February 2005 News Archive
February 28, 2005
Opie & Anthony are moving from a premium channel on XM to part of XM's standard package. The move comes as XM prepares to hike its monthly price to $12.95/month. For O&A, this will increase their potential audience, and moreover likely bring in more anti-O&A calls (which sometimes end up creating some of the best bits). This allows XM to get a jump on the hot talk market before Sirius debuts Howard Stern, also as part of its standard package, in January 2006.
Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't include something I found very interesting from an All Access "10 Questions With..." segment with Bob & Tom Executive Producer Marty Bender (also the Operations Manager of WFBQ, WRZX and WNDE) last week.
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3) How have the recent FCC regulations impacted the way you program your music and the station’s dialogue on the air? What are your feelings about these recent changes?
"I actually think there is a method and pattern to their madness. Instead of complaining about it, you should download the FCC decisions and completely read them as they get released."
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If what he says is true, then Marty may be the only person in America who actually understands the method and pattern of the FCC (unless you count "capricious and arbitrary" as a choice). He should write a book, or at least a lengthy article, explaining it all. He has an open invitation to do so here.
February 24, 2005
Last night word came out that Howard Stern and Clear Channel Communications have reached an agreement in their dispute related to the company dropping Stern from six of its stations last year. Clear Channel suspended Stern in February 2004, claiming that his Infinity Broadcasting-based program violated its newly enacted Decency Standards. In April 2004, Clear Channel dropped the show outright. Subsequently, Stern filed a ten million dollar lawsuit against Clear Channel Communications, claiming breach of contract, and Clear Channel in turn filed a $3 million countersuit against Stern (for "broadcasting indecent content"). As part of the settlement agreement, both sides have dropped their respective lawsuits.
February 23, 2005
Wired Magazine has honored Howard Stern as its Wired Renegade of the Year, which is its highest honor. Stern beat out other nominees including Jon Stewart, the creators of Google and the architects of the web browsing program Firefox.
February 22, 2005
Thanks to Phil Reeder from mancow.org who e-mailed with information that Mancow airs on 1340 KOMY in the Santa Cruz, CA market. Mancow's official site lists KOMY as an affiliate, but it also lists many other stations that not only no longer carry his program, but also no longer even have the same format and/or call letters that are listed on the page. Example: 103.9 The Party (KPTY) in Phoenix, which has not carried his show, or those call letters or name, since 2001.
February 21, 2005
Bob & Tom's Jacksonville, FL Renda-owned affiliate Arrow 100.7 has changed call letters from WWRR to WKQL. The WKQL calls were used in the market recently by Cox, but Cox abandoned them last month when the former Oldies 96.9 WKQL became "96.9 The Bay" (WJGL). The two stations both run a competing classic hits format.
Phil Hendrie starts on his new flagship station, KLAC Los Angeles, today. All Access and LARadio.com report that in his last broadcast on KFI, the station pulled Hendrie after one segment after Hendrie began lampooning John Ziegler, who will be replacing him in the 7-10 PM timeslot on KFI. Hendrie did a voice impersonation of Ziegler in the segment. The show aired unedited (as far as I could tell) to affiliates outside of Los Angeles, and even to those who aired the show on a three-day delay (such as WFLA Tampa, where I'm listening to that opening segment right now as I type this paragraph). Hendrie also starts live on WWNC Asheville, NC at 10 PM Eastern tonight.
February 16, 2005
I've some some updating on the Phil Hendrie affiliates page. Interestingly, KSCO (Santa Cruz, CA) is running an online poll asking its visitors if it should move Michael Savage to a live 4-7 PM Pacific clearance on the station (it currently airs Hendrie there on a 21-hour delay) and move Hendrie to live from 7-10 PM. Right now it's a dead heat at 50% for Savage and 50% for Hendrie.
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed its version of the "Indecency Enforcement Bill", which would raise the maximum fine per offense from $32,500 to $500,000 per offense for a license owner and, additionally, to $500,000 for an individual. The bill passed by an overwhelming 389-38 vote. President Bush, who just last month in an interview with C-Span urged people to change the channel if they didn't like what was being broadcast, is expressing support for the bill.
A similar bill is under consideration in the Senate, though an important difference in the Senate version is that it holds no such penalty clause for individuals. Once the Senate passes its version (and that seems like a sadly foregone conclusion at this point), a joint committee will have to meet to reach a compromise on the two bills. The compromise bill will then have to pass both the House and Senate again before going to President Bush for passage.
