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From Radio Online: News/Talk WGY (News Radio 810) morning host Doug Goudie exits his position at the Albany, NY outlet, becoming the latest in a series of layoffs at iHeartMedia. Goudie, who joined WGY in 2021 after a prior stint at WRKO in Boston, first worked alongside Kelly Lynch in the station's morning slot. Lynch later More...

From Radio Online: Audacy's WFAN (101.9 FM andamp; 660 AM) names broadcaster Dave Sims as the new lead play-by-play announcer for its New York Yankees broadcasts. Sims will fill the position held by John Sterling, who recently retired after a 35-year career with the Yankees. Joining Suzyn Waldman, Sims will bring decades of More...

From Radio Online: KZPT (99.7 The Point) in Kansas City, known for its "The 90's to Now" format, has debuted a new custom jingle package from TM Studios. The new offering, TM 12-Pack Hot AC Vol. 2, is a follow-up to the studio's first Hot AC 12-Pack launched in 2021, and it's aimed at adding fresh branding for Hot AC and Adult More...

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the October 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Columbia SC, Des Moines, Little Rock, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, Spokane, and Springfield MA. The next releases will feature: On Friday, November 15: Monthly ratings for Colorado Springs, Madison, Mobile, Toledo and Wichita. On Monday, November 18: Monthly ratings for Chattanooga and Huntsville. On Tuesday, November 19: Monthly ratings for Jackson MS. more

From Radio Online: Longtime KNBR sports radio personality Tom Tolbert has departed the San Francisco outlet after nearly three decades on air. Tolbert confirmed his exit on Wednesday, sharing with SFGate that he was among several staff members let go from the Cumulus-owned sports outlet. Cumulus spokesperson Lisa Dollinger More...

From Radio Online: WMOS (102.3 The Wolf) in New London, CT, and WWKX (106.3 The Wolf) in Providence, RI, add veteran Rhode Island personalities Will Gilbert and Heather Gersten to the Classic Rock outlets' weekday programming lineup. Gilbert joins as afternoon host, weekdays from 3-7pm More...

From Radio Insight: Cumulus Media’s recently launched Classic Rock “106.3/102.3 The Wolf” WWKX Woonsocket/Providence RI and WMOS Stonington CT is rounding out its lineup with the addition of Heather Gersten and Will Gilbert. Gersten will host middays from 10am-3pm while continuing to serve as APD/morning host and imaging director at sister AC “Lite 105” WWLI Providence. She joined WWLI in 2003 after stints in mornings at WBIX New York and WQSX Boston. She commented, “I’m so thrilled to have true Classic Rock here in Southern New England and I can’t wait to share my love of the format with listeners in Providence and New London. Thanks to Cumulus Media for giving me the chance to truly rock!? Gilbert is best known in the market at co-host of “The Rhode Show” on WPRI-TV since 2011. He has a long association with sister CHR “92 Pro-FM” WPRO-FM where he was morning producer/co-host/newscaster from 1999-2011 following a previous stint with the station from 1989-91. He has also served as a morning producer for 93.3 WSNE from 1993-96. He will host afternoons on the station. He said, “I am incredibly grateful to have been asked to join 102.3 The Wolf and 106.3 The Wolf. I am excited for this new on-air adventure each afternoon in Rhode Island and Connecticut, while still being on TV daily on ?The Rhode Show.? Thank you to Holly Paras, Doug MacGunnigle, and Mary Ellen Kachinske at Cumulus Media and to Pat Wholey at WPRI for making this opportunity a reality.? Program Director Doug MacGunnigle added, “We?re beyond thrilled to add Will and Heather to our lineup on The Wolf. They are friendly and familiar voices to listeners in Southern New England. Their decades of experience in the media and cultural landscape and their knowledge of all things Southern New England will be a huge asset to The Wolf.? Gersten and Gilbert round out a lineup that includes Mike English in mornings. WWKX debuted the Classic Rock format earlier this month joining in simulcast with WMOS, which has featured the brand in the New London CT market since 2001. more

