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From Radio Insight: After stunting for a couple of days as “Halloween Radio” following its move from Hattiesburg MS into New Orleans, iHeartMedia flipped 103.7 WFFX Marrero/New Orleans LA to Hot AC “Voodoo 103.7” at 5pm today. The new format is positioning as “New Orleans’ 90s To Now” and launched with Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse”. The move resurrects the “Voodoo” brand that had been heard 104.1 KVDU from 2011 to 2017 first with the 90s based “Gen X Radio” format before segueing to Rhythmic AC and then Hot AC. more

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the September 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Akron, Charleston SC, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, and Syracuse. The next three releases will feature: On Friday, October 18: Monthly ratings for Columbia SC, Little Rock, Springfield MA, and Toledo. On Monday, October 21: Monthly ratings for Colorado Springs, Des Moines, Mobile, Spokane, and Wichita. On Tuesday, October 22: Monthly ratings for Chattanooga and Huntsville, Jackson MS, and Madison. more

From Radio Online: The Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) have announced that applications are now open for the Rusty Walker Scholarship Program. The scholarship is not only a chance to attend a significant event in the Country music industry but also a recognition of outstanding talent and potential within More...

From Radio Online: Edison Research's Sports Audio Report: Demographics at Play with SiriusXM Media will be presented in a webinar on Tuesday, October 29 at 2pm ET. This third and final installment from the Sports Audio Report, from Edison Research, SiriusXM Media, and GroupM, will explore the diversity in sports fandom, More...

From Radio Insight: Cox Media Group has flipped Spanish Hot AC “Exitos 96.5” WOEX-FM Orlando to Bilingual AC “Hits 96.5” at 4pm today. Much like iHeartMedia’s similar “Magic” brand in markets such as Miami, Tucson and Fort Myers, the new brand features mostly English music from the 1980s through 2000s with Spanish language personalities. Core artists are listed as including Ed Sheeran, Whitney Houston, Adele, Michael Jackson, Shakira, and Maroon 5. Cox Orlando VP/Market Manager JC Campese said, “?Our responsibility as broadcasters is to serve our community – our entire community. As Central Florida continues to grow, our community has asked for a station like HITS 96.5, and we?re proud to deliver this exciting new brand on the largest broadcast signal in the Orlando market.? The station will continue to feature Epi Colon in mornings, Liliani Hernandez in middays, Luis Angel in afternoons, and Martica Lopez in evenings. WOEX Director of Branding and Programming Raymond Hernandez said, “We?re thrilled to bring Hispanics in Orlando the music they grew up with from the 80s, 90s and today, but with on-air personalities speaking to them in Spanish. We want to break out of the usual Latin formats and deliver music and content in the way Hispanics are accustomed to in their countries of origin.? The new format positions WOEX-FM directly between Audacy’s market leading Classic Hits “105.9 Sunny-FM” WOCL and iHeartMedia’s third ranked AC “Magic 107.7” WMGF. “Exitos” ranked thirteenth in the market with a 2.6 share in the September 2024 Nielsen Audio ratings. more

From Radio Online: Cox Media Group Radio in Orlando relaunches WOEX (Exitos 96.5) as "Hits 96.5." The format change took Thursday at 4pm. The station will be Adult Contemporary and will feature English pop music from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. On-air hosts will be Spanish speaking. Hits 96.5 will play artists such as Ed Sheeran, More...

From Radio Online: The FCC has proposed a $146,976 fine against ESPN Inc. for six apparent violations of Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules. The violations stem from ESPN's unauthorized use of EAS codes during a promotional segment for the 2023-2024 NBA season. The FCC alleges that ESPN willfully and repeatedly transmitted the More...

From Radio Online: In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, Premiere Networks-syndicated personality Granger Smith teamed up with HopeFound.org to deliver essential resources to some of the hardest-hit areas. The group drove a semi-truck full of supplies to Knoxville, TN on Monday, October 14, where they were More...

From Radio Insight: Longtime Hilton Head Island SC and Savannah GA personality Monty Jett died this morning at the age of 76. Jett has spent his 61 year career in the region, where he was currently hosting a Saturday morning show on Dick Broadcasting Classic Hits “Rewind 107.9” WRWN Port Royal SC where he had been hosting afternoons until January 2023. Jett also hosted mornings at Oldies “93.5 The Island” WHHW and had long runs at the former Soft AC “Joy 107” WIJY and Adult Standards 107.9 WLOW. He began his career in 1964 as a fifteen year old at 790 WWBD Denmark SC. more

From Radio Online: Podtrac announced today its new Predictive Promo Planner to provide podcast publishers insights into placing ads in other podcasts to promote their podcasts. The Predictive Planner provides publishers custom recommendations specific to the individual podcasts they are promoting for the shows and networks More...

From Radio Online: Patty Hixson, Regional Vice President of Cumulus Media for Fresno, Stockton, and Modesto, was honored at the Marjaree Mason Center's 41st Annual Top 10 Professional Women and Leading Business Awards. The ceremony, held on October 16th at the Fresno Convention andamp; Entertainment Center, recognized ten Central More...

From Radio Online: Glass Podcasts and iHeartPodcasts have teamed to launch a new podcast series entitled "American Homicide." The series, debuting October 17 takes an innovative approach to exploring iconic and chilling crime stories from across the U.S. Each episode offers a deep dive into infamous murder cases through More...

From Radio Online: Triton Digital has released its U.S. Podcast Ranker for September 2024. In addition to regular monthly reporting, Triton Digital collaborated with Signal Hill Insights to take a closer look at political podcast downloads and audience trends as the U.S. presidential election More...

From Radio Online: New Country WKKT-FM (96.9 The Kat) Charlotte has announced that Paul Schadt, co-host of "The Paul Schadt andamp; Sarah Lee Morning Show," will retire in February, 2025. After his retirement, Schadt will serve as a station ambassador and make on-air and on-site appearances. He's spent 44 years in Charlotte radio, More...

From Radio Online: Salem Radio Network (SRN) has unveiled its plans for coverage of the 2024 Presidential election, offering continuous and detailed updates beginning at 6pm ET on Tuesday, November 5. The coverage, which will span both radio and television, aims to provide a thorough look at the race for the Presidency and key More...

From Radio Insight: For years, the request line was radio stations? first, then most dynamic read on a new record. In recent years, with fewer calls to radio stations and less on-air staff available to respond to them I real time, stations have had to rely on Shazam and streaming info, but without the same assurance that those calls represent a station?s own listeners.* The nationally syndicated night show LiveLine, however, does generate requests. For the last few weeks, the show?s weekly top 10 requested songs have been appearing in the Ross On Radio newsletter. This week, host Mason Kelter shares ?Mason?s Observations,? his thoughts on current music through the POV of the show?s audience. At a moment of stagnation on the CHR charts, it?s a potential early detection system for worthwhile possible adds. ? Sean Ross Liveline generates 500+ real listener requests every week through nationwide calls, texts and social media DMs from men and women of all ages. Our phones really ring! Nearly every break is a fresh, live listener phone request, taken that night. Most programmers are shocked to hear how mainstream these listener?s music choices are, not only for songs old and new, but also the difference between what large numbers of listeners request vs. what radio is playing or what is hot on the Spotify charts.* These are our unbiased, raw and unique observations on songs that*listeners love, dislike, don’t know, or clamor to hear on the radio. Because we are live, we can get a listener to testify why they love a particular song or artist. This true ?frontsell? of the requested songs draws the listener in, continuously promotes the music product, and generates more calls. These nightly real-time requests, accurately tabulated, allow us to easily identify the songs that are popular with listeners, both before and after radio starts playing them. It is a secret weapon mastered by Open House Party’s John Garabedian, who, using this real data, grew monster hits of unlikely songs throughout his career. Our role is not music discovery: It’s playing the audience’s favorite and hottest songs. It?s also avoiding the stiffs that get hyped into high chart positions with no audience enthusiasm.* Getting ratings is not just what you play, it?s what you don?t play that builds TSL.* Sabrina Carpenter, ?Taste?/?Bed Chem?: How many artists in the past decade have had four massive #1 hits in a row?*?Taste? has been our #1 request three weeks straight, finally dropping to #2 and making room for ?Birds of a Feather.? It has been and out at #1 on Spotify in America since the Short N Sweet album’s release August 27.* Then there’s ?Bed Chem,? radio and her fans’ pick for the next single. We were getting requests for all album cuts (rare for any artist?the only other ones that come to mind are Olivia Rodrigo’s “GUTS” and some Chappell Roan stuff) but this one stood out. Consistently Top 15 on Spotify. Early big supporters this week are KMVQ San Francisco (61 spins), WXKS Boston (68 spins), WDCG Raleigh, and WNKS Charlotte. Chappell Roan, ?Pink Pony Club? – #9 requests this week. Radio took a very long time to get on board with ?Good Luck, Babe!” and “HOT TO GO!”, both of which were already #1 requests on Liveline over the summer. The latter is finally hitting top 10 on CHR airplay. A handful of PDs have expressed a dislike for Roan?s style and her voice. But WHYA Cape Cod PD Steve McVie says, ?I can?t do a gig without getting requests for ?Pink Pony Club.? In bars and clubs in the last few months, all three of her songs get the biggest reaction.? ?Pony? is only #53 in CHR airplay this week, but the label isn?t working it (yet). It?s still getting more than a dozen spins on some winning medium-market stations. It?s also consistently top 15 on Spotify in the world (with the other two sitting comfortably in the top 10),. The Weeknd & Playboi Carti, ?Timeless? ? It?s #16 in requests this week and we?ve never played it (yet). None of our affiliates play it either. Came out September 27. Currently #54 on Top 40 with big supporters KYLD/San Francisco (64 spins), KZZP/Phoenix (35 spins) and WKQI/Detroit (42 spins). Debuted at #1 on Spotify Global (which most songs by major artists do) and has been top 5 ever since. Further proof that many people are not discovering new music on the radio. Already approaching top 10 on Rhythmic. By contrast, we?ve only had two requests for the pop radio single, ?Dancing in the Flames? since its release a month ago. That song isn?t even in the top 200 on Spotify. There are other songs on this week?s CHR top 30 that we?ve never had a single request for: Madison Beer?s ?Make You Mine? (being dropped now, but peaked at No. 9), Teddy Swims? ?The Door,? Mark Ambor?s ?Belong Together? and most of the top 20 and low 30s, except for ?Apple? by Charli XCX which is No. 8 in requests this week. Buried Treasures of the Week:The Neighbourhood?s ?Sweater Weather” is making its big comeback for the 10th year in a row. Top 20 on Spotify and Liveline every year from October to March. It’s the fall equivalent of Mariah Carey’s 30-year-old Christmas song. (Likewise, Noah Kahan?s ?Stick Season? is again representing the transition in listeners? lives; it was a top 5 request earlier this year for several months.) Justin Bieber & Ludacris “Baby” is the unlikely winner of our most-requested gold title ever! Released in 2010, it became the most-disliked video in YouTube history, drove away an alloy of 18+-plus audience*of CHR and struggled for airplay (peaking at #16). Those 8-15 year-olds are now in their 20s and 30s, and we’ve had at least one request for this song every night in the past 3 years, no joke. One night in July 2023, we had a call for it every hour (two of them in the 4th hour of the show), and none of them had heard it when we played it earlier in the show. I promise, it’s all ages men and women requesting this song now. It’s a Liveline classic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Liveline with Mason more

