Sunday, July 31, 2011

Telecom Providers Build Their Own Clouds

Just as cloud companies are beginning to mature as businesses, Internet service providers and other carriers have decided to build out their own cloud offerings. Now, how does a harried IT manager or small business owner sort through all the various opportunities?

Check out the wide variety of cloud services available from carriers and independent cloud service providers...It’s important to remember that we are in the early days of the cloud. Like all new technologies, this one has a maturity or learning curve. We are on the early part of the upward slope. What that means is a lot of activity from a lot of players. You can expect new companies with new services to be popping up all the time. It also makes sense that current players in the computer and networking space will want to corral as much of this business for themselves as possible. If not, they may be justifiably concerned that they could be relegated to sidelines.

Windstream, a major competitive carrier for T1 lines, MPLS networks, dedicated Ethernet Internet and enterprise VoIP, saw the handwriting on the wall when they acquired Hosted Solutions last year. Adding the assets of Hosted Solutions to Windstream’s existing data centers, has given them the critical mass to get into cloud services for existing customers. Such services include such things as cloud storage, Infrastructure as a Service and private, public, and hybrid clouds. Other carriers, such as Level 3 Communications, also have cloud services available.

Most carriers have large data centers for their own use. They often leverage these assets by offering colocation services within their secure and highly reliable facilities. Colocation is something of a forerunner of the cloud. The provider offers racks and cages where you can move your servers and network appliances. They provide the electricity with backup, environmental control and security. Another big draw of colocation is the proximity to large amounts of bandwidth. Many companies either can’t get or can’t afford the cost of constructing fiber optic connections to their own facilities. At a colocation center, the carrier is right down the hall and a mere cross-connect away. It’s the best deal on bandwidth you can get.

More recently, colocation centers have begun to offer contracted technical support and even leased servers for those who don’t want to buy their own. In essence, the colo becomes your data center and you don’t need the capital expense, operational expense or staffing to run your own. That being the case, what’s different about cloud services?

The primary difference between colocation and the cloud likes in both outsourcing and virtualization. The cloud infrastructure consists of massive computing power and storage, all virtualized so that it can be sliced and diced as users require. While in the cloud, you are unaware that you are not the only one using the facilities. The same bank of servers that run your applications can be running dozens or hundreds of others simultaneously. The magic of virtualization creates the illusion that you have one or more physical servers all to yourself.

A good cloud is much more than that. Not only do you rent rather than buy, but you rent by the minute or hour times the number of servers you are using. You can add or subtract virtual servers at will and only pay for the ones you are reserving. The same is true for storage. You don’t worry about buying a new disk when you fill up the one you have. You simply increase or decrease storage as needed and pay by the byte.

The ability to increase and decrease resources almost instantly is a feature unique to the cloud. This scalability is highly desirable for companies with varying loads or ones that are rapidly growing. There is no need to be constantly buying and upgrading equipment when you can simply log into your cloud account and add resources at will.

What carriers bring to the table is one stop shopping. They already provide last mile access, multi-site connectivity, and converged voice, video and data networks. By adding cloud services, you have one bill to pay and a single point of contact for resolving issues such as latency or availability. Independent cloud service providers will need to be on their toes to stay ahead of the carriers, by offering more advanced services and lower pricing to stay in the game long term.

Are you ready for the cloud? The range of services and competitive pricing makes cloud computing and storage, colocation and managed services more cost effective than they’ve ever been. Inquire about availability and pricing for the networking and computing services you need for your particular applications.

Click to check pricing and features or get support from a Telarus product specialist.




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Merlin Launches FM News Chicago, Talent Unveiled

Merlin Media, a new multiplatform, multimedia company, has officially launched FM News 101.1 as Chicago's only 24-hour all-news station.

Whenever listeners tune in to Chicago's FM News 101.1 they will experience credible news, jargon-free traffic reports, and accurate weather. Listeners will engage with information from leading experts on subjects such as health, family, career, money, entertainment, beauty and more. The station's terrific content will be accessible through many platforms including online video, social media, mobile, and tablets. Advertisers will become part of a highly effective mix that includes sponsorships, billboards, endorsements, Internet, mobile, tablets, and live reads.

"My favorite format has always been spoken radio," said Randy Michaels, CEO, Merlin Media. "I've long had a nostalgic love affair with the big AM stations known for the format, and today – as music moves to the iPod – it's time for spoken word to move to FM. I'm proud to be part of Chicago's only 24-hour all-news station."

Walter Sabo, COO, Merlin Media added: "Busy adults have told us they need their information on FM, online, and through social media. Our team is prepared to serve them with unparalleled content on every stage."

"We've put together a stellar group of Chicago information news hosts, writers and producers," said Andy Friedman, VP of Programming, Merlin Media. "They will identify precisely the stories our listeners demand."

