Editor: David Tanny
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March Holidays
+-------------------- Bizarre Holidays --------------------+
MARCH
March is... National Furniture Refinishing Month
March 4 is... Holy Experiment Day
March 5 is... Multiple Personalities Day
March 7 is... National Crown Roast Of Pork Day
March 8 is... Be Nasty Day
March 9 is... Panic Day
March 10 is... Festival Of Life In The Cracks Day
March 11 is... Worship of Tools Day
March 15 is... Buzzard's Day and Everything You Think Is
Wrong Day
March 15 is... Big Family Day (25th anniversary of debut of Eight is Enough!)
March 20 is... Festival Of Extraterrestrial Abductions Day
March 22 is... National Goof-off Day
March 18 is... Supreme Sacrifice Day
March 22 is... National Goof-off Day
March 27 is... National "Joe" Day
March 27 is... "Weird Al" Day
March 28 is... Something On A Stick Day
March 31 is... Bunsen Burner Day
For more holidays, see the Holiday Almanac right here...http://davytany.tripod.com/ News Wires (Mar 2, 2002)Jay Posner - TV/Radio Sports - The San Diego UnionGO>>> The Padres open April 1 at Arizona in a game ESPN will televise. The irony: If Gwynn works that game, San Diegans would not be able to hear his debut; Channel 4 San Diego's coverage has priority in the local market that day. Once again the Padres will be barely noticeable on Fox's and ESPN's weekend baseball telecasts. Fox's Saturday schedule, which begins June 1, has just one Padres game – June 22 against the New York Yankees. ESPN announced only its first-half schedule for Sunday nights, and there's also just one Padres telecast – April 14 against the Dodgers. Fox Sports Net reports the "Best Damn Sports Show Period" will be on hiatus next week and air "Best Of" shows all week. What they didn't say: Each show will last three seconds. And even that will be a stretch.
John Maffei - North County Times TV/Sports Craig Elsten and Ben Higgins will originate their Saturday "Hot Stove League Show'' on KOGO from spring training, starting immediately after the game broadcast and running until 6 p.m. Starting Tuesday, Cactus League games can be heard on MLB.com. Elsten, the Padres' pre- and postgame host, calls the games along with Brian McRae.
Radio Wires (Mar 2, 2002)Radio & Records (includes Arbitrons)GO>>> John Ryan Joins KMPC/Los Angeles As GM... Ryan replaces Nancy Cole, who recently exited the Sporting News Radio Southern California flagship. Ryan spent three years as VP/Market Sales Manager for Hispanic Broadcasting's L.A. stations. His market experience also includes a decade at KKBT and KCMG, where he served in a number of positions between 1989-1999, and three years with KROQ, where he was an AE from 1986-1989. K-Earth E-Mail (Mar 2, 2002)Greetings from OLDIES RADIO K-EARTH 101! Log on to the K-EARTH 101 FunClub Monday, March 4th at 9 AM through Sunday, March 10th at Noon for your chance to win a pair of tickets to see Cheval! Cheval...Imagination at full gallop is coming March 20th to the Orange County Fair and Expo Center. An extraordinary equestrian extravaganza and the latest creation of Gilles Ste.-Croix, Cirque du Soleil former Director of Creation, the performance takes place under the world's largest hand-painted big top in the style of French La Loire Valley Castles. Voyage into an imagination that is full of emotion and fantasy with Cheval! For more information or to order tickets visit www.chevaltheatre.com, News Wires (Mar 2, 2002)Hollywood Reporter:GO>> ABC pursues Letterman to replace 'Nightline'... ABC is trying to persuade David Letterman to switch his late-night talk show from CBS, a bold move that would oust "Nightline" from the time slot it has held for two decades. Letterman's representatives are talking with ABC and CBS, where he has worked since moving from NBC in 1993, according to sources close to the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity. ABC and CBS representatives declined comment Friday. Rob Burnett, CEO of Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, said: "Dave's contractual obligation to the 'Late Show' concludes this August. We are continuing negotiations with the CBS television network. It would be inappropriate at this time to discuss any inquiries that we have received from other networks." Letterman has been the longtime No. 2 in the ratings behind NBC's Jay Leno in the late-night comic wars. He's long been unhappy that CBS' older prime-time audience and the weak local news programs on CBS affiliates don't provide him with a stronger lead-in. Full story on the website just above. Other TV wires also have the Letterman story. Pick a favorite! News Wires (Mar 1, 2002)The latest trends have KPOP playing nostalgia beating B94.9 playing 80s music. The station that plays music for people IN their 80s is beating the station that plays music FROM the 80s!That's The News...Dennis is Outta Here...Monday Night Football, That Is! (Mar 1, 2002)Looks like there will be a new Monday Night Football team this upcoming season...and it's no longer Miller time on Monday nights.Veteran CBS and Fox NFL commentator John Madden, former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders, will be joining play-by-play veteran Al Michaels for ABC Sports' weekly "Monday Night Football" telecast next season, ending comedian Dennis Miller's two-year stint in the announcer's booth, the network said Thursday. TVBarn.com reports that John Madden has signed a contract with ABC. He'll be calling games with Al Michaels for at least this coming season, while Dan Fouts will probably go to ESPN and Dennis Miller's future in sportscasting is unclear. The gregarious Madden, a gridiron icon for his years as a National Football League coach and on-air NFL analyst, struck a four-year deal with ABC after Fox Sports agreed to release him from the final year remaining on his contract there, ABC Sports president Howard Katz said. Fox released the 65-year-old Madden from the final year of his contract after the sides could not agree on an extension. Financial terms were not disclosed. But Madden was reported to have been offered $5 million a year to join ABC Sports, about $3 million less than he was making during his