Activity Stream

From Radio Insight: An additional format change will be coming to Columbus OH on Friday, November 1. We already know that Radio One will end end its lease of Regional Mexican “La Grande 102.5” WWLG Baltimore OH and enter into a partnership with La Mega Media to place its Spanish Variety “Mega 103.1” WVKO-FM Johnstown (now WWLA) in a simulcast on 107.1 WJYD Circleville on that date with WWLG expected to flip to Educational Media Foundation’s Christian AC “K-Love” network as WKVR. Now we can add an additional station to the changes. Gospel “Joy 107.1” that has been on 107.1 WJYD since November 2015 will move to 106.3 WHTD London. The move will mark a return home to the frequency, which previously held the format, brand and call letters from 2000 until 2011. WHTD currently simulcasts Hip Hop “Power 107.5” WCKX Columbus. more

From Radio Online: Wave Sports and#43; Entertainment (Wave) is set to launch "Fitz andamp; Whit" on October 28, a new series that brings together NFL icons Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth. Known for their dynamic presence both on and off the field, the duo will share hosting duties, engaging audiences every Monday with fresh More...

From Radio Online: Bill Fox is named the new morning host at WSIG-FM in Harrisonburg, VA. He replaces Quinn Alexander, who left the Classic Country outlet last week. Previously, he served as Brand Manager for Midwest's Country WXCL in Pekin, IL and morning host at AC WSWT (Mix 106.9) in Peoria until last August. Before that, More...

From Radio Insight: Saga Communications Classic Country 96.9 WSIG Mount Jackson/Harrisonburg VA has quickly filled the opening created by last week’s exit of Quinn Alexander as it appoints Bill Fox as its new morning host. Fox most recently served in the dual role of Brand Manager for Midwest Communications Country “104.9 The Wolf” WXCL Pekin IL and morning host at AC “Mix 106.9” WSWT Peoria until departing at the end of August. Fox also spent time in mornings at WXCL in 2023 after also programming Country 101.9 WDEZ Wausau WI for Midwest. He also has hosted mornings at Classic Rock “107.1 The Boss” WWZY Long Branch NJ, Country 97.5 WOKQ Portsmouth NH, AC ?B95.5? WYJB Albany NY from 2012-2017 and Classic Hits ?107.5 Frank-FM? WFNK Portland ME from 2006-2012 and worked on air at KLLY Bakersfield, KWYE Fresno, KXOA Sacramento, and WBHT Wilkes-Barre in his career. more

From Radio Online: Veteran radio personality Jen Myers has died after a courageous eight-year battle with breast cancer. Myers, who began her 26-year career in radio at WLCE (Alice 92.9) in Buffalo, NY in 1998, later made significant contributions at various stations, including KSTZ (Star 102.5) in Des Moines and KYKY (Y98) in More...

From Radio Online: M.T.D. Inc. has closed on acquisition of five stations in Ruidoso, NM from Walton Stations. Included in the deal were 5kW KBUY-AM (1360), 1kW KWES-AM (1450), 25kW KWES-FM (93.5), 0.25kW K234AQ-FX (94.7) and 0.25kW K290AY-FX (105.9). Walton Stations is a New Mexico-based company More...

From Radio Insight: With the pending sale of CHR “105.9 Kiss-FM” KKSW Lawrence KS to Reyes Media, Great Plains Media is moving University of Kansas men’s basketball to Country “92.9 The Bull” KMXN Osage City. The change will take effect starting with the exhibition game on Friday, October 25. Kansas football will remain on KKSW through the end of this season as the sale to Reyes Media and expected flip to a Spanish language format will not take place until January 1, 2025. more