Assembled by Merlin Media's team of veteran executives who have deep experience in companies like Harpo Productions and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, FM News 101.1's content will be delivered by:
  • Mary Ellen Geist is an award-winning broadcast journalist having worked at ABC and CBS radio stations. Geist’s many honors include national and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and Associated Press Awards for best newscast, live coverage, investigative reporting, and Reporter of the Year.
  • Ed Curran is a veteran of Chicago media, having been on-air since the mid-‘70s at WEFA-FM, WGCI-FM, WIND-AM, and WGN-AM, where he worked alongside Bob Collins and co-hosted “The Al & Ed Show” with Al Lerner.
  • Rob Hart has been a news anchor, reporter, and talk show host over the course of his career at two famous radio stations – WTMJ in Milwaukee and WGN in Chicago. He first went on-air as a sophomore at Marquette University.
  • Dave Williams is an award-winning anchor who has received multiple Golden Mike and Mark Twain awards as Best News Anchor in a Major Market. For 20 years at Sacramento’s KFBK, he was the highest-rated radio personality in the city’s history.
  • JoAnn Genette has consistently worked in Chicago radio, most recently hosting her own radio talk show. Her big break was a co-host and news reporting role with Chicago radio legend Robert Murphy.
  • Monica DeSantis has been in radio for 18 years, most notably as a morning anchor at WLS-AM and several other Chicago news and sports stations. The longtime Chicagoan hails originally from Toronto, Canada.
  • Brett Larson is an Emmy® Award winner and one of the nation’s most familiar names in technology and environmental coverage. Larson is a recognized voice on the radio from coast-to-coast.
  • Charlie Meyerson has delivered the news to the Chicago area for several decades having spent time at WXRT-FM, WNUA-FM, and ChicagoTribune.com. Meyerson is the winner of dozens of journalism awards, including a national UPI award for investigative reporting.
  • Annette Flournoy is a Chicago native, having previously served as the News Director and afternoon news anchor of WVON-AM. Flournoy has worked as an award-winning Associate Producer of “Oprah & Friends” with Harpo Radio.
  • Lise Dominique has worked with some of the best on-air talents in Chicago radio as a traffic reporter and newsperson on WLUP-AM/FM with Jonathan Brandmeier, Kevin Matthews, Steve Dahl and Garry Meier, as well as on WTMX-FM with Ron Britain and Brant Miller.
  • Diana Bodkins is a household name outside of Chicago, having worked as a morning show producer at WFYR-FM and program director for WLS-AM and WLS-FM. Bodkins will play a key role as a programmer at FM News 101.1.
  • Scott Miller is a top-rated morning show host who worked as a producer for Harpo Radio since its inception, most notably for the “Gayle King Show” on XM radio. He also worked as a producer for WCKG-FM.
  • Debra Dale has been a Chicago radio stalwart for the past 25 years, having worked for WBBM-AM since 1992 as a traffic reporter and as a news reporter and anchor. Prior to that, she spent six years with WUSN-FM.
  • Sam Sylk is a radio veteran and Chicago-native, beginning his career on WKKC-FM in the early ‘90s. Sylk worked on WGCI-FM as an afternoon host and in 2009 began working his “Sylky Style” on the afternoon drive shift on WPWX-FM.
  • Ryan Burrow recently worked as Online National News Producer for the Tribune Co. and has served as a radio reporter at Clear Channel, NewsRadio 600 WREC, and WFVA/WBQB. The Chicago native will take his skill set to the streets as a reporter for FM News 101.1.
  • Jeff McKinney was the news anchor for WCCO-AM in Minneapolis, Minnesota for nearly 16 years.
  • Guy Bauer worked on Comedy Central’s famous “Crank Yankers” and with Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla on “The Man Show.” Bauer became Executive Producer of Jonathon Brandmeier’s morning show on L.A.’s KCBS-FM in 2004, and moved to WLUP-FM/Chicago in 2005. Bauer also hosts “The Guy Bauer Half Hour,” which was featured in Time Magazine.
  • Veronica Carter is known by late-night listeners as a deft news reporter and weekend anchor on WGN-AM’s overnight show. In that capacity, the California native worked alongside Steve King and Johnnie Putman.
  • Sarah Jersild is a writer, blogger, and podcaster for a number of well-known online outlets. She was a Senior Producer for Tribune Broadcasting and will cover entertainment news.
  • Victoria Keelan has spent the last five years on Sirius XM’s Cosmo Radio, bringing audiences the latest and hottest trends in the world of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and food on “Cosmo Life with Victoria.”
  • Anne Kelly has worked as a reporter for WCIA-TV in Illinois and KFYR-TV in North Dakota. The young talent will be the northwest suburbs bureau chief for FM News 101.1.
  • Katherine Kelly will be the western suburbs bureau chief for FM News 101.1. She has worked as a producer and operations manager at Harpo Radio, and was a morning news anchor and producer for WUSN-FM.
  • Brant Miller spent 15 years as one of Chicago’s top DJ’s on WLS-AM and then WLS-FM. In 1989, Miller became a meteorologist with WFLD-TV, later serving as WMAQ-TV’s Chief Meteorologist.
  • Jennifer O’Neill is a Chicago native who began her career in 1999 as a producer and writer for WBBM-AM.
  • Art Porter is an experienced Chicago radio producer, having worked on morning shows for WVAZ-FM and WGCI-FM. Porter produced Crazy Howard McGee’s well-known morning show and the “Morning Riot” show.
  • Jill Urchak is a popular Chicago-based news and traffic reporter having worked on WLS-AM and WLS-FM. She was also a DJ on WABT-FM.
  • Mike Wilson began his career as one of the youngest producers in Chicago at WLS radio. He comes to FM News 101.1 as a respected news reporter from WOWO-AM and will now do overnights.
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Plenty Of August 1st C-C-C-Changes

Today is the day for format changes, relaunches and talent debuts in a multiple of markets across the country.

In Orlando FL, longtime Smooth Jazz formatted 103.1 WLOQ has moved to an online only station at wloq.com.  The following statement is currently posted on the website:

On air, 103.1 FM WLOQ started stunting as "Elvis 103.1".  The station is operated by TTB Media Corp. via an LMA agreement with the Gross Family in Orlando.  Sale of the station for a little more than $8-million is pending FCC approval. See original posting.

After stunting the station is expected to become an Hispanic CHR as "KQ103".

That would  flank both Clear Channel's Rumba 100.3 FM WRUM and Jose 98.1 FM WNUE and owned by Entravision Communiciations Corporation.

TTB Media has a Facebook page for KQ103 and registered the domain KQ103.com with GoDaddy.

And in the Harrisburg, PA. market, Hall Communications 92.7 FM WSJW, licensed to Starview, PA. dropped its Smooth Jazz format after seven years in favor of Classic Rock with new call lettersWKZF.

First song at midnight Monday morning, was "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. Click here for website.

The domain smoothjazz927.com is still active. Listen here.

See original posting.

Programmer Mike McVay Joins The Cumulus Team

The radio industry was shocked to hear over the weekend that programming consultant Mike McVay is leaving his consultancy to join Cumulus Media.  He will be SVRP for Programming. 

Current SVRP/Programming Jan Jeffries will remain with Cumulus.

McVay will relocate To Atlanta and starts his new position September 1st.

McVay founded McVay Media almost 30 year ago and has become an industry leader with syndication, news media and Listener Driven Radio Divisions.

In making the announcement Cumulus COO John Dickey said "Mike is one of our industry's most talented programmers. His background as a station owner, content creator and brand builder will prove very valuable as Cumulus continues to grow."

