5-21-14
The Boston Globe reports that the NPR station will flip the switch for a new tower today giving the station nearly full coverage of Cape Cod for the first time. The new Eastham signal, known as WBUH, is a 50,000-watt signal that will broadcast at 89.1. The plan is to broadcast identical programming on WBUR, WBUH, and WBUA. WBUR?s 50,000-watt signal at 90.9 FM, which serves Greater Boston, is broadcast from a radio tower in Needham.
4-15-2013
As the events unfolded on the ground, Boston radio stations went into action immediately. CBS owns Newsradio WBZ in the city. Of course, they were wall-to-wall and able to lean on WBZ-TV for additional coverage. At Entercom, the combination of a baseball game at Fenway Park and the Boston Marathon meant this was a huge day for sports talker WEEI-FM. When this happy Patriots Day filled with sports turned into a scene filled with horrific pictures, the sports format was quickly broken according to Vice President of Programing Jason Wolfe. After informing listeners about the explosion, WEEI began to simulcast talk station WRKO and were still doing so late last night. Jeff Brown is the Market Manager for Entercom in Boston. We spoke to Brown late last night about the explosions and how it was covered. LISTEN HERE
At Greater Media, HOT 96.9 Morning Personalities Baltazar and Pebbles returned to the radio station in the afternoon to provide updates, take calls live on the air from listeners, and discuss what happened today. Afternoon personalities Steve Kelly from Country 102.5FM WKLB-FM and Julie Devereaux from 105.7 WROR-FM were both providing information and traffic updates. MAGIC 106.7 was providing updates on the air as new information became available.
At the Salem Radio Network, SRN News immediately launched five hours of Special Reports at 20-past and 40-past each hour?and the news was covered as-it-unfolded live during the nationally-syndicated Michael Medved Show. SRN VP/News & Talk Programming Tom Tradup anchored a one-hour special 4-5 p.m. Eastern, fielding calls from listeners and interviewing?among others?SRN talk host Hugh Hewitt, himself a past runner in the Boston Marathon. Mike Gallagher?whose nationally syndicated talk show airs 9 a.m.-12 Noon Eastern?returned to his Empire State Building studios from 9-11 p.m. Eastern for a live special broadcast on West Coast affiliate 870AM ?The Answer? in Los Angeles
This morning SRN morning drive host Bill Bennett, host of Bill Bennett?s "Morning In America," will spend 6-9 a.m. covering the blasts and the domestic foreign policy ramifications with terrorism expert Andy McCarthy, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), K.T. McFarland, national security expert, and FOX News analyst Kirsten Powers, who will focus on media coverage of today?s bombings
FOX News Radio began covering the breaking news shortly after 3 p.m. Monday with a FOX News Alert issued at 3:15 p.m./ET. Live coverage began at 3:30 p.m. and ran for more than 90 minutes with a second round running from 5:30 p.m. to around 6:20 p.m./ET. Live updates will continue to be provided throughout the hour until 2 a.m. and will be resumed again at 5 a.m.
7-26-2012
Starting today, NBC's Brian Williams and other top NBC talent will be anchoring Dial Global Olympic Reports from London twice a day during each day of the games. Williams and Holt are contributors to NBC News Radio, NBC News Radio is distributed by Dial Global. In addition to airing on Olympic stations around the country, the Olympic Games Reports will also be heard within The Billy Bush Show and Dial Global?s 24/7 music formats.
3-10-12
In his blog today Mark Ramsey took a swipe at Radio Ink for coverage of Pandora this week under the headline "Time to Trash Pandora?" Ramsey didn't like the following line in our report, and tried to argue against it. "Pandora CEO Joseph Kennedy stepped up his assault on radio yesterday as he detailed some of his sales and ratings plans, hoping to take a chunk of radio?s $17.4 billion revenue pie."
Ramsey says, "Just for the record, that?s not an ?assault on radio? since any party with an advertising-based medium has as much opportunity to invite the dollars of advertisers as any other. Those are not ?radio?s? dollars, they are advertisers? dollars and they will be spent on the media that do their best to earn them." That may be true, however, we haven't heard of any other company touting their "assault on radio" as loud and clear as Pandora. SEE NEXT 2 ARTICLES
The fact is Kennedy has been saying in every quarterly conference call that Pandora is coming after radio's listeners, coming after radio's revenue and redefining the radio business. Call it whatever you like, and judge for yourself about what Pandora is attempting to do. Link to the Ramsey rebuttal blog HERE
(3/9/2012 3:49:27 PM)
Radio Ink reminds me of Star Magazine or National Enquirer... it's like the trash gossip of the radio world- as if radio needs to cheapen itself even more. Sad.
