WGN Makes Programming Changes Official

1-15-2015

Roe Conn heads to afternoons on WGN and John Williams moves to weekend duties. So, the new weekday lineup starting the 26th at WGN shakes out like this: Steve Cochran 5-9 a.m., The Bill and Wendy show moves to 9 a.m.-noon from their current 3-7 p.m. shift, Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano stay in place with The Business Lunch from noon-1 and in their 1-3 p.m.shift, Roe Conn will host afternoon drive from 3-7 p.m. Evenings and overnights will stay the same. John Williams starts his Saturday shift on January 31.

Commenting on the Roe Conn move to mornings, WGN Radio VP of content and programming Todd Manley says, "Roe craves what's behind the curtain of breaking news. He's a master of investigative conversation, so you'll learn and you'll laugh. We're building an even stronger bridge between our radio journalists at the Tribune Tower and the incomparable newsroom at WGN-TV."

Explaining Williams' move to weekends, Manley notes, "Two shows in two cities -- five days a week -- is just too much for someone who crafts talk the way John does and WCCO has first rights to John."

Just in case Chicago listeners can't keep up with the changes, Manley will host a live blog Q&A at 2 p.m. on wgnplus.com to address WGN listeners' questions and comments on the changes.

(1/15/2015 10:48:01 PM)
Just heard today that John Williams is moving again. If he's moving because that is what he wants, then, I'm fine with that. If WGN is moving him, than I'm not. I give up the view to listen to John. He's intelligent , caring & sounds like an all around nice guy. We will listen to him on Saturday's but to be honest it's hard to keep up with all of WGN's changes. Hope Kathy& Judy still
have a spot. First time responder to change. Pat Murray
(1/15/2015 1:01:05 PM)
what happens to Kathy and Judy?

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P1s Agree: Radio Makes Us Happy

11-14-14

Researchers from Mark Kassof & Co. asked a simple question of radio P1s ages 18-64, and got a great answer: Radio makes them happy. Kassof asked the 1,010 respondents to fill in the blanks in this sentence: "Listening to [name of station they listen to most] makes me feel ____." And nearly a quarter -- 23 percent -- gave the answer "happy." Another 16 percent said "good," and 8 percent" said "relaxed." Other responses: "informed," "great," "alive," "energized," "nostalgic," and "calm."

Kassoff then asked how often the respondents' P1 station make them feel any of 51 possible feelings. Forty-seven percent said their favorite station "always" makes them feel happy, and 36 percent said it "often" has that effect. Other respondents said their P1 station always makes them feel "comfortable" (40 percent), "interested" and "connected" (38 percent each), "informed" or "satisfied" (37 percent) or "relaxed" "35 percent.

Way down on the list were people who said the station they listen to most always leaves them "worried" (4 percent), "embarrassed" (also 4 percent), or "bored" (3 percent.)

Kassof said, "The positive, constructive feelings we tested overwhelm the overtly negative ones, which are all in single digits. Yes, radio is a positive force in these listeners' lives."

(11/14/2014 4:51:30 PM)
Subjective reports on a subjective experience delivering objective results. Oh, yeah. Let's go with that.

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93.9 MYfm Chicago Makes The Flip

11-14-14

iHeartMedia's 93.9 MYfm will begin its annual tradition of non-stop Christmas music starting Friday. It's familiar holiday favorites on the playlist for 93.9 MYfm, now in its 14th year spinning holiday music in The Windy City. PD Mick Lee says, "Eleven months on 93.9MYfm you can hear Maroon 5, P!nk, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and more variety from the 90?s til now. But it?s time to officially kick off Chicago?s holiday season with non-stop Christmas music."

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And Beasley Makes The Move in Fort Myers

11-10-14

Southwest Florida listeners to Sunny 106.3 are hearing standards such as Bing Crosby?s ?White Christmas,? The Eagles? ?Please Come Home for Christmas,? and Brenda Lee?s ?Rockin? Around the Christmas Tree.?  Plus recent releases from artists like Johnny Mathis, Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Rod Stewart, and others. Market Manager Brad Beasley said, ?Sunny 106.3?s holiday music line-up has become a Southwest Florida tradition; for over a decade, it?s been our way of wishing our community a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and all of us at Beasley are delighted that the switch has officially been made!?

