Radioactive: Jackson Supports Cc Spinoffs At Confab

Clear Channel chairman Lowry Mays got a hero's welcome, the Justice Department defended its ban on seller financing, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson panned LPFM while supporting Clear Channel's spinoffs. Those were some of the highlights of the Telecommunications Minority Media Advocacy Conference, held March 27-28 in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Citizenship Education Fund, an arm of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
In his opening remarks, Jackson cautioned that consolidation involves "tremendous risk for injury to consumers and entrepreneurs" and contrasted good and bad mergers. While he views the MCI/Worldcom marriage as "bad," Jackson sees Clear Channel's acquisition of AMFM as largely positive, saying that while it raises some concerns about concentration of ownership, it has opened the door for many minority owners to buy stations. "Not as a matter of charity, but a matter of good business," he said.
During the session with Mays on the 27th, Jackson surprised many and said that low-power FM "could be injurious to minority broadcasters . . . We want to play in the major leagues of big radio," he said. But later the same day, a press release from Jackson's organization stated "The CEF supports the FCC's adoption of a low-power FM service."
Many participants spoke out in favor of a congressional effort to revive tax certificates, giving tax breaks to companies that sell to minorities and women. Others lamented the Justice Department policy that bars seller financing, the practice of helping the buyer of a station get financing from the seller. DOJ Assistant Secretary Joe Klein says that practice will likely remain off-limits for the foreseeable future, since regulators are afraid of giving sellers too much control over which company they sell a station to.

BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT: CHASE WINS SPINOFF
Although Clear Channel originally planned to spin oldies WTRY-AM Albany, N.Y., to Regent Communications, the station will go instead to minority broadcaster Chase Radio Properties.
Cumulus' Wilmington, N.C., market manager Dave Patella exits. He oversaw several outlets, including adult R&B WKSX (Kiss 94).

PROGRAMMING: QUICK TO WIBB
WIBB Macon, Ga., GM Rick Humphrey says he's hired WPEG (Power 98) Charlotte, N.C., MD/p.m. driver Nate Quick as PD, replacing Kevin Foxx, now OM at Davis Broadcasting's Augusta, Ga., cluster.
KBCE Alexandria, La., PD/afternoon man Kenny Smoov exits. He joins his wife in Hartford, Conn., where they are expecting a baby. Smoov is replaced by former WYOK Mobile, Ala., PD Jay Michaels, who was most recently handling part-time duties at adult R&B WMXD Detroit.
WACR Columbus, Miss., adds new PD/afternoon drive host Tony Barrow to replace Jerold Jackson, who left last fall to program R&B oldies WRXR Augusta, Ga. Barrow was most recently morning man at blues outlet WODT New Orleans but was previously PD at former R&B KTOW Tulsa, Okla.
With R&B oldies WRLX (92X) West Palm Beach, Fla., having recently added ABC's syndicated "Doug Banks Morning Show," look for the station to go more current. VP of programming George Johns needs product.
John Jenkins, OM of AMFM's Birmingham, Ala., cluster, is now handling PD duties for R&B oldies WENN, which had previously been looking for an outside programmer.
Syndicator D. Blackmon Broadcasting (DBB) is debuting a longform weekend version of its weekday show "Gospel Insider" called "Gospel Insider 2000," hosted by DBB president Diane Blackmon.

PEOPLE: WROU MOURNS BROOKS
Condolences to the friends, family, and co-workers of WROU (U92) Dayton Ohio, night jock Nikki Brooks, 29, who was found dead in her apartment March 27. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Department has labeled her death suspicious, pending an autopsy. Brooks, whose real name was Kelli Wilson, was previously a jock at WIZF (the Wiz) Cincinnati, where she used the air name Kelly D.
KKDA-FM (K104) Dallas flips its night shifts, sending K.K. Holiday to 10 p.m.-2 a.m. and returning the "Tight At Night Crew" (Cocoa Buttah, DJ Felony, and Roc T) to its former 6-10 p.m. shift.
Former WBHJ (95.7 Jamz) Birmingham, Ala., morning host Buck Wilde joins crossover WOCQ (OC104) Ocean City, Md., for mornings, replacing Yo! Sonny Jo, who exited. Wilde was most recently afternoon jock at top 40 WQEN Birmingham. Back at WBHJ, P/T Ed Ramsey takes on production director duties now that Chris Collins is full-time PD at WYAM Huntsville, Ala.
R&B oldies WTJM (Jam'n 105) New York hires actress Nancy Giles as morning co-host.
At R&B oldies WEJM (Jammin' Gold 95.7) Philadelphia, APD/MD/middayer Chris Knight exits. P/T Neal Newman is handling things for now. Also, veteran programmer Gerry DeFrancesco, who signed on the station, then phased himself out when PD Steve McKay came on board, is again working with the station.

CYBERSPACED OUT
ABC's "Tom Joyner Morning Show" was the most-listened-to R&B program in Arbitron's just-released InfoStream ratings for December, finishing 12th, with approximately 28,000 online listeners, in a relatively disappointing month for R&B radio. Finishing 19th with about 23,000 listeners was R&B WKPO Madison, Wis. Only 290 stations, about a tenth of what's available online, are measured by InfoStream.
In other Internet-related news, the National Assn. of Broadcasters is suing the Recording Industry Assn. of America, saying broadcasters should not be subject to royalty payments for simulcasting their programming over the Internet. The lawsuit, filed March 27 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, comes in response to an RIAA petition for rulemaking filed March 16 with the U.S. Copyright Office. According to the NAB, the petition says that "discussions between RIAA and broadcasters have not advanced past the preliminary stage because the parties disagree over whether AM/FM Webcasts are subject to the digital performance right." NAB argues that the "non-subscription, simultaneous streaming activities" of its radio broadcast members are exempt from royalties, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. At press time, there was no response to the suit from the RIAA.

UPCOMING EVENTS & LIVING LEGENDS
The annual Living Legends Awards dinner will take place April 26 at Nashville's Opryland Hotel. This year's honorees include New York radio veteran Gary Byrd and Bobby O'Jay, OM of WHRK/WDIA/KJMS Memphis. On the label side, it's Chicago's Frank Chaplin and Harold Childs who are recognized, while Calvin Richardson and Bobby Perry are honored for retail. Also to be honored is KPRS Kansas City and its owners, the Carter family, for 50 years in broadcasting.
WGCI-AM-FM Chicago is already lining up participants for its annual Music Seminar, scheduled for May 7. This year, Arista's Clive Davis will serve as keynote speaker, while Toni Braxton, Donell Jones, and Da Brat are all set to appear.
WQUE (Q93) New Orleans PD Gerod Stevens holds his annual Programmers United meeting, Aug. 24-26 at the New Orleans Hyatt Regency.
Adult R&B WVAZ (V103) Chicago has compiled a CD of live performances by artists heard on the station, which it's now selling in local retail outlets. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the project will benefit LaRabida Children's Hospital.