Radionewsweb.com

September 2000 Archive

Prime Radio Stations

ABC, Australia
Home page
Radio Australia

ABC, Anerica
News audio

BBC:

World Service
World Service Business Reports
UK--Radio 4

CBC,Canada
Radio 1 live feed
Hourly newscast

Voice of America
Audio news link

WORLD NEWS RADIO (on-demand audio reports)

ZDTV Radio
Technical news -home page

E-Mail us

September 2000 Archive

Aug 2000

Oct 2000

Links- internally where there are follow-up stories we try, at the end of each story, to put a pertinent link to the top of the next relevant story. Regarding external links see note at end of page.

2000-09-23: Only around 50 demonstrators turned up for protests in San Francisco as retired General Colin Powell delivered the keynote address to the National Association of Broadcasters' Radio Show.
Some were demonstrating in support of Low Power FM radio, others against Powell for his military role in the Gulf War against Iraq a decade ago.
In the speech, Powell concentrated on how broadcasters can inspire American youth through showing good examples and also called for broadcasters to clean up their act.
He said he wasn't urging censorship but things were now heard on the radio, which would not have been a decade ago, "Things that are rough, crude, dirty and filthy."
" Then we hear our kids repeat them and wonder where they picked that up. If adults find that acceptable, so will children."
Previous NAB :
NAB web site (links to show promos etc)

2000-09-23: Problems of sports rights have forced the BBC to end a satellite radio feed over Europe because listeners in Europe and Ireland were able to listen to the signal.
The BBC analogue satellite covered BBC Radios 1,2,3,4 and 5 but the main problem was with Radio 5 Live because it only had sports rights for the UK.

2000-09-23: The value of radio spectrum continues to rocket with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announcing that its 700Mhz "Guard Band" auction had raised nearly $520 million for the 96 licences sold.
This is around five times the original estimate.
The winning companies will be able to sub-divide and sell-on the spectrum they have purchases, an approach which FCC Chairman William E. Kennard calls "an innovative and efficient approach to spectrum management."
The auction began on September and went through 66 rounds with a total of 104 licences on offer in 52 major economic areas.
The eight licences not sold will become part of a future auction.
Previous Kennard:
Previous Spectrum:
FCC announcement :

2000-09-23: Iskandar Khatloni, a Moscow-based correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tajik Service, has died in a Moscow hospital from head wounds received when he was attacked in the city.
Khatloni, had worked at RFE/RL since 1996 before which he was a BBC correspondent for ten years.
He had been working on stories about human rights abuses in Chechnya.
Radio Free Europe news release :

2000-09-22: The National Association of Broadcasters' (NAB) Convention inSan Francisco has started off without significant action from protesters who're against its opposition to Low Power FM.
A planned four-hour protest on Wednesday was over in much less time with only a few dozen taking part.
A larger demonstration is planned during the convention's keynote address today (too late for our deadline).
Amongst the topics on the agenda are a number concerning the impact of changing technology on radio and research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shows that traditional radio stations could be under threat according to a Reuters report in the New York Times.
It quotes Barry Vercoe, a professor of Music and Media Arts as saying that the emergence of technology such as MP3's could sink many broadcasters unless they adapt speedily.
"Technology has created higher consumer expectations,'' Vercoe told the conference.
"Consumers have shown they will move forward with or without the industry.''
Other speakers felt that the technology could offer opportunities to broadcasters.
Robert Kozinets, a business professor at Northwestern University, told the NAB conference he saw radio becoming more communal and interactive, making it easier to target and reach niche audiences -- and enable advertisers to reach them more effectively.
He also suggested that broadcasters could also explore ways to weave advertising into programming, much like product placement in movies, a strategy that recalled radio's Golden Age, when sponsors were often an integral part of the show.
Reuters/New York Times report.

2000-09-22: The Miss America Pageant is suing Philadelphia radio station WIP-AM and talk show host Howard Eskin over comments he made about the Miss America contest being "fixed". During the broadcast on August 22, Eskin talked about winners of various contests such as CBS' "Survivor" TV series and then went on to say, "I hope people know Miss America's fixed.'' Before they get into the weekend, they know who's going to win. They already know, you know, through all the screenings and all the other stuff.'' Robert Renneisen, president and CEO of the Miss America Organization, said the lawsuit gave notice that they would not stand by whilst someone played "fast and loose with the facts concerning the integrity of an institution that many people view as an American ideal." Eskin and WIP say that the comments were facetious and made tongue in cheek during a humorous discussion.

2000-09-21: South Wales radio station Red Dragon, owned by London-based Capital Radio, has hit the headlines all over Britain.
It featured in most British newspapers as the source of a rumour which led to a rush for fuel at filling stations all over the country.
The station has been trying to play down its part in the saga and the UK Radio Authority, after obtaining a transcript of the comments about an impending fuel shortage, says it does not think there was scaremongering.
In a statement the Authority's Director of Programming & Advertising, Martin Campbell, said: "When rumours reach the level that this rumour reached, it is always a difficult situation for an information medium, particularly one as powerful as radio, to address it without perpetuating it."
" The queues were real even if the rumour was not true."
"These presenters did clearly state that the rumours were unsubstantiated, although I would accept there is an argument to say that they should have stressed that even more forcibly. "
" It also highlighted the danger of presenters using clichés such as "things can change" as a substitute for absolute knowledge of what is going on."
" "Nevertheless in context we do not feel that the station was guilty of scaremongering."
The actual exchange at the heart of the matter took place between announcers, Warren Moore and Stuart McTeer.
It went as follows:
Warren: "Seems the petrol courts are a little bit busier."
Stuart: "They are, you can get petrol today."
Warren: "Which is always a good thing. Now a lot of people are ringing up, right. I'm putting you on the spot here I know, but you should know, you're a man of the news and a man of the people, Mr McTeer. A lot of people are saying they've heard rumours that they are going to blockade petrol areas, petrol forecourts at midnight tonight. What do you know?"
Stuart: "We've had a few phone calls about this as well and I'm a bit worried about turning out to be the Michael Fish-type thing. I'm not aware of anything but things can change."
Warren: "Like hurricanes for example."
Stuart: "I will do, sit on the fence." RNW note: The Michael Fish reference is to a British newscaster who, the night before Britain experiences a hurricane, said on a forecast that there was no risk of it happening.
UK Radio Authority statement:.
For newspaper reports use search engines on UK newspapers listed on our Other Links Pages.

2000-09-21: Former AMFM Inc CEO and radio group President Jimmy de Castro, who stepped down in February (RNW Feb 17) before the Clear Channel take-over was completed, has surfaced again.
He's to be Chief Executive Office of Ultimate Inc, the San Francisco based company which conducts online auctions of sports and entertainment "experiences" such as a round of golf with Tiger Woods.
De Castro is also becoming a major shareholder in UltimateBid.
Previous de Castro;
UltimateBid web site:

2000-09-21: The UK Radio Magazine reports that UBC Media (formerly Unique Broadcasting is buying 12 of the 17 stations in the GWR Group's AM Classic Gold Network in a share deal valued at £2.1 million.
It involves GWR being issued with new shares in UBC, giving it around 4% of the company.
GWR will also have the right to buy back 55% of a newly formed subsidiary, Classic Gold Digital, in which UBC will have an 80% holding and GWR 20%. .
GWR will retain five AM's -- Bristol & Bath, Swindon, Nottingham & Derby, Wolverhampton and Plymouth.
Previous GWR :
UK Radio Magazine site: .

