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June 21, 2000: Some mixed predictions for the US Radio business in Duncan's American Radio where analyst James H Duncan is predicting a rise in revenues of nearly 10% this year and by around 30% over the next five years.
Last year average revenues grew by nearly 13%. The figures are better in larger markets where average growth over the past five years was 50% with top-ranked Charlotte, North Carolina, showing a revenue rise of more than 120% over the past five years.
If the predictions are fulfilled, Los Angeles will become the first billion dollar a year radio market in 2004; it's revenues last year were USD 790 million.
Duncan's has also produced a revenue listings guide for major groups.
It's topped by Clear Channel with just over USD 3 billion a year revenue, followed by CBS/Infinity with just over USD 1.75 billion and ABC Radio with USD 340 million. The others in the top ten (descending revenue order) are Entercom, Cox Radio, Cumulus, Citadel, Emmis, Hispanic, and Susquehanna.
However the analysis isn't all upbeat. A 23-year chart of mean APR (average percentage of over-twelves listening to radio in any quarter hour from 6 AM to midnight) shows a steep decline throughout the 1990s from a peak of 17.5% to a current figure of 15.4%.

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June 21, 2000: Top management moves in US radio.
ABC Radio's new President following the departure of Lyn Andrews (RNW June 3) is former Executive Vice-President Sales and Marketing, Traug Keller.
Darryl Brown, former Executive Vice-President in charge of affiliate marketing, urban programming and formats, moves up to Keller's former post.
And Clear Channel Executive Vice-president Bobby Lawrence is to leave the company at the end of the month.
At the Ackerley Group, Kevin Hylton, formerly a department store director of finance, has been appointed Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer.
The CFO slot was opened up when Denis Curley was promoted to become Chief Operating Officer in February.
Previous Clear Channel
Previous Lyn Andrews;

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June 20, 2000: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has announced that Sue Howard, currently the head of ABC's regional stations, has been appointed Director of Radio under a number of senior staff appointments in the organisational restructuring under new Managing Director Jonathan Shier.
Howard will be responsible for all ABC radio including the existing national networks and local and regional services.
Her broadcasting career began at Radio 5UV in Adelaide and she went on to become the corporation's first female breakfast presenter in Melbourne.
She moved into her first managerial role as manager of Victoria's radio stations in 1994.
Lissa McMillan, for the past three years Network Editor of the ABC's NewsRadio network has been appointed Deputy Director.
She was a newspaper reporter and with the Macquarie Radio Network before joining the ABC in Canberra in 1988, moving to Melbourne in 1992 and amongst other roles becoming the Victorian radio news editor .
The new position of Director of New Media has gone to Lynley Marshall formerly General Manager of The Radio Bureau subsidiary of The Radio Network in New Zealand and Director of its Independent Business Units, providing services in new media and encommerce.
Howard and Marshall will be based in Melbourne.
Previous Howard ;
Previous Shier;
ABC News release

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June 20, 2000: US radio host Don Imus is likely to be off the airwaves for some time following an accident in which he was thrown of a horse whilst riding at his New Mexico ranch.
Imus is reported to have received multiple injuries including a number of broken ribs, a collapsed lung and shoulder injury.
Imus, who is 59, is now said to be alert and resting comfortably in hospital.
There's no word when he'll be due back but he was already scheduled to go on two weeks vacation.
Previous Imus

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June 20, 2000: Following UK GWR Group's takeover of DMG radio (RNW June 15 ), Paul Chantler has left DMG ,where he was Essex Radio Group Programme Director, to join the Wireless Group.
There he will be Group Programme Director responsible for the output of Wireless Group flagship TalkSport as well as the group's local stations.
And in another UK radio-related flotation, Storm Radio, the UK's first 24-hour Internet broadcaster is expecting to be valued at around £30 million.
This would value disc jockey Bruno Brookes' shares at around £10 million since he's said to own around a third of the company.
Storm revenue comes from advertisements on its site.
Previous GWR/DMG;
Storm site;

