RadioInsight

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Dan Bahl Joins WTMM as PD/Afternoon Co-Host

Posted: 07 Apr 2021 12:58 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...rnoon-co-host/



Townsquare Media Sports 104.5 The Team WTMM-FM Mechanicville/Albany NY has
appointed Dan Bahl as Brand Manager/afternoon co-host starting Monday,
April 19.

Bahl graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2020 where he was Program
Director and General Manager of the schools student-run 98.1 WQAQ Hamden
CT. He also served as play-by-play voice for Quinnipiacs hockey and
baseball teams.

Bahl will join Jeff Levack as co-host of Levack and Bahl from 3-7pm. Levack
has been hosting solo since Tom Goslowski exited as PD/co-host in January.

Townsquare Media Inc.’s WTMM/104.5 The Team, The Capital Region’s Home for
New York Sports, announced today that Dan Bahl will be taking over as the
station’s Brand Manager and PM Drive Co-Host on Monday, April 19, 2021. Dan
joins WTMM after most recently hosting his own sports website podcast
network, and prior to that was the General Manager of Quinnipiac
University’s WQAQ-FM.

“I am extremely honored and excited to join 104.5 The Team and the
Townsquare Media family,� said Bahl. “I am really looking forward to having
great debates and conversations with Jeff Levack and the 104.5 The Team
listeners, as well as strengthing the brand on-air, online, and across
social media.�

Bahl will team up with long time WTMM on-air host, Jeff Levack, as co-host
of “Levack Bahl� airing weekdays from 3pm-7pm on the station.

“Dan is going to be a great addition and I am looking forward to crushing
PM drive together for years to come,� said Levack.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dan to the Townsquare Media local team here in
Albany,� added Matty Jeff, Director of Content, “Dan’s leadership, acumen
across all platforms, and passion for sports will broaden the reach of the
great local on-air and digital content we create daily on 104.5 The Team.�

104.5 The Team’s local line up also includes “Big Board Sports� with Rodger
Wyland weekdays from 10am-1pm and “Sunday Sports Buzz� with Charlie Voelker
every Sunday from 8am-10am. In addition, WTMM is the broadcast home for
Yankees Baseball, Jets Football, UAlbany Athletics, and airs several
Regional and National ESPN shows. Townsquare owns and operates six radio
stations in Albany including WGNA, WTMM, WQBK, WQBK-HD2, WQBJ and WPBZ.



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WSUN PD Jenna Kesneck Adds Same Role At WXXJ

Posted: 07 Apr 2021 09:49 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...-role-at-wxxj/



Jenna Kesneck, Director of Programming and Branding for Cox Media Group
Alternative 97X WSUN Holiday/Tampa and Cox Tampa Social Media Director, has
added the Director of Programming and Branding duties at Alternative X106.5
WXXJ Ponte Vedra Beach/Jacksonville.

Kesneck has served as acting PD of WXXJ since last fall. She has been with
Cox Tampa since 2011 where she started in Sales as an Account Manager. She
became Director of Marketing and Promotions for WSUN and CHR Hot 101.5 WPOI
from 2014-2017, APD/MD of those two stations from 2017-2019 and in her
current role since February 2019.

CMG Jacksonville Radio announces Jenna Kesneck, Director of Programming and
Branding for WSUN Tampa and CMG Tampa Social Media Director, has added the
role of Director of Branding and Programming for sister Alternative WXXJ in
Jacksonville, FL. Kesneck has been the acting Director of Programming and
Branding for WXXJ since last Fall.

“Jenna is a branding sharpshooter. She has re-charged Tampa’s 97X by
successfully bringing back the younger, more skeptical, aggressive new
music audience to the airwaves by spearheading and executing slick,
innovative content,� said Steve Smith, VP of Programming, CMG. “The senior
leadership team and I are excited to have her on board in Jacksonville to
create more of that ‘magic’ that will continue to boost WXXJ to new
heights.�

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to not only work with the WXXJ brand
and team, but to also bring a new synergy to CMG’s Alternative format with
this cross market role,� said Kesneck. “Thank you to Katie Reid, Jules
Riley, Steve Smith, Keith Hastings and the entire strategic team for their
support!�

CMG Jacksonville VP/GM Katie Reid noted, “Jenna is exactly the person we
need to elevate the WXXJ brand. Her unwavering passion, wealth of
experience, innate talent and strong leadership are just some of the many
qualities that Jenna possesses that make her a perfect fit for this role.�

Echoing the sentiments, CMG Jacksonville Operations Manager Jules Riley
said, “I would like to thank Jenna for her exceptional contributions to
WXXJ and CMG Jacksonville over the last few months. She was quick to jump
in when asked last fall and immediately made positive changes to the WXXJ
brand on and off the air. I am so happy to have her as a permanent member
of our team. I look forward to seeing all this new WXXJ team will
accomplish together.�



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My First California Aircheck

Posted: 07 Apr 2021 09:00 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/ross/206278...rnia-aircheck/



I taught myself radio programming three different ways: in the office of
any program or music director who would let me hang around; from the pages
of Radio & Records; and by ordering California Aircheck.

