March 2006 Archive
- Front Page
- About this site
- Freelance bulletin board
- Site audio files
- Radio Stations
- Other links
- Story Archives Index
- Personalities Archive Index
- Organisations Archive Index
- Comment Index
- Your feedback
- Browsers and players
Prime
Radio Stations
Streams are
Real Audio in
most cases: Some have Windows Media as well.
Radiofeeds UK -for
comprehensive list of UK broadcast radio stations on the Internet
ABC,
Australia
Streams
list:
Radio
Australia
News
stream
ABC, Anerica
(Links to audio)
BBC:
World
Service:
(Links to audio services)
UK
-Radio 1:
UK -Radio 2 :
UK Radio 3:
UK--Radio 4:
UK Radio Five Live:
BBC Where
I Live (for local stations):
Radio
1 stream:
Radio
2 Stream:
Radio
3 stream:
Radio 4 stream (FM):
Radio
4 stream (AM):
Radio
5 stream:
CBC,Canada
Links
to audio streams:
Hourly
newscast:
US National Public Radio:
News
Voice of America:
Audio
News reports:
WORLD RADIO NETWORK
(listeners area has on-demand audio reports from various broadcasters
from round the world)
Music
Streams
(Classical):
King (US)
RTE
Lyric FM (Ireland):
E-Mail
us
Note- In view of the numbers of viruses, worms etc
now proliferating, we automatically delete messages with attachments
unless these have been sent by prior agreement.
We never send out replies with attachments except by prior agreement.
We also tend to automatically delete e-mails from unknown sources without
a title that specifically ties in to a subject we can recognize.
-February 2006
-April
2006 - 
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 previous relevant story. Regarding external links see note at end of page.
RNW March comment - in "The Battle for rating" considers whether Arbitron can retain its business against potentially superioer technological competition to the PPM.
RNW February comment - asks whether commercial radio's current business model can survive new technologies and competition.
RNW January comment - - Looks at where digital radio is, where we'd like it to go and is very disappointed by HD if the samples on iBiqity's site - much worse than good quality FM on a UK site - are anything to go by.
2006-03-31: Shares in Arbitron slipped a little again on Thursday following the news that Arbitron is to hold off dropping its diaries in Houston and switching to its Portable People Meter (PPM) until it receives full Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for the PPM service.
Arbitron had said it would drop diaries and switch to PPM ratings in Houston in July this year, using a 2,000 strong panel but following a meeting of the Arbitron Radio Advisory Council agreed to retain diaries until it receives accreditation for the PPM.
Arbitron shares ended Thursday down 0.47% at USD 33.56 having at one point dipped to USD 33.34, just below its 52-week low of USD 33:35.
Previous Arbitron:
Previous Media Rating Council:
2006-03-31: The UK Guardian, which on Wednesday reported that GCap Media had dropped its threat to sue regulator Ofcom following assurances that a planned new national digital multiplex will not be allowed to broadcast stations that compete with those on the existing Digital One commercial national multiplex, now reports that the regulator has denied making any special assurances to GCap.
It says an Ofcom spokesman said that it had merely clarified some points about its published consultation at GCap's request adding, "GCap/Digital One requested clarification of some of the proposals in the consultation The Future Licensing of DAB Digital Radio. The meetings enabled Ofcom to provide clarification."
"As set out in the DAB consultation," he added, "Ofcom proposes to interpret its statutory duties such that any proposed line-up of services on a further national radio multiplex should appeal to tastes and interests that are distinct from those catered for by services on the existing national multiplex."
Regarding any interest in a second commercial multiplex, the spokesman said GCap would not be allowed to have a controlling interest but could take a minority one.
GCap, the majority shareholder in Digital One has opposed the new national multiplex on the basis that when GWR took its stake in the multiplex, which was launched with NTL in 1999, it was told it would be the only commercial national licence holder for digital radio: When Ofcom proposed adding a further multiplex or multiplexes GWR had threatened legal action (See RNW Apr 2, 2005), a threat that GCap, formed by a merger of GWR and Capital Radio, had subsequently repeated.
Previous GCap:
Previous Ofcom:
UK Guardian report 1 (saying GCap had withdrawn objections):
UK Guardian report 2 (saying Ofcom has denied any special assurances):
2006-03-31: Former St Louis KTRS-AM morning host David Lenihan has now agreed with the station, which fired him after a comment in which he used the word "coon" in connection with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's suitability to become Commissioner of the National Football League (See RNW Mar 24) that leaving it is in "everyone's best interest" according to the St Louis Post-Dispatch.
The announcement was made after a meeting between Lenihan and station executives: attributed to Lenihan it said, "we agree it is in everyone's best interest to part company and put this matter
behind us, as professionals and as a community."
Only hours before that Lenihan, who with his wife Karen has joined the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), has appeared at a news conference held by St Louis NAACP leaders at which they called for his reinstatement saying they believed that he was sorry and saying the incident provided a "teachable moment."
Lenihan and his wife said they had joined the organization this week. The NAACP St Louis chapter President Harold Crumpton, who had initially praised the prompt dismissal of Lenihan, said he changed his mind after a chapter member said he had talked to Lenihan and that Lenihan had said he would like to have the group's help.
Another NAACP member, Elston McCowan, told the paper, "God forgives us," said member. "David did exactly what we ask all Christians to do - seek reconciliation with the person we've offended. Who are we to continue to persecute him and his family?"
At the news conference Lenihan and his wife denied that they had joined the NAACP for convenience and that Lenihan was involved in a publicity stunt to boost your career
St Louis Post-Dispatch report:
2006-03-31: CanWest's new UK Solent regional station Original 106 has appointed John Evington, previously Group Programme Director for the Wireless Group, now taken over by UTV, as its programme director.
The station, which was the first where an overseas bidder took a UK licence following easing of ownership regulations in the Communications Act (See RNW Sep 6, 2005) is to go on air later this year with an album-led Adult Alternative format. CanWest has been expanding its global radio operations with further purchases in New Zealand and an entry into the Turkish market in the past year.
Evington, who began his radio career on Piccadilly Radio in Manchester in 1978 then moved to BBC Radio 2 briefly before resuming his commercial career as Programme Director for Signal Radio and then moving to the Wireless Group.
Since he left them he has been working as a consultant and last year went to China in a training role for Radio Foshan in Guangdong Province, China (See RNW Jul 26, 2005).
He commented of his appointment, "I remember reading the Original 106 license application and thinking that this was a station I could - and would listen to. This is a fantastic opportunity to launch a new radio service in what is, without doubt, one of the best markets in the UK".
Previous CanWest:
Previous Evington:
2006-03-31: According to the New York Post David Lee Roth "appears headed for another showdown with CBS Radio - this one potentially fatal."
Quoting "sources" John Mainelli says Roth was "ordered to make significant changes to his radio show this week" adding that Roth's audience was down to an estimated 32,000 listeners last month compared to predecessor Howard Stern's 277,000 last December and saying that CBS executives, who "read the riot act" to Roth last month were "much more forceful" this time.
Mainelli says Roth has been told to "get a Robin Quivers-style sidekick, take direction from his bosses and put more effort into his show" and notes that Stern has said on his Sirius Satellite Radio show that he heard Roth "does no show prep or post-production meetings, curses when he has to record commercials [and] is always angry and complaining."
Roth had been broadcasting from Miami this week but was replaced by WFNY-FM (Free FM) midday hosts JV & Elvis on Wednesday and yesterday. CBS said Roth was not "suspended" and would be back on air today.
RNW comment: Whatever may be said about allowing time for new shows to bed down, the futures of both Roth and Rover (Shane French, the former Cleveland host who replaced Stern in Chicago and on CBS Radio's mid-west stations) must be suspect. As well as poor ratings both have attracted heavy criticism of their performance.
On the West Coast Adam Carolla has a long way to go with ratings but is attracting more favourable comment. Should his ratings pick-up we wouldn't be very surprised to see him in more markets or even going national at the expense of his current Free FM colleagues.
Previous CBS:
Previous Mainelli:
Previous Roth:
Previous Stern:
New York Post report:
2006-03-31: Montreal Jewish station Radio Shalom. which was granted a 1,000 watts commercial religious AM licence earlier this month to replace the service it currently offers on the subsidiary communications multiplex operation (SCMO) facilities of CIRA-FM Montréal (See RNW Licence News Mar 19), expects to be on air in late May or early June according to the Canadian Jewish News quoting its programs director Philippe Régnoux.
The station, which terms itself North America's first full-time Jewish radio station first went on air in 1999, and expects its new AM signal to cover all of Greater Montreal. It will broadcast in French (60 per cent), English (30 per cent) and Hebrew (10 per cent) and Stan Asher, who co-ordinates English programming, said the goal is to create a radio station that will be of interest to the broad spectrum of the Jewish community and even the general public.