In a press release, McVay stated, "The opportunity to work with what is going to be the largest pure play radio company in the world was too great to pass up.  I'm excited to join the team at Cumulus and participate in their tremendous growth." 

McVay Media will continue and be re-branded as McVay/Cook & Associates.

TomzTake:  Now we know why Charlie Cook rejoined McVay Media a couple of weeks ago.  He had been with the West Virginia Radio Coporation controlled by Greer Industries and based in Morgantown, WV since early this year.  Supposedly, he is continuing as corporate PD/Brand manager there. So now,  there are two moonlighting principals of the 28-year-old McVay Media.  The consultancy biz isn't what it used to be.

Mike McVay Taking A Hip Read on Radio Listeners

Cleveland's The Plain Dealer published a profile of Mike McVay this past February:

The first thing one notices about Mike McVay's black Mercedes is not its gleam, though it would put a jeweler's display window to shame.

Rather, it's the license plate that adorns the luxury toy: "TWO HIP."

"I grew up a blue-collar kid in Pittsburgh," McVay says with a smile. "Whenever someone drove through my neighborhood in a car like this, I'd tell my friends, `Man, that guy is just too hip.'

Adds McVay: "But, really, I wanted to be that too-hip guy in the car."

And McVay has certainly earned a vanity plate as president of McVay Media, a Westlake-based radio consulting firm he founded in 1983.

McVay's company is a major player in the radio industry, advising 140 stations from Cleveland to Denver, Panama City, Fla., to Fort Wayne, Ind., and New Zealand to Canada. It shapes strategies for radio formats that include adult contemporary, country, alternative rock and Christian pop music, as well as news and sports talk.

McVay Media also dabbles in the artist management business, offering guidance to musical acts such as Hall & Oates, Paul Anka, Julian Lennon and John Tesh.

No doubt, it is one very impressive portfolio. But there's an obvious reason for that: McVay is as good as he is hip.

He is generally regarded as the brains behind the rise of WMJI FM/105.7 from a once-obscure station to a local radio powerhouse. As WMJI's general manager in 1982, McVay persuaded a reluctant John Lanigan to become the station's morning host, a role that he continues to prosper in today.

McVay has also made a difference as a consultant to local stations. In 1987, he urged WNCX FM/98.5 to drop Top 40 pop tunes for classic rock. The station is still a classic rocker and has become one of Cleveland's most successful programmers.

And McVay is considered one of the fathers of the "lite rock" format, helping stations such as WLTF FM/106.5 (now known as WMVX) and WDOK FM/102.1 update their sounds.

Read More.

SF's KBWF Relaunches As 'The Game'

95.7 Gets New Call Letters

KNBR (680-AM) has monopolized the sports radio market in the Bay Area for decades, but beginning Monday there will be an alternative. 95.7 FM KBWF, the flagship station for the A's and Sharks, is re-launching a new sports-talk format.

According to a story by Jonathan Okanes at mercrynews.com, voices will include Greg Papa, who will co-host KBWF's midday show on a semiregular basis, and former 49ers defensive back Eric Davis, slated for the afternoon. Dan Dibley, a onetime anchor/co-host on KNBR, is scheduled for the morning, and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area insiders Mychael Urban, Matt Maiocco, Matt Steinmetz and Brodie Brazil will be regular contributors.

"KNBR does a great job with the Giants and Niners, but there are at least six other professional teams in the Bay Area that deserve attention," said Dwight Walker, vice president of Entercom Communications, owner of KBWF. "They will get it, no question."

Nicknamed "The Game" and located on 95.7-FM, the station is based in San Francisco, and it won't be ignoring the Giants and 49ers. Click here to listen.  The station will also sport new call letters KGMZ.

"We are not going to be the East Bay radio station," said Jason Barrett, the new program director at KBWF. "We're here to talk about all the teams."

KNBR hasn't been challenged much through the years.

There is 1050 AM KTCT the Ticket , another San Francisco all-sports radio outlet, but it is owned by the same company as KNBR, Cumulus Media.

860 AM KTRB recently became ESPN Deportes after a failed try at an English-speaking all-sports format. Its sports-talk programming never gained traction despite carrying the A's for two seasons.

HD Radio's Slow Death Continues

From Richard Wagoner, LA Daily News Radio Columnist:

Radio Shack has every one of its house-brand HD Radio units on clearance, if they are still in stock. This includes iPod Touch/iPhone dongles and the Auvio tuner (which, if you can still find one at the clearance price of $30, is a steal).

This means Radio Shack is essentially out of the HD Radio business. A shame, since the Shack was one of the early supporters.

It doesn't mean that the technology is dead, but it certainly isn't flourishing. You can still buy car stereos with HD Radio at various retail stores and at online stores as www.crutchfield.com. Best Buy still carries a few portable products in its stores and online as well.

What went wrong? Two things: content and marketing.

HD Radio -- a system of sending digital audio via traditional airwaves that promises improved fidelity and more listening choices -- still rarely offers much in the way of content.

Locally, Saul Levine provides music you can't hear elsewhere -- classical and adult standards -- via HD Radio secondary channels tied to Go Country 105. But he is the exception. All too often the secondary channels are essentially the same as the main channel.

And the marketing was even worse than the content. Can you remember even one commercial? They have been running for more than five years.
Read More.

TomZTake: Please note MC headline is mine, not Richard's.

Meet The Radio Governor

For Florida's Rick Scott, radio interviews prove to be safest

From Michael C. Bender, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Gov. Rick Scott is in “Heaven.”

He adjusts the headphones, clears his throat and pulls closer to the microphone in the studios of WHBT-AM, “Heaven 1410.”

In a half-hour at the obscure gospel station, Scott talks about his favorite foods and what it’s like to be rich after growing up poor — all while avoiding questions about his controversial policies that aim to create jobs by increasing corporate profits.

For a governor who is about as popular as the summer humidity, radio appearances like this are as close to paradise as he’ll find outside his faithful inner sanctum.

In the past four months, Scott has been on the radio more than 130 times, including 10 appearances last week.

That’s more than all of his other pre-scheduled media interviews combined.

In politics, TV appearances drive poll numbers up and down. And television coverage is often influenced by print media.

But for Scott, it’s the radio that gets most of his attention.

“These are fun,” Scott told the Herald/Times after the gospel show.

