3-13-14
Smith was GSM at CMG Tulsa?s TV stations KOKI-TV and KMYT-TV. He also spent five years as LSM at the NBC affiliate in Tulsa. Before that, he held sales management positions with Clear Channel Tulsa. Smith will be responsible for sales at KJSR Classic Rock 103.3 FM, KRAV Adult Contemporary 96.5 FM, KRMG News/Talk 102.3 FM/740 AM, and KWEN Country 95.5 FM. Smith is a former Radio Ink Radio Wayne finalist in the D.O.S. category.
1-3-14
With the pending sale of the remaining Merlin stations in Chicago, it appears Randy Michaels will once again be out of radio. In the Summer of 2011 Michaels launched what he was hoping would be a new spoken word format that would sweep the nation, aimed at women. With financial backing from GTCR, Michaels and Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan struck a deal and Merlin was launched with signals in New York City and Philadelphia. Money was no object and a lot of out-of-work and respected news people were brought in hoping to part of something big, new and exciting.
CBS' news outlets were the target. In an October 2011 Radio Ink Magazine Cover story Michaels said, "When you look at WBBM or WCBS, the audience is incredibly old. My gosh, if you took the bears out of 'BBM, they don't have many people under 60." In January of 20132, CBS even went so far as to send a cease and desist order to Michaels for using the phrases "All News, All The Time" and "We'll Give You The World." Michaels eventually stopped using the phrases but added, "This advertising does not infringe or mislead consumers; rather it accurately compares Merlin Media's services to those offered by CBS. Merlin does not want to be perceived as CBS and 1010 WINS in any respect." In an ironic turn of events, Merlin would wind up selling that New York frequency to CBS, which is now the FM home to WFAN.
The spoken word format, aimed at women, never really caught on with listeners or in the ratings and would morph and change over time. It was never a serious threat to any of CBS' powerhouse news outlets. Eventually it was dropped as investors began to question what they had gotten into. People with high hopes were gone, like veteran Chicago newsman Charlie Meyerson. Of the original attempt to target women, Meyerson says, "The consensus among many of us was that the first attempts to target women sounded condescending. I don't think they intended it to be condescending, but they sounded condescending. Yet I know many listeners that liked that iteration of the station."
Michaels made the announcement in July of 2012 that his news experiment was over. ?Effective immediately, Alternative is back on the air in New York as New Rock 101.9 and Adult Hits are on the air in Chicago as i101. It was a difficult decision to make, but after a year of minimal audience engagement, coupled with the format?s inherent expense, I felt it was time to make a change. I?d like to thank the people who poured their heart and soul into the effort and I wish them all the best.?
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8-8-13
He says its been in the works for a year and has nothing to do with yesterday's announcement that Cumulus will be LMA'ing the station. 28-year broadcasting veteran Randy Galloway, the host Galloway & Company on KESN/103.3 FM ESPN Radio will retire at the end of 2013. Galloway tells The Star-Telegram this is not a surprise. ?I told the ESPN over a year ago I was retiring at the end of this current contract, which is Dec. 31. I want to give them plenty of notice to get a replacement in place. So there?s now basically five months to go on the contract. And nothing has changed about my plans to retire.?
Galloway tells the paper that ESPN?s national headquarters in Bristol, Conn., has been in touch with him about national radio and TV gigs after he retires, and he?s considering his options, but would still only work on a part-time basis.
2-15-2013
There are some people in this world who are always happy and they make you happy just being around them; their contagious smile, genuine style, and honest warmth makes you feel good merely by their presence. One of those rare individuals is the consistent and credible Program Consultant and Talent Coach Randy Lane, who is today president of the Randy Lane Company. I've known Randy since the mid-70s when he did mid-days at 96 KX in Denver. Randy was far from the sulking, sad, and depressed jock of the mid 70s that, with the advent of Rock on FM, crowded the airwaves with the angst that was a requirement of the days of depression rock. Randy couldn't have been further from this. His happiness made all of his disciples extremely glad to work with him. His ability to speak, and to be heard; to direct his co-workers and followers in a positive manner, was refreshing. Randy made each day better, and he's continued to do it brilliantly for radio stations and talent for the past four decades.
