RadioInsight

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May 2021 (4/29 - 5/26) Nielsen Audio PPM Ratings Day 2: Hubbard's Rock
Dominance In St. Louis Grows

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 02:00 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...t-louis-grows/



Nielsen Audio has released Day 2 of its monthly four day sweep of ratings
in PPM markets.

Todays releases include Washington DC, Boston, Miami, Seattle, Detroit,
Phoenix, Minneapolis, San Diego, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Denver, Baltimore,
and St. Louis.

All the numbers can be found at RadioInsight.com/Ratings.


Public News/Talk 88.5 WAMU continues to lead Washington DC despite a 10.2
to 9.5 drop. Hubbard News 103.5 WTOP holds steady at an 8.1 share. Howard
University Adult RB 96.3 WHUR holds in third down 7.8 to 7.6. Radio One
Adult RB Majic 102.3/92.7 WMMJ/WDCJ rises to fourth up 4.9 to 6.2.
iHeartMedia AC 97.1 WASH rises 5.6 to 5.9 for fifth.

Audacy Classic Hits 94.7 The Drive WIAD trends up 3.7 4.1 4.4, while
iHeartMedia Country 98.7 WMZQ rises 3.2 3.6 4.0. Moving in the opposite
direction is iHeartMedia CHR Hot 99.5 WIHT down 3.6 3.1 2.9.

With its recent controversy surrounding morning host Matty Siegel,
iHeartMedia CHR Kiss 108 WXKS-FM Boston rises 7.4 to 7.7. Beasley Classic
Hits 105.7 WROR jumps up 6.8 to 7.6 to claim second place. Beasleys 98.5
The Sports Hub WBZ-FM falls to third up 6.9 to 7.0. iHeartMedias duo of
Classic Rock 100.7 WZLX (5.7 to 6.1) and News/Talk 1030 WBZ (6.6 to 5.9)
round out the top five.

Beasley Country 102.5 WKLB surges up 3.9 to 5.1, while Providence based Cat
Country 98.1 WCTK trends up 0.9 1.3 1.7. Despite being the home of the
surprising Red Sox, Audacy Sports 93.7 WEEI-FM slips 3.2 to 2.9. In its
final monthly before flipping to Spanish Tropical, iHeartMedia Rhythmic AC
97.7 The Beat WKAF slips 1.2 to 1.1.

Cox Adult RB Hot 105 WHQT leads Miami despite being down 9.0 to 8.5. Cox
Soft AC Easy 93.1 WFEZ drops 8.3 to 7.7, while Audacy AC 101.5 Lite-FM WLYF
slips 6.7 to 6.2. SBS Salsa Zeta 92 WCMQ falls 6.0 to 5.7. Univision
Spanish AC Amor 107.5 WAMR drops 5.7 to 5.3.

Both CHRs are up in Miami. iHeartMedias Y100 WHYI jumps 3.3 to 4.1, while
Coxs Hits 97.3 WFLC bounces up 2.2 to 2.9.

Bonneville News/Talk 97.3 KIRO-FM regains the Seattle market lead with a
6.2 to 6.6 rise. Audacy Rock 99.9 KISW falls to second despite a 6.3 to 6.4
gain. Public News/Talk 94.9 KUOW-FM rises 5.4 to 6.0. AAA 90.3 KEXP falls
from its record 5.7 to 4.7. Hubbard AC Warm 106.9 KRWM slips 4.7 to 4.5
tying with iHeartMedia Classic Rock 102.5 KZOK (falling 4.8 to 4.5).

Both Seattle markets CHRs are moving in opposite directions. iHeartMedias
Hits 106.1 KBKS rises 3.3 4.0 4.2, while Hubbards Movin 92.5 KQMV falls
4.0 4.0 3.8. Also trending downward is Hubbard Country 98.9 The Bull KNUC
(3.6 2.9 2.6).

iHeartMedia AC 99.9 KEZ KESZ remains on top in Phoenix despite slipping 7.0
to 6.2. Hubbard Classic Rock 100.7 KSLX rises to second up 4.9 to 5.6.
iHeartMedia Country 102.5 KNIX falls 6.5 to 5.5. Audacy Classic Hits 94.5
KOOL rises 4.1 to 4.6 to tie iHeartMedia Variety Hits 95.5 The Mountain
KYOT which held steady at 4.6.

