Headlines

(By Michael Easton) Much, much more than just a spark, in fact. His name is actually Sparky Taft and he continues his lifelong career at the age of 77 years. And yes, he adds that much-needed spark to the industry.

The need to find and hire quality sellers in radio is escalating. It’s imperative to radio’s growth that owners, operators, and managers have a strong handle on how compensation for radio sellers is changing. We'd like to hear from you!

Three were in New York (2 on Ling Island, 1 in Huntington Station), two were in New Jersey (Irvington) and one in Massachusetts (Burlington). All six unlicensed operators were given 10 days to close down.

A company called Ideastream is studying the feasibility of forming a statewide radio and news collaborative. According to The Current the anchor public stations would be in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. The goal is to eventually involve all of Ohio's NPR stations.

(By Jay Stevens) We all crave feedback, but, more specifically, your employees crave it and deserve it. In our business, everyone is so busy that the precious time you once had to provide constructive feedback for your team seems to be slipping away.

The nationwide test to radio and TV stations will take place Wednesday, August 7 at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The one-minute test message, conducted through FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, will originate from designated radio stations, known as Primary Entry Point stations.

In 2016, Dave Paulus, who was the Max Media Norfolk GM at the time, announced he was not renewing his agreement with Nielsen. He was concerned about how much the service cost compared to the ROI the stations were getting. This week, Max media announced they were back onboard with Nielsen.

The BetR Network, which is being distributed by Gow Media, is adding affiliates in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Beginning August 5, Lotus' KBAD-AM in Las Vegas and Longport Media's WBSS-AM in Atlantic City will begin airing sports betting content from The BetR Network.

iHeartMedia Phoenix’s 99.9 KEZ, is launching “KEZ Christmas In July,” to broadcast on the station’s 99.9 KEZ HD2, July 25 through July 31. It will broadcast the most popular festive hits for one week.

Hell and Gone’s second season launched Wednesday. The iHeartRadio Original true-crime podcast returns with the unsolved, possibly murderous death of 16-year-old Janie Ward.