Now here's the man himself to tell us how he got into radio?
?I know that I don?t want to be in radio.? That was the answer I gave when people asked me what I was going to do when I graduated college. I knew I didn?t want to be in radio because my brother was in radio. At Memphis State University (now University of Memphis) I tried Physical Education, because I was an All-State Basketball player in high school. That was freshman year, and by sophomore year I had switched my major to Political Science, because my interests had changed to history and politics. My brother Ron Lane managed a small station in Camden Tennessee and by the end of my sophomore year he had offered me a summer job at his station, the dynamic WFWL-AM a day-timer that signed off at sunset. I still had no interest in radio but I needed the money for college and had nothing else planned for the summer.
My first assignment was to clean the radio station: mop, dust, scrub, and do the bathrooms; hey this radio thing is pretty glamorous. My second assignment was the ?God Squad?: running the religious programs on Sunday mornings. The station paid local ministers to come in and do thirty-minute live shows back-to-back all morning long. In between the sermons they would let me play vinyl gospel records. I was blessed, not by the job, but by the preacher who called for the song I had cued up, which turned out to be the wrong song, he cussed me out.
Quickly, I was removed from the Sunday Sermon stint to Monday through Friday where I was in charge of running the program ?Our Changing World? by the success guru of the 70s, Earl Nightingale. The show was comprised of three ETs (electronic transmission), the Intro, the Body, and the Close. On the first day, I managed to play the close from the day before, sweating like a 300-pound linebacker in August, I cracked the mic to apologize and proceeded to drag the needle across the vinyl through the body of the copy. After that fiasco, I was promoted to light production, reading, and recording commercials.
One afternoon after the station was closed, the DJ on duty asked if I wanted to read a live spot in his show. In order to make me feel relaxed, he suggested that I go to the front lobby, sit in one of the over-sized chairs and get comfy. His rationale was that if I was at ease I would sound more natural. Oh, I was relaxed alright, I sounded very natural; particularly halfway through the commercial when the front door of the station flew open and a very loud woman came through the doors yelling and screaming about a prize she had won and why she needed to pick it up and how she left work early and on and on and no matter how much I waved my arms and physically begged for her to stop whaling she wouldn?t stop! So I turned around and ran toward the control room motioning to the PMD jock to cut, cut, cut and the more I motioned and begged the harder he laughed and continued to let me stumble through the copy, with the screaming lady in the background. After butchering the second half of the spot my brother called and wanted to know what was going on. I calmly replied, ?I forgot to lock the front door of the station.?
My self-esteem was sinking faster than this season?s performance by the Lakers, but, after all of the small market calamities, I had caught the radio bug. I went back to college and changed my major to Radio, Television and Film. I spent my junior and senior years driving around Memphis listening to WHBQ and WMPS and trying to mimic the jocks in every day-part. One day, during my junior year, the night guy from WMPS, ?Super Shan,? came by to speak to our class. Appearing among us ?baby DJs? as he coined us, decked out in our classic cut-offs and best Tees, here came Scott Shannon in a pinstriped Edwardian suit. We were mesmerized by his look, manner, and speech and hung on his every word and followed his every move. We all wanted to be him.
I spent two years at the college station trying to hone my skills and graduated walking into my first real, full time gig at WMC AM/FM where Jack Parnell was the PD. I had finally made it into a job that I thought I never wanted. WMC was a real radio station, on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I couldn?t do better than WMC.
Lisa Miller is the President of Miller Broadcast Management in Chicago. She's also one of Radio Ink's Most Influential Women in Radio. Miller can be reached at Lisa@millerbroadcast.com or 312-454-1111.