Sunny 106.3 also announced that Program Director Randy Sherwyn will host the 15th annual ?Christmas Across The Lands,? a radio Christmas show scheduled to air beginning at 9am  Christmas Eve through 1:00 p.m. Christmas Day.  The heartfelt broadcast has become an annual signature event for troops stationed overseas and with ships at sea during the holiday season.  This year, the show will bring a little holiday cheer and warmth to U.S. troops stationed in over 177 countries around the globe. The Canadian Forces Network in Europe also airs the show across Europe and NATO HQ.

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What Makes a Radio Station Great

11-5-14

Last night, at the CMA awards, Cox's KKBQ in Houston was announced as the winner of the 2014 major market station of the year. It's another piece of hardware for the country outlet in what's been an incredible year. The station also won a Marconi, its second in a row, but this one for major market station of the year. In 2013 KKBQ won for Country Station of the Year. Johnny Chiang was Radio Ink's top Country Programmer and Market Manager Mark Krieschen is one of Radio Ink's 2014 Best Managers. In The Houston Press yesterday Krieschen discusses why KKBQ has been on such an incredible run.

The station is successful, according to Krieschen, by emphasizing its on-air personalities' close ties to the community. "The staff  lives, works, goes to church, shops, has kids in school or kids in soccer in the Houston area, making them voices listeners come to respect and trust the same way they would their other friends and neighbors. You can tell stories on the air," he continues. "And when we tell stories on the air about our talent, our audience can relate to that. And Krieschen says there are now more ways than ever to communicate with listeners. "It used to be people would pick up the phone and get to our studio. Now you can reach our people on the air via Facebook and Twitter, [and] the open-mike feature on our Web site. So there are a lot more ways for us to have a relationship with our audience than there were before."

And speaking of relationships, just last month, Kacey Musgraves thanked 93Q from the stage for being the first country station in the city to take a chance on her. Operations Manager Johnny Chiang (pictured left with Keith Urban) tells the paper taking a chance on playing the new singer when she first came on the country scene was worth the risk. "Yes, 93Q was the first station in Houston, and one of the first in America, to play Kacey Musgraves' music. In fact, we've been the first in Houston to play every one of her singles. We like her! She represents the future of the Country format."

Krieschen looks at radio as a friend to the listener, a friend to the community. "We are a bond. Radio is such a personable medium; and whether you're having a good day, bad day, whatever, our talent [is] in a great mood, very uplifting, and we want to get you through your day. And I think we are a station they can count on to get them through the day."

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Pandora Makes Big Deal With BMG

9-11-14

Internet radio pureplay Pandora has made a deal with international rights management company BMG, with the agreement giving Pandora a multi-year U.S. license for BMG's catalog of BMI and ASCAP music. Pandora CEO Brian McAndrews said the deal "ensures that we can continue expanding the audience for one of the world's most storied music catalogs and demonstrates that collaboration between the music industry and Pandora creates opportunities and value for publishers and songwriters."

 Pandora is the longtime leader in Internet radio, attracting as much as two-thirds of all online listening, while BMG represents songwriters who've written hits for such artists as Adele, Jay-Z, One Direction, Rihanna, and the Beach Boys.

BMG Chrysalis North American President/Marketing & Creative Laurent Hubert said, "BMG looks forward to a prosperous relationship with Pandora in which our songwriters can benefit from their platform," adding, "We also want to take this opportunity to emphasize our strong, continuing relationship with the US performing rights organizations as they play a vital role for songwriters and music publishers alike."

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Benztown Makes The Inc. Magazine List

8-21-14

Inc. magazine has named Benztown one of America?s Fastest-Growing Private Companies for the second consecutive year. Benztown increased sales 796 percent since the start of 2010, placing it at number 596 on this year?s list of 5,000 companies. Benztown ranks as the 8th fastest-growing private company in America out of the 60 companies in the media sector. Last year, the company debuted on the list at number 983. Benztown CEO Andreas Sannemann said, ?I'm super excited we made the list two times in a row and improved our rank compared to last year. This is a pure team success and a milestone for the company. I am proud to work amongst and with the most talented people in the business.?

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Emmis KGSR Makes One Listener Very Happy

6-13-14

High schooler Mason Endres was critically injured in the March 13 South by Southwest car accident. On Wednesday, thanks to Emmis' KGSR Endres had the opportunity to meet singer Ed Sheeran Wednesday before he a taping of Austin City Limits. Endres tells The Statesman she was still pretty much freaking out after meeting Sheeran when reached on her cellphone at the Moody Theater. Endres has long been a fan of Sheeran?s. Shortly after the crash, her friends started the hashtag #EdMeetMason. KGSR found out and set up the meet and greet.

