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From Radio Online: The Country music countdown program, "Country Top 40 with Fitz" (CT40), through its syndication partner Skyview Networks, has announced plans to honor and celebrate the upcoming holidays with various specials, including two co-hosted by some of the biggest Country music superstars. "I'm beyond excited More...

From Radio Online: P1 Media Group's annual Christmas Music Research has arrived. The media research and strategy firm, surveyed radio listeners nationwide who were likely to listen to an all-Christmas music radio station during the holiday season. We tested the appeal of the 100 most-played Christmas songs from the 2023 More...

From Radio Insight: Nielsen begins its releases of the October 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Baton Rouge, Louisville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and Puerto Rico. The next three releases will feature: On Wednesday, November 6: Monthly ratings for Birmingham, Buffalo/Niagara Falls, Greenville/Spartanburg, Richmond, and Rochester. On Thursday, November 7: Monthly ratings for Albany/Schenectady/Troy and Syracuse. On Friday, November 8: Monthly ratings for Dayton, Fort Myers, Grand Rapids, Metro Fairfield County, Tucson, and Tulsa. more

From Radio Online: Kevin Freeman, a cornerstone of Indianapolis morning radio, has concluded his 34-year tenure at Counry WFMS (95.5). His departure marks the end of an era for the station where he started his career in 1990, initially making waves as a news reporter before rising to morning host. Freeman gained popularity More...

From Radio Insight: Laura SteeleIn addition to the exit of longtime 95.5 WFMS morning co-host Kevin Freeman on Monday, a number of other staffers have departed the Cumulus Media Indianapolis cluster. Jimmy Steele exits as Program Director of CHR 99.5 WZPL and afternoon host on AC “107.9 The Mix” WNTR. Steele joined WZPL in March 2022 from Cumulus Mobile AL, where was Operations Manager and PD of Conservative Talk 660 WXQW and CHR 97.5 WABD. Steele has previously served as SVP/Programming for iHeartMedia Salisbury MD, Director of Operations/Brand Manager for Saga Communications Columbus OH, OM/Director of Programming for Clear Channel San Diego, VP/Programming and PD of CHR 97.9 WNCI Columbus OH, ?107.5 The River? WRVW Nashville, ?Kiss 98.5? WKSE Buffalo, and ?Z104? WZEE Madison. Carter MarshallThe unrelated Laura Steele departs as afternoon host at Classic Hits 104.5 WJJK and midday tracker at Classic Rock ?92.5 The Fox? WOFX-FM Cincinnati. Steele joined WJJK in June 2016 after a fifteen year run in middays at iHeartMedia Classic Rock ?Q95? WFBQ. Steele alos spent time at WEBN Cincinnati and WLUP Chicago after beginning her career in Indianapolis at WZPL. She also serves as part of the Indianapolis 500 coverage for WTHR-TV and previously was PA voice for Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Carter Marshall is out as assistant producer for the ?Smiley Morning Show? and midday host at WZPL. Marshall began his career at WZPL hosting a Sunday night show in 2016 before spending time hosting mornings in Minnesota and serving as a morning show producer in Columbus. Additional cuts were made in sales and promotions. more