eight years at Fox, which recently took a $387 million charge on the cost of its NFL contract. "Every broadcaster would love an opportunity to be part of Monday Night Football," said Madden, an NFL analyst for 21 years. "This is something that came very quickly." Miller, who received mixed reviews for his offbeat "wild card" commentary and annoyed many hard-core NFL fans, will be dropped from the marquee pro football attraction, as will co-commentator and Hall of Fame San Diego Charger quarterback Dan Fouts. Sideline reporter Eric Dickerson will also leave the program. No word whether the other sideline reporter Melissa Stark will be retained. The new arrangement will reduce the number in the ABC booth to two. The deal comes weeks after Madden, a former Oakland Raiders coach, wrapped up his vaunted 21-year NFL announcing partnership with Pat Summerall at CBS and Fox. Their last broadcast together was the Fox telecast of the Super Bowl. Madden, known for his lively delivery, had been the top analyst at Fox since it took the National Football Conference package away from CBS in 1994. But Fox recently replaced Pat Summerall, Madden's partner at CBS and Fox for the last 21 years, as the network's chief play-by-play man. Madden's move to ABC Sports signals a shift back to a more meat-and-potatoes approach to "Monday Night Football" after an attempt to spice up a broadcast that was widely seen has having grown stale. Some critics have complained that the three-way team of Michaels, Miller and Fouts strayed too far from gridiron basics at times. "I've always said in the back of my mind that someday I would like to do MNF," said Madden, who coached the Oakland Raiders to the NFL championship in 1977. "If you are a broadcaster it's something that you would always think of doing." IT'S ABOUT FOOTBALL "I still think it's about football," Madden said during a conference call with reporters. "I think football is about the game, and the game is about the players, and you're not always on that, but I think that's what you should be on most of the time." Michaels said he agreed that "football is the core" but added, "That doesn't mean you have to sit there and explain what defense a team was employing in every situation. ... There are a hundred kinds of things you can talk about besides what's taking place on the field." Miller and Fouts each has a year left on his contract with ABC Sports. In the conference call, Katz expressed doubt about Miller's continuing relationship with ABC Sports but said discussions with the "Saturday Night Live" alumnus were continuing. He said ABC was looking to keep Fouts on in some capacity, perhaps as part of the network's coverage of college football. Long considered the crown jewel of weekly sports coverage on network television, "Monday Night Football" ranked No. 8 in household ratings among all prime-time programs this past season and has remained in the top 10 for the past 12 years. Still, Madden expressed some sadness about leaving behind his 21 years with Summerall, including his traditional Thanksgiving presentation of a "six-legged turkey" -- a roast duck shoved inside a roast chicken shoved inside a roast turkey -- to the game's most valuable player. "My Thanksgiving tradition for 21 years has been doing a football game, and now that tradition and those things are being to be put to bed," he said. "There are trade-offs." Despite sagging ratings, Monday Night Football is still considered the sport's top showcase for announcers and ABC will televise the Super Bowl next season. Miller's hiring two seasons ago was greeted with great fanfare but his off-the-wall references perturbed traditional football fans and the show's ratings continued its recent slide. Last season, Monday Night Football's telecasts generated an average 11.5 rating, down 9 percent from a 12.7 in 2000. The ratings in 1999 was 13.7. TV-RADIO: Madden's addition, Miller's departure good news for 'MNF' JOHN MAFFEI Goodbye, Dennis Miller. Good riddance. Don't let the door hit you in the backside on the way out. Rejoice, America ---- Miller is done at ABC. Now he can take his inane drivel and off-color remarks from the "Monday Night Football" stage to late night on HBO or some out-of-the-way comedy club in Hoboken. After two years of torturing America with Miller, ABC announced Thursday it has hired John Madden to work alongside Al Michaels and form a two-man "MNF" booth. That means Miller is gone. Unfortunately, it also means the end for Dan Fouts, the Chargers' Hall of Fame quarterback. Mercifully, sideline reporter Eric Dickerson was also let go. Melissa Stark ---- the sideline reporter who could string two sentences together ---- was retained. It's a bad break for Fouts, a hard-working, informative, down-to-earth broadcaster. He would have done fine in a two-man "MNF" booth with Michaels. But when Madden became a free agent after Fox let him out of the final year of his contract ---- and after they dumped his long-time partner, Pat Summerall ---- it was a no-brainer for ABC. Madden is a star, and you don't put stars in a three-man booth ---- certainly not with Miller and, unfortunately, not with Fouts. Stars need to be unencumbered, free to do their thing. ABC had tried numerous times to lure Madden, first from CBS, then Fox. The timing is right this time, however. Madden was given a four-year contract that is believed to be worth $20 million. Fox is taking huge losses on the NFL, and Madden was making $7.5 million a season. So cost-cutting is a factor. ABC, which has the Super Bowl here next season, is losing money on the NFL, too. And now, including Michaels' $3 million salary, ABC will have about $8 million tied up in the MNF booth. But name recognition should lead to higher ratings. This is a move ABC couldn't refuse ---- its "MNF" ratings have declined each of the past seven years, including a nine-point drop this past season to a new low average rating of 11.5. "I don't want to put too much pressure on John ---- he has been with us all of 20 minutes now ---- but, yeah, I expect the ratings to go up," ABC Sports president Howard Katz said. "Putting Al and John together creates the ultimate dream team.''
