Radio News

As the names of those displaced by iHeart continues to grow, the company on Thursday revealed that three senior programmers have been promoted to Division Executive Vice Presidents of Programming for iHeartRadio's National Programming Group.

In June 2018, The E.W. Scripps Co. sold its five radio stations in Tulsa to Griffin Communications for $12.5 million. As of today, the quintet of broadcasting properties have a snazzy new address.

The Hispanic Radio Conference is proud to announce the 2020 Medallas de Cortez finalists. While only eight will carry home the prestigious plaque, all of the following professionals have proven themselves to be the best of the best in Hispanic radio. The awards will be presented at the conference on March 25 at the Intercontinental at Doral Miami and are sponsored by vcreative.

First it was 60. Then, it became 600. On Wednesday morning, one veteran media observer reported that “over 1,000 employees” are losing their jobs at iHeartMedia. The job losses at the nation’s No. 1 owner of radio stations have become the No. 1 talking point by those inside and outside the industry. But, the official number of individuals impacted by “dislocation” remains shielded from public view.

The Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., market is one of many emerging Hispanic markets gaining notice by marketers across the U.S. Here, an AM station branded as "Activa" had been airing top syndicated hosts of appeal to regional Mexican radio listeners. Of late, the station has been silent. Now, it is set to come to life again under a new owner.

Travel along the Shawnee Expressway on the west side of Louisville, Ky., and you may drive by a three-tower array used by a Class B AM and its FM translator, with one of those towers used by its Class C AM sibling. Both stations target the African-American community with Gospel programming. Will that change, now that new ownership is set to take over?

In an announcement distributed to select trade publications and posted to its investor relations web page, iHeartMedia revealed "a new organizational structure for its Markets Group." As first reported by Streamline Publishing's Radio Ink, jobs will be lost. The exact number is unknown, but 18 high profile names were already public by mid-afternoon Tuesday.

For 2020, the Radio Mercury Awards has added several new prize categories. There is a new prize category entitled Multicultural Radio Spot Campaign. The prize is meant for specific non-general, market consumer segments, including, but not limited to, Hispanic, African-American, LGBTQ+, Asian and People with Disabilities.

There's a new "Value Advantage" backing Entercom Communications stock. It's thanks to the acquisition of a big chunk of the radio broadcasting company's publicly traded issues by JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Over the past 50 years and thousands of station visits, Ken Benner has encountered the best and worst among the broadcasting industry. Past columns were focused on the premise that the most professional individual at the top of this list is one willing to share unselfishly his talent and experience with his/her colleagues, he says. "I suspect I have found the individual at the top of this list."

The EVP for Industry Affairs and Strategic Planning at the NAB, an industry veteran who is the founder of a government affairs, leadership and strategic planning firm, has announced his departure from broadcast media's biggest lobbying group and voice on Capitol Hill. Where is he heading? A tech company backed by Beasley Media Group headquartered in the state of Washington.

The GSM for Entercom Communications' Houston station group has been promoted to the role of Senior VP and Market Manager for another cluster of radio stations owned and operated by the company with David Field at the helm. It sees this longtime radio industry sales leader pack up and head to the Lone Star State's capital.

In December, the FCC issued a series of Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture for the failure by five licensees to timely file a license renewal application for their respective radio stations. On Monday (1/13), three of those five licensees saw their NALs canceled by the Audio Division Chief. This includes the biggest of the five proposed penalties.

As Canada's Corus Entertainment sees it, the owner of radio and TV stations and the Global television network enjoyed "a solid Q1." But, its fiscal Q1 2020 profit dipped -- and radio is largely to blame. Is it harbinger of things to come in the U.S.?

Since 1956, an AM/FM operation has served communities including Cookeville and Livingston, Tenn., with a variety of country music and locally focused programming. Today, two FM translators are tied to these full-powered stations. And, they are heading to a new owner, as the company led by J. Annette Oakley is selling them to another regional broadcast entity -- one led by Larry Stone.