MANAGEMENT

Howard Kalmenson, President/CEO of Lotus Communications, will receive this year's Lifetime Achievement honor in Radio Ink's Medallas de Cortez Hispanic Radio Awards. This is the highest honor in the Medallas de Cortez, named after Hispanic radio pioneer Raoul Cortez. In addition, a number of Southern California broadcasters have been announced as finalists. They are:

Broadcaster of the Year
Jeffrey Liberman, Entravision Radio

Station of the Year/Markets 1-25
KDLD-FM/Los Angeles

General Manager of the Year/Markets 1-25
Karl Meyer, Entravision Radio/Los Angeles
Peter Moore, KLQV-FM & KLNV-FM/San Diego

Sales Manager of the Year/Markets 1-25
Matt Cardenas, KSSE, KDLD & KLYY/Los Angeles

Radio Personality of the Year/Markets 1-25
Oswaldo Diaz/Erazno y Chokolata,La Tricolor/Los Angeles
Fernando Espuelas,Univision Radio Network/Los Angeles

Radio Personality of the Year/Markets 26+
Salvador Prieto, KXLM/Oxnard, CA

Click here for a complete list of finalists.

Longtime Radio manager Bob Moore has rejoined Westwood One founder Norm Pattiz as President of his Courtside Entertainment Group. Moore most recently managed KABC and KLOS/L.A. and prior to that, CBS Radio’s L.A. station cluster. Current Courtside offerings include Loveline with Dr. Drew, Mike and Simone, The One Minute Clinic with Dr. Drew, Bill O’Reilly specials, and the Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary special.

Don Martin has been promoted to the newly created position of SVP, Sports and will oversee all sports programming and operations for Premiere Networks and the FOX Sports Radio Network. He will also continue his duties as GM of KLAC/LA. Martin joined Premiere Networks in 2009 as vp/gm of the FOX Sports Radio Network, while also serving as GM/PD of AM 570 KLAC/LA.

CBS Radio names Peter Bowen Director of Sales for the company’s Los Angeles cluster. Bowen has been DOS at CBS/Chicago for the past six years.

Former CBS DOS Dawn Girocco is the new General Sales Manager for Clear Channel's KYSR/L.A.

Zev Levy has been named DOS for SBS/L.A. stations KLAX 97.9FM and KXOL 96.3FM, and will also oversee SBS Interactive and SBS Entertainment. Levy has been with SBS for the past three years and moves up from his current GSM position. Previously, he was the associate director of client development and partnership marketing for ImpreMedia. Lisa Teagardner is also returning to the stations as national sales manager.

Virginia Nelson has signed on as Operations Manager for All Pro Broadcasting’s KATY/KCXX and also takes on Sales Manager duties for KATY.

Liberman Broadcasting/KWIZ General Sales Manager Michael Rivera moves to the same position at sister station KRQB.

L.A. Times editor Russ Stanton joins KPCC 89.3 as VP of Content where he will oversee the newsroom, all the on-air programming at KPCC 89.3, Riverside-market KUOR 89.1 and Coachella Valley/Palm Springs-area KVLA 90.3.

Mike Johnson has been named Operations Manager/Music Director at KKJZ. He has served in various programming and operational capacities for Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters for over twenty years. Mike’s role at the Westwood home office will not be replaced but the company will be adding a full time digital director in the near future.

Brad Fuhr’s position of Manager of Affiliate Sales Support at Emmis interactive is being eliminated. You can reach him at his consulting company Hollywood InterMedia at 818-252-8585.

STATION NEWS

Multicultural Broadcasting has signed a deal with the Music of Your Life network to put the adult standards format on 15 of its stations. Beginning this month, it will air in overnights on stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Miami and Seattle. Multicultural CEO Arthur Liu says the format’s actually a "perfect fit" for its portfolio of AM signals.

"Go Country Classics" (CountryClassics.com) has debuted on Mt. Wilson Broadcasters’ HD3 channel. Tonya Campos is doing the programming, which includes songs from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s that are not played on a regular basis on contemporary Country KKGO.