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June 19, 2000: Our look at the radio columns this weekend leads off with a humorous item by UK Independent columnist Miles Kington whose regular column frequently raises some serious points in a less than serious way.
In this case his choice is the BBC Radio 4 programme Feedback which allows listeners 15 minutes every week to voice praise, criticism or grievance with BBC programmes, more often the last two.
Kington comments ," The most enjoyable thing about Feedback, I suppose, is the contrast between the effortless indignation and carping of the listeners, always up in arms about something or other, and the infuriating silkiness of the defenders of the BBC, who very, very rarely apologise or admit wrongdoing.
There's something very restful and reassuring about the way in which the frothing surf of the listeners' wrath breaks harmlessly on the rocky shore of BBC solidarity, like one of those New Age recordings of the sea."
Kington does , having a sense of humour himself, however express sympathy with the BBC over the abuse it gets when it pokes fun or attempts satire and the listener's just don't get it, as with a mock report to satirise celebrations of the Queen Mother's 100th anniversary or the National Theatre of Brent re-enacting Prince William's proposal to Sophie Rhys-Jones.
The latest example he cites is a programme on Radio 4 called Fellah's Hour with the Cheese Shop, purporting to be for men only.
What it actually is, says Kington, "is a prolonged piss-take of men's traditional moth-eaten attitudes."
He continues, " So I should have predicted that Feedback listeners, failing to get the joke, would deluge the programme with injured naivety and puritanical protest. And so they did. It was lovely to hear."
An article worth the full read (see link below). Feedback is also dealt with by Peter Barnard in his regular UK Times column but in slightly more serious vein.
In his case Fellah's House receives a less favourable response relating to two themes in the programme which reflect his letter bag, the absence of children's programming and "smutty" humour in the 6.30 pm Radio 4 comedy slot.
Barnard's view is that Fellah's Hour was only commissioned because of the Cheeseshop's previous success and he regards it as ," a dismal follow-up, laden with lavatorial humour."
He also sees it satire as differently directed as he continues, " Woman's Hour is a brilliant programme and to parody it you have to be a lot more clever than this."
This leads him on to the question of such programming early in the evening , a result he says of the adults who switched off for good during the children's programmes.
However he considers that children in their millions do want radio but it's music radio they want and this reality has to be faced.
His conclusion is that the listeners would be best served by accepting that Radio 4 is for adults and demanding proper service for them including " adult comedy" and an end to what he terms schoolboy humour.
Which in a sense leads naturally to a Chicago Times column about the language in pop singles and whether they should be played by a radio station if they contain bad language?
The response it seems, apart from "the seven banned words" which record companies usually screen out, depends from region to region in the USA with some singles being produced by record labels in several different versions.
An example cited is of Interscope issuing different versions of Eminem's singles.
The article quotes one station director as saying that if rape or extreme violence is referred to the station may choose not to play the song.
Reason maybe to quote lyrics from Eminem in a UK Observer article not exactly expressing support of the performer. "'My little sister's birthday, she'll remember me,For a gift I had 10 of my boys take her virginity." And finally via comment on pop music and the BBC Radio 1 channel to UK Sunday Times columnist Paul Donovan on the implications of Radio 1 changes such as axing Andy Kershaw and using presenters who promote products in clear breach of BBC guidelines.
Donovan accepts that Radio 1 is not targeted at him so much as youngsters a third his age but sees the BBC's policy as breaching a trust which justified it keeping such channels rather than them being sold off.
His view is that the 1986 Peacock Committee proposal in 1986 to just that was reasonably opposed on the argument that to do so would breaks "the universality of BBC radio."
The BBC itself, he says, did that -- by dropping children's radio in 1998.
He cites Radio 1 broadcasts of gangsta rap which is associated with weapons by Eminem and others as one of its darkest aspects.
And on balance he concludes that there just isn't justification in keeping Radio 1 funded by a licence fee.
Previous Columnists report
Previous Barnard;
Previous Donovan;
Chicago Tribune Column;
UK Independent Kington Column;
UK Observer on Eminem

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June 19, 2000: The Los Angeles Times reports on changes expected at KKBT-FM under its new owners, Maryland-based Radio One Inc. which is buying the station format and frequency 100.3 which it if swapping with Latino-targeted KCMG-FM as part of the divestiture deals needed to allow the Clear Channel takeover of AMFM.
Radio One Inc's president and Chief Executive Alfred C Liggins, sees the Beat as having lost a significant part of its African-American audience and , says the paper is likely to move away from a head-on competition with hip-hop KPWR in favour of pulling back its core audience and attracting more women listeners.
That, the paper concludes, is likely to mean a switch in emphasis to more smooth rhythm and lues with less hip-hop.
Previous Clear Channel
Previous Liggins;
Previous Radio One Inc.
Los Angeles Times report

