Republican Senator Scott Brown and his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren have released dueling radio statements over the Blunt Amendment, which would give the green light to heath insurance providers to nix birth control coverage for “religious beliefs or moral convictions.” The bill is introduced by Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, and co-sponsored by 37 […]
Archive | Commercial Radio
Radio ad maker: business has “returned to normal”
The Radio Advertising Bureau reports a slight up tick in radio advertising revenue for 2012: $17.4 billion, a one percent gain from 2010. That year saw a six percent improvement from 2009, from which the industry could only go up following losses of around a quarter of a billion in revenue in Q2 and over […]
SiriusXM turns a profit, plans to offer on-demand programs and personalized radio
SiriusXM announced its 4th quarter 2011 results today, revealing that the company turned a profit and reached 8.7 million subscribers, with 1.7 net subscribers added last year. While those numbers apparently look good both to the company and investors, SiriusXM is only holding on to 44% of subscribers who get a free trial when they […]
McDonald’s Pit Bull radio snafu takes on life of its own
Hell hath no fury like 12,277 Pit Bull owners on Facebook scorned. Despite McDonald’s apologies for running a radio advertisement calling petting a stray Pit Bull “risky,” pro-Pit Bull activists are still pushing for further amends. They’ve even got a demonstration in the works. Here’s the petition being circulated by the Pit Bulls Against McDonald’s […]
Modern versus classic rock radio: do these terms still mean anything?
I listen to a lot of rock and roll radio here in the San Francisco Bay Area and all over the world via my Android mobile. A lot of these stations define themselves as either “modern” or “classic” rock frequencies. But I’m starting to wonder how long the original distinction between the two genres can […]
Shocker: Rush Limbaugh says something nice about First Lady
Rummaging through the talk radio guy comments about President Obama’s State-of-the-Union speech, I was set back on my heels by an actual nice thing Rush Limbaugh said about First Lady Michelle Obama. Of course, the meditation is front-loaded with left-handed compliments, and he calls her “Moochelle,” but the praise is still there. The Rush post […]
Cox to Sell 2 AM Stations to WSHU Public Radio
The FCC just approved the proposed assignment of two Cox-owned AM radio stations in Connecticut to Sacred Heart University for use as non-commercial radio stations. Stations WSTC (Stamford, CT) and WNLK (Norwalk, CT) will convert from commercial to non-commercial status and will be used by public radio group WSHU for its broadcasts of public radio […]
They can take the radio out of Clear Channel (but that won’t take Clear Channel out of radio)
Friday the 900 lb. gorilla of commercial radio announced that it is changing its name to Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, striking the word “radio” from its name. Even though the company still owns 850 terrestrial broadcast stations–down from its post-1996 height of 1200–Clear Channel is trying to emphasize its belated focus on the internet, […]
Modern Industry! Fishbone’s radio love song
The other day I got a chance to see Lev Anderson and Chris Melzter’s wonderful documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone at the Roxy Theater in San Francisco (trailer here). The film is a must see for anyone who wants to understand the post-disco music scene of the 1980s, with its eclectic mix of […]
DoJ to Supreme Court: radio is where the “vile and lewd” stuff is
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Fox vs. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. That’s the case reviewing the First Amendment constitutionality of the FCC’s sanctions against Fox for broadcasting Cher and Nicole Richie’s famous “fleeting expletive” potty talk comments during the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards. Also attached to the case are Commission […]