The Wires - Tech (October 9, 2004)

The Wires - Los Angeles (October 9, 2004)

The Wires - Nationwide (October 9, 2004)

DJ Mike Marrone gave up on "terrestrial" radio in 1995, when a big conglomerate bought his 100,000-watt radio station in New Mexico and slashed his play-list by two-thirds. Now Marrone, 48, programs an eclectic mix of soft alternative rock for The Loft, a channel offered by XM Satellite Radio, one of two satellite services that are reshaping the industry (read more - Kevin Diaz-Star-Tribune) (read/listen more - NPR)

There's more at stake in Howard Stern's flight from the FM dial to a cutting-edge satellite broadcaster than fuddy-duddy programming restrictions: The shock jock's high-tech leap underscores a widening digital divide between the old world of radio and the new. The rise of the iPod, digital television, TiVo and other high-tech entertainment devices has made it painfully clear to many that traditional radio's continued reliance on analog transmissions is outdated and has to go. Now radio is facing a technological transformation from both above and below, as stations begin to move from analog transmissions toward the new digital medium, and as companies and consumers apply high-tech tools to capture broadcasts in their current nondigital form (read more - John Borland/Evan Hansen-CNET)

A stunned hairdresser has been told she has been breaking the law for 35 years - by playing a radio in her own salon. Mary Methven’s radio has provided the soundtrack to her daily working life since the Beatles and Rolling Stones were in the charts with Get Back and Jumping Jack Flash. So she was flabbergasted when the Performing Rights Society (PRS) contacted her and demanded £65 a year for the privilege. Mrs Methven, who owns the A&M Methven salon in Sighthill, is one of 7000 Scottish firms being targeted in a new crackdown by the PRS. The society exists to enforce copyright laws on behalf of songwriters, and says even a background radio playing in a shop counts as a "public broadcast" requiring a licence. (read more - The Scotsman)

Long Commercial Breaks Annoying For Elders (October 9, 2004)

The Wires - National (October 8, 2004)

All Access (registration required)
At the NAB RADIO SHOW's Group Executives Supersession, HOWARD STERN's defection to satellite radio was again Topic A, with ENTERCOM Pres./CEO DAVID FIELD calling it "a kick in the chin" but calling coverage of the threat to terrestrial radio "exaggerated" and advising the industry to fight back by refusing to take XM and SIRIUS ads and emphasizing the negatives of satellite radio. Both FIELD and GREATER MEDIA Pres./CEO PETER SMYTH called STERN's exit a "great opportunity" for INFINITY to introduce a new talent who is, in FIELD's words, "more compelling." SMYTH and CITADEL COO JUDY ELLIS also called for the industry to use the change as an opportunity to increase the development of local talent. ELLIS decried the industry's failure to fight the anti-indecency crusade, noting that "HOWARD's leaving, whether it's time or not, is a result of the indecency thing." Responding to a question from the floor, ELLIS advised stations not to accept spots from SIRIUS and XM, and said that STERN's SIRIUS-dominated show THURSDAY morning could be considered a long spot for the satellite service and if so (she said she hadn't heard the episode), "we will charge them." The problem of loss of localism for areas adjacent to large markets through move-ins and high sale prices, raised in a question by ALL ACCESS, was dismissed by most of the panel, with CLEAR CHANNEL Pres./COO/Interim CEO MARK MAYS joking that concerned areas should "go buy a TV station." When the issue of lack of general market local news and programming for areas like ORANGE COUNTY was raised, SMYTH said that the situation appeared to be a good business opportunity but FIELD said he would not agree to increased interference to existing stations to increase local suburban service.

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Earlier in the day, at the NAB RADIO SHOW's annual FCC breakfast, Commissioner JONATHAN ADELSTEIN passed the buck on indecency to CONGRESS, saying that the lawmakers have "obligated us ... to protect children from things that are inappropriate for them to hear," but claiming that "we don't" censor ("we have nothing to do with that"). ADELSTEIN said, "I don't think the FCC should go after performers," warning of a "chilling effect" from such a move, but said that if CONGRESS passes the bill, the FCC will enforce it. Commissioner KEVIN MARTIN said that the subscription nature of satellite radio is a consideration in whether indecency rules should apply there, noting that the issue in cable television is different in that the complaints involve unwanted channels bundled with desired channels. ADELSTEIN told the gathering that radio's "strength is localism" and said that radio is best when "decentralized," citing a local RAPID CITY station's listener poll to select its favorite song of all time. MARTIN also voiced concern that the proposed requirement that stations record all programming may overburden small stations and suggested that an exemption could be made for stations with a history of compliance as well as for news. Asked what the status of the FCC's localism initiative, ADELSTEIN noted that a Notice of Inquiry is open on the topic but declined to set forth a timetable for action.

