Indiana RadioWatch: July 1, 2013

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Northeast

Barb Richards, midday host and former PD at Sarkes Tarzian Hot AC/WAJI (95.1fm) adds a non-radio role as the Marketing Director of Fort Wayne's Embassy Theatre. Ms. Richards remains in middays at "Majic 95.1" and began at WAJI in 1984.

Chuck Rowe joins Swick Broadcasting and now hosts middays on their Hot AC/WLKI (100.3fm, Angola). Mr. Rowe replaces Christian Wheel in middays, and Mr. Rowe also does news and production on other Swick Broadcasting radio stations.

But that's not the biggest news out of Angola: Swick Broadcasting recently acquired a new 39,000 square foot office building and visible from I-69. Later this summer, Swick will move all of its radio stations into state of the art studios, filling about a quarter of the building. The current Swick building dates back to 1989 and will be sold or leased.

Before he went into politics, Charles Pugh was a reporter at then-WKJG-TV (Channel 33, Fort Wayne). Now, he's the Detroit City Council President and he's missing. A Detroit teen filed a police report, but police haven't revealed what's in the report. Nobody said why Mr. Pugh is missing or where Mr. Pugh went, but Detroit city leaders already cut off Mr. Pugh's powers as City Council President and suspended his salary.

Fort Wayne Public Television's PBS affiliate WFWA-TV (Channel 39, Fort Wayne) installed emergency generators at both their studio and transmitter sites. Normally, this wouldn't be much of a story, but last Friday marked the first anniversary of the multi-state derecho, which took multiple Fort Wayne radio and TV stations off the air.

Federated Media's N-T/WOWO(AM) and WOWO-FM (1190am, 92.3fm, both Fort Wayne) traffic reporter Kylie Havens adds nights (via voice track) on sister Country/WQHK (105.1fm, Huntertown). Before Ms. Havens, nights were voicetracked by Country/WAWC (103.5fm, Wawasee) PD Jay Michaels (Mr. Michaels also hosted nights on "K-105" in the very late 1990s and early 2000s).

This morning, Northeast Indiana Public Radio's Talk-Jazz/WBOI (89.1fm, Fort Wayne) makes multiple programming changes, which will encompass parts of the entire broadcast schedule.

Let's go through these chronologically:

NPR Morning Edition now ends at 10am. That displaces The BBC Newshour, which moves to 3pm. NPR ceased producing Talk of the Nation, so WBOI replaces it with "Here and Now" from Noon until 2pm. The locally produced "Midday Matters" ends (which is why "Here and Now" starts at Noon). RadioLab and Science Friday move to a Saturday afternoon programming block, from Noon until 3pm. "Splendid Table" won't air Saturday at Noon anymore, but remains at 3pm on Sunday. Also on Sunday, the "Burnt Toast Show" moves back an hour; now airing 8pm until 11pm. BBC News now begins at 11pm, both weekdays and weekends.

WBOI President/GM Peter Dominowski says, "89.1 WBOI continually seeks ways to better serve our community. While we realize that NPR's cancellation of Talk of the Nation will disappoint many listeners, it also allows us to provide new programming to serve the communities of Northeast Indiana with the top-quality public radio service they expect and deserve."

WBOI News Director Sean Bueter adds, "While we know that Midday Matters had a strong following, the new program schedule gives us the flexibility to provide more 'driveway moments' to our listeners. It is our goal to cover Northeast Indiana news with the same level of quality and consistency as NPR covers the nation and the world."

Where Are They Now? Former WOWO PD Gregg Henson adds an on-air show "Pittsburgh Sports Night" 6pm until 8pm weeknights on WPGB in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Northcentral

Hoosier AM/FM, LLC Talk-Sports/WIOU (1350am, Kokomo) flipped formats this morning to ESPN Radio. WIOU PD Rob Rupe remains in the PD chair. WIOU drops Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and adds ESPN's "Mike and Mike," Colin Cowherd, SVP and Russillio, and Coach and Company. WIOU's new website.

Weigel Broadcasting ABC affiliate WBND (Channel 57, South Bend) reporter Eric Steltzer recently did a live morning shot when he heard what he thought was gunfire. He did another live shot before leaving the scene, where he covered an early morning drive-by shooting.

