Chicago Urban Radio On-Air Shakeup

5-20-15

Two Urban radio stations in Chicago, owned by two different companies, have each lost two on-air talents... and the changes are very much connected. iHeartMedia's WGCI and Crawford Broadcasting's WPWX will both be using fill-ins for middays and afternoons for a while, as both stations currently have no full-time employees in those roles. WGCI has released theirs, while it appears WPWX's missing employees are heading to WGCI.

At WGCI-FM, midday host Loni Swain and afternoon host UB Rodriguez have both been released. A spokesperson for iHeartMedia Chicago issued the following statement to Radio Ink Wednesday morning: "Loni Swain and UB Rodriguez are no longer with the company. It's our policy not to discuss employee matters for privacy reasons."

WPWX-FM said goodbye to Frankie Robinson as its midday host and afternoon host Tone (aka Tone Kapone, aka Anthony Mays). Both voluntarily exited and parted company with Crawford Broadcasting on the best of terms.

WPWX-FM consultant Tony Gray, of the Chicago-based Gray Consultants, confirmed to Radio Ink the exits of Frankie Robinson and Tone Kapone. Gray says that iHeartMedia Chicago approached both talents and made them a much higher offer than the smaller Crawford Broadcasting could match. iHeartMedia Chicago will be placing these two on WGCI-FM in the very near future, Gray said. Both exiting employees are wished the best with their new jobs.

(5/20/2015 8:12:19 PM)
How come when people get the boot, it isn't expressed in the sappy BS lingo used at other times? You never read: "X has been let go from the iHeart family." These places aren't very good families!

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Urban Radio Forum Set for October 2.

9-16-14

The 14th annual Power of Urban Radio Forum will be held in Washington, D.C. at the Westin City Center in Washington D.C. The event is put on by Kizart Media Partners in partnership with the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters. The forum focuses on the importance of the $1 trillion African American consumer market. Managing Partner and Founder of Common Ground, Sherman Wright, is the 2014 keynote speaker.

Edna Kane Williams, Vice President of African American Marketing for AARP, and Jim Colon, Vice President of African American Strategy at Toyota USA, will receive National Marketer Awards. Media Agency Activation leaders of OMD, Media Vest USA, Agency of Others, Lintas Campbell Ewald, and Optimedia will discuss and give insight into how they invest their client?s budgets.

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Wes Adams Joins URBan Radio Broadcasting

Wes Adams Joins URBan Radio Broadcasting

URBan Radio Broadcasting and The Shoals' Radio Group have announced the addition of Wes Adams to the company's programming staff. Adams joins the company next week as PD/Afternoon Driver for Country WLAY-FM in the Florence/Muscle Shoals. Previous programming stops for Adams include WCRX-FM/Chicago, WXQR-FM/Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville, NC, WZVN-FM, WLJE-FM and WAKE-FM/Valporaiso, IN  and WZNX/Decatur, IL. Adams replaces the late Kevin Whorton, who passed away suddenly from heart failure in August.

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AURN hosts 11th Annual Urban Knight Awards At Radio Show

9-19-13

American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) hosted their 11th Annual Urban Knight Awards at the NAB/RAB 2013 Radio Show in Orlando, FL. Pictured are AURN President/Sales Howard Eisen, WWRL VP/Operations Anthony Small, Perry Publishing & Broadcasting Chairman/CEO Russell Perry, recipient of the Sydney L. Small Lifetime Achievement Urban Bishop Award, and AURN President/Program Operations & Affiliations Jerry Lopes.

Among the winners were:

-- Chairman & CEO of Perry Publishing & Broadcasting Company Russell M. Perry, who received the Sydney L. Small Lifetime Achievement Urban Bishop Award;

-- President & CEO of Glory Communications Alex Snipe, who was inducted into the Urban Knight Hall of Fame;

-- VP & GM KJLH-FM, Los Angeles, Karen Slade who received the Urban Knight Award;

-- President/COO SupeRadio, New York, Jack Bryant, who received the Urban Knight Award.

American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) is the only African American-owned radio network company in the United States. It is the largest network reaching Urban America with nearly 20 million listeners each week. 