From Radio Insight: Brighter Media Group is selling Christian Preaching 1230 WRBS Baltimore to the Julio Arquinio led BMax Media for $375,000. The station will continue to be rebroadcast by American FM Associates’ 94.3 W232CL Baltimore with BMaxMedia acquiring some related equipment for $9000 as part of its tower site lease with the seller. Brighter Media Group retains Christian AC “95.1 Bright-FM” WRBS-FM Baltimore and 103.1 WRHS Grasonville MD. The programming currently on 1230 WRBS will continue to be heard on 95.1 WRBS-HD2 and their app. Rick Keefer’s Zia Radio Group sells Country 106.7 KQTY-FM Borger TX to Corey and Bailey Naugle’s Driven Media for $80,000. The operators of regional car dealerships, the Naugles agreed last month to purchase Oldies 800 KDDD and Classic Country ?Big Country 95.3? KDDD-FM Dumas for $280,0000. A restructuring of Akal Broadcasting will see Nechhatar Dhaliwal increase his ownership stake from 25% to 95% of the group that owns South Asian “Radio Punjab” 620 KIGS Hanford and 1210 KQEQ Fowler/Fresno CA. Dhaliwal will purchase Charanjit Batth’s 50% stake for $195,000 and Balraj Singh Brar’s 10% stake for $30,000. The deal will also see Sukhdev Dhillon’s ownership percentage drop from 15 percent to 5 percent. Dhaliwal also owns a 40% stake of XL Media (CA), which owns 680 KGSV Oildale/102.5 K273CB Bakersfield. Translator SalesRadio By Grace sells 88.7 K204DI Hot Springs AR and 89.7 W209CF Gulfport MS to Bott Radio Network’s Community Broadcasting Inc. for $55,000. more

From Radio Insight: Following the move last week of Rock WVLZ from 106.1 to 850/93.7, Loud Media launched Alternative “Atomic 106” on what is now 106.1 WATO Oliver Springs/Knoxville TN. Positioning as “Everything Alternative”, the station brings the format back to the Knoxville market for the first time since Midwest Communications flipped 94.3 WNFZ to Variety Hits “Jack-FM” in March 2019. WATO will feature United Stations’ “The TJ Show” in mornings as it moves over from afternoons at sister 90s/2000s Hits 104.9 WKVL. The new brand launched at 1:06pm today with U2’s “Atomic City”, Queens of the Stone Age “Go With The Flow”, and Social Distortion “Bad Luck”. more

From Radio Insight: Longtime Audacy Hot AC “Y98” KYKY St. Louis personality Jennifer ‘Jen Myers’ Farmer passed away on Thursday, October 24 at the age of 49 after an eight year battle with Stage 4 breast cancer. A native of the Buffalo NY suburb of Amherst, she began her career at CBS Radio Modern AC “Alice 92.9” WLCE Buffalo in 1998. Myers would then join Saga Hot AC “Star 102.5” KSTZ Des Moines as Music Director and midday host in November 1999 before returning to CBS in January 2002 to take on the Music Director and morning co-host role at KYKY. In March 2021, she was promoted to Assistant Program Director of KYKY and AC 102.5 KEZK, while moving from mornings to middays at “Y98“. She would depart the station in April 2022 to focus on her health. At the time she wrote, “”My breast cancer metastasized to my lungs in 2018, advancing to Stage 4. I recently started a new chemo regimen that is not pretty I hope this treatment will help, but it is also not a cure for this disease. We are betting a lot right now on hope.” In an Instagram post, Audacy St. Louis SVP/Market Manager Becky Domyan wrote, “We lost a beloved member of our radio family and community today. Jen was an absolute warrior, and used her time and energy to help others day in and day out; even if she wasn?t feeling her best. I am so honored that I was able to work with her, as her positive impact on so many was significant. She was continually selfless beyond measure, and was a shining bright light for anyone and everyone she came into contact with.” She is survived by her husband, Ryan; children, Finn and Nora; her parents, in-laws and multiple nieces and nephews. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rebecca Domyan (@beckydomyan) more

From Radio Online: Kacey Morabito-Grean, a longtime voice at Pamal Broadcasting's AC WHUD-FM in Newburgh-Middletown, NY, is leaving the station after more than three decades in broadcasting to pursue a new opportunity outside the industry. Morabito-Grean began her career at WHUD in 1991, hosting the "Night Rhythms" evening More...