While Fouts becomes a casualty of the network broadcast wars, the Miller experiment clearly was a failure. Now, it's Madden Time. "I've always had it in the back of my mind that someday I'd like to do 'MNF,'" Madden said. "If you're a broadcaster, it's something you always think of doing.'' More football + With Summerall and Madden gone, Fox could team Joe Buck and Cris Collinsworth as its new No. 1 NFL team. + CBS announced former NFL quarterbacks Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason will join host Jim Nantz and Deion Sanders on ``The NFL Today'' pregame show. Esiason worked two years on "MNF" before he was dumped for Miller and Fouts. Last year, Esiason worked on Fox's pregame show as well as in the radio booth on Monday nights. He'll keep the radio job. Marino will continue to work for HBO's ``Inside the NFL," a job he has held the last three seasons. + ABC wants to keep Fouts. Unless he changes networks, he'll probably move back to the college game and call West Coast contests with Keith Jackson. News Wires (Mar 1, 2002)New Radio Star:GO>>> STORY OF GAVIN REPORT DEMISE GREATLY EXAGGERATED SAYS MATTSON... We received this email today...I am the Country Editor for Gavin and I wanted to enlighten you since some of your facts regarding our reported demise are very wrong. 1. The bi-weekly Gavin magazine publication did NOT cease months ago. We are currently going to press with our Country Radio Special Issue. 2. Our seminar attendance high is closer to 2500, not 5000. (editor's note: A number given to us directly from the Gavin publisher by the way..) And if you were to check this week's Country Radio Seminar, or the past and upcoming R&R,and Billboard Monitor seminars, you will likely find they too have significantly less attendees. It is an economic reality that we all face when assembling our seminars. We have not been excluded by the large radio chains. Wherever did you get that information? If you were to check the Gavin Seminar's registration list, you would find many of the nation's top programmers who work for one of the large radio chains were at the seminar and were most likely on one of our outstanding panels. 3. There are several buyers interested in various entities of Gavin, and we are anticipating a sale soon. We are not closing this week. Our bi-weekly magazine will be be suspended after the March 1 issue, pending the sale, but our popular (profitable) Fax products and charts will continue. (from Jamie Matteson, Country Editor) The Lost 45'sFrom: "Barry Scott"'The Lost 45s with Barry Scott (not heard on San Diego radio) features Top 40 records from the 70s and 80s that no longer receive airplay. The show was on terrestrial radio in the U.S. for 19 years, in syndication for 6 and is now heard on the web. The Lost 45s features America's largest record library, as well as the largest library of interviews and sound bites found anywhere. Barry Scott has released a best selling book and a CD series based on the program and has appeared on VH-1's "Behind The Music." "The Lost 45s" can be heard at http://www.lost45.com Nicole Sandler Checks in (Mar 1, 2002)Hi All,Getting settled here in South Florida and, though not responding often, enjoying the discourse here! A few comments... re 94.3, the station is being programmed by Mike Halloran, a San Diego fixure forever. Bless him, though, he keeps getting people to give him a chance... I was at the Gavin convention in San Francisco, and he and I spoke briefly about me doing a show for them. More about this if anything materializes... Ryan Adams is definitely a piece of work. I've had the pleasure of interviewing him a number of times, and I truly believe that all geniuses are a little whacked-- him included. I should be starting on Sirius in mid-march. I've been putting my studio together, but still have a way to go. I'm going to Hawaii next week for a music conference, and will interview all the artists who are performing, record their performances, and put together a three-part (probably) show from it. The artists are: Shannon McNally Dishwall Johnny A Chuck Prophet Tommy Castro Phantom Planet Andrew Dorff Big Head Todd & The Monsters Maia Sharp John Eddie (Bruce.. I've been forwarding your comments to him!) Ivan Neville Raul MaloOnce it's done, I'll try to upload the finished shows to a web site where you can listen, should you wish. Now that I'm connected to the internet via cable, I've been spending a lot of time listening to Sirius' Alt Country channel, as I'll be working for them very soon. When I first listened last month, I thought it was bit twangy for my tastes, as some of you also commented. I think they've tweaked it a bit, as I'm really enjoying it now... I've come up with a name for my company... it's "Virtual Radio Services". If anyone here has any need for audio production... from radio commercials to industrial voice-overs, that's a big part of what I'll be doing... so please think of me! Nicole Sandler Bonaduce wants to fight ButtafuocoThe next time, Fox's "Celebrity Boxing" could get personal. A grudge match is brewing between "Partridge Family" buffoon Danny Bonaduce and philandering Long Island auto-body worker Joey Buttafuoco.Moments after Bonaduce beat up "Brady Bunch" dud Barry Williams in two rounds Wednesday night, Bonaduce had a heated exchange with Buttafuoco - who was at the match as an alternate boxer. "Buttafuoco is out of his mind. At the ring, he said something I really didn't like, and I was a little angered at," the former child star told "Access Hollywood" last night. "You're not so tough when your girlfriend isn't shooting anyone, you bitch," Bonaduce shrieked back at Buttafuoco, alluding to his infamous tryst with Amy Fisher, a witness told The Post. Network sources said yesterday that a new episode of "Celebrity Boxing" could air as early as this May and might feature "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire" bride Darva Conger. Wednesday night's boxing special was headlined by Tonya Harding's defeat of Paula Jones. With an average of about 15.5 million viewers, the celebrity brawl KO'd a repeat episode of NBC's "The West Wing."
Meanwhile, Fox sources said the network is considering legal action against
GoldenPalace.com, an online casino that paid Bonaduce, "Diff'rent Strokes" star
Todd Bridges and Harding to tattoo its Web address on their backs as an ad.
