XPost: rec.radio.info

RadioInsight

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UNC Football & Men's Basketball Moves To WPTF

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 12:34 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211146/unc-football-mens-basketball-moves-to-wptf/



Curtis Media News/Talk 680 WPTF Raleigh/98.5 W253CY Cary NC will be the new home for University of North Carolina mens basketball and football starting
in September.

WPTF will carry all games for each team, plus coaches shows and the weekly Primetime in the ACC. WPTF succeeds iHeartMedias 106.1 FM Talk WTKK
Knightdale, which has carried the games since 2005.

Carolina Football and Mens Basketball have a new home on the radio in the Triangle area.

In conjunction with multimedia rights holder Tar Heel Sports Properties,
the Tar Heels have entered a new flagship relationship with Curtis Media
Group and WPTF 98.5 FM/680 AM for radio coverage of Football and Mens Basketball games in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill.

The multi-year agreement kicks off with the 2021-22 college athletics
season, and the first gameday broadcast on WPTF 98.5 FM and 680 AM will be Sept. 3, when Carolina Football plays at Virginia Tech. The stations also
will broadcast coaches shows for Football and Mens Basketball, and the
weekly show Primetime in the ACC.

We are excited about this partnership with Curtis Media Group, which will
help us tell the great stories of Carolina Athletics in the Triangle area
and across the state, said Carolina Associate Athletic Director for
External Communications Robbi Pickeral Evans. We know that Carolina fans
are excited about the year to come, and Curtis Medias wide reach will help
us connect and stay connected with our supporters.

Fans tuning in around the Triangle will continue to hear the familiar voice
of Jones Angell, play-by-play broadcaster for Carolina Football and Mens Basketball. WPTF covers Central and Eastern North Carolina on AM and FM.

As the largest locally owned radio group in North Carolina, we understand
the power of the Carolina brand, said Curtis Media Group President and
Chief Operating Officer Trip Savery. We are very pleased to welcome
Carolina alumni and fans to listen to Tar Heel football and basketball on
WPTF this fall.

Curtis Media Group owns 62 AM and FM radio signals across the state of
North Carolina, with some of the most admired brands in the communities
they serve.



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Whos Teaching Your Kids Oldies? You, And Radio

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 12:00 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/ross/210999/whos-teaching-your-kids-oldies-you-and-radio/



Veteran programmer Tony Waitekus still remembers the radio-station artist
visit from a local band who told him how much they liked oldies. “So I
asked them what some of their favorite oldies were. The first thing they
said was ‘Sha La La’ by ? & the Mysterians.”

“Sha La La” was a truly unlikely choice, not known to Waitekus, or to me at the time. The best-known song by ? & the Mysterians, “96 Tears,” was for years a staple of the Oldies format until the ‘60s gave way to the ‘70s and ‘80s at Classic Hits. But this wasn’t even “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby,”
revived by Smash Mouth in the late ‘90s. “Sha La La” was a late ‘60s post-hit collaboration with bubblegum producers Kasenetz & Katz, several
years after the band had any radio footprint.

When Waitekus told me that story a decade ago, it felt like oldies were becoming untethered from their context. By then, it was clear that movies,
TV, commercials, “American Idol,” and video games could help a song resurface. But there seemed to be more instances of oldies as random
exotica, as typified by NPR reporting on obscure Columbus, Ohio, R&B label Capsoul. But digging into that question now, it seems the older songs that
make their way to young listeners usually have a forensic trail, and one
that often leads back to radio.

Recently, WSWO-LP (Oldies 97.3) Dayton, Ohio, PD Tony Peters wrote in
response to our article on “Oldies XL,” stations like his with libraries that go beyond the Classic Hits safelist. In his own mobile-DJ work with younger audiences, Peters observed that a few “Blinding Lights” and “Uptown
Funk”-level recent monsters got requests, but most of his requests were for ‘50s to ‘90s songs.

So what were those teens and young adults asking for? I posed that question
to Peters, but to my Facebook friends as well. I specifically asked about “those songs beyond the ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’/ ’Brown Eyed Girl’ level of
all-ages wedding song consensus.” Even with that setup, there were very few true outliers. Of the responses, the songs and bands most often mentioned
were still radio staples, followed by some very prominent examples that had taken on a life of their own in pop culture.

Peters’ list of most-requested songs reads, almost, like power rotation at any researched Classic Hits station: “Come On Eileen,” “Take on Me,” “I
Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Africa,”
“Footloose,” and, yes, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”  But it also includes
Whitesnake’s “Still of the Night,” still heard on Classic Rock but not at the same frequency. 

