News

To set the stage for the 51st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, nine-time ACM winner Jennifer Nettles will host Westwood One’s 2016 ACM Nomination Special.

Edison Research President Larry Rosin is out with a new blog and the information he posted Tuesday is sure to cause a little controversy. Rosin says in Edison's most recent data, for the first time, among 18 to 24-year-olds, streaming audio (Pandora, Spotify, and others) has surpassed broadcast radio.

Edison Research continues to dribble out teases leading up to its Infinite Dial webinar this Thursday, presented in conjunction with Triton Digital. The latest tidbit of information is about online listening which Edison says 50% of Americans now do on a weekly basis.

The March 23 webcast is called “Broadcast Cybersecurity: The Essentials,” and it will focus on the growing threat of cyberattacks and how stations can best implement cybersecurity precautions. The panel will be moderated by NAB’s Associate General Counsel, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Larry Walke. Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, FCC, Admiral David Simpson will give opening remarks.

It's called AMPcast and Pandora founder Tim Westergren says, “AMPcast has the potential to change the odds for musicians. This powerful tool, combined with the scale and reach of Pandora, gives every talented and hard-working artist a real shot to build a career in music. Marketing and promotion for artists will never be the same.”

Greg Thunder is the new morning show co-host on Cities 97 KTCZ-FM, joining Keri Noble. Thunder is a Minnesota native and will join Cities 97 from KGOR in Omaha. He's worked in the Twin Cities before, hosting a morning show on KSTP-FM from 2004-2010. He then went on to host mornings in Houston on KILT-FM.

STAR 99.9 (WEZN-FM Bridgeport, CT) has filled its’ midday vacancy with Megan Duley. Originally from Connecticut, Megan has been in Massachusetts, near the Berkshires, for the last few years co-hosting mornings at Live 95.9 (WBEC-FM Pittsfield).

Micah Goldberg has been named Senior VP of Sales for iHeartMedia's Denver region. The iHeartMedia Denver region consists of 26 stations that includes Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Ogallala, Nebraska.

For its radio segment, Saga reported Q4 2015 same-station net operating revenue of $28.6 million compared to $29.7 million in 2014. CEO Ed Christian placed a lot of that blame on national business.

Saga CEO Ed Christian said local revenue at Saga speaks volumes about the company, pointing out that 90% of the revenue from Saga's largest market, Milwaukee, is coming from local. "I'm old school with new techniques. You must spend money on both programming and sales." And that's what Christian says he plans to continue to do along with spending money on marketing and promotion.