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From Radio Online: In a display of community spirit and generosity, KRBE-FM in Houston successfully orchestrated the 2nd Annual Turkey Tour with hosts Kevin andamp; Audrey, garnering a substantial donation of 873 Hunger Bags totaling 3,000 pounds of food for the Houston Food Bank. The event, held from More...

From Radio Online: iHeartMedia Executive Vice President of Sports Don Martin, who is also Senior Vice President of KLAC-AM in Los Angeles, is stepping down from his roles within the cluster. Martin, who has also been a key figure at FOX Sports Radio as SVP of Programming, is expected to continue his involvement with Premiere More...

From Radio Insight: After stunting for multiple weeks with all-Drake, Major Keystone launched Rhythmic CHR “Loud 103.7” on W279EM/WWRR-HD3 Scranton PA at 4pm today. Marking the first Hip Hop station in the market, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre becomes the fourth market for the “Loud” brand in Pennsylvania joining “Loud 99.5/106.9” 1600 WHOL/W295CR Allentown and 1400 WEST/W258DV Easton, “Loud 98.5” 1240 WRLD/W253CK Reading, and “Loud 101.5” W268BB State College/WBUS-HD3 Centre Hall. The “Loud” brand is also licensed to Over/Under LLC’s “Loud 102.3” 1470 WLOA Farrell PA/W272EI Youngstown OH and Adams Radio Group’s “Loud 103.3” WJFX-HD2/W277AK Fort Wayne IN. The station will feature the lineup heard across the Pennsylvania markets with Superadio’s “Ebro In The Morning with Laura Stylez and Rosenberg” based at WQHT New York in mornings, DJ H Vidal in middays, Owner/PD Pat ‘DJ Grooves’ Cerullo and APD/MD Vijay Das splitting afternoons, and Bez Musiq at night. Cerullo, who also runs the syndicated “The Loud Mix with DJ Grooves“, launched “Loud Radio” in Reading in 2017. He previously served as Program Director for Alpha Media’s trio of CHR ?Energy 94.1? KTFM, Variety Hits ?102.7 Jack-FM? KJXK and Classic Hip-Hop ?G103.3? KTFM-HD2 San Antonio from 2014-19, and was previously APD/MD at ?Wired 96.5? WRDW-FM Philadelphia and ?Amp Radio 98.7? WDZH Detroit as hosted nights at ?Hot 99.5? WIHT Washington DC. The first hour of “Loud 103.7” featured: Meek Mill – Dreams and Nightmares Glorilla – TGIF Cash Cobain – Problem Rema – Calm Down Bossman Dlow – Shake That Ass (Twerk Song) Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us Cardi B – Bodak Yellow Glorilla & Sexyy Red – Whatchu Kno About Me Fetty Wap – 679 Tommy Richman – Million Dollar Baby Lil Uzi Vert – Just Wanna Rock Chris Brown – Residuals Pop Smoke – For The Night Jorand Adetunji – Kehlani Metro Boomin ft. The Weeknd & 21 Savage – Creepin’ Tems – Love Me Jeje Jack Harlow – Lovin On Me Fabolous – You Be Killin Em more

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the October 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Dayton, Fort Myers, Grand Rapids, Metro Fairfield County, Tucson, and Tulsa. The next three releases will feature: On Tuesday, November 12: Monthly ratings for Albuquerque, Allentown/Bethlehem, El Paso, Fresno, Honolulu, Knoxville, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. On Wednesday, November 13: Monthly ratings for Akron, Bakersfield, Charleston SC, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Omaha/Council Bluffs. On Thursday, November 14: Monthly ratings for Columbia SC, Des Moines, Little Rock, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, Spokane, and Springfield MA. more

From Radio Online: Salem Media Group reported third quarter total revenue of $58.7 million, marking a decrease of 7.5% compared to $63.5 million in 2023. This reduction was primarily due to a 6% decline in net broadcast revenue, which fell from $48.9 million to $46 million in the current period. More...

