News

Last week we told you about an opinion piece writer Sonny Bunch crafted for the Washington Post demanding the radio industry start paying artists for the music it played over the airwaves. Apparently Forbes contributor Christopher Versace didn't take kindly to that demand and took up some valuable space on the Forbes website to defend radio's honor.

She's been with CBS Radio's management team for about 13 years. This past Friday the SVP of Communications announced she's leaving the company in two weeks.

MUSEXPO 2016 presented its "International Music Person of the Year" award last week to CBS Radio's Sr. VP of Programming Kevin Weatherly. Weatherly also programs KROQ, JACK-FM (KCBS-FM) and AMP RADIO (KAMP-FM) in Los Angeles.

(By Stephanie Winans) Remember when (cue Alan Jackson for you country fans) Facebook was the only social network whose algorithm changes could get your panties or whitie-tighties in a bunch? Instagram recently announced that their feed will change from a chronological feed to an algorithm-based feed.

(By Ronald Robinson) A startling revelation for me during the last few years of providing these articles has been the intensity of so many radio people who come barging in outraged, spitting cobra-venom, and hurling flaming defenses for music-radio’s status quo.

In his latest blog, Steve Goldstein details how new data shows that one in every five minutes of total audio time is now from a smartphone. But, he says, "less than 10% of streamed audio comes from commercial radio and a pitiful 1% of podcast listening comes from commercial radio content." Goldstein's point: "If you aren't where the listeners are going ... well .... you pretty much know how that is going to turn out." READ THE FULL BLOG HERE.

KWAX host Jack Fleming is calling it a day after nearly six decades in radio, the last 31 years with his current station. KVAL Channel 13 in Eugene, OR, is reporting that Fleming, 81, had worked in Connecticut and Los Angeles before moving to Eugene.

WRKN-FM was “NASH FM 92.3 New Orleans’ New Country Leader." It is now “The Gulf South’s Country Giant, New Orleans, Baton Rouge… NASH FM 92.3.” Scott Innes (pictured) joined the new on-air line-up as midday host, which includes Blair Garner in the morning, Shawn Williams in afternoon drive, and NASH Nights Live from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Great stats from Mediabase about how radio paid tribute to the music icon. According to Mediabase, radio stations played Prince music about 1,200 times prior to his death. That ramped up to over 20,000 spins after his passing.