From Radio Online: KONO-FM/San Antonio APD and air personality Steve Casanova is retiring from the Cox Media Group Classic Hits outlet. The long-time broadcaster, who has been a fixture at KONO-FM since 2000, has previously aired in nights and middays and served as Assistant Program Director. His responsibilities extended to More...

From Radio Insight: After a combined 32 years at Pamal Broadcasting AC 100.7 WHUD Peekskill NY, Kacey Morabito-Grean is departing the station for a position outside the industry. Morabito joined WHUD as host of their “NightRhytyms” evening show from 1991 to 1998 before returning to the station to host mornings alongside Mike Bennett in 2000. She would then move to middays at the station last year and also hosts “Shine On; The Health & Happiness Radio Show” on Sunday mornings. In between her two tenures at WHUD, she spent a year at WLTW New York. In a post announcing her departure, Kacey wrote, “I?m not saying goodbye to anyone or anything! Broadcasting will always be part of my journey – as will loving life here in the Hudson Valley. I?m so very grateful that I got to play on the air in my own backyard for so long. And I treasure the deep connections I shared with my Listeners. We loved fiercely and had so much fun! Come see me on the Holy Mountain! We have more adventures to share.” WHUD is beginning the search for a new host with at least 3 years full time experience. More details are available at the RadioInsight Jobs page. more

From Radio Insight: There?s the Classic Hits format as it exists in most major markets. There are the stations specializing in the ?60s and ?70s but playing mostly the hits that you would have heard on those major-market stations a decade or two ago. Then, there are various stations and shows specializing in what I?ve termed ?Oldies XL,? with more breadth or depth than you would hear elsewhere. Many of those have become favorites of Ross On Radio readers. Thirteen years ago, Don Tandler launched Pop Gold Radio.Tandler?s long career includes hosting afternoons at SiriusXM?s 70s on 7 and weekend oldies programming on WKXW (New Jersey 101.5). On an infinite dial full of ?Oldies XL,? Pop Gold Radio has become a ROR reader favorite, in part because of Tandler?s Saturday afternoon ?Time Machine? countdowns, but also because pre-Beatles titles are part of his mix as well. Bob Radil found a following among ROR readers as well. Radil was a longtime Connecticut radio CE who also hosted a Friday night online show particularly known for its depth and breadth. Radil?s ?The 60s70s Show? drew not just on Top 40 gold but also on the Album Rock radio of that era. In July, after a five-year absence, Radil brought that show to Pop Gold Radio from 6-10 ET on Friday nights. I could probably spend an entire weekend, from Friday at 4 p.m., through Midnight Sunday listening only to Oldies specialty shows programmed by friends and ROR readers. But Pop Gold Radio has a few of them now, including: ?That Thing with Rich Appel?is syndicated to numerous broadcast and online radio stations with a ?60s/?70s-based format, drawing upon the spirit of radio in the era when the music was made. ?That Thing? is running somewhere throughout the weekend, but you can hear it at 6 p.m. Saturday on Pop Gold Radio, right after ?The Time Machine,? which Appel has also been known to host. Tom Natoli?s ?The List? is a countdown that lets listeners go back and re-rank the hits from a given month and year. Natoli is currently soliciting votes for October, 1967 (maybe the hardest month so far, in terms of trying to choose songs that shouldn?t be in my top 20) through Sunday (20). He?ll count down that list at 10:30 a.m., Oct. 23. Natoli also does other numerous themed countdowns on Pop Gold Radio. His ?Top New York Hits of 1964? is set to begin on Oct. 30. Ken Michaels? ?Every Little Thing?was spotlighted in these pages two years ago as part of a roundtable discussion between Beatles specialty show hosts. The show airs on PGR on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Last weekend?s ?Time Machine? counted down the Cashbox chart from October 1978. This weekend, Tandler is counting down the KHJ Los Angeles survey from October 19, 1965, just a few months after that station revolutionized Top 40 radio. One of the songs from that week that you would normally expect to hear only on a countdown show also made an appearance when I listened to Pop Gold Radio in regular format at 5:20 p.m., October 13: Elton John, ?Goodbye Yellow Brick Road? Ben E. King, ?Don?t Play That Song (You Lied)? Charlie Rich, ?Mohair Sam??if you want to hear it on the radio, it will be on the KHJ countdown Beatles, ?Eight Days a Week? Joe Jeffery Group, ?My Pledge of Love? Creedence Clearwater Revival, ?Looking Out My Back Door? Four Seasons, ?Stay? Elvis Presley, ?A Fool Such As I? Bobby Fuller Four, ?I Fought the Law? First Choice, ?Smarty Pants? Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, ?Keep on Lovin? Me Honey? Smokey Robinson & Miracles, ?The Tracks of My Tears? Joe Simon, ?The Chokin? Kind? Loggins & Messina, ?Your Mama Don?t Dance? Lee Dorsey, ?Do Re Mi? Radil?s show is known both for its depth and for his ability to ad-lib theme segments and for an ongoing listener dialogue on his home and Facebook pages. Here Radil?s first show just before 9 p.m. on July 5: Moody Blues, ?Stop? Giorgio Moroder, ?Knights in White Satin??despite the spelling, a disco Moody Blues cover Four Tops, ?When She Was My Girl??the beginning of a series of comeback songs Radil played Gary ?US? Bonds, ?This Little Girl? Bobby Vee, ?Come Back When You Grow Up? Dean Martin, ?Everybody Loves Somebody? Gene Chandler, ?Groovy Situation? Righteous Brothers, ?Rock & Roll Heaven? Climax, ?Rock & Roll Heaven??an earlier version from the ?Precious and Few? act Mills Brothers, ?Cab Driver? Donnie Iris, ?Love Is Like a Rock? Byrds, ?Things Will Be Better? Ben E. King, ?Supernatural Thing? Rick Nelson, ?Garden Party? John Lennon, ?(Just Like) Starting Over? more

