XPost: alt.radio.broadcasting

RadioInsight

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Westwood One Extends NFL Rights Deal

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 01:43 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222139/westwood-one-extends-nfl-rights-deal/


Cumulus Media’s Westwood One (NASDAQ: CMLS), the largest audio network in
the U.S., and the National Football League today announced they have
extended and expanded their partnership with a new multi-year agreement. Westwood One has been the official network audio broadcast partner of the
NFL for more than 35 consecutive seasons and 50 years overall. Westwood One will continue to provide play-by-play coverage for Monday Night Football; Sunday Night Football; Thursday Night Football plus Thanksgiving Day;
select international games; the entire postseason including the Wild Card
and Divisional Playoffs, AFC and NFC Championship games; and the Super
Bowl. The NFL on Westwood One reaches more than 56 million listeners each season. 
Under the terms of the new deal, Westwood One retains exclusive national broadcast radio distribution rights to the aforementioned games, and adds
the following new elements to the partnership: 

Westwood One’s NFL primetime game broadcasts will be available free to fans on affiliated stations’ primary digital platforms and on the NFL App.   Westwood One will offer expanded coverage of NFL tentpole events
throughout the year, including NFL Honors, NFL Combine, NFL Draft, and NFL Schedule Release. 
 Westwood One and the NFL will explore creating new alternate game
broadcasts in addition to the traditional Westwood One play-by-play. 

“What an honor it is for Westwood One to continue our multi-decade programming relationship with our iconic NFL partners by extending our exclusive network audio broadcast rights,” said Suzanne Grimes, President, Westwood One and EVP Corporate Marketing, Cumulus Media. “Equally exciting
is the opportunity to further grow our NFL fan base by expanding our relationship to include digital distribution rights as well as innovative,
new content opportunities.” 
“We’re pleased to continue our valued, long-term partnership with Westwood One,” said Brent Lawton, VP Media Strategy and Business Development. “Audio
is an important platform for the NFL, and Westwood One has a long history
of delivering excellent game broadcasts and other content. We’re excited to expand with Westwood One on to digital platforms, providing our fans even
more ways to follow the sport they love.” 
Westwood One’s broadcast coverage of the NFL includes an all-star line-up
of talent featuring some of the biggest names in football, including Emmy-nominated broadcaster Rich Eisen, two-time NSMA Sportscaster of the
Year Kevin Harlan, and a host of former players, “Hall of Famers”, and coaches providing in-game analysis. 
In addition to live game coverage and pregame and halftime shows, Westwood
One Sports also offers feature programming including NFL Insider, NFL
Preview, NFL101, and NFL Fantasy Forecast. 
Westwood One’s live NFL broadcasts can be heard on nearly 500 terrestrial radio stations nationwide. Coverage can be streamed online at WestwoodOnesports.com, Westwood One’s affiliate stations’ primary digital sites and apps, and via the NFL App. 


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WTMX To Launch Afternoons With Casey McCabe & Jenny Valliere

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 10:21 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222121/wtmx-to-launch-afternoons-with-casey-mccabe-jenny-valliere/


Hubbard Radio Hot AC 101.9 The Mix WTMX Skokie/Chicago has announced it
will debut a new afternoon show hosted by Casey McCabe and Jenny Valliere
on Monday, April 18, while current afternoon host Lisa Allen moves to
middays.

McCabe previously hosted nights at CHR Amp 97.1 KAMP and Alternative 106.7
KROQ Los Angeles. He also hosts the syndicated “Alternative Soundcheck”. Valliere has been with WTMX as Music Director and midday host since last
April. She previously spent nine years at CHR “Z102.9” KZIA Cedar Rapids IA rising from intern where she began as an intern and eventually rose to
Program Director in June 2018.

Allen had been hosting afternoons solo since co-host Chris Petlak moved to mornings in January. She previously hosted middays from 2013 to 2020, when
she moved to afternoons and previously hosted nights at sister 100.3 WSHE
and served as MD/afternoon host at 105.5 WZSR Crystal Lake IL.

Hubbard Radio Chicago’s 101.9 THE MIX 100.3 WSHE Vice President of Brand
and Content, Jimmy Steal, announced today on Monday, April 18th, Casey
McCabe joins MIX Midday host Jenny Valliere in Afternoon drive as the new
hosts of The Afternoon MIX with McCabe Jenny!

McCabe comes to The MIX from Los Angeles with on air stops at CHR 97.1 AMP Radio and Alternative Rocker KROQ in addition to hosting his syndicated “Alternative Soundcheck” show. Prior to LA Casey worked on air at KXTE Las Vegas and KRZQ Reno. A native of Lake Tahoe, Nevada, McCabe graduated with
a Film degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Casey said, “Really looking forward to being a part of The Mix team and beyond excited to be working alongside Jenny V every afternoon!.”  “Im thrilled to make the move
to afternoons and cant wait to get started with Casey.” added Valliere.  

