Johnson and Johnson OUT at K-Bull 93

Trade magazine site Radio-Info reports the 13-year-running duo, Joe Johnson and Tommy Johnson have lost building access to 434 Bearcat Drive.  Which I suspect will make hosting mornings on KUBL (93.3 FM) a tad difficult tomorrow morning.  Details coming ...

U92: Station of the Year, 2010

Trade magazine FMQB (Friday Morning Quarterback) is picking Millcreek/Simmons' little KUUU (92.5 FM) as its Rhythmic Station of the Year.

The station's program director, Kevin Cruise, also takes Rhythmic Program Director of the Year --- an almost nerdly-looking white face among pictures of influential industry executives and radio programmers who are traditionally back or Hispanic.

Cruise admitted to the magazine in 2008 that Salt Lake City's ad dollars market is extremely competitive.  He says it's not easy trying to take a stab at the whitest market in the nation with a format that typically does well with minority groups.

"Hip-Hop is mainstream now," Cruise said.  "We have a wide range of listeners from the white kids who love Hip-Hop to the Hispanics who identify with the Chicano rappers. Salt Lake City may not be the most diverse city in the country, but Hip-Hop culture and Hip-Hop music doesn’t live in just the most diverse cities. We’re really proving that with the level of passion our audience shows for this format."

Read more: http://fmqbinsider.com/Article.asp?id=2046090
Read the 2008 interview: http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=557589

News notes:  Citadel has revived The End (101.9 FM).  Their run with 90s-based "Gen-X Music" barely made it half-a-year, and the 6+ numbers were dropping below a 1.0-share.  The sweepers blatantly say "We made a mistake," etc.  An interesting (and refreshingly honest) marketing tactic.

Some may compare it to Clear Channel's run with KISN (97.1) as an 80s-based "The 80s and More" format about a decade ago.  That station lasted over two years, but to be fair Clear Channel also threw more resources at it.  KISN continued it's morning show, "Fisher, Todd, and Erin" for most of the station's run, along with afternoon host Brian Foxx (DeGauss).  Whereas "The End" had Scott Shannon on sweepers, and that's about all.

Rumors swirling that Chunga may return to mornings, but there's no leaks out of 434 Bearcat Drive to pin that down.

KSL Features Robert Lund

I spotted a nice feature on KSL this evening, featuring one of Salt Lake's most-famous/unknown radio voices. As I understand, Robert Lund worked with Citadel for a time, creating parodies for KUBL and KBEE. He and Pat Gray even released a hilarious Christmas CD that I've sadly misplaced.

Today Lundy has meandered into the commercial jingle biz, creating horribly catchy melodies for Low Book Sales and making song parodies to sell botox.

Half Effort, No Result

Sell the helicopter. Close up shop at Airwatch. The traffic report is dead.

That's what a new report claims. It simply says younger audiences, like myself, don't want to hear them anymore. Must have something to do with the fact Americans are giving up driving, forever riding unicycles to their destinations instead.

The report says:

"The region's top-rated pop station, KIIS-FM, recently dropped afternoon traffic reports after AMP-FM, a new Top 40 station received higher ratings without traffic updates."

Probably since most people in their 20s are unemployed, still live with mom and dad, and don't have a driver's license. But that's beside the point.

Radio is once again listening to the worst possible place: A consultant who can promise them a quick way to reduce capital expenses:

"Metro Traffic, a division of Westwood One Inc., began consolidating its 60 traffic reporting operations around the nation last year to just 13. "

GPS, cell phones, and in-car Wi-Fi mean fewer people needing to listen to the radio, they say. But that's okay. "Airwatch has a growing service providing traffic updates directly to navigational units in vehicles."

Let me level with you as a 25 year old: A white flag ain't a great business plan.

I am more than willing to shift permanently away from radio for news and traffic information if that's the industry's desire. But let me warn you, once I and my fellow Gen Y'ers break our radio habit, we will never come back.

Translation: Your business will be dead. Over. Gone. Sell the spectrum (like you did the helicopter) and go into the Wi-Fi business.

May I propose a contrary option: Expand traffic reports into explanations of the problem, rather than raw data. My Garmin can tell me there is "a crash southbound I-15 at 90th South." Only a radio station can tell me that "a Walmart truck swerved to avoid a stalled car and tipped over just before the Sandy construction zone, blocking the three left lanes." A traffic jam is much more bearable if a listener knows why they have to wait.

That requires hiring people who can call U.H.P., talk with listeners on the phone, and (ideally) fly overhead and look. GPS will never replace that.

The decision is yours. Invest in your product now and keep the business alive awhile, or wave the white flag now. Don't worry. We Gen Y'ers will one day be happy to chop up the FM spectrum for cheap internet access.

Delilah Disallusionment

An acquaintance of mine writes on her Facebook:

"I was listening to Delilah the other night and this lady was talking about her divorce & how she had these incredible girlfriends that were there for her through the whole dreadful process. She asked Delilah to pick a song for those she was most thankful for ... Delilah chose to play 'Mele Kalikmaka' ... I would be ticked!"

Let's face it. Cost-cutting programming like "Delilah" can fall horrifically short on its mission to convince listeners that the show is live and local. In this case, Delilah's local music-insert system (a strong point P.D.'s might say) backfired terribly in context of the programming.

A bit scarier to consider: "Delilah" is one of syndicated radio's better-implemented shows. So many others are much, much worse. Yet, the show's execution is excellent, and it pulls a loyal audience base.

Another friend:

"My wife and I were listening in the car one night, and a woman called in talking about how happy/grateful she was about her upcoming 60th wedding anniversary and how much she loves her husband, and asked for a song. Delilah picked 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' by Neil Diamond, which conveys pretty much the exact opposite emotions."

In the end, the lack of local investment will one day end with a lack of local listeners.

Swallowing My Pride

Well, I've had a number of reasons for not updating the old radio guide site.

I'm ashamed to admit that technological snobbery has been a big part of it. I owned 100% of my code on the old site. Every single page you see there was hand-crafted with some help from Microsoft Frontpage '98.

But that meant any change to the dial involved having to re-code dozens of pages. Life got busier.

I'm now happy to embrace blogger for news and my thoughts. Wikipedia will soon take over the job of AM and FM dial pages. And YouTube will help me upload more airchecks than ever before.

Cheers!

And now, for no apparent reason:



Here's an aircheck from Boston, twenty-five years ago.

Clear Channel to Shannon(s): Out!

CLEAR CHANNEL SALT FIRES DICKIE AND ANGEL SHANNON, MORNINGS ON KODJ, AFTER 10 YEARS ON THE AIR! SHANNON TELLS THE DESERET MORNING NEWS "We didn't have a chance to say goodbye to our listeners." ARTICLE HERE

Rocky v. Hannity Coverage

For better or worse....the Rocky v. Hannity debate is tonight!

Those of you who want to cheer, heckle, or just watch two guys who are very.... mmm, opinionated .... shout at each other at the University of Utah's Kingbury Hall can set your TVs, radios, and TiVos to the following:

KSTU "Fox 13" ..... 8:00 P.M.
KSL 1160/102.7 ..... 8:30 P.M.
(Web) KSL.com .... 8:30 P.M.

There will be no coverage on KSL TV-5.

Justin Riley to KKOB

Is this Salt Lake reunion week in the news or what?

Former Star 102.7 afternoon man Justin "J.J." Riley has been named program director of KKOB-FM "93.3 KOB" in Albuquerque by none other than .... former KKAT afternoon man Eddie Haskell. Haskell is now the operations manager of Citadel Albuquerque, according to All Access.

The move brings the two former crosstown competitors into the same building.

Danny Ryan to Boise?

Word on the street: Eagle afternoon jock Danny Ryan has taken a position in Boise. His last day may be Friday.

Justin Taylor is expected to fill in Ryan's spot until a permanent replacement can be found. Good luck Danny!

Former U92 Jock is Movin' to Seattle

Former KUUU "U92" night jock Pat Clark, has been tapped for mornings at KQMV "Movin 92.5" in Seattle.