Morris Media introduced a new station to Coachella Valley at midnight on New Year's; Crush 1039. The station had played Lou Bega's Mambo #5 for three preceding days to gain attention, and then flipped to HOT AC, which makes it one of two HOT ACs in the market. After 30-days commercial free (and jock-free), it introduced Kiddnation with Kidd Kraddick as the morning show and local personality Tyler Russell (formerly of 93.7 KCLB) on afternoons.

MORE AWARD NEWS

KUZZ-FM in Bakersfield will be the third station in history to receive the NAB Crystal Heritage Award, recognizing a radio station's long-term commitment to community service. The award will be presented during the NAB Show Radio Luncheon on April 17th in Vegas. The Heritage Award honors those stations that have won a total of five Crystal Radio Awards, which recognize radio stations' year-round community service efforts. KUZZ-FM earned its first Crystal Radio Award in 1998. 

Charese Fruge, former pd at KYSR, is being awarded the Excellence in Radio Management award from the Alliance for Women in Media/Southern California chapter. The group provides financial assistance to promising college students pursuing careers in media. Charese programs KSCF (Sophie@103.7), and two Las Vegas stations

KNX has received the 2011 Radio Anchor Staff Award by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association. Awards for radio and television excellence were presented in January at the SCSB’s 21st annual awards luncheon at the Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake. This marks the second consecutive win for the KNX sports anchor team which includes Randy Kerdoon, Steve Grad, Joe Cala, Joe McDonnell, and Chris Madsen.

The Golden Mike Awards were given out at the 62nd annual awards dinner in Universal City earlier this year. The Golden Mikes are presented annually for excellence in Radio, TV and Internet broadcast journalism by the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California (RTNA), representing newsrooms in Los Angeles, San Diego and other markets from Bakersfield to the Mexican border. Click here for a list of all the winners.

AGENCY NEWS

General Motors has consolidated its $3 billion global media-buying and -planning account with Aegis' Carat as part of its ongoing effort to create efficiencies and cut costs and agencies.

AES ON THE MOVE

Coming In (from):
KABC: Stephen Green
KAMP: Crystal Salas
KATJ/KIXA/KIXW/KZWY: Jenny Artiaga, Vicky Morrill
KAVL/KTPI: Emily Esposito
KBBY/KHAY/KVEN/KVYB: Matt Nadsady
KFI/KLAC/KTLK: Robert Susnar
KFWB/KNX: Barbara Perez
KGB: Andrew Griggs
KHTS: Jenna Jarosz
KOGO: Tony Wheeler, Rachel-Adams Wood
KPCC: Laurie Milam
KRAK/KVFG: Charles Lapat
KRTH: Evan Goldenberg, Nick Carl
KSCF: Susan Turman
KSPN: Nate Cordray, Trish Kinsey moves to Sales Asst
KTWV: Anne Quest
KYXY: Mira Simon

Going Out:
CBS Radio: Creative Svc Dir. James Romero
KAMP: Doug Hall
KATJ/KIXA/KIXW/KZXY: Brian Cook
KBBY/KHAY/KVEN/KVYB: Emily Donatelli
KFMB: Lara Dumont
KFRG: Tony Wilcox
KFWB/KNX: Rose Pugliese, Lynisha Hyche
KGB: Kelli Kunkel, Harry O
KHTS: Ashley Shapiro, Chris Ashby
KPCC: Kimi Yu
KROQ: Mike Lauer
KSPN: Ken Steele, Alex Corral, Brandon Graham, Sales Asst Shanna Spencer
KYXY/KSCF: Allyn Boyance

ON THE AIR

Carson Daly (left) has signed a new multi-year contract with KAMP 97.1 FM.

Bruce Scott, popular morning man in Indianapolis, has joined afternoons at KOST.

KDAY/L.A. has a new morning show, Tattoo and Cece. They can be heard 6:00-10:00 am.

Actor and television personality Mario Lopez has signed on to host nights on Clear Channel’s 104.3 My FM KBIG/LA. Mario will broadcast 7-11pm The Grove.

Geraldo Rivera joins KABC/LA. with a live weekday 10:00 am-noon (PT) show, in addition to his existing WABC/NY live show.