From Radio Insight: Jenelle ‘J Belle’ Vannoy is departing Cumulus Media CHR “93.3 The Q” KOBQ Albuquerque following her show today as she prepares to move to a new station to be announced. Vannoy joined KOBQ in September 2021. She began her career on-air and in production at iHeartMedia CHR “My 93.1” KPLV Las Vegas before holding roles at WXII-TV Greensboro NC, Online Editor at Radio One Charlotte, and as a digital producer for USA Today prior to joining Riviera Broadcasting Phoenix in 2019 as Public Service Director and on-air at “Power 98.3” KKFR until her move to Albuquerque. Cumulus has not yet announced plans for her position at KOBQ. View this post on Instagram A post shared by J. Belle (@jbelleonair) more

From Radio Insight: After 38 years on iHeartMedia Classic Rock “99.7 The Fox” WRFX Kannapolis/Charlotte NC, John Isley and Billy James will no longer be hear in mornings after Friday, November 15. “The Big Show with John Boy & Billy” will continue in syndication via iHeart’s Premiere Networks on a mix of 50 Country and Rock stations including Audacy?s “Classic Rock 101” WROQ-FM Greenville SC, Cumulus?s “KZ 106” WSKZ Chattanooga, iHeart?s “96.1 The Rocket” WRKH Mobile, and Midwest?s 103.5 WIMZ Knoxville. Premiere Networks renewed their agreement to carry the show in September. WRFX has been running promos promoting the final show, while a Premiere Networks rep confirmed it will remain in syndication and streaming on the iHeartRadio app. John Isley and Billy James have been paired together since 1981 when they began hosting mornings at 107.9 WBCY Charlotte. They would move to WRFX in 1986 when the station launched its Rock format. Syndication began in 1993 after an attempt by WZGC Atlanta to move the show there and it reached a peak of over 100 stations when it moved to Premiere in the early 2000s. more

From Radio Online: Woodward Communications Inc. (WCI) has agreed to acquire four stations from Mid-West Family in Springfield, IL. The acquisition includes WNNS-FM, WQLZ-FM, WMAY-FM and WMAY-AM, expanding WCI's presence in Springfield, where it recently purchased four stations from More...

From Radio Online: Audacy's WCBS-FM/New York morning hosts "Foxx and Annie in the Morning" raised $60,078 for America's VetDogs, surpassing their original fundraising target by $10,000. The campaign, organized in honor of Veterans Day, aimed to support a local veteran by providing a trained service More...

From Radio Online: Veteran air personality Antoine Davis has stepped down from his midday slot at Bonneville's KBLX (Throwbacks and Randamp;B) in San Francisco, marking the end of over 20 years with the station in various roles. His departure is part of a round of staff reductions at the company's San Francisco operations More...

From Radio Online: WDVD-FM/Detroit Program Director Michelle Matthews exits the Cumulus Media Hot AC outlet after a little over a year, part of recent staff reductions at the company. Matthews joined WDVD in July, 2023 following an eight-year role as Operations Manager for Saga's cluster in Columbus, OH where she oversaw More...

From Radio Online: Public Radio WYSO-FM in Dayton, OH has launched a new music-only streaming channel called "Novaphonic," available online at novaphonic.fm and via HD radio. Starting November 4, Novaphonic will deliver an uninterrupted 24/7 music schedule curated by the WYSO music team, offering a blend of regional and global More...

