Programming Newsline

clear channel, jacor sell off 20 properties. The groups are letting go of outlets in five markets to satisfy Justice Department antitrust guidelines: Cleveland's modern WENZ, album rock WNCX, and N/T WERE; Tampa, Fla.'s R&B oldies WFJO, adult R&B WRBQ-AM, country WRBQ-FM, triple-A WHPT, sports WZTM, easy listening WDUV, and jazz WSJT; Jacksonville, Fla.'s classic rock WBGB and N/T WZNZ; Louisville, Ky.'s top 40 WDJX, AC WVEZ, modern rock WLRS, classic rock WSFR, and religious WFIA; and Dayton, Ohio's top 40 WGTZ, classic rock WING-FM, and N/T WING-AM. Meanwhile, Citadel has picked up 16 stations from Wicks Broadcast Group, including eight in Charleston, S.C., five in Binghamton, N.Y., and three in Kokomo/Muncie, Ind.
ken benson inks with chancellor. Former MTV VP of programming Ken Benson has an official title for his long-pending job at Chancellor: programming and operations specialist. Initially, he'll be working out of Denver, lending his talents to new Howard Stern affiliate and modern rocker KXPK (the Peak), top 40 KALC (Alice 106), AC KIMN, and their sister stations.
chancellor wants to be jammin'. The M Street Journal reports that Chancellor Media has filed for trademarks on the "jammin' oldies" slogan made famous by its KCMG (Mega 100) Los Angeles and the terms "listen without prejudice" and "tha bomb." CBS, meanwhile, has filed for the term "the capitol's party station."
rock and rise. M Street has released its 10-year analysis of format trends in commercial radio. Rock radio, in all its permutations, has showed dramatic growth from a 1989 count of 365 stations in a universe of 9,254 to 868 stations out of 10,394 in 1998. That's a 137% increase over the past nine years. As a percentage of total stations, rock had a 3.9% share in 1989 and posted an 8.4% this year.
big bang to be distributed by abc. AtlanticPacific Music, producer of "The Big Bang Concert Series," has inked a deal with ABC Radio Networks to distribute the series. The company will produce a minimum of 24 two-hour radio specials in 1999. "Big Bang" offers rock and R&B events with acts that have included the B-52's, Shawn Colvin, Duncan Sheik, LL Cool J, LeAnn Rimes, and Trisha Yearwood.
NEW AWRT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. American Women in Radio and Television has appointed author and women's advocate Jacci Duncan as its executive director, effective Jan. 4. She is the author of two books, "Washington For Women" and "The Women's History Guide To Washington."