From Radio Online: WIXV-FM (I-95, The Rock of Savannah) partnered with Savannah Harley-Davidson and the Savannah H.O.G. Chapter for the 4th Annual Savannah Harley-Davidson Save The Ta-Tas Poker Run. The event was held on Saturday, October 19 and brought in $6,200 for Margie's Army Foundation, a More...

From Radio Online: Beasley Broadcast Group appoints Lauren Burrows Coleman as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective Friday, November 1. She succeeds longtime CFO Marie Tedesco, who will retire from Beasley after 33 years. Before joining Beasley, Burrows Coleman served as Global Head of Strategic Corporate and Commercial More...

From Radio Insight: After moving its programming in Cincinnati to Radio One’s 101.5 W258CM Cincinnati/WIZF-HD2 Erlanger KY on October 1, La Mega Media Inc. is expanding its distribution in Cleveland and Columbus. The Spanish Variety “Mega Cleveland” brand will return to radio for the first time in over four years on 1300 WJMO starting November 1. Mega was previously heard on 87.7 WLFM-LP from January 2014 until the station ceased operation as a Franken-FM in June 2020. It has since continued broadcasting online only. 1300 WJMO currently serves as parent signal to Gospel “Praise 94.5” W233CG, which will now be fed by 107.9 WENZ-HD2. WJMO will join Omega Media Broadcasting’s “Rumba 107.3-HD2” WNWV-HD2 in the Cleveland Spanish media marketplace. Multiple changes will take place in Columbus. The Lazo Media owned “Mega 103.1” WVKO-FM Johnstown has changed call letters to WWLA and will begin simulcasting its programming on Radio One’s 107.1 WJYD Circleville replacing Gospel “Joy 107.1” on November 1. The expansion will help replace Radio One’s Regional Mexican “La Grande 102.5” WWLG Baltimore as its LMA with Southeastern Ohio Broadcasting System will come to an end after four years. WWLG has requested a call letter change to WKVR and it is expected to begin being operated by Educational Media Foundation as part of its Christian AC “K-Love” network. The Mega changes were first reported our 10/4 Domain Insight report. At the time Radio One also registered LaMegaIndianapolis.com and LaMegaIndy.com hinting at the brand also being inserted on Regional Mexican “La Grande 105.1” W286CM/WHHH-HD2. more

