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April 14th 21, 02:41 AM
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[RadioInsight] Radio One Makes Multiple Programming And Talent Moves In Dallas
RadioInsight /////////////////////////////////////////// Radio One Makes Multiple Programming And Talent Moves In Dallas Posted: 13 Apr 2021 11:09 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...ves-in-dallas/ Radio One announced new Program Directors and multiple talent changes at Adult RB Majic 94.5 KZMJ Gainesville/Dallas and Hip Hop 97.9 The Beat KBFB Dallas today. At KZMJ, Skip Cheatham has been named Program Director. Cheatham has served as Program Director and Executive Producer for Reach Medias syndicated DL Hughley Show since 2013 and will continue in that role as well. He previously spent sixteen years at Service Broadcastings K104 KKDA-FM Dallas including stints as Program Director, morning host and afternoon host. The Program Director role at KZMJ and KBFB had been vacant since the exit of Mark McCray last year. Veda Loca, who returned to Radio One Dallas in August 2020 to host a Friday and Saturday night show on KZMJ, will add a 12-3pm weekday slot on the station. Loca spent seventeen years at KBFB, hosting afternoons until moving to mornings from November 2017 until her exit in January 2020. KBFB has appointed Theodore Big Bink Turner as Program Director. Turner, who has been serving as a producer for the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, since January 2020, previously spent eleven years at KBFB with time as Assistant Program Director, Music Director, Mixshow Coordinator, and midday host from 2000 to 2011. He later served as Operations Manager for Radio Ones clusters in Columbus and Indianapolis. Jazzi Black will return to the station as midday host replacing Dee Lil D Porter, who was let go at the end of March. Black previously worked at the station as a co-host on Veda Locas morning show. Evening host P Skillz Dorsey moves up to afternoons replacing the exiting Jesse Salazar. Weekend host/mixer Jose Hollywood Zay Lorenzana is promoted to evening host. /////////////////////////////////////////// NAB Announces 2021 Crystal Award Winners Posted: 13 Apr 2021 10:43 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...award-winners/ The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced the 10 winners of the 34th annual NAB Crystal Radio Awards. Since 1987, the NAB Crystal Radio Awards have recognized radio stations for their year-round commitment to community service. The winners were selected from 50 finalists and honored today during NAB Show Premiere, available exclusively on NAB Amplify. The winners of the 2021 Crystal Radio Awards a KSL-FM Salt Lake City, Utah KRSP-FM Salt Lake City, Utah KSTP-FM Saint Paul, Minnesota WBAP-AM Dallas, Texas WDRV-FM Chicago, Illinois WFXE-FM Columbus, Georgia WJJY-FM Brainerd, Minnesota WMMR-FM Philadelphia, Pennsylvania WSB-FM Atlanta, Georgia WWRM-FM Tampa, Florida The winners were chosen by a panel of judges representing the broadcast industry, community service organizations and public relations firms. Five-time NAB Crystal Radio Award winning station WHUR-FM Washington, D.C. also recieved the esteemed Crystal Heritage Award during the special event. Only nine other stations have received this honor. /////////////////////////////////////////// When Is Your Radio Station Overproduced? Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:50 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/ross/206903...-overproduced/ The people who create radio imaging libraries for a living do not want you to overproduce your radio station. “Communicate the message well, once,” says WIZZFX Creative Director Chris Nicoll. “Use as few words as possible. Use as few SFX as possible; no one likes five million laser zaps.” “No one likes a wall of sound that makes the station sound as if it is stopping,” says CANFX Imaging’s Sean Gailbraith. “Fancy FX and beds are there as punctuation to make your message stick out more. But please do so subtly.” A decade ago, it was hard to imagine that “overproduced” would ever be an issue for music radio again. The sweepers that early PPM measurement dogma demanded were 3-4 seconds, often calls only, and often deliberately affectless in their delivery. But they weren’t confined to the top 50 markets. PPM’s overall tightening of all presentational elements, including jocks, didn’t help radio stand out from its digital rivals. But at the time, heavily produced, uptempo hit songs were adding fun and excitement to current-based formats. When pop music became sludgier, then slower, the same imaging underscored the lack of energy. Then, a few years ago, I started to hear slightly longer sweepers that had a little too much of everything. There was not just one exchange between the male and female imaging voice, there were at least two, each punctuated with not-so-authentic-sounding listener actualities or other drop-ins. By the time the station name and positioner arrived, we’d been through three volleys with multiple SFX and sometimes more than one music bed. It felt like one PPM-era sweeper repeated three times.