WOR launches "The Best of Everything" with RCS

WOR Radio/New York has taken the wraps off a high-tech project in conjunction with RCS Sound Software and has launched "The Best of Everything", a new music format incorporating a wide variety of pop music on one stream which listeners customize to their tastes. This new personalized online player also offers additional "flavors" of this unique format featuring all-Christmas music.

"This is a great service for the WOR web site", says Rick Buckley, President and owner of Buckley Broadcasting, WOR's parent company. "Plus, 'The Best of Everything' is a natural compliment to the powerful programming of talk and information on WOR Radio and the WOR Radio Network nationwide. We recognize that our listeners enjoy music too, and we're proud of this new one-of-a-kind format we've created for them."

"'The Best of Everything' is quite unique, blending together all flavors of pop music," adds Bob Bruno, WOR VP/GM and creator of the format. "At first glance it might sound like just another adult standards format, but it goes much wider and deeper than that. It's targeted to the adults who think that radio has forgotten them. You'll hear everything from Mariah to Motown to Mozart, from Sinatra to Springsteen. There are nods to Country, Broadway, Jazz, and Rock." Bruno continues, "Each listener can customize their own individual musical stream to play more of their favorites." Special buttons on the player allow listeners to play specific artists more, less, or not at all.

Listeners can obtain their own personalized online player from the WOR Radio web site, www.wor710.com for $4.95 monthly.

FMC Third Annual Policy Summit set

The Third Annual Future of Music Coalition (FMC) Policy Summit, in cooperation with Georgetown University, has been set for 1/5-1/7 in Washington. The forum for musicians, lawyers, academics, policymakers and music industry executives to come together to discuss and debate some of the most contentious issues surrounding digital technology, artists' rights and the current state of the music industry, will include keynote speakers Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), Member of Senate Judiciary Committee and Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, Internet and Intellectual Property

Panels include:

The State of the Music/Tech Industry

The Impact of Radio Consolidation on Musicians and Citizens

The Webcasting Debate

Illegal Imagination: Sampling and the Public Domain

Musicians and Health Insurance

Retail in the 21st Century

Major Labels: Can They Innovate

International Issues

Control of Content

Next Year's Legislative Agenda

Panelists include XM Satellite Radio's Chief Programming Officer Lee Abrams; Ann Chaitovitz, Director of Sound Recordings, AFTRA; Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), Chairman of the Entertainment Industry Task Force; Kurt Hanson, RAIN Publisher; Bruce Lehman, President, International Intellectual Property Institute; Marybeth Peters, Register, US Copyright Office; RIAA President Cary Sherman and many more.

Musical performances at the school's Gaston Hall will occur between panels and at the conclusion of the days' discussions. This year FMC joining forces with Artists Empowerment Coalition to present evening concerts at various venues in Washington, DC with some very special musicians.

Mancow defamation suit dropped

A year to the day after filing the suit (RBR.com 12/5/01), former Cicero, IL town President Betty Loren-Maltese has pulled her defamation lawsuit against WKQX-FM Chicago syndicated morning man Eric "Mancow Muller," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Loren-Maltese, who was convicted with four others of defrauding her city for over $12M sued Mancow for comments criticizing her for demanding payoffs and that she was associated with members of the mob.

Mancow's said a year ago: "She is a very ugly and vile human being, and she couldn't be a better adversary. It's the end of free speech in America as we know it if politicians are able to silence those who criticize them. If you can judge a man by his enemies, then I must be a saint."

CC Radio swapping with itself in W. Palm

The Palm Beach Post reports big changes coming at CC Radio's West Palm cluster: WRLX-FM 92.1 will abandon its Alternative format 12/13 at 5P and begin simulcasting Smooth Jazz WWLV-FM 94.3. On 1/1, WWLV will move to the WRLX signal as "Love 92.1" and Talk WZZR-FM 92.7 Stuart/Ft. Pierce will move to 94.3 for a better signal in West Palm and Boca. Country WAVW-FM 94.7 Ft. Pierce will move to 92.7. The station may also flip to Hot AC.