Salem’s KFSH-FM The Fish has added Delilah (right) to its nightly lineup 7:00 pm – midnight, airing a "fully-customized" edition of her program of music and inspirational stories and ideas.



Cal State Northridge’s 88.5-FM KCSN/L.A. revamps its weekend lineup. Terri Nunn (left)of the rock band Berlin will host "Unbound with Terri Nunn" 6:00 – 8:00 pm on Saturdays, along with comedienne Wendy Liebman. Mark “Mr. Shovel” Sovel, Indie 103.1’s former music director, will host "City of Night with Mr. Shovel" from 8:00-11:00 pm on Saturdays, and International tastemaker Sat Bisla joins the station for "Passport Approved with Sat Bisla," 5:00-7:00 pm on Sundays. "L.A. Buzzbands," hosted by Kevin Bronson, will move to 7:00 pm on Sundays.

David Cruz has joined KTLK/L.A. in afternoon drive. Cruz’s broadcast journalism background spans more than three decades, and includes experience in major market network television news, radio and online media, including KNBC/Channel 4.

Modern Rock KYSR 98-7fm/L.A. has added the syndicated Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx to its lineup, airing 11pm-4am.

KIIS FM airborne traffic reporter Commander Chuck Street is no longer doing traffic reports for the station due to the loss of his longtime sponsor.

Cumulus Media Networks syndicated MoneyTalk with Bob Brinker returns to the weekend lineup at KABC/L.A. 2-4pm (PT).

PASSINGS

Steven Garber passed away on February 12 at Cedars Sinai Hospital of MDS, a form of cancer that destroys bone marrow. Steve was born in 1947 in Kingston, NY and in 1962 the family moved to California. He attended Hamilton High and California State University Northridge where he studied journalism. Upon graduation Steve switched to advertising which led to a career as a senior marketing executive. He was an award winning writer/creative director for major advertising agencies including three within the Interpublic Group of Companies: Dailey and Associates, Lowe & Partners and McCann Erickson, where he was Vice President of the Los Angeles office. He was also the Senior VP of Joseph Potocki and Associates, one of the nation’s largest Direct Marketing Firms, in charge of creative for both East and West Coast offices. In 1998, Steve joined real estate start-up, Realtor.com, where he led the marketing team through a two billion dollar IPO. He later joined the Pasadena Angels investment group where he mentored several startups on marketing and advertising. Steve is survived by his wife of 41 years, Mary Beth Garber, his son Greg and his wife Marlene and their children, Dylan and Zoe.

Steve Berk, who worked in the KGIL newsroom form 1959-71 died on February 1, from complications of diabetes. Shortly after his birth in Scranton, his family moved to Cleveland.  At the age of 6, the family moved to Los Angeles, where young Stevie became a "regular" at the local radio broadcasting and television recording stations when he was about 10. Local djs adopted him as the unofficial station mascot sending him to fetch records from the shelves, and running errands. He graduated from Hollywood High School in 1968, went on to attend LACC, and began his career as a dj and news manager for a radio station in San Luis Obispo.

Edgar Pierce, former general manager at KPPC, died January 9 after a short hospitalization. He was 88. As a boy he moved from Oklahoma to California with his parents and attended public schools in Upland. He attended Occidental College (Class of '44). He also attended the University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies in the early-1940's.  Ed enjoyed a successful 40-year career in live television production, broadcast advertising and public relations, and he was a charter member of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters. Ed joined the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association as a volunteer in 1961, served as a Committee Chair for several years, and was made an Honorary Life Member in 2003.

Dave Creagh, the executive responsible for turning KLON, the Long Beach State radio station, into a jazz outlet, died December 16, following a short illness associated with treatment of a cancer diagnosed in November. He was 60. Before his arrival at KLON, he produced All Things Considered for NPR. He left the Southland in the mid-1980s to program a new public radio station in Baltimore, WJHU.

Judy Jankowski, KLON/KKKZ general manager from 1994-2005 died December 17 at the age of 61. She started as the traffic manager at WOUB in Athens, Ohio, and held a series of top management positions that took her to Birmingham, Houston, Pittsburgh, and finally the Long Beach State radio station.

Thanks to Don Barrett, LARadio.com