This could be Ryan Seacrest’s last year hosting “American Idol.” According to the Hollywood Reporter, the radio and TV host is in the homestretch of a 2009 contract extension that pays him $15 million a year and is not likely to be renewed for that price. According to an unnamed “Idol” insider quoted in the story, Seacrest can be replaced for $2 to 3 million a year. In addition, says the report, Seacrest’s biggest ally, “Idol” creator Simon Fuller, is no longer associated with the show. And the speculation is that Seacrest, who has hosted the show for all 11 of its seasons, is not likely to accept a pay cut. That’s especially so if the Wall Street Journal is correct that NBCUniversal is grooming Seacrest to take over co-hosting “The Today Show” for Matt Lauer, whose contract also expires this year.
Former FCC Chairman Michael Powell regrets his 2004 vote in favor of changing agency policy to fine radio and TV stations for fleeting expletives. “If I were voting again, I would have dissented,” says Powell, who is now President of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association. In an interview with Bloomberg, in advance of the U.S. Supreme Court case on broadcast indecency, Powell says, “I’ve always been deeply troubled by the way the First Amendment changes when you change channels.” His current position puts him on the side of Fox Networks Group as well as cable operators. Fox is one of the broadcast companies fighting the fleeting expletives policy before the Supreme Court which is set to hear arguments Tuesday (Jan. 10).
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.”
Spanish Broadcasting System promotes Zev Levy to Los Angeles Director of Sales, overseeing sales efforts for KLAX-FM and KXOL-FM, plus SBS Interactive and SBS Entertainment in the marklet. Levy has been with SBS L.A. for three years.
“We are thrilled to have Zev Levy as part of SBS’ management team,” says SBS CRO Albert Rodriguez. “His experience and reputation in the industry is a valuable asset to the stations. Zev’s commitment to SBS’ Los Angeles market highlights the growing importance of the Hispanic community that we serve. We are confident that he will be a valuable contributor to the future success of SBS LA for years to come.”
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.”
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.
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