From Radio Insight: The ongoing iHeartMedia layoffs have brought the end of the Len Berman and Michael Riedel morning show at Conservative Talk 710 WOR New York. Berman had joined WOR in January 2015 first paired with Todd Schnitt. Best known for his decades-long run as lead sportscaster at WNBC-TV, Berman also hosted NBC’s NFL pregame show in the early 1980s and his “Spanning The World” segment of Sports highlights and bloopers aired on the Today Show from 1989 until 2016. He also had a very brief run in 1993 co-hosting middays on Sports 660 WFAN. Riedel joined Berman in February 2018. He previously spent over two decades as a theater columnist for the New York Post, co-hosted ?Theater Talk? on PBS from 1992-2017, and hosted a weekly show for Salem Media Conservative Talk ?970 The Answer? WNYM. Riedel was also a frequent guest on Imus In The Morning and WOR?s Mark Simone Show. Some other support staff members have also exited along with some promotions staffers at iHeart New York. more

From Radio Insight: iHeartMedia has made big leadership changes within its Los Angeles cluster. On the programming side Robin Bertolucci and Don Martin are departing. In an internal memo from Division President Paul Corvino, he shared, “It is with immense respect and gratitude that I share that after two decades of hard work, dedication, creativity and leadership at iHeartMedia Los Angeles, Robin Bertolucci and Don Martin will be leaving their positions at KFI and KLAC. Both Don and Robin wanted me to share these messages with you.” Bertolucci has programmed News/Talk 640 KFI since 2002 and Conservative Talk ?1150 The Patriot? KEIB since 2005. She also programmed Sports ?Xtra 690/1150? XETRA/KXTA in her first year in Los Angeles until the arrival of Martin to take over that station in 2003. Prior to Los Angeles, Bertolucci began her career at KGO San Francisco and KOA Denver. She commented, “Thank you for an incredible 24 years. You have made me so proud, and I am honored to have been able to work with each and every one of you. When I came here my son was in pre-school, he’s now 27 years old. This station is exceptional and unique because of you and the KFI way. It’s not news and it’s not talk*it’s a true outlier filled with talented people both on air and behind the scenes. There are too many people and accolades to list. Just know, I am proud of our award-winning news team, our talented talk lineup and our producers, and technical folks who make it all happen on air, online and everywhere our listeners are. This AM radio station has been a dominant force, and I am deeply grateful for my time here.” Bertolucci can be reached at . While Martin is exiting as head of “AM 570 Sports” KLAC after leading iHeart’s Los Angeles Sports brands since 2003, he will continue in his role as SVP/Sports Programming for Premiere Networks. He shared in the memo, “Folks we had one hell of a great ride! I have accumulated enough memories to last a lifetime thanks to you! We?ve seen a lot, we?ve done a lot, and we?ve won more than our share!! We ?rocked? this market and you personally made it all worthwhile! God bless you! I want to send each one of you a heartfelt hug and huge THANK YOU for changing my life, all for the better. It would take too long to mention everyone by name, just know if you are reading this, I am talking to you! What a way to go out, champions on and off the field! When KLAC is #1 in billing again for the month of October, raise a glass and celebrate US! The GREATEST FAMILY ever assembled! You can stay in touch with me at donmartinam570@gmail.com and you know the phone number! Until we meet again, and yes, we will meet again, too much fire in my belly.? iHeartMedia EVP/News Chris Berry will serve as interim PD for the stations. On the sales side, iHeart has announced the promotions of Jeff Thomas to EVP/Sales and Business Development in addition to his roles leading sales for the cluster’s local News Talk Endorsement Network and its iHeartCX in-store radio network, Adam Wolfson to SVP/Sales, Tracy Barrios to SVP/Operations, and Julie Martzke to SVP/National and Event Sales. Corvino said, “We?ve seamlessly linked the top News-Talk hosts in the country into one easy-to-buy network, offering network scale in local markets. In addition, iHeart CX gives retailers best-in-class music programming along with ad campaigns that will make their in-store media budgets even more efficient. Jeff has an impressive track record in the LA market, and I can?t think of a better person to lead this effort and create new revenue opportunities.” He added, “Tracy is one of the best problem solvers I have ever worked with and understands our brands, day-to-day market operations and the sales process inside and out.” Thomas followed, “I?m grateful for the opportunity to lead two additional growth areas for iHeart while continuing my leadership role within the market. With Adam and our veteran sales leadership team at the helm, I expect to provide even more innovation and high-level service for our advertisers. Adam is a true people leader and has the forward-thinking mindset to grow our business and build success for marketers. Julie has an unprecedented track record for leading teams to success and has a passion for experiential partnerships, and we?re excited to see her thrive in this new role.? more