From Radio Insight: Their stations don?t have much in common musically, but both Triple-A KINK Portland p.m. driver Gustav and his Alternative KTBZ (The Buzz) Houstoncounterpart Theresa were talking about Stevie Nicks on Wednesday afternoon, within a few minutes of each other.* Nicks came up on The Buzz because a listener had reached out to plug his girlfriend?s candle-making business. Theresa had checked it out and found the vibe to be ?very Stevie Nicks/Lana Del Rey.? Gustav set up ?Edge of Seventeen? by talking about how cool it had been to see Nicks on Saturday Night Live, even if the current season was otherwise just OK. The state of every rock format these days is informed by not having a Fleetwood Mac-level superstar band. Both KINK and the Buzz have been standouts in their respective formats for thriving anyway. In Nielsen?s just-released October PPM ratings, both stations are No. 3 in their markets. The Buzz is up 4.9-5.7, while KINK is up 5.4-6.5, its best share since 1992 according to ratings historian Chris Huff. The Buzz and PD Elliott Wood last appeared in these pages in 2020 as one of a handful of rock-leaning Alternative chart reporters that stood out in a format that was then experimenting with The Kid Laroi and 24K Goldn. KINK was one of our ?Intriguing Stations of 2021,? under then-PD Gene Sandbloom, in part for playing Olivia Rodrigo, as well as Elton John & Dua Lipa?s ?Cold Heart.?* Four years later, Alternative isn?t rocking much harder, except for library material and artists already in the format (Jack White, Linkin Park). While some PDs were quick to assail anything that resembled Hip-Hop, there?s still plenty of streaming-driven pop but these days that?s Myles Smith or David Kushner. To some extent, that reflects the influence of Triple-A on its adjacent format. Is Triple-A a good neighbor for sending over Good Neighbours? It?s worth noting that KTBZ isn?t playing that band, top 10 at both formats. Under Ken Benson and Max Dugan, who became co-PDs in 2023, KINK still has some pop component?the station just began playing Shaboozey?s ?A Bar Song (Tipsy)??although it felt less noticeable when I heard them this time. Promotionally, the station was giving away tickets to Cyndi Lauper?s farewell tour, as well as a ?Girls Just Want to Have Fun? weekend to see her in Las Vegas. Next week, the station begins giving away Zach Bryan tickets and qualifying winners for a New York flyaway. Here?s KINK just before 3 p.m. on October 30: Zach Bryan, ?Pink Skies? Everclear, ?Santa Monica (Watch the World Die)? R.E.M., ?Man on the Moon? Beck, ?Loser? Benson Boone, ?Beautiful Things? Cars, ?You Might Think? Lumineers, ?Ophelia? Sublime, ?Santeria? Myles Smith, ?Stargazing? Police, ?Roxanne? Jack Johnson, ?Upside Down? Stevie Nicks, ?Edge of Seventeen? Good Neighbours, ?Home? Stereo MCs, ?Connected? Killers, ?Mr. Brightside? Zach Bryan f/Kacey Musgraves, ?I Remember Everything? Blondie, ?Call Me? On the Buzz, Theresa was the only personality I?ve heard so far acknowledging the upcoming election. She had already voted, she said. She encouraged anxious listeners to ?stop watching the news? and ?social media.? Instead, ?walk a dog. If you don?t have one, find one.?* Besides being part of iHeart?s $1,000 cash giveaway, The Buzz was also giving away tickets to Jerry Cantrell and to Linkin Park in Dallas. Listeners could win the latter by singing a Linkin Park song on the iHeart app talkback feature. Here?s The Buzz just before 3 p.m., October 30: Staind, ?It?s Been Awhile? Papa Roach, ?No Apologies? Third Eye Blind, ?Graduate? Butthole Surfers, ?Pepper? Linkin Park, ?Lost? Jimmy Eat World, ?The Middle? Bush, ?Glycerine? Breaking Benjamin, ?Red Cold River? Three Days Grace, ?Never Too Late? Green Day, ?Welcome to Paradise? Red Hot Chili Peppers, ?Around the World? Gorillaz, ?Clint Eastwood? Imagine Dragons, ?Enemy? P.O.D., ?Alive? more

From Radio Online: Cumulus Media's Rock WXMX-FM (98.1 The Max) in Memphis has raised over $920,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis through its 34th Annual Radiothon. The record-breaking amount was raised by the station's listeners and Ronald McDonald House partners in less than 12 hours More...

From Radio Online: Beasley Broadcast Group reported third quarter net revenue decrease 3.2% to $58.2 million as compared to $60.1 million in 2023. The decline was largely attributed to a dip in audio advertising and the recent closures of operations in Wilmington and esports ventures. However, this was More...

