WOGL Philadelphia Radiothon Starts Today

9-4-13

The 98.1 WOGL Loves Our Kids Radiothon to benefit The Children?s Hospital of Philadelphia kicks off today. Over the past 11 years, 98.1 WOGL has raised more than $5.5 million for the hospital. This year, the Radiothon will be broadcast live from the Ryan Seacrest Foundation?s Seacrest Studios located in the Colket Atrium of Children?s Hospital. The Radiothon is anchored by WOGL-FM?s Breakfast Club Host Ross Brittain and co-host Valerie Knight with appearances by the entire WOGL airstaff.
Funds raised through the Children's Miracle Network are earmarked at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for patient care programs. These programs provide constant support for the kinds of services that truly make a difference in the lives of children and families. Support groups, creative arts therapies, and social workers are all part of the healing process. These services are offered to every child who visits Children?s Hospital, and these are among the many programs that CMN funds help make possible.

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Rayfield Inducted Into Philadelphia Jewish Sports HOF

5-17-13

Marc Rayfield, CBS Radio SVP/Market Manager and VP of WIP/Philadelphia, will be inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on Monday. He's one of a list of honorees that also includes college and NBA basketball coach Larry Brown. Sports WIP broadcasts the Phillies, Eagles, and Philadelphia Union and college sports from Temple and Villanova. Rayfield also oversees clustermates News KYW, SportsRadio 94 & 610 WIP, WOGL, and WPHT, as well as cbsphilly.com.

WOGL VP/GM Jim Loftus said, "Marc Rayfield is a gifted Bboadcaster, a loving husband and father, a creative thinker, and a great friend. These things we have known for a long time. Now we know he is a 'hall of fame' athlete as well.  Congratulations to Marc!"

The Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Adolph and Rose Levis Museum is celebrating its 16th anniversary with the inductions and a reception on Monday evening. Inductees may be athletes, coaches, managers, administrators, team owners, or members of the media who, "through perseverance, dedication, superior talent, and skills have risen to the top of their respective sports."

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WPHT Philadelphia Hires Dick Morris

3-14-2013

Morris will be hosting weekday afternoons (2P-6P ET) on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT in Philadelphia beginning on Monday, April 15. Market Manager Marc Rayfield said, ?Dick is a great addition to our lineup of live and local personalities, and provides a voice that will raise the audiences? interest in what?s happening in politics today. As someone who isn?t afraid to express his opinions or make bold predictions, his show won?t just be a win for Philadelphia and WPHT, it?s a win for radio.?

(3/15/2013 2:17:34 PM)
MSNBC had a little fun at Morris's expense, using a screen shot from a distance away, revealing that Morris was speaking to rows of empty chairs. I hope he hasn't rented an apartment in Philadelphia. In a few ratings periods, he'll be shown the door just like at FNC.
(3/14/2013 9:57:13 PM)
What is happening at 1210 - I remember when it was fun to listen to and we actually learned something. The Angry Birds got Anbrier,,,,, and added their Third Kuckoo to the nest.
This station has turned into nothing but a Mutual Adiration Society of Get off My Lawn Rush/Sean/Limbaugh Stepford Wanna=Be's.... Leave the Kuckoo Nest,,,, the closk strikes three and your replaced.
What a shame

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WPHT Philadelphia Announces Lineup Change

The CBS owned talker will get a new live and local line-up starting June 25th. Buzz Bissinger becomes host of afternoon drive. Bissinger is joined by Steve Martorano, currently heard on WPHT and best known to listeners for his many years on WIP. Bissinger said, ?This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I will be as I always am--opinionated, passionate, prepared, and willing to listen...most of the time. Working alongside Steve, a consummate pro, I can promise the audience the show will be lively, entertaining, and informative.?

CBS Senior Vice President for Philadelphia Marc Rayfield said, ?With the Presidential election only a few months away, there couldn?t be a better time to heighten our focus on how today?s issues affect our friends, relatives and neighbors. The addition of Buzz to the line-up and presenting Michael?s program live to the audience gives us an incredible advantage as a station created in Philadelphia by Philadelphians for Philadelphians. Buzz has one of the most compelling voices in Philadelphia today.  He?s intelligent, honest and hard hitting. He doesn?t play favorites; his only goal is to pursue the truth and no one in local media is more qualified to do so.?

