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BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'It really was the best job in local radio'
As the 2024-25 season comes to an end, it is expected to be a summer of change at Manchester City. It is also going to be one at BBC Radio Manchester. After eight seasons with the team, I have decided now is the time to go for a new challenge and that means leaving my role as the station's Manchester City six of those eight seasons I have been lucky to be the voice of the Blues on local radio. I have witnessed four Premier League titles in a row, three final-day dramas, two Manchester derby FA Cup finals and one are too many moments to provide a single standout. Big nights, big games, it really was the best job in local started with a one-off opportunity as Manchester City beat West Ham at London Stadium 5-0 in January 2017. It ended with a full-time job and watching Omar Marmoush scoring the club's goal of the season at home to club, the manager and the players have been brilliant to speak to and work with through those have given me stories some can only ever dream of.I want to say thank you to the listeners. I tried to call each game fairly, with passion and pride in my work. Win, lose or draw, I hope I made you laugh, cry (but in a good way) and get feels like the right time to explore new broadcasting opportunities and push myself further. Listen to Total Sport on BBC Radio Manchester, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to We're Not Really Here: A Manchester City podcast on BBC Sounds
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Classic Hits owner acquires Galway Bay FM for ‘seven-figure sum'
The owner of Classic Hits FM, Bay Broadcasting, has confirmed the acquisition of Galway Bay FM which has a weekly listenership of 132,000 for a 'seven-figure sum', pending regulatory approval. Bay Broadcasting, the owners of Radio Nova, Classic Hits and Sunshine 106.8, is set to add the 25-employee station to its stable, the company confirmed to The Irish Times. The director of Bay Broadcasting, Kevin Branigan, said Galway Bay FM 'stands out as one of Ireland's most respected local stations' and said it possesses a 'loyal audience and a strong local identity'. 'It's one of the most enduring local radio stations in the country and its track record speaks for itself. We look forward to working with the excellent team in Galway Bay FM and to continuing the station's proud position as the leading radio service in Galway,' he said. READ MORE The station's chairman, Peter Allen, speaking on behalf of the departing shareholders said there had been 'several interested parties' but added that the eventual winning party was the 'clear choice'. The purchase of Galway Bay FM will bring Bay Broadcasting's national listenership figures to 810,000, which it said will make them the second largest radio group in the State. The acquisition would, they said, lead to them overtaking Onic, the owner of Fm104 and Q102, which has 796,000 listeners. The acquisition has already been approved by Coimisiún na Meán but is subject to Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and ministerial approval. Galway Bay FM originally launched under the name Radio West in 1989 before rebranding in 1993. The Connacht Tribune Ltd, which first owned a 27 per cent stake, became sole owners in 2006.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rockland's lone local radio station WRCR AM sold to NYC media group
Rockland's lone local radio station is being sold to a New York City media conglomerate that owns the talk radio station 77 WABC. As a result, the channel for WRCR AM 1700 will broadcast programming from WABC hosts until a new format is introduced, according to the pending new ownership, Red Apple Group. "Yes, for the time being, the station will simulcast WABC and plans to have local programming serving the community," said Emily Panklow, the general counsel for the Manhattan-based Red Apple. The Red Apple Group is buying WRCR from Alexander Broadcasting, Inc. One of the corporation's co-owners is Dr. Alexander Medakovich, a physician and president of WRCR Radio. The Red Apple owner is billionaire John Catsimatidis, a media maven who also owns real estate and other businesses, such as supermarkets. Catsimatidis also has dabbled in politics, running for office in New York City and supporting candidates like President Donald Trump and the Cuomos. Local radio's history in Rockland: Rockland: What's the future of local radio? While Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby host an hourly show, WABC is known for its conservative commentators, focusing on national, New York City, and international issues. The station's hosts include Curtis Silwa, Mark Levin, Roger Stone, Bill O'Reilly, Brian Kilmeade, Sid Rosenberg, and Dominic Carter of Rockland. WRCR and its predecessors' formats focused on local issues and news for more than 50 years in Rockland, offering weekly radio time to elected officials and local activists. WRCR reported on staples like sports and weather, along with reports on finance, real estate, and county history. One of WRCR's predecessors was WRKL AM 910, which was bought out in 1999 and became a Polish-interest and Polish-language station. WRCR, which had been broadcasting from the Palisades Credit Union Park in Ramapo, switched to an Internet-only format in November 2016. By February 2017, the station revisited its past with the return of Stony Point's Steve Possell's morning show. Possell has since retired. Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@ Twitter: @lohudlegal Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rockland NY lone local radio station WRCR AM sold to NYC media group
