News

Don Benson was first hired into the radio business in Nashville by the great Scott Shannon to answer phones. He would go on to become the CEO of Lincoln Financial from 2008-2015. On Wednesday, he received accolades from radio CEOs, former employees, and close friends as he accepted the 2016 NAB National Radio Award for his more than 40 years of commitment and service to broadcasting. In 2014, Benson was named Radio Ink's Radio Executive Of The Year. He's pictured here with his wife Martha after accepting the award Wednesday.

Myra Ellison has been promoted to the role of Director of Marketing, Promotions & Web for the cluster. Ellison was most recently the Promotions Director for WNTR 107.9 THE MIX in Indianapolis.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers has announced the Digital Team, which reports to Alice Kim, ASCAP’s Chief Strategy & Digital Officer. Divisions of the Team include the Digital Product & User Experience Group, led by Dena Fletcher, and the Data Strategy & Business Intelligence Group, led by David Frigeri.

ABC Radio has further expanded its menu of offerings by adding radio shows and podcasts targeting female listeners. Covering everything from entertainment and lifestyle to family and relationships, the programs feature high-profile talent.

The show is currently heard on WAOA/Melbourne, FL from 5-9 a.m., and as of Monday will be heard in the same time slot on Cumulus Media sisters WZNS (Z96) in Fort Walton Beach, FL, and WABD-FM/Mobile, AL. Z96 and WABD add new local programming with the move.

USRN is expanding its association with Scott Shannon by distributing his 24-hour True Oldies Channel to radio stations across the country. Shannon launched the channel back in 2004 and he still programs it and hosts on the channel.

If you're in Nashville this week, head to one of the magazine bins at the Omni Hotel, and grab the latest issue of Radio Ink. Open the issue up to the special Radio Wayne section and check out our exclusive interview with the new Cumulus CEO about her one-year anniversary and how she's improving the culture across Cumulus' hundreds of radio stations.

And that's thanks to the new subscription models being launched by online streaming companies, according to cNet. Sales from streaming music were up 8.1 percent to $3.4 billion in the first six months of 2016 compared with the same period last year, according to the website.

Texting provider Zipwhip has signed on 39 of CBS's radio stations, in 15 major markets, including New York, L.A., and Houston. The goal of the deal is to make engagement with CBS Radio listeners easier.

A new report from Nielsen highlights how the growth of the way consumers take in their audio has been very good for the radio industry. In Nielsen’s latest State of The Media: Audio Today report, the ratings firm says radio continues to dominate the growing audio marketplace, with more than 268 million Americans tuning in on a weekly basis.