Radio listenership is down, revenue growth is anemic, and complaints about programming are omnipresent. But the radio industry, said Stephen Soboroff, owner of KCJJ-AM 1630, a 10,000-watt independent station in Iowa City, has only itself to blame for its many troubles. "Consolidation killed local radio, it dumbed down content, stripped news departments and eliminated the diversity that once made it such an enjoyable medium," Soboroff said. "Big Radio has made it worse." When Soboroff talks about Big Radio, he's referring to the handful of companies that purchased hundreds of stations following passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. That landmark law eliminated caps on the number of stations a company could own in a single market (read more - Leon Lazaroff and Maureen Ryan-Chicago Tribune)

RDN COMMENTARY FLASHBACK - AUGUST 20, 2003 --- With the "Technologies of the 2000’s" we use FM modulators and portable XM and Sirius Satellite receivers to listen to crystal clear, static-free music, news, sports, talk and information beamed down to earth from nearly 25,000 miles away. Given this track record of technological advances, do you think that time will now stand still and there will be no further advances in radio programming distribution? Did the quest for the technology to distribute music, news and talk programming suddenly end with the invention of radio transmitter towers? Hardly. I have a feeling that, in time – and I don’t know how long a time it will be - AM and FM radio receivers, as we know them, will become antiques, and radio-TV towers will become nothing more than junk metal that will be sold by the pound. These things are inevitable. They will happen. Are you embracing the new "Technologies of the 2000’s" or are you allowing the new technologies to swallow you up and spit you out? Are you still investing your time, energy and attention in the old technologies of the 60’s? (read more - Shannon's Corner-RDN)

The Wires - National (October 7, 2004)

Lawmakers Compromise to Increase Indecency Fines... It looks like Howard Stern might be getting out of traditional radio just in time to escape the newest indecency rules. U.S. lawmakers have reached a compromise on legislation that would raise indecency fines for radio and television. The new rules still must be approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives. According to Reuters, fines would be raised to as much as $500,000 per incident, quite an increase from $27,500. Fines could also be applied to individuals reasonable for indecent content, not just the license holder. Removed from previous drafts of the legislation was a provision giving the FCC authority to consider revoking a station's license after three indecency violations, a source told Reuters. The House and Senate had each passed different bills earlier in the year and had to find a compromise between the two. The new legislation is expected to be attached onto a current bill that is already waiting to be passed. Reports say it will most likely be a bill authorizing military defense programs. A spokeswoman for Parents Television Council, told Reuters the organization was pleased with the compromise. "Our biggest focus was pushing something through this year," said Lara Mahaney.

Lew Dickey: XM Will Suffer From Howard Stern Deal... The Cumulus Chairman/CEO told R&R at the NAB Radio Show that he believes XM subscribers may defect to Sirius in order to hear Stern when he takes his program to the New York-based satellite radio service in 2006. Dickey also believes Sirius’ signing of Stern along with its contract to carry NFL games has put it in position to better compete with front runner XM. “This threatens XM’s growth rate,” he said. Further, Dickey noted that Stern’s move to Sirius will benefit his company, as Cumulus doesn’t carry Stern on any of its stations but competes with Citadel-owned WTPA/Harrisburg, which carries Stern. “This is going to destroy that station’s revenue,” he said.

Mighty Ducks And Mighty 1090 Renew (October 6, 2004)

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If there eventually is an NHL hockey season, the MIGHTY DUCKS OF ANAHEIM will be heard again on Sports XEPRS-A (THE MIGHTY 1090)/SAN DIEGO, with STEVE CARROLL returning as play-by-play voice. The parties have inked a new two year deal; 1090 split the games with KXTA-A/LOS ANGELES and XETRA-A/ROSARITO-SAN DIEGO (XTRA SPORTS 690 AND 1150) last season.