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June 19, 2000: The UK Sunday Times reports that BBC Radio Scotland is to be overhauled with around 15 job losses saving the corporation some £500,000 a year.
The paper says the new station is to be modelled on BBC Radio Five live and a whole series of arts programmes are to be axed in favour of chat shows and phone-ins.
Among the shows which are said to be under a death sentence are the channel's long running Storyline, a Wednesday show of readings of short stories and novels, Lawful Business, the weekly legal affairs programme presented by lawyer Austin Lafferty and Blues and Soul, presented by Deacon Blue drummer Dougie Vipond.
The paper also carries a profile of Helen Shaw, director of radio since 1997 for Irish Broadcaster RTÉ , who is said to have gone on a charm offensive in a distinct change to her "hard" reputation.
The paper says the change has divided the station's insiders with some saying it is a genuine loosening up and others that she is simply preparing for back-stabbings to come.
It says her style was combative from the moment, indeed before, she took up her post with a clash soon coming with popular host Gay Byrne followed by clashes with others including journalist Vincent Browne whose ambitions to transfer from Tonight with Vincent Browne to flagship TV current affairs programme Prime Time were thwarted by her.
The paper says she has gloried in her reputation and has been known to beam at mention of the nickname "the midget from hell" she brought with her from the BBC.
This this tendency it concludes may prove to be one of her greatest failings since it has reduced morale to rock-bottom partly because of cutbacks but also because of "management style" which led to 50 staff writing a letter of complaint about managers' attitude and behaviour.
One of her former friends Emer Woodfull, best known as the presenter of Soundbyte, Radio 1's media programme, complained she had been bullied by the director of radio. Although the allegation was dismissed by an internal tribunal, Woodfull says she plans to appeal, and is campaigning to have the case heard by a board headed by an independent chairperson.
The paper says that she does have some supporters for her no-nonsense approach but ultimately the most damning criticism is that the upheavals of the past three years have achieved nothing in terms of changing the tone of RTÉ radio. And it surmises that the growth in her support may be due to the departure of opponents, that, as it puts it, " We can presumably take it from the spring in her step that Shaw believes her species is beginning to take over the jungle."
Previous Helen Shaw

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June 18, 2000: In India, the outlook continues to be healthy for FM radio.
Following the auction of 99FM stations in 40 cities, All India Radio (AIR) has gained a revenue of some 4.2 billion rupees ( USD 100million) and is starting a major expansion of its network according to the Times of India.
Of this sum around USD 21 million will come from New Media Broadcasting, a Zee-TV associate which successfully bid for 28 stations and around USD 10 million from Bennet, Coleman and Company, the oldest private broadcaster in India, which successfully bid for 12 licences.
Licences are being issued for 10 years and each applicant can only have one licence in any area.
All applicants have to have 100 per cent Indian equity and The new stations will not, as we have reported before (RNW April 24) be allowed to broadcast news and current affairs.
In addition to its income from the licences, the paper says AIR is to auction slots on its FM channel this month with the bidding open to private broadcasters who have their own licences allocated, thus enabling them to develop programming whilst their own transmission networks are built.
The new stations will more than double India's existing FM network which covers only around a fifth of the country's population and a little less of its area.
With the expansion in sight, a three-day conference on FM radio has just been held in Delhi and it has been estimated that around 8500 new jobs and double that in indirect ones will be created by the new broadcasters.
As well as FM radio, the conference also covered digital audio broadcasts and entertainment software.
Previous Indian Radio.