So, how did you get into radio? We'd love to hear the story about why you're passionate about radio.
How Dan Mason Got Into Radio
How John Gehron Got Into Radio
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11-7-2012
Greg Janoff jumped aboard the fast-moving Merlin Media train back in June of 2011 as Revenue EVP. Today with the company smaller and headed in a completely new direction Janoff, who spent 14 years with CBS, is out. Janoff has worked at great radio stations like news/talk WBZ in Boston and ?1010 WINS in New York. He can be reached at Gjanoff@Gmail.com or 646-879-1969.
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4-24-2012
It's somewhat of an odd pickup but it's a new signal nonetheless. Merlin enters into an LMA with WLFM-LP to program and sell ads at 87.7 on the dial starting this Monday. WLFM-LP is a low-power Chicago area TV station whose audio can be heard on 87.7, video can be received with VHF antenna?s and viewed on Comcast Cable Channel 877 where it is currently playing Smooth Jazz and displaying local news weather and traffic. Beginning at 1:00pm Wednesday WLFM-LP will air news updates from FM News 101.1 WIQI-FM.
John Gehron, Chairman of Merlin Media?s Advisory Committee said, ?We believe this transaction will create significant value for viewers and listeners of 87.7. The opportunity to expand the footprint of Merlin Media in Chicago is very exciting. Our goal is to expand the video and interactive components of WLFM-LP. We want to continue the focus of serving underserved audiences.?
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1-24-20122
In the war of words between CBS and Merlin Media in New York City, Merlin CEO Randy Michaels has agreed to stop using the phrases "All News, All The Time" and "We'll Give You The World" on WEMP after receiving a cease and desist letter from CBS lawyers. A return letter sent to CBS says while those phrases "do not infringe or otherwise violate any rights held by CBS" Merlin will stop using them because they are not significant in Merlin Media's advertising. The Merlin letter calls the use of such phrases "occasional ad libs." CBS had sent Merlin a letter last week threatening further action if WEMP continued to use the familiar CBS radio phrases. However, if you thought this was the end of it, think again. This is Randy Michaels after all.
The Merlin letter continues with a threat of its own. Michaels claims, unlike Merlin Media, CBS is in violation of
the law by falsely advertising services it offers at WINS. "In particular, announcers at WINS proclaim at the top of every hour that WINS is New York's One and Only news Station." Michaels says this statement is patently false and has been so ever since Merlin launched FM News 101.9 (WEMP) in New York in August of 2011. The letter gives CBS until today to "cease and desist from making these false advertising claims."
The Merlin letter says WEMP was simply identifying its competitors and highlighting advantages in the marketplace. "This advertising does not infringe or mislead consumers; rather it accurately compares Merlin Media's services to those offered by CBS. Merlin does not want to be perceived as CBS and 1010 WINS in any respect."
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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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Lane said, "We share the social responsibility to help our friends in radio in a time of need. In light of recent industry layoffs, The Randy Lane Company is offering free aircheck reviews to the first 50 unemployed radio personalities to register. We know that downsizing is a reality and want to help those that are passionate about radio to get back on the air."
Go HERE to register.
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Merlin Media CEO Randy Michaels has been the talk of the trades ever since it was announced that he had financial backing and would be purchasing three stations from Emmis Communications. Michaels and Emmis' Jeff Smulyan have been friends for a long time, and, in fact, have been talking for many years about putting something together. With private equity firm GTRC ready to invest and Emmis ready to sell two stations in Chicago WKQX-FM and WLUP-FM and one in New York City, the deal was done. Merlin was born. It's been a little over a month since Chicago and New York changed formats to spoken word. What is the report card from Randy Michaels? "Well, I think they sound like they are new." Here's more...
