Headlines

Non-commercial Radio Milwaukee is celebrating its 10th anniversary and it’s doing it with its own beer. Lakefront Brewery has partnered with Radio Milwaukee to brew 88Nine Amplified Pale Ale, available now on draft at dozens of area taverns, restaurants, and stores, while stocks last. 

Remote News Service has signed the Maryland News Network, “The Voice of Maryland,” to deliver news content to 14 stations in markets including Frederick, Myersville, and Salisbury. The deal brings RNS' hyper-localized news content to a total of 62 stations across the U.S. through imaging company Benztown.

It will be a battle among radio greats in the "Best Broadcaster" Radio Wayne category this year. The lineup of superstars in this category are: Neuhoff Media CEO Beth Neuhoff, Connoisseur Media CEO Jeff Warshaw, Curtis Media CEO Don Curtis, NRG Media CEO Mary Quass, and Cromwell Group CEO Bud Walters. Here are all of our 2017 nominees...

Radio Ink’s Lifetime Leadership Award is presented each year, in conjunction with our 40 Most Powerful People in Radio list, to a radio executive who has demonstrated over the course of his or her career a commitment to excellence and has set a standard in leadership for others to emulate. Previous recipients include Lowry Mays, Ralph Guild, Gary Fries, Eddie Fritts, Bill Burton, Gordon Hastings, Ed McLaughlin, Jerry Lee, Charles Warfield, Dan Mason, and Cathy Hughes.Our 2017 Lifetime Leadership Award recipient is Bruce Reese.

The FCC continued its crackdown on pirates, announcing two more were found on Friday. Davina Mendes was caught operating a pirate radio station weekdays from 3-5 pm at 87.7 in Boston from a business building at 616 Blue Hill Ave. And Talya Andrea Lantz was cited for hosting a morning show at 101.3 in Boston from that same location. Both must end their broadcasts immediately and have ten days to respond the The FCC.

That's after a last-minute "tentative deal" was struck with SAG-AFTRA. Contract talks began April 27 and a federal mediator was called in. The contract expired on June 30 but was extended several times. Union leadership will recommend the deal to NPR staffers. Here's a statement from NPR management...

The Western Kentucky University campus will be welcoming students today from Valparaiso University and Middle Tennessee State University as well as WKU to the fifth annual KBA WKU Radio Talent Institute.

(By Bob McCurdy) Early in my career, I came across a Picasso quote: “Good artists borrow, great ones steal.” I figured if it was good enough for Pablo, then it was good enough for me. I’ve been borrowing, stealing, and customizing ideas ever since.

(By Gary Berkowitz) I spent many years working with Bob Morgan at CBS Radio in Rochester, NY. Bob had one belief that really impacted me to the point that, all these years later, I still use this line once or more each day. Bob always said, “Be brilliant with the basics.” With that in mind, check out these six easy-to-implement ideas for a better-sounding radio station.

(By Ronald Robinson) Commercial music radio -- ownership, management, and programming -- continues, unknowingly I expect, sabotaging the efficacy of this medium. Fortunately, radio does have one major dynamic going for it -- otherwise we wouldn’t have an industry.