(3/9/2012 8:05:04 AM)
I think that Eric is in bed with Bob Struble. Was Eric given iBiquity stock-options by Struble, or was Eric allowed to buy a bunch of iBiquity's penny-stock? Everything Radio Ink revolves around promoting HD Radio, one way or the other.
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3-2-2012
Are there any FCC requirements in relation to coverage maps used within sales literature? This query stems from stations using self-created maps suggesting their coverage area may be greater than what the FCC might recognize within accepted contour maps. But is there anything that governs acceptable sources and/or misrepresentation in the matter?
"The accuracy of radio station coverage maps given to advertisers, many, many years ago, used to be the subject of a strict FCC policy. In 1975, the FCC stated that ?[f]ull disclosure and candor are expected of the licensee in his dealings with potential advertisers -- with regard to the station's coverage area, power and other matters relating to audience potential. Inaccurate or misleading statements to induce the purchase of advertising time must be avoided.? The FCC back then granted short-term license renewals and put stations into hearings for allegations that a licensee misrepresented its coverage contours to advertisers.
In 1983, the FCC gave it all up, declaring in a policy statement that it would no longer concern itself with ratings distortion and coverage map issues. So, the short answer is that today there are no FCC requirements for coverage maps used in sales literature.
That being said, it is worth noting that a coverage map drawn using the FCC?s predicted method of contour calculation is often an abysmal way to show actual broadcast station coverage. AM stations that use the 0.5 mV/m contour usually overstate coverage. FM stations that use the FCC service area contour of 60 dBu (57 dBu for Class B1, and 54 dBu for Class B, stations), particularly in hilly terrain, often understate coverage in certain directions. Those stations that use non-FCC recognized contours such as a low 0.1 mV/m contour for AM stations, and a 50 dBu or lower signal for FM stations, severely overstate their actual coverage.
For more accurate FM coverage maps, particularly for FM stations in anything other than flat terrain, stations might want to consider a coverage map drawn using an alternate prediction method such as Longley-Rice. FM coverage maps drawn using Longley-Rice calculations often more accurately show real world coverage, and can be attractive maps with different signal levels represented in different shades of color.
Even though the FCC does not still regulate coverage maps used in sales literature, it neither serves stations nor advertisers to have coverage maps based upon inaccurate parameters. Consider asking your favorite FCC consulting engineer about a more accurate coverage map using alternate prediction methodology, even though rather than the FCC, it is now the marketplace that regulates this aspect of radio station operations.
John F. Garziglia is a Communications Law Attorney with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice in Washington, DC and can be reached at (202) 857-4455 or jgarziglia@wcsr.com. Have a question for our "Ask The Attorney" feature? Send to edryan@radioink.com.
Read more articles from John HERE
(3/2/2012 9:24:30 AM)
Hi Bob, Good to see your comment and kudos for the great job you do with broadcaster associations’ ABIP programs.
I considered mentioning the local public file contour map requirement but decided it was another subject entirely.
Section 73.3526(e)(4) of the FCC’s rules requires that there be in the local public file “[a] copy of any service contour maps, submitted with any application tendered for filing with the FCC, together with any other information in the application showing service contours…”.
Note that the local public file rule does not say that there must be a contour map even if one was not ever submitted to the FCC. With the certification check-boxes now on FCC applications, many newer stations have never submitted a contour map in an application to the FCC. The local public file rule does not state that a station must generate a contour map specifically for the local public file.
Needless to say, if a service contour map is submitted in an application to the FCC, the FCC would expect that it be drawn using the methods prescribed in the FCC’s rules, and that map should remain a permanent part of the station’s local public file.
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1-6-2012
It's just another day at the office for the Zimmer Radio Group when it comes to providing award-winning community service. The Zimmer family has always been about using radio as a tool to serve local communities. So it's really no surprise that the company has been recognized by Congress. Missouri Congressman Billy Long presented The Zimmer Radio Group with a copy of the Congressional Record from December 16th, when he cited Zimmer Radio's work following the May 22nd tornado.
NewsTalk KZRG and Zimmer Radio provided live 24 hour coverage for over a week following the deadly tornado in Missouri. Long said, "It was just excruciating to drive down over here from Springfield and hear people call crying, panicked, looking for family members, didn't know which end was up, didn't know if their folks were alive, in a hospital, where they might be. So it just meant a whole lot."
