Radio AM to FM

Radio AM to FM: June 7, 2002

Kicks for Tix

Hip hop station Power 106 got Lakers Fever during the Western Divisional Playoffs last week. On the popular Big Boy morning show last Friday, male listeners were offered the chance to win tickets to game six of the series. All they all to do was take three kicks. In the groin. From a blackbelt in karate.

I cringe just thinking about it, but the station actually had a lobby full of potential contestants. In the end, only one actually participated in the, uh, event, and while men throughout Southern California winced as it happened on the air (the station even went so far as to check to make sure he wasn't wearing a protective cup), the contestant -- Marvin -- lived to tell about it.

No word on whether or not he actually made it to the game. Or if his voice sounded a bit more like the Bee Gees after he won the tickets ... photos are on the Power 106 web site, www.power106.fm/bigboy/highlights.jhtml.

Sirius Spreading Out

Subscription satellite radio service Sirius has added nine states to its reception area, including New York, Delaware and Florida. California is not yet part of the list but should be included in the nationwide coverage it plans to have in place by July 1st.

Unlike competitor XM which has been available nationwide for a few months now at a rate of $9.95 per month, Sirius carries no commercials. But that commercial-free entertainment comes at a cost: Sirius is $12.95 per month. Programming can be sampled at the Sirius web site, www.sirius.com.

Webcasting Reprieve

The Librarian of Congress has rejected -- for now -- the proposed royalty fee plan that most likely would have led to the end of internet webcasting. That doesn't mean the web station are out of the fire just yet, however: a new plan may be released by the end of June and no one seems to know what it will be.

The fee structure endorsed by the Recording Industry Association of America and rejected by the Librarian would have cost webcasters an amount per song per listener, costing stations thousands of dollars and huge amounts of record keeping. Webcasters hope that a new structure will be developed based on station revenue.

Ooh

Making the rounds in radio circles, reflecting Clear Channel's use of canned personalities at the company's radio stations: What's the difference between your neighborhood McDonald's and a Clear Channel radio station? Answer: The voice behind the microphone at the McDonald's is live and local.

Correction

Bill Earl, author of KRLA history book Dream-House as well as top-40 overview When Radio Was Boss, wrote in to correct and clarify last week's story on Johnny Hayes.

"Hayes actually left KRLA twice. The first time was July 1968, and he did not return until approximately March 1969. I have no idea why he left. The second time was when he was fired by program director Dick Sainte in January 1971; Hayes returned when Sainte left in July 1971. It was during the latter part of that 'window' that he jocked at KDAY, but he was not on the air in Los Angeles at all from July 1968 through March 1969."

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