The station will be anchored in morning drive by Chris Stigall (5:30-9:00AM),
Dom Giordano will follow (9:00AM-12:00Noon).
Michael Smerconish will broadcast live on WPHT from 12:00Noon-3:00PM.

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Randy Micahels Enters Philadelphia

12-7-11

Merlin Media, headed by CEO Randy Michaels, gets a smidge bigger with an agreement to purchase Family Stations' WKDN-FM in Camden, NJ which serves the Philadelphia market. The station currently airs a Christian format. Michaels told Radio Ink last night the format "was undetermined". However, unless he's suddenly gone south on his new style of delivering news and information, Philadelphia will soon be home to another all-news station. The questions that remain will be the voices delivering the product and the approach he takes when the flip occurs. Is he as gung-ho on the original plan, targeting women or will it be more of a traditional news delivery? CBS owns KYW in Philly. Another highly successful brand CBS has cultivated over the years. It is on the AM dial.

In typical Randy Michaels fashion, the press release joked ""Merlin Media is now actively looking for staff that can pronounce Schuykill, Wissahickon, Manayunk, Tredyffrin, Gwynedd, Pennsauken, and Bryn Mawr."

WKDN joins Merlin's stable of  classic rock WLUP/Chicago and News outlets WWWN/Chicago and WEMP/New York -- Merlin backer GTCR purchased a controlling interest in the stations from Emmis earlier this year. The company is co-owned by GTCR, Emmis Communications, and Michaels.

Media Venture Partners represented Family Radio in the deal.

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Living Out A Radio Dream in Philadelphia.

As we've been telling you about, in recent days, October 24th is the release date for the very popular Radio Ink 2011 issue highlighting Radio's Best Program Director's. The experience we've had interviewing and interacting with PD's all over the country has been very rewarding. They are all so passionate about the business and doing something they've always loved to do. Radioink.com gives us an opportunity to give readers more detail about these successful individuals and what drives them to be winners. In today's PD spotlight, it will come as no surprise that Chuck Knight is on our list. Knight is the Program Director of WBEB in Philadelphia.

WBEB is owned by the legendary Jerry Lee. Lee could easily retire, kick back in a nice comfy recliner, open a bottle of snapple or two and enjoy the artisitc scenery of historic Philadelphia. Instead Lee is still punching his way through another "big idea" and passionately telling that story to everyone he runs into. That passion for the radio industry leaks onto all of his employees and Chuck Knight is one of them. Knight says "I?m lucky to be doing something very few of us in the world are doing, I?m living my life-long dream.  Radio is all I?ve wanted to do since I was seven years old." 

Knight started his radio career in Sioux Falls, SD, where you do everything. "My first opportunity to program was in La Crosse, WI. I then loved programming in Des Moines, IA, a radio station I listened to as I was growing up. Programming in Indianapolis at Emmis' home office was a wonderful experience.  Programming Pyramid?s Philly station in the mid-90s got me to a top 10 market. Returning to the Saga family in Columbus, OH was like going home. I worked for and with a lot of GREAT people and every single one of them taught me something."

Knight says his biggest career accomplishment is programming B101 in Philly, calling it the greatest radio station in America. "I?m honored that owner Jerry Lee and VP/GM Blaise Howard trust me to program this legendary radio station.  I?m very thankful to our current team and everyone from the past.  Collectively, they are the people who have made this radio station the greatest. The most fulfilling things I?ve been involved with in my career are the community events where we?ve been able to make a difference in people?s lives. Children?s Hospital fund raising marathons, helping the needy and nice though various causes and funds, blood drives, those kinds of things.  They are what I remember more vividly than any ratings success or awards."

On success. Knight says a successful PD is the passionate rudder for his/her radio station. "It?s someone who can hear in their mind what the station should and can sound like and then be able to communicate that sound to the talent.  A successful PD is one who is meticulous in assembling a great team and then spends time with them individually to give them complete confidence in what they?re doing.  A successful PD works for his/her employees, taking care of the details and getting rid of the distractions so the talent has only to focus on execution.  In my opinion, a successful PD is one who is conservatively aggressive on music and marketing issues."

Congratulate Chuck for being on our list by sending him a note HERE

To read more about Radio's passionate PD's subscribe to Radio Ink Today or pick up a digital subscription for a year for only $49.00 starting with our Randy Michaels cover story issue. Your $49.00 subscription also includes back issues at no charge and live links to all website featured in our stories.

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