My interest in radio started with music, charts, and station surveys. At
first, I didn’t understand the appeal of listening to radio with the songs
missing. I visited one PD who told me what airchecks had just come in the
mail, but I cared more about the new singles on his desk. That was fall ’76.

By summer 1980, I was taping stations myself. (It wasn’t a great time for
CHR, but the battle was hot at home in Washington, D.C.) In early 1981, as
a college sophomore, I ordered the current and classic California
Airchecks— as advertised in the back of R&R — from George Junak, whose main
job at the time was in radio format syndication.

I grew up hearing classic radio stations: WOL Washington, D.C.; WABC New
York; CKLW Detroit; WLS Chicago. I knew the rough history of Bill Drake,
“Boss Radio� KHJ Los Angeles, and “much more music,� although when I heard
KHJ for the first time in late ’78, it didn’t sound boss, in part because
it was trying not to. I understood something about music programming
philosophy early on, but I was only starting to pick up on the formatics
around this time.

Classic Issue #C-5 of California Aircheck was the beginning of my
home-study course in classic radio. I learned things piecemeal. That first
aircheck had KHJ, but from the late ‘70s. It had KCBQ San Diego, not as
Buzz Bennett’s “Q-format� pioneer, but later as well. Instead, “the super
Q� was represented by sister WDRQ Detroit. There were two of KHJ’s mid-’60s
competitors, each trying to figure out how to deal with the Boss Radio
juggernaut. There was also a lot of the savorless radio of the late ’70s,
when Top 40 tried to sound like FM rock.

As I heard other classic issues of California Aircheck, I filled in more of
the timeline. Eventually I heard KHJ and KCBQ at their most explosive and
influential, as well as Chuck Blore’s “Color Channel 98� KFWB Los Angeles,
as impactful in its time, and, at first, hard for my ‘70s/’80s-trained ear
to appreciate. (That came later, in part when I read Blore’s autobiography.)

Between California Aircheck, R&R, and my radio mentors, I was able to
“speak radio� when I arrived at R&R two years later, and hold my own with
radio veterans, both as a reporter covering radio and as a colleague of
R&R’s staff of radio veterans. Growing up near New York, I knew of Walt
“Baby� Love, but from California Airchecks, I heard him at full throttle on
WXLO (99X) New York. Three years later, I was Love’s assistant, and he was
one of my mentors as well.Â*

I cannot imagine that airchecks affected anybody else’s life as they did
mine, but if you’ve read this far, we share a passion fueled by both great
and workaday radio. And a lot of what seemed basic on this tape sounds
pretty hot now, compared to our current sparseness.Â*

I went back to listen to Classic Issue #C-5. In its cross-sample of 11
stations from 1966 through 1978 are almost all the major radio tropes of
the era. I wouldn’t discover KCBQ’s original “Last Contest� for a few more
issues, but the similarly intense contest promos it inspired are on almost
every ‘70s station on this tape, for instance. (There was a lot of when
your phone rings, dont say hello. That ones currently in the use in a major
U.K. radio war this week.) Here is what I heard:

KTNQ (10Q) Los Angeles, Real Don Steele (12-76) – Steele is many people’s
choice for all-time greatest jock. Until this tape, I knew him only as the
self-parodying movie DJ of Death Race 2000 and Grand Theft Auto. I finally
heard him on KHJ, but first, he was the star hire of this relatively
late-era attempt to go after KHJ on AM. The first jock on the aircheck was
actually Willie B., whom I did know in the early ‘80s from WBSB (B104)
Baltimore. Steele was relatively straightforward here — he had ‘70s Top 40
energy, but his random “Tina Delgado is alive!� wackiness was toned down a
decade later.

KRLA Los Angeles, Casey Kasem (2-66) – Growing up with “American Top 40,� I
knew that Kasem was doing that sort of storytelling years earlier on L.A.
radio, but now I could hear it. He teased a song by a superstar’s daughter
who immediately went gold, something her dad had never done. That’s easy
trivia now, but Nancy Sinatra had just broken through with “These Boots Are
Made for Walking� at the time. There was an oldie from early ‘60s artist
Ray Peterson and a story about how he began singing in a polio ward (and
had become a celebrity golfer). KRLA had sweepers promising “Constant
Music,� and even then, I knew enough to recognize that as a reaction to
KHJ’s “Much More Music.� It was also giving time-checks as “2:25, Get Well
Time� in response to a flu bug sweeping L.A. at the time.

