Cumulus Media was the first media company to ban Morgan Wallen in early February. Now, the artist is quietly reappearing on its member stations. Back in February, Digital Music News first reported that multiple radio stations were planning to quietly reinstate Morgan Wallen into their on-air playlists, despite corporate-wide bans. That followed a flood of […]
Tag: Traditional Radio
German Radio Host Forced to Apologize for Comparing BTS to COVID-19
Photo Credit: Yun_Q / CC by 3.0 A German radio station is apologizing for comments a host made comparing BTS to the COVID-19 pandemic. Matthias Matushick caused an uproar after a live show on Wednesday in which he derided the band’s music. He called BTS’ cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” a ‘blasphemy’ and compared the […]
KCRW President Apologizes Following Accusations of ‘Blatant Racism’ and ‘Gaslighting’
Photo Credit: KCRW Santa Monica radio station KCRW-FM is under fire after allegations of ‘blatant racism’ surface. A former news producer named Cerise Castle shared some of her experience on a recent podcast. She said her time at the KCRW station was “marked by microaggressions, gaslighting, and blatant racism starting when I was physically prevented […]
Country Radio Station Merle FM Reinstates Morgan Wallen Into Full Rotation
Knoxville-based WMYL — aka 96.7 Merle FM — has broken ranks and become the first radio station in America to reinstate Morgan Wallen to its airwaves. Others may soon follow. We’ve reported on the intense pressure facing country radio stations to reinstate Morgan Wallen after uniformly banning his music — though so far, corporate conglomerates […]
Country Radio Stations Are Quietly Planning to Reinstate Morgan Wallen — “We’re Losing Core Listeners”
After abruptly removing Morgan Wallen from their playlists last week, country radio station program directors say they’re getting flooded by fans demanding his reinstatement. “We’re losing core listeners,” one program director told Digital Music News. Country radio stations are now grappling with a serious backlash after removing Morgan Wallen from their playlists last week — […]
Morgan Wallen Dropped by Country Radio Stations Following Racial Slur
Fast-rising country singer Morgan Wallen is now getting dropped by hundreds of radio stations after video emerged of him using the n-word. Morgan Wallen was recorded using the n-word outside of his home after a recent night of partying in Nashville. The video appears to have been recorded by a neighbor while Wallen was getting […]
iHeartMedia Layoffs Continue Across Multiple Radio Markets — Here’s the Latest
Back in April, following a series of personnel cutbacks that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic, iHeartMedia revealed that it planned to trim $250 million in costs this year. Now, the company has parted with several additional employees across multiple radio markets as part of this far-reaching undertaking. iHeartMedia recently informed the affected team members of the […]
Independent Broadcasters Slam Nielsen’s ‘Outdated System of Ratings Gathering’
Photo Credit: Eric Nopanen The Independent Broadcasters Association (IBA) has slammed Nielsen’s “outdated system of ratings gathering” ahead of the “Subscriber First” policy’s 2021 rollout – besides indicating that it’s “in conversations” with Bellevue, Washington’s Eastlan Ratings to design a digital-ratings tool. Nielsen Audio higher-ups introduced the controversial “Subscriber First” pivot last week. In brief, […]
Just 10% of Broadcast Radio Stations Are Streamed by Listeners
Photo Credit: Christian Lue Only 10 percent of radio listeners age 13 and up stream broadcast radio stations, according to a new study. In turn, approximately 90 percent of listeners still access broadcast radio stations over the air. (This also marks the first time that radio streamers’ share of total listeners has touched the double […]
Traditional AM/FM Radio Is Growing During COVID-19 Quarantines
(photo: Eric Nopanen) With government-issued stay-at-home orders and non-essential business closures continuing to affect schedules across the United States and the world, many are turning from music streaming services to video platforms like Netflix and Hulu. However, a newly published study found that AM/FM radio, for its part, is growing amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. […]