AFL-CIO joins KMOX-AM/Charles Jaco battle

Only weeks after AFTRA became involved (RBR e-paper 11/25) by filing a grievance and an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against KMOX-AM St. Louis for firing vet Talker Charles Jaco (RBR e-paper 11/21), the AFL-CIO is now on board as well. KMOX GM Karen Carroll fired Jaco.

The union is urging KMOX's advertisers to pull their sponsorship of St. Louis Cardinals baseball games broadcast by KMOX. Organized labor in St. Louis is one of the top five sponsors of the Cardinals on the station.

Robert Kelley, the President of the St. Louis Labor Council, sent a letter to the local Painter's Union District Council:

"As you have heard by now KMOX has fired Charles Jaco as an on-air personality for "gross misconduct." Regardless of the merit of the grievances that management may have with Mr. Jaco, a large part of this action is the result of his demand for union representation during his grievance process. Karen Carroll (KMOX GM) refused his initial attempts to have a union representative present during their first meeting, and in fact, did not return the call of the union representative requesting to be present at the meeting if Mr. Jaco was going to be the subject of some kind of discipline.

I know that you have spent a great deal of money advertising on Cardinal baseball, which unfortunately is carried by KMOX radio. In my opinion Cardinal baseball, morning drive time, and Charles Jaco are the only programs worth listening to on KMOX. I believe the quality of programming will again diminish without Mr. Jaco-but that is Ms. Carroll's decision.

I would ask that you please contact you ad agency, KMOX, and the Baseball Cardinals and implore them to resolve this matter with Mr. Jaco in a fair manner. Presently, Mr. Jaco has been fired without severance and told that the station intends to fully enforce its "non-compete" clause.

It seems very unfair to me to fire someone and also deprive them of any opportunity to find gainful employment to support their family. Hopefully Ms. Carroll or some cooler representative of the station and representatives of AFTRA will be able to work out a fairer and just settlement of this matter."

Meanwhile, Jaco has filled in at Entercom Talker KIRO-AM Seattle as that station tries out possibilities to replace Bryan Suits, who left to join crosstown KVI-AM.

Paul Harvey praises Fidel Castro

WorldNetDaily.com reports ABC Radio Networks' Paul Harvey is singing the praises of Fidel Castro following a 12/3 speech on morality delivered by the Cuban dictator to thousands of students attending Havana's Latin American Medical School. The 84-year-old broadcaster spent several minutes during his noontime "News and Comment" segment 12/6 reminiscing about his personal experience with Castro in the 1950s, remarking how the dictator has changed over the years:

"I first met Fidel Castro when [Fulgencio] Battista was heading Cuba's government," said Harvey. "Young Fidel was a student radical, leading hit-and-run raids, then retreating into the mountains. I was a wet-eared young reporter. He was a marathon talker even then, so I listened. I was not impressed. Maybe I should have been...Castro and I were the most surprised humans in the Western Hemisphere when Battista removed himself from the country and young Castro and his brother and a handful of friends inherited that 'Humpty Dumpty' country...

"Over the years since, Castro gave up plucking chickens in fashionable hotel rooms and throwing feathers out the windows. Over the years since, Castro gave up smoking and drinking and much of what communism was, but he never stopped talking."

In the speech, Castro warned the students to beware of the dangers of rum, cars and capitalism:

"How much damage has rum caused any society? "How many deaths from the irresponsibility of accidents and alcoholic drinks?...It's not that there is going to be a dry law. No. Those who want to buy will pay a lot. If there is one thing I can assure you, it's that neither cigarettes nor rum will ever be sold cheaply in this country."

He added: "The important thing is that you are ready to head out there far from the cities to treat so many children, so many women, so many people who suffer some illness...American doctors [are mostly] educated with a mercantilist concept...[students educated] in truly humanitarian principles and not corrupted by consumer societies."

Worldnetdaily adds that Harvey did overlook the knocks at capitalism, highlighting only references to the manners of personal living.

