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From Radio Insight: John David Linder, a partner in multiple licensees across Minnesota, was one of three skiers believed to have died in an avalanche in Alaska. A third generation station licensee, the 39 year-old Linder is survived by his wife and three sons. Linder and friends Jeremy Leif and Charles Eppard were part of a heli-skiing group and trapped under as much as 100 feet of snow in the avalanche. A fourth member of the group was rescued. Subarctic Media Managing Partner Matt Ketelsen said, ?I will remember Dave Linder as an amazing as an amazing family man, one of the smartest people I?ve ever known, and someone who lived life to the fullest. Dave cared about his radio stations and the communities that we serve. He leaves behind a beautiful wife and three great children. We’re going to miss him.” Linder is the controlling shareholder with a 50% ownership stake in Subarctic Media (13 stations in Mankato and Marshall MN), 50% stake in Lakeland Media’s four stations in Willmar (and pending purchase of three more), 45% voting shareholder in Blooming Prairie Farm Radio’s four in Rochester MN, and 25% voting shareholder in City of Lakes Media’s two stations in Fairmont MN. He also owns 40% of Twin Ports Radio’s KJOQ Duluth as well as the Linder Farm Network. He took over the company following his father John Linder’s death in 2017. more

From Radio Online: Michael Jordan, the Regional Senior Vice President and Country Brand Coordinator for iHeartMedia in Lexington, KY, has parted ways with the company after a 23-year tenure. Starting his career under the banner of Clear Channel, Jordan has been a significant figure in the broadcasting industry. During his More...

From Radio Online: Audacy, one of the largest radio groups with over 230 brands, is undergoing significant layoffs companywide. The action follows the recent departure of CEO David Field and CFO Rich Schmaeling and comes shortly after the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Sources suggest that up to 300 employees may More...

From Radio Insight: As part of the on-going cutbacks at Audacy, the company has eliminated the entire airstaff of Hip Hop “Hot 104.1” WHHL Hazlewood/St. Louis MO. Among those exiting the station are midday host Shae Bae, afternoon host Princess Stormm, and evening host DJ Raymond. Shae Bae began her career at the cluster in college as a weekend host on then-CHR “Now 96.3” KNOU and Hot AC “Y98” KYKY. She moved to weekends at WHHL in 2021 rising to middays in June 2022. Stormm, also APD of WHHL and Adult R&B “96.3 The Lou” WFUN-FM, has been with the stations since 2009 starting as an intern. WHHL ranked fifteenth in the January 2025 Nielsen Audio ratings with a 2.3 share, but lead iHeartMedia’s competing “100.3 The Beat” KATZ-FM’s 2.1. Multiple sources indicate that WHHL will flip to a simulcast of News/Talk 1120 KMOX in time for the start of the 2025 MLB season later this month. more

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the January 2025 continuous diary market ratings surveys today. Today’s markets include January monthly ratings for ratings for Albany/Schenectady/Troy, Allentown/Bethlehem, Dayton, Fresno, Grand Rapids, and and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The next three releases will feature: On Friday, March 7: Monthly ratings for Bakersfield, Honolulu, Knoxville, Omaha/Council Bluffs, and Tulsa. On Monday, March 10: Monthly ratings for Albuquerque, El Paso, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Metro Fairfield County. On Tuesday, March 11: Monthly ratings for Akron, Charleston SC, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, and Syracuse. more

From Radio Online: Virtual News Center has announced a new partnership with WLVL and WEBR, two stations owned by Kenmore Broadcasting, based in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area of New York. This collaboration aims to enhance the stations' news coverage capabilities, providing round-the-clock news to their listeners. Frank More...

From Radio Online: On the eve of their comedy showcase at the 2025 South By Southwest (SXSW) festival, The Stand Group announced a strategic partnership with Cineverse, a leading independent entertainment studio known for its significant podcast network. This collaboration aims to enhance distribution platforms, sponsorships, More...

From Radio Online: Skyrocket Radio has unveiled its latest innovation, ContentLab, a service designed to supply radio stations with fresh, locally-focused content to enhance search engine optimization (SEO), captivate audiences, and create new avenues for revenue. ContentLab offers radio stations a unique advantage by More...

