News

Radio executives have high hopes that political ad spending is going to pull the industry out of its flat-to-down revenue-growth quicksand. Media Monitors has put together a snapshot of which candidates are spending money on radio as we edge closer to actually casting votes. They compiled data from Omaha, Des Moines, and the Quad Cities of Iowa/Illinois to show what's happening in Iowa and in New Hampshire. They also pulled data from Boston and Portsmouth-Dover, NH. Here are the findings...Picture courtesy CNN.com

iHeartMedia Seattle VP of Programming Rich Davis said, "It's no secret that Seattle is a competitive market and these changes align our brands in a way that capitalizes on each station's strengths and gives us the best opportunity to win while providing a fresh new experience for our audience. Here are the changes involving four of iHeart's seven stations in the Seattle market.

Of course the first thing you are probably wondering is, could this be a joke? Apparently not. The next question you might ask is, why? NPR first reported that Univision is taking a 40% stake in the satirical website. They also have the right to buy the company outright.

Averaging more than 2 million downloads per week, The Dave Ramsey Show has been recognized by Time magazine as one of the Top 10 Podcasts on iTunes.

Dave Pugh is the new Senior VP/Market Manager and Director of Sales for the cluster of CBS stations in Phoenix, which includes KMLE-FM (Country), KOOL-FM (Classic Hits), and KZON-FM (Top 40). Pugh succeeds Tim Pohlman, who was recently appointed Senior Vice President and Market Manager of the division’s stations in Chicago.

WCKG is opening up their airwaves to new programs with a nationwide talent search. Operations Manager John Spataro is calling all business-oriented content creators to apply at WCKG.com to see if they have what it takes to be a major market radio host.

The app allows radio and TV station sales executives to receive next-business-day service on unlimited customized sales research presented via Futuri’s new TopLine mobile app and desktop tool.

Tad Lemire will join Melissa Carter on B98.5 in Atlanta. Lemire, formerly on CMG Tulsa’s Mix 96, will be half of new Tad & Melissa Show weekday mornings 5 to 9 a.m. beginning Feb 1.

Beasley Media Group has announced a pair of staff upgrades in Tampa Bay. Ted Cannarozzi has been named Q105’s program director and WQYK’s Promotions Director Hillary Hatch has been elevated to new responsibilities as the Tampa Bay cluster’s Marketing Director.

ASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, announced Tuesday that Nicole George-Middleton (pictured) and Shawn LeMone have both been promoted to Senior Vice President, Membership.