Peters also notes, as did many respondents, “lots of requests from the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks,” such as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” or “Hooked on a Feeling.” He also says “I’m hearing the ‘50s
everywhere.” Thanks to video games, “I heard ‘Only You’ by the Platters blasting from my kid’s room the other day.”

As is often the case with lists of favorites, many readers’ lists that were mostly hits, but with a surprise or two. Mike Miranda’s 13-year-old granddaughter liked the Beatles and Queen, two acts often cited in the same breath by readers, but also Lesley Gore and Bobby Vee. Tom Lacko’s 25-year-old liked Tom Petty, Van Morrison, and Paul Carrack. Waterloo
Record writer Joel Rubinoff’s kids listened to Beatles, Queen, and the Guardians soundtrack, but had also discovered the band Tally Hall in the
online coding game Scratch.

Of the nearly 120 examples of songs or artists mentioned by readers, the biggest piece (about 40%) were for songs or bands that still had a
significant radio footprint at broadcast radio. Typically, that meant
Classic Rock staples, but it could also mean “Africa” or Michael Jackson. Mainstream AC’s reach also goes beyond its 35-54 stronghold. Matthew Wilder’s “Break My Stride” seemed like a random choice for TikTok fame last
year, but it was a song still heard at AC radio.

Veteran PD Cedric Hollywood mentioned the teen who requested Jodeci’s “Forever My Lady” specifically, but also the ‘90s in general. In fact, a few readers who mentioned ‘90s or specifically ‘90s Hip-Hop as getting requests from younger listeners, including Townsquare Utica, N.Y., OM Dave Wheeler. “All ages dance to ‘90s music and it’s time radio stop ignoring it,” he writes.

DISCOVER BILLY JOEL AND “VIENNA” WAITS

Even those younger listeners who liked superstar artists didn’t necessarily stop at the radio hits. There were a number of mentions of Billy Joel and
his “Uptown Girl”-level hits, but also two fans of “Vienna.” Queen’s “Don’t
Stop Me Now,” still not a radio song in North America, occupies a similar place in their pantheon as the more obvious hits. There were a lot of
mentions of Electric Light Orchestra in general, but any specific mentions
were for “Mr. Blue Sky,” propelled by Guardians and numerous other syncs.

Just because a song endured on the radio, radio wasn’t necessarily the
prompt for young listening. Queen could have been driven by Bohemian
Rhapsody, the movie. Elton John by Rocketman. Only about a third of readers mentioned how their kids knew certain songs or artists. But in half of
those instances, parents cited music that they had played for their kids,
in which case WAPS (The Summit) Akron, Ohio, PD Brad Savage’s
eight-year-old son liking Neil Young’s Harvest Moon album isn’t quite as unlikely.

After “songs and bands still heard on the radio,” the next largest chunk of responses, about a third, were for big hits that were less available these
days on broadcast radio. Many of those were songs and acts that still
occupy a place in the “eternal jukebox” of all-ages event records — Motown,
Beach Boys, Monkees, Chubby Checker, and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” A few were slightly more surprising — “Everyday People,” “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” “Runaround Sue.”

ETERNAL KID SONGS

There were the songs and acts that had retroactively found a place in pop culture that transcends radio — often with the help of TV and movies. Stranger Things didn’t quite have the footprint of Guardians, but did get mentioned. Bob Marley, Dolly Parton, and especially Johnny Cash made appearances. “Ring of Fire” is the Cash song with the biggest pop-culture footprint, followed by “I Walk the Line” and “Folsom Prison Blues,” but there were mentions of “Hey Porter” and “Ballad of a Teenage Queen” too.
Bill Cain cited Cash, but also Marty Robbins’ “El Paso,” Lorne Greene’s “Ringo,” and the sort of Country story songs that were teenage boy favorites 60 years ago.

Some songs have a long history of being passed down among generations long after their time on the radio had ended. Longtime music writer Chuck Eddy’s 13-year-old recently “became obsessed” with Allan Sherman’s “Hello Muddah,
Hello Faddah” before going to summer camp for the first time, then
discovered other Sherman songs. I knew Sherman—first “Muddah” but then othersfrom TV commercials, then from the syndicated Dr. Demento show in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Only about 12% of the responses named songs or artists that I’d consider
true outliers — not fitting any of the descriptions above. But they may
just be from video games or TV shows I’m not aware of. A neighbor once surprised me by saying that she was listening to the garage rock of Fort
Worth, Texas. Then I found out about this documentary. Today, the trail is often to TikTok, although somebody had to put those songs there in the
first place.

