News

It dropped down a couple of notches on the Media Monitors weekly chart, however Amazon still aired 36,387 commercials on radio stations across America last week. That was strong enough to place third on the list.

The new call letters for Entercom's WBMX-FM (HOT AC) are now WWBX-FM. Entercom says after twenty six years as WBMX-FM the station will return the call letters back to its original station in Chicago. WJMK-FM (104.3), a Classic Hip Hop station in Chicago Entercom picked up in the CBS merger, will take over the WBMX call letters. The format at WWBX-FM in Boston will stay the same.

iHeartMedia Chicago is bringing back heritage station brand 93.9 LITE FM, when the station ends Christmas music after the holidays. The company is dumping the MYFM moniker, which it switched to in 2013. The format will stay the same (The Best Variety of the 80s, 90s and Now). Kristina Kage, Robin Rock, and Mick Lee will continue to host the station’s programming.

The changes keep rolling out from Entercom's HQ in Philadelphia. On Monday, the company launched "The New 94.1 The Sound," a Soft Rock format replacing Country format KMPS-FM. As part of the change, host Deanna Lee will be moving over to 100.7 The Wolf, Entercom's country station in Seattle. It does not appear any other employees have been asked to stay.

As quickly as Entercom flipped out of the Country format in Seattle, Hubbard jumped in. Hubbard has flipped its Rock format to "New Country 98.9 FM," using the slugline: “Nobody Plays More New Country.”

It’s a spin-off! NPR is launching The Indicator from Planet Money, a new podcast that brings insight and context to the worlds of business and economics. The Indicator takes the signature Planet Money storytelling approach and delivers it faster, in shorter podcasts, more frequently.

Included in tax reform legislation passed by the Senate was the preservation of advertising deductibility for businesses. NAB CEO Gordon Smith expressed his happiness for that decision. “NAB commends the Senate on passage of comprehensive legislation to modernize the U.S. tax code. Importantly, this bill preserves the full and immediate deductibility of business advertising, which serves as a key driver of economic activity and job creation."

The company’s news division is producing two long-form year-in-review programs: The Year in Review – The Big Stories, anchored by First Light host Evan Haning; and The Year in Review – People, Sports and Entertainment, anchored by America in the Morning host John Trout.

Incredible! 96.1 KISS collected enough toys to fill 59 buses during the 14th annual Stuff A Bus drive, surpassing last year’s total of 57 buses. The new and unwrapped toys will benefit the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots program.

In a fantastic effort, the New Country 92.3 personalities’ "Bikes, Balls and Barbies" campaign exceeded their goal of collecting 10,000 toys. The 36-hour toy-drive marathon was broadcast live over the air and on Facebook Live, and benefited the Salvation Army in St. Louis.