Larry Langford's Classic Hits/WGTO (910am, Cassopolis, Michigan) and translator W266BS (101.1fm, Cassopolis, Michigan) add Kent Fulmer as station manager and sales boss. Mr. Fulmer worked at several Michiana radio stations (WDOW, WKAM, etc.) Owner Larry Langford says, "Kent brings the knowledge of a 25 year career in radio back to his roots here in Cass County. He will work fulltime to make WGTO the local voice of Dowagiac and Cass County. Our recent power increase to 3000 watts will better our reach and penetration to every part of Cass, Berrien and Van Buren Counties." while Mr. Fulmer adds, "I'm excited to be coming back to radio in the community where I grew up. I'm a big believer in the importance of quality local radio to smaller communities like Dowagiac. Having a local radio station is a treasure that needs to be a big part of the business and social community. There will be even more emphasis on local high school sports and I will interact daily with our business and civic leaders as a local home grown manager."

Eastcentral

Hoosier AM/FM's Oldies-Sports WBAT (1400am, Marion) adds the Genesis Communications Network syndicated show "Free Talk Live."

Central

We have an unfortunate story regarding former WRTV News Director David Baer. Mr. Baer was one of three men arrested following a prostitution sting. Mr. Baer serves as news director at WHP-TV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting's N-T/WFYI-FM (90.1fm, Indianapolis) adds The BBC Newshour, weekdays at 3pm, beginning today.

A tip of the IRW cap to Emmis/Indianapolis Senior VP/Market Manager Charlie Morgan, on being named President of the Country Radio Broadcasters. Mr. Morgan said, "The Country Radio Seminar has played such a significant role in my own personal growth and success that it is a privilege and a bit humbling to have the chance to serve the organization. The leadership team, both board leadership and staff, is incredible and the Seminar will continue to be a catalyst for growth and learning for years to come."

Dispatch Broadcasting's NBC affiliate WTHR-TV (Channel 13, Indianapolis) chief meteorologist Chris Wright will exit at the end of July. Former WISH-TV meteorologist Angela Buchman will soon join WTHR-TV. Mr. Wright joined WTHR in 1999 after leaving WISH and has ten Emmy's. He's also worked at WXIN-TV.

Where Are They Now? Former WNOU weekender Vegas (now known as "Mikey B.") exits KMYZ in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Westcentral

Construction (or, would that be destruction?) crews are hard at work, demolishing two former Terre Haute broadcasting landmarks: Emmis' former building at 918 Ohio Street, and the former Crossroads Communications building at 13th and Ohio Streets.

Southeast

Ryan Media's Sports/WXVW (1450am, Jeffersonville) adds Western Kentucky University play by play for football, and men's basketball.

Southwest

In Owensboro, they remember former WVJS News Director Joe Bell who passed away. Mr. Bell worked as News Director at WVJS in the 1950s. Mr. Bell was 77.

Today in Indiana Radio History

In 1968, WTRE, Greensburg (1330am) signs on.

In 1993, 105.9fm, Wabash signs on. Today, it's WJOT-FM.

In 2000, WKVI (1520am, 99.3fm, both Knox) both flipped format from country to AC.

In 2003, a pair of Indianapolis radio stations changed format. 98.3fm (Plainfield) flipped formats from religious (WXIR) to Radio Disney (WRDZ), after a station sale. 95.9fm (Franklin) flipped formats from News-Talk to Religious ("Joy 96").

Radio Spotlight
Name: Dan Bindert
Job Title(s): VP of Radio Operations
Station(s): WLPR, 89.1FM, "The Lakeshore" in Merrillville
Market(s): NWI/Chicago
Owner: Lakeshore Public Media (Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting Inc.)


Who were your early DJ or radio station influences? (Perhaps what lead you to "catch the radio bug."?)

Too many to name...but I loved the medium from the time I was 4 or 5 listening to AM on my little yellow Panasonic transistor radio growing up in Rochester, NY. I got hooked on Larry King's old all night show on the Mutual network around 8th grade and used to stay up late listening to it in the summer, as well as just trying to see what distant stations I could find on the AM dial in the middle of the night. As far as working I got hooked in college at State University of New York at Brockport. It was pretty much an all student run station so I got to try a lot of things, from football and hockey play-by-play to college rock, jazz, blues and classical shows. And then I got hooked on my local NPR station, WXXI-AM 1370, which had great NPR news and talk shows during the day and jazz and blues all night. That's where I got my first professional radio job, playing records all night on an AM station. I loved it. Still do.

Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?

Two very strong cups of coffee and either some Morning Edition, or a good jazz record.

How did you first get started at WLPR?

In January of 2009, I was fortunate to be hired as morning show host by Leigh Denoon, who was hiring staff for the launch of this brand new station. It was exciting to be in on the ground floor of a brand new start up, but also very challenging on a lot of levels. I would up taking over as PD in 2010 and later promoted to VP.

