XPost: alt.radio.broadcasting

RadioInsight

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WesTex Telco Acquires Abilene Trio

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 03:47 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/230521/westex-telco-acquires-abilene-trio/



Rodney Amonetts WesTex Telco is purchasing Canfin Enterprises three
stations in Abilene TX for $350,000.

The deal includes Spanish CHR Star 106.3 KKHR, News/Talk 1340 KWKC, and
Silent (formerly Sports) 1560 KZQQ all licensed to Abilene. The deal will
add the three stations to the buyers Variety Hits 101.7 The Raider KTJK
Hawley.

We reported on domain registrations related to this deal in our Domain
Insight report earlier today.


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Mix 105.1 Albuquerque Debuts New On-Air Lineup

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 03:16 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/230514/mix-105-1-albuquerque-debuts-new-on-air-lineup/



American General Media Hot AC Mix 105.1 KKRG-FM Santa Fe/Albuquerque has debuted a new on-air lineup effective immediately.

Premiere Networks Brooke Jeffrey continues to lead off the day at the
station from 5-11am. VirtualJocks Corinna Delgado is added for middays from 11am-3pm. Delgado continues to host mornings at Classic Hits 94.7 The Drive WIAD Washington DC as well as stations for Audacy in Austin and Baltimore. Newly appointed Program Director Jonathan J Steele will follow from 3-5pm. Rounding out the schedule will be G Networks Liveline with Mason live from 5-10pm.

With the lineup changes, KKRG-FM has dropped the Jubal Show from afternoons.


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Tony & Kris Depart WIVK

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 02:30 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/230465/tony-kris-depart-wivk/



The Tony Kris show has departed mornings at Cumulus Country 107.7 WIVK Knoxville.

The duo are promoting a Facebook Live broadcast for Wednesday, June 29
stating, There’s a big change in the world of Tony Kris. Join the guys for
a special, bittersweet FB Live In the morning at 8:30.

Tony Randall and Kris Rochester became the fourth morning show in WIVKs 50+ year history in July 2017. They first were paired together at WHMA Anniston
AL in the early 1990s and had a long run in San Diego at 97.3 KSON and then US95.7 KUSS before hosting a syndicated morning show from 2009 until just
prior to joining WIVK in 2017.

Rochester confirmed their departure to Country Aircheck, stating that they
have “a few irons in the fire.

Cumulus has already put up a posting seeking a new morning show for WIVK.


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KEXP Promotes Ethan Raup To President/CEO

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 02:29 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/230500/kexp-promotes-ethan-raup-to-president-ceo/



Friends of KEXP AAA 90.3 KEXP Seattle has announced the promotion of Ethan
Raup to President/CEO succeeding Tom Mara.

Raup has been with KEXP since 2014 and has served as COO of the station
since 2016 previously holding the titles of Chief of Staff and General
Manager. He previously spent his career in local government as Director of Policy and Operations for the City of Seattle and held  roles in Ellensburg
WA and Pittsburgh PA.

Today, the Board of Directors of KEXP announced their selection of Ethan
Raup to serve as the organizations next President and CEO. Succeeding
long-time CEO Tom Mara, Raup will be elevated to the position after serving
as Chief Operating Officer at KEXP since 2016. The selection process
spanned more than six months and involved an international search led by
Arts Consulting Group, as well as a process engaging all KEXP staff members.

To me, everything we do comes back to music and our incredible DJs and
staff, said Raup. I am committed to leading by empowering and bringing out
the best in those around me. Together, it’s our responsibility to keep bringing new life and new energy to our work and to do so with intention
and thoughtfulness and without turning our back on where we’ve been. I’m ready to work hard to translate our shared values into action and help the
KEXP community generate even more positive impact in the lives of music
lovers in Seattle and all around the world.

During his tenure at KEXP, Raup has led efforts to improve transparency and participation in decision-making for all staff levels, and pushed forward investments in pay equity, including raising KEXP’s pay floor and
dedicating substantial resources to eliminating gender and race pay disparities. As Chief Operating Officer, he oversaw strategic investments
in technology and infrastructure that will enable KEXP to serve digital audiences more fully, and championed meaningful changes to KEXP’s
programming and internal roles in alignment with KEXP’s commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization.