Trending upward in Phoenix is iHeartMedia Hot AC Mix 96.9 KMXP with a 2.5
2.9 3.6 trendline.

Audacy Classic Hits 104.3 WOMC claims the market lead in Detroit with a 6.7
to 7.2 rise. Beasley Classic Rock 94.7 WCSX drops to second down 6.9 to
6.8. iHeartMedia Adult RB Mix 92.3 WMXD places third down 6.1 to 5.8.
Beasley Rock 101.1 WRIF slips 6.2 to 5.5. iHeartMedia AC 100.3 WNIC rises
4.8 to 5.3.

Hubbard Hot AC KS 95 KSTP-FM retains its dominant lead in Minneapolis down
9.1 to 9.0. iHeartMedia Classic Hits Kool 108 KQQL rises to second up 6.6
to 7.3. Public News/Talk 91.1 KNOW-FM falls 7.7 to 6.6. iHearts duo of
Country K102 KEEY (up 5.7 to 6.2) and Sports 100.3 KFAN KFXN-FM (down 6.6
to 6.0) round out the top five.

Trending up is iHeartMedia CHR 101.3 KDWB (3.5 4.3 4.6), while
Northwestern Media Christian AC 98.5 KTIS-FM slips 5.7 5.3 4.8.

Audacy Classic Hits 98.1 Sunny-FM KXSN trends up 6.3 6.6 7.0 to expand
its San Diego lead. iHeartMedia News/Talk 600 KOGO rises to second up 5.5
to 5.7. iHeartMedia Classic Rock 101.5 KGB-FM continues its three month
surge 2.9 4.5 5.5 to move up to third with what Ratings Expert Chris Huff
states is its highest share since February 2019. Univision Regional Mexican
Que Buena 106.5 KLNV falls to fourth 5.9 to 5.3. Public News/Talk 88.5
KPBS-FM places fifth up 4.8 to 5.0.

Audacy Country 103.7 KSON jumps up 3.6 to 4.7, while iHeartMedia CHR
Channel 93.3 KHTS-FM tumbles 5.9 to 4.7.

Cox Soft AC 105.5 WDUV retains its usual perch in Tampa with a 7.0 to 7.2
gain. Radio Training Network Christian AC The Joy-FM 91.5 WCIE/88.1 WJIS
holds in second up 6.0 to 6.1. Cox Classic Rock 107.3 The Eagle WXGL
regains third up 5.5 to 5.7, while Beasley Classic Hits Q105 WRBQ falls 5.7
to 5.1. iHeartMedias 98 Rock WXTB jumps up to a fifth place tie up 3.9 to
4.4, while Cox Hot Talk 102.5 The Bone WHPT holds steady at 4.4.

After tweaking from a hybrid of Hip Hop and Adult RB to all Hip Hop midway
through the survey period, iHeartMedias 95.7 The Beat WBTP drops 3.3 to 2.8.

Bonneville Country 98.5 KYGO expands its Denver lead to a full share point
up 6.9 to 7.1. iHeartMedia Classic Rock 103.5 The Fox KRFX places second up
5.8 to 6.1. Bonneville AC 101.1 KOSI places third up 4.7 to 5.2. KSE Media
Classic Hits Kool 105 KXKL rises to fourth up 4.2 to 4.8, while Audacys
Classic Rock 99.5 The Mountain KQMT rises 4.2 to 4.7.

Public News/Talk 90.1 KCFR trends downward 6.1 4.9 4.3. Bonneville Sports
104.3 The Fan KKFN-FM rises 2.1 to 3.0.

Radio One Adult RB Magic 95.9 WWIN-FM Baltimore takes an over four share
lead with a 9.7 to 10.8 gain. iHeartMedias duo of Country 93.1 WPOC (up 6.2
to 6.6) and Variety Hits 102.7 Jack-FM WQSR (up 5.8 to 6.2) both follow.
Radio One Hip Hop 92Q WERQ falls to fourth down 6.2 to 5.7. Audacy AC
Todays 101.9 WLIF rises 4.9 to 5.5.