Régnoux told the paper he was confident an AM station would reach a much larger audience than it currently attracts - around 7,000 people daily.
Canadian Jewish News report:
Radio Shalom web site:
2006-03-30: BBC Radio 3 has joined the ranks of BBC radio station going for Hollywood names with an appearance by Jude Law in a specially commissioned play "Eyes Down Looking", written, directed and introduced by director, producer and writer Anthony Minghella as part of the station's Samuel Beckett centenary celebrations.
The play will air in "The Verb" on Saturday (21:15 GMT) and is the story of a grieving father and son remembering their dead wife and mother: law plays the son, Juliet Stevenson The Mother and David Threlfall The Father and Minghella commented of the cast, "Three of my favourite actors in a room, who agreed to this without having read my script - that's not bad!"
Law commented of the drama, "It's a puzzle of words - a great excuse to sit and talk for a couple of hours. It's lovely working on something by a great writer who was inspired by a great writer."
The programme will also include Billie Whitelaw reminiscing on her 25 years as his close artistic collaborator in conversation with actress Lisa Dwan.
Other Beckett-inspired programming on Radio 3 will include newly commissioned dramas by leading young playwrights, discussions of Beckett's work, and, in a Beckett Evening on Sunday April 9, new productions of "Krapp's Last Tape", starring Corin Redgrave, and "Embers" directed by Stephen Rea and featuring Michael Gambon, Sinead Cusack and Rupert Graves: Radio 3 will also broadcast a new recording of "Waiting for Godot" in Drama on 3 the following Sunday.
Previous BBC:
2006-03-30: Former Vermont micro-station radio free Brattleboro, which was closed down by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in June last year after various court battles (See RNW Jun 24, 2005) and a previous closedown by the Commission is to continue its legal fight with the FCC.
The Brattleboro Reformer reports that the two parties, who were ordered by US District Court Judge J. Garvan Murtha to negotiate a settlement were not able to reach agreement because, according to rfb attorney James Maxwell said the station would not sign a document admitting it broke the law.
Maxwell said the station had been broadcasting without a licence since 1998 but only because one was not available and told the paper, "Since the FCC does not issue licenses for 10-watt stations, there are no regulations for 10-watt stations, so there is no violation."
The paper adds that the FCC offered to return the station's equipment if it agreed to the terms, but rfb founding member Larry Bloch said the equipment was a small price to pay to maintain radio rights and added, "We certainly wouldn't want to jeopardize the low-power radio movement."
rfb is now offer air as a licensed 100-watt station Brattleboro Community Radio, to be run by Vermont Earth Works is scheduled to launch soon (See RNW Dec 25, 2005).
Previous FCC:
Previous rfb:
Brattleboro Reformer report:
rfb web site:
2006-03-30: The UK Guardian, which is owned by the same parent, reports that Guardian Media Group's three Real Radio stations - in Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire - are to air a "bespoke" chart show fronted by former BBC Radio DJ Mark Goodier.
He will record a separate show for each station based on music airplay and sales in each area and the paper quotes John Simons, the group programme director of GMG Radio as saying, "This is the first time many listeners have had the opportunity to listen to a music chart show that really reflects their area. It'll be interesting to see how musical tastes differ in each of our regions."
The three-hour Real Top 40 chart show, to be broadcast on Saturdays between 12pm and 3pm starting this weekend, will air in addition to the UK commercial radio A-List chart show that is broadcast on Sundays.
The Guardian also reports that BBC Radio 2 has dropped its national big band competition, which it had been airing since 1975. Last May's broadcast, won by the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Chetham's School of Music Big Band, says the paper was the last broadcast but it adds that Radio 2 says it is not giving up on big bands but will increase its commitment to big band talent by devoting three editions of its Monday nights "Big Band Special" to up and coming musicians.
So far the matter has not raised great comment on the station message boards although this could be because word has not yet got around.
Previous BBC:
Previous GMG:
Previous Goodier:
UK Guardian on BBC Radio 2:
UK Guardian on Real Radio chart show:
2006-03-30: The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has renewed in principle Today FM's national licence for a ten year period and has praised the station as "exceptional" in making the announcement.
Today FM, owned by Radio Ireland Limited, has been on air since 1997 and the BCI board expressed its "satisfaction with the exceptional quality of the application coupled with the track record of the applicant" and added, "On this basis the Board considered that it was appropriate that the licence should be awarded in principle at this time."
The BCI has also announced that it has invited News 106 Limited (Newstalk 106) to a public oral hearing on April 24 regarding its application for a quasi-national news/speech licence: It said it was "satisfied that the application was of sufficient standard to qualify for this second phase in the licensing process" but "In light of the nature and type of service being applied for, the Commission felt that an oral hearing was appropriate to further test concepts and propositions within the application."
In Limerick where it received one expression of interest for the Limerick City and County Broad Format licence - from Treaty Radio Limited (Limerick's Live 95FM) the Commission says it has decided that it will seek the authorisation of ComReg to advertise a broad based service for the franchise area and will subsequently seek applications for its provision.
Previous BCI:
Previous Newstalk 106:
2006-03-30: The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has imposed a USD 21,000 penalty on a Maine Amateur Radio Station licensee and one of USD 7,000 on the former licensee of a Montana AM.
The lower penalty went to Alpine Broadcasting Limited Partnership, the former licensee of KWYS- AM, West Yellowstone, for failing to maintain a meaningful managerial and staff presence at the KWYS main studio.
The company had argued following a Notice of Apparent Violation that the NAL is "unenforceable against Alpine, and that the agent's assessments of the station's main studio were not consistent with the facts at the time of the inspection."
Regarding the former, Scott D. Parker, who identifies himself on the "Former General Partner of Alpine Broadcasting Limited Partnership" said KWYS was sold to Chaparral Broadcasting and that "Alpine has completed "'winding down' its business affairs . . . [and that] Alpine is nothing more than a shell entity without any assets or cash."
The FCC notes no documentation was provided to support this statement and that the NAL had made it clear that documentation had to be provided to consider a penalty unenforceable.
Regarding the issue of the facts - the FCC said its agent had found the main studio locked with no station personnel present and only a sign referring persons seeking the public file to see a realty agency, located across the hall, for instructions on how to gain access, that the agent was told no one associated with KWYS had been present at the studio for the last few months and that Alpine's General Partner at its office in Ketchum, Idaho, told the agent that KWYS was run remotely from that office - Alpine said the partner had told the agent at the time of the inspection that the station had two employees and an engineer on contract who "must be out of the office." It added that the representative of the realty company who held the key to the KWYS main studio and unlocked the main studio for the Seattle agent "had a long working relationship with the radio station" and that he "had previously agreed to serve as alternate chief operator in the event station personnel were out" but acknowledged that KWYS was not on the air for nearly four months between January 2004 and May 2004.
Based on this the FCC held that there had been a breach of regulations and confirmed the full penalty.
The USD 21,000 penalty went to Glenn A. Baxter of Belgrade Lakes for interference with the ongoing communications of other Amateur radio stations, failure to exercise station control, transmission of communications in which he had a pecuniary interest, and transmission of communications that constituted impermissible broadcasting.
The commission has reacted to what it termed "numerous complaints of deliberate interference" from his Station K1MAN, issuing warning notices in September and October 2004 and subsequently carrying out an investigation after which it issued a Notice of Apparent Liability in June last year for USD 21,000.
In response to numerous complaints of deliberate interference caused by transmissions from Baxter's Amateur Radio Station K1MAN to ongoing radio communications of other amateur stations, the Bureau issued Warning Notices to Baxter on September 15, 2004 and October 29, 2004. Agents in the Commission's Boston Field Office ("Boston Office") subsequently conducted an investigation, including monitoring and inspecting Baxter's station and, as a result of the investigation, the Boston Office issued a Notice of Apparent Liability to Baxter on June 7, 2005, in the amount of twenty-one thousand dollars ($21,000).
The FCC said agents observed his station start transmissions on top of existing communications and also broadcast information regarding his website, which offers various products for sale, and also a 70-minute interview with a person who was considering whether to retain Baxter Associates, an employment-search firm owned by Baxter broadcasts concerning pecuniary interests that are prohibited to amateur licensees.
Baxter had responded denying any liability and citing the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the US Constitution (which relate to the requiring a Grand Jury indictment and right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed) and requesting "all documentation regarding the alleged apparent liability and…a trial like hearing before the full Commission."
