News

iHeartMedia and the Aloha Trust announced late on Wednesday a swap covering two markets. iHeartMedia will pick up six stations from Connoisseur Media in Erie, Pennsylvania, and one in Mina, New York. In return Connoisseur gets two stations from the Aloha Trust in Frederick, Maryland.

Here's a follow-up to the story we reported Tuesday when $10,000 worth of equipment was stolen from WAMO-FM in Pittsburgh. Thanks to the power of social media, all the equipment has been returned.

(By Chris Stigall) Talk radio industry deserves a huge pat on the back. Not just for entertainment value or commercial success for clients and sponsors. Not simply for being a service to local communities through information and charitable endeavors. But something even more important, in my view.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Michael O’Rielly, Brendan Carr, and Geoffrey Starks will participate in two separate sessions at NAB Show, April 6-11 in Las Vegas.

Five Members of the House of Representatives and four more Senators have added their cosponsorship to a resolution opposing any new royalty fee on radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act now has 152 cosponsors in the House and 17 in the Senate.

Airplay monitoring company Mediabase and Entercom entered into a new long-term partnership. Mediabase will provide Entercom with music-listening and consumption data for 235 stations, and Entercom will report weekly station music adds to the Mediabase platform.

Westwood One, in alliance with ESPN Deportes Radio, will broadcast college basketball’s showcase in Spanish for the third consecutive year. The trio of Rafael Hernández Brito, former All-American Greivis Vásquez, and Clemson Smith Muñiz will once again announce all the action.

Laura Conrad is known as a fashion designer, bestselling author, and lifestyle expert — a natural for he own podcast. So it’s understandable that Cadence13 is launching Lauren Conrad: Asking for a Friend.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is keeping his word. After purchasing Gimlet and Anchor, Ek said he wasn't done investing in the podcasting space. On Tuesday Spotify announced it would be acquiring Parcast, the company started by Max Cutler, the son of radio producer Ron Cutler.

Radio's top ad category continues to struggle after years of record sales. According to several national reports U.S. auto sales are continuing to decline as prices for those vehicles. That means cheap car buyers are being squeezed out of the market.