There’s a CHR-Top40 battle brewing in Richmond, Virginia, as Cox Media Group Rhythmic CHR WHTI-FM segues to Mainstream “Hot 100.9 – Today’s Hottest Hits.” That puts WHTI-FM in direct competition with Clear Channel’s “Q94″ WRVQ-FM. Afternoon host Eric Sean and middayer Angie will remain with the station. Announcements about mornings and evenings will be coming soon. Says Hot 100.9 Program Director Melissa Chase, “We asked Richmond listeners what they wanted, and they said they want a radio station that plays fewer commercials, more music and less boring talk in the morning. The New Hot 100.9 plays today’s hottest hits.” General Manager Bob Willoughby adds, “We are excited to add a mainstream Top 40 into our cluster. This is one of the biggest formats in radio, and it’s a perfect fit for Richmond.”
SiriusXM CEO Mel Karmazin says the satcaster is preparing a Pandora-like personalized streaming audio service. Karmazin speaking a short time after Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy at the Citi Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference in San Francisco, said, “I can assure you that if our subscribers would like to have personalization we’re going to give it to them. So, you should assume, you know, that the idea of personalization is something that Pandora, Spotify and iHeartRadio and Slacker and all of these companies are doing – there is satellite radio and it will expand and make that personalization available, probably this year.” But Karmazin, no fan of Pandora, noted, “I don’t think it’s a big deal. We’re not going into it as a business. We, again, like our business model. But we’re going into it saying, you know what, if our subscribers like that feature and they want to be able to customize content, we’re going to give them the ability to do that.”
Emmis Rock KSHE-FM, St. Louis, will drop the syndicated Bob and Tom show, in favor of a new music-intensive local show, January 17. John Ulett will host the new show with Lauren “Lern” Colvin, who will provide news and traffic reports. In a note to listeners on the “KSHE 95″ website, the station says: “KSHE 95 continues to return to its roots with the announcement that starting Tuesday, January 17th, 35-year veteran KSHE air personality John Ulett will take over and host the morning show from 6-10 a.m. each weekday. Alongside him will be current Sunday afternoon air personality, Lern. John Lern replace Bob Tom whose last show will be on Monday, January 16th.” A banner promoting the change proclaims: “KSHE, Now Rocking Your Mornings … starting January 17th!”
KTFW-FM, in the Fort Worth market, is now Country Variety Hits “92.1 Hank FM” with the slogan “plays everything country.” The relaunch follows the ouster of the station’s entire airstaff. KTFW Operations Director Andy Meadows says
he’s been working with Howard Kroeger of Kroeger Media who created the jockless format. “There are a couple of other Hank FMs across the country, but ours is unique,” says Meadows. “We’re doing a different twist on the database in ours. It’s a very wide variety. It’s country all the way back to the ’70s, with your Waylon and Willie and Merle, all the way to new country. The emphasis is on variety. Where your average country station has a 350-song playlist, we have well over 1,000, so it’s three times the size of your average country station, and it’s delivered with a fun attitude.”
Fox Sports Radio adds longtime Seattle radio personality Rob Tepper to “Fox Sports Tonight.” Tepper, known as “T-Man,” will partner with former MLB pitcher and Fox Sports Radio personality Rob Dibble starting January 9. “Fox Sports Tonight” airs weeknights from 10pm-1am ET. “Being on the air in more than 200 cities across the country on ‘Fox Sports Tonight’ is very exciting,” says Tepper. “I’m hoping my crazy personality can add to what Rob Dibble is starting to build. I can’t wait to get started.” Tepper hosted mornings on KUBE-FM, Seattle, for 14 years. He’s recently been a fill-in host on Fox Sports Radio.