If you had such a thing as a "typical day," please tell us about yours?

I usually get pulled in several different directions as soon as I get in the door, so it can be hectic, but it's never boring. Typically, first thing, I'll check in with the morning show crew, see if there were any problems and give some feedback. Then, I'll cut some promos, underwriting, or do some other quick studio work I need to get out of the way before our production studios get busy. I'll also check in with some of our sales people or they'll check in with me. Often there is a management meeting, or two. I often don't really sit down at my desk until a few hours into the day, and by then there are 40 or 50 emails to sift through. We have a small staff, so some days I have some on-air work, but often the bulk of my day is spent connecting the dots between a whole bunch of programming, sales, production, and administrative items. And the any leftover time I try to tend to upkeep on our new website. And of course, I listen to the station pretty much non-stop all day, every day.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I like that no two days are really ever the same. I enjoy being on air once in a while but I get just as much enjoyment now out of hearing someone else at my station do something really well on the air. Most of all I like all the people I get to interact with, whether it is my radio colleagues in house, or the program guests that you meet in person or over the phone.

What has been your biggest career accomplishment?

That's easy...My biggest accomplishment was getting a date with the new reporter working late on a news story at WXXI-AM back in 1994 while I was doing the all night jazz show there. We've been together since our first date in 1994 and married since 1999. Beyond that, I would say getting paid to stay up all night playing old records I loved for a long time was great, and I'm proud that I've been able to stay consistently alive in the radio biz for the last 24 years without really having a gap between jobs.

What makes WLPR unique and successful?

I suppose the jury is still out on whether we are a success or not, but we feel we've made an impact with the community here in Northwest Indiana by pushing hard to do more than just be a typical NPR station. Since we are such a young station in the grand scheme of things we've been able to take some chances during our first few years. Even though we have a small staff, we've been far more driven by a desire to try to make something new and different happen, even when it requires going out on a limb, live without a tightrope, rather than sitting on a lot of creative programming ideas that never see the sight of day.

What makes your job unique?

Northwest Indiana itself is a unique market - as a media outlet, we are largely in the shadow of the big Chicago heavy hitters, but there's a culture and history and sense of pride here that stands on its own. As a small public radio station, our local programming quotient is through the roof. We're one of those rare public radio stations that does sports, which can be lots of fun but can also wreak havoc with your programming schedule.

What was your last radio gig?

I was a jazz music host, arts feature producer, and news anchor/host at WBEZ-FM in Chicago for about ten years before becoming a VP at Lakeshore.

What's the best advice you'd give to those wanting to get into radio?

To be ready to work hard for little pay, but have some fun, and to have fun but take it as seriously as you can. Radio may not be much of a growth industry right now, but for someone young who wants it bad enough, go ahead and give it your best shot. You can always give up later on!

What's the most important issue in radio today?

The steady drain of audience, talent, ad money, skilled veteran staffers who've been forced out of the business.

What's your favorite out-of-market radio station, and why?

WWOZ in New Orleans and WSM 650 in Nashville - the sense of place, the way they each weave the history and heritage of their cities into everything they do and celebrate their music heritage every day, is just tremendous.

Where do you see the radio industry five years from now?

Hopefully bouncing back with more local investment in stations all over the country. If not that, hopefully holding its ground in spite of all the new challenges.

Who are your mentor(s)?

I feel like I've learned from everyone I've worked with, that goes for people younger than me as well as those who are older and wiser. One of the things I love about my job is that you never stop learning. I would specifically mention Richard Steele and Chris Heim from WBEZ in Chicago, Dan Poletta and David C Barnett from WCPN in Cleveland, Jim McGrath and Doug Curry of WXXI in Rochester though as a few of the people I picked up something up from.

Why do you think radio is still important?

Because it still reaches so many people, even though they have so many other media fighting for their attention. Mainly though, it still is possible to have those magical experiences where you are driving in your car alone and become totally transfixed by what you are hearing, whether it is a great song, a great deejay, some riveting news, an interesting interview, or an exciting sportscast. Public radio is possibly better than it has ever been...and even though nighttime AM radio is a shadow of what it once was, it still feels alive when you tune around the dial to hear all those wonderful human voices coming through the static.

Employment Opportunities

WFYI Public Media / Sound Medicine Exec. Producer / WFYI Health Content Manager / Indianapolis, IN: Sound Medicine is a multi-media program (http://soundmedicine.org) that explains medicine and health care to a broad audience. Now in its 12th season, the public radio series has secured two-year enhanced funding to build a sustainable national brand. During this 2-year period, the Executive Producer will provide and execute the strategic and business planning critical to the continued success of Sound Medicine on-air and on-line. This is a regular temporary position. Success will lead to continuation of the program and the position.

