FM Atlas-21 Now Available

The 21st edition of FM Atlas is now available for purchase from FM Atlas Publishing. Here is some information on the new edition from the author, Bruce Elving:

For ease in ordering the 21st edition FM Atlas, call 1-800-605-2219. For some reason, we were without that service for a few weeks, maybe months, but were charged for it.

Here's what fellow WTFDA people are saying about the new FM Atlas:

• It's "an incredible reference covering nearly every station in North America. . . . Every FM station is noted [on] maps and in databases sorted by frequency and location. It’s all here: antenna height, power, SCA sub-carrier info, and promotional catch-phrases. Even low powered FM translators are included. I can only say good things about your work. The amount of detail is phenomenal. . . . Consider the convenience of using your book in a car as opposed to using a computer! Each edition becomes well-loved and dog-eared and lasts nearly forever. I'm amazed how gracefully you dance with the map portrayals. So logical! What fascinates me is how adept you are at taking a huge technical group picture that is so accurate. I'm just so glad that you keep at it! Again, my congratulations on another gem” ( K.Z., ABC-TV, retired, Katonah NY).
• “I have enjoyed the FM Atlas for about 30 years now!” (David B., Wyoming DE).
• “Thanks again for keeping the FM Atlas alive” (R.R., London ON).
• “FM Atlas-21, all 288 pages of it, arrived. . . . It made me think back to that magical time during the '70s and '80s when I would eagerly wait for each new edition, and excitedly tear open the package and then spend hours and hours examining it page by page” (N. L., Atlanta).

Remember, this is the new edition, out just in time for the skip and tropo DX seasons of 2010. Just $19.95 per copy plus $2.05 shipping from FM Atlas, PO Box 336, Esko MN 55733-0336. (Canadians kindly remit by postal money order in U.S. funds.) We accept American Express, Visa, MasterCard, or PayPal. Call 1-800-605-2219; e-mail FmAtlas@aol.com.

Format Change Antagonizes Advertiser

After FM station WWMM—now WAPI-FM—100.5 in Helena, AL, announced a format change from alternative music to all talk, Jeff Tenner, owner of Soca Clothing in Homewood, AL, launched a Facebook group called "Save Live 100.5." Tenner said, "I'm an upset advertiser, and I'm also just an upset music listener." Tenner is clearly not the only upset listener; his Facebook group has grown to more than 20,000 members.

A casualty of the format change is Scott Register, whose specialty show "Reg's Coffee House" was broadcast on Live 100.5 on Sundays. He said, "I don't know if I'll be back. I do know that I'll probably be the last human voice you'll hear on Live 100.5." "Reg's Coffee House" had just celebrated its 13th anniversary in January, and its Facebook fan page credits the program with spawning Live 100.5.

Citadel said that Live 100.5, which came on the air in August 2008, had not generated the ratings or the revenue that owners needed to keep it going.

NFCB Conference

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters will hold its 35th annual Community Radio Conference in St. Paul, MN, June 9-12, 2010. This is an opportunity to meet the NFCB's new president, Maxie Jackson, who will give an opening address and will drop in on workshops and sessions and talk to NFCB members. Jackson succeeded retired president Carol Pierson in Jan. 2010. The conference's host station is KFAI *90.3 Minneapolis.

Air America Ceases Programming, Announces Bankruptcy

Air America Media, the progressive radio network that launched in 2004, shut down live programming on Thurs., Jan. 21, and announced that the company would soon file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Reruns of Air America shows will air until broadcasting ends completely on Mon., Jan. 25.

The company cited the "difficult economic environment" as the reason for its failure, calling the past year a "perfect storm" in the media industry due to falling advertising revenues. Radio-industry ad revenues have declined for 10 consecutive quarters. Other casualties of the economic storm include Citadel Broadcasting and the long-time trade publication Radio and Records, which recently filed for bankruptcy as well.

Air America said, "Those companies that remain are facing audience fragmentation as a result of new media technologies, are often saddled with crushing debt, and have generally found it difficult to obtain operating or investment capital from traditional sources of funding. In this climate, our painstaking search for new investors has come close several times right up into this week, but ultimately fell short of success." Although Air America saw some hope for increasing revenues through Internet growth, its "expanding online efforts face the same monetization and profitability challenges in the short term confronting the Web operations of most media companies."

Well-known Air America hosts included Al Franken and Rachel Maddow. The network began as a liberal alternative to conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh, but it struggled financially throughout its history. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2006 and was sold in 2007 to New York real-estate investor Stephen Green and his brother, politician Mark Green.