ESPN Radio will present “Hill and Schlereth,” a new prime time show debuting January 10. Co-hosts Mark Schlereth, a three-time Super Bowl champion, and SportsCenter anchor Mike Hill will host the new show 7-10pm ET Monday-Thursday for the remainder of the NFL season, adding Friday nights after the Super Bowl. ESPN Radio says “Hill and Schlereth” will be an entertainment, information and personality-driven show, featuring an interactive listener format. ESPN Audio SVP Mo Davenport tells us, “Mike Hill and Mark Schlereth are already fan favorites. Their ability to expand on their friendship, their experiences, and their knowledge of sports, combined with our listeners’ passion, equals great content that can be enjoyed on multiple platforms.”
Compass Media Networks launches Compass Media Marketing, an advertising representation firm for audio industry.
“Three years ago, we saw an opportunity to launch Compass Media Networks as a programming and distribution company,” says Compass Media Networks CEO/Founder Peter Kosann. “We now see a similar opportunity to launch an advertising sales firm leveraging on our brand, relationships, and expertise.” Compass Media Marketing will announce a full roster of programs and networks shortly and has signed an agreement with Dial Global under which Dial Global will provide Compass Media Marketing with support systems and marketing services. Dial Global has entered into a long-term extension to continue to exclusively represent Compass Media Networks programming and services.
Univision Radio appoints Felix Perez General Manager of its New York cluster — Spanish Contemporary WXNY-FM, Regional Mexican WQBU-FM and Spanish News Talk WADO-AM. A 25-year media veteran, he joins Univision Radio from Davidson Media where he was CEO for the past four years. “Felix’s rich media background, leadership skills and management experience are important assets for Univision Radio as we continue to gain positive momentum in terms of ratings and sales,” says Univision Radio President Jose Valle. “We are thrilled to have his experience, creativity and vision as we work to serve our diverse New York listeners with the content they crave.” Perez tells us, “As a native New Yorker and a person familiar with WXNY, WADO and WQBU, as well as the competitive New York radio landscape, I am thrilled to be working with an excellent group of professionals as we continue to grow Univision Radio’s properties.”
Former WRXP-FM, New York, morning host Matt Pinfield is picked to host the “Flashback” show for Cumulus Media Networks, replacing Bill St. James, who we’re told “steps aside.” Pinfield, who currently hosts MTV2′s “120 Minutes,” takes over as host of “Flashback” January 21. The show features songs from the 60s through the 80s, mixing in content from the same era, including newscasts, classic TV and movie clips, commercial and comedy clips.
Longtime Phoenix radio personality Bill Heywood and his wife Susan, were found dead Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 4) in a Scottsdale hotel room. Scottsdale police say the two were found shot to death. According to reports from Arizona, hotel staff found a suicide note in one of the rooms at the Homewood Suites and called police. Police, so far, have not released further details. Bill Heywood was best known as the former longtime morning host at KTAR-AM. He had also worked at a number of other Phoenix stations until he left radio for a real estate job in October 2005. His wife was an advertising and marketing executive.
Bubba the Love Sponge signs a new, multi-year contract with Cox Classic Rock “102.5 The Bone” WHPT-FM, Tampa Bay, Florida. The longtime morning host was without a contract at the end of 2011 and was rumored to be moving to another station. Bubba says, “This is the first time in my radio career that I was a true free agent. It’s nice going to market and getting a ton of great offers, and a big thank you to those that were interested. But in the end I needed to come back to the company that stepped up and hired me when I was black balled from terrestrial radio. I have a great relationship with local management, and The Bone will remain my home in Tampa Bay.”
CHR-Top40 “92.3 Now” WXRK-FM, New York, morning host and TV personality Nick Cannon has been moved to a Los Angeles hospital for further treatment. He had been hospitalized in Aspen, Colorado, with “minor kidney failure,” according to his wife Mariah Carey. She tweeted: “Please pray for Nick as he’s fighting to recover from a mild kidney failure.” She has more, including a photo of herself with Cannon in the hospital on her Mariah website. Cannon himself now is telling fans that he will be alright.
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