From Radio Insight: Beasley Media Group has announced the appointment of Lauren Burrows Coleman as its new Chief Financial Officer effective November 1 as Marie Tedesco retires after 33 years with the company. Burrows Coleman joins Beasley from Wayfair where she was Global Head of Strategic Corporate and Commercial Finance until January. She has also held roles at private equity firms WindSail Capital Group and Wind Point Partners and as an associate at GE Capital and as a Communications & Media analyst for Lehman Brothers. Beasley Media CEO Caroline Beasley said, “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Lauren into the Beasley family. Her extensive and diverse experience, combined with her leadership skills, are exactly what we need to drive the company forward as we evolve into the future.? Tedesco had been with the company since 1991. Beasley commented, “Marie has been an integral part of our success, and her contributions have shaped the organization into what it is today. It has been a privilege to work alongside her, and we are deeply grateful for her unwavering commitment, hard work, and leadership. We will greatly miss Marie?s wisdom and guidance, and we wish her nothing but the very best!? more

From Radio Online: AdLarge Media has expanded its fwd. network lineup with the addition of "Dear Millennial," a revamped podcast series hosted by podcast creator, Megan Tan. The series is set to offer a fresh perspective on navigating millennial life challenges, answering listener queries through personal anecdotes and More...

From Radio Online: After ten years of leadership, Gayle Troberman has stepped down as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at iHeartMedia, transitioning to a senior advisor role within the company. Troberman, who joined iHeartMedia in October, 2014 after a tenure as Chief Marketing and Ideas Officer at IPG Mediabrands, has been a More...

From Radio Online: iHeartMedia's KPOJ-AM (Rip City Radio 620) in Portland, OR, has announced that sports journalist Sean Highkin will join the station as the Portland Trail Blazers Correspondent, effective immediately. He'll provide coverage of the games, practices, press conferences and everything revolving around the More...

From Radio Insight: iHeartMedia Sports “Rip City Radio 620” KPOJ Portland has announced the addition of Sean Highkin as the station’s Portland Trail Blazers correspondent Highkin is a longtime NBA reporter who will provide comprehensive coverage of the games, practices, and press conferences regarding the franchise. He has covered the Blazers since 2017 for Bleacher Report and his own Rose Garden Report including being named as the 2023 Oregon Sportswriter of the Year. He previously has covered the Chicago Bulls for Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, and The Athletic and covered the NBA for ESPN, USA Today, and Sports on Earth. He commented, “When this opportunity was presented to me, it was a no-brainer. I’m excited to do more on the radio side in addition to my written coverage of the Trail Blazers and work with the very talented team at Rip City Radio.? iHeartMedia Portland Metro President Marshal Burgess said, “Sean?s knowledge, expertise and impressive track record will elevate and take our Trail Blazers coverage to the next level. His insightful analysis and in-depth reporting have made him a respected voice in the sports journalism community, and we are thrilled to have him join the iHeartRadio Portland team.? KPOJ Program Director Rich Moore said, “We couldn?t be more excited to have Sean join our team and help grow and enhance our Trail Blazers coverage. His experience and dedicated following will be a great addition making us the ultimate destination for Trail Blazer fans!? more

From Radio Insight: Santamaria Broadcasting has launched Spanish AC “Amor Radio MN” on 1470 KMNQ Brooklyn Park/Minneapolis MN. KMNQ had been simulcasting sister Regional Mexican “La Raza 95.7” 1400 KMNV/95.7 K239CJ St. Paul. President/CEO Maya Santamaria said, “The Minnesota Latin community now has the best of both top Spanish formats. AMOR Radio is the perfect complement to our flagship station La Raza.* AMOR plays the best of great artists from Juan Gabriel and Rocio Durcal to Enrique Iglesias, Man?, Shakira and even bachata and salsa like Marc Anthony, Romeo Santos and Juan Luis Guerra.?formats. more

From Radio Online: Main Street Media has agreed to acquire WPBX-FM, WOWF-FM, WAEW-AM, WCSV-AM, W242DH and W249DA in Crossville, TN, from PEG Broadcasting. PEG Broadcasting is a Tennessee-based company headed by Dawn and Reed Shaw. Main Street Media is a Tennessee-based company headed by Chad Graves and Scot MacDonald. Main More...