From Radio Insight: KHKS (Kiss 106.1) Dallashas been a bellwether for Top 40 radio. Driven by the Kidd Kraddick morning show, Kiss was the first success story in CHR?s mid-?90s comeback. It was one of the first stations to recover from an early-?00s doldrums, a few years ahead of Top 40?s PPM explosion. In 2013, it survived Kraddick?s death and remained a market powerhouse as the show continued with its remaining members.* Under PD Patrick Davis, SVP of programming for iHR Dallas, Kiss was also a station that could be counted on at least one or two times a year to go off the menu for songs not being promoted to CHR radio, a rarity in most formats now. Davis was part of sweeping cutbacks at iHeartMedia this week, along with numerous veteran PDs, managers, and air talent. We talked to him about his tenure at a legendary radio station.* Sean Ross: You’d been a program director before, but you came to the station first as PD of the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show in 2002, before becoming PD in 2004. What was that like? Patrick Davis: It was the perfect route for me, because I was blessed to learn from Kidd and Brian Bridgman and Todd Shannon. Kidd allowed me to truly be involved with the show to provide insight but learn what not only Kidd but Al Mack and Kellie Rasberry go through mentally to prepare. Brian and Todd didn?t have to but included me in meetings and made me feel comfortable, which is always a great learning environment. One final note on that is that I made it clear from day 1 that I was PD of the entire station and that every daypart, break, and personality mattered. Ross: How was Kiss doing when you became PD? It was one of the first success stories in CHR?s rebound in 1994-95, but how was it doing a year later? Davis: Honestly, it wasn?t great or I wouldn?t have gotten the opportunity. The first trend ? remember those ? that came out right as I took the job, Kiss was 12th, and there were some questions about the format?s viability. In fairness, it was a tough time for CHR because the available product was not very pop-friendly. Kiss was experiencing its first slump. I don?t keep many memorabilia, but when the station went from worst to first again, Kidd gave me a plaque . Ross: What are some of the things that made the difference between the No. 12 station and the No. 1 radio station? Davis: I was blessed to have Kidd Kraddick in the morning, who believed in me and I in them. I was looking for talent and drive to be the best, and found it in JJ Kincaid, Billy the Kidd, Jeff Miles, Fernando, Jackson Blue, Atom Smasher, Gina Lee Fuentes, Candice Lopez, Toby Knapp, Raven, and Priscilla, who is a success story all by herself. They wanted to not just be good but accomplish something truly unique. All I had to do was lead them. I pushed them hard, and they all responded better than I could have hoped for. And it continues now with Celina Martinez and Colt. Ross: Tell me about shepherding the morning team through the loss of Kidd Kraddick. I’ve seen a few times how a death is the most devastating thing can happen to a station. Davis: That was personally devastating, because that show and Kidd in particular changed the course of my life. Everyone needs a break at some point to get a chance to show what they can do, and gave me that. The first issue was fighting off temptation by some to . That was a bad brand message in my opinion: Kidd passed away and we fired his talented friends. I actually remember someone screaming at me, ?We?re not paying for sidekicks!? And I yelled back, ?Then you haven?t heard the show!!!? Cooler heads prevailed, and KKMS has been our anchor since.* Then there was the messaging: We treated it like a death in the family. Billy the Kidd, Cruz, and Toby did a terrific job of being vulnerable and real. There were no formatics at that moment. It was about raw emotion. Play callers. Share. No production. Kellie?s break the following Monday may have been the most-listened-to moment in DFW radio history. It was filled with emotion, honesty and vulnerability.