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Hannity Makes Hollywood Reporter List

4-16-14

Nationally syndicated talker Sean Hannity is listed in the top 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media 2014, but it's for his TV show. Hannity is also on the May 12 cover of Radio Ink magazine. In our interview, Hannity discusses the end of his contract with Cumulus, his rivalry with Michael Savage, and his thoughts on how radio is measured, which he says "is flawed in a dramatic way." Check out The Hollywood Reporter Media list HERE which also includes Howard Stern.

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"The Peak" Makes Way For Sports In Phoenix

1-7-14

Another music station is nudged off FM for the sports format. Bonneville began simulcasting Arizona Sports KTAR-AM at 98.7-FM. Bonneville Market Manager Scott Sutherland said, "Besides a stronger signal and better statewide broadcasting reach, more than 85 percent of radio listeners utilize the FM dial." The move also brings to a close a decade-long run for The Peak (KPKX) music station.

Arizona Sports is the flagship broadcaster for the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Coyotes, and Arizona State University and broadcasts Arizona Interscholastic Association prep sporting events from around the state. 

Sutherland added, ?Putting Arizona Sports on FM is an opportunity too big to ignore. Our live, local, and exclusive sports content has never been better. We have world-class local talk personalities who deliver powerful opinions and insights that engage, entertain, and positively impact the communities we serve. We also have amazing team partners. And all of this attracts a passionate and loyal audience, which in turn attracts a lot of marketing interest from small and medium business owners, major brands, and C-Suite decision-makers.?

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Pittman Makes 2014 People to Watch List

1-2-13

Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman is one of ten people Advertising Age is keeping a close eye on in this year. The reason, according to the magazine, "The CEO has an all-star team in place, but will it be enough to overcome its debt burden -- and the challenges radio faces in a digital world?" Take a look at the entire Ad Age List HERE

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NAB Makes Expo Purchase

12-23-13

The National Association of Broadcasters says it has purchased the assets of the Content and Communications World and Satellite Communications Conference and Expo events from JD Events, a trade show organizer. CCW and SATCON, held annually in November, are co-located at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.

CCW is an event based in New York with a focus on content creation, management, and delivery technologies. SATCON offers education and exhibits serving companies in the satellite-enabled communications and content delivery industry. The 2013 CCW (which included SATCON) had 6,898 attendees, a 22 percent increase from 2012.

"We have made these additions to the NAB event family with the goal of growing both the attendee and exhibitor base of what has emerged as an important East Coast venue for the content community," said Executive Vice President of NAB Conventions and Business Operations, Chris Brown. "We look forward to developing this event and serving the unique needs of this very important media market."

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Mack Makes The Move To Orlando

10-13-13

Clear Channel has made Brian Mack the new PD at CHR powerhouse XL106.7 in Orlando. Mack, who most recently served as Program Director for 107.5 The River in Nashville, will report directly to Chris Kampmeier, Vice President of Programming for the Orlando market. Prior to his time in Nashville, Mack served as the Assistant Program Director and Music Director for Y100 in Miami.

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(SPORTS TALK) What Makes A Great PD?

9-13-2013

One of the most aggravating things that happens to me in the radio business is that people always have an opinion on how I should do my sports talk show.

Everybody has a thought on what I should say or wonders if I really believe the stuff I?m saying on the air. If I had a gold coin for every time a person told me to try this thing or change that thing I would be a billionaire!

I remember one of the greatest lines I ever heard from a coach was from Bobby Ross. Bobby coached me my freshman year at the University of Maryland. He went on to win a national title at Georgia Tech and in the NFL lead the San Diego Chargers to the Super Bowl.

While he was head coach of the Chargers, a reporter asked him if he was going to make the players change to fit his philosophy on both defense and offense. Coach Ross answered, "No way! Why would I make players change to fit my system when they have already won with the system they've been using for years?"

Coach Ross's attitude was he felt his coaching staff had to adapt to the talent to find what the players' strengths and weakness were and try to bring the best out of a player using his strengths.

So many times in radio, a new PD or GM or APD or whomever believes they know how to reinvent the wheel when it comes to making you a better radio talk show host, when it's actually the PD or GM who needs to find a host's strengths and weaknesses and then build a relationship with them so s/he can be a partner in building a show together.