From Radio Insight: After over 20 years across three stints, Antoine Davis has exited middays at Bonneville Adult R&B 102.9 KBLX San Francisco as part of cuts made at that cluster earlier this week. Davis first joined KBLX in 1998 as a weekend host, while also hosting nights at Rhythmic CHR 97.7 KWIN Stockton CA. He would return from 2003 to 2012 spending time in middays and afternoons and then returned in November 2014 where he would also spend time co-hosting mornings. Davis’ career also included time at KQBR Sacramento, KQOD Stockton, weekends at “98.1 Kiss-FM” KISQ San Francisco, and afternoons at KRNB Dallas between his two long rums at KBLX. Davis wrote on Instagram, “Well, as they say, nothing last forever. As difficult as this is to do, I am reaching out to let you know after 20+ years on 102.9 KBLX, it has been decided that it is time for me to move on. I want to thank you for always ing kind, considerate and loving to me all these years on the radio. This is a tough break up but, I do realize life happens to everyone. I’ll miss speaking those iconic call letters “KBLX”. I’m very proud of what I was able to accomplish and I realize I was the last link to a station we all loved and most of us grew up listening to. That being said, I hope to speak to you soon & a big warm, loving, THANK YOU.” Davis was part of a handful of other cuts at Bonneville San Francisco this week. At least one additional full-time staffer and a part-timer were affected. more

From Radio Insight: Norsan Media will be bringing its Regional Mexican “La Raza” 840 WCEO Columbia SC to FM with the purchase of 94.9 W235CH St. Matthews from Alpha Media for $300,000. The deal includes an imminent Translator Use Agreement, which will mean an imminent end to the translator’s current AAA “94.9 The Palm” programming that launched in October 2018. The station registered a mere 0.2 share in the September 2024 Nielsen Audio ratings. Norsan’s WCEO is the only Spanish language station in the Columbia market. more

From Radio Insight: Coleman Insights has launched Validate, a new attribution platform that helps radio stations demonstrate the impact of their advertising campaigns. Originally launched by Canadian station operator Pattison Media and licensed globally by Momentum Media, Coleman has gained the exclusive rights to sell and market the service in the United States. Validate helps radio stations show advertisers exactly how over-the-air advertising campaigns generate consumer impressions and drive traffic to websites. Coleman Insights President Warren Kurtzman said, “Validate will deliver remarkable results for radio stations in the U.S. For decades, advertisers have sought concrete ways to measure radio?s impact. I?ve been involved in the sales of services to radio stations for 40 years and I have rarely felt such a universally positive response to a new idea like I?m seeing with Validate.? Coleman has signed Cox Media Group and Connoisseur Media as charter subscribers to Validate. RAB members will receive discounts on Validate subscriptions. ?Radio needs tools that make the impressive results we deliver very clear for advertisers,? said Rob Babin, Executive Vice President, Radio at Cox Media Group. ?We believe Validate does that and look forward to our partnership.? ?When I first saw Validate, I knew it was something that could generate revenue for our stations,? said Connoisseur Media CEO Jeff Warshaw. ?We look forward to being among the first radio groups delivering this important information to advertisers that demonstrates the power of radio.? Coleman says that Validate combines streaming listening data with audience estimates from trusted ratings providers, using a proprietary algorithm to estimate total audience reach across both streaming and broadcast. By reporting on ad performance almost instantly, it allows radio sales teams to give advertisers real-time feedback on the effectiveness of their campaigns. A unique conversion tag further enables advertisers to track website engagement from listeners exposed to campaigns, capturing data for up to 90 days after exposure. more

From Radio Online: Coleman Insights has introduced a new attribution platform called Validate aimed at helping stations across the U.S. demonstrate the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. Developed in collaboration with Canada-based Pattison Media and Momentum Media, Validate tracks how radio More...