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Made in St. Paul: Hyper-local community radio, by Frogtown Tuned-In on WFNU
Philip Gracia was getting a haircut when a friend asked if he wanted to start a radio show. Besides the fact that Gracia had no radio experience, he recalls saying, what would they even discuss? This, the friend replied — what we talk about at the barber shop. So in 2015, 'Real Talk with Real Brothers' debuted on Frogtown Community Radio, which at the time was an online-only platform run by the Frogtown Neighborhood Association. Ultimately, the show only lasted a few episodes, but within that time, Gracia had become all-in on local radio. He began hosting a weekly show called 'The Midday Escape,' and in 2016, when the station got federal approval to begin broadcasting over the airwaves as WFNU-LP, Gracia was one of several volunteers who helped build the antenna. In 2019, Gracia, Charles Moss Jr and Katey DeCelle, the station manager — who also all cohosted the show 'Funk To Your Ears' — formally took over the station as a nonprofit called Frogtown Tuned-In, independent from the neighborhood association. Today, Gracia is president and CEO and DeCelle is executive director. 'We were energized by community,' Gracia said. 'We wanted the community to have some ownership in it.' The station broadcasts from the top of the Capitol Ridge building on Rondo Avenue, also home to the Radisson St. Paul hotel, and can be heard at 94.1 FM in about a five-mile radius or online at Low-power FM radio stations like WFNU, so called because they transmit a signal at a lower wattage than other commercial and community stations, are a somewhat recent development; the Federal Communications Commission first authorized low-power broadcasting in 2000 but most low-power stations, including WFNU, have only received licenses within the past decade or so. Currently, St. Paul appears to be home to two operational low-power stations, WFNU in Frogtown and WEQY on the East Side, which is operated by the local Center for Broadcast Journalism as Power 104.7. Frogtown Tuned-In is powered by several dozen volunteer hosts that generally also produce their own shows, whether pre-recorded or broadcast live from the studio. Programming on the station includes both talk shows and music, and since most shows are weekly, every day is different, DeCelle said. For example, on Thursdays, Karen J. Larson hosts the long-running community advocacy show 'Living Loud with Karen J.' Conor O'Meara and Scott Applebaum go live most Friday mornings for 'Conor's Corner,' about sports and life with autism. Wesley Wright talks food systems and culture Saturdays on 'The Un-Bougie Foodie,' and chef Lachelle Cunningham, who also leads Frogtown Farm and the Healthy Roots Institute, hosts 'Community Roots' on Wednesdays. And for many of the station's volunteers, the premiere day of their show was also the first day they'd ever been on the radio, DeCelle said, which is 'exactly what the station is there for.' Gracia and DeCelle provide technical training and support, so it doesn't matter if someone starts out with no knowledge of working a soundboard, Gracia said — it's more about their personality and connection to the neighborhood. We've got their backs,' Gracia said. 'And when they sit behind the mic, you can tell if they've got it or not. You can tell if they'll be able to carry a conversation, be able to play music that'll resonate with somebody; if they're going to hang in there and do it for a period of time.' This is the core of community radio, Gracia and DeCelle said: Amplifying the voices of people who have hyper-local stories to tell, but who might not otherwise have had the resources to reach an audience. To that end, besides always considering proposals for new shows on the station, Frogtown Tuned-In also holds workshops for people with disabilities to learn radio skills and produce their own short radio pieces to air on the station. (The next workshop is scheduled for May 17, participation costs $20.) DeCelle and Gracia are also in the process of developing a news program that would produce original reporting focused on Frogtown and train community members as journalists. 'There are all these restaurants and businesses here that maybe people don't want to visit because they're not sure if it'll be (their) cup of tea — but you just have to take the step,' DeCelle said. 'Go into this business. Go into this theater. There's an abundance of things happening here and great people, and I hope this station will be able to uplift them.' Made in St. Paul: Portraits of Old Hollywood by oil painter Richard Abraham Made in St. Paul: A 20-foot geometric optical artwork, by custom cabinetry shop Designed & Made Made in St. Paul: Ice skating as storytelling and Black cultural expression, by figure skater Deneane Richburg's organization Brownbody Made in St. Paul: Painter and wine educator Angela Kallsen finds the personalities of wine grape vines
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
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