Headlines

All radio eyes are on Cumulus this week as a 30-day deadline approaches before the company possibly goes into an "Event of Default." Friday is the end of the 30 days that was set into motion on November 1 when the company decided not to make a $23.6 million interest payment on 7.75% senior notes due in 2019.

Westwood One announced several management changes on Monday. Bryan Forbes has been appointed President of Sales, replacing Steve Shaw. Forbes joins Westwood from the Katz Radio Group, where he was SVP and GM of National Sales. Westwood says Shaw is retiring to pursue his life passions in Vermont.

Tom Joyner is not expected to retire until the end of 2019, however, CMG Atlanta changed its morning show at KISS 104.1 this week. The “Morning Groove” with Art Terrell and Roy Wood Jr. (pictured) replaces Joyner who's been with the station since the 90's.

As he waits to see how the fraud charges against him turn out, Craig Carton is launching a new podcast called Hello, My Name Is Craig. Carton tells The New York Daily News the podcast will be more than sports. "It will be people that interest me — entertainers, politicians, sports figures, and special guests that many people have probably never heard of."

The Country Radio Broadcasters has revealed an early version of its agenda for the Country Radio Seminar which is being held February 5-7 in Nashville. The event will include a talk from Cumulus Media’s CEO Mary Berner, according to CRS Agenda Committee Chairman Greg Frey.

For a week, anyway. According to Media Monitors, JP Penney ran nearly 42,000 ads on the radio last week, no doubt to get an edge for the holiday shopping season. The Home Depot was next with 40,867, followed by GEICO with 38,160, Amazon.com with 37,415, and AT&T Wireless 32,827.

Beasley Media Group’s annual WMGK-FM John DeBella Turkey Drop collected more than 12,800 turkeys and donations to assist local families in need throughout Philadelphia, on November 21. John DeBella broadcasted live from outside of The Kimmel Center for the event.

(By Ronald Robinson) I wonder how so difficult it must be for radio’s ownership and management to articulate what “out of the box” really means. They seem to be unable to describe or define the “box” in which they find themselves right now!

A job well done by Alpha’s Star 106/Mason City, IA, raising $29,377 for Children’s Miracle Network, with the help of McCloskey Appliance, during their 10th annual radiothon. Mason City’s Kids Helping Kids campaign played a large role in the radiothon.

He's been with the powerhouse Boston all-news station since 1993, Program Director and News Director since 1996. Peter Casey tells Radio Ink he's looking forward to his next professional challenge, doing some things he's been unable to do while running one of the country's most successful news stations.