The San Diego Reader Blurt - Various journalists The San Diego Reader Blurt - Various journalists: - SLAMM and Premium 92.1 News Wires (Feb 28, 2002)North County Times "San Diego Radio Static" - Randy DotingaSeven-hundredths of a penny for your thoughts (More on the controversal web royalty issue.) Excerpts: As a result, San Diego jazz station KSDS 88.3 is switching off its live online simulcast. Other stations are sure to follow suit, while some that recently stopped streaming, like KyXy and Sets 102.1, probably won't start up again. (A nationwide switch-off happened last year as part of a dispute over how much people who appear on commercials would get when the ads are broadcasted online. Some stations rigged systems that delete the commercials in question, while others stayed offline.) Unlike other stations, KSDS isn't too concerned about the new financial costs of broadcasting online. It will get a discount because it's a noncommercial operation. Instead, the station fears it cannot handle the paperwork. If the committee recommendation goes into effect, stations will have to keep track of eight pieces of information about each song they play, including such obscure information as the catalog number and "International Standard Recording Code." Also, KSDS opposes regulations that would require it and every other station to compile private information about each person who listens on the Internet. KSDS would have to keep track of where listeners are located, how long they listen and what they listen to. Woodward called that an invasion of privacy. KSDS is turning off Internet streaming today, nearly four years after it began. At its peak, as many as 586 people listened at one time online.
The San Diego Reader Blurt - Various journalists What is Schock's fixation on loving music in the article? Excerpt: "The only thing I'll say about Mike Halloran is I'll give the guy credit for being such a music lover that he's willing to risk his ability to feed his family to play the music that he loves," said Bryan Schock, program director for competing radio station 91X. (Halloran is program director for 92/1.) I believe that the radio listeners happen to be music lovers themselves, given the fact that more alternative music lovers prefer 92.1 over 91X in a few demographics in the North County. If Schock really cared about music on 91X, its listening base up there wouldn't have been fed up with their playlist enough to make the switch over to 92.1. If a radio man doesn't care about the music, then he shouldn't be in the programming aspects of radio. It's sad when a radio vet such as Schock who should know its listeners better doesn't use his 19-year plus experience to give what's left of his listeners a format with enough current variety of genres and new music to make 91X compelling radio you want to leave on all day. Excerpt: Schock: "...when I walk into a Costco, I realize not everybody there is a hard-core music lover. I have to serve the masses." What does Costco have to do with music? Does Costco sell just the Billboard Top 10 albums? I never go there, and I refuse to patronize a membership-only store for reasons that are beside the point. Excerpt: Schock likens Halloran to a self-indulgent restaurant owner. Excerpt: Schock: "You have to make sure you're not serving food for only ten people. You can't serve the food that just you like. He tends to serve meals to a smaller portion of the public...." The way 91X's playlist is compiled, I've only seen ten people on the independent.fm messageboard that are satisfied with Schock's McRadio franchise. Halloran's "independent Buffet of Musical Alternatives" is serving up delicious local and imported dishes that 91X's McRadio isn't bothering to serve anymore. Excerpt : "I love Bryan to death," said Halloran about Schock. "He is one of the coolest guys on the planet and one of the original 91X jocks when they signed on in '83. I also understand his concern for the fact that I must feed my family. But I wholeheartedly believe that working for one owner seems a hell of a lot better than working for the largest broadcasting company in America that has laid off so many people since they bought 1200 radio stations." Well, let's hope that Premium Radio gets its signal on one of the Mexican sticks down here to give the southern half of San Diego a real alternative to 91X and make Schock want to start loving music. I don't believe the suits at Clear Channel will want to keep a programmer who can't hang on to his station's listeners for very long. And Bryan, if you're reading this, you better get back to compiling tomorrow's playlist for Robin, Hilary, and Muckley to play; figuring how many times to repeat the same 30 songs is such hard work. News Wires (Feb 28, 2002)TV Barn:GO>> Spike Milligan has died Feb 27 at age 83... He collaborated with Peter Sellers on "The Goon Show" which was on radio in the 50s. It influenced Monty Python and other comedians. Some of the shows are online as MP3s. He also worked in television (including the sketch show, "Q"), film, stage and wrote books. The British Yahoo has full coverage. NPR talked (RealAudio) with Peter Bergman of Firesign Theater about Milligan and his influence. The Firesign Theater special "Weirdly Cool" may air again on your PBS station during the March pledge drive.
News Wires (Feb 27, 2002)Yahoo Entertainment:GO>> Conan O'Brien Renews NBC Deal, Shows to Be Re-Run... Late late night television talk show host Conan O'Brien could soon be coming to a more sleep-friendly time slot near you. NBC said on Tuesday it has signed the star of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" to a new four-year deal, and that the show will likely be "repurposed," or rerun on a different network shortly after first-run airings on NBC. NBC negotiated a similar deal when it signed Carson Daly, host of MTV's popular show "TRL," to a new show, "Last Call with Carson Daly." First runs of the program air at 1:35 a.m., and will be rebroadcast on the E! Networks the same day at 6 p.m. starting March 4. NBC West Coast President Scott Sassa said re-airings for both shows are appropriate because their first runs now occur at late times when many people are already asleep. "We're looking to doing a deal similar to what we did with E! for Conan's show," Sassa said. "We haven't announced exactly where it's going to be yet." Details of O'Brien's new deal were not disclosed, but previous reports said his annual salary would be roughly doubled to between $7.5 million and $8.5 million. The show is now in its 10th year. Rebroadcasts of the two NBC shows are part of a broader industry trend that has seen networks re-airing their popular shows on sister stations in a bid to get more mileage out of the programs. ABC's "Once and Again" is rebroadcast on its sister Lifetime cable network. Likewise, the WB network's "Charmed" is rebroadcast on its sister TNT cable network.