From Radio Insight: Marc Paskin has begun operating 1090 XEPRS Rosarito MX/San Diego CA and has flipped the station to Oldies. The station will feature a lineup of well known personalities including Charlie Tuna, MG Kelly, El Chingon, Real Don Steele, and Wolfman Jack. The station will utilize Talent Farm’s syndicated remasters of Wolfman Jack daily from 5-7pm. Paskin stated, “1090 AM XEPRS is a true blast from the past. We?re thrilled to bring back the voices and music that defined an era, and no one embodies that better than Wolfman Jack. It?s some of the world?s greatest DJs, playing the world?s greatest oldies. It really is radio the way it was meant to be heard.? Paskin has operated a number of stations over the past decade including Pot Rock “Smokin 94.1” KBUD Denver, Oldies “104.5 MeTV-FM” KXXP Portland, and 1470 WWNN Pompano Beach FL. XEPRS had been running Spanish Catholic “Monte Maria Radio” with a couple hours of Oldies since its lease to Out The Window Advertising to operate as Sports “The Mightier 1090” ended at the end of July. more

From Radio Insight: Vox AM/FM has announced a series of leadership changes for its seven station cluster in Burlington VT. David Goddette has been promoted to VP/General Manager as John Mullett recently departed to join the National Life Group. Goddette began his career at Vox in 2001 as an account executive. After departing in 2004 to spend four years at Nassau Broadcasting, he returned as a Senior AE in 2008 and rose to Local Sales Manager in 2018 and VP/Director of Sales in 2020. Vox has also appointed Tim Dodd as General Sales Manager. Recently working in medical sales, Dodd has held radio roles that include news reporter/anchor and Program Director. He previously worked in sales for Vox in the late 1990s. The company has also promoted Spencer Lieberman to Local Sales Manager focusing on revenue and account representatives for Classic Hits 92.1 WVTK and Addison County VT. Traffic Director Steve Bassett adds Administrative Office Manager duties. more

From Radio Online: In a sweeping move, iHeartMedia has initiated a major wave of layoffs, marking its most substantial staff reduction since January, 2020. The company is adopting a new operational framework aimed at centralizing many of its day-to-day activities to a national programming team, impacting various local and More...

From Radio Online: Steve Hegwood's Core Communicators has introduced a new player in the New Orleans radio scene with the launch of Hip Hop "Streetz 100.3" on KLRZ (100.3) in New Orleans. Previously operating as Coastal Broadcasting of Larose's Sports "ESPN New Orleans," the station began its new More...

From Radio Online: Alfred Williams, former Denver Bronco and radio host, will depart from iHeartMedia. Since 2019, Williams has been a familiar voice on Denver's KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM, where he hosted an afternoon sports show. During his tenure at iHeartMedia, Williams, aka "Big Al," co-hosted with Broncos play-by-play More...

From Radio Online: Former Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn is out from his role as host of the "Nine 2 Noon" show on Sports/Talk WRNW-FM (97.3 The Game) in Milwaukee. The announcement came abruptly on Monday, following his usual morning slot. Kuhn, who played for the Packers from 2007 to 2015, shared the news on X. He More...

From Radio Insight: Longtime South Florida mixer, personality and “El Zol 106.7” WXDJ programmer ‘Jammin Johnny’ Caride has passed away after a bout with cancer. A Miami native, Caribe began his career in 1986 as a mixer at “Ritmo 98” WRTO and “Super Q 107.5” WQBA-FM. He would move to “Power 96” WPOW-FM in 1995 where he was responsible for helping Los Del Rio’s “Macarena” explode the following year. He would stay at WPOW-FM until 2003 when he joined Spanish Broadcasting System’s “El Zol 95.7” WXDJ, which would later move to 106.7, as Program Director. In a statement put out by the company it was said, “‘Jammin’ Johnny Caride was a pioneering figure not only in the radio world but also in championing genres like freestyle and disco in the ’80s and offering early support for reggaeton. He believed in emerging stars like Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Ivy Queen, and Tego Calder?n and celebrated the evolution of the new generation of artists such as Karol G, Maluma, J Balvin, Farruko, Maffio, J Alvarez, Prince Royce, among many others. Today, the El Zol 106.7FM family, SBS, and the entire South Florida community mourn his passing. “Jammin” Johnny Caride leaves an indelible legacy, not only on the airwaves but also in the hearts of his fans and in the history of Latin music. We deeply thank his followers for their unwavering support throughout his career and his contribution to WXDJ-FM El Zol 106.7FM?s success as the leading station. Rest in peace, “Jammin” Johnny Caride. The radio and the Hispanic community of South Florida will never be the same without you, but your music, legacy, and spirit will live on forever in the hearts of those who listened to you and shared in your journey.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dj Gringo (@djgringo) View this post on Instagram A post shared by K Marie/La Gringa Mas Latina more

From Radio Online: The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) names Sean Perkins as Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Global Connections and Events (GCE), where he will oversee marketing efforts for NAB Show and NAB Show New York. Perkins will drive strategies aimed at increasing engagement and More...