From Radio Online: The latest findings from the annual MIW Gender Analysis Study reveal varied progress in the representation of women within radio broadcasting management roles across the U.S. Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio (MIW), a nonprofit organization committed to promoting female leadership in the radio industry, More...

From Radio Insight: An over 45 year career in radio will come to an end in April as Steve Cottingim will retire as SVP/Market Manager of Bonneville Sacramento. Cottingim has led the Bonneville Sacramento cluster since the company entered the market in 2017 via the Entercom/CBS Radio merger. He previously led CBS Radio’s cluster from 2005 to 2017 and held roles as Director of Sales and General Sales Manager for the cluster before that. Cottingim said, ?I have truly enjoyed and appreciate the people I have worked with and the career I have had the last 45 years in the broadcast industry. Both Bonneville and CBS RADIO have been amazing companies to work for.? Bonneville President/COO Tanya Vea stated, ?Steve is a true professional who has led the Sacramento market with a steady hand and a focus on the business and development of our employees. He capitalizes on the strengths of the people he leads and on the opportunities in his market, and that has strengthened our entire organization. Steve should be very proud of the legacy that he leaves in Sacramento and in radio. I am deeply grateful for all he?s done for Bonneville and wish him the very best.? Following Cottingim’s retirement, Bonneville San Francisco SVP/Market Manager Val Maki will absorb the Sacramento cluster into her responsibilities. more

From Radio Insight: After 32 years in mornings at Audacy’s “98.9 The Rock” KQRC Kansas City, the Johnny Dare Morning Show will come to an end on Friday, March 7 as part of Audacy’s round of layoffs. Dare has anchored mornings at KQRC since 1993 months after the station’s Rock format debuted. Exiting along with Dare are co-hosts and producers Nycki Pace, Gregg Todt, Jake, and Kyle Kurtz. Dare wrote, “No one is more surprised than us that its lasted this long but after 32 years, we got smoked. Tomorrow will be the final morning show for us on the Rock.. join Nycki,Gregg,Jake, Kyle and I tomorrow morning starting at 6am for one final show.” more

From Radio Online: Kidde, a leading brand in fire safety, has announced an expansion of its Cause For Alarm program, in collaboration with iHeartMedia and The Home Depot. The initiative seeks to bridge the education gap in fire and CO safety and promote community well-being through events and educational outreach at selected More...

From Radio Online: Atlanta's WHTA-FM (Hot 107.9) marks nearly thirty years of significant impact on Hip Hop culture, not just in the South but globally. The station has built a loyal following through authentic community service, unique listener experiences, and hosting one of the country's largest sold-out concerts, Birthday More...

From Radio Online: The iHeartPodcast Awards are returning with a live event at SXSW, showcasing 2024's most notable podcast voices and creators. Slated for Monday, March 10 at the renowned ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, TX, the ceremony will highlight the year's podcasting milestones and innovative content creators. More...

From Radio Online: As the NCAA Basketball Tournament approaches, VSiN, The Sports Betting Network, is set to launch "Sharp Week," an initiative designed to guide NCAA Tournament fans and bettors with analysis and insights. Starting March 16, this initiative aims to provide enhanced betting strategies and knowledge, just in More...

From Radio Insight: Audacy is conducting a round of significant layoffs today. Sources indicate that approximately 250-300 staffers across the country will be let go today as the company implements cost-savings restructurings. If you’ve been affected and wish to have your info shared, please contact us at news@radioinsight.com. This story will be continuously updated as more details become available. Among those affected: Wichita‘J.R. Cruz’ Gonzalez has exited as morning host at Classic Hits 103.7 KEYN. Cruz joined KEYN last June but RAMP reports he has been mostly off the air since November while undergoing kidney dialysis and open heart surgery. He shared on Facebook, “I hate to break it to you but it is a heavy heart that Audacy (KEYN) and I have parted ways all due to the medical issues I am dealing with. I?m sorry I didn?t get to address this in the air but thank you if you listened to The Morning Cruz? I am making plans to head back home to Houston to rehab and recover. only God knows the plans He has for me. Plans for me to prosper and a future. – Jeremiah 29:1. Thank you all for listening and see you when I see you! Remember, you don?t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great!!!” He previously hosted afternoons at WRSA-FM Huntsville AL and worked in Wichita at Rhythmic CHR ?Power 93.5? KDGS from 2001 to 2007. Gonzalez can be reached at jrgonzalezradio@gmail.com. more