The Search committee considered dozens of candidates from around the
world,” said KEXP Board President Jill Singh, who helped to lead the
process to identify and select KEXP’s next chief executive, along with a cross-section of the members of the KEXP Board of Directors and executive search firm Arts Consulting Group. “Each candidate brought unique perspectives and ideas, but none inspired us the way Ethan did. His
knowledge of KEXP, its staff, listeners and journey to be an anti-racist organization fully formed his vision for what KEXP might achieve in the
future. He is the right leader for this moment, and we look forward to
working collaboratively with him to further the mission of KEXP.

KEXP began as KCMU, a 10-watt student-run station at the University of Washington, and is celebrating its 50th year in operation in 2022. Through
the decades, the station has evolved and changed, but has remained focused
on music discovery and human-centered curation. As the process to select a
new CEO unfolded, the search team remained focused on identifying a
candidate that could respect and uphold the current values and programming while also identifying a path to grow impact in the future.

“KEXP is at an incredible place in its growth, and as a search committee we knew we wanted a servant-leader with vision, operational excellence, and a
true understanding of the KEXP ethos,” said Cindy Bolton, board member and CFO of the Seattle Art Museum. “We cast a very wide net and after an
in-depth process, found the answer was right here all along. Through his skillful balancing of resources and priorities, empathetic and encouraging leadership style, and ability to identify opportunities for improvement and move swiftly to act on them, Ethan has shown that hes exactly the right
choice to serve as KEXPs new CEO.

“Ethan showed up to the interview process with both ideas and humility,” said Megan Jasper, KEXP board member and CEO of Sub Pop Records. “I am
moved by his dedication to keep KEXP strong so that music can continue
serving as a vehicle to enrich peoples lives and to bring and hold us
together in this increasingly complex world. He has a solid understanding
of the stations operations and has interesting new ideas to drive the
station and its mission forward in a way that incorporates its key values
and allows the rest of us to rock, sway, swerve, and headbang our way
through the day.

Prior to joining KEXP in 2014, Raup served as Director of Policy and
Operations at the City of Seattle under Mayor Mike McGinn, where he oversaw
the operation of City departments. His previous experience also includes tenures in other local governments and community development organizations. Raup will begin his service as CEO on July 1st.

About the KEXP Board and CEO Search Process: 

The KEXP Board has 18 members from the community, and is made up of 50%
women, 50% men, and 39% BIPOC
Board Search Committee consisting of: Cindy Bolton, CFO of Seattle Art
Museum, Megan Jasper, CEO of Sub Pop Records, Scott Redman, CEO of Sellen Construction, Erika Sanchez, Vice President of Insurance and Assurance
Line, Expedia Group, and Jill Singh, Board President and community
volunteer, along with KEXP staff members Rebecca Denk, CFO, and Kim Coyne, Executive Assistant to the CEO and Chief Programming Officer
Arts Consulting Group was selected from seven search firm interviews and
chosen for their expertise in arts and culture recruiting and corporate
values, more information can be found at
https://artsconsulting.com/about-us/
Of the more than 50 qualified applicants, about 20 were interviewed in
multiple phases. Of these, 35% were women, and 29% were members of the
BIPOC community
Four finalists were selected and participated in all-day interviews with members of the search committee, board and staff
KEXP staff and board survey responses were incorporated into the final selection
The board voted unanimously for Ethan Raup to be the next CEO for KEXP




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Forge 103.9 Bakersfield Adds The Baka Boyz

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 01:07 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/230496/forge-103-9-bakersfield-adds-the-baka-boyz/



After moving the Dana Cortez Show from afternoons to mornings in April,
Cesar Chavez Foundation Hip Hop “Forge 103.9” KBDS Taft/Bakersfield has added Compass Media Networks and Oceanic Tradewinds Baka Boyz for
afternoons.