* Recently, because of the demands of today’s radio, I’ve also noticed other pieces of imaging — typically top-of-the-hour IDs or sweep-starters that sound like several PPM-era pieces strung together, each with its own different bed, listener drop-ins, and SFX. Sometimes a :00 ID must accommodate a legal ID (sometimes for several different frequencies with multiple cities of license, plus a mention of the HD signal), a studio sponsorship tag, a plug for the station app or smart speaker skill, and the station owner. I’ve also heard a legal ID segue not into music, but into the hourly text-to-win promo. If station imaging is overstuffed, other issues exacerbate it. If jock breaks are scarce, or less local, the imaging has to handle more of the station business. If a station doesn’t use jingles, even a hosted station is likely to use imaging break after break, and the only variety becomes longer pieces vs. shorter ones. * Others are noticing it, too. I put the “is radio overproduced” question to Facebook friends and got more than 200 comments, including some who don’t typically weigh in. “I heard a sweeper the other day that was long enough to make me change stations,” wrote record-biz veteran Brooks Quigley.* “Sometimes there are so many bells, whistles, swooshes, and drums that you can’t hear the actual liner,” says VO pro and longtime programmer Sue Wilson. “So much doesn’t translate when listening online. It’s starting to sound like screaming car dealers between songs.” In the mid-to-late ‘80s, as music softened and imaging intensified, it was possible to hear aggressive imagery of the “lock it in and rip the knob off” variety into “I’ll Be Over You” by Toto or “Back in the High Life Again” by Steve Winwood. Recently, Vallie/Richards consultant Mike Donovan noted that Olivia Rodrigo rarely gets a moment to collect herself at the end of “Driver’s License” before a busy sweeper intervenes. “With pop music taking on a more intimate ‘bedroom pop’ style, overproduced imaging that seemed fitting next to Diplo or Calvin Harris now is a disconnect,” says Integr8 Research president Matt Bailey.* Several readers noted the combo of an increased reliance on outsourced production and the ongoing consolidation of local brand managers and imaging directors. Imaging providers “all do great-sounding stuff, but it mostly lacks connection to the individual brand,” says Cadence13 Executive VP/Content Development Bill Schultz. Former KSWD (The Sound) Seattle PD Smokey Rivers agrees “100 percent. Brands need brand stewards.” For many readers, the answer was more imaging over song intros. Vinnie Marino’s WXKC (Classy 100) Erie, Pa., and Adam Rivers’ WKCI (KC101) New Haven, Conn., both rely entirely on “rollovers.” Even then, stations need a few fully produced pieces that can finesse an unlikely transition. Rollovers are their own clutter when a dry sweeper plays in the cold in between “Footloose” and “You Give Love a Bad Name.” And rollovers sound better when a jock can make sure they fire simultaneously (or not, in the case of a song with a distinctive opening like “Hungry Like the Wolf” or “Driver’s License”). Readers also noted that imaging packages were being asked to do the work of writers. “You want to stand out now? Write something meaningful and let the words be more interesting than the prod EFX,” said RadioAnimal’s Dom Theodore. “If you write well, and communicate well with your voiceover talent and producer, memorable and effective imaging can still be achieved,” says WJBR Wilmington, Del., PD Eric Johnson. While the :40 second legal IDs are another matter, the issues with shorter sweepers are rarely a question of length outright, but whether they’re too busy, and whether the length is justified. Gailbraith still suggests “one simple idea at a time,” the same thing that you might ask your air talent to do in a break. Nicoll suggests “planning out the delivery of messaging across an hour … rather than trying to say it all in every single piece of imaging.” “Make it memorable. Keep the brand reinforced,” says Lee Family Broadcasting’s Ben Reed. “Leave it out and you have Spotify.” What are your thoughts on radio imaging? Please leave a comment below. /////////////////////////////////////////// Woofy Ramone Joins JVC Fort Walton Beach As Operations Manager Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:36 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...tions-manager/ JVC Media has announced the appointment of Woofy Ramone as Operations Manager of their Fort Walton Beach FL cluster. Ramone joins JVC after spending 28 years at Cumulus Medias 99 Rock 99.5 WKSM Fort Walton Beach until departing in February on his own accord. He will begin at JVC in June overseeing CHR “Q92” 92.1 WECQ Destin, Country “Highway 98.1” WHWY, Variety Hits “102.1 The Wave” WWAV Santa Rosa Beach, and Hot Talk “103.1 Florida Man Radio” WZLB Valparaiso JVC Media of Florida, one of America’s largest independent and locally owned broadcast and entertainment companies, continues to staff the company with radio