* Finally, we adhered to ?reduce the invitation for change.? We changed nothing on the station, so that it didn?t give people a chance to reevaluate their choice. Dennis Clark came in to help with the show, and he is not only a great coach but has the perfect personality for this situation. George Laughlin at Yea Networks was the steady hand in their building holding things together. After that the show evolved into what that cast does best. Be real. I remember asking my wife why I was the one having to plan a weeklong tribute when I was hurting so much. She said, ?Because you care for him like no one.? That week: I have never been prouder of what a staff did than those people. It?s clich? now and done for other reasons, but we had a girl, Laura, who was dying of cystic fibrosis, and her wish was to call attention to the disease so that her little brother wouldn?t have to face the pain she did. We changed the name of the station to Laura FM for a day and solicited donations and gave information on how to help.* New jingles were cut. All-new sweepers were made. Commercials were recut. Jock execution was perfect. Cousin Deke and Priscilla combed through the log and made sure it was all uniform. I felt like we made a difference. Later, right before Laura passed away, our staff went to see her in the hospital. It wasn?t a show ? they cared. that, I was proud of every moment I was the PD of Kiss-FM. Ross:* How hard is it to still do those things in today?s radio? We read a lot about the changing role of the PD. To what extent should the role of the PD be different, and what should be protected? How hard is it to still focus on the product? Davis: There are fewer resources, to be sure, but to me radio is about emotion and evoking feelings in others. You don?t have to do those things, but I don?t know that you can truly be great if you?re not making a difference. As for role of the PD, it can become solely a manager unless you keep priorities in mind. Listeners want to love you ? give them a reason. Talent want a leader ? give them a reason to believe you?re in a real genuine way. And corporate wants to know you have a plan ? share with them. Ross: How are you feeling about the state of Top 40 radio now? Davis: Our target age when I started was a 24-year-old female. I would worry when ratings came back and it had inched up to 26. We would target 18-24 even the upper end comes to you to feel young. Now the average age of a CHR listener is 40-plus. The way out is original content. Under-30 can get music in a lot of places. They will give you repeat occasions vertically and horizontally for unique compelling content. Variety in texture, tempo and genre make the format exciting. Rock, pop, dance, hip-hop, country ? we?ve played them all. Our goal is always to fill the largest available hole. That said, we are still searching for a regular rhythm of new hits, and when we do get them it feels at times like a different slice of the same pie. But it?s improving * Oh, and I love Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. Ross: How are you feeling about the relationship with the labels now? From here, it sometimes looks like labels and radio are out of business. Davis: This one makes me LOL, because I wasn?t always the best at label relations early in my career.* I can only speak from what I see at iHeart. Labels and companies still work very closely together, just in a different way. Mark Adams, Dylan Sprague, Tom Poleman and Allisa Pollack do a tremendous job of working with labels to expose new music that?s right for our brands. The days of cattle call visits are over, but the cooperation isn?t. Ross: What are your thoughts on what you’d like to do next and where? Davis: For the first time in forever, I?m not sure what?s next and that?s OK with me. I feel I have a lot to offer when I find a match, and that comes with no regrets, no hard feelings and a lot that I?m proud of.* * I was still programming KISS day to day and providing oversight for Mix, Star, Eagle, Lonestar and our AM, KFXR. Davis can be reached here. A list of all those affected by the iHeart layoffs can be found here. Radioinsight is committed to helping those caught up in industry consolidation with its recently launched job board. more