February 14, 2005
Talk Radio Network's "TRN-FM" offshoot is spending quite a bit of money in various online trade websites in promoting Mancow. In an interesting move, TRN-FM is promoting Mancow's 18-34 ratings heavily. From my experiences in handling syndication for Bubba The Love Sponge, that is the demo that is the toughest to sell new stations on; 18-49 will get you moderate interest, while 25-54 will get you strong interest. That might look like gibberish to the non-media savvy person, but those are the age groups that radio stations target the most (because it's what advertisers want the most). 25-54 is the "big money demo", which has the most money while being the most open to influence by advertising. 18-34 typically gets the shaft, particularly in smaller markets where Arbitron only surveys twice a year.
Here's how the radio landscape is shaping up for 2006: Opie & Anthony are on a premium channel in morning drive on XM. Howard Stern will be in morning drive on Sirius. Bubba The Love Sponge will be on either XM or Sirius. The main players for morning drive syndication on terrestrial radio will be Bob & Tom (who have the most markets now), Lex & Terry and Mancow. Don & Mike may or may not get in on the act, depending on if they in fact move to mornings as anticipated or stay in afternoon drive. Infinity will replace Stern with someone on the syndication circuit, with the top candidate still appearing to be Adam Carolla.
February 11, 2005
Lex & Terry have lost their largest market affiliate. Miami's WZTA is flipping from active rock to Spanish today as "Mega 94.9", according to Billboard Radio Monitor. This morning the station broadcast Air America Radio in lieu of Lex & Terry.
February 8, 2005
Phil Hendrie is moving to a new flagship station in Los Angeles. Hendrie has worked for KFI Los Angeles since 1996, but beginning on February 21 he'll move from KFI to sports-talk KLAC. Hendrie will retain his 7-10 PM PST live timeslot, but he'll be pre-empted at times for Los Angeles Lakers basketball. In that case Hendrie's program will air on KLAC via tape-delay immediately following the game, though it will begin for Premiere Radio affiliates on time. This is not an encouraging move by Clear Channel, which previously moved Hendrie out of afternoon drive (4-7 PM) where he had been head-to-head with KLSX's Tom Leykis in Los Angeles. Moreover, KLAC (at 5,000 watts) has a smaller broadcast radius than 25,000 watt KFI, meaning that the city-grade coverage reach that Hendrie had into most of San Diego and Santa Barbara with KFI is now lost.
February 7, 2005
Beginning today, Howard Stern is airing live in Chicago on WCKG (5 AM Central-end) versus being on a one-hour tape delay as he had been for years. At this point, Stern's other Central time zone affiliates (Dallas, Memphis, etc.) are keeping him on a one-hour delay.
February 4, 2005
In a strange move, WBZZ (1010 The Buzz) in Tampa has dropped Ron & Fez. The duo, based out of WJFK-FM in DC, just last month lost their Baltimore affiliate, WXYV (now WHFS). Infinity signed the show to a lengthy contract just last year, and it's surprising to see things play out like this for them. That is, unless there is an even bigger change to come soon that will involve them...
Speaking of WJFK-FM, the station is moving Bill O'Reilly back to middays effective 2/7/2005, according to DCRTV. Here's how it will play out: the station will cut off Howard Stern at 10 AM sharp, even if his show has not finished yet (this is how Citadel began putting the squeeze on Stern last year, if you recall). The Junkies will air from 10 AM-1 PM (instead of until 2 PM); O'Reilly will air from 1-3 PM, as the 2-3 PM "best of" hour of Don & Mike has been eliminated.
February 3, 2005
In yet another blow to Hot Talk on terrestrial stations, the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee could vote in the next two weeks to raise the maximum fine level from $32,500 per offense (the current level) to $500,000. Additionally, the legislation would force the FCC to decide if it should revoke the license of a station found to be in violation of the new indecency rules three times. The version in the Senate calls for a fine increase to "only" $325,000 per violation, with a $3 million limit (presumably per day) that a station can be fined. The NAB is speaking out against this; click here to read a very well-stated argument made by NAB Joint Board Chairman Philip Lombardo.
Best wishes to Brother Wease in his battle against a rare form of nasal cancer (nasopharyngeal carcinoma). Wease revealed the cancer diagnosis to his audience yesterday (2/2/2005); because it was caught early, he is expected to recover. Based out of Rochester, NY on WCMF, Wease also airs on middays in Buffalo on WBUF and has been considered a likely replacement in that market for Howard Stern when he departs terrestrial radio for Sirius satellite radio next year.
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January 2005 News/March 2005 News
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