The issue was made a broader one by a petition filed by REC Networks for Leave to File Amicus Pleading and an associated Motion for Partial Reconsideration or Declaratory Ruling: REC was concerned that the ruling could subject many amateur radio licensees to similar enforcement action merely for uttering a website address on their stations.
The commission ruled that Baxter has not shown that there is any reason for us to follow anything but our ordinary procedures for monetary forfeitures or that a hearing "will better serve the ends of justice" and also denied REC's application although it noted that however, that the violation for which Baxter is being assessed a forfeiture is not the mere mention of a website but of his site that offered items for sale.
Previous FCC:
2006-03-29: Latest Australian radio ratings just released by Nielsen Media Research show DMG Australia's new Vega FM stations in Sydney and Melbourne still failing to make much impact in their third ratings but with a slight consolation as in both cities Vega moved up a rank and grew share - from 1.7% to 2.1% in Sydney and from 1.1% to 1.6% in Melbourne. For its target 40-54 baby boomer age group it had a 3% share in Sydney and a 2.6% share in Melbourne.
At the top end in both cities the established leaders consolidated their lead with Macquarie Radio Network's 2GB in Sydney increasing its overall share albeit it slipped back a little in the breakfast slot from a 17.5 to a 17.4 share but more than made up for it in the 0900 to noon slot where its share was up from 12.2% to 14.7%. In Melbourne, Southern Cross Broadcasting's 3AW increased its share from 12.9 to 14.5 with pluses in all day parts.
Although Alan Jones continued his dominance of the breakfast slot for 2GB there was good news for Southern Cross rival 2UE in the time slot with the team of Mike Carlton and Peter FitzSimons increasing their share from 8.7% to 9.5% having already moved up from a 7.2% share in the previous ratings.
In second rank, Austereo's 2-DAY continued its rise and took its share up from 10.0% to 10.4% but DMG's Nova slipped back from 9/0% to 8.0% and dropped from third to fourth spot.
For the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) new breakfast host Adam Spencer slipped slightly from an 8.6% share to 8.5% but there was good news for former ABC host Angela Catterns, now hosting Vega's breakfast show: She increased her share from 1.6% to 2.4%, recovering the ground she had lost so far this year and taking her weekly audience up from 100,000 to 139,000 listeners. Vega's Melbourne breakfast team also increased share but by rather less - up from 0.8% to 1.1%
Perhaps the worst news in Sydney was for John Laws at 2UE: His morning share dropped from 9.3% to 8.1%
City by city, the top three stations were (previous % share in brackets):
Adelaide: Mix 14.5 (14.3) - Up from second; Nova - 13.5 (13.1) - Up from fourth; 5AA 12.8 (14.1) - same rank.
*SAFM with 12.5 (14.5) fell from second to fourth pushing ABC 891 with 11.6 (10.7) into fourth.
Brisbane - Triple M with 16.5 (16.5) - same rank; Nova with 14.4 (13.1) - same rank; 4BC with 10.4 (9.9) - up from fourth.
*97.3 FM with 10.7 (10.7) was down from third to fourth.
*Melbourne - 3AW with 14.5 (12.9) - same rank; ABC 774 with 13.0 (12.4) - same rank; Fox FM with 10.3 (10.0) - up from fourth - and 3MMM with 10.3 (9.1) - up from sixth.
Gold with 9.9 (10.9) was down from third to fifth and Nova with 9.0 (9.6) fell back from fifth to sixth.
*Perth - MIX 94.5FM 18.1 (16.4) - same rank; ABC 720 with 12.1 (11.6) - same rank; Nova with 11.8 (11.3) - up from fourth.
*96FM with 11.7 (11.5) fell from third to fourth.
*Sydney: 2GB 13.4 (12.4) - same rank; 2-DAY with 9.6 (9.9) same rank; 2UE with 8.3 (8.2) - up from fifth;
* WSFM with 7.6 (9.3) fell from third to seventh whilst Nova with 7.8 (8.1) was up to fourth from sixth followed by MIX FM with 7.7 (8.4) - down from fourth and ABC 702 with 7.7 (6.9) - up from eighth.
Previous ABC, Australia:
Previous Austereo:
Previous Australian ratings:
Previous Carlton:
Previous Catterns:
Previous DMG:
Previous Jones:
Previous Laws:
Previous Macquarie Radio Network:
Previous Southern Cross:
2006-03-29: Nominations announced for the 2006 Sony Radio Academy Awards, the British Radio Industry "Oscars", include a mainly BBC contest for The Entertainment Award for which the nominations are newly-appointed BBC Radio 2 host Chris Evans; Jonathan Ross -also from BBC Radio 2; Chris Moyles from BBC Radio 1; Danny Baker from BBC London and Ugly Phil from Emap's West Midlands Kerrang! Regional station.
In contrast to the Entertainment Award, commercial stations dominate the Breakfast Show Award nominations: They go to (Spence) Macdonald & (Mike) Maguire at Breakfast on Emap's Magic 1152, Manchester; Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Chrysalis's LBC FM; The Today programme on BBC Radio 4; (Mike) Toolan in the Morning on Emap's Manchester station Key 103; and Wes (Butters) at Breakfast on Chrysalis's Galaxy Manchester.
Tim Blackmore, Chairman of the Sony Radio Academy Awards Committee, said: "The accelerating rate of change within our industry is reflected in the way these awards have kept pace across almost a quarter of a century. The enthusiastic support for 'The Sony's' from all sectors of UK radio is evidenced by an outstanding year in which the overall number of entries has increased, alongside a significant increase in support from our local and regional broadcasters."
The other nominations announced are:
Station of the Year:
UK Station of the Year - XFM, as BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2
Digital Terrestrial Station of the Year - Capital Disney, BBC 1Xtra and Planet Rock
Station of the Year - 1 million plus potential audience - BBC Radio Ulster, Choice FM, London, and Kerrang! 105.2, West Midlands
Station of the Year under 300,000 potential audience - Coast 96.3, Isle of Wight Radio and The New Fire 107.6FM
Station programmer of the year:
Jeff Zycinski - BBC Radio Scotland
Mark Browning - London's Heart 106.2
Richard Park - Magic 105.4
Music programme award:
Ben Jones Most Wanted - Virgin Radio
hit40uk - Somethin' Else for GCap, Chrysalis, SRH and various UK radio stations
Mornings with Rick Shaw - Kerrang! 105.2 West Midlands
Scott Mills - BBC Radio 1
The Weekender with Adam Longworth - Xfm
Music Radio Personality of the Year:
Lauren Laverne, Xfm
Chris Evans
Jamie Theakston, London's Heart 106.2
Marc Riley - BBC 6 Music
Tim Lovejoy - Virgin Radio
Music broadcaster of the year:
Andrew McGregor - BBC Radio 3
Paul Gambaccini - Howlett Media Productions and BBC Radio & Music Factual for Radio 2 & Radio 4
Suzi Quatro - Howlett Media Productions for BBC Radio 2
Tim Westwood - Justice Entertainment for BBC Radio 1
Zane Lowe - BBC Radio 1
Speech broadcaster of the year:
Eddie Mair - BBC Radio 4
Jeremy Vine - BBC Radio 2
Jim Hawkins - BBC Radio Shropshire
Simon Mayo - BBC Radio 5 Live
Umberto Saoncella - Real Radio Yorkshire
News journalist of the year:
Angus Stickler - BBC Radio 4
Christian Fraser - BBC Radio 5 Live
Eddie Mair - BBC Radio 4
Peter Allen - BBC Radio 5 Live
The Radio City News Team - Radio City 96.7
Specialist music programme award:
Andy Kershaw - BBC Radio 3
The 6 Mix - BBC 6 Music
The Charles Hazlewood Show - Somethin' Else for BBC Radio 2
The Loose Cannons - Kiss 100
Zane Lowe - BBC Radio 1
The Breaking News Award:
GCap Media News for Capital Radio for its report The London Bombings;
BBC Radio 4 -The Death & Funeral of Pope John Paul II;
BBC Radio 4 - The Demise of Rover at Longbridge
Key 103 - Glazer and Manchester United;
Radio Five Live - The Death of The Pope.
Interactive programme award:
606 - Campbell Davison Media for BBC Radio 5 Live
Alex Dyke Phone-In - Isle of Wight Radio
Justin Moorhouse - Key 103
Scott Mills - BBC Radio 1
Simon James and Hill - Chase Enterprises for TLRC Network
News & current affairs programme award:
1800 news bulletin - BBC Radio News for Radio 4
Real News at Five - Real 24/7 News for Real Radio Yorkshire
Talkback - BBC Radio News & Current Affairs for Radio Ulster
The Today programme - BBC Radio News for Radio 4
Viking FM News - 96.9 Viking FM
Sports programme award:
Fighting Talk - World's End Television for BBC Radio Five Live
Hearts - That Penalty! - BBC Radio Scotland
The Danny Kelly Sports Show - BBC London 94.9
The Real Football Phone-In - Real Radio Scotland
The Summer Club - BBC Radio Ulster
Speech programme award:
Broadcasting House - BBC Radio News for Radio 4
Jon Ronson On ... Unique the production company for BBC Radio 4
The Reunion - Whistledown Productions for BBC Radio 4
The Stephen Nolan Show - BBC Radio Ulster
The Umberto Show - Real Radio Yorkshire
Drama award:
Hitler in Therapy - BBC World Service Drama for the World Service
In Search of Lost Time - Fiction Factory for BBC Radio 4
Last Loves - BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4
No Background Music - BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4
What a Carve Up! - Tiger Aspect for BBC Radio 4
Comedy award:
oneclick/comedy ... The Milk Run - BBC Radio Entertainment for Radio 1
That Mitchell & Webb Sound - BBC Radio Entertainment for Radio 4
The Ape that Got Lucky - BBC Radio Entertainment for Radio 4
The Flight of the Conchords - BBC Radio Entertainment for Radio 2
The Lee Mack Show - BBC Radio Entertainment for BBC Radio 2
Feature award:
84 Book Crossing Road - Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 4
A Requiem for St Kilda - BBC Radio & Music Factual for Radio 4
Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These: John Lennon 25 Years On - Radio City News for Radio City 96.7
The Search for Black Trafalgar :
Previous Radio Academy:
Previous Sony Awards (Sony 2005 Awards):
2006-03-29: San Francisco sports show host Larry Kreuger, who was suspended last year by Susquehanna's KNBR-FM after comments about the Giants including criticism of manager Felipe Alou's whose mind he said had "turned to Cream of Wheat" (See RNW Aug 8, 2005) and then fired along with producer Tony Rhein and program director Bob Agnew for ridiculing Alou's criticism of his apology (See RNW Aug 11, 2005) has settled a lawsuit he brought against the station.
The San Francisco Chronicle says that Krueger was barred by a confidentiality clause of giving details of the settlement but did comment, "It's over, and I'm pleased. That's all I can say."
Krueger, who now works for KGO-AM in San Francisco on weekdays and at KHTK-AM in Sacramento at weekends, and Rhein filed separate lawsuits in October, alleging that KNBR's then owner, Susquehanna Radio, fired them to appease the Giants. Susquehanna has subsequently been taken over by Cumulus.
Previous Cumulus:
San Francisco Chronicle report:
2006-03-29: Administrators of Australian AM network WorldAudio say that the company might still be re-structured and added that they hoped for approval of a new digital trial licence using the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM ) system.
WorldAudio had called in the receivers after failing to raise new funding in the wake of a government decision to allocate new Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) spectrum only to existing players for the first six years (See RNW Mar 22) thus seemingly dashing its hopes of using the low-power Radio 2 AM network to create a national digital network.
Administrator Bob Elliot of the accounting firm Hall Chadwick said he was to meet regulators to discuss the possibility of a DRM licence saying he was "hoping" for this and had been told such a trial was still being considered although it was unclear whether any licence would cover all of the country or just some areas.
The administrators say the company will continue operating as normal for the moment but only on a week-to week basis: They have placed advertisements in the hope of finding a buyer or investor and say several possible buyers have been identified.
Previous WorldAudio:
The Australian report:
2006-03-28: ABC's Daytime Direction Network retained top rank but Jones MediaAmerica TWC Radio Network moved into second place, pushing ABC Prime Access into third in Arbitron's RADAR 88 (Radio's All Dimension Audience Research) Radio Network Audience Report just released covering the period from January 6, 2005- December 14, 2005.
In the top three, ABC Daytime Direction Network lost 160,000 on the RADAR 87 numbers to end up with a weekly audience of 7.28 million and its AQH was down from 3.0 to 2.9; Jones MediaAmerica TWC Radio Network gained 460,000 listeners to end up with 5.752 million and an AQH of 2.3, up from 2.2; and ABC's Prime Access network lost 119,000 to end up with 5.716 million and an AQH of 2.3, down from 2.4
Following them Westwood CBS News Primetime Network pulled back a rank to end up fourth having gained 198,000 listeners to a weekly 5.406 million and AQH up from 2.1 to 2.2 whilst Dial-Global Complete FM Network gained 339,000 listeners to move up from seventh to fifth rank with 5.264 million listeners and AQH up from 2.0 to 2.1.
RADAR now rates 56 networks having added four since RADAR 87 - Premiere Radio Networks' Morning Drive FM, Spectrum, Select, and Urban Two and also saw an increase in sample size from 95,000 to 100,000 diary keepers
Previous Arbitron:
Previous Disney/ABC, America:
Previous Jones MediaAmerica:
Previous RADAR:
Previous RADAR ratings (RADAR 87):
Previous Premiere Networks:
Previous Westwood One:
2006-03-28: UK Chrysalis Group in a pre-close trading statement remains bullish about its prospects despite what it terms "challenging "conditions for the radio industry over the first half of its financial year - to the end of last month - during which it says its radio operations have "comfortably outperformed the market" although they are expected to be down 4% on a year earlier on a like-for-like basis. Chrysalis Music, it added, has had a strong first six months
It says that for the full year trading "continues in line with the Board's expectations" and notes "much improved" trading for Chrysalis Radio with like for like revenues expected to be up 10% over the figures for the same two months a year earlier and adds, This, together with last month's Q4 2005 Rajar audience figures showing Heart 106.2 as London's most listened to station, gives us confidence that Chrysalis Radio's full year targets will be met."
Group Chief Executive Richard Huntingford said in a statement, "The out-performance of both our radio and music divisions, against their respective peers during the year to date, confirms that the benefits of our strategy of focusing on these two strong businesses are coming through as planned."
"Heart 106.2," he added, "remains the most listened to station in the important London market and we have once again demonstrated the strength of our music catalogue and our distribution business, all of which gives me confidence that the current financial year will be a successful one for the Group."
In other UK radio business SMG shares rose on Monday on bid rumours, hitting 95 pence at one time and ending the day up 3.4% at 92 pence.
The Sunday Times had reported that Mecom, the investment vehicle run by former Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) chief executive David Montgomery, has been secretly building a stake in SMG, ahead of a potential GBP 300m (USD 525 million) takeover bid.
It added that Montgomery has enlisted Rob Woodward, the former commercial director of Channel 4, as a prospective chief executive of SMG if Mecom decides to proceed with a bid and said Mecom and Woodward are thought to be working with unnamed investors on an approach to break up SMG and sell on some of its assets to trade or financial buyers.
Mecom was established to invest in underperforming media assets and is also bidding for the Dutch newspaper group Limburger Dagblad: It has also made investments in two German regional newspaper groups, the Berliner Zeitung and Hamburger Morgenpost.
RNW comment: SMG's fortunes have been getting somewhat better recently on the back of improved ratings for Virgin Radio: Montgomery, who made his name cutting costs at MGN, does not seem a likely figure in our view to enhance the performance. More likely to be a case, we'd suggest, of surgery leading to dismemberment than healthy growth.
Previous Chrysalis:
Previous Huntingford:
Previous SMG:
UK Sunday Times report:
2006-03-28: Some 30% of Howard Stern's fans followed him when he moved to Sirius Satellite Radio according to a Jacobs Media survey late last month of 25,000 respondents from more than 75 Rock-formatted stations from all over the U.S. that also shows subscriber parity in the group between Sirius and its competitor XM, each with a 6% share.
There is a plus for Sirius from the survey, however, in that it has an edge amongst those who say they are likely to subscribe to satellite radio this year and a plus for Stern in that he was the key reason Sirius subscribers had moved to satellite...
The survey indicates that in the markets where Stern was broadcasting on commercial radio in 2005 (more than 15,000 respondents)a fifth of his "regular listeners" have already subscribed to Sirius and a further one in ten say they intend to, "a strong indicator", says Jacobs, that "for commercial radio broadcasters in Stern markets, the worst is over."
Sirius' competitor XM meanwhile has announced that it is to expand its channel line-up to offer "the most channels and most choice" in satellite radio. XM says it will add 10 new commercial-free music channels and seven regional news and talk channels from Clear Channel to end up with a total of more than 170 channels with new channels.
Among offerings on the schedule Bob Dylan's channel launches in May and "Oprah and Friends" in September.
The Clear Channel services, all of which will carry advertising, are to be grouped with Clear Channel-programmed music channels in a new category on the channel guide called "Regional News, Talk & Music Channels" thus, says XM, keeping them distinct from the 69 commercial-free music channels it offers.
