Radio News

In August 2014, closing successfully occurred for a 5kw Class C3 FM serving communities surrounding London, Ky., from the city of Manchester. Unfortunately, the party that acquired the station ran into financial troubles, essentially negating the deal. Now, the original seller has transferred the property to a local owner, giving her company a third asset.

It's all about the Benjamins for BMI, a self-described "global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music." Despite the unprecedented impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, BMI closed its fiscal 2020 June 30 "with historic revenue and royalty distributions" — just as many radio broadcast companies saw their revenue cratering.

Just like "real" radio stations, student-run broadcast facilities need to ensure proper maintenance of their required online public inspection files. To help maintain compliance, a Fairfax, Va.-based company has teamed up with College Inc. on a project designed to guide these baby radio operators.

The iHeartMedia spoken word network focused on African American issues and insight, with a Black perspective, is getting a distribution boost from the company's national radio arm. Some 20 inaugural affiliates began offering Black Information Network News on Labor Day — including WVON-AM in Chicago, a Twin Cities noncomm, and an LPFM in Houston.

In February 1972, a Top 40 radio battle waged in Chicago. At WLS-AM, recently arrived VP/GM Paul R. Abrams went after the best talent available. As such, a 25-year-old hot shot from WIBG-AM in Philadelphia took the 6-9pm slot. More than 48 years later, John Records Landecker is once again being called on to spark evenings for a Chicago AM.

The Labor Day holiday weekend started in celebration for "the vast majority" of affected music professionals in California thanks to the signing of a bill championed by RIAA and The Recording Academy by Gov. Gavin Newsom. What impact it could have on radio stations operating in the Golden State may be the next question for many in the industry.

Entercom's digital audio app, a hub for broadcast station streams and featured podcasts, will now take a more front and center role among travelers who opt for a virtual travel assistant when renting vehicles from Avis or Budget.

With Friday's Closing Bell on Wall Street, BBGI was priced at $1.30. It puts Beasley Broadcast Group shares at their lowest level of the year -- and creates a new COVID-19 low, surpassing the March 23 dip many media companies have experienced.

First, it was WWJ-AM in Detroit. Now, another AM radio station that has a rich history alongside that of KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh and KCBS-AM in San Francisco is being saluted by the owner of all of these spoken word giants — Entercom.

Brands continue to eye podcasts. Two new pieces of data released this week indicate the medium is healthy, advertisers are interested and the money will continue to flow for the next several years. Here's a full report, courtesy of Podcast Business Journal.

With Sunday's shutdown of Westwood One News by Cumulus Media's Westwood One arm, many radio stations were left to decide what to do with a replacement service. It's now known that nearly 150 stations went with CBS News Radio, while more than 50 have selected FOX News Radio as a new audio news provider.

Co-produced by the National Association of Broadcasters and Radio Advertising Bureau, the 2020 Radio Show is being presented as a week-long online digital experience scheduled for October 5-9. Two big confirmed speakers have been revealed, joining a previously announced Town Hall with the heads of Cumulus Media, iHeartMedia and Entercom.

With iHeartMedia's rollout of BIN: Black Information Network, several critically important markets were absent from the mix. On August 31, Philadelphia; Baltimore; and Montgomery, Ala.; were added to the mix via LMA agreements. At the same time, iHeartMedia agreed to buy a Washington, D.C., AM in a deal brokered by Kalil & Co. Details are now known.

Bonneville International's four FM radio stations have a new leader. And, the person selected to succeed the now-retired Carl Gardner as VP/Market Manager is widely known across the industry — largely for her time associated with one of the nation's foremost hip-hop stations.

A Class D AM in Niagara Falls, N.Y., with a signal covering the Ontario side of the U.S./Canada border and most of Buffalo is at the center of a beneficial interest fight between its licensee and an individual who claims he was a 25% interest holder in the part that sold the station, once known as WJJL-AM.