From Radio Insight: The cuts at Cumulus Media have arrived in the Bay Area as the company has cut ties with a pair of longtime hosts at Sports 680 KNBR/104.5 KNBR-FM San Francisco. Former NBA forward Tom Tolbert exits afternoons at KNBR after 28 years with the station. Tolbert joined KNBR in 1996 following a seven year professional basketball career with the Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls and Canarias in Spain. He was originally teamed with Ralph Barbieri for “The Razor and Mr. T” until 2012. After hosting solo for a couple years, Tolbert then teamed at various times with Ray Ratto, John Lund, Larry Kreuger and Rod Brooks and most recently Adam Copeland. He also served as an analyst for Warrior’s games on KNBR and Audacy’s “95.7 The Game” KGMZ and earlier in his career broadcast NBA games for NBC and ABC/ESPN. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Tolbert will host a final show on Thursday, November 14. Barrett Sports also reports that midday co-host John Lund has exited. Lund joined KNBR in 2016 from crosstown KGMZ to co-host afternoons with Tolbert then moved to middays in 2019 to reunite with Greg Papa, who he previously co-hosted afternoons with at KGMZ. Lund has also hosted shows at KXTG Portland, KESN Dallas, WXYT Detroit, WEAE Pittsburgh and KZNS Salt Lake City while hosting pre- and post-game shows on networks for the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, Utah Jazz and Portland Trailblazers. more

From Radio Insight: Woodward Communications is acquiring a second cluster in Springfield IL and divesting its recently purchased stations in Bloomington IL. Woodward closed on its $4.3 purchase of Neuhoff Media’s seven stations in those markets last month. In Springfield, Woodward will acquire Mid-West Family Broadcasting’s News/Talk 92.7 WMAY-FM, Rock 97.7 WQLZ, AC 98.7 WNNS, and Classic Hits “102.5 The Lake” 970 WMAY/94.7 W234CC/102.5 W273DR to join its existing cluster of Hot AC “99.7 The Mix” WXAJ, Country 104.5 WFMB-FM, “Sports Radio 92.3” 1450 WFMB. The company will spinoff Variety Hits “96.7 Bob-FM” WCVS-FM to stay within the ownership caps. Terms were not disclosed. In Bloomington, Great Plains Media will expand with the LMA of Variety Hits “97.9 Bob-FM” WBBE from Woodward. The company already owns Conservative Talk “Cities 92.9” WRPW, AC “Magic 99.5” WZIM and Country “107.7 The Bull” WIBL/92.1 W221CY. The company’s other two stations, “Rock 96.7” WIHN and Hot AC “Now 100.7” WWHX are being divested to undisclosed operators. Woodward Communications President/CEO Tom Woodward said, “We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to integrating Mid-West?s solid brands into our Springfield operations. Over a period of time our plan is to co-locate all of the stations and related operations into Mid-West Family’s current office and studios, which we believe will create synergies that will benefit our employee owners, our customers, and the community.” Woodward Springfield Market Manager Kevin O’Dea will oversee the combined Springfield cluster. O’Dea began his radio career in 1978 as an Account Executive with Mid-West Family Broadcasting?s WMAY Springfield, and recently was awarded the Illinois Broadcaster Association?s 2024 ?Vincent T. Wasilewski Broadcaster of the Year.? O?Dea will continue to report to Kelly Radandt, overall Marketing Manager for both of WCI?s radio groups based in Appleton WI and Illinois. Greg Guy of Tideline Partners advised Woodward on the acquisition of Mid-West Family, the divestitures and LMA. Bob Heymann Jr., Managing Director of Media Services Group ? Chicago, advised Mid-West Family. more

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the October 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Akron, Bakersfield, Charleston SC, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Omaha/Council Bluffs. The next three releases will feature: On Thursday, November 14: Monthly ratings for Columbia SC, Des Moines, Little Rock, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, Spokane, and Springfield MA. On Friday, November 15: Monthly ratings for Colorado Springs, Madison, Mobile, Toledo and Wichita. On Monday, November 18: Monthly ratings for Chattanooga and Huntsville. more

From Radio Online: Ballen Studios, led by podcast host John B. Allen (known as MrBallen), in partnership with Wondery, has launched a new podcast series, "REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana." Hosted by Marine Corps Reconnaissance veteran Luke Lamana, the series dives into once-classified information to expose More...

From Radio Online: The SURROUND Podcast Network is launching "Sense of Space," a new podcast aimed at deepening the public's understanding of the design and architecture that shape our surroundings. Hosted by architect Ella Hazard and designer Faraz Shah, the podcast takes listeners through an exploration of how the built More...