The World-Famous Baka Boyz (aka Eric and Nick Vidal) announce the newest affiliate “Forge 103.9” Bakersfield for their daily show.  The daily show launched in summer 2021 in partnership with Compass Media Networks and
Oceanic Tradewinds.
Maria Barquin, Program Director Forge 103.9, states “We are excited to welcome the Baka Boyz to Forge!  This show is the perfect complement to our unique format!  We know Bakersfield is the Baka home and listeners are
going to love them as much as we do!”
Bob Fuentes, Music Director KBDS Forge 103.9, adds “It was the easiest decision to make to have The Baka Boyz back on the radio in their hometown,
its what Bakersfield has been missing, Welcome home to the Baka Boyz!”
The Baka Boyz comment “Not many people know that the Baka Boyz name was inspired because we got our start in Bakersfield. We were the Bakersfield
Boyz. It means so much to us to be heard back home on The Forge. Thank you,
Bob and Maria.”
The syndicated program is delivered content-only so stations can program
their own music, whether its Hip-Hop, Classic Hip Hop, Rhythmic AC,
Throwback, Urban AC, even Pop, or Rhythmic CHR.
For more information or to reserve your market on the Baka Boyz daily show, contact Nancy Abramson atnabramson@compassmedianetworks.com or Gary
Bernstein at gary@oceanictradewinds.com



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Domain Insight 6/28: Potential Changes In Abilene & Athens

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 01:00 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/netgnomes/230482/domain-insight-6-28-potential-changes-in-abilene-athens/



Multiple changes appear to be on the way in Abilene TX, while a new signal
is preparing to launch in Athens GA.
This content is for Premium Annual and Premium Monthly members only. Visit
the site and log in/register to read.


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93.7 The Fan Adds Dorin Dickerson To Morning Show

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 10:09 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/230469/93-7-the-fan-adds-dorin-dickerson-to-morning-show/



Audacy Sports 93.7 The Fan KDKA-FM Pittsburgh has announced that former University of Pittsburgh and NFL tight end Dorin Dickerson will join its morning show alongside Colin Dunlap and Chris Mack on August 1.

Dickerson has served as a weekend host at KDKA-FM and anchor of 1020 KDKAs
high school football coverage since retiring from the NFL in 2017. The
Western Pennsylvania native played at Pitt before being drafted by the
Houston Texans in 2010 later played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New
England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Tennessee Titans.

Audacy welcomes former NFL veteran Dorin Dickerson to 93.7 The Fan
(KDKA-FM) in Pittsburgh. Dickerson will join “The Fan Morning Show” alongside co-hosts Colin Dunlap and Chris Mack, weekdays beginning August 1.

“It is always great to see someone grow within our organization, and
through his time in various roles with us, Dorin has truly developed into a host who can entertain on topics well beyond the field,” said Michael Spacciapolli, Vice President and Market Manager of Audacy Pittsburgh. “As a former All-American at Pitt and NFL player, Dorin has a perspective that
our listeners truly appreciate and we are extremely excited to welcome his thoughts on the sports world and all things Pittsburgh to ‘The Fan Morning Show’ every day.”

“Excited is an understatement…I didn’t know what my purpose was after I retired from the NFL,” said Dickerson. “Five years ago, I found myself sitting in the 93.7 The Fan studio doing a three-hour show, and immediately fell in love with sports radio. That opportunity wouldn’t have happened if
it weren’t for Larry Richert having faith in me and passing my name along
to the station. I can’t thank Michael Spacciapolli and brand manager Kraig Riley enough for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. I plan to bring positive energy, experience, and fun to The Fan Morning Show.’ I can’t wait.”

Dickerson started his football career in western PA and was a High School
All American and Pennsylvania Player of the Year in 2005 at West Allegheny.
He played for the University of Pittsburgh and was First-team All American tight end in 2009. Dickerson was a seventh-round draft pick to the Houston Texans in 2010 and played six seasons in the NFL for the Pittsburgh
Steelers, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Tennessee Titans. He
joined the station in February 2017 as an on-air personality.


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Targeting Younger Audiences: A Supersession

Posted: 28 Jun 2022 09:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/blogs/229856/targeting-younger-audiences-a-supersession/



In Early May, the Canadian Music Week conference convened a panel of international programmers to discuss the issue of targeting younger
audiences, a challenge for broadcasters that has only become more
noticeable over the last two years. Programmers from four major youth
brands, including SiriusXM’s new TikTok radio talked about facing those challenges. Here are highlights from the session, which aired in June;
comments have been edited for clarity.    

SEAN ROSS, moderator: What are stations doing specifically to target
younger listeners?