From Radio Online: Quincy Jones, the iconic music producer and entertainment mogul, died at the age of 91 on Sunday, November 3. Jones passed away at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, surrounded by his family, marking the end of an era for the music and entertainment industry. Jones' unparalleled career More...

From Radio Online: The radio waves of South Florida are quieter Monday as the community mourned the passing of "Jammin" Johnny Caride, a towering figure in Hispanic radio broadcasting whose personality and musical genius left an indelible mark on the industry. Johnny Caride, whose full name was John Charles Caride, passed away More...

From Radio Online: Debbie Hiott, General Manager of KUT News and KUTX 98.9 in Austin, has been elected to the NPR Board of Directors, representing a significant step for local station leadership on a national level. Her election was confirmed by her peers from NPR member stations nationwide. Starting her term Monday, Hiott More...

From Radio Online: HRN (Hispanic Radio Network) has created The Influencer Network to help advertisers connect with Hispanic communities across the U.S. The Influencer Network leverages HRN's syndicated personalities impact on their radio listeners and social media followers. "Radio personalities More...

From Radio Online: Two Louisville stations have flipped to all Christmas music. Starting November 1, just hours after Halloween ended, both Hot AC WVEZ (Mix 106.9) and Alpha Media's WXMA (102.3 The Rose) made the move to all holiday music through Christmas night. Mix 106.9 switched to "Louisville's Original Christmas Music More...

From Radio Online: XEPRS-AM (1090) in San Diego makes a significant format shift, now dedicating its airwaves to Oldies. What sets this format apart is its revival of broadcasts by the iconic Wolfman Jack, known for his presence on 1090 XERB during the 1960s. This initiative marks the first station in More...

From Radio Online: Rhythmic CHR WWKX-FM in Providence flips to Classic Rock, rebranding as "106.3 The Wolf." This change took effect on Saturday, November 2. The station, licensed to Woonsocket since 1990 and formerly known as "Hot 106.3," had been known for its Rhythmic, Hip-Hop and Randamp;B tunes but More...

From Radio Insight: After less than six months in mornings at iHeartMedia Classic Rock 100.7 WZLX Boston, The Rich Shertenlieb Show has exited the station as part of today’s cuts. Shertenlieb debuted on WZLX in May following his exit from the “Toucher & Rich Show” at Beasley Media Group’s ?98.5 The Sports Hub? WBZ-FM in November 2023. He and Fred Toucher had anchored mornings at the station since its flip to Sports in 2009 after previously hosting afternoons and mornings at Rock 104.1 WBCN. He also Alternative ?99X? WNNX Atlanta and was a producer on the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show. Shertenlieb released the following statement. Hey guys hey- After five months, The Rich Shertenlieb Show will no longer air on WZLX. To say that I’m disappointed is an understatement. When we launched the show at the end of May, the plan was simple. We would take the months of Summer to build chemistry with the new cast and by Fall and football season, we would be close to sounding what our vision of the show would be. However, just over two months into the show, management decided to alter the format. They wanted music, I did not. However despite my disagreement about the decision, I agreed to move forward and music was added. After starting from scratch, watching the show fanbase grow and the interaction with the fans increase as they became part of our radio family is one my proudest accomplishments in all my years of broadcasting. I’ve never been part of that much growth, ever. But the thing that I am the most proud of is the team that I helped put together for the show. This was THE team. If I could work with all of them the rest of my career, I would die happy. I love all of these guys. And through the last several months and my differences in vision with management, these guys had my back the entire way. All of them. Michael Hurley fought with me to create a great show tooth and nail every step of the way. There is no one smarter, more loyal, or a better friend to me than Hurley has been over the past five months. For someone who had never done full time radio before, he understood it better than anyone else. Ted Johnson has become one of the elite talents in sports broadcasting, and I couldn’t be more proud to call him a friend. Ted knows what it’s like to win, and always had my back the entire way. Emerson Lotzia is like that guy from The Town. “Who’s car we gonna take?”. This guy worked his ass off every day to make the show sound great, and through everything the last several months was an absolute rock. You’re not gonna find a better guy than Kenny Young-helped me with the transition, and is a pro’s pro. A master of all trades, and a great friend through it all. Jojo always started my morning off with a laugh and fist bump, and was always the first person to send me show ideas. Gonna miss those amazing golden pipes. Thank you to Heart for the opportunity. Just because we didn’t have the same vision doesn’t mean I don’t thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a chance to assemble the team I’ve always wanted to work with. I LOVED this show. I loved our listeners. And I already miss you. -Rich more