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June 18, 2000: Licence news this week. And significant expansion of various radio services seems to be on the way from new commercial and community stations in Australia, and Canada.
In Australia the Australian Broadcasting Authority has released draft licence area plans which offer a major increase in radio services, notably for Brisbane.
For Brisbane itself , it is proposing to introduce two new commercial licences, two new community licences one AM and one FM , and an AM open-narrowcasting service.
In addition it proposes increasing the power of Brisbane's two existing commercial channels 4BC, 4BH and 4KQ combined with a licence area extension to cover the shire of Beaudesert for 4TAB, and power increases for wide-coverage FM community radio services 4MBS and 4ZZZ.
It also proposes a larger licence area and conversion from AM to FM for Brisbane community radio service 4EB.
The first new commercial licence would be available soon after the finalisation of the Brisbane area plan which is expected later this year and the second one some two years later.
Also included in the Brisbane area plan are proposals for a new community radio service in Beaudesert and increases in power of local coverage community radio services 4OUR, 4BAY and 4RED in Caboolture, Logan and Redcliffe.
The other areas for which draft plans were released are Ipswich, Gold Coast, Murwillumbah, Lismore, Nambour and Gympie. In Ipswich, the ABA proposes that FM commercial service 4QFM moves its transmitter site to Mt Nebo and increases its power and on the Gold Coast it proposes one additional commercial FM service, three community FM services and one high power open narrowcasting service.
At Murwillumbah, the ABA is proposing a new FM community service and a new AM open narrowcasting service as well as making an FM channel available for rebroadcast of the existing AM commercial service, 2MW, to overcome existing reception problems.
Lismore would get one new FM open narrowcasting service and four new FM community radio services in each of Coraki, Casino, Nimbin and Byron Bay.
Nambour would get a new commercial FM service, two new community FM services and a new AM open narrowcasting service.
And in Gynmpie there would be two new community services in Gympie and Noosa and one new open narrowcasting service.
In addition to these new plans, the ABA wants to vary the licences for the Remote North East zone where it suggests a medium-powered frequency for 4SUN at Mt Cainbable to replace its two existing low-powered frequencies at Rathdowney and Mt Tamborine.
The ABA is also proposing to make a second commercial radio licence available for the licensee of 4SUN, as the market there has only one commercial service.
4SUN's licence area would be extended to include the towns of Beaudesert and Jimboomba. And its existing low-powered transmitters closed down.
In Canada Toronto's first aboriginal radio station has been approved.
It will be the second urban aboriginal radio service in the country after one at Winnepeg and further applications are in the pipeline for stations in Calgary and Vancouver.
As well as the licence for Aboriginal Voices Radio in Toronto, two other new licences have been approved for the city. They are for a black FM station Milestone Radio and an adult-standards station , PrimeTime AM, for CHWO Ontario, Inc. on the 740 AM frequency formerly used by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Aboriginal Voices radio was refused permission for an additional 50,000 watt AM transmission of its service.
All the licences run until August 2006.
In the UK , the Radio Authority is advertising a new small-scale 8 -year. Independent local radio licence for the towns of Kendal and Windermere in Cumbria.
It has also announced that it has only received one declaration of intent to apply for the Colchester area local radio licence, from existing holder East Anglian Radio.
This application is now likely to be dealt with under the authority's fast-track procedure.
Previous Licence News
ABA website
CRTC Website
UK Radio Authority website

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June 17, 2000: CNN Radio has won two Edward R. Murrow awards including the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Network Radio and the broadcaster's home network at the peak of his career, CBS, has taken four.
The awards, made by the US Radio and Television News Directors' Association (RTNDA)will be presented in September at the RTNDA's annual convention in Minneapolis.
Apart from the overall award CNN Radio Network won the award for the Best News Series for Pat St Clair's A True Colours about Jasper in Texas a year after the dragging to death of a local black man by whites .
CBS won its four awards for Best Newscast for CBS World News Round Up, Spot News Coverage for Tragedy in Littleton, Continuing coverage for The President on Trial and for use of sound for the Turkey Earthquake.
ABC News Radio took three awards, Feature Reporting for Father's Day Memories, Sports Reporting for Man, Woman, Boxing Gloves and writing for The Rest of the Story.
The remaining award for News documentary went to DC Productions for The Rest of the Story
RTNDA release

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June 17, 2000: Radio Unica, the US 24-hour Spanish network, has acquired radio station KATD-990 AM in Pittsburgh, California from People's Radio, Inc.
Unica will move the station to Sacramento, thus allowing Radio Unica's San Francisco station 1010 AM to significantly increase power and coverage of the San Francisco and San Jose markets.
The acquisition and changes are subject to FCC approval and the acquisition is expected to close in approximately 90 days.
When it is completed Unica will own 17 stations in 15 of the 20 top US Hispanic markets.
And Hearst-Argyle, which recently sold its Phoenix stations to Emmis (RNW June 6) is selling two more stations. Truth Broadcasting Corporation, owned by the Epperson family who are also major shareholders in religious radio company Salem Communications, will purchase WXII-AM Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina and WLKY-AM Louisville, Kentucky.
Previous Emmis;
Previous Unica