TV Barn: News Wires (Feb 27, 2002)Gavin - IndustryGavin Announces Complete List of 2002 Awards Winners... Gavin celebrates the best and the brightest in the radio and music industries with the 2002 Gavin Awards, announced at the recently concluded 2002 Gaivn Seminar in San Francisco. TOP 40 WINNERS Major Market (#11-25) STATION OF THE YEAR KHTS-San Diego OM/PD Diana Laird, KHTS-San Diego 2002 HOT A/C WINNERS Hot A/C Major Market Station of the Year (tie) WBMX-Boston KFMB-San Diego 2002 Alternative Awards Winners Alt Station of the Year (Markets 16 to 50) 91X-San Diego News Wires (Feb 28, 2002)Clear Channel Communications posted a record loss for 2001! Revenue fell to $1.86 billion from $2.02 billion. Radio sales fell about 10 percent and entertainment promotions slipped more than 11 percent compared to a year earlier. [The company] could take a $15 billion to $25 billion pretax charge due to the elimination of goodwill amortization. Just over 2 years ago Clear Channel stock was selling for $90 - it's been in the upper 40's now for a long time and in after hours trading following the release of those two news items above it was down over $5 bucks a share. All of this comes as satellite radio arrives with some pretty good reviews, as local radio becomes increasingly homogenized with national contests, voice-tracked out-of-town jocks and little to differenciate it from satellite radio other than too many commercials.
Regulators investigate Clear Channel for not playing enough Britney Spears A U.S. lawmaker said Tuesday federal regulators were exploring allegations that the largest radio broadcaster and concert promoter in the United States, Clear Channel Communications Inc., had abused its market position to shut out competitors. In a January letter to the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission, Rep. Howard Berman called for a probe into complaints Clear Channel had limited airplay of stars like Britney Spears who do not use its concert services. "There's been a dialogue between the DOJ and our office since the letter was sent and the DOJ has indicated they would be happy to receive any specific information on anti-competitive practices," a spokesman for Berman told Reuters Tuesday. "I think it would become a formal process or probe ... if they decide there was enough credible information out there." A spokesman for the Justice Department was not immediately available to comment. Clear Channel (CCU: Research, Estimates), a market leader in both radio and concert promotion, said CEO Lowry Mays and president and Chief Operating Officer Mark Mays had met with Berman and presented evidence to back its claim that it was creating aggressively but legally. "We believe we addressed each of the Congressman's points with facts and evidence that, while we compete aggressively, we compete fairly and within the law. We are more than happy to meet with the Congressman at any time if he has further questions," Mark Mays said. In his Jan. 22 letter, Berman, a Democrat from California, said the clout of a single entity controlling radio stations, TV stations, concert promotion services and other distribution channels for copyright content raised potential problems for consumers. Berman said if these allegations were true, they have obvious, negative implications, including higher concert ticket prices and reduced selections of broadcast music for consumers. "We're in the process of telling those folks they should go to the DOJ if they want to relay those concerns directly," he said, referring to several independent concert promoters, radio broadcasters, recording artists and venue owners. Clear Channel has led the U.S. concert promotion market since its $4 billion acquisition of SFX Entertainment in 2000, producing about 26,000 live events annually. Through additional acquisitions, Clear Channel has also become the dominant force in radio, with 1,200 stations. In August, a small Denver concert promoter, Nobody in Particular Presents, sued Clear Channel, charging it with using its radio stations to play Clear Channel-promoted artists in the Denver area, while excluding or limiting airplay of artists promoted by smaller competitors. The suit also alleged that artists were threatened they would lose airplay and on-air promotional support unless they used Clear Channel as their concert promoter. Reply posted by Jason in a radio messageboard... Clear Channel is corporate socialism at its best (or worse). They have manipulated their way to the top and now that they are there, they will strongarm everyone else to keep their reign of terror. All of the formats they have are so watered down as to not offend anyone. Listening to a CC channel is like listening to a commercial for some pepsi product that lasts 24/7. Music as an artform/expression is irrevelant, music to please the listener is irrevelant. They are taking over and leveling the playing field so that anyone can listen to rock/pop/r&b and not feel left out. Take the only true American solution, boycott any CC station and support local and independant music. Unfortunatly that won't make too much of a difference due to the fact that there are enough brainless 14 year olds who buy Britney Spears merch to keep CC running strong.
Radio Ink: I was appalled by the disingenuous comments from Radio Ink concerning the L.A. Times article. OF COURSE voicetracking is bad for radio; as a general rule, stations which use voicetracking do not serve their communities as effectively as those which pursue live, local programming. Voicetracking often maintains the illusion of local origination, but not all illusion results from magic, and the magic of radio has vanished from pathetic voice-tracked stations such as those of Clear Channel. The fulminations of the Radio Ink article sought to demonstrate that voice-tracking was no different from satellite radio. This, of course, is utter nonsense. For one thing, the XM and Sirius satellite services have not yet displaced any local announcers. But Clear Channel has fired hundreds of people and replaced them with voicetracking. Furthermore, local stations COULD provide local talent, if they chose to do so; XM and Sirius cannot do so even if they wanted to. It is true that voicetracking imposes limitations on stations similar to the limitations satellite radio imposes on itself. Why is this something for Radio Ink to be proud of? Finally, my experience has been that newspapers generally serve their readers more effectively than Clear Channel, which uses monopolistic practices primarily to wring every last dime out of its debt-laden properties, not to be provide greater service to the public interest. Clear Channel doesn't give a damn about its listeners or employees; Clear Channel is only about numbers. GOOD stations are concerned about numbers, of course, but they achieve their numbers by using real human beings to serve their listeners, who are also real human beings, not "numbers". This issue will be resolved eventually when Clear Channel is stripped of its licenses for its consistent record of racketeering and other criminal behaviors, combined with its nearly nonexistent commitment to public service. You mark my words. I believe the Justice Department is already on the case. Randy Michaels Says..."Clear Channel Radio Is Positioned To Exploit The Synergies Of Scale In A Way No Other Company Can Duplicate." According to Clear Channel Radio CEO Randy Michaels, "Clear Channel Radio is positioned to exploit the synergies of scale in a way no other company can duplicate. We reach over 110-million listeners every week, across all 50 states and through nearly every format, including branded, Clear Channel networks. No other company in the world can offer advertisers targeted footprints that match their trade area, whether it's local, regional or national. During 2001, we fine-tuned the organizational structure. During 2002, we're implementing our best practices across sales and programming functions. And most importantly, we're doing it all while we stay in touch with our local communities.''