"I think they sound like we are still working out bugs in the systems, the new equipment. We have architected these stations in a way that has never been done before. They are fresh. They are complex. They are in the cloud. The content is available to stations we have now and stations we will have in the future. It's being set up in a very different way and there are a lot of kinks and bugs to work out. We are using a different style guide than I am aware of being used before. We are not only teaching people a lot of new things, there are a lot of old things to un-learn. We are trying to focus on the impact of news. One of the reasons that I like Walter Sabo is that he is one of the few guys in the country who has been on this stage for a long time."
Michaels and Sabo are featured in an upcoming cover story in Radio Ink magazine. In it, the two detail how this deal came together and how the two of them started working as a team to formulate the Merlin game plan. It's an entirely new and innovative format, they say, not being done anywhere else. Michaels explains. "In Chicago last weekend, it drove me nuts. There was a lot of police activity on Lakeshore Drive. I don't know whether there was a bake sale or a march. To me, if you are at a news station and the police are on Lakeshore Drive, they are there for a reason. What is the reason? Is there a traffic accident? Is there a hold up? Is there a gorilla loose from the zoo? Tell me what's going on. So much of what gets covered on the news doesn't really tell people why it's important to them and what is really going on. So, we are really trying to do something that is not conventional."
The stations were receiving a lot of criticism on the boards and blogs (and from the Michaels haters) for not sounding polished enough. Michaels doesn't pay any attention to that stuff but admits "It's is a long way from achieving success. Having said that, it's on the air. It sounds pretty good for how long it's been on the air. I think it shows all the promise that I would expect. We'll get there. New York, because they had a little more time to prepare, is better out of the gate than Chicago. But, Chicago, in the last 10 days, has improved tremendously. For where it is, I am thrilled. For where it could be, we have a long way to go. I think that's what you would expect."
There is much much more from Michaels as well as Sabo and Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan about the formulation of this new company. There will be a lot of detail that you have not reador seen anywhere else. If you would like to read the Randy Michaels cover story, you should subscribe NOW
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The Merlin Mascot strikes again. The Merlin team is taking offense at some of the phraseology being used by the newscasters on CBS's news station WINS that it is "New York's one and only news station." To make sure CBS knows about it, the "Merlin Mascot" has written a letter to WINS to try to correct the record. Of course, the letter drips with sarcasm leaving little doubt who wrote it. The letter was written to WINS Don Bouloukos who for the longest time worked side-by-side with John Gehron, now a part of the Merlin Media advisory board. Times, they are a changin.
Mr. Don Bouloukos, Manager
WINS Radio
345 Hudson St
New York, NY 10014
Hello Mr. Bouloukos,
I'm writing to you because your station, WINS, say "this is New York's one and only all news station...." near the top of each hour. Many have been amused by this obvious shot at your sister station, WCBS. For a long time, your claim was technically true. WCBS is mostly news, but also runs Yankee's baseball and a few CBS network shows that aren't news. We have been amused by this shot at a co-owned station and have wondered if the fact that in recent years, WCBS has passed WINS in the ratings is one of the reasons you make the claim.
Since WINS is in the business of knowing what is happening now, you must know that the claim you are making is no longer true. Since last Monday WEMP has been all news 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and isn't going to stop. I'm calling this to your attention because WINS is one of America's most admired stations. Truly in a class by itself. All of us at Merlin look up to WINS as an important part of the history of American radio broadcasting. I'm sure that you would not intentionally tarnish the gold standard image of America's oldest all-news stations by deliberately broadcasting false claims. Perhaps you could say that WINS is New York's one and only AM station with 24 hour news. That would keep a real person from sending a less friendly letter on the subject.
Just trying to help. There is plenty of room for AM news and FM news.
All the best,
The Merlin Marlin
Company Mascot
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7/20/2011
CBS attorney Lauren Marcello has sent an e-mail to Merlin Media COO Walter Sabo objecting to the "unauthorized use of the word FRESH in connection with station WKQX in Chicago." Marcello writes "the FRESH marks were first used in connection with CBS Radio station WCFS-FM in 2007. As a result of longstanding and prominent use, the FRESH marks have become well known with substantial reputation and goodwill exclusively associated by consumers with CBS Radio and its stations and licensees." Marcello went on to demand that WKQX "immediately cease and desist from using any identifier, moniker or slogan incorporating the fresh marks."
