Headlines

(By Bob McCurty) We were visiting an agency earlier this week and the subject of big data and its role in the election came up. We mentioned we’d heard a TV pundit state that, based on the results and how wrong big data got it, that it was “dead.” The agency suggested that it surely wasn’t but that it might be somewhat “wounded.”

The NBA has fined Warriors head coach Steve Kerr $25,000 for criticizing referees during an interview on KNBR in San Francisco. According to SFGate.com Kerr was critical of a missed call in a Warrior's game and was also critical of refs not calling traveling. The NBA does not take kindly to coaches publicly calling out their officials and slapped Kerr with the big fine.

"An American Country Christmas with Kix Brooks" has become an annual tradition. This year’s guests include Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Brett Eldredge, Rascal Flatts, Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban.

Westwood One is offering four one-hour AC Christmas Specials, available each Saturday from November 26 through December 1, 2016. Each Christmas Special can air on the noted Saturday from 6 a.m. to Midnight. The specials are…

You still hear people say they remember where they were when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. WBAP 820 AM is helping to preserve history for posterity by donating 21 original tapes from the station’s coverage of the events of November 22, 1963 in Dallas.

2016 will probably go down in history as an “OK” year for radio. Revenue was basically flat, political ad spending did not deliver the numbers most executives were expecting, and the deal volume was below average. So what will 2017 bring? We’ve assembled a panel of experts who spend a lot of their time predicting and projecting economic numbers. We asked them all to look into their 2017 crystal ball and fill us in on what they expect for the year to come. Here's what they had to say...

And that's what the NAB and others in the industry have been calling for years. A Bloomberg Law article cites several sources that believe a Republican leaning FCC will tackle that issue, it's just an unknown as to when.

The 28th Annual National Radio Hall of Fame class of 2016 induction ceremony was held last night in Chicago where Bob Kingsley received two standing ovations and congratulatory video messages from Keith Urban and Garth Brooks.

(By Wayne Ens) You have probably heard all the cliches, like “Attitude determines altitude” or Henry Ford’s famous quote “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you are right.” But our friends in the newsroom are in a race to undermine your attitude.

(By Dick Kalt) The other day a friend asked me how I thought radio was doing in this digital/social age. I’m sure she was looking for a defensive statement because everyone is virtually submerged in a digitally controlled lifestyle. I responded that radio is doing fine and will be even better, because it is not just a delivery medium. It is an originator of content.