So when Country Insider’s Brian Mansfield mentions that his 19-year-old daughter likes “Oo-De-Lally” by Roger Miller from 1973’s Robin Hood soundtrack, it seems random. But that song was in an Android commercial,
and on Disney compilations, and remade by Eric Church on a tribute album. Frequent contributor Josh Hosler was surprised by a 12-year-old’s request
for “Me and My Arrow” by Nilsson at a recent party. But plenty of parents remembered it from the movie The Point as well.

Reader “Dr. Bob” Woodruff, now in his 20s, mentions finding “Today is Mine,” an obscure ‘70s Glen Campbell cover of a Jerry Reed song, in his teens — something he came across in a special on the opening of Walt Disney World. That probably ties for the most exotic answer with Savage, whose eight-year-old has discovered Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” from the Netflix film NextGen.

IT’S NOT “Y-Y-Y-YOUR GENERATION”!

When I first heard Waitekus’s “Sha-La-La” story, I had a strange twinge of
grumpy-old-man resentment. I had started listening to pop music just before ‘60s bubblegum peaked; it was a fond memory of childhood. As for older
music, I had gone back and taught myself that from Oldies radio, chart
books, and the recommendations of older friends who had lived through those songs as hits. I came to accumulate tons of obscure favorites over the
years through record collecting, but I felt like I had done the work to
place those songs in context. How dare some 22-year-old just stumble on
them? 

Canada’s Adam Sobolak, always one of my more thoughtful commenters, had a similar take. “These anecdotes of kids learning about songs through video games and TikTok seem strangely disembodied, entropic even — the product of an era of earbuds and cultural silos and memes. [It’s] like they’re bobbing their heads to these songs, yet they aren’t really seeking to know [about them], nor do they care to know.” But he also allows, “It might be like how my generation basically got their knowledge of classical and Broadway fare through Bugs Bunny cartoons.” 



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WXPN To Celebrate MTV Week In Honor Of Network's 40th Anniversary

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 06:32 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211138/wxpn-to-celebrate-mtv-week-in-honor-of-networks-40th-anniversary/



The 40th anniversary of MTV will be celebrated by Philadelphia public music radio station WXPN-FM with MTV Week special radio and digital programming
from Monday, August 2 through Friday, August 6.
MTV (Music Television) revolutionized the music industry when the music
video network was launched August 1, 1981, and its worldwide influence on
pop culture and entertainment continues today.
“Like WXPN did two years ago with the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, MTV
Week will celebrate the music and highlight the impact that music videos
have had on pop culture and music since the ‘80s,” said Bruce Warren, WXPN Assistant General Manager for Programming. “On-air and online listeners can join us in celebrating MTV’s 40th anniversary by hearing music from some of the era’s most iconic videos and MTV programs the one-hit wonders, Yo! MTV Raps, MTV Unplugged, 120 Minutes, and more.”


Highlights of WXPN’S MTV Week include:

Monday, August 2
9 am ET: The First 100 Music Videos on MTV

Tuesday, August 3
9 am ET: Top 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time
5 pm ET: Salute to Yo! MTV Raps


Wednesday, August 4
MTV Unplugged Day: Sets of music from MTV Unplugged releases throughout the
day


Thursday, August 5
All day: #TBT (Throwback Thursday) featuring music from 1981, the year MTV launched
8 pm 10 pm ET: World Cafe with special guest Rob Tannenbaum, author of I
Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution


Friday, August 6
9 am ET: “Friday Morning Mixtape” with Matt Pinfield, former host of MTV’s
alternative music program 120 Minutes
12 pm ET: “XPN Free At Noon” live concert broadcast with Philadelphia’s Pat
Finnerty and the Full Band performing songs from MTV’s golden age
4 pm ET: “Funky Friday” features the funky soul and R&B music from MTV classics from the 80s and early 90s
7 pm ET: WXPN host Robert Drake spins a special 24-hour marathon of ‘80s music, complete with a “Rock of the ‘80s Cam” that will capture the marathon and show the WXPN on-air studio festooned with ‘80s images and exclusive designs by Nicole and Nicole of Philadelphia’s South Street Art Mart


The social media hashtag for MTV Week on WXPN is #XPNMTVWeek. Join and
follow WXPN on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more about “MTV Week” on WXPN, click here. For more about member-supported WXPN, visit https://xpn.org.




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Westwood One Makes Additions To Affiliate Sales Team

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 04:48 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211133/westwood-one-makes-additions-to-affiliate-sales-team/



CUMULUS MEDIA’s Westwood One today announced new positions for Neal Weiner and Sue Falco in Affiliate Sales.