The following e-mail was sent back to Marcello and it was signed by the "Merlin Marlin Mascot, and a smiling face in magic marker. No signature.
"You seem to be concerned that our new little station is infringing on one of your service marks, which you list as FRESH FM, FRESH 102.7FM, FRESH MUSIC AND VIDEOS, FM MEANS FRESH MUSIC and FRESH COUNTRY. I?m writing to assure you that we did not use any of those marks on the air. We simply described our station as ?fresh and new.? Fresh is not the name of our station. We know that one of your stations in Chicago has been using that name, but its our understanding that the name hasn?t worked out well for you, and that you have announced your intention to abandon the name ?Fresh? on Aug 1st. For that and other reasons, we do not intend to name our station Fresh.
If you are concerned about others using the name Fresh in Chicago, you might want to contact Fresh Choice Chicago, a catering service at 1534 N Wells and 233 N Michigan. They also have a website called freshchoicechicago.com. In addition, there is a beauty supply house at 2040 N Halsted called Fresh. They have a website called fresh.com. There are hundreds of other businesses in Chicago using the word ?fresh? in their marketing. We don?t plan to be one of them. We hope this clears up any concern you may have about us using the name you don?t want anymore. We don?t want it either."
(7/20/2011 12:39:30 AM)
Rot in hell you cunt you killed Q101!!!! YOU HAVE NO RESPECT FROM ME!!!
(7/20/2011 12:21:07 AM)
You're a genius.
(7/20/2011 12:14:12 AM)
They should call it FAG or Shit because that is what the new 101.1 is
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July 1, 2011by Ed Ryan
Randy Michaels has never been one to stage a complicated ruse or wage a campaign of disinformation has he? Somehow, without even saying a word, Michaels has everyone convinced he's going to flip one, maybe two stations, to some sort of FM news or talk. Of course, all indications, according to media journalists and radio reporters believe some sort of format flip will happen in either Chicago or New York. Maybe both. The Sabo hire helps that theory along. But what if Michaels is just playing everyone to see if he can get Dan Mason to make the first move. Mason's CBS owns WBBM-AM, the news leader in Chicago and powerhouse New York stations WINS-AM and, of course CBS-AM. One Chicago insider told Radio Ink, "Randy is very good at yanking people's chains."Speculation inside the industry is rampant and the radio boards in New York and Chicago just can't get enough Randy. Radio trade publications, including this one, write and dig and try to pull information from sources to get an edge on what will happen but most of the stories are just guesswork. And when you think about it, it's only 3 stations. If anyone else had three stations would it be consuming so much ink on the page? Probably not. Just last night a radio group head e-mailed us, "having Randy back in radio makes it more fun for everyone. We?ve got something to talk about." Yup.
Michaels and Walt Sabo are not saying a word. And, why should they? Everyone else is doing the Merlin Media marketing for them. Michaels has artfully dripped out one staff hire per day which leads to more speculation and more free promotion for Merlin. That can't be bad for his salespeople when they hit the streets. Everyone will have heard of Merlin by then, no matter what the formats are. In Chicago, respected media writer Robert Feder seems to have the inside track on sources and he's been giving Merlin tons of publicity. Not all of the Feder coverage is flattering but you know what they say about publicity. Every day we've asked, or harassed, Michaels and Sabo to go on-the-record for an interview on what the deal is going to be in Chicago and New York. Nothing.