Three male skewing stations move upwards in Baltimore. Hearsts 98 Rock WIYY
rises 4.4 to 5.3. Audacy Sports 105.7 The Fan WJZ-FM trends up 3.0 4.5
4.9. Shamrock Classic Rock 100.7 The Bay WZBA trends up 3.0 3.8 4.4.

Hubbards Rock duo combines for over 1/5 of all radio listening in St.
Louis. Classic Rock 94.7 KSHE rises 12.7 to 13.0, while Alternative 105.7
The Point KPNT is up 7.7 to 8.7 for what Huff notes is a new station record
surpassing the 8.3 the station had in February and March of this year.
iHeartMedia Classic Hits 103.3 KLOU places third with a 7.5 to 7.4 drop
followed by Hubbard Variety Hits 106.5 The Arch WARH, which falls 7.3 to
6.9. Audacy AC 102.5 KEZK places fifth down 5.9 to 5.7.



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First Listen: Clark Smidts WATX (X-Factor Radio)

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 11:00 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/ross/208212...-factor-radio/



Here’s what veteran programmer and consultant Clark Smidt went through to
put WQUN-AM New Haven, Conn., back on the air as Oldies WATX last week:

“After Quinnipiac University asked me to sell the station and protect the
license, I ended up not being able to use the Denslow Hill tower site in
[city of license] Hamden that I worked at in summer ’67 [when the station
was] WDEE.

“I got [only] the license, the change of calls to WATX, and permission to
take the equipment. I had to go looking to get another [short term
authorization] STA to [keep the station off the air without losing the
license] beyond the first one granted May 2020.

“The second open area I found within 1.5 miles of the original site is the
Nadeau Farm, a privately owned 125 acres selling fresh chicken eggs, doing
501c3 animal rescue work, and offering goat yoga. The very nice folks
arranged for me to use an old dynamite shack for the transmitter we took
from the original site three weeks ago.

The station “was fired up last Saturday [May 8] before the May 21 deadline
at 75 watts for a range of about seven miles. This past Thursday [engineer]
Grady Moates tweaked the day/night power to 250 watts day/76 watts night
with the old 9100 AM Optimod.

Smidt says WATX is playing “real Connecticut gold—Platters through Blondie,
Motown/Four Seasons/Beatles/British Invasion, a New York/Connecticut
researched list from the soundtrack of my life. [Boston/New York radio
veteran] Dick Summer is doing the liners.�

In one of its many subsequent incarnations, WDUN became Top 40 WCDQ. For
about a six month period in the mid-‘70s, it was the author’s local daytime
Top 40 station, because it was even faster on new music than New Haven’s
WAVZ. It went on to a rapid succession of changes, including soft rock WOMN
(Woman Radio) and then WPLR-2, a companion to the better-known heritage
rock FM.Â*

It was a big story when subsequent owner Quinnipiac decided to shut down
the station after more than 20 years. That said, given the number of
colleges getting out of broadcasting, the biggest anomaly was that
Quinnipiac was on the commercial dial, or on AM, in the first place.Â*

Other far more dominant-in-their-time AMs have gone away in recent years
because a new transmitter site wasn’t worth securing. So it’s impressive
that Smidt wanted to return 1220 to the air and did. WATX launches a year
after a more prominent AM of the time, WMEX Boston pulled off a similarly
ambitious relaunch a year ago.

For radio history junkies, there’ll be one additional source of amusement.
Smidt is using some of the liners associated with the old WPIX New York,
including “Your ‘X’ wants you back.� There’s also a sweeper encouraging
listeners to “support local, buy local, listen local.� (If you want to go
further, there’s a place on the station site to buy $12.20 sponsorships.)

