20 years ago, on the night of June 17, 1994, my wife Kathie was flying to meet me in Buffalo. After watching O.J. Simpson attempt his run for the border only to be met with cheering crowds on interstate overpasses and TV cameras bolted to helicopters, I sped to the airport, ran down to the…
If you’re a tail end Baby Boomer like me, someone in their early to mid 50’s, you grew up listening to Casey Kasem each weekend on “American Top 40.” The radio show was a simple and easy to understand countdown concept. At its end, Casey revealed who that week’s champion was, the top artist and…
“Six months ago, if you’d have told me I could refinance $850 million worth of subordinated debt at 10%, I’d have looked at you like you were crazy…the demand for its debt is a sign of confidence.” There’s finance and then there’s FINANCE. There’s debt and then there’s DEBT. In this case subordinated debt. The…
God bless them. Harry Caray, Jack Brickhouse and Lou Boudreau just rolled over in their graves. WGN Radio will no longer broadcast the Chicago Cubs. This is big. I speak from experience few people in the radio industry have. I am one of the few who has managed and programmed a station that is a…
“It’s from a man in Cincinnati, Ohio and here’s what he writes.” – Casey Kasem Just when you thought the freak show during Michael Jackson’s last years was grotesque, two western states now bring us the battling “Kasem Clans.” It’s a battle so large no one state can contain it. The Monday, June 2nd edition…
Historically, record companies, its labels and performers have had a pretty good deal with radio. Radio gives the labels free advertising for their songs, while the labels give radio the tunes to play free of charge, excluded music licensing fees that pay composers. A quid pro quo as they say in Latin. Or as they…
Each Memorial Day weekend downtown Cincinnati is home to a HUGE gathering of people. It’s our community’s way of saying adios to winter and kicking off a summer filled with festivals, socializing with friends and neighbors, eating and drinking beer. Lots of beer. This past weekend “Taste of Cincinnati” celebrated its 36th annual party on…
I am one of the last believers in AM radio. I love the medium. It kills me to see the shape it’s in today. It didn’t have to be this way. A number of months ago I wrote a blog that received a lot of positive and negative reaction within the radio industry. The FCC…
“If you’re worth more dead than alive, watch the hell out.” – Darryl Parks Legendary radio personality and the only true host of “American Top 40” (sorry Ryan) Casey Kasem has gone missing. He might be in Canada, some other foreign country or on an Indian Reservation. No one seems to know for sure. Casey,…
Rule #1: “Ratings and Revenue.” You may have heard me say this. It’s something I really believe. Over the years listeners and special interest groups have accused me of various sins like programming to a certain political bias or producing programs that appeal to the lowest common denominator. Both very true. The political bias (or…
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