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December 3, 2010
The Year That Was 2010
As the final weeks of the year wind down, we look back at some of
the people and events making news in News/Talk/Sports media this
past year. The good, the bad and the ugly --it’s all here, and it all
made Talk media news in 2010!
Issue 171
KFI/Los Angeles … Arbitron chief exec Michael Skarzynski abruptly
resigns after admitting to giving false testimony during a congressional
hearing on the company’s PPM audience measurement system … Nate
Lundy named PD at KKFN/Denver … Curtis Sliwa debuts in morning
drive on WNYM/New York … Talk radio mobilizes relief efforts for
earthquake ravaged Haiti … Alan Furst named PD at WIBC-FM/
Indianapolis … Michael Damsky is named GM and Drew Hayes
checks in as PD at WLS/Chicago … 43-year old WHAS/Louisville
host Francene Cucinello dies suddenly following a heart attack and
subsequent brain aneurism … Air America pulls the plug and shuts
down the liberal Talk radio network.
February: Focus On The Family causes the
media to hyperventilate about a Super Bowl ad
featuring quarterback Tim Tebow and his mom
… Rod Arquette steps down as PD at KIROFM and KTTH/Seattle … Rush Limbaugh is
invited to judge the Miss America pageant …
Legendary nationally syndicated talker Bruce
Williams announces his retirement … National
GLENN BECK
radio and TV host Glenn Beck makes big news
as he addresses the annual CPAC Convention in DC … Ken Pauli exits
as PD of WFTL/Ft. Lauderdale … CFRB/Toronto talker Bill Carroll
segues to middays at KFI/Los Angeles … KSTP-AM/Minneapolis flips
from News/Talk to Sports … Record snowfall in DC as News/Talkers
up and down the eastern seaboard deal with the “Blizzard of 2010” …
WLS/Chicago drops Erich “Mancow” Muller’s local midday show,
along with co-host Pat Cassidy … WABC/New York and KABC/
January: Rush Limbaugh returns from a
vacation in Hawaii, during which he was admitted
to the hospital with severe chest pains. Tests
showed he did not have a heart attack or heart
disease … Meanwhile, Adweek names Limbaugh
“Radio Personality of the Decade” … Los Angeles
Angels broadcast voice Rory Markas dies at age
54 … Citing health issues Melanie Morgan steps
down as co-host of TRN’s America’s Morning
RUSH LIMBAUGH
News … Tim Conway Jr. named 7-10pm host at
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(continued on page 2)
December 3, 2010
NTS MediaOnline Weekly
Los Angeles both debut Doug McIntyre’s Citadel Media-syndicated
Red Eye Radio in overnights … United Stations Radio Networks
inks to represent affiliate relations and ad sales for syndicated talker
Doug Stephan … Legendary broadcaster Cecil Heftel dies at age 85
… Longtime Tampa Bay radio personality -- and an original WMCA/
New York “Good Guy” -- Captain Mel Berman dies following heart
surgery.
March: Media veterans Al Peterson, Don Anthony and Erica Farber
announce plans to host a new combined “Talk
Media Conference & Talk Show Boot Camp”
in Los Angeles … KMBZ/Kansas City gets
embroiled in a controversy over a political
ad for write-in candidate Glenn Miller …
FastCompany.com profiles comedian and
former radio talker Adam Carolla as a podcasting
“superstar” … Crain’s New York Business names
Glenn
Beck’s partner and Mercury Radio Arts
JEFF KATZ
president Christopher Balfe as one of New
York’s “40 Under 40” rising business stars … Chris Krok joins KLIF/
Dallas for afternoons as Jon David Wells exits … TRN-syndicated
weekend talker Chris Markowski joins WWBA/Tampa to host a new
daily local show … Jeff Katz is named morning host at WXKS-AM
(“Rush Radio 1200”)/Boston … George “Dark Star” Chapple opts
out after 25 years on the air at WCCO/Minneapolis … Ryan Hatch
named PD at KIRO-FM and KTTH/Seattle … KSTP/Minneapolis
PD Steve Konrad is hospitalized after suffering severe and traumatic
injuries in a motorcycle accident … Christiane Amanpour leaves CNN
to join ABC News as This Week anchor … Eric Stanger named VP/
Operations for Premiere Radio Networks’ syndicated Sean Hannity
Show … Talk radio is ground zero for contentious debate during the
final push by Congress to pass President Obama’s proposed health care
reform legislation … Legendary WABC/New York personality Ron
Lundy dies after a long battle with cancer at age 75 … WBAP/Dallas
adds an FM simulcast of the AM News/Talker at 96.7 … Veteran WTOP/
Washington morning news anchor Frank Herzog announces his
retirement … Longtime WOR/New York overnighter Joey Reynolds
exits the Buckley Broadcasting News/Talker with the syndicated
Coast To Coast AM hosted by George Noory named to replace
him … Weststar TalkRadio Network host Kim Komando debuts
Page 2
TVKim.com … Apple debuts the first commercial for the iPad during
the annual TV broadcast of the Academy Awards … Mandy McConnell
is named midday host at WHAS/Louisville … Dr. James Dobson ends
his 33-year run as the voice and face of Focus On The Family.