The new MIX daytime line-up has Lisa Allen moving back to her longtime
midday slot, a position Lisa held for 7 years, prior to moving to
Afternoons. “Im very excited to be returning to my longtime home in MIX Middays, where Im happiest!” said Allen.  

Vice President Market Manager Jeff England stated “Adding a great new
talent like Casey compliments our entire MIX daytime lineup, with Jenny as Casey’s Afternoon cohost and Lisa Allen now in Middays.”


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Mai Martinez Joins WBBM As Morning Co-Anchor

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 09:02 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222115/mai-martinez-joins-wbbm-as-morning-co-anchor/


Audacy News 780 WBBM Chicago/105.9 WCFS Elmwood Park IL has announced the addition of Mai Martinez as morning co-anchor alongside Cisco Cotto.

Martinez most recently served as a reporter and weekend news anchor at
WBBM-TV from 2006 to 2020. Martinez has also worked in television in Chattanooga and Birmingham, while previously also co-hosting mornings at AC
K98 WVOK-FM Oxford AL from 2000 to 2003.

The addition of Martinez marks a return to a two-person morning newscast at WBBM for the first time since the retirement of Felicia Middlebrooks in May 2020. Cotto had been anchoring solo since he succeeded Pat Cassidy at the
start of this year.

Audacy announced the addition of Mai Martinez as morning co-anchor and
reporter for WBBM Newsradio (WCFS-FM/WBBM-AM), effective April 4. In this
role, Martinez will spend much of her time in the field, covering the
diverse communities of Chicago, while also teaming with Cisco Cotto each morning from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. CT.

“This is a dream team of two experienced, talented journalists,” said Rachel Williamson, Regional President and Market Manager, Audacy Chicago. “Mai has a knack for uncovering the details that resonate with the people
of this city. Together, she and Cisco have a passion for news plus warm and inviting voices that will greet our listeners each and every morning.”

“Like so many Chicagoans, WBBM Newsradio has been a constant in my home and car for years,” said Martinez. “I’m honored to join such a talented team of
hardworking and trusted journalists and continue the important work of informing and serving our community.”

Prior to this role, Martinez spent 14 years as a general assignment
reporter and weekend anchor at WBBM-TV in Chicago. Before arriving in
Chicago in 2006, Martinez previously worked as a reporter for WBRC-TV in Birmingham, AL and WDSI-TV in Chattanooga, TN.

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SiriusXM Launches Freakonomics Radio Channel

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 08:20 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222111/siriusxm-launches-freakonomics-radio-channel/


SiriusXM has launched a channel dedicated to programming from the
Freakonomics Radio network.

Available exclusively on SiriusXMs streaming platform on channel 791, the channel is being promoted as the first dedicated to a podcast. In addition
to the flagship Freakonomics Radio hosted by Stephen Dubner, the channel
will air other shows from the network including No Stupid Questions
co-hosted by Dupner and Angela Duckworth, Freakonomics, M.D. with Bapu
Jena, Steve Levitt’s People I (Mostly) Admire, and new programs to be launched later this year. SiriusXM acquired Freakonomics distribution as
part of its purchase of Stitcher in 2020.

SiriusXM (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced the launch of a new Freakonomics
Radio Network streaming channel. For this channel, the first to be
dedicated to a podcast, the team behind Freakonomics Radio, one of the most enduring and popular podcasts in the world, will curate and present
episodes from its deep archive, along with selections from other popular
shows on the Freakonomics Radio Network, including No Stupid Questions,
People I (Mostly) Admire, Freakonomics, M.D., and new programs to be
launched later this year.

The Freakonomics Radio Network streaming channel is available to
subscribers now on the SXM App at siriusxm.us/FreakonomicsRadioNetwork.

For over a decade, Freakonomics Radio has delivered storytelling and
reporting that is both rigorous and entertaining. Hosted by Stephen J.
Dubner, the show takes a curious-minded, data-driven approach to exploring real-world behavior and uncovering “the hidden side of everything.” Entering its twelfth year as one of the biggest podcasts on the planet, Freakonomics Radio is now growing faster than it ever has before, setting a listenership record in 2021.

SiriusXM’s Freakonomics Radio Network channel is the only place where listeners can tune in 24/7 to hear not only the latest episodes of
Freakonomics Radio, but also a selection of provocative classics from the
shows 500-episode archive, like “Abortion and Crime, Revisited,” “The Economics of Sleep,” and “The Stupidest Thing You Can Do with Your Money.”

“The SiriusXM audience is amazingly large and diverse,” said Stephen Dubner, “and we can’t wait to get our stuff in their ears.”