“We’ve done country-western. We did sports. We’ve done a lot of talk radio. I’ve done top 40,” Scott said, staring into the distance trying to remember it all.

Read More.

FCC Nixes Townsquare Media's Radio Deal

The Federal Communications Commission has rejected Townsquare Media's plan to acquire 12 stations in Yakima and the Tri-Cities from rival New Northwest Broadcasters for $6 million.

In a document filed Friday according to a story by Mai Hoang at The Yakima Herald-Republic, the FCC took issue with Townsquare Media's plans to retain half the stations it would own under the deal and put the rest into a trust, which would be run by a third-party trustee and eventually sold to another company.

"We have never allowed a station owner to use a divestiture trust to re-shuffle its radio station portfolio as proposed here," the commission wrote. "This aspect of the proposed transaction presents even greater concerns about the competitive impact of these small radio markets.

Under the proposed deal, Townsquare Media would retain three of its current stations in Yakima -- country station KDBL-FM, news radio station KIT-AM and rock station KATS-FM. It would also retain three Yakima stations currently owned by New Northwest Broadcasters -- country station KXDD-FM, adult hits station KRSE-FM and ESPN affiliate KJOX-AM.

Townsquare Media planned to spin off the rest of its current Yakima stations -- top 40 station KFFM-FM, variety hits station KQMY-FM and country station KUTI-AM -- along with three New Northwest Broadcasters stations -- oldies station KARY-FM, news radio station KBBO-AM and contemporary hit music station KHHK-FM -- into the trust.

Read More.

FCC Frees SiriusXM Of Subscription Caps

When Are Price Increases Coming?

From Demian Russian, satelliteradioplayground.com:
With the Federal Communications Commission Memorandum Opinion and Order filed last week, Sirius XM Radio has now been given the all clear by the FCC to raise its subscription prices and is no longer bound by the three-year pricing condition contained in the Commission’s 2008 decision approving the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. into a single Satellite Radio service provider.

Along with its decision, the FCC noted how the audio entertainment marketplace had changed in the three years following the Sirius and XM merger, noting that “new audio services have emerged as viable consumer alternatives, including smartphone Internet streaming applications that can be used in mobile environments such as automobiles equipped with user-friendly interfaces.”

It noted that Internet radio service provider Pandora Media Inc. has demonstrated “remarkable growth” in the three years following the merger. Rhapsody, Slacker, Last.fm and iHeartradio were also mentioned as audio entertainment alternatives.

In addition, the Commission reported that automakers Ford, Toyota, MINI, GM, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai were in the process of introducing Internet-based streaming services in their vehicles. Furthermore, the Commission also noted that “data suggests HD radio has increased since the merger.”

While Sirius XM is now free from the voluntary commitment it made to implement price caps on certain subscription packages for a period of three years after the consummation of the merger, Sirius XM also made another voluntary commitment on May 12th, 2011 as part of a proposed settlement in the Carl Blessing et al. v. Sirius XM Radio Inc. class action lawsuit to not raise its prices through the end of the year.

As part of the proposed agreement, Sirius XM commited to not raise the price of their basic Satellite Radio service, other programming packages or  internet streaming services. In addition, Sirius XM agreed to not increase the U.S. Music Royalty Fee or decrease their multi-radio discount. Furthermore, Sirius XM said that its existing subscribers will be allowed to renew their current subscription plans at current rates prior to December 31st, 2011.
Read More.

Media Giants Centralize Production

By Robert Channick, Tribune reporter
When the Hartford Courant lands in driveways this fall, it will look much as it has for years. Local news, sports, business and features, interspersed with photos and ads — a familiar daily snapshot of history unfolding.

But the nation's oldest newspaper, a local institution since Connecticut was a colony, will be different. Much of the Tribune Co.-owned Courant will be made in Chicago.

Joining the struggling industry's trend toward centralization, the Hartford paper announced plans this month to outsource all copy editing and design to Tribune Co.'s Chicago Tribune, eliminating 19 newsroom positions — about half related to the outsourcing — according to Rich Graziano, the Courant's CEO and publisher.

"It was a meaningful and significant cost savings," Graziano said.

The move to consolidate editing and design is gaining traction as newspaper groups search for ways to offset plummeting ad revenues.

Gannett, Media General and Tribune Co. are among the larger companies ramping up centralized editing, which is hailed by some as a necessary evolution and decried by others as weakening local journalism.

"Most companies are either doing it or looking at it," said Ken Doctor, a media industry analyst and author of "Newsonomics."

Read More.

Experts: FB, Twitter Users Need Reassurance

A generation of youngsters need constant reassurance about their own image

From James Orr, telegraph.co.uk

Repeated exposure to social networking sites has left users with an “identity crisis”, similar to a toddler saying: "Look at me, Mummy, I’ve done this."

Baroness Greenfield, professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, believes the growth of internet “friendships” - as well as greater use of computer games - could effectively rewire the brain.

The effect could lead to a reduced concentration span, a need for instant gratification and the inability to make eye contact during conversations.

More than 750million people across the world now regularly use Facebook to share photographs and videos of their movements and thoughts.

Millions have also signed up to Twitter, the ‘micro-blogging’ service that lets members circulate short text and picture messages about their lives.

Read More.

Brown’s WSBR Loses LMA, To Broadcast Online Only

Generally, radio stations require radio frequencies.

Krissy Carlson on the 9p-12m shift on WBSR
But on Monday, according to a story by Bryan Rourke at projo.com,  WBSR, a community/student-run station funded by Brown University in Providence, RI, loses its signal, its spot on the FM dial — but not, its staff hopes, its listeners.

“We are still a college radio station,” said Ryan Lester, a senior at Brown and BSR’s general manager.
“That’s whether we have a terrestrial signal or not.”

After 14 years of leasing broadcast time from WELH (88.1), BSR becomes a terrestrial-signal have-not.

Two weeks ago, BSR learned its broadcasting lease, which ends July 31, won’t be renewed.

Last year, Wheeler School, owners of WELH, increased the station’s wattage to 4,000 from 150 allowing statewide broadcasting, according to Laurie Flynn, the school’s communications director, and changed the station’s plans. Flynn said Wheeler will make “big” changes at its station, although won’t disclose them for at least a week.