pros and industry veterans. JVC announces the addition of Woofy Ramone to the Fort Walton Beach cluster. Woofy is a 30+ year Fort Walton Beach/Destin market legend and former Cumulus Media/WKSM-FM staple. Woofy will serve as Operations Manager overseeing JVC’s WECQ Q92 (CHR), WHWY Highway 98.1 Country, WWAV 102.1 The Wave (Classic Hits), and the new WZLB Florida Man Radio 103.1 (Entertainment Talk). “JVC’s commitment to the Emerald Coast and all of our markets is to grow our culture of great LOCAL radio for our listeners and clients,” JVC Executive Shane Reeve says. “The addition of Woofy as our Operations Manager for JVC Fort Walton Beach is great for everyone in the market. Woofy is synonymous with the Emerald Coast, having been involved in many local charities, broadcasting and helping listeners through our area’s big hurricanes, and having a top-rated show for almost 30 years. I’m thrilled to work with Woofy again and to have someone of Woofy’s experience and stature on board with the JVC family.” When asked about his move to JVC and the new Operations Manager responsibilities, Woofy replied, “I moved to the JVC family because I want our work – radio broadcasting, public service, client relationships – all to matter more than those being just a report or bottom line on a spreadsheet. JVC is an organization that still believes in RADIO that entertains and informs the community, while helping local businesses market their products, especially in a time where everything LOCAL needs the most help. I’m excited for what the future holds for the JVC family of stations here on the Emerald Coast!” JVC’s Florida Director of Programming Stevie DeMann added, “I’m excited Woofy is joining the JVC team! It is going to be fun to watch him lend his knowledge and expertise of the Emerald Coast to our brands and staff. He’s a natural to continue our culture of FUN radio that works for the community, clients, and our loyal listeners!”. Woofy will start with the JVC team in early June. To reach Woofy, email him at . /////////////////////////////////////////// KZNS Sold to New Utah Jazz Owner Posted: 13 Apr 2021 07:38 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...ah-jazz-owner/ After selling the NBAs Utah Jazz, G Leagues Salt Lake Stars, and minor league baseballs Salt Lake Bees to Ryan Smiths SEG Basketball LLC last fall, the estate of Larry H. Miller is selling their two Salt Lake City radio stations. SEG Basketball will acquire Sports The Zone 1280 KZNS Salt Lake City and 97.5 KZNS-FM Coalville UT from Larry H. Miller Communications for $100. The company purchased the stations in 2012 after previously operating Citadel Broadcastings 1320 KFAN KFNZ via LMA. The sale to SEG Basketball reunites the stations with the Jazz and other teams. /////////////////////////////////////////// Rock, Alternative, and the Rock Alternative Posted: 12 Apr 2021 10:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/ross/206863...k-alternative/ These are the top four Alternative stations in North America right now: KPNT (105.7 the Point) St. Louis (7.1-8.3 6+ in the March PPM) is one of the few Alternative reporters that never gave up the Active Rock lean that typified the format in the late ‘90s/early ‘00s. The Point plays both currents mostly found on the Active Rock chart (Pretty Reckless, Seether, Chevelle) and Alternative (Black Pumas, Kennyhoopla, Imagine Dragons, Cage the Elephant). It sits out some poppier acts (currently Glass Animals). Last Friday, I heard it doing a “March Music Mayhem” brackets contest that pitted Tool, “Anema,” against Metallica, “Master of Puppets.” In March, the Point was second in the market only to Classic Rock sister KSHE. It would also be the highest-rated PPM station on the Active Rock panel, even though that format has posted several similar success stories over the last year. The Point’s main positioner is “Everything Alternative,” although it also uses the “St. Louis’s Rock Alternative” slogan that was typical for the format in the ‘90s and early ‘00s. The station’s top spin on powers is 54x a week. Here’s KPNT on Saturday, April 3 just before 2 p.m.: Royal Blood, “Typhoons” Linkin Park, “Lying From You” Metallica, “The Unforgiven” Kennyhoopla f/Travis Barker, “Estella” Disturbed, “Down With the Sickness” Beastie Boys, “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)” Weezer, “All My Favorite Songs” Rise Against, “Savior” 30 Seconds to Mars, “The Kill (Bury Me)” Green Day, “She” Three Days Grace, “Never Too Late” Pretty Reckless, “And So It Went” Offspring, “Gone Away” Johnny Cash, “Hurt” CHDI (Sonic 102.9) Edmonton, Alberta (6.4-5.9 12+ in the Numeris winter book) bills itself as “Alternative Edmonton,” making it the only profiled station not using some variant of “rock alternative.” Sonic’s international currents come mostly from Alternative, although Canadian stations in the format have a harder-rocking feel overall. Much of that comes from their support of acts like Royal Blood (“Trouble Coming” was No. 1 in Canada), and numerous Canadian bands that have had the same aggressive-but-melodic EDM-influenced feel for years. Sonic’s