News Wires (Feb 27, 2002)Radio & Records (includes Arbitrons)GO>>> CC Voicetracking Gets L.A. Times, WSJ Spotlight... Channel was the subject of the lead story in the Los Angeles Times Business section yesterday, and some of the article - printed on the eve of the release of Clear Channel's Q4 results - focused on the company's cost-cutting voicetracking system. "Our Kiss brand is like McDonald's," Clear Channel Brand Manager Todd Shannon says. "When you see the Kiss ball logo, there's no mistaking what you're going to get." But Mike Spencer, PD of Infinity's KLUC/Las Vegas, believes the tactic turns listeners off. "They're making radio into spoon-fed generic [junk]," he tells the Times. "It gives listeners one more reason not to listen to radio but to turn on their computer or use CDs." The Wall Street Journal ran a similar article yesterday, in which Clear Channel Radio CEO Randy Michaels says, "A McDonald's manager may get his arms around the local community, but there are certain elements of the product that are constant. You may in some parts of the country get pizza and in some parts of the country get chicken, but the Big Mac is the Big Mac. How we apply those principles to radio we're still figuring out." 'Excessive Levels Of Ownership' Raise Congressional Eyebrows... And it could spark across-the-board scrutiny by several Capitol Hill committees, according to Seth Bloom, an antitrust lawyer with the Senate Courts and Intellectual Property Subcommittee. He said at the NAB's State Leadership Conference that if the TV industry begins to consolidate like the radio industry, in the wake of last week's court decision regarding national TV caps, "we will be monitoring it carefully and we will be holding hearings." Legislative counsel Johanna Mikes, who works on a House antitrust committee, added, "We're hearing an awful lot about radio consolidation and concert promotions." A ranking member of that same committee, Rep. Howard Berman, last month sent a letter to the Department of Justice and to the FCC asking that Clear Channel be investigated for its concert-promotion activities.
Inside Radio: Excelsior Radio Networks signs L.A. Lloyd's Rock 30... Under the terms of the agreement, Excelsior will distribute and market Rock 30 show to radio stations in the US. Rock 30 is a weekly three-hour rock countdown of the week's biggest tracks based on affiliates playlists. Kid Rock co-hosts Rock 30 which debuted in July 2000. Advertising for Rock 30 will be handled by sister company Global Media.
Radio Ink: A Los Angeles Times story focuses on deregulation and voicetracking. And, of course, Clear Channel is the company taken to the woodshed by the paper. The paper quotes Jay Schwartzman from the Media Access Project as saying, "Our worst fears have been realized. A lot of the things Clear Channel is doing are the traditionally questionable industry practices, now on steroids." Schwartzman doesn't mention that the company is simply following the rules set forth by the government. Nor did he specify his definition of "questionable industry practices." Voicetracking was also part of the article; however, the paper made it appear as though the company was using voicetracking to save expenses during these rough economic times. For the most part, our industry has been going to voicetracking to save money ever since the technology was discovered. So it's really nothing new. Here are the quotes from the paper: "Clear Channel says that cost cutting will cushion the company as it slogs through the advertising slump and that it eventually will see increased profit. One cost-cutting strategy Clear Channel is betting on is repackaging radio shows across the country. The conglomerate is using so-called voice tracking on a scale that would have been unthinkable before deregulation." The article made us wonder that, if voicetracking is so bad for Radio, why will satelite radio be so good for consumers? The press, including Fortune magazine, is practically fawning over this new radio service, which touts the same sound from coast to coast. This next paragraph from the article is exactly what made us wonder. "In 48 cities, millions of radio listeners each week tune in to a station in their market calling itself Kiss FM. Many of the deejays are in Los Angeles, working for Clear Channel's pop powerhouse KIIS-FM, but listeners in smaller markets across the country may hear Rick Dees joking about their local news or Sean Valentine trumpeting upcoming concerts at their local amphitheater, as well as a similar playlist laden with bands such as 'N Sync and Linkin Park." "Our Kiss brand is like McDonald's," said CC's Todd Shannon, in the paper, "When you see the Kiss ball logo, there's no mistaking what you're going to get. It's a Top 40 product, but they're all localized inside." While it's en vogue to criticize Clear Channel whenever possible - as when other Radio companies criticize the company for such things as voicetracking - you'd be hard-pressed to find a top-10 radio company that isn't voicetracking. Life WOULD be a lot easier if radio companies were market monopolies, much like newspapers across the country. Most cities have only one newspaper, two at the most, when you might find 30 or 40 Radio stations. Talk about dictating content and lack of choice for the community!