REBECCA FRANK, Content Director, KISS UK: We’re trying to attract those audiences to the brand and not just the radio station … For us the mantra
of “right content, right platform, right time” is really pertinent to the Kiss network. We have three main stations, one of which is very much
targeted under 25 and clutter-free. It’s pure music. It’s real expert influencers who are hosting . . . . TikTok is our priority social brand at
the moment, but there are no [repurposed] clips of our radio shows. It’s
very important that we are native on those platforms, not just a radio
operator on social media. 

KAREN STEELE, PD, CKFM (Virgin Radio) Toronto: We made a decision to almost future-proof what we’re doing … Everything we do is to provide that companionship with our listeners in a way that can’t be matched in real
time by most streaming services. We’re having the conversations that matter to them, and that connect in a way [that] they can see themselves or hear themselves in the personalities on our radio stations. 

LOUIE DIAZ, VP/Top 40 & Rhythmic Top 40, Cumulus Media: We wanted to create
a personality driven daypart that connects first on the FM because radio
lost that a long time ago with [consolidation] and cutbacks. We’re slowly coming back to creating personalities on the radio, then repurposing that content because we’re still on step one. As far as having unique TikTok curators for our channels, we’re steaming full speed ahead but we’re not there yet. 

ROSS: Nights used to be prime-time for the Top 40 format. Do they still
matter?

DIAZ: Over the last 10 years, we managed to move away from that with voice-tracks or just playing music. This year, Cumulus EVP of programming
Brian Philips and I got together and decided to change this trend. [We
wanted to create a night show that was] a prequel to the [morning
syndicated] Bert Show. The Eliott & Nina night show is targeted 10-15 years younger. It’s like the difference between 1883 and Yellowstone.  

FRANK: Evenings are super-important for us. Listening is on smart speakers.
[At our events, we] give out smart speakers and connected Bluetooth
speakers to the audience. In early evening, we have a really important
gateway show that takes us from daytime programming to specialist programming. 

ROSS: One of the most intriguing station launches of 2021 was SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio. Please tell us about that station and how it’s different.  

MARIE STEINBOCK, Director of Music Programming, Sirius XM: TikTok Radio : I work daily with the TikTok Music editorial team to curate our playlist. We
have five different TikTok creators that are on our channel daily. We don’t have any specific times that they’re on. You’ll hear from four different creators every hour. 

ROSS: How do you find music?

STEINBOCK: We’re playing songs that are trending and taking off on listeners’ For You Pages. We look at the data we receive from TikTok to see what’s trending. It’s not all new music, which I’m sure everyone is aware of. We’ll have a ‘70s song followed by something brand newa Harry Stylesfollowed by something from the early ‘00s. It’s era-less and genre-less. I’m trying to break the mold of the traditional channels that
we have on Sirius XM.

ROSS: And some songs only play for 30 seconds

STEINBOCK: With a lot of these songs, if you hear the part that’s trending, it’s really catchy but the rest of the 3-4 minute song might not be recognizable enough, so we’ll just play the 30-second snippet that’s trending. The song is in the zeitgeist but we don’t want to turn younger audiences away when they don’t know the rest of the song.

ROSS: So how should channels that are not TikTok Radio acknowledge
streaming?

DIAZ: Streaming is a big, big force for us. A big number of streams are
driven by an artist’s particular fandom. Harry Styles fans will make sure a song is No. 1 in streaming everywhere. Does that mean everybody over the
age of 25 is familiar with that song? The answer is most likely no. In
callout, songs still take 4 to 6-7 weeks to become familiar with anybody
over 18  . . . The record label business plan with streaming and DSPs are often out of sync with FM radio. They’re ready to move on because a song is down 60% at their DSPs while songs are just starting to test, even with teenagers … We just cannot keep up with the speed that the DSPs are going.
It will never work.

ANDREW FORSYTH, Radio Consultant, Luminate: You see that when all 10 Drake songs are streaming that those songs tend to go away, but the song that
radio has picked up on … gets a second wind and you start to see it
[rebound] on the streaming side. 

ROSS: Knowing all this, how should radio have handled ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’? [At the time of the panel taping in early May, “Running Up That Hill” hadn’t yet made its pop culture comeback.]

DIAZ: There was Frozen, there was the Hamilton cast album. This has
happened before where songs get overexposed in movies before radio can deal with it. Is it a design flaw in radio? [On the day of the panel, Lady
Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick had just come out.] We’re going to see that stream. Why is that OK and “Bruno” not OK? It’s a unique
problem that we have inherited in radio that at some point we need to get
past.

