The MAB has learned that former WRIF-FM (Detroit) air personality Carl (Carlton) Coffey passed away September 24 at the age of 73. Coffey spent over 13 years at the station, hosting “The Riff Rock Cafe.” He then did 8 years at sister station WCSX-FM.
September 23, was the last day of work for Ann Williams, News Director at Alpha Media’s WSGW-AM/FM (Saginaw). Williams has retired after 40 years in the industry. She began at WSGW in 1983 as a reporter. After five years at WEYI-TV, she returned to the WSGW in 2005.
In a September 29 release, the Federal Communications Commission today updated its Emergency Alert System rules so that alerts delivered over television and radio are more informative and easier to understand by the public, particularly people with disabilities.
The Michigan Association of Broadcasters is deeply saddened by the loss of Jim Matthews. Listeners throughout the state relied on Jim’s impactful work and he was a revered leader and mentor among his broadcast peers. Our condolences are with his family, friends and colleagues.
If you’re in the media business these days, you need to be in the multimedia business. That means that radio broadcasters increasingly need to be creating video content as well. One of the most important platforms to be on when it comes to video is, of course, YouTube. If your radio station hasn’t created a YouTube channel yet, take some time to do so.
Last week’s Notice of Apparent Liability, a unanimous decision by all four FCC Commissioners, stemmed from a Hot Wheels Super Ultimate Garage ad that was aired a total of 11 times during a Team Hot Wheels TV program which ran 8 times during November and December of 2018.
iHeartMedia/Detroit elevates Senior VP/Sales Colleen Grant to Metro President for its six-station cluster there, including AC WNIC-FM, Hip Hop WJLB-FM, Classic Rock WLLZ-FM, News WDFN-AM (BIN 1130), CHR WKQI-FM (Channel 955) and R&B WMXD-FM (Mix 92.3).
Last week, Liggett Communication’s WSAQ-FM (Port Huron) held its annual “Roof Sit” to benefit the St. Clair County Child Abuse and Neglect Council (CAN Council) and raised a record $179,000!
On September 15-16, Townsquare Media’s WCRZ-FM (Flint) once again hosted its annual “Let’s Make Miracles Radiothon” to benefit Hurley Children’s Hospital. This year’s effort raised $82,105 for the hospital! This was a 22.8% increase over the prior year.
On September 20, Alpha Media flipped its WGER-FM (Saginaw) from an adult-CHR format to rock, rebranding as “106.3 The Core.” The station is focused on rock/alternative music from the ’90s & ’00s. The playlist will include artists like Rage Against The Machine, Pearl Jam & Soundgarden, Blink 182, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Sublime.