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June 16, 2000: Clear Channel, whose sale of three stations in Austin, Denver and Phoenix to Hispanic Broadcasting was blocked by the US Department of Justice (RNW June 14) , has now filed applications to sell them to new buyers.
KKFR-FM, Phoenix and KXPK-FM ,Denver, are on offer to Emmis Communications and KEYI-FM is on offer to Secret Communications.
No price details have been released but Hispanic had bid USD 127 million for the stations.
In another deal, Entravision is to but four FM-stations in the McAllen-Brownsville market in Texas from Sunburst Media for USD 55 million.
Entravision is primarily a Spanish broadcaster but it does have some English language stations.
Also in Texas, Waller Broadcasting is to buy three stations in the Tyler-Longview market from Sunburst for USD 8.5 million. It is also to take over from Sunburst as the buyer of KLIS-Fm for USD 1 million.
Sunburst will be left with just KPXI-FM in Tyler-Longview.
Previous Clear Channel/ Hispanic Broadcasting.
Previous Entravision.

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June 16, 2000: Former BBC Radio 4 controller James Boyle is to become a director of Wark, Clements, the UK Independent production company headed by BBC TV's Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark.
Previous Boyle

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June 16, 2000: Despite the problems of Internet businesses in the UK and US, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australian entrepreneurs are going ahead with the launch next Monday of Bigfatradio.com which has spent heavily on acquiring staff from radio station Triple-J.
Co-founder and former Triple- head, Barry Chapman, is quoted as saying salaries for the "talent" had been the main expense in setting up but were essential to draw the audience.
Bigfatradio plans to get its income by interspersing video of its presenters with adverts of websites being talked about on air.
Previous Chapman
Sydney Morning Herald report

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June 15, 2000: The UK's GWR Radio group has agreed to acquire DMG Radio, the radio arm of the Daily Mail and General Trust for £146 million in cash and shares.
It will fund the acquisition by issuing some 12 million new shares worth just under £100 million with the balance in loan notes which can be converted into shares plus around £1.5 million in cash.
DMGT, which currently holds nearly 19% of GWR, will end up with a 26.9% stake in GWR which it can lift to 29.9% through convertible preference shares within the next three years.
The deal will bring GWR eight UK radio licences, a 53% share in Hungary's largest commercial radio station and a quarter share in some sixty Australian local licences and the new Sydney commercial licences awarded last month (RNW May 25 )with an option to buy the rest of the Australian business.
However current UK regulations on audience limits will mean that GWR will have to sell some of its local station licences although it may be hoping that lobbying to relax these restrictions may yet forestall this.
In another UK Radio company deal, Scottish Radio Holdings has bid £6 million for Title Media Ltd which owns the Ireland on Sunday newspaper. Scottish already owns the Leitrim Observer and has a 22 per cent stake in Irish radio station Today FM.
Previous GWR;
Previous Scottish Radio;

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June 15, 2000: Veteran Boston broadcaster Robert J. Lurtsema, whose Morning pro Musica" aired daily on classical station WGBH for 22 years from 1971 and then moved to weekends only, has died aged 68.
He was noted for his deep voice and liking for a deliberate delivery including pauses and for the birdsong tape which opened his programmes.
He also insisted on delivering his own news.
Lurtsema was born in Cambridge, Mass., and gained early experience of radio when he ran a 200 watt radio station in Morocco whilst serving in the US Navy.

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June 15, 2000: Paddy Wright , the new chairman of Irish state broadcaster RTÉ, which is financed by a combination of licence fees and advertising, has warned that it will lose a record Irish £13.5 million this year and could make even bigger losses in future unless it cuts costs.
The station, which made just under Irish £ 6 million profit in 1998 is expected to have lost some Irish 7 million when it issues its 1999 figures shortly.
In 1998 television advertising generated Irish £78 million and radio generated Irish £17.4 million but since then advertising revenue has been static with audience share declining to some 44% for television and 47 % for radio. Management is seeking to cut around a fifth of the station's 2,200 staff through voluntary redundancies and early retirement.