“It will be great for Rhode Island,” Flynn said. “We are very excited about what we are about to announce.”

The people at BSR — 65 students and 35 non-students — aren’t as excited about the news.
BSR has been online ( www.bsrlive.com/) for several years. Now, it will be entirely online as it loses its 9 p.m.-to-3 a.m. broadcast slot on WELH.

Read More.

TV Reporter Shot With BB During Live Report

ABC7 Eyewitness News reporter Leanne Suter was injured by a pellet fired from a BB gun while covering a story in Fontana on Saturday.

Suter was struck in the hand. She was taken to a hospital for treatment and will be OK.

Suter and a photographer were doing a live report when shots were fired.

Death By XBOX

Game addict, 20, killed by deep vein thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis (also known as deep venous thrombosis and usually abbreviated as DVT) is the formation of a blood clot (“thrombus”) in a deep vein. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_vein_thrombosis

A LAD of 20 has been killed by a blood clot caused by playing his Xbox for up to 12 hours at a time.

A post mortem revealed that Chris Staniforth – addicted to games such as Halo – had suffered a deep vein thrombosis. It can be triggered by sitting in one position for long spells.Stunned dad David, of Sheffield, said: “He lived for his Xbox. I never dreamed he was in any danger.”As a parent you think playing computer games can’t do them any harm because you know what they are doing.”Kids all over the country are playing these games for long periods – they don’t realise it could kill them.”

Chris collapsed seconds after telling a friend how he had been experiencing a strange sensation in his chest.

The pair were chatting outside a JobCentre where Chris had an interview.

David said: “He told his friend how he was woken in the night by a strange feeling in his chest.

“He said his heart rate had been incredibly low but it went back to normal and he fell asleep again.

Read more: http://www.shtfnews.com/death-xbox-no-bs/#ixzz1TiCPmgZj

RIP: Rick Buckley, President of Buckley Broadcasting

Jerry Crowley, WOR’s Vice President and General Manager has announced the sudden passing of Rick Buckley, the legendary Chairman of Buckley Broadcasting the parent company of WOR Radio.
Buckley complained of not feeling well Saturday evening and was taken to a hospital. His early morning death today was due to an apparent brain aneurysm. He was 74.

Crowley said that Rick Buckley was known in the industry as the greatest advocate for local radio and its place in the communities his stations served. He always maintained that  ‘the listeners must come first” and that was the mantra by which his stations operated.

It was just a month ago that Rick Buckley was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame an honor that truly recognized his amazing contributions to broadcasting.

While he can never be replaced, Crowley said, his legacy will live on through the power and commitment of his radio stations.Buckley has been the President of Buckley Broadcasting since 1972. Succeeding his father as operating head, Buckley has guided the company for the last thirty years.

Prior to his becoming the President of Buckley Broadcasting, he served as President of the California group of stations that constituted Buckley Broadcasting of California for six years. Past experiences include sales capacities at WHIM, Providence, RI, music director at WNEW in New York and various general manager roles at a number of the groups properties.

Rick is a past Chairman of the Board of the Radio Advertising Bureau, a past Chair of the Southern California Broadcaster’s Association, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Broadcasters’ Foundation.

A member of the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, The University of Miami, Buckley was instrumental in establishing the Richard D. Buckley Audio Lab at the University Of Miami School Of Communication.

Rick lived in Greenwich, CT. with his wife, Connie.  Their daughter Jennifer is currently the Director of Sales at WOR Radio in New York City.

The Sunday Funny

Buying a Confirmation gift

Cash may be a versatile gift but sometimes, you want to give something that has a lasting power or a gift that will be treasured long before the cash is gone.

If you are looking for a Confirmation gift, Personalized Creations is the gift-shop to check out. They have a wide selection of Confirmation gifts from keepsake trinket boxes to cherry wood and glass photo frames to sterling silver charm bracelets, silver rings to birthstone pendants and many more. Choosing an item you know it will be treasured allows you to send a confirmation gift with a personal touch no matter where in the world the recipient is.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Happy Birthday Milton Friedman

Tomorrow, July 31, would have been Milton Friedman's 96th birthday. Milton Friedman was one of the greatest economists who ever lived. He passed away in November of 2006.

He was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than thirty years, where he was head of the Chicago School of Economics. He was a proponent of a free market economic system with minimal intervention by the government.
"He was the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century ..., possibly of all of it," according to The Economist.

Which Industry Will Produce the Next Bill Gates?

Do you know what the next big industry will be -- at least according to Bill Gates?

Coffee at Six Month Low: Coffee Stocks Profit Margins Up?


According to a recent article at TheStreet.com, the price of coffee has tanked to a six month low, primarily due to a glut from good weather conditions in Brazil, exports from Latin America increasing, and greater production in India and Japan. Since it is unlikely that baristas will start passing on cost savings to their customers, profit margins for coffee vendors should increase.

There are more than ten publicly traded companies in the coffee business, based on the list of coffee stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Half a dozen pay dividends with yields in excess of 1.2%.

Starbucks (SBUX) is the largest coffeehouse retailer in the world, with outlets in 50 countries and over 17,000 shops worldwide. The stock trades at 22.3 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 1.3%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 20.4% on an 9.9% increase in revenues.

Another example is Coffee Holding Co. (JVA), a roaster of wholesale coffee which markets wholesale green coffee, private label coffee, and branded coffee in the United States and Canada. The stock trades at 23.5 times forward earnings and has a small dividend yield of 0.6%. Earnings for the latest reported quarter were up 48% on an 87% increase in revenues.

The J. M. Smucker Co. (SJM) sells the Folgers brand of coffee and has a forward price to earnings ratio of 14 and a generous yield of 2.4%.

For a list of all of the coffee stocks, including more than half a dozen that pay dividends, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.


By Stockerblog.com

Moonshine Now Legal in South Carolina

Because of the new micro-distillery laws in South Carolina, a company called The Dark Corner Distillery will legally start making 100 proof moonshine from a copper still

Friday, July 29, 2011

CNOOC Upgraded, Buys Opti Canada: Good News for High Yield China Stocks?