From Radio Insight: Cuts are also ongoing today at Cumulus Media Indianapolis where among the exits is Kevin Freeman after 34 years in mornings at Country 95.5 WFMS. Freeman joined the station in 1990 where he was part of the show led by Jim Denny until Denny’s retirement at the end of last year. He had most recently been teamed with Matt Malone, who moved from afternoons to succeed Denny in January, and Deb Honeycutt, who has been with the morning show since 2000. Freeman also hosted overnights on Westwood One’s Classic Country network. more

From Radio Insight: In what may be its biggest round of layoffs since January 2020, massive cuts are underway today at iHeartMedia. The cuts include significant names across all levels of the company as it begins to implement a new operating structure following recent corporate restructurings. iHeart has been moving towards more regionalized operations at the market management level, which we’re told are also affecting promotions and sales teams. Most day-to-day programming of stations are moving to the national programming teams. We have already heard of many significant names affected by the cuts, but will only be publishing those who have gone public with their exits: Cleveland Bill Squire departs as co-host of the “Alan Cox Show” on Hot Talk/Rock 100.7 WMMS. A stand-up comedian, Squire has been with the station since 2013. Des Moines Ross Peterson exits as morning co-host at Sports 1460 KXNO/106.3 KXNO-FM after 20 years at the station. Tampa Jay Recher and Zac Blobner are out as hosts of “Jay & Z” from 12-3pm on Sports 1250/95.3 WDAE. Recher has been with the station since 2014 and was also Assistant Program Director at the station. Blobner joined the station in 2017 as a producer after three years at 930 WFXJ Jacksonville. The duo had hosted the early afternoon show since 2021. Washington DC Paul Jaxon exits as morning host at Classic Rock “Big 100” WBIG-FM and midday host at “Alt 104.5” WRFF Philadelphia. Jaxon joined WBIG-FM in September 2023 after 18 years in afternoons at WMMR Philadelphia from 2004-2022. He has also hosted mornings at WFNX Boston, KBPI Denver, and KURR Salt Lake City as well as nights at WHJY Providence in his career. This story is being continuously updated. more

From Radio Online: Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio (MIW) launches the Erica Farber Mentorship in Management program. Formerly known as the Mildred Carter Mentorship, this program is designed specifically to empower and elevate women in senior leadership across all facets of the radio industry -- including sales, More...

From Radio Online: This week's Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog examines findings from a new Nielsen analysis of Portable People Meter tuning for the 2023-24 season and makes the case for using the NFL postseason listening audience as a means to jump start 2025 media plans. Monday's blog post shares More...

From Radio Online: In a move to bolster its Spanish-language broadcast services, Urban One inks a new Local Management Agreement (LMA) with La Mega Media and Lazo Media. Beginning November 1, Urban One will assume ownership and/or operational responsibilities for multiple stations across Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and More...

From Radio Online: Jonathan Peterlin joins WKRK-FM (92.3 The Fan) in Cleveland as afternoon co-host. He teams with co-host Nick Wilson and will be heard weekdays from 2-7pm ET. Peterlin had previously served as the station's evening talent since 2022, hosting "Overtime with Jonathan Peterlin" weeknights from 7-11pm. He joined More...