Radio News

In the border city of El Paso, an FM translator at 88.1 MHz and its sibling at 101.7 MHz have offered Christian talk and teaching programs tied to KELP-FM 89.3, a facility located to the north in Mesquite, N.M. That's changing. The nation's No. 2 licensee by station count is buying them.

Keeping it would have placed a reconstituted iHeartMedia over FCC local ownership limits. As such, a Class C1 FM that serves Grand Forks, N. Dakota, was placed in one of three trusts overseen by Barry Drake, the retired President/CEO of former Jacksonville-based radio station owner Backyard Broadcasting. Now, just over two years later, iHeart is reclaiming this FM.

In June 2016, the radio broadcasting company led by Bruce Mittman and Jim Leven agreed to purchase four radio stations on the Florida Panhandle from Apex Broadcasting. Now, Mittman and Leven are saying farewell to the quartet of radio properties. The buyer? It's an entity with a presence in Central Florida and in Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y.

What prompted veteran Boston talk host Jordan Rich to write a book about his time behind the mic? How does he describe the demons and personal tragedies that nearly derailed his career? Rich provides the answers as he discusses his new book “ON AIR: My 50-year Love Affair with Radio,” in this InFOCUS Podcast. LISTEN HERE

Maui is known for many things, including its own variation of the cowboy -- the upcountry Paniolo. This explains why one local operator provides Country programming via a 69kw Class C FM. As of today, its majority owner — well-known in Indianapolis — will no longer hold attributable interest in the station, transferring his shares to the operator's President.

A new tower site on the New Hampshire side of the Maine state line is ready to be fired up by a noncommercial radio station devoted to "The Word" of G-d. And, it is using a new Dielectric DCR-H FM antenna that's just been installed and ready to radiate to bring new vigor to its broadcasts.

In late April, RBR+TVBR first reported on the sale of a group of radio stations serving the Albany, Ga., market. As 2020 comes to a close, this $450,000 deal -- which involves one of the nation's biggest broadcasting companies -- has closed.

A roughly $900 billion COVID-19 federal relief package was approved by the U.S. Senate, paving the way for $600 stimulus checks for adults earning up to $75,000 and additional $600 one-time checks for each dependent. The coronavirus relief legislation includes expanded eligibility to local media outlets for the Paycheck Protection Program -- a victory for radio and TV.

To learn what sports fans thought about fake fan noise, as well as to ask about their other sports opinions in a year unlike any other, Westwood One teamed with media buying giant Horizon Media and commissioned market research insights firm MARU/Matchbox to execute a two-wave study on the subject. The key findings are now available.

Agribusiness is nothing city folk should scoff at, says Steve Alexander, who will succeed the legendary Orion Samuelson as the chief agribusiness reporter for Nexstar Media Group's legendary WGN-AM in Chicago, come January 1. Alexander spoke exclusively with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson about his new role in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast. LISTEN HERE

The first all-digital CES 2021 will feature an iHeartMedia session on how technology has enabled some of today’s top artists to continue to create and introduce new music and immersive experiences during the pandemic. It's moderated by a ubiquitous iHeart personality, and will see him chat with Dua Lipa. A special performance from another star is also planned.

There may be more timeless music than ever, and not playing it could be costing your radio stations revenue, Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson notes in this Classic Media Information Bureau column worth a fresh read.

At the FCC's October Open Meeting, one of the most important advancements in the history of AM radio broadcasting took only minutes to get the Commission’s approval. Voluntary all-digital AM broadcasting moved forward, with a report and order released. Broadcast station owners that wish to benefit will soon be free to do so.

Travel one hour west of Helena, Montana, and you'll reach the small town of Deer Lodge. Here, an AM radio silent has fallen silent, as has an FM translator at 99.3 MHz and 20kw FM.  The owner passed away. He had no will. Now, the stations are being involuntary transferred to a family member.

Mike O'Rielly, the FCC's fieriest fighter in recent memory against the scourge of unlicensed FM radio broadcasters, may no longer be a Commissioner. But, his fight against pirate radio station operations lives on. Owners of edifices where illicit broadcasters originate from are now being advised that they could be subject to big new fines from the Commission.