Here’s WATX on May 14:

Outsiders, “Time Won’t Let Me�
Smokey Robinson & Miracles, “Tears of a Clown�
Bobby Darin, “Beyond the Sea�
Crystals, “Then He Kissed Me�
Beach Boys, “Wendy�
MFSB, “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)�
Four Tops, “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)�
Gentrys, “Keep on Dancing�
Johnny Tillotson, “Poetry In Motion�
Diana Ross, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough�
Supremes, “Back in My Arms Again�
Lovin’ Spoonful, “Daydream�
Murmaids, “Popsicles and Icicles�
Paul & Paula, “Hey Paula�
King Harvest, “Dancing in the Moonlight�
Marvelettes, “Don’t Mess With Bill�




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WMQA-FM Flips To AC As The Island

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 06:39 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...as-the-island/



NRG Media has flipped Classic Hits Kool 95.9 WMQA-FM Minocqua/Rhinelander
WI to AC 95.9 The Island.

The stations name comes from Minocquas nickname as The Island City. WMQA-FM
is utilizing on-air talent from Local Radio Networks plus John Teshs
Intelligence For Your Life in evenings. Scott King continues to serve as
Program Director of WMQA-FM and Variety Hits 100.1 Jack-FM WRHN
Rhinelander. He also hosts afternoons at the latter.



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Townsquare Media Appoints Mary Fork As Kalamazoo/Battle Creek Market
President

Posted: 15 Jun 2021 04:32 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...ket-president/



Townsquare Media has announced the addition of Mary Fork as their new
Market President/Chief Revenue Officer for their Kalamazoo and Battle Creek
MI properties.

Fork joins Townsquare from Comcast Spotlight/Effectv where she has held
multiple sales roles over the past nine years; most recently as Local Sales
Manager for Clarkston MI. She also has spent three years as an account
executive for WEYI-TV Saginaw MI.

Fork succeeds Kate Morton, who departed in April to join WXMI-TV Grand
Rapids as Local Sales Manager.

Townsquare Media Inc. announced today that Mary Fork has been appointed as
Market President/Chief Revenue Officer for Southwest Michigan, leading its
“Digital First� strategy and driving strategic multi- platform sales and
content initiatives across the region, which includes Kalamazoo and Battle
Creek. Mary spent nearly the last decade leading teams for Comcast/Effectv
throughout Southeast Michigan. She will report to Townsquare Senior Vice
President Todd Lawley.

“From the first time I spoke to Mary it was clear that the ability to
coach, lead and execute a multi-platform strategy is in her DNA. She
possesses a unique skillset that will allow her to bring our world class
set of digital and local broadcast solutions to the market with the mission
of making Townsquare Kalamazoo/Battle Creek the #1 local media company in
Southwest Michigan,� commented Mr. Lawley.

I am beyond excited to be returning home to Southwest Michigan and joining
the Townsquare Media family. What compelled me to join Townsquare is not
only the full-service digital marketing capabilities and incredible local
media brands, but the way Townsquare goes to market and its Digital First
strategy. I was completely impressed when I saw how Townsquares campaigns
have full transparency, true optimization and industry leading attribution.
With the unmatched product power and campaign management integrity of
Townsquare, I knew I needed to join this winning team,� said Ms. Fork.

Townsquare COO Local Media, Erik Hellum added, “I have been very impressed
with Mary’s experience, multi-platform knowledge, passion and positivity.
She is excited to make Kalamazoo and Southwestern Michigan her home, and
work with our talented Townsquare team to do great things.�



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More Details On Lotus' Purchase Of Sinclair's Seattle Radio Properties

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 06:30 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...ns-in-seattle/



The FCC filing for Lotus Communications purchase of News 1000 KOMO
Seattle/97.7 KOMO-FM Oakville/97.7 K249DX Redmond, Hot AC Star 101.5 KPLZ
Seattle and Conservative Talk 570 KVI Seattle from Sinclair Broadcast Group
reveals a number of unique quirks to the deal.

At closing Lotus will pay just $5 million in cash for the stations. The
remaining $13,058,604 will come at Lotus choice in either cash or
advertising made available to Sinclair owned properties on 21 of Lotus
English language stations in Bakersfield, Boise, Fresno, Las Vegas, Reno,
Seattle and Tucson. If Lotus sells any of those 21 stations, Lotus can
transfer the obligations of that station to carry the Sinclair advertising
with it.

