News Bites for June 3...
...Cox Media Group urban AC “Kiss 104.1” WALR Atlanta’s “The Frank Ski and Nina Brown” morning show will broadcast live at various locations for “Kid’s Week,” which will provide a week of free, safe and fun activities for Atlanta area youth. The June 6-10 broadcasts are a partnership between WALR, The Frank Ski Kid Foundation, Witherite Law Group and 1-800-TruckWreck. "We are happy to once again partner with Witherite Law Group to impact the Atlanta community," Ski said in a release. "It is imperative to provide safe, age-appropriate activities for kids when school is out. With all the stress and trauma going on in the world right now, we are elated to be able to provide some stress-relief and focus on fun."
...New York programming veteran Mark Chernoff joins former Beasley Media Group Executive VP of Strategy and Innovation Buzz Knight on his “Takin’ A Walk” podcast. The podcast, recorded while walking through Central Park, features the two former programmers reminiscing about their time together at the former rock WNEW New York. “I’m very fortunate in my career to have encountered some pretty special people. When I worked part time at WNEW-FM when it was the Rock Station of record in NY, I am grateful that my world intersected with Mark Chernoff,” Knight said in a press release. “One of my pure joys of takin a walk is connecting with new friends and reconnecting with old friends and Mark is a special breed.”
...University of Missouri news/talk “St. Louis Public Radio” KWMU (90.7) celebrates its 50th anniversary. The station was founded in 1971 by University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Business dean Don Driemeier. “At that time, public radio stations were popping up because the Public Broadcasting Act had created space on the dial for public stations, and they were specifically popping up at universities,” KWMU’s Mary Edwards said in a “St. Louis on the Air” piece on the station’s website. The longtime staffer recalls receiving syndicated programs by mail on reel-to-reel tape. “I got a big box with the five programs. We aired them one week, then I put them in the mail to send to KBIA in Columbia, and then they aired them the next week,” Edwards said. “They came with these address labels, and then they would send it on to the next station.” View the story and listen to the program HERE.
...KHST Joplin, MO (101.7) flips from country to oldies under new owner Michael Landis who acquired the station in a cash-free swap with My Town Media that was announced in July 2021. With a focus on music of the 60s and 70s, OM Kevin Welch tells The Greenfield Vedette, “You could kind of say that our target audience is the old hippies in the area. We want to give them the hits as well as some of the more obscure songs from the era: we have over 3,500 songs in our library.”
...Canadian syndicator Orbyt Media introduces “New & Now With Shannon Ella,” a weekly show highlighting rising country artists. The show, hosted by iHeartRadio Canada’s Pure Country midday host Shannon Ella, airs Sundays at 4pm local time on Pure Country stations and via live audio stream on iHeartRadio.ca and the iHeartRadio app. “Each week, we will feature artists making an impact on the country music landscape, and a number of under-the-radar gems too,” Ella said in a release. “This show is designed to give their songs a chance to be heard, and I can’t wait to share them with listeners.” Ella has hosted Pure Country’s nationally syndicated midday show since 2019 and was named the Canadian Country Music Association’s Country Personality of the Year in 2020.