Radio Horizon:
KRLA News Releases (Feb 27, 2002)KRLA's Larry Marino Set to Emcee the LA Times 5K Walk/Run... Sunday, March 3, Part of the Los Angeles Marathon Course. For the second year, Larry Marino, Operations Director for SmartTalk 870. KRLA-AM and host of topical talk fest "The Larry Marino Show" heard on sister frequency AM 590 daily 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.in the Inland Empire, will emcee the Los Angeles Times 5K Walk/Run. The 3.1-mile course starts and finishes in front of the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Staples Center, and offers participants a less daunting option to the Los Angeles Marathon's full 26.2-mile course. Several thousand people are expected to take part in the event, with check-in beginning at 8:00 a.m. and start time at 9:45 a.m. In addition, Marino will also provide live cut-in's to keep KRLA listeners involved in the excitement of this colorful, annual event. Registration is still open, via the Internet at www.lamarathon.com, or on-site the day of the event. SmartTalk 870 KRLA-AM, can be heard worldwide via the Internet at http://www.smarttalk870.comKRLA-AM 870 Sheds `NewsTalk' Moniker... KRLA-AM 870 will be known as SmartTalk 870 KRLA-AM. "Identifying the station as "SmartTalk" gives us a more competitive edge in the market," stated Dave Armstrong, Vice President/General Manager of KRLA and the Salem Los Angeles cluster. "Increasingly, we see the word "smart" used to identify products, indicating that an educated choice is being made by the consumer. We feel that this suits both KRLA's on-air talent as well as our listeners." Salem Los Angeles is a division of New Inspiration Broadcasting, Inc. and is owned and operated by Salem Communications Corporation, the nation's leading Christian broadcasting company with radio stations located in 34 markets. Salem Los Angeles stations include KKLA-FM 99.5, Los Angeles' number one Christian talk station, contemporary Christian music station KFSH-FM 95.9 The Fish, conservative talk KRLA-AM 870 AM and sister station 590 AM and Internet-only station Christian Pirate Radio (CPR). SmartTalk 870 AM KRLA, can be heard worldwide via the Internet at www.smarttalk870.com. Irv Kaze, Host of NewsTalk 870 AM KRLA's "Irv Kaze on Sports" Named "Best Sports Talk Show" by Southern California Sport Broadcasters... For the unprecedented sixth year, Irv Kaze, host of NewsTalk 870 AM KRLA's "Irv Kaze on Sports" was voted "Best Sports Talk Show" by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters. The presentation took place at a Monday, February 4 luncheon at the Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake, CA. Irv's son, Benjie Kaze, a coordinating producer for Fox Sports, accepted the award for his father as the senior Kaze was returning home from the Super Bowl. "We at KRLA join the members of the Southern California Sports Broadcasters on congratulating Irv," stated KRLA Radio Vice President and General Manager, Dave Armstrong. "We are pleased to offer our listeners such an outstanding and informative program." "Irv Kaze on Sports," heard Saturdays at 6:00 p.m., features in-depth interviews with leading sports figures. His extensive background in professional sports brings the crFme de la crFme in the industry to his weekly program. During the Final Four week, March 30, 2002, Kaze will celebrate his 10th year of "Irv Kaze on Sports." This fast-paced show is the most recent of the many successes that have followed Irv Kaze throughout his sports career. During his eight years with the Los Angeles Raiders as senior administrator, the team won the 1984 Super Bowl. Prior to joining the Raiders, he was media relations director for the New York Yankees for two years including in 1981 when they won the pennant. Other baseball stints included time with the National League as administrator for communications. Among his responsibilities was the development of the league's centennial program and promotion, which included a CBS-TV film on the league's 100th year. While attending New York University, he worked for the New York Post. He began his baseball career with the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League, moving up to the parent Pittsburgh Pirates when the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn, bringing major league baseball to Los Angeles in 1958. While with the Pirates, Irv Kaze helped develop the first "save" rule in baseball for relief pitchers. Following a two-year post with CBS Sports in New York (during which time he helped develop the "checked" center line for National Hockey League telecasts which the league still uses), he returned to Los Angeles as the first public relations director of the Los Angeles (now Anaheim) Angels. When Al Davis became commissioner of the American Football League, Irv joined his staff, and after the AFL/NFL merger, he became business manager and assistant to the president of the San Diego Chargers for seven years. Turning his talents to basketball, he served as vice president of the San Diego Clippers of the NBA during the team's inaugural years. He also served as commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the official developmental league of the NBA. Honors accorded him have been by the New York Baseball Writers Association, Orange County Sports Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. NewsTalk 870 AM KRLA can be heard worldwide via the Internet at www.newstalk870krla.com. News Wires (Feb 27, 2002)95.5 KLOShttp://www.955klos.com/ We've got some special guests coming in to the studios to visit our jocks this week, so check out who's coming in... and don't forget to keep that dial at 95.5 KLOS! Coming up this week: ---------------- George Thorogood ---------------- Tue, 2/26 @ 10pm With Jim Ladd ---------------- John Paul Jones ---------------- Wed, 2/27 @ 7pm With Gary Moore ---------------- Ray Manzarek ---------------- Thu, 2/28 @ 10pm With Jim Ladd ================ Keep Rockin'! ================
Wang-Net
