News

Last year, Bob Augsburg, founder and President of WAY Media, told his board of directors that he and his wife, Felice, co-founder of WAY-FM, were ready for a succession plan. Recently, the details of this plan were finalized. The first phase of the transition will begin in the summer of 2017. By July 1, 2017, a new CEO will be chosen and Bob Augsburg will transition to being founder and President Emeritus.

This Saturday, at 9 p.m., Bob Seymour will host his last weekend evening of jazz music for WUSF Public Media in Tampa, ending 35 years behind the mic. Seymour is retiring as Jazz Music Director and host at the station where he first became jazz director in 1981, hosting two hours of jazz each night.

It was the first time we've heard Mason publicly talk about the possibility of the division he ran for a long time being sold. Mason said he doesn't know anything more than what he's seen reported and that there are probably three options.

Audio marketing company CRN International has launched a new division to produce and distribute original podcasts. It's called Collisions and the first four original podcasts are already being produced.

The conservative news and opinion website has launched Did She Say That with host Sonnie Johnson. The show is a combination of conservative politics and hip-hop. Debuting Friday is The Milo Yiannopoulos Podcast, which will be a weekly discussion on technology, media, video games, politics, and Internet culture, hosted by technology editor Milo Yiannopoulos. Check out the first episode of Did She Say That HERE

Just days after FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler told a House Subcommittee new laws were needed to help the government crack down on pirate radio station, Commissioner Ajit Pai echoed those sentiments. And Pai has a suggestion for allowing broadcasters to take enforcement into their own hands.

Pai, a big advocate for revitalizing the AM band, told attendees at the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference Wednesday that of the 500 applications submitted so far, over 400 of them have been approved in the past two months. A far cry from the snails pace of getting AM revitalization out of the starting gate, which took years since Pai proposed it back in 2012.

Sportscasting legend and onetime Major League Baseball catcher Joe Garagiola has passed away at 90, reportedly after a long illness. The announcement was made by the Arizona Diamondbacks organization; Garagiola called D-backs games from 1998-2012.

Former Katz Executive Bob McCurdy is now running his own company called Uppingthevolume.com. On Wednesday, at the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference, McCurdy presented new data on the power of radio. The data, from TouchPoints, highlighted the high use of radio, especially between the hours of 6 a.m.-7 p.m., when consumers are in the money-spending mode.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, announced Wednesday that Gabriela Gonzalez has been promoted to Vice President, Latin. In her new role, Gonzalez will oversee the ASCAP Latin Membership Department, including membership staff based in offices in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Puerto Rico.