From Radio Online: Kate Mackz and iHeartPodcasts have teamed up to launch a new podcast series entitled "Post Run High," designed as a deeper companion to Mackz's viral digital show "The Running Interview Show." The new podcast, which will release episodes every Wednesday, aims to build on Mackz's signature running-based More...

From Radio Online: Throughout the year, Premiere Networks-syndicated personalities Johnjay Van Es and Rich Berra -- hosts of The Johnjay andamp; Rich Show, gave back with their #LOVEUP charity, which focuses on children living in foster care, and Johnjay and Blake Van Es' pet project, #LOVEPUP, which More...

From Radio Online: The Los Angeles Dodgers have announced that former infielder Luis Cruz will join the team's Spanish-language radio broadcast team starting in 2025. Cruz will provide analysis alongside veteran broadcasters Pepe Yniguez and Jose Mota on KTNQ-AM, the Dodgers' flagship Spanish-language station, and the Dodger More...

From Radio Online: The Radio Advertising Bureau will hold the next installment of RAB's creative best practices presentations on Wednesday, November 20 at 1pm ET. Powered by the Radio Mercury Awards, this series of live presentations are designed to help brands and agencies create audio ads that work. "10 Creative Tips to More...

From Radio Online: Audacy names Kieran Geffert as Senior VP and Market Manager for its portfolio of brands in San Francisco. Geffert launched her career in 1991 at CBS Radio as a sales assistant for KCBS in the market. Additional roles include Account Executive, Local Sales Manager, GSM, VP of Sales, and most recently Vice More...

From Radio Insight: A little over a year after she joined Cumulus Media Hot AC 96.3 WDVD Detroit as Program Director, Michelle Matthews has confirmed her departure from the station earlier this month as part of the company’s current staff reductions. Matthews joined WDVD in July 2023 after an eight year run as Operations Manager for Saga Communications? Columbus OH cluster where she programmed AC ?Sunny 95? 94.7 WSNY and Hot AC ?Mix 107.9? WVMX from 2015 until April 2023. She previously served as Program Director of Classic Hits 103.3 KLOU St. Louis, Digital Program Director for iHeartMedia St. Louis, OM/Regional Programming Manager for Clear Channel Omaha, Wichita and Sioux City, Operations Manager for Saga Springfield IL, PD of KTOZ/KXUS Springfield MO, APD of KXPK Denver, and MD of KALC Denver during her career. She wrote, “Well, Motor City? what can I say? It has been an amazing time in your city, and I loved every single moment of it. (Well, maybe not your driving, Detroit, but we can talk about that at another time) Perfect time to discover the Lions, and everything else this town has to offer. I even got addicted to a grocery store??? My job was eliminated. So much love to everyone at Cumulus Detroit and my corporate team. I learned a ton, and so many great memories made in a short period of time. For now I am back with the family in Columbus in search of my next adventure, and have enjoyed the quality time I have had with them as we discuss what?s in store for each of us.” more