top spin on powers is 53x. Here’s the station just before 11 a.m. on April 5: Blue Stones, “Let It Ride” (Canadian, ’70s-flavored, but not the BTO song) Foo Fighters, “Learn to Fly” Glorious Sons, “Closer to the Sky” (Canadian) Rise Against, “Nowhere Generation” Our Lady Peace, “Is Anybody Home?” (Canadian) Cannons, “Fire for You” Mother Mother, “I Got Love” (Canadian) Outkast, “Hey Ya” Arcade Fire, “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” (Canadian) Cage the Elephant, “Skin and Bones” July Talk, “Beck/Call” (Canadian) Kings of Leon, “The Bandit” Hozier, “Take Me to Church: Grandson, “Dirty” (Canadian) KTBZ (94.5 the Buzz) Houston (5.1-5.3, March PPM) bills itself as “Houston’s Rock and Alternative,” and, at various times during the hour, both “Houston’s Rock” and “Houston’s Alternative.” Its most-spun currents also include some titles from acts that did better at Active Rock than Alternative (Glorious Sons, Badflower), but it’s most telling that the Buzz’s most-spun currents played only 32x last week. (iHeart sister WXDX Pittsburgh, the fifth most successful Alternative outlet this month) is on a similar template. Here’s Houston’s Buzz just before 11 a.m., April 5: Franz Ferdinand, “Take Me Out” Everlast, “What It’s Like” Soundgarden, “Black Hole Sun” Shinedown, “Second Chance” Imagine Dragons, “Whatever It Takes” Offspring, “The Kids Aren’t Alright” Linkin Park, “Numb” All Time Low f/Blackbear, “Monsters” Nirvana, “All Apologies” All-American Rejects, “Gives You Hell” Ataris, “The Boys of Summer” Kaleo, “Way Down We Go” System of a Down, “Chop Suey!” WWDC (DC101) Washington, D.C. (5.2-5.2 March PPM) is “D.C.’s Alternative Rock.” Of the four stations, it has the most noticeable presence of the indie pop that has been prominent on the Alternative charts over the last few year. DC101 doesn’t draw from the Active charts in the same way as KTBZ or KPNT, but its pop/punk component and gold still provide rock/pop balance. In a market without a Hot AC at the moment, DC101 has benefitted by being the station that still plays “Don’t Speak” and “Semi-Charmed Life.” Here’s DC101 on Monday, April 5, at 11 a.m. The station’s top spin on powers is 49x a week: Powfu f/Beabadoobee, “Coffee for Your Head (Deathbed)” Ataris, “The Boys of Summer” Clairo, “Sofia” Blink-182, “Adam’s Song” Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication” All-American Rejects, “Gives You Hell” All Time Low, “Once in a Lifetime” Nirvana, “In Bloom” AJR, “Bang” Kings of Leon, “Use Somebody” Machine Gun Kelly & Blackbear, “My Ex’s Best Friend” Many Alternative programmers, who formed their musical allegiances in an earlier era, were grudging at best about the Active Rock period of their format. But format observers are just as critical now that some stations are playing the likes of Post Malone and the Kid Laroi. It’s the inclusion of “TikTok pop” from outside the format that seems to have been the tipping point in this dialogue. Alternative has been a niche format for a while in most places, but few were as critical when the “disposable pop” was homegrown. Also, there was no impetus to have the “time to rock a little more?” discussion before Active Rock started to rebound. For most Alternative stations, that discussion is probably “a little more.” Not every rock-leaning Alternative has KPNT-type numbers or is in a heritage rock market like St. Louis. Not every Alternative station has the advantage of no Active Rock competitor, and a few are in format wars of attrition where it’s hard to rise above a 3 share regardless of what they play. Post-COVID listening won’t look exactly the same as it did 15 months ago, but it will change, and it’s hard to know if male-driven Active Rock will do as well as it has over the last year. That said, it has been my contention for a while that there’s just enough current rock music between Active and Alternative to construct one successful format. DC101 in particular has always done a good job of sounding balanced (in its early Alternative days, it would often spike in an AC/DC or other heritage rock title just to show it could). And DC101 differs from the stations now assailed as too pop by a relative handful of songs, and by its timing. It’s equally telling that St. Louis, Washington, and Houston are all using the word “rock” in some way. When the “rock alternative” slogan first took hold in the mid-‘90s, I wondered if it was consigning a then-culturally dominant format to a second-place niche. In the time of format convergence that followed, the time between Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, “rock alternative” only seemed to underscore that the Alternative format wasn’t an alternative at all. Now it may be the thing that makes rock radio a bigger tent again. (Thanks to Radioinsight publisher Lance Venta for suggesting this story, which began when he noted the twenty-fifth anniversary of WXRK [K-Rock] New York as the Alternative station that helped launch the Active/Alternative hybrid. Please leave your comment on the state of Alternative radio.) |
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