April: Steve Versnick is named PD at WFLA/Tampa following RC
Bauer’s announcement that he was leaving radio to pursue a call to the
ministry … Clancy Woods forms Mission Media Group and inks a
deal with American City Business Journals to distribute content for
Sporting News Radio … former Arbitron exec and veteran programmer
Bob Michaels is name EVP/Research for Clear Channel Radio …
The “Voice of the Milwaukee Brewers,” Bob “Mr. Baseball” Uecker
undergoes heart surgery … Bob Shomper is named News Director/
APD at KTAR-FM/Phoenix … Citadel Media pulls the plug on the
syndicated Joe Scarborough Show, co-hosted by Mika Brzezinski …
Jon David Wells resurfaces at KSKY/Dallas as late afternoon host
… Premiere Radio Networks inks a long term extension on its deal
to produce and distribute FOX Sports Radio
… Federated Media debuts new FM talker
WTRC/South Bend … Clear Channel flips
KRPT/San Antonio from “Outlaw Country”
to Talk as “92.5 The Patriot” … 40-year veteran
Chicago newsman Pat Cassidy returns to Windy
City all-newser WBBM-AM as morning coanchor, alongside Felicia Middlebrooks …
Stuart Greenblatt rejoins Westwood One as
DARRELL ANKARLO
Senior Director … WGN/Chicago moves market
veteran Garry Meier to afternoon drive … Bob Agnew is named PD at
KXNT/Las Vegas … KTAR-FM/Phoenix host Darrell Ankarlo opts
to step down from his mid-morning program to focus on his recovery
from a traumatic brain injury he received in an automobile accident in
2009 … Compass Media Networks gives business and financial talker
Ron Insana a daily talk show to air Monday-Friday from 7-9am.
May: KTAR-AM/Phoenix names Kevin Graham PD … Longtime
network radio pro John McConnell partners with the Elvis Duran
Group to launch EDG’s new radio syndication division … Citadel
Media roles out the Larry Kudlow Show, a weekly business and financial
program hosted by the CNBC anchor … Former WJFK/Washington
and Westwood One syndicated host Don Geronimo returns to active
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December 3, 2010 NTS MediaOnline Weekly
duty to host a local noon-4pm show on CBS Radio outlet KHTK/
Sacramento … Georgeann Herbert exits as PD at WWJ/Detroit, as
News Director Rob Davidek is upped to PD/ND … Bryan Erickson is
upped to AM Ops Manager at Clear Channel/Houston … Philly radio
pioneer Bill “Wee Willy” Webber dies following a heart attack. He
was 81 … Local radio is again called to the front lines in Tennessee as
historic flooding hits Nashville and other surrounding areas … Sean
Compton is named President/Programming for Tribune Broadcasting
… United Stations Radio Networks inks New
York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin to
host three daily one-minute business and finance
reports … Syndicated radio and TV talker Glenn
Beck releases a new book, The Overton Window
… Peter Gammons joins Sporting News Radio
to offer daily baseball analysis and commentary
… Tommy Mischke returns to Twin Cities
radio with a new nightly show on WCCO/
DREW HAYES
Minneapolis … WLS/Chicago PD Drew
Hayes adds programming responsibilities for sister station WMAL/
Washington, as PD Paul Duckworth exits the DC News/Talker … Ron
Rivlin joins Citadel Media as VP/Affiliate Relations for the network’s
News/Talk/Sports division … R.I.P. KTOK/Oklahoma City host Mark
Shannon, 58, who died following a struggle with leukemia … Veteran
broadcaster and KLIF/Dallas PD Steve Nicholl dies suddenly at age 63
… Longtime WFLA-WFLZ/Tampa GM Dave Reinhart dies as the
result of a number of health issues. He was 67.
June: WEPN/New York PD Aaron Spielberg exits … Larry King
announces he will retire from his nightly CNN show at the end of
2010 after 25 years with the cable news network … 10-year WGN/
Chicago veteran Steve Cochran exits, as WLW/Cincinnati host Mike
McConnell joins the Windy City News/Talker … Veteran talker Tom
Leykis announces he’ll launch New Normal Music, an online radio
station targeting young, college age males … Bruce DuMont celebrates
30 years as host of the weekly syndicated political talk show, Beyond
The Beltway … CNN taps disgraced former New York governor
Eliot Spitzer to co-host a new daily show with
conservative newspaper columnist Kathleen
Parker … Mark Mays announces he’ll step
down as CEO/President of CC Media Holdings
at the end of 2010 … Rush Limbaugh weds
Kathryn Rogers at a lavish wedding in Palm
Beach featuring Elton John as musical guest at
the reception … KOA/Denver PD Kris Olinger
exits as PD of the Mile High City News/Talker
ELTON JOHN
… Veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas
resigns in the wake of criticism over anti-Semitic remarks she made that
were captured on video … Andrew Lee is named Director/Information
Programming at KTLK-FM/Minneapolis … Paul Ihander is named
PD at KCSJ/Pueblo, CO.
(Read Part II of our year-end news review in next Friday’s NTS
MediaOnline Weekly).
CONTACT NTS MEDIAONLINE
Al Peterson
858-486-7559
[email protected]
Brooke Trissel
512-218-8228
[email protected]
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