The Wires - Clear Channel (October 6, 2004)

Compared with television commercials, radio ads seem to drag on forever. That's one reason radio giant Clear Channel Communications Inc. set out earlier this year to persuade advertisers to cut their standard 60-second spots in half. But with the plan already meeting some resistance, Clear Channel now is launching a new program to help radio advertisers spice up their abbreviated messages. The minute-long format lets radio advertisers drone on about their car dealerships, their mattresses and their electronics stores. Clear Channel thinks these verbose, sometimes amateurish messages prompt some listeners to change stations (read more - Wall Street Journal-Cincy Post)

Ed Krampf, a major domo at Clear Channel, wants to make 1,229 things clear. That's how many radio stations the San Antonio-based corporation owns, and that number is one reason the company is the target of brickbats from virtually every corner of the entertainment industry and from the media. The basic song goes: Clear Channel is radio's big bully, the brutish product of consolidation following the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It's the reason radio sounds so homogenized, with dull DJs playing the same old songs. To cut costs, Clear Channel employs disc jockeys who voice-track (prerecord) DJ patter, producing full four- or five-hour shows in less than an hour and sending them to other Clear Channel stations, cutting down job opportunities in those markets (read more - San Francisco Chronicle)

The Wires - Nationwide (October 6, 2004)

The Wires - Tech (October 6, 2004)

The Wires - Tech (October 5, 2004)

Tony and Kris' Amazing Uterace Winner (October 5, 2004)

Emmis Snags "The Loop" in Chicago (October 5, 2004)

KPEZ Becomes 'World Class Rock' (October 5, 2004)

Tech: Sony Ditches Copy-Controls on CDs (October 5, 2004)

Sony Music is giving up on the built-in copy-protection software that came installed on all its CDs, after spending two years promoting it. The CDs allowed the buyer to copy the music for free onto their own computer, but charged a fee via the Internet if it was copied again. According to the Associated Press, Sony is abandoning the software because the company says it has successfully gotten out its message about the illegality of file-sharing. A spokesperson for the company told the AP that Sony Music has learned only a small percentage of the population is now illegally copying CDs.

Sony is most likely altering its strategy as a result of the popularity of portable digital music players, such as the iPod. Sony will soon release their own portable audio player, starting in Europe, which will be compatible with any audio file format. Sony also has its own online music store, Sony Connect, which launched in May.

Bob Rivers Wins September Radio Comedy Competetion (October 5, 2004)

Backwaves: The Readers Strike Back (October 4, 2004)

From Arlene Moore: Just a reminder about The largest Octoberfest west of the Mississipi, 31 years and running. In La Mesa this weekend, October 1st, 2nd & 3rd 2004. There will be more than a hundred vendors, live music, food & beer gardens. Come & join the festivities. Hours are 11am- 11pm Friday & Saturday, 11am - 6pm Sunday. Thank you & see you there. La Mesa Village Merchants Association 619-644-3003.

Editor: Whoops! Our e-mail came just a bit too late to include. Oh well. You can always pay for a banner on our website to be sure that any plugs for businesses get priority once payment and a banner is sent to the address mentioned. Just click a square on the left part of the banner for instructions on how to pay. Thank you for supporting sandiegoradionews.com.

From William "Whimsical Will" Simpson: Thanks very much for the copy of your interviews. Funny stuff! The song snippets work really well. Of course, I can certainly appreciate all the effort you put into these. And what smooth edits! I assume you assembled them digitally? The Nader "vote for me / it's a joke" was perfect! And how cool to be used in someone's else interview -- thanks! Keep it up! Best, Will

Editor's Note: visit whimsicalwill.com to hear his weekly "Demented News" heard on the Dr. Demento radio show.

From John Trevithick: re: Tanny's "So-Great Debate": Dave Ridiculous on KGB doesn't hold a candle to your humor. You should get a morning radio show. Too bad San Diego radio doesn't understand that this is the kind of humor that should be on the radio, not that Mikey Davey crap that's on the rock stations.

Editor's reply: thanks for your vote of confidence, James, but if I had to do the Debate using songs from Channel, X, My, Star, or Z, I couldn't do it as all they play are love songs nowadays, and all love song formats are too boring for me to listen through. I can't do humor with love songs. I tried taping Ryan Seacrest's Top 40 countdown and see what songs I could use, but I couldn't come up with any questions to question any of the lyrics from the singers on the Top 40 songs. Smooth jazz? Maybe, but I don't want my listeners to be awake laughing and asleep at the same time.

From John Brown: Air America is nothing like alternative talk radio. Just a bunch of Bush bashing every hour. How monotonous. Does Clear Channel really think we're so stupid that we would listen to that kind of drivel all the time?