From Radio Online: Dylan Byers, senior correspondent and founding partner at Puck, will host a new podcast titled "The Grill Room," set to launch on October 29. The podcast, produced in partnership with Audacy Podcasts, aims to bring listeners behind-the-scenes insights from the media industry, featuring interviews with More...

From Radio Online: Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB/CRS) has announced the opening of applications for the Futuri Digital Pioneer Scholarship, aimed at fostering new leadership in the digital evolution of radio. This initiative is designed to support an exceptional student who has shown remarkable potential in digital More...

From Radio Online: In a strategic move to streamline its operations and enhance focus on artificial intelligence, Veritone has divested its media agency, Veritone One LLC, to Insignia Capital Group. The deal, valued at up to $104 million, is subject to various adjustments and includes potential earn-out cash payments based on More...

From Radio Online: Audacy Sacramento names Aaron Miller as Senior VP and Market Manager succeeding Stacey Kauffman, who recently departed the company. He previously served as Director of Sales for Audacy's cluster in Phoenix since 2019. Miller began his sales career with Thompson Publishing Company's The Daily Advance, his More...

From Radio Insight: Aaron MillerAudacy has announced that it has promoted Aaron Miller to SVP/Market Manager of its Sacramento cluster following the recent exit of Stacey Kauffman. Miller arrives in Sacramento from Phoenix where he has served as Director of Sales since 2019. Miller began his sales career in his native Elizabeth City NC at Thompson Publishing Company?s The Daily Advance newspaper before moving to The Progress Index in Petersburg VA. He joined then Clear Channel Rock “XL 102” WRXL Richmond as an account executive in 1996 before moving to the company’s Orlando cluster from 1998 to 2010 where he eventually rose to General Sales Manager and Local Sales Manager. He then spent nine years at Cox Tampa as GSM for 102.5 WHPT and 107.3 WXGL until joining Audacy. Miller commented, “I?m thrilled to step into this leadership role at Audacy Sacramento. With such a talented team already in place, I?m excited to work alongside them and accomplish great things together in the years to come.? Regional President Doug Abernethy said, “Aaron?s extensive experience in sales and leadership, along with his deep understanding of the broadcast media landscape, make him a sound choice to take over our Sacramento market. We are confident in Aaron?s ability to thrive in this new role, and that under his guidance, our portfolio of brands will continue to deliver exceptional results for our listeners and advertisers.? Stacey KauffmanKaufmann had been SVP/Market Manager of Audacy Sacramento since July 2018 and rose to Regional VP in May 2021 adding oversight of the company’s San Francisco cluster. She originally joined the cluster in March 2015 General Sales Manager and then Director of Sales after spending five years at Hubbard Chicago as an AE and then Local Sales Manager. Audacy also announced the promotion of Kimberli Rivera from General Sales Manager to VP/Sales in Phoenix to succeed Miller. Rivera has held multiple roles at the CBS Radio turned Audacy cluster since 2011 including Director of Live Events & Experiences, Director of Brand Partnerships, and General Sales Manager. She also held sales roles at Sandusky Radio Phoenix. more

From Radio Insight: After acquiring their stations in McMinnville and Sparta TN earlier this year, Chad Graves and Scot MacDonald?s Main Street Media is purchasing PEG Broadcasting’s Crossville TN cluster for $725,000. The deal includes AC “Mix 99.3” WPBX, “102.5 Wow Country” WOWF, Conservative Talk 1330 WAEW/96.3 W242DH, and Sports “97.7 The Ticket” 1490 WCSV/97.7 W249DA all licensed to Crossville. Main Street Media was formed earlier this year by Graves and MacDonald to acquire the other markets from PEG. The partners each own additional businesses with MacDonald running McMinnville Moving & Storage, while the Atlanta based Graves is a Partner in Bennett Thrasher?s Technology Services accounting practice. more