The Wires (May 15, 2010)

Jay Posner TV/Radio Sports: Two gems of broadcasting add sparkle at Petco. With everything else going on this weekend at Petco Park, where the first-place Padres will welcome the hated Dodgers for three games with big crowds and "Beat L.A." T-shirts, it might be easy to forget what's happening in the press box.

John Maffei TV/Radio Sports: Notre Dame's TV clout holds key to NCAA conference realignment. ARTICLE: Notre Dame ruled the college football world for decades, winning 12 national championships from 1924 to 1988.

Frank Absher: When was the last time you heard a new song from Jimmy Buffett on the radio? For most of you, it was a long time ago. ask because I recently went to one of his concerts. Back in the day, artists went on the road to promote their latest albums. Now Jimmy has turned the tables. He uses the road trip as material for his discs. Buffett's latest disc consists of recordings of encores from his concerts. While I was at the concert I saw a friend of mine who's been a deejay here for nearly 30 years. He told me this was his first Jimmy Buffett concert and he was amazed - If radio isn't interested in playing Jimmy's music I'm sure that's fine with him. Jimmy Buffett is laughing all the way to the bank

Crain's New York: It's official: Law & Order canceled by NBC

Gary Lycan of Orange County Register: When the sun comes up Monday morning, a new day will dawn for Kim Amidon. Following a successful tryout a few weeks ago, KTWV/94.7 FM program director Jhani Kaye decided to move ahead and pair Amidon with Pat Prescott for a new live weekday program from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Brian McKnight's final appearance as co-host was to be Friday

All Access: UMG Exec: ' Music Piracy Is Unstoppable'. UMG's Head Of Digital FRANCIS KEELING has been quoted by THE BBC as saying music piracy is "unstoppable." Said KEELING at the Great Escape music convention in BRIGHTON, ENGLAND, "Are you going to stop piracy? No, you're not. To try and set that as an objective is just not going to succeed. Can we make piracy socially unacceptable? Absolutely, and that has to be our ambition around the world."

Tech Republic: 10 email scams to watch out for!

Tom Taylor: FM stations broadcasting with the HD Radio standard are now cleared to raise power - somewhat. You can automatically get an increase of up to 6 dB (which is a lot). If you want to try the full-boat 10 dB you need to file for Special Temporary Authority. The easier path to improved HD Radio power took effect on Monday - and you can expect lots of traffic on the "New Generation Radio/HD Radio" board of Radio-Info.com. That section's always harbored both skeptics and fans of the U.S.-made IBOC (in-band, on-channel) system named HD Radio. The "Who wants to be millionaire" question is whether the higher power levels will interfere with analog signals - the home station's analog FM signal and its neighbors on the FM dial.

Jordin Smith Wants To Work at 91X (May 14, 2010)

Smith been looking for a gig since Seattle's alternative "End" KNDD (107.7) dropped its live nighttime shift last year. Now he's set his sights on San Diego's alternative 91X, XETRA-FM, and he's asking people (the ones "who don't hate me too much on the radio") to join his Facebook page.

Jordin says "there is a great opening for someone to do exactly what I did, down at 91X. The PD is probably getting a ton of emails.and rather than bombard his inbox with friends/listeners telling him why I would be perfect, I decided to create a Facebook Group."

His facebook page is here: Click Here for Jordin's Facebook Page

Update on KROP and KSIQ (May 14, 2010)

Read the report on ivpressonline

The Wires (May 14, 2010)

All Access: File-sharing software Limewire's creators have been found liable to 13 major record companies that accused the service of infringing their music copyrights, a New York federal judge has ruled. Reuters reports "U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood agreed with the record companies that Limewire's parent Lime Wire LLC and its founder Mark Gorton were liable for infringement and engaging in unfair competition."

FMQB: Major Labels Win Court Decision Over LimeWire. Federal court rules that the file-sharing network is liable of copyright infringement.

