Headlines

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will keynote the Radio Luncheon at the Radio Show Wednesday, September 6. NAB CEO Gordon Smith said, “Throughout his tenure at the FCC, Ajit Pai has recognized time and again the indispensable role that local radio plays in communities across America." The Radio Show, produced by the NAB and RAB is September 5-8 in Austin.

On Tuesday, the Radio Television Digital News Association objected to what could be an upcoming move by the U.S. Senate Rules Committee that would make it more difficult for broadcast and other reporters to question senators about public policy in the U.S. Capitol.

Former WOND New Jersey host April Kauffman (pictured here) was found dead in her bedroom five years ago. Nobody has ever been charged with her killing. Dr. James Kauffman, now remarried, was her husband at the time. He was arrested Tuesday after he pulled a gun on authorities attempting to execute a search warrant at his office.

News/Talk station KMOX-AM 1120/St. Louis has shown how it’s done, winning a triad of first-place awards from the Missouri Broadcasting Association. The station won for Complete Newscast, Breaking News, and The Deadly Dish, a five-part News series about the ever-growing number of people impacted by food allergies in the U.S.

New employment agreements for four Beasleys were filed in an 8K Monday. All the deals are retroactive to January 1, 2017 and run through 2019. The man who founded the company, George Beasley, who is still the Chairman of the board, will be paid $750,000. CEO Caroline Beasley will make $750,000, President Bruce Beasley will make $550,000, and Chief Operating Officer Brian Beasley will also make $550,000. All are eligible for bonuses and restricted stock.

In Q1 newspaper revenue dropped 3.8% to $5.85 billion from $6.08 billion in the first quarter of 2016. And while digital is up for newspaper industry, it is not able to offset other revenue declines.

WNYQ-FM host Tim Celeste was one of 12 men charged with trying to have sex with kids. Newschannel 13 reports authorities say the 12 men all wanted to have sex with girls between 9 and 14 years old. WNYQ is owned by Adirondack Broadcasting in Queensbury, New York. Celeste's bio is no longer on the station website.

Heather Birks started working for the Broadcast Education Association in 2006, after working for the NAB for four years and NABEF for six. BEA is an academic media organization for educators, students, and professionals. BEA hired Birks, because in the six years she worked at NABEF, she helped build, manage and produce the Service to America Awards, and helped launch and run the Broadcast Leadership Training Program.

The monster event took place at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach on Friday and Saturday, June 9-10, and featured performances by DJ Khaled, Halsey, Miley Cyrus, Backstreet Boys, Fifth Harmony, Noah Cyrus, Tinashe and Luis Fonsi. The event was hosted by DJ Khaled, Nick Cannon and Emily Sears

And it's taking a bath on the deal. It was back in late 2015 that Pandora purchased the ticket selling business for $450 million. On Friday the company announced it was selling Ticketfly to Eventbrite for $200 million. The deal will be funded through a combination of $150 million cash and a $50 million note payable to Pandora.