KFRC San Francisco, Chuck Buell (10-75) – I heard two “jock’s jocks� for
the first time he Buell and night jock “Marvelous� Mark McKay, who I
would become an even bigger fan of after hearing a famous 1980 composite of
KFRC. Like Steele, Buell was energetic, but not screaming. As an Easterner,
this was my first exposure to the legendary station under PD Michael
Spears.Â*

KKDJ Los Angeles, Charlie Tuna (2-75) – The station now known as KIIS was
in an earlier Top 40 incarnation here (future KROQ PD/alternative rock
pioneer Rick Carroll programmed KKDJ), but this aircheck existed because
Lily Tomlin was Tuna’s guest that morning. Tomlin was answering request
lines as her Ernestine character from Laugh-In. A caller didn’t know who
sang a certain song; she snapped, “Well, how do you think that makes the
artist feel?�

KCBQ San Diego, Jimi Fox (1-78) – KCBQ was the station that started it all
for the screaming ‘70s “Q-format.� By 1978, KFMB-FM (B100) was ruling CHR
in San Diego. KCBQ was sort of toned down here, although Fox was still
rocking and rolling. Fox was back on the radio in San Diego after
programming 10-Q. Veteran TV writer/broadcaster Ken Levine (who worked for
Fox at 10-Q) jokes about Fox having a worse radio voice than him, but the
“big pipes� of the ‘70s are long forgotten now, and I didn’t notice
anything unusual about Fox’s delivery when I listened again.Â*

KHJ Los Angeles, Bobby Ocean (12-77) – Part of the reason I didn’t fully
appreciate KHJ at first was because I heard the toned-down,
tight-playlisted late ‘70s version before I finally heard it as the boss of
the mid-‘60s. Shortly after this aircheck, KHJ would bill itself as
“Position 93� under John Sebastian and go for an even cleaner, more AOR
presentation. By 1981, I already knew Ocean, and his wry/offbeat humor, as
the cartoonist for Radio & Records. This was my first time hearing him on
the radio, and it’s the best thing about the tape. I’d hear Ocean in an
even better showcase a few years later on KFRC.Â*

KIQQ (K100) Los Angeles, Billy Pearl (6-74) – You’ve perhaps heard recently
about the high-energy ‘70s Top 40 jock who became a conservative talk host?
Well, there is that aircheck of Rush “Jeff Christie� Limbaugh on KQV (14K)
Pittsburgh circulating from about this same time. But before Limbaugh’s
talk radio stardom, Billy Pearl became a successful conservative host on
KABC Los Angeles and others. On that 14K tape, you can hear Limbaugh’s
persona developing. On K100, Pearl was a screaming Top 40 jock, but a
kinetic, quick-witted one. And at this moment, he was on a new station that
had not just Drake and Steele, but Robert W. Morgan and Humble Harv trying
to recreate their KHJ impact.Â*

WDRQ Detroit, Steve Rivers (Summer ’73) – My first exposure to Buzz
Bennett’s high-energy ‘70s “Q-format� was this Detroit outpost under
then-PD Jerry Clifton. “Steve Rivers� is Steve Humphries, later a prominent
radio consultant, but not the late major-market programmer of the same
air-name. I’d heard high-energy ‘70s radio before, maybe even enough to
recognize it as over the top, but Rivers was the first true “screamer� I’d
encountered. A little later, Clifton would take this sort of radio to 99X,
eventually inspiring the famous “Nine!� radio parody. (Rivers was also
urging listeners to call and “rip me off for a Q-shirt,� a reminder of a
time when somebody would actually call a station to win anything.)

KBLA Los Angeles, Dave Diamond (9-66) – Diamond was a pioneer of
psychedelic-babble delivery and eventually one of the early progressive
rock DJs. For ROR editor (and R&R mentor as well) Ken Barnes, KBLA was more
musically aggressive than KHJ or rival KRLA, and thus his influential
high-school station. The centerpiece of this aircheck was the newscast —
Paul McCartney and Jane Asher were rumored to be getting married that
night, and it was played as the story of the century, although the pair
never wed. A few months later, on an aircheck of KBTR Denver, I got a
better taste of the dada Diamond, doing an involved rap where he told the
story of “The Spider and the Fly� by the Rolling Stones over its intro.

