Headlines

All areas within the food and beverage category increased their radio budgets in 2015, according to NYMRAD. Restaurant spending increased 10% due in part to six new category spenders.

The latest Media Monitors ad update shows Bernie Sanders airing over 1,200 radio spots so far in Las Vegas. Democrats will caucus this Saturday. On the Republican side, Dr. Ben Carson is out front with 529 commercials. The Republicans vote on Tuesday the 23rd. For the rest of the candidates, on both sides, it doesn't appear as if radio is on their radar very much.

9-year-old Sawyer is battling terminal cancer (Burkitt's Lymphoma). Sawyer is a huge fan of the morning show on Entercom's 107.9 The End in Sacramento with hosts Gavin, Katie, and Jason. On Thursday, the station changed its name and dedicated the day to the young boy as part of "Sawyer Day."

CBS Sports Radio 650 and SportsRadio 610 in Houston have signed a multi-year deal to be the official radio partner for the Major League Soccer Club, the Houston Dynamo. Games will air on SportsRadio 610. CBS Sports Radio 650 will broadcast a half-hour pregame and ancillary programming such as The Players Show and The Coaches Show, both of which will also be broadcast on KKHH 95.7 HD-3.

It's a new five-year deal between iHeartmedia Memphis stations WEGR-FM 102.7 "ROCK 103" and WREC-AM 600, Memphis Athletics, and the Learfield's Tiger Sports Network.

Media Monitors released its update on the primary elections that will take place in South Carolina this Saturday for the Republicans and next Saturday for the Democrats. Media Monitors has been tracking the political radio ads running in Greenville-Spartanburg, Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina. All the data was from January 1st to February 14th.

Broadcast Attorney David Oxenford takes a swing at this one as Ted Cruz demands TV stations pull PAC ads he says distort his voting record on immigration issues. Cruz says it's a violation of a station's FCC obligations to operate in the public interest to continue to run the ads. Oxenford details what a station can and cannot do in his latest blog posting.

Nearly 30 years ago Saga Communications was launched (it went public in 1992). Ed Christian has run the company since day one. This week, in an SEC filing, the company amended Christian's current employment agreement, extending his contract as President and CEO through March 31, 2021.

These five stations in Lafayette, Indiana now under Neuhoff Communications ownership were part of the Schurz/Gray Television sale which lead to the radio stations being spun off. CEO Beth Neuhoff said, “The incredible team, the phenomenal stations and their dedication to the Lafayette community make them a perfect fit for our growing company."

Radio Ink's Hispanic Radio Conference is being held March 22-23 in Fort Lauderdale — and we have a truly remarkable lineup of keynotes, covering everything from politics to the state of the industry to the relationship of modern performers with radio. Here's a look at our incredible lineup of speakers :