From Radio Insight: Cumulus Media is not the only company turning off stations for economic reasons. Townsquare Media, which has been pruning underperforming stations from its portfolio for divestment or license cancellation for the past several years, has ceased operations on two more. Sports “ESPN Quad Cities” 1170 KBOB/104.1 K281DB Davenport IA and Red Dirt Country 1280 KSLI Abilene TX both ceased operations in late February. KBOB had been operating via STA with its nighttime pattern for the past three years due to a faulty switcher. The station is licensed with 1kW both daytime and night, but with different directional patterns. KSLI has been simulcasting 92.5 KMWX Abilene since January 2023 when the AM’s Red Dirt Country format was moved to the FM and rebranded from “Lonestar 1280” to “92.5 The Ranch“. KSLI is licensed to operate with 500 watts day and 226 watts night non-directional. In both STA requests, Townsquare Media SVP/Engineering Martin Stabbert said, “Due to economic conditions in the market, the licensee was forced to take the station off the air temporarily. The licensee respectfully requests special temporary authority for the station to remain silent. The licensee will promptly notify the Commission when it is able to resume station operations.” more

From Radio Insight: BIA Advisory Services estimates that in 2025 U.S. local advertising revenue will reach $171 billion, excluding political spending. This represents a 6.1 percent increase over 2024, driven mainly by spending on digital media. Notably, when political advertising is included, the total estimated spend of $171.4 billion will be a slight decline of 0.5 percent below 2024, given last year?s relatively large political spend.* The updated forecast shows slight adjustments to previous estimates for 2025, with advertising revenue (excluding political) adjusted up by 0.03 percent from the last forecast and total local ad revenue, including political spending, adjusted up by 0.1 percent. ?Our latest forecast indicates that local advertising is showing resilience, despite the ongoing changes in the economic landscape,” said Nicole Ovadia, VP of Forecasting and Analysis at BIA Advisory Services. “Although we expect core advertising to remain stable, we’ve adjusted our outlook to account for various market factors like interest rates and consumer sentiment and significant changes in media consumption patterns that are driving digital growth.” The key findings from the 2025 U.S. Local Advertising Forecast are: Digital transformation is accelerating rapidly: Traditional advertising channels show weaker performance metrics, while digital platforms surpass growth expectations. This trend indicates a faster-than-anticipated shift in advertising allocation strategies. Growth Platforms: Due to political advertising, there were more crowd-outs in 2024, so TV Digital grew faster than anticipated. Connected TV/Over-the-top is still the fastest growing overall as local advertisers continue to embrace this media.* Political Impact: Despite being an off-election year, 2025 will see significant political advertising activity in key local markets affected by special elections and gubernatorial races. The forecast indicates strong growth in several sectors: Real Estate at 9.3 percent, Restaurants at 9.2 percent, and Retail at 6.8 percent. These three sectors are critical indicators of local advertising activity and trends. The Education and Automotive verticals are also experiencing substantial growth, with increases of 5.0 percent each. “Key verticals are showing notable shifts in 2025,” said Rick Ducey, Managing Director at BIA Advisory Services. “While what we term the ‘3Rs’ ? Restaurants, Retail, and Real Estate ? lead growth, we see interesting opportunities in Auto and Education. Auto dealers are likely to revive aggressive financing promotions when interest rates ease, and educational institutions are increasing their digital presence, particularly through geo-targeted campaigns, to connect with price-sensitive students who might not have considered nearby educational options before.” more