Examples of duties: S/he will supervise and work closely with the Senior Producer to hire and lead staff, and shape the series content and structure. The Executive Producer will lead the development of the program's website and the deployment of supporting social media. S/he will expand carriage and listenership with Public Radio stations throughout the U.S. The Executive Producer will represent Sound Medicine in sales presentations and will develop funding to sustain the series consistent with the mission of WFYI and of Indiana University.

Health, as a subject and a practice, is a strategic response by WFYI to the interests of its central Indiana community. The Executive Producer of Sound Medicine will coordinate the local health content services of WFYI across all of its available platforms.

Equal Opportunity Employer

HOW TO APPLY: WFYI is being assisted in this search by Livingston Associates. Please visit www.livingstonassociates.net for the full job posting and instructions on how to apply. For best consideration, apply by July 8, 2013.

WIKY is the leader in news and information radio in Southwest Indiana (Marconi, Crystal and local "Best of" award winning station), and we need a News Director and Morning News Anchor ready to lead our department. The ideal candidate has on air experience as a news anchor and reporter capable of being a key part of the number one morning show in the market. This candidate must also have experience as a manager or leader and be able to design and implement a news strategy that includes on air, online/digital and social media delivery. This is clearly not an entry level position and pay is commensurate with experience (and above market average).

To be considered, please send a complete resume along with a sample of your on air performance to Mark Elliott - WIKY Radio mark at wiky dot com.

Please note, if you know of someone who fits the above criteria or can recommend someone at your competitor you'd like to get out of the market, we will pay a $100 finder's fee, if we hire your recommendation.

WIKY / South Central Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

A quality multi-station cluster in a beautiful, historic small community is seeking a radio news anchor/reporter interested in informing listeners in multiple counties who depend on the stations to be their primary news source. Additionally, the candidate will have a passion to do high school sports play-by-play. Here is a chance to become an integral part of the lives of listeners by demonstrating skill and insight into their issues and interests. If you are looking for a community to call "home" while doing important work as part of a talented team of radio pros, send a package demonstrating your experience and talent in news writing, reporting, and newscast delivery as well as your play-by-play to: Rick Duncan, Director of Programming, Whitewater Broadcasting, 2301 W. Main, Richmond, IN 47374. Whitewater Broadcasting is an EOE and encourages the hiring of females and minorities.

Do you like bats, bourbon and basketball?? If so, keep reading. Newly formed Summit Media Group's Louisville cluster is on the hunt for the nation's best talent. We need a morning personality/imaging director for top rated 107-7 The Eagle, Louisville's Classic Hits (WSFR). Prepare to be all live, all local and ready to work - show prep, creative content, production, appearances, social media, concerts and more expected. Main focus on live mornings and imaging. Must be willing to accept coaching. 3 to 5 years on-air experience preferred. Experience imaging Classic Hits, Classic Rock, Hot AC a plus. Excellent pay, benefits and resources. Summit Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Send packages to: loujobs at summitmediacorp dot com.

Eagle Tower Services, Inc., committed to continuing improvement and to being the lowest cost provider of tower services consistent with a high degree of quality, professionalism, and safety, is seeking a BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPRESENTATIVE to engage in outside sales leading to growth of our business. Our primary market is Indiana and surrounding states, specializing in AM/FM and television, but also serving customers in paging, wireless Internet and 2-way radio including commercial, utilities and government. We are a full service tower company engaged in routine maintenance, component installation and new tower construction. This is a contract commission position with generous commission and superb customer service support. The ideal candidate will have excellent knowledge of the broadcast industry throughout Indiana with excellent people skills in working with and providing excellent service to broadcast engineers and, often, station general managers. We proudly serve some of the finest names in Indiana broadcasting and wireless communications. If this is of interest, please send your resume to Terry Garrity, Eagle Tower Services, Inc., P.O. Box 387, Arcadia, IN 46030; E-MAIL: terry.garrity at eagletowerindiana dot com and feel welcome to visit our website at www.eagletowerindiana.com to learn more about what we do. Eagle Tower Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F.

Emmis Communications' WIBC/Indianapolis is reloading with more live and local talk programming. Our next afternoon host will talk about things that make others talk about them... someone that understands the difference between displaying/relating conservative sensibilities vs. ideology alone. If you want the job, you'll need to be as comfortable talking about Mark Zuckerberg as Marco Rubio and Ryan Lochte as Paul Ryan. If you can connect the dots on what commonalities make both "The O'Reilly Factor" and "Chelsea Lately" work you could be ready to pull off the kind of show we are looking for. Insatiable curiosity required. Amaze us with your demo, writing examples, and anything else that conveys why your skills and talents will keep us relevant through the next decade. Send to dwood at indy dot emmis dot com.

