Headlines

The sale of news/talk station WCHB-AM is to Crawford Broadcasting and is expected to close this summer. Radio One Detroit Market Manager Kathy Stinehour said, “We view this as an opportunity to move the WCHB voice to a larger FM platform and intend to super-serve our listeners with urban music, community engagement and inspiration – what we do best."

The new Reno station is called NV89. The music discovery channel will focus on emerging artists and Nevada musicians. NVPR CEO Florence Rogers said NV89 will complement the current public media offerings available and be a catalyst for new content and partnerships. Mike Henry of Paragon Media Strategies was project consultant for the station.

The new product is being called a "sales enablement platform and audience extension solution" by Marketron. The goal is to help companies sell digital and traditional media more efficiently.

(By Deborah Parenti) The recent United Airlines debacle is a good lesson for every company including radio groups and stations. Most of us have, at one time or another, had to deal with issues involving our customers, both listeners and clients, as well as the PR that swirls around those that play out in public.

The National Association of Broadcasters and the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation have unveiled an online toolkit called Awareness in Reporting to help journalists and newsrooms cover race and racially sensitive news stories.

In Cedar Rapids, the owners of KZIA have launched a new radio station for Eastern Iowa called “ROBfm.” For years, a version of this station has been heard only on HD Radio receivers at 102.9-2. Now it will be heard on translators at 98.5 in Iowa City and 95.1 in Cedar Rapids.

WNCY (Y100) Appleton-Oshkosh/Green Bay, WI, held its 4th Annual St. Jude Jam, Tuesday night, at a sold out Meyer Theatre in Green Bay. While the exact total is not yet available, the final number should be around $25,000. That’s an increase from last last year's total of $18,307.

The Prometheus Radio Project has officially asked the FCC to reconsider the change being made to the rule that limited the placement of an FM translator such that the translator’s 1 mV/m contour is not extending beyond a 40-mile radius from the AM station. Prometheus wants the Commission to revert back to the old rule. Here's why.

On April 17, the NAB issue of Radio Ink magazine will arrive on your desk (if you are a digital subscriber) and arrive in the mail that week if you subscribe to our print edition. On that cover will be the new Chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai. The Chairman has been a great friend to radio, especially when it comes to attempting to revitalize the AM band. But what about raising the ownership subcaps in specific markets so broadcasters can better compete with Google, Facebook, and other unregulated digital companies. That's one of the questions we put to the Chairman in his cover story interview. Here's an excerpt.

Edison Research VP for Strategy and Marketing, Tom Webster, says, The Podcast Consumer 2017 report will be released Tuesday during a 30-minute webinar at 2 p.m. The Podcast Consumer 2017 will look at who listens to podcasts, their listening patterns, and how podcasts fit into the overall audio landscape. Register HERE.