KIQQ, Jim Carson (3-76) – KIQQ’s Drake era was over. Less than two years
later, KIQQ was mellow rock — like a hit version of rival KNX-FM, plus with
a slicker presentation. Carson was with KIQQ for 16 years, through multiple
formats, toggling several times between AC and CHR. The music was an odd
mix of current hits (Bee Gees, “Fanny [Be Tender With My Love]�) and album
cuts (Neil Young, “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere�). Carson teased that on
Saturday night, KIQQ would play Paul Simon’s Still Crazy After All These
Years and the Who’s Live at Leeds, both in their entirety.

KIIS-FM Los Angeles, Steve Weed (9-78) – Now likely known to you as a
recently retired veteran programmer, Weed was a screamer on 99X, but toned
down here on another one of the era’s many attempts to do Top 40 with ‘70s
rock radio sensibilities, clean and mostly unproduced as “102.7 Stereo
Rock.� Decades before streaming, when you could still tease a song well in
advance, Weed announced that he would play Elton John’s “Funeral for a
Friend/Love Lies Bleeding� “in its entirety later this evening.�







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WKAK Revamps As Georgia 104.5; Adds Bud & Broadway For Mornings

Posted: 07 Apr 2021 08:23 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...-for-mornings/




Following the acquisition of their Albany GA cluster from Cumulus Media,
First Media Services has relaunched Country 104.5 Nash-FM WKAK Albany as
Georgia 104.5.

WKAK will be anchored in mornings by SuiteRadios Bud Broadway marking the
shows nineteenth affiliate.

The change marks the third brand for WKAK in its history as a Country
station. It was K-Country 104.5 until assuming Cumulus Nash-FM identity in
May 2013. First Media Services closed on its acquisition of the cluster at
the end of 2020 with this rebranding marking the first significant change
since taking over.

Mornings in Georgia are about to get a lot funnier with the addition of The
Bud and Broadway Morning Show to the on-air lineup on 104.5 WKAK as of
Thursday April 8th.

Bud Ford and Jerry Broadway said, “We launched our show a mere 85 miles
from Albany in Dothan, Al. Â*We love the area and the people there and are
very excited to be a part of this station and this community!�

SuiteRadio COO Pat Fant was quick to point out “The Bud and Broadway Show
is the funniest team on country radio today. Programmers get a super show
while owners and GMs enjoy the added value of having a funnier bottom line.
That is a win-win!�

“You only need to listen for a few minutes to figure out why Bud and
Broadway are the fastest growing morning show in all of syndicated radio�
added Rowdy Yates, Suite Radio Chief Talent Wrangler. “I’m also quite
impressed with their interaction on the local level not only with the
audience but the stations and their clients.�

First Media South, President, Rick Lambert said; “I was familiar with The
Bud and Broadway Show from their huge success in St. Louis. During the
planning phase of putting together The All-New Georgia 104.5, we knew that
we needed a great morning show and one that’s funny. Bud and Broadway
certainly check those boxes and we look forward to a great partnership as
we launch The All-New Georgia 104.5 today!�





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93.7 NRG Brings A Second Dance Station To Key West

Posted: 07 Apr 2021 06:37 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...n-to-key-west/




David Reeses NRG Media of Florida launched Dance 93.7 NRG on Spottswood
Partners 93.7 WKEY-FM Key West FL.

Positioning as The Beat of the Keys, WKEY-FM became the second Dance
station in Key West joining Magnum Broadcastings Party 105.7 WGAY Sugarloaf
Key. Reese began operating WKEY-FM in January after a career in television
news, most recently serving as Assistant News Director at Fox 11 KTTV Los
Angeles.


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iHeartMedia Promotes Scott Hogle To Honolulu Market President

Posted: 07 Apr 2021 06:07 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...ket-president/




iHeartMedia has announced the promotion of Scott Hogle to Market President
of their Honolulu properties.

Hogle has been with the Honolulu cluster since 1998 since 1998, first as
General Sales Manager and later SVP/Sales. He has also held sales positions
for WXRI-FM, WFOG and WPTE Norfolk VA and was General Sales Manager for
Citadel Broadcasting Albuquerque.

Hogle succeeds Chuck Cotton, who had led the Honolulu cluster since 1998.


iHeartMedia announced today that Scott Hogle has been named Market
President for Honolulu, effective April 9, 2021. iHeartMedia Honolulu has a
strong cross�platform presence and includes a number of iconic brands and
franchises — both broadcast and digital — encompassing eight stations
comprised of Adult Contemporary, Reggae & Island, Hawaiian, Alternative,
Hip Hop and R&B, News/Talk, Sports and K�Pop formats.

iHeartMedia has the leading consumer reach and influence across multiple
platforms and delivers more live programming than any other media company.
As Market President, Hogle will work closely with the programming,
business, and sales teams and oversee all of the stations on�air and
digital programming as well as create new revenue opportunities. He will
report to Tony Coles, Division President for iHeartMedia Markets Group.

