Geraldo Rivera Will Be in Los Angeles Monday. Geraldo Rivera will be in Los Angeles Monday (Jan. 30) for the debut of his new talk show there on KABC-AM. Gary Lycan writes for the Orange County Register that Geraldo will arrive in L.A. Sunday, to broadcast his first KABC-AM show “live and local.” Rivera’s second daily talk show, we’re told, will not be a refeed of his new New York show on WABC-AM, but a separate program exclusively for the L.A. station. “There is plenty to do out there. Los Angeles stories tend to be nationalized larger than life,” Rivera told Lycan in a recent phone conversation from New York. Geraldo started on WABC-AM on January 3, but delayed committing to a Los Angeles-only program until only two weeks ago. “The conversations we (Cumulus) had were initially, ‘Let’s wait and see whether this is working, if I am comfortable doing it.’ Let’s think about it. Did I want to resume my bi-coastal life.”
ACM Broadcast Nominations Announced. In a digital press conference via Twitter and Facebook, the Academy of Country Music announced the nominees for its 2012 Broadcast Awards. The ACM Awards will be broadcast live from Las Vegas, April 1, on CBS-TV. Some 25 Country radio stations, as well as many local and national on-air personalities have been nominated for the 47th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Winners will receive their trophies at a private event in Las Vegas one day prior to the televised awards show. TPMedia has the full listing of broadcast nominees, available here.
JR Named WNOK Columbia PD. Jonathan “JR” Reed is named Program Director at Clear Channel CHR-Top40 WNOK-FM, Columbia, SC, effective immediately. JR also remains WNOK’s Music Director and afternoon host. “JR has really been driving this boat since he arrived. Since he’s been at WNOK he’s done a terrific job helping to grow ratings,” says Clear Channel Columbia Regional Program Manager and Operations Manager LJ Smith. “He understands the audience and has a passion for them. Plus, he has a solid grasp on all the platforms we’re now programming across.” JR tells us, “I would like thank LJ Smith and Rod Phillips for believing in me and having the confidence in me to do the job at WNOK. 2011 was a really good year for me and WNOK, and 2012 is looking even better.”
Ponce Brothers Get WLS-AM Chicago Weekend Show. TV reporters Dan and Anthony Ponce have been named weekend co-hosts at News Talk WLS-AM, Chicago. The real life brothers will host a Sunday 1-3pm show. Dan is a reporter at Tribune’s WGN-TV; Anthony is a reporter at NBC’s WMAQ-TV. The Ponce brothers, the sons of Chicago news anchor Phil Ponce, have been doing fill-ins together at WLS-AM over the past year. They plan to use the Sunday radio show to “tell the story behind the story” and “give listeners a peek into the world of Chicago journalism.” They say they also want to hear listeners “opinions about the week’s biggest stories and how they’re covered.”
Multicultural Broadcasting Signs with Music of Your Life. Multicultural Broadcasting signs with the Music of Your Life network to air the satellite-delivered Adult Standards format overnights on 15 stations beginning February 1. Multicultural Broadcasting is best known for Asian language programming. Music of Your Life is initially cleared for overnights in San Francisco, Boston, Miami and Seattle, with more stations to be added. Marc Angell, who runs Music of Your Life, says the deal with Multicultural is the “most significant development for Music of Your Life since I took over the network in 2008.”
Simon Cowell Seeks Best Club DJ (Not Radio). Simon Cowell’s next reality competition series will seek the world’s best club DJ (but not radio). “DJ’s are the new rock stars, it feels like the right time to make this show,” says Cowell, who notes he won’t be a judge on the show. The upcoming series, still to be titled, is a co-production from Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and Will Smith/Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment.
Kevin Klein to Be Clear Channel Birmingham DOS. Clear Channel hires Kevin Klein to be Director of Sales for its Birmingham cluster effective February 6. Klein previously has been Market Manager and Director of Sales for stations in Macon (Georgia), Topeka (Kansas) and Kansas City. Most recently he was Director of Sponsorship Development for the NBA Houston Rockets, and has held similar positions with the Portland Trailblazers and the Detroit Pistons. Klein replaces Jackie Rinker, who has been promoted to Market Manager of Clear Channel’s Panama City, Florida, cluster. “When I visited Clear Channel Birmingham I could feel the energy, positivity and winning spirit,” says Klein. “This cluster has been in quite a growth mode for the past several years, and I am eager to make my contributions.”
Rep. Greg Walden Pushing Forward with FCC Reform Bill. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), Chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee, says he plans to go forward with legislation that would overhaul how the FCC operates. The bill reforming FCC processes will be marked up by the full House Energy and Commerce Committee February 7, says Walden, emphasizing that the FCC only has the authority that Congress gives it. “It’s beginning to feel like it’s another tool of the White House,” Walden said at a briefing for reporters. Walden said the legislation would improve transparency and openness at the FCC, but Democrats argue the measures are really about hamstringing the agency’s power to adopt new regulations and oversee corporate mergers. When asked whether he thinks the legislation has any chance of passing the Democrat-controlled Senate, Walden said, “I would hope that Senate would be supportive.”