Air America described itself as instrumental in building, through its approximately 100 radio outlets nationwide, "a new sense of purpose and determination among American progressives" and in inspiring a revival that it said led to the Democratic gains in the 2006 mid-term elections and to the 2008 election of President Barack Obama.

Citadel Broadcasting Prepares for Bankruptcy

Citadel Broadcasting, the third-largest radio broadcasting company in the United States, is preparing a prearranged bankruptcy filing. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported that Citadel's proposal was presented to lenders this week and that major lenders JPMorgan Chase and General Electric's GE Capital are already supporting the plan.

Under the terms of the deal, Citadel would reduce its debt from $2 billion to $760 million, in exchange for handing over 99.5% of the equity in the reorganized company to its creditors. Lenders have until Tuesday to agree to the proposal, and Citadel plans to file for bankruptcy by the end of the year.

Citadel's financial problems resulted in part from its acquisition of Disney's ABC Radio stations in 2006. Another contributing factor was the death of radio legend Paul Harvey in Feb. 2009. Harvey's programs, syndicated by ABC Radio Networks, provided Citadel with steady income as it struggled with its increased debt load and declining advertising revenues.

NPR Launches New Mobile Platform

National Public Radio (NPR) has launched a new mobile platform powered by Conmio. The Finnish-based mobile technology company provided the software platform, design, and audio services for NPR Mobile Web. The redesigned and expanded site delivers an improved user experience, including better audio, navigation, and interactive tools. 

Conmio's software, ManaGate^®, is customized and adaptable for each online service provider, offering mobile service management and device-detection frameworks. For NPR Mobile Web, this feature ensures smooth audio for all compatible web-enabled mobile devices.

The NPR Mobile Web enhancements include: 

• "Station Finder" feature: Users can search for stations by ZIP Code, call letters, or city and state, and can flag multiple favorite stations, an improvement over the NPR iPhone app's equivalent feature, which provides a ZIP Code search option only.
• Better audio experience: Audio links can now be streamed directly within the device browser, a revolutionary change from the former “click to call” feature, providing superior audio quality as well as availability in a wider range of formats: AAC, MP3, WMA, and RM.
• More station audio: Audio links to live streams, podcasts, RSS feeds, and newscasts are all available on the new service, a feature previously possible only with the NPR iPhone app.
• Station newscasts: All station newscasts listed in StationConnect will be available via the relaunched service. Station newscasts added to StationConnect will propagate immediately and automatically, providing listeners with continuous access to the latest content.
  

“As consumers rely more and more on their mobile devices for accessing news, information and entertainment, it is critical that the technology delivers the best user experience also with rich media,” said Tero Hamalainen, CEO of Conmio. “Known for its innovative, thought-provoking programming, NPR continues to set the standard for radio. We are pleased they turned to Conmio to extend that same level of technology innovation and quality to their mobile offerings.”

Jury Finds Entercom Negligent in Jennifer Strange Trial

A jury has awarded $16.57 million in damages to the family of a woman who died of water intoxication after competing in a water-drinking contest in Jan. 2007. The "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest was sponsored by KDND 107.9 "The End" in Sacramento.

Jennifer Strange, 28, a mother of three, finished in second place but was complaining of a headache and an upset stomach toward the end of the contest. She called in sick to her employer and went home, where her mother found her body that afternoon.

As a result of Strange's death, KDND fired 10 employees, including the three hosts of the "Morning Rave" program, which held the contest, and the show was taken off the air. No criminal charges were filed, but Strange's family filed a civil wrongful-death suit against KDND's owner, Entercom, which finally came to trial in Sept. 2009. The jury deliberated for nine days before reaching its decision on Oct. 29.

Entercom Sacramento was declared negligent because the jury found that disc jockeys and station managers ignored warnings about the hazards of the contest. Tapes of the "Morning Rave" program revealed that the hosts were joking about the contestants throwing up and about the possibility that someone could die. They continued joking even after several calls from listeners, warning them that drinking too much water was dangerous.

Entercom spokesman Charles Sipkins issued a statement saying, “Jennifer Strange’s death was a tragedy. Our hearts go out to all of her loved ones, including, in particular, her husband and children. While legal restrictions preclude us from commenting further on the verdict, we respect the jury’s decision and hope that it will assist the Strange family in coping with its loss.”

The FCC also began an investigation after the incident, to determine whether KDND violated the terms of its operating license, but no results have been announced from that investigation. Strange's family had urged them to revoke KDND's license, but the FCC typically leaves cases of negligence resulting in harm to individuals to the courts to resolve.

KDND, which broadcasts a CHR format, recently launched commercial-free programming every Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to midnight.