XM also notes that its sports line-up, as well as Major League Baseball, also includes a newly launched channel dedicated to FIFA World Cup Soccer and that it will also carry Spanish-language coverage of World Cup Soccer.
Previous Clear Channel:
Previous Jacobs Media:
Previous Sirius:
Previous Stern:
Previous XM:
2006-03-28: The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says that it proposes to collect USD 288,771,000 in regulatory fees for Fiscal Year 2006 - a 3.1% increase on a year earlier, and notes that as part of the requirements of the US Deficit Reduction Act is also required to collect an additional USD 10 million in the year.
The regular fees, which cover all communications service under its remit, will be collected in August-September as has been its standard practice but regarding the extra amount is seeking comment on how this should be raised, putting forward as prime options additional charges on application fees or regulatory fees.
Previous FCC:
2006-03-27: We concentrate this week in our look at print comment in the media on issues of hosts and accents, starting with the "coon" comment made by fired St Louis KTRS-AM host Dave Lenihan when discussing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's credentials to become National Football League Commissioner (See RNW Mar 24).
Whilst most reports have been about the comment, Lenihan's dismissal, and Rice's subsequent comments on Fox News - she told Chris Wallace, "My understanding is that he apologized, that he didn't mean it… I accept that Because we all say things from time to time that we shouldn't say or didn't mean to say" - Jake Wagman in the St Louis Post-Dispatch analyzes the incident from a different perspective.
In a column headed "Seven-second delay could have kept racial slur off air" he says that that KTRS broadcasts on such a delay but the system was not used.
KTRS CEO Tim Dorsey said that at KTRS it is the host's responsibility to alert a technician when he wants to use the delay device, saying, "When you want something dumped you would point to the board operator, indicating to hit the button. I would say we use the seven-second delay button often. Everybody does. It's pretty standard in the business."
Lenihan, who had been with the station only a week and a half, said he was never told about the delay procedures and Roosevelt "Rick" Wright Jr., a professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with 48 years' experience in radio said that at most stations, censoring the radio personality is left solely to the show's producer.
Wright suggested Lenihan compounded his error when he drew attention to his mistake, repeating the word before an effusive apology, saying that if it was indeed a slip of the tongue, a more seasoned broadcaster might have been able to talk past it.
"In this case, we had a rookie trying to get out and he caused attention to it," Wright said. "That's when the phone calls started to come in."
Dorsey said of the reaction to the remark that comments had come from all over, commenting, "We've been vilified and we've been praised" and adding that comments ranged from "you are spineless and you are too politically correct" to "you did the right thing and only thing you could do."
RNW comment: It certainly seems to us that KTRS could also change its procedures and put responsibility for "dump button" use onto producers, by far a better practice. Our view is that a second person who is a listener is far better placed to spot things than a host who may be too close to something to recognize the full import of a comment in just the same way that we consider a vital part of a TV picture editor's role is to see video as a viewer will not as a correspondent and crew, who may have been in the thick of something, remember their experience. Dorsey does not come well out of this episode in our view.
After an incident when the reason for a host's departure is at least clear, our next selection is Paul Donovan's Radio Waves column in this week's UK Sunday Times.
Under the heading "In the firing line" he notes, "Several radio presenters are now getting the boot, or being 'rested', as the BBC likes to say on these occasions. A listener, Paul Roberts, worked out that recently announced schedule changes - Chris Evans replacing Johnnie Walker on drivetime and so on - would erase Helen Mayhew's late-night jazz show, which he likes. He asked about this and received the following e-mail: 'Hi Paul, Helen Mayhew is being rested for the moment. Kind regards, Nic Philps, Radio 2 music programmes.'"
Donovan continues "If I had a pound for every time I have heard radio executives talk about "resting" programmes or presenters, I would be as flush as Chris Evans by now. Simon Bates, DLT, Alan Freeman, Paul Callan, Henry Kelly, Debbie Thrower, John Dunn - an endless hall of fame. Now, apart from Mayhew (poached from Jazz FM only two years ago), the axe has fallen on Radio 2's Ed "Stewpot" Stewart and Janey Lee Grace's own show, Brian Hayes of Radio Five Live and Shaheera Asante of Radio 3."
He notes that that the changes frequently happen in spring because the end of the financial year is in March and contracts often expire on March 31 and gives details of some past UK departures - saying that when Peter Hobday left the BBC Radio 4 "Today" programme after 25 years with the corporation he received no letter of thanks, that Henry Kelly was "airbrushed" off the Classic FM website overnight and concluding, "Few, however, have been as brutally treated as Richard Duncan on Metro. He was called in by his bosses before he was due to go on air and told he was being replaced. Inquiring when his last show would be, he was told: 'Yesterday.'"
Donovan also notes that what he terms "Potentially the most serious of the current changes", concerns Asante, one of only two non-white presenters on BBC Radio 3.
"Half Ghanaian, quarter Guyanese and quarter Brazilian," he writes, "she is an experienced world-music broadcaster from Canada, where she was raised. She has been the number three on Late Junction, the eclectic, award-winning music show, since 2002, brought in to add a note of diversity… Asante, 39, was incensed to be told by e-mail on March 1 by the show's boss, the producer Andrew Kurowski, that she would not be covering for the regular presenters, Verity Sharp and Fiona Talkington, the next time they are both off."
She was angry about her treatment and commented that she thought she had been used as "as an 'ethnically tokenistic' presenter and is fed up with Radio 3's 'collective sugar-coated racism, and you can quote me on that'."
BBC Radio 4 also attracted comment on its role following the appointment of Ceri Thomas (See RNW Mar 22) as editor of its flagship Today breakfast programme, which first went on air I 1957.
In the UK Independent Tim Luckhurst said this "displayed BBC clumsiness at its worst. From the moment his predecessor, Kevin Marsh, resigned, executives briefed that Thomas would get the job."
He considers the gossip "unfair" and says "Thomas emerged from a genuine contest with the daunting challenge of making Today feel fresh."
"But," he continues, "the debate about whether Today exists to make trouble or simply be an avuncular establishment notice board ignores a more fundamental issue. In a time when newspapers and television have developed dramatically, the BBC's flagship radio programme has hardly changed in 20 years."
Luckhurst quotes former Today presenter Peter Hobday as saying, "If you were to invent Today today, is this really how you would do it? With all those fixed points of the sports news, the business news, the weather forecast, Thought for the Day and the big interview at ten past eight?" The programme's tradition of three- or four-minute chunks infuriates him. "I can't stand the phrase 'we will have to leave that now'. Who is the 'we'? It's not the audience."
Others were less critical with former Today editor Rod Liddle commenting, "The staid format works. People are familiar with it" and Justin Lewis of the Cardiff School of Journalism adding, "It is a pretty successful formula and Radio 4 is a revolution-free space."
Irrespective of the reasons for the changes noted by Donovan, another factor can still loom large in the UK according to David Smith in the Observer- that of "accent."
"Anyone taking up a mike," he writes, "for Radio 4 must satisfy a fanatical army of listeners famed for revolting at the tiniest tweak of their beloved schedule. So pity the poor continuity announcer facing the full force of their wrath, apparently because he lacks the 'voice of Middle England'."
"Jamaican Neil Nunes, with his Caribbean accent," he continues, "has provoked the biggest controversy among Radio 4's sensitive audience since controller Mark Damazer axed Fritz Spiegl's 'UK theme' from its early morning slot. Some describe Nunes's voice as grating and inappropriate for the station, while others dismiss this as a 'Little Englander' attitude. The kind of angry exchanges erupting on the station's website are unusual for Radio 4's urbane followers."
David Anderson, head of presentations at Radio 4, said in a statement: '[Neil] already has a lot of experience as a newsreader and journalist with the BBC World Service, and comes to us also with the gift of an unusually rich timbred voice, something many listeners have commented on favourably. And to clarify, the accent is an indication of Neil's upbringing in Jamaica.'
When we last checked the BBC Radio 4 message board on the issue there had been 113 postings - initially commenting on Nunes but later spilling out into comment on other announcers… the first praising him "I've only heard him once before and he sounds great."
This was followed by one saying, "This new announcer is a con. Its a computer using speech sythesis [RNW note - incorrect Its for It's and spelling of synthesis as posted]" then others showing confusion about the accent used…" BBC does stand for BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation doesn't it? Do we really have to listen to this American drawl everytime we hear an announcement?" and "Neil Lunes has a nice voice. For nice America, take it back where it belongs."
Others were much less chauvinistic …" Good grief, I can't believe the amount of negative views here based on where Neil (thanks for the name :-) ) comes from. His voice is clear and is paced well, he passes the information across which is the aim. What happened to the idea of 'Nation will speak unto Nation' ?" and "His voice has a very special quality,it's mellifluous tone is addictive, he could read out the telephone directory and i would melt."
Some wanted even more diversity…" ... More variety of accent is what we need. Think of the sounds of Peter Donaldson, Corrie Cofield and Chris Aldridge...and now Neil Nunes. Lovely vocal qualities in all. "
Crossing oceans and continents, our next comment concerned the problems of Australian AM radio network WorldAudio which earlier this month called in the receivers (See RNW Mar 22).
Writing in the Australian Mark Day starts his comment: "THE history of the failed rebel radio outfit WorldAudio may be summed up as: Right idea, wrong time. In two decades, perhaps, we may see the kind of Australia-wide service WorldAudio aspired to provide, but it will not be delivered in the way the company chose."
He then summed up how the whole idea depended on what the founders thought was a "loophole" in Australia's broadcasting laws, building up a network of low-powered terrestrial broadcasts over AM frequencies just outside the broadcasting services band with the hope that this would enable them to obtain digital spectrum and thus level the playing field as opposed to an initial situation where their station's power and position on the dial meant "not many people could hear them clearly." He also noted that "the backdoor method of entry into the radio industry angered conventional radio players who lobbied against them."
WorldAudio founders Graeme Logan and Andrew Thompson believed they had found a loophole in broadcast law whereby they could get on air for thousands of dollars while mainstream stations shelled out millions.
They acquired dozens of licences for low-powered terrestrial broadcasts over AM frequencies just outside the broadcasting services band. This led to two ultimately insurmountable problems: because of their power and position on the dial, not many people could hear them clearly, and the backdoor method of entry into the radio industry angered conventional radio players who lobbied against them.
Co-founder Andrew Thompson he noted, "fully aware that his 50 terrestrial transmission sites were not the basis of a profitable future, lobbied hard to be granted digital spectrum. But he failed because the incumbent mainstream players convinced Communications Minister Helen Coonan that spectrum for digital conversion should be granted only to broadcasting services band operators. They argued they had spent hundreds of millions establishing networks and brands and it would be unfair to give equal status to an upstart who paid peanuts to come in via the back door."
And of the terrestrial Radio 2 network that the company had brought into existence, Day writes, "To get radio audiences to change their habits, you need a compellingly different programming proposition. Thompson was able to attract some well-known former radio presenters, but their programming was just more of the same. Listeners could find no reason to switch and advertisers found no reason to buy time."
He says this is a similar conundrum to the one facing satellite radio in the US, where the satellite operators through offering commercial free programming plus shows like Howard Stern (on Sirius) and Opie and Anthony (on XM) that cannot be broadcast in the same form on terrestrial stations because of regulatory indecency rules appear to be on the way to succeeding.
"How long before a similar model is established for Australia?" ask Day. "The WorldAudio dream survives it."
On then to programming and first BBC 6 Music, the digital and Internet station, that on March 30th kicks off its tribute to Punk on the music's 30th anniversary in its "Pretty Ancient" event that runs to April 2.
Amongst the material on offer is breakfast show ( from 06:00 GMT) host Phil Jupiter talking to former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock about the group's first gig at the 100 Club in Oxford Street on March 30 1976 and also on Thursday at 20:00 GMT My Way: The Sid Vicious Story.
Then BBC Radio 3 and last Saturday's "Discovering Music" in which Charles Hazlewood looks at Benjamin Britten's "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra", "Jazz File -Pee Wee's Blues" from the same day in which Michael Pointon marks the centenary of jazz clarinettist Pee Wee Russell's birth in the first of two programmes (the second is next Saturday at 17:00 GMT); and "Composer of the Week" (Weekdays at 11:00 GMT) which this week has Donald Macleod looking at the work of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and interviewing him at his New York home.
Then BBC Radio 2 and tomorrow at 19:30 GMT the station has the second part of "Sir Richard Rodney Bennett: An Englishman in New York" in which Russell Davies celebrates the composer's output - the first programme is on the listen again past of the web site until then.
And for a final music offering, tonight's "2006 Radio Ballad", also on BBC Radio 2, at 20:00 GMT, the fifth of six programmes inspired by the original BBC Home Service Radio Ballads of the late 50s and early 60s: Tonight's programme, "Thirty Years of Conflict", looks at the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland through the eyes of musicians including songs from Tommy Sands, Karine Polwart and John Tams.
On to drama and "Drama on 3" that next Sunday at 19:00 GMT on BBC Radio 3 marks the 50th anniversary of launch of the English Stage Company at The Royal Court on April 2, 1956 with live performances from plays featured at the theatre including Wole Soyinka, Arnold Wesker, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Joe Penhall and Laura Wade and is followed at 20:30 GMT in "The Sunday Feature" with an exploration of the theatre's history.
Then BBC Radio 4 and Saturday's "Lenny and Will" in which comic Lenny Henry goes in search of the magic of Shakespeare in performance and Sunday's "Like A Rolling Stone" in which Jeremy Harding paid tribute to French poet Arthur Rimbaud plus yet another strong "Friday Play", "First Born" by John Godber in which hard-man made good Jack worries that his daughter Jenny is too soft to cope with life - last week's production of Fritz Lang's melodrama Metropolis is available until then.
At this point we'd note for the benefit of those of tender sensibilities that BBC radio fairly often treads into use of language that in the US might well attract condemnation from the Federal Communications Commission, a cue as it happens for last week's "On the Media" from WNYC-FM: It began with "Do You Swear?", a look at the record fines for indecent content just levied on US TV and included an interview with Democrat Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein, who dissented from some of the ruling, and also "NYPD Blue" creator Steven Bochco who says the series just wouldn't have got the go-ahead in the current climate in the US.
It also has an interesting perspective on the news conference by President Bush in which he took questions from, amongst others Helen Thomas, doyen of the White House press corps -- New York Newsday columnist James Pinkerton in essence says she was allowed to ask her question (which was of course not really answered) as part of a deliberate media management plan to tag her and other journalists as extremists.
Finally documentary and first Radio Netherlands whose "Research File" today looks at how researchers say they have found a genetic 'masterswitch' for scent production from plants and Friday's "A Good Life" that looks at the risks illegal migrants take to get into the US from Mexico and, from Australia, the last two weeks of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's "Background Briefing", the first of which in "Post-modern politics" looked at "political spin and language laundering" and how politicians appeal to emotions such as fear are driving out rational assessments, and last week's "Defence Recruitment Crisis", which looked at the problems the Australian military, among others, is having in attracting "Generation Y".
Previous Columnists:
Previous Donovan:
The Australian - Day:
BBC Radio 4 Message board re announcers' accents:
St Louis Post-Dispatch - Wagman:
UK Independent - Luckhurst:
UK Observer - Smith:
UK Sunday Times - Donovan:
2006-03-27: KTRS-AM, which fired most of its former air staff after a deal that gave the St Louis Cardinals a half-stake in the Dorsey Media -owned station that took over Cardinals cover, has brought back former host McGraw Milhaven to replace Dave Lenihan, who was fired last week after he used the word "coon" (See RNW Mar 24).
The St Louis Post-Dispatch reports that station management called Milhaven shortly after Lenihan was fired as morning host and asked him to lunch.
It continues, "In between dishes of crow and humble pie at J. Buck's, the bigwigs - program director Al Brady Law and operations manager Craig Unger - asked Milhaven if he would return and take the 9 a.m. to noon slot on weekdays" and that a long-term contract has now been signed.
Milhaven said of the deal. "I'm a baseball fan and I'm a St. Louis man, so KTRS was always the perfect place for me to be," and KTRS CEO Tim Dorsey said he was "delighted that Milhaven is coming back ... I think the real winners will be the St. Louis radio listeners."
St Louis Post-Dispatch report:
2006-03-27: Ireland's first commercial regional radio station Beat FM could go into the black for the first time this year according to the UK Sunday Times which reports that it is hoping to increase its revenues up to Euros 1.9 million (USD 2.28 million) this year and notes that its revenue targets this year are 20% higher than for 2005.
Earlier this month figures obtained from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) by the Irish Independent revealed that the station had yet to go into profit after three years on air (See RNW Mar 19).
Chief executive Kieran McGeary said costs would be static at up to Euros 1.8 million (USD 2.16 million), which would put the Waterford-based station into the black: He also ruled out a bid for a new southwest regional licence that is now being offered by the BCI.
Previous Beat FM:
UK Sunday Times report:
2006-03-26: Last week was a fairly routine one for most of the radio regulators with a steady level of activity in most areas but no major decisions.
In Australia, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced that it is proposing to allow Southern Cross Broadcasting to swap the frequencies of its Melbourne AM stations News/Talk/Sport - format 3AW-AM and 40s, 50s and 60s music format 3EE-AM (See RNW Mar 23) and has also ruled that Austereo's Sydney 2DAY- FM breached codes of practice by broadcasting inappropriate sexual material during Lowie's Hot 30 Countdown
ACMA ruled that the broadcast breached Codes of Practice "as the program did not meet contemporary standards of decency having regard to the likely characteristics of the audience of the licensee's service" and also because the broadcast, with an "explicit sexual theme as its core component" was broadcast before 9.30 pm
In making its ruling the Authority commented that "It was foreseeable that inviting a guest introduced as a 'porn actress' to discuss her work in an early evening time slot might lead to the broadcast of explicit material…The situation was exacerbated by the offer of an attractive prize (an iPod nano) to the listener who rang in with the 'dumbest question' for the 'porn actress'."
It concluded however that subsequent re-training of the programme team and a commitment to pre-record interviews that have the potential to be of even a slightly risqué nature were sufficient for it to take no further action, although it will continue to monitor the broadcaster.
In Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has been involved in a various radio-related decisions including (in order of province):
Nova Scotia:
*Approval of new English-language broad-based AC format commercial FM to replace CKEC-AM, New Glasgow, and associated denials of applications from Astral Media Radio Atlantic Inc.(with a Hot AC bid), Atlantic Broadcasters Limited (with a Hot AC and Pop music bid) and Acadia Broadcasting Limited (with a Classic Rock bid) for licences to operate English-language commercial FM radio stations at New Glasgow.
*Approval in part by application by Newcap for a new 100,000 watts English-language, commercial FM in New Glasgow offering new and Classic Rock to the hits of today: the approval is subject to it finding a suitable frequency.
*Approval in part by application by Newcap for a new 100,000 watts English-language, commercial FM in New Glasgow offering new and Classic Rock to the hits of today: the approval is subject to it finding a suitable frequency.
Prince Edward Island:
*Approval of new 33,000 watts English-language Classic Hits/Oldies music format commercial FM radio station in Charlottetown to replace Newcap's existing AM station CHTN, Charlottetown.
*Approval of new 73,300 watts Country music English-language commercial FM to replace Maritime Broadcasting System Limited's existing CFCY -AM, Charlottetown.
*Denial of application from Coast Broadcasting Ltd. For a licence for a new 17,900 watts English-language, commercial FM in Charlottetown. The application was considered to be technically mutually exclusive with the application filed by Maritime to convert its station CFCY from AM to FM band.
Quebec:
*Denial of application for a 324 watts French- and English-language, specialty FM radio station in Montréal that would broadcast Christian music.
*Denial of application for a 500 watts specialty French-language commercial FM radio station in Montréal.
*Denial of application to increase from 3,000 watts to an average ERP of 33,200 watts and relocate the transmitter of CFEI-FM, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
The CRTC noted that this was the fourth attempt to improve CFEI-FM Saint-Hyacinthe's signal in its licensed area and that it had already approved a power decrease from 3,000 watts to 640 watts and transmitter relocation and later a power increase back to 3,000 watts but had denied an earlier application for a power increase to 33,200 watts. In this case the increase would significantly expand the station's contours towards Montréal and its approval, said the commission, could prevent future use of 106.3 MHz in the Montréal area, which is one of the last FM frequencies available in this large market.
There were no radio announcements in the Republic of Ireland but in the UK Ofcom has published the reasons for its award of the new Plymouth FM to a group backed by Macquarie Bank (See RNW Mar 21) and also for its award of nine new community licences earlier this month (See RNW Mar 17).
As on previous occasions most of the awards were linked to relevant experience, links with the communities the stations intend to serve and support for the services: It noted that it has now awarded 93 community licences and said it is planning to invite applications later this year for the second round of community radio licences...
Ofcom also published its latest Broadcast Bulletin, upholding one radio complaint (See RNW Mar 21) and also a list of the applications it has received for Restricted Service Licences for RSL applications for broadcasting during Ramadan and Eid in 2006.
Ofcom notes in connection with these that, as already advised, it is planning to review its RSL rules, and we will be consulting shortly on some proposed changes including how to decide between applications submitted at the same time and proposing a service for the same event in the same location. These changes, it notes, will not be completed for the current licensing round for which it will adopt the practice of a draw to decide when there are such multiple applications.
In all Ofcom lists 79 applications, 7 for the Birmingham area; one for Blackburn; three for Bolton; eleven for Bradford; two for Bristol; one each for Dudley, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and High Wycombe; two for Huddersfield; five each for Keighley and Leeds; two for Leicester; 13 for London including two applications for Southall; one for Luton; five for Manchester; four for Middlesbrough; one for Stockton on Tees; three for Nelson; one each for Newcastle, Oldham, Peterborough, Preston and Reading; two for Sheffield; and one each for Slough and Walsall.
In the US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which earlier announced penalties of almost USD 4.3 million relating to TV indecency/obscenity breaches is still to make any announcement concerning radio breaches although rumours continue that it will soon do so and that the rulings are likely to involve various penalties against The Howard Stern Show whilst it was on terrestrial radio.
It has however levied a penalty of USD 14,000 against Gibson Tech Ed, Inc. of Orem, Utah, for the marketing of two models of unauthorized FM broadcast transmitters. Gibson had not responded to a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture issued in September last year.
In other radio related activity it rejected a request from Galaxy Communications, L.P. to allow a change in the community of licence for WTKV-FM, Oswego, New York, noting that in 2001 staff had granted an application to move to Granby, New York, but that under current radio ownership regulations this would now take it above the permitted number of stations for the relevant market - in this case that for Arbitron's Syracuse Metro.
Galaxy it notes currently has nine stations in the market - three AM and six FM - whereas the rules permit only seven and not more than half of them either AM or FM - thus meaning it is two above each of the overall and FM limits: In the Ownership Order, the Commission grandfathered existing ownership combinations like Galaxy's that had been authorized under prior rules
It also denied a plea by Qantum Communications Corporation to prohibit a swap deal between Cumulus and Star Broadcasting Inc. under which Florida stations WNCV-FM, Niceville, and WYZB-FM, Mary Esther, went to Star and WPPG-FM, Evergreen, Alabama, and WTKE-FM, Holt, Florida, to Cumulus.
Qantum has said that Cumulus already holds an interest in too many FM stations in Arbitron's Ft. Walton Beach Metro Survey Area, that grant of the licences would give Cumulus undue market power in the market, that it had guaranteed itself market dominance through rights for itself and restrictions on Star and that it had used loans to Star to induce it to breach its agreement with Qantum for the sale of WTKE-FM.
The FCC noted that it was not the proper place to settle contractual arguments between parties but it also ruled that various clauses in the agreement between Star and Cumulus relating to format restrictions on Star, Cumulus rights in the parties Stock Pledge Agreement, and Cumulus's right of first refusal to re-acquire WNCV-FM or WYZB-FM, did breach its rules and that these had to be deleted before closing of the deal would be allowed.
Previous ACMA:
Previous CRTC:
Previous FCC:
Previous Licence News:
Previous Ofcom:
ACMA web site:
CRTC web site:
FCC web site:
Ofcom web site:
2006-03-26: Pete Mitchell, who ended his partnership with Geoff Lloyd - they formed the Virgin Radio "Pete and Geoff" breakfast team - at the end of last year has joined BBC Radio 2 according to the Manchester Evening News.
Mitchell, who was born in Manchester and is a former columnist for the paper, said he would be doing "a late-night show on a Saturday and a breakfast show on a Sunday. Both shows will be based around a chat-show format and I will be interviewing some of the more interesting bands around."
"Radio 2 is the biggest radio station in the world. It is a real compliment that they asked me to join," he added. "I thought I may have been heading for semi-retirement when I quit Virgin but, instead, I have gone right to the top of the ladder and joined the Manchester United of radio stations. I couldn't be happier."
Previous Mitchell:
Manchester Evening News report:
2006-03-26: A study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers projects that India's radio industry will grow at around 32% annually over the next few years to quadruple revenues from an estimated INR 3 billion ( USD 67 million ) to INR 12 billion ( USD 270 million).
The study says the radio industry currently gets around 2% of all Indian advertising and says, "Even if we consider a conservative projection of five per cent share by 2010 of the growing ad spend, the radio industry is likely to achieve a growth of at least 32 per cent over the next five years.
Previous Indian Radio:
Economic Times of India report:
2006-03-25: GCap Media shares fell on Friday touching 225 pence - just above a one-year low of 224.5 pence - at one time but then recovering to end the day down just under 3% at 235 pence following release of a trading update showing revenues sagging and an announcement that because of low offers it had opted not to dispose of nine analogue stations in the South West and North Wales it had put up for sale as part of a strategic review.