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June 14, 2000: Mixed news for US radio giant Clear Channel Communications.
The US Department of Justice has refused permission for its planned sale of three strong FM stations, KEYI in Austin , KXPK-FM in Denver and KKFR-FM in Phoenix to Hispanic Broadcasting(HBC) .
Clear was selling the channels as a result of its takeover of AMFM but its plans to sell to Hispanic were rejected because it owns 26% of Hispanic.
Hispanic had been the highest bidder for the stations, all in areas with rapidly growing Spanish-speaking populations, and now has a particular problem with its plans in Phoenix where no other full-power FM stations are on sale.
Clear Channel may also lose out since its AMFM deal is contingent on disposals and only arch-rival CBS/Infinity is likely to bid close to the price it had been offered.
On the plus side for Clear Channel, it has announced agreement on a USD 65 million deal to acquire around 30 small stations in Arizona, Colorado , , the Dakotas,New Mexico and New York from Roberts Radio
Previous Hispanic Broadcasting;
Previous Clear Channel

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June 14, 2000 : Conflicting reports on the same story from UK TalkSport and the BBC which has won a High Court Order to prevent TalkSport from describing as "live" its cover of "Euro 2000" soccer for which exclusive UK radio rights are held by BBC Radio 5 live and Capital Radio.
The BBC gives a fairly straightforward report on its website of Talksport's actions in broadcasting what it called "live" commentary from an Amsterdam studio when in fact its staff were watching matches on television and speaking over a sound-effects tape.
The order says TalkSport have to make it clear on air that their cover is not "live in the normal sense", that the commentators are watching games on television and are not in the stadia and that TalkSport does not have the broadcast rights to cove Euro 2000.
The BBC news release quotes Bob Shennan, head of BBC sport production, as saying no broadcaster is going to offer significant sums for rights if others can simply hi-jack coverage.
BBC Director of Radio Jenny Abramsky said, "TalkSport is treating its audience and the sport of football with contempt. If they had been allowed to get away with this, then listeners and sport would both be the losers. The BBC and Capital Radio have invested considerable amounts of money into the Euro 2000 competition to bring their listeners authentic and authoritative live coverage "
TalkSport had promoted its "live" cover through newspaper advertisements but says it will comply with the court order.
On its website, however, it is in no way apologetic. Instead it has two items, one attacking the BBC for hypocrisy over the rightrs issue because it was a member of a cartel which had prevented open bidding for the rights. It goes on," The nation's first national sports radio station, talkSPORT, is providing full match commentary of Euro 2000 in an alternative manner - after twice being denied the ability to bid for the broadcast rights for the tournament.
Kelvin MacKenzie, Chairman and Chief Executive of The Wireless Group which owns talkSPORT, said: "talkSPORT was unable to attempt to obtain broadcast rights for the Euro 2000 competition, as these rights were not available on the open market - having been acquired by the BBC through its membership of the European Broadcasting Union. "Membership of the EBU has been denied talkSPORT on two occasions for reasons that talkSPORT believes are anti-competitive.
The second item concerns its broadcast practices and speaks of showing the media its Amsterdam operation so they could see how ," the station was bringing the best of Euro 2000 to its army of listeners.
Previous Abramsky
Previous MacKenzie/TalkSport
BBC News release;
Talksport site

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June 14, 2000 : Former KCBS reporter Stan Bunger is to succeed recently retired Al Hart (RNW June 3) as morning co-anchor with Susan Leigh Taylor at the San Francisco all news station.
Bunger has already succeeded Hart once at KCBS, in 1985 when he began two years on the morning newscast.
He's recently been co-hosting a syndicated hi-tech TV show " Next Step" which he will continue to work on.
KCBS has also said that Jim Taylor, who stepped into Hart's slot on his retirement, will continue to handle the 5 am slot after Bunger starts on July 10.
Previous Al Hart