From Radio Insight: I feel pretty good about the Alternative chart these days.* A few weeks ago, I was surprised to calculate that Alternative was the format with the most tempo in the top 10. That week, there was only one slow-but-busy title, ?The Line? by Twenty One Pilots. It has since been joined by Gigi Perez?s ?Sailor Song,? but the remainder can be characterized as mid-to-uptempo: a nice option to have when the biggest pop song of the last six months is a waltz. There is a multi-format hit in Lola Young?s ?Messy? that radiated from TikTok and streaming to both Alternative and pop formats in the same two months? time. On CHR, ?Messy? is great balance ? proof that a pop/rock record can still belong. On Alternative, it feels like a center lane that the format has been looking for. There is a recent No. 1, Justice f/Tame Impala?s still-growing ?Neverender,? that programmers seem legitimately proud of, and that is now beginning a rare sequential crossover to CHR. After years of complaints about the format being too indie-pop (or too pop, outright), there are more rock titles. Most are from heritage acts, including Linkin Park?s ?Heavy Is the Crown,? but there is also the recent success of Badflower?s ?Detroit,? No. 1 at Active Rock, then No. 3 at Alternative a few months later. There are also more songs that happily blur the line ? songs such as Balu Brigada?s ?So Cold,? Dexter & the Moonrocks? ?Ritalin,? or Giovannie & the Hired Guns? ?Quitter? that have a crunch that felt lacking from the format a while back. Even some of the Triple-A crossovers (e.g., the Lumineers? current format No. 1, ?Same Old Song? or Sam Fender?s ?People Watching?) feel like they have more heft.* The less-immediate songs, sometimes also radiating from streaming, are still there, but now ?Sailor Song? feels like balance, not ballast. There are still songs that the harder-rocking KPNT (The Point) St. Louis isn?t playing, including Justice and two others in the top 10. There are fewer songs that I can?t imagine ever fitting on the Point. On paper, anyway, the balance looks more like the Canadian Alternative format that seemed to cohere in the early ?00s when the American format meandered. Nine months ago, as a strong summer field of contenders deployed across the Top 40 format, veteran morning man Gene Baxter looked at that week?s chart and declared ?the best Billboard Top 10 in Ages.? If this week?s Alternative chart doesn?t yet inspire that kind of excitement, it?s a clear change from four years ago, when there were regular complaints about the format being too poppy, then rudderless. When the offerings are better, the variety seems more purposeful, as it did in the ?Jewel-to-Tool? mid-?90s. Unlike that era, nobody is talking about a new rock revolution yet. And if this is indeed the best stretch for Alternative currents in a while, Justice into ?Heavy Is the Crown? is still not what you hear on most large-market Alternative stations, in part because you won?t find them playing two currents in a row. Alternative radio has been rocking more in recent years, but stations did that largely by relying more heavily on library. In a recently monitored 2 p.m. hour, Mediabase showed most top 20-market Alternative stations playing no more than two current titles (by their definition) per hour. That includes many of the format?s biggest recent success stories ? WWDC (DC101) Washington, KITS (Live 105) San Francisco, KTBZ (The Buzz) Houston, KNDD (the End) Seattle, KDKB (Alt AZ 93.3) Phoenix, and KTCL Denver. KPNT, the highest-rated station in February?s PPMs, it should be noted, played three.* SiriusXM?s Alt Nation, a heavy influence on the format?s indie-pop era, played nine currents in an hour of 18 titles, but with satellite radio?s more defined channels, you won?t hear Linkin Park next to Justice there, either. The only top 25-market station aggressive on new music is WTBV-HD2 (97X) Tampa, Fla., a lower-rated FM translator that played 10 currents in the same hour. (Eight Alternative reporters are FM translators ? a throwback to the format?s pre-grunge era of smaller or suburban sticks.) That being the case, it?s hard to imagine what the driver for a current-driven Alternative format would be, at least during daytime hours. There?s not a series of phenomenal album acts to drive the format as there was in the early ?90s (or even early ?00s), in part because the album isn?t the unit of currency. There?s not a plethora of streaming stories, even though Alternative was the first format 20 years ago where acts broke through streaming. Yet, at a moment when Top 40 struggles for a consistent stream of even good-sounding mid-charters, much less consensus hits, Alternative would seem to have an advantage in available music at the moment, particularly if labels were willing to develop more songs at both formats in a shorter time frame. I?d be happy to see Alternative radio find the confidence to play one more current an hour in afternoons. I feel we?re no longer at the point when ?Like a Stone? by Audioslave or ?Father of Mine? by Everclear is stronger than any current you can play against it. more

