News

Over 40 broadcasters will lead sessions over the next ten days for 25 students in the inaugural TAB Radio Talent Institute at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Students come from not only UTK, but also other universities around the state and region, and have to apply to be accepted into the Institute. There are no breakout sessions; all students are in every session.

The show, which has a listener base across 60 Country stations, is returning to Compass Media Networks. Said Dee Jay Silver, “I am thrilled to rejoin Compass Media Networks. This is where it all began for me a few years ago and I look forward to a long-term partnership.”

It was quite a Wisconsin haul for the company on Saturday, May 6, at the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association’s annual awards ceremony. Entercom’s stations in Milwaukee and Madison took home an incredible 22 Awards for Excellence.

Lisa Stephens, sister of The Country Oldies Show host Steve Warren, passed away in Indiana on May 4, from complications of COPD. Stephens lived and worked in New York City for 20 years at the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, CBS records, Warner Brothers and several music management companies.

Troy Hanson, PD for Chicago Alternative station 101 WKQX-FM, and VP, Programming, Rock Formats, has scored a promotion to the newly created position of VP, Operations, for the company's four-station group in Chicago, while Chicago’s Classic Hits 94.7 WLS-FM PD Brian Thomas has landed a multi-year contract extension.

Beth Arroyo Utterback is a 35-year public media veteran, and WWOZ/New Orleans believes she’s the right person to be the station’s new GM. Utterback comes to WWOZ from her position as Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer at WYES-TV (PBS). She starts June 1.

After both local and national backlash in the press, CAVE-FM Manager Paul Lotsof is defending his decision to air a PSA that advises people how to hide pictures that may be determined to be child pornography. In his editorial, Lotsoff, who pulled the PSA this week says, "I’m delighted with the exposure that we have received. If nothing else it has really put tiny Benson on the map."

Steve McNair is the new Market President for iHeartMedia in New Orleans. McNair moves to iHeart from Titan Broadcasting where he was Regional Sales Manager at KUBE-TV in Houston. New Orleans was without a Market President previous to the McNair hire.

WSB-FM/Atlanta will be kickstarting the city’s day with a new-look morning show, starting Monday, May 15. Drex Renner has joined the station and Tad & Drex Mornings will air weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. The focus will continue to be issues that matter to women in Atlanta, music, and celebrity news. Previously, Drex was the lead on Drex, Cassidy and Tingle on Star 94 Atlanta.

Jay Michaels is the Program Director for CBS Radio's JACK-FM (KJKK-FM) in Dallas. This 18-year PD has a radio career spanning 25 years and he is, of course, on Radio Ink’s 2017 Best PDs in America list, which is out now. Here is our extended interview with one of Radio's Best PDs...Jay Michaels