Lotus will not receive the rights to the KOMO and KOMO-FM call letters as
Sinclair will retain exclusive rights to them for their KOMO-TV.

The deal also includes a Transition Agreement allowing Lotus to utilize
Sinclairs traffic systems, IT and web services, human resources, and
microwave for up to 18 months as needed for a share of the costs. The
company can also sub-lease the stations current studios during that term if
needed.

Original Report 6/3: Sinclair Broadcast Group is selling its four radio
stations in Seattle to Lotus Communications for $18 million.

The deal will see Lotus acquire News 1000 KOMO Seattle/97.7 KOMO-FM
Oakville/97.7 K249DX Redmond, Hot AC Star 101.5 KPLZ Seattle and
Conservative Talk 570 KVI Seattle.

Founded in 1962 with the purchase of 1330 KWKW Los Angeles, Lotus currently
owns 44 stations in nine west coast markets: Bakersfield, Boise, Fresno,
Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Onxard/Ventura, Reno, Sacramento and Tucson. The
company also has low-power television properties in Houston and Phoenix.

Sinclair had acquired the Seattle radio stations as part of its 2013
acquisition of Fisher Communications. The company has no other radio
properties.

Lotus Communications announced today they have entered into a definitive
agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.s wholly-owned subsidiary,
Sinclair Television Group Inc., whereby subject to FCC approval, Lotus
Communications Corporation will acquire Sinclairs radio stations in the
Seattle, Washington metropolitan area for an aggregate purchase price of
approximately $18 million in cash and other considerations. the deal
includes News Radio KOMO 1000 AM 97.7 FM, KPLZ Star 101.5 FM, and Talk
Radio KVI 570 AM.

Lotus First SVP Jim Kalmenson commented, “We are excited to work with the
amazing staff at KOMO, KPLZ, and KVI. These are legendary stations which
share Lotus’s vision of producing local programming to serve the community,
enhance local neighborhoods, and support our home town businesses. Seattle
is home to several excellent broadcasting companies who have made this a
great radio market.�

Richard A. Foreman Associates. Inc initiated the transaction and acted as
exclusive broker representing Sinclair Broadcast Group




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Inrush Broadcast Services Adds To Their Leadership And Staff

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 04:00 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2...hip-and-staff/



Inrush Broadcast Services, a broadcast technology integration firm, is
pleased to announce the addition of Shaun Dolan as Partner and Sam Reiman
as Systems Engineer to their award-winning team in July.

Shaun comes to Inrush after serving as Product Manager at Telos Alliance, a
global leader in broadcast audio products. At Telos, Shaun’s team developed
and launched Telos VXs, a fully-virtual voice over IP talk show system. He
also managed the Telos VX product family, the internationally-respected
gold standard for broadcast telephony systems. He has worked with many of
the biggest names in the media landscape to develop innovative technology
solutions and brings a strategic view of the future of broadcast
infrastructure to the Inrush team.

Mike Dorris, Partner at Inrush, comments “Shaun is well-respected
throughout the industry and we are thrilled to have him on our team. His
holistic approach to crafting solutions and business development is a big
asset to us and our clients.� Shaun adds “I’m very grateful to Telos for
their unrelenting support as I make this transition. The Inrush team is
well-known for the trust, care, and transparency delivered to clients. I’m
so excited to join the partner team and help grow our impact through these
core values.�

Sam Reiman joins Inrush from Weigel Broadcasting, a leader in the media
industry and operator of both national television brands and local stations
across the country. As Broadcast Systems Engineer, Sam helped maintain hub
and spoke technology infrastructure for several respected brands such as
MeTV, the #1-rated classic television network, as well as The U, well-known
in Chicago as a local independent entertainment destination.

Brian Sapp, Partner at Inrush, notes “Sam’s deep knowledge of media
workflows, paired with his innate ability to take a deep dive into new
topics and become a subject matter expert in short order, makes his
addition a major win for our team.