From Radio Online: BIA Estimates 2025 Local Ad Revenue to Reach $171B U.S. local advertising revenue is projected to reach $171 billion in 2025, a 6.1 percent increase from 2024, driven largely by a surge in digital media spending, BIA Advisory Services reports. Including political spending, which notably declines More...

From Radio Online: Audiohook announces that Carrie Legner has joined its sales team. Legner will report directly to Michael Bohana, Vice President of Sales, and will focus on enhancing direct-to-consumer client engagement and further developing Audiohook's pay-for-performance model. Legner, with nearly two decades of More...

From Radio Online: In the latest episode of the "Open to Debate" podcast, the age-old practice of Daylight Saving Time (DST) was put under the microscope. Entitled "Is it Time to End Daylight Savings Time?," the episode explores the contentious debate surrounding the biannual clock change. Moderated by Emmy award-winning More...

From Radio Online: In the latest episode of the "Open to Debate" podcast, the age-old practice of Daylight Saving Time (DST) was put under the microscope. Entitled "Is it Time to End Daylight Savings Time?," the episode explores the contentious debate surrounding the biannual clock change. Moderated by Emmy award-winning More...

From Radio Online: The New York Festivals 2025 Radio Awards proudly announced the addition of Charlotte Melen, an award-winning producer and founder of Almost Tangible, to its Radio Awards Advisory Board. Melen, recognized globally for her innovative contributions to audio storytelling, joins a panel of industry leaders and More...

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the January 2025 monthly ratings, while Eastlan releases its thirteen monthly surveys today. Today’s Nielsen markets include January ratings for Birmingham, Buffalo/Niagara Falls, Fort Myers, Greenville/Spartanburg, Richmond, Rochester, and Tucson. Eastlan Ratings has released its January monthlies for Bend OR, Billings MT, Charleston WV, Florence/Muscle Shoals AL, Greenville/New Bern/Jacksonville NC, Johnson City/Kingsport/Bristol, Kalispell MT, La Salle/Peru IL, Laurel/Hattiesburg MS, Raleigh/Durham NC, Twin Falls ID, and Waco TX. Coming up the next three days are: On Thursday, March 6: Monthly ratings for Albany/Schenectady/Troy, Allentown/Bethlehem, Dayton, Fresno, Grand Rapids, and and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. On Friday, March 7: Monthly ratings for Bakersfield, Honolulu, Knoxville, Omaha/Council Bluffs, and Tulsa. On Monday, March 10: Monthly ratings for Albuquerque, El Paso, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Metro Fairfield County. more

From Radio Online: Ralph Johnson, the iconic percussionist of Earth, Wind andamp; Fire, is marking a significant milestone this weekend as his radio show, "Jazz Epicenter 6.7," airs its 100th episode. The special broadcast will take place on Saturday from 8-10pm on KUNV-FM (91.5 Jazz andamp; More). Over the past two years, Johnson has More...

From Radio Online: vCreative, a provider of media workflow software, has announced an integration of its vPromotions and PromoSuite Mail products, designed to streamline the management of contests and communications in the broadcasting industry. This new solution promises a seamless experience for contest management, winner More...

From Radio Online: Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) has disclosed an amendment to its financial structure, specifically concerning its asset-based loan credit facility. According to a material change report filed on March 5, the company has extended the maturity date of its existing credit arrangement More...

