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From Radio Insight: The long-delayed acquisition of Gospel “Praise 92.1” KROI Seabrook/Houston TX has closed with Spanish Broadcasting System debuting Regional Mexican “La Ley 92.1” this afternoon. KROI is currently running 50,000 songs commercial-free at launch with core artists listed as including Grupo Frontera, Car?n Le?n, Juli?n ?lvarez, Banda MS, Intocable, and Los ?ngeles Azules. Ra?l Brindis, who exited his syndicated show based at Univision’s ?Que Buena 102.9? KLTN Houston last January where he also served as Program Director, has joined KROI as morning host. SBS President/Chairman/CEO Raul Alarcon Jr. said, “As we expand our footprint into Texas, we are thrilled to bring the SBS legacy to Houston with the launch of La Ley 92.1. Houston?s diverse and dynamic Hispanic community deserves a station that is LIVE and hyper local which not only delivers exceptional music but also reflects their culture, pride, and traditions. With Ra?l Brindis joining our team, we are confident that La Ley 92.1 will quickly become a favorite among listeners.? SBS agreed to purchase KROI from Radio One’s Sugarland Station Trust in August 2023 for $7.5 million. Following the collapse of SBS’s sale of its MegaTV division that was to fund the purchase, the groups agreed to a revised acquisition that allowed Spanish Broadcast System to make gradual payments until today’s closing. The former Gospel format remains on Radio One’s 102.1 KMJQ-HD2 Houston. more

From Radio Online: Townsquare Media is making a series of changes to the morning shows at AC WLZW (Lite 98.7) and Country WFRG-FM (Big Frog 104.3) in Utica, NY. Dave Wheeler, who has been with Townsquare Utica since 2009 and has held several posts within the company, is set to return More...

From Radio Online: Radio and music industry stalwart Dinahlynn Biggs, originally from Gary, IN, has announced a transaction involving her network of radio outlets. Biggs has sold her Indianapolis, Atlanta and Pasadena stations to broadcasting giant iHeartRadio. Despite parting ways with these assets, she retains a symbolic 1% More...

From Radio Online: In a display of community spirit and generosity, KZIA (Z102.9)'s afternoon hosts, Destiny Loney and Taylor Martensen, successfully concluded their second annual "Stuff the Waggin'" campaign, benefiting the Cedar Valley Humane Society. Over the course of five weeks, the duo broadcasted their Monday shows live More...

From Radio Online: On December 20th, WGCO (Hot 98.3 FM) in Savannah, GA conducted its 4th Annual "Jared and Katie's Breaking and Entering Christmas" event, bringing unexpected joy to a family facing hardship in Southeast Georgia. Since early November, Hot 98.3 invited listeners to nominate families impacted by recent storms or More...

From Radio Online: The Christmas spirit shines brightly in Minneapolos-St. Paul, as 98.5 KTIS celebrates the third year of its Christmas Blessing initiative, a program designed to offer hope and encouragement to those in need during the holiday season. This annual tradition, embraced by KTIS listeners, involves nominating More...

From Radio Insight: Cumulus Media is the most recent broadcast operator to receive a delisting warning from the NASDAQ stock market. Like others before it who would eventually do a reverse stock split to regain compliance, Cumulus’s Class A common stock has closed below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days. If Cumulus can not get its share price back over $1.00 per share for ten business days by June 16, 2025, it may be removed from the market. Cumulus says that it intends to actively monitor the closing bid price for its Class A common stock and will evaluate potential options to resolve the deficiency and regain compliance with the Rule. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to regain compliance with the Rule or will otherwise be in compliance with other applicable NASDAQ listing rules or that any appeal of a delisting determination will be successful. Cumulus stock closed today at 75 cents per share. more

From Radio Insight: Dave WheelerTownsquare Media is shuffling morning show at AC “Lite 98.7” WLZW and Country “Big Frog 104.3” WFRG-FM Utica NY. Bill ‘Tad Pole’ McAdams has retired for the second time at WFRG. McAdams first retired in January 2022 from a then 43-year radio career including 15 at Townsquare Utica and WFRG that included time as cluster Operations Manager. He would quietly return late last year to reunite on-air with his wife Stacey ‘Polly Wog’ McAdams on a fill-in basis. Rachel DavisCluster Director of Content Dave Wheeler, who moved from afternoons at WFRG to mornings on WLZW in October 2020, will now move back to the Country station alongside Polly in mornings. Wheeler has been with Townsquare Utica since 2009 holding multiple roles in the company including programming Classic Hits “96.1 The Eagle” WODZ and predecessor “Oldiez 96.1“, Assistant Production Director, and APD of WLZW. He has served as cluster Director of Content since 2018. Rachel Davis, who most recently served as producer and morning co-host at iHeartMedia News/Talk 810 WGY/103.1 WGY-FM Albany until exiting in May, will take over mornings. She has also served as Promotions Director for Pamal Broadcasting Albany and Alpha Media Richmond VA in her career. Both will debut on their new stations on Monday, January 6. more

From Radio Online: Jose A. Fajardo, an influential figure in public media, has passed away at age 61 due to complications from ALS, at his home in Honolulu. Fajardo, who served as the President and General Manager of Hawaii Public Radio (HPR) from 2016 to earlier this year, was renowned for his dynamic leadership through More...

From Radio Insight: After 38 years on Audacy Sports 94.1 WIP Philadelphia and predecessor 610 WIP, Howard Eskin has announced his departure from the station. Eskin hosted afternoons at WIP for most of his run with his final show in that timeslot being the station’s first show on 94.1. He most recently had been hosting a Saturday morning show and serving as pre-game show host and sideline reporter for Philadelphia Eagles games. Eskin’s radio career began in 1972 at then Top 40 560 WFIL as producer/engineer for evening host George Michael. He would later co-host mornings with John DeBella on 93.3 WMMR prior to joining WIP as its first Sports host as the station would gradually move to the format full-time. He has also spent time at WCAU-TV, KYW-TV, and WTXF-TV as a sportscaster and NFL reporter. This past May, Eskin had been banned by the Philadelphia Phillies from their games for the remainder of the 2024 season after it was alleged that he gave an unwanted kiss to a woman in a club section of Citizens Bank Park. At the time he was taken off the air for a few weeks until returning in July during an internal investigation into the incident by Audacy. In a statement on X, Eskin hinted that he’s not retiring, “After 38 years I am moving on from Sportsradio WIP where I launched the station?s sports talk franchise in 1986. I leave the station with great affection for the listeners who have made the work I do so fulfilling during my time there. I?m looking forward to what comes next?” After 38 years I am moving on from Sportsradio WIP where I launched the station?s sports talk franchise in 1986. I leave the station with great affection for the listeners who have made the work I do so fulfilling during my time there. I?m looking forward to what comes next? pic.twitter.com/ZF6Wl9gO8P — Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) December 20, 2024 more

From Radio Online: The "Morning Bullpen" at Audacy Country KILT-FM (100.3 The Bull) in Houston broadcast its final episode Friday, marking the end of its tenure at the station. The show's hosts, George Lindsey and Monica 'Mo' Lundsford, have been staples on the Houston airwaves since March, 2015. George Lindsey, who before More...

From Radio Insight: If you program Christmas music, the first e-mail comes in relatively quickly after the holiday changeover. Inevitably, a listener asks why there isn?t more spiritually oriented holiday music. It?s an e-mail I?ve gotten both in years when my station was playing ?O Holy Night? in November and when they were waiting to get closer to Christmas Day to play it. Over the years, some programmers, particularly holiday music pioneer Dan Vallie, have suggested there?s no need to save ?Silent Night? or ?Hark! The Herald Angels Sing? until mid-December Also, a few songs, like ?The Little Drummer Boy? or ?Do You Hear What I Hear? seem to get an earlier start than others.* But last week, researcher Matt Bailey pointed out that only one song out of Spotify?s 40 most-played Christmas songs (Nat King Cole?s ?Joy to the World?) is religious. Among Mediabase?s all-format Top 100 most-played holiday songs last week, only four are religious in some form: 14 ? Gene Autry, ?Here Comes Santa Claus,? a Santa song with a religious component 28 ? Ray Conniff, ?Ring Christmas Bells? 75 ? Martina McBride, ?Do You Hear What I Hear??a song whose strength is obscured slightly by the number of different versions played. Carrie Underwood?s version comes in at No. 101 88 ? Kelly Clarkson, ?O Holy Night? As radio approaches the two-week mark to the holiday, we took a look at two-hour stretch of a number of AC stations running Christmas formats, encompassing a variety of owners. Between 2-4 p.m. on December 9, most stations played somewhere between two and five holiday songs about the birth of Christ or with some spiritual aspect. I did count instrumentals of songs whose lyrics about the nativity are familiar to most people of my generation. Just as AC programmers seem to be leaning in more heavily on the pre-rock-era crooners in recent years, there?s also more from the Easy Listening era on holiday radio these days. Increasingly, the songs of faith are from Percy Faith (or Ray Conniff). Here?s a sampling of major holiday outlets over a two-hour period: CHFI Toronto CHFI is one of North America?s most successful Christmas stations. During COVID, I noticed them starting religious Christmas titles right away. This year, the two titles that showed up in the stretch monitored were Canadian, allowing the station to fill its 35% quota with a familiar song, rather than an original/recent title. Ali & Theo, ?Do You Hear What I Hear (2024)? Johnny Reid, ?Little Drummer Boy? KODA (Sunny 99.1) Houston Mariah Carey, ?O Holy Night? Ray Conniff, ?Little Drummer Boy? Percy Faith, ?Joy to the World??instrumental KOIT San Francisco Martina McBride, ?Do You Hear What I Hear?? Pentatonix, ?Joy to the World? KSFI (FM100) Salt Lake City Peter Breinolt, ?Wake Up Little Child??a local artist whose song is mostly about Christmas now, but alludes to the nativity Karla Bonoff, ?The First Noel? Nat King Cole, ?The First Noel? Nat King Cole, ?Hark! The Herald Angels Sing? Whitney Houston, ?Do You Hear What I Hear? WBEB (B101) Philadelphia Martina Mc Bride, ?O Holy Night? Lindsey Stirling, ?Joy to the World??instrumental WLEV Allentown, Pa. Elvis Presley, ?Here Comes Santa Claus?* Harry Simone Chorale, ?Little Drummer Boy? WLTW (Lite FM) New York Kelly Clarkson, ?O Holy Night? Ray Conniff, ?Here Comes Santa Claus? Amy Grant, ?Hark! The Herald Angels Sing? Percy Faith, ?Hark! The Herald Angels Sing??instrumental Frank Sinatra, ?Silent Night? WMGQ (Magic 98) New Brunswick, N.J. Nat King Cole, ?Joy to the World? Andy Williams, ?Do You Hear What I Hear?? WRRM (Warm 98) Cincinnati Barenaked Ladies f/Sarah McLachlan, ?God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen? Amy Grant, ?Hark! The Herald Angels Sing? Secular vs. spiritual is an issue for the Christian stations that go all-Christmas as well with two outlets taking a different tack. For purposes of comparison, here?s Christian AC WAWZ New Brunswick from 2-4 p.m.: Francesca Battistelli, ?Messiah? Casting Crowns, ?I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day? Lauren Daigle, ?Light of the World? Newsboys, ?O Holy Night? Mark Maher, ?Hark! The Herald Angels Sing? Third Day, ?Angels We Have Heard on High? Josh Wilson, ?Angels We Have Heard on High? And here?s the very successful KTIS Minneapolis in the 2 p.m. hour alone, where spiritual titles outnumber secular ones: Big Daddy Weave, ?Go Tell It on the Mountain? Jim Brickman, ?Joy to the World? Jeremy Camp, ?O Come All Ye Faithful? Casting Crowns, ?Joyful, Joyful? Nat King Cole, ?God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen? For King + Country, ?Angels We Have Heard on High? Mac Powell & the Family Reunion, ?Away in a Manger/Joy to the World? Naomi Raine & Todd Galberth, ?Joy to the World/Joy of the Lord? Mark Schultz, ?The First Noel? Third Day, ?What Child is This?? more