Its exciting to be able to take a show as groundbreaking and successful as Freakonomics Radio and give listeners, new and old, an entirely unique way
to experience it, said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer. We can’t think of a better partner to launch this first-of-its-kind streaming channel with than Stephen and his team.”

In addition to its flagship show, the Freakonomics Radio Network produces
some of the most listened-to podcasts — for a combined reach of over 160 million listeners last year. They include No Stupid Questions, where Dubner
and co-host psychologist Angela Duckworth explore the weird and wonderful
ways in which humans behave; People I (Mostly) Admire, in which the
unorthodox economist Steven Levitt speaks with other high achievers to ask questions that only he would think to ask; and Freakonomics, M.D., hosted
by Bapu Jena, an economist and physician who explores the intersection of economics and healthcare.

The Freakonomics Radio Network channel is just the latest example of SiriusXM’s commitment to providing multiple platforms for audio creators. Recently, the hosts of the award-winning horror comedy podcast Last Podcast
on the Left launched Open Lines, a live weekly call-in show on SiriusXM’s Faction Talk (channel 103) after bringing their podcast back to wide distribution through Stitcher; and the popular advice expert, host, and
digital creator Tinx launched the It’s Me, Tinx Live radio show on SiriusXM Stars (channel 109) following the launch of her chart-topping Stitcher
podcast It’s Me, Tinx.

Streaming access is included with all of SiriusXM’s trials and most popular plans. Subscribers can listen with the SXM app, and with Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant or however they stream at home. Go to www.siriusxm.com/ways-to-listen to learn more.

Freakonomics Radio Network podcasts will continue to be available on
Stitcher, the SXM App, Pandora, and all major podcast listening platforms.

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Beasley Media Group Appoints Kevin Rich as VP/Operations

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 07:53 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222107/beasley-media-group-appoints-kevin-rich-as-vp-operations/


Beasley Media Group has appointed Kevin Rich as Vice President of
Operations for the company.

Rich joins Beasley from Townsquare Media where he has served as Market President and Chief Revenue Content Officer for their Albany NY stations
since October 2018. He has been in Albany since 2011 previously holding
General Sales Manager and Director of Sales positions. Rich began his
career on-air at Citadel Media in Flint MI and Syracuse NY before moving to sales at WRMF West Palm Beach in 2007. He has also served as an Account Executive for Citadel Syracuse and CBS Radio Seattle.

He starts with Beasley on Monday, April 18.

Beasley Media Group announces Kevin Rich has been named Vice President of Operations of the company. He will officially begin his new position on
Monday, April 18, 2022.

Rich most recently spent the past four years serving as Market President
Chief Revenue and Content Officer at Townsquare’s Albany, New York based radio cluster, where he was responsible for overseeing and managing the
market with a focus on generating revenue across the company’s media and entertainment platforms. Previously, he served as the General Sales Manager
in 2011 before being promoted to Director of Sales in 2016. In addition,
Rich worked as a Senior Account Executive at CBS Radio in Seattle,
Washington and Citadel in Syracuse, New York. He began his career as a
sales executive at WRMF-FM in West Palm Beach.

In his new role, Rich will work closely with company President Bruce
Beasley, Chief Operating Officer Brian Beasley and Vice President of
Operations Brad Beasley in overseeing the day-to-day business of the company’s 62 radio stations and multiple platforms.

“It’s an absolute privilege to welcome Kevin into our Beasley Media Group family,” said Chief Executive Officer Caroline Beasley. “His credentials and leadership skills are the perfect fit with our organization. We look forward to Kevin sharing his outstanding strategic skill set, especially on
the digital side of the business, with our teams across the organization.”

“Kevin’s background and experience is the perfect complement to our strategy and vision as we continue to evolve and grow as a company,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Brian Beasley. “I
look forward to Kevin working closely with our market managers and their
teams in taking our business to the next level and beyond across all our platforms.”

“I am thrilled to join the Beasley Media family at a pivotal moment in the Company’s growth,” said Rich. “This is an exciting time for our industry, and I am honored to be joining such a talented team as we continue to
deliver the very best content, provide comprehensive solutions to
advertisers, and strengthen our market presence in the communities we
serve.”

Rich will be based out of Beasley Media Group’s corporate headquarters located in Naples, Florida.

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Power 95.3 Orlando To Sign-Off Thursday

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 07:10 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222100/power-95-3-orlando-to-sign-off-thursday/


Ahead of its sale to Spanish Broadcasting Systems, Cox Media Group CHR
Power 95.3 WPYO Maitland/Orlando has announced its final day on-air will be Thursday, March 31.

Cox will retain the Power brand as a jockless, commercial-free online
stream at PowerOrlando.com as well as on 94.5 WCFB-HD2. As the FCC has yet
to formally approve the sale to SBS, it is unknown at this time whether an
LMA will take effect immediately on Friday, April 1 or whether Cox will run filler programming until the sale closes.