ROSS: When Top 40 was last at its healthiest, the mother/daughter coalition
was very important in terms of driving younger listening. What role do
parents play now in helping get younger audiences’ attention?

FRANK: It’s important to bring [coalitions] together but still create those [online] places where younger generations can have their own space … We’re noticing the cool of the nostalgia [for older music]. Throwback music is
cool to both younger generations who weren’t on the dancefloor the first
time and the moms my age, forty-plus, who definitely were, especially that ‘90s stuff for us which is absolutely banging. That’s where the mothers and daughters can get together.

ROSS: Adolescence and young adulthood have always been difficult, and have
only become more difficult during COVID. What do listeners want us to talk about, especially in the context of entertainment programming?

FRANK: Where there is culture there is a counter-culture. [For every
listener who wants to discuss social issues,] we have people who love the Kardashians and Love Island. There is no one 17-year-old . . . There is no magic bullet. There is no one kind of subject matter.

DIAZ: [When we need to] we move away from music to something that has
worked really well for us … Talking about suicide prevention and mental health issues that are going on with Coronavirus and missing your high
school graduation and missing your prom. Our morning show and Elliot & Nina have all spoken to experts about this on the air and had a huge amount of audience back and forth, like the old days … It takes a long time for the
air personalities to become a trusted voice for the audience.

ROSS: Radio didn’t “ask for the order” from younger listeners for a long time. How do we know they’ll listen now, even if we ask?

DIAZ: It’s possible but it’s going to be in very limited windows. If the window is between 6 a.m. and 7:45 a.m., you have that small window to try
to get them exposed to your product again and try to get them to come back
at 3 p.m. Nowhere in there should we think that they even know we exist or
what we’ve been doing for the last 25 years.

FRANK: It’s about discoverability. Their thumb is constantly drifting on a mobile phone . . .. If we try to push them from a mobile phone to a box in
a room, that’s not going to happen for us. 

STEELE: We’re looking at socials as an opportunity to bring people back
into real-time listening. Our morning show feature Ghosted is also
available on demand. Consumers can listen to it on their own time and think “this is something I would enjoy listening to live.”

STEINBOCK: We get a lot of feedback that listeners are finding our channel through ride-shares. I don’t know if the drivers are [choosing us because] TikTok is in the title and they just want to connect with [younger
listeners] … Like Louie said, we’re just trying to figure out those small snippets of the day when we can connect with them. Hearing themselves and seeing themselves reflected in the programming and on-air talent is
important and we’ve been really trying to do that as well. 

ROSS: There are a lot of negative headlines about radio, especially when it comes to younger listeners. What makes you feel optimistic now?

DIAZ: The great news for Cumulus is that the country is in a better place, coming out of COVID. The feel-good momentum is certainly there for this
format. You can see it in consumption for DSPs, you can see it in the
concerts that people are attending. It’s a feel-good vibe now. We’re trying to ride that wave. Top 40 of all the formats is responsible for shifting
gears to match the energy while people are beginning to have those
graduations and weddings again. It’s our job to celebrate those moments and help them have big wins and feel like we’re part of their lives.

ROSS: What else is important in targeting younger audiences?

STEINBOCK: I just wanted to talk about speaking the language. A younger audience can really tell if something sounds outdated. Or if a host is
speaking about something, and they haven’t seen it first-hand . . . they
know authenticity and they can tell when someone’s involved and in the community. It’s important to have hosts that are in the community already. 

FRANK: [There’s a challenge with advertising, both in terms of language and attention spans.] We’re always talking to the promotions department about creating content not competitions . . . We’re not going to completely get
rid of adverts, but can we think of a way to deliver them that might be a little more palatable.

DIAZ: Imagine if you’re a Top 40 station and you can integrate with your brand with, let’s just say Roblox. Can you have your audience meet you on Roblox and have Calvin Harris there with his emoji and he performs for
people who have won tickets to be part of this gaming concert that you can
only win by listening to your radio station? Or you’re on PS5 or Xbox and your logos are on the game when people are playing. We have to be different than we have been for the last 40, 50, or 60 years in how we get our brands
out in front of people.

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