From Radio Insight: Hall Communications has rebranded Classic Hits “100.9 K-Hits” WKNL New London CT as “Big 100.9“. While the station continues to position as “Big Hits, Big Fun”, the move sees the station widen its previously nearly all-1980’s playlist to re-add music from the 1970s and 1990s. Franco Carofano, who has hosted mornings at WKNL since 2013 remains in the timeslot. “Franco in the Morning” has been a staple in eastern Connecticut for decades at multiple stations including 102.3 WXLM and 105.5 WQGN. more

From Radio Insight: Libby Parris’ Radio Broadcast Communications sells 970 WAMD Aberdeen MD to Christy Andrulonis’ Sweet Tea Radio for $5000. Parris retains 1460 WKHZ Easton MD. Sweet Tea also owns Silent 1330 WHGM Havre de Grace/100.5 W263CQ Chesapeake City MD* And is also purchasing 104.7 W284BE Havre de Grace from Hope Christian Church of Marlton for $50,000. W284BE had been rebroadcasting WHGM and the filing keeps that as the parent signal. Community Public Radio donates the CP of 88.5 WCFD Crawfordville FL to Pensacola Christian College. Community Public Radio has also requested a six month tolling of the CP, which is set to expire in mid-January due to Hurricane Milton and the death of 30% voting board member Penny Jackson, the wife of chairman and 40% board member Lowell Jackson in September. Copper Basin Adventist Radio transfers the CP for 91.3 KGAA Glennallen AK to Adventist Radio Alaska Corporation for no consideration. Translator SalesAfter launching Hip Hop “Loud 103.7” on W279EM Scranton PA last month, Pat ‘DJ Grooves’ Cerullo’s Major Keystone LLC is acquiring the translator from Kevin Fitzgerald for $50,000. Fed from Bold Gold Media Group?s 104.9 WWRR-HD3 Scranton, W279EM became the fourth market for Major Keystone’s “Loud Radio” network in eastern Pennsylvania joining their signals in Allentown/Bethlehem, Reading and State College. New Life Broadcasting of PA Inc. donates 97.7 W249AA Lebanon PA to Calvary Chapel Bible Broadcasting for no consideration. W249AA rebroadcasts Calvary Chapel Lebanon’s Christian “Truth FM” 93.1 WLEB-LP Lebanon, which is flagship for a regional network also heard on four other signals licensed to the donee. more