(AUDIO) Elvis Duran Discusses New Clear Channel Contract

7-31-2012

At one point early on his career, Elvis Duran was doing afternoons, by himself, at Z100 in New York. Working at the legendary New York station is certainly not like bagging milk and eggs at the corner grocery, but it's also not as big as hosting mornings on a national platform. Duran's life at Z began in 1996 after stops in Philly, Austin, Atlanta and Houston. Clear Channel knew they had a superstar ready for the next level and debuted the "Elvis Duran in The Morning" program in 2009. Already on in close to 40 markets, the announcement yesterday that Duran and Clear Channel have signed another 5-year deal should help that number grew quickly. Duran tells Radio Ink both sides wanted the arrangement to be even longer. He's very happy working for Clear Channel, excited to be part of iHeartRadio and will also act as a Clear Channel company spokesman. Duran has 30 years in the business and we spoke to him yesterday about what it's like to be one of the biggest talents, with the biggest company, in the industry today.

Listen to our interview with Elvis Duran HERE

?We are thrilled to extend and expand our partnership with Elvis.  He is a true creative genius with an unparalleled ability to connect with and entertain listeners across the country,? said John Hogan, Chairman and CEO of Channel Media and Entertainment.  ?His intelligence, warmth, enthusiasm and wit really resonate with listeners and work incredibly well with our marketing partners.  He is a remarkable talent and an incredible partner for Clear Channel. ?

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CBS Flipping Atlanta FM to All Sports

8-1-2012

Another Music FM is flipping over to sports and the company that excels in sports programming is making the move. The announcement was made by Market Manager Rick Caffey to the Atlanta CBS staff on Tuesday. "Today I am pleased to announce that we will be launching a new station in the fall ? Sports Radio 92.9FM."

And to help with that transition Caffey announced the hiring of Terry Foxx, the former PD at KDKA "The Fan in Pittsburgh. "We've had many conversations about the potential of Sports Radio 92.9 and his vision is exactly what we need to win in this market. Working with him will be inspiring and I'm confident you'll also be motivated by his work ethic and energetic personality."

Caffey says CBS is already working on a talent lineup, a new website and mobile apps. "But we have a lot more work to do between now and the station's debut. In the meantime, we remain focused on delivering a great music experience on "DAVE-FM" and will take care to ensure the transition goes smoothly. I can't thank the staff at "DAVE" enough for their contributions over the past eight years." The city of Atlanta has an NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball team. CBS Radio is also in the process of launching a national all-sports network that will launch in January.

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Merlin Promotes Dominic Zaccagnini

7-31-2012

Merlin?s Operations Manager Jim Richards says Dominic Zaccagnini (AKA Zakk Tyler) has been promoted to Assistant PD The Loop (WLUP-FM) in Chicago and Sports Director for all Merlin Media properties. In addition to the newly appointed APD/SD role, Zaccagnini is also a DJ on The Loop and provides AM & PM sports reports throughout the company.

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Gottleib Jumps From ESPN to CBS Sports Network

7-31-201s

Doug Gottlieb of ESPN has signed a multi-year deal with CBS and will contribute across CBS Sports properties, it was announced today by CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus and CBS Radio President/CEO Dan Mason. Gottlieb will host afternoons (3:00-6:00 PM, ET) on CBS Sports Radio, the newly created 24-hour, seven-day-a-week network featuring national programming from premier entities CBS RADIO and CBS Sports.  He will debut on Jan. 2, 2013, the same day CBS Sports Radio launches.

Mason said, ?This is the first of many prominent personalities we will be adding to the CBS Sports Radio lineup. Doug is well-versed in today?s sports landscape and for years has entertained audiences with his unique blend of wit, honesty and outspokenness ? traits essential for creating great radio programming.  We are thrilled to provide this exciting show to our new and soon-to-be announced affiliates across the country.?

Previously, Gottlieb was a college basketball analyst on ESPN and host of The Doug Gottlieb Show on ESPN Radio. Before joining ESPN, Gottlieb co-hosted a midday sports talk show at WWLS-AM in Oklahoma City, Okla. Gottlieb was a college basketball point guard at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. He graduated with a marketing degree from Oklahoma State in 2000, holding every assists record at OSU and in the Big 12 Conference. Gottlieb is tenth all-time in assists in NCAA history.

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Townsquare Cumulus Station Swap Closes

8-1-2012

This was a deal announced back on April 30th. Cumulus moved 55 stations to Townsquare in exchange for 10 stations in two markets plus $116 million in cash. The stations sold by Cumulus to Townsquare are in Augusta, ME; Bangor, ME; Binghamton, NY; Bismarck, ND; Grand Junction, CO; Killeen-Temple, TX; New Bedford, MA; Odessa-Midland, TX; Presque Isle, ME; Sioux Falls, SD and Tuscaloosa, AL. Cumulus picked up 10 stations in Bloomington, IL, and Peoria, IL.

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No Ruling Yet in Emmis Shareholder Fight

8-1-2012

Bloomberg reports that a federal judge will hear more arguments today after Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan, COO Pat Walsh and representatives from the preferred shareholders group testified Tuesday. The investors want the judge to block an August 14th shareholder meeting from taking place. It's at that meeting where millions of dollars in preferred stock dividends might be wiped away. Smulyan told the judge he did not have plans to take the company private, which is one of the accusations being made by the preferred shareholders. They are also worried they are about two weeks away from losing millions of dollars. 

According to Bloomberg, Emmis attorney Richard Kempf said, ?Emmis management is fulfilling its responsibility. It?s impossible for every constituency to be satisfied.? Smulyan testified he did not have plans to take the company private. He tried that and doesn't want to go down that road again. ?I?m worn out from two years ago. I just don?t want to do it. I can?t foresee a situation in which that would change.?

John Barrett from Core partners told the court that Walsh warned him last year Corre risked its investment being rendered worthless if it didn?t participate in the swaps program, according to the Bloomberg report. Barrett said he came away from that conversation believing Walsh had effectively said, ?I?m going to annihilate you.? When asked about that conversation, Walsh said he did not attempt to threaten Barrett ?There?s no coercion. I?m not allowed to coerce."

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Chris O'Neil Gets PD Gig in Upstate N.Y.

7-31-2012

Froggy 107.1 (WFFG-FM), owned by Queensbury-based Adirondack Broadcasting, has hired Chris O?Neil as Program Director. He starts on August 13th. O?Neil joins WFFG from Cat Country (WJEN-FM) in Vermont where he was afternoon host and Promotions Director.

O?Neil began his career in radio as an intern at WORK/WSNO in his hometown of Barre, VT in 1997. He left Vermont to attend The New England School of  Communications in 1998. Soon after, O?Neil joined Clear Channel in Bangor, ME and was Midday host on WGUY, Nights on WBFB and  overnights on WWBX.

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