iHeartMedia Brings Rich Davis Back to Twin Cities. Programming pro
Rich Davis worked at Twin Cities music outlets CHR KDWB and hot AC KTCZ in the past and he's doing so again as the new director of contemporary hit music stations for
iHeartMedia's Western Great Lakes Region and program director for KDWB and KTCZ "Cities 97." He moves from Seattle where he was SVP of programming for iHM. In this role, Davis will also oversee programming for WZEE, Madison "Z104," WRNW, Milwaukee "97.3 Radio Now," and WBIZ-FM, Eau Claire "Z100." Western Great Lakes Region president
Jeff Tyler says, "I'm very excited to work with Rich again and have him lead the programming for KDWB and 'Cities 97' in the Twin Cities. His success and experience will be a great influence on the other great CHR stations in our region."
Logan Returns to Philly on 'More 101.1." Air personality
Logan is the new midday jock at
Jerry Lee Broadcasting-owned adult contemporary WBEB, Philadelphia "More 101.1." He was most recently program director and morning host at
Cumulus Media's AC WNCV, Fort Walton Beach "Coast 93.3." He's been on the air in Philly on both WIOQ and WISX in the past.
'River Country 97.5' Launches in Paducah. The new country signal is a simulcast on
Stratemeyer Media's WRIK-AM and translator W262BA at 97.5 FM and is branded "River Country 97.5." Program director and midday host
Reed Phillips says, "We hope to give the river region a country station that they deserve and will suit the tastes of the area. We're proud to call Paducah home and we know that decisions made in other parts of the world don't necessarily make sense in Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois. Our plan is to have an open dialogue with our listeners on which songs and artists they enjoy…and which ones they don't. If anyone wants to stop in, you're more than welcome to. We're pretty easy to find in the mall and we love to talk music."
Galaxy Communications Adds Air Staff to WZUN, Syracuse for New 'Sunny 102.' In Upstate New York, two
Leatherstocking Media Group stations – WSEN, Syracuse and WMCR, Oneida – are being acquired by
Family Life Ministries, but
Galaxy Communications is bringing aboard some of the staff of WSEN to join its air staff at classic hits WZUN "Sunny 102" before WSEN flips to Christian programming on March 28. All this week, the two stations will simulcast on both signals before the change is complete. Galaxy says air talent
Gary Dunes,
Diane Wade and
John Carucci are joining
Big Mike and
Rick Gary for a full on-air staff. Gary Dunes is now on the air with Big Mike &
Cindy in the morning and John Carucci has joined Rick Gary in the afternoon from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Diane Wade is on air from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm. Galaxy CEO
Ed Levine comments, "We are thrilled to be able to continue the legacy of WSEN by combining it with 'Sunny 102' to create a superstation. We've expanded our playlists to incorporate a tremendously wide variety of music. Plus, we preserved several jobs for some of Syracuse's best known radio personalities. It's a great day."
Michael Harrison Gets 'Up Close and Far Out' with Kurt Hanson. In this week's installment of the
PodcastOne international hit "Up Close and Far Out with
Michael Harrison," the
RadioInfo publisher conducts an candid and informative conversation with online radio pioneer
Kurt Hanson from the convention floor of the recently concluded
Radiodays Europe in Paris, France. Hanson wears two feathers in his cap. He is the founder and CEO of the tremendously successful online radio music service,
AccuRadio, that provides hundreds of thousands of music fans with a wide spectrum of music genres both old and new. He also is
publisher and founding editor of
RAIN Enterprises. RAIN provides the industry with two major services, the
Radio and Internet Newsletter and its annual RAIN conference on the relationship between radio and the internet held in conjunction with the
NAB Radio Show. According to Harrison, "Kurt Hanson is a visionary in the merging fields of radio and digital broadcasting as well as being a heck of an entrepreneur. He's also a 'Star Trek' fanatic and I'm delighted to present our fascinating Paris conversation to the world's 'media freaks' this week." To listen to the podcast in its entirety please click
here or click on the "Up Close and Far Out" player box located in the right-hand column of every page of Talkers.com and RadioInfo.com.
'Magic 106.7' Boston Wins Two Gracies for Public Affairs Show. The public affairs program "Exceptional Women" airs on
Greater Media's adult contemporaryWMJX, Boston "Magic 106.7" and is hosted by
Sue Tabb and
Tina Gao. Today, the company announces that the show will be honored with two 2016 Gracie Awards from the
Alliance for Women in Media Foundation. The show's entry – "What is Brave?" – is a compilation of four of their 2015 programs. It took first place in the Co-host and Interview Program or Feature categories for local radio. The piece explored different aspects of bravery and included interviews with tennis legend
Billie Jean King, "Entertainment Tonight" host
Nancy O'Dell, recording artist and entrepreneur
Lisa Loeb and animal champion
Brittany Bang. Tabb and Gao will receive their awards at the annual Gracies Luncheon in New York City on June 21.