Just like in football, coaching and talent need to work together if they want to win. Anytime you don't have these two components working together, you will have a radio station that is not on the same page. I can't tell you the egos that are in our business -- both hosts (and of course I could have the biggest on the planet) and PDs in this business have monster egos and I can tell you by experience this is where many shows fail. Not because both host and PD aren't good at what they do, but because both don't want to work together due to ego. Boy, after all these years in the business, if ego is going to stop me from being successful, then I need to check myself at the door along with the PD.

My last year has taught me one thing: I will never again get into a position in radio in which a PD wants to change my style, my approach, or anything. I am getting into a relationship with a PD who wants to take all my strengths as a host and expand them, and help with some things I may not be the best at. Look, we all want to make our mark in radio, and I'm not saying I would not listen to my PD. Of course I would. But the great PDs teach it rather than preach it.

Take another sport that actually fits radio better: baseball. Would you change Barry Bonds' batting stance if you had become the new manager of the SF Giants while he was still playing? Of course not. If you became Rush Limbaugh's PD, would you really go into Rush's studio and tell him you hated that tease? Of course you wouldn't. Yet some managers and PDs do this. It makes me sick!

There is no question that finding the right balance between the host and PD is the most important thing a radio GM can do for a station's success. Just like in love, not every relationship you find yourself in works. People break up and get divorced all the time. That's why, when you find the right chemistry between a great PD and a great host, it turns to magic on the air.

I have had two excellent relationships in radio. Bob Agnew, who is at KLAA in Los Angeles, and Steve Versnick, when he was at WDAE. Both men were hard on me but both knew I could take the constructive criticism because they had taken the time to work with me, and work not on my strengths but my weaknesses.

I hope all hosts at one time in their careers can experience perfection like I did with those PDS. If you do, you will understand what I'm talking about.

Dan Sileo, also known as "The Bonecrusher," is a sports talk show host who has worked at KGO & KNBR-WDAE and WQAM. He can be reached at Umiam93@yahoo.com and on Twitter at @dansileoshow

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de Castro Makes Changes To WGN Official

8-29-13

The changes go into effect Tuesday, after the Labor Day holiday as new GM Jimmy de Castro tries to remake and rebuild the legendary station. Steve Cochran  will return to WGN Radio full time, hosting mornings replacing Jonathon Brandmeier. Cochran has worked for deCastro in Chicago before. It was at the Loop and AM 1000back  in the '90s when deCastro ran Evergreen, Chancellor Media, and AMFM. Cochran's been working the Chicago radio scene since 1993.
Here is how the rest of the day and weekends will look on the station.

The mid-morning timeslot becomes a radio reunion for Bill Leff & Wendy Snyder. The Bill & Wendy Show will air and stream from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m, followed by husband-and-wife duo Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Garry Meier will continue to host the afternoon drive show from 3-7 p.m, with the David Kaplan Show airing from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Pete McMurray expands his role with the station as the 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. host, and WGN veteran Nick Digilio moves to the 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. timeslot.
The return of Kathy O?Malley and Judy Markey to the station on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. highlights the weekend lineup changes, effective Saturday, September 14. Other changes include The Design Dude with Frank Fontana, airing from 6 a.m to 7 a.m., followed by Mr. Fix-it with Lou Manfredini from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. When not affected by sports preemptions, Bill Moller will follow Kathy and Judy from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., and Sports Central will remain in the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m timeslot.
The Sunday lineup will introduce a new show dedicated to the discussion of the Chicago political landscape. Chicago Tribune writer Rick Pearson will host ?Chicago Way: Politics with Pearson? on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. The Dean Richards Sunday Special will follow at 9 a.m., extending an additional two hours until 1 p.m.  In addition to his Saturday show, Bill Moller will air from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Brian Noonan remains in the 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. timeslot, followed by the return of Chicago treasure Rick Kogan, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Comedian and media personality Patti Vasquez will air from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Playing a feature role in the future of WGN-AM?s new lineup will be 720 Snackables. These spotlight segments will live online and on-air as interviews, video shorts, and podcasts. They?ll feature the WGN family of experts including Dean Richards? ?A-List Interviews,? ?Legally Speaking with Karen Conti,? ?Bertrand on Books? with Steve Bertrand, ?Flavor HD? with Hannah Stanley and Dane Neal, ?Steve Dale?s Pet World,? Paul Green?s ?Paul & The Politicians,? ?Good Cents With Ilyce Glink,? and more.

