AUDACY & LIVE365 ENTER CONTENT DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP

Audacy and Live365 have announced a content distribution partnership that will bring hundreds of Live365 customers’ stations to the Audacy app.

Now you can also listen to the Sonic Planet (www.thesonicplanet.com) on Audacy. Listen anytime, anywhere on your PC, smart speakers, and a variety of connected devices, or download the Audacy app now from the App Store or Google Play!

The deal joins a similar partnership Live365 has had with iHeartRadio since 2021. Live365 President Jason Stoddard said, “Live365 broadcasters create amazing content – one of our primary goals is to honor their programming by helping them acquire as wide a listening audience as possible. Connecting them with Audacy’s vast network of millions of loyal listeners is another great way to achieve that goal while simultaneously giving Audacy a new source of entertaining, informative content.”

Audacy SVP Digital Audio Content Tim Clarke commented, “Live365 empowers creators of all styles, and we’re excited to leverage our platform and reach to give broadcasters a home for their content and introduce them to new audiences. This collaboration reflects our commitment to offering listeners premium audio choices and experiences and further enriches our robust content ecosystem.”

CMA ANNOUNCES 2023 BROADCAST AWARD WINNERS

NASHVILLE – The Country Music Association has announced the recipients of the 2023 CMA Broadcast Awards. Nine-time CMA Award nominee this year, Lainey Wilson and three-time CMA Award nominee this year Jordan Davis surprised radio stations and broadcast personalities today with one-on-one calls to reveal the news.

See below for the full list of 2023 CMA Broadcast Awards winners.

CMA BROADCAST PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR:

WEEKLY NATIONAL 

“Country Countdown USA” (Lon Helton) – Compass Media Networks

DAILY NATIONAL 

“Angie Ward” (Angie Ward) – iHeartMedia

MAJOR MARKET

“Hawkeye in the Morning with Hawkeye and Michelle” (“Hawkeye” Mark Louis Rybczyk and Michelle Rodriguez) – KSCS, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

LARGE MARKET

“The Wayne D Show” (“Wayne D” Danielson and Tay Hamilton) – WSIX, Nashville, Tenn.

MEDIUM MARKET

“Mo & StyckMan” (Melissa “Mo” Wagner and Greg “StyckMan” Owens) – WUSY, Chattanooga, Tenn.

SMALL MARKET

“Steve, Ben and Nikki” (Steve Stroud, Ben Walker and Nikki Thomas) – WXBQ, Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.-Va.

CMA RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR:

MAJOR MARKET

KEEY – Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minn.

LARGE MARKET

WUBE – Cincinnati, Ohio

MEDIUM MARKET

KUZZ – Bakersfield, Calif.

SMALL MARKET
WXBQ – Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.-Va.

The categories are established by market size based on population as ranked by Nielsen. Entries for Broadcast Personality of the Year are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and biographical and impact information. Candidates for Radio Station of the Year are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and leadership and impact information.

This year, any full-time, on-air broadcast personalities and radio stations in the United States and Canada were eligible to submit entries, regardless of CMA membership status. The entries are judged by a panel of distinguished broadcast professionals, representing all market sizes and regions.

CMA Broadcast Awards winners are not eligible to enter the same award category in consecutive years; therefore, those who received trophies in 2022 were not eligible in 2023.

BRIAN MALONEY LAUNCHES STREAMING COMPANY SONIC DETROIT WITH AMERICANA BRAND

Michigan native and career broadcast executive Brian Maloney, renowned for his extraordinarily successful 40+ years as a radio executive, is proud to announce his latest venture, “The Sonic Coast.” 

This groundbreaking app-based streaming radio station, firmly grounded in Americana and roots-rock music, now emerges as a platform for both established and emerging artists within the genre, encompassing folk, rock, country, soul, and blues, underscoring Maloney’s dedication to the Michigan music culture and his Michigan roots.

Born and raised in the Great Lakes State, Brian Maloney’s profound love for Michigan music and deep connection to the state sparked his desire to pay homage to the sprawling musical community that so shaped his journey and broadcast career in the state’s first all- digital Americana/Roots-Rock station that puts a special emphasis on given local bands exposure.

“After traveling throughout the nation during my career, I realized that Michigan was truly unique in its grand scope of legacy musical talent and sheer volume of amazing emerging talent,” Maloney remarks, “This, coupled with the fact that radio has, for the most part long given up on supporting local talent, I have felt the clear need to create a platform that offers local bands/artists in Michigan a major potential platform for exposure.

Sonic Coast is also delighted to feature another renowned Michigan ex-pat broadcast voice, his Specs Howard classmate Jane Asher of San Diego. Asher has been a popular voice on Southern California radio since the mid-1980s. “Being part of the new Sonic Coast is the thrill of a radio lifetime for me,” says Asher, “This fresh music format that Maloney is curating sounds like the very best of my favorite Michigan memories, mixed up with emerging regional artists that I enjoy more every single time I tune in.”

Maloney’s new company, Sonic Detroit LLC, will announce other Michigan-related audio brands soon. The Sonic Coast launched on September 18th.

The Sonic Coast is accessible via dedicated Android and iOS apps, as well as home listening devices and online at www.TheSonicCoast.com. The Sonic Coast ensures that listeners can tune in from anywhere, anytime. Maloney, known for taking a very different approach to programming and broadcast sales is offering initial category exclusive partnerships within specified time periods for select Michigan businesses. “It’s a crowded world of messaging and our category-exclusive partnerships allow our marketing partners to stand out in a way that nobody else offers, while at the same time supporting Michigan’s rich music history and community”.

Listeners can embark on their journey with The Sonic Coast by downloading the exclusive apps for Android and iOS devices, online at www.thesoniccoast.com or through their home listening devices.