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June 13, 2000: The UK Guardian in its Monday media section reviews London Heart FM's psychiatric phone-in programme "Heart to Heart" which airs on the soft rock channel from 10 pm until midnight local on Sundays.
It is hosted by American Dr Pam Spurr, who was formerly at Guy's Hospital in London, and initially was a Dr Pam spot in Nigel Williams' shows, first on Monday nights and then on Sundays and Tuesdays as well.
But, says Heart's programme director Jana Rangoni ,"We found that the other elements of Nigel's show were getting between her and the listeners so we gave her a show of her own."
The show itself is partly modelled on Frazier, the US TV sitcom, - and its content is a long away from Dr Laura Schlessinger - with advice on sustaining erections for both hetero and homosexuals, and to an ex-Porn star caller who had introduced her boyfriend to the business, married him and, now she had a child, wanted him to give up the business. He was reluctant because his career was taking off.
Not that he was the strangest call detailed. Some strange facets of human life are there!
UK Guardian report
Heart FM site - links on to Heart 106.2 audio stream

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June 13, 2000: The Methodist church in Ireland has deferred a decision about joining a united church bid for Dublin's last FM licence according to the Irish Times.
The Methodists and Presbyterians had been contacted about a possible by a group which includes representatives of the Jesuit, Dominican, Mercy, Vincentian and Divine Word orders, and the Church of Ireland.
Involvement in the venture would carry anticipated costs of around Irish £15,000 initially and £10,000 a year thereafter.
Irish Times report

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June 12, 2000: Not a lot in the radio columns this week -- in fact they seem to have disappeared from both the UK Times and Guardian on Saturday and a quick dip into the online UK Observer on Sunday failed to find Sue Arnold's column -- a review of two BBC programmes including the first of the BBC Radio 4 Child of our Time series of dramas (RNW May 22).
The UK Independent on Sunday also has a long feature in its The Listener part of its culture section that I couldn't find on the website.
It is a trail for a BBC Radio 4 programme Between Ourselves in which two veteran correspondents--Martin Bell formerly of the BBC and Robert Fisk -formerly of the Times and now with the Independent -- recall their experiences in various wars and conflicts. Worth a listen to if you can tune in or listen on the Internet at 0800GMT (0900 CET) tomorrow, Tuesday.
Which leaves more general issues to Paul Donovan in the UK Sunday Times.
This week he takes up the question of BBC radio's policy on repeats if, as he suggests they do have anything so formal as a policy.
In essence BBC Radio 1 has no repeats and Radios 2, 3 and 5 have very few whereas BBC Radio 4 is awash with them.
Some are, says Donovan, part of a sensible policy of repeating flagship daytime shows in the evening or, as with Alastair Cooke's Letter from America the other way round.
However even here, as he points out there are anomalies with none of the channels three prime science programmes, Frontiers, The Material World and Leading Edge, getting repeats and drama only getting irregular and often inadequately promoted repeats.
Previous columnists report
Back as we'd note here, to our continuing hobbyhorse- the idea of getting to grips with the idea of using the internet and on-demand audio for the really top class material which at the moment when once missed has gone for ever.! .

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June 12, 2000: On the topic of webcasts , the Chicago Tribune, has a report on the formation and activities of BroadcastAmerica.com which less than two years ago was just an idea in the head of John Brier. He then approached Portland, Maine, station WJBQ, with an offer to relay its top 40 programming over the Internet in return for exclusivity in putting its broadcasts online and on-air promotion of their availability. A few days later he made the same proposal to WHQM and then cast his net nationwide over the US, gaining 100 contracts within a month. Since then the company has gained contracts to stream more than 500 radio stations and nearly a hundred television stations from the US and it is now beginning to expand internationally. Brier says his site now has some 4 million visitors a month with an average online time of 18 minutes but he has eschewed expensive promotional advertising and total spend is still under USD 6 million.
Chicago Tribune report

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June 12, 2000: British independent radio production company , UBC Media Group, is aiming for a stockmarket flotation which would value it at around £30 million.
The company makes radio programmes, including the weekly Pepsi Chart show for both the BBC and commercial stations and owns a third of Oneword which supplies content to internet portals.
In the 1999 financial year it made a pre-tax profit of just over £100,000 on a turnover just over £4 million.
The company hopes to raise some £5 million for expansion through the float.