FOX 59 WXIN, a Tribune Broadcasting station, seeks an experienced Anchor/Reporter who thrives on breaking news, enterprising stories and working under tight deadlines. The successful candidate will also regularly post content to the station's website and social media outlets. Degree in broadcast journalism or related field and at least 3 years anchoring and/or reporting experience in a television newsroom required. Job Description: Presents news and information on news and other station programs and covers news stories when not anchoring. Represents WXIN/WTTV-TV to the public viewing audience. Reads stories on regular scheduled newscasts and other programs produced by the station. Writes and/or proofreads stories on assigned broadcasts. Acts as general assignment reporter when not performing anchor duties. Consistently contributes story ideas for newscasts. Develops and maintains productive relationship with news contacts and sources. Works with producers, reporters and associate producers on assigned news broadcast. Regularly posts content to the station's website and updates social media sites. Monitors news feeds when necessary. Answers viewer phone calls and mail. Performs public speaking engagements and makes other appearance deemed important to the station image by management. Develops community contacts. Other duties as assigned by supervisor. Qualifications Necessary: College degree in broadcast journalism or a related area of study. At least 3 years experience anchoring regularly scheduled news broadcasts on a commercial or public television station and/or reporting for a broadcast news organization. Effective writing skills. Good organizational skills. Must be able to accept constructive feedback and criticism designed to enhance individual's performance. Ability to appear live in a broadcast to deliver reports in a professional and effective manner. Ability to perform duties and make decisions under deadline pressure. Must have a clear understanding of web and social media outlets. Send resume, cover letter stating position desired, and referral source plus a non-returnable DVD with your latest newscast to Human Resources, WXIN-TV, 6910 Network Place, Indianapolis, IN 46278. EOE.

Hoosier AM/FM is seeking an experienced media Account Executive to join the sales team of our four-station cluster in Muncie-Marion, IN. This person will be responsible for prospecting and developing new business as well as growing and maintaining existing accounts. A positive attitude and excellent verbal and written communications skills are a must. This is a full time position. Hoosier AM/FM offers a competitive compensation package including Medical, Dental, Paid Vacations. Minimum education level is High School diploma or equivalent. Resume and letter of introduction are to be sent to indianaradiojobs at yahoo dot com. Hoosier AM/FM is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

South-Central Indiana's number one country radio station, Indiana Country WKKG, is on the hunt for a marketing consultant to develop strong, lasting business partnerships and build successful marketing programs for radio and the web. You'll be working from an established client list as well as creating new business relationships. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills, professional character and the ability to work in a competitive and diverse market. The selected individual will receive a competitive compensation package including salary, plus commission, health and life insurance benefits and 401(k) pension plan. Interested applicants should send resume and cover letter including salary history by May 31st, to Personnel, White River Broadcasting Company; P.O. Box 1789; Columbus, IN 47202, or email jobs at wkkg dot com. The White River Broadcasting Company is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

WBOI-FM, an NPR station in Fort Wayne, Ind., seeks a creative, enterprising reporter and anchor to join our award-winning team. Now under the leadership of GM Peter Dominowski, co-founder of the Public Radio Program Directors Association and the MEGS for Journalists workshops, Northeast Indiana Public Radio is looking for a journalist who is eager to tell the stories of real people. We want a reporter who's creative, engaging on social media and the web, and driven to tell stories that impact the community.

Job Duties:
* Report on issues of local and regional importance. Pitch ideas for spots, NPR-style features and compelling two-way interviews.
* Host local breaks during Morning Edition or All Things Considered.
* Participate in on-air fund drives.

Minimum qualifications:
* Bachelor's degree and two years of journalism experience. Public radio experience strongly preferred.
* Strong writing skills.
* Proficient with audio editing software.
* Experience with web publishing platforms and social media.
* Knowledge of public radio core values and style.
* Reliable transportation and a valid driver's license.
* Knowledge of local and regional issues a plus.

Send cover letter, resume and audio of your best hosting/reporting work (either .mp3 files or links) to sbueter at nipr dot fm. Northeast Indiana Public Radio and WBOI are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

That's all for this issue. Thank you for your continued support.

=============== Indiana RadioWatch ===============

(c) 2013, Blaine E. Thompson

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