2000-09-20: More on Low Power FM as the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Year 2000 "Radio Show" starts its proceedings in San Francisco, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), announces details of more applications, the US Senate bill on LPFM gains some more sponsors and legal action moves on.
So far the FCC has received 473 low power FM radio applications from its second filing window compared to 700 plus from its first (RNW June 23): The numbers breakdown just announced for applications in the second window was Connecticut (38); Illinois (84); Kansas (36); Michigan (87); Minnesota (63); Mississippi (22); Nevada (23); New Hampshire (28); Puerto Rico (20); Virginia (58); Wyoming (14).
Three more filing windows are on the stocks, a third 5- day one in November for American Samoa, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wisconsin to be followed by a fourth at the end of February 2001, and the fifth and final window at the end of May 2001.
NAB is lobbying strongly against LPFM as well as taking legal action and the Grams bill (RNW Sept 14), in the Senate bill that calls for third-adjacent channel protection for all new LPFM stations has recently gained three more Republican sponsors.
Legal action also continues with final briefs expected soon in the NAB Action against the FCC.
Joined with NAB's action is another from the opposite side of the fence as Greg Ruggiero, whose case was consolidated with the NAB's, argues that the LPFM order should be nullified because the Commission's "automatic disqualification policy" towards pirates applying for a LPFM license is illegal.
He says that there should have been a case by case assessment with provisions for waivers in some circumstances.
Commenting on NAB's attitude in the San Francisco Chronicle, Matthew Lasar, the author of ``Pacifica Radio: The Rise of an Alternative Network'' says the organisation has through relentless lobbying "slammed shut that portal known as community-based radio."
The problems he says sprang up from the success by the Broadcasters' lobby with the 1996 Telecommunications Act which lifted restrictions on the number of stations an organisation could own>
This, writes Lasar, led to a consolidation frenzy with new owners who "brought a ``banker's heart'' management style with little sympathy for community-oriented programming.
Lasar adds that the problems are particularly acute in the San Francisco Bay area where 21 stations speedily changed hands.
He details some of the casualties on area station and adds that the worst blow off all was the row at the Pacifica Foundation's KPFA station in Berkeley where station's general manager was fired two weeks before KPFA's 50th anniversary followed by the firing of programmers who criticised the decision over KPFA's airwaves.
There was even a suggestion by one of Pacifica's Board members that KPFA, whose frequency now had an estimated value of some $75 million, be sold.
Mass demonstrations ended that idea but Lasar says the big broadcasters still haven't got the message about the need for "airtime dedicated to local politics, dialogue and the arts."
He also takes up the suggestion that the Internet provides an answer ( RNW note: See Paul Donovan in this week's columnists) by allowing choice but adds that as he searches the Internet most of the stations he hears are not providing that choice but are "frequencies stripped of local colour in pursuit of the bottom line."
Previous LPFM:
FCC LPFM an nouncement;
San Francisco Chronicle report:
RNW Note: Looking at the latest Arbitron figures (RNW Sept 19) for Internet audio it's difficult to argue that it is providing any real form of localised service. The top 75 stations are nearly all from big organisations and targeting non-geographical niche audiences (unless, say, you count say, 40th rated NetRadio - a Celtic Ethnic channel - as geographically oriented!). That seems to us natural for a medium, which by its very nature knows no boundaries and also requires, for the moment at least, relatively high expenditure to listen to. We would argue that the poor in localised communities are just the kind of audience the Internet stations won't reach yet can easily gain access to LPFM.) .

2000-09-20: The UK Wireless Group says its re-launch of the former Talk Radio station as TalkSport is proving a success although the launch cost £4 million in advertising, contributing heavily to an increase in the group's losses from £2.9m to £6.5m in the first half of this year.
It says TalkSport has increased revenues during the six months by 21% to £5.1 million and has a 75% male audience compared to 55% a year ago with its then talk format.
The group's first results as a quoted company show revenues of £13.8m up from £4.2m following its purchases of the Radio Partnership and Independent Radio Group.
Losses for the six months to the end of June were largely due to the costs TalkSport's advertising campaign spending some £2.2million on broadcasting rights for sporting events.
Local radio assets showed a £600,000 operating profit compared to a £300,000 loss last year and Kelvin MacKenzie, chairman and chief executive, said the group remained acquisitive with cash available from its £36 million flotation (RNW May 19) and a £40 million funding facility.
Previous MacKenzie;
Previous Talk Sport;

2000-09-20: Media consolidation in North America continues apace with big deals in Canada and Mexico, the former a print and television deal.
The radio deal is in Mexico where the country's largest broadcaster Televisa is to buy a 27.8% stake in radio company Grupo Acir Communicaciones for $101 million if it can gain government regulatory approval of the deal.
A merger is then planned with Televisa's radio unit to form an independent entity, Grupo Acir-Radiopolis .
Televisa will have a 50.01% controlling interest in the new company which with 116 wholly-owned stations will be the largest in the country.
Other shareholders in the new company are Grupo Acir Partners and US Giant Clear Channel each with 24.995%.
The new radio group will be operated as an independent entity.
Francisco Ibarra Lopez, Chairman of the Board of Grupo Acir, will become as President of the newly company and Antonio Ibarra Farina will become Chief Executive Officer.
And in the US itself, Christian-oriented media group Salem Communications Corporation has announced that it has agreed to sell KALC-FM in Denver to Emmis Communications for just under $99 million in cash.
Emmis will begin operating the station, an acquisition resulting from the Clear Channel take over of AMFM, under a Local Marketing Agreement as soon as the Department of Justice has completed a review of the deal.
Salem retains four stations in Denver, three Christian-oriented and one news-talk in format.
Emmis recently acquired KXPK-FM in Denver, another Clear Channel deal spin-off.
Previous Emmis.
Previous Salem;

2000-09-19: A good day for another look at the issue of radio audience measurement with the managing director of UK audience rating organisation RAJAR responding to Kelvin MacKenzie's recent(RNW Sept 5) attack on its diary methods, Arbitron issuing its July web cast ratings and Measurecast, the new competitor in the online audience measurement business (RNW Aug 22) topping the 1500 station mark.
First the RAJAR response to criticism of its diary research methods as old fashioned and inaccurate;
RAJAR Managing Director Jane O'Hara points out in the UK Guardian that more than 130,000 people a year of a wide range of ages and in a wide range of occupations fill them in.
She also points out that RAJAR, which is 50-50 owned by the BBC and UK Commercial Radio Companies Association, produced its first paper on radio meters in 1996.
O'Hara says that BBC radio withdrew from Arbitron meter tests in Manchester in the UK because of faults in the encoding equipment supplied by them.
As far as meters themselves are concerned, she points out that set-top collection of data as is done for television is not satisfactory for radio and that meter wearing methods would need to be properly evaluated in terms of when people use them or remove them (such as when having a shower but still listening and so on).
She says that there may well be advantages such as producing near-instant date which mean the new technology should have a place in rating methods but "before switching from diaries, the radio industry must be sure that meters can identify the correct station ID, can include all stations irrespective of frequency and work in all locations. …and the cost must be reasonable."
For current Internet audio, of course, the set-top approach used for television can currently be used more innovatively since listeners have to log on and thus send back a signal which registers exactly what they are doing.
This does seem to give meter technology a marked advantage and newcomer to the field Measurecast seems to be exploiting its technology effectively with some 1500 stations now using its service which gives next-day data.
And by collecting demographic date from selected listeners it can not only give accurate total figures but also link them to the demographic data.
This does seem to be piling pressure on Arbitron whose own web figures for July have only just been released.
In those ratings, UK-based Virgin Radio, ranked number one in terms of Aggregate Tuning Hours (ATH) at 236,100 hours in the month (which if you calculate it means 80 listeners AQH -- averaged out in quarter hours) followed by Internet-only streaming audio sites-NetRadio with 201,000 ATH and KNAC 148,000 ATH.
The top ten were
1- Virgin Radio (Hot Adult Contemporary) with 236,100 ATH;
2 - NetRadio - 80s Hits -(Contemporary Hit Radio) with 201,000 (ATH) ;
3 - KNAC ( Album Oriented Rock) with 148,600 ATH ;
4 - NetRadio - Hits (Contemporary Hit Radio) with 146,900 ATH ;
5 -NetRadio - Vintage Rock (Classic Rock) with 143,300 ATH
6- NetRadio - The X (Alternative) with 133,600 ATH ;
7 - NetRadio - Smooth Jazz (New AC/Smooth Jazz) with 131,000 ATH:
8 - WABC-AM (News Talk Information) with 119,500 ATH;
9 - CFNY-FM (New Rock ) with 115,000 ATH and
10 - KPIG-FM (Album Adult Alternative) with 111,700 ATH;
Previous MacKenzie :
Previous Virgin Radio :
Audio Web sites:
Virgin Radio;
NetRadio ;
KNAC ;
WABC-AM ;
CFNY-FM ;
KPIG-FM ;
Arbitron web site;
Measurecast web site;
UK Guardian article;.

2000-09-19: Following its firing of John R.. Gambling as Morning Drive host with his "Rambling with Gambling" show (RNW Sept 12), WOR-AM in New York is to hire veteran Ed Walsh as his replacement. Walsh currently hosts the morning show on KFYI in Phoenix, Arizona.
Since Gambling's abrupt removal, WOR news department head Joe Bartlett has been standing in as morning host.
For Gambling himself however, fresh salt is being rubbed into his wounds with reports that WOR has passed on the chance to carry his Radio Hall of Fame induction on November 18.
Previous WOR/Gambling.
WOR web site;

2000-09-18: A wide range of topics in the columnists in Britain this week takes all the space, covering as it does reflections on the strength of radio during Britain's fuel emergency, a radio critic's response to a spell as television reviewer, attitudes to pirate stations and the appropriateness or otherwise of a host presenting shows with very different styles.
The UK fuel emergency first and, although it boosted ratings for both radio and television, and incidentally led to a massive increase in the use of mobile phones, radio did have the in-car advantage. Writing in the UK Observer, Sue Arnold says it also made great radio "irrespective of your political persuasion or the level in your petrol tank."
She adds, "the drama of events as they unfolded minute by minute was seized with obvious relish by presenters."
And an interesting column this week from Peter Barnard in the UK Times on another topic of public discussion in the UK, the Big Brother TV programme.
He's spent past few weeks reviewing TV and says that although some programmes have been excellent, watching is no longer a shared national experience.
But, he continues, talking about it is, "which is why Big Brother, nominally a banal and pointless viewing experience, has been the talk of the nation. Big Brother put television on the front pages to an unprecedented extent."
There is, now the programme has ended, says Barnard an opportunity for radio which has had a low profile for months. "
This opportunity he develops with style if not seriousness (link to article below).
His colleague Paul Donovan in the Sunday Times reflects on illegal radio stations in the UK.
There are around 100 of them he says and although officialdom is fighting back with increased vigour and some 1300 raids on illegal stations last year, it has had little effect.
He comments, "The fact that it has had little effect is hardly surprising, for those who run illicit stations know that yesterday's pirates are today's stars, just as yesterday's terrorists become tomorrow's statesmen."
In support of his thesis he cites examples of DJs on the pirate radio ships who are now household names and pirate radio operators such as pirate radio Kiss FM, Sunrise Radio and London Greek Radio which started out as pirates but are now respectable stations.
In addition says Donovan it is cheap to launch a station and the fines are generally light "though one man in Luton was imprisoned for 28 days last year after admitting making illegal broadcasts on his Flava FM station, which had resulted in airline pilots picking up dance music when they were listening out for vital instructions from air-traffic control."
However,Donovan concludes, pirate radio should not now be romanticised because, apart from the interference problems, the Internet had rendered redundant its arguments that there was no outlet for the interests concerned. The pirates should, he says, move to the Internet.
(RNW note : In view of the Low Power FM controversy in the US, we would welcome feedback on this point.)
And finally, also from the Sunday Times, a comment from Declan Burke with a marvellous introduction: "For all we know, Pat Kenny(host of Irish state broadcaster TV entertainment and radio current afairs shows)goes on air in his underpants. He's entitled to broadcast naked if he wishes, providing he doesn't insult the intelligence of his public in the process. "
The background to this is that Kenny hosts both a light entertainment TV show, the "Late Late Show" and a flagship current-affairs radio programme and on the "Today with Pat Kenny" radio show he " referred to the previous Friday's Late Late Show, the first in the new season of his television chat show, during which the comedian Freddie Starr dropped his trousers and Kenny donned a pair of Starr's soiled underpants."
Having Starr on the TV show says Burke was a mistake and everyone makes them.
But, Burke e goes on, "Offhandedly suggesting, as he did on the radio …. that The Late Late Show and Today with Pat Kenny are not connected was being at best disingenuous, at worst arrogantly dismissive."
" The parameters of Kenny's role with the national broadcaster of the republic are defined by how well he serves the public."
" By pretending that his credibility as The Late Late Show's presenter was not compromised, and ignoring the public's desire to debate the incident, Kenny failed to fulfil his role as a public-service broadcaster. " (RNW note: Again we would welcome feedback on the issue of how one role compromises another.)
Previous Columnists;
Previous Arnold:
Previous Barnard;
Previous Burke;
Previous Donovan;
Arnold column;
Barnard column;
Burke column;
Donovan column;

2000-09-18: The UK Observer in its business pages looks at prospects for the Wireless Group and its flagship station TalkSport which it says may be turning the corner after its re-launch as a sports service aimed at men from 22 to 45 in place of the former Talk format.
After chief executive Kelvin MacKenzie took over the then Talk Radio station in 1998 its audience dropped by around 400,000 to 1.8 million but it's now back to around 2.2 million>
This recovery is despite some of its unusual ways of covering sports on a shoestring such as having Wimbledon coverage which comprised a reporter commenting on the TV coverage and the row over its newspaper advertisements promising "live" coverage of Euro 2000 soccer to which the BBC had the rights (RNW June 22 ).
The BBC is now taking TalkSport to the High Court over this matter and promises during the current Olympics of 'an un-missable daily diet of the best Olympic action' may also risk action against it.
In this case the commentary rights are held by the International Olympics Committee, which would have no problem with funding lawyers.
Last year the Wireless Group lost £27.5 million before tax but most of these were as a result of acquisitions which have now given the group ownership of or stakes in 20 FM stations.
It is, says the Observer, well placed to benefit from predicted growth in radio advertising.
In addition the paper notes the group's push into digital radio with a stake in one of the London licences and a position as the majority shareholder in Switchdigital Scotland the only bidder for the Central Scotland digital multiplex. (RNW Licence News Aug 20 ).
But says the paper, " while digital radio's potential demographics would be the envy of many broadcasters, no one currently listens to the medium."
"The cheapest sets cost around £300, and fewer than 100,000 people own them in the UK."
"Take-up is slow and, until this alters, the City is going to need more than MacKenzie's stunts to sustain its interest."
Previous MacKenzie;
Previous Wireless Group;
UK Observer article :

2000-09-17: Licence news this week. Nothing this week from Australia where the Olympics dominate and very quiet elsewhere.
In Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved two new low power FM stations, both 50 watt unprotected services which will provide a local news and sports service within a locally produced pop, rock and dance music format.
One station will be at Kaministiquia, Ontario, for a company which is yet to be incorporated and the other for another company yet to be incorporated will be at Red Lake, Ontario.
The Commission has also approved new Tamil-language service to be broadcast by Corus Premium Corporation using a subsidiary communications multiplex operations (SCMO) channel within the signal of CFMI-FM, New Westminster, British Columbia
The CRTC has also approved two power increases, one for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the other for the Christian Solutions Group Inc.
In the case of the CBC, it recently replaced its transmitting tower for transmitter CBAF-FM-4 Edmundston which re-broadcasts CBAF-FM Moncton in New Brunswick and has been allowed a minor power increase from 20,400 watts to 20,935 watts.
And in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Christian Solutions' CFEQ-FM Winnipeg has been given permission to change frequency from 93.5 MHz) to 107.1 MHz and increase the power from 22 watts to 920 watts.
In the UK the Radio Authority has re-awarded the local radio licence for Scarborough to Yorkshire Coast Radio Ltd under its special application procedure which was applied when no other bids were made.
It has also announced that only one application, from EMAP Digital Radio Ltd., was received for the local digital multiplex service licence for the Humberside area.
The applicants propose a nine-channel service comprising the BBC Radio Humberside local radio service and eight commercial services- - Contemporary Hit Radio, Dance, Easy Listening, Full Service, (Classic) Gold, Modern Rock and Adult Contemporary.
In the USA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued proposals for standardising and enhancing public interest disclosure requirements for television broadcasters, a move which logically should apply just as much to radio.
In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) , the FCC tentatively concluded that television broadcasters should provide information on how they serve the public interest in a standardised format on a quarterly basis.
The disclosure form would be maintained in the station's public inspection file in place of the currently required issues/programs lists and the FCC also proposes that broadcasters make the contents of their public inspection files, including the standardised disclosure form, available on the station's or a state broadcasters association's Internet web site.
Previous Licence News;
CRTC Website ;
FCC web site;
UK Radio Authority web site:

2000-09-16: Australian Internet group Spike Networks is cutting staff back by around 20 people in a re-organisation of its California-based online radio station SpikeRadio according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Overall Spike lost nearly Australian $27 million in 1999-2000 compared to a forecast loss of $6 million.
Revenue was $19 million compared to $6.5 million in the previous financial year when the company lost $4.5 million.
Most of the losses came from US web design operations which have been shut down and SpikeRadio which sacked its DJs and other staff this month but continues to broadcast pre-recorded and repeat show.
It is to be re-named Spike Inc and concentrate on providing audio for commercial clients such as Nike, which is operating an online radio station during the Sydney Olympics.
The company is now focussed mainly in Asia and the Herald quotes Spike chairman John McGuigan as saying they felt very positive having taken huge costs out of their operations. He added that they hoped to turn in operating profits by the last quarter of the 2000-20001 financial year.
Previous Spike Networks:
Sydney Morning Herald report;
Nike Olympics radio;

2000-09-16: Arbitron, the US radio ratings organisation, has added five new radio markets to its service in the US for the Fall 2000 ratings, bringing the total number of markets for which it produces ratings to 283.
They are Middlesex-Somerset-Union, New Jersey; Westchester, New York; Clarksville-Hopkinsville, Tennessee-Kentucky; Flagstaff-Prescott, Arizona; and St. George-Cedar-City, Utah.
Previous Arbitron;
Arbitron News release;

2000-09-15: The radio deals continue in the US with two of the big players adding more to their stables. Giant Clear Channel is spending around $17 million on the Taylor Broadcasting Group, which owns nine stations in Georgia.
Seven are in Macon --- WCLG-AM& FM, WIBB-FM, WQBZ-FM, WRBV-FM, and WRNC-AM & FM; the other two are in Cochran around 40 miles away.
And in Alabama, Cumulus is spending $10 million on WLWI-AM, WHHY-FM & WXFX-FM in Montgomery, the last stations held by the McDonald Media Group. Cumulus already has four stations in the market.
Further down the scale, HEH Communications has bought KSAM-AM and FM in Huntsville, Texas for just under $2million.
Previous US radio deals :
Previous Clear Channel :
Previous Cumulus :

2000-09-15: Chicago superjock Larry Lujack, fresh from his retirement, is going international.
Clear Channel is to air his weekend show from "Jammin' Oldies" station WUBT-AM, The Beat, on WLON, its digital multiplex in London.
The show is already on the Internet and its London launch event is on September 21.
And still on the Chicago Beat, radio veteran Tim Disa, has launched a free Internet radio commercial script service CopySwap.
On its site the service is promoted on the basis that all comers are welcome to take as much as they need with the only condition being that takers have to leave some of their own copy behind.
Previous Lujack ;
The Beat web site:
CopySwap site;

2000-09-15: The StopDrLaura campaigners are almost indecently celebratory about what they portray as the failure of the conservative radio show host's lack of success in translating to television.
Their web site lists more advertisers who have dropped out from the TV show as well as references to reports on the show's poor ratings.
Amongst those dropping the TV show according to the site are Ontel, Kimberly-Clark ,the Luxor hotel and resort in Las Vegas, Brentwood Volvo, Brinks Home Security and Conair.
Previous Dr Laura:
Dr Laura web site;
Stop Dr Laura web site;

2000-09-14: The Sydney Morning Herald, reporting on the effects of re-structuring on Australian Broadcasting Corporation's radio services (see RNW Sept 3) reports on the case of one radio boss who was at home recovering from a heart attack when learned from his staff that his job had been abolished.
Peter James, the head of the Classic FM network told the paper, "I just think the behaviour is churlish. I have not had the courtesy of being consulted on the new structure, even though I have been network manager for almost seven years."
James said he had been told nothing about the changes by either his immediate boss, director of radio Sue Howard, or by ABC managing director Jonathan Shier.
The charges were rebutted by Ms Howard who told the paper she had tried to contact him before the changes were announced but he had not returned her calls.
She added that he had been kept informed by one of her executives.
Under the restructuring of the ABC's, its radio networks, each of which used to have a general manager, are being grouped into three divisions with advertisements being placed for internal and external candidates for the new jobs.
The changes involve ABC's NewsRadio and Radio National coming under a single head of National Talk Radio and Classic FM and Triple J being grouped together under a head of National Music Radio.
Howard said she was deferring the advertisements for the latter post until Peter James was stronger but he said he doubted he could manage both and said to do the job, "You'd have to be a genius to be expert in both genres."
In the other groupings it has been announced that the third division made up from the metropolitan and regional stations will be managed by Michael Mason, former head of the ABC's South Australian operations.
However the Herald says that a number of long-time employees are likely to be made redundant and says that the head of Radio National,Steven Alward, has said he is leaving; two others, Ed Breslin, head of Triple J, and Ian Wolfe, head of NewsRadio are effectively without jobs.
Previous ABC jobs report ;
Sydney Morning Herald report: .

2000-09-14: Opposition to Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations in the US is continuing with both National Public Radio (NPR) and reading services for the blind organisation IAAIS joining the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in supporting the latest bill to restrict LPFM.
The bill which was introduced into the Senate last week by Senator Rod Grams (Republican, Minnesota) is identical to a bill already passed by Congress (RNW April 15 ).
It allows LPFM licensing to continue but retains third adjacent channel protection , something the organisations say will protect existing stations and reading services for the blind from interference until further tests have been carried out.
Previous LPFM
NAB web site :
NPR web site .
Senate Bills site (search for Bill S.3020)

2000-09-13: US radio talk show host Dr Laura Schlessinger has finally premiered her television show to minor protests and mixed reviews.
Major advertisers have stayed clear of the host, whose comments on homosexuals and lesbians led to protests which were in turn followed by a number of major advertisers dropping her radio show and plans to advertise on the television show.
The StopDrLaura web site reports that already one advertiser, Chicago-based Bally Total Fitness which operates fitness centres over the US, has dropped the TV Show having run one advertisement.
Dr Laura's own site, meanwhile, has had a makeover to include the TV show and present a brighter image.
In Los Angeles around 200 gay activists shouted "Shame, Shame, Shame" outside Paramount Studios Monday as the television talk show made a debut that focused on teenage drug addicts without references to her controversial views on homosexuality.
Similar demonstrations were held in other cities over the US. The show itself had an upbeat feel and was less shrill than the radio version, featuring guests who were well dressed and polite and seemingly on the way out of their problems.
Of the reviews of the show, the San Francisco Chronicle lead-in was perhaps the best:" I tuned in to the ``Dr. Laura'' TV show yesterday and saw a European prince sliding a diamond garter up the leg of a seductively smiling blonde."
As it happens this was the show which led into Dr Laura, a more soporific experience according to the Chronicle reviewer, who later wrote, "The radio show is a hit because it gives us a churlish Dr. Laura"
" She's impatient, hectoring, and imperious and, I think, often scarily neurotic. We tune in to hear her whup her callers and expose her anger."
" But the empress was fully clothed in her TV debut. She hardly seemed worth a midday protest. She was just another afternoon yawn"
Previous Dr Laura:
Dr Laura web site;
Stop Dr Laura web site;
San Francisco Chronicle review

2000-09-13: The problems of and simmering discontent amongst Independent radio producers in the UK about BBC radio commissions are featured in the UK Independent in an article by Liza Kliman, a producer at one of the companies.
Late summer is usually the time the BBC radio networks outline their programme requirements and is a crucial time for many companies.
This year, however, BBC Radio 4 has decided to refuse a number of independent companies any right to submit ideas for consideration.
The companies involved have received a standard letter telling them they have been excluded from commissions following a "review of registered suppliers."
They have also been told that an appeals procedure will be in place soon and that they would be welcome to make submissions through registered companies.
The writer's company, Liba Productions, did decide to appeal citing the range of programmes it had produced and pointing out the problems involved in making submissions through rival production companies.
A month later the reply was a letter saying the original decision had been upheld but they were given no opportunity to meet Radio 4 executives or develop their case in any other way.
The letter also said the Corporation did not discriminate against smaller companies but, says the writer, the list supplied was comprised of leading media conglomerates and companies involving ex BBC Radio 4 staff.
As the writer points out, the BBC tried the idea under former Radio 4 Controller James Boyle and resulted in the station was taken before the Office of Fair Trading.
This time, however, the article concludes, "the new Radio 4 controller, Helen Boaden, has drawn up her list in conjunction with the Office of Fair Trading, so that while it is unethical, offensive and discriminatory to radio professionals, it is none the less legal - a gloomy revelation that life under Dyke(Greg Dyke, BBC Director General) will be as divisionary as under Birt (John Birt, former BBC Director General)"
Previous Boaden ;
Previous Boyle:
UK Independent article:

2000-09-12: A 3-generation link with New York station WOR has been broken by the station's decision to fire morning host John R. Gambling following problems with his ratings in the crucial 24-54 year age segment.
The host's grandfather, British-born John B Gambling - who began in radio as an engineer - started a quarter-hour exercise show on the station in 1921, aired from Bamberger's Department Store; he launched the "Rambling with Gambling" show in 1925.
John B's son John A Gambling then ran the show solo for a while until joined by grandson John R. Gambling as a co-host in the late 80s.
John R took over in 1991 when his father retired
He has been main host of the news, interview and talk show``Rambling with Gambling'' for almost a decade.
Overall the family has hosted some 17000 shows, the longest family run in US radio history.

2000-09-12: Irish weekend listening figures in the latest JNLRI/MRBI weekend survey shows a strong but fairly static performance by independent stations.
On both Saturday and Sunday, Today FM has increased its national listenership share by around a percentage point but in the local markets there were some significantly better performances.
Noteworthy were Radio Kerry which increased its Saturday reach by 7% to 39% and its Saturday share by 8% to 51% and Limerick's Live 95 FM which recorded an 8% increase in Saturday share.
On Sundays, Radio Kerry increased its reach by 5% as did Galway Bay FM but both were outpaced by Tipp FM with a 7% increase and Radio Kilkenny and Midlands Radio each of which recorded a 6% increase.
Commenting on the figures, Michael O'Keeffe, Chief Executive of the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC) said the survey showed " the strength of the local radio sector at weekends with a share of 49% on Saturdays rising to 54% on Sundays. "
He added, "It is particularly encouraging that the survey reveals a further strengthening of the independent national station, Today FM"
" The station recorded market share figures on a national basis of 8% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday marking a 1% increase for both days."
" This strong performance is reflected in the growth in numbers listening to the stations Saturday sports programme, Premiership Live, and its Sunday news and current affairs programme, The Sunday Supplement."
Previous Irish Ratings;
Previous O'Keeffe

Next column

2000-09-11: A little self-indulgence to start of with in the columnists this week as we consider two items which relate to topics under preparation for this month's comment and that planned for October, namely the impact the Internet and satellite radio could have on current radio listenership patterns.
The Internet first and Declan Burke in the UK Sunday Times who considers the potential effect of the Internet on one kind of programme, alternative-music.
He cites the example of an Irish presenter who doesn't encourage requests but played one for a San Francisco listener who had found "Pet Sounds" from Today FM on the Internet.
On the surface says Burke it's a simple example of technology bringing a wider audience but in the longer term the Internet "threatens the raison d'être of alternative-music programmes such as Pet Sounds."
The reason says Burke, is that the programmes are attracted to fans that want specialist hybrids and are in effect "become misfiring jukeboxes, only occasionally playing the type of music a fan has tuned in to hear."
Hence, he concludes, as bandwidth increases and technology develops the results will be "be to turn PCs into all-singing, all-dancing portals to the world of popular music. "
In the short term he concludes the "scatter-gun approach of alternative programming will lose its listeners in the short term."
Although in the longer term he feels the presenters are needed to continue diversity and originality as new acts are unlikely to attract surfers attention on the Internet.
Also on the technology front, Frank Ahrens in the Washington Post looks at the competition between and prospects for Sirius and XM Satellite Radio.
To quote him, "Both companies plan roughly 50 music and 50 talk stations. Both are well-financed Wall Street darlings, smiled on by analysts and investors."
" Both have assembled an array of broadcast talent. And most important, both are laying the same bet: that folks will ignore a century's worth of habit and cough up $10 a month to pay for something that has always been free……………. Both XM and Sirius follow essentially the same business plan, based on a concept that might be called the Unheard Third, or the Yanni Factor."
"About 27 percent of all music sales comes from musicians--such as new-age keyboardist Yanni--who pack concert halls, rack up CD sales and yet "can't get arrested on radio," says David Margolese,, Sirius's CEO. Like Panero (XM's chief executive, Hugh Panero), Margolese was an early cable-TV executive. "
" He sank $25 million of his own money into Sirius, formerly called CD Radio."
" Because commercial radio is so tightly programmed--limited essentially to the moneymaking talk, rock, country and urban formats--there's little room on the dial for the likes of Yanni."
"Which is why neither satellite service will duplicate over-the-air radio by broadcasting existing music stations. In other words, you won't be able to drive the Beltway while listening to San Francisco's KFOG. Further--and this is satellite radio's biggest disadvantage compared with what's on the radio now--there will be nothing local about either Sirius or XM."
"No local traffic, no local weather, no local news or sports--the staples of drive-time radio. So not only are Sirius and XM betting that disgruntled radio listeners will pay for radio, they're betting listeners will pay for extra radio."
In their bets however, Sirius is going all the way with the promise of no advertisements but XM will have up to six minutes and hour (a third of some of the US commercial stations) on some of its music stations.
RNW Note: Whatever way it goes it will be fascinating to see if people are prepared to pay a smallish subscription fee for the extras and particularly go dumping the advertisements which is something listeners in many countries already do via the licence fee. Do E-mail us with your comments.
Back to earth now for the rest of the columnists and back to UK stalwarts Peter Barnard of the UK Times and colleague Paul Donovan of the Sunday Times.
Barnard in his column considers the political interviews on the UK's prime talk breakfast show "Today" on BBC Radio 4.
He writes, "I suspect that the Today programme is more talked about than heard. True, it has six million regular listeners, but its political interviews often reach a far larger audience through other media."
" This makes it all the more ironic that Today is actually a better programme during the summer political break when the one criticism that it attracts, its seeming obsession with politics, does not apply."
" This summer Today has come up with some sparkling material to replace the political Ping-Pong. "
"Indeed, my point was made by one of those on Monday's programme. The Labour MP Stephen Pound, remarking on the large Labour lead in the recent Mori poll for The Times, said that when politicians were on holiday, people liked them more than when they were at work. "
" We feel the same about parking wardens and for the same reason: when they're on holiday, they can't hurt us." Which to us is as good a quote as we can think off to end a column although it isn't the end of Barnard's (link below for it all).
Donovan has gone to the trouble to examine the register of "freebies" received by members of the UK Radio Authority, a fascinating selection of oddments with none of significant value.
He says the practice of making the information on this topic is valuable but, "What one wants most of all, and which is inevitably in scarce supply, is access not to freebies but to secrets. "
And finally a quote from a
Sue Arnold review of a BBC Radio 4 programme in the UK Observer.
It just intrigued our imagination (and would have made us hunt up the programme had it been available online on-demand).
"As for teaching Eng. Lit, you couldn't do better than Enfield Pedals After Byron - the quirky peripatetic adventures of Edward Enfield riding in the footsteps of Lord Byron."
" Childe Harold was never my favourite epic poem but, declaimed on an Albanian hillside by Harry Enfield's dad, it achieves a certain extra dimension which I feel sure school children would appreciate."
Previous Columnists;
Previous Ahrens;
Previous Arnold:
Previous Barnard;
Previous Donovan;
Previous Panero:
Previous Satellite Radio;
Ahrens column;
Arnold column;
Barnard column;
Burke column;
Donovan column;

