Radio

Firm Poised to Boost Wireless Tracking

Wall Street Journal  |  Apr 14, 08 4:19 PM CDT

(Newser) - A Los Angeles company has figured out a way to make a radio frequency identification (RFID) system that is cheaper and has better range, the Wall Street Journal reports. New wireless networks could expand to cover entire warehouses, keeping track of individual items with cheaper radio tags. "I think this could have significant impact," a technology analyst says. More »

Trouble at CBS Runs Wide and Deep

New York Times  |  Apr 14, 08 11:09 AM CDT

(Newser) - With trouble plaguing most divisions of CBS, last week's flap over Katie Couric's contract was just one of the countless items on Les Moonves' to-do list, the New York Times reports. Ad sales are down industry-wide, Fox is on the tail of the prime-time division and gaining fast, and the radio division and online presence lag competitors. More »

Smiley Quits Radio Show After Obama Remarks

Washington Post  |  Apr 12, 08 4:05 PM CDT

(Newser) - Tavis Smiley is quitting as political analyst for a national radio show after comments he made about Barack Obama, the Washington Post reports. Smiley says he’s leaving the “Tom Joyner Morning Show” for personal reasons, but Joyner says otherwise. “The real reason is that he can’t take the hate he’s been getting regarding the Barack issue,” Joyner said. More »

Stern Sidekick Quits on Air After Fight

Newsday  |  Apr 11, 08 11:52 AM CDT

(Newser) - Longtime Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange walked off the show Thursday after an intense on-air shouting match with his personal assistant, Newsday reports. Lange tried to physically attack the assistant but was held back by studio members. Soon afterward Lange resigned, saying he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t act that way again. “I’m not a good person…I gotta leave…I love you, Howard,” he said, before departing. More »

Gossiper Trades Fat for Fortune

Wall Street Journal  |  Apr 9, 08 10:22 AM CDT

(Newser) - The Starbucks barista who turned his Perez Hilton alter ego into a web and TV sensation is bulking up his multimedia ventures by adding a radio show and slimming down his waistline, reports the Hollywood Reporter. "I want to frickin' jog shirtless in Malibu by the Fourth of July," the self-proclaimed "Gay Latino Oprah" said in a recent blog post. More »

Zell Turns to Radio Talent to Shake Up Newspapers

Wall Street Journal  |  Apr 7, 08 8:20 AM CDT

(Newser) - New publishing mogul Sam Zell is recruiting colorful veterans from the radio industry in a bid to help save his struggling Tribune Company, the Wall Street Journal reports. Zell is hoping the imports will spark innovation at the company, whose debt has swelled to $12.8 billion amid declining newspaper ad revenue. Most of the new recruits come from Clear Channel Communications; they're expected to shake up Zell's newspapers as they did the radio scene. More »

Jay-Z to Sign Record $150M Deal

New York Times  |  Apr 3, 08 7:19 AM CDT

(Newser) - Rapper Jay-Z is about to decamp from record label Def Jam and sign a $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation, reports the New York Times. The deal, Live Nation's biggest to date, will give the superstar financial backing for tours, his own record label and other related ventures such as talent consulting. It reflects the ongoing scramble in the music business as CD sales plunge and fans download more and more of their music. More »

Press Uncovers Shenanigans Aplenty

CNN  |  Apr 1, 08 6:16 PM CDT

(Newser) - The media uncovered several unconventional stories today, including a BBC video on flying penguins and a report in the Sun on stretching Nicolas Sarkozy to a greater height. And an Australian radio station revealed that the pope will deliver a special Mass for homosexuals in July, reports CNN. In business news, BMW announced that its new models will deliver an electric shock to dogs that relieve themselves on car tires. More »

Leahy to Clinton: You're Out