The largest offshore oil producer in China, CNOOC Ltd. (CEO), just paid $2.1 billion for the Canadian oil company Opti Canada last week. This in spite of the fact that Opti had been suffering from severe financial problems. In addition, CNOOC was just upgraded by from Neutral to Buy by UBS. The stock trades at eight times forward earnings and yields 2.6%. Latest quarterly earnings as of December 31 were up 81.4% on a 63.6% increase in revenues.

There are plenty of other Chinese stocks with decent yields according to the just updated list of high yield China stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Yields range from 0.5% to 5.5% with dividends paid either anually or semi-annually.

Another example is China Mobile Limited (CHL), trading at 10.9 times forward earnings and sporting a yield of 3.7% paid semi-annually. The company is the world's largest mobile phone operator and has the largest mobile telecommunications network in the world. The stock, which is listed on both the NYSE and the Hong Kong stock exchange, has over 600 million subscribers. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 10.9. Latest quarterly earnings were up 3.6% on a 6.8% dividend rise. The stock carries a yield of 3.7%.

As for other Chinese industries, Guangshen Railway (GSH) yields 3.1% and Yazhou Coal Mining (YZC) pays 2.1%. A free list of a dozen dividend paying Chinese stocks can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

The Saturday Aircheck

1190 AM WOWO, Ft. Wayne, In. and Ron Gregory


Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, WOWO is currently transmitting on 1190 kHz at 50,000 watts during the daylight hours and 9,800 watts during the nighttime hours. An application is on file with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to add a fourth tower to the three tower directional antenna array and increase nighttime power to 15,000 watts.

From 1941 to 1995 WOWO was well-known, in both Indiana and areas to the east, as one of the clear-channel AM stations. This was due to the station broadcasting continuously at 50,000 watts of power both during daylight and nighttime hours. From sunset to sunrise, WOWO's directional antennas were configured to broadcast to the eastern United States. These directional nighttime broadcasts were branded as WOWO's Nighttime Skywave Service, the "voice of a thousand Main Streets". During the 1970s, the station's hourly ID (required by the FCC) stated: "50,000 watts on 1190, WOWO, Fort Wayne, Group W, Westinghouse Broadcasting."

Because WOWO's Nighttime Skywave Service caused WLIB, also 1190 kHz, in New York City to cease broadcasting at sunset each day and resume broadcasting at sunrise, Inner City Broadcasting bought WOWO in 1994 so that they could transfer WOWO's FCC clear-channel license to WLIB, owned by Inner City Broadcasting. This reduced WOWO's potential audience—referred to as WOWOland—from much of the eastern United States to a much smaller local region in northern Indiana, northwestern Ohio, and south-central Michigan. Before the power reduction, when WLIB signed off at night, WOWO's air signal came booming through the speakers into the WLIB air studio.

From 1973 into the '80s, Ron Gregory was the evening talent on the then 50kw WOWO. This aircheck is from February 1982 and is compliments of historyofwowo.com website.


FM News 101.1 Chicago Launches All News Format

Merlin Media's WWWN-FM launched a highly anticipated All-News fromat late Friday afternoon. The station is now known at FM News 101.1

The move today beats CBS Radio's 780 AM WBBM scheduled simulcast on 105.9 FM.  The simulcast was announced several weeks ago with a Monday, August 1st start date.

The Chicago Radio and Media website reports technical glitches with anchors sturggling to get comfortable with the new processes, initial reviews have been mixed at best. Station management decided to go with a "soft launch" and get the new format on the air, even though all of the operational pieces of the puzzle were not quite in place yet.

The station's website FMNewsChicago.com is under construction and not active.

However, Merlin did launch a brand new Facebook page Friday afternoon, click here. Also, there's a  new Twitter account (this is a link to 1011FMNew) and a YouTube page coming soon.

Friday - Another Day Of Chicago Radio Farewells


Two weeks ago, the entire on-air staff at 101.1 WKQX-FM said their farewells in advance of their station flipping formats.  Friday the 29th was another day of radio farewells, although not quite the sad & joyful ending that the Q101 DJs went through, according to a posting by Larz at chicagoradioandmedia.com.

Friday was the final day on the air for the on-air personalities of WCFS-FM, known for now as Fresh 105.9.

As announced on July 14th, the same day as the Q101 DJs said goodbye, Fresh 105.9 goes away this weekend and gets replaced by the simulcast of WBBM-AM/Newsradio 780 on Monday.  Friday's shows for Scotty Smith, Rebecca Ortiz, Brooke Hunter and Eric "Shark" Austin were their last.

Friday was a formality. The DJs will do their shifts, collect their "paltry" severance checks and begin looking for work elsewhere. CBS insiders are claiming that the WCFS severance checks being handed out to their faithful employees are a "laughable" two weeks' pay, less taxes.

Read More.

Harrisburg's 92.7 FM Stunting, Goodbye Smooth Jazz

Hall Communications’ 92.7 FM WSJW, Starview, PA (Harrisburg market) began stunting Friday airing covers of "Staiway To Heaven" and cartoon clips.  The station has dropped its Smooth Jazz format, which had been airing since 2004.

The following farewell message is posted on the station website:
If you are visiting Smooth Jazz 92.7 website, you are probably looking for information about what happened to the Smoth Jazz Music normally heard on 92.7.

Smooth Jazz has concluded it's run in the area and a decision to air a new music format has been made. You will be hearing it on this station very soon. To say that this was not an easy decision for management to make would be an understatement. We know that Smooth Jazz 92.7 had many listeners who tuned in frequently to enjoy the music and we appreciate all of them.

There were many factors that contributed to this decision to change format, not the least of which is that listenership for Smooth Jazz in the area never reached predicted levels.

Efforts were made through the years to support and make this format viable but in the end a format change was necessary. On  behalf of Hall Communications and all the Smooth Jazz personalities, we thank you for your support of Smooth Jazz 92.7.
TomZTake: This Class C station is nestled between three metros (Harrisburg, York and Lancaster) and doesn't really penetrate any very well.

Iowa Talker Steve Deace Returning To On-Air

Steve Deace, the Iowa conservative who helped shape the 2008 caucus campaign from his former perch at 1040 AM WHO radio, will announce Friday that he’s returning to the airwaves as a nationally syndicated talk radio host, accortding to a story by Alexander Burns at politico.com.

