Jack FM Fools With Website (Apr 2, 2009)

Catchin' Up With Tom Taylor (radio-info.com) (Apr 2, 2009)

Talker Lars Larson, dropped by Westwood, is grabbed by former Westwood CEO Peter Kosann at Compass. Peter announced the formation of Compass Media Networks on March 6 and began stocking it with existing syndicated talent like the Free Beer & Hot Wings morning show. Now he signs Lars and will put him on the bird starting next Monday, March 30. That gives workaholic Larson a one-week respite from doing two different talkshows every day – six or sometimes seven hours worth. First there’s the early afternoon show based at Rose City Radio’s KXL, Portland, Oregon (750) that airs on 17 other stations throughout Oregon. Then Lars tears right into a national show (3-6pm Pacific) that will now be distributed by Kosann-ran Compass. Just as with the Westwood deal, Compass will also offer a three-hour weekend show, and there will be a daily short-form commentary. (More inventory from the affiliates to sell…) Peter says former radio and TV anchor Larson’s shows (weekday and/or weekend) had been carried on more than 150 stations for Westwood. Two very big clearances continue – in New York, Salem’s “Apple” WNYM at 570. And in Southern California, Saul Levine’s “K-Surf” combo of KGIL, Los Angeles at 1260 and the San Diego-market XESURF at 540. Kosann tells me that “Lars is an incredible talent and a friend, and he has done a great job in establishing a national brand.”

Nashville-area daytimer WDKN (1260) goes dark, after 53 years. That’s the report on the Nashville board at Radio-Info.com, concerning "Country Connection" WDKN, Dickson. WSMV/Channel 5 says the order came last Thursday morning to turn out the lights at noon. The licensee is Edmisson and Eubank Communications, and on Friday it informed the FCC that “the severe economic downturn that has affected the region surrounding WDKN has forced the station to suspend operations…the licensee respectfully requests that it be allowed to suspend operations until December 1, 2009.” Though the principals “are aggressively seeking a resolution to the station’s losses” and hope to be back on the air before then. Read the station’s FCC “Notification of suspension of operations/Request for silent STA” here. The station’s got 5-kw daytime but just 18 watts after dark. If we’re going to start seeing more distress by stations that have been long held by the same owner and presumably ran a thrifty operation that carried little or no debt – this is going to be a tough year. See what the Nashville board’s saying (including a post from somebody who lived through a similar incident, years ago).

The Wires (April 2, 2009)

John Gorman: Every April 1st we’d pull out a few April Fools Jokes. In morning drive, the Buzzard Morning Zoo began ten-minutes early - and all time checks and fixed features (like Token Jokes and Blow Something Up) were also scheduled ten minutes ahead of their usual time slot. It got a lot of people to work ten minutes earlier than usual (read more - John Gorman)

All Access: KRZQ's Fake Morning Show. Looking to create buzz around launching a new morning show, WILKS Alternative KRZQ/RENO, NV decided to put a fake morning show on-air. "CANDY & CUPCAKE IN THE MORNING" featured two ditzy girl intern equipped with ridiculous morning zoo drops, a male traffic girl in a helicopter, and an interview with MISS NEVADA who now calls herself SPRINKLES.

Inside Radio: In-car competition grows. AT&T describes its CruiseCast service as a “total in-car entertainment” system. It will begin targeting drivers of all car models later this spring. The service gives subscribers access to 20 channels of satellite radio and 22 television channels.

Inside Radio: LPFM bill takes on translators. Senator Maria Cantwell (R-WA) has introduced a bill that would remove third-adjacent signal protection allowing as many as 3,000 new LPFMs. Her bill would also put LPFMs on equal footing with translators, which have had preference in the past.

Inside Radio: Streaming audience grows. Webcasts measured by Ando Media saw a 7% increase in average quarter hour audience in February. CBS Radio tops the list with a weekly cume of 5.2 million, followed by Clear Channel with 2.1 million.

Inside Radio: New ad category: The unemployed. CBS Radio's KXNT, Las Vegas is getting attention for an ad it's airing from an unemployed building materials supplier. Dave Wilson tells KVBC-TV he decided to place the :60-second spots to "stand out" from everyone else looking for a job.

ZDNet: The "no bull" guide to Conficker. The Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: There's a lot of hype surrounding the Conficker worm. If you're running a fully patched system, you've got little to be worried about. If not, here are the tools you need to stave off infection.