News

Because iHeartMedia wants consumers to be able to listen to its radio stations anywhere and everywhere, the company has announced that iHeartRadio is now available in the backseat of the 2018 Honda Odyssey. The vehicle has a ceiling mounted 10.2-inch high-resolution screen with built-in streaming apps in its rear entertainment system that now includes iHeartRadio.

The station is called "PK’s Throwback 105.5," and kicked off commercial-free for 105 days. Papa Keith is the driving force behind the station and has strong ties to South Florida and the hip hop community. Keith honed his skills in hip hop and reggae clubs. He was given a show on Miami's most notorious underground station, Mixx 96, which set off his career in radio after appearing regularly on the popular The Luke Show.

You can add another five Members of the House of Representatives to the list of cosponsors of the bipartisan resolution that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act now has 185 cosponsors in the House and 22 in the Senate.

Morning show hosts Scotty K and Bret Mega at The New Hot 93.3/Dallas-Fort Worth, will launch 93 Days of Kindness on June 1. It's a summer-long campaign, running through September 1, with the goal of spreading kindness in a world that has so much negative present.

You need to get cracking if you plan to apply for a scholarship to the 2017 Rising Through the Ranks women’s radio sales management seminar, to be held August 16-17 at BMI’s Nashville office. Applications are being accepted through Wednesday, June 7, and are available on RAB.com.

Radio Ink is proud to announce that Kay Olin has been chosen as our 2017 MIW Legend. She will be featured in our June 16 Most Influential Women in Radio Issue with a special interview. Radio Ink Publisher Deborah Parenti said, "Kay Olin has been a pioneer, a wave maker and glass shatterer for all of her career."

In part two of our three-part preview of Brad Kelly's Radio Ink cover story interview, we cover the topic of online ratings. The radio industry has been anxiously waiting for when it can show advertisers a combined listening total of listeners that includes both over-the-air listening and online listening. We also asked the big question -- Where does Pandora fit into that mix?

In a filing with the SEC Wednesday Cumulus revealed what four executives would be paid if certain performance goals were met by the company. If the company met certain quarterly EBITDA performance goals in 2017, here's what CEO Mary Berner and three other executives will make this year.

Chris Berry has been named Senior VP for News, Talk and Sports at iHeartMedia. Berry will oversee all of iHeart's News, Talk and Sports brands and continue to in his role as Senior VP and GM for NBC News Radio and 24/7 News Network.

Regional Manager Dan Seeman announced this week that Jeff Hilborn will take over as the new GM for Hubbard's six-station cluster in Brainerd, MN. In 2015, Hubbard purchased 16 stations in northern Minnesota from Omni Broadcasting. Hilborn replaces retiring GM Mike Boen, who managed the market for 24 years. Hilborn was most recently GSM for Hubbard in Brainerd.