From Radio Insight: The past month has been rather barren for exceptional new music that programmers are excited about. Sure, radio stations add something new every week, but we?re yet again seeing an uptick in banal formulaic songs, rather than hot items that listeners and programmers regard as obvious smash hits.* Most added on Top 40 this week: Benson Boone’s*“Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else”, officially released last Friday but handed to radio a day earlier. Post Malone and Morgan Wallen did the same thing about a year ago with*“I Had Some Help”*which didn’t need any help at all. That song instantly showed signs of being a killer hit. It continues to test through the roof, still in the Spotify Top 50, and still ranked in our Liveline Top 20 requests. It was one of the top tracks of 2024.*“Beautiful Things”*is still #30 on streaming this week and #20 in requests on Liveline. But ?Sorry?? didn’t even debut in the Top 50 on Spotify. Right now, it has dropped off the Top 200 and nobody seems to be talking about it. Could this song be a grower, not a shower? A few PD’s I’ve spoken with have written him off as a “one-hit wonder”. The following songs are charting in the Top 20 spins on Top 40 airplay, yet lack ANY requests, streams or overall sales and audience passion to back it up: #11. Teddy Swims –*“Bad Dreams” #16. Alex Warren –*“Burning Down” #18. Selena Gomez, Gracie Abrams –*“Call Me When You Breakup” #19. ROSE –*“toxic till the end” #21. LISA, Doja Cat, RAYE –*“Born Again” Upon checking, not a single song between #20 and #40 in airplay has generated any*requests, except for*“squabble up”*by Kendrick Lamar,*“WILDFLOWER”*by Billie Eilish and*“DENIAL IS A RIVER”*by Doechii which is #4 in Liveline requests this week and #6 in Spotify streaming.* Buried Treasures of the WeekOlivia Rodrigo –*“traitor”:*She was 17 when*“drivers license”*was released in January 2021, which propelled her career to massive success. It was followed by two other hits,*“deja vu”*and*“good 4 u”*from the album*“SOUR”*which many of her fans called “unskippable” because every song was great and unique. Some stations played cuts never released as singles like*“favorite crime”,*“jealousy jealousy”*and*“brutal”. This June marks the four year anniversary of the album’s release, and now Olivia is 22. In the past few months, there’s one song of hers that has gotten more requests than any of the others, and it was the fourth*“SOUR”*single,*“traitor”. It’s a beautiful, relatable ballad that every girl under 30 seems to love and know all the words to. Perhaps hit radio should consider it as a major-artist recurrent because it was never heavily played after its disappearance from the current airplay chart, unlike the three singles before it and*“vampire”*which STILL receive a decent of airplay. “traitor” peaked at #7 on Top 40, #15 on Hot AC and #9 on Billboard. Olivia is rumored to be releasing a third album later this year. The Pussycat Dolls, Snoop Dogg-*“Buttons”:*This 2006 classic has always generated a handful of requests here and there, but in the past two months we have seen more than a dozen requests for it. 10-20 calls for song might not seem like a lot, but this is a song from 19 years ago that radio rarely plays anymore. Out of thousands of other tracks people could ask for, few throwbacks get more than 3 requests a week. Good examples are*“Lose Yourself”*by Eminem,*“Baby”*by Justin Bieber and*“Mr. Brightside”*by The Killers which all get requested at LEAST once every night.*“Stickwitu”,*“Don’t Cha”*and*“I Hate This Part”*were the PCD’s other biggest hits. The Pussycat Dolls got back together in 2019 and released a fabulous song*“React”*which never did anything, but they all still looked wonderful. Allegedly Nicole Scherzinger became greedy and refused to do a reunion tour unless she received 75% of the tour’s earnings and overall creative control. They broke up again in 2022.*“Buttons”*peaked at #1 on Top 40, #4 on Rhythmic and #3 on Billboard. more

From Radio Insight: Spanish Broadcasting Systme has extended its credit facility maturation date until August 29, 2025. SBS had entered into the current credit facility on February 17, 2021. It says continues to use the borrowings under the Amended Credit Facility to finance its working capital needs and other general corporate purposes with $4.9 million currently drawn on it. By amending the maturity date until August 29, SBS has agreed to increase the interest rate margins on borrowings under the Amended Credit Facility by 0.75%. more