Neal Weiner has been elevated to Vice President of Affiliate Sales for 24/7 Formats. Neal is a 26-year veteran of Westwood One and has been an integral part of the Affiliate Sales team working with 24/7 Formats, Music and Entertainment Shows, Sports, and Prep Services. He began his professional
radio career at the legendary Pirate Radio in Los Angeles, which was owned
by Westwood One at the time.

In addition, industry veteran Sue Falco returns to Westwood One as Director
of Affiliate Sales for the Music Entertainment division, bringing her
strong industry relationships across all formats to her new role. Earlier
in her career, Falco spent six years at the company as part of both the News/Talk and the Country affiliate sales teams. She most recently served
for ten years as Director of Affiliate Sales with United Stations.

Both Weiner and Falco will report to Stuart Greenblatt, Senior Vice
President of Affiliate Sales.

“With more than a quarter century with Westwood One, Neal knows this
business inside and out. And Sue’s new role brings her full circle back to Westwood One, along with valuable experience and strong industry relationships.” said Stuart Greenblatt, Senior Vice President of Affiliate Sales. “There are no better people to assume these roles and drive Westwood One’s affiliate sales.”

“We have fantastic new offerings in the pipeline for helping our affiliates to operate smoothly and efficiently, and to sound amazing,” said Weiner. “I’m honored to assume this role at such an exciting time!”

“Westwood One is synonymous with great programming and super-sized talent,” said Falco. I’m thrilled to be back on the team with such a well-respected brand.”



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Skyview Adds New Affiliates For B-Dub Radio & Country Top 40 with Fitz

Posted: 27 Jul 2021 04:46 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211131/skyview-adds-new-affiliates-for-b-dub-radio-country-top-40-with-fitz/



B-Dub Radio, through its syndication partner, Skyview Networks, reaches 85 affiliates with the recent addition of ten stations in Q2 of 2021. Boosted
by the weeknight program, which offers stations two options, including a
fully produced show and a content-only version that leaves the music
selection to program directors, stations are selecting B-Dub Radio six
nights a week.

Station additions include:

Six Nights/Week

KFGE-FM, Lincoln, NE

KZBG-FM, Lapwai, ID (Spokane DMA)

KDRK-FM, Spokane

KGNC-FM, Amarillo

KXDD-FM, Yakima

WKVS-FM, Lenoir, NC (Charlotte DMA)

KFLY-FM, Eugene, OR

Saturday Nights

WYGB-FM, Edinburgh, IN (Indianapolis DMA)

WUSJ-FM, Madison, MS

Weeknights

WFAY-FM, Fayetteville NC

KFGE-FM (Froggy) is the most recent affiliate signing on for B-Dub Radio
six nights a week, with Music Director and APD, Kyle Matthews, commenting, “We are really excited to add B-Dub to our Froggy family in Lincoln. His ability to localize his show and drive our listeners to his content online
is something that stood out to us. The working relationship that we have already developed gives us the confidence that our listeners will enjoy and welcome him to our station.”

Host, Bryan “B-Dub” Washington, added, “It is a huge milestone to reach 85
affiliates and I am thrilled that the expansion of B-Dub Radio to
weeknights is so well received. Our ability to deliver on-demand local
content in individual markets at a moment’s notice is a value proposition that is not easily replicated.”

Skyview Networks is the exclusive distributor, affiliate sales manager and network sales partner of B- Dub Radio. For affiliation information of B-Dub Radio and B-Dub Radio Saturday Night, including show clocks and sample
audio, visit skyviewcountry.com or email affiliation@skyviewsat.com.




Skyview Networks’ Country Top 40 with Fitz (CT40 with Fitz) is growing

again, with six station additions, including:

WKKG-FM, Columbus, IN

WUSJ-FM, Jackson, MS

KCGY-FM, Laramie/Cheyenne, WY

WOKK-FM, Meridian, MS

WJDT-FM, Tri-Cities, TN

KCLR-FM, Columbia/Jefferson City, MO

Traci Lee, Program Director for WUSJ-FM commented, “We are thrilled to have Fitz and CT40 in Central Mississippi! We are all about that hometown
feeling and Fitz has a way of making you feel so welcome. Sure, you can put
any countdown on your station, but if you want something that is friendly, familiar and fresh, CT40 is the best option.”

As the longest running countdown on radio, Fitz as host is writing the next chapter of CT40, adding new segments, benchmarks and events. Fitz will be broadcasting from radio row for the upcoming ACM’s and CMA’s, delivering A-list interviews for listeners coast to coast.

Skyview Networks is the exclusive distributor, affiliate sales manager and network sales partner of CT40 with Fitz. For more information on
affiliation, please contact affiliation@skyviewsat.com and visit Skyview Networks’ country platform at SkyviewNetworks.com/Skyview-Country to learn more.

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