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June 11, 2000: Licence news this week.
Perhaps the most significant was a UK report which could allow Low Power FM stations (RNW June 9).
Activity in general was related to local licences and amendments to or re-awarding of existing licencesalthough in the US, the Federal Communications Commission has now reserved spectrum for medical telemetry services (RNW June 10)
In Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA)has allocated three new community licences for Canberra to Artsound Inc, Canberra Christian Broadcasters Ltd and the Ethnic Broadcasting Council of the ACT and Surrounding Areas. All three licences will commence from 15 July 2000.
In all seven applicants were assessed for the licences for Canberra which already has three community licences -- held by 2XX (general), 1RPH (radio for the print handicapped) and 1SSS (sport)-- as well as Australian Broadcasting Corporation and commercial stations.
The unsuccessful applicants were Canberra Community Radio (representing the Christian community), Country Music Collective (representing Australian country lifestyle), Radio Antenna International (representing youth and multicultural communities), and Winangana Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Vocational Training Centre (representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities).
In Canada, the single most significant change was the approval by the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC ) of frequency and power changes for CKYK-FM, Alma, Quebec which moves from 95.5.Mhz to 95.7Mhz and doubles its power to 100,000 watts thus expanding its signal into Jonquière and Chicoutimi in the Saguenay region.
CYTC had been seeking to gain this expansion throughout the nineties but was denied under the Radio Market Policy then operated in Canada on the grounds that the introduction of another FM signal into the Saguenay radio market would have an undue negative impact on existing local radio stations.
Following policy changes under the 1998 Commercial Radio Policy the Commission held that circumstances had changed and permitted the application despite five objections , three from radio broadcasters in the area and two from their staff unions.
All of the objectors argued that the profitability of their stations was fragile and could be further weakened by a CKYK expansion.
Amongst other CRTC decisions were the approval for a GX Radio Partnership English-language FM station at Yorkton in Saskatchewan, for CBC French and English language FM stations at Sudbury, Ontario conversion of Rogers Broadcasting Limited's CHWK-AM station in Chilliwack, British Colombia, to FM, a new transmitter at Plaster Rock, New Brunswick for Telemedia Radio Atlantic Inc., deletion of Telemedia's authority for transmitters CJCJ-1 Perth/Andover and CJCJ-2 Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, and a decrease in power of its radiated power for CFXY-FM Fredericton, New Brunswick from 100,000 watts to 78,000 watts.
In Ontario, new low power Fm transmitters were approved for North Bay and Red Deer and in British Colombia two LPFM transmitters were approved at Campbell Road..
In the UK the Radio Authority has given details of a number areas it is adding to its working list of planned new independent local radio licences.
They are Helensburgh (Argyll & Bute),Livingston (West Lothian), Maidstone, Pembrokeshire and Reading. Other areas on the working list but for which licence advertisement dates have yet to be set are Barnsley, Buxton, Chester or South Flintshire, East Midlands (regional), North Norfolk, Omagh & Enniskillen, Rugby, Worthing and Yeovil.
These licences are to be advertised from October onwards and over the next few months advertisements will be placed for licences for Kendal/Windermere (in June), Warminster (in August), and a new regional licence for West/South Yorkshire (in September).
In addition the authority has made in principle decisions that it wants to advertise an FM licence for the Mid-Ulster (Cookstown & Magherafelt) area, where an ILR service on the AM waveband was previously provided.
It is asking possible contenders to put forward proposals for specific transmission sites. If a viable site is identified the authority would then aim for early advertisement of a new FM licence for the area.
In North London, however, the authority has decided that its tentative suggestion of a further small-scale licence would not offer any prospects of commercially viable coverage on the frequency envisaged for it. On Merseyside, the Authority has awarded the Knowsley FM licence to Kcr Fm (Knowsley Community Radio Ltd.).
The Authority has also awarded the local digital multiplex service licence for the Bristol and Bath area to Now Digital Ltd, the sole applicants.
Now Digital is owned by the GWR Group and initially plans 9 channels on the multiplex.
The Radio Authority has also agreed to extend its co-operation with the UK's Broadcasting Standards Commission, particularly in handling complaints.
An agreed Memorandum of Understanding sets out procedures for handling complaints and tries to avoid, wherever possible, double jeopardy for both complainants and licencees, and to share information about complaints relating to matters of standards.
In addition, each body will formally take account of the adjudications of the other in its decisions.
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UK Radio Authority website