Deace, who left the Des Moines-based station WHO in February, will be syndicated by the Truth Radio Network and will broadcast over its Ames-area affiliate KTIA. His first show will be on Aug. 12, on the eve of the Ames presidential straw poll.

According to an announcement shared with POLITICO, his show, “Steve Deace,” has been picked up by stations in Richmond, Salt Lake City and Charlotte. In a statement, Deace said he expected his reach to grow further.

“Hopefully this is just the beginning,” Deace said. “We are looking forward to working with stations in Iowa to develop statewide coverage as well. Soon, we’ll be making life harder for political pretenders and Republicrats nationwide!”

Read More.

Detroit's Jevon Hollywood Injured In Car Accident

UPDATE:

Please see updated posting concerning Hollywood's passing.

A 106.7 FM WDTW Detroit radio talent was injured in a car crash Thursday morning in Northville, outside of Detroit.

According to a posting at clickon.detroit.com, police said Jevon Hollywood, overnight jock on The Beat 106.7, was involved in a car crash. Hollywood was hit when he entered the westbound lanes in the path of a vehicle, police said. The driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries.

Hollywood was recovering from serious injuries Thursday night.

The Beat's station website is urging listeners to send good wishes, click here.

Al Sharpton’s Radio Power Play

Al Sharpton wasn’t just pleasing prospective employer MSNBC when he became the first major black leader to endorse the controversial Comcast/NBC merger. It turns out he was also enriching his current employer, Radio One, the largest black-owned radio company in the country, which has paid him more money than he’s made anywhere else in his life, accorsding to a story by Wayne Barratt at The Daily Beast.

The Daily Beast has already reported that just months after Sharpton played a pivotal role in pushing the merger, he became a regular substitute host and appears now to be in line for a fulltime anchor post on Comcast’s MSNBC. As awkward as that coincidence is, how about a conflict of interest he did not disclose in his letters to the Federal Communications Commission—or his other pro-merger activities?

He was trumpeting a merger that’s already paid dividends to Radio One and its affiliate TV One, which reportedly pay him $700,000-a-year for his six-year-old radio show, commentary, and other appearances on TV One, and occasional blogging on their joint website, NewsOne.

While Radio One is the largest single shareholder in TV One, Comcast has been its partner since TV One’s inception in 2004 and, until recently, held almost as much stock in the television network, 34 percent, as Radio One, 36.8 percent. In fact, Comcast’s role in the launch of this network, which targets a national black audience, was cited repeatedly by the company when questions were raised about its diversity track record during the yearlong debate about this merger.

Alfred Liggins, the chairman of TV One and the CEO and president of Radio One, testified on behalf of the merger at a June 2010 congressional hearing dominated by black opponents of it, led by Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman John Conyers. He said then that Radio One’s holdings in TV One would grow to 66 percent “over the next 12 to 18 months,” but what he didn’t say was that Comcast would help to make that happen.

Within a few weeks of the Comcast/NBC approval in late January, Radio One’s ownership of TV One soared to 50.8 percent. Comcast acknowledged in an email to The Daily Beast that it facilitated this stock acquisition, though it said the terms of the deal were “confidential.”

Read More.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

SIP Trunking and Internet On a T1

Lots of smaller companies have T1 lines for dedicated Internet access. They installed these lines after frustration with consumer-grade broadband options didn’t perform well enough or were unavailable due to location. T1 gives them highly reliable, rock solid bandwidth at prices that have declined steadily over the years. They love their T1 lines. What they may be unaware of, however, is that they could be getting both broadband and telephone service over that same T1 line.

Internet and Phone on a single T1 line...Traditional T1 line service comes in a number of flavors. The original implementation for the telephone industry consists of 24 channels of digitized telephone service on two pair of twisted copper phone wires. A device called a channel bank converts the multiplexed digital signal to and from 24 individual analog business phone lines.

A more popular version of the T1 telephone line is called ISDN PRI. It’s very popular with companies that have their own in-house PBX telephone system. With ISDN PRI, you get 23 outside lines plus a switching and data channel that speeds up connections and provides Caller ID for the phones.

Yet another implementation of T1 is the T1 data line. This version supplies point to point data connections between business locations or dedicated Internet access. The bandwidth is 1.5 Mbps for a single T1 line, but multiple lines can be bonded together to increase bandwidth to as high as 10 or 12 Mbps.

Most companies have a T1 line for data or Internet access plus separate telephone service, or one T1 for broadband Internet and a separate ISDN PRI to run the phone system. Smaller companies don’t get involved with multiple T1 lines because they only have a few office phones and don’t need 23 outside lines. They simply pay one phone bill for the number of business lines they have and a separate bill for their T1 service.

An option that may work just as well and save small businesses money is to have both the telephone service and Internet broadband on the very same T1 line. A conventional T1 line isn't intended to do this. It is set up to work as a telephone trunk line or a high speed data line. The configurations aren’t interchangeable. However, there is another flavor of T1 service that does provide the dual function of voice with data.

The traditional name for this service is Integrated T1. The latest offerings are called SIP trunking or SIP trunking with Internet.

What’s the difference? Actually, they are more alike than different. The way it works is that the service provider installs a device called an IAD or Integrated Access Device at each end of the T1 line. This device combines voice and data by converting them to a common protocol, which happens to be IP packets. Once in packet format, the IAD can manage line bandwidth to ensure that voice packets have priority over data packets so that telephone call quality is maintained no matter what sort of Internet activity is taking place.

Line bandwidth is shared. If there are no calls in progress, all 1.5 Mbps is used for broadband Internet. When a phone is picked up, bandwidth for that call, typically 90 Kbps or less, is reserved for that call. The rest is still used for the Internet. Note that the phone calls don’t actually go over the Internet. They simply share the T1 line connection to the service provider. The more calls that are simultaneous in progress, the more bandwidth is reserved for voice packets and the bandwidth for Internet access is proportionally reduced.

This process is sometimes called dynamic T1 or dynamic line service to reflect that the proportioning between voice and data is handled automatically. So, where does SIP trunking come in?

SIP is the switching protocol for VoIP phones. SIP trunking is a process of providing public phone system lines to a VoIP telephone system using the native Session Initiation Protocol. A SIP trunk will connect directly to your IP PBX for IP phones. It can also be configured to offer an analog handoff so you can use the analog business phones you have now.