ABC Radio Networks to follow Santa with assistance from NORAD during Disney special

This Christmas Eve, ABC Radio Networks will have unprecedented capabilities to follow Santa's celestial path, with instant access to high-tech radar and satellite information provided by NORAD. NORAD's technology will lock onto Santa's Sleigh and Rudolph's nose to follow Santa Claus' every reindeer move during a live, 24-hour Walt Disney World holiday special. "Christmas Around The World" will broadcast at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, 12/24, through 6 p.m. (ET) on Christmas Day. This 24-hour holiday celebration will be available to ABC Radio Affiliates nationwide.

"Who hasn't wondered exactly how St. Nick plots his path across the world's skies on Christmas Eve?" asks John McConnell, SVP/ABC Radio Networks. "Thanks to NORAD's vast, top-secret, resources, Christmas Around The World promises to bring ABC affiliates and their listeners an evening of yuletide enchantment that will enlighten your holiday spirit."

"Our radar and satellites analysis plus updates from NORAD Fighter escort pilot reports throughout Christmas Eve, ensure precise information that families around the world can count on," said NORAD spokesman Major Douglas Martin.

The special will feature live national reports on Santa's whereabouts from NORAD experts, a special taping of Carly Simon-featuring songs from her newly released Christmas album, holiday music and holiday memories from Drew Carey, John Ritter, George Lopez, Tom Bergeron and Jim Belushi.

Arbitron MeasureCast index rises 4%

MUSICMATCH's Artist Match was the top ranked individual Web channel with 305,849 hours of Total Time Spent Listening (TTSL) for the week of 11/18, according to Arbitron's MeasureCast Ratings. Virgin Radio ranked number two with 269,578 hours of TTSL, also called Aggregate Tuning Hours (ATH). Clear Channel Worldwide was the top ranked web radio network with 1,455,859 hours of TTSL. MUSICMATCH, Inc. was ranked number two with 1,245,968 hours of tuning.

Arbitron's MeasureCast Internet Radio Listening Index rose 4% during the week. Since January, the total time spent listening to online stations measured by Arbitron's MeasureCast Ratings grew 177%.

Radio America's Greg Smith's "On A Roll" celebrates 10 years

Greg Smith's "On A Roll," Radio America's nationally syndicated disability radio show celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary this week .

The talk show features disability lifestyle issues with host Greg Smith, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a power wheelchair. He resigned from a sportscasting and marketing job at a top Phoenix radio station to begin a one-hour local program on a single station in Phoenix on 12/6/92. Today, "On A Roll," is a two-hour weekly program airing in over 40 markets with a list of sponsors including General Motors Mobility Center, iCan.com, Raymond James & Associates, and Invacare Corporation.

MSNBC close to shuttering/sale?

The Drudge Report says the joint NBC/Microsoft news network MSNBC may be shutting down:

"The joint news operation between GENERAL ELECTRIC and MICROSOFT has moved in to critical condition-with audience levels of MSNBC fading to near unmeasurable readings, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned! Overnight NIELSEN returns for Wednesday night show MSNBC setting near all-time low viewership for the all-news channel. Both DONAHUE and HARDBALL W/CHRIS MATTHEWS are rated at the bottom of all cable news programming for Wednesday prime. With cold weather now firmly implanted over much of the nation, and television watching seasonally on the rise, MSNBC's vanishing audience has become the talk of Broadcast Row. Just as the network's rivals begin to smell death. "I would bet GE will shake up the schedule one more time, perhaps move BUCHANAN & PRESS to nights, give [Minnesota Governor Jesse] Ventura a go," predicts a top executive from a rival network, who asked not to be named. "But I would not be surprised if GE just closes the channel down."

Executives "clearly put all their eggs in the Donohue basket," says one well-placed NBC source. "The word from the higher-ups is that if Donohue can't sell the network, then NBC will have to sell the network. It's not just a coincidence that Brian Williams was moved to CNBC; they wanted to protect him, anticipating any MSNBC failure."

The source continued: "Likewise, Chris Matthews' contract has a note in it that if MSNBC gets sold, that he will stay on as an NBC analyst."