From Radio Online: In a special broadcast for Country music enthusiasts, Nashville's very own Kelly Sutton is hosting "Y'all Access," a three-hour radio special dedicated to the upcoming 2024 CMA Awards. Slated to give fans an exclusive glimpse behind Country Music's Biggest Night, the show features an engaging mix of More...

From Radio Online: In the latest monthly rankings for October 2024, released by Podtrac, the podcast industry continues to show robust growth, with increases in unique monthly audience (UMA) figures and downloads across the board for the majority of U.S. publishers. Podtrac reported that nearly all U.S. ranking participants More...

From Radio Online: iHeartMedia has announced key leadership promotions in Los Angeles. Jeff Thomas (pictured), a 26-year company veteran, is elevated to EVP of Sales and Business Development for the market, continuing to lead sales in addition to now overseeing iHeartMedia Los Angeles' Local News Talk Endorsement Network and More...

From Radio Online: HeartMedia appoints Steve DeLusant (far left) as Region President for the New York market and Adam Kurtz for the Chicago market, effective immediately. DeLusant and Kurtz will report to Division President Bernie Weiss. In these newly appointed positions, both will work closely with More...

From Radio Insight: Torres Media Group relaunched AC “Lite 98.5” CJWL-FM Ottawa ON as Hot AC “Mix 98.5” earlier this week. The new brand follows Torres’ acquisition of the station from Evanov in September following Evanov’s announced plan to shut it down along with two others. It is positioning as “Ottawa’s Perfect Music Mix” and currently running jockless. New CITM-FM call letters are pending. more

From Radio Insight: Steve DeLusantiHeartMedia has announced the appointments of Steve DeLusant as the new Region President for New York and Adam Kurtz as Region President for Chicago. Both will report to Division President Bernie Weiss, who led the the New York market until his promotion in December 2023. DeLusant has been with iHeartMedia New York since 2013 serving as Sales Manager for WHTZ, WKTU and WWPR, rose to Vice President of Sales in 2016 and VP/Director of FM Sales in 2018. He also previously served as an Account Manager for Emmis New York. Adam KurtzKurtz takes the Chicago reins that had been held by Matt Scarano until his exit in this week’s layoffs. Kurtz has been with the company since 2001 rising through the ranks from account executive to Local Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, VP/Sales and since January 2018 as SVP/Sales. Weiss comments, “I?m thrilled to promote both Steve and Adam. It?s especially rewarding to find the best candidates for key leadership roles in your own buildings. They?re extremely knowledgeable about our ever-evolving business and have built some of the best media sales teams in the country. I?m confident that they will continue to elevate our New York and Chicago operations to even greater heights and continue to drive revenue.? more

From Radio Insight: Myers Mermel and Carolin McLain’s WDEV LLC have filed their acquisition of Radio Vermont Group from the estate of Ken Squire. Originally announced in January to be purchased by Mermel and Scott Milne’s Mermel & McLain Management LLC, the restructured deal will see WDEV LLC and related companies WCVT Acquisition LLC and WLVB Acquisition LLC pay $282,500 for Variety 550 WDEV/96.1 WDEV-FM Warren/96.5 W243AT Barre/98.3 W252CU Montpelier, Country ?93.9 Vermont Country? WLVB Morrisville, and Classic Hits 101.7 WCVT Stowe/102.5 W273AM Montpelier. Scott Zimmermann’s Sidestream Media purchases Country/Rock 102.3 KZRN Hettinger ND from Jeff Hallen’s Hirange Media Corp. for $40,000. Pampa TX’s Bible Baptist Church buys the CP for 88.9 Dalhart TX from Christian Ministries of the Valley for $1. The buyer owns the just launched in October Christian 88.5 KWGP Pampa. Translator SalesNews Talk STL Radio converts its lease of Educational Media Foundation’s 101.9 K270BW Bellefontaine/St. Louis MO into a $570,000 acquisition. The buyer operates Conservative Talk “News Talk STL” fed via 99.1 KLJY-HD3 Clayton and is also heard on their 94.1 KNBS Bowling Green MO. Bible Broadcasting Network sells Silent 91.3 K217CP to Bott’s Community Broadcasting Inc. for $10,000. The translator will rebroadcast the buyer’s 90.7 KTAA Big Sandy. more

From Radio Online: iHeartMedia is continuing with its substantial wave of layoffs affecting key personnel across multiple stations nationwide. Among those impacted are notable radio hosts and directors with ties to Minnesota and Oregon, demonstrating the reach of these cuts. Kia Bratz (aka Becht), who served as Music Director More...

From Radio Online: Entravision Communications reported third quarter results for 2024, showcasing a 25% increase in net revenue and a significant realignment of its operating segments. For the quarter, the media and advertising technology company reported net revenues of $97.2 million, up from $77.4 million in the More...

From Radio Online: The new radio show "Classic Rock U," hosted by YouTube celebrity Adam Reader (pictured), also known as the Professor of Rock, has launched to significant acclaim and is quickly expanding its reach across the U.S. Since its debut on October 5, the program, produced out of Hubbard Radio Chicago, has been More...