What’s exciting about SIP Trunking and Internet on a T1 line is that it can often be less expensive than buying a T1 line and phone service separately. One company that specializes in this product is Vocal IP Networx. They can save you money by providing a single telecom bill each month at a cost that may well be less than what you pay now for the same quality of service.

Do you suspect that you might save money by consolidating your telephone and Internet service with one provider? If so, get competitive pricing for SIP Trunking and Internet on a T1 line and similar services and see if this option makes sense for you.

Click to check pricing and features or get support from a Telarus product specialist.




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Caylee Anthony Tribute Song Sparks Tampa Radio War

Wild 94.1's Orlando and The Bone's Bubba the Love Sponge fight on air

When it comes to clashes between big radio personalities it's tough sometimes to tell the difference between staged confrontations for ratings and genuine fights over real arguments.

But, according to a story by Eric Deggans at tampabay.com,  an emotional battle between two of the Tampa's biggest radio personalities -- 94.1 WLLD-FM's Orlando Davis (right) and 102.5 WHPT-FM's Bubba the Love Sponge Clem -- sure sounded like a genuine, put-up-your-dukes fight.

The argument started as a conflict over an attention-getting song created by another personality who works for Davis' employer, CBS Radio.

Cledus T. Judd (left), the co-host of the morning show at 99.5 WQYK-FM, penned a tune called She's Going Places (Caylee's Song) with Gary Levox of the hit country band Rascal Flatts, trying to draw attention to the deceased, 2-year-old daughter of acquitted murder suspect Casey Anthony.

The song has drawn lots of attention already, with more than 520,000 views on YouTube; versions of the song on iTunes and Amazon.com are now sold with proceeds going to Protect.org, a children's safety charity supported by HLN anchor (and outspoken Casey Anthony critic) Nancy Grace.

Clem has criticized Judd's song as  transparent attempt to earn ratings and attention from the highly publicized Anthony trial; Davis wrote an email to a co-host on Clem's show to complain. This morning, both hosts clashed in segments aired on both morning shows over who was in the right.

"You do everything for attention ... you're a hack," said Davis to Clem on air, unleashing a string of insults in which he accused the rival host of struggling to rescue a fading broadcast career by unfairly criticizing Judd. "You have ratings, but you're at the end of your run. You're a broke down Howard Stern."

Clem countered by alleging that Protect.org was a questionable charity, saying the organization's tax returns show a large percentage of donations it collects fund staff salaries. "First of all, you're a liar," Clem said, challenging Orlando's statements about dominating ratings in young listeners. "Play the song on your air and let your listeners decide how...cheesy it is."

Read More.

Arbitron To Acquire Finnish Research Company

Arbitron Inc. announced Thursday that it has acquired Zokem Oy, a Finland-based mobile audience measurement and analytics firm for a payment of approximately $11.7 million in cash at closing with possible additional incremental cash payments through 2014 of up to $12 million based on future financial performance.
Zokem provides custom and syndicated mobile research panels, plug-and-play mobile media measurement tools and software building blocks for mobile device tracking to the leading companies in the marketing research, wireless, Internet, media and marketing industries.

Through its proprietary and passive mobile application, Zokem customers can track and interpret consumer use of mobile devices and media. The technology also provides information on network performance and effectiveness of mobile ad campaigns. Zokem currently operates panels in 14 global markets and has relationships with a number of the largest mobile industry participants around the world.

Zokem will operate as Arbitron Mobile, which will be led by Dr. Hannu Verkasalo, Zokem founder and CEO, and will report to Sean Creamer, executive vice president, U.S. Media Services for Arbitron.

Also Thursday, Arbitron has decided to let the Spring 2011 Birmingham survey stand as is. 

Cox Media's GM David Dubose contended that African-American listeners did not fill out diaries because their homes were destroyed in the spring storms and they had other priorities.

Here is the Arbitron decision:

Dear Birmingham Client:

Before publishing the Birmingham, Alabama Spring 2011 market report, Arbitron conducted a thorough review of sample sizes, sample representation, diary consent rates, return rates, response rates and other sample metrics. Based on that review, Arbitron believes that the Spring 2011 Birmingham radio listening estimates are reliable and that it was appropriate to publish the Spring 2011 Quarterly Report for the full 12-week period.

In weather-related crisis situations like the Birmingham tornado of April 27, Arbitron follows its standard operating procedures for assessing survey viability during a weather-related crisis in a market. The tornado of April 27 did cause Arbitron to suspend survey operations on April 28; Arbitron was able to resume complete survey operations in the market by April 30, with stepped-up monitoring and special interviewer training.

Throughout the remainder of the Spring survey period, Arbitron closely monitored the facility and technical status of Birmingham stations as well as the sample performance metrics in the market. Arbitron continually reviewed usability rates for household phone lines, consent and placement rates, the percent of diaries reaching their destination, and return rates.

Based on the results of all its reviews that were conducted both during and after the Spring 2011 survey period in Birmingham, the company continues to support its decision to publish the Birmingham, Alabama Spring 2011 market report.

Sincerely,

Gregg Lindner
Executive Vice President
Service Innovation and
Chief Research Officer

Michigan Working On New Radio Deal

From Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press
Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon is looking into a new radio deal since the current contract -- signed in 2006 -- expired after last season.

The previous deal was signed with CBS Radio, the Chum Radio Group of Canada and Radio One. U-M football was broadcast on WOMC-FM (104.3) in Detroit and CKLW-AM (800) in Canada, with basketball on WWJ-AM (950) and WCHB-AM (1200). Broadcasts of both sports were simulcast on WTKA-AM (1050). WTKA also carried non-revenue sports, including hockey and women's basketball.

Brandon said Thursday during Big Ten football media days that the deal is being negotiated by IMG but that Michigan is its partner.

It's a bit more challenging than the days when U-M only had to renew with WJR-AM (760), which covered half the country, or WWJ, with a vast local reach. U-M's deal with WJR ended after the 2005 season when the station signed with Michigan State.

CBS Radio might be a likely option because of the Detroit market's sports track record with play by play -- all four Detroit pro teams are on 97.1 FM WXYT -- and the extended reach of a 50,000-watt FM station and WWJ's strength during daylight hours.
Read More.