In a statement the company said, "Several offers have been received for this portfolio of assets. The Board does not believe that it would be in the best interests of GCap's shareholders to sell these businesses at the level of the offers received having taken account of the likely post tax proceeds and the dilution to earnings per share from disposal."
When GCap announced the proposed sale in November last year (See RNW Nov 25, 2005) it had said it would to distribute most of the anticipated cash proceeds from these disposals by way of special dividends: It has added that these dividends will no longer be paid.
GCap has not said how much was bid for the stations but earlier this month the London Times, reporting that the sale could be dropped said that they were initially estimated as worth up to GBP 50 million (USD 87.5 million) but bids were below GBP 30 million (USD 52.5 million) (See RNW Mar 22).
The decision to retain the stations has led to some criticism of the way the company handled the sale offering process as prices offered fell or bidders withdrew.
In its trading update GCap said that it anticipated revenues for the quarter to the end of this month to be down around 17% on a year earlier with revenues for the year to be down by around 13% on a year earlier.
It added however that it had benefited more speedily than anticipated from synergies from the Capital-GWR merger that led to its formation although it gave no idea of the scale of the benefits.
Previous GCap Media:
2006-03-25: Beasley Broadcast has announced that it is to buy KDWN-AM in Las Vegas for USD 17 million from Radio Nevada Corp. in a deal scheduled to close early in the third quarter of 2006.
Beasley already owns three FMs in Las Vegas - KYCE-FM (The Coyote), Classic Rock KKLZ-FM and KSTJ-FM (Star 102.7).
In a statement Chairman and CEO George G. Beasley said the acquisition would broaden "our presence in the fast growing Las Vegas market and is consistent with our long-term strategy to develop our clusters to their fullest potential."
"The addition of KDWN-AM," he added, "improves an already great cluster, creating additional economies of scale while enabling us to provide more choices for our listeners and a more robust platform for our advertisers."
Previous Beasley:
Previous George Beasley:
2006-03-25: Hong Kong has launched a search for a public broadcasting model that will determine the future of 80-years-old Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) that was set up when Hong Kong was a British colony.
A government appointed review committee is examining various public broadcasting systems in operation from round the world and is due to report in some six months: Concerns have been expressed that it could recommend a system that would enable the Beijing government to exercise more influence over the broadcaster...
The range being looked at includes from the licence-fee BBC system, which gives considerable independence from direct government intervention but is also resented as competition by some commercial operators because of its effect on their audience although the corporation does not take advertising; the Australian system under which the Australian Broadcasting Corporation gets government funding through a parliamentary vote every three years; broadcasters such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, RTÉ in the Irish Republic and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), which are funded by a mix of licence fees and/or government subvention and advertising; and the US system, which, with a fairly small government subvention, leans heavily on corporate sponsorship as well as individual donations with the result that much attention has to be devoted to fund raising
Last year RTHK received around HKD 430 million (USD 55 million) in Hong Kong government funding.
2006-03-25: The University of the Pacific has taken its Stockton, California, station KUOP-FM off the market for now, expressing dissatisfaction with offers received after it announced in November last year that the station was up for sale with the money received to be put towards the cost of constructing two new buildings on its main campus in Stockton, a Biological Sciences Center and a University Center.
In a statement the University says it will retain the license, which it has held since 1947, and plans to continue its agreement with Sacramento-based Capital Public Radio Inc., which has operated the station for the university since 2000, to provide management, programming and operations services.
It quotes Pacific's vice president for business and finance Patrick Cavanaugh as saying the station would be put back on the market within the year and adding, "The Stockton and Modesto radio markets were recently ranked among the top 10 fastest-growing markets in the nation in terms of radio advertising expenditures. The strong population and economic growth in KUOP's service area will cause the station's value to continue to increase."
Pacific University statement:
2006-03-24: Arbitron has resumed its survey of the markets hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita where it opted not to carry out Fall 2005 and Winter 2006 surveys. The markets concerned - New Orleans; Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula, Mississippi; and Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas - will be listed in the Spring 2006 survey
Commenting on the decision, Arbitron SVP sales Carol Hanley said, "In making our decision about whether to conduct a survey following a natural disaster, we take into consideration the physical and economic impact of the disaster as well as our ability to reach respondents in the market. We believe the time has come to resume surveying these markets."
Arbitron noted that the most recent surveys available for the markets - those of Spring 2005 - are now outdated and do not reflect the markets as they are now. New ratings it adds will signal resumption of normal business in them and it also noted that Claritas will have updated population estimates for these markets.
"We believe we can produce a quality Spring 2006 survey for these markets, but the only way to know for certain is to start the process," added Hanley. "However, I want to stress that we will review the extent to which the survey meets our standards, and we will only publish the results if we are firmly convinced it meets those standards."
Previous Arbitron:
2006-03-24: Following the success of the UK Radio Aid - held in January last year and which raised GBP 3.3 million (USD 6.2 million) for tsunami aid - and Live 8 (held in July last year) events, UK commercial radio is planning to launch a UK Music Week commercial radio event that it says is intended to promote the best of UK music and create a new grass roots initiative to encourage the development of the next generation of UK talent.
It is planning voting and pre-event promotion next month with the event itself - to be held from May 1st and that will include a four-hour May 1 UKMW Chart Show with live performances, artist profiles and guest presenters.
The show will be based on the work of the 40 most popular artists in UK music as voted for by listeners to UK commercial radio stations with voting driven by local station websites and text messages.
The event will be associated with an initiative to promote new talent and listeners will be encouraged to record their own music, which they will be able to upload along with a biography and photo, either directly through the website or by sending it on CD to their local radio station for upload.
In late summer or early autumn UK commercial radio plans a follow-up with a week of music programming based around the newest British music highlighting the best tracks through charts and showcasing the best new talent through Events.
2006-03-24: New York public radio station WNYC has announced that after 81 years it is to move from the Municipal Building in Centre Street, Manhattan, where it occupies 51,400 square feet of space on various floors, to new premises in Varick St, where it will take 71,900 square feet plus a 3,700-square-foot performance space on the ground floor.
WNYC CEO Laura Walker told the New York Daily News that construction is expected to start in a few months, says, and will take 12-18 months. The cost is yet to be calculated and she added that there "may" be one or two on-air drives to raise funds.
The new studio adds Walker will allow for updated equipment, better-designed space and "more interactive" programming - live performances, for instance, or live audiences for shows: "It's a tremendously exciting day for WNYC," she added. "The city has been wonderful to us, but it's time to complete our independence by getting our own place."
Host Oscar Brand, who has been hosting a weekly folk music show on the station since 1945, while welcoming the idea of improved facilities added that he would miss the old premises, saying, "It's been like home. No matter where you went in the world, you came back to that building. And I'll tell you, you can see New York City from there as you've never seen it. You look out the windows at the buildings, the water, and you know you're right at the centre. The heartbeat. I'll miss it."
Originally owned by New York City, WNYC went on air on July 8, 1924, using a second-hand AM transmitter bought in Brazil where it had been used for the country's Centennial celebration. It was originally on 570 AM, then on 810 AM and 830 AM before getting its present 820 AM frequency. It added FM in 1943, commencing those broadcasts on March 13.
In 1995 New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani agreed to sell WNYC AM and FM to the WNYC Foundation for USD 20 million and ownership and licences were transferred in 1997.
Previous WNYC:
New York Daily News report:
2006-03-24: Sari Collins, currently Project Manager, Broadcast Development at BBC Wales and a former editor of BBC Radio Five Live's breakfast programme, is to take over as Editor of BBC Radio Wales, the country's English-language national radio station.
She replaces Julie Barton and commented of her appointment that she was "really enthusiastic about the job and the opportunity to build on Radio Wales's success."
Sari, who was brought up in Barry and is a fluent Welsh speaker, began her career with BBC Wales news.
Previous BBC:
2006-03-24: Writing of Saga's five-year contract extension until 2012 of the WHQG-FM (The HOG) morning team of "Bob & Brian" (Bob Madden and Brian Nelson) Tim Cuprisin in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that the team has been with the station for nearly two decades and top-rated for a decade.
The move, he also notes, is part and parcel of a Saga decision to make sure they retain strong local hosts - Carole Caine and Dave Luczak on sister station WKLH-FM are signed up until 2011- and quotes Tom Joerres, general manager of Saga's six-station Milwaukee cluster, as saying, "It's hard to grow good morning talent . It's very, very hard to crack through with a real success formula."
Joerres pushed for an early renewal and added, "I want to spend my time next summer planning a 20th-yea