Clark left U92's "Clark After Dark" last year for a position with WXSS "KISS FM" in Milwaukee, WI. Good luck Pat!

KCPW Adds "Fair Game"

KCPW stated in a press release that it has added "Fair Game" from Public Radio International to it's weeknight programming. The show airs Monday through Thursday at 7 P.M., right after "All Things Considered."
"'Fair Game' is wonderful," Bryan Schott, News Director for KCPW.. "It's perfect for our listeners who are culturally connected and politically savvy. ‘Fair Game’ is a fresh and very funny jump-start to our evening lineup. It’s a terrific addition to our schedule."
The show is hosted by Faith Salie and originates from WNYC in New York City. Schott was formerly host of a Saturday talk show on KSL 1160 a few year ago.

General Managers Learn What's "Hot" in D.C.

FCC attorney advises of liability risks, possible fines

By: Rob Sanders
rfsanders@gmail.com

The general managers for nearly every Wasatch Front broadcast operator met Thursday at an annual conference of the Utah Broadcasters Association, at the University Park Marriott hotel near the University of Utah.

The guest speaker was David D. Oxenford, a broadcast law attorney with Davis Wright Tremaine in Washington D.C. Oxenford, who speaks to UBA annually, addressed the managers on the “hot issues” at the FCC, liability issues, and how to avoid fines.

IBOC All broadcasters are acting under “temporary authority,” Oxenford said in regard to HD programming. Broadcasters are currently not supposed to sell ad time of HD2 signals, although Oxenford admitted that it’s currently “not enforced.”

One manager asked if digital HD2 stations need to run a weekly EAS test. Oxenford said that there are currently no rules that require EAS tests, but no rules that release broadcasters from it either.

Ralph Carlson, manager of KDYL, blasted IBOC calling it “one of the biggest scams perpetuated on radio broadcasters,” because of the hash caused by IBOC on adjacent channels. Broadcasters also have to pay royalties to IBOC's inventors. Carlson asked if the FCC would require adjacent stations to install filters to protect stations buried by hash.

“There’s no obligation for the stations to do it,” Oxenford said. He cited an example of a rim-shot station in another market who was buried by an adjacent station, who happened to be a format competitor. Oxenford said the buried station had no option but to beg the other station into installing a filter (which they reluctantly did).

These unclear technical aspects of “HD2” are being held up by the Democratic controlled congress, Oxenford said, because current legislators want to decide what “specific public interest obligations” broadcasters need to meet, before technical issues are finalized.

Public interest programming is problematic, Oxenford said, because many HD2 stations may specialize in a service such as “all-traffic.” How can an all-traffic station provide public interest programming?

Other issues such as copy-protection issues are also holding up finalization of HD rules.

Payola Simply put, anything that is paid for needs to be credited as “paid for.” It goes well beyond the immediate image of disc jockies taking pay for play under the table.

Anytime anything is aired by anyone because of sort of exchange took place, it needs to be mentioned on-air. This includes video news releases given to television stations, Oxenford said.

For example, he mentioned that if the proponents of clean fuel cars were to give the station a news package on alternate fuels, it's considered pay-for-play, even if no exchange of money were made.

Stations can free themselves from payola accusations by simply running a disclaimer stated that financial consideration had been provided.

Fox 13's general manager wanted to know if a client paid for time to be on an infotainment show if a disclaimer needed to be ran. Oxenford said that a station would.

He warned that even if a syndicated show, such as American Top 40, were paid to play songs that local affiliates could be on the hook for payola accusations.

The only exception, Oxenford said, is a run-of-the-mill commercial spot.

Localism “Localism is back on the radar screen,” Oxenford said. Oddly enough, it was “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” that brought attention to the issue again.

Three years ago, in a post-Janet Jackson-scandal world, the FCC began to hold hearings on localism. These were tabled until the recent KDND Sacramento stunt, which brought the hearings back to life.

Some blame consolidation for “dangerous” contests, Oxenford said. Overall there has been a widespread feeling that broadcasters have let the public down. Proponents of localism call for policy ranging from rolling back ownership limits to more LPFM applications.