From Radio Online: iHeartMedia appoints Rob VanDerbeck as Market President its cluster in Albany, NY, effective immediately. He brings over 26 years of experience in broadcast sales, with the last 12 years in several iHeartMedia markets. VanDerbeck will oversee the operations of all seven Albany stations while continuing to More...

From Radio Insight: iHeartMedia Poughkeepsie NY/Sussex NJ Market President Rob VanDerbeck will add the same duties for its Albany NY cluster. VanDerbeck has held the Market President duties since March 2022 after previously spending a decade as SVP/Sales. He has also been Director of Sales for Pamal Broadcasting in Albany and spent a decade at Cumulus Media Poughkeepsie where he rose from an account executive to Vice President of Sales. VanDerbeck said, “?I am excited for this next chapter. As a lifelong competitor, and I look forward to competing once again in the Albany Market and working alongside our strong, talented team to deliver great results.” His appointment follows former Albany Area President Howard Greiner’s move to Nashville Metro President in August and the subsequent combination of the company’s Western New York Area including Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton with the Albany Area including Poughkeepsie and Sussex into the new Upstate New York Area under Bob Morgan, who VanDerbeck will report to. Morgan said, “Rob has been exceptional in leading our stations in Poughkeepsie and Sussex, and I am looking forward to working with him as he expands his oversight into the Capital Region.” more

From Radio Insight: SiriusXM is expanding its partnership with NBCUniversal News Group to launch two new channels on its platform. A simulcast of the NBC News NOW television channel is available via SiriusXM’s streaming and app platforms on channel 798. NBC News NOW “delivers comprehensive news coverage and reporting from around the globe” with anchors including Joe Fryer, Tom Llamas, Hallie Jackson, Kristen Welker, Gadi Schwartz and Savannah Sellers. Added to the satellite and streaming services is Dateline 24/7 on channel 107 as SiriusXM expands its true-crime programming. “Dateline 24/7 offers a non-stop stream of gripping true crime mysteries, covering the most captivating stories and investigations from the long-running hit program, Dateline.” SiriusXM will also continue to carry other NBCUniversal News Group channels including Today Show Radio (channel 108), CNBC (channel 112) and MSNBC (channel 117). more