The flip will leave iHeartMedias market leading XL 106.7 WXXL as the only
CHR in Orlando. WXXL led the Orlando market with a 7.9 share in the
February 2022 Nielsen Audio ratings, while WPYO was twelfth with a 3.1
share.












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Paramount Promotes Steve Raizes To EVP/Podcasting & Audio Adding CBS News
Radio Oversight

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 06:49 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222088/paramount-promotes-steve-raizes-to-evp-podcasting-audio-adding-cbs-news-radio-oversight/


Paramount has announced the promotion of Steve Raizes to EVP/Podcasting
Audio.

Raizes, who had been the companys SVP/Podcasting, now adds oversight of all audio initiatives at the company including CBS News Radio. Current CBS News Radio VP/General Manager Craig Swagler will continue in that role, but now reporting to Raizes. The national news platform was one of the few
broadcast audio platforms that was not included in the 2017 sale of CBS
Radio to Entercom.

Steve Raizes, a leader in the audio field and long-time Viacom executive,
has been named executive vice president, podcasting and audio at Paramount. Raizes has most recently served as senior vice president of podcasts,
helping define the company’s podcasting strategy across several areas. In this expanded role, Raizes will formally head all audio initiatives for CBS News, in addition to continuing his oversight across Paramount’s
centralized podcasting unit. Effective immediately, Raizes will report to
both Domenic DiMeglio, executive vice president and chief marketing
officer, Paramount Streaming, and Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of
CBS News and Stations.

Raizes has risen through the executive ranks since joining the company. In leading podcasting for Paramount, he has worked with a number of
stakeholders across each brand in the Paramount Global portfolio, to define
the strategy, marketing, operations and creative needed to develop
successful podcasting slates. Raizes has also been integral to numerous
podcast partnerships, overseeing production and ad sales deals with
companies that include iHeart, PRX, Spotify, Sirius and Wondery, among
others.

“Steve brings the experience and relationships with streaming platforms to take our podcasting strategy to the next level,” said Khemlani. “Engaging journalism and storytelling are core to CBS News’ mission and translate exceptionally well to podcasting.”

Under the new organizational structure, Craig Swagler, vice president and general manager of CBS News Radio, will report to Raizes. Swagler will
continue day-to-day oversight of CBS News Radio, a position he has held
since 2017. During his tenure, the organization has been honored with
several journalism awards, including the Best in Newscast for the last
eight years, the Best in Breaking News for the last four years, and the
Overall Excellence Award for 14 of the last 19 years from the Edward R.
Murrow Awards, given by the Radio Television Digital News Association.

Earlier, Raizes served as senior vice president, podcasts and live, at
Viacom, where he supported the evolution of the business from radio and
records to podcasts. In this role, he launched more than 35 new properties
and served as one of the key architects behind Comedy Central’s
Clusterfest, a three-day immersive music festival. Before that, Raizes
spent nearly 13 years at Comedy Central, rising from an assistant to vice president of home entertainment and licensing.

Steve Raizes earned an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BA from Harvard University.

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DC Departs KMEL

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 05:40 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222065/dc-departs-kmel/


Durell DC Coleman has exited iHeartMedia Hip Hop 106.1 KMEL.

DC served in the triple role of co-host of the Sana G Morning Show, midday host, and the Friday night Damn Its Late Show since 2014 after starting as
an intern and then weekend/fill-in host.

Fellow KMEL morning co-host/producer G-Biz is currently listed in the
midday slot at KMEL. The company has a posting for a morning host in the
San Francisco market, but does not specify which station.



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WHMI-FM Debuts New Morning Team

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 04:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/222063/whmi-fm-debuts-new-morning-team/


Following the departures of John King and Mike Marino earlier this year
over pressure from their news reporting, Krol Communications AC 93.5
WHMI-FM Howell MI has found their successors.

Jim Bosh and Madison White have taken the morning slot, while Ken Rogulski joins as News Director. Bosh previously worked at WHMI-FM in the 1990s and
has also worked at stations including WWWW and WMGC Detroit, KQKS Denver,
WQSR Baltimore, WWYZ Hartford, WPHR Cleveland, and KWJJ Portland. He most recently served as Production Director for Midwest Communications Battle
Creek MI after hosting mornings at their WLMI Lansing.

White previously worked at WYCD Detroit and at other stations across
Michigan including WKLT Traverse City and WBTI Port Huron. She also
currently tracks middays at Country 93.7 The Rebel WKHF Lynchburg VA.

Rogulski joins WHMI-FM from Cumulus Media News/Talk 760 WJR Detroit where
he has held multiple roles over the past two decades including newscaster, reporter, fill-in talk host, and most recently traffic reporter. He
previously programmed 99.1 KODA Houston in the 1980s.

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