Copyright Liability Let’s say a station were to promote the following contest: Make a home-made music video and post it on our web site, and the winner gets $500.

According to Oxenford, a contest as seemingly innocent as that could get a station in a heap of trouble.

First, the station doesn’t have the rights to run the music on the internet. Second, the station doesn’t have the rights to “synchronize music with video,” and third any protections they have from DCMA is lost because by promoting a contest, they “encouraged users to break copyright laws.”

Phone Calls It may be the end for radio prank calls. No station can record or put a caller on the air without their oral consent – “not even a hello” can go out over the air, Oxenford said.

Craig Hansen, of Simmons Media, asked if the oral consent rule applies to callers who call into a contest. Oxenford said that when a caller actually calls in it’s assumed that the caller knows they are going on the radio and such “implied consent” would be sufficient.

Streaming is another issue that may cause broadcasters heartburn, because up to this point the royalties have been unclear.

Currently, and operator pays 88 cents per “aggregate tuning hour,” or 10.9 percent of revenue (whichever is greater).

This may jump to 3 cents per listener hour or 30 percent of revenue (whichever is greater). The news of this seemed to made a few of the managers in the room appear uneasy.

Additionally, Internet radio operators are asked not to pre-announce songs, so listeners can’t record it, never play more than three songs in a row by the same artist, or four songs by the same artist in a three hour block.

As for podcasting, Oxenford suggested that music may want to be removed altogether.

“Music programming is very problematic in podcasting,” Oxenford said. Stations do not own rights to place music in podcasts which is seen by royalty agencies as a Internet piracy because of its “download-able form.”

Oxenford suggested stations just put the comedy bits up and not the entire show.

EEO Every radio group with more than five full-time employees are required to meet FCC EEO requirements. In the past radio operators were only warned for EEO violations, Oxenford said, but now the FCC enforcement bureau is handing out fines.

A station can be fined from $7,000 to $20,000. Ignorance of EEO policy is no longer an excuse to get out of a fine, Oxenford said.

The idea behind EEO policy is to ensure that everybody has an equal chance of being hired into broadcasting, and not just those in the “old boy's network.”

All job openings need to be “widely distributed.” A station should not only post the job on their web site and other trade publications, but should also send the listing to community groups.

A few exemptions are available. If an employee is being “promoted from within,” Oxenford said that wide dissemination of the job opening is not required. If a station has a single candidate in mind, and only interviews that candidate, then wide dissemination is not required in that case either.

Hiring family members requires wide dissemination of the job opening.

David D. Oxenford has a radio law blog that can be found at http://www.broadcastlawblog.com.

Terry Wood, An Advocate Against Divine Strake?

As discussed on "Utah's Forum for Radio," ABC 4 (KTVX) anchor Terry Wood traveled to Las Vegas to hand-deliver KTVX viewer's petitions against Divine Strake, a proposed military test explosion that will take place in the deserts of Nevada.

Seven-thousand ABC 4 viewers responded to the station's collections against Divine Strake. Wood publicly criticized the test on-air, saying as a "personal note" that he was taking a stand on an issue for the first time in his forty-year career.

"I have never taken a position of advocacy before," Wood told viewers. "But more than a professional journalist, I am a citizen of Utah ....I am willing to put my career of forty years on the line."

The issue has created a few ethical questions. Television has the force to go to battle for a community's good. However, Wood's public take on the issue has a few media ethics people, including the Utah chapter of the Society For Professional Journalists raising eyebrows.

CBS To Sell KUTV

CBS announced today the sale of 7 television stations, including KUTV Salt Lake City and KUSG in St. George to Cerberus. In Utah CBS owns the two television stations as well as some outdoor (billboard) properties.

The Deseret Morning News reports that station manager David W. Phillips said viewers will see "virtually no change" in programming.

Cerebrus, whose name-sake is strangely the "hound of Hades" in Greek mythology, is a New York based private investment firm. Currently they own no television properties, although they manage $22 billion dollars worth of other properties accoring to the CBS press release.

