Headlines

(By Bob McCurdy) I met with an extremely capable and successful agency executive last week who had a soft spot in his heart for radio as he had worked in the business for two decades. In our follow-up post-meeting email exchange, he made some valuable points.

(By Randy Lane) There have already been several format flips in the Entercom and CBS merger, and with change comes opportunity for talented air personalities. Whether you’re looking to move up, or you’ve been moved out in a downsize, here’s a checklist for putting together your job application package.

November 18 marks the second official Day of Civility in Massachusetts. Governor Charlie Baker will issue a special proclamation to commemorate the event, which will be read during Opening Ceremonies of the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Plymouth, Massachusetts.

WJMK-FM is now "The New 104.3 JAMS, Chicago’s #1 for Throwbacks." The previous format was Classic Hits. To kick off the new format, the station is airing 10,000 songs in a row.

Entercom makes a big move in a big market as its merger with CBS Radio closes, flipping Top 40 92.3 AMP Radio to Alternative as ALT 92.3. ALT debutes with 10,000 songs commercial-free; the station is also streaming at alt923radio.com.

First a flip to Alternative in New York City, now in Dallas with, "ALT 103.7, DFW’s New Alternative." Listeners will first hear 10,000 songs in a row, back-to-back, 100% commercial-free. The previous format was Top 40 under CBS's AMP moniker.

More Entercom news, this time focusing on Minnesota. The company has announced a fully integrated radio partnership with MLB’s Minnesota Twins. This represents the team’s return to its original broadcast partner, WCCO-AM 830, which aired games for the club’s first 46 seasons through 2006.

From superstar speakers to informative panelists to keynoter Daymond John from ABC's Shark Tank, Radio Ink's Forecast 2018 event in New York City this week was a smashing success. We had a great mix of radio's power, analysts, brokers, vendors, advertisers, and  radio managers looking to take home their unfair share of advertising dollars next year.

On a 3-2 party-line vote, the FCC eliminated its cross-ownership rules for newspaper and broadcast media and for radio and TV, respectively. The order eliminates the radio/television cross-ownership rule and newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership rule, while on the TV side, the "Eight-Voices Test" for independent media sources is going away, along with other changes.

Following the FCC's ruling to eliminate the cross-ownership rule, NAB CEO Gordon Smith thanked the Commission. "These rules are not only irrational in today’s media environment, but they have also weakened the newspaper industry, cost journalism jobs, and forced local broadcast stations onto unequal footing with our national pay-TV and radio competitors."