The Wires (Apr 3, 2008)

TV Point: From Durgesh Gupta -- It is probably the best thing to happen to radio since FM, ask any audiophile on the Internet and they will insist Internet radio is the only way ahead. Call it by any name - Internet broadcasting, web radio, streaming jukeboxes, but the idea is much the same. Audiophiles from all over the world 'tune in' to various services via the Internet, where they can hear music from a million odd genres and hunt for underground music. And not just the same 30 songs over and over again, like FM radio

Inside Music Media: From Jerry Del Colliano -- Okay, that's it. 50 Cent, the rapper, is now officially smarter than the four major record label heads put together. How do I know this? While the labels are out dreaming up more hair-brained schemes to force consumers into paying monthly fees for music they can already get for free, 50 Cent is becoming more anti-social. He's moving on -- beyond MySpace and Facebook. And this shrewd dude has introduced Thisis50.com

Fox Goes Insane! From radioandrecords (I'm not making this up, this is what it said on their website) Terry Fox is your new GM/PD for Insane Broadcasting's duo, overseeing management and programming for oldies/talk KZQZ-AM/St. Louis and country/talk WXOZ/Belleville, Ill. KZQZ was Bonneville's classic country WIL-AM until early March, when the company moved the format over to the FM side and spun off WIL.

Wired: ISPs To Be The Cashbox For Net Downloads (Apr 2, 2008)

"The music industry has no choice," noted music-licensing expert BOB KOHN, CEO of ROYALTYSHARE, which manages digital revenues for the labels. "It's significantly weaker than it was in 2000. And the longer this drags on, the more difficult it will be to succeed."

Such a plan is launching in DENMARK, where the country's leading telco, TDC, went live MONDAY with a variation of GRIFFIN's plan -- an unlimited-download offering from WARNER, EMI, SONY BMG and a number of indie labels. There's no initial charge for these subscribers, but the downloads expire if their contract isn't renewed. Other Scandinavian network operators are said to be interested in similar arrangements.

ISP surcharge discussions are reported to be going on with NORTH AMERICAN universities, where the RIAA has been concentrating much of their share-sharing lawsuit campaign. At the same time, APPLE is discussing the availability of unlimited access to the iTUNES library in return for a premium on the iPOD. NOKIA and British wireless carrier OMNIFONE will offer free music plans with cell phone contracts later this year.

The idea that ISPs should pay money to rights holders -- the labels, artists, songwriters and publishers -- is not that different than what radio stations pay for airplay. Yet there are those who consider the concept little more than a "protection racket." Even so, major obstacles remain--such as what the ISPs should charge and how all the artists and even the smallest labels get paid. "What remains to be sorted out," a WMG senior executive told WIRED, "is basically everything."

Read the entire story from Wired.com here.

The Wires (Apr 2, 2008)

Sonny Melendez: For many, it is no surprise that radio is in trouble. Those of us who are proud to have shared the airwaves in Los Angeles when radio still commanded a sizable audience, know what hard work it takes to attract and keep a listener entertained. Perhaps, therein lies the whole problem. In that one word: Entertainment. No matter the format, if what comes out of the speakers is not compelling enough to cause those sit-in-your-driveway moments, then it's not good radio

USA Today: From Aaron Webster -- When I am driving to work, I want to hear music — not toilet humor, the same songs and commercials. The days of real disc jockeys are long gone. Satellite might be the closest we get to seeing their return

Mel Phillips: The banks being sued by Clear Channel, namely Citigroup, Inc., Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia tell Clear Channel - we're no April Fool. The bank group said yesterday that they're willing to go back to the negotiating table with Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital, the private-equity firms that agreed to buy Clear Channel in the first place

Happy Hare: Not counting the valor displayed by our brave men and women of the armed forces and various fire and police services, I can think of no group braver than morning hosts. Each day, they rise before everyone else, and brave the elements, often in snow country where they often beat the snow plows onto the streets, and fish tail their cars to work. Once there, they enter the gloom of a control room, uncertain whether there be dragons. Considering the management of some of the major chains, they have reason to be wary. This message to you young talents is based on having faced a number of these dragons myself. If you are special – and you know who you are – this is for you. I was often been sent memos threatening instant dismissal if I failed to follow a music sheet or do the format. Like those skippers of yore, I took those memos as a challenge. The result: I was not fired and wound up earning the respect of the very PD’s who were threatening my career

Jimmy Rabbitt: This week in 1964, The Beatles set a recording industry record that may never be equaled. They held the top 5 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Can't Buy Me Love" at #1, "Twist and Shout" at #2, "She Loves You" at #3, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at #4 and "Please Please Me" at #5. In Canada, they had nine of the top 10 singles, while the Australian charts saw them occupying all of the first six places

Bugs Bunny: Eh, What's Up, Doc?

Friday, April 4 will be last day of employment for the entire staff at Radio One urban AC KRBV (V100)/Los Angeles. Their collective departure is the result of Bonneville’s recent acquisition of the station, which is expected to adopt an entirely different format.

Country midday queen Delana will be appearing on the popular TV show, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” beginning at the end of Friday, April 7th’s episode.