Gavin - Industry TOP 40 WINNERS Top 10 Market (Arbitron Markets #1-10) STATION OF THE YEAR KIIS-FM-Los Angeles OM/PD John Ivey, WXKS-Boston/KIIS-LA RHYTHM CROSSOVER AWARDS Top 10 Market (Arbitron Markets #1-10) STATION OF THE YEAR KPWR-Los Angeles OM/PD Jimmy Steal, KPWR-Los Angeles Gavin Mainstream Urban Radio Award 2002 Winners Major Market Mainstream Urban Radio Station of the Year (tie) WPWX-Chicago KKBT-Los Angeles 2002 HOT A/C WINNERS Hot A/C Major Market Assistant Program Director/Music Director of the Year (tie) Mary Ellen Kachinske, WTMX-Chicago Chris Patyk, KYSR-Los Angeles 2002 Alternative Awards Winners Alt Station of the Year KROQ-Los Angeles Alt VP/Programming/PD of the Year Kevin Weatherly, KROQ-Los Angeles Alt APD/Music Director of the Year Lisa Worden, KROQ-Los Angeles Alt. Promotion/Marketing Director of the Year (all markets) Amy Stevens, KROQ-Los Angeles Web Streaming Fees (Feb 26, 2002)The U.S. Government's Copyright Office may have helped shut down Internet radio. The ruling put web streaming fees for stations so high that it would become a money loser. Clear Channel Communications said that they may pull their stream at the stations if it proves true. In a diatribe only a lawyer would love, the copyright office suggest a .007 [7/100ths] of a cent per song if the station can be received via terrestrial broadcasts, The rate, being 7/100 cents per cut, makes the potential annual royalty payments somewhere in the range of $60-100K per station. Internet only ventures face steeper fees, doubled the rate, which is unfair.News Wires (Feb 26, 2002)Media Week:GO>>> CBS' Saturday Growing Up... Nickelodeon, whose Saturday-morning Nick Jr. programming on CBS has produced a leading 3.1 rating in the 2-5 demo this season, is planning to "age-up" its lineup this fall to reach more 6-to-11-year-olds. CBS will fill the last two hours of its three-hour Saturday block with older-skewing Nick shows and keep the first hour targeted at kids 2-5, media buyer sources said. Nickelodeon, a sister network to CBS under the Viacom umbrella, began programming CBS' Saturday mornings for kids, as well as selling the advertising time, in September 2000. While CBS' Nick block has dominated the 2-5 ratings, media buyers have expressed a need to reach more viewers 6-11. Nickelodeon is keeping under wraps the older-skewing shows it plans to put on CBS' Saturday, but the cable net will have to be careful not to cannibalize its own Saturday a.m. lineup, which is geared to the same demo. Some buyers believe Nick's new CBS block will include Pelswick, which runs on Monday and Wednesday nights on the cable net; Fairly Odd Parents, which airs on Friday nights; and Sponge Bob, which airs 10a.m. to 11 a.m Saturday on Nick but could also run 11 a.m. to noon on CBS. News From ZENtertainment(tm)To subscribe, send an e-mail to ZENtertainment-owner@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZENtertainment for further details.Visit their website at http://www.ZENtertainment.com/ Copyright and Credit: All Contents Copyright 1995-2001 ZENtertainment. All Rights Reserved. ZENtertainment is a Trademark of Sean Jordan. Excerpts Used with Permission by the List Owner. These twice-weekly reports run about 40-50,000 bytes long covering TV, Movies, Books, and others. -----> NEW RELEASES -----> "*" - Recommended by ZEN - February 26th - *LISA LOEB Cake and Pie (A&M) *ALANIS MORISSETE under rug swept (Maverick) *KYLIE MINOGUE Fever (Capitol) *PHANTOM PLANET The Guest (Epic) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TV - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SURVIVOR: MARQUESAS Premiere Thursday - A fourth season of SURVIVOR premieres on CBS this Thursday night at 8. This time around, the 16 castaways on the remote island will be given no food or fire at all to aid them in their attempts to win $1 million. http://www.cbs.com Former SEINFELD Star Launches Decent Sitcom - Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays an L.A. club singer in the "real-time" NBC dramedy WATCHING ELLIE, premiering this Tuesday night at 8:30. Steve Carell (The Daily Show) and Peter Stormare (Fargo) also star. FRIENDS Returning Next Season - FRIENDS will return for a ninth and final season this fall, on NBC. The cast of the show recently signed a deal to each receive around $1 million per episode. In other news, WARNER Home Video will release the complete first season of FRIENDS as a DVD box set on April 30th. Retailing for a suggested $69.98, the set will include extended cuts with never-before-seen footage, audio commentary on the pilot from with executive producers Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, and a couple of featurettes. KIDS WB! Renews Five for the Fall - KIDS WB! has renewed X-MEN: EVOLUTION, JACKIE CHAN ADVENTURES, POKEMON: MASTER QUEST, THE MUMMY: SECRETS OF THE MEDJAI, and RESCUE HEROES: GLOBAL RESPONSE TEAM for the 2002-2003 season. http://www.kidswb.com FUTURAMA Future Uncertain - The creators behind FOX's FUTURAMA have reportedly been let go from their jobs, and its unknown if there will be any future episodes ordered beyond those already in the can. There are, however, over 20 episodes of the show which have yet to be aired, so the Matt Groening series will likely be around for at least one more season. http://www.gotfuturama.com (SOS Petition) Duchovny Returing to X-FILES - David Duchovny will reprise his role as FBI Agent Fox Mulder in the two-hour series finale of FOX's THE X-FILES airing May 19th. Duchovny will also direct the show's April 28th episode. NBC Making New MUPPETS Movie - According to The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, NBC and the JIM HENSON Co. are teaming up to make the TV movie IT'S A WONDERFUL MUPPET CHRISTMAS MOVIE. The telepic, expected to premiere this December, will not only guest star numerous NBC stars, but will also feature the first "significant" kiss between Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. ZEN QUICK HITS: - ABC has renewed NYPD BLUE for the 2002-2003 season News Wires (Feb 26, 2002)MSNBC:http://www.msnbc.com/news/715538.asp?cp1=1 Think Your DJ Is Local? Think Again!
Radio Daily News:
Radio Horizon:
Radio Business Report:
News Wires (Feb 26, 2002)Gary Lycan - Orange County RegisterCOOL 94.3 FM... Listener response to this column on KMXN/94.3 FM Anaheim changing formats was low-key at best. It was more like a non-reaction. We talked to a few others who listen regularly and we agree with their assessment - "Super Cool" 94.3 should take the bold step and go full throttle on the alternative format. Trying to please a hot adult contemporary audience while trying to entice alternative fans is like trying to put on two pairs of pants in the morning. You stumble, and listeners can't figure out what you're wearing. The new Cool has a solid chance to break out if it goes for it and takes its cue from the playlist of its successful sister KFSD/92.1 FM in northern San Diego. New program director Mike Halloran has the right music package on 92.1 FM - now he should be allowed to deliver it in Orange County.
Arbitrons: Los Angeles
Radio & Records (includes Arbitrons)
Radio Ink:
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