Carr Aide Thumann Severs Gets FCC Commissioner Nomination
Days after a contentious ownership deregulation vote split the FCC along party lines, the commission's Republican majority could soon grow by one. President Donald Trump has picked Danielle Thumann Severs, a senior counsel to Chairman Brendan Carr, to fill one of two open commissioner seats.
Latest Headlines
Nielsen Expands Into Ad Verification With DoubleVerify Acquisition
Nielsen is betting on independent verification, agreeing to acquire ad-quality firm DoubleVerify in an all-cash deal that pulls the ratings firm deeper into digital advertising as part of a deal it calls an extension of changes already underway at the company.
IAB Builds a Rulebook for Radio’s New AI Visibility Race
Search traffic has been sliding for two years as AI platforms answer questions directly instead of sending users to click through. New measurement framework from the IAB gives radio groups running digital news and content a vocabulary for tracking that exposure.
What a Hotel Taught Me About Radio’s Local Secret Weapon
(Chris Brunt) Working at Jacobs Media takes me to a lot of college towns, like Madison, Lincoln, Ann Arbor, Columbus, East Lansing, and Charlottesville. Each of these towns has something in common besides a giant football stadium. They all have a Graduate Hotel.
The Power of Practice
(Randy Lane) Years ago, I hosted a talent seminar and brought in Jimmy Kimmel as our keynote. He said one thing to the morning show talent in the room that I've never forgotten: practice writing bits, stories, and comedy sketches. Practice them relentlessly.
Blast From The Past: Guy Phillips
Happy Friday! This week's Blast From The Past comes from the Radio Ink archives, featuring Guy Phillips on the air in 1972 at KRWG. Send your Blast From The Past story and photo to Editor-in-Chief Cameron Coats for your chance to be featured in Radio Ink.
University of Florida’s WRUF Swaps Audacy for Saga Sales Deal
University of Florida's commercial radio stations are getting a new sales partner. Saga Communications will take over advertising for WRUF-AM/FM from Audacy in September, a deal that also makes Saga a partner in training the university's journalism students.
Our Print Magazine: Radio Ink
Lifetime Leadership Award Honoree Harvey Nagler
The $250 Question: Inflation and Contesting
Townsquare Now Has a Blueprint for Licensing Its CRM Software
Townsquare Media's second-quarter earnings call produced more than the usual round of revenue numbers. CEO Bill Wilson used the call to disclose that the company has signed its first technology licensing deal for the in-house CRM platform built for its own sales team.
Layoffs Hit Sales, Programming, and Podcasting at Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media is working through a fresh round of layoffs across both sales and programming as the company awaits its formal exit from bankruptcy. The cuts are touching stations in multiple markets, as the company's restructuring effort continues to unfold.
Radio Wayne Awards: Honoring Leadership With Nowhere to Hide
Whether the book is a winner or a loser, whether budgets are made or missed, the buck ultimately stops at one desk: the General Manager. It's also the seat with the most at stake in keeping a team together and giving each department the best chance to succeed.
Former KBLX GM Harvey Stone, Quiet Storm Architect, Dies
He is being remembered for his programming philosophy, "music has no color," that transformed a single station in the Bay Area into a model that reshaped Urban Contemporary radio. KBLX General Manager Harvey Stone died on August 4.
Daija Moore-Evans to Lead Social Strategy for iHeart Philly
iHeartMedia Philadelphia has elevated Daija Moore-Evans to Digital Content Manager, a role in which she'll shape the social media strategy for the six-station cluster. Moore-Evans joined iHeart in 2019 as a board operator and producer before going on-air at WUSL.
SiriusXM Appoints Past Paramount, Spotify Exec to Lead Comms
SiriusXM has named Paramount and Spotify alum Jenny Tartikoff as SVP and Head of Communications, starting August 10. Tartikoff succeeds Maggie Mitchell, who departed SiriusXM in March for a role at AI advertising firm Moloco as VP, Head of Communications.
SiriusXM Rings In New Era With WWE Radio
Ahead of SummerSlam, SiriusXM and WWE are launching WWE Radio on channel 156, the new official audio home of WWE. Starting July 27, the channel will feature daily programming from key talent and live play-by-play of WWE’s Premium Live Events.
World’s Largest EV Maker Adopts DTS AutoStage
The world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer is getting hybrid radio and video entertainment built in. Chinese automaker BYD is adopting Xperi's DTS AutoStage as its exclusive in-car media platform, becoming the fourteenth major automaker to sign on.
TM Studios, Mix 96.5 Reunite For New Jingle Pack
TM Studios and Mix 96.5 Brand Manager JR Ammons are working together again, this time on a new jingle package for Audacy's Houston Hot AC station. The package, called "Mix Hot AC 2," is already on air on KHMX and is now available for syndication.
