XPost: rec.radio.info

RadioInsight

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Close to the Edit (Pop Radio and Redacted Lyrics)

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 11:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/ross/211174/close-to-the-edit-pop-radio-and-redacted-lyrics/



I’m still in my honeymoon phase with Dua Lipa, “Love Again.” It’s a song
I’m hearing whenever I spend any time with CHR radio. It’s still a song I want to hear all the way through. Like three Dua Lipa hits before it, “Love Again” is a great hit single that confirms that listeners still like
uptempo hit singles. Yesterday afternoon, I heard WHTZ (Z100) New York
follow it with Olivia Rodrigo, “Good 4 U,” and I thought “if only Top 40 had a supply of hip, relatively recent titles to sustain the pace for a
whole hour.”

The first PD whom I discussed “Love Again” with was very aware of what exclamation precedes “you got me in love again” on the non-radio edit. He heard a gaping hole on the radio single. I thought it was barely
noticeable. “Good 4 U” has the line “screw that and screw you.” It also has
the less complicated version of “damn” than “Love Again.” (Z100, by the way, did very well in June, during a time when Rodrigo became an event for
the Top 40 format.)

Edited lyrics are among the big questions in the discussion of whether kids will ever come back to broadcast radio when Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits has no such challenge. Adults are an issue, too. Mom is our best shot at
modeling the radio again for her family. In the last six years, she has had
to deal with a nearly endless stream of not-so-melodious, not-so-uptempo records, each opening with the same manipulated vocal chops. Now she may be listening to a heavily redacted edit that makes sense only if you know the original. It’s more sonic dissonance at a time when people need less cacophony in life.

That listener isn’t likely shocked by the real lyrics if she grew up on “Party Me (Up in Here)” by DMX or if she made Nelly’s “Ride Wit Me” one of
the strongest female records ever the song that effectively invented the “mom jam.” The turbopop-driven CHR revival of 2008-12 was driven by melodic but lyrically edgy songs that adults were able to enjoy nonetheless. Throughout, the attitude seemed to be “I am not shocked, just please don’t teach my kids to curse.” Now her kids are likely listening to a Rosetta
Stone home course in cursing under their earbuds. “Who exactly are we protecting?” asked Ross on Radio reader Matthew Arnett.

As has been the case for the last 15 years, radio and labels have been inconsistent about what gets through. Decades after Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine” played on radio with few second thoughts, Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” edits the reference to “weed.” Numerous Country songs now have
references to enjoying some “smoke.” The likelihood that a 16-year-old understands one but not the other is low. The title of “Build a Bitch” is an issue for some stations, but didn’t that barrier fall with Elton John in 1974?

My sense is that the bar could move slightly. I recently heard Bill Hennes’ Today’s Hottest Hits channel play the unedited version of “Peaches,” and it
hardly seemed outrageous. Then it played the edit of Saweetie & Doja Cat’s “Best Friend,” and I could certainly hear how that song, unedited, would have gone to a different place. “Let the drug, weed, and gun references
fly; draw the line at F-bombs,” says reader Charlie Mitchell. “I felt this way 30 years ago and still feel this way today.”

For that reason, the first action step is consistency. Radio should provide
the labels with consistent guidance on where it draws the line — even if
that varies among types of markets. The current policy of “let’s see what we can get away with” for three weeks followed by “oh good, there’s a label
edit that now seems overly cautious” hasn’t helped anybody.

Continue to treat radio as a partner. Labels seem to care more about
streams than spins. Yet, the traditional hit records that work best for
radio create an extra set of streaming hits. Radio still needs edits that
do something other than remind you how much better a song sounds elsewhere. (Madison Beer’s “B.S.” was brilliant, but the edit entirely camouflaged the
intent of the lyric. Within two weeks, it became the rare song that truly pushed radio too far.) The hook would be a good start. I’m hoping for an eventual version of Big Red Machine f/Taylor Swift’s “Renegade” with “get
yourself together.” But just from a label self-interest standpoint, it
seems like non-redacted hooks would test better.

Is this another job for HD Radio? Recently I suggested that there might be
a value to using HD-2 channels as an unhosted version of a station’s main feed. Another alternate use would be an FCC relaxation of language
regulations for subchannels: one version for when families in the car
together, another for when they’re not. FM translators would not be exempt, meaning that only those HD stations allowed to take advantage of this are
those not competing as separate FM services.

The most important thing about hearing “Love Again” next to “Good 4 U” was
hearing two hip, uptempo hits that felt like actual hits for CHR and Hot
AC, not merely taking a flier on anything uptempo out of eagerness. When
there are 12 equally good songs an hour, the lyric issue may be less of an issue. But it couldn’t hurt for radio to take control and send a clear signal. 



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Stacie Bartro Joins Earth-FM As Morning Co-Host

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 10:45 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211229/stacie-bartro-joins-earth-fm-as-morning-co-host/



Salem Media Greenville SC has announced the addition of Stacie Bartro in
the dual role of morning co-host to Bill Love on Classic Hits 103.3/95.9 Earth-FM WRTH Greer/WLTE Pendleton and morning news anchor on Conservative
Talk 94.5 The Answer WGTK-FM Greenville.