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the October 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Albany/Schenectady/Troy and Syracuse. The next three releases will feature: On Friday, November 8: Monthly ratings for Dayton, Fort Myers, Grand Rapids, Metro Fairfield County, Tucson, and Tulsa. On Tuesday, November 12: Monthly ratings for Albuquerque, Allentown/Bethlehem, El Paso, Fresno, Honolulu, Knoxville, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. On Wednesday, November 13: Monthly ratings for Akron, Bakersfield, Charleston SC, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Omaha/Council Bluffs. more

From Radio Online: Auddia Inc., a technology firm specializing in audio solutions, reported a net loss of $1.95 million for the third quarter ended September 30. This marks a slight reduction in losses compared to $2.12 million for the same period last year. While the company's revenue remains More...

Mountain Radio Group has dropped the Red Dirt focused Country format on KQSC/K297BQ (AM 1530/FM 107.3) in favor of simulcasting KDZA/K270CM (AM 1230/FM 101.9) and their Classic Hits format. KDZA also added the old recordings of Wolfman Jack and will be heard on Saturday Nights.

From Radio Online: Dave Russell, a longtime figure in radio, has departed from his roles as Program Director and afternoon host at Cumulus AC WARM-FM in York, Pennsylvania. His exit comes after a nine-year tenure, prompted by recent budget reductions at the station. Russell's radio career spans several decades and includes More...

From Radio Insight: Skyview Networks has announced the first batch of affiliates for its newly launched weekly “Classic Rock U” hosted by Adam Reader and based at Hubbard Radio Classic Rock ?97.1 The Drive? WDRV Chicago/96.9 WWDV Zion IL. The show launched on October 5 on WDRV/WWDV as well as Hubbard’s 94.7 KSHE St. Louis and 100.7 KSLX Phoenix. Since then, the show has been added at Cox Media Group’s “97.1 The River” WSRV Atlanta, Bonneville’s “98.5 K-Fox” KUFX San Jose, American General Media’s “Coyote 102.5” KIOT Albuquerque, Signal Media’s “94.1 The Point” KKPT Little Rock, Cumulus Media’s 94.9 KGGO Des Moines, Mid-West Family Broadcasting’s “Z94.3” WZOC South Bend IN, and Sanpete County Broadcasting “95.7 The Boss” KUTC Gunnison UT. Reader commented, “From growing up being raised on radio to connecting with millions of people on YouTube, and now connecting with just as many on radio stations all over the country, it really feels like I?ve come full circle. Interviewing hundreds of my favorite artists and bringing their music to these mass audiences is a dream come true. I am thrilled to be able to bring Classic Rock U to such an excellent and growing list of stations.? Skyview SVP/Business Development and Communication Andrew Kalb said, “We are very proud of Classic Rock U and the tremendous work that has gone into making its first month a success. Adam Reader is an incredible talent, and his unparalleled knowledge and passion of Classic Rock makes the show a standout across the industry. We are thrilled to see that several key markets have recognized this unique talent and look forward to continuing to grow the show?s network.? more

From Radio Online: Cox Media Group's Hot AC KSMG (Hits 105.3) in San Antonio has announced the departure of morning hosts Jenny Lee and Tony Cortez. Lee, who had taken on roles as Assistant Program Director and Music Director, joined KSMG in 2013. Initially working in the afternoon slot, she quickly transitioned to the morning More...

From Radio Insight: After stunting with Halloween music as ?The Haunt? since October 26, Milwaukee Radio Alliance launched Country “Froggy 100.3/107.3” at noon today. Airing on 100.3 W262CJ Milwaukee, 107.3 W297BY Franklin, and 93.3 WLDB-HD3 Mlwaukee, the move creates competitor to iHeartMedia?s ?FM 106.1? WMIL and Magnum Media?s pair of suburban signals ?92.5 Buzz Country? WMBZ West Bend and ?92.1 VTY Country? WVTY Racine. Before stunting, the two translators rebroadcast Oldies “The Fonz” 1290 WZTI. The first hour of Froggy consisted of: Chris Young – Young Love & Saturday Nights Cole Swindell – Forever To Me Dasha – Austin (Boots Stop Workin’) Tyler Childers – In Your Love Darius Rucker – Wagon Wheel Drew Baldridge – She’s Somebody’s Daughter (reimagined) Dustin Lynch ft. MacKenzie Porter – Thinking ‘Bout You Dylan Marlowe & Dylan Scott – Boys Back Home Cody Johnson – The Painter Eli Young Band – Drunk Last Night George Birge – Cowboy Songs Eric Church – Cold One Corey Kent – Wild As Her Bailey Zimmerman – Holy Smokes Dustin Lynch ft. Jelly Roll – Chevrolet Chris Stapleton – You Should Probably Leave Parmalee – Gonna Love You Dustin Lynch – Stars Like Confetti more