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Urban Radio Forum Registration Opens

6-10-13

Sherman Kizart's 13th Power of Urban Radio Forum will be held Thursday, October 3, 2013 at the Westin City Center in Washington, DC. The forum of CEOs and global marketers will discuss the $900 billion African American consumer market and how it applies to their companies and Urban radio. AT&T Vice President/Diverse Segments, Jennifer Jones will deliver the keynote address. 

Special presentations will also be made at the forum by Nancy Hill, President and CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) and Robert Jackson, Director of African-American Marketing for McDonald?s USA. Forum sessions will include:  A National Marketers Session  with leading executives from Coca Cola, Sprint Nextel, Comcast, Miller Coors, and BMW North America. The Global Media Agency session will include executives from Horizon Media, Group M, Zenith Optimedia, Omnicom Group, Carat USA, and Campbell Ewald. The Radio Group Head CEO Discussion will include insight on the future of radio from the heads of Emmis Communications, Radio One, Summit Media Group, and Cox Radio.

Ken Smikle, President of Target Market News, will serve as lead moderator for the panel discussions. Co-chairmen for the forum are Chris Wegmann, Regional Vice President & Market Manager for Radio One, Jim Watkins, Vice President & General Manager for WHUR, and Steve Swenson, Senior Vice President & Market Manager for CBS Radio. The Power of Urban Radio has been called the best forum in its class. Register now for the 13th Power Of Urban Radio Forum by calling 202-463-8970 or online at www.nabob.org. Contact Sherman Kizart at 312-421-4803, ShermanKizart@att.net.

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Premiere Launches Urban Weekend Show

3-28-13

Weekends with The Breakfast Club will be nationally syndicated by Premiere. The new program originates from New York?s Power 105.1 featuring DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne Tha God. The trio does a weekday morning show on Power 105.1 and they are extending their brand across the country with this weekend show. It's already heard on 30 stations including, WGCI-FM/Chicago, WUSL-FM/Philadelphia and WJLB-FM/Detroit.

Stations interested in Weekends with The Breakfast Club should contact Martin Melius at Premiere Networks, mailto:mmelius@premiereradio.com. or 818-461-5453, or visit http://www.premiereradio.com/ for more information. Weekends with The Breakfast Club is available to urban radio stations for air Saturday or Sunday between 6 a.m. and midnight local time.

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Koenigsberg Committed to Urban Radio

10-2-2012

At the recent Urban Radio Forum in Washington DC, Horizon Media CEO Bill Koenigsberg was awarded the Power of Urban Radio Coalition/NABOB Service Award for his leadership in getting the 4A?s to adopt the Non-Discrimination Policy and Complaint Review Process.  Koenigsberg said, ?We are committed to scoring more touchdowns with urban and minority radio stakeholders in the next two years.? Koenigsberg is the co-chair, with Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman, of Radio Ink Forecast 2013

Also at the DC Forum, FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said that the FCC would continue to work with the ad industry to help eliminate barriers for urban and Hispanic radio when he accepted his Power of Urban Radio Coalition/NABOB Service Award.  Commissioner McDowell re-stated his strong support for the return of the minority tax certificate as a tool to increase minority owners.

Over 200 executives attended the 12th Annual Power of Urban Radio Forum hosted by Kizart Media Partners, Inc. (KMP, Inc.) in partnership with the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters.

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Washington Post Writer Blasts Urban Radio

12-8-2011

Writer Natalie Hopkinson says she recently added Washington D.C.?s two FM hip-hop radio stations--WPGC (CBS) and WKYS (Radio One) to her list of items banned in her house. "I?ve long been tired of having to explain the latest raunchy R&B and hip-hop lyrics to my kids, and when I heard the radio ad for The Stadium (yeah, that strip club) for the umpteenth time, I realized that black radio is beyond redemption. Because at the tender ages of 8 and 11, kids have a whole lifetime of gutter street talk, cursing and unsubtle sexual innuendo ahead of them. Because, if they keep getting exposed to this stuff now, going away to college will be anticlimactic."

Hopkins chronicles how she was turned on to black radio, became a fan and witnessed it's demise into the gutter, blaming part of that demise on consolidation. Read her entire article HERE

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