(8/29/2013 9:12:00 PM)
Cochran needs to be back, as does the girls. JB did not ever fit, ditto mcconnell.
(8/29/2013 8:55:29 PM)
Love Steve glad he's back. JB is a hoot but sometimes I wondered how long he would last with WGN. Been listening to WGN for 50 years. Wish JB nothing but the best.

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Clear Channel Denver Makes Hager VP/Sales

8-23-13

Clear Channel Denver announced today that Tim Hager has been named Vice President of Sales, effective September 3, 2013. Hager will oversee all sales operations for the eight-station cluster. Most recently he served as General Sales Manager of CBS Radio's 1120 AM KMOX in St. Louis. Hager also has past experience with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, previously serving as Account Executive, Sports Sales Manager, and General Sales Manager.

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Tom Joyner Makes Big Offer

7-16-13

Tuesday morning, syndicated radio host Tom Joyner offered Rachel Jeantel a full ride to college. Jeantell was on the phone with Trayvon Martin the night he was killed. She took the witness stand during the trial and was interviewed on CNN this week. Joyner was moved to help. "Rachel, here's my offer to you. If you want to graduate from high school and go to an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) -- even if it's not in Florida but especially Florida -- if you want to do that, I want to help you do that."

(7/17/2013 8:37:43 AM)
I think that Tom Joyner is writing the check. I think that with this woman's new found fame, she may not safely be embraced at a majority white university. I think that you don't know anything about HBCUs or black people. I also think that your comment was so inflammatory that you didn't have the guts to use your real name.
(7/17/2013 7:08:54 AM)
Only Historically Black Universities? Why is that? Is there a problem with schools that were not specifically black? Is this racist? I wonder if there were such a term white people would use...I believe there would be quite an outrage. Just wondering. What do you think?

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de Castro Makes Changes On Air At WGN

7-1-13

The changes being put in place by WGN GM Jimmy de Castro have been immediate. The David Kaplan Show will air from 7-12 p.m. with a focus on the Chicago sports scene and national sports landscape. That will be followed by an hour of sports talk from Mark Carman and Jordan Bernfield. de Castro said, ?We're making changes in an effort to give Chicagoans more of the things they want to hear. Thank you to our WGN Radio listeners, the most loyal and attentive family, for helping us navigate through this and stay tuned for the best of the old and new coming soon.?

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Morning Team Makes Dream Come True

6-24-13

Now for an update on a story we told you about back in March. As part of their Bucket List, Magic 92.5 San Diego mornings duo Jagger & Kristi helped make a little girl?s dream come true by awarding 10-year-old Marisa Cox, who has Down Syndrome, VIP tickets to see Justin Beiber in concert. This past Saturday, Marisa, who also suffers from a life-threatening kidney disease, got to meet Bieber backstage. Marissa is a huge Justin Bieber fan. 

All Marisa wanted to do was meet Justin Bieber. With Jagger & Kristi's Bucket List, they made that happen. And nobody expected Justin to tweet this: "one of the best parts of the job. nice meeting you Marisa. stay strong for me!"

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(AUDIO) Paul Finebaum Makes it Big

Paul Finebaum found his niche in the spoken word format after writing investigative stories for the Birmingham Post-Herald. He started radio appearances in the 1980's by providing commentary on the Mark and Brian show on WAPI-FM. After starting his own afternoon show a few years later on WAPI-AM, his program quickly became the highest rated sport-talk show in Birmingham. In 1993, Finebaum moved his sports-talk show to WERC-AM where he broke the story of Alabama football player Antonio Langham signing a contract with a sports agent. When it comes to sports in the south, Finebaum is a walking encyclopedia.

Being based right in the heart of one of the biggest rivalries in sports, Alabama and Auburn adds fuel to his radio fire. In 2001 Finebaums show began in syndication with affiliates all over the southeast. Last year, Finebaum earned additional headlines as a contract dispute with Cumulus, after the Citadel merger, made news nearly every week. After his contract ran out with Cumulus, Finebaum sat out a short non-compete. ESPN was waiting around the corner, with Finebaum on speed-dial. Last month it was announced that Finebaum will start his new job with ESPN on August first. They will distribute his radio show and he'll be one of their experts on ESPN-TV as the network rolls out its brand new SEC network. He's gotten to the top of the sports mountain. We spoke to him Thursday at length about how he did it. LISTEN HERE

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