Radio News

The NAB is now accepting entries for its annual Crystal Radio Awards, which honor outstanding community service. This year's winners will be revealed at the We Are Broadcasters Celebration scheduled for Tuesday, April 10 during the 2018 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

With no comment from CBS News Radio, Skyview Networks or Hubbard Radio regarding the defection of top-rated all-News WTOP-FM in Washington, D.C. from CBS to ABC News Radio after more than 75 years of affiliation, Black Rock solidified its existing relationships with three key radio broadcasting companies.

For 10 years until June 2014, Tim Sabean served as Sirius XM's SVP for the Howard Stern Channels, responsible for the development and growth of the satellite radio offerings. As of today, Sabean is now an employee of Westwood One, and has taken a newly created role at the Cumulus Media-owned operation.

The National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF) is now accepting entries for the 2018 Celebration of Service to America Awards, which recognize outstanding community service by local broadcasters.

New Year's Eve was a successful night of transition for Skyview Networks' Network Operations. "We were fully staffed and onsite New Year’s Eve to transition CBS News Radio’s affiliates to our distribution platform," Skyview says. There was also a big transition at WTOP in Washington, D.C. regarding its top-of-the-hour news: CBS News Radio is gone.

While much attention in recent months has been given to the end of most FM radio broadcasts in Norway, with signals now available only in DAB, the future of AM radio has only been discussed in a positive light. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is a strong believer in its power and importance, particularly in rural communities. In Great Britain, it's another story -- and many are shutting down in weeks.

A station once sold, and reacquired, by the company led by Hispanic radio broadcaster Amador Bustos is once again being sold. Two other AMs, all in the Pacific Northwest, are also being divested by Bustos Media Holdings. Three asset purchase agreements were submitted in one Form 314 filing made Thursday by Bustos, with one non-profit serving the Hispanic community landing the stations. 

In mid-April, Tejas Broadcasting agreed to sell a Class C1 100kw FM serving Amarillo, Tex., to Viva Media LLC. Nine months later, the station's new owner has been handed a Notice of Violation from the FCC for not having a functioning Emergency Alert System (EAS) system at this station. It also appears a second Viva station lacked an operable EAS system.

What winning retailer is a champion of radio spots for its pre-Christmas last-minute register ringing, shopper-securing efforts? It is one of three brick-and-mortar brands that can be found in the Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report for the week ending Dec. 24, 2017.

On Oct. 13, the regional Mexican network known as "La Z" added a major Hispanic market in the Pacific Northwest to its roster of stations by way of a time-brokerage agreement with a Latino-focused faith-based organization. Now, the company behind "La Z" — Bustos Media — is acquiring the station.

To little surprise, there's been another prolongation of the exchange offers and term loan offers crafted more than nine months ago by iHeartMedia. The latest extension comes just days after one Wall Street analyst hoped for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization for iHeart, slamming the company for what it has done to the equity value of subsidiary Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings.

Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) on Thursday (12/21) introduced H.R. 4706, the Music Modernization Act, in an act he believes will bring "music licensing its first meaningful update in almost 20 years." Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is the bill’s lead co-sponsor, reflecting bipartisan support for the legislation. What does this mean for radio stations across the U.S., and what does the NAB think of it?

What exactly would H.R. 4706, the Music Modernization Act, accomplish in bringing music licensing "its first meaningful update in almost 20 years?" The bill reforms the music licensing landscape in four main dimensions, and here is an overview of what it would do.

A Class B1 FM serving a rural part of the San Joaquin Valley of Central California -- including the place where James Dean was before dying in September 1955 -- and a silent 50kw FM station northwest of the Phoenix area are the two properties owned by Deportes y Música Comunicaciones LLC. Until now, it's been a subsidiary of the Roberto Medina-helmed Grupo Multimedia LLC and has run the duo since the third quarter of 2011. Medina announced Nov. 20 that he plans on selling the stations. But, the proposed buyer is helmed by two Mexican citizens--one of whom is a big Univision exec. The FCC now seeks public comment on whether or not this is OK.

With its publicly traded shares at 55 cents and its lenders clamoring for equity, debt-laden iHeartMedia may be on the path to Chapter 11 bankruptcy and a reorganization — just as Cumulus Media has opted for. For veteran financial analyst and top blogger Michael Boyd, such a path for iHeart is likely the best route forward.