamism of start-up culture without any of the associated benefits.” They have signed union cards to organize with the Writers Guild of America.

He's the head of Forever Communications and once was known for his role leading Keymarket Communications. Now, he's giving a sizable sum to a Pennsylvania private university for the creation of a state-of-the-art media center for students aspiring to achieve success in the fields of radio, video, podcasts, live streaming, and other forms of broadcasting.

The FCC's Media Bureau, led by Michelle Carey, on Wednesday issued an Order denying a stay petition filed by the NAB, MMTC and NABOB. It's move that likely furthers growing tension between the nation's largest broadcast media advocacy group and the agency now officially led by Jessica Rosenworcel.

For the past year, Dillard has served as VP of National and Community Partnerships for iconic Adult R&B FM WBLS and its hip-hop sibling, WQHT (Hot 97). For 12 years before that, Dillard was VP of Programming and Operations Manager for WBLS and Emmis-owned WLIB-AM in New York. Now, Dillard has moved to 345 Hudson Street.

Looking for that special holiday gift amid a supply chain slowdown that could make finding that item a bit difficult? Second-hand presents may be the answer, and eBay has stepped up its efforts to make that point known by investing in a Spot Radio effort.

The global economy has recovered in-line with expectations and, in most markets, so has marketing activity and advertising spending. That's the key finding from the December 2021 MAGNA Advertising Forecasts report. It shows that growth was particularly strong wherever COVID vaccination was fast and deep.

After several ratings periods with a 0.1 share of the audience, ranking last in a market that consumes Philadelphia radio stations and even the occasional New York City AM, iHeart has abandoned the all-podcast programming at WSAN-AM 1470 in Allentown.

According to the just released "Infinite Dial 2021 UK," some 41% of residents over the age of 16 have listened to a podcast in the last month. That's approximately 23 million people. Podcast Business Journal offered up a summary of the report.