Inside Music Media: Professor Nico van Eijk of the University of Amsterdam conducted the latest study and his conclusion speaks volumes: "The entertainment industry will have to work actively towards innovation on all fronts. New models worth developing, for example, are those that seek to achieve commercial diversification or that match supply and end-user needs more closely. In such a context, criminalizing large parts of the population makes no sense. Enforcement should focus on large scale and/or commercial upload activities. . . Introducing new protective measures does not seem the right way to go -- " In other words, filesharers are consuming all media especially concerts, films and games - not just copyrighted music.

Mel Phillips Now and Then: Car Radio Listeners Get Another App -- In-car radio listening continues to expand with another player joining the fight for supremacy. Livio Car Internet Radio is a new iPhone app, developed specifically to be used for in-car listening.

Jacobs Media: For traditional radio broadcasters, the goal to be one of 6, 12, or 18 AM/FM presets has been eclipsed by the rapid increase in digital choices, seemingly growing exponentially.

Broadcasting & Cable: What Digital Consumers Will and Will Not Pay For »

Leslie Report: FM IBOC Power Increase Has Taken Effect. Some 40 stations approved so far

Opposition Pours in Over Power Increase. Mullaney: 'It is an insult to the existing FM licensees . to pretend that IBOC does not cause interference to existing analog FM service areas'

AM Daytimer Power Increase Gains Supporters. Premise is to start 500 watts pre-sunrise service at 5 a.m.

Verizon FiOS To Launch 'TV Everywhere' With Time Warner Inc. Telco Also Working on Video Services With Fox News, CBS, MTVN, Others.

The Wires (May 13, 2010)

More People Tuning-In to Online Radio (read more - view the video - Monica Evans - Fox 4 WDAF TV Kansas City)

The Hill: The House passed a five-year extension of the licenses that allow satellite television providers to broadcast local stations to customers. The bill will now head to the President for a signature after it was unanimously approved by the Senate on May 7.

Mel Phillips' Now and Then: Paying For Terrestrial Radio's Funeral Will Be Costly -- Since we've already killed terrestrial radio, it's our responsibility to pay for its funeral. Radio doesn't deserve a potter's field burial. Burying a major media source deserves a royal tribute, a burial fit for a king or Michael Jackson.

Randy Dotinga: Diablo, you say? Not anymore! Will the last morning show host please turn off the microphone?

Multichannel News: Cable Show 2010: Verizon FiOS To Launch 'TV Everywhere' With Time Warner Inc.

RW Online: Internet Radio App for Car Use Launched. Livio Radio has designed an iPhone/iPod Touch app designed to make Internet-based radio operation inside the car a bit more ergonomic. Livio Car Internet Radio features an interface "designed for use in a vehicle," according to the announcement. According to Livio the app has large preset buttons that should be easier to use and require less attention in the car. It also will work with horizontal or vertical orientation. Read the rest of the story at the link above.

The Wires (May 12, 2010)

All Access: Penfold Communications Inc. is selling noncommercial Religion KRTM/Temecula, CA to Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, INC. for $3 million. The buyer owns nearby Contemporary Christian KWVE/San Clemente (southern Orange County), CA.

New York Times: Dozens of sites with a range of quality and graphics now showcase song lyrics, raising the prominence of the words and sometimes providing significant revenue for the sites' owners. For songwriters and their publishers, though, the ubiquity of lyrics on Web sites presents both opportunities and problems - especially when it comes to getting some of the sites to pay royalties for use of the lyrics.

Hear 2.0: Will Internet Radio eventually Kill In-Car Traditional Radio? Yes, but -- that is your playground, too.

Clear Channel's long-term debt remains over $20 billion. That's a federal budget kind of number, but Clear Channel says it's running well under its permissible covenant ratio of 9.5 to 1, for EBITDA to secured debt. The latest figure was 7.3 to 1 on March 31. The exact amount of the long-term debt is a bit over $20.3 billion. That's down about $225 million from three months earlier. But the senior secured debt is almost exactly the same, at $13.9 billion. CC figures it has total assets of $17.4 billion, down from $18 billion. Read the CC Media Holdings first quarter report here.

