News

The 12th annual Midwest Communications Radiothon for Kids raised more than $300,000 for Chilrdren’s Miracle Network and Sanford Children’s Hospital. The 24-hour radiothon on 92.5 KTWB, Q95-7, 101.9 KELO-FM, and 103.7 KRRO featured a first-of-its-kind challenge from an anonymous donor, who challenged the community of Sioux Falls to rally and surpass the previous year’s amount by $25,000.

Morning MIX hosts Greg Curtis and Mrs. Grant hosted the annual MIX Miracles Radiothon live from Tucson Medical Center Thursday and Friday, December 7-8. The event raised $262,754 in donations from listeners and local businesses to provide equipment and life-saving services for TMC for Children.

Alpha’s 98.7 The Bull (KUPL/Portland) raised $207,410 with their 4th Annual St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Radiothon on December 7-8. Tony Russell, Jake Byron, Danny Dwyer, and MoJoe Roberts broadcast live from the PDX Live Studio both days.

In recent years we've seen too many police officers killed, wounded and attacked in the line of duty. On Thursday, The FCC took action to help alert the public when that happens by adding the new "Blue Alert" option to the nation’s emergency alert system.

WGN Radio’s Vice President of Content & Programming Todd Manley will now add Station Manager to his title at the Tribune- owned station. Manley will oversee the long-term strategy and day-to-day management of WGN Radio on all platforms. In addition WGN-TV President/General Manager Paul Rennie adds WGN Radio to his oversight. Manley will report to Paul Rennie.

Howard Stern's exclusive SiriusXM channel, Howard 100, will turn "all interviews, all the time," starting midnight December 18, and run through New Year's Day. Howard 101, will be dedicated to the show's greatest highlights from the year. Howard 101: Everything Else will feature his top comedic moments with the Wack Pack, prank phone calls, and stunts.

WLS in Chicago will move more conservative come January 1. The husband-wife team of Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano, who host middays, will be replaced by the syndicated Chris Plante Show (9-11), and Rush Limbaugh will be broadcast live (11-2 Chicago time). One year ago, Sirott and Murciano replaced Jonathon Brandmeier.

iHeartMedia’s New Alternative station in the Motor City will debut The Woody Show on January 3. Senior VP of Programming Tony Travatto says, “The show is real and funny and we think it’s a perfect fit for ALT 106.7.

Joan Mestres is a senior marketing consultant for Hubbard Interactive in St. Louis. Mestres decided running PSAs for a local charity just wasn’t enough. She got creative, stayed persistent, and created several ideas for the Greater Missouri Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Not only did her ideas raise funds for the organization, they produced revenue for the station.

According to Nielsen, PPM data shows News/Talk reigned supreme once again as the number one radio format. And that comes as no surprise with so many natural disasters, the political landscape in Washington, and listeners' desire to know what's going on in their local communities.