US

SiriusXM/Pandora has announced the appointment of Johnny Chiang as Senior Director of Country Programming for Pandora effective July 25. Chiang will be based in Houston and report to VP/Programming Kevin Stapleford. He succeeds Jen Danielson, who departed Pandora in April to join Warner Music Nashville as Senior Director of Streaming. The announcement comes six months […] […]

Audacy has announced a partnership with BetMGM making it the exclusive sportsbook of their BetQL Network. The content will now be branded as “The BetQL Network presented by BetMGM” across all of Audacy’s betting content. “You Better You Bet” hosts Nick Kostos and Ken Barkley will become brand advocates for BetMGM. BetMGM will become the […] […]

Cumulus Media Country “K100” 99.9 WKKO Toledo has announced the addition of ‘Marco’ as morning host alongside Lyn Cayse. Marco most recently hosted mornings at Saga’s now defunct CHR “Energy 106.9” WNRG-FM Milwaukee. He previously hosted mornings at 97.5 WKMZ Hagerstown MD, “93.1 Jamz” WJQM Madison, and “Click 98.9” KLCK Seattle. Marco takes the spot […] […]

FCC Actions
Attempting to clarify errors made in 1988, the FCC is revising the public file rules for Class D FMs to remove the requirement that they must maintain quarterly issues/program lists. The agency states, “the omission of the Class D Note from the 1988 Order and subsequent editions of the CFR was an inadvertent one, unrelated to the proposal addressed in that Order, and re-codify the exemption that relieves Class D FM stations from the requirement to maintain issues/programs lists in their online public inspection file.” This includes disavowing the $9000 fine issued to University of Montana’s 90.9 KDWG Dillon MT in 2009 for failing to maintain those lists, but makes no mention of returning the funds to the university.

Socorro Community Radio’s Country “Mine Country 102.1” KYRN Socorro NM has entered into a consent decree and agreed to a $1500 civil penalty related to an improper transfer of control in 2013.

An informal objection filed by Green Lion Media alleged that Socorro Community Radio failed to notify the FCC on the death of sole member William Pace in 2013, when at the time it operated the station via Time Brokerage Agreement from Sovereign City Radio and a second occurred in July 2017 when Green Lion began operating the station ahead of a planned sale. SCR countered that the 2013 transfer was not an illegal transfer of control because they did not own the station, but admitted that the 2017 one was as its owner moved out of state and allowed Green Lion to assume control without authorization. After they filed a lawsuit against Green Lion the station went silent in March 208 for nearly a year. The two sides differed on the filings of the STA dates and whether the issues/programs lists in the public file was accurate, but the FCC rejected Green Lion’s claims.

The following licensees have entered into consent decrees for failing to maintain their online political files:

Cape Cod Broadcasting License II, LLC licensee of WOCN-FM Orleans MA
Fayette Broadcasting Corp. licensee of WMBS Uniontown PA
Lakes Media, LLC licensee of WLKZ Wolfeboro NH

Deletions
The FCC has deleted the license of Estrella Media’s 103.3 KJOJ-FM Freeport TX. KJOJ-FM went silent in December 2020 following the collapse of its near 2000 foot tower in a storm. Inquiries into the status of the station by the FCC to Estrella Media earlier this year went unanswered.

Alma Corporation has turned in the license for 106.3 KQBD Bunker MO. KQBD went silent in October 2021 for “technical reasons”.

Silent Requests […]

Light of Life Ministries has relaunched its Christian AC “Worship-FM” network in Maine as “Reach FM“. Ryan Gagne, who started with the station as a volunteer and eventually rose to Program Director and then Station Manager during his first stint with the station from 1999 to 2012, returns as Programming Consultant and morning host. Gagne […] […]

In June, a market-dominant radio station left the FM dial to try and make a go of IP-only. Another dominant station will go away in a few days. I looked forward to those months when today’s pop hits are at their best, or at least their most prolific, only to see everything upstaged by a […] […]