Putting an all news station or all talk station on the air is not cheap. News is the most expensive, labor intensive format. It's not something you can flip a switch on overnight and become successful at right away. You need time to build it and promotional dollars to market. However as WTOP in Washington has proven, at least with an all news station, it can work and it can be lucrative. But the element of surprise is now gone. And we know Michaels likes to win and in a war surprise is pretty darn important. Merlin and the media have certainly been notifying the competition that change is coming, allowing them to tighten up the ship. Unless this is a head fake of course. CBS is no small-time operator. Mason did not just fall off the turnip truck. However, a Dan Mason/Randy Michaels battle royal in Chicago and New York would certainly give us all something more to talk about. A main eventer for sure.
What do you think? Leave your comments below.
(7/1/2011 1:18:15 PM)
To answer your question Phil.....everybody cares, that's why Ed is writing about it. You can go back and put your head in the sand now since you don't.
Regarding your article Ed, interesting, but let me make this point to you. If you follow Randy Michaels career, he's always done what he said he'd do, but just differently than anyone has before. The legendary Power Pig was announced months before ran announcements "warning" the competition. Don't view this in the same box. Think different
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June 24, 2011
Will Merlin take on CBS's WBBM and the other news stations in Chicago? The speculation and guessing involving those who love the inside baseball chatter is rampant. Chris Witting is the founder and CEO of Syndication Networks, a Chicago-based radio syndication company. He is also the CEO of TalkZone.com Internet Radio. Witting also has extensive experience inside the radio industry, being one of the youngest general managers in CBS Radio history, he managed and programmed stations in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other markets. Based in Chicago, Witting has a home field view of the speculation swirling around what Randy Michaels and Merlin Media might do once they take full control of Q101 and the LOOP.
"With Randy Michaels reserving the '1011WIIN' domain, and now hiring Greg Janoff, a former WINS New York executive, I can't help wondering if he plans to do some variation on the 1010 WINS news format here. That format consists of three 20-minute news cycles per hour. If so, is he aware that WMAQ first tried the 20-minute news format against WBBM, only to have it fail? I was at WBBM at the time. In our first head-to-head trend against WMAQ, WBBM scored a 7.1 share against maybe a 2 share for WMAQ. The research showed that Chicago prefers a thirty minute news format. The ratings seemed to prove that."
"Some years later I was at WMAQ, and now trying everything to beat WBBM isn't that a commentary on the crazy radio business. We now had WMAQ running a thirty minute news cycle with energetic production and writing, and fairly aggressive on-air promotion. We even brought back 'WMAQ's Gonna Make Me Rich'. All that plus the kitchen sink finally enabled WMAQ to beat WBBM, two books in a row. In one of those books, WMAQ had top cume in the market. Also helping MAQ beat BBM was midday stunting with the OJ trial and a hot Bulls team. Will be interesting to see what ratings boosters Michaels may try in non-prime dayparts, if any."
(6/24/2011 4:12:25 PM)
Chris, although you make an interesting point, I would point to the PPM which says that the average listening experience to any radio station is 8-11 minutes, and that the key to TSL is no longer "keeping them through the break" but instead getting them to come back more often.
And, if you take apart the Chicago PPM, you'll find Chicagoans are right there with everyone else. In fact, I'd venture a guess that WBBM per occurrence listening is in that same range. So shorter could be a play
My point has little or nothing to do with AM vs. FM, or which generation is listening.
All news radio, by its very nature, must have some type of information cycle. You need to repeat the top stories at some point in the hour. If all news radio still exists in the year 2025, I believe a repeating news cycle will still be in use.
WMAQ beat WBBM back in the 90s by being more "aggressive" and by sounding younger. That should be very easy for Michaels to do, and that part is a no brainer.
But if he tries to do it using a shorter news cycle, that may not fly with Chicagoans. That was my point.
Don't drop that Kindle in the bathtub.
(6/24/2011 12:57:27 PM)We're talking FM here and the opportunity to present aggressive news and information to a generation of listeners who either don't listen to AM or spend little time with it.
Wake up and smell the coffee Chris, put away your hard copy books and buy a Kindle.