Takes over from retiring Pat Sajak in fall 2024 In news talked about for weeks, Ryan Seacrest will succeed Pat Sajak as host of Wheel Of Fortune beginning next fall. On June 12, Sajak announced he was retiring from Wheel after the 2023-24 season. Wheel and sister show Jeopardy! was renewed thru 2028 by the ABC-owned stations as both shows […]
Also: Young Sheldon adds TBS home; Rick Dees becomes voice of RewindTV; Dish and Sinclair avoid blackouts – for now Veteran meteorologist Andy Avalos announced his retirement on Friday after 33 years on Chicago television. Starting on August 30, fellow NBC 5 (WMAQ) meteorologist Alicia Roman is taking over Avalos’ spot on the morning newscast from 4-7 a.m. She’s been […]
Nation’s largest radio chain eliminates positions in belt-tightening In 2009, Clear Channel Communications announced one of the biggest radio layoffs in history, cutting 1,850 positions announced on January 20, the same day President Obama was inaugurated into office. At the time, I wrote: “Even more appalling is their plan to cut back on live, local programming and add more syndicated […]
Also: iHeartMedia likely to go bankrupt; Fox wants more stations – and it could effect longtime Miami affiliate. As first reported by Robert Feder Friday, Cara Carriveau has exited Hubbard-owned adult contemporary station WSHE-FM after approximately three years. Her replacement is Jenny Milkowski, who was recently the morning traffic reporter at Fox-owned WFLD-TV. She takes over starting Monday. “I am […]
The Golden Boy ascends to another gig – the highly coveted co-host slot on Live While it is a surprise to some (really?), Monday’s announcement of Ryan Seacrest as the new co-host of Live With Kelly gives the long-running franchise more name power. The venerable personality, who was host of American Idol and seemingly a million other things started in […]
When you think about Clear Channel, what usually comes to mind? Layoffs. Voice tracking. Low pay. Heavy commercial loads. The Arby’s of radio (OK, you get the drift.) Looking for a fresh start, Clear Channel announced on Tuesday it was changing the name of the company to the more audience-friendly iHeart Media, named after the successful iHeart Radio Internet platform. […]
I guess this is what happens when you use winning call letters without Charlie Sheen? The first full Arbitron PPM survey for September is out for Merlin Media all-news station WWWN shows the station is clearly not “winning”. In fact – it’s losing. Big. According to the PPM report, WWWN finished an astonishing low 48th place with […]
You’ll never walk alone? You might have to if Jerry Lewis walks out the door. – Did we hear Jerry Lewis sing You’ll Never Walk Alone for the final time? The Muscular Dystrophy Association announced this week it was cutting back its hours of its annual Labor Day Telethon from 21 hours to only six, regulating it from 6 p.m. […]
CBS-owned all-news outlet WBBM-AM was Chicago’s top billing radio station in 2008, according to BIA Financial Network. WBBM-AM earned $44.9 million in revenue for 2008, according to the report. Tribune’s WGN-AM came in a close second with $44.5 million, no doubt fueled by Cubs baseball. WGN’s huge haul comes despite an older-skewing audience. The top music station was Bonneville’s WTMX-FM, […]
Los Angeles’ KMVN-FM is moving out the door and so is the station’s morning man, Rick Dees. As of tomorrow, the legendary Radio Hall of Fame personality is moving his act to his own website. Titled All Number One Hits (allnumber1hits.com) the new site features contemporary hit music, live hosts (including games), videos, games, and an iPhone application, along with […]
Venerable radio personality Rick Dees is heading back to ABC Radio Networks after signing a development deal with the company. Dees, who was the morning personality at Top 40 outlet KIIS-FM in Los Angeles for 23 years (until he was replaced by Ryan Seacrest in 2004) and now is in the same capacity at Emmis’ KMVN-FM (Movin 93.9), will develop […]
Note: This is a longer version of a story posted yesterday at 7:01 p.m. Not exactly a shocker (as some would claim), given how the radio business has changed since these two signed a multi-year deal in 2002, but with high-salaries becoming a thing of the past in radio – as well as TV – and so is Eddie & […]
In a move local radio insiders saw coming, Ryan Seacrest’s syndicated radio show is joining WKSC-FM (Kiss FM’s) lineup starting Monday. As a result of this move, Billy Hammond was fired, and in an unrelated move, JoAnn Genette from the DreX morning show was also let go. WKSC will air Seacrest’s morning radio show from KIIS-FM in Los Angeles from […]
He’s more than a smarky TV host and a Los Angeles radio personality, but a businessman as well. Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM morning show in Los Angeles is getting syndicated in a three-hour program for midday and afternoon airings in other markets. Seacrest took over the KIIS morning gig from 22-year veteran Rick Dees in 2004. The American Idol host is […]