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In a recent release, media man Mark Ramsey made a number of astute observations about radio -- observations that deserve greater dissemination and, even more, serious consideration.

A post on Taz' Facebook page stated he passed away surrounded by Sharon and his children. "We read your beautiful posts to him to let him know that he was leaving this world surrounded by much love, friendship, and admiration. He was a fortunate man to have you all in his life. A funeral vigil will be held this Wednesday at 7pm; mass will held Thursday at 10:30am. Both will take place at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Paradise Valley, Arizona."

That's according to the latest Nielsen "State of The Media" report released Thursday. According to Nielsen, radio now reaches more Americans every week than any other platform, and that includes nearly every demo. Who says young adults are no longer listening to the radio? Nielsen says 93% of adult consumers over the age of 18 use radio on a weekly basis. Let's take a closer look at the numbers.

Since 1989, the Conclave has presented The Rockwell Award -- an annual lifetime achievement award -- to an individual of unquestioned accomplishment in the radio industry. And once again the Conclave is putting the voting for the individual to receive this honor in the hands of the industry.

It's taken awhile, partly because this was a very big deal being done in a very rough buying market. The $264 Million deal was first announced in early August of 2015 and today it's official. Larry Wilson's Alpha Media has closed on all 116 Digity stations in 26 markets. At the time the deal was announced the Digity properties were believed to have approximately $73 million in annual sales, according to BIA/Kelsey. Among the markets Wilson will now have a footprint are: West Palm Beach; San Jose; the suburbs of Dallas and Chicago; Greenville-New Bern, NC; Myrtle Beach, SC; Lincoln, NE; and Mankato, MN.

This has to be considered good news for the industry, especially in light of the strong Q4 Entercom reported and with a very competitive political battle underway for President. As always, the critics will point to iHeart's $20 billion in debt, and that's obviously fair, but an up quarter is an up quarter. iHeartMedia CFO Richard Bressler said he is very excited about the progress the company made in 2015.

Not only did COO Richard Bressler and Senior VP and Treasurer Brian Coleman sound confident iHeart would be able to tackle its debt issue, CRT Capital Group analyst Lance Vitanza did as well. Vitanza, who covers the company, told the San Antonio Express-News that iHeart's numbers showed real strength. "They were much better than I expected. I was pleased with the progress from the operating and liquidity standpoint.” Vitanza said the company should not have trouble meeting its debt obligations.

It hasn't changed much in a year. At the end of 2014, the company had $20.3 billion in debt, and at the end of 2015 that number was $20.87 billion. iHeart did have over $770 million cash on hand at the end of 2015, which is more than the $457 million it had at the end of 2014. The company lost $93.2 million in Q4, compared to $68 million in Q4 of 2014. For the year, iHeart lost $754.6 million in 2015 compared to $793 million in 2014.

Northwestern Athletics and WGN Radio AM-720 announced Friday that they have agreed on a four-year broadcast rights-holder extension. The agreement will keep Wildcats football and men’s basketball on the station through the conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign.