News

As everyone knows, the automobile is where radio grabs most of its listening. And automotive is radio's number-one biggest advertising category. Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs says, “The car may be the most important challenge – and opportunity – facing the broadcast radio industry at this time.” And that’s why mobile app developer, jācapps is hosting a free webinar focused on the connected car Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. ET. REGISTER HERE.

KTGV (The Groove) in Tucson is owned by Scripps, and PD Leslie Lois tells us that Krystal Pino (pictured) will be joining the station as morning host in early July. Pino joins the station from Westwood One where she was an on-air personality and music programmer for several of their nationally-distributed formats. She's also worked for KOHT and KFMA in Tucson.

Jim Leven and Bruce Mittman are purchasing four more stations in Florida. Apex Broadcasting, which also owns clusters in Hilton Head and Charleston, is selling its four stations in the Destin/Ft. Walton Beach market to Community Broadcasters. The price was not announced.

On Tuesday, the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation handed out the 41st Annual Gracie Awards at Cipriani's in New York City. Lifetime Achievement Honoree (and 2016 Radio Ink MIW Legend) Joan Hamburg was presented her award by Alan Alda. Hamburg said, “To all the people in the radio industry, including my new WABC Family who stood by me, it’s about community.

The National Association of Broadcasters PILOT program is now accepting submissions for its first-ever Innovation Challenge. This year’s challenge question is, “How can local television and radio broadcasters engage their communities with next-generation content on any device, whether big, small, or moving?”

On Tuesday, ABC Radio VP/GM Steve Jones notified his team they have been recognized with Edward R. Murrow Awards for Overall Excellence both in radio and television by the Radio Television Digital News Association. ABC News Radio also won Murrow awards in the Breaking News category for coverage of the San Bernardino terror attack and in the Hard News category for coverage of the Paris terror attacks.

In the network radio division, National Public Radio took home awards for Investigative Reporting, Series, and Writing. This American Life won for Continuing Coverage (with WBEZ) and Documentary. CBS Radio News won for Newscast. ESPN won for Feature Reporting, and KQED and the Food & Environment Reporting Network won for Use of Sound.

As part of the just-announced multi-year deal, ESPN Chicago 1000 will broadcast every Notre Dame football and men’s basketball game beginning with the 2016-17 seasons. The station previously carried the games from 1999-2005. WLS carried the games up until this new deal.

The Chicago station was named the 2016 Station of the Year by the Illinois Broadcasters Association at the Silver Dome Awards held earlier this month. It was the ninth year in a row WGN Radio was named the Chicago Market Station of the Year. WGN Radio also earned first-place awards in six additional categories.

According to a post on the station website, WMOH-AM in Hamilton, Ohio, was knocked off the air due to a lightning strike Tuesday and only able to broadcast online. GM Chris Theiss says both the main transmitter and the backup were damaged by the strike. Engineers were working to get the signal back on the air Tuesday. The station continued to broadcast online