Scott has been an integral part of our success in Honolulu for over 23
years, said Coles. His natural gift to connect and lead, his deep roots in
the community, and relationships with our clients will enable Scott to
build upon the incredible track record of our stations.�

Hogle is a media veteran with more than 30 years of radio industry
experience. He most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Sales
for iHeartMedia Honolulu. He began his career at WXRI FM in Norfolk,
Virginia and studied at The College of DuPage, where he majored in Business
Management.

Hogle is also the Best�Selling author of PERSUADE, The 7 Empowering Laws of
the SalesMaker, and has for over 10 years been a motivational teacher on
the subjects of sales and leadership, both domestically and internationally.

“It’s a great honor to lead the A�Team for iHeartMedia in Honolulu,� said
Hogle. “Nothing is more rewarding than living in paradise and leading for a
company like iHeart that embraces our local culture, community, and
customers. It’s empowering for us as a team to work for the leader in the
media marketplace and love what you do at the same time.�

In addition, Hogle is also heavily involved in his community, working
closely with many non�profit organizations. He currently is an Executive
Board Member for Youth with a Mission, serves on the board of New Hope
Oahu, and is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Salvation Army of
Honolulu.





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NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith To Step Down; Curtis LeGeyt To Succeed Him

Posted: 07 Apr 2021 05:54 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...o-succeed-him/




The National Association of Broadcasters has announced that President/CEO
Gordon Smith will step down and transition to an advisory and advocacy role
on December 31.

Smith joined the NAB in November 2009 after serving two terms as a Senator
from Oregon and senior advisor of Covington Burling, LLP.

LeGeyt joined the NAB in 2011 as SVP/Government Relations and has since
served as SVP/Public Policy, EVP/Government Relations and since February
2020 as Chief Operating Officer. He previously was senior counsel to
then-Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and was an associate at Howrey
LLP in Washington.

National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Gordon H. Smith
announced today his plans to transition to an advisory and advocacy role
effective Dec. 31, 2021. The organization’s Chief Operating Officer Curtis
LeGeyt has been named the next president and CEO of NAB effective Jan. 1,
2022.

In a video message to members, Smith said, “It has been my great honor to
give the lion’s roar for broadcasters – those who run into the storm, those
who stand firm in chaos to hear the voice of the people, those who hold to
account the powerful – and to stand with those of the fourth estate who
have the hearts of public servants.�

Smith joined NAB as president and CEO in November 2009. Previously, he
served as a two-term U.S. senator from Oregon and later as senior advisor
in the Washington offices of Covington Burling, LLP.

NAB Joint Board of Directors Chairman Jordan Wertlieb, president of Hearst
Television, thanked Smith for his service to the industry. “Gordon is the
ultimate statesman, bringing people together from both sides of the aisle
to discuss ideas, find common ground and lead NAB to success on countless
fronts,� said Wertlieb. “On behalf of the leadership of NAB, we extend our
sincere gratitude for more than a decade of service to the broadcast
industry. We look forward to continuing to work with Gordon and benefiting
from his guidance for years to come.�

Wertlieb noted that Smith worked closely with the board leadership on a
succession plan that will enable him to continue to serve NAB in a special
advisory role through December 31, 2024, which includes lobbying on behalf
of the broadcasters.

“I am also delighted to share that NAB is in the enviable position of
having cultivated top talent within the organization to provide for a
smooth and stable transition in leadership,� Wertlieb announced. “Curtis
LeGeyt has the utmost confidence of the NAB leadership and staff to lead
our association into the future.�

LeGeyt has been with NAB for nearly a decade, during which time he led
several highly successful legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of
broadcasters, including the permanent reauthorization of the Satellite
Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization (STELAR), inclusion
of $1 billion in RAY BAUM’s Act to reimburse stations impacted by the
spectrum auction repack, and successful passage of the Music Modernization
Act.

Prior to assuming his current role as chief operating officer, LeGeyt
served for five years as NAB’s executive vice president, Government
Relations. Before joining NAB, LeGeyt was senior counsel to then-Senate
Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (VT).

“I am honored and humbled to be named the next leader of this great
organization,� said LeGeyt. “To represent the broadcast industry and the
local stations that bind our communities together in a moment of such
tremendous change across the media landscape is a privilege. Our stations’
role in communities across this country has never been more important, and
I look forward to working every day to ensure their ability to grow and
thrive.