Bartro was APD/afternoon host on AC Magic 98.9 WSPA-FM from 2006 to 2014.
She most recently worked as a reporter for News/Talk Word 106.3 WYRD-FM and running her own voiceover business.

Salem Media Group South Carolina welcomes Stacie Bartro to our Salem
family!

Stacie’s career background includes broadcasting for music and news
formats, customer service and public relations. The past fourteen years she
has been doing imaging work for radio stations throughout the U.S. Stacie
was most recently heard locally on Audacy’s WYRD as a reporter and, previously with Audacy/Entercom as APD and air talent for Magic 98.9.

Stacie loves to engage the listener by delivering factual and fun
information while keeping “local” and “community” top of mind. This makes
her a perfect fit for our live and local, community-minded 103.3/95.9
Earth-FM WRTH. While other groups are laying off local talent we’re
doubling down.

“I’m gonna make Bill Love look really good …. Or, really bad! Buckle up!!” Stacie Bartro

She’ll begin her new venture in radio Monday morning, August 2nd, with Bill Love on 103.3/95.9 Earth-FM WRTH. A few days after acclamation, she’ll
take on morning news during The Morning Answer with Joey Hudson on 94.5
WGTK The Answer.




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Ace & TJ To Depart Hits 96.1 Charlotte

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 06:15 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211225/ace-tj-to-depart-hits-96-1-charlotte/



For the second time in a matter of months, a Charlotte based syndicated
show is losing its longtime flagship.

The Ace TJ Show announced they will depart iHeartMedia CHR Hits 96.1 WHQC Shelby/Charlotte on September 1 after nine and a half years at the station.
Ace TJ joined WHQC in January 2012 following a thirteen year run at CHR
Kiss 95.1 WNKS.

The duo announced on the air today that they will move their local show to their Ace TJ app. The show earlier this week announced they will be
promoting the show as Ace TJ 5G as the first radio show distributed for 5G mobile distribution with content on radio, streaming, podcasting, social
media, and the web.

The Ace TJ Show will continue to air in syndication in their 14 other
markets. WHQC is the second longtime iHeartMedia owned affiliate to lose
the show in recent months. Ace TJ moved from 103.7 The Q WQEN Birmingham
to SummitMedias Mix 97.3 WPYA in April.

The move of Ace TJ off of WHQC follows Bob Sheris departure from longtime flagship 107.9 WLNK to Beasley Media AC K104.7 WKQC in May.

WHQC has not yet announced plans for its morning show going forward.



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Station Sales Week Of 7/30

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 04:30 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211214/station-sales-week-of-7-30/



David Klements Community Broadcast Partners purchases Red Dirt Rebel 105.7
KRBL Idalou/Lubbock TX from the bankrupt Walker Broadcasting and
Communications for $150,000. Not included in the deal are the 6.44 acres of land holding the stations transmitter site.

Saga Communications fills out its Greenfield MA holdings with the purchase
of Standards 1520 WIZZ/100.5 W263DE Greenfield from Phillip Drumhellers PM Radio for $61,800. Saga owns five other stations serving the Greenfield
area.

Edward and Tamara De La Hunts De La Hunt Media will acquire the multiple license holding companies held by his parents Edward and Carol De La Hunt
in Minnesota for $1,150,000. De La Hunt Media will purchase Hot Country
92.5 KXKK Park Rapids, Standards Starstation 97.5 KDKK Park Rapids, AC
101.9 KQKK Walker, Country/Talk 870 KPRM/100.5 K263BR Park Rapids, Classic
Hits 1570 KAKK/96.3 K242AY Walker, 94.7 K234CQ Staples and the CP for 93.7 K229DJ Walker. The younger De La Hunts already own Country Coyote 102.5
KKWB Kelliher/Bemidji.

Icicle Broadcasting sells News/Talk 1230 KOZI Chelan, AC 93.5 KOZI-FM Chelan/103.1 K276CY Masnson, and Z Country 94.7 KZAL Manson to Chelan
Valley Media Group LLC for $597,000.

Central Educational Broadcasting donates Christian AC Christian-FM 91.9
WSCF-FM Vero Beach FL to Treasure Coast Educational Media. The donee owns translator 98.3 W252BB Vero Beach, which rebroadcasts WSCF-FM.

Anscombe Broadcasting Group sells Silent 1490 WSIR Winter Haven FL to Walco Enterprises for $47,500.
Translator Sales

Immanuel Broadcasting Network sells 102.1 W271CV Atlanta to Light Media Holdings for $300,000. The translator has been operated by Light Media
Holdings as part of the Classic Hits Fox-FM brand since January fed via iHeartMedias 96.1 WWPW-HD4 Atlanta.

Spirit Communications sells 91.1 W216CN Chillicothe OH to WLOH Radio
Company for $30,000. W216CN recently applied to move to 101.7 which if
approved will allow it to rebroadcast the buyers 1320 WLOH Lancaster OH.

Montgomery Broadcasting LLC acquires 97.5 K248CZ Cheyenne WY from Vic
Michaels Mountain Community Translators for $20,000. The translator already rebroadcasts the buyers Sports 1240 KFBC Cheyenne.

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