2000-09-11: Radio changes in Chicago: in the wake of the Clear Channel take over of AMFM. veteran morning host Bob Brynteson and co-host Mary Anne Meyers at adult-contemporary WLIT-FM are being replaced by Paul Peterson, formerly morning co-host at Top 40 WKIE-FM (92.7), and JoAnn Genette, who was morning sidekick at all-'80s WXXY-FM
The Chicago Tribune reports that the shake-up appears to be a move toward a more "contemporary" sound following a fall in ratings at WLIT.
Peterson had been morning DJ at WKIE for five months, having replaced George McFly when the latter moved. (RNW Sept 4).
And at ESPN sports-talk WMVP-AM, Bob Snyder, who took over as station manager at ESPN Radio 1000 in May has been given full authority.
He no longer reports to Zemira Jones, president and general manager since 1998 when the station was acquired by ABC.
Jones continues to oversee ABC's three other Chicago radio properties - - news/talk WLS-AM, classic rock WXCD-FM and Radio Disney's WRDZ-AM.
Previous McFly;
Chicago Tribune report;

2000-09-10: Licence news this week. And a bit busier than recently.
In the US, all the commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission have now issued personal statements concerning the radio deal of the century, the Clear Channel take-over of AMFM (RNW Sept 7 ).
In Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Authority has decided to boost radio services in Gosford, New South Wales. It is making licences available for five new radio channels.
They are one new commercial station whose licence it expects to allocate by the end of this year, three community radio services and one open narrowcasting service.
It has also allowed for an increase in power and an increase to the licence area of the existing community radio service 2CCC to include the Shire of Wyong. Canada was quiet but in the UK the Radio Authority has been quite busy with both advertisements and awards of licences.
It has pre-advertised the local radio licences for St Albans and Watford, currently held until October 2002 by Mercury FM, and for Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough, currently held until December 31, 2002, by Connect FM.
It has also re-awarded the Colchester licence to current holder East Anglian Radio, has awarded the new Independent Local Radio licence for a small-scale service to serve Dumbarton, in west central Scotland, to Castle Rock Fm Dumbarton Ltd and the central Lancashire digital multiplex licence to Emap Digital Radio Ltd.
The latter will provide an 8-channel service comprising seven commercial stations and the BBC local radio service.
The Authority has also announced that it received only one declaration of intent to apply for the Harrogate licence, from existing holder existing licence-holder, Stray FM Ltd; only one only one declaration of intent to apply for the licence for Fort William in Inverness-shire, from existing licence-holder, Nevis Community Radio Ltd., broadcasting as Nevis Radio, and only one only one declaration of intent to apply for the licence for Inverurie in Aberdeenshire and the surrounding area from the existing licence-holder, North East Community Radio Ltd., broadcasting as NECR.
There were three applications for the new licence to serve the towns of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, from Compass FM, Haven FM and Southbank FM all offering music-led stations combined with local news and information.
Previous Licence News;
ABA Website ;
FCC web site;
UK Radio Authority web site:

2000-09-10: Irish state broadcaster RTÉ expects to lose £12 million this year with smaller losses continuing into next year and a surplus thereafter when savings under a restructuring plan take full effect.
The Irish Times quotes RTÉ director general Bob Collins as saying that it will ask for a rise in its annual licence fee by year end.
Its last licence fee increase was one of £8 a year in 1996.
The broadcaster had a deficit in 1999 of £16.6 million, when it set aside £38 million as an exceptional expense for the cost of reducing staff numbers by 330 over three years. It had a surplus in 1998 of £3.2 million.
In his final statement as RTÉ Authority chairman Prof. Farrel Corcoran said the authority's policy was to seek index-linked increases to the licence fee but the paper reports that it is thought RTÉ wants an initial rise from £70 to £110 a year although the authority has not yet made a final decision.
Overall, RTÉ generated a £74.3 million surplus last year, boosted by the sale to US firm NTL for £123.6 million of its 25 per cent stake in Cablelink.
Most of its £198 million income in the year was generated from commercial activities, within which radio income was £20million, TV income £84 million and other income of around £26 million.
£65 million came from the licence fee.
Radio expenditure was up from £23.8 million to £28.14 million most of it on RTÉ Radio 1, the group's flagship station.
The start-up costs of Lyric FM, an introduced last year were estimated at around £1.5 million and the annual cost of running Raidió na Gaeltachta at around £4.5 million.
Prof. Corcoran, who was replaced as authority chairman by Paddy Wright at the end of his five-year term in March this year, warned of the problems of broadcasting in the digital age where profit motives would dominate.
He commented, "Great uncertainty persists about how to pay for the standard of broadcasting we expect. Some 67 per cent of RTÉ's revenue is earned commercial income: the balance comes from the television licence fee. "Commercial income is, by its nature, uncertain, and broadcasting is an expensive activity, driven by novelty and demanding costly resources and scarce talents."
RTÉ is expecting significant changes in the Broadcasting Bill due at the end of the year which will involve the sale of its transmission network(RNW July 10) with funds raised being used in the establishment of three digital TV channels.
Previous RTÉ :
Previous Wright;
Irish Times report;.

2000-09-09: England is to get a transmitting angel according to a report in the UK Guardian. Mobile phone company One-2-One is paying to re-gild the 4.5 metre (15 foot) high angel on the top of Guildford Cathedral in return for which it will be able to use the angel as a transmitter.
UK Guardian report:

2000-09-09: US radio competitions have added another million dollar winner to the list , in this case a Virginia man who took part in the American Media & Special Promotions (AMSP) "Million Dollar Race Ticket" promotion in which listeners call to predict the top five in the week's NASCAR races.
The win, more than that for race winner Bobby Labonte went to a caller to the afternoon drive show on Classic Rock station WKLR-FM Richmond who predicted the winners of the Pepsi Southern 500.
AMSP says it has paid out more than $6 million to radio contest winners over the past two years including £2million to a listener to KIIS-FM, Los Angeles. .

2000-09-09: Cox Radio has signed a five-year syndication agreement with Lex Staley and Terry Jaymes of the "Lex and Terry Morning Radio Network." They've also agreed a five year deal for the duo at their home station, Cox's WFYV-FM in Jacksonville, Florida.
Cox Radio Syndication says the show is " the ultimate guy talk show" and , "We look forward to giving them the resources they need to go from being a hidden gem to the most successful radio show of its kind in America."
The show is now heard on 17 stations.
Previous Cox Radio ;
Cox Radio site :

2000-09-08: Business dealings in US radio continue at a high level, despite the stocks sell-off earlier this week, which took overall radio share prices to a year low around 40% below the record high at the end of last year.
In addition, two major companies Clear Channel and Cox Enterprises, parent of Cox Radio, are taking advantage of low interest rates to issue new bonds. Clear Channel wants to raise around $1.5 billion in three and five year notes and Cox, which has just closed its $280 million purchase of Midwestern Broadcasting a third of that in ten year notes. Beasley Broadcasting has also arranged new financing, in its case an eight-year credit line through the Bank of Montreal to replace its previous $150 million through the bank.
In Wisconsin, Entercom has closed its purchase of three Woodward Communications stations in Madison, which it already operates under a Local Management Agreement, for $14.5 million.
It already owns WAPL-FM and WHBY-AM in Appleton, and WKSZ-FM and WZOR-FM in Green Bay; the deal will add WOLX-FM, WZYM-FM and WMMM-FM in Madison to its holdings.
Woodward retains WAPL-FM and WHBY-AM in Appleton and WKSZ-FM and WZOR-FM in Green Bay.
And finally yet another market for giant Clear Channel. It's buying five stations in Sioux City, Iowa, from Radioworks Inc. for an undisclosed price.
They are KMNS-AM, KWSL-AM, KSFT-FM, KSEZ-FM & KGLI-FM .
Previous Beasley Broadcasting;
Previous Clear Channel;
Previous Cox Broadcasting;
Previous Entercom ;