From Radio Insight: The ongoing Cumulus Media layoffs have reached their Central Pennsylvania stations in Harrisburg, Lancaster and York PA. Dave Russell exits as Program Director/afternoon host of AC 103.3 WARM-FM York after nine years. Russell is in his third stint in that building as he began his career with an eleven year run at 910 WSBA from 1988 to 1999 where he would rise to APD and Promotions Director. After programming WEZQ Bangor ME and then WCTO and WLEV Allentown PA, he would join WARM-FM as PD in 2007 while also spending time as afternoon host and morning co-host. Following a budget cut in 2009, he would then spend the next two years as a fill-in host across Cumulus’ clusters in Pennsylvania until joining Forever Media to program Oldies “The Pickle” WPKL/WKPL in suburban Pittsburgh from 2011 until joining WARM-FM in 2015. WARM also has dropped John Tesh’s syndicated show at night. AJ Cobain departs afternoons at Country “I105” WIOV-FM Ephrata/Lancaster. Cobain joined the station in 2018 after spending a decade at iHeartMedia where he served as Traffic/Sales Assistant, Public Service Coordinator, and hosted nights at Variety Hits “Y102” WRFY Reading. Cobain wrote, “I was informed this morning that my position in Afternoons at I105 has been eliminated. After 6 years, that’s a wrap. I’ve been lucky to talk on the mic for the past 16 years, and doing what I love, but hey, it happens! It was an honor working with everyone in the York and Harrisburg buildings throughout this time. Huge thanks to everyone who believed in me. And a huge thanks to everyone who listened to me every afternoon, and for making me a part of your day. Not sure what’s next after this, but I’m gonna process this and figure all that out.” Venetia Stephenson is out as APD/MD/afternoon host at Rhythmic CHR “Hot 106.7” WWKL Hershey after two decades. She previously spent time as APD/MD of “Hot 101” WHOT-FM Youngstown OH after starting her career as Promotions Director at Sunbury Broadcasting in Sunbury PA. She has also served as the national midday host for Westwood One’s Hot AC network. Gary Sutton departs mornings at News/Talk 910/93.9 WSBA York. Sutton had been with WSBA since 1991 and a full-time host at the station since 1997 starting as co-host of its Sports show. He is also a longtime high school basketball coach in York where he was inducted into the local Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. more

From Radio Insight: Following the layoff of ‘Mean Jean’ Fremont from mornings at Beasley Media Classic Hip Hop “105.1 The Bounce” WMGC-FM Detroit last week, his co-host Shannon Renee is following him out the door on her own accord. Renee shared on Instagram that she “made the very difficult decision this week to step away from my on-air role at The Bounce.” She followed that it “would put me in the position to have to navigate what would technically be a 5th morning show for me on the station & that in & of itself is just a lot. Never in a million years did I have winning a contest nearly 4 years ago to be on-air on my bingo card, but I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have had that platform to spread awareness for breast cancer, my amazing interactions with our awesome listeners & for all of the fun memories along the way. I look forward to continuing my business and am also open to other opportunities as well. I?ve done lots of things over the years in different job sectors.” Renee joined WMGC-FM in May 2021 as the winner of the “Bounce Big Break”. Prior to joining the station she served as Entertainment Manager at Motor City Casino, but had previous radio industry experience as Promotions Director for ABC Radio/Citadel?s 93.1 WDRQ and 96.3 WDVD from 2006 to 2010 and Clear Channel Detroit from 2011 to 2013. Beasley Media has not yet announced plans for mornings. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shannon Renee (@shannonreneeonair) more

