Radio News

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has released its assessment of just how the Emergency Alert System test performed.

In October 2020, Cumulus Media made an executive decision as to whether or not the transmitter for a pair of AM radio stations serving Savannah, Ga., should be repaired, or if it was more prudent to surrender the licenses of the facilities. Cumulus chose the latter. Now, Cumulus has decided to terminate the life of another AM radio station — this time in a hurricane recovery zone.

For 17 years, Mike Scott anchored the newscasts for a Salem Media Group conservative Talk station serving the nation's third-largest market. He did so through a relationship with Total Traffic and Weather Network and NBC News Radio. On Friday, that arrangement between iHeartMedia-owned TTWN and Salem will end. But, Scott's not going anywhere.

The high-profile cancellations of in-person experiences at next week's CES 2022 hit a new crescendo on Tuesday. One of the biggest advocates of radio advertising is cancelling its full-scale plans as the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to cause air transportation headaches alongside case surges.

An AM radio station serving Little Rock acquired by Birach Broadcasting some 14 years ago is in the news. Why? An unauthorized period of silence and a OPIF filing deadline miss are set to cost Birach tens of thousands of dollars in FCC fines.

Few Americans, if anyone, may be familiar with the name Janice Long. In the United Kingdom, Long is perhaps as equally iconic as John Peel, thanks in very large part to their on-air chemistry as the hosts of BBC Television's "Top of the Pops" program.  Today, anyone who has ever watched TOTP or was raised on Radio 1 is mourning her death, which came on Christmas Day.

In a matter of days, a Hearing Designation Order that will determine the fate of the licensee of a radio station who has been convicted of a felony will commence. While the FCC's Administrative Law Judge will be the one to decide the matter, a pastor heard Sundays on the station has started up a petition asking the Commission to allow the station to pass on to the owner's daughter.

With "future solutions" top of mind, QUU CEO and former NAB figure Steve Newberry shares with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson in this podcast, presented by dot.FM, what he expects to gain from attending CES this year — and what QUU has in store for its users across 2022. LISTEN HERE

What does Wall Street think of the late Monday announcement that the current CEO of Salem Media Group will step aside on January 1 and transition to the newly created role of Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors? Investors seem to be pleased with the succession plan, as Salem stock soared by 32 cents per share on Wednesday.

In May, the final FM properties in a trust of ex-Clear Channel stations overseen by Barry Drake were donated to the Delmarva Educational Association. This left an AM in the Huntington, W. Va. market as the last remaining property under Drake's care. An asset sale agreement has just been filed for FCC approval.

On July 1, 2020, a management and programming agreement was reached that allowed a Class A Classic Hits station serving the tiny towns of Twisp and Winthrop to greatly expand its reach in Eastern Washington. Now, the station that has been the simulcast partner is seeing a change in control within its ownership, FCC documents show.

It's a 98,000-watt Class C FM serving North Texas and since April 27, 2001 has offered sports talk programming. Now, "ESPN Dallas" will soon be saying farewell to this over-the-air home. VCY America is agreeing to purchase the station.

In May, RBR+TVBR reported on the $3.8 million sale of a valued commercially zoned chunk of land between downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg, by iHeartMedia. With the land sale, a relocation of the company's Tampa Bay market operations was put into motion. It is now known where stations including "933 FLZ" and "98Rock" will be headquartered.

The SVP of Broadcast at the parent of both DTS and HD Radio sits in with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson to offer a preview of sorts for CES 2022, which includes a January 6 invitation-only Radio Reception presented in part by Xperi. LISTEN HERE

Want to chime in on MB Docket No. 21-422? You have more time to do so, as the Media Bureau has just extended the comment and reply comment deadlines for its FM Directional Antenna Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).