2000-09-08: Governments are still looking at large sums for the airwaves with the US and British governments expecting more billions from radio spectrum.
In the UK twelve bidders have now been named for 28GHz spectrum, which is to be used for fixed wireless devices, which use dishes on a building to receive broadband services.
The auction is expected to raise around £2 billion ($3 billion) on top of the £22 billion raised by the mobile phone spectrum auction(RNW April 28).
And in the US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says it plans to go ahead with the re-auction of frequencies awarded to NextWave Telecom which later filed for bankruptcy.
The agency said that the licences were automatically cancelled when NextWave failed to meet its payments and it would auction the licences again in December.
NextWave had petitioned for reconsideration of the cancellation and said it would pay its debts in full; it says the Commission acted illegally in revoking the licences whilst it was trying to re-organize and that it will appeal against the FCC decision.
When NextWave won the licences its bid was $4 million but the value is now thought to be much higher because of increasing demand for wireless voice and data services.
Previous Spectrum Auctions

2000-09-07: It's Britain, which is normally censured for its emphasis on accents, but a report in the Irish Times indicates that the same has at times applied over the Irish Channel.
In the current case, the paper reports considerable comment on the accent of meteorologist Ann Farrell from Brisbane, Australia.
She's broadcasting on Irish state broadcaster RTÉ's Radio 1 channel and says she was surprised at the amount of comment but that most of it was favourable.
In Ireland, as in Britain, years ago apparently the situation was different.
The article also reports on the dismissal in 1953 of Patrick Begley by Radio Éireann for his 'Oxford' accent.
He auditioned successfully for a presenter's post in January that year, was hired and, he says, told by the studio supervisor that he needed no training because he was so good.
However in March 1953 a new supervisor took over and by November he was fired.
The termination was debated in the Irish Parliament with his main defender commenting, "he speaks Irish fluently, speaks German and French and, furthermore, is fully qualified in elocution ... He was educated in this country and has no connections whatsoever abroad except those made on a short holiday."
Previous RTÉ ;
Irish Times search page (Look for radio)
RNW note: our view is that it is clarity of voice and communication which matters most on radio with accent being of far less importance. We would welcome any feedback or tales on how far others think accent of itself is important.

2000-09-07: Following the approval of the Clear Channel take over of AMFM, the commissioners at the US Federal Communications Commission have all issued personal statements regarding the deal.
Perhaps unsurprisingly they seem split along party lines with the chairman William Kennard being supported in his concerns about concentration in the US radio industry by fellow Democrats on the Commission, Susan Ness and Gloria Tristani.
Although chairman William Kennard in his comment praises Clear Channel for the way they followed through on the divestitures required, particularly in terms of giving purchase opportunities to minority companies, he says he still remains concerned that the increasing concentration will raise market entry barriers for small, minority and women owners.
Kennard wants proponents of such mergers to have to state public interest benefits that they think consumers will receive as a result of any transaction and would like to consider reviewing radio transfer rules against this background.
In her supportive memorandum Commissioner Gloria Tristani says of the merger itself, "When a merger produces a single owner of almost one thousand radio stations across the country, evaluating its impact through a town-by-town framework fails to measure the overall impact on the diversity of voices in the marketplace of ideas, as well as its complete fiscal impact on advertisers and listeners."
" This unduly narrow framework also fails to measure the loss to localism when a single owner selects the format for hundreds of stations."
Tristani also expresses concern about the implications for democracy of such mergers, commenting, "There is no doubt that a diversity of voices on the public's airwaves is vital to our democracy."
" Just as the strongest fabrics are woven of many tiny, interlocking threads, each of which alone is unable to sustain the strength of the whole, radio listeners must be able to weave their local fabric with many, diverse threads."
" Our obligation to protect the public's interest should include submission and review of evidence of a merger's overall impact on that societal fabric."
In her comments Commissioner Susan Ness also expresses concern about the concentration, and goes on, "The radio marketplace has changed dramatically over the past four years. "
" Ownership consolidation, the Internet, and satellite digital radio are rapidly transforming this audio service. It is timely to examine the impact of our ownership rules on the market, on programming, and on diversity of voices, as we determine what constitutes the 'public interest.'"
" Such a determination is best made in the context of a rulemaking proceeding, after ample notice and public comment, rather than in the course of an adjudication."
In his statement Commissioner Michael Powell defends the merger and implicitly attacks the attitudes of some of his colleagues, writing of his concern "about the manner in which my colleagues apply our public interest authority in cases such as this."
" The approach is unnecessarily complex, redundant and ill-suited to meet the needs of the fast-paced, innovation-driven communications marketplace." He calls for simplified rules relating not to broad concepts such as "public interest" but instead to straightforward structural tests on such matters as ownership and cross-ownership in a market. Commissioner Harold W. Furchtgott-Roth is also critical of fellow commissioners, writing, "Although I support today's decision to approve the transfer of AMFM, Inc.'s licenses to Clear Channel Communications, Inc., I cannot support the majority's determination to once again supplement the review of the Justice Department and the detailed provisions of our rules with an amorphous public interest analysis."
" As I have explained previously, this analysis is not only duplicative of the efforts of other federal agencies, but the four-factored test upon which it is based is so loose as to be practically limitless in its reach"
Previous Furchgott-Roth ;
Previous Kennard;
Previous Ness;
Previous Tristani;
Chairman Kennard remarks:
Commissioner Furchgott-Roth remarks;
Commissioner Ness remarks;
Commissioner Powell remarks;
Commissioner Tristani remarks;

2000-09-07: It's not the billions which were raised in the UK and Germany, but the US Federal Communications Commission has announced that it raised around $320 million 1000 licences sold to 14 companies in its latest auction of spectrum for mobile services.
Biggest buyer was Nextel Spectrum Acquisition Corporation, a subsidiary of the wireless telephone company Nextel Communications, which spent $231.5 million on 800 licenses.
The next auction of the 800-megahertz specialized mobile radio services will begin on November 1st.
Previous German spectum auction;
Previous UK Spectrum auction;
Previous US spectrum auction;

2000-09-06: Australian talk show host John Laws has been given a 15-month suspended prison sentence and placed him on a good-behaviour bond by a judge who said that even the maximum fine would not be sufficient to someone as wealthy as he is but a jail sentence would put him as risk of being attacked.
Laws was found guilty last week of soliciting information from a former juror for the purpose of obtaining information about the deliberations of a jury (RNW Sept 1).
He could have been jailed for up to 7 years for the offence on his Sydney 2UE programme in 1998 which involved the presenter quizzing a woman juror who had been unhappy over the acquittal of two men charged with murdering a computer shop owner.
Passing sentence, Justice James Wood said the Crimes Act prevented him from imposing a fine on top of the 15-month suspended sentence and 15-month good behaviour bond but warned Laws that if he breached the bond he could be brought back before the court and jailed.
Explaining his decision, the judge said, "It is obvious that Mr Laws is well able financially to pay a substantial fine, yet I do not consider that a fine, even up to the maximum available for the offence of $110,000, would of itself provide sufficient by way of personal or general deterrence or by way of punishment for this offence."
He continued," By reason of Mr Laws' high profile and his well-known stand on issues of law and order, I believe that he would face a significant risk of personal injury or worse if sentenced to periodic detention."
"Home detention would risk attracting the derision of the community, and provide a juicy subject for lampoon by cartoonists and columnists, which would threaten respect for the law."
Commenting on Laws defence, Mr Justice Woods said some of what he had said "beggars belief" and reflected adversely on his professionalism.
He added that some of what Laws told the court "beggars belief" and that his ignorance of the law "does not reflect well upon his professionalism".
Laws had said during his trial that said he wrongly believed the juror, had already spoken to a Sydney newspaper and added that he was not interested in exposing the jury's deliberations when he interviewed her.
Justice Wood commented, "Had there been evidence that (Laws) knowingly (breached the Jury Act) then I would have had no hesitation in imposing a sentence that involved a significant period of full-time custody."
In 1998 Laws attacked an accused man on his show, leading to the man's murder trial being aborted. He was fined $50,000 for contempt of court an amount later described by a judge as about the amount (Laws) would spend on a small cocktail party".
Previous Laws.
Sydney Morning Herald report:

2000-09-06: Two obituaries today, one of the BBC's one and only Court Correspondent and the other of a US writer and radio dramatist who began work as a typist at CBS.
The Court Correspondent was Godfey Talbot who has died aged 91. He was born in Yorkshire and started a journalistic career as an office boy with the Yorkshire Post later becoming a junior reporter in 1928 and then assistant editor of the paper's weekly edition before joining the then Manchester Guardian's weekly " City News"
He joined the BBC in 1937 as a press officer but moved to news sub-editing in London when Hitler invaded Poland, later becoming a war correspondent working in Egypt and later Italy with the Eighth Army.
He became BBC Chief Reporter after the war and in 1946 was accredited to Buckingham Palace when the Corporation created specialist posts.
Talbot was effectively Court Correspondent from 1948-1969.
Amongst oddball highlights of his career noted in UK paper obituaries are a broadcast from a phone box outside a public lavatory at a Canadian railway station during a stop by the royal train (UK Guardian) and from the back of an elephant in India (UK Times).
He is also the only professional journalist to have managed to interview Queen Elizabeth 2.
This was in 1969, long after his retirement, when she commented on her memories of the event for a BBC Radio 4 programme on the 40th anniversary of VE Day.
The other obituary is of Lucille Fletcher, who has died at age 88.
A writer and dramatist, her work included the radio drama ``Sorry, Wrong Number,'' which was twice made into a film.
Fletcher, who graduated in English, worked her way into writing radio dramas from a typists post at CBS.
Those radio dramas included ``The Hitchhiker'' and ``The Search for Henry Le Fevre'', both of which were performed by Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre group.
UK Guardian obituary :
UK Times obituary:
New York Times/ AP obituary :

2000-09-06: Sirius Satellite Radio's second satellite, Sirius 2, has been launched into space from the Baiokur Space Centre in Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Proton Rocket.
The launch follows the successful launch (RNW July 3) of Sirius 1 which has successfully completed in-orbit tests (RNW Aug 9); a third satellite is due to be launched in November.
When all three satellites are in orbit, they will loop the earth so that one is always transmitting to the US.
Previous Sirius;
Previous Satellite Radio ;
Sirius site;.

2000-09-05: UK Wireless Group chairman and chief executive Kelvin MacKenzie in an article in the UK Guardian has strongly attacked the British radio audience organisation, RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research), over its current "diary" methodology which he describes as "akin to reading tea leaves."
He argues that its days are numbered because the diary system is expensive, is incapable of coping with the changes in the radio industry.
MacKenzie descibes the ratings as an "absurd charade is carried out by 100,000 people every year in order to put together the ratings for all Britain's 350 radio stations."
In addition, he says, the system means that ratings are always old when delivered (see RNW Aug 25th on the problems this has caused for Ireland's Lite FM).
As MacKenzie points out, television audience measurement is now done using a set-top box which records all use and for radio a number of companies have been developing systems that record what is listened to using electronic meters worn by survey participants.
MacKenzie says meters are,"Accurate, reliable, no guesswork and no reliance on memory and "Not only are meters accurate, but they can deliver up-to-date information that should be the norm for the radio industry."
He says that he is astounded that the radio industry "is not up in arms seeking a change" but then somewhat contradicts himself by citing the resistance of the US networks to slow the change from diary -based to meter-based ratings in the 1980's.
This was because the system worked well for them since "Diaries rely on people's recall, so the networks scored inaccurately high ratings while the smaller cable stations suffered."
" Once meters accurately recorded what people were actually watching, the result was always the same: networks lost viewers and cable gained."
The same, he says, would be true for radio and he has a self-interest because when TalkSport had test cricket live on an exclusive basis research they did showed that only one listener out of three knew the channel it was on.
The other two were convinced they had been listening to BBC channels which historically carried test cricket.
MacKenzie then comments on Arbitron's portable people meter (PPM) which was tested in Manchester in the UK and is currently on test in Philadelphia in the US (RNW June3.)
The Arbitron meter works by detecting codes embedded in the radio signal and to work properly needs all broadcasters to co-operate; In this case the BBC national network stations pulled out of the test because they said some Radio 3 listeners complained that they were experiencing a "buzz" on the audio.
Now, says MacKenzie, a system is being developed which does not need such co-operation because it uses a built-in microphone, which picks up all the audio that meter-wearers listen to and then matches it up to a radio station's output.
The device, a digital wristwatch, Radiocontrol, being developed by a Swiss company SRG SSR, will be used by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, and should be fully operational from January 2001.
MacKenzie concludes by arguing that people listen to more radio stations than ever before and will listen to even more when digital adds even more stations.
He says it is in advertisers interests, if not some of his rivals, to push for implementation of a metering system.
Previous MacKenzie:
Previous Talk-Sport;
UK Guardian article;
RNW Note: In view of MacKenzie's attitude to sports rights - RNW June 21 - we can't feel too upset over his problems over the diary system as such but he makes a strong case for metering;
It will be interesting to see if the Swiss system does end up being used more widely as on the surface it could be a serious threat to Arbitron's PPM).
Any comments please E-Mail us

2000-09-05: The Toronto Globe and Mail comments on the launch of CBC's new radio season which has just launched and asks whether the $6 million recent boost to its coffers will translate into better staff morale and programmes.
Much of the line-up is familiar although one name Shelagh Rogers is now heading flagship This Morning "show having moved over from Take Five classical music show. Former This Morning presenter Michael Enright is still hosting it on Sunday mornings.
But there is also new blood according to Alex Frame, CBC's vice-president of radio although he concedes that the radio needs of the 15-27 year-old age group "are not being met" on the traditional airwaves. "
To address that gap and grab a portion of the estimated 800,000 Canadian teens who listen regularly to Net-based radio, the Globe says, CBC created R3 on the Web this past spring.
Still in its beta-testing stage, the new service will have three separate Web sites up and running by the end of the year. As regards the airwaves, Susan Mitten, director of English radio programming is quoted as saying, "The last thing we want to do is alienate the core audience. The principal challenge is to keep pushing forward, and freshen up and take chances, without going so far that we leave folks behind."
Previous CBC;
Previous Enright:
Previous Frame;
Previous Rogers;
Toronto Globe and Mail (search for radio in 7-day search).

2000-09-04: "No, it's not your imagination. There really are a lot more commercials than ever on radio." A quote from Robert Feder in the Chicago Sun-Times to lead off this week's columnists.
It's an issue dear to this listener's heart. But back to Feder and, on the issue of the clutter of advertisements, he quotes a study by Cincinnati-based Empower MediaMarketing, which showed that radio commercial time in major markets increased an average of 6 percent from 1998 to 1999.
In Chicago, he says the situation is worse with an 11 per cent jump to a total of more than 20 minutes an hour in some cases.
The 11% rise was beaten in this case by San Francisco, Miami and Detroit.
Behind the practice Feder suggests is profit and it could have, "has the long-term effect of infuriating listeners and eventually turning them off to radio altogether."
(RNW note: It's not just the adverts: In the UK the BBC may carry no adverts but it does have an infuriating load of jingles and promos.)
Another intro, this time from Peter Barnard in the UK Times, also deserves a quote: "'Radio phone-ins as a guide to policy-making are about as much use as a chocolate kettle."
It leads in to a column about politicians monitoring public opinion including that heard on the airwaves.
Barnard's view is clear from his introduction and the middle of the article (see link below) gives examples.
Its end is a fairly good summing up as well, "Filter out vested interests, nutters and publicity seekers and you are left with a very small sample. The people who can really help your ratings, Mr Hague, (RNW note: British Conservative Party leader) are not the ones who are ringing up radi