ZRG Operations Manager Chad Elliot tells Radio Ink, "It?s an honor to be recognized for our efforts on May 22nd. Zimmer Radio broadcast around the clock one hour prior to the tornado striking Joplin and continued for 9 days with disaster and relief information. We are fortunate to work for a great broadcaster James Zimmer who provides us with the tools and staff to succeed! We have a culture of community in our company and it shined brightly that night! If you talk with any of our associates they?ll you we were just doing our job."
KZRG listener Patricia Katopol posted "Absolutely well deserved. I listened online for days and was very impressed with the quality of programming - and the obvious concern and care that the broadcasters had for their fellow citizens - during the crisis."
Congratulate Elliot and the ZRG team chade@zrgmail.com
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850 KOA has announced the addition of starting quarterback Tim Tebow to its Denver Broncos radio coverage. Tebow will be heard four times each week on 850 KOA: Mondays at 8:20am during Colorado?s Morning News; Fridays at 5:20pm during The Dave Logan Show; on game day during the Broncos Countdown to Kickoff pregame show; and immediately after each game during the Broncos Locker Room postgame show.
From New Jersey to Boston to Philadelphia and Charlotte Greater Media had its cluster of stations in those cities ready to serve the community the minute Irene came ashore. Perhaps it wasn't as big a storm as predicted but you never know as the people of Port Charlotte found out years ago. Weather is simply unpredictable so it's better to be safe and prepared. Greater Media CEO Peter Smyth told Radio Ink ?I am so very proud of our employees for their outstanding Hurricane Irene coverage across our New Jersey, Philly, Boston and Charlotte markets. This is yet another example of the power of radio and our commitment to localism and the communities we serve.?
Here is a clip from some of Greater Media coverage in Boston
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July 7, 2011
by Carl Magnuson
As an unprecedented amount of water moved down the Missouri river toward Sioux City, Iowa, Powell Broadcasting?s cluster of stations activated a digital asset and married the strengths of broadcast and online to super serve their community during their flooding crisis. I spoke with Grant Wittstruck, the creative director at Powell?s internal Interactive/NTR division they call iCast. Grant details how the Powell stations went into Super-serve mode for the local community. The first thing they did was keep listeners OFF their station website.
?This was a weird flood" Grant (pictured left) said. "We knew 2 weeks in advance from the Army Corps of Engineers that this was coming so we had time to prepare. After the announcement our PD?s and news department sat down and said, ?With all the rumors and misinformation spreading around town we really need to find a way to help the community stay accurately informed. That is how the idea for http://floodinginsiouxland.com was formed.?
Why did you decide to create a separate website rather than having your station sites host the information?
?We felt that it would serve our community best if there was a single resource all our stations could direct listeners to for information. We wanted it to be clean and easy to navigate and we decided early on to leave the ads out. There?s nothing worse than trying to get important news and having to navigate through lots pages and pop-up ads. Plus we didn?t want to be seen as capitalizing in any way from this.?
How did that strategy work?
?Community response has been great. We got more traffic in the first week the site was live than all our station sites get in an average month combined. We?ve really emerged as the news leader in the region beating out the TV stations and local newspapers. Listeners have been very vocal in thanking us for our in depth and accurate coverage.?
What kind of coverage have your stations been able to provide?
?Every kind we can. A maxim for us at Powell Broadcasting is, ?Combining media for maximum results,? and that was in full effect on floodinginsouixland.com. Beyond just posting news reports we sent our news team out to record interviews with incident commanders, emergency officials and people in the community. Our jocks hit the street when they weren?t on the air to do reporting and interviews. I have professional photography experience and I got some really impressive images of the flooding and the emergency response. We also asked listeners to send photos in and we posted those as well.?
You also streamed live footage of the flood from an airplane using your iPhone. That seems like great radio to me when some might argue that isn?t radio at all. How did you make that happen?
?One of the station jocks has a friend who owns a plane. I really wanted to get some aerial footage of the city because there hadn?t been any to that point. The TV stations don?t have helicopters in a market this size. So using the uStream app for my iPhone we were able to tell our listeners on-air that if they wanted to see live aerial footage of the flooding that they could go to the website right now.? (SEE VIDEO BELOW)
Why do you think your flood coverage and response was so successful?
?Because we have a great team here and we were able to give it everything we had. Also we?ve built a trusted long term relationship with our listeners and they really do care and depend on us. Then working for a company like Powell we have the freedom and resources to do what will serve the community best whether that is on-air or online or on the street. That?s how it?s done."
Have a question or two on how Powell pulled off this coverage? Email Grant at grantwittstruck@powelliowa.com.