From Radio Insight: Two Spotify chart-toppers that radio is ignoring and two of the “whitest songs ever”!* Gigi Perez –*“Sailor Song”:*In my October 23 edition, I*acknowledged the obvious potential this song has for Top 40 radio. It*still*hasn’t left the top 10 on Spotify, and right now it’s #3. CHR always thrives with diversity, which is why 2024 was such an incredible year for hit music. Strong recurrents of the past year and multiple genres represented: Country – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, Alternative – “Too Sweet”, Rap – “Not Like Us”, Retro – “Die With A Smile”, Dance – “Apple” and all the Chappell, Sabrina and Billie for a perfect amount of Pop to join it all together. “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez appears to be ticking all the boxes of a major radio hit with its strong hook, 3 minutes long, romantic, nostalgic and massive with Gen Z all over TikTok and streaming. It just needs one or two major market stations to open the door! Current leaders are KUDD/Salt Lake City (30x/4x overnight), WPLW/Raleigh (28x/3x overnight) and KDUK/Eugene (22x, 4x overnight). Gracie Abrams –*“That’s So True”:*See comments from last week about this song here.*We?ve got an update: “That’s So True” is #1 on Spotify in America and #4 in the world, but Interscope apparently still isn’t pushing it. Yet with no radio support it finally cracked our Top 20 requests this week at #15. In recent years, a few major market stations have lead the charge in playing “album cuts” that were streaming well but not being worked by the label. Major format leaders Z100/New York and KMVQ/San Francisco are the only top 30 market stations on it. KMVQ 18 times in the past 7 days, and Z100/New York with 25 spins this week. Aside from them, WARQ/Columbia SC is the only other CHR station playing it AT ALL.**The “radio hype”*“Close To You”*is #21 in spins this week, but still isn’t in the top 70 on Spotify. We’ve only had one request ever. Spotify vs Requests vs Airplay Spins: Some of our observations might lead you to believe that we endorse anything doing well on Spotify, regardless of radio airplay or genre. A few weeks ago*we pointed out that “Timeless” by The Weeknd is getting consistent requests and appeared to be the real hit, and not “Dancing In The Flames” for which we still haven’t received any requests. *Within two weeks of a major release or Spotify success we’ll often get requests for new songs that haven’t even been on the radio while others sit on the airplay charts for months with no requests on Liveline nor drawing any streaming numbers. Why is radio even playing them? Tyler, The Creator’s “CHROMAKOPIA” is currently #1 on the Billboard 200 and every song on the album occupied the top 14 spots on Spotify upon its release. But our Top 40 audience isn?t hopping on the trend of this new Tyler album. The lead single is “NOID” and we’ve had no requests for it or any of his others. He currently occupies six of the top 30 spots in Spotify. For a Rhythmic niche, he is a major artist, but it isn?t a majority of Mainstream Top 40 listeners, though we’ve always been successful with Rhythmic nighttime records like “Not Like Us”, “Timeless”, “All My Life” and “Boy’s a liar”.* FYI: The majority of Liveline requests this year are for songs from pre-2015.* Buried Treasures of the Week: The Killers – Mr. Brightside: Both tracks featured this week are often labeled two of the whitest songs ever. Released in 2003, it became a top 10 song in 2005 where it reached #16 for the year. Today, it’s one of our ten most-requested Golds of all time. It’s the perfect sing-a-long packed with nostalgia, familiarity, and broad demo appeal. Generating nightly text and phone requests from all ages, men and women. Funny enough, a lot of people think The Killers are a British band as “Mr. Brightside” is one of the most successful songs in UK Chart history and STILL lingering in the UK daily top 50 most-streamed on Spotify. Globally, the song still rests in the top 50 in multiple countries including the US, especially after weekends of partying. As far as radio airplay, it’s still played as a Gold on nearly every Alternative station. Top 40 still plays it a fair amount in medium to smaller markets, but the top 20 markets don’t seem to believe in it. Liveline listeners are often treated with the fabulous ?Thin White Duke remix?, which you can check out here. (?and yes, we get specific requests for that one too! Read the song?s YouTube comments) Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way:*25 years ago, the BBs solidified themselves as the biggest boyband in history and one of the most successful groups ever. The secret to this song’s longevity could be attributed to it’s production and lyrics by the legendary Max Martin, but most of the Boy’s other songs featured him too. This is a cheesy but beautiful ballad that has never died. In fact, I remember hearing it for the first time EVER as an 11 year old listening to John Garabedian Open House Party in 2012, when a group of screaming girls on a school bus requested it. Fast forward to today, it’s still widely loved and requested multiple times a week. The ONLY other song of theirs which people still request (and frequently) is 1997’s “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” which ironically was their first hit in America, after a successful early career start in Germany and Canada. AJ McClean once said in an interview that “‘I Want It That Way’ doesn’t even make any sense. Listen to the words. It has nothing to do with anything”. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Liveline with Mason more