Wendy Wild Joins Philadelphia’s ‘Mix 106.1′. Clear Channel Hot AC “Mix 106.1” WISX-FM, Philadelphia, welcomes Wendy Wild as its new midday host. Wild has previously aired in Miami and New York, and has been a guest host for syndicated countdown shows. Says “Mix 106.1” Program Director Brian Check, “Wendy brings a unique enthusiasm to our team. She loves the music, is really in touch with celebrities and music news, and in her free time she is a flying trapeze artist! How fun is that?” A postscript to our original report: we’ve now been told Wendy Wild will not be in Philly. She will voicetrack the show from New York where she continues as midday host at “KTU 103.5″ WKTU-FM.
Tazz Daddy Makes A Move. Clear Channel Philadelphia Director of Social Media for Urban “Power 99″ WUSL-FM and Urban AC WDAS-FM Tazz Daddy (David Anderson) exits, signing a new partnership deal with Spreaker.com, under which he will be the spokesperson for the podcasting platform. Tazz will broadcast his shows and podcasts exclusively on Spreaker.com. The podcasting platform is said to be compatible with desktops, laptops, tablets and mobile devices. Says Spreaker COO Donald Landwirth, “We are very excited to have Tazz join the Spreaker family. He’s a source of inspiration for all of his listeners and we are so pleased he chose Spreaker to help him spread his motivational message around the world. Having Tazz on Spreaker should help us attract other top talent and increase our listener base.
Santita Jackson Exits WVON-AM Chicago. Urban News Talk WVON-AM, Chicago, 9am-noon host Santita Jackson has exited the station. The daughter of Rev. Jesse Jackson, she had hosted a local show at WVON-AM for five years. Her exit was the result of cost cutting by the Midway Broadcasting station. Midway Chairman and WVON-AM General Manager Melody Spann Cooper says, “I have encouraged her to pursue a national platform, which she desires and so deserves. It is my hope that she will rejoin us in a more visible capacity.”
CBS Finalizes 107.9 FM DC Acquisition. CBS Radio says it has completed the acquisition of 107.9 FM in Washington DC from Family Stations. With that acquisition, CBS Radio now has six stations in the market. Terms of the transaction were not initially disclosed, but as the sale of Family Stations’ WSFI-FM, licensed to Annapolis, reached the FCC, we found out CBS Radio was paying $8.5 million in cash, with an LMA that began December 1. CBS Radio moved its Spanish language “El Zol” from 99.1 to 107.9, with 99.1 becoming the new All News WNEW-FM. The former WSFI-FM is now WLZL-FM.
Jackie Rinker Named Panama City Market Manager. Jackie Rinker is named Market Manager for Clear Channel’s Panama City, Florida, cluster effective February 1. Rinker has served as Director of Sales for Clear Channel Birmingham since February 2008. “We are very fortunate to find someone like Jackie to take over the Market Manager duties in Panama City,” says Clear Channel Regional Market Manager David Coppock. “Her extensive background in sales, and early career experience with this type of market will pay dividends for both our advertisers and team members in Panama City.”
Dave Sholin Joins Bend Radio Group Oregon. Longtime San Francisco air personality, programmer and music executive “The Duke” Dave Sholin is moving to the Pacific Northwest at Bend Radio Group’s Country KSJJ-FM, Bend, Oregon, where he will be assisting Operations Manager and Program Director Ed Lambert in programming KSJJ-FM and Bend Radio Group’s five-station cluster, starting February 13. Sholin will continue his voiceover/imaging work, and the operation of his marketing firm and the online Americana music format “The Train” heard on AccuRadio. “Bend is number one in the USA for outdoor recreation and Today’s Country, KSJJ 102.9 is the number one radio station in Central Oregon,” says Sholin. “It’s going to be fun to hit the trail early in the morning and then hit the post late in the afternoon! My thanks to owner Jim Gross and my longtime pal ‘Mister Ed’ Lambert for welcoming my wife Debbie and me to their family.”
Liberman Broadcasting Appoints Fred Boyer CFO. LBI Media parent Liberman Broadcasting appoints Frederic Boyer as SVP and Chief Financial Officer of LBI and each of its subsidiaries. He succeeds Wisdom Lu, who resigned as CFO to pursue other opportunities. Boyer, age 67, was most recently the CFO at DataDirect Networks, a data storage infrastructure provider. Previously, he was SVP/CFO of Optical Communication Products. “We are very thankful for the many contributions Wisdom has made at LBI, and wish her the utmost success in her new ventures,” says President/CEO and Secretary Lenard Liberman. “Moreover, we’re excited about the appointment of Fred as our Chief Financial Officer. Fred has the right mix of experience and will add significant value to the company based on his finance and operational skills and past experience as the Chief Financial Officer of both publicly traded and privately held companies.”
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