From Radio Insight: While no location has been announced yet, MSBC 37 aka Morning Show Boot Camp is holding a flash sale on tickets for its 2025 event. The 2025 MSBC will take place from August 7-9, 2025, but for those who know they will be attending next summer regardless of location, tickets are available until Midnight PST for $225 as opposed to the regular price of $465. Full details are available at RadioMSBC.com. more

From Radio Insight: iHeartMedia Country “96.9 The Kat” WKKT Statesville/Charlotte NC morning host Paul Schadt has announced he will retire in February 2025. Following the end of his stint in mornings, Schadt will continue to serve as a station ambassador making on-air and on-site appearances. A native of Charlotte, he has been a staple of Charlotte radio since 1981 spending sixteen years at 103.7 WSOC before moving to WKKT in 1997 when the “Kat” brand debuted. Schadt has been teamed with Sarah Lee Owensby since 2018. Schadt was inducted to the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2014 and also has co-hosted PRN’s syndicated ?Racing Country? with Cathy Martindale since 1996. He said, “This has been the toughest decision of my life by far, because I love what I do. I?m a very lucky guy, I?ve had the most remarkable ?job? anyone could ever ask for. Growing up, I never would have believed the people I?d meet and work with, the experiences I?d have and all the lives I?d get to be a part of every day.? iHeartMedia Region President Dave Carwile added, “Paul?s journey from the daily broadcast to a cherished ambassador role is a testament to his unmatched contributions and passion for the industry. While he may no longer be on-air with us every morning, his influence and spirit will continue to guide and inspire listeners and colleagues alike. Congratulations to Paul on this exciting new chapter!? more

From Radio Online: A new report from Veritonic underscores the growing significance of audio in shaping brand experiences, particularly for podcast listeners. The research, conducted through a survey of hundreds of U.S. podcast listeners, revealed that sound is becoming a vital component in the way More...

From Radio Online: The Long Hollow Stormwater Pond in Pensacola is set for a significant expansion, prompting the planned removal of a radio tower that currently supports one AM station and six FM stations, reports WEAR-TV's Sarah Gail. This change is part of the city's larger Hollis T. Williams More...

From Radio Online: Benztown is offering radio stations a free Election AudioPack ahead of the 2024 elections. The AudioPack includes a range of high-quality sound effects (SFX) and audio clips focused on key election topics and issues that resonate with listeners. The package features daily breaking news updates and content More...

From Radio Online: The Connecticut Broadcasters Association (CBA) celebrated its 2024 Hall of Fame inductees and recognized outstanding achievements in broadcasting during an event at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville on October 15. The gathering marked the inaugural CBA station awards, dubbed "The CBAs," a new tradition that More...

From Radio Online: Cox Media Group (CMG) has raised nearly $1 million and delivered essential aid to communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, while providing extensive live news and storm coverage on its stations across the Southeast. In addition to broadcasting hundreds of hours of More...

From Radio Insight: Longtime Abilene TX Country morning host Dwayne ‘Doc’ Alexander passed away on Tuesday, October 15, at the age of 61. Alexander and Kelly Jay have hosted mornings at Cumulus Media Country 99.7 KBCY Tye since 1999 after previously working together at times between 1987 and 1999 at crosstown 105.1 KEAN as the “Men In Boots”. Alexander also held programming roles at both stations at times including Operations Manager of Sunburst Broadcasting and APD/MD of KBCY. more

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the September 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Albuquerque, El Paso, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Metro Fairfield County. The next three releases will feature: On Thursday, October 17: Monthly ratings for Akron, Charleston SC, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, and Syracuse. On Friday, October 18: Monthly ratings for Columbia SC, Little Rock, Springfield MA, and Toledo. On Monday, October 21: Monthly ratings for Colorado Springs, Des Moines, Mobile, Spokane, and Wichita. more

From Radio Online: The Florida Association of Broadcasters (FAB) has donated $25,000 to the Broadcasters Foundation of America (BFOA) Hurricanes Helene and Milton Fund. With the addition of FAB's donation, BFOA has exceeded the amount necessary for the $25,000 match donation from Red Apple Media and More...

From Radio Insight: GEOS Communications has completed the upgrade of 103.9 W280CV Scranton to 103.7 and is now stunting with non-stop Drake as “Drake 103.7“. Fed by Bold Gold’s 104.9 WWRR-HD3 Scranton, the translator had previously been testing with a loop of the theme song of The Office, which of course took place in Scranton. W279EM is now operating with 138w/313m from the tower of WWRR. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 103.7 Drake (@1037drake) more