Ten Fired After Deadly Sacramento Contest

Entercom fired ten staff members, including the entire morning show, who were behind a deadly radio stunt that killed a 28 year old Sacramento woman. Jennifer Strange, a finalist in KDND "107.9 The End"'s "Hold your wee for a wii" promotion, was found dead in her apartment Saturday after drinking large amounts of water. Contestants were asked to drink as much water as they could before having to go to the bathroom. The "Morning Rave" show, who was responsible for the stunt, as well as the program director, and six other staff members have been terminated. There have not been any criminal charges filed, but they are still possible.

Three days after the incident, Entercom-Sacramento GM John Geary posted the following statement on KDND's web site: "All of you are probably aware of the tragic death of a contestant, Jennifer Strange, following her participation in a contest on the Morning Rave last Friday. First and foremost, our thoughts and sympathies go out to the family and loved ones of Ms. Strange. I also want to assure you that the circumstances regarding this matter are being examined as thoroughly as possible. We are doing everything we can to deal with this difficult situation in a manner that is both respectful and responsible. Effective immediately, the Morning Rave show is canceled."

Bonneville To Sell San Fransisco; Purchase Seattle, Cincinnati

Bonneville has signed a deal with Entercom to swap most of it's San Fransisco stations with some of Entercom's Seattle and Cincinnati stations. The deal would allow Entercom to re-enter the San Fransisco market, and returns 710 KIRO radio to Bonneville ownership after it's sale a decade ago.

Bonneville to Sell:

San Fransisco
96.5 KOIT
Classical 102.1 (KDFC)
97.5 Max FM (KMAX)

Not selling: KOIT-AM (1260)

Bonnevile to Acquire:

Seattle
Newsradio 710 (KIRO)
Oldies 97.3 (KBSG)
770 The Truth (KTTH)

Cincinatti
Q102 (WKRQ)
94.9 The Sound (WSWD)
B-105.1 (WUBE)
97.3 The Wolf (WYGY)

Indie Rock Comes to Salt Lake

KSL 102.7 FM is dropping it's NOAA weather programming from it's HD2 signal. The station now airs an indie-rock format called "iChannel." The station, which features unsigned artists, is owned and operated by Bonneville. The feel of the station seems very similar to an XM station. It even includes live disc jockies in the line-up. The iChannel programming appears to be designed so Bonneville stations in other markets could use it. Click here to listen on-line.

Airstaff Shuffles at ZHT, KOSY, and KNRS

Yesterday, All Access reported Boy Loco's departure from ZHT (FM 97.1). Loco's night show, "The Playhouse" was still on the air last night (Monday). Loco has accepted a position with KMVN "Movin' 93.9" in Los Angeles, his hometown. Mark McCartney, ZHT program director, is looking for another "creative" air talent as a replacement.

Kelly Monson has been hired to do morning drive at KOSY (FM 106.5). Monson teams up with Erica Hansen, and joins KOSY after a long stretch doing mornings at The Breeze (FM 97.9). Erica got her start as a traffic reporter for KSL (AM 1160).

Finally, morning news anchor Abby Bonnell is hosting a local morning news program. The show, "Newsmakers at Nine," can be heard on 570 KNRS weekdays from 9 A.M. to noon.

KOSY Lets Go of Scot, 'Scott and Erica'

"Scot" of Scott and Erica in the Morning, on KOSY 106.5 was quietly layed off from Clear Channel on December 8 of last month. According to Scot's personal blog, Clear Channel-Salt Lake City created a "new position," eliminating his current position at the station. He reapplied for the new position, but wasn't hired. Erica Hansen, who has worked with Scot at KOSY and KISN 97 for over half a decade, will continue to remain with KOSY. Scot says he hopes to find a position with another station the valley.

Internet theories explaining recent disappearances of long-time talent from Clear Channel stations across the country, all point to the recent sale of Clear Channel to private investors. Of note, former KBEE "B98.7" afternoon host Pat Gray disappeared from Clear Channel's talker KPRC in Houston, back in November. Gray left the Bee in 2001 to do mornings in the lone-star state. He has since landed a new position with crosstown 700 KSEV.