From Radio Insight: For a while, radio programmers weren?t supposed to care much about what happened on their radio station at the top of the hour, or attach any particular importance to it. Listeners, after all, could come aboard at any point during the hour; they weren?t all getting in their cars at 6:59 a.m. or 4:59 p.m. Even using the words ?top of the hour? was an anachronism.* Then came the studio sponsorships. Then the group owners? own tags ? particularly the iHeart or Audacy app plugs. Then :00 became the focal point of national contesting (even those stations that give a keyword elsewhere during the hour often tease to it at :00). The top of the hour, by necessity, became a station?s policy statement again.* We haven?t yet attached the same importance to what we play at the top of the hour; that one is still part of the old didacticism for many PDs. Sometimes the song that follows the :00 ID keeps the energy going. Sometimes it?s ?Creepin?? or ?Saturn.? Now that it?s OK to talk about what happens at :00 again, I?d like to talk about what happens next at :03. Specifically, whether the on-air personality does a break, or waits for the third song or even longer. I sometimes hear first breaks of the hour that don?t come until nearly 20 minutes in. By that time, I?m not sure if I?ve tuned into a hosted hour or not. And I?m listening to radio for relatively long stretches. For a listener who has come to the station for a code word at :00, the now-typical nine-minute listening occasion may not include a host. For some stations, the response to the bombast of :00 is for the next song to be preceded by a calls-only sweeper or something low-key. I like hearing the personality as soon as possible because it keeps up the momentum. Not hearing a jock for another 10 minutes feels to me like the station is untended. While no non-industry listener is likely to articulate it this way, it still feels like inviting a crowd into a store with no salespeople on the floor.* Recently, I went back and looked at the notes from my radio listening in recent weeks and noticed a pattern. A station that led earlier with personalities was often a station doing more of the other things I liked: making me smile, advocating for the music, giving me some sense of the market. The station that brought the host on at :20 was more likely to sound more canned, less connected to the music. It was the station where I was more likely to hear about yesterday?s celebrity news, randomly inserted between songs. Sometimes, bringing the host on at :03 means there will be more content throughout the hour. WHYA (Y101) Cape Cod, Mass., middayer Billy Teed, featured in a recent Ross on Radio listening roundup, did talk over every other song. More often, it might portend that a station will have 5-6 jock breaks that hour, rather than just four. Either way, the personality feels like more of a presence. I often listen to stations at 10 a.m., as soon as I can hear the regular day?s pacing instead of mornings. The first jock content I hear might be the ?handshake break.? Teed thanked the audience for the opportunity to ?work together.?* Sometimes it?s still a billboard for three upcoming songs. That can sound rote, but WOBM Monmouth/Ocean, N.J.?sChelsea Corrine made me smile when she teased a (non-Christmas) Mariah Carey song and added, ?It?s almost Mariah?s time!? Sometimes the :03 break is to repeat the hourly keyword, although there are just as many stations where I hear nothing until the next keyword. Just as often, I hear about anything in the first break of the hour: something about the artist playing, a setup for an upcoming longer topical bit, a teaser for a local contest ? the one you?re more likely to hear about during the course of the hour. It would be a return to an old didacticism to prescribe content more precisely. If you have six breaks an hour, I have an idea about what to talk about. But I?m not hung up on the order. Over the last two years, broadcasters have come to understand personality as their point of differentiation. It has been gratifying, even in recent weeks, to encounter a little more personality that does not sound like generic, randomly inserted content. (At the same time, coming across a major-market station that does sound generic, or is jockless at random hours, rankles even more now.)* How a station places its jock breaks only seems arcane; it?s a matter of making our calling card work better for us.* more

From Radio Online: Benztown has released two fresh episodes of its podcast, "Chachi Loves Everybody," hosted by Dave "Chachi" Denes, the company's president. The new episodes spotlight conversations with notable media figures Al Roker and Patsy Smullin, both of whom are set to be honored at the upcoming Giants of Broadcasting More...

From Radio Online: Heather Jennings joins Marc Radio's WPLL (I Am Country 106.9 FM) in Gainesville-Ocala, FL for mornings, weekdays from 6-10am. Gainesville is no stranger to Heather. She's spent more than 20 years in the area and is a multi-year broadcast veteran. "Country music is hands-down the soundtrack of my life, and More...