Worst San Diego Radio Stations For 2010 (May 11, 2010)

5. Q96
4. Channel 933
3. Star 94.1
2. Sophie @ 103.7
1. KGB-FM

They just can't do radio right. That's it.

What's This DSC Blog Page on 91X's Website? (May 11, 2010)

Any hints about the Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw show coming to 91X?

An Open Letter from 91X (May 11, 2010)

"What the F%&! happened?"

First off, I apologize for not addressing this sooner. Friday was a hard day for everyone at 91X. Letting someone go from their job is never easy.three people whom you respect, appreciate, even consider friends? Unimaginable.

On April 7, 2008, we launched "The 91X Morning Show" with the express purpose of offering an alternative to traditional morning radio. No phony puker DJs, no cackling bimbos, no preaching, no pretense. Just smart, savvy, dedicated people on a mission to entertain San Diego. And to some extent, we really succeeded. For over two years Mat, Carlos, & Sammi worked hard, played hard and made great strides in our quest to re-write the rules of morning radio.

Fast forward to May 2010. 91X is still locally and independently owned, still fighting the good fight, still competing in a town with dozens of fine radio stations. All these options mean great things for the listener - but it also means a lot of broadcasters, all vying for the same audience.

The good news is that, for the most part, 91X is succeeding within this crowded radio landscape. While I would never discount the efforts of Mat, Carlos & Sammi; a very tough decision had to be made in the best interest of 91X's future.

That decision was made last week and we severed ties with "The 91X Morning Show w/ Mat Diablo". To be fair, this didn't just "happen". We all worked very hard for a very long time to grow the show, develop it, and make it as successful as possible. At the end of the day, the station needed to go in a different direction. No pointing fingers, no laying blame - things just simply didn't work out.

I don't expect you to agree with this decision, or the rationale, or to stop being upset about our friends' departure. I can only hope you understand that all we want is the best for this magnificent town of ours and to make 91X the very best it can possibly be. Just like any other team, sometimes we come out on top. And sometimes we have to go back into the clubhouse and re-think our game strategy.

91X has managed to survive and thrive here for over 27 years by constantly evolving and adapting to change. Our number one priority will always be to do the greatest amount of service to the greatest amount of people. Over the next few weeks, we will begin working on the opening paragraph of the next chapter in the long & storied history of mornings on 91X.

Thank you for listening to 91X - past, present and future.

Garrett Capone
91X Program Director
(858) 535-2568
capone@91x.com

The Wires (May 11, 2010)

Los Angeles Times: The FCC granted a controversial waiver to the Hollywood studios that clears the way for them to show first-run movies in the home shortly after -- or even during -- their release in theaters.

New York Times: In the Mobile Age, Sound Quality Steps Back -- iPods and compressed computer files - the most popular vehicles for audio today - are "sucking the life out of music".

Los Angeles Times: Aspiring Rush Limbaughs take to Web radio -- The number of conservative talk-show hosts appears to be growing online .

New York Times: Will the Internet Kill Traditional Car Radio? The Internet's tentacles seem to have no limit, reaching out and strangling CDs, bookstores, newspapers and magazines. Now it has its sights set on the car radio.

Jacobs Media: As many mourn the death of journalism as we have known it from the traditional Fourth Estate perspective, the end result is that everyone has become a writer, reporter, observer, pundit, and maven. So what does this mean for radio, personalities, and teams?

STL Media: They were once found just about everywhere, but now they're nearing extinction. Almost all radio veterans have encountered them, and many members of this vanishing breed had similar traits. Fortunately, a few stood head-and-shoulders above the rest. They were individuals who owned a radio station. More commonly found in the nation's small and medium markets, these folks used their own money to buy or build a station. When payroll time came, they had to make sure there was enough money to cover it.